Work Text:
The transition from Task Force X operative to a glorified bodyguard was about as smooth as one might expect. Now don’t misconstrue, Slade’s compensated more than generously for his work under Lex—but it’s the understanding that he’s directly under Lex that more often than not sets Slade off. And this morning was no exception.
As established early on in their working relationship, Lex doesn’t drive so from 8 in the morning till about 9 at night, Slade is practically at Lex’s beck and call—though thankfully the socially awkward CEO doesn’t tend to abuse that fact. Since Lex likes to be in the LexCorp building no later than 9 in the morning, Slade’s gotten used to driving to Lex’s apartment building and waiting downstairs outside until Lex appears, usually a little after 8:30, before they head off to work together. That’s the morning routine they’d set for themselves, neither ever actually affirming if they liked it but neither made note that any part of it was a problem so that’s just how it’s been. In the few months that this had been the norm, there had never once been an issue…Not until now that is.
Slade had just gotten out of the shower, a few stray beads of water dripping gently from his white hair that splatter lightly on the screen of his phone as he lifted it up to check his missed notifications. His eye narrows ever so slightly when he sees that he has not one, but two, missed calls from Lex. Quickly checking the time to make sure he’s not what Lex would deem ‘late’, Slade clicks his tongue in annoyance before he calls back. It’s only about half past 7 when the call came through and Slade hadn’t even gotten dressed yet, so why the hell was Lex bothering him so early.
As he walks into his bedroom and opens the closet door, Lex answers the return call and is already attempting to chew Slade out. With his phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder, Salde ignores the bemoaning that comes from the other end of the line as he pulls out his clothes for the day. In what Slade can only imagine is Lex taking a second to catch his breath— because how else do you explain Lex shutting up long enough to get a word in edgewise—Slade finally speaks, mild traces of disdain and muted hostility clear in his voice as he addresses Lex.
“Jesus tap dancing Christ, Luthor! What the hell are you bothering me so early for?! And not even a proper ‘Hello’ either, shame on whoever taught you phone etiquette.”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SLADE?!” Lex’s shrill scream over the phone makes Slade recoil from the device still close to his ear. Slade pulls the phone away with his freehand as he slips his other arm through his jacket sleeve, Lex’s grating voice once again nagging at him. “Were you not listening to ANYTHING I just said!?”
“Uhhh…Not really.” Slade dryly admits as he hitches up his pants and tightens his belt around. He hadn’t paid a lick of attention to anything Lex said when he first answered the phone, mostly out of spite because it’s before 8 in the morning, and Slade isn’t above saying as much either. “You’re talking to me, presumably about work shit, before 8. I’m supposed to be available to you at 8, not before. Soooo….” Slade trails off as he nears the front door of his apartment, quickly sliding on his shoes and grabbing his keys before he heads out.
“Are you serious right now?” The anger radiating from Lex’s words isn’t lost on Slade but the latter doesn’t care.
“Yeah man, I am. But it’s 7:58 now and I’m feeling gracious, so what’s up?” Nothing could have prepared Slade for the sheer vitriol in Lex’s voice he was about to hear.
“YOU ARE SUCH A FUCKING PRICK! JUST GET HERE!” And with that stunning declaration, Lex hangs up his phone. Once again pulling his phone from his ear so he doesn’t develop permanent hearing damage, Slade swears it sounds like Lex hung up by slamming shut a flip phone—though the closest thing Slade thinks could make that noise would be Lex throwing his phone and he knows that’s not the case.
“Pffft…What the fuck is his problem…” In total disregard of the tongue lashing Lex just tried to give him, Slade isn’t too concerned about what Lex might say or just how angry the little twerp might be at him.
It only takes a few minutes of driving for Slade to pull up to Lex’s apartment building like he’s down countless times before, except this time Lex is already outside waiting for him with his foot angrily tapping against the sidewalk while his arms are crossed over his chest as he waits. The vehicle barely stops before Lex is already trying to jerk open the door, the distinct thunk of a still locked door handle unsuccessfully being tugged on graces both men's ears to drastically different results. Outside the car, Lex tries the door again before he stamps his foot on the ground and yells at Slade who is cackling from the driver’s seat.
“Slade! Unlock the damn door!!” Lex juts a finger towards the window as he glares into dark glass, it’s far too tinted to see into but he knows damn well that Slade’s behind the wheel snickering.
Hearing the door unlock after what feels like an unnecessarily long wait time, Lex throws open the door and climbs in before he slams the door closed behind him. His cheeks are a deep red and the tired bags under his eyes do little to help him seem approachable but that doesn’t stop Slade from picking an impish fight.
“Well good morning to you too, Lex.” Slade forced himself to have a slightly cheer twinge in his voice as he spoke but the reply Lex curtly gives makes his face drop.
“You’re late.” Lex’s abrasive tone as he clicks his seatbelt closed and settles into his seat breaks any playfulness in Slade’s demeanor.
“Bitch, I am early! It’s fucking 8:15! I normally come get you at like 8:30 and you’re little ass called me at fucking 7:30 this morning! The fuck is up with that?!” Slade slams his fist on the center console as he stares Lex down, his eye twitching when he sees Lex tiredly rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. “See?! It’s so early you’re not even really fucking awake, so why the hell am I getting bitched at!?” Waiting for an answer, the intensity of Slade’s glare only grows when Lex weakly yawns before he can give a proper answer.
“I-ah…*ah-haaa* am awake…” The tiny tears in the corner of Lex’s eyes betray the words spoken as he reaches out for his glasses that he put on the dashboard. Fingers gently tapping the black dash of the car and glide across the surface before they touch the familiar metal frames they were in search of. Watching this, another ripple of rage washes over Slade and he has to stop himself from grabbing the glasses from Lex and tossing them out the window, just to teach the little jackass a lesson. He barely manages to hold himself back as he turns to face the road, grumbling under his breath before he once again repeats the query of why Lex was already bugging him earlier in the morning than usual.
“So what’s the fucking deal, man? Why’d you get a stick up your ass this morning?” Slade has to once again stop himself from tearing Lex a new one when the response is less than stellar.
“If you’d been listening earlier you’d know.” In the passenger seat, Lex has already pulled out his work laptop and is typing away. Even with his glasses, Lex is still squinting at the screen and hunched forward in a quickly imposed deep focus.
It takes all of Slade’s being to not slam the screen down on Lex’s fingers…
“Well just humor me then…” Through grit teeth and ever growing ire Slade probes again.
The deep sigh that slips from Lex’s lips is quickly followed by a short click of his tongue before he finally gives an answer. “There’s an early morning department head meeting. I wanted to get to the office early but some people can’t pick up their phones…” The pointedness of that comment is not lost on Slade, he’d have to be an idiot for it to be.
Mentally Slade’s already thrown Lex out of the car and has left him on the side of the road, but he knows he can’t do that. He wants to but he knows he can’t. Besides, they're pretty close to the building already and it wouldn't be much of a punishment for Lex to only have to walk about 400 feet. So, instead of physical violence he returns Lex’s shitty little remark with one of his own.
“Well maybe some people should communicate plans to those around them.”
“Well maybe somebody forgets who works for who here and should-!” And with that little snide criticism, Lex whips his head to the side, his auburn bangs swishing to the side in sync with the motion, to look at Slade to continue his rebuttal but stops mid word when he sees how Slade is now staring him down.
Slade’s lips are pulled into a thin line and his eye is locked in on Lex’s face with steely scrutiny. Like every miniscule movement is under view via a microscope as Slade watches him intently. Inhaling deeply, Slade doesn’t speak a word as he puts the car in park and pulls his gaze from Lex. Lex hadn’t even realized Slade had already gotten them to the building and somehow missed them pulling into Lex’s reserved space in the parking garage. Once Slade’s attention is off of him, Lex quickly closes his laptop and slips it back into his bag before he hops out of the tall SUV. The second Lex shuts his door he hears it lock as Slade rounds the side of it and heads towards the elevator.
The tension in the air is thick as Lex scuttles behind Slade, keeping close to the taller man who briskly strides through the parking garage without so much as acknowledging Lex. Once the call button on the elevator is pressed, it’s just a few seconds before the doors of it open and Slade steps in. Lex moves to follow suit but is stopped when Slade puts a firm hand to his chest just before he steps through the threshold of the elevator.
“Wha-Slade, what are you doing?” Lex goes to try again but is once again stopped, Salde stepping forward to block the entrypoint more before he again gives a harsh shove to Lex’s smaller frame. “Slade! What're you doing?!” Through disheveled bangs and with wide, confused eyes Lex practically pouts as he looks up at Slade, only to be met with a cold and borderline resentful look that sends a shiver down Lex’s spine.
“Get the next one, Luthor.” Slade bends down, his eye line directly flat with Lex’s as he utters a small quip that only shrouds Lex in more worry. “For your own sake…” As if on cue, the elevator doors slowly close, Slade having to quickly release the hold he’d had on Lex’s shirt as he pulls back his hand before his arm catches in the door.
Left on his own with nothing but his thoughts for company, Lex replays the whole scene in his mind once again. Lex hadn’t thought that this early morning disagreement would spiral into whatever it had just evolved into. Sure they’ve had their tiffs before now but something seemed deeper in this one. Slade seemed genuinely angry…Genuinely threatening in his words for the first time in a long long while. Swallowing the lump growing in his throat, Lex clutches the strap of his backpack tightly as he waits for the next elevator to come back down after he hits the call button for the second time.
Remembering the fierce disdain that lingered in Slade’s gaze, Lex recognizes that the man he just pulled rank probably has a kill count more than double his age. Despite that he IS still Slade’s boss, though he’d hoped the necessity to assert command like that had long been forgotten. “Shit…” Lex mutters, the words failing to reach anyone's ears but his own.
Meanwhile in the elevator…
A loud bang reverberates in the tight enclosed space of the elevator as Slade pulls his fist back from the wall, a fresh dent now acting as a reminder of his unusually emotional outburst.
“WHERE THE FUCK DOES THAT LITTLE PRICK GET OFF?!” With another click of his tongue Slade is now leaned against the opposing wall of the elevator with his arms crossed over his chest. Continuing his muttered plight, Slade glares as he watches the floor display slowly descends, waiting rather impatiently to arrive at his floor. “Oh yeah…Just know instantly that I need you earlier than normal…Not like there's a thing called talking to one another…”
A small ding catches Salde’s attention, signaling that he’s at the floor of his office and the security team bay is finally within reach. “Finally…About damn time.” Kicking himself off the wall, Slade’s walks through the still opening doors and is almost instantly greeted with a slew of confused looks. It’s not like their boss usually walks in late, but it’s another thing to see Slade so early without there being something going on. His second in command wastes no time in making his way over as Slade makes a beeline for his office, only slowing his stride when Delgado makes it clear he’s intent on getting some answers out of him.
“Really? Not even a goodmorning when you walk in so early?” Delgado’s half-cocked sideways grin usually doesn’t annoy Slade but it does today.
“Shut it, Delgado. Not in the mood.” It’s an honest— though very short—remark that borders on being a reprimand, not that Delgado seems to mind, or simply that he doesn’t care.
“What? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” Delgado cuts his quick snicker short when Slade gives him some pretty excessively bitter side eye. “Oh damn, you really did wake up pissed off…” Delgado trails off as he watches his boss, quickly looking back towards Ethan.
Motioning his head towards Slade, Delgado is clearly trying to get Ethan to get involved just sio he isn’t going at it alone. Ethan—who’s only about half way across the room—can sense Slade’s aggression from here and would greatly prefer to stay out of it and hold up his hands defensively. Delgado pulls his lips into a tight line before gesturing towards Slade again who is briefly distracted as he’s pouring himself a cup of coffee, something he would’ve done before he left his apartment if Lex hadn’t interrupted his morning routine. Dropping his shoulders in defeat, Ethan hesitantly steps closer towards the two but Slade is already glaring him down, though it is noticeably less severe than Slade normally does.
“You do seem a bit more…” Ethan struggles to find the right way to say what he wants to that won’t end with Slade deciding they need a refresher in taser training before continuing “agitated…than normal. And you are here earlier than you tend to get in…”
“I’m not agitated…I’m just pissed off. Big difference.” Slade gently swirls the coffee cup in his hand as he watches the dark liquid in his mug before he brings it to his lips to take a sip.
It’s not a bad start. Slade barely acknowledged the fact that Ethan practically just called him pissy and isntead just took a swig of his drink, so Delgado decides to press a little further to try and get to the bottom of just why exactly this day is already off to a tense start.
“Alright, so why are you so pissed off? Did something happen last night that we don’t know about that we gotta deal with? Or were you fighting with a girl~” Delgado teases lightly, poking the side of Slade’s cheek with a shit eating grin that you only get away with if you’re pretty close to the person you’re dealing with. The second Delgado pressed Slade for more info, Ethan looked over at him nearly defeated. Ethan would rather not be Slade’s punching bag today but Delgado seems pretty damn determined.
Slapping away Delgado’s hand roughly, Slade shoots another glare his way before he clarifies. “If only it was a fucking chick, then I’d atleast get away from the shit once I’m at work…” Grumbling low, his voice dreadfully callous as he speaks, Slade practically growls as he thinks back on who put him in such a foul mood.
Cocking an eyebrow upwards, Delgado tilts his head to the side and awaits further clarification but Ethan catches on quickly.
“Oh…Ohhhhh…” Ethan knew about the pick up/drop off arrangement Slade and Lex had going and assumed it was only a matter of time before something occurred to rattle the loose arrangement. Before Ethan can finish, Delgado is already looking back at the other man expectantly as he is still left in the dark. “It was something with Lex, wasn’t it?” Ethan probes lightly, unaware of illicit or explicit staying it like that might come across.
Another throaty growl leaves Slade while Delgado whips his back to look at Slade shocked, his mouth agape and his eyes wide but there’s a noticeable hint of amusement that graces his features as he asks a question, that if anyone else dared, would have them in traction.
“YOU AND LEX FINALLY FUCKED?!” Delgado ecstatically asks while Ethan smacks his hand to his forehead in shock, pinching the bridge of nose expecting Slade to go off at him as well as Delgado. The sincerity in his question makes it hard to be angry with Delgado but Slade can always manage aggression when necessary…
“What the actual fuck, Delgado?! NO!!” Slamming his booted foot down to enforce his point, Slade glares wickedly towards the two men. If Slade wasn’t beyond pissed off before he would be now. “Me and that little shit head?! Fuck no!” Doubling down on the denial, Slade points a finger towards Delgado, quickly waving it to point at Ethan then back to Delgado to emphasize his genuinely disdain for the mere notion of that being what happened.
“Oh…” For some reason or another, Delgado actually sounds disappointed by that sound rejection. “Well if that’s not it then what is it?” Shifting his weight as he watches Slade, Delgado puts a hand on his hip as he awaits an answer. Staying silent in hopes that Slade would forget he’s there, Ethan shakes his head lightly as he listens but is also fairly curious as to just what exactly transpired that has Salde this angry this early. Lex isn’t exactly the aggressive or confrontational type, so whatever it was had to be something intriguing—at least from an outsider's perspective.
Fully giving into his bitchy and petty side, Slade relents and regails the two men he’s technically the boss of with a play by play of what happened earlier. Ethan, listening quietly without interjecting like Delgado, understands Slade’s frustrations but doesn’t really get why Slade is THIS mad about the whole ordeal. Sure, it sounds annoying and aggravating, but Ethan has seen Slade mad plenty of times before now…but never over something this trivial.
Delgado however was more than happy to listen and egg on his boss’s complaining, eagerly interjecting when he deems appropriate. Typically nothing more than a little ‘oh fuck that’ or ‘damn, that’s harsh’, just enough to make it feel like a normally conversation where Slade is just doing most of the talking. Truthfully Delgado’s words only work to encourage Slade’s anger —and in Ethan’s mind overreaction.
“Alright so, you’re this mad because Lex decided to come in early and didn’t give you more of a heads up? And then when you were complaining about it to him he reminded you that you work for him? Is…Is that really it?” Holding up his hand as he speaks, Ethan tries to break up the increasingly echo-chamber sounding conversation with a few simple but pointed questions. Both men stop and turn to look back at Ethan but Ethan is only watching for Slade’s reaction, making sure that if Slade throws something at him that he might notice quick enough and have time to duck.
“Well, yeah…” Hearing it so plainly does sort of show that Slade might be overreacting just a little but he isn’t about to give Ethan that much credit. “But it’s not that simple! He could’ve sent me a damn text earlier! Like last night or some shit! Or told me yesterday since I drive the little shit everywhere everyday!”
“Alright fair, but Lex has sprung this kind of thing on you before and you never cared that much.” For the first time in conversation, Delgado seems to be on Ethan’s side. Ethan gesturing lightly with an open palm toward Delgado as the latter says his quick yet direct assessment, much to Slade’s displeasure.
Slade is once again on the ropes.
“It’s about the way he said it! Like I know I fucking work for him! I can’t forget that I work for that little twink! Everyday I see him! I gotta drive him back from work every night when he can barely keep those stupid little beady eyes open! He works constantly and he’s always here, so I’m always here with him! You know he’d made me CARRY him upstairs before?! He spent so much time in his lab that he couldn’t even wait till he got to his apartment to fall asleep and I had to carry his scrawny ass inside!” Nostrils flaring as he speaks, Slade practically spits through grit teeth as he remembers that night. There was a light chill in the air and Lex practically cuddled into him as he carried him upstairs to try and steal some of Slade’s warmth.
The two men listening share a silent glance between them before they look back at Slade, both can tell by the passion behind his words that he’s nowhere near done bemoaning Lex’s previous bad behaviours.
“Like the fuck?! I’m not his damn butler or his boyfriend! I’m not paid to wait on him hand and foot! And he’s always posturing man! I pulled up in the SUV and he was waiting on the sidewalk with his arms crossed over his chest and tapping his foot like that’s supposed to intimidate me!? He can’t even order from a damn restaurant without fidgeting with his glasses because he’s so socially fucked!” Slade doesn’t even realize he’s tangetting as he continues on his tirade.
“So I get there, earlier than I want or am meant to, and this little shit can’t even wait for me to unlock the door before he’s tuggin on the handle like an impatient toddler and yells at ME for it still being locked when he won’t let go so I can unlock it! Then he just hops in the car and starts fussing at me! And his voice is always so shrill in the morning cause he’s only had coffee and is so sleep deprived that even if he sleeps ten hours he’ll be cranky! So he’s mad at me but he’s sitting there yawning and rubbing his eyes like a damn baby because he’s still tired! It’s almost like an early morning meeting isn't that good of an idea if you aren’t rested enough or even prepared enough for it to tell your driver that it’s happening! But if you say that kinda stuff to him he just looks up at you and FUCKING POUTS! And he doesn’t even know he’s pouting cause how some people have resting bitch face, Lex has RESTING BABY FACE! He’s got those stupid cheeks and because he’s so short ya gotta look down at him and that means he’s gotten look up at you, but he never takes care of his hair so it’s always messy and his bangs are always in the way and you just gotta deal with that!” Angirly taking a sip of his coffee, Slade leans against the desk closest to him while Ethan and Delgado once again share a confused look because what the actual hell was all of that…
“I uh…never knew you paid that much attention to him…” Ethan is the first to brave a comment, a bold decision given the fact that he’s the guy Slade usually directs unearned anger towards.
Quickly swallowing the coffee in his mouth, Slade throws a hand up in aggravation because of course he pays attention to Lex. He has to. It’s literally half his job to watch out for their little prick of a boss.
“The hell are you talking about, Ethan? I have to spend most of my day around the little shit!” Slade admits, looking to Delgado for some reinforcement but the man looks lost in a mild state of concentration.
“I…I’m just kinda shocked you called Lex a twink…” Delgado admits, his eyes glazed over slightly as he recalls the exact turn of phrase Slade used to describe the guy who signs their paychecks.
“Wait? No? I-I didn’t call the little freak a twink.” Denying the accusation, Slade goes to add a little more creamer to his coffee but freezes when Ethan comes to the defense of Delgado’s claim.
“You did though, Slade. You called him a little twink at the very start of your…” Pausing, Ethan is once again at a loss for words because he’s trying his damndest not to get hit by Slade for this whole interaction “...rant.” Rant seemed like the best word but Slade doesn’t seem to share the sentiment.
“It wasn’t a damn ‘rant’, Ethan! I was just complaining about how Lex acted this morning!!” Slade points with a finger but twitches lightly when he hears Delgado start to come to Ethan’s defense.
“You kinda went on like…4 different tangents, boss man. Ya talked about how Lex is always tired and how apparently he can’t order his own food at places without getting nervous…”
Slade goes to interject but stops when Ethan starts talking before he can, Slade’s head whipping back and forth between Ethan and Delgado to try and keep whoever is currently talking in his field of vision.
“And how he’s really pouty, how he’s short, how you had to carry him inside one time because he fell asleep in the car…” Ethan— the shitheel that he is—keeps count on his fingers as he lists the different subjects of Slade’s monologue.
“Ya know, I never would’ve described Lex as having a ‘baby face’ but I can kind of see it now that you say it…Is that you called him a twink?” Delgado muses, looking at Slade as he earnestly awaits an answer while Slade is simply stunlocked that two of his employees are ganging up on him like this.
“I didn’t call the little shit a twink! I a..and even if I did, it wouldn’t be true because I can’t see anybody going for that little punk! I-!” Slade goes to try and defend himself but Delgado isn’t having it, interrupting Slade quickly with a rather damn question.
“Wait, boss, are you about to go on another Lex rant cause if you are let me get a cup of coffee!” Delgado’s boldness impresses yet aggravates Slade to no end, the only thing worse is that Ethan takes the chance to double up on it himself.
“And should I get a notepad to write down all your grievances with Lex? It’ll be easier to remember them all instead of you just yelling all of them at us.” Ethan quips, managing to pull a small notepad seemingly out of midair as Delgado pours himself a coffee in a mug while Slade just watches, his eye twitching in annoyance at the perceived insubordination—though that really wouldn’t be fair to say.
“Oh both of you just fuck off! Lex is an asshole little prick that YES is a twink!” He tosses that glare and declaration towards Delgado before he continues “but nobody should ever fuck because he’s such a god damn asshole! He’s a whiny, self-centered little pouty bitch! And you can tell him I said that! Fuck, I’ll say it to his face!!” Slade practically yells that last part, his near shout echoing off the walls of the sublevel the security bay is housed on.
The familiar sound of the heavy metal doors opening down the corridor catch all three males' attention, Ethan being the first to turn to see who might be headed their way. Holding back a chuckle the best he can, Ethan tilts his head back to look at Slade who has yet to turn to see who just walked in. Delgado leans forward, gasping then cackling quietly as he looks back towards Slade with a knowing mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Looks like you’ll have the chance…” Delgado practically whispers under his breath as he nudges Slade, the aforementioned man tossing a quick glare towards his underling because he slowly brings his gaze to look to the side, his face noticeably tensing when he sees Lex making his way down the corridor towards the three of them.
“Fuck off, Delgado…” Slade speaks in a hushed yet rushed manner as he straightens his back, rolling his shoulders lightly as he mentally prepares himself for a plethora of scenarios, not knowing what Lex might be trying to accomplish by coming down here but intending to be ready for whatever it might be.
As he walks, Lex practically has his nose buried in a packet of files as he nears the men. It’s not an uncommon sight to see Lex roaming the halls and corridors of his building while his focus is squarely on the contents of whatever reports or data he’s come across that needs his attention. Another quick sneer passes by Slade’s features, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration as he sees Lex turn the page in the packet. On more than one occasion he’s been the sole reason Lex hasn’t bumped into a wall, a person, or taken a wrong turn towards an office that wasn’t the one he was intending to go in.
Clicking his tongue, Slade throws his voice with as much malice as he can muster to call out to Lex.
“Didn’t I fucking tell you not to walk and read like that?! Last time you nearly busted your ass falling down the stairs!!”
The moment Slade calls out Lex flinches, hands desperately clutching the pages he was reading close to his chest as he looks towards Slade with wide eyes before he tries his best to compose himself. Lex’s hand comes up quickly to unnecessarily adjust his glasses as he quickens his pace. What goes unnoticed by Slade is blatantly evident to both Ethan and Delgado, the lightest pink hue dusting Lex’s cheeks as he speaks, his voice nowhere near as strong as Slade’s as he defends his actions,
“I was just reviewing some reports before the meeting…I-I was coming to make sure you were going to be there…”
Ethan and Delgado both look over towards Slade, awaiting an answer but the lightest uptick at the corner of Slade’s lips only confuses both men more. Scoffing as he turns his head away from Lex, Slade brings his mug up to his lips but doesn’t take a sip, seemingly posing as he speaks.
“Why the fuck would I go? It’s not like there’s any reason for me to go to any of these stupid meetings.”
“Well you are the security team lead…you are supposed to be there for this sort of thing…” Lex’s words slowly flutter off into the air, the nervous man shifting uncomfortably as he awaits Slade’s answer.
“I’ll pass. Thanks.” Taking the moment, Slade raises his mug closer to his lips to steal another sip of his beverage and just as he swallows, he hears Lex give his best attempt at clearing his throat to gain Slade’s attention again. The smallest sliver of a forced cough has Slade cutting his eye towards Lex, waiting with lightly piqued interest about the man’s next words—words that were hopefully chosen carefully.
“I-I’m…I’m not really asking, Slade. You need to come to the department meetings like every other department lead.”
“Pfft, is that an order, Mr. Luthor?”
“Does it need to be?” Just like Slade mentioned before, here comes Lex’s posturing. The lightest head tilt that allows his bangs to swoop steeper to the side of his face, the once fidgeting hands that now crossed sternly over his chest, and the languid and loose smile that trounces its way onto Lex’s face only works to earn the pseudo-confident man a sharp eye twitch from Slade.
The overt display, one that once again forces Ethan and Delgado to glance at each other, brings a swell of tension between Lex and Slade who stand at opposing sides of the room. A rich yet snide scoff leaves Slade’s as he finally stands, turning just enough on his heel to stare down Lex—as if he’s begging the shorter male to come closer and say that to his face. A challenge that is of course not met head on.
“I…Uh…I’ll just see you in the conference room then…” Swallowing the lump in his throat, Lex gives a quick curt nod towards Slade. In doing so, Lex’s tufted auburn bangs dip low and a few strands end up behind the lenses of his glasses. With an abrupt yelp, Lex is scrunching his eye shut as a hand shoots upwards to carefully shoo away the stray bangs, Lex’s shoulders tensing and his face pulling into a displeased moue as he shakes his head lightly.
Delgado has to cover his mouth while Ethan simply bites his inner bottom lip to stifle the laughter that threatened them. Slade—the rugged man that he is—watches with what can only be described as hostility. Brows once again furrowed in Lex’s direction while his eye is intensely narrowed watching Lex’s movements. Slade’s lips pursed into a sneer as Lex turns away to retreat out of the room.
Lex’s feet barely lift off the ground as he shuffles away, the packet in his hands still tightly pressed to his chest as he hastily makes his way towards the exit. Lex, in his hurry to make a quick departure, practically shoulder checks the edge of the doorway, a sharp cry leaving his lips and a few of the pages scattering onto the cold floor as they fall.
“Oh god damn it!” Lex spatters in a hushed swear as he drops to the ground and scrambles to pile the now loose papers into his arms. Quickly glancing back towards the men watching him, Lex recoils when he sees the sheer ferocity in which Slade is watching him with. Lips curled into a tight line while his jaw and shoulders are tense. Slade’s fingers curled so tightly around the mug held in his hand, his knuckles hidden beneath the black gloves he’s wearing turning a white form the sheer force behind his hold.
All the pages finally collected, Lex scampers down the corridor disappearing from sight as he rounds another corner.
Once Lex is gone the other two security guards don’t bother hiding back their amusement, Delgado’s shoulders jostle as he laughs while Ethan merely shakes his head, a few short chuckles leaving him. The sounds of delight are swiftly cut short when an unmistakable shattering can be heard, both men whipping their heads back to look at Slade. The mug once in his hands lay in fractured pieces on the floor, coffee splashed on the floor pooling around the jagged porcelain scraps. Exhaling deeply, Slade flexes his fingers from their now clenched state as he tries to regain his composure before he speaks.
“If I was still in highschool I’d beat the shit outta that guy…”
With that admission everything falls into place for the others to figure it out. Delgado gives another half-cocked smile to Ethan who waves his hand, trying to dismiss the goofy face his coworker is giving him.
“So, that’s what it is…You think he’s cute!” Delgado roughly elbows Slade’s side, his boss shoving him away almost immediately as he reprimands his subordinate.
“Shut the fuck up, Delgado! I do not think that little fucker is cute!”
“I mean…You seem to…” Ethan starts, balking lightly when Slade jabs a finger in his direction before even uttering a word.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP! What the hell makes you think I like that little piece of shit!?” Slade’s voice once again booming through the room as he glares at Ethan with disdain.
“You have cuteness aggression!” Delgado drapes his arms around Slade’s shoulders, cackling happily as laughs, shaking Slade roughly in a playful manner. The jostled man does little to fight the display of affection but gives him a quizzical look as he tries to decide how best to throw Delgado off of him. Prying one of Delgado’s arms off of him, Slade grabs hold of the other and shoves Delgado towards Ethan, while the thrown male simply continues his roaring amusement.
“It’s true! You didn’t even deny it! You have cuteness aggression about Lex! That’s why you kept bitching about all the little things that piss you off about him! It’s cause you like him and think everything he does is cute!!”
“Delgado, shut up before he decides to shoot us both…” Ethan smacks Delgado on the back, trying to implore his coworker to pull back just a little so that Slade doesn’t fly completely off the rails about this.
“I do not have cuteness aggression towards Lex. I bitch about the shit he does because he pisses me off! He’s a shitty boss, he’s got a stupid face, and he’s fucking annoying! I don’t think it’s cute, I don’t find it charming, and certainly don’t love the little fuck!” Slade stamps his foot down, the seriousness on his face plain as he spits towards the pair of them. The slivers of porcelain crunching under his boot, the piercing grating of the chunks beneath him causing an ear splittingly shrill scrap to cry out beneath his foot. Looking down with a hate filled jeer, Slade quickly raises his foot and backs away from the mess he himself made.
Throwing his head to the side as he waves his hand towards the pair, Slade decides it best to leave the two of them to their delusions.
“JUST CLEAN THIS FUCKING MESS UP, ETHAN!” Stepping in full strides, it doesn’t take Slade long to be out of sight from his subordinates who were seemingly so desperate for office gossip that they’d concocted the shared conspiracy of him having some infatuation for Lex.
“I’m…shocked that all that came of that…” Ethan admits as he shoves passed Delgado who is still happily snickering.
“It’s also pretty funny that he just yelled at you to clean it up and not me too, especially considering I’m the one that said it.” Delgado guffaws again as he follows Ethan.
Meanwhile as he walks, Slade contemplates what the two said but quickly shakes away the idea. He knows himself better than those two idiots and knows what he’d consider cute or appealing in a general sense. And he knows damn well that Lex DOESN'T fit that criteria. He arrives at the conference room faster than he’d like but since others have already begun filling the empty space, he puts his own displeasure of even being there aside and walks in.
Truth be told he ignores most of what’s going on once the meeting actually begins, only loosely paying attention to when Lex—shocker—is speaking while he tunes out the others in the room. Again, he had no intention of coming to this in the first place so he’s really only here to take up space. Situating himself in a corner rather than a chair, Slade has his arms crossed over his chest as he repeatedly scans the room. His eye darting quickly to whoever suddenly starts speaking just to start his rounds all over again.
Holding back his yawn, Slade cocks his head to the side to look towards Lex, Delgado’s words still nagging at him from the back of his mind. Fully believing that there’s no infatuation, Slade takes a minute to study Lex from this position. Lex is seated at the end of the table, nobody directly to the side of him so he’d got plenty of space to sprawl out his things, his laptop catty cornered to the side of the table as he quickly types a note with one hand before turning his attention back to the papers in front of him.
‘Well, that’s normal for him…He’s always got his shit scattered. How can someone be as productive as he is if he’s this disorganized?’ Slade ponders internally as he settles himself into the corner more, resting his head on the edge of the wall as he continues to make note of Lex’s excentricities. Not because he likes him or anything, Slade just likes to people watch and let’s be real, Lex is prime subject matter.
Now is when Slade starts to pick up the little things that Lex does when he thinks nobody is paying attention to him. The way he’ll silently mouth a word or two out of a sentence while he’s taking notes or the previously unseen habit where he’ll repeatedly press down the edge of a page he’s writing on even if the parchment isn’t curled up are both two things completely new to Slade. He’d never cared enough to watch Lex when he’s in a note taking mood before up until now so it’s reasonable to suspect he’d miss those.
There’s also the slightly charming—though he wouldn’t admit it even if you put a gun to his head— habit of Lex’s where he’ll bring whatever writing utensil he’s using up to the side of his face and absentmindedly tap it against his cheek if he’s resting his head against his hand. Again, Slade doesn’t typically pay Lex any mind when he’s taking notes so it’s unsurprising he’d never clocked this habit. He doubts Lex even realizes he’s doing it, the dark blue pen tapping against the pale skin of Lex’s cheek over and over again before the silent repetition is broken.
With the unintentional slip of his hand, the edge of the pen taps against the metal arm of Lex’s glasses instead of his cheek. The noise isn’t particularly loud, in fact no one else in the room even seems to notice the sharp little twick aside from Slade, and Lex of course. Slade wasn’t going to pay any attention to it, until he realized just how much Lex seems to care about the noise.
Suddenly sitting up straighter in his chair, Lex’s eyes dart around the room like he’s trying to see if anyone just heard what he did. His grey eyes that still have prominent bags under them quickly jump from person to person around the table, the hand that was raised and the pen in question now quickly shoved under the table like he’s trying to hide the evidence that it was him that dared to make a noise. Stiffer body language and a guilt face are easily readable but nobody else in the room even seems to notice. Shoulders relaxing ever so slightly, Lex leans back in his chair more as he rests his hand on the table.
Internally, Slade is screaming at the overly anxious man.
‘It was a fucking pen tap and you’re the god damn CEO! Why do you care if people know you made a noise?! Jesus fucking Christ, he is such a little wimpy bitch! My god, he’s acting like he just got away with murder and all he did was tap his fucking pen. I swear one of these da-’ And with that overly aggressive progression of thought, Slade pauses. Taking a personal mental review of his line of thinking…because why does he care so much? If he’s questioning why Lex cares so much about whether or not anyone heard a noise he made then shouldn’t he be asking himself why he cares so much about what Lex thinks?
Forcing the overly self-reflective sentiment from his mind, Slade goes back to watching Lex—again ignoring the burning question in the back of his mind about just why exactly he cares so much about Lex right now.
‘No. There’s no way. I’m not even entertaining that idea. Shut the fuck up. I’m not letting Ethan and Delgado gaslight me into thinking I like that little freak.’
Slade scrunches his eye shut and takes a deep breath. He’d not even realized that directionally he was looking dead ahead at Lex…but he learns it when he opens his eye and sees Lex staring directly back at him. Slade, ever the master of staying calm, simply raises an eyebrow when they make eye contact while Lex once again flinches and quickly takes his eyes off of Slade, Lex’s tired eyes looking back down at the papers laid out in front of him before he hurriedly shifts his gaze to look towards whoever is speaking.
Slade’s eye flickers as another shallow wave of irritation washes over him. ‘All we did was make eye contact! Why is he so damn timid?!’ Slade continues to watch Lex, his ire only growing every time he sees Lex look over at him just to quickly cower down again. Every time Lex gathers just enough confidence to look over at Slade, the second he sees the standing man still watching him, Lex immediately averts his eyes and seems to shrink into his chair. ‘Why does he keep looking over here if every time he’s gonna see me, he just flinches away like A LITTLE BITCH?! Oh my god, Wilson, why the fuck do you care?!’ And with that little verbiage, Slade shakes his head once again. He doesn’t want Delgado and Ethan to be right—and he’d rather die than give either man the satisfaction of him outright admitting it. But right now? He can’t shake the inkling that they might have been onto something…It seems like everything Lex does right now is pissing him off but at the same time he wants Lex to keep doing it…
“Son of a bitch…” Slade mutters under his breath, hoping that nobody heard him but of course he isn’t so lucky. Some jackass from accounting heard him and turned around to look at him, he was probably going to say something too but when he saw it was Slade that said it, he made the correct decision to turn back around and forget he heard anything.
‘Alright Wilson, just wait until after this meeting then you can settle this shit…’ Slade coaxes himself through the realization that if he doesn’t get to the bottom of this now that it would drive him up a wall so he’s really got no choice.
Slade couldn't tell you how long the meeting went on for after that. He knew better than to repeatedly check the time, it only ever makes the seconds creep by slower and being at this damn meeting was punishment enough as is. Once the meeting finally comes to a close everyone slowly starts to file out. Some linger to talk to people in other departments about business while some simply take the chance to socialize, but sooner or later everyone has made their exit…except for Lex and Slade. Besides his unprofessional comment earlier, Slade neglected to say anything during the meeting…seems like the only things he’s got to say are for Lex’s ears only.
Still sitting in his chair, Lex is organizing the notes from the meetings as best he can while being watched like a hawk. It’s not until they’re finally alone does he realize that Slade is making his way over. Lex bites his lip, assuming the absolute worst, and braces himself for Slade to really lay into him about the back and forth they’d exchanged earlier in the day.
“Slade…I-I’m sorry about earlier. I know that we-I-Achk?!” Lex’s attempted start at a dialogue is interrupted by Slade roughly grabbing his chin in one hand, the standing man forcing him to crane his head upwards to look up at him better. The harsh texture of Slade’s gloved hand roughly glides against Lex’s sensitive skin, the force behind the hold nearly enough for Lex to yelp out in shock as Slade holds him there. Looking up at Slade with wide, unnerved eyes, Lex gulps apprehensively while Slade looks him over.
Wide and tired yet doe like eyes, fluffy slightly disheveled dark hair that looks perfect for pulling, blush already creeping onto his face from the forced close proximity, lips quivering and just barely parted as he struggles to prepare himself to verbal retaliate, and a fidgety frame that gives him all the hallmarks of a prey animal caught in snare…Pathetic yet promising…
“God damn it…I do find you cute…” And with that, Slade—audacious as ever—lets go of Lex’s chin and simply pulls away. He’s got nothing more to say on the matter, the simple conclusion that yes, he does find Lex cute, was enough to satisfy him for now.
Lex, on the other hand, was simply left dumbfounded and awestruck in his chair as Slade nears the door of the conference room.
“Wait-what?! Slade, you can’t just say that and leave like nothing happened!” Lex quickly stands from his chair and rounds the corner to follow after Slade, the latter stopping just before his fingers could touch the handle to the door as he turns back to look at Lex curiously. Slade hadn’t expected to get anything out of the declaration but wasn’t exactly shying away from Lex if he had something to offer in regards to it.
“Oh yeah?” With a raised eyebrow, Slade watches as Lex closes the distance between the two of them, Lex only stopping when he trips over his own two feet, stumbling forward and face planting directly into Slade’s chest.
Slade made no move to try and catch Lex, he simply let the man slam into him—it’s not like there was much force behind the action anyway—but on impact, Slade reaches forward and grabs onto Lex’s elbow roughly, a malevolent shine in his eye as he looks down at Lex intently. All the while Lex has slowly brought his eyes upwards to look at Slade’s face, the blush he briefly had now brighter tenfold as Slade holds him there. Despite the closeness, neither says anything, but when Le goes to pull away he finds Slade isn’t so willing to let him go.
“Uh-Uh…Slade…?”
“God, I wanna beat the shit out of you…”
“What?! Why?!”
“...Cuteness aggression…?”