Cherry Wine {lex luthor}

chapter twenty four

Lex was wound tightly after the meeting with Finch. He flinched at every loud sound, and broke more glasses than I could count.

He was calm around me, never betraying more than a shaky voice or hand, but I could see it in the tension in his shoulders, the set of his jaw. Something was about to happen-something bad.

He disappeared in the nights, and when I awoke to find him gone the third night in a row, I decided to take action. He had been working all day, snapping commands down the phone to whoever, wherever. The bags under his eyes had deepened into permanent purple circles.

The night was cold, and I shivered as I threw the blanket off my body. Lex's sweater was discarded on the floor, and I grabbed it. He almost certainly wouldn't be wearing anything close to warm enough, and I doubted he had lit a fire or even turned on the heat in the study.

The house was silent, eerily so. The staff had left for the day, save for the live in crew and security. Not a single light was on, and I could barely see my hands in front of me.

My feet found the stairs with ease, and I crept down them, watching as the sliver of yellow light beneath the study door grew closer. The door was ajar, and I paused for a moment to make sure Lex was alone. The study was silent, so I pushed open the door, blinking as the light hit my tired eyes. Lex turned his head slightly, but continued to stare up at some old painting.

"What are you doing awake?" He asked, as I stepped into the room.

I crossed behind him, and pulled the sweater over his bare arms, rubbing them to warm him. His mouth was practically blue, as were his fingers, and I sighed.

"You're freezing." I said. "How long have you been down here?"

Lex looked down at me, his eyes finally focusing.

"I'm not sure." He flicked his gaze back up at the painting, and I looked at it.

"What?" I asked. He just flicked a finger at it, squeezing his eyes closed.

"It's wrong. It's upside down." He said. I wrapped an arm around him, and he leaned into me. "It should be the other way around."

"Lex, you're cold and exhausted. Come back to bed." I said, tugging on his waist. He resisted, but I wound my fingers through his, and pulled him forwards.

"I can't sleep." He protested.

"But you can lay down and rest." I said. It was the same thing my mother used to tell me, before putting me down for a nap. "You need to sleep, Lex, please."

It took a great deal of pushing and prodding, but eventually I had Lex sitting slumped on the bed. I wrapped the duvet around him, and knelt in front of him. The carpet dug into my knees, but I ignored it and put a hand on his cheek.

"What's going on?" I whispered. Lex placed his hand over mine, and leaned his head into it.

"Come lay with me." He responded. "I can't tell you anything, but at least I can have your near me."

He was snapping out of his stupor, and the relief in my chest was almost tangible. He lay back and opened his arms. I climbed onto the bed and curled up on his chest, pulling layers of blankets over us. His heart beat steadily under my ear, and I splayed my hand on his ribcage to feel it on my palm.