For Anatoly and Lex

[thethirdwonder]

Cassie was practically bouncing as she jogged down the beach, occasionally even breaking into a skip and a twirl in the sand. Normally, she wasn't the romantic type, giving Cissie a hard time whenever she was roped into watching fluffy romantic movies. But that was all forgotten yesterday. Yesterday had been perfect! Kon had gone all out, with flowers and chocolates and dinner in one of the caves, very private and just the two of them. It was definitely worth the pain of the whole boy thing and the disaster of the first attempted date.

She couldn't exactly gush to the boys without losing her rep, so she was seeking out the one person she could tell all about it in her teenage excitement. Bounding right up to the door, she knocked on the frame before sticking her head inside. "Anatoly? Are you here?"

Comments

[thethirdwonder.livejournal.com]

Cassie blinked and stared at Anatoly. She'd heard young and yeah, that Clark was 18...but 22? That...the Luthor she knew was twice as old. At least! "22...22!?" She looked back at the smirking Luthor then back to Anatoly...before sitting down hard down on the nearest surface. "Well...I guess that is kind of hard..." Then an idea came to her and she shot back to her feet. "No! He's still Lex Luthor. If anybody can manage it, he can. And besides, we have teenager superheros! Why not young villains too?!"

[chesspolitik]

"He has not done these things here," Anatoly protested, still unable to believe that the Lex he cared so much about could truly be capable of such things. "Is it so fair to blame him for things he has not done? Your, your justice system, does it not say that a person is innocent until proven guilty? Is that ideal only something that applies to certain people now?"

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Despite Cassie being there, Lex couldn't help giving Anatoly a soft look. It had been a long time since someone had defended him so earnestly and Lex was truly touched. It was one thing to say these things in private, but it was another to say them again when being confronted by someone who cared about, like Lex knew Anatoly cared for Cassie.

He reached over and touched Anatoly's thigh lightly, needing to connect with him in that moment as he regained the tiny bit of cool composure he let slip.

"Well Cassie?" he asked easily, "Am I to be blamed for my future self's transgressions? Or is it the slightest bit possible that I might not be the person you fear? Perhaps the catalyst event that turned me into a murdered of thousands hasn't happened yet." It was a thought he'd wondered occasionally himself. What could happen that would turn him in the monster of a man they feared?

[thethirdwonder.livejournal.com]

Everything they said was bouncing around in her brain, at war with everything that she just instinctively knew about Luthor from home. It was enough to give her a headache and she lifted one hand to rub her forehead. "I...I don't know." She admitted finally, hand reach out to rest on the table so she could lean against it. "It's all so confusing!" Everything they said made sense and she trusted Anatoly even if she didn't trust Luthor. So what did she do about it?

[chesspolitik]

"I know it must be," Anatoly said soothingly as he reached out to touch her shoulder. "It is for me too. But all I can tell you that Lex has been a wonderful, true friend to me here. Never once have I felt anything but safe around him. Please, Cassie. Just give him a chance. It's all I ask."

He glanced back at Lex, knowing this had to be hard to hear and how frustrating it must be to constantly be defending himself from accusations of things he didn't do.

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

The light touch on Anatoly's thigh became a soft squeeze as Lex met his eyes with soft, grateful look, before he turned back to Cassie to say one more thing that needed to be said.

"I realize you don't trust me. That is something I'm used to, though it's more from association with my father and the reputation he's given my family name then anything you think I've done." He paused to give his next statement the importance it deserved, summoning as much conviction he as he could. "But I swear on my mother's grave that the last thing I would ever do is hurt Anatoly."

[thethirdwonder.livejournal.com]

It was really weird and kinda creepy...but Cassie really wanted to believe Luthor in that moment. The intensity and the way Anatoly spoke about him...She gasped quickly as she suddenly realized just how much they felt for one another. It made Luthor seem, she could barely believe it, human.

"I'll try. I promise." She said honestly before coming over and giving him a hard hug. "I think I better go now. I need to think about this." She buried her face in his chest for a moment, letting her actions speak for how much she cared for him, despite everything.

Still hugging Anatoly, Cassie, or more Wonder Girl at the moment, turned to look at Luthor who still sat on the bed. "I want to believe you. But if you /do/ ever hurt him, you'll have to deal with me. And super powers or no, I will kick your ass."

[chesspolitik]

"That's all I ask," Anatoly said gently, hugging Cassie tightly. This was a lot for her to take in, he understood. Just the fact that she was willing to stop and think was more than he could have hoped for. "Thank you."

[capable-of.livejournal.com]

Lex respected the fact that she was genuinely thinking it over as well. Though he did nod and give her a small smile. "Thank you Cassie. And I promise, if I do hurt him, I'll let you do whatever you feel necessary because I'd have earned it." And he meant it, for all that he had no intention of ever letting it happen.

Of course, his smile had a certain edge to it as he couldn't help but think they may have a reluctant ally.