The only things you and Lex had in common were your surnames, parents, intellect, date of birth and your deep hatred for your father, which is uncommon for twins because you’d naturally have them finishing each other’s sentences. Not you and Lex, cause Lionel made it a point to make your lives a competition— Lex, who was a few minutes older, was only losing because he was follically challenged.

He wasn’t going to take away from the fact that you were a genius, just like the other Luthors, he wasn’t that cruel, there just always seemed to be a battle between care and a power struggle. Since he’d been posted in Smallville, however, he’d changed— less broody, he’d made friends with Clark, he was more honest and genuine, the change in your twin brother made you feel like the change was good for him.

He was your brother, that came with natural protectiveness, of course, and you were probably the only person in his family beside his late mother that he wouldn’t call a pretentious windbag, in fact, the brother-and-sister bond with the twin pathology shit was one of the things that kept him going.

As much as it pained to admit, the moment he heard your steps clicking down the hall to his office in his mansion, he had to fight off a smile— your visits really did make life less shitty. Then again, it was mostly just playful banter that went back and forth like Newton’s cradle, but it was good fun anyway.

“You’re back.” He smirked, playing with a stress ball between his fingers— the unreasonably expensive kind that he bought just cause he could, to make Lionel pissed. Underneath the smirk was a smile, but he’d never admit that, not ever to you.

“After how long?” Lex grinned— three weeks and four days, he’d counted, but because he felt more at ease with someone who knew how to use intellect without lecturing him with it. Ok, fine, maybe he did enjoy having you around, but that’s just part and parcel of the twin/sibling bond.