A Future Sooner than Tomorrow

Sound For The Future

Kal wakes up feeling groggy. Sound is the first thing that breaks through the thick fog of sleep.

His own halting breath and slow heartbeat. Then somebody else's light breathing beside him and their stronger heartbeat. It's slightly quicker than he'd usually expect. Excitement if Kal had to guess.

Then his sense of smell comes back to him. The only word he can really put to what the strong scent is, is sterile. It's sharp, burning and makes Kal think of newly opened bleach. Then there's the odor underneath that, warm metal and rubber.

Finally, touch and sight come back to him at the same time. There's a hand to side of his head, its dry palm on his temple and its thumb running repetitively across his forehead. The forearm connected to it is over him, blocking most of his vision. Its sleeve is rolled up its elbow.

Kal licks his dry lips, surprised when his own warm breath stays around his mouth instead of dissipating. He looks down. There's a mask over his face, the type he's seen used on the people he rescues occasionally. An oxygen mask. Except this one isn't simply being held to his face if the straps he feels crisscrossing against the back of his head are anything to go by.

He flexes his arms and legs, feels the thick straps over his ankles and wrists. Tries to break through them. They barely budge.

The thumb at his forehead stops for a moment. Then there's the sound of movement and whatever it is beneath Kal gives a slight creak. A warm pressure against his side, someone's hip he thinks and goes to check but he can't turn his head-

The hand slides into his hair, grabs a fistful, tilts his head back slightly then a face moves into his field of vision-

Luthor hovers above him, wearing a neutral expression.

"You're awake," Luthor's hand releases and goes back to slowly dragging his thumb up and down just above Kal's eyebrow.

Kal hopes Luthor goes back to the manhandling. It wasn't nearly as disconcerting as whatever the other man is doing now.

"Like my little set up? It's rather ingenious on my part," Luthor taps against what Kal is strapped to. "It's almost entirely regular, the same sort of thing you'd find used to retrain a regular human, if a strong one. Really, the most notable part is this," he presses the mask roughly into Kal's face.

Kal winces at how it bites into the bridge of his nose. Luthor continues.

"Oxygen with the faintest traces of kryptonite. Enough to keep you at a human level of strength but also to keep you lucid," Luthor lets go of the mask and braces that hand beside Kal's head. The other hand is mercifully removed from Kal's face-

And placed back into his hair. Not pulling but instead being run over his scalp until it meets the table. Then being lifted and starting again back at his hairline.

Kal doesn't think he's ever felt this uncomfortable before in his life. The Luthor of his own universe rarely touches him, usually having plans that have robots or machines doing all of the physical work and yet this Luthor not only keeps touching him but also has no issue having his face barely an inch away from Kal's oxygen mask.

It's unsettling.

"You know, ten or even five years ago, I would've been thrilled to have you at my mercy like this," Luthor's voice is hushed, as though telling a secret. "Having you tied to a gurney, your existence in my hands..."

Luthor lets out a shaky breath, eyes shut like he's bracing himself.

"Yes, years ago, this would've been the height of my fantasies," Luthor puts his hand around Kal's throat, resting it there, before pulling away entirely. He pushes himself off of the gurney and onto the floor.