I’ve been tending to these gardens for a long time and I have seen sights that would make even the hardest soul cry, from a child shivering due to living on the streets to numerous nervous marriage proposals. Nothing has quite stayed with me as the tale of the Kid and Mr Armani. 

I noticed almost immediately when the Kid appeared in the South Garden, he had this unusual air of innocence around him. Although he looked to be in his early twenties, I couldn’t help but feel he was younger than he appeared. He was crying, I’m not exactly sure why. All he kept saying was that he didn’t mean to cause so much pain but he didn’t know how to start telling the truth and that the truth would just put his Lex in danger. 

At first I wondered if I should approach but you don’t get to be my age without knowing when to keep quiet and the Kid wasn’t ready to talk. Sometimes it was easier to deal with a situation alone, besides he would be embarrassed to know I saw him crying. 

I didn’t see the Kid for quite a while, but the next time he was not alone. There was a rather suspicious looking older man with him, the man was familiar but I couldn’t place him. I could tell the Kid was upset so I listened in case the older man was hurting him, I may be getting on a bit but I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt the Kid. 

“I will ruin you, Kent. I cannot have you filling my son’s head with absurd notions such as honour and compassion. They have no place in his life, he is above such trivial concerns.” 

The Kid actually sneered, “Lex has a mind of his own. I can’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to and if you believe I can, you have really underestimated him.” 

The older man looked angry shouting, “Do not talk back to me! I arranged your adoption and I can arrange for your parents to be arrested just as easily.” 

“Don’t threaten me, Lionel. I have enough dirt on you to keep you buried in lawsuits until the glorious day you die.” 

The old man grabbed the Kid so I moved forward, the rake in my hand like a weapon, “Are you okay, Kid?  He’s not doing anything to you, is he?” 

“I’m okay, Sir,” The kid replied with a faint trace of an accent. 

The older man disappeared with a glare causing me to look back at the Kid in alarm. I could see he was rattled by what had happened but something told me that he was capable of carrying out his threat should the need arise. 

“Do you need me to walk you back to your place in case that guy is hanging around here? He looked pretty upset, Kid.” 

“I don’t think I’ll need it, Sir. He’s not stupid enough to come after me in broad daylight. My name is Clark, by the way.” 

“I’m Harvey Jones but everyone calls me Harv. You ever get into trouble in these gardens, give me a yell.” 

“I will, thanks again. See you around, Harv,” Clark replied quickly with a bright smile before heading down the path that led to the University where he was presumably a student.

*******

A week after finding the Kid in a heated discussion with the older man, I first met Mr Armani as I always thought of him. He attracted my attention because he was out of place in the Metropolis Gardens given the time and seemed to have the same feeling of sadness that surrounded the Kid. 

Mr Armani was on the phone and clearly angry about what he was hearing, if the frantic pacing was anything to go by. He was certainly going to cause me to spend more time looking after the grass. He said that he had expected better of people he had employed and that if anything happened; he was going to make their lives a living hell. He ended the call quickly and seemed to undergo a complete personality shift, as he smiled while making another call. 

“Hey. Yeah, I’m just taking a break from the office. Nothing is wrong, the assholes are just getting on my nerves. Are you going to be over tonight?…I can help with the paper. No, I don’t think that would be freeloading, we’ll just talk about it and the actual work will be yours. I’ll see you at six then?” 

I watched confused as the man’s face closed up as he finished the call, making me wonder who could make the man experience such extreme mood shifts. Deciding it was nothing to do with me, I continued on my way to the North Garden to plant some more white roses. 

A couple of days after I first saw Mr Armani I found myself watching the two men who had seemed so lost sitting and talking with each other. At first the Kid and Mr Armani seemed to be opposites but they fit together and more importantly neither one seemed to be sad anymore. Remembering the man who had been so cruel to the Kid I took it upon myself to keep an eye on the pair. 

“What’s wrong, Lex?” The kid questioned softly from his place on the floor looking up at the other man. 

Hearing the name Lex made me realise this was the one the older guy had been ranting about, Mr Armani was apparently the one who was disgracing his father by acting with compassion and kindness. 

“I’ve had a few problems creating the new research lab, a few people seem to be holding up the building because they think the lab is going to affect the market value of their houses.” 

“Have you tried a town meeting?” 

Lex laughed dryly, “Of course. The town seems to believe I am Satan incarnate.” 

“I thought your father held that position,” Clark answered with a smirk. 

“He does but some people have apparently missed that newsflash.”

********

The pair would appear at the Metropolis Gardens n at various times over the next seven months and never at a set time, occasionally they wouldn’t be around for months and other times I would spy them sitting together every day. Sometimes the pair seemed to be in good spirits as they laughed and joked but every so often there seemed to be an air of sadness and misery that hung over them. I watched as their attitude towards each other changed – almost imperceptivity, at first it was as little as a change in their posture as they sat next to each other, each leaning slightly towards the other as if seeking comfort. Even so I was shocked when I started pruning the rose bushes in the South Garden and stumbled upon the pair busy locked in a passionate embrace. Clark obviously felt eyes on him because he broke the kiss and glared in my direction, stopping when he saw it was me. He surprised me by smiling softly before turning back to Lex. 

“What’s wrong? Is someone there?” 

Clark winked at me saying, “It’s just Harv, love. There’s no need to worry and he wouldn’t do anything to harm us.” 

I was surprised to see the suave businessman take his obviously younger lover’s opinion without question and I swore then that I would be worthy of that trust. I faded back into the garden taking care to put a chain across the path that led to the South Garden, the pair deserved some time alone and I trusted them not to abuse my trust by doing something questionable. 

I watched them carefully and noticed how much they caused each other to change. Clark could be remarkably cold and aloof on occasions when Lex was out of town and the businessman seemed to look at Clark to help him with issues relating to emotions and morality. I will never forget the conversation I overheard between the two when I was trying to keep out of their way because it was the first time they had seen each other in three months. 

Clark sounded worried as he said, “I don’t think this is a good idea, Lex. Too many things can go wrong if you have the opening here, I can’t lose you.” 

“You’re not going to lose me and I know you will protect me should the need arise. It is not like my father would dare to make a move against me in front of the press.” 

“All he needs to do is hire someone and there are plenty of people who need the money. I don’t like this, Lex.” 

Kissing his partner’s palm Lex said seriously, “We both know that you are more than capable of taking care of any dangers. No one would have told my father about you. To be perfectly honest, none of my staff or even the idiots in Smallville would dare to go to my father. If anyone put you in danger, I would kill them.” 

“I love you, Lex. No one is going to hurt you, even if I have to reveal all my secrets to save you.”

*******

One month later the party was held in the Metropolis Gardens and I was there at the request of Lex to my surprise. The man had appeared out of nowhere merely days earlier asking if I would go to the opening so that there was someone there Clark felt was a good friend. 

I had just finished talking to a woman by the name of Lana about the new roses when I heard two loud pops and a howl of pure despair. I turned towards the sound, staring in shock at the tragedy that was unfolding in front of my eyes. 

Clark was lying inside his lover’s arms, Lex was talking to the young man in hushed tones unaware that his voice was echoing in the now silent room. 

“I’m here, love. Just rest while I take care of you. It’s going to be okay, love.” 

“The bullets haven’t hit anything important but the poison will kill me if they’re not removed.” 

Clark’s face had changed colour taking on a sickly almost emerald glow. I didn’t know what had caused such a marked effect in the man’s face and in that moment I didn’t care. Taking my cell out I called for the paramedics doing my best to ignore the look of grief on Lex’s face. I could see that man knew something I didn’t, as he was acting like there was no possible outcome other than Clark’s death. 

“Someone pass me a fucking knife, now!” 

Everyone jumped at that statement looking from one another in fear unsure as to whether to give the obviously mentally unstable man a weapon. I wasn’t surprised when the tall blonde who had been shadowing the pair all night handed over a sharp silver knife. 

Lex ignored everyone talking to his lover as he brandished the weapon with a surprisingly detached calm, “I’ll have to cut into you to remove it. Do you know where you got hit?” 

“Shoulder and lower calve, they’re deep.” 

Lex simply nodded in grim determination as he ripped off Clark’s shirt and pants, with expert precision he cut into Clark’s shoulder. He seemed oblivious to the blood, making me wonder if those rumours about his wild past were true. It seemed like it went on for hours but was in fact merely forty minutes, Lex would cut into the bronzed skin and remove a piece of the green bullet. The bodyguard took each piece given to her by the businessman and placed it into a metal box. 

I was surprised when a one eyed dark haired man walked into the room heading straight for the couple with a medical bag in his hands. 

“I’ve got your back,” The brunette said to Lex with a nod. 

“Thanks, Xander. I need you to close up as I go,” Lex said with a smile ignoring his now blood stained hands. 

The man wiped up the blood from the gunshot wound in Clark’s shoulder before sewing up the now large wound. The pair worked as a team with the black haired man sewing and moping up blood as Lex worked with a fanatical pace to remove the bullets. 

Lex said softly, “How you doing, Clark?” 

“It’s gone. Help me up.” 

Lex and the stranger propped the still pale but no longer green Clark before walking him out of the room. I was left to look at the other guests in shock wondering what would happen now that Clark had been hurt. I knew there was no way Lex would let this go unpunished and seeing what those bullets did I couldn’t blame him. If someone had coated bullets in poison with the intention of causing such a painful death to one Lex loved more than anything else they must have known that the man would exact the same punishment in revenge. I personally was hoping that they would find a way to make whoever had hurt the Kid suffer for years, Clark was a kind, caring and decent young man who didn’t deserve to be hurt in such a cold manner. 

Over the next week twenty Luthorcorp buildings were destroyed in mysterious circumstances with ten people high in the company disappearing seemingly into thin air. The bodies started to appear three weeks after the disappearances, each one in perfect condition with the people having died of a heart attack. The deaths were ruled to be natural causes and quickly disappeared from the papers as Luthorcorp fell into a decline that no amount of manoeuvring could halt. Within weeks the company was in pieces and Lionel Luthor had committed suicide with a letter left behind saying he refused to give his son the pleasure of watching him wallowing in poverty. In my eyes Lionel Luthor was a fool as it was obvious that the man had been behind Clark’s attempted murder. I haven’t seen Clark and Lex since the party but I know that wherever they are the couple are safe and happy together.

The End