Chapter Text
The first week into superman's death, the entire world was put on halt. Metropolis was mourning her lost hero, the city was mourning their lost protector, the world was shocked on how the supposedly invulnerable hero could die and lex—lex Luther was mourning his lost soulmate, a love that never got to blossom.
The first month into superman's Demise was no better. The world was no longer put on hold but the originally beautiful metropolis air was thick with mourning. Lex Luther on the other hand, was lashing out on his employees almost everyday. One might have thought, that superman gone would equal a happy lex Luther—that the easily enraged man would be a little less irritable with the death of the hero but if anything superman's death only served to make him worst.
The first three months into superman's sudden death, almost all jobs went back to normal. newspapers stopped printing memorial segments in all their issues and the daily planet started wondering where their star reporter had disappeared to.
The first five months into superman's death, something seemed to change. The grieving city seemed to have realized that, no more superman meant you could get away with anything. Crime rates in the once peaceful city rised almost overnight robberies being the most prominent in the bunch, but to everyone's surprise lex corp one of the most shady companies in metropolis seemed slow if not reluctant to participate in the sudden crime rush, a behavior that was almost opposite to the multi-billion dollar company's behaviour before the man in blue's passing.
The first year into the death of the metropolis hero, most things seemed to go back to normal—well only normal if you did not count the illegal drug trafficking to and from metropolis and lex Luther suddenly announcing his heir and only child; conner Luther.
The first year and six months after superman's death. Superman's name was rarely mentioned and lex Luther, Billionaire extraordinaire, CEO of one of the most important companies in metropolis, net worth above a billion was spotted back in Smallville, Kansas taking his son with him to that—in his own Words, backwater town he thankfully left in one piece, a place he had not visited for years, discussing with an old looking woman who so suspiciously resembled the missing star reporter's mother.
The second year after superman's passing Metropolis crime rate was actually Reducing with the police force actually doing their jobs. The city seemingly realized that their was no longer a hero to protect them from ruin.The fire force and first responders were working harder than they ever had since the birth of superman.
The third year after superman's death metropolis touring rate was both dropping as well as slowly rising each year. Everybody who at first only wanted to see the now demised superman also apparently wanted to see his supposed resting place in the city. Lex crop for their part only seemed to rise through it all. tho the famed company lexcorp, sustained huge lossess in business deals and assets for putting an end to multiple businesses trading and co-operations under the company, somewhere between the last two years, that did not put the company down infact it only made it better, and for once in decades daily planet seemed to be at a loss on exposing some dirty little secret of lexcorp.
The fourth year after the city lost superman everything was back to normal, well as normal as the city could now get. The crime rates were no longer high enough to rival Gotham, there was almost no more drug trafficking, no more evil CEO lex Luther, just an enormously still growing company who Wayne industries—the notoriously righteous multi billion dollar company with a moral compass that rivals Hercules's, trusted enough to do business with, and a cute mini CEO who won the hearts of women everywhere.
The fourth year and eight months after superman's Demise, it was as if superman never even existed. Sure you would see the occasional toys, clothes and appliances that were made after the man and the old videos of him flying through the city but the only one day you could really feel the lack of the joyous man in blue was march 8th, the day superman had left the earth—the day which was dubbed superman day, where all the city in some way, shape or form would gather at superman's memorial site to give gifts, thanks and good wishes. It was one of the only things which stayed constant since the alien's death, even the now change CEO who was notorious for his hatred of superman, was seen there at some point every single year since the man's death.
The fifth year everything in the healing city was normal, metropolitans were on their way to work, lex Luther was in his office, trying not to chew out one of his employees out while his superhuman hearing son was in the other room. But the sun was shining, the air was fresh and all was right in the world. And It was honestly such a nice day he and he considered going to Martha's farm early for once and maybe surprise the old woman, when suddenly someone crashed into lex crop through one of the stark glass panels that covered the office from the god damned Twentyeight floor.
triggering the alarms, armed guards that busted into the room,all guns pointed to the unidentified individual.
"Batman, to what do I owe the pleasure" lex said with gritted teath, arm up in the air to prevent gunfire and startling Conner. But even he couldnt have helped the contempt he felt as he stared at the man who had somehow managed to kill Clark, the idiot that even lex couldn't bare to harm(well not parmently at least) but
"Superman is alive" is all he got for a response before the man graped him and they were out of the building.