The Memoirs

There was, at the moment, five hundred and forty eight students being shuttled to the building site. They'd been split up, organized by the militant, slightly frightening principal at their go ahead. The limo had picked them up, and the last person Dominic had been expecting when he slipped in.... was Charlie Siegel.

Lionel had sat next to him and they were holding hands-though he knew the action had been unconscious, he wondered if his brain had been working about to show this little shit head just what was what. There was stony silence, with Dominic glaring at him every time he glanced at him, even as he tried desperately not to laugh.

Charlie was about to die. He'd been unceremoniously shoved into the car by the three other assistants, and they'd waved goodbye to him several hours ago as he tried to get his papers in order and not stare at the two gay guys holding hands across from him.

It was easy not to laugh, though. It was hard to laugh when you're about three steps away from pissing in your pants. "M--M--M--Mr. Senatori, M-Mr. Luthor." He nodded, his head bobbing frantically up and down. "I-I-I-I was told that you were g-going to n-n-n-need help."

One eyebrow lifted up, the other lowering...stony. Silence. Just for a fraction longer than he should have held it, and when he spoke it was demure and quiet. They were a few miles away from the buildings, and he gave the air of casual indifference, which was even worse than yelling in any fashion. "So you put it upon yourself to join us, Mr. Siegel?"

"I-I-I-I-I no! I mean, yes! I mean, we-we-we-we drew straws. At the office. Cause we couldn't all come. And I, uh, I got picked. Cause of the straws. And the fact that um, I was the one who, uh, who was talking to you, uh, all uh, uh all weekend."

What was beyond terror? Charlie was feeling it as Lionel's eyes bore down on him as well and there were two sets of people yanking his spine out from the root and he was just going to have an attack before this trip was over.

The poor guy looked ready to wet the carpet. Which was just... intensely funny, and he glanced at Lionel, lips twitching even as he tried to stay stony and cold. "Was this how you felt when I first started with you, beloved?"

"Indeed it was, if not more so. There were others that started at the same time you did that nearly did have accidents on the carpet. At least you, my little cricket, were housebroken."

Charlie heard it, and clamped down on his bladder. C'mon, kiddo, you haven't pissed yourself since you were five, no need to start again now, despite what the brain is tellin' you.

His lips spread at that, adoration in his eyes before he straightened his face and glared at Charlie again. "You have nerve, Mr. Siegel. Intense amounts of it, straws of no straws." A long, meaningful pause, full of deep glaring and narrowed eyes, being as imposing as was physically possible. And after letting that sink in, for a good long moment, he spoke again. "However. That is a valuable asset in our line of work, and that you had the nerve to join my lover and myself today speaks high of you. You are impressing me, Mr. Siegel, which will only make it all the worse when you fuck up. So...lets not fuck up, shall we?"

Charlie's eyes bugged out at that. "N-no-no sir. W-w-w-w-wasn't p-planning on it. Fuck--fucking up, I mean."

"Fuck-ups aren't normally planned, Mr. Siegel." Dominic said patiently, as if speaking to a very dense four year old. "Do you have the blue prints, and the plans for the asphalt laying? The financial reports, and the memo?"

"Yes sir!" Charlie proudly waved the papers, and in the process, they slipped out of his sweaty grip and flew all over the back seat of the car. "Fuck!"

This time Dominic did laugh, rubbing a hand down his mouth and keeping it there as he looked at Lionel, palm over his mouth, trying so hard not to laugh out loud as he picked one of the memo's off of Lionel's head.

Lionel caught the papers as they flew at him, the memo and one of the sheets of the financial reports. "MR. SIEGEL!" he thundered. "Cease!!!! This moment!"

Charlie's eyes widened and he gulped hard, dropping the rest of the papers that he'd gathered. "S-s-sir?"

"Do NOT speak." He turned his gaze onto Dominic. "Whatever did you do to him?"

"Tried to make him less of a bumbling idiot." A fierce glare at Charlie, though he was incredibly amused, and leaned forward to give his lover a peck on the lips and a wink as he gathered the papers from his love, reaching down to the floor and then holding them out to Charlie. Fear was a great mobilizer. It was how he'd learned all that he knew from Lionel, and now, he'd teach this young buck a thing or two. "Remember the time I dropped the cup of coffee on the prime minister's lap, Lionel?"

Charlie grabbed the papers back, eyes wide and bugging out of his head as he started to put the papers back in order. He didn't dare say anything after Lionel had told him to shut up, and he was quaking.

"Yes, I remember. I thought you were going to fall over yourself prostrating yourself in front of him and begging for his forgiveness... and then mine, a little later."

He gave his lover a cocky little grin, eyebrow raising in a suggestive, And you enjoyed every second, but didn't dare say a word in front of his little assistant. "Same technique. I was scared shitless of you... I learned. Mr. Siegel is scared shitless of me, and he will learn. Because if he doesn't, I'm going to fire him, put him on the black list, and make sure he can't get a job as a short order cook anywhere above the Mason Dixon line."

"No!!! Don't fire me! I'm doing my best!!! Look! I even wheedled an advance questionnaire out of one of Diane Sawyer's interns!!" He thrust the faxed pages forward like a shield.

Heee. And this was why Dominic kept the little runt around. He accepted the paper and crossed his legs the other way, so he was leaning towards Lionel more, sharing the paper with him and peering down at it. "Oh, holiest of fuck."

Lionel looked over his shoulder. "What is it, Dominic?" He didn't see anything too upsetting, nothing that would elicit Dominic's reaction, but he was still at the top of the page.

"No, look. Look!" He pointed to the line that said 'Beach footage', and groaned, letting his head fall on his lovers shoulder. "Shit. I didna' want anyone exploiting our day. Fuck it all, I hate that bitch."

Lionel shook his head. "She's bluffing, Dominic. Unless someone got private footage of us that I don't know about, she's bluffing on that. I have the footage from the hotel security cameras. The tapes are locked in my safe in the penthouse."

A glance up, sharp, at Charlie. "If anything Lionel or I say while you are in our presence, and it somehow mysteriously gets out into the press? You can run, but I will find you."

Charlie held up his hands as he quaked. "If I wanted to, Mr. Senatori, I couldn't. Don't even know what you're talkin' about. Wanna keep it that way cause I don't wanna die."

"Good. Living tends to be a good thing." Dominic said easily, looking back down at the paper. Heee. He was so proud of himself. He was, as a good friend of his had put it once, as hard as a cupcake. Yeah, well, look at him now! Haha!

Lionel pointed further down. "This is what troubles me. Sandine's Photographs."

They'd photographed him and Lionel while they were eating. And the thought of it horrified and dismayed him, so much so that he closed his eyes and turned away. "During the dinner party."

"Which means that our family and our friends will also be included in this. We should call them and warn them; Toni and your brother, the sheriff and Felicia." A slight grimace. "Has she calmed down? At all?"

"Who, Graham?" A soft shake of his head, speaking softly as if Charlie weren't sitting right across from them, and set his cheek on his lovers shoulder softly. "No. The man is as stubborn as a mule, and twice as ugly. He's na gonna get over it, 'specially since Toni is African-American."

"He's going to be... quite unhappy. Especially if those pictures show him and Toni together before he's had a chance to hash things out with Rosalyn. Things could get quite tense very quickly. Call the house, and have all of Rosalyn's calls intercepted; she's done quite enough with this situation; the last thing we need is to have her screaming racism across the screen while we're trying to conduct ourselves properly. Also? We need to contact Lex, and see if he's been called or contacted about this interview."

"Its been taken care of." Dominic said softly, looking down at their interlinked fingers. "Lindy took her into town this morning for a bit of shopping... they'll be gone all day, and might stay in to tomorrow." A moment, and his eyes flickered upwards at his lover. "And as it is? I don't bloody care what the devil woman thinks. I've had just about enough of her and good Christ now I remember why I left home."

"S-Si-Sir?" Charlie fiddled with the corners of his pen. "If-if-if-if-if you don't mind, um, there's, um, on the third page, there's um, there's a list of people who've called the office saying that they've, uh, they've been contacted. For comment. And what they said, if anything."

Dominic rose his head enough to look at the man, and there was a certain amount of pride in his gaze as he flicked it up to his lover, flipping the page and peering at the list of people. Clark… Lex... Ms. Bird... Enrique... "This is... very good work, Mr. Siegel."

"Th-that-that's what you pay me for. I figured if I did good, then you wouldn't kill me."

"You were very right. Now I won't be forced to act upon any past grievances." A glance up, and Dominic straightened off of his lover, grasping his hand warmly in his own for a moment, squeezing, and letting go to gather his things close. He straightened the collar of his polo shirt, snapped his briefcase closed, and made sure his wallet was in his pocket as he side glanced his lover.

And the hundreds of media people waiting for them to step out.

"Holy shit!" Charlie bit down. "There's a LOT of people out there!"

Lionel sighed. "I wonder what they're here for. The moving, the interview later, or just to create a general media circus and get in the way of what we need to do here."

"Three little gay birds. One straight stone." Dominic sighed from beside his lover, giving him a wincey glance. "I didna' know they'd be here beloved. My phone hasn't," He took it out in that moment to look at it....saw it so overflowed with phone messages that it had turned itself off, and heaved a sigh. "Rang. Come on, be careful and don't bump your head."

"Wait. Wait wait wait. You... you guys can like... decoy! You know? I mean, let me out here, and then go. You can come up the the the, um, the back way?"

"Look, Lionel. He can learn new tricks, all on his own." Dominic opened the limo door, shrinking back into the shadows and motioning for Charlie to get out, pulling Lionel close and ducking just a little bit.

And hummed the James Bond theme into his lovers ear.

Charlie got out, making sure he tripped over his feet and crashed into the nearest photographer, sending a little domino ripple through the crowd and letting the limo pull away.

Lionel leaned back into the corner, pulling Dom into the shadows and chuckling softly at Charlie's trip into the people. "Perhaps he's not totally useless after all."

"He'll learn." And yeah, he snuggled in deep as the people crashed, chaos issued, and bit and nibbled his lovers ear, which was right next to his mouth. "I wish we were home. Once in a while I have times where I'm... very easily aroused. For days...a week or so at a time. I think I've got a chemical imbalance somewhere, but it makes living with you so much more pleasurable." Another bite... a suck, a lick. "Dammit that our meeting is in five minutes."

Lionel slipped his hands down, one sliding over his lover's crotch as the other pulled the coat around his lap to hide his motions. He pressed his heel down on his lover's cock, and rubbed. "You can... wait until after the meeting is over."

"Mmmm-no." Dominic whispered, letting his head fall back against the seat as he arched, goosebumps erupting all over his skin. "Never thought that bumbling fool would leave...kept looking at you, wanting you to spread your legs for me an' take me in right here." He whispered, dropping his head down into his lovers hair as his own palm stroked down over his lovers bitten, sore backside, squeezing carefully but strongly.

"Yes you can, or I'm going to be very, very upset." He squeezed firmly as he stroked. "You have to wait. Because only when we are alone, and in the semi-privacy, and have more than five minutes to devote to things, only then will I relieve this... tension." He unzipped quickly and slipped his hand in through the open fly.

A shuddering "Uh!" noise and Dominic arched his back just a little, bringing his palm down to cover Lionel's as he touched. His skin goosebumped, his body shuddered, and he groaned into his lovers hair, undulating his hips into his touch. "Lionel, no, be a little late... oh... you smell so good, Christ... oh, yes."

"No, Dominic. We can't be late." Lionel kept stroking through open fly, pressing down and stroking up, thumb rubbing the head as he leaned over and let his hair stroke against Dominic's cheek and throat as he stroked, body rubbing against his lover's side.

A heavier sound of pleasure, arching his hips as a very soft noise rang in his throat. ...And he refused to think of it as a whine. Instead he muttered out a sound of pleasure, fingers reaching up to stroke through his lovers hair, the scent of rain clinging to it as he tightened his fingers in all the lovely locks, breathing it in as Phillip drove around the building. Almost there and he whined again, grunting softly as he tried to calm himself, deliciously aroused and enjoying ever. Minute.

"Yes, that's right," Lionel encouraged softly, his hand tightening around Dominic and stroking him faster and harder. "Meet me, my husband, help me." He nuzzled into Dominic's throat as he whispered something he'd never say otherwise. "Fuck my hand, Dominic."

Goosebumps and tingles of arousal and pleasure erupted all over his crotch, tightening his nipples and goosebumping his already pinked cheeks. He groaned as he lay his head back and arched his hips into his lovers hand, his powerful effort to get himself calm again losing ground as he surged, going hard as rock and purpling softly at the surge of blood, groaning again. "I want you." He whimpered, pushing his hips up and this was dirty but good, and he keened in naughty pleasure as he buried his face in his lovers hair.

"I know you do." Lionel bit on Dominic's throat, then slowly pulled his hand out of Dominic's fly and zipped him up, patting him lightly on the crotch as the car started to slow down. "But you're going to have to wait."

Dominic's mouth dropped, foggy eyes attempting to sharpen as his mouth trembled open, groaning, loudly, as he pressed his head back into the head rest. Oh. Fuck. He knew better than to bring his palm down...punishment was not on the list today, but he couldn't... he was so hard he was flushed with heat all over, and he groaned again, letting out a soft panting breath as he rolled his head to look at his husband. "Sadistic. Bastard."

"Yes... I am. And I've never noticed you complaining before." Lionel licked over Dominic's lips. "Stay calm and collected, and I promise you, that at the first opportunity, I will take care of your... suffering."

He was thinking, powerfully, about everything in the world that made him blank and not think of the soft, round ass waiting for him to slip into, or the chains and clamps that awaited. Oh. Muuuuuh. He shivered, pushing his hair off his forehead and glaring as he fought to control it. Trees. Paper. Four times six was twenty one. Nine times two was seventeen. Fuck, his lover looked good. Mama's ass. Mama and Enrique. Naked. Fondling!

Okay. Better. But he still glared at his lover, as he arranged his very...tense crotch.

Lionel swept regally out of the opened door, adjusting himself under the shield of his jacket as he waited for Dominic, a small smirk on his face as he watched his discomfited lover. "Let's hurry, Dominic, and get this meeting over with. We have other things to attend to."

Like my kicking your ass, though he didn't say it, just glaring at him and tucking his briefcase under his arm.

And valiantly, didn't limp.

"Did you grab your palm pilot? And my prostate?"

Lionel drew his lips between his teeth, biting down hard to keep from laughing out loud.

His grin brightened his face, eyes twinkling even as he tried to glare, tucking his cell phone into his coat pocket and hurrying into the back entrance out of the light drizzle. He rubbed a palm over hair that had never frizzed, though he reached out and stroked his fingers through Lionel's to make sure it wouldn't, motioning him down the silent hall...peeking around the corner, and wincing as he pulled back again. "Fuck. Press. Right in the main room. Lionel darling, I don't suppose you've got a magical pair of shoes to get us upstairs or something?"

Charlie was PSSSSTing at the top of his lungs, waving his arms.

"Lionel, the boy has to be a queen. There's just... there's no way a man like him can be straight. Said from a completely faggy point of view." Dominic glared at him and put a finger to his lips, grabbing his lovers arm and quickly slipping down one of the halls, unnoticed as he glanced over his shoulder, rushing over to the little man. "Mr. Siegel."

"Staircase!! Around this way! main room! End up behind the office! Miss the press!!" He panted it

"Breath." Dominic pet him on the back once, glanced to his lover, and took his briefcase. "Lead the way, Kemo sabe."

Breathe. Right. Yeah. He's about to have his spine ripped out by his boss, and the man is telling him to breathe. Bite. Me.

But he wasn't nearly ballsy enough to say it out loud. Instead, he caught his breath, doubled over, and then straightened, starting to lead the way.

Side glance towards his husband and Dominic just... he didn't say a word, carefully keeping the satchel with their laptops over his chest as he followed his lover, Lionel's briefcase in hand. Business, back straightening, mind focusing as much as he was able to. He could do this. Yep.

Room. Full. Of. People. But he carefully didn't speak as he stepped into the conference room behind his lover, immediately veering off and getting the laptops set up, briefcase open to all the paperwork they'd need.

Lionel sat down in one of the chairs, wincing at the slight pain in his back and reminding himself to take the aspirin he'd promised himself earlier in the night. He pulled his laptop over, sorting through the papers.

Charlie stood against the wall, speaking rapidly into the cell phone pressed to his ear, sealing himself against the cinderblock.

Dominic smiled at the group of people...some he'd talked to the day before, but there were a lot of new people. So he did just as Charles was doing... making himself as quiet as was possible to give Lionel the proper respect in front of these people, setting the laptops quickly so that he could take down the session. He set up his miniature mike and got his program ready to record, coughing softly.

And noticed the soft wince, eyes snapping to his immediately and searching.

"I'm fine," Lionel all but growled, settling in the chair. He ran over the speech in his head briefly, changing a few things here and there as he thought it out.

Then he cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, and thank you for coming. I know that you all have questions, because of the conflicting information that you've been hearing over the weekend. That is why we are here today, to put those questions to rest.

As you know, LuthorCorp and Wayne Enterprises merged some months back, as the first move in a bold plan to bring LuthorCorp to the next level. Once the merger was complete, phase two of the plan was put into motion, and in anticipation of phase three and to assure that we had a safe, trustworthy working environment, nearly a quarter of LuthorCorp's Metropolis employees were fired. The reasons were many, but it cleared the way for phase three of the plan, which was to move LuthorCorp to it's new home. That home... is Smallville. Over the months of the merger, Dominic and I, along with my son and Bruce Wayne, created a plan that would have moved our corporate headquarters here in just under a year.

Due, however, to Metropolis' attempts to block our move and maneuver us into signing a two-decade lease... Judge Ross has arranged it so that we are free to move. However... due to the Metropolitan legal trickery... it must be moved within the week."

Dominic listened, silently, his nimble fingers taking down everything Lionel was saying. Scrawled, messy notes that only he knew what it said, typing away as he listened to his lover.

A small hubbub of snapshots, yelled questions and stammers, and a moment later Bruce Wayne entered the room. FUCK. Five minutes late and he HATED that, apologizing quickly and quietly to the group as he took his seat on the other side of Lionel, setting his briefcase on the floor... taking out his needed paperwork, and setting it on the table, as he folded his hands and listened silently.

"Ah... seven days from now, we have to have LuthorCorp, and its great many employees, working here in Smallville." Dominic said quietly but clearly. "Its going to require a bit of a dance, I'm afraid."

Lionel nodded to Bruce, not minding the interruption as it gave him a moment to stretch in his chair and relieve the pressure on his back. "As I was saying, we must move the majority, if not the entirety, of our corporation here in the next week. We will be utilizing a great deal of your time, and your resources in this move, so that it will be as painless as possible for all of you, both involved and not.

The housing situation is what worries us the most; however, as most of you already know, we are renovating almost all of the homes along the boardwalk, as well as working with Habitat for Humanity. They've agreed to lend us foremen and teachers to show our crews how to build the homes in 24 hours; in return, I've agreed to donate the homes after they've been constructed and their residents have found formal housing in our developments."

He listened, quietly, still typing like a mad man as his lover spoke. Yeah, he'd caught the second back stretch and ache and he glared at his husband out of the corner of his eye. Trip to the hospital, soon as he could afford it, and he let up for a moment, to adjust his cufflinks back straight. "You all have a review of it on page four of the packets each of you received, making sure that everything. down to the last minute d'tail, has been taken care of. Page five and six," And no, his accent hadn't made it sound like 'sex' instead, "Layout the building schedules all of the foremen gave to me yesterday. I've tweaked it a bit to make sure no scheduling difficulties should arise, and you'll find attached to it all the licenses and building permits you will need."

"The last note that I think you should all be aware of is that your children have volunteered to help. As you know, they are required to perform community service before their graduation. I have spoken with Principal Reynolds and vice-Principal Glover, and we have arranged for the work your children do on this project to fill their requirement. As the junior and senior classes have volunteered to work for us, it will count towards both classes graduation." Lionel took a small sip of water.

He wanted to be like that, huh? Fine. He went back to his computer, and logged into his internet account, sending his lover an instant message.

SweetJiminyC: I'm calling Toni as soon as we're done here.

Sent it. And glared, very softly, at his lover, as he listened quietly. The presentations were coming up, eight of them from the eight companies they'd hired, and Dominic settled in his seat, gazing up as he nodded at the tall man with the thick southern accent. "Please begin when you're ready, sir."

Lionel just looked down at the laptop as the window flashed, and ignored it until the southern gentleman was underway with his presentation.

LovelyOne58: Do stop worrying, Dominic. I merely slept wrong, and I will be fine once I am able to move around.

His lips quirked. Just a little.

SweetJiminyC: Admit it. You like it when I worry.

Listening, as avidly as can be, to a presentation he'd already read over the night before, fingertips tapping lightly on the table, silently, as he shifted in his seat, quietly watching as the lights went low for the mans slideshow.

LovelyOne58:: I adore it when you worry. But it's groundless. I give you my word. Nothing that two aspirin and a sip of water cannot cure.

Lionel straightened just a little in his chair, giving his lover a small smile.

A soft one back, though he looked away shyly, tracing his fingertip on the edge of one of the papers sitting before him listlessly before typing again.

SweetJiminyC: I think we wore one another out last night.

At that, Lionel smothered a laugh that turned quickly into a cough to hide it.

LovelyOne58: I think that I can concur with that. However, don't worry; it was entirely worth it.

He smiled back, winking at his love as he typed, as soft as could be, not to interrupt the Texan.

SweetJiminyC: I love your nose. Have I ever told you?

He sat back a little, itching to tug his legs up and fold himself comfortably in the chair just WAITING to be snuggled in, but dammit. Fuck. So he just shifted listlessly, and rubbed a palm over his goatee.

LovelyOne58: My poor little Cricket. I would let you out of this if I could, but I think they'd notice both of us disappearing into the bathroom at the same time. Granted, after tonight it's a moot point anyway, but I can hardly have the world thinking I duck out of meetings to have sex with my husband in the bathroom.

SweetJiminyC: Of course not. Word would spread that you disappear from very important meetings to neck with someone, and you'll be considered an idiot. Even if we've done this exact same thing about eight hundred times. I can even tell you the bad joke the Texan is about to make. Ten bucks its about a cattle ranch in Oklahoma or some such.

A moment as the man broke away from his speech and the people gathered gave polite laughter, as Dominic opened his palm and pointed at it, setting it beside his lover before grinning and taking it back, shifting again in his seat.

LovelyOne58: You were right. I wouldn't have thought he would have gone there; those that live in homes made of glass should not hurl rocks at their neighbors.

SweetJiminyC: In Ireland it goes, "Those who have boats of pine shouldn'a throw stones at those of steel." Though now that I think of it, its not quite the same translation, now is it?

LovelyOne58: No, it's not. Because you cannot break a steel boat with a stone. However, you can shatter a glass house--why am I explaining this to you?

SweetJiminyC: Because my brain is filled with pushing you over this desk and fucking you in front of all these nice, impressionable people?

LovelyOne58: Come to think of it, that might not be a bad idea. Do you think they'd notice, what with the droning and the clapping and the bobbing of their heads to whatever is being said at the moment?

It was amusing to Lionel that he could sit there, trading messages with his Jiminy, while looking to the rest of the world as though he were only taking diligent notes on the presentation being given.

LovelyOne58: Do you ever feel guilty for taking advantage of other people's stupidity?

SweetJiminyC: Baby, they'd be so busy in their own thoughts, drowning out the man talking that they'd only begin to notice something was amiss about mid way through.

And oh, he grinned, because that adorable little smile was just this side of wicked, and he reached over underneath the table, twining a foot around his lovers.

SweetJiminyC: Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Usually its not stupidity, but the Sheep Syndrome.

Lionel twined his foot around Dominic's under the privacy of the table.

LovelyOne58: Dare I ask what Sheep Syndrome is?

SweetJiminyC: Following what someone says. Disregarding your own morals, hopes, dreams and fears simply because you were given an order not to. Sheep are dumb. They have no sense of self, and in our life's work there's just too damn many of them. Take Charlie Siegel, for instance. Every order I have ever given he has carried out. I've given him orders to simply see if he'd do them... and he did. Not caring what or where it sent him. And until he STOPS doing it, I'm going to keep treating him like a pet, because that's all he is. Fetch and carry.

LovelyOne58: There are those in our work who don't have the mind or the talent to go further, Dominic. Neither of us would be where we are without sheep, and neither of us are sheep, then, by your definition. Our young Mr. Siegel is too terrified of you, I think, to dare to disagree. You could send him out to shovel manure in the factory troughs and he would do it merely because he is afraid of you. You cannot simply judge a person on their fear-based reaction to you. If you do, you will never see who they really are.

SweetJiminyC: You're quite right. He shouldn't fear me. I've done nothing that you yourself haven't done to me, and I stopped being afraid of you a long time ago. I stopped judging you on my fear of you, as well. And Charles has been working with me for the past year and a half already. Shouldn't he have seen by now that I'm gooier at the center than a Peep?

There was a nice, long pause.

Then...

LovelyOne58: What is a Peep, other than the sound a bird makes?

Dominic choked on the laugh, turning it into a cough as he pat his chest softly and held up a hand in apology for interrupting the Texans speech.

SweetJiminyC: Something right up your ally, darling. Yellow marshmallows in the shapes of chicks, that are so addictive your brain might dribble out of your ears from all the sugar you've consumed.

LovelyOne58: I see. And this would be appealing to me how, exactly?

SweetJiminyC: Because... I'm picturing eating gooey marshmallows off your naked skin?

LovelyOne58: You really should be getting your mind out of the gutter, Dominic. Just think, all this time you spend thinking about fucking me over the table or sucking marshmallows off my skin could actually be spent hurrying these presentations along, or faking an emergency.

SweetJiminyC: If it got me ten minutes with you, I'd fake a heart attack right now.

SweetJiminyC:  As for getting my mind out of the gutter, kiss my ass. ..Please.

LovelyOne58: I think we would have a better chance of me having the heart attack. However, kissing your ass is quite the pleasurable prospect to consider.

SweetJiminyC: Its your fault. You got me hard as stone, but noooo. No orgasm for Dominic. He's left with the worst case of blue balls in the history of mankind.

LovelyOne58: No, my lovely cricket... I think those belong to me.

SweetJiminyC: Oh, please. You haven't got blue balls.

He slipped his palm leisurely into Lionel's crotch under the table with only Bruce rolling his eyes, and gave a soft, but firm, squeeze.

SweetJiminyC: Nope.

Lionel felt a nice jolt of warmth through his body when Dominic did that, but on the heels of it came a hard spike of very unpleasant pain that stabbed through his lower back, and he couldn't hide the wince.

LovelyOne58: Dominic... I think I'm going to have to excuse myself for just a moment; I'll be back shortly.

Lionel rose carefully from the table, murmuring quiet regrets to Bruce and to the man speaking about interrupting his presentation, and then slipped out into the back corridor, the way they'd come in. Only then did he lean against the wall, and then, with the next spike of pain... he collapsed.

Dominic looked up, as a moment after Lionel stepped out the door Carolyn screamed. He'd only heard her scream like that once before, when old Bill O'Riley had collapsed of a heart attack, and fear like he hadn't felt in a long time fluttered in his rib cage. He was lightening quick, shoving away from the table and bolting out the back door where his lover had gone.

Seeing him, sprawled on the ground there in front of him made him violently nauseous and he dropped to his knees beside his lover, immediately feeling for a pulse. "Carolyn? Carolyn, darling, stop screaming." His voice was shaking but firm, as she screamed again in his face. "Go, and call the paramedics. Now."

She nodded and climbed to her feet, tripping on her too high heels and running as fast as she could down the hall towards the phones.

Lionel's eyes blinked slowly. "I... I am fine, Dominic." He struggled to get up, but the lance of pain in his back kept him down.

"Liar." He didn't look up at the crowd of people, ignoring as Bruce crouched down beside him, and stroked Lionel's hair from his eyes.

Fever.

FUCK.

"Baby, tell me how you feel. Tell me what's wrong, beloved." His voice was soft and calm, stroking the hair from his lovers face with shaking hands as Carolyn spoke on the phone with the emergency operator. "Damn you. How long have you been feeling this way? God, I love you, you stubborn mule. Carolyn, do hurry."

Charlie was wringing his hands under the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please, keep your seats. There's been a small emergency here, but nothing that can't be taken care of. Mr. Axedale, I believe you were in the middle of your presentation? Please, continue, and the commotion will be settled in a few moments." He motioned the other man up to the platform and prayed Mr. Senatori wouldn't kill him for that.

Lionel glared. "Nothing... is wrong. Back hurts. That's all. I told you... I think I slept wrong on it." He closed his eyes for a minute, and leaned against Dominic's knee.

"Yes, because you're speaking in fragments and you're flat on your back in the office hallway. Of course you're fine." He plopped down heavily on his ass and pulled his lovers head gently into his lap, grasping his hand and ducking low to press their faces together. It was his lovers kidney. He knew it, just felt it in his bones. God, almighty Jesus, don't take him away yet. "Help is on the way. You'll be off to the hospital to eat rotten food again. This is your payback for eating goose liver soup instead of the nutritious shite the hospital offered."

"And if... it didn't taste like shit... then I would be happy to consume it." He gave his lover a weak smile. "Don't worry. Nothing--" His protest was muffled by another shift of pain in his back. "--is wrong."

"Some salt'll fix it right up, you know. Though I doubt there's much nutritional value in things such as that." He was about to say more but Carolyn came rushing back, crouching low beside them and fluttering her hands.

"They'll be here in four minutes. The… th... the... mmmmm." Her voice was a high squeak. "The paramedics. Mr. Luthor, you can't die. You've got too much work to do."

"He's not dying, darling." Dominic reached out and took her hand, which was as cold as his own. "It'll be right as rain, darling. Calm yourself. Go get the zoo out so the medics can get in. Oh, and I can hear them already." He looked down, gently stroking over his lovers face. "You've got to stop doing this, Lionel. You're going to give me a damn heart attack."

Lionel caught Carolyn's hand. "I'm not dying, Carolyn. I have... too many things to see through yet." He squeezed it once, then let it go. "I'm not giving anyone a heart attack." He stayed leaning on his side; it didn't hurt that way. "Give Mr. Siegel... a raise for not... losing his head."

A few of the people from the presentation had slipped out, and one of them, the enormous Texan, took Carolyn's hand and wandered down the luxurious, half finished, still mostly empty building that would be their new home. The carpets had been laid out, and it was a godsend because if not, Lionel would have cracked his head open on the thick tile.

"Exactly right. We're still got to have kids, you know. Can you imagine, children running about in our image? Yeesh." He was going to lose his mind, but what was left of it that wasn't in hysterics was quiet, calm, his fingers gently stroking Lionel's hair away from his eyes. "No, no heart attack. There we are. Are you comfortable? They'll be up in just a moment, you know, and you will have to explain to them why you didn't go to the doctor. Ooooo, you're in big trouble when Toni gets to you."

"Toni... is still with that thickheaded brother of yours." Lionel looked up at his husband. "Don't worry; I will be fine. There are too many things yet to be done for me to give up yet." He tried a smile, and ended up a grimace of pain as his weight shifted. "If... if I am right... we're all worried for nothing."

"You better. I'll kick your ass if not." Dominic said pleasantly, gently tucking his lovers light coat about him a little bit better. "How long have you been hurting like this, darling? Why on earth didn't you say anything? As for Toni, she's a devious little bitch who holds grudges and you will be in huge trouble when she finds out. She's certain to kick your ass, crutches and all." He stroked his face gently and let go to warm his hands slightly, before stroking the sweat from his lovers brow. "If you're right about what?"

"For about a week, on and off," Lionel said, gripping Dominic's hand tightly. "I think... it's merely a kidney infection, that I had hoped would clear up given it's own time."

His eyes darkened with anger and worry, though his soft hands didn't stop stroking, his fingers holding his lovers just as tightly. "Kidney infections don't make you collapse, my love." He pressed a kiss to his lovers clammy skin, and glanced up as the EMT's rushed down the hall, Carolyn shrieking what had happened to them as he watched.

"They do... if they hurt badly enough," Lionel replied as wryly as he could. "Tell Carolyn... to please stop the racket."

"Lionel Luthor." Simone Rubenstein put down her EMT kit, floor board too, and gave him a wry gaze as she began checking over his vitals. "What exactly did I tell you last time about any more accidents?"

The kind woman had been one of the two that had aided himself and Lionel back to Smallville after his lovers accident, and Dominic just... he sighed, rubbing his face softly and looking down. "See? At least someone will kick your ass."

Fever... chills, shakes. Her fingers swept over the man slumped on young Mr. Senatori's lap, threading an IV quick as can be through his arm as she and her partner checked him over, trading observations. "Pulse is a little thready, Kip."

Lionel sighed. "That you didn't expect any more of them." Then he looked up at Dominic. "I don't believe anyone will kick my ass but you, Jiminy."

Kip Straub nodded. "Yep, got it. Body temp's elevated too, and he's sweatin'. Get that jacket and suit off, so we c'n poke around and find out what's goin' on."

"Lets... go easy on the poking." Simone said with a raised brow, shooing Dominic away as she began to cut Lionel's coat from him. "Tell me what hurts, Mr. Luthor. Is it all around pain, chest, head?" Cheerfully spoken as she pressed the back of her left fingers and pressed the front of her right fingers into Lionel's belly, feeling around for tenseness, for anything where it shouldn't be, even as she turned her head to the side and spoke into her radio. "Have X-Ray waiting."

"Would you please stop gouging me? The only thing that hurts is my back, my lower back, around to the side, to be precise, and please! Keep your scissors away from this coat, as I happen to like it and am perfectly capable of removing it!"

"Of course you are." Though she didn't give the cut tatters of it a second look, as she kept searching over him, cataloguing in her busy, quick brain. "Kip? Lets get the neck collar on him, and get him onto the stretcher. There's swelling in the lower right quadrant that I'm not liking at all. Lionel? If you argue with me, I'm going to get you something to knock you out." All said quite cheerfully, as Dominic hovered over them like a shadow.

Cranky. "If you bring that neck collar over here, I will wrap it around your pretty little throat," he warned.

"Roger." Kip dug through the little box of things he'd brought with him, and came up with the neck brace. "'ere we go. C'mon, Mr. Luthor, don't threaten the little lady like that, she's mean with a needle when she wants t'be."

"Look, Lionel." An eyebrow down at him, a tipped head. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way." A shake of a Hispanic little head. "As it is, I'm going to kick your fanny anyway, and if you do fight me, you're gonna make your pretty young thing here upset." A glance at Dominic, pointedly, and back to Lionel.

He was calm. Even if he looked like a wreck. And he offered a weak wince at his lover, shifting beside him. "Beloved, do as the woman asks. Come on, ducks."

"Absolutely not. They've already ruined my jacket, I am not going to wear that absurd thing around my neck because my back is bothering me and I'm unable to shift it!" A deep growl. "Leave me be!"

"Alright." She went into her bag and took out a needle, ripping the package off and taking out a sedative as well, filling the needle with enough CC's to drop the big lunk of a man. She tapped the glass free of bubbles, squirting out a little bit, and looked down at him, eyebrow crooked.

"If you bring that needle near me, young lady, I will personally see to it that you are fired," Lionel warned. "I will cooperate with you as far as going to the hospital. Any of the rest of this claptrap is completely and entirely unnecessary." Lionel crossed his arms over his chest and winced the entire time.

"Sure it is. You've got back pain, swelling, and you can barely move." She spoke cheerfully as she unclipped the IV and pushed the needle into the tube, depressing it cheerfully all the while before connecting the IV again.

Dominic... he just winced, looking down at his lover with furrowed brows and a sorry grimace, holding his lovers hand gently, and soothing him. "Er... b'loved, baby... calm down. Just... lie back, okey?"

"I am calm." He bared his teeth at the woman who had sedated him, growling softly. "I am lying... down." Slowly his speech slurred. "'m... fine."

"I know it, sweetheart." Simone said as she motioned at Kip, getting the back brace and the stretcher ready before crouching down again. "Kip, tip him over and I'll get the brace under...there we go." Her new partner was great and she smiled at him as she slipped the board under, getting his body on it before..."One, two, and three." Lifted him up and set him on the stretcher with muscles hidden under a compact little body, setting the IV bags, the other Kip had started in the other arm, and set her EMT kit beside Lionel's foot before starting down the hall. "Out of the way people, move it."

Dominic followed close behind, giving Bruce a helpless look over his shoulder before rushing to follow... grasping his lovers hand tightly for just a moment as they went to the elevators. "its alright, my love. There we are."

"Notta problem," Kip grinned, doing as he was told, and tipping the heavy body over. "Damn, the man needs to lay off the beef." He grunted softly as they got him adjusted on the board and lifted onto the stretcher.

Lionel squeezed as firmly as he could. "'m...fine. gonna... gonna be fine."

"He's just big, and please move OUT of the way, people." She shooed the press away, getting into the elevator as they bellowed to be heard over one another, and jabbed the first floor button. "Amateurs. I worked for the Daily Planet for a few years, Lionel." She said conversationally to her patient, strapped to the stretcher cheerfully as she pet his free hand not held in a grip by Dominic. "And even then, we didn't go running up to peoples faces. its called "rude". I wish someone'd look it up for them. Hey, elevators working nice now. My husband does great work too with escalators, if you ever need him." She said happily, pulling the stretcher out of the elevator as Bruce tried to keep the press at bay on the stairs. "There we are." The ambulance was waiting just outside, and they moved carefully out the door, lifting him in. "Perfect. Riding with us, Dominic?"

He nodded, quickly getting in beside his lover and wincing down at him, as he lifted the mostly limp hand to his lips. "Lionel, you and your scrapes, my love."

"Don' you guys worry there, Mr. Luthor. I'll give you the best drive you've ever had, got m'word on it." Kip swung himself up behind the steering wheel. "Might even run over a few people for ya." He cranked up the ambulance, and just to scare the people gathered around it, cut in the siren at the top of the speaker's volume. "Love doin' that to those jerks."

At that Dominic grinned, though his fingers were ice as they rubbed Lionel's hand in his own, gently bringing the palm up to his mouth to kiss. "You've got to quit doing this shit to me, darling. I'd really rather not be bald and white haired, you know."

"You c'n have my hair," Lionel said, before his eyes fluttered shut. "half yours anyway," he muttered. "stupid hair... going to go gray anyway."

"You'll look majestic." Dominic said softly, kissing his lovers fingers again before pressing his palm to his face. "Promise me you'll tell me when you don't feel well. I hate it when you don't."

"Don' wanna w'rry you." Lionel's eyes barely opened. "old man... lots of problems... don't wanna worry."

"No, not a lot of problems. And you're not old, you bloomin' ass. You're beautiful. And Id rather worry with you than be in the dark, do you hear me? No more. Next time, you tell me when you're not feeling well. You'll share it with me." Though he set his lovers fingers on his face... and his eyes widened before he went into his pocket for his cell phone.

Dialed Lex's number from memory. And waited for him to pick it up.

Lex had just tucked his cell phone into the back pocket of his jeans when it rang. He didn't answer it at first, because his arms were tangled in his turtleneck, and he was just pushing his head through. "Hold your goddamned horses!" he yelled, tugging the shirt down over his head with one hand and answering with the other. "Luthor!"

"Lex, its me." He was trying, violently, not to freak out here in front of his lover, just smiling tenderly at him and stroking his hand. "Its… its, uh, me. On the way to the hospital."

"Hospital? Dom? Are you all right? What's going on?" Lex paused, one arm in and one arm out of his shirt as he tightened his grip on the phone.

"Your father. He...ah, he collapsed. Back pain, we're about a minute or two away from the hospital." Not. Going. To. Lose. His. Mind. He swept his fingers through his hair, fisting for a moment and forcing himself calm again as he swallowed and shuddered.

"Shit shit shit motherfucking cocksucking bastard!" Lex swore. "Dom, don't worry. Okay? Don't. Richard warned us about this, but it's going to be okay because he said you guys would be around for a while to help us. So... okay. Get him to the hospital and we're on the way."

Dominic spoke cheerfully, certain Lionel couldn't hear Lex swearing on the other line, and swallowed. "I've no idea what you're talking about, but… ah… please come, okay? I'll be waiting for you." He hung up just as they pulled into the hospital, and the two, Simone and Kip, got him down and inside. Dominic stepped in... wincing at the large black woman sitting behind the desk, and she just rolled her eyes at him.

"Didna' I say you were NOT to come back here, Dominic Senatori?" She glared, though her eyes followed in worry with the old man a moment as she got out a clipboard and the proper paperwork for Dominic to fill out.

"Thought we wouldn't have to do this anymore, Estelle, but alas. Thank you, darling." He accepted the paperwork with shaking hands… swallowing hard as he pressed it close to his chest, and looked away.

"Go sit down, sugah. I'll get you some coffee, grade A Columbian lighter fluid." Estelle led him gently over to the waiting rook, bustling her large weight back out into the heart of the ER.

Lionel didn't see, hear, or feel a damn thing outside of what was going on in his own mind. The lights whirring over his head as he was pushed down the halls were making him dizzy, and he was too knocked-out by the sedation to even consider moving. "Dom'nic?"

"We'll be there." Lex swore again, and then looked at Clark, who was already ready and sitting on the bed. "Come on. Change of plans. We're going to the hospital and see my father."

He wasn't allowed to go back there. At all. So for the next fifteen minutes, all Dominic did was stare at the paperwork in his hand. He had at least twelve pages to fill out, and he hadn't written more past his lovers name. Couldn't. His hands were shaking so hard he could barely hold the cup of coffee Estelle brought him, let alone a pen.

So he just leaned forehead, head in his hands, looking at the tile between his Armani shoes and cursing the man he loved with all his might six ways from Sunday for not TELLING him when he wasn't FEELING good. He stroked his fingers through his hair once... twice.... then let them stay there, closing his eyes as he waited. Fuck. God damn it.

Charlie burst through the doors about ten minutes after the ambulance had unloaded Lionel, and he skidded, barely avoiding slamming into a man with crutches and a little girl carrying a big red and white balloon that said "I Love My Mommy." He was panting as he delivered his news. "Mr. Wayne! pant Took things over wheeze Carolyn helping pant pant presentations done pant pant no questions taken wheeze, choke, cough staying there, sent me here."

Dominic looked up, eyes rimmed with red at his assistant, and just set his head back in his hands, not saying a word.

Charlie picked up Dominic's coat and dug through it until he came up with the pocket handkerchief he knew his boss always carried and handed it to him. "Forms... need help... filling out?" he asked, still panting.

"Sit down, Mr. Siegel." Spoken from his slump, voice quiet as he spoke without moving. The ER was full of people for a Monday morning, and a woman with three squalling children sat on the other side of him. Oh, wasn't that dandy.

Charlie obediently dropped into the chair beside Dominic without a word.

And it was the first thing Clark saw when he and Lex entered. His lover had driven like a bat out of hell, but even then the town was full of construction and people, who'd be working all hours until the buildings were done. He squeezed Lex's hand, hard, pointing towards Dominic and a dark haired, very tall young guy who couldn't have been much older than Clark himself. "Dominic?"

Clarks voice, and Lex's shoes. Dominic looked up and said a prayer to whoever might be listening, climbing to his feet and without a word, embraced his step son, tightly. "I'm glad you came."

Lex didn't hesitate to hug his stepfather. "Dom, you're kidding. Of course we'd come." He hugged tightly. "What do you know, if anything, and who do we have to bully to get you in the know?" He nodded once, briefly, at Charlie.

Charlie's eyes got huge. Luthor, Luthor, and Senatori all in the same place and who in the fuck had he EVER pissed off to get himself in this mess?

"Nothing, yet. The doctors still in with him." He wasn't going to get hysterical, though he wanted to. Very, very badly. "He collapsed. Back has been hurting him for quite a few days, he didn't tell me or let on, and he collapsed. Excused himself and fell right onto his ass in the hall. Bloody idiot, and I told him so, too."

"Mr. Siegel... go, make yourself useful. Go and get Dominic and Clark and myself three cups of coffee, all right? I'll take it black, Dominic needs two creams, two sugars, and Clark? Tell Mr. Siegel what you want." He looked back down at Dominic. "I'm telling you. Dom. don't worry. Richard said--" He flicked a furtive look back at Clark. "Richard said something was wrong with Dad's kidney, but it'd be okay once it got checked out. We just... haven't had time to talk to him about it."

He sank back into his seat, picking up the clipboard with the paperwork he hadn't touched yet, setting it helplessly in his lap as he rubbed his hands over his face. "The man is going to kill me. I'm going to be dead before I'm forty." He said softly, rubbing his fingers across his face again and peeking at Lex a moment before letting his hands drop. "Its his only one. If it goes, so does he." Shudder of fear quaked and gripped his heart, and he groaned and leaned over again, setting his head in his hands.

"Dom, no. If it goes, then it'll be replaced. Transplant, artificial kidney, there are options. Tell you what; you give me those forms, and you go up to the desk and ask the nurse what the procedure is for type-matching Dad for a donor. They'll test me first, since I'm blood, and then you, all right?"

"Are you trying to distract me, little Luthor?"

"Only if it's working."

"Unfortunately." He climbed to his feet, handing Lex the clipboard as he did it and walking to the front desk, where Estelle was doing some paperwork, and he peaked in quietly. "Any word on Lionel, Estelle?"

"Naw, not yet, sugah. I'm gonna go back in just a sec, soon as they let me tell ya'll somethin', I will." She motioned over to Charlie and Clark, where Charlie was having himself a mild heart attack. "Take care with that one, looks like he's ready to die."

"Scared of me."

"Good." She gave him a smile and pet his cheek.

Dominic nodded a little and folded his arms across his chest, hugging himself tightly. "Estelle?"

"Yeah?"

"What does one do to type match for Lionel as a donor?"

"For?"

"Kidney."

She blew out a long breath, peering at the young man in front of her and letting her eyebrows crinkle. "You don't worry 'bout that right now, sugah. He's gonna be jus' fine, don't you worry. And if it comes to that, your doctor'll tell you much better n' I."

Dominic swallowed softly, and nodded. "Thanks, Estelle."

"Sure thing, baby. Go on now, go sit, bring you information quick as--" She looked up as one of her nurses came up to her, and they talked in hushed sounds for a moment before Estelle turned and beamed at Dominic. "You can see him. Come on now, sugah. Get Lexy on there, too."

Oh, God. Dominic turned and motioned at Lex until the boy looked up, and he motioned him over, letting out a short whistle towards Charlie and walking with the nurse into the back rooms.

Charlie jumped to his feet at the whistle, terrified out of his wits as he hurried through the lobby, weaving, dodging, and stuttering out apologies as he all but jumped over the last row of chairs to catch up with his boss.

Lex looked back at Clark. "Dom's got him trained. Wonder if he's housebroken." He slipped his hand into Clark's. "Come on. He's your father in law, and besides... I think he likes you better anyway," he teased softly, tugging his aushna' behind him.

"What is with that guy?" Clark asked, eye rolling as he grabbed his lovers hand, squeezing it tightly and following him into the quiet ER. A lot of people waiting to be seen, but not many people in the main ER. Some construction workers scattered about with cut hands and nails in their foots, children, crying babies as he followed Charlie and Dominic through... stopping then, at the first trauma room where Lionel was attached to tubes. His fingers viced, hard, and it surprised him how deeply he'd gotten to caring about the man, swallowing hard at his lover.

Dominic pushed the doors open into the room behind Estelle, swallowing hard at his lover as his eyes filled with tears and he leaned over him, immediately kissing his lips softly. "Hey.., hey, beloved. Hi, there."

Lex squeezed his lover's hand tightly. "I know," he said quietly. "He loves you too." He pushed Clark just a little forward, so that he stood beside the bed, and Lex stood right behind him. "Hey, Dad."

Lionel looked up at the soft kiss. "Dom'nic. Tol'you... Nothing to worry about." His eyes landed on Clark next, and he held out his other hand, the one not wrapped through Dominic's. "Cl'rk."

Dominic didn't say a word, just laying his head on Lionel's palm a moment as he tugged a stool over, sitting himself in it so he could reach the tall bed still, and wrapped his fingers tightly around Lionel's palm, setting it on his forehead as he rubbed them with both hands. "Beloved."

"Hi." Clark said softly, taking the offered hand and swallowing, hard. "Hi, Lionel."

"Doctor... will be back in here soon." He tightened his grip on both hands. "Don't worry. Either of you." He glared at Clark first. "You, young man. You... worry enough. Don't... add this. I'll be fine." He turned the sedated glare on Dominic. "You... worry yourself... into an early grave." Hard squeezes, as hard as he could. "Kidney stone. Is all. I told you."

Blink.

Moment.

Blink.

Dominic rose his head, and blinked at his lover. "A kidney stone?"

Lionel nodded, voice exhausted for the moment.

"You mean to tell me you worried me, to death, thinking you were dying or having a heart attack or had a busted appendix or your kidney had shut down... and its a kidney stone?"

"Uht oh." Clark whispered, letting Lionel go and wincing at the little blond guy.

"Yeah. I think 'Uht oh' pretty much covers it," Lex agreed, taking a step back from the bed and tugging Clark back with him. He couldn't stop the snicker, though, that bordered on hysterics.

Charlie's eyes just bugged out of his head and he started inching towards the door, wondering if he could make it out and be in Siberia by the time anybody noticed him going.

"Told you... begin with. Nothing wrong."

"I thought… you were dying. I just... spent the last hour thinking you were going to leave me... AND IT'S A BLOODY KIDNEY STONE?!" Dominic bellowed, looking around... finding a spare pillow, and coshing his lover over the head with it. "ASS! You are... an enormous, mean ASS! Worrying me so, for a KIDNEY STONE! Its a pebble, it'll pass, goddamn you!" Another smack with the pillow, glowering at him though the terror and sadness were still lined in his face. "ASS!"

Lionel was too sedated to pick up his arms and defend himself, and the pillow bounced off his cranium. "Dominic! Don't beat up on a defenseless man."

"Defenseless my fat Irish ass! You had A KIDNEY STONE which if you'd been a RESPONSIBLE adult you would have taken care of! BUT NO! You waited until you passed flat" Thud "Fucking" Thudthud "Out ON THE FLOOR!"

Clark bit his lip. Knew better then to laugh. Choked on the laugh and turned half away, chuckling silently into the skin behind his lovers ear.

"Straight to hell you're going, and I don't care who tells you otherwise, you… you... ASS!"

Lex was still snickering. "Come on, Clark. Let's leave Dad's ass to the beating." He peeked over Clark's shoulder. "We'll come back later, Dad."

"Alexander, you're supposed to defend your father."

He thudded onto the stool again, though he looked crushed, glaring at his lover. "You don't take care of yourself. You don't, dammit, and then you hurt me because you don't because I should have known and didn't. Ass. You need to take care of yourself."

As Lex was turning to walk out the door, here came the doctor in. "Mr. Luthor? Luthors? Welcome back, Lex, though I'm glad to see you're not my patient today." Dr. Greg Tierney walked in. "Lionel, I'm glad to see that you're resting comfortably. "Mr... Senatori, is it?"

"Yes." Dominic looked up at the man, fresh from glaring at Lionel, and looked positively fierce before he apologized. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm just a bit… frustrated with Lionel." He rose and offered his hand. "He's an ass. Is he alright?"

"Quite healthy, actually. He seems to be in perfect health, aside from the kidney stone. We'd like to keep him here until it passes, just to monitor the passage because of the fact that he only has the one. If more than a few days pass, we'll simply bombard his abdomen and back with sonic waves, break the stone up, and have him pass it in pieces. The only things that you can do, Mr. Luthor, is rest, and drink a lot of water, cranberry juice, and other fluids to help pass the stone quickly. Stay away from sodium and calcium, however, until it's passed."

"Its all those BLOODY french fries!" Dominic bellowed, turning and jabbing him in the chest with his finger. "ASS! Ass ass ass! No more French fries for you, ever again! EVER! No more milk, no more dead cow, nothing! You are NEVER EATING AGAIN!"

This time Clark did laugh, cracking up and trying to hide it to no avail.

The doctor laughed, too. "Actually, no, the French fries wouldn't have anything to do with this. It's merely a calcium buildup in his kidney. We're just putting him on no-sodium until the stone is passed to keep the stress on the kidney down."

Lex had dissolved into helpless laughter, leaning against the wall and grabbing on to Clark to hold himself up.

Okay. He could be calm. He could. He sat himself back down on the stool, took a calm breath, and looked at the doctor. "How big a stone is it?"

Clark bit his lip tightly and tugged Lex towards the door. No...way was he going to be able to talk to Lionel again if he heard this, cause, ow. Ow. And he dragged Lex out the door, snagging Charlie and tugging him out too.

"WHOA!" Charlie fell over his feet as Clark dragged him out the door, righting himself and following instantly.

Lex was leaning against Clark. "That's going... to be a painful experience that I don't envy my father, and the only thing that I can say is, better he than me." He put his hand on Clark's shoulder.

At that, Dr. Tierney winced. "That's going to be the painful part. This one is 6 centimeters, which is about 2 and a half inches. If the sonic waves don't work, our last option is laser removal, which is where we insert the laser through the urethra and vaporizes the stone."

At that Dominic physically flinched, looking away… wincing again, and back to his lover. "Bitten ass? Least of your worries."

The doctor cleared his throat. "We took a brief look at that; excellent stitchery. You shouldn't be having any problems out of that."

Lionel blanched. "Can we skip directly to the laser insertion? It sounds the least painful of the options."

Tierney shook his head. "We prefer to leave the invasive surgery as a last resort, Mr. Luthor, I'm sorry."

"Had it about a two years ago, darling." Dominic was still seething and scared in his corner, and he glanced up as the doctor spoke. "Had to have the surgery... was awake for the entire bloody thing. Hurt like the bloody dickens, Lionel, not to put to frank a point on it, or pun. It was agonizing, but it got the job done. Cried like a baby, as I recall." Though the thought amused him, and he set down his weapon of choice, the trusty pillow.

"I truly don't care. I don't look forward to passing this thing. I'd rather have the surgery, and I'm willing to waive whatever is necessary."

"Yes, you do. They stick a... a laser, up places where nothing was ever meant to be stuck. It hurts so badly, darling. If anything, you want to try and have the thing broken up, first." Dominic nodded, wincing softly at the memory… remembering he was still pissed, and glared at him.

Lionel was still drugged and he scowled even as he snickered. "Then let's get on with breaking it up."

"You laugh now, but you just wait until you've got a thick laser being shoved up your--" A blink, and he looked at the doctor, blinking at the doctors strange look at them, and immediately said, "We're married."

....Which, upon reflection, probably weirded the man even worse, but oh well.

"Ah. That explains quite a few things." Dr. Tierney rubbed his glasses clean on the tail of his shirt. "I'll leave the two of you to talk while we prepare to take the first set of x-rays, so we can map this thing's progress through the renal system."

"Alright, thank you." Dominic nodded, smiled, and watched as the man left before turning to look down at his lover in all of his glory. He smelled like the morning and work and cologne and shampoo, and Dominic simply sighed at him. "You're going to kill me, Luthor."

"No I'm not, and even if I do, you'll still love me." He raised his hand and waved. "You're just fine. You're not going to die and neither am I."

"Of course I am. You're going to give me a massive heart attack one of these days." Another glare, though it wasn't a hard one.

"Will not. I'm at more risk of a heart attack than you are." Poke to the bicep. "Eat more red meat than you do."

It startled him, and both of Dominic's brows came up...his lips spreading into a grin as he looked at his lover. "Are you high on medication, Lionel?"

"Uh huh." Another poke to his bicep. "Whatever they gave me? It's nice. My back doesn't even hurt."

"That's good, baby." Amused out of his mind, but Dominic tipped his head, setting his head on his lovers chest and looking at him as he took his hand. "I'm glad you feel better, my love."

"I'm ready to go back to work." Lionel looked under the sheet. "Only someone took my pants."

"I did. I'm sorry, darling, I'm quite a naughty person."

"Yes, yes, you are. You just want to have sex because I was evil to you before the the... meeting type thing we were just at."

"Yes, darling. I want to debauch you, right here." Deadpanned, as he stroked the back of his lovers hand tenderly with his thumb. "I canna help it, you're beautiful."

Lionel grinned. "NO, Dominic. You're the beautiful one. Right down to your cute little toes that are fun to suck."

"No, you." He tapped the light cleft in his lovers chin, that only he knew was there. "You're very, very beautiful, you know. I've got a few surprises for you, when you feel better."

A grin. "I like surprises, Dominic. Give me a hint?" He batted his eyes at his lover. "Please?"

Oh, God, he liked his lover this way, and he tried his best not to snicker as he gently stroked his hair from his eyes, propping an elbow on the bed and leaning forward, chin in hand. "Alright. Ah... something old. Something new. Something borrowed... something... brown."

A glassy-eyed blink. "Isn't it supposed to be something old and new, borrowed and blue instead of brown?"

"It is, indeed, but this particular thing isn't blue, I'm afraid."

A pause. "Paint it."

"Paint it?" His own blink, as he let go of his chin to rub over his lovers cheek softly with his thumb. "What do you mean darling?"

"Paint it blue. So it's old and new and borrowed and blue."

Cough. Choke. Restrained laugh. In that order. "Ah. Well see, this particular item can't be painted blue, darling. There's.... well, chains and stuff connected to it. It'd ruin the effect... though I think I can cook something up." Eye dancing smile.

Another glassy blink. "It has chains and stuff? I can't wait to see it. Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

"Much, though I don't think we should talk about it right now." A shake of his head, as he reached forward to kiss his lovers chin. "Want to tell me why you didn't tell me you were hurting, darling?"

"Okay," and that was the single word that had never entered his vocabulary before. "Didn't tell? Oh yeah. Didn't want to worry you. I figured it would just pass in a few days.. though I know now it literally would."

He bit his lip to keep the smile in, nodding seriously at him. "Indeed, and its going to hurt like a bitch. It seems beloved, we'll have to wait on Diane Sawyers interview."

"Unless you wanna do it from the hospital bed here. I bet... I bet I can get them to let us use one of their conference rooms, and I can get dressed."

Wanna? yeah? Okay? Heee! Seeing Lionel's lovely, gorgeous lips which had never let any slang pass them whatsoever was just magnificent, and Dominic set his chin on the side railing bar, stroking his husbands hair from his eyes. "You might want to get off the morphine first, beloved."

"Okay. So, we'll have them stop the morphine drip before she comes in." Broad smile.

Which Dominic returned. "Indeed. I know it hurts baby, and its sure to get worse... but promise me you'll tell me? Because you love and adore your Jiminy?"

"Okay. Just because you're my little cricket. I'll tell you when it hurts."

His voice was soft and quiet as he smiled, thumbing his husbands chin softly. "I love it when you call me that."

"Little cricket? You are my little cricket. Not, little like, stomp under my heel bug kind of little, but little cricket."

Soft chuckle. "I am indeed. And you're my lovely one, though I don't call you that as often as I should. You probably won't remember a lick of this, but I do love you so, my beloved."

Lionel just nodded. "I love you too, little cricket." He looked over Dominic's shoulder. "Let me have a cigarette."

Surprised blink at him as Dominic cocked a brow. "You don't smoke. In fact, you told me my mouth tasted like an ash tray, quite rudely might I add."

"It does. But I do smoke. I did. Whatever. I just feel like one."

"Well, I'm quite sorry, but you cannot have one." A firm shake of his head.

"Okay. I'll smoke it later, thanks." He closed his eyes a second. "I think I'm tired."

"I think you are too, beloved." Another eyebrow because he would be asking his lover about that particular little thing, hmming softly as he tucked the blankets around him. "You're going to be moved here in a bit, beloved. Sleep, okay?" His heart filled and ached in his chest as he leaned over to tenderly kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you." He kissed Dominic back, firmly though a little sloppily. "And when they bring me back, I'll take care of you."

"For the moment, my husband, I'm going to take care of you. Whether you like it or not, I'm afraid." He smiled into his lovers face, kissing him once, twice more, gently touches of his lips, before settling back into the stool. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Okay." Lionel grinned. "Night, Dominic."

"Night, baby." Amused smile as he leaned his head back on his hand, and took Lionel's fingers in his own, squeezing them gently.

The morphine finally took effect, and in moments, Lionel was dead to the world.

 

-fin-

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