The Memoirs

Chloe was big.

Really. Really. Big.

She was seven months pregnant, and her son, who had taken to napping like a great lug on her bladder, had spread her out. Her belly was enormous, round and soft but still manageable. She was able to walk around and do all she had to do, and today, after much hand slapping to her fiancé, she managed to get out of the house with Shayla.

And Lex's credit card.

Lex's twenty five million dollar credit limit credit card.

Heaven? Yes. Oh, yes. She hadn't stopped grinning like an idiot since she and Shayla left the mansion--tried to ignore the tension going on, and that Shay wouldn't talk to Dominic, and that Clark and Lex were making out behind the house. She was FREE for the day, with her best friend, with no boys but her baby in sight.

And it wasn't really that Shayla wouldn't talk to Morgan it was just... Morgan was biting the heads off anyone who came too close, and since she didn't want her head bitten off, she avoided him.

Completely and entirely.

Spent the most of her time up in her bedroom, alternately stuffing her face and puking it up because she felt guilty for abandoning her brother, and she'd leapt at the chance to get out and go shopping with Chloe.

She didn't notice that her clothes were starting to hang on her just a little bit, instead of hug snugly like they'd done a few months before, or that her skin was losing its pale radiance. She just crammed all her money into her purse, got dressed, ran a brush through her hair as she popped a few mints, and hurried downstairs to plop herself in the car seat so they could leave.

And leave they had, and they were now standing in front of the door to the biggest outlet mall in town, on opening day, with all the money they could spend in their hot little hands.

Life? Was getting good.

"This. Is. Awesome." Chloe squealed, wriggling in her tennis shoes as she looked out across the mall. There was a crowd of people waiting for it to open and she clung to her friends arms, bopping as much as she could in her condition. "I can't believe Lex trusts us with getting Clark's clothes. He's crazy. Are we getting him flares?"

"Of course we are, and we're getting him one of those sweaters like Whitney's got, that's going to actually fit him instead of bagging, and none of it is going to be flannel or plaid!" Shay answered, bouncing right alongside her friend.

"Totally. I think I can bribe Lex into some new things for Whitney and Pete, too--its going toward a good cause, right?" She grinned. "What should we get for Clark? Chic? Farm Boy?"

"You should be able to kiss Lex into anything," Shay said, with a good-natured roll of her eyes. "Give him a smooch, bat those eyelashes, and he falls into your lap. I've seen it before." Then she snickered. "Um... chic. Definitely. Because he's done Farm Boy to death, and you and I both know he's got a bushel hiding under his basket."

"He is pretty, isn't he?" A little breath sigh, before a wicked grin. "Lex is a sucker for boobies, I think. He just won't admit it." But it made her giggle, so she grinned and did another little dance, as the doors of the complex finally opened and she and Shayla shuffled in. The outdoor outlet was fantastic--hundreds of stores, a lovely eating cafeteria, and all the things she could hope to ever buy were all here.

Lex's credit line was looking mighty juicy.

"So, where are we hitting first?" She looked at all the stores, shiny and new with sale fliers in their windows and their doors open with hungry salespeople just waiting to pounce.

"I say... Old Navy. We can get Clark some nice t-shirts there… you know how he is about his t-shirts." Chloe answered, smiling at her friend cheerfully and linking their elbows. Oh, she'd noticed her friend was wasting away before her--she wasn't Shay's Best Friend for nothing, you know. She knew something was up, and this was the perfect way to see if there was--a day of shopping and fun.

"Oooh, yeah. Because they've got some great little hoodies for the fall that I want to get; Graham's going to let me. They're beautiful, and they've got fleecy inside, but you can zip out the lining, so you don't have to be fleeced if you don't want."

"Ooooo," Chloe gasped. She liked that. "Think they come in size Small Boat?"

Shay just giggled. "You can get some for after the baby's born and you're back down to your usual svelte self."

"Sweety, I'm never going to be svelte again. I've got a tub of lard around this kid." She made a face, but grinned anyway. "I don't mind. I've got Whitney--he doesn't care if I've got stretch marks. I know he loves me, big lump that he is."

"Sure you are! They're building a gym here, and LuthorCorp's got a Wellness Center. We can get in there and work out." She raised her arm and flexed her teeny, puny little bicep. "We'll be skinny and gorgeous and back to normal in no time." She bounced on her toes. "Anyway, I think you're beautiful just like this, cause you're always so bright."

"Oh, don't you start with that crap, too. Whitney swears up and down that I glow. I'd like to see him glow when he's heaving over a toilet, the bastard. Hey! Look!" She pointed at a huge General Information board and went over, plucking a map from the plastic holders underneath it, one for herself and one for Shay, before tilting her sunglasses up into her longish hair and peering at the big map on the board. "We... are… here." She pointed to the star toward the bottom left. "Old Navy's on the next street."

"Oh! But look!" Shay stabbed her finger down on a store about five away from the star. "Look! Hot Topic! And they've got that Harry Potter shirt we both want! Come on! I'll buy it, and we can share it!"

"OOOO!" Chloe squealed atop her lungs. "But...but Shay! Clark!"

"Chloe! Harry Potter."

Crap. Alright. She beamed at her friend, blushed, and whispered, "If we get him one too, think he'll be mad?"

"Nah, not at all. He and Morgan can fight over it, cause Morgan likes Harry Potter too." Didn't blink at the mention of her brother, but her motormouth sped into overdrive. "Besides, I think Clark'll like it too, if just for no other treason than he'll have a really unique t-shirt that he can share with someone else other than Lex because sharing with Lex has got to be boring all the time because he has like fifty of the same shirt."

"True. Your reasoning, while defying all earth logic, makes sense. Cool. Two Harry Potter shirts. Well… maybe one for your brother, too," Chloe added, just to see how her friend would react again to that, even as she wriggled and squirmed, hefted her satchel more comfortably over her shoulder, and pointed the way.

"Ooh, yay, two it is!" She pretended like she hadn't even heard the other mention of Morgan. "Let's go! Outta the way people, there's a pregnant lady comin' through here!"

Hmm. So Chloe had thought. She gave the back of her friends blond head a glare before following her, map clutched in hand. She wasn't waddling quite yet, though she was close, and she walked as much as she was able to with her friend. "Maybe we can pick up some other cool shirts for Clark, there. And Pete. Pete's a Hot Topic Whore."

"Yeah, they've got the best shirts there. There's one that I really want for Pete, though he'd never wear it, and I'd really be better off getting it for me, but it's a Gothy version of Hello Kitty, and she's so cute." Shay bounced on her toes. "I bet we can even find a shirt that's fucked up enough for Lex."

"Yeah, Pete's cool, but Hello Kitty isn't his thing." Chloe said diplomatically, lips twitching. "I bet so... Lex is a closet freak, you know. I swear, he could have made the best goth," Chloe sighed. She missed him… they hadn't done anything together for months and months, and sometimes, she found herself aching for her ashimel's touch. "Its been hard, without them."

"Yeah, he's been a cranky bastard, so I'm betting he's missed you too," Shay said knowingly as they went into the store. "And, Pete doesn't have to wear the Hello Kitty. I'll wear it." She grinned. "Don't worry. Everything's getting back to normal now, I bet Lex'll be pouncing that sexy butt of yours as soon as you get it home tonight."

"Pouncing, no. Carefully leaping over John, yes." She glared down at her tummy, smiling anyway, before up at Shay. "What about you and Pete?"

"Have we been getting it on? No. He seems to think I'm too fucked up in the head over Morgan being sick to do anything." She was actually pouting.

Chloe's brow arched up to her hairline. Pete? Actually thinking with his head for once? Color her stunned. "Hmm. Why is he thinking that?"

"I actually have no idea. But it's nice he's being considerate and all, but... really wanting to get laid here."

"Hmm. Maybe its cause you haven't talked to Dominic in a coupla months," Chloe said, carefully, as she stepped over a gutter and up onto the sidewalk with her friend.

"Yeah, maybe, but Morgan's been in a cranky-ass mood anyway, and I don't really want to get my head bitten off or anything." She snorted, and wrinkled her nose. "Oooh, looklook, the goth Kitty shirts are on the front row!"

Chloe frowned again and stepped into the store, eyes widening at the array of new stuff they had, but not ignoring her friend as she started to look. "Maybe he misses you, you know."

"Yeah, I miss him too, but I'm not gonna step a foot in his direction until he's calmed down a bit."

She couldn't force her friend to do anything, so she dropped it.

And squealed.

On top of her lungs.

"HARRY POTTER!"

"Get it!! getitgetitgetitgetitgetit!" Shay shrieked, going nearly ultrasonic. "Get it!! Grab it, get you one and me one!"

Chloe totally ignored the other people in the store staring at them, and knew they looked like two suburbanite blonds but did. Not. Care. She dragged Shayla over to the big table piled with them, squealing in high decibels as she did so.

Shayla dug immediately through the shirts on the table. Little squeals escaped her as she found her size, Chloe's size, even Clark's size. She paused for a minute, then picked up a fourth shirt in Morgan's size, and waved them overhead. "Got all the sizes! You, me, Clark and Morgan!"

At the mention of her brother, her stomach started to get a little upset, but she ignored it.

At the mention of Shay's brother, Chloe smiled. Broadly. She nodded, squealing herself, and beamed at her friend as she hugged her. "Clark can't hate us for using his clothes money for this. Its... Harry... POTTER. God, Sirius is hot, even if it is Gary what's his face."

"Yes, yes, he is, and Clark can bite me, because I'm going to buy mine and Morgan's myself. So, he can." Her stomach got a little more upset, and she just shook her head. "Come on, let's go back further, and see if we can find some for Pete and Lex now." She had her Goth Kitty t-shirt, and all the Harry Potter ones over her arm. "Maybe some weird club logo or some shit for Lex?"

"No. Lex? Lex needs an All Your Base Are Belong To Us t-shirt." Chloe grinned. Broadly. "Black. And we also need to get him one with a good saying."

Shay just gave her friend a blank look. "I'll work on the good saying shirt, you find the bases one, kay?" She started rummaging through the shirts on the rack.

As Shay did, Chloe got a good look at her friend. Her hips were poking out of her jeans, her vertebrae were poking out of her shirt, and she just looked... sickly. Chloe didn't know how else to explain it, but it was just not good. So she just sighed and looked around the shop, beginning to wander over to the t-shirts near the back when she caught an awesome stand full of glasses. She plucked up a purple pair and put them on her nose, looking in the tiny mirror as she looked at herself.

Shay pulled one shirt out and held it up. It was an apple green in color, and it had a smiling cartoon bunny on the front. Under the bunny, it had a little quote. I know how you feel. I just don't care. "Hey, Chloe?" she called out, holding the shirt up. "Howsabout this one for Lex?"

She glanced up. "If you get a rabbit shirt for him, he'll kill you. A Martian? Another question. Hey, how do these glasses look on me? They're the new thing this year."

"Ooooh... they look really cool." She dropped the bunny shirt back onto the rack and wound her way through the store to squeeze in beside Chloe. "Oooh, there's a pink pair." She picked up a pink pair that matched Chloe's, and slid them on her face. "Yours look really, really cute."

"They're in this year, like I said...we should get some." She beamed. "They make you look so smart, Shay."

Shay giggled. "God knows I need all the help I can get on that score." Her expression turned evil. "Let's get some for Lex."

Chloe's dimples winked on as she lifted up the purple pair, peered at the price tag, and added them to the Harry Potter shirts they were getting. "Maybe some little black horn rims. What do you think? Or! Oh! Purple! Violet is his favorite color." She beamed.

"YEAH! Let's get him those purple ones. They'll match his shirts! The purple horn rims. With the thin lenses, though, cause the cock-bottle look doesn't go good with him at all."

"Cool. You never know, he might wear them." She giggled and picked them up, offering them to her friend and beaming. "Should we get some for Clark, too?"

"Nah... you really don't think Clark is the glasses type, do you?" She picked up a pair of slinky black and silver ones, not quite horn rim but gorgeous all the same. "I mean, can you really see Clark in these?"

"I dunno." She wrinkled up her nose and peered at the glasses, in their little slender black wires and lifted them up to look at them. "They're kind of sexy, aren't they? Clark's got a big dumb jock face... I wonder if these'd make him look as intelligent as he is."

"Hey, if they can do it for me, they can do it for him. Stick him in there, and if he doesn't like them, we can give them to Steve or Pete instead, because they need all the help they can get." She smirked.

Chloe laughed at that, eyes dancing as she met her friends and rolled her eyes. "Poor Pete. And Steve. Even if they're kinda dumb." Her eyes danced as she set the purple violet glasses she'd picked out for her ashimel on her pile. "Let's get them. Anything else you need from in here?"

"Nah, though I still think Lex needs the Happy Bunny shirt. But, we'll find him something suitably sarcastic somewhere else." Shay beamed. "Lemme have my glasses, and the shirts for me and Pete and my brother, and I'll buy that myself so that Lex can't kill you."

"Cool." her lips twitched. "I'll do Clark's glasses and Lex's."

Ten minutes alter she and her bestest friend ever spilled out of the Hot Topic, bags bulging. Chloe had known enough to bring her satchel, and she stowed the glasses wrapped in tissue paper in it so she could give it to her ashimel tonight. Amongst other things, she prayed.

Shayla felt like her stomach was being eaten inside out by acid. "Hey, let me get a drink here, before we go any further, okay? I skipped breakfast this morning and my stomach's kind of growly." She nodded at the little cart selling bottled water and bottled soft drinks. "We can even share it."

"Cool." Chloe put her own sunglasses back on her nose, looking hip for being as pregnant as she was, in her keds and cut-off jeans. "Lets get a donut too. John is prodding for sugar." She took her friends hand there in the sunshine and set it on her belly, where the baby was kicking, right beside her belly button.

Shay's face lit up as she laughed, and felt the kick against her hand. "Man, the kid's got strong feet!" She pressed gently, and felt a stronger kick. "Hey, John," she said quietly.

"Don't encourage the little bastard." Chloe answered, lips twitching as she rubbed the other side of her belly. "He's been doing flips lately. I bet he thinks its fun. Doesn't matter what mummy feels, does it baby?"

The baby didn't answer, just kicked again, much to Shayla's delight. "Hey, John, now be nice to your mom. She's the only one you've got, and unlike mine, wouldn't leave you to die. So be nice, okay?"

Chloe winced at Shayla's words, flinching quietly as she looked at her friend and covered her hand with her own. "I wish you'd talk to me about that."

Shay just shook her head as she looked up, and felt John settle back down and stop kicking. "Nothing to talk about, much. Mama tried to kill Morgan, and it didn't work cause he's a tough bastard. End of the story."

"Is that why you haven't gone to see him?" Chloe ventured as she tugged out her own wallet and bought a big bottle of water and a chocolate donut for them. "Cause of what your mom did."

"Nah, I haven't gone to see him cause he's been a bastard. Can't get within ten feet of him without getting a new ass torn, and since I'm kinda happy with the one that I've got? Not much sense in getting another one." She pulled her hand away from Chloe's stomach as she straightened up, and bought a soda for herself, sticking it in her backpack purse for later.

"Mmm. Still, pretty crappy what she did. If it were me, I'd get really upset over it." Chloe said, as she pointed out Payless and led them toward it.

Shay shrugged. "No sense in getting upset over it; it's over and done with. I mean, Morgan's alive, he's home, he's going into therapy, Mama's hiding out somefuckingwhere in the town, probably still at the motel, Gran's making noises about taking Morgan home with her to Ireland to get better, so I'm keeping my head down before the shit hits it."

"Shay? Until that all happens, you can come stay with Whitney and I. If you like. I mean, if you wanted to, you know? Instead at the drafty mansion." Chloe offered, looking at her friend as she took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "If your Granny takes her, it'll be a dream come true."

"Yeah, we're all hoping she'll take Mama instead of Morgan, because not even Mama's stupid enough to say no to her. But, the only problem is, I'd have to go with her. Because I'm still in school and underage and all that crap, I'd still have to go with her, and go back home with her and find a school in Cobh for a year before I could come back here." Little shrug. "So like I said, keeping my head down."

"Shay, you're eighteen. You're not underage in the states, baby," Chloe answered, looking sideways at her. "You could stay with us. Dominic's your brother--he can take temporary guardianship of you. You wouldn't have to go back at all."

"Yeah, but that? Doesn't matter to Mama. Long as I'm in school, that means I'm underage, to her, and that means she gets to say. And yeah, Morgan could, so could Graham, Lindy, Riley or Megan, but they can't unless Mama lets them, and she won't."

"Shay? After what your mama did, I don't think she's gonna force you to do much." Chloe answered, eyebrow cocked up high.

"Have you ever heard the saying, balls as big as church bells?" Shay sighed. "Mama's got them. You'd be surprised what she'd do."

"I don't know how your brother hasn't already killed her," Chloe admitted, sideglancing her friend. "Honestly, Shay. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as angry as Graham was the night he found out what your mom planned to do. That was scary."

"Yeah, Graham's a scary guy. So's Riley, when he gets tanked up and outraged enough. Should have seen them at the restaurant the day Mama was going to pull the plug. I thought he was going crawl across the table and choke Gideon to death."

"Riley?" Chloe's eyes widened into spheres as they went into the shoe store together. "Riley, your brother, Riley? Nice guy, tall?"

"My brother Riley. Looks like my brother Morgan, and can rip the horns off a wild bull when he's pissed. That's the guy, yep." Shayla beelined over to the boots.

"Oooh! Check out the tennis shoes!" Chloe keened, dragging Shay from the boots to look at the nice selection of running shoes in all colors they had. "Ooo! Pink! It'll go with your new sparkly princess shirt!"

"But, boots!" Shay whined, but let her friend drag her over to the running shoes.

"The pink ones! Shay! With your new jeans and shirt! They match!" She picked up the pink shoe and beamed at her friend. "They'll look adorable!"

"Okay, okay. Matching is way overrated, I'll have you know." She piled the pink ones into the little basket she'd picked up. "But I need new boots. Especially if it's going to freaking SNOW like it did last winter and blizzard us in for three days. I need. Boots. To walk in."

"Yeah, yeah. Lookit these flip flops!" Chloe squealed, picking up a dark blue pair. "If only I could see my feet!"

"You'll be able to see them soon, don't worry," Shay said confidently. "And no, ew. Green's your color, baby. Or yellow."

"OOOO!" Chloe dropped the shoe back in its box, grabbed Shay, and dragged her over to the men's shoes right across the aisle, where... "Oh! Oh, look at these boots for Clark!"

Shay looked. They were mid-calf boots, with heavy laces and thick rubber soles. "You know, those aren't half bad." The patent leather was slick to the touch, and they shone in the lights. "And, amazingly enough, they come in size Noah's Ark."

"Yeah!" Chloe beamed. Hell yes. "Though… Shay? Lex might kill us for buying stuff for Clark, here." She looked around. "I think when he said, 'buy classy', he meant… like... Neiman Marcus."

"What Lex doesn't know won't hurt him. Neiman Marcus sucks, and seriously, these look good. And he can... well, kiss my ass. Cause seriously? I doubt Clark knows who Neiman Marcus is, let alone that they sell clothes. Tell him the shoes came from Payless, and he'll be a lot more comfortable in them."

"That's true. Poor Clark. You think these will fit him?" She lifted the enormous shoe and peered inside of it. "His feet are kinda wide." She stuck her hand down into it, measuring the width by spreading her fingers, and humming to herself.

"Is it really true that guys who have big feet have big cocks?" Shay asked suddenly.

"Entirely. It's bigger than Whitney's, now." Chloe muttered, still peering at the shoe as she thought. "Do these come in wide, too?"

"... And I start to seriously consider trading my boyfriend in for one who has boat-sized feet," Shay giggled, and she rooted to the back of the rack. "Um... up through triple E, looks like."

"Give me a normal wide, then. And Shay, honestly, Pete? Tiny, compact, adorable. Bologna, remember?" Her lips twitched, and she looked up as she picked up the boxes of both pairs of shoes. "Whichever don't fit, we'll exchange. Good?"

"Bologna vs. boats. Gee. I'll take the boats and deal with the wrapper." She rummaged out the wide boots that Chloe had requested, and piled them into Chloe's basket. "There."

"Awesome. Okay. Lets pay for these, get them to the car, and then... Old Navy."

"Yeah, baby! Old Navy Fleece hoodies, here we come!!"

 

- = - = -

Clark screamed.

There were no other words for it.

He... screamed.

There was Old Navy. And fitted jeans in colors. And lycra. And rubber. And… and... he screamed.

Not a stitch of flannel in sight.

Chloe and Shayla had come in, loaded with bags they'd dumped on his and Lex's bed and he had become, for two hours, their private Ken doll. He was dressed, changed, moved, fondled, pinched, peaked at, and by the time the dinner came around, he was thoroughly sick of it. They messed with his hair, they dressed him up, and they pushed him out without letting him PUT ON HIS BLOODY JEANS.

So he was stuck. In black slacks, a green sweater the same color as his eyes, and dress shoes.

Shiny. Shiny. Shiny sweater. And snug black slacks. And did he need to SCREAM from the damn ROOFTOPS that he was gay?!

Shay just giggled. "I think we did good, Chloe. I think we did real good. Look at the shoes. Look at the eyes. The shirt just brings out his eyes like nobody's business, and we finally get to see that yes, Clark Kent does have an ass to die for, once it's not hidden in baggy seats and flannel."

Chloe bit her lip as she studied Clark. He looked so bloody handsome. The butt, the chest, the shoulders, the long hair brushed just a certain way. He looked amazing. She wanted to pounce on him! And by the look he was giving her, she wasn't so sure he wasn't returning the sentiment, as pissy as she was. She beamed anyway, reaching up to fix the collar on the lovely sweater a bit, and just... beam. "You look the part of Lex Luthor's lover now, Clark."

"Yes, you do, and shut up because I know you like it," Shay said, waggling her finger. "You look good, you feel good, and despite the fact that you're pissy--and Chloe? I just realized. We are missing something."

"What's that?"

Clark glared. "What, I'm Lex's catamite now? Jeez." But he sniffed in indignation, ran his fingers through his hair despite Chloe squealing and slapping his hands away, and sighed.

Shayla turned to her friend and wiggled her nose, which caused the glasses on her face to slip down and the frames rattled just a little.

Then she turned back and glared at Clark. "Wow, you know words like catamite now. I'm impressed. But now. You're not. You just look all nice and grownup and handsome. Not... you know, not."

He glared. Just... glared. Glared. "I write for the Daily Planet, Shayla. I live in the Luthor household. Did you expect my vocabulary not to be up to par?" he demanded, sniffed, and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Oh!!" Chloe turned with a squeal to the bags of shopping they'd left on the bed, tons of them, and wriggled until she got the bag from the Hot Topic out. Clark had literally danced when he saw the Harry Potter shirt, but now... she pulled out the tiny, thin rimmed glasses, and without letting him get a word in edgewise, turned and plopped them on his nose.

And oh. Dear. God.

"I just creamed my panties."

"Not you but me." Shayla just couldn't stop staring. There was something about the glasses that brought Clark's jawline into sharper focus, gave it a stronger, more stubborn set, and aged him about five years. "Holy shit."

"Shay... oh," Chloe just sighed. He looked so intellectual, so handsome, and just...she shivered as she arranged his longish hair around it, giving him the image of a studious collegiate who wore tweed jackets with ratty jeans, and just… "Holy shit is right."

Clark glared, but at their obvious stares of approval, sniffed and turned to look in the mirror by the bed.

What he saw... pleased him. Deeply. "Wow."

"Um, Clark? Yeah. If you were of the girl-liking persuasion? This might persuade me to see if I could be a girl you liked. Because goddamn. That looks... Wow. Yeah." The frames accented his face perfectly, gave him a look of being deep in thought even when he wasn't.

Chloe grinned. "You're very hot, baby. Lex will love it. I've got to see his reaction... LEX!" She leaned out of the door of the bedroom and bellowed down the hall for him.

Clark just rolled his eyes. "I do like girls," he looked pointedly at Chloe's butt.

Shayla pointed at her butt. "You like her butt. You do not like my butt. You only like Chloe because she is of the sha-whatever persuasion, not because she is of the female persuasion."

"Just a minute!" Lex called back, not looking up from the laptop.

"NOW, Luthor!" Chloe bellowed again.

"Ashikana. And… okay, that has something to do with it, but hey. Sex with a girl is nice." Clark nodded, firmly. "Kind of warm and soft and wet and squishy, though." he made a face at himself. "I wish Lex had a pre-lubricating butt. It would save on time."

"HOLD YOUR TITS, SULLIVAN!" he bellowed back.

Shayla dissolved into giggles. "Self-lubricating butt!!!" She almost fell over onto the bed at that, and had to hold her stomach. She did get overbalanced when she heard what Lex bellowed back, and she plunked down on her ass, laughing harder and grinning up at Clark. "Warm and soft and wet and squishy, huh?" Shay teased with a nose wrinkle. "I think I can fill those qualifications, if my freakin' boyfriend would step up to the plate already!"

Clark grinned down at Shayla as she giggled, warmed that he'd made her laugh after shed had such a sad expression for so long over Dominic, and he plunked down on the bed beside her as she giggled. "Well, I do. It'd be easier. Because though Lex might not mind, dry sex hurts." he made a face. "As for Pete, what's the deal? He not putting out?"

Her eyes widened. "Believe me, Clark, if he's built anything like I am, dry sex ain't fun for him either." She sighed at the mention of Pete, and tucked one skinny leg up under her as she shook her head. "He's not putting out. And I'm trying my damndest, but he's not takin' it either."

"Hmm. Maybe cause you're ignoring all your problems," Clark answered, sagely, as he leaned over to push one of her bra straps up that had fallen.

She smiled at him as he did that. "Ignoring them? Not a chance. They're eating a hole in my stomach lining. Just... internalizing, for a change, rather than blowing off at everybody like Morgan's doing." She shrugged her shoulder again, liking the feel of his warm fingers on her shoulder, and then she sighed again. "He'll get tired of jacking off eventually."

"Dominic? Yeah. I think he just needs to get it out of his system... if I was in a coma for two months, woke up to find myself unable to use half my body? I'd be acting worse." Clark nodded, firmly. "Want me to talk to Pete for you? I'm sure if I bring up enough embarrassing things he'll break out of his shell."

Shay quickly shook her head. "No. I can deal with it; I just like to whine because I'm not getting laid," she said with a wink.

"That's certainly a shame you're not getting laid," Lex said, coming into the room and wrapping his arms around Chloe from behind. "But you're not causing nearly as much trouble as I expected. Hello, beautiful," he said into Chloe's ear, turning her chin so that he could kiss her softly.

Chloe beamed as Lex snuggled against her, and she wrapped her hands around his arms as she was snuggled. The kiss made her tingly all over and she giggled quietly as she shivered, rubbing back into Lex's arms a little. She was hoping, against hope, that she and her ashimels would have a little bit of time alone tonight, and she hoped that she made it clear with the little squirm. "Hello," she smiled, reaching up to kiss him back. He tasted like coffee and Clark, and that just made her all the happier as she turned his head so he could see his lover. "Check Clark out."

"In a minute," he said against her throat, nibbling up her chin and kissing her once more, answering the little squirm with a little thrust of his own, and his hands slid down to her hips as he turned to look at Clark. "Okay. Now let me see what you've--" what you've done to my poor Clark, was on the tip of his tongue, but the words fled when he got a look at the new, adult Clark. "... see what you've done with my farmboy." He licked Chloe's neck once in appreciation, and walked over to the bed, walking in a little half-circle as he took in everything, including the glasses. "Those... those glasses are... very, very flattering, Clark."

Clark made a face at his lover as he was ogled, and wrinkled his nose. "I'll pretend you aren't staring at me like a slab of meat." But it awoke a little fire inside of him that trembled and burned, and he looked up with eyebrow raised at his lover, smirking.

"No, no, not a stab of meat, just... someone I'd like to fuck, very, very much."

Clark's eyes widened behind the little rims, and though they were kind of an annoyance, suddenly... "Shay? Chloe? Leave."

"No, I think Chloe needs to stay," Lex added, not taking his eyes off his lover. "But Shay? Yes. Do find a need to be elsewhere."

She stuck her tongue out at all of them, and then giggled. "Sure. Have sex without me when you know I'm not getting any. I'll just go to my room and masturbate a while."

"Good girl. Close the door on your way out," Lex said.

Clark didn't take his eyes off of Lex, just climbing to his feet and leaning in to kiss his lover. One big hand cupped the back of his sweet aushna's neck, bringing him in close, and he kissed him deeply, firmly, eyes fluttering closed without really caring what was going on around him. "Our ashikana tonight. Not now. Whitney's not here," Clark breathed, as he nipped at his lovers lower lip, then ear lobe, before going down his throat.

Lex returned the kiss deeply, his hands going to Clark's shoulders and holding him close, letting his lover's lips convince him. "Chloe? With Shayla? Go now?" he asked, pretty much at the limit of what he could say with Clark's mouth on him so warmly.

Oh, and it was. Clark's tongue was a very nice Want, Take, Have instrument, that snuck down into his lover's collar to suck at the mark he'd left just the other day, and sucked it back into existence as the hand at the back of his lovers neck slid down his back.

Chloe rolled. her. Eyes. "You both are hopeless, just in case you were wondering. If you ruin the clothes, Clark, I'm going to hurt you." but she couldn't have smiling. "Have fun."

"Of course we are. Go away now." Lex wrapped his legs around Clark's waist, sliding down his body and giving a soft little moan as Clark's busy tongue worked at his neck and arched as Clark's hand pressed against him.

Shay rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. They are," she snickered, going out the door and dragging Chloe behind her.

As soon as the girls were gone Clark heaved a heavy breath and whispered out, "Finally alone," as his lovers thigh clamped around his waist, and he rocked forward against him before turning to the bed. It was covered in bags but he sent them scattering as he fell onto his back with Lex over him, moaning softly as he sucked and kissed and began to stroke his fingers down that gorgeous, lithe little body.

"Thought they'd never leave." Lex rocked on his lover's lap, fingers going into Clark's waistband and pushing up the green sweater so that he could touch and kiss warm skin. "So gorgeous, Clark... finally coming into your own like this," he said between sucking licks to Clark's stomach.

"If it makes you touch, I'll wear a plastic bag over my head," Clark moaned, laughing as he did it but he couldn't help the flush swimming over his skin as he pushed his lovers hands to his crotch with begging little movements, arching up and hissing softly as he begged. "Your mouth, here, please? Please?"

Lex nodded, beyond words, and his hands ripped at the flattering black slacks, tearing them open and shoving them down so that he could suck Clark down in a single, deep mouthful, straight into his throat as his fingers lifted and rolled warm balls and a smooth sac.

Clark gave a long, guttural moan as he looked down in time to see his lover swallow him whole. seeing it was unbelievable--watching his lover suck on him absolutely delicious and he groaned deeply as his fingers stroked over his lover's head. He arched up, filling him more, the feeling absolutely exquisite even as he let his hips settle so he wouldn't hurt his aushna. "Please, oh, God, please, Lex, like that, so good!"

Lex just smiled around his lover's shaft, sucking harder and letting Clark slide in and out as his movements dictated, following him down. His fingers still stroked and rolled Clark's sac, stroking it against his cheeks, letting the warm orbs roll gently in his palm, tugging playfully as his tongue wrapped around the head and his teeth teased the fleshy ridge underneath.

"Lex, good, just like that, yes, so good," Was he babbling? Maybe just a little bit. He arched his hips the slightest bit and yanked the sweater up, over his head, not caring if it got caught in his hair and forgetting about it the next instant as his skin goosebumped. The feeling of suction was unspeakably sexy and he purred, loudly, deeply, moaning softly in pleasure as he did.

As soon as the shirt got tugged up, Lex's hands dropped Clark's balls and they slid up his chest instead, nails dragging over Clark's stomach as he scraped upwards towards his nipples. The goosebumps teased Lex's fingertips and he scraped them harder in return, causing more to jump up in his wake as his mouth sucked down more of Clark's cock, licking and nibbling along the head and shaft as he took it into his throat.

"UH!" Clark cried, sharply, when his lover scraped over his nipples. It made his body jerk in pleasure, sending shots of pleasure straight to his tight balls. His head thrashed, body trembling uncontrollably and long fingers knotting in the sheets around him. Everything paled in comparison to Lex's mouth on him and he couldn't stop looking down, catching glimpses of the lewdness of what they were doing. "Oh, God!"

Lex slid his mouth down to Clark's abandoned balls, sucking each one into his mouth, rolling them over his tongue and licking softly over the sac before returning to the head, and just the head, sucking on it with all his might while leaving the rest of the shaft untouched.

His fingertips worked fast and hard on Clark's nipples, pinching and tugging and rolling them in his fingers as he sucked, delighting in the noises and the motions he was wringing out of his lover.

Clark came. Just... came. He couldn't stop it, couldn't hold onto the pleasure, and felt his balls contract as he exploded. Pleasure came swiftly afterward, sending his head lolling in pleasure, teeth clamped against his howl. His body shuddered and his hips arched as he came, wailing loudly before slumping against the bed and shivering in pleasure. "God, oh God, oh, God," he gasped, trembling unspeakably.

Lex's hands moved one last time to brace on Clark's hips, moving his mouth down the shaft and swallowing everything that Clark emptied into his mouth. He licked Clark clean, once the orgasm was done, and he made sure that every inch of his lover's cock and balls were clean as he sat back on his heels, smirking with great satisfaction.

Clarks eyes were closed, chest heaving, sweat broken out over his skin. He was trembling nonstop, exquisite lethargy everywhere, and as he opened his eyes sluggishly, he knew he would be pliant to whatever Lex wanted to do. The feeling was incredible, and he purred as he tugged his lovers arm and murmured, "Fuck me."

Lex crawled up Clark's legs at that, and straddled his hips as he tugged his shirt off over his head. "I can do that." He leaned over and kissed his lover deeply. "But don't move." Sliding off his lover's body, Lex quickly shucked out of his slacks, underwear, socks and shoes, and padded on bare feet to the wardrobe chest at the end of the bed, rummaging through it until he came up with a black leather skirt and a matching bustier, and shimmied quickly into both as he slid between Clark's legs.

His fingers slid into his mouth for wetness, and Lex made a show of sucking them before sliding both of them at once into his lover.

"GNUH!" Clark nearly screamed it, when his lover came out...wearing... that. His body reacted on hyper drive, eyes widening, skin prickling everywhere, and his crotch gave a dull, aching throb. He pushed his pants off as Lex came to the bed, eyes wide behind the little glasses, and spread his thighs as far as they would go, arching his hips up. The tight heat of being filled made him groan loudly and he squeezed tightly around Lex's fingers, humping his hips into the feeling as he kept his vision trained on what he was seeing. "Guhnsmpff."

"Like what you see, kitten?" Lex purred teasingly, then dropped the sultry voice as he leaned over, licking Clark's cock gently as his fingers thrust, working to harden his lover as he opened him.

"Y, y-yes, please, yes," He whispered, the little nickname making the dull throbs harder, making him feel wet and tingly and so good. He felt the flush rush to his cheeks but he didn't care, just wriggling his hips back into the incredible tight, full feeling of his lovers fingers as he whimpered and begged. His legs were spread all akimbo, heart fluttering, and he moaned softly as he reached down to grasp his cock and give it a stroke.

Lex licked over Clark's fingers, sucking them into his mouth instead of his lover's cock, smiling as he straightened. "You know, I haven't done this in a while, and I'd really like to see if I'm still flexible enough," he murmured softly, looking at Clark over the fingers in his mouth. "Trust me?"

He was panting uncontrollably, eyes slit and heart pounding furiously, as he pushed and moved on his lovers fingers. "Please, I want, please, fill me, please, I want, I want, please, trust," he babbled, hardly able to keep control of his tongue as he jerked and writhed.

"Good, good." Lex smiled to himself as he licked his hand, mixing his saliva with his precome to lube himself as he positioned the head of his cock at his lover's opening.

Before thrusting in, he raised Clark's legs onto his shoulders, pushing deep as he arranged his lover over him, and taking a deep breath.

No lube, other than spit? Oh. Good. God. Clark, very tentatively, pushed some of his invulnerability to Lex through the link. He wanted to feel it, feel everything, and he shuddered as he wrapped his legs tightly around Lex's shoulders and neck, holding on tight as he was lifted. He braced himself against the sheets, eyes closed tightly, and swallowed as hard as he could as he kept himself straight and ready.

"That's good," Lex murmured, letting the power swirl and flow into him as easily as Clark gave it to him.

And once he was seated deeply inside Clark's body, he angled his neck as much as he could while he decompressed his spine so that it was expanded to its greatest length.

And he swallowed Clark's cock into his throat as deeply as his own cock was buried in Clark's body.

Clark screamed. On top of his lungs. Except no sound came out, other than a hoarse whisper. Filled. Sucked. God. He threw his head back, arms coming up to brace tightly against the headboard as his legs tightened around his lovers neck. He held on as hard as he could as the burn in his ass was overshadowed by the heat in his groin, and he threw his head back, arching his back and begging without words, just wriggles and squirms, humping against his lover with tightly closed eyes.

Elated victory filled Lex's veins as he sucked hard on Clark's cock, his hips thrusting shallowly but deeply, at an odd angle that drove him to the hilt in every step.

Clark's cock filled his throat as his eyes twinkled, and he couldn't help sliding a little thought into his lover's head.

I still got it, baby.

Clark would have answered but his mind was as big a jumble as his body, not knowing if it wanted to go up or down, filled or sucked. He just whimpered hollowly, barely making a sound as he pushed and moved when Lex showed him the rhythm he needed to take up. He was shuddering, skin breaking out and nipples peaking. He held onto the headboard as hard as he could, clenching himself to reality as they moved. Wet slides of skin, his lover in that skirt and a wrenching wail finally broke out of his throat as his crazed eyes opened.

Lex's skirt was raised just enough for his cock to slide into Clark's body, and the leather laces of the corset were scraping against his lover's stomach. His fingers kept their firm grip on Clark's hips, his mouth moved to suck just the tip as that gave him more room to thrust with, and he tossed his head to the side, so that he could catch Clark's eyes as he sucked and he thrust.

"Lex, Lex," Clark managed to sob in the way he was half bent, and his body shuddered as his hips moved as much as they could. He felt like he was going to fly away in little pieces, and he sobbed in pleasure, fingers scrambling down to his cock to squeeze it tightly where Lex wasn't sucking it. He wailed, throwing his head back once, twice, eyes clenched as his head flew side to side. "OH GOD!"

Yes, I am, Lex thought quietly as he closed his eyes, sucking Clark's cock further down his throat, and thrusting his cock harder into Clark's ass. His nails were digging little crescent moons into Clark's hips, and the heat around him and in his mouth was tempting him to lose his mind.

I'M GOING TO COME! His mind screamed. It hurt, because it was too fast too soon, but he couldn't stop it, eyes clenched shut as Lex's thrust struck that perfect little spot inside of him, and he wailed, tightening his legs around Lex's shoulders and neck and pushing up and down, hard, twice...three times.

And came.

Again.

Lex swallowed fast and hard, letting all of Clark's sweet cream flow down his throat as he arched, and kept his cock pounding inside as he licked the messy head clean, then let the cock fall from his mouth as he kept pounding into his lover as he leaned over him. "Gonna come soon myself," he hissed.

Clark? Clark was completely, and totally, exhausted. His legs slid down from his lovers back as Lex let go of his cock and his eyes were barely open, gasping and panting for breath as the pleasure broke over his body. His heart vibrated with the feeling, body trembling, and he sprawled under Lex, letting his lover use him. Which in itself was incredibly sexy, and he moaned as the heat and friction in his backside only increased. It was so hot, jolting inside, his body weak but squeezing to help Lex along to his own orgasm, as his fingers came up to stroke over the corset numbly.

Lex slipped Clark's long fingers through the corset laces to find his nipples, panting softly as Clark's muscles tightened around him and he came. Faster than he'd meant to, in a quick rush of hot need and love as he licked kisses from Clark's lax mouth.

"Oh, God.." Clark moaned into his lovers mouth, aware it was muffled but not caring as he squeezed tightly around his lovers hard cock and melting back against the sheets as the hot, relishing feeling of being filled and wet made him moan out loud. He shuddered, rubbing his entire body against Lex's, pressed tight against him, and whimpered loudly as he clenched his eyes closed and wrapped his arms around his lover. "God. God."

"Yes?" Lex asked with a self-satisfied smirk, leaving his legs wrapped around Clark's as he stayed nestled close.

He shuddered, stroking his fingers over his lovers ass, down the leather skirt, and gave it a sharp smack, just because he wanted to. "Naughty," he whispered, licking over his lovers face even as his taxed muscles all loosened at once. "Naughty boy. Bad."

Lex's cock twitched inside his lover as Clark smacked his ass. "Yes, I am." He rubbed his cheek against his lover's.

"Punished." He whispered, purring softly as he licked his lovers throat and neck, beginning to lap at the skin as he always did. He pulled the glasses off when they got in the way, dropping them on the bedside table as he licked Lex's neck and chest, down to the corset to nibble where breasts would be, then up again, lapping his tongue over the indent at the base of his lovers throat. He let go of Lex, arching to let his lover slide out, and hissed at the pulling feeling as his lovers erection popped free. "Go pick out a toy, for here," He murmured, stroking over his lovers backside. "You have to be punished."

"Punished?" Lex purred. "You know, I need to do this more often if it's going to win me punishment like this." He rubbed all along Clark's body as he slunk out of bed, and disappeared into the closet.

He studied the array of toys carefully, looking here and there, searching and sorting before finally picking out what he wanted, and carried all three things back into his lover. A collar, a leash, and a thick, just-barely-comfortable plug.

Clark sat up, lazily, his golden skin hazy with heat. He pushed sweaty locks off his forehead and grinned impishly at what his lover was carrying, purring softly as he pulled Lex in close with a hand around his hips. "C'mere. God, you're so hot and beautiful, baby. And you are fucking flexible." His lips twitched as he grinned up at him, and carefully, gently, stood up next to him.

Before abruptly pushing Lex over at the waist, bent in half, leaning against the bed. "Stay. Right. There."

Lex rubbed his body against Clark's like a cat, shivering lightly, and then giving a choked-off little moan as Clark took command, just as easily as he'd given it away, and he didn't move from his lean against the bed except to spread his legs a little wider, and to grasp his ankles with his hands, to keep the lean more comfortable as his shoulders balanced against the bed.

"You want to play dress up, hmm?" Clark was aware his voice was incredibly raspy but didn't mind a lick--stepping over the boxes and bags Chloe and Shay had dumped by the closet, and going into it. He opened the special room in the back and got down one of the boxes...removing a velvety, frilly purple thong, thigh highs and garter, and a nice set of anal beads. He also grabbed a cock ring, just in case, and walked back out, laying out all he'd brought right by Lex's head, so he could see. "Then lets play dress up." he sat back down on the bed, lounging lazily. "Strip."

Lex straightened when Clark told him to strip, and keeping his eyes playfully downcast, Lex licked his lips at the sight of Clark's limp cock lying nestled warmly in the curls surrounding his groin, and he tugged off the leather corset in a matter of seconds, the skirt following and both were folded over the edge of the bed as Lex went back to his lover, bending over and exposing his ass to his aushna'.

He grinned. Broadly. Ran his fingers over the tight rump. "Good boy. You know what to do." He reached behind him for the bedside table, removing a bottle of lube from the drawer, and carefully slicked the beads up, slow and sure, before he ran his thumb over the starburst leading into his lover. "Do you want it right here, aushna?"

"I always know what to do," Lex responded, still graceful even in his position. "Yes.... I want it wherever you'll give it to me," he murmured softly, still gripping his ankles to keep himself spread open.

"And you'll stay anyway I keep you, Lex? until tonight? Will you do that for me?"

Lex nodded. "I'll stay any way you make me; do anything you ask me, until you tell me otherwise."

"Mmm." He stroked over the little opening again, pressing in until just the tip of his thumb slipped in. "Like the good little bitch you are, hmm?"

A soft moan slipped out of him as Clark's thumb pressed in. "Like your good little bitch," Lex agreed.

At that Clark leaned forward to drag his tongue over the gentle opening, and murmured against warm skin, "Keep yourself open for me." he kissed the opening once more, gently, before he lifted the slippery beads and pressed the first one in. He pushed, firmly, watching it slide in before doing the next one, and the next, watching Lex's body swallow them up tight. It was one of the longer strands but Clark didn't mind... eight beads all together, and as he pressed the last one in, he could wince in sympathy over how tight it was. Even as his cock stirred, heat rising in his face as he watched them disappear. "Good boy. Very, very good boy."

Lex moaned hard with every bead that slipped into his body. "Oh, God, Clark, Christ." His ass clamped tightly around the beads, feeling them hard and shifting as Clark filled him with them, and he wiggled just slightly to get them better seated.

"I know. I want this… its okay?" He asked, gently, stroking over a warm thigh. "If it hurts we don't have to."

"It doesn't hurt!" Lex cried out, his cock hard again already, and he was begging for it. "Please, Clark... don't stop."

"Okay, won't." Clark murmured, smiling though, as he let his love go with a gentle kiss to the stretched opening. "Put the thong on, baby. Kay?"

"Yes, sir," Lex murmured softly, and straightened up to pick up the thong, and turned it around so that the t-back was in back where it belonged, and he slid it up his hips, hissing softly with the shimmy that caused his entire body to light up with pleasure, cock heavy as he arranged it inside the soft velvet lining as he settled it over his hips.

"Good. Very pretty." Clark murmured, gently stroking over the frilly velvet, rubbing his lovers skin gently. "Fix it so you're not uncomfortable to sit, with the string from the beads. Don't want you to be shifting around uncomfortably all day."

"Going to be doing that anyway," Lex murmured, sliding his hands down to hold Clark's on his hips.

"Of course. Just a few hours left, though," Clark smiled, gently, as he looked at the clock, which read four thirty. "Put the panty hose on, and the garter, Lex. Make it snug."

Lex smiled at his lover then, and fastened the custom made garter belt right around his hips, leaving the little clips dangling against his thigh. Then, without a word, he sat down on the floor, raising his foot to rest his heel in Clark's lap, wiggling his toes against Clark's belly as he picked up the first stocking, and slid it smooth as the silk it was made from over his leg, up over his knee, and he rubbed his slick foot against Clark's cock before fastening the clips to the stockings, then switched feet, doing precisely the same thing.

Clark groaned. Deeply. Just… groaned, watching as that thin, gorgeous materiel slithered up hairless thighs, and he shuddered. "Oh... God. Good, baby... yes. You're being a very good boy, I'm so proud of you. Fasten them, now... make sure its all fastened tightly. And bring the garter down around your hips a little... can you feel the beads in there more, like that?"

Lex shook his head. "If you slide it down any further, they won't hold the stockings up properly," he reminded, wiggling his hips again and moaning softly.

"Okay." He smiled, anyway, beamed really. "Put your clothes back on. We're going out to dinner tonight, with Chloe, Whitney, Pete and Shay. You are allowed to change your clothes if you like, but keep everything else on. Promise me?"

Lex smiled. "I promise. And if you'll let me call Wally, I can have him bring the rest of my work home, so I don't have to... put anything else on until dinner time." He slid his hand down the center of Clark's chest.

Clark's lips spread. "Hmmm. We promised Chloe fun tonight, you know. Whitney, too. Think you can hold out until after dinner?" He asked, eyebrow raised high as he smiled gently.

"I can hold out." He stroked Clark's chest again. "I miss our sha'nauch."

"Me too." He murmured, gently stroking his lovers hands as he rose up, to pull Lex to him and kiss him, gently. "Go, be a good boy. Go get dressed. I've got to get some work done myself." He murmured, kissing Lex's mouth, again, once more.

Lex returned the kiss. "Which reminds me..."

"What reminds you?" He asked, quizzically, licking his lovers cheek gently, then down his neck, as he sat up with his lover in tow.

"Getting work done. Being with you. Getting dressed. It's the middle of August. You know what happens in two months?"

"Chloe has her baby? Toni has my sister in law?" Clark asked, eyebrows up high as he stroked Lex's flank gently and rose, in all of his tan glory, to retreat for a moist cloth. He returned with it only a minute later, and carefully, gently, rubbed Lex's belly and his own clean.

Lex waited until Clark finished rubbing them clean, and then stroked a silk-covered leg up against Clark's as he shifted the beads inside himself and arched to whisper. "We have been together a year."

Ohh. Ohhh!! His eyes widened and he sank to the ground in front of Lex still on the bed, and looked up at him in shock. "No way. Are you serious?"

"Mmmhmm." Lex slithered down so that he was sitting in Clark's lap on the floor. "I'm serious. Lana died at the end of July; you started class in mid-August, right around this time of the year, and it was about a month before Thanksgiving when you came to me that morning. Oktoberfest was just wrapping up, and if you'll go look at my calendar from last year, you'll see the notation of the first night we slept together."

Clark... Clark just grinned. "You wrote down the day we first had sex?"

Lex nodded against Clark's shoulder. "I did. Because it was important to me."

"It was important to me too," he said softly, and leaned in to gently kiss a sharp cheek bone. "I love you so much, Lex."

"I love you, Clark," Lex murmured softly, stroking over Clark's cheeks. "I don't know what to get you."

"Nothing. Just you, me, and a bath tub of spaghetti." Clark teased, eyes dancing as he kissed Lex's neck, his throat, down his chest, as his fingers gently rubbed his ass cheeks, massaging them together and apart.

Lex kept arching up against Clark in tandem with each squeeze and massage. "Can't let it pass... without getting you something." He winked. "Figured a house... would be a little much."

"Just a little," Clark grinned, stroking and massaging even as he thought. "We've been through a lot this year, haven't we?"

"Yeah... we really have. More... more than I'd thought we could stand." He rubbed against Clark, murmuring softly.

"But we have. We dealt with your parents being tortured by Murphy, and we buried our son. You had CK and Kal, and we nearly broke up in Ireland. But things... I mean... everything is so... okay now. Like... we had to weather the storm, but now that we're out, things feel good."

Lex nodded, and moved closer at the mention of CK and Kal. He'd shared CK's memories with Clark months ago, at some point during Dominic's hospital stay. "They are good. Finally. We had to prove that we could get through it, but we did."

"We did. And now... now we're okay. And we're going to have a family, and our own home. My dad is here, and we have our sha'nauch. Everything... feels so good." He finally murmured, softly, and leaned in to hug Lex tightly.

Lex wrapped his arms around Clark, and legs around Clark's waist. "The only thing that we're missing right now is our children, but it's only a matter of months before they'll be here too." He let his head settle under Clark's chin. "And I'll kill the next person who tries to fuck with our family."

"Me too," Clark smiled, broadly, and stroked his hands down his lovers flank. "Now we know how to have them. We'll be prepared. Because Lex, I love you, but I'm not going through that pain again if I can help it. My dad said he knows how… he'll help us when its time."

"No." Lex locked his arms around his lover. "You're not going through that pain again. Your father and I will talk. We'll learn how we can do this without hurting you."

"He said it'd be a little harder, with two babies. The labor lasts longer. I was... in... erm... about seven hours of labor with Mar. It started in the middle of the night. Probably with two, he said, it'll be about twelve hours."

"I'll be with you," Lex promised. "Now that we know this time? I'll be with you. Through all of it. Every step. I'll be with you, and I'll be the one to help you take our children out of your body, first to see them and hold them with you."

Clark beamed. Just... beamed at him. "It'll be soon? We'll have them soon, Lex?"

"We will." Lex let his fingers run through Clark's hair. "But I want you to finish high school first. Get enrolled in college. Make sure that you can handle both work and family."

"I'm a super man. I can handle it." He grinned, kissing Lex's mouth, gently. "But I'll agree with you. Finish high school first. Then babies. Lots of them… I want a big family."

"Finish high school," Lex agreed. "Get a head start made in college. Because Clark... I don't want you giving up your future for your family; I will be part of this too, and we're both going to be raising these children together. I want you in school."

"School. Check." Clark leaned forward to gently nuzzle Lex's throat. "I love you, baby. lets not talk about this now... lets go finish everything. Kay?"

"Okay," Lex murmured softly, stretching and arching like a cat against his lover, feeling his spine crack and creak. "I'm getting too old to do that."

"You're twenty two, Lex." Clarks lips twitched, and his mouth found Lex's, gently kissing him as he nuzzled his neck and cheek with a broad smile. "Not even your dad's too old for that." He suddenly frowned, though, and looked up. "They've been quiet."

Lex just nodded. "Dom's with the therapist, and Dad's... probably getting drunk." Lex sighed, and ran his fingers through Clark's hair. "It just really makes me wish I was sixteen again."

"No, cause I was like, twelve. And then, no sex," Clark reminded, gently arching to remind his lover as he leaned back against the couch, eyes twinkling. "Go find Dom? I'll talk to your dad, and see if we can't get them together to eat dinner. Ms. Birds making a pot roast."

"You might have been twelve, but I was out of the house--" and he squinted at the clock. "--technically, I was just waking up and getting ready to leave the house, but still, I was out of the house and I didn't have to fuck with my father's moods. Tell me why, at the age of twenty-three, I'm back to that point?"

"Twenty two." Clark firmed... then let his eyes widen as he looked up at his lover. "Did I miss your birthday?! Why didn't you tell me?! You bastard!"

Lex winced. "It was about three weeks ago."

Clark snarled and popped Lex on his bared ass. "Big. Trouble."

Lex yelped. "There was a lot going on!" he said in his own defense.

Clark glared. "IS that an excuse? I'm your aushna', and you didn't even tell me!"

"Clark... my father didn't even remember. It's not that big a deal. I promise." He sighed, and stroked Clark's hands with his fingers. "Just another day."

"No, its not! Its special!" Clark was furious, and kind of hurt, which he let his lover feel. "Why didn't you tell me? Lex, it was special to me--we could have done something."

Lex stroked Clark's hip, and made his aushna' look at him. "Because it doesn't matter to me, Clark. I'd rather we do something special for you, not me. There are a lot of issues related to my birthday that I do not want to deal with, not including the fact that I have not yet been able to shake the fact that every year since I was thirteen, my feelings have been hurt because my father didn't acknowledge it. I had thought it would change, when the situation between us did, and it hasn't. Now, the grown up adult part of me realizes that he had a little more on his mind than worrying about a fucking birthday cake, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. I'd rather just let it pass in obscurity and find another day, and another reason, to celebrate with you about something completely unrelated."

Clark squared his jaw and met Lex's face with his own strong expression. "My son died on my birthday. I'll still celebrate it, because its the day my son had life, even for only a few minutes. So don't give me crap about you not wanting to... we wouldn't have had to do anything, but you could have told me."

"I don't tell anyone, Clark."

"I'm not just anyone," Clark shot back.

"No, you're not." Lex sighed. "This? Is another reason I don't make a production out of my birthday."

"It wouldn't have been a production." Clark muttered. "But I respect your reasons. I understand."

"Yes, Clark, it would have been." He rolled over and looked at his lover squarely. "Tell me that, given half a chance, you wouldn't have made as large an occasion out of my birthday as I made out of yours."

"I would have respected your wishes with whatever you wanted to do," Clark glared back, lip and chin jutting out.

"Right," Lex said dryly. "I'm the one with the respect problems." He pushed himself up to sitting, squirming as he did and sighing. "Look... you know when it is now. Next year you can buy me two birthday cakes or whatever. Just... I'm sorry, all right?"

Clark's eyes darkened. "Are you saying I have respect problems, Lex?"

"No," Lex said seriously. "I'm saying that I do. And I'm laughing at myself for it."

"Didn't sound like that," Clark scowled back, as he climbed up to his feet, pushed his hair off his forehead, and began to get dressed. "In some ways you're just like your dad, Lex."

"I'm sorry it didn't sound that way," Lex said, rolling off the bed. "And yes, sometimes I am my father's son, but you knew that from a long time ago. I didn't mean to imply that you have respect problems; I meant to imply that I do."

"No. You have problems trusting people further then you can throw them," Clark shot back, yanking the sweater on over his head. "And you're both stubborn jackasses, to boot. Did you even think about saying something to me?

"Let's see... between working my ass off at LuthorCorp with no breaks and nobody to help, my stepfather being in the hospital, my father being a complete and total wreck, and the rest of his family descending on this little town like a black cloud of doom, no, Clark, to be honest, I didn't think of saying something to anyone about it."

Clark stopped himself mid-button, and ducked his head as his mind whirred. He was doing it again. Lionel had warned him against it when they were in Ireland--Lex was human. He didn't share everything, and Clark shouldn't be angry over it.

His hands dropped from where he'd been buttoning up the slacks, and looked across at his lover. "I'm not happy over this. But I understand."

To his credit, Lex didn't get angry at the patronization inherent in the statement. "Thank you, Clark. I'm glad you approve." He rolled out of bed on the other side, and picked up his slacks from where he'd taken them off when he'd come in, and pulled them up quickly. He hissed and shimmied around the beads and the garter belt, and smoothed the front fly down as he picked up his shirt, tossed it in the dirty hamper, and went to the closet and took a slick silver and purple shirt out instead, dropping it over his head. "There. I'm going downstairs and call Wally; he's going be delivering my latest batch of daily reports and I'm going to start going through the personnel files and look for a temporary vice president, until Dominic and Dad get back. If you need me, I'll be in the office, all right?"

"Its not...about approving. Lex, dammit, I can't...vocalize it other than that." Clark hissed, glaring at him as Lex closed off to him. Like always. "Why do you have to always do that? Why? Why is it always me being the bad guy at the end of an argument? I have a right not to be happy!"

"Yes, you do, Clark, and I don't deny you that right. However, you can't expect me to be thrilled with, You've been a bad boy, Lex, and you've made me very unhappy. But because I'm the bigger man, it's all okay. Just... fuck it. Yes, I do have my reasons for hating the fact I have a birthday. Yes, I do make a habit of NOT telling people when it is, because well wishes make me want to kill the people smiling at me on one of the worst days of the fucking year. All right? Yes, I should have told you, but quite frankly, Clark, I'd rather you didn't know. I'd rather nobody knew, I'd rather the day passes with nobody the wiser, because I don't want to be felt sorry for. If you can't accept that for once, my reasoning, however fucked up it may be, is my reasoning, then just... I don't know. We need to figure something else out. I work because it's safe, Clark. I work because I can go downstairs and bury myself in the job and not remember what a colossal fucking screw-up I am. I can go work and be good at something and not think that I've fucked up in my relationship again. That's why I do that. Again, if you can't accept that reasoning, then we need to figure something else out. Period."

"Do you want me to leave, Lex?" Clark asked, steadily, watching him. "I told you I understood--I'm not happy because I've shared who I am with you, and that you still have things you hide from me and don't tell me unless I ask hurts me. Did you ever think I could have helped you, could have been there with you, and maybe we could have made the day not shitty?" He watched Lex with hawk eyes, refusing to get upset and standing his ground as much as he could.

"Clark... I have shared the most important parts of who I am with you. I have shared things with you that I would not and have not shared with anyone else in the world. Haven't I proven this to you before? Are we going on the same ground over and over again? I don't share versus you share everything? I thought we were past this, Clark."

"I don't want only half of you." Clark said back, softly. "I don't want only 'the most important parts'. I love you. I want all of you."

"You have all of me that matters," Lex answered back, picking up his shoes and tossing them back in the closet, and changing them for smaller ones that looked like a cross between running shoes and women's ballet slippers.

"No," Clark whispered, "I don't. I don't have all that matters. You keep that hidden from me. You don't let me see the darkness. Why, Lex?"

"Because I don't want you to see it." Lex shoved the little shoes onto his feet, making sure that the lining of the shoes wouldn't run the fine stockings.

"Why are you ashamed of yourself?"

"Because I'm not proud of a lot of things I've done, Clark. In the past, since I've come to Smallville, hell, since I've been involved with you. I've done things that I'm not proud of, and things I don't want you to see. Because if you knew... you might be afraid of me. I'm afraid of me. And I don't think I could stand it if you ever looked at me with fear. Just... leave the monster where it is, Clark. Let me worry about keeping it in the closet."

"Don't presume to know what and how I'd react. I'm not proud of myself and the things I've done either, the thoughts I've had, the impulses. Don't presume to think you've attached yourself to a bleeding martyr, Lex."

"I don't know," Lex said savagely, glaring at his lover. "That's just the point. I don't know how you'd react, and I'm not willing to take that chance."

"Dominic knows more about you than I do, dammit!" Clark roared back, slamming a hand on the wardrobe.

"Only because my father made him come and drag my ass out of the bars to get yelled out!" Lex shouted back.

Clark turned, and grabbed his keys and the laptop Lionel had given him. "I need to go get some work done. I can't force you to tell me anything, Lex. Just forget it."

"Now who's the one pulling a Luthor and running off to bury himself in his work?" Lex called out after him.

Clark didn't answer, yanking the door open... and Shay and Chloe almost fell in the room. He snarled at their apologetic looks at him and brushed past them, out into the hall. Lex could be just like Lionel in so many ways, and he was done being abused. DONE.

"You deal with Lex. He actually makes the pretense of listening to you. I'll go after Haystack?" Shay offered.

Chloe shook her head, firmly, hair flying as she grabbed her friend and escaped. "Not yet. Let them cool down. They have high tempers, Shay."

She shrugged. "If I can survive Morgan trying to verbally lacerate everyone within a ten mile radius, I can let Haystack yell at me a while. He won't hurt me; he's had the chance to before and hasn't snapped my skinny neck, he won't this time."

"No. Shay, seriously." Chloe shook her head firmly and dragged her down the hall. "Let them calm down, first. We'll go find them. Clark's going to go to the library, Im nearly certain. Okay? Give them an hour or so. Bring him latte."

"Okay. An hour. Then latte. And if you need help with Baldy being an ass, let me know."

 

-fin-

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