The Memoirs

Lionel was pacing around the bedroom.  A slow, steady gait, walking stick thumping a gentle accompaniment to his steps as he waited for the doctor. 

 

Damned nosy woman.  Determined to make a house call, in this weather, to check on him.

 

And she'd had the nerve to tease him about his beard growth.

 

If she wasn't such a damned fine physician, he'd consider having her killed.

 

And damned if she didn’t know he was cursing her to the seventh circle of hell. She'd called Luthor Manor about an hour ago, cheerfully admonishing to the lovely Hilde Bird that she was to be coming in a bit to make a house call on her favorite patient.

 

And damned if she wasn’t.

 

Toni was off for the day, finally, and she was in her tiny Honda Civic, battling the weather, which seemed to be tapering off a bit for now. She had the heat going, the windows up tight, and her coat and scarf and hat on. And she was still cold.

 

And didn’t stop thinking so, even when she parked at the lovely house, and stamped her frozen feet against the front stoop as she waited for someone to open. She had her medical bag with her, stethoscope around her neck under her coat, as well as her scrubs and medical jacket.

 

Cold. Open. PEOPLE!

 

Ms. Bird was waiting by the door for her, a small thermal mug of coffee in her hand.  "Come in!  Chu should not be out in veather like dis," Ms. Bird chastised.  "Herr Lionel is a mean goat, he vill survive."

 

Laughing, Toni quickly entered and swallowed a very feminine squeak, stamping her feet on the stoop to free her lime green tennies of snow. "Oh, lord, Ms. Bird, I’m freezing." She laughed it, rubbing her freezing hands together before slipping her scarf off. "I had to come check on him… he's been on my mind all day." Her eyes danced. "How is he?"

 

The rude noise Ms. Bird made couldn't be classified.  "Chu really hef to ask?  He is as he always is.  A pain in my broad behind." 

 

Oh, man. And she just grinned, accepting the warm cup of something nummy… sniffing at it happily and taking a long sip. Her coat, hat and scarf went on a coat rack, and she lifted her blue bag, following the elderly woman in. "When ever isn’t he?"

 

"Vhen he is sleepink."  Ms. Bird nodded firmly, and led her through the house, and up the staircase.  "I tink dat is de only time vhen he is not aging me prematurely."  She snorted.  "Chu vould never know dat I am a mere sixteen."

 

"I would have mistaken you for twenty." Toni's eyes danced and she gently pushed a lock of black hair from her temple, stepping up the long, gorgeous stairs with the maid. "This house… it's really a wonder." She said it in a half awe, looking out over the downstairs as they made it to the landing. "Beautiful."

 

"He brought it over from Scotland years ago," she explained.  "Stone by stone, und them modernized it so dat dere could be heat, and central air, and all the... vhat is the vord... amenities."

 

Both eyebrows perked... and she grinned. "Only Lionel Luthor." And even as they walked down the hall...she could hear muttering, and various thunking noises which she could only guess… oh. She hid the laugh, barely, and swallowed it down, glancing to the beautiful Ms. Bird with a barely restrained smirk.

 

"Ja, dat is him.  He has been pacing for the last hef hour."  She glowered at the hallway as they approached it.  "He has been drifing me insane over French fries."

 

"French fries? Whatever for?" And then she saw him... and oh, she could barely hold it in. He looked so angry. "Poor guy… let me go in and help him."

 

"For he is addicted.  Blame Herr Dominic for dat."  She didn't even bother announcing Toni, just thunked her fist on the door.  "Herr Lionel?  De doctor is here to see chu."

 

Lionel's cane thumped particularly hard on the floor.  "Thank you, Ms. Bird, but I do believe I have figured that out for myself."

 

She wagged a finger at him.  "Do not make me take chu by de ear again, Herr Lionel."

 

He barely restrained a mild curse.  "Do be a good woman and bring up some fresh coffee from the kitchen, wouldn't you?"

 

Ms. Bird huffed and turned on her heel, heading back down to the kitchen to do as she was asked.

 

Toni entered with a little... well, trepidation, but masked it with a bright smile and friendly disposition. "Hello, Mr. Luthor. I was on my way home when I realized I hadn’t come to see you for some time...how are you feeling?"

 

"I'm feeling quite fine, thank you."  Lionel glared at her.  "Would you please tell that to Dominic, Ms. Bird, and everyone else in this household who sees fit to coddle me at every turn?  Furthermore, is it not allowable for me to take some sort of exercise?" he demanded gruffly.

 

She strolled in happily and set her bag on a small, eclectically decorated table near the window, and smiled at her favorite patient. "You're a bit frustrated, I see. Why don’t you take a seat, and let me see how everything is healing." She hooked her palm underneath his elbow, and gently led him to one of the chairs. "It is quite acceptable for you to exercise... in moderation. What type of exercise are we talking?"

 

"Sparring," he said shortly, shaking off her hand and moving under his own power to the chair.  "Doctor Braxton... please.  I am quite capable of taking a seat under my own volition."

 

He was so testy. And God, it amused Toni endlessly. She was professional, though, and kept the grin from her voice and face, nodding simply. "Yes, of course, I’m quite sorry. As for sparring... you have to go as you feel. If you feel you're ready for sparring, then go for it. However.. .I don’t recommend anything too strenuous." She opened her bag and pulled out a few things. "Ms. Bird told me you've been eating French fries, Mr. Luthor." Her brow rose as she slipped her stethoscope to her ears and walked around him. She gently lifted his turtleneck... looking to hear for his breathing before she peered at bandages.

 

"The nosy old biddy," he groused, but it was infused with a great deal of gruff affection.  "Yes, Dominic was kind enough to bring me French fries back from McDonald's when he went for a supply run," he replied, sitting still as she listened to his breathing. 

 

"Mmmm. Inhale...there you are." Nothing but a small rattling in his lungs... the beginning of a small cold. Treatable with Nyquil and bed rest... for now. "A little bit of rattling, Lionel... we'll keep an eye on it. It might just be a cold." A nod, and she walked around the chair and his legs, tugging the other chair from underneath the table and settling herself in front of him. "Look up at me... Let’s see that handsome face." Her fingers went to each cheekbone, gently pressing and looking for swelling. Nothing. Healing, beautifully. His nose was a little more curved then before, but it only added masculinity, and she didn’t bother hiding that from him. "Look at you, such a handsome face." And she smiled, probing the stitches she herself had done along little creases and crevices of his face.

 

"In this weather, you think that it only might be a cold?"  He snorted as she touched his face, turning it this way and that to take a look at her handiwork.  "Handsome... yes, well, you're not the first person to think so," he said vainly, puffing up in pride.  "Nor, I am sure, will you be the last, once the beard grows back in.  I am still not happy with the hospital for having removed it in the first place."

 

Oh, her teeth glinted in her delicately boned face, and her dark, stunning almond eyes flickered up at his own. "You look fine without a beard as well, Lionel. Promise, honor of a woman." She crossed her heart with a fingertip, and her fingers moved down to the dark welts on his neck. ...One in particular she didn’t remember being there, and she barely choked down the giggle before moving on. "Can you get your shirt off for me? Or raise it up high? I want to look at your belly and chest. Any discomfort going on… strange discharges?"

 

Lionel growled.  "Of course I can take it off.  Christ, you are just as bad as the rest of the lot."  Raising his arms, Lionel quickly peeled the turtleneck off, laying it over the back of his chair.  As he turned back around, his silver nipple ring glinted in the light from the window, nestled in the thicket of hair that covered his chest.  "The only discomfort I've been suffering lately is a bit of stiffness in my back," he confessed.  "But a little exercise and a hot soak and it disappears."

 

Her eyes widened… but yeah. She didn’t say a word. If he wanted to adorn himself with nipple jewelry, it was his business. Of course, she could barely keep the giggles in. Cause she knew, beyond all things, that Dominic was responsible for it. So she just bit her lip, poked and prodded at his collar bone… the row of stitches that had once been staples down his sternum. Lovely... taken out in a week. "You're going to have a real beauty of a scar here." She prodded his liver… stomach and intestines, all lightly, all gently and firmly.

 

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he grumbled.  "I prize flawlessness, and I have three of the best plastic surgeons in the country on my speed dial."

 

She glanced up… shrugged lightly, and spoke as she peered at a yellowed bruise along his side. "You might want to take out the nipple ring before you go baring your chest to anyone." And she sent humble, sweet eyes up to him before rising once more. Around the chair to his back, green tennies quiet on the expensive carpet, and she began to peer at his back with the hawk eyes of a doctor. "Where does your back get stiff?"

 

"Absolutely not.  Do you not realize what a bitch it was to get back in after the surgery?  I refuse to remove it again."  He turned in the chair to accommodate her, and leaned forward as she looked.  "In the lower quadrant, right above the line of stitching."  His hand slipped back to rest on the lower left small of his back.  "Right there.  Spreads up and to the right."

 

"Mmm." She followed his fingers, pressing in gently and looking for swelling. What she did find was muscle, lots of it, bunched and tightened. "Mr. Luthor... are you worried about anything?" Her eyebrows knit, as she gently worked to loosen the tightly wound muscles. "It's not your kidney.." Her free fingers slipped down. "The stitches are temporary, and they’re already starting to fall out. Are you feeling any tenderness or heaviness when you urinate?"

 

"Am I worried about anything?  Would you like a list, Doctor?  Alphabetized, in order of importance, in order of catastrophic outcome?  I can oblige."  He rubbed his temples lightly.  "I could most likely reel off ten things right now and that wouldn't be the half of it."  A pause as he considered her question and his last few trips to the restroom.  "No, no tenderness, no heaviness."

 

"It's not your kidney, then. You're just tense." She frowned and gently handed him back his shirt, walking back around to sit again. "Is there anything I can help with?"

 

Lionel shrugged easily into the turtleneck, adjusting the collar before tucking it back into the waistband of his slacks.  "I sincerely doubt that you have the connections to solve any of my worries, Doctor."

 

"Mr. Luthor, I know you even hate considering this...but perhaps you should consider a vacation. Take Dominic and just...go. Get out of here for a few days, rest on a beach somewhere. Because your being so tense can cause serious complications down the road, especially now, during the healing process." Then she looked at him, right in the eye. "I didn’t mean to actually help... if you'd like to talk about it with someone on the outside, it could help."

 

Lionel laughed.  Loud and long.  "A vacation.  Would you believe I suggested that very thing to Dominic a few nights ago and he closed the door on it without thinking twice?"  He chuckled again as the laughter died down.  "Perhaps if you had a little chat with him, Doctor, he'd believe you."

 

She smiled at him, softly. "I’m guessing he's been part of the problem, mmm?"

 

Lionel thumped his walking stick against the floor again.  "You could say that."

 

Toni leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "I could give him a tranquilizer. Never know what hit him." She giggled wickedly. "Put him out for at least a day."

 

"I'd settle for him getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.  I barely got him to nap half an hour today, and prior to that, he was up at three AM with my son, doing God only knows what."  Lionel sighed.  "Perhaps that is not such a bad idea after all."

 

"Maybe... Lionel, I know this kills you to hear it, but let him go about his business, and take care of yourself the way you need to. If he wants to stay up till three like a college student, then let him. You sleep, you get your rest. He'll get his eventually." And she smiled. "He's a cute worry wart, if anything." And her eyebrow rose. "How are you and Lex doing?"

 

"Lex and I are doing surprisingly well, all things considered.  He's been... surprisingly courteous and accepting, and supportive to boot.  If I had to say, Lex is probably the least of the things worrying me at the moment."

 

"Now that is something to toast to." She smiled easily, and in her heart had a feeling what some of the things troubling him were. "You sure there aren’t any questions you'd like to ask?"

 

Lionel was quiet for a very, very long moment.  "Actually, I am glad that you... brought that up."

 

"I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable telling me anything, Lionel. Anything that goes on here is doctor patient confidentiality, and I will answer anything you have to ask with seriousness and respect for you." She nodded it, but didn’t move.

 

A light, uncomfortable cough.  "Yes.  Well.  Would you say that I'm well enough to resume normal... activities?"

 

"I’m not sure what you mean. Walking...jogging, exercise, working yourself into the ground?" She smiled at him. "Yes, as long as you get your rest, eat well, and let yourself relax."

 

Lionel ground his teeth.  "Yes, but I am speaking of... other things."

 

"Sex?"

 

A bright flush spread over his stubbled cheeks, standing out against the dark hue of his cheekbones.

 

She almost couldn’t resist kissing his cheek. Instead Toni straightened, smiled, and shook her head. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Lionel. I’m glad you asked, actually... I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable talking to me about these things, alright?" She settled back.

 

"It is not bad enough that my son and one of my ex-lovers knows the state of my non-existent sex life, must I now discuss it with you as well?  Can't I merely get a straight answer?"

 

"Of course. Very frankly, I thought you and Dominic had already been having sex... though I’m pleased you waited. Your body had a chance to begin healing without straining muscles that could have hampered that healing. However... I don’t see why not." She sat up again. "Have you been able to achieve an erection without pain?"

 

"Waiting... was not my idea, Doctor."  Very tense growl.  "Define pain, if you would.  As in, the lack of satisfactory orgasm type of pain?"

 

Oh, she threw her head back and laughed. Couldn’t help it. God, these people were wonderful. "As in, Oh, Christ, the lower half of my body is going to fall off pain.  Or, if you will, any twinges or strange feelings, aside from emotional, from your back or groin."

 

A dark, angry glower at the woman across from him.  "No, Doctor."

 

She grinned at him, and gently patted his knee. "I’m sorry. You're just so adorable. You remind me so much of my oldest brother." Another gentle pat, and she managed to pull some of the amusement away. "You just look so frustrated."

 

"Looks... are not deceiving."

 

"And please, call me Toni." Another grin and she shook her head. "Lionel, as I see it, as long as you feel physically able, you can do whatever you like. Let yourself rest, but I don’t see why you and Dominic shouldn’t be having intercourse at this point. You're healing beautifully, and everything seems to be in proper order. No pain, no complications with your kidney." She rose a finger... yeah, this was a little delicate. "I do... however." And this time it was Toni's turn to blush. "Ah... don’t let him... I… I don’t really know much about your practices, b-but... Ah… don’t let him inside... of you. Just for a few more weeks. The stitches inside are powerful, but if the both of you were to go overboard, they could rip and cause internal bleeding. And that, my friend, would be a mess, and another hospital stay.  I'd say another two weeks, and then...whatever you want to do, you can do." A nod. A cough. A pink flush staining her cheeks.

 

"Thank you, Doctor--Toni."  Lionel didn't notice the blush, as he was too busy staring at the head of his walking stick--anything not to have to look the woman in the face.  "We do tend to... switch, but I will make sure to tell him of the precautions and the delay."  Another light cough.  "Perhaps you could.. be so kind as to tell him this yourself?  Seeing as how he will not believe it coming from me?  I'd not be so crass as to ask for a Doctor's Note, but the thought had crossed my mind."

 

Oh, she grinned. God, he was just so cute. She was going to adopt him--she was sure Ms. Bird wouldn’t mind. "Worrywart man. I can talk to him... is he at home?"

 

"Yes, he is--downstairs talking to his sister, I believe.  He's been down there for--"  Lionel looked at his watch.  "Nearly an hour now."

 

"Would you like me to go looking for him?"

 

"Very much so, Doctor.  I've a few preparations to make for a small vacation."

 

Speak of the blond, green eyed devil, and he should appear.

 

An hour of talking to his sister had done to Dominic what years of therapists could not. Just by talking to his beautiful sister for an hour, the heavy pain he'd held in his heart for so long… had been sluiced off. It was a chapter of his life he would never forget, but he felt.... he felt different. Like he could face anything. And the pain, and tension, and fear in his heart for so long... slipped away.

 

He was whistling as he walked up the steps, dragging his fingers through his hair. His green sweater had shrunk a bit the last time he washed it, and it clung uncomfortably. Shower. New clothes. And a nice meal with his lover, which afterward he was going to take him to Lex's theater and watch movies the live long night.

 

Just because he felt like it.

 

What he didn’t expect, however, was seeing Dr. Braxton in his bedroom, sitting with eye blinding tennis shoes, in front of his pink lover. But he smiled, softly, eyes dancing, and waved. "Toni, hello. 'Twasnt expecting you... how are you, lass?"

 

Lionel's belly flipped at the sound of the thick lilt in his lover's voice.  The inflection of his accent was heaviest on the lass and oh... it sounded divine.

 

Dominic looked ten years younger.  The worries that had so long creased his brow had dropped away, and Lionel blinked once to make sure that this was indeed his lover.  

 

It was.  A genuine, bright smile on his face, years of worry gone, and the beautiful, thick accent rolling easily off his tongue. 

 

Lionel's belly flipped a second time as he looked up to greet his lover.  "Dominic... hello."  A soft, quiet smile, the two words laden with every bit of love he felt for this beautiful, wonderful creature.

 

"Hello, Dominic." She offered a soft smile and a wave back. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

 

"Surprising." He grinned again. "What brings you out here in the middle of a blizzard?"

 

"Came to check on your cranky boyfriend." Ever the sweet smile. "He's in perfect working order, might I add. So much so, in fact, that I’m here to tell you--activities you've suspended until now can be once again enjoyed." Another wide grin. "You know, the sex." She put a sing song into 'sex', and wriggled her brows conspiratorially.

 

Dominic blushed, outright, but couldn’t help grinning and letting a little laugh, before his eyes fell on his lover. Lionel was... was watching him with that soft expression that was only his, and Dominic beamed at him, brightly, and offered his hand to his lover. "Hello, baby. I’m so glad you've got a clean bill of health. Or, rather, as clean as its going to be for the time being."

 

"Just don’t forget. Sex. Totally okay. Fussy." But Toni could tell neither were paying attention to her, and she smiled as she rose to gather her things. Outright love came from the both of them, and she couldn’t help smiling again. "I'll see you guys next week. Have fun, and be careful, the both of you."

 

And she was gone.

 

Lionel took Dominic's hand, and pulled his lover over to him.  "Toni said the pain in my back is coming from stress and frustration," he said softly.  "And nothing else."  He pulled himself to his feet, not even noticing when Toni left the room, and stood in front of his lover.  "She says I need a vacation... and I'm all for that.  Barring a vacation, though..."  Lionel dropped his head to nibble on his lover's smooth throat.  "I'm willing to be appeased in other ways."  A throaty laugh.  "Beloved... you look... so much better.  You look younger... more vital... it did you so much good to get that off your chest."  His hands rose to stroke and cup his lover's face.

 

"I feel…" His voice was light, soft, as he pressed his mouth into Lionel’s ear. "I feel wonderful. I haven’t... it..." Broad palms swept to cup his lovers waist, gently, tipping his head back for that questing mouth. "I feel almost... almost like I’m a new man." He closed his eyes, tightly. "I never knew I could feel like this...it was just a step away. I neglected myself from it for so long.... I... I feel like my... my insides are singing. Does that make sense?" A sweet laugh rose and bubbled from his throat, coming out quiet and soft into warm skin.

 

"It makes sense."  Lionel's mouth pressed light kisses to skin that tasted different, tasted more delicious and sweet, than it had just an hour ago.  "You are a new man, my Jiminy."  He caught Dominic's hands on his waist, cupping them tightly in his own.  "You're a completely new man, and you don't know how happy, how thrilled, I am to see you again."

 

His teeth glinted, smile wide, and his eyes were bright and deeply green. "I know. I know. I feel… feel like I could run around the world six times and not get tired. Like… like everything...she understood, Lionel. She understood, and she didn’t care, because she loves me just for being me. She didn’t care." Almost as if he couldn’t believe it himself, Dominic let his eyes wander to his lovers as their fingers spread and linked tightly. "She just didn’t care, and she held me, and we cried and it was… it was okay. Lionel…" He whispered it, and pressed his cheek tightly to his lovers. "It's okay. Look... it's all... it's all okay. Isn’t it astounding? It's like a dream.  I feel like a boy again, in our little cottage by the sea."

 

Lionel squeezed Dominic's fingers tightly in his own as his arms slipped around his beloved's waist.  "You remind me of a very young clerk who used to work in my office," Lionel said softly.  "A very, very long time ago."

 

He smiled again, much wider, gently pressing his face into a slender, wonderfully strong neck that smelled of sin. "Funny, I’m reminded too."

 

They rocked like that, for a few moments... before a little click went off in his mind. Dominic became very, very aware of what Toni had said to them, before she slipped off as she was so very good at doing. It... was okay. To do certain things once more. His heartbeat sped up... lungs contracting as his pulse raced all its own, and the scent of his lover slipped right through his brain. "Oh."

 

"Oh?" Lionel asked softly, feeling the trip hammer beat of his lover's pulse pounding through his chest.

 

"I...I just.." Dominic swallowed lightly and his fingertips traced the long lines of his lovers smooth back and backside. "Lionel.."

 

"Yes, my little cricket?" he asked, sighing happily at the teasing fingertips on his backside. 

 

Another broad, sweet smile, and a little innocent flicker upwards, lip caught between his teeth. "I was just... perhaps wondering if... if maybe... if you f... feel up to it..." A blush stained his cheeks. Hee. Feeling up. He traced the soft swell from ass to thigh, the pad of his thumb tracing the outside of his thigh.

 

"Mmm... up to what?  You'll... have to be a little more specific," Lionel teased softly.  He pushed his hips forward, rubbing against Dominic gently, letting the growing hardness press lightly against his lover's scarred thigh.

 

His breath trembled from his lips, right into Lionel’s ear. "I... up to b… being inside me. If… if you don’t hurt, and you feel you're ready." He was shaking, and he knew it. "I’ve missed you so. If you want to...we can." And so like him, to give people an out, just in case. "If not… it's okay, too."

 

"I've been ready to be inside you, Dominic... for quite some time now."  He moved just a little, so that his leg slipped between Dominic's and rocked forward against him.  "Toni said that... it will be a couple of weeks, but then... you can be inside me again."  His thumb brushed over Dominic's trembling lips.  "I'd like that."

 

He moaned.

 

A short, soft noise that reverberated half in his chest, and half from his half open lips. Oh, yes. He spread his thighs apart a little bit… using his hold on those slip, warm cheeks to anchor himself, and he rocked and rubbed right back. The hardening erection in those pants he'd been denied too long felt strange against him... like a renewed pleasure deprived too long. Long and hard, jutting now as he grew aroused, but soon, as they shed their clothing, it would be flat against his belly and hot. Warm. Tightened, ovular balls that always seemed to fit perfect in the palm of his hand, lovely, and he sighed as they moved, fantasy already rolling in his mind. "Too long, Lovely one...too long..." He gasped when they moved in just the right way, to brush against his own cock head pressed and tented in front of him.

 

"Far too long," Lionel murmured, hands slipping under the close-fitting t-shirt to touch his lover's skin.  "Come to bed with me... let me undress you, let me see you and touch you, kiss you and take you."

 

Oh, God. He leaned in, pressing his mouth to a slender neck...and his fingers let go of the hips to wrap around Lionel’s back. He pressed himself, tight, warm so his own nipple rubbed the nipple ring... and oh, God. He shuddered with delight, with heat, arousal so strong it seared his blood, and started to nip and--

 

Damn. It.

 

He kept Lionel to him, his lovers back to the door, and grasped him by the front of his shirt so he wouldn’t move. "Ellie, baby... d... didn’t Uncle Ommie tell you to always knock, my lassie?"

 

Weird. Her Uncles were all… hugging! Maybe Antie Marie had another baby. Boys always hugged when babies were born! "Did Annie Marie have anoder baby?"

 

Lionel shuddered, thrusting forward as Dominic's nipple rubbed against the nipple ring, and he moaned, very very softly.  He felt Dominic's fingers bunching in his shirt front, and then heard the little voice in the doorway. Christ.  "Remind me to put a lock on these doors," he muttered.  "Eleanor, my sweet child, what are you doing here?"

 

"Unca Grammie has somethin' for youuuu!" She beamed and did a little dance, so her tappy shoes...tapped against the wood. Yay! She was a tap dancer girl!!!

 

He was so hard he hurt. Tried to get himself down in vain..found he really, really couldnt. Damnit. Fuck. "For me, my love?"

 

"Noooo." She ran forward and leapt at her uncle Lionel’s legs. "For Unca Weirdy Lion!!! It's SPECIAL!" She squealed.

 

The taps were quickly beginning to get on his nerves, and, like Dominic... his erection refused to wilt.  Denied too long and now too close to what he desired, it would not soften.  Lionel stepped back just in time to keep the girl from impaling herself, and instead caught her and lifted her up.  His back winced once, but he didn't show it.  "And what is this special thing you have for your Uncle Lionel?" he asked, holding his hand out. 

 

She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Oh, she just LOVED him. He was warm, and smelled like a papa, and he liked her Unca Ommie. Mr. Weirdy Pants made Unca Ommie happy! She liked having happy Unca Ommie. They were much more likely to buy her presents, after all, and made sure her gummies were still in her pocket before she pulled out the wrinkled, slightly sticky paper with a flourish.

 

Dominic was behind them, breathing very, very softly… trying to calm his body down, and the frustration of not getting to have his lover was slowly... veeery slowly, eating him alive. Yes. Because, you know, not having sex was fine... as long as one wasn’t teased with it every moment of every day. Christ. "Yes, well. Cold showers all around." He murmured under his breath... just enough for his lover to hear.

 

"What is this?" Lionel asked, expecting some sort of misplaced mail, stock report, or something of the like.  He murmured an assent to Dominic's comment--"I'll share one with you... water conservation and all that,"--as he opened the letter. 

 

He was not expecting a detailed, graphic love letter, and he nearly dropped Eleanor.  "Child... tell me again where you got this?" 

 

Wide, gorgeous eyes shaped like a doe's blinked, long lashes fluttering. Eleanor beamed, and broadly, at her uncle, giggling sweetly. "Grammie cookie. It's for you!" Her face lit up and she smacked sticky lips to a stubbled cheek, before squirming from his arms and clack-clack-clacking out of the room.

 

Dominic reached down... gently tugging at the drawn balls beneath, and then gently did the same for his lover, breathing softly through it as he looked over a slender shoulder.  "Every minute of every waking hour is spent thinking of nothing but you. ...What the fucking bloodiest of hell? What the bugger is this?"

 

Lionel waved the letter at his lover, and then handed it to him over his shoulder, hissing at the hard tug of his balls.  Slightly better but oh... the ache.  "I think we're going to have to have a long talk with Graham."

 

His mood was darkening with each word he read. The paper was loose and warm in his hands... slightly sticky from what had to be the gummy worms he'd given Ellie earlier that afternoon. "Aching, alive, like the beat of every drum that ever rang on this earth before we were ever a dream, your heart flutters against mine. Calm yourself, Corazon... for I am close." A pause... but the words didn’t escape his lips. He trusted his lover, very deeply, as he did his brother. "This has to be a mistake. Lionel, why would Graham, of all people, write you a letter like this?" Reaching over that same shoulder, Dominic slipped his fingers under Lionel’s chin, apologizing with his touch for the orgasm aching in both their bellies. "Why this?"

 

"You ask me that like I have any idea," Lionel growled softly.  "I promise you, Dominic, I've done nothing to encourage this--hell, I've barely had anything to do with him at all."

 

"I know it, lovely one." Dominic passed flaming green eyes at him, and laced their fingers tightly. The letter he slipped into Lionel's back pocket, and his free palm handed over the dark and silver cane. "Come on. Off to bellow."

 

Lionel squeezed his lover's fingers tightly, and then with his free hand gripped the silver knob tightly.  "I sincerely hope this is a mistake."

 

"Beloved?"

 

"Yes, Jiminy?" 

 

His face, when he looked to his lover, was shining. The hollows of his cheeks and under his eyes were lighter then they'd been in ages... his eyes, green and lovely like the rainforests, or the hills of his homeland, were alive in a way they hadn’t been for a long time. And when he looked up the two... three inches that separated them in height, he gave his lover the words he knew in his heart were real. "I love you, Lionel Luthor."

 

Lionel could feel himself melting, not that he'd ever have admitted it.  He didn't melt.  But he was.  He felt those warmly spoken, deeply meant words sliding over him, sliding through him and into his heart and his soul.  A warm fire surged in Lionel's belly at those words, casing him to fairly glow.  "I love you, Dominic Senatori.  With... all that I am."

 

The genuine, gorgeous smile quirked wicked at the edges, and a blush stained very lightly along his cheekbones. "Even if we cant have orgasms?"

 

"Even if we can't have orgasms," Lionel confirmed, nuzzling along the blush.  "Because... you were right, the other day.  Sex is good... beautiful... wonderful... but it's not the end-all of everything.  You know that I love you, even if I can't make love to you and show you how much."

 

He gently led his mouth to those soft hollows just beginning to grow back the hair that had so long covered them...nibbling lightly along his face… then down, to the long, slender, lovely line of his jaw that just ached for a bite. A tiny, steady pulse beat right under it, and on it, Dominic pressed warm, soft kisses. "It doesn’t define who we are. ...Alright, so maybe when I’m being a horny bastard, sure it does." He giggled, wickedly, and looked up once more. "Tell me we'll escape somewhere for a while, when we can. I..." His fingers found their way to Lionel’s hair... sliding to the back of his head and threading. "I miss you, baby. I do. Very much."

 

"Toni... did say I needed a vacation," Lionel murmured quietly.  "I vote... Metropolis.  My penthouse... just for a few days.  For the weekend."  He purred as Dominic's fingers threaded through his hair.  "Mmm.  I miss you.  We can... have the weekend, uninterrupted, to ourselves.  Monday morning... Lex and Bruce can join us."

 

Oh... and wasn’t that a sigh inducing proposition. He did let the breathy sound escape him, lips curved, and let his eyes close so they could press to his lovers cheek. "I think...Toni had a good idea. That... that sounds divine." He couldn’t quite stop the tremble that raced from his spine up. "There...there are good memories from your penthouse, beloved."

 

Lionel's tongue licked out across Dominic's cheekbone.  "Yes, yes, there are.  Perhaps... perhaps we can create some new memories there, as well."

 

He smiled now, broader, and looked up at the last moment to see the soft pink tongue slipping back between those lovely, warm lips. "I'd like that. Very much, sweetheart." He took a step away, and linked their fingers again. "Come on... lets go kill someone." Wicked intonation in his voice. "I promise I won’t bust any more teeth."

 

"Oh, and now where's the fun in that?"  Lionel squeezed Dominic's fingers tightly, tugging him out the door as he leaned on his walking stick.  "I think you're doing quite well busting people's teeth in."

 

"I can see it now." His voice lowered to a radio announcers tone. "Cant pay the bills? Terrified of dentists? Simply come to Dominic’s House of Pain, and we'll get you all taken care of for a modest fee!" He could barely keep the giggle out of his mouth. "I’m giddy. Don’t mind me."

 

Lionel's laugh blended in easily to Dominic's commentary.  "You're not giddy.  You're happy, and I'm very, very glad to see it."  He dropped a kiss onto his lover's forehead.  "Come on.  I'll even give you a room of the house here for your... ah, office?  Or boxing ring, whichever you prefer."

 

He glanced up, smile making the dimples in his cheeks wink. "I would need an office, wouldn’t I? Have to keep everything professional… even with a name like Dominic’s House of Pain." Oh, and his chuckle was evil. "Jonathan wont soon be forgetting his latest visit."

 

"And well he shouldn't," Lionel groused.  "Would you believe that Martha has taken him back?" he asked, as they moved slowly down the hall.  "I can't imagine that she would have, but they both seem extraordinarily happy together, and Martha is all but glowing."

 

"Did she?" A soft hum. "Lionel...from what I know of her, and the few times she and I have talked, she is an amazing woman. Head strong...heart hard. Jonathan...he's not all bad. A bit confused, going through a midlife crisis." God, it was HARD to say, and all but came out of his mouth like sandpaper as they started down the steps. "She's a beautiful woman, and I’m glad they’re happy together. They've done something right, raising a boy like Clark. Good lad, he is."

 

Lionel paused and kissed his lover softly, tongue licking the bad taste of those words out of Dominic's mouth.  "Martha is amazing.  And Clark turned out better than either of them."

 

The sudden stop made him blink.. .then the warm tongue in his mouth made him smile again, and he kissed back just as gently, rubbing his thumb unknowingly, but soothingly, across his nipple ring. "He's a lucky boy, to have your son." Softly, and their footfalls against the warm, lovely carpeted stairs were quiet. "Lex...you've done a better job then you think, lovely one."

 

Lionel purred softly as Dominic's thumb rubbed his nipple ring.  "Lex, I think, has turned into an admirable young man, either in spite of or because of the way he was brought up--I am not sure which it is."  He kept his arm firmly around Dominic's waist as they descended the stairs.  "You, my love, are the best of all of us."

 

"I am not." He murmured against a soft cheek, as they continued down the long steps. "I think you, of all of us, have seen and done and been more wonderful and kind and compassionate then all of us combined. You've lived such a extraordinary life... and now, I get to share it with you. It warms my heart, beloved. It warms me to know you take me by your side willingly." At that, he smiled. "Even if I’m a half cocked Irishman."

 

"Half cocked?"  Lionel let his hand snake down and rub against the front of Dominic's pants, grinning softly in return.  "You don't feel half cocked to me."  Then, he snuggled his lover against his slightly broader frame.  "You are the best of us because despite the things that you have been through, the things that I have done to you, you still love me and are willing to spend your life with me.  And that is why you are the best of us all."

 

He chuckled, as well, very softly, amusement in his heart. "No, but I can say that now I’m half cocked. Wicked, wicked man." He leaned up and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek. "I told you once, and I will tell you till the day we die. I've loved you since I was a boy. And I'll love you until I’m old and hunched and gray. Though, even then, I’m quite positive I'll still be able to give phenomenal blow jobs." All said, of course, as innocent as a jay bird, eyelashes batting.

 

"I'm sure you will, after you've lost all your teeth, and have nothing but gums to suck with," Lionel teased.  "I will love you too, Dominic, until the end of my days."

 

"Now that sounds nice." He chuckled it, stepping off the landing and helping his lover without a word. "Those pesky teeth get in the way each and every time." Innocently spoken, innocently blinked, before he breathed in and bellowed atop his lungs. "GRAHAM SENATORI GET YOUR BLOOMIN ASS DOWN HERE NOW!"

 

   

-fin-

 

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