The Memoirs

Lionel looked around the bedroom.  How he'd managed to not wake his lover up was a miracle, but there were two suitcases packed, including the rings that Dominic had shown him earlier.  A quiet phone call in the other room had the jet on the runway fueling, and the limo waiting downstairs.  The conference had been changed to Monday morning with a few quick phone calls, and Lionel shrugged into his black greatcoat as he tied it shut around his waist, hiding the black tuxedo he'd chosen for the occasion.

 

Dominic's little cufflinks were in their box and nestled safely in Lionel's coat pocket, and his own were on his cuffs. 

 

He fluffed his hair over his shoulders, and ran a hand over the beard that was starting to fill back in, and shook his head at the reflection in the mirror.

 

Not bad for a man going on his second marriage.

 

He couldn’t stop laughing. It was distinct, beautiful, and in Dominic’s dreams, he was laughing. Holding a faceless man, though the smell of him, the feel of his arms, were distinctly Lionel in every way, shape, and form. The rumbling chuckles beside his ear were breathtakingly sweet, and he felt himself grin in the waking world as he rolled over onto his stomach, murmuring a soft, heaving sigh as he curled warmer under the blankets and hugged his lover’s pillow to his face. Half on his side and half on his stomach, one leg curled up, the other snuggled underneath the other, and Lionel’s warm smell all over him.

 

Lionel's attention was caught by the sigh and the turn of his lover's body, and he turned from the mirror and leaned against the dresser for a moment, just looking at his lover.  Dominic's own tuxedo had already been laid out and pressed, and was ready for his lover to don as soon as Lionel woke him up.

 

Which he really, really didn't want to do, because he was so adorable lying there, his little body somehow splayed out all over the bed even as it curled up onto itself, and he laughed softly before going to perch on the bedside. 

 

His hand shook Dominic's shoulder gently.  "Dominic?  Jiminy, wake up, our flight is almost ready."

 

The words were softly spoken, in his ear, and in Dominic’s dream he felt Lionel speaking, that rumbling, tender voice in his ear that was, night and day, pain and joy, his greatest comfort. He curled closer into the voice, listening to it without understanding, and his loins gave a slow, heavy little throb at it.

 

He wasn’t awake, and his lover could turn him on. Now that was skill.

 

He mumbled...became aware of real life. The silk sheets, the winter sun pouring cheerfully over the room, his insistent need to pee. And Lionel. Murmuring to him, speaking, something, and he opened his eyes just a little.

 

"That's right.  Let me see those Irish eyes a'smiling at me," Lionel coaxed gently.  "Wake up... you don't want to be late to your wedding, do you?"

 

"Mmmm'w'ke." He mumbled, rolling over back onto his stomach and closing his eyes again. "Mm'h're." Oh, the bed was so cozy, and Lionel so close, and he wanted to tug him into bed with him and cuddle the morning away.

 

Until his words sifted through his bleary brain, and he grinned while still half asleep. "I's ours, w'can be late."

 

"No we can't," Lionel grinned in return.  "The jet is fueling as we speak, the driver is waiting for us downstairs, and our bags are packed and ready to be taken by the bellhop, as soon as you are in the shower."

 

"Mmmm. 'n I dun show'r?" He murmured, finally opening his eyes blearily to look up at him. It was in the mornings that he realized how much he needed to wear his dumb glasses, and he focused for a minute, squinting... then grinning and looping him in for a long, wet, sloppy kiss.

 

Lionel returned the kiss with great enthusiasm, but in the end, wrapped his hands around Dominic's waist and pulled him to his feet.  "Shower.  Tuxedo.  Now."

 

Have to pee, Dominic.

 

Shut up. Kissing.

 

Have to pee, Dominic. Get up or you're going to pee ON yourself.

 

Lionel. Are you not seeing the… oh. Hee. Okay, going to pee.

 

"Gotta pee." He murmured, still tugging little kisses from his really, really outrageously nice smelling ears and cheeks and all that hair smelled so...good. Dominic buried his face in it for a long moment, sighing as he stood there, in stark contrast to Lionel’s fully clothed self, and cuddled until his dick said if he didn’t pee he was going to embarrass himself. "Gonna pee. Shower. Shower is good."

 

"You can even piss in the shower," Lionel said, raising an eyebrow. 

 

He snorted. Loudly. "Tha's the grossest thing you've ever said." He nipped another kiss, then turned and stretched, hard, groaning and grunting with it as he opened the bathroom door, and shut it behind him. Ahhhh. Peeing is good!

 

And he did so, and showered, in the next fifteen minutes. Brushed his furry teeth, deodorized, scrubbed his skin and hair and woke up. Before the morning coffee, however, he was not sane, and he was nearly cross eyed for caffeine when he stepped out, those fifteen minutes later, with a towel wrapped around his waist.

 

And if Lionel didn't know his lover, then he was no kind of fiancée.  When Dominic came out of the shower fifteen minutes later, there was a single cup of steaming coffee sitting in the middle of the dresser.  Small packets of cream and sugar sat on either side of the saucer, and Lionel was beaming innocently.  "There's more coffee to be had on the plane."

 

"Cccoofffeee." He grunted, and walked over, sniffing and gloriously, outrageously pleased. Oh, yes. Coffee. Sustenance. Life’s blood. Oh. Oh, dear God, and the first sip made him literally heave a sigh, closing his eyes, plopping on the bed beside his love, and laying his head on Lionel’s shoulder. "You know something?"

 

"I know quite a few somethings, Jiminy.  You're going to have to be just a bit more specific."

 

And wasn't he in the good mood today?

 

Yes, he was.

 

"I thought maybe I’d be nervous today...when the day finally came, I'd be scared shitless. But you know?" He looked up, and shook his head, eyes piercing and so full of joy. "You’re the light at the end of the tunnel, what I’ve been searching for. You’re the answer to every problem, every question, every thing. Life will go on until its gone, but even when it is, our children, and their children, and their children, will be the waves of what you and I have. And they won't be lost. They'll have our minds, and our hearts, and our stubborn stupidity. And its all... its just okay." He gazed up at his lover, and in his heart were what words couldn’t describe. He just...was. And it was wonderful.  "And I realize," He grinned it, self mockingly. "That mush this early in the morning is against the law in thirty of the fifty states. But I think this one time it can be an exception."

 

Lionel let his fingertips stroke gently over Dominic's cheeks.  "You, my beloved... you're the world to me.  You're the goodness I've never had, the happiness I never sought, all the best parts of me are wrapped up in you."  His smile softened.  "Of course it can be an exception.  It's not every day Lionel Luthor marries the love of his life."

 

"Shut up." But he was grinning crookedly, as he lay his chin on his lovers shoulder and cupped the coffee in his hands. "I won't go to the alter puffy eyed, thank you."

 

Lionel's eyes twinkled.  "But you will be going naked if you do not hurry up and get dressed."  Then Lionel paused.  "Remind me again why that would be a bad thing."

 

"I don’t think Phillip would appreciate seeing my ass at..." He leaned back, and peered at the clock on the night stand. "My God, seven a.m. What the hell crawled up your arse to get you moving so quickly? This is a sin, Lionel Luthor." But he said it chidingly, grinning again and nipping his lower lip. "I... last night... was amazing. I’m sorry, though." He shifted a little. "For being… being scared."

 

"I think anyone would appreciate seeing your ass, no matter when it's shown."  Lionel was all but bouncing on his heels, energy crackling around him.  "It is not a sin.  Come on, do I need to carry you into the bathroom?"  He slid his hands over Dominic's back.  "Don't be sorry, love.  It's quite all right for you to be scared; I don't mind.  I understand it, even.  You don't have to apologize, and you didn't ruin anything."

 

Oh, Dominic’s face broke into a grin. "Yes, I’m sure everyone wants to see it, dimples and all." He snickered, pinching his lovers side sweetly as he lay his cheek back on his shoulder, sipped some coffee sideways, and finally rose. "It was only for a moment. I panicked. But... I wanted to play with you, and it seems my present to you will have to stay at my apartment until later." He sighed heavily, melodramatically even, and dropped his towel so he could slide into silky knickers he'd never seen before. A brow rose at his lover but he slipped into them regardless, doing it in layers as he was wont to do. "You know, there’s nothing more ridiculous then a half naked man with black socks on."

 

"So put the rest of your clothes on, and then we will pick up the present on our way home... as the Mr. Luthor's.  Or, well, the Misters Luthor and Senatori."

 

"Lionel? Sweetie, my lovely, king of my heart. How much coffee have you had this morning?" One blond eyebrow was cocked high, the other low, and he shifted and slipped into the straight black pants, sighing so softly. "Sweetie, are you going to be comfortable? Its about an eleven hour flight. I’m a bit worried, considering I’ve got a suit here that I plan to sleep and wrinkle up." His eyebrow rose, gazing at him.

 

Lionel clasped his hands behind his back.  "Well... I had four cups with the morning paper, two more with fruit and toast for breakfast, three while I was waiting for you to get up, and one after my shower."

 

Blink. Blink. "So, roughly, two pots?"

 

Lionel nodded.

 

Dominic blinked again. "Baby, you do have something to do for eleven hours, correct?"

 

Lionel looked his lover up and down, from head to toe and back up again.  "Yes, I do."

 

Oh. My. God. Incredulousness took over Dominic’s face... shock, disbelief, and an absolutely wicked smile. "We're taking your plane, aren’t we?"

 

"Of course we are.  It's on the runway being prepared.  No one but you, I, the pilot, and the co-pilot on board."

 

"Ah. So if its your plane, we can do whatever we happen to choose in it, and tell me again why we aren’t just wearing trench coats and condoms?"

 

Lionel thought for a few seconds.  "Because we don't use condoms any longer."

 

"You know, I’ve got some flavored ones floating around somewhere." Dominic murmured, pretending to think as he slipped the shirt on and began to button it. "Quite nice ones, might I add... strawberry. They disintegrate the longer you suck."

 

Lionel batted his lover's hands out of the way as his fingers skipped up the placket, doing buttons as swiftly as he usually unbuttoned.  "There."

 

"Melts in your mouth." Now he was just being wicked, looking up with invitation. "Not in your hand."

 

"On.  The.  Plane," Lionel promised, and then slipped his hand down and over the silky underwear.  His fingertips glided over it like water, and he landed a sharp slap on his lover's flank.  "Move.  Dress.  Now."

 

Instead of moaning he cracked up, sneaking a nip and a kiss before pulling his pants up the rest of his way on his hips, grabbing the jacket at the same time he buttoned and zipped. He pulled the jacket on, the tie hanging around his neck, and plopped on the bed to get his shoes on. They were tied in a moment, and he went into the bathroom for a minute.

 

When he returned, he smelled like the devil, his hair was combed, his goatee neater then it had been, and his brow raised as he slipped his hand into his back pocket, pushing the wallet in. "Dressed. Now. Caveman." He said innocently, strolling past him into the living room.

 

Lionel tugged out the box of cufflinks.  "Here, add these, don't forget."  He passed them over, and his fingers tied Dominic's tie into a crisp bow.  "There.  That's perfect.  Don't touch it until after the ceremony, because you'll get it crooked and unknotted."

 

He coughed... eyes wide as he looked up. "Don’t touch it, but wear it while I debauch you a few thousand miles up into the air and oh my fucking God, we're going to fly." His face drained of blood, and he stopped in the middle of the hall, his breath growing short. "We're going to fly? As in... yes. Flying. Because we couldn’t get there any other way, and please make sure my Prozac is in the suitcase, will you?  I’ve got some muscle relaxants, too. Little bottle. Give them to me."

 

"No," Lionel said quietly, seriously.  "You don't need them.  Not when you're with me.  You've nothing to be scared of, and I won't have you drugged up for our wedding."  He rubbed his thumb over Dominic's cheek.  "I want you to remember everything."

 

"I won't be drugged. Just for an hour or so." He shook his head, desperation in his face, and flashed memories of times when he hadn’t taken them and had a panic attack in the middle of a flight all crowded his mind, until he gasped, shook his head, and snarled at him. "I am not going into the air without it! I swear to God, we'll have to turn back and come home. Lionel, you don’t understand. Me not drugged and three thousand feet in the air is like… like... Michael Jackson hanging his child over the balcony! I'll go nuts!"

 

The Michael Jackson reference flew right over his head, but the rest of it he got.  "All right, Dominic.  Do it your way."  He opened the front flap of his own suitcase and pulled out the two bottles of medication that he'd stowed there for an emergency and put them in his lover's hand.  "Come on, we need to go; the driver's been waiting half an hour already."

 

"Do you know how many of these I had to take when we went to Tokyo last year?" He felt the disappointment from his lover, and his sigh was heavy even as he slipped the pills into his pocket, and took his lovers hand tightly, squeezing it hard. "You really don’t want me to take it, do you?"

 

"If I remember correctly, you took eight of them," Lionel said softly.

 

"Dammit. Put away the puppy face, eh? You make me feel like a right bastard, you do." But Dominic was smiling, and he pressed a kiss to Lionel’s cheek and set the pills in the small waste basket in the kitchen. "There. See? If I break your hand while we're taking off, you know why."

 

Lionel picked the bottles up and put them in his pocket.  "Just in case it becomes too unbearable," he said.  "I won't have you suffering but... yes.  I do want you clear minded."

 

"I’ve flown before, I can do it again. I’m pumped."

 

When he came home, he was going to be married to the love of his life.

 

And he suddenly let out a whoop, grabbing his lover by the shoulders and spinning him around, before laying a thick kiss on his cheeks. "We're getting married! LIONEL! Oh, my God I’m going to be singing show tunes the whole way there!" He let out an extremely unmanly squeal, hugged him, and grabbed his hand, lifting up the suitcase and dragging him to the door.

 

Lionel picked up his own suitcase and followed, a grin on his face.

 

And if you listened closely... you could hear him humming an obscure little tune by the Dixie Cups.

 

  

~*~*~

 

"No. Lionel. No. Yes! But no. No. Can't we swim there? can't we... I don’t know, take a boat? It'll take two weeks, but its so much better then something that we have no control over! Those pilots, they could be drunk! O-or something! Or they were at the bottom of their class!!!"

 

Or so was coming out of Dominic’s mouth. His heels were firmly planted in the concrete, back pressed to the limo, and he was trying, vainly, to tug his hands out of Lionel’s and give any excuse as panic fluttered in his chest. He didn’t have to hide it any longer, and he was going to lose his fucking mind. "We could take the helicopter! Or, or! We could.. .we... we could stay here and… and get married?"

 

If Lionel weren't so exasperated with his beloved, he'd have been downright amused.

 

And half of him was anyway, and so it was he was fighting a grin as his hands closed tightly around Dominic's wrists.  "Absolutely not, Jiminy.  These are LuthorCorp pilots, privately paid, and hand picked from the best flight schools in the United States.  Our co-pilot was actually in the Top Gun flight school in Fighter town USA before being privately recruited by our avionics division."

 

"I have a mean backstroke!" He cried, yanking futilely and getting tugged along anyway. "Lionel, no! We could find another way! There's got to be another way! Catching a ride with killer whales! Getting a surf board! Something!" Dominic cried, his heels were digging in, but somehow, somewhere, Lionel had gotten his bloody strength back, and he was smaller so dammit he was getting dragged and his heart was going to patter and plop out of his chest. "I’m sure the Navy wouldn’t mind two guests!"

 

"You do not know how to surf and neither do I, and it's a bit late in the day for me to be learning.  Besides, I do not intend to strip down to my skivvies merely to ride a little Popsicle stick across the oceans."  Lionel continued to haul his lover.  Then he had an idea.  His hand shot in his pocket and he pulled out one of the bottles of pills and held it in front of his lover.  "Come on.  Come on, get on the plane and you can have one."

 

"Don’t tease me! Don’t do that! If you're going to give me one you damn well bloody better!" Dominic cried, reaching for them, swiping at his lover to grab them...and walking forward without realizing is. "I could teach you! Surfing isn’t hard! Didn’t you ever see Joes Volcano? We could tie together our luggage and float! I wouldn’t mind, I can float! I can live off sea weed! Lionel Luthor, give me one this instant!"

 

And realized, very suddenly, he was standing at the base of the small flight of steps leading up, and he turned, ready to bolt in the other direction.

 

Lionel shook the bottle of pills again, and then hurled them inside the passenger cabin as hard as he could.

 

Dominic turned. And glared. "If I get to them first, I’m taking the whole bottle."

 

"You do that, and I will leave your carcass on the tarmac to rot while I take a vacation by myself; do not even joke about that."  Lionel's grip on Dominic's shoulder tightened to almost bruising.

 

Dominic’s smile was bright. "Good! Then you'll consider the Navy? I’m telling you, great rates and close quarters!"

 

"Either you get your ass on the airplane this instant or there will be no wedding."

 

And sweet Jiminy met stubborn for stubborn. "You're a bloody horrid man. Horrid!" He glared at him, darkly, and as a matter or pride, threw his head back and climbed the steps. "Horrid, wicked, more... horrid!"

 

Lionel let a grin spread across his lips as he mounted the steps behind his lover, but by the time he reached the top, the dark scowl was back in place.  "I am neither horrid nor wicked, but perhaps you'd like to reconsider your decision?"

 

His knees went weak, as soon as he realized he was at the top, and he turned back, shaking his head violently and trying to get around his lover. "No, no, no, oh, God, we're going to crash and burn! We're going to die! We're… we're going to a lot of bad things and its horrid, terrible, LIONEL!"

 

"We're not going to die."  Lionel wrapped his arms around Dominic.  "Dominic, we can't die.  Remember?  Clark showed us our child... the daughter we were both there to hold and play with.  We can't die."

 

"Maybe it was an illusion!" Dominic’s fingers were iron around Lionel’s waist. "Maybe… maybe its what happens if we don’t get on this plane and go to Venice!" He cried it, though he found himself being walked backwards even as he shook his head... and upon realizing both pilots were staring at him, he coughed, straightened, and took on easy professionalism, even though his knees had turned to gelatin.

 

"All right.  Suppose we do crash.  We will, at the very least, crash together."

 

The pilot, a slender, tiny woman with a high chest and sweet eyes greeted them. "Hello, Mr. Luthor. Mr. Senatori. Pilot Consuela Erthsed. I hope you both enjoy the flight... if you need anything, my co-pilot, John Queens, will be more then eager to help you." Consuela's smile was bright, as she offered her hand.

 

Dominic took it, his skin pale, and he smiled, nodding crookedly. Okay. A woman he could feel better about. Women were just... stronger, more apt to challenges and tasks than men were. Men got lazy, he should know--he was a man. "Hello."

 

Lionel nearly snickered at his lover.  "Hello, Consuela.  Tell me, how are your children?  And could you please reassure my jumpy companion here that you have never crashed and don't intend to crash now?"

 

The co-pilot, John, laughed deeply.  "Don't worry, sirs.  If I can fly a F-17, then I can fly a commercial jet, no problem."

 

Consuela smiled brightly. "They’re doing fine. The baby is almost walking, it's unbelievable. Children are such a gift." And then she gave a long, hearty laugh, shaking her head as her eyes danced. "Mr. Senatori, I’ve been flying for almost ten years now, and the only problem I’ve ever had was emergency landing during September Eleventh in an wheat feild  in Milwaukee. I want you to sit back and relax, alright?"

 

"I'll try." Yeah, so maybe he felt a smidge better. Smidge. Which wasn’t much.

 

John held out a sealed silver flask.  "Something to calm your nerves, Mr. Senatori?"

 

The co pilot had alcohol.

 

Dominic stared at him, shook his head, turned, and plopped into the nearest seat. He yanked the seat belt on over his lap, eyes still wide, and he would have leapt down the steps if they weren’t already closed and air pressurized.

 

He was not going to make it. He was not going to make it. No. Nope. No.

 

Consuela turned, with one more smile. "We'll be taking off in ten minutes, sirs. I'll notify you when you can get ready for take off. I’m sure neither of you need the emergency protocol, and if you have any questions, John or myself will be happy to answer them." She motioned towards John, and walked down the small hall and into the cock pit, the door shutting behind them.

 

Lionel glared and jerked the flask out of John's hands and screwed the top off, and then snickered.  He took a glass from the small serving tray and filled it from the flask.

 

With Dr. Pepper.

 

So what. Didn’t care. Not going to have a nervous breakdown. By now he'd be cushioned with enough drugs to blur his brain from pretty much anything. However, at the moment, there was no happy drug filled cushion, and his fingers were white on the seat sides of the plush seat, one of five set in a circle, with seat belts and the like, inhaling and exhaling stiffly.

 

Lionel sat the glass of Dr. Pepper on the table beside Dominic, picked the bottle of pills up from the floor where he'd thrown them, took the other out of his pocket, and held both of them out to his lover.

 

Dominic took them without a word, popped them both open, selected two from each... then decided on a third from the other bottle, and downed them all in a single gulp.

 

Lionel's eyes widened.  "Are you sure you should be taking so many?"

 

He opened one eye, glared, and closed it again. "You could have listened to me about my idea of the killer whales, but noooo. We had to get on the plane. We could have been halfway to Venice by now. Scuba gear isn’t expensive, you know."

 

"We are not going to Venice by killer whale.  Believe me, the flight will pass like no time, and we'll be safely on the ground in Italy before you can say Jack Daniels."

 

He perked. Considerably. "Jack Daniels?"

 

"You are not drinking any alcohol whatsoever after swallowing five of those pills," Lionel said firmly.  "I'll lock the liquor cabinet."

 

"Cognac? Give me some brandy. Something." Dominic reached out, easily snagging his lover and tugging him into a seat, fastening his seat belt for him. There. Now his lover wouldn’t roam the room, like he'd done their last time to Spain. Dominic was sure he'd nearly had a heart attack. "Five in an hour is appropriate. I'll take another five before we land."

 

"Five an hour is certainly not appropriate and I'll not  have you overdosing on me before we get there!"  Lionel took the pill bottles and stashed them back in his coat, unfastening the seat belt and getting to his feet.  "You may have water, or soda.  But nothing with alcohol."

 

"Sit the bloody hell down!" Dominic bellowed, grabbing Lionel by the waist before he could walk past him. "Sit down or I’m strapping you to the wall and you won't like it when I do! I swear to God I'll sit on you!" DON’T LEAVE ME!

 

Lionel glared at his lover, but acquiesced, sitting back down in the sofa-like chair and fastening his seat belt.  "There."

 

And Dominic was true to his word. He linked an arm through his elbow, snuggling in as hard as he could, and snarling at him. "Try it. I dare you. Get up until we're in the sky and I swear on the sweet head of baby Jesus that I’m swimming back to the eastern seaboard with a bunch of mermaids and Free Willy."

 

"I have no idea who or what Free Willy is, nor do I care.  I shall not have you in the clutches of some waterlogged siren who cannot walk on land."

 

"Don’t speak of clutches. I’m horny, and terrified. Both are not good mixtures, and will lead you to being unable to sit for a week." Dominic muttered, closing his eyes.

 

And in about 30 seconds, he was asleep.

 

Lionel shook his head softly.  "Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."  He kissed Dominic's temple lightly, and then reached over him to down the rest of his Dr. Pepper.

 

  

~*~*~

 

In Dominic’s short, yet full life, he'd only been drunk three times, and high once. He'd experimented, as teenagers were wont to do, in the dives in Dublin with his mates on cold Saturday nights. He wasn’t proud of it, but Irish girls had looked so much better in his eyes when he was tipped. Especially Breanna Gallagher. Oh, she'd been the fancy of his eleventh grade year, looking so pretty dancing. That is, until his best friend married her, then he couldn’t sniff after her any more.

 

He'd gotten drunk with Megan twice, and once with Fellie. But as things went, he hadn’t been particularly horrid in either respect. He drank in moderation, and elegantly, as a man of his station was supposed to do.

 

However, getting high off pills was a whole other ballpark. And he realized, in a very, very dim part of his mind, that it was very likely that he was high as he woke up. He felt bloody fantastic, giddy, giggly... and damn, it was funny.

 

He woke up giggling.

 

At the quiet giggle--well, not so quiet giggle--Lionel looked over at his lover.  It was quite possible that this was the first time, ever, that Lionel could recall the completely silly giggle that came out of his lover's mouth.  Polite laughter, yes.  Snickers yes, and even giddy giggles, but this... this noise sounded like that of a child when he was planning something particularly mean, and he narrowed his eyes at his lover.  That sound coming from Dominic was quite disconcerting.  "Dominic?"

 

Ooooh. Voice beside him. He rolled his head on the cushion back, smiling adoringly, dopily at him, and sighing, heavily. "Hiiiiii." The sound was kind of high at the end, and he chortled, saying it again, mimicking himself. "Iiiiiii-IIIIIIII-iiiiiiiiiii. Heeeee!"

 

"Dominic Morgan Senatori... are you on drugs?"  Well, yes.  He was.  "Are you on more drugs than usual?"  Again, the answer was yes, and Lionel kicked himself for asking questions he already knew the answer to.  "Are you high?"  Again... the answer was obvious.

 

"Hiiiiiiiiiii-IIIIIIII-iiiiiiiiighhhhh..." Oh, he burst out laughing again, rolling his head happily and looking at the ceiling. Oooo! Pretty colors! LOOK! He reached out, trying to grab it...and found he couldn’t quite reach the six feet above him. But his hand was loooonnngg. And floaty! Heeeee! "HiiiiiiIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiighh!"

 

For once, Lionel was glad of the seat belt that strapped his lover to the seat, because if he were loose, God only knew what he'd be doing--probably watching the toilet flush out the back of the plane.

 

"Look! Its hiiiiiiIiiiiiiiiighhhh." He peered at his hand...then picked his foot up, peered at it too, and blinked at his shoe. "Hmmph. Its big. I’m big. Am I big?" Dominic sighed heavily and plopped his head on Lionel’s shoulder, kicking out a foot in the air… and leaving it there, as he picked up Lionel’s hand and stared at it. "What’s that?" He pointed to a freckle. "It looks like shite. Di'ya wash your hands?" Chidingly, and Dominic glared. If glaring was one eyeball pointing up, and the other left.

 

"It is an age spot, Dominic.  It's to prove that I'm actually older than you are, though by looking at us at this moment, I am sure the entire world knows that.  And if you are not sober by the time we land, I am leaving on the plane and finding someone else to marry."

 

"'m sober! OH! LOOK! There's somethin'ut th'window!!!!" He fumbled with his belt, yanking it off... then literally crawled over his lover on the wide, couch-like seat, sitting half in his lap, nose pressed to the window. "Oh. Look! Look! Wha's tha'?" He exploded laughing all over again. "Wheeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!"

 

Lionel dragged Dominic back over his lap and dropped him back into the seat, locking the seat belt down.  "It's a poisonous snake, and you move until we land, it will bite you."  Lionel pinched his lover's leg.  "See?"

 

"Ah! Snakes! Ah!" He lifted Lionel’s arm and hid under it...then bit him, through his jacket and suit, exploding into giggles all over again before plopping back...the seat cranking back into a laying position all of a sudden, so they were both staring at the ceiling.

 

Dominic’s foot was still in the air.

 

A very deep sigh.  "Traveling with you is like traveling with a child.  Shall I ask the co-pilot for coloring books and some crayons?  I swear, Shane would be better behaved on this trip than you would!"

 

He lifted it, higher, watching his pant leg fall down a little bit, and he wriggled his shoe in the air above them. And he whispered, "Is'tha the snake?"

 

"No, that is not the snake.  The snake is sitting across your lap."  He reached down and flipped the lever so that they were sitting upright again, and he blinked.  "For the love of Christ."

 

He plopped back up… bursting out laughing all over again before shaking his head. "Silly. M'dick is in my lap! Is'no' a snake!" And his fingers got a little gropey, sliding over Lionel’s leg and and into his crotch as his foot went into the air again. "Wheeeeeeeee! Heeee! We're flyyyiinnggggg!"

 

"Consuela!" Lionel shouted at the top of his voice.  "Do tell me that we still have the hypodermic needle of sedative still tucked in the cockpit?"

 

Dominic burst out laughing all over again, and crawled right into Lionel’s lap. He straddled him and kissed him as hard as he could under the current circumstances, tongue lapping at the insides of his mouth as his knees squeezed Lionel’s hips. "Sematinative, no! Sex, yes!" He was laughing all over again, into Lionel’s cheek.

 

At least he was on a happy high.

 

"Everythin'is so swirrrlllyyy. Mmmm. Swirly Li'nel." He ground his hips in, kissing all over his face and streaking into his hair.

 

A very high, very out of his mind Dominic was asking him for sex in the passenger cabin of their private jet.

 

And was kissing him, very deeply.

 

Lionel was running out of reasons to resist as he moved his legs further apart, letting Dominic nestle in tightly between them as his hands rested on his lover's hips, fingers dipping inside his waistband.

 

As soon as the thighs spread, Dominic planted himself between them, knees hugging Lionel’s hips tighter as he rocked his own down, and laughed and moaned at the same time. He threw his head back, leading Lionel’s hands to his chest, raking his fingers through his own hair as his throat arched.

 

And he laughed, in pleasure and joy, all over again. "Told you w'were flyin'!"

 

Lionel slipped his hands under the black tuxedo jacket and over the fine white linen shirt as his fingers opened buttons to give himself access to tight, taut little nipples that he rolled in his fingers.  "Indeed we are flying, my little cricket."

 

His giggles caught with moans, throwing his head back as a million lights flashed in his drug addled brain. He knew what was going on… insanely pleased, even as the drugged part of his brain swamped with pleasure and shut Logical Brain up. He threw his head back again, exposing his throat and asking for kisses without words.... and fell backwards.

 

His arms windmilled a moment before he crashed backwards, on his back on the plush carpet of the plane. He stared up at his lover... blinked, and he just about died laughing at Lionel’s face.

 

Disgust mixed with horror and concern, but the latter two quickly melted away as he looked down at his high lover.  "Dominic Senatori, I am going to flush those pills of yours down the first toilet we come to as soon as we arrive," Lionel swore softly.

 

He sat up, tugging Lionel’s pants, his waist, pulling him forward so he could get on the floor too, in the cocoon of seats. "Okay! Fe'l'good, veeeeera good, want sex!" He kept tugging, experienced little fingers sliding between spread thighs to...convince him to get on the floor with him, eyes dancing as he met his.

 

And stuck his foot back in the air.

 

Lionel hissed a breath through clenched teeth as knowing fingers stroked over the length of his shaft, teasing the head as he growled.  "Dominic, put your foot down before I trip over it."

 

"H'ss name 'is Herbert. He stays in the air. He likes it." Dominic nodded as he ducked his head between Lionel’s thighs, and sucked at the cloth covered head, sucking through tuxedo and underwear. There was just enough materiel to wrap his mouth around the tip of it and apply pressure, hands squeezing his thighs tightly as he urged him. "Floor, me, fuck, me, dick, in me, me, dick, dick me!"

 

A soft curse as Lionel’s fingers slipped through what there was of Dominic's hair and pulled his head back.  "I am not having sex with you if you are naming your body parts and speaking of them in the third fucking person," Lionel said clearly.  "Next thing I know, you'll have named your dick and I refuse to sleep with anyone who has a named dick."

 

"Dick? Where’s Dick? You mean my dick? Its hard. Suck it?" And his eyes pleaded, hazy as they were, tears filling them and chin quivering as he begged. "Pleeeeeeeease?"

 

Lionel was trapped between the desire to do exactly that, and to laugh his ass off.  "You really are out of your head.  Oh, that I had a camera to tape this, I would have blackmail material for the rest of our lives."

 

"Head, head, want yours out and in me!" And he gave it a squeeze, to cement his point.

 

And it was the first thing Consuela saw when she walked in the back. Dominic on his hands and knees, hands on Lionel’s thighs and between his legs... and Mr. Luthor smiling down at him.

 

Oh boy.

 

"I... I didn’t mean to intrude, sir, I’m sorry. I j…" She turned and spoke with her back turned to them. "I wanted to inform you that we're starting over the Pacific Ocean as we speak. We'll be in Venice Nacione'l in six hours and twenty minutes."

 

"Thank you, Consuela.  Let me know when we're on final approach, please, and call ahead to the lounge and see if they can have a very, very large pot of hot coffee waiting on the private lounge when we land." 

 

"Yes, sir. I’m sorry again to disturb you." And she walked, proudly, calmly, back to the cock pit and firmly shut the door behind her.

 

"Coooffffeeee, seeeexxxxxx," Dominic sang loudly, tugging on his lover again, as he began to undo his own pants. "Seeex, cooffeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!"

 

Lionel seriously contemplated gagging his beloved Jiminy.  Then threatened it anyway.  "Dominic, if you do not stop singing, I will gag you with your own bow tie."  He settled himself between his lover's knees, hands rubbing the hard bulge in Dominic's crotch.

 

"Coofffeee--mmph." The groan was heavy, and he squirmed, arching his back up...as his foot stuck in the air. Oh! Then he pushed, pulled, yanked his lover down and kissed him--hard and sloppy and wet, and he dragged his mouth down to Lionel’s throat a moment later to suck at it. "F'lls gooooood. Should'na taken s'many pills. Like it! Nice!" He laughed, rolling his hips up into the touch as his legs wound around Lionel’s upper back and thrust up in invitation and offering.

 

Lionel slid down, finishing the work of opening his lover's pants, and pulling out his hard cock.  Gentle, loving strokes of his fist down the hard length, and then he looked up at his lover.  With a smirk, he leaned down, and swallowed Dominic to the root in a single motion, deepthroating him with no teasing foreplay.

 

Oh, YES! OOOOO! He felt every nerve tingle, gasping and arching his back as he let out a hoarse, loud cry in laughing, joyous pleasure, squirming in his lovers mouth and his hips began to move, to fuck, instinctual and he didn’t have much control over his body so what the hell. It did what it wanted and he was pleased as hell, fucking cause he wanted to and it wasn’t scary and he didn’t really figure Lionel would care. There was a first time for everything, you know.

 

Lionel didn't care.  His hands gently guided and regulated the deep strokes into his throat, and his tongue lapped around the base, stretching down to barely lick the top of his lover's pouch before sucking him deep again.  His teeth lightly tugged the head, catching it on every thrust out and sucking hard on it before letting it slide back out of his wet lips.

 

Oh, it was heaven. He could say he'd never done this before, fucking into a warm throat, and he moved and thrust and bucked, the mouth, hot, delicious, warming around him, and when the words broke from his throat, they were wet with pleasure and tears. "I l-love you… thank you, I love you, love you, love.." He arched when a bolt of pleasure lapped at his belly, thrashing his head on the carpet and closing his eyes tightly.

 

Lionel purred deep in his throat, letting the vibrations of it pass through his lover's cock.  His fingertips slipped under an untucked white shirt, stroking a taut belly gently in acknowledgement and welcome before his hands slid down to his lover's ass, pushing up and encouraging him to thrust harder and faster as Lionel moved his mouth more and more rapidly up and down the length of his lover's cock.

 

Oh. He moved faster, whimpering in pleasure as orgasm danced in front of his eyes. It was beginning to tickle at the base of his spine, almost there, almost there. He thrust into his lover, where, he didn’t know anymore, willing orifice, wrapping around him in love and he pushed into it with practiced thrusts, easy and sweet but faster, harder, rolling his hips up and down as he threw his head back and moaned.

 

Lionel's tongue licked harder, teeth scraping gently, teasingly along the hard length as he sucked, bringing the cock in his mouth deep into his throat with each taste.  It slid over his tongue, into his throat, and back out again as he tugged the head easily with his lips.  His head shook a little each time, rubbing his lover's cock back and forth as he brought his hand up to roll it in his palm.

 

Dominic glanced down, to watch, to see and upon seeing his lover, eyes closed, concentrating on his cock as it slipped in and out, wetly, warmly, was just about it.

 

He came, on a hair trigger, and in the same moment… his limbs became lead, orgasm shorting out his brain and what was left of his thought processes. He passed out coming, balls exploding as his head lolled and his eyes closed.

 

Lionel swallowed everything that was pumped into his mouth, hands resting on clothed thighs as he sucked out the last of his lover's come, teasing it with his tongue until there was nothing left.  He slowly let Dominic's cock slip out of his mouth, and as he looked up, he was torn between pride and indignance.  Dominic had passed out on him, and whether he should be proud of the fact he was good enough to knock his Jiminy out or whether he should be angry at his lover for not hanging around for the finale, and he couldn't quite choose which one to be.

 

Pride won out, and Lionel tidied his lover up, manhandled him back onto the seat, and strapped him in, self-satisfied grin on his face the entire time.

 

 

~ *~* ~ 

 

And there he stayed, unconsciousness sliding to sleep, and he eventually shifted, laying his cheek into the crook of his lovers neck and sleeping deeply in the cocoon of his lovers arms. And that’s where he was three hours later when his dreams, strange and sexy and fun and full of joy, let him go. He shifted, murmuring softly, and felt his fingers wrapped around other fingers, and a warm chest and a place where it was safe. He opened his eyes blearily... noting the window, the airplane window, though it didn’t quite dawn on him to be terrified when he was in the best place in the world.

 

He pressed his cheek softly into a warm jaw...sighed, and looked up, murmuring about nothing in particular as he kissed underneath his lovers jaw, lapping softly at it with a sleep-numb mouth.

 

Lionel had drifted off into a light drowse as he held his beloved close, and he woke when Dominic moved, and tilted his head to accommodate the kisses under his jaw, thumb moving to sweep lovingly over Dominic's cheek and jawline.

 

He kept kissing, soft, warm, and love was so rich and heavy in his heart. He woke up feeling...playful, deeply in love, and he grinned into warm skin, shifting a little away so he could look up at his lover, tilt his face into the warm touches. "Hi."

 

"Hello, little cricket."  Lionel let his thumb caress gently again and again, feeling the stubbly skin with pleasure.  "Feeling a bit more yourself, are you?"

 

He nodded, happily, cuddling up, linking their arms together as he lay his temple on Lionel’s. "Did I sleep?" Their fingers were still linked between them and Dominic caressed the back of Lionel’s thumb with his own, sighing softly.

 

A very, very loud snicker.  "Yes, love, you did.  You slept like a baby."

 

Dominic jumped, eyes wide, and looked up at his lover as the plane dipped altitude just a little bit. Funny, he didn’t notice anything other then the evil chuckle. One killer brow rose, and he blinked. "What did you do?"

 

The self-satisfaction changed quickly to indignance.  "You don't remember, do you?"

 

Dominic. Just. Stared. "No?"

 

A very, very wide chuckle.  "I'm hurt, Jiminy.  Deeply wounded that you do not remember what you called the best blowjob that you've ever received in your entire existence."

 

His eyes widened, into twin saucers, and the blood drained out of his face. Oh. Oh, God. "Did… was it…" And now, as he tried in vain to remember, very vague memories of fucking something pushed into his mind. "I... I t-thought, dream? it was... Lionel, Oh, God." He turned blood red and hid his face in his shoulder, cringing.

 

Lionel sniffed, while trying to hold in the guffaws that so desperately wanted to escape.  "You said you only wished your dreams were that good."

 

"It was good." He winced, even worse, and when he heard the sniff, all the blushed blood flew out of his face and he gazed up, grabbing Lionel’s jaw and staring at him in horror. "I am. So. Sorry. I am so, so sorry. Oh, God, baby, I’m sorry."

 

Lionel just couldn't hold it in any longer.

 

Deep, rich laughter spilled into the cabin as Lionel held his sides.  "The pout... gets you... every time!" he choked out between wheezing gales.

 

Dominic’s mouth dropped, and he smacked his arm, hard, then again, crying out in his own indignation. "LIONEL! Its not funny! Its not FUNNY!"

 

"It's damned well hysterical," Lionel said, guffaws dying down into soft chuckles.

 

"Christ." He reached over his lover, right over his whole body, and yanked the pills out of his pocket. His knees were gelatin but he rose, rockily, straightening the Jell-o out and snagging every piece of furniture on his way back to the bathroom.

 

About a minute later he reappeared, snarled, and sat down heavily, arms crossed. "Dr. Pierson gave me those. I always take four or five of them. Bastard."

 

And he gasped, a. "Did I sing show tunes?!"

 

"No, but I did meet Herbert."

 

Pink was a horrid shade on him. "Oh. My. God."

 

"Right wonderful fellow he was, and there was singing involved at one point; I threatened to gag you with your bow tie."

 

Dominic slapped a hand to his face, and peered at his lover between his fingers. "Any impersonations?"

 

"You actually did a fairly good impersonation of a drunken Lex, though I'm not sure you meant to, or that you should be flattered," teased Lionel mercilessly.

 

He stared at his lover. Blinked. And reached in, and kissed his lover furiously. Fast, hard, sloppy, sexy, wet, wonderful. Dominic cupped his cheeks and kissed him as hard as he could, tongue thrusting in deeply and tangling with his lovers, bruising their lips and he didn’t care.

 

Lionel returned the rough, hard kiss, his hand sliding to the back of his lover's head and holding him there, free hand moving to his shoulder and rubbing at the nape of his lover's neck with the pad of his thumb.

 

When finally, moments, hours, years later Dominic let go, he was panting softly, and holding Lionel close in apology and utter mortification. "My God. I’m so sorry. I think its possible I’ve never been this embarrassed in my life."

 

Lionel slipped his hands down Dominic's back and held him tightly, pressing kisses to his neck.  "Don't be," he murmured softly.  "It only means that I get to try again tonight."

 

Oh, God. Dominic looked up, swallowing, hopeful though he'd made a total fool of himself, and lay his cheek against Lionel’s as his lover kissed him. Hair that smelled like rain was so easy to stroke and touch, and Dominic murmured softly as he closed his eyes and tried to pretend he hadn’t jumped his lover and asked for sex while Herbert was in the air.

 

God. At least he hadn’t begun singing pop songs.

 

Lionel started to hum something obnoxious he'd heard on the radio several days ago from Shayla's room.  God only knew what the child had been playing, but the lyrics had been fairly easy to comprehend even three halls over.

 

"Show me the meaning of being lonely, is this the reason I need to want you... tell me why I can't be there where you are... there's something missing in my life."

 

Dominic stared at his lover... and a slow, soft smile crossed his face, a single eyebrow raising up high. So he wasn’t a mush ball, huh? Oh, and he sang so lovely, and Dominic thought better then to tell him he was singing the Backstreet Boys, simply linking their fingers and pressing his lips together. "How about...." He cleared his throat. "Here and now I give my love so faithfully, and I'll always be the one."

 

Lionel smiled softly.  "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever know."

 

"My gift is my song… and this ones for you. And you can tell everybody that this is your song. It may be quite simple but, now that’s done… I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words. How wonderful life is, now that you're in the world." Dominic sang softly back, his cheeks pinking again as his eyes danced.

 

Lionel didn't sing; he spoke softly, quoting lines that he knew from memory.  "And I think to myself... what a wonderful world."  He didn't know entire stanzas or verses, only parts of it that he'd heard in passing.

 

Oh. Dominic grinned and pulled him closer. "In the name of love. One night in the name of love." And he would have said more, if the pilots voice came over the intercom.

 

"Mr. Luthor, we'll be landing in Venice in exactly 45 minutes. We caught a tail of wind and we shaved off almost an hour on travel time. I'll inform you when we're ready to land."

 

Lionel leaned over and pressed the button for the intercom.  "Thank you, Consuela.  And you can cancel the order for coffee."

 

"Yes, sir." And her voice was deeply amused, as she cut off the communication and turned to glance at her co-pilot. "I told you so. 'Noooo, Connie, they can't be intimate, you're insane.'" Her eyes rolled at her friend and coworker.   "Next time, trust a woman’s intuition, will you?"

 

John held up his hands.  "You're right, you're right.  I give.  You win.  You had it nailed, if you'll pardon the expression.  I just didn't think the boss man could get it up anymore... never seemed like the type."

 

"Oh, please. He's robust, not old." Consuela rolled her eyes and adjusted her earphones a moment as she kept speaking to him. "You owe me a drink and a night of babysitting, Queens."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know.  I'll buy you the drink when we land."  He turned back to his own controls.  "Man's two years older'n Moses, Connie."

 

"His boyfriend isn’t." She rose a brow at him as she glanced down through the light winter clouds at Italy, right below them, and sighed softly at the romance of it as she began to circle and put in the coordinates where they needed to land.

 

"His boyfriend?  Jesus, that could be his kid."  John fed in the landing vector and radioed into the tower for landing clearance and their plane identification.

 

"I think its romantic." And she did, too. Sometimes it didn’t matter about age, or race, or anything else. Her own husband was almost fifteen years older then her, and they had three kids and another coming in another eight months. So, no, she thought it was just fine. "You're just a youngn'."

 

"Yeah, well, this youngn' is sick of flying Love Shack Patrol," John muttered.  "At least it's not Luthor Junior and those crackwhores he used to date."

 

"Oh, God. The brunette, with that grating accent? I thought I was going to have to ring her neck. She wanted this, she wanted that. What do I look like, a Stewardess?" Even the memory of that tramp made her growl, and she gently tipped the controls left as they passed through another cloud and began to very slowly descend.

 

"Yeah, well, there was this one he flew with to... oh, Jesus, Amsterdam or some shit... dumb as a fucking post.  Long brown hair, slutty outfit... probably the same one.  Thought I was gonna kill her ass."

 

"That’s her. And then there was the blond, the model. The red head... the other brunette, the short one." She sighed it, shaking her head. "I've got a feeling Mr. Senatori's a fling."

 

John raised both eyebrows.  "Dish, Connie."

 

"I don’t know... I was talking to Phillip a few weeks ago, and he said they've been seeing a lot of each other. Go out to dinner, antique shopping, stuff like that. And he said he's never seen Mr. Luthor happier... but..." She shook her head. "Woman’s intuition."

 

"Baloney.  Give."  John glared.  "Or I'll renege on the babysitting."

 

She passed a grin his way, and cocked a brow. "I’ve heard rumblings. Lots of underground stuff, stuff on the news, newspaper and stuff. Seeing them together… people are saying Senatori's after his money."

 

John whistled.  "Gives gold digger a whole new term.  And Luthor's sure got enough bucks to go after."

 

"Saw it on Hollywood Insider." Connie sighed. "You know Mr. Luthor gets distracted by his dick. You and I have seen it enough."

 

"Yeah, he does, but hey... this is the first time we've ferried Luthor Senior anywhere with any of his... what's the word nowadays?  Tricks?  Boyfriends?  Significant Others?"

 

"You've got a point. To Venice, no less, the most romantic city in the world." Oh, and she sighed with the storybook romance of it. "I've always wanted to come to Venice. How long did he say we'd be needed? Maybe we can catch in the sights. Oh, I want a souvenir for my husband."

 

"He ain't gonna need us until tomorrow sometime, cause that's when they're jettin' back to the states.  Gotta have 'em back by Monday morning."  He looked at Connie.  "I'll bet you that same ten bucks I just lost that when we pick 'em back up, they're still together."

 

"You think so?" She cocked a brow. "Alright... I’m pessimistic, but you've been right about this stuff in the past. You're still buying me a drink, buster."

 

"Deal."  John steered the plane towards the runway.  "Drinks are on me, but we've still got the bet."

 

Lionel settled back in the chair after clicking the intercom off, and pulled Dominic against him.  "I should tell you something, love.  I know you wanted Ms. Bird here for you, but she came down with a small virus and didn't feel like making the overseas trip.  I'm sorry, Jiminy.  But, I did make other arrangements."

 

His eyes widened, and a note of sadness filled them, frowning a little and looking down. "Is she alright?"

 

"Yes, she's fine, don't worry.  It's just a stomach virus, and before you're worried, Enrique's already on taking her to the doctor this morning when I called."

 

"Good." He shifted again. "Ms. Birds like... I don’t know what she's like, but she's wonderful." He frowned again. "I wish she could have been with us today." He straightened his shoulders, his suit, making sure everything was in order as he buckled his seat belt.

 

"A grandmother?" Lionel ventured a guess.

 

"Yes. A grandmother, that’s exactly right." Dominic nodded it, completely firm on his belief. "She's bitchy enough to be mine by blood, too."

 

"You are more than welcome to the dear lady," Lionel said with a grin.  "Though I must admit, I don't know what I would do without her."

 

"She makes good cheese sandwiches." Dominic said affirmatively. She'd won his heart, through his belly… and she was, in all instances, the love of his life. She made cheesecake that could make a grown man weep... and he often had.

 

That made him smile again, and he gently reached over, taking his lovers hand in his own. "Are you nervous, baby?"

 

"Absolutely not," Lionel said firmly, even though his stomach was roiling.  "I'm not nervous at all."  He squeezed Dominic's hand in his own.  "I don't have anything to be nervous about; I'm going to marry the man I love, and nothing is going to stop me."

 

"I’m a little nervous." He smiled softly, glancing up shyly under his lashes. "Before... before we land, and the insanity ensues trying to get this started... I should tell you I am so confidant in what we can accomplish together. I will always be here for you, no matter what. Beyond love, beyond any emotion, you are my husband, and I'll honor you and stand by your side until we both die. I'll worship and adore you until that very last day, and beyond it."

 

Lionel looked at his lover, running a fingertip over the soft lips that had just spoken.  "I finally believe that, Dominic.  Not that I didn't before, but now I have no doubts."

 

He beamed. Just beamed, and kissed that gently moving finger. "You won’t mind it? When I get accidentally high, or eat ice cream in bed, or snore?"

 

"I won't mind it, not at all, because you'll be in the bed with me, and that, Dominic... that alone is worth anything that you do."

 

"I love you, so very much."

 

"I love you, my Dominic... my Jiminy."  He rubbed Dominic's lips lightly again.  "My little cricket of a conscience."

 

He smiled very softly at his love, the true love of his life, and chuckled softly. "I love it when you call me that."

 

"Which one?" he asked softly.  "Jiminy?"

 

"'My'."

 

"My Dominic."  Lionel's hand stroked over his lover's marked thigh, even through the fabric.  "Mine... always."

 

The touch made a sigh slip from him, windy and soft, and his fingers covered Lionel’s on his leg. "Since the moment you gave me this mark… I have regretted nothing with you. Nothing. It was so hard, for so long, to believe that in my lifetime I could find someone who made me complete. Who I completed. But look at us, here we are. We're lucky sons of bitches."

 

"Yes, we are.  We are definitely lucky bastards."  He rubbed his thumb over the mark on his lover's leg.  "I have to confess something to you; I didn't intend to mark you that night.  Truly, I didn't.  I'd had the knife there to cut cloth and rope if needed, not your skin.  But it seemed so right, and now I know why."

 

He tipped his head, and his smile slipped out without him being able to stop it. "Really? It felt true. When you asked, it was just… it was perfect." He glanced up shyly. "Have you ever done anything like that?"

 

"Really."  He slid the back of his fingers across his lover's cheek.  "I've never done anything like that before.  Ever."

 

Dominic leaned into the touch gently. "It was the most erotic moment of my life."

 

"I'm glad."  Lionel stroked a little heavier, pressing his fingers against Dominic's face instead of just brushing lightly.  "I knew, after I had done it, that I was never letting you go; that I was making you mine, and I hadn't even thought of all that it entailed.  But it was right; because the moment I gave you that mark... you possessed me entirely."

 

He caught Lionel’s fingers on his face, pressed them closer, and then pressed his cheek to Lionel’s face, holding him tenderly, softly. "I’ve always been yours. I was just waiting for you to figure it out." A murmur as he kissed his skin softly, and closed his eyes tightly. God, he was so happy.

 

Just happy. Because he could be.

 

"I knew you were mine when you let me inside you. Your face... I had just slipped inside, and you looked so shocked." He was smiling, gazing at nothing in particular. "Like you couldn’t believe something could feel so good and so complete. Like it was all okay. That’s when I knew, that was it, head over heels, every cliché I’ve ever heard came true."

 

Lionel pulled Dominic against him, holding him tightly, stroking his back and murmuring.  "That was the most... unbelievable experience.  I'd never had anyone inside be before; I can tell you now that I was frightened... but it worked out.  You didn't hurt me, I knew that you wouldn't and yet I was still scared; scared that you'd think I was less of a man for not knowing, scared you wouldn't like it."  He squeezed.  "I know better now."

 

He squeezed tight back, hugging him to his chest and they fit. They fit, perfectly, angle to angle, curve to curve. He fit his shoulder right against Lionel’s, his neck fit beside his lovers... even his arms wrapped perfectly around his back. It was fate. And he was so glad someone had finally looked and helped him and given him joy like this. "You were shaking, and you were trying not to and it was so sweet. You were so brave, so wonderful, and worshipping your body was, and will always be, my greatest pleasure." He murmured.

 

"Just as worshipping yours fills a place inside me that I can't describe.  ever since you told me that no one ever has before, there's just a little pocket inside me that feels so indescribably wonderful when I know that I am giving you even a tenth of the pleasure that you give me, just by waking up beside me in the morning.  I may not have much else to offer you besides myself, but you have all of me."

 

"No one. No one has ever touched me the way you do. No woman, no man, no one. Just... just you, my beloved." He whispered, and kissed his ear softly. "I don’t want anything else." He looked up at him, and his eyes now, were very serious as he cupped that strong jaw. "I want you to do something for me."

 

"If it is within my power, it's yours," Lionel promised softly.

 

"Don’t change your will to include me."

 

"What?"  Lionel was dumbstruck.  "But... it's already in the works."

 

He swallowed. "I’m sorry to bring it up on our wedding day. But don’t. Okay?"

 

"I'll call the lawyers as soon as we land and put a stop to it.  But... tell me why."

 

"No." He shook his head firmly. "Our children, our grand children, Lex. Don’t include me." He quieted a moment, thinking about the best way to put this. "We're about to get married. You’re one of the most powerful men on the planet, and you're about to get married to your assistant, a man. I know you don’t care, but I do. I won't have your reputation tarnished, I won't have people thinking I’m marrying you for your money. I won't have people knowing you’re the softy you are, I won't have them thinking you’re senile in your old age, or that what we have is filthy. And that’s why, I don’t want any of your money when you die, baby.  Are we clear?"

 

Lionel stroked his lover's face gently.  "We're clear.  I don't have to like it; I don't have to like it at all, but for your sake, I will accept it.  I'll call my lawyers as soon as we're on the ground and have the changes stopped."

 

"Good." Dominic nodded, and gazed up at him, a slow smile creeping over his face. "You were already changing it?"

 

"Yes, I was.  I called not long after my accident, in fact, and had the changes drafted.  I just haven't gotten to call yet to sign the new draft and make it officially legal."

 

He grinned, and sat back into the cushions. "That’s really sweet." A glance up. "If I kick the bucket before you do, and believe me, it'll be from a stroke after I walk in on Shayla and Peter having sex, I want you to have a big party in my honor, and give all my money to the Make A Wish foundation."

 

"You have my power of attorney," Lionel said softly.  "The papers are drawn up and waiting for your signature when we return home."

 

"I need to tell you something."

 

"Tell me, Dominic."

 

"I have to. Before we get married. I know you can't give me this assurance, but I need to hear it from you." He said it softly.

 

"What is it, my Jiminy?"

 

"Since your accident.." He swallowed and looked down at his hands. "I’ve been having nightmares. I don’t..." He looked up, and his throat was tight and hot. "I don’t want you to die, okay? So don’t die, not for a while. A long while. Have a couple of kids and anniversaries with me first."

 

"I won't make you any promises that I can't keep," Lionel finally said.  "But I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to stay here, in this world, with you.  If it will make you happy, I will give up my cars, and allow myself to be driven everywhere, either by you or another driver, and I will be getting a physical soon from the good Dr. Braxton."

 

Dominic looked up, eyes glassing over before he could help it, and he cleared his throat softly and kept his eyes and face trained out the window on the other wall, where it was Saturday afternoon, three o’clock, bright and sunny and cold. He swallowed and finally smiled, shaking his head. "Listen to me. We should be talking wedding. We're going to have to dredge up a priest… but hello, its Italy. There's a lot of them."

 

"Dominic... I promise you that I will not be leaving you any time soon."  He pressed soft kisses to his lover's face.  "Do not have nightmares; do not worry.  You, my beloved little cricket, are stuck with me."

 

He wasn’t sure his lover understood the depth of his fear. But that was all the better--this was something he would carry alone, and something he would someday face. He could handle that, as long as the joy and happiness came first, as long as they could have many years together. And today, today they were going to begin those years, start new and fresh and all over again. Today was a new day.

 

And thank God for it.

 

Lionel slipped his fingers through Dominic's, and squeezed, gently.  "I will always love you."

 

"I know." He sighed, melodramatically. "It seems, quiiite unfortunately, I’m stuck with you." A roll of his eyes, though he squeezed back, just as gently, and wrapped his free fingers over both their hands. "So much for the Don Juan."

 

"You can be as much of a Don Juan as you want, so long as I am the only heart you intend to capture," Lionel growled.  "I do not share well with others."

 

"You never did." Dominic smiled very sweetly. "So much for that orgy I had planned."

 

"Orgy?" Lionel growled, a bit more menacingly than before.

 

"Indeed. Lex and Clark, Chloe and her quarterback. Don’t you know I had one planned?" His eyes danced teasingly, though his face was completely straight.

 

"Remind me to find my gun when we get home."

 

He chuckled wickedly. "What, you thought I was going to say Asshole and Martha?"

 

Lionel crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his lover.  "That is not a joking matter, Dominic Senatori."

 

"The Asshole part? I could call him Dick Head, if you like. I’ve a colorful vocabulary for the likes of him."

 

"I don't want to hear his name mentioned again today.  I'll not have anything intruding on our happiness, and that includes memories and old arguments."

 

"I didn’t mention his name." Dominic said it cheerfully, though he pinched his cheek and yawned. "Where are we off to, when we land, darling?"

 

"Now that is a surprise that you have to wait for."

 

"I love you, Lionel."

 

"I love you, Jiminy."  He paused.  "But I'm still not spoiling the surprise."

 

"Damn!"

 

 

-fin-

 

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