The Memoirs

The first thing that Lex became aware of was that he was still buried deeply inside his lover. The thought brought a big smile to his face, and he tightened his grip on Clark's waist. He pulled himself closer, and his hips thrust just a little, causing his cock to move and stir inside his lover's body. He pressed soft kisses at the nape of Clark's neck, and just snuggled closer.

And then he realized.

He was still buried inside Clark. As in... had been in him ALL NIGHT.

He didn't care. He loved it. Loved waking up buried in his lover's tightness, and he snuggled close to Clark again.

He was in dreams. Swirling color, strange lights, lovely, beautiful of splendor and radiance. Walking through some uncharted palace, feeling like he was a part of it...sleeping, with a man who'd become so comfortable it was like a piece of his own self.

The thrilling pleasure, and the pride of it, as his lover shifted behind him, as he woke from the hazy, golden dreams, brought a smile as big as the sun to his lips.

His lover. HIS. Lover. Lex was his, he was Lex's, and the pure unadulterated pleasure of the thought made him grin like an idiot and shifted his hips. "Mmm'ornin."

"Morning, baby." The shift of Clark's hips cause Lex's cock to throb gently, and he all but purred. "How are you?"

He shifted… half turned, just a little to look over his shoulder. And just grin. "Firs' time we wake up like this. Together. I 'lways gotta go. Today, don’t gotta go. Just class, then home."

Lex frowned at the mention of leaving. "Do you have to go to class?"

"'lready read all my text books." He sighed softly. He'd read them an hour before class, and was already completely familiar on all the concepts. "Sometimes, gotta lie on my tests. If not, I'd get all hundreds. But, dad'll have a coronary if I don’t go." Another shift, and this time it was he who purred in pleasure. "Like you in me. Feels... complete."

Lex smoothed his hand over his lover's flank. "Don't go... get a perfect score on your next test and prove to your father that you've been studying extra-hard to make up for the day of hooky." He raised a leg gently and hooked it over Clark's calf, and he stayed pressed close so that his cock remained inside his beloved.

Oh. Oh, yes. Clark heaved a quiet sigh, snuggling back into Lex's embrace. He felt... there was a blossoming of something in his heart. He felt, almost, like this was the rest of his life. And the funniest thing was that it was... it was so okay. There was a peace here, where he knew he could discover himself without prejudice, without pain, where he could stop being afraid of tomorrow and look at it with his lover by his side. His family.

"I’m... I’m so grateful to you." He whispered, and wasn’t shocked to feel the rush of emotion to the tightness of his throat. "Lex, I love you so much."

"I love you, Clark. I don't have words for how much." He slipped his fingers through Clark's, holding them tightly against his lover's chest. "Stay with me today. I shouldn't ask. But I miss you." He stroked Clark's face, touched his cheek. "If anyone is grateful, Clark... it's me. You've given me so much."

"I'll stay. I have to stay… I could never deny you." He grinned and rubbed his face into the pillow under him, giving a soft little thrust back... and blinking. Still inside. His lover was still... inside of him. Stayed all night, all night because Lex loved him, and he grinned in pleasure...

And groaned in disgust.

He was gooey. "Uh… Lex?"

"Mmm?" He was only paying half attention to his lover, quieted now that he'd won Clark's agreement to stay, and contenting himself with touching as much skin as his hands could reach without moving, pressing kisses to his flesh.

Lex's hands on his body was delicious, the touch only making him feel protected and adored, but... yeah. Gooey. Massively, really, gooey. He let out a grunt of disgust again... couldn’t get an erection when he was squishy, okay? Maybe he was a lush, but he had this thing with being clean. At least, most of the time. And as his lover shifted, and pressed in closer to him, he could feel the gooeyness. And it... was… turning... his... stomach. "Lex." He keened, trying to get his attention.

Lex blinked at the quiet, plaintive whine from his lover. "Clark? What is it?" He raised himself up on his elbow and looked down.

He winced, visibly, and squeezed his tight channel around Lex's flaccid cock, and the gooeyness made a sound. Oh, God. He gagged, visibly, eyes widening before he slapped a palm over his face and looked at his lover in horror.

Lex blinked again. "There's... this is interesting! I've never realized that semen would or could stay viable this long inside the incubation of a body."

"Its... not.... semen." Clark moaned. And it wasn’t. It wasn’t. He just knew, like he knew the sky was blue and the grass was green and whatever gooeyness was all over his ass and Lex's crotch was NOT SEMEN.

He moaned in disgust, grunting as he gagged again and started to try and pull away. "Gonna puke. Lex, get out."

"You're not going to puke." But Lex obeyed, rolling away from his lover and slowly pulling out. The clear, thick fluid clung to his cock in strings and globs, and he was utterly fascinated. "You've never secreted during sex before, Clark. Do you realize that? This is something completely new about your physiology that we've never encountered."

He wasn’t going to puke. He wasn’t going to puke. No puking.

He calmed himself, taking deep, soft breaths, and tried not to think about the globby white ucky all over the fucking place. "Realize. Gross. Beyond. Imagining." He closed his eyes and kept right on breathing through the nausea, trying not to think about the ucky slickness under his hips as he lay flat on the bed, calming himself with inhales and exhales. "Ew. Ew. Ew."

"It's not gross, Clark. It's fascinating. I can't wait to take a scraping down to the lab, and find out what this is composed of. There are a few mammals that have anal secretion glands, but none that secrete a lubricant. If I could find a way to reproduce this... Clark, I was inside you all night and there's no pain, no chafing, no discomfort!"

Clark rolled his head, and stared at his lover. A long moment. Before he, quite literally, burst out laughing. Christ, he LOVED this man. Nausea under control he yanked him over, giving him a hard kiss as he kept right on laughing, shaking his head. "Perfect mate. Isn’t grossed out by squishiness in my ass."

Lex settled himself on top of Clark, unwittingly spreading the lubricant over Clark's belly and matting the slowly-returning pubic hair with it. "Why would I be grossed out by it?"

He gagged again. Couldn’t help it. He didn’t think Lex could smell it, but the scent was nauseatingly sweet, like liquefied candy, and he gagged again, slapping a hand over his mouth and wincing visibly.

Lex shook his head. "Baby? What's wrong? Do we need to get you into the shower?"

He nodded, violently, gazing up at his lover with near horror as he shook Lex away and... climbed to his feet. But he had to sit to stand, and he felt the ucky goo everywhere, and he all but fell over with disgust, and began to murmur, "Will never complain about molting again. Will never complain about molting again."

"Come on." Lex put his arm around Clark's waist, and started guiding him step by step. "Come on, let's get you in the shower."

"Never. You hear me? Never, never, never." And as gross as this was, he accepted it as natural. Whatever. It was sick as hell. "Wish I wasn’t alien. Wish I was not an alien. Who wakes up with goo coming out of their ass?"

"You do. Because you let your lover stay inside you all night; I'm actually rather glad your body took it upon itself to do this, because otherwise, you and I wouldn't be having sex for a few days."

"What?" Clark blinked at him. "Why?"

"Because, my beautiful lover, my dick would be so sore from being inside a tight, hot, dry place, rasping against your skin all night that I'd barely be able to take a piss without pain."

Clark blinked at him. "Baby?"

"Mmm?"

"If anyone ever tells you that you don’t have a gift for words, kick them in the ass."

Lex laughed as he got Clark into the bathroom, and then turned on the hot shower full blast. "Are you poking fun at my eloquence, Clark?"

He grinned, broadly, and nodded. "Peeing with the fires from hell isn’t quite the image I wanted, but you know, I forgot about my ass filled with goo there a sec." He grinned, crookedly... then shifted. "Would... uh." A wince. "How… much was there?"

"You want me to look?"

A swallow. "Please."

Lex almost made a joke about a gooey-centered Clarkbar, but given his lover's reaction to the goo, he bit his lip on it, and instead, knelt behind his lover and gently parted his cheeks. "Mmm... if I had to guess... I'd say about forty to fifty cc's; a lot less than you realize because of how slick it is."

Yeah, well, Clark heard it dammit! He heard the gooey Clark center, and yeah, he wanted to laugh, but he was more grossed out! He glanced over his shoulder, and glared. Deeply. "I will never again be able to eat jelly donuts. Ever." Oh. Heeee! "Cc"'s. Now that was cute. "Layman?"

Lex muffled a snicker in his lover's thigh. "Yes, you will. I'll hide them under a plain donut and you'll never know the difference." He paused. "In layman's terms? About four or five ejaculations worth."

"OH MY GOD!" He cried, and shuddered from the tips of his now slightly spiky hair to his toes. "Ew! Ew, ew, ew! EW! I have a gallon of CRAP in me! Out! We gotta get it out!"

"Clark!!!" Lex bellowed. "You do not have a gallon of anything inside of you. Your body capacity will not hold that much."

He turned, and glared. Deeply. Grabbed his lover, hoisted him up, and peered into his big blue eyes. "I have. A gallon. Of ick. Inside me. Out."

Lex blinked. "You do not. You have about fifty CC's, which is slightly more than an average diabetic's injection of insulin. You are, my beloved, getting excited over a very small amount of very, very slick goo."

"Yes! I am!" And it horrified him how near tears he was. "Yes, I am! Get it out! I don’t want slick goo inside me, I want it o-out, cause it stinks and I want to be clean!"

Lex switched gears suddenly, seeing how upset this was making his lover. "All right. Come on. Get in the shower, start scrubbing off. I'll be right behind you in a minute, I just need to get something."

"A shower w-will fix it?" He sniffled softly, chin quivering, and this was part alien tendency, part very human horror. He rubbed the back of his hand over his nose, and walked gingerly to the stall, reaching in and turning it on to heat.

"A shower will help to fix it; I'm going to get something out of my closet that will help clean you out inside."

"Okay." Another sniffle, and he grabbed a towel from the shelf always packed full of them, and stepped in.

Lex made sure that Clark was safely in the shower before hurrying to his closet. Not quite running, his gait was much faster than normal as he threw open the small door in his closet that lead to his toy room. He pulled open the bottom drawer, and revealed an array of instruments that looked like they'd be more at home in the lab than in here. Lex hunted a moment before closing his hand around a clear plastic bag and the attached plastic nozzle, and barely took the time to kick the drawer closed before darting back into the bathroom. "I'm back, Clark, and I'm going to get in the shower with you, all right?"

He was standing under the shower spray, and barely heard. A little nod as the water ran down the long expanse of his back, over his broad, muscular chest, and down the concave belly to nestle in the reemerging curls just beginning to resurface around his cock. He'd have to shave it off sometime this week, when he remembered, anyway. He glanced up through the frosted glass at his lover, and moved the nozzle away a little before opening the door to invite him in.

Lex climbed in behind his lover, shut the door, and took the bottle of soap from the ledge. Lifting the bottle, he poured several squirts into the clear bag, and then held the bag under the shower spray, filling it. He shook it up, and then showed the bag of soapy water to Clark. "What I'm going to do is clean you out inside. I'm going to very gently slide this inside you, and squeeze the water in. I'll leave it in for a few minutes, and then move the nozzle and let it come out. All right?"

Clark… blinked. He gazed at the water… then at his lover, the streams of water from the shower head rolling down the sides of his face and nose as he gazed t his lover. "Is… its safe?" A blink. "Stupid question, but... yeah?"

"I wouldn't be suggesting it if it weren't, Clark. Hot water and soap is all I dare use; I don't know how anything else will react inside of you. However, since you shower with my soap all the time, I'm assuming that you don't have an adverse reaction to it."

"Nah. Feels... feels good." A nod, and he didn’t really want to tell his lover about the kick his belly was giving. He pushed his fingers through his hair and nodded, shifting as he moved closer to his lover to press a soft kiss to his lips, very shyly. "Sorry I’m freaking. I don’t like gooey and icky things coming from me."

"It's okay, Clark." Lex smiled and kissing his lover reassuringly. "I don't blame you; if I were in your shoes, I'm not sure that I'd be at all thrilled when if I started secreting things. But trust me, all right? I won't hurt you."

"I know." He grinned crookedly at him and turned, presenting the long, Adonis-like back to his lover. "What do I do?"

"Just spread your legs a little bit, and breathe in when I tell you."

"Okay." He leaned over, presenting himself a bit better as he began to hum to some rockers new country song, which he really.. .really liked. "Livin my life in a sloooow hell... different girl every night at the hoteell. I ain’t seen the sun shining in three damn daaayyysss." He crooned, quite badly, but there was a snickering grin in his voice as he tried to make do with the best of this.

Lex rubbed a little bit of soap on the nozzle, and pressed it against his lover's opening. "Okay, Clark. Deep breath."

Clark jumped at the warm plastic and did as he was told, inhaling softly but deeply, and holding it until his lover said.

Lex slid the nozzle into his lover's opening smoothly. "Good, Clark. This might feel a little strange at first." Holding the nozzle in place with one hand, Lex squeezed the bag with the other, sending a jet of warm water up inside his lover.

"Grah!" He cried, and his legs locked, forehead hitting the tile as he gasped. Holy shit! Okay! Fuck! His eyes were wide as his muscles in his shoulders bunched tightly. "Oh. Oh, God."

Lex stopped squeezing the bag a moment, stroking over the hard plane of Clark's back. "Are you all right? Do I need to stop? Tell me, lover."

"No. Keep going." He muttered, closing his eyes and nodding.

He wouldn’t tell that his cock was beginning to harden.

"Okay." Lex continued gently squeezing, gently filling. "Do you know that some people'--" like myself, "--find this a sexually arousing procedure?" he said blandly, trying to take Clark's mind off it.

"Really?" He gritted, closing his eyes tightly as his belly began to fill with the warm water his lover was filling him with. Strange tingling, like cramps but not, but his body needed this. It was alright, this is what was supposed to happen. The goo had to get out for everything to go as planned the day after tomorrow.

Strange, how he didn’t find his thoughts exactly that.

"Really." Lex emptied the bag into his lover, and then closed the nozzle off against the backwash. "There are some slaves who take these until their bodies are all but distended, and then they're plugged by their masters, and whipped, or spanked, or in a woman's case, fucked until they're pleading for mercy." He stroked Clark's back. "Tell me when it starts to get uncomfortable. Then I'll move the nozzle, refill the bag with clear water, and rinse you out."

He was hard. As. Rock. The water was pressed inside of him and he was finding it a hard time breathing normally, body trembling as he leaned against the tile. So full, so strange, and his cock only pleaded for a touch as he locked his muscles tight. So embarrassed, to show arousal at this... so young, only sixteen, aroused by blocks of wood, can't take this.

His whimper just… came out.

Lex's head, which was resting against Clark's cheek, shot up at the whimper. "Clark?"

He shook his head a little, terrified to move.

Except one soapy palm slipped down from his brace on the wall and disappeared behind his hip.

Lex stood up behind his lover. "Are you all right?" Then he noticed the hand sliding, and his own slipped around Clark's hip to meet over a hard cock. He smiled, and pressed a kiss to Clark's spine. Wordlessly he slipped to his knees again, mouthing the small protrusion at the base of his lover's spine as he stroked a slippery wet cock.

Oh. God. Yes. Clark gasped in pleasure, letting his head fall forward so he could watch their fingers moving over his crotch in tandem. His belly felt tingly, strange, achy, and he moaned in pleasure as he rubbed his thumb over the tip of his erection. A whimper, hard and shuddery, as Lex began to lick and mouth his back, and his fingers slipped down Lex's hand on his cock… up his arm, to thumb the mark of lovers.

Lex shuddered as Clark's thumb rubbed over the mark on his arm, and he sucked harder on the small lump. He thrust forward, feeling the water rolling over him as he rubbed his hardening cock against Clark's calf. "Clark," he whimpered, his fingers tight as he stroked his lover's cock.

"Lex... Lex," He gasped, and shook his head, trembling as he rubbed his lovers fingers over his cock. "Lex, get it out, gotta.. get it out." He whimpered, shaking his lovers fingers away as he bared himself again. "Get it out, please."

Lex let go of Clark's cock for a moment, his fingers pulling the nozzle out of his lover's opening as he moved to the side, rubbing against Clark’s leg as his arms looped around his lover's waist, all done as he was still on his knees.

Oh, god.

It gushed out of him and he gasped, letting out a keening cry of shock and surprise, clutching and grabbing onto Lex's shoulder, trembling and shaking his head and trembling in surprise as he whimpered. "L… Lex… Lex!"

Lex's fingers dug into his lover's thigh as his hand returned to stroking Clark's cock. He lifted his face up into the spray of water, gazing up at his beloved as he offered service to him. "Clark, I'm here... tell me."

"F...feels..." He shook his head, still shaking as the water ran in rivulets down his legs, and whimpered in gusty pleasure as he shuddered and dropped to his knees to kiss his lover. Hard. He covered his mouth with his own and just kissed him, hard, and hugging him tightly to him.

Lex returned the kiss wholeheartedly, his tongue thrusting back hard against Clark's, rubbing his chest against his lover's, licking and sucking at rivulets of Clark-flavored water that rolled off his lover's lips.

"Lex… bed. Bed, Lex." Clark muttered against Lex's lips, as he began to take hot, wet kisses from his mouth, his neck, consuming him in little bites when all he wanted to do was swallow him whole. He grabbed him, moving to hoist him up, and gasped, "Anything else? Said cold water. Get it in, get it out, gotta fuck you."

"Yes, need to rinse you out, make sure the soap doesn't irritate you." Lex scrambled in the floor of the shower for the bag, filling it with clear water from the shower head, and then rubbed his chin along Clark's shoulder. "Turn... turn around. Open up."

"Gonna fuck you so hard. So hard, Lex." He muttered, turning and baring himself again as his fingers returned to his erection, and he gave short, pleasure filled little moans.

Lex quickly, but not roughly, inserted the nozzle into his lover's opening, and filled him with the rinsing water. two, three, then a fourth jet of water and the bag was empty, and Lex closed the nozzle and then removed it. "Want you, Clark, take me hard."

Clark felt the same rush out of him, only slower and not as wantful to get out, and he grabbed the towel he'd tossed over the shower and took the shower itself off, drying his lover off, himself, then literally snagging him up into his arms.

He turned his lover flat, chest to chest, wrapping his arms around Lex's waist and his lovers legs around his own waist, and a busy finger, soapy, slipped down and into Lex's tiny little hole. Again, twice, not hard but not stopping, and he opened him up enough, quickly, so that when Clark sunk Lex down onto him where they stood, it was all ripe pleasure.

And he grinned. "Marking you, too."

Lex moaned with absolute, delicious pleasure as he sank down on Clark's cock. His legs tightened as did his arms, and he pulled himself up so that he pressed skin against skin, his nipples abrading roughly against Clark's as he took hard, biting kisses from the fullness of his lover's mouth. "Yes... mark me, take me, claim me, make me yours as I've made you mine," he pled, whimpered.

Clark just grinned, smiling in thrilling pleasure as he threw his head back and let out a howl of glee, and walked Lex into their bedroom, keeping him pressed tight. He simply fell back on the sheets, Lex atop him, and cocked a wicked brow as he put his arms behind him. "You like being above me, aushna'? Then be on top." His eyes were filled with amusement.

Lex's hands slid over Clark's arms, and he braced himself on strong biceps for a moment, squirming on Clark's hard cock and getting himself comfortable.

Then he reared back, arching his back and gripping Clark's thighs tightly as he started to move, fucking himself roughly on his lover's cock. Hard, grinding strokes as he rose to the tip and then slammed himself back down again, his hips moving against Clark as he rode.

Oh. There went his smile. It wiped away and was replaced by a hard grunt of pleasure as he arched, pressing his face into his hand...his fist going into his mouth to keep the cry in. Just like this, just like this, perfect and delicious and so soothing to feel his lover moving over him, pleasure intense.

So maybe that’s why he'd never understand why he fell asleep.

Lex grinned savagely as Clark arched up into him, and his hands braced tighter on his lover's thighs, riding harder and faster until the muffled moans stopped, and Lex looked down.

Clark was asleep.

Lex swore colorfully in seven different languages, one of them Latin and another Greek as he rolled off his lover.

"Aushna'... you will have some explaining to do," Lex grunted as he took his cock in his hand to finish himself off.

He was completely, totally, asleep. Deep, deep sleep. His erection softened and he didn’t even stir, just snoring softly as his wet hair hung over his forehead and moistened the pillow a little… and he shifted, just a little, closer to his lover and the warmth Lex gave off as he slept on.

It was only the work of a few practiced strokes for Lex to bring himself off, and he bit his lip to keep his cries from waking his lover. He pulled the pillowcase off one of the pillows at the foot of the bed, cleaning his hand on and then dropping it to the floor. Clean and sated, Lex curled up beside his lover, head resting on Clark's shoulder as his legs tangled in Clark's.

~ * ~ * ~

Across the house, a similar scene was happening. Or, as similar as it could be, when it wasn’t similar at all.

Dominic didn’t really know what to do with himself. He'd been awake most of the night, drinking and watching CNN, and at about five in the morning he'd fallen asleep on the small couch in their bedroom. He'd slept for about an hour or so, and woke up to nightmares. So there wasn’t really any use in going back to sleep, was there?

He felt... he didn’t really know how he felt. Horrified. Shamed. Embarrassed. Sad. Pick an adjective, and it fit Dominic Senatori to the bill.

At the moment, however, he was having an enchanting glass of whisky colored with a bit of juice, and was staring out the window as the snow fell.

Lionel had woken up alone several times during the night. Every time he'd wakened, he'd heard the drone of the television, and occasionally, the sound of tears in dreams. Everything that was in him had wanted to bring Dominic to him, but as his lover had chosen the couch and the bottle for the night's partner, there was little he could do to change it.

Instead, he rolled over quietly in bed, heart aching for his beautiful, sensitive lover, and merely watched in silence.

CNN. Al Roker got uglier as the months went by. So did Alan Greenspan. The last time he'd seen the man he'd been a little bit more... robust. Now he looked to have one foot in the grave. Terrifying, that. Dominic didn’t think Bush and his party of retards could handle the white house, let alone the national budget. And wasn’t that just a horrifying thought? Indeed.

He took a long drink from the whisky, swallowing until the glass was empty, and reached down, to refill it once more. He'd be drunk by now, if the shame of the early afternoon yesterday didn’t embarrass him back to soberness.

Lionel's heart continued to ache silently. He wanted very badly to reach out to Dominic, to touch him, caress him, hold him and cradle him tenderly, but he'd made it clear in the past that he did not appreciate his shame being witnessed by anyone. The time he'd been in the car trunk had taught Lionel that. He'd tried to remove Dominic himself and nearly gotten his hand bitten off for his trouble. Instead he'd left Dominic in the trunk, letting the proud man extract himself in his own time.

This was like that, and Lionel keenly felt his helplessness as he watched glass after glass of whiskey sliding down his lover's throat.

CNN passed like a dream. Foggy, now, much more so, and the fine cushion of good Irish whisky let him feel a reprieve from the pain. His limbs felt strangely detached, and he wondered in passing if they'd just fall off if he drank more.

Nice thought, that.

Instead he set the glass down, unaware of his lover completely, and pulled his legs up against him, turning sideways on the couch as he pulled the soft blanket closer around him and watched the television silently.

Lionel reached to the bedside table, quietly picked up one of the two remotes to the television, and clicked it off.

His eyes flickered away from the black screen of the TV… and couldn’t quite let himself look at his husband. He gazed out the window, instead, swallowing a ball of tight heat when he realized he was awake.

"Come to bed," Lionel said softly. "You've been up all night."

He answered, only because he didn’t want to attract more attention to himself, or seem the spoiled brat he was. "ih'know."

"So come to bed. Please." Lionel turned back the blankets in invitation.

Dominic nodded just a little, then, and let the blanket fall to the table in front of him, littered with glasses and bottles. He stumbled, just a little, light headed, and sank onto the mattress beside his lover.

He let his face fall into his hands, rubbing his eyes under his glasses, which he tugged off a moment later and set on the night table.

Lionel pulled his lover gently to him, tucking Dominic against him, fitting their curves and valleys together perfectly.

He was tense. Every muscle, hard as rock, for several long moments as the shame ate him alive. He almost pulled away... almost.

This was his husband. And for that, for him, he could be himself.

He let himself relax, slowly, shying away from being so close, not yet, and pulled his pillow close, pressing it under his cheek.

Each small pull away was like a stab to his heart, but Lionel didn't let it show. Instead, he stroked Dominic's cheek gently with the back of his fingers. "You didn't come to bed last night."

"'m sorry." Dominic said quietly, tensing again from his lovers fingertips, before relaxing enough to let himself be touched. "'m sorry for a lotta things."

Lionel continued stroking, though the tensing and the flinching was almost a physical blow. "It's all right; you don't have anything to be sorry for."

"It'll never go 'way. Never. Promised to you, t'get m'self over it... not. C'n never be. Donna know why y'married me. Damaged." Dominic said softly, and squeezed his eyes shut as he leaned further into his pillow.

Lionel dropped his fingers then, and lifted the hand that wore his wedding ring. "I married you because I love you, Dominic." He rubbed his fingertips over Dominic's band, and then his own. "I married you because I want to be with you, through whatever comes our way, good or bad."

"I's pretty bad." He said softly, though he tugged Lionel’s fingers close, because as much as he hated himself in this instant, he craved his lovers touch. He was selfish, so selfish for it, for making this lovely, beautiful man deal with him until their ending day, and it broke him… but he couldn’t get away. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t be sad like that anymore.

"But we have been through worse," he pointed out softly, cupping Dominic's fingers in his own, holding them as firmly as he could. "And we have survived. And we shall survive this, too, together."

Together.

Dominic gasped, hard, and turned in the sheets, pressing his face into his lovers chest tightly and hugging him. "'m selfish. I love you. Love you. Don’t want to be away. Don’t send me away, Lion'l. I love you. 'm so sorry for actin' like this, so sorry for yesterday, so sorry its still here, so sorry I canna never be free of it. I love you."

Lionel's arms went around his lover, holding him tightly. "Where on earth would you get the idea that I would send you away? If I am going to be sending anyone or anything away, it will be that little dog, to live in the Kent barn." He cradled Dominic against him. "I love you, Dominic. I don't intend to send you anywhere, except possibly to McDonalds for French fries later this afternoon."

He trembled, hard, and buried his face in Lionel’s chest. No words, just... no more words. None. He couldn’t. He just lay there wrapped around his lovers body, holding him tightly to him. What else was there to say? What? "He's jus'a baby. I... over a'baby."

"Babies grow," Lionel said softly. "And have I not drilled into you over the last decade to see not just what is, but what could be? I have no doubt that when you looked at that puppy, you saw a full grown animal, and that is what terrified you."

His fingernails dug into Lionel’s back. "Was there, 'gain. Hurt you?"

"No, you didn't hurt me. I'm fine. I'm just worried if you hurt yourself."

He shook his head, firmly, and let go of his lovers skin, rubbing his fingertips over it. "Just my pride."

"Which is one of the most endearing things about you," Lionel said softly. "I was just remembering how proud you were when Lex put you in the car trunk; you wouldn't accept my help for anything."

"Wasn'a gonna let you get me out. I was alright." Though he couldn’t quite smile.

He'd had a lot to think about for eighteen hours.

"Lovely?"

"Yes?" Lionel's hands resumed their gentle stroking.

He was silent for a long moment. "How would you f'll if… if I saw a therapist?"

"I'd ask if you'd like me to go with you."

"Lionel...this, this is where I b'long. Been walkin' down the road long time, till it lead me to you. But I can’t... do this anymore. I can’t be like this anymore. I haven’t had one of those waking nightmares in a long time." He closed his eyes. "I love you, s'much. I want to be a whole man for you."

"You are a whole man for me, Dominic." Lionel tipped his lover's face up, and waited for the eyes to open. "But if you need to see a therapist, then I am behind you. I will go with you if you need me."

He opened his eyes… bloodshot by all the alcohol he'd managed to consume, but he just nodded, and closed his eyes again, leaning forward to cuddle next to him. "Don’t want you to think 'm less of a man."

"The only thing that would make me think you're less of a man than you are now is if you did something absurd... like throttle my son." He softened the gentle tease with a smile. "In all seriousness, my cricket... nothing will make me think that of you, because you are, without a doubt, the biggest man I've ever known."

"'is my son now too." He said it softly, but smiled back, just a little, and pulled the blankets up over his shoulder, and Lionel’s, warmer, as he thought. "Thank you, Lionel. It helps when you say those things. Don’t... don’t feel so worthless."

"You shouldn't feel worthless at all. I can't name to you all the things that you have accepted, either from me or my--our--son, that would have turned a lesser man away."

"Grew up knowin' the little bastard, I did. Got his moods down pat." He said softly, and smiled again, just a little, as he gazed up at him. "Love you."

"I love you." Lionel leaned down and pressed a feather light kiss to the smile, and then laid his head on the pillow facing his lover. "He certainly does have his moods. And you have withstood them all. You, my Jiminy, are far from worthless. You've saved lives. Kept me from killing people. Saved relationships. You are far more worthy than you realize."

"No, 'm not. You underestimate yourself. Good man, ya are." Dominic said softly, and let his eyes close as he curled a little closer. "Ya are m'saving grace. Wouldna be here without ya, lovely."

Lionel's arms tightened reflexively. "Don't say that."

He shook his head sadly. "Its the truth, lovely." He kissed his shoulder softly.

"No. You... you are stronger than you think. You would be here."

He shook his head, but said nothing else, just closing his eyes quietly. "'m tired. What time do we have ta get up lovely?"

Lionel looked over at the clock. "In about three hours."

"'ma sleep a while. Okay?"

"all right." Lionel gathered him close again, once more tucking him in every curve. "Sleep as long as you like, beloved."

A pause, as they snuggled. "I love you, Lionel."

"And I love you, my Jiminy."

"I’m glad. You’re my favorite person in the world." Dominic murmured, closing his eyes.

Lionel smiled, and pressed a kiss to his lover's temple. "And you're my favorite person too, Dominic... the person I most want to be like."

A snort, from half under the covers. "Laziness not included."

"Laziness and affinity for grease, definitely not included." He smiled at the snort, and cradled Dominic to him. "Sleep, beloved. I'm here with you now."

"Don’t let go, Lionel."

"I won't, Jiminy. You can count on that."

~ * ~ * ~

"You ordered *what* for breakfast?" Lex couldn't believe his ears as Ms. Bird listed off the things Clark had just ordered.

"Ja. Un box of cereal. Two pichers of orange juice, four slices of toast vith jelly, bekkin, und eks, skrambled."

Clark grinned, quite cheerfully, from his little cozy nook at the kitchen counter. He'd donned very comfortable shorts, a blue t-shirt of a band that had come to Smallville the year before and had shrunk just a little, and white socks. He tipped his head, setting his chin in his palm, and just smiled. "You forgot the jelly Danishes, Ms. Bird."

 

"Ja, und how could I forget de danishes?" She flicked the end of her dishtowel at him. "Chu, Herr Lex, chould learn from dis young man und EAT!"

"I do eat, Ms. Bird. I just don't eat enough to feed a small country."

Another sweet smile from Clark that was all sugar, and he bat his lashes softly as he rubbed his toes against the back of his opposite knee, grinning boyishly and blushing a little. He was just hungry, what was the problem with that? "He eats. Just not all the time. I really dunno how he keeps his manly figure."

"By not eating enough to feed a small country," Lex pointed out. "I'll have my usual juice and toast, please." He grinned up at Clark, who seemed to be absolutely glowing. "You know, Clark... I'm not surprised you're packing the food away; I don't remember you getting up for a midnight snack last night."

He tried to look innocent. Really. Working? No. He blushed at his lover and rubbed at his cheek, and for once he was glad their was a counter between them. He gave him a grin full of love, blush still staining her cheeks as he looked down shyly and rubbed his knee softly.

 

Ms. Bird huffed when she saw the blush. "Chu! Herr Lex, chu should be ashamed of churself! Chu have made hem blush!" She patted Clark's knee. "Don't chu let him get to chu. He is chust jealous." Then she glared deeply at Lex.

Lex held his hand up. "I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't mean to make you blush." He jumped as Ms. Bird's dishtowel came snapping his way, and narrowly avoided being snapped in the hip. "Um... I'm going to hide behind you, Clark. Is that okay?"

Clark’s voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "I was trying to stay cool. She still doesn’t know I ate her bundt cake and a gallon of milk baby." A wince.

Lex snickered. "I won't tell her if you let me hide behind you." He peeked out at Ms. Bird over Clark's shoulder.

Clark smiled and snagged Lex around the waist, scooting quickly to the door. He was oddly cheery, overly cheerful, but it didn’t bother him at all.

The mansion smelled like candle wax and lemons, clean and polished, and it was a smell Clark had always associated with home. Smelling it here, where it was his home was welcome and lovely, and he smiled at his lover again and peeked over his shoulder as Ms. Birds little body glared at them from the swinging kitchen door.

He kept right on walking, strolling really, and all but whistled.

Ms. Bird shook her fist after Clark and Lex, watching them with a small smile on her face. She knew full well the chocolate bundt cake was gone, but didn't say a word, instead finishing the preparations for the huge breakfast order and then setting out the ingredients to bake a replacement cake.

Lex didn't argue as he was towed out of the kitchen, away from Ms. Bird's acidic glare. He was actually glad, in fact, to wrap himself around his lover. "Mmm... my hero, rescuing me from the wicked housekeeper."

He kept his arms around Clark's waist as he was pulled, and was happy.

"She isn’t that evil." Clark grinned, brow raising as his fingers slipped into his pocket. Or did, for just a minute, before he whirled his lover around, leaned himself against the nearest post, and kissed him.

His mouth opened as it covered his lovers, wet, warm tongue trailing inside to lick and murmur his pleasure. It was a kiss taken with joy, a thrilling, wonderful ache that was obvious all over his body, and he laughed mid kiss and lifted him right off the ground.

His fingers were tight on slender hips, and he smiled at his lover over his head before bringing him down, tightly, into the circle of his arms.

Lex returned the kiss, and then gripped tightly to his lover as he was lifted up. He laughed as Clark did, giggling and somehow, bubbling over with the same enthusiasm that seemed to fill his lover's heart. He snuggled. Tightly against his lover, something he loved to do, and he squeezed Clark tightly. "You, my aushna', are in a decidedly good mood today."

"Well duh. I’m skipping class, aren’t I?" He gave a wicked giggle into the muffled, safe crevice of his lovers neck and shoulder, kissing the skin as he snuggled him tightly. "I love you, Lex."

Yes, yes, you are." He shivered at the giggle, and nipped at Clark's neck. "I love you, Clark... I like seeing you this happy." His fingers slipped through Clark's hair, not quite used to the shortness of it, and teased what remained of the long strands.

He read his lovers thoughts, happy in a way he hadn’t been for a very long time and he laughed, lowering Lex's feet back to the floor as he kept him close and kept right on walking. "You really did like it long, didn’t you? Gotta say, much cooler this way."

"Yes, I did." Lex was almost pouting. Almost. Would have been if he were anyone else. But... it was a well-known axiom that Luthors didn't pout. "There was a better handhold."

"I like it. I feel like a weight was taken off my shoulders, you know? Like the inside me has a chance to come out now, and yeah, so very aware that I sound as gay as I do, but it feels… nice."

Lex ruffled his lover's hair. "And that is what's important, Clark. Not that I like it, but that it works for you. I will get used to it." He smiled at that. "I'll just find other things to hang onto."

He brightened, visibly, laughing out loud and blushing. He was so risqué, talking about those types of things now for heaven sakes. But he grinned wickedly right back, cocking a brow at him. "I might be unable to say no."

"Isn't that the idea? I don't want you saying no." Then he grinned at his lover. "I want to hear... oh, yes, Lex. More Lex. Oh, god, right there, baby, yes, harder, more Lex, more, please."

He blushed, harder, and though the stirring in his loins was completely uncalled for, it couldn’t be helped. He grunted his approval, grinning wickedly despite it, and reached in for a soft, heady, but chaste kiss. Couldn’t be fucking now, not for a few weeks. "Will. Soon. And maybe you'll be begging for me to let you come." A raised brow in daring.

Lex's brow elevated in return. "Really, Clark?" Lex's hand stroked over his lover's back, down and then back up his spine. "And why... would I be begging you? What do you have in mind?"

Instead of hissing, snarling in pleasure, the stroking brought tears to his eyes. Acceptance. It was the last thing he needed and the joy in his expression was completely priceless. He sniffled softly, grinned his love, and wrapped his arm tighter about his lover. "Didn’t really get a chance to play with your monster, did we?"

Lex all but melted at the joy in Clark's face, and then giggled at the sniffle. "No, no, we didn't. Shame, that." His eyes twinkled up at his lover. "I've noticed that thing pops up in your head from time to time."

Alright, now he turned a few shades of red. "Maybe." A gaze away, still flushed softly as they walked down the long hall toward Lex's office and study. "I like...the thought of you being full, b... because I made you full. You know?"

"I know." Lex nipped his lover's lip. "And I understand the thought. And, whenever you're ready... we'll use it." He slipped his arm around Clark's waist as they walked. "Your birthday is Friday; what would you like? And you can have anything."

"Nothing." A firm shake of his head. "Don’t want a thing. Just you, and maybe some of that brandy." Innocence in his face as he nipped right back, licking softly at that full lower lip which taunted him endlessly, and softly traced the scar bisecting the top. "As far as gifts, I don’t need anything. All I ever wanted I’ve got."

"Mmmm... me, a bottle of brandy, and a big red bow. I think I can work something out." Lex murmured his answer into Clark's mouth. "You don't want a new Playstation and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City? Of your own, I mean?" He slipped his hands into the back pockets of Clark's jeans. "Or... a new wallet to replace the one currently falling apart on the dresser?"

"God, no." he gasped at his lover had just committed grand larceny, eyes wide. "Its lucky, Lex." His face was straight for about a half a minute before he grinned and shook his head. "Nah. I’m telling you, there’s nothing I want." His ass flexed automatically in those palms he knew better then his own, eyes dancing. "Just want you. Want to veg out, and watch movies and eat popcorn and stuff."

"Popcorn. And stuff."

"Yeah, you know. Popcorn, chocolate, When Harry Met Sally."

"Popcorn and chocolate, perhaps. When Harry Met Sally is an overemotional piece of tripe that I am glad to say, I do not have in my DVD collection, despite it's expansive size. In fact, I would be willing to venture that I do not own a single movie that Meg Ryan has been in."

He gaped at his lover with wide eyes. "No City Of Angels? No Courage Under Fire?" Another gasp,. and he said melodramatically, "I don’t know who you ARE."

"No City of Angels. No Courage Under Fire. No You've Got Mail, no Joe Vs. The Volcano, no Sleepless in Seattle."

Clark just stared at him. "You don’t like romances, do you?"

"Not as general rule, no."

Another stare. Now, or never. "I love romance movies. I've seen about six billion romance movies. I learned English by watching Cary Grant and Clark Gable and Fred Astaire."

"Ah, now there you and I will agree. Cary Grant and Clark Gable were two of the finest men in all of cinematic history. You will find every film either ever appeared in in this very house. My personal favorite is An Affair To Remember." His smile faded just a little. "Perhaps it was Deborah Kerr's red hair, but I always related her to my mother for some reason."

"Don’t take this the wrong way, but Ms. Kerr was a total fox. I was ten, and even I knew that." Clark smiled crookedly and decided not all Meg Ryan hope was lost on his lover, as he pushed open the glass door to the office and sighed softly. He was already sleepy from the morning’s exertion, and all he wanted to do was find a cuddly chair and take a nap.

Lex laughed softly. "Yes, yes, she was. I believe that I have nearly every movie she appeared in as well, including The King And I." He pushed Clark over to the sofa. "Go, sit down on the couch, unless you want me sitting in your lap behind the desk," he said, indicating the desk chair. "The television remote should still be in the cushions, and Enrique will be bringing breakfast in shortly. I just have a few papers I have to find."

"Mmm." Clark said quietly, flopping into the chair, tugging his feet up under him, and he was asleep before his cheek hit the cushions.

Lex laughed softly as he watched Clark fall asleep again. Turning back to his desk, he rummaged around the top, and not finding what he'd been looking for, he looked in the bottom filing drawer. There were the papers he was seeking, and, right underneath them, a small Fed-Ex box. Lex pulled the box out, staring at it questioningly, and then suddenly remembered when it had come.

Ages ago, it seemed, when Lionel had sent the candy apples and the photograph that even now sat on the corner of Lex's desk.

Tucking the papers into a manila envelope and sealing them, he quickly addressed the contracts to Bruce and set them in his out basket, and then looked at the package. He opened the small box, and two things poured out. A manila envelope, much like the one he'd just addressed to Bruce, and a small black box, the size of a jeweler’s box.

Curious, he opened the envelope first. There was a sealed envelope with his name on it, and a letter from a law firm.

Mr. Alexander Luthor;

Our firm has been retained by the estate of the late Pamela Isles in the execution of her Last Will and Testament. In accordance with the dictates of that document, a copy of which is enclosed, we are saddened to inform you of her death. There are several documents enclosed along with your copy of her will. Foremost amongst those are a bill of sale, deeding her shares of LuthorCorp stock to you. There is also a letter, written to her and left in our care, to be sent to you upon her death. Finally, as per her request, we return this to you as well as it was your mother's property.

Sincerely,

Mitchell R. Hannaford

Hannaford & Scott, Attorneys at Law.

Lex discarded the stock sheets for the moment, and tore open the letter from Pamela.

Dear Alexander;

Your mother's book, Leaves of Grass, was a great deal of comfort to me. I don't know if you meant it as such, but I choose to believe that you did; the boy that I knew would have. It will be returned to you later; it's being kept in a special place, so that no one else will take it. Mitchell will give you the key to the security box.

The other thing that I wish to return to you is this; your mother's wedding ring. She gave it to me, when she knew that her end was near, because she was afraid that Lionel would not let you keep such an emotional keepsake. I know now that your mother was right. I'm sorry that I couldn't return it to you in person, but my health declined so rapidly, I have not had a chance to return to Metropolis.

Your mother loved you very much, Alexander. Don't ever doubt that.

Love,

Pamela

Lex put the letter down and ripped the paper off the small box. It was a jeweler's box, black velvet, and as he ripped it open, his eyes fell on the familiar band of gold that he had seen on his mother's hand since he was old enough to remember.

On the inside, part of an inscription was visible. Lillian and Lionel Luthor, always.

Lex pulled the gold ring out, and held it up to the light. Small and fragile, it looked just the way he remembered his mother, and he slipped it on his hand. Large male fingers were too huge to fit through the delicate circlet of gold, all but the pinky finger of his left hand. It fit as though made for it, and Lex left his mother's ring on his hand. He tucked the stock certificates back in the drawer, along with the letter of instruction and key to Metropolis Savings and Loan, which is where the book was stored.

Clark shifted a little and sighed softly in his sleep, murmuring softly about pancakes as he pulled his legs closer to his chest and snuggled. He was dreaming, about pancakes and little souls and his fic, and yeah, he was gonna have to use this spectacular mood to write a good book when he woke up from his cat nap.

Ms. Bird came bustling into the room a few moments later. The two drastic moods surprised her; the gleeful mood radiated from Clark, even in his sleep, and then from Lex, a quiet sadness. "Herr Lex?" she questioned quietly.

Lex raised his head, and smiled at her. "Ms. Bird. Breakfast? Thank you, so much. Just leave it on the cart, I'll make sure Clark is served when he wakes up." His fingers played idly with his mother's ring, even though he didn't realize.

"'m wake." Came the hearty mutter from the cushions. Or, okay, he was partially awake. More asleep then awake. But as he shifted, he felt the sadness radiating from his lover, and he immediately went on alert. His feet dropped to the floor, his belly grumbling in delight at the prospect of Ms. Birds really good food, and he beamed at her as he rose with a soft grunt.

"Ja, of course." Ms. Bird laid out the plates and silverware on Lex's desk, tsking at the disarray of papers there, and jerked her head at Lex as she looked at Clark. Then, with another shake of her head and tsk of displeasure, she was gone.

"Welcome back to life, sleepyhead," Lex greeted softly. He poured himself a glass of orange juice, but his appetite was nearly gone. "Come and have breakfast."

"What’s wrong?" The sadness had pulled him from his dreams, and his brows furrowed as he rose and took the chair in front of the desk. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Lex pushed everything else off his desk to make way for breakfast. "I just... got some news I wasn't expecting."

He didn’t want to go into his lovers mind and extract whatever it was. Thin line, between wondering and invasion of privacy. But he trusted Lex to tell him in time, and simply sat back, tugging his very long legs up Indian style.

Lex shook his head. "You can ask, Clark. There's nothing you can pry into, because there's nothing that I won't tell you. Pamela died, Clark. Several months ago; right about the time we began rebuilding the plant. Her things were delivered to me, and I just got around to opening them to find out what they were. A copy of her will... her LuthorCorp stock shares... and my mother's wedding ring."

"Oh." He tipped his head softly. "I’m sorry, Lex. It must..." A shift. "Bring feelings you didn’t want. I knew Pamela had died, but how did she have your mom's wedding ring?"

Lex held out the letter. "My mother gave it to her, on her deathbed. She wanted me to have it, but was afraid my father would confiscate it. Apparently she knew how he would react to her death, and what he would become. She entrusted it to Pamela, but when she was sent away... I was too young to take care of it. My mother left it in Pamela's care, and Pamela took care of it until I was old enough to accept responsibility for it." He held out his left hand to Clark. "There it is."

Clark didn’t dare touch it. Not now... it wasn’t his to touch. He simply gazed at the slender, beautiful gold and nodded softly, shifting in his seat and sighing softly. "I’m sorry, Lex. That things had to happen this way."

"I am too, Clark." He pulled his hand back and re-clasped them together. "But at least things make a little more sense now; my father's been looking for my mother's ring for years, ever since she died. I know now why he couldn't find it, and why Pamela had it."

"Your dad’s not a bad guy." Clark said softly, because everything from the day before was vivid in his mind. "He's not. Rough around the edges, but... yeah." Clark swallowed softly and sighed. "Are you gonna tell your dad you have it?"

"No, I'm not." Lex rubbed the gold band with his thumb. "My mother wanted me to have it, not him. I intend to keep it."

Clark would have said more if he wasn’t suddenly silenced, his eyes wide, as the purest, deepest sadness he ever felt walked in.

A light knock and Dominic stepped in, though not all the way. Not yet, couldn’t face this boy, no. Lionel was showering and he'd escaped his lover for pure precious minutes. Coffee, thoughtless gaze out the window at the snow, and now Lex, who had paperwork he needed. "m sorry to bother you."

"Don't be," Lex said softly. "Come on in; I can offer you a little breakfast, if you'd like."

"No." Quietly, but firmly. "Thank you. I need the stock reports for yesterday." But he did step in, because hovering at the door was the cowards way out. "Your father and I will be at the new building most of the day."

Lex dug through the papers on his desk, and pulled out the paperwork Dominic was asking for. "I packaged up copies of the stock reports, and the new contracts for Bruce; I'll be dropping them off this afternoon. He and Dick are leaving for Gotham soon, though I don't know the exact departure date; will you need me out at the site?"

He would have normally stepped in for them, but as it was, Dominic stayed put, eyes on the floor. "Yes, I read your father's email. I think it would be splendid for you to be the liaison for Bruce." Smoothly, his palm sliding into his pocket and taking a death grip on his change. "As for needing you there today, your father didn’t say." Mechanical. Quiet. Smooth.

Clark tipped his head a little, frowning as he ate silently.

...polishing off a plate of bacon, two of pancakes and half a cake did take stealth, after all, even when ones mind wasn’t on it.

Lex rose and carried the papers to Dominic, and held them out in offering. "I think it would too, but I do still need to talk to Clark about it," he said softly. "Dominic... I'm not going to the site today unless my father calls. But I will go on the walk-through with you and him tomorrow, because the architect is coming in, and he's found the creator of the paintings and murals in the buildings."

Dominic nodded, shifting, trembling, and turned, taking his leave. He could barely breathe, as he closed the office door silently, and climbed the stairs as his breath heaved and his eyes became blurry with tears.

Lex debated whether or not to go after him. He compromised by opening the door, and calling out after him. "Dominic? Do you... need anything?" he offered.

Dominic froze on the steps. His back went ramrod straight, and he paused...simply shaking his head and continuing up the steps.

And Clark was silent for the time being, watching his lover quietly as he set the napkin down, drinking a little bit of milk as he watched.

His heart burned for the poor man.

Lex swore under his breath, and pulled his head back in the door. Instead of going straight to his desk, Lex went to the alcohol table, poured himself a glass of currant vodka, brought it back, and combined it with his orange juice before taking a healthy slug. The ring clanged against the glass as he set it down.

Clark jumped, just a little, and his eyes immediately went down as he swallowed, shifting and gazing up under his lashes just a little. "Lex? Are you okey?"

"Yeah, Clark. Yeah. I'm... fine." He clinked the ring unconsciously against his glass. "I'm... not fine. But I will be."

"Is it.." Clark shifted a little bit and gazed up, unconsciously shifting in his seat. He didn’t want to push against his back... he wasn’t supposed to. "I don’t want to push into your relationships, Lex, and I'll always be by your side in whatever you do. But why don’t you… maybe go tell them we're doing dinner tonight? And.." He shifted again, grinned. "We can go buy our stuff, and start cooking and stuff. It would make them feel better, Lex."

Unspoken? It would make YOU feel better, Lex.

Lex nodded. Then he looked at his hand, and then Clark's, then pulled his mother's ring off, and put it in Clark's palm. "Hold this for me; I don't want my father to see it." He got up and walked around the desk, and pressed a kiss to Clark's mouth softly. "You're not prying, Clark. You could never pry; ask what you want, and sift through my mind to find out the rest."

He blushed just a little, shaking his head and folding his fingers around the ring. Here, a precious gift, and he would hold it to himself like the treasure it was. "Lex?"

"Yes?" He looked back at his lover quietly.

"Tomorrow we've been together for six months. I don’t... don’t really believe in God as much as I used to, and not the way I used to. He gave you to me, this gift, wary friends, then more then friends, then boyfriends and lovers. You’ve.... that you trust me enough to guard the last thing you have of your mother is humbling. I... I love you, Lex."

Lex wrapped his arms around Clark's shoulders, and held him tightly. "I haven't believed in God since my mother died, Clark. Just so you know. I don't know who brought you to me, but whomever it was, I thank them. I trust you, I love you. I'm not sure how they're intertwined, I just know that they are. There's nobody else that I would trust with this but you."

He grinned. Who wouldn’t? God, he was a dork. He beamed like a big spaz and hugged his love tightly, snuggling him with little nosing licks and kisses, then grinned and stood, setting his lover on his feet. Pride, joy, ache, pure bliss. He was Lex's. He was loved. And that was enough, for him.

And would have commented on it, if he didn’t suddenly get severe stomach cramps.

He gasped... groaned, and rubbed at where his bellies were, and the rumbling moving crampiness they were having. "Oh. Ow."

Lex's hands moved to Clark's shoulders. "Clark? Are you all right? What's wrong?"

"I think.." He blushed crimson, from his chest up.

Lex's thumbs rubbed Clark's cheeks gently. "You ate too much?"

He nodded, sighing as the cramps eased a little and he straightened, murmuring his appreciation at the little soothing fingers, and wrapped his arm around his lovers waist.

And didn’t really notice that more then half the food he'd ordered, and could have polished off, was still there.

"Maybe it was the goo from this morning." He nodded it, straightening a little more as he gave a lopsided grin. "Worth it? Oh yeah. Whole new word for sex glow."

"I didn’t tell you, baby, but it was... it was so good last night." A little tremble, and the blush bloomed in his cheeks again. Shouldn’t talk about it, but he couldn’t help it. "Felt... felt so good. I thought you were going to spear me in half. Felt really, really good."

Lex couldn't help the dopey grin that spread over his face. "Yeah. It did feel good last night. I think... I think it was the first time that I'd ever woken up still inside anyone, and that... that was just... I don't have words for it, Clark. You didn't push me away; you didn't even move during the night, and that just... touched me, so much."

Clark grinned, right back, joy blooming hard in his heart for having pleased his aushna'. "Yeah?" Another smile, cheeks pink as he gazed at the floor, linking his fingers through Lex's as they walked towards the stairs. "I liked it. I like feeling you inside. I love knowing I made you so happy, Lex, cause it makes me happy, too."

"Yeah." He rubbed his fingers over Clark's as they walked. "I like making you happy; there's a feeling that just... warms me inside knowing that I've given you something you've wanted, or done something that you tell me has made a dream of yours come true. That's one of the best feelings I’ve had in the world."

"Are you kidding? Having you with me is a dream come true." He blushed, and wasn’t he a blushy guy today? "Ever since I saw you through the windshield, Lex. I just knew you were going to be my mate in my life." He grinned privately. "I just had to convince you, after that."

Lex had to give a soft snicker at that. "It didn't take that much to convince me, Clark. I just couldn't do anything until I knew you were sure. We seem to have been working at cross-purposes."

Clark just grinned. "Its why we're perfect, aushna'. We're not alike... being alike is not good." The hallway was lovely, long, and just as he did every day, he glanced up at a picture of Artemis in a grassy field that was right outside of Lex's office.

He really did love that picture.

His fingers, long, thick, slightly hairy...deeply masculine fingers, wrapped tightly around Lex's long, slender artists fingers, holding them gently but strongly. "We are like night and day. Yin and yang. But that’s why we work, baby, its why things are good for us, between us. It keeps things interesting." He winked cheerfully, socked feet sinking into the cushioned loveliness of the thick runners that led up the steps, and flashed another smile at his lover. "Would you rather we be alike?"

Lex stopped on the stairs for a moment, thinking hard. "I don't... I don't know. I think sometimes it would be better if we were alike, at least, in as far as our moral and judgmental systems are built, but I can't actually complain."

Clark froze for a moment, and gazed at Lex from under his long lashes. Panic? He was swimming in it. "What...what do you mean?"

Lex felt the panic, and patted his lover on the shoulder. "Calm down, Clark. I just meant, it'd be easier if we had the same ideas of right and wrong. I just said it in Lexese instead of Clarkese."

Clark calmed... but just a little. He smoothed his proverbial feathers, had a great mental image of Pete in a crow costume three years prior, and grinned a little before glancing back at his lover. "I understood. I just meant... why do you think its different? I think we're more alike then you think."

Lex shook his head. "I can't think that we're that much alike, Clark. You do good things because that's who you are; I do them to improve my image and standing in the community. You help people, and I use them. We don't even have the same grounding in what is a proper tip or not, and what is appropriate currency. But despite that... we work." He rubbed Clark's shoulders lightly. "And that is what I am most thankful for."

"Do...do you think we are good mates, Lex?" His heart was beating lightly, almost fluttering in his chest. Should have asked before last night, but it was too late now. He had to know. "Despite all these differences, do you think we are one?"

Lex gripped his lover's arm tightly. "Despite it, or because of it, I don't know which. But yes, Clark. I do think we are good mates. I think that you are the other half of my soul, the only person who completes me, and I'll fight anyone--including you--to the death who says otherwise."

Alright. Panic averted. He beamed at his lover, eyes dancing in pleasure as he squeezed Lex's fingers, hard, binding them together as they walked. "Okay... good. I feel... relieved. Very relieved." A little shy smile at him. "I thought… thought maybe.." Take your own advice Clark. Trust. "I love you. I trust you. We were thrown together at one in a billion chance, and I love knowing you care for me, and trust me." A pause. "Did I ever tell you I can hear your heart beating?"

"I never thought it'd be something that I was ever able to do again, to care for someone, trust them the way that I trust you." He brought their intertwined fingers to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the linked digits. "No. You didn't... I didn't know you could." A little, goofy smile. "I don't suppose you'd be able to pick it out of a crowd, would you?"

He nodded, blushing shyly as they made it to their landing. "Ever since the blizzard, I can hear it. I... don’t think me weird?"

"I don't think it's weird at all. I think... it's kind of nice. I mean... I like knowing you can pick me out because I'm special to you. I know. It sounds like nonsense, but... I find that I like the things like that lately."

"I hold my breath sometimes, slow my heart down so it matches yours. So instead of hearing two, I hear just one." He grinned at his own corniness, but yeah, he was cornmeister so he might as well. "Then you sneeze and screw it up, and I have to do it all over again." His eyes danced. "I love watching you sneeze. Your whole face screws up, and you try and hold it in sometimes and when you don’t... it just all comes out. And after, hours after, you're still grinning. Its like therapy for your sinuses."

Lex laughed at that. He couldn't help it. "Only you, Clark. Only you would like watching me sneeze." But oh, he was grinning.

"Its really cute. Don’t get me started on when you have the sniffles. Your eyes get all blurry and your nose and cheeks are red and I just want to cuddle you up and make you soup." He felt so shy. "And when you're pouting cause something didn’t go your way, your lower lip sticks out just a little. Ever since I met you, it does that… it used to drive me nuts, and that first time when I kissed it away.." He grinned and opened their bedroom door. "Let's get dressed and go into town, before I take the crown for dorkiest individual."

"I think I could give you a run for that crown." Lex looked down at himself. "Let me go and extend the invitation to Dad while you get dressed and make our grocery list." He kissed his lover's lips softly. "I'll be right back."

"Okey." Another crooked little smile, and he blushed slightly. "I'll try not to look like Clark Kent. Something tells me that Mrs. Rubenstein wouldn’t give me up for playing hooky, but you can never be sure." He kissed back softly, winked, and slipped into the closet of their bedroom.

Lex shook his head softly, and then left the room. He walked down the hallway, three down and one across, and knocked on the thick oaken door of the bedroom shared by his father and Dominic. "Dad? Dominic?"

The door, and Lex's voice, were both unwelcome, and Dominic felt a heavy tug at his belly as he climbed to his feet. It was a wonder that tonic, combined with club soda, didn’t leave that drinking alcohol smell on ones breath.

Good thing, because he would have taken the cake.

As it was he was partially hung over, partially drunk, and the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced as he opened the door and stared out. "Yes?"

Lex was startled by the appearance of his father's lover, and he almost reached a hand out. "Dominic. Are you... feeling all right? Clark and I were wondering... would you and Dad like to come to dinner with us tonight?"

The invitation was a surprise, and one of his strawberry blond eyebrows rose. Just for a minute, as he considered his young step son. "You'll have to ask your father. He's just stepping out of the shower." He turned back into the room without another word to him. "Lionel?"

Lionel had barely turned the water off in the bathroom when he heard Dominic calling him. He wrapped one towel around his waist, and picked up another to start drying his hair off with as he emerged from the bathroom, still glistening from the shower. "Yes, Jiminy?"

"Your son." He motioned absently at Lex at the door, and stepped into the closet himself, to look for another sweater. This one was giving him hives. He pulled it off, the white undershirt catching, and tugged on a navy blue one before walking back out. Their room was bright and cheerful, the windows all open and the lovely scent of spring still a few weeks off in the air. It was the perfect face of cheer.

And Dominic didn’t think he could stand another minute of it.

Lionel barely gave Lex a nod before turning to watch Dominic. "What can I do for you, Lex?"

"I came to invite you and Dominic to dinner tonight, with Clark and I. We're cooking, and he--we--thought it might be a good chance to... get together." Be a family, was the unspoken thought.

"Dinner tonight? That's... a surprise." Lionel still had his eyes on Lex. "Dominic?"

"That’s fine. Whatever you think." He said softly, but nodded. It was good for Lex and his father to do these types of things as a family, and if he could have, he would have made them happen a lot more often. At least they weren’t on the precipice where son hated father and father hated son.

Lionel nodded. "We'll be there tonight. What time?"

Lex blinked. "Eight o'clock." He hadn't expected the quick acquiescence, but he nodded. "Eight."

"Since you're being so kind as to provide the dinner, Dominic and I will bring wine... what are you serving?"

At that, Lex cracked a small smile. "All Clark has told me is pasta. I don't know what kind, or with what yet."

Lionel nodded in response. "Good. We'll be there, Lex. And... thank you. It means a lot to me."

"It does to me too." Lex looked back at Dominic. "You'll come, Dominic?"

"Yes." Softly, automatically. He hadn’t quite been able to meet his eyes. "I'll be there." And that was about it, as he left them standing at the door and walked back in, to the desk, to retrieve the paperwork of the day.

Lex looked at Dominic's retreating back, and then up at his father. "Is he... going to be all right?"

Lionel, when he looked back, held empty hands out to his son, and said the three most difficult words he'd ever had to say to the boy. "I don't know."

Lex sighed. "If I can do anything... let me know." He turned to head back to the bedroom with Clark, and he heard Lionel close the solid door behind him.

Clark was completely asleep on the covers of their newly made bed. He had laid down, just for a minute, and the little catnap was so needed. The lulling voice of his lover had been bliss, but as soon as he heard them stop talking, and Lex's heartbeat grow closer, he pulled himself into wakefulness.

Lex pushed the door open to his own room and closed it behind himself. He saw Clark sitting on the bed, blinking sleepily, and he sat down on the bed beside his lover. "Are you feeling all right, Clark?"

He grinned, dopily, and yawned a jaw cracking yawn as he stretched his arms above his head, sighing in pleasure. "Mrrr. 'm okay." Another grin, as he reached across the bed to kiss his love. He was dressed in loose, hip jeans, a snug bright blue t-shirt, and a jean jacket was laying beside him, ready to go.

And he had a half done shopping list. "Just feel lazy."

"Lazy is good." He ran his fingers through Clark's hair, and wrapped his free arm around Clark's waist. "You sure? We can have the store deliver the groceries here and Ms. Bird can cook; we can laze about together." He was worried. "Have we been doing too much? Too many tests?"

He shook his head, still grinning, and was endeared that his lover cared so much. "Just lazy, baby. Wanna go out with you, c'mon. I promise we haven’t been doing too much of anything, and that everything is fine. I feel...relaxed." He beamed. "I’m really happy."

"Happy is good." Lex nuzzled the ear in his reach. "Just... as long as you're okay." He stroked the back of Clark's head gently. "I just want to make sure you're all right."

His wicked turned slightly wicked. "Wish we could be having more s-see-eeexx," He sang-songed, but his eyes danced with wicked amusement, and his smile was silly. "Seriously. Everything’s okay, I promise. I’m telling you, I’m happy as hell." He felt...almost giddy, now that he was awake, and he grinned.

"Well... we could have more sex when we get home from the store; I don't believe it's going to take us quite all afternoon to cook dinner--I told Dad and Dominic we'd be eating at eight, and they're bringing wine."

"No." A little shake of his head. "We can’t, baby." But he didn’t really say more, just shifting and smiling, as he climbed to his feet and grabbed his coat. "C'mon baby, lets go." Sudden immediate giddy gigglyness. "Can I drive the Beemer?"

Lex didn't argue, and he grabbed his own leather jacket. "You can drive the Beemer. You can drive the Benz if you want."

"What about the big SUV? The silvery one?" He was giddy, okay? He couldn’t help it. "I kinda... its got the voice activated controls and stuff, right?" A little squeal he could barely hide, and his eyes went wide with innocence.

"The Porsche Cayenne? Sure, if you want." Lex shrugged into the jacket and pulled out his sunglasses. "You can drive anything you want."

"You rock, my friend."

And fifteen minutes later, he was saying it again. He was behind the wheel of the SUV orgasm on wheels, running his fingers over the butter hued leather, and all but gave a lusty moan. He was a man appreciative of beasts of burden, and this was one magnificent beast. The thing was, it wasn’t really an SUV until you'd mucked up the trunk and had a tool box in it. This was a rich persons SUV, but he still was highly pleased. "What is it that you told me once, Lex? Tall, rich people buy SUVs?" he grinned in pleasure and wriggled, having AMPLE leg room as he squirmed and got comfortable. His back felt all warm and fuzzy... but that could have been from the HEATABLE LEATHER SEATS.

That time, he gave a grunt of pleased glee.

"What I said was, people who want to be comfortable learn to pay for that comfort." He laced his fingers behind his head. "I could have purchased a Humvee--and I still might, this summer."

"Lush." He accused, even if he was grinning. "How is it that you trust me behind the wheel of an eighty trillion dollar car, Lex?" He fixed his mirrors, and gazed at his lover, eyebrow up.

"Mmm... just because. And it wasn't eighty trillion dollars, Clark. The Cayenne only retails for about $88,900 and that's just MSRP. I'm not sure what a Humvee retails for."

Clark gasped, stared. Grinned. "Only you, Lex." He leaned over to kiss him softly, nipping his lower lip...then lifting his palm, to cup the side of a bare neck and lick at the scar a little. His grin was cheerful, his eyes bright. NOTHING could ruin his good mood. Not rain or shine or--

Snow. it was snowing, as the garage door came up, cranking automatically from the little button at the top of the car. Clark beamed out at the soft, fluffy flakes, and the clear bright gray sky, and he sighed in pleasure. "I hate the snow."

Lex chuckled softly. "I'm beginning to share that sentiment." He returned Clark's kiss gladly, and then left his hand resting on Clark's thigh as he brought one foot up to rest on the passenger seat and rested his elbow on his knee. "All right, Pancho. Lead on."

He beamed at him, easy and comfortable as the lovers they were, and his eyes danced at him as he pulled the car out of park and pulled forward, very slowly as to not disturb the other cars.

"For cryin' out loud, Clark. This car is capable of triple digit speed; you can go more than two miles an hour out of the garage. The last time I took it, I clocked at forty-five out of the garage and was up to sixty at the bottom of the drive."

Clark shot a look at him of pure horror, eyes going wide as he reached across, and smacked his lover lightly across the head. "Dipshit. Don’t you ever do that again. I catch you doing it and I’m taking away sex for a week."

"OW!" Lex raised his hand and rubbed the back of his head. "I am not a dipshit."

"You are a huge dipshit and I will take sex away if you ever even try to do that again! I don’t plan on living the rest of my life with a pancake!"

"I am not a dipshit," Lex repeated, trying to hide the smile. "Clark, I have driven fast all of my life. Except for the one encounter with the bridge, I have a pristine driving record."

"And if there’s no Clark Kent to save you next time you get a glitch in your riving record, hmmmmmm? What then?"

Lex looked seriously at his lover. "There's always going to be a Clark Kent to save me."

"Romance will not save you!" Okay, it was, a little. "No, no, no!'

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Damn you, for playing my sensitive gene." But he was grinning while he said it, glaring all the while, which turned out to be an amusing combination on his face. "You’re such a mean person." But he reached over, and lapped at his lips again, kissing him softly as he drove. "What is it your stepdad said once? To love a Luthor is to understand he'll never change. You'll be ninety years old and going into the triple digits, won't you?"

Lex returned the kiss, and then grimaced at Clark's reference. "Clark? Can you please do me a favor?"

"What’s that?"

"Don't ever refer to Dominic Senatori as my stepfather ever again."

At that, Clarks entire demeanor saddened. "He hurts a lot. I heard him, last night."

Lex put his chin down on his raised knee. "Yes, he does. He's... had quite an unpleasant past, and I gather it raised it's head and bit him in the ass. I wish... despite my problems with Dominic, I actually like him, and I wish that in this case, there were something I could do. It's... getting to my dad. I saw that this morning, when I invited them to dinner."

"He was crying a lot last night." Clark shook his head. "Drinking. Lex, you need to ask your dad about getting him some therapy... he needs to talk to a professional about it." He shook his head again. "Maybe I’m young, but I don’t understand how something can destroy your life that way."

Lex turned his face so that he looked at Clark instead of out the window. "I do."

"I know." Clark said back softly, as he took the turn out of the driveway and started up the long road to the main road. "Do you think your dad would leave, if it got bad?"

"No. I don't think he would." A moment of silence. "I don't know what it is about Dominic, but there's something about him that's just... hooked my father in. My father... he does love Dominic. And no... he won't leave someone he loves."

"I think they were always hooked." Clark said slyly, eyebrow rose. "It just took the right circumstances. And as much as you hate it, he's your stepdad. Which... granted, really funny." he grinned at him, showing off dimples.

"No. He is not my stepfather," Lex growled. "The man is barely fifteen years older than I am. He is not my stepfather."

He loves you like you were his son, but Clark didn’t add that part, just lifting a brow, nodding and driving on. "Oo. Ooooo!" A cleared throat. "Car. Hi. I’m Clark Kent, Lex Luthor’s boyfriend. Put on KROW, would you?"

Lex snickered at that. "Try... 'Driver request, radio tuner, station KROW.' Work better, I guarantee it."

KROW came on, and Clark glared even as Marc Anthony sang about his love. "It was supposed to say hello back. Man, Lex, you got gypped baby." He pulled the car to a stop, blinker flashing, and slowly turned so they wouldn’t skid on the snow. Christ, he loved this song. It made him all gooey inside, and he grinned rightly and hummed along.

"If you wanted the AI, it would have cost another three hundred thousand. I'm willing to have a car that doesn't talk back to me."

"Not me! One day, I'll have machines that say, 'Hello, Kal-El, would you like a club soda?'. Guarantee." He beamed and nodded sagely, as he lowered the heater once his butt started to get numb from the heater, and shifted, wiggling in and grinning as he drove. Five miles below the speed limit, just to goad his lover.

"Program them for absolute obedience. That's my advice. Having smart machines with a conscience can be a pain in the ass." He glared at the speedometer. "You know, you can actually break a car like this, going too slow? There's a reason they're called performance vehicles."

"Lex, baby, the car doesn’t know its a school zone." A sad, flippant sigh at his lover. "The car doesn’t know if I’m on a country road or a high way in congested traffic. Its going to do what I want it to do." His amusement was complete. "The only one I’m breaking is you.”

"If you turn on the cruise control and the GPS, it does know when you hit speed zones and such, and it'll regulate your speed for you." Lex didn't mention he'd reprogrammed it.

"Well, I don’t have it on cruise control, do I?" His brow rose, and his grin was broad. "Breathe, Lex. Inhale. Exhale."

"So either put your foot on the gas pedal or the cruise control on."

"My foot is on the gas, darling." Clark hummed, as they passed the gas station at the corner. He reached around Lex and waved at the gas station owner, Mr. Conolee. "Do you want to explain to the police why a sixteen year old boy is behind the wheel of an $80,000 dollar vehicle with an eccentric 22 year old trillionare when he should actually be in school?"

Lex... twitched. Just a little. "The license plate on this vehicle reads "Lex X" which most people know is Lex Luthor's tag. I don't believe they'll stop you."

"Sheriff Ethan likes me, you’ve got to remember. He might stop to chat. Ask if we've had sex lately." Clark rose a brow innocently over at the right side of the car, still humming innocently as he drove, carefully pulling into the parking lot of the little local market the Rubensteins and their numerous children, grand children, and great grandchildren worked. "There. See?"

"Clark, I'm driving home, and how the name of nine holy hells does Ethan Goodall know we're having sex?"

Clark shot a glance at him. "Lex, Millie Anderson who runs McDonalds knows we're having sex."

Lex just... blinked.

"Baby, we aren’t exactly private." A shake of his head, as he gently pet Lex's leg. "Everyone knows I’m yours, and you're mine."

More staring. "Clark..." And then Lex heaved a huge sigh. "Never mind."

"We're the scandal of Smallville, sweetie." He side glanced at him, tipped his head. "What?"

"I just didn't realize that we were out," he said with a small grin. "Not that I mind; I actually rather like the idea of being able to be seen publicly with you, but... it's a little of a shock."

Clark pulled the car into park, cranking the hand brake, and smiled at his lover. "People think what they want to think. They saw me at your house all the time, and started rumors. The funniest thing is that they’re true." At that he grinned, broadly.

"Then nobody will care if I do this." Lex leaned over in the seat, slipped his hand to the back of Clark's neck, and kissed his lover deeply.

Oh. He kissed right back, much to the people pulling into the parking lot, walking to their cars with their bags, and walking into the stores shock. He kissed right on back, looping his tongue through Lex's and tugging it into his mouth with a soft, pleased sigh of pleasure.

Lex breathed in through his nose as much as he could, deepening the kiss as people walked by, free hand moving to Clark's hip.

He moaned softly at the touch, letting his own fingers cup the side of a slender neck, and only allowed the kiss to a certain point. Once he felt his arousal beginning to stir he let go and simply licked at his lovers face, drawing his tongue from chin to the top of his forehead. Over his lips, up his nose, licking his presence on his lovers body before grinning at him.

Lex grinned back at the gentle lick, and leaned forward, licking Clark's cheek playfully in return. "You, my friend, have been hanging around your puppy too long."

"Samson has this effect on me." He lowered his lips to Lex's ear and licked softly, rubbing his lips against the ear lobe. "I love you, Lex."

"I love you, Clark. More, maybe, than I'm capable of telling you." He rubbed his cheek against Clark's gently. "And you need to shave, by the way. I'm getting rug burn."

"Gee, thanks." He murmured, half in amusement and half in adoration, and rubbed his stubble against him. "Maybe you can shave me."

"I love you, but no. I had to have Dominic shave me, remember?"

"Impenetrable skin." Clark murmured against his cheek, before heaving a sigh of pleasure and opening the car door. "Pasta buying, here we come!"

Lex caught his lover by the arm. "Here." He dove into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed Clark five folded $100 bills. "You're in charge, Maestro."

A blink. "Lex?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever been grocery shopping?"

"Um, once, in Bangkok."

His grin was just huge, and he handed back all five hundred dollars and peaked into Lex's wallet, taking out a twenty, and a twenty from his own wallet. "And there we go. Come on, love." He hopped from the car, the cold shuddering down his spine as he pulled his coat tighter around himself, as well as his blue scarf. Fuck but he was cold. He winced and snuggled deeper, whimpering a little and offering his hand to his lover. "Crap its cold."

Lex shrugged out of his jacket and offered it to Clark. "Here. Take mine; I'm not that cold, and usually you aren't either. That's it; when we get home, I'm taking you downstairs and see if we can't figure out what's going on."

"Noo, no." A firm shake of his head, as he tugged Lex close and all but scurried to the front of the building. "Jacket back on. Its got to be twenty degrees out here, Lex, even Clark Kents get a little cold."

Lex didn't argue and slid his jacket back on as quickly as he could as he and Clark hurried across the parking lot. "I don't care, Clark. We're having a look when we get home."

Who could help grinning, alright? It was Lex. He beamed at his overprotective lover , kissing his cheek, and stepped into the house, flapping his coat free of snow as he entered and let out a heavy, happy sigh.

The store smelled like freshly baked bread and moms. It was filled with people, and he knew his cover was totally blown for the whole skipping thing as he grabbed a little red basket, slipped it over his arm, and motioned his lover to follow him.

Lex slipped his arm around Clark's waist and stepped up beside him. "I am not overprotective," Lex growled softly, having heard that thought skitter through Clark's link to him.

He grinned, knowing exactly where Lex got that thought, and gave him a picture of them fucking over the slate metal table, with a question mark after it.

Lex choked. Cleared his throat, glared at his lover, and sent back a very positive exclamation point.

He scooted down the aisle, all but laughing, and led him through the store. "Okay, let me give you a little layout. If you ever have to come here for anything, you'll know where stuff is. This is the bread, jelly, and condiments aisle. This is canned goods... that one is cookies and pastas." He led his lover into that aisle, stepping around a cart and one of the Millar sisters, and stopped to stare at their choices. "…Lex?"

Lex pointed up wordlessly at the small signs over the aisles that gave a clear map of what was on the aisle. "Yes?"

Smart aleck. Christ, he loved him. "Uh...what exactly are we going to make?"

"That's your department, Einstein. I'm just here to finance." Lex stuck his hands in his jacket pockets.

"...Oh." A wince? "We...well, okay, you can never go wrong with… oh! We can make mushroom and vegetables spaghetti. Is your dad blah over mushrooms?"

Lex snickered. "How about fresh shrimp scampi over hand-tossed parmesan pasta, with green salads on the side."

Blink. "You know how to make shrimp scampi over hand tossed parmesan pasta?"

"Yes, I do."

"Liar. Keep the number on hand though, Lex. I have a feeling our cooking extravaganza might not go so well. Its good to have a backup, though. Do they deliver? We could hand toss. It wouldn’t be a lie."

"Liar?" Lex elbowed steely ribs gently. "Okay. Go down to the end of the aisle, and look for a small box of penne rigati. It should be in a blue box." He looked up at the aisle markers. "Remind me when we get to aisle seven that we need garlic rub." Lex studied the pasta in front of him, and ended up selecting four boxes of flat linguini.

"You mean to tell me you're scientifically speaky and you can cook?"

His heart couldn’t take it. He grinned, from ear to ear, and hugged him so very, very tightly. Right in the middle of the store. And really didn’t care everyone saw, even as Mrs. Trolly thunked him with her aged purse and walked her aged butt off on aged pumps. He kissed Lex's cheek, beamed, and rubbed at the cramps still littering his belly.

"Yes, I can cook," Lex grumbled. "Just... don't tell anyone." But the grumble was buried in the strong arms of his lover as he wrapped his own arms tightly around Clark. "Stomach still bothering you, baby?"

A shake of his head and another smile. White lies never hurt anybody, and he kissed his lovers nose. "Yet another side of Lex Luthor I didn’t know about."

Lex wrinkled his nose, a habit he'd picked up from his lover. "Go get my rigati. That's the pasta for the salad. Then... we're checking out the fresh seafood here, though I may have it flown in from Metropolis."

"I love you." He wrinkled his nose right back, smiling in pleasure as he strolled off to find whatever it is Lex had asked for, which he had no clue, pasta for salad and he'd never heard of such a thing, but oh well.

Lex watched as Clark wandered off aimlessly, snickered, and followed behind him after adding two small boxes of regular spaghetti to the basket as well. "Any luck?" he asked, putting his chin on Clark's shoulder and smirking.

He was peering diligently at the boxes of gold fish crackers, and though he was cramping up, he was hungry. Go figure. Starving, in fact. He picked out a box of pizza flavored gold fishies and put it in their basket, hmming in shyness. "I was getting there. Eventually."

"Uh huh." Lex brandished the box of penne rigati. "Onward to the seafood display."

"Ooo! Fruit rollups! Okay. You’ve not lived till you've eaten fruit rollups." He grabbed a box of the strawberry kind, and nodded. "Orange juice is needed. Plus, apple juice. And hey, I’m allergic to flounder in case you were going to buy it."

"No flounder, just shrimp." Lex watched carefully as Clark piled all the junk food into the basket, and he made little notations in the file in the back of his head.

"Oooo! Oooo!" He all but shrilled it, as he grabbed a box of cocoa puffs and presented it to his lover with a nod. "Sugary goodness. Guaranteed to keep you on a high for three hours or more." He set it in their basket and yawned softly. "My granddad used to eat the shrimp with the eyes and all."

"Well, we don't quite do that. We'll buy the shrimp, hopefully already peeled and de-veined, we'll brown them lightly in butter and garlic, make a scampi sauce to toss in with the pasta when it's cooked, and then serve the shrimp and pasta together with the garlic butters sauce poured over it, and a light vinaigrette dressing for the salad."

"Or, you can do it, and I can watch and be your test subject." And he seemed to enjoy that a whole lot, grinning lopsidedly and winking as they reached the--crap!

"Clark Jerome Kent. What in the name of all that is good are you doing out of class?"

Oh. Wince?

"Your papa is gonna be mightly angry with you, boy."

"Sorry, Mrs. Rubenstein."

"Don't blame him, Mrs. Rubenstein; it's my fault. Clark's helping me arrange a little dinner party tonight, and I begged and pled with him until he gave in and agreed to save my ass."

The tiny, old lady, who was so old she was just about petrified, glared.

And Clark winced and lowered his head in shame.

"Save your ass indeed. Hmph." Mrs. Rubenstein glared from her perch on the box, and waggled gnarled old fingers at him. "Should know better 'n that too, Young'in."

Lex put on his most charming smile. "Of course I know better than that, and I wouldn't have asked Clark if it weren't an emergency. My father and Dominic and I have been... rather rocky lately, and we're trying to get back on the road of familial solidarity."

"On a school night. For shame, for SHAME." Another waggled finger before she sighed as if greatly put upon. "What'n I get you boys?"

Lex kept his charming smile in place. "We're looking for fresh shrimp," he said. "We're making scampi and pasta."

"Scam'i, ey? How much of it d'ya want?" She asked, as she went about her business slowly, carefully peeling on a pair of latex gloves.

"Dinner. Uh. Party." Clark beamed at her, and his smile was just slightly crooked. "He knows how to cook, doncha know."

"Cook, eh?" Well, now. Ms. Rubenstein’s immediate dislike turned into happiness. Her Clark wouldn’t starve, and that was a blessing.

Lex laughed. "Yes, I can cook." He rubbed his hand discreetly on Clark's forearm. "I'd like to have... about five or six pounds of fresh shrimp, if you have that much."

"You're in luck." The little lady cackled. She all but climbed into the freezer itself to start bagging shrimp, hanging over the edge as her little feet stayed on the box.

And she only lost her balance twice.

The tender fingertips on his arm had tears swamping his eyes. Couldn’t help it--the pure joy the touch brought him had him smiling like an idiot, and squirming closer to his lover.

So close, in fact, that he just lay his head down on Lex's shoulder, yawned softly, and hugged him around the waist as close as he could.

Lex didn't think twice about it; he just cuddled Clark close to him, put his cheek down on top of Clark's head, and snuggled into the arm around his waist. His fingers still stroked gently on Clark's forearm, and he kissed his lover's temple softly. "Are you still feeling all right, baby?" he asked, voice low.

"You know, I may have to talk to Ms. Toni about dethroning Dominic as King of the Worry Warts." Clark said innocently into his lovers clothes, and giggled softly as he slipped his hand into Lex's coat pocket just because he could. "I feel fine. Great, even. Hungry as hell, though… the cramps went away. Now..." Wicked snicker. "Your crotch is looking quite tasty..."

Lex turned just a little bit towards his lover, so that the coat pocket currently occupied by Clark's hand nudged against the aforementioned tasty-looking crotch. "Well... if you can wait until we leave... I'll drive us home, and while I'm driving... you can... feast to your heart's content." Each of his little pauses was filled by a kiss to Clark's cheek as it remained nestled against him. "I can't help worrying; you're my baby."

"No way." Clark shook his head firmly, ignoring the looks they were getting. "You can barely drive while all unsexy. Plus, we can't yet. Tomorrow night, I think." A nod, and a wicked grin. "Doesn’t mean I can't get you off in some evil, hedonistic and pleasurable way." Which he said, of course, while rubbing Lex's crotch with his thumb, gentle little circles which just made him happy as hell.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were impugning my driving skills," Lex teased. "I drive just fine, and I have no accidents save the bridge on my driving record." He pressed closer to Clark's gentle thumb. "Mmm... evil, hedonistic, and pleasurable. Three of my favorite words."

Oh, he laughed. Just cracked up, yes wide before he went into a slew of snickers, leaning in to bite at an ear as his thumb ever so gently moved to run against the tip of his lovers cock, nestled in his underwear.

X-Ray vision was so great sometimes.

Lex murmured soft noises of approval and arousal into his lover's ear. He turned again, just a little, putting the head of his cock under Clark's thumb so that the entire head was stroked gently, not just the very tip of it. "Naughty boy, Clark," Lex chastised softly, teeth tugging lightly at Clark's earlobe as he whispered into it. "You just love knowing you can make me lose my control in a public place like this, don't you?"

Priceless. Smile. And on Clarks face, it had just enough innocence in it, as he rubbed softly but methodically. Little touches, soft little strokes, memories of doing this a hundred times and it never got old, and that single thought had him smiling. "I want to take you on the pool table again. I want to feel you quiver inside my mouth when I hang you upside down again." Sudden grin, as he let go of his lover's cock and glanced up, aware of Ms. Rubenstein’s eyes. "You really liked that, didn’t you?"

Lex nearly whimpered when Clark let go of him, but he just shook his head. "Yes, I did like it, even though I thought my head was going to fly off my shoulders from the rush." Lex's charming smile was back in place for Mrs. Rubenstein.

"I think I can hang us both upside down." Clark said softly… and had to think about that for a second. Oh. Holy crap. His thing, about heights, and being upside down. Yeesh. His stomach churned at the thought, but he managed a smile for the lady, accepting the bag she handed over.

"Ya'll member, keep um fresh!" Another raised brow at them, and she jumped off her box, piddling into the back of the store.

"Yes ma'am," Lex called, and squeezed his beloved's waist. "If we're both upside down, then that's going to make it hard for me to suck you off. I think you need to keep your feet on the ground and let me be the one who gets flipped ass over teakettle." A little chuckle. "Come on. We need butter, garlic, spice, and seafood salt."

"No… I mean…" A minute, as he thought, before he smiled and waved it away. "Never mind. What’s seafood salt?"

"What do you mean?" Lex slipped his hand into his pocket and linked his fingers to Clark's. "Seafood salt is a special kind of seasoning salt that you use on seafood, to give it a little more of a seasoned taste and less of a brine taste."

"Brine?" A blink, but he made a face. "You know, I don’t like fish. My mom doesn’t cook it much, cause after I saw the Little Mermaid, I had nightmares. My dad teased me once and said I was eating Flounder, and ever since then.." A shake of his head. "Can’t do it. Can’t eat flounder. Can’t eat fish. Tried. Cried."

"Brine. Salt water. Most shrimp sold commercially like this are caught in bayous and coastlines, and then packed in preservative brine and then drained and displayed." He snuggled Clark in. "Are you all right with shrimp, or should we go on a hunt for chicken for Chicken Scampi for you?"

"I’ve never eaten it." A shake of his head, and a shrugging, shy glance. "I'll try it, though, I like new things." He beamed at his lover, nodding as he was told, and sighed. "I've read a lot, but things like brine don’t get told to people, you know?"

"That's because you've never taken an interest in the shrimping industry," Lex said. "LuthorCorp has a subsidiary seafood company that specializes in shrimping." He rubbed Clark's forearm lightly. "There's fresh chicken in the meat case, Clark. We'll get you a package of chicken breasts, just in case."

"No, no way. I’m the pioneer of new things. Hello, you should know that better then anyone." He chided, grinning at him. "Speaking of, we've got the whole day to cook this... want to go to a movie with me?"

Lex gave his lover a sunny grin. "Yeah. I'd love to go to a movie with you."

"Yeah!" He couldn’t help a little dance in the middle of the pickle aisle, plucking a bottle of garlic from the shelves a moment later and presenting it. "We can see... The Two Towers… or... Daredevil... or... Chicago?"

Lex nodded, dropped the garlic into the basket, and then chose two other things, garlic salt and minced onion, and then, a third bottle of seafood salt. "I vote for The Two Towers. Again."

A feigned lusty sigh, and a flutter to his heart. "Man after my own heart. And hey, don’t think I didn’t hear your squeal when Sam and Frodo had a scene. You tried to hide in our bucket of popcorn, but I heard you." He waggled his finger, as he casually plucked a box of pimiento off the shelf and dropped it into their basket, then took it, and since their was an abandoned cart in the middle of the hall, proclaimed it as his own and set the basket in the cart.

Lex nodded. "Mmm. Yes, I did. I don't particularly care for Frodo; the huge blue eyes make me feel strangely like a pedophile for even considering these things, but the friendship and the very evident love between Sam and Frodo... it touches a very special place in my heart." He squeezed Clark's hand with his own.

Clark laughed again, eyes wide as he cracked up, swept him close, and gave him a loud, smacking kiss as they walked. "Christ, but I love you."

Lex returned the smacking kiss, and let both of his arms fall around Clark's waist as he was swept up. "I love you, Clark Kent." He made sure to say it loud enough for someone four aisles over could have heard.

-fin-

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