Gift for jlvsclrk! A Kiss at Midnight
Title: A Kiss at Midnight
From: To Be Revealed! sue_dreams
For: jlvsclrk
Type: fic, 3500
Rating: PG
AO3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3267839
Summary: Lex had a plan for this Christmas, but the weather leaves him cut off from Smallville.
Request: worried about being separated (Lex working on a business deal in Japan and/or Clark having to deal with a natural disaster) / building a family together / dealing with the in-laws
Lex stared out at the street a little longer, eyes tracking the falling snow with a numb feeling that had nothing to do with the cold. When he turned back around, the LuthorCorp receptionist was smiling at him sadly, but she remained quietly calm. Lex’s disappointment filled in her well-earned, “I told you so” regardless, and it took considerable effort to return her smile with a bland expression instead of a scowl.
He could feel the anger building, but it had no useful outlet. Lex couldn’t rail against the weather with any true result, he couldn’t change the fact that he hadn’t left hours before, when he might have had a chance of reaching Smallville before the worst of it.
There was no putting off the next step, but Lex dreaded making the call. He’d been promising Clark and the Kents for over a month that he would be home for Christmas. Accident or act of God or nature aside, having to tell them he was stuck in Metropolis felt like admitting to a lie.
He’d pushed hard to get everything cleared away in time for Christmas, had planned to be to the farm in time for dinner with the Kent family, Chloe, Pete, and a few others. And now Lex would be alone in the penthouse, the lights from the city obscured by the raging winter storm, his place at the Kent table left empty in testimony of his absence and a broken promise.
“Good evening, Mr. Luthor,” the receptionist called out as Lex got into the elevator. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Lex returned, infusing as much warmth as he could into the words. It wasn’t much, but the woman was still smiling at him when the doors closed, so it must have been enough.
It took only seconds to take out his phone and scroll through the contacts until Clark’s number came up. It was usually at the top of his recent calls list, but he’d been working so hard… pointless, now. Clark would probably tell Lex to look on the bright side. Despite the change in plans, there would still be benefits to all that Lex had been working on. He would still have time off until the New Year, barring more unforeseen circumstances. His present had arrived at the farm the day before and Martha had confirmed that she’d hidden it from Clark. Clark would get his present, even if Lex wasn’t there to deliver it. They could still be together by New Year’s Eve…
The floors counted up to the penthouse and Lex put his phone back into his pocket. Around the thirtieth floor, he took it back out to make sure there were no messages from Clark. It had to be obvious to the other man that the weather had turned bad and Lex had never confirmed that he’d left. There were zero notifications that didn’t involve work. Maybe Clark still thought Lex was driving and was doing the wise thing by not distracting him while on the road.
The outer hallway leading to the penthouse was conspicuously, pointedly empty. Lex had let his personal staff off for the next three days, had scheduled the heat to be turned down. Where there was no one to see him but a camera he could remove data from later, Lex leaned his forehead against the cool wood of his door and closed his eyes.
Bright side, he reminded himself. At the latest, the storm was expected to abate in the next twenty hours. Lex could theoretically get to Smallville for Christmas evening. If not for Christmas, then… then Lex would be there the day after and he would make it up to Clark. Instead of one simpler gift on Christmas, Lex can arrange for something tomorrow and make a run at the 12 Days of Christmas in a way the Kent mindset will allow.
That was definitely an optimistic outlook and even if that was all Lex could give Clark today, he rather thought Clark would accept it gladly. It was definitely one of the gifts Clark had given to Lex over the years, the ability to look for a silver lining that didn’t involve silver or other valuable, precious metal. Just a brief moment of optimism and the avoidance of his old, cyclical cynicism.
Lex drew himself up and reached out to unlock the door, only to have the key give without the catch of the lock tumblers. The door opened silently and there was no darkness for the hallway lights to spill into. Sound didn’t carry very well from the entranceway to other parts of the hallway, but the lack of absolute silence was itself loud.
Then there was a voice calling his name and Lex abandoned the door to walk himself into Clark’s chest and wrap his arms around him. There was a rumble in Clark’s chest that vibrated into Lex as the younger man said something, but Lex knew more by tone than comprehension that it was something innocuous. Maybe a comment about the decorations that Lex could see over Clark’s shoulder, tinsel and garlands strung above the archways, lights trailing the edges of the walls and disappearing around corners, lighting up the penthouse from the ground up.
More voices came from the direction of the dining room, first Martha asking someone a question about ham and then Chloe’s answering something about mashed potatoes. Lex tucked his face against Clark’s neck and breathed him in for a moment, relaxing in Clark’s embrace as Clark gave him a moment to settle from the surprise.
“Who came with you?” Lex finally asked, after brushing his lips against Clark’s neck. He didn’t pull back, just let Clark’s scent fill his senses.
Clark’s answer was basically “everyone”. His father, Lana, and Pete were still decorating the apartment. Lois and Chloe were on kitchen duty with Martha, but that mostly seemed to mean peeling, mashing, and mixing whatever Mrs. Kent handed to them. Somewhere along the line, Clark and his family and friends had managed to find time to kidnap Lois from whatever story she had been digging into lately.
“I called in earlier and Eve confirmed that you were still tied up. Surprise,” Clark said quietly, his arms tightening around Lex.
“Come on, Lex, we need some help with the tinsel,” Lana called.
Pete appeared in the doorway and laughingly added, “And Clark’s abandoned us. Come help and we’ll get two for the price of one.”
^ & * & * & ^
Clark and his entourage had arrived at the start of the storm, when Lex was in a video conference with Japan, doing his damnedest to avoid going overseas before the New Year. By the time Lex joined them, the decorating was three quarters done and dinner was nearly ready to put on the table.
Beyond the Christmas cheer that had pervaded the penthouse and the succulent dinner, there were presents under the tree and soft music playing. The extra rooms in the penthouse had been divvied up. Lex attempted to let Martha and Jonathon stay in the master bedroom, but they declined. The younger women accepted his offer, noting that the California King had enough room. Pete took the room across from Martha and Jonathon, leaving Lex the room next to theirs. Lex found Clark’s duffle at the foot of the bed and smiled.
It wasn’t much of a difference to how everyone would have been split up at the farm, except with enough bed space to accommodate everyone and no one having to sleep in the barn. It also meant thicker walls and no creaky floors, as Lex discovered when he went to change out of his suit and into casual clothes. He turned from placing his change of clothes on the guest bed to find Clark standing behind him with an impish smile.
There was no hesitation as they each stepped into the kiss they hadn’t had indulged in earlier. Clark’s lips were smooth and warm, his hands impatient as he put one on Lex’s hip and the other cupped the back of Lex’s head.
It fell to Lex to ease them out of the kiss. “Your parents are going to notice you missing.”
Clark sighed and looked like he was tempted to roll his eyes. “Dad’s only rule was that he not catch us under any mistletoe.”
“That’s fair enough. I didn’t see any mistletoe when we were decorating.” Lex stepped back anyway, because kissing Clark was always a temptation. He circled his finger in the air and waited for Clark to turn around with a long-suffering sigh. Clark had shut the door behind himself, so Lex took advantage of the privacy and started unbuttoning his shirt. He didn’t object to the idea of Clark seeing him with his shirt off, but they had a bad habit of getting distracted by each other and Lex did not want to start the holidays off with being caught by Clark’s parents. Again.
Clark peeked briefly over his shoulder when Lex had his crisper dress shirt on, but aside from a teasing wolf whistle, he let Lex get changed.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lex said quietly, fingers working quickly over shirt buttons until he was dressed again. His trousers would be fine. No need to risk temptation.
Clark’s smile was sweet and sincere. “I’m glad you’re here, too.”
Lionel had made a production of the holidays, but outside of the parties and press, he’d worked through them every year that Lex could recall. Lex knew other businessmen who did the same, had received several invitations to working holiday events.
It was only a matter of time before it was going to be Clark who was absent at holidays. Lex was preparing for that end, but in the meantime, he was trying to protect Clark from the harsh realities of his chosen path. Martha and Jonathon were against the idea, and Lex could understand why, but he wasn’t going to discourage Clark from being the hero he was meant to be.
They had a couple years before they had to go down that road, but crime and natural disasters and the bad things in life didn’t take holidays and didn’t respect human concepts of family time. Whether Clark settled on a cape or Kevlar or spandex, he was going to join a calling that didn’t get overtime or extended weekends. Every moment they could take for themselves would have to last them.
A knock on the door preceded an announcement from Martha that the table was set and everyone else was ready. Clark and Lex shared a smile and a short kiss before going to the dining room and joining everyone.
The table was decorated beautifully and was laden with enough food to satisfy a small army of Kryptonian teenagers. Lex smiled at Jonathon and waved him to the head of the table, then took a seat before the other man could argue that the same way he had sleeping arrangements. Martha reached for hands to either side and they formed a ring around the table, each person reaching right and left. Martha gave thanks for having all her ducklings under one roof. To great amusement and Lois’s surprise, Martha included her by name.
Once they let go of each other, Martha turned to Lex. “I’m sorry we couldn’t contact Lucas or Lutessa.”
“Don’t be. If the weather were better and they were able to be here and have clear escape plans, we’d have a pleasant time. But they would not do well being trapped with me. And she goes by Tess.” Lex looked to Clark, who still hadn’t let go of his hand, then back to Martha. “But I thank you for thinking of them in the midst of getting this arranged.”
Martha twinkled at him, but fell silent as the dishes were passed around the table. Lex felt himself flush involuntarily and he couldn’t do much to hide his face from the others at the table. He hadn’t reclaimed his hand from Clark, but when the dishes reached them, Clark held the dish and Lex served food to both their plates. Lois was smirking at them, but everyone else seemed immune by the display and Lex could handle the minor embarrassment. Still, it was lucky that Lex was seated on the left and it was his offhand in Clark’s grip.
Conversation at the table passed through quickly. Chloe’s rapid speed was matched by her cousin, but Pete and Lana and the Kents had been around long enough to keep up and chime in when a breath was taken. Part of the conversation was about the preparations for leaving Smallville, which had only been about two hours that day. Lois had volunteered her car in order to be guaranteed a place at the table. The truck had brought Martha and Jonathon and Pete, leaving enough room in Lois’s car for the ladies and the food.
Topics ranged from the weather to the just-completed semester and then on to summer internships for Chloe and Clark, work for Lana and Lois. When Lex demurred to share what he’d been working on recently, Pete turned the conversation to sports and Jonathon followed.
By the time everyone leaned back in their seats, barely a dent had been put in the food on the table and Lex knew there were a number of pies and desserts in the kitchen yet. Clark shooed everyone out of the dining room and into the living room. By request of Mrs. Kent, they found It’s a Wonderful Life while she directed Clark on how to put away the leftovers. Lex’s kitchen didn’t have a lot of plastic bowls for leftovers, but that was another thing the Kents had packed from the farm. Lex labeled bowls and held stack them in the fridge. There was other food in the fridge as well.
Lex smiled at Martha as he moved aside a large measuring cup with a bowl. “Pancakes?”
“There’s another bowl of batter, too,” she said in answer. Lex found the other bowl and labelled it, then made sure it stayed near the front of the fridge so it would be visible in the morning.
With superspeed, the table was cleared quickly and the worst of the dishes left to soak. Lex looked at the sink, then smiled at Clark feeling rather fond. It always surprised him anew when he was met with a situation that couldn’t be done at Clark’s speed. Soaking dishes was one of them, at least not when Martha was around to have opinions about how her pans and china plates should be washed.
When they joined the others, George Bailey was arguing with Mr. Potter for the umpteenth time, but his downward spiral was several scenes away. Lois, Chloe, and Lana were on the sofa to the left of the television. Pete was on the middle sofa, sitting at the end near to Chloe. Jonathon sat on the third sofa and Martha joined him. Clark sat next to Pete and Lex took the cushion next to him.
Despite the handholding at dinner, Lex and Clark weren’t into displays of affection. It took several minutes before Lex could bring himself to relax against Clark’s side and from there, it could only have been a couple minutes until he was comfortable enough to fall asleep. He didn’t even make it to Clarence’s proper introduction.
^ & * & * & ^
The lights had all been turned down except the strands going around the Christmas tree. The television was off and there was no telling what time it was from the angle Lex was reclined. His feet were still on the floor, but he’d tipped sideways and into Clark’s lap at some point in time. A blanket had been put over Lex and he was warm. Warm and safe and held and loved.
Fingers slid softly over his head. Clark’s fingers never had taken on the expected roughness of his father’s. Between one ability and another, Clark’s skin retained a softness that always caught Lex by surprise when it brushed over face or his head.
“Everyone else went to sleep?” Lex asked. They weren’t likely to be overheard, but Lex pitched his voice low anyway.
Clark answered in a similar volume. “About an hour ago. You missed Clarence getting his wings and Prancer saving the day.”
Given how Lex’s schedule had been recently, he was more surprised that he hadn’t slept straight through till morning. Speaking of… “Is it Christmas, yet?”
“Five minutes, give or take.” Clark shifted and Lex took it as his cue to sit up, then bit back a smile when Clark’s face dropped in disappointment. Lex didn’t go far, though, just shifted closer to Clark so he could put his arm around Clark. That brought a smile back to the younger man’s face.
“Clark Kent, my ridiculous farm boy-“
“Why do you always say it like that?”
“-You dragged your family-“
“Your family!” Instead of fighting the interruption, Lex just kissed him, because it was more effective. He kissed the smile off Clark’s face and chased the traces of peppermint and chocolate with his tongue. When he pulled back, Clark’s lips curved up at the corners again, but he let Lex finish.
“You brought your family to my penthouse ahead of a blizzard and willingly chose to trap yourself with me. Thank you.” Lex was bad at accepting gratitude himself, but Clark was worse and he visibly struggled with Lex’s words until Lex leaned in to kiss him again.
When they pulled back, Lex heard the antique grandfather clock in the hall start chiming, indicating that the night had rolled around into Christmas morning. Clark beat him to saying, “Merry Christmas,” by a few seconds. Then he put a large paw of a hand over Lex’s mouth. “You gave me a key, Lex. We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t invited me into your home.” Lex’s curiosity had to be translated through his eyebrows and Clark’s expression turned sheepish. “I may have been home when Mom got the envelope.”
It wasn’t like it was a surprise at that point. Without the key Lex had sent to the farm intending for it to be part of Clark’s Christmas present, the Kents and company would have been forced to wait for him in the hall, or to call down and have Lex let them in. It would have spoiled the surprise and Lex… Lex would have liked skipping that desolate period of time when he thought he’d made a mistake not leaving earlier, but it had put into perspective how much importance Lex had put on this holiday.
That perspective gave Lex the courage to slide from the sofa to his knees, his hands sliding from around Clark to holding his hands “Clark, I didn’t give you a key just so you could come and go in my life. I want to share it with you completely. I want this to be your home, too. At least when you’re in Metropolis.”
“And when we’re in Smallville?” Clark asked slyly. It wasn’t a ‘no’, and he leaned forward toward Lex, eyes shining in the twinkle of the tree lights.
“I know the farm is open to you, and your parents are wonderful to include me, but…” Lex tugged Clark forward and bypassed his mouth in order to nip at his jaw. “The castle has privacy and thick walls.”
Clark surged up from the sofa and pulled Lex up with him. “You know, there’s a bedroom just down the hall with those things.”
Lex laughed and let himself be pulled along, but reminded Clark, “Yeah, but your parents are only a few feet away and they’ll know.” It was one of the terrifying truths of the universe, that Lex was never going to be able to secretly debauch Clark under the same roof as his parents. It was one of the tradeoffs for Martha’s pancakes and Jonathon’s acceptance. “Plus, Lois is going to make terrible innuendos in the morning and if she’s right about anything, everyone at breakfast is going to be able to read it on your face.”
“The lack of a poker face is a fair trade for everything else.”
“Come put your pajamas on, my hero.” It was a silly nickname, but Lex had tried calling Clark by an actual superhero name once, and they’d devolved into laughter. Tonight, the mood was light but reverent.
Lex looked fondly at the closed doors that indicated their assorted kin and kith were tucked in bed. It was the fullest he could ever remember the penthouse being. Eight lives connected, four bedrooms. Lex was going to have to see about adding more space, if he was able to reconcile with his siblings as he hoped. Or maybe he and Clark could look into buying their own space, a new home big enough for the family and friends they currently had, and then some more to allow for the growth of another generation of Kents and Luthors.
Their bedroom door shut quietly behind them.
From: To Be Revealed! sue_dreams
For: jlvsclrk
Type: fic, 3500
Rating: PG
AO3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/3267839
Summary: Lex had a plan for this Christmas, but the weather leaves him cut off from Smallville.
Request: worried about being separated (Lex working on a business deal in Japan and/or Clark having to deal with a natural disaster) / building a family together / dealing with the in-laws
Lex stared out at the street a little longer, eyes tracking the falling snow with a numb feeling that had nothing to do with the cold. When he turned back around, the LuthorCorp receptionist was smiling at him sadly, but she remained quietly calm. Lex’s disappointment filled in her well-earned, “I told you so” regardless, and it took considerable effort to return her smile with a bland expression instead of a scowl.
He could feel the anger building, but it had no useful outlet. Lex couldn’t rail against the weather with any true result, he couldn’t change the fact that he hadn’t left hours before, when he might have had a chance of reaching Smallville before the worst of it.
There was no putting off the next step, but Lex dreaded making the call. He’d been promising Clark and the Kents for over a month that he would be home for Christmas. Accident or act of God or nature aside, having to tell them he was stuck in Metropolis felt like admitting to a lie.
He’d pushed hard to get everything cleared away in time for Christmas, had planned to be to the farm in time for dinner with the Kent family, Chloe, Pete, and a few others. And now Lex would be alone in the penthouse, the lights from the city obscured by the raging winter storm, his place at the Kent table left empty in testimony of his absence and a broken promise.
“Good evening, Mr. Luthor,” the receptionist called out as Lex got into the elevator. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Lex returned, infusing as much warmth as he could into the words. It wasn’t much, but the woman was still smiling at him when the doors closed, so it must have been enough.
It took only seconds to take out his phone and scroll through the contacts until Clark’s number came up. It was usually at the top of his recent calls list, but he’d been working so hard… pointless, now. Clark would probably tell Lex to look on the bright side. Despite the change in plans, there would still be benefits to all that Lex had been working on. He would still have time off until the New Year, barring more unforeseen circumstances. His present had arrived at the farm the day before and Martha had confirmed that she’d hidden it from Clark. Clark would get his present, even if Lex wasn’t there to deliver it. They could still be together by New Year’s Eve…
The floors counted up to the penthouse and Lex put his phone back into his pocket. Around the thirtieth floor, he took it back out to make sure there were no messages from Clark. It had to be obvious to the other man that the weather had turned bad and Lex had never confirmed that he’d left. There were zero notifications that didn’t involve work. Maybe Clark still thought Lex was driving and was doing the wise thing by not distracting him while on the road.
The outer hallway leading to the penthouse was conspicuously, pointedly empty. Lex had let his personal staff off for the next three days, had scheduled the heat to be turned down. Where there was no one to see him but a camera he could remove data from later, Lex leaned his forehead against the cool wood of his door and closed his eyes.
Bright side, he reminded himself. At the latest, the storm was expected to abate in the next twenty hours. Lex could theoretically get to Smallville for Christmas evening. If not for Christmas, then… then Lex would be there the day after and he would make it up to Clark. Instead of one simpler gift on Christmas, Lex can arrange for something tomorrow and make a run at the 12 Days of Christmas in a way the Kent mindset will allow.
That was definitely an optimistic outlook and even if that was all Lex could give Clark today, he rather thought Clark would accept it gladly. It was definitely one of the gifts Clark had given to Lex over the years, the ability to look for a silver lining that didn’t involve silver or other valuable, precious metal. Just a brief moment of optimism and the avoidance of his old, cyclical cynicism.
Lex drew himself up and reached out to unlock the door, only to have the key give without the catch of the lock tumblers. The door opened silently and there was no darkness for the hallway lights to spill into. Sound didn’t carry very well from the entranceway to other parts of the hallway, but the lack of absolute silence was itself loud.
Then there was a voice calling his name and Lex abandoned the door to walk himself into Clark’s chest and wrap his arms around him. There was a rumble in Clark’s chest that vibrated into Lex as the younger man said something, but Lex knew more by tone than comprehension that it was something innocuous. Maybe a comment about the decorations that Lex could see over Clark’s shoulder, tinsel and garlands strung above the archways, lights trailing the edges of the walls and disappearing around corners, lighting up the penthouse from the ground up.
More voices came from the direction of the dining room, first Martha asking someone a question about ham and then Chloe’s answering something about mashed potatoes. Lex tucked his face against Clark’s neck and breathed him in for a moment, relaxing in Clark’s embrace as Clark gave him a moment to settle from the surprise.
“Who came with you?” Lex finally asked, after brushing his lips against Clark’s neck. He didn’t pull back, just let Clark’s scent fill his senses.
Clark’s answer was basically “everyone”. His father, Lana, and Pete were still decorating the apartment. Lois and Chloe were on kitchen duty with Martha, but that mostly seemed to mean peeling, mashing, and mixing whatever Mrs. Kent handed to them. Somewhere along the line, Clark and his family and friends had managed to find time to kidnap Lois from whatever story she had been digging into lately.
“I called in earlier and Eve confirmed that you were still tied up. Surprise,” Clark said quietly, his arms tightening around Lex.
“Come on, Lex, we need some help with the tinsel,” Lana called.
Pete appeared in the doorway and laughingly added, “And Clark’s abandoned us. Come help and we’ll get two for the price of one.”
^ & * & * & ^
Clark and his entourage had arrived at the start of the storm, when Lex was in a video conference with Japan, doing his damnedest to avoid going overseas before the New Year. By the time Lex joined them, the decorating was three quarters done and dinner was nearly ready to put on the table.
Beyond the Christmas cheer that had pervaded the penthouse and the succulent dinner, there were presents under the tree and soft music playing. The extra rooms in the penthouse had been divvied up. Lex attempted to let Martha and Jonathon stay in the master bedroom, but they declined. The younger women accepted his offer, noting that the California King had enough room. Pete took the room across from Martha and Jonathon, leaving Lex the room next to theirs. Lex found Clark’s duffle at the foot of the bed and smiled.
It wasn’t much of a difference to how everyone would have been split up at the farm, except with enough bed space to accommodate everyone and no one having to sleep in the barn. It also meant thicker walls and no creaky floors, as Lex discovered when he went to change out of his suit and into casual clothes. He turned from placing his change of clothes on the guest bed to find Clark standing behind him with an impish smile.
There was no hesitation as they each stepped into the kiss they hadn’t had indulged in earlier. Clark’s lips were smooth and warm, his hands impatient as he put one on Lex’s hip and the other cupped the back of Lex’s head.
It fell to Lex to ease them out of the kiss. “Your parents are going to notice you missing.”
Clark sighed and looked like he was tempted to roll his eyes. “Dad’s only rule was that he not catch us under any mistletoe.”
“That’s fair enough. I didn’t see any mistletoe when we were decorating.” Lex stepped back anyway, because kissing Clark was always a temptation. He circled his finger in the air and waited for Clark to turn around with a long-suffering sigh. Clark had shut the door behind himself, so Lex took advantage of the privacy and started unbuttoning his shirt. He didn’t object to the idea of Clark seeing him with his shirt off, but they had a bad habit of getting distracted by each other and Lex did not want to start the holidays off with being caught by Clark’s parents. Again.
Clark peeked briefly over his shoulder when Lex had his crisper dress shirt on, but aside from a teasing wolf whistle, he let Lex get changed.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lex said quietly, fingers working quickly over shirt buttons until he was dressed again. His trousers would be fine. No need to risk temptation.
Clark’s smile was sweet and sincere. “I’m glad you’re here, too.”
Lionel had made a production of the holidays, but outside of the parties and press, he’d worked through them every year that Lex could recall. Lex knew other businessmen who did the same, had received several invitations to working holiday events.
It was only a matter of time before it was going to be Clark who was absent at holidays. Lex was preparing for that end, but in the meantime, he was trying to protect Clark from the harsh realities of his chosen path. Martha and Jonathon were against the idea, and Lex could understand why, but he wasn’t going to discourage Clark from being the hero he was meant to be.
They had a couple years before they had to go down that road, but crime and natural disasters and the bad things in life didn’t take holidays and didn’t respect human concepts of family time. Whether Clark settled on a cape or Kevlar or spandex, he was going to join a calling that didn’t get overtime or extended weekends. Every moment they could take for themselves would have to last them.
A knock on the door preceded an announcement from Martha that the table was set and everyone else was ready. Clark and Lex shared a smile and a short kiss before going to the dining room and joining everyone.
The table was decorated beautifully and was laden with enough food to satisfy a small army of Kryptonian teenagers. Lex smiled at Jonathon and waved him to the head of the table, then took a seat before the other man could argue that the same way he had sleeping arrangements. Martha reached for hands to either side and they formed a ring around the table, each person reaching right and left. Martha gave thanks for having all her ducklings under one roof. To great amusement and Lois’s surprise, Martha included her by name.
Once they let go of each other, Martha turned to Lex. “I’m sorry we couldn’t contact Lucas or Lutessa.”
“Don’t be. If the weather were better and they were able to be here and have clear escape plans, we’d have a pleasant time. But they would not do well being trapped with me. And she goes by Tess.” Lex looked to Clark, who still hadn’t let go of his hand, then back to Martha. “But I thank you for thinking of them in the midst of getting this arranged.”
Martha twinkled at him, but fell silent as the dishes were passed around the table. Lex felt himself flush involuntarily and he couldn’t do much to hide his face from the others at the table. He hadn’t reclaimed his hand from Clark, but when the dishes reached them, Clark held the dish and Lex served food to both their plates. Lois was smirking at them, but everyone else seemed immune by the display and Lex could handle the minor embarrassment. Still, it was lucky that Lex was seated on the left and it was his offhand in Clark’s grip.
Conversation at the table passed through quickly. Chloe’s rapid speed was matched by her cousin, but Pete and Lana and the Kents had been around long enough to keep up and chime in when a breath was taken. Part of the conversation was about the preparations for leaving Smallville, which had only been about two hours that day. Lois had volunteered her car in order to be guaranteed a place at the table. The truck had brought Martha and Jonathon and Pete, leaving enough room in Lois’s car for the ladies and the food.
Topics ranged from the weather to the just-completed semester and then on to summer internships for Chloe and Clark, work for Lana and Lois. When Lex demurred to share what he’d been working on recently, Pete turned the conversation to sports and Jonathon followed.
By the time everyone leaned back in their seats, barely a dent had been put in the food on the table and Lex knew there were a number of pies and desserts in the kitchen yet. Clark shooed everyone out of the dining room and into the living room. By request of Mrs. Kent, they found It’s a Wonderful Life while she directed Clark on how to put away the leftovers. Lex’s kitchen didn’t have a lot of plastic bowls for leftovers, but that was another thing the Kents had packed from the farm. Lex labeled bowls and held stack them in the fridge. There was other food in the fridge as well.
Lex smiled at Martha as he moved aside a large measuring cup with a bowl. “Pancakes?”
“There’s another bowl of batter, too,” she said in answer. Lex found the other bowl and labelled it, then made sure it stayed near the front of the fridge so it would be visible in the morning.
With superspeed, the table was cleared quickly and the worst of the dishes left to soak. Lex looked at the sink, then smiled at Clark feeling rather fond. It always surprised him anew when he was met with a situation that couldn’t be done at Clark’s speed. Soaking dishes was one of them, at least not when Martha was around to have opinions about how her pans and china plates should be washed.
When they joined the others, George Bailey was arguing with Mr. Potter for the umpteenth time, but his downward spiral was several scenes away. Lois, Chloe, and Lana were on the sofa to the left of the television. Pete was on the middle sofa, sitting at the end near to Chloe. Jonathon sat on the third sofa and Martha joined him. Clark sat next to Pete and Lex took the cushion next to him.
Despite the handholding at dinner, Lex and Clark weren’t into displays of affection. It took several minutes before Lex could bring himself to relax against Clark’s side and from there, it could only have been a couple minutes until he was comfortable enough to fall asleep. He didn’t even make it to Clarence’s proper introduction.
^ & * & * & ^
The lights had all been turned down except the strands going around the Christmas tree. The television was off and there was no telling what time it was from the angle Lex was reclined. His feet were still on the floor, but he’d tipped sideways and into Clark’s lap at some point in time. A blanket had been put over Lex and he was warm. Warm and safe and held and loved.
Fingers slid softly over his head. Clark’s fingers never had taken on the expected roughness of his father’s. Between one ability and another, Clark’s skin retained a softness that always caught Lex by surprise when it brushed over face or his head.
“Everyone else went to sleep?” Lex asked. They weren’t likely to be overheard, but Lex pitched his voice low anyway.
Clark answered in a similar volume. “About an hour ago. You missed Clarence getting his wings and Prancer saving the day.”
Given how Lex’s schedule had been recently, he was more surprised that he hadn’t slept straight through till morning. Speaking of… “Is it Christmas, yet?”
“Five minutes, give or take.” Clark shifted and Lex took it as his cue to sit up, then bit back a smile when Clark’s face dropped in disappointment. Lex didn’t go far, though, just shifted closer to Clark so he could put his arm around Clark. That brought a smile back to the younger man’s face.
“Clark Kent, my ridiculous farm boy-“
“Why do you always say it like that?”
“-You dragged your family-“
“Your family!” Instead of fighting the interruption, Lex just kissed him, because it was more effective. He kissed the smile off Clark’s face and chased the traces of peppermint and chocolate with his tongue. When he pulled back, Clark’s lips curved up at the corners again, but he let Lex finish.
“You brought your family to my penthouse ahead of a blizzard and willingly chose to trap yourself with me. Thank you.” Lex was bad at accepting gratitude himself, but Clark was worse and he visibly struggled with Lex’s words until Lex leaned in to kiss him again.
When they pulled back, Lex heard the antique grandfather clock in the hall start chiming, indicating that the night had rolled around into Christmas morning. Clark beat him to saying, “Merry Christmas,” by a few seconds. Then he put a large paw of a hand over Lex’s mouth. “You gave me a key, Lex. We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t invited me into your home.” Lex’s curiosity had to be translated through his eyebrows and Clark’s expression turned sheepish. “I may have been home when Mom got the envelope.”
It wasn’t like it was a surprise at that point. Without the key Lex had sent to the farm intending for it to be part of Clark’s Christmas present, the Kents and company would have been forced to wait for him in the hall, or to call down and have Lex let them in. It would have spoiled the surprise and Lex… Lex would have liked skipping that desolate period of time when he thought he’d made a mistake not leaving earlier, but it had put into perspective how much importance Lex had put on this holiday.
That perspective gave Lex the courage to slide from the sofa to his knees, his hands sliding from around Clark to holding his hands “Clark, I didn’t give you a key just so you could come and go in my life. I want to share it with you completely. I want this to be your home, too. At least when you’re in Metropolis.”
“And when we’re in Smallville?” Clark asked slyly. It wasn’t a ‘no’, and he leaned forward toward Lex, eyes shining in the twinkle of the tree lights.
“I know the farm is open to you, and your parents are wonderful to include me, but…” Lex tugged Clark forward and bypassed his mouth in order to nip at his jaw. “The castle has privacy and thick walls.”
Clark surged up from the sofa and pulled Lex up with him. “You know, there’s a bedroom just down the hall with those things.”
Lex laughed and let himself be pulled along, but reminded Clark, “Yeah, but your parents are only a few feet away and they’ll know.” It was one of the terrifying truths of the universe, that Lex was never going to be able to secretly debauch Clark under the same roof as his parents. It was one of the tradeoffs for Martha’s pancakes and Jonathon’s acceptance. “Plus, Lois is going to make terrible innuendos in the morning and if she’s right about anything, everyone at breakfast is going to be able to read it on your face.”
“The lack of a poker face is a fair trade for everything else.”
“Come put your pajamas on, my hero.” It was a silly nickname, but Lex had tried calling Clark by an actual superhero name once, and they’d devolved into laughter. Tonight, the mood was light but reverent.
Lex looked fondly at the closed doors that indicated their assorted kin and kith were tucked in bed. It was the fullest he could ever remember the penthouse being. Eight lives connected, four bedrooms. Lex was going to have to see about adding more space, if he was able to reconcile with his siblings as he hoped. Or maybe he and Clark could look into buying their own space, a new home big enough for the family and friends they currently had, and then some more to allow for the growth of another generation of Kents and Luthors.
Their bedroom door shut quietly behind them.