Fic: Social Event of the Year, mpreg Clex
I needed a break from srsness. This came from a chat with Arian which cheered me. :)
So, for her.
Title: The Social Event of the Year
Summary: A party at LexCorp plaza is disrupted by a magical spell designed to keep Superman from getting out to save the day. Unfortunately, his pregnant husband is trapped inside also and not feeling so well. Land of AUness.
Pairing: Clex
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Mpreg, durr. Slash. Birth.
“So, basically, we’re trapped in here?” Chloe asked. She stretched her hands out anxiously and let Jimmy pull her into his arms. When magic happened in a big way, it was rarely ever good.
Lex raked his gaze over the party. He had been working through his entire pregnancy, but he hadn’t really been eager to come to this party. He was nearly at term and feeling ridiculously large and awkward and his tailor had almost laughed when he’d asked him to minimize the bulge as much as possible. There was only so much that Lex could expect the public to understand. Clark’s large hands moved over his shoulders.
“We’ll get out,” Clark said with false hope. Lex turned to him and pushed the glasses up his nose. They both knew that the spell cast on the LexCorp building had likely been constructed from the outside, as a specific attempt to keep Clark inside. The League would have to take care of this one.
“Give me a moment to talk to the party goers.” Lex rubbed his back and began a slow walk to the area where the band had set up. Clark waited on him for half a moment then was at his side. “I can handle this.”
“I love you. I’m not letting you face an angry crowd of rich people alone.”
Lex gave a tight smile. Clark’s origins in the poor countryside and his own childhood in the slums had made them both suspicious of the over-privileged. Regardless, it was good to have Clark at his back.
Lex had always had a certain charm with people. Clark had been drawn to it for longer than he cared to admit. Longer than he’d really known who Lex was. Longer than he’d hated him. Longer than he’d loved him. And now, here he was, grown large with the child that would mean Clark was no longer alone on this planet…
And bullshitting a roomful of self-entitled people into feeling safe and secure until the League rescued them from the threat. Clark had to admit that Lex’s logic wasn’t too bad here. If the threat was outside, and the enemy here only wanted to contain Superman (though the crowd was now under the impression that the enemy wanted to keep the League from getting help from Lex), then they were probably pretty safe. Leave it to a Luthor.
Lex nodded to the crowd, finished answering a few questions, then moved to retire by one of the sofas on the left side of the immense room. He was looking a bit peaked. Clark couldn’t help but support Lex’s back a little as they walked back over to Chloe and Jimmy. For once Lex didn’t resist. Clark could tell that he hadn’t been feeling well lately and hoped Lex could relax a little until this ordeal was over.
The bald man eased into the soft, over-stuffed sofa and blew a bit of air through his lips. Clark sat next to him and leaned in closely. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Well, I’m going to mingle. Perry’s going to expect some kind of story from this,” Chloe stood and smoothed her palms over the front of her dress. Jimmy stood to follow her. “I’ll let you know if we pick up anything.”
Clark nodded.
“You could go as well,” Lex suggested.
“I can’t leave you.”
“I’ll be fine.” Lex leaned over slightly and slid a hand under his heavy belly. Clark moved his hand on top of Lex’s and began looking through the layers of his skin to see their child. He watched their son moving, and he watched the wall against the fetus’ back tighten slightly.
“I don’t think so. Did that hurt?”
“A little,” Lex admitted distractedly. Clark rubbed over his stomach in circles. “I’m slightly concerned about Perry’s front story being me, just now.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“If all these people see-“
Clark kissed the side of his head. “Stop worrying. Just relax. And breathe. We’ll figure out something.”
“We can’t leave this room. How are people not going to notice a man in labor?” Lex asked tensely. This role reversal was causing Lex undue anxiety. So often he was the one working hard to hide Clark’s vulnerabilities. He didn’t want to be the one who needed protection.
Dodging Lex’s moods for the past months, however, made this a fairly simple task for Clark. The answer was no answer. The answer was to hold him and to flag down a cater-waiter to get him a cup of ice and to whisper reassuring things in his ear and to breathe with him when the next contraction came.
One thing Clark had learned growing up in Smallville was that Ockham's razor wasn’t true, but, all things being equal, people would go out of their way to believe things were as simple to understand as possible. Gender was one of those common places that people clung to even when evidence smacked them in the face threatening the binary. If he could keep Lex out of direct sight, and have Chloe explain that the condition they’d leaked to the press was aggravated, people probably wouldn’t ask questions about Lex sweating and screaming (Although he couldn’t actually imagine Lex screaming, other than that time The Joker had kidnapped him.).
Clark was mostly worried about hiding the baby if they couldn’t get out of here before Connor made his appearance.
“Ahhh…” Lex gritted his teeth. He put every ounce of control into biting back a cry of pain. “This is going to be interesting. And here I thought I’d be left with some dignity by the end of this process. More the fool me.”
He moved to stand, and Clark put his arm around Lex’s back and bore his weight easily. As Lex walked back and forth, a few guests came by to inquire about his health. They passed off their lie about peritonitis and kept Lex moving while he could stand it.
Chloe returned and watched as Lex propped himself over the sofa and Clark rubbed his back. His face was pinched in pain and his breath ragged. “Okay, Jimmy, I’m never doing that. You’re going to have to do it.”
“I, uh…” Jimmy floundered.
“Fine, coward. No children then. The people are buzzing now. There are other reporters here who are probably going to use your illness as part of their story.” She sat on the arm of the sofa and looked into his eyes sympathetically. “But it also looks like the mayor’s son picked this event to show off his first boyfriend, so no worries about Cat.”
“Thank god for queers,” Lex said with a stiff smile. His grip tightened on the back of the sofa as the contraction grew stronger. Clark leaned over and kissed his bump, which won him some shaky laughter.
Diana flew by an hour later and tried to communicate with them, but the magical shield prevented them from hearing her or even seeing her well enough to communicate. Eventually, she blew a kiss to Lex and Chloe in turn and flew off for the League to handle this on their own.
“It’s okay to be worried about them, you know. I won’t feel offended.” Lex was once again walking back and forth in front of the sofa. “They’re pretty useless without you. All brain and no brawn.”
“You’d better not say things like that when Diana’s around.”
“She considers me a woman now anyway. She probably wouldn’t hurt me.”
“You’re not a woman,” Clark assured him. Lex stopped moving and ran the tip of his tongue over his lip. Clark wiped Lex’s brow and mimed the breathing techniques they had practiced together. “Anyway, I am worried. But I’m glad to be here with you.”
Several hours later, Lex was having trouble biting back his groans. Quite a majority of the guests were staring at him as he panted on the sofa, and it was making him nervous and irritable.
“Clark, please do something.” Lex looked behind them, furrowing his brown and looking uncharacteristically ruffled. People were staring. They were staring and watching as Lex Fucking Luthor panted and huffed and lumbered around covered in sweat with the help of his protector boyfriend. Lex lost control for a moment and cried out in pain.
Clark blinked away tears, gripped his hand, and let Lex squeeze as hard as he needed. “They aren’t going to find out. Just breathe, babe.”
Eventually another person came by inquiring about Lex’s health, and Clark assured her that he could handle it and that he would take care of Lex.
“I don’t want to intrude, but I’m a doctor. If this is really peritonitis, he could be dying,” she whispered harshly. Lex was huffing steadily, but he had clearly heard her and rolled his eyes. “Mr. Luthor, if I could examine you-“
“No,” he bit off the word sharply. He gripped the side of the sofa and began sliding down the side. Clark caught him and curled his arms around him.
“Where do you want to be? Whatever’s comfortable for you.”
“Nothing is comfortable for me,” Lex snapped tiredly. Clark ignored the tone and helped him around to the other side so he could sit down and rest a moment. The doctor followed them and watched closely as Clark helped Lex lay down and kept his hand when Lex sunk his head into the cushion.
“He’s in position,” Clark whispered to Lex. The other man nodded, closing his eyes wearily, and Clark rubbed his belly affectionately.
“Oh, wow,” the woman said quietly. “Actually, I don’t know that I can help you, Mr. Luthor. I’ve only delivered one baby.”
Lex opened his eyes briefly and sighed. She drew nearer. “Even better, I have zero supplies. Are you going to need an operation? That was my chief concern with the peritonitis diagnosis.”
“Most likely not. What I need is some damn privacy. And an epidural would have been nice, but I’ll take what I can get.”
She smiled a little. “How far apart are your contractions?”
Clark looked up. “Uh… about twelve minutes now.”
“Good. Close. Okay.” She nodded and knelt beside Clark. She reached up to feel his stomach. “Do you mind?”
“Yes, I do mind.”
She jumped. Clark gave her a look then turned to Lex. “It can’t hurt to have a doctor here.”
“I don’t like doctors, nor do I need one,” Lex returned sharply.
“Yes, but we might.”
“Look, you’re not the one who is going to have a stranger touching you in intimate places, so I think I get the final vote here!”
“I’ll get some more ice. You look a bit dehydrated. At the very least, I can hover around and tell people that I’m on the case.” She got up and left them.
Clark held Lex’s hand in both of his. “Lex, I don’t want to give up what we have…” He reached over and lightly touched his belly. “For this. I love you, and I’m a little scared here.”
Lex’s expression opened. He placed his hand on Clark’s. “After everything you’ve seen me go though… I’m not going to die like this.”
“Just…” Clark voice lowered even further. “Indulge the jumpy alien about to be a daddy.”
The doctor returned to see them holding onto one another. She set the cup of ice on a coffee table and tried to look as though she had something to do. When the contraction had passed, she handed the cup to Clark and watched as he fed Lex some ice chips.
“People are going to notice,” Lex fretted. Clark kissed his brow.
The doctor shook her head. “People know something is wrong with you. They will never guess male pregnancy. It’s not even in the range of consideration for most people.”
“You noticed,” Lex said.
“Oh, I’ve seen something like this before. Long story. A couple of brothers a few years back and some kind of demon.”
Clark’s brows rose high. “You’ve delivered a man’s baby before?”
She threw her hands in the air and shook her head. “I have no idea why I’m around when men are having babies. I’ve never met a doctor that had a case like that.”
“They probably wouldn’t tell you.”
“Granted. I’m not eager to explain why I’m always running into pregnant men either.”
Clark started to smile. “So you can help us?”
She shrugged. “I’ve only done this once. And he needed a C-Section.”
“Well, we’re not that experienced either,” Lex gave her a weak smile. He winced and pushed against the cushions, trying to sit up again. Clark helped him. “What’s your name?”
“Aeneas Shannon.” She offered him her hand. Lex took it, shook briefly, and bowed over trying to cope with the newest contraction. Shannon gave him a brief examination and left to find some towels or absorbent materials.
By the time Lex was in full labor and pushing, there was no disguising that something was wrong. He couldn’t stop himself from making noise without stopping breathing, and Clark wouldn’t allow that. However, the next time a stray guest came over to peek, Shannon snapped at him in an authoritative tone that she was trying to work over here and that nosy, bored socialites should really find something else to do.
“I’m starting… to like you,” Lex panted.
She shrugged. “I’ve been told my bedside manner can be lacking.”
When the final moments came, they moved Lex into a crouching position, and Chloe came by to help Shannon. Jimmy was creating an extra diversion by flirting with the mayor’s son. The resulting screeching drowned out Lex’s pained cries.
Clark’s lower lip trembled, and he pressed his forehead to Lex’s. He hated to see Lex in pain, and he hated more when he felt responsible for it. He moved one hand to Lex’s thigh and held him up resolutely as he leaned against the sofa and crouched down. “Please, Lex… please… just breathe. You can do this.”
“I…. Ahhh…” He stopped trying to talk and simply concentrated on the task at hand. Everything worth doing had its obstacles to overcome. He would breathe, he would push, and he would bring this child into the world. He gritted his teeth and made it happen.
The baby had a near to full-bodied cowl on him. Shannon cleaned off the child and wrapped him up in a clean white waiter’s towel Jimmy had brought back. Clark held his breath, waiting for the child to cry and give them away.
The infant mewled once then closed his eyes again. Lex looked up apprehensively. “What’s wrong with him?”
Shannon began giving wriggling child an Apgar assessment. “He seems alright. Awww. Are you too cool for the scene?”
“Give him to me,” Lex ordered. Shannon smirked and handed the child to Lex. Clark was beaming and practically bouncing.
”Let me know when I can go save my boyfriend,” Chloe said.
Early into the next morning, the doors opened and Wonder Woman poked her head in to let them know everything was all right. She popped by where Lex was sleeping with the baby, wrapped tightly in a purple sheet as a blanket, and looked them over.
“So that’s Connor, hm? Has anyone noticed that you two have a baby here?” she whispered to Clark.
“Well, they have, but Chloe leaked that we were supposed to be revealing our adopted child tonight earlier in the evening. So people mostly think that we’ve been keeping him out of sight, then Lex got sick, had field surgery, and we brought the baby out later.”
“Going to do all of these boring parties this way?” she asked flippantly.
Jimmy, who was pressing an ice pack against his face looked up at her with a glare, revealing a shiner, several bruises, and a busted lip. “No, no, we are not. Lex and I couldn’t survive the physical trauma.”
Chloe wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
”Hey!” he protested. “I’m tender. And fragile.”
“I’ll take care of you, baby.” She grinned widely.
“I’ll fill you in later what happened with the League,” Diana said, kneeling by the father and son. “He’s pretty tiny. Has your hair already.”
“That much is a relief. Though the papers are drawn up so that Lex is the legal father.” Clark sat lightly beside Lex. He woke a little and looked up at them. Clark drew his fingers along Lex’s face. “You ready to go? We’re going to move you and Connor to the hospital.”
Lex nodded and then touched his son gently with a wide, unrestrained smile. “Remind me to send that doctor a pair of diamond earrings. And a necklace. And a watch.”
Cat Grant came clipping over. “I have to give it to you Luthor. A magic spell, a coming out, a catfight with the mayor’s boyfriend, surgery in a ballroom, and a new prince of Metropolis. This has been pretty much the social event of the year.”
“You should see what we have planned for the next one,” Lex said in a wry, hoarse voice. Clark raised his brows in alarm.
So, for her.
Title: The Social Event of the Year
Summary: A party at LexCorp plaza is disrupted by a magical spell designed to keep Superman from getting out to save the day. Unfortunately, his pregnant husband is trapped inside also and not feeling so well. Land of AUness.
Pairing: Clex
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Mpreg, durr. Slash. Birth.
“So, basically, we’re trapped in here?” Chloe asked. She stretched her hands out anxiously and let Jimmy pull her into his arms. When magic happened in a big way, it was rarely ever good.
Lex raked his gaze over the party. He had been working through his entire pregnancy, but he hadn’t really been eager to come to this party. He was nearly at term and feeling ridiculously large and awkward and his tailor had almost laughed when he’d asked him to minimize the bulge as much as possible. There was only so much that Lex could expect the public to understand. Clark’s large hands moved over his shoulders.
“We’ll get out,” Clark said with false hope. Lex turned to him and pushed the glasses up his nose. They both knew that the spell cast on the LexCorp building had likely been constructed from the outside, as a specific attempt to keep Clark inside. The League would have to take care of this one.
“Give me a moment to talk to the party goers.” Lex rubbed his back and began a slow walk to the area where the band had set up. Clark waited on him for half a moment then was at his side. “I can handle this.”
“I love you. I’m not letting you face an angry crowd of rich people alone.”
Lex gave a tight smile. Clark’s origins in the poor countryside and his own childhood in the slums had made them both suspicious of the over-privileged. Regardless, it was good to have Clark at his back.
Lex had always had a certain charm with people. Clark had been drawn to it for longer than he cared to admit. Longer than he’d really known who Lex was. Longer than he’d hated him. Longer than he’d loved him. And now, here he was, grown large with the child that would mean Clark was no longer alone on this planet…
And bullshitting a roomful of self-entitled people into feeling safe and secure until the League rescued them from the threat. Clark had to admit that Lex’s logic wasn’t too bad here. If the threat was outside, and the enemy here only wanted to contain Superman (though the crowd was now under the impression that the enemy wanted to keep the League from getting help from Lex), then they were probably pretty safe. Leave it to a Luthor.
Lex nodded to the crowd, finished answering a few questions, then moved to retire by one of the sofas on the left side of the immense room. He was looking a bit peaked. Clark couldn’t help but support Lex’s back a little as they walked back over to Chloe and Jimmy. For once Lex didn’t resist. Clark could tell that he hadn’t been feeling well lately and hoped Lex could relax a little until this ordeal was over.
The bald man eased into the soft, over-stuffed sofa and blew a bit of air through his lips. Clark sat next to him and leaned in closely. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Well, I’m going to mingle. Perry’s going to expect some kind of story from this,” Chloe stood and smoothed her palms over the front of her dress. Jimmy stood to follow her. “I’ll let you know if we pick up anything.”
Clark nodded.
“You could go as well,” Lex suggested.
“I can’t leave you.”
“I’ll be fine.” Lex leaned over slightly and slid a hand under his heavy belly. Clark moved his hand on top of Lex’s and began looking through the layers of his skin to see their child. He watched their son moving, and he watched the wall against the fetus’ back tighten slightly.
“I don’t think so. Did that hurt?”
“A little,” Lex admitted distractedly. Clark rubbed over his stomach in circles. “I’m slightly concerned about Perry’s front story being me, just now.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“If all these people see-“
Clark kissed the side of his head. “Stop worrying. Just relax. And breathe. We’ll figure out something.”
“We can’t leave this room. How are people not going to notice a man in labor?” Lex asked tensely. This role reversal was causing Lex undue anxiety. So often he was the one working hard to hide Clark’s vulnerabilities. He didn’t want to be the one who needed protection.
Dodging Lex’s moods for the past months, however, made this a fairly simple task for Clark. The answer was no answer. The answer was to hold him and to flag down a cater-waiter to get him a cup of ice and to whisper reassuring things in his ear and to breathe with him when the next contraction came.
One thing Clark had learned growing up in Smallville was that Ockham's razor wasn’t true, but, all things being equal, people would go out of their way to believe things were as simple to understand as possible. Gender was one of those common places that people clung to even when evidence smacked them in the face threatening the binary. If he could keep Lex out of direct sight, and have Chloe explain that the condition they’d leaked to the press was aggravated, people probably wouldn’t ask questions about Lex sweating and screaming (Although he couldn’t actually imagine Lex screaming, other than that time The Joker had kidnapped him.).
Clark was mostly worried about hiding the baby if they couldn’t get out of here before Connor made his appearance.
“Ahhh…” Lex gritted his teeth. He put every ounce of control into biting back a cry of pain. “This is going to be interesting. And here I thought I’d be left with some dignity by the end of this process. More the fool me.”
He moved to stand, and Clark put his arm around Lex’s back and bore his weight easily. As Lex walked back and forth, a few guests came by to inquire about his health. They passed off their lie about peritonitis and kept Lex moving while he could stand it.
Chloe returned and watched as Lex propped himself over the sofa and Clark rubbed his back. His face was pinched in pain and his breath ragged. “Okay, Jimmy, I’m never doing that. You’re going to have to do it.”
“I, uh…” Jimmy floundered.
“Fine, coward. No children then. The people are buzzing now. There are other reporters here who are probably going to use your illness as part of their story.” She sat on the arm of the sofa and looked into his eyes sympathetically. “But it also looks like the mayor’s son picked this event to show off his first boyfriend, so no worries about Cat.”
“Thank god for queers,” Lex said with a stiff smile. His grip tightened on the back of the sofa as the contraction grew stronger. Clark leaned over and kissed his bump, which won him some shaky laughter.
Diana flew by an hour later and tried to communicate with them, but the magical shield prevented them from hearing her or even seeing her well enough to communicate. Eventually, she blew a kiss to Lex and Chloe in turn and flew off for the League to handle this on their own.
“It’s okay to be worried about them, you know. I won’t feel offended.” Lex was once again walking back and forth in front of the sofa. “They’re pretty useless without you. All brain and no brawn.”
“You’d better not say things like that when Diana’s around.”
“She considers me a woman now anyway. She probably wouldn’t hurt me.”
“You’re not a woman,” Clark assured him. Lex stopped moving and ran the tip of his tongue over his lip. Clark wiped Lex’s brow and mimed the breathing techniques they had practiced together. “Anyway, I am worried. But I’m glad to be here with you.”
Several hours later, Lex was having trouble biting back his groans. Quite a majority of the guests were staring at him as he panted on the sofa, and it was making him nervous and irritable.
“Clark, please do something.” Lex looked behind them, furrowing his brown and looking uncharacteristically ruffled. People were staring. They were staring and watching as Lex Fucking Luthor panted and huffed and lumbered around covered in sweat with the help of his protector boyfriend. Lex lost control for a moment and cried out in pain.
Clark blinked away tears, gripped his hand, and let Lex squeeze as hard as he needed. “They aren’t going to find out. Just breathe, babe.”
Eventually another person came by inquiring about Lex’s health, and Clark assured her that he could handle it and that he would take care of Lex.
“I don’t want to intrude, but I’m a doctor. If this is really peritonitis, he could be dying,” she whispered harshly. Lex was huffing steadily, but he had clearly heard her and rolled his eyes. “Mr. Luthor, if I could examine you-“
“No,” he bit off the word sharply. He gripped the side of the sofa and began sliding down the side. Clark caught him and curled his arms around him.
“Where do you want to be? Whatever’s comfortable for you.”
“Nothing is comfortable for me,” Lex snapped tiredly. Clark ignored the tone and helped him around to the other side so he could sit down and rest a moment. The doctor followed them and watched closely as Clark helped Lex lay down and kept his hand when Lex sunk his head into the cushion.
“He’s in position,” Clark whispered to Lex. The other man nodded, closing his eyes wearily, and Clark rubbed his belly affectionately.
“Oh, wow,” the woman said quietly. “Actually, I don’t know that I can help you, Mr. Luthor. I’ve only delivered one baby.”
Lex opened his eyes briefly and sighed. She drew nearer. “Even better, I have zero supplies. Are you going to need an operation? That was my chief concern with the peritonitis diagnosis.”
“Most likely not. What I need is some damn privacy. And an epidural would have been nice, but I’ll take what I can get.”
She smiled a little. “How far apart are your contractions?”
Clark looked up. “Uh… about twelve minutes now.”
“Good. Close. Okay.” She nodded and knelt beside Clark. She reached up to feel his stomach. “Do you mind?”
“Yes, I do mind.”
She jumped. Clark gave her a look then turned to Lex. “It can’t hurt to have a doctor here.”
“I don’t like doctors, nor do I need one,” Lex returned sharply.
“Yes, but we might.”
“Look, you’re not the one who is going to have a stranger touching you in intimate places, so I think I get the final vote here!”
“I’ll get some more ice. You look a bit dehydrated. At the very least, I can hover around and tell people that I’m on the case.” She got up and left them.
Clark held Lex’s hand in both of his. “Lex, I don’t want to give up what we have…” He reached over and lightly touched his belly. “For this. I love you, and I’m a little scared here.”
Lex’s expression opened. He placed his hand on Clark’s. “After everything you’ve seen me go though… I’m not going to die like this.”
“Just…” Clark voice lowered even further. “Indulge the jumpy alien about to be a daddy.”
The doctor returned to see them holding onto one another. She set the cup of ice on a coffee table and tried to look as though she had something to do. When the contraction had passed, she handed the cup to Clark and watched as he fed Lex some ice chips.
“People are going to notice,” Lex fretted. Clark kissed his brow.
The doctor shook her head. “People know something is wrong with you. They will never guess male pregnancy. It’s not even in the range of consideration for most people.”
“You noticed,” Lex said.
“Oh, I’ve seen something like this before. Long story. A couple of brothers a few years back and some kind of demon.”
Clark’s brows rose high. “You’ve delivered a man’s baby before?”
She threw her hands in the air and shook her head. “I have no idea why I’m around when men are having babies. I’ve never met a doctor that had a case like that.”
“They probably wouldn’t tell you.”
“Granted. I’m not eager to explain why I’m always running into pregnant men either.”
Clark started to smile. “So you can help us?”
She shrugged. “I’ve only done this once. And he needed a C-Section.”
“Well, we’re not that experienced either,” Lex gave her a weak smile. He winced and pushed against the cushions, trying to sit up again. Clark helped him. “What’s your name?”
“Aeneas Shannon.” She offered him her hand. Lex took it, shook briefly, and bowed over trying to cope with the newest contraction. Shannon gave him a brief examination and left to find some towels or absorbent materials.
By the time Lex was in full labor and pushing, there was no disguising that something was wrong. He couldn’t stop himself from making noise without stopping breathing, and Clark wouldn’t allow that. However, the next time a stray guest came over to peek, Shannon snapped at him in an authoritative tone that she was trying to work over here and that nosy, bored socialites should really find something else to do.
“I’m starting… to like you,” Lex panted.
She shrugged. “I’ve been told my bedside manner can be lacking.”
When the final moments came, they moved Lex into a crouching position, and Chloe came by to help Shannon. Jimmy was creating an extra diversion by flirting with the mayor’s son. The resulting screeching drowned out Lex’s pained cries.
Clark’s lower lip trembled, and he pressed his forehead to Lex’s. He hated to see Lex in pain, and he hated more when he felt responsible for it. He moved one hand to Lex’s thigh and held him up resolutely as he leaned against the sofa and crouched down. “Please, Lex… please… just breathe. You can do this.”
“I…. Ahhh…” He stopped trying to talk and simply concentrated on the task at hand. Everything worth doing had its obstacles to overcome. He would breathe, he would push, and he would bring this child into the world. He gritted his teeth and made it happen.
The baby had a near to full-bodied cowl on him. Shannon cleaned off the child and wrapped him up in a clean white waiter’s towel Jimmy had brought back. Clark held his breath, waiting for the child to cry and give them away.
The infant mewled once then closed his eyes again. Lex looked up apprehensively. “What’s wrong with him?”
Shannon began giving wriggling child an Apgar assessment. “He seems alright. Awww. Are you too cool for the scene?”
“Give him to me,” Lex ordered. Shannon smirked and handed the child to Lex. Clark was beaming and practically bouncing.
”Let me know when I can go save my boyfriend,” Chloe said.
Early into the next morning, the doors opened and Wonder Woman poked her head in to let them know everything was all right. She popped by where Lex was sleeping with the baby, wrapped tightly in a purple sheet as a blanket, and looked them over.
“So that’s Connor, hm? Has anyone noticed that you two have a baby here?” she whispered to Clark.
“Well, they have, but Chloe leaked that we were supposed to be revealing our adopted child tonight earlier in the evening. So people mostly think that we’ve been keeping him out of sight, then Lex got sick, had field surgery, and we brought the baby out later.”
“Going to do all of these boring parties this way?” she asked flippantly.
Jimmy, who was pressing an ice pack against his face looked up at her with a glare, revealing a shiner, several bruises, and a busted lip. “No, no, we are not. Lex and I couldn’t survive the physical trauma.”
Chloe wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
”Hey!” he protested. “I’m tender. And fragile.”
“I’ll take care of you, baby.” She grinned widely.
“I’ll fill you in later what happened with the League,” Diana said, kneeling by the father and son. “He’s pretty tiny. Has your hair already.”
“That much is a relief. Though the papers are drawn up so that Lex is the legal father.” Clark sat lightly beside Lex. He woke a little and looked up at them. Clark drew his fingers along Lex’s face. “You ready to go? We’re going to move you and Connor to the hospital.”
Lex nodded and then touched his son gently with a wide, unrestrained smile. “Remind me to send that doctor a pair of diamond earrings. And a necklace. And a watch.”
Cat Grant came clipping over. “I have to give it to you Luthor. A magic spell, a coming out, a catfight with the mayor’s boyfriend, surgery in a ballroom, and a new prince of Metropolis. This has been pretty much the social event of the year.”
“You should see what we have planned for the next one,” Lex said in a wry, hoarse voice. Clark raised his brows in alarm.