Quicksand 5/13
Title: Quicksand
Authors: herohunter and ladydreamer
Pairing: Clex
Rating: Generally PG, and NC-17 in parts
Warning: mpreg
Summary: One cold November evening, twelve years after Lex Luthor left Smallville and Clark Kent behind, the two meet in Centennial Park… as Lex is walking home with his daughter.
Thanks to our beta lexalicious, and to lapetite-kiki for the beautiful cover for the fic.
Part Five
A little over an hour later, Clark walked into the living room, his jeans and t-shirt back on. He had left and returned through Lex's bedroom window.
"What did I miss?" he asked as he approached the sofa.
"You on TV!" Athena exclaimed. "Dad recorded it."
"You know how I like to collect things." Lex sat up to give Clark a kiss before he settled down beside them. "Pretty impressive."
Clark sat down next to Lex, close enough that their legs were touching. "Thanks. That was an emergency, clearly. I wasn't on duty, but J'onn was already busy with something else, so Wonder Woman called me. You also have to be flexible."
Lex remembered how flexible Clark could be from their one night together. He grinned. "I'm sure in that outfit, flexibility is not a problem."
"That was so cool, Clark. Do you think I could do things like that?" Athena glanced sideways at her father, who had always urged that she never let herself be seen doing things like that, especially not until she was older.
"I'm sure you could, after much training and learning," Clark told her. "It took me years to be ready to go out there in that flashy costume; yes, Lex, I'm quite aware of how flashy it is. That's sort of the point." He gave Lex a sideways glance. "But I'd advise that you enjoy yourself now that you're young, sweetheart, and don't worry about that. If you want to follow in my footsteps, I'll be very proud. If not, that's your decision and no one else's."
Athena bobbed her head, her attention fixed on him. "Okay, Clark. I'll think about it... thoroughly."
Lex smiled at her and petted the back of her hair. He hoped he didn't have her darting off too soon. "And if you decide to train for this, please choose something tasteful to wear. There are a lot of the women out there doing this who I would like for you not to emulate."
"Like Black Canary?" Athena asked. She remembered her dad commenting on the fishnets before.
"Yes. Do as they do, not as they wear."
Clark chuckled. It was true, though; most of his female colleagues wore rather skimpy outfits.
Lex patted Clark's knee. "And I'm sure flashy's the point for your costume. At least you're covered, though... No need to worry about anyone looking at your face."
Athena frowned and watched Clark to see how he'd react. She didn't know what that meant.
Clark closed his eyes, his chest shaking with laughter as he lowered his forehead to Lex's shoulder. "That's what Mom said the first time she saw me in it," he mumbled before chuckling again.
"Ah." Lex patted the back of Clark's neck. "I'm... officially an old lady."
"No," Athena said. "You're a monk."
"Used to be a monk," Clark said after a moment, and tickled Athena's side gently.
Athena giggled. Then she pulled away and stood up. "That's right. You guys have a date to finish. I can call Miranda, Dad?"
"Yes, you can. Go ahead and take the phone. And give me a kiss goodnight before you go."
Athena leaned over and kissed his cheek and let her father hug her.
"Also, if you feel any more pain, let us know, all right? Clark will be able to hear you," Lex added.
"I will," she agreed. "Night, Clark."
"Good night, princess." Clark hugged her to him, ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well."
"Hee," Athena said, beaming at Clark before retreating to her room. She was practically walking on air. The day had been more than perfect.
"She couldn't be happier," Lex told Clark softly.
Clark smiled. "I know the feeling." He took Lex's hand and laced their fingers together again.
Lex sucked his lips in for a moment, then leaned in to give Clark a slow, tender kiss. "What do you want to do tonight?"
"Hmm..." Clark slipped lower on the sofa and pulled Lex over him with an arm around his back. "This sounds pretty good to me. You?"
"Hm, yes. I guess this is where we left off..." Lex cupped one of Clark's cheeks and slipped his other arm around his neck. "Well, maybe we left off with me being overly hormonal and smashing the front of a meter maid's windshield, but this'll do."
"Yes, it will..." Clark lifted his head and rubbed the tip of his nose against Lex's a couple of times. "God, Lex," he whispered, brushing his lips to Lex's.
Lex breathed warm, chocolate and mint scented breath against Clark's lips and resisted grinding into Clark. For now he was enjoying being close to Clark, a closeness he hadn't felt in years that was chasing the last sad and bitter remnants of his loneliness away. He moved one hand down to rub against Clark's legs and licked his lips lightly.
Clark kissed the tip of Lex's tongue and then his lips with short little kisses. His right hand cupped the back of Lex's head while his left one rested on the curve of Lex's ass. The years between then and now had been difficult but that mattered little to him now. "You're even more handsome than I remember."
"I was handsome back then?" Lex laughed softly. "I know I was more than a bit cocky. Scoffing at life. Driving too fast. Hm." He nuzzled Clark's cheek. "You were so beautiful. Not so much a teenage boy as a muse. You inspired me to be better than the future my father wanted for me. It's amazing so few people could see how truly unearthly you are." Then he kissed down his neck slowly and breathed in.
Clark closed his eyes and let his head relax against the arm of the sofa. "I only wanted to be like everyone. I still do, as Clark. Most times, I feel that Clark is the cover, and Superman is the real me. Kal-El. I don't know."
"I'm not sure I know the Clark other people see," Lex admitted, running his fingers through Clark's hair. He played with the front of it a bit. "Before, you said you slouched around other people. In your Daily Planet picture, you have glasses. As Superman, your voice isn't even the same. You have two costumes in regular use, Clark."
"Yes, I do," Clark admitted quietly. Lex's fingers in his hair felt wonderful; nobody ever touched his hair. "I've felt more like myself with you and Athena than anyone else, even my parents. They have certain expectations of me. With Athena, I feel that she's open to finding out who I am and what I'll say. With you..." Clark opened his eyes again, met Lex's. "Well."
"When I knew you in Smallville, I felt as though you were the only person really willing to give me the space to be a person unto myself. My father and the media certainly weren't, and most people had already formed an opinion of me. If I can give you that kind of freedom, I'd be very happy indeed."
"I think you always have, or you wouldn't have given me a second glance. It never mattered to you what I was but who I was." Clark took a deep breath. "You ruined me to other potential lovers. Good job, Lex." His eyes sparkled with happiness even as he tried to look annoyed.
"Must be a instinctive ploy to make sure my babydaddy comes back to me," Lex replied. He ran his hands up Clark's warm, muscular chest. He'd gotten so buff, so strong-looking, that it was almost unbelievable.
"It worked." Clark raised his head again and inhaled against Lex's neck. "I want you"
"I... now?" Lex brushed his lips against Clark's neck and tilted his head to slowly suck on Clark's earlobe.
Clark smiled against Lex's skin. "If I say yes, now?"
"Then... you're going to have to get us some condoms," Lex replied sheepishly.
"Hmm, I promise I'll pull out," Clark whispered, rolling his hips up once and letting Lex know that he was ready to go.
"Do you have that much control?" Lex asked uncertainly. He pulled back a little to look at Clark, a worried frown etched into his brows. He hated that he had to bring that up, because he'd been half-ready before Clark had rubbed against him. Now... God, Clark's lips were so plump and beautiful. He wanted to nibble on them.
Clark nodded. "I can do it. I can go buy condoms, too, but I want to feel you without them first." He ran his hands down to Lex's ass and squeezed lightly.
"Um..." Lex leaned forward and sucked on Clark's lower lip before giving it a long, slow nibble. "Mm... I trust you. Does having sex on our first date make me a tramp?" He tightened his asscheeks so that Clark could feel it.
"Oh." Clark rubbed up against Lex again. "Not if it's with the love of your life," he replied, arching his eyebrows hopefully.
"I'll... buy that." Lex paused to let out a shuddery sigh. He kissed him again and pressed their foreheads together. "Because I want to. God, I forgot how big you are. No, I take that back, because who could forget?"
Clark's lips spread in a wide, beaming smile. "I remember everything, too... Every little moan, how you felt inside... Your face when you came..."
"Did I make a strange face?" Lex asked with a grin. "You just looked... Your eyes had fallen half-shut for a moment, and you never stopped caressing me, as though your hands couldn't get enough."
"They couldn't." Clark chuckled. "Still can't." He ran them up Lex's back under his sweater. "Not strange. Beautiful, like you were gonna pass out."
"You'll have to make sure that I don't this time." Lex stroked the back of Clark's neck, then moved up, straddling this man with a grin. He squeezed Clark's bicep appreciatively before he took the hem of Clark's t-shirt to pull it over his head.
Clark helped Lex with his t-shirt and sat up to kiss Lex hungrily. "Should I take us to your bedroom?" he asked as he nibbled across Lex's chin.
"Yes. I don't want our little girl having to be traumatized by her parents finishing up their date," Lex replied. Suddenly he smiled and bumped foreheads with Clark. "Our little girl. Oh, how old were you when you got the hearing?"
Clark wrapped his arms around Lex and stood up with Lex's legs wrapped around his hips. "I think I was sixteen. She seems to be precocious on that, too, so it's a good thing I'll be around to help out on that." He started walking to the bedroom. He could zip over, but he wanted to carry Lex for a little longer.
"It's a very good thing that you're around. Period," Lex said. He kissed up and down Clark's neck. "She was craving another parent. And I... I've needed you."
"I've missed you, Lex." Clark sighed as he entered the bedroom and pushed the door closed with the heel of his right foot. He didn't want to be telling Lex how broken-hearted he had gotten when Lex left; that needed to stay in the past. "Missed everything about you." He walked to the bed, set Lex down and undid his jeans.
Lex pulled his sweater over his head and leaned back on his palms. "I don't know how I've managed to function without- oh..." Lex cocked his head to the side. Clark wasn't wearing underwear. "Doing it Luthor, I see. A brave move for such a gifted man."
Clark chuckled. "I learned it with the master." He dragged his jeans slowly down his hips with a little shimmy.
Lex whistled long and low. Clark was just as grand as he remembered, maybe a bit more. His eyes were mesmerized by Clark's beauty, and he trailed his middle finger up and down his chest and abdomen, nodding slightly.
Clark let his jeans drop down to the floor, stepped out of them and got on the bed on his knees. He touched Lex's shins with his hands and felt his way up Lex's legs, all the way to his hips. "Those pants gotta go," he informed Lex, ignoring his own cock and how it jutted up like it wanted to show off to Lex. It probably did.
"Yes," Lex agreed. He unbuttoned his pants and shimmied them down his hips, staring into Clark's eyes all the while, as his heart pounded relentlessly. He kicked the pants to the ground and reached for Clark, letting his hands roam over his barrel-like chest and kissing him eagerly.
"Mmm..." Clark opened his mouth for Lex, surrendering completely, all him and no mutant pheromones to pull his strings this time. He lowered himself against the smooth, pale body, his legs, much thicker now, between Lex's, their cocks and abdomen touching and making him groan out loud.
"Oh, Clark," Lex moaned softly. A shiver ran up his spine, and his hips pushed forward. He squeezed Clark's sides and whispered into his ear, "You wanted to take me?"
"Yes," Clark practically growled. He moved his lips down to Lex's chest and gave the skin there little sucks that caused tiny pink spots to appear before he moved along to the next one. "I want to take you. Make you mine. So you'll never forget again..." He took Lex's forearms, raised them over Lex's head and licked up to the side of his armpit, then tilted his head and gave the middle of it a bite. Not too hard, but sharp enough for Lex to feel it.
"Ah!" Lex cried, more out of surprise than anything. Then he laughed and protested, "I never forgot... I suppose I never will. I am marked. I am, yours, Clark Kent." He went limp for a moment, then wrapped his legs around Clark's body and struggled forward, for the sheer joy of moving against Clark's skin, of moving with him.
Clark pulled back to stare into Lex's eyes. He gently ran the fingers of his right hand over the top of Lex's head, back against the smooth scalp and rolled his hips back and down again, rubbing his body against Lex's hard and slowly.
"I've never felt this possessive about anyone. I know I probably acted possessive about everyone, but you're the only one I really wanted to have. Like this." Clark ran his hands down Lex's sides, curled his fingers around the insides of Lex's thighs and pushed his legs farther apart. "I loved every second of attention you ever gave me." He began moving his hips up and down Lex's body.
"You wanted to protect them, but they were young and foolish... or old and foolish." Lex understood how Clark had felt about his fragile friends and family. He sighed and watched Clark moving over him. "I've always been an obsessive one. I knew that people would find it strange for a man my age to spend time around you, but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't be so close to you and not see you every day. I was concerned my attention would frighten you away before you were old enough," Lex admitted.
"It probably should have," Clark mumbled against Lex's abdomen. He remembered it sinking in as Lex lay on his back and now it didn't sink as deeply. Clark decided he liked it better this way. "It sure frightened everyone else," he added with a chuckle. His thumbs pressed against Lex's hipbones. They also didn't stick out as they used to and Clark turned his head to give the left one a kiss and a brief suck. "I should open you first..." His fingers drifted down to the middle of Lex's thighs.
"Like a man going down slowly in quicksand, reaching out frantically for a hand to pull him up, who grasps too hard and cracks the bone," Lex murmured, curling his fingers around Clark's hair. "I needed a partner who wouldn't break on me." He tilted his hips upward and sighed for Clark.
"I won't break," Clark assured Lex. "I won't leave you or blame you for your past; I am your past." He chased the head of Lex's cock with his lips, gave it a little suck and hummed when he tasted the salty precum that fell on his tongue. Getting up on his knees, Clark stroked his own cock and caught his own precum, plentiful and slick, alien, with his other hand as he teased only the head of Lex's cock with his tongue, lips and teeth.
Lex bent his knees and arched his back. "You're... ohhh... You're my future. This is destiny!" he gasped, rolling his eyes upward. He wasn't going to ask where Clark had learned those tricks, but he felt tingling throughout him and curled his toes. "Yes, Clark. Clark, Clark..."
Clark smiled around Lex's cock, glancing up for a moment, then moved Lex's legs over his shoulders and teased his hole with one finger, just one at first. This was, after all, his precious Lex, his soon-to-be former monk. He slowly pushed his finger in.
"Ah..." Lex moaned and looked up at Clark, licking his lips. Of course Clark would be so tender with him. He nodded Clark on and clutched the bedspread. "About... time I had this bed christened."
"Hm." Clark pulled out of Lex's cock with a loud noise. "Let's hope it holds. I'm prone to breaking beds, you know..." He worked his fingers in and out and then carefully pushed in a second one.
"Oh! ...Breaking beds?" Lex asked. He rocked a little with Clark's finger. "I kind of like this bed... Oh well."
"Well, if you like the bed..." Clark reached between Lex and the mattress, wrapped one arm around Lex's back, and lifted him up. He began floating a couple of inches off the bed with Lex. "We can try to spare it." He pulled his fingers out and positioned himself to enter Lex.
Lex reached up around Clark's shoulders and looked down for a moment. He smiled at Clark in complete awe. "You did promise me flight." He kissed Clark's lips, and rubbing their noses together said, "Take me for a ride, Clark."
"Yes, Lex." Clark made sure he was slick enough before he began to push in slowly, watching Lex. He wanted to erase the memory of that day, not of what they had done, but of coming down from Desirée's influence and feeling ashamed and violated, and that he had violated Lex as well. "You feel so good, Lex," he muttered, a shock of pleasure coursing up his spine as he went deeper and deeper.
"I aspire to be snug as a leather glove," Lex replied with a groan. Clark stretched Lex as he entered, pushing further and further, and Lex knew how owned he was by this man. "More, more, Clark," he begged. "I'm yours."
"Mine," Clark whispered, gathering Lex close in his arms and only stopping when he was all the way inside. He floated them slightly higher and kissed Lex tenderly. This was where he wanted to be, where he belonged.
"I love you. Fuck me, Clark. Our choice. We're here together because we want to be, and I love you," Lex crooned softly, petting the younger man's thick, silky hair, which Lex had always loved.
"I love you, Lex," Clark's right hand went to Lex's hip and he rocked in and out of him, slowly at first but picking up his pace. He moved his hand to take a hold of Lex's cock. "Tell me to fuck you again," he whispered.
Lex's lips curled up in a wicked expression, and he leaned to Clark's ear to say in a forceful whisper, "Fuck. Me."
"Damn," Clark let out weakly, his eyes rolling back as a wave of pleasure washed over him, starting from his cock buried inside Lex and spreading all over. "Yeah," he groaned, and went to it, thrusting in and out of Lex as he stroked Lex's cock between them.
Lex held on to Clark tightly, gasping with every thrust. He hadn't forgotten Clark, but he had forgotten that he could feel so good. "Oh, Clark," he muttered over and over, feeling the pleasure build up inside him.
"I love you, Lex," Clark told him as he rocked harder and kept them both in the air. "I wanna watch you come! Come for me, Lex!" he muttered and sped up his jacking as well.
"Oh, yes, Clark!" Lex shuddered, his eyes bulging wide, and his head dipped backward. His ass clenched, and he felt himself going over the edge and letting out a helpless, long moan.
Clark watched, mesmerized. He loved the space between Lex's parted lips, the way his heartbeat sped off, the sound that Lex made, loud, honest, Clark's. He felt Lex's warm come splash between them, his own orgasm making his body jerk once, and so he pulled out of Lex and angled himself so that he would come on Lex's beautiful, pale skin. "Ooooh!"
"Oh, yeah. That's... a lot, big boy," Lex panted with a smile. He kissed Clark's lips over and over. "Mmm."
Clark grinned as Lex kissed him and slowly lowered them back on the bed. "Hmmmm... God, years, Lex!"
"We can make up for lost time," Lex replied, looking at Clark almost dizzily as he touched the side of Clark's face. "That was amazing. You're amazing."
"So are you." Clark kissed under Lex's chin once and then snorted out loud when a thought occurred to him. "So does that make me your boytoy or are you Mrs. Superman?" he asked jokingly.
"Maybe both," Lex teased. "I am the stay at home mom. Keeps the little home clean. Walks around barefoot and..."
Clark threw his head back and laughed out loud. "We all walk barefoot around here." He let out a happy sigh, then gave their come on Lex's chest a little lick. "We should clean up."
"Hm. We should. Time for a tour of the master bathroom?"
"That would be nice." Clark got up and then offered Lex his hands. He had stored one of his Superman uniforms next to Lex's shirts and couldn't wait for Lex to open his closet and find it in there, but he wasn't going to say a word.
Lex took Clark's hand and went up, then walked with him hand in hand to the bathroom. It wasn't as enormous as the ones in the castle had been, but it was respectable and very clean. The shower curtain was silver and the tub blue. The rest of the colors mimicked this scheme. "I don't have any hair care products," he apologized. "You could borrow Athena's shampoo."
"Oh. I packed some, hang on." Clark zipped off and back, and returned with his toiletry bag. "I remember that one you used to have for me, lavender with something for dark hair." He pulled out his supermarket-bought two-in-one and placed it next to the shower gel. "I'm all moved in."
Lex laughed and leaned over to turn on the water, careful not to drip come all over the floor. "You're easy. I like that."
"I'm easy, huh?" Clark gave Lex's ass a playful smack before hugging him from behind. "I'm getting you all sticky."
"Hm. Maybe I wanted to get a little dirty with you," Lex shot back, looking over his shoulder with a smirk.
"Nice," replied Clark, moving forward so that he and Lex could get under the spray. He had taken off his comm for the night and had warned them only to contact him under extreme urgency. His hands roamed over Lex's body, and he inhaled against him.
"We need to be like this, always," Lex sighed as he leaned back into Clark's large arms.
"Yeah, we do." Clark felt over Lex's nipples and rubbed the side of his nose against Lex's neck. "I don't think I'll ever get enough of you..."
"That's just fine with me." Lex grabbed Clark's shampoo and put a bit in his hand. "Let me wash your hair."
Clark smiled brightly. "You've always wanted to do that. Confess." Instead of bending over, he went down on his knees.
"Well, it wasn't the first thought that crossed my mind..." Lex grinned, tilting Clark's head back, and began working the shampoo through Clark's curly locks. "However, a few times when I'd come over and you were sweaty from doing your chores... or whatever it is that makes you sweaty..."
Clark laughed softly. "Kryptonite makes me sweat. It literally makes my blood boil inside my veins. The other times, when it was hot, I'd spray myself with water because it would be strange if I was the only person in Smallville not sweating in that heat!"
"You had us all snowed, didn't you, Clark?" Lex chuckled. "It didn't matter to me. I just enjoyed the heatwave that summer. I got to see you wet all of the time."
"Mmm, yeah. And you were always so covered up. A shame, really." Clark looked up at Lex. Water and shampoo didn't bother his eyes at all.
"I just didn't have anything short-sleeved in my wardrobe," Lex explained as he lovingly caressed Clark's scalp. "I've been wearing little suits since I was a child." He leaned over to kiss Clark's forehead as he rinsed the lather out of Clark's hair.
"Hmm, I like your hands on me." Clark pushed up on his knees and hugged Lex's wet chest, pressing his cheek to Lex's skin and closing his eyes. "Thanks for letting me be here, Lex."
"Thank you for being here. For giving me another chance. I think there was plenty of room to be angry." Lex hugged Clark in return and kissed his wet hair. "And thank you for Athena, too, even though you didn't have any more control over that than I did."
Clark nodded before he stood and grabbed the shower gel. "She's amazing, Lex; you did a wonderful job on your own."
Lex let his arms drop and smiled wryly. "She's a good kid; she makes things easier on me. I have tried very hard to be a good father to her, but I didn't necessarily know what would be best, you know?"
"Who ever does?" Clark poured some shower gel on his right hand, turned Lex around and began spreading it over Lex's back, loving the feel of his hand gliding across that flawless skin. "You're still a good father. She's happy."
"She is. And happier now that you're here," Lex added. He heard his daughter's voice in the back of his head admonishing him and telling him to take the compliment. "Thank you, Clark."
"You're welcome." Clark's hands smoothed lower and he slowly inserted a soapy finger in Lex's hole. "That wasn't flying back there, by the way," he said in a low voice.
Lex turned his head quickly and looked at Clark with curiosity. "Oh no?" He wiggled his ass a little.
Clark shook his head. "No. You'll know flying when I take you up there." He leaned in to give Lex's left earlobe a playful bite. "Don't tease the alien who has unending desire for you," he warned with a grin.
"Maybe I have an unending desire..." Lex opened his mouth and took a deep breath. "To rouse your desire. How about that?"
"Yeah?" Clark moved his finger out, pressed Lex to the wall in front of him, and rubbed his hard-again cock against his cleft. "Did I mention I don't need sleep?"
***
It was early in the morning when soft steps made their way up to the bedroom door. A dark head of curly hair peeked through to see the two men: Clark curled around Lex, with the covers over them both. Athena blushed because she could guess what they'd been doing, and she wondered if she'd have another brother or sister, or if her dad would even want to do that. She sighed happily, watching them for several moments. She hadn't dared to dream that things would happen so fast. That within a matter of weeks, Clark would be a permanent fixture in their lives, and she would have another father. Athena was very glad of it, though. Her father loved her, but he was lonely, and she knew it, and now he wouldn't have to be lonely anymore.
Clark opened his eyes, raised his head and gave her a sleepy smile. "Hey, princess," he whispered, and beckoned with one hand. "Come here." He looked down at his sleeping love and gave Lex's temple a very soft kiss.
Athena looked at her dad, then hurried to Clark's side. "Morning!" she whispered. Then she bit her lip and grinned.
"Morning!" Clark opened his free arm and gave her a hug. He and Lex had remembered to put on boxers before they fell asleep late last night, so he wasn't worried about the covers shifting. He kept his voice low, and his other arm around Lex. "Did you sleep well? How's your head?"
"Yep. I slept okay." She snuggled into Clark's warm chest. "My head feels pretty good. I see you guys did pretty well."
Clark beamed and glanced down at Lex again. Lex looked beyond gorgeous in his sleep. "Yeah, we did. We have a lot to talk about and catch up on, but..." He caressed his daughter's silky hair. "We belong together."
"Yes, you do." Athena giggled and sighed. "He's out cold."
"Mmph," Lex mumbled sleepy. "Missed it... hold my hand..."
He's my soulmate, Clark thought, then moved his hand so it covered Lex's. "I'm here," he whispered in Lex's ear as he leaned in and gave it a tender kiss. He sighed and looked at Athena again. From a passing car below, he heard the time on the radio. "Is it time for your breakfast? I can help you."
Lex stretched a bit then looked back at them. He smiled widely. "Hey, kids. Hm."
"Morning, Dad," Athena said cheerfully. Her dad was not a morning person, like she was. She looked at Clark. "I have to shower and get ready for school. Dad usually makes breakfast."
"Dad can still make breakfast," Lex replied. He brought Clark's hand to his lips and pressed against it firmly.
"Dad can stay in bed and rest while Dad Two makes breakfast," Clark suggested. He dipped his head and gave the bridge of Lex's nose a kiss. "Or Dad can watch me warm Daughter's chocolate milk with my eyeballs." He gave Athena a playful wink.
"Cool!" Athena said with a bounce.
"You think you've worn me out?" Lex asked. "All right, farmboy. Show us your skills."
"Ha, I was wondering when that nickname was gonna resurface!" Clark said brightly. He flung the covers off to the side and half-jumped out of bed. From his suitcase he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and put them on, then zipped in and out of the bathroom. "Lex, I've seen you go three days without sleep on scotch and coffee alone; I'm not sure I could wear you out if I tried." He held out his arms to Athena. "Come on, sweetheart," he said from the other side of the room. "Big jump!"
Athena stood up on the bed, as Lex's eyes went round, and made a big leap into his arms. "Hee!" she exclaimed as she flew through the air and landed in his arms.
Lex sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Any choice nicknames you'd like to resurrect for me? I'm sure your father had about twenty or so going around."
"In his head I'm sure he did," agreed Clark. He rubbed Athena's back and smiled proudly at her. "Great job, princess!" Clark had never had anyone to do that with, and it was a good thing, he thought, that he could be there to catch her. If Lex tried, she'd have broken his ribs, at best, and thrown him through a wall or two. "But other than 'that Luthor,' I wouldn't let him call you names," he informed Lex.
Athena hugged him like a little child. She was a little big to be carried, but Clark was very big.
"You were a brave kid," Lex stated. He got up and went to his closet to find some clothing. "Want to get your shower in, kitten?"
"Can I watch Clark warm my milk with his eyes?" she asked.
"He can wait to do it until you're done," Lex suggested.
Athena nodded, but didn't let go of Clark just yet.
Clark spun her around once, held her up by her armpits, and brought her back to his chest. "All right, beautiful, go get ready like Dad said." He let her down. "I'll wait."
Lex started and looked back at Clark in surprise. "You are all moved in, aren't you?"
"What is it?" Athena asked looking back at him.
Lex held up the super suit, causing his daughter to giggle. "What do you think? Should I wear this when we drop you off at school?"
"I thought your father needed some color in his wardrobe," Clark declared almost innocently.
Athena laughed again loudly. "You should try it sometime, Dad!" she agreed.
"Sometime. Not this morning. Go. Shower. Dress," Lex urged.
Athena nodded and patted Clark's shoulder to get him going.
Clark waited until she had left to walk up to Lex and wrap his arms around him. "She loves me. Must be your genes."
"Must be that you're her father. Not to mention you're Superman, which to an eleven year old, is pretty awesome." Lex smirked. "Nice catch."
"Don't try that at home, I'm a professional," Clark joked, then shook his head. "Nope. It's definitely your genes. Cause you adore me, too." He leaned over Lex and gave his lips a hard kiss before beaming at him and zipping off to the kitchen.
Lex shook his head and took the opportunity to get dressed, although not in the super suit, which he folded up neatly before following Clark to the kitchen. "We're going to have to get you your own apron," he said as he entered. "How about a red one? That says 'Super Dad.'"
"Aw, I bet Athena would love that!" Clark agreed with a wide smile. He was already mixing the pancake batter and waiting on the grill to heat up. "Hey, Lex? There's something I want to do as soon as possible, but I want to run it by you first."
"I want to wait a few years before giving you your five children," Lex joked, walking up to Clark's side. "Not bad. Ma Kent teach you to make pancakes? No, really, what was it?"
Clark bit his lower lips for a second. "I want to tell my parents. About you and Athena." He watched Lex and hoped that the subject wouldn't ruin Lex's good mood.
Lex tensed his lips and looked out the kitchen window. "That's inevitable, isn't it? When?"
"Today?" Clark suggested. "I can take the morning off at The Planet." He set down the bowl and placed a hand on Lex's shoulder. "You can come with me if you want. It's not gonna be like before, Lex."
"Well. No. Things are very different now, aren't they?" Lex looked up at Clark and nodded. "I do want to go. I'll be by your side, Clark. They have a grandchild, and until now, I didn't think Athena was going to be able to benefit from an extended family. I don't want Athena to miss out on that because of me."
Clark frowned a little. "Because of you? Lex, because of you she exists. There isn't gonna be an extended family if they can't accept you. That's what I want to tell them, besides the obvious."
Lex put his arms around Clark's waist. "I am going to try. Do my part to make peace, and keep my temper. After that, you're right." He squeezed Clark. "They have some adjusting to do. Do you think they will? It's been ages since a Luthor of any kind was in Smallville."
Clark hugged Lex's shoulders. "That'll be their choice. My choice is right here, in this apartment." He pressed his lips to Lex's temple. "Or wherever you both are."
"You're terribly sweet. I think I like the man you've grown into," Lex said in a confiding tone.
"Thanks. I just got better at defining my priorities." Clark grinned down at Lex. "Superman could fly you there..."
"That could be fun. I'll arrive at the farmhouse all windblown," Lex joked. "Are you going to let them know you're coming?"
"I should. Make sure they're not out somewhere. I had some farm hands hired as soon as I could afford to, so they're free to come and go nowadays. Dad developed a heart condition many years ago, and we almost lost him, so the workers were one of the first things I spent my salary on when I was hired at The Planet. The apartment, too."
"Well, you can let your lease expire and save your money on that. I'm sorry to hear about his heart. It's good that he's still with you, and that you can make him behave." Lex sighed and shook his head. "My father should have stopped drinking years before he got sick."
Clark nodded. "So I heard. I'm sorry."
"I don't know. If he hadn't died, I wouldn't have been able to come back and have any kind of life with Athena. I wish things were different. I wish I could have counted on him to help us and not endanger us, but can you imagine that man with Athena's secrets?" Lex shook his head and paled a little at the thought.
Clark frowned deeply this time, shaking his head. "No. You did right in running away and hiding her. Had it been me, I'd have done the exact same thing. I like to think I'd have told you, but I wouldn't have trusted anyone else with my baby."
"Good instincts. I should have told you." Lex looked down a moment, but then reached up to give him a kiss. "We need to get our baby's breakfast ready so she isn't late for school."
"Yes, can't have that." Clark picked up the bowl again and stirred the batter some more. "Don't beat yourself up anymore, Lex. I was seventeen; who knows what I'd have done with that kind of news. You did what you thought was best with the information you had. Had I trusted you with my secret, you might have realized that she was mine and not Desirée's."
"Perhaps I would have. Then we'd really have to abscond to Metropolis together," Lex joked.
Athena trotted in wearing her school uniform and brushing her hair. "Dad, do you know where my math book is?"
"Did you check the library? Didn't we do your homework in there Friday?" Lex asked.
Athena looked up, frowning, and then left to go look there.
"Metropolis wouldn't have been far enough for either one of our families," Clark pointed out. He started making the pancakes.
"You, me, Paris," Lex replied. "You could have held my hand in the hotel room."
Clark looked at Lex. "I would've," he said softly. "I will, if you want another."
Lex took a deep breath. "Perhaps. Do you? Not this moment, but... is it something you want?"
"Well." Clark flipped the first set of pancakes over and looked at Lex again. "If you want to, yeah. I'd like to experience that. But since you'd be the one carrying the bulk of it, so to speak, I'll let it be your decision. If you don't want to go through that again, we already have a perfect daughter."
"I'll think about it. I want you and Athena to feel settled here, us all together, before we go adding any little bundles," Lex replied, looking into Clark's eyes. "I'll admit the first time... It was rough, but the circumstances have changed. I'm financially secured, I don't have to worry about my father, I have you... I think I wouldn't hate it. I think... I think you'd love the experience." A smile crept into his lips.
Clark smiled softly in return. "When you're ready, if you're ready." He pecked a kiss onto Lex's forehead. "No pressure. Having you and her already more than I expected."
The little smile didn't leave Lex's lips, and his eyes creased with pleasure.
Athena came back into the kitchen with her book bag, which she set by the door, and sat at the table to braid her hair. "That smells good, Clark!"
"Thanks, sweetheart, old Kent recipe. I'll teach it to you if you want. Now, if your father will flip those onto a plate for me, I'll perform my incredible alien feat with your chocolate milk!" Clark handed Lex the spatula and rubbed his hands together.
Lex suppressed a laugh and flipped the pancakes onto a plate, then set a fork and butter knife on the side. "Bring it on, farmboy."
Clark blew a raspberry in Lex's direction and sat at the table next to Athena. "How hot?" he asked her, pulling the glass of cold chocolate milk he had already set up closer to him.
"Real hot!" Athena said excitedly. Lex brought over the pancakes and maple syrup, and then stepped back to watch them.
"Okay!" Clark licked his lips, barely squinted, and then sat back. "Real hot," he announced, waving a hand towards the now hot chocolate milk. "Pretty anticlimactic, yeah?"
Athena looked from the glass to Clark and back. "I didn't see anything?" She touched the glass.
"It's hot!" Lex warned, reaching for her hand.
Athena looked at her burned fingers as they healed. "It's okay, Dad. See? Clark, is the heat invisible?"
Clark gave her a horrified look. "Did you just hurt yourself?" He pulled the glass away from her and went to the refrigerator to grab the carton of milk. "Don't injure yourself just because you heal fast, Athena," he scolded, then glared at Lex. "She takes that from you, you know." He took a sip of the hot milk and added some cold one to it, then took it back to the table.
"You just drank it," Athena protested.
"Do you think I go out of my way to get hurt? It wasn't my fault everyone wanted to hurt me in Smallville," Lex replied. He petted her head and hugged her around her shoulders. "Please don't do that, baby. I know you want to test your limits, but we don't want you to hurt. Yes, the heat ray appears to be invisible. I don't think you'll get it until you're a bit older, I think. Fifteen or sixteen."
Clark handed her the glass with the warm chocolate milk. "I don't get physically hurt, sweetheart. Only green kryptonite can do that, as far as I know. You're young and half-Kryptonian; we don't know that you'll be invulnerable like I am, and even with mine and Lex's healing abilities combined, we'd rather not see you inflicting pain on yourself as if you were a science experiment."
He sat down by her again and touched her hand. "You're not; you're our daughter." He kissed her cheek and then took a deep breath. "I can see the rays I project, and there are different kinds, like diffused heat and focused heat. Once you develop that, you should be able to see them, too, like Lex said."
"Oh," Athena said quietly, flushing a little. She tentatively touched the glass again and took a sip. "Thank you."
"We're not mad, kitten. You just frightened us," Lex reassured her. He could see that she was a bit upset and probably didn't fully understand what was upsetting her. He kissed her cheek as well. "I know you get the scientific urges from the Luthor side. I guess you do take that from me. I'd prefer you not do your experimentation on yourself, however. Because we love you."
"I'm sorry I scared you, Dad."
Lex rubbed her shoulders and dropped another kiss on her head. "It's fine."
Clark thinned his lips for a moment. He had been all too happy to show off to her, and it hadn't occurred to him that she'd want to show off right back. She was just a child, no matter how mature she acted. He opened his mouth to apologize, but a whiff of smoke behind Lex startled him.
"Lex, the pancakes!" He rushed over to take care of the ruined batch and clean the grill.
Lex's eyes widened, then he sat next to Athena and burst out laughing. She looked back at Clark and her smile began to return.
Clark fussed over the mess and cleaned it up quickly. The plate with the good pancakes he brought to the table and sat down with an embarrassed grin. "Not a complete loss! Eat up, sweetheart!"
Athena giggled and began to cut up her pancakes. "You eat too, Dad," she ordered.
"Well." Lex raised his brows and went to get some orange juice. "What survived does smell good. Juice, Clark?"
"Yes, please." Clark looked down at himself, then got up again. "Excuse me." He zipped off and returned with a white t-shirt on, then sat down once more. "No shirt, no service," he told Athena with a wink.
Athena chewed and smiled at Clark, who was obviously trying his hardest to be daddy material.
Lex set juice down in front of Clark and took a seat himself. "Is it going to be an eventful day?"
"No..." Athena creased her brow thoughtfully. "I think there's someone coming to speak in my history class."
"Yeah? Take notes. I want to hear about it when you get back," Lex said interestedly.
"Mm." Athena nodded and took a big drink of her milk.
"Your father gives the best history lectures, doesn't he?" Clark asked with a smile. He reached a naked foot under the table and rubbed his toes up and down Lex's shin, under his pants. "I used to ask him for help every time I had to do a history report for school."
"Or even sometimes when he didn't actually have a book report, he would come and ask me for help with a report," Lex added with a lopsided grin.
"So he could see you?" Athena asked looking at them happily.
"That is my leading theory, yes." Lex looked over at Clark.
"Absolutely," admitted Clark without shame. "Lex loved talking to me, and I loved hearing him. It was a win-win situation all around."
Lex put his right hand over Clark's left. How perfect that he could keep eating without having to go without Clark's touch.
Clark finished his stack of pancakes and his glass of milk. "Do you want me to go with Lex to take you to school, Athena?" he asked her. He still had to make a couple of phone calls, but he'd go if she wanted him to.
"I don't mind," Athena replied. She wiped her mouth neatly with her napkin. "If you have to get to work today, then you don't have to."
"I'll take her. You take care of your business, and I'll see you when you get back," Lex told Clark, squeezing his hand.
Clark nodded. He would clean the breakfast dishes, call White and his parents, and give his notice at his apartment building. "I need a hug and a kiss, though, before you leave."
"Thank you for breakfast, Clark. And thank you for staying." Athena hopped up and threw her arms around Clark's neck.
"There's no other place I'd rather be, darling," he told her softly, holding her close for a moment and kissing her hair. "I love you." And he did. Mere weeks after that day at the park, and Clark could not imagine his life without this beautiful, intelligent and sweet little girl.
"Can I call you at lunch?" she asked, looking up at him. Lex leaned on his hand and smiled. He stood and patted Clark and Athena's shoulders as he left to go brush his teeth. He could give them a moment.
Clark nodded. He gave her his cell phone number and made her repeat it once so she could memorize it. "I hope you have a good day. If something happens, like your x-ray vision setting off, call me. If there's no time, just wait. I'll hear the stress in your heartbeat and come for you, okay?"
"Okay, Clark. Thanks." Athena took a deep breath. "Are you and Dad okay? Together? How did your date go?"
Clark looked at her pretty young face and tried hard not to blush. "We're together. I'm giving up my apartment and bringing my telescope here. Would you like to keep it in your room for me?"
Athena's shoulders visibly straightened. Clark was giving up his apartment. That was pretty permanent! "Really? Yes!"
Clark laughed softly. "Good, I'm sure you'll take very good care of it!"
"And we can look at the stars together. Can... Can you show me where Krypton was?"
"I can do better, sweetheart. At my Fortress, there's a chamber that simulates life on Krypton. I can take you and Lex there when we have time."
"Oh my gosh!" Athena replied excitedly. She hugged Clark again tightly.
Clark smiled brightly. "I have much to show you two."
Lex returned and poked his head into the kitchen. "Got to get going, kitten. You ready?"
"Yeah, just give me a second-" Athena disappeared and returned with freshly brushed teeth. "Okay! Clark says we can visit his Fortress!"
"His... Fortress? The barn?"
"Heh, not quite. I have an actual crystal and ice Fortress in the Arctic nowadays, Lex." Clark got up and went to give Lex a farewell kiss.
"Mm. I think I heard something about that," Lex said, putting his hand on Athena's shoulder. "I'll see you in about half an hour, okay?"
"Bye, Clark!" Athena called as they walked to the door.
"Bye, princess!" Clark leaned over and gave Lex's ass a long look before he set out to do his own errands.
Authors: herohunter and ladydreamer
Pairing: Clex
Rating: Generally PG, and NC-17 in parts
Warning: mpreg
Summary: One cold November evening, twelve years after Lex Luthor left Smallville and Clark Kent behind, the two meet in Centennial Park… as Lex is walking home with his daughter.
Thanks to our beta lexalicious, and to lapetite-kiki for the beautiful cover for the fic.
Part Five
A little over an hour later, Clark walked into the living room, his jeans and t-shirt back on. He had left and returned through Lex's bedroom window.
"What did I miss?" he asked as he approached the sofa.
"You on TV!" Athena exclaimed. "Dad recorded it."
"You know how I like to collect things." Lex sat up to give Clark a kiss before he settled down beside them. "Pretty impressive."
Clark sat down next to Lex, close enough that their legs were touching. "Thanks. That was an emergency, clearly. I wasn't on duty, but J'onn was already busy with something else, so Wonder Woman called me. You also have to be flexible."
Lex remembered how flexible Clark could be from their one night together. He grinned. "I'm sure in that outfit, flexibility is not a problem."
"That was so cool, Clark. Do you think I could do things like that?" Athena glanced sideways at her father, who had always urged that she never let herself be seen doing things like that, especially not until she was older.
"I'm sure you could, after much training and learning," Clark told her. "It took me years to be ready to go out there in that flashy costume; yes, Lex, I'm quite aware of how flashy it is. That's sort of the point." He gave Lex a sideways glance. "But I'd advise that you enjoy yourself now that you're young, sweetheart, and don't worry about that. If you want to follow in my footsteps, I'll be very proud. If not, that's your decision and no one else's."
Athena bobbed her head, her attention fixed on him. "Okay, Clark. I'll think about it... thoroughly."
Lex smiled at her and petted the back of her hair. He hoped he didn't have her darting off too soon. "And if you decide to train for this, please choose something tasteful to wear. There are a lot of the women out there doing this who I would like for you not to emulate."
"Like Black Canary?" Athena asked. She remembered her dad commenting on the fishnets before.
"Yes. Do as they do, not as they wear."
Clark chuckled. It was true, though; most of his female colleagues wore rather skimpy outfits.
Lex patted Clark's knee. "And I'm sure flashy's the point for your costume. At least you're covered, though... No need to worry about anyone looking at your face."
Athena frowned and watched Clark to see how he'd react. She didn't know what that meant.
Clark closed his eyes, his chest shaking with laughter as he lowered his forehead to Lex's shoulder. "That's what Mom said the first time she saw me in it," he mumbled before chuckling again.
"Ah." Lex patted the back of Clark's neck. "I'm... officially an old lady."
"No," Athena said. "You're a monk."
"Used to be a monk," Clark said after a moment, and tickled Athena's side gently.
Athena giggled. Then she pulled away and stood up. "That's right. You guys have a date to finish. I can call Miranda, Dad?"
"Yes, you can. Go ahead and take the phone. And give me a kiss goodnight before you go."
Athena leaned over and kissed his cheek and let her father hug her.
"Also, if you feel any more pain, let us know, all right? Clark will be able to hear you," Lex added.
"I will," she agreed. "Night, Clark."
"Good night, princess." Clark hugged her to him, ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well."
"Hee," Athena said, beaming at Clark before retreating to her room. She was practically walking on air. The day had been more than perfect.
"She couldn't be happier," Lex told Clark softly.
Clark smiled. "I know the feeling." He took Lex's hand and laced their fingers together again.
Lex sucked his lips in for a moment, then leaned in to give Clark a slow, tender kiss. "What do you want to do tonight?"
"Hmm..." Clark slipped lower on the sofa and pulled Lex over him with an arm around his back. "This sounds pretty good to me. You?"
"Hm, yes. I guess this is where we left off..." Lex cupped one of Clark's cheeks and slipped his other arm around his neck. "Well, maybe we left off with me being overly hormonal and smashing the front of a meter maid's windshield, but this'll do."
"Yes, it will..." Clark lifted his head and rubbed the tip of his nose against Lex's a couple of times. "God, Lex," he whispered, brushing his lips to Lex's.
Lex breathed warm, chocolate and mint scented breath against Clark's lips and resisted grinding into Clark. For now he was enjoying being close to Clark, a closeness he hadn't felt in years that was chasing the last sad and bitter remnants of his loneliness away. He moved one hand down to rub against Clark's legs and licked his lips lightly.
Clark kissed the tip of Lex's tongue and then his lips with short little kisses. His right hand cupped the back of Lex's head while his left one rested on the curve of Lex's ass. The years between then and now had been difficult but that mattered little to him now. "You're even more handsome than I remember."
"I was handsome back then?" Lex laughed softly. "I know I was more than a bit cocky. Scoffing at life. Driving too fast. Hm." He nuzzled Clark's cheek. "You were so beautiful. Not so much a teenage boy as a muse. You inspired me to be better than the future my father wanted for me. It's amazing so few people could see how truly unearthly you are." Then he kissed down his neck slowly and breathed in.
Clark closed his eyes and let his head relax against the arm of the sofa. "I only wanted to be like everyone. I still do, as Clark. Most times, I feel that Clark is the cover, and Superman is the real me. Kal-El. I don't know."
"I'm not sure I know the Clark other people see," Lex admitted, running his fingers through Clark's hair. He played with the front of it a bit. "Before, you said you slouched around other people. In your Daily Planet picture, you have glasses. As Superman, your voice isn't even the same. You have two costumes in regular use, Clark."
"Yes, I do," Clark admitted quietly. Lex's fingers in his hair felt wonderful; nobody ever touched his hair. "I've felt more like myself with you and Athena than anyone else, even my parents. They have certain expectations of me. With Athena, I feel that she's open to finding out who I am and what I'll say. With you..." Clark opened his eyes again, met Lex's. "Well."
"When I knew you in Smallville, I felt as though you were the only person really willing to give me the space to be a person unto myself. My father and the media certainly weren't, and most people had already formed an opinion of me. If I can give you that kind of freedom, I'd be very happy indeed."
"I think you always have, or you wouldn't have given me a second glance. It never mattered to you what I was but who I was." Clark took a deep breath. "You ruined me to other potential lovers. Good job, Lex." His eyes sparkled with happiness even as he tried to look annoyed.
"Must be a instinctive ploy to make sure my babydaddy comes back to me," Lex replied. He ran his hands up Clark's warm, muscular chest. He'd gotten so buff, so strong-looking, that it was almost unbelievable.
"It worked." Clark raised his head again and inhaled against Lex's neck. "I want you"
"I... now?" Lex brushed his lips against Clark's neck and tilted his head to slowly suck on Clark's earlobe.
Clark smiled against Lex's skin. "If I say yes, now?"
"Then... you're going to have to get us some condoms," Lex replied sheepishly.
"Hmm, I promise I'll pull out," Clark whispered, rolling his hips up once and letting Lex know that he was ready to go.
"Do you have that much control?" Lex asked uncertainly. He pulled back a little to look at Clark, a worried frown etched into his brows. He hated that he had to bring that up, because he'd been half-ready before Clark had rubbed against him. Now... God, Clark's lips were so plump and beautiful. He wanted to nibble on them.
Clark nodded. "I can do it. I can go buy condoms, too, but I want to feel you without them first." He ran his hands down to Lex's ass and squeezed lightly.
"Um..." Lex leaned forward and sucked on Clark's lower lip before giving it a long, slow nibble. "Mm... I trust you. Does having sex on our first date make me a tramp?" He tightened his asscheeks so that Clark could feel it.
"Oh." Clark rubbed up against Lex again. "Not if it's with the love of your life," he replied, arching his eyebrows hopefully.
"I'll... buy that." Lex paused to let out a shuddery sigh. He kissed him again and pressed their foreheads together. "Because I want to. God, I forgot how big you are. No, I take that back, because who could forget?"
Clark's lips spread in a wide, beaming smile. "I remember everything, too... Every little moan, how you felt inside... Your face when you came..."
"Did I make a strange face?" Lex asked with a grin. "You just looked... Your eyes had fallen half-shut for a moment, and you never stopped caressing me, as though your hands couldn't get enough."
"They couldn't." Clark chuckled. "Still can't." He ran them up Lex's back under his sweater. "Not strange. Beautiful, like you were gonna pass out."
"You'll have to make sure that I don't this time." Lex stroked the back of Clark's neck, then moved up, straddling this man with a grin. He squeezed Clark's bicep appreciatively before he took the hem of Clark's t-shirt to pull it over his head.
Clark helped Lex with his t-shirt and sat up to kiss Lex hungrily. "Should I take us to your bedroom?" he asked as he nibbled across Lex's chin.
"Yes. I don't want our little girl having to be traumatized by her parents finishing up their date," Lex replied. Suddenly he smiled and bumped foreheads with Clark. "Our little girl. Oh, how old were you when you got the hearing?"
Clark wrapped his arms around Lex and stood up with Lex's legs wrapped around his hips. "I think I was sixteen. She seems to be precocious on that, too, so it's a good thing I'll be around to help out on that." He started walking to the bedroom. He could zip over, but he wanted to carry Lex for a little longer.
"It's a very good thing that you're around. Period," Lex said. He kissed up and down Clark's neck. "She was craving another parent. And I... I've needed you."
"I've missed you, Lex." Clark sighed as he entered the bedroom and pushed the door closed with the heel of his right foot. He didn't want to be telling Lex how broken-hearted he had gotten when Lex left; that needed to stay in the past. "Missed everything about you." He walked to the bed, set Lex down and undid his jeans.
Lex pulled his sweater over his head and leaned back on his palms. "I don't know how I've managed to function without- oh..." Lex cocked his head to the side. Clark wasn't wearing underwear. "Doing it Luthor, I see. A brave move for such a gifted man."
Clark chuckled. "I learned it with the master." He dragged his jeans slowly down his hips with a little shimmy.
Lex whistled long and low. Clark was just as grand as he remembered, maybe a bit more. His eyes were mesmerized by Clark's beauty, and he trailed his middle finger up and down his chest and abdomen, nodding slightly.
Clark let his jeans drop down to the floor, stepped out of them and got on the bed on his knees. He touched Lex's shins with his hands and felt his way up Lex's legs, all the way to his hips. "Those pants gotta go," he informed Lex, ignoring his own cock and how it jutted up like it wanted to show off to Lex. It probably did.
"Yes," Lex agreed. He unbuttoned his pants and shimmied them down his hips, staring into Clark's eyes all the while, as his heart pounded relentlessly. He kicked the pants to the ground and reached for Clark, letting his hands roam over his barrel-like chest and kissing him eagerly.
"Mmm..." Clark opened his mouth for Lex, surrendering completely, all him and no mutant pheromones to pull his strings this time. He lowered himself against the smooth, pale body, his legs, much thicker now, between Lex's, their cocks and abdomen touching and making him groan out loud.
"Oh, Clark," Lex moaned softly. A shiver ran up his spine, and his hips pushed forward. He squeezed Clark's sides and whispered into his ear, "You wanted to take me?"
"Yes," Clark practically growled. He moved his lips down to Lex's chest and gave the skin there little sucks that caused tiny pink spots to appear before he moved along to the next one. "I want to take you. Make you mine. So you'll never forget again..." He took Lex's forearms, raised them over Lex's head and licked up to the side of his armpit, then tilted his head and gave the middle of it a bite. Not too hard, but sharp enough for Lex to feel it.
"Ah!" Lex cried, more out of surprise than anything. Then he laughed and protested, "I never forgot... I suppose I never will. I am marked. I am, yours, Clark Kent." He went limp for a moment, then wrapped his legs around Clark's body and struggled forward, for the sheer joy of moving against Clark's skin, of moving with him.
Clark pulled back to stare into Lex's eyes. He gently ran the fingers of his right hand over the top of Lex's head, back against the smooth scalp and rolled his hips back and down again, rubbing his body against Lex's hard and slowly.
"I've never felt this possessive about anyone. I know I probably acted possessive about everyone, but you're the only one I really wanted to have. Like this." Clark ran his hands down Lex's sides, curled his fingers around the insides of Lex's thighs and pushed his legs farther apart. "I loved every second of attention you ever gave me." He began moving his hips up and down Lex's body.
"You wanted to protect them, but they were young and foolish... or old and foolish." Lex understood how Clark had felt about his fragile friends and family. He sighed and watched Clark moving over him. "I've always been an obsessive one. I knew that people would find it strange for a man my age to spend time around you, but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't be so close to you and not see you every day. I was concerned my attention would frighten you away before you were old enough," Lex admitted.
"It probably should have," Clark mumbled against Lex's abdomen. He remembered it sinking in as Lex lay on his back and now it didn't sink as deeply. Clark decided he liked it better this way. "It sure frightened everyone else," he added with a chuckle. His thumbs pressed against Lex's hipbones. They also didn't stick out as they used to and Clark turned his head to give the left one a kiss and a brief suck. "I should open you first..." His fingers drifted down to the middle of Lex's thighs.
"Like a man going down slowly in quicksand, reaching out frantically for a hand to pull him up, who grasps too hard and cracks the bone," Lex murmured, curling his fingers around Clark's hair. "I needed a partner who wouldn't break on me." He tilted his hips upward and sighed for Clark.
"I won't break," Clark assured Lex. "I won't leave you or blame you for your past; I am your past." He chased the head of Lex's cock with his lips, gave it a little suck and hummed when he tasted the salty precum that fell on his tongue. Getting up on his knees, Clark stroked his own cock and caught his own precum, plentiful and slick, alien, with his other hand as he teased only the head of Lex's cock with his tongue, lips and teeth.
Lex bent his knees and arched his back. "You're... ohhh... You're my future. This is destiny!" he gasped, rolling his eyes upward. He wasn't going to ask where Clark had learned those tricks, but he felt tingling throughout him and curled his toes. "Yes, Clark. Clark, Clark..."
Clark smiled around Lex's cock, glancing up for a moment, then moved Lex's legs over his shoulders and teased his hole with one finger, just one at first. This was, after all, his precious Lex, his soon-to-be former monk. He slowly pushed his finger in.
"Ah..." Lex moaned and looked up at Clark, licking his lips. Of course Clark would be so tender with him. He nodded Clark on and clutched the bedspread. "About... time I had this bed christened."
"Hm." Clark pulled out of Lex's cock with a loud noise. "Let's hope it holds. I'm prone to breaking beds, you know..." He worked his fingers in and out and then carefully pushed in a second one.
"Oh! ...Breaking beds?" Lex asked. He rocked a little with Clark's finger. "I kind of like this bed... Oh well."
"Well, if you like the bed..." Clark reached between Lex and the mattress, wrapped one arm around Lex's back, and lifted him up. He began floating a couple of inches off the bed with Lex. "We can try to spare it." He pulled his fingers out and positioned himself to enter Lex.
Lex reached up around Clark's shoulders and looked down for a moment. He smiled at Clark in complete awe. "You did promise me flight." He kissed Clark's lips, and rubbing their noses together said, "Take me for a ride, Clark."
"Yes, Lex." Clark made sure he was slick enough before he began to push in slowly, watching Lex. He wanted to erase the memory of that day, not of what they had done, but of coming down from Desirée's influence and feeling ashamed and violated, and that he had violated Lex as well. "You feel so good, Lex," he muttered, a shock of pleasure coursing up his spine as he went deeper and deeper.
"I aspire to be snug as a leather glove," Lex replied with a groan. Clark stretched Lex as he entered, pushing further and further, and Lex knew how owned he was by this man. "More, more, Clark," he begged. "I'm yours."
"Mine," Clark whispered, gathering Lex close in his arms and only stopping when he was all the way inside. He floated them slightly higher and kissed Lex tenderly. This was where he wanted to be, where he belonged.
"I love you. Fuck me, Clark. Our choice. We're here together because we want to be, and I love you," Lex crooned softly, petting the younger man's thick, silky hair, which Lex had always loved.
"I love you, Lex," Clark's right hand went to Lex's hip and he rocked in and out of him, slowly at first but picking up his pace. He moved his hand to take a hold of Lex's cock. "Tell me to fuck you again," he whispered.
Lex's lips curled up in a wicked expression, and he leaned to Clark's ear to say in a forceful whisper, "Fuck. Me."
"Damn," Clark let out weakly, his eyes rolling back as a wave of pleasure washed over him, starting from his cock buried inside Lex and spreading all over. "Yeah," he groaned, and went to it, thrusting in and out of Lex as he stroked Lex's cock between them.
Lex held on to Clark tightly, gasping with every thrust. He hadn't forgotten Clark, but he had forgotten that he could feel so good. "Oh, Clark," he muttered over and over, feeling the pleasure build up inside him.
"I love you, Lex," Clark told him as he rocked harder and kept them both in the air. "I wanna watch you come! Come for me, Lex!" he muttered and sped up his jacking as well.
"Oh, yes, Clark!" Lex shuddered, his eyes bulging wide, and his head dipped backward. His ass clenched, and he felt himself going over the edge and letting out a helpless, long moan.
Clark watched, mesmerized. He loved the space between Lex's parted lips, the way his heartbeat sped off, the sound that Lex made, loud, honest, Clark's. He felt Lex's warm come splash between them, his own orgasm making his body jerk once, and so he pulled out of Lex and angled himself so that he would come on Lex's beautiful, pale skin. "Ooooh!"
"Oh, yeah. That's... a lot, big boy," Lex panted with a smile. He kissed Clark's lips over and over. "Mmm."
Clark grinned as Lex kissed him and slowly lowered them back on the bed. "Hmmmm... God, years, Lex!"
"We can make up for lost time," Lex replied, looking at Clark almost dizzily as he touched the side of Clark's face. "That was amazing. You're amazing."
"So are you." Clark kissed under Lex's chin once and then snorted out loud when a thought occurred to him. "So does that make me your boytoy or are you Mrs. Superman?" he asked jokingly.
"Maybe both," Lex teased. "I am the stay at home mom. Keeps the little home clean. Walks around barefoot and..."
Clark threw his head back and laughed out loud. "We all walk barefoot around here." He let out a happy sigh, then gave their come on Lex's chest a little lick. "We should clean up."
"Hm. We should. Time for a tour of the master bathroom?"
"That would be nice." Clark got up and then offered Lex his hands. He had stored one of his Superman uniforms next to Lex's shirts and couldn't wait for Lex to open his closet and find it in there, but he wasn't going to say a word.
Lex took Clark's hand and went up, then walked with him hand in hand to the bathroom. It wasn't as enormous as the ones in the castle had been, but it was respectable and very clean. The shower curtain was silver and the tub blue. The rest of the colors mimicked this scheme. "I don't have any hair care products," he apologized. "You could borrow Athena's shampoo."
"Oh. I packed some, hang on." Clark zipped off and back, and returned with his toiletry bag. "I remember that one you used to have for me, lavender with something for dark hair." He pulled out his supermarket-bought two-in-one and placed it next to the shower gel. "I'm all moved in."
Lex laughed and leaned over to turn on the water, careful not to drip come all over the floor. "You're easy. I like that."
"I'm easy, huh?" Clark gave Lex's ass a playful smack before hugging him from behind. "I'm getting you all sticky."
"Hm. Maybe I wanted to get a little dirty with you," Lex shot back, looking over his shoulder with a smirk.
"Nice," replied Clark, moving forward so that he and Lex could get under the spray. He had taken off his comm for the night and had warned them only to contact him under extreme urgency. His hands roamed over Lex's body, and he inhaled against him.
"We need to be like this, always," Lex sighed as he leaned back into Clark's large arms.
"Yeah, we do." Clark felt over Lex's nipples and rubbed the side of his nose against Lex's neck. "I don't think I'll ever get enough of you..."
"That's just fine with me." Lex grabbed Clark's shampoo and put a bit in his hand. "Let me wash your hair."
Clark smiled brightly. "You've always wanted to do that. Confess." Instead of bending over, he went down on his knees.
"Well, it wasn't the first thought that crossed my mind..." Lex grinned, tilting Clark's head back, and began working the shampoo through Clark's curly locks. "However, a few times when I'd come over and you were sweaty from doing your chores... or whatever it is that makes you sweaty..."
Clark laughed softly. "Kryptonite makes me sweat. It literally makes my blood boil inside my veins. The other times, when it was hot, I'd spray myself with water because it would be strange if I was the only person in Smallville not sweating in that heat!"
"You had us all snowed, didn't you, Clark?" Lex chuckled. "It didn't matter to me. I just enjoyed the heatwave that summer. I got to see you wet all of the time."
"Mmm, yeah. And you were always so covered up. A shame, really." Clark looked up at Lex. Water and shampoo didn't bother his eyes at all.
"I just didn't have anything short-sleeved in my wardrobe," Lex explained as he lovingly caressed Clark's scalp. "I've been wearing little suits since I was a child." He leaned over to kiss Clark's forehead as he rinsed the lather out of Clark's hair.
"Hmm, I like your hands on me." Clark pushed up on his knees and hugged Lex's wet chest, pressing his cheek to Lex's skin and closing his eyes. "Thanks for letting me be here, Lex."
"Thank you for being here. For giving me another chance. I think there was plenty of room to be angry." Lex hugged Clark in return and kissed his wet hair. "And thank you for Athena, too, even though you didn't have any more control over that than I did."
Clark nodded before he stood and grabbed the shower gel. "She's amazing, Lex; you did a wonderful job on your own."
Lex let his arms drop and smiled wryly. "She's a good kid; she makes things easier on me. I have tried very hard to be a good father to her, but I didn't necessarily know what would be best, you know?"
"Who ever does?" Clark poured some shower gel on his right hand, turned Lex around and began spreading it over Lex's back, loving the feel of his hand gliding across that flawless skin. "You're still a good father. She's happy."
"She is. And happier now that you're here," Lex added. He heard his daughter's voice in the back of his head admonishing him and telling him to take the compliment. "Thank you, Clark."
"You're welcome." Clark's hands smoothed lower and he slowly inserted a soapy finger in Lex's hole. "That wasn't flying back there, by the way," he said in a low voice.
Lex turned his head quickly and looked at Clark with curiosity. "Oh no?" He wiggled his ass a little.
Clark shook his head. "No. You'll know flying when I take you up there." He leaned in to give Lex's left earlobe a playful bite. "Don't tease the alien who has unending desire for you," he warned with a grin.
"Maybe I have an unending desire..." Lex opened his mouth and took a deep breath. "To rouse your desire. How about that?"
"Yeah?" Clark moved his finger out, pressed Lex to the wall in front of him, and rubbed his hard-again cock against his cleft. "Did I mention I don't need sleep?"
***
It was early in the morning when soft steps made their way up to the bedroom door. A dark head of curly hair peeked through to see the two men: Clark curled around Lex, with the covers over them both. Athena blushed because she could guess what they'd been doing, and she wondered if she'd have another brother or sister, or if her dad would even want to do that. She sighed happily, watching them for several moments. She hadn't dared to dream that things would happen so fast. That within a matter of weeks, Clark would be a permanent fixture in their lives, and she would have another father. Athena was very glad of it, though. Her father loved her, but he was lonely, and she knew it, and now he wouldn't have to be lonely anymore.
Clark opened his eyes, raised his head and gave her a sleepy smile. "Hey, princess," he whispered, and beckoned with one hand. "Come here." He looked down at his sleeping love and gave Lex's temple a very soft kiss.
Athena looked at her dad, then hurried to Clark's side. "Morning!" she whispered. Then she bit her lip and grinned.
"Morning!" Clark opened his free arm and gave her a hug. He and Lex had remembered to put on boxers before they fell asleep late last night, so he wasn't worried about the covers shifting. He kept his voice low, and his other arm around Lex. "Did you sleep well? How's your head?"
"Yep. I slept okay." She snuggled into Clark's warm chest. "My head feels pretty good. I see you guys did pretty well."
Clark beamed and glanced down at Lex again. Lex looked beyond gorgeous in his sleep. "Yeah, we did. We have a lot to talk about and catch up on, but..." He caressed his daughter's silky hair. "We belong together."
"Yes, you do." Athena giggled and sighed. "He's out cold."
"Mmph," Lex mumbled sleepy. "Missed it... hold my hand..."
He's my soulmate, Clark thought, then moved his hand so it covered Lex's. "I'm here," he whispered in Lex's ear as he leaned in and gave it a tender kiss. He sighed and looked at Athena again. From a passing car below, he heard the time on the radio. "Is it time for your breakfast? I can help you."
Lex stretched a bit then looked back at them. He smiled widely. "Hey, kids. Hm."
"Morning, Dad," Athena said cheerfully. Her dad was not a morning person, like she was. She looked at Clark. "I have to shower and get ready for school. Dad usually makes breakfast."
"Dad can still make breakfast," Lex replied. He brought Clark's hand to his lips and pressed against it firmly.
"Dad can stay in bed and rest while Dad Two makes breakfast," Clark suggested. He dipped his head and gave the bridge of Lex's nose a kiss. "Or Dad can watch me warm Daughter's chocolate milk with my eyeballs." He gave Athena a playful wink.
"Cool!" Athena said with a bounce.
"You think you've worn me out?" Lex asked. "All right, farmboy. Show us your skills."
"Ha, I was wondering when that nickname was gonna resurface!" Clark said brightly. He flung the covers off to the side and half-jumped out of bed. From his suitcase he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and put them on, then zipped in and out of the bathroom. "Lex, I've seen you go three days without sleep on scotch and coffee alone; I'm not sure I could wear you out if I tried." He held out his arms to Athena. "Come on, sweetheart," he said from the other side of the room. "Big jump!"
Athena stood up on the bed, as Lex's eyes went round, and made a big leap into his arms. "Hee!" she exclaimed as she flew through the air and landed in his arms.
Lex sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. "Any choice nicknames you'd like to resurrect for me? I'm sure your father had about twenty or so going around."
"In his head I'm sure he did," agreed Clark. He rubbed Athena's back and smiled proudly at her. "Great job, princess!" Clark had never had anyone to do that with, and it was a good thing, he thought, that he could be there to catch her. If Lex tried, she'd have broken his ribs, at best, and thrown him through a wall or two. "But other than 'that Luthor,' I wouldn't let him call you names," he informed Lex.
Athena hugged him like a little child. She was a little big to be carried, but Clark was very big.
"You were a brave kid," Lex stated. He got up and went to his closet to find some clothing. "Want to get your shower in, kitten?"
"Can I watch Clark warm my milk with his eyes?" she asked.
"He can wait to do it until you're done," Lex suggested.
Athena nodded, but didn't let go of Clark just yet.
Clark spun her around once, held her up by her armpits, and brought her back to his chest. "All right, beautiful, go get ready like Dad said." He let her down. "I'll wait."
Lex started and looked back at Clark in surprise. "You are all moved in, aren't you?"
"What is it?" Athena asked looking back at him.
Lex held up the super suit, causing his daughter to giggle. "What do you think? Should I wear this when we drop you off at school?"
"I thought your father needed some color in his wardrobe," Clark declared almost innocently.
Athena laughed again loudly. "You should try it sometime, Dad!" she agreed.
"Sometime. Not this morning. Go. Shower. Dress," Lex urged.
Athena nodded and patted Clark's shoulder to get him going.
Clark waited until she had left to walk up to Lex and wrap his arms around him. "She loves me. Must be your genes."
"Must be that you're her father. Not to mention you're Superman, which to an eleven year old, is pretty awesome." Lex smirked. "Nice catch."
"Don't try that at home, I'm a professional," Clark joked, then shook his head. "Nope. It's definitely your genes. Cause you adore me, too." He leaned over Lex and gave his lips a hard kiss before beaming at him and zipping off to the kitchen.
Lex shook his head and took the opportunity to get dressed, although not in the super suit, which he folded up neatly before following Clark to the kitchen. "We're going to have to get you your own apron," he said as he entered. "How about a red one? That says 'Super Dad.'"
"Aw, I bet Athena would love that!" Clark agreed with a wide smile. He was already mixing the pancake batter and waiting on the grill to heat up. "Hey, Lex? There's something I want to do as soon as possible, but I want to run it by you first."
"I want to wait a few years before giving you your five children," Lex joked, walking up to Clark's side. "Not bad. Ma Kent teach you to make pancakes? No, really, what was it?"
Clark bit his lower lips for a second. "I want to tell my parents. About you and Athena." He watched Lex and hoped that the subject wouldn't ruin Lex's good mood.
Lex tensed his lips and looked out the kitchen window. "That's inevitable, isn't it? When?"
"Today?" Clark suggested. "I can take the morning off at The Planet." He set down the bowl and placed a hand on Lex's shoulder. "You can come with me if you want. It's not gonna be like before, Lex."
"Well. No. Things are very different now, aren't they?" Lex looked up at Clark and nodded. "I do want to go. I'll be by your side, Clark. They have a grandchild, and until now, I didn't think Athena was going to be able to benefit from an extended family. I don't want Athena to miss out on that because of me."
Clark frowned a little. "Because of you? Lex, because of you she exists. There isn't gonna be an extended family if they can't accept you. That's what I want to tell them, besides the obvious."
Lex put his arms around Clark's waist. "I am going to try. Do my part to make peace, and keep my temper. After that, you're right." He squeezed Clark. "They have some adjusting to do. Do you think they will? It's been ages since a Luthor of any kind was in Smallville."
Clark hugged Lex's shoulders. "That'll be their choice. My choice is right here, in this apartment." He pressed his lips to Lex's temple. "Or wherever you both are."
"You're terribly sweet. I think I like the man you've grown into," Lex said in a confiding tone.
"Thanks. I just got better at defining my priorities." Clark grinned down at Lex. "Superman could fly you there..."
"That could be fun. I'll arrive at the farmhouse all windblown," Lex joked. "Are you going to let them know you're coming?"
"I should. Make sure they're not out somewhere. I had some farm hands hired as soon as I could afford to, so they're free to come and go nowadays. Dad developed a heart condition many years ago, and we almost lost him, so the workers were one of the first things I spent my salary on when I was hired at The Planet. The apartment, too."
"Well, you can let your lease expire and save your money on that. I'm sorry to hear about his heart. It's good that he's still with you, and that you can make him behave." Lex sighed and shook his head. "My father should have stopped drinking years before he got sick."
Clark nodded. "So I heard. I'm sorry."
"I don't know. If he hadn't died, I wouldn't have been able to come back and have any kind of life with Athena. I wish things were different. I wish I could have counted on him to help us and not endanger us, but can you imagine that man with Athena's secrets?" Lex shook his head and paled a little at the thought.
Clark frowned deeply this time, shaking his head. "No. You did right in running away and hiding her. Had it been me, I'd have done the exact same thing. I like to think I'd have told you, but I wouldn't have trusted anyone else with my baby."
"Good instincts. I should have told you." Lex looked down a moment, but then reached up to give him a kiss. "We need to get our baby's breakfast ready so she isn't late for school."
"Yes, can't have that." Clark picked up the bowl again and stirred the batter some more. "Don't beat yourself up anymore, Lex. I was seventeen; who knows what I'd have done with that kind of news. You did what you thought was best with the information you had. Had I trusted you with my secret, you might have realized that she was mine and not Desirée's."
"Perhaps I would have. Then we'd really have to abscond to Metropolis together," Lex joked.
Athena trotted in wearing her school uniform and brushing her hair. "Dad, do you know where my math book is?"
"Did you check the library? Didn't we do your homework in there Friday?" Lex asked.
Athena looked up, frowning, and then left to go look there.
"Metropolis wouldn't have been far enough for either one of our families," Clark pointed out. He started making the pancakes.
"You, me, Paris," Lex replied. "You could have held my hand in the hotel room."
Clark looked at Lex. "I would've," he said softly. "I will, if you want another."
Lex took a deep breath. "Perhaps. Do you? Not this moment, but... is it something you want?"
"Well." Clark flipped the first set of pancakes over and looked at Lex again. "If you want to, yeah. I'd like to experience that. But since you'd be the one carrying the bulk of it, so to speak, I'll let it be your decision. If you don't want to go through that again, we already have a perfect daughter."
"I'll think about it. I want you and Athena to feel settled here, us all together, before we go adding any little bundles," Lex replied, looking into Clark's eyes. "I'll admit the first time... It was rough, but the circumstances have changed. I'm financially secured, I don't have to worry about my father, I have you... I think I wouldn't hate it. I think... I think you'd love the experience." A smile crept into his lips.
Clark smiled softly in return. "When you're ready, if you're ready." He pecked a kiss onto Lex's forehead. "No pressure. Having you and her already more than I expected."
The little smile didn't leave Lex's lips, and his eyes creased with pleasure.
Athena came back into the kitchen with her book bag, which she set by the door, and sat at the table to braid her hair. "That smells good, Clark!"
"Thanks, sweetheart, old Kent recipe. I'll teach it to you if you want. Now, if your father will flip those onto a plate for me, I'll perform my incredible alien feat with your chocolate milk!" Clark handed Lex the spatula and rubbed his hands together.
Lex suppressed a laugh and flipped the pancakes onto a plate, then set a fork and butter knife on the side. "Bring it on, farmboy."
Clark blew a raspberry in Lex's direction and sat at the table next to Athena. "How hot?" he asked her, pulling the glass of cold chocolate milk he had already set up closer to him.
"Real hot!" Athena said excitedly. Lex brought over the pancakes and maple syrup, and then stepped back to watch them.
"Okay!" Clark licked his lips, barely squinted, and then sat back. "Real hot," he announced, waving a hand towards the now hot chocolate milk. "Pretty anticlimactic, yeah?"
Athena looked from the glass to Clark and back. "I didn't see anything?" She touched the glass.
"It's hot!" Lex warned, reaching for her hand.
Athena looked at her burned fingers as they healed. "It's okay, Dad. See? Clark, is the heat invisible?"
Clark gave her a horrified look. "Did you just hurt yourself?" He pulled the glass away from her and went to the refrigerator to grab the carton of milk. "Don't injure yourself just because you heal fast, Athena," he scolded, then glared at Lex. "She takes that from you, you know." He took a sip of the hot milk and added some cold one to it, then took it back to the table.
"You just drank it," Athena protested.
"Do you think I go out of my way to get hurt? It wasn't my fault everyone wanted to hurt me in Smallville," Lex replied. He petted her head and hugged her around her shoulders. "Please don't do that, baby. I know you want to test your limits, but we don't want you to hurt. Yes, the heat ray appears to be invisible. I don't think you'll get it until you're a bit older, I think. Fifteen or sixteen."
Clark handed her the glass with the warm chocolate milk. "I don't get physically hurt, sweetheart. Only green kryptonite can do that, as far as I know. You're young and half-Kryptonian; we don't know that you'll be invulnerable like I am, and even with mine and Lex's healing abilities combined, we'd rather not see you inflicting pain on yourself as if you were a science experiment."
He sat down by her again and touched her hand. "You're not; you're our daughter." He kissed her cheek and then took a deep breath. "I can see the rays I project, and there are different kinds, like diffused heat and focused heat. Once you develop that, you should be able to see them, too, like Lex said."
"Oh," Athena said quietly, flushing a little. She tentatively touched the glass again and took a sip. "Thank you."
"We're not mad, kitten. You just frightened us," Lex reassured her. He could see that she was a bit upset and probably didn't fully understand what was upsetting her. He kissed her cheek as well. "I know you get the scientific urges from the Luthor side. I guess you do take that from me. I'd prefer you not do your experimentation on yourself, however. Because we love you."
"I'm sorry I scared you, Dad."
Lex rubbed her shoulders and dropped another kiss on her head. "It's fine."
Clark thinned his lips for a moment. He had been all too happy to show off to her, and it hadn't occurred to him that she'd want to show off right back. She was just a child, no matter how mature she acted. He opened his mouth to apologize, but a whiff of smoke behind Lex startled him.
"Lex, the pancakes!" He rushed over to take care of the ruined batch and clean the grill.
Lex's eyes widened, then he sat next to Athena and burst out laughing. She looked back at Clark and her smile began to return.
Clark fussed over the mess and cleaned it up quickly. The plate with the good pancakes he brought to the table and sat down with an embarrassed grin. "Not a complete loss! Eat up, sweetheart!"
Athena giggled and began to cut up her pancakes. "You eat too, Dad," she ordered.
"Well." Lex raised his brows and went to get some orange juice. "What survived does smell good. Juice, Clark?"
"Yes, please." Clark looked down at himself, then got up again. "Excuse me." He zipped off and returned with a white t-shirt on, then sat down once more. "No shirt, no service," he told Athena with a wink.
Athena chewed and smiled at Clark, who was obviously trying his hardest to be daddy material.
Lex set juice down in front of Clark and took a seat himself. "Is it going to be an eventful day?"
"No..." Athena creased her brow thoughtfully. "I think there's someone coming to speak in my history class."
"Yeah? Take notes. I want to hear about it when you get back," Lex said interestedly.
"Mm." Athena nodded and took a big drink of her milk.
"Your father gives the best history lectures, doesn't he?" Clark asked with a smile. He reached a naked foot under the table and rubbed his toes up and down Lex's shin, under his pants. "I used to ask him for help every time I had to do a history report for school."
"Or even sometimes when he didn't actually have a book report, he would come and ask me for help with a report," Lex added with a lopsided grin.
"So he could see you?" Athena asked looking at them happily.
"That is my leading theory, yes." Lex looked over at Clark.
"Absolutely," admitted Clark without shame. "Lex loved talking to me, and I loved hearing him. It was a win-win situation all around."
Lex put his right hand over Clark's left. How perfect that he could keep eating without having to go without Clark's touch.
Clark finished his stack of pancakes and his glass of milk. "Do you want me to go with Lex to take you to school, Athena?" he asked her. He still had to make a couple of phone calls, but he'd go if she wanted him to.
"I don't mind," Athena replied. She wiped her mouth neatly with her napkin. "If you have to get to work today, then you don't have to."
"I'll take her. You take care of your business, and I'll see you when you get back," Lex told Clark, squeezing his hand.
Clark nodded. He would clean the breakfast dishes, call White and his parents, and give his notice at his apartment building. "I need a hug and a kiss, though, before you leave."
"Thank you for breakfast, Clark. And thank you for staying." Athena hopped up and threw her arms around Clark's neck.
"There's no other place I'd rather be, darling," he told her softly, holding her close for a moment and kissing her hair. "I love you." And he did. Mere weeks after that day at the park, and Clark could not imagine his life without this beautiful, intelligent and sweet little girl.
"Can I call you at lunch?" she asked, looking up at him. Lex leaned on his hand and smiled. He stood and patted Clark and Athena's shoulders as he left to go brush his teeth. He could give them a moment.
Clark nodded. He gave her his cell phone number and made her repeat it once so she could memorize it. "I hope you have a good day. If something happens, like your x-ray vision setting off, call me. If there's no time, just wait. I'll hear the stress in your heartbeat and come for you, okay?"
"Okay, Clark. Thanks." Athena took a deep breath. "Are you and Dad okay? Together? How did your date go?"
Clark looked at her pretty young face and tried hard not to blush. "We're together. I'm giving up my apartment and bringing my telescope here. Would you like to keep it in your room for me?"
Athena's shoulders visibly straightened. Clark was giving up his apartment. That was pretty permanent! "Really? Yes!"
Clark laughed softly. "Good, I'm sure you'll take very good care of it!"
"And we can look at the stars together. Can... Can you show me where Krypton was?"
"I can do better, sweetheart. At my Fortress, there's a chamber that simulates life on Krypton. I can take you and Lex there when we have time."
"Oh my gosh!" Athena replied excitedly. She hugged Clark again tightly.
Clark smiled brightly. "I have much to show you two."
Lex returned and poked his head into the kitchen. "Got to get going, kitten. You ready?"
"Yeah, just give me a second-" Athena disappeared and returned with freshly brushed teeth. "Okay! Clark says we can visit his Fortress!"
"His... Fortress? The barn?"
"Heh, not quite. I have an actual crystal and ice Fortress in the Arctic nowadays, Lex." Clark got up and went to give Lex a farewell kiss.
"Mm. I think I heard something about that," Lex said, putting his hand on Athena's shoulder. "I'll see you in about half an hour, okay?"
"Bye, Clark!" Athena called as they walked to the door.
"Bye, princess!" Clark leaned over and gave Lex's ass a long look before he set out to do his own errands.