Fic: More Mpreg OHMYZOD
Title: So Much Dreaming
Summary: Lex finds himself caught in another dream, and Lana isn’t the one who is pregnant.
Warnings: none for the prologue
Includes: Mpreg, obviously, slash, and some fluff and some sadness.
Pairing: Clex
Rating: PG
Goes AU after "Cyborg" S5 Smallville
Prologue
Lex struggled against waking in the warm, comfortable tangle of blankets. He was still too tired to be bothered with opening his eyes, too sore, somehow. He felt off; he felt like he weighed a thousand pounds. He arched his back and stretched a bit, making a face at the concept of getting out of bed today at all.
“We’re gonna to be late, lazybones.”
Lex started awake as someone leapt upon him playfully. Well, not directly on him, but over him and in his face with the scent of freshly brushed teeth and something else strange and delicious. He squinted his eyes at the brightness of the day, trying to discern who this mad person in his bed was, then gave up and pulled the covers over his face like a petulant child.
“Go away.”
There was good-natured laughter. “You have to get up.”
The person jerked the covers down and tried to wake him with a kiss.
“Mmph!” He opened his eyes finally. “CLARK!”
Clark laughed. His face looked relaxed and mischievous. He badly needed a haircut. “What!”
“You… what are you doing here?” Lex could barely express his confusion. He struggled to get into a sitting position to deal with the situation and found another surprise. A very big one.
He was in black silk pajamas, which must have been XXL at the least because it looked as though Clark had playfully shoved a pillow or two underneath them. On a cursory inspection, this was not the case. He ran a hand over his distended belly. It was warm and real, and he could feel something stirring inside him. His heart sped up in alarm. Clark affectionately squeezed his hand and pressed his face to Lex’s belly and chuckled adorably at the pushing movements inside him. Lex didn’t find them so amusing as they were making it hard for him to lie still.
“The twins are active this morning,” Clark whispered fondly. After a moment, as Lex continued to stare in shock, Clark looked up. “Are you okay? You seem kinda out of it.”
“I…” Lex squeezed Clark’s hand back and looked back in blind shock. “I’m pregnant.”
“Really?” Clark replied with sarcastic shock. He crawled back into the bed next to Lex, cuddled up next to him, and began rubbing his back. It felt good, and Lex leaned into the motion. Clark had obviously already gotten dressed while waiting for Lex to wake up, but was still in his socks. Lex just wanted to go back to sleep with Clark and curl around their babies.
It was then that Lex realized he was dreaming again. He could never feel so safe around Clark anymore in the waking world.
“Okay, I’m waiting for a real answer here. You’re not really awake yet, are you?” Clark had begun to look concerned and was tracing around Lex’s ear with a few fingers. Lex wondered how long it would take for him to wake up from this dream, and if it would end in his death during childbirth. He tried to stretch his back again and realized that he could not do that from a lying down position. His belly was too heavy. But he still didn’t want to get up.
“I’m… all right. A little disoriented this morning.” He yawned. Clark caught him in another kiss. Lex felt a slight chill as his body responded to Clark’s invitation. This was a dream. He had nothing to lose. He kissed back. At first the pressure from one set of lips to the other was gentle; it was enough. Soon Lex dragged his tongue across the bottom of Clark’s lower lip and pushed deeper. He shivered again and felt himself become uncomfortably hard.
That was fast, he thought. They were making out like a couple of horny teenagers. He wanted to keep going, but he was starting to get a cramp in his lower back, and he really couldn’t twist himself properly to make this work much longer.
“Clark,” he managed between kisses. Clark had started to snuggle his neck. “What are we going to be late for?”
“Oh! Dammit.” Clark stopped. Lex wished he wouldn’t. He didn’t think he’d ever felt this horny in his life. It was probably hormones or blood pressure in that general vicinity or something else ridiculous and to do with his pregnancy with twins. Lex wondered why his subconscious hated him so much. “Yeah, we have lunch with my parents. And a doctor’s appointment. And you have a business meeting. Though, um, not in that order. Remember?”
“Not really but…”
“But you haven’t been able to remember much lately.”
Lex rolled his eyes and refused to take that tone. He pushed himself up with his hands and tried to logically work out how he was going to manage to get out of this bed. He dropped one leg over the side and, shifting as much weight to his hips as he could, he tried to wiggle off the bed. Clark crawled out of the large king size and with great effort managed not to laugh. He seemed to understand that Lex was in a bad mood this morning.
“Need a hand?”
“No.” Lex wiggled some more and tried ineffectively to shift his weight enough to launch out of the bed. He sighed heavily. “Yes.”
Clark fought his smile and slid underneath Lex’s arm. He easily bore his weight as he helped Lex to his feet, then started rubbing circles on his back again. “Better?”
“What’s first?”
“What?” Clark was smelling his neck.
Lex felt himself blush. “If you don’t cut it out, we’re definitely going to be late. Because I’m going to jump your bones and it may take me a while to actually do that.”
“OH. Dammit.”
“Not your day, Clark.” Lex began walking tentatively towards the washroom.
“Um, doctor first, then business meeting, then lunch with my parents.”
“Grand.” Lex stood in front of the long mirror in the bathroom and frowned deeply. Bald was bad enough. Bald and fat was horrendous. He hadn’t managed a double chin yet, but his face was certainly fuller. He began to unbutton his pajamas and grimaced at the large round belly in front of him. His navel had popped out. At least he didn’t have any stretch marks, or at least none that he could see. “Ugh.”
Clark snuck up behind him as he dropped his top to the floor and held him from behind. “Don’t “ugh.” You look fine.”
“I am… no. Stop lying to me. Ugh!”
“I’m not lying.”
“I don’t want to talk about this. Late? Remember.” Lex tried to look away from the mirror and indulged himself in that backstretch. He couldn’t help but look back at the mirror and notice two things. One, he was wearing a silver ring on a chain around his neck. He was married. Two, Clark was as hard as he was. He said with disgust, “How do you manage that?”
“Because you are and always have been a sex god. It’s what got us into this mess.” Clark gave him a soft playbite on the neck so slowly and tentatively that Lex couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh, stop it!” One hand on his belly, he was laughing so hard he had to sink into Clark’s arms. “Cut it out!”
“Okay okay.” Clark smooched his hand gentlemanly and walked over to the tub to start it the water.
“Not too hot, Clark. I’ll probably just take a shower. I’m sure the doctor enjoys waiting on us for every appointment.”
“I think the nurse has just started lying to us about the time so we get at a decent hour. Remember the days when you used to be early for everything?”
“Barely.” Lex walked over to the shower and slid off his pajama bottoms, pleased that he still slept commando. Knowing Clark, it probably made things much simpler. He winced at the thought and looked at Clark. He felt a bit guilty, as he usually did when having intimate dreams about people around him, but he wished they had time to fuck like weasels on ecstasy. Clark smirked and, as though reading his mind, stripped off his clothing. Lex raised a brow. “That’s really not going to help with the time issue.”
“Sure it will. You and me fooling around while getting you dressed takes way more time than this is going to take. Plus, no cleanup necessary.”
“Rationalize away.” Lex muttered, stepping into the shower and letting Clark’s hands roam.
***
“He’s been kinda cranky all day,” Clark confided in his mother, taking her coat.
“Honey, that’s to be expected.” Martha shook her head. “Think how much you like to be in control of yourself and then… Lex-size it. You might get an idea of what he’s going through.”
“Is it typical with women?”
“Some of us are a little more used to having to give up our bodies to nature, but there is a limit,” she replied, watching Lex shaking Jonathan’s hand and asking him about his work in the senate. “Of course, every woman is different. Him being cranky is hardly something to worry about…”
Jonathan pulled Lex in close for a hug, and the younger man stiffened. As soon as he’d done it, he relaxed into Jonathan’s embrace and felt keenly embarrassed about how much he wanted this and how much he missed the man who in real life probably hated and distrusted him as much as he did his father. How Jonathan was dead, and Lex could never really have this moment. He found himself fighting back tears.
“Hey, hey. Are you okay, son?” Jonathan tilted his head a bit to look Lex in the face. Tears didn’t come, but he was clearly upset.
“I’m fine.” He felt Clark’s hands on his shoulders.
“This about your father?” Jonathan asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable himself, though relieved he didn’t have to deal with Lex crying.
Lex waved them away. “It’s nothing. I’m okay.”
Martha and Jonathan looked doubtful.
“Well… you know. I will be. It’s nothing new.”
Jonathan patted his shoulder. “Better you than me, son. I don’t know how I’d manage under the circumstances.”
“You’d probably scare us all to death by climbing up on the roof!” Martha chided.
Clark grinned like a madman. “Probably nothing! I’d have to run around the farm with a trampoline.”
“Clark, you have got to stop making me laugh like that. Unless you want to deliver these twins yourself.”
The hostess seated them out in the open, and Lex felt incredibly naked with everyone staring at him. It wasn’t as though he weren’t used to people starting, but now they were also staring at his children, and it was intensely uncomfortable. Moreover, they were also staring at Senator Jonathan Kent.
“Half a table of celebrities.” Martha commented, noticing both Jonathan and Lex’s discomfort. Jonathan shook his head.
Lex was leaning his head on his hand, attempting to avoid being gawked at. He wanted to stab the woman in the corner with the camera with his fork. In her EYES.
“How about that?” Clark kept pointing out different foods on the menu. His doctor had made a mention of Lex’s skinny legs.
“I do not eat fried food. You know this. Stop. Pushing. Me.” Lex practically snapped. He felt his face redden again and looked down. Clark drummed his fingers on the table.
“I’m just trying-“
”I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not going to be any healthier if have to throw up. I’ve been feeding myself perfectly well for twenty-seven years, Clark. I think I can manage for another month or so.”
“Was there a problem with the doctor?” Martha asked.
“No,” said Lex.
“Yes.” said Clark, at the same time. They looked at each other in annoyance. “Doctor Tanaka thinks he might deliver early.”
”Because I’m having twins, Clark. Not because I’m doing anything wrong. This is hardly a surprise.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Jonathan asked. Martha looked at him.
“No, it isn’t. But Lex is right. This isn’t far from what’s normal. Other than… well the obvious.”
“I’m just worried about you. That’s all.” Clark looked at him pitifully. Like Lex had scolded him and taken away his dessert privileges.
“I’m not angry. I’m just.” Lex flailed his hands, and the three Kents laughed. He managed a smile as well. “I’ll try. I’m sorry, Clark. I’ve been a pest today.”
“Well… I’ve been annoying today too.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Lex got a very light tap on the arm from Clark. Their waitress dropped by.
“We’re not ready yet.” Jonathan informed her.
“Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to switch to a booth. The hostess today is an idiot. I keep seeing people staring at you, and that has to be horrible.”
“I’m used to it.” Lex said flatly, although he very much would like to either go hide somewhere or open fire on the other diners.
“Yeah… um, our booths are pretty spacious. I snagged one close to the bathroom. I mean, when I was pregnant two years ago with my little Alex…”
“Alexander is a good name.” Lex smiled almost flirtatiously.
She grinned and blushed giddily. “And…ah… well, the senator. She should have put you out of the way so you could enjoy your time here. Do you mind to move? Your choice.”
They all looked at one another.
“Well, I for one would like to get out of the spotlight for a minute,” Martha declared.
A few moments later they were eating salads and discussing business, which Lex found much less painless. “From the perspective of a scientist, I still don’t really understand the desire to make zombies. Why do we need the living dead? I don’t think we need more people on the planet. And if we did, we have a perfect technology already for making them.” He paused as Clark looked at him in confusion. “Which is obviously SEX.”
“Well, I’m hoping you can straighten out those wacky professors in South America. Their original project seemed like it would really help transplant patients.” Martha said.
“I’m thinking we’re going to have to shut down the whole project. Hopefully, I can get it restarted closer to home where I can pop in on the director to make sure they aren’t trying anything bizarre. As if what we have going in isn’t cutting edge or bizarre enough. Sometimes I wonder if I’d gone on for my doctorate I’d suddenly have the desire to reanimate dead flesh. If nothing else, I might just relocate the remaining researchers who weren’t caught up in this onto another project that’s located in Metropolis, in relation to-” Just then the twins ganged up on him, and he leaned over. Clark looked alarmed. Lex began rubbing circles over his belly and tried to lean back. “Your children are picking on me.”
Clark took over rubbing his belly. “Aw, don’t pick on your mommy.”
Lex smirked a bit. He looked up at the Kents, getting ready to be grandparents. Martha was so excited she could barely sit still. He thought she probably wanted to come over and play with the children inside him as well, and he made note to let her before they left them for the evening. He wanted his children to have the chance to be close to their grandparents. Jonathan was looking over at Martha, pleased, probably happy for her. She’d wanted children for so long. It struck him in that moment that this must be what it felt like to have a family, who loved and cared for you, whether you were the perfect son, or if you broke down. Who would stay together through a tragedy, and lean upon one another. What an alien feeling.
“Aw, Lex.” Clark reached out and held him, rubbing his arm with one hand.
“What is it?” Clark reached over with a napkin and dabbed Lex’s eyes. “Oh…” He took the napkin and held it over his tears. “I’m not sad, Clark. I promise.”
***
”I don’t really want to go to bed,” Lex muttered. He stood shoeless and with an aching back in the middle of their large bedroom. It had been such a long horrible wonderful day. His husband came out of the bathroom.
“You look exhausted.”
“I am.” Lex walked over to Clark and leaned his head on his shoulder. Clark cupped the back of his bald head and stroked the skin gently.
“Pretty soon, we’re gonna be a family,” Clark stated, unnecessarily.
“We already are.” He didn’t want this dream to end. The phone rang. He closed his eyes. “Don’t answer that.”
Clark waited a moment, then nudged him. “Come on.”
“Please, Clark, don’t answer it. Just hold me.”
“You’re weird today, you know that?”
“You’re always weird. I live with it.”
The phone continued to ring. Then the answering machine picked up.
“Clark it… and Lex, oh. It’s your mother.” She sounded as though she had been crying. “Your father… oh God…”
Lex looked up at Clark in horror. Clark was stunned. Lex reached over to the dresser and picked up the phone. “Martha?”
“Oh, Lex. Can I… talk to Clark?”
”He’s listening, what happened.” Somehow his voice sounded calm.
“He’s had a heart attack.” She sobbed. Clark grabbed the phone from him.
“Mom? I’ll be right there. Is he at the hospital? …what.”
Lex stumbled back to the bed and sat down heavily. The conversation washed over him.
“It always falls out. The bottom always falls out.” He could imagine. The funeral. The press. Martha assuming the senate position. Would she come to live with them? What would happen to the farm here?
“LEX!”
Lex Luthor jolted to waking. He was in his office. A paper was stuck with drool to his face, and he was being glared down upon by Clark. He removed the paper, then looked down and smoothed a hand over his flat, muscular stomach.
Clark regarded him skeptically. It was weird to see Lex so ill-composed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I… I dunno. Maybe I just woke up to find someone had barged into my office unannounced,” Lex replied, irritation creeping into his normally calm tone. Clark’s face seemed so accusing. It was a harsh contrast to the sweet and playful husband he’d had moments before.
“There’s a scientist just north of the Canadian border who’s been bringing people back to life. The living dead have attacked Chloe’s campus. LuthorCorp owns that company!” Clark stated angrily.
Lex sighed. “What part of multinational corporation don’t you get?”
“I’ve heard that one before, Lex.”
“And I don’t remember you ever having any hard evidence to prove I was guilty of anything.” Lex got up and poured himself some scotch. With the dreams he kept having, he needed either more or less of the stuff. “What use do I have for zombies? We have a perfect technology for increasing the population that doesn’t require my business to pour tens of millions of dollars into whatever ridiculous project you think I have going. It’s called SEX, Clark. I’m certain you are familiar with it. Or so Lana says.”
Clark’s eyes widened in anger. He stormed at Lex and grabbed his collar. “You… dammit.”
“What?”
“Something’s wrong.” Clark let him go and looked at Lex’s face, which at first glance seemed calm and detached. He seemed very, very sad. “What happened?”
“Nothing that you can fix,” Lex replied bitterly and drained his glass. “Sometimes I think having you near makes it worse. Please go away, Clark. I’ll investigate the lab in Canada. Which one is it?”
“…. It’s a medical collective called Amour Vie Coeur.”
Lex swallowed hard. “They were supposed to be perfecting a new technology for heart transplants.”
“Oh…”
“Well, now I know what held up the project. I’ll look into it. I’m sure you will as well. You know the way out.” Lex returned to his desk and laptop and began to ignore Clark, hoping he wouldn’t suffer from another bout of self-righteousness and just leave him alone. After a few moments of silence, Clark left him to his search. He sensed that something was really wrong and that Lex had already put up his walls. He wouldn’t be giving him any information.
Lex watched Clark leave out of the corner of his eye, then opened up the files on another project. He picked up the phone. "Michelle? Send me the files on the Canadian subsidiary Amour Vie Coeur. I’ll be heading up there in the morning to inspect their work. I don’t want to give them any notice, no. Right. And… could you set a meeting with the director of Genesis Industries sometime soon? Yes. You could say my interest in this project has changed.”
He scrolled down over test results he’d been sent from Dr. Tanaka a year ago and idly placed his hand on his stomach and felt very alone.
Summary: Lex finds himself caught in another dream, and Lana isn’t the one who is pregnant.
Warnings: none for the prologue
Includes: Mpreg, obviously, slash, and some fluff and some sadness.
Pairing: Clex
Rating: PG
Goes AU after "Cyborg" S5 Smallville
Prologue
Lex struggled against waking in the warm, comfortable tangle of blankets. He was still too tired to be bothered with opening his eyes, too sore, somehow. He felt off; he felt like he weighed a thousand pounds. He arched his back and stretched a bit, making a face at the concept of getting out of bed today at all.
“We’re gonna to be late, lazybones.”
Lex started awake as someone leapt upon him playfully. Well, not directly on him, but over him and in his face with the scent of freshly brushed teeth and something else strange and delicious. He squinted his eyes at the brightness of the day, trying to discern who this mad person in his bed was, then gave up and pulled the covers over his face like a petulant child.
“Go away.”
There was good-natured laughter. “You have to get up.”
The person jerked the covers down and tried to wake him with a kiss.
“Mmph!” He opened his eyes finally. “CLARK!”
Clark laughed. His face looked relaxed and mischievous. He badly needed a haircut. “What!”
“You… what are you doing here?” Lex could barely express his confusion. He struggled to get into a sitting position to deal with the situation and found another surprise. A very big one.
He was in black silk pajamas, which must have been XXL at the least because it looked as though Clark had playfully shoved a pillow or two underneath them. On a cursory inspection, this was not the case. He ran a hand over his distended belly. It was warm and real, and he could feel something stirring inside him. His heart sped up in alarm. Clark affectionately squeezed his hand and pressed his face to Lex’s belly and chuckled adorably at the pushing movements inside him. Lex didn’t find them so amusing as they were making it hard for him to lie still.
“The twins are active this morning,” Clark whispered fondly. After a moment, as Lex continued to stare in shock, Clark looked up. “Are you okay? You seem kinda out of it.”
“I…” Lex squeezed Clark’s hand back and looked back in blind shock. “I’m pregnant.”
“Really?” Clark replied with sarcastic shock. He crawled back into the bed next to Lex, cuddled up next to him, and began rubbing his back. It felt good, and Lex leaned into the motion. Clark had obviously already gotten dressed while waiting for Lex to wake up, but was still in his socks. Lex just wanted to go back to sleep with Clark and curl around their babies.
It was then that Lex realized he was dreaming again. He could never feel so safe around Clark anymore in the waking world.
“Okay, I’m waiting for a real answer here. You’re not really awake yet, are you?” Clark had begun to look concerned and was tracing around Lex’s ear with a few fingers. Lex wondered how long it would take for him to wake up from this dream, and if it would end in his death during childbirth. He tried to stretch his back again and realized that he could not do that from a lying down position. His belly was too heavy. But he still didn’t want to get up.
“I’m… all right. A little disoriented this morning.” He yawned. Clark caught him in another kiss. Lex felt a slight chill as his body responded to Clark’s invitation. This was a dream. He had nothing to lose. He kissed back. At first the pressure from one set of lips to the other was gentle; it was enough. Soon Lex dragged his tongue across the bottom of Clark’s lower lip and pushed deeper. He shivered again and felt himself become uncomfortably hard.
That was fast, he thought. They were making out like a couple of horny teenagers. He wanted to keep going, but he was starting to get a cramp in his lower back, and he really couldn’t twist himself properly to make this work much longer.
“Clark,” he managed between kisses. Clark had started to snuggle his neck. “What are we going to be late for?”
“Oh! Dammit.” Clark stopped. Lex wished he wouldn’t. He didn’t think he’d ever felt this horny in his life. It was probably hormones or blood pressure in that general vicinity or something else ridiculous and to do with his pregnancy with twins. Lex wondered why his subconscious hated him so much. “Yeah, we have lunch with my parents. And a doctor’s appointment. And you have a business meeting. Though, um, not in that order. Remember?”
“Not really but…”
“But you haven’t been able to remember much lately.”
Lex rolled his eyes and refused to take that tone. He pushed himself up with his hands and tried to logically work out how he was going to manage to get out of this bed. He dropped one leg over the side and, shifting as much weight to his hips as he could, he tried to wiggle off the bed. Clark crawled out of the large king size and with great effort managed not to laugh. He seemed to understand that Lex was in a bad mood this morning.
“Need a hand?”
“No.” Lex wiggled some more and tried ineffectively to shift his weight enough to launch out of the bed. He sighed heavily. “Yes.”
Clark fought his smile and slid underneath Lex’s arm. He easily bore his weight as he helped Lex to his feet, then started rubbing circles on his back again. “Better?”
“What’s first?”
“What?” Clark was smelling his neck.
Lex felt himself blush. “If you don’t cut it out, we’re definitely going to be late. Because I’m going to jump your bones and it may take me a while to actually do that.”
“OH. Dammit.”
“Not your day, Clark.” Lex began walking tentatively towards the washroom.
“Um, doctor first, then business meeting, then lunch with my parents.”
“Grand.” Lex stood in front of the long mirror in the bathroom and frowned deeply. Bald was bad enough. Bald and fat was horrendous. He hadn’t managed a double chin yet, but his face was certainly fuller. He began to unbutton his pajamas and grimaced at the large round belly in front of him. His navel had popped out. At least he didn’t have any stretch marks, or at least none that he could see. “Ugh.”
Clark snuck up behind him as he dropped his top to the floor and held him from behind. “Don’t “ugh.” You look fine.”
“I am… no. Stop lying to me. Ugh!”
“I’m not lying.”
“I don’t want to talk about this. Late? Remember.” Lex tried to look away from the mirror and indulged himself in that backstretch. He couldn’t help but look back at the mirror and notice two things. One, he was wearing a silver ring on a chain around his neck. He was married. Two, Clark was as hard as he was. He said with disgust, “How do you manage that?”
“Because you are and always have been a sex god. It’s what got us into this mess.” Clark gave him a soft playbite on the neck so slowly and tentatively that Lex couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh, stop it!” One hand on his belly, he was laughing so hard he had to sink into Clark’s arms. “Cut it out!”
“Okay okay.” Clark smooched his hand gentlemanly and walked over to the tub to start it the water.
“Not too hot, Clark. I’ll probably just take a shower. I’m sure the doctor enjoys waiting on us for every appointment.”
“I think the nurse has just started lying to us about the time so we get at a decent hour. Remember the days when you used to be early for everything?”
“Barely.” Lex walked over to the shower and slid off his pajama bottoms, pleased that he still slept commando. Knowing Clark, it probably made things much simpler. He winced at the thought and looked at Clark. He felt a bit guilty, as he usually did when having intimate dreams about people around him, but he wished they had time to fuck like weasels on ecstasy. Clark smirked and, as though reading his mind, stripped off his clothing. Lex raised a brow. “That’s really not going to help with the time issue.”
“Sure it will. You and me fooling around while getting you dressed takes way more time than this is going to take. Plus, no cleanup necessary.”
“Rationalize away.” Lex muttered, stepping into the shower and letting Clark’s hands roam.
***
“He’s been kinda cranky all day,” Clark confided in his mother, taking her coat.
“Honey, that’s to be expected.” Martha shook her head. “Think how much you like to be in control of yourself and then… Lex-size it. You might get an idea of what he’s going through.”
“Is it typical with women?”
“Some of us are a little more used to having to give up our bodies to nature, but there is a limit,” she replied, watching Lex shaking Jonathan’s hand and asking him about his work in the senate. “Of course, every woman is different. Him being cranky is hardly something to worry about…”
Jonathan pulled Lex in close for a hug, and the younger man stiffened. As soon as he’d done it, he relaxed into Jonathan’s embrace and felt keenly embarrassed about how much he wanted this and how much he missed the man who in real life probably hated and distrusted him as much as he did his father. How Jonathan was dead, and Lex could never really have this moment. He found himself fighting back tears.
“Hey, hey. Are you okay, son?” Jonathan tilted his head a bit to look Lex in the face. Tears didn’t come, but he was clearly upset.
“I’m fine.” He felt Clark’s hands on his shoulders.
“This about your father?” Jonathan asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable himself, though relieved he didn’t have to deal with Lex crying.
Lex waved them away. “It’s nothing. I’m okay.”
Martha and Jonathan looked doubtful.
“Well… you know. I will be. It’s nothing new.”
Jonathan patted his shoulder. “Better you than me, son. I don’t know how I’d manage under the circumstances.”
“You’d probably scare us all to death by climbing up on the roof!” Martha chided.
Clark grinned like a madman. “Probably nothing! I’d have to run around the farm with a trampoline.”
“Clark, you have got to stop making me laugh like that. Unless you want to deliver these twins yourself.”
The hostess seated them out in the open, and Lex felt incredibly naked with everyone staring at him. It wasn’t as though he weren’t used to people starting, but now they were also staring at his children, and it was intensely uncomfortable. Moreover, they were also staring at Senator Jonathan Kent.
“Half a table of celebrities.” Martha commented, noticing both Jonathan and Lex’s discomfort. Jonathan shook his head.
Lex was leaning his head on his hand, attempting to avoid being gawked at. He wanted to stab the woman in the corner with the camera with his fork. In her EYES.
“How about that?” Clark kept pointing out different foods on the menu. His doctor had made a mention of Lex’s skinny legs.
“I do not eat fried food. You know this. Stop. Pushing. Me.” Lex practically snapped. He felt his face redden again and looked down. Clark drummed his fingers on the table.
“I’m just trying-“
”I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not going to be any healthier if have to throw up. I’ve been feeding myself perfectly well for twenty-seven years, Clark. I think I can manage for another month or so.”
“Was there a problem with the doctor?” Martha asked.
“No,” said Lex.
“Yes.” said Clark, at the same time. They looked at each other in annoyance. “Doctor Tanaka thinks he might deliver early.”
”Because I’m having twins, Clark. Not because I’m doing anything wrong. This is hardly a surprise.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Jonathan asked. Martha looked at him.
“No, it isn’t. But Lex is right. This isn’t far from what’s normal. Other than… well the obvious.”
“I’m just worried about you. That’s all.” Clark looked at him pitifully. Like Lex had scolded him and taken away his dessert privileges.
“I’m not angry. I’m just.” Lex flailed his hands, and the three Kents laughed. He managed a smile as well. “I’ll try. I’m sorry, Clark. I’ve been a pest today.”
“Well… I’ve been annoying today too.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Lex got a very light tap on the arm from Clark. Their waitress dropped by.
“We’re not ready yet.” Jonathan informed her.
“Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to switch to a booth. The hostess today is an idiot. I keep seeing people staring at you, and that has to be horrible.”
“I’m used to it.” Lex said flatly, although he very much would like to either go hide somewhere or open fire on the other diners.
“Yeah… um, our booths are pretty spacious. I snagged one close to the bathroom. I mean, when I was pregnant two years ago with my little Alex…”
“Alexander is a good name.” Lex smiled almost flirtatiously.
She grinned and blushed giddily. “And…ah… well, the senator. She should have put you out of the way so you could enjoy your time here. Do you mind to move? Your choice.”
They all looked at one another.
“Well, I for one would like to get out of the spotlight for a minute,” Martha declared.
A few moments later they were eating salads and discussing business, which Lex found much less painless. “From the perspective of a scientist, I still don’t really understand the desire to make zombies. Why do we need the living dead? I don’t think we need more people on the planet. And if we did, we have a perfect technology already for making them.” He paused as Clark looked at him in confusion. “Which is obviously SEX.”
“Well, I’m hoping you can straighten out those wacky professors in South America. Their original project seemed like it would really help transplant patients.” Martha said.
“I’m thinking we’re going to have to shut down the whole project. Hopefully, I can get it restarted closer to home where I can pop in on the director to make sure they aren’t trying anything bizarre. As if what we have going in isn’t cutting edge or bizarre enough. Sometimes I wonder if I’d gone on for my doctorate I’d suddenly have the desire to reanimate dead flesh. If nothing else, I might just relocate the remaining researchers who weren’t caught up in this onto another project that’s located in Metropolis, in relation to-” Just then the twins ganged up on him, and he leaned over. Clark looked alarmed. Lex began rubbing circles over his belly and tried to lean back. “Your children are picking on me.”
Clark took over rubbing his belly. “Aw, don’t pick on your mommy.”
Lex smirked a bit. He looked up at the Kents, getting ready to be grandparents. Martha was so excited she could barely sit still. He thought she probably wanted to come over and play with the children inside him as well, and he made note to let her before they left them for the evening. He wanted his children to have the chance to be close to their grandparents. Jonathan was looking over at Martha, pleased, probably happy for her. She’d wanted children for so long. It struck him in that moment that this must be what it felt like to have a family, who loved and cared for you, whether you were the perfect son, or if you broke down. Who would stay together through a tragedy, and lean upon one another. What an alien feeling.
“Aw, Lex.” Clark reached out and held him, rubbing his arm with one hand.
“What is it?” Clark reached over with a napkin and dabbed Lex’s eyes. “Oh…” He took the napkin and held it over his tears. “I’m not sad, Clark. I promise.”
***
”I don’t really want to go to bed,” Lex muttered. He stood shoeless and with an aching back in the middle of their large bedroom. It had been such a long horrible wonderful day. His husband came out of the bathroom.
“You look exhausted.”
“I am.” Lex walked over to Clark and leaned his head on his shoulder. Clark cupped the back of his bald head and stroked the skin gently.
“Pretty soon, we’re gonna be a family,” Clark stated, unnecessarily.
“We already are.” He didn’t want this dream to end. The phone rang. He closed his eyes. “Don’t answer that.”
Clark waited a moment, then nudged him. “Come on.”
“Please, Clark, don’t answer it. Just hold me.”
“You’re weird today, you know that?”
“You’re always weird. I live with it.”
The phone continued to ring. Then the answering machine picked up.
“Clark it… and Lex, oh. It’s your mother.” She sounded as though she had been crying. “Your father… oh God…”
Lex looked up at Clark in horror. Clark was stunned. Lex reached over to the dresser and picked up the phone. “Martha?”
“Oh, Lex. Can I… talk to Clark?”
”He’s listening, what happened.” Somehow his voice sounded calm.
“He’s had a heart attack.” She sobbed. Clark grabbed the phone from him.
“Mom? I’ll be right there. Is he at the hospital? …what.”
Lex stumbled back to the bed and sat down heavily. The conversation washed over him.
“It always falls out. The bottom always falls out.” He could imagine. The funeral. The press. Martha assuming the senate position. Would she come to live with them? What would happen to the farm here?
“LEX!”
Lex Luthor jolted to waking. He was in his office. A paper was stuck with drool to his face, and he was being glared down upon by Clark. He removed the paper, then looked down and smoothed a hand over his flat, muscular stomach.
Clark regarded him skeptically. It was weird to see Lex so ill-composed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I… I dunno. Maybe I just woke up to find someone had barged into my office unannounced,” Lex replied, irritation creeping into his normally calm tone. Clark’s face seemed so accusing. It was a harsh contrast to the sweet and playful husband he’d had moments before.
“There’s a scientist just north of the Canadian border who’s been bringing people back to life. The living dead have attacked Chloe’s campus. LuthorCorp owns that company!” Clark stated angrily.
Lex sighed. “What part of multinational corporation don’t you get?”
“I’ve heard that one before, Lex.”
“And I don’t remember you ever having any hard evidence to prove I was guilty of anything.” Lex got up and poured himself some scotch. With the dreams he kept having, he needed either more or less of the stuff. “What use do I have for zombies? We have a perfect technology for increasing the population that doesn’t require my business to pour tens of millions of dollars into whatever ridiculous project you think I have going. It’s called SEX, Clark. I’m certain you are familiar with it. Or so Lana says.”
Clark’s eyes widened in anger. He stormed at Lex and grabbed his collar. “You… dammit.”
“What?”
“Something’s wrong.” Clark let him go and looked at Lex’s face, which at first glance seemed calm and detached. He seemed very, very sad. “What happened?”
“Nothing that you can fix,” Lex replied bitterly and drained his glass. “Sometimes I think having you near makes it worse. Please go away, Clark. I’ll investigate the lab in Canada. Which one is it?”
“…. It’s a medical collective called Amour Vie Coeur.”
Lex swallowed hard. “They were supposed to be perfecting a new technology for heart transplants.”
“Oh…”
“Well, now I know what held up the project. I’ll look into it. I’m sure you will as well. You know the way out.” Lex returned to his desk and laptop and began to ignore Clark, hoping he wouldn’t suffer from another bout of self-righteousness and just leave him alone. After a few moments of silence, Clark left him to his search. He sensed that something was really wrong and that Lex had already put up his walls. He wouldn’t be giving him any information.
Lex watched Clark leave out of the corner of his eye, then opened up the files on another project. He picked up the phone. "Michelle? Send me the files on the Canadian subsidiary Amour Vie Coeur. I’ll be heading up there in the morning to inspect their work. I don’t want to give them any notice, no. Right. And… could you set a meeting with the director of Genesis Industries sometime soon? Yes. You could say my interest in this project has changed.”
He scrolled down over test results he’d been sent from Dr. Tanaka a year ago and idly placed his hand on his stomach and felt very alone.