Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc, Part Two
Title: Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc, or Being Human (2/4)
Pairing: Clex
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: For the clexmas Spring Fling for tobywolf13
Clarkpreg, old school, Kal-El
I tried to work in an old school feel to the story, even though it's set in S5.
Summary: Stripped of his powers, Clark juggles being human for he first time with the consequences of his relationship with Lex.
Post S5 Mortal
Part Two
August
Skin. Sweat. Heat. Breathing. Panting. Screaming.
"So. How's school…?"
Clark rolled over on his back and laughed heartily. "Uh, it just started. It's okay. Moving everything into the dorm was a real pain, but I already had stuff up here from Preview. Still kind of hectic, though."
"I'm glad you can spare some time for an old friend." Lex rolled his head over and smiled. His hand ran down Clark's sweating chest, over his muscular abdomen.
"I didn't have anything else planned for tonight. Well, homework."
"Homework's important. Did you bring it?"
"That's not exactly romantic," Clark pointed out.
"We have the entire weekend to fool around." Lex planted soft kisses along Clark's collarbone.
"Well, not really. My parents want me to come down on Sunday."
"Ah. Then we'd better make the best of our time together."
Lex never asked to be invited to family dinners. He never asked if Clark was going to tell his parents, or if Clark had broken up with Lana. He seemed to be waiting, still, for Clark.
"Hm. I guess so." Clark grinned and rose. He pulled Lex's hands over his head and straddled his legs.
September
"Ah…" Clark looked down and rubbed his stomach with a frown. Was that fluttery feeling normal? Before Jor-El had 'punished' him, Clark had never felt nauseous, not unless there was Kryptonite around. Never gotten heartburn. Never felt any of the weird variety of digestive issues that humans apparently suffered from on a daily basis.
He tried to focus on taking his organic chemistry notes.
The other day, he'd visited the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals isle in the grocery store for the first time and stood there for half an hour, boggling at the Technicolor array of cures for squicky tummy. Diarrhea. Constipation. Heartburn. Sour stomach (whatever that was). Gas. Bloating.
Even better, all the names of the medicines practically screamed to the cashier, "I'm having a huge problem with my ass!"
Clark had bought some chewable, cherry-flavored Gas-X along with a package of Lactaid and a couple of pints of ice cream. Maybe the clerk would assume that he was just planning ahead and not spewing toxic fumes already.
Still as he sat in class, though, none of it seemed to be working, and that ice cream had really gone straight to his waistline. He could barely button up his jeans. Clark slid down in his seat uncomfortably and crossed his arms over his stomach. Being human was really, really not what he'd thought it would be.
When class ended, Clark took a deep breath and headed for the Union to meet Chloe. Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed, not that he would have gotten any sleep with Charlie in the other bed, but that wasn't exactly the point.
Chloe bounced into view, her eyes twinkling. Her hair was done like waves around her head, and she was wearing a sea green dress with an empire waist.
"What's the occasion?" Clark asked, falling into step with her.
"No occasion. I just felt like being girlie today. We girls have those days," she informed him. She leaned to the side to spy how long the lines were. "Are you in the mood for? Tex-Mex? Pizza?"
"Uh… I don't know. I'm hungry but I don't feel like eating anything."
Chloe turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Clark. "You don't look well. Have you been sick?"
Clark waved his hand at her in response.
"It's okay for you to be sick, you know. It's normal. It's human."
"Being human sucks."
Chloe giggled and locked her arm with his. "So I gather. It'll pass. And then you'll know what feeling good really feels like. You can't really appreciate it without being sick once and awhile."
"I've felt pain before," Clark grumbled.
"Yeah, but only for a few seconds." She patted his arm, then rubbed up and down his bicep. "Why don't you head back to your dorm and get some rest?"
"I'll miss my classes," Clark protested.
"One of the bonuses of being human is calling in sick once and awhile," Chloe declared. "Go to your dorm, and I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"
Clark sighed and crossed his arms. He doubted he'd get any rest at his dorm, but he did as she said and began the walk back. Such was the life of a man without a car or a bicycle.
The campus was green and sprawling. As he walked across the grass, he watched the other students walking to class and fooling around together. He was more like them than ever, and still, still he wasn't one of them. Clark thought now that maybe he never would be.
When he reached his dorm, he told Toby at the desk that his friend would be coming up, and the young man nodded. He'd seen Chloe come up with Clark before.
Clark flopped back on his bed and stared at he ceiling. He rubbed his thumb over his abdomen, hoping that he'd be feeling less swollen and queasy soon. He closed his eyes.
He awoke to Chloe's hand on his shoulder.
"Ohhh, is this the girlfriend?" Charlie boomed as he came in from the bathroom. "Farmboy was dead to the world there, huh?"
"Ugh. He let you in?" Clark asked as he pushed himself up. He could smell something good in the bag she was holding.
"Yep." She pulled the desk chair over and sat in it, then dug in the bag. "I brought you chicken soup and some saltines. The bistro on the corner has much better food than the Caf or the Union, and soup'll be lighter on your stomach. Have you thrown up any?"
"No. Just…" Clark shrugged, at a loss on how to describe it. "Squicky."
"Squicky tummy," Chloe repeated with a bright smile. She petted her hand over his hair and handed him the container of soup and set the crackers beside him. "I have cold water, too. That might help. Try the soup?"
"It smells good." Clark sipped the broth and nodded. His stomach growled.
"Much needed," Chloe stated, picking up her own carton.
"Are you going to be late for work?"
"No, I won't be there until later this evening, unless Adam texts me."
"Adam? Would be?"
"Just my boss at the Metropolis Journal."
"Jealous, farmboy?" Charlie fell onto the chair on the other side of the room.
"No," Clark replied a little defensively.
"Tell your boyfriend that the night calls that go on forever are sweet and all, but occasionally, some of us like to study," Charlie told Chloe as he opened up his laptop.
"Since when do you study? I thought you were up all night watching porn," Clark replied irritably.
"You wouldn't deny a girl her pleasure, would you?" Chloe interjected, raising a brow and pouting her lips.
Charlie chuckled. '"Get as much pleasure out of the world as you can, blondie."
"Will do." Chloe took a sip of her broccoli and cheddar soup and rolled her eyes. "How is it, Clark?"
"Doing the trick." Clark looked up at her. "Thanks."
"No problem." Chloe ran her fingers through his hair a few times.
Eventually, Charlie left for class, so Chloe turned her head and looked at Clark expectantly.
"So, Lana? I thought she told me you two hadn't talked since she went to New York?"
"No, uh… Well, that's true." Clark set his container aside and shifted uncomfortably.
Chloe opened her mouth. "You have a new girlfriend and didn't tell me?"
"No?" Clark pinched his mouth to the side. "Okay, I know we tell each other everything but… It's just…"
"No, no, it's okay. You don't have to tell me everything. Boundaries are good." Chloe paused and looked to the side. "Or so I'm told."
"It's not keeping it from you… I just didn't know how to say it." Clark sighed and took a cracker. "It's not a girl."
Chloe creased her brow and stared at him for a moment while he nibbled his cracker nervously.
"It's Lex, isn't it?"
Clark's mouth dropped open. "Uh, yeah. I was kind of saving that for a second revelation but yeah. How did you-"
"He's the only guy you've ever looked at like that," she said quietly. "So I take it you worked out your… differences?"
"Kind of."
"Does he know? About…?"
"No! I haven't told him. Yet. I will," Clark insisted. "We've just been letting things develop. You know, taking it slow/"
"Doesn't sound much like Lex. Or you, actually, if Alicia was any indication."
"I guess not. He's been holding back." Clark stared at his fingers.
"So um, do you want to go see him?"
"I'm okay here, Chlo."
"I dunno. I kind of think that if I had a significant other, of any gender, I'd probably want to be with him or her if I weren't feeling so hot." Chloe shrugged. "I'll drive you over."
Clark smiled. "Thanks. For the soup, and for not…" He shook his head. "Getting on my case about Lex."
"Just don't wait too long to tell him. He's a lot like me. Liable to do boneheaded things in search of the truth."
"You're the best," Clark declared, getting up slowly.
"Wonk wonk wonk. Go freshen up."
***
Clark sat outside of Lex's office in a chair as Lex's secretary filed and answered the phone, only occasionally looking up at Clark. Apparently Lex was in a meeting of some sort, and Clark pouted, rubbing his stomach as he waited for Lex.
"Hey, Clark."
At the sound of Lex's smooth voice, Clark jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Lex, who frowned and rubbed his back.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Clark sighed. He let Lex lead him into his office, where they sat on the sofa. Clark swallowed and sucked in his lip. He felt gross.
"You're sick," Lex stated sternly, raking his fingers through Clark's hair.
"I'm not…" Clark protested, seeing Lex's eyes line with concern.
"You're pale. Did you eat something that didn't agree with you? Hm?" His hand drifted over Clark's stomach and rubbed gently.
"I don't know. My stomach's felt… icky for the past week."
"Icky, hm?" Lex pulled Clark's shirt up and kissed his abdomen.
"Why do you do stuff like that?"
"Because you love it?" Lex slipped his hand around Clark's waist and rested it on his side. Clark flinched a little, but Lex didn't seem to notice that he was a little thicker there.
So he kissed Lex happily and resolved to put it out of his mind.
October
Charlie whistled long and low. "Freshman fifteen sneakin' up on you, eh, farmboy?"
The young man laughed heartily as Clark quickly grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head. "No."
"Oh, relax, Chub." Charlie laughed low and deep. The large young man occasionally over-pronounced his words in a way that made him sound to Clark like a television dad or a sports announcer. "You could join intramurals. Shed some of the excess chunk."
"Thanks," Clark replied, curling up next to the window. A harder feat now than it had been a month ago.
"Aww. C'mon, if that little girlfriend of yours hasn't dumped you yet, she's not gonna. Just watch those donut holes," Charlie advised.
Clark sulked stubbornly until his roommate left the room, then lifted up his shirt, deliberately bought a few sizes too big, and looked at his rounded little pot-belly. Lex hadn't said anything of course; he let things lie, it seemed, and still wasn't pushing Clark for anything more.
Clark was beginning to wonder if Lex wanted anything more than they had. He sighed and pushed himself up to pack for the weekend. He'd promised his mother some time at home, since he wouldn't be back until Thanksgiving. With one look at his jeans, safety pinned together, Clark reached for a few sweaters to wear. That should hide this. Sweaters, layers. Extra fabric. It was getting cold out, after all. And he was a tall guy.
He didn't think his parents would be angry; he just felt embarrassed by it. He'd never had a weight problem before.
Clark fastened his suitcase and added a few more books into the messenger bag that Lex had bought for him to replace the backpack and headed out of his room. Lex was going to play chauffeur for the weekend, even if he still wasn't invited to the farmhouse. If Clark thought he was up for dealing with his father this weekend, he might have just fessed up and 'introduced' his parents to his boyfriend.
But he wasn't. He got very tired these days. Maybe it was stress, or that he was just down about his weight, but sometimes it was very hard to find the energy to finish his work. He'd fall asleep in Lex's office waiting for him, and he'd wake a few hours later when Lex was done and rubbing his back with a tender expression on his face.
He reached the parking lot, huffing a little and vowing to get back into shape, and soon, when he spotted Lana standing by Chloe. Her face froze when she caught sight of him, and there was a twitch of her lips that told him that she noticed his weight gain.
"Hey, Clark. It's been a while," Lana said in a stiff voice as her eyes raked over his expanded form.
"I um…" Clark looked at his suitcase and pretended to be concerned about getting their luggage in Lex's car. "How's art school in New York? Any better than Paris?"
"Um." Lana blinked and shook her head. "Good. I'm learning a lot, and the professors seem to get me. No 16th century witches trying to inhabit my body. How's it going for you?"
"I've got that, Clark," Lex offered. He'd been leaning on the other side of the car and came jogging around to get his hands on Clark's suitcase.
"No, you don't have to. Lex, I can get it!" Clark sighed in annoyance as Lex took both the suitcase and messenger bag from him with a grunt.
"How chivalrous of you, Lex," Chloe laughed.
"Yeah, especially since you didn't help me with my bag," Lana added.
"You had two bags, and I beg to differ, I got one of those monsters." Lex cocked a brow and pointed at the backseat. "Get in. We have three hours of driving ahead of us. Do you guys want to stop for something on the way?"
"Since when does it take you three hours to get to Smallville," Chloe asked, exchanging an amused look with Lana.
"Yeah, I seem to remember you breaking the sound barrier a few times," Lana said as she slipped into the backseat with Chloe.
"I'll thank the peanut gallery to keep it to themselves." Lex sat down in the driver's seat and looked over at Clark cautiously. He watched as Clark buckled his seatbelt, then started the car. "So are you guys hungry? My treat."
"Mrs. Kent will probably have a feast waiting when Clark gets there, but I wouldn't mind some food that's not strictly fast," Chloe admitted. "My dad and I, neither one of us can cook. It's a genetic failing."
"You know, my roommate and I have a miniature fridge of our own. It's much healthier than eating out all the time," Lana pointed out. "It's too easy to gain weight your freshman year."
Clark felt like Lana might as well have been staring him down and reaching around the seat to poke his softening sides.
"I don't have the time for cooking between work and school, honestly. Do you guys have a hot plate? My roommate seems to be the queen of making the most of her meal card." Chloe shifted in her seat and ran her hand through her hair with a yawn.
"I do know a place that will let us order out that isn't particularly greasy. I know the owners. Just tell me what you want… or rather, tell Clark. I'm driving," Lex decided. He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Clark. "I'll give you the number."
"Since when do you care about driving while on your cell phone?" Lana asked with amusement in her voice.
"When I have passengers, I care," Lex replied sharply. Then, more gently. "The menu is in the glove compartment, Clark."
"Got it." Clark looked at Lex curiously. He wasn't going to complain, though. Eggrolls sounded great right now.
Fifteen minutes later, they'd picked up their dinners and headed out onto the road. Lana had given Clark a look when he'd made his order. He had seen it in the mirror. They hadn't officially broken up, but they hadn't officially started dating, either. From the expression on her face, she didn't seem to be that interested in him right now. More like repelled.
He munched on his eggroll moodily, and noted to himself that he'd never had an eggroll that was so crispy on the outside and delightfully soft on the inside. Mostly they'd just been greasy and limp.
"Didn't I tell you?" Lex cast Clark a smug glance. When they reached a stoplight, he leaned over and opened his mouth.
Clark grinned and dipped the eggroll in some sweet and sour sauce before offering it to Lex's waiting mouth.
"Mmm." Lex crunched on the eggroll appreciatively.
"Careful, Lex. Don't want to mess up that girlish figure," Lana teased, casting another glance over to Clark.
"I think it's my business if I want to get roly poly," Lex shot back. "I don't live to have other people staring at me."
Lana rolled her eyes and started talking career options with Chloe, who nodded along and started sharing some of the rollicking adventures of working at The Metropolis Journal. Clearly they were a lively group, and that Adam Levine seemed to send Chloe on the craziest errands. It was in the future, but Clark had started considering applying for an internship at The Journal next year. He missed working with Chloe on The Torch.
Clark felt his mood lifting and rubbed a hand over his stomach when he felt a little shift inside him. Must have been his stomach digesting.
***
Clark wasn't sure he was going to survive the looks people kept giving him. One would have thought that no one ever went off to college and got pudgy before. When he'd met his parents at the farmhouse, his mother made a fish face in surprise, and his father had stopped and blinked a few times before coming up to give him a firm pat on the back.
"Well, good to see you, Clark. It's weird not having you around the house," Jonathan said seriously. "Must be strange for you not to be working the farm, hm?"
"Yeah. It's not like I have any lack of things to do, though." Clark shrugged and sighed. Lex gave him a little wave from the car.
"Is he coming in?" Martha asked, looked over at Lex.
Clark turned his head and frowned to see Lex getting his luggage out of the trunk. "I don't know why he thinks I'm so delicate all of a sudden."
With that he stormed over to the car and made a grab for his suitcase, but Lex was too swift and had it in his hands first. Stubbornly, Clark took his messenger bag and slammed the trunk shut. Lex's smirk was just a little too much, and Clark rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Thank you for driving the kids all the way here, Lex," Martha said warmly. She watched as Lex paused to take a breath. "You know, Clark could get that."
"No, I've got it," Lex breezed. He headed past them to the porch, determined by some unknown force to get the suitcase up there.
"He's lost his mind," Clark said to his parents, as if that was an explanation.
Martha chuckled. "He's just trying to look out for you, I guess. You being away at college must be rough on him. He doesn't have that many friends."
Clark declined to mention that he and Lex were seeing each other a few times a week.
"You think he'll stay for dinner?" Martha wondered.
"For dinner?" Jonathan repeated.
"He did drive them, and all."
"If you ask, Mom, Lex will stay. He never brings it up, but I can't imagine he'd say no," Clark told her. He crossed his arms over his chest and hoped he didn't have to see anyone else around town this weekend.
Martha nodded and headed toward the house with a bounce in her step.
"I guess we're having a guest," Jonathan grumbled.
***
If Lex noticed that Clark had packed away one dinner only three hours ago, and was heartily packing away a second before his eyes, he made no mention of it, or even a flicker or gesture to indicate he saw anything strange.
Instead he kept up a rather lively conversation with Martha about what was going on in Smallville currently and what charities she was interested in. Inevitably, they turned their conversation to business, which soured Jonathan's expression, but Martha seemed interested in talking shop with Lex about the Talon.
"Honestly, it's never turned a profit, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I had such good plans when I started." Martha stood to bring over the potatoes. "Would you boys like some more?"
Lex held up hand, but Clark furtively shifted his eyes sideways, then helped himself to some more mashed potatoes. Martha smiled widely, no doubt happy that Clark was eating 'real food' instead of what could be found on campus. She probably blamed the campus food for his expanding figure.
Lex shrugged and sipped his lemonade. "It's up to you. I don't have much tie to the business; I never did. It was mostly Lana's call, so whatever you think is best."
"I appreciate that." Martha sat down again across from Lex. "Save some room for pie, boys."
"I think we'll be able to manage." Lex slipped his hand under the table and patted Clark's leg. Clark flushed.
After dinner was over, Clark found himself walking with Lex out to the barn. He was tired again and felt as though he might fall asleep on his feet. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them for quite a while, then Clark looked over and saw Lex watching him with that funny, tender expression that he wore sometimes lately.
"What is it?" Clark asked.
"Nothing." The corners of Lex's lips curled very slightly and he touched the small of Clark's back as they ascended the stairs. "I'm sure it's good to be home."
"I guess. I mean, yeah, I miss seeing my folks every day. It's really different. I'm just too busy to be driving back and forth more than every other weekend." Clark groaned a little as they reached the top of the stairs. Lex's arm hung around Clark's back snugly.
"I'm glad you take the time. Keeping a relationship strong is worth the effort."
"Yeah." Clark turned a little and looked down on Lex curiously. "Do you… Lex, what is this to you?"
Lex's brows twitched. "This? You mean us?"
"Is there an us?"
"There's always been an us, Clark. Since the very day we met." Lex tilted his head to the side and licked his lips. "Slow is good. Fast is fine. I just can't let myself push you, Clark, because when I push, you run away from me. And having had you, I couldn't survive the separation. So I'm leaving it up to you, what we are, when we are. If I let myself start, I'll be keeping you in my apartment and having one of my guards follow you all of the time to make sure you're okay."
Clark gave an exasperated sigh. "You don't have to go that far. I just wanted to know if we're-"
The term boyfriend-girlfriend crossed Clark's mind, but seeing how it didn't apply…
"We're just you and me? Exclusive? You aren't seeing anyone else, are you?" Clark asked uncertainly.
"No. I'm not seeing anyone else." Lex's fingers touched Clark's cheek. "Are you and Lana…?"
"Did you see the way she was looking at me today? I think she wouldn't have me if I were the last guy on the planet." Clark frowned a little, because he would have liked to think that his relationship with Lana had more to it than mutual attraction, but apparently not.
"She's a fool." Lex pressed their lips together and moved them toward the sofa. His tender touches brushed over Clark's nose, his cheeks, loving and cupping his face with total adoration.
Clark fell back on the sofa and reached up to Lex.
***
Farm work was harder than Clark remembered, even without his powers. Saturday morning he leaned on a pitchfork and looked over the hay around him helplessly. He felt like he was going to drop.
His stomach grumbled obnoxiously, and Clark glared at it. "I just ate. Leave me alone."
Clark got back to work, but more slowly this time. He was starting to think that this was all a cruel trick of Jor-El's to convince him that he'd rather fall in line and do what he was told. He had to admit that he'd considered it a few times.
When his knees went weak, Clark grabbed onto the handle of his pitchfork. The grain of the wood against his gloves slowed him down, but soon he was sitting on the ground, feeling like he should just curl up in a ball right there.
He'd had dizzy spells before, but this one was different. Felt much different. He curled a hand over his protruding abdomen and whispered:
"What's happening to me?"
November
"Happy Birthday, Lex," Clark whispered, kissing the side of his boyfriend's neck. The two of them were sitting on a park bench in front of a large lake. It was cold, but the two of them were bundled up nicely, and Clark had wrapped his scarf around both of their necks, since Lex seemed cold.
Lex stared straight ahead with a stern expression as Clark peppered his skin with kisses. He reached over to squeeze Clark's knee, but continued to frown as he struggled to find his words. "Clark, we need to talk."
"Do we have to talk? Maybe we can just do this." Clark continued to kiss and nibble the side of his neck, working his way up to Lex's jaw.
"Ah… No, Clark, now. Okay? I've waited as long as I could, but we both know that something has to be done." Lex turned to Clark and met his eye. "We have to talk about this."
He pointed to Clark's middle.
"Oh." Clark felt tears coming to his eyes. He should have tried harder to control his weight. But he couldn't help it. He got so hungry and no amount of jogging had done much to lessen his gradual expansion. "I thought you didn't mind."
"I don’t." Lex smiled softly and put his hand over Clark's bulging abdomen. "I'm happy, Clark. I just wish you'd talked to me about it. However, I don't think we can pretend anymore. I just want you to be taken care of… and healthy."
"I don't know what to do. I guess I could start going to the gym…" Clark looked down, feeling a tear roll down his cheek, which he wiped away in embarrassment.
"Hey. Hey, Clark." Lex cupped his cheek and made Clark lift his chin. "You don’t need to go to a gym. Under the circumstances, obviously you'll be gaining weight."
He paused a moment and kissed Clark's lips softly. "What do you think I'm talking about?"
Clark pushed his lips out. "My freshman fifteen," he muttered, rubbing his belly.
"You think this is about the weight?" Lex watched Clark's eyes carefully.
"Well, I've gotten fat. There's no denying it, I guess. If it's not that, then what is it about?" Clark asked after a moment, frustrated.
Lex was silent, and then he kissed Clark's lips again slowly, causing Clark to feel himself warming from the inside out. Then Lex spoke again.
"This isn't about the weight, Clark. It's about the baby."
"The… what?" Clark looked down and stared at Lex's hand on the round bump at the front of his sweater. "I… no, Lex, I can't… what?"
Lex's soft chuckle made Clark's insides turn to water. "If I'd realized you didn't know, I would have said something sooner. I wanted to give you the time you needed to deal with this. Have you been eating properly? Enough?"
"Doesn't it look like I have?" Clark replied automatically.
Instead of responding, Lex wrapped his arms around Clark and sighed. "Not really, no. I think sometimes you have been, but others… Well, if you've been trying to lose weight, you probably haven't been getting what you and the baby need. No wonder you get so hungry."
"You really think? A baby?"
"You haven't felt it kick by now? When I put my hand there, I've felt it move already."
"Kicking?" Clark felt confused and helpless. His father had taken his powers, but this had still happened? He was powerless, and he could still get… there could still be…? "Lex, I can't do this!"
"Clark, it's a bit late now to be deciding that," Lex argued, pulling back a little. He visibly pulled back his temper to remain calm, despite the panic around his eyes. "I… You want to get rid of it?"
"No, I just… I…" Clark let out a short little breath, and Lex rubbed his arms.
"Take deep breaths, Clark. I asked you here because I wanted to ask you what kind of support I could give you. I don't want to push, but surely the baby is mine, and I…"
The look on Lex's face before he looked at Clark's belly was at the same time grave and pleading.
"I must be having an aneurysm."
"…What?"
"I'm in a coma. Dreaming this. How can I be…?"
"Smallville was always a strange town. It could be you, or it could be me. Or it could be that strange silver meteorite. I don't know." Lex sighed softly. "If you don't want this, I can take care of him or her. I know that it's a lot to ask of you, it's a lot of work, but I can take on the rest. It was a surprise, and I won't think less of you."
Clark stared at Lex, feeling the cold wind blowing against them. Suddenly he scowled at Lex and wrapped his arms stubbornly around his belly.
"No one is taking him. Not even you. Unless it's us together."
Lex's face lit up. "I can handle together."
"You must think I'm an idiot," Clark muttered. His hand spread over the side of his distended abdomen. The sickness, the fluttering. A chuckle worked its way up through Clark's chest and erupted merrily until he was grinning like a fool.
"I have to admit… I'm not sure pregnancy would be my first diagnosis if it were happening to me," Lex replied with a smile. "Smallville strangeness aside. I think I'd probably think cancer first, then… I don't know. There are women who deny it themselves until they give birth. Not such an idiot, I think."
"What tipped you off then?" Clark relaxed against the back of the bench and let Lex wrap an arm around his back and curl the other over his belly.
"Hm. Your face. It was your face, and the rosy sheen over your cheeks."
"And not me getting enormous?"
"Well, you getting sick, and then getting ahem, bigger, were definitely clues." Lex snuggled close to Clark. "Are you warm enough?"
"I'm okay. I…" Clark looked down. "Does that mean it should be okay for him?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"I don't know… what to do about this."
"Well, Clark, there isn't a lot to do. You need to make sure you eat enough. I can give you some vitamins. And… a doctor, if that's okay with you." Lex looked up hesitantly.
"A doctor?" Clark knit his brows together. Would the doctor be able to see he wasn't normal?
"A discreet one, of course. I don't want any of us on a tabloid," Lex added.
"Maybe."
"If the thought distresses you, get rid of it. I don't want you worrying."
"But don't I have to have a doctor?"
"Depends. Your mother knows how to deliver animals, doesn't she? And I'm not without medical knowledge."
Clark thought on that for a moment. He had a sudden, horrifying image of his mother with her head between his legs as he lay between cows in the barn. "Uh… I don't think I can talk about this right now."
"How about I get you some hot cocoa, then?"
"You're a great Daddy already," Clark joked weakly. "Do you think they have anything to eat over there?"
"I'm not getting you a parasite ridden Centennial Park hotdog, if that's what you're thinking," Lex replied as he stood.
"Boo."
"We could go to Pineapple King, if you like."
"Where's that?" Clark splayed his legs out and folded his hands under his belly.
"Hmm… I'll show you. But cocoa first." Lex leaned over and gave Clark a kiss on the forehead.
Clark sighed as he watched Lex walking away. He was surprising himself, how calm he was right now. Maybe he had suffered an aneurysm upon finding out that he was pregnant.
Oh, and there it was. That fluttering. God, he'd been feeling it for months. Stronger now, though.
"Your dad is dumb, kiddo. I'm sorry if I did anything that wasn't good for you," Clark told his belly.
***
Lex watched him with a delight that Clark might want to smack him for, if he weren't busy eating the most gloriously wonderful hot dog in the world.
"Stop staring at me," Clark ordered, cheek stuffed full of hot dog.
Lex chuckled and turned to look out the window. Clark would have never believed that he'd ever see Lex hanging out in a little hole in the wall restaurant like this.
"Oh, God, how have I never had banana peppers before?" Clark rolled his eyes upward.
"You're really a lot of fun like this." Lex leaned on his hand.
"I thought you didn't want me having parasite ridden hot dogs." Clark licked his lips and sipped his cherry lemonade.
"Mike makes them strictly kosher. Parasite and entrails free." Lex rubbed Clark's leg. "You look like you feel better now.
"Because I'm eating!" Clark joked. He wiped his mouth and thought for a moment. "Well, I know what's going on now, too. Before… I didn't understand why I felt the way I did."
"Must have been frightening."
"Yeah." Clark went back to eating his hot dog. Who could tell what was going on inside of him? Clark had assumed that his body had become human, but that clearly wasn't the case. This relationship between he and Lex made the alien parts of him harder and harder to deny.
He was pregnant for goodness sakes!
"Take a breath," Lex urged.
"Why are you so calm?" Clark snapped. He wished his feelings were so easy to read sometimes. "You're the one who got your boyfriend pregnant."
"I've had a little time for the reality to sink in. I was hoping you'd broach the subject, and we could talk about what we're going to do next semester." Lex reached over and moved two fingers over Clark's belly.
"What happens next semester?" Clark looked up.
Lex sucked one cheek in and took a long pause before answering. "Birth."
"Oh."
"Uh, Clark, you look… pale. Let me wrap this up. We'll head back to the loft, hm? Clark?"
"Give me a minute!"
"I… yes." Lex headed for the counter to get a take out container.
Clark rested his chin in his hands and stared at the remaining hotdogs. Lex hadn't eaten his. Clark wondered if Lex was nervous, if he felt like Clark did. Of course, he didn't have to worry about a rapidly expanding little baby alien inside him, but he did seem to be concerned about Clark.
For the past few months, Lex had been watching Clark, feeding him, carrying his luggage. Clark smiled as he remembered Lex hefting his weekend suitcase inside the farmhouse.
"I'm going to be okay," Clark said as Lex returned with the containers.
"I know you will," Lex said calmly. He took some napkins and placed the hotdogs in one container and the fries in another.
Clark watched him for several moments. "You're a liar. You've been worried about me."
"I… Fine, I'm a liar. Who gets their boyfriend pregnant? I'm sorry, Clark. I…" Lex sat down across from Clark and wiped his hands with a napkin. "I don't mean to sound as though I'm not happy about this child, because you know that I am, but I… I've disrupted your life. You're only eighteen."
Lex's smooth brow wrinkled slightly, and Clark could see guilt tensing Lex's face.
"Lex, I jumped you. How long would you have waited if I hadn't? Don't do that."
"That doesn't change the result of what happened. I'm older. I'm responsible," Lex replied.
Mike came over with another carton. "A couple of slices of our cheesecake. On the house, boys. It's good to see your friend enjoy our dogs so much!"
"I'd hope he'd like them as much as I do." Lex nodded to Mike. "Thank you for the dessert."
"Do you like them? I'd never know. Eat, boy!" Mike pinched Lex's side and laughed. "Have a good day, kids."
Lex shook his head and stacked the containers together. "Come on."
He walked around the side of the table and took Clark's hand. Lifting his chin, Clark watched Lex's face as he stood. Definitely easier to move around that way.
After they had left the restaurant, Clark spoke again. "I need you to do something?"
"Anything, Clark," Lex vowed immediately.
"Stop this guilt tripping thing. I'm an adult… more or less. I can handle this." Clark hugged Lex's shoulders and dropped a kiss on the top of Lex's head. "With your help."
"You have it."
When Clark dropped his hand, Lex took it in his own and squeezed it. Clark bumped Lex's shoulder, and the older man laughed softly.
"So when are we telling your parents?"
"… We have to tell my parents?"
***
Playing doctor with Lex wasn't quite what Clark had expected. Certainly, through the years, Clark had considered a number of scenarios that included Lex lifting his shirt up, and this wasn't one of them.
The shift between 'Lex' and 'scientist' occurred so seamlessly; one moment he was helping Clark into a seat, and the next his expressionless face was looking over Clark, his fingers exploring Clark's sides, his mind working faster than Clark could follow. Lex pulled out a few basic medical tools, and it was then that it struck Clark that Lex clearly had these on hand. To look after Clark, surely.
As Lex lifted Clark's shirt to listen to his heart, Clark rested a hand on the back of Lex's neck. The man looked up and cracked a slight, lopsided smile. Clark hoped that his heart wasn't speeding up too much.
Lex put away the stethoscope wordlessly, and then pulled out another. "You seem fine, Clark, as far as I can tell. I should probably run some blood tests-"
Clark's heart leaped into his throat.
"-and I can acquire an ultrasound, which should be helpful. I don't particularly want to do an amnio unless we suspect something is wrong. Aside from a questionable location, we're both two healthy young men…" Lex sighed and touched the back of his head. "Am I being alarmist?"
"You're scared." Clark shrugged. "I'm scared. I'm not necessarily thrilled about the idea of shoving a needle in here with the baby either."
Lex released a sigh mingled with laughter. "Okay. Let's listen to this little one, hm?"
"Listen…?" Clark frowned as he recognized what Lex was holding. Lex rubbed the edge of the fetal stethoscope on his shirt before pressing it against Clark's belly, and Clark watched, barely breathing as he realized that they would be able to hear the baby.
He'd never missed his super hearing so much as he did now. Never missed his vision so much. He could have watched his baby whenever he wanted. He could have listened to the child's heartbeat all the time.
When Lex lifted the earpieces to Clark, he drew in a sharp breath and leaned forward.
"Oh, my god," Clark muttered, listening to the quick little heartbeat.
"I know," Lex whispered.
"Lex?"
Clark leaned over and Lex lifted his chin and their lips met. Their bodies curled around one another in the little sitting room they had designated as an impromptu doctor's office.
Pairing: Clex
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: For the clexmas Spring Fling for tobywolf13
Clarkpreg, old school, Kal-El
I tried to work in an old school feel to the story, even though it's set in S5.
Summary: Stripped of his powers, Clark juggles being human for he first time with the consequences of his relationship with Lex.
Post S5 Mortal
Part Two
August
Skin. Sweat. Heat. Breathing. Panting. Screaming.
"So. How's school…?"
Clark rolled over on his back and laughed heartily. "Uh, it just started. It's okay. Moving everything into the dorm was a real pain, but I already had stuff up here from Preview. Still kind of hectic, though."
"I'm glad you can spare some time for an old friend." Lex rolled his head over and smiled. His hand ran down Clark's sweating chest, over his muscular abdomen.
"I didn't have anything else planned for tonight. Well, homework."
"Homework's important. Did you bring it?"
"That's not exactly romantic," Clark pointed out.
"We have the entire weekend to fool around." Lex planted soft kisses along Clark's collarbone.
"Well, not really. My parents want me to come down on Sunday."
"Ah. Then we'd better make the best of our time together."
Lex never asked to be invited to family dinners. He never asked if Clark was going to tell his parents, or if Clark had broken up with Lana. He seemed to be waiting, still, for Clark.
"Hm. I guess so." Clark grinned and rose. He pulled Lex's hands over his head and straddled his legs.
September
"Ah…" Clark looked down and rubbed his stomach with a frown. Was that fluttery feeling normal? Before Jor-El had 'punished' him, Clark had never felt nauseous, not unless there was Kryptonite around. Never gotten heartburn. Never felt any of the weird variety of digestive issues that humans apparently suffered from on a daily basis.
He tried to focus on taking his organic chemistry notes.
The other day, he'd visited the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals isle in the grocery store for the first time and stood there for half an hour, boggling at the Technicolor array of cures for squicky tummy. Diarrhea. Constipation. Heartburn. Sour stomach (whatever that was). Gas. Bloating.
Even better, all the names of the medicines practically screamed to the cashier, "I'm having a huge problem with my ass!"
Clark had bought some chewable, cherry-flavored Gas-X along with a package of Lactaid and a couple of pints of ice cream. Maybe the clerk would assume that he was just planning ahead and not spewing toxic fumes already.
Still as he sat in class, though, none of it seemed to be working, and that ice cream had really gone straight to his waistline. He could barely button up his jeans. Clark slid down in his seat uncomfortably and crossed his arms over his stomach. Being human was really, really not what he'd thought it would be.
When class ended, Clark took a deep breath and headed for the Union to meet Chloe. Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed, not that he would have gotten any sleep with Charlie in the other bed, but that wasn't exactly the point.
Chloe bounced into view, her eyes twinkling. Her hair was done like waves around her head, and she was wearing a sea green dress with an empire waist.
"What's the occasion?" Clark asked, falling into step with her.
"No occasion. I just felt like being girlie today. We girls have those days," she informed him. She leaned to the side to spy how long the lines were. "Are you in the mood for? Tex-Mex? Pizza?"
"Uh… I don't know. I'm hungry but I don't feel like eating anything."
Chloe turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Clark. "You don't look well. Have you been sick?"
Clark waved his hand at her in response.
"It's okay for you to be sick, you know. It's normal. It's human."
"Being human sucks."
Chloe giggled and locked her arm with his. "So I gather. It'll pass. And then you'll know what feeling good really feels like. You can't really appreciate it without being sick once and awhile."
"I've felt pain before," Clark grumbled.
"Yeah, but only for a few seconds." She patted his arm, then rubbed up and down his bicep. "Why don't you head back to your dorm and get some rest?"
"I'll miss my classes," Clark protested.
"One of the bonuses of being human is calling in sick once and awhile," Chloe declared. "Go to your dorm, and I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"
Clark sighed and crossed his arms. He doubted he'd get any rest at his dorm, but he did as she said and began the walk back. Such was the life of a man without a car or a bicycle.
The campus was green and sprawling. As he walked across the grass, he watched the other students walking to class and fooling around together. He was more like them than ever, and still, still he wasn't one of them. Clark thought now that maybe he never would be.
When he reached his dorm, he told Toby at the desk that his friend would be coming up, and the young man nodded. He'd seen Chloe come up with Clark before.
Clark flopped back on his bed and stared at he ceiling. He rubbed his thumb over his abdomen, hoping that he'd be feeling less swollen and queasy soon. He closed his eyes.
He awoke to Chloe's hand on his shoulder.
"Ohhh, is this the girlfriend?" Charlie boomed as he came in from the bathroom. "Farmboy was dead to the world there, huh?"
"Ugh. He let you in?" Clark asked as he pushed himself up. He could smell something good in the bag she was holding.
"Yep." She pulled the desk chair over and sat in it, then dug in the bag. "I brought you chicken soup and some saltines. The bistro on the corner has much better food than the Caf or the Union, and soup'll be lighter on your stomach. Have you thrown up any?"
"No. Just…" Clark shrugged, at a loss on how to describe it. "Squicky."
"Squicky tummy," Chloe repeated with a bright smile. She petted her hand over his hair and handed him the container of soup and set the crackers beside him. "I have cold water, too. That might help. Try the soup?"
"It smells good." Clark sipped the broth and nodded. His stomach growled.
"Much needed," Chloe stated, picking up her own carton.
"Are you going to be late for work?"
"No, I won't be there until later this evening, unless Adam texts me."
"Adam? Would be?"
"Just my boss at the Metropolis Journal."
"Jealous, farmboy?" Charlie fell onto the chair on the other side of the room.
"No," Clark replied a little defensively.
"Tell your boyfriend that the night calls that go on forever are sweet and all, but occasionally, some of us like to study," Charlie told Chloe as he opened up his laptop.
"Since when do you study? I thought you were up all night watching porn," Clark replied irritably.
"You wouldn't deny a girl her pleasure, would you?" Chloe interjected, raising a brow and pouting her lips.
Charlie chuckled. '"Get as much pleasure out of the world as you can, blondie."
"Will do." Chloe took a sip of her broccoli and cheddar soup and rolled her eyes. "How is it, Clark?"
"Doing the trick." Clark looked up at her. "Thanks."
"No problem." Chloe ran her fingers through his hair a few times.
Eventually, Charlie left for class, so Chloe turned her head and looked at Clark expectantly.
"So, Lana? I thought she told me you two hadn't talked since she went to New York?"
"No, uh… Well, that's true." Clark set his container aside and shifted uncomfortably.
Chloe opened her mouth. "You have a new girlfriend and didn't tell me?"
"No?" Clark pinched his mouth to the side. "Okay, I know we tell each other everything but… It's just…"
"No, no, it's okay. You don't have to tell me everything. Boundaries are good." Chloe paused and looked to the side. "Or so I'm told."
"It's not keeping it from you… I just didn't know how to say it." Clark sighed and took a cracker. "It's not a girl."
Chloe creased her brow and stared at him for a moment while he nibbled his cracker nervously.
"It's Lex, isn't it?"
Clark's mouth dropped open. "Uh, yeah. I was kind of saving that for a second revelation but yeah. How did you-"
"He's the only guy you've ever looked at like that," she said quietly. "So I take it you worked out your… differences?"
"Kind of."
"Does he know? About…?"
"No! I haven't told him. Yet. I will," Clark insisted. "We've just been letting things develop. You know, taking it slow/"
"Doesn't sound much like Lex. Or you, actually, if Alicia was any indication."
"I guess not. He's been holding back." Clark stared at his fingers.
"So um, do you want to go see him?"
"I'm okay here, Chlo."
"I dunno. I kind of think that if I had a significant other, of any gender, I'd probably want to be with him or her if I weren't feeling so hot." Chloe shrugged. "I'll drive you over."
Clark smiled. "Thanks. For the soup, and for not…" He shook his head. "Getting on my case about Lex."
"Just don't wait too long to tell him. He's a lot like me. Liable to do boneheaded things in search of the truth."
"You're the best," Clark declared, getting up slowly.
"Wonk wonk wonk. Go freshen up."
***
Clark sat outside of Lex's office in a chair as Lex's secretary filed and answered the phone, only occasionally looking up at Clark. Apparently Lex was in a meeting of some sort, and Clark pouted, rubbing his stomach as he waited for Lex.
"Hey, Clark."
At the sound of Lex's smooth voice, Clark jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Lex, who frowned and rubbed his back.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Clark sighed. He let Lex lead him into his office, where they sat on the sofa. Clark swallowed and sucked in his lip. He felt gross.
"You're sick," Lex stated sternly, raking his fingers through Clark's hair.
"I'm not…" Clark protested, seeing Lex's eyes line with concern.
"You're pale. Did you eat something that didn't agree with you? Hm?" His hand drifted over Clark's stomach and rubbed gently.
"I don't know. My stomach's felt… icky for the past week."
"Icky, hm?" Lex pulled Clark's shirt up and kissed his abdomen.
"Why do you do stuff like that?"
"Because you love it?" Lex slipped his hand around Clark's waist and rested it on his side. Clark flinched a little, but Lex didn't seem to notice that he was a little thicker there.
So he kissed Lex happily and resolved to put it out of his mind.
October
Charlie whistled long and low. "Freshman fifteen sneakin' up on you, eh, farmboy?"
The young man laughed heartily as Clark quickly grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head. "No."
"Oh, relax, Chub." Charlie laughed low and deep. The large young man occasionally over-pronounced his words in a way that made him sound to Clark like a television dad or a sports announcer. "You could join intramurals. Shed some of the excess chunk."
"Thanks," Clark replied, curling up next to the window. A harder feat now than it had been a month ago.
"Aww. C'mon, if that little girlfriend of yours hasn't dumped you yet, she's not gonna. Just watch those donut holes," Charlie advised.
Clark sulked stubbornly until his roommate left the room, then lifted up his shirt, deliberately bought a few sizes too big, and looked at his rounded little pot-belly. Lex hadn't said anything of course; he let things lie, it seemed, and still wasn't pushing Clark for anything more.
Clark was beginning to wonder if Lex wanted anything more than they had. He sighed and pushed himself up to pack for the weekend. He'd promised his mother some time at home, since he wouldn't be back until Thanksgiving. With one look at his jeans, safety pinned together, Clark reached for a few sweaters to wear. That should hide this. Sweaters, layers. Extra fabric. It was getting cold out, after all. And he was a tall guy.
He didn't think his parents would be angry; he just felt embarrassed by it. He'd never had a weight problem before.
Clark fastened his suitcase and added a few more books into the messenger bag that Lex had bought for him to replace the backpack and headed out of his room. Lex was going to play chauffeur for the weekend, even if he still wasn't invited to the farmhouse. If Clark thought he was up for dealing with his father this weekend, he might have just fessed up and 'introduced' his parents to his boyfriend.
But he wasn't. He got very tired these days. Maybe it was stress, or that he was just down about his weight, but sometimes it was very hard to find the energy to finish his work. He'd fall asleep in Lex's office waiting for him, and he'd wake a few hours later when Lex was done and rubbing his back with a tender expression on his face.
He reached the parking lot, huffing a little and vowing to get back into shape, and soon, when he spotted Lana standing by Chloe. Her face froze when she caught sight of him, and there was a twitch of her lips that told him that she noticed his weight gain.
"Hey, Clark. It's been a while," Lana said in a stiff voice as her eyes raked over his expanded form.
"I um…" Clark looked at his suitcase and pretended to be concerned about getting their luggage in Lex's car. "How's art school in New York? Any better than Paris?"
"Um." Lana blinked and shook her head. "Good. I'm learning a lot, and the professors seem to get me. No 16th century witches trying to inhabit my body. How's it going for you?"
"I've got that, Clark," Lex offered. He'd been leaning on the other side of the car and came jogging around to get his hands on Clark's suitcase.
"No, you don't have to. Lex, I can get it!" Clark sighed in annoyance as Lex took both the suitcase and messenger bag from him with a grunt.
"How chivalrous of you, Lex," Chloe laughed.
"Yeah, especially since you didn't help me with my bag," Lana added.
"You had two bags, and I beg to differ, I got one of those monsters." Lex cocked a brow and pointed at the backseat. "Get in. We have three hours of driving ahead of us. Do you guys want to stop for something on the way?"
"Since when does it take you three hours to get to Smallville," Chloe asked, exchanging an amused look with Lana.
"Yeah, I seem to remember you breaking the sound barrier a few times," Lana said as she slipped into the backseat with Chloe.
"I'll thank the peanut gallery to keep it to themselves." Lex sat down in the driver's seat and looked over at Clark cautiously. He watched as Clark buckled his seatbelt, then started the car. "So are you guys hungry? My treat."
"Mrs. Kent will probably have a feast waiting when Clark gets there, but I wouldn't mind some food that's not strictly fast," Chloe admitted. "My dad and I, neither one of us can cook. It's a genetic failing."
"You know, my roommate and I have a miniature fridge of our own. It's much healthier than eating out all the time," Lana pointed out. "It's too easy to gain weight your freshman year."
Clark felt like Lana might as well have been staring him down and reaching around the seat to poke his softening sides.
"I don't have the time for cooking between work and school, honestly. Do you guys have a hot plate? My roommate seems to be the queen of making the most of her meal card." Chloe shifted in her seat and ran her hand through her hair with a yawn.
"I do know a place that will let us order out that isn't particularly greasy. I know the owners. Just tell me what you want… or rather, tell Clark. I'm driving," Lex decided. He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Clark. "I'll give you the number."
"Since when do you care about driving while on your cell phone?" Lana asked with amusement in her voice.
"When I have passengers, I care," Lex replied sharply. Then, more gently. "The menu is in the glove compartment, Clark."
"Got it." Clark looked at Lex curiously. He wasn't going to complain, though. Eggrolls sounded great right now.
Fifteen minutes later, they'd picked up their dinners and headed out onto the road. Lana had given Clark a look when he'd made his order. He had seen it in the mirror. They hadn't officially broken up, but they hadn't officially started dating, either. From the expression on her face, she didn't seem to be that interested in him right now. More like repelled.
He munched on his eggroll moodily, and noted to himself that he'd never had an eggroll that was so crispy on the outside and delightfully soft on the inside. Mostly they'd just been greasy and limp.
"Didn't I tell you?" Lex cast Clark a smug glance. When they reached a stoplight, he leaned over and opened his mouth.
Clark grinned and dipped the eggroll in some sweet and sour sauce before offering it to Lex's waiting mouth.
"Mmm." Lex crunched on the eggroll appreciatively.
"Careful, Lex. Don't want to mess up that girlish figure," Lana teased, casting another glance over to Clark.
"I think it's my business if I want to get roly poly," Lex shot back. "I don't live to have other people staring at me."
Lana rolled her eyes and started talking career options with Chloe, who nodded along and started sharing some of the rollicking adventures of working at The Metropolis Journal. Clearly they were a lively group, and that Adam Levine seemed to send Chloe on the craziest errands. It was in the future, but Clark had started considering applying for an internship at The Journal next year. He missed working with Chloe on The Torch.
Clark felt his mood lifting and rubbed a hand over his stomach when he felt a little shift inside him. Must have been his stomach digesting.
***
Clark wasn't sure he was going to survive the looks people kept giving him. One would have thought that no one ever went off to college and got pudgy before. When he'd met his parents at the farmhouse, his mother made a fish face in surprise, and his father had stopped and blinked a few times before coming up to give him a firm pat on the back.
"Well, good to see you, Clark. It's weird not having you around the house," Jonathan said seriously. "Must be strange for you not to be working the farm, hm?"
"Yeah. It's not like I have any lack of things to do, though." Clark shrugged and sighed. Lex gave him a little wave from the car.
"Is he coming in?" Martha asked, looked over at Lex.
Clark turned his head and frowned to see Lex getting his luggage out of the trunk. "I don't know why he thinks I'm so delicate all of a sudden."
With that he stormed over to the car and made a grab for his suitcase, but Lex was too swift and had it in his hands first. Stubbornly, Clark took his messenger bag and slammed the trunk shut. Lex's smirk was just a little too much, and Clark rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Thank you for driving the kids all the way here, Lex," Martha said warmly. She watched as Lex paused to take a breath. "You know, Clark could get that."
"No, I've got it," Lex breezed. He headed past them to the porch, determined by some unknown force to get the suitcase up there.
"He's lost his mind," Clark said to his parents, as if that was an explanation.
Martha chuckled. "He's just trying to look out for you, I guess. You being away at college must be rough on him. He doesn't have that many friends."
Clark declined to mention that he and Lex were seeing each other a few times a week.
"You think he'll stay for dinner?" Martha wondered.
"For dinner?" Jonathan repeated.
"He did drive them, and all."
"If you ask, Mom, Lex will stay. He never brings it up, but I can't imagine he'd say no," Clark told her. He crossed his arms over his chest and hoped he didn't have to see anyone else around town this weekend.
Martha nodded and headed toward the house with a bounce in her step.
"I guess we're having a guest," Jonathan grumbled.
***
If Lex noticed that Clark had packed away one dinner only three hours ago, and was heartily packing away a second before his eyes, he made no mention of it, or even a flicker or gesture to indicate he saw anything strange.
Instead he kept up a rather lively conversation with Martha about what was going on in Smallville currently and what charities she was interested in. Inevitably, they turned their conversation to business, which soured Jonathan's expression, but Martha seemed interested in talking shop with Lex about the Talon.
"Honestly, it's never turned a profit, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I had such good plans when I started." Martha stood to bring over the potatoes. "Would you boys like some more?"
Lex held up hand, but Clark furtively shifted his eyes sideways, then helped himself to some more mashed potatoes. Martha smiled widely, no doubt happy that Clark was eating 'real food' instead of what could be found on campus. She probably blamed the campus food for his expanding figure.
Lex shrugged and sipped his lemonade. "It's up to you. I don't have much tie to the business; I never did. It was mostly Lana's call, so whatever you think is best."
"I appreciate that." Martha sat down again across from Lex. "Save some room for pie, boys."
"I think we'll be able to manage." Lex slipped his hand under the table and patted Clark's leg. Clark flushed.
After dinner was over, Clark found himself walking with Lex out to the barn. He was tired again and felt as though he might fall asleep on his feet. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them for quite a while, then Clark looked over and saw Lex watching him with that funny, tender expression that he wore sometimes lately.
"What is it?" Clark asked.
"Nothing." The corners of Lex's lips curled very slightly and he touched the small of Clark's back as they ascended the stairs. "I'm sure it's good to be home."
"I guess. I mean, yeah, I miss seeing my folks every day. It's really different. I'm just too busy to be driving back and forth more than every other weekend." Clark groaned a little as they reached the top of the stairs. Lex's arm hung around Clark's back snugly.
"I'm glad you take the time. Keeping a relationship strong is worth the effort."
"Yeah." Clark turned a little and looked down on Lex curiously. "Do you… Lex, what is this to you?"
Lex's brows twitched. "This? You mean us?"
"Is there an us?"
"There's always been an us, Clark. Since the very day we met." Lex tilted his head to the side and licked his lips. "Slow is good. Fast is fine. I just can't let myself push you, Clark, because when I push, you run away from me. And having had you, I couldn't survive the separation. So I'm leaving it up to you, what we are, when we are. If I let myself start, I'll be keeping you in my apartment and having one of my guards follow you all of the time to make sure you're okay."
Clark gave an exasperated sigh. "You don't have to go that far. I just wanted to know if we're-"
The term boyfriend-girlfriend crossed Clark's mind, but seeing how it didn't apply…
"We're just you and me? Exclusive? You aren't seeing anyone else, are you?" Clark asked uncertainly.
"No. I'm not seeing anyone else." Lex's fingers touched Clark's cheek. "Are you and Lana…?"
"Did you see the way she was looking at me today? I think she wouldn't have me if I were the last guy on the planet." Clark frowned a little, because he would have liked to think that his relationship with Lana had more to it than mutual attraction, but apparently not.
"She's a fool." Lex pressed their lips together and moved them toward the sofa. His tender touches brushed over Clark's nose, his cheeks, loving and cupping his face with total adoration.
Clark fell back on the sofa and reached up to Lex.
***
Farm work was harder than Clark remembered, even without his powers. Saturday morning he leaned on a pitchfork and looked over the hay around him helplessly. He felt like he was going to drop.
His stomach grumbled obnoxiously, and Clark glared at it. "I just ate. Leave me alone."
Clark got back to work, but more slowly this time. He was starting to think that this was all a cruel trick of Jor-El's to convince him that he'd rather fall in line and do what he was told. He had to admit that he'd considered it a few times.
When his knees went weak, Clark grabbed onto the handle of his pitchfork. The grain of the wood against his gloves slowed him down, but soon he was sitting on the ground, feeling like he should just curl up in a ball right there.
He'd had dizzy spells before, but this one was different. Felt much different. He curled a hand over his protruding abdomen and whispered:
"What's happening to me?"
November
"Happy Birthday, Lex," Clark whispered, kissing the side of his boyfriend's neck. The two of them were sitting on a park bench in front of a large lake. It was cold, but the two of them were bundled up nicely, and Clark had wrapped his scarf around both of their necks, since Lex seemed cold.
Lex stared straight ahead with a stern expression as Clark peppered his skin with kisses. He reached over to squeeze Clark's knee, but continued to frown as he struggled to find his words. "Clark, we need to talk."
"Do we have to talk? Maybe we can just do this." Clark continued to kiss and nibble the side of his neck, working his way up to Lex's jaw.
"Ah… No, Clark, now. Okay? I've waited as long as I could, but we both know that something has to be done." Lex turned to Clark and met his eye. "We have to talk about this."
He pointed to Clark's middle.
"Oh." Clark felt tears coming to his eyes. He should have tried harder to control his weight. But he couldn't help it. He got so hungry and no amount of jogging had done much to lessen his gradual expansion. "I thought you didn't mind."
"I don’t." Lex smiled softly and put his hand over Clark's bulging abdomen. "I'm happy, Clark. I just wish you'd talked to me about it. However, I don't think we can pretend anymore. I just want you to be taken care of… and healthy."
"I don't know what to do. I guess I could start going to the gym…" Clark looked down, feeling a tear roll down his cheek, which he wiped away in embarrassment.
"Hey. Hey, Clark." Lex cupped his cheek and made Clark lift his chin. "You don’t need to go to a gym. Under the circumstances, obviously you'll be gaining weight."
He paused a moment and kissed Clark's lips softly. "What do you think I'm talking about?"
Clark pushed his lips out. "My freshman fifteen," he muttered, rubbing his belly.
"You think this is about the weight?" Lex watched Clark's eyes carefully.
"Well, I've gotten fat. There's no denying it, I guess. If it's not that, then what is it about?" Clark asked after a moment, frustrated.
Lex was silent, and then he kissed Clark's lips again slowly, causing Clark to feel himself warming from the inside out. Then Lex spoke again.
"This isn't about the weight, Clark. It's about the baby."
"The… what?" Clark looked down and stared at Lex's hand on the round bump at the front of his sweater. "I… no, Lex, I can't… what?"
Lex's soft chuckle made Clark's insides turn to water. "If I'd realized you didn't know, I would have said something sooner. I wanted to give you the time you needed to deal with this. Have you been eating properly? Enough?"
"Doesn't it look like I have?" Clark replied automatically.
Instead of responding, Lex wrapped his arms around Clark and sighed. "Not really, no. I think sometimes you have been, but others… Well, if you've been trying to lose weight, you probably haven't been getting what you and the baby need. No wonder you get so hungry."
"You really think? A baby?"
"You haven't felt it kick by now? When I put my hand there, I've felt it move already."
"Kicking?" Clark felt confused and helpless. His father had taken his powers, but this had still happened? He was powerless, and he could still get… there could still be…? "Lex, I can't do this!"
"Clark, it's a bit late now to be deciding that," Lex argued, pulling back a little. He visibly pulled back his temper to remain calm, despite the panic around his eyes. "I… You want to get rid of it?"
"No, I just… I…" Clark let out a short little breath, and Lex rubbed his arms.
"Take deep breaths, Clark. I asked you here because I wanted to ask you what kind of support I could give you. I don't want to push, but surely the baby is mine, and I…"
The look on Lex's face before he looked at Clark's belly was at the same time grave and pleading.
"I must be having an aneurysm."
"…What?"
"I'm in a coma. Dreaming this. How can I be…?"
"Smallville was always a strange town. It could be you, or it could be me. Or it could be that strange silver meteorite. I don't know." Lex sighed softly. "If you don't want this, I can take care of him or her. I know that it's a lot to ask of you, it's a lot of work, but I can take on the rest. It was a surprise, and I won't think less of you."
Clark stared at Lex, feeling the cold wind blowing against them. Suddenly he scowled at Lex and wrapped his arms stubbornly around his belly.
"No one is taking him. Not even you. Unless it's us together."
Lex's face lit up. "I can handle together."
"You must think I'm an idiot," Clark muttered. His hand spread over the side of his distended abdomen. The sickness, the fluttering. A chuckle worked its way up through Clark's chest and erupted merrily until he was grinning like a fool.
"I have to admit… I'm not sure pregnancy would be my first diagnosis if it were happening to me," Lex replied with a smile. "Smallville strangeness aside. I think I'd probably think cancer first, then… I don't know. There are women who deny it themselves until they give birth. Not such an idiot, I think."
"What tipped you off then?" Clark relaxed against the back of the bench and let Lex wrap an arm around his back and curl the other over his belly.
"Hm. Your face. It was your face, and the rosy sheen over your cheeks."
"And not me getting enormous?"
"Well, you getting sick, and then getting ahem, bigger, were definitely clues." Lex snuggled close to Clark. "Are you warm enough?"
"I'm okay. I…" Clark looked down. "Does that mean it should be okay for him?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"I don't know… what to do about this."
"Well, Clark, there isn't a lot to do. You need to make sure you eat enough. I can give you some vitamins. And… a doctor, if that's okay with you." Lex looked up hesitantly.
"A doctor?" Clark knit his brows together. Would the doctor be able to see he wasn't normal?
"A discreet one, of course. I don't want any of us on a tabloid," Lex added.
"Maybe."
"If the thought distresses you, get rid of it. I don't want you worrying."
"But don't I have to have a doctor?"
"Depends. Your mother knows how to deliver animals, doesn't she? And I'm not without medical knowledge."
Clark thought on that for a moment. He had a sudden, horrifying image of his mother with her head between his legs as he lay between cows in the barn. "Uh… I don't think I can talk about this right now."
"How about I get you some hot cocoa, then?"
"You're a great Daddy already," Clark joked weakly. "Do you think they have anything to eat over there?"
"I'm not getting you a parasite ridden Centennial Park hotdog, if that's what you're thinking," Lex replied as he stood.
"Boo."
"We could go to Pineapple King, if you like."
"Where's that?" Clark splayed his legs out and folded his hands under his belly.
"Hmm… I'll show you. But cocoa first." Lex leaned over and gave Clark a kiss on the forehead.
Clark sighed as he watched Lex walking away. He was surprising himself, how calm he was right now. Maybe he had suffered an aneurysm upon finding out that he was pregnant.
Oh, and there it was. That fluttering. God, he'd been feeling it for months. Stronger now, though.
"Your dad is dumb, kiddo. I'm sorry if I did anything that wasn't good for you," Clark told his belly.
***
Lex watched him with a delight that Clark might want to smack him for, if he weren't busy eating the most gloriously wonderful hot dog in the world.
"Stop staring at me," Clark ordered, cheek stuffed full of hot dog.
Lex chuckled and turned to look out the window. Clark would have never believed that he'd ever see Lex hanging out in a little hole in the wall restaurant like this.
"Oh, God, how have I never had banana peppers before?" Clark rolled his eyes upward.
"You're really a lot of fun like this." Lex leaned on his hand.
"I thought you didn't want me having parasite ridden hot dogs." Clark licked his lips and sipped his cherry lemonade.
"Mike makes them strictly kosher. Parasite and entrails free." Lex rubbed Clark's leg. "You look like you feel better now.
"Because I'm eating!" Clark joked. He wiped his mouth and thought for a moment. "Well, I know what's going on now, too. Before… I didn't understand why I felt the way I did."
"Must have been frightening."
"Yeah." Clark went back to eating his hot dog. Who could tell what was going on inside of him? Clark had assumed that his body had become human, but that clearly wasn't the case. This relationship between he and Lex made the alien parts of him harder and harder to deny.
He was pregnant for goodness sakes!
"Take a breath," Lex urged.
"Why are you so calm?" Clark snapped. He wished his feelings were so easy to read sometimes. "You're the one who got your boyfriend pregnant."
"I've had a little time for the reality to sink in. I was hoping you'd broach the subject, and we could talk about what we're going to do next semester." Lex reached over and moved two fingers over Clark's belly.
"What happens next semester?" Clark looked up.
Lex sucked one cheek in and took a long pause before answering. "Birth."
"Oh."
"Uh, Clark, you look… pale. Let me wrap this up. We'll head back to the loft, hm? Clark?"
"Give me a minute!"
"I… yes." Lex headed for the counter to get a take out container.
Clark rested his chin in his hands and stared at the remaining hotdogs. Lex hadn't eaten his. Clark wondered if Lex was nervous, if he felt like Clark did. Of course, he didn't have to worry about a rapidly expanding little baby alien inside him, but he did seem to be concerned about Clark.
For the past few months, Lex had been watching Clark, feeding him, carrying his luggage. Clark smiled as he remembered Lex hefting his weekend suitcase inside the farmhouse.
"I'm going to be okay," Clark said as Lex returned with the containers.
"I know you will," Lex said calmly. He took some napkins and placed the hotdogs in one container and the fries in another.
Clark watched him for several moments. "You're a liar. You've been worried about me."
"I… Fine, I'm a liar. Who gets their boyfriend pregnant? I'm sorry, Clark. I…" Lex sat down across from Clark and wiped his hands with a napkin. "I don't mean to sound as though I'm not happy about this child, because you know that I am, but I… I've disrupted your life. You're only eighteen."
Lex's smooth brow wrinkled slightly, and Clark could see guilt tensing Lex's face.
"Lex, I jumped you. How long would you have waited if I hadn't? Don't do that."
"That doesn't change the result of what happened. I'm older. I'm responsible," Lex replied.
Mike came over with another carton. "A couple of slices of our cheesecake. On the house, boys. It's good to see your friend enjoy our dogs so much!"
"I'd hope he'd like them as much as I do." Lex nodded to Mike. "Thank you for the dessert."
"Do you like them? I'd never know. Eat, boy!" Mike pinched Lex's side and laughed. "Have a good day, kids."
Lex shook his head and stacked the containers together. "Come on."
He walked around the side of the table and took Clark's hand. Lifting his chin, Clark watched Lex's face as he stood. Definitely easier to move around that way.
After they had left the restaurant, Clark spoke again. "I need you to do something?"
"Anything, Clark," Lex vowed immediately.
"Stop this guilt tripping thing. I'm an adult… more or less. I can handle this." Clark hugged Lex's shoulders and dropped a kiss on the top of Lex's head. "With your help."
"You have it."
When Clark dropped his hand, Lex took it in his own and squeezed it. Clark bumped Lex's shoulder, and the older man laughed softly.
"So when are we telling your parents?"
"… We have to tell my parents?"
***
Playing doctor with Lex wasn't quite what Clark had expected. Certainly, through the years, Clark had considered a number of scenarios that included Lex lifting his shirt up, and this wasn't one of them.
The shift between 'Lex' and 'scientist' occurred so seamlessly; one moment he was helping Clark into a seat, and the next his expressionless face was looking over Clark, his fingers exploring Clark's sides, his mind working faster than Clark could follow. Lex pulled out a few basic medical tools, and it was then that it struck Clark that Lex clearly had these on hand. To look after Clark, surely.
As Lex lifted Clark's shirt to listen to his heart, Clark rested a hand on the back of Lex's neck. The man looked up and cracked a slight, lopsided smile. Clark hoped that his heart wasn't speeding up too much.
Lex put away the stethoscope wordlessly, and then pulled out another. "You seem fine, Clark, as far as I can tell. I should probably run some blood tests-"
Clark's heart leaped into his throat.
"-and I can acquire an ultrasound, which should be helpful. I don't particularly want to do an amnio unless we suspect something is wrong. Aside from a questionable location, we're both two healthy young men…" Lex sighed and touched the back of his head. "Am I being alarmist?"
"You're scared." Clark shrugged. "I'm scared. I'm not necessarily thrilled about the idea of shoving a needle in here with the baby either."
Lex released a sigh mingled with laughter. "Okay. Let's listen to this little one, hm?"
"Listen…?" Clark frowned as he recognized what Lex was holding. Lex rubbed the edge of the fetal stethoscope on his shirt before pressing it against Clark's belly, and Clark watched, barely breathing as he realized that they would be able to hear the baby.
He'd never missed his super hearing so much as he did now. Never missed his vision so much. He could have watched his baby whenever he wanted. He could have listened to the child's heartbeat all the time.
When Lex lifted the earpieces to Clark, he drew in a sharp breath and leaned forward.
"Oh, my god," Clark muttered, listening to the quick little heartbeat.
"I know," Lex whispered.
"Lex?"
Clark leaned over and Lex lifted his chin and their lips met. Their bodies curled around one another in the little sitting room they had designated as an impromptu doctor's office.