Yay! One WiP down, two to go!

There's no poll at the end of this part, so please do comment with feedback and that sort of lovely thing. Also, even though mecurtin's title won, I don't know if I can use it with the no-baby-in-the-fic thing. So, suggestions welcome!



Clark decided, diplomatically, that he should take the long way around to the coffee stand next door to the Planet. He turned left instead of right when he exited, slipping into an alley, then headed for the Pacific.

Lex called when Clark was hovering over Beijing, thinking of other ways to postpone his return to the office.

“I have really good cell reception up here,” Clark greeted Lex.

“Up where?”

“Over China.”

“Are you surprised?” Lex asked, nonplussed. “You’re visiting the land of the cell phone.”

“That’s true. Roaming’s expensive, I bet.”

“I could get you on the corporate plan,” Lex offered. “Free roaming in most of south Asia.”

“Hang on, I’m getting closer to the Urals,” Clark warned, and the line went fuzzy as the satellites struggled to keep up. He held the phone to his ear again as he spotted Prague. “Still there?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry. You were saying?”

“Actually, I wanted to know if you could meet tonight, for dinner. To discuss –”

“Ethel Mackenzie,” Clark supplied.

“Our plans,” Lex continued, more loudly.

“Yeah, sure,” Clark agreed, waving at a jet. “Sorry, airliner.”

“Eight o’clock, the penthouse.”

“No,” Clark answered. “My turf, this time. We’ll meet at my place.”

“Are you cooking?” Lex asked, worried.

“My place, eight o’clock.”

It was only when Clark got back to his desk that he realized he’d forgotten all about the lattes.

***

As Clark had anticipated, Lex had obviously spent the weekend planning everything out to the last detail. Over wine (for Lex) and orange juice (for Clark), they jointly examined the press releases Lex’s people had prepared to announce Superman’s leave of absence, the false medical documents which detailed the mysterious illness that was about to strike Clark Kent and leave him unable to work for over half a year, the floor plan for the newly renovated penthouse, even a flagged and highlighted list of girls’ names and a marketing study on the safest and best baby carriers available.

Clark had found, in the past, that it was best to just sit back and let Lex talk when it came to situations like this. Lex talked through dinner, dessert, and well into the after-dinner coffee (decaf for Clark). Clark nodded, agreed occasionally, and frowned surreptitiously.

Lex concluded with a powerpoint presentation on how Clark might be able to breast feed inconspicuously. “Are there any questions?” Lex finished in his best boardroom style, as though mocking the idea that anyone could doubt anything he had said.

Clark raised his hand, and Lex narrowed his eyes, probably suspecting (correctly) that Clark was mocking him. “Yeah. How are we going to explain this to the public?”

“This…” Lex trailed, as though bewildered.

“The part where we have joint custody of a baby when only one of us could be the father,” Clark clarified.

Lex nodded quickly. “My publicist is working on a few theories. We’ll pitch them to some focus groups next week and I’ll present you with the top candidates for believability.”

“How about this?” Clark said, smoothing his jeans nervously, watching his hands on his denim-covered legs. “How about – how about you just take her?”

Lex was silent, and Clark was too terrified with his own proposal to look up and see why.

“It’s just – I can’t have a baby, Lex. Superman can’t have a baby. I can’t put her first, that’s not in my job description, and it’s not fair to her if I don’t, and even though I know it’s probably completely horrible to say, I have to do the right thing – and you should be her parent, not me.” The words tumbled out rapidly, one after the other, leaving Clark wondering how long he’d been thinking these thoughts subconsciously. “You can look after her, you’ll be amazing for her, and she doesn’t need to know about me, not until she’s older. I can –” Clark swallowed hard. “If we’re still friends, I could still see her sometimes.”

After another beat of silence had passed, Clark looked up, expecting Lex’s face to be quietly jubilant. Instead, Lex was looking directly at Clark, his features naked and torn.

“You do want her, don’t you?” Clark asked, confused.

“You –” Lex began, then cleared his throat because his voice was rough. “You would – you’d do that?” Disbelieving, and tender.

“It’s the only thing to do,” Clark said. “She can still see my parents, too, right? I don’t think they’d forgive me if they couldn’t see her, but they’re like parents to you, too, so it wouldn’t be as strange as –”

“You trust me that far?” Lex interrupted. “You trust me with her life?”

Clark half-smiled, unsure why Lex was stuck on this point. “Of course I would.”

“But – four months ago, you’d sooner have killed a *dog* than let me own it, I know you would!” Lex exclaimed, almost angrily. “Why is it so different now?”

Clark stared blankly, unable to answer. “What – what was it you said, that time? With Naman and Zegit?”

“Clark, if this is about you trying to base this decision on some bullshit prophecy, then –”

“What did you say?” Clark interrupted, loudly.

Lex sighed and rubbed his temples, deflating visibly. “I said, ‘It’s like yin and yang. They cannot exist apart, and each grants something of its nature to the other.’”

“That’s what changed,” Clark said, triumphantly, rising to his feet. “You said we couldn’t exist apart, and then we did!”

“We did a great job of it, too,” Lex scoffed.

“We did,” Clark insisted, and Lex snorted. “No, Lex – aside from the part where we tried to kill each other for ten years -- *aside* from that,” he repeated over Lex’s harsh laughter, “we did it. Come on, what were the things we needed from each other?”

“You – made me a good man,” Lex said, like it hurt to speak the words. “You were my compass.”

“And you made me human,” Clark said. “You made me care enough about you that I could fight the whole world on your behalf, no matter what the cost, what sacrifices I had to make.”

“But you couldn’t keep doing it, I wasn’t good enough,” Lex shook his head. “You had to fight against me, in the end.”

“And I failed you, too,” Clark added, gaining momentum, “but Lex! Listen to me! The last three months, all that’s changed!” He paced up to Lex. “You have your own conscience, you don’t need me for that. You’re the one who reformed LuthorCorp, not me.” Clark seized Lex’s hand and placed it over his stomach. “And just now, just this *minute*, I did something supremely human.”

“You –” Lex started, catching on. “You put your child’s life before your own.” His hand, which had been still and limp against Clark, suddenly came to life, pressing gently to discover the contours of Clark’s sacrifice. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he said, quietly, looking up to meet Clark’s eyes.

“Yes,” Clark said, smiling. “‘Each grants something of its essence to the other.’ And we did. Transaction complete.”

“Complete,” Lex echoed, and his other hand suddenly came up and knotted in the hair at the nape of Clark’s neck, hauling him in close. “But,” he said softly, his eyes alight, “don’t you think we should have one last – transaction? Just to seal the deal?”

“Absolutely,” Clark whispered back, and kissed Lex, Lex’s mouth soft and receptive like it hadn’t been three months ago, like it hadn’t been for years.

Lex turned frantic the next minute, trailing rapid kisses punctuated with open bites down Clark’s jawline, down his neck to the open collar of his shirt, and then – Lex sank to his knees, and Clark gasped with relief even before Lex touched him, because *yes*, this had to happen *now*.

Lex fumbled with Clark’s improvised fly fastener, cursed as the elastic snapped on his finger, then triumphantly tugged Clark’s pants down, boxers and all. “God, I’ve wanted this for so long,” Lex breathed, addressing Clark’s waiting cock.

“You can have it, god, Lex, just –” Clark’s eyes squeezed shut as Lex’s fingers began to play, then his hot mouth opened and sucked in the head of Clark’s cock. Clark’s head fell back and he watched the insides of his eyelids flash red and black.

Lex swallowed him, holding Clark by the hips to keep him steady, but Clark wasn’t going anywhere with that wet warm pressure around him, making him feel better than he’d felt in months. Not solid on the inside, no, Clark was full of flashing lights and spinning maelstroms and soft swirls of electricity, and Lex knew it. Clark cried out, gripping Lex’s shoulders and thrusting a little, parting his legs in silent invitation. Lex knew him, knew his unspoken directives well, and Clark was rewarded with the slip of Lex’s index finger down and behind, and then in.

In.

Clark remembered feeling Lex’s finger begin to crook, seeking that sweet spot, and then everything was submerged in an animal blackness, total blank of pure sensation, no sense of anything but –

Gradually, opening his eyes to find himself curled around Lex on the area rug, finding Lex watching him with a mixture of concern and amusement, stroking his face gently. “So,” Lex said, his voice hoarse. “I guess during pregnancy, the Kryptonian male experiences a slight increase in prostate sensitivity?”

Clark reached up with a tingling hand and hauled Lex closer yet. “In five minutes,” he said, his tongue barely functioning, “I’m going to ask you to investigate that theory with further testing.”

“Orgasms are good for gestating humans,” Lex grinned, wriggling closer so that Clark could feel that Lex was still waiting his turn. “Increases circulation, heartrate, respiration – it’s like a mini-workout.”

“Mini?” Clark repeated, fumbling his way towards the source of that tantalizing hardness against his thigh. “I can’t feel my feet.”

As Clark’s hand closed around Lex’s cock through layers of fabric, Lex shuddered, saying, “Are the five minutes up yet?”

***

When they were both naked, having staggered, laughing, onto Clark’s bed, Lex knelt behind Clark and stroked a path down his spine.

“Are you sure?” Lex asked, for the second time that evening.

“Yes,” Clark answered, to both questions, and Lex moved inside with a single clean thrust, making Clark feel like he was being split two ways.

And, Clark reflected, gasping against the impossible buzz of pleasure that was thrumming inside his body, in a way, that was what he would do for Lex.

He would split in two, give part of himself to Lex for safekeeping – and not just the part of him that was currently growing and developing its own life, but the part of Clark that needed something to fight for. The part of Clark that, deep down, wanted this not just once, not just tonight, but every night, forever.

“Okay?” Lex asked, stretching down to kiss Clark’s shoulder, pushing in deeper.

And Clark wanted to shake his head ‘no’, wanted to demand a court of appeal, wanted to tell Lex that he was wrong, he needed Lex, couldn’t exist without him.

But that would ruin everything else, and so Clark closed his eyes and nodded, feeling Lex move away again, settling back onto his knees, spreading Clark wide and then – driving. Fucking. Familiar as the catch of sheets against Clark’s underside, and already Clark was mourning its absence, even as he forced himself into the present, back into the immediacy of Lex’s little catches of breath and hitches in movement.

Just as he’d remembered short days ago, Clark felt Lex’s shift into desperation, the signals that he was dangerously close. Tight spasmodic clutch of fingers, the short sharp cries of almost-fear, the rapid hard irregular thrusts – and – and –

Flood of Lex’s come inside him, and Clark reached for his cock, three short pulls and he came too, so close had he been all along.

Now Lex would fall onto the mattress beside him, he’d lick Clark clean if he was feeling playful, and Clark would smile and make a joke about last transactions. Clark knew it must happen, yet he remained motionless as Lex slowly pulled out, still as Lex hovered uncertainly, no doubt awaiting Clark’s next body cue.

The question came in the form of Lex’s hand stroking down Clark’s back one more time.

“I’m okay,” Clark assured him, feeling Lex’s fear in the touch, but left his face pillowed on his folded arms, his right hand sticky and warm on his softened cock.

A kiss, another question, landing soft on Clark’s hip.

“I’m –” Clark tried again, but stopped, because now, not a question, Lex’s hand was pushing at Clark, forcing him to roll onto his side.

God, Lex was beautiful. Fucked out and sweaty and lean, the little muscles in his stomach still flexing with deep post-coital satiation.

“I was thinking,” Lex said, not dropping down beside Clark but half on top of him, “that maybe we should renegotiate.”

“I’m not changing my mind,” Clark said, firmly.

“I am,” Lex said, not sounding angry, but calm and thoughtful.

“You can’t, you said you would!” Clark protested, wrestling grumpily with Lex’s sprawled limbs.

Lex, unbothered, shrugged. “I just don’t know if being a single parent is the thing for me.”

“Lex!” Clark cried, upset now. “You can’t –”

“I might be content with it for a few months, you know, but eventually, I think I’d be looking to settle down with someone.” A flash of blue eyes, and Lex was annoyingly good at staying where he wanted to be, for all Clark’s efforts. “Maybe someone who doesn’t *need* to be with me,” he said, almost smiling, and Clark’s throat closed. “Maybe someone who just *wants* to be. Someone who *can* exist apart, but chooses not to.”

A long blue gaze followed this last statement, and Clark abruptly stopped fighting Lex. “Oh.”

“Do you know anyone like that?” Lex asked, and kissed Clark.

When they broke apart at last, Clark could feel the grin splitting his face. “You know what I think, Lex?”

“What?” Lex asked, slipping down into Clark’s now-welcoming embrace.

“I think little Ethel Mackenzie Luthor is going to be a pretty happy kid.”

“Yeah?” Lex murmured sleepily, eyes drifting closed.

It was ridiculous, Clark thought to himself. Almost like the ending to a children’s cartoon movie. But without the darkness of the past decade, Clark realized, this light would have no meaning.

***