Crossroads - Chapter 21

by a campbell

Clark Kent/Lex Luthor, PG-13

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"Maybe it’s too soon for us to be doing this." Clark let the copy of Adorable Nursery Décor fall shut and slip from his hand to the floor.

Lex muttered something under his breath, so low it was inaudible to Clark, even with super-hearing.

"I mean, how can we be sure the baby’s going to be okay? I’m not usually superstitious, but--"

A patient sigh. "We can’t. But there’s much to be said for positive thinking."

Clark rocked languidly back, then forth, in the antique rocker Lillian Luthor’s mother had bought on a trip to Germany back in the 1930s. His face was flushed and he clutched a sweating glass of pink lemonade as he watched. Lex, wearing new jeans and a form-hugging sweater, sat cross-legged on the varnished wooden floor, putting finishing touches on the wainscot with a thin paintbrush, tongue protruding from his mouth as he concentrated hard.

Clark studied him: slim body, smooth scalp bedecked with a sheen of perspiration. A little jealous, he noted with what agility Lex was able to bend and stretch. He’d always taken his own strength and speed for granted before all this started. Now he doubted he could even get out of the chair. He felt unreasonably irritable as he shifted in his seat with a small moan.

"I’ll be so glad when this is over!" Though earlier in the pregnancy he studiously avoided contemplating the future, more and more lately he found himself thinking ahead, imagining yearningly how it would feel to be slim, strong, and free once again.

"Feeling okay?" The wainscot finished, Lex dipped the brush in paint thinner and laid it on the dropcloth.

Clark put a hand on his abdomen, pressed and stroked. "I’d feel a little better if he’d settle down for a little. Ow!" The bump was larger now, but still localized in his belly, more evident when he sat, still easy to conceal when standing with an untucked shirt. Except for this afternoon, when the heat, which was seeping into the half-finished nursery despite that the air conditioning was set at about fifty, was causing the shirt to cling to the bump so anyone who didn’t know would be able to tell in a heartbeat that something weird was going on. You could even see the little thumps and his stomach rolling like a waterbed every few minutes. His invulnerability still reduced, the temperature was causing him some discomfort. What he really wanted was a nap, but he couldn’t seem to summon the energy to get up and head for the bedroom.

With a wry grin that didn’t look as sympathetic as Clark thought he deserved, Lex reached to pull another can of paint over to him. With a screwdriver, he began to pry at the lid. "If it hurts you that much, he must be strong. And that’s a good thing."

Clark's response was a sound of mild disgust. "Whatever," He suppressed a nasty chuckle as he watched Lex struggle with the paint can, keen hearing picking up this time on the curses whispered under Lex’s breath.

"What color is that one?" Clark wondered idly, still massaging his belly, eyes half-closed.

"Robin’s-egg blue. And the lid won’t budge!" Lex grasped the can tighter and tried again. He exhaled after a moment, defeated.

Clark moved to rise to his feet, pushing himself up with both hands, huffing a little.

Lex held up his hand, motioning him to stay seated. "Don’t get up, Clark. I’ve got it."

Clark paid no attention. "Here, hand it up."

Glumly, Lex lifted the can.

With a flick of a thumbnail, Clark sent the lid flying halfway across the room.

"Showoff," grumbled Lex.

Clark ambled over to the window, looking out at the shaded lawn. "Lex, I’ve been thinking," he said. "At first, I thought that this pregnancy was another weird alien abnormality, and that I would probably die at the end of it. But maybe it’s a normal thing on Krypton and something will happen so that I’ll be able to give birth and stay alive. Somehow. And not for sure, but maybe."

Lex was quiet for so long that Clark glanced over at him, wondering if he’d even been listening.

"I hope so." His voice gruff, Lex didn’t look at Clark. "Because I don’t plan on bringing this child up by myself."

Clark considered with a rueful smile. He knew Lex was really as worried as he was, but that both of them were trying valiantly to conceal their fears. "Listen to me. If it happens, and things aren’t going well, here’s what you do: get a meteor rock--doesn’t have to be a big one, and I know you’ve got a stash of them, even though you said you were getting rid of everything back when we made up in senior year--and hold it near me. Meteor rocks neutralize my powers, so it should make it so that my skin can be cut, and maybe even sewn back up. Just, whatever you do, be sure not to let them get it too near the baby!" He coasted a protective palm over his belly. "Promise you’ll be careful."

Lex, still on the floor, glanced up at him with a heartening smile and a small shake of his head. "You’re making this up as you go, aren’t you?"

Clark sighed, then continued as though Lex hadn’t spoken. "And if you can’t save me, you should at least be able to save him."

Lex’s expression turned serious as his gaze darkened. "Don’t talk that way, Clark. And enough melodrama for today. Nothing will go wrong. I’ll see to it."

Clark was silent for a few moments. "Now that you’ve kicked those other doctors out, I guess we’ll be on our own." He wasn’t scared any longer, not exactly--he’d gone his entire life without shots, physical exams, or other medical attention, and the new strength he drew from the realization that this was all part of a bigger plan had yet to desert him--but it was still unsettling to face the unknown ordeal that was staring him in the face, relentless in its approach, getting closer every day.

"Not necessarily. I’ve asked Toby to help out."

Clark thinned his lips in dismay. "Lex, are you--"

"Relax, Clark. I know he freaks you out, but Toby’s seen it all. And he’s nothing if not discreet."

"He doesn’t 'freak me out'. I barely know him." Clark heard the whine in his voice with dismay; he wasn’t sure why he was being so grumpy with Lex; he only knew that he was hot and irritable, and damn, he hoped Lex appreciated all he was going through just to--

Clark dragged back to his chair and sank down with a thunk. "Damn, my back hurts. And his feet are pushing right up under my left rib now. And we could have maybe timed this not to happen in the summer."” He knew, and figured Lex did, too, that there had been nothing 'planned' about it, but he just couldn’t seem to stop complaining this afternoon.

Lex apparently knew better than to get in an argument with him, because there was no answer, just another tolerant sigh.

Which just annoyed Clark even more. He grumbled and shifted in the chair. He just couldn’t get comfortable. "I’ll tell you one thing. After this, we’re using birth control."

A wicked chuckle from Lex, which belied the fondness in his gaze as he turned to him. "But, Clark, I don’t plan for us to stop at one."

Clark could feel his eyes grow round with horror. "Okay. Then you get pregnant next time!"

"Maybe if I could, I would.”

"Yeah, right."

"Come on," Lex cajoled. "You and I both know what a raw deal only children get."

Clark stared at him a moment longer, aghast, then sighed. "The women of this planet have my sympathy, believe me. Well, maybe after a while if everything goes okay," and I don’t die, he thought, "but not right away."

Two arms glided around his neck. A nuzzle to his earlobe, and "God, Lex, you move fast! Faster than me, sometimes. At least, right now."

"Can we please cheer up, just a little? Everything’s going to be okay." Lex leaned down to kiss his left cheekbone and whisper in his ear. "I can't wait to see him."

Clark felt his lips curve into a smile in spite of himself. "Neither can I."

Lex drew back, easing Clark’s empty glass from his hand.

Clark leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, listening to the clink of ice cubes in crystal as Lex poured. "Have some more lemonade, and try to relax." Lex pressed the glass back into his palm and stepped back over to the bureau.

Clark lifted the glass to his lips and sipped slowly as Lex fumbled with something in the top drawer.

"So, I have one question, and then we'll stop for today so you can take a nap. You seem to need it!" He turned around, holding up a pair of pastel baby blankets, one yellow, one blue, embossed with tiny animal decals. "Stegosaurus, or Mr. Duck?"

Clark considered, all his troubles seeming to vanish at once as he broke into a delighted grin.

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