Hey, guys!
So, in case y'all didn't see it, there is now a one-shot collection that goes with this story. It's called "Nurturing 331."
I hope you enjoy the first chapter of part three!
Chapter Twenty.
Lex woke up to the best feeling in the world.
His entire body still hurt, everything still throbbed and screamed, but there was a weight on his chest. The weight of his five year old son.
After what felt like an eternity, they were finally back together again. He wrapped his arms around Clark's tiny body and gave it a small squeeze.
Lex closed his eyes, hoping that he could get a few more minutes of sleep. He was still so tired… Of course, that had to be normal after the sleep deprivation and torture that he had just gone through, but he had wished it would be gone by the morning.
"Daddy?"
Lex smiled, and then opened his eyes. He had missed Clark's little voice, even more than he had realized. "Hmmm..?" He mumbled sleepily.
"You awake?" Clark asked. His eyes shone as bright as Christmas tree lights.
"Yeah," Lex said. He tried to sit up, but collapsed back against his pillows as his arms screamed their protests with a shooting, stabbing pain.
"He's awake!" Clark shouted, and Lex frowned. Clark had never shouted before. He hardly used a voice above a whisper.
A minute later, the door opened and Martha walked in. She smiled when she saw Lex. "Oh, thank goodness," she said. "After you called us the other day, we came to check on you, but the door was locked."
"Let them in to help," Clark explained as he curled up to Lex.
"What are you talking about?" Lex asked. It had only been a few hours since he had gotten home from Alistair's lab. He remembered him and Clark curling up together and sleeping.
"Lex, you've been sleeping for the past two days," Martha said. "You called us after you got home with Clark, and we came to check on you to make sure you were both alright. You were sleeping."
Lex groaned and Clark curled closer. He knew what it was from. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why he had slept so much. "Was Clark okay?" He asked.
Martha nodded. "Hungry and scared, but otherwise fine," she told him. "Are you?"
Lex closed his eyes. His side still hurt, his arms were killing him, and the burns… "I'm fine," he said. "Can I get up?"
She hesitated. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Lex…" She said.
"Please?" He begged. "I promise I'll rest. I would just like to get out of my bed for a bit."
Martha nodded. "Okay."
It took a lot more effort for Lex to get out of bed than he thought it would. Every time he moved his arms, he wanted to cry. Every time he stepped on his burned feet, he wanted to scream.
But he couldn't. He had to be strong for Clark. He didn't want to scare him.
"Hey, bubba?" Lex said as he changed into a fresh shirt and a pair of sweatpants behind the partition in his room. "Wanna watch some Christmas movies?"
Lex couldn't see Clark, but he had the feeling that Clark was tilting his head in confusion.
After a moment though, Lex got his answer. "Yeah!"
When Lex walked out from behind the partition, Clark grabbed onto him and Lex had to grab onto a chair to keep from falling.
This time, Lex couldn't keep the gasp of pain inside him as his arms twisted and another forty pounds of weight were forced onto his feet.
For a second, he wanted to tell Clark that he couldn't jump on him like that, but then he wondered if saying something like that would make Clark think that he couldn't hug him. He didn't want that.
Lex carried him downstairs and to the sofa, his feet screaming in protest with every step, his arms burning more and more the longer he held his son. It took everything in Lex's power to not tear up.
Lex laid down on the sofa and Clark sat on his legs. He was bundled in Julian's blanket as always, his thumb in his mouth. It was a moment of calm and serenity that Lex hadn't known since he had left Clark with the Kents.
He turned on the television and flipped around to find a Christmas movie. He grinned when he saw the familiar red-nosed reindeer.
He yawned and closed his eyes. Everything was so peaceful.
"Daddy? You sleepin'?"
Lex smiled. "No, bubba," he said. "Just resting my eyes."
"Why?"
"Cause," he said. "They want to be rested."
"Oh... Okay!"
Lex chuckled. He didn't expect for that to work. Somehow it had. Maybe he should give more of an explanation…
"Daddy?"
This time, Lex opened his eyes. "Yes, Clark?" he asked.
"What's Christmas?" Clark asked.
Lex sighed. How do you explain Christmas to a child? Especially a child like Clark? He hadn't even had an actual Christmas in years.
"Well… Christmas is a time where families come together and spend time with each other," he began.
"Like Thanksgiving?" Clark asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up like little glow sticks.
Lex smiled. He hadn't expected Clark to be so excited, but apparently he was wrong. "Yeah, like Thanksgiving, but different."
"Oooooh," he said. "Food?"
"Yeah, there's gonna be lots of food," he said. "We'll go over to Miss Martha's for Christmas dinner."
"But we'll also get a tree like the ones in the movie and we'll put our own decorations on it," he said. "And people give each other presents."
Clark's eyes were as big as saucers and glowed as brightly as the sun with excitement. "Really?" He asked.
Lex nodded. "Yeah, you're gonna love it."
Clark grinned, then curled up to Lex. "And you stay?" His voice was softer, almost as if he was scared of asking the question.
Lex's heart broke. Clark thought he would leave again. He had hoped that everything would be okay. That Clark would be fine when he got back… Instead, he had just broken Clark's trust.
"I'm not going anywhere, bubba," he said, then tried to hold back a yawn. His eyes were beginning to burn and his head pounded with exhaustion.
"Clark? Why don't we go play while your Daddy takes a little nap?" Martha suggested as she walked up to the sofa they were on.
Thank god for Martha Kent.
Clark looked at Lex, then to Martha before looking back at Lex. There was a small flash of something in his eye. Fear. He shook his head and whimpered softly.
Martha knelt down beside him. "Your Daddy is sleepy, honey," she told him. "He needs to rest a bit and we can play while he does that."
Clark shook his head again, this time there were tears in his eyes too. Lex felt his stomach twist at the sight. He hated seeing his baby boy cry.
"Hey," Lex said. "Why don't you two do something in here? I mean, I could sleep through a hurricane right now."
Martha's eyes lit up, then she whispered something in Clark's ear. He hesitated for a minute and then nodded.
"Okay," he agreed, though the hesitancy was clear in his voice.
Lex watched as Martha picked Clark up off of his legs and as she carried him to the other side of the room. He also watched as she grabbed some crayons and some paper.
Lex smiled. He hadn't done it much, but Clark loved coloring. It would be the perfect pastime to keep the child occupied while he took a quick nap.
Lex squirmed a bit as he tried to get comfortable. It hurt, every time he moved some limb or other body part would shoot a warning of pain up his body. Sometimes it wasn't that bad, other times he had to keep from gasping or crying out in pain.
After a few minutes though, he was comfortable and the softness of the blanket Martha had draped over him and the burning of his eyes called him to the land of slumber.
In the background, he could hear Martha and Clark's quiet chatter. Though Martha did most of the talking, it was still as calming as a lullabye. And within a few minutes, Lex's eyes slid shut.
So, there you go! It was a chapter of 98% fluff, but I figured you needed a break from the drama and Lex just... He wanted to sleep the whole time, lol. xD I hope y'all enjoyed! Please follow, fave, and review! I would love to know what you thought!
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!