Chapter Two: happy endings aren't as easy as you think they might be. Lex and Lionel still have a few issues to work out.

"This ain't a righteous love
Even a good one
These ain't the kinds of returns
That I was thinking of
I'm unbearable now, you ain't seen nothin yet
You'll see me dead before you see me quit
That ain't a jug of wine that you been drinkin from
Now lay back, now baby and let your fever come
I'll bury you in just to dig you out
I don't have any use for being proud
And the deeper the slide
The higher the rise
Now don't be disappointed how I'm usin mine
Baby if you never got sick
I wouldn't get to hold you
Baby if you never got sick
I wouldn't get to hold you," Jacob Dylan

Lex couldn't help but notice that ever since his father hasd learned about his athsma returning, Lionel had become insanely overprotective. It had been two weeks since Lex's doctor had informed both Lex and Lionel that the younger Luthor was perfectly fit to return to regular exercise, and work, and yet his father insisted he stay home and relax. Lionel, Lex believed, was trying to find a new way to push him out of power, despite many reassurances from his father that this was not true.

"Lex," Lionel had insisted when Lex brought it up one morning. "I know how serious this asthma thing can be. You were a little boy when—the symptoms faded. I know you think you can control it all by yourself, but you need someone to help keep an eye on things. When you get it under control, your old position will still be waiting right where you left it."

"The only reason I got as sick as I did that day at work was because I was scared you'd find out and either do this, or go back to treating me like I was weak and pathetic. So, I didn't keep an inhaler on me, like I'm supposed to, and when my lungs closed up, I couldn't fix it in time," Lex had shouted in frustration. Unfortently between the stress and the screaming, Lex had caused another attack, proving Lionel's point and not his own.

That same night, Lex found his way to his father's home office, and knocked on the door timidly.

"You may come in, Lex, and before you ask whether or not I will allow you to come back to work, why don't you tell me how many asthma attacks you've had today."

"None, well sort of one. If the one I had when we were fighting, and you got me all worked up counts, then just one."

"Lex, Lex," the elder Luthor sighed. He couldn't help but think of his son as the same scared little boy who was in constant pain, and always under attack because of his uncooperative lungs. He didn't want to worry about anything, but he couldn't stop. A father shouldn't be exposed to daily reminders of his son's mortality. That was what he told every doctor Lex had visited as a boy. Lionel had tried every treatment, medication, and procedure they could come up with, and none of it seemed to help him.

He wished things were more simple. At least when Lex was a boy he was able to keep a better on him. If Lex were younger, he could hold the boy in hi arms, and say all of the right things to make his sin feel better, until the medication did it's job. Now that Lex was all grwown up, he had virtually no control over what Lex did or didn't do.

Lionel knew how easily his son got bored, and he knew the sort of things Lex did when he was feeling bored, and he knew these things were far more dangerous, and possibly scandalous than allowing him to come back to work. At the same time, however, Lionel wanted to do everthing he could to protect his little boy.

"Lex," he repeated. "I can only imagine how bored you must be sitting home all day, and how much you want to come back to work, but—"

"Dad, I know you're worried about me, but I'm a grown up now, and everything is gonna be okay now."

"You don't know that."

"Even if I didn't have asthma there would always be the possibility that something could happen to me at some time, and I wouldn't be alright, but this—this is different."

"When you were a boy, you were almost always sick. Every time we had to take you to the hospital, which was—far too often, far too many times, not that it was your fault…but every time, your mother cried, and all I could think was that you were too young, too smart, too sweet, too wonderful, too perfcet for the world to lose.

"And I had to be the one to go into that little room, and you usually had one of those amsks on or a tube—and you would look up at me like you were begging for my help—after the—when you got better, I told myself that despite everything else, at least I'd never have to go through that again." Lionel coughed into his fist, unable to express just how painful all of this was for him. Lex sank into large overstuffed chair next to his father's desk.

"Dad, I know you're scared—and you have no idea how good it makes me feel to hear that. It means you love me—and I know you've said the words before. I mean—you hold me in your arms every night during my treatments, telling it to me over and over, but I never—forget it."

"You never what? You figured I was lying to you?" Lionel forced himself to stay calm. There was no sense in losing control, especially when Lex might get hurt. "Lex I have always-"

"You've been saying that ever since—well you've been telling me that since I was a teenager. It's not that I didn't believe you, I'm just," Lex stopped himself, and looked away. Now the truth was going to come out, and when it did his father would never allow him to work at Luthorcorp.

He was a man, and a Luthor, and neither of those groups were supposed to contain people like Lex. Being sensitive may have made women swoon, but for a Luthor, it was an unexceptable personality trait.

"If you're pausing to avoid telling me you are sensitive, Son, you should know I'm more than aware of that fact."

"How could you posibily—?"

"Your mother told me, over and over and over, when you were a little boy and right before—when she was sick she made me promise not to beat it out of you," Lionel explained as he stood up, and sat down on the edge of his son's chair.

"You sure as hell tried to break that promise."

"I know, Lex. I've made a lot of mistakes. I see that now, and I'll most likely need to keep apologizing for the rest of my life. I only hope you will be able to forgive me some day."

"Let me come back to work and I'll forgive you right now," Lex said, and chuckled the way his father had laughed at him so many times before. Lionel placed his hands on Lex's shoulders. "And I can't believe that I have to remind you of this, but we haven't had sex in three weeks. Nothing at all in three weeks, three!"

"Well, you may have a point there, but—if you can't get through a simple argument without-"

"Isn't there—let me prove it to you. Do something, anything—like a middle ground—I know, you hate those two words, but-," his voice trailed off. Lionel smiled, and leaned in to kiss the boy. Lex opened his mouth, accepting Loinel's tongue, playing with it, twirling it around and around. When the kiss was broken he opened his eyes. "Why did you stop?"

"You're, all right," Lionel explained, checking his son all over, and then laughing.

"I'm breathing—instead of gasping for air like you expected—and you think it's funny?" Lex tried to remain calm but it was difficult. He hated being made fun of, more spesficicly he hated when Lionel made fun of him.

"No, but Lex, look down son," he said, slowly lowering himself to his knees in front of Lex. "You're the one trying to convince me you want to have sex, and then you don't even notice this?" Lex watched as his father reached out and touched him on the waist, unzipped his pants, and pulled out his hard cock. "What should I do with this hmm? It's yours so I suppose you should get some say. No?"

"Put—it, in your mouth—and…unless you want me to have an attack right now I need you to suck me off, or do something with it, please," he begged, and watched as Lionel gently wrapped his lips around it, looking up into his eyes the whole time.

"Good boy," Lionel said with a smile, as he patted Lex on the thigh, as he stood up.

"Still keep a bottle of mouthwash in your top desk drawer?" Lex panted, and leaned back taking deep breaths.

"There's no need, unless you feel like you can't handle joining me in my room."

"I'm okay, I mean I feel great. Thank you, but I'm a little—are you really doing this, or am I dreaming, or are you jerking me around?"

"Not unless you want me to," the elder Luthor smiled, helping Lex up, and rubbing his shoulders. "Zip your pants son. Do you think you can handle what we're about to do, because—if you're not, I need to know before we get started.

"I'm okay, but…you know that old expression about what you're supposed to do right after falling off of a horse? Well it's not always that easy getting back on."

"If you're even a little afraid, or nervous, just tell me. I'm perfectly happy to hold you in my arms, and nothing else, even if that's all you're up to for—forever."

"Really?" Lex asked, still terrifed his father might leave him again. He knew he couldn't handle things if Lionel walked away from him again, mostly because he knew his father wouldn't come back this time. Lex wanted to please his father no matter what he had to do in order to keep him around.

"I love you, Lex. I let you go once before, but I will not allow that to happen again. I promise," he said, and the two of them walked off hand in hand.