Third Sunday In June
It was an early Sunday morning in June, and Clark was still a little tired. He'd had a long day of patrolling, and an even longer (if more pleasurable) night with Lex. Despite his superhuman abilities, he was very appreciative of a good night's sleep; more so, now that he and Lex had children. Clark pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms, and went to check on his family.
Seven-year-old Ella was asleep in her favorite red and blue plaid nightshirt. It was just a castoff flannel of Clark's that didn't really fit her, but he knew it made her feel safe. She was active, even in her slumber: bright yellow blanket over her head, one leg hanging off the side of the bed. Clark could see a poster sized something with glitter-glue lettering sticking out from its hiding space under the bed. He took special care not to look at the Father's Day surprise, and slipped in to give his daughter a quick kiss without waking her.
His speed made these little stealth parenting moments easy. Clark's mother had always said she had eyes in the back of her head, but x-ray vision was a close second. Of course, living in Smallville, it was entirely possible some mother really did have a second pair.
Clark headed for the nursery next, opening the door to the soft lavender room quietly. He wasn't surprised to find Nathan's crib empty, the indentation still warm from where Lex had obviously picked him up. Nate's mobile was still spinning, the pastel stars and moons revolving slowly to the classical strains Lex could always identify. Smiling at the thought of Lex and the baby together, Clark went in search of his men.
He walked down the hall, following the sound of tinny MIDI music, and smiled. He recognized the sound of the chees y E-card he'd sent Lex, mostly as a joke. "I think you're a SUPER Dad!" The card had said, as it played the musical sting that had somehow become associated with his alter ego. Clark was still a bit uneasy with the whole Superman=fame thing, but he and the Justice League had decided, if people were going to sell their images anyway, it might as well be for the benefit of the people and planet they were protecting. To that end, all earnings from materials with their likenesses went to charity. What few people knew, and Lex didn't advertise, was that there was no overhead. A joint offshoot of LexCorp and Wayne Industries covered all costs of running the foundation that distributed the funds.
He found Lex in the den with his laptop, much like he usually was when he couldn't sleep, or had too much work to do. But this time, there were no stress lines around his eyes, or knotted muscles in his shoulders for Clark to work out. Lex was smiling, holding Nate, and feeding him his morning bottle. Clark thought they were both beautiful.
Clark could hear him describing things from the computer screen to the baby. "Now, Nathan, this is Superman. See his silly red cape? We love him, but not as much as we love Warrior Angel and Devilicus." Clark laughed. He knew Lex heard him approaching, and was just teasing him. That was okay. Two could play at that game.
"Well, Warrior Angel and Devilicus probably don't have to go to their in-laws' for Father's Day dinner. I can see why you'd pick them over me," Clark said; as he leaned down to kiss Lex and the baby. Nate was babbling up a storm, mostly repeated nonsense syllables that Clark tried to convince Lex was really ancient Kryptonian, but Lex was too smart to believe it.
"Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to it, and I know for sure Ella can't wait. She's been working hard on some secret project." Lex stretched an arm up to pull Clark down to him. An awkward position for a kiss, but they'd learned to compromise in these things when there was an infant to be fed. Besides, there wasn't time for anything more. Clark could hear Ella stirring. She'd be zooming down the hall any minute now, asking for chocolate chip pancakes or cinnamon waffles. Ella had such a sweet tooth, and enough energy that Clark sometimes joked that she was Wally's biological child, and not Lex's. That always got him a dirty look from Lex.
Looking at Nate and Lex, Clark was happier than he'd been in a long time. Nathan was a true miracle baby. Clark still didn't understand all the science behind it, but that was his son, biologically. And when Ella did come dancing into the room, with her red pixie cut hair sticking up like Chloe's, and her gap toothed grin wide, Clark could hardly contain himself. He scooped her up, "flying" her around the room, until he was giggling as much as she was.
Lex watched, amused, and bounced Nathan on his knees, gently. They'd learned their lesson about babies and how easily their tummies turned iffy quite early."'Stomach', Clark. There's no need to encourage infantile vocabulary, just because she's an infant," Clark could hear Lex say in his head.
When Ella was born, Lex had been insistent that having a child shouldn't turn them into children. Clark pointed out that coming from the world's biggest collector of Warrior Angel comic books, it was kind of like the pot calling the kettle black. Lex hadn't taken that observation with a lot of grace, picking up Ella and telling her "I think I like you best," as he stalked off with her. Clark was pretty sure he was kidding.
Lex mellowed pretty quickly, and now he was cooing at Nathan just as much as Clark's mother did. He'd hate to have anyone outside the family see the sweet, silly domestic side of him. Only Clark knew that there were more than a few times that Lex lead board meetings wearing Armani suit jackets that covered spots of baby drool, and worse.
A tug on the arm from Ella shook Clark from his reminiscing. "Daddy! Daddy! Come on, it's breakfast time." She reached up to hug him. "Happy Father's Day! I'm so lucky, I have two daddies." Clark saw Lex raise an eyebrow, and he smiled back. They were the lucky ones. Ella had never known anything different, and so far had been removed from any of the prejudice she might have encountered due to her unconventional family.
"Okay, sweetie-pie. What do you want for breakfast?" Clark asked her, as she went to give Lex a good morning kiss. She wrinkled her nose at Nathan, who didn't actually need changing yet. Clark could tell. Sometimes super senses weren't the greatest things to have. "Ella, there's nothing wrong with Nathan. He's only just had his bottle, and he was changed right before."
"I don't care, he's still a stinky baby." Ella was going through a jealous phase. Clark and Lex would have to be sure she got some good one on one time with each of them. "It's Father's Day. I'm supposed to make you breakfast today."
"You know you're not allowed to use the stove yet," Lex said, handing Nathan over to Clark and patting his lap for Ella. "But if you can get around that constraint, then I'm all for an Ella breakfast today."
"I know that, Daddy." Ella said, sounding like the irritated teenager she would surely someday become. "But I can use the microwave as long as there's a grownup watching. Anyway, Grandma helped me make what we're going to have. So c'mon." She jumped off Lex's lap, and grabbed both their hands, leading them to the kitchen. Clark put Nathan in his high chair, and waited while Ella sat them down like she'd seen at restaurants. Lex held back his laughter at her "If you'll come this way, sirs."
Breakfast turned out to be apple cinnamon muffins. Clark remembered making them himself when he was her age, with his mother "helping" him. He'd done the important parts: shaking the cinnamon into the batter, stirring, putting just enough apple chunks into each of the muffin tins. So much had changed since he was a little boy on the farm, but so much was still the same. "These are delicious, honey." Lex said, taking a healthy bite. "You're going to be a world class chef if you keep this up."
"Grandma said she'd show me how to make pie crusts next," Ella told him.
"That'll make your dad happy," Lex remarked, giving Clark a grin. "He likes pie more than anything."
"Well, Ella-pie is delicious," Clark said, taking a pretend bite of his daughter's shoulder. She laughed uproariously at that.
"Oh, wait, I forgot!" Ella said, excitedly. "I'll be right back!" She ran off to her room, zooming back into the kitchen with posterboard in hand. "Happy Father's Day!" She handed them her handiwork, a masterpiece in glitter with a neon background that made Clark's eyes hurt. Still, it was very artistically done, and he loved it.
"Honey, that's beautiful," Lex said.
"And it even looks like us." Clark added, admiring the family picture she'd drawn. Lex was in purple, and he was in red, though he wasn't sure there were the requisite numbers of limbs.
"See that little blob? That's Nate!" Ella pointed out. "The little lines coming out from his head mean he's crying."
"Oh, well, that's very accurate," Lex told her, laughing.
"But you know, he'll be a lot more fun as he gets older, and you can talk to him, and play together." Clark said. "What time are we due in Smallville?" Lex asked.
"The children's concert starts at three, but dinner's not until five. So anytime in the afternoon should be fine." They were going to stay at the farm for the night, and take part in the annual festivities at Smallville's new bandshell. Lex had donated it when Ella was born, and it had been the home for a variety of cultural events ever since.
"So, do you think Superman might make an appearance?" Lex asked, smirking.
"I think that's entirely possible," Clark answered. Ella giggled. She knew Superman was a special friend of her daddies, though she wasn't yet aware of his real identity.
The drive to Smallville was uneventful, but pleasant. Nathan and Ella were belted into their appropriate car seats, and entertained by the back seat DVD player. "When I was your age, Ella, we didn't even have a cassette deck in the truck. I had to listen to your Grandpa sing, instead." Clark loved telling her 'when I was your age I had to walk ten miles in the snow' type stories; almost as much as the 'When Lex was a boy, his chauffer had to drive him fifty miles to school' tales.
Ella's "What's a cassette deck?" response made Clark feel even older than his years. He could almost believe she did it on purpose.
Clark's parents were sitting on the porch when the car pulled up into the drive. He'd just seen his mother the day before, when she'd been in Metropolis to do some shopping, and to stay with the kids for a few hours, but it had been a few weeks since he'd seen his dad. He was dismayed to see how frail his father looked. Despite all their best efforts, and the work of the doctors Lex had flown in, Jonathan was still badly affected by the damage Jor El had done to him. Lex squeezed Clark's hand, knowing what was worrying him.
Ella ran to Martha, who scooped her up with an ease that belied her years, and the arthritis that had recently developed. And Jonathan reached out to hold the baby, with a "and how's my little namesake?" Lex held his hand out to shake, even after all these years he was still a little cautious around his father in law. "It's Father's Day, son," Jonathan said, and pulled him into a quick hug. Neither of them mentioned Lex's father, who was not a part of the festivities. Clark and Lex had been clear about not wanting Lionel to have more than limited, supervised contact with his grandchildren.
Clark laughed at how quickly he and Lex had been usurped for his parents' affections. Grandchildren always won out in these contests, so he didn't feel truly sighted. Still, he pretended to pout at his mother, "But aren't you glad to see me?"
"Of course I am, sweetie," Martha answered; as he bent down to hug her. 'Just not as much as my little cupcakes here." She smiled fondly at the kids.
"Speaking of cupcakes, Martha, those muffins were delicious," Lex praised her.
"Yeah, Mom. They were great. We were really proud of Ella." Clark could practically feel Ella beaming at that.
"She's a good little cook, so far. You know, she'd like to learn to do more. I'm going to have fun teaching her. Pie crust next, right Ella?"
"Yeah, Grandma. You said you'd teach me how to make a lettuce crust. Is that what you put on a salad?"
They all laughed, until Martha gave him a dirty look and said, "Like you'd have known that at seven, Clark? No, honey, 'lattice crust'. That means criss cross, like that fence over there."
"This is Clark we're talking about, Martha. He probably knew his pie terminology before he knew his colors." Lex thought a moment. "Though with his penchant for primaries, I'm not completely sure that's true."
"Lex!" Clark pretended to be miffed. Ella watched, delighted. She loved when they teased each other. She was less sanguine when they kissed in front of her, but he was pretty sure that was just a phase. She ran into the bathroom when people kissed on TV as well.
Clark and Lex had brought sandwiches from Metropolis' best deli, and Martha had a variety of baked goods ready for the picnic. Clark helped her pack up the basket they'd used since he was a boy, and they loaded up the car. Jonathan and Lex filled the cooler. Beer for Jonathan, juice boxes and bottles for Ella and Nate, Coke and diet Coke for Clark and his mother, Ty Nant for Lex. Family outings were really quite a production, Clark thought. But it was all worth it.
They found a nice position partway under an elm tree. "Sit under here, Lex, there's a little more shade." Clark got out the kids' sunscreen, putting a little in his hand, and making sure they were well covered. Nate even got a tiny hat. Ella ran off to play with a new friend, and Martha and Jonathan took Nathan for a walk. Clark was glad for the semi-privacy. He smoothed SPF50 onto Lex, though his sunscreen wasn't purple. Lex sighed, moving closer to Clark's talented hands. Clark didn't care that they were in public. He just had to kiss Lex, and did.
"Happy Father's Day, Lex," he told him.
"I've never had a happier one," Lex answered, as they settled back to watch their growing family, and the sun made dappled shadows of the leaves.