Someone Borrowed (Jo's Version)

A Tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes

by Kerithwyn Jade

Disclaimer: All characters property of DC Comics. What I have done with them is mine.

Warnings: Slash. Specifically, sex of the m/m variety. If this concept disturbs you, read no further.

Rating: NC-17. Children, hide your eyes.

Summary: Set directly after Ultra Boy was accused of murder and then exonerated, in LSH 239. Mon-El comes to apologize to Jo for not believing in his innocence, and Jo wants more than "I'm sorry!" Jo's POV.

Thanks to Dannell, my Lady Inspiration. Without her, this would never have been written.

With all that mess cleared up, things got back to normal. Well, as normal as the Legion gets, anyway.

What happened next, though...

Tinya says I have a real bad case of hero worship. Well, that's probably true. I mean, look at him! Mon-El, I mean. Lar Gand. He's everything I try to be. Everything I want to be. And he makes it all look so easy. Me, I struggle to find the right thing to do, to figure out how I'm going to handle things. Mon just does it. He doesn't have to think about his actions, and he doesn't sweat antimatter thinking he'll get it wrong. Oh, I know that it's not that simple. It never is. But he always has the courage to seize the initiative, while I never worked up the nerve to let him know how badly I wanted him.

Until he walked into my room, the day after I was cleared of the murder charge.

It was bad enough that most of the Legionnaires believed I was guilty of killing An. But when Mon came after me, trying to haul me in for questioning, it hurt worse than anything. Sure, I got away--a lucky break, if ever there was one--but it still stung.

He showed up at our suite when Tinya and Shady were out. What timing. "Jo. Can I come in?"

Turn the other cheek, Jo. And maybe he'll...oh, never mind. "Sure, Mon. What's up?"

He stepped into the room, instantly dominating the surroundings just by his sheer presence. "I came to apologize. I'm sorry, Jo. I should have known you'd never do anything like that."

His eyes were earnest, and so very blue.

"It's okay, Mon. You were only doing what you thought was right, and..."

He seized me and brought me in for a hug. A purely friendly one, more's the pity.

Look, I think I've done a pretty good job of keeping this thing in check, okay? It's kinda complicated, actually. For one thing, Mon-El is the best friend I ever had. And it's really not polite to seduce your best pal. Leads to all kinds of messy stuff. Plus, I didn't think Mon goes for other guys--at least, I've never seen him appear interested in another man. Now, I have seen other guys come on to him. Mon just smiles and slips away without hurting anybody's feelings.

I was thinking about all this while I was busy trying not to lean into Mon's chaste embrace and maybe rip his clothes off. But he was holding me fast, and I felt the strength that flowed through him like a live wire.

The hell with it.

I moved back far enough to look him dead in the eye. "Mon, you want to make it up to me?"

He'd started to let go. "Of course."

"Good." So I leaned up, and kissed him.

I would've stopped if he'd tried to pull away. But after a moment's hesitation, he leaned into me and I felt his tongue brush mine. Oh, man. No way he was getting away now.

We came up for air. I was grinning like an idiot, I know. Mon was looking a little stunned. "But...what about Tinya?"

I knew Shady wouldn't have a problem with this; Talok's culture has different social mores, and sex between friends is just, well, friendly. As for Tinya--she's possessive and jealous and I love it. It's flattering as all hell to be her man. No other woman dares look my way for fear of having her eyes blackened so she can't look anymore.

But I had a blank check with Lar. Tinya knew how I felt, and had given me permission to go ahead. Once. If he was willing. "And then you'd better tell me all about it," she'd said with a grin. That was years ago, but I hadn't forgotten. And now was my chance.

"Not an issue. Trust me."

He looked at me, and then his expression changed from his usual noble countenance to the purest look of lust I've ever seen. "Oh, I do. Jo." And then he was on me.

It's a good thing invulnerability is the default state of my ultra-powers. His mouth came down on mine with crushing force. He tasted like...open space and rich black earth. Deep, dark, and dangerous, you know? His hands were busy on my clothes, wrestling with the clasps, and mine were grasping at his back to feel the strength of him. We surged together, and I felt him hard against me. Wow.

Much more, and this was going to be over before it started. I tore my mouth away from his. "Mon--Lar--hold up a second."

"What?" His voice was rough and wanting.

"I'd like--" and then I blushed. Way to go, Jo; you've finally got him where you want him--almost, anyway--and you're flustered like a schoolkid. "I want this to last."

He took a deep breath. "Okay. Slow. Got it. But, uh, do you want..."

Heat rushed up my spine. "Lar, I want everything. 'Cause we've only got this one time."

"Why--oh." He's a smart guy. "Special dispensation, right?"

"Yeah." I reached for the clasp of his cape, loosened it, watched the mass of blue fall to the floor. "I want you to know how long I've been wanting to do this."

He smiled. "I wish you'd let me know sooner." He twisted the toggle on his Legion ring that let the Mission Monitor Board know he'd out of touch, and I did the same to mine. Nothing short of a galactic emergency could disturb us now. "I really do care for you, Jo."

He pulled me in for another kiss, this one gentle. This time he was in no hurry. His hands gathered me in, tracing long elliptical patterns like orbiting comets across my back.

Time to get comfortable. I switched briefly to ultra-strength and tossed him across the room, onto the bed. He landed, laughed, and turned to watch me as I moved toward him, shedding my clothes on the way.

"Sooo..." I drawled, "now that I've got you, whatever will I do with you?"

He laced his hands together behind his head, and grinned. "Whatever you like."

Oh, my. "Off with the costume, then," I said softly. He sat up and peeled it off, his eyes on mine the whole time. Then he lay back down, hands again locked behind him.

We've been friends and teammates for a long time; I knew what he looked like naked. But this was different. Before, he hadn't been in my bed, waiting for me to--

Waiting. What the hell was I waiting for? I moved up the bed and molded my body against his, wanting to feel him.

"Thought you were getting cold feet for a second, there." His voice was lazy, relaxed. That had to change.

"Nah." I brought my lips down and bit his nipple, medium-hard. I thought he was going to hit the ceiling.

"Oh. Do that again!" I did, and he moaned. The sound went straight to my groin, and I wanted to hear more of it. I put my mouth up to his ear and whispered, "Don't move." I bit his earlobe lightly, then started moving down his body, using my tongue and teeth on whatever parts looked appealing. And there were a lot of those.

I took my time, and after a bit he was trembling under me but still trying not to move, like I'd told him. "Jo...please..."

"What? Here?" I licked my way down his hip. He groaned. "Or here?" I bit at his inner thigh, and he drew in a sharp breath. "Or here?" I brushed him with my tongue, just a touch, and his hips thrust off the bed toward me.

So very sensitive. That surprised me; invulnerability is his natural state, and I guess I'd thought more subtle sensations would be a problem for him. Obviously, no problem.

"Hold on, Lar." One of his hands came down to grasp mine as I took him into my mouth. He was velvet over steel, and warm as the sun. His hand clenched convulsively on mine, and he shouted out my name as he came.

I crawled back up to lie by him. His head was thrown back, one arm over his eyes, and he was breathing shallowly; for a minute, I got scared. "Lar? You okay?"

"Yes--just--just give me a minute." His breathing calmed, and he rolled over to take me in his arms. "It hits me like that, sometimes." He ran a hand down my side, and we lay quietly for a couple minutes, learning the feel of each other. Then he got this look in his eye. "My turn?"

When a guy like that asks you, you don't say no.

He flipped me onto my front, straddled me, and put his hands to my shoulders. His fingers dug into the muscles of my upper back, and soon I was melting under his touch. "Jo, do you have any--"

I waved toward the dresser next to the bed. "Lower drawer." Tinya's got a pretty extensive collection of massage oils; she loves to try out new things, and I'm more than happy to oblige her. He leaned over and opened a bottle, and the room filled with the odor of Winathian passionfruit, musky and sweet. I couldn't help but shiver when I realized he'd chosen an edible one.

As he started to work his way down my back, he said, "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little out of practice. It's been a thousand years since I've done this."

Huh? "But Shady--"

He laughed. "Of course. I meant, with another man."

(It wasn't until much, much later that I realized exactly what that meant. That "thousand years" was the literal truth. He'd traveled a long time to reach Earth, and was only there for a short time before the lead poisoning kicked in and he had to enter the Phantom Zone. And the only person he'd had much contact with then was...well, you figure it out.)

Genius that I am, I said, "Oh." Then, "What do you--I mean, whatever you want is fine with me."

His voice was quiet, but I could hear the smile in it. "I'd like to learn what you taste like. Slowly. And then I want to feel you in me. How does that sound, Jo?"

That was about the point my brain stopped functioning altogether. I think I moaned.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." His mouth came down on the small of my back and started to travel. I honestly don't remember all of the details, because by that time I was pretty incoherent. The man has a talented tongue, and he used it everywhere--and I do mean everywhere. I felt like the main course at a diplomatic banquet, or maybe dessert—the kind you linger over because it's so good you can't stand to finish it, so you nibble and lick at it for as long as you can.

Somewhere during that he'd turned me over again, which I was really grateful for, because it was getting a little, uh, uncomfortable. His mouth was on me and I was this close when he pulled away. I must've made some kind of disappointed noise, because Lar stretched himself out full length over me, his body balanced on mine.

He kissed me, long and deep, and that was nearly enough again to send me over the edge. Still kissing, he rolled us over and brought his legs up, and before I knew it I was sinking into him and oh, it was beyond good and I was looking into his face filled with ecstasy and I moved with him as he cried out and I cried out and he tightened around me and we came together, and I collapsed onto his chest as his arms came up to hold me and we trembled together with the aftershocks.

It was awhile before I was able to talk, and he seemed content to stay as we were. I traced the lines of his face with my fingers, enjoying the chance to touch him like this. He seemed utterly relaxed, and I was glad to see it; too often, Mon-El looks like he's carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders.

I probably wouldn't have noticed it another time, but as we lay there I saw a shadow pass over his face, like he was thinking about something unpleasant. I was about to ask him what it was when he shook his head, picked us both up, tossed me over his shoulder, and headed for the bathroom. Hey, if he wanted to show off his strength, that was fine. And besides, I had a great view of his backside from there.

He started the shower and we spent quite a while, just touching under the spray. It was like...well, like we were trying to memorize the feel of each other, to remember what this was like. That's how I felt, anyway. But I wasn't ready for him to leave yet, and I was trying to think of a way to say it when Lar murmured into my ear, "So what else have you been wanting to do, Jo?"

Just a question, but it ran straight down every nerve and set them all on fire. I pushed him against the wall of the shower and kissed him roughly, my body hard up against his. We tumbled out of the shower and across the bedroom floor, wrestling to be on top. I was laughing, Lar was grinning, and it felt wonderful.

And the rest of it was wonderful too, all afternoon, when we made love in the air, and when he slid into me gently, and when he kissed me with a tenderness so sweet I thought my heart would break.

At the end, there was just one more thing to say. "Hey, Lar?" "Hmmmm?" A drowsy tone. I'd exhausted an invulnerable Daxamite. Wow.

"Apology accepted."

##############

And now, gentle reader, your author presents you a choice of the last scene, dependent upon your temperament and desire: Ending 1, the happy conclusion; or Ending 2, the angst-ridden finale. Or, perhaps being of divided mind, you choose to read both; I leave it in your hands.

##############

Ending 1

I was lying on the bed, reading a holozine, when Tinya took a flying leap onto my chest. "Oof! Hey, you puttin' on weight?"

She pinched me. In a delicate place. "So?"

"So, what?"

"So, how was it? C'mon, Jo...!"

I put aside the holozine and kissed her. "You really wanna know?" "Yes!" Her eyes gleamed. "Was it hot? What's he like? C'mon, Shady doesn't tell me anything!"

I laughed. "That's what I love about you. You're shameless."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me, and..." her hand wandered down, "you'll get something nice."

"Mmmm. An offer I can't refuse."

So I told her. And let me tell you, she was very appreciative.

I'd wanted Mon for a long time, but the truth is, Tinya is just about all I can handle, ultra-power or not. I'd learned a few things about myself, though.

"So then he did this, right?" she asked, impishly.

I gasped, moaned, and felt my toes start to curl. Yeah, I sure did learn a few things.

So did Tinya.

##############

Ending 2

I was lying on the bed, reading a holozine, when Tinya took a flying leap onto my chest. "Oof! Hey, you puttin' on weight?" She pinched me. In a delicate place. "So?"

"So, what?"

"So, how was it? C'mon, Jo...!"

I put aside the holozine and moved her off me. "It was...fine. That's all. Nothing to talk about."

She pouted. "Nothing? What, no details?"

I had to leave. "Nah. I'm going down to the gym for awhile. See you later."

So I went to the gym, and ran about a thousand laps, and it didn't erase the memory of his eyes in the heat of passion, or his weight as he covered me, or the sheer power that arced from his body into mine.

I love Tinya. I do. With all my heart.

But Lar Gand has stolen my soul.

##########################

Note to non-Legion readers: "And the only person he'd had much contact with then was..." Superboy, of course. Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, who was very glad to meet another invulnerable body he could touch without fear of harm.