sosostris
25th October 2005, 15:54
A/N. Found this buried on my computer, it’s more of a babble really, written initially as a scene in a larger fic I was working on. Filled with pretty much every obvious metaphor and clichéd scene ever experienced in Smallville fic, but I thought I might as well post it before it disappears off my hard drive.
Afternoon Interlude
“It looks pretty serious to me,” Bruce said moving a bishop forward.
Lex investigated the move and glanced up over the glass chess set. “It’s not”. He contemplated moving a pawn, then decided on a rook. “She is still at university. I’m busy with LuthorCorp. I’ve no time for serious.”
Bruce smiled.
“Don’t smile at me like that,” Lex said frowning, “I know what that smile means. And you’re wrong.”
Bruce took a sip of a near by glass of scotch and reclined in the armchair, the leather creaking as he did. “Am I?” Bruce had known Lex for a long time, and he could tell when something was different with his old friend. And this was very different.
Lex mirrored Bruce’s position, resting his elbows on the armrest and chin on his knuckles. “Yes. You are.”
“Does she stay here?”
“Sometimes. She has a place of her own near the university.”
Bruce nodded. Lex was explaining himself. Very different.
“And it is just a coincidence that your big move back to Metropolis coincided with hers?”
Lex nodded simply. “My work in Smallville was done.”
“Does she have things here?” Bruce asked. Lex responded with an incline of an eyebrow. “Personal things?”
“I suppose. Yes.”
“You are anal. You would know if they were here or not.” For a moment Lex looked as though he was going to refute being called anal, but he conceded and simply nodded.
Bruce nodded, took another sip of his scotch and knowingly smiled. An action that he knew annoyed Lex.
“What are you getting at, Bruce?”
“I thought I already made it clear, Lex?” Bruce drawled in a particularly sardonic tone, reaching toward a mahogany cigar box on the table in front of him. He took a cigar, cut the end and proceeded to light it. He sat back and smirked from behind a cloud of heavy smoke. “I have just never seen you in a serious relationship before. It looks good on you.” He inhaled again from the cigar, “mmm, Cubans. Aromatic.” Bruce gazed at the shaft of the cigar then back to Lex.
Lex’s glare challenged Bruce. “It’s not serious. I just appreciate her company.” Lex broke eye contact first, and moved forward to the cigar box.
After a moment Bruce shifted in his chair and exhaled toward the cathedral ceilings. “What about the bathroom cabinet?” he looked back to Lex who was lighting his cigar. “Does she keep things there? Personal women’s things?”
Lex could not believe that he was talking about ‘personal women’s things’ with Bruce Wayne. It was surreal and weird.
Lex sighed dramatically, “What does that have to do with anything?”
Bruce let out either a chuckle or a scoff. Lex wasn’t sure which. “Everything.” he said, leaning toward the chessboard, starring intently at the pieces. “In school you wouldn’t let Victoria keep lip gloss in your dorm room. And she was out as soon as her breathing had regulated.” Bruce’s fingers lingered over his knight in contemplation.
“If she does keep ‘personal’ things here, it means that she stays here when she is sexually unavailable to you.” He moved the knight forward and to the left.
“And it is serious.”
Lex’s face remained unchanged for a moment. “Lip gloss and ‘personal things’? That’s quite an insight into the female psyche. Especially for you.”
Lex was deflecting. “Thanks” Bruce smiled with a comical raise of his eyebrows. “I read Cosmo in the airport lounge last week. Very informative,” he finished with a definite nod.
The game continued in relative silence. Soon after the doors to the darkened library swung open and Chloe bounced in wearing jeans and one of Lex’s sweaters.
“Chloe!” Lex exclaimed in surprise, rising from his seat. “I thought you had a cram session tonight?”
“Oh I do. I left my politics text book on your desk” she said absently searching over the desk, after picking up the heavy book she moved toward the fire where the men were set up.
She gave Lex a deep kiss and he ran his hands through her messy hair. When they pulled apart, Chloe turned to see a smirking Bruce seated in front of her.
“Bruce! I didn’t even see you there!” he rose from his chair and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“How are you Chloe?” Bruce asked, as he and Lex sat back down.
“Oh, you know. Busy.” She said, sitting on the armrest of Lex’s chair, he wrapped his arm around her waist. “And how about you, Bruce. Congratulations on the Japanese merger. We took a look at it in my business class. Very impressive.”
Bruce scoffed. “I don’t know that I’m comfortable being the topic of your business class. But I’m glad you approve.”
Chloe smiled.
“Well, it looks like I am interrupting some ‘male bonding session’ here, with the scotch and the chess and the gangster like cigars, so I’ll leave you two alone.” Chloe said, leaning in to give Lex a kiss, “tomorrow is my last exam. I’ll give you a call in the afternoon,” she whispered, and moved to where Bruce was. “It was nice seeing you again, Bruce,” she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“You too Chloe, good luck in your exams.”
“Thanks” she said absently, staring intently at the board. “Do you mind?” she said to Bruce, motioning to the board.
“No, not at all,” Bruce smiled.
Chloe frowned and moved Bruce’s queen. “Check mate.” She said with a smile.
Lex leaned forward and frowned at the board as Bruce let out a short laugh.
“Traitor” Lex grumbled.
Chloe laughed and turned to leave, “You are just too predictable, Lex.” She lifted a hand and waved behind her, “behave you two,” she called out as she pushed open the door.
And with that she was gone. Bruce leaned back in his chair, his wide smile threatening to crack any minute.
Lex frowned and picked up his scotch. “Not a word.”
Afternoon Interlude
“It looks pretty serious to me,” Bruce said moving a bishop forward.
Lex investigated the move and glanced up over the glass chess set. “It’s not”. He contemplated moving a pawn, then decided on a rook. “She is still at university. I’m busy with LuthorCorp. I’ve no time for serious.”
Bruce smiled.
“Don’t smile at me like that,” Lex said frowning, “I know what that smile means. And you’re wrong.”
Bruce took a sip of a near by glass of scotch and reclined in the armchair, the leather creaking as he did. “Am I?” Bruce had known Lex for a long time, and he could tell when something was different with his old friend. And this was very different.
Lex mirrored Bruce’s position, resting his elbows on the armrest and chin on his knuckles. “Yes. You are.”
“Does she stay here?”
“Sometimes. She has a place of her own near the university.”
Bruce nodded. Lex was explaining himself. Very different.
“And it is just a coincidence that your big move back to Metropolis coincided with hers?”
Lex nodded simply. “My work in Smallville was done.”
“Does she have things here?” Bruce asked. Lex responded with an incline of an eyebrow. “Personal things?”
“I suppose. Yes.”
“You are anal. You would know if they were here or not.” For a moment Lex looked as though he was going to refute being called anal, but he conceded and simply nodded.
Bruce nodded, took another sip of his scotch and knowingly smiled. An action that he knew annoyed Lex.
“What are you getting at, Bruce?”
“I thought I already made it clear, Lex?” Bruce drawled in a particularly sardonic tone, reaching toward a mahogany cigar box on the table in front of him. He took a cigar, cut the end and proceeded to light it. He sat back and smirked from behind a cloud of heavy smoke. “I have just never seen you in a serious relationship before. It looks good on you.” He inhaled again from the cigar, “mmm, Cubans. Aromatic.” Bruce gazed at the shaft of the cigar then back to Lex.
Lex’s glare challenged Bruce. “It’s not serious. I just appreciate her company.” Lex broke eye contact first, and moved forward to the cigar box.
After a moment Bruce shifted in his chair and exhaled toward the cathedral ceilings. “What about the bathroom cabinet?” he looked back to Lex who was lighting his cigar. “Does she keep things there? Personal women’s things?”
Lex could not believe that he was talking about ‘personal women’s things’ with Bruce Wayne. It was surreal and weird.
Lex sighed dramatically, “What does that have to do with anything?”
Bruce let out either a chuckle or a scoff. Lex wasn’t sure which. “Everything.” he said, leaning toward the chessboard, starring intently at the pieces. “In school you wouldn’t let Victoria keep lip gloss in your dorm room. And she was out as soon as her breathing had regulated.” Bruce’s fingers lingered over his knight in contemplation.
“If she does keep ‘personal’ things here, it means that she stays here when she is sexually unavailable to you.” He moved the knight forward and to the left.
“And it is serious.”
Lex’s face remained unchanged for a moment. “Lip gloss and ‘personal things’? That’s quite an insight into the female psyche. Especially for you.”
Lex was deflecting. “Thanks” Bruce smiled with a comical raise of his eyebrows. “I read Cosmo in the airport lounge last week. Very informative,” he finished with a definite nod.
The game continued in relative silence. Soon after the doors to the darkened library swung open and Chloe bounced in wearing jeans and one of Lex’s sweaters.
“Chloe!” Lex exclaimed in surprise, rising from his seat. “I thought you had a cram session tonight?”
“Oh I do. I left my politics text book on your desk” she said absently searching over the desk, after picking up the heavy book she moved toward the fire where the men were set up.
She gave Lex a deep kiss and he ran his hands through her messy hair. When they pulled apart, Chloe turned to see a smirking Bruce seated in front of her.
“Bruce! I didn’t even see you there!” he rose from his chair and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“How are you Chloe?” Bruce asked, as he and Lex sat back down.
“Oh, you know. Busy.” She said, sitting on the armrest of Lex’s chair, he wrapped his arm around her waist. “And how about you, Bruce. Congratulations on the Japanese merger. We took a look at it in my business class. Very impressive.”
Bruce scoffed. “I don’t know that I’m comfortable being the topic of your business class. But I’m glad you approve.”
Chloe smiled.
“Well, it looks like I am interrupting some ‘male bonding session’ here, with the scotch and the chess and the gangster like cigars, so I’ll leave you two alone.” Chloe said, leaning in to give Lex a kiss, “tomorrow is my last exam. I’ll give you a call in the afternoon,” she whispered, and moved to where Bruce was. “It was nice seeing you again, Bruce,” she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“You too Chloe, good luck in your exams.”
“Thanks” she said absently, staring intently at the board. “Do you mind?” she said to Bruce, motioning to the board.
“No, not at all,” Bruce smiled.
Chloe frowned and moved Bruce’s queen. “Check mate.” She said with a smile.
Lex leaned forward and frowned at the board as Bruce let out a short laugh.
“Traitor” Lex grumbled.
Chloe laughed and turned to leave, “You are just too predictable, Lex.” She lifted a hand and waved behind her, “behave you two,” she called out as she pushed open the door.
And with that she was gone. Bruce leaned back in his chair, his wide smile threatening to crack any minute.
Lex frowned and picked up his scotch. “Not a word.”