Next Saturday
Rating: PG13...just to be safe
Pairing: Chloe/Lex
Spoilers: none that I could think of..
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, though to have Lex on eternal loan would be truly appreciated. *grin*
Summary: Simplicity is the key.
This is the answer to Impress' The Art of Simplicity.
Have Chloe introduce Lex to a simple pleasure in life. It has to be something he has never done before...like walking barefoot in the grass or having a popsicle.
A/N: Un-beta-ed. Constructive criticism please. Very open to suggestions for improvement. Ü
Even before stepping into the helicopter that was waiting for him at the top of the Luthorcorp building, Lex already felt the beginnings of a massive tension headache.
‘Why do I do this to myself?’ he wondered as he pinched the bridge of his nose and took deep breaths. ‘Why do I always go to these masochistic meetings with Dad?’
He simply sighed, leaned his head back and tried to ignore the bright, sunny day that he felt was insulting his misery.
~*~*~*~*~*~
No meteor freaks this week. No emotional torture from Clark. No incessant whining from Lana.
It was a Saturday morning and Chloe Sullivan was bored to death.
“Lana’s working, Clark’s doing chores, Pete’s too far away, and that day,” Chloe looked outside longingly, “is just begging to be enjoyed. There MUST be something to do!”
Suddenly, her face lit up as the proverbial light bulb clicked in her head.
“Hmmm…Now all I is an old tire and very long rope. I only wish Lex won’t mind.” thought Chloe as she grabbed her keys and shrugged on her jacket.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lex burst into his study, eyes trained on his target. In less than six strides, he had flung his briefcase onto the sofa, took off his coat, tossed it to a chair, got to his minibar and had begun to open a bottle of scotch.
“God, I need a drink.” he muttered as the pounding in his right temple took on a faster and more erratic tempo. As he was about to take a drink from the bottle itself, he heard a knock.
“Mr. Luthor…”came the muffled voice of one of his security personnel.
“GO. AWAY! Didn’t Enrique tell you not to bother me right now?!” bellowed Lex after setting down the bottle, his hand gripped the neck but still haven’t drunk from it. ‘That man would be fired as soon as this headache stops.’ Lex opened the three top buttons on his shirt and roughly massaged his right temple, but still couldn’t get rid of the pain.
“See? I told you. He doesn’t even want some company right now. So if you could just ease up on that grip…” a female voice piped up.
Lex’s ears suddenly perked up. Only one woman would have the guts to stand up against his security. He strode quickly across the room and yanked open the study’s door.
“Chloe…I mean…Ms. Sullivan.” Lex amended, had interpreted the shocked look on her face as one of annoyance rather than surprise.
“Oh hey, Lex! I was just leaving since you obviously don’t want anyone around…,” said Chloe as she struggled to get free from the vise-like grip on her upper arm.
“She was caught trespassing near the lake, sir. Michaels and I have confiscated the tire and rope in her possession.” interjected the guard.
“A tire and some rope. What the hell?!” frustration clearly took over Lex’s voice.
“If you’d hand them back, I’ll show you what I’m up to.” Chloe bargained, looking straight in Lex’s eyes.
Lex paused for a moment and returned the glare. “Give the items back, then show me where you found her.” he ordered, not breaking his stare.
“Yes sir.” the guard replied and walked off in the direction of the kitchen.
When the guard was out of earshot, Lex crossed his arms on his chest and leaned on the doorframe. “What are you really up to, Chloe?”
“You just can never wait, can’t you?” said Chloe, raised an eyebrow and mirrored his stance.
Before he could reply, the guard returned with the tire and rope. “This way, sir.” the guard beckoned.
“After you, Chloe.”
And the three of them went out the kitchen door and followed the trail to the lake.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When the guard finished setting up, Lex could only stare at it and purse his lips in irritation.
“What the hell is that?” Deadpan. Chloe stuck her hands in her pockets, shifted on her feet and thought of the safest way to answer his question.
“Well, Lex, it’s a swing…” said Chloe quietly, trying to read Lex’s features from the corner of her eye.
No response other than crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side. She took that as a sign to continue.
“You sit in it, like this…” Chloe headed to the improvised swing, thread her legs through the hole and sat down. “Then you get someone to push you, or you get your own momentum.” Chloe set her legs on the ground, now with the tire circling her waist, walked back a bit till she was on her tiptoes, grabbed the rope from which the tire was hung on a tree branch, and quickly jumped to sit as she forced the tire to swing forward.
Chloe looked back at Lex and flashed him her trademark smile. ‘Lex may be a grump about this, but I came here to have my fun and I’m not gonna let him ruin it’ she thought.
“Cute.” A smirk broke through his cool façade. “Leave us”, he addressed his guard. With a nod, the guard walked back towards the mansion.
“So why here, Ms. Sullivan? Surely there are other trees from which you could set this up. And why aren’t you with Clark?” he paused for a beat, “…or Lana?” he added, eyes narrowed.
“Well…”Chloe still hasn’t stopped swinging, bent and stretched her legs with each swing so as to not lose her momentum. “…first, you have the sturdiest trees that also offer a lot of shade. Second, my world doesn’t revolve around Clark. And third, I already live with Lana. Surely I could use a break from her.”
“Riiiight” drawled Lex, nodding his head.
“Whatever, Luthor. I’m enjoying this day and no mood of yours is going to darken it” said Chloe smugly. She bent her knees more as she swung back, and stretched her legs more forcefully as she swung higher, her hair flying wildly.
“Woohooooo! C’mon Lex, dontcha wanna try?” Chloe changed her position and now stood on the inner rim of the tire, still swinging.
“Ah, nah. Never mind, this is too childish for your taste anyway, right?”, said Chloe, clearly taunting him as she again changed her position on the tire and was now sitting on its outer rim.
Lex hasn’t said a word all this time, his eyes just followed the pendulum-like motion. After a few more swings, he ambled over to the front and grabbed the tire by the inner rim with both hands as it swung towards him.
He glowered at her, gnashing his teeth, deliberated whether he should take up the challenge or not.
‘Oh, shit. I pushed him too far. I am so gonna get it now. Oh, well. Bring on the guards.’ Chloe squeezed her eyes close and waited for the rough hands that would pull her down and haul her ass out.
Yet there were no pulling, no shouting, heck, the tire wasn’t even moving. Chloe opened one eye and looked down at Lex, only to find him genuinely smiling. Finally breaking the silence, he said
“My turn.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N 2: ok, i just had to cut it right there. it still goes on for a few more paragraphs, but i think it's starting to get too long.
should i continue till i get to my ending? or should i just leave it as it is? if i continue then the title would make sense. but if i leave the ending as is, then i'll just change the title.
watcha think?
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Re: Next Saturday(PG13): answer to standalone challenge
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