bantha_fodder (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bantha_fodder) wrote2006-06-16 06:30 pm
bantha_fodder) wrote2006-06-16 06:30 pm
Entry tags:
[fic] new bonhomie [smallville] [chloe and lex]
New Bonhomie, by Pen
Smallville, Chloe, rated PG.
For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tab_a_slot_b. Prompt 018: Lex is a criminal mastermind and Chloe is his head of security. Lex isn't obsessed with Clark and Superman, it's the other way around, and Chloe knows it. Clark is a total asshole to her because he thinks she "betrayed" him. PORN.
***
She waits until they're out in the open; until cameras of a different sort are trained upon them, but none are close enough to hear her words.
"So," she starts as she opens the door for him. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"
"Oh, shut up," he snaps, and slides into the limo.
She grins, and slides in beside him.
She closes the door.
*
He pauses by the percolator, and watches it merrily bubbling away. "Honey," he says, his voice mocking, "You shouldn't have."
"I didn't," she replies. "Your secretary has a crush on you, Lex." She grins, and the grin is cruel. She rearranges the flowers on his desk, fresh bought this morning. "I think she thinks you're a tragic figure."
"I have that effect on people." He pours the coffee into a mug, and the smell fills Lex's office. He proffers the mug to her. "You're my head of security. Care to try it?"
"I'm not here to be your taste tester, Lex," she says, but accepts the mug anyway. She sips, and the thick liquid warms her. She scalds her tongue. She meets his eyes across the mug, and the look he gives her is all business and just a little bit of fondness as she says, "It's not quite strong enough."
"These girls never learn," he says, and she knows a dismissal when she hears it. She makes a note to find a new secretary later, and sits in his expensive leather chair.
"Ready to get back to work?" she asks him. Takes another sip of the coffee, and grimaces. It really is too weak, and she longs for a paint stripper sort of coffee, heavy and thick and black. Lex sits in the guest chair, and he's close but on the wrong side of the desk, and so far away.
"Talk to me," he says, and it's more a command than a request. She closes her eyes; leans back and begins to recite the litany of things that went wrong during his little trip to the pen upstate.
"Alex quit. Sonja suggested swapping portfolios with Charles. Charles is wife-swapping with Sampson. One new law suit has been brought against the company, and we had four attempted break-ins to the science levels."
She opens her eyes, and Lex nods at her. "Okay," he says. "Anything else?"
"One break-in to your office."
"From the window?"
Chloe nods. "Where else?" she asks.
"Where else, indeed," he replies, and sighs.
"We need to put in that shielding," Chloe says. It's an old issue, and one with which she intends to have her way. She leans towards him. "Lex," she presses, "It's time."
Lex closes his eyes.
*
The wind blows her hair over her eyes and she leans over the balcony. Behind her, the door shut firmly between them, Lex sits in the office of his penthouse. He leans over his large wooden desk, the one he brought all the way from Smallville, and catches up on all the things that fell behind whilst he was gone. She thinks perhaps she should be working too, but it's late, dammit, and she worked hard in his absence.
She leans over the balcony, and watches the cars five hundred feet below.
The wind picks up speed, but before she can tighten her grip on the railing she's floating in the air.
"I could drop you," says Superman. "I could drop you, and be in Asia before you hit the ground. There's a team of mountaineers lost somewhere in Northern China, and if the sun goes down they'll freeze."
"So save them," says Chloe, and she's not afraid, but her hands tighten around Superman's neck. "Save them and drop me, but that's not exactly good press for the Man of Steel, is it? Oh, wait." Chloe pauses, and meets Superman's eyes. "The Daily Planet's star reporter loves you." Her voice is childish and teasing, but she's deadly serious.
"She's a good reporter," protests Superman, angrily. "You're just jealous your journalistic career is over."
"I have a good life," Chloe replies, and her eyes drift back down to the pavement. She wonders what it will feel like to end her life five hundred feet below. "A better life than the one I had."
"You're a whore. A whore, and a traitor."
"Oh, like you can fucking talk," she snaps back.
"You sold me out to Lex Luthor, Chloe," Superman says.
"You did that yourself, Clark." He flinches at her use of his name, even at five hundred feet, and she closes her eyes. "Now shut up and drop me."
He does, and six feet later she feels the balcony beneath her feet and hears the sick crack of bone. When she opens the door, all her weight on her right leg, Lex doesn't look away from his laptop.
"You had a visitor, Lex," she says, and he looks up at her.
"What did he want?"
"To threaten me," she replies. "Can you find an ice pack?" She hobbles to the nearest chair, and fights with him over whether she needs to see a doctor. "I'm good," she insists, and rests a finger on his lips. Kneeling, he looks up at her. "But this penthouse on top of the LexCorp building is hardly the most secret base of operations ever," she says, and he laughs.
"We're not moving, Chloe"
"I want a secret lair. They're much easier to secure than public buildings, five hundred feet high."
He kisses her ankle, and rests a hand on her knee. "What about the shielding? That should be enough."
"Not if we're outside."
His hand tightens on her knee. "So don't go outside."
"That is hardly reasonable. How else can I survey your domain?"
"No," he repeats, and when she meets his eyes he doesn't look away. "We will get the shielding installed, and you will secure this location. We won't hide, Chloe. Powerful people don't hide."
"What about their mistresses?"
"Head of Security."
"Whatever."
She makes plans in her head, and watches him do the same.
Regardless of what Clark thinks, she is satisfied with her choice.
*
The press conference is a nightmare, but that is not unexpected, so. Cameras flash constantly, and the questions are yelled with no respect for order or coherency. She hears, "Did you drop the soap?" yelled over the top of, "Are you a changed man?" and, "Do you think you'll ever run for President one day?" Lex takes the questions calmly, and ignores the one about the soap. "Now that you've spent four weeks on the other side of the bars," Clark pauses, and Chloe hears the where you belong in the silence, "are you considering beefing up your own security?" Lex gestures vaguely in Chloe's direction, pressed up against the wall of the LexCorp building.
"Our security is, as always, first class, Mister Kent," says Lex. "But four weeks with those less fortunate than myself has certainly opened my eyes to cracks in many systems." Lex smiles. "I think that's all for now. Thank you for your time." The cacophony continues as he ascends the steps and Chloe pushes the doors open. When the doors are firmly closed, and they are surrounded by metres of steel as they ascend to the penthouse, Lex slumps against the wall of the elevator and closes his eyes. "Are the shields ready to go?" he asks Chloe.
"They've been ready for two weeks," she replies.
"Okay," he says. Rubs his temples, like maybe he's got a headache. If he does, she wouldn't be surprised. "Have them installed in every building. But do it in secret. Make them look like window washers, or something."
"And distract Superman?"
Lex breathes out. "Yes," he replies. "And distract Superman." The doors open, and Lex steps out. The doors start to close, but Lex's hand darts out and holds them open. He meets her eyes. "And you can have your fucking secret lair." The doors close on his hooded eyes, and she knows all he could see was her pleased grin.
*
LUTHOR RUNNING SCARED reads The Daily Planet's headline, and Chloe grimaces. She leans against the door; shows the headline to Lex, and watches as he frowns. "Does he have his ear to the fucking door?" he asks, and it sounds like a complaint, but it's code for, do you know where he is?
"Not right now," she says. "Fire in a hostel in Germany that's popular with illegal immigrants."
He smiles at her. "Thank you, Chloe," he says, and his kiss is sincere. She kisses him for just a second, before she pushes him away.
"Later," she says. "We must use this time wisely."
*
In a cafe in uptown Metropolis, one frequented by polite society and politicians and the occasional actor, a waitress shows Chloe to a table. "Hey, Chloe," says Lois, and Chloe smiles at her.
"Lois," she says in greeting. "How's your dad?"
"He's fine," Lois replies, as she stirs her iced tea and looks concerned. "How are you?"
"Busy." Her answers are short and unfriendly, but Lois bravely pushes on, and Chloe knows why.
"I hope you're not working too hard. And I hope you're not still putting yourself in danger."
"I'm good, Lois. And I know what I'm doing."
"And how is Lex? Is he settling back in okay?"
Chloe stares at Lois, her disbelief faked because it's not like she's surprised. "I'm not," she starts, and takes a breath. "Lois, I'm not going to answer that question."
"Chloe, I'm your cousin."
"Lois, you're a reporter."
"So were you, once."
"Yes," says Chloe. "I was. And now I'm not." She pushes her chair away, and starts to rise. "And I have work to do."
"Chloe," says Lois. She reaches an arm out, and wraps a hand around Chloe's wrist. "Chloe, please. I just want to know how Lex is. And that you're okay, and safe."
Chloe leans forward. "He's good," she says. "He always is."
"Are you still fucking him?" Clark asks, and drops into the chair beside Lois.
"Clark!" protest Lois, and Chloe climbs to her feet.
"I think we're done here," she says, and the door tingles behind her.
*
In a bar in downtown Metropolis, Chloe slides onto a stool and orders something expensive. A grubby hand rests on the bar beside her. "Miz Sullivan," she hears, and looks up into the grinning face of her informant.
"Excellent," she says. "Pull up a stool."
She doesn't take notes: she commits it all to memory. She's not a reporter, and she no longer needs the evidence.
Her words are all the proof she needs with Lex.
*
Lex idly strokes the skin at Chloe's wrist. "How is Lois?" he asks, and she doesn't blink.
"Just the same as always," replies Chloe. "Earnest, and my cousin."
"And Clark?" he asks, and of course he heard. Of course he did.
"Still an asshole," she says, and kisses him.
She twines her fingers through his; swings their clasped hands as she leads him from the penthouse's office into the bedroom. She pushes him down onto the bed and straddles him, and when she kisses him he moans into her mouth. She bites his lip and wraps her fingers around his cock, and when she tries to make him see stars he retaliates by sliding two fingers inside her.
When she comes she screams, and they lie there, skin sweaty and warm. When she opens her eyes her gaze lands on the open window, and hopes that asshole heard.
Lex kisses her shoulder.
*
The moonlight streams through the windows, and Chloe wakes to find herself alone in the bed. Light filters down the hall, and when she holds her breath she can hear the tap tap of Lex's fingers on the keyboard. She lies there as the sun begins to rise, and she hates herself for her idleness.
She doesn't notice the taps have stopped until Lex stands in the doorway, barefoot and clad in black pyjama pants and an expensive business shirt.
"How were the Australians?" Chloe asks.
"Loud," he says, "and forceful," and Chloe smiles.
"But they gave us what we want." Lex nods and tilts his head.
"I'm going for a shower," he says, dismissing the early morning business meeting. He holds out his hand. "Care to join me?"
She drops the sheet, and her skin is bare.
*
"The windows are cracked," says the cleaner, "I thought, you know, a security issue, I should inform you and not Mister Luthor."
Chloe smiles. "Oh yes," she says. "You were quite right. Broken windows at five hundred feet is quite a security issue."
*
"Nice bruise," she says to Clark, and he looks surprised to see her.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
"I'm a citizen of this fair city," she replies. She looks up at the crane lowering the new Daily Planet sign onto the old building. "I'm just as interested in the news as the next person." She looks pointedly at him, and, "Nice bruise," she repeats. "I thought you didn't bruise that easily."
"Something special in the windows," he says, just as pointedly.
"Mmhmm," she hums.
"Coming to Lois' birthday party?" he asks conversationally, like he doesn't hate her; like he doesn't hate her boss and her lover and her life; like maybe they're still friends.
"I am," she says, "But I have to tell her that I'll be late."
"Got something to hide?" he asks. "Or perhaps you've got some whoring to do?" She bites her tongue.
"Yes," Chloe says, and turns away.
She feels the heat of his gaze on her back, and she smiles.
*
He doesn't chase her into the building, because Superman is not so crass as that, but as Clark in his stupid glasses and with his tape recorder in his pocket, he enters at the ground level and demands to speak to her.
She takes her time descending, and by the time she reaches him he's pacing by the desk and Bob is looking angry. "Thank you," she says to Bob with a smile, and turns to Clark. "Stop scaring my people," she says, sharply.
"He's Lex's person first," snaps Clark. "I'm sure he's a dick."
Chloe shakes her head. "Whatever," she says, ever mindful of the tape recorders that all reporters carry. "I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than abuse LexCorp employees, Mister Kent. What can I do for you?"
"What are you hiding, Chloe, with your Kryptonite reinforced windows?" he asks, his voice a whisper, and she knows he is not recording this conversation.
She leans in towards him, so close she can feel his breath, and is not afraid of his strength. "We're hiding from you, you dumbass," she whispers back, and heads back towards the elevators. "This interview is over, Mister Kent," she says.
As the elevator pings, his hand wraps around her wrist. "It's not," he says.
"It is," she says, but when she steps inside the elevator he follows her. Follows her in, and staggers out again.
"What have you done?" he asks, aghast.
Chloe lovingly strokes the elevator walls. "Lined the shaft," she replies, and she hopes the grin she gives is as lascivious as she thinks it is. She waves, and the doors close on his shocked face.
*
"He's such an asshole," Chloe says without preamble, and freezes when she realises that Lex is not alone.
"Miss Sullivan," says the Don as he rises and extends his hand. "Lex was just showing us some of your security measures. I love what you have been doing."
She grins at him. "Love it enough to work with us?"
He nods. "Definitely," he says. "You have vision and purpose. I like that in a young person."
"Chloe," says Lex softly. A warning. "Why don't you have a seat?"
She does, and the Don rests a hand on her arm. "Tell me," he says, "Who is being such an ass to you? Can we help you with this problem?"
"Perhaps," Chloe replies. "Do you know any excellent jewellers?"
*
The present she gives Lois is tiny, and wrapped in twenty dollar wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon made of fine Chinese silk. Lois laughs. "Chloe," she says, as she throws her arms around her cousin, "You didn't have to be so extravagant." Chloe kisses Lois' cheek.
"It's just paper," she says, "But presentation is everything."
"Did Lex teach you that?" Lois asks, an eyebrow raised, and Chloe shakes her head.
"No," she says, "Perry did," and they are silent for a moment, before Lois shakes the box.
"Can I open it now?"
"No," says Chloe, and over Lois' shoulder, she meets Clark's eyes. "Wait until you're alone."
As Clark reaches them, he rests a hand heavily on Lois' shoulder. "What did Chloe give you?" he asks, and Lois smiles.
"Something she shouldn't have," Lois says, and Chloe holds her breath.
Lois turns to mingle, and Clark leaves Chloe alone, and Chloe knows she's safe.
He doesn't know.
It is the perfect gift.
*
Lex announces his bid for Governor on Chloe's birthday. It's not the perfect gift, but she thinks it's probably close when in the crowd, Clark waves his hand and asks if Lex's time upstate will hinder his gubernatorial aspirations.
"Oh, no," says Lex. "As you know, the President has pardoned me, and I believe the people of this fine state can look past that mistake to see what I can offer them. A state free from the influence of one man who can peer in their windows and storm their houses without exerting himself; a state safe from an alien, not from another country, but from another galaxy. Why should we be subjected to the whims of Superman when he can damage our homes and our freedom?" Chloe watches Clark carefully, and the cheers from the crowd make him jump.
Lex waves and the crowd cheers louder.
Chloe smiles.
END
Smallville, Chloe, rated PG.
For
tab_a_slot_b. Prompt 018: Lex is a criminal mastermind and Chloe is his head of security. Lex isn't obsessed with Clark and Superman, it's the other way around, and Chloe knows it. Clark is a total asshole to her because he thinks she "betrayed" him. PORN. ***
She waits until they're out in the open; until cameras of a different sort are trained upon them, but none are close enough to hear her words.
"So," she starts as she opens the door for him. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"
"Oh, shut up," he snaps, and slides into the limo.
She grins, and slides in beside him.
She closes the door.
*
He pauses by the percolator, and watches it merrily bubbling away. "Honey," he says, his voice mocking, "You shouldn't have."
"I didn't," she replies. "Your secretary has a crush on you, Lex." She grins, and the grin is cruel. She rearranges the flowers on his desk, fresh bought this morning. "I think she thinks you're a tragic figure."
"I have that effect on people." He pours the coffee into a mug, and the smell fills Lex's office. He proffers the mug to her. "You're my head of security. Care to try it?"
"I'm not here to be your taste tester, Lex," she says, but accepts the mug anyway. She sips, and the thick liquid warms her. She scalds her tongue. She meets his eyes across the mug, and the look he gives her is all business and just a little bit of fondness as she says, "It's not quite strong enough."
"These girls never learn," he says, and she knows a dismissal when she hears it. She makes a note to find a new secretary later, and sits in his expensive leather chair.
"Ready to get back to work?" she asks him. Takes another sip of the coffee, and grimaces. It really is too weak, and she longs for a paint stripper sort of coffee, heavy and thick and black. Lex sits in the guest chair, and he's close but on the wrong side of the desk, and so far away.
"Talk to me," he says, and it's more a command than a request. She closes her eyes; leans back and begins to recite the litany of things that went wrong during his little trip to the pen upstate.
"Alex quit. Sonja suggested swapping portfolios with Charles. Charles is wife-swapping with Sampson. One new law suit has been brought against the company, and we had four attempted break-ins to the science levels."
She opens her eyes, and Lex nods at her. "Okay," he says. "Anything else?"
"One break-in to your office."
"From the window?"
Chloe nods. "Where else?" she asks.
"Where else, indeed," he replies, and sighs.
"We need to put in that shielding," Chloe says. It's an old issue, and one with which she intends to have her way. She leans towards him. "Lex," she presses, "It's time."
Lex closes his eyes.
*
The wind blows her hair over her eyes and she leans over the balcony. Behind her, the door shut firmly between them, Lex sits in the office of his penthouse. He leans over his large wooden desk, the one he brought all the way from Smallville, and catches up on all the things that fell behind whilst he was gone. She thinks perhaps she should be working too, but it's late, dammit, and she worked hard in his absence.
She leans over the balcony, and watches the cars five hundred feet below.
The wind picks up speed, but before she can tighten her grip on the railing she's floating in the air.
"I could drop you," says Superman. "I could drop you, and be in Asia before you hit the ground. There's a team of mountaineers lost somewhere in Northern China, and if the sun goes down they'll freeze."
"So save them," says Chloe, and she's not afraid, but her hands tighten around Superman's neck. "Save them and drop me, but that's not exactly good press for the Man of Steel, is it? Oh, wait." Chloe pauses, and meets Superman's eyes. "The Daily Planet's star reporter loves you." Her voice is childish and teasing, but she's deadly serious.
"She's a good reporter," protests Superman, angrily. "You're just jealous your journalistic career is over."
"I have a good life," Chloe replies, and her eyes drift back down to the pavement. She wonders what it will feel like to end her life five hundred feet below. "A better life than the one I had."
"You're a whore. A whore, and a traitor."
"Oh, like you can fucking talk," she snaps back.
"You sold me out to Lex Luthor, Chloe," Superman says.
"You did that yourself, Clark." He flinches at her use of his name, even at five hundred feet, and she closes her eyes. "Now shut up and drop me."
He does, and six feet later she feels the balcony beneath her feet and hears the sick crack of bone. When she opens the door, all her weight on her right leg, Lex doesn't look away from his laptop.
"You had a visitor, Lex," she says, and he looks up at her.
"What did he want?"
"To threaten me," she replies. "Can you find an ice pack?" She hobbles to the nearest chair, and fights with him over whether she needs to see a doctor. "I'm good," she insists, and rests a finger on his lips. Kneeling, he looks up at her. "But this penthouse on top of the LexCorp building is hardly the most secret base of operations ever," she says, and he laughs.
"We're not moving, Chloe"
"I want a secret lair. They're much easier to secure than public buildings, five hundred feet high."
He kisses her ankle, and rests a hand on her knee. "What about the shielding? That should be enough."
"Not if we're outside."
His hand tightens on her knee. "So don't go outside."
"That is hardly reasonable. How else can I survey your domain?"
"No," he repeats, and when she meets his eyes he doesn't look away. "We will get the shielding installed, and you will secure this location. We won't hide, Chloe. Powerful people don't hide."
"What about their mistresses?"
"Head of Security."
"Whatever."
She makes plans in her head, and watches him do the same.
Regardless of what Clark thinks, she is satisfied with her choice.
*
The press conference is a nightmare, but that is not unexpected, so. Cameras flash constantly, and the questions are yelled with no respect for order or coherency. She hears, "Did you drop the soap?" yelled over the top of, "Are you a changed man?" and, "Do you think you'll ever run for President one day?" Lex takes the questions calmly, and ignores the one about the soap. "Now that you've spent four weeks on the other side of the bars," Clark pauses, and Chloe hears the where you belong in the silence, "are you considering beefing up your own security?" Lex gestures vaguely in Chloe's direction, pressed up against the wall of the LexCorp building.
"Our security is, as always, first class, Mister Kent," says Lex. "But four weeks with those less fortunate than myself has certainly opened my eyes to cracks in many systems." Lex smiles. "I think that's all for now. Thank you for your time." The cacophony continues as he ascends the steps and Chloe pushes the doors open. When the doors are firmly closed, and they are surrounded by metres of steel as they ascend to the penthouse, Lex slumps against the wall of the elevator and closes his eyes. "Are the shields ready to go?" he asks Chloe.
"They've been ready for two weeks," she replies.
"Okay," he says. Rubs his temples, like maybe he's got a headache. If he does, she wouldn't be surprised. "Have them installed in every building. But do it in secret. Make them look like window washers, or something."
"And distract Superman?"
Lex breathes out. "Yes," he replies. "And distract Superman." The doors open, and Lex steps out. The doors start to close, but Lex's hand darts out and holds them open. He meets her eyes. "And you can have your fucking secret lair." The doors close on his hooded eyes, and she knows all he could see was her pleased grin.
*
LUTHOR RUNNING SCARED reads The Daily Planet's headline, and Chloe grimaces. She leans against the door; shows the headline to Lex, and watches as he frowns. "Does he have his ear to the fucking door?" he asks, and it sounds like a complaint, but it's code for, do you know where he is?
"Not right now," she says. "Fire in a hostel in Germany that's popular with illegal immigrants."
He smiles at her. "Thank you, Chloe," he says, and his kiss is sincere. She kisses him for just a second, before she pushes him away.
"Later," she says. "We must use this time wisely."
*
In a cafe in uptown Metropolis, one frequented by polite society and politicians and the occasional actor, a waitress shows Chloe to a table. "Hey, Chloe," says Lois, and Chloe smiles at her.
"Lois," she says in greeting. "How's your dad?"
"He's fine," Lois replies, as she stirs her iced tea and looks concerned. "How are you?"
"Busy." Her answers are short and unfriendly, but Lois bravely pushes on, and Chloe knows why.
"I hope you're not working too hard. And I hope you're not still putting yourself in danger."
"I'm good, Lois. And I know what I'm doing."
"And how is Lex? Is he settling back in okay?"
Chloe stares at Lois, her disbelief faked because it's not like she's surprised. "I'm not," she starts, and takes a breath. "Lois, I'm not going to answer that question."
"Chloe, I'm your cousin."
"Lois, you're a reporter."
"So were you, once."
"Yes," says Chloe. "I was. And now I'm not." She pushes her chair away, and starts to rise. "And I have work to do."
"Chloe," says Lois. She reaches an arm out, and wraps a hand around Chloe's wrist. "Chloe, please. I just want to know how Lex is. And that you're okay, and safe."
Chloe leans forward. "He's good," she says. "He always is."
"Are you still fucking him?" Clark asks, and drops into the chair beside Lois.
"Clark!" protest Lois, and Chloe climbs to her feet.
"I think we're done here," she says, and the door tingles behind her.
*
In a bar in downtown Metropolis, Chloe slides onto a stool and orders something expensive. A grubby hand rests on the bar beside her. "Miz Sullivan," she hears, and looks up into the grinning face of her informant.
"Excellent," she says. "Pull up a stool."
She doesn't take notes: she commits it all to memory. She's not a reporter, and she no longer needs the evidence.
Her words are all the proof she needs with Lex.
*
Lex idly strokes the skin at Chloe's wrist. "How is Lois?" he asks, and she doesn't blink.
"Just the same as always," replies Chloe. "Earnest, and my cousin."
"And Clark?" he asks, and of course he heard. Of course he did.
"Still an asshole," she says, and kisses him.
She twines her fingers through his; swings their clasped hands as she leads him from the penthouse's office into the bedroom. She pushes him down onto the bed and straddles him, and when she kisses him he moans into her mouth. She bites his lip and wraps her fingers around his cock, and when she tries to make him see stars he retaliates by sliding two fingers inside her.
When she comes she screams, and they lie there, skin sweaty and warm. When she opens her eyes her gaze lands on the open window, and hopes that asshole heard.
Lex kisses her shoulder.
*
The moonlight streams through the windows, and Chloe wakes to find herself alone in the bed. Light filters down the hall, and when she holds her breath she can hear the tap tap of Lex's fingers on the keyboard. She lies there as the sun begins to rise, and she hates herself for her idleness.
She doesn't notice the taps have stopped until Lex stands in the doorway, barefoot and clad in black pyjama pants and an expensive business shirt.
"How were the Australians?" Chloe asks.
"Loud," he says, "and forceful," and Chloe smiles.
"But they gave us what we want." Lex nods and tilts his head.
"I'm going for a shower," he says, dismissing the early morning business meeting. He holds out his hand. "Care to join me?"
She drops the sheet, and her skin is bare.
*
"The windows are cracked," says the cleaner, "I thought, you know, a security issue, I should inform you and not Mister Luthor."
Chloe smiles. "Oh yes," she says. "You were quite right. Broken windows at five hundred feet is quite a security issue."
*
"Nice bruise," she says to Clark, and he looks surprised to see her.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
"I'm a citizen of this fair city," she replies. She looks up at the crane lowering the new Daily Planet sign onto the old building. "I'm just as interested in the news as the next person." She looks pointedly at him, and, "Nice bruise," she repeats. "I thought you didn't bruise that easily."
"Something special in the windows," he says, just as pointedly.
"Mmhmm," she hums.
"Coming to Lois' birthday party?" he asks conversationally, like he doesn't hate her; like he doesn't hate her boss and her lover and her life; like maybe they're still friends.
"I am," she says, "But I have to tell her that I'll be late."
"Got something to hide?" he asks. "Or perhaps you've got some whoring to do?" She bites her tongue.
"Yes," Chloe says, and turns away.
She feels the heat of his gaze on her back, and she smiles.
*
He doesn't chase her into the building, because Superman is not so crass as that, but as Clark in his stupid glasses and with his tape recorder in his pocket, he enters at the ground level and demands to speak to her.
She takes her time descending, and by the time she reaches him he's pacing by the desk and Bob is looking angry. "Thank you," she says to Bob with a smile, and turns to Clark. "Stop scaring my people," she says, sharply.
"He's Lex's person first," snaps Clark. "I'm sure he's a dick."
Chloe shakes her head. "Whatever," she says, ever mindful of the tape recorders that all reporters carry. "I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than abuse LexCorp employees, Mister Kent. What can I do for you?"
"What are you hiding, Chloe, with your Kryptonite reinforced windows?" he asks, his voice a whisper, and she knows he is not recording this conversation.
She leans in towards him, so close she can feel his breath, and is not afraid of his strength. "We're hiding from you, you dumbass," she whispers back, and heads back towards the elevators. "This interview is over, Mister Kent," she says.
As the elevator pings, his hand wraps around her wrist. "It's not," he says.
"It is," she says, but when she steps inside the elevator he follows her. Follows her in, and staggers out again.
"What have you done?" he asks, aghast.
Chloe lovingly strokes the elevator walls. "Lined the shaft," she replies, and she hopes the grin she gives is as lascivious as she thinks it is. She waves, and the doors close on his shocked face.
*
"He's such an asshole," Chloe says without preamble, and freezes when she realises that Lex is not alone.
"Miss Sullivan," says the Don as he rises and extends his hand. "Lex was just showing us some of your security measures. I love what you have been doing."
She grins at him. "Love it enough to work with us?"
He nods. "Definitely," he says. "You have vision and purpose. I like that in a young person."
"Chloe," says Lex softly. A warning. "Why don't you have a seat?"
She does, and the Don rests a hand on her arm. "Tell me," he says, "Who is being such an ass to you? Can we help you with this problem?"
"Perhaps," Chloe replies. "Do you know any excellent jewellers?"
*
The present she gives Lois is tiny, and wrapped in twenty dollar wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon made of fine Chinese silk. Lois laughs. "Chloe," she says, as she throws her arms around her cousin, "You didn't have to be so extravagant." Chloe kisses Lois' cheek.
"It's just paper," she says, "But presentation is everything."
"Did Lex teach you that?" Lois asks, an eyebrow raised, and Chloe shakes her head.
"No," she says, "Perry did," and they are silent for a moment, before Lois shakes the box.
"Can I open it now?"
"No," says Chloe, and over Lois' shoulder, she meets Clark's eyes. "Wait until you're alone."
As Clark reaches them, he rests a hand heavily on Lois' shoulder. "What did Chloe give you?" he asks, and Lois smiles.
"Something she shouldn't have," Lois says, and Chloe holds her breath.
Lois turns to mingle, and Clark leaves Chloe alone, and Chloe knows she's safe.
He doesn't know.
It is the perfect gift.
*
Lex announces his bid for Governor on Chloe's birthday. It's not the perfect gift, but she thinks it's probably close when in the crowd, Clark waves his hand and asks if Lex's time upstate will hinder his gubernatorial aspirations.
"Oh, no," says Lex. "As you know, the President has pardoned me, and I believe the people of this fine state can look past that mistake to see what I can offer them. A state free from the influence of one man who can peer in their windows and storm their houses without exerting himself; a state safe from an alien, not from another country, but from another galaxy. Why should we be subjected to the whims of Superman when he can damage our homes and our freedom?" Chloe watches Clark carefully, and the cheers from the crowd make him jump.
Lex waves and the crowd cheers louder.
Chloe smiles.
END