Spoiler(s): Season 3, maybe 4 later
Disclaimer: Smallville stole my soul from Doctor Who. Unfortunately, it didn't come with any rights of ownership.
Author's Note: Sinecure prompted me with 'butterscotch' and 'powder keg'. I glared and had some not so nice thoughts about her. Then I wrote this, which is a bit silly and definitely not my norm. Then she gave me ideas to make it longer and I, pushover that I am, agreed to it. If anyone laughs at this, I'm holding her responsible (as my beta, it'll be completely her fault).
The day the local DQ offered free ice cream cones in celebration of the cessation of a summer-long heat wave, the whole of Smallville breaking down the doors for a scoop of the tasty treat.
Lex Luthor would have preferred to be someplace--any place—else.
But he'd made a promise to Chloe, told her he'd take her anywhere her heart desired as a token of his appreciation for her help in bringing his father to justice.
Despite her repeated assurances to the contrary, he knew he would forever be in her debt for the sacrifices she'd made.
"Chloe. It means a lot you're willing to do this for me. But if you come forward, you're putting yourself between my father and the FBI. That's not a very safe place to be."
He'd needed her to understand then just how big a risk she'd been about to take. But she'd already known, had seen firsthand what sort of a man Lionel was, how dangerous he could be.
For some reason, Lex didn't think a set of diamond earrings would be an appropriate, or appreciated, method of repayment.
Pushing through the throng of people standing just inside the doors, Lex attempted to avoid the sticky fingers that seemed to be everywhere at once. A rising tide of unease threatened to engulf him. This wasn't his customary haunt. These weren't the people he normally associated with.
A quick, cursory glance at their surroundings was enough to curl his lip up in disgust. The floors were dingy, the glaringly white walls wallpapered in stains of an indeterminate nature. Thick plastic chairs overflowed with loud, hyperactive children of all ages.
It was nauseating.
Offer Chloe dinner, and what does she choose? Not a nice, respectable restaurant in Metropolis, not even a quiet sit down at the mansion. No, she had to insist on a fast food eatery that served nothing but greasy burgers and an overabundance of sugary desserts.
It wasn't like he could try to change her mind at this point though. Any attempts at conversation had ceased the second they'd arrived. Talking would've been a useless endeavor over the drone of screechy, annoying voices anyway.
By the time they reached the register and Lex had his wallet out, ready to pay the measly amount necessary to make Chloe happy, he was startled and a little offended when she told the cashier she wanted a free cone.
Then she tossed him a sly, knowing look, and added, "One for Grumpy Dwarf too, please."
It was the last straw.
Lex spun on his heels, coat flapping behind him, leaving her waiting at the counter, smug grin slowly slipping from her lips. He didn't make it more than a few feet before stepping in something sticky on the cheap linoleum. He tried to wipe it off on the floor, not caring if he left a mess for someone else to step in, but it was a useless endeavor.
The shoes didn't really matter much; he had a dozen of the same pair in his closet and he could easily afford to buy more. It was the cost of his pride that bothered him.
In front of the whole of Smallville.
He could hear the barely stifled laughs, could see the amusement dancing over the faces of children and adults alike.
Grabbing a couple of napkins from a dispenser on the counter, he cringed at the slurping, squelching sound the soles of his expensive shoes made as he stalked through the building. Out in the fresh air, he took a couple of deep, calming breaths and felt his control slowly slip back into place.
But a group of giggling teenage girls, with hips swaying in a practiced way as they approached, made him tense up again and he quickly escaped back to the parking lot. Back to the relative safety of the awaiting Benz.
Leaning against his car with a groan, he eyed the caramel-colored substance coating the bottom of his shoe, wondering how he'd gotten himself into this mess.
With anyone else, he would have insisted on a more reasonable establishment. For some reason though, whenever Chloe was around, reason flew right out the window.
It wasn't her looks. Though she was pretty enough, she simply wasn't his type. Her blonde hair and abundant womanly curves just didn't do it for him. He much preferred his women taller, more slender, with rich brown hair and the poise that was sorely lacking in Chloe.
She was a high school student, nothing more. Her intellect and wit were impressive, but that was no reason for him to lose his common sense whenever she was around. He was Lex Luthor after all, and Lex Luthor was supposed to be unflappable.
"If I'd known you liked butterscotch so much, I would've gotten you a sundae."
Lex had been so absorbed in thought, he hadn't heard Chloe approaching. He didn't look up, didn't want her to see just how uncomfortable, how disgusted this whole excursion had made him. And suddenly, he felt a childish urge to snatch her cone from her hand and rub it in her face. Or drop it on the ground and smash it beneath his already ruined shoes. He settled for giving her an irritated look.
What next? Pulling her pigtails and hiding frogs in her bag?
This was ridiculous.
Pushing away the asinine thoughts, he straightened from the car and opened the driver's side door. He was more than ready to be done with the whole charade. Wanted nothing more than to get back to the mansion, where he felt more in his element.
"I'd much prefer the subtle, but rich, flavor of the Sacher-tuatin to soft serve ice cream." Lex gave her cone a disparaging look. "We could have flown to Vienna on my private jet, had desert on the Walzerschiff Johann Strauss, lazing down the river Danube. If that's not to your taste, then Italy for a luxuriously rich tiramisu. Or France for a Cherry Clafoutis with the finest, ripest cherries, and just a dollop of creme fraiche. Strawberries dipped in the finest dark chocolates and sweetest creams. A slice of raspberry praline sorbet, with a glass of fine wine. Anything your heart desires, Chloe. But you chose this."
Chloe's irises were wide, her teeth biting down softly on her lower lip as she stared at him. He watched the scoop of ice cream slide off his cone, landing on the ground with a splat. Hers very nearly ended up there as well, but she quickly snapped out of whatever it was that had her in its thrall, and the not-so-subtle amusement at his expense was back in spades.
"Figures," she snorted.
Exasperated, he climbed into the car, slipping into the lush seat, reveling in the familiar comfort and the rich smell of plush leather. "Seriously, Chloe. Let me do this for you. What you did--"
"Wasn't a completely selfless act. And besides--" she paused to buckle her seatbelt and lick a drip of ice cream off her hand. "You kept me from Daddy Dearest's evil grasp. I think we're even."
For some reason, watching her tongue slide across her skin, even for something as innocent as a crude substitute for a napkin, made him feel uncomfortable. It was disturbing in a way. Maybe it was her age. But admitting to that explanation implied that something in the gesture was appealing to him on a sexual level.
Which was just absurd.
Lex didn't think of Chloe as anything more than an acquaintance. A friend-by-proxy perhaps, with Clark Kent being the only connection between them. He'd known of her before of course, had heard stories of her academic feats in the employee lounge back when Gabe Sullivan was still his plant manager.
Yet another reason for Lex to feel guilty, feel like he owed her something. Allowing her family to become a pawn in the never-ending chess game between himself and his father was inexcusable. He had to find some way to repay her, some way to get out of her debt, even if she fought him every step of the way.
Putting the car in gear and pulling out onto main street, Lex stole a glance in Chloe's direction and smiled.
He'd always loved a challenge.