The Subconscious Ramblings of a Dunderhead - Chapter 1
Chloe sat beside him on the padded couch. They were close but not touching. She had always been a friend and that was it. He never really thought of her as anything other than a brilliant if rather impetuous and curious creature. She was a good friend who could be counted on when the chips were down. But in one moment that had changed, a simple movement flicking the switch from friendly glance to lustful thoughts. How the hell could a girl stretching do that?
Chloe's arms were raised above her head and hitching the hem of her shirt well above the waistband of her jeans. A section of creamy pale flesh was displayed as she made a big deal of her apparent tiredness. The moaning and sighing was beginning to get on his nerves. Not because it was annoying but more for the sensation that slice of flesh and those breathy sounds arose in him. Even worse was the protectiveness and surging anger that swept over him as the other members of the Justice League took advantage of the moment to survey her form. The growl in him had to be quenched and he reined in the beast that he never realised he had.
They were all seated around the Queen's den, leather couches sprawled in a rough circle so they could see one another and discuss their new mission. However in this case the mission was over and they were finishing up their debriefing and ready to go home.
AC was seated on the couch near the aquarium, his cheek up against the tank as he bonded with his friends. Awhile ago this would have weirded him out but now it was standard fare. AC was a great friend to those with skin and scale but he still wasn't totally appreciative of the universal appeal of the word 'bro'. AC's wholehearted passion for the deep was inspiring and all little frightening all at once.
Victor sat ramrod straight against the back of his chair, his legs at exact right angles and his head inclined to the left. Victor was obviously concentrating on something that human eyes would not be able to detect. He admired the focus Victor was able to inject into every facet of his existence. However the man could seriously cut the rug on the dance floor and had some lethal Playstation moves as well.
Bart was seated next to AC, a gigantic bag of potato chips in his lap and his hand a blur from the number of times it raised itself to his mouth. This wasn't his ability, rather a symptom of an abnormal rate of digestion and an overactive metabolism. He would have been throwing out the ever present pick up lines and amusing pet names upon Chloe but his appetite had moved to the fore. Munching away his entire attention was centred on the chip packet, not his Chloelicious. He didn't know if he could stand Bart calling her that anymore.
She was talking now and he had to shake his head to focus on her words.
"So what do you dunderheads intend on doing in your time off?" she laughed as she said it, her words teasing and her grin bright and white. He felt the corner of his mouth rise in response to the smile and struggled to keep it in lockdown. He saw the others one by one smile, failing in their attempts to not be affected by her sunshiny grin.
"Uh I thought I would cruise down to Australia and catch some waves," AC announced and for a moment he felt a little envious. For AC a trip Down Under wouldn't take all that long along the 'ocean route'.
"Oh that sounds like paradise," Chloe sighed a faraway look upon her face.
"Yeah and there sure are lots of birds there," AC chuckled while Chloe groans at the poor joke.
"What about you Victor?"
"Not much, got some stuff to download." Victor looked a little sheepish.
"Not getting your hands on some episodes of The Hills, are you Vic?" Chloe kidded as Victor coloured. "What about you, Bart?" Bart looked up surprised and spoke before he remembered to swallow.
"Whath that puthy cath?" his words were punctuated by chips flying from his mouth in a horrifying display of see-food.
"Never mind," Chloe giggled turning her attention to him. Her legs were folded up cross legged in front of her, her pink painted toes wiggling against the cool leather of the couch. "And you?"
She sat there staring at him with a smile on her face, the love she felt for him plastered all over each one of her features. He knew she loved him. But then again there were many types of love and he wasn't really sure what hers was. All he knew was that she loved him and he loved her, fiercely. She was his most trusted person, his relief.
"Not much. I think I may hang around Metropolis for awhile. Maybe get some more face time in with you and catch up with the boys," he nodded towards the guys in various positions around the room. They were down one, the last absent member running late and having not yet arrived. The room looked a little empty without him.
"Ah face time with yours truly," she grinned. "I am not sure I have time for you." The saucy grin she threw at him made him suck in his breath. The force of it so strong that his stomach clenched against its power. That's when he knew he had a problem. One that wouldn't easily resolved.
"Oh you'll make time if I have anything to do with it," he announced trying to inject some humour into his words to take away from his stiffened form. He was tense, so tense that it was almost beyond belief. He felt a movement at his right and found her moving towards him, sitting up right next to him and putting her arm around his shoulders. She had had to kneel to have the height necessary to pull this off. She moved her face next to him –
"Oh, will I?" she said, pinching his cheek with her forefinger and thumb. He tried to resist. To stop thinking about the warmth her body was transferring into his own just from the slightest of touches. The scent of her, sweet and citrusy, uniquely hers. It was wafting around him and this once familiar and comforting smell quickly became an enormous turn on. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He resisted the temptation to take a deep breath in and inhale more. He resisted. Her arm still looped around him, she nudged him with her hip trying to evoke a response.
"You betcha," and he threw his arm around her and drew her closer into his body. He was only male and this pocket rocket was tempting. She giggled and then untangled herself, moving back to her side of the couch, her legs recreating their former stance.
"Well since you are all curious, I am doing same-old same-old and doing time at the Planet. Aren't you glad you waited for that?" the boys looked at her blankly. "Yeah I know, I am a real page turner."
He threw a smile in her direction trying to process his feelings for her and what this altered feeling meant. He loved her sure but since when had she made his pulse race and his stomach contract? What was all that about? Should he say something or was the staidness of their friendship unshakeable, unchangeable? He sighed to himself, this was a heck of a situation to get one's self into – the hots for his greatest friend.
"So since my plans are so scintillating, what about our fine friend, our absent acquaintance, our ..." at that moment the door opened to the penthouse. They all looked to the door of the room, waiting for the inevitable grand entrance of their last member.
When the guy entered the room he realised this may be harder than he thought. The new addition waved a hello and leaned against the frame of the door smiling at them all. His tall frame languid but alert. She turned around excitedly, the smile on Chloe's face was brighter in receiving this new arrival, brighter than what the rest of them got. She was in love with him and he had no chance, no chance at all.
Author's Note – This is my first attempt at a Smallville fic. I apologise if the dialogue is a little rusty but I am more used to writing Friday Night Lights style and it may take me a little while to warm up. Reviews are always appreciated. And yes the vagueness about the protagonist is deliberate.