Everything In This World
By Viv
*~*~ Part Thirty-Nine ~*~*
"Stop. Fussing." Lex gritted out, his teeth audibly grating as he looked askance at Chloe, his blue eyes glittering dangerously.
"Well, stop. Whining." Chloe retorted in the same tone, shooting a defiant glare back at him. "And stop using that tone. You sound like a whiney non-lead in a made-for-tv melodrama who didn't get the memo to shut up already and let other people do their jobs."
Lex spluttered, all anger momentarily choked. "Whining? Chloe, Luthors never whine."
"Well, there's a first for everything, Luthor genes be damned." She snapped back, smiling infuriatingly at him as she dropped an armful of vintage comics onto his lap. "Those are your comics. And by the way - you're welcome."
The last month or so had been punctuated by similar types of exchanges as the one she was experiencing with Lex right now. Somehow, the idea of him being seriously hurt had managed to escape his Luthor psyche, causing the delusion that he could continue to do whatever it was that he thought he had to do without regard for his health.
So Chloe had called him on his errant stupidity, and had shouldered the task of making sure Lex was recuperating with the best care possible - which meant one highly trained nurse paid out of Lex's seemingly bottomless funds and one Chloe, who wasn't highly trained - nor trained at all, except for a brief stint at a First Aid session a few summers ago at her old school - but who was determined to see her responsibility through.
Not three minutes into actually acting on her decision, she had discovered one thing about Lex that she had previously thought interesting and slightly endearing, but which immediately proved a major irritation to Chloe's already guilty nerves.
Lex was strikingly, monumentally, stubborn. Privately she knew that certain freakishly nice individuals thought that she had the market cornered on stubborn, but Chloe chose to glance over that non-fact.
Lex's rigid stubbornness and the mistaken impression that he was super human had been the cause of several explosive arguments between them, all originating in her mind from Lex's stubborn refusal to let Chloe do anything for him. She wasn't into fluffing pillows and delicately toting soothing chamomile teas on trays or anything like that, but if she could do small things to brighten his day - like make him smile - what harm was there in her making him feel more comfortable? So what if he appeared less than sprite with an almost psychotic tendency to rip the cast off his leg and scratch the entire upper layer of his skin off? That was the way normal people behaved when they were injured and surely he wasn't vain and insecure enough to worry about the way he looked to Chloe?
Because that would have been beyond absurd and ridiculous, even for the melodrama that was Chloe and Lex.
"Guys." Clark interrupted Chloe's internal rant, planting himself conveniently into her line of fire. "Chill out." He grinned cheekily, holding up his mocha chiller, "I am."
Chloe rolled her eyes at the lameness that was Clark. She consoled herself with the fact that at least there was no freaky snowball's chance in hell that Lex could ever say anything as lame.
They were at Lex's mansion for the umpteenth time that summer, lazing about and culpably taking advantage of Lex's generous hospitality. While Chloe was there through her primary motivation of making sure that Lex was all right - and not attracted at all to shielding her non-tanning skin with the superb central air-conditioning system at his mansion - Clark, Lana and Pete had inexplicably decided between themselves to make 2116 Beresford Lane the venue of choice for their after work, after chores hang out.
Chloe had been thankful, although not in an actually showing it kind of way. Some deeply felt things were better left unsaid.
Actually, their sudden interest in making Lex's mansion as the congregation point for their little group wasn't all that inexplicable. Clark, Lana and Pete were all freakishly easy going individuals who weren't particularly choosey about where they were seen or not seen - they just liked spending time with their friends. And since two of those said friends were more or less permanently planted at Lex's mansion, the logical choice was that they all descend on the mansion too.
Of course, it helped that Lex's mansion was equipped with every entertainment facility imaginable. Entertainment systems, a movie screening room, servants to cook food at all hours of the day, a well-equipped gym, not to mention a pool table and an odd artefact or two had all conspired to entertain them so far this summer.
Any reservations that Pete had had with hanging out at Lex's mansion - and thereby issuing a press release to the world in general that he had officially accepted Lex as a friend - had been overcome by Chloe accidentally mentioning to him that Lex had an entire vault-like room dedicated to his treasure trove of rare collectable comics.
And now wild rampaging meteor enhanced horses couldn't drag Pete away.
In short, 2116 Beresford Lane had turned into LexLand - a weird general theme park, except without the fancy rides and scary dancing clowns.
"So very lame Clark." Chloe bit back, smiling despite herself. Somehow, that goofy smile of Clark's almost never failed to cheer her up, regardless of what she was doing or feeling at the time.
She plonked herself onto the plush leather couch and sighed heavily. "Sorry for the snarkiness Clark. It's just that a certain bald individual," her hazel eyes looked pointedly at Lex, who raised his brows in mock innocence, "insists on irritating me with his innate stubbornness. And he should get over it because it's been a month already."
"Well, maybe if Florence Nightingale redux would lay off with the excessive fussing, the said bald individual may be less irritable." Lex gritted back.
Lana suddenly laughed, her eyes twinkling wickedly with barely suppressed humour. "This is hysterical. You guys are fighting like one of those old married couples who love each underneath but can't help snarking the day away because that's all they've been doing for the past 40 years."
"We don't - you take that back." Chloe spluttered, totally at lost for words.
Lex likewise stared daggers at the former cheerleader, his bad mood getting worse. "Say that again Lana and I'll turn the Talon into a parking garage."
"Yes boss." Lana said snidely, her eyes still sparkling in glee as she bit into an Oreo. Clark laughed and threw himself onto the floor beside Lana, spooning his large frame behind hers as his arm curled about her waist. She offered an Oreo to Clark who munched silently at it.
Pete scoffed absently. "Yeah right." He dragged his attention momentarily away from the vintage comic that was tightly clutched in his hands. "You guys are like that snarky old couple down at the nursing home with the anger management issues. What were their names again Clark?"
"The Petersens." Clark added helpfully. "They were a nice couple after you got to know them, and after you, well, dodge a few flying utensils or two."
"You guys should do something else than say, have this conspiracy of non-fun at other people's expense." Chloe butted in savagely, fed up with all the fun they were having at her and Lex's expense. "Don't you have some outdoor adrenalin pumping sporting activity that you have to play? Hopefully away from here?"
"All right, we'll go." Clark protested, a faintly injured look on his face. "You don't have to be so obvious about it Chloe." He gestured to Pete, who reluctantly put down his comic. "Want to play some ball?"
"Since when did you play basketball?" Chloe interjected roughly, still annoyed as hell with her two best friends. She admitted that she was also annoyed at herself for reacting so strongly to their playful ribbing, although she would go to her grave before she divulged that bit of non-fact to anyone.
"I play. I've always played. It's not my fault you have such an aversion to all jock related activities." Clark protested as he helped Lana up. "Come on, we'll leave Chloe and Lex to snark at each other in peace." He added tongue-in-cheek.
"Guys." Lana rounded behind him and tugged at him playfully. "They've probably had enough for one day. Come on, I'll be your cheerleading section of one." Lana added cheekily, winking devilishly at Chloe as she pushed Clark and Pete out the door.
Chloe and Lex were left to stare at each other in the suddenly deafening silence in the room.
"Subtle, Chloe, really subtle." Lex commented as soon as Lana had bundled Clark and Pete out of the study.
Chloe stomped around to stand next to him. "Well they were getting on my nerves. I like Clark and Pete as much as the next - well, normal person, but they can get a little relentless sometimes. Especially just now when they were saying ... you know. As if we could ever resemble a married anything." She floundered.
"Yeah." Lex nodded in understanding, trying gentlemanly to ignore the blush that crept steadily over Chloe's face.
Chloe averted her eyes as she gazed over the myriad collectables ranged around the luxuriously appointed study, biting a strand of her hair absently in thought. The last month or so had been trying for both of them, what with their constant bickering and getting on each other's nerves. She knew that they had both been acting out on their frustration, but it had been thoroughly weird and unnerving to have someone else, clueless Clark and Pete of all people - to call them in on it. "Lex."
Lex made a non-committal sound.
Chloe leaned against his impressive mahogany desk, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry if I've been ... irritating you. I just wanted to make you feel better and I know I can come on a little strong sometimes -"
Lex looked up, startled at the warmth and vulnerability of her tone. "Chloe, don't - if anything, I'm sorry." He sighed as he looked up at her, his eyes beseeching. "I haven't thanked you for being here. The significance of you spending the first month of your summer here instead of anywhere else hasn't been lost on me. It's just that I haven't been sick for a while and - I must admit that Luthors probably don't make for the best patients. I've been hurt," he smiled dryly, an expression so uniquely Lex-like that it prompted Chloe to grin back at him. "but not sick. Not since the meteor showers. One of the perks of being doused with radiation I think."
"I wouldn't call it the only perk." Chloe said, her smile widening in mischief. "You know you have the smoothest skin I've ever seen. That's definitely a turn on."
"Is that right?" Lex grinned impishly, a come-hither look suddenly blazing from his pale blue orbs.
Chloe smiled insanely back at him, swallowing the sudden urge to jump Lex right then and there and run her hands all over that said smooth skin. It was probably an inappropriate thing to do to a recovering patient with broken limbs. Probably.
After what seemed like an eternity, he closed the book in his hands. His voice snapped back to a more business-like tone as he endeavoured to smooth down electric silence between them. "So ... I got a call from my father this morning."
Chloe's face animated with concern. "And? I can tell by your tone that something's up."
"There's nothing up." Lex frowned, shifting slightly in his wheelchair. "And what tone would that be?"
Chloe gave him a look of reproof. "You're doing that thing you always do when you're uncomfortable." Lex looked blankly at her. "You know that thing with your hands and then you get this look and - never mind." She shook her head as she smiled a little wistfully. "Anyway, your dad called?" She prompted.
Lex got the hint, throwing his comic down onto the table in frustration. "He wants me to go to Metropolis for a board of directors meeting next week."
"But - you can't." She gestured at his leg, still encased in its pristine cast.
Lex shrugged casually. "Well I'm getting the cast off in a few days. It won't stop me from travelling. Since my father is not exactly feeling his best, he thought that I should be the one to represent our family's interests."
"Okay." Chloe digested the information, lost as to its relevance to her. Because she was Chloe and everything in her universe was all about her. "So you're telling me this - why?"
"Because I want you to come with me." He elaborated quickly. "To Metropolis."
Chloe blinked, her heart thumping rapidly in the ensuing silence. To say that Lex's invitation was a surprise would have been the understatement of the century. She was surprised and shocked and astonished, and a million other adjectives that her stunned brain would have been able to muster if not for the whole being really surprised at Lex's invitation thing.
She gulped as the significance of his invitation dawned on her. He was inviting her to Metropolis - with him. He wanted to go to Metropolis together. Together meant possibly staying the night - at his apartment, which when she thought back to the grand opulence didn't really qualify as an apartment at all. Which wasn't really the point, because the point was that he was possibly and probably inviting her to a weekend-ish sort of trip and why was she freaking out?
She didn't know why she was surprised. She reasoned to herself that this was what normal couples did. Except that she and Lex would never in any universe qualify as normal, given that he was richer than God and she was quite possibly the wackiest creature on this side of infinity.
They had been spending so much time together the past few months that Chloe no longer was constantly astonished that she was dating Lex Luthor, heir to a veritable corporate fertiliser empire, but this - this was definitely out of the ordinary. In fact, it wasn't just extraordinary - it was incredible and monumental. The mix of suddenly budding anxiety and delicious expectation melded to produce a strangely squishy sensation which permeated her insides.
Okay, she had to get a grip now. She had of course, forgotten the one fact that would have made all the delicious squishing inside her moot. It would take a miracle of God-like proportions for her dad to agree to her going to Metropolis with Lex.
"Chloe?" Lex asked with a frown, waving a hand in front of Chloe's dazed eyes. "You still here?"
Chloe mumbled incoherently, shock still vibrating throughout her body. "What?"
"Do you want to come with me?" Lex eyed her patiently, the only sign that he wasn't as cool as any normal or abnormal cucumber the pursing of his lips and the slight frown that marred his unlined face.
Chloe exhaled slowly and ran her hands through her hair, kneeling to look directly into Lex's pale blue orbs. "Lex, I'd love to come. But," She said with heart-felt emotion, before she continued at his brightening expression. "I'm not sure whether my dad will go for it. You know him. He's slightly deranged with the fertiliser jokes but underneath, he's still a dad of the traditional variety."
"Of course. It doesn't matter." Lex said a little too casually. "I thought I'd ask. You know, take away the monotonous boredom of having to attend a board of director's meeting."
"Well - I didn't say no. I -" She paused, weighing her words carefully. Lex's openness in his invitation was definitely throwing a curve ball of emotion her way. "Let me talk to him, okay?"
Lex nodded mutely in agreement.
(c) November 2002