Hey, don't worry, I haven't been hogtied in attempts to keep me from finishing this story. : D Although, I'd have to give kudos to my job for trying really hard to keep me there and not able to add to my baby. /shakes an angry fist at her job/ To make a long story short they've taken a six person job and dropped it down to a 2 person a day job with only 3 people left on staff. Very hard to get any time to do anything now. But, I have been writing a little bit after work before I go to bed and have more than this done, just not enough to put it as another chapter.
As a general warning...from this chapter on, those readers who like to drink and eat while reading their ficfixes please be aware that you are running a risk of damaging your computer with flying debris. :) Now that I've said that...I'd like to give a hearty thanks to those readers who have been kindly dropping me a review here and there while this story has taken shape and grown into the lovely piece of hysterics that I can be proud of. Hehe, reviews make the author go 'squee' as does the hit count which has surpassed the 1k mark! Eeeee: D
Once Clark had consumed his gift offering…/cough/ bribe /cough/…they both climbed into the car and started on their way back to the town. Lex carefully watched Clark from the corner of his eye trying to determine his friend's state of mind. Clark's comfortable sprawl in the soft leather seat would have implied a mind at ease before today. Now he found himself searching deeper, trying to peer past the façade of innocence and happiness that Clark presented to the world as easily as he himself presented controlled elegance and power. He returned his full attention to the road when he saw Clark turning away from the window to look at him.
"You don't have to drive like my parents to make me happy, you know? I'm only teasing you about your thwarted racecar fantasies," Clark gently nudged Lex with his elbow as he cheekily pointed out Lex's unusual adherence to the speed limit.
Lex managed to cover his surprise at his unconscious desire to keep Clark in a passive-aggressive attempt at captivity by driving slower. Lex quirked the corner of his mouth, "I thought I'd see how the other side lived, Clark. No worries about me driving this slow all the time, I'm finding it not all that it's cracked up to be."
Clark snapped his fingers, "Darn, and here I thought I was being a bad influence on you. Guess I'll have to try harder," Clark sighed dramatically.
The quirk grew into a full grin at Clark's antics, "So, Clark…"
Clark shifted in his seat so that he faced Lex more solidly, paying all of his attention to the older man, "Yeah?"
"How long have you been imitating people's voices?" He arched a brow when he looked briefly at his passenger, "You're pretty good at it."
As he had expected, Clark blushed furiously at his compliment, ducking his head away from his gaze to hide the extent of the flush. "Pretty much since I started middle school, I guess."
Lex waited to see if Clark would offer more information than that but was only met with silence. He carefully navigated the streets of Smallville as he asked, "So why would a young Clark Kent decide to take up impersonation?"
Clark shifted back into his seat and scratched at the back of his neck lightly, "Well, to tell the truth Lex, it was just typical kid stuff, you know? Didn't like a teacher? Get picked on in school by a bully? Dad didn't hold with fighting people. Mom taught me not to sass my elders. So, I'd hide in my room and imitate them to get it off my chest."
Lex nodded to show that he was listening, slowing even further as he neared the busier parts of the small town. Clark continued, "Well, mom caught me one day and washed my mouth out with soap for copying my dad while he was working on the tractor. Learned really fast that bad words coming out of my mouth meant bad soap going into my mouth." Clark laughed at himself, "So I started taking it to the barn."
Clark shook his head ruefully, "You realize how busy that barn gets? It was more frustrating trying to vent and having to listen for people sneaking up on you than just finding another spot. So I found a secluded pond on the back forty of Old Man Tucker's place, very quiet spot. I wouldn't recommend braving it though unless you're slathered in bug repellant and aren't bothered by poison ivy."
Lex grimaced, No wonder Chloe seemed to be in good humor after telling me about Tucker's Pond. The little minx was hoping I'd get carried away by the mutant mosquitoes or mauled by the poison ivy. With my luck there really was mutant mosquitoes capable of carrying off small children to feed upon. "You really have a knack of finding well fortified thinking spots."
Clark only shrugged, "Never minded the bugs myself or the ivy, but Chloe seems to think I planted the patch just to spite her. Keeps her from actually sneaking up on me while I'm hiding out there, though she just yells at me at the top of her lungs when she thinks it's really important."
They made it to the pizzeria without incident and they both climbed out of the car to the scent of Italian food wafting out of the building. Clark's stomach growled and he looked down at it in mortification before Lex started laughing at his expression. Clark jerked his head towards him at the rare sound and when he saw that it was genuine humor fueling the unusual event he started chuckling along.
"Let's go find you something to eat before your stomach decides that braised Lex is next on the menu," Lex swept past Clark as he stifled his laughter and entered the establishment. Clark shook his head in amusement and trotted in after his friend.