Once more with feeling :-D
The characters don't belong to me, never have, never will, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to play with them. I promise to put them back, promise. No betas were used or harmed in the production of this, um, comedy? Heh, anyways, this is not even close to being done nor is it how I envisioned the beginning to turn out, but somehow I think you knew that. Enjoy! Reviews are welcome but I won't hold my stories hostage for them.
Oh! Before I forget, in the later chapters, don't drink and read, please, I laughed so freakin hard I made myself sick. (Yes, the ending was written before the beginning, how strange. LOL)
Hands in his pockets, face tilted into the bright sun and thoroughly enjoying the slight breeze that ruffled his dark hair, Clark walked along the road towards Lex's home. With the help of his mother he had managed to clear a whole afternoon to do with, as he wanted. And what he wanted was to spend the afternoon hanging out with Lex. Lex, the name brought a smile to his lips with just the thought. Sure Lex was rich, had the fancy clothes, brilliant mind, and had a lot of /cough/ orgasmobiles /cough/ filling his garage, but it wasn't why he was Lex's friend.
"Orgasmobile," Clark murmured to himself with a snicker as the guard gate to Lex's castle entered his view. I'm gonna have to share that with Lex one day. He was friends with Lex because Lex didn't treat him like everyone else in the town did, didn't let Clark fade into the background whenever they were together. It was something he had grown to like, having Lex's full attention, even if it meant that Lex was more likely to discover his secret.
With a jaunty wave and a friendly "Hello" to the guard, Clark jogged up the drive towards the castle and moved towards the kitchen entrance he usually used whenever he made his deliveries.
A quick knock on the door to announce his presence before he turned the knob in his hand and entered the kitchen. A cheerful grin towards the cook as she told him that Lex was in his office working as usual and he was off, moving quickly through the halls towards his destination. A quick scan with his x-ray vision showed that there was someone else in the room with Lex as he approached the doors so he gave a knock to announce his presence, awaiting the call to enter.
Lex sat at his desk and silently prayed that the pounding headache that had arrived shortly after his father threw open the doors to his office two hours ago would. Just. Stop. He held himself stiffly, face betraying no emotion towards Lionel but the usual boredom with a touch of mockery that his father usually saw. As usual, his father paced his office with a dramatic air, gestures grand to punctuate the validity of his lectures to his unworthy offspring that couldn't appreciate the value of his wisdom.
"Are you listening Lex? Not everyone can be as fortunate as you to have me hand you these tips for free," Lionel's sudden cessation of movement catching Lex's full attention more effectively than the vigorous pacing had.
'Then perhaps you should spare me your charity and make me pay you for these 'tips' that you're so fond of. Then I'd never have to sit here and listen to you lecture,' Lex thought acidly while his voice was pleasantly attentive as he said, "Of course I'm listening Dad."
"Your proposal to have an on-site physician and daycare is just not feasible," Lionel repeated, derision dripping from his every word. "You'd cost the company hundreds of thousands in losses with these frivolous programs."
Lex calmly folded his hands on his desk, "These programs will pay for themselves within six months by reducing the amount of sick leave needed by employees to care for their children or injuries obtained on site. The daycare would be a paid membership and would help improve moral by allowing those who must pay for other means of childcare the opportunity to have more working hours available to them as well as having their children close by in a safe environment. Another benefit is that the on-site physician would be available to care for any sudden illnesses in the children cutting down on the need for emergency leave. It's all there in the proposal."
Lionel laughed as he said, "Do you honestly think that building them a childcare center and giving them on-site medical is going to win you this town's favor?" A single rap on the closed door announced someone's presence, but Lionel's words continued on. "Their friendship? Honestly, Lex, you're a Luthor," Lionel's tone grew as cold as his expression, "and Luthors don't need friends. Your emotional attachment to these," he paused for effect, for the venom and distaste to build, "people, will never cease to amaze me. Do you honestly think that they'll accept you with open arms? That the Kents will finally accept you into their family?"
Clark froze at Lionel's words, their hateful venomous tone made him angry and sick to listen. His cheerful mood effectively destroyed by Lionel's words Clark took a step back from the door as more of Lionel's cutting speech drifted out.
"Or is it the Kent boy that you're hoping to woo with these actions?" Anger flared brightly in Lex's heart when Lionel mentioned the Kents, especially Clark.
"Clark has nothing to do with this, nor does his parents. It's a sound proposition based on lowering sick pay, medical pay and increasing my worker's moral and time spent at their jobs."
Lionel smirked at Lex's quick defense of his young acquaintance, "I'd be careful Lex, small towns aren't as forgiving as the larger cities when it comes to tastes such as you prefer. I'm sure the young Mr. Kent fulfills many of your inappropriate desires," Lionel turned to leave the office tossing his final words over his shoulder to his fuming son, "be sure to give my regards to your young friend, mmmm? I'd hate to have him find something unfortunate to lay at your feet should you continue with this absurd whim."
At those words Lionel opened the office doors and swept out into the empty hallway. Lex's rage boiled in his blood, pounded in his skull and a red haze drifted into his vision. He was up from his chair and throwing back scotch before he recalled the single rap to his office door. He put the tumbler back on the bar with a hard knock and threw open his office doors to find the halls vacant. With a frown he figured that one of the staff had been frightened off by his father's presence, not that it would have been the first time, nor the last.
His desk phone buzzed with the ring tone coded for the house and he quickly returned to his desk to answer it. "Yes?"
"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Luthor, but will Mr. Kent be staying for dinner?"
With a horrific speed and clarity that only seemed to occur when something bad happened the pieces fell together to identify the missing knocker at his office when his father was here. Clark.
"No, Mrs. Pierce, Clark will not be joining us tonight." He hung up the phone and moved away before he was tempted to slam the thing against the nearest wall.
Clark had shown up unexpectedly as he often did. Shit. Which meant that Clark had heard his father's ill-timed words in regards to himself. Shit, shit, and again shit! Which did not bode well for a good reception for himself at the Kent house by Mr. Kent should Clark decide to share the incident before he could do some damage control. Fuck and god damn his father to hell! With a deep, calming breath Lex flipped open his cell phone and made a call to the Kent farm.