Title: Infringement
Series: Infected
Rating: T
Author: SilverSnikle
Character: Clark
Timeline: Around 6 months afer Clark Luthor's Seventeenth Birthday
Warnings: Luthor-verse
Disclaimer: Borrowed characters and some dialogue... No affiliation to CW/WB, DC
Summary: My take on Clark Luthor's descent into darkness. This story focuses on his relationship with Chloe Sullivan.
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infringe
1. ( tr ) to violate or break (a law, an agreement, etc)
2. ( intr; foll by on or upon ) to encroach or trespass
The sounds of the city filtered their way into his senses as Clark dusted off his hands and slowed to a stop in the alley next to the LuthorCorp building. His father would be expecting him, with an update. Clark's update would include positive execution of the morning’s plan. He smiled to himself as he walked out of the shadows and onto the sidewalk toward the skyscraper's front door.
Lionel saved enough money to support a third world country by employing his son as his strong-arm. Clark didn't get paid for his dirty work, but that was fine; he already had access to anything he could want. Not to mention his own loft, a few incredible sports cars, and invulnerability. Making or saving money certainly wasn't a high priority for him.
On the elevator ride to his father's office, Clark took a moment to check his phone. Two messages, one from each of his favorite ladies, occupied his screen. He smiled at the phone before slipping it back into his pocket. He'd call them once business was finished.
"Son.” Clark refused to let the threatening snarl manifest on his lips at the older man's endearment. He may be working with Lionel, but that didn't mean he liked the man. He definitely didn't like the familial titles. “I suspect all went well?" Lionel didn't even look up from the papers scattered over his desk.
"Perfect. Edge may be even more upset soon. It will take a few minutes for news of his loss to reach him." Clark sank into a chair after pouring himself a snifter of bourbon. The added benefits of being a legal Luthor were not lost on him. He had no qualms treating himself to those benefits regularly.
"Very well. Anything else you wish to share?" Lionel glanced up at him, his face still angled toward the papers. Clark toyed with the idea of letting Lionel in on his side game, but thought better of it. His 'father' had never been interested in his personal pursuits. Even if his current investment was brilliant, it wouldn't score him any extra points with the man.
"Unless you'd like a recap of my weekends at the clubs, no." He smiled, sure to maintain eye contact and took a sip of his amber beverage.
"Ha. No, thank you. I read enough about your escapades in the tabloids." Lionel made a few notes on his papers, his attention focusing fully back on his work. Clark drained what was left in his glass, before setting it on the edge of Lionel's desk.
----
Clark held his phone with a shoulder as he walked, his hands in his pockets, relaxed. It rang a full four times before he could hear someone answer on the other end. That was slow for Tess. His lips curled as he waited for a greeting. His lips curled as he waited for a greeting, holding back the 'tsk, tsk' on the tip of his tongue. Waiting was her role, not his.
"I wasn't sure I was going to hear from you." He grinned wider and said nothing, waiting for her to get his silent joke. "Very funny. I have actual purpose in reaching out to you, though. Can we have dinner?" She did a decent job of masking her jealousy, but Clark knew her well enough to sense it.
Clark pulled a hand free to hold the phone. "What did you have in mind?"
"How about that new sushi place?" Even as she tried to conceal it, he could hear the excitement in her voice. The silly girl liked trying new things, new places. He preferred good old fashioned meat, as in steak. "I hear they have some of the best steaks in town too." Clark almost laughed into the receiver. He could clearly picture her rolling her eyes at him. He doubted the authenticity of her last statement, but his morning had put him in a benevolent mood. Not to mention she was already on edge with him, and he didn't wish to make it any worse.
She had been out of town visiting France when Chloe had shown up at the club a few weeks ago. Upon arriving back in Metropolis, Tess had called expecting a warm welcome. Instead, he'd informed her that he was busy. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was immediately jealous, knowing that he was only turning down company because of a woman. She had asked about the next night and he knew telling her he'd have to call her when a good time became available would only feed her envy. Yet, that was what he told her. Tess was wonderful, really. But she didn't like to share his attention. She would not understand, or appreciate, his plans to win Lois.
"Sounds like a date. Should I plan on having a guest for the night?" He walked across the street and stepped into the turnstile door of the Daily Planet.
"That depends on how dinner goes. I'll see you at seven." And then she was gone. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and nodded at a group of interns staring at him as he stepped off the last stair into the basement.
"Can one of you direct me to Chloe Sullivan?" He raised an eyebrow as a pretty girl stepped forward, obviously nervous, and then simply pointed. He nodded his thanks with a charming smile and turned to follow the direction of her still outstretched hand. It wasn't that he didn't know where her desk was, rather that he enjoyed the gossip it generated when he made his presence more obvious; the giggles sure didn't hurt.
Chloe's head was bent over her desk as she typed away at the keyboard. He didn't try to suppress the smile that conquered his lips; he should smile at the sight of his girlfriend. He thought about that. A girlfriend. He'd never actually allowed titles in any of his previous ... dealings. 'Relationship' wasn't an apt description for his many affairs. Nor had any of them lasted long enough to be titled officially. Chloe, however, had consumed his mind, and dare he say it, his heart. He didn't dare, not really.
Little more than a month had passed since she'd come looking for him at the club. They had spent that entire first weekend at his loft, watching old films, ordering take-out and ... doing other things. By Sunday evening when Lois had called to check on Chloe, and inquire about the reason their apartment seemingly had been uninhibited all weekend, Clark could barely force himself to care that Lois had noticed. Not that he had forgotten it was all a charade.
He still wanted Lois. That would never change. He just wasn't in as much of a hurry to have her. Spending time with Chloe was enlightening, and well, easy. They got along amazingly well, and neither of them felt pressure to impress, which for him was a big difference. He convinced himself that a good hashed out relationship with Chloe would be perfect practice for when he did get Lois.
It had little to do with the fact that they were completely themselves when together. Clark was pretty much always who he was, and he felt Chloe was much the same. So, it was refreshing to have someone be accepting of that person you are and not trying to make you into someone else or convince themselves or you that you are someone else. Unless you took Clark's alien status into account. Chloe was the most perceptive human he'd ever met, which was saying a lot when you are raised by Lionel Luthor. She also had a knack for drawing out the strange and unexplained. He considered himself as evidence A.
So, Clark was extra careful to be normal around her. He took his time with mundane tasks. His heat vision tended to act up with Chloe during certain circumstances, so he had to be creative with positions. The last thing he needed was her to see the fire burning in his eyes, literally, while in the throes of – well, yeah, passion. She had opened him up to quite a few new terms to describe what was going on between them. Words that had never applied before in any avenue of his life suddenly were the only ones fitting enough to use.
Clark leaned against the corner of her desk, a hand prudently placed across his lap. Thinking about Chloe, and their activities, tended to affect him quite physically. He let out a laugh at himself and her head shot up, her eyes locking with his. He cut the laugh short, biting his lip, a smile dominating his face. When Chloe was on the job, no one was to interrupt her. Not even her boyfriend. He knew better.
Waiting for her to wrap up, he pondered how long this glaring infatuation with her might last. Eventually, he'd have to let her go for the truer object of his desire. He frowned at the thought of letting her go. But, something told him his Goldilocks and her brunette bombshell of a cousin would not agree to share him. His smile came back at the visions those thoughts provoked. Having both of them in his bed together would prove Earth-shattering, he was sure of it. He was just as certain that particular set of circumstances would never come to pass. His heart ached a little.
"I was expecting a call." He lifted his head to find her staring up at him, her chin resting on her folded fingers.
"I was at Dad's office when I got your message, decided to just walk over." He pushed off the desk and moved to stand in front of her, offering her his hand. "Thought maybe you could use a decent lunch. You don't eat right when you're working."
...
She giggled despite the look of dissension on her face and took his proffered hand, letting him pull her to her feet and against his chest. He smelled amazing, and she couldn't help but inhale a deep breath. His arms wrapped around her middle tightly and he squeezed, his lips brushing over the top of her head.
The last month or so of her life had been straight out of a romance novel. She blushed just thinking about it. Life would get no complaints from her corner. She could feel and hear him draw in a long, deep breath as he held her. It was these things that made her heart melt, and her legs turn to Jell-o. The things no one would ever believe could be true about Clark Luthor, but certainly were, made her giddy.
He took her to a cafe close by for lunch, and listened intently to her drone on about her newest story. When she mentioned a particular disappearance, one that involved a Morgan Edge 'henchman' (as she called them), Clark's brow had creased momentarily. She wondered if he knew the guy, from the look in his eyes; one similar to, but not quite, recognition. She shrugged it off and continued to tell him about a mysterious burn mark found close by the guy's apartment.
She sipped her latte and pondered what could cause the police stop their investigations. Was it simply the assumption that the two occurrences were not connected?
"Sounds like your source is a bit confused." Clark wiped his mouth with his napkin before laying it in his empty plate.
"He sent me a copy of the original reports. I made all the connective assumptions myself." She shook her head, letting the mystery go for now, more focused on Clark's upsetting dismissal. "It's no matter. I plan to go out there tonight and take a look. See if I can't find something the cops missed."
"By yourself? Didn't you say this happened in Suicide Slums?" Clark's skeptical look made Chloe's lips twitch. She was torn between indignation and appreciation. His statement said that he felt she was incapable of taking care of herself. He should know better. And yet, it also showed that he cared and worried about her. But his lack of faith in her won out. For the first time he was genuinely upsetting her.
"Well, you said you have dinner plans. And Lois has some gala or other with Ollie." That expression, the one that distorted his handsome features, was odd. Chloe wasn't one to shy away from a good mystery. "What's your beef with Oliver, anyhow? I wasn't sure about him at first, but he seems to treat Lois well."
"He and Lex had a bit of a falling out. Actually, you have to be friends at some point to have a falling out. Oliver and his buddies caused hell for Lex." Chloe frowned. Clark and Lex took advantage of every opportunity to torture each other; they were not exactly friendly. And she knew this from only a few weeks with Clark. Then again, she'd watched Lois and Lucy battle for a lifetime, and they still stood up for each other against outsiders. She decided it was a sibling thing, and mentally shrugged.
"Well, anyhow, I have my mace and taser. I'll be fine!"
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