Coming back to Metropolis was something which Lex Luthor approached with mixed emotions - on one hand, of course he would always relish his return to this place, whether it was from a weekend getaway or from a stint in prison, because it was the world he had rebuilt when it sorely needed rebuilding. It was the place that gave him power - the place that, in some rare, fleeting moments, made him forget that he was not again because he was so close to one here.
Returning to Metropolis also meant, however, returning to all of the things he considered threats. Now, when the cabin outside of Central City that had once been his mother's safe space was now very much the place that belonged to him and to Claire, the single entity he saw as a protector, it grew more difficult to leave it. Duty, however, had to take precedent eventually.
The first order of business on the evening of their return was moving all of Claire's things from the guest suite to the master suite. With him. She belonged there now, after all, now that she was meant to be his equal and his partner - she was no longer a guest in the mansion. Guests were people who left eventually, and with the current state of things, this was a term that Lex no longer deemed appropriate for her. Claire's expression when Lex casually stated that they were moving her things upstairs immediately was a mixture of amusement and hesitation, and Lex glanced at her questioningly while she started pulling the hangers from the closet to carry up to the larger suite.
"What?" Claire asked, cocking her head gently to one side and striding past Lex, carrying her clothes with her and striding towards the stairs. "It's just - this is new for me," she admitted. "This whole, moving in with someone thing."
"You've lived here for a while now."
"In the same house, yeah," Claire said with a slightly disbelieving laugh as she sped up her pace to a slight jog and pushed open the door to the upstairs suite, obviously much larger and ornate. "But that's moving in together in the Big Brother, reality TV kind of way."
"And this is...?"
"Different," Claire said, turning around after hanging her things up in the closet. Lex felt a strange sense of relief upon seeing that she was smiling. "It's just different. And I could use a little different in my life," she affirmed. Lex surmised now that Claire's reaction meant that she had never been serious with someone before - he took very little interest in whatever her romantic past may have been, but it was satisfying knowing that he was the first in these uncharted waters.
"While you're looking at dresses, it'd likely behoove you to pick one out - we have a press conference in the morning about your little pet project," Lex said offhandedly, gesturing towards the dresses in the closet before turning on his heel and starting back downstairs, considering some of Claire's belongings still remained in the guest suite. Claire, however, froze while her eyes widened - she paused to process what she'd just heard before scurrying to catch up with Lex as he descended the stairs. Press conference. Tomorrow.
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked incredulously as she followed him down the stairs. "You're just telling me this now?"
"Yes, well, I find you're most brilliant when I keep you on your toes," Lex said matter-of-factly, not even turning to look back at her while he kept walking. "Besides, I'm going to do the talking. You're not the only one that Miss Lane's story reflects poorly on. I've essentially been accused of plucking you straight from my bed and having you do the walk of shame right into a leadership position at LexCorp."
"We don't need to -"
"I don't appreciate," Lex interrupted, gesturing with his index finger to silence Claire's protests, "being accused of my personal endeavors subverting my professional interests. You are the best person for the job. It just also happens that you are, in my humble opinion, the best at... other things," he concluded, finally turning around with a smirk and a chuckle, cocking his head to one side as he looked at Claire. Begrudgingly, she gave a small laugh, rolling her eyes gently.
The fact that things felt so normal now was perhaps what echoed in the back of Claire's mind as unusual. It was as the events that transpired at the Lake House were the threshold which needed to be crossed - the sentinel event that meant she and Lex, together, could simply be people. It was permission to not fixate themselves upon the role their connection and partnership played in the greater scheme of things. It was permission to be. It was something good, and something goods were too few and far between to question too thoroughly.
The first evening in the master's suite of Luthor Mansion was a strange experience for Claire - Lex slept comfortably next to her, but now she found herself lying awake. She'd read before about the phenomenon of imposter syndrome - of feeling like at some point, you would be exposed as a fraud, like the bubble was just waiting to burst, like you were where you were by some kind of mistake. She was just a girl from the south side who had a brain and had come across some lucky breaks in her time. And now she was here, lying down on thousand-dollar Sferra sheets next to someone for whom she was slowly admitting to herself she felt something that she was reluctant to define, as though saying it might make it blow away like the fluff on a dandelion. It was too safe, too steady, and soon - if she was not careful - it might disappear.
When Claire woke the next morning, however, she found that all of it was still there. She was still under the same luxurious sheets with Lex still asleep next to her, his arm draped possessively over her waist even in his slumber. She gently slid out from his embrace and walked over to the closet in the dim light of the slowly rising run streaming out through the window. The view from the master suite, she realized, was the best in the whole mansion.
"Dark blue one."
Claire turned around to look back at the bed and saw Lex, his fingers laced and interlocked behind his head as he regarded her with bleary-eyed but peaceful sleepiness. Usually, when he dictated things this way - what he preferred her to wear in particular - Claire would very intentionally supersede the suggestion. Today, however, she simply gave a lopsided grin and reached for the navy blue dress hanging in the closet.
Being contrary, after all, took effort - and it was effort that was no longer needed, because those energies were more needed in other endeavors.
Claire wondered if it was a little corny, the fact that she and Lex were color-coordinated, both of them in practically the same shade of navy blue. It hadn't necessarily really dawned on her during the drive to LexCorp headquarters, but the similar colors caught Claire's eye as they stood in the main foyer of the building, watching the crews set up outside for the press conference. Anything, she realized, to distract herself from the fact that she had no idea what to expect from something like this.
"You know whose fault this is? Freaking Lois Lane," Claire murmured irritably, turning around and busying herself with smoothing out Lex's collar as a distraction - he smirked slightly and let her continue, admittedly relishing the attention from her. Lex Luthor would not deny that being doted upon was a pleasant change. "Lady friend. Can you imagine? That's the reason everyone's all worked up about this -"
"To be fair, the reason everyone is so worked up is the fact that you're an attractive woman climbing up the ranks in a corporate setting - they would've reached the same conclusions without Miss Lane's help," Lex said, tapping the tip of his forefinger gently on Claire's forehead, causing her to bristle in comical annoyance. "But we're going to put those rumors to rest, hm?"
"Okay."
"Excellent," Lex smirked, extending his arm for Claire to take. "Then our audience awaits. My queen."
She rolled her eyes gently before looping her arm through Lex's and taking a deep breath as they headed to the podium that had been set up outside and where a flurry of reporters and cameramen were already gathered. Before, cameras had followed them around. Now, Claire realized, they were walking headlong into them. Lex took the space at the podium, gently tilting the microphone and tapping it to ensure that it was working. Once the sound thudded over the speakers, it was as though Chaos had erupted as the reporters began rattling off questions in rapid succession.
"Mister Luthor, do you have anything to say as far as your relationship with Claire Branigan?"
"Is it true that you're living together?"
"What was the vetting and interview process prior to giving Claire Branigan to position at the helm of the pharmaceutical division -"
"Ladies. Gentlemen," Lex chuckled, raising his hand for quiet as he spoke into the microphone. "While I refuse to breach the confidentiality of any of my staff, I can assure you - and I'm sure MIT would without hesitation agree with me - that Claire Branigan is the best candidate for the job. This program is one of LexCorp's highest priorities and fills a much needed gap for the people of Metropolis -"
"But isn't it true that your projects are aiming to gentrify the areas of Metropolis that your father already set aside as safe zones for the poor?" One reporter called out loudly. "Recent numbers suggest that LexCorp is actually pushing the poor out of Metropolis."
"Is it true that the pharmaceutical program only became a priority to compete with the new clinic being opened by Wayne Enterprises on the South Side?" another reporter called out.
And it was in this moment that Claire saw something change in Lex, much like a switch going off behind his eyes. Hidden from the view of the reporters, his hands began drumming on the podium, gripping the edges tightly, balling into fists - his eyes began flitting around as the barrage of questions continued without giving him the opportunity to respond. A sense of determination and anger seemed to well up in Claire's abdomen, seeing them all practically descending on him like a pack of wolves. It was too much for him, Claire realized. Her mind reeled with memories of the first party he threw in his mansion, when she had still been his nurse. She remembered the aftermath, the obsession with what they would be saying about him, how they would be belittling him once he was out of earshot.
"The priorities of... the trajectory of... the division-" Lex stammered, his brow furrowing as he found himself stumbling for words. It enraged him and also terrified him, being questioned this way. Not because of the accusations about Claire and his connection to her, but by the mention of his father. The implication that he was ruining something that his father had built, that his father was infallible and he was not, tugged at the carefully response he was planning to give until it unraveled. It was such a familiar feeling - being stared at and judged, knowing that everyone in the audience was awaiting a mistake, that none of them genuinely gave a damn.
And while Claire knew she had been advised to let him do the talking, she was not about let him stand idly by. She gently edged her way to the side of the podium and managed to share a glance with Lex before he stammered out another attempt at an answer.
"You said I was more brilliant on my toes, right?" she murmured, just out of range of the microphone. "I've got this one."
Still stunned and disoriented, Lex did something that was admittedly entirely unnatural for him - he took a step back. Now, it was Claire facing down the throng of cameras and flashing lights, Claire standing at the microphone and tasked with the mission saving face for both of them. It was terrifying - in her mind, she imagined them all chomping at the bit now that they were presented with fresh meat - all prepared to rip into her reputation just like she believed Lois Lane had. But it was better than doing nothing.
"Miss Branigan, would you like to comment on your relationship with Mister Luthor?"
"How do you feel about your critics who feel like you came upon your position in LexCorp?"
"LexCorp's Affordable Pharmaceutical Initiative is just the first step in affirming our organization's commitment to the people of Metropolis," Claire said primly, and from the brief statement, spoken in a voice that was far from the carefree and sarcastic tone that Lex knew to belong to her, it became evident that she was not simply a silly girl, but rather a force to be reckoned with. "Creating low-income accessible areas was a good start, but LexCorp is committed to taking it one step further - to creating a Metropolis where people are free in their movement, where every part of Metropolis belongs to every citizen," Claire said, gently rapping her hand on the podium. "And I would not have come onboard for this project if I didn't wholeheartedly believe in it. I have lived in Metropolis my entire life. I was born and raised on the south side, in the heart of one of those safe zones for the poor, and I can promise you, they left much to be desired."
It was helpful, she realized, that she had a tendency to poke through the communication strategies that came across Lex's desk for approval. Lex, too, had a realization of his own - that whether Claire was bullshitting or not, she was making him look very good. She validated him. She fought for him.
"Does the institution of this program have to do with trying to beat Bruce Wayne to opening the new Free Clinic?" another reporter asked, and the question caused Claire to fight back the urge to bristle in indignation.
"LexCorp does not allow its operations to be dictated by Wayne Enterprises, or by any other organization," Claire replied sternly. Internally, she wanted so much to scream that Bruce Wayne, who had dragged her into all of this to begin with, had no control over her project - over the product of her hard work - but she knew that it would do their plight no favors to voice this and provide the press with more fodder for gossip.
"But can you say that the move on Mister Wayne's part of resuming operations in Metropolis played no part whatsoever in this decision?" the reporter pressed on. "Is this decision one that is completely altruistic? With all due respect, is it all for the greater good of the people of Metropolis?"
"With all due respect," Claire echoed with a strangely saccharine smile - an expression that strangely made Lex feel excited, even anticipating what would leave her mouth next. It could have gone poorly, he knew. She knew him well enough at this point that acts of charity always required an ulterior motive. It was the way of things. But the knowledge of this truth did not seem to shake her in the slightest. "This initiative will undoubtedly contribute more to the greater good of the people of Metropolis than the gossip and conjecture I'm sure you'll be printing about it tomorrow morning will."
And with one single verbal barb, it became evident that perhaps on paper she was Claire Branigan, Project Manager of the LexCorp Affordable Pharmaceutical Initiative, but in truth, she was better pegged as the new Queen of LexCorp, and already, the headlines began writing themselves. Corny chess analogies - the queen protects her king. Photographs of Lex and Claire again leaving the press conference arm in arm.
Once back inside of Lex's office, behind closed doors, Lex crossed his arms over himself and paced back and forth in front of Claire a few times before looking at her. She felt her breath catch in her throat upon seeing the scrutinizing expression on his face, but breathed a sigh of relief when he finally allowed a smirk to cross his face.
"You make me look very good, Claire," he said, taking the few necessary steps towards her and tilting her chin upwards towards his gaze with the side of his knuckle. "I do like them clever."
"That was terrifying," Claire said, shaking her head with a breathless laugh. "I don't think I've ever been that scared shitless in my life."
"Well, it certainly didn't look it. That was quite the magnificent show - and it appears," Lex said, reaching into his pocket and brandishing his phone to show Claire, "that you have made quite the impression on social media. Very wise to play the 'I was born raised on the south side' card. They think you're spunky. Charming," Lex smirked, though the magnitude of his amusement quickly decreased as he added an additional observation. "Now everyone's going to want a piece of you."
"Too bad for them, then," Claire said with a smirk, reaching out and again smoothing out the collar of Lex's shirt for good measure. Lex, however, caught her by the wrists and gently lowered her hands between them, leaning forward and gently resting his forehead against hers.
"Good," he said with a devilish smirk. "Because that was quite the adrenaline rush out there. And now I want a piece of you."
That very same evening, upon the return of the team plus one to Gotham, Bruce made the call that they would be better off regrouping at Wayne Manor. They had come from a long journey and had yet to devise a plan of what happened next, now that they were gathered. Bruce mentally berated himself for perhaps doubting they would ever reach this point and failing to plan - because he had, to some extent, fully expected to fail. However, his worrying over their next steps was sidetracked once they arrived, they were then greeted by the familiar voice and countenance of Alfred Pennyworth in the front drive.
Alfred glanced over them as they arrived, looking travel-weary but altogether in decent condition. His gaze lingered only a millisecond longer on the large figure clad in a hooded coat and immediately surmised that their mission in the Netherlands had been a success. It was good, he concluded, because successes for Bruce Wayne in the past years had been few and far between - he needed one badly.
"An urgent message from Miss Lois Lane came in yesterday evening, Master Bruce," the older man said as the team made their way up the long front walkway. "She came with some information that she felt you would be highly interested in."
"Lois Lane?" Bruce asked, not bothering to mask his surprise that the woman had reached out to him - not out of any presumption of bad blood, but because there was very little reason for any maintained connection between the two of them. "Give her a call, tell her she's welcome anytime now that I'm back in town -"
"The commute may be less than feasible for Miss Lane for the time being," Alfred interrupted pointedly. "When I spoke with her, she was en route to Kansas, and I don't anticipate her being keen on turning around just for your sake. I believe she has some greater priorities to attend to."
"Kansas?" Bruce asked, his brow furrowing as he automatically glanced back towards Diana, who had accompanied him to Smallville, Kansas, months prior in order to pay their last respects to Clark Kent. The only reason to travel to Kansas would be to see Mrs. Kent. Martha Kent. Still, even now, the thought of the woman stirred something in Bruce that he was neither prepared nor willing to identify - only that the idea of something being the matter left him feeling unsettled. "Is something wrong?"
There was a tightening in his stomach at the thought of something possibly being wrong - and the possibility of that something wrong involving Martha Kent.
"I'm afraid the only information I have to relay is, in Miss Lane's words..." Alfred began, pausing for gravitas as he often did. Bruce, however, saw the beginning of a smirk forming at the corner of the older man's lips and knew in that instant that this was merely an example of Alfred Pennyworth's penchant for cheek and melodrama. It was a mystery, but not a cause for alarm. "...he's back."
He's back.
Bruce found himself shaking his head in disbelief and taking a step backward, turning around to glance back at the newly-formed team gathered behind him. Diana's face, Bruce realized, lookd equally as awestruck as his - they were both arriving at the same unbelievable conclusion.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Pause and rewind for me for a second here," Barry interrupted, raising his hand as though he were a student in a classroom. "Who's back and and where did he go in the first place? I think I might have missed the memo here, could we -"
"Change of plans," Bruce interrupted coarsely. "We're headed to Kansas."
A/N
Did you hear that, kiddies? We're going on a field trip again! The next chapter, as you can probably guess, will bring our newly-formed Justice League to Kansas. No Lex/Claire in the next chapter, but some very important conversations, so please stay tuned!
I want to again say thank you - right now more than ever - for the fact that all of you are so supportive of the story and where it's going. I know I say thank you every time, but I want to make sure all of you know that I always mean it. Your feedback and being able to interact with you all makes it worth it. Life gets a little crazy sometimes and it's hard to squeeze updates it, but you guys make it well worth the effort. I hope to have the next update finished soon. Until next time, cheers!