"You're late."
"Considering rush hour traffic and the fact that you gave me less than forty-five minutes' notice to get across Metropolis in it, I think I'm still quite punctual," Claire deadpanned as she stepped out of her car. Lex was already standing in front of the address he'd asked her to meet him at, leaning against his white Rolls Royce and glancing at the time on his phone. At her reply to his playful chiding, he simply chuckled and clucked his tongue.
"Excuses, excuses," he shrugged. "You know, if I didn't value your opinion, I wouldn't have bothered calling you."
"Yeah, about that," Claire said with a quick irk of her eyebrows. "I really know nothing about real estate, Lex, I don't think I'm going to be of any help."
Lex, however, waved the statement off dismissively and started toward the entrance to the building. Claire rolled her eyes gently at being brushed off, but followed him towards the door nonetheless. All she knew about the situation was that he had an appointment with a realtor downtown for a property that he intended to be a new office and employee wellness center. It was a good idea - a fact that was unsurprising, given that Lex by now had developed great savvy in keeping his employees happy - but something that Claire didn't foresee herself being of any use in planning. She simply concluded that Lex wanted her there, whether her input was useful or not, and more than likely would not be swayed.
"Ah, Mister Luthor!"
A man in a somewhat-too-tight blue suit greeted them as they entered the front doors, beaming widely at Lex in a manner that was all-too-familiar. The realtor set off brown-noser alarms all over the place. After shaking Lex's hand with great gusto, he then turned to face Claire and widened his toothy grin yet again, extending his hand to her. "And Missus Luthor! A pleasure to meet you as well. Come, follow me."
"Oh, I'm not -"
"Great location so far, Mister Lafayette, I must say," Lex interrupted, steamrolling right over Claire's protests. Her brow furrowed briefly at not being allowed to correct the assumption on Mr. Lafayette's part that she was Missus Luthor, but, not wanting to fall too far behind, she cleared her throat and followed along as well. Lex just did not want any time wasted, she reasoned. It wasn't a harmful assumption, and correcting it would have provided no additional benefit. That was all.
Admittedly, the main foyer of the building was... nice. There really wasn't more that Claire could say. It was modern, well-lit with windows and high ceilings, accented with columns and molding that gave a hint of old glamor. As they moved forward, however, the glimmering interior gave way to tarps and dust and plain old cement.
"We're going through a few renovations - structural updates to justify the asking price," the realtor said, walking a few paces ahead of Lex, who in turn was a few steps ahead of Claire, both of them glancing around at the admittedly rough interior. There were a few tarps laid out in front of areas where the walls were still unreplaced, revealing bits of wiring and scaffolding. While she was no real estate mogul, Claire felt none-too-impressed and wondered why the realtor agreed to show an unfinished property to Lex Luthor of all people, and not even bring about the subject of price negotiations.
"The upper levels?" Lex asked.
"Convertible space," Lafayette replied. "It's already ideally designed to be either residential units or offices."
"And the building foundation?"
"This lot in particular was built on soil, not sediment - topographically, it's the ideal location," Lafayette explained. "You have the option of building a basement level, or leaving it as is. It's also the ideal type of foundation to withstand earthquakes."
"That's a lot of times to use the word ideal in so few sentences," Claire quipped from behind Lex, drawing Lafayette's gaze in her direction. Claire, perhaps, did not understand real estate. She was not a realtor, she was not an architect, she was not a topographer. She was not even a businesswoman. But she did, however, know when someone was bullshitting her, and if nothing else, that was an instinct of hers that Lex held in high regard.
"Mm."
The noncommittal noise that came from Lex's mouth and the subsequent glance he cast at Claire over his shoulder confirmed that they were on the same page. Catching the shared glance, however, the realtor cleared his throat and turned, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves.
"I should let you know that I've also shown this property to another potential buyer who seems very serious about it," Lafayette said with feigned hesitation. "And he's willing to pay the full list price."
"Is that so?" Lex asked, his brow furrowing skeptically. "You know, I would love to know more about this potential buyer of yours. I make it a point of keeping my finger on the pulse of new local businesses, so to speak. I've got feelers out everywhere, you know," Lex smirked. "And I don't think I've heard hearsay of anyone opening up in this part of town -"
"Not a local," Lafayette said haughtily. "I really shouldn't be telling you this, but in case you want to negotiate between businessmen - and because you are the Mister Lex Luthor - I can make an exception. His name is Mister Desaad, and he's planning on turning the space into a nightclub-slash-urban-getaway -"
"Urban getaway?" Claire couldn't help but interrupt with a skeptical grimace of her own. It evoked images of frat parties (which Claire unfortunately was all too familiar with) and thumping, underground experimental music that was only enjoyable under the influence of hallucinogens. "That sounds like it's just asking for trouble."
"Yes, well, it's not my business what he plans on doing with the space if he has the means to purchase it," Lafayette said smoothly with a grin that Claire admittedly found a little sickening - the reaction on Claire's part did not evade Lex's notice, and his head tilted in acknowledgment of it briefly before Lafayette turned back to face him. "So unless you're able to make me a better offer, Mister Luthor -"
"Mister Lafayette," Lex interrupted. The rapid succession of interruptions from both Lex and Claire, to Lex's delight, seemed to shake the realtor slightly like an outnumbered piece of prey. "I can make you a much better offer. You know very well that money is no object for me."
"Excellent, Mister Luthor -"
"But principle is," Lex said, holding up with index finger to shush the realtor, then reaching out and making a motion like dusting something from Lafayette's shoulder. "And while I know you are first and foremost a salesman, I know you're not one from around here. Because 'round these parts," Lex began, smugly raising his eyebrows and putting on a faux-accent while making gestures with his hands like pistols as though he was coming out of an old Western film. "People know to spare me the sales pitch. Claire, what say we get out of here?"
"Fine by me."
And on the way out, Lex and Claire walked side-by-side rather than one after the other. When they got outside, however, Lex walked over to the passenger side of his Rolls Royce and opened the door, gesturing for Claire to step inside.
"Lunch?" he asked with a lopsided grin and a tilt of his head. "Nothing like a good round of spot the scammer to work up an appetite."
"What about my car? I drove," Claire explained feebly, garnering a dismissive gesture from Lex.
"I'll have someone from valet come and pick it up, bring it back to the office. In we go," he said, finishing off with an almost sing-song lilt and leaving the door open while he went around to his side of the car, indicating that there was no further room for protest.
It became evident a few minutes into the car ride that something about the interaction with the realtor had actually set Lex off a bit - he'd wanted Claire in the car, perhaps unconsciously, because he needed to process it.
"It's unfortunate," he pointed out, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "We have so many outsiders coming into Metropolis. Opening nightclubs and urban getaways," he said disdainfully. It bothered him, Claire knew, because he felt some level of ownership over the city of Metropolis and had little tolerance for outsiders - from other cities or from other worlds - changing it in ways he did not exert any control over. In ways above and beyond his control. This was his city.
"It's the approaching curve," Lex said vaguely, his eyes focused on the road and his voice distant as though he perhaps wasn't talking to Claire at all. "And the curve is where you get thrown off if you don't hold on tightly enough."
"It's just a nightclub, Lex," Claire spoke up, attempting to assuage his unexpected response - the almost fanciful turn of speech that Claire knew meant that he was veering hard into his own thoughts. "There'll be other spaces."
"That man was trying to play me, and I don't appreciate being played," Lex said with a chilly calm to his voice, his eyebrows raised. "There are precious, precious few individuals I trust not to do so. Because people, by nature, are self-serving creatures."
Despite the ominous tone of his voice, Claire also sensed that the moment of intense, all-consuming paranoia had been averted, replaced instead my annoyance and disdain. His explanations of why this nightclub, in addition to other businesses popping up throughout Metropolis, were nothing but a nuisance continued for a good few minutes of their drive until the white Rolls Royce Wraith pulled up in front of a brightly-lit, diner-like restaurant with the name Suzy's Drive In emblazoned on the neon sign above it.
"Nice," Claire laughed as she stepped out of the car, looking up at the place and glancing around. "I like it. Very Grease."
"I thought a little nostalgia was in order," Lex said, smug at the sight of the fact that his choice of lunch venue seemed to impress Claire greatly. It was befitting, after all. A place like this was a relic of what was at least perceived as a simpler time, and Lex held fast to his simpler times with great devotion.
The interior was shiny and polished, with color and chrome and lights. Lex and Claire took a seat on the diner stools rather waiting for a table. They ordered French fries, and a strawberry milkshake. Two straws, Claire insisted, because that was the way they did it in the movies and she had always wanted to try it, but never had anyone to try it with. Lex saw no harm in indulging her.
It felt like a movie, Claire couldn't help but think to herself - the movies she watched as a kid when she locked herself away in her room, hiding from her mother's incessant criticisms and histrionics - and of all the people who could have given her movie scene moments, it was Lex Luthor.
Lex Luthor was not an optimist, but Claire Branigan was, and for a brief instant she pondered the possibility that they were getting movie scene moments because they needed them more than most.
As a consequence of her musings, however, it turned out that Claire stared a little longer in Lex's direction than she'd intended, meaning that he'd caught and held eye contact with her dreamy stare for at least a full second before she realized it was happening.
"Mm," he said with a slightly puzzled expression, his forehead creasing and his eyes narrowing slightly despite the fact that his lips still quirked into a smirk. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Doubtful. You're either deep in thought or hypoglycemic, and considering this," Lex said matter-of-factly, tapping his finger against the class containing what was left of the milkshake they'd been drinking, "I'd consider the latter highly unlikely. So?"
"I said it was nothing," Claire insisted, color flooding into her cheeks and garnering a chuckle from Lex, who shook his head.
"And I said that was doubtful. So here we are," he shrugged. "What is it?"
"It's just..." Claire began hesitantly, laughing uncomfortably to herself. "I... I enjoy being around you. More than I think I've ever enjoyed being around anyone," she said. It was the truth, after all. It just wasn't the whole truth. Lex, however, was not laughing. His face went from pleasantly confused by her beating around the bush to genuinely perplexed. She enjoyed being around him. She enjoyed it more than being around anyone else.
There was the possibility that it was a lie. This was the first thing that came to Lex's mind, because it seemed the most reasonable and most likely explanation. People did not enjoy his company. There was a saying that some people, others preferred to have them seen and not heard. In the case of Lex Luthor, most preferred him to be neither. To now hear that someone enjoyed his company to such an extent - to a superlative extent - was something akin to being a figure in a shaken snowglobe. No matter how many times he heard such things from her, it seemed to turn the snowglobe upside down every time.
"Why?" he asked, his brow furrowing. His reaction caused Claire to tilt her head in concern, an expression which Lex had become incredibly familiar with receiving from her.
"You don't need a reason to enjoy being around someone," she said gently, but with an expression which suggested that to her, this was the simplest truth in the world. "You can just... I don't know, enjoy them."
"There's a reason for everything," Lex said, shaking his head. "It might be situational. Psychological. Biochemical. But there is always, always a reason."
There was a moment of mild frustration - Claire momentarily wondered why Lex couldn't accept an answer of just because, but it was only fleeting because she knew. Just because was unacceptable. Just because could not be understood or controlled, and that made it something that Lex could not tolerate. But if she presented it as a puzzle for him to figure out, rather than a riddle with no answer, it became something different. Lex Luthor enjoyed the occasional conundrum, as long as it was not unanswerable.
This one had a clear answer that Claire simply was not yet prepared to divulge.
"Then I guess you'll need to figure out my reasons," Claire said with a playful grin. There was something nice about being the one that kept Lex Luthor guessing - it certainly wasn't something that she could say she'd experienced often. "I'm sure it'll come to you."
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely. You're very clever," Claire said with a smirk, which widened just before she added, "and... I do like them clever."
Perhaps it was an evasive maneuver to avoid answering the question, but even so, the brief glimmer of a smile - not a smirk, but a smile - flashing across Lex's face was enough of a reward. Besides, having the tables turned, even for just a moment, was refreshing. Eventually and probably very soon, the whole truth would need to come out, but for now the existence of a moment that was simple and good was more than enough for Claire. She gave a small surprised sound when, under the counter, Lex's hand gently brushed against hers. In response, rather than moving her whole hand, Claire wound her pinky finger around his so that their fingers were linked under the table.
Almost as though the strange purity of the moment enchanted her into it, she opened her mouth to speak again with half the mind to tell the whole truth - but she was cut off by the sound of Lex's phone, which he immediately, reflexively pulled out from his pocket with one hand, pulling his other hand away from her as he turned, ensuring that the screen of his phone was concealed.
His posture shifted. He straightened in his chair, and his expression hardened back into the familiar mask of Lex, the businessman. "I have to take this," he said simply, getting up from the seat and heading towards the back door.
Claire felt her heart sink a little into her stomach as she realized this was something she would either need to come to terms with or walk away from. Even if there were movie moments, they would always be punctuated by moments like these, by secrets and subterfuge and things which she could not or would not be a part of. There was something protective about it - partially Lex protecting himself, and partially him protecting her. There were things he did out of her sight that he felt it better she was not a part of.
She let out a breath, running her hand over her hair and shaking her head until she realized that in her purse, her phone was vibrating as well - something that came unexpected these days, because very few people besides Lex, who was currently otherwise occupied, tried to contact her. She reached into her bag and glanced at the screen to find a text message from a number with an area code belonging to Gotham City. The number itself was vaguely familiar, and Claire reached into her wallet to pull out a business card she had long ignored to confirm her suspicions of who the number belonged to.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Lex wasn't returning before opening the unexpected message.
Important. Can we meet? Tomorrow at four, back room of Cafe Trevino.
After a few seconds of processing what she was seeing - who she was hearing from - she drew in a deep breath and texted a one-word response before deleting the message altogether. Knowing who it was coming from, the choice came down to whether she would go willingly, or risk being sought out. Being sought out meant drawing whoever was looking for her closer to Lex as well. And that, she concluded, was something she would go to great lengths to prevent.
It would appear, she realized as she tucked her phone back into her purse and attempted to steady her pounding heart, that Lex would not be the only one with secrets from time to time.
A/N
Just realized that the story has now hit the 100,000 word mark! Totally crazy. So, I wanted to thank everyone for their support again like I always do - this was especially nice, and since my birthday just passed, I sincerely couldn't imagine any better gift from you all than all of your messages and reviews. I also want to take the opportunity to shout out to all my Jessisters on Tumblr. You all are absolutely amazing, and I'm so grateful for your friendship.
Anyway, I know this was a short chapter and mostly filler, but it has couple details worth tucking away for further reference. Next chapter, Lex and Claire both have eventful meetings. Until next update, cheers!