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Eve knows its a bad idea from the very start. Sees the way he doesn't look her in the eyes, but at least he's not staring at her like a piece of meat. He's self-assured and moves through the crowds of people like they aren't even there, expecting them to part around him like water around a mountain.
It's a horrible idea but she's in just the sort of state to like the look of red more than green. The relationship is more likely than not to end in a burning pile of regrets. But that'll give her something else to focus on for the few moments she can drag her thoughts away from Jimmy.
So she smiles prettily and giggles like there's nothing but glitter floating around in the empty space where her brain is supposed to be. When he smiles back it's fake and empty, and just as calculated as hers.
She accepts the extravagant gifts as her due. And though the holidays are frequent, they're little more than scouting missions he'd absentmindedly brought her along as entertainment. The gifts expensive but sparkly nothings that simply serve to increase her value in the eyes of others, and thus make him the object of even more jealousy.
Eve knows her role in this, to smile and laugh and show-off how outmatched they all are compared to Lex. But the bigger bed is just that much colder, the private jets that much lonelier. And this distraction that much more pointless. She'd been kidding herself from the beginning and she can't pretend anymore. Hadn't been any better than Jimmy at looking the other way when wrongs are committed before they met, and has only gotten worse at doing so since.
So Eve does what she can in the pretty cage she'd walked into willingly, does as a canary must and sings. People forget the true use for canaries easier than they should. They listen to the singing and enjoy the silence all the more once it stops. They forget that when a canary stops singing dead bodies follow.
She knows she can be too much, off-putting and intense. Feels too much and too fast, falls quick and hard enough to bruise. But she cannot deny her feelings as much as a tiger cannot shed its stripes.
She'd been so damn happy when the deeper she fell for Jimmy, the better a person she found he was. He hid so much behind an unassuming mask and she'd loved the glimpses he let her see, had envisioned such a bright future, all the possibilities for joy they could bring each other. Eve had been—and still is—sure she could make him happier than anyone else in the world, so eager was she to show him what they could be that she hadn't given him the chance to catch up.
Eve has always been the type to skip to the back of the book, too excited for the happy ending to bother with all the stuff between the first page and the last. So while she jumped to the last chapter, Jimmy had barely begun opening the book. He hadn't liked that all that much. But how could he not see how well they fit together when it was plain as day to her?
So Eve was dumped for the first time in her life and, never one to dwell and wallow, she started the next chapter of her life. She has never understood why others looked before they leapt, having found a strong pair of arms will always catch her. Thus she jumped at the very next opportunity for her happy ending.
She's always had a thing for smart guys, so it's not surprising that Lex Luthor would appeal to her, and she'd thought an innovator such as him—eyes constantly on the horizon, leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else—would fit well with her.
Lex is a genius, he can coordinate and micro-manage all aspects of his company while also putting in enough effort to outshine every previous boyfriend she's ever had. She's not delusional enough to not notice that his actions were perfunctory, barely the smallest part of his thoughts dedicated to her.
He's not overjoyed at her presence, but he makes sure to always catch her when she falls and leans into the hugs and kisses she bestows upon him.
And for a while that's enough. When she sees him planning and staying up all night for projects that create a better world, she's ready to flip to the end of the book, content that she's found the prince that'll complete her story. She's so proud of him and his contributions that she tries even harder to fulfill her end of the duties. She only takes pictures of them in the best light, and makes sure to frame Lex in the centre of each one.
And it's not hard to make her life seem perfect, it's the closest to perfect she's ever come. Her boyfriend is always the smartest person in any room he walks into, he's gorgeous, takes immaculate care of himself and has more than enough money to make up for any shortcomings he otherwise might've had.
So it doesn't matter if he looks at Eve the same way he looks at his suits and Petri dishes. Doesn't matter that when he indulges her enough to cuddle, her mind protests that he's too tall and too wide, too quiet where he should be loud. Doesn't matter that his eyes glaze over when she talks to him, he's an important man after all, he has more meaningful things to think about than her pointless chatter.
Eve buries her doubts under the piles of clothes he presents her with everyday, hides her insecurities between the layers of ribbon and wrapping-paper of his gifts. Lex is an inventor not a journalist, so he's unaccustomed to digging for information and stories are worth less than nothing to him.
Then little things start to peek through that mask of his. His outbursts, while few and far in between—too 'irrational' for a man of his caliber—are terrifying in their mindless destruction, their cold rage. He doesn't lift a hand against her, she's too visible what with her perpetual presence in the public eye; but he doesn't have to, she gets the message loud and clear.
And when he gives her a tour of his dimensional prison, she takes care to keep the message polished and at the forefront of her mind at all times. She sees his vindictiveness, his petty pride, she sees the egomaniac behind the tailored suits and intelligence. And she's scared.
Eve does as a canary must and sings. She takes selfies and videos like her life depends on it, takes advantage of Lex's unquestioning acceptance of her behaviour, after all nothing changes on the surface. She still smiles and rejoices at every shiny gift, gasps in wonder at the impossibly beautiful sights he shows off, and documents every single second of her life with him.
He's never denied her anything, and doesn't see a reason to start now. He only listens to her requests enough to know he can grant them—he's never told her no, has given her anything and everything within his abilities to give, and for a man like Lex Luthor that list is longer than it has any right to be. Eve knows he enjoys that part of their relationship. He likes giving her things no-one else would be able to and likes it even more when it happens with an audience present. In this, they indulge each other equally.
But in a way, this only serves to highlight what she's lost. He's never refused her, letting her have her way always, though this is simply because he doesn't care enough to fight her on anything. He's loath to waste more energy and time on her than is necessary to uphold his flawless image.
He doesn't look through her pictures, he hadn't in the beginning and certainly won't start now, too much of a waste of time for him to bother. She's stumbled out of view of his all-seeing eyes too many times for him to question it happening just once more. He doesn't listen to her stories enough to spot anything remiss.
So he doesn't notice when she sneaks off to meet Jimmy—smaller, skinnier, shabby-clothed and consistently tousled. All the previous feelings bubble up as if she'd never tried to smother them, and she can't help herself. She's spent too long wondering on the what-ifs to forget them. So she agrees to sing a little longer if it means fresh air and freedom and Jimmy.
After all, a canary's job isn't over until everyone gets out safe or there's no-one left to heed her silence.