Work Text:
"Luthor."
"Ms. Waller. Thank you for coming. I know that the invitation was short notice."
"Well, I saw you agreed to pay for the meal, and then I looked up the prices here."
"Hah. Pragmatic as always."
"Besides, if you're behaving unusually, it's better to keep an eye on you than ignore you. I'm never making that mistake again."
"A 'mistake', you say? I heard that STAR Labs was able to develop five new radiotherapy techniques with the research data I provided them. Cheaper than what's on the market too. I thought you'd enjoy that."
"I'd enjoy it a lot more if it didn't come from your Kryptonite research lab. Oh right, you don't have one anymore. What you have is an irradiated waste of land out in West Virginia that won't be inhabitable for a decade. I don't need your help, Lex, and neither does the United States"
"Really now. Trust me, if I ever stop helping the government, you'll notice quickly enough to regret it. Have you found anything on the menu that you like?"
"I'm looking at the Podolico indulgence."
"That's more of a gimmick dish; the 10 carat sapphire on top is very nice, but it's mostly a glorified cheeseburger with Kobe meat. I'd recommend the foie gras with apricots. Far more flavor per pound."
"The indulgence is the most expensive item on the menu, and you said you're paying for this."
"…Of course."
"Besides, I've always wanted someone to give me a jewel."
"Really? Didn't you get a diamond ring when you were married?"
"Joseph…I told him to put it to the kids' college fund and give me a glass ring. Forget it, I know what I'm ordering. Now, do you mind telling me why I'm here?"
"Do I need an excuse to have dinner with one of my esteemed colleagues? A fellow peer, even?"
"Last I checked, you don't think you have peers. What is it? Access to STAR Labs? Cadmus? If it's Suicide Squad business, you're out of luck. Black budget got moved to the CIA; president wants another war, the bastard."
"Oh, please, I don't need to bribe you to interfere with the government. I have my fingers in pockets far larger than yours."
"General Thompson is going to fake his death to get out of that blackmail scheme you have him in. Director Holmes of Project Osiris is being investigated by the Question; even if she isn't indicted, she'll have to flee the country. I suppose Hugo Strange is still on your payroll and is still in the HHS, but with the amount of cocaine the man's been snorting recently, I doubt he'll remain reliable for long. You might want to stay on my good side."
"…"
"Oh, don't look so surprised, Lex. I said it's better to keep an eye on you."
"Hrm. Well, I have some phone calls I'll need to make tomorrow, but that can wait. I was quite serious; I had no plans to bring up business tonight."
"Huh. Well that's egg on my face. Why am I here then?"
"I already had a reservation for two, and since my dining partner became....unavailable, I decided it might be best to get to know you better. We are on the same team, after all - us against the capes above."
"Touching. Who was the unlucky lady?
"Fionna Beauregard, of-"
"Beauregard Technologies?"
"You are remarkably informed. I met her at a gala a few months back and she - and her father's extensive collection of patents - drew my eye. Unfortunately, she won't leave her father's bedside at the hospital due to the incident at his personal lab. I'm sure you're aware. I assume Cadmus is trying to salvage what they can from the wreckage?"
"Hmpf. Can't get anywhere near there until the Justice League backs off. It couldn't just be a normal lab meltdown, no, he just had to turn into a giant sludge monster."
"Really, it's inconsiderate to the rest of us to give the Justice League such an easy target to fight. You can tell they care more about looking good for the common man than actually fixing anything. I think the Flash spent more time flirting with that reporter after the battle than actually fighting."
"Hah. So I'm in what was her seat until about two weeks ago. I met Fionna once when her father was trying to get a defense contract signed. If I was her mother, I'd have spent more on her education than on her makeup routine. So am I really so gorgeous that you thought to replace her with me?"
"Don't be too proud of yourself. I could have had my pick of celebrities in that chair. I simply…craved the company of someone of intelligence after courting her. Competency. Substance. Wit. Fionna's a beautiful girl but she might as well have cotton candy between her ears."
"Well, Lex, an actual compliment. I didn't know you were capable of it. Are you sure you're not trying to weasel your way into Cadmus?"
"Perhaps later this month. I can get in through bribes or break-in, you can try to stop me, we'll make a date of it."
"You, me, your checkbook, hundreds of thousands of dollars of research data and a dozen security guards hitting you with tasers. How romantic."
"And there's the wit. Really, it's a shame you're not a free agent. If you were leading the Kryptonite lab, that plot of land in West Virginia would still be habitable. By West Virginia standards, at least."
"Hah! I've seen how, what was her name, Mercy Graves treats you. I'm sure I could run your facilities, but I don't think you want me doing her 'other' responsibilities."
"…Competency can be attractive."
"Excuse me?"
"Like I said, I can have my pick of women. Mercy's best attribute was never her ability to put on a face of makeup and fit in a size 8 dress. It was that she was loyal, resourceful, and smart enough to take care of herself. That's why LexCorp is paying for her full recovery from radiation poisoning, and the peons who should have done their jobs right are getting cut off."
"...My god, Lex, are you actually trying to flirt with me?"
"Don't be crass. I'm just correcting your misinterpretations."
"Well, better it isn't. If that's what you consider flirting, then I assume every woman who's ever slept with you was lured to your bed by a trail of hundred dollar bills."
"No, flirting would be me noting that lovely black dress you wore here, and how, combined with the silver necklace and the onyx earrings, it gives you the bearing of a classic Hollywood celebrity. Very Audrey Hepburn. You have a beauty about you that shines when you step out of civil service, Amanda, and someone should appreciate that."
"..."
"You're blushing."
"...Well. If that's the conversation you want to have, then I'd be amenable to-"
"That was for demonstration purposes, of course. If I was flirting with you, that'd be very effective, wouldn't it?"
"Mr. Luthor, I'm sure it amuses your, what was it, twelfth-level intellect to obfuscate what you're trying to do here, but some of us have work in the morning because we contribute to the betterment of mankind against unaccountable gods in capes, instead of playing with green rocks to try and kill just one. You're free to isolate yourself with your insufferable smugness, but I'm not playing along. If you just want to fuck with someone, wait until your Mercy gets out of the coma that you put her in."
"…You don't get to throw her into my face. She should have been safe there! I went through every bit of log data trying to figure out how she got caught in the blast, and when I find out who did it...well, there's a lot of land available in West Virginia to bury them in. And you're one to talk about isolation. How many people want to get close to the Wall? How long has your bed been cold?"
"Not long enough to let you smarm your way under the sheets."
"Deflection. I've noticed you haven't gotten up to leave, despite what you think my intentions are. Perhaps the night will go smoother if we both admit what we want here?"
"I'm staying because you're too arrogant to admit that you're trying to seduce me."
"And what if I do admit it? What would you do with such an offer?"
"That's. Not. Your. Concern. You make forty times my salary and can win chess games in your mind, and you think that cancels out the fact that you're an asshole? If I wanted a man, I'd just...get one. But I choose not to because I'm focused on my career and-"
"Because half your family is dead and buried in Chicago, and the other isn't on speaking terms with you, and you'd rather work yourself to death than go through all that again with anybody else. Don't look so surprised. You're not the only one who does their research; I knew about your family the first week we met. The woman who'll stare down a New God is afraid of trust and intimacy."
"…Fuck you, Luthor. We're done."
"Really? I thought the Wall would be more resilient than-"
"You brought my Damita into this. My poor girl. You can stay here with your money, but you and I are done."
"...Amanda. Wait."
"I'm calling a cab. Talk fast."
"I...respect you. I have always been an advocate for human potential; it's what separates us from metahumans who don't even have to try. You went from a devastated widow in one of the most violent areas of Chicago to one of the most powerful people in the United States, and then led the government in finding ways to give the entire country a fighting chance against the Justice League. You are one of the few humans that I do consider a peer. And competency is attractive."
"A peer. Really. So what the hell have the last ten minutes of double-speak been?"
"Mental sparring. Blind flattery is for people like Fionna. I thought you were appreciating the challenge, but I clearly touched a sore spot. My apologies."
"...Twelfth-level intellect and you can't figure out how to treat a woman. Fine, I believe you. But why should I bother with you after what you put me through? I don't have your money, but I can afford a pool boy who'll treat me better than you can."
"Oh? I thought that was obvious. I know you."
"Not well enough to not bring up my daughter who was-"
"Amanda...I know about the Suicide Squad. I know about the psychic child weapons. I know about your role on the creation of Project Osiris - which I'm sure you've completely covered up to avoid the fallout of Director Holmes's impending fall. The gene tampering, the weapons development, where the hundreds and hundreds of bodies are buried - and that's just what you've been working on with Cadmus. I know you. I know who you are, who you had to be to do those things. And if you find yourself a pool boy, you'll spend every day with him wondering whether he'll get close enough to learn who you are, whether he'll recoil in horror. Will you be able to convince him that it was all for the greater good? Will you have to silence him? Is it worth the heartbreak?"
"..."
"You can go find your poolboy and roll the dice, or you could eat dinner with someone who knows exactly what you've done, exactly what you are…and invited you anyways. And I'm sure he wouldn't compare you to Audrey Hepburn."
"…So, the foie gras with apricots?"
"As long as I'm being honest, the Podolico indulgence is actually quite nice for a glorified cheeseburger."