A day well spent should have an evening well enjoyed. WHO: Lena Luthor and Match WHAT: Match takes Lena out to try to show her some Orange County fun. WHEN: A few days after this conversation WHERE: Her place, out and about, then a classy dinner joint WARNINGS: None, PG STATUS: Closed and Complete
Match was looking forward to this. He had been putting in long hours recently, with his part in the movie he had been cast in seemingly expanding day by day so he kept getting bigger and slightly different scripts. In addition to that, negotiations with his agent and publication company advancing his need to write his next book?
Well, it was all a lot of pressure for the usually very kick back man. So a chance to show off some of his favorite low-key places to a fellow workaholic sounded like fun!
It didn’t hurt that she both sounded smart and looked pretty good, too.
He tooled up to her place in the Tesla, and hopped out, heading for her front door with a bounce in his step that was barely less than flying.
***
It was an odd feeling, Lena found, to be getting ready to go out with a stranger she met on the internet. Even as she applied her lip gloss in the mirror, she felt as if it was an entirely bad decision, and she couldn’t quite understand why she’d made it. It wasn’t as if she was a social butterfly, or the type that frequently went out of the town. She was the ‘sit inside and work for fun’ type. This wasn’t her.
With a sigh, though, she forced herself to calm down and just allow herself to do something a little odd. Being ‘her’ was a lonely existence, and maybe putting herself out there a bit would be worth the trouble. She wasn’t going to talk herself out of this.
Just as she’d resolved to go through with this, she heard a knock on the door, igniting both a spark of nervousness and one of relief inside of her. Smoothing down her black dress, she focused on the click of her heels as she made her way to the door. It centered her some, helping her to paste on a confident smile as she swung open the door.
“Hello. Match, I presume?”
***
“Miss Lena Luthor, it is a pleasure to meet you.” He eyed her, curious, meeting face to face for the first time. He extended his hand to her. “How was your evening?”
He wore a finely tailored black suit, the only one he owned, that showed him off well and black shoes, and he nodded. He felt himself relax a little.
“I have a few places to show you, a few places to hopefully make for a relaxing evening. How does a small little place for dinner sound to start?”
***
Lena was startled a bit as she took in the man in front of her, genuinely surprised to see how well-dressed and handsome he was. Sure, she knew he was a model currently driving a Tesla, but… his picture didn’t do him justice.
“The feeling is mutual.” She said, taking his hand as she quickly made her way down the two steps that led up to her front door. That was mostly the truth. Despite her apprehension, she was starting to feel a certain amount of interest in seeing what the night would hold. “My evening was very nice, thank you.” If you called putting together a machine from scratch ‘nice.’ Which she did.
“That sounds perfect. I might need to take a look at the Tesla’s engine before we go, though. Just to ensure that it’s safe, of course.” She said with a smirk, looking forward to this part more than she was the rest of the night.
***
Match grinned at her, watching her eyes widen and he wondered if he had caught hew off guard in words or what. Hmmm. She was rather a looked, and he had seen how smart she was on her post. If he wasn’t confident in himself, he could have easily been intimidated by this powerful woman. Thankfully, his dreams had helped with that.
“Good to hear. A day well spent should have an evening well enjoyed.” He grinned and led the way to his car. His borrowed car, really, and he chuckled. “Of course. Right this way.” Once there, he easily opened the hood, using the instructions he had memorized earlier. He held up the manual.
“This is the manual, if you want to see it. Otherwise, go ahead and look. It’s an amazing engine.” He was rather startled by how creative and fancy it looked, having been away from science long enough to not be up on such things.
*** Lena scoffed good naturedly at the offer of the manual. She was a mechanical engineer; if she was worth her salt, she didn’t need a manual.
Pulling the hood up all the way, her eyes widened at the top-of-the-line materials that made up the Tesla’s engine. The entire system was a work of art. “Man, I’d love to pull this apart,” she mumbled to herself, already going over the possibilities in her head. She wondered if she could make it even more efficient.
Glancing over at Match, she smiled widely, excited that this was their chariot for the night. “Nice wheels.” Closing the hood before she lost the battle with her urge to go and get her wrench and get to work, she made her way back over to the passenger’s side, hopping in. Once he’d gotten in himself. She nodded. “Okay, so we’re off to a great start. What else is there to see?”
***
Match grinned and watched her as she looked and nearly salivated. He could see the thoughts in her head, and at her words, chuckled. “If it were mine, i’d let you, but I’m not that big a star yet.” He shook his head, he likely never would be.
When she closed it down, he smile and hopped, in, starting her up in a nearly silent purr. The car peeled out smoothly, and he had to concentrate not to let it creep up into the high digits of speed without noticing. “I love driving this car.”
“Well, I had in mind a few sites. There’s Hondu’s a 5-Star restaurant run by Carlos Hondu, which serves fantastic food and has laptops and wifi throughout, with a tech store just next door which has only the highest end and coolest of techs this side of Stark’s.”
He grinned again. “After that, there’s a club where the drinks are good, the crowds are small, and the music is sweet. A quiet little place to just hang, or dance the night away. Finally, I thought we could end the night with ice cream floats at Pop’s place, the only 24 hour ice cream joint in town.”
***
“‘Not yet,’ huh? So, your star is rising, then.” She wasn’t the type that particularly salivated at the idea of knowing someone famous - in fact, the idea of not having privacy herself made her more than a little twitchy - but she appreciated that it was the dream for some, and always applauded a dream achieved. “Should I be looking out for paparazzi?”
It was a smooth ride, undoubtedly. Having seen the engine, she knew exactly why, but she could also appreciate on a layman’s level how truly satisfying it was to ride in a machine such as this one. She couldn’t imagine ever affording one herself, though. She wondered how much it would cost her to build a cheaper equivalent, though.
Lena sighed, trying her best to tinge the sound with an air of wonder. She was honestly nervous about their night on the town, especially given that they’d be doing so much. It was sad to say, but Lena was a homebody through and through. Doing things outside of the house with people was foreign to her.
But she was branching out. It’d be fun, right?
Finally smiling, she turn to Match. “Lead the way.”
***
Match drove, glancing over at her, and hmmmed. It didn’t take a genius to see she was not entirely happy. But about what? About their plans? “We don’t have to do all of that, you know.”
He smiled lopsidedly as he turned a corner at speed, but carefully. It helped that his ability to fly was based around the negation of gravity in a field. And he could extend that field around the car, but it really was a well-behaved car.
“We can take it step by step.”
*** Lena grimaced, unhappy that she seemed to be unsuccessfully hiding her discomfort. Her mother would be so disappointed - a good Luthor knew how to keep her cards close to the chest.
It was too late to dwell on it now, though. She'd just have to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation and be honest. Or something close to it.
“I'm just a little bit of a novice at this whole ‘night on the town’ thing, is all. But please - don't let my hesitance change our plans. I'll relax. I promise.” She said, a more sincere smile in place this time.
***
Match smiled a little. “This whole thing is just to help you have some fun. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it.” He didn’t say more, but took them zooming along.
“Do you like it here in Orange County?” Quick! Change of subject!
This car’s power and his reflexes let him slide through traffic like an Indy driver. He was enjoying himself driving.
“And maybe on our way tonight you can drive this some too.”
***
“I’m sure I will. I mean, in this car, it’s inevitable.” Lena said, forcing herself to relax and just enjoy this night.
Lena laughed at the abrupt subject change, knowing that Match was just trying to make her feel better. It was sweet. “I do. Kind of. The sun can be a little overwhelming; I burn easily. Everything else is nice, though, I suppose. I don’t get out a lot, though, so I’m not sure I would know.” Man, she really needed to stop being so honest about how badly she needed a social life. It was a little sad.
Lena rose her eyebrows. “Maybe, but generally I’m an appreciator of fine automobiles, not a driver of them. I much prefer being a passenger.”
***
“Good. “ He nodded.
“Ever hear of night swimming? Here in Orange, it’s a thing at some of the beaches, sometimes.” He grinned over at her, imagining her in a swimsuit for a moment, then shaking his head and listening.
“Well, if tonight goes well, maybe you can figure it out. I’ll do everything I can to help, Lena.” His voice was soft, quiet for a moment. “I started out as a nerd, an outcast, and someone who didn’t fit in at all. Then suddenly I was discovered, and I started modeling. And writing books, and truthfully, I still don’t. Sometimes, no one does.”
He drove onward, smiling a little. “Yeah? Well, I will be your driver, and you can even call me Al.”
***
“I haven’t. That’d definitely be more my speed.” Swimming at night was always her favorite thing to do as a kid. Not only did she get to avoid being burned, she also got just enjoy the how peaceful everything was at that time of the night. “You’ll have to take me sometime.” She said innocently, honestly just thinking of it as an extension of tonight: Match showing her everything the OC has to offer.
Lena was eternally uncomfortable with genuinely emotional situations, but she couldn’t deny that she appreciated Match revealing that about himself, just to make her feel more comfortable. If he was anything like her, that couldn’t have been the easiest thing for him. “Thank you for that. And, for the record, I think you’re definitely one of the cool kids now. If we were in high school, I’d definitely be the nerdy kid wishing that you’d ask me to prom.”
She laughed at his response. “Only if you call me Betty.”
***
Match grinned at her words and nodded as he pulled into their first stop. “I was the same way. Well, Betty, you’re a pretty cool kid, and a groovy one, now. Come on, let’s get you a bite to eat and next time we can go to the beach.”
He slid out and offered her his hand, smiling a little.
***
“Lead the way, Al.” She said, getting out of the car herself before grabbing his hand. She followed him around the car and through the parking lot, finally getting a good glimpse at the restaurant. Under normal circumstances, there was no way she could afford to eat there, but she was at least good at looking like she belonged, even if she didn’t feel it. Hopefully the food would be good enough to alleviate any of her lingering concern.
After all, her companion was doing a pretty good job of taking care of the rest.
***
He led the way in, grinning, and settled them at a table, soon. There was some embarrassment as the host came out immediately and gushed over Match, followed a moment later by a young boy who leaped up into Match’s arms and babbled at him in Italian. Match replied back and gently pet the boy’s hair before handing him back to the host, who left quickly thereafter.
Match was blushing. “Ah, sorry about that. I---” The waitress arrived and presented them with cheesy bread, wine in a cooler stand, and menus, then left again, eyes wide.
“I, ah, saved the man’s son’s life once, at the beach. I thought he would surely have forgotten me after all this time.” He shook his head. “Sorry for the fuss.” He cleared his throat. “Wine?”
***
Lena’s eyebrows rose at the commotion Match’s arrival caused. She didn’t think he was very famous, but clearly she’d been wrong.
When he’d clarified what was going on, though, she felt herself soften to him some. “You didn’t tell me that you were an everyday hero.” That spoke Italian, of all things. She stored that tidbit of information away for later.
Eying the label on the bottle, she nodded, recognizing it as friendly to vegan dietary restrictions. She probably should have told him that earlier, but she wasn’t really in the habit of sharing her personal eating habits with others. She’d learned how to identify what she could and could not eat.
“I completely forgot to tell you that I’m vegan, didn’t I?” She said sheepishly, eyeing the cheesy bread on the table. “Sorry about that.”
***
He waved a hand at her words, blushing more. “I’m not a hero. Just… who would not help a child in need?” He wasn’t comfortable with the title hero, really.
He lifted the bottle. “Ah, I didn’t ask for it, but would you like some?” He would only take half a glass. He intended to drive, after all. He smiled warmly.
Match blinked then nodded. “Hey, it was none of my business, mostly. You had no idea I would feed you, to start. But thank you for trusting me with that information.” He smiled warmly. He waved for a waiter and told her, then then water took the bread. Just a moment later regular bread was delivered, by the kid.
Match laughed at the kid’s wink, and offered her the now cheeseless bread.
***
Lena had learned the hard way that circumstances were not always a strong enough motivator for people to do the right thing. That Match seemed so sure that anyone would do what he did was a strong indicator of the type of man he was. But if he didn’t want to be called a hero, far be it for her to go against his wishes. “You’d be surprised. But, okay. I won’t call you a hero. I’ll just stick with Match.”
Holding her glass out for wine, Lena returned matches smile. “It’s kind of implied, though, if the plan is to go out for the evening. I should have told you.” Eying the bread, she considered grabbing a piece, but decided against it. She knew by now the dangers of filling up with bread.
“So we’ve talked a little about me, but I’ve yet to learn too much about you. How did you come to be in Orange County?” She asked, taking a sip of wine.
***
He really didn’t see his actions as anything special, but he knew others saw things differently. Match smiled as he nodded, flushing. “Thank you, Lena.” He nodded his head again and he chuckled. He was enjoying this night so far, even if it was embarrassing.
“I was raised in an orphanage here in town, most of the time. I never really knew where I came from, and still don’t. I made my way out and about and learned I could sort of write, and eventually sold a novel.” He smiled a little, waving around. “Along the way, I started modeling, and acting a little. I was here for a long while, before I traveled away for some book tours elsewhere.”
***
“You’re welcome,” she said sincerely, smiling at him over her wine glass. “And thank you for sharing that. I can’t imagine it was easy, and hard things are rarely easy to talk about.” Her heart went out to him at what he’d clearly been through, knowing it wouldn’t have been nearly as cut and dry as his quick summary made it appear. “But I’m glad to see that you’ve had so much success recently.”
As anxious as she’d been about this night, she was glad to see that she had such a good person to see the OC with. She could have done much worse, especially considering she had met him on the internet. She’d heard enough about the dangers of doing that.
Taking another sip of wine, she looked at him curiously. “What’s your book about?”
***
“Thank you. I’ve had a lot of help, a lot of advice and wise people helping me make sure I survived and got through it.” He nodded, remembering so many kind and good people. During wars, and troubles getting published, time in school, and in college, time dreaming, even, he had experienced a lot of helpful people, and the kind of joy that had really given him hope.
“Things seem to be going upward, meeting new people, actually landing okay parts in acting gigs, and having publishers want me to write. “
He smiled at her. “MY first one? Was about my experiences as a kid, being outcast, but put in the realm of a science fiction story, making it a little less heavy handed, I felt, but still making it very much my tale.”
He chuckled. “Now, I’m writing one based on dreams I had, with elements from the dreams of a few friends i once knew. It’s an ensemble piece about friendship, found families, what happens when someone’s life changes utterly, and how they, and the people around them handle it.” He nodded, sending thanks in his thoughts to Alex, Lorna, Mavis, and more.
*** “Hmm. That’s interesting.” She couldn’t imagine a situation in which she’d want to tell her life story to anyone, no matter the setting. She was a very private person, and she hadn’t even had the kind of life Match had. That he would put everything that made him him into a book and then sell it was mind blowing to her.
“Right. The dreams.” She still hadn’t had any, and though she believed that people were having them, she was having a hard time imagining why they were so focused upon. “I can’t say I have much experience there.”
***
“You will, in time. Everyone who joins the network does, sooner or later.” He smiled softly. “Hopefully, yours are gentle ones.”
He eyed the menu and decided what he wanted, then nodded again. “How did you get into engineering? Or is that your main area?”
***
“Were yours? Lena asked, genuinely curious. Her life had been just fine so far; she can’t imagine her dream life to be anything more than slightly out of the ordinary. Match, though? That would likely be more interesting.
Lena took a sip of wine, shrugging. “It’s always been a part of my life. My brother started teaching me to design battle bots when I was five, and as I grew and saw the world-changing possibilities, my love for engineering just grew. I never thought I’d do anything else.”
***
Match swallowed, sighed, then shook his head. “Not even remotely. My alternate self was a clone, one brainwashed and trained to be a terror, and full of hate. Over his life he was brainwashed, and drugged, and even possessed, all in order to make him do bad things. He died, even, so that a bad man would be able to do more bad things.” he shook his head.
“It was not… a pleasant set of dreams. But they did lead to me writing more and getting a modeling job.”
He listened, nodding, and smiled at her, listening. “Battle bots? That is cool! Sounds cute.” He nodded again. “Well, from what I’ve seen, they have definitely seen your potential. Word is you’re one of the up and coming engineers out there.”
The waiter came then to take their orders, and when they were gone, Match smiled to lift his glass again.
“To finding your potential, in this life.”
***
“That’s a strange trajectory to be sure, but I’m happy that you’ve been able to be successful, even as I wish your dreams were a bit more pleasant.” She still had a hard time thinking of the dreams as anything but normal dreams, but even then, she could see that they could have affected him very negatively.
Lena rose her eyebrow at the word ‘cute.’ “There was nothing cute about what we did. It was total robot carnage. It was awesome” At his compliment, though, she couldn’t help but blush. “I’m in the same age group as several brilliant engineers. I’m not alone.”
She raised her glass to his, smile sincere as the glasses clinked together. “Cheers.”