It had been a couple of days since we'd gone ice skating and it was finally time to go back to work, Ed's shoulder had healed enough for him to be off medication and able to go back to his own apartment. He'd moved out, if that's what you'd call it, on Friday. He had insisted I come over to watch movie to uphold tradition and I was grateful to not have to spend the night alone. The night had gone as it usually would with the exception that we both slept in his bed, no strangers to sleeping beside each other.
Saturday and Sunday night felt strange, an odd sense of loneliness that despite living alone for almost a year and a half I hadn't felt before. It sounded weird to say considering he had only stayed with me for a mere week and a half but it felt as if we'd been living with each other for months. The apartment was silent, something I was usually completely fine with but it now just seemed foreign, I'd gotten used to listening to Edward's fun facts of the day or the new riddle he'd created and sometimes just the sound of his presence.
I tried to shake the feeling and focus on the mail I'd neglected to check throughout the week, far too distracted to do so. I skimmed through the ever piling bills and junk mail before reaching an elegant looking envelope with a cursive 'L' in the center. I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly who it was from and what it was about, I opened it to find exactly what I was expecting an invitation to my own birthday party.
Dear Alice,
Would you look at that you have yet again failed to plan your own birthday party so here I am doing it for you. You know exactly when and where and you better attend otherwise your parents will be extremely upset. I've invited your new boy toy as well, I'm assuming the two of you are together by now so don't think you are going to be skipping out on this anytime soon.
I'll bring in one of my designers to sort out your dress so don't fret and you don't need to RSVP because not coming is not an option.
Oh and be sure to invite anyone you please because I hear you actually have friends now. Don't worry I invited a few of my own to make it look like you're popular.
Lots of love, your favourite Lex.
I smiled at how old fashioned he was, sending letters as apposed to texting but that was the true Luthor way I suppose. I hadn't forgotten about my birthday but I had figured out over the years that Lex's favourite month of the year was the month of my birthday because he loved to plan a party for something that wasn't work related. He loved to feel wanted, he'd never say so but considering what the two of us had been through it had become common knowledge. So I let him throw my birthday party and every year I would pretend as if I didn't want one until I saw it and I would tell him that he had made my birthday special.
This year was no exception, although at least this time I could invite people I'd like to spend time with rather than his business colleagues who would ask the same dreary questions but give great presents. It was always an elegant affair, a beautiful gala where I'd be forced to give a painful speech and mingle. I looked at the other contents of the envelope to find that he had attached a few invitations aswell, each one looking beautifully detailed and expensive to make but I didn't expect anything less from Lex. I took my phone from the table and dialed his number.
"Somebody got my letter." He mused into the line and I pretended to be upset with him.
"I told you I don't like parties." I lied into the phone, truthfully I loved the parties he threw for me.
"But you like my parties." He joked into the line and it took everything I had not to laugh at him.
"I can't believe you would go behind my back again and throw me a party. How do mum and dad let you get away with this?" I stated incredulously, having mastered the art of pretending not to enjoy this.
"Because they love you Alice, I know it may seem as if they like me more but I promise we're equals to them." He taunted and I groaned.
"You're so mean to me." I mumbled. "And you invited Ed? How did you even get his address?" I asked, this time actually wanting to know how.
"I'm one of the richest men on the planet and you are asking me how I managed to find your boyfriend's address?" He laughs at me.
"Fair point." I murmured.
"Ha!" He calls into the line. "You didn't deny it! The two of you are together aren't you? I knew it?" He sounded as if he was dancing on the other line.
"So what if we are? Don't you dare tell my parents." I threatened him.
"Oh I won't, you will when you bring him to the party. Should I make your dress green to match his suit." He laughed into the phone with a playful tone, knowing just how much I despised the colour.
"Don't you dare! Lex Luthor I swear on the-" He abruptly cut me off.
"You love me." He stated. "Don't worry the dress isn't green, now please tell me you are actually going to invite some people this year." He sounds exasperated given the couple of years I hadn't invited anyone and simply showed up on my own.
"Excuse me! I have friends, but I don't know whether traveling to metropolis is top on their list of things to be doing." I explained but I knew he wouldn't take the excuse.
"Well they won't have to! Your birthday is on a Saturday this year so I can arrange a limo for them and a room in Metropolis' finest hotel." He begins to solve the problem before it even occurs.
"I mean I guess but-"
"No buts, bring your friends." He states finally and I sighed into the phone.
"You are horrible, you know that?" I tell him.
"I know, now it's late and you have work tomorrow. Make sure you say hi to Edward for me."
"Ok, maybe I'll see you on Saturday." I awaited his reaction.
"No you will most definitely see me on Saturday." I smiled and bit back a laugh as he hung up the phone.
I got ready for bed and let my mind wander to what kind of awkward and embarrassing letter he would have sent Edward.
~~~
I woke up after pressing snooze three times on my alarm, leaving me to rush and skip breakfast. I had continued to rush through my routine before grabbing the invitations and heading to my car. I parked in font of the cafe and after realizing that I was surprisingly early I took a second to grab myself a tea and muffin, grabbing Edward one while I was there. I hadn't see his car yet and figured that I had finally beaten him to work.
The GCPD was as busy as usual but I went to the labs first, dropping off Edward's coffee and muffin before I went to see Harvey and Jim. I brought my own tea with me, sipping it carefully as I weaved my way through the busy police officers and making it to their desks surprisingly unscathed.
"Well look who finally decides to show up for work huh?" Harvey mocks and I feign innocence.
"Oh Harvey I'm not here to talk to you." I say, directing my next statement to Jim, taking an invitation from my bag and handing it to him. "Jim I was wondering if you and Lee would like to attend my birthday party on Saturday? It's in Metropolis so Lex can arrange a limo and a nights accommodation in the most luxurious hotel they have to offer." I made sure it sounded a lot better than it was to shove in Harvey's face, giving Jim two invitations with a wink and he caught on.
"It's your birthday on Saturday? I would love to, I'll have to see about work but-" Lee jumped in from behind me.
"We'd love to, thank you so much for the invitation, we'll be there." She answers and I smile at her, not even knowing she was there.
"Perfect! Well the two of you were the only ones I came to invite so I'll be on my way." They had picked up on what I was trying to do to Harvey and got on board.
"This Lex doesn't happen to be Lex Luthor does it? The legendary party thrower?" Lee questions, exaggerating everything she says.
"Wait you're the Alice he throws a party for every year? As in 'party of the year' Alice?" Jim adds, but he seems genuinely curious. It had grown into quite the talked about affair in both Metropolis and Gotham, each year the party gets more extravagant and people are begging to be put on the list but that was all Lex's doing.
"That would be me." I reply with a cheeky smirk. "So you two both have invitation to the party of the year. Super VIP, oh and did I mention that all food and alcohol is free?" I tried to rub it in further and Harvey genuinely looked upset.
"I didn't even know it was your birthday kid." He states. "This party sounds fun, you guys have fun now. Don't worry about little old me, I mean it's not like I was your favourite customer or anything." He sighs dramatically, hinting that he obviously wanted to be invited. I decided that my fun wasn't over yet so I shot the other two a wink.
"Thanks Harvey, I'm sure we will have fun." I spun around and began to head back to the lab, I stole a glance to see him sitting back down at his desk, shooting Jim a salty look and I laughed, deciding that I would stop playing around. "Oh and Harvey?" He looked up at me questioningly. "The Limo will pick you up at 6." He breathed a sigh of relief and a smile grew on his lips. Jim handed him the extra invitation and we all laughed at him but he didn't seem to care so long as he got an invitation.
"That was mean! There goes your birthday present." He stated, looking at the invitation.
"There goes your invitation." I shot back, and he immediately took it back.
"Your girlfriend is mean." He states and I look behind me to see Ed standing there, hair slightly ruffled and he looked as if he'd been through hell this morning. I flipped Harvey off and left him to converse with Jim and Lee before I walked with Ed back to the labs.
"I thought you might need this." I handed him the coffee and muffin, glad that I'd gotten coffee instead of tea because something told me he needed the caffeine.
"Thank you." He says, gratefully sipping the coffee as I began to eat my muffin.
"Is everything ok? You look a bit-" I began but he cut me off.
"It's been quite a morning." He replies vaguely and I brushed it off, not wanting to seem nosy. I fixed his hair and straightened his suit and he smiles gratefully. I kiss him lightly on the lips and his smile grows to a small smirk. "You didn't tell me it was your birthday on Saturday." He mumbles.
"I didn't get around to it, there's still a week." He looked slightly upset. "You are very lucky that I already know what I'm gifting you otherwise I would be incredibly upset with you." He states and I give him an innocent smile.
"Sorry." I smile. "I promise next year I'll give you two weeks notice. What are you getting me, you said you already knew?" I ask him but his lips form a satisfied smirk.
"I believe it's called a surprise for a reason." He shoots back and I give him a playful scowl before we decide to get back to work.
We'd been working for a couple of hours in complete silence, not because we were mad at each other but simply because we were so focused on the task at hand. Due to our absence an abundance of paperwork was still waiting to be done, we'd finished it with surprising efficiency and could now multi-task between talking and working.
"So everyone knows about our..." He pauses for the right word. "Relationship." He glances at me with a concerned look. "Is that ok? I mean are you comfortable with you know, people knowing about us." He looks back to what he was working on and I glanced to him confused.
"I mean, it doesn't bother me, does it bother you?" I ask him in return to which he shakes his head.
"No no, I just mean because you are absolutely beautiful and you know I'm um, well you know." His eyes darken and he pauses slightly. "Because I'm a riddle freak in the eyes of the population of ignoramuses." I was taken aback by his comment and I was quick to defend him.
"Who cares what they say about you, or us for that matter. I really really like you, I have never once thought you were a freak or anything of that nature and I'm proud to call you my boyfriend." His spirits lifted slightly but he still wasn't convinced. "What can I do to make you believe me? I'll stand on a table and tell the whole GCPD if that makes you feel any better."
"That wouldn't be necessary but I appreciate the gesture." He looked a lot happier. "What we have is serious right?" He states once again out of the blue.
"Of course, well I hope so at least." I laugh lightly. "You've been Lex approved so that's a plus." I added and he nodded.
"Well I will have to thank him on Saturday then." He mused and we carried on working through the afternoon. We'd reached the end of our shifts and walked to our cars together.
"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow?" I questioned even though I knew that I would.
"I believe you will." I leaned up to kiss him and he dipped his head down slightly. "Considering that we're together." His aura had shifted slightly again, more calm and confident. "We could probably drive to work together. I'll pick you up at eight?" He was a lot more assertive and slightly more charming so how could I say no?
"Sounds lovely, eight it is." With that we gave each other a hug and a quick kiss and we were on our way back to our own apartments.
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I love this chapter not gonna lie, the fluff is real guys omfg
How did you guys like it? Cute enough? I wanted to add a bit more Lex because I really love the playful nature he brings I don't know he's just kind of a wild card that can throw the story off.
Anyways let me know what you think xx.
~Mikayla