Chapter Text
i.
Kara was more than a little worried she’d never see Mon-El again. She’d been kicking herself all week for not asking for his number so she could make sure he was okay, but it wasn’t like they’d been planning these meet-ups. He just happened to go to the same coffeeshop that she did on Wednesdays when she got to work from home. And she just happened to save him a seat.
And it would have been just fine… if Ms. Grant hadn’t scheduled a mandatory meeting Wednesday morning that ran past lunch. She knew it was a stretch, but she still rushed out the moment she was done. And even then, she was the last reporter out, since Snapper was so insistent about giving his corrections for her last article right then.
When she got to the coffeeshop, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a familiar face at their table. He made it, she thought. She went to wave before she realized that he hadn’t noticed her yet. Because his attention was a little occupied by a girl in front of him. One with bright and perfect blonde curls and Kara was seeing red. If this random girl thought she could talk to her… her… Mon-El, she had another thing coming.
Kara watched, holding her breath, as Mon-El talked to the girl. He didn’t look uncomfortable, per se, but he was still holding his book up, and she could tell he wasn’t fully invested in the conversation. And honestly, the way the girl inched towards the open seat — Kara couldn’t tell if she was in it for the spot or for Mon-El, but she didn’t care. Both of them were hers.
She grew green with envy and red with anger and all she knew was that both of those feelings could be fixed if that girl would — Just. Go. Away.
She took a deep breath and took her bag off her shoulder, ready to set it down on the chair the moment she had the chance. She wanted her spot back, and she wanted the girl to leave him alone. So clearly, there was only one thing to do.
“There you are, babe,” she said, rushing up to the table and dropping her bag gentle on the seat. “I had hoped you would save me a seat.”
Mon-El looked away from the girl and at Kara, who was quickly approaching his side. A good thing too, because this girl was almost too nice to say no to… but Kara certainly could find a way. Still, there was something furious about the way she moved, that had him a little worried.
“Hi.” He shifted in his seat as she came around the side of the table and passed the girl.
“Hi,” Kara replied, leaning down and reaching for the right side of his face — the side the other woman couldn’t see. If she was doing this, she wanted the audience.
He followed her hand as she guided him toward her — whether out of shock or blind trust, she wasn’t sure. She shut her eyes tight, calling on all her courage, and leaned in. And perhaps she had a flair for the dramatic, but when she pressed her lips against his, she could feel her heart skip a beat. She was slow and delicate, kissing him gently so not as to completely disrupt what they had. This was… it was nothing. Just pretend. Just to help free him from any obligation to the girl still standing by the side of the table. Just so Kara could get her seat back.
But it wasn’t nothing. She wanted this. And that drew her out of the dazzling moment, reminding her that Mon-El was not her boyfriend and she couldn’t just kiss him out of nowhere whenever she liked.
She let her hand fall from his cheek, settling it on his chest as she pushed back slightly the break the kiss. But then a firm hand was in her hair and he was pulling her back to him. They met with a little more strength than was probably necessary, but she felt electric. He kissed her once, still chaste enough considering they were in public still, but the pressure of his lips against her and his fingers against her, keeping her close — it left her completely overwhelmed.
When he pulled back, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t even open her eyes. She couldn’t think of anything else. But Mon-El was more aware than she was and turned to the woman Kara had interrupted.
“Sorry, this is Kara. My… uhh—”
Kara turned to finish his sentence, the word “girlfriend” dangling deliciously on the edge of her tongue. The thrill of saying that, even if it wasn’t real, was overpowering. That is, until she actually looked up at the girl’s face for the first time. And what she discovered killed any rational thought in her mind.
“Eve?!” she exclaimed, her face beginning to burn a ferocious pink, a merciless shade betraying her embarrassment to her coworker and Mon-El, all at once.
“Kara. You. Oh my god. Is—” she turned to Mon-El. “You’re the Noonan’s guy? Oh my — I should have known. She talks about you all the time, I just hadn’t realized that you two actually were — I mean, I’d teased her, but I didn’t really believe —” She didn’t know how to finish that thought, looking between the two of them as if the action would explain something to her. Kara, however, did not let Eve finish that thought — as if she would have been capable.
“Eve!” Kara cried out, her hand leaving Mon-El’s chest to cover her face in embarrassment. Eve looked over and shut her mouth immediately, dropping that train of thought.
“You know, I actually need to get back to work,” she said awkwardly with a forced laugh, passing her gaze between Kara and Mon-El. With a grimace and a little wave, she dismissed herself without actually saying goodbye.
Kara didn’t say anything, pulling herself out of Mon-El’s grip and sitting across from him, her hand over her mouth, completely unwilling to look him in the eyes. He waited until Eve was out the door to say anything, but when the door chimed as it shut, he was already speaking up.
“You like me,” he said, almost laughing.
“I… you’re just —” Kara couldn’t form the words it would take to explain herself.
“You came here just to see me, didn’t you?”
“Well you clearly got here early to see me, too. So —”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t going to pretend that didn’t mean anything.”
“Oh,” she said, losing her fight. “I wasn’t — Okay, fine.” She held up her hands in surrender. He didn’t say anything to elaborate, letting the thought pass into her mind as if it was a confession, clear as day. Because it meant something.
“You can admit it. I promise I won’t laugh.”
“I… I like… getting to see you.”
“Because you like me.” She shrugged, and like promised, he didn’t laugh. She was the one who laughed, his face dead serious and held, frozen as she giggled. She didn’t know how to read him perfectly yet, but she was learning. And she’d managed to make him nervous. That gave her a surge of pride and eagerness.
“You are relentless.” She said to try and diffuse the tension, still not ready to admit to him that her jealousy towards Eve hadn’t just been about the table. That her kissing him didn’t imply anything. Even though it did. And he knew it.
“And you like me anyway.” She smacked his arm, knocking over what was left of his coffee. It splattered on the floor.
“Shit,” she said, jumping up and trying to clean up the mess. But in a moment, she had abandoned the thought to grab a handful of napkins.
Mon-El just rolled his eyes, half certain she’d done it on purpose to avoid answering him. Kara dropped the napkins on the floor without a passing thought and stayed standing.
“So, I’m gonna get you a new drink,” she declared, backing away from the table, her wallet in hand.
“Oh, so now you’re gonna buy me coffee?” He teased.
“It’s the least I can do…” she said, trying to come up with a good excuse. It was always about excuses — every time she held the spot for him… every time she found herself hoping he’d show up… her panic when she couldn’t make it in time. “You know, since you saved me a seat and I spilled everywhere —”
“Come here,” he said, grabbing her hand. He tugged her forward and drew her down so he could give her a quick kiss. Her jealousy subsided as she pulled away, smiling and just as nervous as she had been when she first arrived… Just maybe not as jealous.
“Fine. I like you.”
“I like…” he trailed off, a hint of a smile turning up the corner of his eyes, making everything about him just a little brighter. He looked playful and light-hearted. “…a large, iced —” he began.
“Vanilla latte… I know.” She turned away, ignoring that stupid smile and the burning of her cheeks. She reached the counter and was pulling out her credit card, already preparing to order when she heard him call out.
“I like you more, Kara.” She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t a competition… Still, her blush returned and she stumbled through the order and tried to focus. The barista couldn’t even contain her laugh as Kara tried three times to say “caramel macchiato” without getting tongue tied.
Rao, help her. She had it bad.