Chapter Text
“Bye, sis! Have fun!” Alex’s voice calls and Kara turns in confusion as the door behind her locks… from the outside?
What did Alex do to her door?
“Kara?”
Oh-
Cat.
She turns and there Cat is. It feels dream-like, Cat here, in her apartment. With the smell of latkes in the air? What in Rao’s name is going on?
“Uhm, hi?” Cat’s here. Really here, and Alex just left… oh no, what did Alex do? “Uh, you weren’t forced to come here were you? There aren’t any black-clad agents around, right?” She looks around, but she can’t just slip her glasses off right in front of Cat.
Not that Cat doesn’t know already, but still. Her pride’s on the line here. Not everyone knows. They can’t. Right?
Cat snorts and oh, she’s missed that. “No, I wasn’t forced, Kara.” She’s got red wine on her breath, oh and that makes sense with the mostly-full glass in her hand. “Though, one of your goons, the good-looking one, let me in. She wasn’t in black though.”
The ‘good-looking one’? There’s probably a few-
“Short hair, nice face, a little taller than me. Somewhat deep voice.” Cat glances up and to the right, thinking like she always does. “Pointed me right to the wine, a very nice vintage, by the way.”
Kara smiles. “That was Susan then.”
Cat raises her glass and pops an eyebrow, “To Susan then.”
Yeah, she’s missed this. Also, where’s Susan? “When did you get here?” Maybe Cat’s been here for a while. But, it looks like she’s just started drinking, so she couldn’t have been here for too long.
“Hmm, less than five minutes.” Cat squints at her, and here come the questions… “Why?”
Kara frowns. “Well, Susan should still be here but I don’t hear her… voice… or anyone else actually?” She turns and they are definitely alone. What was Alex up to?
Cat rolls her eyes. “I heard giggling from the bathroom, but very few stories are worth subjecting myself to anything that sounds like that .”
“Oh no. Lucy must be here too.” She doesn’t wait to see Cat’s reaction, Lucy and Susan are the worst together. She bangs open the bathroom door, already drawing breath but…
There’s a grappling hook attached to her bathtub. Wha?
What in all of Rao’s graces is going on? Wait, why is Clark’s smell in the bathroom too? And what is that earthy, plant-like smell? And why did Lucy and Susan literally rappel out the window if Clark was here?
Drama queens. Kara sighs, she shouldn't have expected anything else really. Why would they do anything sensible? She tugs the rope up and closes the window. She doesn’t feel the cold, but Alex always complains if she doesn’t heat the apartment. Glancing out toward the street, she doesn’t see a sign of anyone, but that doesn’t mean much with two highly trained agents and a man who can fly.
She looks down at the rope in her hand… latkes… Eliza must have been here too. What was Alex doing? Why had she brought everyone together and then had them leave? She feels eyes on her and who-
Cat's got her arms crossed, leaning against her bathroom door and Kara can't help but catch her own lip between her teeth. She really is radiant. The soft shadows that the strings of lights cast do amazing things for her eyes.
Strings of lights? What had they done to her apartment?
“Rappelled out the window, huh?” Cat’s eyes trail on the grappling hook and Kara shrugs. Cat rolls the wine glass between her fingers. It’s a nervous tick and Kara frowns, Cat should be comfortable here. “You had no idea I’d be here, did you?”
Oh. Kara swallows. “No, sorry.” She shakes her head, Alex. “I knew there would be people over, but I thought it would be Winn or Lucy, not, not you.” She can’t bring herself to raise her head. Honestly, Alex is so embarrassing at times. Why would she just throw Kara in without any warn-
“Would you like me to leave?”
What?
“No.” Kara steps forward, she can’t emphasize that enough. Cat has to know, right? Has to know how much Kara craves her time. “No, I definitely don’t mind you being here. It’s nice actually, if you want to be here, of course. Obviously, there isn’t much of a party going on and you were probably promised a party.” Oh gosh, she’s alone with Cat. Locked inside her apartment, alone, with Cat. Golly. “And I’d totally understand if you wanted to leave, I mean, I have no idea what Alex was thinking with all of this, and I bet it was Alex. She’s always doing weird things, and Lucy is even worse, by the wa-”
“Kara.” Cat’s smiling, a little smile, and that’s good! That’s a good sign. “I don’t want to leave.”
Oh. Well. Oh. That’s nice. Oh, she kinda feels like she’s got butterflies in her stomach. Cat always makes her feel like she’s got butterflies in her stomach. Maybe she’s hungry.
“Oh. Okay, well, uhm, there are latkes?” What else should she do? Eliza would admonish her if she didn’t offer Cat some. She works hard on the latkes, and Cat should try them, they’re really good.
“Are you sure there?” Cat smiles and props the glass against her lips. She looks relaxed, soft, and the butterflies need to vacate quickly. She’s teasing and that’s, that’s a lot.
Kara steps forward but Cat doesn’t step back. She needs to find someplace to put this grappling hook. She needs to figure out how to get around Cat without brushing against her skin. “Yeah, I’m sure there are latkes. They’re good too, Eliza made them.”
“Your adoptive mother?” Eliza always seems to interest Cat. Actually, all of Kara’s family does. Maybe that means Cat’s interested in Kara’s past? Or maybe Cat’s interested in Kara hers-
Nah.
“Yeah. She’s really good at them.” Kara smiles. “When I first came to the Danvers, I explained my religion to them and Eliza said it reminded her of Judaism. So, she made me latkes and they’re kind of my favorite.”
Cat hums quietly. Her eyes are searching, but Kara can’t quite bring herself to meet them. Instead, she gestures behind Cat and shakes off the memories.
“If you’d like?”
But Cat doesn’t move right away, just continues to look at her. Kara meets her gaze, those green, green eyes. There’s… there’s a lot of softness there she’s not expecting. It’s a little overwhelming. But then Cat turns and the moment is broken.
Kara’s a little disappointed. She wouldn’t mind if Cat overwhelmed her.
They walk to the kitchen, Cat looks around the whole time. The brief glimpse of the decorating Kara had gotten was nice. Susan and Co. had done a wonderful job, really. It’d be nice to appreciate it, but she can’t seem to tear her eyes away from how the shadows play across Cat’s shoulders. The differing strings of lights keep changing where the highlights in her hair express most.
Rao above, she’s gorgeous.
They step into the kitchen and Cat rounds the island to sit in a bar stool, seemingly content to let Kara find her way. The silence between them feels comfortable. It’s nice to, finally, be around Cat again. It almost feels like the times when she’s been away from Alex for too long. Grounding.
The grappling hook can go by the door; Lucy can come pick that up later. She should take off her shoes, they’re not the most comfortable. Not that she can really feel them, but it’s always nice to be barefoot. She toes them off and smiles at Cat, that’s an odd thing. Smiling at Cat in such a relaxed environment. Odd, but very nice.
Now, what else did Eliza make? Because there’s certainly some things besides latkes and one of those things could very well be potstickers… she opens the oven and - oh, there’s spaghetti. Spaghetti? No, no, it’s not really? That’s no spaghetti Kara recognizes. There aren’t any meatballs in it. What did Eliza make? She pulls it out of the still-warm oven to get a closer look and there are olives and tomatoes and small pieces of fish?
She turns to Cat with a frown, Cat’s staring at her hands and same, honestly. “I, uh, have no idea what this is. I’ve never seen it before. I mean, it’s pasta, obviously, but why are there little… anchovies in it?”
Cat’s head pops up, their eyes meeting, and Cat waves her over. “Let me see.”
Kara shrugs, maybe it’s a new dish Eliza wanted to try. It smells okay and if Eliza made it, it’s bound to be good. Can’t hurt to try at least.
“Oh.” Cat blinks. “That’s spaghetti alla puttanesca. I haven’t had that in ages. Where did you get that?” She looks up and her face is so open. Like she truly thinks Eliza would serve anything not homemade at all, ever.
“Uhm, well, if Eliza was here, which she had to be, trust me, Lucy can’t cook latkes.” Kara jerks her thumb over her shoulder and grins. “Then Eliza made it.”
Cat stares at the relatively small bowl, at least relative to the three plates of latkes, before pointing to the drawers behind Kara. “Grab me a fork.” She taps the counter, and Kara places the bowl down without question. “Please, actually. Will you please grab me a fork?”
Hmm, that’s very nice, almost sweet of Cat. She grins and reaches for the silverware drawer, grabs herself a fork and one for Cat and turns back, utensil proffered forward. Cat doesn’t thank her, just nods. She must be intent on the pasta, she almost looks like she’s going to set it on fire with her eyes.
Dainty as always, she spears one tomato and one probable anchovy before swirling her fork through the sauce to grab a noodle. She lifts the fork, her lips parting slowly, and Kara’s not watching this, definitely not.
Cat moans. That’s the only word for it. It’s the most sensual thing she’s ever heard leave Cat’s mouth and it nearly drives the wind from her lungs. Cat reaches for another bite and oh no, she’s not going to-
She moans again. Kara twitches.
“This is amazing.” Another bite, another groan, Kara leans back against the counter, she needs some breathing room. “This is as close to perfect as a dish of alla puttanesca can get.” Cat’s staring at her and Kara kind of feels like she needs to prop open a window. Alex and her heating be darned, she's keeping that bathroom window open.
She quirks a finger at Kara, beckoning her closer, and it’s not like Kara would refuse. Cat spears another bite, and Kara really needs to not be leaning on the other side of the counter, Cat may be her-
She’s holding the fork out to Kara. There’s a challenge in her look. Something… that Kara can’t quite decipher. But, well, she’s never turned down a challenge from Cat, not really. Why would this, Cat offering to feed her in such an intimate setting, be any different?
Perhaps because Kara can feel her pulse hammering in her veins. Rao, she’s shaking. Cat scares her more than any enemy she’s fought before, even the ones who have defeated her.
Cat’s still holding out the fork to her, still pushing her. But she did say to dive, though that feels like longer than just a little over a year ago, so much longer. Dive…
She leans forward and she wouldn’t have caught the way Cat’s jaw tightens if she’d been looking at the fork. But she’s not. She is definitely not looking at the fork. How can she when Cat’s eyes follow her movement, when her pupils dilate just a fraction of an inch, when the sound of Cat’s pulse picks up in her ears till it nearly matches the tempo of her own?
She pulls the bite from Cat’s fork, gently, and doesn’t drop her gaze. Something is shifting here, and she wants to know what.
Cat’s eyes flick to hers and there’s a spark there. That’s dangerous. But, Rao, Kara wants that. She licks her lips and Cat follows the movement, her own tongue pressing against her own lips and oh, oh, Kara’d very much like to, finally, finally, capture those lips with hers- capture Cat if only for a moment-
“Delicious.” She nearly whispers it and she can’t really remember how the olive complimented the anchovy, but she sure remembers the instant Cat began to flush lightly.
“Kara.” Cat says her name and it’s almost loud. Like Cat wants to pull her attention and keep it. “Why did your friends lock us in your apartment, alone, with mistletoe covering every inch of the ceiling?”
Mistl-
Oh no. Oh Rao, no. That’s the earthy-plant smell. It’s been bugging her, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from Cat. Good goddesses above, the mistletoe is everywhere. The kitchen, the living room… the hallway to her bedroom, it’s all covered in mistletoe. No, that’d box Cat in, they couldn’t do this to Kara’s frien-
She looks down and Cat’s moving to stand beside her, her hand stretching out to Kara’s cheek. Her eyes are so intense they nearly make Kara flinch. “Because I have an idea, but I’d very much like to hear it from you.”
And Kara’d already been writing a damn speech in her head, how sorry she was, how her friends shouldn’t have tried to force Cat into such a box, how dumb she’d been for years and years, how inappropriate this was for someone who claimed to be Cat’s friend… but Cat’s eyes are searching hers and Cat’s here, her perfume wrapping into Kara’s every sense and she- she can’t lie.
Her lips tremble and she has to swallow back the lump in her throat, but Cat gives her courage, just like she always has. “Because...” She closes her eyes, leans into Cat’s hand, and the words finally tumble out. “They know I’ve been in love with you for years.”
Cat breathes in sharply, audibly even to humans, and Kara doesn’t want to move from Cat’s hand, but she should. Why would Cat ask, if she didn’t want the answer though? Why would Cat stay if she didn’t feel even just slightly the same?
“Kara.” She’s nearly breathing on Kara’s skin and Kara can’t help but bend slightly toward her. “I’m going to kiss you now, is that okay?”
“Oh Rao, yes.”
The lips that press against her are smiling. She tastes of wine and home cooking. But it’s her perfume, the same one she’s worn for over four years, that keeps shouting ‘Cat!’ to her senses. She can’t get enough.
Gods, she wants to drown in Cat. In the way her hand slides from Kara’s cheek to her hair, pulling her down a little further. Submerge herself in how gentle Cat is when she tugs at Kara’s lip. She probably will suffocate when Cat breathes in, her mouth still on Kara’s, and it feels like Cat’s sucking all the air from her lungs, pulling her so close their bodies are flush against each other.
Cat is her lake and she’s so beyond ready to dive.
Her hands slip to Cat’s waist and she can’t really think anymore. Cat groans, low in her throat, when she nips at Cat’s lip and she wants to hear that again. She wants to know all the noises Cat will make. Know how her skin feels under the fitted, black button-up she’s wearing, how incredibly soft she is. Her hip trembles when Kara slips her fingers under her shirt. She just can’t help herself.
“Well.” Cat chuckles, breathes really, across her lips. “If I didn’t know before, I certainly do now.”
What does that mean? Why does it matter? Why did Cat stop kissing her? She hums in question, but Cat’s lower lip is really tantalizing. She’s just too distracted, okay?
“We’re floating-” Mhh, Kara’s going to have to try this wine. It’s magnificent. “Kara.”
“Mhh.” Yeah, she certainly feels like she’s floating. How many times can she kiss Cat before she ceases to function? It doesn’t feel like the number is going to be very high.
“No.” No? No, shit, no, she’s done something wron- “Darling, we’re actually floating.”
She looks down and woah, there’s - that’s uhm. Cat’s shirt is really kinda low-cut from this vantage point. But, yeah, yes, they are a couple feet off the ground. “Uhm, woops?”
Cat laughs and oh that is- she’s gotta kiss that from her lips. It’s got to be the sweetest th- yup, it is.
“Down, Kara.” But she presses another kiss to Kara’s lips and that seems like a very good sign. “Put us down.” She’s chuckling, that soft, little laugh she gets when Carter does something ridiculous.
Those butterflies need to calm themselves. Or at least go make tornadoes elsewhere.
She lands them back down on the floor, but Cat doesn’t pull away. She just leans into Kara and wow, this is what she’s been craving for years. She’s just wanted to hold Cat like this, pull her close, keep her safe.
Cat looks up and hums. “May I?” She slides her hands from Kara’s neck and lays her fingers on the sides of Kara’s glasses. Oh.
“Yeah.” There’s really no harm now, nothing Cat hasn’t noticed since… since probably the very beginning. ‘It’s you’ couldn’t have been more obvious, looking back now.
She slips her eyes closed again as Cat tugs gently. The sounds of the street below rush in but she concentrates on Cat, the tumble of air in her lungs, the soft shh of the blood flowing through her. She’s calming. She’s always been calming actually.
“Hello there.” Cat’s voice is gentle, soft. Oh Rao, she loves this woman.
She smiles and slips her eyes open. Cat always looks just a hint more vivid without those glasses on. “Hi.”
They just smile at each other. Really, how can she not? Cat looks absolutely lovely with the slightest flush to her cheeks, her lips a little puffy. She did that. Kara did that. But could she have really caused the glow that seems to be surrounding Cat. It’s almost ethereal, maybe Cat’s an alien too, really that can’t-
Her stomach growls. Loudly. Really loudly.
Oh man, she’d even had potstickers beforehand, she hadn’t even questioned Alex’s decision to pitstop and grab her favorite food. Why would she? That was probably a stalling tactic. Oh Rao, she’s going to owe Alex big time.
She’s probably the same shade of red as the tomatoes in Cat’s weird spaghetti because Cat’s covering her mouth to try and hide her chuckles. Gods, if that’s not the most embarrassing thing in the whole galaxy.
“So, latkes, hmm?” Cat reaches up and pats at her cheek before leaning up to kiss it. That's nice, a very nice perk for her embarrassment, almost makes up for it actually. “I've never had any homemade ones.”
What?
“What?” That's like… what does Alex say? Sacrilege? “We need to fix that, right now.”
She all but drags Cat, gently, gently of course, to the living room. It's the only proper place to have latkes. Eliza’d made the exception for the no-food-on-the-couch rule only for latkes.
“Wait right here.” She holds out her hand and Cat just smiles at her, leaning back into the couch. She has to pause for a moment, that's a beautiful sight. Cat's a beautiful sight. “Don't move.”
Eliza doesn't like when she superspeeds inside, but she'd make an exception for this. She grabs two plates of the latkes and is sat beside Cat in only seconds. She doesn't even lose a single latke! That's what proper training can do for anyone.
Cat looks far more than a little amused and Kara can't bring herself to be embarrassed. She has a wrong to right.
“Open,” She holds out a fork and Cat only smirks, leaning forward slowly and wetting her lips. Oh. Oh gosh.
She takes the latke and hums, “Oh, that's quite good.”
That's right. Eliza’s the best. “Yeah! I love them and Eliza’s are the best.” Now that the wrong has been righted, she grabs one for herself and takes a bite.
The taste always sends her back to those first few months. The Danvers were wonderful with her. They were so patient and never yelled, gave her room when she needed it. She misses that, Jeremiah being with them.
“You love them, don't you?” Cat's voice pulls her back and Cat's looking at her with such a soft expression.
She's sure her own expression is just as soft. “Yeah, they took me in when no one else would. They're my family.”
Cat nods, takes another bite, and they sit side by side, silently. It's really nice. Cat's snuggled into her side and she really, really owes Alex now. Big time.
She doesn't want this night to end… maybe… “You think the Press Secretary could stay a while?” She more breathes out than asks.
Cat pops an eyebrow, swallowing her latke. “Inviting me to stay the night so soon?”
That's-no! “No, no, not for, not for that. Just, just…” She reaches up to adjust her glasses, but they're not there, right, right. “Just to sleep, near each other.”
The hum of amusement has her collapsing back against the couch. Honestly, Cat could take it easy on her, just once at least.
“Well, I'd need some sort of superhero to get me out of this apartment anyway. I'm certainly not using the grappling hook, not with these Jimmy Choos.” Cat winks and that's new. A good new.
Kara nods, she can't see Cat rappelling down the side of her building anyway. “Well, I don't know any superheroes on duty right now, so I guess you're stuck.”
She looks over and Cat's smiling at her. That's a really nice smile. “I guess I am.”
The kiss is really nice too.
The feel of Cat in her arms, wearing her softest sleep shirt, is indescribable. She's sleepy and grumbles when Kara pulls her a little closer, tucks her head gently against her chest. She burrows into Kara then though, and Kara's got sun-hardened muscles but even her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
She reaches over for her phone, careful to not disturb Cat any further. She doesn't want Cat to wake just yet, wants to savor this moment. But the light for her notifications is blinking and she should probably check in with Alex.
How's the rough and tumble going?
It's not Alex. It's Lucy and, unsurprisingly, she has the least appropriate question. Kara rolls her eyes and looks to the next messages.
You'll never guess who your sister spent Auroti with.
Auroti? Wait, was that this- it's the 17548 day over at - carry for the speed of a Dation cruiser- and, and oh golly. Cat shifts in her arms and heat blooms up Kara's chest.
That's uhm, quite the meaning to this weekend she was not intending. Or expecting. The Auroti celebrators are usually very, very rowdy; M’gann must have had a fun time at the bar la-
Wait. Alex?
She types furiously, at least she's learned not to destroy her phone.
Who did Alex go with???? LUCY????
Cat stirs in her arms, and oh no, Cat's going to ask. She'd never not ask. Oh no-
“Good morning.” Cat pulls back, eyes blearily flickering to Kara's lips, but she pauses and Kara knew she would. “What?”
Oh Rao, please, how do you explain these things to humans. It's a joyous occasion to celebrate the bonds formed through physical touch. Why-
“Were you thinking salacious thoughts as I slept?”
“What? No! That would be completely inappropriate! I would nev-”
Cat chuckles again and that’s it!
She rolls Cat over onto her back. She can't keep the smile off her face, though, but she tries to glare at Cat as best she can. “You and your teasing! I am of the mighty House of El and I will not stand for such treatment!” Her fingers wrap around Cat's side and Cat nearly vaults off the bed and into her arms.
“Kara! Kara Zor El Danvers! If you tickle me, this, whatever it is, will stop long before it starts!” Cat's glaring but there's a gleam in her eyes and Kara laughs.
“Whatever it is?” She nuzzles into the soft hair on Cat's head and holds her a little closer. “What is this?”
Cat hums, circling her arms around Kara's shoulders. “How about we discuss that over some breakfast.”
Hmm, that seems reasonable. Her eyes slip shut and Kara just leans her cheek on Cat's head. Maybe… maybe today didn't have to end? Maybe she could keep Cat here for a few more hours.
Oh but what about Carter? Did Alex have a plan for hi-
Cat shifts and Kara feels her breath ghost over her ear. “But first you should tell me why you were blushing.”
Goosebumps race up her arms and down her spine. Golly.
“Uh.” Oh, neck kisses are nice. “Uh, it's uh, a holiday? Weekend? Kind of, uhm-oh!” Cat's teeth on her neck is… is something else. “It's, it's a holiday to celebrate the bondsformedthroughthepleasureoftheflesh.”
She really needs to kiss Cat. Oh yes, her jaw fits so nicely in Kara's hand. Her neck is just, really great. There's Kryptonian poetry about this lovely of a physical form, how well they seems to fit togeth-
Cat pulls back and opens her mouth. “This weekend is a holiday for celebrating sex?”
The blush is back. “Kind of, not really, it's an Aurotian celebration and was kind of adopted by the galaxy because, well… yeah, it sort of celebrates sex.” Gods above, English is shit for explaining things.
The grin lacing up Cat's mouth is not- oh golly- she's in so much trouble.
“You know, if you're not opposed to it...” Cat trails her fingers down Kara's neck and catches on her shirt and wow. “You could show me the proper way to celebrate.”
Well. They've known each other for a while… Cat's interested in discussing this… Cat's fingers hook on her shirt and yeah, yeah, it is Auroti after all.