Work Text:
To say that things started a bit formally between them would be an understatement. Granted, that was to be expected when their initial interactions were between reporter and interviewee, especially when the one being interviewed was under suspicion due to her last name. They sat properly in their chairs on either side of the desk in Lena’s office for many visits. There was the standard polite offer of water, generic pleasantries, and the formal handshake at the end for many of their early encounters. That continued even beyond the point where they both clearly recognized the polite fiction of Kara being there to interview Lena for anything.
Lena would laugh about it later, “Really, Kara? You came to get my opinion on the waffle fry versus potato wedge debate at one point.”
“I did not!” Kara would indignantly retort. “That’s a settled debate anyway. I might have once told your assistant I was there to interview you about the local school board elections, but that’s the lowest I ever sank. And Jess didn't believe me anyway.” She would finish in a mumble.
The change when it came was gradual. Neither of them could ever pin it down to one specific moment. Just one day they were sitting on the couch together instead of in the chairs. Kara was walking in and getting her own water instead of Lena politely offering to have her assistant get her a glass. They were making plans to meet outside of the office for lunch. They were being just a touch less formal.
“You still insisted on all those places with kale though,” Kara would say, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“You still need to broaden your palate,” Lena would inevitably respond automatically, the discussion so regular between them that she didn’t even think about how to respond anymore.
Crossing the line to home visits though, that was where they diverged. For Kara, having Lena in her home was a step towards being less formal, a place where they could relax and order takeout and chill. For Lena, having been raised in Lillian Luthor’s domain, having a guest in her home was another form of power play and for a visit or two they were back to the stiff formality of the the initial visits in the office. Kara eventually brought Lena around to her way of thinking about it though.
“You tricked me with that chair,” Lena would accuse.
“Absolutely,” Kara would agree without shame. “Nobody can sit up straight and properly in that chair, it’s designed to ruin your posture while being really, really comfortable.”
And suddenly they were dealing with issues like jealousy:
“You totally thought Alex was competition the first time you met her.”
“You don’t have any room to talk, look at how you treated poor Jack at that dinner.”
And meeting each other’s friends:
“I can’t believe one of your closest friends tried to kill me.”
“Sam and I have both apologized for that a dozen times. Besides, you threw her through a wall.”
“Not the same thing!”
And somewhere along the way they started staying the night: “Your pajamas continue to be ridiculous.” Lena would say without looking up from the work papers she was reading through at the kitchen table.
“You love them anyway,” Kara would say while fixing a massive bowl of ice cream.
If you ever asked them how they got from where they were in the beginning to where they are now Kara would just say it was fate, Lena would say it was time, and you’d never get a straight answer out of either of them.