Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

St. Gerard’s Children’s Hospital had seen better days. Kara could certainly see why they were throwing a fundraiser. The building was well cared for, but worn, and she could hear the sound of children laughing inside. Alex always had a soft spot for kids, so suddenly why she had pressured her to do this event made a lot more sense.

Her directions had been straightforward enough: land on the roof, take the stairwell, make your way to the event hall at the third floor, surprise the kiddos and soon-to-be-generous philanthropists in attendance…

And in the process, also scare the hell out of the nurse taking a break on the roof.

Kara couldn’t imagine why exactly you would bother sitting in the sunshine if you were going to cover yourself so utterly - the woman had draped her shoulders with a hoodie, a large brimmed hat was perched on her head, and cartoonishly large sunglasses blocked her eyes. The woman started at Kara’s sudden appearance, throwing her magazine on instinct with a shouted “Jesus Christ!”

“Sorry!” Kara put her hands up in placation. “Didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“Yeah, well,” the woman tugged at the hem of her scrubs, clearly trying to school her nerves, “I don’t usually have people drop in on my smoke break.”

Confused at the lack of smell, Kara looked to Lena’s hands for a cigarette.

“Oh no, I don’t smoke-smoke. But if I don’t wear a million SPF sunscreen, I’ll burst into flame.”

That made Kara laugh. “There is such a thing as indirect sunlight, you know.”

“Sometimes the chance to be alone is worth the risk.” The woman blanched, as if suddenly thinking it was rude to call Kara out on butting in on her break. “Thank you for being here. It means the world to all of us. I’m Lena, by the way. Lena Luthor. I work here.”

Kara held out her hand.

Lena flushed slightly and took it. Her grip was pleasantly firm. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard you were doing this fundraiser. This isn’t a very big hospital. Did Catholic guilt lure you in?”

Kara shrugged. “Actually, I’m Jewish.”

“Ah. The guilt thing still works, then.”

“Oh yeah, as my mom knows full well.”

Lena settled back against the wall of the stairwell, tipping her hat back so the brim wouldn’t bend. The lines of her face were stunning. “But I mean, with the heroing, you must be a busy girl. I’m a little surprised you do this sort of thing.”

“I’m very hard to get.” Kara planted her hands on her hips. “All you have to do is ask me.”

Lena tilted her head, brow furrowed in thought. “Wait, that’s from To Have and Have Not. Are you a movie buff, Supergirl?”

“Yeah, uh, I watched a lot of movies when I first came to earth. And I’m certainly a Lauren Bacall buff.”

Lena made an approving sound. “Who has eyeballs and isn’t?”

So she’s somewhere on my side of the Kinsey scale. Interesting. “I mean, I try not to think too hard about the fact that she was 18 when they filmed it. Being attracted to 18-year-olds really isn’t my style.” Kara crossed her arms, flexing her biceps just so in the process. “May I ask how old you are?”

Lena laughed out loud. “Are you… Supergirl, are you flirting with me? By asking me how old I am? Not the best line.”

“What would be a better one? On you, at least?”

“Oh, I’m not going to make it that easy.”

“Good thing I have superhuman endurance.”

Kara heard Lena’s heart beat just a little harder at that, though externally she let out a noncommittal hum. Keep at it, Zor El.

“So. What’s your favorite Bacall?”

“Now there’s a much better question.” Lena tapped her lips in thought, and Kara enjoyed the opportunity to look at them. “I mean, I love How to Marry a Millionaire. But I think I’d have to say… The Lion in Winter. She’s such a tour de force in it.”

Kara grinned, her tongue poking between her teeth. “That was Kate Hepburn, actually.”

Lena clapped her hands over her mouth. She blushed prettily. “Oh my God. It absolutely is.”

Gosh, this lady was cute. Kara felt such sudden affection as to make her bold. “I’d really love to keep talking to you. Can I call you?”

Lena’s brow went up. “Oh! Uh. Where do you even carry a cell phone in that outfit?”

“Play your cards right,” Kara winced a grin as she felt the terrible line tumble out her mouth of its own volition, “and you can find out.”

“Dial it back, hero.”

And somehow, in that moment, Kara lost her. She saw the walls go up as the woman’s jaw tightened, and it broke her heart to see.

Kara wasn’t expecting Lena to say, “You do this often, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

Responding to the sudden seriousness with seriousness, Kara dropped the joke. She looked at Lena earnestly. “No,” she said.

Lena regarded her for a long moment, face eventually softening at the simple sincerity of the word.

After a pause, she pulled out a sharpie and a crumpled receipt. “I have the most bargain basement plan, so texting is better.”

Their fingers brushed as Lena handed her the paper.

Curious, Kara flipped the receipt over. “Oooh, Leslie’s Pizza. Second best slice in town.”

Lena bit. “Where’s the first?”

“How about I show you sometime soon?”

“I’d like that.”

Kara could almost feel Lena’s guard drop again. It was intoxicating to see the woman relax.

Lena took off her sunglasses, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. “I will say this for you, Supergirl. It’s promising that you seem to think I’m cute now, at the end of a 16 hour shift, when I haven’t bathed in… I’ve forgotten how long. I mean, you should see me after a shower. I clean up pretty nice.”

“I’ll believe it,” said Kara, trying very hard to keep her brain moving after the thought of Lena in the shower. She snapped back to attention, and tried to think of something debonair to say. “I’ll have to think of an excuse for you to look fancy for our second date.”

“Dial it back again. Too confident. Be a little vulnerable.” Lena’s smile was genuine. “Pretend you’re scared you can’t catch me.”

“I’m scared of a lot of things, Miss Luthor. This?” She gestured between them. “This is exciting.” She winked and threw an exaggerated salute. “Up and away.”

Lena watched Kara jump, zipping off at the speed of light.

And Lena was still watching when Kara landed on the roof again, five seconds later.

“I actually have to be here,” said Kara, gesturing to the door.

“Uh huh,” said Lena.

“For the fundraiser. At the hospital.” Kara clapped once. “Here.”

“Sure.” Lena tilted her head and smiled.

“So, yeah.” Kara thumbed at the door, and started walking away with a little wave. “Later, gator.”

Kara closed the door on the sound of Lena’s laughter.

Chapter Text

“Nope,” said Kara, grabbing the check before her sister could manage. “This one’s on me.”

“All right, I’ll allow it.” Alex toasted her with her drink. “Though if I’d known you were buying, I would have upgraded from well whiskey.”

“Yeah, why do you think I waited until now to say I was paying?”

“Tricksy.” Alex took a sip from the dregs of her glass. “What’s the occasion?”

Kara almost danced in her seat as she pulled her card from her wallet. “I wanted to thank you for encouraging me to go to that fundraiser today. It was amazing.”

Alex nodded. “I volunteered out there a few times in undergrad, and the ladies who run it were so cool. Thanks for playing along.” She gestured at her sister. “I should be buying you a thank you dinner, really.”

‘Yeah, the hospital was great, yeah yeah. But, uh, mostly, I wanted to thank you, because I met… the most amazing lady there.”

Alex slammed down her drink and grasped Kara’s arm encouragingly. “Yeah you did! Is the Great Kara Danvers Dry Spell coming to an end?”

Kara blushed, and brushed hair behind her ear with a laugh. “I think so. I don’t know, Alex, I just can’t remember the last time I met someone and just… clicked. Just felt that energy. Like a zap to my guts. In a very nice way.”

Alex got up so she could slide into the booth next to Kara for optimal communication. “Okay, so, tell me all about her.”

“Well, her name is Lena, and she’s a nurse, and she was taking a break on the roof when I got there –”

Alex held up a hand. “Whoa whoa whoa. My brain is just catching up. You met this lady at the hospital?”

“Yeah!” Kara took her copy of the bill from the waitress with a mouthed ‘thank you’, and pulled the rumpled receipt out of her wallet after putting her debit card back. “And I didn’t chicken out or anything, I got her number.”

Alex scowled. “Did you get her number… or did Supergirl get her number?”

Kara scowled right back, feeling the crinkle form between her eyes. “Well, I mean. Wait, what?”

“Kara Danvers dates people. Kara Danvers hasn’t had a non-shitty relationship in a million years - “ Kara started to object but Alex fixed her with a look, and Kara nodded grudgingly. “ - and probably needs to get megalaid.” Kara definitely opened her mouth to object to that too, but Alex stage-whispered too loudly, “But Supergirl doesn’t go on dates.”

Kara crossed her arms. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“And you’re not thinking this through! Lexa -”

“Lena.”

“Lena met Supergirl. Lena gave Supergirl her number. What are you gonna do, take her out to dinner in your suit?”

Abashed, Kara played with her napkin. “I sort of implied I was gonna take her to Rovente’s Pizza.”

“Supergirl doesn’t eat Rovente’s! Kara Danvers does! A lot!”

“Well what did you want me to do, Alex? Should Supergirl have flirted with her and been like, ‘You know, something tells me you would get along with my friend Kara,’ and just wingmanned myself and hoped for the best?”

“Maybe!” said Alex.

“You’re overthinking this.” Kara waved her concerns away. “I met a real nice lady. I like her. I’m gonna text her and hit on her as best as I can manage and try real hard not to screw it up and then I’m gonna ask her the heck out, and you’re gonna take a big old chill pill about it.”

“Well, Rovente’s Pizza is out.” Alex rested her hand on her palm, staring at her sister with mock-intense curiosity. “So what exactly is the plan, Casanova?”

Kara spluttered nonsense for a moment, then stabilized. An idea occurred to her. “You’re right. Supergirl’s never dated anyone before. And why would Supergirl do something as boring as take her to a hole in the wall pizza place downtown?” Then, as an aside to herself, “Even though I know very well it’s the best slice on the west coast.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” said Alex.

“I have super powers, and she knows I have super powers. I can do anything. Anything! I can take her to dinner in Metropolis. Or Paris! What’s more romantic than Paris?”

Alex seemed to decide they weren’t leaving until they finished this conversation. She gestured to the waitress for two more drinks. “That feels… a little extreme. Does this lady seem like someone who would appreciate a stupidly over-dramatic gesture? Because that sounds to me like Nicholas Sparks on ‘roids.”

Kara flashed back to Lena’s wary expression. “No, I guess she’d be weirded out if I took her to France for our first date.”

“I like the sound of her already.” The waitress placed two glasses on the table, and Alex gave her a twenty. Kara reached for one and Alex slapped her hand away. “Oh no you don’t, these are my coping mechanisms, thank you. I’m not even wasting well bourbon on your space-liver.”

“Fine. Fine, Alex, you’re right! But I’m in this situation, and she’s hot, Alex, she’s so hot. I have to ask her out. So what am I gonna do?”

Alex drained the first glass in one go.

“OK, you said you talked to her about pizza. What else did you talk to her about?”

“Movies.”

Alex crinkled her nose. “Ooof, movies are an awful first date. Staring at a screen in the dark for two hours. You don’t know each other well enough to just make out through it yet.”

Kara thought of something, and clapped her hands, excited. “Oh, wait, I’ve got it! You know the Alhambra Theater, downtown?”

Alex leaned her head back against the booth bench. “You mean that old movie theater that’s always doing nerd retrospectives?”

“They’re doing a bunch of sing-along screenings of musicals to raise money for a new roof or something. What if Supergirl made an appearance at that fundraiser, too?”

Alex narrowed her eyes. “You want to make your first date with this girl… a public relations event? Where everyone’s staring at you both?”

“Ok. Point taken.” Kara slumped. “Cool. Great.”

Alex watched Kara deflate for a moment, steeled herself with a sip of her second drink, and said, “All right, Kara. Look. How hot is this lady, again?”

“So hot, Alex!!” groaned Kara. “And nice, and funny, god, she made this joke about sun screen –”

“So maybe I am overthinking it.” Alex shrugged. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be complicated. National City is a big place. Go some place you don’t go often. Not in the suit. And maybe just… don’t tell her your name? And pay in cash so you can keep your wallet at home?”

Kara squinted at her sister. “Do you think she’s going to swipe my ID to learn my name?”

Alex huffed. “What I’m saying is, maybe just eliminate all the complications, and just have fun with this super hot lady.”

Kara thought about it for a moment. “Do I tell her my name, or…?”

“Can you at least agree with me that that’s maybe a scary idea?” Alex’s mouth went flat for a moment. “You really barely know her, and you don’t want to get her mixed up with anything.. Yet, I guess? I mean, that’s sort of inevitable, but maybe it’s just a bunch of steps of seeing how it works, and just, like a gradual opting in.”

“This is too complicated.” Kara allowed herself one moment of tantrum. “What, I have to go as a different identity, just for the date? Not Kara Danvers, not Kara Zor El, not Supergirl? Someone else altogether?”

Alex placed her head on her sister’s shoulder. “Sorry this is weird.”

Kara pulled out her DEO cell, so that KARA DANVERS wouldn’t flash up on Lena’s caller ID. She went to the contacts list and added the number written on the receipt, labeling it LENA LUTHOR and HOT ROOF NURSE just to make her watching sister laugh.

She opened her messages. “How do I do this?” she asked Alex, pleading.

“Start with something simple. How about ‘Hi. It was nice meeting you on the roof today.’”

Kara typed it out before her nerve failed her and hit send.

“Now,” said Alex, “tell her that your sister will break her legs if she hurts you.”

Kara, for a moment, flashed back to her day dream of Lena in the shower, and shivered. “I would never let you. I bet she has really, really nice legs.”

Alex looked at her sister fondly. “You’re going to be an idiot about this lady, aren’t you?”

“Probably,” said Kara, starting to tune her sister and the rest of the world out as she waited for her message to be marked Read.

Chapter Text

Lena had exactly eight and a half hours until her next shift. It was a thirty minute bus ride home, a ten minute walk from the bus stop - but at least only two flights of stairs since she and Jess had moved to a flat lower in the building.

She had passed exhausted a few hours ago. This was some new level of tired. She didn’t need coffee anymore. She had ascended.

“I have evolved beyond sleep,” she announced as she opened the door to her apartment.

“Congrats,” came the answer from the living room.

“I’ll be holding a press conference in thirty minutes to share my discovery with the world.”

Jess’s head popped up from over the edge of the sofa. “The neighbors have been taking another marathon shower so I bet you have five minutes of hot water, tops.”

Lena dropped her keys on the kitchen counter with a huff. “Then I will move my press conference forward fifteen minutes.”

“That’s what I like about you, Luthor,” said Jess, hunkering back into the sofa. “You’re adaptable.”

The final four hours of her shift had gone by in a blur. All of her kids were a riotous jumble at the chance to see Supergirl, and could barely be contained for their turn. She loved working in her ward, but her work bestie had finally – after two years of trying – finally gotten pregnant, and was taking a much deserved and all-too-short maternity leave. Days were longer without Sam in them to make terrible jokes with.

What would Sam make of her rooftop escapade, she wondered. She grabbed her phone to message her as she toed off her sneakers, but was immediately disappointed by the lack of new messages in general, and tossed her phone on the counter, annoyed at her own annoyance.

Jess’s hot water estimation was off by three minutes in Lena’s favor, and she was profoundly grateful for it. She stood in the scalding spray as long as she could manage. It was hell on her skin, yeah, but the heat pouring down her body felt so cathartic.

The fundraiser had gone well, by all accounts, and Supergirl’s appearance had indeed lead to a wild turn out for contributions. The mother superior’s optimistic estimate had been tripled, thanks to that ambulatory smile. The expectation was that Supergirl would just appear at the event, but when she had learned that not all the patients at the facility were in attendance, she had insisted on meeting every last person who was interested in meeting her.

Lena’s ward, as a rule, did not get visitors. Drug addicted pre-teens were not exactly babies to be kissed as a photo op. These were children many people were ready to give up on, before their lives had even begun. They weren’t the most neurotypical bunch, and adults were not their favorites. Many of them had too much experience with police to be fond of authority figures.

But Supergirl was something else altogether.

She walked through the doors of the ward, and it was like a spell had been cast on her kids. They were polite. They were orderly. They were downright dazzled.

And Supergirl made time for every one, individually.

Lena watched as Supergirl made eye contact with even the shyest of her patients, asking their names and finding something, anything, to talk about with all of them. She liked the color of their shoes, or their name reminded her of someone she loved - or, notably, she liked their drawings taped up on the wall.

“Who drew this one?” she asked, pointing at a charcoal rendering of a frog. Lena’s favorite patient, on her last week of the program, shyly raised her hand. “The way you managed the luminosity of skin is something else. Do you believe in high fives?”

“Yeah,” was the shy answer.

“May I have one?” Supergirl held up her open hand, and got a timid high five, from a girl who two weeks ago hadn’t let anyone touch her.

“Well that’s something,” said Lena to herself, under her breath. Supergirl looked up at her, and smiled goofily, waving a little wave.

Lena had smiled back, and finished her shift as if her heart wasn’t fluttering.

The water, inevitably, went right from boiling hot to ice cold with zero warning. Lena let out a yelp and washed the conditioner out of her hair as quickly as she could. She’d forgotten to shave her legs in her idyll, but whatever - she would take a nice long bath tomorrow to celebrate the start of her three day weekend, and do it right, with one of the bath bombs her brother had sent her for her birthday.

Jess had washed her pajamas, because she was an actual angel. Lena held the flannel to her nose and allowed herself to enjoy the clean smell of fabric softener before putting them on. She drew her wet hair into a towel and shuffled barefoot into the kitchen, opening the freezer to pick the least terrible-sounding Lean Cuisine within.

“What are you doing?” asked Jess at the sound of the microwave timer being set. “Don’t you dare, young lady. Check the salad spinner in the fridge - I left you a serving.”

Lena all too gladly put her freezer ravioli back in its icy home, and opened the door to the fridge, lifting the salad spinner like it was something precious. “Oh my god, is that half a rotisserie chicken, too?”

“I wouldn’t leave my baby without protein.”

Grateful for food that hadn’t even been frozen once, Lena made herself an excessively large serving and sat on the sofa next to her friend. “Jess, you are my hero.”

“Hush,” said Jess, not looking away from the TV. “It’s Bread Week.”

Lena was all too happy to clean her plate and zone out to the dulcet tones of British good sportsmanship when she heard her phone go off. She stretched over the edge of the sofa, almost losing her balance in the process, and grabbed her phone off the counter.

She scowled for a moment receiving a message from an unknown number, until she read it.

> Hi. It was nice meeting you on the roof today.

Lena pressed the phone to her chest. A part of her wanted to tell Jess about her suitor, but another part of her - the same part of her that hadn’t texted Sam on the long bus ride home - wanted to keep it all to herself, for just a bit longer.

She kissed Jess on the temple. “I’m going to bed. Thanks for dinner.”

“Shh,” said Jess, waving her off. “The male judge is about to weigh in.”

Lena dumped the scraps of her dinner into the compost, and rinsed her plate and fork before placing them in the washing machine. She steadied herself by pouring a glass of water, downing it in a few gulps, and filled it again, taking it with her into her bedroom.

She her rearranged her quilt and duvet just so, plumping her pillows, and once she was satisfied with her nesting, set her clock to wake her up in five hours.

When she was settled in bed, snug and cozy and decadent, she pulled her phone off the table and opened the messaging app.

< Hi to you too. I have no idea what name to save you number under.

The notification blipped indicating a response was being typed immediately, and she grinned.

> Are you psychic? My sister was literally just grilling me about that.

< If I put it in under what everyone calls you, I feel like the FBI agent assigned to me will report it or something.

> I saved your name as “Hot Roof Nurse,” sooooo.

< You did not.

A screenshot popped up a moment later, and Lena snorted laughing. It felt good to laugh.

Chapter Text

How do you feel about a picnic? Supergirl had texted her. It was such a wholesome request, Lena could only laugh at her phone. Not dinner, not lunch - a picnic. She hadn’t been on a picnic in a million years.

It turns out the secret to making it through the last of a string of 16 hour shifts is to have a date with a superhero with very pretty eyes at the other side of it. Who knew? Her kids could throw as many shit fits as they wanted, could be as difficult as their little battered hearts could manage. Lena found herself filled with a boundless energy, despite the fact that she had wound up sleeping only four hours the night before, too excited by brief flurry of texts she had shared with her enigmatic new acquaintance.

After her shift, she had indeed allowed herself the most decadent bath known to mankind - her favorite candle: lit, bath bomb: diffused, Hozier: murmuring through her battered little shower bluetooth.

Lena was considering taking the risk of draining the tub to see if another round of hot water could be coaxed out of the tank when her phone buzzed, vibrating across the vanity. She flicked fragrant water all over the room in her eager, flailing reach.

After much teasing back and forth, her correspondent had suggested their number be saved under the mysterious letter K. K asked,

> Still up for a picnic tomorrow?

Lena smiled as she responded with pruney fingers,

< Worried I’m having second thoughts? You only asked me 24 hours ago.

> No, I’m pretty certain you want to have a picnic with me very badly. But I only want to be a reasonable amount of arrogant about it.

< I’m not in the habit of turning down free lunch with pretty ladies.

> See, I knew you were smart the moment I met you.

Lena forgot about the temperature of her bath altogether, sinking into the sparse suds with a grin as she squinted at the small, glowing screen.

It was strange and wonderful to see Supergirl not be Supergirl. The smile was there, the bright eyes, the hands planted on hips - but her ringlets were up in a messy bun, and a pair of glasses were perched upon her nose. No cape, no skirt - just snug jeans, well worn hiking boots, and a v-neck t topped with a cozy, thick-collared navy cardigan.

Not-Supergirl was standing in the middle of the parking lot, rocking in place heel to toe and huffing nervously. Lena smiled to herself. Nervous she liked. She liked that she made Supergirl nervous.

Curious, she spoke under her breath while she was still a few hundred feet away, “I like your sweater, hero.”

Supergirl looked over and locked eyes with her immediately, smile as sudden as it was radiant. Up went her hand in an enthusiastic wave. Lena laughed, and sped into a light jog to make up the remaining distance.

“You weren’t kidding,” said Supergirl as soon as Lena was close. “You do clean up nice.”

Lena pinched the hem of her favorite oversized sweater and did an exaggerated curtsy. “I do what I can. And look at you! You own at least one pair of pants!”

Supergirl blushed and adjusted her glasses. “Yeah, well. I thought I’d leave the cape at home. I figured you deserved as anonymous-ish a date I could manage.”

“Well good job.” Lena glanced around them. “This was definitely not what I expected.”

Supergirl spread her hands wide. “It’s such a cool concept! A food cart festival! All the best carts in town are here! I’ve been looking forward to it ever since they told–” Kara stuttered for a moment, redirecting herself. “Ever since I found out about it.”

Lena let the moment pass without comment. “It’s not what imagined when you said ‘picnic.’”

Kara gestured to the nearest cart. “It’s a multi-step process. Step one is we hit up every cart that sounds even slightly interesting. Step two is I whisk you away to an exotic locale to actually eat.”

Lena couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow at this proposal. “Taking me to an unknown second location, hmm? That’s asking a lot of trust, hero.”

Supergirl’s face faltered for just a moment, and Lena pressed on.

“And you’re really overestimating how much food I can eat.”

“Oh, conspicuous consumption is my job,” said Supergirl brightly. “I could clean out every cart here and still have room for eight desserts. So sample whatever you want - leftovers will not be an issue. And it’s all my treat.”

Lena cocked her head. “Does eating all the food within a two mile radius usually work on the ladies?”

“It works on the gents more than the ladies,” conceded Supergirl. “But let’s see how much you tease me once you’ve had a little of everything the best food carts in National City have to offer.”

Lena fell in step next to her. “I had no idea you were so into food.”

“It’s my job. Well, my other other job, for now.” Supergirl grimaced again. “I mean…”

Lena felt her brow arch even higher. “So you have a day job? Heroics don’t pay the rent?”

Supergirl looked so uncomfortable, Lena immediately regretted her teasing. “You know what? I’m sorry. That’s none of my business, K.”

Supergirl looked confused. “K?”

Lena laughed, shoving her arm lightly. “You told me over text to call you K!”

“Right,” said Supergirl, distracted and rubbing her arm where Lena had touched it.

“You really don’t do this, do you?” Lena teased. “I’m sorry I accused you of anything improper, when we first met. I’m a little wary of people with power. So many use it to their own ends, I just assumed… I mean, you know what you look like, I can’t help but imagine…” She failed utterly at suppressing the blush creeping across her cheeks, and cleared her throat to give herself a moment to gather herself. “I was cynical, and you don’t deserve that, nor do you deserve my prying. You’re sweet. And this is nice. And I’m oddly flattered that you aren’t better at this.”

“It’s not that I don’t date,” said Supergirl, frowning thoughtfully. “It’s just that I’ve never dated anyone I’ve met as… her… before. Mostly I date people who, you know, know me, like…”

She stopped walking, and stared at her feet, scowling so thoroughly that a crease appeared between her brows.

Lena realized she was walking alone and stopped a few steps later. She turned and gathered her scarf a little closer to her neck. “Did I make this weird?”

“No,” said Supergirl. She seemed to come to some decision, and nodded to herself. “Okay.” She looked up at Lena, eyes so clear and focused. “So. My name is Kara Danvers. My… day job… is at the National City Beat, the alt weekly? I’m their Calendar Editor. I get to round up and cover all the events in town and help gather people together, which is amazing, and our food editor just quit so I’m doing that too, but my boss doesn’t want me to do it anymore because apparently I ‘like’ ‘everything,’ but to be fair, food is amazing. So I write for the print edition and manage our onsite calendar, but the pay is garbage and there are zero benefits, so it’s good that my night job has some benefactors who actually pay my bills. I have a sister named Alex, and a step-mom named Eliza, and I grew up in Midvale most of my life after I… got here. My sister also works for my benefactor, and is probably going to kick in your door with a stack of NDAs in like five hours, and I preemptively apologize about the door and the face she is going to make at you, but that’s my bad, not yours, and she’s very kind and very funny and you’re going to love her, I promise. I live in an apartment off Southeast Union and 49th with a huge collection of DVDs because I’m always scared my favorites aren’t going to be on streaming when I need them. I sort of have a cat because it keeps getting into my apartment somehow but it’s way too plump to just be me feeding it so I think it’s like the nicest little con guy in the world. My best friend Jimmy is also my ex because it’s complicated, but he’s so nice, and he’s also my boss at the Beat, because it’s complicated, but he knows about… my night job, and my other best friend Winn works with us too and he gets to review movies and I hate him for it but he takes me to the weird ones so I can explain them to him, and he knows about my night job too, and we hang out on Thursdays for game night, and I really want you to come to one, because I know I just met you, but something about you is just… right. Like, this is going to seem creepy, but your heartbeat sounds right. The minute I heard it, I was like, this lady is good. The sound of it grounded me immediately, and that’s so special, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I know that’s crazy, because who are you? And you’re probably like, who am I? But I just like you, as a person, and I want so badly to just trust you, and this is already going to be hard, so let’s just make this part easy. So, yeah. Kara Danvers. Nice to meet you.”

And Supergirl stuck out her hand for a shake.

Lena felt faintly as if she had just been struck by a car. A very friendly car that stared at her with soft blue eyes, radiating an eager, open hope. Lena was pinned in place by an iridescent smile.

“Hi, Kara,” she said finally, shaking Kara Danver’s warm hand, and then holding it in a tight grip. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yeah?” laughed Kara, disbelief and delight fighting for space in the span of a single word.

“Yeah.” Lena let go, fingers sliding away reluctantly, then moved her hand up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “You really haven’t ever done this before, have you?”

“Usually I’m telling people about the other part, not the Kara Danvers part. I’ve never come out as Kara before, now that I think about it.” Kara’s face was flushed and beautiful and so full of joy. “Do I need to work on my delivery?”

“No,” said Lena. “That was perfect. Overwhelming, but perfect.”

Kara Danvers adjusted her glasses. “I’ll accept overwhelming-but-perfect.”

After such an outburst, Lena felt an imbalance, like she should share everything too - but she also felt a little heady, that this all-powerful alien from another planet had just made herself so utterly vulnerable. Lena leaned into the discomfort with the most familiar technique at her disposal: a joke. “The heartbeat thing… is a little creepy, and also very sweet. I mean, I’m a very old school lesbian, and therefore a fifth-date-uHauler, so who am I to flick anyone shit about boundaries.”

An easy silence settled between them as they resumed their walk and Lena tried to refold her understanding of the world to fit all this new information. After a few minutes passed, she tucked Kara’s arm under her own. “So, Kara Danvers, National City Beat Calendar Editor and Acting Food Critic - what are your favorite carts here?”

“They’re all amazing,” bubbled Kara, too excited.

Lena narrowed her eyes and laughed. “That seems statistically impossible.”

“Well,” qualified Kara, extending the word, “there are some clear winners. We definitely need to get a burrito from La Carreta, and poutine from Potato Poppa, oh and two slices from the Fire In A Box because you have to try the daily meat and the daily veg –”

Lena was all too happy to let herself be tugged along in Kara Danver’s wake.

Chapter Text

Lena had been to food cart pods before, but this wasn’t a pod; it was its own ocean. The array of options at the festival was a little overwhelming - pretty much every country she’d ever heard of seemed to be represented, and she was only faintly familiar with any of the foods listed on their menus. It would make her feel small, uncultured, maybe - but it was impossible with Supergirl standing next to her. No, Kara Danvers made it seem like an adventure, a grand delight. Everyone seemed to know her, and was excited to see her - Kara radiated a genuine enthusiasm that everyone found contagious. And when talking to someone, she gave them the full focus of her keen attention. It was charming, and a little overwhelming when Lena felt that attention swing back to her.

After some forty minutes of meandering through, placing orders before wandering to a new cart while it cooked, Kara had two canvas totes filled with burritos and bowls and baked goods.

“This is so much food,” said Lena, laughing. “I can’t possibly imagine eating it all.”

“Not your job,” said Kara, grinning. “Just a bite of everything, and whatever strikes your fancy, you can go hog on. Or like, take home for leftovers. The most amazing leftovers possible.”

Lena shook her head, and lifted the bag she’d been given to carry. “I can’t fault your ambition. But the froyo’ll melt.”

Kara puffed out her cheeks. “I got ice breath. Not a problem.”

“Well, the food will get cold before we even get to it.”

Kara winked. “Heat vision. I’ll toast ‘em right up again.”

Lena’s laugh came out as a snort now. “What’s your kitchen like, I wonder. Do you need any appliances at all?”

Kara’s forearms were laden with bags, but one hand was free enough to hold up a finger in the air, vibrating at amazing speed. “I’m my own blender, too.”

Lena flushed, and peered at Kara keenly. “Drawing my attention to how good you are with your hands, hmm?”

Kara had the decency to blush. “Wow, I, uh, I wasn’t, well -”

“I’m kidding, hero.”

“Well now what I’m going to ask you is going to sound weird.”

Lena was flirting with an alien. They’d passed weird long ago. “Oh? What are you going to ask me?”

“Well,” Kara cleared her throat and pointed behind them. “Would you mind joining me for an unobserved moment in that dark alley?”

Lena had just managed to stop blushing, and willed her body to behave. “You deliberately phrased that to sound as weird as possible.”

“Maybe,” said Kara, leading the way.

Once they were both out of sight, Kara fussed with their bags until they were just so, slinging them all onto one arm, and extended her free hand to Lena. “Shall we?”

Lena stared at her blankly. “Shall we... what?”

Kara’s smile was ridiculous - open, happy, unguarded. Lena was in trouble.

Supergirl pointed to the sky. “Up and away?”

Lena Luthor was in an alley, holding a melting carton of frozen yogurt in a plastic bag, staring at an off-duty super hero gesturing to her with open arms, and didn’t think twice about walking into that embrace.

-+-

Flying should be scary. Terrifying. There was no safety to it - the speed, the height, the sudden movement. There was nothing between her and a brutal fall but Kara. Lena figured that maybe her brain was too distracted to process terror - how could she even think about fear with Kara’s arms tucked around her, pressing Lena closer to her body. Kara was pure warmth, radiating right through her clothes, burning in the press of her fingers. Lena’s face was pressed against the collar of her sweater, breathing in the smell of sweat and spice and cinnamon.

Lena never trusted people like this, and certainly not this quickly. What was it about Kara Danvers? Was it another matter of her rational brain being overridden - occupied utterly by a food critic from another planet who looked as good in a white t-shirt as she did in a cape, who liked old movies and smiled in a manner so genuine it took her breath away?

The suddenness of it all was out of character, and Lena felt a loopy giddiness in her chest as she squeezed her eyes against the wind. The flight could have taken seconds, or an hour - Lena felt removed from time, all of her thought consumed by the impossibility of the moment.

They landed in the very last place Lena could have imagined.

She had stared out into the National City Bay thousands of times, gazed at and driven over the bridge just as often. The Otto Binder Bridge sat on mirrored pylons resting on thick concrete foundations, simple forms wide as three city busses. For their industrial pragmatism, the concrete span felt cozy - unexpectedly clean and bright, softened with a few blankets thrown down at artful angles.

Kara set Lena down, plucking the frozen yogurt and securing it in a handy cooler, from which she pulled a bottle of sparkling cider, setting it down next to two flutes. True to her word, she gave the carton an icy blow before closing the cooler again.

Kara fussed for a moment with the display before she straightened up, hands on her hips, smile bright and a little sheepish. “So, what do you think?”

Despite the roadway overhead, it was quiet, and removed - and what a beautiful view. The city looked both distant and immediate, and the choppy texture of the water glittered with the afternoon sun. But Lena couldn’t stop herself from saying the most urgent thought in her mind: “Honestly, there’s so much less bird shit around here than I expected.”

Kara looked briefly taken aback, and erupted into laughter. After her giggles subsided, she fished a finger under her glasses to wipe her eyes. “You have no idea how much scrubbing I had to do to prepare this, oh my god. This date involved way more pigeon poop than I’d planned for.”

“Well, that makes me appreciate it all the more.” Lena sat down on the blanket, hugging her knees before she realized how closed off that was, adjusting to crossed legs instead. “Really, this is just... sort of amazing. I never would have guessed how nice it is down here. And that you did this for me is, just, wow. It means a lot.”

Kara set the canvas totes on the edge of the blanket and started to pull out boxes of food. “I wanted to make you feel special.”

Lena was grateful Kara’s attention was on the spread so Lena could scrunch her face, feeling equal parts delighted and overwhelmed by the simple statement.

Oh, she really was in trouble.

-+-

Kara was right - the food was amazing. As they worked their way through all the dishes, Kara told her stories about the folks who ran the carts - where they came from, why they cooked what they cooked, what made them special. Kara clearly liked connecting with people, and Lena felt flattered all over again to have somehow earned her attention. Some distant part of her told her it was all wrong, that Kara would discover the truth soon enough - that Lena was no one, a simple person who lived a small and quiet life. But a louder voice within her said, she likes the sound of your heartbeat. And did you see how she looks at you? Let it happen.

True to her word, Kara obliterated all of the food as Lena picked her way through a full meal of samples. It was fascinating to watch her eat, so clearly thrilled with every bite, talking as soon as her mouth was empty enough to do so, excited to prompt Lena with a question, or share some random thought. Dinner thoroughly addressed, they started in on the frozen yogurt - which, Kara conceded, had done a fair bit of melting despite her breathy efforts, and which, Lena conceded in turn, had to be the best in the city.

“Other folks do flavor stunts,” said Kara in a low voice of mock confidentiality, “but in my opinion, if you can’t do a good chocolate-vanilla swirl, you should just hang up your froyo hat.” She flourished her cup with emphasis, and promptly dribbled melting yogurt all over her sweater.

Lena couldn’t help but laugh, all the more so as Kara made such a cartoonishly hurt expression. She licked the mess off her fingers - which Lena tried her best not to observe too attentively - and once she had napkined the balance of spatter as best she could, gave up and shrugged off her sweater altogether.

Lena had forgotten, somehow, that she was on a date with a superhero, but that information came racing back to her as the broad span of Kara’s shoulders were revealed, the tug of the sweater pulling her v-neck to one side and revealing a tempting span of skin. Her biceps - framed by the cut of her t-shirt - flexed as she folded the sweater stain-out and set it aside with an awkward chuckle.

“Betrayed by dessert, so cruel,” said Kara, glancing up. Her laughter died at the expression on Lena’s face.

She can hear your heartbeat, thought Lena, trying to be calm and totally failing.

Say something, Lena.

“Hi,” she said, kicking herself for how breathy it came out.

Kara’s smile slid from sheepish to confident in an instant. She leaned, bracing herself on an outstretched arm. “Hi.”

Say something else, Lena. Her eyes darted around the demolished pile of take-out. “You missed a burrito.”

“No, I didn’t.” Kara’s gaze was steady. “That’s your lunch for tomorrow.”

Lena laughed softly, the casual kindness unlocking something in her. “Is it?”

“They’re even better the next day, I promise.”

“Leftovers for me, but none for you?”

“I’m very selfless.”

“Mmm. Apparently.”

Lena didn’t have to quiet voices in her head anymore - there was nothing but the way Kara was looking at her.

“I think there's a good chance I could fall for you, hero.”

The setting sun made a halo of Kara’s golden hair around her head, but could do nothing to distract from the brightness of those blue eyes. “I’m open to the possibility.”

-+-

Kara insisted they leave the remnants of their dinner under the bridge, tucked back into their canvas bags.

“They’re not in anyone’s way - I’ll come get it later, really. I’d rather be unencumbered so I can show you the slightly more cozy way to fly, now that we know each other a little better. May I?”

Kara quite literally swept Lena off her feet - holding her in the span of her arms. Startled and delighted, Lena planted her hand on Kara’s chest on instinct, trying to regain some sense of balance. Whatever sort of alien Kara might be, she had a heart too - Lena felt it beat beneath her palm.

“Cozy?” teased Kara, eyes sparkling behind her glasses as she adjusted her grip under Lena’s knees.

“Very.” Lena settled her head against Kara’s shoulder. “Home, Jeeves.”

Kara hovered off the ground, and Lena felt her stomach swoop.

“I can take you back to our alley at the festival and walk you to your car - “

Lena snorted. “I do not own a car. I took the bus.”

Kara did a very bad job of concealing how excited she was about the alternative. “Oh, so I can just take you home, then.”

“If you don’t mind.”

“It’s a mega terrible imposition,” Kara said, a mock-scowl on her face. “Better think of a real good way to make it up to me.”

Lena laughed and gave her directions. The flight before had been fast, strange, jumbled. This one was leisurely - Kara was taking her time, she explained, to be gentle on full tummies, but Lena wondered if Kara was also getting as much out of holding Lena as Lena was getting from being held, and wanted to draw out the moment.

All too soon, they were on the roof of Lena’s building, Kara placing her on her feet with a gentlemanly courtesy.

“Well,” said Lena, rubbing her arms. “That was...”

“Awesome?” said Kara, grinning. “Amazing? Astonishing?”

“Unexpected,” she said, willing a coolness to her tone she didn’t quite feel.

Kara bounced on her toes again, eager as a puppy. “But good unexpected, right?” At Lena’s smile, she continued. “Like, amazing unexpected?”

Lena laughed. “It’s a hell of a first date. Where do you even go from here?”

“Only one way to find out.” It was Kara’s turn to play mock-cool. “Maybe go on another date with me, see what happens.”

Hands clasped behind her back, Lena took a step towards this strange and wonderful person. “Maybe I will.”

Kara’s eyes were locked on her mouth, her own slightly agape. She looked momentarily uncertain, and Lena felt intoxicated with that uncertainty. She leaned in close enough that she felt Kara’s breath on her skin, and Kara’s eyes flicked up to hers, wide and open and hopeful.

“Can I kiss you, Kara Danvers?”

Supergirl’s voice was a whisper. “Yes please.”

Lena turned her head, slotting her nose just so, and pressed her lips to Kara’s. It was soft, and gentle, and when she pulled away, Kara’s lip was faintly trembling.

They stilled when Lena ran her hands up Kara’s arms, those sweet shoulders, that throat, resting in the tangle of her hair at the base of her neck.

When Lena opened her mouth, whatever hesitance in Kara was swept away by the pressure of her tongue.

Needing a moment to breathe, Lena pulled away, resting her forehead against Kara’s. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Kara’s hands on Lena’s hips tugged her closer. “Anything.”

“I actually live on the second floor.”

Kara blinked rapidly. “What?”

“And while I really have a lot of affection for roofs now - this is, like, the fifteenth floor, basically. And our elevator is very broken.”

Kara laughed, the sound low and delighted. “Well, good news. I am a door-to-door superhero.” She gave Lena another peck, followed by a deeper kiss, pulling back with a red-cheeked smile. “And while the bridal carry is uniquely suited to flying, there are better methods for navigating stairs...”

-+-

Jess woke up to the distant sound of laughter. Curious and irritated, she slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers and made her way to their door, the good ol’ doppler effect ensuring the laughter got louder as its source made its way down the stairs.

“Shhh!” came hissing down the stairwell, ineffective against the onslaught of giggles. “It’s late, young lady, and this is a public place...”

Jess assumed, as in most things, the source of her irritation was teens. What she did not expect to see rounding the corner was her roommate, giggling herself near insensible, riding piggyback on a very striking blonde woman. Jess knew for a fact that Lena was a sturdy broad, but the blonde carried her like she was nothing, grinning back even as she shushed Lena unsuccessfully.

Trying to do her very best Lena Luthor impression, Jess arched an eyebrow and leaned against the door jam and called up the stairs. “Yeah, keep it down, you scamps - folks are trying to sleep.”

Letting out a scandalized “Shit!” Lena clamped her hand over her mouth, and tried to slide off the blonde’s back - but the woman was determined to finish the ride, and apparently strong as hell - she held Lena’s legs in place clamped under her arms and finished the last flight of steps with a gallop, skidding to a stop at their door.

Jess rolled her eyes dramatically and wandered back into the apartment, leaving the door open. “Leave room for the holy spirit, you two.”

She wanted to give her roomie her privacy - she couldn’t remember the last time Lena had let herself actually have fun, much less fun with a total dreamboat hunk with stupidly ripped arms - but she couldn’t help but peek over the back of the sofa when Lena said “Good night, Kara.” and made her way into the living room, floating onto the sofa next to Jess.

Jess side-eyed her. “Sooooooooo, Kara, huh? Want to tell me about it?”

“Nope,” said Lena dreamily, sinking into the cushions.

“Fair,” said Jess, unpausing the television.

-+-

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the living room window.

Supergirl, in all her caped glory, hovered just outside it.

Laughing, Lena ran over, flicking the sash unlocked and lifting it so fast it almost shifted out of frame. “Forget something?”

“More like you forgot something.” And Kara handed over the still-warm burrito with a flourish.

“My lunch!” exclaimed Lena, accepting the precious cargo. She placed a hand on Kara’s cheek. “My hero!” And gave her a kiss.

Jess cleared her throat, loudly, from where she sat on the sofa, in full view of the proceedings. “Hey, Kara.”

“Shit!” said Supergirl brightly.

Lena laughed, leaning her forehead against Kara’s. “You really don’t do this, do you?”

“I really don’t.” Kara gave Lena one last kiss, and floated to the right, staring at Jess through the window. “Please don’t blow my identity. Can you be bribed with a really good burrito?”

“Please, Lena is my friend.” Jess stared at her with a level expression. “I can be bribed with a series of really good burritos.”