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“Please.”
Kara’s pout and wide eyes almost make Lena break, but she holds her ground.
“No, you know I can’t dance.”
“No I don’t, because I’ve never seen you dance!” Kara’s eyes look sad as she pleads and dammit, it’s almost enough to make her say yes. “Please, just one dance, that’s all.”
“Leave the poor girl alone, she said no. What’s wrong with just sitting here and having a drink?” Alex cuts in and Lena shoots her an appreciative smile. She may be able to fight her own battles normally, but it’s a lot harder to say no to Kara.
Kara sits back in her chair, arms crossed, lips turned down like a scolded child.
Before Lena can even really think her words through, she’s agreeing, anything to get that sad look off of Kara’s face. She’d do anything to make Kara smile, even if said thing will likely end in embarrassment on her part.
“Okay, fine, one dance.”
Kara looks up, surprised. “No, I’m sorry, Alex was right. You said no, you don’t have to.”
Lena reaches out beside her, lays her hand over her best friend’s arm. “Please, I want to.”
Kara’s voice is full of hope. “Really?”
“Really.” Lena finds she actually means the word too as a brilliant smile bursts across Kara’s face. Agreeing to dance in public is definitely worth it to see that smile.
She catches Alex’s knowing look but she ignores it in favour of letting Kara pull her towards the dance floor and as they reach the middle of the room, Lena remembers again why she’d said no in the first place.
She really can’t dance, and she’s not just saying that. It’s a fact, she just can’t dance, she has absolutely no rhythm. The only times she used to dance, were at the many parties she had to attend as a Luthor, her mother forcing her to dance with eligible men or men that could help with the company. Lillian had learnt quickly not to do that though, because having your toes stood on doesn’t exactly make you want to invest in a company.
Parties now, Lena usually manages to avoid dancing, she always has an excuse ready in case she’s asked to dance, putting it off until it’s too late and the party is over.
But she just can’t say no to Kara. She was close today, but not close enough.
So now is she not only going to have to dance, but dance in a way she definitely has no practice in and will no doubt lead to great embarrassment on her part. At least if she steps on Kara’s toes, she can’t hurt her.
Kara turns back to her as they stop in between other already dancing patrons of the bar and she must see the unease on Lena’s face. “We can go sit back down if you want, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
Lena sends her a smile that probably isn’t convincing. “I promised you a dance, and I’m going to give it to you.”
As much as she doesn’t like dancing, dancing with Kara doesn’t sound so bad.
Lena still feels awkward as Kara starts dancing though, unsure what to do. She glances to the side, sees people dancing around her, and there’s no way she can move like some of them are.
She looks back to Kara, who’s started bouncing on the balls of her feet, moving from side to side, and maybe she should’ve said no to the dance, just so she could watch her dance from a distance instead.
Her movements are so fluid, Lena can tell she has complete control of her body as she dances in time to the song.
Lena though, she just stands there awkwardly, moving from side to side so she’s at least doing something.
Warm hands take her own and Lena looks back up to find Kara watching her too.
“Relax,” Kara says, and Lena sees the word more than hears it, lost to the loud music.
Kara gives their joined hands a squeeze and she starts moving them back and forth, and Lena’s not sure if she’d really call this dancing, but they’re moving in time to the music and that’s more than Lena can usually say about her dancing.
Kara leads them and Lena follows, allowing Kara to control her movements. Kara’s smile is infectious and Lena finds herself smiling back, actually enjoying dancing for once.
She still feels awkward and uncoordinated but, despite that, she finds herself having fun as the music pumps around them, Kara dancing close, their hands still joined between them.
When the song ends, Lena finds herself regretting telling Kara she could only have one dance.
But Kara is warm again as she pulls her into a hug, a breathless laugh in her ear, and maybe one dance is enough after all.
xxx
Lena had invited Kara to the gala, but she’d made a stupid comment about it just being as friends again, even though she’d wanted it to be more.
She’d had a plan, to ask Kara to be her date for the gala, and she’d gotten nervous and blown it.
So now it’s a take two, of sorts. Lena is going to ask Kara to dance, because she knows how much Kara loves to dance, and then hopefully while they’re dancing, she’ll ask Kara out on an actual date.
“You want to dance?” Kara asks, eyebrow raised, when Lena finally manages to get the question out. “But you don’t like to dance?”
Lena shrugs, tries to act nonchalant. “Maybe dancing isn’t so bad when it’s with you.”
Lena can feel how red her cheeks are but it’s worth it to see Kara’s smile in return.
“Well then,” Kara grins. “I’d love to.”
Kara takes her hand and leads her onto the dance floor and Lena remembers that night several months ago, when Kara had lead her onto a different dance floor, one considerably darker than this one.
They stall for a moment when they stop and Kara looks unsure. Dancing in a bar in the dark is one thing, but this feels different. But it was also Lena’s idea, part of her plan, so she musters all the courage she can find and loops her hands behind Kara’s neck.
Kara gets the idea as she places her own hands on Lena’s hips.
The touch almost burns and Lena wants more.
They start to move to the music, well, Kara does, and Lena just sort of follows along, extra conscious of her movements.
She’s really not good at this.
It’s almost inevitable when she accidentally stands on Kara’s toes, something that is entirely unromantic and will factor into the answer that Kara will no doubt give when she finally asks her out.
Thinking about it now, it probably wasn’t the best idea to plan to ask Kara out while she’s awkwardly trying not to step on her toes.
Kara laughs when she steps on her foot yet again.
“Lucky I’m made of steel,” Kara whispers with a wink.
Maybe Kara is the perfect dance partner for her, if she can’t hurt her in her clumsiness.
And it works in her favour that Kara finds it funny.
When the song comes to an end, Lena feels Kara start to pull away, and despite not wanting this moment to end, Lena lets her. She’s surprised though when Kara slips her hand into hers and Lena allows herself to be pulled from the dance floor, too surprised to do anything but follow.
“Thank you,” Kara smiles when they reach the edge of the dance floor. “I know you’re not a fan of dancing but I had fun.”
“Me too,” Lena smiles and she finds she genuinely means it. Despite her fear and awkwardness, she did enjoy being that close to Kara. She can still almost feel the heat of Kara’s body, the press of warm hands to her hips, as they’d danced.
She can still see those same blue eyes that had been so close to her as they’d danced, that still look so bright as they watch her now.
And that smile. Lena would do anything to keep that smile on Kara’s face.
By the end of the night, Lena still hasn’t found the courage to ask Kara out, but she does press a kiss to Kara’s cheek when she drops her off, and that’s a start.
And Kara really does look adorable when she blushes.
xxx
Kara’s dancing, doing what Lena can only describe as a happy dance, after she ends a call with her boss.
“Good news, I assume?”
“Yes!” Kara says, looking ridiculous as her arms wave around in excitement, punching the air, but her grin is so big and it’s beautiful. “Snapper said he liked my story and that he was going to run it. He didn’t even send it back to me to edit, he just said it was good!”
“That’s great!” Lena exclaims, only slightly wary of Kara’s flailing limbs as she steps forward to envelope her best friend in a hug.
She knows how much time and effort Kara had put into her most recent story, she’d seen how passionate she was about it. She’d seen how nervous she was about sending it to Snapper too, so this is huge. Lena’s not surprised, the article was great, and Kara’s a brilliant writer, and she’s glad Snapper has finally seen that too and she’s getting the recognition she deserves.
Kara wraps her arms around Lena’s back and sways them from side to side in her excitement.
Lena’s laughing as she pulls away, smiling as Kara absolutely beams at her. “We have to celebrate. Dinner tonight, my treat?”
“Sounds great.”
That night, Lena treats Kara to dinner and Kara treats Lena to dessert, but it’s the end of the night that is really going to solidify this day in her mind for the rest of her life.
It’s the almost nervous way Kara lingers at Lena’s door after insisting she walk her home. It’s the deep breath she takes before she steps forward. It’s the searching blue eyes that watch her carefully while Lena is frozen to the spot, heart suddenly hammering in her chest.
And then it’s the tentative way Kara tilts her head, the soft hand on her cheek, and then the even softer lips that brush against her own.
It’s that moment that turns this day from a great one, to one of the best days of her life.
It’s the day she found out Kara likes her too.
xxx
They’re at their usual bar, they’re dancing, and usually she’d feel self conscious, but tonight she doesn’t, not when Kara is pressed warm against her, when arms are looped around her neck, and definitely not when soft lips press against her own.
She doesn’t have time to think about anything else, all her focus is on Kara, on lips moving gently yet insistent over her own, on the feel of a strong body under he hands, and on the way her heart feels like it could burst out of her chest with just how much she’s feeling right now.
She never thought she’d get this, never thought she could have this, not with her best friend, not with anyone. Yet, here she is, making out with her best friend, her girlfriend, the woman she knows she wants to spend the rest of her life with.
Kara pulls away suddenly, and Lena’s immediately worried she’s done something wrong as Kara nervously chews on her bottom lip.
“Are you okay?” Lena asks, loud enough to be heard over the music.
“Alex is here,” Kara says, and immediately Lena is worried too. “And she saw us.”
They haven’t exactly told Alex about the recent new development in their relationship. They probably shouldn’t have been kissing in public like this, especially in a place their friends also frequent, especially when they were trying to keep this a secret, but can you blame her? Kara’s lips look so damn kissable all the time, and with their bodies pressed so closely together as they’d danced, she couldn’t help but kiss her.
Lena takes her hand and leads her from the dance floor. There’s no point in delaying this, they’re going to have to face Alex (and Maggie, who’s no doubt here too) eventually.
Alex is surprised when they tell her, then impressed they’d managed to hide their relationship for three weeks without her knowing, then she’s happy for them.
Maggie is just amused the whole time, claiming she knew all along.
Alex gives Lena the shovel talk, which Lena had expected, even if there’s a playful glint in her eyes as she does. What she doesn’t expect though is for Alex to turn and say the exact same thing to Kara.
Kara throws her arms around her sister after that, promises she’ll never hurt Lena as she presses a kiss to Alex’s cheek, before she turns and presses one to Lena’s lips too.
There’s a disgusted groan from beside her as they linger in their kiss, but even that sounds partly amused, and Lena finds her heart warming at the little family she’s found herself a part of.
xxx
“Come on, dance with me,” Kara giggles, arms wide and a goofy grin on her face.
Lena couldn’t say no even if she wanted to.
Lena let’s Kara pull her to her feet and they both stumble a bit before they find their balance. Maybe they shouldn’t have opened that second bottle of wine, or where they onto their third now? She’s not sure, but Kara’s was definitely spiked with something alien.
Kara laughs as she wraps her arms around Lena and she changes her mind, the alcohol was definitely a good idea.
She feels like they’re floating as they sway together, her gaze caught in Kara’s bright eyes as they move together even with no music.
Kara has her tight against her chest and it’s Kara’s muscles that distract her the most, the firm press of them, holding her close.
Her girlfriend is absolutely ripped and Lena loves it.
She also just loves moments like this, where it’s just them and no one else. Moments when Kara is hers and they can just be together.
Lena feels pretty proud of herself as they move, she hasn’t stood on Kara’s toes once, which is quite an improvement on other times they’ve danced. She glances down, to make sure her feet are actually moving, to make sure they’re not just swaying on the spot.
And she sees something she doesn’t particularly like.
“Kara!” Lena squeals, when she sees exactly why she’d felt like they were floating before. She grips her arms tightly around Kara’s neck, even as she feels the strong arm at her back, keeping her up.
“Don’t tell Alex,” Kara laughs.
There’s a rule about flying while drunk but is floating while drunk considered off limits too?
“And don’t worry,” she continues, her voice losing any trace of humour or alcohol. “I’ve got you, I’ll never let you fall.”
Lena feels herself relaxing again in Kara’s embrace, allowing Kara’s strong arms to keep her up as they continue to spin slowly through the air together. “I know.”
xxx
Lena opens the door to their apartment, mouth open, ready to call out that she’s home, when she catches sight of Kara in the middle of the room, a finger to her lips. Immediately Lena slows down her movements, taking extra care to be quiet as she puts down her purse and takes off her shoes.
Lena walks softly across the room, meets Kara in the middle, where she’s swaying gently to soft music that’s coming from her phone.
“If you’d told me you were babysitting,” Lena says quietly, looking at the almost sleeping one month old in Kara’s arms. “I would’ve left work early.”
Kara smiles, gently rocking the baby in her arms. “Maggie stopped by for a visit but she fell asleep so I put her in our bed. This little guy’s been running them both ragged. I’m hoping I can convince Alex to take a nap when she gets here too.”
Lena reaches out, runs her hand gently over the bundle of blankets in Kara’s arms.
Her nephew.
Lena had tried to argue that Noah wasn’t her nephew, not yet anyway (the ring on her finger says soon) but Alex, Maggie, and of course, Kara, had argued that she’s already part of the family, and now she’s Aunt Lena, just like Aunt Kara, and the thought fills her with so much warmth.
“I want one,” Kara says, soft eyes on their nephew.
“Want one, what?” Lena asks, even though she already knows the answer. She wants one too.
“A baby,” she whispers as hopeful eyes look up to catch her own.
They’ve talked about this before, have talked about both wanting a family, but this feels more real with the baby between them.
Lena steps forward, presses in close so Noah is gently nestled between them. Kara tilts her head down to their foreheads are pressed together.
Lena sways with them, slowly, gently, as Noah’s eyes blink closed properly and he falls asleep. “Me too. Not yet. But one day, soon, with you.”
Kara grins as she lifts her head up to press a long kiss to Lena’s lips.
“Hold on,” Kara says, pulling away slowly. “I’ll just put him to bed.”
Lena watches Kara disappear into her room, to put the sleeping baby in the bed they’d bought for their apartment when Noah was born.
Kara’s back a couple of minutes later, and she walks straight up to Lena and wraps her arms around her neck.
“Hi,” she smiles, as she kisses her again. “I missed you. Noah’s pretty cute but I can think of someone who’s cuter.”
Lena laughs as she leans into her fiancée. “Don’t let Alex and Maggie hear you say that. And just wait until Noah gets Maggie’s dimples, you won’t be saying that then.”
“You have pretty cute dimples too,” Kara grins, pressing a kiss to Lena’s now blushing cheek.
The door opens behind them and Lena turns in Kara’s arms to see an exhausted looking Alex walk through the door. “Ugh, I don’t need to see that. Where are my wife and child?”
“They’re asleep in my room,” Kara answers, stepping away from Lena to greet her sister.
“In that case, I’m going to join them.”
Instead of the hug Kara had been expecting, she gets an armful of the diapers that Alex went to get. But Alex does press a kiss to her cheek as she passes, then waves at Lena, before she vanishes into the room.
“Do you think you being a superhero will stop us from reaching that level of exhaustion when we have kids of our own?” Lena asks as Kara puts the diapers down and walks back over to her.
Kara’s almost in front of her again when she vanishes in a gust of wind, only to appear a moment later, with Noah in her arms, as he bursts into tears.
“Shhh,” Kara hums, bouncing the baby in her arms. “Let’s let your mommies sleep.”
Yep, that’s what Lena thought. But even if she knows it’s going to be hard, she can’t wait to grow her family with Kara.
xxx
“Do you want to dance?” Lena asks with a grin, the smile on her face a permanent fixture today.
“You want to dance?” Kara replies, smile wide even if it’s a bit confused around the edges. “We hadn’t talked about dancing today, I wasn’t sure if you’d want to.”
“I’m not going to miss the chance to dance with my wife on our wedding day,” Lena smiles and despite not getting an actual answer from Kara, she takes her hand anyway, she knows her answer is yes.
“Mmmm,” Kara hums as they come to a stop in the middle of the dance floor. “My wife, I like the sound of that.”
Lena smiles. “So do I.”
Kara goes to wrap her arms around Lena’s waist, just like they usually dance, but Lena stops her. Instead, she takes one of Kara’s hands and settles it on her waist and then she holds the other up in her own.
Kara looks surprised and although Lena’s nervous, this is what she’s practiced for, she wants their first dance as a married couple to be perfect.
Lena moves her feet, concentrating on each step, but she keeps her eyes on Kara as they move.
And now Kara looks even more surprised than before.
“Lena, when did you…?”
“Learn to dance?” Lena smiles, as she turns them around the room. “Winn helped, I wanted this to be perfect.”
Lena catches Winn out of the corner of her eye and she flashes him a smile, laughs when he gives them a big thumbs up.
“I didn’t want our first dance to be me tripping over your feet.”
Kara smiles. “I think it’s kind of cute when you do that.”
“Good because this is literally the only dance I can do where that won’t happen.”
They spin together, and then Lena lets out a surprised laugh when Kara dips her, a hand firm at her back. Kara pulls her close when she’s righted and she hears clapping around them but all of that falls away as they come to a stop in the middle of the dance floor as the song ends.
“We’re married,” Kara says, reaching out to stroke her thumb across Lena’s cheek. Lena catches sight of the bracelet around Kara’s wrist, one she’d designed as another surprise for today. Kara had had tears in her eyes when Lena revealed them at the wedding and Lena warms again at the thought of how delicately Kara had lifted her wrist to place Lena’s own bracelet on.
“Yes we are,” Lena smiles, capturing Kara’s hand and turning her head to place a kiss against her open palm. “I love you.”
She says the words in Kryptonian, the words that are for Kara and Kara alone.
“I love you, too.”
She kisses her then, Lena kisses her wife, she kisses her with everything she has, wants to paint her feelings, her happiness, her love, across Kara’s lips, wants Kara to be able to feel how much she loves her.
A loud “whoop!” from across the room reminds Lena that they’re not alone and she’s breathless when they break apart.
“Maybe we should save that for later,” Kara says with a wink and Lena laughs.
“Later,” she promises as her arms snake around Kara’s neck and they continue to dance together, except this time, there’s no guarantees she won’t stand on her toes.