Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lex Luthor was tired of his little sister’s bragging. He was used to being the one bragging, after all. Lena had come into their family at only four years old, and he’d already been in his teens, so it had been all too easy to upstage her- whether it was at chess, mathematic and scientific knowledge, or new inventions. He was used to winning. Even after Lena got old enough that Lex realized she was smarter than him, well, he’d still inherited LutherCorp so he was still ahead.

Then Lena founded L-Corp. And suddenly she was the one upstaging him.

The night before LutherCorp was to announce the launch of nanobots that could be programmed to carry out basic tasks, L-Corp announced its launch of nanobots that were controlled telepathically with a neurotransmitter that could be used for anything from medical emergencies and operations to special effects for movies. Shortly after LutherCorp began designing an eco-friendly, low-cost automobile, L-Corp held a press conference revealing their newest project: a vehicle which essentially ran on photosynthesis. Just last week, after Superman had convinced Lex to scrap his alien detection device and to try to help the alien refugees instead of helping people to discriminate against them, L-Corp was mass producing image inducers- the concept of which Lex was sure he had been on the cusp of realizing himself. 

No matter what big project his company was working on, it seemed like Lena’s company was miles ahead. He couldn’t even blame a mole because, while their initial concepts seemed similar, her designs were vastly superior to his own and would have had to have been started much earlier than his. At least, he hoped so. Honestly, if she had had a mole steal their project ideas and come up with her own versions in an even shorter time frame it would be even more humiliating.

///

“Lex,” Lillian said sweetly, a wicked gleam in her eye, “how have things been going at LutherCorp?”

Lex, Lillian, Lena, and Lionel were seated in the Luthor manner for their weekly family dinner, and now that they were on their main course and all the small talk was out of the way Lillian was trying to start drama. Lex did his best not to roll his eyes at his mother’s question- he knew she was only asking so that he and Lena would start comparing their company’s recent projects and stocks.

“Everything is going fine, Mother,” Lex replied as calmly as he could, giving an unnecessary amount of focus to slicing up his steak.

“Really?” Lionel asked, a small upward tilt to his lips. He also enjoyed watching his children bicker about their accomplishments. It made him proud (and highly amused). “I may not be the CEO anymore, but I still have some rapport with the head of security at LutherCorp. They emailed me something very interesting a few days ago.” Lex grimaced.

“Do tell, brother,” Lena practically purred. Lex glanced up and saw a familiar sparkle in her eyes. Dammit. She already knew, didn’t she? He sighed in resignation and dropped his cutlery, giving his family all of his attention.

“Since you all seem to know already,” Lex began through gritted teeth, “LutherCorp was robbed earlier this week. The thieves got away with over five hundred thousand dollars’ worth of technology, though luckily nothing was taken from the labs working on prototypes or weaponry. My security team is working with the authorities to identify the culprits as we speak.” Lex gazed around at his family, noting the way his parents were barely suppressing their grins, before turning to face his sister, a ball of dread in his stomach. Sure enough, Lena was smirking.

“That’s too bad, brother dear,” Lena said with a simpering smile. “Perhaps your company should purchase one of the security systems L-Corp has on the market. We’ve sold to dozens of major companies, and nearly five million households as well. So far our systems have stopped every robbery or break-in that has been attempted.” Lena’s chin was tilted upwards and Lex could feel the smugness and pride radiating from her. It was well-deserved, but still.

“And let me guess,” Lex said with a sigh, “you designed it all yourself.”

“Of course not.” Lena scoffed. “I work with a brilliant team. If I did everything myself I wouldn’t have had time to complete even half of the projects I have today.”

“And you’re only twenty-six,” Lionel said proudly. “I can’t wait to see what all you’ve accomplished by the time you’re Lex’s age.” Lex gave his father a wounded look while his mother sipped her wine to stop herself from snickering. Lena had no such reservation and laughed.

“Regardless,” Lex began once Lena’s laughter had subsided into giggles, “LutherCorp won’t be purchasing a security system from L-Corp. I’ll make some upgrades to our system myself this weekend.” Lex stabbed a piece of steak and shoved it into his mouth, glaring down at his plate. If he upgraded the security system and there was another successful break-in his shareholders would insist he install one of his little sister’s security systems. He could see the amused look on their faces already- everyone in Metropolis and National City knew about the Luthor siblings’ rivalry, and it never ceased to irk him at how funny they found it every time he lost. He was grateful that L-Corp’s headquarters were in National City, at least (Lena had happily told him that Metropolis was too small for the both of them, and at the time he’d foolishly thought she had wanted to get out from under his shadow- instead she’d gone and become a fucking beacon of brilliance that blinded him from hundreds of miles away). Lillian sighing brought Lex out of his thoughts.

“I know how competitive you two are,” Lillian said, giving her children a look, “but please don’t let that interfere with your business, Lex. L-Corp’s security systems are the best there are; the only being that could easily beat one would be Superman.”

“Or Supergirl,” Lena chimed in, quick to remind everyone of her city’s up-and-coming Kryptonian hero.

“Yes, dear, we get it. You have a crush on the pretty blonde hero,” Lillian retorted, rolling her eyes. Her daughter may be a genius, but she was still a gay mess.

“I- what? No! Of course not!” Lena spluttered, her face reddening. “I’ve only even met her a few times, and it’s not like we got a chance to talk! She seems really nice though. And her smile…” Lena trailed off, a dreamy look on her face, and Lex snorted.

“I could have Superman introduce you two properly if you’d like,” Lex offered his sister with a wide grin. Lena looked at him, her eyes wide. “I’m sure she’d be eager to meet her number one fan.” A pea smacked him square in the forehead and he chuckled at how red Lena was.

“No throwing food at the table,” Lionel grumbled, doing his best not to smile.

“Technically, dear, she flicked it with her fork.” Lillian gave her husband a small smirk and he chuckled.

“True, true. So Lex, Lena, are there any upcoming projects you two would like to… discuss?” Lionel prompted. His goal was to incite his children into a food fight that would rival the one Lena had started on her sixteenth birthday when Lex had been teasing her incessantly about what he’d thought had been a crush on Superman (by the end of the fight Lena had revealed it was actually on Lois Lane- it wasn’t her fault they were always pictured together).

As Lena began talking about her latest project, a variation of the transmatter portal she and Lex had designed years ago that would be restricted to only inanimate objects so it could be used as a delivery service (she had high hopes for it helping relief efforts globally), Lex began scheming. Superman had mentioned a woman named Alex Danvers a few months ago, marveling that she was hired to ‘test a company’s security’ by stealing from it. Apparently, they had a mutual friend, and when he’d stopped to chat with her, he’d noticed the Obsidian North logo on the computer tower she was toting on a dolly. She’d explained, and while at first he’d thought she was drunk or had turned to a life of thievery, the CEO of Obsidian North had verified her story. And decided to buy a new security system from L-Corp and retrain her security personnel. 

Lex wondered if this Danvers woman would be willing to test his sister’s security at his behest. She wouldn’t even need a dolly to transport what he wanted. Lex and his sister had a monthly chess match, and whoever won got to take home the trophy they’d made after Lena had won her first match against him at only ten years old. The trophy was a hollow wooden king about the size of a basketball that was full of smaller chess pieces and, when opened and manipulated properly, took the shape of a chess board. For the past three years it had been sitting on a shelf in Lena’s office, removed only so that they could use it to play the match and then quickly returned when Lena won each time. Lex thought it was the perfect target for his purposes: Lena would notice it missing and realize Lex had had a hand in it- and that someone had managed to steal something out of her well-guarded office. He wondered if he’d have to pay extra to get it in time for their scheduled chess match after next week’s family dinner…

///

“Kara!” Alex hollered, letting herself into her sister’s apartment. Kara, focused on typing her article for Snapper, mumbled something incoherent but otherwise ignored her sister’s entrance. “You really need to lock your door. Hey, Kara! Hellooo?” Alex waved her free hand in front of the blonde’s face. No reaction. “I brought potstickers,” Alex said flatly. Kara’s head jerked up and her eyes zeroed in on the bag. “Good to know I’m appreciated, Kar.”

“Food,” was Kara’s only response as she used her super speed to snatch the bag from Alex. In the blink of an eye she had three potstickers stuffed in her mouth, and she moaned as her eyes fluttered shut. Food was soooo good.

“‘Hello Alex,’” Alex began in a poor attempt at mimicking Kara’s voice, “‘thanks for the potstickers!’ No problem sis! ‘Did you have something you wanted to talk about, Alex?’ As a matter of fact I do!” Alex put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Kara, who was now looking up at her guiltily.

“Hewwo Awex,” Kara said around another bite of potstickers. “Fanks for tha po’s’ickers.”

“You’re welcome.” Alex reached out and ruffled Kara’s hair, grateful that it was out of its usual ponytail so she could mess it up to her heart’s content. Kara was too busy eating to do more than glare at her.

“Wassup?” Kara mumbled in between bites.

“I’ve been recruited for the latest scheme in the Lena and Lex Luthor rivalry!” Alex declared. Kara’s eyes widened and Alex smirked. “Lex Luthor called me, personally, to hire me to bypass L-Corp’s security and steal a giant chess piece from his sister’s office!” She beamed at Kara, who seemed more confused than proud.

“How did Lex Luthor get your number?” Kara asked, potstickers temporarily forgotten.

“He’s Lex Luthor. I’m pretty sure he can get anyone’s number.” Alex rolled her eyes.

“Are you sure it was really him?”

“It was a video call. And before you say anything about image inducers,” Alex hurriedly added, “he offered me fifteen thousand dollars now and thirty thousand when I deliver. The first payment is already in my bank account!” Alex yanked her phone out and typed some things in, then shoved the screen into Kara’s face to show her the ridiculous amount of money in her checking account. “And since the IRS monitors anything above ten grand, I’d say this is all on the up and up.” Kara gave her a puzzled look and Alex resisted the urge to facepalm. “It’s all legal.”

“Huh. Well I guess you’d know about the IRS and all since you worked for them for six years.” Kara gave Alex a hard look, though Alex could see the amusement in her sister’s eyes. Alex wondered if she’d ever live down the whole hiding-working-for-the-DEO-for-years thing. Probably not. “Still, that’s cool I guess.” There was a blast of wind and suddenly Kara had a glass of soda in her hand. She took a gulp and reached for another potsticker. “You’re really overcharging him though.”

“He’s a Luthor, Kar. This is pocket change to him.”

“It’s the principle of the thing.” It was hard to take that statement seriously when Kara looked like a hamster thanks to all of the food she’d just stuffed in her mouth.

“Well call me Robin Hood,” Alex groused. She quickly put a few potstickers on a plate, knowing full well that Kara wouldn’t save any for her.

“Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor,” Kara pointed out.

“I am poor!” Alex retorted. “Well, I mean, I’m not that poor. But compared to the Luthors I might as well be a beggar in the streets. Besides, think of all the food I’ll buy you with this money.” Alex waggled her eyebrows and Kara abruptly decided Alex was right- it was just pocket change. Pocket change that could buy her a lot of ice cream and pizza. And more potstickers cuz they were almost out. She eyed Alex’s plate, and the agent hurriedly stepped back, cradling it closer to herself. Oh well.

“So when are you gonna do it?” Kara asked, not-so-subtly changing the subject. Alex smirked.

“He wants it by tomorrow night. He waited to tell me to give the information less time to make its way to his sister.” Alex shrugged. “He said tomorrow would be the best day to steal it anyway since Lena has a lot of meetings scheduled then.”

“Tomorrow,” Kara repeated flatly.

“Yeah. Why?” Alex’s brow furrowed as she tried to figure out her sister’s expression. Kara was looking at her like she was overlooking something obvious. “Kara? What’s wrong with tomorrow?”

“Last I checked, you took tomorrow off from the DEO because you had a whole day planned out for-”

“Fuck!”

“-Ruby’s thirteenth birthday,” Kara finished, ignoring Alex’s curse. “But hey, I’m sure Sam and Ruby will be fine if you ditch them to go help two rich geniuses mess with each other. Sam totally won’t make you sleep on the couch until Ruby’s fourteen.”

“I could still do it. It… it wouldn’t take that long,” Alex said weakly. Kara raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Uh huh. L-Corp security systems are serious, Alex. I’ve seen them stop aliens that the police had to call me in to help apprehend after. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got caught. And in case you hadn’t realized, Lex has no legal say when it comes to L-Corp. Even if he vouches for you Lena might have the cops hold you overnight just to teach you a lesson about getting involved in their sibling rivalry. I mean, I doubt she’d press charges cuz she doesn’t seem too mean- though I’ve really only spoken to her a few times as Supergirl- and it would be bad publicity, but you could easily end up missing all of Ruby’s birthday. Is it really worth all that?” Kara’s eyes shone with concern and Alex hunched her shoulders slightly.

“No,” Alex mumbled. “It’s not.”

“Good. El mayarah means stronger together. And that means you gotta put your family first.” Kara was giving off Supergirl vibes, and Alex had to smile at her little sister’s conviction.

“You’re right,” Alex agreed. Then she got an idea. “Y’know, that thirty thousand really would have helped us with Ruby’s college fund. Too bad we won’t be getting it now.” Alex sighed theatrically and Kara froze, her eyes wide.

“No. Alex, no.” Kara was shaking her head, eyes somehow wider.

“Please?” Alex asked, wincing at the whine in her voice. “C’mon, you owe me after the Mon-El thing.”

“Oh please.” Kara scoffed. “You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy beating him up.”

“Regardless,” Alex said, not bothering to hide her grin, “ya still owe me, sis. J’onn suspended me for a week!” She scowled at that, and Kara winced.

“So because you did your big sister duty and beat up the sleezy alien who wouldn’t stop hitting on me, and as a result got suspended, I have to steal something from a place that I’m pretty sure is more secure than the Fortress of Solitude?” Kara’s nose scrunched up and Alex gave her a nervous smile.

“I’ll buy you potstickers every day for a week?”

“…Deal.”

///

“Do it for the potstickers,” Kara whispered to herself. “And your niece. You should probably focus more on that part, actually.” She grimaced at herself, but shrugged it off. “Hey, immediate gratification, am I right? Oh Rao why I am stalling by talking to myself? Just do it already, Kara!” She took a deep breath and threw her shoulders back before strutting towards L-Corp.

Getting into the lobby was easy enough- it was open to the public. And luckily for Kara, there were plenty of people in the large, well-lit room standing around chatting or sitting and doing things on laptops or phones, so while she definitely felt out of place she actually blended right in. It helped that she’d come straight from CatCo and was still wearing her work clothes: shiny black shoes, black dress pants, and a navy blue shirt with small white polka dots that she wore tucked into her waistband (her ponytail and glasses completed the look, of course).

Kara walked over to one side of the room, doing her best to look like she knew what she was doing. That had been one of her earliest lessons on Earth: if you act like you know what you’re doing, people will assume you do (even if you have no freaking clue). She leaned against the wall and pulled her phone out, and while a casual observer might think she was checking emails she was actually peering above her glasses to survey the room.

L-Corp’s lobby was spacious and inviting, with a few of those odd circular bench islands arranged throughout for people to sit on. There were several plants hanging from the ceiling or basking in the sunlight in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and Kara was surprised to see that they were real (Kara’s super vision meant she had yet to be tricked, though Alex was still mad at her for letting her water a fake succulent for four months back in college). The large reception desk at the back of the room had three professional yet friendly looking employees sitting behind it, either busy on their computers or checking people in and pointing them towards the elevator. Unfortunately for Kara, the elevator had two burly security guards in front of it who were taking cues from the receptionists, and while she could definitely take them out, she’d rather not reveal her secret identity for the sake of free potstickers for a week.

She turned her gaze to the employee entrance to the left of the room, nestled into a corner out of sight of the reception desk. As she watched, a middle-aged woman walked up to the door, swiped her ID badge, placed her hand on a pad, and was subjected to a retinal scan. A moment later the door Kara had thought was normal split open in the middle and slid apart. As soon as the woman was through it whooshed closed. It seemed to be on a timer so that only one person could enter at a time. Or at least, only one normal, non-super-speedy person.

With a slight smile on her face Kara followed a small group of L-Corp employees who had just come in to the entrance, and as soon as the door opened for the last one she slipped through with her super speed, sequestering herself in a corner near the door so the young man wheeling his chair through wouldn’t notice her. He hurried to catch up to his coworkers, who were waiting a short ways down the hall, and they all went off together, none the wiser to Kara’s entrance.

Kara resisted the urge to pump her fist at her first victory; she still had to make it to the top floor of this ridiculously tall building. She slipped her glasses down her nose and surveyed the floor she was on, locating an employee elevator. Quickly readjusting her glasses, Kara began navigating her way to the elevator, doing her best to remember Lena’s office layout. She’d only been to it once. 

A disgruntled ex-employee of L-Corp had shot at Lena during an outdoor press conference, and Kara had swooped in as Supergirl, catching the bullet a few inches from the young Luthor’s chest. Lena’s security personnel had handcuffed the man and called police, and Kara, worried because of how fast the CEO’s heart was beating, had insisted on flying her to the balcony jutting out from her office.

Kara snorted quietly as she remembered the metal net that had flown at her as soon as she’d touched down on the balcony, even as a thick metal sheet slid over the glass door. She’d easily deflected the net, only slightly jarring the woman she was holding, and an apologetic Lena had mumbled about security measures before pulling her phone out and rapidly tapping the screen. A moment later the metal sheet had retracted, and Kara had set Lena down gently, even more concerned because the woman’s heart rate had gotten faster. Lena had seemed fine though, and Kara could still remember the pretty blush on her face as she’d thanked her for saving her and for taking the time to fly her up to her balcony.

Smiling at the memory, Kara stopped abruptly when she nearly ran into the elevator. Denting an elevator made of nth metal would probably cause someone to raise the alarm. 

Since no one was around, and wouldn’t be for at least six minutes based on her super hearing, Kara took a moment to examine the elevator with her x-ray vision. She doubted it would be as easy as climbing on and riding straight to the top floor. Sure enough, the entire elevator was packed with technology. It took her a moment, but Kara realized it was some kind of weight sensor. She couldn’t see any hidden buttons or identification tech on the elevator, and Kara had no clue how a scale worked as security. The indicator above the elevator showed that someone had just gotten on, so Kara focused her hearing.

“I really don’t need this damn elevator showing me my weight,” a deep voice said grumpily. “I already know I need to lay off the Big Belly Burger- I don’t need to be reminded every day after lunch!” Light laughter accompanied the last part of what was said, and Kara bit back a smile of her own.

“Didn’t you help design this elevator?” the still-laughing person asked.

“Yes,” the first person muttered. “I’m fine with it identifying us by our weight. I just don’t see why it needs to tell us!”

Kara quit eavesdropping and frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. If the elevator decided who could go where based on weight… how would she get to the top floor? She groaned, throwing her head back and putting her hands on her hips, wishing she’d just flown into Lena’s office to get the chess piece. She’d probably have it by now.

Voices approaching startled Kara out of her annoyance, and she quickly pushed the call button for the elevator. It was as it was coming down, passing through all of the floors, that Kara had an idea. There was no way it would work. But maybe… what if it did?

The elevator arrived with a soft ding and the doors swished open. Glancing around one last time, Kara stepped on, hyper aware of the cameras watching. Even if someone had been nearby, they would have thought she was walking. In reality, she was hovering millimeters above the floor. She was so thankful for the summer she’d spent ‘walking on water’ to practice controlling her powers right now.

Not expecting much, Kara pressed the button for the top floor. And the elevator actually started rising, the screen showing her weight to be zero pounds. She barely managed to fly upwards at the same rate as the elevator at first, too shocked that it had actually worked, but she did it, and eventually the doors opened at the top floor.

Kara quickly stepped off the elevator, only putting her feet back on the floor when she’d scanned it and found it sensor free. The elevator closed and went back down, and Kara gulped. She was actually doing this, wasn’t she? Shaking off the sudden feeling of apprehension, Kara focused back on her task: stealing an oversized chess piece shaped like a king from Lena’s office.

The elevator had left her in a hallway that was a dead-end to her right but stretched off to her left, ending in a turn. Beyond it, she could hear only one heartbeat, and looking through the walls revealed a woman sitting behind a desk, a short ways past what Kara knew to be the doors to Lena’s office. Her experience as Cat Grant’s secretary made it obvious to her that the woman was Lena’s assistant- Kara could feel the muted stress from here. Shuddering at the memories of being Miss Grant’s errand girl, Kara hurriedly surveyed the hall.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Kara muttered. There were heat sensors in the walls of the hallway. Heat sensors. Why.

The sensors started where the elevator met the wall and didn’t stop until the turning point of the hall. Scowling to herself and wishing Alex had had to do this (she wouldn’t have even gotten past the lobby though, tbh), Kara took an inhumanly deep breath and began blowing out slowly, putting just the right amount of cold into her breath to match the air-conditioned temperature of the building. She started spinning slowly, directing the cool air she was expelling with her arms so it enveloped her as she made her way down the hall. She looked ridiculous and she knew it, spinning around and waving her arms like she was doing a slow motion dance while taking tiny steps, but she made it to the end of the hall without triggering anything. Breathing out the last of her breath in a sigh of relief, Kara emulated the breathing of a human again before setting off for the office doors.

Lena’s assistant was busy answering emails, and she was far enough away from the office that Kara was able to walk over without her noticing and pull one of the doors open, slipping inside as she eased it closed behind her. The office was empty, as her super hearing had told her, and Kara’s eyes flitted around the luxurious space before alighting on the large chess piece sitting on a shelf at the side of the room. Kara headed right for it, eager to get this over with.

Chapter Text

Lena was in the private lab adjoining her office when a small beep caused her to look up. The tv screen above the door had turned on, the cameras in her office activated by the motion sensors she had hidden throughout the room. Lena nearly dropped her soldering iron when she saw one of her office doors being pulled open. Her doors weighed over a ton each- it was why people had to wait for Jess to buzz them in, so the doors would open automatically. How was someone opening one so easily?

A blonde woman slipped into the office, one hand on the door as she eased it closed. Lena’s heart started pounding in her chest and she wished it was out of fear at seeing the intruder’s strength instead of… attraction. Just how strong was this woman? Lena wished her cameras had a zoom function so she could see her face better… or her biceps… either way.

It wasn’t until the woman had walked across her office unimpeded that Lena snapped out of it. If her office wasn’t in ‘guest mode’ and someone who hadn’t been cleared entered, a metal net would shoot at them. Only three people had clearance: Lena, Jess, and Supergirl (she hadn’t wanted a repeat of what had happened when the heroine had flown her to her balcony, so she’d input her system’s automatic biometric scan of the hero as someone who was cleared at all times).

Bypassing the selection of high-grade weapons in her lab, Lena practically ran to the door and waved it open, stepping into her office and leaning against the wall where the outline of her lab entrance was no longer visible. She crossed her arms and watched as the blonde woman grabbed her chess trophy off the shelf, muttering something under her breath.

“And what does Supergirl want with my little trophy?” Lena asked, her voice a throaty purr. The woman jumped and spun around, the trophy in her grasp and a startled look on her face.

“Uh. Supergirl? Me? Pffft, no.” The woman snorted, waving one hand as if the statement were absurd. “I’m not Supergirl. She’s- we look nothing alike! I mean, c’mon. Me? Supergirl? Nah. Ha…”

Lena strode over to the stammering woman and the words seemed to die in her throat. She stopped in front of the blonde, holding her hands out expectantly, and Supergirl sheepishly handed her the trophy. Lena set it on a nearby table before turning back, noting the small crinkle between Supergirl’s eyebrows even as she bit her bottom lip. Lena reached behind the heroine and carefully pulled the hair tie out of her hair, combing through the blonde tresses with her fingers as she arranged them over Supergirl’s shoulders. Once she was satisfied, Lena slowly reached up and slid her glasses off, taking a moment to enjoy the unobstructed view of the brilliant blue eyes before she set the glasses beside the trophy.

“Still going to claim you aren’t Supergirl?” Lena asked quietly. The woman gulped but nodded, her eyes trained on Lena’s face. The brunette placed both of her hands on the blonde’s shoulders before sliding them towards each other and delicately taking hold of the top button on her shirt. She raised her eyebrow questioningly but Supergirl remained frozen. Lena undid the button, and then the next few, only stopping when the famous crest was in full view. She placed her hands flat on Supergirl’s upper chest so that her thumbs were resting against her collarbone. “Really? So you’re just someone, identical to Supergirl, who was able to get into my office, and just happened to be wearing a super suit under her clothes?” Lena’s voice was barely above a whisper, and she was brushing her thumbs back and forth over the woman’s collarbone as she spoke.

“Yes?” Supergirl’s voice came out as a squeak. Her face was rapidly getting redder, and she bit her own lip, her eyes glancing down to Lena’s lips involuntarily.

Unable to resist, and knowing that the Kryptonian could easily stop her if she really wanted to, Lena leaned forward and pressed her lips to Supergirl’s. For one heart stopping moment she thought Supergirl wouldn’t react, but suddenly two warm hands were on her waist, pulling her closer, and the other woman’s soft lips began to move against hers gently. Just as quickly as Supergirl had started kissing her back she pulled away, an odd look in her eyes. Lena watched her worriedly, but when she went to pull away the hands on her waist tightened slightly and pulled her closer.

“I just, uh. You don’t even know my name,” Supergirl said softly, the eyebrow crinkle appearing once more. Lena reached up and smoothed it out with her thumb, laughing softly when Supergirl’s blush deepened.

“Well there’s an easy way to fix that, you know,” Lena said calmly. Supergirl looked nervous for a moment, several emotions flashing across her face too quickly for Lena to catch, but then she looked at the brunette in her arms with determined, if slightly hesitant, eyes.

“Kara.”

“Kara,” Lena repeated, allowing her Irish accent to slip through and give the name a pleasing lilt. “It’s nice to meet you Kara.” Lena brushed a lock of hair out of Kara’s face, letting her hand cup the blonde’s cheek. “You can call me Lena.”

“N-nice to, uh, meet you, Lena,” Kara stammered. She wasn’t sure if the heart she could hear pounding was Lena’s or her own.

“So, Kara, would you mind telling me why you were holding my trophy when I came in?” Lena arched one of her eyebrows and Kara’s eyes darkened slightly, even as she grimaced.

“Uh…” Kara was interrupted by her stomach growling. “Oh Rao,” Kara muttered. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, darling,” Lena assured her. She pulled away from the hero, who looked slightly disappointed, and walked over to her desk. Lena pressed a button. “Jess? Would you order some meat lovers pizzas from Mario’s?” Lena released the button when she saw Kara giving her a shocked look. “What? I’ve read your interviews, Supergirl.” Kara blushed, and Lena smiled, biting her lip again.

“How many pizzas should I order, Miss Luthor?” Jess’s voice asked. Lena raised her eyebrows at Kara, who held up three fingers, a sheepish look on her face.

“Three will be fine. Thank you, Jess.” Lena released the button again and cast an appraising eye to Kara. The blonde looked delightfully disheveled: her shirt unbuttoned, her hair a golden mess, the dark red smudges of Lena’s lipstick around her mouth. “Though my lipstick is a lovely color on you, darling, you should probably make use of the restroom adjoining my office before the pizza arrives.” Before Lena could even point to the door a wide-eyed Kara had disappeared through it, moving much faster than a human could ever hope to.

///

When Kara emerged about ten minutes later, looking much more put together, Lena was curled up on the couch, three boxes of steaming pizza on the coffee table in front of her and Kara’s glasses in her hands as she examined them.

“Are these made of lead?” Lena asked, without looking up.

“Uh, yeah. They help dampen my powers a little,” Kara said nervously. She made no move to approach, despite how good the pizzas smelled, and Lena finally looked at her, a small smile on her face.

“I don’t bite, Kara,” Lena said, amusement ripe in her voice. She paused thoughtfully before adding, “At least, not if you don’t want me to.” Kara gulped but came and sat on the opposite end of the couch, eyeing the pizza boxes hungrily. “I got them for you, darling. Can’t have National City’s superhero starving on my watch, now can I?”

“Thanks,” Kara said quietly. She opened a box and pulled a slice of pizza out, taking what she considered to be a small bite. Lena found herself wondering if Kara could eat an entire slice in one bite since she’d so easily just eaten over half of one.

While Kara had been making herself presentable Lena had had Jess clear her schedule for the next hour, so while the CEO was very curious about what exactly Kara had been doing in her office she decided to wait her out. Two and a half pizzas later, Kara finally slowed down, looking at Lena in concern.

“Aren’t you going to eat any? It’s around lunch time. I think.” Her hunger mostly abated, Kara had realized that Lena had been watching her while she ate instead of eating something herself. “It’s really good!” Kara held the box out to Lena, who looked at her, an inscrutable look on her face.

“I tend to eat a kale salad for lunch,” Lena said. “Also, lunch was three hours ago.”

“All you had was a gross salad three whole hours ago and you’re turning down pizza?” Kara asked incredulously. She looked offended. “Okay then. If you have a slice of pizza I’ll tell you why I was taking the oversized chess piece!”

“Fine.” Lena selected the smallest slice of pizza she could, and Kara stared at her until she took a bite. She moaned quietly at the taste, then blushed immediately when Kara’ large grin reminded her that her companion had super hearing and had definitely heard her. Dammit.

“See? Pizza is the best! No, wait, potstickers are the best. First potstickers, then pizza, then ice cream. Or maybe potstickers, ice cream, then pizza? Oh Rao I forgot about donuts! Okay, potstickers-”

“Kara,” Lena interrupted gently. “The trophy?”

“Oh. Right. That.” Kara stuffed more pizza in her mouth, chewing slowly as she looked anywhere but at Lena. “Well,” Kara began once she’d swallowed, “see, your brother hired my sister Alex to get the king and bring it to him but she was so excited that Lex Luthor had hired her for something that she completely forgot that today was Ruby’s birthday until I reminded her and she said it had to be done today but I told her she’d probably get caught and her wife would be pissed if she missed their daughter’s sixteenth birthday so Alex convinced me to do it for her by promising to buy me potstickers every day for a week,” Kara rambled. “Oh, and she said the money Lex was gonna pay her would help Ruby’s college fund a lot.”

Lena stared at Kara for a solid minute as she absorbed the deluge of information Kara had just given her.

“So because your sister wasn’t paying attention to the date my brother ended up unknowingly hiring Supergirl to steal from me?” Lena asked. Kara nodded. “Hmmm. I suppose it makes it sense,” Lena mused to herself. “He was unusually quiet last week after our parents brought up his company being robbed and I told him he should buy a security system from mine. Having someone break into my office only to take something of personal value was likely his way of trying to humble me.” Lena rolled her eyes.

“That’s just mean,” Kara said indignantly. “He should support you, not play pranks on you!”

“Kara,” Lena began, her eyes shining with amusement, “why did you think he wanted you, or rather your sister, to get the trophy?”

“I, uh, well I wasn’t really thinking about the reason.” Kara rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and gestured to the food. “I was kinda distracted by Alex promising me food. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, darling.” Lena reached out and grabbed Kara’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Kara looked at her, blue eyes wide with surprise. “I already know how you can make it up to me,” Lena explained, smirking slightly, her green eyes sparkling. It was a look Kara would learn to fear, though she currently found it adorable (and always would, but she’d fear it nonetheless).

“H-how?” Kara stammered.

“Don’t worry, Kara, it’s mutually beneficial. I’ll get revenge on Lex, and you’ll get to give him the trophy. You’ll even get some free food in the process.” Kara perked up, and Lena squeezed her hand. “All you have to do is come with me to family dinner tonight. As my plus one.”

“Uh, Lena?” Kara’s brow was furrowed, and she was biting her lip nervously. “Isn’t a plus one usually… a date?”

“Well we did kiss earlier, Kara.” Lena arched her brow, and Kara blushed.

“I mean, yeah, but. Well. Uh.” Kara let go of Lena’s hand and balled hers into a fist in her lap instead. She used her other hand to fiddle with her glasses. “Do. Uh, do you want-” Kara made a small distressed sound, and Lena scooted across the couch, putting her hand on Kara’s shoulder, brows knit in concern and small frown on her face.

“Kara? What’s wrong?” Lena asked quietly.

“It’s just. Did you want Kara to be your plus one, or…” Kara trailed off. “Or Supergirl?” Kara whispered, eyes trained on her lap. Lena’s frown grew as she tried to understand. It wasn’t until Kara’s shoulders hunched slightly that she realized.

“Kara. Hey, look at me, Kara.” Lena reached out and cupped Kara’s face again, gently applying pressure until Kara got the hint and turned to face her. Her blue eyes were brimming with tears and her lip was wobbling slightly. “I want you to come as Kara.”

“B-but when you k-kissed me you didn’t even know my name,” Kara whispered, sniffling. Lena winced.

“That’s… true. And I will admit I find the suit very attractive on you. But I don’t kiss people just because they’re pretty or famous. I kiss them because I like them. And I like you. I know I don’t know you all that well yet, but when you saved me last week you took the time to fly me up to my balcony because you were concerned about me, and that was beyond your duty as a hero. So I do know that you’re amazingly kind. And brave- I mean, you snuck into L-Corp without a second thought.” Lena huffed out a laugh and Kara gave her a wobbly smile. “And I know you like potstickers most, and pizza and ice cream and donuts tie for second, and you’re one of those rare people who can wear polka dots and not look like a total dork-”

“My sister disagrees,” Kara murmured.

“-and you care about your family. So no, Kara, I don’t want to bring Supergirl as my date. I want to bring Kara as my date.” Lena grinned at Kara, and beamed when Kara matched her smile.

“Okay.”

“And if you’d like,” Lena added, “I’d love to take you on a real date after dinner. Once we get Lex back of course.”

“Can we go somewhere with sugary things?” Kara asked hopefully. Lena’s grin grew impossibly wider as she nodded. “Good. And you have to get something sweet too.” Kara looked very determined about that and Lena couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss her again.

///

Alex Danvers had emailed Lex to say that he would have the trophy on time, yet here he was, walking up the driveway to the Luthor manor with no trophy in sight. Lex did his best to stop scowling when the door opened, a smiling Lionel beckoning him in.

“Lex, my boy! Glad you made it. Lena brought us a surprise!” Lionel couldn’t stop grinning, and Lex suddenly felt apprehensive. What had his sister done this time?

“What kind of surprise?” Lex asked warily. Lionel just beamed and grabbed his arm, practically dragging him into the dining room.

“Lena! Your brother is finally here!” Lionel proclaimed. He let go of Lex in the entryway to the dining room and hurried to his seat. Lex was left staring at the table in shock. He had expected Lena’s surprise to be yet another amazing invention. Instead, it was a person.

“Kara,” Lena began, “this is my brother, Lex. Lex, I’d like you to meet Kara Danvers.” Lex nearly fell over when he heard Kara’s last name, darting a glance at Lena to see if she was onto him. Lena’s eyes were shining, and any time she looked at Kara she beamed. Maybe his secret was safe after all.

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you!” The woman, Kara, looked at Lex nervously, but at least she wasn’t star struck. She stood and held out her hand when Lex approached and he took it, surprised by the firmness of her grasp.

“Likewise, Kara,” Lex said. The customary handshake complete, they both sat down at the table, Lex across from Lena and Kara, and he took a moment to look at the woman his little sister had brought to family dinner. Her blonde hair was back in a ponytail, and thick glasses sat prominently on her face. Even as he watched she reached up to fiddle with them, only stopping when Lena reached over and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. Kara gave Lena a small but genuine smile, and Lex decided he liked her, despite the fact that she was wearing what he was pretty sure was one of his sister’s dress shirts.

Kara Danvers looked nothing like Alex Danvers, nor did she really seem to act like her much. Maybe they weren’t related? Then again, Lex didn’t exactly believe in coincidences.

The first course was brought out, and Lex noticed Kara wrinkle her nose slightly when a salad was placed in front of her.

“Please tell me there’s gonna be more than just salad,” Kara blurted. Lena snorted, and Lillian and Lionel did their best to swallow their laughter.

“Kara, darling, I promise you there will be more food once you eat the salad. Kale free,” Lena added with a grin. Kara gave her a dubious look, but nodded, a pout starting to make its way onto her face. Lena pecked her on the cheek and the pout disappeared.

“So, Lena, why don’t you tell us how you and Kara met,” Lillian prompted. Her daughter had never brought anyone to family dinner before. Even when Lillian had known for a fact that she had a girlfriend, she’d come solo. Even Lex had brought some people.

“It’s quite the funny story, really,” Lena began, a smirk firmly on her face. Lex felt a sinking feeling. “Actually, maybe Lex could start us off?” she asked innocently, and Lillian and Lionel turned to their son in surprise. Lex tried his best to keep his face neutral, deciding that no, the last name was not a coincidence.

“Sorry?” Lex asked. Maybe Lena would spare him.

“Kara,” Lena prompted, and they all watched as Kara reached beneath the table and pulled out a bag. She handed it to Lex, who took it slowly. “Take a look, brother.” Lex took a look. And felt his face drain of color. No, no his little sister was not going to spare him.

“Well? What is it?” Lillian asked impatiently when her son didn’t move. He sighed before reaching into the bag and pulling out the chess trophy. Lillian frowned in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I don’t see what this has to do with your date,” Lex said stiffly, ignoring his mother for the moment.

“Alex is my sister,” Kara said with a wide smile.

“Ah.” Lex looked between the two smirking women in confusion. “Does this mean you two aren’t dating then?”

Lillian and Lionel made confused sounds, but Lena just laughed.

“Actually, brother dear, we are dating. Though if you hadn’t helped set us up it might have taken a little longer,” Lena said thoughtfully. She would have womaned up and asked Supergirl out at some point. Probably.

“Lex, what is Lena talking about?” Lionel asked, frustrated. Why did his children have to talk in riddles all the time?

“Well,” Lex began, clearing his throat uncomfortably, “I hired a woman named Alex Danvers to break into Lena’s office and steal our chess trophy. I figured it would make her realize that her security system isn’t infallible.”

“I’m pretty sure it would have stopped almost anyone, actually,” Kara piped up, her brow furrowed. She had been so focused on beating L-Corp’s security that she had neglected to think of cameras catching her doing so. She should probably ask Lena to pretty please erase the footage later.

“Lex!” Lillian admonished. Lionel just chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Mother. It all worked out for the best,” Lena said, glancing at Kara and biting her lip. Kara blushed. Lex did his best not to groan.

“This still doesn’t explain why Kara is your plus one, Lena,” Lionel mused.

“Oh!” Kara said softly. “Well, you know Alex is my sister. She agreed to steal the trophy but wasn’t thinking about the fact that today is Ruby’s birthday and that Sam and Ruby would never forgive her if she missed it to help two geniuses mess with each other.”

Kara’s accurate observation of Lex and Lena’s relationship elicited a delicate snort from Lillian and a guffaw from Lionel. The siblings both blushed.

“Oops. Sorry,” Kara whispered to Lena. The brunette just shook her head, patting Kara’s knee fondly and leaving her hand there when the contact caused Kara to blush slightly (Lena was very glad that Kara had paired her shirt with a black skirt that ended just above her knees).

“Sam and Ruby?” Lillian asked suddenly. “Lena, don’t you-” Lillian stopped when Lena shook her head, a mischievous look in her eyes. “Ah, nevermind dear. Kara, please, continue.” Kara looked between Lena and Lillian, confused, but continued her story.

“Uh, okay. Anyway, Alex realized she couldn’t bail on her wife and their daughter- I mean they only just got married a few months ago, and family needs to stick together- but then she started being all dramatic and saying that the money Lex would have paid would have gone a long way for Ruby’s college fund. And she offered to buy me potstickers for a week. So I agreed to steal the trophy for her.” Kara shrugged like it was no big deal, and all of the Luthors who didn’t know she was Supergirl (so everyone but Lena) looked at her like she was crazy.

“How far did you get before Lena caught you?” Lex asked eagerly. Lena rolled her eyes.

“Reign it in, brother. No human could have made it past the lobby and you know it.” Before Lex could do more than scowl, Lena added, “And make sure you pay Alex the money you promised her- you technically got the king on time, after all.”

“Fine,” Lex said with a sigh. He pulled his phone out and tapped a few buttons, wiring the thirty grand to Alex Danvers’ account. “I should have stipulated that you not be told the plan,” Lex grumbled.

“Kara isn’t very good at lying anyway,” Lena responded, a small, secretive smile on her face. Kara gave her a wounded look, and Lena shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry, darling, but you really aren’t. You were stammering so much when I first spoke to you that I could barely understand you.”

“I was surprised! I still don’t know where you came from!” Kara exclaimed.

“I’ll show you tomorrow during my lunch break,” Lena said, amused. Kara huffed out a slightly frustrated breath, but ended up returning Lena’s smile. Lex hated that he thought they were adorable together.

“You two are already planning to meet up on Lena’s lunch break then?” Lillian asked eagerly.

“Of course!” Kara exclaimed. “I can’t just let her eat kale salads for lunch every day! Tomorrow she shall be introduced to the wonder that is potstickers.” Kara got a dreamy look on her face and Lena laughed at Lillian’s startled look.

///

Family dinner at the Luthor’s continued amicably from there, much to Lillian and Lionel’s disappointment, though they were glad to see Lena so happy. Kara’s love of food was quickly revealed, prompting Lillian to start brainstorming different foods to serve in the future to surprise the bubbly blonde. At the end of dinner, Lena told Lex she didn’t have time to play chess- she’d promised Kara a proper date after dinner, so they were headed to the fair for cotton candy and ferris wheel rides. She also told him he could keep his precious trophy until next time- why did she need a king when she’d finally found the perfect queen? Kara nearly choked on her water at that comment.

At the next family dinner Lionel’s dream finally came true. Lex started teasing Lena about her crush on Supergirl, asking her if that’s why she was dating a blue-eyed blonde like Kara. Kara had just laughed, even as Lena’s face grew redder. Lena had finally had enough and hurled her entire plate at Lex’s head, starting the best food fight Lionel had seen yet. In the end, Kara was left staring forlornly at all of the wasted food, Lena whispering to her that she would buy her all the food she wanted later that night to make up for the ruined dinner.

Chapter Text

-Two Weeks Later-

“Babe!” Sam yelled, letting herself into her apartment.

“In here!” Alex called. Sam made a beeline for the kitchen, smiling when she found Alex sitting on the counter eating ice cream.

“I know I said you and Kara don’t act much alike, but you didn’t need to turn into her,” Sam commented. Alex just rolled her eyes.

“Ruby is over at her friend’s house, and you weren’t here yet and there wasn’t much left anyway. I didn’t think I’d need to share.” Alex shoved another bite in her mouth and Sam sauntered over, stopping when she was up against the counter, Alex’s knees bracketing her.

“You know that’s my favorite kind of ice cream.” Sam gave Alex puppy dog eyes and her wife groaned slightly.

“You’d think I’d be immune by now,” Alex grumbled, scooping up some more ice cream and holding out her spoon. Sam quickly leaned forward and closed her mouth around the spoon, humming appreciatively when she tasted the sweet chocolate. Alex made a strangled sound, her grip on both the spoon and the tub of ice cream relaxing as her eyes darkened. Sam used the opportunity to pull back, spoon still in her mouth and the ice cream tub in her hands.

“Thanks for the ice cream, babe,” Sam said happily once she’d shoved the spoon back into the tub, raising a giant scoop of chocolatey goodness to her lips.

“That’s cheating,” Alex grumbled. She crossed her arms, pouting at her wife, but Sam just laughed.

“So, you know my friend Lena?” Sam asked Alex as she finished off the ice cream.

“No. No I do not.” Alex scowled. “In case you’ve forgotten she’s apparently been too busy to meet me even though we’ve been married nearly half a year. And she didn’t even come to our wedding!” Alex threw her hands up in the air and Sam gave her an amused look.

“Babe, we eloped. The only people there were Ruby and your sister, and that’s only because Kara decided being at your wedding was more important than keeping me in the dark about the whole Supergirl thing.”

“Oh. Yeah. Oops.” Alex winced, but her scowl quickly returned. “She’s still had plenty of time to meet me.”

“Actually that’s something we talked about today,” Sam said as she sadly threw the empty bin of ice cream away. “Lena wants to go on a double date tonight. Since Ruby is at a sleep over, I agreed.”

“Seriously?” Alex asked in shock. She’d honestly figured she’d never meet the mysterious Lena who Sam was always talking about.

“Seriously. It’s actually kind of weird,” Sam added thoughtfully. “I didn’t even know she was dating anyone until today, and she usually tells me everything.”

///

Sam and Alex walked into the small, expensive restaurant, Sam perfectly at ease and Alex a little twitchy. The woman who checked them in led them over to a table for four, telling them that they were the first to arrive.

“Usually Lena is abnormally early,” Sam said quietly once she and Alex had been left alone. “I hope everything is alright.”

“Maybe her date is a disaster who’s abnormally late,” Alex commented, a small smile on her face. She still hadn’t forgiven this Lena person for not bothering to meet her when she was supposed to be her wife’s best friend. Plus Lena had almost convinced Sam to hyphenate their last names instead of both of them keeping them like they’d planned (Agent Arias-Danvers was a bit of a mouthful).

“If I didn’t know better I would say her date would probably be Supergirl,” Sam responded, ignoring her wife’s barb. “You have no idea how weird it was to hear her gushing about someone I knew to be… well, a dork. Then again, Lena is a major geek, so… if it doesn’t work out with whoever she brings I think I might try to set her up with Kara.” Alex’s eyes were wide as Sam finished, but before Sam could say anything else she spotted a familiar face. “Oh, there’s Lena!”

Lena was led over to their table, but when the woman offered to take their orders she informed her that they were waiting on one more. Once the woman had left, Lena turned to Sam and Alex.

“My apologies for being late,” Lena said quietly. “My girlfriend was called in to take care of an emergency, but she promised to be here in a few minutes.”

“It’s fine, Lena. I’m just glad you and Alex are finally meeting!” Sam said happily. She turned to her wife in confusion when she was oddly silent. “Alex? Babe, you’re looking a little sick. You okay?”

“Y-you’re Lena Luthor,” Alex mumbled. She had had her sister steal from her wife’s best friend. Alex hadn’t had a chance to mention the little heist to Sam yet, and now… Sam would be pissed. And it wasn’t like she could just not mention it- not when she had forty-five thousand dollars to explain.

“Yes?” Lena asked slyly, arching her eyebrow. This was delightful.

Sam was looking between Lena and Alex in confusion, recognizing that Alex looked guilty and that Lena was trying not to laugh. Both of them were hiding something from her, and she was going to find out what.

“Listen here, you two-” Sam began, but before she could say more they were interrupted.

“I’m so sorry! I tried to get done as fast as I could but then I had to answer some questions and give a statement and then on my way here some dumdum ran a red light and almost hit a school bus full of kids on a field trip and- Alex? Sam? What are you guys doing here?” Kara stopped mid ramble to stare at her sister and sister-in-law in confusion.

“Kara, darling, it’s fine. Why don’t you have a seat, and we can order?” Lena asked as the frazzled waitress appeared, looking very relieved that the blonde woman who had rushed past her was part of their party.

“Oh, uh, okay.” Kara plopped down beside Lena, easily dispelling her confusion long enough to focus on ordering food. Alex and Sam had luckily already decided what to get, and both managed to give the waitress their orders even as they kept looking from Lena to Kara and back in utter confusion. Once the waitress had left, Lena gave everyone a small smile.

“I take it you all know each other?” Lena asked innocently.

“Lena Kieran Luthor,” Sam began in her best scolding tone, “don’t act all innocent. There’s no way you didn’t know that Kara is my sister-in-law.”

“You’re right,” Lena admitted easily. “I’m glad you two already get along. It would be awkward if my best friend and my girlfriend didn’t like each other.” Alex made a choking sound.

“Kara,” Alex hissed. “Since when are you dating Lena fucking Luthor?”

“Language,” Kara admonished. “And since you sent me to rob her two weeks ago, duh.”

“You did what?” Sam asked, her voice deadly quiet. Alex gulped.

“Lex hired them to steal our chess trophy,” Lena explained. “Imagine my surprise when Supergirl showed up in my office wearing polka dots.”

“You told her?” Alex whisper-yelled, her own trespasses forgotten.

“She figured it out right away,” Kara replied, shrugging.

“There’s no way a human could make it all the way to my office without triggering any alarms,” Lena began, noting how Alex’s eyes narrowed in challenge even as Kara nodded along, “not to mention the fact that the only person besides my assistant and I who can enter my office without triggering something is Supergirl.”

“Wait, really?” Kara asked, turning to Lena.

“I wasn’t sure if you would have cause to land on my balcony again,” Lena said carefully, “but I didn’t want a repeat of what happened the first time. Besides, if you really wanted to break in none of my security measure would be able to stop you.” Lena shrugged, blushing when Kara kissed her softly on the cheek.

“You’re adorable,” Kara whispered, a beaming smile on her face. Lena ducked her head slightly, grateful that their food chose that moment to arrive.

“I can’t believe you’re actually dating Supergirl,” Sam muttered once they were alone again. “And you didn’t tell me! For two whole weeks!” Alex glared at Lena, and Sam quickly turned to her. “Alex Danvers, don’t you dare glare at Lena on my behalf- we’ll be discussing your little robbery idea when we get home!” Alex scowled down at her plate as Kara giggled.

“I figured telling you like this would be the most fun,” Lena said with a small smile. “And I was so right.”

“Lena, I think you might be just a little bit evil,” Kara said happily. Lena arched an eyebrow at her, but Kara’s grin only grew wider. “Don’t worry, I still lo- like you.” Kara’s eyes widened at her slip (it had only been two weeks, c’mon!) and she stuffed as much food into her mouth as she could so no one could question her. Alex snorted and kicked her lightly under the table, and Sam gave Lena a surprised look that clearly said she wanted to know everything ASAP.

Lena just smiled at Kara and placed her hand on her thigh under the table, rubbing small circles with her thumb to try to calm her down before she choked on something. After all, Lena lo- liked Kara too.

Chapter Text

Lena and Kara had been dating for four months and Lex was tired of it. He had been trying to give his sister a taste of humble pie but instead had somehow managed to give her a girlfriend and the two of them were sickeningly adorable. Anytime he was around them they were gazing at each other with looks of adoration and bright smiles, and it seemed like they were always touching each other in some small way- a hand on a leg, brushing shoulders, tucking hair behind the other’s ear.

It was time for yet another family dinner, and this time Lena would be bringing not only Kara, but Kara’s sister Alex and her wife Sam, Lena’s best friend from boarding school, and their daughter Ruby as well. And Lex, as usual, would be bringing no one. He wasn’t in a relationship, and he was too busy with LuthorCorp to bother making friends. Well, okay, he had one friend. Superman. And maybe, if Lex brought Superman to dinner, all of the attention would be on the hero instead of on Kara and Lena. Lex knew it was petty, but he didn’t really care anymore. His need to one-up his little sister ran deep.

///

Lex Luthor often helped Superman fight crime, and the favors the Kryptonian owed him had begun to pile up. So even though Superman was against it, he found himself agreeing to go to a dinner at the Luthor mansion in exchange for a clean slate.

///

Lex made sure he and Superman would arrive last. He wanted to take in all of the shocked, awe-struck faces as he walked into the room with a god at his side. (Lex had forgotten that he’d found out about Alex Danvers from said god.)

When the two men walked into the dining room, Lillian and Lionel were already seated at either end of the table, Kara and Lena seated on one side and the Danvers-Arias family on the other. Ruby was the first to notice their arrival.

“Kal! What’re you doing here?” Ruby asked. Superman’s Kryptonian name was a matter of public record, so whenever Clark was in the suit most people who knew him tended to call him Kal instead of his somewhat simplistic superhero moniker.

“Lex invited me,” Superman responded, shrugging slightly. Everyone’s eyes were on the pair now, and Lex was mildly horrified to realize not a single person was in awe. What the hell? He very nearly stomped his foot in frustration.

“Kal! Come sit by me!” Kara called, eagerly patting the chair she must have pulled out at some point. Superman turned to Lex, still not really sure why the man had been so insistent he attend the dinner, but when his friend didn’t say anything he ambled over and sat by Kara. Lex followed after a moment, but chose to sit on the other side of the table by Ruby instead.

“I wasn’t aware you all knew each other,” Lex commented, forcing himself to sound casual.

“Isn’t Superman the one who accidently recommended me to you?” Alex asked, her eyebrows raised. Lex was silent. How the hell had he forgotten such a crucial piece of information?

“Huh?” Superman looked to Alex in confusion, and Lex flushed in embarrassment as everyone else present began giggling. Kara seemed to be the only one capable of holding back her laughter, though her eyes were shining with amusement.

“You apparently told Lex about the time you ran into Alex stealing from Obsidian North, and he got the bright idea to hire her to steal something from Lena’s office to prank her,” Kara explained. Kal gave Lex a slightly reproachful look and shook his head. “It’s actually how we started dating! Alex wasn’t paying attention to the date of the robbery so she had to send me instead.” At that Kal whipped his head to the side and gave Kara an incredulous look.

“Why would you agree to that?” Kal exclaimed. 

“Alex said she’d bring me free potstickers for a week.” Kara shrugged unrepentantly- it had all worked out in the end, after all.

“Don’t forget my college fund, Aunt Kara,” Ruby piped up, a teasing gleam in her eyes. She knew full well that Kara was motivated by food more than anything else. Kara blushed.

“Yeah, and that. So it was for a good cause!” Kara gave Kal a lopsided grin and he groaned, burying his head in his hands.

“I suppose it’s a good thing Superman doesn’t condone crime, even if it wasn’t technically all that illegal,” Lionel mused. Lillian hummed her agreement and sipped her wine contentedly. With this many guests things were bound to get interesting, even if she doubted anything could top the food fight Lena had started three and a half months ago. There was still a spaghetti sauce stain on the ceiling. Lionel had outlined it in thick black tape as a sort of frame, and a piece of paper taped beneath it declared the date as well as the explanation for the small piece of art: Spaghetti Sauce: Lex teases Lena about Super crush while her girlfriend laughs.

“It was kinda illegal,” Kara mumbled. “I mean, I did have to break in and everything.” She shifted uncomfortably as three pairs of surprised Luthor eyes landed on her- did she just say she’d broken in? They’d all thought she hadn’t made it past the lobby!

“Kara,” Superman said, a warning clear in his voice. He had apparently forgotten that three people in the room weren’t in on the not-so-little secret. “What did I tell you about using your powers responsibly?” Kara made a small, annoyed sound in the back of her throat.

“It wasn’t that bad, Kal.” Kara rolled her eyes. “Besides, you can’t tell me what to do. I changed your diapers.” Kara shuddered and Kal blushed. Ruby cackled.

“How is that even possible?” Lillian asked, but only Lionel and Lex seemed to hear her.

“Cradle robber,” Alex coughed. Kara gave her an offended look.

“Don’t worry, darling,” Lena cut in, grinning at her girlfriend. “I don’t mind the age difference. And I find the fact that you’re bad with technology endearing.” She patted Kara’s cheek affectionately.

“It’s not my fault Earth’s technology is so primitive,” Kara muttered with a pout. Lena arched an eyebrow and Kara looked away guiltily. “I know you run a tech company, and it’s super advanced and you’re really smart and amazing but that doesn’t change the fact that this planet is still running on electricity and fossil fuels.”

“Kara is really good with alien tech,” Sam added, shrugging when her friend gave her an incredulous look. “She made Alex a gun for her wedding present and she still hasn’t shut up about it. And she made me this.” Sam reached up and pinched the small medallion she wore on a necklace between her index finger and thumb, twisting it slightly. It flashed and projected an image of the latest project she’d been working on at L-Corp. Everyone watched, enthralled, as Sam reached out and began manipulating the life-like projection, turning it every which way and zooming in and out on certain parts. She could even change the opacity. “It’s really helpful, honestly.” Sam tapped the medallion and the projection disappeared. Lena and Lex were left gaping at the empty table.

“I want one,” Lena finally blurted, turning to Kara. “Babe, please. Pretty please. I’ll buy you the restaurant that makes your favorite potstickers and you can have them for free anytime you want.” Large green eyes pleaded with Kara, who just chuckled before leaning forward and kissing Lena softly on the cheek.

“I wanted it to be a surprise for your birthday next month, but don’t worry- I already made you one.” Kara gave Lena a soft smile, and Lena squealed before lunging at Kara and throwing her arms around her neck.

“Fuck yeah! Oops, sorry Rubes.” Lena pulled back slightly and grimaced at Sam before hugging Kara again. “Best. Girlfriend. Ever!”

Kara was still sporting a large, dopey smile when Lena pulled back. Before the other Luthors could ask what the hell was happening two very loud stomach growls broke the silence. Kara and Kal flushed and Alex snorted.

Lillian had the food brought in, and no one spoke while Superman and Kara inhaled their food. Luckily for them there was no salad course that night- they started right off with the main course of homemade pizza, loaded down with meat and veggies of all kinds. Kara quickly decided it was ever so slightly better than Mario’s, even if it did have kale. Once Kara and Kal had slowed down, Kara on her sixth helping and Kal on his fifth, Lillian finally spoke up.

“I never thought my son would be friends with Superman and my daughter would be dating Supergirl,” Lillian said. Everyone at the table froze and looked to her, wide-eyed. “Lena, dear, surely you didn’t think you’d be able to hide it for all that long? Even if you all hadn’t had that fascinating conversation earlier the epic food fight you started when Lex teased you about your crush on Supergirl would have helped tip us off eventually.”

“I missed a food fight?” Ruby blurted sadly.

“Best one I’ve ever seen,” Lionel said proudly. “I was even able to save a souvenir.” He pointed up at the ceiling, and everyone’s eyes turned to the spaghetti sauce stain. It was so far away those with normal vision couldn’t read the note.

“Is that blood?” Sam whispered, horrified. Alex snorted.

“Please, that’s definitely spaghetti sauce. Blood looks different.” Alex shrugged when all eyes then turned to her. “What? I grew up with a ravenous Kryptonian and I work in law enforcement.”

“Should someone who enjoys shooting and blowing things up as much as you do really work in law enforcement?” Lena drawled.

“The people I deal with are a lot more durable than humans,” Alex dismissed.

“You probably should lighten up a little, sis,” Kara said nervously. “Even the Valeronians are scared of you.”

“…I’ll consider it,” Alex muttered when Sam elbowed her. Ruby stifled a giggle.

Lex had been stewing in silence for awhile now, and he finally couldn’t handle it anymore.

“You’re dating Supergirl!” Lex practically yelled. “Why is no one else freaking out? You’re dating a god among men, an alien who could easily take this planet over if she wanted, who could split Earth in half she sneezed too hard! And you obviously know, so why aren’t you bragging about it? Why do you get everything, dammit? I can’t even one-up you with Superman anymore because you’re sleeping with his cousin!” His rant over, Lex slumped back in his chair, glaring at Lena, who was only able to blink at him in surprise.

“Well that explains why you wanted me to come here so badly,” Kal said quietly. “You just wanted to show off your trophy wife.” He couldn’t resist adding that last part, and Lex immediately looked at him, wide-eyed and sputtering.

“First of all,” Lena cut in, her eyes narrowed dangerously, “no one else is freaking out because Supergirl or not, Kara is Kara, and she’s a sweetheart. She doesn’t save people to be hailed as a god or to flaunt her powers, she does it because she wants to help. Second, I’m not bragging about dating Supergirl because I honestly don’t see how that’s more impressive than dating Kara Danvers- the kind, brilliant, amazing reporter whose articles address real issues and manage to make a difference.” Lena reached out and grabbed a blushing Kara’s hand, tangling their fingers together as she gave her a proud look. Then she turned back to Lex. “And third, I don’t just get everything, I work for it. If you want to date a Super so badly, just ask your little trophy wife.” Lena arched her eyebrow imperiously, and Lex looked down at the table, ashamed.

“I should probably mention that I have a wife,” Superman said awkwardly. “And we’re not polyamorous, so… you need to find a new trophy wife, Lex. Sorry.” Superman shot Lex a lopsided grin and the man groaned, dropping his head onto the table in defeat.

“Could Kara really split the Earth in half if she sneezed wrong?” Ruby asked, wide-eyed. “Huh. I guess we should all be grateful Kryptonians don’t have allergies then!” She gave everyone a shit-eating grin and they all laughed.

“Lex, my boy,” Lionel started once the laughter had died down, “I think it’s time you accepted that everyone has their own strengths. Instead of focusing on competing with your sister all the time, you may want to focus on the things only you excel at instead.”

“Father,” Lena said uncertainly, “Lex and I literally have the same degrees.”

“Except she got her’s faster,” Lex grumbled. “And she’s gotten more since.”

“Then find some new strengths,” Lillian said dismissively. She began swirling the dark red wine in her glass. “Or, I don’t know, you two could try cooperating so you don’t waste your employees’ time, along with millions of dollars, by developing the same thing and then having to scrap it when your sibling releases a better version. Just a thought, dears.” Lillian took a sip of wine, a smug look on her face, and Lex and Lena looked at one another, both grimacing.

“Do we have to?” Lena grumbled. Kara lightly bumped her shoulder and raised her eyebrows at Lena, who sighed. “Fine. L-Corp will consider signing a contract with LutherCorp and sharing resources, if the contract is equally beneficial to both companies.” Lena narrowed her eyes at Lex, who sighed as well before nodding his assent.

“Now that that’s been settled,” Sam interjected, “is there something you two would like to share?” She gave Lena and Kara an expectant look and both immediately blushed. Everyone else just looked confused.

“Maybe?” Kara squeaked. She glanced at Lena. “We were, uh, planning to wait until after dinner.” They both squirmed under everyone’s scrutiny, silent.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” Alex finally said. “What’s going on?” More silence. She turned to her wife. “Sam?”

“I couldn’t help but notice that Lena and Kara have some… matching accessories tonight,” Sam replied, her dark eyes never leaving the two women across the table. “I’m not an expert on extraterrestrial customs, but…”

All eyes now examining Lena and Kara, the two exchanged a slightly sheepish look before raising their clasped hands above the table, allowing everyone to see the matching bracelets both wore. The bracelets were silver-colored bands with odd markings engraved along them, and they seemed to be made of nth metal mixed with something slightly darker. Alex and Kal both gasped.

“Kara!” Alex yelled. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She wasn’t sure if she should squeal or frown at Kara, but in the end all she could do was stare at the bracelets adorning Kara and Lena’s wrists, slightly in awe of the elegant craftsmanship. Had Kara used her heat vision to inscribe the flowing Kryptonese script, or had they used some kind of industrial laser?

“I had a feeling you would follow Kryptonian custom, cousin,” Kal said quietly, smiling. He’d followed Earth custom when he’d married Lois, having grown up entirely on the planet, but he’d figured Kara would honor the culture of Krypton no matter what planet she was on.

“Yes,” Kara admitted softly. “I didn’t actually have the bracelets made yet when I proposed. Lena and I worked on them together after she said yes.” Kara’s smile lit up her whole face when her eyes met Lena’s. The brunette wore an equally-bright smile of her own.

“Proposed?” Lillian asked sharply.

“Yes, Mother, proposed,” Lena repeated. “Kara and I are engaged.” She bit her lip, eyes shining as she looked to her parents, both of whom wore matching looks of shock.

“You’ve only known each other for four months!” Lionel exclaimed. “Isn’t this a bit soon?” When Lena frowned, the light in her eyes dimming slightly, he hurriedly continued. “Not to say I’m not happy for you two! You always seem to be smiling when I see you, and I do want you to be happy, dear. Just…” Lionel trailed off helplessly. He didn’t want to make Lena upset, but she’d only known Kara for four months! Superhero or not, that was too short of a time to suddenly be engaged.

“Lena,” Lillian cut in smoothly once she’d realized her husband was at a loss, “have you two set a date yet?” She watched them both carefully, and they exchanged another glance before Lena answered.

“No, and we don’t plan to anytime soon, Mother. Kara and I talked, and we agreed that we shouldn’t marry until we’ve been together for at least a few years.” Lena shot her father a look and shook her head slightly at his presumption.

“I wasn’t really planning on proposing,” Kara admitted, using her free hand to rub the back of her neck. “I just. Well. I love Lena. And we were out on her balcony having lunch and just talking about everything and nothing and she was smiling and her eyes were sparkling and I just felt so happy and warm and I realized that I always wanted to be with her and I wanted to marry her one day and I… kinda said all of that out loud? And then I didn’t even realize I had til she started crying and… uh, yeah.” Kara’s face was flushed a dark red, and her eyes were glued to their clasped hands.

“You could have left out the part about me crying, darling,” Lena drawled. Nervous blue eyes darted up to hers and she laughed, leaning over and kissing Kara chastely on the lips (had to keep it PG for the family members present, unfortunately). “I’m just kidding, Kara. And by the way,” Lena added in a stage whisper, “I love you too.”

Lillian and Lionel were both relieved at the long engagement period, though Sam and Alex both had a feeling that ‘a few years’ translated to ‘we’ll be getting hitched on our two-year anniversary, bitches’. Lex still wasn’t sure how his night had turned out like this. Superman was going to be his… cousin-in-law? Was that a thing?

“That means you guys’ll probably be married by the time I go to college,” Ruby said thoughtfully. “I bet if I mention my Aunt Lena Luthor I’ll get accepted to wherever I want!” She bounced excitedly on her chair, and before Sam could chastise her, Lex looked at her with a frown.

“Hey, mentioning your Uncle Lex could totally get you into anywhere you wanted too!” Lex was mostly joking. Mostly. Ruby rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Lex. I’ll be sure to mention you in my admissions essay as well.”