Work Text:
Lena was very fond of curse words, fond of the way they rolled off the tongue and their versatility. How many words could be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb and also move between threat and seduction, between anger and surprise, with the grace of a gazelle? One fucking word, that’s how many. Lena might have been the CEO of one of the quickest growing Fortune 200 companies in the US, but she was also an Irishwoman, and no one cursed as casually as the Irish.
Though she’d left Ireland as a child, as an adult, she got back as often as she could. She had business contacts there and had created two factories. There was even discussion of opening up an L-Corp branch there. So after a hard day of business dealings, she could pop into a pub where the F-word was another way to say hello and the C-word a term of affection. Lena embraced these fondly, having to mentally reset when she returned to the states and this language was considered impolite. Yes, Lena liked curse words, but there was one word of which she wasn’t particularly fond.
“Vacation,” Lena spat, her contempt undisguised as she stared down her unflagging assistant. “Isn’t that voluntary?”
“No, ma’am. Taking two weeks annually is required for the mental and physical health of all employees.” Jessica’s reply sounded like it came directly from the employee handbook for a reason.
“Whose ridiculous idea was that?” When the only response was raised brows, the answer was clear. “Oh. I suppose it seemed like a good idea to me at the time. But when we say all employees—”
“No exceptions for executives or c-suite,” Jess cut in, anticipating the question. “You were very clear about that.”
And she was. Lena had read a riveting article about productivity and how breaks and vacation time actually improved it. That led her to more research as well as an internal investigation as to the productivity and vacation time of her employees. It all ended in one definitive conclusion: the ROI of employees taking vacation was excellent, money well spent. Still, it didn’t make this reality any more acceptable.
“Well, is it too late to rewrite—”
“Enjoy your vacation, Miss Luthor.” Jess turned her back, discussion over as she headed to the front door of Lena’s apartment. “We’ll see you in two weeks.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do for two weeks?”
“Relax, meditate, destress, watch some cooking shows, just don’t call work. If anything needs your attention, we’ll call you.”
And that was that. Lena was left alone to her own devices, her own thoughts, her own inner demons and self-doubt. It was something she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy… Well, maybe her mother.
213 channels of garbage on cable, or five minutes, later, the TV was off, and Lena was up and pacing. She flipped open her laptop, intent on only peeking at her emails (not actually working), but that seemed that had been anticipated. She received a message saying the password was temporarily deactivated and listing the dates of her vacation. She nearly tossed the useless hunk of junk through the screen of her equally useless, and equally expensive, television, but it seemed a bit soon for that kind of temper tantrum. She didn’t want to peak too early in her unravelling. There’d be plenty of time for that.
That’s how Lena Luthor found herself on YouTube, attempting to take Jess’ advice. She dabbled in cooking. Technically, she was formally trained but completely out of practice. If the Luthors had done nothing else for her, they’d given Lena the skills to be capable of being as self-sufficient as anyone was in this era. She preferred her comforts and to delegate, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t fend for herself.
She ended up spiraling down into a blackhole of suggested videos that ranged from dessert-focused to something for your pet, from meals on a budget to foods from around the world. It wasn’t until Lena landed on ‘Superfoods with Supergirl: Love Your Body and It Will Love You Back’ that she settled down. A pair of startlingly blue eyes and a lovely smile greeted her as the host, Kara Danvers aka Supergirl, began talking about nutrition and health. “We can enjoy our foods and be good to our bodies at the same time,” the blonde said. “It takes a little know how, a little planning, and a little effort, but the results are worth it.” Lena found herself nodding along, one eyebrow raised, as Miss Danvers flexed an objectively well-defined bicep. Well, if she was going to be forced to take vacation, it might as well be with educational eye candy on the screen.
Several videos (and a half of a bottle of wine) later, Lena had made it to some posted last month. She had to admit that the host was entertaining, knowledgeable, and had made several meals that she looked forward to trying out herself. Depending on the results, she might even need to share the recipes with her chef to incorporate into her culinary regimen.
She started up the next video to the same familiar logo and smiling face. Idly, she hummed along to the theme song that had gotten ingrained in her mind along the way. It only took moments for the host, Kara, to break into a spiel, but today, the process seemed to have changed a bit. Up until now, the format was a little pep talk, the name of the food to be prepared, an ingredients list, and then jumping into cooking while chattering. The shift was obvious even before the announcement was made.
“I have a surprise for all of you on this week’s show. My sister has just transferred to National City, and she’s going to be staying with me until she finds a place. She’s a triathlete and works for a branch of the government whose name is a three letter acronym.” Kara leaned in close to the camera and stage-whispered, “but if I told you which one, she’d have to kill you,” before stepping back again. “Here she is, my favorite and only sister… Alex!”
Where Kara was undeniably attractive, Alex was stunning. Lovely bone structure was partially hidden by the shaggy bangs of a red undercut. Piercing brown eyes softened with honest affection, as she smiled at her sister. She had a strong face with dainty, feminine features. It was a dichotomy which Lena had never realized was so beguiling, but clearly it was.
“Hello, Supergirl’s sister. Good genes in that family,” Lena said, as she admired the newcomer. “Now that is a dish I would like to sample.”
“Hi, Superfriends, and thanks for letting me join you for the next few weeks. Today, I get to choose the recipe. Now we all love pizza. When I’m in training, there are times that I need the carbohydrates, but we’re going to make something a little lighter today.”
“Oh, oh,” Kara interjected, “tell them what you train for.”
“Oh, I’m a triathlete. If you’re not familiar with that sport, it’s a race that’s a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike, and ending with a 26.2 mile run. It’s a lot of hard work, but there’s no better feeling… almost no better feeling in the world than finishing a race.
“Alex, show them your bicep. Flex for them,” Kara urged.
“No,” Alex deadpanned.
“Come on, they love to see the flex.” As if to prove the point, Kara flexed her shapely upper arm for the camera.
“Still no. Now let’s go cook.” Apparently, the discussion was settled, as Alex walked off screen.
Also apparently, it wasn’t settled in Kara’s mind. “I’ll give you a hundred dollars if you flex.”
“I’ve seen your bank account. No,” came the response from off screen. “Now set up the camera so we can give them the recipe.”
Briefly, there was a close up on Kara’s face as she admitted, “It’s true. I’m broke. Let’s go cook.”
Lena found herself chuckling along with their sisterly antics. As much fun as Kara’s show usually was, there was a natural back and forth with the sisters that couldn’t be scripted. As they made the cauliflower crust pizza, something Lena promised herself she was definitely going to make, the duo chatted, picked on each other, and reminisced. It was lovely and enviable, but Lena didn’t allow her mind to drift to her own Alex, her own familial bond, to the possibilities of what could have been if certain choices weren’t made. Instead, she hunkered down and watched the next three episodes, devouring them like popcorn during a movie marathon.
She was sad when each one ended but excited to move onto the next. However, every good thing must come to an end, and she eventually found herself at one that was posted last week with nothing posted this week yet. She hesitated briefly because if she didn’t watch it, things weren’t truly over, but she’d never been one to be overly romantic, so she pushed play. It was another great episode, and she found herself noting things more distinctly. Alex sometimes wore dark-framed glasses, and mixed with a beanie and rolled up long sleeves, it was a dangerous combination. Just the sinews in those forearms were enough of a distraction that Lena knew she’d have to listen without watching to get the entire ingredients list.
“Well, that’s it for this week. Superfriends,” Kara said, wiping the water from her hands with a towel. “We’re already discussing next week’s recipe, and it’s one of our childhood favorites. I think you’ll really like it. Oh, also, Monday night we’ll be at Molly’s if anyone wants to swing by, sing some karaoke, and swap recipes with us. Hope to see you there. Alex, want to say anything?”
“Are we gonna add my…?” Alex’s voice cut off at the end, and Lena found herself leaning in closer, uncharacteristically desperate to know what came next. After a few moments, Kara nodded, and Alex returned to the screen to finish her thoughts. “We’re going to try and add some of my social stuff here in case you want to follow me too. If not… somewhere on the screen, it will definitely be in the description. You can also just look for me at AgentA on Tik-Tok where I do some fitness tips, and we have some good, clean, girl fun.”
“Ready?” Kara asked. “Together.”
“See you next week, Superfriends,” the sisters said in a now practiced harmony. “Until then, be good and eat good.”
“Tik-Tok? What’s that?” Lena asked as the screen went dark, and she did a quick search online.
The app loaded quickly, as Lena refilled her wine glass and then used the search function to locate ‘Agent A’. She sat back, sipping from her glass as the first, short video popped up. One moment, there was Alex in a hoodie staring back at her through the screen. One tug of the hoodie later, Alex was wearing a sports bra and a bowtie, her amazing arms and abs on display, Lena’s screen was drenched, her coffee table and (previously) white carpet were speckled in red wine, and Lena had transcended to a new level of gay.
After several moments of coughs as she cleared her airway, Lena managed to choke out a “Fuck me” that was both figurative and literal. As good as the cooking channel had been, this was next level. There was Alex talking about working out, Alex working out, Alex doing a flip kick where she went from wearing a suit (which was stunning) to standing on her hands in yoga pants and a sports bra (which left Lena literally stunned). It was the kind of content that would have made twelve-year-old Lena leave the closet with such power as to literally blow the doors off the hinges, and she was living for it.
Lena quickly switched from watching Alex’s Tik-Toks on her phone to her laptop, but that was only a pass through for watching them on an 80” television screen. She whispered a silent prayer of thanks to the lesbian goddesses that she hadn’t given into her early ire and destroyed both, because if Alex Danvers on her phone was great, then Alex Danvers on her television was a spiritual experience. Each muscle flex, trail of sweat running down abs, smoky stare, and sweet smile were rendered in flawless high definition which could only be improved upon with the real thing. The real thing… What was it Kara had said about karaoke?
Molly’s was a local tavern that served food and drinks up front and hosted social events in the back room. Mondays were karaoke night, and tonight was— Like a shot, Lena was up, barely pausing to pick out clothing on her race to the shower. Her afternoon into the early evening of eating raw vegetables and drinking wine might not have left her with the best decision making skills, but even a Luthor running at 50% capacity was better than most people managed. She decided on casual: jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket (because it was a tavern), but she’d take the time to do her hair and makeup. The car was already warmed, her driver alerted of her desire to eat out (no pun intended) that evening, as she stepped onto the street with all the confidence of a straight, white, cis-gendered male. Sadly, it didn’t last.
Molly’s was fairly rustic but welcoming in a way that was reminiscent of Ireland and made Lena bite her tongue to stop a friendly list of profanities from erupting from her mouth. She got some actual food in the backroom, something to combat the nearly full, minus the carpet cleaning she had to get ordered, bottle of wine that she’d consumed. Her mushroom cheeseburger paired with steak fries was delicious, and she settled down to enjoy her meal and the entertainment. She didn’t have to wait long.
Choosing a table with a clear view of the door guaranteed Lena a good vantage of Alex’s entrance. There was that familiar beanie, those dark-framed glasses, and that vibrant smile. Pair that with slacks, a button-up, tie, and vest, and the end result was Lena’s heart palpitations. Alex’s dark leather jacket was draped over the back of the chair as the two sisters - oh, right, Kara was here too - grabbed a table closer to the stage.
As luck would have it, it left Lena a fairly decent view that was only occasionally obscured by human traffic. Most of the time, it was the back of Alex’s head and one ear on display, but the redhead’s hands moved animatedly, as she and her sister spoke at length. Occasionally, Alex would turn to her side, and that whole, beautiful profile came into view.
When her meal was done, and she’d convinced herself she was (mostly) sober, it seemed an appropriate time to go say hello. That was why she was here, right? So why was she still sitting at the table, and why was her leg shaking? Why was it so hot in here?
Lena was saved from further introspection when the stage lit up, and an announcement about karaoke was made. The Danvers sisters, who were well-known or at least Kara was since the blonde hugged the announcer while the crowd whooped, took the stage as the first act. Instead of harsh white, the simple lighting had a purple tinge, washing Alex in violet from her now uncovered hair, throughout her white shirt, and to the base of her Vans. As she sidled up to the microphone, the feel was more of an intimate concert than that of tipsy patrons that stereotypically enjoyed amateur hour at its finest.
The sisters did a rendition of Bill Withers’ ‘Lean on Me’, and where Kara’s voice was strong and impactful, Alex’s was soft and sweet. Their harmonies were lovely, as natural as the sisterly chemistry they had displayed in the cooking videos. It was charming and restive, leaving Lena with a silly grin on her face inspired by the entertainment and not the earlier alcohol. What would it be like to lay in bed with her head resting on a muscular shoulder while those dulcet tones lulled her to sleep? It was a question well-beyond the rhetorical.
Applause broke Lena free from her daydreaming, and as the sisters left the stage, she found her gaze locked, staring into eyes like melted chocolate and just as sweet. If it had been warm before, a full-fledged three-alarm fire started up when Alex grinned. It was an invitation for an introduction, so Lena rose, grabbed her purse, dropped a fifty-dollar-bill on the table, and bolted for the safety of the bathroom.
Now this brought back memories and not good ones. Lena hadn’t hidden in a restroom stall since she was ten-years-old at boarding school, and Veronica Sinclair had told everyone Lena had yet to have her first period. Kids had pointed and laughed, and to be fair, Lena didn’t really understand why she was hiding then either. It was just a wave of emotions, more than her poor little heart could bear, and it took two years (when she came back from summer break with some new curves that were developing faster and more fully than the girl four years her elder had yet to achieve) that Lena began to understand Lex’s words on jealousy or her own feelings about girls and curves.
Right now, the issue was all about girls and not about jealousy, but it was amazing how quickly we revert to our worst and least capable selves at certain times. Still, she was a Luthor, and as such, locked in a stall (no matter how tempting) was no way to deal with her issues. So she left the stall behind her to splash a little water on her face and give herself a pep talk, a talk that would stall out when a smiling blonde came out of the other stall and stood next to Lena to wash up.
“Here for the karaoke?” Kara asked, as they made eye contact in the mirror.
“No, yes, well… not exactly.” Lena couldn’t suppress the chuckle at her own awkwardness. “Let me try that again. I’m not here to sing. I wouldn’t do that to the patrons, but yes, I’m here for the karaoke.”
“You like to listen to karaoke singers? Bold. You take chances. I like that.” Kara grinned, an easy and familiar smile that had Lena relaxing in response. “I’m Kara.”
“I know,” Lena replied before she could stop herself. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. “I’ve been watching your YouTube channel. I really enjoy your videos.”
“Really?” Kara turned, hip pressed against the counter, as she met Lena’s gaze head on. That easy smile spread along her face, the one that said they were old friends who’d just met, and it was impossible not to return it in kind. “Gee, that’s really kind of you to say. Have you tried any of the meals yet?”
“Not yet, but to be fair, I only discovered you today. I sort of, is it called binge watching?” At Kara’s nod of encouragement, Lena continued. “You see, I’m on vacation for two long, boring weeks, and my assistant suggested I watch some cooking shows. Your channel is the first I really enjoyed, so I was watching them all. You mentioned you’d be here tonight, and I have absolutely no plans so…”
“So you came down? You are bold and fun.”
Bold was certainly a word that had been ascribed to Lena in the past but fun…? Fun was a word Luthors saved for private time behind closed doors, though perhaps even that was questionable. Still, Lena merely nodded and smiled, years of training in courtesy second nature pairing with Kara’s infectious joviality, while Kara continued.
“Hey, come join us at our table, my sister and I. I’d love to run some recipes by someone, and I’m sure Alex could use a break from me. You’ve seen my sister on the videos, right?”
Had she ever. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t because…” Why couldn’t she? 100 billion brain cells crammed inside her cranium, and Lena couldn’t get two of them to work together to make friction right now.
“You’re with someone? Great! The more the merrier. They’re invited too.”
“No, you see. I have to get home now because of my… cat?” So much for Lena’s top .5% of the population IQ. She was in a hole in this conversation, definitely not on even footing, and rule number one of holes is that when you’re in one you stop digging. This is where being a rule breaker wasn’t working in Lena’s favor.
“Oh, I love cats. What kind?”
“... White.”
“Neat. Do you have pictures?”
Stop digging. Stop digging. Stop digging.
At least one bit of Irish luck was working in Lena’s favor, as Kara’s phone buzzed. With an eye roll and a shake of her head, Kara scanned the text. “No, Alex, I did not fall in. Jeez, sisters, am I right? I guess I need to get going and show her I didn’t drown.”
“Oh, what a pity. Well, it was lovely meeting you. I look forward to seeing your next video. Goodbye.”
Lena almost made it to the door before a shout of “Hey,” was followed by a yoga studio business card shoved in front of her. “You’re off all week, right? Great. This is my studio. Come down and have a free session on me. It will be fun.”
“Sure. Fun.” Lena replied, her usual Luthor grace having abandoned her, as she attempted to flee this situation without yelling, ‘Look, Elvis!’ and diving through an open window.
“Great, we have beginner classes, assuming you are one, at 7 AM, 1 PM, and 6 PM. Hope to see you there. Oh, and bring pictures of your cat.”
With a smile she hoped looked more genuine than it felt, Lena left Kara behind and tucked the business card into her purse even as she pulled out her cell phone. It was answered partway through the second ring.
Jess’ voice was crisp, just short of terse. “Miss Luthor, I thought we agreed I’d reach out to you if the business needed your attention.”
“We did. I know. This isn’t about business. It’s something personal for me while I’m on vacation.”
“Oh, that’s entirely different. What do you need, ma’am?”
“A white cat by tomorrow morning.” After several moments of silence, she checked her connection which seemed to be working fine. “Hello? Jessica? Hello?”
Just stop digging.
<><>
Apparently, pet shelters let you just walk in, look around, and even hold cats if they’re friendly. Though it took several calls around to find one with an white cat, it only took a five thousand dollar donation - that seemed about fair - to arrange for a thirty minute photo session with the cat. Three outfit changes and several lint rollers later (note: white cats and dark clothing do not mix), Lena had a folder all set up for her pet Mittens, no Snowball, no… Icicle? Something would come to her. With her not particularly new but also relatively unused yoga mat under her arm and a bottle of cucumber water in her hand, Lena stepped into ‘Girls of Steel: Yoga Studio and Fitness Club’ at ten minutes of one o’clock. It was just in time to catch the last moments of the previous class and look around a little bit.
The studio was of decent size and well lit, though it was just part of the larger health club. Exercise machines had been viewable from the street and accessible through the left front door while the right door led here. The room was cool but not cold, and though a faint odor of sweat hung in the air, it wasn’t stale or overwhelming. Natural light illuminated the calming shades of blue and set a peaceful tone.
“Hey, you made it.” Kara greeted as the last class participant exited either through the front door to outside or a side door under a sign that announced it was the entrance to the fitness club.
“I did,” Lena replied, her phone held up proudly in preparation, “and I brought pictures.”
“Sweet. Let’s see your baby.”
Though Lena faltered momentarily - actual human children were nothing they had discussed, right - she soldiered on and revealed the photoset from the shelter. The awwws and ahhhs were a reassurance that the word baby was used metaphorically, as Kara grinned her way through the whole array.
“Boy or girl?” Kara asked.
“Yes.” How one became so dumb around the sister of the girl on whom you were crushing was a mystery of the ages.
However, Kara didn’t so much as blink at the answer. “Gotcha, snip snip. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. What’s their name?”
An entire menu of names related to the presence of light, the absence of color, or the early day flashed through Lena’s mind in less than a second. Then she opened up her mouth and said, “Midnight.”
“A white cat named Midnight?” Kara chuckled. “I was right. You are bold and fun. I like it.” More people had begun to file in, and spaces were filling up, so Kara issued one last smile and stepped back. “You better get a spot before they’re all gone. Something about giving away free classes makes them more popular. Excuse me.”
As Kara fiddled with the music system, Lena took a spot in the back between two middle aged ladies who would likely not stress her overdeveloped sense of competitiveness. Calming music played, and Kara led the group through some simple stretches and a warmup of cat-cow. The group stayed a few moments in heart-to-earth pose, and Lena only took vague notice that a mat was laid in the empty space in front of her by a newcomer. She pedaled her heels slightly, toes on the ground, as she loosened up her hips.
It was a surprisingly pleasant stretch, as blood flowed throughout the body. She knew enough about yoga, having taken classes from time to time for doctor recommended (mandated) stress relief, to move into the plank pose without checking for instruction. It wasn’t until they transitioned into the cobra pose that she got to see the person in front of her, well, sort of see the person in front of her. It was a pair of feet and some yoga pants… familiar looking yoga pants… on a familiar looking ass.
Head twisted to the side, Lena was still trying to make sense of it all (like when you see your doctor at the grocery store not in their lab coat, and your brain struggles to put a name to this person out of context), when they moved back into downward dog, but Lena was still in the cobra pose looking at that ass that… Oh. Oh! She pushed up quickly enough that she lost her balance, toppled left, and took down the woman next to her like a domino. Luckily, the next domino in the row was further away and left untouched. The only thing injured was Lena’s pride which took a further beating when her gaze met the curious, upside down stare of Alex Danvers.
The rest of the class was a blur. Lena refused to look up toward Alex no matter the pose they were doing. It was better to have bad form than risk eye contact, or eye on something else contact, again. It was safer for all concerned. As soon as the class was called, Lena was up, barely slowing to grab her phone and bottle of water before she stuffed her feet into her shoes and bolted outside for the safety of her town car. The mat was abandoned, something she could replace if she ever got up the nerve to do yoga again.
“Drive, now.”
To her driver’s credit, he neither made a comment about the odd greeting nor asked any question. He just pulled out safely and advanced into the traffic of the downtown streets. They were several car lengths away, stopped behind a series of other vehicles, before he spoke. “Wow, you’re breathing hard, Miss Luthor. I bet your heart is racing. Good workout?”
Lena chanced a glance back over her shoulder, and sure enough, on the sidewalk by where her car had been waiting, Alex Danvers was scanning the area. She slid down further in the seat, low enough to obscure the view of a passenger and checked her pulse which was, indeed, more than slightly accelerated. “You have no idea.”
<><>
After fleeing the yoga studio, Lena did an in-depth study to see what a name and address change would take. She had originally asked Jessica for help, but the text response of, “Oh, my God, what did you do!?!? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to be called as a witness. I’ll call your lawyers,” was a harsh reminder that as embarrassed as Lena was, it was far from the worst thing anyone in her family had ever done. Though initially educational, her little trek across the internet kept leading her back to Alex Danvers’ Tik-Tok. Those brown eyes, that sweet smile, the way the muscles in Alex’s back stood out when the woman did a handstand all lived rent free in her head.
It was becoming clearer that this infatuation wasn’t just going to go away on its own. What she had to do was humanize Alex, have an actual person to person conversation, so she could see that Alex was just like her, putting on pants one leg at a time… no matter what the standing somersault change of outfit video might make one believe. The first step to that was to make apologies to Kara and come clean. Yes, it would be embarrassing, but Luthors had plenty of ego to spare.
The next morning, Lena ordered flowers online but picked them up herself. Finding Kara’s address was far too simple. Kara was listed, though Lena shouldn’t throw stones since her name was out in front of her building. Still, within one hour, Lena had driven herself over to the other side of the city and was parked out in front of Kara’s with a bouquet of flowers. She put the flowers on the car roof as she stopped to check her makeup in the side mirror one last time, then gathered her courage, turned toward the building, and froze.
Jogging up the street in her direction, clearly having the same destination in mind as Lena, was Alex Danvers. As predicted, the sports bra and yoga pants combo, with a fine spray of glistening sweat across a muscular body, was even more dangerous in person. When their gazes met, and Alex’s brows drew together, Lena knew she’d been made.
This time though, Lena behaved like an adult. She took the flowers off the roof of the car, walked up to Alex, held out her hand and— Kidding. The gay panic set in immediately, and Lena bailed back into her vehicle and raced away without any explanation. She was vaguely aware of the bouquet sliding off the back of her car and into the street, but there was no way she was even going to look back. Guess it was time to go back to the lesbian relocation services plan.
<><>
Three more days had passed since gay panic had sent Lena racing away from Kara’s apartment. It was three days of regret and watching Alex’s thirst trap videos. It did nothing to lessen the ever-growing crush she’d developed. Lena had explored the lesbian side of Tik-Tok during the days of her self-imposed quarantine from the world. There were many attractive women there, and though it left Lena in confusion as to how there were any straight women left in the world, it didn’t stop her from gravitating back to Agent A multiple times a day.
After a shower that did nothing for her mood but wonders for her hygiene, Lena finally forced herself out of her home to the coffee shop down the street. Noonan’s made wonderful baked goods and served fresh coffee in varying flavors, but even ordering her favorites just left Lena sulking over her drink while she picked apart a scone. It was a different view with the same old viewpoint.
“Miss Luthor.” Lena jerked and nearly spilled her whole cup of coffee, a small bit slopping over the rim and dotting the table. There, sliding into the seat across from her, was the object of her affection. That was how one pronounced lust, wasn’t it? Alex Danvers was even more breathtaking up close. Full lips pursed before the woman whipped off a pair of aviators and studied her with an intensity that Lena hadn’t seen out of her dreams. She felt as if she’d been measured and found to be wanting… and desiring, needy, and more than a little bit horny if she were to be honest. “I suppose you know why I’m here.”
Lena’s mouth opened and closed, but suddenly, the exact nature of words and how one created them with their mouth was a mystery. She could do little more than blink and gape, so she did them in equal measure.
“Why have you been stalking my sister?”
That question kickstarted something in Lena’s brain, and though it took her a moment or two to put things to voice and defend herself over this misunderstanding, she managed. “No. No, I’m not stalking your sister.”
“You’re not?” Even the motion of Alex sliding her sunglasses into the pocket of her suit jacket was hypnotic. “I saw you at the karaoke bar. I saw you at her yoga studio. I picked up the flowers with the note you dropped when you sped off from her apartment. So, how do you explain all of that?”
Ah, the note. The note had said, ‘Kara, in the interest of transparency, I need to admit that I haven’t been exactly honest with you. Infatuation can do strange things to people. I hope you’ll allow me to explain so that we can have a fresh start. Lena.’ In hindsight, she probably should have gone with something more generic like, ‘Want to hear a joke about the CEO who was a gay mess for your sister? Me. I’m the joke.’
“This is all a big misunderstanding,” Lena said. “I wasn’t stalking your sister. I was actually stalking—” And that would probably not be the best thing to admit to a federal agent of an unknown alphabet agency.
Though Alex waited, and waited, and waited like someone who had all the time on her hands while questioning a subject, it soon became clear that Lena wasn’t about to continue. “Miss Luthor, I looked into you a bit. You, personally, seem above board, but there has been enough that happened with your family that I can see how a person would be scarred by the experiences. My sister comes off as a big goofball, but she’s not like me. She had a rough childhood, and there’s a lot of pain hidden behind her smile, so whatever you think is going on, it has to stop. Understand me?”
Lena nodded around the lump that had formed in her throat, but when Alex rose to leave, it was now or never, and Lena didn’t want it to be never. “Wait. I really can explain. Please? Will you please sit?”
To Lena’s great relief, Alex did with a warning of, “Five minutes.” The deadline was exactly what Lena needed to get going.
“Okay, I was on vacation, and I don’t do idle well, so my assistant suggested I watch cooking shows to entertain myself. I eventually stumbled on your sister’s YouTube, and it was very entertaining. Make sense so far?”
Outside of a slow nod, which was probably as much encouragement as Lena was going to get, there was no other response.
“Then you showed up on Kara’s show, and you were… You and Kara together are very sweet. I truly enjoyed watching you two interact. I was sad when I watched the final episode, but you told us about your Tik-Tok, so I thought it would be another cooking channel and—”
“Oh, Jeez. Lady, no, no. You watched my Tik-Tok?”
The coffee mug raised to Lena’s lips and blocked the view of the nibble she couldn’t stop. Oh, did she ever see Alex’s Tik-Tok, in high-def and blown up to life size. It was fine. Her reaction was ordinary, normal, as was everything she did as a result, right?
“Miss Luthor, those weren’t meant for… Okay, there’s a certain type of woman who…” Somehow, the put together agent struggling to put together a sentence made the whole package more attractive but was also humanizing. “How do I say this?”
“They’re lesbian thirst traps?” Lena offered.
“Yes,” Alex said with a sigh of obvious relief. “They’re meant for other women who like women, not women like you.”
“Not women like me?” Well, now that was just insulting. The stalking accusation Lena could accept, especially as it wasn’t entirely out of line, but she had worked too hard and spent too much on therapy to be put back in the closet, no matter how fine the person doing it happened to be. So she waited, one eyebrow raised in challenge, and stared down her crush.
Realization dawned over Alex’s face like the sun over the mountains. It was an equally beautiful sight. “Oh. Oh! So you’re…?”
Lena nodded, as Alex’s gaze washed over her, as the atmosphere of their little meeting shifted, and the world around them receded.
“And you watched my Tik-Tok and thought that I was…”
This time, Lena went full-on lip biting, eyelash fluttering, you’re not the only one who can snag a woman’s attention, gay, and the widened brown eyes that resulted were a very welcome response.
“Whoa. Okay, so you’re not stalking Kara. You’re just gay.”
“Just gay?” Lena scoffed, picking up what Alex had thrown down like a gauntlet. “No, I’m a Lesbian Jesus concert going, T-Swift lyrics singing, Girl in Red song downloading homosexual.”
“And that is pretty damn gay.”
“Thank you. Look, Agent A… Miss Danvers? I’m not actually sure what to call you.”
“Actually, it’s Dr. Danvers.”
“Oh, you have a doctorate?” Lena nodded while the single functioning braincell she had left pinballed around in her head. “So, I can get gayer. Good to know. Good to know. At any rate, I’d be happy to make apologies directly to your sister. I’m assuming she didn’t get my flowers.”
“Ah, no,” Alex admitted. “Since I thought you were stalking her, I didn’t think that was appropriate. I’m sorry, Miss Luthor.”
“Please, call me Lena. Anyone whose ass distracts me that badly in yoga class gets to use my first name.”
“Lena.” That smile warmed her heart even as a friendly hand was extended. “I’m Alex.”
“Alex.” Though it wasn’t electricity, something went through Lena, as she grasped Alex’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alex, even under these circumstances.”
“Eh, this was nothing. I tackled my last girlfriend in a shootout, and she elbowed me in the lip trying to get away. That’s why inter-agency coordination is so important.”
“Yes, this was much more civil, not that I’m opposed to being tackled under the right conditions.” The responding smile was encouraging. “Alex, let me buy you a coffee and something to eat. It can just be an apology for the misunderstanding. It doesn’t have to be anything else.”
“Or it could be,” Alex replied. A smoldering look, reminiscent of so many Tik-Toks, was a welcome change from what Lena had met with over the past week. “Sure I’ll take a coffee, black, a croissant, plain, and some more of this honesty.”
“I can make that happen. Don’t go anywhere.”
“No place else I’d rather be right now.”
Though she didn’t voice it yet, Lena had to agree.
<><>
The last six months had been some of the best of Lena’s life. She and Alex had moved in together after two months of dating. It would have been sooner, but Jess had had IT setup alerts when Lena began googling movers after the second date (and yes, the meeting at Noonans where Alex had told Lena to stop stalking Kara counted as a first date, damnit). There had been some minor growing pains, but it was nothing the couple couldn’t handle together.
Kara was incredibly supportive, dropping hints like a lead balloon about marriage and children between Alex and Lena (who Kara unabashedly referred to as ‘Lena, my future sister-in-law once Alex gets off her ass and smartens up before someone swoops in and steals her’). Meeting Eliza, though harrowing in concept, had gone swimmingly. They talked science and medicine well into the night like an after hours party at a conference, and when Eliza said they should do this again soon, Lena not only found it sincere but found herself sincerely agreeing. It was the kind of family she always imagined she could have had if her birth mother had lived. No matter how bad her day was, coming home to Alex (who would jokingly offer to shoot people for Lena… It was probably a joke) was a dream come true, one Lena never wanted to end. As she lay in bed at night with the other woman snoring lightly with an arm wrapped around her, Lena realized she meant that literally.
Still, the press hounded them from time to time. The way certain paparazzi had learned to keep their distance was another perk to dating someone with a permit to carry a concealed weapon and handcuffs (and not the only perk to the handcuffs). They reached an easy balance, one that still managed excitement but also reached content, and Lena was starting to get used to it in the best possible ways.
In a move that seemed to take Alex by surprise, Lena encouraged the continuation of thirst trap Tik-Toks. “Let them look. Let them want. I’m the only one who gets to touch.” That was a difficult thing to argue especially when Lena put her money where her mouth was and her mouth… ahem… yeah. Alex was no longer a fixture on Kara’s cooking show, but about once a month, Lena and Alex made an appearance together. It was always well-received by Kara’s fans, who had dubbed them AgentCorp (according to Kara, a combination of Alex’s Tik-Tok name and Lena’s rather well-known corporate position). Either way, people they’d never met seemed to genuinely wish them well. Lena had become humanized and more popular, raising L-Corp’s stock in the process. It managed to make everyone happy (not counting Lillian, but Lena had stopped seeking her mother’s approval years ago).
“Let me do the frosting,” Alex said, shooing Lena and Kara away as she threatened her sister’s icing-stealing fingers with a spatula. “Lena, keep her away from the bowl.”
“Oh, come on, you both know most of that is ending up in my stomach anyway,” Kara argued, as Lena tugged her away with one hand and spun the camera to the other side of the island with the other. “Cut out the middleman!”
“True, but we should at least show people the finished cinnamon rolls before you prove you can fit a whole one in your mouth.”
“Pffft, as if that’s a challenge. Okay, Superfriends,” Kara said, as she faced the camera again, “make sure you give the rolls enough time to cool before you frost them. Otherwise, the cream cheese frosting melts.”
“As we found out the hard way,” Lena added.
“They still taste delicious, but this makes for a more attractive dessert for your guests if your mean sister and future sister-in-law, who is usually lovely but insists on sharing food just because she helped make it, happen to be over.”
Lena rolled her eyes, quite familiar with Kara’s charming antics around food. It still astounded Lena how someone as slender and athletic as Kara managed to eat that much. It was just a blessedly good metabolism that Lena didn’t share.
“Okay, cinnamon rolls are ready,” Alex said, stepping into camera view but pulling back the plate with a single roll when Kara tried to grab it. “This one is for my girlfriend.” Kara’s pout, though powerful, was short-lived when a plate with two rolls was passed to her. “Here, one for you and one for your stomach.”
“We accept your peace offering,” Kara said, humming with pleasure and mumbling something like, “So good, ” around her first mouthful.
“You’re not having one?” Lena asked.
“I figured we could share it.” Alex’s loving smile was now a familiar staple in her life. “Tear it in half?”
“Of course.” The rolls were large, the size of those you get in a cafe and not that come in a can, so half would be more than enough. However, there seemed to be something foreign inside it when Lena ripped into it. “Alex, I think you got some foil in this one,” Lena whispered, trying to pull it off camera.
“You sure? Let me see.” Alex wouldn’t let the plate be withdrawn and instead pulled out the neatly folded piece of tinfoil which clearly had something inside of it. “ You’re right. Maybe you should open it.”
“Alex—” That was all Lena could say, as her trembling hands reached out.
However, the camera view was momentarily blocked by Kara’s face, her mouth open in a wide O-shape before she soundlessy mouthed “Oh, my God. Is it happening?”
Kara moved just in time for the audience to see Alex drop to one knee with a ring in hand. “Lena, since this show brought us together, and the audience has been so supportive, I thought it was only fair that we come full circle. I wake up every day next to you feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. I don’t want that to end. Will you be my forever? Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Lena’s voice cracked as tears of joy raced down her cheeks. “I love you so much, Alex.”
“I love you too, Lena.” Alex slid the ring on her fiancée’s hand. “Plus now, Kara can stop beating on us with less than subtle hints.”
Lena nodded even as she embraced Alex, ignoring the presence of however many viewers there were, as she kissed her future wife. Wife, that had a nice ring to it.
“Ahhhh! I’m gonna be a bridesmaid and the best aunt ever!” Kara yelled into the camera before jumping on the happy couple. The trio collapsed to the ground under her weight. The audience was left with a view of a wall though muted voices remained.
“Oh, my God,” Lena moaned. “How do you look so thin and weigh so much, Kara?”
“Jesus fucking Christ, will you get off of us you idiot!”
“First, let’s talk bridesmaid’s colors. I’m thinking blue,” Kara said.
“Get off!”