Chapter Text
It was 7:30AM when Lena stepped into her office. She was one of the first in the building. Except for the guards at the front of the building, the rest of her employees were still at home or perhaps on their way to the office. Even Jess wasn’t there yet. Usually Jess wouldn’t have minded arriving earlier than scheduled, she had assured Lena so many times before. But Jess didn’t know Lena was there, and maybe that was for the better. As much as it scared her, she needed to face her office alone.
What she had expected and requested was a finished office that would look nothing like her old one. Instead, she found it in a bigger disarray than her assassins had left it before she went on her business trip. She sucked in a breath as she stopped in her tracks, the chaos of the room taking her back to that god-awful night.
She remembered her lightbulb flickering and then going out on a random Thursday evening. As soon as it happened, Lena relayed the problem to Jess who promised her that the maintenance team would be up as quickly as possible.
And quick they were. Within five minutes, four men entered her room. Maybe it should have alerted her that there were four people there just to fix one light bulb, but her mind was swirling with numbers and it was late. Her carelessness would cost her dearly.
Two hours later she had awoken in National City General Hospital with head trauma and two scratches from the bullets she just avoided. The four men were arrested, probably hired by Lex (or any of the other maniacal, rich men that wanted her dead), and obviously fired from L-Corp.
When she was discharged and got back to her office, it was very clear that she wouldn’t be able to work in it anymore. On top of the trauma they had inflicted on her body, they had demolished the rest of the room too. And so Lena tasked Jess to hire a company that could repair and renovate her office and do a background check this time while she was out on a business trip.
Now, three days later, a day earlier than scheduled, she had arrived at her office. Or well, something that was supposed to be her office.
The silence filled her ears as she looked around the room. There were loose planks leaning against the wall, the windows had not yet been cleaned, there were paint cans lying around, and most of her new furniture was still covered in a sheet. Clearly, the new maintenance crew hadn’t finished renovating just yet. She should have expected this, but a part of her had just hoped that it would have been fixed by now.
But apparently hope was wasted.
She sighed and walked over towards her desk - or at least the cloth that looked like her desk - and pulled off the sheet. With an approving nod as to the chosen design, even though she had chosen it herself, she uncovered the chair and sat down on it.
After grabbing her laptop, placing it on the desk, and opening it, she looked at the room once more. The cloud covered sky caused a bland white light to encompass the room, making it all look more depressing than it already was. All the white sheets and white walls made everything look cold. It wasn’t a nice view, no, but it was quiet, and with that she could work.
She sent off a quick text to Jess to make sure that the contractor wouldn’t be coming in before two, as after two she’d be in the labs anyways, and then got to work.
It took, perhaps, half an hour of uninterrupted work before her door swung open and a woman walked in. A woman with the audacity of a god, it seemed, as she was whistling while she did it. And apparently not only the audacity of a god.
As the woman, now in full view, set down the large box, her tattooed arms and the muscles under them moved mesmerizingly. This woman was buff. Not in the I-hit-the-gym-two-times-a-week buff but rather the everybody-double-takes-me-when-they-walk-by buff.
The sharp remark on Lena’s tongue dies as she looks at the woman who was turning her back to Lena and moving about her office without even noticing her presence. It gives her the opportunity to scan the other woman completely.
Besides the muscles, the first thing she notices is that the other woman is tall, taller than she is even in her heels. Then she notices the blonde hair tied into a ponytail that looks shiny even in the bland, grey light. It bounces with every step the woman takes, every way she moves her head. And she moves her head a lot, probably bopping it along to the song that’s playing on her headphones. It would be amusing to watch if the woman didn’t interrupt Lena’s work.
The blonde is wearing a blue jumpsuit with a white shirt underneath, a very poor choice of a shirt colour, Lena thinks. The white shirt will not be white by the end of the day, that was for sure. The woman grabs one of the planks and turns around with it, and Lena can now see the woman’s face. It’s beautiful. Then it shifts as the woman opens her mouth and her eyes widen behind her glasses.
“AH!” The woman yelps loudly - causing Lena to visibly cringe - as she holds the plank in front of her chest. “Oh my god, you spooked me.” She chuckles breathily as she removes her headphones with one hand and holds onto the plank with the other. The extra weight on one arm causes it to strain and Lena is only slightly distracted by it.
“I saw.” Lena says calm and collected, exactly the opposite of what she is feeling at the moment.
The woman puts the plank down and walks over to Lena’s desk with an outstretched hand. “I’m Kara, and you are?”
Lena has to actually take a couple of seconds to process how daft a person could be before she forces herself to stand up and shake the blonde’s - Kara’s - hand. It is big and rough and surprisingly warm, a warmth that almost makes Lena smile. “Lena.”
“Ah, beautiful name! I feel like I’ve seen the name before but it doesn’t ring a bell…” Kara says, her brows furrowed together as she thinks.
“Perhaps the name plaque when you enter the building, or the one beside the office door? Or perhaps the news?” Lena suggests as she deadpans the other woman.
Lena can see the exact moment all the pieces fall into place as the woman’s eyes widen again. “Lena Luthor!” She says, her voice a bit higher than usual. “I thought you were away? Or did I mess up the date again? Oh I did, didn’t I? This is why Alex never lets me handle the schedule.”
She had no clue who this Alex was, but she just smiled back politely at the clearly distressed woman, who still hadn’t let go of her hand. “No, I got back a day earlier. Though, I had asked Jess to ask you to come in later-”
Now the woman let go of her hand, the warmth disappearing with it. “Oh, I am so sorry, I don’t think I’ve received a text!” Kara looks through her pockets, pulling out little screws, buttons, receipts, and… candy? Until eventually she fishes out her phone and starts looking through her messages. “Nope. Can’t find it.”
Jess probably had not opened her work phone yet and Lena knew she should have sent that text yesterday, though then she was too busy not having a panic attack on the plane.
“But it’s fine, I guess I can just uh-” She awkwardly scratches the back of her head as she glances back at the messy room behind her, “come back later, I guess?”
As much as Lena would like the quiet right now, she knew it was unfair to send Kara back home because of some miscommunication that she herself had caused. Besides, the quicker this was done the better.
“No, it’s fine. We can both work here.” Lena sits back down in her chair, glancing at her laptop that had gone into slumber mode, “As long as it’s somewhat quiet.”
Kara nods enthusiastically, her ponytail dancing along to the movement. “That’s great, Ms. Luthor. I will try to be as quiet as possible.” She offered her a big toothy smile with eyes that looked so genuinely happy that Lena couldn’t help but smile back at her.
An hour later Lena figures out what ‘as quietly as possible’ actually entails. It means that it’s quiet for Kara who is wearing her headphones and probably can’t hear the amount of sound she is making. She is drilling into the walls and the planks and even humming along to her own music.
But Lena was used to distractions, she could ignore the sounds alone. The real problem was Kara herself, the way she never stood still, not even for one moment. Even if she had to do some delicate work, something on her was always moving. And the movements, directly in Lena’s eyesight, are what distracted her most. That and Kara’s muscles.
It was a truly mesmerising sight; the way that the muscles moved as Kara lifted heavy planks above her head. The contrast of the way her arms handled the pushback from the drill and the way she ever so delicately hung the painting just right. This was a woman of great strength, but who could also do everything with soft touches, small adjustments.
The problems really began when Kara was just casually screwing a couple of bolts into the planks to hang them up against the wall and the only thing Lena could think about was that she wouldn’t mind getting a screw too. And from there on out it just got worse.
It was barely nine and she was already fantasising over a handy woman that she had met just an hour ago, and she had sent exactly one email (that was sent before Kara had even come in). Lena truly regretted her decision to let Kara stay, but also kind of was happy with it too.
“Ms. Luthor?” A voice interrupts her staring and her eyes skim upwards from Kara’s hands to her head, which is now looking at her. If she had not already been a bit flushed, now she felt like she was on fire by the sudden realisation that Kara had caught her staring. But Lena didn’t become one of the most renowned businesswomen by losing her composure that easily.
“Yes?” She managed to answer, straightening her back a bit as she slightly tilted her head.
“Uh, are you okay?” Kara’s brows are slightly furrowed, looking concerned.
This makes Lena frown in return. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
Kara fully turns around and Lena can now see that she has a dark smudge on her cheek. It’s adorable really, and the fact that she just thought that about someone she doesn’t even know concerns her a bit. That and the fact that Kara had both the duality to be, as Sam would say, smokin’ hot and adorable. She seems a bit awkward and fiddles with the drill in her hands.
“Well, you seem a bit-” Kara takes a couple of moments to find the right word, “distracted.”
It is at that moment that Lena wonders if Kara had been watching her too, and if she had, would she have noticed her drooling? Lena had been praised on her poker face more than once, but a poker face was something she put on and she had been so distracted, she wondered if the mask had perhaps fallen to reveal every thought she had.
In response Kara speaks up again. “It’s the sound, huh? I’m sorry, I tried to be as quiet as possible but you know,” she lifts up the drill with one hand, “some sounds are unavoidable, things need to be drilled and stuff.”
Lena has never in her life wanted to be a ‘thing’ this much before. There it was again, these thoughts, these intrusions about a woman she had met not an hour ago. It was outright rude of her to think of Kara this way. She was just doing her job and here Lena was - as once again Sam would say - ‘mindfucking’ her. But then again, Kara made it so easy. Definitely when she wipes away some sweat on her forehead and her bicep tenses and just-
Lena shakes her head shortly, clearing her throat. “No, no. It’s fine, it’s a bit loud but I-”
“Oh, I knew it.” This is the second time Kara has interrupted her today and usually Lena would get agitated by it, but the woman clearly doesn’t even know that she is doing it, seeing as her eyes are already apologetic and big. “I’m sorry, but you know what-” Kara stops talking to take off her headphones and walks over to Lena’s desk, “take this. It’s noise cancelling.”
Instead of just handing it to Lena, like a normal person, she instead bends over the table and places it on Lena’s head. Lena slowly blinks as she looks at Kara and tries her best not to feel a little bit insulted by the action, as if she herself couldn’t put the headphones on. That, and the close proximity that Kara is in now- nobody ever came that close to her willingly, usually they’d stay away from her with a ten foot pole. Kara was so close that she could catch a little bit of a woody scent, probably from the planks, and a little bit of paint too, even though Lena hadn’t seen her paint anything yet.
Lena finally regains her senses as she shakes her head a bit. She can just feel her hair in disarray from the headphones and she knows how ridiculous she must look right now. But Kara doesn’t seem to see anything off about her as she smiles brightly at her. Then her mouth begins to move, but all that Lena can hear is a muffled sound, like Kara is talking into a pillow.
“Sorry,” Lena removes the headphones for a second, “what did you say?”
“Oh silly me,” Kara laughs and Lena wonders why Kara speaks like a 60 year old woman, “of course you couldn’t hear me.” She smiles at her, “I hope it helps.”
Lena is slightly taken aback by the kindness of this somewhat stranger and the earnestness behind it. “I’m sure it will, but won’t you need them?”
Kara just waves it away and walks back over to where she had left her work, “I’ll be fine, I usually forget them anyways so it’ll just be like a normal day.”
“Oh, alright.” Lena nods as she tries her best not to feel a bit disappointed by the distance between them. “Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Kara gives her another big smile over her shoulder and returns to drilling.
As the noise starts, Lena puts on the headphones again, this time making sure she doesn’t look absolutely ridiculous (although she wonders if that’s possible with bright yellow headphones). Suddenly, the sound of the drill is far away and a wave of calm washes over Lena. She had not noticed how much the sounds had bothered her until they were muted.
Still, as she continued to work she couldn’t help but steal a couple of glances at Kara’s working form. Maybe it was the fact that she had recently been hit in the head, or the fact that she hadn’t even held hands with someone for over 2 years, but she just couldn’t help but stare at Kara. She was built like an absolute Greek god, and Lillian had always thought her to appreciate good art.
Lunch came and she ordered for Kara and herself, the former being very happy with the prospect of food. They talked briefly and Lena learned that Kara and her sister had founded their small business. That they usually only do small jobs for people who cannot always afford to pay the full price, but that they had made an exception for this job. That usually she’d work with her sister, but her sister was helping out another client this week and the office was almost done anyway.
She also learned that Kara basically inhaled her food and didn’t care for eating with her mouth closed. And everything about that should have put Lena off but she couldn’t help but think it was adorable. Eventually, their lunch came to an end with a phone call coming in for Lena and back to work they went.
The hours passed by quite uneventfully. Lena, not really having been able to get through as many emails as she would have liked to, had finally regained some of her focus. That’s until a hand waves in front of her computer screen, trying to gather her attention.
She gazes up to find Kara standing in front of her desk, toolbox in one hand and her other hand now motioning her to take off the headphones. Lena can’t help but give a small smile back at the woman who grins widely at her. She nods and takes off the headphones.
“Hi, I’m so sorry for interrupting your work,” Kara immediately apologises, her voice earnest, “again that is. But I’ve finished up.” Her ponytail bounces as she turns her head to look at her own work and Lena follows the blonde’s line of sight.
As she skims through the room she finds herself surprised by the fact that she actually likes it. Where her former office was all sharp edges, cold and clean white interior, her new one is… Comfortable? Warmer? Whatever it is, it almost doesn’t seem like her own office.
The wooden planks are decorated with little plants that Lena is sure will die within the week (but the thought is nice) and her walls are adorned with either unfilled picture frames or abstract paintings with more colour than this office has seen in years. The books on the shelfs are chaotically sorted, or well, not sorted, not even colour coded. She’ll have to fix that.
There is even a bouquet of flowers on the coffee table, where had Kara gotten that one from? She didn’t have it with her when she arrived.
“So? Do you like it?” Lena had not yet noticed Kara’s eyes on hers, but now that her gaze lands back on the creator of the warm place that is now her office, she finds two blue eyes staring right into her. There is a clear nervousness in the way Kara adjusts her glasses and adds a soft, “You can be honest.”
“It’s,” Lena gives it one more look over and then decides on, “refreshing. Different from what it was, but that’s a good thing. Though, I will have to get used to it.”
“Good, that’s good.” Kara’s smile brightens at the answer and Lena can’t help but smile in return, albeit a bit more reserved. “In that case,” she puts the toolbox down and searches through her many pockets, muttering something under her breath, until eventually she pulls out a card, “I know that Jess already has my contacts, but still.” The blonde holds out the small business card to Lena, who takes it curiously.
It’s a simple business card with the company’s name, phone number and email addresses on it. What surprises Lena is that it seems to be handwritten, there is a small ink blot on the ‘C’ of ‘Co’ indicating that it isn’t just a font. It’s adorable.
“Thank you, although I hope I won’t have to call for your services soon.” Lena thanks the woman as she pushes her from her chair and holds out her free hand to Kara. The blonde laughs softly and meets her hand, shaking it with a strong grip. Her fingers are calloused and her hands warm, it’s a contrast to Lena’s soft and cold hands.
“I don’t hope so either. But just in case.” Kara lets go of her hand and Lena kind of misses the warm feeling as soon as it’s gone. However, the feeling dissipates as soon Kara picks up her toolbox again and her muscles tighten under the weight of it. The tattoos covering the strong arm come alive as the muscle contracts and Lena feels her body warm at the sight of it.
Kara is literally just picking up her toolbox and that already gets Lena warm? God, Sam was right. She really needs to start dating again because this is just becoming unprofessional by now. Who thought muscled up, tattooed handywomen were her type? Not her, definitely not after Andrea.
“Thanks for being so chill about me working here while you were here too by the way, really appreciated it.” Kara interrupts her train of thought.
“Of course and I should thank you for the headphones, they were really useful.” Lena keeps the smile on her face, still returning the never disappearing one of Kara. She walks around the desk to lead Kara out of her office, not wanting to keep the woman any longer than necessary. For her work's sake too, otherwise she’d probably spend the rest of the afternoon talking to the blonde.
Kara chuckles and waves it away with her free hand, “‘T was nothing.” She follows Lena to the door. “But truly, if there is anything not to your liking or anything else that needs to be fixed, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
“If anything comes up, I will.” Lena promises and opens the door for Kara.
The blonde smiles at her, “Good, have a great day Miss Luthor!” She gives her a little wave with her free hand and then heads out the door, almost skipping home. How the woman still has the energy to be so cheerful after a full day of physical labour, Lena doesn’t know.
Lena watches as Kara walks away, gets into the elevator, struggles with the buttons and where people usually face the door, Kara looks at the design of the lift instead. Lena mirrors the amazed smile that Kara is wearing. Only to be interrupted by Jess coughing behind her desk. It shakes Lena out of her staring session with the now closed door of the elevator.
“Oh hello, Jess.” She greets her assistant, trying to hide her embarrassment from having been caught staring.
“Hello Ms Luthor. I presume everything went well?” Jess asks, polite and professional as ever.
“Perfect.” She nods, thinking back of Kara’s muscled arms and warm smile.
“I’m glad. I’ll be out in an hour, do you want me to order you dinner tonight or will you be heading out on time?”
Lena wants to smile at the thoughtfulness of her assistant, even though that’s her job, but finds that she is still smiling from her earli no er interaction. “Dinner will be fine, there is a lot of work still left to do. If you could order me something Italian that’d be great.”
Jess nods, already typing away, “What would you like exactly?”
“Surprise me.” She decides, trusting Jess with the decision and then adds, “If you feel like it you can order something for yourself too. Oh and do let me know when you’ll leave.”
“Of course, Ms Luthor.” Jess nods, smiling at her boss. Lena wants to correct her, wants to tell her that she can just call her Lena. But they’ve had this conversation many, many times, so she decides to just let it be today.
When Lena is back at her desk, her office now finished and empty except for her, she finds the silence oddly disturbing. Even though she should be able to concentrate better now, she notices that her thoughts keep drifting away to a certain blonde.