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There had been a series of wildfires along the West Coast, they had been intense and required every trained and able person to assist. Kara had been busy working with the firefighters to stop the fires and working with local and state authorities to evacuate and, in some cases, rescue people from the fire riddled areas.
Breaks were few and far between, but Kara always made time for Lena. They were still in the tentative area of just starting to go on dates and the fires had put the brakes on the embers of their blossoming relationship. Sometimes Kara would catch Lena on her lunch break, making sure Lena had a meal before dinner. Others she would fly to her balcony after a long night of turning the air to help the firefighters get a fire under control. She was self-conscious of smelling of smoke and being covered in too much soot, but she just wanted to see Lena. Lena always seemed delighted to see her even if it was just a brief check in before Kara went home to clean up and get some rest.
Sometimes Lena would have a food container or a pizza box ready to hand Kara. One time Kara had the courage to kiss Lena on the cheek before whooshing off home. It had been a while since Supergirl had done any interviews, sure she had been on television be it standing up for alien rights or being caught on film stopping a train derailment or helping some ducklings across a road, but an interview – it had been a while. But the wildfires were a worrisome occurrence as this was the third year, they had been intense and they were getting worse. Kara agreed to do an interview hoping it would help calm everyone down and that it would get more attention on the wildfires. Of course, Kara made sure a series of interviews also happened with the firefighters and the people effected, the true faces of these tragedies and triumphs.
“So Supergirl, is it challenging lately being a hero between everything you normally do and all these wildfires,” the reporter, Shannon Zeng, asked once the cameras started rolling. They were standing near the entrance to Olympic National Park. A fire blazing in an area of the park had only gotten under control two days ago.
“It can be yes, but there are so many people working hard against these fires, I am just one of many trying to get these blazes under control. Trying to do my part and help, that is always what I am trying to do.”
Shannon moved closer to Kara as she was talking, and she suddenly went off-piste, “Has your cape ever caught-on fire?” The reporter asked as she suddenly grabbed the edge of the cape near Kara’s hip, extending it a bit and pulling it toward herself. “It is very long,” Shannon said unknowingly as she continued to run the cape through her fingers. Kara’s eyes stayed pointed toward the main camera, “Uhh, no not at all, it can actually be a real help while trying to assist with these fires.”
“Hmm interesting, now is your suit flame resistant like the firefighters’ uniforms?” Shannon asked moving to touch the sleeve of Kara’s suit. Kara was still so nervous about this interview that Shannon placed her hand on Kara’s arm, her bicep, before she could stop the motion. Kara didn't look away from the main camera her focus on getting the word out. Shannon ran her hand back and forth over Kara's bicep and the camera operator couldn't help but follow the motion. Shannon tried to get even closer to Supergirl.
“It is…Now I’d like…to explain just how hard these firefighters have been and are working to save both National Parks like this one and communities homes and businesses. Yesterday I was working with Fire Chief Harris from Bend….” Kara haltingly had been trying to shift both the conversation and her arm away from where Shannon Zeng wanted it to go. The camera operator eventually shifted their focus back to Supergirl’s face, having been in a daze watching Shannon’s flirting happen. The camera had followed Shannon's movement caressing Supergirl's bicep and stayed there, for everyone in the country to see. The interview continued, after a moment or two, Shannon cleared her throat, and went back to topics that made the hope shine out of Kara’s eyes. Everyone from the reporter to the camera operator to the folks watching at home swooned just a bit at Supergirl. You couldn't help but believe. The swooning over Supergirl did not stop there, it ended up being a small news cycle, a break from all the devastation the wildfires had wrought.
There were small news segments:
"Gallant Supergirl"
"Courteous Biceps"
"Chivalrous Hero: Single or Not?"
Several articles:
"Gentlewoman Supergirl: How to win her heart"
"Dating a Hero: Strategies to get a touch of those biceps...and more"
"Swoon, but don't Die: What to do when a superhero rescues you"
All of it went right past Kara.
Lena was away in London on a business trip, but she had made sure to catch the nationally televised segment and, by the end of it, Lena was so stunned she couldn’t even finish the scotch in her glass. Kara had been flirting? Lena couldn’t believe it. Kara had been flirting on a national news television program. Lena leaned back in the hotel room chair she was sitting in, too stunned to move. She didn't notice her jaw was clenched so tight her teeth were grinding. Hadn’t they been seeing one another? Courting? Dating? Well, whatever they were doing? What was going on?
Lena pondered for a minute and then downed the rest of her scotch, practically slamming the glassback down on the side table. She looked back at her PowerPoint slides, trying to focus, as she had a huge presentation at this conference. She also had some business meetings later this week, but this presentation was critical and she didn’t want to mess it up. Kara had said she would make it but now Lena was wondering if she truly meant that?
Kara was finally able to get away a few days later. The major fires were under control and she had finished another article in the series on the faces of those affected by and fighting the blazes. She had made sure to also interview some ecological scientists in this series because there were long term effects on flora and fauna. And she had done all this in time to make Lena’s presentation.
Kara hummed as she exited Catco.
The weather in London was nice for once, one of those summer days where the rain was absent and it made the city thrum with energy. Kara found a discrete place to land and changed back into her everyday clothes before heading to the conference. Lena’s presentation was brilliant and Kara clapped so hard at the end that she almost missed that Lena had been avoiding making any eye contact with her. Afterwards Kara went to move her way but Lena motioned for her to stay away.
Kara’s face fell a bit, but she headed outside to wait. Kara texted Lena that she was heading toward the river Thames to wait until Lena was done schmoozing with colleagues and investors.
“Hello, I’m so glad you were able to make it,” Lena said as she neared Kara thirty minutes later.
Kara turned from gazing along the river where some starlings were gathering twigs and leaves for a new nest. Lena hugged Kara before stepping back.
“I wouldn’t miss it Lena,” Kara grinned as they fell in step with one another walking along the
river bank. “How about some ice cream? It’s the perfect day for it and you have to try the 99 flake.”
Lena nodded in agreement and they continued walking along the Thames.
When they reached an ice cream vendor Kara immediately went to purchase three 99 flake ice cream cones. Lena could not help her soft smile as Kara double fisted her cones after gallantly
handing Lena hers with a “Don’t let it melt, eat!”
They ate in companionable silence until Lena was almost done and Kara was halfway through her second cone.
“Kara, I wanted to ask…” Kara looked at Lena, all attention focused on her, “about that interview...”
“Oh, you did see, I was so nervous…” Kara started.
“You did wonderful, I just was curious, what are we…” Lena saw Kara tilt her head. She knew what that meant there must be some emergency. Kara caught her eyes.
“Go, we can talk later." Kara nodded her thanks and headed off to change into her supersuit.
Lena headed back to her hotel and laid across the bed after changing out of her conference clothes, why was she jealous? Kara seemed the same with her. Lena couldn’t help it she hated seeing someone else notice how attractive Kara was and had the gall to touch not just her cape, but also her arm. It was too much. But Lena also felt like she didn’t have the right to feel jealous? It’s not like they had spoken officially; they had been tiptoeing around one another. Lena sighed again. It was so confusing.
Then she heard something it sounded like a car crash and she got off the bed and went to the widow. First, Lena looked down and a car was being lifted and moved away from the oncoming traffic. Then she noticed the red cape. Before Lena could blink, Kara was floating outside her hotel window and giving her such a happy smile, Westminster Bridge and Big Ben behind her, that Lena couldn’t help but smile in return. There was another noise and Kara was gone in a swoosh. Lena stayed by the window not seeing anything else in the immediate area but a few minutes later she heard a knock on her door.
“Hey,” Kara said still in her supersuit a few daisies in one hand she was holding out to Lena. Lena took them with a quick smile ushering Kara inside before someone saw her. “Don’t worry I made sure no one was around,” Kara smiled, waving a hand near her ear as she moved into Lena’s hotel room.
“Sorry we got interrupted, you were going to ask me something?” Kara entreated standing in the middle of the room her cape had just settled down and somehow Lena couldn’t speak as she carefully placed the daisies on the desk.
“What?” Kara asked looking down at herself for a moment and then back up at Lena, “You can ask me anything.”
Now Lena felt a slight flush on her face and swallowed trying to find the courage to speak. “I saw the interview and I saw you flirting, the world swooning over you, she was caressing your biceps,” Lena ended her eyes piercing.
“Huh,” Kara's head tilted back in shock, “What flirting? I was talking about the firefighters I’ve been working with, Fire Chief Harris and Brian with the Red Cross…”
“You let that reporter touch your arm on national television, causing a firestorm over how utterly swoon worthy Supergirl is,” Lena replied succinctly.
Kara fell silent her mouth agape and she was utterly frozen while Lena flushed and found herself looking out the window unable to keep looking at Kara.
Then Kara laughed and Lena felt Kara move into her personal space. The afternoon sky flooding a gentle fire’s glow across them both in the quiet hotel room.
“Lena,” this time Kara whispered her reply. The heat of her body hitting Lena like a blaze across her already overwrought senses and body. “Lena,” Kara repeated, her voice a gentle caress, “I thought we were courting. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”
Lena finally met Kara’s eyes and they just looked and looked until something interlocked between them. “Yes,” Lena whispered, leaning into Kara, their warm breath mingling so close to kissing.
Kara brought her arms up resting her hands on Lena’s hips and gently pulling her close waiting for Lena to pull back, to stop her. Lena didn’t.
“Yes, we’re courting,” Kara replied, their lips were a mere millimeter away from one another. Kara tilted her head down and pulled Lena impossibly closer as her cape swept around them both a red waterfall, seeming to represent their desire for one another. Lena shifted to standing on her tiptoes, gliding one hand to rest against Kara’s glyph running her fingers over the symbol, as if reclaiming Kara as hers and reaching up with her other hand to weave her fingers at the nape of Kara’s neck and then they were kissing.