Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The short little moments of peace in Kara’s days were usually by herself at home, when she could finally unwind after a long day and slip in bed for a good night sleep, or her cute friendly dates with Lena. They had always tried to meet up for coffee or lunch at least once or twice during the week to chat, and Kara looked forward to those moments with her best friend.

That day, though, it was different.

“I'm seeing someone.” Lena said so casually that Kara almost didn't understand what she meant.

“You- you are?” she asked, trying not to choke on her coffee.

“Yes… we've been out on a couple dates.” She smiled shyly. “It's different, though because… well, she's… she's a woman.” She confessed softly, casting a curious look at Kara, trying to read her reaction. 

“A woman?” She confirmed. “I didn't know you-”

“Neither did I.” Lena chuckled, blushing. “Do you remember that talk I had with Lillian when she… passed.” She said, her smile faltering a little. “She told me I was finally free to live my life as I saw fit… I hate to say that I felt like I got permission, but…”

“But you did.”

“In a way, yes.” She nodded. “That made me think about all the things I stopped doing out of fear of failing her, disappointing the family and you know… bringing yet another stain to the Luthor name.” She chuckled, but Kara knew how true it was. “I remembered some… moments… from my youth while I was in boarding school, how I handled myself through college and some relationships as an adult, and… yeah, I guess I decided to finally own my life, unapologetically and in every sense of the word.” 

“I'm happy you took that step.” Kara smiled. “How did you meet her, then?”

“Oh well… we met while I was in Metropolis with Sam. We went to a bar, it was a bit early and we just wanted some drinks before going back to my house to review some documents, and she approached us… I thought she was flirting with Sam, but she ended up asking me if I wanted to go grab dinner with her.” Lena smiled, her eyes shining a little. “I was naturally going to thank her and decline, but Sam faked a call from Ruby and essentially abandoned me there.” She chuckled.

“She did what?”

“She stayed hidden around for a while to make sure I want going to be kidnapped. She texted me asking if she could leave and I said yes, so she just left instructions for my driver and sent my bodyguards back into the bar keeping their distance but-”

“B-bodyguards?”

“We were in Metropolis, and… I can't really walk around as freely there as I do in National City.” She said sadly. “Lex's crimes and all those murderous fun times are still very much alive in the collective memory. People don’t like it when they see a Luthor out and about, even if she sat down during the trial and helped convict the actual madman.”

“Oh, Lena…”

“I've had people literally spit on my drink right before my eyes.” She chuckled. “So, I try to stay at home and I have security around me all the time when I have to go out. Sometimes I’ll go out with Sam and we’ll have our bodyguard crew around us, but ever since Lex disappeared things have calmed down a little and we can be a bit more relaxed.” 

“I didn't… I didn't know.” Kara said sadly. “I remember you had like ten bodyguards when you got to National City, but it never occurred to me that it was something you needed for protection because of actual stuff happening in Metropolis.” 

“I'm used to it now.” She shrugged. “It was awkward at first, when Lex started going down that path, coordinating a whole motorcade and bodyguards- but it was my daily life while I lived there.” She shrugged. “We always had our driver and a couple bodyguards even when we were kids, but the adjustment was going from having two people around just in case, to having ten heavily armed guys trying to keep you safe because you need it.”

“I'm glad you moved here and have some freedom back.” She smiled. “And you can always count on Supergirl as bodyguard.” She joked and Lena laughed.

“Well, I should slip her a cash bonus because no one has tried to kill me in a while.” she joked back.

“Well, they better not mess with you.” She scoffed. “But tell me more about her… what does she do for a living? How is she? And most importantly: can I have a name?” She asked with a curious smile.

“To be honest… you've probably heard about her since she's a reporter too.” Lena smiled nervously. “Her name's Sadie McCarthy.”

“Sadie McCarthy? From the New York Sentinel?”

“That's the one.” She nodded. “She was covering a story in Metropolis before heading back to New York.”

“Oh, but you said you’ve been on a couple dates.” She frowned, confused by the time and space.

“Well, yes. We met my very first night there and went for dinner… the next day we went out for drinks to this dark bar where no one recognized me, which felt great… we kind of kissed while we were there, and that made me feel a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.” She confessed. “Then I had to go to New York for a meeting with the UN about the help LCorp and the Luthor Foundation will give the refugees, and we met for dinner again.”

“Oh, so you’ve been out and about quite a bit.” She smiled, trying to hide the uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.

“Just a handful of dates, but we text during the day and even facetime.” Lena chuckled. “It’s all very casual and not at all serious… she doesn’t do formal relationships, and I’m not really looking for one with her. She’s coming to National City next week to cover the Governor’s speech to kickstart his presidential campaign, which has me feeling a little excited, if I’m honest.” She confessed, blushing a little. “And I hope you don’t mind it, but I did have a quick talk about it with Alex about it, after my mother’s passing and me realizing that maybe I could date women too.”

“With Alex?”

“Yeah, I just… I kind of wanted her perspective.” She blushed, feeling like a teenager. “I think that I felt very comfortable with women in the past, maybe even more so than with men… since Alex has also been through this whole late blooming thing into same sex attraction, I thought…”

“Hey, you don’t need to justify yourself!” Kara smiled. “My sister is your sister, whenever you need her.”

“Thank you.” She smiled back at her, looking at her with bright eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you, I just-”

“Lena, we’re best friends but that doesn’t mean I’m the only one you can talk to about your life. Besides, Alex is great at giving advice and she’s a great listener. You can count on us.”

“Thank you.” She whispered sheepishly. “I was kind of scared to tell you about it.” She chuckled.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know, I guess… I didn’t know how you’d take it, me being open to date women.”

“Well, you have my full support for everything and anything you want to do, Lena.” She smiled, reaching to squeeze her hand and noticing how cold it was due to her nerves. “You can date men, women, everything in between, and I’ll always support you… and you better tell them that if they mess with you, Supergirl will kick their asses.” She said with a serious face, breaking the tension.

“Thank you again, Kara. I just don’t know what I’d do without your support.”

That day Kara didn’t feel the usual giddiness heading home after being with Lena. She felt her chest tight, a lump in her throat, and a hint of something she knew was jealousy but that she refused to address.

She got to her apartment and sat on the couch in the dark for a while, her mind still going over Lena’s smile when she told her about Sadie. She tried to think of something else, but then she thought about her and Sadie in that bar, kissing and enjoying the anonymous atmosphere that probably gave Lena the courage to be truly herself and enjoy the night with her.

Chapter Text

“Did you know Lena’s seeing a woman?” Kara asked as soon as Alex opened the door to her apartment.

“Uh… hello to you too.” She scoffed, going to the kitchen to pour herself a drink since it seemed like Kara was in a mood.

“You knew. She talked to you, she told me she told you.” Kara said and sat heavily on the couch.

“She told me, yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Because it’s not my story to tell.” She chuckled, sitting next to her sister and handing her a glass of wine. “She wanted to hear about my journey, and she wanted to open up with someone who could relate to her story.”

“Why didn’t she talk to me?”

“Because you can’t relate to her story, I guess.” She shrugged. “No offense, Kara, but she wanted to talk about discovering her sexuality, exploring her feelings for women and open herself up to a side of her that had always been dormant out of fear.” She told her softly. “You can’t relate to that part because you’ve never had to do that.”

“I could’ve related it to being Supergirl! That was almost my coming out.” She said and then cringed when Alex just raised her eyebrow at her, giving her the chance to take it back before responding. “Okay, yes, it’s totally different, but still… I’m her best friend.”

“And she apparently did tell you about her friend.” Alex tried to reason. “She just needed time to realize how she felt and what she wanted.”

“Yes, but…”

“Kara, is everything okay?” she asked her, confused by her reaction. “Lena’s very happy and having fun with her friend… aren’t you happy for her?”

“I am! I promise I am happy she’s happy, but… she doesn’t open up to people easily, and all of a sudden, she was willing to date a random lady who hit on her in a bar? That’s so out of Lena’s character.”

“Well, how else is she going to meet someone?” Alex asked, trying to contain her knowing looks. She had always had some suspicions about her sister’s bond with Lena, and the conversation seemed to prove some of them. “Or is she supposed to stay single forever?”

“No, I mean… she met her in a bar, Alex.”

“So? She met you at work with Clark.”

“That’s different! We’re friends.”

“And you became friends because she met you at work with Clark.” She insisted. “Kara, you know you can talk to me about anything, right? Anything and everything.” She said with a knowing look, making her squirm a little and look down at her glass.

“I know.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Me? Of what?” she chuckled, that same fake laugh that Alex knew was one of the signs Kara was uncomfortable with the subject.

“Of Lena having someone in her life…”

“Oh come on! I’d never be jealous of Lena having someone! She deserves the world; she’s suffered enough and-”

“I meant you being jealous of her having someone else in her life, someone who isn’t you.” She said with a pointed look.

“You’re being funny.” She said with an awkward face that told Alex she was accurate in her observations, but Kara was evidently unaware or not willing to talk about it yet.

“I am not, I’m just asking you a question.”

“Why would I be jealous of that? I’m Lena’s best friend.”

“Maybe you like her as a little more than a friend.” She suggested, sipping her drink.

“Alex, she’s my best friend.”

“So? James was also your best friend.”

“No, he was a close friend. There’s a difference.”

“Kara, it’s okay if you like her, okay? You can like Lena.”

“I do like her; I wouldn’t be friends with her if I didn’t.” she said with a dumb face that made Alex roll her eyes.

“Okay, okay. Whatever you say.” She sighed, realizing that Kara wouldn’t give in. “Then tell me why are you so bothered by Lena dating a woman.”

“I’m not bothered by her dating a woman!”

“Then why are you so bothered?”

“Because she doesn’t know this Sadie girl.”

“She’s getting to know her. That’s the point of dating, going out and connecting with someone.” She said amused by Kara’s frown. “It’s not like she’s gonna marry her or anything.”

“You think- you think Lena likes her that much?” she asked quietly.

“Kara, they met like a month ago. They’re getting to know each other, and to be honest I think Lena’s having fun discovering this other side of her.” She shrugged. “I think someone like Sadie could be good for her.”

“Someone like Sadie?”

“A normal person, just a regular random person working a regular job.” She said and Kara frowned even more. “Someone who isn’t interested in her millions, who just keeps her in contact with that normal side of life… someone not afraid of taking her to a fast-food place, who takes her out for a walk around the city… you know, someone who loves her for who she is and not her last name and bank account.”

“Lena needs to be careful.” Kara insisted, ignoring the description Alex gave her, knowing that it basically was her description. “Do you think we could ask Brainy to check into Sadie’s-”

“We are not using government resources to run a background check on Lena’s girlfriend.”

“Fine, I’ll do it at work.” She sighed, leaving the glass on the coffee table. “See you tomorrow.” She said and hurried out of the apartment-

“Someone’s moody.” Alex chuckled.

~~

“Miss Luthor, someone’s here for you… Miss Sadie McCarthy.” Lena’s assistant said through the intercom.

“Let her in, please.” She smiled, reading the last paragraph of the email she was about to send and then looked up right as Sadie entered her office.

“Whoa, this is fancy.” She chuckled. “I kind of didn’t process the whole rich CEO thing until now.” She joked, watching how Lena walked to her with a sly smile.

“Surely the army of bodyguards must’ve given it away.” She joked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow.

“I didn’t even notice them! I guess your name on the building should’ve made it obvious, though.” she chuckled, dropping her bag on the empty chair in front of the neat white desk. “Is it okay if I kiss you here, Miss big shot CEO?”

“I believe it is.” She smiled, allowing Sadie to step closer and cup her face before kissing her slowly, almost being the sexiest kiss Lena had experienced.

“Hope this lipstick doesn’t stain or I’ll get some fun looks walking out of here.” She joked, kissing her for a second longer.

“You’ll be seen as a hero for making out with the big boss.” Lena joked. “How was your flight?” she asked, walking to pour them some drinks.

“No crying babies, which is always a win.” She smiled, sitting nonchalantly on the white leather couch. “I had time to finish my article, though. I love long flights because I can work without interruptions or excuses.”

“What did your editor say about it?” Lena asked, sitting next to her.

“He absolutely hated it and asked me to make some corrections.” She laughed. “But that’s how we roll, you know? Sometimes he’ll call and read my article back to me, tells me he absolutely hates it and then it’ll be on the front.”

“If I’ve learned something is to never judge the way reporters work.” She chuckled.

“Of course, you’d say that. Didn’t you own a media empire or something?”

“For a short while, yeah.” She smiled. “It was fun, but not at all what I should’ve been doing… I love science too much, and that took a lot of time I could’ve spent in my lab.”

“Would I ever get access to that lab?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Not even off the record?”

“I keep some highly confidential experiments and prototypes in there, so… sorry, Miss McCarthy.”

“Has your best friend and notorious reporter Kara Danvers seen this lab?” she asked with a smirk.

“She hasn’t… for the same reason.” She chuckled. “Now that you mention Kara… would you be fine with us having dinner with her while you’re here?”

“Uh, of course. I know you two are close.” She smiled.

“I know we’re casually dating and it isn’t anything serious, but-”

“Lena, you don’t have to overthink so much. We’re friends, and you want your friends to meet. That’s fine.” She smiled, her hand on Lena’s knee. “I can kiss you during dinner, or I can behave like friends who don’t see each other naked as soon as they’re alone… you pick.” She said playfully. “I can behave and be nothing but friendly, even if I’m dying to jump you half the time…”

“That’s not very friendly.” She smirked, feeling how her fingers sneaked an inch below the hem of her tight dress, gently scratching her thigh in a teasing manner.

“I actually think this is overly friendly… the way I’m picturing you in that lingerie set you made a show of this morning, though? The same one I know you’re wearing under this very same dress? That’s definitely not friendly.” She offered with a smirk, leaning forward to kiss her slowly for a moment, holding Lena close. “Is that- is that Supergirl?” Sadie asked, breaking the kiss when she felt like they were being watched and staring at the floating person outside Lena’s office.

“What? Oh, yes… she- I told you we work together sometimes. Just give me a minute to see what’s going on.” She said and wiped her lips with her thumb in a hurry, walking out to the balcony. “Supergirl… what a surprise.” She chuckled, almost nervously.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

“That’s Sadie.” Lena said softly and with a small smile.

“I- I figured.” She blushed, looking down and clearing her throat when realization hit Lena.

“Oh, you didn’t hear-”

“It’s fine.” She shook her head. “I just came to ask you if you could stop by the DEO tomorrow morning… Brainy needs some help with the device you two created-”

“I’ll be there at 10.” Lena nodded.

“Alright… thank you.”

“Kara… are you okay?” Lena asked in a whisper.

“Yup.” She nodded with a fake smile. “I’ll leave you two.” She said and took off flying before Lena could think of anything else to say.

“That was awesome.” Sadie chuckled, coming to join Lena in the balcony when she saw her flying away, a blue blur in the sky. “I’ve never been into superheroes but that’s pretty badass that you have Supergirl coming to your office.” She hugged Lena, pulling her close.

“Well, you’d be swooped off your feet then if I told you she’s been to my apartment too.” She smirked, leaning up to kiss Sadie again. “Let’s get out of here.” She whispered and Sadie playfully stepped back and made a funny reverence, pointing to the door.

“After you, my queen.”

Chapter Text

“Alex!” Lena smiled, walking to her friend in a hurry after a busy morning at the DEO.

“Hey! I’m sorry I didn’t go see you earlier, it’s been a day.” She chuckled. “Brainy texted me that you’re done with the device.”

“Yes, we tested it and you should be able to safely use it on the field.” She nodded.

“Awesome. Thank you again for your help, Lena… I know you’re incredibly busy with LCorp and the foundations, but you never say no to help.”

“I care, and I will always be here if you need me.” She smiled.

“You know, we have a 12 level intellect Coluan on the team, but I’m pretty sure you might be up there on his level because you deal with everything, and then with his ass too.” She joked, making Lena laugh.

“I’m probably a solid three, though. I’ll take it.” She joked back. “Listen, I just… I wanted to ask you if you’d want to come over for dinner tonight… Sadie’s in town and I’d love it if you and Kara could meet her.”

“Oh, I’d love to!” she smiled. “Have you told Kara yet?”

“I haven’t… she stopped by LCorp yesterday and she seemed a bit distraught, so I didn’t think about asking her then.”

“Oh, well… I could ask her if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m thinking about going to CatCo and asking her myself… she’s been acting weird lately, and I want to clear the air.” She said with a little worried frown. “I feel like she’s been keeping her distance from me, and… I don’t know. It may be nothing, but I’m just not used to getting the cold shoulder from her, you know?”

“Oh, well… I’m sure she’s just under a lot of stress lately. You don’t know how she is when she’s dealing with the weight of Cat Grant’s expectations.” She chuckled.

“I can see it now, but I just want to make sure she’s okay with everything and in general, you know? We haven’t been hanging out much since I came back from Metropolis and I just… worry. I don’t know if I did something to upset her and-”

“Talk to her and I’m sure everything will be okay.” Alex said, biting her tongue to not tell her about her suspicions. “Uh… looks like I have to go now, but text me if we need to bring something for dinner.”

~~

“Lena! What are you doing here?” Kara smiled widely. She was walking back to her desk after a meeting and noticed her best friend standing by the window.

“Hey you!” she smiled back, giving her a tight hug. “I’m sorry to drop on you like this… I was wondering if we could have lunch together.”

“Food and good company, always!” she chuckled, dropping her stuff on her desk. “Let’s go.”

They walked mostly in silence until they reached their usual café around the corner from CatCo, so they ordered and sat down on their usual booth away from the window. Lena tried to see if Kara acted differently, and was surprised to find her in her usual bubbly mood, which meant that what Alex said must’ve been true and she was just dealing with a lot of stress at work with Cat.

“Okay, so… I wanted to ask you something.” Lena started slowly after she finished her salad, a shy smile on her lips.

“Shoot.”

“Well, you saw that Sadie’s in town…” she said with a sly smile which made Kara remember what she saw the day before: someone kissing Lena in her office. “And I was wondering if maybe you’d want to come over for dinner tonight.” She said with certain anxiousness that made Kara feel a bit guilty for ghosting her. “I’d really like you to meet her, I think you two would get along pretty well.”

“Oh… tonight?” Kara asked, thinking of an excuse.

“Yes, tonight at 7… I think you should be done with work by then, and Alex didn’t mention any work for the DEO so I think you’re clear.” She added with hopeful eyes.

“You asked Alex?”

“I want you both there. I saw Alex earlier today and asked her first.” She smiled shyly, sensing the same discomfort from Kara. "I talked to her about my journey so I thought it would be fun if she's there to meet Sadie too."

“I… I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it, Lena.” She said softly, unable to look her in the eyes. “I have to finish a story, and Miss Grant asked me to review parts of her upcoming book, so…”

“Oh… that’s… a shame. Maybe we could then have dinner tomorrow? just the three of us.”

“I’ll check and let you know, okay? I’m sorry… I just have a lot on my plate right now and-”

“It’s okay, Kara! I totally understand that you’re busy.” She said with a slightly disappointed tone in her voice that actually made Kara’s heart shrink with guilt. “You’ll meet her some other time.”

“Yeah, totally… please excuse me with her.” She said and Lena nodded.

“No problem… I’ll just tell her you’re following a story and she’ll understand.” She chuckled, even though Kara noticed the disappointment in both her eyes and voice.

“A reporter knows what a reporter goes through.” Kara shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.

~~

“There you are!” Lena smiled, letting Alex and Kelly into her apartment.

“We brought dessert!” Kelly smiled, holding up a tote bag with ice cream. “We didn’t know what Sadie likes, so we picked some fun flavors.”

“She loves every flavor under the sun.” Sadie chuckled, coming out of Lena’s room dressed in her best Sadie fashion: a white t-shirt, a vest and a pair of black jeans with her old Chucks. she almost looked out of place in Lena's penthouse, but at the same time she seemed so comfortable there that she simply fit in with the expensive furniture and decor.

“Alex, Kelly… this is my friend Sadie.” Lena introduced her proudly.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Kelly smiled, shaking her hand. “I’m Kelly Olsen.”

“And I’m Alex Danvers.”

“Oh, Danvers as in related to Kara?” Sadie asked looking at Lena and then back at Alex.

“Her sister.” Alex smiled. “By the way, I thought she’d be here already.” She frowned, looking at Lena.

“Kara isn’t coming. She’s stuck at work finishing a story and helping check something for Cat’s new book.” Lena said and both Kelly and Alex shared a quick look.

“Oh, well… her loss.” Alex said and walked into the kitchen. “I didn’t know you could cook, Lena.” She chuckled, impressed by what she saw was prepared for the evening.

“I can’t.” she laughed. “The chef prepared this for us, all I did was check the oven.”

“And I was the one who actually checked the oven.” Sadie laughed, pouring glasses of wine for everyone.

~~

“Sadie’s nice.” Alex told Kelly while they walked home after dinner. “I really liked her. She’s so much fun… kind of reminded me of Kara’s sense of humor, don’t you think?”

“Is that a serious question?” Kelly asked, slightly amused.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

“Notice what? I don’t think I’m following you.” She frowned.

“Lena’s basically dating Kara in a different font.” She said jokingly, referring to the multiple memes they’ve seen online.

“No, what are you talking about.”

“You had to notice how similar they are… to be honest I was surprised.”

“But, what do you mean? How is she like Kara?”

“She’s dorky, likes to sing, she’s passionate about politics, loves food and eats for three people… she’s a reporter too and takes her job super seriously.” She said with a pointed look. “And physically they’re very similar: she’s tall, fit and has a very similar haircut, she has blue eyes too… honestly, if she had been blonde and Kara was human then I would've thought they were twins.”

“Holy shit.” Alex gasped, stopping dead in her tracks as realization hit her. “She’s really Kara in human version.”

“It’s kind of funny. I didn’t know Lena liked Kara that way…”

“Oh, come on.” Alex chuckled. “Now’s my turn to ask you if you’re being serious.”

“Why?”

“Those two have… some kind of vibe going on.”

“I thought that’s just how they are with friends.”

“Kara isn’t like that with Nia, and Lena isn’t like that with Andrea, or you.” Alex said and Kelly listened intently.

“That’s a good point… Kara’s always been a bit over the top when it comes to her, but I never read it as romantic pining.”

“Well… I think that’s because we all thought Lena was a typical straight woman and also because Kara didn’t really fully grasp her feelings until now.”

“What do you mean?”

“She came to the apartment the other day all pissy because I didn’t tell her Lena was seeing someone.”

“Was she that mad when Lena was with James?”

“No, but that’s a different kind of situation.” She shook her head. “Kara was mad because she didn’t know Lena was seeing a woman. She was pissed because Lena didn’t tell her first.”

“I assumed she came to you since you had a similar journey discovering your sexuality as an adult.”

“She did, and that’s what I told Kara but she literally stormed out of the apartment.” She chuckled. “I told her that this thing with Sadie is for the fun vibes, that it’s nothing serious- which is what Lena has told her too and even what she did today introducing her as her friend… she wanted Brainy to run a background check on her.”

“Okay, that’s-”

“That’s gay behavior.” She chuckled. “I asked her if she was jealous but she blew me off… either she doesn’t realize her feelings, or is in denial.”

Chapter Text

“Alex… what are you doing here?” Kara asked the next morning, she was getting ready for work and didn’t expect her sister to be there so early.

“I came to see how you’re doing with the article and the extra work Cat gave you.” She said casually, walking into the loft and leaving a bag with bagels and the two coffees on the table.

“What work?” she frowned confused.

“The work you told Lena you had to finish last night.”

“Oh…” she blushed, grabbing the coffee and taking a long gulp.

“Why are you avoiding Lena?”

“I’m not! We had lunch just yesterday.” She frowned, grabbing a bagel and taking a big bite out of it.

“Why didn’t you come to dinner, then?”

“Because I was busy.” She lied, her weak attempt making Alex roll her eyes.

“Kelly and I went; we met Sadie.” She told her, watching how Kara tensed up as soon as she mentioned her name. “She’s fun, and very smart. You two would get along so well.” She chuckled, deciding to keep to herself how similar they were. “She seems to get Lena and she makes her smile. They get along so well! She was- totally not what I expect her to be, if I’m honest. She has a particular sense of style and fashion but Lena is enchanted by her- can’t blame her. I think even Kelly was kind of taken by her and-”

“She sounds wonderful indeed.” Kara interrupted her, a fake smile on her face.

“Lena seemed a little sad when she told us you wouldn’t come.”

“I apologized to Lena and asked her to-”

“Kara, do you- listen, I’m just gonna ask you… do you like her? As more than a friend, I mean.”

“I don’t! Stop asking me that-” she mumbled, flustered and upset. “Get that idea out of your mind! Lena’s my best friend, nothing but my best friend!” she blushed deeply, chuckling to hide her nervousness.

“Okay…” she said and then sipped her coffee. “But whatever awkwardness that’s happening- you need to figure it out. Lena feels like you’re purposely avoiding her, and she’s worried it’s because of her being with a woman, which is kind of shitty and unfair.”

“How could you know that?”

“We talked, Kara. That’s what friends do.” She said with a stern look. “She’s discovering a journey that can be pretty fucking scary, and she wanted her best friend to meet someone important to her at the moment, but you keep making up excuses that are lame and truly make shit worse… Lena is a literal genius, Kara… she knows something’s not right. She’s also supposedly your best friend, and you’re actively ignoring her and she feels bad…” She shrugged. “I’m just saying that if there’s a background issue here, you should talk to her and be honest about it. Don’t hide shit from Lena that will blow up on your face and ruing things again.”

“Everything’s right, I’m just too busy with work.”

“That excuse will work exactly one time, and you already used it last night, so… if a billionaire and CEO of a few corporations can make time for dinner with friends, then we all can have the same courtesy.”

~~

“Kara’s here!” Nia smiled from the couch at J’onn’s office.

“Hey, I’m sorry I was stuck at work.” Kara chuckled, leaving the bottle of wine she brought on the table, shrugging off her coat and leaving it and her bag on the rack by the door. “What did I miss?”

“We’ll wait for Lena before splitting into teams.” J’onn said with an amused face, noticing that Kara was already plotting a strategy with Alex. “We’re switching up the teams.” J’onn said.

“Again?” Kara whined. “I’m with Brainy.”

“Hey!” Nia and Alex chuckled.

“I think we should make the same teams Brainy proposed last time. I liked the fun simulation he ran.”

“It was a mess!” Kara whined. “You only want that because you teamed up with him! And Alex and Lena won and were insufferable.”

“We did make a good Game Night team, I have to say.” Brainy smiled proudly. “It would be an honor to try and conquer a win by your side, J’onn J’onzz, even if defeating Alex and Lena felt harder than it should’ve been based on my calculations. I must’ve underestimated something.” He said looking at Alex.

“Hey, I’m not stupid.” She laughed. “I have the pop culture for Lena’s academics and artistic skills.” She said proudly.

“Lena’s here too! Oh, she brought her friend!” Nia announced again, looking up at the door with a smile. Alex discreetly looked at Kara and saw her smile and then tense up when she looked at the door and saw Lena and Sadie walking in holding hands.

“Hey! Glad you two made it!” Kelly smiled, going to greet them with a quick hug.

“I’ve heard some amazing things about game night, and I’m ready to go all in in Pictionary.” Sadie joked. “Although I have to say my abilities on Trivia are pretty great.” She said charmingly.

“Guys, this is my friend Sadie.” Lena said simply to the rest of the group, a smile on her lips. “She’s a sore loser, but she’s a fun drunk.” She joked, going to pour herself a glass of wine.

“I won’t even deny it.” Sadie chuckled. “She promised booze and snacks, and a competitive group.”

“Well, there’s definitely fierce competition here so you’re gonna have fun.” Alex joked. “This is Nia, Brainy, J’onn…” she pointed at them, allowing them to wave and say hi to her. “And this one here is Kara!” she said with a giant smile on her face, noticing how uncomfortable Kara looked.

“Oh, the famous Kara! It’s nice to finally meet you. Lena’s told me so much about you.” She smiled at her, genuine admiration in her eyes. “I also followed some of your articles last year about the Alien Amnesty Act… I really love the way you put so much emotion into your work and still manage to make it professional and neutral… that’s a talent I wish I had- and my editor wishes I had it even more.” She finished with a joke, hoping to see the charismatic best friend Lena couldn’t stop talking about.

“Thank you.” Kara smiled almost awkwardly. “It’s great to have another fellow reporter here.” She said and Alex looked down to hide her amusement while Nia and Brainy shared a look with J’onn, unable to understand why Kara was acting so cold with Sadie.

“Okay, enough of that. Let’s play.” J’onn said with a fun smile, trying to defuse the tension that threatened to settle between the guest and Kara. “Pour yourself something to drink, Sadie. Things are about to get brutal in here!” he joked with his usual seriousness, making Sadie look back at Lena, who was amused and handed her a glass of wine.

“He’s not joking, darling.” She said with a playful smile and went to sit next to Nia, away from her usual seat by Kara, who seemed to flinch when she heard the pet name.

“We’ve switched the teams, Lena… we based it on Brainy’s simulation from the other day: Kara and Kelly, Alex and you, Brainy and me, and I think Nia can team up with Sadie since last time she was with Kara and Kelly.”

“Reporter team!” Nia smiled, high fiving Sadie while she took a gulp of her wine.

“Oh this will be fun.” Alex said giggling like a little girl about to get in trouble. “Get here, Luthor. Let’s show these losers how it’s done… again.” She smirked, making Lena laugh and switch places with Kelly, who moved to sit next to Kara while the others groaned and hoped they didn’t win again.

The rest of the night was incredibly fun for everyone including Sadie, who fit in with the group with so much ease that even she was surprised. She had very good chemistry with Nia, and enjoyed messing with Brainy in a playful way that made him wonder if that’s what having an older sibling felt like.

Lena was happy to see her friend fitting in so well, and was very thankful for the way her friends took her as one of them. She was, however, slightly hurt by the way Kara had been behaving that night, almost as if she was ignoring her and being almost fake in the way she talked to Sadie, which was surprising since she was usually so friendly and warm with everyone.

By the time they had to leave, Sadie had exchanged numbers with Nia and promised to take her around New York the next time she went there, and was making plans to go for drinks with Alex before she left the next week. Lena noticed that Kara was keeping her distance by forcing a conversation with J’onn, who seemed utterly confused by her behavior and insistence on the topic.

“Hey.” Lena said, approaching them with a smile.

“Hey you.” Kara said softly, tense and almost nervous.

“Can we talk?” she asked and J’onn immediately took it as his cue to leave them, leaving an anxious Kara fidgeting with her glass.

“Sure, what’s up?” she asked, walking to pour herself another glass of wine.

“I don’t know, you’ve been… you’re acting weird.” Lena said softly. “Is everything okay between us?”

“Yeah, for sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” she scoffed, a fake reassuring smile on her lips.

“I hope you don’t mind I brought her tonight.” Lena said shyly, almost scared that she had pushed things too far. “Alex and Kelly suggested we came tonight so she could meet the whole group… I Should’ve checked with you first-”

“Not at all.” She shook her head. “She’s friends with you and she’s welcome here… always.” She said reassuringly now, looking up over her shoulder and finding Alex’s stern look on her.

“Figure it out. Be nice.” She mouthed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to dinner… Alex said it was a great time.” She said shaking her head, feeling bad by how anxious Lena seemed to be.

“It was great… I missed you, though.” Lena insisted with a sad smile.  

“Lena, Frank’s here.” Sadie said softly, approaching them.

“It was nice seeing you.” Lena smiled at Kara, who swallowed hard and looked up at Sadie.

“Do you guys have plans for tomorrow? Maybe you could come over to my apartment for dinner or lunch… I’m sure I can escape Cat for an afternoon.” She proposed so suddenly she didn’t even have time to overthink it, making Lena’s face brighten up.

“I have a meeting with a source at lunch, but dinner sounds fine.” Sadie smiled, surprised by the invitation and the fact that Kara was even talking more than a single word to her after an awkward evening.

“Well then… dinner for three coming up.” Kara smiled back. “Any allergies?”

“None at all… but you don’t have to cook anything fancy. We can just order takeout.” Sadie proposed, knowing from Lena that Kara loved takeout.

“That sounds even better.” Lena chipped in. “We’ll bring the wine and dessert; you get enough fried rice for the two of you.”

“Deal.” Kara chuckled, leaning in to give Lena a brief but tight hug meant to reassure her that everything was fine. “See you tomorrow, then.” She smiled turning to Sadie, who was offering her hand to shake. “Uh, none of that. Come here.” She chuckled and pulled her in for a quick hug.

“That was like watching an alternative reality of Kara hugging herself.” Alex joked quietly to Kelly, who giggled watching the scene unfold.

Chapter Text

“You guys made it!” Kara smiled widely with a bit more fake enthusiasm than needed.

“And we brought donuts.” Sadie smiled, showing off the box. “And this one brought some wine…. I don’t know which one is more exciting.” She joked, making Kara laugh.

As much as she wanted to dislike her, she had to recognize Sadie was charismatic and funny, and they did have a lot in common.

“You just wait to see the absolute feast I have.” Kara joked back, pointing to the table where there was an unnecessarily high amount of takeout food containers.

“Oh, I knew I liked you for a reason!” Sadie joked, going for a high five that made them all laugh.

They sat down and started eating, with Lena chatting with Kara about a subject she knew Sadie could take part on if she liked to join, which made their conversation flow surprisingly well, smoothly. Lena was almost beaming with pride to see her best friend and Sadie getting along so well, the chemistry she was sure they’d have present and real.

“It was too crazy, but Lena wanted to do it!” Kara joked, referring to a story she had just told Sadie about them going incognito to a concert.

“Really babe? I can’t picture you in glasses and a wig!” Sadie said and Lena laughed, but Kara had to look down to hide the way her smile vanished from her face when she heard the nickname.

“I actually wore a beanie, glasses and an oversized sweater, which was basically me being a hipster… Kara wore a darker wig and contacts.” Lena told her. “We looked ridiculous.”

“It was hilarious though.” Kara said, downing what was left of her wine. “No one would’ve expected the Lena Luthor to be chilling in third row at a Maroon 5 concert.”

“Well, neither did I!” Sadie laughed, picturing Lena at the event. “Did you guys not take any pictures?”

“We obviously did.” Kara chuckled.

“Don’t you dare.” Lena said with a glare when she saw her reaching for her phone.

“Just one.” She giggled, scrolling down her camera roll and feeling a pang of jealousy when she saw all the photos of her and Lena. Her and Lena alone.

“I’m sorry babe, but I need to see it to just process it in my mind.” Sadie said and Kara almost smashed her phone’s screen when she heard it again. Babe.

“Here.” She said and handed over her phone to Sadie, who burst out laughing loudly when she saw the two of them sitting on Lena’s couch at her office in full costume for the concert.

“I hate you.” Lena said playfully, reaching for the phone and laughing loudly when she saw the photo. “This is so much worse than I remembered.” She cringed.

“At least you had fun.” Kara shrugged, trying to contain her laughter when she showed Sadie another photo, this time of Lena screaming her favorite song at the concert.

They finished dessert and moved to the couch, talking some more about Sadie’s experiences on the road during political campaigns, how she’s felt interviewing some prominent figures and then just about her life in New York. Kara noticed how Sadie tried to keep her engaged while telling a story, but she had to use every ounce of strength to look away from Lena, who had a hand on Sadie’s lap while she talked.

“You should come over to check out the Sentinel. I know you guys have top tier tech at CatCo, but there’s nothing like the good old classic newspaper environment that stinks of cigarettes from the 80s and black coffee.” Sadie said with a proud smile. “Those desks have been there for years, and have seen so much shit happening… they’re history makers in their own way.”

“Cat would kill Kara if she dared to leave.” Lena said with a proud smile.

“She can deal without her for a few days.” Sadie insisted. “What do you say, Kara? A quick visit to New York in the books? Or maybe you could pull some strings and get yourself a seat on the bus for the senator’s campaign.” she wagged her brows. "You would have so much fun with the other girls!"

“I don’t know how I could deal with so much travel, but a trip to New York sounds great. I can’t say no to that!” she smiled, hoping that it was nothing more than a drunken offering from Sadie. Right before she could try to move on from the conversation she got a call from Alex, asking her to go to the DEO for help, so she had to look at Lena for help.

“We should get back… Kara has an early start tomorrow.” She told Sadie, getting on her feet and watching her stretch like a cat, her silly vintage red Coca Cola shirt lifting a little to reveal her abs. “Thank you for dinner… I really enjoyed tonight.” Lena smiled, giving Kara a tight hug.

“Same… maybe we can hang out again before you leave.” She told Sadie, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Definitely.” She nodded. “I have to go to San Francisco tomorrow and them I’m going to Seattle for a debate, but when I come back, I’ll officially be on vacation for a whole week.”

“I’ll show you around town… and I’ll take you to my favorite coffee place.” Kara smiled, giving her a quick hug and walking them to the door. She took a deep breath after closing the door and then took off flying straight to the DEO.

“How was dinner with those two?” Alex asked with a knowing look after they dealt with the situation.

“Sadie’s nice.” She smiled awkwardly. “She makes Lena smile.”

“She does… I liked her.” Alex said honestly, deciding to not walk on eggshells for once. “They obviously have lots of chemistry and get along so well… Lena trusts her enough to have her staying at with her.” She shrugged, noticing how Kara tensed up, her jaw about to snap. “I’m glad she found Sadie.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you not happy for her?” she tried.

“Of course I am.” She scoffed. “Lena deserves to be happy.”

“Well, Sadie seems to have a certain ease to make her smile for sure.” Alex said trying to gauge her reaction.

“Are you talking about Lena and Sadie? I know they’re just friends but they make a great couple! And they get each other, and are nerds.” Nia said, joining them out in the balcony of the DEO. “I really like how Lena lets loose with her… kind of reminds me of how she is with Kara, but I guess Sadie has that other factor as well.” She said with a knowing look and a cheeky grin.

“I agree. I like how she seems to be herself and just- she seems relaxed. It’s like having good sex for once has her glowing-”

“Someone needs help.” Kara said suddenly, flying away and leaving them both looking dumbfounded.

“She’s totally jealous.” Nia said playfully as soon as Kara took off.

“You noticed it too?”

“I think everyone did… I had some suspicions because she had been avoiding Lena, but at game night it was painfully obvious.” She chuckled. “Even Brainy told me Kara seemed distraught whenever Sadie talked to Lena… if he noticed, then there was no real attempt at hiding.”

“Has she said anything to you about it? I’ve been trying to get her to open up but-”

“Nope, nothing at all. She acts like everything’s perfect and normal… but let me tell you, that woman has never worked so hard in her life as she has been this past week, and all to avoid Lena.”

“Really?”

“Yes! She has been helping everyone with their articles, volunteered to help some guys with the investigations and has been writing a series of short articles about some nonsense even Cat was confused about.” She chuckled. “She’s practically living at the office.”

“Do you think she needs an intervention?” Alex asked seriously.

“To be honest… I think this is something she needs to deal with by herself.” Nia said with a smile. “This is Lena we’re talking about, and she’s always been a sensitive topic for her.”

“That’s true.” She chuckled. “Do you think they could end up together?”

“Before Sadie I would’ve said no way, but now… I’m 70/30. Lena’s basically dating Kara in a different body, and Kara’s jealous out of her mind… no way they don’t figure it out.”

“I’m 60/40 depending on if they both get their shit together.” Alex chuckled, noticing how Nia said almost the same thing Kelly mentioned before.

~~

“Knock, knock!”

“Hey! You’re here-It’s been such a long time, I thought you forgot about me.” Lena said jokingly when she saw Kara walking into her office a couple days later.

“I thought you’d be busy with the whole acquisition of the pharmaceutical company you mentioned the other day... can’t interrupt the genius at work.” She lied.

“Oh, well it has been crazy.” Lena chuckled, moving to sit on the couch next to Kara, like they always did and something she missed so much, even if she wasn’t gonna say it out loud. “I’ve been basically living here for the past couple of days.”

“I figured you’d say that.” She said pointing to the bag she left on the coffee table. “Sushi… from your favorite place.”

“Oh, my savior.” Lena smiled brightly. “How have you been?” she asked while she opened one of the containers and found her favorite rolls.

“Busy too… Miss Grant is losing it with the editorial because they keep asking her for more juicy details about her relationship with Supergirl.” She chuckled. “She joked that they wouldn’t be asking for more details if they knew who was proof reading her.”

“That’s true.” Lena smiled. “It’s been amazing how you have managed to adapt to both your new job and to being Supergirl, and that’s with Cat knowing who you are.”

“Well, I’ve had to-”

“Surprise!” a very happy Sadie said as she walked into Lena’s office holding a bag of food.

“Hey, I thought you got back tomorrow!” Lena smiled.

“My editor sent stupid Dale to Seattle instead of me, so I’m back today… I was bringing you food because I know you’ve probably been running on fumes, but Miss Danvers here took one for the team.” She said smiling at Kara, leaving the bag of food she brought on the coffee table.

“What did I do to deserve you two.” Lena asked softly, a grateful smile on her lips.

“You do know you’re pretty fucking amazing, right?” Sadie said, sitting nonchalantly next to her.

“Co-signed.” Kara smiled, noticing how Sadie wrapped Lena in a side hug while she ate, and Lena relaxed into her side after Sadie pressed a soft kiss to her hair while her hand gently caressed Lena’s arm. “I should get back. I have an article to finish.” She said almost awkwardly, getting on her feet. “I’ll see you guys around.”

“Oh no, come on, stay! I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch date.” Sadie said apologetically. “I know Lena looks forward to them and- fuck, I’m sorry! I should’ve called.” She mumbled.

“Hey no, it’s fine! I just stopped by to bring Lena some food, it’s not- it’s got nothing to do with you.” Kara replied, feeling guilty. “I really have to get back.”

“Come on, stay.” Sadie asked.

“You guys brought enough food for an army… you have to help.” Lena offered, pleading green eyes staring into blue ones.

“I-I’d love to, but I really have to get back.” Kara said and turned to leave after a short wave and an apologetic look.

“I fucked up, didn’t I?” Sadie sighed, knowing how much Lena missed Kara even if she didn’t say a word.

“You didn’t. She’s just too busy with work and probably remembered something she had to do.” Lena said, trying to make Sadie feel better, but also trying to think of a reason why Kara would want to run away from her like that.

Chapter Text

Kara practically ran out of there and got into the usual back alley to change into her super suit to fly up into the sky, feeling a weight on her chest that was making it hard for her to breathe. She started seeing blurry and realized that tears were making an unsolicited appearance, streaming down her face while she simply stayed still up in the air overlooking National City, so far up someone would have to be looking for her to notice her.

“What is wrong with me?” she asked herself, her voice shaky and weak.

She was up in the open air but she felt trapped, like the world was spinning so fast she had to stop and close her eyes to catch her breath. She sobbed loudly, knowing that no one could hear her up there and taking the opportunity to let her exhausted feelings blow the carefully laid lid she kept over them.

She could see LCorp’s tall building from where she was, and her heart shrank thinking of Lena and Sadie being there alone, sharing a cozy embrace and maybe even kissing while sharing Lena’s favorite sushi rolls. She took a shaky deep breath and tried to calm down, closing her eyes to calm her racing thoughts but failing when she kept picturing Lena and Sadie together.

Sadie’s arms around her.

Lena melting into her.

Lena smiling when Sadie kissed her.

The way Lena had been sitting on the couch during game night and Sadie sat on the floor in front of her, allowing Lena to play with her hair throughout the night.

Them waking up together on Lena’s cozy bed.

Lena laying next to her, the morning sun on her back.

Lena.

“She’s my best friend.” She said to herself, fresh tears running down her face, her lip quivering like a child’s. “Why am I jealous of her?” she mumbled, feeling distraught. After a long moment of contemplation, she wiped her tears and flew to Alex’s apartment since it was her day off, so she knew she’d be home alone.

“Kara, hey… are you-”

“Can I stay here for a while?” she asked in a soft voice, looking down as not to worry her big sister.

“Of course.” Alex said simply, letting her in. She watched her go sit down on the couch, her shoulders making it clear that she was feeling defeated, and her tear-stained cheeks giving it away that it hadn’t been a good day for her. “Do you want something to drink?” she asked and Kara shook her head, taking off her shoes and bringing her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them like a scared child. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.” She nodded, sitting next to her and leaning close to Kara, resting her head on her shoulder. They stayed like that for hours, with Kara occasionally moving to wipe her tears, sniffling or shaking her head.

“Kelly’s coming up.” Kara said in a hoarse voice, sitting up and then leaving the couch. She felt her legs numb from being still for so long, but she didn’t want to face Kelly and explain what was happening, even if she knew she wouldn’t ask or judge her, so she had to get out of there soon.

“Stay for dinner.” Alex offered. “We’ll order takeout and-”

“No, I have to go home.” She shook her head.

“Kara, stay for dinner… we’ll watch a movie, we don’t have to talk, okay?” she said with a worried frown, walking to her and hugging her tightly. “You can stay here in silence for as long as you need to… I’ll be there when you want to talk.” She kissed her hair and Kara took a step back, a fake smile on her face.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She said simply, swallowing hard and keeping her tears at bay in her sad blue eyes.

“Sure.” Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re just heartbroken because-”

“I’m not heartbroken.” She scoffed and laughed, that fake reaction that told Alex just how right she was.

“Kara-”

“I have to go.” She said and as soon as she put her hand on the doorknob Kelly pushed it open.

“Oh, hi! Kara, I didn’t know you were here.” She smiled widely. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“No, I’m just leaving.” She said softly and brushed past her.

“What was that?” Kelly asked, surprised by the way she walked away. “Was she crying?”

“It has been a very weird day.” Alex nodded, sitting back on the couch. “We sat here all afternoon, not a word was spoken.” She said and sighed. “I think… I think she saw Lena for lunch today.”

“Isn’t that usually the way to cheer her up?”

“I would assume she could be there with-”

“Oh… with Sadie.”

“Yeah.”

“Should we talk to Lena?”

“No way. No. Kara would- she’d just kick my ass into outer space.”

“Wait, you said she was here all afternoon and she didn’t talk?”

“Not a word. She sat here and didn’t move until she heard you coming up.” She explained. “I’m worried, but I don’t know what I should do.” She sighed again, closing her eyes and throwing her head back for a moment. “The one thing I know is that we can’t talk to Lena at all… besides, this isn’t Lena’s problem to solve. Kara’s the one realizing her feelings for her.”

“Well, then… I guess I’ll then suggest you go spend the night with Kara. She looked too distraught- I think I’ve only seen her like this when she had her fight with Lena and when she came from the Phantom Zone.”

“I offered her to stay over for dinner-”

“She needs her familiar surroundings. She needs to feel in control of something, because she’s realizing things now that are shaking her world to its very core… she’s realizing that the friendship she valued so much could be more than that, and that the person she considered her best friend means more to her than she thought… it’s all unfamiliar and scary.”

“I didn’t think about it that way… I think I know how to connect to her.” Alex smiled, walking to Kelly and giving her a firm peck. “I owe you a dinner date.”

“You’ll make up for it…. For now, go save Supergirl.” She winked and kissed her again before Alex went out.

Kara sat down in her dark apartment, shoulders slumped down and a sad frown that complimented the involuntary pout on her lips. She wasn’t crying anymore, all the tears she had in her were used in the afternoon and she didn’t have the energy to will her body into making more.

Her mind was too focused on everything and nothing at the same time, spinning in circles trying to find the moment when everything changed between her and Lena. She analyzed every single one of her interactions, remembering how she felt while she was with Lena, how she felt when she touched her or when they hugged.

She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn’t hear Alex’s first knock on the door, or the second. She only jumped in surprise when she heard Alex’s spare key on the door, pushing it open.

“Hey.” Alex said softly, dropping her keys on the table and turning on the lights. “I brought dinner.” She smiled, bringing the bags full of Kara’s favorite takeout. “And I brought an obscene amount of ice cream for us to share later.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know; now eat.” She smiled and handed Kara some food, making her smile.

They ate in silence, only interrupted when Alex talked about something Brainy said at work, or something she and Nia saw while patrolling the city. She noticed Kara was barely eating, but she knew she needed to prepare her and lighten the mood before she confronted her, but it was all interrupted by a phone call.

“Who’s calling in the middle of dinner? That’s disrespectful.” Alex joked, making Kara smile for a whole second before the smile vanished from her face as soon as she saw her phone. “Who is it?”

“No one.” She said and rejected the call.

“Really?” she asked surprised, raising her eyebrows when the phone rang once more and Kara rejected the call again. And then again. And again. “That’s a lot of tries for no one.” She said with some suspicion.

“It’s a telemarketer.” Kara lied, going to get some more wine.

“Well, these telemarketers sure are working hard.” Alex said with irony, grabbing her phone while it vibrated on her pocket. “Hey Lena.” She said with a knowing look to Kara, who turned around to see her with a guilty look on her face.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you… I’ve been trying to talk to Kara but she’s sending me straight to voicemail… I saw her earlier today and she seemed a bit distraught- have you talked to her?”

“I’m with her now.” She said and Kara gave her a dirty look.

“Oh, okay! I just wanted to check in on her.” Lena smiled onto the phone, but Alex caught the slight difference in her voice, sadness. “Tell her I’ll stop by CatCo tomorrow for lunch, if you don’t mind… I kind of owe her after Sadie crashed our lunch date today.” She said and Alex just smirked, her suspicion confirmed.

“I’ll let her know… thank you for checking on her.” She said sincerely, knowing that Lena cared so much for her sister that she’d take the chances calling Alex just to make sure she was okay.

“Always.” Lena smiled and they hung up.

“Sit down.” Alex told Kara, who looked at her with puppy eyes. “Sit down, now.” She said with a serious look on her face. She downed the rest of her wine and waited for Kara to sit on the couch before speaking again. “You’re in love with Lena.”

“I’m not! Where did you get that from?” she scoffed. “I’m not!”

“Kara, I’m not asking you- I’m telling you. You’re in love with Lena, and you’re jealous of her and Sadie’s relationship.”

“I’m not.” She said again, but Alex’s glare made her shut up.

“You are.” She insisted. “You are in love with her, and you’re scared because she’s your best friend. You’re scared because you don’t know what she feels, and you were caught off guard by Sadie showing up in Lena’s life.”

“Alex-”

“I’m not done.” She said and Kara closed her mouth. “Lena’s been through a lot of shit, and she’s experiencing a new stage in her life where she’s free for the very first time in her life. She isn’t living up to anyone’s expectations, she’s living for herself… Sadie is a fun part of that new life and she’s exciting, and new- but Sadie’s just Lena’s friend.”

“They’re not friends.” Kara scoffed bitterly, her jealousy taking over. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned angrily, remembering the comment Sadie made about being too friendly with Lena.

“She is! Lena has introduced her to us as her friend, she mentions her as her friend, and Sadie calls Lena her friend.”

“They’re not friends, Alex!”

“They are! If they weren’t then why wouldn’t Lena call her a girlfriend? No, she calls her a friend and still kisses her and holds hands with her, and yes they’re also having sex… lots of it, if they’re anything like me after my first time with a woman.” She chuckled, making Kara look at her with annoyance. “But Lena still introduces her as a friend because that’s what she is. They’re not in a relationship, Lena’s just… exploring a new side of her with a friend, someone she trusts enough to have fun with. She can have fun with Sadie the same way I had fun with Maggie.”

“So you’re comparing their supposed friendship to your ex fiancée?” Kara scoffed with a little more bitterness than she intended.

“Yes and no.” Alex sighed, trying to organize her thoughts. “Kara, you don’t know how scary giving that step of discovering your sexuality is… you don’t know how awkward it feels when you realize that you were- that this whole part of yourself was missing, that it was dormant…” she explained. “Maggie helped me get comfortable in my own skin again while I discovered myself, she held my hand through some scary moments, scared off the judgy people who stared at us when we went out on dates… Maggie helped me grow up and own my life again.” She said softly with a smile at the fond memories. “Sadie is doing that for Lena: she’s holding her hand through this discovery process, helping her get to know herself in a whole new way, helping her own her life and her body in a new way.”

“Alex-”

“Your culture back on Krypton was different to here, you were taught that anyone could be together, and it didn’t matter if it was two women or two guys… it isn’t weird for you to be attracted to a woman; the shock comes from that woman being your best friend.” She rationalized for Kara, who was frowning but didn’t seem to be about to interrupt her. “I’ve been in your position of being in love with a good friend and I know how scary it can be, but I also know that you need to use that fear to push you forward, not to hold you back.” She said gently, moving closer to Kara when she saw tears in her eyes again.

“I didn’t realize I felt this way until I saw her with her.” She whispered. “And I can’t even hate her because she’s funny, and cool… she makes Lena smile and she’s good to her. She’s actually so good and I like her, but…”

“But she’s not you.” Alex completed and Kara leaned heavily against her, resting her head on her shoulder.

“I love Lena.”

“I know.” She kissed the top of her head and wrapped her arms around Kara, making her feel safe while her walls crumbled down and she cried.

Chapter Text

“Coffee’s ready.” Alex told Kara the next morning. She woke up feeling tired and heavy, with puffy eyes since she had spent the night crying and stayed up until late, her body not being able to deal with the stress and hurt in her heart even with her Kryptonian DNA.

“Thank you.”

“Kara…”

“I’m fine, Alex.” She said softly, her walls down. She poured herself a cup of coffee, fixed it with milk and sugar, and sat down with her at the table. “I promise I’m fine.”

“You’re not, and that’s okay too.” She said while reaching for her hand.

“I have to be fine.”

“You don’t owe it to anyone to be okay, anyone. You only owe it to yourself.” She reassured her.

“I can’t be okay, Alex.” She sighed, her defeated stance taking her over again. “What if I lose her?” she whispered so softly Alex almost missed it.

“You won’t.” she shook her head. “Lena loves you, and you two are best friends. You’ve been through so much and-”

“She has Sadie.”

“Sadie’s her friend.”

“I’m her friend too, and I don’t get to… touch her.” She said and fresh tears burned in her eyes more than her heat vision.

“Kara, listen to me and do it very carefully, okay?” Alex said and squeezed her hands to get her attention. “Lena loves you. She loves you, and I’m almost fully sure that she feels the same way about you… she’s just as scared as you are, okay? Take your time to figure out your feelings and what you want, and then-”

“I need to get her out of my mind and heart. I can’t risk it.” She shook her head. “Besides, she doesn’t love me like this either.”

“I have to disagree.” Alex chuckled, biting her tongue not to tell her how similar her and Sadie were. “But that’s a decision you have to make… just could you please talk to Lena?”

“Talk to- what? No. she doesn’t have to know about this.” She shook her head. “Never.”

“Not to tell her your feelings- although that would be a great idea- but to let her know that you two are okay.” Alex said softly. “She’s… she knows something’s wrong and she knows you’re not okay. She’s confused, and you know better than anyone how sensitive Lena is to social interactions, Kara. She could get mad if she thinks you’re hiding something-”

“She’s not that childish.” Kara shook her head. “But I will talk to her… I just…” she sighed. “I don’t know if I can see her and Sadie together again.” She mumbled, her heart shrinking.

“Well… I know it’s hard, but it’s part of being friends.” Alex said empathically. “You don’t have to see them together every time, but-”

“I made plans to hang out with Sadie this week.”

“You did what?”

“It seemed like everything would be okay, I just… I need to control myself again.” She sighed. “I can do it.”

“Kara.”

“I can do it. I know I can do it… besides, it’s not her fault I’m an idiot who fell in love with her best friend.” She chuckled without humor. “And she’s nice and fun… to be honest I think we could’ve been friends if she wasn’t… if she wasn’t… you know.”

“Sleeping with the woman you love?” Alex asked and Kara gave her a pointed look. “Sorry.”

“I’ll talk to Lena.” She nodded, I just need a day to compose myself.”

“Okay… take your time, just… don’t fully ghost her, okay? I’ll talk to her and tell her you’re dealing with something at work.”

“Are we really blaming everything on Cat?” she smiled, genuinely amused.

“Why not?” Alex shrugged, giggling.

~~

“Hey.” Alex smiled when she saw Supergirl leaning on the balcony at the DEO late at night.

“Hey.” She smiled.

“I thought you’d be home… did someone ask you to come in?”

“No, I just didn’t want to be alone.” She smiled sadly.

“Have you talked to her today?”

“No, not yet.” She sighed. “I can’t- I can’t talk to her.”

“I called her earlier since she called last night.”

“Did you tell her anything?”

“Of course not, Kara.” She scoffed. “I just reassured her that you’re okay and told her you’re busy. She’s worried about you… she fears she did something to push you away.”

“I hate this so much.” She whined, covering her face with her hands. “I really don’t want to hurt her, Alex.”

“You won’t. You will find a way to make things work, one way or the other.”

“What do you mean?”

“With what?”

“You said one way or the other… what do you mean by that?”

“Well, you either forget about her and move on, or you garner the courage to make a move and see if she’s interested…” she said with a slight smirk. “And to be honest… you should consider that option.”

“Making a move? No way.” Kara chuckled. “She’d freak out. We’ve already been through enough roller coasters as friends to push it in a different direction.”

“Kara, have you ever considered that perhaps those roller coasters might’ve been fueled precisely because of the emotions that tried to stir you in a different direction that isn’t just friendship.”

“I doubt it.”

“Why?”

“Lena’s always been straight-”

“Kara, you don’t become gay -or bi, or whatever she is- overnight. She said it herself, she always felt that this part of her was there but she didn’t dare to explore it because she was scared of letting the Luthors down.” Alex explained. “So, it’s entirely possible that she could’ve felt something more for you but she never allowed herself to acknowledge it.”

“No, Alex. It’s not like that.” She shook her head.

“Okay.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on; dinner’s on me.” She said bumping shoulders with her.

Chapter Text

“Kee-rah! Come here and bring your laptop and reporting skills!” Cat Grant’s voice echoed in the building, making Kara smile even as everyone turned to look at her, some amused and others with fear for her.

“I’ve been meaning to ask… She knows your name’s Kara, right?” Nia joked and Kara just smiled and walked to her boss’s office.

“Miss Grant.”

“Close the door, kick off those stilettos and sit down.” She instructed her while downing an Advil with water. “We have a full chapter to write, and a deadline set up.” She said and Kara looked at her confused.

“A chapter to write? For your- for your book?”

“Yes, Keira, for my book.” She rolled her eyes, walking to flop on the couch next to her. “My editor wants all the details about Supergirl rescuing me and President Marsden from the plane crash during the Daxamite invasion, and everything that happened afterwards.”

“And why do you need me?” she asked confused.

“Because-” she took a deep breath. “-I’m usually a pretty calm person under stressful events, but something about me being sucked out of a crashing plane and being caught mid-air by a flying Kryptonian kind of blocked a few hours of my memory. My therapist says it’s a normal response to trauma or some nonsense like that, but this headache won’t let me think, so I need the only other person who was there with me to help me remember what happened, since apparently me mentioning it in a passing sentence in my book wasn’t enough and now it can’t be removed because it’s too interesting not to include it.”

“They keep pushing for more Supergirl details?”

“They do.” She nodded. “And I understand why it would be a big part of the book, but-”

“But it’s your book and not about her.” Kara nodded in understanding.

“There’s a whole part of the book dedicated to my relationship with Supergirl, how we worked together and came to be the two most powerful women in National City- before Lena Luthor and Andrea Rojas joined us, of course.” She chuckled. “By the way, why is she out there?”

“Who’s out there?” Kara frowned, following Cat’s eyes and finding Lena talking to Nia, who seemed to be in a hurry and only pointed at Cat’s office where they both were staring at her. “Oh.” Her heart stopped for a second.

“I don’t think she had an appointment… did she?” she asked Kara.

“I wouldn’t know, Miss Grant… I’m no longer your assistant.” She chuckled.

“You should still know.” She replied playfully, fixing her shoes.

“I guess I’ll ask your assistant to share your daily schedule with me.” She giggled. “But to be honest, I think she’s here for me.” Kara said almost shyly, making Cat look at her like she had two heads.

“You? What does the good Luthor want with you?”

“We’re friends.” Kara chuckled, leaving her laptop on the coffee table and walking to the hallway.

“Lena!” she smiled widely. “What are you doing here?” she asked and gave her a tight hug, trying to ignore the way her expensive perfume clouded her senses and how her heart was beating so fast she thought Lena could hear it too.

“I wanted to talk to you- I’m sorry if I interrupted you.” She said feeling guilty while Cat walked out of her office to join them.

“Lena Luthor.”

“Cat Grant.” She replied with a small inquisitive smile.

“What brings you to my domains? Do you miss CatCo so much?”

“I do miss it, but I’m here to talk to Kara, if she has a moment and you don’t mind it.” She replied honestly. “I didn’t know she’d be busy with you, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt; I know you two have been busy working lately.”

“And what would you want with Keira?” she asked in her soft voice that was more intimidating than her usual tone, at least for anyone but Lena, but the mention of supposed hard work happening before that day not being lost on her.

“She’s my best friend.” She smiled.

“I was told you were friends, not best friends.” Cat smiled, looking between them and noticing Kara’s heart eyes that she promptly tried to hide behind her hand adjusting her glasses. “Would you like to have lunch with me since you’re already here, though? I feel like the corporate female power of this city should get along and we’ve barely crossed some words here and there since I moved back into town.”

“Well, I would love to have lunch with you, but sadly I have a previous engagement in an hour.” Lena smiled politely. “I’ll have my assistant set up an appointment with yours, though.”

“Kind turn down, so corporate cold and so very on brand for a Luthor.” Cat smirked, almost impressed. “Politically correct and still distant… Unexpected, yet unsurprising behavior for someone who learned from Lillian Luthor.” She said simply, making Lena smile confused and Kara chuckled. “You go with Miss Luthor, Kee-rah. Her time is expensive and we’re on a deadline; chop-chop.” She said with a stern look and retreated back to her office.

“She likes you.” Kara told Lena, who smiled at her. “You wanted to talk?”

“I know I’m being a little pushy and intense, but-”

“I owe you an apology.” Kara interrupted her, taking a deep breath and looking down. “I’ve been ghosting you and I-”

“Alex said you’ve been working a lot with Cat, and I understand that. No one would understand you better than me, a raging workaholic.” She said with a playful smile. “You don’t have to apologize… I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I… I’m kind of- I’m kind of going through something, and that’s- that’s why I’ve been acting weird.” She spilled suddenly, shaking her head and guiding Lena to somewhere a little more private where they could talk, settling for an empty conference room around the corner from Cat’s office. “I’m not ready to talk about it yet, but I don’t want to lie to you and make you feel like I’m hiding something from you.” Kara said trying to contain her racing thoughts and heart, swallowing hard.

“Oh, Kara… I won’t push you to talk about it, but is everything okay?” Lena asked with a concerned look on her face, reaching for her hand. “Are you okay? I’m not here to push you, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I am, and everything will be.” Kara smiled, squeezing Lena’s hand and trying not to overthink how warm hers were and how she was probably pale and her hands cold as ice. “I will be okay, it’s just that it has been- it was something that caught me off guard, and I don’t- I don’t know how to deal with it because- I just- I’ve never… I just need some time to digest it and process it and-”

“Kara, you can talk to me and you can count on me for everything and anything.” Lena interrupting her rant with a kind look on her face. “Even if you need some place to hide, a shoulder to cry on…” she said noticing the unshed tears in Kara’s eyes. “I know you can fly, but you can also count on LCorp’s private jet if you need to go somewhere else.” She said softly with a small smile.

“I know, Lena…. Thank you.” She whispered, wiping her tears and feeling embarrassed to be there in this situation lying to Lena’s face. “You’re the best friend anyone could ever wish for.” She said sadly, her heart breaking when she said those words, and then breaking even more when Lena leaned closer and pulled her in for a comforting hug.

“I’m here for you.” She whispered by Kara’s ear. “Always.” She said and held her tightly for a quick moment longer. “I have your back, okay? Always.” She insisted, making Kara smile gratefully.

“I’ll get better, I promise.”

“Okay.” She smiled and looked into Kara’s eyes looking for their usual spark, but she saw something else that she didn’t recognize in them. “I guess I owe you an apology too.”

“What? No, why?” she chuckled, wiping her tears off with the back of her hand.

“Well, I kind of… I thought you had a problem with- not a problem, but that you were uncomfortable with Sadie and me.” She said and looked down, missing the way Kara grimaced at the mention of her friend.

“No, Lena… it has nothing to do with you or her.” She said quickly. “She’s- she’s wonderful. I really liked her and she’s- she’s good for you.”

“You taught me how to trust people and to let them in, and it brought Sadie’s chaos to my life.” She smiled. “But she’s a good friend. She’s leaving in a week to get on a campaign bus.”

“That sounds so fun.” She smiled. “Maybe we could have dinner to send her off… I promise I’ll go.” She said and Lena smiled widely.

“Would you really go?”

“Of course! I’ll even get cake.” She said playfully. “I have to make up for dinner the other day anyway, and that would be a fun way to make a fellow reporter feel the love.” She said with a smile.

“I’ll let her know.” Lena smiled and her phone vibrated with the reminder for her next meeting. “I’m gonna let you go back to Cat.”

“Oh golly, yes… she’s in a hurry because her editor wants more Supergirl content.”

“Again?”

“Yep.” She smiled, shaking her head and walking Lena to the elevators. “They’re even more relentless than Miss Grant.” She chuckled.

“I want to see when she snaps and tells them she won’t give them more than what they already have.” Lena chuckled. “Should I book lunch with her?” she asked referring to their earlier interaction.

“To be honest, you should. She’s a good person behind the loud screaming and the cold exterior.” She smiled. “And she called you the good Luthor, so you’re on her good side.” She joked.

“Oh, what a relief.”

“She’s still gonna grill you while you eat, though. That’s just who she is.” She warned her playfully.

“Kee-rah!”

“That was her?” Lena asked surprised, turning her face to see Cat standing by her office looking mildly annoyed and very curious, making Kara laugh.

“Yup, and that was her calling for me.” She chuckled. “I’ll call you soon, okay?” she smiled and offered Lena a brief but tight hug, reassuring and heartbreaking to her. “Tell Sadie the offer for coffee still stands… she can come over tomorrow and I’ll show her around the Tribune.”

“I will.” Lena smiled and got on the elevator. “Remember I’m here for you.” She said before the door closed, making Kara smile.

“Kee-rah!” Cat yelled from her office door again.

“Right.” Kara sighed and practically ran to her. “Sorry about that Miss Grant.”

“No, no. It’s fine. It’s not every day I realize my best reporter is best friends with her cousin’s worst enemy’s sister, the only heir to a multibillion company and tech empire.”

“It’s a long story.” Kara chuckled.

“And we have time while you type, so… where to even begin.” She smiled, staring at Kara with her best reporter’s eyes. “Although, I am more interested on why you looked at her like you looked at James Olsen back when you were my assistant… the same heart eyes the little cardigan IT guy had on his face when he looked at you.” She smirked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Grant.” She scoffed, trying her hardest not to blush, even if she felt how her face got warm.

“Oh please, Kara. Your face lit up when you saw her.” She said with a roll of her eyes. “Not to mention the way she was looking at you, too… is there some kind of sapphic tension going on with the surviving Luthor?”

“Oh my- no, miss Grant!” Kara laughed and blushed furiously. “Not at all. She’s my best friend and came to talk about… about something…”

“Something?”

“Something.” She nodded, awkwardly hoping the conversation would be over. “She’s my best friend, a great friend.” She said simply.

“Does she know that you’re- how to say it? Super?”

“It took some time to get there and the road was rocky, but she knows.” She confirmed.

“A Luthor and a… Danvers being best friends wasn’t in my bingo card.” Cat said, slightly amused. “Life still has ways to surprise me, sometimes.”

“She’s very important in my life.” Kara smiled wistfully. “We had a bit of a rough patch-”

“Wasn’t she working with her evil, sinister and frankly disturbing brother for a while there?” she said with a disgusted face.

“She- she was.” She nodded. “I kind of… I may have accidentally pushed her in that direction by hurting her. It wasn’t my fault, but it wasn’t hers either. Lex was using her.”

“Oh, I see.”

“She’s- she’s like you said, the good Luthor.” Kara smiled. “She’s kind, and compassionate, she’s brilliant and she’s mature beyond her years… she’s very guarded and private, but she’s- she’s not a psychotic sociopath like her brother and Lillian were. She’s warm and welcoming once you’ve cut through the walls.”

“So she’s perfect.”

“No, she’s not perfect.” Kara chuckled, adjusting her glasses. “She’s… a regular person who has been through a lot, but even if she’s so guarded and has kept her walls up for so long, she still has a gentle, beautiful soul.”

“And you’re in love with her.”

“What?”

“Oh, I’m sorry are we still pretending you’re not?”

“I’m not.”

“Oh, okay.” She said with fake acceptance.

“I’m not in love with her.” Kara whispered, clearly flustered and blushing again. “She’s my best friend, Miss Grant. She’s just-”

“Okay, you’ve convinced me, Kee-rah.” She said reaching for her laptop. “Start typing the story before I make the cupcake analogy again.” She reminded her of what she had told her years earlier when Kara was debating on if she should go out with James or not.

“Miss Grant-”

“You’re still not typing.”

“I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea. My relationship with Lena- my friendship with Lena is just that. She’s my best friend and we’re just-”

“Kee-rah, I saw the way you looked at her, and then I saw the way she hugged you while you waited for the elevator- such a chivalrous move, by the way- and I have no doubts about what I saw.” She shrugged. “Besides, I don’t think I need to remind you that very often what I see, is exactly what happens… Supergirl.” She said with a pointed look and a smirk. “I don’t know if you’re aware of your feelings for baby Luthor, but I think you’re smart enough to realize that there’s something unusual there and soon enough you’re gonna realize it.” She started and sipped her water. “I just hope that, for your sake, you realize those feelings before she finds someone else… because Lena Luthor isn’t a cupcake like James Olsen, she’s the finest pastry and she’s under lock and key away from prying eyes, but you have been chosen and been offered the key.”

“I can’t risk my friendship over some feelings that could be one sided.” Kara said, finally giving in.

“You don’t know if they are.” Cat said softly. “The fact she came to CatCo to talk to you for less than ten minutes when she’s running one of the most important companies in the world speaks loudly about how important you are for her, even if you’re just friends for now.”

“The thing is… now that I know how I feel for her I don’t know how I’ll be able to just be her friend.” She confessed looking away. “I’ve been looking back at every interaction we’ve ever had and realized that I’ve always felt it, I was just in denial out of fear of losing her.” She swallowed hard and wiped her tears angrily with the back of her hand. “And I’m now terrified because I’m overthinking what I tell her and everything we say and do, and I don’t want to hurt her and-” she stopped ranting and shook her head. “-I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to lose her.”

“Oh, Kee-rah. Look at you, the girl of steel with mundane problems like the rest of us.” She said to lighten the mood, making Kara smile for a second. “The only way things work in love, as I have learned, is through honesty. If you have these feelings for her, then maybe find a way to express them to her.”

“She’s seeing someone else.”

“So?”

“So?” she scoffed. “She’s with someone else, someone wonderful who gives- someone who’s making her smile.” She sighed, looking down and feeling her heart ache in her chest. “I didn’t know I felt like this for her and I only realized it when-”

“When she showed up with a new person and became unavailable. It’s normal… the forbidden fruit always looks better when it’s out of reach.” She shrugged. “That doesn’t change the fact that you have feelings for her.”

“Well, I know I do… but I don’t know if she does.” She sighed. “That’s the scary part.”

“Well, have you ever had any suspicions about Lena’s feelings for you?”

“No, not at all.” She shook her head, closing her eyes. “We’ve just always been very close and nothing ever felt out of place… I just… I guess I just can’t know for sure because I thought I wanted to spend time with her because we’re friends and in reality-”

“Well, why don’t you try and see her reaction?”

“Her reaction?”

“Yes. You discovered your feelings for her because you feel jealous of her new boyfriend-”

“Girlfriend.”

“Kee-rah, this seems more and more like a case of obliviousness from your part.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I guess I’m just gonna have to start giving you all the answers now.” She mumbled quietly, taking off her glasses and looking at her with a certain sass. “Listen, Kara, you’re an adult. You have discovered you have feelings for your best friend, and it can be scary and intimidating, but on top of that you also discover that she’s seeing someone else which means that not only you are in love with your best friend, but you’re also at risk of never having a chance to explore those feelings with her.”

“But-”

“Ah, ah. I’m not done.” She said lifting her finger. “You have been oblivious to the way she very clearly and obviously looks at you, which means you’ve probably missed many other clues from her regarding her feelings- please feel free to check on that with one of your friends because I’m sure I’m right. You know I can read situations like no one else, and I’m telling you: you have a chance if you jump into the unknown and take it.”

“I can’t just to that, Miss Grant.” She sighed, getting up and pacing a little around the couch.

“Why not?”

“Because… because she’s my friend, and I don’t… I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt her or pushed her away with feelings she doesn’t correspond.” she sighed and flopped on the couch. “She’s such a fragile soul and she has a heart of gold. I couldn’t live with myself if I had a hand in her suffering.”

“Would you live with yourself if you had a hand in her happiness?”

“Would she even get to be happy with me out there fighting aliens and criminals?”

“She’s been your friend through it all, hasn’t she?”

“I mean, yes but it’s different.”

“Sounds to me like you’re making excuses, Kara. You’re scared and that’s normal, but seriously…” she smiled kindly at her. “Ask your friends if they’ve noticed something between the two of you, if they’ve picked up on the clues. I can almost guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” She said and then slipped her glasses back on. “Now, let’s get to typing. What happened when I was mid-air?” she asked and Kara smiled at her, forever thankful for her patience.

“You survived.” Nia smiled when she saw Kara walking back to her desk.

“I did. She’s not that bad.” She chuckled.

“She scares me more than Miss Rojas, and that’s saying a lot.”

“Oh, nonsense.” She smiled.

“Did you catch Lena? She was looking for you earlier but I was late for-”

“Yeah, we talked.” She smiled wistfully. “She just wanted to check in on me.”

“And she came all the way down here for that?” Nia asked with a knowing smirk.

“She was on her way back to LCorp, so it was a quick stop on the way.” She lied.

“Uh huh… I bet.” She chuckled.

Chapter Text

The next afternoon Kara was working hard on an article, typing furiously to try and make the deadline before Cat started yelling at her from her office door. She was so focused that she didn’t notice the brunette walking around the bullpen, looking over at the dozens of screens around the area looking impressed, and that finally stopped in front of her desk.

“Am I early, or did you forget?” Sadie’s smile made Kara snap out of her article and look up at her.

“Hey you!” Kara smiled widely. “No, no, I’m late.” She chuckled. “I am finishing an article Miss Grant needs for yesterday.” She chuckled. “It’ll just take me a second.”

“Okay, no worries. Can I sit there?” she said pointing to a chair next to her desk.

“Of course! And you can go to the kitchen for a coffee too, if you want.” She smiled. She continued typing, her focus split between her article and the way Sadie was smiling at her phone, blushing slightly and trying not to laugh like a teenager at times.

She let her mind wander and wondered if it could be her and Lena texting, cracking jokes and flirting. She felt slightly jealous at that thought, and tried to focus on her work, deciding that the sooner she finished, the sooner she’d be able to get Sadie out of there and stop her from giggling like a schoolgirl at her phone.

“All done.” Kara smiled a few minutes later.

“You sure? If you need more time-”

“It’s fine. I’m very fast typing.” She smiled and Sadie nodded, having noticed that she was indeed very fast. “Let’s just go and I’ll stop by her office to tell her I’m done.” She said and grabbed her bag before they walked to Miss Grant’s office.

“A whole five minutes early. Your article better be worth submitting before the deadline.” She said with her usual uninterested tone. “Who’s your twin?” she asked looking up at Sadie, who was waiting awkwardly by the door, looking around the office.

“My- my twin?” Kara scoffed.

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“That’s uh- that’s Sadie McCarthy from the New York Sentinel.” She said and shook her head. “We don’t look anything alike.”

“Is she another super cousin?” she asked curiously.

“Uh, no… Miss Grant-”

“She looks exactly like you with darker hair, and if you hadn’t decided to get a grownup woman’s wardrobe.” She said looking at Kara’s nice lavender dress and then at Sadie in her jeans, dorky t-shirt and chucks.

“That’s not- we’re not- she looks nothing like me.”

“If you’re too shy to tell Lena about your feelings, maybe you could have her flirt with her and see her reaction.” She suggested playfully and Kara looked at her with wide eyes. “Now, off you go Keira. Go hang out with your twin.” She chuckled.

“That’s the Cat Grant?” Sadie asked, impressed by the woman’s presence even from distance.

“That’s the one.” Kara nodded. “Want to meet her?” she smiled knowingly. Miss Grant was the Queen of All Media, and Sadie being a reporter would probably know about her and be curious about her work and media empire.

“Oh, no. I’ve heard she’s ruthless and I’m not sure I could handle her judgy eyes.” She laughed, following Kara to the elevator. “But hey, you guys have a sweet setup in here.” She said looking at the screens and technology around them. “And you get sunlight, that’s unfair.”

“You guys don’t have windows?” she chuckled.

“We do, but it’s usually cloudy or foggy and to be honest our building is ancient and wasn’t designed to look pretty.” She chuckled. “It must’ve had enough sunlight before all the skyscrapers around it, though. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.”

“I’ll take your word.” Kara smiled. “Are we grabbing coffee, or do you want some food? You’re coming to game night, right?”

“I think Lena said it was up in the air because she’s been busy at work, so I should probably get some food while I can.” She chuckled.

“Oh, but you can still come hang out with us even if Lena’s not coming.” Kara frowned. “You’re welcome to hang out with the group, Sadie.” She smiled.

“Really? I wouldn’t want to intrude or-”

“Oh, please. You really think I’m gonna let you go wait for Lena to be done at LCorp while you starve and rot on the couch? Not a chance.” She smiled kindly. “Besides, if you’re there with us then there’s a chance Lena will hurry and actually join us too.”

“Oh well, then I’ll accept the invitation.” She chuckled. “But now I kind of want food, so-”

“I’m gonna show you the greasiest hamburger you’ll ever see.” Kara chuckled, guiding her around the busy streets of National City until they reached the burger joint she usually went to when she needed some carbs in her system. “What do you like?”

“I’ll take a cheeseburger and fries, and a diet coke. Just the classics.”

“And I’ll take the same but with a chocolate milkshake.” Kara smiled, reaching for her wallet.

“Oh, no- please let me.” Sadie said and quickly pulled her card out to pay.

“You don’t have to-”

“I know, but I want to.” She smiled. “You have been so nice to me and the least I can do is treat you to some greasy junk food.” She said and Kara smiled, feeling guilty for how she’s behaved around Sadie. They grabbed their food and went to sit in a booth by the window, a comfortable quiet settling between them while Sadie tried the cheeseburger for the first time. “Okay, this is heavenly.” She chuckled, taking a second smaller bite.

“You like it?”

“It’s so good.” She nodded. “Top three in my book.” She nodded and took a sip of soda. “I would only put it behind my favorite place in New York and the cheeseburger I had in Montana while on the road last year. At least I think it was Montana.” She chuckled.

“How do you do it?” Kara asked curiously. “Dropping everything for weeks and months and living on the road.”

“Oh, well it’s definitely not for everyone.” Sadie confessed. “It’s super tiring, and there’s a point where you want to scream and run back home.” She chuckled. “Living from a suitcase and riding in a damn greyhound for weeks is exhausting, but the work we do is important and worth the sacrifice.” She shrugged. “We get to see everything the candidates are doing, how their campaign evolves… we see the cracks and red flags before everyone else, and it is our duty to inform what we see and hear, to investigate and really be honest with the people at home that will vote and choose a president.”

“It sounds… I never really saw it like that.” Kara said with a new sense of respect for Sadie’s time on the road.

“It’s easy to think we’re just living on the road because it’s fun, but it goes beyond that. We see the candidates, spend hours with them and their teams, we hear the whispers and rumors, and we have to look into everything to educate our readers about the candidates and their strengths and weaknesses, the concerns around them and if there’s ethical stuff all the Americans should be warned about.” She explained. “I think I see my job as the one giving the tools to the voters so they can make a conscious and responsible decision. We all have different goals depending of the media outlet we work for, but the goal is always the same.”

“Well, thank you for that.” Kara smiled. “With all the misinformation and trolls out there, it’s nice to know that there’s people out there who understand the importance of voting for ideas and integrity.”

“Yeah, we work hard and then there’s always people voting for the pretty face or the manly man.” She rolled her eyes. “At least we have fun!.” She chuckled and told Kara about some stories of their life on the road, making her laugh and gasp at how unhinged everything sounded.

As much as she resented her deep down because of her relationship with Lena, she couldn’t deny how fun and entertaining talking to Sadie was. She was well aware that the situation wasn’t even her fault, so having hard feelings towards her was childish and useless. But who can control their jealousy?

“So, how did you and Lena meet?” Sadie asked while chewing on her fries.

“Well, I was tagging along with my co- with Clark Kent for an interview-”

“Whoa, hold on! You know Clark Kent?”

“Uh yes, we’re uh friends.”

“That’s so cool!” she chuckled. “I’m fangirling a little!”

“He’s a great guy.” She smiled.

“Okay, yeah but sorry I totally interrupted you. You went to interview Lena with him?”

“Yes, there had been a whole situation right when Lena moved to National City, she was targeted by Lex and Clark wanted to hear her side of the story.”

“The Venture?” she asked and Kara nodded. “Ouch… I can’t imagine being targeted by my brother and having to face questions about it.”

“It was rough… but Lena was a badass. She told us how she was rebranding the company and making it a force for good, to help people and clean the Luthor name. She made a point to mention how she didn’t want to be associated with his craziness, and said she’d cooperate with the investigations.” She smiled. “When the article was posted we went over to talk to her, and she was thankful because of how objective he was, telling the story without bias about her or the Luthors… at that time I was looking into what to do next with my life and my career, and she kind of inspired me to become a reporter.” She smiled, blushing and remembering the way Lena had looked at her that day, bright green eyes and full smile.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I guess it was a long process, but when she said I could be a reporter it kind of opened my eyes.” She chuckled, blushing a little. “So I talked to Miss Grant and she allowed me to start working with CatCo.” She smiled.

“That’s wild. Do you think you would’ve reached the same conclusion about your career without Lena’s input?”

“I think I would’ve eventually gotten there.” She smiled. “Even without Lena telling me, I think Miss Grant would’ve kicked my ass down to the bullpen anyway… she kind of was already thinking I could be a reporter from the moment she met me for my job interview as her assistant.” She chuckled. “I worked with her for so long, and worked with her very closely to the point I saw the sacrifices it takes, and the hard work.”

“That’s so cool.” Sadie said with genuine amazement. “You were her assistant and she saw your potential… that speaks very well of both of you: your effort, and her desire to help you grow as a person. It’s kind of funny considering how often we hear how big of a bitch she is.”

“She’s a difficult person because she doesn’t take people’s crap, but she’s a brilliant communicator and she’s actually very kind. I think she’s been a great mentor for me and has helped me spread my wings, both as a person and a reporter.” She smiled. “She’s always willing to listen and offer advice without judging… but she will tell you if she thinks you’re screwing up.” She laughed.

“Sounds like you have a lot of respect for her.”

“I do, I really do. I’m very thankful for her presence in my life.” She said honestly. “She knows she has power and influence, and tries to change the narrative in a way that will do good- she’s similar to Lena in that aspect.”

“Oh, okay- back to Lena and you: how did you two become friends, then? Because you met in an interview and that’s hardly a good basis for friendship.” She chuckled.

“Well, she wasn’t really looking for friends when she first moved here and it took quite a bit of effort.” She smiled, remembering how Lena had turned her down when she invited her to hang out with her friends. “But she couldn’t resist the charm.” She joked. “I saw her in a restaurant while I waited for Alex one day, and she was by herself… Alex bailed on me and Lena invited me to stay for lunch, so that was our very first lunch date.” She remembered wistfully, remembering Lena’s warm eyes and her shyness while they talked, getting to know each other. “Then after that things flowed very easily between us and we became best friends… I could be myself with her, I didn’t have to pretend and try to be someone else. She felt the same, so our friendship was a bit of a safe space for us both.” She sighed. “And then we had a bit of a rough patch and we didn’t talk for a while… it was my fault though.” She smiled sadly.

“And then you kidnapped her and dragged her to game night.” Sadie laughed, trying to keep the mood light. “Because I can’t for the life of me picture Lena walking to game night just like that.”

“Oh it took some convincing! But I think the abundance of wine and scotch did the trick.” She laughed. “It was kind of funny watching her learn the rules for the games and becoming a beast in Monopoly.” She smiled with a certain spark in her eye that Sadie noticed.

“I’m glad she has you.” Sadie said and before Kara responded they were interrupted. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Sadie apologized, grabbing her phone when it rang. “Hey Lena. I’m eating an insane amount of carbs with Kara.” She said playfully, making Kara smile even if she looked down to hide the slight bitterness in her eyes, using her super hearing involuntarily. “She invited me to game night, so I thought I could go… unless you-”

“Oh, that’s perfect! If you’re going then I think I’ll be able to finish early; I might get there for a bit.” Lena said over the phone.

“Sounds perfect!”

“Alright, see you there. Tell Kara I said hi.” Lena giggled and they hung up.

“You were right.” Sadie smiled. “She’s coming to game night as soon as she’s done with work.”

“Told you.” She smiled, finishing what was left of her milkshake.

“I don’t want to be rude but… do you work out a lot?”

“I actually don’t work out that much.” She chuckled. “Why?”

“First off: your arms. And I’m sorry but I can see your abs against your dress which is absolutely badass, if you ask me.” She said honestly, making Kara laugh. “And then you come here and order a milkshake and a cheeseburger like it’s a salad.”

“Well, all in life is a balance.” She chuckled. “I eat a lot of junk food but I go to spinning class with Lena and train kickboxing with my sister.” She lied, but in a way it was still true.

“Kickboxing? That’s even more badass.” She chuckled, impressed.

“Oh, no. The impressive one is Alex.” She chuckled. “She’s a great fighter… I just let her punch me.”

“She works for the FBI, right?”

“Yeah, she does. She’s a badass.”

“You guys have a special relationship. I can see how much she loves and cares for you.”

“We went through a lot of shit to get here.” Kara chuckled. “I lost my parents when I was younger, and her parents adopted me… She lost her dad shortly after, and it was a tough adjustment for her to have a sister and losing her dad.”

“Oh shit, that’s heavy… I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I think all that brought us together and made us a stronger team.” She smiled.

“That’s cool. And now you both live in the same city and you get to see each other thrive.”

“Yep, and we’re just one road trip away from home.” She smiled. “Eliza, her mom, she’s been wonderful and so understanding. She kept the family together.” She said while looking for a photo of them together. “They’re amazing people… I’m very thankful for them.”

“I’m glad you found a good home, Kara.” She smiled sincerely.

“Me too.” she nodded. “When I moved to Midvale I had a bit of a hard time adjusting, and Alex helped me a lot even if it was very clearly against her will.” She chuckled. “Then she went away to college but kept checking in on me.” She shrugged. “When I moved here I met Winn and James, Kelly’s big brother, and we started the whole game night thing. It started growing with those two, and then Alex and J’onn, and then I managed to drag Lena into it.”

“I seriously don’t know how you pulled it off.” Sadie laughed. “I just can’t picture Lena in her heels and skirt playing Monopoly.”

“She was brilliant the first time we brought it out… it was oddly competitive with her and Mon-El.”

“Mon-El?”

“Oh, uhm… he was- he’s my ex-boyfriend.” She smiled almost uncomfortably.

“Oh, got it.”

“Yeah, so it was a battle for those two on Monopoly, and she was surprised to see how bad she was at trivia with her limited knowledge of pop culture… she has improved, though, and I’ll take credit for that. She was a diamond in the rough so all she needed was some gossip columns and movie marathons, and she was up to speed in no time.” She chuckled. “But Lena playing Uno is something you have to see.”

“I can’t wait. If it’s anything like her and Pictionary, it will be intense.” She said referring to the previous game night she was there for.

“Oh, you just wait.” Kara chuckled. “It gets even more intense.”

They talked for a while longer and then they got on their way to J’onn’s office, making a stop on the way to buy some wine and snacks. Sadie told some stories about her college days and when she first started reporting, and in return Kara told her about her days being an assistant to Cat, and how that had helped mold her into the reporter she is.

“Oh, hi Sadie!” Nia smiled when Sadie and Kara entered the old building.

“Hey you! I looked for you at the office when I got there but I didn’t see you around.”

“You went to CatCo?” Kelly asked from the couch.

“We went for coffee together.” Kara confirmed, leaving the wine on the table and grabbing a glass.

“You did?” Alex asked her surprised, giving her sister a look.

“We did. It was too much fun.” She smiled reassuringly. “She almost didn’t make it through the cheeseburger.”

“Oh you guys went there?” Nia said almost sadly. “I’ve been craving some curly fries.” She pouted.

“We can go for lunch tomorrow.” Kara chuckled. “Should we start?”

“Yes, we’re all ready… Brainy is running late and said we can start. Is Lena coming?” Nia asked looking between Kara and Sadie, not knowing which one would have the answer and laughing internally at how similar they looked.

“She’ll be a little late, but she’s coming.” Sadie confirmed, taking a seat on the couch next to Nia since they decided they’d team up for the day again.

“By the way… we need to play Uno when she gets here.” Kara smirked knowingly. “Sadie needs the demonstration.”

“Oh no, no. Last time she almost flipped the table when I gave her a +4.” J’onn said and Sadie looked at Kara.

“I told you she was a competitive beast when it comes to Uno.”

“Can’t wait to see it.” She chuckled.

After a few minutes Brainy joined the group, and they continued playing for a while longer, making a few stops for snacks and fresh drinks. An hour or so later Lena walked in holding a tote bag with wine and some of Kara’s favorite snacks.

“Hey, there you are!” Sadie smiled from the couch.

“I’m sorry. I had a long day and couldn’t make it out any sooner.” Lena apologized, pouring herself a glass of wine and going to sit on the couch next to Sadie, who smiled at her and kissed her gently, making Kara look away uncomfortably, something that caught Brainy and Nia’s eyes.

“Don’t apologize.” Alex said handing her a bowl of popcorn. “We’ll be done with this round and then we’ll move on to the next game.” She chuckled, pointing at the Uno on the table.

“Are you guys ready for that kind of action tonight?” Lena asked, owning her competitive outburst.

“Sadie didn’t believe us when we told her you transform when it comes to board games.” Kelly smiled.

“Oh well… let me just warn you then: if you pull any stunts during Uno, you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.” She said with certain sass that made them all laugh, except for Kara, who chuckled awkwardly and looked down.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Sadie replied, pressing a soft kiss to Lena’s jaw.

They finished that round and Kara found herself wishing to hear some emergency happening in the city so she’d have to fly away and stop looking at Lena cuddled up against Sadie, hearing their little giggles, and watching how Lena’s hand barely left Sadie’s thigh. She felt guilty for being jealous of her, knowing that Lena seemed so comfortable and happier than she had been in a while, even while she was with James.

After a particularly intense round of Uno that ended up with J’onn basically refusing to use a +4 and everyone laughing at the winning smirk on Lena’s face, they got up and drifted into small groups, talking before it was time to go home. Kara stood with Alex, who asked her if she was okay right when Lena invited the group for dinner on Saturday at her apartment to say goodbye to Sadie, who would be going back to New York for a few days before going on the road.

“Will I see you there?” she asked to Kara after they hugged while saying their goodbyes.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” She smiled, feeling her heart breaking when she saw Lena walking away with Sadie, holding hands.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Alex asked her, wrapping her arm around Kara.

“I’m not, but I have to be.” She sighed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She said softly and started walking towards her apartment, choosing not to fly since she could end up on the other side of the world by accident since she was so distracted.

~~

“I really liked Kara.” Sadie asked the next morning while Lena got ready for work. “She’s so much fun and kind. To be honest I had a great time.”

“I told you! I’m so glad you guys got along.” She smiled widely. “She’s great, and she’s an amazing friend… I knew you guys would hit it off.”

“Can I ask you something?”.

“Of course.” She smiled.

“Why did you and Kara break up?”

“What do you mean?”

“If it’s too personal you don’t have to answer.” She said and went to sit on the marble counter on Lena’s bathroom right next to her while she did her makeup in front of a large mirror. “I’m just curious.”

“We didn’t break up.” Lena smiled, a little confused. “We never dated.”

“Oh… I thought you two had history.” She frowned confused, playing around with the very expensive makeup on the counter. “She mentioned you two got into a fight that was her fault, and didn’t talk for a while so I assumed.”

“We did have a big fight, and we didn’t talk for a while but we made up.”

“How long did you guys fight for?”

“Almost a year.”

“Uh… what?” Sadie asked amused. “Isn’t that a little dramatic? What was the fight about? That ex of yours? Or hers- what was his name? Manuel?”

“Mon-El? Oh god, no.” Lena laughed. “She… I was mad at her because she kept something from me and I found out the worst way possible.” Lena said, cringing at her own words. “It was totally my fault, and it could’ve been avoided, but I lost sight of what’s important and ended up hurting her and a lot of people.” She sighed with her eyes full of regret.

“Doesn’t that sound a little too dramatic for friends? I mean… what did she keep from you that made you so angry?” she scoffed.

“Something that- it was something important to her, and she was protecting me and herself, but-”

“Are you sure you two didn’t date?” she giggled.

“We never dated, and we’ll never date.” Lena rolled her eyes, allowing Sadie to pull her to stand between her legs.

“Would you like it? Dating Kara.”

“She’s straight.”

“Okay, one: that was not the question, and two: you were straight two months ago but I can tell you that last night you weren’t so much.” She smirked, wrapping her legs around her and leaning forward to kiss Lena’s exposed collarbone.

“I have to confess that I thought I liked her for a while, when I met her… I was fascinated by her, and that energy she radiates.” She smiled and Sadie nodded, understanding what she meant. “But she had a boyfriend back then- Mon-El- and I thought I was straight, so we just drifted into a beautiful friendship.” She shrugged. “She’s my best friend.”

“You still haven’t answered my question, which is kind of an answer in itself.” Sadie said with a knowing look, kissing the freckle on Lena’s neck while her hands toyed with the straps of her expensive bra, black and red lace covering her breasts.

“What question?”

“Would you like to date her?” she repeated, kissing her jaw. “As in now… when I leave.” She asked and looked into Lena’s eyes.

“If I knew I had a chance with her, and I knew that I wouldn’t lose my best friend in the universe, I would.” She sighed, leaning her forehead on Sadie's shoulder, feeling vulnerable and weird for opening up like that to her when she had never voiced those thoughts. “But that’s a lost cause.”

“Why?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“There’s too much baggage between us even if our friendship is strong now, there’s the shadow of my family, and then-”

“Those are excuses, babe.” She chuckled, cupping Lena’s face and kissing her slowly. “Based on how she talks about you, and how absolutely jealous she seems to be whenever I touch you-”

“Nonsense.” Lena smiled, stepping back from her to finish her makeup. “She’s straight and she’s not jealous- if anything, she’s probably a little wary of a reporter having access to my lab where I keep my prototypes.” She said teasingly.

“Oh, honey… a woman’s jealousy isn’t something you can hide.” She chuckled, grabbing the lipstick Lena was about to use and picking another for her, a deep burgundy that matched the lace of her lacy thong. “Humor me for a second.” She said and pulled Lena back to standing between her legs.

“What?”

“Picture Kara coming to game night with a cute brunette, green eyes and long hair…” she started and Lena rolled her eyes, but Sadie held her into place. “This woman is smart, kind and has a banging body, and Kara kisses her right in front of you.” She said carefully, a knowing smirk on her lips. “She sits on the couch and pulls her woman with her, keeping her close… she whispers in her ear and this new woman just giggles and looks at Kara like she hung the moon-”

“I would be happy for her.” She said with honesty, even though the idea did feel like a thorn in her heart.

“Okay.” Sadie chuckled. “Close your eyes.”

“What for?”

“Close them.” She insisted, cupping her face and pecking her lips gently. “Picture Kara kissing that new woman… smiling like the dork she is-”, she said and kissed her softly. “But you’re watching from the other side of the room.” She whispered, kissing Lena slowly, opening her eyes just in time to watch her frowning. “Look at me.” She said and smirked when Lena looked at her. “You like her, don’t you?”

“I’m late for work.” Lena said simply, simply smiling at her friend’s antics. “Are you coming over for lunch?”

“I made plans with Alex, actually.” She grinned. “She’s gonna take me for a ride on her bike.”

“Oh, wow- I didn’t think you were so adventurous.”

“I have some fun sides you haven’t seen, Miss Luthor.” She wagged her brows, jumping off the counter and walking to her, wrapping her arms around Lena’s waist and pulling her down for a slow kiss. “Do you have some extra minutes? This lingerie is doing things to me and I can’t just let you go like this.”

“I’m sorry, but I have a meeting as soon as I get to the office.” Lena chuckled. “But nice to know you appreciate fine lace.” She winked, walking back to the bed where she left her tight pencil skirt.

“Tease.” Sadie groaned, flopping on the bed to watch her getting ready. “You know you deserve to be happy, right? With the love and the support from someone who makes you feel safe and confident to be yourself.” She said suddenly, making Lena smile. “Your name doesn’t define you.”

“I know.” She said softly, leaning down to kiss her deeply for a quick moment. “I’ll see you for dinner.” She winked and turned to leave.

Chapter Text

Her morning was busy, meeting with one of LCorp’s lawyers who wanted to go over a lawsuit filed by one of the bitter employees Lex used as pawns for his plans, leaving Lena with a mess to clean up. She tried focusing on what she had to do, but she just couldn’t take Sadie’s words out of her mind.

She wondered what her life would be like had she pursued her interest for Kara when they met, disregarding Lillian’s warnings and the weight of her expectations, if Mon-El hadn’t been in the picture and if she had been brave and asked her out on a date. She wondered if Kara would’ve graciously turned her down and distanced herself from her, or if she would’ve accepted the invitation and opened the door to Lena’s interest.

She wondered what would happen now, with her renewed confidence and strength, her realization that her life is hers and that she could live it in any way she wanted, with anyone she wanted. She wondered if she could come up to Kara and ask her out, like she had done countless times, but pushing some boundaries with flirty comments.

No, she couldn’t risk it.

She knew Kara wouldn’t look at her as anything other than her friend, so there was no use. All her thoughts were misplaced and she needed to control herself, control the feelings she had tried to bury back into the back of her mind.

~~

“I told you I’d bring cake!” Kara smiled widely, walking into Lena’s apartment holding a giant box. “And Alex is bringing the booze.” She said playfully, leaving the box on the breakfast bar.

“You know it.” Alex smiled proudly, showing off the tote bag she brought. “This one’s for you two.” She winked and handed her the bottle of expensive wine right as Nia, Brainy and J’onn arrived.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to.” Lena smiled, blushing a little. “Sadie’s taking a shower, she’ll be right out.” She smiled and they all settled down around the living room.

“I love your apartment.” Nia said while looking around like an impressed child. “It’s so… chic.” She said and Lena smiled.

“Thank you. You’re welcome anytime.” She said softly. “But wait, is this the first time you come here?”

“Yep, I would remember if I came before. Believe me.”

“I think it was just me and Kara who came before.” Alex smiled. “But never for social stuff- at least not me.”

“Well, that changes now.” Lena said with determination. “I volunteer to host the next game night.”

“Yes!” Nia celebrated, making them all laugh.

“As long as J’onn agrees! I know we planned on meeting there again.” Lena said in a hurry.

“We’ll be happy to come.” J’onn smiled at her, knowing that this was probably the last remaining wall in Lena’s life. She was so private and guarded with her life, that opening the doors to her home to them, her friends, was a step of trust for her. “I will say though, that I won’t make myself responsible for the rests of snacks you find on your couch the next morning, or if that glass table ends up in pieces.” He joked.

“Oh shit, everyone’s here already!” Sadie said coming out of Lena’s room. “I’m sorry guys.”

“It’s okay.” Kelly smiled, noticing how Sadie stood behind the heavy armchair Lena was sitting on, a hand gently caressing her head and neck.

“I hope you guys are hungry though, because Lena told the chef to go all out.” She wagged her brows. “I did make a special request, Kara… we have hot wings and potstickers for you and me.” She said wagging her brows.

“Yes!” Kara smiled widely, high fiving her while everyone else laughed.

“Let’s dig in… I’m starving.” Sadie said and they all moved to the kitchen to grab their food.

They had loads of different dishes to pick from, and there was enough for everyone, but one thing that was obvious for anyone who paid attention was that some of the dishes were Kara’s favorites, besides the potstickers. Alex smiled to Kelly, who lifted an eyebrow as if telling her she noticed it too, and then they went to sit at the table, having an animated conversation while they ate.

“Well, I want to thank you all for the way you welcomed me into your group.” Sadie said after they were done eating and she refilled everyone’s glasses. “I’ve met incredible people in my life, and I think I’m very lucky to add all of you into that list.” She smiled. “I never expected to actually feel so at home in National City, but you all made it feel that way… I wish I could stay longer, but there’s a greyhound seat with my name on it.” She joked and they all laughed.

“It has been a pleasure having you around, Sadie.” Kara said with honesty. “Not only are you a crazy good reporter, but you’re also a good person, and I’m glad we met.” She said and Lena smiled at her, reaching for Sadie’s hand and giving it a quick squeeze. “I hope you come back when you have the time or get bored of the life on the road.” She said with a knowing smirk.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get tired of that, but I’ll definitely come visit.” She nodded. “You better know that couch has my name on it now. I won’t stay in hotels.” She playfully told Lena, making her laugh.

“The couch is all yours.” She joked back and Alex noticed that she didn’t mention Lena’s bed, making it clear that what they said about being friends only was true.

“And the offer for any of you who wants to visit stands. Let me know when you’re going to New York and I’ll be the best tour guide you’ve ever had!” she chuckled. “And I’m counting on you coming soon, Kara! I really need to teach you everything about a good bagel, pizza and-”

“Okay, can I join that food trip?” Nia asked.

“Of course! I’ll throw in there a few good coffee shops for you, with donuts for Brainy, if he wants to tag along.”

“It would be my pleasure.” He replied.

“But seriously, guys… I don’t know how to thank you all for your kindness and everything.”

“It has been easy to welcome you in when you’re so… you.” Nia said and they all laughed. “Seriously, it has been fun having you around and I’m not gonna lie, it’s been nice seeing her smiling so much.” She said nodding towards Lena, making her blush while everyone nodded in agreement.

“That’s true.” J’onn said with kindness. “It has been good seeing Lena smiling and feeling so comfortable. You’ve treated her well.”

“And I hope you guys keep taking care of her.” Sadie said looking at Lena.

“Oh, stop that.” Lena chuckled, a little uncomfortable with the attention. “Let’s get dessert.” She said and Nia and Brainy helped picking up the table while J’onn and Kelly helped Lena with the dessert.

“When are you leaving, Sadie?” Kara asked her with a small smile.

“I’m supposed to get to Iowa Monday evening. I leave tomorrow for New York, to pick up some new clothes and talk to my editor, and then I’ll get on my merry way.” She chuckled. “I actually can’t wait.” She chuckled. “I’ll be on the bus with my good friend Grace-” she said giving Kara a knowing look.

“As in Gordon Green? That Grace?”

“That same one! She’s a sweetheart. J’onn kind of reminds me of her.” She chuckled. “She’s almost my mom on the road.”

“I am so jealous of you right now.” Kara said and Alex laughed.

“I’m gonna tell Cat.” She joked.

“Stop it! Cat hates her, but loves her.” Kara laughed. “Grace apparently published a story a whole three minutes before Cat got the approval from her editor for a scoop… so she was forever blacklisted.”

“Oh Cat and her would be so fun to watch together.” Sadie joked. “I’m gonna tell her Cat hates her though, she’s gonna enjoy that. Being hated by the Queen of All Media would be the highlight of her day.”

“You reporters are so weird.” Alex said with a funny face.

“As if you FBI agents aren’t freaks too.” Sadie laughed, feeling like her and Alex had hit it off and got along very well.

“We’re freaks, and we’re proud of that.” She shrugged.

“Are you coming to National City while on the road?” Kelly asked, coming back to the table with a plate of cake and some macaroons for Alex.

“I will be back here in two months, I think… I have to check my schedule, but I will be back soon.” She nodded, smiling at Lena when she brought a similar plate for her and another for Kara, making Alex smirk and look down at her plate, earning a discreet elbow to the ribs from Kelly.

“Thanks.” Kara smiled at Lena.

“No problem. There’s some ice cream too, in case you want.” She said to Kara with a smile, knowing that it was one of her favorites.

“Thank you.” She said again, and Sadie smirked at her when she caught her staring while Lena walked back to the kitchen. “What?”

“Nothing.” She said simply, still smirking. “Nothing at all.” She said and winked, looking back at her plate.

A couple hours later they started saying their goodbyes, with Kara giving Lena a big hug while giggled watching Sadie and Alex whisper about something that even her super hearing couldn’t catch.

“I’ll see you this week for lunch?” Lena asked hopefully.

“Yep, I’ll be there on Wednesday.” Kara nodded.

“Sounds great.” Lena smiled.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure.” Sadie smiled, leaving Alex and coming to Kara. “My fellow reporter, may I have a word with you in private?”

“Uh, sure.” She chuckled, following her to the hallway.

“What’s that about?” Lena asked Alex with a raised eyebrow.

“No idea.” She lied, trying to hide a smile.

“Those two are trouble.” Kelly simply said, a little amused by the way Lena looked over their shoulders while Kara and Sadie talked. “Thank you so much for tonight.” She said and gave her a brief hug.

“No problem, thank you so much for coming.” Lena smiled widely. “You’re welcome to come anytime.”

“Thank you.” Alex smiled too, giving her a hug. “By the way, please tell the chef that everything was amazing.”

“I will.” She chuckled.

“Ready?” Kara asked Alex when she came back.

“Everything okay?” Lena asked, noticing how Kara was blushing and Sadie was smirking, a wink to Alex not lost on her.

“Everything’s fine.” Sadie, Alex and Kara responded at the same time.

“I told you they were trouble.” Kelly giggled, giving her a playful wave and guiding the Danvers sisters out of the apartment.

“What was that about?” Lena asked Sadie as soon as they were alone.

“What?”

“You talking to Kara.” She raised her eyebrow.

“That was me being a good reporter and inviting her over to New York.” She shrugged, going to pour herself another bottle of wine. “Oh, and I thanked her for taking me for coffee yesterday.” She shrugged.

“Uh huh.”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t know if I do.” She raised her eyebrow, walking to her.

“Now, excuse me miss Luthor but that eyebrow does things to me.” Sadie joked, fanning her face and making Lena laugh. “Wanna go get your sheets dirty one last time before I go?” she wagged her brows and pulled Lena close, kissing her slowly.

~~

“I can’t believe you had never taken us to Lena’s freaking penthouse.” Nia joked with Kara on Monday while they walked back from getting a coffee in their favorite place.

“I mean, it’s not like it’s my place and I can just fly you in.” she chuckled. “But it is a nice place.”

“I loved the view from her balcony… I’d spend hours there.” Nia said with a small smile.

“It’s a great view.” She agreed.

“Hey, are you okay? You’ve seemed down all day.”

“I’m great.” She smiled. “Just thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“I have a lot on my mind at the moment.” She sighed.

“Like what? I thought you were doing good with Cat and the editorial responsibilities she gave you.”

“I am, I just… one thing I’ve noticed is how my life is usually right on one aspect and then if flops on the other.” She chuckled humorlessly.

“So… what’s the thing that’s flopping?” Nia frowned.

“I just… we’ll talk about it later, okay?” she said softly.

“Of course, but Kara… you know you can count on me, right?”

“Thank you.” She smiled.

~~

“Hey.” Alex smiled when she picked up the phone.

“Hey, are you busy?”

“Brainy and I are trying to find the alien that escaped from the desert facility, but that will take a while… why?”

“Can you come to my place tonight?”

“Of course… should I bring wine or rum from Al’s bar?”

“Both.”

“Okay… I’ll be there at six.”

“I’ll order the pizzas.”

“Is Kara okay?” Brainy asked, noticing the way Alex was frowning after she hung up.

“I hope so.”

“Excuse my intromission, but I couldn’t help but notice the way she seemed to be a little uncomfortable by some of Sadie's interactions with Lena… romantic, interactions.”

“You noticed?”

“I believe we all did.” He nodded. “Nia mentioned she believes Kara could be jealous of Lena, but that wouldn’t make sense.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’d need to have romantic feelings for Lena, and she has been adamant in saying they’re just friends.” He said and then frowned. “Would she claim to be Lena’s friend and hang out with Sadie if she had feelings for Lena?”

“It’s not an uncommon situation.” Alex said with a slight grimace.

“So you are saying that Kara may indeed have some feelings for her?”

“I won’t confirm or deny that.” She said while nodding, making him frown confused.

“I will interpret that as you actually telling me to focus on my current task and forget about the chitchat.” He said and turned back to the screen, making her smile.

A while later she walked to Kara’s apartment, a bottle of that alien rum that managed to get Kara drunk in her hand, and a bottle of wine in the other. She knocked once and Kara needed only a second to open the door for her, welcoming into her loft with a messy look.

“Kara, are you okay?” she frowned, noticing the puffy eyes and the red nose. “Were you crying?”

“I- I don’t know what to do!” she said with a loud sigh, going to sit on the couch, crossing her arms over her chest.

“About what? Please throw me a bone, I’m lost and worried here.” Alex said and Kara took a deep breath.

“Sadie told me something that has me thinking.”

“Something?” Alex asked, trying to hide her smirk since she knew exactly what Sadie told her.

“She said… I need a drink.” She groaned, going to grab the bottle from Alex and pouring herself a glass.

“Oh, we’re getting drunk?”

“We are.” She nodded, taking a gulp of the liquor that burned down her throat.

“Okay, but at least take it easy.” She chuckled, handing her a slice of pizza.

“I just… I’m so anxious.” She sighed, taking a big bite and chewing on it staring blankly ahead.

“So, Sadie told you something that got you this way… what was it?” Alex asked after a long minute in silence.

“She said I should tell Lena about my feelings.” She said swallowing hard, taking a smaller sip of the liquor, shivering as it made its way down her throat. “But I don’t know how she knew about them in the first place! I haven’t told anyone a word, and I know you wouldn’t tell her what we talked about.” She rambled and poured herself a glass of wine, deciding that the liquor was not worth the burning sensation yet.

“What else did she tell you?”

“She said I shouldn’t be afraid of taking a step forward, and she said I should actually try my luck with Lena.” She sighed. “She said she knows there’s more than a chance for us, but like- Alex, how could she know that? And why would she be interested in me doing that? She’s her girlfriend!”

“She’s not Lena’s girlfriend.” She rolled her eyes. “She was very clear on that- both of them were.”

“Alex, she didn’t just come vacation here because Lena’s couch is comfy.”

“Okay, look… there’s this thing with consenting adults where you can have sex whenever you want, with whomever you want when you’re single.” Alex said with slight sarcasm. “Lena’s an adult, and Sadie was her fuck buddy for a few weeks, big deal! She’s not her girlfriend, Kara.”

“The way Lena acted with her, though… holding her hand, kissing her, cuddling into her.” She said almost sadly, looking down.

“Kara, look at me.” She said and reached for her hands. “Drink all the alien liquor you want, but I need you to listen to me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“We all have noticed you’re jealous, even Brainy mentioned it.” She said and Kara blushed deeply. “And I don’t know if you noticed how similar you and Sadie are, not only physically but also in your interests and even your jobs.” She said with a pointed look. “Kara, you are jealous, and that’s fine. You love Lena, and that’s fine… what’s not fine is you trying to find excuses to be miserable.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Sadie and I talked about you and her and Lena when we went out.” She started. “I didn’t tell her anything about your feelings, but she noticed how distant you were from Lena from the moment she showed up in her life, which was strange for her… she kept noticing how upset it made you when she touched or kissed Lena, so she kept doing it on purpose to get a reaction out of you, so you could realize how you feel- and it worked, so props to her.” She chuckled. “The thing is, she also noticed how you two wouldn’t shut up about each other, and how Lena tries to cheer you up with little details like bringing your favorite snacks to game night, or even letting you win on that card game we played the other day.”

“She didn’t let me win.”

“Kara, she did. We all noticed.” She chuckled. “She’s a brilliant player, she let you win… anyway, that’s besides the point.” She sighed. “The thing is… Sadie’s pretty sure that Lena has feelings for you too, and had a conversation about it with her.”

“She did what?”

“She didn’t talk about your feelings- again, I didn’t tell her anything.” Alex reassured her and let one of Kara’s hands go so she could pour herself another drink of the liquor that she promptly downed. “Apparently you two are stuck in the same dumb situation of being scared of losing each other, and you’re actually missing out on each other because of that.”

“Wait, does that mean that Lena-”

“Yes!” Alex exclaimed, startling Kara. “Sorry.” She chuckled. “But yes, it means Lena has feelings for you too.”

“Did she tell her that?”

“No, Kara.” She sighed, watching her down another drink. “She didn’t tell me the specifics of what she talked about with Lena, the same way I didn’t tell her about my conversations with you… we both assume what the other meant and knew, okay?” she said and Kara frowned and banged her forehead against the table.

“Why is love so hard?!”

“Because life’s like this.” She chuckled. “But hey, you gotta pull yourself together and make a decision, Kara. You are at a crossroad and you have two options: tell Lena how you feel, pursue something with her, or be miserable while she dates and you miss her.”

“I don’t want to lose her! What if we don’t work out together, Alex? What if we don’t have any chemistry? What if we’re not good for each other?”

“Kara, you have known her for years and you two have been attached at the hip since you met. You managed to become her friend and bring her walls down… you had that giant fight that was way too dramatic to be friendly, and you still came back from that… we’re talking about a woman who has worked with us even when she was mad at you, and that has kept you safe in ways we can’t even imagine.” She smiled. “She built you a suit to filter out kryptonite and saved your life… she doesn’t hesitate to come when you need her, and has been trying to reach out to you in a non invasive way ever since you started acting weird- the poor woman even called me to check in on you!” she sighed. “If anyone can make it, that’s you two… I think you’ve been in some kind of relationship before you made it official.” She joked.

“What if Sadie’s wrong?” she asked quietly. “What if she assumed wrong and Lena isn’t willing to risk our friendship for other feelings?”

“Other feelings? Love, Kara. Call it what it is.”

“It’s just-”

“I don’t know if I’d survive a rejection from her.” She sniffled softly. “The sole idea of her saying no-”

“Then don’t think about her saying no, Kara… think about her saying yes.” She said with a small smile and a reassuring squeeze to her hand. “She’s Lena… she’s your girl.” She winked and took a bite out of her pizza.

~~

Kara: hi you

Kara: I forgot to tell you

Kara: I have a meeting with Cat for her book

Kara: can’t make it for lunch on Wednesday

Lena: oh, okay

Lena: good luck with that!

Kara: do you have any plans for dinner?

Kara: because I’ll be free then

Lena: I’m having dinner with a potential investor

Lena: raincheck?

Kara: sure!

“Great.” Kara sighed, laying in bed after Alex left. She was feeling a slight buzz from the liquor, a spark of boldness that made her try to reach out for Lena in hopes of coming clean and confessing her feelings, but of course it didn’t work out.

She tossed and turned for a while longer and then she just decided to go flying around the city, a way to clear her mind. She spent a few minutes up in the air and found herself hovering outside of Lena’s building, watching her curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and her tablet, working quietly.

She observed her in silence for a few minutes, using her super hearing to hear her peaceful heartbeat and the gentle taps of her fingertips on the tablet. She smiled at the sight and allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if she could just walk in there and kiss her, cracking a joke to make her smile and forget about work for one night.

She pictured herself laying on the couch next to her, resting her head on Lena’s lap while they watched a movie and laughed at the dumb moments. She pictured herself carrying Lena to bed in her arms after a long night working, tucking her in and holding her until morning to make sure nothing would interrupt her dreams.

“I love you, Lena.” She whispered, taking one last look and flying back to her apartment. She poured herself a larger drink and downed it while she pulled her phone out of her boot, the liquid courage making her feel that spark of boldness again.

Kara: hey

Kara: me again

Kara: do you have plans tomorrow night?

Kara: I need to talk to you

Kara: I’m ready

Lena: are you okay?

Kara: I’ll be better after talking to you

Lena: I had a meeting but I’ll cancel it

“Shit.” Kara sighed.

Kara: no, if you’re busy I can wait

Kara: don’t cancel your meeting

Lena: you’re more important to me than any meeting

Lena: wanna talk here? Or want me to go there?

Kara: Yours

Kara: if you don’t mind

Lena: I’ll have the wine ready

Kara: thank you

Kara: ❤️

Lena: always ❤️

“Tomorrow.” Kara nodded to herself, pouring herself another drink with her shaky cold hands. “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

“Keira, come here.” Cat said when she saw her walking back to her desk after yet another trip to the kitchen for coffee.

“Yes, Miss Grant?”

“Why are you behaving like some coffeeholic weirdo today?” she asked and sat down on the couch. “You have enough caffeine in your system to fuel a literal army.”

“I just wanted something warm.” She shrugged.

“I will recommend you switch to something else or you’re gonna be shaking like a rabbit on crack.” She rolled her eyes. “Why are you so anxious?”

“I’m not, I’m just… I’m- I drank too much last night.”

“Keira, be serious.” She said and Kara sighed, leaving the steamy mug on the coffee table.

“I did!” it wasn’t a lie, but she couldn’t tell Cat about her plans for the night.

“Okay.” She shrugged. “Just please stop drinking coffee like you’re on a competition with Nia. Oh, and by the way… my editor loved the new additions to the book. Thank you.”

“Always.” She smiled and went back to her desk. She tried to focus on work, looking for some documents she needed for her latest investigation, but she just couldn’t sit still, earning her some dirty looks from those around her who suffered her bouncy leg and the incessant tapping on her desk.

“Kara, are you okay?” Nia asked after a while of trying to focus but being distracted by her friend’s movements.

“I am.” She smiled widely. “Why?”

“Just asking.” She chuckled. “Wanna go grab lunch?”

“I’m going with Alex.” She said and Nia nodded. “I think Brainy will be off by then.”

“Noted.” She winked and quickly shot a text to her boyfriend. A few minutes later they made their way downstairs and walked a couple blocks until they found Alex and Brainy. “Hey guys!”

“Hey.” Alex smiled.

“Hi Brainy- bye Brainy.” Kara smiled and quickly pulled Alex with her towards the park.

“What was that?” she asked confused, noticing that Kara seemed a little out of herself.

“I did something stupid, and I can’t take it back.”

“What did you do?”

“I may or may not have texted Lena last night after you left.”

“Wait, did you drunk text Lena?”

“I did!” she groaned. “I didn’t tell her anything, though… I just asked her if she had plans for tonight and she did, but she cancelled and now we’re meeting at her place for dinner, and I don’t know-”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down.” She chuckled, pulling her to a bench and sitting down. “Again, but slower.”

“I asked her if she had plans because I need to talk to her.” She swallowed hard. “Now we’re having dinner together and I just don’t know if I’ll have the courage to tell her what I feel.”

“Is that what you want to do? Because during dinner you said you wanted to wait for a bit.”

“Well, yes but… I went to see her- before I texted her… I just stayed out of sight and watched her for a while-”

“Please don’t tell her you did that, my creepy little stalker.” Alex chuckled.

“I just… I wanted to see her. I wanted to listen to my heart and my head, and Alex… all I wanted was to fly in there and hang out with her.”

“Hang out, or hang out?”

“Kiss her, cuddle watching a movie, asking her how her day went… I just… I want her to be happy, and I want to help with that.” She sighed. “I know I can make her happy.”

“Well, then go for it. Don’t overthink it.”

“What if she says no?”

“Kara… this could go either way. I am pretty sure that Lena has feelings for you, we all kind of suspect that but the rest has to be between the two of you. I can’t tell you how it will go, but I can tell you that you should at the very least try.”

“If she says no then I’ll fly myself to the moon.” She pouted.

“Ugh, don’t be dramatic.” She chuckled, wrapping an arm around her. “Just let your heart do the talking… it’s Lena. You two get each other.” She said and Kara nodded. “And promise me you won’t drink any alien rum tonight.”

“I will probably need a bit of-”

“No.” Alex chuckled. “You were a babbling mess last night, and the last thing you need is to fall asleep all drunk on Lena’s couch.” She warned her. “By the way, why are you going to her place?”

“Because that way I can make an easy way out.” She confessed.

“Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst.”

“You get me.” She smiled sadly.

~~

Lena: I’m on my way

Lena: you can wait upstairs, if you want

Lena: don’t know if I left the balcony door unlocked, though

Kara: I’ll wait for you with Mrs Lawrence

Lena: you may be the only person she likes

Kara: can’t resist the Danvers charm!

Kara: she’s spilling the gossip on your neighbors

She arrived to Lena’s building a little earlier than planned since she couldn’t deal with the anxiety, so she stood by the front desk and started chatting with the receptionist, an older lady that was usually grumpy and over everyone, but had a soft spot for Kara. She waited a few minutes and soon enough her super hearing caught the sound of Lena’s voice on the phone as her car approached the building, giving the final instructions for her assistant right as her driver parked and made the way around the car to hold the door for her.

Kara had tried to keep her thoughts and nerves in check, but at that moment all she could think about was how beautiful Lena looked with her hair up in a bun, exposing her neck. She caught a whiff of her sweet perfume, and the sound of her heels approaching them made her very core shake in anticipation.

“Hey.”

“Hey, I’m sorry I made you wait.” She smiled at Kara, giving her a tight hug.

“Good evening, Miss Luthor.”

“Hello, Mrs Lawrence.” She smiled politely. “Are you ready?” she asked Kara.

“Yes ma’am.” She chuckled, lifting a bag of her favorite takeout for her to see.

“Lead the way, then.” Lena smiled, turning to walk to the elevator.

“Excuse me, are you Kara Danvers?” a glamourous young woman smiled. She had been standing by the elevator and the blonde caught her eye, something that surprised Kara.

“Hi… that’s me.” She smiled awkwardly. She noticed a slight change in the pace of Lena’s beating heart, and could feel some tension while she discreetly eyed the stranger up and down.

“I’m a huge fan of your work… I loved your article on Lex Luthor.” The woman said, her eyes fixed on Kara while she completely ignored Lena.

“Thank you.” She nodded, blushing slightly.

“I really like the way you have been working to expose the corruption in National City, too. The way you don’t seem to be afraid to name the names.” she smiled, bright and beautiful. If Kara were honest, she’d say that woman was beautiful and even tempting, but she could feel the heat from Lena’s eyes on her and tried to play it cool.

“It has been great having the support from the authorities, and even Miss Grant’s too.” She said and tried to step closer to Lena, but the woman stopped her with a hand to her bicep.

“Please keep the great work coming, Miss Danvers. The city needs more people like you, who aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right.” She said, her eyes on Kara’s with so much intensity she almost squirmed.

“Thank- thank you. I will.” She smiled.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lena. I didn’t see you there.”

“Miss Luthor is fine.” Lena replied bitterly, making Kara bite her lips to hide her smile when the woman’s eyebrows shot up almost up to her hairline. She quickly pushed the button for the elevator and got in, pulling her key card out to reach the penthouse, giving the woman a look. “Are you coming, Kara?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh- yes. Uhmm… nice to meet you.” She smiled awkwardly at the woman and stepped into the elevator, bursting into a giggling fit when Lena pushed the button to close the doors before the woman joined them. “Lena, that was rude!” she said with a smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t like that little member of your fan club.” She scoffed.

“She was just trying to be nice.” She chuckled, feeling some hope that Lena was jealous.

“Sure… maybe you would rather go have dinner with her, then.” She said with that raised eyebrow and playful low voice that let Kara knew she was in a teasing mood. “Maybe spending time with Lex Luthor’s sister is not as appealing anymore.” She added and stepped out of the elevator when they reached her floor.

“Lena, don’t.” she chuckled. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.” She said candidly, blushing at her own words. “Besides, no one else has the good wine ready for dinner.” She joked.

“I could get you the bottle down to her apartment.” She kept pushing, a daring tone in her voice. “A congratulatory present.”

“You don’t even know where she lives.” She chuckled. “She was probably visiting.” She said leaving her bag and coat on the couch while Lena went to leave hers in her room.

“That’s not a visitor. She lives five floors down and used James’ parking space once.” Lena said while she came back. “Do you mind if I change? I’ve been dying to get out of this dress for hours.” She said while rolling her neck, making Kara’s mind go straight to the gutter.

“No problem.” She nodded, swallowing hard. “I’ll get the wine.”

“Awesome.” Lena smiled and walked back to her room, oblivious of Kara’s eyes following her until she was out of view.

“I need to calm down.” She sighed, closing her eyes and groaning when she heard the sound of Lena pulling the zipper down and the dress falling to the cold floor. “Oh, Rao… help me.” She whispered, trying to block the rustling of clothes being taken off and then of new pieces being pulled on. “Focus, Kara… focus.” She mumbled, focusing on getting the glasses for the wine Lena had prepared.

“There’s nothing like comfortable clothes.” Lena smiled, walking out of her room in a pair of tight jeans and a comfortable blue sweater, her hair now down in a ponytail.

“Oh, for sure.” She nodded. “I took off my shoes, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Lena smiled and pointed at her own bare feet. “I’m starving.” She smiled, getting the food to the table and setting everything up while Kara poured them the wine. They took a minute longer to get everything ready and then sat down, enjoying the food and the company. “I have to confess I missed you.”

“We saw each other the other day.” Kara smiled.

“I know, but this… just you and me.” She said sheepishly. “I miss it. I like just being myself when I’m with you.” She confessed. “I love our friends, but I still feel a little lonely sometimes… not everyone gets me.”

“You have Sadie now, too.” Kara said with difficulty, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice.

“She’s a good friend, but she’s just that.” Lena smiled.

“I thought you two had… you know, something more of a relationship.”

“Me and Sadie?”

“Yeah, I mean… you two seemed… cozy.”

“Not like that, no.” Lena chuckled. “I think Sadie made me remember how nice it is having waiting for you at home after a long day.” She smiled. “It was mostly a physical relationship, but it was fun talking to her and getting to know her. We were both very honest though, and we don’t have feelings like that for each other.”

“So you won’t be pursuing anything with her?”

“No, Kara. Sadie was just… she’s gonna be a friend, I can tell you that. I like her energy and I’m comfortable around her, but romantic feelings- I didn’t feel that with her, at all.” She said with sincerity in her words. “She just made me realize that I’m free to have a relationship, you know? Like… I know I can count on you to talk honestly and have a heart to heart, but you know how that other part- the company of someone in a cold night…” she shrugged. “But there would be zero potential for more between us. She’s too focused on work and lives in New York, I love my job and I live in National City, so even that sounds complicated.” She chuckled.

“Would you be interested in that? A relationship.”

“I’m not actively pursuing but if it comes to my door…” she smiled and shrugged again. “I’m just open to any possibilities, and I want to enjoy my life, owning it again and being happy… to be honest that’s all I want, you know? I just want to be myself and be happy. Whether that’s with someone by my side, or all by myself doesn’t matter at the moment.”

“I see.” She nodded, swallowing hard and looking down. “I actually… I think Sadie helped us both see some of that stuff.” She said softly. “I saw you two together and…” she swallowed hard, feeling how her hands got cold with her nerves and her face got warm as she blushed. “I felt jealous of what you had with her.” She confessed barely above a whisper. “I was- I guess I felt a bit threatened by her, and-”

“Kara, is that why you were acting strange?” Lena asked with a concerned frown.

“No! I mean… yes, but no.” she swallowed hard and started playing with her napkin. “It wasn’t Sadie, or you being happy, it was… you two together.” She shook her head, unable to find a way to expose her thoughts. “I just… I guess it was a bit of a wakeup call for me.” She let out a shaky breath, making Lena reach for her hand, squeezing gently.

“I’m here for you.” She said softly, understanding that Kara was trying to open herself up and be vulnerable after feeling her cold hand.

“I- when I was- I don’t know how to do this.” She chuckled, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, feeling the weight of Lena’s hand on hers. “I felt threatened by her presence in your life, because I never really… I never realized just how-” she swallowed hard and looked around the room, too afraid to look at Lena. “I was scared she was gonna- oh shit, not now.” She groaned, hearing her phone going off with a DEO alert and then with a call from Alex. “What’s happening?” she asked with a little more aggressiveness than she intended, but Alex understood and said nothing.

“There’s an alien fight in the docks, apparently it was a drug move gone wrong. There’s humans and aliens involved but there’s a white Martian and two other unidentified aliens that even J’onn and Dreamer couldn’t deal with… we need your help.”

“I’ll be right there.” She sighed. “I have to go.”

“Okay.” Lena nodded, getting on her feet and walking to open the door to her balcony. “I’ll leave it open if you want to come back later, okay? I’m here for you.” She said and gave her a quick reassuring hug before Kara flew away, leaving her with a doubt in her mind and a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.

“That was quick.” Alex said when Kara punched the white Martian one last time and pushed him into a contention cell in the DEO.

“I was about to tell her.” She said with an annoyed pout.

“Oh, Kara… I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t have interrupted you but we needed the help.”

“No, it’s fine… it’s perfectly fine, I just… I don’t know what to do now, like- should I go back there? Should I go home and try again after game night?”

“What does your gut tell you?”

“That I should come clean once and for all, but… Alex… I don’t know how.” She said as Alex quietly guided her to the DEO balcony.

“You tell her what you feel. You tell her with honesty, Kara. Be vulnerable… she’s Lena.” She smiled at her sister.

“I don’t want to screw this up.” She sighed. “And what happens if you need me again? I don’t think I could just up and leave in the middle of-”

“We’ll have your back.” Alex smiled, pointing at Nia that was standing a few feet away from them.

“You go get the girl.”

“You- you knew?”

“Kara, we all know.” Nia smiled. “Even Brainy.” She said with a playful roll of her eyes. “He’s clueless in a lot of situations, but he’s noticed the tension.”

“You just go and do your thing, okay? I’ll handle things with J’onn and won’t call you unless I need a babysitter for this one.” She said pointing at Nia.

“Hey!”

“Just roll with it.” Alex winked playfully.

“Kara… just remember this is Lena. Your best friend.” Nia smiled, placing her hand on Kara’s back. “You don’t have to be afraid of talking to her. She’s your person.”

“Got get her, Supergirl.” Alex smiled one last time and Kara nodded, taking a deep breath and flying away. “She’s a mess.” She sighed and Nia playfully smacked her arm.

“She’s a baby gay confessing her feelings for the first time, don’t be mean.”

“Uh… Kara isn’t a baby gay.” She scoffed. “She had a girlfriend when she first moved to National City.”

“Wait, she did? How come I didn’t know that?”

“That’s a story for another day.” Alex grinned. “For now, let’s get back to work.”

~~

“What am I gonna tell her?” Kara asked while she flew to Lena’s penthouse, taking the longest route there and going as slow as she could to make time. “I just defeated a white Martian; I can tell Lena I love her.” She scoffed, coming to a halt and taking a moment to compose herself in a rooftop near her building. “What if she turns me down?” she asked herself, biting her lip. “What if she thinks I’m stupid and- ugh, why is this so hard?” she groaned, leaning over the ledge of the building and looking over it across the street, watching how Lena was sitting on her couch wrapped up in a cozy blanket while sipping some scotch. “You’re so beautiful, Lena… I wish I was brave enough to just come clean and tell you how I feel, but I just can’t lose you.” She whispered. “I can’t- I can’t risk it, but I can’t just…” she sighed, tired of her own monologue. She shook her head and took off flying again, reaching Lena’s balcony in just a second.

“Hey… I just saw you on the news.” Lena smiled, leaving the glass on the coffee table and turning to Kara.

“White Martian and a Saturnian guy.” She explained.

“I saw that… are you okay, though? That one punch looked like it hurt.” She asked with a teasing grin that masked her real concern.

“It did hurt, but I am okay.” She chuckled, coming to sit on the couch next to her, grabbing her cape and fidgeting with it. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m a Luthor, Kara. We’re used to spending the night working on our cruelest evil inventions.” She joked a little, trying to ease the tense atmosphere around them.

“Don’t say that, you’re not a villain, or an evil Luthor.” She groaned, always detesting Lena’s self-deprecating humor since it reminded her of their fight.

“I’m just a Luthor.” Lena insisted. “But it’s fine, I’m really not tired… we can just watch a movie if you don’t want to talk.” She said with her kind voice.

“Would you mind it? I just… I need to build up my courage again.” She confessed, blushing a little.

“I ordered some potstickers while you were gone in case you’d come back.” Lena said with a small grin. “Why don’t you go get changed into something more comfortable and I’ll pick a movie?”

“You’re amazing.” She smiled at her, allowing her eyes to linger in those beautiful green eyes before she headed to the bathroom to freshen up and change back into her regular clothes. She came out a minute later feeling slightly better, calmer and more relaxed, and walked to the living room where she found Lena setting every snack she had in the penthouse on the coffee table.

“Some comfort food.” She said as explanation, handing Kara the fluffy blanket she had when she got there.

“What are we watching?”

“Mamma Mia.”

“A musical?!”

“Looks like you need a bit of a cheer up, and I’m willing to sacrifice myself for a couple hours.” She joked, sitting down on her side of the couch with a fresh glass of wine. Kara stood next to the couch, holding the blanket in her hands and looking at Lena with so much emotion that she frowned. “Kara?”

“I- I can’t- I-”

“Hey, it’s okay! Come here.” Lena frowned and left the glass on whatever surface she could find, leaving the couch and going to hug Kara tightly. “It’s okay.” She said softly.

“It’s not okay, Lena… I-” she shook her head and took a step back, sitting on the couch.

“Kara, do you… do you want me to call Alex?” she asked with worry in her voice, concerned by her friend and knowing that her sister always knew how to help.

“No, just…” she took a deep breath and held it in for a moment, releasing the air slowly when she heard Lena’s heartbeat. “I was jealous of Sadie and how happy you looked with her, of how she made you feel… I was jealous of Sadie because I wanted to be her.” She confessed, closing her eyes and letting a single tear escape. “I’m- I love you, Lena… and I didn’t really had a full grasp of how much I love you until I saw how happy you were talking about Sadie, and then I saw you two together and- I just- I’m jealous. I don’t just love you, Lena. I’m in love with you… I always have been.” She whispered, finally looking up at her and finding those beautiful green eyes focused on her, tears leaving wet paths down Lena’s cheeks.

“Kara-”

“I’m sorry for dumping this on you now, I know you have a lot on your mind, but… I just- I just had to take the risk.” She said softly, her voice breaking. “I just… you’re the kindest, smartest, most beautiful soul I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and you deserve nothing but the best… I hope I don’t- I hope this doesn’t ruin our friendship.” She said and felt her lips trembling. “Even if you don’t feel the same, I just didn’t want to keep this from you… I promised myself that I’d always be honest, that I wouldn’t hurt you with my betrayal once again.” She shook her head and stood up, her shaky cold hands reaching for Lena’s finding them just as cold.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked in a breathy whisper, her heart beating so fast that Kara could almost feel it.

“Because I- I don’t know.” She chuckled humorlessly. “I don’t know, I guess I just… I just can’t keep secrets from you anymore.” She said honestly, looking into her eyes and finding so much conflict and fear that she regretted opening her mouth in the first place. “You don’t- I know you don’t feel the same, but I just needed to be honest. I made that promise to you and-”

“Kara, do you… are you sure?” she asked in a little voice, so soft Kara could barely hear her.

“Am I sure?” she chuckled, shaking her head and squeezing her hand gently. “I am.” She responded. “I couldn’t stand the way Sadie touched you, how she- how she kissed you.” She said with a frown. “When I met her I really wanted to hate her, and dislike her, and- I tried… Rao knows I tried, but… but she made you smile, and made you happy, and she’s actually a good person.” She sighed. “I couldn’t hate her, and I actually like her, but… when she kissed you, I wanted to send her flying back to New York.” She smiled, looking up at Lena, who seemed to be shocked.

“I’m a Luthor.”

“You’re Lena. You’re not your last name, you’re not someone’s sister or daughter… you’re Lena, my best friend.”

“Best friend.” She sighed, snapping out of her stupor and withdrawing her hand from Kara’s as she sat down on the couch.

“Yes.” She swallowed hard, feeling totally unprepared for that reaction from Lena. She expected a rejection, but she didn’t expect silence and stoicism. “Lena… talk to me, please.” She asked, pleaded.

“I can’t.” Lena sighed, closing her eyes and wiping her tears away with her sleeves. “I’m- I think you should go.” She said and Kara’s heart broke in a million pieces as her biggest fear came true.

“Lena-”

“I need- I’m a Luthor, Kara. You’re the-” she shook her head. “I can’t.” she repeated.

“I’m sorry.” Kara whispered and walked to the balcony, taking one last look at Lena and taking off.

~~

9am

Alex: how did it go with Lena?

Alex: it’s been 12 hours and I’m worried

Alex: should I be worried or thrilled?

Alex: or disgusted, bc if you’ve been going at it for 12 hours…

10am

Alex: Kara?

Alex: are you okay?

11am

Alex: I tried calling you

Alex: Nia said you didn’t go to work

Alex: are you okay?

1pm

Alex: I called Lena and she sent me to voicemail

Alex: are you okay, Kara?

~~

“Miss Luthor.”

“I’m sorry. What happened?” she asked, shaking her head and focusing back on her worried assistant.

“I tried announcing a visitor but you didn’t answer the phone.” She said softly and Lena looked at the intercom with the lost calls on the screen. “Agent Danvers is outside.”

“I’m sorry Jess.” She said and got on her feet. “Tell Alex I’m in the middle of something I can’t push back and I cant talk to her right now.” she said nervously. “And please tell Hector to stay by the door and not let her in if she tries to.”

“Of course, miss Luthor.”

“Jess-”

“Yes?”

“Has… has Kara called?”

“Miss Danvers hasn’t called or come to the office… are you expecting her?”

“No, I’m- just tell Alex I’m on a call with an investor.” She said and her assistant nodded and walked back out of her office, leaving her to get lost in her own thoughts again.

~~

“Where were you?!” Alex asked when she got to Kara’s loft and finally found her sister. “I have been looking everywhere for you! You turned off the DEO’s tracker, and haven’t answered your phone-”

“I needed time to think.” Kara responded weakly, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

“Kara, what happened with Lena?” she asked worriedly. “Because I just went to her office and she made up an excuse to not see me.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She sighed. “Can we just sit here?”

“Of course.” She exhaled and gave her a long hug. She went to the freezer and grabbed a pint of ice cream too, and then pulled Kara with her towards the couch, where they sat in silence for the rest of the afternoon.

~~

“Are you going to game night?” Alex asked Kara the next morning over coffee. She had stayed over with her, supporting her without talking since Kara wasn’t in the mood for words.

“Hasn’t she cancelled?”

“No… you think she will?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll confirm with her.”

“Okay.”

“Do you need something?” Alex asked softly.

“No, I’m gonna go to work and focus on whatever story they want me to write.”

“Okay.” Alex smiled. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” She said softly, accepting her big sister’s hug.

“Everything will work out, just give it time.” She whispered in her ear and kissed Kara’s hair. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Thank you.”

~~

Alex: hey

Alex: don’t know what happened with Kara

Alex: won’t ask questions

Alex: just tell me if you’re okay

Lena: I’m okay

Lena: I’ll see you all tonight

Alex: you’re still up for hosting?

Lena: of course

Alex: okay…

Alex: call me if you need anything

Alex: I’m your friend too

Alex: and honorary big sister

Alex: don’t forget that

Lena: ❤️

~~

“You ready?” Alex asked Kara while they walked up to the elevator in Lena’s building.

“I have to be ready.”

“You don’t have to, Kara. If you don’t want to come-”

“I want to. I really do.” She shook her head. “It’s just that I don’t know if she’d want me here.”

“She said she’d see all of us tonight… that seems pointed and includes you.” She said and bumped her shoulder playfully. “She’s not mad, she’s probably confused and shocked… give it time.”

“Are you sure there’s no impending emergency with the DEO I need to help with?” she asked when the elevator doors opened on Lena’s floor.

“There’s no emergency, but if you don’t want to come-”

“Let’s do it.” Kara said shaking her head, knocking on Lena’s door.

“Nia and Brainy are already here… I sent them in earlier to help and make sure we won’t be alone.” She smiled and Kara visibly relaxed.

“Hey, come in!” Nia smiled when she opened the door. “J’onn and M’gann will be here in a few minutes, they had to make a stop to get something.” She shrugged. “Lena’s chef is a trying to not get fired by Lena for being here.” She chuckled, pointing to the tall handsome guy who was hurriedly working in the kitchen while Lena watched him, frustrated by him being late.

“Oh, we got to meet the mystery chef!” Alex playfully joked.

“Hi there!” the guy said in a hurry without looking up from the charcuterie board he was putting together. “I’ll be out in ten minutes.” he said and finally let his eyes move up, finding a smiling Alex and then Kara next to her.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Lena mumbled, typing something on her phone.

“Hey, I brought this.” Alex said and handed Lena a bottle of her favorite scotch with a wink and a small smile.

“Thank you.” Lena smiled back. “Hi, Kara.”

“Hey… how are you?” she asked dumbly, making Nia and Brainy look at Alex with dumbfounded looks.

“I’m fine.” Lena replied and then her phone rang. “I have to take this, I’m sorry… please let Antoine work.” She playfully said to Nia, who was popping a black olive in her mouth.

“I’m so gonna get fired.” The guy joked.

“No way.” Alex reassured him, pouring herself a glass of wine.

“Miss Luthor’s standards are high.”

“We’ll convince her, don’t worry.” Alex chuckled. “Just keep this one well fed and you’re out of danger.” She pointed with her thumb at Kara, who laughed and stole a chunk of cheese.

“Noted.” The man smiled. “I’m Antoine.”

“I’m Kara.” She smiled through a mouthful of cheese, making him smile.

“You should try that one with this.” He said and handed her a cracker with honey and a thin slice o apple on top.

“Mmm… oh my, that’s so good.” Kara said with wide eyes, the taste of the cheese mixing with the sweetness of the apple.

“And this one is amazing with these.” He said handing her a thin slice of bread with a creamy cheese on top followed by some apricots and prosciutto.

“Oh my- Alex, you need to try these.” Kara replied through a mouthful. “Mmm… I can’t get enough of that.” Kara practically moaned, handing Nia a small piece while the chef prepared another mix for them.

“He’s so getting fired now.” Alex chuckled, looking up and finding Lena staring daggers at the back of his head when he handed Kara a piece of toast with fig jam and cheese that made her close her eyes and chew.

“Mmmmm Antoine, this is magical. I’ve never ever tasted something so good before.” She said honestly, not realizing how Lena had walked back into the kitchen and was pouring herself a glass of scotch.

“Oh, he’s so fired.” Nia told Alex, who nodded and covered her mouth to hide her laugh.

“Are we done here, Antoine?” Lena asked and the man almost jumped out of his skin, looking back at Lena after staring at Kara for a little too long.

“I- I’ll finish the other board and I’ll be on my way, Miss Luthor.” He hesitated and Lena gave him a cold look that made Nia and Alex chuckle, having to hide their amusement with a gulp of wine.

“Please hurry.” Lena said and he nodded, focusing back on his work.

“That’s gotta be J’onn.” Brainy said and went to get the door, allowing J’onn and M’gann into the penthouse.

“I’m sorry for the delay.” J’onn said with a smile. “We had to make a stop to get you this.” He said handing Lena a medium package. “I hope you like it.” He said and Lena opened it, smiling widely when she saw it was a framed group photo they took of everyone when Sam went for a visit for Christmas.

“J’onn, this is amazing!” she smiled widely, her shiny eyes focused on herself and Kara, sitting side by side with their heads together laughing at whatever Alex said to make them all laugh for the photo. “Thank you so much.”

“I know you don’t keep many photos around the place, but one should always have a photo of the family.” He said and Lena felt her eyes welling up with tears.

“Thank you.” She whispered, showing the picture to Nia and Alex.

“I remember that day!” Nia exclaimed. “Kara was mad because James and Kelly showed up in matching outfits and her and Alex didn’t, aka sibling betrayal.”

“It was not planned!” Kelly laughed.

“Even if it had been planned, I wouldn’t have been matching this dork like we’re 5 year old twins.” Alex scoffed playfully.

“First of all, rude.” Kara joked, making them all laugh. “And second: you would’ve totally matched me. Don’t even try to act tough.” She said and Alex just rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.” She mumbled. “Where do you want it, Lena?” she asked referring to the photo.

“I think… here.” She smiled and brought it to a small surface near the table where she kept a vase with flowers. She moved them to the side and gave the focal point to the photograph, making her smile when she felt Alex and Nia walk to her.

“We’re so gonna fill this space with corny photos.” Nia joked and Lena smiled.

“Be my guest.”

“You don’t know what you just signed up for, Luthor.” Alex told her and Nia wagged her brows.

“Excuse me, Miss Luthor… I’m done with the-”

“Thank you, Antoine. You can leave now.” She said walking to him.

“I left the appetizers on-”

“Thank you.” Lena repeated, her eyebrow slightly raised in a way that told him he should go.

“Yes, Miss Luthor.” He nodded and started cleaning his space up; right before he left he approached Kara and handed her a small plate with different mixes of fruits, breads and cheeses. “They’re best eaten that way.” He said with a kind smile that Kara promptly returned, unaware of the way Lena was glaring the man, and the amusement on everyone else’s faces, including J’onn.

“Thank you, Antoine.” Kara smiled and watched him leave before turning back to the group, all eyes on her. “What?”

“You better share that.” Alex told her, trying hard not to laugh.

“Of course.” Kara shook her head and watched how Lena downed her scotch in one chug.

“Alex, do you want a refill?” Lena asked and walked to the kitchen.

“I uh… sure.” She smiled and went after her while M’gann and Brainy moved the snacks and charcuterie boards to the coffee table, leaving enough room for the board games. “You okay?” Alex asked Lena softly.

“Yeah.” She nodded, struggling to open the bottle to the point her forehead’s vein was about to pop.

“Let me.” Alex said and reached for the bottle. “Double?” she asked and poured a generous amount.

“Thank you.”

“No problem… just remember to switch to water after this one.” She winked and guided her back to the couch.

“Should we switch the teams?” Nia asked and J’onn nodded.

“We could do that to make things interesting since this is our first time playing at Lena’s.” he said and Alex groaned, dreading the way J’onn usually divided the teams. “Let’s make it easy…” he said with a mischievous look on his eye that only Alex recognized.

“What do you propose?” she asked trying not to raise any suspicions.

“Well, me and M’gann, Kara and Lena, you and Kelly and then Nia and Brainy.”

“Oh, I like it!” Kelly smiled, and Kara blushed deeply while Lena took a gulp of her scotch.

“Sounds great. My Nia and I will get that win.” Brainy said with certain cockiness.

“You wish.” Alex said and bumped shoulders with Kelly, who seemed to catch on J’onn’s plan.

“We’re so gonna win.” She said and Alex winked at her.

“Well then, let’s start with some trivia.” J’onn smiled.

“Hey.” Kara smiled when she moved to sit close to Lena since everyone else was sitting with their partner except them.

“Hi.” Lena smiled at her. “You forgot your snacks.” She said with a playful tone, lifting her eyebrow and nodding at the plate the chef prepared for her.

“I’m a little full.” Kara blushed.

“That would be a first.” Alex joked, handing her the plate and then giving Nia a look to start organizing the game and give them a moment to get their minds sorted out. As fun as she thought J’onn’s ide was, she didn’t want Lena or Kara to be miserable all night.

“The fun part is he didn’t even make the best combination.” Lena said and reached over to the table and handed her a small piece of bread with apricot jam and a soft cheese on top, some pecans and then prosciutto on top. “Try that.”

“Oh… oh!” Kara hummed, feeling the explosion of flavor in her mouth, feeling the warm bread, creamy cheese and the crunchy of the nuts. “Wow…” she swallowed the first bite, her eyes wide open and looking up at Lena’s. “That’s just- this one wins.” She chuckled, taking another bite.

“And that’s without being a chef.” Lena joked, making Kara smile.

“Okay, let’s get this started.” Brainy said and stood up, ready to take the first turn.

After two hours of fun, Lena and Kara seemed to be back to their regular dynamic, making Alex feel better about the whole situation. She exchanged a few knowing looks with Nia and Kelly after Kara and Lena celebrated their win with a tight hug that lasted a little longer than needed, but she didn’t say a word about it.

They had dinner and then started another round of games, with Lena having the time of her life with Brainy playing poker, both of them doing their best to count cards and win to everyone’s amusement. By the end Lena challenged him to a round of chess, and he was surprised by the way Lena handled herself to the point of beating him with ease.

“Lena’s a chess prodigy.” Kara said with a smug smirk after Lena called the game.

“I knew she was good, but she just…” Brainy started, clearly annoyed and confused. “She beat me!” he said and Nia patted his shoulder.

“No shame on that, babe.” She chuckled.

“Is there something you can’t do right?” Brainy asked her and Lena chuckled while sipping from the glass of water Alex had given her a moment earlier.

“Oh there’s plenty.” She said and Alex chuckled.

“But if you don’t want her to beat you again stay clear of Uno, chess, fencing, equestrian disciplines, and probably other sports.” Alex said amused. “At least if our experience and Wikipedia can be trusted.”

“Did you just quote Lena’s Wikipedia?” Nia laughed. “Is that true, Lena? I didn’t know you had so much sports background.”

“She almost made the Olympic team.” Alex said, looking down at her phone.

“No secret is sacred, huh.” Lena chuckled. “I did have a lot of time to spend away from Lillian’s sight when I was a child, so my father signed me up for any activity he could find- well, my nanny.” She corrected herself. “I did swimming up until 5^th grade, then I focused on other sports… volleyball, archery for a short period, basketball for a full semester, then I started with fencing and I loved being out in the open, so I started building a good reputation in dressage- oh, and I liked martial arts… those were actually encouraged by my father as self-defense.” She shrugged. “I then focused on everything science and kept just fencing and dressage until my father died. Lillian made me focus on science and school, and allowed me to keep competing in fencing due to my potential but it all died after I almost qualified to the Olympics.”

“Wow… that’s- I’m impressed.” Alex said. “I’ll ask them to update your page.”

“Please don’t.” Lena chuckled.

“You’re even more of a badass than I imagined.” Nia said, still processing all the time Lena invested in sports and science in her youth. “And you were already pretty high up there.”

“Well, thank you.” She smiled.

“If I search your name on youtube, would I find all of those things?” Alex asked and Lena laughed.

“Possibly, unless Lillian forced them to delete it since I brought shame to the Luthor name.” she rolled her eyes.

“How?”

“Long story.” She chuckled. “But let me know what you find.” She said slightly amused.

“Well, I think we all should go now.” J’onn said noticing the time.

“You don’t have to leave so soon.” Lena said with a slight frown.

“We have to go back to the DEO.” Alex said apologetically.

“World saving duties call, Miss Luthor.” Brainy said and she smiled.

“Well, then… let’s go.” J’onn said and helped Alex and Kelly bring their plates and stuff to the kitchen, not wanting to leave a mess for Lena. “Thank you so much for hosting us today. It was amazing, and it certainly sets the bar a little high for the future.” He smiled.

“Oh please, I’m just glad it all worked out.” She smiled. “Thank you for coming.” She said to Alex, giving her a tight hug.

“I’m here for you too.” She said softly and then they parted ways. Lena smiled as everyone made their way out, but noticed that Kara stayed behind, standing awkwardly in the kitchen; she closed the door and took a deep breath before she turned to face her.

“I’m sorry about last night.” Kara started. “It was a mistake-”

“Telling the truth is never a mistake.”

“It was this time, because it only served to burden you with my feelings. I didn’t stop to think how you felt.” She sighed, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Come sit with me.” Lena said and gently touched her hands, walking to the couch and sitting down in silence for a moment. “You are my best friend, Kara… the only person I let into my life after a very long time.” She started. “Your heart and warmth won me over and took over me like a giant wave of kindness and happiness- because being with you makes me happy.”

“But…”

“There’s not buts.” Lena smiled kindly, almost shyly. “You are incredibly important for me, you’re my closest friend and someone I care for deeply.” She said and Kara noticed the spike in her heartbeat. “You’re- while Sadie was here we talked a lot about feelings and stuff… and she told me she noticed you seemed a little off whenever she kissed me, which seemed ridiculous to me, because why would you act weird when someone kissed me?” she asked with a smile. “The thing is… she made me picture a scenario where you showed up with someone who kissed you, and I told her it wouldn’t bother me, but the truth is, Kara that it would bother me. I would be angry and jealous, because… because you deserve the best.” She said and angrily wiped a tear from her eyes. “The problem is thought that I have no right to be jealous, first because we’re just friends and my obligation as your best friend is to be happy for you and cheer you on… and then because I can’t compete with anyone else.” She said sadly, her voice breaking.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re sunshine, light and hope… you’re love and good faith in humanity, and I’m the opposite of all that.” She smiled sadly. “When you told me you love me, it was both my biggest dream and my worst nightmare turned a reality at the same time… how can you be in love with a Luthor? With me… I’m a mess, I’ve been a villain and I’ve- I’ve hurt you, Kara. I’ve hurt you on purpose, I’ve made you physically hurt.” She said and tears flowed freely now. “You can’t love someone like me, not when there’s so many other people- good people, good from their very core.” She shook her head. “I can only offer you my friendship, Kara.” She said and she looked up at her with her beautiful eyes, sad and full of pain.

“Lena- that’s not- that’s not how the heart works.” She said and Lena got up on her feet and walked to the glass wall that separated her living room and the balcony.

“No, that’s not how the heart works… but it is an overrated organ.” She chuckled sadly, remembering Lillian’s words.

“It isn’t.” Kara insisted, walking to her and reaching for her hands.

“It is when you’re a Luthor.” Lena reminded her. “We only work with our brains, our logic… there’s no room for trivialities like feelings.”

“You’re not a Luthor like that. You’re better than them.” Kara said and cupped Lena’s face with shaky hands, wiping her tears with her thumbs. “I love you.” She said softly, with so much emotion that Lena could only look up at her while more tears ran down her cheeks. “You once asked me what my kryptonite was…” Kara smiled gently. “Your eyes are my kryptonite… the sadness in them, your pain and the heaviness of the trauma from your past, but also the joy in them when you’re having fun, the way they shine when you’re smiling… that’s my weakness.”

“Kara, please don’t-”

“Don’t what? Don’t love you? Because it’s a little late for that. I’ve been in love with you for so long that I can’t even picture my life without you in it. I already had a taste of that and I don’t want it.” She insisted, frowning a little and stepping closer to Lena. “Everything that happened in the past is in the past. We both did and said things that hurt each other in a way or other, but we moved past that, Lena.” She reminded her. “I’ve forgiven everything, and I hope you have too.”

“I’ve never had to forgive you.” Lena shook her head.

“Yes, you’ve had to do it… more times than you remember, possibly, but you have.” She whispered. “Lena, I… I love you. I’m not perfect, I’ve messed it up and I’ve hurt you, but I can promise you right now that I love you and I want to fight for you… I don’t want to lose you.” She whispered again. “I will not lose you.” She repeated and kissed Lena’s forehead for a brief second before she took a step back.

“Kara…”

“I love you, Lena. I don’t care about your last name, or your family. I care about you, about your heart- your beautiful heart.” She smiled. “And I will fight for you.” She said again, stepping out to the balcony, looking up at Lena and taking off to fly home.

Lena stood there, frozen and crying while she thought about Kara’s words. She felt her heart beating so hard in her chest that she couldn’t determine if she was scared, excited, or just having a heart attack, so she just didn’t move, her eyes fixed on the blur in the sky that she knew was Supergirl flying away from her.

Kara got to her loft feeling a type of anxiousness that she had never felt, taking deep breaths while she remembered everything that had happened in the past few weeks, with her heart skipping a beat when she remembered how close she had been to Lena, how she had pressed a kiss to Lena’s forehead wishing it to be her lips. She sat down in the dark and started thinking of a way she could fight for Lena, willing herself to honor her words to her until she won her heart.

After almost an hour lost in her thoughts, she heard a soft knock on her door that startled her, breaking her out of her plans to make Lena feel loved. She went to get the door and was surprised when she heart that heartbeat, fast and steady and so familiar.

“Lena, what are you-” she started asking, but was interrupted by soft lips being pressed against hers in a chaste kiss, warm hands cupping her face while the world disappeared.

“I love you too.” She said softly, her lips brushing against Kara’s smile.

Kara pecked her again, gentle and soft, and pulled her into her apartment, guiding her to the couch. She sat down and pulled Lena to sit next to her, their fingers intertwined together.

“Why did you come all the way here?”

“Because I don’t want to lose you, and I’m scared… I’m scared that this is a bad decision, but-” she took a shaky breath. “But I love you, Kara… I’ve never loved anyone like this, and I just don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t ever lose me.” She smiled, squeezing her hand. “You’re always gonna have me by your side.”

“Always?”

“Always… I promise on my honor, and that of the House of El.” She said softly, bringing Lena’s knuckles to her lips, kissing them gently.

“Can we stay like this for a while?” Lena asked and Kara nodded.

“Anything you want.” She whispered and leaned to kiss her cheek.

“I love you, Kara… every version of you.” She said and moved closer to Kara, snuggling into her and allowing her to wrap her strong arms around her.

Kara kissed Lena’s dark hair, feeling the fragrance of her shampoo and perfume, and simply basked in the feeling of having her safely in her arms, where no one and nothing would be able to hurt her.

Chapter Text

That night was a dream come true for Kara, who kept her arms around Lena’s frame for a long while, pressing her cheek to the top of her head while they settled their racing hearts. She knew that there was a lot to talk about, a lot to be shared, but all she cared about was to be steadily by Lena’s side to reassure her that being there was the right call.

After a long moment Lena moved and looked up at her, reaching with a gentle hand to caress Kara’s cheek with love, breathing slowly and making her feel how the atmosphere around them got slowly loaded with the anticipation of a kiss. Her green eyes focused on blue ones and smiles too over their lips before they leaned in simultaneously, slow and gentle motions to lean forward and press their lips together again.

It felt even better than the previous ones. It was electric, slow and a little timid, with them wanting to take their time to get to know this new side of each other.

Kara’s hands were shaking slightly with nerves, but one of them found purchase cupping Lena’s face gently to guide her into the kiss while the other stayed on her lap, squeezing her thigh encouragingly when Lena’s tongue finally darted out and gently poked her lips. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt close to passing out, but the way Lena’s thumb was gently stroking her cheek while they kiss was keeping her grounded.

“I could stay here for the rest of my life.” Kara said playfully, breaking the kiss and pressing their foreheads together while they caught their breaths. Her lips were tingling, desire burning through her veins when she looked at Lena: her cheeks were flushed pink, her eyes were closed and the lips that framed a shy smile were swollen and tempting. “You’re so beautiful, Lena…” she whispered and finally those beautiful green eyes looked back up at her.

“I love you.” They both said at the same time, breaking into a fit of giggles.

“Dork.”

“Your dork, if you want me.” She said casually, making Lena smile brightly.

“There’s nothing I want more.” She whispered back and pulled Kara down for another kiss, more confident and heated than before. “I love you, Kara Zor-El…” she punctuated it with a firm peck. “I love you, Supergirl.” She pecked her again. “I love you, Kara Danvers… my favorite person, my hero, and my dork.” She whispered and kissed her slow and deep, conveying all her feelings into the exchange.

That night Lena stayed over.

It wasn’t the first time she did, it had happened a few times when they met for a girls night and lost track of time, or when they decided to watch a movie after game night and it got so late that Kara insisted that it was more practical for her to sleep there than to bother her driver. That had happened many times, and Lena had felt so at home in Kara’s bed that she was glad to realize that the comfort she felt then was increased tenfold now that Kara and her were open about their feelings.

She lay on her usual side of the bed, turned on her side to look at Kara while their legs were tangled together and they exchanged soft caresses while telling stories like they did so many times before, but adding a few shy kisses in between just because they could. She felt at ease, relaxed and safe.

When sleep took over, a yawn betraying her and alerting Kara of how exhausted she was, she was surprised once again. Kara pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around her and making sure the covers were doing their job keeping Lena warm, and then she pressed a lingering kiss to Lena’s forehead, closing her eyes and taking in the fragrance of her sweet shampoo.

“Sleep tight.” She whispered, making her smile against her chest while she curled into Kara.

She hadn’t slept so well in years, with the peace of mind of knowing she was safe and secure. No one would dare to disturb her there, no enemy would attempt against her life, no. She was safe with Kara, with her Supergirl.

She woke up feeling the weight of Kara’s hand around her waist, her warm breath tickling the back of her neck while she snored softly. The sun was shining brightly in a beautiful morning, the chilly air coming from the window Kara kept open in case Supergirl needed to make a quick exit in the middle of the night making the temperature around them feel comfortable and perfect.

She stayed silent for a long moment, enjoying the peace that surrounded them and trying to believe her luck. She hadn’t felt so relaxed and at ease in such a long time that it was almost a new experience, one that she got to experience thanks to Kara.

She wished she had woken up facing her to watch her sleep, that little pout on her lips while she snores softly, her relaxed face while she dreams. She wished she was facing her so her eyes could help her save that moment forever, she wished she could reach to touch her and enjoy her the way she frowns slightly and then opens her eyes with a wide smile, almost like her body’s happy to have yet another day to live.

She reached down and stroked Kara’s hand that rested on her, hoping that her touch was gentle enough that she wouldn’t wake her up just yet. She smiled and enjoyed that warmth, the happiness that radiated from her heart and the prospect of a new day with Kara.

When the hand that had been resting on her waist pulled her closer and she felt a soft kiss on her shoulder she smiled widely, reaching to bring her hand up to her lips for a gentle kiss. Kara managed to sneak both arms around her and held her close, pressing her forehead to her neck while she let her body wake up and enjoyed her dream coming true.

“Good morning.” Lena whispered, playing with Kara’s fingers with a smile.

“Not yet.” Was the groggy mumble that she received in response, making her laugh. “Let’s stay in bed like this all day.”

“Sounds tempting.”

“Very.”

“I’m hungry.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I want to stay in bed all day.”

“You made plans to meet Alex.”

“She’ll understand.”

“Kara…” she chuckled, taking a slow deep breath and then turning around to face her, giggling when Kara snuggled closer into her, tangling their legs together and resting her head on Lena’s chest. “Don’t you want breakfast?” she asked playfully, enjoying the way their bodies fit together.

“No.”

“Okay.” She smiled, pressing a kiss to her head. “Let’s stay in bed all day.”

“Mhmm…”

“Or… we could get up, have some breakfast and then make out on the couch the rest of the day.”

“That’s a very tempting offer.” She mumbled, making Lena smile.

“Making irresistible offers is kind of my job.”

“And you’re so good at it, it’s unfair.” She chuckled, looking up at her with a sleepy smile. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning, darling.” She said softly, pressing a gentle peck to her lips.

“I could get used to this.” She said while she stretched like a cat, looking adorable and messy in an endearing way before she turned her attention to Lena with a sweet smile.

“Same.” She said softly, reaching up to caress her face and jaw so gently Kara almost fell asleep again from how relaxing it was.

“I can’t believe you’re here… with me. That we’re together.” She confessed. “It’s something I just… I can’t understand how I never realized how I feel.”

“We’ve been through so much.” She chuckled sadly. “Some of that was my fault and-”

“Hey, no. We’re not revisiting anything we did in the past.” Kara said in a hurry, cupping Lena’s face gently and pecking her lips. “Today is a new beginning for us… forgive, forget and move on. We’ll start again, no baggage from that, deal?”

“Deal.”

“Good… now, let’s make some pancakes for you.” She grinned, pecking her firmly and getting off the bed to go straight to the kitchen.

Life with Kara had always been easy, with no complications when it was just the two of them hanging out together. Kara’s lighthearted jokes, her kindness and warmth, and that spark of joy and life that she was always made Lena feel a way that she wondered if that’s how Supergirl felt under the sun lamps: warm, tingling from her toes and with a buzzing sensation all over making her feel energized.

 Preparing breakfast together wasn’t a new experience, but the memories they made certainly made that morning a memorable one. They enjoyed the smell of sweet pancakes and coffee in the air, the taste of maple syrup on each other’s lips, and even the emotion of Kara burning a pancake she forgot to flip over while she made out with Lena.

They took their time eating and then they moved to the couch, sitting apart but quickly moving closer together to kiss slowly and with a certain hunger. Their hands grew more confident and explored with a certain cautious freedom, staying on safe areas but pushing certain limits to cause some sighs and soft moans, like when Lena ventured to kiss down Kara’s neck, or when she moved her hands to Lena’s upper thighs and lifted her up so she’d straddle her lap.

Their emotions were running so high that they were both blushing, wanting more but not daring to push that boundary just yet. Lena smiled and pressed her forehead to Kara’s shoulder while catching her breath, blushing a little when she remembered that she could hear her racing heart.

“Are you okay?”

“Please don’t mind my heart.” She chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to her neck and leaving her nose there, pressed against her warmth. “I promise I’m not about to have a heart attack.”

“Just checking.” She grinned, hugging Lena tightly. “Mine’s beating just as fast, just so you know.” She mumbled against Lena’s hair, pressing a soft kiss to her temple and then cupping her face gently. “Is it bad that I don’t want to tell anyone about us yet? I know we just… we haven’t even talked about what we are, but I want you and this all to myself for a while.”

“Well, I’m hoping this is the start of a serious thing between us.” Lena said softly with a playful raised eyebrow, her right hand gently playing with the soft short hairs at the base of Kara’s messy bun. “I don’t eat just anyone’s burnt pancakes, just so you know.”

“Serious thing for sure.” She nodded with a shy smile. “I don’t want to lose you, and I want to fight for you and for this… I feel complete when I’m with you. I feel grounded, and real, and- I just- I like how I feel when I’m with you, and I really, really like how I feel holding you like this.” She rambled, earning a soft kiss on the lips.

“We’ll work together… we have a lot to work on, starting by communication.”

“Oh, in that case… I guess you should know I am Supergirl.” She grinned, making Lena roll her eyes.

“So funny… you’re just what, four years too late?”

“Rude!” she gasped. “But fair.”

“Okay, enough of that… rule number one will be not to bring back the past- not the lies, or the hurt… and not how we treated each other when I was blinded by hurt and was a villain-”

“You weren’t a villain.”

“I was, but we’ll leave that argument behind.” She sighed.

“Okay… but I want to apologize for that again.”

“Nope, it’s in the past and we’ve already gone through the apologies.” She shook her head. “We won’t bring it up again.”

“Okay. Rule number two: you won’t treat yourself as a villain, and will accept the praise you deserve for saving the world.”

“Kara.” She smiled, blushing a little.

“I mean it.”

“Okay.” She whispered, kissing her softly. “Now, this isn’t a rule but… I promise I will share with you what I’m working on, even if it’s in a moral gray area or if I know it’s something you won’t necessarily agree with.” She started, caressing Kara’s rosy cheek with her thumb. She knew that had been quite a contentious point in her past relationships, particularly with James, so it was important to her that it was brought up sooner rather than later.

“And I promise I will not judge your work…” Kara started, kissing her hand and looking into her eyes. “But I will also give you my honest opinion about it, and I’ll be glad to be a sounding board for you while you work if you want it.” She said honestly.

“You’ll be the angel on my shoulder?”

“Yes ma’am. I will support you unconditionally, even if there will be moments where it could be hard for me- like your research with the harun-el.”

“That was on me-”

“No, it wasn’t all your fault, Lena. I wasn’t a good enough friend for you to trust me with your research… you felt I would judge you, and if I’m honest I probably would’ve.”

“You did.” Lena smiled, remembering their conversation while they looked into Eve’s laboratory.

“Okay, well… that’s gonna change.” She rolled her eyes with a playful smile. “I might need some practice and time to get in synch with everything that you do, but-”

“You don’t need to be 100% in agreement of everything I do. We’ll have disagreements and there will be things you won’t support- and that’s fine.” Lena smiled. “I just want to have your honesty, not your judgement. I need it, more than want it.” She confessed, knowing that she’s not a fan of criticism, but well aware that she needs it to stay on her lane.

“Deal.”

“Good.”

“Anything else?”

“I guess I should say I’m okay with you being Supergirl and making the whole saving the world a priority.” She smiled gently. “Even if that will sometimes interrupt our plans, or be frustrating. I will understand.”

“You will always be my priority.”

“I won’t be, but that’s okay.” She whispered, leaning down to kiss Kara’s furrowed brows. “You once told me that you felt the weight of the world on your shoulders, and I want to help you carry that and not add to it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more.” She mumbled against Kara’s soft lips that were pressed against hers again.

~~

“How are things with Lena?” Alex asked and Kara had to try her best to contain the giant smirk that threatened to take over when she thought about the past week with Lena. “Have you talked to her?”

“We talked but… we will wait before we take any steps.” She said, knowing that Alex would forgive the white lie when she learned the truth.

“Oh… well, that’s not a full on rejection.”

“It isn’t.” she nodded, smiling a little. “To be honest, I feel a little hopeful.”

“You do?”

“If she wanted to turn me down then she would’ve done it already… but we were honest and- she left the door open.”

“How will you handle it? Will you go out on dates or-”

“No, not at the moment… it’s a little complicated but it makes sense to us.”

“Okay, well… that’s what matters.” She sighed. “And if you’re confident then I’ll cheer for you.”

“Thank you for supporting me through all of this, Alex.”

“Always.”

~~

“Thank you for babysitting her.” Alex smiled and hurried Kara into the apartment.

“Of course.” She chuckled. “I did tell you Lena’s coming too, right?”

“Uh, yes- it’s totally fine.” Alex said dismissively, looking for her purse. “Kelly, let’s go!”

“Are you running late?” Kara chuckled, walking to the living room and finding her little niece playing with her dolls.

“Auntie Kara!”

“Hey there, kiddo!” she smiled and leaned down to kiss her head.

“We’re tight on time.” Alex grinned sheepishly. “Kelly!”

“I’m coming, Danvers.” She said as she walked out of their bedroom. “If you hurry me again, though…”

“Mama will be in trouble.” Esme giggled.

“That’s correct.” Kelly grinned, kneeling down to give her a kiss and a hug. “We’ll be back later tonight, so your aunts will tuck you into bed, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Be a good girl, and have fun.” Alex smiled, leaning down for her own hug and kiss.

“Ready?” Kelly asked and they finally got on their way to the door. “Kara, I left some snacks in the kitchen and money for pizza on the counter-”

“Oh, you didn’t have to bother!”

“If you’re sacrificing your Friday night to babysit, I have to at least get you some food.” She chuckled. “There’s also ice cream and-”

“You just x-ray the whole kitchen and find something you like- call us if you need anything or if something happens. I warned the DEO to call me first in case of an emergency so please make sure the kid is your priority or Kelly will kill us both… bye.” Alex said and Kelly smiled and rolled her eyes, finally following her out of the apartment.

“I know where the snacks are.” Esme said casually while she brushed her doll’s hair.

“That’s important information… and it will definitely come handy after dinner.” She chuckled, sitting down next to her.

“Wanna play?”

“Can I?”

“Yes, but this one is mine.” She said and Kara smiled when she noticed it was the doll Lena got her a few weeks earlier.

“Is that one your favorite?”

“Yes! She’s so pretty and has long black hair like auntie Lena.”

“She’s coming over tonight.” She said and Esme’s eyes lit up.

“She is?! She promised we’d watch a movie when she came over.”

“Well, then it sounds like we have a plan for tonight.” She smiled. They started playing with the dolls for almost an hour until they both heard the clicking of heels in the hallway outside the apartment.

“Is that her?!” Esme smiled, making the most of her powers and mimicking Kara’s.

“Yep.” She smiled just as brightly, going to the door and opening it right before Lena could knock.

“Auntie Lena!” Esme said loudly and ran to her, hugging her legs and looking up at her with excitement.

“Hello, darling! How are you?!” she smiled, handing Kara the bags of takeout and leaning down to give her goddaughter a proper hug and kiss. “You’ve grown so much since I last saw you!” she said playfully, making Kara’s heart melt.

“Auntie Lena, can we watch a movie?”

“Of course, we can!”

“But first…. Food!” Kara said excitedly, pointing at the bags Lena brought.

They went to the living room and helped Esme pick up the dolls and other toys she had laying around, and then they started eating: chicken nuggets and fries for Kara and Esme, and a salad for Lena. Once they finished they moved to the couch and picked a movie to watch, with Kara smiling at Lena when she gave a quick overview of a few movies until they settled on Cinderella.

“I didn’t take you for a Disney princess kind of girl.”

“I wasn’t, but I did my research.” Lena shrugged. “I take my godmother job seriously.” She shrugged.

“You’re excellent at it.” Kara smiled, turning off the lights, setting a small container with popcorn in front of Esme and sitting next to her, keeping the happy kid between them as she had requested.

As soon as the movie started Esme fell silent, focused on the movie while she asked things to Lena and laughed at Kara’s commentary. Soon enough, like many kids do, she started getting restless and ended up sitting on Kara’s lap with her feet propped up on Lena’s.

“Why is that lady destroying her dress?!” Esme asked and got off the couch, leaning against the coffee table to watch intently while Kara explained it to her. Making the most of Esme getting off the couch Lena scooted closer to Kara, smiling and reaching to squeeze the hand that she promptly outstretched. “Oh, her fairy godmother! Like you, auntie Lena!” she smiled and climbed back onto the couch, curling into Lena’s side and making her smile.

“I’m your godmother, but I lack the whole magic and fairy part.” She giggled, kissing Esme’s hair.

“I don’t know about that… you’re pretty great.” Kara winked, reaching over Esme and caressing Lena’s hair gently.

They continued a similar pattern for the rest of the movie until Esme started yawning and got too sleepy to finish, so they helped her through her night routine and tucked her into bed. Kara told her a short story about a princess who found a new family with her two moms and lived happily ever after, allowing the kid to fall asleep with a smile.

They left her room and walked back to the living room, but before Lena could sit down again Kara reached for her wrist and pulled her in until their bodies were pressed together. She smiled down at her and leaned down to kiss her gently for a brief moment, sighing into the kiss when Lena wrapped her arms around her neck and held her close.

“I’ve been dying to do that all day.” Kara mumbled and buried her nose in the crook of Lena’s neck, hugging her tightly.

“Same… I couldn’t wait to see you.”

“Wanna watch another movie until they get home?”

“Of course.” She kissed Kara’s jaw and then pulled her back to the couch where they sat closely together, snuggled under a soft blanket with their arms around each other.

“I can’t believe it’s been a month.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” Lena repeated one of Kara’s dorky phrases, making her smile and kiss her hair. “Should we tell the others soon?”

“Maybe in a couple weeks.” Kara mumbled, caressing Lena’s arm gently. “I love everyone, but I just don’t want to face all the questions. I just don’t want to share you just yet.” She whispered.

“Okay.”

“Do you want to tell them?”

“I don’t want to tell them, but I don’t want to hide either. I know you’re also a bit apprehensive about me being a woman and-”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

“It’s just that- it’s not that I don’t want to tell everyone, it’s just… when I liked James everyone offered their opinion and pushed for us to happen, and then with Mon-El… it was- I asked him if we could keep things quiet but he went out and told everyone a good ten minutes after I asked him to keep it quiet.” She said, still annoyed by his lack of respect even years later. “I just don’t want people’s opinions, or advice, or to go on double dates, and- I just want us to build this together, and when we have a strong foundation then we can let people in.”

“Sounds perfect to me, darling. I don’t want to rush things either.” She smiled. “I just want us to be on the same page.”

“We’ll wait another month and then we’ll tell them.”

“Another month.”

“Another month.” She smiled and then leaned down for a long slow kiss. “They’re coming now.” Kara said a few minutes later when she heard the elevator and Kelly and Alex’s steps approaching. “We give them the night’s recap and leave, right?”

“I believe so.” Lena smiled, moving a bit further down the couch and missing Kara’s warmth around her.

“Okay.”

“Hey.” Alex smiled as she opened the door and let Kelly in. “How was it?”

“It was great! We watched Cinderella, ate some junk food and had lots of fun.” Kara grinned. “How was your date?”

“It was great! You have to go to that restaurant… Kara, the steak was- I dare to say the best in the galaxy.”

“That’s a pretty big compliment.”

“You have to make reservations though, it was packed.” Kelly added, going to get a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I’ll have to make a call, then. Maybe you want to go try that wonderful steak with me, Lena.”

“I’d love to.” She smiled.

“Did Esme eat dinner?” Alex asked, back into mom mode.

“She did. We had chicken nuggets and fries instead of pizza.” Kara smiled. “And she insisted on having some of Auntie Lena’s salad too, so she had a balanced meal… almost.”

“Most kids will avoid their greens, and this one fights for her lettuce and kale.” Lena joked, wrapping her arms around herself to avoid the temptation of reaching for Kara. “You’re lucky with her.”

“That we are.” Kelly smiled. “She loves and adores her godmother.” She said and gave Lena a kind hug.

“Well, she has been upgraded to Fairy Godmother.” Kara said, alluding to how Esme kept saying Lena was her fairy godmother like in the movie.

“The responsibility has increased, Luthor.” Alex smiled, proud of having chosen Lena for that role.

“I take it very seriously… I promise I won’t get her any type of crystal shoes though.”

“Or mice.” Kelly joked and they all laughed.

“Well, we should get going.” Kara said and stretched her arms. “She’s fast asleep so you two can curl up on the couch and watch a movie.” She said and hugged Alex while they walked to the door.

“Thank you both for babysitting.”

“Anytime.” They said and hugged them goodbye before they picked up their coats and bags and got out of the apartment. “See you on Sunday.” Kara smiled one last time and followed Lena to the elevator, reaching for her hand as soon as the door was closed.

“I’m exhausted.” Lena mumbled, leaning against Kara and smiling at her when she wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

“We’ll be home in a whooping 5 minutes.”

“Please don’t fly too fast this time.” She chuckled, getting in the elevator with her. As soon as the doors closed, she wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck and pulled her down for a short tender kiss.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked holding hands for a while until they found a dark alley where Kara could finally take off flying with Lena in her arms. A few minutes later they made it to Kara’s apartment and got ready for bed in a now well-rehearsed series of moves: Kara would change and check her DEO comms while Lena brushed her teeth and removed her makeup, and then they’d switch so Lena could change too.

They comfortably settled into bed, cuddling for a few minutes until Lena was about to fall asleep and reached to kiss Kara’s jaw one last time before she turned on her side. Kara smiled and watched her in the dark for a moment, allowing herself to enjoy the peace that having Lena there with her meant before she finally allowed herself to fall asleep.

~~

“So… we’re telling everyone tonight, right?” Kara asked while they walked to Alex’s apartment for game night. “I don’t mind if we wait a little longer.” She smiled, stopping a block away from their destination

“I love you, and I am ready for this now.” She nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Okay, but know you can change your mind.” Lena said and then shook her head and smiled. “You can change your mind about telling them about us, but not about us. You’re stuck with me now, Danvers.”

“I wouldn’t take it any other way.” She grinned and pecked her gently while they started walking again.

“Oh, you guys made it!” Kelly smiled when she got the door. “I feared you’d be stuck in traffic.”

“We walked.” Kara chuckled. “Traffic is crazy tonight.”

“That hockey game is causing all the mess.” Lena said with a roll of her eyes.

“It’s game four of the series, Luthor.” Alex said with a playful raised eyebrow, pointing at her jersey.

“Oh, not you too.” She laughed and kneeled down to accept the excited hug Esme was running to give her. “Oh, hello there darling! How are you?”

“I’ve missed you, auntie Lena!”

“I’ve missed you too, so much!”

“Do you want to play with my dolls?”

“I would love nothing more.” She smiled and allowed Esme to take her and Kelly back to her room where she’d been playing that day.

“She’s so good with Esme.” Kara smiled.

“She’s amazing. I was telling Kelly the other day that we made a great choice for godmother.” Alex smiled, watching from afar.

“You did… you just know this kid has the most badass moms, but when it comes to aunts she’s doing quite good too.”

“We know… and grandparents, and uncles. To be honest, I pray for whoever dares to make her cry in school because they’re gonna wish they didn’t.” Alex said playfully and they moved to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine for them. “So… how are things?”

“We’re great. Everything’s great.” She said almost nervously, making Alex eye her suspiciously.

“Something to share with the class?”

“No…” she said but tried hard to hide her smile. “Maybe…”

“Spill.”

“Later, I promise.”

“Kara, that’s unfair.”

“I promise.”

“I’m your older sister.” She pouted and Kara laughed loudly.

“That trick doesn’t work on me.”

“I’m heartbroken! You won’t talk to me, you won’t share your news-”

“What news?” Kara chuckled, adjusting her glasses nervously.

“Whatever got you so giddy.”

“Nothing.”

“So at first I’d know later, and now it’s nothing… which one is it?”

“You’re relentless.” She chuckled, taking a sip of her wine.

“Why is Kara squirming like an experienced FBI agent is interrogating her?” Lena casually asked while she walked to the kitchen and grabbed the extra glass they filled for her.

“Because an experienced FBI agent is interrogating her.” Alex said simply. “But she won’t budge.”

“Well, she’s Supergirl.” She winked at Kara and then turned to leave them again.

“What was that?”

“What?”

“That wink.”

“Uh… a wink.”

“Kara.”

“What?” she chuckled, blushing.

“Tell me!” she said excitedly but right then the doorbell rang and Kara moved to the door with her super speed, shrugging at her while she opened it to let everyone else in. “Hey guys!”

“Hey!” they all smiled and made their way in to drop the different snacks and drinks they brought.

Soon after the rest of the friends arrived, they moved to the living room and started playing, including a fun round of trivia where Brainy and Lena thrived as a team since they switched them again. They played a few rounds and then changed to a different game where they could include Esme, who teamed up with both Alex and Nia, but still the first pair managed to win by a large margin.

“Should we tell them now?” Kara asked Lena while they went to the kitchen for a refill.

“You call the shots, dear.”

“Okay… can we tell Alex and Kelly tonight first and then the others tomorrow?”

“Sounds good to me.” She winked at her and followed Kara to the living room. They hung out for a little while longer and soon enough J’onn and the others started saying their goodbyes, leading the way out of the apartment while Kara and Lena stayed behind trying to distract Esme while Kelly did her best effort to get her into her pajamas.

“You need to go to bed now.” Alex laughed, picking the kid up when she jumped into her arms. “We can hang out again tomorrow.”

“I don’t want Kara and Lena to leave.”

“We’ll go for ice cream tomorrow, how does that sound?” Alex offered.

“I’ll pick you up from your swimming class and we’ll grab some ice cream!” Kara nodded with a giant smile. “And then you’re gonna help me bake something for tomorrow’s dinner!”

“Okay!” Esme giggled and threw her arms out in Kara’s direction for a quick hug, and then did the same for a hug from Lena, who finally laid her on the bed for Kelly to tuck her in and tell her a bedtime story.

“We’ll wait outside.” Kara told Alex, knowing she loved that moment of the day with their daughter. She led Lena back out to the kitchen and poured her half a glass of wine for the nerves, and smiled at her. “Nervous?”

“Very.”

“Don’t be… it’s Alex, and it’s Kelly- they love you so much you’re their kid’s godmother.”

“I know that, but you’re… you’re Alex’s baby sister, and she has seen everything I’ve done and-”

“Lena, if we’re together today is because she pushed me to admit my feelings- both Alex and Kelly.” Kara smiled, reaching for her hand. “They were super patient with moody me being jealous and refusing to see how much I love you.”

“And just how much is that?”

“Oh, it’s a lot more than you can imagine, Miss Luthor.” She replied with a charming smile, stepping closer and kissing her gently.

“Well, this is certainly a good way to share news.” Alex said as she walked into the kitchen with a knowing smirk. “But don’t worry, I’ll pretend to be surprised when you tell us in five minutes. I only came to get Esme’s doll.” She said trying not to laugh when they both jumped apart and looked at her with pale faces.

“That went well.” Lena said and downed her wine in one gulp, reaching for the bottle Kara was still holding and pouring herself some more.

“At least she wasn’t mad.” Kara replied, chuckling and pulling Lena to the couch. “Should we make a trip to Midvale to tell Eliza? That’s if Alex doesn’t facetime her tonight.”

“Don’t even.” Lena grimaced, making Kara laugh loudly. After a few more minutes they walked out of Esme’s room, with Alex sporting a giant smirk while she cleared her throat and sat across from them, confusing Kelly a little.

“So… something to share with the class?” Alex asked, staring at the two of them.

“Kara and I are dating.” Lena said simply, reaching for Kara’s hand.

“We wanted to tell you first because you two helped us get to this point.” She added with an adoring look at Lena.

“Yes! Finally!” Kelly smiled widely, making the other share a look and a smile of their own. “I’m so happy! Oh, oh my god you have no idea of how happy I am for you two right now!”

“Thank you.” Kara said and squeezed Lena’s hand while Alex looked at her with pride in her eyes.

“Aren’t you happy?” Kelly asked her wife, playfully bumping shoulders with her.

“You’re scaring me… please give me the big sister speech but please don’t be a stoic FBI agent now.” Lena said playfully, making Alex chuckle.

“I’m so incredibly happy for you two!” she finally said, some shy tears rolling down her cheeks as she got on her feet and pulled both of them into a hug. “You two are- you were made for each other.” She said with a smile.

“We’ve been together for a few weeks, but wanted to-”

“You don’t owe anyone an apology or an explanation, guys.” Alex smiled. “You’re taking care of yourselves, and your relationship, and- I’m just so happy!”

“Thank you.” Lena smiled.

“Now, listen to me: if you hurt Kara, you will be in so much trouble…” Alex started, looking straight at Lena and lifted a finger up in the air to quiet Kara before she interrupted her. “She’s my baby sister, and she loves you. You are part of the family now, and I will make sure Kara does right by you.” She said and Lena nodded, a teary smile on her lips. “Now, Kara, if you hurt Lena, you will be in so, so much trouble too… I wouldn’t want to mess it up if I were you.” She said to her sister with a serious face. “She’s my new baby sister too, and she loves you, so you have the responsibility of taking care of her heart- and I’ll make sure you do too.”

“I’m counting on that.” Kara smiled, thankful for the way Alex stepped up and welcomed Lena into their family like that, as her big sister too.

“Now… since we’re welcoming you to the family in the best Danvers style…” Alex smirked, pulling her phone out and giving Kelly a knowing look, making her laugh. “We’re facetiming mom.”

“Oh God, no.” Lena groaned and Kara laughed loudly.

“I told you she’d do it!”

“Alex, be nice.” Kelly giggled, giving Lena a warm side hug to comfort her.

“You went through it too.” Alex shrugged, waiting a few moments until her mom picked up her call.

“Hi darling! Everything okay?”

“Hi mom! I’m sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night, but I have news and they can’t wait until morning.”

“Oh, is everything okay?”

“Oh, it’s more than okay!” she giggled like an excited kid, turning around to show Kelly, Lena and Kara behind her. “These two are finally together!”

“Kara and Lena?! Oh my- oh my god, girls!” Eliza smiled widely, making Lena blush when Kara nodded and kissed her cheek gently. “Is it for real?”

“Yep!” Lena grinned, grabbing the phone and focusing on herself and Lena while Kelly gave Alex a happy hug. “We’ve been together for a few weeks but wanted to wait before sharing the news.”

“Well, it was about time for you to take that step! I’m so happy for you both!” she said with a proud smile. “When are you coming home for a visit? I can’t wait to hug all of my girls!” she said and they all laughed, knowing that the Danvers home was now full of girl power.

“We’ll try to be there for your birthday next month.” Kara promised.

“Even though we might sneak up there for a weekend.” Lena offered.

“Oh please do! I know the trip can be a bit tiring, but I want to give you a proper Danvers family welcome, Lena. Lots of food, lots of drinks and lots of pictures of my girls when they were kids.”

“That’s the best part.” Kelly smiled and Alex groaned, remembering how that experience went for them.

“At least you don’t have the embarrassing baby pictures of me covered in mud.” Kara laughed, referring to Alex’s baby photos.

“We can see Alex’s to make up for it.” Eliza winked.

“Don’t you dare, mom!” Alex whined.

“We’ll see when you get here.” She smiled. “But I’m so happy for you two… Lena, welcome to the family, sweetheart. I hope you know you can count on all of us as your family- even before this news… you’re always welcome to my home, and to our family.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Danvers.” She smiled at her warm words.

“Please call me Eliza, sweetie. And, listen… you can count on me for absolutely anything you might need, okay?”

“Thank you so much.” She nodded, a knot in her throat.

“I love you both, and I’m so happy for you… life has been so good to me, ladies… I have four amazing daughters now, and a beautiful granddaughter.” She smiled, wiping her happy tears. “Four beautiful daughters I love so much and I will defend with my life.”

“We love you too, Eliza.” Kara said with tears of her own, holding Lena close. “We’ll see you soon.”

~~

“Dinner was delicious, Kara.” Nia smiled, handing her plate to Brainy, who was helping Kara setting everything for dessert.

“Thank you! I saw that recipe this week and I had to try it.” She smiled.

“If only all your baking experiments were as successful.” Alex winked, referring to the multiple times Kara had struggled with pastries and other baked goods.

“Don’t be mean! Besides, I had the best little helper.” She smiled and high-fived Esme, slicing the pie and placing a perfect portion on every plate. Once everyone was sitting down and eating again, she shared a look with Lena, who nodded encouragingly at her. “Uhm… guys, I have something to share with you…” she started and everyone looked up at her.

“What is it?” J’onn asked after a short moment of silence, waiting for her to talk again.

“I… I just- we wanted to-” she swallowed hard and then looked at Lena, who was slightly amused by her struggles and blushing face. “We, uh- we-” she sighed and reached to hold Lena’s hand, hearing how Nia gasped.

“Oh my god, finally!”

“We’re together.” Kara said, nodding at her to confirm her assumption.

“About time.” J’onn laughed. “I’m happy for you two.” He smiled.

“Thank you.” Both of them said at the same time, sharing a look and squeezing each other’s hand for a quick second.

~~

“I’m so happy right now.” Lena smiled, looking up. She was laying on her stomach hugging her pillow while Kara traced gentle patterns all over her bare back.

“Me too. Sometimes I feel like my heart will just burst from how happy and in love I am.” Kara confessed. “I’m sorry if that’s super cheesy.”

“It isn’t… it’s how I feel too.” She smiled, moving closer to her and resting her head on Kara’s chest. She closed her eyes and allowed those strong arms to wrap around her, protective and loving. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve felt this way with anyone.” She confessed softly, loving the way Kara’s fingers started caressing her scalp and playing with her hair. “So vulnerable and yet so strong.”

“That’s what love is about, isn’t it? Being so vulnerable with your partner that you two protect each other, particularly those vulnerabilities?”

“I guess so.” She nodded, nuzzling and taking a deep breath before looking up into loving blue eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Lena… so much.” She smiled, pulling her down for a long kiss.

~~

Kara made her way out of the elevator and smiled at Lena’s assistant, who seemed amused to see her boss’s girlfriend coming to see her for lunch again. She had agreed with Lena to keep their relationship as out of the public eye as possible, and that included letting her assistant know that lunch would more often than not be an order for two instead of just Lena’s usual salads.

“Hey Jess! Is she there?”

“She’s on the phone but should be done in a few minutes, she said you could come in as soon as you got here. Lunch will also be here soon.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and then walked the short distance to the all too familiar office, hearing Lena’s beautiful voice as she wrapped up her call.

“Of course! It’ll be my pleasure having you around again. The couch will be waiting for you.” Lena smiled. “See you then… bye!” she giggled and hung up.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” Kara smiled, waiting until Lena walked the short distance between them and gave her a tight hug and a soft kiss.

“It’s been a fun day.” Lena shrugged playfully, wrapping her arms around Kara’s shoulders. “I’ve missed you.” She said softly, looking down at her lips.

“We were apart for a long five hours.” Kara giggled, blushing and leaning down to kiss those red lips once again, slow and gentle but with underlying hunger. “Jess is coming.” She whispered and gave her one last peck, guiding Lena towards her couch right as her assistant walked into the office with their lunch.

“Thank you, Jess.”

“No problem, Miss Luthor. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can bring you.”

“It’s fine, please go take your break too.” Lena said kindly and sat down next to Kara, accepting the box of delicious sushi that she handed her.

“So… who was that on the phone? I don’t mean to pry, but it sounded like you offered your couch.” Kara asked curiously, popping a big piece into her mouth.

“Oh, well that was just Sadie.” Lena said and watched how Kara’s face changed slightly, almost as if trying not to cough her food out. “She’s coming to town next week and wanted to know if we could have dinner.”

“Oh… how long will she be here?” Kara asked with fake enthusiasm, making Lena smile.

“She’s here for the debate, so it’ll only be like three days at most.” She explained. “Kara, darling… you know that- I told you Sadie and I never shared any kind of romantic feelings, right? She’s my friend and-”

“I know, I know… it’s just…” she sighed and put her food down on the coffee table for a second. “It’s just weird because you two had a relationship-”

“It wasn’t a relationship, Kara. We had sex, that’s all.”

“Ugh that doesn’t help.” She groaned and blushed.

“Are you jealous because she saw me naked?”

“Stop it.” She whined, making her laugh.

“Darling, you don’t have to be jealous of Sadie. She was the one who made me realize just how bad I wanted to be with you, and you mentioned how she pushed you to tell me about your feelings, so… there’s no feelings there between us. She’s a friend… we did have sex but that’s it.”

“I know you said you didn’t have a relationship, but come on.” She sighed.

“Come on what?” she asked amused. “Darling, do you have a problem with me and James being friends too?” she asked and Kara shook her head and then looked at her.

“I know it’s irrational, but… It’s just that I feel like… you two had a connection.” She mumbled. “You didn’t seem to have that with James.”

“We had a connection, I mean… I won’t lie to you, I felt very comfortable with Sadie in a way that allowed me to be open with her about a lot of things, and it led to that intimacy we shared during sex, but that was it. She’s a friend I had sex with but you’re the person I love so deeply my heart hurts.” She said honestly. “Please don’t be jealous of her because she doesn’t hold a candle to what I feel for you, Kara.” She said and reached for her hand.

“Okay… when are you guys going for dinner?”

“Us? Oh, darling- she wanted to go with all of us… the super friends.” She smiled. “Not just with me.”

“Oh… oh!” she laughed. “That actually changes things.” She chuckled.

“Did you really think I’d be so nonchalant going to dinner with someone else?” she raised her eyebrow.

“I mean… you just said you’re friends.”

“We are, but I know you’re jealous of her so I wouldn’t just go out alone with her.” She chuckled. “You have nothing to be jealous of, but I wouldn’t put you through that.”

“Rao, I love you so much.” Kara chuckled, appreciating the way Lena just understood her.

“Me too.” She smiled. “Dork.”

“Your dork.”

~~

“Look who’s back!” Sadie said loudly as soon as Kara opened the door of Lena’s penthouse.

“Welcome back!” Kara smiled widely. “We’ve missed you!” she said after giving her a quick hug and leading her into the living space, but she caught how Lena tried to hide her amusement.

“Thank you, thank you!”

“Welcome back, Sadie!” Nia said and went to greet her with a hug, followed by Kelly.

“It’s good to have you back.” J’onn said and shook her hand.

“Miss McCarthy.” Brainy smiled. “Be welcome back to National City.”

“Thank you, Mr Dox.” She smiled at him, shaking his hand.

“How was the rest of the country?” Alex smiled and handed her a glass of scotch, giving her a brief hug.

“It has been crazy, you guys! These elections will be bananas!” she chuckled.

“Well, good thing you’ll be out there reporting everything.” Lena smiled, giving her a tight but brief hug. “Welcome back.”

“There’s so much happening out there but don’t get me started on all that.” She laughed and sat down on the couch. “How are things around here? Because I’m hoping there’s some changes.” She said casually glancing at Lena.

“There’s been oh so much happening.” Nia joked and told her a rundown of their lives, finishing casually with a, “-and Kara and Lena are finally together, and they’re as sweet and perfect as you could imagine.” She smiled.

“Oh yes, those are news!” Sadie smiled, looking over at them. “Is that true, guys?”

“It is.” Lena smiled, leaning forward to kiss Kara’s cheek gently.

“Pretty much got together when you left.” Alex said with a knowing look.

“So our plan worked?” Sadie asked her with cheekiness.

“It did.”

“What plan?” Lena asked, confused.

“We gave you two a push… in our own way.” Sadie winked. “But I’m just glad you two are giving this a chance. You’re so good for each other, and you look so good together too…” she winked.

~~

“Are you staying over, Sadie?” Lena asked after everyone left and Kara walked Alex and Kelly to their car to give Lena some time to talk to her friend.

“I’d love to get back to your couch, but I have to get back to the hotel.” She sighed, stretching her arms over her head. “But before I go, I do want to say I’m happy that you got your girl.” She smirked. “You look amazing, and you’re glowing, Lena… you seem so happy and loved up.”

“Thanks.” She blushed. “She’s… she’s amazing. I love her and I feel so safe with her.”

“She’s your person, isn’t she?”

“She is… and I’m hoping she’s my endgame, too.” She recognized with a slight blush. “I know it’s early on in our relationship, but I just… I feel like she both completes and compliments me in a way that I didn’t think was possible.”

“Well, she’s a gem of a person with a heart of gold. She knows your worth and sees beyond that toughness, and treats you like a person and not like a Luthor.” She smiled. “You’re in good hands, and she’s in the best hands with you… you’re even better than you think you are, Lena. You have a heart of gold too.”

“I was a little scared at first because she’s warm and kind-”

“And so are you, Lena. You may not realize it but you’re all those things too.” Sadie said kindly. “You underestimate yourself, which is a shame… imagine if Lena Luthor had Lena Luthor’s love and respect.”

“I’m trying to get better at that whole thing.” She chuckled. “Kara helps.”

“She’s a good influence in your life… she brings that sunshine to your realism, and you keep her grounded when she needs it.” She nodded. “I’m so happy you two got it together and got together!”

“Me too, it has been amazing.” She said biting her lip.

“Better than me?” she asked playfully and Lena laughed.

“Don’t hate me, but yes. Better than you.” She said with a cocky grin and a raised eyebrow.

“Damn, who would’ve thought.” Sadie chuckled. “At least you’re getting it.”

“Oh, believe me… I am.” She giggled like a school girl. “But what about you?”

“Oh, well… I’m on the road so it’s a bit hard to date or anything.” She started nonchalantly. “But a lady finds her ways.” She smirked, taking a sip of her scotch.

“Oh, so you’re getting it too.” Lena joked back, making Sadie laugh loudly.

“I am… on occasion.” She grinned. “Lots of fun, but definitely nothing serious.”

“Your favorite.”

“You know it.” She chuckled, clinking her glass.

“Lena, your neighbors parked in your spot again.” Kara said as she got back to the apartment, sitting down on the couch next to Sadie.

“Oh, that woman is testing me.”

“What woman?” Sadie asked Kara.

“Lena thinks one of her neighbors is flirting with me, and does things like this to provoke her.”

“Is she? Flirting with you.”

“No.”

“She is.” Lena scoffed. “Oh hi Miss Danvers, what a great article!” Lena said in a mocking voice, making them both laugh. “What a beautiful focus you gave to your story! We need more positivity, Miss Danvers.”

“Lena, she’s just appreciative of my work.” Kara rolled her eyes and Sadie barked out a laugh.

“Oh no, she’s definitely flirting.”

“Even Sadie knows.” Lena shook her head and rolled her eyes again. “And then you, always so kind with her.”

“I can’t be rude with someone who likes my reporting.” She mumbled, making Sadie laugh while Lena groaned.

“She doesn’t like your reporting; she likes your damn arms.” She said annoyed. “Why else do you think she felt the need to touch them when you talked to her about corruption in the governor’s office?”

“Oh, I read that article! It was amazing!” Sadie said with a smile. “But definitely not arm touching worthy…. And much less worthy of earning the wrath of Lena Luthor.”

“Sadie gets it.”

“Ugh, okay.” Kara chuckled, going to get a glass of wine to herself. “By the way, Sadie… how’s things in the campaign? I know there will be a fundraiser next week.” She said and smiled while she was walking back to her seat but Lena stopped her by grabbing her hand and pulling her to sit on the arm of the couch by her side.

“Well, there’s a lot of rumors and noise about some news… I won’t tell you though.” She smirked at Kara.

“I wouldn’t steal a scoop!”

“Then you’re not doing your job!” she chuckled. “Anyway, I’m looking into it with some of my sources because it seems like something big will blow over pretty soon.”

“Sounds so interesting… can’t you share a-”

“Nope!” Sadie chuckled. “And, in fact… I have to go now. I have to read some stuff I received earlier today- because yes, I preferred spending time with you guys instead of working.” She smiled and the other two laughed.

“Well, I’m glad you did. We’ve missed you.” Kara said sincerely this time, and Lena smiled at her.

“I did too.” She said and downed what was left of her scotch, leaving the glass on the table. “I’ll try to stay in touch with you guys and maybe come over soon.”

“Please do! I’m still convincing Miss Grant to let me have a few days off to go to New York, so you might make it back here before I go there.”

“You should buy CatCo again, Lena.” Sadie joked and Lena rolled her eyes.

“Not again.”

“Did you at least make the most of her being your boss while it lasted?”

“Not really. She was quite demanding, actually.” Kara joked and Lena simply lifted her eyebrow and gave her a look. “But it was a lovely, lovely time I will cherish forever…” she said and Sadie laughed.

“You two are adorable.” She smiled, walking to the door. “Thank you so much for tonight, Lena. I really love seeing you so happy and relaxed… you deserve to be loved, and you deserve to love loud and proud.” She told her and gave her a tight hug. “Kara… take care of her or you’ll be in so much trouble not even Supergirl herself will be able to save you.” She told her and Kara chuckled.

“Noted.” She nodded and gave her a quick hug. “Thank you for that talk.” She whispered and Sadie winked when they pulled back.

“Well, I have to go now, but I wish you the absolute best, all the love and all that… you both deserve to be happy.” She said again, honesty evident in her eyes. “I’ll be waiting for the wedding invitation.” She winked and they both laughed nervously, watching her leave with a broad smile.

“She’s too much.”

“Am I really better than her?” Kara asked and Lena looked at her with wide eyes.

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“No, I just… maybe a little.” She grinned, blushing. “It won’t happen again.”

“You’re too much.” Lena chuckled, pulling her down for a soft kiss. “But I don’t remember if you’re so good… maybe I need a reminder of your skills?” she smirked with a raised eyebrow.

“Say no more.” Kara chuckled, picking her up with ease and carrying her back to the bedroom. “I love you.” She whispered, laying Lena gently on the bed, ready to make her feel the physical extent of her feelings.

“I love you more, Kara.”