Work Text:
Is This Seat Taken?
Maggie Sawyer really doesn't know what to make of the exchange she just had with Supergirl. First, the woman was coming on to her, asking her out for drinks. Then she was all stern, with eyes that looked like they were about to flash red when Maggie told her she was interested in someone else. Then she was suddenly all smiles and encouragement when Maggie told her the woman she was interested in was none other than Alex Danvers, the person Maggie had been certain was deep into a relationship with the superhero.
Speeding through the streets of National City, the detective mentally shook herself and decided that it was best not to think too much about that very strange meeting. She was on her way to find Alex, and she needed to concentrate on what she was going to say to her.
She wasn't blind, or stupid. When she'd assumed that Alex and Supergirl were an item, Alex's little invitations to drinks and comfortable banter had seemed innocent. After all, who in their right mind would leave Supergirl for her? Well, technically she had just turned down Supergirl in favor of Alex, but somehow that didn't seem like the same thing. In any event, she had thought those moments were just friendly teasing, but now that she knew that Alex had been available all that time? Yeah, those moments leaped the gate from innocent town right on into fully flirtatious city. All that time, Alex had been practically hitting her over the head with her interest, and she had basically thrown it back in her face.
Good God, she'd kissed another woman right in front of her. She'd even called her 'babe'. Seriously? She didn't even like that term of endearment. She'd only used it because she'd felt the need to prove to her girlfriend that there was nothing fishy going on between her and the DEO agent. Yeah, right. A great big nothing that had caused more fights than she wanted to count and had been a large reason for their admittedly casual relationship to completely end.
Maggie was so caught up in her own mind that she almost sped right past Noonan's, but she yanked the handlebars to the left and leaned sharply, making a tight turn down the little side street beside the coffeeshop-by-day, bar-by-night. She stowed her helmet away and walked to the door, trying to casually peer through the plate-glass windows on the way by. She didn't see Alex, but she didn't peg Supergirl for a liar, so she pulled on the brass door handle and tried to act casual as she made her way through the light crowd and up to the bar.
That was when she saw Alex. The dark haired woman with the pale, pale skin was nursing a glass of something amber colored, and had her eyes focused on her glass, her hair falling in such a way as to partially obscure her face. It was a clear 'keep the hell away from me' position, but Maggie wasn't about to be put off by that.
"This seat taken?" she asked as she sidled up to Alex, not waiting for permission before swinging one leg up onto the high barstool and then shimmying the rest of the way on.
Sometimes she really hated being so much shorter than average.
"Well, I don't exactly own it," Alex said, turning her head so that one eye peered at Maggie from behind the fall of auburn hair. "Not much in the mood for talking though."
"Hey, that's okay," Maggie said quickly. "You can just sit there and listen."
And that was when Maggie's mouth dried up and she lost track of what she was supposed to be saying. She flagged over the bartender and ordered one of whatever Alex was drinking, and a second one for the agent, and then she fell silent, tapping her fingers on the bar, knee bouncing erratically.
"Y'know," Alex said, and the words weren't exactly slurred, but it was clear that the drink in front of her wasn't the first, "Y'know," she repeated, "you never took me up on that offer of drinks a few weeks back, and now you track me down in a bar. Isn't your girlfriend going to be waiting at home for you?"
There was no bitterness there, only sad resignation, and Maggie felt her stomach twisting into a knot, knowing she was at least part of the reason for that.
"Yeah, about that..."
Alex turned to face her then and seemed to have realized how self-indulgent that had sounded, because her friendly work face had been snapped back into place, and her fingers were only slightly clenching around her glass.
"Hey, sorry... sorry about that," she said, shaking her head as if chastising herself. "I've already had a couple and it makes me a little mopey. Just ignore me," she finished quietly, eyes darting to the ceiling, then down again before she turned back to her drink.
"Nothing to be sorry about," Maggie countered, "although I have to ask why you're sitting here drinking if you know it's just gonna bring you down."
Alex just shrugged. It wasn't like she could go into details with the person who was at the core of her brooding thoughts. She'd just wanted to feel a little numb, and she hadn't trusted herself to stop before hitting alcohol poisoning if she'd stayed in her apartment, so she'd headed to the bar.
"Very informative, Danvers," Maggie said, nudging the other woman with her shoulder.
A silent sigh escaped from Alex's lips. She didn't really want to continue the conversation, but Maggie wasn't leaving her much choice.
"You never told me what you're doing here," she said. "I thought you only hung out at that dive bar."
"Okay, first, I don't 'hang out' there, I go there for information and occasionally I'll stop by for - "
"- their mean peach mojito, right?"
"Right," Maggie replied, and she was saved from really answering the question when her drink arrived.
If she knocked it back fast enough, maybe she'd be able to get through this with the least amount of embarrassment, she figured. She downed it in three swallows and motioned for another. She pretended not to notice that Alex was watching and that one perfect eyebrow had risen in a show of curiosity.
They were silent for a few minutes, but when Maggie's second drink arrived, she only took a small sip before speaking again.
"So, I... uhh... had an interesting encounter a little while ago," she started.
"Oh?" Alex replied, with honest interest, thinking that if the conversation could be steered towards work, that would definitely be for the best.
"Yeah... Supergirl."
And now Maggie had Alex's full attention.
"What?" she exclaimed, sounding somewhere between surprised and mortified.
"Funny thing," Maggie continued, as if Alex wasn't now staring at her with those huge brown eyes of hers. "I always figured that the two of you were an item."
"What?" Alex's voice rose in decibels and octaves. "No! No, no, no, no... There's nothing going on between us," she said, accentuating her words with vehement hand motions.
Maggie smiled at how similar the two women's reactions had been.
Her smile was big enough to cause her dimples to show, and Alex trailed off, thinking that she could never get enough of that sight, and then cursing herself for getting swept away by her feelings yet again.
"She had about the same response," the detective said, a look of wry amusement settling over her features.
Alex's eyebrows scrunched together and her look of shock was replaced by one of pure confusion as she asked, "What were the two of you even talking about that our relationship status would come up?"
"Oh... Right. Well, she wanted to ask me out. Which let me tell you, she did in the most awkward-slash-adorable way ever.
"She what?" And now Alex was close to shouting again.
What the hell was Kara doing? Talking to Maggie? Asking her out? This was her idea of helping? As if competing with humans wasn't enough. Now Maggie was going to put her alien sister ahead of her too. Not like she had a chance against that. And wait... Did Maggie agree to a date with Supergirl?
"I said that she asked me out on a date," Maggie said slowly, resting one hand over Alex's forearm to calm her. "That's when I told her that I thought the two of you were together. Honestly I couldn't believe she was gonna cheat on you with me. I mean how crazy would she have to be, right?"
Alex's emotions were swirling like dive bombing swallows within her breast, and she was barely hearing what Maggie was telling her.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I think I just need a minute."
She slid off her barstool, and would have continued sliding right to the floor if Maggie hadn't jumped down and grabbed her around the waist.
"Whoa, whoa there," she said softly. "Maybe I shouldn't have bought you that drink," she quipped. "C'mon and I'll walk you outside to get some air."
Alex nodded wearily and didn't even notice as Maggie put more than enough cash on the bar to settle both of their tabs. Then the smaller woman was guiding her between rowdy bar patrons and out of a little side door.
"Now then," Maggie said, reluctantly letting her arm fall to her side as Alex took a couple of wobbly steps away from her and then rested with her back against the brick wall. "You want to keep talking here or back at my place?"
It was a bold move, but Maggie was known for those, and she arched one brow and let her dimples show again. Unfortunately, Alex wasn't responding, instead staring at a puddle on the asphalt with an expression that made the detective's heart clench.
"Hey," she said, stepping closer. "I know you're drunk, and I'm not about to try anything, but aren't you at least wondering why I'd turn Supergirl down and then come looking for you?"
"You turned her down?" Alex asked with the tiniest hopeful note in her voice.
"Of course I turned her down. Sheesh, for a DEO agent, you're pretty slow on the uptake here," Maggie teased, and then grabbed the other woman's hand, interlocking their fingers like she had all those weeks ago at the fight club.
"Alex," she said quietly. "As soon as she said you two weren't involved, I started planning how to sweep you off your feet. I mean, admittedly, I've done a piss-poor job of it."
"Really?" Alex's response was punctuated by a squeeze of her hand.
"Yeah, and luckily your superhero BFF knew just where you'd be," Maggie replied. "And lemme tell you, as awkward as she was with the asking part, she was totally cool about being turned down. She seemed happier that I was interested in you, honestly."
Alex let out a small sound of amusement, finally realizing what Kara had been up to. Apparently her sister had figured she had the perfect test to prove Maggie's worthiness. Naturally it was the most dorky and clumsily planned test ever. She would have to thank her later.
"Well, she's a really good friend," Alex said finally and then she raised her eyes to look right at Maggie. "So you really turned her down so that you could ask me out?" she said shyly.
Hoping that she wasn't crossing any boundaries too soon, Maggie stepped in front of Alex and settled her hands on the agent's hips.
"Danvers, I would choose you over her or anyone else, any day of the week."
And when their lips met a few moments later, Alex for once, felt like she was someone special.