Chapter Text
“Double espresso for Lena.”
Lena jumped as the barista called her name, closing her phone hastily as though she’d been caught committing a crime. The text messages she’d been scrolling through vanished as the screen went dark, but the fluttery feeling in her chest remained.
She reached out to accept her cup as the barista handed it over with a wide smile. Lena suspected that such personal service was a direct consequence of the rather generous tip she’d left on her purchase, but she returned the enthusiasm all the same.
She took a sip, enjoying the slight jolt from the caffeine as it displaced the lingering hangover from last night’s whiskey. She stepped from the coffee shop into the crisp morning air just in time for a gentle breeze to ruffle her hair. The sky was blue, the sun was warm on her skin, and a bird was singing somewhere in the distance. Lena let loose a contented sigh. If she didn’t know herself better, she might describe her current mood as giddy.
She took another sip of her drink and then returned her attention to her phone, enjoying the way all of her dopamine receptors lit up in tandem at the sight of a single name:
Kara Danvers.
Lena scrolled through their most recent text messages again, feeling for all the world like a simpering schoolgirl. This type of behavior was not typical of her at all. Lena had been on dates before, of course - though perhaps not as many as she would have had she not allowed the stress of her career to dictate her social life - and she usually prided herself on being solidly in control. She was never the more invested one, never the one following up for a second date. For a time, she’d given to assuming that a part of her was just broken; that perhaps she no longer had the capacity to care for someone on a deep enough level to warrant a committed relationship.
Then Kara Danvers had slammed into her life with the force of a cotton candy explosion, and that theory had gone completely out the window.
There were certain events in the course of a life that could irrevocably alter its trajectory, and Lena wholeheartedly believed that meeting Kara Danvers was one such event. Before Kara, Lena’s life had given way to a sort of lonely monotony – busy days filled with the never-ending tasks expected of a budding CEO, and nights spent quietly drinking herself to sleep. She was rich and successful, sure, but it was almost shocking how easy it was to mistake success for fulfillment. Lena hadn’t even realized how deeply unhappy she was until Kara had bowled down all of her walls with the ease of a very persistent wrecking ball.
Kara’s friendship alone had been a breath of fresh air. Lena hadn’t even allowed herself to consider the possibility that it could blossom into something more. They’d spent months dancing around each other, and Lena had fully managed to convince herself that every stolen glance or lingering touch was completely in her own head right up until the moment Kara had asked her to dinner.
Lena’s phone vibrated in her hand, pulling her out of her reverie. A new text from Kara had appeared just beneath the ones she’d been persistently rereading since she woke up that morning.
Good morning! I had a great time last night.
The fluttery feeling returned full force, and Lena bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to hide her smile. Her fingers hovered over the keypad as she began to formulate a response, but before she had the chance, a second message followed directly behind the first.
If you’re not busy, I was hoping I could stop by later tonight. I need to talk to you about something.
Lena’s heart did an impressive swan dive into the pit of her stomach. All at once, the euphoria she’d been riding high on since the previous evening evaporated, leaving a creeping sense of dread in its place.
Talk? What could Kara need to talk to her about that warranted a semi-urgent, face to face conversation?
Lena’s heart began to race as she replayed the events of the previous evening over in her mind. She thought that she’d done well. She’d been engaged, present, and genuinely interested in what Kara had to say. She’d limited herself to two drinks – enough to be loose and relaxed without compromising her inhibitions. She thought she’d been charming and even funny, if the way Kara had laughed at her jokes was any indication.
Had she somehow gravely miscalculated? Was it possible that while Lena had been basking in the afterglow of what she’d believed to be a perfect first date, Kara had been thinking up ways to let her down easy?
No, there was still a chance that she was over-reacting. She was out of practice with dating, after all. Surely there was a perfectly logical explanation for all of this. Lena stared down at her phone as though willing it to reveal the secrets of the universe, but no such wisdom was forthcoming.
“Good morning, Ms. Luthor.”
Lena nearly jumped at the sudden greeting. She tore her gaze from her phone and was surprised to find that her feet had carried her all the way into the lobby of the L-Corp building, where the security guard was now staring at her expectantly.
She schooled her face into what she hoped was a convincing smile and slipped her phone back into her purse. “Ah, yes, good morning, Ron,” she said with a polite nod, and then she scurried across the lobby to the private elevator that would take her up to her office.
She spared roughly thirty seconds of thought to the day’s itinerary – she had a morning conference call with some investors, if she wasn’t mistaken – before her thoughts inevitably pivoted back to Kara.
What if Lena had messed up badly enough that she’d put their friendship in jeopardy? It would be just like her to ruin the one good thing she’d managed to find for herself since moving to National City.
The elevator dinged to a halt at the top floor and Lena stepped off, still lost in thought. Her assistant, Jess, was already seated dutifully at the desk just outside of Lena’s office door, seemingly absorbed in the task of typing something on her computer, but she looked up as Lena approached.
“Good morning, Ms. Luthor,” she said with a polite smile, pausing in her task just long enough to meet Lena’s eyes.
“Good morning, Jess,” Lena responded. She strode past the desk in the direction of her office, but then she paused, lingering just outside of the doors.
She chewed her lower lip for a moment, debating. She didn’t really have anyone else to discuss this with. Normally she would turn to Kara in this type of situation, but that was definitively off the table for obvious reasons.
She must have hovered there long enough to attract attention, because eventually Jess looked up from her work again and asked, “Did you need something else, Ms. Luthor?”
Lena took a breath. “If someone texts you after a first date saying that that they need to talk, that’s a bad sign, right?”
Jess merely blinked at her for a few seconds, clearly caught off guard by the question. Lena wasn’t exactly known for making casual conversation with her subordinates, or with anyone, really, for that matter. Jess didn’t seem to know how she was meant to react.
“Oh, I-I’m not really-” she stammered, looking Lena up and down as though trying to determine if this was some sort of practical joke. “I don’t think I’m the best person to-”
Lena cut her off. “Just give me your honest opinion,” she said, in a tone meant to dispel any doubt that she was dead serious about the matter at hand.
“I um, I haven’t dated in a while, so I don’t really think I’m an expert,” Jess said nervously, but at Lena’s pointed look, she winced and added, “But no, I don’t think that’s a good a sign.”
Lena visibly deflated at the words, but it was only confirmation of what she already suspected. “Thank you, Jess,” she said with a strained smile. “That will be all.” With that she turned and made her way into her office, leaving a very confused assistant behind in her wake.
Once she’d settled safely behind her desk, she retrieved her phone again and stared down at the ominous text messages that had already marred some of her most cherished conversations.
I need to talk to you about something.
There was no avoiding it. Lena would know the truth of it soon enough. With shaking fingers, she typed out her reply.
Of course, I’m free this evening after 8. Come by any time.
The day somehow managed to drag on forever and simultaneously pass by in the blink of an eye. Lena attended meetings, signed papers, and reviewed earnings reports, but all the while her mind was fixated on an ever-growing sense of dread. What if these were the last moments she could pretend that everything was okay? By this time tomorrow, there was a very real chance that Lena’s entire world would be irrevocably shattered.
Jess, for her part, seemed to have taken Lena’s uncharacteristic familiarity that morning as some sort of unspoken job assignment. Despite the busy morning, it seemed as though Lena was interrupted for phone calls or snap decisions far less often than was typical, and lunch from her favorite take out spot appeared on her desk completely unprompted just as her rumbling stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the night before. There was also the matter of her four o’clock meeting with a particularly nasty board member, which was rescheduled at the last minute for reasons that were suspiciously vague.
As she finally stepped from her office at seven o’clock that evening, finished unexpectedly on time for a change, it was to find Jess watching her surreptitiously over the top of her computer monitor. Lena gave her a small, grateful smile.
“Thank you for everything today, Jess,” she said, with perhaps a bit more sincerity than usual. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jess simply gave her a dutiful nod and responded, “Good night, Ms. Luthor.”
Lena spent the ride back to her apartment trying to remember whether she still had that bottle of scotch she’d stashed under her sink for a special occasion. It was with some surprise that she realized she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d reached for a drink while alone in her apartment. The mental inventory of her liquor cabinet was fuzzier than it used to be. She’d had little need for such comforts over the past few weeks, but tonight she needed the distraction.
She found the scotch right where she’d left it. It was far too expensive a bottle for such a frivolous purpose, but Lena uncorked it anyway. She treated herself to a very generous pour, steadied her shaking hands around the glass, and then she waited.
The phone near the door of her penthouse rang at five past eight, and Lena rose from her spot on the couch to answer it.
“Kara Danvers here to see you, Ms. Luthor,”
“Send her up,” Lena responded, somehow managing to keep her voice from wavering.
She paced back and forth in front of her expansive kitchen to fill the space of time before Kara’s arrival. There was a knock at the door three minutes later. Lena downed the contents of her glass and placed it on the marble countertop.
“Hey, Lena,” Kara said as she stepped across the threshold. She was fidgeting with the hem of her sweater in a way that seemed decidedly uncomfortable. She was nervous. Lena did her best to harden her heart against the inevitable blow it was about to receive.
“It’s good to see you,” Lena said as she led the way into the living room. “I was surprised to hear from you so soon. You must really want to secure that second date.” The joke was halfhearted at best, but Lena was determined to keep up an air of levity for as long as she could.
Unfortunately, her efforts seemed lost on Kara, who let out a strained laugh and said, “That’s actually sort of why I wanted to talk to you.”
The last small part of Lena still clinging to the hope that she was mistaken about Kara’s intentions finally withered and died. Her heart ached in anticipation, but before Lena could even begin to grapple with the implications of the coming conversation, Kara was speaking again.
“I had a really great time last night. Like, a really great time,” she said, still twisting the fabric of her shirt between her fingers. Her face was flushed pink, and she wouldn’t meet Lena’s eyes as she spoke. “I just really needed to talk to you before we go any further.”
Lena felt the traitorous sting of tears in her eyes, but she fought them back with all of her might. If she was headed for rejection, she would handle it with all of the grace expected of a Luthor.
“I had a wonderful time as well,” she said, voice steady around the lump in her throat, “but if this isn’t meant to be, I only ask that we don’t let that ruin our friendship.”
This seemed to catch Kara off guard, and her eyes finally snapped up to meet Lena’s. There was surprise there, but also a little bit of panic. “What? No Lena, listen, that’s not-”
“You don’t have to worry about hurting me, Kara,” she said, keeping her expression neutral. “I completely understand if you don’t feel the same way.”
“You don’t understand. That’s not what I’m trying to-”
But Lena was on a roll now, determined to pre-empt Kara’s rejection so that she wouldn’t actually need to say the words. “I promise that I won’t let my own feelings affect our relationship. Your friendship is so important to me, I would never-”
“I’m Supergirl,” Kara blurted out. It was the only thing she could have possibly said to stop the momentum of Lena’s mentally-prepared speech in its tracks.
Lena sputtered, not quite certain she’d heard right. Still in the process of attempting to recover her train of thought, she simply responded, “What?”
Kara seemed a little surprised herself, as though she hadn’t quite expected the confession to come so soon. “I’m Supergirl,” she repeated, squaring her shoulders and infusing her voice with a new confidence as she did so. The effect was instantaneous, even before she reached up to remove her glasses and complete the picture. “And I just really needed to tell you that before this goes any further. Because I do want this to. Go further, I mean.”
Lena could only stare, mouth open in shock, as the best friend she’d slowly been developing feelings for morphed into the Girl of Steel before her very eyes. Lena hadn’t interacted with Supergirl much since moving to National City, in large part because she was afraid to find out whether the heroine carried a chip on her shoulder regarding Lena’s rather infamous last name. It was quite the surprise, then, to find out so suddenly and decisively that she apparently did not.
“You’re-” Lena was still trying to find the words to articulate what she was feeling, but they wouldn’t come. She took in the confusing sight of Supergirl standing before her, wearing Kara Danvers’ clothing, and her brain simply would not allow her to reconcile the thought. “How?”
Kara ducked her head away in a move that was decidedly un-Supergirl and said, “I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now, almost since the first moment I met you, but it’s complicated. Knowing my secret identity could put you in danger, but you could be in just as much danger if we continue to see each other. I couldn’t let this go any further without letting you know what you would be getting into.” Kara took a shaky breath and replaced her glasses, but her countenance was still all Supergirl. “I understand if this changes the way you feel about things.”
Lena was still struggling to comprehend the momentous truth that had been revealed to her, but the only coherent thought that bubbled to the surface was that she had been completely wrong about Kara’s intentions. “I thought you came here tonight to break up with me,” she said with a strangled laugh. The absurdity of the situation was almost too much to handle.
Kara’s eyes widened, as though she hadn’t even considered the possibility. “What? No, of course not! I mean, I thought you might want to break up with me now, after all of this, but I would never! I’ve been trying to work up the courage to ask you out for months!”
Lena laughed again, but this time more out of desperate relief. She took a step forward, still searching Kara’s eyes as though looking for any other secrets she might have missed. “So, you’re Supergirl,” she said, still in disbelief of the words even as they passed her lips. “That’s something I’m willing to work through.”
“Yeah?” Kara asked, a small, hopeful smile lighting her face as she took a step towards Lena in turn.
“Yeah,” Lena said, more decisively, as she leaned up to press a soft kiss against Kara’s lips. She hadn’t realized until this very moment how paralyzed she’d been by the fear that she’d never have another chance to do so.
As she finally pulled away, it was to find Kara positively beaming at her. “Then I will absolutely be wanting that second date.”
The next morning when Lena stepped off of the elevator, the sound of typing cut out abruptly as Jess looked up expectantly at her boss’s entrance.
“Good morning, Ms. Luthor,” she said, but her usual greeting held an unspoken question mark.
Lena was touched that her assistant was so invested in the outcome of yesterday’s minor crisis.
“We’re going out again this weekend,” Lena said.
Jess lit up at the news. “Then you can consider the flowers on your desk to be congratulatory,” she said, and then she returned to her work without further comment. Lena was reminded yet again that her choice of assistant was potentially the best hire she’d ever made.
She crossed her office and was, in fact, greeted by the sight of a cheerful bouquet in a porcelain vase sitting in the center of her desk. As she settled into her chair, she took a moment to imagine the reality in which they were meant to comfort her after a break up. She shook her head.
Lena had hardly gotten any sleep last night. Kara had stayed for an hour or two to answer some of Lena’s many, many, many questions, and then she’d left to give Lena some space with the promise of meeting up again for dinner on Friday. Lena had then proceeded to spend almost the entire night tossing and turning, all of the implications of dating a superhero (the superhero, as far as Lena was concerned) churning through her mind. What could someone like Kara Zor-El, with all of her power and beauty and goodness, possibly see in Lena Luthor? Would she really be able to look past Lena’s family baggage and the weight of her last name? Was it even possible for two beings who were, quite literally, from different worlds, to build something real together?
Lena still wasn’t satisfied that she had the answer to any of those questions, but eventually she’d come to the conclusion that none of it really mattered. Because, while it was true that she was dating Supergirl, what was more important was that she was dating Kara, and there was nothing Lena wouldn’t do to continue to make that a reality.
The rest of it she would figure out in time.