Chapter Text
It had been three days since the virus incident. Kara had spent these three days in a parallel universe, and it had three days since the last time she had seen Lena Luthor. Kara wondered why she can't just punch herself in the face and be over it. Standing in front of the door to Lena’s office, a punch in the face seemed quite less scary. At least that way she would know what to expect. Kara sighed. She didn’t know what she was so scared about. She had been there earlier that day as Supergirl, and that had turned out fine. Well, sort of. Lena remained stoic and unreadable throughout the mostly one sided talk, and for once, Kara was glad that she didn’t have the same proximity to the woman while wearing the cape. After smoothing out her windswept flying hair and having a three minute staring competition with the door, she finally knocked.
“Come in, Kara.” The voice said from the other side, a bit too softly for human ears to hear.. Kara was so nervous, though, she didn’t even realize. As she walked in, Lena’s eyes were impassive, looking up from her computer.
“Hi Lena.” Kara closed the door behind her and walked up slowly near her desk and sat down, adjusting the sleeves of her shirt. “I just… wanted to apologize.”
Kara figured Lena was much too smart to fall for any excuse, so her game plan was to be as honest as she could with the woman. She didn’t have a choice but to lie, but from now on, especially after what Lena had done, she decided to do it as little as she could.
“I wasn’t completely honest with you the day I came to interview you… The truth is, I was trying to get information on your mother, and… to make sure you weren’t involved with any of her schemes. I suppose… now you know why.” Kara let out a small huff of nervous laughter, feeling her hands shake a little at Lena’s unwavering, calculating expression.
“I uh- It was either that or hacking your files.” She noticed Lena’s eyebrow arch dangerously. “I mean- I wasn’t going to- the people investigating were going to but I didn’t want that. I never wanted to hack you. Quite the opposite really.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m really, really sorry…. And I heard what you did from Supergirl. For what it’s worth, I think you’re the true hero of National City… I’d pick you over Supergirl anyday.”
Kara smiled at that, and she could see Lena’s expression change just slightly, but it was still unreadable to her. In times like these she wished Earth’s yellow sun had given her telepathy as well.
“I figured Supergirl had some sort of investigating team helping her keep tabs on me. It makes a lot of sense.” Lena’s tone was ice cold. “A lot smarter move than her cousin, I’ll give her that.”
Lena stood up from her chair and walked to a nearby counter. She poured herself a glass of water, taking one long sip. Kara’s eyes followed her intently noticing every deliberate move, the click of her heals almost deafening against the heavy silence of the office.
“Is that all?” Lena asked, after what felt like forever. Kara blinked.
“Uh- yeah.”
“Are you sure?” Lena’s eyes went up from her glass to stare directly at Kara’s.
“Yes?”
“Hm…” Lena sloshed the water in her cup idly and then set it down behind her. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “Kara, would you mind taking off your glasses?”
“W-Why?” Kara cursed at how quickly she responded to the question.
“The sun sets right in my window and the light is reflecting off them and going straight into my eyes. I’m rather sensitive to sunlight, unlike you.” Kara noticed a sour edge to her voice.
“Wh-What makes you think I’m… not sensitive to sunlight?” Kara stammered.
“Well, you’ve clearly got a little more color on your skin than I do. I burn in the winter sun.” She smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “So, take of your glasses please.”
Lena said please but Kara knew that she wasn’t asking. Her hand went up to her glasses fidgeting with them slightly before slipping them off and setting it on the table.
“Better?” Kara tried. Lena smiled again.
“Much.” She took the cup in her hands again and approached the front of her desk. Leaning against it in front of Kara, she took another sip. Kara’s gut churned telling her to get up and run away, but the Luthor’s gaze held her firmly down. “Could you let down your hair for me?”
“Lena-”
“Don’t.” Lena’s voice was finally betraying her, crackling with dangerous electricity. Kara realized there was no more use in trying to talk herself out of this one so she closed her eyes and looked down at her feet, taking a heavy intake of breath. She reached for the back of her head, and let her hair fall loose.
“Stand up.” Kara gripped at the handles of the chair, making use of all her self control as she tried not to break them and did as she was told. “Look at me.”
Kara met her eyes again and briefly thought about how easy it would be to destroy the woman in front of her. She could sear through her, break her in half, throw her out the window, yet here she was, obeying Lena’s every word. She shook those thoughts from her head and clenched her jaw.
“I already apologized. What else do you want from me?”
“I want a lot of things. I want to wake up to freshly cooked breakfast every morning, I want to skip every exasperating unnecessary meeting I have to attend today, and I want to believe are truly my friend but sadly, we can’t have everything we want.”
“Of course I’m your friend, Lena-” Kara began but was interrupted by Lena’s finger pressed against her lips.
“But mostly-” She continued, lowering her hand and crossing her arms, leaning back against the desk again. “I want you to take off your shirt.”
“W-What?” Kara breathed out.
“You heard me.” Lena’s fingers tapped against her own arm impatiently, her eyes becoming lidded in a way Kara hadn't seen before. It sent a jolt down her stomach that scared her more than it should have.
“I-I don’t- I’m not sure what you ex-” In the middle of her babbling, Lena grabbed Kara by the collar of her shirt and turned them around so she was pinned against the desk. Kara let out a sharp, voiceless gasp at the unexpected movement and let herself be taken by the woman’s hands. If she resisted, her shirt probably would have been ripped, and that would have been hard to explain.
Lena stared her down, hands releasing from the collar to fiddle with the first button of Kara’s shirt. Kara could feel her heart beating so loud in her own chest, she suspected Lena could hear it too even with regular human senses. Like her previous movements, Lena’s fingers were conscious and prepense, and painfully slow. For a moment Kara thought about just unbuttoning the shirt herself just to get it over with, but decided against it.
One by one, the buttons were undone and when Kara’s chest was finally exposed, Lena’s hands slid up against the other woman’s collarbone to her neck, the movement causing the right side of her shirt to fall, revealing the skin of her shoulder. Lena pulled her in just so her lips were just by Kara’s ear. She closed her eyes when she felt Lena’s breath on her jaw and tightened her grip on the desk behind her. She could hear the woman’s pulse, every ruffle of clothing, smell her minty breath and designer perfume. It was hard to concentrate.
“Where’s your uniform?” At that, Lena’s hands retracted and the lack of proximity was like diving into a cold pool on a summer day: refreshing but harsh. Kara blinked herself out of her muddle, barely understanding the question.
“I… I don’t wear it under my clothes. I keep it in my purse.” She managed to form a coherent sentence, much to her surprise. Lena eyed her thoughtfully. “Do you want to… see it?”
“I’ll take your word for it.” She smiled sharply, her eyes flickering to Kara’s hands. “You should probably let go of my desk before you break it in half, though.”
Kara jolted and released her grip. Surely enough, there were two dents where her hands had been. Her cheeks colored, and Lena’s eyes shined in amusement… or perhaps pride. Kara couldn’t tell. As if nothing had happened, Lena stepped around her and sat at her desk once again.
“How long have you known?” Kara asks.
“Well, you showed up here for the first time with Clark Kent, of all people… And then you said you flew here on a bus… Then you fried my alien detecting device thinking I wouldn’t notice, and somehow Supergirl disappears every time you show up. It’s not hard to put two and two together, Kara. And frankly, a ponytail, glasses and a cheeky disposition isn’t much of a disguise.”
“Most people don’t really see what’s right in front of them. That’s why it works so well.” Kara says quietly. Lena hums lowly in her throat while her eyes overlook the girl in front of her. Kara's gaze wanders to Lena's lips, as she takes her bottom lip in her teeth.
“You can button your shirt now, Kara.” Lena says, and Kara’s eyes snap wide as she makes use of her super speed to redress herself. She feels her cheeks burning up, wishing there was a hole nearby where she could drill her head in.
“So… Do you forgive me?” Kara asks after a few awkward seconds. Lena’s brow arches, and she shrugs.
“That depends. What were your motives when you decided to befriend me, Supergirl?” She says. Kara has long since realized that everything Lena does or says has a meaning, and dissecting her actions and words is starting to get exhausting. Kara doesn’t do well with games.
“There were no motives Lena. Sure, I might have been apprehensive at the start but I’m not… keeping tabs on you or whatever.” Kara said. Lena eyed her intently.
“So you, a Super, in your human guise befriended me, a Luthor, for no reason at all?”
“I never said there wasn’t a reason.” Kara responded. “Lena, you’re smart, dedicated, head of a huge company trying to make the world a better place despite everything. I enjoy talking to you, even when we disagree.” Kara said and sighed when she saw Lena’s stony expression remained.
“Look, those things I asked during the interview… I knew you didn’t know about your mother, I just… had to be absolutely sure.” Kara paused for a moment, weighing her words. “You already knew I was Supergirl but you still needed the proof, right?”
Lena’s eyes twitched at her words, and Kara thought maybe she had gone through to her. With Lena, though, she was never sure.
“Okay.” She said simply. “I accept you apology, Kara. But I don’t want you to lie to me like that again.”
“I can manage that.” Kara opened up a smile, which only widened when she saw Lena reciprocate, this time genuinely, if not a bit hesitant.
“And I’m sorry for.. well... “ Lena motioned vaguely towards Kara’s disheveled self.
“What? Oh! Not at all!” Kara gave an abnormally high pitched laugh and kicked herself mentally for responding so quickly again. “...Sorry about your desk”
“Not at all.” Lena echoed, and Kara felt herself shrinking under the woman’s gaze. She stood up abruptly.
“Well, it’s been fun but I gotta go. Sister. Waiting. For me. Yeah... I’m glad we sorted things out.”
“Me too.” Lena smiled again, not a full one, but enough for Kara to be sure they were on good terms again, even if sinuous. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah.” Kara lingered. “Bye.”
When she closed the door behind her, Kara let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. It came out raggedy and uneven and she walked forward trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling between her thighs.
“Have a nice evening!” Kara waved at Lena’s secretary, Jess, as she walked past, earning her only a slight glare and a strange look. Kara found it odd until she reached the elevator and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her shirt was unevenly buttoned, the front partly untucked from her pants and rumpled at the collar. Her hair was still loose and messy from having been let down from a bun after flying, and her glasses were slightly crooked on her face.
Yeah. She thought. A punch in the face would have been much better.