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“Miss Luthor?”
“Yes?” Lena said, looking up from her computer at Jess, her assistant. “What is it?”
“A few things,” Jess said, walking up to Lena and handing her a slip of paper. “Your mother called- again-” She winced at Lena’s glare. “I won’t get into that, she left a message.” Jess nodded at the slip of paper.
“What else?” Lena sighed and rubbed her temples, a sudden headache coming on.
“Well, there’s a reporter here to see you.” Jess said and gestured behind her. “She’s waiting right outside. Very, um, excitable.”
Lena sighed. “Is that all?”
“Yes-” The phone in Jess’s hand buzzed and she sighed. “No, it’s your mother again.”
“ Don’t answer .” Lena hissed. “Just-” She huffed, “Just let the reporter in. Let’s get this over with.”
“Alright, Miss Luthor.” Jess said, stabbing the end call button on the phone. As she walked out the phone started buzzing again. Lena rubbed her forehead harder.
“She’s right in there.” Lena heard Jess say as she rummaged through her drawers for an Advil.
“ Shit. ” She whispered when she came up empty. Lena managed to stand up just in time for the arrival of the reporter.
“Hi! I’m Kara Danvers from CatCo!” The reporter said, smiling happily at Lena. Lena’s headache tripled in pain at the volume of the woman’s voice.
“Hello. I’m Lena Luthor.” Lena said, sighing and leaning over her desk to shake Kara’s hand. Lena winced at the reporter’s grip. “Please, sit down.” She gestured to the seat in front of her desk. Lena waited for Kara to sit down before gently lowering herself into her chair, carefully trying not to jostle her head around too much.
“It’s a pleasure meeting you.” Kara said happily while flipping her notepad open.
“The pleasure is all mine.” Lena smiled robotically, internally cursing herself for not buying anymore pain medication. “Before we start though, and this is terribly embarrassing of me to ask, but do you happen to have any pain medication on you?” Lena sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers.
“Oh! Yes, actually.” Kara smiled, rummaging through her bag. “I always carry some in case- here you go.” She handed Lena the supersized bottle. Lena raised her eyebrow at Kara. “H-habit. My old boss had a lot of migraines.” Kara said, blushing.
“Your old boss was Cat Grant, right?” Lena asked, getting up to pour herself a glass of water.
“Yes.” Kara said, looking at Lena curiously. “How did you know?”
Lena shrugged. “I'm a curious person… Would you like a glass too?” Lena asked while she poured water into a glass.
“No thank you.” Kara said and watched Lena nod in response.
Lena walked back to her seat and sat down. She grabbed the bottle, took out two pills, and popped them in her mouth. She chased them down with a quick drink of water. “Alright,” Lena said and looked back to Kara. “Where would you like to start?”
“How about L-Corp’s success lately? You all went up 3 points in the stock markets!” Kara said, pen poised to write.
“Ah, well. I can’t say it was unexpected.”
“Can you elaborate, Miss Luthor?”
“We here, at L-Corp, have been working tirelessly on creating new technology that can help-” Lena jumped when the phone on her desk began to vibrate. “Excuse- excuse me for one second.” Lena shakily picked up the phone on her desk. “This is my emergency phone. It’s my mother.”
“Oh, of course. Take all of the time that you need.” Kara said, smiling slightly.
“Mother? Is everything alright?” Kara heard Lena say as she grimly nodded and walked out to her balcony. Kara slightly deflated, and rubbed her eyes from under her glasses.
“Great interview so far, Danvers.” Kara whispered to herself sarcastically and crossed her arms. She looked out at the balcony where Lena seemed to be very upset. Kara got up. “Miss- Miss Luthor, is everything alright?” Lena looked very close to throwing a flower pot over the edge of the balcony.
Lena’s panicked eyes met Kara’s. She furiously shook her head and put her finger up to her lips. And then she sighed. “Yes mother, someone is here with me.” Lena motioned for Kara to come closer. “It’s my- ah- girlfriend. She’s a reporter with CatCo.” Lena looked at Kara pleadingly.
Girlfriend?
“Y-yes. She’s coming with me to Lex’s wedding.” Lena rubbed her face.
Wedding?
“Of course, you may talk to her, mother. Just give me one second.” Lena put her hand on the phone. “ Please play along. ” She hissed. Kara nodded and took the phone from Lena’s hand.
Kara cleared her throat. “H-hello?”
“So you’re the reason my daughter won’t agree to an arranged date.” Lena’s mother said lowly from the other side of the phone.
“I guess?” Kara said, looking over to where Lena was pleadingly looking at Kara. Her eyebrows were furrowed and Kara saw her mouth the word ‘please’ over and over.
“You ‘guess’?”
“No- No, I mean... Yeah we’ve been together for a couple of d-” Kara yelped when Lena elbowed her, “A couple of months!”
“A couple of months, hmm?” Kara heard Lena’s mother sigh. “You’re a reporter?”
“I am.” Kara responded nervously.
“Well I suppose Lena could do worse. I’m looking forward to meeting you at the wedding.” Lena’s mother said tersely and ended the call.
Kara slowly pulled the phone off of her ear and looked at it wide-eyed. “Y-your mother is-”
Lena sighed. “I know. You don’t- you don’t have to attend the wedding.” She winced a bit.
“Oh no.” Kara shook her head. “After that conversation I think you owe me.”
“Owe you?”
“Wedding food.” Kara smiled, wrinkling her nose. “I love cake.”
“Ah.” Lena looked up at Kara, surprised. “You- you’re going to come?”
Kara smiled. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint your mother. She seemed very eager to meet, and I quote, ‘the reason her daughter won’t agree to an arranged date’.”
Lena scrubbed her face with a hand. “That sounds like her.” She sighed. “I’ll pay you.”
Kara shook her head furiously. “No- no. You don’t need to pay me.”
“This wedding is not going to be fun, just so you know.”
Kara sighed and then she looked up at Lena, eyes lighting up. “I know how you could repay me-”
“How.” Lena said, suspicion in her eyes.
“An exclusive deal with CatCo.”
Lena stared at Kara for a second and then sighed. “Alright but for a request like that, we need to up the ante.” She looked at Kara, considering something. “I need you to play the perfect girlfriend. So perfect, my mother could never even imagine setting me up with another idiot.”
Kara stuck out her hand. “We’ve got a deal.” Lena smiled and took Kara’s hand, trying to ignore the warmth that ran through her at the touch.
“Yes we do.”
“ How is your family this rich?! ” Kara hissed at Lena as they walked into the large hall where the reception was being held.
Lena shrugged and tightened her grip on Kara’s hand when she saw her mother walking towards them. “Old money.”
“Old-” Kara shook her head. “You really are filthy rich.”
Lena chuckled. “Sorry- Mother!” She smiled widely, walking forward to greet her mother with a kiss on each cheek. “You look wonderful.”
“I know.” Lena’s mother turned her head to take Kara in with an unamused glint in her eyes. “And who might this be.”
“Kara Danvers.” Kara said, extending her hand. “I’m a reporter with CatCo, but-” She smiled at Lena. “Lena’s girlfriend and plus one for tonight.”
Lena’s mother took Kara’s hand and smiled tightly. “Yes. Now I remember.” She sighed, releasing her tight grip on Kara’s hand. “Lillian Luthor. You may call me Mrs. Luthor.”
“Mrs. Luthor.” Kara smiled genuinely. “It’s a pleasure.”
Lillian narrowed her eyes at Kara and cleared her throat. “Yes, well. I must be going.”
Lena grabbed Kara’s hand tightly. “We’ll be seeing you around, Mother.”
“I would hope so.” Lillian muttered, quickly walking away.
Lena let out a sigh and deflated against Kara. “Thank you.” She whispered lowly. Kara hummed and nodded.
She brought her hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind Lena’s ear. Kara leaned in closely to whisper into Lena’s ear. “She’s looking at us.”
Lena shivered slightly when Kara’s light breath hit her ear. “What should we do.” She breathed out.
“Kiss me.” Kara sighed and grinned nervously, hooking her hand on the back of Lena’s neck.
Lena’s eyes widened. She took a deep breath and leaned in to give Kara a small but sweet kiss on the lips. Lena smiled slightly when she moved back.
Oh no. Kara thought panickedly, looking back down at Lena’s lips. Shit. Her eyes widened and she winced, looking away. She’s really cute.
Lena’s hand was on Kara’s arm for the duration of the reception, which meant that she couldn’t focus on anything. The vows were probably sickeningly sweet, but Kara didn’t even notice because she was gauging Lena’s every reaction.
Lena leaned in towards Kara. “Good job pretending to look you’re in love with me.” She whispered lightly, chuckling.
Kara’s face burned red and she laughed nervously. “Y-yeah. Part of the job, right?”
Lena looked at Kara with an indiscernible look in her eyes. “Yes.” She said, and looked back at the reception in the front of the large hall.
Kara let out a shaky breath and rubbed her eyes from underneath her glasses. Don’t do anything stupid.
Kara did something stupid.
“ What do you mean you walked in on my aunt in the restroom ?” Lena hissed, looking at Kara intensely.
“She- she didn’t lock the door!” Kara winced, looking away from Lena’s probing glare.
“Why didn’t you knock. ”
“I- I don’t know?”
Kara knew why she didn’t knock. She just was not, under any circumstances going to tell Lena. You see, the reason was Lena’s hand. More specifically, Lena’s hand creeping up Kara’s thigh during the reception dinner. The touch was innocent enough but every time Lena addressed her mother from across the table, her hand tightened on Kara’s thigh and move up slightly.
And it seemed as though Lena was exclusively speaking to her mother.
Deep breaths just weren’t working anymore so Kara had excused herself from the table to splash water on her reddening face. Kara flung open the door to the single bathroom around the corner, only to be horrified by the sight of Lena’s aunt kissing a young man enthusiastically.
Kara spun around and shut the door before they could see her. She fast walked back to the table and plopped back down in her seat.
“She was- she was making out-”
“Kara, I don’t want to hear this.” Lena hissed through clenched teeth. She looked at Kara. “Did she see you?”
“No-”
“Then we have nothing to worry about.” Lena sighed, resting her hand on the back of Kara’s chair. “Just-” She leaned in to whisper into Kara’s ear. “Just don’t do anything else I wouldn’t do.” Lena sighed. “I think at least Mother is warming up to you.”
Kara looked over to where Lillian Luthor was sitting, chatting to- of course - her sister. Lena’s aunt.
“She, um, she just glared at me, Lena.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, she glares at everyone. If she really didn’t like you she’d probably spill her drink on you-” Lena nodded over to where Lillian spilled her drink on her sister. “A lot like that.”
Kara winced when she saw the red of the wine seep into the light yellow fabric of Lena’s aunt’s dress.
“I guess she doesn’t hate me.”
Lena moved back to smile gently at Kara. “I guess she doesn’t.”
“We should dance!” Kara said, trying her best to be heard over the music.
“What?” Lena said and looked over to where Kara was pouting.
Kara moved closer to Lena. “We should dance. Look more couple-y.”
“We look couple-y.”
“Um you wouldn’t even hold my hand when we walked over here. You’re making me look like a bad girlfriend.” Kara said, crossing her arms. “That guy over there has been looking like he wants to dance with you.” She nodded her head towards a young blonde man staring at them from a seat in the corner.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the man my mother has been trying to set me up for the past month.” Lena groaned. “Okay, okay you’re right. We should dance.”
They walked over to the dancefloor hand in hand. Kara started bouncing to the high tempo beat just as the song changed.
“Ah, shoot-” Kara mumbled before realizing the song was a slow song. She grinned at Lena. She put her hands out dramatically. “Would you like to dance to this slow jam with me?”
Lena laughed and took Kara’s hand and put her other one intimately on Kara’s neck. Kara’s hand moved to touch Lena’s back.
Lena leaned in closely, humming along to the song as they swayed gently. She wound a finger around the hair at the nape of Kara’s neck.
“This isn’t too bad, right?” Kara asked, nudging Lena’s cheek with her own.
Lena hummed lowly. “My mother likes you.”
“What about you.”
Lena’s eyes snapped opened and she moved back to look at Kara. “What do you mean?” She asked evenly.
“Do you like me?” Kara asked, hope gleaming in her eyes.
“I- I- yes.” Lena looked down at Kara’s lips and then quickly back up, eyes wide. “You’re a wonderful friend, Kara.” She smiled.
Friend.
“Oh.” Kara’s grip on Lena’s hand loosened. “Yeah. Great friends.”
Lena looked at Kara curiously and gave her a small smile. “The song is almost over I think.”
Kara was sitting at one of the empty tables, wine in hand. She never drank. Not unless something called for her to drink. And the way Lena was laughing with the blonde man made Kara want to drink.
She slumped her shoulders and threw back the remaining liquid in her glass. Kara grabbed another glass off of a waiter’s tray walking by. She took a sip, grimacing when the drink was stronger than expected. Kara looked down at the glass. “Ugh, cranberry vodka.” She glanced over at Lena again, who was smiling at the man. He grabbed her hand. Kara looked away and drowned the drink.
She heard the clack of heels approaching. Kara looked up. Lena’s aunt.
“Had to change my damn dress.” She muttered sitting down beside Kara. She looked at Kara surprised. “Oh. You’re Lena’s date.”
“Yeah. Kara Danvers.”
“I’m Eva. Eva Luthor.” She sighed and took Kara’s hand. “The idiot over there?” Eva pointed to the blonde man talking to Lena. “He was my secret date.”
Kara choked on her drink. “Why secret?”
“Well Lillian was trying to set him up with Lena. Would’ve been a bit awkward, don’t you think?”
Kara barked out a laugh. “Definitely.” She gasped. “Oh shoot. I should probably tell you now, um, I might’ve-”
“Walked in on us in the passionate embrace of love? Oh I know.”
Kara squinted up at Eva. “How much did you drink?”
“Never ask a lady that question!” Eva gasped dramatically. “Probably less than you, though.” She muttered.
“Hey! That’s rude.” Kara grumbled.
“Just-” Eva sighed. “Just get your girlfriend and stop moping around.”
“She’s not exactly my girlfriend.” Kara said quietly.
“Wha-”
“We, um, we made a deal?”
“Oh, sweetie.” Eva winced.
Lena walked over to where Kara was sitting. “Where were you!” She asked, plopping down into the seat next to Kara. She kicked off her heels and rubbed a foot. “Some idiot’s been trying to ask me out all night.” She grumbled and took a sip of Kara’s drink.
“Oh, I met your aunt.”
Lena coughed on the drink, choking on it. “Did you tell her-”
“Maybe.”
“Kara, why .”
“It’s fine. She already knew. I helped her out with something, she helped me out with something. It’s all good.”
Lena narrowed her eyes at Kara. “What did she help you out with.”
“Oh you know. Stuff.” Kara said cryptically.
Lena shook her head and glanced at the empty glasses on the table. “How much did you drink.”
“Um, first of all, never ask a lady how much she’s had to drink.” Kara held up a finger. “Second, half of those are probably Eva’s.”
“You have been talking to her.” Lena sighed and rubbed her forehead, slipping back into her heels. “Get up.” She said, grabbing Kara’s arm. Kara stumbled into Lena. Lena held her up. “You’re ridiculous.” She sighed.
Kara wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, and I have a stupid, ridiculous crush- ” Kara slapped a hand over her mouth.
“A stupid ridiculous crush on who? ” Lena asked, staring at Kara intently.
“I wish you didn’t hear that.”
Lena laughed. “Now you have to tell.”
“Um, well, actually. Funny story- it’s you?” Kara winced.
“Me?” Lena breathed out.
“Yeah.” Kara whispered.
“Oh. Oh wow-”
“Be sure to like, let me down easy when I crash and burn.” Kara groaned, putting her face in her hands.
“That’s not what I was going to do.” Lena rolled her eyes at Kara’s reaction.
“It’s-it’s not?” Kara looked up at Lena.
“No-” Lena laughed. “I was just going to say finally .”
“Finally ?” Kara choked out.
Lena rolled her eyes again. “Did it really take you all night to notice how much I like having you around?”
“Maybe.” Kara grumbled.
“Just kiss me already. Properly-”
Kara was way ahead of her, quickly moving in to capture Lena’s lips in a passionate kiss. Kara’s hands cupped Lena’s face gently. Lena moved her hands up to grab onto Kara’s elbows. A moan bubbled out of Kara’s throat when Lena deepened the kiss and pulled her closer.
“Get a room!” Kara heard Eva yell from the next table over. She parted away from Lena and looked over to see her holding hands with the blonde man from earlier. Kara laughed and grabbed the back of Lena’s neck for another sweet kiss.
“Wanna get out of here, fake girlfriend?” Lena whispered against her lips.
“Absolutely.” Kara laughed, grabbing Lena’s hand and leading them towards the exit.