Chapter Text
Monday was, officially, the worst day of the week.
Kara had declared that a month ago, on a particularly awful Monday when she had been nursing a hangover after a Danvers sisters night, and Snapper had decided to criticize every single word she'd written in an article about Supergirl saving a group of civilians. That same day, the printer had run out of ink, there had been several robberies across different parts of the city, and she'd lost fifty dollars to Winn over a bet about Alex's love life. So yes, Mondays sucked, and everyone at the office knew it.
"I'm telling you, Lena. Mondays exist for one reason only: to remind us there's still way too long until the weekend. They're the beginning of our daily torture, and the source of all evil in the world, and the reason hatred exists, and... well, you get the idea. They're the worst!" she'd told her one evening after yet another particularly awful Monday, when she'd called the green-eyed woman over for dinner in an attempt to lift her spirits.
Lena hummed in response, suppressing an amused smile at the blonde's pout. It felt rude to laugh at her, but she couldn't help thinking she looked adorable. She held out a potsticker to chase those thoughts away, and the pout was immediately replaced by a completely radiant expression. Kara took the potsticker, let out a dramatic sigh, and flopped back against the couch.
"You're ridiculous. You know that, right?"
"And yet you still love me," she teased around a mouthful of food. There was no objection to that statement.
"Guilty as charged." Lena shrugged, stealing one of the potstickers under Kara's betrayed stare. The blonde gasped but couldn't do anything to save her food from Lena, who had already finished her kale.
"I don't love you anymore! I only have two potstickers left, Lena! Stop!"
"Kara, you've eaten almost your weight in potstickers. One less isn't going to kill you." She laughed, her eyes sparkling as she gently poked Kara's stomach.
"If you wanted potstickers, you shouldn't have ordered kale," the blonde argued, quickly finishing her food before Lena could steal any more.
"Well, I had a solution to your problem, but I don't think I want to share it anymore if you're not willing to share with me." The raven-haired woman feigned indifference, though the softness in her gaze gave her away. She simply couldn't help it when it came to the reporter.
"What problem?" Kara asked, instantly interested as she wiped her fingers on her Justin Timberlake T-shirt.
"Mondays," Lena replied as though it were obvious.
The blonde blinked in confusion. Then a smile slowly spread across her face.
"Are you going to get rid of Mondays? Can you do that? Is that even legal?"
Lena frowned, wondering how on earth Kara had reached that conclusion. Maybe she didn't want to know the answer. That girl's mind was an entirely different universe.
"No," she answered with some uncertainty. Kara visibly deflated. Lena couldn't bear that expression, so she hurried to fix it. "I was going to suggest that we eat potstickers together every Monday to make your day better. But if you'd rather do something else..."
The blonde smiled again, and it was as though the sun had walked into the room and set everything inside ablaze with its warmth. Something deep inside the green-eyed woman stirred—something that had only just begun, growing a little more every time Kara smiled at her (which, in reality, meant it was growing at an alarmingly fast pace).
"Lena, that's an amazing idea! Not as good as mine, of course, but still an amazing idea."
Lena laughed softly in that melodic way that made the blue-eyed woman want to keep telling jokes forever, then dismissed the compliment with a wave of her hand that was far more graceful than it had any right to be.
"I have my moments."
That moment marked the beginning of a ritual they repeated every single week without fail. Kara would get the couch ready with blankets, and Lena would order an absurd amount of food so neither of them would have anything to complain about. They spent the evening watching movies, and sometimes the green-eyed woman would end up drooling on the blonde's shoulder (no, the blue-eyed woman absolutely did not pretend not to notice the way she deliberately slowed her breathing so the businesswoman could finally get some proper rest—who said that?).
And just like that, Mondays stopped being the worst day of the week and became Kara and Lena's day—the day Kara looked forward to more than any other.
And secretly (though not really, if she was being honest), Lena did too.
(...)
Neither of them knew exactly when or how the line separating friendship from something that was definitely no longer platonic had begun to blur. One moment it had been clear, and by the time they blinked, it wasn't anymore.
The event that changed everything was a Monday dinner they decided to move to one of those upscale restaurants Lena usually frequented for business meetings. She insisted her latest meeting had been a success because of the restaurant's sushi, and that it was absolutely necessary for Kara to try it. With no reason to refuse (not that she wanted to), the blonde agreed.
Now, they hadn't explicitly said it was a date, but it certainly felt a lot like one.
"I'll pick you up at eight. Wear something nice... although, honestly, anything would look beautiful on you," Lena had told her, winking in a way that reminded Kara of a romantic comedy and made her heart flutter (that definitely wasn't why her cheeks had turned bright red or why she'd spent a painfully embarrassing five minutes staring blankly into space afterward).
Panicking at the last minute was a natural consequence of having no idea how to handle the situation, which resulted in a frantic call to Alex for help choosing an outfit for the possible date and the complete contents of her wardrobe being dumped onto the queen-sized bed in her room. Her sister didn't understand the panic, so she simply grabbed a blue dress hanging in Kara's closet and pressed it against her chest for her to take.
"This one makes your eyes stand out. Now, would you mind explaining why you suddenly care about what you're wearing to dinner with Lena?"
Kara didn't have time to explain (not that she could have), so she shooed her sister out and, using her superspeed, finished getting ready just moments before the green-eyed woman arrived at her door. The moment she saw Lena through the doorway, wearing a black dress that hugged her in all the right places, she decided the nerves had probably been justified. She gathered her courage, adjusted her glasses, and opened the door with a shaky smile.
They arrived at the restaurant in a luxurious car, and Lena opened and closed the door for Kara with a chivalry that made her blush all the way to her toes. Other than that gesture, though, she behaved exactly as she always did around her. She didn't try to hold her hand or brush their feet together beneath the table. They talked about everything and nothing all at once, ate, and laughed. Lena didn't compliment her even once, but her eyes lit up every time they settled on the blonde (and if she'd caught Kara staring shamelessly at her biceps, she kindly chose not to mention it). As the minutes passed, Kara's nerves gradually faded, and she started thinking that maybe she'd been overthinking all of their interactions.
The evening was wonderful, and dinner was a complete success. Kara couldn't stop laughing the entire night, and Lena kept smiling at her in that way Kara sometimes suspected was meant only for her and no one else. The sushi was exquisite, and the candlelight illuminated the green-eyed woman's face with a warmth that made the Kryptonian's insides twist. They only left when they noticed the staff had started putting the chairs up and the manager was shooting increasingly exasperated looks at them from the kitchen.
The drive back to Kara's apartment was just as pleasant, accompanied by a glass of wine. Lena walked the blonde all the way to her door, and, not quite knowing what to say, they simply stood there in front of the welcome mat, smiling shyly at one another.
"So... will I see you next Monday?" Lena asked, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
Kara's smile softened, and, biting her lip, she took a step forward, closing the distance between them. She wasn't sure where she'd found the courage, but she pressed on, gently taking the businesswoman's hand between both of hers and giving it a soft squeeze.
"Actually... I was hoping we could see each other sooner. A whole week without seeing you is a long time."
Lena's smile faltered, and she couldn't stop her gaze from dropping somewhere that was anything but platonic. The Kryptonian heard the other woman's heartbeat become frantic, and her own heart immediately decided to match it.
"You can't say things like that and expect me to..." She sighed, swallowing hard, and Kara couldn't help wondering how that sentence would have ended. "If this ruins our friendship, I'm going to regret it for years," she murmured, more to herself than to the other woman.
"Regret what?"
Lena took a deep breath. There was something unfamiliar in her eyes. Fear, yes, but intertwined with something much deeper that looked suspiciously like hope.
"This."
She leaned forward, erasing what little distance remained between them, and the green-eyed woman's full lips finally met those of the slender blonde. Kara forgot how to breathe the moment she felt Lena's fingers curl into the loose strands of hair at the nape of her neck that had escaped her hairstyle. She sighed against the other woman's lips, feeling every emotion she'd been suppressing finally spill over. The moment she regained the ability to react, she kissed her back, smiling as she pulled her closer by the waist.
The kiss felt like waking up. Like sunrise. Like seeing colors. Like seeing the world for the very first time. Like coming home. It was so many things. It was the beginning of something that had been quietly growing for a long time—in lingering glances that never quite met, in secret sighs, in accidental touches that had always seemed far too deliberate to truly be accidents. The kiss tasted like longing, sushi, and cherry lipstick.
They pulled apart reluctantly when breathing became necessary, resting their foreheads against one another. Their chests rose and fell, their cheeks lightly flushed. Kara laughed brightly, lifting a hand to wipe the smudged lipstick from the other woman's lips.
"Actually... I think you just made it even better."
The smile Lena gave her was the most beautiful thing the Kryptonian had ever seen in the entire universe.
"So... will I see you tomorrow?"
Kara pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before stepping back, trying to recover from the overwhelming rush of emotions.
"I'm already counting the seconds."
Lena took a step toward the elevator and threw her an amused glance over her shoulder.
"Hopeless romantic," she teased before walking away, leaving behind the faint scent of flowers.
"Hey! That's exactly why you like me!" the blonde called after her, smiling as she watched her friend step into the elevator and press one of the buttons.
"I don't speak without my lawyers present, sweetheart. Besides, you've got lipstick all over your face," she teased, just as the metal doors slid shut.
Kara stood there staring at the spot where Lena had disappeared with a silly smile on her face, brushing her fingers over her lips with an incredulous sigh. The last thing she'd expected was for the night to end that way. Not that she was complaining.
She would remember that kiss for a very long time with impossible clarity.
And every single time, she smiled.
(...)
Everything came easily after their first unofficial date. It was almost as though fate had finally found the right path, and the two of them were pulled into each other's orbit with a naturalness worthy of the greatest romance stories.
They learned new things about each other every day. Kara discovered that Lena had a guilty pleasure for science fiction, that she couldn't read through her contracts without a glass of Irish whiskey in hand, that she spent an absurd amount of her free time playing Tetris, and that she loved it when the blonde kissed her forehead during hugs. Lena, on the other hand, discovered that Kara was surprisingly quick at working out complex chemical formulas, that she listened to white noise whenever she couldn't sleep, that she hated cilantro as though it had personally offended her, and that being in constant physical contact with Lena was practically a necessity (her favorite way to do so was by holding hands).
They couldn't have been happier, and everyone seemed to notice.
"You're smiling again."
Kara let out an exaggerated sigh, not even attempting to hide it. She turned toward Alex, who was watching her with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow that betrayed far too much understanding. Kara shrugged with feigned innocence and pretended to be deeply focused on her supersuit.
"I'm always smiling. That's nothing unusual," she mumbled, though the other woman heard her perfectly.
"Not like this. Not this much. I'm your sister, Kara. The citizens or the DEO might not notice how happy Supergirl is, but I do," Alex said, her tone carrying the kind of wisdom meant to prove familiarity—and annoy Kara in the process. "It's Lena, isn't it?"
"We have dinner tonight," the blonde admitted dreamily.
"I can tell." Alex vaguely gestured toward her face.
"We're trying out a new Italian restaurant."
"The one near the harbor?" Alex blinked in confusion.
"Yeah, that one."
"Wait, isn't everyone saying it's impossible to get a table there? Maggie's still trying to book one."
The Kryptonian had the decency to look embarrassed, shrugging guiltily over the fact that her girlfriend freely used her influence to get the things she wanted.
"Lena made the reservation two weeks ago," she murmured as though it were classified information.
"Oh, you've got it worse than I thought," Alex said, shaking her head. Then, when Kara didn't react, she narrowed her eyes, studying the blonde. "Wait a second... something happened, didn't it? This isn't just an ordinary dinner. Last time wasn't either."
It wasn't a surprise that Alex knew. Kara hadn't exactly been subtle about it. Her frequent nighttime disappearances gave her away, as did the suspiciously convenient way Supergirl always happened to be near L-Corp, the unmistakable sparkle in her eyes, and the permanent smile she'd worn from the moment she woke up until she went to bed. You couldn't really blame a girl for being in love with Lena Luthor. How could she not be?
Wait.
In love?
The realization didn't hit her like a blow. It was more as though the truth had always been there, only now it had suddenly become impossible to ignore. Her smile only widened.
"I think I love her. I think I always have. It's like... taking off a blindfold."
"Whoa, easy there, McQueen. Isn't it a little soon to be dropping the L-word?"
"No... I don't think so, Alex. I feel it here, you know?" She placed a hand over her heart. "That feeling... it reminds me so much of Krypton."
The agent's expression softened, knowing exactly how much that confession meant.
"I'm really happy for you two." Alex rested a hand on Supergirl's shoulder, trying to maintain a professional appearance in front of the other agents while still wanting to support her little sister. "Just... be careful, okay? You know how complicated things could get if she finds out you're Supergirl, and if anyone else finds out Supergirl is dating someone. Even worse if they find out that someone is Lena Luthor, of all people."
For the first time, Kara's smile faltered. She opened and closed her mouth, acknowledging the truth in her sister's words. Even so, beneath the concern on her face remained an unwavering determination. Something wild clawed at her ribs, desperate to break free.
"I know, Alex. But we'll take it one day at a time. I've found someone who makes me happy. I'm not giving up that easily. She's worth it."
She was surprised when her sister's expression softened further, the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly in quiet understanding.
"You wouldn't be the Hero of Hope if you gave up that easily."
"No... you're right."
They remained silent for a moment, simply appreciating the warmth of the moment they shared. Kara had to take a deep breath to calm her racing heart, and the steady, familiar heartbeat on the other side of the city helped.
"So then, tonight—sisters' night at your apartment. You're telling me everything. I want every last detail."
Kara laughed, warmth flooding through her chest at the unspoken acceptance behind Alex's words. Her fears scattered, if only for a little while.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
(...)
Kara had finished her work at CatCo early so she could leave ahead of schedule and get ready for her date with her girlfriend. She said goodbye to her coworkers with a smile, grabbed her coat, and headed out with a spring in her step. She could almost smell the Italian food drifting into her nose. Her mouth watered. She could almost picture Lena wearing something form-fitting, showing just enough skin to tempt her. Once again, her mouth watered.
She decided to walk back to her apartment like anyone without a car, knowing she had more than enough time to indulge herself. She greeted everyone she passed and closed her eyes with a smile at the sound of birds singing. Life, in moments like that, was worth living.
She had a date with the most beautiful woman in the universe, with the smartest person of the last century. A normal dinner, like a normal person, where they would talk about normal things. She wanted to fly, to leap into the air, to do flips among the clouds. She allowed herself to savor the thought for exactly thirty-seven seconds before the DEO alert on her phone rang.
She muttered a curse under her breath, fumbling to pull the device out of her pocket. As soon as the screen lit up, she saw it was a call. A terrible feeling settled over her immediately, her stomach sinking. Silently, she begged that it wasn't what she thought it was.
"Tell me you're not calling because of what I think you're calling about."
"I'm sorry," the agent rushed to say, genuine guilt in her voice. "But we need Supergirl."
"Alex..." Kara closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You know I wouldn't call if it weren't urgent. It's a shipment of stolen alien technology. If it leaves the city, we risk losing its trail."
The blonde glanced at the time on her wrist, noticing there were still a couple of hours left before their reservation. She bit her lower lip, weighing her options. There was still time. Maybe if she hurried, she'd be able to make it to both places without having to sacrifice lives or her relationship.
"Where?"
"I'm sending you all the information in a text."
She looked up at the sky, praying she would be fast enough. She could still remember the message Lena had sent her earlier, burning like kryptonite.
Lena (10:23): I can't think about anything except our date. Time is moving way too slowly! Don't be late like last time—I want to make the most of every second with you.
Knowing what the right thing to do was, recognizing the promise she'd made the moment she became a superhero, she walked to a place where she could change into her suit. She pulled open her shirt, revealing the symbol the entire world associated with hope, and sighed.
It didn't help.
She took off into the sky with a heavy heart, knowing there was a very good chance she wouldn't make it to the reservation.
(...)
Lena knew making a scene would be childish and pointless. After all, she was a Luthor. She had class.
She hadn't made a scene when she'd caught her father cheating on Lillian with the housekeeper, nor when the woman had been fired after everything came to light. She hadn't made one when her boarding school girlfriend left her for a prettier girl just a week after they started dating. Much less when Lex ended up in prison for being a xenophobic, genocidal bastard.
So when Kara never even showed up to their dinner at the Italian restaurant and texted her two hours later to apologize, she accepted the apology and moved on. She was a mature adult; she could understand that something must have happened. Unexpected things were as real as they were annoying. The only thing she asked of her girlfriend was that she let her know in advance next time (she didn't want to spend three hours trying to look pretty only for Kara not to even bother showing up again).
The second time it happened, Lena let it go again. Anyone could mess up twice, she told herself. At least Kara had had the decency to cancel fifteen minutes before the reservation. It wasn't a problem. Everything was perfectly fine. The world kept spinning; another setback like that shouldn't affect her.
Lena swirled the remaining wine in her glass with an elegant flick of her wrist, staring at it absentmindedly. The seat across from her had been empty ever since she'd arrived. It was the third time this had happened. The waiter had already come over several times to ask whether she was ready to order, and with her irritation written all over her face, she'd requested nothing more than a bottle of the strongest wine they had. She had stopped glancing toward the entrance after Kara was fifteen minutes late.
Her phone vibrated on the table, and with a feeling of disappointment that was becoming all too familiar, she unlocked it to check the notification.
Kara (21:27): lena, i'm sorry
Kara (21:27): something came up at work. i can't make it
She let out a long sigh, not surprised in the slightest, yet disappointed all the same. It wasn't the same excuse as the previous times, but it was close enough. Maybe, deep down, she'd expected it. Maybe, deep down, Kara just didn't like her enough. Maybe she was trying to love her out of pity. The thoughts made her stomach twist. She needed to push them away, but it was difficult.
Her fingers hesitated over the screen, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Lena (21:29): Don't worry about it. We'll talk tomorrow. You're still coming over for lunch, right? Or are you going to cancel that too?
She huffed, draining the last of the now-warm wine, then deleted everything she'd written to rephrase the message. Too Luthor. She couldn't help it. It was in her blood.
Lena (21:32): I hope everything's okay.
Too polite. She had every right to be upset. She closed her eyes, rubbing at her temple, before finally typing:
Lena (21:33): It's okay.
The lie was obvious, but she didn't have the energy to care. She hit send and slipped her phone back into her purse. Raising a hand to catch the attention of the waiter who had been hovering nearby with a tired expression, she was met with a sympathetic smile that Lena didn't return.
"The check, please.”
(...)
The day after their third failed date, everything seemed to turn against Lena. One of L-Corp's laboratories had been robbed, a group of investors from Japan had decided to go with the company's biggest competitor instead, the company's stock was at risk because of a public image issue connected to her brother, and it was only nine in the morning.
A timid knock echoed through her office door, and Lena sighed without even looking up from the computer on her desk.
"Jess, is it important? I don't have time for any more bad news," she called out, typing at a speed that was barely human.
The silence that followed was what finally made the green-eyed woman look up with a frown, realizing that, unless something had changed in the last half hour since she'd seen her, her assistant wasn't a blue-eyed blonde. Much less did she wear button-up shirts and a timid smile.
"I'm not Jess," Kara said, holding an impressively large bouquet of flowers in one hand while adjusting her glasses with the other. "I'm just an idiot who's really, really sorry."
Lena stared at her. Her traitorous heart lurched because Kara was looking at her in that way that made her knees weak, and she was holding her favorite flowers, and she was apologizing, and maybe all she needed for her day to get better was to see her favorite person, and maybe Lena was an idiot too, and hopelessly in love.
"If you think some flowers are going to fix everything, you're mistaken," the green-eyed woman said without moving from her seat behind the desk. "You can leave them at reception and go. Jess will find somewhere to put them."
The devastated look on the blonde's face almost made Lena give in.
"No, of course I know they won't fix things. I'm... painfully aware of that," Kara sighed, walking farther into the office to get closer to the green-eyed woman anyway. "But I wanted to show you that I really am sorry, and that even if it doesn't seem like it, I'm still trying to win you over."
"With... flowers? I'm sorry to tell you that's going to take a lot more than this," Lena replied, refusing to lower her guard, wearing the businesswoman's mask she'd never once had to use with Kara Danvers. Though, in fairness, she should have expected the blonde to have her own strategy: the look of a kicked puppy was difficult to compete with.
"They're not just flowers. They're plumerias, your favorite, and..."
"Lilies," Lena finished for her.
"Yes, lilies," Kara said, refusing to be intimidated so easily. "Which mean..."
"I dare you to love me." Lena wasn't impressed in the slightest, which left the journalist equally flustered and embarrassed. "I've seen Imagine Me & You, Kara."
Kara blinked behind her glasses, suddenly at a complete loss for words, as though her one and only plan had vanished before her eyes. That almost earned Lena a smug smile. Still, the Kryptonian recovered quickly, a new fire burning in her eyes. She straightened her posture, squared her shoulders, and pressed her lips together with determination.
"I'm not giving up that easily, Lena. I want to do this right. I really do. I'm just asking you for one chance, okay? One more. I can't promise I won't mess up again, but I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure I don't. I've never felt what I feel with you for anyone else. I can't lose it before I've even had the chance to truly experience it. I'm so sorry I hurt you."
Lena looked at Kara with a seriousness that concealed a river of insecurities. She could see the genuine remorse in her expression, even though the green-eyed woman knew Kara lied constantly (for reasons only Kara herself could possibly understand—she was an absolutely terrible liar). That was the real problem: the blonde wasn't completely honest, but she never lied about how sorry she was for standing Lena up.
What secrets was Kara Danvers hiding behind those remorseful blue eyes?
Then again, Lena had always loved a good mystery. It didn't make her weak, all right? It made her human.
"Last chance, Danvers. You've been warned." The green-eyed woman stood, accepting the bouquet before tapping a finger against the Kryptonian's solid chest. It didn't take long before the blonde's hands found her waist, as though drawn there by a magnet. "I won't tolerate any more nonsense. The only reason you're still here is because you're far too cute for your own good."
Kara smiled, awakening every wild butterfly in the businesswoman's stomach. She leaned in and briefly kissed her lips. The green-eyed woman smiled back.
"Thank you. I know how much this means. I'll make up for every single missed date. I promise."
"You'd better. It's the least you could do."
"How about we start tomorrow night? I can't possibly miss a date if we're watching a movie at my apartment."
This time, it was Lena who felt tempted to lean in and kiss her beautiful girlfriend again. Kara certainly didn't object.
"Fine. But I get to pick the movie."
And when the green-eyed woman's lips descended on the blonde's once more, well, how was Kara supposed to say no?
(...)
After dinner and cleaning up the leftovers, they ended up on the couch. Kara's arm rested across Lena's shoulders, while Lena curled up against her side as though she wanted their bodies to merge into one. A blanket lay over their legs to keep them warm (though, truthfully, the green-eyed woman thought the blonde's body was already a remarkably efficient heater). The television played through an action sequence neither of them was paying much attention to, far too occupied with quietly enjoying each other's presence without making it obvious.
After several minutes of hesitation, Lena turned her head toward her favorite pair of blue eyes.
"Can I ask you something that might be a little intrusive? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Kara met her gaze, smiling to ease her nerves. Then she kissed her forehead. The green-eyed woman melted in her arms.
"Of course. Ask me anything. I'm an open book."
"Have you been on many dates?" she asked before she could lose her nerve.
"You mean before you? No, not really." The answer came quickly.
"Really?" Lena's tone bordered on disbelief.
Kara shrugged, slowly stroking her girlfriend's arm from top to bottom. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and she avoided Lena's green eyes. Lena wondered if perhaps she'd given Kara the wrong impression with her surprise.
"I'm not very good at relationships, honestly," she admitted shyly, judging herself. "People don't stick around for very long, and honestly... I understand why. I'm either not enough, or I'm too much. I've never found the balance. Maybe I'm both. I don't know."
The wistful look on Kara's face left Lena feeling like she had no choice but to act. She reached up, gently cupping her cheek. The blonde's skin was so soft.
"Well, you certainly fooled me. You're incredibly charming. I can't believe anyone could have spent even a second thinking you're anything less than perfect."
The Kryptonian's cheeks turned pink, and she let out an embarrassed huff.
"I'm not perfect."
"Maybe not by definition. Nobody is," Lena hummed, pressing a kiss to her cheek and stubbornly remaining within her personal space. "But I'm quite sure you're perfect for me."
Her words seemed to work, because Kara's blue eyes shone brighter than the starry sky. It didn't last long, though. There always seemed to be something keeping Kara at a distance, a wall Lena couldn't break through no matter how many kind words or how much love she offered.
"It's not fair that you say things like that."
"Oh? And why not?" Lena's tone turned playful as she lingered close to her girlfriend's face.
"Because it makes me want to kiss you." The huskiness in the blonde's voice sent a shiver down the businesswoman's spine.
Lena looked at Kara, her eyes darkening completely, acutely aware of how the blonde's caresses had slowed into something dangerously gentle. The closeness between them was explosive. Those blue eyes were fixed on her lips, which curved into a smile the moment she noticed. The green-eyed woman clicked her tongue.
"And what's stopping you, sweetheart?"
She didn't have to say it twice.
Kara captured Lena's lips with a mixture of passion and devotion that drove her absolutely crazy. The blonde's hands drifted down to the hem of her blouse, her fingertips hovering dangerously close to her skin. Kara's tongue brushed against hers, and a playful battle for control followed. Lena's senses were overwhelmed by Kara's scent and by the warmth that seemed to crash over her with unstoppable force. The businesswoman's hands came to rest on the reporter's strong shoulders (since when did Kara start going to the gym?).
After several minutes of heated kisses, Lena couldn't stop herself from letting out an embarrassed little sound when the Kryptonian lifted her with surprising ease and settled her onto her lap for the sake of comfort (she certainly wasn't going to complain). She wrapped her legs around the woman's waist and pressed herself closer. Every millimeter separating them felt physically unbearable.
Lena decided she wanted more. So she let her kisses trail down to the exposed skin of the woman beneath her, who shifted restlessly as though trying to keep her most instinctive impulses under control. Her teeth grazed the sun-kissed skin, drawing a soft sound from Kara that made Lena want to steal that sound from her again.
When Lena's hands reached for her girlfriend's ponytail, intending to free that golden hair in all its glory, Kara froze and stopped her.
"W-Wait..." she stammered, her face flushed and her lips swollen. Lena frowned, pulling back just enough to be startled by the panic she found in those blue eyes.
"What's wrong? Are you okay? Is this moving too fast?"
Kara swallowed hard, blinking as though she were trying to process the situation.
"I-I... yes. I'm sorry. I'm just... not ready yet. Can we take things slowly?"
The anguish in her eyes made the green-eyed woman's heart tighten.
"Of course. You don't have to apologize."
She gracefully climbed off Kara's lap, while Kara folded her arms as though she didn't trust them to stay still otherwise. Lena left a respectful distance between them so she wouldn't cross any boundaries, then turned her attention back to the movie. The blonde did the same. Suddenly, the sound from the television was far too loud, and the chill in the room felt unbearable.
She couldn't concentrate, far too distracted by her girlfriend's presence.
But she could wait, she told herself.
Anything for Kara.
(...)
Then something began setting off alarms in Lena's analytical mind.
Kara had canceled another lunch because of work, so, determined to take matters into her own hands, Lena did what any woman in love with complete control over her own schedule would do: she went to her girlfriend's workplace to bring her lunch. She picked up burgers from the blonde's favorite place and took the elevator up through CatCo to Kara's desk.
She was surprised to find it completely empty.
"Lena," James greeted coolly as he stepped out of his office.
"James."
"What are you doing here?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I came to see Kara." She gestured toward the empty desk with obvious annoyance. "But apparently she isn't here."
"Oh." Something resembling understanding crossed the man's face, and his gaze drifted toward the office television, which was showing National City's superhero fighting an alien. "Yeah, she's out covering a story. Sorry."
"I see." She sat down on Kara's desk as though she belonged there, raising an eyebrow at James in silent challenge. "I'll wait for her."
"I don't think she'll be back anytime soon."
"It doesn't matter. I'll wait," she insisted, unwavering.
James pressed his lips together as though he wanted to argue, but faced with Lena's stare, he simply nodded and walked away. The green-eyed woman watched him leave, muttering to himself under his breath. She didn't care. She had better things to worry about.
She waited for half an hour, playing games on her phone and distracting herself with the latest news. The employees kept glancing her way and whispering among themselves, but she ignored them. The burgers grew cold.
Kara didn't come through the elevators the way Lena had expected (as far as Lena knew, they were the only way in or out besides the stairs). She simply appeared out of nowhere, as though she'd been on that floor the entire time. She walked toward her desk with a tired posture, her flushed face covered by a fine sheen of sweat, and her ponytail slightly messy.
The moment her eyes met Lena's, she straightened up and adjusted her glasses.
"Lena!" she greeted with a nervous little laugh, stepping closer to kiss her on the cheek. Lena frowned. "I wasn't expecting you! Did you bring lunch? That's so sweet!"
"Weren't you supposed to be out covering a story?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Then how did you get back up here without me seeing you?"
"Oh... um... I came up the... the fire stairs. Yeah! The stairs! I love exercising, you know? It helps me stay in shape." She patted her stomach and laughed with a nervousness that wasn't very characteristic of her.
Lena looked the blonde up and down, feeling like she was missing something. It did nothing to calm Kara down. Then the green eyes landed on something that sent Lena's mind racing toward answers she didn't like.
"Your pants are unbuttoned, and your shirt's untucked."
Kara's eyes went wide, and she lowered her head to confirm that, indeed, her pants were unbuttoned and her shirt was a mess. She hurriedly fixed both, her cheeks burning red, then shot her girlfriend an embarrassed look.
"I went to the bathroom earlier. I must've forgotten to fix my clothes afterward. Doesn't that happen to everyone?" she cleared her throat, trying to draw attention away from the fact that nothing about this situation was normal, and forced a smile as she took the bag of burgers. "You bought lunch! You're the best!"
Kara tried to make lunch feel normal, heating up the burgers in the office microwave while telling Lena about the stories she was working on as a reporter. She kept the conversation lively, but the businesswoman remained cold, distant. She barely contributed.
Her mind was far too busy trying to process the possibility that Kara was cheating on her.