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Alex wasn’t sure how it started.
The instinct to grab Astra’s arm and pretend they were together to throw the male DEO agent flirting with her off his guard wasn’t really a conscious one, nor did she plan it. Astra’s surprise was obvious enough, but to Alex’s bewilderment, she didn’t fight it. Instead, she slid into Alex’s side like she was supposed to be there and rubbed her hand, sending a devious smirk at the gaping agent in front of them. It wasn’t long before he ran off, tail between his legs, to gossip to his friend about Agent Danvers being a dyke.
Oh well.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Alex, if I may…” Astra hedged, still holding onto Alex’s arm, and gestured between the two of them, “Aren’t you worried that he will tell your sister this lie?”
“Nah, not really,” Alex shrugged. “He’s too much of a coward. He’d never tell Kara that he was trying to flirt with me.” She sent Astra a blinding smile and laughed. “A wise choice, really, considering he likes breathing.”
Astra smiled back, gentle and warm. “I suppose you are right.”
~ ~ ~
The DEO might as well have been high school with the way that rumours flew around the agency. It wasn’t long after Alex’s impulsive decision to pretend she and Astra were dating before the entire organization (her sister not included) knew. Even Winn had approached her to express his congratulations and ask questions about their future. Alex had sworn him to secrecy, making him promise not to tell Kara. If she was being honest, she didn’t know why she hadn’t just told Winn the truth; he could keep a secret, and it would have been a lot easier and morally better of her to come clean about the lie than to keep it going with someone she considered her friend.
Instead, though, Alex found herself talking about Astra when she wasn’t there to Winn, her voice turning dreamy and stupid, and Winn ate the so-called romantic confessions out of the palm of her hand. It was becoming increasingly clear to Alex that she was walking a dangerous line, but she just couldn’t bring herself to stop.
One day, the tide shifted.
A new alien was wreaking havoc on National City, and the entire DEO was on high alert. Alex was barking orders from the top of the bullpen while J’onn and Supergirl tried to track the alien. Lucy was with Alura, asking for advice and probably getting some moral support as well. Subconsciously, Alex felt a little jealous of them; she wished what she had with Astra was real, like Lucy and Alura, and she could do the same.
Before she had time to ponder it further, however, the doors to the DEO burst open and Astra walked in, unannounced, lounging on the railing and watching as Alex finished giving out assignments and met her heavy gaze.
Alex jogged towards her, ignoring the eyes that followed her back as she went, and placed a hand on the cloaked arm that was holding onto the railing. “What are you doing here?”
“I have come to offer some assistance,” Astra informed her, quirking an eyebrow at her as if the answer was obvious. It was a distinctly human trait, something she must have picked up from Kara or Alex herself.
“You know you don’t have to,” Alex said slowly. “I mean, I wouldn’t have asked. I wouldn’t put you in that position.”
“I know,” Astra replied. She turned away from Alex, staring pensively out at the agency members scrambling to help with the search. “I wanted to help.”
Alex felt a small flutter in her chest, which she steadfastly ignored, and swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Alex.” Astra reached out and traced a hand down Alex’s cheekbone, and Alex couldn’t hide her shiver.
By the time J’onn put his foot down and sent the agents of the DEO home for the night, it was long past 3am and Alex was exhausted. They still hadn’t been able to pin down the alien’s location, and it had attacked two more warehouses in the meantime. Supergirl and J’onn were tired, too, and Alura hadn’t been able to provide advice against the alien that they could use to find it. Both Alura and Astra had only been able to help with battle planning which, while valuable, they couldn’t do until they located the alien.
Alex was gathering her bag and saying goodnight to Winn when Astra approached her, closing cold fingers around Alex’s arm and muttering, “Perhaps we should walk out together. To keep from arousing suspicion.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Alex replied, too weak to say no. She knew she should, she knew she should stop this before things got out of hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to deny Astra anything. Besides, she had been the one to offer.
Astra moved her hand further down until her fingers were tangled with Alex’s without asking, and Alex beamed, genuine, at her as they walked out of the DEO. Even if Astra thought she was just helping a friend to pretend, Alex wanted her to know that her efforts were appreciated. There was no reason she couldn’t smile like Astra had hung the stars in the sky; it was just part of the bit, wasn’t it?
It didn’t have to mean anything.
To Alex’s surprise, Astra didn’t leave when they were outside of the DEO. At her raised eyebrow, Astra explained, “If someone saw us leave together, they may wonder why we are going our separate ways now. Just in case, I believe I should walk you to your apartment, Alex.”
“Okay,” Alex agreed readily, growing even more apprehensive and disgusted with herself. She really needed to stop. But leading Astra to her apartment, hand in hand, just felt right in a way she couldn’t quite explain, and she was loath to stop the woman from walking her home. It would just be a walk, she told herself. Nothing more. It wasn’t like Astra was going to come in, anyway.
When they reached Alex’s apartment, Astra turned to face her and stated, “I think I may have seen another DEO agent on our way here. Would you like me to come in, just in case?”
Oh, god, please help me.
“Sure,” Alex found herself replying, “That would be nice.”
Danvers, get it together. What the hell are you doing?
“You have a lovely home,” Astra commented as they walked inside, and Alex blushed in spite of herself.
“Thank you. It’s nothing special, but…” Alex trailed off, shrugging. “It’s like you said. It’s a home.”
“Thank you for sharing it with me,” Astra said sincerely, moving to place a gentle hand on Alex’s back. Alex tried to hide the way her breath hitched, digging her fingernails into her skin as a distraction from the complicated feelings in her chest. She didn’t know what to make of this. If it was anyone else, she would assume they were hitting on her, but it was Astra. Astra was from another planet. She was just beginning to understand the social and cultural norms of Earth and its inhabitants, and she was a far cry from knowing how to seduce someone. Alex couldn’t afford to read the situation wrong and make an enemy out of the Kryptonian, who also happened to be her sister’s aunt.
Alex moved through the apartment, tidying as she went, and stopped by the fridge to offer Astra something to drink. Astra shook her head, confused. “You know I don’t need to drink, yes?”
“I do,” Alex confirmed, “But on Earth, it’s always polite to ask someone if they’d like something to drink or eat while they’re in your home.”
Astra nodded, her eyes wide as they usually were whenever she learned something new about humans and their culture and traditions. It would have been comical, if it was anyone but Astra. To Alex, the entire display was endearing.
Alex finished cleaning her apartment and getting ready for bed, Astra shadowing her the entire time, and paused at her bedroom door, unsure how to politely kick Astra out for the night, or if the Kryptonian would even take offense if she did. She wished, more than anything, that she could ask Astra to stay instead, but she knew it wasn’t fair, nor appropriate, of her.
To her shock, however, before she could say anything, Astra spoke up: “I could sleep with you tonight, if you wish. You know, just in case.” She gestured to the open curtains beside Alex’s bed, which provided a clear view of her bedroom and its occupants.
Alex was silent for a second, dumbfounded by what she was hearing. Did Astra even understand what she was saying? There was a devilish smirk on her face, and Alex was inclined to think she did, but she couldn’t afford to make assumptions.
“Astra, I - ” She broke off, trying to find the right words. Finally, she settled on: “Why do you care so much about this?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Astra replied, still smirking. “I care about you, Alex.” She sidled closer, reaching out to cup the side of Alex’s face. “I am doing this not because I feel an obligation, nor to try and better myself about these traditions that you keep teaching me. I am doing it because I enjoy being close to you.”
“Y-You do?” Alex replied, thunderstruck. She had barely dared to hope that Astra might feel the same way, that she might want Alex in the way that Alex had come to realise she wanted her.
“I do,” Astra confirmed with a nod of her head. “If you wish to, Alex, I think we could stop pretending now, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Alex breathed, her eyes wide in awe and excitement. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
“So,” Astra said, lifting Alex’s chin so she could meet her gaze with two deft fingers, “Let us be like your friend and my sister. Let us…change the status quo, as they say.”
Alex laughed, incredulous, and moved closer to Astra with a grin. “Yes, let’s.”
“Would you like to kiss me now?” Astra asked, direct as ever, and Alex closed her eyes, hardly daring to believe this was real.
“I would like to kiss you now.”
“Then do so.”
With that, Alex closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to Astra’s, sealing the first of many kisses with her new lover.