Chapter Text
Her phone lit up. She glanced at it—it was from an unknown number, but her phone didn’t label it as spam.
She went back to her work for a second, her initial reaction being to ignore it. But she quickly changed her mind. Few people had her number. She programmed her phone to screen for robocalls so for her to receive a call from an unknown caller with a local area code was too unusual.
“Hello?” She answered, signing off on an expense report for marketing.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have mis-dialed,” a woman’s voice said.
Who dials a number anymore these days? “That’s alright,” Lena said.
“Okay, sorry. Bye.”
Lena ended the call and went back to her work. An expense report from R&D. As much as she wanted to be frugal, she couldn’t justify denying R&D the largest budget. Their work was imperative, but her expectations for them were also the highest.
Her phone rang again. It looked like the same number as before. She ignored it.
Lena wanted to check the spending for the various departments compared to the previous year. She decided to reach out to Sam to talk over the numbers.
Then her phone rang yet again. From the same number.
She could have ignored it, but the woman would probably just call again. “Hello?”
“H-hello? Am I…is this Alex’s phone?” The woman asked.
“No, still me,” Lena said distractedly.
“Shoot, so sorry.”
They ended the call, only to start it up again.
“Did I dial the wrong number again?”
Lena should have been annoyed, but the exasperation and apologetic tone from the woman was a bit amusing. “It depends on whether you’re still trying to reach Alex.”
“Sorry, I thought maybe I dialed wrong the first time. And second. I guess I should’ve just checked my call history.”
“I thought maybe you were calling from a rotary phone,” she joked.
“Um…”
“Because you dialed a number. And then didn’t have a way to check…oh, never mind.”
“Oh,” the woman said, now understanding Lena’s joke. “Yeah, I…sorry, I…didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and my mind’s a little foggy. But I’m sorry to bother you again—”
“You apologize too much,” Lena said, setting her pen down.
“Sorry?”
Lena chuckled.
The woman did, too. “I walked right into that one.”
“So, would you like to figure this out the old fashioned way? You could tell me the number you’re trying to call, and I can tell you whether it’s mine?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m trying to dial from memory. I broke my phone and lost my contacts. I must have just forgotten the number.”
“What I’m piecing together is that you use a landline and lost your contacts book. Maybe if you dialed zero for the operator? Assuming you don’t know what Google is.”
“I know what google is. It’s a number.”
“Yes, but is the number you’re thinking of the right number?”
“Wow.”
“Sorry,” Lena laughed.
“I’m already struggling over here, must you make it worse?”
“I’m sorry,” Lena said again with a smile. She was rather enjoying this conversation. She recited her phone number for the woman.
“Yup, that’s what I…oh, wait! Area code!”
“Area code,” Lena said, feeling a part of having solved the mystery.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it. Thanks, and sorry again for the trouble.”
“No trouble at all. Good luck. I’m rooting for you.”
The woman chuckled. “Thanks. Um. Enjoy your day.”
“You too,” Lena said before ending the call.
The unexpected chat put her in good spirits, and she happily went back to the budgets without bothering with last year's numbers.
Lena was wrapping things up for the day when her phone lit up with a text notification. She continued to tidy up her desk and power off before grabbing her bag and checking her phone.
She smiled down at the text. She set her bag back down onto her desk to respond.
Lena waited a few seconds, but the texts stopped coming so she set her phone in her bag and left for the day.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
The next day, she received another text.
She had mostly forgotten about the interaction, aside from seeing the chat in her recent message history.
Lena was close to heading out for lunch. She had made a resolution to take more breaks at work, since she often worked twelve-hour days, and she had been doing well for weeks now. She had planned to sit at a restaurant with a lunch menu and a tall iced tea, but she was somewhat invested in the story, so she opted for a cafe with outdoor seating where she could comfortably be on her phone. It’d have to be a lighter lunch.
She quickly reached a good stopping point at work and took her leave. “I’m going to take a longer lunch today. Call me if anything comes up,” she instructed Jess.
“Yes, Miss Luthor. Enjoy your lunch.”
When she settled into the backseat of her car, she could finally give the woman her full attention.
To her surprise, she didn’t get a text from the woman. She instead received a call from her. “Hello.”
“Hi! I figured calling would be easier than texting. Although, I guess I should have texted to ask you first whether I could call. Sorry, are you able to talk?”
“I am. You’re an act-first-and-think-later type of person, aren’t you,” Lena said with a smile.
The woman laughed. “I don’t like to waste time.”
“How’s that been working out for you?”
The woman went on with her story about how her sister had stolen her phone to take a selfie with the woman’s niece, but apparently she was startled when this woman broke a plate in the kitchen and her sister dropped the phone onto the hardwood floor.
“It landed flat on the screen face, but shattered completely. And instead of telling me, she used clear packing tape to wrap all the way around it to make it almost ‘good as new,’ as she put it.”
“Did she at least apologize when she gave it to you?”
“Not only did she not apologize, but she didn’t even tell me! I didn’t notice until I got home.”
Lena laughed. “You must be scary when you’re upset if she couldn’t even come clean.”
“I so am not. She’s the scary one. And anyway, I would have understood, it was an accident.”
“Except that you were calling to yell at her.”
“Because she didn’t even tell me! Who does that? And, And ! She did it on purpose—I mean, the packaging tape. She thought it would be funny, since it was already destroyed. She even taped the bottom so I couldn’t plug it in to charge.”
“Okay, the yelling makes sense now. So how did you even call her? Or me, for that matter.”
“Sorry again—”
“Stop apologizing so much. And it was fine, I’m rather enjoying this series of events.”
“Oh, good. Well, I had to use my work phone, which doesn’t have any of my personal contacts.”
“Consider uploading to the cloud.”
“I did, but I could only access it on my phone, which, you know, given the circumstances…”
“Ah. So are you still using your work phone?”
“I made her chip in half for a new one. I obviously couldn’t trade it in because of the damage…and packaging tape. Anyway, we went out today. And then got all my contacts back from the cloud.”
“Okay, so you do participate in modern technology.”
“Too much. It’s woven into my life so much that I don’t know how I’d survive without it.”
“So it’s all resolved now?”
“Yeah. I have my new phone, with all my cloud data, and eventually received an apology.”
“Well, that’s too bad.”
“Why's that?”
“I was rather enjoying the updates.”
Lena started the rice cooker as the chicken simmered on the stove. “What about in May? The weather should be nice and audits should be over by then.”
“I could probably make that work. I’ll check with Berry.” Jack reached into the fridge for a sparkling water. “Peach?”
“Yes please. Are they still on their hiking trip?”
“They are,” Jack said, a can in each hand as he kicked the fridge closed.
“I think it’s cute that they use fishing as an excuse to bond with their friends.”
“Ridiculous,” Jack said. “They should just have dinner and wine like we do.”
“I would love to see Berry drink wine,” she said.
The two of them talked about their plans for their vacation, and joked that it would be a good bonding experience for them. They needed to check with Sam for the timing, but it was looking promising.
“Ridiculous that we have to plan so far in advance to take a vacation to a beach house that we own just outside of the city,” Jack complained.
“We could go any time, but I’d rather us go together. It’s hard getting the three of us to align our schedules and I would rather not have to work while I’m there.”
While Jack texted their group chat, Lena got up for a pen and notepad to start writing down to-dos. As soon as the pen touched the pad, the ink blotted the page.
She tried a scribble to see whether it would fix the problem, but then no ink came out. She went back for a new pen, but the blotted ink reminded her about her anonymous friend.
She snapped a picture and texted it to her.
Her response was immediate.
A photo came through of a typewriter.
She paused for a moment, and then decided to save the number in her contacts. She never asked for her name, and asking now seemed weird, especially for this simple back and forth. So she settled for “Alex’s Sister.”
Then she jumped into the group chat to continue the vacation planning with Jack and Sam.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
“Has Andrea tried to reach out to you?” Jack asked, finally clearing their plates an hour after having actually finished their meal.
Lena and Andrea had broken up, officially, a week ago. “I think she’s too upset about it all. I know she’s giving me the silent treatment, but that’s exactly what I want,” she said, remaining at the dining table. “I’m guessing that once she realizes that, she’ll start trying to reach out again.”
“And when she does?” Jack asked in a challenging tone.
“No, we’re not getting back together.” They’d never broken up before, and Lena was not the type to go back to something she knew wouldn’t work.
“Even when she comes back with soft eyes and ‘sweethearts’? I want to be sure I could start being critical of her without worrying that you’ll get back together because then I’d feel bad.”
“Trust me, it’s not gonna happen. Aside from being unreliable, she only talked about work and got stoned.”
“You shouldn’t throw stones, love.” He opened a cupboard and pulled out a bag of gummies. “Or are these her leftovers?”
“That’s different. I pace myself, in both areas.”
“Want one?”
Lena pointed at the bottle with the purple cap and held out her palm.
“I’m glad you won’t go back. She was a bit full of herself,” Jack said, pulling out a variety of fruit from Lena’s fridge.
Lena got up to assist. “I liked that about her at first. I thought she was just self-assured and confident, but you’re right. She’s just egotistical.”
“She is pretty charming, I’ll give her that. And not bad to look at.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Lena admitted.
By the time they cut up all the fruit and filled bowls for each of them, they were pretty high and ready to watch some Animal Planet.
It wasn’t until a couple of days later that Lena finally heard from her.
Lena didn’t want to fall any further into this back and forth. Andrea was nothing if not relentless, and she’d continue to reach out if Lena continued to engage.
She knew this was coming—that once Andrea realized that Lena wasn’t fawning over her, she’d try to get that bit of control again. She wouldn’t be surprised if Andrea wanted to get back together just so that she could be the one to break things off.
Lena continued to work on her crossword with the news playing low in the background. After several minutes, Andrea was calling her.
Lena ignored it.
She set her crossword down and pulled out her laptop. Andrea reminded her that she wanted to get the hell away for a while, and she went back to check her to-do list for their mini vacation.
Andrea sent her a text. She ignored it. She received another text. Then another. She ignored them all.
After sending a few options to Sam and Jack, she finally picked up her phone again. She had 5 messages from Andrea. And two from Alex’s Sister.
It immediately perked her up.
Aside from the teasing back and forth, she hadn’t had a personal conversation with this person. She was about to respond with something like waterproof mascara or grocery stores, but then another text from Andrea came through.
She went to their chat. Most of the messages were trying to convince Lena that nothing was wrong.
Lena rolled her eyes and groaned at the idea. She went back to Alex’s Sister’s messages.
So far, every conversation with this person has made Lena laugh and lifted her spirits. Feeling happy after dealing with Andrea’s texts was definitely a little thing she could appreciate.
With a sigh of contentment, Lena set her phone down and went to shower and start her day.
When she got out of the shower, she saw yet another text.
Lena bit her lip, considering whether to call her as the other woman had done just the other day. She decided to just go for it.
“Hey!” Alex’s Sister sounded genuinely happy to hear from her.
“Is this a good time?”
“Sure, just give me a sec.”
Lena heard a muffled conversation, sounding like she was excusing herself from company.
“I could call back.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m just at my sister’s—at my place.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“Not important—so what’s the deal with the ex?”
“Oh, she’s just refusing to accept that it’s over. We just broke up last week.”
“‘We’ implies that it was mutual, but it doesn’t sound like it.”
“Definitely not mutual. She’d missed my birthday dinner with a group of friends, and I found out that it was for a last minute dinner with a prospective client.”
“Hey, happy belated birthday!”
“Why thank you.”
“So you need a buffer?”
“She’s trying to talk to me. I don’t want to ghost her, but I’m pretty much over this relationship. That was the final straw on a series of similar instances. She’s just trying to focus more on her career, which means more time on work, while I’m trying to have a better work-life balance. We’re just heading in two different directions.”
“But you don’t want to ghost her.”
“I don’t. We’ve been together for a while, and I still want to respect what we had.”
“Hm.”
Lena waited, but the woman didn’t finish her thought, so she continued. “I just need to figure out how to keep her at bay.”
“What do you think she’d say if you met with her?”
“There isn’t an if. She’d have to get through either my assistant, or my doorman. My buffers.”
“Ah, got it. Sorry you’re having to deal with all that.”
Lena shrugged, even though the woman couldn’t see her. “It wasn’t an abrupt decision. Not for me, anyway. I’m ready to move on. But she’s behaving as though this has come out of nowhere.”
“Not much self-awareness there.”
“Oh, no. She’s very aware. She’s just either trying to fool me or herself.”
“You should talk to her.”
“Why's that?” She was ready for the woman to say that she should be the bigger person. That she should be fair and hear her out. That she should see her side of things to understand where she was coming from.
“I dunno. I just want to know what she’d say,” she said instead.
Lena laughed heartily at that.
Alex’s Sister did too.
“In that case, I might do just that. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“If I’m going through the trouble, I’d want to do it for someone whose name I at least know.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 4
Notes:
Okay, I maybe have an idea for where this is all going! I’m reaching the end-ish of writing it, and estimating about a 35k word count. 🤞
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Lena knew she’d have to talk to Andrea eventually for them each to get closure anyway, but she admitted that she agreed to do so sooner simply because of her conversation with Kara.
She still made the effort to make time for lunch, so she agreed to meet Andrea then, figuring she’d kill two birds with one stone.
It went as she’d expected.
“I don’t understand how you can’t see the importance of this. Lena, Obsidian North is nowhere near as strong as L-Corp, so you have to understand that making these connections is important. There’s very little wiggle room.”
Lena gave her a knowing smile. “We both know that’s bullshit.”
“Sweetie, I’m not bullshitting you. I’m explaining why the dinner was so important to me.”
“What you should be doing, sweetie , is explaining why my birthday dinner wasn’t.”
“It’s not about that.”
“Exactly my point.”
Andrea shook her head and picked up her fork again, so Lena continued.
“Andrea, you’re too focused on work. I understand how important networking is to your business. I’ve had to do the same thing. I still do. But I wouldn’t prioritize it over celebrating you. At least, not without a conversation.”
“I didn’t have time,” Andrea said, becoming exasperated.
“There’s always time. Try to see things from my perspective,” she said, leaning forward slightly to emphasize her point. “I was looking forward to celebrating with my girlfriend and friends. The reservation was made weeks in advance. Not only did you not show up, but you never even told me you were going to miss it. I sat there waiting, not knowing that you were having dinner at a nearby restaurant until I looked at your location. I texted and tried to call, and you were unresponsive. And you’re still denying that you did anything wrong.”
Andrea looked at her for a moment but still didn’t speak. Lena didn’t bother to pile on more. There was plenty to add—all the other times that Andrea fell short of what she expected from a partner, but it didn’t seem worth laying it all out for her.
To her surprise, Andrea apologized. That really left her speechless then, and she decided to hear her out.
“It’s hard being your girlfriend, you know. I’m trying to get my company to the same level as yours. You make it look easy, but I still feel like I’m walking against the current sometimes. I try so hard, and I still make progress, but seeing you and your company and what I could possibly get to—it’s actually motivating me to try harder.
“I admit that I do make poor choices in my personal life because of my obsession with the company. But it’s because I’m still trying to fulfill my fathers expectations, too. I know it’s something I need to work on, and whether you believe it or not, I really am trying. It’s just taking me a lot longer to balance the two.”
She knew very well how high Andrea’s expectations were, given her need for approval from her family. But the high expectations were set by herself, not her father.
She’d had the same battle with her own family and struggle for acceptance. But though the desire to please was there, and very strong at that, she also worked to find happiness that wasn’t tied to work or her family. She had hoped that Andrea could be a part of that happiness.
Maybe Andrea just needed more time to get there.
“I’m truly sorry about missing your birthday and how I handled it all.”
Etiquette left Lena with an acceptance to her apology on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back and took a bite of her food instead.
“Can I make it up to you?”
She knew the risk involved in humoring her. “I don’t think that’s necessary at this point.”
“Lena, please. Let me take you out to dinner.”
She looked so remorseful. Lena wasn’t in the habit of letting people’s outward emotions dictate her decisions, especially when the stakes were high. And her puppy dog eyes weren’t really affecting her. Not anymore.
But she agreed to dinner simply because she wanted to be fair and give her a chance to leave things on a better note.
“Fine. I want to be clear that this dinner is just dinner. Nothing more.” Maybe they could still be friends. She wasn’t cold enough to deny that possibility.
“I’ll take it,” Andrea said with thankful relief.
They spent the rest of lunch talking about Obsidian North.
The text arrived during one of her meetings, so she didn’t see it until the end of her work day.
The fact that she was only convinced to meet Andrea at Kara’s request, and that she hadn’t even bothered to let Jack know, was not lost on her. She smiled at the absurdity of it all.
Lena’s phone rang then. She laughed, but rejected the call.
Though true, she decided to call Jack to give him the low down first. It felt wrong not to.
He didn’t answer, so she called Sam.
“Lena, as noble as that all is, you’ve been telling me for weeks that you didn’t think it was working out.”
“I know, but I’m trying to just make this about dinner. It would be nice to stay in touch. I do still care about her. It wouldn’t be so bad if we were just friends.”
“If she ditched you on your birthday without even a text, you’d be okay with it because she’s just your friend?”
“I’d think so.”
“You should have told me sooner.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Sam laughed. “Well, I still think you should tread carefully with her, but it just goes to show what a kind person you are. It’s one of the reasons you make networking look so easy, as Andrea says.”
“Because I have a forgiving nature?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Lena scoffed. Sam laughed and continued.
“Because you hear people out, and try to see things from their end. No, hon, you are not very forgiving once you’ve really made up your mind about someone. But it’s because you don’t make those decisions lightly.”
“Are you coming on to me?”
“Again, don’t flatter yourself.”
“Fine. Then I’ll hang up now.”
“I actually do have to go. I need to get Ruby to soccer.”
Lena got herself a snack before finally reaching out to Kara. It had been a while though so she decided to text first to make sure it was a good time.
Kara’s response was a phone call.
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
Lena laughed. “Not even a hello?”
“Our relationship has moved on from hellos.”
Lena chuckled, but was touched for some reason by her choice of words.
“Actually,” Kara said, “that’s pretty rude. I’m sorry. Hi, Lena, how are you doing?”
Lena laughed then. “Let’s cut to the chase.”
Lena gave her a brief summary of her lunch, but Kara asked questions and Lena eventually felt comfortable enough to share more of the details without questioning whether Kara was interested.
“You’re a kind person.”
“Yes, so I’m told. I really don’t see how this gives people such a strong impression of my kindness one way or another.”
“Well, you have every reason to be upset with her, especially if this was just one of lots of other times. And you’re strong enough to not just give in, but kind enough to still try for something. I don’t know. It says a lot about you.”
Somehow, hearing it from someone she hadn’t even met in person was a little more validating than hearing it from one of her best friends, who might just say something like that because they loved her.
But Lena wasn’t one to bask in compliments. “So now that you know about my afternoon, how was yours?”
Kara sighed deeply. “Well, let’s see…”
Lena was growing fond of the cheerful demeanor—it was strange to hear such a tired reaction.
“Oh, right,” she said, back to her upbeat self. “I went to the store to buy me some of those fancy automatic quills.”
Lena smiled. “You’ve gone over to the dark side, then?”
“So far, no regrets.”
Though their conversation was over, Lena wasn’t ready to hang up. Kara didn’t seem to be, either.
“Honestly, do you think you and Andrea could get back together? Despite…everything?”
“Honestly? It’s improbable, but not impossible. I genuinely think it’s over, but I can’t always know what future-me will do.”
“Hm. Kind and wise.”
More compliments. She’ll have to deflect again. “Is that something you lack and thus appreciate?”
“It depends on who you ask. If that person is Alex, then yes, I lack both. But that’s only if you actually believe her.”
“I might just have to call her and find out. I do know her number, after all.”
Kara laughed lightly. “But you don’t know her area code.”
“I bet I could figure it out in time.”
“I don’t doubt that you could, actually.”
“By the way, did she at least get a good selfie? With your niece?”
“I’ll send it to you.”
There were a few seconds of silence while Kara found the photo to send her. It showed half of a child’s smile at an odd angle.
“Proof of it being an accident, at least,” Lena said.
“I never doubted that.”
“I actually believe you.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because I’m a skeptic, and I don’t know you very well,” Lena said truthfully.
“Well, we could change that.”
Lena chuckled. “Do we even live in the same part of the country?”
“Great ice breaker. I assume we do, since we have the same area code. Unless you live outside of it like my sister does outside of hers.”
“Right—what’s the story behind that?”
“Oh, she’s had her phone longer than I’ve had mine. Hers is from our hometown. Midvale? Not sure if you know it.”
“I’ve had clients from there or nearby at least.”
“So you might know how small of a place it is. She moved to National City with her old number. I didn’t get a phone until she became my hometown-to-big-city foster.”
“So you’re in National City,” Lena confirmed.
“As are you,” Kara confirmed.
“You presume,” Lena teased.
“Do I presume correctly?”
“You do. But still.”
Kara laughed. “Okay, see? You’re one of only about four million people in the city. We’re practically neighbors.”
“North, east, south, or west?” Lena asked.
“Downtown. You?”
Lena absentmindedly scratched the arm of her chair as she considered whether to offer that information.
“Okay,” Kara said with what Lena somehow knew was a smile, “you can keep that to yourself. We’ll get to know one another, one person at a time. I guess it’ll be me first.”
“Alright, fine. I’m downtown, too.”
“No kidding?”
How strange it would be if they were neighbors.
“What about siblings? You already know about Alex. What about you?”
“Only one that I prefer not to talk about.” She may as well be direct on that front.
“Oof, sorry to hear that. I won’t ask.”
“I appreciate it. Is it just Alex for you?”
“She’s more than enough. And she and her fiancé have a daughter named Esme. No, wait. Her wife. I keep messing that up.”
Knowing that Alex was on the same team as Lena kicked her comfort level and approval of the sisters up a few notches. “They’re newly married?”
“Yeah, and it was so sweet. Esme was the flower girl. She was asleep, though, so a good friend of ours carried her down the aisle.”
“She sounds sweet. And little.”
“Four.”
“I’d say such a fun age, but I know nothing about children as I was hardly one myself.”
“I definitely need to hear more about that claim. But four for Esme is totally fun. At least in her case.”
“Hmm. I’ll text your sister with a Midvale area code to hear what she thinks.”
A second of silence. “Damn.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
* * *
“So, how did dinner go?”
Lena felt a bit confused about it all. Mostly because she wasn’t sure how her dinner with Andrea went.
So she answered honestly. “I don’t know,” she said, trying to sound more indifferent than ambivalent. She balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder while she shredded lettuce for a salad. “Fine, I guess. At least it was civil.”
“Civil is good. But I think you know what I’m really asking, love.”
She could tell Jack anything, but she didn’t like being in limbo about her feelings. She liked to have a stance when talking with him about this sort of thing, just to set the stage. That was hard to do when she didn’t know what the play was.
“Civil is good. At least it shows that animosity doesn’t have to exist between us.”
Jack was silent on his end. Maybe he was distracted with something for a moment, but Lena suspected that he was trying to decide whether to push the matter. She held her breath and put the ingredients back into the fridge to keep from fidgeting.
He probably sensed her discomfort from all the way on the west side because he moved on without further comment.
“I’m looking forward to our little vacation. Do you have enough ducks in order?”
“Just about. I don’t think there will be a problem getting everything sorted in time,” she said, drizzling a little dressing onto her salad. “Jess will have groceries delivered and stocked for us.”
“She’s a great assistant.”
“Don’t you dare try to poach her again.” She put Jack on speakerphone to eat her salad. She’d been sitting all day, so she began eating it while leaning against her counter.
“Never again. She was less than thrilled at the prospect, even in jest. She sort of frightens me.”
Lena smiled. She leaned forward to read a text notification that popped up on her phone. It was a text from Kara.
She smiled and continued to eat her salad.
“Sam doesn't think Patricia will be able to watch Ruby, so she'll likely be tagging along.”
“Ah, yes,” Jack mused. “Children ruin everything.”
“Says the man who taught her how to play chess and let her win four times in a row,” she teased.
“That was only to boost her confidence. I wouldn't let her win anymore."
“Sap."
She washed her dishes after ending her call with Jack, rarely ever using the dishwasher, especially when it was just for herself.
As soon as her hands were dry, she picked up her phone to reply to Kara about how her dinner with Andrea went.
Beyond confirming that they lived in the same area of the city, neither of them dug for any more details. But they still got to know one another. Especially as they continued to gradually offer details on their own.
Lena laughed. She went and settled on her couch, laying back on some throw pillows.
After several seconds of Lena typing out her question, Kara responded again.
It only encouraged Lena to send the whole thing in a single text.
Lena smiled as she hit send, knowing that the single text would appear overwhelming. But it also helped her write down her questions if only to clearly define what they were. She often wrote things down when a big decision needed to be made—just a stream of thoughts as they came to her—whether it was related to business matters or personal. It often helped.
And so she allowed herself to fidget in the privacy of her penthouse at the small spectrum of feelings she was processing—amusement at her ridiculous response to Kara, some clarity at sorting her thoughts, and slight discomfort about both of those things.
She watched as the ellipsis appeared and disappeared a couple of times. She was expecting a text just as lengthy as her own.
After several starts and stops from Kara’s end, she finally sent a single text.
Lena chortled. She reread the text and continued to chuckle as her thumbs hovered over her keyboard. She shook her head as she considered how to reply.
She instead tapped the call button.
“So what’s your answer?” Lena asked with a smile.
“I feel like you just asked me for the meaning of life.”
“I already know that answer. It’s forty two.”
“You’re such a nerd,” Kara laughed, understanding the reference.
“Sounds like you are starting to get to know me pretty well.”
“That might be true. You’re very intriguing.”
Lena felt flattered at the non-compliment. “Like a psych case, I take it.”
“No,” Kara said with less amusement. “You really are just…intriguing. The more I talk to you, the more questions I have.
“I have all the answers. Hit me.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
Lena had just come back from four hours of back-to-back meetings. They were mundane, recurring meetings. She intentionally scheduled them that way, though, because she’d rather power through them all at once than to sprinkle them throughout her week.
With that over for another two weeks, she was happy to have the rest of the afternoon meeting-free—a rarity—to do as she pleased. Which usually involved receiving an update from her technicians down in the labs.
Now, though, she walked to sit at her desk a little longer with her phone in her hand.
She was about to ask Kara to wish her sister a happy birthday for her, then remembered that they don’t know each other. And thought it strange that Jack and Sam didn’t know about Kara. She’d wanted to mention her to them a few times, but she sort of liked having Kara be her little secret for now. She wondered if Kara was doing the same—whether Alex knew about her. She’d never ask, of course.
Even though they’d never met, the idea of Kara moving away felt like a loss. Knowing that Kara existed in the same world as she did—to know that she was experiencing the same weather, the same traffic—it made her feel a close connection to her somehow.
And it was odd that Lena wanted to feel close to her at all.
She bit her lip. She wanted to ask where her new apartment was, where her old one had been, why she was moving, did she have a roommate, or could she afford her own and if so, what she did for a living, did she drive there, was it far from her new apartment, which was where?
Visiting the lab could wait for another day.
“Hey!”
She smiled at Kara’s happy tone. “You don’t sound winded at all.”
“I’m in decent shape. I could move twice in a day if I wanted to. Maybe even thrice.”
“I’d like to see that.” She cringed. She didn’t know the rules of whatever this relationship was, but that didn’t seem to align with them.
“Okay, fine. My friends helped me.”
“I bet you could still move thrice,” she teased. “Are you done moving all your stuff?”
“Um…I think this is as good as it's gonna get. I just have to…” she trailed off for a couple of seconds and then sighed. “Unpack it all.”
“Maybe it would have been easier to just stay put.”
”Definitely not,” she chuckled.
That sounded like a story, but Kara moved on before Lena could ask.
“So. It’s been a couple of days,” Kara said cheerily. “Catch me up. What’s the latest between you two?”
“Oh,” Lena chuckled. The fact that there was anything to catch up on was a clear indication that Lena didn’t know what the fuck she was doing with Andrea. “It’s sort of fuzzy.”
“So make it unfuzzy. Give me another one of your long winded monologues.”
“Speaking of being winded,” Lena joked.
Kara laughed. “So unload it all on me and we’ll see how I fare.”
She sighed. “Okay, but you asked for it.” She didn’t delve too deeply, though. “I don’t know why I’m forcing something between us, even if it’s only a friendship. I could break things off, could ignore her calls, could run into her and maintain a facade—”
“But that would be too deliberate.”
“Exactly,” she said, surprised that she could read Lena so well.
“I’m kind of impressed. With her, I mean.”
“How so?” Lena said with a smile, mouthing a thank you to Jess who dropped off some paperwork before excusing herself from Lena’s office.
“She’s good at toeing the line.”
“What do you mean?”
“I guess I have the impression that keeping you on the fence this long is unusual. Based on the little I know you, of course—more of a vibe. But she seems to be an exception. I don’t know. She’s doing an impressive job,” she laughed lightly.
“Is that a criticism I hear?” If so, it didn’t really bother Lena. In fact, she was interested in Kara’s answer no matter which way it went.
“Not at all,” she said positively. “You’ve been together for so long, I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that there would still be a line to toe. It's not always...clear cut.”
“Yeah, well I’m just going to take smaller steps than I used to with her and see where it leads me. Just one tiptoe at a time.”
“Treading lightly. Because you’re afraid of what you’re walking into, or what you’re walking away from?”
“Wow,” Lena said, impressed.
“Good, right?” Kara said proudly with a laugh.
“You should be in therapy.”
“Sorry?”
Lena laughed at her choice of words. “As a career, I mean. That’s…quite a shift in perspective that I hadn’t thought of before.” What would she be walking away from?
It was difficult to imagine a life without the person she’d grown to imagine a life with. Going back to being single—would she be turning her back on something better if she continued to focus on Andrea?
But whenever she thought about the good they had, she kept thinking about what was lacking. It felt like Andrea had been trying to grasp at both Lena with one hand and her career with the other. Lena wanted both hands, at least sometimes. But she wasn’t getting them, and it ultimately led Lena to be the one to let go.
And now, what exactly was she doing? She was reaching for Andrea again without even looking at where she would land. Sure, taking Andrea’s hand would be easy—she was offering it to Lena. But it was still just one hand.
“Miss Luthor, Miss Arias is on line one.”
“Thank you, Jess,” Lena said. “I have to go,” she then said to Kara.
“Okay, sure. Um. Talk to you later?”
Lena smiled widely in the privacy of her office. “You bet. Enjoy unpacking.”
“I very much will.”
* * *
“Hey, sweetie,” Andrea said, pulling Lena into an embrace. Lena allowed it, but had continued to refrain from allowing a kiss beyond a peck on the cheek.
Andrea noticed, but accepted it with a sigh.
She led Lena to her living room and offered her a drink.
Lena continued trying not to overthink things. Her conversation with Kara left her questioning her own intentions, but it felt premature to make a final decision on the matter.
So instead, she based her decisions on what felt right in the moment. It didn’t feel wrong or even questionable to agree to visit Andrea’s penthouse.
Andrea brought Lena’s drink and sat right next to her, too close not to be considered intimate. Not one to fall for or ignore such an obvious attempt, Lena moved to get up. But Andrea put a gentle hand on her knee, a request to stay there.
Lena rolled her eyes at Andrea, thinking it silly to communicate the acknowledgment of their interaction without words. Andrea smiled tentatively. Lena returned the smile and stayed put.
Andrea kept her hand on Lena’s knee.
“A bit forward, no?” Lena said when Andrea still hadn’t moved it. She took a sip of her drink.
“Oh, Lena,” Andrea moped, giving her knee a little squeeze. But then she removed it. “I just miss you. I know you want to break things off—”
“ Have broken things off.”
“—but old habits die hard,” she continued without skipping a beat, “and I admit that I don’t want this to die.”
Lena looked into Andrea’s eyes and saw a small plea. So she reached out to rest her own hand on her knee. “I know,” she said, feeling the need to ease her discomfort. “I miss this too, but I don’t want our emotions or feelings to cloud what’s going on here.”
Andrea placed her hand on top of Lena’s. “I understand and respect that. If we’re broken up, I guess I just…I just miss this,” she said, rubbing circles over Lena’s hand with her thumb.
Toeing the line.
But Lena did miss it, too. It had been a long time without this sort of contact after having it at her disposal for so long. It was something she often missed and craved.
That evening, they talked about lots of things, including Andrea’s company, but not solely. They spoke of L-Corp, of Lena’s friends and their upcoming weekend vacation. Of an interaction at a restaurant that had them both laughing. Lena left that night feeling happy to have had such a lovely time with her.
The next time they met was also at Andrea’s penthouse. Instead of wine, Andrea offered her a gummy. It was one of Lena’s peeves, the amount of time Andrea spent high when she didn’t need to work, instead of being fully present with her. But Lena enjoyed it occasionally, and would only have said no because of the way it bothered her when they were in a relationship.
But they weren’t in one, so it didn’t make sense to refuse it as some sort of punishment.
They sat and watched a TV drama, and Lena became relaxed and comfortable enough to lean into Andrea. She tuned the show in and out, her mind wandering to work matters, what she needed to do for her upcoming trip with her friends, or a recent text exchange with Kara.
That night, Lena fell asleep on the sofa. She was awoken by Andrea an hour later, apparently having fallen asleep too. She offered for Lena to spend the night.
Toeing the line.
Lena went home instead.
The next time they spent the evening together, it was at Lena’s. They were neither drunk nor high when Lena finally gave in a little and let herself be kissed.
But the line was still there. She maybe moved it a little, but made sure it didn’t go beyond that.
* * *
Lena laughed.
She was done for the day. At a decent hour, at Jess’s insistence. The week had been especially brutal with meetings and networking. While she hardly got any of her own work done, Jess reminded her that everything could be handled tomorrow.
Jack wasn’t home yet, but she had access to his penthouse. She’d let herself in and get something going.
Lena laughed again.
Though she had once felt open with Kara, enough to admit her suspicions and desires and concerns, she felt ashamed, maybe, at having had a moment of weakness and allowing the kiss to happen at all.
But she reminded herself that she was genuinely trying to make things work, and not because anyone was driving her to. Not even Andrea. It was her choice.
Kara's perception of her was different from what she had developed with Jack and Sam. She’d been more vulnerable and honest with Kara from the start, without the fear of being judged. Though now that they were becoming more familiar, her need for approval was beginning to grow.
She decided to stick with honesty. Shying away meant there was something to hide.
Lena’s phone rang half a second later.
“What?! Lena,” she said her name with a deep and scandalized tone. “Why are you letting me go on and on about mugs? Give me the details!”
Kara’s reaction immediately made her feel much more relaxed about the whole thing. “It wasn’t much of anything. I’ve been spending a little more time with her, you know, wanting to see if we can still be in each other's lives. We’re spending way less time together than we used to, but definitely more than we have been lately. Anyway, we were talking in the kitchen and one thing led to another. It wasn’t more than a peck really.”
“Does that tip the scale at all for you?”
Kara’s comment about Andrea toeing the line had stuck with her. But maybe it wasn’t Andrea making things ambiguous. “I guess not really. I admit that I miss that physical contact, so maybe my restraint is starting to slip away a little as time goes by.” Maybe it would be best to go back to meeting Andrea at restaurants instead of more private places.
“Hm.”
Lena heard a withheld question in Kara’s response. Maybe Kara wasn’t comfortable discussing Lena’s sex life. Rather than ask, she tried giving her a minute to finish her thought and see where she’d arrive on her own.
“Well, I can see how it could be easy to fall back into that, especially since you’ve been together for so long.”
There was something to her tone, and her curiosity got the best of her. “What aren’t you saying?”
“What? Nothing.”
Lena smiled at the obvious fib. “I know you well enough now to know that there’s something else you’re thinking.”
“Right? I feel like I’m getting to know you pretty well, too! Maybe it has something to do with us only ever interacting over the phone.”
“Another topic for another time. Out with it.”
Kara laughed. “Okay, fine. But don’t judge me.”
“I would never.”
“I don’t want you to feel influenced or judged either.”
“Kara.”
“Okay, okay. It’s just…I was just thinking about how you miss… being with someone, and wondered whether Andrea only seems like the right person to be with because that’s what you’re most comfortable with, because you’ve been together for so long. But maybe it’s because you’ve pulled back a little and so your relationship is becoming more casual instead of the one you’ve had. But if it’s only casual…I mean, if you completely took her out of the equation, what would you be doing instead?”
“You mean, who would I be doing instead?” She couldn’t help but tease her after her disclaimer.
Kara gasped. “No! That’s not what I meant! I just—I was only saying—I mean, I didn’t mean to—god, I’m so sorry, I—”
Lena couldn’t stop herself from laughing at Kara’s sputtering. “I’m only joking,” she reassured her. “But that’s an interesting question. Honestly, I don’t know that anyone would want to date me right now, anyway—especially with this baggage. And I’m not looking for a rebound. Maybe a fling,” she added, trying to keep things light. Although, maybe she should see what Veronica was up to these days…
“Hm.”
“Kara, stop that. Just speak openly, I promise I can take it.” If Kara didn’t feel comfortable with Lena’s openness, that didn’t mean that Kara couldn’t be open herself.
“I bet you can take it.”
Lena’s eyes went wide. “Kara!” she said her name with a deep and scandalized tone.
“I’m so sorry! It just popped into my head, because you said—not that I’m blaming you, I was only kidding, but that was very disresp—”
Lena laughed again, more heartily. “Kara, I’m teasing you! I’m impressed, actually,” she said between breaths. “Trust me, there’s nothing you could say that would offend me. And stop apologizing so much.”
Kara didn’t speak, and Lena knew she was holding back another apology. So Lena decided to spare her the awkwardness and move on. “So what were you thinking? Before your dirty mind took over, that is.”
Kara groaned at Lena’s accusation, but recovered. “Even if you’re working for something with Andrea, it sounds like you’re ready to move on. A rebound, I can understand—it may not be intentional, but still. A fling would only be temporary, which maybe would work until you feel ready for another relationship—”
Lena was surprised at the casualness that Kara brought up the idea of a fling.
“—but…I guess I am judging you a little.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Kara laughed, sounding comfortable once again. “I am, actually. Your perspective on the situation is very clear and thoughtful, but your perception of yourself doesn’t seem to align with what I’m learning about you. The way you’re describing things—I wouldn’t consider your break-up as baggage. You two seem to be handling it pretty well. Or, you’re clear about where the line is, even if you move it a little,” she teases, “but you know if you’re crossing it, and that would still be clear to you.”
Apt. Kara was very insightful.
“You don’t seem like the type that would hold on to feelings for Andrea so strongly that it would affect your dating others,” Kara continued. “Sure, maybe Andrea would get in the way at first while she keeps trying for something. But given how she’s been content enough with hanging out less regularly as when you were together, it might be a pretty easy transition to just step back again like before…she doesn’t seem like she’d be a crazy ex. So aside from the supposed baggage, I don’t know why you think someone wouldn’t want to date you.”
“Hm.”
“You’re teasing me.”
“I am.”
“Okay, out with it. Judge me and my opinion.”
Even if Kara had been judging her, it still didn’t feel like it. “You may think you know me well enough, and I admit that you do to a degree, but you and I are working backward. Like you said, we know each other at a deeper level than makes sense for the amount of time we’ve known each other,” she smiled through the line. “We’re pretty open with one another. At least I am. But you hardly know the more surface levels of me. And other people would start with that, which they may not find attractive.”
Kara was silent for a moment, but Lena could still hear the hum that she was holding back.
But this time, Kara went ahead and spoke up unprompted. Progress.
“I don’t know what you look like,” Kara began, “or what your job is, or what other things would be a part of a first impression. But if they’re going to judge you based on surface level things like that, then they may not be worth your time anyway. Dating isn’t…easy,” she chuckled, “but that shouldn’t stop you from trying if you’re otherwise feeling ready. Plus, you shouldn’t expect to start a commitment with the first person you meet, anyway. Maybe your so-called baggage or first impression wouldn’t matter because it might be you who decides to move on to someone else.”
That was pretty sound advice. It made Lena suddenly wonder…“Are you dating anyone?”
“Not anymore.” Lena could hear Kara’s smirk.
She heard a car alarm as they pulled up to Jack’s building, and she swore she could hear it on Kara’s end, too.
It made her stop on the sidewalk, a hint of excitement and nervousness flicking through her. She looked around, not knowing what to look for except someone on their phone.
Kara was silent on her end. Does she hear it, too?
But no. Kara was inside unpacking. It made Lena wonder briefly what would happen if she did ever meet Kara in person.
If.
The moment seemed to have passed and she decided it was just a coincidence. It’s a big city with lots of cars.
“Why not?” she finally asked, bringing them back to the conversation. Lena was genuinely curious to know why Kara was single, given how pleasant she was.
“Well…I guess for the same reasons as you with Andrea, actually,” she chuckled.
“Ah-ha. Does that mean you’re recently out of a breakup, too?”
"Very recently, so…” Kara sighed.
“Ah. The moving?”
“The moving. I was moving in with my sister when she broke my phone. Now I have my own place.”
Lena felt a bit ashamed. Here she was, talking about her own breakup, the thoughts she was processing about it all, and had never thought to ask Kara about her own situation. She had been going through the same thing at the same time. “Will you be able to remain friends?”
“Not everyone is as mature about a breakup as you two seem to be.”
“Oh, please,” she said, hoping Kara could hear her rolling her eyes. “Your advice has been nothing but mature and insightful…What happened between you two?”
“I guess we were going down different paths like you and Andrea, but we were headed there way faster, and more…intensely? He had just moved here from a different country, and didn’t really know anyone and wasn’t accustomed to the cultural differences here. But he ended up settling for a job and friends that I didn’t really care for. It was obvious that we were too different, and I’m not about trying to change people, so I ended things. But he didn’t feel the same way, so it’s taking a while for him to move on.”
“So your breakup isn’t over yet, either.” She’s going to be more supportive for her, she decides–now that she knows. “Are you leaving that door ajar, too?”
“Noooo. No no no no,” she lightly snorted.
“Yikes. Will he be a crazy ex, then?”
“I hope not. He definitely had… louder opinions than Andrea seems to have with you. Our conversations always end with an opinion about the unfairness of things. I try not to have conversations anymore.”
That sounded so tedious to Lena. Her conversations with Andrea went in that direction too, but maybe they’ve been more subtle. She was glad that Andrea was at least more respectful. “See, that’s why you should consider women,” Lena joked.
Kara laughed. “Joke’s on you, I do consider women.”
That was a shock to learn. Why she was shocked to learn anything about Kara was ridiculous. Regardless, Lena was suddenly much more interested in Kara’s love life. “I guess I really don’t know you as much as I had thought.”
Kara laughed. “But we’re changing that, right?”
“It appears so.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
* * *
Lena set the bags down on the counter while she turned to close her door. She could have had Jess order something for her to wear on her little vacation, but Lena wanted to do something that didn’t involve work and decided she’d like to try things on herself first anyway.
She and Sam had gone from one store to another. They each got a couple of swimsuits, but then got a little carried away with other clothes as well.
Her wardrobe needed updating anyway.
She moved the bags to her bedroom, but only set them on the bed. She had received a text from Andrea.
Lena scoffed, but she couldn’t help her lips quirk into a smile. For so long it had felt like she was the one crawling behind Andrea to try to make things work. It was sort of nice having the upper hand.
She didn’t want to just ignore the text, but she wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She’d think on it.
She had other messages.
Of course Sam would have already called him to ask his opinion on her outfits. She was probably at his place by now.
She took her shoes off and laid down on her bed for the last one.
Lena shook her head. Kara always managed to throw her a curveball.
By then, Lena had no reservations about speaking with Kara over the phone. So she called.
“Maybe skywriting?” Kara answered.
“What if it’s cloudy?”
“Billboard?”
“That might send other Mikes into a panic.”
“Okay, fine. I guess I’ll stick with being direct.”
“He’s not letting up?”
“Sometimes. He’ll leave me alone one day, and then obsess over wanting to make things work the next. I keep turning him down, but he thinks I’m being dramatic.”
It’s been the same with Andrea—no word from her for a day or two, and then it’s like she suddenly remembers about Lena. Still, Kara’s sounds worse. “You literally moved to a new apartment. That doesn’t sound like dramatics. It sends a pretty clear message, if you ask me.”
“I wish I was breaking up with Andrea instead. Wanna switch?”
“Just say the word and I’ll handle it for you,” she joked, even though she was one hundred percent confident that she could indeed make that happen.
“What did I ever see in that guy?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
“No, because then I’ll remember the nice stuff and I don’t want to because it’ll cloud my judgment and make me feel uncertain.”
She can see the parallels between herself and Andrea. “That might be true for me—you know how fuzzy this has all been on my end, but you seem pretty much entirely over Mike.”
“Yeah. But you’re at least wanting to try to be friends. I’m trying to unfriend him.”
Lena laughed.
“We were together just over a year, but even that was hard to let go of. It took a lot of convincing myself. Well, Alex helped too.”
“Sometimes I wish I could do what you’ve done and just let go. It’s hard when you’re influenced by the good you still see in someone. My excuse could be that I was in my relationship twice as long, so it’s twice as hard to let go,” she joked.
“Hm.”
Lena was sure that Kara heard her roll her eyes that time.
“Sorry, okay, I was thinking—if you weren’t clouded by the past and the fantasy of a better future…if you weren’t influenced by her I mean, would you have let go? Would you be treating the situation differently?”
“Isn’t that how relationships work, though? They’re dependent on how the other person influences you, aren’t they? Our reactions and interpretations have to be subjective, I think.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Kara sighed. “But you can’t leave it all to be driven by the other person, either. You still have a say in how you really feel about that influence and sometimes that means looking at things more objectively. I keep trying to remember that. Otherwise, I’d talk myself in circles and convince myself that there’s always an alternative, and end up staying with him way longer because maybe he’s still figuring things out because he’s still so new, and he’ll come to realize that his friends and job aren’t really right for him, but maybe it is and it’s just not right with me, but he was so great when we first met and I could probably be a little more patient and a little less judgy and in time things could work out if I try a little harder, but I’ve already tried and he’s sort of stopped trying, too...”
“But you don’t want to talk yourself in circles.”
She was itching to know more about Kara and her romantic history, particularly the part where she’d considered women. That would have been too solicitous just last week, but there had been enough of a shift since Kara opened up about Mike…
Before Lena could overthink things… “How old are you?”
“Uh-oh.”
“I’m just curious,” Lena laughed, a bit embarrassed, but determined.
“I don’t know whether or not to lie. Would you want me to be older or younger?”
“Than what?”
“Than…well, I guess than how old I assume you are.”
“Which is…?”
“...I’m twenty nine. And a half,” she said after a pause. “Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious about you,” she said again. “Our discussions would weigh differently if you were wise beyond your years, or wise from experience. Not sure how that would influence my perception.”
“Maybe I'm schrödinger’s cat.”
“Too late. The cat’s out of the bag.”
“Damn. Me and my loose lips. What about you?”
She decided to play coy. “Part of my intrigue, as you say, is maintaining a bit of mystery.”
“If you're intentionally going for mystery, I have to assume it’s because you don’t want me to find out that you’re a vampire,” Kara said.
“You’ve got me.”
“I knew it.”
“If either of us is mysterious, it’s you. I know nothing about you. What are you hiding?”
“That I'm a vampire,” she said, laughing at herself. It made Lena smile. “But really, no mystery here. I’m an open book,” Kara said simply.
She would disagree. As casual and straightforward as Kara had been in discussing Lena’s life, it took a while before Kara opened up about her own.
But she’d been much more open now that they broached the topic of her ex as well. Lena smiled at the thought that their friendship seemed to be growing, and it felt genuine, with a woman whom she’d never met.
“I’m twenty-seven,” she confided.
“Really? I imagined you to be older.”
“Why’s that?”
“You sound very accomplished for being twenty seven. Don’t you have a personal assistant?”
Lena chuckled, but her conversation was interrupted by a text message.
Lena wouldn’t mind, but she had plans to see Jack.
She hadn’t responded to Andrea’s earlier text, so she didn’t want to ignore this one either. “Sorry, could you hold on a sec?” she asked Kara.
She sent Andrea a quick reply to let her know that tomorrow would work better. And that she’d rather go to Andrea’s. After their chaste kiss the last time, she wanted to be sure she’d be able to leave instead of trying to figure out a way to get Andrea to. If she wanted to.
She brought her attention back to Kara. “Sorry, I just had to respond to Andrea. Where were we?”
“Booty call?”
“Oh, my god. So now that we’ve opened that door…”
“Open door, open book. There’s no line to toe here, my friend.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 8
Notes:
I like the idea of cute text message exchanges to start off the chapters. I added one to chapter 7, if you haven’t already read it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
“She’s napping now.” Lena heard Kara flop down with a sigh. She could almost picture her splayed out on the couch in exhaustion. “I’m beat, and it’s only day two!”
Kara had offered to babysit her niece while her sister and wife went on a short vacation.
“It’s already day two. You’ve got this.”
“Alex doesn’t think so. She’s constantly checking in. I get that she cares about Esme, but she’s with her favorite aunt for crying out loud.”
“Does Kelly have sisters?”
“That’s not the point. I guess I thought it’d be more fun.”
“I’m sure you’ll still have some fun. It’s just not as enjoyable as you’d expected it to be. But it’s like going to the dentist—”
“I never expect that to be enjoyable.”
“Oh, shush. It’s something you maybe don’t want to do, but you power through it. You can power through this.”
“And I still have some work I need to take care of on top of it all.”
“Are you able to take time off?”
“Maybe. My boss would hate that. Or maybe he’d love to not see me for a while. But I really should consider it. Ooh, maybe if I cry, he’ll go easy on me…”
“Oh, Kara…” as humorous as this all was, Lena’s heart went out to her. “It can’t be too bad if you’re able to talk on the phone for more than two minutes, right?”
“I guess not. But my sister's place is a mess.”
“I don’t think she’ll mind. Just focus on surviving.”
“I need a nap. Last night was rough. I’m barely running on coffee.”
“Is that your plan for the rest of the day, to nap?”
“I wish. She only naps for about a half hour and then it’s show time again. I’m trying to keep her entertained.”
“Prop her in front of a TV,” Lena suggested.
“I’d need to tie her down too and I don’t think that’s allowed.”
They spoke a little more about how wonderful Esme was and how terrible four-year-olds were with the need for constant attention before Esme needed her attention.
Lena had an idea. She called Jess.
She got a call thirty minutes later.
“Hi, Kara.”
“A mother’s helper?” Kara whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Lena whispered back.
“Because there’s a stranger in the kitchen, and it’s an open floor plan.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you took the offer.”
“I didn’t, really. A woman named Jess—your assistant?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“She said there was something you wanted to send me. I thought it was going to be a pizza or a Sesame Street DVD to be silly, not an actual person.”
“DVD? Really?”
“I don’t know!” Kara managed to yell in a whisper.
Lena laughed. “At least it’s an upgrade from VHS.”
“What do I do?”
“What do you mean? Go take a nap.”
“But…I can’t leave Esme alone with a stranger.”
“Believe me, she is fully vetted and more than qualified.”
“She’s singing to her.”
“What’s Esme doing?”
“Staring. But smiling, so that’s good.”
“Go nap.”
“How much did this even cost you?”
“Kara, take a damn nap.”
Kara was silent for a moment. “She looks harmless. Maybe I can nap here on the couch. I really could use one…”
“It’s a good thing you have a mother’s helper, then.”
She received an update a couple of hours later.
Two wires connected—one where she learned that Kara was bi, and the other where she recognized her own need for sexual relief.
She really needed to give Veronica a call.
* * *
Lena thanked George when he held the car door open for her, and then Jason when he held open the door to Andrea’s building.
While waiting for the elevator, she once again questioned what she was doing.
Kara remained at the periphery of her mind. For some reason, knowing that Kara was bisexual, her advice suddenly held as much value as Sam’s and Jack’s.
Sam and Jack both expressed similar opinions in a sense, but their advice was simple. “Cut the cord and move on.” They each knew a couple of people who would be “perfect” for her.
So though Kara’s opinion about being open to a new relationship, or rebound…while it wasn’t too far off, she at least wasn’t nearly as blunt about it as her best friends seemed so comfortable being. Maybe it was because she didn’t know the whole history between Lena and Andrea, or maybe because she was going through her own breakup too, that made her more inclined to analyze the situation and look at it piece by piece.
Sam and Jack lived through it all with Lena, so they had nothing to analyze–they’d seen enough. But it was from an outsider’s perspective. They weren’t in Lena’s head, weren’t with her and Andrea behind closed doors. Those were the things she felt she could easily share with Kara, and their conversations about it all made Lena feel heard. Which only made her talk more, and it felt like Kara had been the one carrying her through the entire breakup.
Maybe she is a therapist. That would be handy.
But a therapist needs a therapist, too. She was happy that Kara was opening up more. Maybe she just hadn’t wanted to inconvenience Lena. The thought made her smile.
She reached Andrea’s door.
“Hi, sweetie,” Andrea greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “Come in.”
Lena had told herself she’d meet Andrea only at public places from now on, but she had a long day at work and wanted to relax with a drink or two. She still knew the risk she was taking, and was there anyway.
Andrea was still able to read her body language pretty well, because she poured some wine for her unprompted.
They quickly settled into easy conversation about their days. She appreciated that Andrea had so much background on her work endeavors and associates, because she was able to understand more fully the reactions the interactions pulled out of her. Jack and Sam could, too, but they hadn’t been immersed in her world as much as Andrea had been.
Their conversation eventually turned over to Andrea’s company, but she found that she didn’t mind. In fact, she was genuinely interested, for the same reasons. She knew who and what Andrea was referring to, and was somewhat invested in what Andrea was dealing with at work.
All in all, she was enjoying herself. Perhaps too much, because the influence that Andrea had over her in that moment was prevalent. When Andrea poured her a second glass of wine and sat down right next to her, with their legs touching, Lena didn’t hesitate to lean in a little. Which encouraged Andrea to put an arm around her and pull her in closer. And it didn’t take long for Lena’s desire for physical touch to build up again, and for Andrea to perhaps sense that and lean in for a kiss.
This one wasn’t chaste.
The heat behind their kiss grew, and Andrea took Lena’s wine glass from her hand to set it down before running her hand through Lena’s hair and kissing her deeply.
And though Lena was enjoying it, she was also acutely aware of how she didn’t feel any emotion behind it anymore, and that was a strange feeling. Because what she thought was influence suddenly wasn’t. She wasn’t feeling influence to start up where they had left off. All she wanted was this—this moment.
Her thoughts turned to Kara. What would she have to say about all of this? Did she have these feelings for Mike, despite everything? Not even a little?
While Andrea’s familiar hand began to roam from Lena’s hip down to her thigh, Lena thought about whether a fling could be with an ex—if Andrea was up for it, maybe that could be their new relationship. Probably not. Another thing to contemplate with Kara. Would Mike back off if Kara leaned in, even in that way? Would he want a fling, if she did?
As Andrea leaned forward to push her back against the couch, she wondered whether Kara would reach back out to him. Would she ever doubt her decision like Lena had? It didn’t sound like that was even a consideration for Kara. Then she wondered how Kara coped with the sudden loss of affection.
Then because Andrea gave a little hum of pleasure, building Lena’s arousal, her mind went deeper down that path. She wondered whether Kara had flings, now or at any point, or whether she took care of herself at night like Lena had had to lately. She somehow couldn’t imagine Kara doing either, with the bubbly and apologetic demeanor she exuded, but she would have the same desires as anyone else and talked about it so openly.
The thought brought out an unexpected swoop of intrigue and interest low in her belly, and then she was very aware of what she was doing with Andrea.
She’d been doing what felt right in the moment, and this didn’t feel quite right anymore. She knew she should stop, but despite knowing that she didn’t want to get back together with Andrea, her arousal being drawn out by Andrea’s tongue began to grow too much for her to want to. And she was wanting this, tonight. Just tonight.
She needn’t worry about the rightness or wrongness of it all, though, because Andrea’s phone rang and interrupted them.
Andrea looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her assistant. She looked down at Lena before reluctantly getting up to answer it.
Lena laid there, looking up at the ceiling now that she had a moment to step back and think more clearly. She couldn't just sleep with Andrea and not expect repercussions. But dating was hard, and Lena just wanted this.
Kara wouldn’t tell her what a fling could or couldn’t be. She understood the short-sightedness of Lena’s decisions when it came to Andrea, even if that wasn’t how Lena functioned with other aspects of her life. Jack and Sam, though, would tell her to get the fuck away. Now.
Once again, Andrea made the decision for her.
“Lena…”
She sighed. “Go ahead,” she said.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. He’s asking to meet. I think it would leave a better impression if I met with him tonight for dinner.”
“I understand.” She did. That nothing had changed. And it wouldn’t.
Andrea left the apartment even before Lena did.
She helped herself to half a gummy to keep herself composed and remained on Andrea’s sofa, scolding herself for slipping into what she had hoped to avoid. She couldn’t let that happen again. Especially when the last hour was a replay of the last couple of years.
Her libido was becoming more persistent, though, and she had only herself to blame for letting things get this far. Maybe a fling who wasn’t an ex was exactly what she needed after all.
More than ever, her mind wandered to Kara. She felt shallow for wondering what she looked like–was she slim or curvy? Blonde or brunette? Tall or short? Maybe they could have a fling. They were basically the same age and were sort of in the same position. Maybe Kara needed it as much as she did.
She considered. It would be nice to be with someone familiar the way they’d grown to be rather than with a complete stranger. And the level of anonymity that they still managed to maintain would maybe make a fling easier, too.
Kara was both safe and anonymous. The thought sent nervous butterflies fluttering in her belly.
Am I really desperate enough to jeopardize a developing friendship?
…But really, what did Kara look like? Did she wonder the same thing about Lena?
Going with her strategy of not overthinking things with Andrea—despite the tactic not working out very well—she decided to do the same with Kara by snapping a photo of herself and sending it to her along with a text.
She didn’t really pose in the photo—simply sipped on her wine and raised an unimpressed eyebrow. She thought to retake it once she saw that she was partially obscured by the glass, but smiled at the thought of being “mysterious” as they had joked before.
She set the phone down, even though she wanted to obsess over whether Kara would reply right away.
Lena’s thoughts wandered between Andrea and Mike, Kara’s ex boyfriend. They were similar in that neither Lena nor Kara had felt like they fit into the idea that their exes wanted from them, ultimately choosing other things over them and still both refusing to believe that anything was wrong. But it went the other way, too—their exes definitely didn’t fit into their own expectations either.
Kara at least had Alex. Lena had Sam and Jack, but she definitely leaned on Kara most for support. Would she even be here in Andrea’s apartment if she hadn’t had Kara to navigate her feelings with? Would that have been a good thing or a bad thing?
A reply from Kara came a few minutes later.
She could almost hear her enthused voice.
Aside from the compliment giving her fluttering butterflies, Lena wanted Kara’s company right then more than ever to talk through it all. Maybe to gauge some interest over other ideas she had as well... But Lena wasn’t so sure she wanted to speak over the phone at the moment.
Lena appreciated that Kara noticed her move past her offer to talk, on the phone at least.
That was true. Lena knew herself, and life so far had taught her not to expect things to end in a neat little package and be put away forever. There was too much fluidity in life. Her past self would say “I told you so.”
The idea hadn’t even occurred to her. Maybe she was too inebriated because she actually considered it. She regretted this happening, but she just wanted to temper the heat that had built inside of her.
You’re a fool, she thought to herself as soon as the words flowed out of her fingertips and into that text.
Kara started and stopped typing a few times. The ellipses disappeared completely for a few seconds and Lena worried a bit that Kara would call after all. But eventually, she texted again.
Her heart raced a bit and her ego took a little boost at the idea that Kara could possibly be interested in her after having seen a photo of her.
God, you’re pathetic, she thought, quickly putting herself in her place. Kara wasn’t implying anything—she was just being supportive.
She knew that Kara was just being nice, but her thoughts had begun to swirl in her head and she sort of liked to think that Kara had other intentions. Lena stared at her phone for what felt like ages.
Lena had to laugh at herself then. She remembered that Esme was there. And maybe Kara was inviting her over simply to give her a distraction. Though touched at being invited into Kara’s world, the invitation somehow made her feel sorry for herself.
She looked around at the emptiness around her. Being around people would probably be good for her, but meeting Kara for the first time in this state, under these circumstances, and around her family, even if only Esme—she doubted it would make her feel better. She would just bring her down with her.
She declined the offer, and instead headed home for a warm bath or cold shower. She hadn’t decided yet.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
* * *
The next day, Lena got to work a bit later than usual with a slight hangover. She was already annoyed at the fact that she hadn’t heard from Andrea. And now she was frustrated about a call first thing in the morning, regarding some problem arising from the Gotham office, and she hoped to god that she wouldn’t have to travel there to straighten it out.
But it was made slightly better by the giant bouquet of flowers on her desk. It was full of bright sunflowers and daisies and yellow roses. It was unlike Andrea to do something like this—Lena would have preferred a verbal apology, but the gesture eased the tension she felt in her chest. She actually was trying to be better for Lena.
She looked at the card. She was wrong. Andrea was still Andrea. But that wasn’t a bad thing in that case.
“Esme and I appreciate you.”
She set the card down and stood there a minute, admiring the flowers with a smile on her face. She assumed Kara called Jess back and coordinated this.
Momentarily forgetting the trouble at the office and with Andrea, Lena pulled out her phone.
She added a photo of the bouquet.
How? How could it be that they hardly knew each other and could still consider themselves friends? Lena felt it, and was relieved to know that Kara did, too.
There was a knock on her door. “Good morning, Miss Luthor. I have your schedule for the day.”
She knew the schedule derailed already. But she liked Jess too much to take out any of her frustration on her. “Thank you, Jess. I’ll get settled and call you back in just a moment.” Lena moved the flowers to the edge of her desk, and caught a smile from her assistant before she left.
Lena laughed at the absurdity.
* * *
By dinner time, her headache was bordering on a migraine. She took a moment to recover with some ibuprofen. She wished she could have a drink. Another cup of coffee would have to do.
Jess already had a cup waiting for her on her desk. She should have gone home by now. That woman needs a bonus.
Lena sat at her desk and took out her phone to check her notifications. There was a text from Kara, from a few hours ago.
Attached was a selfie of Esme on Kara’s lap. She couldn’t see either of them, though. Esme was hidden behind a vanilla ice cream cone, and all she could see of Kara was a lock of hair. She’s blonde. It was something, and the small detail made Lena smile.
Kara didn’t reply. She was probably busy with Esme, or her family. Her sister was supposed to return the following morning. She wondered how relieved Kara must have been feeling, and whether she would be able to take the day off to recover.
Then Lena remembered that she herself wouldn’t get the chance to have a day off, so she set the coffee cup down and went home to have dinner and get to bed early. She’d have to get an early start to her day to account for the time difference, to keep a pulse on the Gotham fiasco.
By mid-morning the next day, she realized that Kara never replied.
Lena considered reaching out again, or calling to check in, but she was suddenly overthinking her interactions.
She went about her day, going to meetings, redirecting projects or denying unnecessary requests for new development, all while getting regular updates. It was a day of a lot of refusals and denials.
She looked at her phone for the fiftieth time that day, but still hadn’t heard from Kara. She began to worry.
Lena decided that if she didn’t hear from her by noon, she’d reach out again. But she hoped that Kara would reply by then. It was unlike her to go this long without a response.
Noon came and went, and still no Kara.
So Lena called.
No answer.
She called again.
After the third ring, Kara finally picked up.
“Hey, Lena, I’m so sorry I never responded. I sort of have my hands full.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were alright. But I’ll let you go if you’re busy.”
“No—Esme, hold on. Sorry. She’s having a rough time without her moms, so I’m trying to get her to settle down for a short nap. Maybe she’s just tired.”
“Are they not back yet?”
“Their flight was delayed. I’m waiting for an update.”
Lena could hear Esme whimpering in the background. At least she wasn’t screaming.
“I have a newfound respect for my sister. But don’t tell her I said that.”
“Your sister has help. You shouldn’t expect single-parenthood to be easy.”
“Do you know how many water bottles and dishes kids go through?”
“More than one?”
“The sink is full of dishes again.”
Lena smiled sympathetically on her end. Maybe she should arrange for…
“Do not send the mother’s helper,” Kara said after a pause.
Lena laughed. “Fine, be miserable.”
“It’s just a few more hours–I can do this.”
“You’ve got this. I have complete faith in you.”
“You’re great. I appreciate you.”
It swelled Lena’s heart to hear that. “Okay, go get ‘em, tiger.”
“I’ve got this.”
“You’ve got this.”
“Call me later?”
“I will. Good luck.”
Not thirty minutes later, Lena got an update.
She shouldn’t overstep. They were strangers. It’d be weird and inappropriate.
Act first, think later.
Lena was already calling Jess over.
“Yes, Miss Luthor?”
“Jess, could you please coordinate to have a plane prepared? It’s short notice, but there is someone in need of transport to National City.”
“Yes, Miss Luthor,” Jess said, tapping away at her tablet. It actually wouldn’t be the first time this had been needed, so it didn’t faze Jess at all.
“Please have the pilot leave right away. The destination is Portland. Once I have more details, I’ll pass them along to you.”
“I’ll get on that right away,” Jess said, taking the direction with a high level of urgency.
When Lena went back to Kara’s messages, she laughed.
Though obvious, it only just clicked that Kara had no idea what she did for a living. She suddenly felt awkward to tell her that she was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She could easily buy an entire hotel for her sister.
She’d have to do it sometime, she rationalized. And she really wanted to help Kara’s sister get back home…and help Kara get some sleep. So she decided to embrace it.
A speech bubble appeared and disappeared a couple of times. Another several heartbeats of silence, and then she got an incoming call from Kara.
“I’m confused.”
“About what?” she asked innocently.
“You said you own a jet…” Kara said skeptically.
“Jets. Plural.” Lena smiled.
“I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
“The plane is on the way as we speak.”
Lena was met with silence, to her amusement.
“Call your sister and tell her to hang tight.”
“What are—I mean, how is this—wh—”
“Actually, the plane won’t arrive for another couple of hours. She and Kelly could go have a bite to eat if they want. There’s no rush, they could take their time. The plane will be there waiting for them.”
“I…this…are you for real right now?”
“Okay, fine. I’ll call her myself. I have her number,” she joked. Though, if Kara was planning to continue to sputter, she might do just that.
“Lena…” Kara huffed in incredulity. “This is wild. You really have a jet?”
“Plural.”
“I have so many questions.”
“Lucky for you, I have all the answers.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 10
Notes:
Felt weird to add a text exchange between the last one and this one, so we’re just jumping right in.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Her mind was preoccupied about what she should expect for the next few days with the disaster in Gotham. She was glad to have her jets, plural, because she needed one to fly over there shortly after she left Jess to coordinate things with Kara and Alex.
After having made a few phone calls and sent some emails while on the plane in preparation for her landing, Lena finally had a moment to read through the multiple texts she’d received over the course of a few hours while she still could. She knew she would have to be working nonstop until this matter was resolved.
It was too much to explain at that moment.
The text message appeared “read” as soon as she sent it. There were no speech bubbles to indicate any follow up from Sam. Lena knew she was in crisis mode as much as Lena was. Sam would figure it out, and ask questions later.
Lena made another mental note to give Jess a bonus once she returned to National City.
She went on to Kara’s “debrief.”
As frustrated and pissed as Lena was about what her next couple of days would bring, Kara’s texts swung her mood the very opposite way. It made Lena feel light and thrilled that she was able to help Kara in an impactful way with a simple phone call.
She wished she could call Kara, just to hear that excitement in her voice, but it was late. She imagined Kara would have flopped onto her bed as soon as she got home and fallen asleep.
* * *
“Fire his ass.”
“I’m not going to fire him.”
“Lena, he’s a liability,” Sam said, power-walking alongside Lena. “He took shortcuts to meet an arbitrary deadline and made a promise to Wayne Enterprises that he couldn't commit to, without even running it by you. How the hell is he even still in the building?”
“Richards saw an opportunity and made a stupid choice. This is one fuck-up out of hundreds of great decisions. I don’t know what got into him, but he’s lucky Bruce and I know each other well enough to sort this out.”
“He’s incompetent.”
Lena paused in the atrium. “…Maybe I’ll send him on an indefinite sabbatical.”
Sam rolled her eyes.
Lena’s phone rang. “Now what,” she huffed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Sam looked at the caller ID and she gave Lena a threatening look. “Don’t you dare answer that.”
“Andrea, how was your dinner meeting?” she said, sarcasm clear in her tone.
“Masochist,” Sam mumbled.
“Lena, I’m sorry, I—”
“No need to explain,” she said, cutting off whatever Andrea had prepped. Lena had felt ridiculous after being left alone in Andrea’s apartment. And she became more and more agitated, more and more humiliated with every passing minute between then and this phone call. “It’s not anything new. In fact, I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have led you on.” She said it because it was true.
A staffer Lena didn’t recognize approached them. Sam looked over whatever he had on his tablet, so Lena was only half-listening.
“Don’t let this drive where we were headed. I feel like we could still make it work.”
“You should reevaluate those feelings,” she said to Andrea before addressing the staffer. “Let’s schedule a call with them—Miss Arias should be included.”
“But I do. I don’t want that to make you feel like I don’t value you,” Andrea continued.
“But it does.”
“Lena.”
“Andrea,” she said, giving her her full attention. “My reasoning hasn’t changed. You’ll always put work first, and that’s not a bad thing, it’s just not something I’m willing to accept. You should find someone who is.”
Sam gave her a “you tell her” look.
“But it’s you that I want,” Andrea said. “You’re wonderful and amazing and beautiful—”
“And naive if you think those compliments are going to make me forget everything.”
Sam gave herself a high five.
The line was silent for several heartbeats. It was Lena who decided to break it.
“I care about you. I really do. It’s why I’ve wanted to spend time with you. I really did want a friendship with you. And that’s why I’m sorry that I didn’t control my urges to avoid complicating things.”
Sam’s eyebrows shot up, and she mouthed “wwwwwhaaaat?” Lena just shrugged.
“I definitely want your friendship, but I have urges too. I still think about you. Especially when I’m in bed, without you by my side.”
Lena would be lying if she said she hadn’t missed Andrea at night, too, but she wasn’t about to tell her that.
“I hope you felt what I felt, when we kissed. It felt right, didn’t it? And it made me want more of you.”
“But it felt less right than leaving for a business meeting? You wanted more of me, but maybe just not then?”
“That’s not…Lena, come on. Please try to see things from my perspective.”
“You’ll need to find someone else, Andrea—”
“Sweetie—”
“—someone who will answer to that pet name. It won’t be me anymore.”
She heard Andrea sigh on her end.
This wasn’t easy for her either, but she didn’t want to lead Andrea on any more than she already had. “We’re done here,” she said. “I have a meeting in a few minutes.”
“Okay. But…I’ll talk to you later? Would that be okay?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. This thing we’ve been trying to maintain isn’t working out. And your eagerness to get back together is contradicted by your actions.”
“Lena—”
“I’m more than over this. Let’s shake hands and be on our way. We need to be apart now.”
“That might be hard for me to accept, to be honest.”
She sighed. “Andrea—”
“I’ll make it work. Because I want you in my life.”
“Miss Luthor, they're ready for you.”
Sam tipped her head for Lena to follow her.
“I have to go.”
“Okay. We’ll talk later.”
Another sigh. “Goodbye, Andrea.”
“Bye, sweetie.”
Lena ended the call and looked over at Sam.
“Girrrrl.”
“Fuck off,” Lena said with a smirk.
“Yes, boss,” Sam winked, and they headed into the boardroom, ready to rip new ones left and right.
* * *
No new ones were ripped. But the expressions she received from the various stakeholders were enough to assure her that the message came across loud and clear.
She was so grateful to be back in her hotel room, and was looking forward to finally starting her short vacation tomorrow.
Sam had flown back that morning, at Lena’s insistence. There was nothing more she needed to do, and Lena wanted her to get back to Ruby and head over to the beach house. Sam offered to go to Lena’s to pack for her, which Lena accepted with appreciation.
Once settled, she pulled out her phone. No texts from Andrea, thankfully. But no texts from Kara, unfortunately.
Maybe she was just giving her some space knowing how busy she was. And it didn’t have to be Kara to initiate a conversation, anyway. She was just usually the one to do so, maybe because her life was a little more fun than Lena’s.
Lena called her.
“God, I’ve been dying to talk to you! But Jess explained very clearly that you were going to be super busy and unavailable and…she’s a little intimidating, so I thought I’d leave you alone in case she would get mad and track me down and take me out.”
“She’s a great assistant,” Lena smiled.
“I’ve been wanting to thank you sooooo much. I can’t believe you did that!”
“Like I said, it was nothing.” Lena felt a little guilty because, for her, it really was nothing.
“It definitely wasn’t nothing. Even aside from sending an honest to god private jet to pick them up, it’s just the idea that you would do something so thoughtful at all. Just like with the mother’s helper, and all because I whined a little. Or maybe a lot.”
“I didn’t do that because you whined—I did it because you’re my friend and I could do something about the situation to help you out.”
“I need to make it up to you.”
Lena chuckled. “There’s no need—”
“I insist. Please, let me repay you. I mean, not the equivalent of a jet, but I’d really like to take you out to dinner or something.”
Lena’s heart caught in her throat, and she had to swallow it down to respond. “Dinner?” she said dumbly.
“Sure,” Kara said, not sounding sure. She sounded …surprised. “I mean, it’s the least I can do…kind of literally, actually. You don’t have to take me up on that if you’re not comfortable. I could think of something else, but I really would like to—”
“Dinner sounds great,” she said, biting her lip to keep the nervousness from reaching through the phone.
“Great! That’s great! Are you available tomorrow? Oh wait, you’re still not back. What about this weekend? I guess you’d probably be busy since you’ve been gone for a few days, but I’m just so eager to thank you and meet you,” she chuckled.
Lena could feel the nervous anticipation on the other end of the line. Or maybe it was on her end. “I would love to, but I’ll be out of town.”
“Another disaster?”
“No, actually. My friends and I had planned to go to one of our beach houses for the weekend.”
“One of your beach houses?” Kara laughed.
Lena rolled her eyes and smiled.
“Okay, next week then? I’ll let you get back and settled and we could figure it out later?”
“It’s a date.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 11
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
“Let’s talk about it. Your place or mine, or dinner?”
Any time she thought to just cut off all communication with Andrea, something held her back. She didn’t want to ghost Andrea—she had loved her for two years.
Kara was right, though. Being subjective influences doubt. Sometimes you just have to look at things more objectively.
“There’s nothing left to say.”
“There is. We can figure things out.”
“We’ve had two years to figure things out. Nothing has changed. And I take the blame for leading you on—”
“You didn’t—”
“I should never have done that because there was a line drawn in the sand when I broke things off, and then I just kept toeing the line and made you feel…this. Made you feel like we could come back from it.”
“Lena—”
“Andrea—”
“Will you listen to me for one damn minute?”
That got her attention. “I’m listening.”
“God, Lena. I get it, okay? You want more of my time, but there have been nights where I was left without you too. And I was okay with that, because I get it. I don’t understand why you can’t reciprocate that. I know I have a poor work-life balance. But you do, too. It’s who we are—why are you denying it?”
For some inexplicable reason, that statement made Lena’s stomach twist slightly. Maybe because it was true. There were times when she and Andrea had dinner plans or were just going to spend an evening together, only for Lena to be pulled in for one emergency or another. She ignores the thought, returning her focus to their conversation. “It’s more than just that, Andrea,” she said, her voice firm to compensate for her urge to yell over the phone. “This isn’t just about time. It’s about what that time costs. Yes, I work a lot too and I understand that sometimes we need to be prepared to handle the unexpected, but whenever that happens with you, I cease to exist. Even now, it took you four days to call me. When you left me, we were about to fuck on your couch—”
“Lena.”
“—which is apparently what you’re so desperate for,” she said with a little more of that unease, “but when the moment came, even that pivotal moment for us wasn’t enough to keep you from leaving. I’ve missed so many moments with you, because you’ve left me. I don’t understand why you aren’t leaving me now.”
She wasn’t sure whether she was expecting an answer—she didn’t really ask a question. But she had ended her rant for the time being, and wanted Andrea to throw something else at her so that she could thoroughly crush her logic.
“Of course, just one minute,” Andrea said to someone.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“Sweetie, I have to go,” she heard Andrea say right before Lena ended the call.
* * *
“Lena, my love! I’ve missed you!” Jack greeted her at the front door with a full body hug.
“It’s only been a few days since I last saw you. But I missed you too. And I was afraid I’d miss this trip.”
“I heard from Sam. It sounds like there was hell to pay.”
“More of a reason I need this vacation.”
“Come in.” Jack led the way into the house while George brought Lena’s bags inside.
She didn’t bother going upstairs. She needed food. She went straight for the fridge. “Where is everyone?” she asked.
“They’re out on the beach.”
“You stayed behind.”
“Children,” he grimaced.
Lena rolled her eyes.
She and Jack had a lot to talk about, and they did so at the kitchen island counter. He offered some ideas for her to take back to the office to get things back on track, and generally made her feel more at ease about everything she’d have to go back to after their vacation was over.
“Aunt Lena!” Ruby came in through the sliding door, racing into Lena’s arms.
“Hey, Rubes! How are you?”
“Good, we went for a walk and found a restaurant called the Moosey Goose!”
“Well, that’s a silly name,” Lena said while Ruby went back onto the porch to take her sandals off. “Where’s your mom?”
“Um. She’s on her way.”
Sam walked in a few seconds later. “Ruby, you were supposed to help with the sand toys—Lena!” Sam took her sandals off before walking to Lena and pulling her into a hug and soundly kissing her cheek. “You look like you’ve aged only ten years since yesterday.”
“I don’t see that margarita you promised me,” she said, ignoring her.
“On it.” She walked into the kitchen, and Lena sat at one of the stools. Once they were settled and with drinks in hand, Sam pounced.
“So. You guys fucked?” Sam asked, immediately cutting to the chase.
“Jesus. Where’s Ruby?” Lena panicked a little, looking around her.
“She ran upstairs to change. Fess up.”
“Please, don’t tell me…” Jack groaned.
“Almost. But no, we didn’t.”
“She stood you up,” Sam said, unsurprised.
“And she didn’t even get the deal, I don’t think,” Lena said flatly.
“Hm. Well, glad that’s over. Again,” Jack teased.
“You and your libido,” Sam tsked.
“I have urges, Sam.”
“Take care of it like the rest of us do.”
“And how’s that?”
“Have you heard from Veronica lately?”
“I’ll get right on that.”
“I knew you were a top.”
“Shut up.”
“Lena, you’re finally here,” Berry smiled and came over for a hug.
“Hi, Berry,” she said, kissing their cheek. “I’m glad you’re here. I need someone in my corner.”
“Is Sam giving you a hard time about Andrea?” they smiled, sidling up next to Jack.
Lena glared at Sam, who shrugged. “We’re all friends here.”
“I’m not sure about ‘all’,” Lena smirked.
“She sounds…eager,” Berry smiled.
“It doesn’t sound like it was Andrea who was eager,” Sam said.
“Will you shut up,” Lena said, swatting at her.
Sam walked over to plant another kiss to her other cheek.
“Okay, since you’re all so eager to know, can we at least catch up on the beach? I’m tired of being under a ceiling.”
They took a couple of beach chairs and an umbrella to sit under and made their way to the dirt path.
It was narrow, so they walked one in front of the other. As Lena made her way across to the beach, she was unreasonably annoyed at the thought of Andrea. There was definitely no way they could come back from this.
And because she was already upset, she took her phone out of the bag to read Andrea’s texts.
She ignored Andrea’s incoming call.
She sighed, disappointed in herself and where she let things get to. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to look at Berry. They didn’t say anything to Lena, just gave her a warm smile. It helped to keep her thoughts from spiraling.
The four of them settled, with Lena and Berry under the large umbrella. Jack laid to sunbathe on a towel while Sam sat beside him and watched Ruby look for shells.
“Alex! Come here!” she heard a familiar voice call out.
Kara?!
Lena’s eyes snapped to where she heard the voice behind her. She didn’t know who she was looking for, but there weren’t many people on this beach.
“Alex!”
It was a woman, about middle aged. She was calling to a man that was approaching her with two beach chairs.
Lena turned back around, only then realizing the adrenaline she felt at the possibility of running into Kara.
She was startled when her phone pinged again. She hadn’t intended the slow exhale at the reminder.
“That’s gotta be Andrea,” Sam said casually.
“Sure is,” she said, not bothering to read it.
“It seems you’ll never be rid of her,” Jack said into the sunny sky.
“I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Andrea,” Berry said. “What does she look like?”
“Fucking hot,” Sam said, still casually.
Lena hummed. She still couldn’t argue with that statement.
“Show them,” Sam instructed Lena, still keeping watch. “Ruby! Not too close to the water,” she called out.
Show them. As if Lena wanted to scroll through photos of Andrea right then. Lena wished she could smack Sam. “Aren’t I supposed to be the bossy one?”
“Just because you’re my boss doesn’t mean you’re bossy.”
Lena pulled up a photo on her phone. She felt like it was an opportunity to be judged.
Berry’s eyebrows rose a little. “Okay, wow. Yeah, she is pretty hot.”
“Told ya,” Sam contributed.
“I can see why you struggled to control your urges,” they laughed, and Lena shoved them playfully.
“You too? Three against one isn’t fair.” She wished Kara were there. Except maybe she’d agree.
“Love, you’re right to let her go. Find someone else. She wasn’t the only hot one in your former relationship, you know. You’re sexy as sin, too.”
That really got her blushing. She would rather talk about Andrea than about herself. How could she get them both to shut the hell up? “Thanks, Jack,” she said, unamused.
“I’m not kidding,” he said.
“You’re way hotter than Andrea,” Sam agreed.
She wished she had rope to tie around their ankles and hook onto a passing jet ski.
“It’s true, you really are,” Berry said.
Sam waved her hand with a flourish, having proven her point.
Lena sighed. “Well thank you all for showering me with compliments. Can we talk about my ex now?” She never thought she’d be so eager to.
She laid everything out for them. All of it. Everything she’d already shared, to catch Berry up, but also some of the doubts she had shared with Kara, though a more summarized version.
Once she stopped speaking for exactly seven seconds, Berry spoke up. “Pardon my saying, but fuck her.”
They all laughed, and Lena bumped Berry’s shoulder with her own.
“So, I’m done with our relationship, of any kind,” she went on.
“God, I can’t believe she waited so long to call you back after that,” Sam said. “You’re doing the right thing.”
Lena felt that way, too.
She picked up her phone and tapped to listen to a voicemail she had waiting. She was surrounded by friends. Whatever Andrea had to say Lena could rely on her friends for support.
“Look, I’m sorry, sweetie. I think we both think we’re in the right. I know you’ll roll your eyes at that remark but as much as you want me to see your perspective, you need to see mine. Call me when you’re ready.”
Lena didn’t think they were both in the right. She fucked up and Andrea fucked up. She just wanted to call the whole thing a failure and move on.
She hadn’t noticed a text from Kara.
It made her smile. She looked back at the others to be sure nobody noticed. With all the attention on her, she’d hate to have to explain Kara. That is, she'd love to explain Kara, just not in that setting, after discussing her ex. Not that she was in a romantic relationship with Kara. The two were irrelevant. Still.
Lena wanted to respond with a kissy emoji, or a hearts one. But they weren’t there yet. Maybe someday.
Notes:
Thanks, I will 😘
—————————
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactusTwitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 12
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
She couldn’t even ask Sam what to wear. She could, but then it would become a whole thing. Sam would make it out to be a date, even though it wasn’t, not in the slightest, that wasn’t what it was. Sam would tease her, and encourage her, and overall be an amazing friend. So of course, Lena said nothing.
It had been a week before Lena and Kara could make it work. Kara had deadlines of some unknown kind, and Lena had lots of late nights, per usual. But once Kara suggested a day—or, rather, when Lena had—Lena cleared her schedule for that evening.
Kara had chosen a restaurant conveniently close to Lena’s penthouse, but Lena pushed back when she suggested it.
She knew she had meant it as a way to end the conversation, but Lena did want to make a good first impression. Of course, Kara had seen a photo of her, sort of, but this was definitely different.
Her outfits were either too formal, too casual, too modest, too business-y, too much cleavage…
Just enough cleavage?
…No, too much.
She went through her closet twice, maybe even thrice, before she finally decided on something.
She settled for cleavage. But that was only because she really really wanted to wear one of her new outfits. Besides, she really had nothing else to wear.
It was a red off-shoulder top with a patterned pencil skirt and high stilettos. Just for a bit more height. In case Kara was tall. So that she would be at eye-level with her. For eye contact.
She pulled her hair back in a sleek low ponytail, applied bold red lipstick to match her top, just enough eye makeup to bring the color out in her eyes, and added a pair of silver earrings with a touch of red to tie it together.
She looked at herself in the mirror. After a few seconds of consideration, she quickly stepped away before she could talk herself into changing into something else.
The weather was nice and she considered walking to the restaurant, but decided not to in her stilettos. She was too nervous anyway and needed to fidget in the car before arriving.
George opened the door for her and she discreetly looked around, despite not knowing who to look for.
She checked her phone again, rereading Kara’s message from a few minutes ago.
Lena let out a little exhale, stood tall, and walked inside.
The restaurant was a popular one, particularly among businesspeople. Lena had dined there on numerous occasions, so she was familiar with the layout.
As far as high-end restaurants went, this was one of her favorites. It had class without being too formal and overly stuffy. The quiet chatter and low music were a comfortable backdrop to the soft lighting at each table. Despite the grand size of the dining room, it had a great atmosphere and felt very intimate.
“Lena!”
Her gaze turned to the left when she noticed a woman stand at her arrival, and Lena’s fight, flight, or freeze response kicked in because oh no, she was in trouble.
This was Kara? The woman whom she’d developed such a good and open friendship with? The woman who once apologized to Lena four times in a single sentence because she thought she had interrupted a meeting?
She’d expected shy, she expected cute and meek, she expected an ever-present blush. But this woman?
Kara was tall, blonde, and gorgeous. Lena’s gaze traced over her presence, her figure, her long legs. Her hair like warm honey was parted to one side and cascaded down over her shoulders in loose waves and Lena instinctively wanted to run her fingers through it to feel whether it was as soft and smooth as it looked. She wore a dark pink sheath dress that clung to her slim but undeniably strong figure, and one off-shoulder sleeve that accentuated an attractive collarbone. Lena was practically drooling over a collarbone.
And her eyes. Even in this lighting, she could see the beautiful blue of her eyes. They seemed to sparkle with joy—and it was that specific feature that was closer to what she had expected to see, and what ultimately and surprisingly took her breath away.
Kara walked up to her first, because Lena's feet were glued to the floor. Even the way she walked—a mix of grace and confidence. It intimidated Lena in a somewhat thrilling way.
Kara put that confidence to action when she walked right up to Lena and squeezed her into a hug. “I can’t believe we’re finally meeting," she practically squealed into her hair. But then she suddenly pushed away. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I’m a huggy person, but I don’t know if you are and I didn’t even bother to ask, but I just got so excited—”
With some semblance of composure now back, Lena pulled her back into a reassuring hug. “You really do need to stop apologizing so much.”
“Let me get a good look at you,” Kara said too
casually, as if the air hadn’t just been momentarily sucked out of the room.
Lena tried really hard not to try really hard to look good. She wanted Kara to have a good first impression of her, if a first impression was even possible at that point.
Kara’s eyes roamed over Lena. “Wow. You look amazing. I mean, I don’t know what you usually look like. But, wow. Do you always look this amazing?”
Lena grinned. “You look beautiful. That’s a lovely dress,” she said to give herself an excuse to trail her eyes over Kara’s figure. She knew she shouldn’t be objectifying Kara, but it was hard. It was somewhat fascinating to connect the sexy woman in front of her with the sweet and quirky woman on the phone.
Kara shyly looked down at herself, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. The delicacy of the gesture was endearing.
Once at a table, their food and wine on the way, they settled into one another.
“Okay, explain the jets.”
Lena laughed. “I travel a lot, and sometimes on short notice. This fiasco in Gotham being a good example.”
“Okay, so why two?”
“In case a friend’s sister gets stuck in Portland and needs a ride.”
Kara shook her head. “I am so curious to know what you do to make jet-ownership a normal thing, but I sort of like not knowing.”
“To help me maintain my mysterious persona?”
“And because it’s been fun working our way to the beginning of a friendship. I should already know, so it makes sense that I don’t.”
Lena smiled. “You’re a curious one.”
“It’s why we make good friends.”
Friends. Lena had considered the possibility of pursuing more with Kara, especially now after laying eyes on her. But, friends…
She looked at the way Kara smiled at her, so warmly and joyfully—if the alternative would mean that she’d lose this, then Lena would make friends work.
They fell into easy conversation after that. It didn’t feel like they were interviewing one another as it sometimes felt on a first date. Not that this was a date. But they chatted like old friends. Lena was having a good time, and Kara seemed to be, too, until she wasn’t.
“Sorry, let me just…” Kara said, holding up one finger and smiling sheepishly when her phone rang. “I should have turned my ringer off,” she said, looking around the room with slight embarrassment before taking her phone out of her purse.
Lena smiled, but it faltered when Kara’s did.
Kara silenced the phone and quickly stowed it away, the glint of annoyance gone in a flash when she looked back up at Lena. “Sorry about that,” she said with a too-wide smile.
“Can I take a guess?”
Kara's smile was frozen for another moment before she dramatically slumped a little in her chair. “I wish he’d just forget me,” she complained.
Lena shrugged. “You’re unforgettable.”
Kara rolled her eyes. “Maybe I should change my number.”
“What if you change your mind?” Lena teased.
Kara gave her a crooked smile. “Not gonna happen. Even if he does still like me—which he doesn’t and maybe just doesn’t know it—the way he’s handled this whole thing is such a turn off... I guess I’m not nearly as understanding or sympathetic about where he’s coming from as you are about Andrea.”
“Well, that hadn’t worked out anyway.”
“Right…guess she hasn’t handled this whole thing well with you, either.”
“It goes the other way around too, though.”
“You mean, you?”
Lena nodded. “I could complain all I want about how she fell short here and there, but she could argue that I was sending mixed messages. And that’s even with the denial she’d been holding onto while it was happening. It was just…hard to walk away from what was so easy.”
“She was easy?”
Lena pursed her lips and studied her. Her delivery was inscrutable—Lena couldn’t tell which syllable had the emphasis.
Lena shrugged. “Your resolve is clearly stronger than mine. I certainly gave in more easily than I’d care to admit to Andrea’s advances.”
“Sounds like maybe it was she to yours. Can’t really blame her, though.”
What’s this now?
But Kara looked casual about it as she took a bite of her food.
“Does that bother you?” Lena asked.
“Of course not,” she said once she swallowed. “I understand urges,” she said, bringing her glass of wine up to her curved lips and taking a sip.
What did she mean by that?
Lena looked at her thoughtfully, but became distracted by the allure exuding off of her. She made Lena’s mind wander, which made it difficult to avoid the thoughts that crossed it, and the more persistent they became.
Are her lips as soft as they look?
What does her lipstick taste like?
What sort of lover is she?
Is she a top or bottom?
How many times has she been with women?
How good is she at it?
What does she taste like?
There was something about Kara that was hard to read. Maybe something that Lena could pick up on in time, but it was a combination of innocence and playfulness and mischievousness. It seemed that conversing with her in person where she could see her expressions and body language threw Lena off, and she wasn’t sure which direction to take the conversation.
Lena watched the way Kara licked the wine off her lips—she was growing more aware of her body’s reaction at the mere sight.
Friends.
“But,” Kara said, returning to a more friendly demeanor. “I guess we grow from experience. And now that we know better, we do better.”
“Better people, I hope,” Lena said.
“Hm,” Kara said with a little gleam in her eye, followed by a gorgeous grin. Lena would have to quickly learn how to make Kara smile that way always. “Well, you definitely deserve better people.”
To do? Or in general? “I’m a bit high maintenance. It’s difficult to live up to my standards,” Lena said in a snobby tone.
“Oh, bullshit.”
Lena’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at her candidness. She wasn’t sure how she would have taken that through text or even a call, but Kara’s smile made her smile.
“You’re the richest person I know, apparently, but you definitely aren’t high maintenance.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, actually. You forget that I know you very well.”
Lena chuckled, feeling lighter. “Right. Well, as we’ve established, you’ve gotten to know the deeper parts of me. Now we’re getting into the shallower parts. And part of that is insisting that my sandwich be cut across, not down the center.”
“I can’t imagine you eating a sandwich.”
Lena laughed. “What about a hot dog?”
"Please don’t tell me you cut your hot dogs. And across?!”
“Oh, shut up,” Lena said. “Plus, I have baggage.”
“Oh boy…” Kara said, tipping her head back dramatically at Lena’s words. “You're so stubborn.”
“Another reason to stay away from me.”
Kara let out a little huff. “Well,” she said, moving on, “while I disagree, you definitely shouldn’t move on until you’re ready to.”
“You think anyone else would want to put up with me?”
“Aside from your strange hot dog preference, why wouldn’t they? Seriously.”
“Why would they,” she said honestly, vulnerable once again in the presence of Kara. Andrea’s words came to mind.
I know I have a poor work-life balance. But you do, too. It’s who we are.
“I’ve considered whether…just as I felt about Andrea, whether others would be unhappy with how much time I spend working, too. Both Andrea and I are busy people, which was part of the reason why I was more insistent on spending time together when we could…”
So many missed moments.
“I like to think that I’m more deliberate in keeping my work life from interrupting my personal life, but then…well, Gotham is a perfect example to the contrary,” she sipped her wine to quell the hint of doubt that had echoed in the periphery of her thoughts—that she couldn’t deny anymore. “Maybe it was unfair for me to—”
“Lena,” Kara interrupted. There was a bit of a fire in her sincere eyes. “Leaving for a disastrous event is different than ditching you on your birthday for a meeting with someone who wasn’t even a client yet. Andrea is not a once in a lifetime shot for you to have a partner. She’s not the only one for you. In fact, have you considered that you might be for her? And maybe that’s why she’s determined to have you?”
“I highly doubt it, given her track record of effort to spend time with me.”
“In that case, it’s her loss. It’s a shame that she’s so focused on making her career her priority that she misses where her true happiness and fulfillment could come from.”
Hearing that comforted Lena in a way she wouldn’t have expected. So naturally, she tried to brush it away. “Forget therapy, you should be a poet. That was beautiful.”
Kara remained silent, and Lena wasn’t sure what was going through her thoughts. “Why do you do that?” Kara softly asked.
She felt a little defensive at being accused of something despite not knowing what it was. But she knew full well that Kara wasn’t like that. “Do what?”
Kara looked at her, maybe calculating what she was going to say. Lena felt like she was in a spotlight. She didn’t like being center stage.
“You’re very critical of yourself.”
“Perhaps. But it’s helped make me the successful and intriguing person I am today,” she joked, deflecting.
Kara didn’t push it. And Lena enjoyed that she could now see the glare that Kara gave her. Lena scrunched her nose teasingly at her, and it made Kara duck her head with a smile.
“You’re not shallow at all. You’re a great person. Interesting and yes, intriguing. And fun.”
Before Lena could make a quip, Kara went on. “I knew that from our first conversation. The way you handled it—you connected with a complete stranger. One who was inconveniencing you,” she teased.
Lena shook her head, but smiled.
“And by how you’ve opened yourself up to said stranger,” Kara said, gesturing to herself, “and I got the unique chance to look right into you in a way that I know others don’t get to do so quickly.”
Lena was going to make another joke, but Kara cut her off.
“And I’m really sorry to say this, and I hope you don’t get upset, because I don’t like judging people and I don’t want you to feel judged because you were figuring things out and I totally understand—”
“Kara.”
She shook her head with an embarrassed sort of smile. “Andrea sucks.”
Lena laughed heartily at that.
“You’ve tried to see the whole situation objectively when you tried to rationalize giving her another shot, but were subjective when you actually did so and didn’t kid yourself about what it all really meant, even admitting to yourself that things were fuzzy…you know who you are and what you want, despite what you say. And that is very attractive.”
Lena felt a warmth low in her belly that rose all the way up to a blush across her cheeks. What did she mean by that?
“And maybe that wouldn’t be the first impression others would get, but that would be their loss, not yours, because you’re…you know…amazing. I know your worth and if I were them, I’d take any relationship with you I could get.”
What did that mean? Damn it, what did it mean?
She resisted a sigh. “To new beginnings,” she said instead, holding up her glass of wine.
“And happy endings,” Kara added. Lena studied her.
What did it mean?!
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 13
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Lena had to resist the urge to put the meal on her tab, knowing how much Kara really wanted to do this for her. She decided that she’d have to repay her some other way sometime. Maybe she’d buy her a jet.
They walked past the doorman onto the sidewalk to wait for her car. She wasn’t sure how Kara had arrived at the restaurant that evening, but she waited next to Lena.
Lena couldn’t help but steal glances at Kara, at the way the gentle breeze teased the ends of her hair, at the way she seemed even more radiant under the new lighting of the streetlights. Standing there with the night stretching before them, Lena felt a strong desire she was quickly associating with Kara. Her eyes lingered on Kara’s lips, and when Kara instinctively licked them, Lena bit her own lip, warmth spreading through her chest.
“Um…so did you drive here, or…?”
“Oh. George should be here in just a minute.”
“George?”
“My driver.”
Kara chuckled. “Who are you?”
“I’m just Lena,” she smiled.
“Well, Just Lena, you are by far the most interesting person I’ve ever met and I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.”
“Well, I’m an open book,” she teased.
She was about to ask Kara whether she’d like a ride to her place, but a voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Lena?”
Lena’s head snapped up, her mood souring instantly as she recognized the voice. “Andrea,” she said flatly, unsure of whether to be angry or simply walk away, but the irritation was already bubbling up inside her.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Andrea smiled warmly, seemingly oblivious to Lena’s disapproval, except for the fact that Lena knew she could read her better than most. “I was just thinking of you. How serendipitous.”
Lena was disproportionately angry at seeing Andrea. The last time she’d seen her, it was with her tongue down her throat.
For all the doubt she'd just shared with Kara about the hypocrisy of giving up on Andrea for reasons she herself might be guilty of, the reminder of being stood up that night made Lena feel foolish once again at having let herself succumb to temptation.
Now, here Andrea was, acting sweet and flirty as though nothing had transpired. She always did this. Lena had been stupid to have put up with it for so long—it only pissed her off even more. She wanted to tell Andrea to fuck off right there on the sidewalk.
“Ready to go?” a soft voice asked.
She felt a gentle hand on her lower back, grounding her. She turned to find Kara smiling at her with those easy, understanding eyes, and for a moment, Lena forgot where they were. Kara was just looking at her, but she felt seen. She felt as though they were sharing an intimate connection.
Lena’s lips parted to speak—the anger she felt dissipating and being replaced by a different sort of heat—but no words came out.
Kara’s smile widened, probably at Lena’s dumbstruck reaction. Kara pulled her gaze away, and sound returned to the world.
“Hello,” Kara greeted Andrea with a polite expression, as if only just noticing her.
“Hello…” Andrea greeted hesitantly, her brow wrinkled in confusion. She took a small step back, recognizing the space she had infiltrated.
Kara smiled, seemingly unbothered. She looked to Lena, silently prompting her to take the reins.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Where are my manners?” Lena said, blinking back into the moment and catching up to follow Kara’s lead. “Andrea, this is Kara—”
“Danvers,” she finished, extending her hand to Andrea’s, not moving her other hand away from Lena. “And you’re Andrea...”
“Rojas,” Andrea finished, shaking Kara’s hand a little too quickly. “Obsidian North.”
Lena nearly barked a laugh. Of course she’d immediately bring business into this.
“Obsidian…” Kara shook her head slightly, sounding apologetically perplexed. Lena was mildly surprised that Kara had never heard of Andrea’s company, but it only added more humor to the situation.
“Andrea is CEO of Obsidian North,” Lena explained to spare Andrea any further embarrassment. Maybe she was a kind person after all.
“Wow,” Kara said, smiling appeasingly at Andrea with an obscure tone.
Andrea studied Kara a moment before returning her attention to Lena, a flash of doubt in her eyes. “So, are you meeting…”
“Oh. No, no one. Just us, for pleasure. I assume you’re here for business?” Lena couldn’t help it.
“Yes, actually,” she said, standing a little taller. “A client who flew in from Venezuela.”
“All the way from Venezuela?” Kara asked.
There it was again, that mixture of innocence and slyness. The comment was so cleverly ambiguous that Andrea faltered, unsure how to respond. Lena hid a smirk, knowing full well that Kara’s subtle jabs were hitting their mark.
Not knowing how to take it, Andrea turned to Lena. “It’s been, what—only a week or two since I last saw you,” she said, clearly with judgment.
“Hm. Feels like longer,” Lena said coolly.
“I, uh,” she gave Kara a quick glance. “I hoped we could talk, after you came back. I didn’t like where we left things.”
“I didn’t like where you left me a couple of weeks ago,” she said, unable to hide the hint of frustration that bubbled to the surface.
Andrea sighed. “Okay,” she said, as though putting an end to this cat-and-mouse game. “Is this all to get back at me somehow?”
“Yes, Andrea. I’ve thought of nothing but you this whole time and figured out that you were going to meet a potential client from Venezuela at this restaurant on this day, and I made sure to time it so that my date and I would leave just as you were walking in,” she said sarcastically. “You got me.”
Andrea opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.
Lena called Kara her date. The feeling she got at playing the role gave her pause.
After a moment of silence, Kara spoke up. “Well, it was lovely meeting you, Andrea of Obsidian North,” she said with an enigmatic smile. “I hope you have a wonderful evening. Best of luck with your business dinner.”
Andrea looked between Lena and Kara, clearly at a loss for words. Unable to fully take control of the interaction, she knew Andrea would back down to save face. “Yes. Thank you,” she finally managed. “Have a good night.”
“Oh, we definitely will,” Kara said, dropping an octave and looking into Lena’s eyes as though sharing an inside joke. She leaned in and in a private murmur that Andrea could still hear, she addressed Lena. “After you, sweetie.”
It was completely coincidental. The pet name wasn’t anything specific—lots of people used that name, but the expression that she saw flash across Andrea’s face felt like redemption.
Before leaning away, Lena felt Kara’s breath warm against her skin before she pressed a soft kiss to Lena’s temple. The gesture was simple, but it sent a rush of warmth through her. Lena barely resisted the urge to close her eyes and lean into Kara to savor the feeling.
Kara offered Lena her arm, and Lena was quick to loop hers through it. With one last glance to Andrea, she turned to lead Kara down the sidewalk toward her penthouse at a leisurely pace, as though the interaction with Andrea hadn’t troubled her in the slightest.
“Don’t look back,” Kara murmured again close to her ear. “In case she’s still watching.”
Kara pressed another kiss to Lena’s temple, an unnecessary kiss, before pulling back slightly. Lena turned to look at her. The comparison of the adorable version of her from just moments ago, and this tall and confident one made Lena look away to focus on controlling the swoop she felt in her lower abdomen.
Once they were at the end of the block, Kara finally turned around to make sure they were no longer being watched. She turned back to Lena with a sheepish expression.
“I'm so sorry,” Kara said, returning to her sweet and apologetic demeanor. “I hope that was all okay. I wasn’t sure if I was overstepping and inserting myself where I shouldn’t, but then I saw how you looked at her, and how she was looking at you with that smirk on her face, and knowing how she stood you up, and she hadn’t even bothered to call, but she was looking at you all sweet, and I acted without thinking—”
Lena squeezed her arm, which she hadn’t let go of. “That was perfect,” Lena reassured. “You saved me from committing assault.”
“Oh good,” Kara exhaled a sigh of relief. “I mean, not about the assault. Although, actually, I would have liked to see that.”
“My two-degree black-belt would have finally come in handy.”
“What? You’re a blackbelt?"
“No,” Lena admitted with a sly grin.
Kara groaned. “Oh, my god, I don’t know when you’re joking anymore.”
“Can’t say I’ll make it easier for you. I rather enjoy your reactions.”
“You’re trouble.”
“It’s my middle name.”
“Now I know you’re joking about that one.” But she didn’t sound sure in her accusation. Lena just shrugged with an arcane expression.
“So. Your ex is the CEO of Obsidian North? That’s unexpected.”
Lena looked at her curiously. “So you have heard of her company.”
“I mean, it’s definitely not a start-up.”
“Hm.”
“Hm,” Kara mimicked.
“Well, now you know who I’m dealing with.”
“And now I know who I’m dealing with. Lena Luthor of L-Corp.”
Shit. She wasn’t sure if she was worried or relieved. There’s a lot that precedes her. “I told you I had baggage,” she joked, hoping to keep things from taking a turn.
“I still don’t see it that way.”
“Well, maybe you’re not as intuitive of a reporter as I would have thought.”
Kara grinned. “How did you piece that together?”
“I’ve read your articles.”
“You—you’ve read—really?”
Lena nodded. “I had once met with Cat Grant to discuss a possible partnership. The idea sort of fizzled out, but I’ve made a point to keep tabs on how things are going, including reading the magazine. I recognized your name, but I’m afraid I don’t remember which topics were yours.”
“That’s…that’s just…I don’t know. I’m flattered?”
Lena laughed. “Flattered?”
“I don’t know. You remembered my name before even knowing me.”
“They must have left an impression. I’ll have to go back and reread them.”
They walked in silence a moment, processing the sudden surge of knowledge at their identities and all that came with it.
“Well, shoot,” Kara said.
“What?”
“We were meeting backwards, and now we’ve reached the beginning,” she chuckled.
“I guess we’ll just have to replay it, forward this time.”
Kara chuckled. “So, are we actually heading somewhere, or were you just wanting her to check out your ass while you crushed her ego?”
“I suppose it’s both,” Lena smiled. “I’m only a few more blocks away.” She didn’t know what they would do once they got to her place. “Did you drive here? Because it’d be a bit awkward for you to have to go right back for your car. What if she saw you?”
Kara lightly snorted. “God, can you imagine? Her ego would grow three times its size. No, I was just going to call a cab.”
“Well, you’re welcome to come up for a while if you’d like,” she suggested before she could second-guess herself.
Kara studied her for a moment. Lena let herself be studied.
They were quiet the rest of the short walk to Lena’s place. Once they arrived at her building, Lena finally let go of Kara’s arm and stepped back a little. The doorman held the door open.
“What do you think?” Lena asked, her voice light. “You wanna come up? My door’s wide open.”
Kara bit the inside of her cheek when Lena raised an eyebrow, daring her to make the choice.
She opened her mouth, beginning to take a step forward, when her phone rang again. Surprised, she blinked and furrowed her brows. “I—”
For a moment, she simply looked at Lena, uncertainty in her eyes.
The phone rang again.
Kara sighed and checked the caller ID. “I thought I turned it off,” she muttered.
Lena watched as concern flickered across Kara’s face, followed by the annoyance that puffed her cheeks as she exhaled slowly.
“I’m sorry, I had it on ‘Do Not Disturb,’ but I thought maybe it was Alex but I guess I forgot I had him as an exception too…and I never removed him…” Kara rambled, her voice tinged with frustration.
Lena stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on Kara’s bicep. Kara quieted with a sigh.
They stood there, smiling at one another, and Lena felt the moment for anything more slip away.
Maybe it’s better this way, she thought. She wanted to be sure. Perhaps thinking it over was best—think first, act later.
“I had a really nice time with you,” Lena said, withdrawing her hand. “Thank you for dinner.”
Kara’s smile was resigned, but warm. “I had a great time too. You’re great company. It’s nice to finally put a face to the voice. A pretty one at that.”
“Face or voice?”
Kara rolled her eyes.
They lingered for a few seconds, neither wanting the night to end.
But it had to. “I guess I’ll get going,” Kara said, stepping back slightly. “I’ll, uh…talk to you later?”
“Text me when you get home.”
“Will do.” Kara hesitated, then stepped forward to give Lena a quick hug. “Goodnight.”
Notes:
🙈
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
Lena was in her office, between meetings. Despite the usual chaos of the day, her mind had been elsewhere.
Walking into her apartment last night had left her disappointed for more than one reason.
She leaned back in her chair, turning to look out into the cloudless sky.
She had an amazing time with Kara. The rush of excitement, the smiles, the teasing, the lure—it was all so strong. It was all so new, despite knowing Kara for a while now.
It was a bit strange. It felt so different. Kara felt like two different people and Lena wanted to text her to tell her about the beautiful woman she’d had dinner with.
Then she thought of how the evening ended the way it did—after running into Andrea, and then hearing from Mike—it sort of disrupted the mood.
If their exes hadn’t shown up…
Lena’s apartment was too quiet after that, so she put some music on low and took a warm bath. She heard from Kara shortly after that to let her know that she’d gotten home, too.
When she woke up that morning, there was another text, waiting for her.
Lena wasn’t sure what exactly she was referring to. Was Kara apologizing in sympathy because Lena had run into Andrea? Was it because Kara regretted getting involved, even though Lena appreciated it and thanked her? Was Kara apologizing because she checked her phone outside of Lena’s building, or because it was Mike on the caller ID? Was it because she didn’t come upstairs?
Kara was apologetic. It could have been for all those reasons.
She hoped that would reassure her about any and all of those possible doubts.
Their texts returned to normal after that icebreaker, for which Lena was grateful.
She had hoped that they crossed a line last night—not the one she would have liked, but the one that would move their friendship beyond texting.
As she went about her day, Lena became more and more disappointed in herself. The encounter with Andrea had left a lingering unease in her chest. Seeing Andrea walk up to her, smiling as though nothing had happened, had stirred something deep within Lena. At the time, Kara’s presence had helped her keep her composure, but now, alone in her office, the weight of it all pressed down on her.
Lena’s gaze drifted to the phone on her desk. She hadn’t heard from Andrea. Which wasn’t a surprise, considering, but the silence this time hit a little harder. And she couldn't be upset—she couldn’t put the blame on Andrea this time.
She sighed and picked up her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found Andrea’s name. Her thumb hovered over the call button.
The memory of the night Lena decided to finally end things with Andrea rose in her mind.
Lena had been with friends, and they made sure she still had a nice time. The moment Lena finally accepted that Andrea wasn't going to show up, Jack and Sam knew it, too, without her calling it out. They knew Andrea well enough.
They tried to make light of it for Lena’s sake, tried to make her birthday dinner special anyway, tried to celebrate Lena all the while there was an empty chair next to her the entire time, leaving her to wonder whether she ever mattered at all—it left her feeling more alone than ever. She had felt unseen, unimportant, and ultimately, rejected.
The hurt she felt then was too much, and she used that hurt against Andrea to avoid holding it all within herself.
Lena had been cruel. She justified to herself at the time that she was protecting her own heart. But now, with the clarity that distance and time had afforded her, Lena saw the situation differently. She felt a pang of guilt for how unfair she’d been to Andrea.
She let out a heavy sigh.
Andrea had tried to reach out, to repair what was broken between them—or maybe she was doing it because she felt guilty, because she knew she had hurt Lena and wanted to make amends—but Lena had never given her the chance and had pushed her away instead, thinking only of her own pain.
Lena knew deep down that Andrea wasn’t the bad guy—that she never intentionally tried to hurt her or make her feel insignificant. She was just a woman who was passionate about her career, who had priorities that didn’t align with Lena’s. Andrea had made her feel unimportant, but Andrea had never been the villain in this story. Neither of them had.
Lena finally swallowed her pride and pressed the call button. The phone rang once, twice, and then Andrea’s voice came through, soft and slightly surprised.
“Lena?”
“Hey, Andrea,” Lena said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Do you have a moment to talk?”
There was a brief pause on the other end. “Sure,” Andrea replied, her tone cautious. “Is everything okay?”
Lena took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking… about us. About everything that’s happened since we broke up.”
Andrea didn’t say anything, but Lena could hear the tension in her silence.
“I want to apologize.”
Andrea sighed. “Sweetie, I’ve told you, there’s nothing for you—”
“Please listen,” Lena said, gently cutting her off. “I was hurt. I felt… rejected. And I took it out on you to take away some of the pain. I was unfair to you and I’m sorry for that.”
“Lena—”
“I was withholding and then I led you on, making you believe that we could work things out. I had decided that it would never happen, but I left that door open to the possibility, not wanting to commit to the idea that we were over. And then we started falling back into old habits and I didn’t stop it. I wanted us, but I also didn’t, and I let you believe…it was unfair and shitty.”
After a pause, “…are you done?”
Lena smiled, hearing the smile clearly on Andrea’s lips.
“I agree. You’ve been kind of shitty.”
Lena just about took the apology back and replaced it with some choice words, but Andrea chuckled in a familiar and endearing way.
“But I deserved it.”
Lena was about to interrupt her again—this call was meant for her to apologize, not Andrea. Knowing that she’d been interrupting Andrea a lot, she made herself shut the fuck up for a minute.
“I didn’t prioritize our relationship the way I should have. And even though it came off like I didn’t care, I really was just avoiding the fact that I fucked up again, and it added to the building guilt I’ve been carrying. And when you broke things off, I just felt like I needed to make it up to you, but I just made things worse. I wanted to make you feel better…and I guess make myself feel better, too.”
“And meanwhile,” Lena said, not interrupting, “I felt terrible and was trying to make you feel terrible, too.”
Andrea laughed, thankfully.
“This isn’t your fault. It’s nobody’s fault. You’re a wonderful person, Andrea, and you have nothing to apologize for anymore… aside from not having sex with me that night,” she added, a hint of humor in her tone. “You left me in a state…”
“I didn’t even get the deal,” Andrea groaned.
“I knew it,” Lena smiled, relieved that they could share a light moment. “But seriously, you’re doing an amazing job with your company. You’ve worked so hard to build it into what it is today. I don’t know when I last said this, but I’m proud of you.”
Andrea was quiet for a long moment. Lena could almost picture her on the other end, and wished she could give her a hug.
“That means a lot to me.”
“You’re a strong woman and a wonderful person. and you’re going to find someone who’s the perfect match for you.”
“And you’ll find someone who can give you everything you deserve…though by the looks of it, you already have,” Andrea laughed softly.
Lena knew it had hurt Andrea to see her with another woman. She wanted to make it hurt less. “She’s just a friend,” she said, making herself hurt more.
“So were we,” Andrea said and Lena could hear the smirk on her face, still masking the feeling of being replaced.
“And maybe we still could be,” she said gently. “Maybe a little time apart would do us some good, though.”
“Yeah,” Andrea sighed. “Yes, okay. I mean, I’m kind of busy anyway, so…”
After ending the call, Lena felt much better. Enough time had passed that they could speak more honestly—she was sure their conversation couldn’t have gone that smoothly had it happened any sooner.
And it sounded like Andrea was able to set down the weight of their relationship without feeling guilty anymore about where she’d rather spend her time. Lena tried not to take it personally because she knew Andrea, and allowing her to let go was what was best for her.
With a hopeful smile, she powered off her laptop and started gathering her things.
Then her phone rang.
At first, she thought Andrea was calling back. But when she looked at the caller ID, she froze.
It rang again.
It was from an unknown number. But not really. It was her number. Mostly.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 15
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Jack came back to their table with their first round of drinks.
“They’re almost here,” Lena informed him.
When Alex had suggested she and Kelly meet Lena for drinks as a thank you, Lena hadn’t been sure. Especially since Kara was unaware.
Apparently Alex did ask questions about the friend who owned a jet. And judging by the way Alex had no trouble dialing correctly the first time to reach Lena, also learned how she and Kara met.
“I don’t like the idea of you getting a second-hand thank you, you know?” Alex had said. “We’d really like to take you out for a drink.”
Lena suspected that Kara was trying to keep her and Alex apart, especially when Alex mentioned pestering Kara about it for over a week.
So, naturally, Lena accepted.
The message appeared as read, but it was about ten minutes before Kara responded.
“Hey, guys!” Kara said, already blushing.
It was like meeting her all over again. The transformation between a few nights ago and now this…
It was technically more casual, but Kara still looked sharp. Her dark slacks were fitted as if they’d been made just for her. And her shirt. It was just a shirt. A simple nothing-to-get-hot-over maroon striped v-neck. Nothing that should’ve been jaw-dropping. Except it was. The V drew Lena’s gaze straight to her collarbones again. What was it about those collarbones?
The three-quarter sleeves of the shirt highlighted Kara’s toned forearms. Her hair, worn down again, had a natural bounce as she shifted on her tiptoes, a playful energy that somehow made her even more alluring. It was unfair how she could look so effortlessly good.
Lena wasn’t sure whether she should stand to give Kara a hug. But then remembered that Kara was a huggy person, and this was all arranged unbeknownst to her. So Lena got up to give her a small hug, which Kara returned with more enthusiasm.
“I see you got started without me,” Alex teased.
“You can get the next one, don’t worry. I’m not a lightweight,” Lena said to Alex’s amusement.
After introductions—Kelly stayed home with a sick Esme and couldn’t make it, and Sam and Jack wanted to meet Alex after learning about the jet thing—the drinks flowed as easily as their conversation.
“That’s adorable,” Sam said when Lena explained how she and Kara met. “Why did you keep her from us?”
“Yeah,” Alex said to Kara, “we could have been hanging out sooner.”
Lena and Kara exchanged a glance. “Except that we only just met last week,” Kara said.
“You guys had never met in person?” Jack asked, surprised.
Lena shook her head.
“Wait…so you sent a jet to pick me up, even before meeting Kara?”
When she put it that way, it did sound a bit over-the-top.
“Can’t say I'm overly surprised, actually,” Jack said casually.
Yeah,” Sam agreed. “Lena does shit like that all the time.”
“What are you talking about?” Lena immediately regretted asking.
Sam launched into a story about the time Lena paid for her doorman’s daughter’s college tuition because he looked especially tired one day and he explained that he had started working another job to cover it. “She graduated last fall.”
“I just gave him some money,” Lena said, trying to downplay it. She immediately regretted setting Sam up to continue.
“You attended her graduation ceremony.”
“I didn’t want to be rude.”
“And started a scholarship program in her name.”
“And what about all the money you give to the Children’s hospital,” Jack chimed in.
“That doesn’t count. I own the hospital.”
“You own the children’s hospital?!”
“You hand-deliver toys to the kids,” Jack said.
“That’s selfish—I just like to see the expressions on their faces.”
“And you ensure that the families have sufficient food and housing if they need it.”
“It’s because I can afford to.”
“It doesn’t sound like you just throw your money at something and then walk away. You seem genuinely kind,” Alex said, brainwashed.
If people didn’t stop calling her kind, Lena might actually start believing it.
She looked over at Kara to roll her eyes, but Kara had a smug look of pride. So Lena stuck out her tongue at her instead.
They chatted and got to know one another better through their first round of drinks. “Okay, this one’s on me,” Alex said, taking inventory of everyone’s preference before walking away.
“Damn. Check out that ass,” Sam said.
Kara’s eyes went wide.
“Sam!” Lena scolded, just as surprised.
Sam frowned, immediately defensive at their reactions. “What? Oh—not your sister!” Sam said indignantly. “Geez, give me some credit. I was talking about the woman next to her at the bar.” Sam pointed with her now-empty drink, taking an ice cube into her mouth. “Damn, she’s taken,” she muttered when a man draped his arm around the woman.
“Since when are you into women?” Jack asked.
“Since before I dated men,” Sam said with an implied duh.
“How did I not know this about you?” Jack asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“I guess it’s been a while. Ruby has sort of taken me out of the dating pool. It’s been easier to occasionally see the couple of guys I know than find another girlfriend.”
“Couple of guys? At the same time?”
“Jack,” Lena laughed.
“Hmm. It hadn’t occurred to me. I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
“I don’t know you at all,” Jack declared.
“I’ve got nothing to hide, my friend.”
Lena looked over at Kara while Sam and Jack went back and forth. “I’m sorry about these two,” she said, loud enough for them to hear, though they were completely unbothered and ignored the comment.
“They’re a lot of fun,” Kara smiled. “I’m glad we could all get together.”
“Me too. We might have to do this again,” Lena said, feeling like she just jumped off a ledge. Not a tall one, but maybe one that could sprain her ankle really badly.
“Definitely,” Kara’s smile widened. “Maybe after coffee at Noonan’s.”
Alex came back a couple of minutes later with drinks for everyone.
“Okay,” Jack said. “That’s it. We’re playing Never Have I Ever.”
“Jack—” Lena began to complain.
“Yes!” Sam cheered, cutting her off.
“Kara? Alex?” Jack asked.
The sisters looked at one another, and then Kara looked at Lena, who just rolled her eyes good naturedly.
“I’m in.”
“Me too.”
Jack jumped right in without preamble. “First question. An obvious one. Never have I ever slept with a woman,” Jack said.
Alex laughed. The four women drank from their glasses, and Jack laughed. “Kara! I never would have guessed.”
“I guess I should add more flannel to my wardrobe.”
“Hey, I take offense to that,” Alex said, kicking her shin lightly.”
“Hey, Kara, are you single?” Sam laughed.
“You stay away from her,” Lena said, coming to Kara’s rescue.
“We’ll talk later,” Sam stage-whispered to Kara.
Lena rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the slight possessiveness she felt over keeping Kara to herself. She turned to Jack. “So, not even when you were younger?”
“Honey, there was never a question about my sexuality.”
“It’s true. I’ve seen pictures,” Sam said, taking a small sip of her drink.
“Okay, Lena. Now you.”
She thought for a moment. “Never have I ever…ridden a horse.”
“Oh my g—Lena, that’s so lame.”
“And it’s not even true. You rode a horse just last year when we went to visit my folks,” Jack reminded her.
“Oh, right,” she laughed. She’d ridden horses plenty of times as a kid, actually. She just couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Do over. And make it less PG,” Sam insisted.
“Fine. Never have I ever…slept with someone on a first date.” Unfortunately. Though, technically, it wasn’t really a date anyway.
The other four took a drink.
“Kara!” Alex said, surprised and a little horrified.
“Kara!” Sam said with a flirty smile.
“What?! You guys drank too!” Kara said defensively.
“Am I really the only one…okay, I need to re-evaluate my dating life.”
“Speaking of Andrea—never have I ever had an ex bail on me on my birthday, or during a gala I was supposed to be hosting with her, or when the verdict was given at my brother's trial, or when we were seconds away from getting it on, or like, you know, dozens of lunches, or—”
“Oh, shut up, Sam.”
“Yikes,” Alex winced.
But Lena took a long drink, to everyone’s amusement.
“So what’s the latest with that?” Jack asked.
“Nothing since she bailed on me that last time at her apartment. I won’t go back, not especially after that.”
“To think, you were this close to having make-up sex,” Jack said mournfully.
Kara sipped her drink.
“Please don’t,” Sam grimaced. “Sleep with someone on a first date instead.”
I tried.
“Has she tried to convince you to get back together after that?” Kara said, moving things along.
She realized she hadn’t told Kara about her conversation with Andrea. “She has.”
“And Lena put her in her place,” Sam said, nodding her head resolutely.
“Hm.”
Lena turned to look at Kara, who turned away, sipping her drink with the most innocent expression.
“God, imagine if you were to get married, she’d probably leave you standing there at the altar.”
“I could totally see that happening, if the client was worth enough,” Jack said.
And sadly, Lena could, too.
“Okay my turn.”
“No, love, you had your turn.”
“What? That didn’t count, I was just giving Lena a hard time.”
“You’ll get another turn. I’m interested to hear from our new and surprisingly adventurous friend,” Jack said, pointing his glass to Kara.
Lena was very curious, as well. For someone with her sweet, if not overly-apologetic demeanor, she was very interested to hear a little more about other aspects of her life.
Kara slid her finger around the rim of her glass. “Got one.”
“It better not be PG.”
Kara rolled her eyes good naturedly at Sam. “Never have I ever had a one night stand.”
Only she and Lena didn’t drink.
“Alex!”
“Don’t tell Kelly,” she smirked.
“Well, that’s disappointing,” Jack joked, clearly hoping for something more telling.
“That reminds me—Kara, are you dating anyone?”
“Stop it,” Lena said, but Kara laughed.
“I’m not. Let’s talk later,” Kara winked. Sam winked back, blowing her a kiss.
For some unknown—scratch that. For a reason that was getting harder to ignore, Lena felt jealous at their comfort level with one another.
After another couple of rounds, Alex had had enough. “I’m learning way too much about your sex life,” she said. “I'm gonna check in on Kelly.”
So the remaining four continued on, interrupting each other to have the next turn.
“Never have I ever had a threesome.”
“Never have I ever done it in a movie theater.”
“Never have I ever joined the mile high club.”
(“Oh, sure. You with all your jets—of course you would.”
“Jack, you have more jets than I do.”
“They’re vintage. They’re not meant for flying.”)
“Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.”
“Never have I ever slept with an ex’s sister.”
(“How was I supposed to know they were related? I’d never met her and they looked nothing alike!”)
“Never have I ever gotten drunk on a cruise and would have fallen overboard had my quick and gorgeous friend not pulled me away from the railing.”
(Only that one time.)
“Never have I ever done anal.”
(“Nobody drink! Jack, you can’t just lie to find out who of us has done anal.”)
It didn’t take very long for them to get through their second round of drinks.
“Alex won’t be happy,” Kara warned Lena.
“I’ll make sure it goes on her tab,” Lena lied.
While she waited for their drinks, Sam came up to wait with her.
“I like Kara.”
“She’s off limits.”
“God, I mean just generally.”
Lena gave her an unamused look.
“Fine, I’ll keep it in my pants. She’s not my type anyway. It’s too bad her sister’s taken, though. You think it’ll last?”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You should totally hit that.”
“Oh, jeez.”
“Why not? She’s nice. And hot.”
Lena tried to keep herself from blushing. “I guess so,” she said, distractedly looking to see what was taking the bartender so long.
“Well she clearly has the hots for you,” Sam said very casually, doing the same thing.
When Lena looked at her in surprise and a hint of hope, Sam looked at her in confused innocence at the expression on her face but after a moment she gave Lena a wry smile.
Lena rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“She won’t stop looking at you.”
“We’re all talking. Where’s she supposed to look?”
“Your eyes are up here,” Sam gestured. “She’s definitely a boob girl.”
Lena felt her nipples stiffen at their mention.
Thankfully the bartender set the rest of the drinks down.
“If I were you…” Sam shrugged.
They made their way back to the group.
As Sam and Lena approached the table, Lena’s eyes locked onto a man who looked to be one of the bouncers. Something felt off.
Sam noticed the change in Lena’s demeanor and slowed down beside her. They both observed the man standing over their table, speaking directly to Kara, who had her eyes closed as if trying to keep her patience in check. Jack seemed calm, but Lena could tell that he was studying the encounter very carefully, ready to step in if necessary.
“What the fuck…” Sam mumbled, walking forward toward the table and slowly setting a drink down in front of Jack, her gaze never leaving the man.
As Lena approached, she quickly realized what was happening.
“If you’d just return my calls, I wouldn’t need to interrupt the nice evening you seem to be having.”
“I’ve told you a thousand times, Mike...”
A heat rose in Lena, and she acted without a second thought. Setting Kara’s drink on the table, she used the moment to position herself between Kara and the man. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, her voice low and deliberate. “Here you go, darling,” she added, leaning close to Kara’s ear, a clear signal for her to play along as she had with Andrea.
With an air of practiced elegance, Lena kept her drink in hand and smoothly turned to sit on Kara’s lap, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She then looked up at Mike with a polite smile. “I’m sorry to have interrupted. And who might you be?” she asked, taking a small sip from her glass.
Mike frowned, unsuccessfully hiding his confusion. He didn’t respond.
“He seems to be a friend of Kara’s,” Jack jumped in, immediately picking up on what Lena was doing and taking her lead, treating the situation as though it was perfectly natural for Lena to be unabashedly all over Kara. “Mike, was it?”
“Nice to meet you, Mike,” Lena said, setting her glass down.
Mike, still processing the sudden change in dynamic, let out a scoff. “What the fuck is going on here?”
Lena tilted her head, feigning innocence as she glanced at Kara, silently prompting her to explain.
Kara wasn’t quite as composed as Jack was. She blinked up at Lena, momentarily left speechless. Her hands hovered over her, so close but not touching. Her half-lidded eyes drifted from Lena’s lips back up to meet her gaze. Lena’s heart quickened in response.
But Lena needed Kara to step in, so she placed her hand on Kara’s shoulder and gently traced down her arm until her fingers rested over Kara’s hand, guiding it onto her lap. Then Lena placed her hand over Kara’s sternum, rubbing her thumb back and forth in reassurance. In retrospect, perhaps that didn’t make things better.
But Kara snapped out of her apparent trance to acknowledge Mike.
“What’s going on is none of your business,” Kara said, her voice firm. “Not anymore. Not for months. So, I’m asking you again to please leave.”
Mike’s expression twisted into a smug grin. “Oh, I get it now. This is why things weren’t working between us? Because you’re gay? I should have known.”
Oh, hell no. Still perched confidently on Kara’s lap, she laughed ruefully. “Is that it, Kara? Was he so utterly unbearable that he drove you to bisexuality?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She reached up, endearingly tucking a strand of Kara’s hair behind her ear, letting her fingers trail down her neck to rest on Kara’s sternum again, this time with a bit more intimacy.
Turning back to Mike, Lena added, “I suppose I should be thanking you, then, for being so unsatisfying that you let this beautiful creature slip out of your grasp.”
Mike’s expression darkened, clearly irritated. “I think you took our breakup harder than I thought,” he sneered, dismissing Lena. “You seem to be an eeeeensy bit delusional.”
The stupid smug look on his face and egotistical attitude triggered her. This was the piece of shit Kara has had to deal with? This was the patronizing asshole who couldn’t accept being rejected, that had pushed Kara to her limit? Lena wasn’t about to let him off that easily.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, her voice dropping to a sultry tone as she leaned into Kara. “I’d say you’re pretty clear-headed when we’re together. Wouldn’t you say, darling?”
Kara, her brows still furrowed at Mike’s words, looked up at Lena, and everything else seemed to fade away. She saw the moment when Kara’s attention shifted to her, the way her pupils dilated slightly, the way her eyes softened when she looked into Lena’s and then it no longer felt like an act. Lena tipped Kara’s chin up and, without another thought, pressed her lips to Kara’s.
The kiss was molten, a rush of warmth and emotion that consumed her, and the world around them had disappeared. Mike was no longer there. Lena no longer cared whether or not he was. She didn’t care about his smug expression. He could be yelling or kicking chairs or have a duck sitting on his head—it didn’t matter.
Lena forgot entirely that they were still in a crowded bar—she was lost in Kara’s kiss, the kiss that Kara was returning. The kiss that seemed to be growing unnecessarily deeper, that was stretching long enough for their lips to become slick and slide over one another’s, that was hot enough for Lena to feel the tip of Kara’s tongue against her own.
But then Kara jolted suddenly and reality came crashing back in as she looked around, her eyes wide.
“He’s gone,” Sam said to them, her voice breaking through the haze.
“Well played,” Jack laughed at the show.
Lena glanced up, only now realizing that Mike had indeed vanished, leaving them with nothing but a smirk from Sam. She was caught. How long had they been kissing?
“Sorry I kicked you, Kara,” Sam said, giving Lena a knowing look.
Lena bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning back. She raised an eyebrow at Sam, then wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb, which only made Jack laugh harder.
“Is it safe now?” Alex appeared just then with a fresh drink. When she sat, the smile on her face quickly turned into confusion when she caught sight of Lena and Kara. “Why are you sitting on her lap…and why does Kara look like she forgot how to breathe?”
“Come, sit,” Jack said, patting the seat next to him, eager to retell the story of what had just happened.
While Sam caught Alex up after Jack failed to stop laughing long enough to tell it, Lena turned her attention back to Kara. She leaned in close. “I think I should stay here another minute, just in case he looks back,” she whispered into Kara’s ear, her lips brushing against her skin.
Maybe she lingered a little longer than necessary, but she couldn’t resist giving Kara a soft kiss on the temple—a subtle reminder of the favor she had done for her—before pulling back just enough to meet her eyes.
“I hope that was okay. I just needed to wipe that smug look off his face,” Lena said, her voice softer now, her usual cool facade slipping just slightly.
Kara blinked up at her, still a little dazed. “Yeah,” she said, her voice hoarse as she cleared her throat. “Yeah, that was…uh…I mean, thank you.” A small, almost shy smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Lena returned the smile. “Any time,” she said instead of thanking her as well. “You’ve got a little something…” Lena used her thumb to gently wipe a bit of lipstick that had smudged around Kara’s lower lip. “There. All better.”
After a playful boop on Kara’s nose, Lena finally slid off her lap and took the seat beside her, still close enough to keep up the act. You know. Just in case Mike came back.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 16
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Kara, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“Don’t worry about it, Alex,” Kara said, brushing it off.
“This whole time?”
Alex wasn’t necessarily angry at Kara—her frustration was more concern. It never occurred to Lena that Kara would have kept the after-affects of her breakup from Alex. She’d just assumed that Kara had more support. Evidently that wasn’t true. Lena was sure that Alex would have been more than supportive, given her reaction, but Kara didn’t give her the chance. It made Lena hope that she herself was supportive enough.
Kara maintained an unamused demeanor, but Lena noticed her begin to nervously shake her leg. So Lena rested her hand gently on Kara’s knee to comfort her. Kara didn’t acknowledge the gesture aside from tipping her chin down, looking without looking. But she stopped shaking her leg.
“It’s, uh—” she started, distractedly. “It’s…no big deal. It’s just been texts and voicemails. He’s never actually just shown up like this, and that’s only because he apparently works here.”
Alex looked at Kara with compassion in her eyes.
“It’s fine, Alex,” Kara said with a dismissive smile. “Really.”
Alex reluctantly accepted it. “Well, if he comes back here, let me handle it.”
“I’m not going to let you beat him up,” Kara sighed, rolling her eyes.
“I never said I would beat him up. Maybe I’ll use my words.”
“You literally just cracked your knuckles when you said you’d handle it.”
Alex shrugged and Jack laughed.
The topic moved on to stories about exes. Apparently, between all of them, there was lots to share.
Lena was enjoying herself. She felt warm from her drink and pleased with her performance.
She turned to look at Kara, to share a smile of camaraderie with her. What she saw instead were Kara’s eyes darting away from her cleavage.
A slow smile crept across Lena’s face, and she pursed her lips before it was noticed. Casually, she turned to look at Sam, who was engrossed in a story about…Veronica? Of course.
She glanced over at Kara again, a blush clear from her neck to the tips of her ears. She could pass it off as just being warm from the alcohol, but Lena knew it wasn’t there just a minute ago.
With her hand still on Kara’s knee, Lena began to stroke her thumb back and forth. Consolingly.
“No, seriously,” Sam said. “if you guys knew who I was dealing with, you’d know exactly what I mean—the woman is…you know what? Hang on, I have a picture” she said, hurriedly pulling out her phone to the amusement of the others.
Feeling emboldened, Lena began to move her hand slowly back and forth over Kara’s knee. Just her fingers, really, and just over her knee.
To her dismay, Kara didn’t react. She kept her gaze fixed on Sam. Interestingly enough, though, she hadn’t picked up on the cues to laugh at something Sam said as the others had.
“Wait, so you were the crazy ex?” Alex asked.
“Depends on your definition of crazy. I like to think I was passionate.”
Lena looked discreetly around them. From where they sat, nobody would be able to see what Lena was doing to keep Kara’s attention so completely fixated on Sam.
So Lena let her hand travel more broadly. Still her knee, though. She was still only on her knee. Well, also on the inside of her knee. But how far off was that really from on her knee?
Apparently, far enough to make Kara reach for her drink but not drink it.
“I had never been a top,” Sam barely got out before Jack laughed at her. “I was young!” she laughed along. “And how would I have known she was a bottom? The woman is a viper. I learned a lot that night, let me tell you…”
Lena couldn’t get away with looking directly at Kara to study her reactions, but she could see from her periphery the rise and fall of Kara’s chest. It sparked arousal low in her belly.
So Lena dared. She dared to trail her fingers higher up Kara’s thigh. But she kept her hand on top. Just on top. And just the tips of her fingers. She had to slide them excruciatingly slow, though, to avoid detection. But the thrill hit her all the same.
To her delight, she heard Kara blow out a slow exhale, keeping her gaze in the general direction of Sam.
Lena’s own breathing began to pick up, but she was practiced in controlling her expressions. Though it wasn’t necessary at the moment because Sam’s attention was on retelling the story to the others, and they were fully engrossed.
“Oh, please, like you don’t have any stories of your own,” Sam said to Jack, throwing a napkin at him. “You’re lucky Alex is here to spare you the embarrassment.”
“By all means,” Alex said, “do tell.” She rested her chin on her palm, looking at Sam expectantly with a grin. It made Sam’s eyes practically sparkle.
Lena tuned them out, her attention fully on the way her attention on Kara was making her feel.
She took her glass to take a sip of her drink when she ran her hand along the inside of Kara’s thigh, inching her way up and enjoying the way Kara slightly flinched at the unexpected shift.
But it made Lena stop, hold still, wanting to be sure that it was a good flinch and not a bad one.
It was one heartbeat. Then two. Then three. And then she felt Kara part her legs, requesting or encouraging or begging for Lena to continue.
Lena’s own breath hitched and she brought her glass to her lips once again to mask it. But she did as Kara told, without words, and slid her hand higher and higher until it swept over her apex and onto her other side before retracing the same path back.
Lena struggled not to squirm in her own seat. She could feel herself becoming wet and all she could do was uncross and recross her legs to give herself a little relief.
She caressed her way over Kara again, a slowing pendulum across her until her hand settled. Then she switched from side-to-side to up-and-down in broad and slow strokes.
Lena was grateful that Kara was wearing slacks instead of jeans because if Lena could feel the heat in her palm, then she knew that Kara was getting more sensation from the feeling as well.
Kara’s legs spread just a little wider. Lena’s strokes became narrower, concentrated in a more specific area. Still slow.
Lena’s underwear were beginning to ruin, and she wondered how long before she’d feel Kara’s do the same.
She uncrossed, and recrossed.
Kara gripped her glass.
Lena didn’t know how far to take it. It would have to be up to Kara because Lena had no intention to stop unless stopped.
Kara let out another soft exhale through her lips, and Lena resisted the urge to whine a little at the torturous feeling between her own legs, and the pleasurable one at the tips of her fingers.
“Are you okay?”
Their eyes snapped to Alex and they froze.
Alex’s attention was on Kara. “How much have you had to drink?” she asked with slight concern, looking down at the array of empty glasses.
Kara started about five sentences, but only one syllable came out of each as she struggled to articulate a thought.
“Oookay, maybe it’s time to drink some water,” Alex said with a crooked smile.
“No, no,” Kara smiled sheepishly, shaking her head a little. “I’m okay, I just…I think I—I think I’ll head home,” she said.
“Are you sure? Because if this is about Mike—”
“No! No, it’s not that, It’s…I mean, I feel really…hot. I think I’m just ready to get to bed.” She gave Lena’s hand a squeeze when she said it before moving to stand.
“Oh, um. Okay, yeah, sure,” Alex said at the sudden change in plans, beginning to stand.
“No, stay, you’re having a good time. I can get home.”
“But you’re…I should probably make sure you make it home okay,” she said in mild amusement at the misinterpreted state Kara was in.
“I can take her home.”
They all turned to look at Lena.
Play it cool. “I have an early morning anyway, and George could give her a ride.”
“Who’s George?” Alex asked.
Lena braced herself with one hand gripping the counter behind her, and the other at the nape of Kara’s neck when Kara slid her hand down the front of Lena’s unzipped jeans.
Her tongue slid over Kara’s, attempting to quench her thirst. But the more she kissed her, the thirstier she got. She probably was dehydrated because all the moisture in her body was now in her underwear.
Well, in Kara’s palm and fingers.
“Are you sure?” Kara exhaled against Lena’s lips, her hand already sliding wet circles over Lena’s clit.
“No,” Lena couldn't help but tease even in this state.
She gripped Kara’s elbow to keep her in place before Kara could pull back.
“I'm sure, I’m sure, don’t stop,” Lena demanded.
“God, why do you—” Kara began to complain. Her retaliation was to yank Lena’s waistband down further to get a better angle to dip two fingers into her.
“Oh…fuck,” she whined, her grip stumbling slightly against the counter.
She began grinding as best she could over Kara’s hand, trying to reach the summit within sight.
“Where’s your bedroom?” Kara breathed hotly in Lena’s ear. As if Lena had any sense of direction.
Kara wasn’t kidding when she said she was in shape, especially for a reporter. Lena felt the way her arms flexed when she lifted her and carried her into the living room, depositing her onto her sofa.
The angle was much better in that position, especially without pants.
Kara was only half on her, with one knee planted on the floor, but it didn’t take long for Lena to near the summit again.
She didn’t bother trying to hold herself back—to hold out longer. She could feel a queue of orgasms waiting to surface.
So she let herself come and come and Kara slowed and stilled, and Lena once again gripped Kara’s elbow to keep her in place.
They slowly built up their pace again. While Lena panted and mewled, Kara battled with Lena’s shirt and bra with her other hand, pulling them away to place her mouth soundly around Lena’s nipple.
Knowing that she was a boob-girl, Lena arched into her. She was pleased at the sound Kara made when she opened her mouth wider.
While she lavished Lena’s breast, though, Kara slowed the movement of her other hand. So, selfishly, she gripped at Kara’s hair to bring her back up for a deep kiss, refocusing her attention to the pressure between her thighs.
After coming again, Kara seemed ready to keep her going. But Lena had other ideas.
She rolled onto Kara, landing them both with a thud onto the floor. Kara wrapped her arms around her, to hold her and kiss her, but Lena was done kissing. She wanted her lips elsewhere.
She stretched Kara’s arms above her head, tonguing the inside of her mouth as she ran her hands up the length of them.
Lena felt a little guilty at the way Kara squirmed beneath her. She had tortured her at the bar, and then Kara took care of her first.
But she’d take care of her now.
She stripped her of her shirt and bra, and palmed at her breast, pinching and tugging at one nipple while licking and sucking on the other, alternating back and forth.
More squirming.
So Lena moved down, pulling Kara’s pants down and off her legs, settling between them and brushing her lips along the inside of her thighs. She kissed her through the underwear she left on.
Kara’s hand came down to tangle in Lena’s hair. She squirmed some more.
Lena licked over her underwear, nosing at her clit, and Kara firmly pulled Lena’s head in to release some of the tension she was feeling.
“Lena,” Kara begged.
Lena smiled against her and pulled her underwear down until Kara was able to kick them off.
She settled once again between Kara’s legs and leaned in.
Unlike Kara, she worked her slow. Her licks were soft, covered a broader area, only occasionally running over Kara’s clit.
“Lena,” she said, a little more frustrated.
“Hm?”
“I need…” A gasp. “I want…”
“Use your words,” Lena said before swiping her tongue teasingly over her, stopping short.
“Oh, f—god, you’re not kind at all,” Kara groaned and took matters into her own hands. She gripped the hand in Lena’s hair firmly and moved herself over Lena’s tongue, hitting all the places they both wanted her to. Lena happily and kindly gave in then. She followed the rhythm of Kara’s hips, licking up and down along with her movements.
But wait—she wanted to be the one solely responsible for the orgasm Kara was about to have. So she wrapped her hands around Kara’s strong thighs, pulling her hips down to keep her still.
She licked at Kara, broadly and then pointedly, until her legs began to tremble and the moans started spilling out of her lips. As much as Lena had been torturing Kara by licking around her, she then brought her tongue right under her hood and flicked it directly over her clit. Kara’s legs trembled harder, and she gripped and released and gripped and released at Lena’s hair.
“God,” Kara said in a choked whine. Lena chose that moment to wrap her lips around Kara’s clit and suck gently. And when Kara came, it was with a moan so raw that it brought Lena a hair’s width away from the edge too.
They fucked each other through two more orgasms, never making it to Lena’s bedroom, until they were finally spent and panting on the floor.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 17
Notes:
I had written these chapters a while ago in a different context, so I’m just modifying them to fit the new direction. Also using some of the stuff I’d written and deleted from before. So please excuse any inconsistency to the overall story.
I’ll post them as soon as I can just like before, but I have only about 3 or 4. So it’ll be a short stint.
(Spoiler: I have no idea what project Lena’s working on. We will never know. Don’t worry about it.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
Jess stepped alongside Lena when she exited the board room. “Please give Mr. Edge a call and schedule a fifteen-minute meeting for later this afternoon—whatever will work with my current schedule.”
Lena did not appease the board members. She convinced them. The project Lena’s team had been working on suddenly made them all nervous, afraid it would be a flop and lose the company millions.
She had no idea where the sudden shift in perspective came from, and admitted to tapping into a little of her frustration to intimidate in an effort to quiet the room enough for her to speak. By the end of the meeting, they were back at square one—which was to say, they were all on board.
“I’ll need to discuss some of the marketing objectives with him today and look into a possible break in his internal communication. I feel like I’m working with toddlers,” she complained.
“Yes, Miss Luthor,” Jess said, easily keeping up with Lena’s pace. “Miss Arias requested to meet with you. She insisted on waiting in your office.”
Normally Jess would scowl the person away if they so much as tried to get near her desk, let alone Lena’s door, but she knew that Sam was an exception.
“Alright, thank you. Ensure we get no interruptions for the next hour and send over lunch for two, please.”
“Miss Arias has food on the way.”
Of course she did.
Sam was sitting across from Lena’s desk on her laptop when she walked in. “I need a vacation,” Lena said, heading straight to her desk as Jess closed the door behind her.
It hadn’t been long since their mini vacation, but Lena needed to plan another one. Even if she couldn’t get all of them together for a whole weekend, even if they just overlapped a day or two, she’d take it.
“Oh my god, yes, please. I’m texting Jack right now,” Sam said, desperately.
Lena’s phone vibrated on her desk.
“No questions asked,” Lena smiled, setting her phone back down.
She and Sam talked business until the food came, then they took a break to begin their vacation planning while they ate.
“This swimsuit would look so good on you,” Lena said, sending the link to Sam. Then she got a message alert from Kara, and smiled as she always did when she heard from her.
She and Kara had never spoken about their one night stand a few weeks ago. She heard from Kara the next day, but it was a good-morning text, like any other.
Kara clearly wanted to move past it, which was fine. What was there to say? Aside from telling Kara that she loved the way she felt from the inside, there didn’t seem to be a conversation to be had over the phone. Their conversations settled back to normal pretty fluidly.
And they hadn’t met in person again. It affirmed that Lena should just let it go as a one-time thing. She had to assume that Kara didn’t want them to head in that direction, and was trying to keep things as they were. Lena could be okay with that. She’d have to be. But damn it, she wished she had more.
By the end of the day, she and Sam and Jack had a plan.
“You two own your companies. So approve your own vacations.”
Lena really wanted to get away from the meetings and legal documents and paperwork. Things would be better once their new product launched. Then she’d be able to start something new—to brainstorm and invent and create hands-on.
“Lena,” Sam insisted, “the only other time that would work for us would be two months from now. I can’t wait that long…and I’ll whine the entire time until then.”
It would be only a couple of days. “Maybe…”
“I’ll take that as a yes. And you’re my boss, so just approve my vacation too.”
All vacation requests were approved, with the acceptance that they’d be working remotely.
And because they were planning to work anyway, and there weren’t schedules to align much, and the drive wasn’t too far, they decided to just leave that weekend.
“Berry can’t make it?” Lena asked, disappointed.
“They can’t really work remotely, so they decided to stay home. But they give us their blessing to enjoy ourselves.”
“That just means we get to plan another one when they can join us.” They all agreed it’d be a good idea.
“I was looking forward to a fuller house,” Lena said, setting up for what she knew was coming.
“You should bring Ruby along, then,” Jack said, to her surprise.
Sap.
“If you’re sure? I could ask Patricia,” Sam said, needing reassurance.
“Don’t bother. She’s a good kid. Is she old enough to drink yet?” Jack asked.
“Almost,” Sam smiled. “In just a decade, give or take.”
Just was her luck, Lena was delayed. Of course, because things were finally going smoothly, there was bound to be a fuck-up at work.
It was Maxwell Lord. But also Morgan Edge.
But it was fine. It wasn’t a huge delay. It just meant she wouldn’t be carpooling with Jack the way they’d planned.
She watched the clock, waiting for them to arrive. The sooner they met, the sooner she could leave.
She had time while she waited, to take care of a few more things…so she used that time to check in with Kara.
Lena smiled, but Jess informed her then of Edge’s arrival.
“Thank you, Jess. Please summon Mr. Lord from his office and send them in once they’re both here.”
Once inside, Lena talked assertively, and she talked fast. She asked Jess to join so that she could take notes, knowing that the two men would be far too chastised to remember the clear steps she would lay out for them to complete by Monday. What she really wanted to get across, in person, was the seriousness and no-bullshit attitude that wouldn’t come across as well in a virtual meeting.
“There are standards of communication for individuals who oversee entire departments,” she said evenly from her desk. She needn’t stand—her tone was intimidating enough, if their slumped shoulders were any indication. “You’re meant to lead by example and I am less than impressed with the one you’re setting. What you put up with is what you stand for and I can assure you that I will not put up with passive-aggressive behavior over bruised egos. We will not be having this discussion again. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Miss Luthor,” they said in unison.
She ended up staying even later than she had intended, but finally, finally, Lena’s bags were in the trunk of her car and she was on her way to getting the hell out of there.
It took Lena a second of confusion before she realized that Sam must have started a group chat with Kara by mistake. She smiled, deciding to wait to see how it would play out.
…What?
Lena’s adrenaline kicked in. She was going to see Kara again? She immediately began to freak out, but only at like a level four out of ten.
Lena reread the text and huffed a little breath of disbelief. Really, she deserved this. After accepting Alex’s invitation to get drinks without Kara’s knowledge, of course Kara would do the same. Of course.
Lena’s eyes went wide. Is she joking?
A separate text came in.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 18
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
For all the complaining about how long she was taking, there was nobody waiting to greet her when she finally got to the beach house.
There was evidence of kids strewn about the kitchen—more than one plastic plate, a few toys, crayons.
I’m gonna be spending some time with Esme…
Cheeky.
She was nervous. She had time to contemplate that on the long drive over. She and Kara had reverted so far back in their friendship to the time before they ever met in person, that this felt like their first time meeting, in a way. It was ridiculous, of course, given the position they were in the last time they did see one another.
Plus, she simply didn’t know what to expect. They couldn’t go far with a phone-relationship. In person, though…
She’d have to just wait and see.
Assuming that everyone was out on the beach, Lena went to her usual room to change out of her work clothes. She took the time to put a little sunscreen on—knowing that she’d regret it otherwise—and opted for shorts and a tank top. Still, she wore a large-brimmed sun hat and sunglasses to further protect her pale skin from the bright sun.
The back patio led to a backyard of sorts. The ground was packed dirt, and there were tall trees that offered a canopy of shade, and tropical plant landscaping that offered a private and cozy feel. She walked across it toward the private beach.
As expected, it was relatively empty, aside from the groups of people from the neighboring houses, several yards away. Sam and Jack were nowhere in sight.
But Kara was.
“Esme, look! The dolphins are back!” she heard her familiar voice say. Lena watched as Kara ran to Esme and hurriedly scooped her into her arms. She bounced her over to the shore to point out a couple of dark spots in the water. Esme pointed them out too, to show that she saw them.
Lena looked up and down the shoreline but didn’t spot Jack and Sam, though their towels were under the only umbrella around. She stepped to one side and sat in the sand, deciding to take a minute and let Kara and Esme have their moment.
It didn’t last long before Esme wiggled out of Kara’s arms and ran back to the hole she was digging. Kara followed her, not noticing Lena.
Lena took advantage, admiring Kara’s figure. Her hair was tied back in an intricate ponytail. She was wearing a racerback tank top and bleached jean shorts, and no shoes. Her legs looked so smooth and muscular. The open and sunny sky gave Lena a clear view of her and she realized that she’d never seen Kara in the light of day.
She could spend an inappropriate amount of time just looking at Kara, and wondered how long it would take for her to realize she was there. But she should probably announce herself. “That’s quite a big hole.”
Kara looked up to search for the voice. She blinked a couple of times when she found her, and she gave her a sexy grin. She didn’t have any other kind.
“Lena!” Kara scrambled to her feet, kicking up sand as she ran over to her and nearly tackled her with a hug as though they were good friends who hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Lena had to pull her arm back to keep from falling into the sand. She laughed at Kara’s excitement.
“Gosh, I’m so sorry. I should have asked! Or at least warned you, or maybe just waved and said hi—I’m sorry, I didn’t think—are you okay?”
“You really do need to stop apologizing so much,” Lena said, pulling her in for another hug to reassure her.
“I’m so happy to see you!” Kara said into her hair before releasing her. Her excitement was contagious.
“It’s been a while,” Lena said, trying to keep the coyness out of her tone.
Kara smiled knowingly. “You look different…I’ve never seen you in the daytime.”
Lena chuckled at the same observation. “There’s much more color to the world,” she said, catching how much more radiant Kara was in the sunshine. Her hair was blonder, her eyes bluer, her skin tanner.
“But I can’t really see you under all that shade,” Kara teased.
“Well, I’d rather not add red to my color palette,” Lena said, taking off her sunglasses and looking at Kara with one squinty eye, the sand too bright.
Kara laughed. “You have such a pretty eye!”
“The other one is pretty much the same.”
“I can’t wait to find out.” Kara grinned and didn’t take her eyes off of her. Lena put her sunglasses back on, hiding her thoughts behind her eyes and feeling a little shy at the attention. But she held Kara’s gaze.
“Aunt Kara, I’m hungry.”
“Oh! Esme, this is my good friend, Lena.” Kara pulled Esme over to proudly introduce her.
“Hi,” Esme said with a shy smile, swaying back and forth.
“It’s nice to meet you, Esme.” Should she shake her hand? That’d be weird, right? “That’s a big hole.”
Esme looked back at the hole, but didn’t say anything.
Kara shrugged. “Okay, let’s clean up the toys and have a snack.”
“Ruby!” Esme yelled, disregarding Kara. Esme ran up to Ruby, who was running up to Esme.
“Hey, Esme! Oh, hi, Aunt Lena!” Without a pause, Ruby took hold of Esme's hand and they ran toward the house.
Kara stopped her task and stretched to keep an eye on them over the tall plants until she saw them step into the screened porch. Aside from never seeing Kara by day, Lena had never seen her legs from a distance either—even this short of one.
“I’m going to fill her hole. Don’t tell her.”
Lena quickly looked away. “But she worked so hard on it,” she said.
“It’s a tripping hazard. I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s broken ankle,” Kara said, kicking sand into the hole.
“Burying some treasure?” Jack asked, suddenly there.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Kara said thoughtfully. “The kids would love finding some.”
Having only met the two times in a structured setting, it was nice to be in a more natural setting with Kara. It felt more real—genuine.
“Lunch,” Sam announced when she finally caught up. “Hey, Lena. Nice of you to show up.” Without a pause, Sam took hold of Jack’s hand and led him toward the house.
“Enough with the fanfare,” Lena mumbled.
Kara turned to her and smiled. It was a sweet smile until it turned somewhat giddy. She sat under the umbrella, her long legs outstretched and crossed at her ankles, and encouraged Lena to do the same.
Lena smiled, and sat. “So. Did Sam have to twist your arm?”
“To see you? I had to twist hers.”
Lena bit the inside of her cheek, feeling flattered. “I’m happy you’re here,” Lena admitted out loud.
“Me too. It’s really nice here…”
It really was. Lena turned to look over at some shore birds running in and out with the tide, reminding herself why she was there. She took a satisfied breath full of ocean air.
When she glanced back at Kara, she was met with ocean eyes.
Lena smiled, involuntarily. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Kara said, somehow with more meaning behind the single-syllable word. “Sorry, I just…” Kara looked away. She took a handful of sand and let it fall out of her grasp into a little mound, like an hourglass. “Is it weird that I want to just…stare at you?”
“Kind of.”
Kara cringed. “That didn’t come out right.”
“I’ll give you a do-over.”
Kara pursed her lips and looked toward the water, intentionally not staring at Lena. She looked back down to play with the sand some more before speaking. “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I talk to you, like, all the time. I never see you, and haven’t since…” she trailed off, letting Lena fill in the blank.
Lena found it amusing that Kara still hadn’t looked at her. She brought her knees up and turned to fully face Kara. Then she took her sunglasses and hat off, and wrapped her arms around her legs. “There,” she said. “Stare at me all you want. And it won’t be weird because I’m asking you to.”
Kara finally looked at her with that sexy grin she wore so well and after a pause, mirrored Lena’s position. They were now face to face in a strange sort of staring contest.
Kara’s smile softened into something else, and her gaze grew familiar, no longer bashful, like she was looking at someone she knew well. It made Lena want to look away. So she didn’t.
At first, she watched as Kara’s gaze flitted over her face, from her hair to her nose to her chin, wishing she could read her thoughts.
Soon enough, Lena let her own eyes roam over Kara, noticing the small subtleties—the pretty bow of her lips, how the corners of her eyes seemed to set a permanent positivity to her expression, the beautiful streaks in her neatly-done hair.
And her eyes. It’s the thing that most people point out about someone else, what poems are made of, cliché lines about seeing galaxies in them. But they drew Lena in—the way Kara looked at her, reminding her of the moment right before Lena had first kissed her.
The nervous butterflies Lena had felt just an hour ago dissipated into something more comfortable. She was no longer meeting someone new—again—she was with a friend. A good friend. A close friend. She was with Kara. After a few short seconds, the awkwardness vanished and Lena crossed her arms over her knees to rest her chin on, settling into the moment.
Kara readjusted into a sitting position, criss-crossing her legs again and leaning back on her hands. Lena tried not to let her eyes wander down her body. She was with a friend. A good and close friend. A friend.
“Ask me something,” Kara said casually.
How could you? Instead, she asked something dumb. “What should I ask you?”
Kara shrugged. “Anything you want.”
Oh, that was a tempting invitation. There were many things Lena was curious to know—things that wouldn’t play out right through text…
Lena considered asking about them—asking about their amazing night together and whether Kara had thought of it since, whether she’d ever want to do it again.
Kara had wanted to move on, she reminded herself. Friends. She wants to be friends. Maybe Lena could change her mind…
She pulled her thoughts back from going down that road. “Why don’t you ask me something first, while I think of something,” she said, wanting to buy herself some time.
Kara chewed her lip attractively, searching Lena’s eyes. Once again, Kara’s expression shifted into something else—something more…intimate. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. After a pause, Kara huffed a little laugh before looking down and playing with the sand again. It seemed to Lena that she changed her mind about something she was about to ask.
So Lena asked instead. Though there were many things she would have loved to ask, she felt that the moment wasn’t the right time. “Which way do you like to wet your toothbrush—before, or after putting toothpaste on it?” she asked instead, wanting to keep things light and silly.
“Oof,” Kara cringed. “That’s a doozy.” Her expression turned serious. “But I’ll be honest. After.”
“Wow,” Lena said judgingly.
Kara lifted her chin, unabashed. “What about you?”
Lena lifted her chin as well. “I don’t.”
Kara's expression settled into confusion. “You don’t…wet your toothbrush?”
Lena shook her head. She felt her body lighten at this back and forth, seeing some of that fun energy that Lena had associated with Kara from over the phone.
“You mean, you don’t…Lena, the toothpaste needs to lather! You can’t just…how could you not—” she cut herself off when Lena began to laugh. She threw her head back in exasperation. “I believed you!”
“I can’t believe that this one topic almost ruined our friendship.”
Kara glared at her. “That’s still up in the air. You still have to answer the question or I won’t be able to sleep.”
Lena smiled. “About the toothpaste?”
Kara nodded.
“Before,” Lena shrugged. “And after.”
“You like it both ways?” Kara's eyes went wide, and it was only then that Lena even considered it a double entendre. “No, wait, that’s not—”
“Kara Danvers, you’re wicked,” she teased.
Kara groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. “Why do I bother…”
“Bother to what? Filter yourself? Please don’t, I rather like you this way.”
With the way Kara looked at her then, with eyes full of attention, Lena suspected that the feeling was mutual.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 19
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It wasn’t long before the girls were ready for more beach time. Specifically with Jack, tugging him along against his will. Kara, taking pity, trailed after them.
“Did you like my surprise?” Sam said, stopping next to Lena.
“I could fire you, you know.”
“You’re welcome,” Sam smirked.
Lena smiled when she heard Kara laugh beautifully at something Jack said. They were too far then to be heard but whatever it was, he looked pleased with himself.
“What exactly do you think is going to happen?” Lena said to Sam, her eyes studying Kara from behind as she neared the shore with Jack.
“What,” Sam said, sitting next to Lena. “Are you insinuating that I would have invited her here for any other reason than for her company?” she said innocently, playing with Lena’s hair.
“You’re such a shit.”
“You told me you haven’t seen her since we were all at the bar.” Lena nodded, but had no response. “Why haven’t you asked her out?”
“She’s just a friend.”
“Is that why you haven’t asked me out?”
Lena rolled her eyes.
“You guys had a good time, at the bar and after from the little you told me. Just ask her out.”
“I don’t know…what if she doesn’t want to and things get awkward?”
“God,” Sam mumbled. “See? This is why I invited her, because you won’t make a move otherwise.”
“You invited her as my wingman?”
“Exactly. You were so happy! Your breakup was hard and you were miserable and then she showed up and now you’re pretending to want to just be friends. So yeah, take a day or two to grow some balls and ask her out.”
They ended their conversation when they noticed Kara approaching. Jack continued to watch the girls. “Apparently I’m not invited to look for shells,” she said.
Sam scoffed. “You’d be looking a long time—”
“Look, Mom! I found a sand dollar!” Ruby said from the shore, her voice carrying over the sound of the waves.
“Wow, really?” Sam said under her breath, genuinely surprised.
“Aunt Kara! I found a spotty one!” Esme squealed. Jack leaned over to say something to her. “A junonia!” Esme clarified.
The girls resumed running back and forth to find more seashells.
“Look, a spiral one!” Esme announced to Ruby. “Another one!”
“I walked along this whole beach this morning and didn’t find shit,” Sam complained. “I had a net and everything.”
Lena broke out into a smile. “But you didn’t have a Jack.” When Sam looked at her quizzically, Lena tipped her chin in his direction for her to look.
Jack kept a few feet away from the girls, dropping seashells from his pockets when they weren’t looking, and then encouraging them to look in those spots.
“Oh, my god,” Sam said. “That is so fucking cute.”
“Why does he pretend not to like the kids?” Kara asked, sitting down comfortably next to Lena.
“Because he’s an intimidating CEO and not at all a softie,” Sam grinned. She stood and walked the distance to him, and Lena watched as Sam planted a kiss on his cheek and wrapped an arm around his waist as the girls squealed in excitement.
Kara stretched out her legs and leaned back on her hands. Lena looked straight ahead at Sam.
They watched as the girls bounced with each shell they found. Then Ruby suddenly squeaked. “A crab!” With fits of screams and giggles, she and Esme ran to Jack, likely to climb him. But he ran in the opposite direction, yelping as well. Whether it was at the crab or the kids was unclear.
She sensed Kara turn to look at her, so she turned to look back.
Kara’s eyes were soft when she looked right into hers. Her expression stilled, just like time, and her gaze moved to Lena’s lips. She didn’t say a word but her warming complexion said it all. Her eyes flitted across Lena’s features as before—but this wasn’t that silly game it had been. Kara was looking at her in that new way again. And though she hadn’t had the chance to see it before they went from zero to sixty at Lena’s penthouse, there was no misinterpreting desire when she saw it.
Lena waited for Kara to meet her eyes again, to speak to her nonverbally while the opportunity stood.
The moment was too quick—just a couple of seconds—just long enough for Lena to have read her thoughts, but a squeal from Esme grabbed Kara’s attention.
Lena didn’t want to move on, though. She didn’t care to look at Esme or the others. She wanted to continue whatever was happening because she felt the possibility for more with Kara, and she wanted to see it confirmed.
But Kara’s eyes were attentive to Esme, who was running over to her, out of breath. Kara's energy level lifted to match that of her niece. “Hey, kiddo! Looks like you’re having fun out there.”
“Look!” Esme dumped her shells next to Kara and described in detail what they could clearly see.
Lena thought their connection was broken, but Kara did look back at her. Instead of recapturing the mood that had existed a moment ago, Kara pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin over folded arms, and gave her a guileless smile.
For all their talks about toeing the line, that seemed to be what Kara was doing to her now. Whether or not it was intentional…well, she was beginning to suspect the former.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 20
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Where’s Jack?” Sam reached into the fridge for a bottle of lemonade.
“He said something about the pool,” Lena said without looking up.
She had a crossword in front of her, but she couldn’t see it. Her sight was set on the mental image of Kara.
After their ambiguous moment on the beach, she and Kara (and occasionally Esme) had settled into a comfortable conversation. They kept it easy and light, and it helped Lena relax. Kara relaxed too, and it was the way she relaxed that had her at the front of Lena’s mind.
As they spoke about this or that, Kara had begun to wiggle her toes absentmindedly in the sand. And when Lena teased her or laughed about something, Kara would playfully tap her sandy toes against Lena’s ankle.
When Kara got so excited about what Lena said, or what she herself was sharing, she would place a hand on Lena’s knee. Even when she was leaning back, she’d actively reach forward for Lena.
And when Kara spoke about gentler things—her family, her niece—she absentmindedly let out a gentle stream of sand from her grasp, the same hourglass as before, onto Lena’s bare knee.
And maybe she could see her doing all that with anyone else in the house, but it gave Lena pause, curious.
The whole thing felt sudden…but really, it wasn’t. There was something there—for her, anyway. It was small—so small she hardly noticed it, but it was there. Like hearing a rustling of leaves in a forest, unexpected and out of sight, but it was definitely there.
And because she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, she wanted to approach the sound, to get a better look.
It became clearer as she honed in on the thought. And now that she saw it, she wasn’t sure what to do with it.
She chewed on her lip in contemplation, lightly drawing over some of the hints to her crossword.
She was startled by a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to find Ruby giggling at her. When she looked around, Sam and Kara were both smiling at her—Kara with amusement and Sam with confused curiosity.
“Sorry, did you say something?” She wasn’t even sure who to direct the question to.
“Are you stuck on a clue, or are you—did you take your gummy vitamin?“
Lena glared at Sam.
Kara glanced at Sam, not understanding, before turning back to smile at Lena. “I asked if you were going to join us at the pool.”
“You’re done working?”
Kara had to submit an article she’d been finishing to Snapper—a name Lena was very familiar with, given her connections to CatCo.
“I think I’m pretty much done for now, until he sends me notes.”
Ruby took Sam’s hand and guided her outside, but Kara waited for her answer. It was only then that she noticed that Kara was wearing a cover-up, presumably with a swimsuit underneath.
The thought made her look down at her crossword again, because she had a feeling she knew how she would react to seeing Kara in a swimsuit, and she didn’t want that to be read in her expression.
She definitely wanted to join them. “Sure, you go on ahead. I’ll go get ready.“ Lena then noticed that someone was missing. “Where’s Esme?“
Kara smiled. “With Uncle Scrooge.”
“He really is a softy.”
“He's not fooling anybody but himself.”
“You really should be in therapy.”
Kara scrunched her nose at her with a playful glare.
Lena smiled innocently. She got up from her crossword. “I’ll only be a minute,” she said.
“I’ll wait for you.” Kara sat down at Lena’s crossword and thoughtfully turned the page to a new one, leaving hers alone to finish later.
Lena had brought more than one swimsuit, but she hadn’t given much thought to how she would look in them. That is, she knew that they fit her well—she wouldn’t have bought them otherwise—but now she had someone she wanted to impress.
She settled on a dark rose two-piece. She tied her black cover-up around her middle, and tried not to feel shy and insecure. And then felt silly for feeling shy and insecure. They’d seen each other naked. They’d done a lot of things while naked. Why she was suddenly overthinking what Kara would think of her, she had no idea. Embrace the feeling.
Kara was still at her crossword. She looked up when she heard Lena coming down the stairs. Lena heard Kara clear her throat before giving her a smile that was quickly becoming one of Lena’s favorites.
“Ready?” Kara asked, standing.
They went through the back screened door and down the wooden steps toward the pool where they heard laughter from both Esme and Ruby, along with splashing. “You think Jack is enjoying the children?”
It turned out he was. He took one kid at a time and counted to three before sending them soaring into the deep end (with their arm floaties).
“Okay, my turn!”
“Must you yell?” But he easily lifted Esme and tossed her—not as high as he had Ruby, but still with a big splash.
“How long has this been going on?” Lena asked Sam, settling in the lounge chair next to hers.
“Not long. He was pulling Esme along through the water with a pool noodle when we got here.”
“What a softie,” Lena smiled.
“Aunt Kara, come here! It’s so fun!” Esme squealed.
“Yes, please save me from these needy little humans.” Ruby swam up to Jack and attacked him from behind.
Lena turned to Kara when she heard her beautiful laugh again.
She was right about her reaction to Kara in a swimsuit.
Kara was turned away from her, but the blue and white swimsuit she wore was just as attractive from the back as she was sure it was from the front.
It was curious how one’s interests were so subjective. Because Kara did have a great body, but she wasn’t unique in that way. Sam had a nice body, and Lena herself tried to maintain a good figure. Kara’s blonde hair draped beautifully down past her shoulders, not unlike many other women Lena had seen. And yet she couldn’t look away. And because Kara had her back to her, she didn’t bother to try.
It wasn’t the individual features of Kara that were captivating—her hair or her eyes or her waist—it was the whole of her, inside and out. Lena was attracted to her as she had been to other women, but she knew Kara, and that made it feel more taboo. And yes, Lena had seen her in the nude, but seeing Kara not naked was as much of a turn-on.
Kara reached for her hair to re-do her ponytail into a high bun. It put her body on full display and Lena was better able to appreciate the way that swimsuit fit her.
When Kara dropped into the shallow end of the pool and swam up to Esme, only then did Lena notice Sam staring at her with a grin on her face. She was caught.
“Something interesting catch your eye?” Sam asked.
Lena sucked in her cheeks to keep from smiling back. She raised an eyebrow at her before putting her sunglasses on and leaning back into her chair without looking at Kara again.
“Guys, get in here,” Kara said, now with pretty tendrils of wet locks slipping out of her bun. She moved through the water with Esme on her back.
“It’s only the daddies in the pool right now,” Sam said with a proud grin on her face.
Kara rolled her eyes. Lena simply smiled, trying not to appreciate Sam’s humor too much.
“Come on, Lena,” Kara asked nicely.
Lena stood and faced Sam, who looked smugly at her. But Lena was not in denial about what she was doing, and didn’t care that Sam was immediately aware, too.
She decided on what she hoped was a sexy show of her unwrapping her cover-up, all the while making direct eye contact with Sam. The amused smile she showed Lena only egged her on.
Just as Kara had innocently done, Lena reached up to redo her hair, tossing it back first before tying it up.
Sam glanced past Lena, and looked amused about something.
Lena turned around in time to catch Kara looking away. She shared that amused look with Sam before sauntering to the pool.
She sat at the edge, gently kicking her legs back and forth in the water. She felt Kara’s eyes on her. When she looked up, Kara didn’t turn away. She looked at her with the same attentiveness as on the beach earlier that day, and with a hint of something else reminiscent of their night together those few weeks ago.
She searched Kara’s face to pick up on any signs that would indicate any possibility of a repeat of that night. So she didn’t notice Ruby creeping up on her.
Ruby managed to grab hold of Lena’s hand and press her feet against the side of the pool to pull her in without warning.
When Lena resurfaced in shock, Sam was scolding Ruby, Jack was laughing, and Kara was swimming over to her.
Lena wiped water from her eyes. “You’ll be sorry, Ruby!” she playfully threatened, hoping to alleviate the trouble she was in.
“You okay?” Kara asked, slipping an arm around Lena’s waist to hold her, as if coming to her rescue. Really, it had the opposite effect—Lena had been breathing fine before Kara. She pulled Lena flush against her. “Shoot, now you’re wet.”
That fucking grin. Lena wanted to kiss it right off of her face. “That’s okay, I was already a little wet.” She saw the slightest reaction in Kara’s eyes. “I was kicking my feet in the water, so…”
Ruby, being an oblivious child, swam over to give Lena an apologetic hug. “Sorry,” she said so sweetly that Lena couldn’t be annoyed by her interrupting the moment. But only barely.
Kara slipped away, swimming on her back over to Esme. But not before another sweet-as-candy smile.
“I’m okay, Ruby, thanks,” she said, giving her a hug. And then dunking her head into the water. Playfully.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 21
Notes:
This is as far as I’ve written, so updates might be sparse. I’m working on the follow-up chapter now, so hopefully not too long?
Thank you for your comments—I look forward to reading them all—they bring me so much joy, each and every one.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was late. And it had been a long day.
The four of them did some work, as they promised themselves they would, while the girls cozied under a blanket to watch a movie. By the time it ended, they had both fallen asleep.
“Esme,” Lena heard Kara whisper. “It’s time to get to bed.” Kara lifted her little body, letting Esme’s head rest on one shoulder. Ruby woke then, and followed them toward the stairs.
Sam got up to help, and Kara waved her away. Sam waved away her offer, too, and they both went up with the kids. Lena smiled at their moment, and returned to her work.
She had an email update from Edge, which pleased her. She didn’t like to play bad cop, but it was effective when necessary.
Jack chuckled at something on his phone. Lena presumed he was in a conversation with Berry. Jack typed a response. Despite her interest in knowing what got her friend to laugh, Lena didn’t ask to be let in on their joke.
Having spent enough hours working for the time being, Lena decided to reset the kitchen to make it ready for another day. She began by taking all the dishes to the sink to wash.
She heard laughter from Sam and Kara. She did want to be let in on that joke, so she walked upstairs.
They were in Sam’s room. Or maybe it was Kara’s. She didn’t know because Sam was rummaging through her suitcase on one side of the bed, and Kara was on the other side, her back to the headboard as she typed on her phone.
“What’s this?” Lena asked nonchalantly.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Sam said, finding a pair of slippers. “Kara and I are sleeping together.”
Kara laughed and threw a pillow at her, but missed. She turned to Lena to explain. “Since Ruby and Esme are just next door, we thought it’d be a good idea for me to sleep nearby instead of the sofa bed.”
Sam gave her an amused look as she walked past Lena to set her bag back onto the dresser. It hadn’t occurred to Lena that they were short one room. “Makes sense.”
“I offered to let her sleep with me,” Jack said, walking up to stand with Lena at their door.
“I would never allow it. She’d get no sleep at all, with your snoring.”
“I only snore when I drink,” he pointed out. Sam gave him an unimpressed look. “Right,” he shrugged. “But my bed is bigger than yours.”
“It’s fine—at least for me. I bet Kara makes a good teddy bear.”
“It’s gonna be weird being the little spoon, though,” Kara joked. Lena smiled as Jack and Sam laughed.
Kara went back into the girls’ room to settle Esme when she walked out into the hall, rubbing her sleepy little eyes and searching for her—she didn’t want to sleep without a bedtime story.
The other three went back down to the living room.
“I’m going to snore anyway, so I may as well.” He went into the kitchen, reaching high into a cabinet to pull out a bottle of tequila. “Margarita?” he offered.
“Yes, please,” Lena said immediately.
Lena cut the limes and lined the rims with salt, and Jack mixed and poured the glasses. Sam declined one for the time being, taking her laptop out onto the porch to just “wrap up a couple of things” for work because despite what she said, she was actually very responsible and excellent at her job. Lena left Sam’s drink on the counter for Kara.
Lena and Jack joined Sam on the porch to enjoy the warm night. She brought out a book with her, and Jack resumed texting with Berry. She couldn’t focus on her book, though. All she could think was how lucky Sam was to have had a kid at the same time that Kara had a niece, in a house with too-few beds.
She thought about Kara on the beach and Kara at the pool. She thought about the sexual tension Lena felt followed by sweet innocence. Kara clearly wanted to play some sort of game, and Lena wasn’t entirely sure what the rules were. Whatever they were, she wanted to break them.
It wasn’t until Lena was finishing her drink—feeling warm and relaxed—that Kara finally came out to join them. She set her own glass down on the coffee table—the one Lena had left out for her—and sat on the loveseat with Lena, though she left a gap between them. Lena looked up to casually acknowledge her, and Kara gave her a soft smile, a lollipop stick poking out from her curved lips.
Lena stared at it, waiting to see whether Kara would do something with it. Like, anything at all. She must have been too obvious in her fixation because Kara’s smile turned into that trademark sexy grin.
Lena felt flush. Toeing the line. She shook her head and looked back down, trying to play it off. But Kara leaned into it—that is, she leaned into Lena.
Lena heard her take the lollipop out of her mouth with a little pop—she watched Kara set the little that was left of it down across the top of her glass to keep it from sticking anywhere.
She leaned close to Lena’s ear—she could feel her warm breath. “You have very pretty eyes,” she said in a low voice, perhaps not wanting the others to hear.
Lena steadied her breathing. Kara leaned back a little, having delivered her message, and Lena turned to look at her.
Kara’s eyes were lidded and soft. “Can I look at them?” she asked.
Lena looked at her curiously, unsure of what to do. Before she even got the chance to consider, Kara cupped Lena’s cheeks and pulled her face toward her. Lena’s breath hitched, and she simply let her reservations about the situation go. If she got to kiss Kara again, she didn’t give a shit if it was there in front of Sam and Jack.
But Kara didn’t kiss her. She just looked into her eyes. “When I first saw you in the sunshine, I only saw one of your eyes. You have two...” she studied them, looking back and forth between the two. Realizing the odd comment, she laughed at herself. “I mean, you have two and they’re different colors.”
Lena smiled in amusement. “Depends on the lighting.”
“And on having both eyes open,” she laughed again.
Though slightly disappointed that she wasn’t already kissing her, Lena figured it was for the best with the others in the room. She wouldn’t know how to signal for them to leave…maybe making out with Kara would have been a clear signal.
Kara moved her lips close to her ear again. “You wanna get out of here?” she asked in that same low voice.
“Wh—” Lena’s lips formed the single consonant, unsure of what to say, her eyes searching Kara’s.
Kara leaned back again, grinning at whatever expression was on Lena’s face. “I mean, go out onto the beach. It might be dark enough to see stars,” she chuckled.
She’s toying with me. She knew it from that glint of mischief in her eyes. Lena gave her a little glare.
Sam and Jack finally looked up, and Kara laughed at their curious expressions. “You guys are all so adorable,” she said fondly.
Lena looked at Jack and Sam out of the corner of her eye—her face still in Kara’s hands. They looked at each other in turn, unable to suppress the smiles Kara was pulling out of them.
“I want to see the stars,” she announced. She released Lena and stood, walking out onto the patio and across the yard to the beach without further comment.
“Is she drunk?” Sam asked, and Jack chuckled.
Lena just shook her head, unsure. She might be drunk. But then she looked at her glass, the one balancing what remained of her lollipop, and it was full.
“I’m so going to look at the stars with her,” Sam said, setting her laptop to the side and kicking off her slippers as she scurried out to catch up to her.
Lena looked at Jack.
“Go. I’ll stay with the darlings and call Berry for a while.”
“Okay,” she smiled. “Tell them I miss them.”
When Lena reached the beach, it was to the sound of laughter.
Kara and Sam were holding hands, crisscrossed in front of themselves, spinning around over and over until one of them let go, or maybe slipped, and they both went flying backward landing in the sand. It made them only laugh harder.
“You two are ridiculous,” Lena chuckled. And then she let out a squeak and began to run away, because Kara was suddenly on her feet, rushing toward her. It was difficult to run in the sand, and Kara was too fast anyway. She easily caught up to Lena to wrap her arms around Lena from behind, pinning her own against her sides. She gave Lena a big bear hug that forced air out of her lungs in a little “oof.”
“I’m so happy you came!” Kara said, easily lifting Lena and spinning her around once before setting her down. Except that she lost her balance and continued her descent, pulling Lena along with her. Another “oof.”
“Are you guys okay?” Sam asked with amusement, walking over to them.
“Oh no,” Kara said, suddenly sounding panicked. “Lena, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t being careful and I just knocked you down, are you okay?”
Lena smiled at the sudden concern. “I’m okay,” she said, sitting up in the sand. “Are you okay?”
“Oh good,” she exhaled with relief. “I’m great, thanks for asking…hey, while we’re down here, let’s look at the stars!”
Kara tugged on Sam to join them and they all laid with their heads near each other’s.
Kara rambled on about the vastness of the universe and the depth of the ocean, and the comparison of the two—how there’s so much left to discover. Lena and Sam just listened, having no contribution to the monologue.
“Did you know that there are more galaxies in the universe than grains of sand on Earth? Oh, look! The Little Bear, and the Great Bear—the Big Dipper, Sam! It’s like the big spoon and the little spoon!” she exclaimed, laughing hysterically.
“Oh…” Sam turned over and rested on her elbows. “Shit.”
Lena tilted her head to the side to look at her. “What?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just…isn’t that so cute?” Kara said, still laughing. “They’re too far away from each other, but still so cute.”
Sam laughed as well. “Kara, honey.”
“Yes, big spoon?” Kara and Sam both laughed with one another. There was a lot of laughing. Except from Lena. She was clueless.
Then Sam looked at her with a grin. “She’s so stoned.”
“What?” Lena’s eyes went a little wide. She rolled over to rest on her elbows just as Sam had.
“I’m stoned?” Kara asked with innocent curiosity.
Sam looked at Kara. “Did you find some candy?”
“I had a lollipop. I found it when I put the tequila away, up high…high!” She burst into laughter again.
Lena did laugh then, which only made Kara laugh harder and then Sam joined in.
“I’ve never been stoned,” Kara breathed. “Will I be okay?” she asked without concern.
“You’ll be fine. Did you have only the one?”
“Yes…except that I remember having a few so maybe not? Was it the same one? It was the same one. I think?” She laughed. “Sorry guys I’m no help!”
Lena pursed her lips, but Sam continued to openly laugh. “Okay, why don’t we go inside and find out. Come here,” Sam said, standing and then reaching out to help Kara up.
“But I didn’t get to see the stars,” Kara pouted.
Sam and Lena looked at one another.
“Lena, look! The Big Dipper!”
“Ooookay,” Sam said, giving up on collecting Kara. “I’ll go inside to check and come back if you’re not back in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Lena said. “We’ll hang out and look at the Big Dipper for another minute.” She turned her attention to Kara once Sam started back to the house.
“Lay with me,” Kara said to Lena.
Lena rolled onto her back again, and Kara scooted closer to lay side-by-side, and easily took her hand in hers. Lena didn’t stiffen. She didn’t. She was so cool with it.
After a few moments of Lena being totally unaffected, Kara broke the silence. “It’s all so intimidating sometimes,” she said softly, soberly.
It helped Lena focus on something other than the feeling she’d noticed earlier—the one that had her questioning what was there within reach. “What, the stars?”
“And the ocean. And…your eyes.”
Lena’s heart raced. But Kara was stoned, she reminded herself. Her thoughts might not have been going in the direction Lena’s mind was taking it. “How so?”
“It’s all…vast, you know? You don’t know what’s out there. Or down there, or in there,” she said, rubbing small circles against Lena’s hand with her thumb. “It’s all just such… it’s so…mysterious.”
Lena’s heart ached a little. She knew she shouldn’t read into what Kara was saying. She knew how thoughts can turn to liquid when you’re high, so Kara might be making leaps based on a tiny detail that somehow connected the dots into whatever constellation she was creating.
Regardless of her intentions or unintentions, Kara’s words made her feel wanted, in more than a sexual way. The way she was holding her hand, caressing it gently. The attention she gave to her, always. Lena felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Something more. Like she was something to someone, and they to her.
She needed to get out of those thoughts, though, for her own good. She didn’t want to fall into something that wasn’t there. She was just caught up in the moment—had this happened before meeting Kara, if they had still been communicating only by phone, the feelings she had in that moment wouldn’t exist at all. Would they?
She wished she could get Kara’s opinion on the matter.
“For now,” Kara continued.
“Hm?” Lena had been lost in thought, forgetting what they’d just said.
“They’re all mysterious. But just for now. It just takes someone to explore them, right?”
“Yeah,” Lena said simply. They were just the musings of someone who was out of it. She couldn’t expose her newfound feelings when Kara wasn’t fully there.
“They just need to be brave…work up the nerve to go for it…”
Was she talking about Lena, or about herself? Did it have any real meaning behind it?
“Andrea was not the right explorer,” she said in almost a whisper to Lena, squeezing her hand a little. “I don’t want to judge…I try not to. But…she was a parasite.”
Lena laughed unintentionally at that, and it made Kara laugh, too. Kara turned onto her side to look down at Lena.
“That’s mean, I’m sorry,” she smiled.
“You apologize too much.” Lena barely got the words out because the image of Kara suddenly hovering above her with the backdrop of twinkling stars made her heart flutter and her breath fail her.
“But I want to apologize. I want to be sorry.”
Lena swallowed, focusing on Kara’s eyes instead of the picturesque view of everything about her. But focusing on the blue darkened by the night didn’t help. She focused on her words. “You want to be sorry?”
Kara nodded.
“About you calling her a parasite?”
Kara nodded again. “Because then I could apologize and kiss it better.”
Lena’s stomach swooped, and her gaze softened, and her lips parted. But no—it didn't mean anything, she tried to convince herself. “Kara, you’re high,” she said quietly, trying not to sound too disappointed.
“I am. But that doesn’t stop making your lips look beautifully tempting, or making me want to apologize and make you feel better and better and better.”
Lena was feeling pretty fine at that moment. “I’m okay,” she whispered. She wanted to play along, but she didn’t know how genuine any of it was.
“Then…will you make me feel better?”
God, did she want to. She wanted to reach her hand around Kara’s neck and pull her in, wanted to reach for Kara’s hip, wanted to roll them over and drink her in.
“But I’m stoned…”
“You’re so stoned,” Lena chuckled.
“Hm…”
Even high, Kara was thoughtful. Lena couldn’t suppress the smile at that.
“You aren’t taking advantage of me,” Kara whispered. “I’ve already…kissed you, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” Lena whispered back.
“And it felt good, didn’t it?”
Lena bit her lip. She nodded.
Kara placed a finger to Lena’s chin, tilting her face toward her, and leaned in tentatively, stopping just short of pressing their lips together. “But I don’t want to take advantage of you,” she said, her eyes lidded. “I’ll stop if you ask me to.”
Lena didn’t ask her to. She waited with bated breath until Kara leaned in the rest of the way to close the gap.
It wasn’t as tentative as their first. They synced up instantly, their rhythmic kissing building slowly between breaths until Lena couldn’t help herself and slipped her tongue over Kara’s lips. Just a little. A small request.
Kara met hers with passion, and so the exploration of something new began once again.
Lena used her arm to scoop Kara’s canopy of hair to one side before cupping her face, using the tips of her fingers to pull Kara further into the kiss. It took willpower to keep herself from humming at the way Kara’s tongue massaged her own, the way she gently sucked at her bottom lip before coming back for more.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Kara stopped to rest her forehead against Lena’s, giving them a moment to catch their breaths. Lena wanted to dive into the vastness of Kara some more, but of course…
“Ahem,” Sam cleared her throat.
They both turned to look at her, caught in the act, and they all froze.
Kara spoke up first. “I was giving her CPR.”
There was a pause where none of them moved. But then Kara burst into giggles against Lena’s neck.
Lena giggled too. This could be fun. It could be light. It could just be what it is. There are no big decisions to make tonight, or tomorrow. They wanted to kiss, so they did.
“It was only one,” Sam said about the lollipop. Lena couldn’t see her expression, but she could hear the smirk anyway. “I hate to interrupt a life-saving event, but I really don’t want to leave you two alone for a bobcat to find.”
“What?” Kara said, suddenly serious.
Lena shifted from under Kara and stood, extending her hand. “Come on, darling. Let’s get you back inside.”
They dusted the sand off themselves and headed toward the light of their porch.
Jack guffawed when they explained what had happened. Kara simply shrugged, holding back another fit of giggles. “It’s my fault for sneaking candy. To be honest, it wasn’t even good. But I’m not one to waste food.”
“So is this party taking a turn?” he asked.
Kara looked intently at one of the shells on the table, clearly having moved on from their conversation and gotten lost in her own world.
“I probably shouldn’t be in outer space, in case the kids need us,” Sam smiled.
He looked at Lena.
“Yeah, no. I’m gonna pass.” She wanted to be clear-headed when overthinking this later.
“Fine,” Jack chuckled. “I’ll get her a snack.”
Kara looked like she wanted to sit. She looked around herself, touching the armrest of one of the loveseats. Rather than walking around to sit on it, she slid backward over the armrest, flopping down the length of it with a little “whoa” to herself. She held the seashell up to her eyes, studying it up close, before holding it to her ear.
“She’s so cute,” Sam cooed.
Cute was not the word Lena would use.
Kara's legs dangled off the end of the seat, while the rest of her was stretched out, open and…tempting. Her loose hair flowed over the edge, thick and healthy. Her toned arms were raised enough for Lena to admire her figure. She wanted to restart where they had been and run her hand over her flat stomach.
Jack came back in then and offered Kara some fruit, and Kara looked at him with great appreciation in her eyes. “Jack, I didn’t know I wanted fruit,” she said in awe, sitting up. “How did you know?”
He chuckled. “Let me know if you want more,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.
“So how much did she have,” Lena asked Sam.
“Definitely more than I would have started her out on for her first time, but she didn’t have the whole thing. She’ll be fine…we might want to get her upstairs before she passes out down here, though. It was the mellow kind.”
Lena could tell that Kara was winding down—her movements were getting heavier. It took a little longer than it normally would have to get her upstairs, mostly because she paused to comment on everything.
“Don’t forget to turn the lights off, Jack. The sea turtles,” she said seriously.
“Wait, I left my phone outside…oh wait, it’s in my hand,” she laughed.
“My bed is over here. Sam, where’s my bed?” she asked, trying to redirect them toward the sofa. “Oh, right. We’re sleeping together,” she giggled at Sam.
“Stairs usually have twelve steps, don’t they? This one has eleven. Are they steeper? Wait, let’s go back down and climb them again. Maybe I counted wrong.”
“Did I finish my fruit? JACK! DID I FINISH MY FRUIT?! Oops. Shhhhh.”
“There’s a balcony up here?! How did I not know that?”
“Okay, time to sleep,” Sam said to Kara once inside their bedroom.
“I’ll miss you, Sam!” Kara said, holding Sam’s hands and looking attentively into her eyes. Sam lead her over to the bed where Kara collapsed onto her back.
“Wow, the ceiling is so low!” Kara reached a lazy arm up as if to touch it.
Sam and Lena watched her for another moment. “Welp,” Sam said with a small clap. “Good luck getting her dressed for bed.”
Oh, my god. “Sam.”
Sam closed the door behind her, but not before giving Lena a little wink.
She decided she was going to fire Sam. Later. Right now…“Kara?”
“Lena?” Kara said, flopping her arm onto the bed.
“You should get dressed for bed.”
“I don’t get dressed. Only undressed. I like to sleep naked.”
Lena’s stomach did an Olympic-worthy somersault. She’s joking.
Kara laughed. “I’m joking.”
Lena exhaled. “You’re terrible.”
Kara unceremoniously removed her shorts—as if forgetting that Lena was there—revealing a pair of navy blue panties. She left her shirt on and pulled the blanket around herself, immediately closing her eyes.
Lena sat at the edge of the bed next to her, but Kara remained motionless. Without thinking too much about it, Lena climbed into bed to sit next to her for a moment.
If only Kara wasn’t stoned. If only she were sharing a bed with Lena instead.
“Lena? Are you awake?” Kara stage-whispered.
Lena bit her lip to keep herself from chuckling, her worries melting away. “I’m awake.”
“Okay,” Kara smiled, shuffling closer to press her cheek against Lena’s thigh. “I like being the big spoon,” she confided, draping her arm around Lena’s legs before falling asleep.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 22
Notes:
I could keep these two toeing the line forever, so I’m figuring out how to wrap up this story and I’m giving myself two chapters to do it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Do you know how to tell if the inside of a guava is white or pink?" Kara asked, holding the fruit up to Lena for inspection, as if she had a clue.
"You have to shake it gently and then hold it in your open palm..." Lena said, her tone serious enough to sell it.
Kara, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity, did as she was told.
"Okay, now hold it up to your ear," Lena continued. Kara followed along. "Do you hear it laughing at you?"
Kara gasped and playfully swatted at Lena, who was openly laughing. “I can’t believe you,” she said, failing to hold back a smile.
“Sorry, sorry. Here’s how you can tell.” She got the vendor’s attention and asked. Then she turned to Kara. “White.”
“Wow.” Kara rolled her eyes and added a couple to her large selection of fruit before moving on to the pomegranates.
Although Kara had the last of the fruit the night before, and they teased her mercilessly all morning for it, it really had been a group accomplishment. On the plus side, it gave them an excuse to go on an excursion to the farmers market to buy more.
Lena went back to browsing the selection of fruit, following right behind Kara. They were selecting only a couple of each fruit they found appetizing, but she thought that maybe they were going a little overboard. Except that she saw strawberries that looked just the right shade of red, and figured it was something the girls would eat, too.
“Pardon my reach,” she said, leaning over to take a small container. When she glanced at Kara, she caught her, once again, looking away from Lena’s cleavage.
Boob girl.
Kara cleared her throat. “I’m gonna check out the kiwi.” She walked away without meeting Lena’s eyes. Lena simply pursed her lips.
“Am I daring enough to buy plums?” Jack asked himself.
“Aunt Kara, could we buy plums?!” Esme grabbed one and ran up to Kara.
“No! No plums!” Jack said, answering his own question and rushing to catch up to her.
Lena turned to look for Sam and Ruby. They were looking at some handmade bracelets. Ruby picked out a couple and went over to gift one of them to Esme.
Lena went to stand by Sam and they browsed more of the selection.
“Have you guys fucked yet?”
“Holy shit,” Lena said, taken by surprise. She dropped the volume on the second half of her outburst—covering her mouth too late—and glanced around them in case there were any kids or nuns around.
Sam shrugged, taking a pair of earrings to examine them more closely. “What, I was only asking.”
“No, we haven’t fucked, Jesus,” Lena whispered blasphemously. “When would we even have had time to do that?”
“I don’t know, I'm not your warden. You could have last night.”
“We were all hanging out together last night.”
“Maybe Kara creeped out of our room in the middle of the night and snuck over to yours…”
“What on earth are you going on about?”
Sam sighed, setting the earrings down. “I led you to water but it’s up to you whether you want to drink.”
“I want to, believe me. It’s just…” She wasn’t ready to talk to Sam about her evolving feelings for Kara. Not at that moment, and not out in public with Kara so nearby. “The last time, we sort of moved past it. I’d like to think we could again, but if there’s a risk that we couldn’t…I still want to be her friend.” Really, that wasn’t at the top of the list of what she would want to be with Kara.
“Hmm…”
Lena paused, holding up a necklace. Sam looked lost in thought, and Lena hoped that Sam could offer her some reassurance. Maybe getting a more objective opinion from her—even without the full context—could help Lena sort through her feelings. “What are you thinking?”
Sam glanced at her. “That I’d rather fuck her than be her friend.”
Okay, maybe a little too objective. Lena rolled her eyes and reached for a pair of earrings that caught her eye.
“If I were you , I would fuck her. I’m happy to just be her friend. Like I said before, she’s not my type. But if I were in your shoes—” She let out a low whistle.
Lena took the pair and went to pay for them, as well as the pair that Sam had been eyeing.
“But, I’m not you. And you’re definitely not me,” Sam said with a grateful expression when Lena handed them to her. “So like I said—I led you to water. You can either jump in to quench your thirst, or go find another watering hole.”
I am pretty parched...
“Speak of the devil.”
“Okay, all done,” Kara said, bouncing on her heels with a bag that didn’t look sturdy enough to carry all the produce in it.
“Hey, Fruit Of The Loom, where’s Jack?”
Kara smiled and gestured behind her. They all watched as Jack paid the vendor at the fruit stand while Esme and Ruby skipped over toward them, each holding a plum.
They decided to eat some of the messier fruit while sitting on the beach. Though Jack folded when it came to the plums, he was adamant about keeping the furniture in the house plum-free.
They didn’t bother with formalities—everything stayed in the bag, free for anyone to grab. The girls happily snacked on their plums, and Jack led them to the water to rinse their sticky hands. Sam peeled an orange, and Kara grabbed a bunch of grapes.
“These are way smaller than what you find at the store, but they taste so much better,” Sam said. “I mean, look at this rind—it’s hardly there.”
Lena reached for a perfectly-ripe peach, biting into it with a satisfied hum at the sweetness. “Definitely organic,” she said.
She glanced over just in time to catch Kara looking away, feigning interest in the remaining fruit in the bag.
Lena smiled to herself. Kara had toyed with her all day yesterday—maybe a little payback was in order.
Holding her peach up, Lena waited until she could feel Kara’s gaze back on her. She took another luscious bite, intentionally letting the juice run down her forearm. When she was sure Kara was watching, Lena turned to meet her eyes, and they smiled innocently at one another. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, she parted her lips and brought them to her arm and licked the juice from elbow to wrist in one long, slow, teasing swipe, never breaking eye contact.
She saw the way Kara inhaled sharply, her pupils darkening, lips parting slightly in response.
Lena looked at the peach in her hand. “Oh,” she said sweetly. “Would you like a taste?” She held it out to Kara, offering her the peach or her arm—whichever she preferred.
Kara blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “I…”
“I think the kids need lunch,” Sam interjected, unaware of the show, checking the time on her phone.
Lena decided to let Kara sit with that moment for a little while. “I’ll go make sandwiches,” she offered casually.
“I should help,” Sam said, starting to get up.
“It’s fine,” Lena assured her. “I’ll make PB&Js for the girls and something for us.”
Sam thanked her, lying back on her towel with a stretch.
As Lena stood, she gave one last glance at Kara, who still hadn’t taken her eyes off her. Satisfied, Lena made her way back to the beach house, leaving Kara to her own thoughts.
She’d made the kids’ sandwiches quickly enough and was just about to grab the deli meats and cheese for the rest of them when she heard the back door open.
Kara stepped in, placing the bag of fruit on the counter. “I figured I’d bring these in so they don’t sit in the heat too long…”
Lena only smiled, turning back to the fridge to look for the ingredients. Her mind wandered for a moment, wondering if she could somehow make sandwich-making seductive.
Suddenly, the fridge door was slammed shut. Startled, she jumped slightly, only to find herself immediately caught— Kara’s hands gripping her waist, pinning her against the fridge.
Kara's breathing was heavy—probably from carrying in that heavy bag—but it made Lena breathless as well. “Did you…need something?” Lena asked, her voice slightly unsteady.
Kara grinned her grin. “I’m hungry,” she said, her voice dropping low and rough.
God, she’s so sexy. “Are you?” Lena drew her lips closer to Kara’s.
“Ravenous, actually,” Kara said, brushing her lips teasingly against Lena’s, but not kissing.
It took every ounce of her willpower not to close the gap herself. “Well,” Lena smirked, her fingers slipping under Kara’s shirt and gliding over her ribs, feeling the onset of goosebumps. “There’s an easy solution to your predicament.”
“You’re anything but easy,” Kara said, her eyes dark with want but refusing to close the gap.
Lena bit her lip, trying to figure out a way to make Kara cave. “You didn’t give me that chance to prove it,” Lena said, inching her hands higher. “I intended to torment you all day, as payback.”
Kara huffed a small laugh. “That’s because I have no willpower when it comes to you,” she murmured, slipping a leg between Lena’s thighs, and Lena melted at the welcomed pressure and at the way Kara’s words went straight to her blooming heart.
She focused on the former. “You seemed to have plenty of willpower yesterday,” Lena said, bringing her hands down to take hold of Kara’s hips and pull her in—she wanted to savor the feeling but was struggling to keep her composure.
Kara ghosted her lips over Lena’s again, and pressed into her some more. “ God did I want you after I saw you in that swimsuit. And then on the beach…you were almost impossible to resist.”
“And today?” Lena whispered.
Kara's smile was slow and smug as her hands slid up Lena’s shirt. “Today,” she said, leaning in, her voice low. “Act first,” she said, and followed through on that promise.
Kara finally gave in and kissed her with fervor, cupping and massaging Lena’s breasts. It was so expected that Lena found it almost endearing.
They held each other and pulled each other in, little moans already escaping with their exhales through kisses. Lena arched into her teasing touch, and reached down to unbutton Kara’s shorts.
“Not near the sandwiches,” Kara interrupted. Lena simply nodded. Kara took her by the hand and led her up the eleven steps to the second floor.
Lena rushed forward to kiss Kara again, pressing her body fully against hers. Kara stumbled back, but steadied herself enough to lift Lena and carry her down the hall.
“Not in your bed,” Lena breathed into Kara’s mouth when she made it over the threshold. Kara nodded wordlessly and redirected them toward Lena’s room further down the hall.
Lena didn’t know whether this was a fling—whether it could be if it happened twice—or whether it meant something more. It didn’t matter at that moment. All that kept running through her mind was “think later.”
She decided that she wanted to make Kara come first, and quickly, and hard. She wanted Kara to lose herself into the pleasure, and Lena would hold out as long as possible to make that happen.
But Kara maybe had the same idea because as attentive as Lena was to her, Kara was working her up just the same. It was like a race to the finish, but they were each trying to be in second place.
It wasn’t easy, especially with Kara on top. When Lena pressed into Kara, she pressed back. When she knowingly brought Kara’s head down to her breasts, she hadn’t expected how intense the jolt of arousal would hit her from the attention.
It was a losing battle, Lena thought, so she let herself go. She gave in, gave up, and submitted to Kara’s lead.
Having only slept together the one other time, Kara was surprisingly in tune to Lena’s body. Lena was climbing quickly, but just when she was almost there, Kara slowed down.
Lena thought she maybe wanted to get there together, except that Kara did it again. “Are you…” she breathed as she rocked against Kara, trying to reach the finish line first. “Are you edging me?”
Kara didn’t answer, but Lena couldn’t mistake the grin she felt against her neck.
No. No fucking way was she going to let Kara toe the line when it came to Lena’s orgasms.
Lena pushed against Kara, who resisted at first. But she relented at Lena’s persistence and let herself be rolled over to give Lena the upper hand.
She was going to make Kara come, and she wasn’t planning to drag it out. So while Lena was grinding against Kara’s thigh, she brought her hand down to give Kara more precise attention.
It was satisfying to feel Kara give in—to feel the moment she knew that Kara couldn’t come back from. Nearly there herself, Lena worked her faster, worked herself faster, and brought her lips to Kara’s ear to let out the moan that was her undoing.
Kara came first, but Lena came… thoroughly, immediately after. It was a win-win in the end.
This time, Kara didn’t leave right away. She idly trailed her fingertips in circles over Lena’s back while they recovered.
With the rush of arousal finally subsiding, Lena's thoughts turned to softer things—no less strong, though.
Could they have this? Not just the sex, and not just the texts. Could they have this moment, beyond this bedroom ?
She didn’t need anyone’s reassurance—not Sam’s, not even her own—because she knew deep down that she wanted this. The real challenge was how to bring it up without scaring this beautiful woman away.
“We should probably get up before they come looking for us,” Kara said, pressing a soft kiss to Lena’s temple before rolling off the bed.
Lena watched her for a moment as Kara gathered her clothes. Did she feel it too? Did she not feel it? Or was this just sex again? She needed to know.
Kara tossed Lena’s clothes onto the bed, and gave her a beautiful smile that lit up her entire face.
Maybe she feels it, too, Lena thought, her heart warming at the idea. But now wasn’t the right time. She wanted to have more time. It would have to wait.
When they finally made their way downstairs, the PB&Js were already gone.
“Well, shit.”
Notes:
I added a very short follow-up text exchange here that’ll start the next chapter once I write it:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 23
Notes:
I failed. Here are more than two chapters. And still no end.
A couple of these could be stand-alone chapters (like this one). Just for a bit of normalcy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
“Where are you going?” Lena asked when Sam opened her front door before she had even knocked.
“I’m going for a quick run,” she said, sidestepping Lena and leaving the door open.
“But I just got here.”
“I’ll be quick, I promise,” she said, starting to put in her earbuds. “We’ll get to work as soon as I’m back.”
“What about Ruby?”
“She’s in good hands,” Sam said as she started to jog away without stretching first.
“With me?” But Sam was already gone.
Lena shook her head in slight annoyance and walked inside.
She walked over to the living room to set her stuff down and glanced around the room to look for Ruby. But she found someone else instead. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
Kara beamed when she saw her. “I could ask you the same!”
“Sam and I were going to do a little work this morning…”
“Really? Alex asked me to bring Esme over to play with Ruby.”
Given Sam’s tendency to plot, she suspected that this was staged.
“Coffee, or tea?”
“I think it’ll have to be coffee this morning.”
“Couldn’t sleep?”
“I slept okay,” she said, sitting at the island counter. “Just need to wake up a bit more.” She did stay up a bit thinking about her upcoming convention. She was actually looking forward to working in tandem with Sam to get some of her smaller tasks out of the way before then.
“How do you take your coffee?” Kara asked.
When Kara set Lena’s coffee in front of her, Lena felt oddly special at the thought that Kara now knew the answer to that question. It was like they were each adding to their catalog all the things they should have known by now.
They had settled into the friends thing again after their vacation, but they saw each other in person now. Along with their friends.
Lena wanted more than just Kara’s friendship, but she acknowledged how backwards they were about their relationship. She liked being her friend and figured that the normal thing to do would be to let that friendship blossom into more if that’s where they were headed. In the meantime, Lena enjoyed her company.
She thanked Kara for the coffee. “So. How did you sleep?” she asked before blowing gently into her mug.
“Better than Alex and Kelly. It was why she asked me to watch Esme in the first place, and then this playdate happened so it worked out well.”
So, Alex is in on it too…
She followed Kara’s gaze into the living room, having completely forgotten about the girls who’d apparently come out from Ruby's room. Or maybe they were already there, who knew.
As if sensing their eyes on them, both girls looked up from their spot on the living room floor to see them, too. They regarded each other for a couple of silent beats before looking away again.
When Lena’s gaze turned back to her, Kara’s lips broke into a satisfied smile. They each took a sip of their coffee.
Kara had to step away into Sam’s office to take a work call, leaving Lena alone with the girls. Sam hadn’t come back yet after forty minutes, solidifying Lena’s suspicion about this whole setup. She hoped that the girls would remain preoccupied with their toys.
The second that Kara closed the office door…
“Could you make me a sandwich, Aunt Lena? I’m hungry.”
“I’m hungry too. I’m more hungry.”
Ruby shared a smile with Lena.
“Sure. What would you like.”
“PB&J?”
“I don’t like that. Can I have peanut butter?” Esme asked politely.
“Coming right up.”
Lena walked into the kitchen and tried not to make too much noise opening and closing cabinets and drawers to find everything she needed. In her search, she found Christmas cookie cutters and decided to give the sandwiches a fun shape. She took the biggest ones.
“Come sit at the counter, darlings.”
The girls raced to their seats, and their eyes lit up at their Christmas tree-shaped sandwiches. “Look, Ruby!”
“Cool.” Ruby smiled, looking between the identical trees.
Lena got another idea.
When Kara came out of the room a little while later, it was to fits of giggles.
“Look at mine, Aunt Lena!” Esme called. She’d been bestowed the title when the whipped cream came out.
“That looks beautiful,” Lena smiled.
“What are you guys up to?”
“Aunt Kara, look at my tree!” Esme slid the plate over slightly to show Kara. Her sandwich tree was decorated with chocolate chips and strawberries and bits of bananas.
“Wow, and on a bed of snow!” She looked up at Lena. “I thought you said you weren’t good with kids.”
“I don’t consider this a kid thing. I think it’s just fun. Want one?”
Kara scoffed playfully. “Un, yes, obviously.” She moved closer—right into Lena’s space—and leaned in to look at the options available. It didn’t feel invasive, the closeness. In fact, it was the opposite. It was comfortable—the kind you welcome without a second thought.
The girls began eating their snack while they gave Kara and Lena instructions for their own sandwiches.
Without warning, Kara dolloped some whipped cream onto Lena’s nose. It made the girls laugh, which only became louder when Lena did the same to Kara.
Lena smiled to the girls, sharing the mischief, but it was interrupted by Kara’s gentle fingers on her jaw, turning her face toward her. Kara’s thumb brushed lightly over Lena’s nose, wiping away the dollop of whipped cream. “Couldn’t resist,” she said softly with a crooked smile.
Lena’s face warmed at the touch, she raised a brow. “Couldn’t you?” she smirked.
Kara’s thumb disappeared into her mouth as she licked the whipped cream off nonchalantly. “Act first,” she finished, her smile widening just slightly, like she knew exactly what she was doing.
Lena wasn’t about to let Kara have the upper hand, especially when she had a clear opportunity for a counter attack. She gave the girls a conspiratorial glance. “Alright,” she said, leaning in just a fraction closer.
Before Kara could react, Lena tilted Kara’s face back toward her and flicked her tongue over the whipped cream on the tip of Kara’s nose. Then she wiped away the rest of the cream with her thumb, holding Kara’s gaze as she made an exaggerated show of inspecting her work, the girls’ giggles turning to laughter. Satisfied, she slowly licked her own thumb clean.
Kara blinked, her lips parting as if she was about to say something, but then she just laughed, her gaze flitting briefly to Lena’s lips before she leaned back.
“Perfect,” Lena said casually, releasing Kara and giving her an innocent smile before turning her attention to the front door when Sam came back home.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 24
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
"I fired Lord.”
“It’s about time!” Sam celebrated through the phone. “I’m sorry, but that pompous jerk was dragging us down. Did he cry?”
“No, he didn’t cry,” Lena smirked. “Edge will be happy, I’m sure.”
“Who’re you going to replace him with?”
“Vasquez, for now,” Lena said. “She’s no-nonsense. I don’t know if the team will like it but they need someone with more common sense and less ego.”
Lena turned around when she heard her hotel room door open, and watched as Sam casually stepped inside. “How did you get a key?” Lena asked, ending the call.
“I asked for one,” Sam said, walking to Lena’s sofa. “I think Vasquez is perfect. She’s friendly but direct, which is what they need. She’ll get things straightened out until you get someone else.”
Lena accepted Sam’s invasion and moved on. “I’m a little worried that things are going to fall behind. We’ve already set a launch date.”
“That won’t happen for a few months. You have time. It’s mostly done anyway…wait, are you going to do the demo since Lord’s gone?”
“No, Dox is doing it.”
“The weird guy?”
“He was apparently Lord’s crutch.”
“Don’t you think he’s too new?”
“He’s caught on very quickly. In fact, he might do a better job than Lord.” She hoped so, anyway. There was no going back now.
L-Corp attended an annual conference that brought in tech companies from all over the world. This year, it was hosted in Las Vegas. They had a large booth—bigger than her penthouse—with a collection of interactive technology they’ve already released so that people could get a first-hand experience. It was also an opportunity for her to speak to the new project they’d been working on.
“If you say so. There’s no going back now,” Sam said with a shrug, reading her thoughts. “Aside from that, are you ready?” Sam asked, looking at her phone.
“Yes,” she said, but she could tell Sam was distracted. “How did drop off go?” She asked, making her way to the bedroom.
“No issues, but I hope she’ll be okay.”
“She’ll be fine, it’s only two nights. She and Esme will have a lot of fun together.”
“It’s not Ruby I’m worried about,” Sam said. “I hope Eliza can handle them. I feel sort of guilty.”
Lena smiled to herself. “She was going to watch Esme anyway, and she said it’s easier with two. They can entertain each other. And she raised two girls, don’t forget.”
“True. And one of them was Kara,” Sam chuckled.
“And the other was Alex ,” Lena smiled to herself. “Are they here yet?”
“Yeah, Kelly just texted.”
When Lena and Jack mentioned the conference, Alex was quick to get approval to attend, her reason being to learn about technologies that could help in her medical field. Lena was certain she’d see her loitering around the booths promoting their latest advanced weapons technology.
Lena wasn’t supposed to know that Alex was some sort of secret government agent—officially, she worked as a nurse for the VA—but it hadn’t taken Lena long to piece it together on her own. She suspected that Alex knew that Lena knew, but neither acknowledged it. It seemed there was a lot left unsaid between Lena and the Danvers sisters.
When Kara heard that they were all going…well, who could blame her.
Lena heard her phone buzz on the dresser, but continued with her task. She wanted to get out of her business attire and wear something more comfortable. She’d have a busy day first thing in the morning, and was exhausted just thinking of it.
Her phone buzzed again and she set down her change of clothes on the bed to read it.
“Yes, I’m starving!” Sam yelled from the other room. Lena hadn’t eaten since her light lunch earlier that day, either.
Lena moved on to changing out of her clothes into jeans and a tshirt. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hair. The conference wasn’t until tomorrow, but she was certain her colleagues would have arrived a day early, too, and she didn’t want to interact with them tonight. She hoped her more casual clothes would help, and decided to wear her hair down, too. Maybe she could borrow someone’s glasses to add to her disguise.
Kara was the first to greet them downstairs. “Hey, guys!” she said excitedly, giving Lena, and then Sam, a tight hug.
It must have been the soft lighting that was reminiscent of the first time she met Kara. She and the others weren’t dressed up by any means—Lena wasn’t the only one to dress down—but the memory of meeting Kara for the first time took her breath away a little. She couldn’t stop the wide smile that spread across her face, getting one from Kara in return.
“Hey,” Alex greeted with a tip of her chin. Lena mimicked the gesture teasingly. Alex raised an amused eyebrow. “Table’s this way.”
Dinner was mostly spent talking about the logistics of their travels, and on the upcoming conference, and the plans they had for the evening.
“Does that mean you won’t come out to a show with us tonight?” Kelly asked.
“I’m afraid not. I want to take a look at the layout to make sure everything is in order.”
“The updates I got sounded promising,” Sam said.
“Good, I’d hate for them to work through the night.”
“What about afterward?” Kara asked.
Lena looked at her regretfully. “It’ll be a while, and I’d like to do a dry run…”
“We need our beauty sleep,” Jack chimed in. Spheerical Industries had just as much to show. Their booth wasn’t penthouse-sized, though—something Lena had teased him for. “We’ll have to be top of our game bright and early,” he said seriously, giving Lena a pointed look.
“Darling, there is no risk of me missing any sleep, I can assure you. I’m exhausted already.”
“God, I want to crawl into bed the minute we do the rounds and head back,” Sam said.
They continued discussing the logistics of their next twenty four hours, but Kara leaned in to speak quietly to Lena. “Let me know when you’re done. Maybe there’d still be a little time, if you’re not too tired.”
Lena raised an eyebrow. “Time for what?”
Kara simply shrugged, giving her a casual smile before turning her attention back to the group.
* * *
“Mr. Dox, that’s good,” Lena said. “Maybe we could work on the delivery.”
“The…delivery?” Dox said, unsure.
“Yeah, maybe don’t talk to your audience like you’re a computer,” Sam clarified.
“What Ms. Arias means to say is, you clearly are an expert in…well, everything here,” she said truthfully. In fact, she was surprised and impressed with his breadth of knowledge thus far. “But when you’re showcasing the technology, share it with our clients and prospects—not at them.”
“With …” Dox trailed off, still looking perplexed.
“Smile,” Sam said. “Just smile more.”
Dox tried a smile.
“God, that’s somehow worse,” Sam mumbled. “Okay, you know what? Let’s keep working on it.” She waved Lena away, knowing that she had other things to attend to.
Lena met with the team and gave them a pep talk, getting excited nods and smiles from them. She then moved on to the set-up crew. Things were mostly done, but tech still needed to spend some time ensuring that their AV equipment was working as it should. None of this was anything Lena should be checking in on—she had other people to do that for her. It made her feel better seeing it first hand, though. When she checked Jack’s booth, she found him doing the same.
Unfortunately, by the time they made it back to their hotel, it was too late for her to meet with Kara. For whatever she had in mind.
But Lena’s mind was on tomorrow anyway, and not on Kara. She felt prepared, though, and tried to get herself to quiet her mind.
It took her a little while but she was finally falling asleep. The sound of her phone on her nightstand woke her up.
Lena blinked a few times, clearing her eyes enough to focus on the screen. She waited a few seconds, but there was no follow up.
Lena wasn’t sure where Kara was going with this. Lena’s coping nearly had her in Andrea’s bed.
Lena rolled onto her back, her attention gone from her much-needed sleep to this exchange.
Lena’s heart rate ticked up a bit.
The implication hit Lena low in her belly in a more than pleasant way.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 25
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
The conference had been a success—a much-needed validation for Lena not only as CEO, but also as someone learning to trust her instincts, given that they didn’t always align with the vision other Luthors shared.
When it came time to present their newest prototype, Lena spoke about the inspiration behind the project and the real-world impact she hoped it would have before turning it over to Dox.
Dox didn’t smile, but his passion for the project was unmistakable. His technical explanations were blunt, but he was animated with genuine excitement and it seemed to have charmed the attendees.
The prototype was performing flawlessly in the demo, and now, with the Q&A underway, she felt a huge sense of relief.
“Now, I’d be happy to take any questions,” Lena said, scanning the room as hands began to rise.
She addressed the first few with ease, one about scalability and another about environmental impact. Then, from the middle of the room, a hand she recognized shot up.
Kara.
She held Lena’s gaze as she stood among the others—serious and professional—it made Lena bite the inside of her lip.
“Yes, you,” Lena said, gesturing toward her with a friendly smile.
Kara smiled back, all charm. “Thank you, Ms. Luthor. You mentioned that this prototype was the result of extensive testing. Could you speak more to your approach to research and experimentation?”
She tilted her head slightly, maintaining a neutral expression at Kara’s cheekiness. “An excellent question,” she began. “In any creative process, the value of experimentation lies in understanding what you’re trying to…discover. It’s not always about whether you pursue an idea further, but rather whether the data you’ve gathered reveals what you need to know—sometimes after one or two trials.”
Kara’s expression was restrained amusement. “So you’d say it’s more about the quality of the trials than the quantity?”
Lena allowed a fraction of a pause, just enough to let the implication hang between them, before replying smoothly. “Precisely. Though I admit that occasionally, a third trial might be necessary—purely to ensure the results are…conclusive.”
The audience laughed a little at the admission, but it was Kara’s gaze that had her full attention. With a slight crooked smile, Kara nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Luthor.”
Lena nodded, her expression professional as she moved on to the next question.
“Lena.”
Lena heard her name just as a client excused himself. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Danvers,” she smirked.
She saw a blush start to appear on Kara’s cheeks. “I hope that was okay. I came to see your booth and saw you speaking to a group, and I’d never seen you at work, working, up there all…well, you looked so poised and so—I really like your outfit by the way…anyway, I hope I didn’t interrupt your presentation too much. I know how important this whole thing is to you, and I don’t want you to think that I don’t take this seriously or that I don’t respect that, or you, because I totally do. Um. You did a great job, by the way. There were a lot of interested comments made around me, so as far as how things are going, they’re great! Not that I’d know better than you would, just thought it’d be nice to know. Oh my god, sorry, please stop me.”
Lena smiled once Kara stopped to take a breath. “It was completely fine. Your question was relevant. In more ways than one,” she said coyly. It only served to make Kara blush even more.
Kara let her get back to her work, and Lena spent the next several hours talking to one person or another, guiding them to one of her technicians before addressing someone else.
As soon as she had the opportunity, she snuck away to take a break to check in on Jack.
“I need a stiff drink,” he said seriously to Lena while smiling at someone passing by.
“You’re in the right place for that.”
“How did you manage to leave your cell?”
“I have Sam,” Lena shrugged.
“Well, tell her to get over here once you’re back.”
“Has Berry stopped by?”
“Yes, Kara stopped by.”
Lena gave him a look. “I asked about Berry.”
“I know what you asked,” he said with a smirk before excusing himself to speak to a business partner.
Lena walked the venue a bit to meet other business associates. By late afternoon, the crowds began to thin, allowing the three of them to finally leave. She went back to her room to change before they headed across the strip to meet up with the others for dinner.
They gathered at a busy restaurant inside a casino, and Lena found herself seated next to a man named Winn, one of Kara’s friends. He wasted no time diving into questions about L-Corp’s technological innovations.
Normally, after a long day of presentations, the last thing Lena wanted was to discuss her work further, but Winn’s enthusiasm was oddly contagious. They delved into her current projects, in more detail than she typically would, given his knowledge of engineering technology.
“Our current prototype shows promise. If you’re interested, I can share some papers on the research.”
“Seriously? That would be awesome,” Winn replied, eyes wide with excitement.
Before Lena could continue, a familiar voice interrupted their conversation.
“Hello, all,” the newcomer greeted, his tone formal but pleasant. His gaze landed on her and Sam. “Ms. Luthor, Ms. Arias.”
She blinked, momentarily confused, before Kara chimed in.
“Brainy! What are you doing here?”
“Brainy?” Lena repeated, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment.
“Hm? Oh, yes,” he replied, almost absentmindedly. “A nickname. It’s short for Brainiac,” he said as some attempt at clarification, and immediately returned his attention to Kara. “Ms. Luthor invited me to assist with today’s demonstrations. I believe the presentation was a success, though I cannot be certain of how it compared to the ideal outcome.”
“You work for Lena?”
“I do,” Dox—Brainy—replied with a slight nod. “In Research and Development. Today’s task was to deliver a live demonstration of the prototype. I only hope I did it justice, Ms. Luthor.”
Lena found herself smiling despite her lingering uncertainty. “You did wonderfully, Mr. Dox. I don’t think it could have gone any better.”
“Statistically, there is always room for improvement,” he noted, his tone matter-of-fact.
“What a small world,” Kara smiled happily.
“How do you know each other?” Lena had to ask.
“We worked together,” Alex explained vaguely. “Why didn’t you tell us you worked for Lena?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that information relevant?” he asked genuinely.
They invited Dox to sit, and despite his usual formality, he fit into the group pretty easily. Lena wasn’t sure whether to maintain her CEO persona or relax but based on Dox’s detachment from social norms, and his connection to the group, she settled into the latter.
Just as their conversation started to pick up again, Lena’s phone buzzed on the table. Seeing the caller ID, she frowned slightly.
“Oh, no,” Sam said when she glanced at the caller ID. “Can’t you have one fucking break?”
“Sorry, I should take this,” she said to the group, excusing herself.
She answered the call as soon as she found a quieter spot. “Jess, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Ms. Luthor. Especially with something like this,” Jess replied, somewhat exasperated. “It seems there’s a riot in the marketing department.”
Okay, Edge has got to go.
“Apparently, there are issues with the new project management system and half the team is blaming the other half for agreeing to replace the old one. It’s devolved into a shouting match, and HR is about five minutes away from stepping in to mediate.”
Lena pinched the bridge of her nose. “So, the fate of L-Corp rests on whether we can use colorful charts or stick with boring spreadsheets?”
“It appears so,” Jess replied, unfazed.
Lena sighed deeply. “Should I just fire them all, or demolish the entire building?”
“It’d be more cost-effective to fire them all and replace them,” Jess offered without missing a beat, “but demolishing the building might feel more satisfying.”
Lena held back a chuckle, but smiled into the phone. “I’ll take that under advisement,” she said. “For now, please encourage them to sort this out on their own. Be a bit intimidating, if you would.”
“With pleasure,” Jess replied before hanging up.
As far as how things were going at the office, that was hardly a code red. Actually, it gave Lena a lot of reassurance that things were being managed.
She let out a heavy sigh of contentment. With that reassurance, and having the conference out of the way, and getting to spend the rest of the night with her group of friends, Lena felt all the tension from the day melt away.
Until she returned to the table and noticed that Kara was missing. Lena glanced around and saw her at the bar…leaning a little too close to a woman Lena didn’t recognize. The stranger laughed at something Kara said, and Kara smiled, her expression warm and easy.
Lena’s stomach gave a slight twist. She didn’t quite pinpoint the feeling just then, but irritation bubbled to the surface.
What the fuck.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 26
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
She studied the interaction.
The woman was sitting on a stool, and Kara was leaning closely next to her, elbows resting on the bar top. She said something to make the woman smile bashfully and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
Kara chuckled before turning her attention to the room. She spotted Lena at once, so Lena, of course, turned away. “I'm going to use the ladies’ room,” she said to the table, not sure if anyone heard her over their conversation.
She reminded herself that Kara didn’t belong to her. Nor did she to Kara. They were just friends. Technically. Nothing more.
But how dare she anyway. With all the talk about flings and research and the glances and smiles…
It doesn’t matter, she thought matter-of-factly. Kara could do what she wants, who she wants. And Lena could do the same. And it’s fine because they’re just friends.
But really, though—what the fuck. It’s rude at best to so openly flirt with another woman.
Not “another” woman. Just a woman.
But she’d been flirting with Lena all day, overstepping whatever line they’d created.
No—there is no line, she reminded herself. It’s whatever. Lena wasn’t going to go begging for her attention.
She squared her jaw and shoulders, lifting her chin with determination. She strode through the door as if on a mission, heels clicking with confidence as she went straight to the basin and began washing her hands.
“Smooth,” Sam said when she walked in a couple of seconds behind her.
“Just because we aren’t anything doesn’t mean she could just…” she said, unsure how to finish that thought. So she lathered her hands aggressively to compensate.
“Could just what, buy a drink for a new coworker that works as CatCo’s fashion writer and is mentored under Kara and is not only trying to learn the ropes but is also taking advantage of the opportunity to be welcomed by a group of fun and very attractive people, and who is way too young for Kara to be dating anyway? Is that what you mean?”
Lena turned off the tap. “…Damn it,” she mumbled.
“Any chance you can stop being so self-destructive and have a direct conversation with Kara instead of…whatever it is you two are doing?” Sam said, checking her flawless makeup in the mirror.
“I think we’re doing just fine as we are, thank you very much,” she said dismissively.
“Jesus Christ, with you two…”
“What’s a coworker from NC doing here anyway?”
“She’s dating the weird guy,” Sam said with clear amusement.
“Dox?”
Sam nodded. “I think it’s kind of cute,” she shrugged.
Lena felt ridiculous for thinking that Kara was being anything but friendly. Of course Kara was just being friendly. Really, there was no reason to have thought it was anything else.
Or, reason for her to have had that much of a reaction if it was…
“You better get out there before Nia steals her from you,” Sam joked, interrupting Lena’s self-reflection.
She gave Sam an unamused look. “She’s not mine,” she said, pretending that she didn’t just behave in a way that implied that she was. When Sam shook her head at her with a smirk, Lena took her by the arm and led her back.
They headed toward the bar—not their table.
She needed a drink, so they ordered a couple and waited while Sam talked about one of her guys-on-the-side. “He’s moving, so now I only have the one.”
“Oh, boy, what a conundrum.”
“Right? It feels too…monotonous.”
“I can see you two walking down the aisle already.”
Sam gagged.
“Will I have to be your maid of honor?” Lena asked.
“You wish. No, that’ll be Jack.”
“You mean Berry, right?”
“Oh, one hundred percent yes. But Jack can enjoy the title.”
They chuckled at that, but it was interrupted by a woman to Sam’s other side.
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt but…do I know you?” The woman was looking at Lena, seemingly trying to place her.
She wasn’t sure whether to admit being the CEO of L-Corp, or fake a mistaken identity. She settled for somewhere in between. “I’m Lena,” she said, extending her hand.
“Lena…no, I don’t think I know you, but it’s a pleasure,” she smiled. She shook Lena’s hand. “I’m Gayle.” Lena caught the subtle appraisal Gayle gave her, and knew where this was going.
The woman—Gayle—was a very attractive blonde. Her hair was done up in a beautifully elaborate style, and she wore a perfect-fitting tailored jumpsuit that Lena admittedly found very sexy.
“And I’m Sam,” Sam said after being ignored for too long.
“Sam, it’s a pleasure,” Gayle smiled apologetically before looking back at Lena. “May I buy you a drink?”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Sam said, patting Lena’s shoulder as she began walking away.
“Don’t you dare,” Lena silently mouthed when Gayle looked away to Sam.
“Self-destructive,” Sam silently sing-songed back when Gayle turned her attention back to Lena, shooting her finger-guns before abandoning her.
“What are you drinking?” Gayle asked smoothly, flagging down the bartender.
Lena offered a polite smile. “Thank you, but I already have one coming.”
Gayle smiled. “I see,” she said, curiously studying Lena as if trying to read her thoughts. “I’m sorry to have scared off your friend.”
“You did me a favor,” Lena chuckled, waving away the comment at Sam’s expense. “We were going to head back to our table once we got our drinks.”
“Ah. Do you have someone waiting for you?”
Lena gave her a knowing smile. “Something like that,” she said, because she wasn’t quite certain herself.
“Something like that,” Gayle repeated curiously. “It’s… complicated?” she surmised.
“Not complicated. More like…vague,” Lena admitted.
“Mm,” Gayle said, nodding her head in understanding. “Don’t suppose I can clarify things for you…”
Lena wasn’t sure. Kara hadn’t flirted with Nia, but Lena still felt irritated with her nonetheless.
Kara was leaving everything vague, and it made Lena feel suddenly in limbo. She was neither here nor there, taken or single, interested or not. She was holding out for Kara, but really—why? If Kara wanted Lena, why didn’t she take her?
“Why don’t we just…chat a while,” Gayle said simply, sensing Lena’s ambivalence. “Keep it vague and see how things go.”
Lena gave her a crooked smile. “No promises.”
“None at all,” Gayle said, waving away the mere idea.
Gayle was a smooth talker. She complimented Lena’s outfit, her voice, the way she carried herself. But it was suave—not like she was trying too hard. Lena actually felt flattered, and began doubting things with Kara.
She had a clear opportunity with Gayle. She was someone Lena would flirt with, especially here and especially now—Lena seemed anonymous enough, she was having a genuine good time, and Gayle was very attractive and so far seemed nothing but courteous.
The parallel to Andrea began to appear in her mind. Just as Kara had pointed out to her at the time—Lena was trying to hang on to a relationship that wasn’t entirely there, without even considering where she might land if she were to let go.
The bartender set Lena’s drinks down in front of her.
“Ah,” Gayle smiled. “And here lies the decision.”
Lena smirked. “It’s all up to me, then, is it?”
“It appears so,” Gayle said. “I’m having a good time. The verdict is yours.”
“You’re easy to talk to,” Lena admitted.
“I admit to being easy in other ways, if given the chance,” Gayle joked with a chuckle before her eyes shifted to something past Lena’s shoulder. Or, someone.
Lena began to turn to follow her gaze, but was met with an arm sliding protectively around her shoulders.
“There you are,” Kara said, her voice low and familiar. “I thought maybe you left with someone else.” She softly kissed Lena’s temple.
If Kara had been jealous at the prospect of Lena flirting with someone, she had a completely different approach to doing something about it.
And just like that, Lena’s doubt about her feelings for Kara—or Kara’s for her—vanished in an instant. Gayle never had a chance.
Lena shared a look of understanding with Gayle, then turned to Kara. “I would never,” she murmured.
In an attempt to throw Kara off, Lena slid her hand around the nape of Kara’s neck with ease and pulled her in for a kiss.
It was intended to be quick, but Kara brought her in for a second one—a little deeper than the first—before their lips even parted. Lena would have taken it further, continuing to one-up her over and over again, but knowing where that could lead, she decided to spare Gayle.
When they parted, Kara’s lips stayed close to Lena’s, but she mirrored the amused look that Lena felt in her own expression.
“Ah. That explains it,” Gayle said with a smirk. “Lena, it was a pleasure. Enjoy your night,” she smiled, taking the drink the bartender set down for her.
To Lena’s surprise, Kara’s arm tightened imperceptibly when Gayle stood to leave.
“Thank you for saving me from a pleasant conversation,” Lena teased her when Gayle was out of earshot.
“Yeah, you looked pretty miserable,” Kara said, still holding Lena and watching Gayle disappear into the throng of people.
Lena decided to forgive Kara for flirting with Nia…allegedly. “Well now that you’re here, can I buy you a drink?”
“I’d love that,” Kara said, gently releasing her. She sat down on Gayle’s stool and took Sam’s drink.
Lena took a delicate sip of her drink, eyeing Kara. She sensed an opportunity for something. Maybe to call her out on her jealousy, or what that jealousy might say about her feelings for Lena. Maybe an opportunity to make her admit to what Lena has been hoping to hear from the moment she laid hands on her.
But that would be too easy, too direct, too opaque. And Lena didn’t want the fun to end. So she stepped back in line. “So where’s your friend—Nia, is it?” She asked instead, glancing at their table. “I haven’t introduced myself.”
Kara looked over, too. “No, you haven’t. You must really have had to pee.”
Lena gasped and gently shoved her shoulder.
Kara looked at her with feign innocence. “Oh, did I misinterpret your beeline to the bathroom?”
“I really needed to wash my hands,” Lena clarified, insistently.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you had such a strict hygiene regimen. Guess there’s still a lot I don’t know about you.”
Lena glared at her. “Guess so.”
She held her gaze. But it was Kara who folded first. “But we’re changing that…right?”
Lena was a little surprised to hear a hint of uncertainty in Kara’s question—a hint of the same vulnerability Lena herself had felt just moments ago.
“We are,” Lena said, giving Kara a reassuring scrunch of her nose.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 27
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
“Seven out!”
“But it’s seven!” Kara said to the gentleman next to her. “How are sevens bad? Sevens are supposed to be good,” she continued to complain to no one in particular.
Lena tugged on Kara’s arm. “Come on, darling. Let’s get you a drink.”
“But sevens…”
“You win some, you lose some,” Sam shrugged.
“It’s alright. Let’s go have more drinks and complain about how watered down they are. We can try our luck at the slots.”
“Maybe one of you will get lucky,” Sam said quietly to Lena. She didn’t even try to look abashed.
They wandered around until they found Kelly, Berry, and Winn. “Where are Jack and Alex?” Lena asked.
“They’re over that way at one of the blackjack tables,” Kelly gestured with drink in hand.
“Really?” Sam said, sounding interested.
“Are you any good?” Kara asked.
“Numbers are sort of her thing,” Lena smiled proudly.
“I’m gonna wipe the floor with them,” Sam grinned excitedly, already making her way toward the tables.
Winn’s brows shot up with interest. “Oh, I definitely have to see this,” he said, trailing after her.
They decided to try their luck at roulette. The bad luck from craps didn’t follow them—they had more wins there. Not much, and mostly without any strategy, but Kara felt redeemed.
They eventually all met up again and decided to take it easy at the slot machines for a while, rooting for one another or consoling when they wouldn’t pay out, and enjoying the free drinks. Kara ended up winning a few hundred bucks, which was only more of a reason to enjoy themselves.
Lena had never struggled to handle her liquor. Even in boarding school, she always knew when to stop. Not that she drank in boarding school or anything…
She’d grown up around enough business meetings and hosted parties to know better. But she was inexperienced with having to handle her liquor in Las Vegas, in a casino, with a group of friends that knew too well how to have a good time.
Hindsight, of course, is 20/20. Lena had blamed the free drinks—they were very watered down, not giving them a chance to finish them before they tasted like the ice that had melted in them. Which lead them to buying real drinks. But they drank those at the pace of the watered down ones.
Lena remembered less and less of the night as it progressed. She remembered the moment she could have stopped herself from drinking any more—where she’d gone a little too far and still had time to change course. And she remembered ignoring her sound advice and having another drink anyway.
“Another round?” Kara asked with lidded eyes.
“Do as the Romans do,” someone said. It might have been Lena who said it.
“The same?” Kara asked. Lena doubted that Kara knew what everyone was drinking in the first place.
“How about shots,” Sam said. “Go help her,” she instructed Lena, clumsily shoving her a little until she got up from her seat.
“Yeah, come help me,” Kara said, taking her by the elbow and leading her away from the table on slightly unsteady legs.
“Ten shots, please,” Kara ordered.
“Nine.”
“…Ten?” She began counting on her fingers.
“Berry doesn’t drink, remember?”
“Oh, right. Nine shots, please,” Kara ordered.
After a pause, the bartender glanced at Lena, who simply smiled at him. “OK,” he said, returning his gaze to Kara. “What would you like?”
“Ten shots, please,” Kara repeated. The bartender looked unamused.
“I think he wants to know what you want in those shots, darling,” Lena smiled, giving Kara a light shoulder bump.
“Oh, um….. vodka?”
“Nine kamikazes, please,” Lena ordered.
“On my tab,” Kara emphasized. The bartender nodded and Lena watched him start to pour.
“I like that,” Kara said. Lena turned her attention to her. “When you call me darling. I like that,” she clarified.
Lena quirked an eyebrow. “Is that so…” she said, turning her body to face Kara.
Kara hummed in affirmation, and leaned a little closer to Lena. “I like a lot of things about you,” she said with lidded eyes—it could have just been from the alcohol, or something else entirely. Lena suspected it was a little of both.
“Care to share what those are?” Lena asked coyly, leaning closer still.
“Well…” Kara smiled, turning to face her. She ran lazy fingers lightly down Lena’s arm. “I like that you’re letting me touch you like this,” she said, taking her time to do so. “And that you’ve let me touch you in other ways,” she said, meeting her eyes.
Lena’s cheeks warmed—it wasn’t hard to know whether it was the alcohol. It definitely was not. “Are you coming on to me, Ms. Danvers?” Lena said, stepping into Kara's personal space.
“Purely from a scientific standpoint,” she assured.
“Ah, so this is about our little experiment, is it?” Kara nodded, her gaze on Lena’s lips. “Is that where you think this is going?”
“Otherwise, how will we ever know the answer?”
“Hey, guys!”
They didn’t lean away from one another, but they both turned to see Winn grinning at them.
Sam rushed up behind him, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand—as if they hadn’t just met a couple of hours ago—and mumbling something. He flinched back in slight fear and confusion, holding his arm protectively from her. “Wha—I…” He turned to give them an apologetic look, now understanding, before Sam took him by the arm and ushered him away.
“Your drinks,” the bartender said.
They realized then that they could have used Winn’s help.
“Maybe we should just take our shots now so that we could carry the rest back.”
They each held up a shot glass. “To science,” Lena toasted.
“And curious minds,” Kara added.
When they got to the table, it was empty. They both looked around, but didn’t see anyone.
“Did they all leave?” Kara asked.
“It appears so… Maybe they’ll be back in a minute.”
“…Can we leave?” Kara asked, setting the shots down on the table and then taking Lena’s out of her hands to do the same.
Lena gave her a mischievous smile. “And where would you like to go?”
“Why don’t we just see where the night will take us? Maybe I’ll get lucky again.” Kara took another shot, and smiled proudly at Lena.
Lena ignored the cliché comment for the second time that day. “I’m surprised you’re not slumped in a corner right now,” she said, her eyes following Kara’s hand as she set the shot glass back onto the table.
Kara shrugged. “I can handle myself.”
It wasn’t a challenge by any means, but Lena took it as one anyway. So she took another shot, too.
As soon as she licked the vodka off her lips, she felt Kara’s on them. It wasn’t shy or appropriate in a public setting, the way they pressed their bodies together—although it surely was far from scandalous in Las Vegas.
That’s when the alcohol had begun to catch up to her. She felt a shift with the way Kara held her, swept off her feet. Mixed with the alcohol, she didn’t quite make it back down.
Her mind turned to liquid, and her memory became foggy after that. She remembered dropping the empty shot glass, not hearing it land on the carpeted floor.
She remembered Kara kissing her so deeply that she almost couldn’t keep up, and feeling a desperation to have her closer still.
She remembered the lights zooming past them in blurry streaks as she hurriedly led Kara out the front doors and into the sleepless city.
She didn’t remember hailing a cab, but she remembered the wind from the open windows blowing their hair around their faces, and not caring enough to do anything about it while Kara was practically on top of her.
She remembered getting on an elevator, but didn’t remember the elevator ride. She remembered that they were momentarily lost, laughing as they walked up and down unfamiliar halls trying to find one of their rooms.
She remembered a low-lit room with a lot of cheers and laughter, and taking flutes of champagne before they were gently escorted out.
She remembered being on the street again, and a large water fountain show. She didn’t remember the accompanying music, or Kara’s hand in hers, but she remembered the closeness to her at the sight.
She didn’t remember getting on another elevator, but she did remember the elevator ride, and familiar hallways until they finally found Lena’s door.
She remembered undressing, and watching Kara undress. She remembered feeling the whole thing as natural—not a fling or anything more or less. It just felt like a moment between the two of them. Something undefined but real.
She remembered very specific things, like snapshots—could visualize the pulse in Kara’s neck, could see the colors of flashing lights on the ceiling streaking in through the window. She could hear quiet breaths in her ear, and growing moans filling the room, and the cool feel of the wooden headboard.
What she didn’t remember was when they stopped. She didn’t remember how long they were in bed without interruption. She didn’t remember when they came down from their high, or how many highs they had. She didn’t remember the moment Kara decided to stay, or whether Lena asked her to, or whether there was even a decision to be made about it at all. She didn’t remember falling asleep in Kara’s arms and Kara in hers. She didn’t remember the way Kara nuzzled her neck as they settled their breathing. She didn’t remember kissing Kara’s temple right before falling asleep, or feeling Kara kiss hers once she was.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 28
Notes:
This is sort of a stand-alone chapter. I might delete it later, but the idea for it came to mind and I thought it was sweet and wanted to write it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
They were all at Sam’s place, all doing a little work together.
Las Vegas had broken any ice that existed between any of them, and they’d let their guards down and embraced this new friend group they’d developed.
Kara was at the counter, her references and notes taking up the entire space.
Sam was on her laptop next to Lena on the floor at the coffee table, going over the next quarter’s projections and discussing potential variances dependent on the progress of their prototype.
Alex just came back from work and was helping Berry plan a few promotions on the dining table for the grand opening of a new gym.
Jack and Kelly were on loungers on the deck, supervising the girls playing lawn games while Kelly reviewed some client profiles.
It felt nice to work together like this. She was surrounded by the people she loved, and it made the work feel less grueling, even on a Saturday.
After Las Vegas, she and Kara had settled back to their “just friends” relationship, but there was a definite shift. Not necessarily in the way they interacted with one another—that was still friendly—but it was more in their general demeanor. When they shared glances or were simply near each other—she could sense something there, just under the surface, and she knew Kara could, too. Except that, just as before, neither wanted to be first, instead waiting for the other to admit it.
Kara slapped her pen down and swiveled off her stool. “This is so frustrating,” she complained, walking into the kitchen for something to do. “How am I supposed to write this article without bias when there clearly is a right side to the argument?” She asked rhetorically, starting to wash the dishes.
“I have a dishwasher,” Sam reminded her.
“I swear Snapper assigns me the topics he knows I’d struggle with the most,” she said, ignoring Sam and adding soap to the sponge. “He loves to give me edits.”
“I think that’s just part of journalism, babe,” Berry said.
“He makes it worse,” Kara said petulantly.
“Hm.”
Kara looked at Lena, and Lena her. She wanted to get a smile out of Kara, and she did.
“Something you want to say?” Kara asked in restrained amusement.
“It sounds like he thinks highly of you,” Lena said, returning her gaze to Sam’s laptop.
“Pfft, yeah, okay,” Kara said, huffing at Lena’s opinion.
Lena looked back up to glare at her a little. “You have to shift your perspective.”
“I know, I know,” she said, exasperated with herself. “But it’s hard to do that when I have such a strong opinion on this one, and he just—”
“I’m not talking about the topics, I’m talking about Snapper.”
Kara paused mid-scrub and looked at her skeptically, but let her continue.
“If he’s giving you the tough topics, it’s probably because he thinks you’re a great reporter. As much as you think he might hate you, he doesn’t take his bias into work. He wouldn’t give you these assignments expecting them to flop,” she said sagely. “I certainly wouldn’t knowingly take a risk on someone I think would fail just so I could tell them so…except for Sam.”
“Fuck off, Luthor,” Sam said half-heartedly, going back to mouthing out some math.
Kara looked thoughtful on the matter.
“As far as edits,” Lena continued, looking back at Sam’s screen while she wrote something down, “you shouldn’t see those as corrections—they’re really growth opportunities. Even now, your struggle is because you’re taking into account what you’ve learned from him. Which I would value, in your position. He’s editor-in-chief of a highly successful media empire for a reason. He knows his shit.”
She glanced at Kara, who was frowning at the dish in her hand. But Lena knew it was a pensive frown.
“I think he has respect for you, and can see the talent you have and wants to help you refine it. You’re an amazing writer already—it’s simply that good journalism isn’t easy and it might never be if you’re doing it right. It’s not like…like you’re baking a cake.”
“I can’t bake for shit,” Alex mumbled.
Lena shrugged at them both. “I think he likes you,” she said, now following along with what Sam was doing. “He just hates people in general,” she finished, her attention fully now on Sam. “Do you think we can move some over to Dox’s team without wreaking havoc in the boardroom again?”
“That poindexter better live up to the hype.”
They all had moved on to their respective tasks, except for Kara. But Lena was so engrossed in the supporting data for her next proposal that she missed the look of something profound in Kara’s eyes as she looked at Lena for far longer than the time it took to wash a plate.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 29
Notes:
Another stand-alone chapter. I was given the prompt and had fun writing it too. We get back to the drama in the next one.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
“Lena, it’s you!” Kara said excitedly, pointing toward the court.
Lena followed her gaze and…
Oh no.
She and Kara were at a Vipers game, just the two of them, after Berry, Alex, and Sam canceled at the last minute. Coincidentally.
Lena had no desire to be included when she learned that they were going. But then Kara wanted to go, and then Lena got roped in because Sam had insisted that it would be fun.
The only reason she didn’t suggest that they skip the game now was because Kara was looking forward to it.
And so there Lena was, seeing herself staring back from the jumbo screen, cheesy hearts framing the Kiss Cam. Included in the frame was the man sitting to her left.
“Nooooo,” Lena chuckled with horrified amusement, glancing at the man. His friends were already jeering him on and nudging him.
Before Lena could figure out how to politely refuse, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
Kara grinned mischievously.
“You’re not serious…”
“Why not? He seems nice,” she said encouragingly.
Lena glared at her. Why couldn’t she have offered to kiss Lena instead, to spare her the discomfort like she’d done before?
Instead, Lena found herself debating whether to step up to the challenge. She studied Kara, trying to gauge, on a scale of one to ten, how much shit she’d get from her should she refuse.
Kara smiled supportively.
Six.
Lena turned to the guy next to her, considering how far to take this. She could see herself getting to an eight on the scale—maybe even a nine—if she really went for it.
But the guy looked mortified. He seemed younger than Lena, but not by much, and his face was beet red.
She decided she didn’t need the bragging rights that badly. “Well,” Lena said with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, leaning in to be heard over the noise of the crowd, “are you okay with it?”
“Uh… sure?” he said sheepishly while his friends egged him on.
Without giving Kara another glance, Lena gave him a quick kiss, their lips hardly making contact. It was the most innocent kiss one could possibly have, but it seemed to be enough for the crowd. The man looked relieved, his friends clapping him on the back like he’d just scored the winning shot.
Lena smiled politely, ready to turn back to Kara, but before she could, she felt a hand on her cheek. She didn’t even have a chance to react before she felt Kara’s lips on hers.
Unlike the kiss three seconds ago, this one was not innocent. Kara kissed her deeply like she had something to prove, her hands fully cradling Lena’s cheeks. And just like every other time thus far with Kara, Lena fell into it, her lips parting instinctively. But it was over almost as soon as it started.
Lena’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of the crowd losing its collective mind, and to the sight of Kara still so close to her, with a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Really?” Of course— now she swoops in to save the day.
When Lena looked back to the screen, she saw now all three of them in the frame. The guy’s mouth hung open, staring at them while his friends alternated between consoling him and laughing hysterically. Kara, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered.
Lena turned to reproach her, but Kara was looking at the jumbo screen, tipping her chin up and using the screen as a makeshift mirror to wipe away the smudge of Lena’s lipstick from her bottom lip. It was so unselfconscious—taking her time and getting a round of laughter from the audience—that all Lena could do was shake her head, half in disbelief and half in exasperation.
She knew the theatrics were aimed at Lena, not the crowd. “You’re unbelievable,” she muttered with a smile she couldn’t hold back.
Kara shrugged. “You called my bluff. What else was I supposed to do?” she said, satisfied with her grooming enough to turn her attention to Lena.
The audacity. “What happened to the humble, overly-apologetic Kara I first met?” That only served to make Kara’s smile grow wider. “You just had to win?”
“What can I say? I’m competitive,” she smirked, relaxing back into her seat.
Lena rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out.
When the camera finally moved on, the crowd’s attention did too, but Lena’s didn’t. She was attentive to the way Kara’s cheeks were slightly flushed—a tell of how non-unselfconscious she really was. Maybe not with the crowd, but with Lena.
And she was attentive to the way Kara smiled so joyfully at her before returning her attention to the court. The fact that she didn’t give Lena a more suggestive look only made the endearing feeling worse, because it made it all feel…normal. Like, nothing extraordinary.
See, the thing was—Lena never just kissed Kara. Every time they’d kissed, it had always been out of a physical desire for one another with the intent for more.
This kiss? This kiss was different, because it was only what it was—it wasn’t the promise or expectation of anything more. And because of that, it made Lena want to lean into Kara in a different way.
She wanted to reach out for Kara’s hand, or squeeze her knee, or rest her head on her shoulder. But what would that mean?
This kiss was different, because it was only what it was—it wasn’t the promise or expectation of anything more. And because of that, it made Lena turn away from Kara.
As she looked back out to the court in time for a foul, she considered her. Kara had a knack for making something so completely absurd feel light. She made something complicated feel easy.
Lena wondered what Kara would do if she reached out for her hand. Would that be light and easy, too?
“Lena?” Kara said, pulling her out of her introspection.
“Hm?” she asked, pretending to watch the free throw. When Kara didn’t follow it up, she turned to see a crooked smile on her face.
“You’re very intriguing.”
Lena returned the smirk. “Am I?”
“Yeah. You are.”
Lena wanted to ask how so, but it felt too real in the moment. Maybe if it had been through text, she would have.
Kara narrowed her eyes slightly—her expression almost calculating—as if processing whatever had driven her to that statement. Whatever it was, she kept it to herself.
Lena arched an eyebrow. “You keep talking like that and I might start to believe you.”
Kara tilted her head slightly. “Maybe you should.”
Lena held Kara’s gaze, fighting the urge to smile. She studied her. Kara studied her back.
“Hmm,” Lena said.
“Hmm,” Kara agreed.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 30
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
More often than not, especially lately, Lena has had to deal with a chaotic boardroom. Even before lunch, she’d already been pulled into a shameful display of people talking over one another as if the stock market were crashing.
“But if we delay the approval, the vendor—”
“The timeline’s impossible without reallocating—”
“We need clarity on R&D’s scope, or this won’t—”
Lena’s voice easily cut through the noise. “Enough.”
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to her. She didn’t need to raise her voice; she rarely did.
She stepped confidently to the head of the table, her heels like a gavel on the tiled floor. She scanned the faces looking back at her, pausing a moment before speaking. “Let’s streamline the approval process,” she said with a calm but commanding voice. “Ms. Arias will oversee the initial proposal.”
She looked authoritatively at Sam. “Handle the vendor negotiations. Remind them they’re lucky to be working with us. If they want to push back, escalate directly to me.”
“You got it, boss,” Sam said with a little salute before jotting down her task.
Lena gave Sam a satisfied nod before shifting her attention to Brainy. “Mr. Dox, please work with Mrs. Vasquez on a detailed analysis of your team’s capacity by tomorrow morning. No estimates.”
Brainy gave her a curt nod. “You’ll have it by the end of the day.”
Lena had been very pleased with Brainy’s contributions—so much so that she’d started to consider offering him Lord’s old position as head of R&D. It was a tempting thought—she’d already come to think of the team as his—but Lena didn’t make decisions like that easily.
She’d learned long ago that making impulsive decisions often came with a price, and she wasn’t the sort of person who gambled with things that mattered. She had to ensure L-Corp was in good hands, especially R&D. She never made those choices without being certain she could live with them.
“Moving along to the product launch—Mr. Edge,” Lena said, tilting her chin up to address the far end of the table, “the draft press release needs to be in my inbox as soon as possible. We can’t afford to fall behind schedule, so I don’t care how late you stay—you’re not leaving until it’s perfect.”
Edge didn’t look too pleased, but he didn’t argue.
Jess approached Lena and handed her a note. Lena skimmed it briefly. Ms. Tessmacher, line one.
Lena nodded to Jess and then looked back up at all the still faces in the room. “Are there any questions?”
There were some shared glances, but nobody spoke. She caught Sam’s eye and tried her best not to react to the smirk on her face.
“Good,” Lena said, closing her tablet with a decisive snap. “I want updates from everyone by the end of the week. That’ll be all.”
Discussions continued among the members—more civil than before—once Lena made her way out of the boardroom with Sam.
Sam gave her a wry smile. “You’re terrifying, you know that?”
“And yet, you’re still here.”
“Only because I’m waiting for Edge to combust,” she said before they split off and Lena headed to her office to take her call.
She allowed herself a brief moment to exhale, knowing that the small respite was likely to end the moment she picked up the phone. But first, she checked her texts, where a message awaited.
Oh, how Lena wished that were true.
Jess stepped in then to set a cup of coffee on her desk, signaling the end of her break.
Lena thanked Jess and reached for her coffee, savoring the flavor before turning her attention to her waiting call.
“Good morning, Eve. Are you calling to tell me I’m being sued again?” Lena asked, smiling into the phone.
“Not today, but the week isn’t over yet,” her lawyer chuckled.
“Then what’s the matter?”
“Not a matter, per se. More a question of clarity regarding your marriage.”
Lena stilled, the words stopping her mid-sip of coffee. “Excuse me?”
“Firstly, congratulations to you and your spouse. I would love to hear the story behind it sometime—”
“Eve,” Lena interrupted, setting her mug down, “what are you talking about?”
“I’m referring to your marriage. As your lawyer, I’d like to discuss a postnuptial agreement. It’s fairly standard—”
“Eve,” Lena said more firmly, “I’m not married.”
There was a rustle of papers on the other end, followed by Eve’s measured reply. “Well, the documents in front of me contradict that statement. It says here…well, three weeks ago…”
“I don’t know what you’re seeing,” Lena said, baffled, “but I can assure you, I have not entered into any marriage. I wasn’t even here three weeks ago, I was at a conference.”
“Yes…” Eve said, her tone neutral but with the faintest hint of confusion. “That aligns with the date. Nevada law recognizes—”
“Wait. Nevada?” Lena interrupted, realization dawning. “The documents specify Nevada?”
“Yes, Ms. Luthor…Mrs.?” Eve chuckled to herself. “Las Vegas, to be precise.”
“Oh, God,” Lena breathed, her mind racing back to three weeks ago and the moments that her consciousness left her unsupervised.
There was a pause on the line.
“Las Vegas,” they both said at the same time, Eve’s voice flat with the realization, Lena’s with disbelief.
“Ms….Ms. Luthor, would you like me to—”
“No,” Lena said, her pulse quickening. “Let me…hold off on moving forward with anything yet. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
Eve hesitated, her professionalism outweighing her curiosity. “Of course…if you need assistance undoing it—or otherwise, I’m here.”
Lena ended the call with a groan.
Shit.
Her phone buzzed on the desk, and she glanced down at it.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 31
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Lena stared at her phone, the familiar name glaring up at her. She’d known the call was coming—had been dreading it since Eve’s earlier revelation—but knowing didn’t make it easier. She looked up at the ceiling, muttering something like a prayer, before taking a calming breath and answered the phone.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Lena,” Lillian’s voice was as judgmental as ever, “I had to hear it from my lawyer?”
“I wish you hadn’t heard it at all,” Lena admitted, already regretting picking up the call.
“Well, when I hold a vast majority of shares in the company, your actions tend to affect me. Did that not occur to you?”
Lena pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling the start of a headache. “This has nothing to do with L-Corp, Mother.”
“Everything you do has to do with L-Corp, Lena. You are L-Corp.”
Lena knew that to be true. She’d experienced enough scrutiny early on to be cautious of how she was perceived—she was the face of the company.
So how the hell could she admit that she’d gone on a bender in Vegas, gotten blackout drunk, and accidentally married someone She couldn’t. Not to her mother. So she did the only thing she could think of—she lied.
“I…didn’t want to attract any publicity,” she began, trying to sound composed. “The last thing I need is for the media to obsess over who I’m seeing instead of the work L-Corp is doing.”
“Oh, so you were concerned that I would go spreading this around to the media?”
“Since when have you been interested in my personal life, anyway?” Lena shot back, irritation creeping into her tone. She quickly softened it to keep a cool facade. “I haven’t heard from you since my last birthday.”
“This goes both ways, dear,” Lillian replied coolly. “And frankly, I don’t care about your personal life. But when it intersects with my life interests, I expect to be informed. If I’d known you and Andrea were planning to get married, I would have been better prepared to manage the implications for L-Corp.”
Lena froze. Of course her mother would assume Andrea.
Shit.
“Instead,” Lillian continued, undeterred, “I’m blindsided by this. I expected better from you, Lena.”
“I didn’t—I mean, it wasn’t…” the end of that sentence remained tucked in the recesses of her mind because nothing else came out.
“Oh, there are plenty of things it wasn’t…”
Lillian rattled off dozens of things this marriage wasn’t, but real was not on her list.
Lena rested her forehead on her palm and closed her eyes, tuning her mother out.
For a brief moment, she considered letting her mother think that she and Andrea had gotten married. Maybe she could call Andrea and explain the situation, just to buy herself some time.
She quickly decided that it would only end in disaster. It wasn’t fair to Andrea—more than unfair, it would be fucked up—and it would complicate things between them. She wasn’t ready to bring her back into her life, especially in this dynamic.
Whatever Lena said to her mother would undoubtedly lead to more questions. There was no way to avoid getting Kara roped into this. The marriage was real, even if it wasn’t real real.
“I didn’t marry Andrea,” Lena said, ensuring none of her inner cringe seeped into her voice.
There was a beat of silence. “You didn’t?”
“No,” Lena confirmed. “We broke up months ago. On my birthday, actually. Not that I’m blaming you for it, but it’s quite coincidental.”
Lillian ignored the tease. “And yet, you’re married.”
“I am.” Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.
“With someone you’ve been seeing for less than a year?”
Lena swallowed hard, debating her options. “Correct.”
Lillian inhaled in annoyance through the phone. “Am I supposed to guess who this person is? Or will you tell me without making this a game of twenty questions?”
“You don’t know her,” Lena said, bracing herself. “Her name is Kara.”
Another silence, this one heavier.
“Kara,” Lillian repeated flatly, as though testing the name for weaknesses. “And what exactly prompted you to marry this Kara? After only months? Or has it been longer than months…were you unfaithful to Andrea?”
“What? Of course not!” It still shocked Lena to learn just how little her mother thought of her, to think she’d do something like that.
“Then why? Did you lose your mind?”
No, Lena thought grimly. Just a momentary lapse in consciousness. “It was a personal decision,” Lena said, avoiding the question.
“A personal decision,” Lillian said flatly. “Marriage is not personal, Lena—not for a Luthor. It is a contract. It’s serious, and you’ve thrown caution to the wind, putting billions on the line. For what? For love?”
Lena bit her bottom lip, her mind racing for a response. Why else would anyone get married? Apparently, the only reasons were marrying for love, for a mutually-beneficial contractual partnership, or for no other reason than being wasted.
She was too far in. There was no way to backtrack. “Yes, Mother,” she said, her voice steady. “For love.”
Lillian’s scoff was immediate. “We’ll see how long that lasts…I’m coming over. We need to talk about how you plan to manage the fallout of this impulsive decision.”
“Mother, that’s really not necess—” Lena started, but the line had already gone dead.
Lena exhaled heavily, setting the phone down on her desk. She buried her face in her hands for a moment, letting out a muffled groan.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 32
Notes:
Only one more chapter after this. I’m still working to come up with an ending. I’ll get there eventually, these two idiots just keep digging themselves into deeper shit so it’s hard to stop them.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
She kept catching herself pacing, and tried to distract herself. But she couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that Kara would arrive at any minute.
It took Lena nearly a full day to reach out to Kara. After the news yesterday, she had canceled on game night—she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. She knew that once she asked Kara to meet, it would have to be relatively quickly.
Fitting choice of words.
She wanted to keep the invitation light.
She took a calming breath and busied herself with the throw blanket and pillows on her sofa. She tidied the books on her coffee table, reorganized a few on her bookcase. She turned on a lamp to bring a warm glow to the room. Hopefully Kara would find it soothing when Lena dropped the bomb.
She heard a faint sound—small and high pitched. She leaned into the lamp, thinking that maybe it was coming from the bulb. She loosened the bulb to confirm the source but when she did, she still heard it.
She screwed the bulb back in and turned the lamp off entirely, but it was still there. She tried to focus on the sound. She couldn’t pin it down—it was so faint yet piercing and she felt she could hear it all the same no matter which direction she was facing.
She walked toward her kitchen, and there at least she stopped hearing it. So she moved back into her living room. She tilted her head—was it high up or low to the ground?
She bent down and when there was no change, got on all fours. Then she stood. Maybe it was coming from a vent or light fixture. She glared at the TV, making her way toward it.
She inhaled sharply, startled suddenly at a knock on the door.
Oh. Right. At least the noise was a distraction for a couple of minutes, but the faint discomfort moved from her ears to the pit of her stomach.
“Hey!” Lena greeted normally.
“Hey,” Kara said happily. “Um…you were vague so I brought us some stuff.” Lena stepped aside to let her in. “I brought wine in case we’d need it—”
Probably not, considering…
“And champagne, in case we’d want it,” she chuckled.
…maybe, considering...
“And ice cream, because that’s good under any circumstance.” Kara unpacked, easily moving through Lena’s kitchen.
Lena wanted to cut to the chase. She wouldn’t be able to settle down until she did. But she couldn’t figure out how to start.
“So, what’s up?” Kara asked, shutting the freezer.
Lena contemplated admitting to murder first to take a bit of the shock away from her actual news. She walked back into the living room. “I…come here. I need to tell you something.”
Kara froze for a second. “O…kay.” She did as told and met Lena in the living room. “Why are you being weird?”
Lena frowned. “I’m not being weird,” she said defensively.
“Why are you being normal?”
“Shut up and listen,” she said, not reacting to Kara’s adorable pout.
Lena opened her mouth to start speaking, but nothing came out. She huffed a little laugh, trying again.
Kara reached out to place a gentle hand on Lena’s—she hadn’t realized she was fidgeting with her fingers.
“Sorry,” Lena smiled.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, nothing, I just…need to tell you something.”
“Yeah, I got that much…am I still too far away? I could lean closer if you’re worried someone might hear us,” she teased.
Kara was ruining the drama behind the news. “Just…sit down,” she commanded.
Kara did, slowly.
“We…you and I, we…”
We're married. What a stupid thing to say. What a stupid thing to reveal to someone in so many words. Such a stupid way to say it, standing while Kara is sitting, in a large room with four walls—an open space that was glaringly quiet. Except for that shrill sound piercing ever so delicately into the forefront of her mind.
She knew she failed to look controlled. She knew that the discomfort she felt was apparent in her expression because she watched Kara’s own morph into it as well.
“Lena, you look like you’re going to…do I need to find a bucket?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head in exasperation. Although… “I could run to the bathroom if necessary,” she said dismissively. “No, what I’m trying to say is that we…”
“We…” Kara trailed off, leaning forward a bit in an attempt to encourage her to finish the thought. When Lena didn’t, she tried to help further. “We…need beer instead? We… forgot Sam at the gas station? We… should reconsider the outfit?” Kara looked down at herself. “No, that can’t be it.”
“We…we’re m-married,” Lena finally stammered out. Then, because Kara wasn’t freaking out and she thought maybe she wasn’t heard, she announced it again. “We’re married.” It was easier to say now that she had said it.
“What do you mean married? Like, married to our jobs?” Kara chuckled.
“To…each other.”
Kara justifiably looked confused.
“We…apparently had a great time in Vegas,” Lena said, watching as clarity began to appear in Kara’s expression. “And too much alcohol,” she finished, glancing at the bottles on her counter.
There was a beat of silence. Kara continued to sit. Lena continued to stand. The room continued to hold its breath.
“You’re telling me that we got married,” Kara asked flatly.
Lena nodded.
“In Vegas?”
Lena nodded again.
“…are you sure?”
“I was as surprised as you are. I got a call from my lawyer—”
Lena’s eyes snapped to her door when she heard a knock. She recognized that knock.
No. “No no no no no...”
“What’s the matter?”
Lena looked back at Kara. “It’s my mother. I wasn’t expecting her.” Yet. “She heard about—” Lena gestured between them. “—and wanted to talk. I didn’t think…” her eyes traveled back to the front door.
“Oh…um...”
There was nothing Lena could do. It was a mistake she had made, and she just had to face the consequences. It would be easy to dissolve the marriage. To do the same for her reputation with her mother was another story. But what was one more letdown.
There was another knock.
“Look, I’m sorry about all of this,” she said, her anxiety giving way to defeat. That wasn’t how she wanted the conversation with Kara to go—to tell her and then just ask her to leave. But she wasn’t about to let her mother have anything to do with Kara. “I should talk to my mother before she lasers a hole through my door, but it would be best for only me to suffer her wrath.”
“I could stay if you—”
“No. Really. I didn’t get the chance to tell her that this isn’t real before she ended the call and flew over from Metropolis.”
“Lena Luthor, quit making me look like some sort of solicitor and open this door,” her mother’s muffled voice said.
Lena made her way to the door. “I’ll introduce you and you can leave before I tell her.”
Lena opened the door and Lillian immediately stormed in.
“How is it that I’m suddenly such a stranger to you that you have me begging for you to let me in.”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I was—”
“Oh, that is the least you have to apologize for. I shouldn’t be knocking at your door in the first place. Just when I thought you finally got yourself together, you remind me that you still need my supervision—”
Lies. Her mother would never be satisfied enough to think Lena’s got her shit together. Current circumstances notwithstanding. “I don’t need your supervision, nor do I need your judgment,” Lena said coolly.
“Your behavior says otherwise. Honestly, I never would have thought the biggest risk to L-Corp was your own flippant views on the company.”
“Flippant? Need I remind you who brought it back from near collapse after Lex lost his mind and nearly drained all its resources for his insane—”
“Insane? You forget that he was the one to build it to what it was when it was handed to you. As far as insane goes—”
“Marrying someone versus going on a homicidal rampage. You’re right, one does sound more insane than the other, doesn’t it.”
“Less insane doesn’t mean not insane. Lena, what got into you!”
“Hello, Mrs. Luthor.”
They both turned to Kara, now standing with a smile on her face.
She approached Lillian, extending her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said politely.
Lillian skeptically shook her hand. “I’d like to say that went the other way around—”
“Mother—”
“I mean,” she snapped at Lena, “that I never got the chance for the anticipation to finally meet you.”
“Of course,” Kara chuckled. “Would you care to sit?”
Lillian looked between the two before walking into the living room.
“What are you doing?” Lena whispered, tugging Kara back once Lillian was out of earshot.
Kara shrugged. “Giving you a chance.”
“To what?”
“To go one way or the other with this.”
Lena shook her head in confusion.
“You and I could figure this out later. But if your mom’s going to be upset with you anyway, I figured you could have fun with it first.”
“How do you mean…”
“Tell her that I grew up off the grid with my hippie parents and now work as a trapeze artist touring the state.”
Lena tilted her head at her suggestion.
“Or, I could just leave and you could come over once she’s gone…That’s probably the more sane thing to do here.”
Lena’s lips slowly curved into a smile, and Kara grinned back brightly in response.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 33
Notes:
Last one until I figure out more. Hope it’s not too much of a cliff hanger.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I think I’ll try the house wine,” Lena said with a pleasant smile to the waiter. She’d need it to survive this dinner. Although, alcohol was what had landed her in this mess in the first place...
“What is it that you do for a living?”
Kara looked at Lena, checking in to make sure she was okay to take the lead on their conversation. Lena quirked an eyebrow and gave her a small smile.
So, Kara turned her attention to Lillian. “I’m a reporter for CatCo magazine,” she said simply.
Lillian deadpanned. “A reporter?”
Kara nodded with a smile.
Lillian turned a glare to Lena. “Didn’t want the media attention?”
Lena shrugged. “I wanted her to have the exclusive.”
Lillian’s expression was unamused. “Well. I trust you at least had the foresight to sign a prenuptial agreement,” Lillian said, completely unbothered by the sensitivity of the topic.
“Shoot,” Lena said, glancing at Kara with mock concern. “I knew we forgot something.”
Lena could tell that Kara was making an effort to maintain her composure.
Lillian, on the other hand, was less amused. “And how, pray tell, did you not think to have her sign a prenuptial agreement?” she said to Lena, not waiting for an answer. She shook her head in disappointment before addressing Kara. “Dear, it’s nothing personal,” she began, her faux-sweet tone at Kara an indication of an incoming lecture. “I assume you understand that this isn’t just about love. It’s about security, ensuring all parties are protected.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Kara said with the innocence of Dorothy Gale. Lena knew Kara better by then, so she decided to let Kara continue.
Lillian raised a brow, clearly not expecting her to immediately agree. “Good. It’s crucial that L-Corp’s interests remain secure. A prenuptial agreement would have been the most practical course of action in a situation like this, but a postnuptial could be arranged.”
“I completely agree,” Kara replied earnestly. “I’ve actually been thinking about that myself. I understand that marriage is a…a romantic gesture of love,” Kara said, her eyes softening when she looked at Lena.
Lena noticed the shift, knew that Kara was setting something up. She held back a smirk, not wanting to derail Kara’s momentum.
“But,” Kara said, swinging right back to her matter-of-fact tone, “as much as I cherish this marriage, and your daughter, we do need to be practical. If things don’t work out—heaven forbid,” she added, reassuring Lena with a hand on her knee beneath the table despite it not being visible to Lillian, “I want to ensure that I can leave this partnership with all I came in with,” Kara chuckled.
Lena struggled to keep her composure when she saw the faintly horrified look on her mother’s face as she tried to gauge whether Kara was joking.
“I’m glad to hear you’re so pragmatic,” Lillian said slowly.
“Of course,” Kara said, her expression serious. “I mean, my apartment…my savings…my bike —they’re all really important to me. I’d hate for there to be any confusion down the line,” she said, smiling at the waiter as he poured their wine.
Lillian stilled, her grip on her empty wine glass tightening slightly. “Your… bike?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kara said sincerely. “It’s vintage—it has sentimental value, you know? And I’ve been putting money into upgrades for years. You can’t be too careful when it comes to protecting something that meaningful—it’s priceless.”
“I see,” Lillian said, though her tone suggested otherwise.
“And my wardrobe!” Kara added, looking at Lena as if struck by the sudden thought. “I mean, sure, it’s not exactly designer, but I’ve got some pretty iconic pieces in there.” Kara chuckled with a little scoff—her expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief. “Can you imagine what it would look like if Lena tried to claim my favorite jacket? Talk about media attention,” she said convincingly before taking a casual sip of her wine.
Lena had to take a sip of her own wine to keep from laughing, despite the risk of choking on it.
“Well,” Lillian finally said, recovering enough to sound patronizing once again, “it’s… good to know you’ve thought this through. I suppose we wouldn’t want any misunderstandings.”
“Exactly,” Kara said with a gratified smile, her tone light and almost teasing.
She turned to look at Lena then, silently checking in. Lena gave her another small smile. Go ahead.
So Kara turned her attention back to Lillian. “Some people don’t seem to understand that
everything
in life comes with conditions, if you think about it. Everything comes at a price,” she said, leaning forward as if sharing a mutual understanding of the naïveté of others.
“When one has a legacy such as ours,” she agreed, glancing at Lena, “that tends to be the case.”
“Of course! I mean, sure, one might say that such thinking seems…cold. But it’s just practical, don’t you think? I imagine you know that better than most,” she said to Lillian with an approving nod.
Lillian simply raised her eyebrows in agreement.
“Although…not everyone could handle the amount of energy it takes, living that way.”
“True…you cannot be mild-mannered, that’s for certain,” Lillian smirked.
“Exactly. You have to stay on your toes, calculate every risk, every outcome…every person. Every action is a transaction, that causes a reaction, and it takes a lot time and energy to stay one step ahead of it.”
“There’s always something going on behind the scenes, everyone wants something," Lillian scoffed.
“Which is why it requires some distance when building relationships—or, rather, alliances,” Kara went on, “but who could be blamed, really, for being skeptical of someone’s intentions when they claim to be acting out of something as irrational as trust or love," Kara said, her tone now exposing just a hint of her real indignation. “It’s juvenile. You protect what you value the most. It’s a matter of pride and priorities in the end, isn’t it.”
She held Lillian’s gaze, letting a beat of silence settle between them. Lena noticed Lillian sit a little taller, her lip curling slightly in disapproval now that awareness dawned.
Then Kara turned to look at Lena, her gaze softening deliberately, acting as if resigned to being captured into a reality of where her heart truly lay. “But then again,” she said with a small sigh, shaking her head fondly, “not everyone sees relationships as risks to mitigate. Some of us just…live them.”
The silence seemed to stretch, but Kara just lifted her wine glass with the same ease as before. She brought the glass to her lips, but stopped herself. She was looking at Lena and though undetectable to anyone else, Lena could clearly read the amusement and mischievousness in her eyes.
Kara leaned over and gently pulled Lena closer, planting a small kiss to her temple. Lena couldn’t help but close her eyes at the feeling of connection the gesture brought on.
Kara leaned back again and finally took a casual sip of her wine, as if she hadn’t just undermined Lillian’s entire approach to life. And she did it so smoothly—you couldn’t even call her rude.
Finally, Lena let out a soft cough to stifle a chuckle, earning a glare from her mother.
“Well,” Lillian said coolly. “I think I’ve said everything I’ve come to say.” She stood, smoothening down her skirt.
“But we haven't ordered yet.”
Lillian ignored the complaint. “Kara, dear. It’s been a pleasure. I’d expect you’ll be contacted by our lawyers,” she said sweetly.
“Your lawyers?”
Lillian gave her a little smirk.
“Kara is familiar with Eve,” Lena said casually.
“Oh, Eve is your lawyer?" Kara chuckled. “I love her—big fan.”
Lillian gave Lena an unamused look.
Lena simply shrugged. “When you’re a Luthor, your lawyer basically becomes family, right?”
She watched her mother stiffen, her nostrils flare, her mouth grow tight. Lillian said nothing more before excusing herself and turning on her heel.
Lena knew that the realization of Kara’s new surname was going to re-ignite this whole discussion. But it was worth it.
Once Lillian was gone, Kara turned to Lena with wide eyes. “Am I really a Luthor?”
“I honestly have no idea.” She pulled out her phone.
“What are you doing?“ Kara asked with curiosity, trying to peek at her phone screen.
“Calling Eve,” Lena smiled—she was just tickled by this whole damn thing.
“I hope Eve is nice, by the way. You called her by her first name, so I assume she’s at least friendly and I just took a leap.”
“Oh, it was perfect,” she winked at Kara just as Eve picked up. “Hi, Eve…”
Kara held the menu in front of her, but her eyes were fixed on Lena as she spoke into her phone, clearly wishing that she could overhear.
“Thank you, Eve,” Lena said calmly. “I’ll be in touch sometime tomorrow.”
When Lena hung up, she carefully let her phone drop dramatically onto the table and buried her face in her palms. “Oh, god.”
“Hey,“ Kara said softly, placing a gentle hand on Lena‘s shoulder.
“Oh…Kara…“ She couldn’t even say the words out loud. She looked up at Kara, laughing in defeat, tears misting her eyes. “Yes, you’re a Luthor.”
Kara looked confused and a little hurt. “Lena, you really don’t have to worry about your money or anything. I hope you know I would never —”
“Oh, Kara, no. It’s not that,” Lena said quickly, taking Kara’s hand in hers. “It’s just… It’s just that…” She took a deep breath. “You’re a Luthor. And I’m a Danvers.”
Kara instantly had a look of disbelief on her face. “Wait… You mean hyphenated, right? Luthor-Danvers?”
Lena shook her head, resigned. “No. Like, you’re Kara Luthor, and I’m Lena Danvers.”
Kara’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide, and after a couple of seconds, she threw her hand over her mouth to keep in the fit of laughter that was muffled by her palm. It didn’t stop the snort that escaped through her nose, though.
Lena was in no better shape. She buried her face in her hands again.
“Lena!” Kara stage whispered, scandalized as if this was all Lena’s idea. Though it very well could have been. They’d never know.
After their laughter subsided, Lena took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. “Kara?”
“Yeah,” Kara said, catching her breath.
“Can I ask for a favor?”
”Sure, what is it?”
“When my mother kills me, I would love it if you sold L-Corp and donated the money to a good cause.”
“Oof…” Kara winced. “Is it OK if I secure a cemetery plot first? I have a feeling I’d be right behind you.”
To no one’s surprise, they didn’t get down to the logistics of their situation—a plan to address how to handle it. Instead, Lena smiled at Kara, who smiled back, shaking her head in disbelief before glancing away, her gaze drifting thoughtfully into the room.
While Kara processed this latest revelation, Lena let herself take a moment to admire her—at the way she was able to take a crisis and soothe it like aloe to a burn.
Kara didn’t have to do any of this, Lena thought to tell her. She didn’t have to stand by Lena’s side when her mother showed up unexpectedly. She didn’t have to sit through dinner with Lillian. Didn’t have to defend Lena. But she did. And she did it easily. And Lena wanted to ask her why. Part of her was afraid to.
Andrea had never done that. Would never. It was one of the many reasons her mother had approved of her. But Kara?
Maybe it was because she had nothing to gain or lose from Lillian’s approval that she was so audacious. She didn’t care about her mother’s judgment. She cared enough about Lena’s, though—checking in to make sure she wasn’t overstepping.
She studied the way Kara leaned back in her chair—comfortably and carefree. Like she didn’t just make the Goliath in Lena’s world stumble and retreat right in front of her.
When Kara turned her attention back to her, Lena caught the change in her expression—the humor in her blue eyes turning into something softer. Her mischievous smile to something warmer.
“So,” Lena said, breaking the silence, “marriage is a romantic gesture of love, is it?”
Kara let out a soft laugh, taking the stem of her wineglass and twisting it back and forth a bit. “I’d always imagined so. But…I guess that’s not always the case.”
The comment should have stung—a reminder that their relationship wasn’t rooted in anything deeper than friendship. Except that there was something in Kara’s tone, something in her expression that took the edge off. Whatever they had—whatever this was—it wasn’t quite love. But it wasn’t nothing either. And it wasn’t one-sided.
Lena tilted her head, studying Kara. “And what category would you say our marriage falls into?”
Kara looked down at her wine with a wry smile. “Does it count if you’re drunk?” she peeked at Lena.
Lena let out a short laugh, shaking her head fondly. “That depends whether someone’s drunk enough to lose all reason, or drunk enough to finally lean into it.”
Kara took a sip of her wine, and Lena could tell that it was to hide a smile. “Or,” Kara said, setting her glass down. “Maybe both.”
Lena smirked. “That would be convenient.”
“Wouldn’t it?” Kara agreed with a little scrunch of her nose. “But there’s always a grand gesture involved, isn’t there? Romantic or otherwise…unless you’re complete strangers, maybe.”
“But we’re not strangers,” Lena pointed out.
“Exactly.”
Lena narrowed her eyes, sensing Kara had missed her point. “So where was the grand gesture for us? Because I don’t recall you getting down on one knee.”
Kara tilted her head in thought. “Hmm.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “Go on, let’s hear it.”
Kara’s smile widened. “Grand gestures can take lots of forms,” she said innocently. “You should know that better than anyone.”
“Oh?” Lena asked curiously. “Should I?”
“Sure,” Kara said lightly. “A grand gesture could be… oh, I don’t know… sending someone a private jet.”
Lena bit the inside of her cheek, suppressing a laugh. “Are you implying that—”
“Or,” Kara interrupted with mock thoughtfulness, “sitting on someone’s lap and kissing them senseless in a crowded room.”
Lena shot her a halfhearted glare, but her amusement was difficult to hide. “Or an arena in front of thousands.”
Kara laughed.
“Hypothetically,” Lena smirked.
“Hypothetically,” Kara agreed with a smile.
“Well,” Lena continued primly, “I think we can agree that marriages are not flings.” She wanted to bait Kara into maybe defining what she thought they actually were.
“Nor are friends with benefits,” Kara countered instead.
Lena raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think we ever made it to that phase of the experiment.”
“Just something that had come to mind,” Kara admitted, her nonchalance betrayed by a faint blush. “I was going to run it by you as an avenue to explore. But you’re right—we were still figuring out what thrice meant.”
Lena smirked. “Well, it’s too late for that now.”
“Is it?” Kara asked doubtfully.
“If I’m not mistaken,” Lena said, “I believe thrice happened after our apparent wedding.”
Kara pretended to consider this. “Buuuut, does it really count if we don’t remember it?”
Lena felt a sudden eagerness at Kara’s tone. “Good point,” she replied with mock seriousness. “The results would be inconclusive.”
“Exactly.” Kara leaned in slightly, sliding her wine glass to the side. Her voice dropped, low and conspiratorial. “So… don’t you think we should conduct another trial?”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 34
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
Lena looked down at the documents in front of her, but she couldn’t focus enough to retain any of it.
This document is executed pursuant to the provisions outlined in Section 20(ii)(15) of the Domestic Relations Act…
When Jess brought over a stack of mail and other documents moments ago, Lena quickly noticed the large manila envelope at the bottom, thick enough to be sturdy.
…the marital union between the parties is deemed null and void ab initio…
It made her swallow hard, leaving her mouth dry. It made her put on her Luthor mask for the benefit of no one but herself. It made her sigh.
…the undersigned parties hereby release each other from any future obligations or claims, financial or otherwise, effective immediately upon execution of this document….
She hated the thought of Kara reading the same legal jargon that she herself had in front of her.
They didn’t know whose idea any of this was. They had tried—individually and together—to piece the events of the evening together. They wanted to know who to blame—if it had been Kara’s idea, Lena was going to make her eat kale for a whole week, determined to find a recipe that Kara might actually like. If it had been Lena’s, it would be donuts. For both of them.
But as much as they tried to remember, it got them nowhere.
They supposed it didn’t matter at that point. What was done was done. And really, it was no big deal to either of them. At least, that’s what they told each other. That’s what Lena had been telling herself, too.
…the annulment shall take effect immediately upon the completion of all necessary signatures…
Lena brought the point of her favorite pen to the signature line. As soon as it made contact, the ink blotted. And she laughed.
She laughed at how backward this all was. She laughed at how ridiculous that particular moment was—a reenactment of the moment that started it all, the moment that Lena initiated a conversation with Kara for the first time, not having even known her name.
She considered taking a photo to send to Kara, but decided it was morbid in some inexplicable way.
Once the humor wore off, she began a search for another pen, absentmindedly moving things around, looking for one she knew was somewhere on her desk.
She moved the stack of other documents over when another envelope caught her eye—a manila envelope, but smaller than the first.
She took it from the stack and looked at the front of it. It simply had her name in what she was sure was Eve's handwriting.
She furrowed her brows, carefully opening it. Inside was a note.
These came along with the marriage license. Thought you might want to see. —Eve
She set the note aside and pulled out a flat mailer envelope. She tore open the cardboard strip and reached inside.
They were photos. Wedding photos.
It was simple—far from the grandiose wedding she’d have planned if given the chance, but pretty nonetheless.
They were in a low-lit room that glowed in soft golden light. Behind them was an archway draped with sheer white fabric decorated with delicate strings of tiny soft lights. Flowers of soft pink and white, or maybe cream, accented the altar. It was simple, and beautiful. But it compared nothing to the brilliance of Kara’s smile.
They were wearing their regular clothes—the clothes she vaguely remembered tossing onto the bedroom floor that night.
They were facing each other, not the camera. They were laughing about something—Lena could guess what that might have been—holding hands to support each other up, by the looks of it. Lena’s eyes were closed in that one, but she smiled widely.
Lena looked at the next photo.
They were nearly doubled over with laughter. Lena chuckled at the humorous and slightly concerned expression on her face in the photo as she reached to save Kara from falling.
The next photo showed them upright once again, with a woman Lena assumed officiated the wedding standing with her back to the camera, seemingly posing them.
The next photo showed them holding one another, their bodies pressed together as if slow-dancing. Their laughter had subsided by then.
The next photo was of them kissing—possibly their first kiss as a married couple. It was deep, but not salacious.
The last photo was close up. They gazed into each other's eyes—not just looking, but reading. Like they were having an unspoken conversation—the same unspoken conversation they’d been having for months now, from the moment they laid eyes on each other.
Lena flipped through the photos again, smiling as she caught other details the second time around—the way Kara laughed in the first one. She knew that laugh—could almost hear it. She noticed the way Kara’s cheeks were flushed from the laughter and the alcohol, the way the light was captured in streaks of Kara’s hair. She noticed the unrestrained joy in her own expression.
With photos still in hand, Lena rested them against the desk. It brought the annulment documents into view in her periphery.
…the annulment shall take effect immediately upon the completion of all necessary signatures…
Her favorite pen no longer functioned.
…all necessary signatures…
She couldn’t find her other pen.
She looked at the last photo again, and bit her bottom lip.
Maybe…
She set the photos down and picked up her phone.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 35
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
“I read your article,” Lena said once they sat down with their coffees and pastries.
They each had busy days planned, but not until late morning. So they decided to meet each other for a quick coffee at Noonan’s.
“Yeah?” Kara smiled a bit self-consciously. “What did you think?”
“I love your writing style, but you already know that.” Lena was happy to see the smile that the compliment brought to Kara’s face. “And you do know people, based on the quotes you managed to get from some high-profile individuals.”
“Just lucky, I guess. Like meeting you,” she smiled casually.
It was comments like that that made Lena’s heart flutter a little. “You’re a great reporter,” Lena said proudly.
“Aw,” Kara smiled, ducking her head with the hint of a blush.
“You’ve come a long way from quill and ink…God, that feels like sooooo long ago.”
Kara chuckled. “Well, you know, I like to take my time,” she said, catching Lena’s eyes before quickly looking down to take a sip of her latte.
“Hm,” she said, receiving a look of feigned curiosity in Kara’s eyes as she finished her sip. “I’ll be sure to take my own time and read them carefully.”
“Why’s that?” Kara played along.
Lena raised one eyebrow. “I tend to need to read between the lines when it comes to you,” she said, taking a sip of her own coffee.
“Hm,” Kara responded, with a thoughtful expression as she delicately set her coffee down.
They spoke about their mornings thus far, but quickly jumped into reliving moments from their honeymoon. It had been so much fun.
Nobody knew that they’d traveled together. Lena played it off as a work thing—just to meet with a few overseas contacts, as far as Sam was concerned, hoping that she wouldn’t bother to confirm that in the budgets.
Kara said she was visiting her cousin Clark. Nobody cared to ask for more details, it seemed.
They stopped in New York for a day before flying to Paris and then Venice—a nod to their time in Las Vegas. It seemed fitting.
“Merci,” Kara said to the store clerk. When they stepped outside, Kara smiled at Lena. “Do you think he believed I was French?”
“Darling, I think everyone can tell you’re American from a kilometer away,” she said, a bit tongue-in-cheek.
“What? How?” Kara looked down at herself, not finding any stars and stripes in her outfit.
“Well, for starters, you’re eating the croissant you just bought.”
Kara looked down at her bitten croissant. “So? It’s fresh,” she said around her bite.
“And you’re bouncing on your heels on the sidewalk.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“You’re very happy to be here.”
“Aren’t you?”
“I am. But you can’t tell that I’m American because right now, I’m not eating on the street…or smiling at strangers,” she said when Kara did just that, and with a nod.
“It’s rude not to.”
“It’s American.”
“Hm.”
“Come on,” Lena said, guiding her away from the storefront.
“I bet he couldn’t tell.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “Also, your accent.”
“What? I only said ‘merci’—how could you detect an accent with that.”
“Say it again,” Lena instructed.
Kara did.
Then Lena did.
Kara frowned. “Okay, well, you actually speak French. And you’ve been here before.”
“A few times, yes.”
They turned a corner to their street.
“When was the last time you were here?” Kara asked, taking another bite of her croissant.
“Mmm…two years ago, maybe.”
“Oh…was it for business?” Kara asked.
Lena detected something in her tone. She glanced at Kara, knowing where her thoughts had gone. But Kara was looking down. “No,” was all Lena said, not bothering to hide her smile.
Whatever insecurity Kara had felt faded once she looked into Lena's eyes. Kara returned the smile, much brighter and American.
“But I’m having a much better time this time around,” Lena reassured her.
It was true.
She’d enjoyed her trips to Europe with Andrea, but it had all been planned out in advance. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—Lena had enjoyed all they’d done, but being there with Kara was…well, different—just as everything else.
They hadn’t planned anything—they didn’t get the chance to. So they winged it. They strolled, and just went along with the current, wherever it would take them that day or hour or minute—fitting for them, considering.
Slowing down had made Lena really appreciate everything around her all the more. She still didn’t bounce on her heels, though.
Lena watched Kara sip her coffee and just as would happen every once in a while, Lena couldn’t help but compare her to Andrea.
(Of course, technically, aside from being married, she and Kara weren’t official—not officially, anyway—but they…were…)
Anyway, with Andrea, there was chemistry. There was definitely a physical attraction, but not as intensely as with Kara.
Andrea was in the same corporate world as Lena, which made it easy to relate, but it bled into their home lives. Whereas with Kara, it was fun learning about the nuances of her day, and enjoyable to hear about her articles. Lena felt that their differences only expanded her world.
Lena and Andrea spent time together when they could (when Andrea wouldn’t bail on her), but not so much outside of that. Lena realized that what she and Andrea had been trying to do was make a real relationship out of friendship and sex. Friends with benefits, almost.
(Technically, she and Kara were friends with benefits. Except not really. And also there's the marriage thing…)
Anyway, Lena and Kara spent time together when they could too, but they also shared it. Andrea’s and Lena’s social circles never really synced. But the line between Lena’s world and Kara’s world faded away quickly until it was just one.
And the line that had been between Lena and Kara was no longer in between them. It surrounded them like a lasso, pulling them together with no give. Lena liked being tied to Kara—to be her ball and chain.
Lena continued to listen to Kara speak, unable to keep from falling into the blue of her eyes, of her lips as she drank her coffee. She tried to instead focus on the animated way she spoke, the enthusiasm she held, her beautiful laugh.
Lena was having such a good time with Kara that before she knew it, their coffee date was over.
And before she knew it, she was splayed on Kara’s bed, moaning her name with Kara’s head between her thighs.
After their honeymoon, they embraced the sex full on without the need for research.
When they met for lunch in Lena’s office, they hurriedly fucked on her sofa for the twelve minutes Lena had remaining before her next phone call.
When Lena stopped by Kara’s place to drop off some of Lena’s favorite pastries from a bakery on the other side of town for Kara to try, Kara had two fingers inside of her before she even touched the pastries.
But it wasn’t just sex. It wasn’t one or the other anymore. It was still Kara bringing her lunch, and Lena bringing her pastries.
And after work that evening, Lena went back to Kara’s. They’d woken up together every morning in Europe, but that had been the first time she’d woken up with Kara at her place. After that, they were definitely more official than not.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
* * *
“Thank you,” Lena said, taking the coffee handed to her. She noticed the short stack of newspapers at the end of the counter. “I’ll take one of these as well, please.”
It was quite a busy lunch hour—all the window seats were taken, but she found a spot further toward the back. Once she settled, she took a sip of the coffee, appreciating the taste.
She’d been out of the country for almost a week, and was feeling a bit deprived of companionship. She wished Kara could have joined her, but Kara had already taken too much time from work, so Lena had to go alone.
She pulled out her phone to check her text messages, curious whether Kara had seen the very suggestive photo Lena sent her.
It didn’t take long to incorporate photos into their texts, especially after their honeymoon. Kara asked her for a new one for her contact card.
“I’m sure you already have one you could use,” Lena said.
“I have some candid ones of you but the only posed one I have is the one you sent me…when you were…um…”
“When I was…”
“You were holding up a glass…of wine…”
Lena almost laughed. “Are you referring to the first one I sent you?”
“Maybe.”
“You saved it.”
“Yeah, well… anyway, I can’t really see you in it.”
So Lena had sent her one. She had taken a selfie once they got off the call. She would admit to having angled the phone just so, knowing that Kara would appreciate it.
Kara had sent her a selfie, too. For her contact card. She had a beautiful smile, but also no shirt. Lena couldn’t see anything, though. It was modest, all things considered. Except for a peek of her bra straps in pale lavender in the frame.
And it had escalated from there.
She had lightly bitten her lip, her hunger for Kara evident, as she attempted to tempt her.
Kara had flexed her arm in the photo, her skin glistening with sweat, and she wore a gorgeous smile.
They became more risqué. Smiles were replaced by tongues and lips and teeth. The lenses traveled lower and lower down their bodies.
A photo of Kara with her hand under her plain white t-shirt, bunching it up with her reach, the shape of a hand nearing her breast.
A photo of Lena’s fingers hooked in the collar of her own dark navy top, pulling it far down to reveal more of her long neck…and cleavage in the process.
One of Kara’s legs from her point of view, while she lounged on her couch in her sleep shorts. Her legs were parted slightly and her hand rested on the inside of her thigh.
One from a similar angle from Lena, but with lace underwear and nothing more.
Kara from the same angle, fingertips beneath the waistband of her boxer briefs.
Lena with her whole hand beneath the waistband of her panties.
It was turning out to be a fun new phase for them—and it helped Lena with the withdrawals she was experiencing after their more recent hot nights.
When she looked at her phone, she smiled at Kara’s reply.
The response was from a few minutes ago.
She waited a couple of seconds to see whether the speech bubbles would appear. When they didn't, she set her phone down and let herself sink a little further into the armchair she occupied, unbothered to maintain perfect posture. Not being from this country, she took full advantage of her anonymity while she could. It was refreshing to be in such a public place, even if just the modern cafeteria of the business center.
She took a sip of her coffee before setting it down on the small round end table to her left and picking up the paper to read. There was a lot to learn about the cultural and political differences between their countries, so she took any opportunity to study.
But she hadn’t been able to maintain her focus on the articles because the thought of them reminded her of a certain journalist.
She picked up her phone again to check for a text—she was surprised when it suddenly rang in her hand. She smirked when she saw the caller ID. “Are you calling to ask for more selfies?” Lena answered, casually glancing around at the flow of people in and out of the large dining area.
“Wow. How do you know I’m not calling to ask you what your favorite flower is?”
“Because you’re not that bland.”
“Thanks?”
Lena smiled. “I’m sorry. Hi, Kara. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I just wanted to know what your favorite animal is.”
Lena smiled. “Are you planning to buy me a toy?”
“Depends on what kind of toy you want,” Kara said with amusement.
“Hm. How about…a rabbit.”
Kara laughed. “And you’re going to leave me to interpret that?”
“Let me know what you decide.”
Kara chuckled on her end. “So, you were saying?”
“Was I?”
“You were. Before I called to ask about your favorite toy.”
“You mean, my favorite animal?”
“Right.”
Lena smiled. “Well, I’m in a room full of people, so maybe we could put a pin in it for now and come back to it later.”
“Afraid someone will hear you talk about rabbits?”
“Yes,” Lena chuckled.
“Hm…I’m very interested to delve into your suggestion.”
“Well…” she could probably speak vaguely enough without drawing attention from anyone nearby. “I was simply reminding you of an alternative option.”
“And what would that be?” Kara asked, feigning confusion.
“I wish I could elaborate,” Lena smiled.
“Hm.” Lena could hear the smile in Kara’s hum. “I don’t think it’s quite the same.”
“No?”
“Although…it could help to have some audio.”
Lena chuckled. They hadn’t gotten that far into their sexts, but Lena was not opposed to the idea of a video. Maybe. Just a short one. “I might have time to provide that once I’m back at my hotel room.”
“You’re going to make me wait after a photo like that?”
Lena smirked. “I’m afraid I don’t have a choice at the moment.”
“Of course you do.
“Oh?”
“I’m listening…”
It took a moment for Lena to get where Kara was going. “No,” she chuckled. “We are not doing this right now.”
“Why not? Because of the room full of people?”
“Precisely.”
“Okay…okay, let’s flip it around. You don’t have to say a word. Just let me do the talking. And maybe later, you could reciprocate.”
“Kara…” she said without a follow up.
“Consider it part of an experiment.”
“And what would be the basis?”
Kara thought for a moment. “How about…defining sex.”
“Oh, so we’re defining that now? Because I think we’re both pretty clear about what that is.”
“But is it sex if I’m alone in my room? What if I’m alone in my room, but with you on the line? I think it’s worth finding out, don’t you?”
Lena would love to try it, in her hotel room. “I think we could hold off for now and find a better time.”
“But I’m already naked.”
Oh, no… “Are you?” She glanced around herself.
“Not entirely, I guess. I just got home and was about to take a shower before dinner with Alex. I was getting undressed when I noticed your text, and now I’ll have to make up an excuse for being late."
The image it brought made Lena shift a little in her seat. She knew she shouldn’t work herself up right before her next meeting, but it would be the middle of the night for Kara by the time she finished for the day, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to talk to her again until tomorrow.
“They’re blue, by the way. In case you were wondering,” she said. “My favorite color,” she added.
Lena smiled, but kept her voice quiet. “I’m sorry to have interrupted your dinner plans.”
“Mm, how sad for me,” Kara said with what sounded like a pout. “I wish you were here to kiss it better.”
Lena ducked her head and bit down on her lower lip. She really wanted to play along and have a little fun with Kara. But she couldn’t. She shouldn’t. So she needed to say something or else Kara would continue.
“I guess I’ll just have to console myself,” Kara sighed.
Lena could feel her heart begin to race. A little fun couldn’t hurt. “And how will you do that?”
“I have some ideas,” Kara said coyly. “But I want to hear what you would do to make me feel better if you were here.”
The warmth from Lena’s cheeks was spreading down her body. “I wish I could say.” She tried to express her ache with her tone. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“I guess it depends on whether you’re in a hurry,” Kara said with no sign of teasing in her voice—only warm honey.
Kara was serious, and Lena wanted nothing more than to describe in detail what she’d do to make Kara feel better. “I have a little time,” she said instead.
“Even with a room full of people?”
“I…” Nobody was paying Lena any mind. It was bustling, offering a cloak of noise to the room, and the people at the next table were fully engaged in conversation. “You’ll need to do all the talking."
“It’s too bad you can’t walk me through this,” she said sweetly. “What would you want to do?” At Lena’s silence, she continued. “Won’t you give me a hint? Just a taste?”
The teasing in Kara’s voice only made Lena want to play into it even more. “I think you could figure something out.”
“Okay. I’ll try to be more vocal for you.”
Lena felt her arousal pick up at the anticipation of what Kara would do.
“How about I touch where I’d want you to touch me, to feel like you’re here with me?”
“I like the sound of that,” Lena said, switching the phone to her other ear.
“And if you want me to feel better, you can start here. Just a peck on the cheek,” Kara said, and Lena could envision her placing her fingers there, all the while mostly naked in her bed. One that Lena couldn’t wait to be in again.
Of all the possibilities Lena would have… “I think you’re starting in the wrong place, darling,” she teased.
“Am I. Hm. Where would you start?”
“I’d like to tell you where I would end,” she said suggestively, still quiet enough not to be overheard.
“Would it be lower?”
“It would…”
“How low? Maybe here, on my lips?”
“That’s better for now. I’d stay there for a little while, but I could multitask.”
“Lower?”
“Lower.”
“I wish this was your hand and not mine sliding down me.”
Lena could imagine where Kara might be touching herself. But she had to ask. “Where is it now?”
This was a terrible idea. While Kara described all the ways she was touching and massaging her breasts, and told Lena how she wished she could place her mouth on hers instead knowing how true that statement was—it was becoming too much. But she couldn’t stop.
But she also couldn’t contribute. Fuck. She couldn’t speak, couldn't say aloud anything that wouldn’t be inappropriate. She was too dazed to think of anything anyway.
But she wanted Kara to pleasure herself like Lena would if she were there.
“Tell me where else,” Kara said with her voice low and needy.
Kara was toying with her, fully aware of Lena’s predicament. “Just imagine where it’s already been,” she tried.
“I…can’t quite remember. Can you remind me?” Kara exhaled into the phone. “I need a little help.”
Lena scrunched her eyes closed. “This is torturous, you know,” she quietly whined.
“Oh? Are you squirming as much as I am? Is your hand on the inside of your thigh, excruciatingly close?”
“I should stop,” she admitted weakly.
“It doesn’t seem like you want to stop when your hand is sliding under my waistband,” Kara said in such a sexy way it was bordering on vulgar.
Stop. Stop right now. She scrunched her eyes again, but that only made the image of Kara come into focus more vividly.
“Can I?” Kara pleaded.
It took Lena a second to understand that Kara was waiting for permission to touch herself. It gave Lena the feeling of some control over the situation, and she didn’t want to let that go. Lena bit her lip. How could she deny her? “Yes, but slowly…”
“So, so slowly,” Kara promised.
“Good. Because I’d take my time.”
“I can feel your hand, being real soft and—” Kara let out a soft exhale. “God, I’m already so wet for you.”
“Tell me,” she encouraged.
“I’m so slick, can you feel it?”
Lena instinctively flexed her fingers, and quickly balled her hand into a fist. “Not like I’d want to,” she said.
“I can describe it for you.”
Lena recrossed her legs as Kara spoke, feeling the reaction between her own thighs. She stopped caring, though. It was too late to even consider stopping this.
When Kara’s breathing picked up, when there was less tease and more want in her voice, Lena felt the need to once again have any level of control. “Slowly,” Lena said.
“I thought you didn’t…have time to go slow…”
The sounds coming out of Kara and the way her words were broken between breaths was leaving Lena out of breath herself.
She continued to listen attentively to Kara fondling herself. Though Kara had started out teasing her, challenging her, she’d completely fallen into the moment just as Lena had.
Lena guided her as best she could, trying to remind herself of where she really was. She glared at the room, suddenly hating each and every face she saw.
“Lena,” Kara moaned a little. “Why do you have to be so far away?” she asked with a breathy ache.
“I’m about ready to cut this trip short.”
“I’m still imagining you…what you feel like…how you make me feel,” she said between breaths.
“Tell me,” she quietly pleaded.
“The way you’d slide your fingers through me, like this,” she exhaled.
“A little faster,” Lena instructed. “I want to hear you,” she said, reminding Kara of her promise when her lips drew away from her phone. She heard the moment Kara did as told. Her breaths were growing shorter and she began to let out small, satisfied moans.
“I remember the way you’d tease me with the tips of your fingers, like this.”
Lena uncrossed and recrossed her legs.
“I want you in me, Lena,” she panted, sounding helpless.
“Not yet,” Lena said, torturing both Kara and herself.
“Please, I’m getting so…god, I’m getting so close,” she begged.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “First use the other one.”
“The…other one…”
“Put your phone on speaker, and use your other…” she moved her phone back to her other ear. “...hand on your…up higher.” Lena was speaking so low now, trying her best to contribute more deliberately in secrecy from the room. “And remember to be vocal.”
She heard Kara do as she was told, and somehow Lena could pick up on more of the sound in the room. It took all her willpower not to just leave and find some place to relieve her own tension.
But when Kara’s breathy voice asked Lena to pinch harder, Lena’s willpower was gone. She needed to find someplace to go.
“Lena, please. Please, I want you in me.”
“Just the—” how could she say what she wanted to. “Not all the way.” She looked around, the only exit was the door she came through to get here, at the opposite end of the room.
“God, you’re such a tease even when you’re not here,” Kara chuckled again. “I might just have to take matters into my own hands.”
Lena chuckled at Kara’s humor, even in her state. “Okay, go slow at first.”
Kara let out a satisfied exhale as she began to slowly fuck herself, and Lena had to sit still a minute while she imagined and wished and regretted.
“Lena, I want your fingers. I want you,” Kara whined, continuing her ascent of pleasure.
The sentiment turned her on too much. A utility closet or storage room. An empty office. Even a bathroom stall at this point. She needn’t say anything—just continuing to listen to Kara would be enough while she got somewhere to quickly get herself off in mere seconds, she was certain.
She stood, deciding to leave her things. She’d come back for them later. She didn’t give a shit if they were stolen, not right then.
To her dismay, she was intercepted by Jess. “Miss Luthor, there you are,” Jess said with a smile. “Your meeting is beginning in just fifteen minutes, on the twelfth floor.”
Lena stared at Jess. “I…” But Kara was still panting and whining and moaning in her ear. Lena considered ignoring her assistant, and her meeting, and her client and contract altogether.
“Please don’t leave,” Kara begged. “God, I’m…so close…”
“I…” Her attention returned to the fantasy Kara was painting for her.
“Don’t stop,” Kara mewled. “I’m almost there, don’t stop…god…faster,” she moaned.
But Jess stood in front of Lena, waiting to be given direction. “No, keep going,” Lena said into the phone while nodding to Jess and pointing back to the place she had been occupying, silently instructing her to gather her things.
As soon as Jess hurried away, Lena returned to Kara. “Faster,” she told Kara, quietly, desperately, and firmly.
“Lena…Lena, I want you…with me, I’m—I’m—god.”
“I’m right here, darling. Let me hear you.”
Kara moaned with every jolt of her orgasm, and Lena hated Australia.
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
* * *
“Do you have a new detergent?”
“No, why?”
Lena scrunched her eyes, setting down one of the bags to carefully rub at one. “I sometimes feel the onset of allergies and I think it’s when I’m near you. My eyes are a little itchy. Maybe because we’re in the elevator.”
“Are you allergic to fragrances?” Sam asked, setting down a bag as well to tug at her shirt for a whiff.
“I’m only allergic to cats, as far as I know. But maybe?”
“Oh, that might be it,” Sam said. “One of my guys-on-the-side just got a cat.”
“One of? Did he not move?”
“He did. But I happened to meet another one.”
“That was quick,” Lena said, impressed. “Where’d you meet?”
“Vegas.”
“Really? And he lives here in NC?”
“Yeah, I see him Tuesdays and Fridays.”
“Today’s Thursday.”
“Sometimes Thursdays,” Sam smiled, picking up the bag again. “Sorry about that.”
“Thanks,” Lena said sarcastically.
“I’ll borrow some of your clothes and set mine on the balcony.”
“So, scheduled?” Lena smirked.
“Not intentionally, but it kind of worked out that way. It’s kind of nice actually. It’s less to coordinate. We have our appointments and just cancel if we can’t make it.”
“Sounds practical. Do you ever double-book? With your other guy?” Lena teased.
“He’s gotten a little stale, if I’m being honest. Winn is much better in bed,” Sam said before exiting the elevator.
“What?!” Lena gaped, following her. “I’m sorry, did you say Winn? Like, Kara’s Winn?”
“He’s Sam’s Winn now,” Sam smirked.
“How the hell did that happen?”
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
Lena laughed at how true that slogan was. “Except for your hookup.” And my marriage.
“Yeah,” Sam laughed. “But I’m not about to let a good thing go.”
Same. “Does anyone know? Kara? Alex?”
“I don’t know,” Sam shrugged, stopping at Lena’s door. “I’m not keeping it a secret or anything, but there hasn’t really been a reason to ever bring it up. It’s just sex.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Not all of us lead blurry lives the way you seem to love to do.”
“It’s only blurry from the outside.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you two are totally stable on the inside.”
“Shut up and open the door.”
Sam unlocked Lena’s door and walked backward to hold it open while Lena stepped in.
“Did you break your washer or something? Why'd you buy so many damn bedsheets and blankets?” Sam complained, letting one of the bags fall to the floor and setting her phone and purse on the counter.
“I don’t have a washer,” Lena said. Sam rolled her eyes. “I told you George could help me bring them up.”
“I was coming up anyway.”
“I intended to buy just one set except that these looked good, too. I guess I got carried away,” she said, dropping the bag with fluffy new towels down and setting her keys and phone next to Sam’s. Really, she got carried away because she couldn’t decide which pale blue sheets Kara might like more.
“This is so soft!” Sam said, pulling out a throw blanket from one of the bags.
“I got that specifically for you, since you always complain about mine.”
“It’s not fluffy enough.”
“Well, now you have that one.”
“You should get rid of—”
“I’m keeping it.”
Sam rolled her eyes, unfolding the blanket to appreciate it.
Lena picked up the linens bags that Sam had set down and began walking toward her bedroom.
She heard her phone buzz on the counter. She didn’t think anything of it until she realized what was about to happen, and then she panicked, and the next three seconds seemed to play out in slow motion.
She watched Sam reach for Lena’s phone, taking it as easily as she would a set of keys or a glass of water.
She watched the smooth way Sam bounced the phone in her hand to reorient it toward Lena.
She watched Sam absentmindedly glance at it to make sure the phone-to-hand exchange was going as expected.
She could practically hear the tires screeching on the pavement at Sam’s full stop when she got a glimpse at the screen.
She watched helplessly as Sam twisted away from her when Lena dropped the bags to snatch the phone. Watched Sam hurriedly and expertly reorient the phone in her own direction. She witnessed the miracle of sight as the light from the screen traveled to the photoreceptors in Sam’s eyes, and the interpretation of said light shifted Sam’s emotion from disbelief to surprise and glee as if she’d just found Wonka's golden ticket.
“Wait, give me—” Lena reached for it again, but Sam raised her arm to block Lena’s attack.
“Is that emoji a wedding ring?!” It was only then that she allowed Lena to snatch her phone back.
Lena rolled her eyes at Sam.
“Do not tell me—are you going to propose?!”
Shit. “No,” was all Lena said—anything more and she would be digging herself in deeper. She put the phone in her pocket, not bothering to read the text, and turned back to grab the bags off the floor.
“Do you want to propose?” Sam asked, excitedly still trying to understand.
Fuck it. The cat’s out of the bag anyway. “There’s no need.”
“What does that mean? Wait, are you guys already—” Sam interrupted herself with a gasp. “Lena Luthor, if you got engaged and kept it from me, I swear, I will rub cat all over your stupid throw blanket.”
“We’re not engaged,” she said casually, pausing for dramatic effect. “We’re already married.”
She didn’t have to turn around to see Sam’s frozen expression. She was sure it was the same expression she had when she found out that Lena “quenched her thirst” on their beach vacation.
“And you can refer to me as Mrs. Lena Danvers.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter 38
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
* * *
They decided to throw a rooftop belated engagement party, or maybe a delayed wedding reception. It didn’t really matter—they were the only two privy to that bit of information. To everyone else, it was just to have a good time.
“Do you think anyone could tell?” Lena quietly asked Kara.
“Hmm…I don’t think anyone suspects a thing,” Kara said conspiratorially. “Except for Sam, I guess.”
Lena wondered whether Sam would spill the beans about their non-news. “I am not getting snared in the tangled web you’ve weaved,” she had declared.
Lena didn’t know what the plan was—whether they’d tell anyone else. She found humor in it either way.
All in all, it was turning out to be a pleasant evening. Very low-key, but lively in the way it usually is when they’re all together in one place. There were a few people at their party that Lena had never met.
She met a man named John who had worked with a few of them. He was very kind—fatherly in some way. She met his partner, Megan, who was very kind and as stoic as he.
She also met Kelly’s brother James. Alex had been right—he was a bit bland.
There were a few others she had yet to meet. One of them—a woman—approached Lena.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” she said to Lena.
“No, I don’t believe so,” Lena smiled politely. “I’m Lena,” she said, extending a hand.
“Lena—I’ve heard your name mentioned a time or two. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” the woman said kindly. “I’m Eliza—Alex’s and Kara’s mom.”
“Oh!” Lena said, her polite smile politer. Fuck, what do I do? “It’s very nice to meet you.” She discreetly looked for Kara. I’m going to kill her.
“So, how do you know the girls?”
“Oh, I, uh—I met Kara a few months ago. And she introduced me to Alex,” she said vaguely.
“You can’t have one without the other,” Eliza said fondly. “Do you work with Kara?”
I’m going to kill her so hard. “No,” she smiled. “I, uh—”
“Hey, mom,” Alex said, to Lena’s relief, giving her mom a hug.
“Hi, sweetie,” Eliza said, rubbing Alex’s back a little before letting her go. “Where’s your sister?”
“Talking to Sam,” Alex pointed.
“It looks like I have a few people to meet yet,” she smiled. “I was just getting to know Lena,” she said, turning her attention back to her.
Lena didn’t know what to say, or how much to say. Maybe she should go fetch Kara, for Eliza—she had asked about her, after all. That would be helpful, right?
“So, you were saying?”
“Hmm?” Lena looked at her as if she had no idea what they had just been talking about.
“You don’t work with Kara?”
Lena glanced at Alex, who was looking encouragingly back at her. I’m going to kill them both.
She internally sighed. “No, I work at L-Corp. As CEO,” she said humbly.
Eliza raised her eyebrows. “Oh! Lena Luthor?”
Not at the moment. But Lena nodded.
Her defenses always went up any time anyone learned that she was a Luthor. It was a natural reaction, and although in a friendly setting, this felt no different. So she braced herself.
She expected Eliza to be polite about it—she seemed like the type—but she also expected an undercurrent of hesitation before she would excuse herself from the interaction. Lena should have known that Kara’s mother would be an exception to the norm.
“I’ve been following your company closely and I have to say, you’ve steered it in such a…an inspiring direction,” she said sincerely. “Personally, I’ve been fascinated by the medical advancements you’ve spearheaded…”
Eliza went on and on about how she’d personally benefited from some of Lena’s more innovative technologies in her own field, inviting Lena to share some of the ideas she had for future projects. She was so appreciative of the interest and recognition Eliza was bestowing on her that she almost forgot who she was speaking to until their conversation was interrupted.
“You made it!”
“Of course,” Eliza said with a smile, giving Kara the same affectionate hug she had given Alex. “After insisting over and over that I should be here, how could I not?”
The smile that Kara gave her mom was adorably sweet. It was almost enough for Lena not to want to kill her.
“I feel like I know only half of the people here.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to introduce you to everyone,” Kara said, glancing around. “But I see you’ve met Lena,” she said, turning back to smile at her.
“Yes, I’m just getting to know her. It’s always nice meeting new friends,” Eliza smiled warmly.
“Oh, Lena’s not my friend—she’s my wife,” Kara said.
Lena’s chest turned to stone for a second, the blow unexpected. Her wide eyes snapped to Eliza, who looked justifiably confused at Kara. “Wife?”
“Yeah, we’re married,” Kara said with a proud smile at Lena.
Lena pursed her lips. You are so dead, she thought at her. Kara just kept smiling.
“You, and Lena?” Eliza asked, gesturing between the two, making sure she heard her correctly.
“Yeah, Lena and I are married.”
Alex stopped dead in her tracks as she was walking past them—Lena was so engrossed in conversation with Eliza that she hadn’t even realized Alex had left. “Wait, wait, what did you just say?”
Kara accepted Alex’s presence, easily including her in the conversation as if she were sharing news about a newly-discovered podcast. “I said we’re married,” Kara repeated for the third time, taking Lena’s hand. She gave it a little squeeze, and Lena squeezed back, a lot harder. It only made Kara chuckle.
“What do you mean, ‘married’?”
“Hitched!” Kara said excitedly.
Lena should have felt embarrassed at the delivery of the news, especially to Kara’s mother, but she was too aware at how different this experience was from the encounter with her own mother.
“Like, married married?” Alex asked. “Is this one of your weird games?” She gestured between the two of them.
I may as well. “I don’t know what you mean by ‘games’,” Lena said, “but yes, we’re married married.”
This was so not okay—but if she had to stand on one side or the other in this moment of discretion, it would be with…well, her wife. They needed to be a united front.
Plus, she loved the incredulous look on Alex’s face. “Sorry, I guess we forgot to mention it?” Lena looked at Kara, as if trying to remember which of them was supposed to let Alex know. Kara looked just as puzzled back at her. “Anyway,” Lena continued, before Kara could make her laugh, “we got married in Las Vegas.” She was enjoying trying to see how high she could make Alex’s eyebrows shoot up.
After a long enough pause, Kara finally broke the silence. “So…how was your day? The weather’s been great today, hasn’t it?”
Lena rolled her eyes and bit back a laugh. Alex seemed to have short-circuited—Lena could see words forming on her lips, but nothing came out.
Eliza, on the other hand—her expression never went below confusion. She was actually smiling. A little.
Kara had taken the lead with Lillian, so it felt right that Lena would with Eliza. Their mothers seemed to be two very different people, though, so Lena took that into consideration. “Darling, I think we should step back a minute to explain ourselves.”
Kara smiled at her. There was something in her expression—a sort of amusement at Lena playing along, but also a sort of dare for her to keep it going. So, she did.
“Well, we were in Vegas, doing as one does, and we sort of lost track of…well, our sanity, it seems,” she chuckled, thankful to get a small smile out of Eliza. “It must have rested some of our inhibitions because suddenly there Kara was, down on one wobbly knee in front of the Treasure Island pirate show, asking me to marry her.”
She felt Kara squeeze her hand, a little tighter than before, so Lena purposefully didn’t look at her.
“If I were more sound of mind,” Lena went on, “I may have stopped to consider whether it was a good idea. But really, it wasn’t completely unexpected. She was dropping hints for days beforehand, so I knew it was only a matter of time.”
She did look at Kara then—her lips were tightly puckered, clearly wishing that Lena would stop talking.
“Anyone else would have gone on a gondola ride, or to the Bellagio water show, but I suppose cannons might feel more thrilling when a bit tipsy.” Lena gave Kara an affectionate smile.
She paused for a moment, actually giving Kara a chance to interrupt. But she didn’t, so Lena checked in on Eliza. She was still smiling—Lena still had the green light.
“Of course, Kara being Kara—after all that time to prepare, she hadn’t even thought to buy a ring to offer,” Lena chuckled, holding up her left hand to show. “Can you believe that?”
“Yes,” Alex muttered.
“Well, I thought it too sweet. And when I saw the expression on her face when she realized…well, like I said, we were in Vegas doing as one does, so…”
Nobody said a thing for a few heartbeats. Lena just glanced at Kara, feeling like she’d won at some weird game of theirs.
“Well,” Eliza finally said with a sigh, “that’s certainly…a lot.”
Lena scrunched her nose at Kara. Serves you right, she thought.
Kara shook her head before turning to Eliza. “It was a whim. We’re taking care of it,” she shrugged. Lena appreciated Kara’s honesty—aside from the teasing at Kara’s expense, she didn’t want to play into the charade with Eliza as they’d done with Lillian.
“I’m sorry for my initial reaction to the news,” Eliza said to Lena, “but I can’t really say I’m surprised.”
Kara scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that sometimes…you’re a feather in the wind,” Eliza explained wistfully before turning to Lena again. “I’m not sure what that says about you or your compatibility to one another,” she smirked, “but I’m happy to have you as a daughter-in-law, if only for the time being.”
Lena chuckled, thankful that Eliza was willing to accept the situation for what it was.
“This is belated,” Eliza went on, “but I feel cheated out of the chance to grill you before marrying my daughter—”
“Oh, that’s okay. You could do that now,” Kara suggested helpfully. Lena openly glared at her.
“True,” Eliza chuckled. “Although, maybe we need to give Alex the chance for the shovel talk first.”
They turned to Alex, who was shaking her head in exasperation, but a slight smirk gave her away. “They're both about to get the shovel talk.”
The conversation was much smoother after that. Eliza did grill her, but it was more in a get-to-know-you way than a what-are-your-intentions-with-my-daughter way, since that had already been laid out pretty clearly.
“I can’t believe you did that to me,” Lena said once Alex took Eliza over to meet Jack and Berry. “You couldn’t have warned me?”
Kara chuckled. “Sorry. I thought this was how we were introducing each other to our mothers.”
“You’re such a shit,” Lena chuckled despite herself. “Mine was unintentional, and I tried to give you an out.”
“Yeah, I guess mine was very intentional and I tried to trap you.”
“Successfully. God, my hands are sweaty,” she said, rubbing them over her jeans.
“Why were you stressed about it? It’s not like there’s any reason to want to make a good impression.”
“Right,” Lena agreed. “We’re just benefiting from this friendship in a particularly singular way with no strings attached.”
“None whatsoever,” Kara smiled. “Which reminds me—do you want to stay over tonight? It’s getting late, and you’re already here, so…”
“I don’t want to reward that behavior,” Lena teased.
Kara chuckled. “Well then, stay over so I can apologize and make it up to you,” she said, taking Lena’s pinky in her own.
“Hmm…” Lena glared at her a little in consideration. “Fine. But you’ll have a lot to make up for,” she said, swaying their arms a little.
“Whatever you want,” Kara said sweetly.
“That’s a good start,” Lena smiled and gave her a small kiss on her cheek.
“Mm,” Kara smiled at the affection. After a pause—“I knew she’d like you,” she said softly, kissing Lena’s temple.
“I hope she did,” Lena said, very much having a reason to want to have made a good impression. She looked toward Eliza, who was now speaking with Berry, Jack, and Winn. “Do you want to go share the news with them before Alex does?”
“Oooh!” Kara took Lena’s hand and they rushed over as if about to miss their flight. “You guys, guess what!”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
Chapter Text
* * *
“There’s so much more we could have done as a married couple,” Kara said with a shiver, not bothering with a greeting.
Lena thanked George and approached her on the sidewalk. “Like what?” she asked, genuinely curious about what was going through Kara’s mind. She had enjoyed the marriage part of their experiment, even if it was only technically.
“I don’t know…we never got to file our taxes jointly,” Kara said, opening the door for her.
Lena laughed. “You’d be in a different tax bracket. Believe me, you’re better off.”
“Okay, well, we never got to buy a house together.”
“A house? Okay, this would never have worked out anyway.”
“What’s wrong with a house?”
“It’s not 1960,” Lena said, pressing the elevator button.
“I didn’t realize house ownership was just a fad.”
Lena shrugged. “I’m a modern woman, and that means not having to deal with a lawn.”
“But what about the dog?” Kara asked, stepping in behind Lena and pressing the button for the sixth floor.
“We never agreed to get a dog.”
“I love dogs. You knew this about me when you married me.”
Lena smiled. “I suppose I could have bought a house for your dog.”
“Like, a people-house as a dog-house?”
“With a doggie door for when it wants to frolic in the grass, and can go right back inside to lay on the couch. You could even get two dogs.”
“Three.”
Lena rolled her eyes.
“We never got to send a Christmas card to our loved ones.”
“The update would have been one hell of a story.”
“Dear family and friends. Good news and bad news.”
“Which is the good and which is the bad?”
“Wow.”
Lena squeezed Kara’s cheeks to pucker her lips and gave her a small kiss. She pulled away to look into Kara’s eyes, but kept hold of her adorable face.
“I do regret not insisting on taking half of your jets,” Kara said through her still-puckered lips.
“Darling, I’ll get you your own, plural. Just let me know what colors you want,” Lena teased, giving her one more kiss before releasing her hold and stepping out of the elevator. In reality, Kara's birthday was fast approaching, and Lena had already intended to get her a jet, simply for the inside joke.
They came to a halt just outside the open doors of the meeting room. They took each other’s hand.
“It’s sort of…surreal…don’t you think?” Kara asked softly.
“Which part?” Lena smiled, giving her hand a little squeeze.
Kara chuckled and nodded, ducking her head.
Lena kissed her temple.
Kara smiled, and kissed her lips.
As they went through the paperwork, and nodded at the dialogue that Lena was only half listening to, she felt what Kara had expressed. It all felt so surreal. So final—like coming to the end of their twisty road.
She’d had so much fun with Kara—from the first silly moments they’d shared to now. Even just shy of a year, they’d experienced so much together. Much faster and more sideways than any relationship she’d ever had.
She watched Kara watch Eve, maybe actually paying attention to what was being said. But perhaps she felt Lena’s eyes on her because she looked at her then. She shook her head fondly at Lena and smiled in amusement.
It made Lena purse her lips and she recognized that yet again, Kara managed to lift the heaviness of the situation—and she did it with a simple smile. She was going to miss being married to her.
In too short of a time, all “I”s were dotted and “T”s were crossed. With one final look, a small smile, and a soft sigh, they stood to exit the room. They rode the elevator down in silence.
Once outside, Lena tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, shivering slightly from the cold. She glanced at Kara, who also shivered.
They moved forward onto the sidewalk together. Lena smiled at George as she passed. He simply smiled back and closed the car door he had been holding open for her.
They walked side by side in silence, with no destination in mind.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“So,” she said, gently bumping her shoulder. “Now that we’re single…can I take you out to dinner sometime?”
She reached for her hand and their fingers interlocked effortlessly. “Definitely. We need to figure out the dog situation.”
Notes:
Bluesky: @RadioactiveCactus
Twitter: @RadioactCactus
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