Chapter Text
“Alex, your weirdo sister is staring at us again!” a kid called out from across the field.
Alex let out an exaggerated sigh and glared towards the edge of the grass, behind the fence where the parking lot meets the park.
“She’s not my—” She yelled back. “Agh—whatever!”
She strode over to the fence, fists tightly clenched. The girl before her was silent, hugging a football close to her chest, wide-eyed and staring back at Alex.
“Look, I don’t know why mom made me bring you along, but if you’re going to be here, you can’t be all creepy just staring at people.”
“I wasn’t being creepy,” Kara replied quietly. The beginnings of a pout started to take form.
“Well, whatever you were doing, just do it somewhere else.”
* * *
The next weekend, Eliza again insisted that Kara walk with Alex to the park. Alex was fuming. Not only was a little sister she never asked for forced onto her lap, she now had to include her in everything that she did. And the other kids were right—Kara was weird. Ever since she came to the Danvers’ household, she had been quiet, only talking when it was absolutely necessary. Eliza told her repeatedly that Kara was family now and that Alex needs to be a good friend and a sister. Despite all of the defenses Alex came up with, Eliza stood firm.
So there they were, back at the park, with Kara in the peripheries while Alex joined her friends in a lively game of football. Alex as a natural athlete, lanky at an early age, was playing at receiver and even ran circles around the boys she played with. There were barely any formal rules in place other than the barebones foundational pillars of football. Mostly, the kids were just happy to be outside and playing the sport.
On one particular play, Alex streaked down the field, hands flailing to indicate that she was open and ready for a pass. As the ball sailed through the air, Alex knew that it was going to fly well above her head. She slowed down and gave up on trying to jump for it; there was no point in doing so for a ball she wouldn’t be able to touch anyway. And as she expected, the ball flew at least a few feet over, traveling wayward. In a split second, Alex realized something that had completely left her mind. Kara.
The ball was headed straight for her.
Oh crap.
“Kara!” Alex cried out, eyes wide with the horrifying realization that the ball was going to squarely nail Kara in the face.
At the mention of her name, Kara looked up from where she was bending down and collecting some dandelions. It was going to be too little too late.
Alex winced, shutting her eyes. She didn’t want to see what type of terrible disfigurement was about to occur.
When she finally opened her eyes, she did so hesitantly, bracing for the worst. But there were no screams, or blood, or even a single bruise. Shockingly, the ball was securely inches away from Kara’s face, her hands wrapped around the ball.
What?
There was no way—Kara barely had any time to react. Alex and the other kids all rushed over with Alex being the first to the scene.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Alex frantically asked, looking over her sister for any signs of injury.
“No, why would I be?” She handed over the ball to Alex. “You guys can have the ball back. I didn’t mean to stop the game.”
Alex stood there dumbfounded and took the ball from Kara’s outstretched hands. She shook her head in disbelief.
“Thanks.” When Kara was about to bend down again to pick up the dandelions she had dropped to catch the ball, Alex interrupted her. “Hey, uh. Do you want to play with us?”
It was the widest smile Alex had seen from Kara yet.
————————-
It was a stupid idea. On the surface, it was beyond improbable.
“You want to do what?” Eliza asked incredulously.
“C’mon mom, she’ll be completely fine,” Alex pleaded. “I think.”
And now, Alex was in the bleachers, leg going wild with anticipation. It wasn’t too hard to spot Kara in the crowd, even with the helmet. She was the only one sporting a braided ponytail after all.
If Kara was feeling a fraction of the anxiety that gripped Alex, she sure wasn’t showing it. She swayed side to side in ease, stretching her arms as she did so. It was summer break, just weeks before the start of the school year with Alex entering her junior year and Kara entering her freshman year. The sun was relentless, baking the air around them. It was undoubtedly much worse for the players who were on turf. Football tryouts were traditionally closed to the public, but Alex had snuck her way to the stadium, hopping the shut fence.
The coaches ran drills based on position groups, taking notes on their performance. The good, the bad, and occasionally, the ugly. Midvale High wasn’t a powerhouse football program by any means; Midvale was a relatively small town, after all. But football still remained a popular sport, and competition was fierce regardless for the limited amount of spots on the team.
Now, it was time for the quarterbacks to take the field, tasked with throwing accurate passes to the wide receivers running routes. There were no defensive players to contend with, but the pressure of an audition was enough to make some fold. The starter, a senior, stepped up first. Tryouts were basically going to be a formality for him. As expected, he breezed through the drill without much effort. Two other kids followed with varying degrees of success. There were some wild throws that had Alex cringing all the way from the bleachers.
And then it was time for Kara. Dwarfed in stature compared to all the boys. As she stepped towards the middle of the field, the other players stopped what they were doing and immediately began talking amongst themselves. Snickering, pointing, jostling each other as jokes were hurled around. There was no chance. Zero.
Kara took a football into her hands and readied herself. At the coach’s signal, she dropped back, quickly side-pedaling three steps. The receiver was running a simple slant, five yards forwards before breaking towards the middle of the field at an angle. She wound up and fired.
It missed the mark by several yards.
Come on, kid. You got this.
Kara shook her arms as if to reset her muscles and readied herself again.
The receiver ran the same route, Kara stepped back, and threw.
It was perfect. Hit him squarely in the chest. The coaches hesitantly scribbled in their first notes.
The drill was reset, with the route changing to one that was designed to travel further up the field. Same result, right in the hands. Oh, the boys were definitely singing a different tune now. There was no way, right? I mean, she’s a freshman. She’s a girl. A girl! It’s a fluke, it has to be.
With each repetition, the routes increased in distance and difficulty, culminating in a lengthy go route, designed to travel at least 25 yards. Surely, she wasn’t going to come anywhere near it. This time, she took seven steps back, waited for a few beats to let the receiver gain ground. And another. And then another. Then, she wound up. Coiled. Unloaded.
The receiver had no chance—the ball was nowhere close.
Kara overthrew him by 15 yards.
No one said a thing.
What in the world was her family feeding this girl?
————————
Kara made the team. Granted, she was a backup with no real chance of playing in a real game, but still. When school started, the news that a freshman girl had made the team spread like wildfire. It was already going to be a tough transition to high school life but now, as probably the only or even the first female varsity quarterback in the state, all eyes were going to be on her. However, it wasn’t anything that Kara and Alex hadn’t expected. Kara just wanted to play the game. People could say whatever they wanted—Kara was simply counting down the days until the first game of the season.
She heard the whispers in the hallways and how the other students pointed at her when she headed out to the practice field with her pads on. Well, sooner or later, they were going to have to get used to seeing her like this. There was no way in hell she would let them stop her from playing.
Midvale High’s first game was at home, a warm sticky autumn night, still in the aftershocks of summer. Kara dutifully went through the warmup drills, taking each rep seriously as if it they were about to play the state championship game. The odds she was going to see any playing time were low, but still—it was important nonetheless.
Football has never been Midvale’s strong suit; it wasn’t a very big town nor a city, and kids here were more interested in soccer or swimming anyways. Yet, minutes before kickoff, the student section was buzzing with excitement. Perhaps it was the residual excitement of a new school year or just school pride. When the whistle blew, signaling the start of the game, Kara stood with the rest of the backups, clutching her helmet in her hand by the facemask. She blew some air out of her mouth trying to get some wisps of her hair out of her face. Her ponytail was sloppier than usual tonight, probably due to the nerves surrounding her first ever varsity game.
The game started out well enough—Midvale and the away team each traded touchdowns in their opening drives, followed by a smattering of field goals here and there. Mind you, it wasn’t anything to write home about, but they were winning at least. By the time halftime rolled around, Midvale only led by three points. Kara took in the halftime speech in the locker room, absorbed all the adjustments they would make for the next half, and honed in with the rest of the team as they stepped back out into the field.
Then, during Midvale’s second possession of the second half, disaster struck. The offense had found in a rut, pinned deep inside their own territory. Frustrated and anxious to make something happen, the quarterback took off, scrambling to his right and abandoning the play. He was sprinting hard, the defense hot on his heels. When he dove for extra yards, there was a sickening crunch of a violent helmet to helmet collision. The trainers and athletic staff ran out to the field right away, fearing the worst. A hush fell over the crowd. After some careful examinations, the quarterback was helped to his feet, where he was half-carried back to the sideline. His balance was clearly shot, and his legs couldn’t bear any of his weight. It was a concussion; there was no possible way he could continue the rest of the game.
“Danvers!” The head coach shouted.
Kara’s head shot up immediately, and she looked towards her coach.
“Gear up, you’re going in.”
With a quick nod, she pulled her helmet over her head with practiced ease and popped her mouthguard in. She jogged out to the field to meet the rest of the team in the huddle. Even with the helmet on, Kara could hear all the commotion from the stands. Some groaned, some booed, and some laughed.
She looked towards the sideline where her coach held up eight fingers for the play number. Kara searched on the wristband with the plays written down and recited it to the rest of her teammates once the specific play was located. They broke the huddle with a clap and settled down in their respective positions. Kara took her place behind the center, surveying the field.
“Ready! Set!”
The ball was snapped, and Kara swiftly handed the ball off to her runningback, who ran down the middle for a modest four yards. She could hear her heart thunder in her ears against her helmet. While the rest of the team recollected themselves off the ground, she looked towards the sideline for the next play. It was a deep pass play—designed to surprise the defense. The other team knew nothing about Kara. All they knew was that she was a girl who probably couldn’t even throw a spiral. It was the last thing they would expect. Yet, it was a huge gamble. What was to say that the pressure and the nerves would not get to Kara? Nevermind the fact that she’s a girl playing varsity football, she’s a freshman backup playing in her first ever high school game. Anyone in her shoes would surely crumble. In a close game such as this one, a costly interception could be fatal.
She brought in the huddle, relaying the play call. She saw the hesitation in her teammates eyes. In a flash, she bunched her fist and pushed it against the chest piece of her wide receiver’s protective gear.
“Just get open. It’ll be right there.”
A wordless nod from a six foot junior was proceeded by the break in the huddle. She once again took her place under center, eyes moving from one defensive player to another.
“Set!”
An unexpected quick start caught the defense flat footed for a split second. Kara ran back towards her runningback, feigning a handoff. Once the fake took place, she turned to face upfield. Without missing a beat, Kara stepped into her throw and let it loose. The ball sailed through the air in a picture perfect spiral.
10 yards.
20 yards.
30 yards.
And finally, after nearly 40 yards in the air, the ball nestled right into the receiver’s outstretched hands, hitting him in stride. He barely had to make any adjustments. There was nothing but open field in front of him, leaving a defender lagging behind hopelessly.
It was a 68 yard touchdown to put Midvale High in the lead for good.
Even the home crowd was stunned. Despite the fact that they had just scored, everyone sort of just…watched. Stood there, frozen. No one moved a muscle in the stands until someone with distinctively red hair screamed out:
“Let’s fucking go Kara!”
And then the crowd erupted. It was enough to shake the bleachers.
Some of Kara’s teammates sprinted towards the endzone to celebrate the touchdown while one of her massive offensive linemen crushed her in a tight hug.
“Way to go, kid! Hell yeah!”
Then, she caught up with the rest of the team down the field to properly celebrate as a unit.
Alex took the time to look around the field, breaking from her screams and cheers. She saw the disbelief on their faces, the incredulous looks.
They had absolutely no idea. None of them.
But Alex knew. She knew it from the day she saw Kara first touch a football.
They were witnessing the birth of something incredible. Of greatness.
They just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter 2
Notes:
Wow! I really didn't expect such a great reaction to the fic--thank you guys so much for reading and commenting! Enjoy the ride!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Midvale High’s First Away Game of the Season
The prognosis was not ideal, to say the least. It was a concussion and a torn rotator cuff for the senior starting quarterback—his season was effectively over. Thankfully, none of his college offers were rescinded despite the injury, though he wasn’t thrilled with having to sit out the rest of the year. He was a competitor after all.
Understandably, the team’s morale was affected following the announcement. Sure, Kara looked pretty good in her limited playing time last week, but the fact of the matter is that she was still largely unproven. It might be a wasted year.
And when it rained, it poured. Midvale High had to travel to their long-time rivals for their first away game of the season. No matter how good or bad Midvale teams had been in the past, this rivalry game was always a close contest with loads of tension ready to snap on the field. It wasn’t uncommon for both teams to engage in shoving matches throughout the game, egged on by the rowdy students in the crowd.
As the team stood by on the sideline with their hands on their chest for the national anthem, you could see the nerves permeating through each player. This was going to get ugly. By now, the entire athletic conference had heard about Kara’s relief effort. They knew that Midvale’s hopes rested on a freshman girl with hands barely big enough to grip the ball properly. On the other side of the field, the opposing players were anxious to get on the field, the defense chomping at the bits to torment the offense dumb enough to start a girl.
After the anthem, the referee called over the captains of each team for the coin toss to see who would receive the ball first. Kara made her way to the middle of the field along with two senior captains. When the two parties met, the referee ordered the players to shake hands for the sake of sportsmanship. Kara was the only one that didn’t receive a handshake. She held her hand out, of course, but the opposing players just stared her down, refusing to give her the courtesy.
Midvale lost the coin toss and were slated to start the game on offense.
When Kara and her teammates took the field after the kickoff, there was a definite air of resignation amongst the players in the huddle. It wasn’t lost on Kara. Nevertheless, she pressed on and relayed the play call to the others.
“Ready! Turbo set!”
The ball was snapped, and Kara dutifully handed the ball off to her runningback, who was met at the line of scrimmage for little to no gain of yards. Before the next play, Kara saw the defense shift, the linebackers creeping closer and closer. It was another run play with similar results. The defense expected a run and committed to it, sending all of their players to the middle. On third down, they still had 9 yards to go for the first down, but the coach stayed with the run which was stymied yet again. The offense was forced to punt, and Kara had to walk back to the sidelines as possession went to the other team.
“What the fuck are they doing?” Alex muttered under her breath. The implication was clear—the coaches still didn’t trust Kara to throw the ball. And if Alex could see that from up in the bleachers, everyone on the field could see it too. Alex tracked Kara as she trekked back to her place on the sideline. Her right fist was clenched tight, and Alex knew that Kara was starting to get frustrated.
Midvale’s defense didn’t fair any better either. They couldn’t stop a single soul, being hit with big chunks of yardage every play. Their rivals marched right down the field and scored a touchdown with relative ease. They were in for a long night.
Kara and the offense trotted back out to the field for their second drive. Another run play with abysmal results. In fact, they actually lost yardage on that play. With the defense not respecting the passing game one bit, the runningback had nowhere to go before getting tackled. To add insult to injury, players on the other team specifically called out the play prior to the snap. They had obviously talked about how Midvale was too scared to throw in their huddle, but they wanted to let the others know.
While walking back to the huddle, Kara glanced towards her coaches to receive the next play. Predictably, another run. She tore her eyes away and marched to the huddle. She looked around: shoulders slumped, heads low.
Screw it.
“11 Trips Right 3 Jet F Arches Z Corner on two,” Kara called out the play. A pass play.
The other players just kind of stood there.
“Wait, what? I don’t think that’s the play. Are you sure?” Asked one of the offensive linemen.
“11 Trips Right, 3 Jet,” Kara started again, adding little pauses for emphasis. “F Arches, Z Corner. On. Two.”
Finality.
“Ready?” Kara raised her hands for the customary clap. Her teammates did as well. “Break!” They broke the huddle with a simultaneous clap and began to line up on the line of scrimmage in their respective positions.
Kara surveyed the field, taking the time to gage the defensive formation. The defense was set up in the same way as the last play—the linebackers were on the heels of the defensive linemen and the cornerbacks were pressed up tightly across from the group of wide receivers to the right. Their intent was clear.
“Ready, set hut!” Kara yelled out, trying to fake out the defense.
“Green 18, green 18, hut!” This time, the ball was actually snapped, and once again, Kara set out to hand the ball off. From the corner of her eye, as she was turning she saw just about everyone from the other team rushing towards the back field. She was going to have just about no time to throw this.
When the time came for the exchange, she pulled the ball back to her body at the last second, keeping it for herself. Kara took three more steps back before stopping and planting her foot. Looking up, she saw two players barreling down, but converging on the runningback who didn’t have the ball. She checked to her right, and as she expected, the first option was wide open. Without a single beat of hesitation, she started her wind up and let the ball fly.
The ball sailed out of her hand, and it cut through the air in a tight spiral. It traveled about twenty yards downfield, towards the sideline, and over the receiver’s right shoulder. He reached out, and the ball nestled into his hands perfectly. He followed the catch with a run and after 12 additional yards, he was forced out of bounds by a safety who was acting as the last line of defense.
The Midvale coach immediately called a timeout and signaled to the team to come back. When Kara jogged over, her coach grabbed her by shoulder pad.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? That was not the play I called!”
“I know, coach.”
“Do you? Do you think you’re the coach here? Do you think you’re here to do my job, huh?”
Kara never broke eye contact with him when she replied.
“No, coach. But I think I should get a chance to do mine.”
Now, that gave him pause.
“Fine, kid. Just…don’t do anything stupid.”
“Yes sir.”
The referees blew the whistle to indicate that the timeout was ending.
“Alright, go get em.”
That night, Kara ended the game with three touchdowns and a win. The crowd was silent walking back to the parking lot.
————
3 Years Later. First game of Kara’s senior season.
Midvale trails 28 - 24. 1:43 left in the game.
As it always has been in the last three years, the bleachers at Midvale High were packed, filled to the brim with students, parents, reporters, and cameras. Ever since Kara had taken the reigns as the starting quarterback, Midvale had shot up to the top of their conference. At this point, they had won two straight state championships with no signs of slowing down. With each game, Kara proved that she not only belonged on the field, but that she was head and shoulders above the rest. She had already shattered existing school records.
Now, people from all over came to sleepy, ol’ Midvale to come watch her play—to see if all the hype online about a girl dominating high school football was true. And boy, did she give them proof and then some.
She was taller now, standing at 5 foot and 10 inches, and she had filled out her frame with the core and muscles to fit the build of a prototypical football player. Granted, there were times when Kara definitely felt the limitations of her physiology. Memories of getting crushed by 280 pound linemen certainly come to mind. But, for the most part, Kara outran, out-threw, and out-performed her peers.
And the wider world began to take notice.
Kara had garnered quite a rabid social media following—every single one of her games were edited and posted online. Some news outlets did interviews with her, sensationalizing her as the “girl quarterback.” And most importantly, she had gained some traction from colleges.
The first time a college coach had reached out to Kara, she couldn’t believe it. Well, actually they got in touch with Alex first. Everything went through the older Danvers sister so that Kara could just focus on her craft. It was a way for Alex to filter out any potential bullshit that might come Kara’s way. She was still fiercely protective of her little sister; it just wasn’t shown through her fists now. While Kara was practically vibrating in her seat before her first college interview, Alex was right beside her, checking emails and sending texts out to who knows who. However, the excitement seeped out bit by bit as it became clear throughout the interview that the coach and the school only wanted Kara on their team for the publicity with no real intention of giving her playing time. They just wanted the coveted title of being the first school to have the first female quarterback on their roster. Obviously, Kara had rejected the offer.
Yet, all the other interviews she’s had to this point had gone more or less the same. Not much football, more for show. It was disheartening to say the least. There were times when Alex could tell that the disappointment was getting to Kara. Her cheery smile would falter for a half-second, her shoulders sagged ever so slightly. In those times, Alex took her sister to their favorite diner, let her order anything on the menu, and let her cry her frustrations away in the back of the pickup truck.
“They’ll know soon,” Alex would say, soothing Kara as she sniffled beside her. “You’ll show them that they can’t keep ignoring you. Just watch.”
And so, Kara put her head down and dedicated more time and energy to her training. More film study. More cardio. More weights. More drills. Alex was there for all of it—staying up as late as Kara did and even waking up early for the morning workouts.
This was why, even with Midvale trailing by 4 points with less than 2 minutes to go, Alex wasn’t worried. Not one bit. She knew that as soon as the other team gave the ball back to Kara with a chance to win the game, they were fucked.
Countless athletes fold under pressure.
Kara?
Oh, she lived for this.
From their own 25 yard line, Midvale had 75 yards left to go to win. Kara looked towards the sideline for the play call, then relayed it to the huddle. After analyzing the defense before the snap, Kara stood up from her hunched position behind the center to get the attention of her teammates.
“Hey, watch 52! 52!” She yelled, pointing to the linebacker to her left. He flinched slightly at her call, and he must have wondered how in the world she could have known that he was blitzing.
Then, she yelled out some more audibles.
“Check, check! Yellow Indy, yellow Indy!” The receivers all pointed to their helmets to signal to Kara that they acknowledged the change to the play that she made. Since the linebacker to her left was blitzing, she had instructed her tight end to run a whip route that starts towards the middle of the field before whipping back towards the sideline. The idea was for the tight end to hinder the linebacker’s efforts by somewhat running into him by moving towards the middle and then running free to the spot that the linebacker had vacated.
The ball was snapped, and just like she predicted, the linebacker crashed down, stumbled as the tight end ran into him, and had no chance to tackle Kara before she threw the ball. The result was a nice 15 yard play to start off the drive.
After that, Kara and the team methodically sliced up the defense, marching straight down the field to the 5 yard line with 7 seconds to go. The coach called one of their favorite plays—a fake toss to the right and then a quarterback run to the left. It was risky to call a run play when there is so little time left in the game. If they don’t get the touchdown here, the clock could very well run out.
A clean snap and a fake toss later, Kara was sprinting sideways, angling to squeeze into the endzone near the sideline. As she turned upfield, she saw two players in her way. It was now or never.
She dove headfirst, extending her arms as far as they could go, and prayed that they were long enough to cross the line. The defensive players for their part, landed a crushing blow to Kara’s side, aiming to push her out of bounds. She and the ball landed onto the ground with a thud, and Kara got some grass and dirt in her helmet for her efforts. She turned her head to look at the referee.
After what felt like an eternity, he raised both of his arms straight up. A touchdown.
Kara barely had enough time to process it before she was mobbed in the endzone by her teammates. They lifted her up with some ease and hoisted her on their shoulders, much to the home fans’ delight. She took the time to take off her helmet and flashed her billion watt smile at Alex who returned with a smile of her own. Not as wide, but still a smile.
Several minutes passed until the pandemonium wound down, and the players and the crowd started to head home. Kara met up with Alex and Eliza near the entrance to the field with her helmet in hand.
“Good job, Kara,” Alex said, tussling Kara’s hair playfully.
“Thanks! I had no idea if I was going to make it to be honest.”
As they were walking towards their car, a voice rang out from near the field.
“Hey, Kara!”
The trio turned to face whoever had shouted.
A middle aged man sporting a cap, a black fleece jacket, and khakis jogged out in their direction. When he finally caught up with them, he offered his hand to Kara, which she took.
“Hell of a game out there.”
“Thank you, I’m proud that the team executed the way they did tonight.”
“I meant, you had a hell of a game, Kara.”
“Oh! Uh-thanks!”
“Listen, I know you probably want to go home to rest and celebrate, but I wanted to catch you before I leave for the airport.” The man fished for something in his jacket and pulled out an envelope.
“This,” he said, presenting Kara with it. “Is an offer for a full scholarship to play quarterback. Me and the rest of the coaching staff think you’re a pretty special player, Kara. We think you could be a world-beater. How would you like to come play for me at Stanford?”
Notes:
And now the two paths start to converge bit by bit....
Chapter 3
Notes:
A bit of a shorter chapter, but also something different! No football action here, but hopefully engaging nonetheless.
Also I realized that football does get pretty technical, so I'll try my best to make things more digestible. Sorry! If any of you guys have any questions, I'm more than happy to explain anything that is confusing! Enjoy!
Chapter Text
Stanford University, Biomedical Research Labs
Palo Alto, California
“Lena! Lena!” Jack yelled out, peering into different lab rooms. He finally found her hunched over a table, peering into a high-powered electron microscope. She had her headphones in, lost in the latest rabbit hole she had been following.
Jack rushed in out of breath, fixing his hair.
“Lena!” She moved one of the ear cups to the side. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Well, I’ve been here,” she said, eyes not leaving the microscope.
“The school year hasn’t even started yet.” He slid into the spot next to her, pulling up a stool to sit on.
“You do know that you’re supposed to work on your dissertation all year right?” She sighed, sitting up to face Jack. “Did you even start yours?”
“Yeah, of course. I have a great concept of an outline of a plan in my head. Got loads of ideas.”
“I’m not even going to entertain you with that.”
“Come on, Lena. Just come out for a drink, nothing too major. Sam will be there too if that helps.”
“Are you paying?”
“If I say yes, will you come?”
“Two drinks. Then I’m going home.”
————
Admittedly, Lena had no idea why Jack always insisted on going to these skeevy college bars. She cringed as she felt the soles of her shoes sticking to the floor. Thousands of dollars sullied by cheap rail vodka and god knows what else. She was near the entrance, craning her neck in search of Jack and Sam. It was packed, almost to the point where it probably was a fire hazard.
She made herself skinny, squeezing past rowdy drinkers and some students who definitely were too young to be here. Well, it wasn’t like Lena was old—she was only 21 herself. Gifted from a young age, Lena earned her bachelor’s degree at 18 and moved straight into a PhD program at Stanford in biomedical engineering. It was both a curse and a blessing.
On one hand, she was grateful to have the opportunity to pursue her academic interests to the fullest at one of the top institutions in the world. The fact that she was far away from home—Lillian—was a plus too. However, it also came with its own set of challenges and drawbacks. The pressure was immense. Lena was smart, brilliant. But for a Luthor, to be anything else would be a disappointment. The extraordinary was a requirement in this household. And so, due to her mother’s influences and her accelerated academic schedule, Lena never had what people might call an “average” upbringing. There were hardly any friends to speak of in boarding school and for most of her teenage years she was in college. Hard to connect with your collegiate peers when you are only 15.
Perhaps it’s why she feels so attached to Jack and Sam, despite what she might say or act like on the exterior. She met Jack during a materials engineering elective where they were partners for an end of semester project. Despite her best efforts, Lena wasn’t able to stop Jack from getting through the icy front of hers. His sarcastic wit perfectly matched hers, maybe an affect rooted in their upbringing in similar circles amongst the ultra-wealthy. And Sam? Lena met Sam through sheer coincidence. They had quite literally run into each other in the courtyard while Lena was reading over a study for journal club. When Lena looked up with her best “get away from me now” face, she was shocked to see a classmate from her boarding school way back in the day. It turned out that when Sam had gotten pregnant during high school (which itself was a whole another scandalous story in the eyes of the administrators), she took some years off to raise her child and pass her GEDs. She somehow managed to be a single parent and pursue a college degree at the same time, and now? She was almost done with her MBA from Stanford.
Two friends in the world weren’t much, but it was more than enough for Lena. Truthfully, they were a handful as is.
Lena finally spotted Jack and Sam, leaned over the bar, embroiled in a heated discussion about god knows what. It took a good deal of effort but finally, she made her way over to the bar.
“Why the hell is the entire school here? Classes start in three weeks,” Lena said.
“I think the football team is going to play some preseason games starting this week,” Sam replied, waving a hand, gesturing to the mass of people around them. “I heard they got a new quarterback or something. Must be a big deal.”
Lena scoffed.
“Please, as if brutes running into each other giving themselves brain damage is that important.”
Jack cut in.
“Oh, if only everyone was a child prodigy and holed up in a lab all day.”
He received a slap on his arm for that.
“Shut up,” Lena scolded, though that didn’t stop Jack and Sam from laughing. “You,” she said, pointing directly at Jack. “Owe me some drinks.”
“Fine, fine.” He motioned over to the bartender.
“What can I get ya?”
You know, she was just going to order something simple, but with Jack’s recent comments, she decided that maybe tonight she wanted something more fancy. A lot more fancy.
—————
From various outlets.
ESPN:
“Listen, I don’t really care what kind of stats she’s putting up. The fact of the matter is that football was and is and will be a man’s sport. It’s biology for god sakes! And I know this might be upsetting to hear for our female viewers, and I do apologize, but I’m sorry—I just don’t see a world where a female quarterback has any sort of sustained success at the collegiate level.”
“Well, I don’t think you can just say ‘I don’t care about the stats’ when she’s putting up some pretty good numbers! Against UCLA in their season opener, 259 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Week 2 at Cal Poly, 298 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions. And last week against TCU, 312 yards, 2 touchdowns. These are good numbers no matter who the quarterback is.”
“All I’m saying is that there is no basis to say that we should be expecting these type of performances to continue. If that makes me a hater, then so be it.”
Twitter/X:
“I swear to god if Oregon ends up losing to a girl they might as well just forfeit the rest of the season” -@goducks1119
“Just took my daughter to her first ever football game! She made a sign and everything. So nice of Kara Danvers to snap a photo with her at the end of the game!” -@rachpage2
“TikTok, I’m disappointed in you. WHERE ARE MY THIRST TRAP EDITS FOR KARA DANVERS” - @natwithtats
“Had to turn off the TCU game in disgust bc of how SOFT the game is now. Get that chick outta there!!!” -@stannnn197823
An excerpt from an interview with GQ Sports:
GQ: So, you’re three games into your collegiate career, how does it feel? Has it all sunk in yet?
KD: *laughs* No, not yet honestly. The game is starting to slow down, obviously, but I’m still not used to thousands of people screaming my name while I warm up.
GQ: With that sort of rising popularity, do you feel a certain type of pressure to perform? Especially given all the talk on TV and social media?
KD: I try to not listen to the narratives and pundits. I just want my game to do the talking.
GQ: Well, it’s not all negative attention. We’ve actually found some videos of you on TikTok that you might find amusing. Here, there’s dozens like this one.
KD: *Coughs* Oh! That’s creative? I guess?
GQ: Yeah, I would advise you to not read the comments.
From a post game conference:
“Coach! How would you rate Kara Danvers’ play so far in the season? Are you worried that she might start to fade soon as the season wears on?”
“No, not at all. We have full confidence in Kara, and I know that she’ll continue to produce at this level. She’s been putting in the work.”
“What about the rumors that some schools have filed a complaint with the NCAA about your team?”
“The last time I checked, there is no gender restriction to play football in the NCAA. And if those teams truly have an issue with that then they are more than welcome to come settle it on the field. I have a feeling that they won’t take up the offer.”
Chapter 4
Notes:
Back to more football! I promise we'll be getting to some actual interactions between the two, don't you worry.
Happy championship round weekend, everyone! And remember, root for literally anyone but the Chiefs!
Chapter Text
Last game of Kara’s Freshman Season.
Peach Bowl: Stanford Cardinal vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Mercedes-Benz Stadium,
Atlanta, Georgia
“I have to say, Jesse, it is not looking good for Stanford out there tonight.”
“Yeah, I would say that that’s an understatement, Mike. Their offense has looked all out of sorts today. Dropped passes, fumbles, you name it.”
“Danvers performing well below her season averages—10 for 24 passing attempts for 110 yards, no touchdowns, but one costly interception that led to the early score for Tennessee on that last drive. She and the Stanford offense will take the field after a short break. Stanford trailing by 9 with seven minutes to go. We’ll be right back.”
——
Stanford: 12 vs. Tennessee: 21
Q4: 7:13
Ball on their own 25
It didn’t seem possible but the crowd only got louder as time passed. So many of the Tennessee fans showed up that it practically felt like an away game. It was the type of noise that rings in your ears, leaves your gut feeling uneasy.
Kara watched as the kickoff sailed past the endzone for a touchback for no return. They’ll start the drive from their own 25 yard line. Time was ticking fast—they have to come away with some kind of score this drive or they could kiss their chances goodbye.
Before taking the field, Kara turned back towards her offense and took her helmet off.
“Last seven minutes of our lives!” She yelled. “We’re not going home without a trophy! Win on three! One, two, three—”
“WIN!” They shouted in unison.
With that, she popped her helmet back on and jogged towards the field, hands covering the ear openings so that she could hear the play call from her earpiece better.
“Alright, Kara. We’re going to go 11 Bunch Right Y Left 3 Jet F Trunk Clack. Can with a G Dixie Left Z Short 33 Pop. Trust your reads, go for the boundaries,” the coach said before the audio cut out. She relayed the call to the rest of the huddle, and they lined up in formation. Kara stood a few yards away from the center in shotgun. Her eyes darted from one player on defense to another.
It was slight, but it was enough for Kara to catch—the outside linebacker’s stance was wider, shoulders oriented a few degrees more towards the sideline. It was going to be an edge blitz. With the current play, they were not going to have enough people staying in to block an extra rusher, giving him a free lane to Kara.
“Can, can! Can, can!” Kara exclaimed to her teammates, pointing to her head. They tapped their helmets to acknowledge the change.
They wanted to rush from the edge? Fine. She would happily take a long run up the middle. The ball was snapped, and like she expected, the outside linebacker made his move, circling wide before beelining for Kara. However, by the time he was in the backfield, the ball was long gone from Kara’s hands, and the runningback targeted the gap in the defense that he had left behind for a gain of 13 yards.
“Hey, good call there,” her coach said. “We’re gonna go I Right Book Bump Fake 18 Keep Left F Slide. You should have a good high-low action to your left. Alert Z to an out if you need to.”
For the next play, Kara got under center, took the ball, and feigned a handoff to her runningback to her right. Now, she was scrambling over to the left side of the field with the ball still in her hands, eyes locked downfield to catch an opening. The safety and the cornerback were just a half-second flatfooted thanks to the fake, and that hesitation had cost them. They needed to make a quick decision on who to cover, but in a brief moment of confusion, they had both picked the receiver closest to them. Unfortunately, another Stanford receiver was a few yards behind, crossing deep upfield.
There. There’s the opening.
Kara slowed down to give herself the second that she needed to wind up and throw. With no one breathing down her neck, she could put more air under this throw. She let it fly and tracked it in the air, following it until it hit the hands of her receiver. He reached out and corralled the ball with his fingertips before his forward momentum sent him tumbling down. It was still ruled a catch. 38 yards.
Okay now they had some room. Not a lot, but some.
The next two plays were thrown for a modest gain, 7 yards total, 3 yards short of a first down. Thankfully, the defense made a crucial mistake in telegraphing their coverage, so Kara was able to change the play appropriately. A 23 yard touchdown run.
3 point game.
——
“And they really needed that drive, Jesse.”
“They sure did, Mike. The good news is that now, you got it down to a one-possession game, and Danvers looks like she may have settled down a bit here. The bad news is that now, they need the defense to get a stop right here. It hasn’t been a great game for them tonight, but they need to find some way some how to get this back to Kara Danvers with a chance to win or tie this game.”
“Before Stanford kicks off, let’s take a look back at the play that got the Cardinal deep into Tennessee territory.”
“So, you’re going to see a designed run fake with a quarterback bootleg to the left here. It’s a smart call since it gives Danvers time to throw which she hasn’t had all game. And right there—let’s freeze the video right there. The defense has a split second decision to make on who to cover, and all Danvers needs to do is just wait until they pick who they commit to, and from there, it’s an easy decision and a beautiful pass for 38 yards. These are the types of plays I think Stanford should have called more often, let’s see if they call it again if they can get the ball back here.”
“Thanks, Jesse. And we are all set for the kickoff with about 4 and a half minutes left to go.”
——
The defense was able to force a punt, but the team had to use all three of their timeouts and the two-minute warning to stop the clock from winding down.
One minute and forty-two seconds left, 81 yards to go, no timeouts.
Kara and the offense jogged on the field, and she had to press on her helmet as hard as she could just to hear her coach’s voice from her earpiece. It sounded as though the whole dome could collapse at any moment, given how loud the crowd was cheering. And the thuds. Rhythmic, unwavering. Drumming against her ears, numbing the senses. Was it the Tennessee marching band or her heart trying to beat out of her chest?
They had to be fast and accurate. No second guessing or hesitation. If they play wasn’t there, just throw it away and try again. The worst thing that Kara could do was get sacked and let the clock continue to run. Pass, run out of bounds, repeat. All the way to the endzone. Simple enough, right?
The drive started out relatively fine with two quick passes for 15 yards combined that took 12 seconds off.
66 yards, one minute and thirty seconds.
During the next play, a veritable disaster struck when the center snapped the ball too low, and it skittered across the turf before reaching Kara. She had to bend to scoop it up, and there was no time to even think about resetting herself to throw. Without a second thought, she bolted, scrambling to her right, pushing her aching legs past their limit. Since the defense wholly expected her to throw, Kara had some breathing room to run, gaining a hard-earned 13 yards on the busted play before running out of bounds wisely.
53 yards, one minute and twelve seconds.
Her chest was puffing, breaths heaving in and out. Each gulp of air felt less like a relief and more like a necessity. She could barely get the play out of her mouth in the huddle and in the back of her mind wondered if her teammates had even understood her correctly.
It turned out—they hadn’t. Her outside receiver was meant to run a corner route towards the sideline, but instead mistakenly run a deep curl route that ran straight up the field before turning back towards her. Kara had realized the misunderstanding as she let the ball go. The moment her fingertips left the laces of the ball, she cringed, expecting the worst. Mercifully, the cornerback stuck to the receiver like glue, and there was no one in the area that could turn the error into an interception.
Kara was still desperately catching her breath, and her eyes were starting to get wild. She searched the crowd, a sea of orange and white, yelling and jeering. But then, she saw a familiar tuft of red and steely eyes that bore right through her. They locked eyes, and Alex nodded, knocking her fists together twice with one on top of the other. She didn’t say anything, but Kara knew what Alex wanted to convey.
Lock in, kid. You got this.
Kara brought everyone back into the huddle and peered up at the clock. One minute.
——
“2nd and 10 from their own 47 yard line. Danvers takes the snap, looks to her right, pumps, and throws it to the middle to her tight end for a 6 yard gain. Clock still running.”
“No timeouts left, Mike. They have to get this next play off quickly as possible.”
“42 seconds left in the game. Danvers, dropping back. Pressure coming from the right, and she scrambles. Running towards the sideline and she’ll get pushed out of bounds at the Volunteers’ 38 yard line for a first down and more.”
“That was great awareness to just feel the blitz coming off the edge and be decisive to take off—the worst thing that she can do right now is get sacked and take precious seconds off the clock. It’ll be about a 53 yard field goal try from here, so they’ll want to get at least another 15 yards for a safe shot to tie if they can’t get it in the endzone here, Mike.”
“Still in shotgun formation. Danvers, surveys the field, and she’ll zip one to the right to Taylor for five. Ward is able to bring him down in bounds, so the clock will continue to run again. Stanford is sprinting back to the line of scrimmage, and they’ll spike it to stop the clock with 21 seconds to go. What a drive we’re seeing here from Danvers and the Stanford Cardinal offense!”
“They started off quite terribly this game with some costly miscues, but they have really come alive here in the fourth quarter.”
“2nd and 5 from the 33. Looking, looking. Coverage tight down the field, and Danvers will just have to throw it away before the pocket collapses in on her.”
“With 16 seconds left to go, Mike, you can afford to take a risk by passing to the middle for some extra yardage if that’s open. They just have to hurry back to the line to spike it.”
“Here’s 3rd down. Danvers, back to throw. She has time. Fires, and she has a man up the middle! 16 yards to Taylor again! Now, they are sprinting to the line of scrimmage for the spike. And they do get it off in time with 3 seconds to spare. It’ll be a 32 yard try from here. What a clutch drive by the offense!”
“You said it—they needed Danvers to make some big time throws, and the true freshman absolutely delivered to get them to a short field goal.”
“Alright, here it is for the tie to send in it into overtime. The snap, the hold, and the kick—”
——
Kara squeezed on to the face mask on the helmet so tightly that she felt the rods bend ever so slightly. A whole season. Coming down to this. A chip shot. She and the rest of the team could only watch from the sideline as their kicker lined up, strode forward, and swung his leg through the ball.
It twirled and twirled, slicing through the air. Kara craned her neck to get a better angle. The ball veered towards the right and never came back towards the middle. It hit the uprights and bounced off, landing somewhere in the endzone.
Game over. Tennessee wins.
The Tennessee players immediately rushed towards each other, crushing one another in a bruising hug, screaming and yelling in elation. None of the Stanford players on the sideline could move an inch. They were in complete disbelief. The kicking unit began to walk back towards the rest of the team, but the kicker remained behind, holding his head in his hands, staring at the uprights as if he had seen a ghost. He was frozen.
Kara let go of her helmet, and it slipped out of her fingers, clattering on the turf. While her teammates stood rooted where they were, Kara strode over to the field and put her arm around her kicker.
“Hey, it’s alright. It’s just one kick,” Kara said.
“How the fuck did I miss that? Oh God, I fucked it.”
“Listen. Listen! It wasn’t just you. I played like crap for most of the game. It’s not just you, alright?”
“Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry to me. Be sorry for them.”
“What?”
“If you’re going to be sorry, be sorry for them,” Kara repeated, pointing to the celebrating players behind them. “Because we’re going to crush them next year. And it’s not going to be close.”
Chapter 5
Notes:
Okay, almost there! Jumped in time quite a bit but hopefully you'll forgive me since this means we'll get to the meat of things sooner. Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Off-season between Kara’s Junior and Senior Year.
ESPN
“Well now the question is: do we think Kara Danvers will declare for the NFL draft, and if she does, will a team take a chance on her?”
“Personally, I think she should finish out her senior year. Fill out that collegiate resume—really prove to the executives that her performance is not a fluke.”
“Stephen A? What about you?”
“Let me just say this. I think Kara Danvers is a good player. And I mean no disrespect when I say what I’m about to say next. There is absolutely no way—ZERO—that she’s going to be a serviceable NFL quarterback. Listen, I’m sorry. College is one thing but the National Football League? We are talking about athletes like Lamar, Justin Jefferson, Miles Garrett, Derrick Henry, the list goes on and on! It’s a completely different game, and I think it just comes down to a matter of biology and science.”
“—Can I just jump in here for a second?”
“Go for it, Mina.”
“First things first, I think we really need to stop trying to discredit or downplay what Kara Danvers has been able to do at Stanford. 3 consecutive bowl appearances, 2 time Heisman finalist, and a college football championship! A game in which she dragged a depleted Stanford team to an overtime victory basically by herself. Are there physical limitations? Yes, of course. But I think she has more than enough proven that she can leverage the strengths that she does have to be an extremely successful player at the highest level. So, should she declare for the draft? Absolutely! And I’ll even say this—whoever ends up drafting her is going to get themselves a franchise quarterback.”
——
Radio
“Alright, now we are going to take some calls. Caller number 1, you’re on KFAN 100.3, what do you think about these mock drafts from the media?”
“Hi, Jake. I gotta say: those idiots over at Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports need to have their journalist status revoked. If the Titans go and spend a first-round pick on Danvers, I’m selling my seasons tickets and the sales rep is going to know exactly why I’m cancelling. It’s just ridiculous and frankly, just plain insulting to the boys that have worked their asses off to get drafted.”
“Would there be any situation where you would be comfortable with the Titans taking her in the draft?”
“The only scenario that would make sense is if somehow everyone in the draft class just died and she’s the only one left.”
“Wow, those are some harsh words there.”
“I stand by ‘em.”
——
Twitter/X
“Did anyone else see the footage from Kara Danvers’ pro day??? She was fucking slinging that thing. Crazy” -@whyeagleswhy
“If Kara Danvers ends up being even an AVERAGE qb, I’ll film myself belly flopping into a frozen lake” -@douggiedoug13
“Sources say multiple teams have reached out to Kara Danvers’ camp for pre-draft interviews. They are doing their due diligence” -@AdamSchefter
“Just reviewed some Kara Danvers tape for the upcoming draft and wow. Her mechanics are absolutely textbook. She routinely makes plays that just should not be possible given the limitations. It’s like seeing a goddamn superhero out there” -@smartpeoplefootball
“Anyone have any good nickname ideas for Kara Danvers??? She’s about to make history, the least we can do is come up with a good nickname” -@becknowstech
“I am begging the Colts to STAY AWAY from Danvers and anything even close to her. She has draft bust written all over” -@timtamtom
“Breaking: LuthorCorp CEO, Lex Luthor, has been indicted on fraud and perjury charges.” -@APNews
“Wow, a billionaire actually got indicted over something illegal? Did hell freeze over?” -@josiepreston
“A spokesperson for LutherCorp has announced that now former Chief Technology Officer Lena Luthor will now assume the role of CEO.” -@CNN
“LuthorCorp stock prices plummet to five-year lows. Can new CEO Lena Luthor right the ship?” -@CNBC
——
Excerpt from Interview with GQ Sports
GQ: So, the last time we spoke to you, you were a wide-eyed freshman. What’s the main thing that stands out to you about what’s changed?
KD: I think I’ve learned to really find my voice on and off the field. I know that there are a lot of pre-conceived notions about who I am and what kind of a player I can or can’t be, so it’s really important that I can communicate to teammates and others what I’m about.
GQ: Anything specific come to mind in terms of that development?
KD: Oh, I have to give a lot of credit to my coach and my teammates. They really trusted me to run the offense and that level of trust instilled a level of confidence that really elevated my play I think.
GQ: I know that there have been a lot of talk in the media and from fans online about the upcoming NFL draft—do you pay any attention to it at all?
KD: I try not to, but it’s hard to not look when people are talking about you, ya know? Kind of a morbid curiosity.
GQ: Do some of the more negative comments get to you?
KD: I’ll admit, some are hurtful to read, but at the end of the day, I know what I’m about and the people who know me and who study football for a living know exactly what I can do. So, I just try to focus on that and know that I can prove ‘em wrong.
GQ: I have it on good authority that you do have quite a bit of fans too; does seeing what they post help drown out the critics?
KD: I don’t know about drowning out the critics, but I do really appreciate the fans. There’s obviously times when it gets hard, but I love seeing little girls who are now playing football with my number on the back. It feels special. Puts things in perspective.
——
The New York Times
LEX LUTHOR SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS
Earlier this morning, the district judge in Metropolis sentenced former LuthorCorp CEO to 25 years in federal prison. Luthor was charged with securities fraud, perjury, and bribery and had pleaded not guilty to all counts throughout the trial. In his absence, LuthorCorp has named Lena Luthor, sister of Lex Luthor and former Chief Technology Officer, to the position of CEO.
Not much is currently known about the new CEO as she has been kept out of the public spotlight for many years. Lena Luthor graduated with a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Stanford University two years ago and had been heading the medical research division of LuthorCorp. The New York Times has reached out to classmates of hers at Stanford who describe her as “cold, calculating, and largely dismissive.” When asked about these characterizations, the spokesperson at LuthorCorp declined to comment…
The Wall Street Journal
LENA LUTHOR ANNOUNCES LUTHORCORP OVERHAUL; WILL CHANGE NAME TO L-CORP, MOVING HQ TO NATIONAL CITY
——
Twitter/X
“History made. Kara Danvers is now the first ever female player to be drafted to the NFL” -@BleacherReport
“The National City Lakehawks have their quarterback of the future. They select Kara Danvers with the 13th overall pick.” -@TomPelissero
“You can clearly hear some of the fans boo on TV when they announced the Danvers pick. Yikes” -@MattBowen41
“WOW. What a gamble by the Lakehawks. This is as boom or bust as it gets” -@nfldraftscout
“The reaction from the Lakehawks draft room is ecstatic. They believe they struck gold here.” -@evansilva
Notes:
I couldn't decide on what team to put Kara on, so I just gave National City a team with the same name as the basketball team from the Stay the Night fic. The rest of the teams and players are the same though. So, imagine a 33 team NFL instead of 32.
Also, is there a way for both teams in this year's Super Bowl to lose? Someone please say yes.
Chapter 6
Notes:
Happy Friday! Hope this fic can ease the pain of no football this week (the pro bowl absolutely does not count). Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
L-Corp Headquarters
National City, California
It looked as if a bomb had gone off in the executive office. Papers strewn about, furniture swept to the side, all manners of debris and objects littered across the floor. In the middle of the room sat Lena and Sam, drowning in what was laid before them.
“I think I’m going to die,” Sam croaked, falling backwards onto the carpeted floor with a soft thud.
Lena didn’t even flinch and kept searching through the files.
“Sam, the sooner we can figure this out, the easier our lives will be.”
“Okay, okay, fine. Whatever,” Sam grumbled, getting back up to a sitting position. “I don’t get paid enough for this.”
At that, Lena stopped to look up and directly at Sam.
“One, you’re my CFO. Two, if anything, I pay you too much money.”
“Well, when I said I’d be your CFO, I didn’t realize that I was going to have to go on a goddamn treasure hunt for weeks trying to figure out what kind of illegal shit your brother was into. Ugh, my back is killing me.” She said, reaching her arms out into the sky and wincing at her aching sensation.
“To be fair, you did sign up fully knowing the situation the company was in.”
“God, curse my fatal loyalty. Find anything yet?”
“I’m close, but I’m starting to understand more and more why Lex insisted on paper handwritten copies of everything—this is all very…”
“…fucking illegal? Terribly immoral? Undermines the foundational pillars of democracy? Is that what you were thinking of?”
“I was going to say sensitive and complicated, but sure.”
“Okay, so,” Sam started, scootching closer to Lena. “Hear me out. Your asshole brother is now in prison. You’re now the CEO. What if we just poof, move on and keep going on the rebrand?”
“You know my thoughts on this. If L-Corp is going to succeed, we need to fully wash away the sins of Lex and my mother. We may be a corporation, but we still do important work. Some of the technology we’ve been developing is going to save lives, but it won’t matter if the public can’t trust the company and the products that it creates.”
“Alright, you win. You’re right, I guess.”
“I’m right most of the time.”
“Hush, you’re ruining a good moment. We’re going to be up for a while, do you want some coffee?”
At that, Lena rose and reached for the phone on her desk.
“Jess? Could you please grab Sam and I two venti americanos with cream? Thank you. Oh, and feel free to head home afterwards.”
Sam scoffed.
“Why does she get to go home?”
“Sam. Again, you are the CFO.”
——
An undisclosed meeting room at a Hyatt Hotel
National City, California
“So, we’re ready to accept these terms,” the Nike executive said while sliding a stack of contracts across the table towards Kara and Alex. “If you find them satisfactory. We might have some wiggle room here and there, but we think the offer is very competitive.”
Alex snatched up a copy and started to rifle through the pages. Kara also took one and began reading the fine print.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Alex interjected. “Conditional acceptance upon satisfactory completion of probationary period? What is this?”
The main executive briefly cast a weary look over to his colleagues before answering.
“Well, like it says, we are more than excited to have Kara as the newest member of the Nike family, but we do have some reservations, hence the structure of the contract. The board and key members of the personnel leadership just want to see how Kara performs and handles her first season before making a significant financial commitment.”
“So, I’m guessing that’s the probationary period?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“And what’s the deal with conditional acceptance? Are you saying that even if Kara makes the Pro Bowl, you still might not sign her long-term?”
“I—well,” he cleared his throat and reached for the glass of water, which he took eagerly. “Some of our market research has heavily suggested that Kara’s unique uh, position, within the league might actually be damaging for the overall brand. It’s more of a risk management kind of scenario.”
“In other words, you’re worried that people won’t buy Nike shoes because what? They’ll be offended that a woman is in the NFL?”
“With all due respect, Miss Danvers, we did see similar kinds of negative consumer responses with comparable campaigns from other brands. We don’t want to risk losing a key demographic within our consumer base. I’m sure you can understand.”
“No, I don’t actually.” Alex’s voice began to rise. “So, what if you lose a couple of people who won’t buy Nike shoes anymore? Did your market research account for the countless numbers of girls who are now starting to play football because of Kara? Or better yet, instead of calling them ‘key consumers’ or some shit, we can just call them bigots since that’s what they really are, anyways.”
“Miss Danvers, I’m afraid the offer is firm and final.”
“You literally just said that there is wiggle room five seconds ago. You know what? If this is—”
Kara stopped Alex with a gentle hand on her arm.
“Alex, it’s alright. Thank you for the offer, we’ll let you know in a couple of days.” She stood up with her copy of the contract in tow and walked out of the meeting room, Alex hot on her heels.
“I swear to god, Kara. I’m going home and burning all the Nike shoes I have.”
“It’s fine.”
“These fucking bastards think they can just do—”
Alex was cut off when she suddenly collided into Kara’s back.
“Alex. I said it’s fine.” Kara said, eyes trained forward, shoulders sagging ever so slightly. “They all said the same thing. Let’s just go home.”
Fucking assholes, all of them. All of those big wigs in their stuffy suits and ivory towers. Fine. If they’re worried about what kind of attention Kara might bring, then Alex will give them a reason to worry. Even they will have to acknowledge that Kara is impossible to ignore, and they’ll be kicking themselves every single second.
——
Luthor Manor
[Undisclosed], New York
Few weeks later, some time in June.
“Mrs. Luthor is expecting you in her study, ma’am,” the family butler informed Lena as she stepped out of the car.
“Thank you, Charlie.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
Ah, the Luthor Manor, an opulent beaux-arts style mansion that could put a monarch to shame. Despite all the furnishings, the intricate artwork, the priceless decor, it was nothing but a frigid wasteland to Lena. Always the unwanted one, the stowaway. Every single family gathering was more of an interview than anything remotely familial. There had never been room for affection, and Lena did not expect anything else than a business discussion from her mother now. Or a lecture.
While the halls of Luthor Manor had always felt empty, it was even more desolate now that Lex was serving his sentence. Lena headed down the main hallway and stopped before the doors to her mother’s study. A deep intake through her nose and a long exhale past her lips. Then she knocked.
“Come in.”
Lena slowly opened the door and saw Lillian at her desk, reading a packet containing god knows what.
“You wanted to see me, mother?” Lena asked, stopping a few yards in front of the desk, too keenly aware of how her hands were positioned at her sides.
“Yes, I wanted to see how much progress you have made regarding the Lord Industries acquisition.”
“You could have just asked me on the phone instead of having me fly across the country.”
“But then how will I look you in the eyes as you make blatant excuses to my face, Lena?” It took Lena everything in her power to not clench her hands into fists. “So, let’s hear it. How is the acquisition coming along?”
“We have suspended further negotiations for now until we can sort out exactly what holes were left behind by Lex’s—” Lillian’s eyes narrowed. “—By the company’s past strategies.”
“Suspended negotiations?”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand the position that this company, this family is in currently?”
“Yes, and that is why—”
“No. Clearly, you do not. In our world, frivolities such as mere bribery and lying are just part of business. And yet the parasites in Washington still found some way some how to imprison your brother. The same parasites who have gladly leached off of our riches and connections for years in exchange for their momentary power. They have gotten drunk off of it. Manipulated the public into thinking that they care about anything else but themselves. Lex is a boy of multitudes, but inside Congress that day, he was made a martyr. They used him as an example, an exercise of their pathetic power. And for what? For a couple thousand more votes? Please. The American public does not vote, Lena. They simply eat what is given to them, and they take the slop willingly as long as they have the illusion of choice. So as our dear friends in Congress have so adeptly demonstrated, the minds of the public are a fickle thing. And what they have failed to realize is that while they are beholden to the public, we are not. We just have to utilize it in our favor. If we can wield the public, we can wield the power we once had before all this. So, Lena, this is not a negotiation, or a financial hole, or a rebrand. This is a matter of survival. And we need to sway the masses. Lucky for you, I already have put certain items in motion. You just have to follow.”
—-
L-Corp Headquarters
National City, California
A week later
“So…” Sam started cautiously. “What do you think of what the she-devil said?”
Lena scoffed.
“It’s ridiculous. As if this is going to do anything. She must be getting old, I’ve never heard such idiotic things from her before.” Lena strolled over to the drink cart in her office, pouring out the whiskey from the decanter into two glasses.
“Don’t hate me, but I think she has a point.”
Lena stopped pouring. And turned.
“Sam, you can’t be serious.”
“Unfortunately, I’m dead serious. And I know this comes from your mother and all, but I do see the benefits here,” Sam reasoned, shrugging her shoulders. “It would be big for your image and L-Corp’s image. Imagine: The youngest billionaire female CEO dating the first female NFL quarterback. The PR boost practically writes itself. And I’m speaking as Samantha Arias, MBA, the CFO of L-Corp here by the way: we are going to need that PR boost if we want to raise stock prices and investor confidence. CEO might be just a position in some companies, but here? It’s the face of the entire company. Just because you abbreviate the L, doesn’t mean that it doesn't stand for something.”
Oh, Lena was definitely going to need an Advil soon.
“Just meet her once, please? Maybe you’ll warm up to the idea.”
“Fine. But if she smells like a locker room, I’m firing you.
“Deal.”
Notes:
Woohoo! And we're just about there!
Chapter 7: Quick Update
Notes:
Little update
Chapter Text
Hi all! Just wanted to inform you all that I’m quite ill rn so excuse the lack of updates in any of my fics in the meantime. Sorry!
Chapter 8
Notes:
Hi all!
Thank you all so much for the get well wishes!!! I really appreciate every one of you guys. I had a cold, got slightly better from it, and then got knocked on my ass by a pretty nasty flu that took way too long to recover from.
But! I'm all better now and am back to writing. Hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Acquerello (2 Michelin Stars)
National City, California
It almost had left Lena’s mind. For a couple blissful days, she was so deep into meetings and conferences that the thought of it never even crept in. But alas, her dutiful assistant Jess had made sure that the dinner reservation was marked on her calendar and reminded her the day of. Not to mention that Sam had also messaged her incessantly about it, just about pleading with her to not bail.
Acquerello was quickly becoming one of Lena’s favorite restaurants; it checked many boxes. Professional, Michelin-starred, and knows when to be discreet when catering to their clientele. Plus, it didn’t hurt that the food was fantastic. She walked through the door where she was promptly met by a hostess who recognized her from past visits.
“Lovely to see you again, Miss Luthor. The rest of your party is waiting for you at the table, follow me.”
Lena trailed the hostess as she led her deeper into the dining room which was empty for the evening. Michelin stars be damned, there was no chance that Lena was going to risk anyone overhearing her conversation, and so, she paid handsomely for the restaurant to clear its schedule for the night. There was one lone figure at the table seated with her back turned. From the blonde curls, the chiseled shoulders, and the slight ripples of muscles in her back, Lena assumed it must be the football star.
“Here you are, Miss Luthor.”
“Thank you.”
Their arrival must have taken her counterpart by surprise as she jumped up to her feet while hurriedly swallowing a bite of the complementary bread.
“Oh! Hi—you must be Lena?” She stuck out her hand before realizing that she was still holding a piece of bread. When she realized, she frantically tossed it back onto her plate, where it clattered against the butter knife. “I’m so sorry, I got hungry coming back from a workout.”
If Lena had been an outside observer looking in, she would have been none the wiser that Kara had just come from a professional football practice. Her hair wasn’t terrible—actually, it fell along her shoulders in effortless waves that almost made Lena jealous. Her dress was well-fitted. And most surprisingly, she smelled nothing like a men’s locker room. If anything, she smelled of vanilla and a hint of… sandalwood? Maybe Sam lives to work another day. She took the offered hand and shook it even though she there were definitely still crumbs left.
“It’s alright. And you must be Kara.”
“Yes, yup. Hi. That’s me.”
They stood there for a beat before they took their respective seats across from each other. Kara immediately dove into the menu, burrowing her brows as she did so. If she had stared any closer, she could have bore holes into the paper.
“Would it kill them to put spaghetti and meatballs on an Italian menu?” Kara mumbled to herself.
Lena scoffed at that.
“This isn’t a mom and pop diner. It has two Michelin stars.”
Kara looked up.
“Stars or not, it would be helpful if I knew what was even on the menu. It’s literally entirely in Italian.”
“What, they don’t have good restaurants in Kansas?”
“Washington. I’m from Washington.”
“Point still stands. So, what do you like to eat?”
“I’m gonna be honest, I’ll eat anything on a plate.”
“That’s possibly the least helpful response you could have given.”
Kara shrugged.
“I can’t be too picky, I gotta eat a good amount to keep shape. About 6,000 calories or so.”
Lena looked aghast in horror.
“How do you look like…that?”
Kara simply wiggled her eyebrows and brought up her arm to flex.
“Perks of being an NFL quarterback.”
“Stop that,” Lena hissed, leaning in to make her point. It took everything in her power to not reach across and slap Kara’s arm down. “We’ll just do a standard course, then.”
Kara visibly flinched.
“Oh, uh, a whole course? That feels really expensive.”
Lena waved her away.
“I’ll pay; it’s not a big deal. Perks of being a CEO.” There was a small smile as she responded. It made Kara chuckle which sounded less unpleasant than she had thought. Lena called the waiter over, ordered the course dishes and some wine that Kara couldn’t pronounce. She grimaced as the acidic taste hit her tongue and just about forced herself to swallow the drink whole.
“Not a wine person then?”
“I’m more of a fruity cocktail or cans of beer kind of person.”
Once the food began to arrive, Kara eyes widened to the size of the saucers. She took her first bite of the scallop appetizer and savored it, sinfully moaning as she did so.
“Oh god, I could eat four of these.”
“We are in public!” And this time, Lena did indeed reach out and lightly slap Kara’s arm. Not that Kara would even feel it—the girl’s arm was as solid as marble.
“Oops, sorry. But the point still stands.”
A few minutes passed as they both dug earnestly into their food with Kara trying her best to not scarf down the entire plate in one go and Lena enjoying her salad at a more relaxed pace. Lena took this time to actually gauge her counterpart. In a different world, maybe Kara could have been just a small town farmer or maybe a local journalist. If Lena had seen her face in a crowd, she doubted she could discern anything that would pin Kara as something extraordinary. Well—perhaps Lena would have definitely noticed Kara but nothing to suggest that the girl sitting across from her (who was currently stealing glances at Lena to match her eating speed) was an NFL player. Which reminded her:
“So, I trust you have already reviewed the documents?” Lena asked, unfortunately catching Kara as her fork was halfway to her mouth. Kara froze for a second, unsure if she should just quickly shove the scallop in her mouth or just let the fork rest. She opted for the latter, much to the relief of Lena.
“Y—yes. Yeah, I have.”
Lena raised an eyebrow.
“And you have no issues with what’s being proposed here?”
“Worries, yes. Issues, no. I’ve already signed it.” The next words from Kara were cautious. “Have you? Signed, I mean.”
“No, not yet. I wanted to see you in-person first.”
At that, Kara immediately straightened up and attempted to smooth out her dress.
“So, how am I doing? Am I passing the test?”
Lena let out a contemplative hum in response, still poking around at her salad.
“I’m still mulling it over, but I’d say trending in the right direction.”
Kara breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t know that she had been holding. God, it had all been a whirlwind this far. Even before the draft, she was at her pro day, fielding questions from reporters, then she was at the combine where she ran countless drills with interviews with various teams’ front offices and coaching staff peppered in between. The draft truly felt like a dream, gone too quickly to even remember. Sometimes she saw the video of her getting drafted, and she hardly recognized herself. Was that really her? At the NFL draft? Shaking the commissioner’s hand? Of course, there was no time to rest after the draft either; as a first round draft pick and the first woman ever to be drafted into the NFL, she went through a gauntlet of meetings and even more press conferences. Then, it was time for the endorsement contracts and well…that was why she was here, sitting across from a billionaire who probably could buy the Lakehawks three times over.
“Could I ask you a question?” Kara asked, and Lena looked up from her plate. Were those real eyes? Did they make those at an emerald mine?
“Yes?”
“Why are you here? With me, I mean.”
“Can’t you see?” Lena responded, waving her fork around the air, gesturing to the environment. “We’re on a…date.” She practically whispered the last word as if it was something profoundly vulgar.
Kara rolled her eyes.
“Duh, but why are you even on this date? Why even bother with all the paperwork? Aren’t you a billionaire?”
“I—well. I don’t know if you have read the news lately, but my family and thus my company’s reputation has been tarnished beyond repair. My advisors think that a relationship with a famous athlete might turn the tide on the public’s perception of the company.”
“What’s your company?” Kara asked earnestly.
Lena stopped. Damn near dropped the fork.
“How do you not know? Have you ever looked at the New York Times in the last two years?”
Kara shrugged.
“It’s not really my world.”
“So, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” Lena accused.
“I read the contracts—”
“No, fuck the contracts and listen to me. I don’t know how much you know about the Luthors, but we have a horrific record of downright immoral and illegal activities. My brother just went to prison. People send me death threats online. Every single thing that I do is scrutinized until people can find something to attack me with. That’s what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I know you won’t agree with me when I say this, but I know what that’s like. Half of the sports world is looking at me as a charity case and the other world is just salivating at the thought of me being a bust and failing. Every play I make is analyzed to death by pundits who are just looking for any excuse to talk badly about me. And I get those too, you know—death threats, hate mail. So, yeah. I think I know what I’m getting myself into.”
“I think you should look closer into the cases against my brother before you finalize anything.”
“Well, are you your brother, Lena?”
That caught Lena off-guard. After a steely breath, she responded:
“No. No I am not.”
“Then that’s good enough for me.”
“You’re willing to potentially jeopardize your career by doing this?”
“Yes.”
Lena then grabbed her glass of wine, taking a healthy swig. She reached into her bag, pulled out the documents from a manila envelope, and uncapped a pen.
“Alright, then. Will you go on a date with me?”
Notes:
P.S. how am I going to fill the football shaped hole in my heart now that the season's over??
Chapter 9
Notes:
A very bite-sized update with more to come after this weekend!
Also, I adore each and every one of your comments--you guys are too nice!
Chapter Text
Lena’s Penthouse
National City, California
“Holy cow,” Kara uttered out, her jaw almost scraping the floor. “This is where you live? By yourself?” She didn’t know what to focus on as she walked through the doorway. Should she marvel at the crystal chandelier above the living room? Strain her neck trying to see how tall the ceilings are? Or what about all the fancy art pieces that dot the hallways?
Lena strolled past Kara, but paused just enough so that her eye roll could definitely be seen.
“Did you pick up a concussion already or did you forget that I’m a CEO?”
“Hey!” Kara protested. “Concussions are no joke! The last time I got one, I couldn’t even watch any of my favorite shows.”
“Oh, I’m sure that was just so difficult to get through. My heart is ripping in two just thinking about it,” Lena retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I sure hope you’re going to be less prickly in public, or people are going to see right through this,” Kara grumbled while making her way towards the couch in the living room. Before she could sit, Lena slid into her view, stopping Kara in her tracks. The CEO then grabbed a fist full of Kara’s hoodie, bringing her down slightly to Lena’s eye level. Lena slowly leaned in for a whisper, her face dangerously close to Kara’s.
“Oh, I can assure you that I’m an excellent actress, Darling.”
By the time Lena relinquished her grip on the hoodie and turned to make her way to the couch, there was nothing but static buzzing around Kara’s brain.
Coach must have pushed us harder than I thought. Kara shook the cobwebs out of her mind and joined Lena on her extremely plush furniture, a very respectful distance apart.
“So, if we are going to do this properly, I figured we ought to cover some of the foundational facts and some rules,” Lena began. “Obviously, you’re going to need to tell me about your family, if I have ever met them, or if I’ve been to Nebraska—”
“Washington.”
Lena continued without missing a beat. “—yet in case a reporter asks. There’s also the matter of the cover story of how we met, though I’m struggling to come up with any possible reason you and I would have crossed paths in public events. And before you ask, I am not telling people that we met on a dating app.”
“Okay, then why don’t we just say that we met in college?” Kara shrugged.
At that, Lena let out a full-bellied laugh that would have been somewhat endearing if the context was anything but insulting.
“As if,” Lena managed to say while catching her breath. Was she wiping a tear from her eye? Jesus. “Anyone would ever believe that you and I went to the same school. I mean, Kara, let’s be serious for a moment.”
“Uh, but we did go to the same school.”
“See how that sounds ridiculous? No one’s going to buy that for a second.”
“No, Lena. We actually did go to the same school.”
Lena stopped. Looked over at Kara’s face. She was serious.
“You’re telling me you went to Stanford?”
“Yup, 3 years until I declared for the draft a couple months ago.”
“I don’t believe you. What was your major?”
“Physics.”
“Physics?! How is that even possible? I would have definitely seen you around—I have never seen your face on campus once.”
“My face was literally plastered on a lot of the football ads on campus, but—”
“And not to mention, I’ve been a TA for some of the classes in the physics department, and I don’t remember you.”
“They let me do my work asynchronously because of the football schedule since the lectures are recorded anyways. Also, you know that Stanford is a Division I school right? There’s hundreds of student athletes in all kinds of majors.”
“God, you must actually be good at football, then.”
“Actually, for your information, I made Dean’s list every single quarter.” Lena just stared across the couch dumbfounded. “You could literally google my name right now, and it’ll tell you that I went to Stanford. I can show you my transcript.”
“No no,” Lena stammered, struggling to find her composure again. “I think I’ll take your word for it.” She rose to head over to her kitchen where she retrieved a bottle of wine and a glass that she filled to the brim. Somehow, she didn’t manage to spill a single drop on the way back and as she sat down. All those etiquette classes as a child were clearly worth the price.
“So, then for the story—”
Lena put up a single index finger in Kara’s face, interrupting her. The wine was well on its way down Lena’s throat, and within seconds, the glass was empty. A deep inhale, and an equally deep exhale later, Lena said:
“Okay, continue please.”
“I was just saying that the story for how we met should probably revolve around us meeting at a bar or something and becoming acquaintances who only recently decided to pursue things romantically.”
“Change the bar to the library reading room.”
“Good with me.”
“Have you ever even been there before?”
“Yeah, on the prospective athletes tour.”
——
The rest of the night was spent in a similar fashion. Important details were ironed out and agreed upon. Lena learned that Kara’s older sister’s name was Alex and that she was her manager/agent. Finally learned the name of the small village (town, Kara insisted) that Kara hailed from. In turn, Kara was introduced to L-Corp’s rebranded mission and the most recent projects championed by Lena herself. Sam was the CFO and her best friend of many (kinda) years. And Jess was her executive assistant who had been instrumental to keeping the company afloat to this point (and Lena sane).
And after some more minor details, they dove into the rules of engagement, so to speak.
- Public displays of affection are generally all fair game if deemed necessary for onlookers. Neither party will do anything that the other is uncomfortable with or anything without explicit consent.
- The only people who will know the truth about their relationship are: Lillian, Sam, Alex. Not even Jess or any other family members will be privy to the true nature of their relationship.
- Schedule pending, both parties will make appearances to public events as a plus-one. That entailed home games for Kara and galas for Lena.
Easy as pie, right?
——
Twitter/X:
“I swear I just saw Kara Danvers in a coffee shop with a mystery date. Though it could have just been any blonde wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses…” -@techiedeckie1
“#Lakehawks Rookie QB Kara Danvers really impressive in today’s minicamp. Ran the 2-minute drill to perfection, going 11/11 with a beautiful touchdown throw to close it” -@JakeMariucci
“Will Kara Danvers exceed expectations and become the Offensive Rookie of the Year? Watch what our experts have to say:” -@CBSSports
“Guess who we just ran into!!! Ellie got to meet her fav player at the park today! Saw Kara walking with a friend by chance and my girl even got a selfie and an autograph!! Go Lakehawks!” -@MichelleG1124
@natwithtats quote tweeted @MichelleG1124:
“Uh, can the internet detectives please find out who’s on a PARK DATE with KARA FUCKIN DANVERS???”
@toosapphic4traffic replied to @natwithtats:
“If this is her gf and she’s not single, then my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. Goodbye.”
“NFL rookie sensation Kara Danvers on a secret date?? Read more:” -@TMZ
Chapter 10
Notes:
The first game of the season is upon us! Hope you guys enjoy!
Chapter Text
National City Lakehawks Training Facility
30 minutes away from National City, California
“Alright, who’s up first?” Kara said as she flashed her signature million watt smile at the crowd of reporters.
Immediately, dozens of hands shot up.
“Uh yeah, in the front? Taylor, right?” Kara asked while pointing at someone in the second row. A Lakehawks media relations employee passed the reporter a microphone.
“Hi yes, Taylor Pitney, National City Tribune. We’re about 24 hours away from your regular season NFL debut; how are you approaching the game, and do you feel any added pressure because of the historical implications?”
“Well,” the quarterback started, leaning on the podium. “I won’t lie to everyone and say that I’m completely unfazed by the position and the opportunity I have before me—it means a lot to me, the league, and women’s sports in general. It’s a privilege I don’t consider lightly. But,” she paused for a split second for effect. “That is not to say that I’m taking anything away from my preparation from the game. 100 yards is 100 yards, anytime, anywhere.”
“Thanks, Kara.”
“Of course. Next?”
“Hi Kara, Natalie Jensen, Yahoo Sports. What do you say to the disparaging comments made by some of the Browns players earlier this week?”
“Sorry, I’m not sure if I caught what they said.”
“I can pull it up on my phone for you,” she replied, rummaging through her phone’s notes app. “Here. One particular player said, and I quote: ‘It’s insulting that I have to be on the field with her at the same time. We’re going to make sure that this stops from day one.’ Any response to that?”
Apart from a few clicks of camera shutters, there was complete silence in the room. After a couple seconds of thought, Kara asked back:
“Where did that come from?”
“It was a quote from an interview that some of the Browns players did with Cleveland beat reporters.”
“Which players in particular?”
“They chose to stay anonymous.”
“Well,” Kara said with a smile. “I think that tells you more than anything I can possibly say. Next?”
“Matt Jones with The Athletic. I know you can’t divulge much, but how are you looking to get the better of the Browns defense tomorrow?”
“We have a lot of great playmakers on our team—guys like Vic and Barry who are both electric with the ball. So, the more we can get the ball in their hands, I think we’ll be able to keep the opposing offense off the field and have a good control over the game.”
The Lakehawks’ employee’s voice rang out after Kara’s response.
“Alright, we got time for one more! Yes, four rows from the back?”
“In a completely different topic, social media has been buzzing about a mystery figure spotted with you in public. Your fans want to know: is she just a friend or something more?”
Kara laughed.
“You know, I tend to keep my private life to myself, so I’ll let the rumor mill run its course on this one. Thanks guys!”And with that, Kara was ushered out of the press conference area, and began to make her way down to the team parking lot, looking to head home. A buzz from her phone stopped her in her tracks, and she leaned against the wall to pause to take the call; she didn’t want to clog up the whole hallway.
“Hey, Alex. What’s up?”
“Hey, just saw your press conference,” replied her sister. “Good job. I’m proud of you for how you handled the comments from the other players.”
“Thanks! I’m trying to keep it out of my mind as much as possible before the game, ya know?”
“Right, right. Anyways, given the last question you answered, I think we should have a meeting between you and Lena tonight.”
Kara frowned.
“I thought we already had another outing planned for after the game.”
“No, no. Not like that. Lucy just processed the contracts, so I think we should be all set for you two to meet the full team.”
“Okay. So, my place?”
“…is it clean?”
“Alex!” Kara hissed, admonishing her sister. “I did laundry yesterday, and the cleaning crew the Lakehawks set me up with came earlier.”
“Thank god for that. I still have nightmares from seeing the state of your college dorm room. But yes. Your place if it’s presentable.”
“I did get a succulent yesterday.”
“That doesn’t—you know what? I’m going to hang up now before I pop a vein, and then I’ll come over with pizza before the meeting.”
——
Kara’s Apartment
Downtown National City, California
“Kara! There’s someone at the door!” Alex called out while busying herself by setting up the various bottles of liquor she had procured hours before. There was scotch and whiskey (mainly for Alex), a Cabernet (some specific one requested by Lucy that Kara shuddered to think about the price tag), non-alcoholic ciders for Kara due to gameday, and seltzers for the general public.
“‘Mmph gauddit!” It was mostly gibberish, but to be fair, Kara had a whole slice’s worth of pizza in her mouth already. She reached the front door and swung it open to find Lena, smartly dressed as always with a blouse and a blazer. She must have came straight from work.
“Lena, hi!” Kara managed to say with a muffled voice. She was speaking with her hand over her mouth as to not shoot pizza particles all over one of the most powerful women on the planet.
“Thank you for at least having to foresight to cover your mouth,” Lena drawled.
Once Kara was pizza-free, she grinned ear to ear.
“Nothing but the most chivalrous version of me for you,” she replied. At the end, she raised her brows in an attempt to signal to Lena that there were already other people in the apartment and that the charade had begun. Thankfully, Lena picked up on the clue and opened her arms to invite Kara in for a hug. Kara promptly obliged and closed the distance to wrap her counterpart tightly, even adding a little sway from side to side to really sell the effect.
It was a nice feeling, Lena realized, much to her surprise. Say what you will about Kara (and boy, Lena has a lot to say), but the girl gave excellent hugs. Warm and firm, yet soft all the same. It was something that Lena had rarely felt; she knew only wisps of such memories from her early childhood—before the Luthor name. Perhaps it was this odd level of comfort that spurred her to lean up from the crook of Kara’s neck and whisper into the quarterback’s ear.
“I’m going to give you a kiss on the cheek. Is that okay?” Just quiet enough for Kara alone to hear.
“Mhm,” Kara hummed lowly. If she was fazed by the proposition, she didn’t show any hint of it.
And so, Lena released Kara from her grasp, leaned her body in a slight tip-toe for the height difference, and placed her lips on Kara’s cheek for a chaste kiss.
Soft.
That was what popped into Lena’s head.
Soft.
Then, she put some space between the two of them again.
“So, who else is here?”
“Oh! Uh, I’ll introduce you, c’mon.” Kara beckoned, stepping aside to properly let Lena into the apartment. “This is Alex,” she started, gesturing. “She’s my sister and agent.”
“Hey, good to finally meet you,” Alex greeted, extending out a hand for Lena to shake.
“Likewise. Kara has told me a lot about you,” she said, returning the handshake.
“Has she now?”
“—Nothing too bad! I promise.” Kara cut in. She cleared her throat to shift to focus away to the next person.
“And this is Lucy, my legal counsel. James, my physical trainer since college. And Nia, who is going to be handling the personal PR parts of my career that’s separate from the Lakehawks.”
“Nice to see you all.”
Good, firm, professional handshakes all around.
“Alright!” Alex exclaimed with a clap of her hands. “Now that all the boring intros are done, who wants to play drunk monopoly? Well, minus Kara.”
Lena had never seen such a devastating pout in her entire adult life.
—--
Obsidian Field
National City, California
National City Lakehawks vs. Cleveland Browns
Q1: 13:23 | Score: 0 - 0 | Ball at Lakehawks 20
“And here comes Kara Danvers and the Lakehawks. A big moment for the NFL and the sports world as we witness history here today. It’s a lot of pressure on a young quarterback; Cris, how should she try to navigate this game?”
“Mike, it all starts with getting your feet wet and establishing a nice rhythm with some easy throws. Starting your first NFL game is nerve-racking for everyone, so Coach J’onzz needs to call plays that will help her gain some confidence here for the first drive.”
“Alright, let’s see how her first drive pans out. The Lakehawks are at their own 20 yard line after the punt from Bojorquez. Danvers takes the snap and hands it off to Stone who goes up the middle for about 3 yards. Hicks with the stop.”
“It’s going to be key for Victor Stone to take some pressure off of Danvers today by getting it going on the ground. If he can have a productive day, then it makes her job a lot easier.”
“2nd down and 7. Danvers in shotgun, motions Allen to the right. Danvers looks downfield and slings it to Pierce for a gain of 9. Good for a first down. And that ball will be making its way to Canton, Ohio as a part of football history: the first completed pass by a female quarterback in the National Football League.”
“And a pretty good first completion at that. She got the ball out fast to Pierce in stride on a slant.”
“On their own 32 yard line, the Lakehawks lined up in bunch formation on their left. Danvers still in shotgun with Stone to her right. She fakes a give to Stone and rolls right. Lobs it back to Stone who has blockers in front of him! Running down the sideline for a big gain! He’s finally brought down well into Browns territory.”
“That’s a great play design by J’onn J’onzz. A little bit of misdirection to get the defense off-balance, and then give the ball to your playmaker to make something happen. These are the types of plays that make a rookie quarterback’s life easier.”
“1st and 10 now on the Browns’ 39 yard line. Empty backfield for Danvers, Stone will catch a breather on the sidelines. Danvers. Surveys the field, pocket collapsing, and she’ll throw it away incomplete with pressure coming by Miles Garrett.”
“Good awareness to sense the pressure coming off the edge and then to get rid of the ball safely to avoid taking a sack. If you see Danvers’ college tape, Mike, one thing that stands out is her poise in the pocket; she’s rarely rattled in there. I think it’s one of the biggest traits of hers that I believe is going to translate very well at the pro level.”
“About that, Cris, a big storyline coming into this week between these two teams centered around some of the comments made by the Browns players about Danvers. How do you think she responds here today?”
“Like I said, her poise is something that she can rely on, and from what we’ve seen from the first few plays, it’s not seeming to bother her much yet.”
“Stone is now back in there for the Lakehawks in the backfield. Danvers under center. A play fake to Stone. Danvers stepping up in the pocket; she’s going to launch it deep to a wide open Allen! Caught! Touchdown, National City! 39 yards!”
“A beautiful route by Barry Allen, and there just aren’t many guys in the NFL that can match his speed.”
“And Danvers giving a pointed stare over to the Cleveland sideline before joining her teammates in the endzone.”
“Oh boy. If you have watched Kara Danvers at Stanford, you know that once she gets that look in her eye, it’s going to be a long night for the defense.”
“Should see some fireworks here in National City today. We’ll be back after this.”
Chapter 11
Notes:
Another bite-sized entry. Hope you guys don't mind!
Also, please check the end chapter notes for a new idea!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Obsidian Field
National City, California
National City Lakehawks vs. Cleveland Browns
Q1: 10:46 | Score: 7 - 0
“Holy shit, I guess she is that good,” Sam uttered, mouth agape, a deviled egg still in her hand halfway to its intended destination. “This thing might actually work.” She then turned towards her friend and grabbed, shook her by the shoulders. “Lena! This thing might actually work!”
Lena yelped out in surprise and pushed herself out of Sam’s grasp.
“Just because she is above average at a sport does not mean she is going to help drag my family’s image back from the mud.”
“Honey, I love and adore you with all of my heart, but don’t be a stubborn idiot. You just don’t want to admit that the she-devil had a good idea.”
Lena scoffed in response and headed towards the champagne in the corner of the private suite inside the stadium.
“Oh, she’s filled with good ideas. Tax fraud was definitely a winner.”
“Well, now you’re just being difficult.”
“Aren’t I always?”
“Fair.” As if she was on cruise control, Sam’s hand reached out for the champagne that Lena had brought for them while keeping her eyes on the field. The stadium was still buzzing from the excitement of Kara’s first career touchdown. Another roar ripped through the crowd once the gigantic videoboard showed replays of what just happened. It was a gorgeous throw, the wide receiver only needed to reach his hands out, and the ball nestled in perfectly.
On the Lakehawks sideline, Kara took off her helmet, blew out the wisps of her hair out of her face, and headed straight for the bench, accepting a Surface tablet on the way. She went straight back to work, watching replays of her first drive and reviewing the plays that might come up later in the game. This Kara, the one whose eyes were laser focused on her craft, the one with a look of determination etched on her face that could make boulders shudder, was nothing like the Kara Lena had seen up to this point. Absolutely nothing like the bumbling, hokey adolescent puppy she knew her to be.
“But you gotta admit, your girl looked good out there.”
“First, she’s not my girl. And second, she had a helmet on, Sam. There’s nothing to see.”
“Okay well, she is definitely your girl as of 12 days ago, and I was talking about her performance on the field looking good. Though I won’t blame you if you were interested in seeing if she looks hot in action.” That earned her a slap on the arm. Dangerously close to spilling champagne.
“God, I can’t believe you sometimes.”
“Hey,” Sam defended her position, hands raised. “I mean jocks are hot. No shame in it.”
“I regret bringing you here already.”
“Ooooh, I didn’t hear a rebuttal,” Sam prodded in a sing-song-y voice.
“Shut up, please.” And if Lena’s cheeks ran hot, she decided to not think too hard about it. The AC must definitely be busted.
———
Twitter:
“Oh my god, Kara Danvers is the real deal” -@mattflockk
“287 PASSING YARDS, 3 TDS, 0 INT, 32 RUSHING YARDS. HAVE A BOW, KARA DANVERS.” -@CBSSports
“C’mon people. Are we seriously gonna overreact to one fucking game???” -@toomuchnotso1122
“AHAHAHA FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT, CLEVELAND” -@nationaltittylakehawks
“Kara Danvers on if the comments by the Browns players before the game had any effect on her monster performance today: “It did but probably not in the way that they wanted it to”” -@MinaKimes
“Yawn. Wake me up when she gets hit by a real defense.” -@mikeymatts
@damianw replied to @mikeymatts:
“she literally just played against Miles Garrett, but go off, I guess.”
———
Lena: Good game today.
Kara: Oh, you came!! I didn’t see you on the friends and families tickets list so I just guessed you didn’t go
Lena: Sam got us a suite under a fake name
Kara: oooo~ so mysterious
Lena: She insisted that a “slow soft-launch” would be better for the media.
I have no idea what that means, and frankly I don’t know if I want to know
Kara: How much time do you spend on TikTok?
Lena: I don’t have a TikTok account.
Kara: What?!?!?
Kara: Excuse me???
Kara: How else am I supposed to send you all the dog videos on my for you page???
Lena: Kara, I have a multi-national corporation to run.
I’m not gonna spend my time watching stupid videos devoid of any nutritional value
Kara: I’ll make a believer out of you, just you wait
Lena: If you want to waste your time on a futile effort, be my guest
Kara: I’m sending you a link to one rn
Kara: pls enjoy
Lena: Good night, Kara
Kara: Oh cmon!! You don’t think the little guy is cute???
Lena: …
Lena: He’s very cute
Kara: See! Nutritional!
Lena: I’m going to sleep now
Kara: alright fine
Lena: Are we still on for lunch tomorrow at 1?
Jess has reserved a rather public table
Kara: I might have film study that runs a bit late, but other than that
Kara: all good!
Lena: Great. See you then.
Kara: Sweet dreams! I hope you dream of puppies who convince you to get a TikTok account
Lena: Sweet dreams to you too.
Notes:
I realize that sometimes the in-game scenes can get quite technical. And though I try my best to make it as visual as possible, I totally understand that I might sound like gibberish to people not familiar with the sport.
So! I'm thinking about adding a "works cited(?)" entry in the chapter notes with examples of the exact type of play being described in the chapter. They'll be noted with a corresponding footnote or something.
For example the plays described in the last chapter in order:
1) https://youtu.be/hSTxZ7Fc11I?si=6xWRnMn8IAANtSPa&t=664
2) https://youtu.be/8I9FQJyX8lc?si=5lFz0jbISHAO6Mfk&t=22
3) https://youtu.be/7rJPwewkUN4?si=77CTWAFWqh0AC6W7&t=100
4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefUdxSO4k8
5) https://youtu.be/ufAnIA3YiWA?si=ia1tF2tFd0L6YNPn&t=121Please let me know if this is something that would be nice to have!
Chapter 12
Notes:
An update! I was on vacation then got a new computer and then promptly got slammed with a billion things at work, so please excuse the late update. However, I did get to eat a heavenly churro flavored ice cream.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The New York Times Op-Ed Section
A Cheap Rebrand Cannot Pay for Past Sins
CNBC
Yet another abysmal opening bell for L-Corp. Can new CEO Lena Luthor right the ship before it’s too late?
Wall Street Journal
5 months into her reign as L-Corp CEO, Lena Luthor has yet to reveal any future plans. Has innovation left the company with its last CEO?
CNN
Sources in National City indicate that investors are quickly losing faith in L-Corp. Will the board look to move on from the Luthor family entirely?
Downtown National City, California
1:26PM
It had been a horrific morning for Lena. As if on cue, the major publications decided overnight that it was the perfect time to release their hit pieces on her and the company. When the market opened in the morning, L-Corp’s stocks dropped nearly 15% of its original value from last week, triggering an emergency board meeting. Lena spent the better part of 4 hours shutting down any ridiculous ideas and quelling any worries from the board members.
Her patience eventually began to wear thin by the 3-hour mark after yet another poorly veiled question about her future plans that poked at her qualifications or lack thereof. There was a migraine looming on the horizon; Lena could feel it in the peripheries.
“Mr. Walston, I can assure you that we are moving in the right direction for the long-term health of the company.”
He let out a curt laugh.
“Miss Luthor, what good is our long-term health if it’s be dead in weeks in your hands?”
That was it. She didn’t dare let herself be pushed to this, but she was bordering on losing her mind at this point. Lena clenched her fist and slammed it down on the table, startling many.
“This is an emergency surgery. A surgery to get rid of the infection that you all let fester within the company. This type of thinking is exactly what led by brother into prison, and I will be damned if I will let my company suffer again from irresponsible carelessness and foolish arrogance. Yes, the stock price is down. Yes, we have not announced a new product since the rebranding. However, these are all unfortunate but necessary steps we need to take to ensure the company’s success for the next decade and beyond. So, feel free to lament and criticize my direction so far, but afterwards, look into the mirror and remember exactly why we are here in the first place. Embarrassed out of Metropolis. Dodging press conferences. Countless federal interrogations and testimonies. That is the foundation that I have to work with. So, either pull whatever bravery remains inside of you all and take some goddamn responsibility or get out. I am fully prepared to buy whatever percentage of shares each of you hold.”
The others squirmed in their seats under Lena’s gaze while Sam bit down a grin that threatened to overtake her whole face, cheek to cheek. Thankfully, the rest of the meeting went smoothly in comparison. There were minor inquiries here and there, but for the most part, the board now thought twice about what they could dare say to a Luthor.
When the last board member filed out of the conference room, Lena shut the door behind them and collapsed into her chair, slumping over the table.
“If there was a god, he would show me mercy and kill me now,” Lena mumbled into her arms.
“As Ruby’s godmother, I don’t think you are allowed to blaspheme, technically. I think that’s frowned upon by the Vatican.”
“Shut up, Sam. You’re making my headache even worse.”
There was a soft knock at the door, followed by Jess’s voice.
“Miss Luthor? It’s ten past 1 PM.”
“Jess, I already moved the meeting with Edge’s attorneys.”
“Yes, ma’am. I was referring to your lunch reservation with Miss Danvers at 1?”
At that, Lena’s head shot back up, which she immediately regretted. Her head was going at mach 5, throbbing with each passing second, bouncing from one end of her skull to another.
“Fuck.”
And so, there she was, speed walking frantically over to the cafe that she was supposed to arrive at 26 minutes ago. She managed to grab the baseball cap that she had dug out from the vast depths of her wardrobe and her sunglasses before rushing out the L-Corp building. If any of the paparazzi got any photos of her right now, she would never hear the end of it from Sam or Lillian. To be fair, Sam would be laughing her ass off while Lillian would send daggers her way with an exasperated and condescending voice mail about how improper she looked in public.
Thankfully, Kara was still there, seated at one of the tables on the bustling café patio sporting a pair of sunglasses of her own along with a linen button-up shirt and slacks to match. She was mid-sip when she spotted Lena and waved her over.
“Hi, thanks for waiting. I had a hectic morning,” Lena huffed as she sat down on the chair across from Kara.
“No worries, I just got a coffee.”
Lena narrowed her eyes at the drink in Kara’s hands.
“That drink in your hands is so far removed from coffee at this point that it might as well be just corn syrup.”
“You say that now, but you’ll see the light once you try it,” Kara replied, angling her cup towards Lena, waggling it side to side as if to tempt her with the sound of ice clattering around the cup.
“Kara, I’m not putting my mouth anywhere near something that sweet. That’s horrible for your dental health,” Lena said, grimacing.
“Mm, bummer. Guess I can’t expect anymore kisses from you then. Wouldn’t want to ruin your teeth,” Kara remarked with a grin, leaning back in her chair.
“Wh-don’t be ridiculous,” Lena stammered. What the hell was that all about? In response, Kara only raised her eyebrows and turned her head slightly towards her right, subtly motioning to the other patrons around them. Right, appearances.
“Give me that monstrosity.”
As soon as the dangerously sweet concoction hit her taste buds, Lena nearly coughed it up all over the table. Thank goodness for her self-control.
“There, I tried it. Happy?”
“See? Didn’t kill you, did it?”
“I’m going to need a juice cleanse just to get the taste out of my mouth,” Lena grumbled, slumping back into her seat. That stunt did not do her any favors; if anything, it might have made her headache worse. A deep sigh escaped her lips.
“Are you okay, Lena?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just swell.”
“If you’re not feeling well, we can—”
Then, a voice interrupted them.
“What can I get you two today?” A chirpy waitress popped into their view, looking from Kara to Lena and back to Kara again expectantly.
“Oh,” Kara started. “We’re not ready to—”
“It’s fine. I’ll have the kale cranberry feta salad, please.”
“And I’ll have the turkey club sandwich. Thank you,” Kara ordered, passing her menu.
“Of course! Let me know if you need anything else,” the waitress replied, maintaining full eye contact with Kara.
“For sure, thanks again.”
Once the girl had left, Lena took that opportunity to rummage through her purse, praying to whatever god was out there for some Advil or Excedrin. No dice. Oh, it just kept getting better and better.
“Whatcha looking for?”
“None of—” Lena cleared her throat and began once more. “Advil. I’m looking for some Advil.”
“Oh! Here, I have some in my backpack.” She bent down, leaning over the side of the chair and sifted through her belongings. After some fishing around, Kara emerged triumphantly with a bottle of Advil.
“Ta da!”
“You keep a whole Costco sized bottle of Advil in your backpack?”
“Lena, I get tackled by the human equivalent of a bullet train every week. It’s literally an occupational hazard.”
“Fair enough,” she relented, taking the offered bottle and popping two pills into her mouth.
“Rough day today?”
Lena scoffed.
“You don’t read the news much, do you?”
To that, Kara shrugged.
“I try to stay away from the news and articles during the season.”
As Lena was about to respond, the waitress made an appearance again.
“Hi, I’m so sorry about this, but it looks like we are out of sourdough bread today,” she said to Kara.
A look of confusion flashed across her face.
“Uh, that’s okay. I kinda expected it to be on white bread if you have that?”
“Oh, yes we do. Thank you so much for being flexible. You’re a saint, really.” Her voice was practically dripping honey. “I’ll put that in for you right now. Shouldn’t be too long of a wait.” Then, she bounded off into the restaurant.
“Huh, I didn’t know club sandwiches were made with sourdough.”
A sigh.
“They’re not, Kara.”
“Then why did—whatever, not important. You were talking about your morning?”
“Right. I had some critical meetings, that’s all.”
“Really?” Kara asked, skeptical. “Just some meetings? Are you sure there wasn’t anything noteworthy in there?”
“Well, if you must know, I—”
Yet another interruption.
“Holy shit, you’re Kara Danvers!”
The next thing Lena knew, a girl from a couple tables over made her way over and was way too close for Lena’s taste.
“Oh my god, my friends are going to freak out! Wow, you’re even more stunning in person; I’m such a huge fan.”
“Thank you, I guess?” Kara laughed off the compliment. “Listen, I really appreciate your enthusiasm and support, but I’m kind of in the middle of something right now,” she explained, nudging her head towards Lena and the clear evidence of a lunch date that is very much still in progress.
“Oh! Okay, then can we just get a quick picture? Here—” the girl practically shoved her phone into Lena’s hands. “Can you take it? It’ll be fast.”
Kara, for her part, shot Lena an apologetic look, but played the role of a sports star extremely well. A practiced, easy smile; a slight lean for the camera.
“Did you take it? Let me see,” the girl demanded. She damn near snatched the phone out of Lena’s hands. “Oh that’s perfect! Thanks so much Kara! Go Lakehawks!”
A solid goodbye wave later, Kara turned her full attention back to her date.
“Gosh, I didn’t know this place was this busy.”
“Yup.”
“I thought the outfit and the sunglasses and the ponytail would have gave me some cover, but I guess not.”
“Clearly.”
“Sorry, I do want to hear about your morning.” Kara said earnestly, leaning closer to the center of the table towards Lena to underscore her point. “If you want, I can go see if they can seat us somewhere inside?”
“Actually, I’m going to head back to the office.” Lena pushed her chair back to give herself enough room to stand.
“Wait, why?”
“I figure it’s better being productive at work than to be out here looking like an idiot in public.” There was noticeable venom on her tongue.
“Lena, wait. Let me at least walk you back to the office,” Kara offered, bending down to pick up her backpack.
Lena raised her hand.
“It’s fine.”
“But—”
“Kara, it’s fine.”
“Okay.”
From that point on in the day, her headache only worsened. Maybe she should have taken Tylenol instead.
———
Kara’s Apartment
Downtown National City, California
She hadn’t heard from Lena in the three days after their disastrous lunch date. Thankfully, none of the media outlets had picked up on the abrupt ending, or they would have had an absolutely field day with the implications. Kara knew that Lena was a very busy person. She was the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation, after all. But, to hear nothing but radio silence from her was concerning. Even by her standards. Despite Lena’s distaste for social media and small talk, she at least supplied some sort of reply to her texts, even if it was sarcasm. This time, however, there was nothing.
Kara
Hey! Hope your head is feeling better! Let me know if you need anything!
Even CEOs need some rest too, ya know
------
Here, lemme know if this TikTok of golden retriever puppies sledding down a hill helps
------
Just finished practice for today! Do you think I can scarf down 30 potstickers?
Alex is daring me that I can’t.
[a photo of empty containers]
Guess who is 20 bucks richer???
And that is why, the last thing Kara ever expected to see when she opened the door to her apartment on Friday afternoon was her living room and kitchen just about filled to the brim with gigantic bouquets of plumerias.
“What the…”
As she stepped closer to her kitchen island, she saw a note addressed to her in elegant script that could only be Lena’s.
Kara,
I’m sorry for being an asshole at lunch. I lost my composure and my temper, and you didn’t deserve any of that. The stress from work and the shitty morning I had bled into my time with you and for that I’m truly sorry.
The florist says that plumerias are a symbol of new beginnings; if you’ll forgive me, I would love to take you to dinner tonight. New beginnings and all.
-L
Kara
Thank you for the flowers, I love them <3
Lena
I’m glad you like them
Kara
I don’t think you heard me right. I looooove them.
Lena
Haha I’m glad either way
Kara
So, dinner huh?
Lena
Only if you feel comfortable
Kara
If I say yes, can I pick where?
Lena
Of course
Kara
Have you ever been to Big Belly Burger?
Lena
Oh god.
Notes:
Woohoo! Almost NFL Draft time! But also NBA playoffs! and baseball! and hockey! All of the sports, all at the same time!
Chapter 13
Notes:
Hiya! I tried to put the football play examples as hyperlinks inside the text, so fingers crossed that they work! Regardless, enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Obsidian Field
National City, California
National City Lakehawks vs. New Orleans Saints
Q4: 5:33 | 20 - 23
“We’re in a close one here, folks. The Saints are up by 3, but the Lakehawks now have the ball with 5:33 left in the game. After the go-ahead touchdown from the Saints, we’ll see how Danvers and the Lakehawks can respond here.”
“All in all, not a bad game from Danvers considering her second start, but she has left a lot of points on the field today. Some miscues with the receivers and a costly interception on the previous drive has put her on her backfoot.”
“Alright, let’s see what she can do here with the ball at their own 35 yard line.”
Friday Night
National City, California
Big Belly Burger
“You know, this is the fourth time I’ve seen you eat a meal, and yet it still manages to horrify me,” Lena remarked before sipping on her strawberry milkshake.
“Weh yew sh—” Kara stopped herself and took a moment to actually chew and swallow her food.
“Well, you should really come and see one of our practices. Then you’ll get it.”
Lena scoffed and reached out to grab a fry from the shared basket.
“Stand out in the blazing sun to watch a bunch of sweaty, testosterone-jacked men scream and maul each other? I’ll pass.”
“What about watching a certain sweaty football player?” Kara goaded, wiggling her eyebrows in a comically exaggerated fashion.
“You hush before I start throwing fries at you.”
“Do your worst. I’m fully prepared to catch them in my mouth.”
And to Lena’s surprise, she found herself letting out a genuine laugh in Kara’s presence. It felt odd. It felt…freeing. Perhaps emboldened by the unfamiliar emotion, Lena took a fry from the basket and flung it in Kara’s direction. Of course, the quarterback caught it with expert precision, pumping her fist as she reveled in her victory.
“You’re a child,” said Lena, without any of the usual venom that came with such a snide comment and with a rare smile that Kara locked into her mind. It wasn’t much, but it was something. And she wanted to keep seeing it if she could help it.
Obsidian Field
“Danvers takes the snap, blitz coming, and she rifles it down the middle for a gain of 14, well past the first down marker.”
“A great start to the drive for the Lakehawks. And for the Saints, even though they gave up a first down right here, keeping pressure on Kara Danvers is the right move. As good as she might be, she’s still a rookie.”
“Let’s see if the Saints dial up the pressure again. Danvers, hands it off to Stone who will bounce it out to the right for a few yards before getting pushed out of bounds. Gain of maybe six yards on the play.”
“Stone has been just a machine out there today, providing a consistent sort of release value if you will for the Lakehawks offense to keep them within striking distance the whole game.”
“And with that carry, that brings him up to 86 yards rushing on the day. Here’s a play fake to Stone, Danvers rolling right, and she fires it down the sideline just out of reach of Allen. Second down.”
“Yet another tiny miscue there that we have been talking about today. Something about her approach is a bit too rushed, just by a second or two, but in the NFL, a second or two makes all the difference in the world. You’ll see here on the replay that Allen had lots of room upfield for a huge chunk of yards, but the ball is just a couple inches out of reach. As the game eventually slows down for Kara, it won’t be as big of a problem, but for today, it could be something that costs them the game.”
Friday Night
“So…” Kara started, trailing off.
“Yes?”
“Do you wanna talk about what happened before the lunch?” She was cautious, giving Lena the space to decline if she so chose. The last thing she wanted was for her to potentially storm out again.
A long sigh escaped from Lena’s lips, and she reclined into the glossy booth of the diner.
“Unless you don’t want to, which is totally fine,” Kara quickly added.
“No, it’s fine. I had an emergency board meeting, and it was nearly disastrous. They were basically calling for my head the moment they sat down.”
“Jeez, that feels like an overreaction.”
“Truthfully, I don’t blame them for being uneasy about the future outlook of them company. It’s been a rough couple of months ever since the trial and the rebrand.”
“And they want you gone because of that? Weren’t they also technically complicit with your, uh—” Shoot, she backed herself into a corner. That was probably the one thing that Kara should not have mentioned.
“My brother? Yes. You can say that he’s a criminal, Kara. It’s only the truth; I won’t get offended.”
“Just because it’s true, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still feel gross about it. You’re allowed to have feelings too, you know.”
“I don’t think that the board shares your sentiment. They’ll probably paint it as some leadership flaw.”
“Psssh, what do they know? They’re just mega-rich people who drink champagne all day.”
“Kara, I’m a mega-rich person who drinks champagne.”
“Well, yeah, but I’m talking about the other mega-rich people. The ones who don’t have expert fry-throwing skills.”
“Oh, I minored in fry-throwing back at Stanford. Didn’t you know?”
“Right!” Kara exclaimed, making a show of hitting her own forehead with the palm of her hand. “I totally thought that was you in ‘Starch Aerodynamics 101’! Ugh, how could I forget?”
“My poor heart,” Lena said with all of the dramatics of a Shakespearean tragedy. “I suppose I was just so forgettable. How could I possibly grab the attention of the star quarterback?”
“My sincerest apologies, my lady,” replied Kara, matching the act but with a horrendous attempt at a British accent. “If only I had known of your dazzling presence, I would have forsaken my grades, curly fries be damned. Please forgive me and accept this humble fry as a token of my deepest regret.” And Kara bowed her head, presenting a lone fry with the utmost reverence.
Lena gracefully plucked the fry out of Kara’s outstretched hands.
“I accept your apology. All is forgiven.”
“Oh, thank my lucky stars!”
“How about a toast, my dear knight? To celebrate our renewed companionship,” Lena offered, raising her fry towards the center of the table.
“Gladly, your highness.”
Kara, in turn, reached for her own and clinked it against Lena’s.
Obsidian Field
When the ball left Kara’s fingertips, she immediately knew it was a bad throw. She had rushed her motion, antsy to get rid of the ball before a defender could come barreling down on her. Sure, it was off by a split second, but at this level, inches and split seconds are miles and hours. As the ball sailed past Barry, she clapped her hands in frustration. If they came up empty this drive, the odds of winning the game would decrease almost entirely.
Walking back to the huddle, she began to scrutinize every minute detail of the last play. Kicking herself for her mistakes. She tried to compose herself, regulate her breathing. There was a time and a place for this, just not now. Not with the game on the line. But the annoyance at her own performance had been building and bubbling for the last few hours. The tension in her jaw and forearms was still present.
In a last ditch effort to recenter her racing mind, she took a look around the massive stadium, taking in the crowd and the lights. It was a sold-out game, and the loyal home fans were as boisterous and raucous as ever. It would only be a matter of time before the play call from the coach rang through her in-helmet earpiece, and pull her focus away. She hazarded a glance above the Lakehawks’ sideline, towards the suites. For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of Lena standing near the glass next to Sam. When they locked eyes, Lena frantically looked around and hunted for something in her suite. After a couple of seconds, she reemerged, with a fry in hand. And took a bite.
Kara couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, but she felt some of the tension begin to leak out of her body. With all of her teammates back in the huddle, Kara asked them:
“Alright, you ready to win this thing?”
————
“Danvers in shotgun, motions a receiver from her left. She drops back, lets it fly for a second chance with Allen, and this time it’s hauled in for a big play! First down and a lot more!”
“What a way to respond after that last play, keeping the pedal to the metal.”
“The Lakehawks are now well within Saints territory, inside the redzone.”
“A great throw from Danvers, not letting that last incompletion get to her head and bouncing back. A huge momentum shift here.”
“Now, first and ten on the Saints 13 yard line. Pressure comes immediately, and Danvers bails out and escapes the pocket. She’s looking and looking, and she’ll take off herself! Touchdown! Lakehawks take the lead!”
Twitter:
“One word to describe Kara Danvers today. CLUTCH.” -@brycebrycebaby
“Don’t let the win distract you from the fact that Kara Danvers had a disappointing game. So many missed throws” -@defknowsball
@oraclebarbie replied to @defknowsball:
“Don’t let @defknowsball’s shitty take distract you from the fact that the Lakehawks WON?? And Kara had 2 touchdowns today??”
@damianw replied to @oraclebarbie and @defknowsball:
“@defknowsball let me know if you need an optometrist, I know a guy”
“So are we gonna ignore that Kara Danvers pointed up to someone in a suite during her touchdown celebration? 👀👀👀” -@stopdropandpop
Notes:
God, if you're out there, please bring football back asap
Chapter 14
Notes:
Admittedly, I've having a rough go at it with some work and mental health things, so I'm sorry for this very belated update! I've got some ideas for the next few chapters which should speed things up a bit--fingers crossed!
Chapter Text
L-Corp Headquarters
National City, California
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
She had found it by accident, pushing and shoving the endless piles of paperwork away from her desk. It was innocuous as any other file that she had sifted through over the last few weeks, receipts and corporate correspondence and the like. The sun had long traveled past the horizon, and Lena’s eyes were stiff with the kind of dryness that usually accompanied a grueling night at the office, staring at screens for hours on end.
It was a manifest for an overseas shipment of materials and mechanical parts that she didn’t recognize. None of the components struck her as something she had seen before in a past project of Lex’s during his tenure as CEO. She felt a tendril of dread beginning to creep on the edges of her mind. What more could he have possibly done? Was this yet another mess for Lena to clean up? Of course. She should have known better; her life had been somewhat bearable lately, and it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped.
She had to get to the bottom of this and get ahead of it before the poison spread any further than it had already. After some furious digging into the L-Corp databases and archives, it seemed that Lex was planning something in the biomechanics field; Lena even found some calculations and simulations hidden in there. Some sort of propulsion technology? Or something about air resistance? She’ll need to dig further.
Now, she was burning the midnight oil; the sun had long gone past the horizon, and just about everyone in the L-Corp building had left for the night, minus the security and custodial staff. She had to even demand that Jess leave and go home despite her loyal assistant’s insistence that, “Ms. Luthor, the cat can take care of himself—I got him an automatic feeder and everything. I can stay until you are finished in case you need anything.”
“No, Jess, you are going home, and that’s final.”
A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts—must be Jess double, triple checking that Lena truly didn’t need anything else. With a resigned sigh, Lena leaned back on her chair.
“Jess, I thought I had been explicitly clear—”
When her eyes eventually drifted over to her office doors, her assistant was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was Alex Danvers, plastic bag in hand, looking rather amused.
“Not your assistant, Luthor.”
Lena straightened up almost immediately.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Danvers?”
Alex held up the plastic bag in her possession, rustling it for show.
“I’m your DoorDash. Kara said you’re a workaholic, but I didn’t think it was this bad.”
“Kara sent you?”
“Yeah, she has a late film session before the team leaves for Seattle tomorrow, and she guessed that you probably weren’t planning on feeding yourself while holed up here.” The older Danvers sister jerked her head towards the coffee table in the office. “Can I put this over there?”
Staring blankly, it took a few seconds for Lena’s brain to catch up to the question.
“Uh, yes. That will be fine.”
She made her way over to the table, legs admittedly unstable from being sedentary for hours.
“Do you like Thai food? Because I’m not gonna go back out for something else.”
“Thai is actually one of my favorites.”
At that, Alex paused for a brief moment from unpacking the various takeout containers.
“Huh, I guess Kara did her homework.” She looked over the containers, searching for the labels scribbled on there in Sharpie. “I think this is yours. Veggie spring rolls with tofu pad thai?”
“That sounds about right. I’m surprised she didn’t have you grab a monstrous stack of pancakes or something.”
“Eh, she can be observant when she wants to be.”
“I guess so.” Lena took her container and placed herself opposite of Alex who had already started on her dinner. They sat and ate in silence for a few minutes, when the question that had been gnawing at her mind eventually bubbled over, and she blurted out,
“Why is she doing this?”
Alex stopped between bites with her chopsticks in en route for more of her drunken noodles.
“Who? Kara?”
Lena nodded.
“It’s no secret that my family’s reputation and current standing drove this arrangement from my side, but what about her? She’s a professional athlete. She doesn’t need any of this, I’d imagine.”
“Do you have a Twitter account?”
“I’m guessing that the official L-Corp account doesn’t count, so no.”
“Ever watch ESPN? Or listen to the billion podcasts about football?”
Lena scoffed.
“You know that I don’t.”
“Do me a favor. Pull up Twitter on your phone and search for Kara Danvers. And read the first few that come up.”
Skeptically, Lena reached for her phone from the table and obliged. She read:
I’m boycotting the NFL until they get that Danvers bitch off the field
Can’t wait til Kara Danvers gets fucked up and we can all go back to normal
How many Kara Danvers jerseys do we have to burn until the NFL gets the hint?
Wow, didn’t know that they made kitchens this big in the NFL
The NFL and the National City Lakehawks need to be held accountable for pushing this insidious agenda onto the American public. Kara Danvers should be nowhere near a football field.
“And that’s just Twitter. There’s more on YouTube and TikTok.”
“I’m sure there’s hateful comments about every athlete, no?”
“You see how many likes those tweets got? Thousands. And look at the last one. That’s a congressman.”
Oh. She had completely missed that.
“We always knew that she’s going to be a target for assholes. But for her to be in the national limelight as she is right now, it’s all gotten turned up to eleven. And Kara always says that she’s fine and that she’s dealt with all of this before. But that’s the point. I don’t want her to. She’s always taken the high road, ignoring the noise. She pretends that it doesn’t get to her, but I know that it cuts deep sometimes. Yeah, I’m her agent, but I’m her big sister first, and I wasn’t going to let these fuckers just use her as a punching bag. So I figured, fine. If they want to see Kara somewhere else rather than the field, then they’ll get their wish. They’ll see her fucking everywhere. Magazines, interviews, galas, red carpets. She’ll be too big for anyone to ignore. And that, Luthor, is where you come in. There’s a limit to what I can do and how far the sports world can propel someone. But being with one of the most powerful families in the world, on the other hand—that’s a different story. Now, that’s my rationale for all this shit, of course. And Kara, she sees the truth in what I’m saying, but for her I think it’s more about making sure that if this works, then maybe a little girl somewhere out there gets a shot. Maybe it doesn’t have to be so damn hard for the girls growing up.”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that.”
“Yeah well. Different worlds and all that, I guess.”
“But believe me when I say, I know that feeling. Being looked over.”
“I thought you might,” Alex replied with a wry smile.
The rest of their dinner was a lighter affair, with Alex spilling the beans on some of the more embarrassing stories about Kara as a teenager. The kind that would have definitely earned her a punch on the arm if Kara was there. After they had finished their food, Alex rose to clean up, carrying the empty plastic boxes over to the trash can. She reached it, where it resided in the vicinity of her desk, still a mess with mountains of files and schematics.
“Jeez, you trying to build a rocket or something?” Alex commented, eyes glancing over all the calculations Lena had scribbled today.
Lena let out a short laugh.
“Hardly, it’s just my—”
Wait.
Rocket?
Oh, Lex. It seems that you might actually do some good for once.
Chapter 15
Notes:
A quick bite of a chapter, but should be helpful for pushing the story along! Hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Danvers Residence
Midvale, Washington
“What the fuck did you pack in here, rocks?” Alex huffed as she heaved the duffel bag out of the trunk and over her shoulder.
“Would you hate me if I said that I brought all the laundry I didn’t want to do this week?” Kara asked, donning on her best baby doe-face at her older sister, who, it turned out, was not impressed in the slightest.
“Are you serious?” And the next thing Kara knew, her duffel bag was being thrown her way with considerable speed. She almost fell backwards from the sheer force of it all but managed to stay upright.
“Hey!” Kara protested. “Gentle! This has some of my favorite t-shirts in here.”
Alex scoffed, reaching into the trunk for her own bag before locking the car.
“Oh, go cry about it.”
And when she looked back up at Kara, she saw her with a mischievous smile that could only spell trouble.
“You know what Alex? Maybe I will.” Then, Kara broke out into a full sprint towards the house, leaving Alex flatfooted. Kara began yelling at the top of her lungs.
“Mom! Alex tried to knock me over! Mom!”
Alex gave chase.
“Kara! I swear to god—”
—————
Lena
Hey, how is your trip back to Idaho?
Kara
W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N
Lena
Same thing.
Kara
Whatever
It’s great!!!
It’s so nice to be back and see everyone back home
I even got to take the old boat out for a spin, look!
*picture of Kara at the helm with Alex clutching on the rails for dear life*
Lena
Are you even licensed?
Kara
Psshhh duh
And I didn’t hit anything this time
Lena
This time? So, you have hit something before.
Kara
Ok well
It was more like a scratch
A scratch against a teeny rock
Like super teeny no one even noticed
Lena
So, if I ask Alex about this, she’ll definitely corroborate your story?
Kara
Oops!
Gotta go! I think the signal is breaking up
Bzzzz
S—ry b-y—e!
Lena
Kara, we’re texting.
Kara
Can’t hear you! Byeeeee
—————
Biomedical Research Labs, L-Corp Headquarters
National City, California
“Sam, does she know that I have a day job of my own? She does right?” Jack asked, still wiping the sleep out of his eyes. “This jet lag is absolutely doing me in.”
“I did offer to buy you coffee on the way,” Sam shrugged.
“Well, I didn’t know she meant right this moment. God forbid if Jack gets a bit of rest.” The dramatics were already in full swing tonight.
The heavy steel doors that lead to the labs automatically swung open after Sam swiped her access badge on the card reader. There was an unfamiliar noise originating from down the hallway, faint and muffled. A conversation. Perhaps two men arguing back and forth.
“Are we expecting outside company?” Jack asked, brow raised.
Sam frowned.
“We shouldn’t be.”
As they strode closer and closer to the source of the noise, the soundscape became clearer. It was coming from a speaker—a late night meeting? Once that thought entered into Sam’s head, she picked up the pace, fearing that the board might have staged a sudden coup remotely. Jack followed closely behind, although he wasn’t privy to the latest news. Not before long, the pair reached the expansive lab where Lena had been holed up for the better part of the day, finding the CEO paused with a pipette in hand, focused instead on something on her computer screen. Completely engrossed in it, as a matter of fact.
So, maybe it wasn’t a meeting.
When the door to the lab opened, Lena jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the pipette.
“Jesus, Sam! Would it kill you to knock?”
“I heard voices and thought you were getting chewed out by the board!” Sam retorted.
“The board? What?”
Jack raised his hand in the air, patiently waiting his turn.
“Hi loves. I hate to interrupt this lovely bickering moment we have here, but I have to ask. What in the world are you watching?”
“Uh—” Lena froze.
Sam froze. Then listened. Actually listened this time.
“That’s a pickup of 12 yards, Danvers to Allen. Lakehawks putting together a nice drive here with five minutes left in the third quarter.”
“Oh my god,” Sam breathed out. “You’re watching her game!”
“Sam, stop—”
“This is gold. I’m definitely texting Alex about this.”
“Okay wait. One, don’t you dare, Samantha Arias, or I swear I’m going to write you out of my will.”
“I’m in your will?”
“And two, you’re texting Alex?”
It was now Sam’s turn to fluster over her words.
“Ye—yeah, for you know, logistics.”
“Uh huh.” Oh, they were definitely going to revisit that topic soon.
“Hold on a bloody goddamn second!” Jack hollered. Hands out. “Who the hell are you all talking about? And why are you,” an accusatory finger pointed at Lena. “Watching sports? Did you hit your head?”
Lena sighed.
“Sam, can you get a copy of the NDA for Jack?”
“What! NDA?”
————
“Jesus Christ, Lena. That is some crazy scheme.”
Sam interrupted Jack.
“Ah ah ah! A crazy scheme that’s going to work.” A very important correction, to be sure.
“So, that’s good and all, but why am I here again?” Asked Jack, rubbing the kinks out from his neck.
Lena rose from her chair and motioned for Jack to follow her to a large screen on the wall.
“See these?” She pointed at an image of patterns on the screen. “These are polymer strands before and after they are introduced to repeated impact from an outside force.”
“What scale of impacts are we talking about?” Jack leaned closer to examine the images, demeanor changing in an instant.
“Assume around 2000 Newtons of force, repeated about 40 times.”
“I can see micro-fractures on the edges forming already.”
“Exactly, the material degrades pretty easily and gives too much. It practically can’t transfer or absorb energy efficiently at this point. I have to admit, this is kind of out of my expertise, so I called you. We need to make a durable surface that can absorb shocks but also manage to act as some kind of spring.”
“Is this for some kind of flooring? Is L-Corp venturing into architecture?”
“No,” answered Lena. “It’s for a shoe.”
Notes:
I can taste the NFL season... it's so close...
Chapter 16
Notes:
Sorry for going AWOL--I admittedly kept hitting a block and couldn't write for a while. Also my team is a wreck this season so that hasn't helped either... Anyways! Here's a new chapter. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Text
L-Corp Headquarters
National City, California
Lena had been acting weird. Well, as weird as Lena Luthor could possibly be given her strict upbringing.
She hadn’t returned any of Kara’s phone calls during the week, which is understandable with her packed schedule, but most, if not all, of her replies to Kara’s texts had been short and rather monotone. Not even a compilation of puppies playing in snow for the first time garnered a reaction stronger than a simple thumbs up. Blasphemous.
And to be honest, Kara would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that it stung a bit. Over the last couple of weeks, she’d thought they had made real, tangible progress—actually meaningful conversations that showed glimpses of who Lena truly was beneath the corporate mask. It was starting to feel as though they could be friends and not just parties of a business agreement. Well, good thing that Kara Danvers was never one to give up.
After the morning’s film session, she rushed over to L-Corp, hoping to catch Lena between meetings. Dressed in casual gear, a nondescript hoodie, jeans, and a baseball cap, she strode through the security checkpoint in the lobby, scanning the badge Lena had Jess make for her. It was easier to just let Kara have unfettered access with some privileges than to risk potential scrutiny and unwanted attention from any employees. Pulling the brim of her cap lower to further obscure her face, Kara slid into an empty elevator and pressed on the button for the executive floor after scanning her iris for verification. Were Lena’s security measures seriously high-tech? Yes. Were they over the top? Not any more than other billionaires, especially given the target on her back with her family’s notoriety.
Within a few moments, the elevator shot up dozens of floors up to Lena’s office, and the doors slid open to reveal the pristine waiting area with furniture that probably cost more than Kara’s rookie contract combined. She looked around for any signs of life beyond the walls up ahead, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of a shadow to confirm Lena’s presence. Kara squinted, leaning over to focus on the crevices between the hinges. Hm, odd. There was no way in hell that Lena would have taken the day off. Wait. Was that a shadow? Maybe if she could squat a little bit lower she might be able to confirm what she had seen—
Someone cleared their throat. Kara whipped her head towards the voice.
“She’s down in the labs, Miss Danvers,” said Jess without taking her eyes off of the email she had been writing.
“Oh. I’ll just,” Kara made an awkward gesture towards the elevator with her thumb. “Go downstairs then. Right.”
Kara all but scampered back to the elevator and repeatedly pushed the button for the basement labs, desperately hoping that hitting it fifty times per second would somehow make the doors close faster. It did not. Kara shut her eyes and tried to will the memory of what just happened out of her mind, but she knew that she was going to replay it in her head countlessly for as long as she lived. Mercifully, the elevator dinged as it reached the basement and pulled her back to the present.
The floor was largely abandoned except for a few technicians who seemed to be troubleshooting a new piece of equipment. Everyone else was on their lunch break, no doubt. Of course, everyone else but Lena Luthor.
When Kara neared the glass walls of Lena’s lab, she found her alone, typing away at her computer at a blazing speed. Kara debated if she should just barge in or try texting her to announce her presence more quietly. She ultimately decided on knocking since just barging into a lab like Kool-Aid man probably broke some sort of of lab safety protocol or something.
Lena jumped out of her skin when she heard Kara knock. They made eye contact and the young CEO looked like a deer in headlights, blinking after a moment as if it would make what she was seeing disappear when she opened her eyes again. In a flash, Lena slammed her laptop closed and rushed out to greet Kara. She cracked the door open just wide enough to let herself through and wedged her body between Kara and the entrance.
“Kara! I wasn’t expecting to see you here. In fact, how did you know I was here at all?”
“Oh, Jess told me.”
“Of course.”
There was something off about Lena today, fidgeting impatiently ever so slightly.
“Whatcha working on over there?” Kara asked, craning her neck past Lena’s to get a better look, but her view was blocked immediately by Lena who slid over just the right amount to do so.
“It’s nothing. Just a new project that L-Corp is working on. It’s in the development stage, and we’re trying to keep it pretty close to the vest.”
Okay, vague.
Lena must have picked up on Kara’s skepticism because she followed that up with a rather frantic,
“Have you eaten yet? I think it’s around lunchtime, no?”
“Funny, I came over to ask if you wanted—”
“Great! I’ll text Hector to meet us outside.” Lena then placed a hand on Kara’s lower back, giving it a small push, prompting her to lead the way back to the elevator. The pair made their way to the lobby and strode out to the entrance where a sleek black car awaited them. Lena’s driver, Hector, opened the car door with a smile and waved them in. Once settled, Hector asked for their destination, glancing back towards the two through the rearview mirror.
“How’s Italian?” Lena asked, abruptly turning towards Kara. “You like pasta, right? I mean, you are human after all. Who doesn’t like pasta?”
“Uh—sure? Yeah, Italian sounds good.”
“To Sorella, please.”
“You got it, Ms. Luthor,” Hector responded.
The ride took about 15 minutes which mostly comprised of Kara staring at Lena in worry while the CEO uncharacteristically radiated anxious energy. Playing with a button on her coat absentmindedly, tapping the floor with her foot. It was as if she couldn’t wait to sprint out of the car. Kara had never seen Lena this frazzled before. Between this and the way Lena reacted to her in the lab, the day could not have gotten any weirder.
————
The day got weirder. Much weirder.
The food itself was fine. More than fine, truly. Once again, Lena proved to have impeccable taste in fancy food. Granted, Kara did have to order an exorbitant amount of dishes to fulfill her caloric needs, but it wasn’t her fault that these restaurants gave portions for ants! Regardless, each and every tiny plate of food was delicious, and she savored it all.
So, the food wasn’t the problem. The conversation, however, was bewildering to say the least.
Whenever Kara tried to ask Lena about how work was going, she would immediately brush it off with a cryptic non-answer and pivot to asking about practice and the team. The questions ranged from the innocuous:
“So how was practice today?”
“Do you feel prepared for the game?”
To downright befuddling:
“Has anyone gotten injured recently?”
“How fast do you think you could run?”
“After games, do you feel sore?”
“How sore?”
“Well, what about your feet?”
“Is that more about your heel or your arch?”
On the outside, it seemed as though Lena was just taking her time with her lunch, but Kara could see that she was taking mental notes of her answers. Kara lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Lena?” She leaned in, eyeing the other diners that sat several feet away and the various wait staff buzzing around the floor. “Is this like,” she paused to clear her throat. “A sex thing? I mean, no judgement if feet get you going, but I just wanted to be sure if this was a sex thing.”
Lena’s eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets.
“Kara, are you serious?” She hissed, searching around the room to see if anyone else heard their conversation.
“Hey, you’re the one going on and on about my feet,” Kara shrugged in response.
“Jesus, Kara. God forbid I express an iota of curiosity about your line of work,” Lena huffed, leaning backwards into her seat.
“No, no it’s not that. It’s just… I mean, you gotta admit, it really sounds like you’re a bit of a feet fiend right now.”
“Feet fiend?”
“Do I at least get points for alliteration?”
The answer was not even a little bit. They finished their lunch quickly after that, and Lena demanded that Kara repair her sour mood by getting them gelato from the cafe nearby. A double scoop of strawberry and pistachio coupled with a loop around the park later, Kara was back into Lena’s good graces. Thank god.
————
Twitter:
“Spotted near Heroes Park: Billionaire CEO Lena Luthor on a date with mystery blonde?” -@TMZ
“I could’ve sworn I just ran into Kara Danvers during my lunch break today” -@glossboss
“THAT IS DEFINITELY LENA LUTHOR AND KARA DANVERS. I FEEL SO VINDICATED” -@natwithtats
@natwithtats quote tweeted herself:
“Wait no that means she’s not single. Fuck.”
@toosaphic4traffic replied to @natwithtats:
“This may be the most devastating news in my lifetime.”
“If Kara Danvers is really dating Lena Luthor then she’s going to be even more of a locker room distraction than I thought. Yikes.” -@jake0113
“Isn’t that the billionaire who got arrested for a bunch of crimes???” -@PlutoJudo
Readers added context:
The billionaire arrested for criminal charges is Lex Luthor, brother of Lena Luthor. Lena Luthor has not been charged with any crimes or has been known to have been involved in illegal activities.
————
Obsidian Field
National City, California
National City Lakehawks vs. Houston Texans
Q4: 12:55 | 28 - 7
“Danvers cannot get past the pass rush and will get tackled for a big sack! It’s a loss of twelve yards on the play by Will Anderson Jr.”
“Mike, it has been a rough day at the office for the Lakehawks offensive line and Kara Danvers. That is their seventh sack given up this game, and by the way that this game has been going on, I don’t think it’ll be the last.”
“Now, the Lakehawks are out of field goal range and will need to punt the ball away.”
It was turning out to be a blowout. A demoralizing, humiliating blowout in their home stadium. Throngs of home fans started to make their way towards the exits, giving up on the game and instead hoping to beat the traffic. Kara had been taking an absolute beating up to this point in the game; her sides, her knees, her shoulders, her ankles all burned and ached anytime they moved an inch. She knew that she was going to be littered with bruises tomorrow. In the corner of her eye, she could see the training staff heading her way to check for any injuries she might have sustained after the big hit. The score shined brightly on the large stadium screen, taunting, mocking.
The head trainer knelt down near her and asked if anything in particular felt off, anything acutely painful. She shook her head to say no, but also asked if they could set aside an extra tissue massage for her ankles after the game. The trainer nodded and followed up with some additional questions about her current range of motion, and if she felt like she could continue to play today.
“Yeah, I feel okay enough to finish the game out.”
“Hey, it’s your call, but you also might want to just call it for today and play it safe. The game’s practically done.”
One look at Kara’s resolute features and he knew that there was no changing her mind.
He sighed.
“Alright, let me at least stretch the ankle out a little bit before the next drive.”
As the trainer and his assistant got to work on her ankles, Kara looked up to Lena’s unofficial suite where she could see her and Sam standing close to the glass. It was hard to make out exactly what went on inside the suite, but Kara knew Lena was watching her, not the game. She flashed a small smile up towards her in an effort to reassure her that it was nothing serious. Did it work? Kara had no idea. But the next thing she saw was Lena retreat from the window and out of the suite, Sam following closely behind.
Chapter 17
Notes:
Another update! Hope you enjoy! And as always, thank you all for all the kind comments!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As Lena bolted out of the suite, she was already dialing a number on her phone and had it pressed to her ear by the time Sam caught up with her.
“I’m guessing we’re headed back to L-Corp?” Sam asked, now stride for stride alongside Lena.
“Yup.”
The person on the other end of the call picked up.
“Jack,” Lena started. “How close are we the final design and render of the prototype?”
“We’re just about there—maybe another week or so?”
Not good enough. Not fast enough.
Lena’s jaw tightened.
“I’m coming back to lab. Can you have the manufacturing team ready to go in a couple of hours?”
“Couple of hours? Didn’t you hear me? It’s going to take a week at least to even get close to that stage.”
“I got an idea. Just get the team ready please; I’ll be there in half an hour.”
A sigh escaped Jack’s lips.
“Alright love. As you wish.”
———
L-Corp Labs
National City, California
Jack greeted Lena and Sam at the elevator doors, a hint of bags under his eyes but hair perfectly combed as always.
“So, care to share this grand new idea of yours?” He asked Lena, gesturing dramatically in an after you motion to let the pair pass by.
“We have to change the lacing mechanism. Completely.”
“The lacing mechanism? Why? What’s wrong with shoestrings plus loops equals nice little bow?”
They reached the lab in record time (if they had kept track of such things), and Lena made a beeline straight towards the computer, typing furiously.
“We’ve been so focused on outside forces acting upon the shoe that we neglected to account for what’s happening inside it.”
“Running?” Jack joked, earning a swift slap on the arm from Sam.
“When feet are subjected to impact after impact in an enclosed space, they’ll swell slightly over the course of the game. Normal laces will just keep the shoe in the same shape no matter what’s going on inside; we need it to form to the foot as it dynamically changes size and shape. That’s the part we’ve been missing in our models. Our balance estimates aren’t matching up with real-life data because—”
“—because the impact pattern changes as the feet change,” Jack finished the sentence. “Lena, you’re a goddamn genius, you know that?”
She paused coding for a moment to flash a smirk at her friend.
“I’ve heard that once or twice.”
Sam rolled her eyes.
“Okay, we get it. Lena’s super duper smart blah blah blah. We all knew that. But more importantly, does that mean the design is done now?”
“Once the models check out—and they will—yes. We can send it over to the manufacturing team for a prototype. I’m estimating that we’ll have it all put together by tomorrow night.”
It was nearly midnight by the time the new lacing mechanism was finalized and the schematics were sent down the pipeline. The second after Lena clicked send on her email, she slumped over the desk and rested her head in her arms. Her head was throbbing, and she swore she could feel the veins pulsating in her forehead. Silently, she cursed the last coffee she drank that more than likely dehydrated her into a headache. For a split-second, the sharp pain numbed into a dull buzz, and a sudden burst of self-awareness enveloped her thoughts.
Why the hell was she going through all this trouble for this girl she barely knows? For a football player no less. But Kara was more than just a football player, a truth Lena knew in her heart of hearts. Bumbling, yet agile. Clueless and perceptive. Nauseatingly nice to all but absolutely ruthless to her opponents. A seemingly endless maze of contradictory extremes, all culminating in one Kara Danvers who she can’t help but root for, despite all of her instincts screaming at her to not trust strangers. That kindness is always a front to gain access to your weaknesses, your soft spots when your guard is down. But Lena was able to set those thoughts aside with surprising ease, picturing that stupid 1000 watt smile of Kara’s.
That girl doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body, and you know it.
But surely, Lena had gone through all this effort for the good of the company, right? If this shoe is as good as she thought, then it would be a smashing financial success. L-Corp’s stock would skyrocket while the company completely changed the paradigm in a previously untapped market. The board would finally accept her rightful ascension into the executive chair. Perhaps even Lillian would approve for once.
Oh, but you would have done this even if there was no money to be made. Let’s not kid ourselves.
Maybe she was buying into the messaging and what Alex had said to her weeks before. Maybe this was something bigger than just her and Kara. Hell, even L-Corp. And maybe Lena was now starting to believe in this whole damn thing.
———
“Bloody hell, now that looks like a fucking winner,” said Jack, inspecting the finished prototype in detail.
———
National City Lakehawks Training Facility
National City, California
The day after
It was well after practice had concluded and yet the rookie quarterback was still slinging the ball at targets down the field. For the most part, she was alone save for the maintenance and equipment crew diligently cleaning up to prepare for the next day. She had made up her mind that she had to put in some extra work during the team’s film session earlier that afternoon. The coaches broke down the plays from last week’s performance, pointing out the miscues and mental errors that plagued the Lakehawks all game. It wasn’t pretty. With each sack, overthrow, and missed read, Kara mentally kicked herself and vowed to not let those kind of mistakes bring down the team this upcoming game.
And so, there she was—wisps of her blonde hair clinging to the sweat on her face, arms and shoulders aching, legs burning. Kara was no stranger to pushing herself to the edge of her limits. She knew what she had to work on; it was clear from the game footage. The common thread throughout all of her lowlights was the fact that she simply held on to the ball for too long. Yes, the offensive line could have played better, an understatement to be sure. However, she wasn’t particularly doing them any favors by hesitating between her reads and unnecessarily prolonging the time they needed to maintain the pocket to stop it from collapsing under the weight of the pass rush. One of the oldest football proverbs states that football is a game of inches. But the NFL is a game of milliseconds. React just half a second too late, the sliver of opportunity dissipates in the blink of an eye. Have to adjust the grip on the ball slightly? Congratulations, your timing with your wide receivers are now all jumbled, and you’re left with no good choices. A moment later, you’re getting a real intimate view of the turf.
Drop back, plant, throw. Drop back, plant, throw.
No second thoughts, just let it fly. Trust your reads, your receivers, your arm.
No matter what the pundits and social media trolls would have you believe, Kara was under no delusion of her shortcomings. She was acutely aware of the disadvantages that came with her frame and had always evolved her game to mitigate them while developing traits that she could utilize to her advantage. She didn’t have the strongest arm, nor was she the fastest. That meant that Kara had to squeeze every ounce out of her physical talents and optimize every movement to become the most efficient version of herself that she could be.
Plant.
Throw.
She let out a yell from the sheer effort behind the throw, peppering in the pent up frustration she had building for the past week.
“Rough day?” A voice rang out from beside her, making her yelp in surprise.
“Ah! What the heck?” Kara whipped her head around to see Lena, smartly dressed as always, carrying a comically out of place heavy-duty black case in her hand.
“Lena! Hey! What are you doing here? Actually, how did you even get in here? You definitely need team credentials to get access to the facility,” said Kara, blowing out the rogue strands of hair from her face.
“Oh, I have my ways. I’m a Luthor, after all,” replied Lena, smirking.
“Whatcha got there?” Kara asked, gesturing to the case. And then in a lowered voice: “Is it a secret weapon?”
Lena laughed.
“No, nothing violent. But I suppose you could describe it as a weapon depending on how you look at it.”
“Okay…”
“You’ll see.” Lena swung the case over to hold it in her arm and unlocked it before presenting its contents to Kara.
“Lena, what is that?”
“That, is your shoe.”
Silence.
Oh. She doesn’t like it.
Lena rushed to fill the void with words.
“It’s not Nike or Adidas, I know, but the best engineers that L-Corp has to offer designed it. The shoe actually adapts to your movements allowing for maximum flexibility while not compromising on support—”
She wasn’t able to finish her explanation as Kara pulled her in for a crushing hug, causing her to drop the case onto the turf.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
A sigh of relief.
“So, you like it?”
“Like it? Lena, I love it.”
“I’m glad. But you need to let go of me because you’re getting sweat all over my Loro Piana coat.”
“Oh,” Kara separated in an instant. “Oops, my bad.” She wasn’t really. She couldn’t even hide the smile on her face.
———
Later that day
“Holy shit, Luthor. You made this?” Asked Alex, incredulous.
“With some help from others, yes.”
“Jesus.”
Sam clapped her hands, getting everyone’s attention.
“Okay yes. We all know Lena’s smart. But more importantly, what are we going to call it?”
“Huh?” Kara, confused.
“Think about it,” Sam replied. “All athletes have a name for their signature shoe. Air Jordans, Kobes, et cetera. It’s arguably the most important part of the marketing.”
The group sat in silence as they mulled it over.
Then, an idea.
“Hey Kara,” said Alex. “What was that nickname the school newspaper called you back in Midvale?”
Notes:
Sidenote: I watched Monday Night Football on the Monsters Inc broadcast, and now I'm upset that it's not the default way to watch football for every game
Chapter 18: The Release
Notes:
I wanted to get this bit out asap so here it is. The brackets indicate a description of on-screen content.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Video post by @KaraDanvers:
“Hi, Instagram! This is my first post ever, and I’m so excited to finally interact with you all. I just wanted to drop by and say hello and also tell you guys that there will be a BIG announcement tomorrow happening at 1PM Pacific Time! Stay tuned!”
Comments:
“I will be devastated if this is a marriage announcement”
“Nike sponsorship???”
“It’s probably just going to be some ad for something stupid”
“Can’t wait!!!!”
“I don’t know what it is but my wallet is ready”
“Kara Danvers expected to make huge announcement tomorrow on Instagram. What could it possibly be?” -@YahooSports
“Sources at Nike and Adidas are claiming that they have nothing to do with Danvers’ announcement. Brand representatives seemingly have no idea what it could be” -@AdamSchefter
Instagram, 1PM PST
Video post by @KaraDanvers and @LCorp:
[The video begins with a close up shot of a girl tying her blonde hair in a ponytail.]
Kara’s voice: “They’ll tell you that your dreams are unrealistic.”
[Then the video cuts to the girl putting on her helmet and jogging out to the field. Another cut brings us to the middle of a high school game where the girl is getting berated by hostile fans while talking to her coach.]
“That you’re crazy for even trying.”
[Next, it’s footage from Kara’s introduction to the press during her freshman year at Stanford.]
“That you’re delusional.”
[A series of lowlights from her time at Stanford. Scrambling, taking brutal hits, throwing interceptions. It builds to a shot of Kara watching from the sidelines at her bowl game loss against Tennessee.]
“It’s a fairy tale. It’s just not possible.”
[Cut to black.]
“So what?”
[We rush back into the action, but this time, the screen shows Kara’s best plays from her college days. Throwing pinpoint touchdowns, avoiding sacks, breaking tackles.]
“Then, be unrealistic.”
[Kara lifts the college football championship trophy.]
“Be delusional.”
[Kara walks across the draft stage and shakes the NFL commissioner’s hand, smiling ear to ear holding a Lakehawks jersey.]
“Be crazy.”
[More highlights but with Kara as the quarterback of the Lakehawks. She radiates poise and commands the field.]
“Be impossible.”
[Cut to present day Kara, readying her hair into a ponytail, grabbing her helmet, and putting it on. And finally, a close up of the new shoes in all their glory.]
“Be Super.”
Comments:
“Holy shit I didn’t expect that”
“Wait, did L-Corp make this shoe??”
“Kara Danvers is dating Lena Luthor confirmed”
“I’m not even a Lakehawks fan but those look niceeee”
“Brb I’m gonna watch this on repeat for the next year”
Twitter:
“Introducing the most advanced cleats the world has ever seen: The Supers. With unmatched engineering and the cutting-edge in sports science, dominate the field. Defy the odds. #BeSuper” -@LCorp
“National City Lakehawks quarterback releases signature shoes in collaboration with L-Corp. They have already sold-out for pre-orders on the L-Corp website.” -@CNN
“A bold new direction change for L-Corp, will this be the spark that Lena Luthor needs to revive the company?” -@CNBC
“Wow. I’m hearing that the Supers sold out in four minutes. Game changer.” -@MinaKimes
“Wtf I literally blinked and they sold out” -@jess1eee
“Update: L-Corp stock jumps 32% after surprise announcement about company’s new foray into athletic footwear with NFL quarterback Kara Danvers” -@CNBC
“I bet someone at Nike is kicking themselves right about now” -@KatieNolan
Notes:
A bit of an odd format, but I hope it wasn't too weird!