Chapter Text
CatCo Worldwide Media stood tall, towering over the countless buildings in National City, holding countless workers bustling around to finish their day off with a smile. Despite the phenomenal work CatCo had done for the people of National City and the world, the air conditioning could not keep up with the brutal summer heat. The workers sitting at their desks waved stacks of paper or their hands in front of their faces in hopes to relieve some of the warmth they felt. You sat at your desk, waving your hand in front of your face and bringing your water bottle up to your lips with the other. In the corner of your eye, you watched Nia Nal, your best friend, groan and slump down into her chair. You took a swig of your water, setting the large jug down with a thud against the white desk.
“Seems like most of the city’s air conditioning has gone out,” Nia informs, running both her hands through her hair and showing off the diamond ring on her left hand. You smile, despite the uncomfortable heat wrapping around your body.
“That explains what’s taking the HVAC guys so long to get back to me.” You frown, your top teeth trapping your bottom lip like a cage. Your eyebrows knit together, your eyes flickering back to your laptop. Your eyes scan the news forecast, internally screaming at the triple digits across your screen. “It’s not going to get down to ninety until nine tonight.”
“Hopefully the air conditioning in my apartment didn’t go out,” Nia grumbles, spinning in her chair. She stops the chair with her foot, halting right as she comes face to face with you. “Could Brainy and I stay with you if the AC has gone out?”
“Sure.” You shrug, picking up your water again. Right as the mouth of the bottle presses against your lips, your eyes flicker across the room. Your eyes find ocean blue, the sudden eye contact causing a deep red to paint itself across your features. You look away from the gaze, forgetting to drink your water, and put the jug back down. You shift in your office chair, listening to the wheels squeak beneath you. You clear your throat, moving your attention back to Nia, who now scrolls through her phone. “Hopefully mine hasn’t gone out.”
Nia frowns, brown eyes flickering across the room to where your eyes had just met ocean blue, then fixing back on you. Her eyebrows furrow together, her eyes moving back to the other side of the room before quickly returning to you. She seems to be in deep thought, deep enough not to tell you what she is thinking. So you move your attention back toward your computer, hoping to get an email from the mechanics about the air conditioning. You refresh the screen multiple times, getting into the double digits, and finally give up once you’ve become bored.
“I might have a place for you to stay if our apartment’s AC is out,” Nia announces, resting her chin on her right hand. “I bet you could stay there if need be.”
“Where?” You raise your eyebrow, leaning back in your chair.
“Oh, just a friend’s old place. She doesn’t stay there anymore, but she still rents it whenever she needs a moment alone.”
“This wasn’t an option when you asked if you could stay at my place?” You frown, a hint of a teasing lilt to your voice, crossing your arms and tilting your head. A smile replaces your friend’s, and a small laugh passes through your lips.
“To be fair, having a sleepover with you would be way more fun than staying at an apartment probably caked with dust.” Nia smiles, shaking her head. “I could go ask her real quick.”
“She works here?”
“Yeah.” Nia nods, standing from her desk. She takes a few steps, leaning against your desk and slowly lowering herself to be a bit closer to your face. Nia’s voice lowers. “It’s Kara’s.”
“What?” You shout, eyes widening and your voice straining. You dart your eyes around the room, hoping no one paid much attention to your sudden outburst. Your heart practically leaps out of your chest at the mere thought of even Nia asking if you could stay at Kara’s apartment. “She’s my boss!”
“Well, she’s one of my best friends, and so are you!” Nia defends, smiling innocently. “And also, Kara adores you. She would be more than happy to give you a place to stay if your air conditioning is out.”
Your brain practically short-circuits at the thought of your boss adoring you. Of course, you had a crush on Kara. While her beautiful ocean-blue eyes always seemed to hold your attention, her wavy brown hair flowing down her shoulders and the way you could see her muscles beneath her shirts could never compare to her personality. Kara somehow held so much confidence while simultaneously being the sweetest person you had ever met. She could command someone’s attention simply by being in the room with them and somehow smile like a ray of sunshine. You had been working as Kara’s assistant for a little over seven months now, and so far, you loved it. She treated you fairly, never asking too much or too little, and had never once raised her voice at you like you had heard about Cat Grant. Of course, you found yourself doing a bit more than you bargained for at times, due to the fact that your boss would up and disappear at random times of the day, but you just chalked it up to being a family emergency or a work emergency she forgot to tell you about. Your crush on Kara Danvers was no secret to Nia, who somehow knew before you did. You were embarrassed to admit it, but who wouldn’t have a crush on a woman as smart, talented, funny, and beautiful as Kara? While you were very embarrassed about your little crush on Kara, nothing could ever make you forget the sheer embarrassment you felt when Nia found out about your crush on Kara’s wife.
Lena Danvers-Luthor, formerly known as Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp, weaved her way into your life one morning. You were holding a stack of boxes, a cup of coffee in the other, and knew you were running late. Blindly running through the office to make it to the meeting in time to give Kara her coffee and copies of the magazine, you smacked right into someone. Luckily for you, the coffee mysteriously did not spill onto anyone, but you barely could process that when your eyes met a set of green eyes—one eye with a blue hue, the prettiest wavy raven-dark hair, and a beauty mark on a kissable spot on the pale skin of the woman’s neck. The woman you knocked into helped you up, her hands strong as she pulled you to your feet. You, of course, stammered apologies, your cheeks beet red and thoughts of being late completely thrown out the window. Little did you know that was your boss’s wife, and you sure made an interesting first impression.
“I can’t.” You shake your head, fidgeting with your fingers. “She’s my boss—” you start, stammering. “And also someone who I have a very big crush on. I literally smacked into her wife and—”
“Scar,” Nia interrupts with a gentle smile, reaching out to take your hand. She pats it reassuringly, trying to soothe the nerves buzzing just beneath your skin. “I promise, Kara will be more than happy to help you. And as for Lena—she’s never once mentioned you running into her that day. I assure you, she’s got much bigger things going on.”
“You’ll only ask if it’s necessary… right?” you ask, your voice quiet with worry.
“Of course, Scar!” Nia laughs, pulling her hand back and sliding off your desk. “I’ve gotta meet up with Brainy for lunch, but maybe we can plan a girls’ night or something once I’m back?” She glances at her watch, then looks at you again with a smile.
You drum your fingers along your desk after waving Nia goodbye. You fix your eyes back onto your computer screen, clicking refresh and seeing a few new emails pop up in your inbox. You hastily read through each one and eventually find the one regarding the air conditioning system. You read through the email, taking in each word to make sure you are understanding it properly. A smile spreads across your face, and you jump out of your seat, your chair hitting the wall. You quickly pad over to Kara’s office, knocking on the glass door and slowly entering. Your eyes roam over the walls, taking in the décor you see every working day. Kara sits behind her desk, computer in front of her, one hand waving in front of her face and the other typing hastily on her laptop.
“Mrs. Danvers-Luthor!” you happily squeal, resisting the urge to play with your fingers.
Kara looks up from her laptop, ocean eyes invading your mind. Your cheeks heat up, your mind quickly panicking over the fact that you forgot not to call her that.
“Scarlett, you know I want you to call me Kara.” Kara clicks her tongue, eyeing you intensely. “Any news on the air conditioning?”
“Uh—yeah!” You nod, biting your lip and trying to force eye contact with your boss, but every time you glance at her, your heart flutters. You shift your weight to the other foot, taking a deep breath and smiling. “It should be fixed in an hour or so.”
“That’s great.” Kara smiles, adjusting her glasses, a habit she seems to do quite often, you’ve noticed, and you can’t help but find it cute. There’s a pause, an almost awkward pause, but before you can make your exit and get back to work trying to hunt down a place to host a gala, Kara’s voice rings out. “I overheard your conversation with Nia—if you need a place to stay, Scarlett, you are more than welcome to stay at my place.” Kara offers, her hand waving in a gesturing motion. You don’t speak at first, and Kara speaks again, trying to fill the silence. “My wife and I have plenty of space and—”
“But you’re my boss?” you squeak, fidgeting with your fingers and glancing around the office. Your ears burn, your throat feels tight, and the suffocating warmth wraps around you, taking away any comfort you felt.
Kara stands abruptly, her chair rolling back and hitting the wall. She moves around her desk, coming face to face with you. She looks down at you, those piercing ocean-blue eyes sharper now, unreadable, heavy with something you’re uncertain of. Her arms cross over her chest, the soft stretch of her green button-up doing nothing to hide the tension in her shoulders, the way her muscles tighten beneath the fabric. She tilts her head slightly.
“Apologize,” Kara says, her tone low and firm.
“I—” you start, quickly closing your mouth and forcing yourself not to look her in the eye.
“You know very well, Scarlett, I do not like being interrupted.” Kara shrugs her shoulders. She lets her hands fall to her sides, now leaning against her desk. “Well?”
“I—I’m sorry, Kara.” You mumble, glancing at her, your cheeks flaming hot. “For interrupting you.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Kara smiles. “So, if your air conditioning is broken, I expect you to give me a call, okay?”
“Of course, Kara.” You smile at her, hoping the flush on your cheeks has disappeared by now. You wave her goodbye, hastily exiting her office and breathing a sigh of relief.
Your steadily beating heart races against your chest, your breath hitching at each little glance from Kara’s eyes. Your cheeks burn at the thought of how her muscles flexed, the way her hair fell down her shoulders like ocean waves, and how kissable her plump lips looked. Would her lips taste sweet? If you were able to explore her skin, truly map out every inch of it, would you ever forget it?
You quickly sit down at your desk, shuffling your swivel chair forward. You open your laptop, letting the computer catch up while you rest your chin on your hand. Your eyes wander around the building, scanning each individual working away at their computer or on the phone with some company trying to get the next big hit. Your eyes move up to the multitude of televisions above your head, widening at the sight before you: the National City Bank engulfed in flames, a helicopter circling above trying to get the best shot for the news. A few of your coworkers start to murmur, their voices rushing into a muffled mix of worry and fear. Your eyes scan the crowd of workers huddling around the largest TV, their arms crossed and their postures stiff. Your eyes flick over to Kara’s office, expecting to see her watching the TV in her office, but she’s gone.
The following hours of your shift flow by faster than your mind can comprehend. With your boss gone, you run around trying to make sure your coworkers are settling in, making sure they are ready to get the information they’ll need on the massive fire at the bank, luckily taken out by Supergirl while Dreamer directed people out of the building.
A part of you feels like you know Dreamer somehow. She seems so familiar, yet so unlike anyone you have ever met.
Twenty-six minutes before your shift ends, both Kara and Nia walk through the lobby. They hold takeaway coffee cups, and Kara laughs, her dimples blooming and her hair falling into her face. Nia’s smile grows larger, her cup bouncing in her hand as she laughs. The two women pass the lobby threshold and enter Kara’s office, Nia closing the door behind them. They talk quietly, but you watch them intently with your head tilted. Your boss and best friend are gone for quite some time, but you push the thought aside and turn your attention toward your laptop. Hastily, you type up your final email for the day and close your laptop.
“Hey, Scarlett—” Kara smiles, halfway out of her office. “Would you be able to drop this off at L-Corp for me?” Your boss holds up a yellow manila envelope, shaking the mail in her hand. “I accidentally took it this morning.”
“Uh—yeah, sure, no problem,” you stammer. “Just let me pack up.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll buy you whatever you want for lunch tomorrow in return.” Kara shuffles out of her office, taking very few steps to be right in front of you.
Her perfume wraps around you like a thick blanket, but underneath it sits the scent of smoke. Your eyebrows furrow, lips pursing at the idea of Kara smoking, but the smoke smells nothing like cigarette smoke.
“I’ll gladly take you up on that one, boss.” You grin, awkwardly doing a salute, and your cheeks flame red once you’ve done it. “Oh my god—why did I do that?” Shamefully, you press your face into your hands and peek through your fingers to see Kara smiling goofily at you.
“Silly girl.” Kara giggles, grabbing your wrist and pulling your hand away from your face. She gently places the envelope into your palm, sliding her grip away once she knows you’ve grabbed hold of the mail. “Go ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow, Scar.”
“Oh—right!” You nod, hating how your eyes follow the curve of Kara’s handsome jaw, the way her eyes seem so blue, the way her lips look so soft. “I—I’ll make sure to call you if my air conditioner goes out.” You dip your head and spin on your heel to head toward the elevator, the pink flush on your cheeks burning, the sting pulsing through your skin and to your ears.
The idea of visiting L-Corp to drop off the envelope Kara had given you scares you, honestly. Seeing Lena Danvers-Luthor for the second time would be just as terrifying as it was the first. Hopefully, this time you won’t make a fool of yourself by tripping and dumping a cup of coffee all over the floor. You vaguely remember the coffee never hitting the floor, but the sheer embarrassment from smacking into one of the prettiest women you have ever seen practically stunned you on the spot.
The walk from CatCo to L-Corp seems to take a shorter amount of time than it typically does. You chalk it up to how scared you are to see the CEO herself, the blistering National City heat beating down on you. A sheen of sweat is visible on your forehead. You push down your rapidly beating heart and shaking hands as you wrap your fingers around the large L-shaped door handle to the front entrance. Swinging open the door, you timidly step inside and glance around the spacious lobby.
“Hello?” The heavy glass door shuts behind you with a thud, your heeled boots clicking against the floor. Your eyes scan the lobby, taking in the décor and large white couches. A round table sits in the center, a receptionist desk, you assume. Padding over to the desk, your eyes search around the wooden top, trying to figure out where to go from here. A half-eaten bagel sits on a napkin, paired with a cup of tea. Countless papers are sprawled across the surface, and a phone is missing from its receiver.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
You practically jump out of your skin, your heeled boots pushing your body upward and the yellow envelope slipping from your grasp. You shriek, your heart thrumming like a freight train against your chest. Your eyes widen, your limbs tense.
“Ah—shit—sorry—” you stammer between big gulps of air. “I—I was just trying to figure out how to give this to Mrs. Danvers-Luthor because her wife sent me here too—” You stop your rushed word vomit, your mouth falling open. Your spine straightens, and your legs suddenly feel like jelly, barely holding up your weight. “Mrs. Danvers-Luthor!”
Lena stands a foot away from you. With the heels she wears, she towers over your short stature, a dark green dress fitted over her frame, raven hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back. The light beams from outside shine onto her face, illuminating the colorful hue of both of her eyes and the beauty mark on her neck that seems so kissable. She wears red lipstick, her makeup light, and her raven-colored hair seems a shade lighter than the last time you saw her. Her stance is calm, arms crossed, and the glint of her gold wedding band catches your attention for a brief moment.
“Scarlett, it’s nice to meet you again.” Lena smiles, her perfectly straight white teeth pulling your attention from her ring back to her face. You force an awkward smile, eyes flickering down to the envelope. Hurriedly, you reach down to grab it, gripping the thick stack of paperwork before standing up straight and handing it toward Lena. “Is this what Kara sent you for?”
“Yeah—wait—you know my name?” you ask, tilting your head.
“Of course I do, silly girl. You’re my wife’s assistant. She talks about you quite often.”
“Oh—all good things, I hope?”
“All good things, darling.” Lena’s smile never falters, gesturing with the hand holding the envelope. “She talks very highly of you. If I didn’t already have an assistant, I think I would keep you for myself.” Lena’s green-hued eyes glint with something you can’t quite place, but her smile reaches her eyes, and your stomach bursts into a storm of butterflies. Your cheeks, which never seem to lose their pink hue, burn all the way to your neck, and you bashfully laugh, looking down at your feet.
“Oh—well, I—”
“Darling, I know. It’s okay.” Lena’s gentle laugh rings out, brushing past your ears and lifting another smile to your lips. Her free hand reaches out to brush against your arm, the brief touch sending electrical shocks through your system. “I know you love it there at CatCo. And my wife happens to make a great boss.” The raven-haired woman’s hand lingers against your skin, her thumb rubbing soothing circles into your arm. A moment of complete silence passes, Lena staring directly into your eyes, her hand on your bicep, while you awkwardly shift from one foot to the other, trying to control your rapidly beating heart buzzing in your ears. “I—I have some leftover Big Belly Burger, and I don’t think I’ll be able to finish it. Would you want to come up to my office and take it home?”
“Oh!” Your eyebrows furrow, your lips pursing. Lena’s hand leaves your bicep, and you almost feel like telling her to put it back, but you manage to keep that thought to yourself. Why was Lena inviting you up to her office? Was this because of the coffee incident, where you somehow avoided spilling coffee all over one of the most prominent women in the world but instead smacked right into her and made a fool of yourself? If her plan was to take you up there and tell you off for everything you had done wrong while working under Kara, you knew you would most likely burst into tears. Deep down, you knew Lena was just being kind, but the irrational part of you told you to run before you got hurt. “I—I don’t know.”
“If you’re worried about having one-on-one time with me because of the first time we met—well, darling, just forget about it. I know it was an accident. There is absolutely no need for you to worry about that, okay?” Lena informs, her arms crossed and eyebrows pinching together, her plump lips pulling into a small pout that makes your heart flip.
“H—How did you know?” Your mouth practically hangs open before you clamp it shut.
“Scarlett, you’re quite easy to read,” Lena smirks, “but also, Nia has told me that you mention the coffee incident at least once a week.” With her free hand, Lena uses two fingers to form quotation marks, a soft giggle spilling past her plump lips. “Now, would you like to finish my lunch with me, or…?”
“I—” You pause, shrugging your shoulders. “I—I would love to, but I’ve gotta head home and see if my AC has gone out.” You point toward your apartment, or at least you hope you do, with your thumb.
Lena nods, placing the manila folder onto the desk and leaning against it with her hip. Arms crossed, spine straight, and despite leaning against the mahogany wood, she still towers over you in those heels.
“Scarlett—” Lena pauses, her eyebrows knitting together. “Listen—if your AC has gone out, you have a spot at my place. I have plenty of space.”
“Kara told me that already,” spills out of your mouth, your brain not catching up in time as Lena raises her eyebrow.
“Did she now?” Lena’s expression makes you suddenly feel small. Her green eyes darken, her stature rigid, and her hand reaches out to brush her fingers against your arm. Her touch sends shivers down your spine, visible goosebumps rising on your skin.
“Yeah—” You nod, avoiding her piercing gaze and focusing instead on her hand. Her hand falls back to her side, returning to an arms-crossed position.
“Well, my offer still stands, Scarlett. Okay?” Lena nods, a faint smile on her lips.
“Yes, ma’am.” You grin, your heart sputtering in your chest.
“See you around the office, dear.” Lena waves as you nod awkwardly. You spin on your heel, wave back, and practically speed-walk out the glass double doors.
Once outside, you take a large intake of air, then breathe it back out, not realizing how little air you had taken in during the short encounter with your boss’s wife. You close your eyes, breathe in once more, then breathe out. Opening your eyes, you turn your gaze back to the building through the glass doors and spot Lena leaning against the desk, arms crossed, eyes focused on the woman now occupying the receptionist desk. You watch carefully, your gaze lingering on the small beauty mark on Lena’s neck and the vein that bulges with every word she speaks.
The walk from L-Corp to your apartment building feels excruciatingly long, not because of the fiery heat beaming down on you, but because of the green-hued gaze lingering in your mind. First, it’s Lena—her pretty green eyes, her jawline, the way her hair falls past her shoulders, the way she stands over you. Then your mind wanders to Kara—her broad shoulders, brown hair, ocean-blue eyes, and the cutest dimpled cheeks, the way her hands sprawl across her desk, veiny and aged. Maybe you weren’t burning from the summer heat, but from the scorching desire you had for the older women.
The lobby of your building smothers you in warmth, each window pulled open with rotating fans placed beside them. The short ascent to the third floor causes a bead of sweat to run down your neck, your tongue sticking out as you search your bag for your apartment keys. Once you finally find them, you open your front door and groan. You’re met with the same warmth as downstairs and a small printed document on the floor. Your landlord informs you that the air conditioning will be fixed in a week, the earliest he can manage. You’d believe him if he wasn’t a little sketchy.
“Fuck…” you groan. You slam the door shut and immediately pad over to the large windows, throwing them open. Hurriedly, you grab an old fan from your closet and set it by the window, hoping for some air movement.
An hour later, you’re rifling through your closet, trying to find a loose pair of shorts and a tank top to wear for bed when your phone begins to ring in your pocket. Choosing to ignore the silent buzz, you pull open the last drawer of your dresser and find a black muscle tee and an old pair of your high school gym shorts. You toss the clothes onto your bed, push the drawer shut with your foot, and spin on your heel to admire the mess you’ve made. You quickly clean up your bedroom—mostly—by tossing clothes into your closet and closing the curtain. You flop onto your back, the mattress sinking as you settle in. Your gaze follows the ceiling fan spinning, the fake vines taped to the wall fluttering.
Your phone buzzes again, vibrating the bed beneath you. A groan slips past your lips as you hesitantly roll over, pull your phone from your pocket, and roll back onto your back. Frowning, you glance at the caller ID, your eyes widening as your heart thuds and your throat goes dry. Without much thought, you answer, your thumb pressing the green circle before your brain can catch up.
“Hey, Kara—”
“Scarlett—did you make it home safe?” Kara asks, her voice low. “Is your air conditioning working?”
“I—I made it home safe,” you confirm, your tongue sweeping over your bottom lip. “Everything okay?”
“Scarlett—is your air conditioning working, yes or no?” Kara questions again, her tone firm and demanding. You gulp and pull yourself into a sitting position. On the other line, you hear another voice, hushed and quick. You know that voice—the gentle tone, the soft Irish lilt. It’s Lena.
“N—No, it’s not. Mark… he says it won’t be fixed for at least a week—my, uh, landlord,” you explain, stumbling over your words.
“Scarlett, please stay with Lena and me.” Kara pauses. “I understand that it might seem weird, but we’re trying to look out for you. You’ll have your own room, your own space, and the heat—please, Scar…” You can almost hear the wavering in Kara’s voice, practically see her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pulled into a frown.
“Okay— yeah— what’s the address?”