Exs & Ohs

By the time Kara got to L-Corp she had a lot of time to make up. Instead of taking the elevator up to the top floor like she usually did, Kara took the stairs at super-speed. Luckily, she had already prepared interview questions for the department heads of Medicine, Engineering, and Agriculture. It was mostly just inquiries about the applications of the projects they were working on through the Co-Op and what they each hoped to accomplish. The scientists were rather busy themselves so they didn’t seem to mind that Kara was in a hurry. Once she was done, she did take the elevator upstairs. Because for better or worse, she needed to see Lena.

Kara steps out of the elevator, head down reading through the notes from her interviews, and nearly runs right into Jess.

“Ms. Danvers!” Jess seems to have been waiting for her, standing there smiling brightly.

Kara adjusts her glasses nervously.

“Jess, hi.” she says cautiously. Jess isn’t holding her tablet, which seems strange. Kara can’t recall ever seeing the assistant without it.

“Ms. Luthor is expecting you.” Jess tells her cheerfully. She eyes Kara expectantly.

“She is?” Kara asks, glancing at Lena closed office door.

“Yes, she is actually having lunch now, if you’d like to join her.”

Kara takes a deep breath to calm her nerves, then nods mostly to herself.

“Okay, yeah, of course.” She stutters to Jess.

Jess shows her in, then quickly closes the door after Kara.

Lena is at her desk working on her computer while half-heartedly picking at a hodge podge of Chinese food. Lena’s green eyes glance up as Kara enters and a smile graces Lena’s features. Kara’s heart aches at the genuineness of it. A smile she thought only reserved for her. She offers a smile in return, but it’s weak, nervous.

“Kara, I’m glad you’re finally here.” Lena says turning her attention from the computer.

Kara realizes she’s standing awkwardly by the door, so she ventures further into the room, closer to the couch, clutching her notebook and files close to her chest.

“Long morning?” She asks fixing her gaze on a stack of papers on Lena’s desk rather than on Lena herself..

Lena sighs, exasperated.

“The longest, I’m afraid. I had to deal with Lydia and Supergirl this morning, as you know.” Kara tenses at the mention of Lydia’s name. She forces herself to sit down on the couch, because she’s worried standing makes running away too real a possibility. “And after that I was reminded just how boring these business meetings can be without you there to distract me.”

Kara looks up at Lena then. The CEO’s voice had gone soft, and her eyes were locked on Kara.

Kara blushes, her words flounder in her mouth as she dares to feel hope that Lena is flirting with her.

“I-I distract you?” She squeaks, then promptly clears her throat, fidgeting with her hands. Lena’s smile is something secretive, as she gets up and moves around to lean back against the front of her desk.

“Very much so.” Lena almost sighs.

Oh Rao…

“Lena…” Kara doesn’t know what to say or what to do. Lena’s gaze is like being under a microscope, and Kara can’t decide where to look or what to do with her hands.

“Kara, about last night…”

“Last night?”

“Yes. Of course, I don’t regret helping Lydia get in touch with Supergirl. But I am rather disappointed that our...dinner was interrupted.”

Kara’s brow crinkles and she tilts her head a bit in confusion.

“You are?”

Lena nods shyly, and bites her bottom lip. Kara’s eyes drift down to watch her mouth and she almost misses what Lena says next.

“I was having a great time and...well, I hope you were too.”

Kara feels herself nodding, but she’s still distracted as Lena’s lips spread into a smile.

“Kara, I do need to tell you something though.” This snaps Kara out of it, because that can’t be good right? I need to tell you something is almost always a bad thing. If people had a good thing to tell you they’d just spit it out.

“O-okay. What’s up?”

Lena is the one fidgeting now, she won’t meet Kara’s eye, and she’s wringing her hands.

“This morning...while Lydia and I were waiting for Supergirl, we...Well, we were finally talking about everything that happened between us. And sort of clearing the air…”

Oh no, here it comes… Kara’s hands ball into fists at her sides.

“She kissed me, Kara.”

The world stops for a moment as those words hang in the air between them.

Kara tries her best to control her expression. But she can feel the crinkle that’s formed between her eyebrows, she’s blinking rapidly to ward off tears, and her fingernails are digging into the palms of her hands.

“She kissed you.” Kara repeats, carefully. She hopes her voice is neutral, but really it sounds so far away to her she can’t tell.

“Yes.” Lena says softly. Almost apologetically.

I know this already. She thinks. I know, because I saw you. But you can’t know that. I can’t tell you that. Because I saw you, because I’m Supergirl. And I can’t tell you that I’m Supergirl right now, because I think you’re about to break up with me, despite the fact that we aren’t even really dating yet.

“But, Kara, I-”

Kara springs to her feet, maybe a tad too quickly. Startling Lena into silence.

“No, Lena, no. I need to...I have to say something, please, before I chicken out.”

Lena’s eyes are wide and her mouth still open in mid-sentence, but she nods. Kara nods back, and runs her hands through her hair, nervously. She begins to pace in front of Lena.

“I should have said this before, like way before, like the day we met probably. But I was...well me. I was scared and nervous and unsure, so I didn’t say anything. But now, before you say anything else, I just need you to know that…” Kara pauses in her pacing, turns to see Lena smiling fondly at her. She meets the brunette’s green eyes and sighs. “I like you.” Kara smiles and laughs at herself a little. “I like you alot, Lena. I think, you’re amazing. And I’ve haven’t felt this way...about anyone, really. Not like this.”

“Kara-” Lena tries to interject, but Kara is on a roll, she resumes her pacing, gesturing wildly with her hands.

“I understand that you and Lydia have a history and she use to be a big part of your life. I get that there is probably a lot of unresolved stuff between you two. And she understands your whole world and your family much better than I ever could. But honestly, Lena, I know this thing between us is really new, but-” Kara pauses once again, stepping forward to take both of Lena’s hands in hers. “ I just...more than anything I want to know what it’d be like to really be with you.”

Kara runs out of breathe, which is strange because as a Kryptonian she can hold her breathe for a really amazing amount of time. She falls quiet, looking down at Lena’s hands in hers.

“Kara,” Lena says softly. Kara doesn’t look up. Afraid she’ll find pity in Lena’s eyes. Afraid none of this has made a difference. Lena gently brings two fingers under Kara’s chin and pulls her face up and meeting her eyes. All Kara sees there is softness. “Kara, I told Lydia that our time together will always mean a lot to me, but that it’s time for both of us to move on. For real this time.”

Kara stops breathing for a second, as Lena’s words sink in. Kara feels a smile pulling at her lips. She opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. She's just happy. Lena smiles too, her eyes looking over Kara’s face before coming to rest on Kara’s lips.

“I meant what I said last night, Kara. I didn’t mean to say it, but it was the truth.”

Kara’s mouth is really dry, her heart racing. She swallows hard, her eyes darting from Lena’s gaze on her mouth to Lena’s red lips.

“Wh-What did you say?” Kara asks. Lena said a lot of things last night. And honestly in this moment, Kara can’t remember a single one of them.

“I want you.” Lena confesses.

Lena hooks her fingers in the belt loops of Kara’s pants and tugs her forward, catching the blonde’s lips with her own. Kara makes a small sound of surprise, then actually moans quietly as she melts against Lena. The kiss is firm, but also slow and sweet. Lena kisses Kara like she’s been waiting a long time to do it. Like she’s put a lot of thought into it. And Kara supposes she has. Because damn, it’s a good kiss.

Lena is still leaning against the desk, pressed against it actually. Kara pressed against her and held firmly in place by her belt loops. Kara’s hands brace on the desk on either side of Lena as they kiss. One of Lena’s hands comes up to cup Kara’s face. Kara pulls back a little, reluctantly but breathlessly.

I have to tell her. Kara thinks. She needs to know now. I want her to know.

She doesn’t want anything else getting between them.

“Lena, there’s something else I need to tell you.” Lena kisses up Kara’s jaw slowly, then that place beneath her ear, where her jaw meets her neck.

“Hmmm?” Lena hums in response. Kara’s head is fuzzy. Rao, Lena is incredible. She can smell a hint of Lena’s perfume as well as her shampoo, because Lena's hair is touching her cheek, and Lena’s lips are touching her skin, and her whole body is pressed against Lena's, and forming words is suddenly a much bigger deal.

Come on, Zor-El, pull yourself together! Spit it out.

“Lena, I’m...I’m-”

Jess chooses that exact moment to barge in.

“Ms. Luthor, there’s a call for you on- Oh!”

Kara and Lena spring apart. Kara turns as red as the lipstick smudged over Lena’s mouth. Lena wipes at the lipstick, while fixing Jess with a truly frightening glare.

“I am so sorry, Ms. Luthor.” Jess looks more amused than scared, her apology not quite sincere. “But Mr. Marks from legal is on the phone.”

“Okay, Jess. Thank you.” Lena growls, turning her attention back to Kara. Jess leaves, and as soon as the door is closed, they smile at each other. Lena laughs and smooths out her skirt.

“Well, this has been quite the lunch break.” Lena mumbles. She reaches out and gently pulls Kara back into her space. She brushes her lips against Kara’s again, softer, almost teasing this time. “What was it you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh, right, um, I…”

“Ms. Luthor,” the intercom on Lena’s desk buzzes to life. Lena sighs and rolls her eyes. “Mr. Marks is still on hold.”

Lena pulls away from Kara and presses a button on the intercom.

“Yes, Jess, alright.” Lena looks back at Kara apologetically. “Kara, darling, I’m sorry.”

Kara steps back, moving towards the couch to gather her things.

“No,” Lena says “Please, stay. Eat. I had Jess order most of this food for you.” She gestures to all the Chinese food growing cold on the coffee table. Kara blushes again and takes her seat back on the couch.

“Are you sure?”

Lena smiles as she sits back at her desk.

“I really like having you here. Stay?”

Kara smiles like a dork and grabs a takeout box.

“If you insist.”