Chapter Text
Lena knows she’s not spying. It is technically her property after all. She owns CatCo now, and this is a CatCo supplied notebook and every idea in it belongs to her, contractually. But it doesn’t make her feel any less guilty, flipping through the lined pages, scanning the messy notes Kara has scribbled in the margins.
She didn’t know it was Kara’s when she picked it up from her couch after the weekly morning meeting. But the moment she recognizes Kara’s distinctive print, she can’t put it down. Kara’s avoiding her, which puts a pit in the bottom of Lena’s stomach as Kara’s best friend. But she’s also been missing meetings, and disappearing for hours with no articles or ideas to show for it. And that is unacceptable as Kara’s boss.
So, yes, she is going through Kara’s notes.
Lena skips through the first few pages of notes that belong to articles already published, including a few interviews with her that she tries her best not to linger on. Even if a couple doodled hearts make her smile as she gets comfortable behind her desk. The further she flips through Kara’s notes the more it becomes obvious that Kara is starting to rely on a singular source. Supergirl.
It’s hardly surprising to Lena; she knows that Kara’s name has been on more than a few bylines about the superhero. She knows that they know each other. But still she lingers, one finger tracing across the page as she reads.
At first it’s simple notes. Things like “quote from Supergirl???” and “source?? Supergirl?” with little arrows pointed to specific ideas that need to be fleshed out. A few pages later, the notes disappear. They become somewhat tidier, Supergirl is still at the centre as Kara’s most used source. But now there are direct quotes from Supergirl directly written in. Except it’s not just one quote, but rather lists of them. Some quotes are completely crossed out and rewritten underneath, words are occasionally scribbled out with new words crammed above. Different variations of the same wording, until Kara seems to be satisfied. One quote circled so heavily that Lena could see the spot where Kara’s pen broke through the paper.
Lena’s running her finger over the spot when someone clears their throat, startling her.
“Have you seen my-” Kara’s already looking around the office before she’s even finished her question, eyes landing on her notebook on Lena’s desk. “You found it!”
Lena nods, but pulls the notebook closer when Kara goes to reach for it, making her forehead scrunch.
“Is everything-”
“-are you fabricating quotes?” Lena asks point blank, as she settles back in her chair taking the notebook into her lap as she taps a finger against it.
“No?” Kara’s forehead wrinkles further as she watches Lena with a tilted head.
Lena hums as she picks up the notebook and makes a show of rapidly flipping through the remaining pages. “By my count, I would say there’s at least… 50... different quotes in here from Supergirl that you’ve reworked so heavily they can hardly be considered quotes anymore.”
There’s a pregnant pause when Lena looks back up at Kara. She’s gone so still, Lena wonders if she’s still breathing. Lena blinks once, twice, and suddenly it’s like she’s seeing Kara for the first time. The way her blue dress shirt is straining at the seams around broad shoulders. How Lena can make out the lines of her abs where it hugs her around the middle. Even the fabric on her khakis are pulled tight across her thighs.
Admittedly, Lena has checked out Kara on more than one occasion. This is not the first time she’s noticed how Kara is probably hiding a six pack under her knit cardigans. But this is the first time Lena’s noticed how Kara looks like she might split a seam if she so much as makes the wrong move. How she almost looks out of place in her own clothing, contained somehow.
“Oh.” Lena breathes as she puts the notebook on the desk between them. “I see.”
“Lena…” Kara croaks as she takes a step forward but halts again when her phone chirps.
They stare at each other for a moment before Kara’s shoulders finally slump, “There’s an emergency…”
“Of course.” Lena nods, her back rigid as Kara looks back and forth to the office door before she ultimately chooses the balcony, shedding her shirt before she takes to the sky.
As soon as she’s out of sight Lena lets out a deep breath, looking between Kara’s shirt now laying on her floor to the notebook still sitting on her desk. A giggle starts to bubble in her chest, growing steadily until she’s laughing out loud. Still laughing even as James comes to ask if she’s okay as she carefully wipes tears from her eyes.
“Perfect.” Lena nods as she stands. “But you need to start sending another reporter to interview Supergirl. And I just heard she’s responding to an emergency.”
High above the city, Supergirl can’t help but grin as she turns mid-air and rockets towards the alien across town.