Chapter Text
Alex wasn't particularly looking for a hookup that night when she decided to go to a gay bar downtown (the Royal Gryphon, all new brick pretending to be old and rainbow flags) instead of the sports bar closest to her apartment. In fact, at the tail end of a long day analyzing samples at her DEO lab, she was just hoping to be left alone, and at a gay bar she'd only have to turn away the occasional woman, if she even got that much attention.
She was halfway through her first beer, just barely starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, when a movement near the door caught her attention.
Part of her training at the DEO had been in situational awareness, and it would take more than one beer to prevent her from noticing each newcomer, but most merited little more than a glance before she returned to her thoughts. This one, though... she was a tall woman, clad all in black, wavy brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her expression looked lost, confused, but she had the bearing of a soldier. Alex would know--she'd seen enough of them come and go over the last couple of years. She was intriguing, striking even.
The woman looked around the room and after a moment her eyes zeroed in on Alex. Time seemed to slow down for an instant as the woman inspected her.
Is she checking me out, or assessing me as a threat? Either way, Alex took a fortifying sip of her beer and gave the woman a little nod to show that she'd noticed her attention. There was no reason for Alex to think she was in danger, but part of her, the part that had grown through months of constant training and over a year of field experience, wished that she had her sidearm. Or even a knife.
Instead of heading over to the bar to order a drink, the newcomer strode straight to Alex's table and sat down in the free chair, her gray eyes hard on Alex's face. Alex stared right back, noticing the streak of white in her hair, almost hidden due to her hairstyle, which she'd overlooked before.
"Why were you watching me?" asked the woman without preamble, just loudly enough for Alex to hear her over the music. There was something odd about her speech, odd yet familiar, but Alex couldn't place it from such a short interaction.
"I notice people," said Alex, willing to be honest as long as she didn't reveal too much. "And you stick out."
"I what?"
She must be a non-native speaker. But from where? "You draw attention. It's your bearing. You look like a soldier, or maybe a veteran. But you also look lost. New in town?"
"Not precisely, though I have never visited this establishment before." She didn't answer Alex's implicit question, but she leaned back in her chair, seeming to relax just a little.
It wasn't the woman's pronunciation that was odd, but rather the rhythm and intonations of her speech, Alex realized. She still had the sense of having heard that particular pattern somewhere before, but where, exactly, eluded her. The woman's first language wasn't Russian, that was for sure, or French or German or Spanish—she was familiar enough with all of those languages that she was fairly confident she would already have recognized the accent. But this puzzle of a woman was keeping her mind off of other, more unpleasant thoughts, so Alex decided she wouldn't mind her sticking around.
"Maybe we should start over. My name's Alex, and I wouldn't mind your company, especially not if you're willing to tell me your name."
"Astra," said the woman, and damn it, Alex really should know what that slight hint of an accent was! But then Astra took off her jacket, a lightweight zippered thing, and hung it over the back of her chair, and Alex found another reason to want her to stick around.
She'd immediately realized that Astra was good-looking, of course, and the white streak and clear gray eyes didn't hurt one bit, but under her jacket she was wearing a dark gray tank top, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. Her very nicely muscled arms and shoulders.
Alex tore her eyes away, but not before Astra caught her looking. She smirked at Alex and stood, pushing back her chair. "Wait here."
Alex watched Astra as she moved, taking a moment to appreciate the curve of her butt. Astra walked over to the bar and ordered, and after a moment returned with something dark and fizzy.
"Rum and coke?" guessed Alex.
"Just coke. I do not drink much." Astra paused. "Anymore."
Recovering alcoholic, maybe? "I try not to drink as much as I used to, either," offered Alex. "Not that I always succeed."
"Do you come here often?"
Alex almost groaned at the transparent line, but it seemed guileless coming from Astra, though she was sure the woman was capable of deception when she needed to be.
"Not that often," she said. "Just when I want to drink without some jerk bothering me."
"I can leave you alone, if you prefer," said Astra, shifting in her chair and setting her hand on the table as if to stand.
Alex shook her head. "You're not 'some jerk'. You're an intriguing woman. Stay. If you want."
"I do." Astra took a sip of her coke.
"So, you said it was your first visit to the Royal Gryphon. What brings you here?"
"I suppose I was curious. What about you?"
Curious? Based on her reaction earlier, I kind of doubt she's straight, but... "I had a bit of a rough day. Didn't want to really deal with people, but didn't want to be completely alone, either." Alex hesitated to drink alone, ever since a few bad benders in college, worrying that she'd go overboard again. "And then you showed up and..."
Astra flinched as the music changed, cranking up a few decibels, heralding the opening of the dance floor. Alex automatically laid her hand over Astra's on the table, a comforting gesture she often used when noise got to be too much for Kara.
But Astra's eyes widened and she jerked away.
"Sorry, sorry. Old habits. I... my sister has trouble with loud places, too. Uh, we could move upstairs. It's less noisy there, usually."
Astra nodded, with a grimace, and Alex lead the way upstairs. There was a small table still free, right against the back wall.
Once they were sitting, Astra seemed to relax a little, the grimace fading, though she still fidgeted a little.
"Sometimes, it helps to focus on something. A sound, like this." said Alex, drumming a beat against the side of her mostly-empty glass. "Or... anything."
"I know," said Astra, "but this is a lot of noise. How do you stand it?"
Alex shrugged. "I'm good at tuning stuff out when I have to, I guess. Especially a couple of drinks in."
Astra's eyes fixed on Alex's fingers for a moment as she continued to tap against the glass, and after a bit the tension in her shoulders seemed to drop.
"Better?" asked Alex, and stopped her tapping.
Astra nodded. "You said you had a sister?"
Always cautious, Alex chose her words carefully. Later, though, she would wonder how the night would have gone if she had mentioned Kara by name. "She's about a year younger than me. We get along pretty well. What about you? Any family?"
A shadow passed over Astra's face. "I had one. I would rather not talk about it."
Sore subject? Dead, or estranged? "That's okay, I can respect that. It's not like I'm looking to spill my whole life to you, either. Just trying to make conversation."
"Somehow, I thought you were not here for conversation."
"No," said Alex. "I'm here for booze. But I'll take conversation, if that's what you're willing to give me." She hadn't been looking for company when she came here, but that didn't mean she had to turn it away.
"What if I want something else?"
"Like what, for example?" Alex drained the last of her beer and set down the glass with a little thud, leaning in towards Astra. If Astra wasn't suggesting what she thought, it was no big, she'd go down and have another beer. But if she was...
It felt like slow-motion as Astra reached out one hand and traced a fingertip under the edge of Alex's jaw. Alex felt her breath catch in her throat and saw Astra smile, her eyes holding Alex's gaze, and suddenly Alex's world narrowed to three point of focus: the touch of Astra's fingers on her chin, the quirk of that smile, and those eyes, which seemed to promise so much.
Damn.
But before Alex had time to think of anything else, those lips were on hers and she was gasping into them as Astra's hand slid to the back of her head. She tasted of cola and smelled of something Alex couldn't quite place, something pleasant and warm. Sunshine, maybe.
Am I really getting sappy over a woman I just met in a bar?
Alex pushed the thought aside as she moved one hand to stroke Astra's hair, and suddenly it felt like there was too much space between them, the table an obstacle. Astra seemed to feel the same way, trying to pull Alex closer. The woman was practically on the table, and Alex wondered how she kept her balance.
Alex pulled away. "How about we get away from this damn table and dance."
Astra's brows drew together. "Dance? I know how, of course, but..."
"You're really not from around here, are you? I'm not asking you to waltz, I'm giving you an excuse to touch me. To music." Alex couldn't think of where Astra might be from that she wouldn't make that connection. Maybe it was just a language issue?
"Oh. In that case, I accept."
Alex was about to head back downstairs, but then had second thoughts. "Are you okay with the level of noise now? I mean, the dance floor's down there, but..."
"I will be fine, with you to distract me." What was it about that voice that made Alex's blood sing?
"Okay then." Alex lead the way downstairs. As they approached the dance floor, she held out a hand. Somewhat to her surprise, Astra actually took it and let Alex pull her onto the dance floor. When she turned back to see how Astra was doing, she saw her glancing around, as if trying to figure out what she should be doing.
She really has no idea. God, it's like teaching Kara to act human all over again. That thought pulled Alex up short. What if she's an alien? No, there's no way. She was probably just part of a cult or something.
Patiently, Alex positioned herself in front of Astra, guiding Astra's hands to her waist, just along the edge of her leather jacket. Soon, they were dancing, stiffly at first, but then Astra seemed to remember what Alex had said about touching. She kissed the side of Alex's neck, just a little too hard, causing Alex to jerk away.
Astra let go entirely, and Alex grabbed her arm, suddenly afraid she would leave. Astra walked off the dance floor, but Alex maintained her grip, following her.
"Is that not what you meant?" asked Astra. "Did I overstep?"
"It is, but that was too hard."
"Oh. I forget my strength sometimes. I am sorry."
"Listen, would you rather... take this somewhere more private? I know the noise bothers you."
"You mean..."
"Back to my place, yes."
"I..." Astra hesitated for a long moment. "Why not? I have been alone for too long."
"That wasn't necessarily an offer to sleep with you, you know, but for what it's worth, I'm interested."
"You're a strange one," said Astra.
Alex raised her eyebrows at that. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?"
"Uh, yes?"
Alex shook her head. "It's an expression... oh, never mind. Just come with me."
Astra was mystified again when it came time to pay for the bus, then nervous throughout the ride, eying the other riders suspiciously and jumping at noises. Alex placed her hand over Astra's, more hesitantly than before. Astra's gaze met her eyes, and she gave a little nod.
"It's okay," said Alex in a low voice. "You're safe." She wondered what Astra had been through that made her react that way. Was it just the unfamiliar situation, or the tight quarters, or something else, that reminded her of something she would rather forget? Alex was getting more questions than answers, tonight, but Astra could probably say the same about her.
After a few moments, Astra moved marginally closer to Alex, so that their shoulders were touching, and turned her hand so Alex could clasp it.
They fell into each others' arms almost as soon as Alex closed the door of her small, spartan, gray-walled apartment behind them, as though they'd both been needing this. Astra kissed Alex against the apartment door and Alex clung to her so that their bodies pressed together. She'd been wanting to do that since their kiss at the bar.
Astra was more careful now, nothing like that dance floor kiss that had probably left a bruise, but Alex wasn't, digging her nails into Astra's back through her jacket as Astra's tongue sent jolts of desire through her. Alex was the one to pull away from the kiss, wrenching off to one side and gasping for air. A few locks of Astra's hair had worked their way loose from her ponytail and hung over her face and she looked wild and a little desperate.
"Do you..." Alex couldn't seem to focus with the blood pounding in her veins like this and Astra half-pressing her into the door, their bodies flush but not where Alex needed her, but she tried again. "Do you like it rough?"
Astra laughed at that, little and low. "Go as hard as you like. I am tough."
Alex laid a hand on Astra's bicep, feeling the hard muscle even through a layer of cloth. "I can tell. I like that in a woman."
Astra smirked and unzipped her jacket, tossing it unceremoniously behind her. "You have no idea how strong I am." But her fingers on Alex's jaw, then tracing a line down her neck, were gentle, soft, and there was no threat in it.
Alex froze for a moment, lost in the trails of heat Astra's fingers were leaving on her skin, then stepped away and pulled off her jacket as well, setting it down on the couch. Underneath, she realized she was just wearing one of her old Cal Bears shirts, because she hadn't been looking for company.
"You don't know much about me, either," said Alex.
"Do I need to?"
"No. Just fuck me."
Astra seemed to move impossibly fast then, and suddenly she was holding Alex again, both arms holding her steady, her mouth on Alex's neck and, mercifully, her leg grinding between Alex's thighs. Alex felt her arms close around the other woman, her fingers digging into her shirt, almost instinctively, as Astra's tongue on her neck sent waves of heat throughout her body. She was sure she was soaked, but she didn't care, reveling in the sensation of melting into Astra's grip. True to her word, Astra seemed immovable, inevitable, like some kind of mountain made flesh, and somehow that made it even better—the feeling that she would be absolutely safe as long as she held onto this unstoppable force of a woman.
Later, knowing, she would analyze that sensation, knowing where that strength came from, and wonder... was it just the surety of Astra's grip that had made her feel safe, or had she, somehow, known? Had she, on some level, been drawn to Astra in part because she was Kryptonian, because of the familiar lilt of her accent or some other signal her conscious mind had refused to acknowledge?
In the moment, though, even the few layers of cloth that separated them were far too many, and Alex summoned what little strength she still possessed to tug at Astra's shirt. She managed to slip one hand underneath, running it over the firm muscles of Astra's back even as Astra's mouth kept working its way down her neck. By the time Astra reached the top of her shirt, Alex's knees were so weak she probably couldn't have stood on her own. And the friction she was getting from Astra's leg was good, but it wasn't quite enough.
Alex groaned as Astra's mouth left her shoulder, and stumbled back against the door as Astra lowered her leg to the ground and loosened her hold on Alex.
"I thought you wanted me to take off my shirt," said Astra.
"Yes," said Alex, panting a little as she leaned against the door, almost wishing she'd drunk more so that she could blame the fuzziness in her head on the alcohol. But no, it was all Astra's doing. It'd been too long... probably for both of them, and already she ached for Astra's touch, even though they had only been apart for a moment.
With unsteady hands, slowly pulling herself together, Alex pulled her own shirt over her head, then balled it up and chucked it in the general direction of the sofa.
Astra snickered as it missed entirely, falling short, onto the floor.
"Shut up, I'm a good shot when I haven't just been making out with someone. And drinking."
Astra pulled off her own tank top and threw it so that it landed neatly on the couch.
"Show-off."
Astra merely raised an eyebrow at that. She kicked off her shoes and sauntered over to Alex, reminding her of nothing more than a haughty feline. Interesting, that—at the bar Alex would have described her more as a wolf. She'd all but bared her teeth when she saw Alex watching her.
Alex came crashing back to the present as Astra hooked a thumb under her waistband and tugged. Taking the hint, Alex unbuttoned her pants with fumbling hands and pulled them down, or tried to, but before she could get far, Astra's hands were on her again, a hand at her waist and the other tracing a line through the wetness that had soaked through her boxer briefs.
"Fuck you," grunted Alex, trying to ignore the way her body sang at Astra's touch as she pushed Astra's hand away and pulled her pants the rest of the way down, removing her shoes as she did. "Make up your goddamn mind." She pulled herself upright, planning to pay Astra back for that, but she'd stripped off her own pants... and bra... and underwear in that brief moment.
Alex let her eyes trail up and down Astra's body. Her initial impression had been correct—she had an athletic build, her legs as well-muscled as her arms and torso, visibly strong but without the heaviness of a bodybuilder. She had few visible scars, in spite of Alex's assumption about her military background, and a fine layer of hair covered her legs, with thicker brown curls on her mound.
Alex unhooked her own bra and left it with the rest of her clothes. But before she could remove her underwear, Astra pulled them down for her, and there was a little rip as one of the seams gave way. Had they really been that old?
Alex pushed the thought aside, cursing her overactive analytical mind, and kissed Astra again, pushing her back towards the couch. Astra stumbled over a shoe and sat back on the arm of the couch, rather hard, jolting them apart.
Alex took advantage of her moment of surprise and climbed on top of her, straddling her, and drew a line with one finger down her belly and between her legs to touch the soft hair there. The lightest little touch (but she could tell Astra felt it, a sigh escaping from her lips) and she pulled her hand away again.
Astra seized her wrist, roughly, then let go when Alex hissed, more in surprise than pain.
"I'm fine," said Alex in response to the unspoken question in Astra's eyes.
"Good," said Astra, and she grabbed Alex by the waist, proving her strength once again as she moved Alex fully onto the couch, then climbed on top herself. The only place they touched was their thighs, but Astra was close enough that Alex could feel the heat coming off her body.
Alex took advantage of the position, moving her hand back between Astra's legs, parting the hairs that covered her slit and running a finger through her wetness. Astra gave a little jolt and it was enough for Alex to cover one of Astra's nipples with her mouth, licking the salt from her skin.
Astra trembled, holding herself off of the couch with both arms, as Alex slowly stroked her inner lips. Deliberately, she brushed against Astra's clit and Astra nearly collapsed on top of her, only to groan as Alex pulled her finger away.
Astra muttered something incoherent, her face almost in Alex's hair, and Alex pulled her mouth away from Astra's breast for a moment. "What's that?"
"Harder."
"Hmm, can you ask nicely?" Alex grinned at Astra's moan of frustration.
"I need it. Please. Alex." The guttural way she said it, combined with that slight, familiar-yet-unfamiliar accent, sent tingles throughout Alex's body. She knew that when it was finally her turn, she'd be more than ready, could feel the damp heat between her legs, the pulsing energy that seemed to join them.
"That's better." Roughly now, Alex plunged two fingers into Astra, and moved her free hand to the small of Astra's back, digging in with her fingernails. She moved her mouth to the other breast, licking and sucking a little harder than before.
Alex closed her eyes, relying only on touch and the sound of the little gasps and moans Astra let out, hardly words now, aside from gasps of "More!" and "Alex!", Astra's voice breaking on the second syllable as though she couldn't keep it together that long, and soon Astra was sagging against her and pulsing around her fingers.
She went stiff as she came, pulling up off of Alex again, leaving Alex's mouth empty, wanting. Alex opened her eyes again and looked up at Astra, seeing her head thrown back, little traces of sweat running down her body, beautiful and wild and carnal all at once.
And then she collapsed, half on top of Alex, panting into her hair, and Alex pulled her fingers free at last, laughing a little at this transformation. "Not so strong now, are you?"
Astra pushed herself up off of Alex again. She looked annoyed, and for a moment Alex thought she might have gone too far with her jokes, but after a moment Astra shook her head.
"It has been too long, I suppose," she admitted.
"Me too," said Alex, meeting Astra's eyes and surprised to find herself feeling open, a bit vulnerable. This was supposed to be about sex, two people finding comfort in their mutual pleasure, not about an emotional connection, but she supposed she'd screwed that up by being all considerate, earlier. Then again, what did she really know about Astra? Not much... not her country of origin, not even her full name. That was probably part of the appeal. No, scratch that—Alex was a scientist and a secret agent; her brain needed something to pick at. That was definitely part of the appeal. She doubted she'd get many answers if she asked, and it was more fun picking things apart anyway.
Later, she'd realize how foolish that was. Later still, they'd laugh about it, about the weird confluence of circumstances, of needs and personalities, that had lead them to meet.
But in the moment, she was blissfully ignorant, seeing only the woman before her, soft skin and steely muscles that jumped under her touch, and the mystery she represented.
A different kind of adventure from her secretive day-to-day life, or so she thought.
Pushing away her thoughts, Alex surged forward and kissed Astra, hard so there could be no hint of tenderness, of romance. Astra answered in kind, pushing her back into the couch again, her hands tracing idle lines across Alex's chest and belly. Once again, Alex's world shrank—Astra's lips, Astra's tongue, her fingertips, the press of her thighs against Alex's, the fistful of soft hair that Alex had grabbed without really thinking about it. A heat rose in her belly, her chest, her throat and seemed to engulf her.
And then, there was a thigh between her legs again, bare this time, offering (at last!) the pressure she'd been craving, and she felt herself slick and hot against it, the fire in her core all-consuming now even as Astra continued to kiss her and her hands still traced teasing lines across Alex's body.
At last Astra's mouth left hers, and she groaned as Astra moved on to her throat, licking and kissing but not biting or sucking, as though careful of hurting her.
"Astra..." she moaned.
Astra's mouth kept on moving down her body, and her leg pulled away as Astra knelt between Alex's knees.
Oh yeah... wait, if she's going down on me we should... "Wait!" she said aloud.
Astra looked up at her, her brow furrowed.
"We need protection first." Alex struggled up off of the couch, her legs not wanting to obey her.
"Protection?"
I guess if they even had sex ed wherever it is she grew up, it wasn't very comprehensive. "Yeah, a dental dam. Well, I don't actually have one, but I can make one..." Alex strode into the bathroom, quickly washed her hands, then rooted around in the cabinet under the sink. Condom, check. Oh wait, no, this packet's expired... She threw it out and reached for another. Okay, good . She retrieved the scissors from the first aid kit, and took them back to the living room with her and sat back down, her butt on the edge of the sofa. Fuck, I'm going to have to wash these cushions later. Oh well, it was worth it.
Before Astra's bemused eyes, she opened the packet and unrolled the condom, neatly snipping off both ends, then cutting down the middle so that it unrolled into a single sheet.
"There. Now, you hold this over my junk, like so, and voilà!"
"I see," said Astra, taking the piece of latex. "Now, may I continue?"
"You'd better," said Alex as Astra applied the dam, holding it firmly in place with her fingers. "Oh!"
Astra's tongue was on her already, hot even through the latex. Alex buried her fingers in Astra's thick hair, able to do little more than hang on as the movements of Astra's tongue sent waves of renewed heat through her body.
Damn, even her tongue is strong, thought Alex as the tip of it pushed into her. Astra's tongue, at first hesitant, had somehow found exactly the right degree of pressure. Alex threw her head back, already building towards an orgasm.
Just then, Astra slowed down. "Ast...ra." It was a plea, one that Astra didn't heed. Alex dug her fingers even more into Astra's hair, scratching at her scalp, but she didn't react to that either, continuing her agonizingly slow movements.
"Come on..." Astra had her teetering on the edge, pushing and pulling, bobbing on a wave that refused to crash. She was burning up, but it wasn't enough, never enough, and, and, and...
And her words were gone, washed away in the little waves that lapped away at her, stronger and stronger now, and at last, at last she was crashing, tipping over the edge, clinging to Astra for dear life, crying something that might have been her name...
At last she resurfaced, reopened her eyes and pulled her hands from Astra's hair. Astra looked up at her with what could only be described as a self-satisfied smirk.
"Better?"
Alex could only nod mutely as her words came back in bits and pieces, mostly adjectives—beautiful and happy and limp and warm and devilish , then nouns — curls and tongue and fingers and muscles, as though she were still trying to resolve this woman, this night, this experience into something that fit within the extraordinary, yet repetitive, routine of her life—sleep, eat, coffee, DEO, repeat, interspersed with movie night and Kara and calls home. The occasional night out, yes, a little work on the side, sometimes, on projects that had nothing to do with the alien tech and alien biology that had become her day-to-day, but basically? It was all the same, except those exceptional days when everything exploded around her—missions gone wrong, or fantastically right, which meant new prisoners, sometimes, or new research, new discoveries. New scars, new secrets.
But this night? She'd remember it, even if she never knew more about Astra.
After a while, speech returned to her. By then, Astra had stood and was stretching, languid.
"I'm going to take a shower. You can join me, but don't expect a repeat performance just yet."
"Pity," said Astra, with a little laugh that sent a pulse of heat through Alex once more. "I could go again."