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Lena leaned back in her chair, the soft leather groaning in gentle protest beneath the CEO, fingers rubbing at what seemed to be a now permanent crease between her brow in a fruitless effort to smooth it out. Since her mother’s escape, investors had been dropping out left and right. Though she had been proven innocent and even backed by Supergirl herself, there was no removing herself from the Luthor name.
The CEO let out an exhausted sigh, pushing at the papers scattered across her desk, as if the physical distance between her and the data on them would help the situation.
“You sound about as tired as you look”
Lena jumped at the sudden voice, her knee taking a sharp hit on the underside of her desk. She winced at the pain shooting up leg, letting out a gentle gasp.
“Supergirl. What are you doing here?” she found it hard to keep an even voice with a throbbing kneecap and a pounding heart.
The hero had the decency to look somewhat ashamed at having spooked the CEO. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. I was flying by and I noticed your lights still on and thought I’d check in on you. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you or anything, it’s just, the balcony door was unlocked and you looked like you were really concentrating-“ A perfectly arched eyebrow had the blonde cutting herself off mid-ramble, cheeks flushing a pretty pink.
Lena let out another sigh, her shoulders sagging slightly as she exhaled “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting anyone and-” she paused, not sure if she should finish but an encouraging look from the blonde let her know she could continue without judgement. “And with my mother on the run, I guess I’m a little… On edge.”
Supergirl gave her an understanding look, her soft gaze holding Lena’s, communicating her silent remorse for the other woman’s position.
“I really am sorry” Lena knew she was apologising for more than the surprise and sore knee. The hero shuffled her feet, looking as though she wanted to move towards the other woman “Is it painful? I can look at it for you, if you want?”
Lena chuckled at the look of loss on the hero’s face, obviously uncomfortable with having caused the CEO pain. “That won’t be necessary Supergirl. Unless you can suddenly use those healing abilities of yours on others now?” Lena couldn’t help but let herself slip into a more teasing tone.
Supergirl scoffed, her stance relaxing somewhat at the change in atmosphere “I wish. That would make my job a whole lot easier.”
The CEO regarded the blonde with an amused quirk of her lip. They shared a small moment of silence, one waiting for the other to address the elephant in the room.
Lena trained her face into a more neutral expression “What are you really doing here… Supergirl.” The title was spoken now as if it were merely a formality.
“I… Was worried about you.”
“Now why would Supergirl be worried about a Luthor of all people?” her voice fell flat, veiling the sudden swell of emotion she felt rise up. Lena knew she was being unfair. Knew she was pushing her insecurities onto the hero but she couldn’t help herself.
“Lena…” The blonde uttered the name as if in warning.
“Kara.” The CEO watched the swirl of emotions passing over the blonde’s face. Saw the pain, regret. Relief?
The hero shrugged her shoulders as in defeat. As if to say “you caught me.”
Lena felt cheated.
She knew.
She had known for some time now. Or at least, she had suspected. It wasn’t until Supergirl had carried her bridal style, away from Lex’s lab that her suspicions had been confirmed though. Glasses and a ponytail could only fool someone for so long.
The soft curve of her friend’s face. The concerned crinkle of her brow. The small scar above her eyebrow.
Lena had studied that face, those features, numerous times as the reporter had sat across from her on the couch in her office.
She felt cheated that she had to be the one to bring attention to the fact that Kara. Her friend. Had been lying to her.
“I wanted to tell you.” Supergirl, Kara, took a step towards her, a hand outstretched, as if to touch her but she thought better of it, instead bringing her hand up to nervously adjust the glasses that weren’t there.
Lena gave her a sardonic look. “But I’m a Luthor.” She spoke the name as if it left a bitter taste upon her tongue.
“No!” The blonde said the word with such force it startled the CEO. “I wanted to tell you but I was afraid. Not because you’re a Luthor but because I wasn’t sure…”
Lena felt her self-pity slip away, her habit of wanting to comfort the blonde pushing her other feelings aside for the moment “You weren’t sure of what?”
Kara seemed to shrink in on herself and in that moment Lena wanted nothing more than to apologise for her feelings of doubt of their friendship.
“If me being an alien would come between our friendship.”
The CEO’s brow furrowed in confusion “why would-“
“The alien detection device.”
“Oh”
“Yeah”
Lena was silent for a moment. Taking in the knowledge that she had put her friend, her only friend, in a corner like that. That she had threatened the only person she cared about’s safe haven.
Lena slumped back into her chair, “I can’t believe I had the nerve to be upset at you for not telling me. Of course you wouldn’t tell me. God, I’m just like them aren’t I?” She felt the lump rising in her throat, the sting of tears threatening to fall as she delved into self-loathing, just like she always did.
Kara did move forward this time, rushing to clasp at the CEO’s shaking hands “No! Lena, no, you are nothing like them!”
Kara tugged gently at the other woman’s hands, Lena marvelling at how soft and warm they were as they encompassed her own. “You are good! You are so good Lena. You’re just unlearning is all.” The blonde caught her eyes, soft blue locking with harsh green “they raised you in a hateful environment and you came out of it a brave and understanding woman. There’s just some things you still need to unlearn and I… I should have trusted you. I should have trusted that you would want to listen and understand…”
Lena absorbed the woman before her, taking her in as a whole now. Not just Kara, the somewhat clumsy and aloof reporter. Not just Supergirl, the heroic alien. Kara. This woman who she know saw as a whole, standing before her, cradling her hands with such gentle care when she could literally crush steel beneath those powerful fingertips. “How can you be so amazing?”
The blonde fell hot under the unexpectedly intense stare of the CEO. “I’m not- You’re the one that’s amazing…” the suddenly bashful superhero mumbled.
Lena chuckled, gaining back her edge as the blonde’s heated attitude from before seemed to have cooled some. “Why Ms Danvers, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were embarrassed!”
Kara dropped her hands, pouting and looking nothing like the hero her outfit presented her to be “How do you do that!?”
Lena immediately missed the warmth of Kara’s hands as they left hers “Do what?”
“Go from being all dejected to” the blonde gestured in the CEO’s general direction “cool and flirtatious!”
Lena cocked an eyebrow, a smirk adorning her features “cool and flirtatious?”
If it was possible, the blonde’s face grew even redder as she stuttered out some form of gibberish in her mortified state.
Lena let out bark of laughter as she observed the supposed Girl of Steel tripping over herself. “Kara calm down I’m just teasing.”
The blonde gave a nervous chuckle, shifting inelegantly under the CEO’s mirthful stare “right, just teasing.”
The CEO gave the blonde a moment to recover before fixing her with an enquiring look “wait, so you knew I was flirting this whole time?”
Kara’s hand flew up to adjust her non-existent glasses again, this time realizing her mistake and instead, choosing to fidget with the hem of her skirt. “I mean, yeah. You weren’t exactly subtle.”
Lena, tried to hide the sting of rejection “so you just didn’t see me like that.”
Kara seemed to blanch at that, surprising Lena “wait, you mean you don’t talk like that with everyone!?”
The CEO frowned, expressing distaste at the suggestion “no why would I?”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
“I’m an idiot then.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because I could have asked you out ages ago!”
The CEO couldn’t help but laugh at the flustered blonde. “Kara, is that your way of asking me on a date?”
The blonde gave her a lopsided grin “Yes?”