Lena/ Reader "Of course I care" and "Why have you been hiding this from me?" with Lena saying these things
Thank you for your request, anon! I hope you enjoy it <3
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How Long?
You could not look at another layout. They were starting to visually blur together. You worked in the art department at CatCo. Well... that was putting it modestly. You actually ran the art department at CatCo. You were just as well respected as the big names in the building, and people parted when you walked into a room.
But today, in particular, you’d much rather disappear and be home. See, for about a week now, you’d been feeling run down. You passed it off as being an incredibly busy week last week. You laid on an extra layer of makeup to hide the bags and your slightly red nose. You were sucking on cough drops like they were candy and had a pharmacy’s worth of cold medicine drugs in you. And they all seemed to fail you today. It was only Monday, and you had no idea how you’d make it through.
Your phone buzzed, and you glanced down to see it was Lena. She needed a preview of the current layout. Usually, you’d take it up yourself, but you grabbed the newest intern and sent them on their way. Today was one of the days Lena was at CatCo. She split her time between L-Corp and CatCo, depending on which one needed her physically in the space that week. Most of the time, she was at L-Corp, but you were all on a tight deadline with a big issue coming out at the end of the week.
You weren’t avoiding Lena perse, but you had canceled yesterday’s date night due to ‘working late’ to meet this deadline. The congestion had properly set into your voice, and it was no longer easy to conceal how poorly you were feeling. It wasn’t a big deal, so you didn’t bring it up. You could pass off the sneezes at Saturday brunch as Spring starting to bloom, but you were past that now. The bags under your eyes, blurring of your consonants, sniffles, and red nose, and the tickle in your throat was too distinctive and identifiable.
You sighed and flagged down the same bright-eyed intern you’d just sent up to the top floor. You sent them on another mission to get you a third cup of tea. You made your way to your office and sat down at your desk. You opened your tablet and scrolled through the new sets that just came in, your head resting in one hand. You were never more thankful than in this moment that your office walls, while still glass, were frosted through the middle hiding your misery.
While you were wallowing and wishing to be home in pajamas and blankets... Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor were a floor up, both of their arms crossed and their faces showing confusion.
“It still just doesn’t feel right,” Kara said.
“I get that,” Lena said, “I know it can be better…” She trailed off. Lena knew you could do better on it. Something about the whole situation felt off for Lena. Ever since your date night was canceled last night, she felt that something wasn’t right. You had been dating for a few months now, not publicly yet, though, and you’d never canceled a date without an excellent reason to back it. Last night was different. And she knew you’d generally bring up an important layout personally so you could discuss it. Your texts, calls, and interactions the entire week had been unusually sparse.
“You know what, I’ll take it back and see if I can work something out with her,” Lena said, cutting the brief collaboration even shorter with Kara.
“Are you sure? I have some time to take it back if you have things to do.” Kara offered.
Lena shook her head, “I’ve got it, thank you, though.”
Back on your floor, you somehow missed the voices quieting down ever so slightly. You also missed hearing the distinctive click of stiletto heels on the flooring until someone was standing in your office doorway.
You looked up to see Lena standing there, the layouts from a half hour ago clutched in one hand. You sighed and waved her in.
“It’s ndot working, is it?” You asked, already knowing the answer. You internally cringed, hearing your own voice.
You pushed back from your desk to walk around in front and lean against it. Lena handed the layouts back to you with a few notes attached that she and Kara had added. You pushed off and paced while going over the notes.
“Miss (Y/L/N), your tea.” The intern briefly interrupted. They entered your office and handed the steaming to-go mug to you.
“Thank you,” you said with a smile, and they hurried out of the room. You sighed when they were gone and stopped pacing.
Lena took the layouts back from you and placed them on your desk. She then took the spot you had been in and leaned into your desk. She crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow at you.
“How long?” is all she asked.
You rubbed your hand across your forehead. “Since last week.”
“Why have you been hiding this from me?” Lena asked with her arms still crossed, but a concerned look was growing on her face. You couldn’t help but feel a little silly and guilty even though you were the one not feeling well.
You shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“Love, it’s okay, you know you can talk to me.” Lena softened completely
You sighed, “I guess it’s because you’re Lena Luthor, a very busy and important person who has bigger things to deal with than your girlfriend’s cold. I know it’s stupid, but I didn’t think you’d care.”
Lena softened entirely and stood up, pulling you into a hug. “Of course I care.”
You stepped forward and buried your face into her blouse despite knowing exactly how much it cost. You were just so exhausted and miserable that you couldn’t help the few tears that slipped past.
“Let’s get out of here. My place or yours, love?” Lena asked, rubbing slow circles on your back.
You sniffled and shook your head, still not leaving her arms, “we’re swamped right now. I can’t take time off. The layout is still a mess...”
“I can delegate that to Kara and your assistant. They’ll handle it, and if they can’t, they will still reach me if they absolutely need to.” Lena’s voice was calming and soothing. You found yourself relaxing more into the hug.
“Yours,” you whispered.
Lena kissed the side of your head and pulled back. You pulled a tissue from the box on your desk and dabbed at your tears and your nose. You took a quick glance at the small mirror you kept in your desk drawer. Thankfully your makeup seemed to have held.
“I just need to grab my things, and then we can get out of here,” Lena said after you’d picked up your bag.
You held the back of your hand to the underside of your nose and sniffled. The few tears you’d let out seemed to have loosed a bit of your congestion and irritated your nose even more. You sniffled again and turned, stifling a near-silent sneeze. Huh! N--xxt.
“Bless you,” Lena said quietly.
You sniffled again, “thandks.” You shook your head, took a deep breath, and squared your shoulders. You walked briskly and led the way out of your office. It was what Lena called your CEO walk even though you weren’t one. It was the presence you projected when you walked through your department and through CatCo. It was your own form of armor that no one could see through.
You both stepped into the private elevator and rode the five seconds up to the next floor. The general bullpen was even more chaotic than usual, but just like on your floor, people parted as the two of you strode towards Lena’s office.
Soon enough, Lena had things worked out with Kara, and the two of you were back in the elevator. Knowing it was Lena’s private elevator and wouldn’t stop until you reached the ground floor, you walked to the back and leaned your head against the wall.
You closed your eyes and felt Lena rest her hand on your arm.
“Darling, do we need to stop at your place before we go to mine?” Lena asked at the volume of a whisper.
You shook your head and sniffled. You wriggled your nose around and brought a knuckle up to rub at it. You tried to stave off the sneeze but were failing at it. You felt Lena’s eyes watching you, that protective hand still in place on your arm.
A quick glance at the numbers showed you were on the second floor, the elevator seconds away from opening while you lost the struggle with your nose. You bent at the waist and stifled a harsh double.
Hiiih hiih-n—xt… nxxgtt!
Huhmmpf—shu!
A third sneeze escaped as the doors opened.
“Bless you, darling,” Lena said quietly, mindful of any listening ears.
“Thanks,” you sniffled a few times sharply and walked out, back to business appearance.
Unsurprisingly, Lena’s driver was waiting for the two of you when you stepped out of CatCo.
The ride to Lena’s penthouse was uneventful. It was mid-morning, so traffic was light. It was quiet, Lena laying off the questioning while your sniffles filled the silence. You were far too drained to answer any of them regardless. There were no tissues in the car, which either you or Lena would definitely have to amend at some point.
………...
The moment you entered the penthouse, your stilettos came off, and you let your sinuses finally get some relief. You ducked your head into your elbow...
Huuh uh hiii hiiuushhheeww! Ushheew… hiih eshhheewwww!
“Bless you!” Lena said, a bit startled.
Hih achxshewW!
You sneezed again and sniffled. That would help your nose a bit for now.
“Bless you, love,” Lena said and guided you towards the kitchen. You lowered your elbow and brought a hand up to swipe at your nose. Lena grabbed you a few tissues from the counter.
You took the tissues and blew your nose as much as you could.
“Gross, sorry,” you mumbled when you were finished. You threw out the used tissues and washed your hands.
“No need to be sorry (Y/N). You can’t exactly help it.”
Lena went about placing the purses in the coat closet and collecting your shoes. Meanwhile, you used the kitchen sink to wash the majority of your makeup off. You patted your face dry with a fresh dishtowel. You sighed deeply and placed your arms on the cold granite countertops and hung your head completely miserable.
You sniffled and coughed; you were beyond stuffed up at that point. The congestion had fully set in.
“Are you mad?” You asked quietly and picked your head up. Lena walked over to you, eyebrows quirked in confusion. “That I hid this from you?” You supplied for her.
Lena shook her head and sighed, “No, I’m not mad. But I do want to talk about it at some point.” She ran her fingers through your hair as you relaxed some more. You could handle that conversation later, just not now. Lena hummed as her hand came to rest on your forehead and then cheek.
“You feel warm… How about you go lay down, and I’ll bring the thermometer and some medicine?” Lena suggested. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on your cheek. You blushed slightly and nodded before heading off to change and get comfortable.
When you curled up in her bed, you almost immediately drifted off to sleep. You knew when you awoke from your nap, Lena would be there with a warm mug of your favorite tea, some soup, medicine, and cuddles. Your Luthor may be icy on the outside at times, but she was a total softy. That was what you loved most about her.