Pool Scene AU, Pt 5
When Lena picks Kara up for dinner two days later, she opens the door to Kara’s building with an over hand grip. With her other hand tucked casually into the pocket of her long jacket, she casually leans against the door’s edge with a smile so broad and so easy that Kara’s insides somehow loosen and tighten all at once. Lena’s ease encourages Kara to relax, but the fact she shouldn’t feel relaxed with a business mogul of Lena’s caliber only makes her more anxious.
“Hey,” Lena greets, still grinning.
Kara steps out onto the sidewalk, turning to keep Lena in her sights. She fidgets under Lena’s gaze, adjusting her glasses with stiff motions.
“Hey,” she says back, forcing a smile. If Lena notices her nerves, she doesn’t show it.
Letting go of the door, Lena extends her hand. “You ready?”
Awkwardly taking Lena’s hand, Kara allows herself to be led to the car waiting patiently for them. Lena opens the door for her, allowing Kara to slip in first. As soon as Lena climbs in and shuts the door behind her, the driver pulls deftly into traffic, apparently already briefed on their destination.
“I thought you might enjoy Paca’s tonight,” Lena tells her, as though sensing Kara’s thoughts. “Their rooftop tables are to die for.”
Kara nods. “All right.”
Green eyes flicker over Kara, ankle to head, all warm glow and gentle interest.
“You’re lovely,” Lena says.
Kara nearly coughs at the unexpected earnestness in Lena’s voice, but manages to recover. “Th-thank you. You too.”
That much is also in earnest. Where Kara had selected a salmon-colored dress (one that contoured to her body in a way that now makes her feel self-conscious), Lena looks comfortable yet striking in a cranberry jumpsuit. Her hair, which thus far Kara has only seen loose in luscious waves, is tucked into a sleek high ponytail that draws Kara’s eyes to a freckle on her neck. The halter neckline of the jumpsuit is deep, but it doesn’t strike Kara as all that scandalous, now. Lena looks effortlessly elegant, and while Kara doesn’t quite feel underdressed, she does feel as though she pales in comparison.
“Did Cat treat you all right this week?” Lena asks, her voice warm.
Grateful for a safe, familiar topic , Kara latches onto it swiftly. “Yes, actually. More so than usual…” Kara peers at Lena curious. “How do you know Cat, actually? Your conversation in her office seemed more than just typical business.”
At this, Lena softens. “We met when she still worked under Perry White at the Daily Planet. She did a piece on my family when I was about ten or so…. From the moment we sat down for that first interview, I liked her. She was direct, and asked questions like I was a person, not just a child. So, when I was ready to come out publicly, there was only one person I trusted with the story.”
Kara blinks. “I had no idea.”
“That Cat Grant has a heart?” Lene teases. “I guess you wouldn’t, given the fact she doesn’t even use your given name, but… she is, when she wants to be.”
The conversation remains safely superficial for the rest of the drive. When the car pulls to a stop, Kara glances out the window, and freezes. Beyond the glass is a sea of bodies, their silhouettes staggered in her vision by a continuous sparkle of flashing cameras. For now, they haven’t turned towards their arrival, but Kara distantly knows that will change the moment Lena steps out of the car.
Her prediction proves true when Lena unfolds from her seat and stands just outside, completely unruffled by the cacophony of paparazzi calling for her attention. Her focus remains on Kara as she extends her hand to help Kara out of the vehicle. Kara takes her hand on autopilot, and stands on wooden legs, blinded by cameras and deafened by calls for her name.
She doesn’t hear Lena call to her through the roaring in her ears until Lena steps in front of her, momentarily eclipsing the sea of photographers. Warm hands take Kara’s with a grounding squeeze. “You okay?” Lena asks.
Kara swallows. “Um. Sorry. It’s… I didn’t expect—all this.”
Lena’s features crease with understanding. “You wanna go somewhere else?”
Shame clogs Karas cheeks. She does. But before she can decide whether to say so, Lena reaches past her to open the car door once more. “Get in,” Lena says, her voice gentle. Kara obeys without a word, and in seconds they’re pulling away from the restaurant.
“Sorry,” Kara croaks.
Lena smiles gently. “Don’t be. Most people are eager to be seen with me, they almost always expect a flashy evening. I forget that scene isn’t for everyone. I should have warned you ahead of time.” Green eyes regard her sparkling with each passing streetlight. “Is there anywhere else you have in mind?”
Kara’s thoughts flash to Chen’s, her favorite Chinese spot, but she doubted Lena would appreciate the greasy leather booths and cracked formica tables, especially not dressed as she is.
“No, not really,” she replies.
Considering, Lena nods. “Well, I know a place that’s a bit more low key. Ben?” she calls to the driver.
Without missing a beat, Ben nods. “Yes ma’am.” Kara waits for Lena to specify a destination, but the driver simply turns at the next light and heads back towards the parkway.
“Where are we going?” Kara asks shyly.
Lena gives her a kind smile. “My place,” she says forthright. “Hope that’s okay. It’s probably the only place with a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
Kara blinks, trying her best not to look as terrified as she suddenly feels. “Isn’t that a ways out?”
“Huh?” A beat of confusion crinkles Lena’s brow before the connection clicks. “Oh, no; not the manor. Much to far for daily use. I have an apartment uptown, near the wharf.”
Swallowing, Kara squirms nervously. “So Cat sending me to the manor…”
“Her idea of a good joke, I assume. On the both of us—she knows I like to relax rather… freely.” Lena’s smile turns devilish. “You caught me on a good day.”
The thought of running into Lena on a bad day catches Kara unawares. Cat’s temper is so frequent it’s lost most of its bite; Lena, on the other hand, exudes such an acute intensity that Kara could only imagine what a bad mood might look like.
“That said,” Lena continues smoothly, “I could always take you home, if you prefer.”
Kara jolts, straightening upright in alarm. “What? Why?”
Lena tilts her head coyly. “I get the sense you’re not entirely comfortable,” she says, without judgement. She holds Kara’s gaze, not allowing her to look away. “It’s all right—I won’t be offended.”
“No!” Kara blurts quickly, only to quail under Lena’s steady, knowing gaze. “I mean—okay, yes. You… make me nervous. Or rather…” Kara trails off.
Lena doesn’t let her off the hook. “Rather…?”
“I... I mean, I’ve made myself nervous… about how I feel when I’m with you.”
She watches Lena’s smile deepen, her neck reddening in an unexpected flush. “I see. Even so, if you’re uncomfortable…”
“I’m not!” Karas says quickly. “I want to be here. The paparazzi was overwhelming, but… It hasn’t run me off. And neither have you.” Kara smiles, genuinely and for the first time that night. “I want to see where this goes.”
Nodding slowly, Lena adjusts. “All right. But to keep this low pressure, let’s set our expectations now: dinner and conversation. That’s it.”
Kara feels a sudden cloud of disappointment, but nods. “I guess I’ll have to look forward to date number two, then?”
Green eyes hold Kara’s in a steady gaze. “Yes, you will.”
---
Lena’s apartment is as high up as Kara imagined, providing a stunning view of the harbor, lit by the boats parked in its waters, and of the cityscape rising beyond the opposite shore. She accepts the glass of red wine Lena offers, hardly able to tear her eyes from the window.
“It’s amazing,” Kara murmurs.
Lena gives a chagrined sigh. “It is. Unfortunately, I rarely get to enjoy it like this.”
“No?”
“A company doesn’t run itself,” she drawls. “Plus I naturally trend towards keeping myself busy.”
“Shame,” Kara comments. “If I had this view I’d never leave it. In fact,” she announces broadly, turning to gesture to the lavish apartment around them. “I don’t think I’d ever leave this room.”
“Care to explore the kitchen?” Lena offers lightly. “I didn’t plan on cooking tonight, so I can’t guarantee what’s on hand, but I’m sure that I can whip something up.”
‘Something’ turns out to be a rich buttery carbonara with fresh pasta and veggies. Conversation slows to a comfortable quiet interrupted only by the sound of their forks clinking against ceramic plates. Kara does her best to savor the meal, pacing herself to match Lena’s speed to keep herself from inhaling it as quickly as possible. She’s surprised that Lena is a good cook, among all the other areas she seems to excel in.
“You’re the total package,” Kara says with a smirk, reaching to place her empty plate on the coffee table in front of them. “Good cook… good swimmer… Fortune 500 CEO… hot….”
Lena laughs. “I’m good at sex too.”
It’s as though the meal has bolstered Kara’s confidence—she blushes, but doesn’t shrink from the topic.
“I believe you,” she declares, reclining back into the plush cushions. The sofa is surprisingly comfortable; for something so clean and expensive-looking, Kara had expected it to be hard as a rock.
Lena also relinquishes her plate to the coffee table, exchanging it for her wine glass. “I’m also an elite fencer. Or at least, I was. I try to keep my skills up, but there’s not enough time in the day to run L-Corp and train like I used to.”
“You’re also a chess master,” Kara added. When Lena lifts a dark eyebrow, Kara smirks. “I know how to google.”
“So do I,” Lena teased back. “But I wasn’t able to find much about you beyond your LinkedIn profile. So, tell me. Who is Kara Danvers?”
A warmth spread through Kara, to receive Lena’s interest. Not just in a physical sense, but on a personal level. She wants to know Kara, not just kiss her—or more.
“Kara is… a sister,” she responds, casting through her mind for interesting facts about herself—which suddenly seems an impossible task. “She’s… adopted? Uh, likes animals, and--”
“Adopted? No way,” Lena gushed. “Me too!”
“Oh, yeah!” Kara learned that as well in her googling. She tilts her head with an inviting smirk. “And how’d that work out for you?”
Lena barks a laugh, the sound sparking a wave of delight in Kara’s chest. “Oh, can’t complain, you know...”
“Same,” Kara agrees, chuckling. “I met my family when I was thirteen, and they’ve been amazing to me.”
Nodding, Lena shifts, folding one leg underneath her. Their knees touch, and Kara tries to keep her brain focused on the conversation and not the quarter-sized point of contact between them.
“I barely remember my mother,” Lena says. “And I never knew my father.” She pauses. “Well, I did, I just didn’t find out until after he died.”
“Oh?” Kara flounders a little, not quite understanding.
Realizing Kara’s confusion, Lena elaborates. “Lionel was my father all along. He just didn’t bother to tell me.” She shrugs. “I was the dirty little secret, hidden in plain sight.”
Her voice is smooth enough to feign indifference, but Kara sees a shadow in her gaze that belies a deep hurt that has yet to heal. Kara reaches out to place a hand on Lena’s knee. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s all right,” Lena says, dismissing the concern with a flippant shake of her head. “I lucked into a privileged life, regardless of who my father was.”
Kara frowns. “That doesn’t mean—”
“It’s all right,” Lena repeats, this time with a finality that tells Kara that pressing her sympathy would only serve to sour the mood. Kara sighs instead, nodding. But Lena’s hand rests on hers where it still lay on her knee, so Kara leaves it where it is. “I saw you went to college here in National City?”
Kara accepts the new topic of conversation and launches into a series of stories about her early days away from home, which then progresses back in time to her time in Midvale, and then before that in Kansas before her parents passed. She might have felt self-conscious about monopolizing the conversation, were Lena not goading her on with warm laughter and mirthful giggles alongside her enticing questions to keep her going.
She’s just finishing recounting her first experience seeing the ocean—“I grew up in the mid-west, I was not prepared for how big it was!”—when she yawns. It escapes against her will, broad and loud and completely unmistakable as anything else. Lena’s chuckles dwindles to a close, though her smile lingers.
“Sorry—” Kara started, only to have Lena wave it off.
“The apology is mine,” her host says. Lena’s voice is low, an alluring counterpoint to the glow in her eyes. “It’s late; I’ve kept you here far too long.”
“It’s not la-la-late,” Kara yawns again in spite of herself.
Lena chuckles, shaking her head. Her hair has long been left to flow over her shoulders, and now catches the light with glints of mahogany in its strands. “And before you protest further, I’ll remind you that only one of us answers to Cat in the morning.”
Kara grimaces at the thought. “Touche.”
She stands when Lena unfolds herself from the couch, hugging herself around the middle to keep herself from drawing Lena into her. “For what, her mind has plenty of ideas, but none of them honoring the spirit of ‘dinner and conversation’.
“Thank you. Tonight was… tonight was great.”
“I agree,” Lena returns, her tone genuine. “And you had the right idea, I think—this was far better than what Paca’s would have been.” She strode on long legs towards the door, gathering Kara’s purse and jacket on the way. “I hope we can do this again sometime soon.”
Kara accepts her belongings when Lena chivalrously offers them, but perks up at Lena’s unspoken invitation. “Tomorrow?” she quips.
Lena’s response in a bark of surprised laughter, which makes Kara blush only a little.
“I’m kidding,” she demurs, only to meet Lena’s eye with puckish anticipation. “Unless?”
Lena’s features soften into another apology, quashing Kara’s hopes. “I leave for Tokyo tomorrow afternoon. I’m afraid I won’t be back until Sunday.”
Doing her best to remain playfully undeterred, Kara shrugged. “Well, if you need a ride….”
Another grin answers her, promising Kara that any further car rides would run the risk of ending far less chastely than tonight. “I’ll keep you in mind.”
“Please do.”
They gaze at each other for a long while, until the silence eventually urges Kara to take her leave. “I should go.”
“Ben will take you home,” Lena tells her softly. Before Kara can squawk in indignation on his behalf, she’s swiftly reassured. “He’s extremely well-compensated, and he reassured me that watching the game with the doorman would be better than watching alone at home.”
Assuaged, Kara nods, then pauses. “What game?”
Lena shrugs. “Haven’t a clue.”
They both burst into laughter, nearly giddy with mutual exhaustion. When Kara has barely caught her breath, it evaporates in her lungs when Lena leans in and presses a warm kiss to the corner of Kara’s mouth.
“Good night, Kara.”
See you soon, it promises.
“Good night.”
I’ll be waiting.
