Disclaimer: Supergirl belongs to DC, the series are joint effort with Warner Bros.
AN: first collab work done with Jestering1.
A Drunken Something
Conflict
Kara's eyes flickered towards the elevator and watched as the doors opened. Her heart slammed against her chest as she watched Cat, waltzing through, appearing to the world as immaculate as ever. She looked as if last night had never happened. Nothing about her seemed out of place, the only way you could tell she might have a hangover was the fact that she still had her sunglasses on and grimaced slightly at the sound of typing and phones ringing.
The hero watched as Cat walked up to her and without thinking, she bolted to her feet and gave her boss an awkward smile and the peace offering known as coffee. The media mogul raised an eyebrow but, thankfully, didn't question the action.
"Kiera, I need you to put my calls on hold for the time being, and get me some ibuprofen, and be quick about it." Cat demanded as she walked into her office, not bothering to acknowledge the coffee, since she already had a mug. When all Kara did was point to her desk, she stared, there already was a tumbler with water, and her usual tray with the pills she needed. "Well, isn't this awfully observant...
"Clearly, you've had something for your hangover," it sounded almost like a demand. "You should share that information, Kiera."
Her boss sat down, took her shoes off, placed her feet on the desk as she took the pill and drank the entire glass in one gulp. When Cat moaned in relief, Kara gritted her teeth and her neck grew hot as a flashback from last night enter her mind.
Cat, strewn out amongst the sheets, panting, same moan escaping her lips breathlessly as her body slowly relaxed back after experiencing a world of pleasure. A world only Kara could show her. The alien shook her head and forced herself to come back to reality. Apparently, it took her longer than expected.
"Kiera?" Cat growled, a hint of worry was beginning to creep into her voice, "hello? Earth to Kara?" The Kryptonian blinked once and looked at her boss. She gave the older woman another awkward smile and clasped her hands behind her back. Perhaps it was the use of her name. "Apparently whatever hangover cure you have, isn't that effective." She muttered. "If you need some pills, go ahead."
"Oh no, I'm okay, it'll pass," Kara said in an effort of diverting the conversation. Cat narrowed her eyes, looking Kara up and down, as if she were trying to find something wrong with the younger woman. The hero blushed at the looked away, then closed her eyes at her own weird behavior. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" She blushed further at the innuendo; just when she was trying to get her feelings under control, her face gives her away.
"No... I'm good, for now . I'll call for you if I need you." Cat muttered.
Kara fervently nodded her head and left the confines of the glass fishbowl as fast as she could. The younger woman groaned and placed her head on her desk. Why did she have to act that way? Either Cat didn't remember what happened last night, or she was actively ignoring it. Either way, Kara needed to get a grip, otherwise her coworkers were going to start noticing her strange behavior. It was enough that she was being weird with their boss, she didn't need anyone else noticing.
"So Kara, is everything ok?" The voice surprised her.
"Winn!" She jumped and he immediately rolled back.
"Woah, I didn't think anyone could sneak up on a," he stopped then whispered, "on an alien with super hearing."
"Winn, not now," she requested harshly, turning to look into the office, and feeling herself blushing all over again. "Please, just, not now."
"Okay, okay," Winn answered, giving her distance.
Of course, Cat had noticed, she was watching Kara like prey. She made a motion of the phones, while she took out her mobile and began walking out towards the balcony. Kara winced; it had to be further talks about the divorce. The conversation of the the topic at hand had been going on for months already, and they were now heading into the final stages. Kara knew the divorce was hard on Cat, something the media mogul was trying to keep under wraps and actively stopping the press from blasting it all over the front pages. Without thinking, Kara focused in on the conversation, hoping to figure out a way to ease Cat's fears. It was all part of being an ideal assistant, was it not?
"Did you have fun last night? I'm assuming Kara kept you safe and well within your limits." Daniel stated. Cat let out an awkward chuckle and leaned against the railing, looking up towards the sky.
Kara clenched her fists as her mind flashed back to last night. She remembered Cat in that exact position, her body arching off the mattress while one hand was tightened around the sheets and the other was dug into Kara's shoulder, as if she was the only thing keeping her on Earth.
"You could say that. Though I'll have to remind Kara to never bring me back to that bar. Their drinks... are really something else." Cat mumbled. The alien could hear Daniel chuckle on the other end of the line and let out a sigh.
"So, what's going on?" Daniel queried, "You normally don't call me while you're at work. If it's about Carter, I made sure to get him to school on time."
"He texted me, he's already there." Cat eased that possible line of worry and concern.
Silence permeated the air for a few moments, as if he knew she were thinking carefully about what she was going to say next. Finally, she spoke, but something was different. Panic filled her voice and it shook ever so slightly as she began talking.
"No... It's about the divorce... I don't think we should go through with it." Cat whispered.
Kara swallowed hard, her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. She had to remember last night and was having doubts about the divorce. Kara had no idea what to do with such thoughts, her emotions went into an overdrive turmoil and made her sweat cold, something she had never thought possible with her alien physiology. Like getting drunk. She immediately thought about M'gann and getting the information out of her.
As she focused back on the conversation at hand, it was clear that Daniel was surprised by this sudden change in heart as he made a sound of disbelief. Kara felt relating to the man and sympathizing with him to a degree, until she remembered that he was a likely source for her relation with Cat to not go further. Oh, that inner turmoil seemed to pick up wind.
"What? Cat, we've talked about this for the last couple of months. I've found the one that I'm meant to be with. We tried to make this work and failed —miserably , by the way; what else is there to stop us from separating romantically?" Daniel asked.
Kara slid back in her chair and found the M&M's she had stashed away in her desk. She went into the office and poured them in a glass tumbler, slowly approached the balcony door. She took one deep breath before opening them.
Upon hearing the door open, the panic in Cat's voice disappeared and she turned to see who exactly was interrupting on her very private phone call. When she realized it was just Kara, though relieved, she still glared at the Kryptonian, making Kara falter and almost trip on her way over to her boss.
"I — I'm sorry Miss Grant. I just remembered that your M&M's were running low and I thought I'd refill them for you. Not to mention, y — you normally eat them when you're out, on the balcony." Kara stuttered.
She grabbed the glass in Kara's hand before shooing her away with a wave. There was a discreet glance at the M&M's bowl, with Kara following along, and they both noticed it was still almost full. Cat didn't spare Kara a second glance, even though wide blue eyes were obviously following her. Trying to suppress any further stupidity, Kara quickly left.
The younger woman plopped back into her chair and gently slammed her head on her hands, grumbling to herself. Why hadn't she thought of something smarter to say or do? Though she kept having explicit flashbacks to her one night stand with her boss, clearly even a superhuman would stumble over their actions. It was a scary thought, that a single woman could make her feel so ... human .
"Daniel, I just... I don't want to. I'm having second thoughts about this divorce. Not to mention, Kara is acting weird." Cat stated. The panic and vulnerability was back in her voice. "Maybe this is too much, too soon."
"Why does it matter if Kara's acting weird? How does that affect our divorce?" Daniel questioned, outrage evident.
Cat let out a frustrated sigh and threw a couple M&M's in her mouth before responding. "Because, Daniel, Kara helps me with everything; she helps me run my life, public, private and corporate as well as keeping me on track. Her acting weird causes everything to shift out of balance. And... something happened last night that is making me reconsider our divorce." Cat murmured that last part.
Kara froze in place, felt as though her heart was pierced by millions of kryptonite shards, mind scattering all over the place. Cat sounded scared, desperate even, to keep something in her life the same, something steady and unchanging.
"What happened?" Daniel inquired, concern clear in his voice. Cat growled and repositioned herself on the balcony. She was looking over the railing now, her free hand running through her hair. "Cat, you can either tell me now, or I'll figure it out tonight as I question you without you knowing during our casual Carter dinners."
"I hate you," she whispered vehemently.
"Because you know it's true," and when she sighed, she admitted to it. "Come on Cat, we're still best friends, aren't we?"
Kara bit the inside of her mouth as another moment popped to the forefront of her mind. The two of them, drunkenly laughing as they found their way through Cat's penthouse. Once they finally reached the bedroom, Kara tangled her hands in Cat's hair, pulling the media mogul in for a deep and desperate kiss.
The hero took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to ignore the pain she was in. She could drown in her feelings later, for now, she had to act like the Sunny Kara Danvers that Cat knew so well; that Cat clearly needed .
"Well, if you must know, I spent the night with a woman yesterday." Cat answered. Daniel wolf whistled and then laughed, relishing in his victory. "Don't laugh!"
"And what's so wrong with that? You've said it yourself that there's nothing wrong with love," he reasoned back at her, almost using her own words, and Kara and Cat both knew that. "Be it a man with another man or a woman with another woman, in the end isn't that just love ?
"Clearly, that can't be what's bothering you," he said, sounding so smug Cat could choke him and Kara would lazer-eyed him if he was there.
"No, I mean, it's fine with others, I just never saw myself in that position," Cat groused, muttering mostly to herself but knowing she would be heard, "I mean, I've been with you, right?"
"Doesn't mean you aren't into women, Cat. You're right, you have been with me, meaning you haven't gotten to explore that side of yourself." Daniel offered. The media mogul let out a huff and ate another handful of M&M's. "Or have you?"
"I was in college, Daniel," she snapped, but his laughter only annoyed her further. "I am not a stranger to such experiences. It's the reason for my outlook in such matters."
"Ah, the great Cat Grant, well-versed in world experiences," she vocalized her annoyance, but he clearly ignored it. "So, what is it? It's clearly not gender, what else can there be?"
"Well, for starters, she's younger! She has her whole life ahead of her to be wasting it with someone so, so ..."
"Jaded?" She grunted at his offered word. "Pessimist? If you actually aimed for old , I swear I'll hit the back of your head when we meet again." He threatened seriously.
"Ugh, look, Daniel, I'm like a mentor to her, and I just took advantage of that position." Cat said with frustration.
"Cat..." His concern was palpable.
"No, Daniel, it's just... you don't know her, not like I do," she whispered.
"Oh Kitten, you're afraid." He realized, and Kara growled from her seat at the intimate nickname, not noticing the many looks she received; luckily she was facing her monitor and they figured something was malfunctioning.
"Of course I am!" Cat hissed in reply; Kara felt something constricting her heart, because Cat Grant had something special with that man if she was capable of admitting that . "I'm terrified."
"Look, Cat, I'm sure she loves you." Daniel's certainty was scary, specially for Kara as her heart sped up at his words.
"What?" She whispered, demanding for her soon to be ex-husband to clarify and elaborate on his words.
"Cat, even a blind man can see how much you mean to her." He was clearly rolling his eyes. "I mean, Carter talked to me about it —"
" What !?" Cat's outburst and outrage was heard by most of the floor.
"— and I'm ready to admit it." He began with a sigh. "I met Carrie during the divorce settlement, early stages."
"Wait, what?" Now Cat was incredibly confused, and she wasn't the only one.
"The main reason why I filed for it, was because I knew she could make you happy, if you let her.
Look, even if she's your assistant," and at that, Cat gasped in understanding, while Kara had what could be seen as a panic attack; the office began to worry at that, "it's your company, Cat. If there's anything that states about 'dipping in company ink', you can change it."
"Daniel —" She tried to say something, but for the first time she had nothing.
"She loves you. And you her. Now get your head out your ass, and do something about it! She can hold your hand, I bet you'd like that." He said before laughing and disconnecting the call.
Without knowing how, Kara was outside, petrified, and with deer-in-headlights eyes. Cat looked up and met her look with one equally similar, and the alien could tell that something finally connected for her boss. She had that look of finally tying all loose ends of a particularly extenuating story, and the fear she had felt at Daniel's words couldn't even come remotely close to what she was feeling now by being directed such a look.
Cat's eyes narrowed at the younger woman, her fear and shock being hidden behind a well composed wall of confidence. She raised a hand and motioned with her finger for Kara to come to her balcony. The alien swallowed hard and slowly crossed the threshold, feeling she was facing slaughter as the door closed. Her heart hammered hard against her chest as she walked away from prying eyes and onto the balcony, and she could feel the media mogul's eyes on her the entire way.
"Y — yes Miss Grant?" Kara inquired. Cat's gaze was unrelenting and it made the hero want to shrink into a corner somewhere and hide.
"I'm guessing you already know everything that went on with that conversation?" The media mogul asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Kara looked at her, flabbergasted, doing her best to look surprised.
"I don't — I don't know what you're talking about Miss Grant." Cat rolled her eyes at the younger woman's excuse and took a step closer to her assistant. Kara tried taking a step back, but the door prevented her such freedom. "Surely you know just as well as I do that I wouldn't be able to hear your phone call out here."
"I highly doubt that." The media mogul murmured. With careful precision, the older woman began gliding into Kara's personal space to the point that they were now only a few inches apart.
Kara sucked in a breath, her eyes flickered between Cat's lips and her eyes in rapid succession. Thankfully, Cat wouldn't be capable of hearing just how hard her heart was slamming against her rib cage. Problem was, she couldn't hear Cat's over her own.
"Uh... Miss Grant, wha — what are you doing?" Kara stutterd. Within two smooth moves, Kara's glasses were slipped off her face and her hairdo completely undone with one, single, swift finger. In the end, she barely managed to whisper, "Miss Grant?"
"Proving my suspicions... Supergirl ." She whispered the last word to Kara's ear, earning a shudder. The younger woman froze, her eyes locked with Cat's.
"Not this again. Cat... You've seen both Supergirl and I in the same room together, I can't possibly be her." The hero explained, becoming more and more flustered as she tried to reason with the media mogul. "I thought we'd settled this."
Cat raised an eyebrow, and stepped back, her hand finding the railing with ease. "Well then, I hope she's nearby for this." Cat leaned against the railings, sitting on it, and as if she was going scuba diving, allowed herself to fall over.
Without a second thought, Kara hurled herself over the railing, her eyes immediately drawn to Cat. She sped towards the media mogul, instinct taking over. She swooped down, her arms curling around the older woman's slender frame and embracing her softly as she prevented them from plummeting any further and cushioned Cat from the fast descent. Equally slowly, she pulled them back up towards the balcony, fear evident in Kara's eyes.
"Cat, don't you ever — ever — try something like that again!" She demanded with panic. Cat stayed silent, instead opting for the buttons on Kara's shirt, slowly revealing her suit underneath and tracing the 'S' on her chest, yet her eyes never strayed from Kara's own. As her fear began to dissipate, anger took its place. "All of this to prove a point, Cat? What the hell were you thinking!? You have Carter relying on you and... and Daniel needs you — I need you. How could you be so selfish?"
"Me? Selfish!? Says the caped crusader using both of your identities to seduce me!" Cat shouted and demanded at the same time. Kara growled and gently set Cat down on the balcony, making sure the older woman was steady before letting go of her. "It wasn't enough that we spent all day together, you sought for more!? Everything feels like a fucking mess ever since you appeared, and you've reinforced this fact by not accepting any of my promotions since your hero identity came along!
"I've tried my hardest to give you space, give you time, but it seems you were only ever seeking one particular ending!" She cried out in outrage, making Kara's heart constrict.
"I would never try to do that to you! You know I'm not that kind of person!" Kara shot back while she buttoned her shirt back up to make sure her suit was hidden again. Cat folded her arms and glared at the Kryptonian. "You know me Cat, you're the only one who has ever known both sides of me."
"Then what do you call last night?" Cat pointed out. Kara was too angry and hurt to get flustered about all the memories of last night going to the forefront of her mind. She couldn't believe the older woman would accuse her of such things. "If that wasn't a seduction, I don't know what it was."
"I was drunk, Cat! And worried about you !" Kara argued and pointed at the media mogul for added effect, "I wanted to make sure you got home safe..." The hero looked down for a moment before looking the older woman in the eyes. "I care about you." She whispered the last sentence, as if a part of her was still afraid to admit her feelings towards Cat, despite what had happened last night and today. A single tear ran down her cheek just as her arms folded over herself, clear posture of trying to protect oneself. "I truly do."
However, this only seemed to enrage Cat further. The older woman narrowed her eyes at the hero, her glare becoming increasingly hostile as time went on. "So what? Last night was just some drunken mistake?" Cat snarled. "Made a bet with your hobbit friend and James, is that it?"
Kara's eyes widened and quickly shook her head. Last night had been anything but a mistake. "No! It wasn't a mistake! It was a drunken something , but it was nowhere near a mistake." Kara amended. Slowly Cat's tense posture seemed to soften, but the hero could still tell that the media mogul was being cautious, still keeping Kara at an arm's length in case anything happened. "Honestly, even if it never happens again, I'm just glad I got to experience it once, even if I wish neither of us had been drunk. I'm certain that you'll never find a partner like me..."
Just as Cat was about to speak again, the whole building rocked and plumes of smoke began to rise out of a nearby building. Not a moment later did Kara hear Alex's voice in her ear.
"Kara, we need you, it looks like someone has set off bombs all over the city. We're still in the process of figuring out who, but for now stopping any fires and saving civilians is our first priority." Alex chimed in. Everything inside the Kryptonian was screaming for her to spring into action, but instead, she hesitated and gave Cat a desperate look.
"Go. Go be Supergirl." Cat relented. Kara nodded, but stayed still for just a moment longer.
"We'll talk about this when I get back. Please." The younger woman pleaded. Finally, the older woman slowly nodded and moved towards the alien.
"Later tonight." Cat agreed. Still hesitating, since Cat had extended her hand and had initiated contact. "As an incentive," and Cat kissed her, but just as quickly, it ended and Kara groaned.
That was all Kara needed, and without a second to spare she changed into her suit and sped towards the nearest building, forcing herself to think about the civilians in need of saving rather than what had just happened and what might happen.
AN: Next chapter coming in a week!