Disclaimer: I don't own Supergirl. This is fanfiction.
Never let it be said that Lucy was a good drunk.
Good in the sense that it wasn't bad.
No, Lucy was a bad drunk who couldn't hold her liquor and made outrageously poor choices—like standing in front of Kara's apartment at one in the morning in the middle of the work week.
"Kara! Answer the door!" she yelled after a series of loud knocks. "Kara! I know you're in there!"
She didn't but if Kara was there and ignoring her, then a remark like that may convince her to answer. Yes, Lucy's brand of drunk logic veered on the paranoid side.
"Kara, please answer!" She knocked a few more times and just as she was about to leave and make herself a damsel in distress, since it appeared Kara was more opened to responding as her alter ego, the door cracked opened.
Judging by her rumpled pajamas and lopsided glasses, Kara must have just gotten up. The blonde blinked blearily at her. "Lucy, what happened? Why are you here?"
Her anger came rushing back. "Because—because you're a liar!"
Kara did a double take. "What?"
"You have been lying to me the entire time! You and James and Winn!" She tried to jab a finger in her direction for emphasis but lost her balance, falling against the doorway clumsily.
Kara wrinkled her nose. "Are you drunk?"
"No."
Kara raised her eyebrow.
"Maybe."
"Do you want me to call James for you?" she asked, reaching a hand out.
Lucy shook her away and glared at her. "No. Why? We're not together anymore."
"Oh..."
"I broke up with him so that you and he could have a chance."
Okay, maybe that was unnecessary because Kara was now gaping like a fish.
"There is nothing going on between James and I," she sputtered, voice high and face going pink. "We're just friends!"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "I know you like him, and I admit I'm jealous but I'm mostly mad at James for restarting a relationship he clearly had one foot out of!" She kicked at the hallway wall. "I thought he'd changed!"
"I'm sorry," Kara said softly.
Lucy glanced at her, noting the genuine sorrow in her eyes and the huddled shoulders. It was distressful and doleful at the same time, and neither suited Supergirl's persona.
"I know you're Supergirl."
"What?!" Kara blanched.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "I said I know you're Supergirl."
She forced a laugh. "I'm not—you have the wrong idea. I'm not Supergirl. What makes you think that?"
Lucy crossed her arms. "I'm not stupid, Kara. I know what I know and that's why I'm here, drunk and yelling in your face because I can't believe it took me so long to figure out!"
"It's the alcohol talking," Kara muttered, nervously tucking in a stray hair from her face.
"Kara, are you kidding me?" she yelled. "You're still going to stand there and lie to me? After you saved me earlier? I know it was you. Everything just clicked together! So don't you dare take me for a fool!"
Kara looked up and down the hallway. "Would you be quiet?" she shushed. "I'm not who you think I am and you're clearly not thinking straight. Let me call you a cab, okay? It's late and we both have work in the morning…"
Lucy wasn't going to have any of that. She reached for Kara's glasses but the girl pushed her away. Lucy reached with her other hand to pull the tie out of Kara's hair, which prompted a weird struggle as Lucy attempted to peel her disguise away and Kara keeping her at arm's length.
The struggle was anything but quiet.
"Kara, dear, is everything alright?"
Both ladies froze. Kara's elderly neighbor had stepped out from next door, looking quite worried.
"Mrs. Hampstead! Good evening!" Kara beamed, losing her balance slightly as Lucy continued to pull at her hair tie. "I'm sorry about the disturbance. My friend here is a little drunk and I'm trying to get her to settle down."
"Kara, it's the middle of the night. It's hardly time to have visitors over. What would your sister say?" the old lady chided.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hampstead," she apologized, face red as the lady shook her head and went back inside. "Lucy, get off! It looks like you're trying to molest me!"
"Say you're Supergirl and I'll stop," she slurred.
"God, you're drunk and crazy!"
"Say it or I'll start screaming."
"Lucy, you're being ridiculous!"
"SUPERGIRL!"
Kara clamped a hand over Lucy's mouth. "Okay, okay! I'm Supergirl. Now please, be quiet!" she whispered loudly.
She looked frantically down the hallway again, afraid the screams would have woken the entire floor. When Lucy had quieted, Kara released her grip. She herded her inside and closed her front door.
"Happy now?" Kara asked angrily.
"No," Lucy whined, and puked over the floor.
Lucy was startled awake by the sound of a slamming door. Just as quickly, she was hit with the mother of all hangovers and the stark realization that she had confronted Kara in said inebriated state and had ultimately made a big dunce of herself.
She mentally grumbled and ran her hands over her weary face. She squinted at the wall clock—it was just past seven. She pressed her head against the pillow in agony. She did not want to get up. She lifted her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was lying on the couch in front of the television, under a thick blanket. At the foot of the couch was a bucket, which brought on the memory of puking over Kara's floor. Embarrassment stirred up and Lucy was suddenly apprehensive to face her. Maybe if she feigned sleep long enough, Kara would leave for work and then she could make her escape.
Unfortunately, it seemed Kara was arguing with someone and Lucy vaguely remembered that it was the sound of a door that pulled her from her sleep.
"Kara, you're unbelievable," a woman whispered sharply.
"Why are you making it sound like my fault?" Kara whispered back, just as furiously.
The woman huffed. "Are you kidding me? You could learn a thing or two from your cousin. You're hardly subtle."
"I can be subtle," Kara scoffed.
"You have to be more careful! Two weeks ago, it was the owner of the Chinese restaurant! She caught you changing in the back by the dumpsters!"
"I told you we were golden! She won't tell!"
There was a long suffering sigh. "She won't because you're her best customer… and because you let her take an Instagram photo with you as Supergirl, hashtag best pot stickers in the city!"
"Hey, Mrs. Li is a nice lady and so is Lucy. We just have to talk to her."
"Talking doesn't fix everything. Her father is General Lane. Remember him? Hates aliens? Even your pathetic puppy eyes and sad pout wouldn't work on him."
"Then we'll call James. He's Superman's biggest fan and she was going to marry him. That has to mean something."
"Was being the key word," deadpanned the woman.
"It won't hurt to call him anyway."
Lucy decided to put a stop to it right then and there—the last thing she needed was James learning about this drunken mishap.
"Please don't," she said hoarsely. She cleared her throat as the two abruptly ceased their conversation.
"Lucy… you're awake," Kara stated, sounding entirely too chipper for what was about to transpire.
Lucy sat up on the couch, hoping dreadfully that her hair wasn't as messy as it felt, nor was her make up smudged. She caught sight of the other woman and felt her stomach drop. "Oh, you're the agent from the DEO."
The agent only raised an eyebrow in response.
Right. Of course. "You're the sister. Alex."
Kara had countless praises for this woman but the last thing Lucy felt for her was awe. She was surely here to take care of business and Lucy was a loose end.
Kara smiled edgily. "How are you feeling?"
Lucy winced. "I've been better."
Awkward silence.
"Would you like something to eat? Drink? I'm sure I have some painkillers somewhere…" Kara wringed her hands, suddenly looking like she forgot something.
Alex rolled her eyes and pulled a tablet bottle from her purse.
"Right," Kara said as she took the bottle and placed it on the coffee table before Lucy. "I never needed any so I don't have any here."
"Kara!" Alex growled.
"What?!"
"This is exactly the kind of behavior I'm talking about. Don't make it so obvious!"
"I'm not!"
Alex sighed, stopping before Lucy with a stern glare in place. "Okay, let's stop beating around the bush. You know. We know you know. How did you find out?"
"That Kara is Supergirl?" This felt oddly like an interrogation but she wasn't sure Kara was playing good cop correctly by bringing over a plate of toast and a cup of coffee.
"There was an accident at the railway yesterday. She caught me as I was falling off the platform… and I just knew."
Alex glowered. "You just knew?"
"I mean, I never got a good look at Supergirl before and when I did, I just knew." She took a tentative bite of toast as Alex directed a calculating glare on her. "It was familiar. Not just her face or the way she spoke but it was like one of her hugs and the way she smelled."
Lucy held up the pillow she had been sleeping on. "Like this."
Alex did not look inclined to sniff the pillow so Lucy put it back down. She went back to her toast, focusing extra hard on chewing.
Alex turned to Kara. "I guess you have to stop hugging people and change your perfume every once in a while," she said finally.
"Ha, ha, funny," Kara replied, crossing her arms.
Alex pushed aside Lucy's plate and sat on the coffee table, leveling Lucy with a look that would make a grown man wet himself. "What do you plan to do now that you know who Supergirl is?"
Lucy straightened her back and met her gaze with an equally stoic one. "If you want to know whether or not Kara's secret is safe with me, then yes it is. I won't tell anyone. Kara is my friend," she smiled apologetically at Kara who grinned back at her, "and so are James and Winn."
"What about your father? If I recall correctly, you were quite against aliens doing as they pleased on our planet."
"Don't mistake my father's intentions for my own, Agent Danvers. If I had wanted to compromise Kara, don't you think I would have done it already? Why come here smelling like a distillery and making a huge imbecile of myself?"
Alex narrowed her eyes. "Fair point," she ceded, rising to her feet.
Kara sagged with relief.
"It doesn't mean I won't have eyes on you," Alex forewarned. "I have the resources to make your life a literal living hell."
"Alex!" Kara screeched. She turned to Lucy. "She doesn't mean that."
"Yes, I do!" Alex called over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen. "I'll be right back; I have to make a few calls. Have to make sure Hank calls off the cavalry."
"Alex!" she screeched again but was only met with the sound of the front door. She sat on the couch, making sure to put a few inches of space between them. "I'm really sorry about Alex."
Lucy smiled weakly as she downed two pills. "It's fine, Kara. She's just looking out for you. It's more than what my sister does for me now."
"I'm sure that's not true."
Lucy sighed. "Our relationship is rough. We were close when we were young but when our mom passed away, everything changed. She and Dad never saw eye to eye, still don't actually, and I've always been in the middle. I try my best to please him but I always feel like I come up short. Lois had always been better at everything. I've always been jealous of her."
"Well, I think you're pretty amazing. You're right up there with Alex and Miss Grant of people I aspire to be."
Lucy's face warmed. "That's um, very flattering. And sweet. I still can't believe you go around fighting bad guys. I can hardly imagine you throwing a punch."
Kara frowned. "Is it because I'm too nice and cheery? People always say that."
"Never," Lucy laughed. "If anything, I think you're too brave. To handle Cat Grant all day long and wear superhero spandex for all the public to see."
"Cat's not so bad and what's wrong with my suit? Is it lame? Does it look bad or something?"
"On the contrary, it looks very good," Lucy swallowed, "but why a skirt? It can't be comfortable flying around in that. Aren't you worried people can see up it?"
"Not really. I wear boy shorts underneath. It's not like I fly around commando."
Ah, okay. "That's good to know." Lucy kicked at the bucket at her feet. "I want to apologize for last night and for the mess. I'm not taking the break-up too well and things have been strained between my father and I. Learning that you were Supergirl kind of pushed me over the edge."
"Lucy… are you sure you're fine with me being Supergirl? You don't have to pretend to be friends with me if you don't want to. Alex isn't going to try anything. I won't let her."
Lucy met her gaze, wondering idly why Kara would wear glasses in her own home when she didn't need them. "Just tell me. Is Kara the real you? The one at work, the one I eat lunch with and have game nights with?"
"Yes. Lucy, I'm not pretending to be somebody I'm not." She gestured toward herself. "This is barely a disguise. I have a life outside of wearing the cape."
"If we're going to be friends, I want us to be honest with each other. That means you, James, and Winn have to stop making lame excuses whenever you have to go save the world."
Kara nodded.
"That also means I have to get this off my chest. When I found out you were Supergirl, it really stung. It meant James hadn't let go of his obsession with Super… people, and was one foot out of our relationship from the start. It meant my boyfriend, you, and Winn—my first friends in National City—have been lying to me. Albeit unintentionally," she added when she caught the look on Kara's face. "It bothered me. I know you have your reasons. I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just trying to get you to see things from my view. I've been under a lot of stress and you're—you're just so perfect! Even as Kara!"
She looked troubled. "You're jealous of me?"
"Yes," Lucy admitted. "But I do consider our friendship important and I want us to be able to move past this. It's going to take some time for me to get used to the idea that you're Supergirl but I think I'm going to be okay with this. I'm going to be okay."
Kara smiled. "Is it alright if I hug you?"
"Come here," Lucy said, opening her arms. Kara wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I hope I don't smell too bad," Lucy muttered.
Kara shook her head. "You miraculously missed yourself when you barfed."
Lucy pulled back. "Did I get any on you?"
"Well…"
Lucy groaned. "You have to let me buy you lunch later. For like the rest of the month."
"I don't know, your pockets might feel a little light. I have a large appetite," Kara jested. "But are you sure going to work is a good idea? You're welcome to stay here until you feel better."
"I have a lot of work to catch up on. Besides, I have my own office. I can have my assistant field off anything that doesn't need my immediate attention."
Kara pouted. "Lucky."
Lucy couldn't help but feel a little smug. "I'm sure you'll have your own office one day."
"I don't know. I like working for Miss Grant."
Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "You're kind of amazing."
"Miss Grant really isn't so bad! Everyone's always asking me about my secret weapon; it's weird!"
"If only they knew!" Lucy laughed. She looked down at her wrinkled clothes. "Hey, is it alright if I use your shower? Your apartment is closer to CatCo and I'm not sure if I have time to run back to my place."
"Of course! Whatever you need, you're the guest."
"Oh, and could you not tell the boys about this?" Lucy grimaced and shook her head. "I mean, you could tell them that I know you're Supergirl but leave out the drunk and crazy part?"
Kara pushed her glasses up with a finger and chuckled. "Just that? I thought you were going to ask me something hard."
Before Lucy could reply, the front door opened and Alex came back in looking perturbed. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head, observing the two occupants curiously.
"Kara, is there a reason why Mrs. Hampstead is asking whether or not your nighttime visitor is your girlfriend?" she asked. She sounded decidedly amused, which was quite something for Lucy. She didn't think the agent possessed a sense of humor at all. She certainly didn't crack a smile when Lucy was at the DEO.
"Girlfriend?" Kara stammered, cheeks going pink. "Why would she ask that?"
Alex raised both eyebrows, mirth lining her mouth. "She said there were funny noises coming from your apartment."
"Oh, no…" Kara covered her mouth with her hand, clearly thinking back to last night.
Alex leaned on the counter none too casually. "Is there something I should know about?"
"No!" Kara denied. "And I'm not playing this with you right now. I have to get to work!" She strutted into her bathroom and slammed the door.
Alex sighed. "Fine, don't let me have my fun."
Lucy tried to melt into the couch but her luck wasn't having any of it.
Alex honed in her, half serious, half intent on making her life miserable. "So… is there something going on between you and my sister? Do I have to pull out my gun and give you the speech?"
"ALEX, YOU BETTER NOT OR SO HELP ME I WILL FLY YOU OUT AND LEAVE YOU STRANDED!" Kara screeched from her room.
"HEY, MRS. HAMPSTEAD SAID SHE WAS ALL OVER YOU LAST NIGHT SO EXCUSE ME IF I FEEL OBLIGATED TO CARRY OUT MY SISTERLY DUTIES!" Alex shouted back.
Lucy groaned into her hands. She was never going to drink again.
Alex offered to drive them to work, something Lucy was eternally grateful for even if the older Danvers neglected to stop giving her a hard time, and by the time lunch rolled around, she was feeling marginally better.
And as a woman of her word, she proceeded to make her way up to Kara's floor to take her out to lunch.
Only Kara wasn't there.
After meandering around Kara's desk for a minute, she tapped Winn on the shoulder. He jumped.
"Kara went to pick up your chicken salad!"
"What?"
He smoothed his hair back and chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I thought you were Miss Grant."
"I take it Kara is unavailable? Should I even bother to wait?"
"Um." He peered over her form to check up on Miss Grant, who was completely absorbed in her paperwork.
Lucy stepped into his line of sight. "Earth to Winn. I told Kara I was meeting her for lunch."
"Oh, right. Kara said you know now." He held out his arms. "Welcome to the Super Friends club. And about Kara… it's hard to tell with these things, you know. She could be back right this second or maybe a half hour from now…" He shrugged as if that was an adequate answer.
"Alright, tell her to text me when she gets back."
"Assuming Miss Grant doesn't throw more things onto her lap when she does."
"Sure, sure." Lucy waved off and headed for the elevators. To her dismay, the doors opened up to reveal James.
"Lucy, hi!" he greeted uncertainly.
"Hey."
They stood there for an awkward moment.
"Kara told me that you know," he started, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. "I'm glad you're taking it well."
"Right, the secret you have been keeping," she confirmed bluntly.
He took a deep breath. "I wanted to tell you, I really did, but it wasn't mine to tell. I wanted to get Kara's permission before I said anything and you can imagine how sensitive it is for her. Her identity has been compromised before."
"I understand James, but I'm not mad about that. What I can't let go is that you chose to get back together with me when you knew you couldn't give it your all."
He nodded. "I'm sorry."
She sighed. "I'm sorry, too," she said, looking down at her shoes. "I've been trying to make us work and I think I pushed too hard. We had something special once and we lost it. I thought maybe we could get it back in a new setting—new city, new jobs, new friends.
"I think we were both hard on ourselves."
"Yeah."
"Perhaps we're better off as friends," he offered tentatively, a genuine smile in place.
Lucy felt the corners of her mouth lift. "Alright. Friends."
They exchanged bittersweet glances and parted ways, Lucy down the elevator and James to his office.
Lucy didn't see Kara again until the end of the day, during a meeting with Miss Grant and a few other employees.
It was decidedly strange. Miss Grant would not stop staring at her or Kara. Did she know about Supergirl's identity as well?
Lucy tried her best not to squirm or check her pocket mirror for any errs in her appearance, knowing full well that she looked fine. She made it a habit to duck into the bathroom right before every meeting with the CEO—one never knew when or how she was going to strike after all.
Kara on the other hand, didn't seem to deal with the peculiar attention well. She sat stiff as a board, impeccable posture looking quite painful this time around, with a cautious smile on her face. When she was not taking notes, she kept fiddling with her glasses, a nervous habit that Lucy was sure everyone had come to associate Kara with, and was beginning to make it a point to not meet her boss in the eye.
Lucy was sorely reminded why it irritated her that she hadn't seen through her disguise from the start. Kara was not a very good liar or very good at faking her way out of any stressful situation. Lucy could tell Kara was glancing at her periodically, most likely for help or support, but under Cat's watchful eyes, Lucy refused to add fuel to the fire.
Thankfully, the meeting did not run long. Everyone was eager to clock out, especially in light of the recent train problems, the very same one Lucy bore witness to a day prior. She gathered her papers quickly and was nearly out of the conference room when Miss Grant stopped her.
"Miss Lane, a word?"
Lucy put on her best smile, the same one she used to charm her father when she really wanted to do something but he was rather against it.
"Yes, Miss Grant?" she asked as soon as everyone but Kara had exited. She could practically feel Kara buzzing with uneasy energy. She wondered if Kara ever lost control of her powers as a result of her emotions.
Cat gave her a distasteful one over. "Would you care to explain why you're suddenly taking a page out of Kara's book of mediocre fashion?"
Oh.
Lucy looked down at her attire. She had borrowed a few things from Kara's closet—she could hardly wear the same thing to work the next day—and had chosen a pair of khakis and a sweater over a blouse. They were a little large on her but she didn't think anyone would notice. She had been holed up in her office for majority of the day.
Kara's relief was like air out of a balloon.
"Lucy stayed over at my place last night. She needed fresh clothes, so this," she gestured up and down Lucy, "is only temporary."
"I see." Cat did not look happy. "I didn't realize you two were close friends."
Lucy hardly thought it was any of her business but woe to the one who dared voice it to her face.
"We're getting to know each other better," Kara supplied. "We have a lot in common."
She grinned beatifically at Lucy who returned the smile, though not as equally perky.
"Really," Cat replied dryly. She dragged her eyes coldly over to Lucy. "Is this recent development accountable for your subpar and lackluster work as of late, Kiera? There is a reason why I discourage friendships in the workplace."
"Well, no," Kara stuttered.
Lucy crossed her arms. "Miss Grant, Kara and I work on different floors. We're not seeking each other out and having fun all day long." She pinched her forehead with her fingers. "And as I'm sure you've heard from the rumor mill, James and I are no longer together. Kara is a good friend and listener. What we do outside of work is hardly a matter of concern."
It was a sufficient counter on Lucy's part. Cat couldn't push too far on this without seeming too invested in the lives of her "insignificant" employees.
Cat breathed in deeply, choosing to adopt her nonchalant demeanor. "I suppose you're right."
Kara opened her mouth to say something but Lucy elbowed her.
"You're dismissed," Cat said tightly. "You too, Kiera. You may go home."
"Thank you," Kara said. "Have a good night, Miss Grant."
Lucy parroted her farewell.
The two exited together and Lucy waited by Kara's desk as she gathered her belongings. Lucy had brought her stuff with her to the meeting, eager to leave and get home.
"That was close," Kara breathed, as she stuffed her wayward belongings into her bag. "I thought she found out I was Supergirl again."
"Again?" Lucy hushed, bewildered.
"Yeah. I had to get a body double to fool her."
"Do I want to know?" At Kara's hesitant expression, Lucy shook her head. It was probably a DEO secret. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if some hard assed agent in black intercepted her with a stack of confidentiality papers a few days from now. "Never mind."
The two headed for the elevator, passing by the conference room again, where Miss Grant was reviewing over her spreads. She pointedly ignored them as they passed but once they had their backs to her, Lucy could feel the woman drilling holes into the rear of her skull.
"I'm glad she can't actually shoot daggers out of her eyes," Lucy muttered to Kara, who looked a bit confounded as they waited for the elevator.
"She's mad at me." She shook her head as if she couldn't believe it. "I don't know why."
"Maybe it's one of her off days. All I know is that I somehow fit into the equation. I've never seen her so cold towards me before. If I didn't know any better, I would say she's jealous but I'm sure that can't be it." She laughed to herself. "No way."
Kara stared at her. "How do you mean?"
"As in she's jealous that I'm spending time with you."
At her blank expression, Lucy continued.
"As in maybe she wants to keep you all to herself. Like a pet," she paused then added jokingly, "Tell me, Kara, is there something HR should be worried about?"
Kara made a face and then starting giggling with a strained voice. "No! She doesn't like me like that. Does she?"
Lucy shrugged non-committedly.
Kara went pale. "But-but she's my boss! That would be wildly inappropriate of her!"
"Hey, I was just messing with you. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything," she said as the elevator arrived. "Forget I said it."
Kara nodded and the two stepped in. Lucy pressed the button for the lobby, noticing from her peripheral that her friend was biting her lip as she waged an internal battle.
"Kara—"
"Okay," she blurted. "I used to have feelings for Cat."
Dead silence.
The doors opened and a few other employees stepped in. Kara pressed herself against the back corner, shrinking in as she avoided Lucy's shocked gaze. Lucy struggled for the right words to say but decided to wait until they were clear of other ears. However, as soon as they reached the lobby, Kara was suddenly in a hurry.
"Kara, wait! Where are you going?" She grabbed her arm to catch her attention.
"I'm really sorry if I made things weird," she apologized. "That's all I ever seem to do."
"Kara, it's fine." She made sure Kara was looking at her. "I'm just surprised is all. Miss Grant didn't exactly make your life easy, but it was one sided right? It's not like you two were in a relationship?"
Kara gaped. "NO, of course not!"
Lucy was strangely relieved. The thought of Kara and Cat together bothered her immensely.
"I don't need my life to get more complicated." She pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Besides, I like James now."
Ouch.
She faltered. "I didn't mean to say that."
Lucy took a deep breath. "Let's not talk about him."
"I really am sorry."
"Please stop apologizing. You're making me feel bad about something I shouldn't."
Lucy watched as a sea of people passed them, trying to put a bandage on her flurrying emotions.
"I have to go," Kara said, sounding tense.
Lucy refused to end her night like this. "Wait, do you want to grab a bite to eat? I still owe you lunch."
"I can't right now. I have to go."
"How about a quick coffee—" Someone bumped into Lucy, knocking her bag off her shoulder. Cursing, she bent to pick it up but by the time she looked back up, Kara was gone.
Lucy tapped meticulously at her phone.
"Hey Kara, I'm sorry I was so short with you," she read. "Please call me."
She frowned and deleted the message. "Hey Kara, want to hang out? I have food and movies."
She deleted that one as well. "Kara, I need your help! Please come over!"
Lucy groaned and threw down her phone. Since when was texting so hard? She glanced at the take-out she had on the counter, which she had ordered with Kara in mind. At first, she had been annoyed Kara had taken off without so much as a goodbye. What kind of friend does that? She certainly didn't think Kara was capable of such a distasteful habit. However, a quick news check on the way home alerted her of the whereabouts of the girl in question—in costume and putting out a fire downtown.
Okay, so maybe Kara had a good reason.
Anyhow, Lucy was the last person Kara had to account herself for and she didn't want to suddenly appear as if she was monopolizing all of the superhero's time but she couldn't stop over contemplating the tension leftover from their last conversation. Yes, they happened upon a weird place when Kara revealed her attraction towards Cat; it was quite the disadvantageous secret to have in her hands and very much out of the blue, especially considering how obvious Kara's crush on James had been. And then there was the disturbing notion that those feelings may be reciprocated on Cat's part, late as that may be.
Lucy made a note to not test her theory at work. The last thing she wanted to do was to stand outside CatCo with an office box in her arms. She did not need her father's judgement on this.
Worse yet, if Miss Grant was as shrewd as the rumors went, it would be Kara's career on the line. Lucy was probably an asset as far as the company was concerned.
She picked up her phone once more, typed a message, and sent it before she changed her mind. Kara may be Supergirl but she was not telepathic, no matter how much Lucy fretted in her living room. She grabbed a take-out box, settled on the couch, and flicked the television on. Perhaps the news would have something to say about her friend.
After about an hour, Lucy found herself watching an old spaghetti western with two half empty take-out boxes before her. She huffed as she tried to remember the plot of the movie but all she could think about was Kara.
She checked her phone. Still nothing.
Well, Lucy was not going to sit here and mope. If that's the game Kara wanted to play, then fine. Lucy had better things to do. Like sleep. She turned off the television and headed for the bathroom.
What Lucy did not expect to find when she exited however, was Supergirl sniffing through the food on her counter.
Lucy screamed. "Kara! What are you doing here?"
Kara screamed as well. "Why are you in a towel?! Don't tell me that's the surprise!"
Lucy had never blushed so hard. "NO! THE FOOD AND CAKE WERE!"
Kara had turned away from her, face red. "Oh."
"I didn't think you would come in through the window! Why didn't you use the front door like a normal person?! Or I don't know, call?!"
"I didn't think it would matter! You had your window wide opened!"
Lucy wanted to bang her head against the wall. "Forgive me, I thought you were Supergirl. Not Batman!"
"I'm sorry!"
This was not going the way Lucy planned. "Let's just take a moment to calm down. Help yourself to whatever you like while I go make myself decent."
Kara's blonde head nodded.
Lucy could not get to her bedroom fast enough. She shut the door and immediately started pacing. Her nerves were absolutely shot. Just when she thought Kara bailed on her, she comes swooping in and turning her life upside down. Was this what it was like to be friends with Kara? Was this what James had to deal with on a daily basis when they were together?
Lucy shook her head. She would not think about that. She would not be jealous. She walked the length of her room several more times before she realized Kara could probably hear her wearing a hole in the carpet. Damn super hearing.
She grabbed the first set of suitable pajamas she could find and ran a brush through her wet hair to make herself look less crazy. She took a deep breath and went back out to the living room.
Kara, still in her superhero suit, sat innocently on the couch with her hands tucked in front of her. Two empty pastry boxes were on the coffee table before her.
Lucy stared at her. "You ate both pieces of cake?"
Kara shrugged. "I was nervous."
"One of them was mine."
She gave a smile full of teeth. "I guess you don't owe me lunch anymore?"
Lucy grabbed the rest of the take-out boxes from the counter and placed them before Kara. "Here. If you're still hungry there's more. I already ate. Waiting for you."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you contacted me until I got home. There isn't a place for my phone on this suit."
"I can tell," Lucy said dryly. "You could have called ahead to tell me you were coming."
Kara flashed a sheepish grin as she dug into her food. "I got excited when you said you had a surprise for me. I love surprises."
Lucy flushed, thinking back to what Kara thought the surprise was when she came out in a towel, still wet from the shower. She could tell Kara was remembering it as well, if the pink cheeks were any indication.
"I'll be sure to never mention surprise again," Lucy said lightly, which prompted Kara to chuckle shyly.
Lucy watched her eat for a moment before asking. "Do you want to watch a movie? I have a lot just sitting on the shelf, gathering dust."
Kara paused, fork halfway to her mouth. "Okay."
She placed her utensil down and followed Lucy to the bookshelf. Kara ran a finger across the titles as she perused, softly mouthing words to herself. It amazed Lucy to see Kara as Supergirl despite knowing they were the same person. On the other hand, Kara was noticeably more open now that she didn't have to hide that part of herself.
Kara pulled out a disc and presented it to Lucy. "How about this one?"
"Okay. I haven't seen this one."
They settled on the couch, Kara with her take-out and Lucy with a small bowl of ice cream.
"We're okay, right?" Kara asked hesitantly.
Lucy punched her arm gently. "Yeah, we're okay."
Kara grinned and Lucy found that without her glasses, her eyes were the shiniest blue. The movie began and Lucy could feel the excitement rolling off of Kara. It was nice. It was nice having Kara here, joking and laughing and talking about stupid, random things. It had been a while since Lucy had a close female friend. Kara made her feel special.
The movie started out interesting but Lucy struggled to follow the plot halfway through. The day was taking its toll on her and the couch was so comfortable, her aching body melding to the soft fabric as the brisk evening air flowed in through the windows. It didn't help that Kara was so warm and her voice so familiar. It made her feel safe enough to let her guard down and before she knew it, Kara was shaking her awake.
"Lucy, hey. I have to go," she whispered.
Lucy burrowed into Kara's side. "Warm," she murmured.
"Lucy." A few more shakes.
"Hn."
Kara must have decided Lucy was a lost cause because she got up and started putting away the garbage they left from their late dinner. She could hear the sink running and the light clanging of dishes. She must have dozed off again because Kara was now lifting her from the couch. She carried her into the bedroom and slowly laid her down. Half asleep, Lucy snuggled into her cool pillow. Kara pulled her sheets up and turned off the light.
"Goodnight, Lucy," Kara whispered.
"Goodnight," she mumbled, eyes closed and smiling as Kara took off into the night.