It's been four days by the time she stumbles onto a roof, hand falling down to knees with a gasp as she gathers her breath in small little puffs of broken air like scattered glass on the ground beneath her heel. Kara can still taste green on her tongue-can feel it in the sweat pooling on quivering shoulders as she sucks in a breath through flaring nostrils-and she knows it will stick with her for hours yet. A hand curls around her shoulder in sympathy and she turns up to offer a wide, tired smile to the only blood she has left.

"Never get used to it." He stands a little taller than she ever might and she shakes her head in acknowledgment, lungs desperate for air. "Now you see why I think it's dangerous."

"Trust me, I know, Superman." She's gotten better at using his name, at least-at safeguarding a secret now that she's by him 24/7-and it's something she desperately wants to be used to. She never wants to be rusty at, so casually tossing Superman over her shoulder instead of desperately clanking Clark on a keyboard in useless flutters of nails and his smile quirks up at the edges at the title. "I used to train with it with Alex." She breathes-actually breathes, air catching up to her, now-leaning back with a groan, exhaustion tugging down her spine as she physically tries to shake it off. First with the arms, then with the legs, and if Alex were here she'd probably make some kind of joke about Rocky. Bullwinkle or Balboa, Kara would take either just for a hint of the familiarity. "At the DEO. Big green room. Lot of exhaustion. I wouldn't say used to it but, boy, somedays? Don't tell her I said this, but I'm glad I know what it feels like."

It's the wrong thing to say because Kal-El's face contorts into something of near righteous fury and Kara's fingers immediately snatch up to catch the wrist about her shoulder before he can fly away.

Then again, Kara's always grabbing him and holding him like he's about to fly away-she holds onto a lot of things like that-and that's one thing she wishes she wasn't used to.

"She had you-"

"Alex was trying to protect me. To prepare me." It's immediate and protective and she can feel his pulse kick up underneath tapping, consoling fingers, reaching her own tired digits to run fingers along cheeks because she's always been far too tactile when she's tired and the darkness in his face reminds her of how the sun used to set in shadows under foreign eyes in his little small Metropolis apartment. She doesn't like it one bit, but the implication also sticks in the back of her throat like a drink of scalding hot magma that won't go down. She (unintentionally) drank magma, once. Kara would not recommend it. "Don't look like that, Alex would never do anything to hurt me."

"I-" He sucks in a sharp breath, "You're right. I'm sorry. I know Alex would protect you, and you love her, but the DEO, they're-"

"Kal-El." It's a quiet murmur, turning him to face her fully, both of their bodies sagging from the effects of it. "I know you're...older than me, now. Well, you think you've always been older than me. And there's so much I can learn from you, but you have to believe me when I say that I would never let them do anything to hurt you. I will always protect you. And I trust them. I mean that's my-my sister and-"

"I know you trust them, Supergirl." He's intent about the name in a way that almost makes her almost take a step back. But she doesn't, not when they're talking about Alex. "But...as long as they have Kryptonite? I-"

"I know, I know." A hand casually waves up between them with a small swooping flop to dismiss the idea like it's something she's heard a thousand times before. Probably because she has. The past two days, alone. "You don't trust them." Kara sighs, leaning back, hands clenching at hips as her breath finally settles, watching the dark horizon. "Let me try to guess the lecture: 'It's the organization and what they represent. Power corrupts absolutely. Maybe you're about to drop a reference to any movie about a corporation or government institution from the 90's waiting to happen-our life is Captain Planet or some zombie horror movie-I get it. I swear that I listen when you talk, Kal-El. But I trust my sister. And I-"

"Won't let anything happen to me." It's a quiet, gentle murmur, and when Kara's chin dips up, she sees he's watching her instead of the horizon and it makes a huff leave her nostrils in an indignant, fell swoop. "I know, Kara. Same lecture." A strong arm is wrapped around sagging shoulders and she sags even further into it, a hint of a smile tucking up features. "I wish you would have a little less callous disregard for yourself, I guess, but I won't let anything happen to you, either. Family."

"Zrhythrevium El Mayarah." Kara's hand splays over his chest, next to a symbol over a strong heart, smile softening before she rolls her neck and arches her back one last time, swinging her arms to loosen an exhausted spine. She wishes the sun would rise so that she could taste some kind of energy on her tongue, at least, but she'll have to settle for the fact that the sun always rises eventually and they'll just have to be there to greet it. "Woo, boy."

"Tired?" There's a hint of teasing glint in bright eyes and Kara shoves his shoulder, wagging a finger underneath a scrunching nose, his laugh a faint rumble. It sounds like the ocean does right before it warms a tide and Kara hums at the sound of it.

"Hey, I can still beat you. Didn't anyone teach you to respect your elders, buddy?" She's hopping on her feet, now, like she's rounding off against Alex in that secret little dome, and it makes the green still lingering on the back of her eyes almost worth it.

"Wanna bet?" His arms so casually cross over his chest, eyebrows raising up into his hairline, and her smile spreads. When he has the suit, her cousin has confidence in spades.

Can take the Kryptonian out of Krypton, but can't take the Kryptonite out of their bones.

"Loser buys breakfast?" She smirks, bobbing and weaving, now, maybe just to remind him how much younger and older she is, simultaneously.

"Is that a bet or a curse? I better win, otherwise you're gonna clear out my bank account. Noonan's?"

"Oh, it's on." Hands snap together in a loud clap that causes a nearby cat hiding on the roof to tumble out of its makeshift warm den for the night, hissing and fumbling towards the door. Idly, she reaches over to tug the door open, the lock snapping underneath the weight of the thoughtless motion so that the cat can get inside. It's a cold night, after all. "Bring it-"

They both pause, meeting eyes when an explosion steadies both of their shoulders, two sets of red and blue shooting towards the sky and towards a nearby bank without another word between them.

Clark winds up buying her breakfast, anyways, if just because she's the one that cuffs three of them when Clark freezes their getaway car, bowing to her as she holds the robbers in her hands.

"Come on, guys, what did you think was gonna happen? We're both right here. Can't you just give up and let us have the morning off-nope. Nope you're just gonna keep trying punch me. Okay."

But breakfast is forgotten in the din of an overnight diner, half-eaten as Kara groans into a stack of pancakes when they hear someone scream down the corner, leaving in a shuffle and a mess of cash to cover both of their half-eaten tickets.

Clark offers to get it, of course, but it's her city and she wouldn't be able to stomach the pancakes, regardless.

It's somewhere between saving the next two civilians, both of their bodies still ragged from kryptonite, that Clark leans over and curls a strong hand around her shoulder, smile wide after she catches a nearby trashcan aimed for his head.

And Kara misses the days when robbers just had guns and no fancy gravitational ray gizmos, super-cousins commiserating in this fact as they watch an entire city bus full of people lift up with the flick of a gun's switch, the early morning commuters screaming in terror as they both frown.

"I could really use your help in Metropolis, you know. We…" He grunts, catching the bus and handing it to Kara to hold as he rushes inside to guide them all out, yelling over the din of screaming like they're casually catching up over some drink or another at a bar. Which would be nice if they could both have any form of effect from drinking. "-Make a good team! There's no one I trust more to have my back."

"You...here you go ma'am. Make sure you clear the area, please, and stay safe!" She's getting good at the super hero pose thing, immediately twisting around to toss the nearby disposed trashcan towards gravity gun guy the moment the bus is down, whirling around to face her cousin's floating form afterwards, hands setting on her hips, voice a croak when she asks. "You want me to move to Metro-hey!"

Or starts to ask, anyways.

The conversation is shut off by someone trying to punch her in the stomach (again) and she winces at the sound of his bones breaking, quickly knocking him out so that he doesn't have to feel it and tossing him up towards a floating, free-handed Superman to restrain, huffing towards the group of men fearfully skittering back, one of them clamoring to pick up the discarded gravity gun.

"Look, I understand we interrupted your crime spree and maybe that was a little rude of us, but I'm trying to have a conversation here with my cousin. Do you mind?"

They do, apparently, and that's that.

"Metropolis," Kara breathes an hour later over a cup of coffee at Noonan's again, both of them sagging into a chair, the sun slowly warming the asphalt. None of the staff gave her a second look when she'd tugged a nearby armrest to the open light of the window-probably because Kara got them all Christmas gifts last year and routinely saves them from the wrath of Cat Grant-and she looks very much like a lizard sunbasking, desperately trying to take in the heat above the faint steam of a mug as she sprawls in the chair. They have another half hour until Eve will come around the corner and Kara is going to take all of the sun she can get.

"Metropolis." And he smiles so wide-shifting glasses on his nose in the only hint of nervousness Clark might give-that Kara doesn't know how to tell him no.

And when Alex's face lights up her phone a few minutes later from the DEO's secure line, Kara feels so awful that some part of her, sitting here underneath the sun and watching her cousin fiddle with his laptop to get another article out to Perry White...some very large part of her immediately wants to say yes.

She wants to fly away to another city, to another planet, to be the person she should have been instead of the person she doesn't know how to choose to be.

She should really sleep before making any rash decisions.

Instead, she lifts up a phone to her ear and groans, looking down at a gold watch and catching Clark's eyes, nodding towards the horizon and, ultimately, the DEO.

"Duty calls?" He guesses. "Always does. Busy week."

It's only Tuesday but she really doesn't have to tell him that.

"Alex," Kara pitifully groans towards her sister, a whisper as they both rush into the alley because they hadn't even received their second breakfast order this time around. Not that the breakfast at Noonan's is all the great, but it's something. But her body is far surer than her voice, not hesitating to move behind the familiar building for a moment, following Clark to the corner as he loosens his tie, "You know, I'm never gonna sleep, again. If I fall asleep punching an alien, you're dragging me to work and using some kind of fancy government animatronics or mind-control device to train Eve. Whatever we need to wake me up."

"Sorry. That really ridiculous and stupid technology doesn't exist, Supergirl." And from the sound of Alex's voice, she's not having any of it, today, voice not so hidden with the anger as her sister likely thinks it is, and Kara pauses amid tugging on boots to listen to it-to make sure she's okay-to wonder if Cat's right about everyone always having that anger behind the anger. But, unlike Cat, Kara is entirely positive Alex is just mad at her. "I'll just have J'onn-"

"Oh Rao, no." Kara immediately pales, snapping off her shirt in the alley the same time Kal-El tugs his over his head, glasses askew, both of them shoving fabric into a nearby messenger bag, symbols blazing in the early morning air. The last thing she needs is another whole milk latte incident. Or for Catherine to corner J'onn against her desk at lunch. That would take a significant amount of explaining for all parties involved. Especially with the mind reading. "Not again. I'll take my chances with the Weekend at Bernie's thing."

"Oh, I love Weekend at Bernie's." Kal-El's smile is wide, all Superman in stance but all Clark in teeth, exhaustion faint in the sunlight as he slides glasses into their bag.

"I call dibs on her left side! Kara-you heard me, I called di-oww." Winn's voice is faint, probably scrambling up to Alex's phone and likely earning a swift jab to the side for the gesture.

"Right?" Kara hides a laugh behind a yawn and Alex's sigh is clear as day, J'onn's a cutting addition as she moves to slide an earpiece upwards, curling it around the ridge of a lobe, switching her phone over with a flick.

"We need you to move out, now, Supergirl." J'onn's voice might be faint, but it has its wanted effect, and no amount of anger seems to keep her sister's voice from softening.

"Be safe. Be fast. Be sup-"

"We got it!" Kara yells from the air, shoving phone into her boot before they fly towards the city.

She's grasping Kal-Els's chest when they touch down an hour later, nursing a wound to her thigh with a frown, feverishly moving to tug out of a skirt as she leans up against the wall.

"It must be the Kryptonite, we shouldn't-"

"No, no, I'm fine." Kara grits through her teeth, kicking up her boot for him to catch, watching him frantically go through to find the gauze like it's far more than a...slightly large gash. It's not something she ever expected to need on herself, hissing as he cleans it, wrapping the gauze around pale skin. As least she's not going to shatter his sternum when she curls her fingers and her sigh of relief is lost underneath the cut of his teeth as the gauze rips, shuffling to hop forward, into her pants the moment it's wrapped, catching herself on him as she does with a quiet Kryptonian curse that might blaze both of their cheeks red if Kara was of the mindset. As is, it just blazes Kal's. "We can't tell Alex."

"Kara, we should take you back to the-"

"Nope." Kara tugs her shirt over her head, getting used to the notion of putting weight on her thigh, muscles clenching like a rubberband wrapped far too tightly. "And you know I'm not budging on this. I have to go to work and you-" She pokes his chest, "Have to help her find where that Kryptonite's coming from. Hey."

He's buttoning up his shirt, jagged and sharp and cutting as he tugs out his glasses, jaw tight and Kara sighs, tugging him forward to rest a forehead against her own.

"I'm okay." It's a gentle whisper, "I promise, Kal-El. It's just a little...cut. It'll heal in the hour and after we get rid of the Kryptonite-"

"Yeah."

"You couldn't have done anything." His shoulders sag, lips thinking.

"It was aimed for me, you shouldn't have-"

"Clark." Her fingers curl, sighing as she pats his neck and tips back to kiss his forehead, familiar and loving. Like Jor-El used to brush along her skin. "I'm okay. Promise. We saved each other out there. So why don't we-"

"Oh my God-"

Both of them whirl around at the same time to see none other than Eve Teschmacher, on time and prepared, and standing at the edge of the very visible alley and...and Kara is still half dressed and-and oh.

Oh, no.

Because there's Eve, gaping and holding a hand up over her mouth, steam from her mug rising unbidden up into the alley between them behind Noonan's and both Kara and Clark stumble backwards, a groan leaving her lips at the twinge in her leg.

She has enough of a mind to turn around and button her pants, catching the shirt Kal-El throws at her with her face as Clark stumbles forward with raised hands, "Oh, wow-wow, this is not what it-"

She struggles to right the shirt, head trying to go through the armhole first before it makes it through the proper one, catching her glasses, next, and rushing forward, the pair likely looking erratic and…

And, oh, eww no.

"Oh." Eve looks between them, eyebrows raising into her hairline, "Oh-I'm so sorry-Kara," Eve swats her shoulder with a wink the moment she gets close enough to raise her hands, favoring her right leg, "Clark Kent?"

"It's not-it's really not-oh, God, eww this is gross." Kara runs hands nervously through her hair, trying to straighten it because wind-rustled might look...otherwise (very gross things) rustled. "Trust me, if there is anyone I'm sleeping with in this office, it is not Clark Kent."

"Definitely. We are not-wait," Clark stumbles, "That...was a particularly weird way to phrase that."

"Clark!" Kara feverishly whispers, "Not helping."

"Right, right-hah. Sorry. Look...Eve? Right?" Clark flashes a thousand watt smile and Kara might want to vomit. This is what wanting to vomit feels like. Or maybe she's just really close to passing out. How would she tell? She tries to remember all of the times Alex has thrown up in front of her (there's a gross count-down of the top-30 worst memories of their 20's) and she's slowly checking off all the symptoms in her head. "I just...I bumped into Kara with coffee and she just-"

"We were just changing." Kara supplies. "Really. And since it's my last day, I just kind of wanted to go out on a high note, you know."

"It's your-why didn't you tell me it's your-" Clark blinks.

"So I know how this looks. Really. But I promise you, Eve, this is…" She laughs a little, awkward and strangled and horrified. Because she has had that dream where she was naked in front of the school reciting backwards poetry while her teeth fell out and this is worse. "Really not what it looks like."

"Okay." Eve just smiles-shrugs a little, like it really has no bearing on her day and Kara, relieved, thinks it might not. "I'm sorry if I made you feel awkward or anything, Kara. Well, um, it's uh...it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kent."

"Oh, I-" Clark steps forward, taking her hand with a firm shake and a smile and Kara is still too busy being grossed out to notice how she practically melts at his smile. "The pleasure's all mine. Kara's told me all about you. Her and Lois, my girlfriend, go way back."

"Way back." Kara supplies. "They're like family. Clark's like my brother."

"Okay, Kara, I get it, you weren't having sex." Eve's nose scrunches a little bit, blunt in a way that makes them both pale.

And then blush and they keep an intent amount of distance from each other for a few minutes.

Yep. Kara's going to wind up doing that vomit thing. Or the passing out thing.

Either way, they make their way into Noonan's with a bag full of family secrets without incident and it takes a few moments of walking to learn how to hide the faint limp, ordering coffee for the three of them and then pointedly making sure Eve orders Cat's, ignoring Kal-El's curious look over her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're early." Kara settles on something a bit easier, eyes flicking down to a watch as she counts down minutes.

"Right, yeah, well," Eve gives her a bit of a look before shaking her head with a smile, "My family always said-Teschmacher motto-if you're early, you're on time. If you're on-time-"

"You're late." Kara supplies, nodding, a little out of breath for just a moment-just long enough to breathe in-leaning over to grab the tray of coffees for the both of them.

"Are...you okay?" Eve's eyes search her features, a hint of concern at the edge of kind eyes and Kara laughs a little, tense and nervous, breath catching in her throat before nods.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. Come on, coffee and then rules."

"Rules?" Eve smiles, tucking her bag against a hip as they lean near Clark. "I bet there's a lot of them, huh?"

"Oh, yeah." Kara laughs, glad she kept a list in English (without the personal notes) on the drive. "You have no idea."

Of course, it takes the longest to get Cat's (Kara's always been very specific about making sure it's last to stay the hottest, and informs Eve of such), three sets of hands drumming along a coffee bar as the new assistant looks (unknowingly) between the cousins.

"Hey, you'll find this hil-arious, though, Kara-speaking of funny rumors, did you know that there is a rumor that you are sleeping with Ca-"

"Oh, look, Cat's coffee is here." Kara immediately snaps it up with a wide smile, turning around to give Eve and Clark their cups before anyone can hear the rest of that sentence, not bothering to hide the limp as she scurries towards the door, leaving a blinking Clark and Eve behind.

It's exactly 7:05 when Cat's heels click along the office floor and Kara, who was giving Eve a pep talk like a soldier in the trenches-she's heard Alex give some good speeches, she feels like she can round one up for her most important troop-a few seconds ago, pats her new hire on the back, with a quiet reminder in her ear to stand straight.

Eve looks like a mannequin with a rod shoved somewhere particularly unpleasant as she moves to hand her latte, a pair of sunglasses (a new pair-the last couldn't be salvaged) waved in the air between them, and the only acknowledgment to Kara is a flick of eyes before Cat settles on Eve.

"No coffee, Ms. Teschmacher." It's snapped as Cat strides into an office and Kara wishes the sun would go ahead and heal her leg because it's difficult to hide her limp without floating as they scurry to follow her, "I need that thing junkies puff up on the streets-whatever substance takes all of the NCPD and twenty-eight bullets to bring me down."

Eve stutters and Kara moves around to the other side of the desk.

"Well that is entirely illegal Ms. Grant, unflattering to your teeth," Kara reasons, "And would likely lead to a lifetime of wrinkles in one night, so I feel like you might not like that as much as the coffee. I can get Eve to do an intravenous if you'd like?"

"Well I did think of going pre-med." Eve supplies with a nervous laugh and a cutting look from Cat which quickly causes any hint of laugh to die. "Um...no fatalities. Because I didn't...actually...do it?"

"That was almost close to a successful joke, Eve, keep trying. But keep your practicing to yourself alone in your room with a microphone like every other little girl hoping to grasp at celebrity." A thoughtful hum, "Besides, I can't risk the needle sticks, floating around like some kind of crack addict."

"Actually, people smoke crack, Ms. Grant." The soon to be ex-assistant unhelpfully supplies, clearing her throat when the knowledge hangs between the three of them, focusing her gaze down on an ipad. "Which...is a fact I should probably not advertise knowing for fear of giving the wrong impression."

"It would explain how hyper you are." Cat drawls and Kara's eyes bounce up to take in a curious look in them and there's a fear-an ever pressing, growing fear-that her lover might be able to see straight through her, so she shifts her weight onto a bad leg intentionally and successfully manages not to hiss.

"We'll just go with the good old fashion coffee fix, how about that?" Eve hesitantly offers and when there's a terse nod from her employer, she wisely skitters out of the office to obtain it after listing off the appointments for the day.

"I never should have quit smoking." Cat grumbles to herself, clutching so tightly to a pen it might snap in two.

Kara leans over, smirk tucking up her lips despite the lingering pain in her leg, voice a hushed murmur in her ear-a shared appointment between colleagues, for anyone looking. "You didn't in one area." A beat, voice lagging as she tries, "Your... body?" Kara frowns, "Your body is smoking." Cat is decidedly closer to snapping the pen in two from the white of her knuckles and a sheepish laugh leaves an Kara's lips, admitting: "Wow that was bad. I promise it sounded so much better in my head."

"It would've been better if you didn't make it sound like a question." Dark eyes snap over and up the small distance between them.

"It is absolutely not a question." Kara frowns, leaning closer if just to convey a point, chin falling down to rest over knuckles, knowing she's hidden by the still-drawn blinds on the left side of the office. "You're the sexiest woman alive, Cat Grant."

At that, the edges of familiar lips barely quirk at the edges and Kara might say something bolder just to see a full smile break out-sleeplessness, pain, delirium, and Kryptonite appear to be a dangerous combination-until Cat huffs.

"And thus why the rule was born reveals itself in blinding, awful obviousness."

"Wh-hey, I happen to think that one was good."

"If that's true I am going to have you drug tested. Crack, indeed."

"Well how else am I going to do all my copious sums of drugs, Cat?" Kara's teeth bite the inside of her mouth because she becomes more and more like her sister the less sleep she gets, "All the needles break."

That earns a full smile and Cat doesn't seem pleased by it, immediately trying to eradicate it from her features, standing and sitting on the edge of her desk, the early morning sun casting a white sheen through the blinds of her office.

"Out." But she's still smiling, if a little worn around the edges, so Kara leans over and hands her the coffee they'd gotten earlier, heating it in a quick flicker. Unfortunately, this time she's not able to hide the wince, even as Cat's fingers curl around the cup. "You're fired."

"Well you can't technically fire me because I don't have a job yet, Ms. Grant."

"Oh, goody, something to look forward to." Cat pushes glasses up her nose, smile spreading as she fishes the frames from a ready line, taking a single, long drag of coffee like it's a cigarette lighting the edge of her throat. "Go pick one, already, so that I can fire you from that." Cat's demand is calm and almost playful and Kara leans back against the desk, decidedly unworried (the moment Cat Grant fires her, she'll know it) allowing herself a small moment's respite, shifting her leg so that it's closest to the sun's faint glow. It brushes their shoulders and she takes a moment to adjust her own glasses, watching Cat work for as long as is appropriate. And then some.

"Yes, Ms. Grant."

After a few moments of reading through her opened mail, Cat hums, back on the previous topic in a blink of the eye.

"Kara, give me the list."

"I-pfft, like I carry it on...yeah, okay." Kara quietly tugs out a small piece of paper, making a great show of looking anywhere but Cat's eyes as the woman snaps it open and reaches into her desk, grabbing a highlighter and running it through a very specific line three times.

Rule#: 45. Still no unintentional flirting

"This." It's an innocent hum that's anything but innocent and she's still so mesmerized at a voice's ability to be acid and velvet all underneath that beautiful, beautiful smile. Kara is just glad this is the English list. Not that Cat would have cared, she likely would have picked a random line and stuck to her guns, regardless. Kara's learned that bluffing is another one of her many poker talents. "Is why this rule exists."

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad. It's not like it was a pickup line, I mean, wow, I'm sure you've heard your share, but it's not like the one Brad down the hall used on me when I first started." Today is the day for her saying wrong things, apparently and a nervous laugh bubbles up from the look on familiar features, a hint of darkness tugging that smile down right away. "I was just being...honest. Trying to be honest. Not flirting. Mostly."

"And what," Cat caps her pen, attention focused upwards in a way that makes Kara shift closer to the sun so that she can run if she needs to, "Did Brad tell you."

"Um-" And suddenly she really doesn't want to get anyone fired. "I should go." But fingers snap up and wrap around a wrist with a faint tsk.

J'onn can't be the only psychic on this planet. Cat and Eliza must be right there with him.

"If you don't want me to immediately fire Brad, you'll tell me."

"I feel like that is the opposite of what will lead to Brad keeping his job." But one look from Cat has her weakly supplying, "It was something about pizza and..." She intentionally grumbles the rest, looking down at her shoes.

"What was that?"

Sighing, louder as she rolls her eyes, "'Hey do you want to maybe...have a good time," She paraphrases because what he actually said won't do Brad any favors, "And eat pizza.' And when I gave him a revolted look he said, 'What you don't like pizza?'"

"...Do not," The 't' cuts off with a sharp roll on Cat's tongue, "Tell me you let him buy you pizza."

"Of course not!" Kara hesitates, "I mean...it was already on the breakroom table and I was already eating it, so really, I used him for his pizza. If you think about it. And made my stance very clear," It's a righteous laugh that leaves her lips, really, "About how I was not sleeping with him while I ate the rest of it."

Cat gives her a look before slowly sliding down the bridge of her nose, snapping the tablet out of Kara's hands in a way that makes even the Kryptonian clear her throat. "You're hopeless."

"That's what you tell me, Ms. Grant. Repeatedly, on a daily basis." But Kara's smiling-can't help it-and even though Cat's fingers are pinching at the bridge of her nose, she can still see that hint of a returned smirk. It's buried underneath thin lips and disappointment, sure, but it's there.

"Kara." Cat shoves the tablet in her hands.

"Yes, Ms. Grant?"

Cat's lips twitch and there it is, again-that small, beautiful smile-and Kara laughs something gentle and quiet, already standing when she hears Eve's nervous footfalls outside of the elevator, heartbeat frantic.

"Get the fuck out of my office."

"Yes, Ms. Grant."

(So, so bad at it, anyways)

The rest of the day goes surprisingly smoothly.

Eve practically worships the list of rules Kara's given her and it's not long before she's certain that she was right to hire her-to guide her this way-because despite the fact that she cries three times, she keeps coming back and Cat doesn't threaten to fire her a single time, all day. Even Kara had been threatened with it twice before the day's end and she feels a hint of pride as she watches Eve organize the schedule for the next week.

"For God's sake Eve, stop pacing. You have more nervous ticks than the bomb strapped to a bus in Speed." Cat snaps from around her desk and Kara shakes her head, hopping up from the chair with a wince so that the new assistant might sit, instead. "Kara, go get lunch, leave Eve with me."

And with a regretful look towards her new friend-who looks like she's contemplating how far the plummet off the side of the building would take but scrambles into Cat's office, regardless-Kara makes her own way up to the roof.

Lucy does tell her to go into HR. Alex tells her to do whatever the hell she wants. Winn pipes up that he thinks she would be great in Marketing. J'onn tells her she should quit and become fulltime DEO (and when both of the responses from the Danvers was unimpressed, one a pout and the other a glare, he simply shrugged and offered 'Security.' When that was still unfavorable, he grumbled, 'Your paintings are good. Art.' at which Kara gave him a satisfied beam because she hadn't thought he'd noticed, at all). James just pats her shoulder and Mon-El, who she's starting to train away from a confining cell, doesn't understand the concept of labor, at all. Cat is particularly tight-lipped on offering any suggestions whatsoever, no matter how many times Kara alludes to needing some form of guidance.

Instead, halfway through the day, Cat gives Kara a speech about diving and Kara wants to ask her what it's like to be so sure-to be so certain-because she's not sure if she can dive when she's not even sure what she's diving towards, anymore.

And Clark….

Clark...Kara isn't sure why, but she doesn't know how to ask Clark, at all.

Hey eyes linger on the book on her lap, an old, tattered copy of Fear of Loathing in Las Vegas composed more of finger smudges and worn pages than words, and teeth tuck a lip, nail skimming along a cover and the inscription inside.

Because the answer she's wondered this whole time, isn't one that anyone else has given her, and she wonders if she only ever thinks it because-

Is it something she wants, at all? Is it another Metropolis-a choice not hers to make, or….

A phone tips upwards, the sound of a faint ring dancing along the city rooftops.

"Kara?" The voice is a gentle and kind and a little breathless in a way that makes Kara smile, because it was only two rings before the phone was picked up, at all. "Is everything okay? Are you and Alex-"

"Everything's great, Eliza." It's an immediate consolation, sighing as her feet dangle over the roof, eyes taking in the sight of the city, below. With glasses on, people look small and far away enough for her to be floating around the clouds and the wind faintly rustles the mouthpiece of her phone as she shifts it against her shoulder, hand idly setting an old book aside in favor of keeping her phone close.

"Are you talking while flying?" Kara can imagine slit eyes and deeply concerned wrinkles and feels a faint hint of guilt for something she's not even doing.

That's Eliza's two greatest talents as a mother, Alex always jokes-guilt and patience.

"No?" It would help if it didn't come out as a question.

"Kar-"

"I mean, no. Definitely no. Really no." It's a little more emphatic than it should be and she swallows because now it definitely sounds like she's lying. "Okay, that just sounds bad, but you know you just make me nervous when you sound all...very successfully authoritative, Eliza."

Her foster mother's laugh is warm through the line.

"Good, because you know how I hate distracted flying. Arrive alive, Kara."

"Yes, Eliza." She shifts the phone, again, and scoots back a little from the edge of the roof like her foster mother's eyes might be able to see the action through the phone. "But I'm just eating lunch outside. Really. It's a little windy but-"

"Oh, so everything really is okay?"

"Yeah, I promise." A smile spreads and idly, that guilt transforms into something else-something quieter-because she really shouldn't just call across state lines only when something's wrong. Not that she does, but lately…

Lately she hasn't done much of talking to anyone in her life, really. About the important things. She's asked question upon question, but when Alex looks at her across a room, she feels like there's just as much distance between them as between her and Eliza right now, and she wonders if it's her fault.

This distance, at least, she knows how to cross.

It's always as simple as a phone call, with Eliza. And it always will be.

"I just missed you." It's quiet and a hint sad in a way she can't help and suddenly Eliza's voice is a little louder-a little closer-and even though she's well aware the other woman must be in an office, she imagines her curling up on a warm couch in a home in Midvale, a fire dancing sunlight by her feet and a blanket curled around her shoulders. The air might taste like Christmas or pancakes in her mind and it's enough to make Kara smile.

"Oh, sweetie. Well, I always have time for that. Especially when no one's being mind-controlled." It's fond and rumbling-a hint of that punchy Danvers' spunk-and Kara pulls the phone closer, too, to contend with the wind and the chill, like she might be able to save Eliza from it even though it's just a phone. "So...tell me what's new with you."

So Kara does.

She tells her about Clark and how things seem a little strained with Alex with Clark here. She tells her about her new job-whatever it might be-and finding a replacement. She tells her about how she thinks something might be different with Cat-off-and tips her chin up, sighing as she buries the rest of it in her chest.

"Wow. You've had a busy week since my last call."

And then Kara blurts something she hasn't told anyone, at all.

"Clark asked me to come with him to Metropolis." It's a murmur-a swallow-chin tipping back as she watches the sun dance over the horizon.

"Oh."

Enough silence passes on the line that Kara rushes to explain-

"I-it's not that I-I mean, I love it in National City. I really do. And I love working with Alex and...CatCo is my home and I…" She sucks in a breath, "I...did I tell you-well, no, I know I didn't tell you-but I think I might have met someone. Too."

"Oh?" Eliza's voice picks up at that and Kara might suck up all of the air in National City. It's a real possibility.

"I mean, not that I said that. Please don't tell Alex I said that. This is a mom-alien confidentiality thing, Eliza-"

"Cross my heart." It's immediate and sincere and Kara swallows down some of her nerves.

"Thank you." A hint of a nervous laugh, chin ducking, "But I just...everything's changing. And sometimes...sometimes I think of being in Metropolis and I think that I could learn...so much from Clark. So much."

"Well that's...that's true, Kara." Eliza admits and Kara has to pull back the phone for a second to make sure she's talking to the right mother and didn't actually dial into another universe, instead. Given the transdimentional tranceiver in her pocket it is an actual possibility, after all. "You could learn a lot from Clark."

"So you think I should go?"

"I didn't say that. That's up to you. I'm just...agreeing, sweetie. It's a big choice. Does this person you're seeing, do they know about the job? And about Metropolis? And about-" Eliza pauses there and Kara lets out all that air.

"I...they know about the job." She hedges, "They definitely...do not know about Metropolis." There's a chill at the thought, pulling the phone closer, "Things are still...well they're not new new, but she's-she's not very...I mean, we were both nervous about a relationship, at all. And I don't want her to even think that I'm trying to-that I'd rather-" Her hands fidget with her glasses in a way that cause her to catch them before they can tumble over the edge, once more shakily righting them before continuing, "But she...she does know about...me."

"She?" Eliza hums in the back of her throat, like a curious revelation, but neither Kara or Eliza seem to dwell on it for very long-Kara's still not entirely sure why someone would, especially not Eliza. "She knows about you, does that mean that she knows about-"

"She doesn't know about Clark." Kara is quick to reassure-to protect-voice taking on a hint of fierceness that only comes out in favor of standing next to her cousin. Not against Eliza, of course, but she's certain she would stand with him against the world, if it came to it. And Eliza would stand with them, right next to Alex. They're family. "She knows about my cousin," Kara presses, "But she doesn't know about Clark. I just-I mean, it's serious but it's...it's not. That."

"Oh, Kara." Eliza sighs and that's all the words she needs, rushing to explain.

"I know, I know. I...I'm not really built for...for casual. And it's not. It's not casual. It's probably the most serious relationship I've ever been in. It's just-it's-" A frustrated noise, "It's complicated, Eliza. And I just sort of blurted out all of this and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, but I lo-" She pauses, immediately cutting off that thought with a short breath. " We both agree that when it comes to our careers or...saving the day, that that always comes first. But I just...I don't know what I-Cat gave me a few days to sort it all out and I-"

"I have a guestroom here, sweetie. If you need some time." Eliza offers, not pushing-always straight to the heart of it-and Kara's features soften.

"I can't leave the city." It's a murmur, looking down at her hands. Could she even leave Cat? Alex? Going to Metropolis- "I can't leave it unprotected, even with the DEO. I can't…" A small laugh, "Figure out what I want to do with my life."

A thoughtful hum on the other line: "Well, that's...always hard, Kara. Sometimes I even wonder at my age if what I'm doing is what I'm meant to do. You'll figure it out. But this isn't something where someone can tell you what to do. You have to think of what you want-what you really want. And then go for it."

"Yeah," Kara sighs, eyes tracking up to watch the sun, keeping her tone bright and carefree: "That's what people keep telling me."

"Save for visiting. That's not optional. Speaking of-"

"I know, I know, I'll visit soon. I promise. Maybe...maybe for lunch, whenever Clark leaves town?" Kara offers and Eliza audibly perks up, immediately agreeing. The rest of the conversation is short, but brighter, and when Kara pulls the phone away to leave with a happy "I love you, Eliza. Thank you. For always being here." Eliza just hums, smile evident in her voice.

"I hope you and Cat are able to figure it out, Kara. I'll see you tomorrow for that lunch. I'm sure Clark would love to come."

When the line clicks Kara blinks down at her phone and assures herself that her foster mom just meant the job thing.

She had to just mean the job thing.

But as Kara makes her way back downstairs, teeth fussing with a lip, the words sink deeper and deeper into her shoulders and Kara can't help but worry that Alex has been right about the paranoid delusion all of these years that their mother was psychic, and that Kara's single-handedly managed to ruin nearly all of their rules in the span of three days.

Rule #46. Do not arrive to work, together. No one can know. Be discreet.

**Carter cannot know**

She's fully healed by the time the night comes, a small fact she's grateful for if just because she's going to see Alex in an hour and that's one thing she will not be able to keep from her sister.

"Well, this is the last night this desk is officially yours." Winn raps his knuckles along the edge of it-smacks it with a smile-and Kara shakes her head, fond and quiet. "This is where you used to throw paper at me from your chair and oh, look," It's a playful coo when he tugs up a phone, "The replacement phone. You know, for the one you broke the moment you thought Cat Grant might like someone more than you." Kara shoves his shoulder and he flops over the desk, barely catching himself on the edge of it before he can tumble all the way over with a snorting laugh, splayed out on top of it for a second. "Lots o' memories. Lots o'-"

"Don't you not work here, anymore, or can I still fire you?" Cat yells from around the corner at the noise and Winn hops backwards when a wild Cat Grant appears in front of his vision, CEO (once his boss, always his boss was always Winn's motto) towering over him despite her height when she leans against the doorway to her office, scrambling to hide behind his best friend.

Kara doesn't have the heart to tell him that she's just bullet-proof, not Cat's-sharp-wit-proof.

"Lots o' memories." He practically yelps, voice at least two octaves higher, "Um, hi-" He clears his throat with a nervous little wave, "Hi there, Ms. Grant. I'm, uh-"

"Watley." Cat's eyes flick over to Kara for only a second before settling back on him, "Is there a reason you're causing so much noise in my office like an overzealous orangutan."

"I guess the answer to that is a resounding...no? Ms. Grant." His fingers tug at the hem of his neckline as he murmurs, still half-hidden by Kara's shoulder. "I have...mental problems. Probably."

"Would you like to join us for dinner, Cat?" Kara offers despite feeling Winn turn fifty-different shades of gray in the span of time it takes for the words to leave her mouth and Cat's shoulders tighten-stiffen-but the faintest hint of smiles replaces the unimpressed look from a moment before. "Milo is suggesting another World Record. We're celebrating."

"Did you spill something else?" Cat's smile spreads at that even as her arms cross.

"No." A moment, "Well, not today." Another moment at Winn's knowing look, Kara sighing as she concedes: "Not in this building." Because she'd spilled half a can of Spaghetti-o's on J'onn at the DEO only an hour before. She's still a little sad about that.

"It's for single-handedly conducting the most amount of unsuccessful interviews in a few hours." Winn pipes up, "My girl, with the record." He offers a hand which Kara reaches up to smack out of habit, immediately rushing forward when she realizes she hits it a bit too hard. He does a good enough job of hiding his whimper but she whispers ohgodI'msosorry in his hairline when she sees tears in his eyes.

"While all of that is a cute little sidestep into the boring daily lives of my employees, some of us still have jobs." Cat takes one look and jerks a thumb towards her office knowingly, Kara immediately scrambling to gather ice in her cardigan and Winn, as successful of a liar as she is, is worse, mumbling something about a ring hitting his hand.

It would work better if Kara had any rings.

If Kara had ever once worn any rings at CatCo, ever.

Winn shuffles with a little sweater full of ice back towards the elevator with a wave and Kara immediately joins Cat against the doorway when it closes, laughing a little to herself, mortified and feeling awful.

"He's brittle, isn't he?" But there's a hint of concern at the edges of Cat's eyes and Kara shakes her head.

"I'm not supposed to give high-fives, anymore. Alex is very adamant about me not giving high-fives. At least not to Winn. They pay him a lot of money for his hand-" Kara winces," ...s."

The day where she keeps saying the wrong thing just keeps on giving. Her mouth just won't stop.

"The computer smurf works with your sister?"

"Please don't remember that."

"Of course I'm going to remember that."

"Please don't mention it, then." Kara rectifies, arms wrapping around Cat's neck with a sigh, office empty and body sagging. "My identity is one thing. Which I am...very thankful that you've kept a secret. But Winn…" The breath shakes against the edges of her lips like a quivering dog left out in the rain, the consequences of this little mouth-blunder settling far too heavily on her back. "He's not like me, Cat. And I couldn't possibly do what I do without him, but it's dangerous, and I couldn't-"

Fingers tuck up her chin and when their eyes meet Kara lets out a quivering, relieved breath at what greets her.

"Fine, off the books. If you give me something else."

"I can give you something better than a scoop." Kara offers and she tries-she does-to be sultry, even if it falls flat underneath a happy hum and she laughs, leaning up to brush their lips, regardless, humming at the faint contact. "Come to dinner with us."

"I do have work, Kara."

"It would be a huge morale boost. I'm going to be forced to interview everyone at dinner to showcase the horror," Kara's lips bat upwards, "You forget I still have access to your schedule, Cat. Whatever you're agonizing over actually can wait until tomorrow. Which is rare. Come be the only one at the dinner table who understands quite how bittersweet I am, today."

"I don't eat with employees outside." Cat waves a hand even as it lowers down to rest on Kara's hip.

"So come eat with me. You like Milo. Winn. Eve will be there. And...okay, a few other people in the company. And if you're worried about them not having fun with you being there," Kara raises a hand, "You'll be the life of the party. Which you always are."

"Well, of course." Cat laughs a little, gaze softer. "Why?"

"You're stressed. I'm stressed. I...can tell something's been different with you, Cat. Not that you have to talk about it," Kara's fingers gently comb through hair, watching the way Cat's office backlights golden locks like a halo-watching the way the light spills onto her own palm like it's lighting the darkest places of her veins. "But dinner might help."

Catherine leans back against the now-empty desk and Kara bites a lip, chasing after her-watching the way the light fades behind her hair into full shadows, only the light down the hall illuminating the part of lips, now. "I'm not certain dinner would help either one of us with our decisions."

"Maybe not." Kara agrees before leaning down and kissing her, slowly and smoothly, because this is...it.

This is the last night.

Cat is leaning against a desk that isn't hers, anymore-that will be filled with other pictures and memories and another body greeting Cat every morning-and she feels like she's losing something, as much as she's gaining it. She's felt that way since Friday and it's becoming harder and harder to stomach.

"You should go. Won't you be late for dinner with your little party posse?" Cat's voice is low but Kara leans closer-leans up-and slowly hooks her own fingers in the rims of her lover's slim silver glasses, for once, dragging them down a nose to look up into blinking, adjusting eyes. They're an olive painting of green and brown and barely-contained lust and Kara's breath hitches at the sight of it.

"They'll be okay." Kara shakes her head, taking great care in folding the frames, "There's something I've never had the chance to do. Something I'm realizing...this will be my last chance to do."

"And what would that be?" Cat's voice is quieter, husking and low, eyes intent on Kara's fingers as she slowly sets the glasses down on the edge of a desk.

"I have taken no small amount of pleasure in…" Kara tries to straighten her shoulders-to be a little bolder underneath the lead resting on her nose-and the faintest flush spreads up her neck as she steps closer, smile leaving a breath of space below Cat's ear, feeling a tremble up such a familiar neck. She's careful not to touch her-not to run anything but a ghost's trail of finger's up a pulse with her breath. "Becoming intimately familiar with you, Ms. Grant." Cat's breath catches along her teeth, Kara's hands coming up to rest next to curling fingers on a desk, pinning her lover there with presence, alone. And it's the way that Cat doesn't suck in another breath-the way Cat's breathless, just in this moment-that truly makes Kara bold. "I have learned what you taste like on every surface in your office." She takes great care not to touch her despite the ache in her fingers to reach up-to run her finger along the faint bob in a throat and trace the line with her tongue. "I've learned what makes your fingers curl into your sofa, how much your thighs tremble when your back is up against the patio…."

"Oh," Cat's breath is hot against Kara's shoulder and she's suddenly very, very glad she had an excuse to already get rid of the fabric, even if it meant almost breaking her best friend's hand.

"I've learned what my name sounds like in the copier room, on the breakroom table, and even on Barbara from accounting's desk, which I know we don't talk about because it was probably a little rude," A hint of levity tucks up her lips, then, leaning close enough to smell that hint of perfume along a neck, chest expand with the scent. The ink follows after like the boldest notes of a wine, something Kara's ever only appreciated for taste, not for the effects of it. But this? This is something she's certain she could be drunk on. "The elevator. The roof-"

"Don't forget the time I left you begging in the boardroom after a meeting." Cat challenges and Kara's breath quivers, leaning up to brush her teeth along a pulse-to feel it jump underneath her tongue and she can hear the way Cat's nails scrape along the edge of her desk. A moan breaks from the hollow of a throat when Kara barely-barely-bites, breath heating the wet sheen of gooseflesh skin when she pulls back, nose brushing along the ridge of an ear. But Catherine's nothing if not resolute. "I never will, feeling you tremble against my finger-"

Two fingers slowly raise to Cat's parted lips to still the wanting words, eyes dark when Cat parts them, boldly sucking the digits into her mouth, warm and wet and sinful in a way that makes Kara's breath quiver out of her nose like a trembling drum.

"This is about you." It's a gentle chide-a quiet husk-shivering when Cat's tongue runs up the edge of a middle finger before letting her go. "I was trying to make this about you."

"Then you were saying?" Cat's smirking now and it's as infuriating as it is beautiful, settling deep in the lowest part of a clenching stomach and Kara presses her hips up to pin her lover against the desk fully. Properly. And there's no small amount of heat in her bones when Cat trembles.

"I was saying that there's one place where I-" Kara's breath sucks through her teeth, wet fingers tracing a line from Cat's jaw down her neck-dipping along her clavicle-skimming along the ridge of a blouse, a ragged breath pushing them up before falling down, again.

"Where." Cat leans back against the desk, elbows straightening as she arches into the touch-tries to push Kara's hand down with breath, alone. "Tell me what you want, Kara."

"What I've dreamed?" Kara follows her, her own arms straightening as she leans over Cat-towers over her-one hand slowly tracing the line up from a knee, nails skimming upwards along a clenching thigh to push underneath the edge of a skirt. Her other hand pushes up from the dip of a breast to smooth up the line of a throat-to curl fingers along the curve of a jaw. "What I've spent days sitting right here daydreaming about while you were yelling from your office?"

"A powerplay, Kiera?" Cat smirks and Kara's laugh breaks against her lips before her fingers push further, tangling in hair and Cat's arms slide around her waist, snaking under fabric to run along the ridges of a suit. A familiarity-a simple, knowing action, gentle and safe-that catches along Kara's tongue in a hot breath, not able to help herself before kissing her, hand pushing up to slide underneath Cat's arching hip, fingers curling as she tastes a gasp against her tongue.

Cat's nails rake up the fabric of a suit with no real hope of breaking it.

"No," Kara's indignant when they part, "Right now I want to make love to you on this desk, Catherine."

"Oh, admit it. You've wanted to fuck me on this desk longer than you ever wanted to make love to me on it." Cat's vulgar and harsh and right and Kara's not sure what to do with that. "Admit it, Kara." Her teeth tug at a lip and Kara can't breathe anymore. Because the suit and the cape aren't the only secrets Catherine keeps that belong to the deepest parts of her, aching and yearning and...darker than she'd care to admit. "Admit that part of you still wants to fuck me, right now."

"Yes." Kara hisses a breath through her teeth, "Oh, yes, I very much do, Ms. Grant."

"Say it." Cat orders and Kara roughly pushes Cat on top of the desk at the sound of it, blue eyes widening for only a moment, surprised at her own reaction until Cat's fingers cup her cheeks and push her up to catch desperate eyes, insistent and lusting, but Kara can't. She can't look. "It's okay. Look at me." Kara swallows, tongue darting out over lips, "Kara," Gentler, "Look at me." And when Kara does, Cat's eyes are so dark that she could imagine herself lost in them for over two decades, floating and aimless and alone until Catherine's fingers hook underneath her jaw and she kisses her-she devours her-and Kara feels anything but. "I want this part of you." Cat's teeth tug at her lip and Kara chases her, pushing her down onto the desk, stealing the gasp made solely for the air with a selfish mouth until neither of them can breathe, anymore. Until Kara forgets what it was like to breathe, at all.

"Catherine." Kara whispers against a bruised mouth, pushing a skirt higher along

"Say it. Tell me, Kara." Cat encourages, voice dark and yearning as her hands smooth down her throat, cupping breasts and Kara catches wrists, pinning them up against the edge of the desk to a gasp, because this is about Cat.

"Yes." Kara admits, pressing her down fully against the weak wood, knee sliding up to press between legs, mouth sucking along the cleavage of breasts, tasting a ragged gasp. "Ok, I wanted to-" A breath through her nose, "Fuck you." She admits, the word heavy on her tongue, rumbling down in her chest and she feels it reverberate down to Cat's clenching thighs. "I wanted to push you down on my desk," It's a breath, knee pressing so insistently between them that Cat rolls down into her and she wonders how long it will be until she'll feel her-taste her-and eyes slam shut as she imagines it. "And drag my hands up your thighs," It's like a dirty secret, teeth tugging on an earlobe, sucking it into her mouth. "And part you with my fingers," Cat moans-she moans-and Kara delights in every single shift of the pitch, mouth trailing down a neck. "And taste you," She nips a collarbone. "And make you beg until you screamed my actual name, Cat." Her knee presses up harder and Cat would arch off of the desk if Kara's whole body wasn't pinning her down and she can feel her heart thundering underneath fingers-can hear it in her ears-can taste it as she kisses her, slowly. Deeply. Fully. "I wanted to fuck you until you couldn't walk." It's murmured against bruised lips. "I wanted to fuck you until you admitted you needed me." And she waits until Cat's eyes open, dark and deadly and so far gone that Kara's not even certain she recognizes the color. "I wanted to make you come undone. I wanted to make you smile. I wanted to make you moan and tremble and-and I wanted you to come so hard you stained the desk so that every time you walked past it you would think of me."

"And you still do," Cat's voice is barely a whisper, knowing, and Kara's whole body tenses, pulling away from those beautiful, endless eyes to chase stars up a neck-to let her breath, ragged and desperate, settle by an ear.

"Everytime I see you," Kara admits in a breathless gasp against her ear, "Everytime I see you I want it. I want to fuck you. And make love to you. I want to kiss you and see you smile and watch the sun rise in your eyes. I want to tell you-" And she can't help the emotion that curls her tongue-never can, not with Cat. "I want to tell you how much-"

"No declarations, Kara." Cat reminds but she sounds breathless and might blink moisture away when Kara pulls back to look at her, "And, oh, I'm starting to regret that one."

"Because we're supposed to keep our distance." It's not much of an agreement, eyes closing as she kisses Cat's jaw-her chin-the valley of her breasts so that she doesn't have to meet her eyes again. Because it's easy for Kara to declare everything Cat never wants to hear with her eyes.

"It's a useless effort but we can give ourselves an A for it. You millennials do like your stars." She tastes Cat's swallow with her tongue.

But this isn't about that, either.

"I can think of a better reward..."

Kara drags her nails down wrists-down shoulders and buttons that pop underneath the line of her fingers, string not strong enough to keep wanting fingers away, mouth chasing the path of her touch. A bra's wire snaps and rips from a short, quick tug and Cat's moan buries itself in Kara's chest. Her lips lightly chase the faintest red lines down to the swell of breasts before her tongue swirls around a nipple, mouth happily replacing it, arm wrapping around a waist to bring an arching back closer to her breath. Nails rake through her hair as Cat arches, legs restlessly wrapping around a waist, the sound of heels clattering to the floor as they fall from feet the only noise in Kara's ears save for Cat's ragged breath and the pound of her heart.

The rest of the buttons fall way to one hand slowly sliding down a clenching abdomen, tangling in the dark fabric of a skirt before her mouth moves to the other breast, urging herself to take this as slowly as she can, to revel in an image that's been seared in the back of her mind for years finally finding its place in reality.

Her fingers fall from the skirt to where underwear should be, a low noise in her throat when she only finds wetness, instead, knowing it must have seeped through the knee pressed there, and when Cat-back and neck arching like the sun off of a plane of white, a desperate breath swelling skin, breasts raising to close the gap between their chests-kisses her, Kara can't hold herself back, anymore.

Not when Cat's tongue is so desperate in her mouth when Kara traces a slow, slow line upwards with her fingers. Not when Cat's nails dig so tightly into her neck that they might shatter along the edges of a manicure and Kara can almost feel it. Not when this is the last opportunity she'll have to take her when this desk is hers. When Cat is still...hers.

Biceps flex as she slides inside, tasting her own name in a lost breath tumbled against parted lips when Cat arches further off of the desk, breaking the heated kiss for a chance to taste moonlight. It's slow, at first, ears taking in each breath-each sinful meet of her fingers-memorizing the way the warmth pools to her palm as bare thighs press off a desk. When Cat wraps an arm around her neck, riding her hand in ever-present challenge, using Kara as the anchor to lift herself up further off of the desk, moaning against her mouth-

"Fuck me, Kara."

-That's enough for Kara to moan in retaliation-to let something primal and forgotten break against the air between them. And she knows she kisses Cat a little too rough-a little too hard-because she tastes something red and human and intoxicating against her tongue, but Cat is still riding her fingers and Kara leans backwards to pull rocking hips into her lap, thrusting harder because she can't tell if Catherine's demanding or begging, anymore. She's in her lap, now, and Kara can't remember when.

Cat violently rips the glasses from the bridge of her nose, tossing them aside with a clatter and Kara sees the whole world in dark eyes as she kisses her again, palm pressing upwards, harder than she usually allows herself to be, tempering the raging breath in the back of her chest. Kara pulls her closer, arm anchoring underneath a waist to raise Cat up-to hold her a little above the desk.

To feel Catherine arch down into her-to feel her other arm wrap around her neck, holding on-to feel her breath break against her tongue. It doesn't take long until muscles tremble-until she watches Cat arch back into the air, breasts bare and eyes closed and oh she's beautiful.

She's beautiful and restlessly rocking against hips on Kara's desk and oh, Rao, she's gorgeous and Kara never wants to let this go. And when Catherine's fingers tangle in hair Kara decides she won't-she never will-kissing her when she gasps her name-when legs wrap so tightly around her waist that Cat might not let go, either, and then Kara catches her before she can fall backwards, easing her down onto the desk with an arm, hand slowing as she watches the lights from their office illuminate the painting of an undone Catherine Grant against the white canvas of Kara Danvers' desk.

That was rough enough to where she knows she'll need a moment, even if Kara wants to spread her legs and honor what she's sure Catherine knows was a promise.

She gently kisses up the plane of a stomach, chasing a trail of stairs up between breasts-dips a tongue in her collarbone-her neck-happily letting Catherine tug her head up to meet her in a slow, smooth kiss, sheltering a vulnerable body from the world with her own frame, smiling when they pull away and she feels warm breath pant against her lips.

The nervousness at her boldness fades away at the look in Cat's eyes and suddenly, Kara just feels...free.

Wanted. All of her, wanted. Craved. Cherished. And that's a new, dizzying thing that digs talons in her heart, ruthless and never letting go.

"Hmm…" Catherine's finger lazily graces down the ridge of her nose, sliding around the dip of a nostril and Kara doesn't even notice her glasses are gone. "You should have trusted your instincts-" The finger dips down to run along Kara's lower lip and she looks so content splayed like this, voice low and content and rumbling with an endless satiation, "Done that years ago."

"I'm just happy I've had the chance to do it at all." Kara smiles, hands resting by hair splayed out over a desk.

"You turn into a regular Frank Sinatra at night. The true superhero transformation." It's still so pleasantly hummed, fingers dropping down to untuck the shirt about Kara's hips, running along the blue fabric of a suit rarely hidden from her knowing eyes. Cat kisses her again, fingers chasing a chill up hips, "Did it live up to your expectations?"

"Exceeded." A quiet, happy sigh, teeth tucking the corner of a lip as Kara looks down at the sight of her, slowly untucking fingers from warmth to raise them up to eager lips, enjoying the feeling of Cat's fingers curling in response into hips-a quiet breath breaking against her mouth-but far more enjoying the lingering taste of her tongue, leaning down to regretfully inform her boss with a withering sigh: "Winn's coming back up the elevator to look for me."

"How predictable, your IT nerd best friend the buzzkill." Cat's nose wrinkles, sparing an errant look down to see her lack of dress, and Kara spares a moment longer to kiss between her breasts, sighing at the feeling of Cat's hands lovingly raking through mussed hair. "He probably thinks I killed you."

"Mmm you almost did." Kara laughs, chin resting over her heart for another moment before whisking her boss away and the lump of clothes with it, depositing Catherine on her desk along the way with a soft peck on the lips, appearing only a second later with the second set of clothes safely tucked away from the CEO's use. It takes her a few more seconds to tidy up the desk, looking back at it with a happy-happy noise-before regularly walking back to Catherine's side, right where she belongs, fingers drumming along exposed knees. "That blouse and bra cost more than I made today, don't they?" It's a curious question as it is knowing, taking in the ripped sight with a very minor flash of regret.

"Considerably more." Cat notes, already lifting up her compact to fix her lipstick, winking over it in a way that makes that regret suddenly nonexistent. "Exceeded." It's a knowing, sly noise in the back of Kara's throat before they're dropped into a nearby bag to be properly repaired or disposed of without a series of rumors surrounding the office from Milo in the morning.

Cat tugs her close and smooths the wrinkles of a blouse as Kara tugs her hair back up into a ponytail-this is a routine they've perfected after five and a half months-and the elevator dings as Kara makes a point to lean casually against a much larger desk, snagging up her tablet to attempt to at least maintain some semblance of cover, though it's hardly unusual for anyone in CatCo to find Kara occupied by her friend and mentor's desk, these days.

Those rumors-the ones where Kara has tamed the unlikely beast of Cat Grant's friendship-are ones she doesn't bother tempering through the office, because they're true. And she's maybe a little proud.

(The ones where they also happen to be sleeping together? Well...they're not wrong, so she doesn't say anything about those, either and she's noticed, with no small amount of quiet pleasure, that neither does Cat).

"Hey, Kara? You up here? Everyone's-"

"Oh, Winn!" Kara shouts from the office and then looks up and when she meets Catherine's eyes and she doesn't understand why her lover suddenly looks so-

"Well, Shit." Cat tugs her close and her voice is as casual as can be-like the same sigh she had when someone personally called her cell phone with a bomb threat in the middle of a busy news day, unphased and waving her wrist as she takes it in stride-the moment Winn rounds the corner and Kara's brow knits, half expecting it to be nothing. Half expecting them both to be on fire, or something. Really, either would be plausible with Cat. "Your glasses."

"My?" A quick check of her nose confirms. "Ohmorethanshit" Kara stumbles backwards, eyes scanning for them- "Where did they even-"

Cat makes a very casual tossing gesture over her shoulder with a shrug.

"Right. Of course you did. Because that's something that should definitely happen in real life and not just late night pay-per-view movies and-" Cat interrupts her, loudly and over her shoulder. Probably glaring at Winn.

"I told you, Kara, I have no clue where they are, now why don't you run along to dinner and-"

"Winn," Kara happily explains, turning around, making as much of a show at acting blind as she can, stumbling over Cat's desk in a way that makes a lover snort and her best friend down the hall move into crisis mode to save the day.

Sometimes Winn's pretty great at that.

"Woah-what, you're-oh your glasses aren't!" He snaps his hand, holding up a cardigan like a shield, stumbling, and Kara turns away from Cat to make a gesture between them, pointing out towards the much larger area with a frantic look, "Aren't on your face. Which means you are...blind-" He points, "And lost...them?"

Great at saving. He's not as great as catching on. If this is how she looks when she tries to cover, Kara's starting to think Alex might have a point.

"Wow, you're so clever and intuitive how could we have ever let you go." Cat is perfectly monotone and Kara would mouth to her to be nice if she was supposed to have any clue where Cat was, at all, so instead she settles on looking towards the ceiling and wishing to be magically teleported somewhere else. Anywhere else, really.

Winn starts stumbling around for Kara's glasses immediately and Kara sighs, running a hand over her face.

It goes around for a good five minutes, the women just leaning against the doorway as he fumbles.

"You hate lying to him, don't you." Catherine whispers in her ear when Winn dives underneath the desk around the corner, happily explaining that he's found them.

"Oh, you have no idea." Her shoulders sag a little underneath the brief feeling of Cat's hands, certain there isn't a single secret she'd bother keeping from her, now. "He was the first person I told, you know. About me."

Kara's eyes look down at her palms, seeing far more than ridges and valleys and creases, and suddenly a set of glasses are set there, Kara looking up to see the happy, helpful face of a man she misses often.

She's learning it's easy to miss people even when you're in the room with them.

"Here you go. Under the desk across the office, what'd you do, Chuck em?" He laughs a little, pointing up at her before hands push into pockets, leaning back on the ball of his feet like a nervous, proud pre-teen.

"Thanks, Winn." Kara slides the glasses back on and blinks, readjusting with a sigh, fingers clenching so that she doesn't reach out to either one of them. "Yeah, I just, uh...you know me. A little overzealous." They both share a laugh and Winn offers another small wave to Cat before awkwardly offering up a cardigan.

"Oh, I-"

"How's your hand?" Surprisingly, it's Cat who asks and both of them just blink at her in a way that makes her visibly uncomfortable-Kara only knows this because she immediately rolls her eyes. "If I remember correctly, those hands are expensive."

"Oh. I…" Winn clears his throat, obviously unsettled by the attention and Kara's face visibly softens. "It's all good. Um…" He waves a finger between the two before settling on Catherine. "Kara was right, you should…" A little firmer, nodding before that hand goes right back into his pocket, smiling like he's settled on something and Kara squeezes his shoulder before her elbow follows up to where her hand was, resting on a shoulder and raising eyebrows in solidarity. "You should come."

"You should definitely do that, Ms. Grant." Kara's smile is practically a beam, chin falling to rest along her knuckles as Cat looks between them. "Two of your best underlings-"

"Former." Winn pipes up. "Former underling, here."

"Oh, hey, me too." She laughs-deep and lingering, chin tipping back as she swats his shoulder, turning back, "Right. Two of your formerunderlings-"

"Oh," But Cat laughs, waving a finger between them, "I'm not about to be hustled by the Brady Bunch. No way."

"-would love for you to attend my commemorative dinner of being the number one record holder-" Kara continues, not deterred in the least, and that's likely the most telling of all.

"Guinness world records will be on my phone. I will dial it. I'm dialing it." Winn chirps, popping up his phone and waving it in front of Kara.

"He's dialing it." She snatches the phone after thinking about it for a moment. "Please don't actually dial it." Continuing, "Of holding the most number of unsuccessful-"

"Wildly unsuccessful, apparently." Winn adds.

"Okay, maybe stop helping?" Kara adds as well.

"Not a chance." Winn beams and Cat just slowly, slowly looks between them.

"Yes," Cat finally notes, like she's talking to two particularly slow people in a red state, "I was here for the majority of those wildly unsuccessful interviews."

"So you should come out to celebrate my failures and successes as my key mentor in all of these life events, Ms. Grant." Kara drops Winn's phone back into his hand.

"You're insane-" Cat smiles as she points at Kara, waving a finger towards Winn, "And you're visibly frightened of me."

"I am not ins-"

"Ok, she's not...entirely wrong about me being terrified of her-?" Winn murmurs out of the corner of his mouth towards Kara. "Though?"

"And I can hear you." Cat rolls her eyes.

"And she has freakishly acute hearing." Winn grumbles and Kara drops her elbow to step a little closer.

A little quieter, though she doesn't bridge the gap between them-wouldn't dare. "Last thing I'll ever have a chance to bug you to do as your assistant, Ms. Grant."

"I suppose that's true, isn't it?" Cat looks curiously between the two of them, chin ducking for only a moment as a soft laugh leaves her lips. A moment later, she reaches up and grabs Kara's hand, tugging her towards the balcony with dismissive boy, stay, shutting the door behind her. "I can't, Kara. I appreciate the offer, but I was hoping to spend tonight with Carter and Adam."

"Oh, Adam's in town? I saw he sent me a message on Facebook but I hadn't-oh that's an awkward question, isn't it? I just-oh, I'm just so glad you're-Cat!" Kara beams, fingers shuffling glasses before she reaches forward, hand curling around a shoulder. "That's great!" Cat's smile spreads, a hint of nerves clear at the edges. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was pleasantly distracted." The smile shifts a little- like that thought is a far more pleasant preoccupation than Cat's rare and visible nerves-elegant fingers spending a fair amount of time picking a piece of lint off of Kara's lapel. "I was going to tell you."

"It's great, Catherine. Are you-well obviously you're not going to admit you're nervous," It's a gentle, knowing tease and there she goes with the eye-rolling, again. "Was this that big decision?" Kara reaches a hand up to catch her wrist, finger imperceptibly smoothing along a pulse.

"No." A breath shakes against Cat's lips like a heavy truth withheld and brows knit, "But I'm excited." The hand on a lapel flattens and Cat steps closer, lips brushing over Kara's cheek. "Winn knows, you know."

"Well…" Kara's eyes flick into the office where Winn stumbles away, hand snapping over his eyes to showcase how much he is clearly not watching them through the glass. "I'm...not very good at lying. And according to James he's been covering for me for...awhile."

"James?" Cat's eyebrows raise, a hum in the back of her throat.

"Well, I don't know if James knows, but since he gave me this whole speech about wanting me to follow my heart and be happy…" Her nose ducks, fingers fidgeting glasses before Cat's fingers slide underneath her chin and tip eyes up to meet a searching gaze.

"Quite the little heroic support system you have."

"I'm pretty sure the only member of my little support system that doesn't know is my sister. Which is going to kill her." Kara murmurs but there's part of her holding this tightly against her chest. Keeping Cat right here before she can float away.

Because Kal-El was right.

Sometimes it feels like she's not even here, at all.

"...tell him." Cat whispers after a long moment and Kara blinks, surprised, another curveball tight against her chest. She still doesn't understand baseball, but she understands what it feels like to be hit with a 101 mph projectile and this feels a whole lot like that.

"I...but the rule-"

"Is for my sons, your sister, and our office. Everyone needs someone to talk to, Kara."

"Do you?" Kara asks, stepping closer. "Have...someone to talk to. Other than…" A breath, "Other than me."

"Yes." Cat's finger dips underneath the lapel of a collar, barely dancing moonlight against skin, "I...might have mentioned you to one other person."

For some odd reason, it makes Kara smile, slowly spreading across lips.

It makes it feel real. Like their lives are more than just hidden secrets along ears, dipped beds in shadows.

"And got the same happiness talk. It was very obnoxious."

"Oh, I bet." Kara laughs a little, teeth tucking at the edge of her lip. "So that...that means that this…"

"Oh, don't make such a big deal about it."

"How could I not when you like me." Kara teases, the teeth not doing much to hide her smile, at all.

"Don't push your luck, Kara. We were doing just fine not talking about any of this. Like perfectly emotionally capable adults, ignoring all of our problems."

"Oh, right, which I'm so very good at. Not talking."

"Right." Cat drawls but they both laugh, Cat just gently patting her shoulder and brushing lips over a cheek. "He looks like he's about to pass out, Kara. It's alright. Tell him."

"Thank you." It's a gift she's never asked for-a whisper in her ear-and before Cat can pull away completely, Kara tugs her closer, gently catching her lips in a lingering kiss, feeling that small, beautiful smile against her.

"Or just make him pass out." Cat murmurs, "Ah, what the hell, make him really pass out."

"Wh-h...mm..." Kara's eyes snap open when Cat tugs her sharply forward, catching her mouth in a far rougher kiss, hands clenching at her sides before they slowly wrap up around a neck, thoughtlessly guiding Catherine closer before her brain can catch up. By the time it does, her brain suddenly has far more important things to occupy itself, not bothering to pull away, and when the kiss finally does break, they don't go far. "That's...not the way I was going to tell him but I am…" A smile-a hint of a laugh rumbling and giddy in her chest, "Not complaining."

"Come on, record-setter, we have dinners to get to."

"Hey, wait, real quick. I um, I know we already had a bit of a moment on my desk. And earlier. And yesterday. But I just wanted to-" Kara kisses her, again, soft and gentle and smiling, a slow, happy breath leaving her nose. Kissing her just because she can. "Thank you, Catherine. For everything."

"God, stop acting like you're being shipped off, you were promoted." Cat chides but leans up, pecking her again, reminding with the faintest smile against her lips, "19 hours, Kara. Tell Superman I say hi."

"19 hours." Kara nods and the way Cat's fingers linger along the brush of her cheek feels like she's heard her, regardless, before Cat tugs open the door to reveal Winn gaping towards the both of them, mouth hanging open. She's actually a little worried his jaw might be dislocated for a second.

"Wilhelm." Cat greets and Kara happily trots behind her, teeth tucking lips.

"B-b-I-r-" He stutters, a few blinks settling before he waves between the two of them. "I...was right. And you knew. I was...what?"

"That Kara and I are sleeping together or that you should never," She points down at his shoes and his pants, "Ever under any circumstances mix Navy with black? They clash."

"You-tha-right?"

And Kara is there in a matter of seconds, face contorting in sympathy.

"Oh, woah, hey, do you need to sit down?" Kara eases him down by the shoulders as he continues to babble a little, "Should we sit down? I thought you...oh please don't tell me you're still-"

"Hey, hey." Winn scrambles a little towards the door like he's mid conversation in his head, which he obviously is from the way he suddenly points in Cat's face. "And another thing! If you ever hurt her I swear you'll have to...deal with me, lady. And I can be…" He wilts a little bit, blinking, "Pretty unpleasant. Even if I'm scared of you. Really scared of you." Murmuring out of the corner of his mouth after a long moment passes, "Did I start in the middle of that speech?"

"Yep." Kara murmurs back.

"Oh." But Cat just smiles, eyes light as she slowly lowers his finger for him like an unloaded gun in an alley, catching Kara's fond eyes over his shoulder. "It wasn't the shady government sister after all who gave me the talk. I see why you like him."

Kara appears next to his side, beaming, hand gently curling around a shoulder. "Well, he's the best."

"The best, she says." Cat pats Winn's finger with her other hand before releasing it fully. "She hasn't lead me wrong, before, so try your best not to sway my opinion. Have a nice night." And there it is-the look where all of Cat's being is supplied, all of her attention is in one moment on her best friends eyes, a waterfall in a name, "Winn."

She doesn't offer any condolences or promises or explanations before turning away.

"Goodnight, Catherine." Kara calls from next to her best friend's side and she hears the smile before she sees it when Cat turns on her heel at a personal elevator, doors opening like she commands the seas, herself.

"Goodnight, Kara."

And Kara just sighs so happily as she watches Cat go.

"Kapow." She breathes, leaning an elbow against his shoulder with a spreading smile, head falling to rest on her knuckles.

"Kapow?" Winn repeats, looking up at her before turning back towards the elevator, the doors slowly closing, "Wow." He murmurs, "Your kapow." Winn says again, like he both can't quite believe it and is tasting the old word on his tongue. But he sounds more comfortable with the idea than he probably used to be and Kara nervously looks down towards her best friend, swallowing as she realizes, for the first time, just how much her heart clenches with the doors closed. "Wow, Kara."

"Wow." She sighs, a little quieter-a little sadder-head falling to his shoulder as an arm wraps around her waist in sympathy. "Kapow."

"I'm sorry, kiddo." Winn leans over to rest his cheek against the top of her head. "I'm really, really sorry. Come on…" He tugs both of her hands backwards towards the other elevators, nodding, "Come on. Food. Then you're telling me all about it."

"You trying to butter me up, buddy?" She squeezes his hand and tucks it under her arm, hooking it and leaning into his side, tired and happy and...something else, entirely. "Because it's working."

"Allllways does, Danvers."

Kara laughs.

"And it's not...I'm not…"

"Kara." He squeezes her hand and looks in her eyes and she lets out a slow, relieved breath at the sincerity there. "It's come around time. I've come around here. And I'm totally ready to hear how you managed to start...I mean, sleeping with Cat Grant, Kara? Really?" He playfully bats her bicep with wiggling fingers, "You dog."

She snorts a little and buries her nose in his shoulder, unable to hide the smile.

And this is good. So good. Being able to talk about it.

"Winn." She breathes, drawing up all of her breath into her shoulders as they stop onto the elevator, just the two of them. "I'm not just...you know. Sleeping with her. We both...know it's going to end someday. Like, adult, really know it's going to. Because there's no way for me to..." A beat, "Have this and keep it. I really don't want to talk about it. Or...think about it. Or dwell on it, but I just...I just wanted to say it out loud. To someone. That I love her."

"Oh." Winn swallows and squeezes her hand as the doors close, Kara sucking in a sharp breath as the elevator starts to rattle.

"And I know it, I just know, that she loves me too, Winn. I've seen it. I've felt it."

"That's…" he's turning to look at her but she looks down at the ground, foot nervously tapping along the tile.

"And every time I'm so happy-whenever we're so happy because it's starting to happen more and more, the whole...being happy thing- I see her looking at me like she's petrified she's going to lose me and I can... I'm normally so optimistic. I always try to stay optimistic, but I feel like she's right. Like what if this is some kind of self fulfilling prophecy?"

"Well you-"

"Of course we can't say it. We have these rules. And the truth is, I don't even care. I know it's going to happen and I feel like I'm turning into my mother just...watching it happen and not- Oh I never really made that connection before. That's…depressing on so many levels." She sucks in a breath, watching the numbers tick by so that she doesn't have to watch Winn. "I love her so much it hurts, Winn. And we have a word for that on my planet."

"You do?" It's quieter. Gentler. And she nods.

"Oh, yeah." But she doesn't say it. Doesn't dare. "I just...I wanted someone to know. And I...I wanted that person to be you, Winn. You're my best friend. I mean, I want Alex to know, too, but she...everything's been so different since..." The breath is shakier now, looking down at her palms, and she slowly looks up at him when his hand slides into it, something soft and familiar behind fluttering eyelashes. "I wanted you to know. About my kapow."

"Wow." A long moment passes, the doors opening to Kara resting her head on the shoulder, catching the tail end of Catherine getting into a car held open by a driver, Kara looking down to the bracelet that had been slid into her palm on the balcony. "Cat Grant's your kapow." Kara slides the bracelet into her pocket with a sigh. "Hey, when we're done with dinner...you want to come over like old times and play some games?"

"Really?" She perks up, hopeful and hesitant and likely bruising his arm she's holding it so tightly.

"Really."

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe, Winn." Kara can keep the now. She's good with the now. "Thanks."

"Hey," He smiles, dragging her out into the cool night, walking with a wide, peppy stride when she lovingly tucks her cardigan around his shoulders, laughing when he ungracefully pulls a Fred Astaire around a nearby light pole. "What are friends for?"

This, she decides, laughing as he bounces around and beams and looks so happy for her even when she doesn't know how to be for herself, sometimes.

Friends are for this and she loves him.

It's after dinner, both of them propped up against the cushions of a couch that threatens to swallow her whole, underneath the flickering light of a television that Winn lowers his controller and furrows brows and Kara's tired, happy blink slowly takes in the sight of her best friend's pout.

"Wait, what's wrong with mixing Navy and Black?"

Notes:

**Kryptonian Translations, Mythos, and other DC shenanigans** Source(s)
Language
**El Mayarah: Stronger together. A Kryptonian phrase. ***

**Zrhythrevium: Family; kin. Person who belongs to a house-a strong bond word. noun P: [ʒ͡rɪ.θɹ ]; Krptonian: ZRyTrEvúm

**This phrase would essentially mean: "We're stronger together, my blood". **