As Kara walked down the hallway of the DEO, she felt as if she were on Cloud 9. After her night with Lena, her mood had done a complete 180. No longer did she feel down in the dumps or concerned over the future. Kara was too full of joy at the moment to be bogged down by any negative emotions. How could she not be? After all, she was Lena Luthor's girlfriend.

There were very few times in Kara's life where she was somebody else's girlfriend. The first time had happened fairly late in high school, near the end of her Junior Year. Kara had been asked out several times prior to that by various guys, but had always politely declined. It wasn't until some gentle prodding from her foster mother that Kara had finally decided to dip her toe into the dating arena. Eliza had been concerned that Kara was refraining from dating due to some misconceived notion that she didn't fit in, when really it was simply because she hadn't liked anyone enough to agree yet. Shortly after their talk, a nice boy named Sergio from Kara's Geometry class had asked her out to the movies and, much to the surprise of all of her classmates, Kara accepted.

Their date hadn't gone terribly. Sergio had taken her to a decent Italian restaurant down the block from the theater and had let Kara choose the movie that they went to see afterwards, who in turn caught him off guard by selecting Transformers. Kara could still remember to this day how his comment about how "Transformers didn't seem like a girl movie." A staunch feminist, even as a teenager, it had been a struggle to bite back her opinion on his remark. Instead, Kara had relied on her inherent politeness and did nothing but smile and reassure him that was exactly what she wanted to see. She hadn't regretted it, either. The highlight of the night had ended up being the movie.

Their relationship continued through Kara's senior year of high school, largely in part to Eliza's encouragement. There were plenty of pictures out there documenting her time with Sergio. There were images of them with his arms wrapped possessively around her at his family's barbeques, one of them at the apex of a ski slope with Kara looking ten times more exhilarated over the prospect of flying down the hill than him, and plenty of them surrounded by large groups of their friends, which had quickly become Kara's favorite way to date. She had found that it was easier to act naturally around Sergio when they were around others. It was the one on one time that she struggled with the most. It was during those moments where she found herself feeling the least enchanted by their relationship. Conversation didn't flow as naturally between the two of them as she would have liked, which normally led to them making out on the couch in his basement. Even that was lackluster and would typically end with Kara dismissing herself, citing a non-existent curfew as her reason for leaving.

The very last picture of them together had been taken the night of their Senior Prom, with painted smiles on their faces. Sergio's tie matched Kara's dress, which also coordinated with the corsage that he had brought to her and slipped onto her wrist with a kiss. Their night had consisted of delicious hors d'oeuvres, good friends, and plenty of dancing. The Cha Cha Slide had easily been Kara's favorite. Throughout the course of the night, Sergio had tried to get Kara to indulge in the secretly spiked punch on numerous occasions, failing every time. It hadn't stopped him from drinking, though. By the time they got back to the limousine his parents had generously agreed to rent them for the night, Sergio had made it past being buzzed and was comfortably wasted. As a result, he was far too handsy and much too aggressive. Kara, not at all on the same page as him, rebuffed every effort he made to sweet-talk her into compliance. Insisting that he take her home immediately, she spent the remainder of the drive in the far corner of the limo, away from Sergio and feeling flustered. It hadn't been how she had pictured the night going at all.

As Kara exited the car, Sergio hadn't even bothered to assist her in getting out, not that she needed his help. "Prude," he drunkenly slurred after her as she stormed away, desperately trying to hold back any tears. Kara was determined not to give him that satisfaction.

It wasn't until moments later, after she had made her way straight to Alex's room and crawled into her sister's bed, that Kara finally let her tears fall. Alex was, thankfully, on a break from her college classes and had been spending the week at home. Despite Kara's actions having woken her up, Alex didn't get upset or angry. All she did was wrap her arms around Kara and wait for the crying to subside before inquiring what was wrong. Once she had collected herself enough, Kara tried her best to explain and put her feelings about the situation into words. Alex's temper flared up when she heard how Sergio had behaved, but she cooled off as soon as Kara segued the topic of conversation from her now ex-boyfriend's actions to the feelings of confusion and inadequacy that the entire relationship had stirred up inside of her. Being with Sergio had put her ability to successfully date into question and had turned it into a source of self-consciousness for the blonde. The last thing Kara remembered from that night was Alex rubbing her back and whispering to her that one day, she'd find the right person and she would no longer feel that way.

Years later, that day had finally come and Kara was beyond ecstatic about it.

So ecstatic that she nearly slammed into Mon-El on her way down to the main chamber of the DEO.

"Sorry," Kara murmured, awkwardly sidestepping the Daxamite and continuing along her way without another word. Ever since she had turned him down not once, but twice, Mon-El and her had been mutually avoiding one another. Less and less, she saw him hanging around at the DEO and she couldn't even remember the last time she had crossed paths with him outside of the office. The part of her that enjoyed making friends and creating bonds with people was saddened by the tension between them, but she didn't feel at all guilty about it. Mon-El had been the one to make things weird between them due to his inability to accept her denial. It didn't appear as if he was accustomed to being turned down, but that wasn't Kara's problem to work through. If there was ever a time where he wanted to attempt to move past the awkwardness that now lingered between them, she would be more than willing to attempt that. Kara had managed it with both Winn and James, as well as various other guys in her past. But it wasn't her that needed to come to that conclusion, it was Mon-El. The longer he behaved this way, the more certain Kara became that he wasn't somebody she needed in her life in the first place.

"You are positively glowing."

Kara stopped, turning on her heel to find the source of the familiar voice. The smile that she had been sporting when she had first stepped foot inside of the DEO returned as her eyes settled onto J'onn's warm, dark brown ones.

"What gave me away?" Kara asked, blonde curls cascading down the front of her shoulder as her head tilted, hands resting on her hips.

"Well… since I can't read your mind, I had to rely upon my keen sense of observation." Kara could see the hint of a smile on J'onn's lips. "You lit up the entire room when you stepped in here. I half-thought that we were experiencing some sort of solar flare. You had me looking through the windows."

Kara reached out, playfully tapping the older man's arm.

"I am not that obvious! Am I?" Kara chuckled, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ears. "Ahhhh J'onn, I'm just so happy." Taking a step forward, she angled her body so that she was standing next to him instead of in front of him. The two of them peered out into the room and Kara leaned in slightly, whispering. "Wanna know a secret? You have to keep it on the down low, though, because I haven't even told Alex yet."

J'onn peered over at Kara in his peripheral before looking forward again. "The down low?"

"You have to keep it quiet," Kara explained with a giggle. She couldn't tell if J'onn was pulling her leg or not.

"Okay, you have my word."

Kara nodded, her eyes glancing around the room as she resisted the urge to rock back and forth on her heels. Ever since Lena had asked her to be her girlfriend, Kara had felt all of this incredible energy inside of her that she hadn't been able to work out of her system yet. Maybe she would go for a good old fashioned run later or something.

"Lena Luthor asked me to be her girlfriend," Kara revealed, keeping her voice low despite wanting to shout the news from the rooftops. As excited as she was about everything, she wanted to get the chance to tell each of her friends personally. Even though the DEO's atmosphere was mostly professional, gossip still swept through the office like wildfire, so she had to be careful not to be too loud.

Kara had expected J'onn to respond to her revelation with the same contained enthusiasm that he typically did when it came to him reacting to good news. However, he surprised her.

Turning towards the Kryptonian, J'onn spread his arms and pulled Kara into a warm hug that she didn't hesitate to return. "I'm so happy for you, Kara," he said quietly. His naturally husky voice sounded joyful, leaving no doubt in Kara's mind as to the sincerity of his statement.

When their hug ended, Kara stepped back to his side, biting her lip to contain herself over their exchange. She didn't need anyone's approval for what was happening between herself and Lena, but the support was still greatly appreciated. Over their time getting to know one another and working together, J'onn had managed to sort of step into the role of father figure that had been left empty first by Zor-El and then later on by Jeremiah Danvers. The bond that they had forged was strong and Kara cared for the Martian greatly.

"Hey, where's my hug?" Winn joked, sidling up to the pair of them with a grin.

J'onn's expression changed back to the serious one that he typically donned.

"Agent Schott, surely you have better things to do than stick your nose where it doesn't belong?"

The grin that had been on Winn's face flickered and Kara could tell he was trying to read J'onn to see how far he could push it with his jokes. Kara glanced over at their boss and could tell from his eyes that he wasn't actually annoyed, but she doubted that Winn was going to be able to pick up on that. The technician was still getting used to J'onn and the DEO as a whole.

"Roger that, boss," Winn finally said, backing down just as Kara had anticipated.

"I'll tell you about it later," Kara mouthed before Winn turned to leave.

Two steps in, Winn stopped and looked back at them. Pointing at Kara, he lifted a brow.

"Are we still on for Game Night tonight at Alex's place?"

"Oh, crap!" Kara exclaimed, eyes widening. "Thank you sooooo much for reminding me, it completely had slipped my mind!"

Ever since Kara's pretty little apartment had been blown to smithereens, the Game Night gang had fallen off track when it came to keeping up with one of their favorite traditions. About a week or so ago, James had reached out to them all via email to schedule a get-together and Alex had happily offered up her services as hostess as long as everyone promised to bring their own booze.

"I will definitely be there!" Kara promised. Prior to life getting hectic and causing her to forget all about it, Kara had been really looking forward to Game Night. It would be nice to slip some normalcy back into her life.

"Awesome," Winn noted with a smile and a nod. His hand dropped, both of them slipping into his pockets. "You should bring Lena," he remarked, his shoulders lifting up into a small shrug before he turned back around to actually go back to his desk this time.

"That's not a bad idea…" Kara mused, already considering it. It would be a great way to share her amazing news with her inner circle all at once.

Now she just had to get Lena to agree to it.

~ooooooo~

What are you doing tonight?

Kara had just finished dropping off an article for Snapper and was now rewarding herself with a short break for managing to not earn a single snarky remark from her boss.

Not wanting to stare at her phone, anxiously awaiting Lena's reply, Kara tucked it into the pocket of her work pants and turned her attention to the vending machine in front of her. It was high time for a snack. Preferably something chocolate.

Even though her sweet tooth was nagging at her, Kara still surveyed the top few rows of savory snacks just in case something caught her eye. Blue eyes scanned various options, pausing briefly on the Snack Factory Pretzel Thins and considering them. The desire to have chocolate won out, though, and her gaze dropped, settling on the treats below. As soon as she spotted the Pretzel M&M's at the bottom row of the machine, a satisfied smile found her lips.

"Perfect," Kara remarked, reaching into her pocket for the spare dollar she had tucked into it earlier when the plan to hunt down a snack had first popped into her mind. It had taken a good bit of self-control not to go then, but she had been only a few paragraphs away from completion and wanted to finish it first. Besides, knowing that a snack waited at the end of the tunnel made it easier for her to trudge through what had been one of her more boring and tedious assignments. Kara had yet to discover what her specific niche was in the world of reporting, but after today she was certain that it would never be covering stories that had anything to do with annuity disbursements. Their finance guy was out sick for the week, so Snapper had come to her with what he deemed to be a 'hot' assignment about National City Financial's latest upheaval of their annuity disbursement process. There really hadn't been anything hot or juicy about the story, but Kara now had a newfound respect of the processors that handled those types of transactions.

Slipping her dollar into its tiny designated spot, Kara murmured "come on" while trying to tempt it into taking her money. After three failed attempts where the machine had spit her dollar back at her, leaving her to wonder if she should leave the M&Ms behind, it finally sucked it up and kept it.

Kara reached for the long rectangular keypad to the side, her fingers punching in the '816' that was displayed underneath of her desired treat. The metal coil spun, pushing the snack bag forward, and Kara watched as it tumbled to the bottom of the machine.

Ducking down, Kara used the back of her hand to push open the slot so that she could reach inside and retrieve her prize. Fingers clutching around the bag, she pulled it out and headed over to the couch that was situated in the center of the lounge so that she could sit down.

Kara tore a slit into the bright blue bag, tilting it until two green pretzel M&Ms rolled into her palm. Cupping her hand, she lifted it up and popped the candies into her mouth. Just as the chocolate hit her tongue, she felt her phone vibrating against her thigh. Immediately, Kara lifted her hips up and reached into her pocket, extracting her phone and lifting it up so she could see if it was Lena replying.

The Luthor's name decorated the top of the text bubble, but what was contained within caused Kara to almost choke on her chocolate.

You. ;)

Kara coughed as the chocolate and pretzel pieces she had been chewing shot down the wrong pipe, causing her to set her phone and her candy down next to her so she could pound at her chest a little until the sensation cleared. Already, she was picturing the headlines...

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE: SUPERGIRL DONE IN BY HER LOVE FOR M&Ms

Alter boys would go up and down the aisles of the church during her funeral procession, passing out the small snack packs that frequently only made an appearance in stores around Halloween and Valentine's Day. Alex would give a touching speech, recounting the time the Danvers family had flown out to M&M World with the Kents and Kara had insisted on having at least one M&M of every color. Perhaps Aaron Carter would make a guest appearance, throwing it back for everyone with a rousing rendition of "I Want Candy."

After a few panicky seconds, Kara found that she was able to breathe again and took advantage of that, drawing in a few deep breaths before retrieving her phone.

Another, newer text from Lena was lingering at the top of her screen above the one that had nearly been fatal to Kara.

I truly have no plans other than spending some time with my lovely girlfriend. Why, what were you thinking?

Just like that, Kara found herself grinning like a fool, near-death experience forgotten. Unlocking her phone, she went into her message strand with Lena and tapped out a reply.

I totally forgot, but my sister is hosting Game Night tonight! I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but basically my friends and I like to get together every now and again to play a bunch of games and decompress. I was kinda hoping that maybe I could get you to go with me?

Kara left the message strand open this time, unabashedly bubble stalking. The bubbles that indicated Lena was typing appeared fairly quickly. Then disappeared. Then appeared again. Then disappeared.

Kara watched the bubbles appear and disappear several times before finally a reply encapsulated in a small gray bubble popped up.

I'd love to.

That was it? The big reply? It had taken Lena… Kara's fingers pressed to the screen of her phone, dragging the texts to the side so that she could see the timestamps… 9 minutes to answer with that?

Writing it off as nothing more than a phone glitch, Kara sent off a stream of her happiest looking emojis before returning to her M&Ms.

~ooooooo~

There was definitely something up with Lena as they made the ride over to Alex's apartment.

The Luthor was quiet and had been fidgeting with the watch on her wrist the entire ride. Kara's eyes caught sight of the mother of pearl face of it every time it was spun in her direction. It wasn't like Lena to fidget, that was really more of Kara's thing. Lena was typically more poised, much like an elegant lioness. It may have seemed like a minor thing to a stranger, but Kara's suspicions were thoroughly aroused.

Unable to take it any longer, Kara reached out for the hand brandishing the watch and held it, causing Lena's other hand to still its movements and drop to her lap.

"Hey Lena, is something on your mind?" Kara asked, aware that she was lacking in tact during this fishing expedition. Being subtle had never been her strong suit. Kara was much too forward and honest to skirt around her real concerns sometimes. It was easier for her to get straight to the point.

Lena hummed, her lips pursing in thought. Instead of looking over at Kara, the Luthor's eyes glanced out the tinted window of the car, focusing on the passing cityscape.

Kara squeezed the hand that she was holding and waited patiently, choosing not to repeat her question. If the answer was one that Lena wasn't prepared to share with her yet, then that was okay. As much as Kara wanted to know what Lena appeared to be fretting about, it was more important to her to respect her girlfriend's boundaries.

After a couple of minutes, Lena surprised the blonde by offering up an answer.

"I don't think your friends are going to like me."

Kara's eyes widened at Lena's answer, her body immediately angling towards her girlfriend.

"Oh, Lena," she said softly, her brow furrowing. No wonder it had taken Lena forever and at least fifteen text drafts to reply to Kara's message earlier. The blonde hadn't even stopped to consider that Lena might feel uncomfortable at this outing. Kara was so used to Lena's calm and cool demeanor that sometimes she neglected to remember that, just because a person seemed okay on the outside, didn't mean that there wasn't a war raging on in their head on the inside.

"Baby, look at me," Kara urged, waiting until Lena's eyes found hers before continuing. "I don't think there's a person in the world that wouldn't like you once they got to know you," she remarked, her honesty kicking in. Kara knew that most people were hesitant to accept Lena due to her heritage, but she refused to believe that Lena's last name was an obstacle that couldn't be overcome.

"I don't…" Lena trailed off. The conflict she felt internally that had first manifested itself as fidgeting hands was now starting to show on her face. "I don't think that's true, Kara. There are plenty of people out there that have met me and still dislike me."

Kara's head shook immediately. "Meeting you and knowing you are two totally different things. My friends…they all have good hearts and smart heads on their shoulders. I have complete faith that, by the end of the night, they're going to adore you as much as I do." Kara paused, a chuckle emerging. "Okay, well, almost as much as I do. It's going to be pretty impossible for anyone to be as taken with you as I am because, let me tell you, I am over the moon for you, Lena Luthor."

Lena's cheeks immediately darkened and the traces of a small smile appeared on her face. Kara leaned in and pressed a kiss to the blushing cheek that was closest to her.

"Besides," Kara continued on, giving Lena's hand a comforting squeeze. "You saved my life the other day, remember? I haven't forgotten that and neither have my friends. You're kinda walking into this Game Night a hero."

Lena scoffed softly, but the smile on her lips remained.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero, but I hope you're right about them eventually liking me."

Kara shifted in her seat so that she was facing Lena even more and reached up her free hand to cup her girlfriend's cheek. "Honey, you're totally mistaken on the hero front. Speaking personally, you've been my hero long before that dang Black Mercy popped into our lives and I know for a fact that'll never change."

Lena's head ducked down shyly and Kara was captivated by how beautiful she was, even in this vulnerable state. All versions of Lena were positively entrancing. There were so many facets and layers to this woman. Kara was looking forward to learning of them all, over time.

Before Kara could get a chance to act on the urge to kiss her girlfriend, the partition lowered and Charles informed the girls that they had arrived.

"Here goes nothing…" Lena said, her voice a soft murmur as the both of them exited the vehicle.

As Kara moved to step towards the front door of the building, a hand wrapped gently around her forearm, stopping her in place. Kara turned to face the woman who had stopped her and was greeted with a kiss. As Lena's tongue brushed its way into her mouth, Kara had completely forgotten that they were standing outside, in public. There was something so intoxicating about Lena's kisses. It wasn't until a passerby loudly cleared his throat several times that the two women separated.

Kara glanced in the direction of the noise only to find an older man scooting by them with a walker, shaking his head and muttering something that sounded a lot like, "Young whippersnappers." When Kara looked back to Lena, she found the woman to be grinning.

"What? You didn't think you could say something as wonderful as that to me and not be kissed, right?" Kara chuckled at Lena's words as the Luthor gave her an overly angelic look.

"Come on," Kara said brightly, slipping her hand into Lena's and walking her towards the building. "I can't wait to show off my gorgeous, lovely girlfriend tonight. Oh and to kick some major butt at these games."