Kara lingered outside the post office embarrassedly and muttered to herself. "It was just a joke…"
Ok, so maybe trying to send Alex a package addressed to "Super Sister" wasn't one of her brightest ideas, but come on! It was just something she'd done in jest! That was all! It wasn't supposed to turn into an entire affair, a mail scandal. She wasn't trying to mess with the US Postal Service! Although, that was certainly how Alex treated it.
Kara received quite a tongue lashing from her older sister, Alex chiding her for not using her legal name on the package. "They're going to send it back, Kara. It doesn't matter if my address was correct. They're looking for Alex Danvers, not Super Sister."
Kara had to bite her tongue to refrain from reminding Alex that she was "Super Sister".
In the end, though, Alex was correct. The package that Kara tried to send her a week ago never arrived, and that was because it was being sent right back to her. The whole thing was rather ridiculous. At least, that was what Kara thought. But she had to go and retrieve the package either way. Steeling her nerves, she took a deep breath in and stepped inside the post office.
It's no biggie, Kara, right? It's not like I'm going to be arrested! Or something… Right?! That was her main concern, no matter how irrational. She knew that, in some cases, tampering with mail was a serious offense. The last thing she wanted was to bring the full weight of the law down upon her head for something so small and silly.
Kara made her way to the front desk and timidly gave her name. The man standing behind it looked her up and down critically before vanishing into the mailroom behind the desk. At the same time, a mailwoman was in the middle of inspecting a rather strange package.
"Super Sister?" she read aloud, scoffing. How stupid. Honestly, would it KILL people to be a little more… Serious? Normal? Professional? All of the above? Lena was not usually one to be so judgmental, but it was a long day, and working at the post office wasn't always the most fulfilling of jobs.
It paid decent money, though, and it was a job easy enough for a disgraced Luthor to get. After all the stunts Lex and Lillian pulled, there weren't very many people willing to hire a Luthor. The US Postal Service, however, did not discriminate, so long as Lena promised not to follow in her family's footsteps and blow up the entire office, or turn all the letters into attack-bots, or something of that nature.
But doing my job isn't easy when IDIOTS keep pulling stupid little stunts like THIS! She was seconds away from tossing the package aside when her manager came to get her.
"I need a package for Kara Danvers. It should be addressed to… Super Sister?"
Lena had to bite back another sneer. What perfect timing. She held up the package wordlessly and the manager jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Lena dutifully took his place at the front desk to meet "Kara Danvers" directly.
Woah… The thought was mutual, although Kara was slightly more reactive. It was as if an invisible hand had suddenly squeezed all of the air right out of her lungs. All she could do was gawk at the gorgeous woman standing before her, package in hand. She was fierce and intimidating, but in a way that Kara found incredibly attractive. There was just something in her eyes, something in her face, something in her posture… Everything she did screamed power, even though she was working the front desk at a local post office.
"Kara Danvers?" the woman asked, voice and expression almost grave with seriousness and severity.
Oh, Rao, her voice is just as hot as she is… Kara opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her brain was scrambling, moving a million miles an hour, and she somehow managed to grasp onto one single thought: I wonder, is my face red?
Lena only raised an eyebrow the longer the silence continued. She could not deny that this Kara Danvers woman was attractive, very easy on the eyes, but as Lena had noted before, the workday was long, and she wasn't as interested in pleasure as she was in finishing her business.
"Well?" she demanded, lips tightening. Kara blinked, eyes darting to Lena's lips.
"I… uhhh… yeah! Ummm, uhhh, hello! Excuse me!" Kara cleared her throat and blinked furiously, trying to focus on something, anything, that would help her stay grounded and keep her cool. "Y-yeah, that's me, K-K-Kara Danvers… Uhhh, hi…" She gave Lena an awkward little wave.
"So then, this package is yours?" Lena drawled, holding the parcel out to the other woman. If Kara hadn't been red before, she was after she saw that familiar name on the front of the box in her handwriting: Super Sister.
I feel like a complete and utter idiot… Even worse, in front of such a beautiful lady, to boot!
The lady seemed to agree. "Next time, we ask that all patrons and customers use legal names only when addressing their mail."
"Yes, sorry, I understand, it was only meant to be a little joke…" Kara gave her a weak, sheepish smile.
"A joke, hmm?" Lena asked idly as she gestured for Kara to hand over her ID.
"Y-yeah, my sister…" Kara stuttered, fumbling with her driver's license and nearly dropping it three times as she tried to hand it to Lena.
"You don't say?" Lena asked sarcastically, but even she had to flinch at that. As overly obvious as Kara's reply was, that was still no excuse for Lena to speak to a patron with such a disrespectful tone. "Forgive me," she apologized quickly, "I'm tired, and it's been a long day."
"Oh, no, don't worry, that's fine!" Kara laughed nervously. For half a second, her stomach dropped, humiliated by Lena's dry remark, but upon hearing the apology, some of her anxiety lifted. That, and being apologized to by such an attractive woman… It made all her nerves so worth it!
"Just… don't do it again, ok?" Lena asked with a sigh.
"Yes, ma'am!" Kara promised, nodding seriously. Oh, Rao, she's even hotter when she's lecturing me! Is it wrong that I find her frustration so… sexy? And speaking of frustration, maybe Kara's was of a different ilk, but from the way she suddenly started shifting around, it was clear that Lena was not the only frustrated one in the equation.
All the while, Lena scanned out Kara's ID. That bored expression was still etched upon her face, but on the inside, she felt a little flustered too. She was still annoyed, yes, but Kara was… truly something else. She was really pretty. And Lena couldn't stop stealing glances at her. More than once, she saw Kara's eyes flit over to her, so she would look away again, pretending to type in Kara's driver's license's number. Several times, her fingers slipped, and she needed to fumble with the keyboard to fix her typos.
Oh, what is WRONG with me today?! the Luthor sighed to herself. She finally finished checking Kara's ID and held the license back out to her. Their fingers brushed and Kara nearly yelped and dropped the card, swiftly yanking her arm away from Lena's.
Oh, Rao, that was such a stupid thing of me to do! Kara despaired again. Ahh, but her skin was so soft… And warm… And I got… to touch her hand… Kara wished desperately for an excuse to hand the license back over, just so that she might revel in the mailwoman's touch again. It was over too soon! I completely ruined it! I didn't even get to savor it! I'm such an idiot!
While Kara fretted over the idea of Lena being even more annoyed than she already was, Lena's mind had gone totally blank. That touch. It was so brief, so quick, so short, and yet… I can still feel it… Lena had to fight the urge to look at her hand, as if expecting some mark to be there after such an electrifying accident. She was too preoccupied with her own flusterment to even notice Kara's.
Oh, what is WRONG with me today?! Lena asked herself again. She shook her head slightly. It was not like her to come so easily undone. She forced herself to meet Kara's eyes again, trying to put on her best professional face. The moment their eyes met, however, Lena's mind melted for a second time. Oh, my… Was she always like this? Or am I only just now noticing?
Kara was tall, muscular, and had gorgeous skin. Her hair fell down her back in a golden wave, and her eyes were a bright, brilliant blue. They were the kind of eyes that pierced the soul, and yet were gentle and welcoming, not at all judgmental or harsh. And her smile… It was… adorable… It reminded Lena inexplicably of some of the dogs she saw running around National City Park.
It was a humiliating thought, one that Lena could barely even admit to herself, but she couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Now that Kara's ID was clear, all that was left to do was return the package to her. They probably would not be together for longer than a few more minutes. Lena didn't want that. Kara wasn't even gone, and Lena already wanted to see her again! But it was something she could never say out loud. She barely even dared think it! Pining for someone she just met at a post office due to a mail mix-up was hardly "first date" material.
Wait. First date?! Where had that come from?! It was Lena's turn to worry if she was coming off as an idiot or not, but just as it had been with her and Kara, Kara was still too lost in her eyes to notice a thing.
OhRaoohRaoohRao! She's- she's- she's staring at me! What do I do?! What do I say!? Oh, do I look o-gay? I mean, ok?! Wait. Since when did I ever care about that?! This is… just some random post office lady! I shouldn't be acting like THIS!
Maybe that was what Kara told herself, but as soon as she had the thought, she flinched, as if her brain was berating itself for calling the beautiful mailwoman "just some random post office lady". Even if, to some degree, that was true, Kara didn't get so flustered with normal random post office ladies. Nor did she want one to keep scolding her. Oh, Rao, I'm probably being such a weirdo right now, but I want to see her eyes flash at me again! I want to hear her low voice chiding me, clicking her tongue, shaking her head… Is it wrong that I want her to lecture me again?
Alas, Kara's wish was not granted. Once the package deal was sorted out, Alex's legal name now on the box, there was no excuse for Kara to linger any longer. She sighed ruefully as Lena bid her adieu.
"Enjoy the rest of your day," she said, and Kara noted that her voice was flatter than before. Kara felt a smidgeon of disappointment.
She's using her customer service voice on me, isn't she?
Little did she know, Lena was just trying to conceal her own disappointment. After all, she did not wish to humiliate herself further by letting her longing bleed into her tone and convey to Kara how much she wanted to see her again. Surely, that was improper work protocol, to hit on clients, let alone ones that she met barely 10 minutes earlier! So, Lena hid behind her customer service persona as she gave Kara her farewell.
"You too," Kara replied softly, and Lena felt her heart jump in her chest. Her voice was just so soft and sweet… And blessedly, she was not yet finished talking. "I promise I'll be better about putting the right names on packages from now on." She gave Lena a lopsided grin.
Lena smiled back, but a second later, she decided to do something daring. "Good. I won't make any exceptions for you again." Her tone and expression turned sharp, and she even raised her chin to convey her seriousness.
Kara's eyes went wide, and for a second, she almost took a step back. Ohhh… Does she somehow know that I… kinda like when she talks like that?
It was all she could do not to give a giddy giggle, or to ask her silent question out loud. She searched Lena's face for any indicators, but all she received was that stern, soul-piercing stare. Lena meant business, and Kara liked it.
On the drive home, Kara couldn't help but think to herself, Maybe I should mail myself something incorrectly on purpose, just so I can see her again… Hopefully… It was a silly thought, and she knew that, but she indulged it even after she made it back to her apartment.
Back at the post office, Lena's eyes kept roaming to the package in the mail sorting box. She could see the name and the address, and it was incredibly tempting… She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she tried mailing something to Kara Danvers. Well, there was only one way to find out!
AN: Written at the request of my dear Supercorp fanfic friend, LuntianGrace! And based on an IRL event where I mailed her something with a silly name on it and nearly got her in trouble with her local post office, LOL! Sorry again about that, Lu! Hope this fanfic makes up for it! LOL!