I don't own these characters; DC/the CW does.
5: Exchange
Alex could not lie. She was busy, more so than she ever remembered being, even when she was a secret agent. Her schedule was full, but she made time for Fatinah when she could. Today was a breakfast date, at a cafe close to L-Corp, where anyone could see them as they sat down and enjoyed each other's company. Fatinah did not mind, even though she had to put with teasing and taunting from other scientists.
"It really is like high school," Fatinah said before taking a bite of her egg muffin.
Alex shrugged as she cut off a bit of her omelet. She waited a moment and then realized what she was doing. Kara isn't coming for a piece. Not if she knew what was good for her anyway. "Little do they know, I learned to stop caring about this shit in high school." She stirred her coffee. It was nice to sit down and catch her breath in the morning. She got to mentally list what she needed to do for the day and plot how she would get through. Of course, she never actually got through it.
"It's really weird to me to see intelligent people who basically go ''ew, you're dating Doctor Danvers.' Like this is fourth grade."
Alex blinked. "Dating?" They had not discussed dating, but yeah. We've been out and I need to date, so why does the idea of it make my stomach drop?
Fatinah tensed, sitting up straight. She put her breakfast sandwich down. "Well, yeah. Isn't that what this is?"
They had been out a few times in the last couple of weeks. Fatinah was all right. She was great to talk to, but Alex did not feel any romantic connection yet. Maybe it would come now that they put a label on them. She just had to open herself up to the possibility. You keep telling yourself that.
"We hadn't said we were officially dating, but okay. I'd like that." Alex smiled and then ate some of her omelet.
Fatinah chuckled and picked up her food again. "You're lucky I'm getting used to you and know that's just how you or your lackluster response could really give a girl a complex." She took another bite of her sandwich.
Alex glanced away. "I'm sorry." Yeah, you need to be more invested in this. She was not sure how she could do that. She could not force feelings or emotions. Just give it time. You'll be all right. She's great and she's into you.
"It's fine. As I said, I'm getting used to you. The more I'm around you, the more it baffles me that people don't think you belong at L-Corp. You're brilliant and strong and damn gorgeous."
Alex could not help laughing a bit. "You're good for my ego. But, like you said, it's like high school. They've already decided I don't belong. It doesn't matter. I have actual things to worry about." More things than she liked, but they had to get done.
"Like telling everyone how awesome your girlfriend is?" Fatinah smirked and tilted her chin in the air.
"I'll be sure to add it to my list." Alex smiled again and sipped her coffee.
Fatinah nodded. "I'll be sure to add it to my list, too, even though I've already been telling people how amazing my girlfriend is, before she was even my girlfriend apparently."
Alex nodded. She should feel flattered and special, but there was still nothing. It was not even like a friend complimenting her. Alex was not sure how to take that. Maybe there's something wrong with me. Well, no, there was no maybe. Something was wrong with her, but this was still new since realizing she was attracted to women. This beautiful, omega woman before did absolutely nothing for her.
Breakfast was finished and they made their way to work. Alex walked Fatinah to her lab and Fatinah gifted her with a quick kiss on the lips as a farewell. Fatinah giggled and disappeared into her work space. Alex sighed. She still felt nothing. This is not good.
Alex put that out of her head as she met up with Vasquez and Devin in one of the main security offices. They all pulled up to the desk with several monitors before them. They had finished with the sparring matches, but were still reviewing tapes and giving feedback to the security teams. The more Alex watched, the less impressed she was. At a certain point, she had to massage her temples. Some of this hurt her head.
"We might actually have to let some of these people go," Vasquez said, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.
"They were hired for their firearms proficiency, not hand to hand skills," Devin replied.
Alex scoffed. "Well, we have many people with many skills. We need them to be able to handle themselves armed and unarmed." Lena's life was on the line, after all.
"So, what, you want to fire people and hire new ones? You're going to change the dynamic of a lot of teams," Devin said, voice sharper than usual.
"If it means keeping this building and Miss Luthor safe, then yeah. I'm not here to make friends," Alex stated.
"Good because you're succeeding, not to mention overstepping," Devin replied with a glare.
Alex rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth for good measure. "Do you think I'm after your job? Because I'm not. I'm perfectly happy with my lab monkey role and if you don't want my input anymore just say so. I've got a ton of research just waiting for me at my desk in my dungeon. I'm just trying to help is all." Not to mention, if she really worried, she would just tell Lena directly and let Lena handle matters.
Devin sighed and rubbed her forehead, annoyance gone already. "Look, I just think you're trying to make unnecessary changes to something that works. You know what they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Vasquez jumped in. "We patch leaks before the dam breaks. We're all in agreement from watching the video that there are leaks. We don't want things to get worse. I've worked with Agent Danvers — I mean, Doctor Danvers — for a long time. She's here for the best possible outcome with the team and not your job. She's not a glory hound. You know that. Her first few months helping you out were completely voluntary and she got in trouble for it."
Devin looked down and pressed her palms together. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just, some of these guys I hired personally."
"This isn't a slight against you," Alex assured her. "You built a good thing on your own. Our fresh eyes just want to tighten things up. That's all this has ever been." Alex did not care about anyone's feelings. She just needed Lena as safe as possible. Devin nodded and they went back to work, things still a little tense as time went by.
-8-8-8-8-
Lena slid into Alex's lab, notes tucked under her arm as she tried to balance lunch and two drinks. She eased the drinks onto the table and then looked at the desk. No Alex. Lena checked her phone and nodded. Security meeting probably ran long. She put the food down and settled at the table.
"Hey, babe!" Fatinah walked in and yelped when Lena turned to her. "Miss Luthor!"
"Hi," Lena said, ignoring a jealous flare that shot through her. This woman had no right to call Alex "babe." Yes, she does. She's Alex's girlfriend. You have no right to be jealous. Her inner omega did not agree.
"I was looking for Alex. I didn't know she had a meeting with you."
"She doesn't. We have a standing lunch date." That you didn't need to mention. "She's at a security meeting now." Are you trying to stake a claim by showing you know her schedule? You sound like a stalker.
"Standing lunch date?" Fatinah pursed her lips. "I wasn't aware you were that close."
Lena resisted the urge to brag. Stay calm and do not ruin this for Alex. She would never forgive you and you would ruin everything. "We're trying. I haven't been very fair to her in the past and she wasn't been very kind to me. We're working through it." Maybe Fatinah could go spread the word to the other scientists that Alex was not a forced hire or a pity hire.
"She wasn't kind to you? Is it because you're dating her sister?" Fatinah asked.
"Something like that. She kept a secret for her sister that I felt I should've been made aware of. It hurt for a long time," Lena replied. She did not want to make it seem like Alex was a mean person or have Fatinah become suspicious of Alex.
"Do you think she did the right thing?"
Lena sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not sure. I understand why she did it, but I don't think I would ever concede it was the right thing because I feel like they should've told me. I was able to forgive her sister by putting all the blame on Alex, which wasn't right. So, like I said, we're trying to work past that."
Fatinah nodded. "That's good. She's a good person."
"Is she being good to you?" Lena asked and then flinched. "I'm sorry for asking such a personal question when we hardly know each other."
Fatinah smiled. "It's fine and she's brilliant." That did not really answer the question and Lena was not sure what to make of that. Was Alex not being a good girlfriend? If so, what did that mean? It means mind your own goddamn business.
Lena nodded. "She is. I'm glad you see it."
"Well, I'm also glad you see it."
Before the conversation could get more awkward, Alex stepped in. Her eyes went wide the second she saw both of them. Lena had to consciously hold in a pheromone burst. She's not yours. Stop doing that.
Funny enough, Fatinah did not let out a pheromone blast either, so she did not think of Lena as a challenger for Alex's attention. Well, that was good considering everyone knew Lena was with Alex's sister. She did not need the rumor mill buzzing over what she might be doing with both Danvers.
"Something going on?" Alex glanced between them.
"No," Fatinah replied. "I was coming to see if we could go to lunch, but Miss Luthor informed me you have lunch with her."
Alex nodded. "Yeah, we have lunch every Tuesday and Thursday. We can have lunch tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll see you later, right?"
"Of course."
Fatinah stepped over to Alex, hugged her, and kissed her on the lips. It was a peck that Alex absently returned, but it served its purpose. Alex was hers, so Lena needed to back off. Yes, she's much more subtle than you are. Then, Fatinah was gone.
Alex looked at Lena, not quite glaring, but also not quite friendly. "What did you do?"
"Nothing." Lena held up her hands in surrender. "I just told her we have lunch. I promise." Lena smiled. "Well, and I explained to her why we have lunch with the hope that it'll get the science division to stop gossiping about you."
"You didn't need to do that."
"I don't need to do a lot of things, but I still do them." Lena motioned to their lunch containers, as if that was proof of her statement.
Alex narrowed her gaze, but did not say anything. She sat down and Lena slid her notes over to Alex. As Alex looked everything over, Lena got their food ready. She made sure Alex's lamb over rice was covered in hot sauce or Alex would act like the meal was a crime against nature. Alex dived right in without glancing up from the notes.
"It's starting to shape up, at least in idea form," Alex said before taking a sip of her strawberry smoothie.
Lena nodded. "I'm hoping we can develop it enough for the National City Science Expo."
Alex choked and her eyes went wide. "Next week?"
"Of course not the one next week." Lena could not help laughing at how silly that was. "That has had its lineup and displays settled for months. No, the one next year. Do you think we could do that?"
"Oh." Alex nodded. "I'll need to finish a project or you'll have to do the heavy lifting for this one. I can chime in with fresh eyes, like now. The Expo is probably amazing, though."
"You're using your lunch break to do work. You're working on this." Lena snapped her fingers as it dawned on that Alex did not know some of the perks of working for L-Corp. "Oh, I'm not sure if anyone's told you, but all L-Corp employees get weekend passes to the Expo, if you want to go see it."
Alex chuckled. "I've always wanted to go, but never had the time. As long as some jerk isn't wrecking the city, I should be able to spare a day. Maybe go with Fatinah."
"How are things with Fatinah?"
Alex tensed. "Fine."
"Alex, I'm genuinely asking. I'm not trying to start trouble. We just want you to be happy. If you're happy with Fatinah, we're happy for you."
Alex frowned. "Is that why you try to scent mark me?"
Lena's face was on fire. "I don't mean to. Alex, I really just want you to be happy. My biological response is inappropriate, yes, but not a reflection of what I want for you."
"Thank you." Alex ate some of her food. "Are you going to go to the Expo?" she asked this around a cheek full of lamb.
"Of course. I love going, more than just representing L-Corp, but seeing new takes on old gadgets or just something in general. I just need to trick Kara into coming."
Alex laughed. "Good luck. I can already hear her whining about how behind human science is."
Lena nodded. "If Cat allows her to write a piece about it, it could work."
"Except Cat won't let that happen. Remember the last time Cat went with 'well, you'll be there anyway' and Kara basically wrote an article telling humans to go back to their caves."
A few snickers escaped Lena. "Oh, god. I forgot that one. So embarrassing." Lena hid her face in her palm for a second.
"Yeah, for both you and Cat and Kara still can't figure out why she was wrong." Alex turned her attention back to the notes. "I think you're doing something incredible here."
Lena shook her head. "We're doing something incredible. Every time I get stuck or confused, I look at your notes and always feel inspired. You're my science muse." She did not think about how that sounded until it was out.
Alex actually blushed. "You're giving me too much credit."
"You're not giving yourself enough credit. In fact, you never do. You never take the time out to appreciate how special you are and I'm not saying this in any way beyond a friend who cares about you. You're incredible and no one tells you that. You've accomplished so much in your young life and you act like you've done nothing. And you don't have to say anything to this. Just take it in."
Alex's gaze drifted down and she focused on her food. Lena understood all too well what could happen growing up in the shadow of a sibling that did everything you did, but better. Alex never got a chance to chart her own course, unlike Lena. It was fine. Alex would not do things any differently if she had the chance, everyone knew that, but Alex needed to understand she had achieved so many great feats. Alex was just as super as Kara, and even Kara knew that.
"How's your other projects going?" Lena asked as she dug into her own lamb and rice.
"Well, Devin now thinks I want her job after I suggested letting some people go based on a lack of certain qualifications, not knowing she hired those people."
Lena nodded. "So, you lost a friend."
Alex shrugged with one shoulder. "More like an ally. She'll probably take fewer suggestions from me as she slowly distances herself. I just want to keep the place safe."
Lena nodded. "I know. What if I hired J'onn on as head of security?" That probably would have been the best thing for her to do when J'onn quit the DEO, but she had always been happy with Devin's work, even when security broke down. Security generally held unless something extraordinary happened. Alex was trying to prepare them for even that.
"No, he's happy where he is and she is very good at her job. I don't think she's used to being around equally competent people like me and Vasquez, so at first it was probably nice to talk to other people with vision, but now we're seeing things differently. I think we all just need a second set of eyes to see things we're not wired to see. Some people like it and some don't. Honestly, I'm not sure how I'd take it if someone kept looking over my work and added things."
Lena scoffed. "You wouldn't mind if the additions were valid. Don't be upset. I know what you're trying to do and if you have any real concerns, you know I'll listen."
Alex nodded. "I know."
Lena decided to lighten the mood. "So, if you're done with the sparring video, Kara and I would like to study them for scientific purposes."
Alex actually guffawed. "Of course you would."
"Kara would love Earth science then."
Alex laughed more. "I don't understand why it doesn't bother you. Yes, I get I was here first, but so what? We were never anything official. All of our attempts to be anything more were futile. She's all yours and has been for a long time."
Lena shook her head. "Since you've always been there, your presence doesn't diminish how she feels about me. I know Kara still loves me just the same because that bond has always been there. Your attempts to show a physical manifestation of that bond might have been futile, but the bond is there regardless, even if you didn't do the ceremony."
Alex's brow furrowed. "So, should I feel insulted that she developed feelings for you while carrying these feelings for me?"
Lena resisted the urge to reach out and hold Alex's hand. "I don't see why that would be necessary. What she feels for me has never taken away what she feels for you. You're always going to be her favorite entity. But, why does it matter? You have Fatinah and you and Kara can resume your relationship the way it used to be."
"Right." Alex's eyes went back to her food.
"Anything you want to talk about?" Lena was not eager to hear Alex's love life was in trouble once again. This was one of the reasons Alex's self-esteem suffered so much.
"No, it's nothing." Alex waved her fork. "Never mind I said anything."
Lena let the matter drop and turned lunch back into science talk. She was confident in this suppressant plan, but Alex's other projects were so good. Unfortunately, she still worked on them at a crawl because of the security items. She seemed confident once security was settled, she could and would devote herself to her science. Lena knew that was a lie. Alex was as much a soldier as a scientist. But, that was Alex and Lena could not help finding it equal parts sexy and adorable.
-8-8-8-8-
Kara looked forward to sparring nights more than anything else during the day, lunch with Lena being a close second. She liked the time she got to spend with Alex, but after that, all three of them always had dinner and watched a show. It was like everything was as it should be until Alex went home. But, Kara would not think about that right now.
"You ready?" Alex asked as she stepped into Kara's personal gym. Brainy had taken the time to wire the entire room with red sun lamps. Every night Kara got a taste of how Alex would be able to crush her if she did not have powers. What if Alex had powers? It was almost a scary thought, but Alex would use those powers for so much good. She'd probably be way more efficient than I am. And she would scold Kal-El so much.
"Be gentle," Kara replied with a pout.
Alex snorted. "Sure, as if Livewire would be gentle with you."
"Maybe if I ask nicely."
Alex attacked at that point and Kara was on her back with Alex looming over her. Alex glared at her. "Take it seriously or we're not doing it."
"Not even if I ask you nicely?" Kara smiled, needing to hide how much she enjoyed Alex's weight on her. This was safety. If she ever did lose her powers permanently, she would just glue herself to Alex's side and never worry about a thing again. Isn't that almost what you do with powers? It was a good lifestyle choice as far as she was concerned.
Alex scowled. "This is life or death. Now, I'm going to let you up and we'll really get started."
"Okay. Okay." Kara put on her "serious" face and Alex let her up. They got to the real work.
Things progressed as they normally did. Alex took Kara threw the basics and showed her one new thing to try before they got to sparring, so Kara could try the new thing. Alex was all business and never took it easy on Kara, which was why she made such a cute surprised noise when Kara took her feet out from under her and she went down. The sound made Kara's heart flutter and was such a distraction that Alex was able to yank her down. Kara crumbled on top of Alex and found this position just as nice as the reverse.
Kara wanted to cuddle into Alex and tell her that everything would be all right. To avoid that, she pulled away just enough to look at Alex's face and that was big mistake. Alex was just beautiful. She focused on Alex's eyes and made an even bigger mistake. She wanted to fall into Alex's gaze and float for all eternity. She stopped breathing.
"I really want to kiss you now," Kara whispered. Part of her just wanted to go for it. Ten years ago consent had been implied between them, but now, things were so complicated.
"But, why?" Alex asked as if it did not make any sense.
"Because I love you and I miss your kisses. You can't still believe my feelings were just a side effect of being on a solar high." This has gone on too long.
"And what about Lena?"
"We all know I love Lena, too. Why do you think I'm in love with Lena, but can't be with you? Why do you think you can't be my bond mate when you know I could very well have two? It's rare, but possible. Why do you think you'd mess anything up?"
"Because I mess everything up!" Alex roared, shoving Kara away. Kara grunted as she fell back and they both sat with their legs crossed in front of them. Alex looked away, eyes glistening. "Kara, we both know I always ruin everything eventually."
Kara wanted to grab Alex into a hug so bad it made her arms ache, but she held off. "How can you still think like this? You're a hero, my hero. You've saved the world. Several worlds. You've saved my life, you've saved timelines, and so many other things. How can you say you ruin anything when you make everything better as far as I'm concerned?"
Alex sighed, running her hand through her hair. "It's just how it is."
"Why? Because you can't snap your fingers and fix the world? No one can do that, Alex, and you need to stop acting like it's the ultimate sin that you can't. Damn it, I have near god-like powers here and can't fix it. If this was me beating myself up over it, would you blame me for not being able to fix the world?"
"It's different."
"Why, because you're supposed to protect me? You don't think I want to protect you, too? Do you know how much it crushes me to watch you drown willingly than accept an offered hand because you think that's strength? Would I be strong if I did that?" Kara did not mean to unload on Alex like this, but there was only so much she could take in being told about her own feelings.
Alex clutched her knees, refusing to look at Kara. "Maybe we should call it a night."
"Maybe you need to talk rather than run away."
"I have a girlfriend, Kara."
"I'm not asking you to do anything more than talk to me. This is about more than us being bond mates. This is about you acting like my favorite entity doesn't measure up because she can't do the impossible. It's about you accepting who you are."
Alex got up and left. Kara expected that. She would figure out her next move if Alex stayed for dinner. For now, she went to shower. Despite ending early, this session was still intense and she was drenched in sweat. I can see why Alex doesn't like being like this.
After her shower, Kara joined Lena at the kitchen island. Lena had already plated all the food. Kara chirped.
"You ordered from the Dominican place?" Kara asked as she grabbed an empanada from the edge of her plate of pork, rice, and black beans. Oh, beef! She bit into the beef empanada and moaned as flavor and spices exploded on her tongue.
"We haven't had it in a while. I figured you'd appreciate it," Lena replied as she settled in front of her plate of pepper steak with brown rice and beans. She also had plantains, turned away from Kara, so she could not easily steal them once she finished her empanadas.
"You're up to something." Kara was not sure of the scheme, but she was happy to get empanadas out of it.
Lena smirked, which all but confirmed something was cooking in that big brain. Kara ate another empanada and Alex joined them, but she could question Lena. Alex sat down at her plate, picked up her fork, but waited for Lena to slide her notebook over before doing anything else. They ate in silence for a moment.
"So, I was telling Alex that our suppressant formula might be ready for next year's science expo," Lena said as she held up a plantain, allowing Kara to snap it up with her mouth.
"Ah-ha!" Kara pointed her fork at Lena. "The empanadas are to go to your boring science thing and you sharing delicious plantains is just more bribe."
"It's not boring," Lena replied.
"It is. I went with you. I was so bored you had to take me to the carnival down the street after to make it up to me. So much funnel cake." Kara grinned.
"Well, we can do that again," Lena said. "Funnel cake and grilled corn. All of that."
Kara rolled her eyes. "Still not interested." She glanced at Alex. "Hey, why don't you go with Alex? You both can enjoy the science, pretend it's fun, and talk about the future of L-Corp and then pick me up at the carnival and we all have fun there." This is brilliant!
Lena and Alex looked at each other and then glanced away. Lena cleared her throat. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Kara's mouth twisted. "I'm not trying to set you guys up on a date or anything. You're still friends, right?"
"Of course," Alex spoke up first.
"Then, this is a friendly outing. You guys can hang out as friends, geez. Can we please be a little normal?" Kara pouted.
Alex sighed. "She's right."
Lena blinked. "She is?"
"Yes. We're friends. We have lunch together. We went shooting. We both know Kara does hate the Science Expo and we love science. Besides, I've never been, so you can show me around. Well, if Fatinah doesn't want to go the day before anyway," Alex replied.
Lena swallowed. "Okay, if you're all right with that."
Alex nodded. "I am."
Kara resisted the urge to giggle madly. They crept closer to normal with each passing day, but this would be a true test for Alex and Lena. They would be alone together without the walls of L-Corp to protect them. With luck, they could steer their friendship back on the right path since Kara accidentally planted a bomb between them.
"Just don't forget about me at the fair." Kara wagged a finger at them.
They both snickered. "We won't."
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Kara's plan goes into action, leaving Alex to make a decision she tried to avoid.