"Donuts for breakfast? Really?" Alex's tone is one of disapproval as she approaches Kara and Winn with her hands on her hips.
Winn is sitting behind his computer at the DEO, swinging lazily from side to side as he finishes his sugary snack. Kara is kicked back in a chair next to him with her feet on the desk. She had been using her sleeve to try and wipe away a stain on her supersuit left by a blob of jam, but she looks up when her sister arrives.
"It's a post break-up Breakfast of Champions designed to heal Winn's broken heart," Kara explains, sounding like she'd rehearsed that line just in case she was confronted. "Want one?" she beams, holding up a pink box that has three more donuts in it.
"I shouldn't. These jeans are already getting tight from all the take-out we've been ordering recently."
"You know whose jeans were tight?" Winn asks, voice wavering slightly. "Lyra's. The first time we had sex, you know, the time I cried? Well, I tried to pull them off, but I wasn't strong enough to get them past her ankles. So she," he pauses to swallow thickly. "She just ripped them off. Actually ripped them. It was so sexy. I miss that about her."
Alex gives Kara an alarmed look when Winn looks like he's on the verge of tears, but Kara just thrusts the box towards her again pointedly, as though her taking a donut will make Winn feel a hundred times better. Alex rolls her eyes and takes one.
"Anyway," Alex hastily changes the subject. "How come you left Clark's party so early last night? You didn't say goodbye to me or Clark."
"Because it was torture, Alex," Kara complains, remembering what a terrible evening she'd had and blaming her sister for it. "Everyone that I approached for this stupid 'How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days' article was a creep! And then this one woman threw up and I have super senses! I could smell that vomit until I got back to National City, and even then I kept on thinking I could smell it. It was like it was a phantom hovering around me. I was having flashbacks. It was gross."
With a look of disgust, Alex drops her donut, not yet bitten, back into the box. "So you didn't find anyone? And now you only have nine days to meet someone and get them to break up with you?"
"I never said I didn't find someone," says Kara proudly.
"You got someone already?"
"I did."
"Who?"
Kara forces nonchalance to hide her fear that Winn and Alex will overreact when they find out. She picks up another donut, stalling. "Does is really matter?"
"Yes," Alex and Winn say in unison.
"Pfft. It's just, you know," Kara looks down. "Cat Grant." She refuses to look at the shocked expressions that are undoubtedly staring back at her.
"Cat Grant?!" Winn shouts, earning the attention of the entire room. He looks around with a sheepish smile and apologises, then leans towards Kara and hisses, "As in the Cat Grant? Are you insane?"
"What?" Kara asks defensively. "I accidentally spilt a drink on her when I was getting the hell out of Dodge and she started flirting with me."
"Cat Grant? Flirting with you?" Alex says incredulously, and Kara tries not to be hurt by it but ouch.
"Yes! I know I'm not good at picking up on that kind of thing but she held my hand, she got really close to me, she asked me to ride in her car with her back to National City. The implications were pretty clear."
"OK, fine. But you didn't have to say yes. You don't have to use her for an article. She's an incredibly powerful woman, Kara, and I don't think you understand-"
"Understand what?" Kara interrupts, dropping her donut back into the box. "That I'm out of her league? That she won't waste more than a week on me? That's the point!"
"That she might not like being used for an article," Alex corrects. "That she's a public figure who will go ballistic when she finds out what you've done, and will have her team of highly-experienced lawyers on the phone in a heartbeat."
Kara shakes her head, looking at Alex as though she's dense. "I'm not going to write her name in the article, Alex. She'll be anonymous, I'll use a pseudonym. She'll probably never even find out what I did."
"It doesn't even matter because that's the least of your worries. Kara, Cat Grant branded you; she's the reason that you're known as Supergirl. She's been writing about you since you started helping people - you've given interviews with her as Supergirl. Is it really a good idea to get up close and personal with her as Kara Danvers? What if she recognises you? She's a reporter; she'll expose you."
"She won't recognise me. No one else has."
"Not yet, but Cat is a smart woman, and a pair of glasses and a ponytail is hardly the greatest disguise."
Kara opens her mouth, offended, but she doesn't have chance to say anything before Winn cuts in. "Wait. Aren't we being a bit presumptuous here? How can we even know Kara will see her again? She's the CEO of a worldwide media organisation. Does she even have time for dating?"
"She has to see me again," Kara states. "I made sure of it by 'forgetting' my clutch. It's on her kitchen counter. She'll see it, she'll-"
"Give it to one of the many people who work for her and tell them to give it back to you?" Alex finishes. "This isn't a good plan, Kara, and you need to realise that sooner rather than later. You need to write this article for your promotion and you don't have time to waste."
Kara clenches her jaw and glares at her sister, infuriated by the lack of faith that Alex has in her. "I don't need you to tell me what I need to do. I've gotten this far in my career without you butting in and I can get this promotion without you, too. I know what I'm doing. Cat said that she'd see me again when I was leaving last night, and she sounded pretty sure about it. And when I do see her, I'll flip the switch, make all the classic relationship mistakes and have this article written in no time. And Cat will be none the wiser to the fact that I'm Supergirl."
"I hope you're right," Alex says, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't want to see you hurt if this blows up in your face and you miss out on the promotion you've worked so hard for, and lose the normal life you love so much."
Kara stands, not even bothering to look Alex in the eye. "I have to go to work," she says, not wanting to be around Winn and Alex when they clearly don't think she'll be able to pull this off. "I'll see you later." She turns to walk away, in a much worse mood now than she had been last night when she'd thought she had this all figured out.
"Wait! Are you still coming to the basketball game tonight? It's the first of the series!" Winn calls behind her.
Kara feels bad for not replying as soon as the door closes behind her.
"I don't care how you get it, Teschmacher, but if I don't have that girl's phone number in the next hour, so help me God, I will fire your incompetent ass. And don't even think about trying to slap me with a wrongful termination lawsuit," Cat barks into her phone as she slides her feet into her shoes. "Her name is Kara Danvers and she works for Lena Luthor at Composure magazine. What more do you need to know?"
Her assistant squeaks out a response which sounds like 'nothing, I'll get right on it', so Cat hangs up the phone and prays, for Eve's sake, that the number is on her desk by the time she gets to the office.
If she doesn't win this bet because of her assistant, there will most certainly be a pink slip with Eve's name on it.
Cat walks over to her vanity table and picks up a pair of earrings, fixes them into her ears, then takes a second to inspect her reflection in the mirror to make sure she looks, at worst, presentable. Once satisfied that she looks OK (probably a little more than OK, actually), she doesn't hang around. She picks up her bag, puts her phone in it, then leaves her room in the direction of the kitchen.
Since Carter is staying with his father, the penthouse is too quiet for Cat's liking. Not that Carter is a loud child in the first place, but he can usually be heard quietly getting on with something, whether it be the low murmurs coming from the television, the rustling of the beanbag in his room which he likes to read on, or the tapping of buttons on his gaming console. Without those noises, Cat has been struggling, feeling like her apartment is suddenly too big and too empty and too quiet.
That's why Cat doesn't want to spend more time here than necessary. Without the sound of Carter getting ready for school, she feels an emptiness inside that reminds her of his absence. Luckily, she never has to go very long without seeing Carter, but the odd times he stays with his father feel like eternities. She misses her little boy; misses hearing about his day and seeing his smile. She misses knowing that Carter's OK and being able to hug him whenever she likes. She hopes to distract herself from that at the office.
She knows it won't work - nothing will be able to stop her from missing her son immensely - but she can try.
And one way that she's trying to do that is by focusing on the bet that she has with her mother. Making someone fall in love with her in ten days won't be easy, but she feels a lot more confident now that she's found Kara Danvers.
Sweet little Kara Danvers.
Yes, Cat is fairly confident she'll be able to make such a seemingly naive (though not in a bad way) girl fall in love with her.
But first, she needs to get ahold of Kara's phone number.
Sure, she could have just asked for it last night, but won't it seem like she's made much more of an effort when she's gone through the difficulty of tracking it down? Won't it seem like she cares, and that she thinks Kara is special? Surely Kara will fall a little bit in love with her just from that.
Cat smiles to herself as she walks into her kitchen, confident that her plan will work and the blonde will be madly in love with her in no time. That cocky smile soon turns to a confused frown, though, when her eyes land on a foreign object on her kitchen counter.
A sparkly silver purse.
Cat tilts her head to the side and approaches the silver clutch as though it's a bomb that may detonate at any moment. The clutch certainly doesn't belong to her, but who else-
Cat lifts an eyebrow when the realisation hits her. This is Kara's clutch. She must have left it here last night when she came up to use the bathroom.
This means one of two things: either Kara is incredibly forgetful, or she left her purse here on purpose to ensure she would see Cat again.
No, Cat dismisses. It's probably not the latter, and the only reason the idea came into her mind is because it's something she herself would have done back in her days as a pavement-pounding journalist always looking for the next big story. Those kinds of tricks were perfect for discovering information that would have been otherwise off-limits.
True, Kara is a journalist, but she's a 'How To...' girl, and those don't pose much of a threat to Cat Grant.
So, it must mean Kara is just forgetful, and this forgetfulness has benefited Cat.
Cat smiles, making a mental-note that she'll have to make a quick stop on her way to work.
The first thing Kara notices when she enters the bullpen at Composure is that there's a stranger standing by her desk. At least, she thinks the man is a stranger. He has his back to her, but everything about him - his build, his stance - seems unfamiliar. Kara isn't expecting any visitors, and can't think of a single reason why a strange man would be lingering by her desk at barely nine o'clock in the morning. So, thrown off-kilter, Kara slows her pace.
She glances around the room, but everyone is going about their business as though nothing is out of the ordinary, so she proceeds with caution.
"Excuse me? Can I help y-"
The man turns around and catches Kara off guard when he reveals what his body had previously been blocking: a large bouquet of lavender roses in his hands.
"Are you a Miss..." The man fumbles with his phone for a moment. "Kara Danvers?"
"Yes?" Kara is so confused by the man with the flowers that she sounds uncertain.
The man gives her an odd look, probably thinking she's insane for being unsure of her own name. "Can I see some ID?"
That's understandable. Kara opens her bag and locates her staff ID card, turning it to show the man. He looks at it closely, looks at Kara, then nods. "Alright. These are for you, Miss Danvers." He hands over the bouquet. "You have a nice day."
The man is already turning to leave when Kara says, "Wait. I can give you a tip."
"Already taken care of," The man dismisses, then departs.
Kara watches him go, only noticing once he's out of sight that she's attracted an audience of at least half a dozen people, all looking at the lavender roses in Kara's hands with curiosity. Kara feels her cheeks heat up as she puts the roses on her desk, then slides into her chair. It really is a large bouquet; large enough that Kara doesn't know where she's going to put it for the rest of the day. On her desk, it covers her computer screen, even if she pushes it to the side. It also draws the attention of the people who sit around her, which isn't something she's comfortable with.
Who would send her so many roses, anyway? She rummages through the bouquet, looking for a card. She has to stand up to check the other side, but finally spots a little piece of card and takes it. Sitting back down, she reads the words written in elegant cursive.
Kara,
Even as I'm writing this, I know that you blushed when these roses were delivered in front of your coworkers. But don't worry. It's adorable when you do that.
Lavender roses signify enchantment. It was enchanting to meet you, Kara Danvers.
I hope we meet again soon.
Cat Grant
The excited squeal that Kara emits after reading the card isn't very badass-superhero. In fact, if she weren't so ecstatic, then she might have been embarrassed about it. Yet all she can feel at the moment is blind joy because she enchanted Cat Grant, and that is beyond incredible.
Alex and Winn were wrong: she's found the perfect person to use for her article. It shouldn't be too hard to drive Cat away, and then Kara will get her promotion.
Kara looks at the roses again, this time finding them a million times more beautiful than she had before. They're so bright and mesmerising, and how has Kara never noticed what a lovely colour lavender is?
Kara leans back in her seat and, she can't help it, she squeals again. But this time, she's reminded that she's in an office surrounded by people trying to work when Andrea - the woman who sits at the next desk over - shushes her.
Kara glares at the middle-aged woman who's way too uptight for her own good (would it kill her to crack a smile once in a while?), then turns back to her bouquet.
Her day has taken quite the turn. From Alex and Winn making her feel crappy, to Cat Grant making her feel like she's flying. Literally. This is what she feels like when she flies. Not even Andrea can kill her mood now.
Kara is still in her bubble of happiness when the phone on her desk rings, and she barely even thinks as she reaches out for it and brings it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"You sound as though you're feeling... dreamy. I take it you got my roses?"
Kara sits up straighter when she realises that this is Cat Grant on the phone. Her eyes subconsciously land on the roses again. So beautiful. "Y- Yes. Yes, I did. They're absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much, Miss Grant."
"I believe I said this last night, but please, call me Cat."
"Oh, of course. Sorry, Miss Grant."
"Or don't," Cat says wryly.
Kara shakes her head at herself, having been too busy staring at the roses to really absorb what Cat had said. She turns her chair away from the desk so that she can't get distracted again. "Sorry, Cat."
"No matter. And there's no need to thank me for the roses. Every girl deserves to be sent flowers as gorgeous as she is at some point in her life." Kara blushes and smiles shyly, even though Cat can't even see her.
"Thank you."
"I just said there's no need to thank me."
"I'm not thanking you for the roses this time, though. I'm thanking you for calling me gorgeous."
"Do you often thank people for telling the truth?"
"If their truth is subjective and complimentary towards me, then yes."
"It's not subjective, Kara. You are gorgeous by every definition of the word." Kara puts her tongue between her teeth, ready to say 'thank you', until Cat adds. "And don't even think about thanking me again."
Kara wordlessly releases the breath she had sucked in, smiling to herself.
"You know," Cat muses. "I can't help but feel as though my prayers have been answered. See, all night I was hoping to find an excuse to see you again - as I wrote on the card, you enchanted me. So, imagine my delight when I walked into my kitchen this morning and spotted your clutch on my counter. Seems you were a little scatterbrained last night and forgot it."
Kara smiles mischievously, marvelling in how her plan has worked a treat. She can't wait to rub it in Alex's face that she was right and Alex was wrong.
"Right. Oops, my bad." Kara tries to sound at least a little bit sincere, despite her complete lack of remorse.
"Not to worry. I suppose we'll just have to see each other again so that I can give it back to you. How does tonight sound?"
Kara grins and spins her desk chair from side to side just to burn some of her excited energy. "Sounds perfect."
"It's a date."
Kara can hardly believe her luck. Everything seems to have fallen into place perfectly for her to write this How To Lose A Partner In 10 Days article, with Cat being the one to suggest that they meet up again so soon. Now Kara has nine days to lose her, but if tonight goes well, she could succeed with eight days to spare.
It just depends on how awful she makes the evening.
Kara grins wickedly as an idea comes to her. "Yeah, a date..." she repeats. "How about I pick the venue?"
There's a few seconds of silence from Cat's end before the older woman says. "Very well. You can if you wish."
"Great. Then I'd better get going. I've got a date to plan."
"That you do. I'll see you tonight, Kara."
Kara says goodbye, then hangs up the phone. But she doesn't put the handset down. Not yet, anyway. She dials another number, chewing on her lip nervously while she waits for the other person to pick up.
After three rings, he does.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Winn. It's me. I need a favour..."
Cat spends the next few hours worrying about where Kara is going to take her on this date. She doesn't want Kara to choose the location, but she could hardly have said no without risking seeming rude and giving Kara a reason to think negatively of her. Cat has a bet to win. She can't have that.
Kara will choose a restaurant, surely, but what kind? A hipster joint that millennials frequent? A seafood place? Cat can't stand seafood. Oh God, what if Kara's on a budget? What if she takes her to one of those two for one places?
Cat worries even more when, mid-way through the afternoon, Eve knocks on the door to her office to inform her that Kara has called and said that Cat should 'wear something casual'.
That's when a feeling of foreboding fills Cat. On what kind of first date does one have to 'wear something casual?'
Certainly not a date at a nice restaurant.
So what kind of atrocity is Kara going to drag her along to? Bowling? Colour Me Mine? Something worse?
Despite her internal panic, Cat obeys and stops by her apartment after work to change out of her dress and into some black fitted trousers, a knitted white t-shirt, and a black textured jacket. Then she asks her driver to pick up Kara, still feeling anxious about what the younger woman has planned.
When Kara comes down to the car, she's wearing blue skinny jeans, black loafers and a grey peacoat which is buttoned up firmly. Even in such simple clothes, she looks fantastic, and Cat feels a mixture of awe and jealousy well up inside her.
Oh, to be young again.
Cat opens the door and steps out of the car to greet Kara, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as any good date would.
"You look stunning," she compliments, again trying to be a good date so that Kara will think fondly of her, though there may be a bit (a lot) of truth in that statement.
Kara looks down modestly and runs a hand along the length of her ponytail. "It's not like I'm dressed up or anything."
Cat sighs and puts a finger beneath Kara's chin, tilting the blonde's head up so that they make eye contact. "You don't need to be. You're stunning, Kara."
Kara can't seem to help the smile that spreads across her lips or the blush that rises up her neck. She covers her cheeks with her hands. "You need to stop doing that," she says.
"Doing what?"
"Making me blush."
Cat smiles at how sweet the younger woman is. "I don't want to," she admits. If she keeps this up, Kara will be putty in her hands in no time. To hide her smirk, Cat turns back to the car and grabs what she is technically here to give to Kara. "I believe I have your glass slipper, Cinderella." She presents Kara with the silver clutch she had left behind.
"Thank you, Prince Charming," Kara accepts it, then pushes her glasses further up her nose. "We should probably get going. We don't want to be late."
Cat sees her opportunity to discover what Kara has planned. "Late for what?"
Kara twists from side to side, looking excited. "It's a surprise."
"You'll have to tell me so that I can tell my driver where to take us," Cat persists.
"Or..." Kara walks over to the driver's window and knocks on it. John - Cat's driver - rolls down the window and Kara leans in, whispering something into his ear. "There," Kara says smugly afterwards. "Now it can still be a surprise."
Cat rolls her eyes, trying to look playful despite how non-playful she feels about it. This date better not be terrible. "Shall we?" Cat steps to the side so that Kara can get into the car first.
The younger woman climbs in and shuffles over so that Cat can get in through the same door. Once they're both seated and have their belts buckled, John sets off through the streets of National City.
After a few minutes, Kara puts her hand on top of Cat's and smiles at her. "I'm glad we're doing this."
"Me too," Cat squeezes Kara's hand. "Though you should know, for future reference, I'm not a fan of surprises."
"For future reference?" Kara echoes, raising her eyebrows. "How presumptuous. We haven't even got our first date out of the way yet."
"What can I say? I'm an optimist." The reality is that she needs there to be another date, but she's hardly going to say that to Kara. "Don't you want to take your coat off?" Cat asks, shifting so that she can help the other woman. Her car feels slightly warm to her, and she's not the one in a coat, so she assumes Kara must be feeling hot.
But the younger woman hugs her coat closer to herself and declines, "Oh, no, that's OK."
Cat tries not to appear too confused as she settles back into a regular position. Is Kara cold? But how can that be when they're in a toasty car? What would a good date do when their date is feeling chilly? "John," Cat calls. "Would you turn up the heating?"
"Th-That's not necessary," Kara assures her.
"Nonsense. You shouldn't be cold enough to wear a coat in my car."
Kara seems uncomfortable, but nods. Cat is also uncomfortable, primarily because her car is now too warm, but Kara doesn't seem affected by it in the slightest. In fact, she still doesn't remove the outerwear.
It takes another half an hour, which is when they finally get to venue, for Cat to find out why Kara hadn't wanted to take off her coat.
They pull up outside a stadium, where a flashing sign announces the first game of the basketball season: National City Wildcats vs. Central City Spurs. Cat barely even glances up, not considering for one moment that this might be where their date is taking place. That is, until John declares, "Here we are, ladies."
Cat frowns. Is this a joke?
"Here?" she questions.
"Yes. Here," Kara confirms, opening the door to the car and thanking John before climbing out.
Cat stays seated for a couple more seconds, not understanding what's going on, but she eventually exits the car herself and walks over to Kara's side. The fresh air is a relief - Cat had been worried she'd get heatstroke because the car was so warm - but she can only appreciate it for a second because why are they here?
Surely Kara hasn't arranged for their date to be at a basketball game. Surely Cat's misunderstood.
That's what Cat genuinely believes until Kara unbuttons her coat, revealing a baggy yellow National City Wildcats t-shirt underneath. "Surprise!" Kara grins, spreading her arms wide.
Cat opens her mouth, closes it, then just stares blankly at Kara.
This is worse than she could have imagined.
Much, much worse.
"Excuse me? Pardon me. Sorry, can I just...?" Cat turns her head when she hears Kara trying to make her way through the crowd. The younger woman had left to go get them some snacks and drinks, but is obviously having a hard time squeezing her way back through the narrow space along their row of seats. The game hasn't even started yet, but people still seem unwilling to move to let the blonde past.
Eventually, Kara manages to push her way through and is back at Cat's side. The sunny smile on her face says nothing of the battle she has just endured to get back to her seat, and Cat wonders how the girl can still look so happy after being wedged between so many dirty, rude people.
"Your M&Ms and water," Kara holds the refreshments towards Cat with a beaming smile.
"Thank you." Cat takes the two items, offering her own, much smaller smile.
She had actually longed for some hard liquor rather than water, but she doesn't think getting drunk on a first date would be the right way to go about getting Kara to fall in love with her.
Cat is taking this bet seriously, even if her participant-who-doesn't-know-she's-participating is terrible at planning dates.
She studies Kara as the blonde sits down in the seat next to her and puts her drink - a large soda - on the floor, while keeping her box of nachos on her lap.
Cat just doesn't understand what possessed Kara to bring her to a basketball game. What made her believe that this would be a place that Cat would want to go?
Had Cat not made the bet with her mother, she would have told her driver to turn the car around right away - there would be no way in hell she would sit through a basketball game - but she had made the bet, and she needs this date to go well, even if this evening will be torture for her.
It's all of her worst nightmares rolled up into one: having to sit through a dull game for who knows how long, being in a crowded space where there are so many germs and people touching her, people screaming loudly, unpleasant smells, sticky surfaces which have no right to be sticky. It can't get much worse.
Actually, it can't get worse, full stop.
Next to her, Kara picks up a nacho, dips it in her cheese and shoves the whole thing into her mouth. A few pieces break off and fall down her front, but Kara hardly seems to notice as she picks up another one and does the same thing. She chews, but doesn't swallow before holding the box towards Cat. "Want one?"
Cat wordlessly shakes her head, causing Kara to shrug and help herself to another.
Maybe Cat should have done some kind of background check before committing to making Kara fall in love with her. She might have reconsidered her decision had she known the blonde is a sports fan who talks with her mouth full.
Cat picks her bag off the floor and takes out her phone, checking to see if she's missed any calls or texts from Carter. There's just one text, telling her that his father is ordering pizza for dinner.
"Everything OK?" Kara asks, grabbing Cat's attention again, although the older woman doesn't look up from her phone.
"Yes, fine. I'm just replying to a text from my son."
"You have a son?" Kara sounds surprised.
"Two, actually. Adam, who lives in Opal City, and Carter, who lives with me but is staying with his father at the moment."
Cat types out a reply to Carter, saying that she's glad he's having fun and that she misses him, then she finally realises the magnitude of the information she's just divulged. What if her two sons scare Kara away? What if she has to find someone else to fall in love with her in eight days? Kara has remained silent, which surely isn't a good sign. "Is that OK with you?" Cat asks, finally looking up at Kara.
The younger woman is in the middle of chewing a nacho, put she cocks her head to the side in a manner that reminds Cat of a puppy, looking genuinely confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"Adam is 27 and Carter is 13," Cat replies, not exactly answering the question. But she knows that young people nowadays have a fear of responsibility, and two children - even if they aren't exactly children - is a lot of responsibility. True, this is just a first date and neither she nor Kara are considering marriage or co-parenting, but it might be enough to make Kara not want to get involved with Cat at all.
Kara, though, seems unperturbed. "I'd love to see a picture sometime."
Cat is surprised, to say the least, but she doesn't question it further. She just considers herself lucky that she chose Kara for this bet. Sweet, slightly ill-mannered Kara.
Cat is pulled from her thoughts when she feels someone drop onto the seat on her other side. She turns around to see a man, extremely overweight and visibly sweating, making himself comfortable. He's so large that his arm presses against Cat's, and she wrinkles her nose in disgust. She wouldn't want any stranger touching her, but one drenched in sweat is enough to make her feel sick. And that's before the smell of the greasy hot-dog the man is holding drifts to Cat's nose and almost makes her heave. This is all becoming too much.
She shuffles to her left so that she's no longer touching Sweaty Guy and is instead pressed against Kara.
The younger woman looks down at her at the contact, smiles, and puts her right arm around Cat's shoulders, while her left hand still holds her nachos. "This is nice," Kara comments as Cat leans into her.
"Hmm," Cat agrees, and for the briefest of moments, tucked into Kara's side, she almost means it. Who wouldn't enjoy being securely under the arm of a beautiful woman?
But then music starts blasting through the speakers and a voice announces that the game is going to start, and suddenly everyone is on their feet, screaming.
Kara removes her arm from around Cat and jumps up to join in, jolting Cat in the process.
Just when Cat had felt the teensiest bit content.
This is going to be a long night.
Kara is biting her lip so hard to keep from smiling that, if she were human, she would be bleeding by now.
Cat is trying really hard to act like she's having a nice time, probably for the sake of politeness, but just as Kara had expected, this is torture for her. The older woman stands awkwardly, not knowing what to do with herself while the basketball fans around her scream and shout. The obese man beside her keeps on nudging her, and each time Cat looks part disgusted and part on the verge of punching him. Then there's the man behind them who can't stop coughing and spluttering, so much so that Kara is worried that she will get sick, even though her Kryptonian physiology means that's impossible.
And Kara, for her part, is trying to be as annoying and insufferable as she can. She's been talking with her mouth full, dropping nacho crumbs all over herself, pretending not to hear Cat at least twice whenever she says something, has paid more attention to the game than she has to her date (that last one has less to do with the article she's writing and more to do with the fact that this is a really good game). She even accidentally-on-purpose kicked over her soda so it spilled all over Cat's shoes.
All in all, she's fairly confident that this will be their first and last date.
And then, along comes the cherry on top of the cake.
Kara hears a beeping in her ear, signalling someone from the DEO trying to contact her. She's tempted to ignore it, partly because the Wildcats and Spurs are neck and neck and she doesn't want to miss a second, and partly because she's on the date with Cat. But she knows that it could be important. People could be in danger and she can't let them get hurt just because she wants to watch a basketball game.
After brief hesitation, Kara turns to Cat and shouts over the crowd that she's going to go to the bathroom. The older woman looks displeased at being left on her own, but she doesn't try to stop her.
Kara pushes her way through the crowd and goes out of the door, her ears ringing from the sudden absence of the deafening crowd. She turns a corner so that she's out of sight and pressed the intercom in her ear.
"What?"
"Kara, it's me," Alex's voice filters through the device. "We have a situation in Canal Street subway station."
"What's happening? Is it serious?"
"Nothing major. Seems to be a conflict between two aliens of feuding species. There are no civilian casualties that we know of. Property damage seems to be the main problem, but it would be really helpful if Supergirl could come and put a stop to this."
Kara looks over her shoulder in the direction of the basketball court, trying to decide what she should do. "Can't you guys handle it? I'm kinda busy right now."
"Busy? Too busy to come and save the day?" Alex sounds confused and a little judgemental. "Is this about earlier? About me not wanting you to use Cat Grant for your article?"
"No. In fact, I'm on a date with her now," Kara explains. "And I know that you don't think it's a good idea, but I've made up my mind and it's going well! I've brought her to the Wildcats' game, because obviously there's no way in hell that Cat Grant would want to be here, and she's having a terrible time. At this rate, she'll end things before the night is over and I'll be able to write my article and get my promotion by tomorrow, so I really don't want to mess this up."
"Kara," Alex says, sounding like she's about to call Kara an idiot or something. "You want to make sure Cat never wants to see you again, right? Well, what better way is there to do that than going AWOL in the middle of your date?"
Kara's face lights up, a visible lightbulb moment. "Alex, you're a genius," she says, already walking towards the exit of the arena. "I'll be there is two minutes."
Fifteen minutes after Kara leaves to go to the bathroom, Cat is staring down at her phone, wondering where the girl has got to and what is taking her so long. On the big screen above the court, the Kiss Cam is playing, but Cat pays it no attention. It's silly and juvenile and Cat has no interest in watching couples be forced to kiss one another for the entertainment of moronic sports fans.
So distracted is Cat that she is taken by surprise when she feels someone tap her shoulder, and she looks up to see the large, sweaty man grinning at her. She lifts an eyebrow expectantly when he doesn't say anything, so he nods to the screen above the court.
Cat looks over and...
Her heart almost stops when she sees that the camera is focused on her and the man. She shakes her head, trying to convey to whoever is controlling this that this is a mistake. Cat isn't here with Sweaty Guy. Cat isn't willing to partake in this stupid activity.
When the camera remains insistently on them, Cat looks over her shoulder, willing Kara to return with all her might.
But she doesn't, and Sweaty Guy leans over and places a sloppy kiss on Cat's cheek.
It's the worst night of Cat's life.
As Kara climbs out of the town car, which is parked outside her apartment, Cat can't see her face. Kara takes full advantage of this and smiles, which she has been forcing herself not to do for the past hour.
Cat has had a terrible time and there's no way in hell she'll want to see Kara again.
When Kara had returned from the 'bathroom' (apprehending two hostile aliens), Cat had looked traumatised and had demanded to know where Kara had been. Kara had blamed her thirty-five minute absence on a long line for the ladies' room, and Cat had simply shaken her head with a face like thunder. Kara had innocently asked Cat what was wrong, which is when the older woman had told her about being kissed by Sweaty Guy.
Kara had wanted to burst out laughing right there on the spot, and was proud of herself for not doing and for instead feigning sympathy. Well, perhaps she was sympathetic. She personally wouldn't have wanted to be kissed by that man.
Still, Cat had looked like she'd had quite enough, and Kara isn't completely heartless. She had suggested that they call it a night, and Cat had looked so relieved that Kara almost felt bad about what she had made the older woman go through.
But then she had remembered the promotion that she had coming her way, and, well, this is all for the greater good at the end of the day.
"Wildcats won!" Kara announces, turning to face Cat, who's just climbing out of the car. She's got the final score up on her phone since they missed the last few minutes.
"Hooray," Cat says, her tone devoid of any joy.
"I'm sorry about tonight," Kara says innocently. "I didn't know that I would be gone so long, and I didn't know that you'd have to kiss that guy."
Cat smiles tightly, which Kara attributes to her trying to be polite, as she has been all evening. "As long as you had fun," Cat dismisses the apology.
"I did," Kara nods, then looks up at her building. There's just one more thing left to happen before she can write this article: Cat needs to say that they won't be seeing each other again. "Well, it's getting late. I should be going," Kara gives Cat the perfect opportunity to do just that.
But Cat doesn't seem relieved that it's the end of the night. She looks, if anything, worried. "Before you go," she says, taking a step towards Kara. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Kara looks to the side in confusion before frowning down at the CEO, who is now in her personal space. "No? I have by clutch this time." She holds up her silver clutch as though to prove her point.
Cat rolls her eyes, but there's a smile on her lips. "Not that. A goodnight kiss? It's hardly fair that I've kissed someone else on this date but not you."
"Oh!" Kara brings a hand up to nervously fiddle with her glasses because what? Cat shouldn't want to kiss her right now. Cat should want to end things and leave ASAP. "Y- You... You don't think that I'm the kind of person to kiss on a first date, do you?" Kara says with an uncomfortable laugh. Maybe Cat will think she's a prude and decide she's just not worth it.
But no. Cat smirks instead, looking a little too pleased with that answer. "Maybe on date number two then?"
Kara swallows and plays with her glasses again. "Date number two?"
"What do you say?"
What is there to say? For Kara to write this article, Cat needs to be the one to end things, not the other way around. It's Kara's turn to smile tightly. "Sure."
Cat holds out her hand. "Give me your phone. I'll put in my number."
Kara hands over her device and watches the CEO add herself to her contacts list. Once she's done, Cat sends herself a text. "And now I have your number too."
Kara wants to facepalm. "Great."
Cat spends an hour in the shower that night, washing off all remnants of the horrific evening.
But it's OK, she tells herself. It's worth it.
Because she'll be seeing Kara again - she made sure of that - and winning this bet with her mother is all that matters.
A/N: I posted this without proofreading since I was in a rush, so if you want to flag up any mistakes so that I can correct them then feel free. Thanks for reading :)