Week 3

In the days following the attack on the nightclub, the situation in National City devolves with horrifying speed. Drummond's gate-crash at the mayor's press conference was only the beginning. While the mayor and the NCPD try their best to quell the anger and the fear gripping the city, Drummond and his team are suddenly everywhere, fomenting outrage, snarling and screaming, and spreading speculation and conspiracy theories as easily as breathing. The city is a tinderbox, and with each incident, with each spark, this game of Russian roulette gets one step closer to catching the whole city on fire.

Lena watches it all unfold from her office atop the city, where she's been pulling all-nighters, working feverishly to clean house at LCorp, personally overseeing security upgrades and coordinating with Winn on vetting the rest of her staff, simultaneously exhilarated and anxious about the information they've gleaned from the government feeds they both know he's hacked into.

Whatever it takes, she thinks, swallowing the guilt that burns like hot coals in her belly.

There's been no word in the media, no theory in the community about Luthor tech being involved, and there's a selfish relief in the silence. No matter how many times Kara tries to convince her otherwise, Lena knows that if she had been able to suss out Votto's connection or intentions earlier, or if she had been able to make her R&D storage impenetrable, the attack that has brought National City to a breaking point may not have happened. The circles under her eyes, the hollows carving away at her cheeks, she bears them in silence as signs of her atonement.

She'll be damned if it happens again.

It's been days since she's seen Kara, who seems to be as busy as she is, their only contact hurried phone calls or sporadic text messages on the theme of "miss you" and "don't forget to eat," the latter coming only from Kara, who never has trouble missing meals.

The sun is just starting to set behind the city skyline tonight when Jess steps into Lena's office, her rambling screeching to a halt mid-sentence when she finds Lena gathering her things.

"You're-you're actually leaving the office?"

"I do that, on occasion," responds Lena with a smile.

"Oh thank god," Jess blurts out before having the decency to look slightly chagrined. "I mean, I was just about to ask if you wanted me to order any dinner for you, but I guess you've got that handled."

"All good, Jess. Go home!"

The city may be on pins and needles, but it's game night, and according to Kara, nothing stands in the way of game night.

Standing outside of Kara's apartment door, a cold six-pack of IPA in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, Lena chides herself for being nervous. It's only a few hours with Kara's friends, that's all. She's faced down powerful giants of industry, entitled men who think they own the world. She's faced down her mother, for Christ's sake. Spending the evening with her girlfriend's friends and sister shouldn't give her nerves so much as a flutter.

It's not as if she practiced playing board games by herself yesterday…or, well, at least for very long, and she'll go to her grave before telling a soul outside of Kara. Not that the games are even the source of her anxiety, but they're the only things within her control, and Lena Luthor is not at her most graceful when not in control.

So she stands on the threshold of Kara's apartment, her palms sweaty, shuffling the alcohol from one side to the other before reaching out to finally knock.

The door swings open almost immediately, Lena's hand still held midair.

Kara squeals, "Lena you made it!" while wrapping her up in warm, strong arms. It's one of her favorite things-the strength of it, the way her hugs are all-consuming, the way they make her feel completely safe.

Lena beams into the hug. "Wouldn't miss it!"

Turning to the room, Kara announces, "Lena's here!" as she shuffles them both inside.

"Thank god," Alex groans, turning to Lena from her chair in the living room. "I don't think I could have taken another minute of her staring a hole in the door and reminding us to behave when you got here."

"ALEX!" Kara shout-whispers, and Alex responds by throwing a pretzel at her.

Lena laughs, a sparkling thing tinted with relief. "Sorry to have kept you waiting and unknowingly contributing to your torture," she says to Alex as they approach. Kara rolls her eyes, grabbing the wine to pour a glass for Lena.

Spotting the label on the beer in Lena's hands, Alex responds, "Ohhh, good brand! All is forgiven if you just pass me those-." Instead of completing the sentence, Alex decides that a gesture of grabby hands is just the right tone to set while the dark-haired woman next to her rolls her eyes before standing and extending her hand to Lena.

"I'm Maggie. It's nice to finally meet you. We've heard a lot about you. Little Danvers here literally hasn't stopped talking about you. She ev-"

"MAGGIE!" Another shout-whisper.

Alex throws another pretzel.

"Lena! Come sit!" Winn pats the seat next to him. "We should totally team up tonight." Pointing to Kara, he continues, "Ditch this one. We'll be unstoppable!"

"Hrgh!" Kara interjects, but the slice of pizza crammed in her mouth lessens the impact of her outrage.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're going to do me like that?" James asks Winn, hand over his chest, feigning offense at the suggestion of being dropped. "Just you wait, Winslow." With a nod in her direction, James points back and forth between Kara and himself before adding, "Kara and I? One hell of a team. That's all I'm saying."

"Heck yeah, we are!" Kara chimes in once she swallows the rest of her food before getting close enough to give James a high five.

Extending his hand to Lena, he introduces himself. "I'm James, by the way." He turns on the charm, flashing her a high-wattage smile.

"Pleasure to finally meet you. I'm familiar with your work. It's phenomenal."

Before they can continue, Kara pulls Lena by the hand and leads her to the couch, where they sit with barely any daylight between them, close enough that a middle-school dance chaperone would be apoplectic. Slinging an arm around Lena's shoulder possessively, Kara responds to Winn's and James' teasing. "Nope. All mine. My secret weapon."

Maggie and Alex open up a couple of the more than half dozen pizza boxes, setting out chips and salad as well, and in a millisecond, the group swarms the food like piranhas, picking it to pieces and piling their plates high. The banter between them all is so natural, so easy, and Lena watches and marvels at it. The genuine smiles, the camaraderie - there's nothing forced here, nothing awkward. It's a comfort to her, the outsider, because they make her feel like she's been part of their group forever. Her "friends" from other parts of her life, from the world she moved within as a Luthor, would have torn a newcomer to pieces at the first sign of fear. Or at first sight, really, depending on their mood.

When talk turns to the new couple, Lena's cheeks begin to warm, uncomfortable at being the center of attention. Alex teases Kara relentlessly, the kind of thing you'd expect from a sibling, but Maggie pipes up to offer Lena what she calls the "Danvers Dating Tips," air quotes included.

"Look, this life isn't easy. If you date a Danvers, these are the things you have to know."

"Oh, come on," whines Kara, but Maggie presses forward.

"Number one: the Danvers are ride or die for each other, so you'd better be, too."

"Damn right," Alex agrees while Kara nods.

"Number two: sometimes they have middle-of-the-night emergency meetings. Just roll with it."

Winn mutters something about missing a regular sleep schedule. Lena leans towards him and replies, "Surely it's not THAT bad at the FBI?"

James chokes on his beer. Maggie looks at Alex and mouths the word, "Really?"

"And number three: they're simultaneously incredibly smart but also so oblivious. It's honestly painful to watch."

Winn and James add in their agreement while Alex stares daggers, hand in the pretzel bag ready to throw down.

"I'm serious. I told Alex I was interested in her - literally word for word like that - and she still misunderstood."

Alex tries to butt in, but Maggie isn't having it. "For such a genius, Danvers, you sure did miss what was right in front of you." Turning to face Kara, she continues, "And it seems like Little Danvers didn't fall far from the oblivious tree."

Lena snorts into her glass while Kara looks betrayed beside her. Alex ignores them all, loudly wiping the crumbs from her hands and cracking open a new beer.

When the laughter dies down, Winn clears his throat, ready for the main event. "So what game are we thinking tonight?"

"Heads up?" James supplies, grabbing another beer as well, but Winn is quick to shut him down.

"Nah we did that a few weeks ago. What about Exploding Kittens?"

"Excuse me?" Lena asks quietly, her face drawn together in confusion. "Did he just say Exploding Kittens?"

"How about Monopoly?" Alex ventures before tipping her head back to take a swig from the ice-cold beer in her hand.

"NO!" The shout startles Lena, coming in stereo from Kara on one side and Winn on the other. James simply shakes his head.

"She cheats," Winn clarifies, shrugging his shoulders.

"Not this again," Alex mutters to no one in particular. Maggie's eyebrows raise across the table, eyeing her girlfriend with suspicion. "You miscount a transaction one time as the banker, and it's a federal case, apparently," she says to Maggie by way of explanation.

"Excuse me, ONE time?!" Kara interjects incredulously.

Alex, her chin held high, nonchalantly responds, "All's fair in love and Monopoly, sis."

Kara turns and whispers to Lena, who is still pulled close. "All is definitely not fair in Monopoly."

"I HEARD THAT!" The words register just as a barrage of pretzels pelts Kara (and Lena, by proximity).

"Stop wasting food!" Kara responds, before grabbing one caught in her blonde tresses and cramming it in her mouth. She spots one in Lena's lap, and it gets the same treatment, much to Lena's amusement.

Maggie sighs heavily while Winn tries valiantly to get the ship back on course.

After a hotly contested vote, Winn breaks out the Uno deck. Lena begins to sweat. This isn't one of the games she practiced.

Kara must sense Lena's unease because she looks to Lena, her eyes soft. "Do you know this one?"

"Can't say that I do." She can feel the anxiety creeping higher and higher.

"I got you, babe," Kara assures her, stealing a quick kiss and squeezing her thigh in reassurance, and that's…that's definitely helping Lena take her mind off of her imminent Uno crash and burn.

Kara announces to the group that she and Lena will be playing the first round together since Lena's never played. It's sweet and embarrassing all at once, but once their cards are in hand, Kara begins whispering strategies and tips into her ear so no one else can hear.

Suddenly, Lena has a new favorite way to play games. Even if it does sabotage her focus.

Round number one goes to Alex, who wastes no time in treating the entire room to her own brand of trash talk, which is essentially just her speaking in the third person. It's weird. James boos loudly to drown her out while Winn shuffles the deck.

"God, you're annoying when you win," Maggie drawls, but Alex just grins smugly in return, leaning over to steal a kiss.

"You know you love it."

Maggie rolls her eyes but declines to comment further.

A few turns into round number two, and Lena is pulling ahead of the pack. "You are clearly my star pupil," Kara sing-songs, leaning close. But Lena is taking no chances, holding her cards close to her chest to hide them from view. "Excuse you. Is cheating a Danvers family tradition?" she asks in mock outrage, narrowing her eyes and smirking at her girlfriend.

"You did not just-" Alex butts in. "It's on, Luthor."

"Is that meant as a threat or as a joke, Alex?" Lena's smile turns sharp. Kara beams beside her.

Lena and Alex destroy each other, which is enough to propel Winn to victory this round. Soon, Lena comes in like a dark horse, the rookie taking a round. The gang applauds her win while she gets up to refill her wine.

The night progresses as the group chases victory and teases one another. The closeness with Kara, whose need to touch is apparently on max tonight, and the wine - Lena is warm and happy. She leans her head on Kara's shoulder while the others take their turns, and Kara places gentle kisses into her hair.

When Alex whirls a "Draw 4" card in her hand, ready to deal a final blow to Maggie and claim another victory, Maggie grows indignant.

"You've got to be shitting me."

Alex simply grins smugly.

"You sure you want to play that card right now?" Maggie challenges, her eyes sharp.

"Don't hate the player, babe, hate the game," Alex crows, making a show of dropping the card on the pile.

Maggie takes a swig from her beer. "I hope you like the couch 'cos that's where you'll be sleeping tonight. Babe."

The entire room joins in a chorus of "oooh's", Lena included, while Alex rolls her eyes.

James wins one, and even Winn gets on a streak for a few rounds. He's really bad at trash talk, though, bad enough that even Kara winces. He stops eventually once Alex leaned over and said, "Uhh, remind me to give you some pointers. That's just sad, man."

Shortly into the latest round, Kara is doing well. Like, really well. Not one to be counted out, though, Lena has a great hand, and she decides to move down to the floor right in front of her spot so she can fully focus. The proximity works the same way turning down the radio helps find the right house number when driving. Perhaps it's the wine making her warm, or at least that's what she'll claim to Kara, so she pops the top couple of buttons on her top to get more comfortable.

She registers the sharp inhale behind her just before something caroms off her ear and ricochets into her lap.

It's a wild card. And it's followed by several more.

Kara has dropped her hand, and although she recovers quickly, scrambling to pick them all up before anyone sees, the damage is done. Lena hands the ones she grabs back to Kara, whose face is bright red.

"You OK? Lena asks, amused.

"Totally. Just, uh…" Kara trails off, her eyes unmoving from the expanse of cleavage visible now that a few of Lena's buttons have been undone.

With a chuckle, her own cheeks warming at the attention, Lena puts her arm around Kara's leg and merely holds it close.

Maggie cackles, James puts his head in his hands, and Winn has a stunned look on his face, which is almost as red as Kara's.

"Oh, man, we have got to work on your chill, Kar." James mutters.

Alex, though, is all business.

As the round progresses, Lena pulls her hair into a messy bun, which also happens to expose her neck. A moment later, she pulls at the collar of her shirt, subtly exposing more skin and giving Kara behind her a show.

It's to no one's surprise when Kara, her lip jutted out in a frown, gets trounced.

"Better luck next time," Lena coos as she tugs Kara's pant leg, succeeding in getting her girlfriend to shift down and sit next to her on the floor. She places a quick peck to Kara's cheek, which is extra warm, she notes, and Kara slings her arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. They stay like that.

Alex is incredulous. "And you say I cheat?!" But to this, Lena simply smiles. It's the smile of a shark, the smile of a CEO who knows she's got the board right where she wants them.

Maggie, for her part, is happy to see Alex taken down a peg. "There's a difference between stealing money at Monopoly and having a strategy against an opponent, Danvers."

"Cutthroat," James says, shaking his head. "Well done."

Lena isn't even sure how to describe how she feels. Warm from the wine. Warm from the attention. Warm from Kara's closeness.

This is happiness, she thinks, and her breath catches in her throat at the simple truth in the revelation.

It's not a feeling she's used to, not something that is such a frequent guest in her life that she can spot it from a distance or call out to it like an old friend.

It's the new shoes that pinch, the rusty swings of someone who has been away from the game for too long. Happiness has been fleeting, a shiny thing always out of reach, spoken about in books and movies but rarely glimpsed in real life.

But god, how she's ached for it, and now that it's here, her smile pulls wider, and she positively glows with it.

When she turns to look at Kara, she finds her staring at her with an expression and intensity that makes Lena's heart thud heavily in her chest, like it's longing to break free.

Like it's longing to join its other half.

These moments, these looks - they make her feel like what she is feeling, the things she hasn't said, hasn't admitted, are reciprocated. Like maybe Kara's heart thuds just as heavily in proximity to its other half as her own does.

The banter continues all around them with an easiness borne of time and comfort. Lena had worried so much about not fitting in, but she should have known better.

This is Kara. This is Kara's chosen family, the people she loves, and Lena chides herself for not believing it would be so easy here.

That she would be welcome.

When she feels Kara's hands tickling her neck, playing with her hair, Lena turns, a soft smile on her lips. Kara's matches her own.

"You good?" Kara asks quietly while the rest of their friends talk.

There's an aching in her chest where her heart impossibly expands.

Yeah, this is happiness. She nods her response, leaning into Kara's touch, watching Kara slowly blink and smile shyly back at her.

Leave it to James to break the moment.

"You know, Kara," he says to the room, "I can't even blame you for breaking our hearts." He indicates himself and Winn. "Seeing the two of you together, it is painfully obvious that you weren't even close to being meant for either of us."

Lena is all over this brand-new information. Looking back and forth between the guys and Kara, she asks amusedly, "You've been withholding information? Is that right?"

She stares at Kara, who is rapidly turning red beside her.

James laughs loudly, while Winn grimaces. Kara, for what it's worth, boldly tries to change the subject. When that fails, she simply groans and begins sliding slowly from her seated position further onto the floor.

"I'll give you a break, but we are absolutely going to circle back to this later." Lena laughs and slinks down next to Kara all the same, holding tight to her arm and burrowing into her with a wide grin plastered on her face.

Across the table, Maggie stands, pulling at Alex's sleeve. "C'mon, Danvers, I think it's about time we got out of here."

Alex pouts, but Maggie isn't having it. Indicating to Kara and Lena with an incline of her head and a raised eyebrow, Maggie adds, "You can have your revenge next week."

Alex looks at the pair, who have essentially slid down far enough to be almost horizontal, huddled close together.

Making a disgusted face, Alex stands. "Ugh, yeah, I can't be here for this part." When neither Lena nor Kara notices their movement, Alex grabs a couple of pretzels from the almost empty bag and throws them.

That does the trick. Blushing slightly, Kara and Lena return to the world of the vertical.

"You headed out?" Kara says, picking pretzels off the floor.

James is already up, stretching his arms and looking for his jacket while Alex and Maggie bid their farewells as they head out the door.

Lena begins cleaning up, picking up after the group and putting away food. Winn, however, is a little slower to make his exit. As the unofficial game master, he takes his time putting the card deck away before picking up his things. "Maybe next week we can break into Settlers of Catan," he says over his shoulder, his back to the room while slipping his arms into the sleeves of his coat.

"Sure," Kara responds off-handedly.

When Winn stands and turns, he realizes that Kara is definitely not paying him any attention. She's watching Lena, who is busy collecting bottles.

With an exaggerated eye-roll, he picks up the last pizza box and takes a peek inside, noting that there are three whole slices left. "I'll just…I'll just take this to the dumpster, OK, Kara?"

"Thanks!" she calls back, oblivious to his treachery.

He's already halfway to the door with his prize, something that a Lena-less Kara would never have let go unnoticed, when he throws in, "You kids have fun." James shakes his head as he waits at the door, and together the two of them make their way out into the night.

Alone, it's the work of only a few minutes to clean up the mess. In truth, it would have likely gone much faster if they didn't stop when near one another to touch or place an errant kiss on a hand or shoulder.

"This was fun, Kara. Like…really fun." Lena hauls herself up to sit on the kitchen counter. "I haven't done something like this since…" she pauses, suddenly self-conscious. "Ever. Since ever." Her legs swing in slow, lazy circles against the cabinets as she leans forward on her perch.

"They're good people," Kara responds.

"They are. For people like us, people who were adopted, the people we get to pick as our found family, it's just…" Lena doesn't finish the sentence, unable to find the right words. But Kara gets it. She always gets it. She moves to stand beside Lena at the counter.

"I'm not used to things like this," Lena continues. "To…friends, honestly. Spending time with people who don't expect something in return."

Kara looks at her in that way again. It's not pity that she sees, and she's grateful for it. She doesn't think she could stand to see pity written across Kara's features.

After a moment, Kara turns on the water in the sink next to Lena's perch and begins washing the few dishes they'd managed to dirty throughout the evening. The two settle into a comfortable silence, Kara cleaning the dishes while Lena dries them and puts them away in the cabinet behind her head.

When everything is put away, the apartment quiets around them. It's not the calm kind of quiet, Lena thinks. It's one heavy with potential, a silence that sits thickly between them where Kara comes to rest on the kitchen bar on her elbows, standing opposite Lena, her blue eyes sharp and focused on Lena's own.

Kara is the first to break.

"We are going to have to talk about your strategy, Ms. Luthor."

Leaning forward now, her shirt still dangerously unbuttoned, Lena watches Kara's eyes dip and darken.

"Is that right? It got results, didn't it?" Her voice is low and smooth, but there's a hint of danger to it. She finds her target.

"It did," Kara husks, licking her lips and dragging her eyes up to meet Lena's eyes. "It really did."

Lena counters Kara's play with a direct gaze, almost a challenge. A dare. And Kara doesn't disappoint. Closing the distance in one step, she places her arms on either side of Lena's waist, trapping her while she steps into the space between Lena's legs.

The kiss this time isn't hesitant. It's hungry, and as soon as their lips meet, they devour. Lips, teeth, tongues. When Lena breaks their heated kiss to nip at Kara's lip, Kara's answering moan makes sends a shiver down the length of her body. Lena's hands move to Kara's face then drag down her neck to rest on her chest, just below her throat, her need to touch, to feel overwhelming.

At Lena's moan, Kara moves her hands to Lena's waist, where she squeezes, her fingertips finding purchase on her hips. Everywhere she feels Kara, her skin burns.

She wants more. She craves immolation.

When she feels Kara's hips involuntarily grind forward against the counter, Lena wraps her legs around Kara's waist, urging her inward and holding her there, causing Kara to whimper against her mouth before trailing her hands down the length of Lena's thighs, grasping them roughly where they hold her in place.

Kara pulls back from their kiss to look down between them, down to where their bodies meet, down to drown in the expanse of cleavage before her. When she shakily drags her gaze back up to meet Lena's, her eyes are black, and Lena shivers in Kara's strong grip.

Without breaking eye contact, Kara pulls against Lena's thighs, scooting her forward to the edge of the countertop, and when she slowly grinds against Lena's jean-clad center, her fingers digging into Lena's ass, the sound that releases from Lena's lips is nothing short of obscene.

Kara's eyes grow impossibly darker at the sound, and she grinds into Lena again with a growl.

"Fuck…" The word slips from Lena's mouth, an exclamation, a prayer.

Reaching for Kara's hand, Lena holds it to her own face, kissing it over and over, her lips moving slowly against it, almost reverent while Kara looks on with hooded eyes. Pausing to make sure she has the blonde's full attention, Lena slowly moves Kara's hand and places it on her breast through the gap in her shirt.

Kara gasps loudly into the silence, and at Lena's whispered "Please, Kara," she begins to squeeze and caress, watching Lena closely. It's only when Lena's head falls back that they break eye contact, the motion pushing her chest further into Kara's burning touch.

"Lena," she whispers delicately, reverently, before moving to kiss Lena's jaw, her kisses slow and sharp and wet, her fingers scorching the delicate skin beneath her grip.

This time it's Lena who grinds against Kara, shamelessly, recklessly even. Kara moans against the column of Lena's neck before finding herself pulled upward for another searing kiss.

They stay in this moment, lips crashing together, bodies moving as one until Lena's lungs burn, and she's forced to pull away, gasping for air.

But they don't slow down. Not by a long shot. Kara has worked several more buttons open on Lena's top, slipping both hands beneath the fabric, finding the hardened nipples waiting, wanting. With each graze, each pinch, Lena inches closer to the abyss.

The once-silent apartment is a symphony of moans and gasps.

"You feel so good, Lena," Kara husks across the shell of her ear, and she feels like she's on fire from the inside out and desperate for more. There's an ache between her legs, positive she's soaked through her panties, feeling the way they stick and catch against her. If she was wearing anything but jeans, Kara would be able to feel her already, hot and slick. Her hands, her mouth - all of her aches, the need to hold, to reach, to touch…the need to taste all-consuming.

"Need you," she manages to get out, her breath coming in quick pants."Need. Skin."

More. Always more. Always wanting.

At this, Lena reaches out, working first one and then a second button open on Kara's shirt. She has just enough time to realize it's not skin she feels beneath…but an undershirt, maybe? There's no time to process. Kara's hands are on top of hers in an instant, the movement unthinkably fast, and it takes Lena's oxygen-deprived brain several moments to catch up. Opening her eyes, she clocks the panic taking hold in Kara's expression, blue eyes flitting quickly over Lena's face, anxious, looking for an escape.

The fire in her veins, searing her skin extinguishes in an instant. The cold rushes in, and the panic taking root leaves her gasping for air.

When Kara begins to pull away, Lena shifts, pulling her close, wrapping her arms around her in an embrace. It's something familiar, something comfortable, the safety of being held. Kara slowly follows suit, her arms snaking around Lena's back, her chin settling on her shoulder while Lena's legs dangle limply from the counter.

The apartment is once again quiet, the only sound the rush of two heartbeats skittering wildly in their cages.

"Lena, I…um…" Kara starts, unsure of what to say. A small, panicked laugh follows.

"Kara...shh...it's…," Lena whispers, her head shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

"It's not that…I just…"

Pulling back, Lena moves her hands to frame Kara's face.

"Kara." Her voice is calm, and she wills her girlfriend to hear the love behind her words, to know the truth of them.

Kara's panicked eyes finally settle, and Lena's stomach twists at the turn of events.

"I'm sorry. I moved too fast. Any time there's something you aren't ready for or don't want to do, please, tell me, OK? I promise it's OK."

Kara shakes her head in response. "It's not…I mean…I just…" She trails off, frustrated and embarrassed.

Stroking the soft skin of Kara's cheeks, Lena places a kiss on her forehead, her lips, on each of her cheeks for emphasis before leaning against her forehead. Beneath it all, guilt begins to creep under Lena's skin, prickling and burning.

"I will never push you. Never." They stare at one another, Kara's sapphire eyes finally settled, and together they take a deep breath.

"I know, Lena." Kara smiles shakily, but her gaze is steady.

And oh, she feels tears prickling in her eyes, her brain still struggling with panic, trying to quell the voices telling her that she's fucked this up, this one good thing. Telling her that she didn't deserve this moment of happiness in the first place.

Kara leans forward to kiss her. It's different now. Slow and sweet and beautifully soft. Heavy with feeling. Kara holds her close.

It feels like safety.

It feels like home.

Little by little, Lena's own panic subsides, reduced to nothing more than an itch.

And so they stay, holding one another closely until they become indistinguishable from the other, their lines and limbs melting together, no way to tell where one begins and the other ends. They move in tandem, one occasionally nuzzling the other, their cheeks sliding against one another like silk, feather-soft kisses given and taken. Kara sways slowly in place, as if moving to a song unheard, and Lena follows the choreography like a natural.

It's long minutes before the comfort, before the slow sway of their dance pulls a yawn from Lena's lips.

"I should go. It's late." She says the words in a whisper but makes no move to break the embrace.

Kara doesn't say anything for a moment, but her arms hold her impossibly tighter. Lena hums, content.

"You don't have to," Kara whispers as they slowly separate.

Lena's smile is wistful when she answers. "I do. I have an early meeting in the morning." Stroking Kara's cheek again, she continues, "Thank you. For tonight. For…" She stops herself, a smile creeping onto her face. She bites her lip without thinking. "Thank you."

When Kara pulls back, Lena misses the warmth immediately, and it's only when Kara's eyes drift downwards, pink coloring her face, that Lena remembers her mostly open shirt.

"I'll just, uh…" she stammers, clearing her throat, her fingers moving swiftly to fasten the buttons. "Don't need to scandalize National City tonight."

Kara blushes deeply, helping Lena off the counter when she's done and walking her to the door. "I'm glad you could make it. It means the world to me. Text me when you get home, ok?"

Lena nods, leaning in for one more kiss. It turns into three.

"Good night, Kara." Lena forces her feet to move, one after the other out onto the landing and onto the stairs, suddenly afraid she might say something else. Something she isn't sure either one of them are quite ready to hear.

Kara watches her for a moment as she moves down the stairs before closing her door. Just before the door shuts, the words "Rao, I'm such an idiot!" escape the apartment, followed shortly by a loud thump, the unmistakable sound of someone banging their head against the wall.

Lena is on auto-pilot getting ready for bed. Brushing her teeth, removing her make-up, her limbs go through all of the motions required of them while her mind is very much not in the building. By the time she slides between the cool sheets on her bed, her lips still burn, and the ache between her legs is as uncomfortable as ever.

Closing her eyes, Lena is instantly back in Kara's apartment, legs wrapped obscenely around Kara's waist. And Kara, sweet Kara, with pupils blown and mouth agape, is staring at her like she wants to devour her.

In her darkened room, Lena hastily rucks her t-shirt up, her hands ghosting across her quivering stomach, up up up until she feels the weight of her own breasts heavy in her palms. It's easy, so easy, to imagine they're Kara's strong hands instead of her own. Back arching involuntarily, she squirms beneath the covers.

Unable, unwilling to stop herself, she brings a hand to her lips and licks the tips of her fingers before dragging them slowly down her chest, drawing a needy whine from her throat at the contact. Her other hand slowly moves downward, ghosting over her abdomen before slipping resolutely beneath the silky fabric of her panties in search of relief. So wet. Her panties are ruined, and Lena breaks the silence in her room with a deep groan.

"Kara…" The name tumbles from her lips, her fingers dragging heavily, messily, across her clit. It's easy - so easy - to imagine the pressure of Kara's abs, how solid they had felt against her sex in the kitchen, how they'd made heat bloom exquisitely between her legs. Firming her hand, Lena presses against herself in a poor mimic, and her harried movements beneath the sheets catch the filtered moonlight, the material rippling like water.

Moaning louder now, Lena's other hand squeezes at her breasts. Nipples taut in the cool air, breasts kissed by the moonlight. The sheets shift with her increasingly animated movement, her hips canting into her own hand.

"Yessss…" She's close. So close. Reaching, craving her release, Lena imagines Kara's hands, warm and strong between her legs, Kara's arm around her hips, pulling her in close as she leaves a trail of searing kisses down Lena's neck, across her chest, before sucking a hardened nipple into her mouth.

"Fuck, Kara-" Her voice strangles as she shudders and shakes, coming messily on her own hand. Breathing hard, Lena stares at the ceiling above as she begins to come down. When the room no longer spins and her breathing slows, a sated sleepiness settles into her bones, weighing her down.

Before she succumbs, though, there's one more thing to be done. Wiping her hand on the sheets with a mental note to change them in the morning, Lena pulls herself up onto her elbows. Her thighs slide wetly against one another as she turns to grab her phone from the nightstand, a promise to keep.

Opening her text messages, she types simply:

Thinking of you. Good night, my darling.