3. Chapter 3(2)

Four cocktails and a stupid amount of money later, they retreat back up to their rooms.

Jack’s tie is all kinds of askew, the top button of his collar undone and an adorable flush in his cheeks that makes Lena laugh whenever she catches him grinning at her.

They’re not drunk, but they’re certainly not sober and Jack tucks his arm around her as they make their way to the elevators. He’s making some joke about poker and sex when Lena hears a soft commotion coming from the direction of the hotel entrance.

Her heart stops a bit when she realizes what’s happening and she tugs Jack to a stop as a bus drops off the entire Lakehawks team to a small crowd of paparazzi waiting for them.

“Hey, your team,” Jack points out, his finger waving in their direction. She slaps at his hand, but it just makes him laugh and she’s had just enough vodka that now she’s laughing too and then -

“Lena,” a surprised voice interrupts them and Lena turns to see Kara watching them with a furrow in her brow, a duffel bag over one shoulder. She’s dressed for travel - a slim fitting pair of jeans and a nice looking Lakehawks pullover. Her hair is down around her shoulders and she’s wearing glasses. Lena always forgets that Kara wears glasses and every time she’s reminded…well…it’s probably better for her health that she forgets quickly afterward.

“Kara, hi,” Lena says, elbowing Jack when he won’t stop laughing. He’s practically hanging off her side and she just barely restrains herself from pushing him off under Kara’s stare.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Kara says, looking a bit hurt.

“It was a last minute decision,” Lena says and her mind won’t stop yelling act sober act sober act sober as she stands there. Kara looks some mix between adorable and incredibly attractive – Lena can’t stop being distracted by her glasses, slipping a bit down her nose before Kara reaches up to adjust them.

“We’re here for a tech show,” Jack tells her, straightening a bit and running his fingers through his disheveled hair. “Thought we’d have a little vacation.”

It sounds decidedly coupley to Lena’s ears and it must to Kara too because she frowns a bit. “Are you coming to the game?”

“Of course,” Jack replies immediately. “Wouldn’t miss it. Go Lakehawks! Up, up and away!”

An impatient looking Alex Danvers wanders over to them after that and a wash of surprise flashes on her face when she notices Lena. It’s punctuated by a more neutral expression. “Miss Luthor, nice to see you.”

“You too, Miss Danvers.”

Alex’s eyes flit between Kara and Lena for a moment. “Kara, I need to talk to you about room assignments.”

“Now?” Kara asks, dragging her eyes away from Lena.

“Yes, now,” Alex says with a pointed glare for her sister.

Jack sags into Lena’s side and Lena doesn’t miss the way Kara’s eyes scoot towards where Jack’s hand is hanging low on her lip.

“Yeah, okay,” Kara says and Lena bumps Jack a bit until he straightens against her side.

“Good luck,” Lena offers as a goodbye and Kara turns to follow her sister back towards the rest of the team.

Jack starts to laugh softly as they move back towards the elevators and away from where the Lakehawks are gathering. “You sure you’re getting that out of your system?”

--

It isn’t until Saturday night that Lena runs into Kara again.

Jack has a ridiculous obsession with playing the slot machines that Lena’s never understood, but she indulges him for a bit after they eat dinner one of the twenty-five hotel restaurants.

“I don’t understand what you get out of this,” Lena says with a hint of complaint as she sips at the drink in her hand. “It requires no skill at all.”

“It requires luck,” Jack says, leaning back in his chair and slapping at the spin button. The cartoonish depictions of mermaids dance on the video screen above his head as the wheels spin and Lena rolls her eyes.

Just as the machine is informing Jack of his winnings - and bonus spins - a body drops into the chair next to him and slides a card into the machine. It takes a second for Lena to recognize Lucy Lane, but she certainly does as soon Alex Danvers comes walking up.

“The slots, really?” Alex is complaining, all but dragging her feet as she comes closer - hands in the pockets of her jeans.

“This is my lucky machine,” Lucy explains, pulling the oversized lever to her right. “You won’t be complaining when you’re drinking off my winnings later.”

“The drinks are already free here,” Alex says, coming up next to the machine and leaning up against its side. It’s then that she notices Lena and her eyes react first before she straightens up.

A new voice rings out with, “Hey, you guys have to try these slushies. They are awesome.” When Lena turns it confirms what she already suspects and Kara Danvers saunters towards them holding a massive plastic cup filled with a neon green drink.

All five of them seem to notice each other at the same time.

“Miss Luthor,” Alex and Lucy manage to say together just as Jack jumps up from his chair with an exclaimed, “The Lakehawks!”

It makes Alex and Lucy both turn confused yet amused expression towards Jack and gives Kara and Lena enough cover to look at each other and exchange soft nods. Kara’s eyes bounce over to Jack and back to Lena as she sips at the drink in her hand.

“Thought you were more of a cards player, Miss Luthor,” Alex says and it feels uncomfortable to be addressed that way here in Kara’s presence.

“Please, call me Lena,” she says with a polite smile for Alex and then Lucy. “And I much prefer the cards tables, but my friend Jack here-"

“I like shiny lights,” Jack jokes with an expressive gesture of his fingers that makes Lucy laugh.

“Right?! Winning is just so much more satisfying,” she agrees and Alex rolls her eyes in an expression familiar to Lena.

“Have you three eaten?” Jack asks and Lena narrows her eyes at him, confused. They just finished a very expensive five star meal.

“We haven’t yet, actually,” Alex says, though her eyes draw slowly to where Kara is still silent, sipping at her drink. “As Kara has reminded us more than once in the last hour.”

“Superstar can wait,” Lucy says with a fond look for her teammate. “Mama needs some new shoes.”

“You have a bigger shoe collection than Kara,” Alex says as Lucy turns back to her slot machine and pulls the lever down to make the wheels spin. “And she gets a free truckload of them every month.”

“You can afford new shoes without gambling,” Kara adds – the first words she’s spoken since arriving and Lena can feel the way Jack is watching them with far too knowing eyes.

“Well, after Miss Lane has conquered the slot machines would you three like to join us?” Jack offers and if they weren’t being watched by the three Lakehawks players, Lena would reach over and slap him.

“We were going to try that Italian place – Rosse?” Alex says, half her attention being drawn to the gleeful way Lucy is cheering on the slot machine.

“If we can get in,” Kara says and Lena smiles a little.

“The famous Kara Danvers has trouble getting a table somewhere?” It comes out teasing and half flirtatious and she’s sure if Lucy’s slot machine hadn’t erupted with sound at the same time everyone else would have noticed.

As it is, Jack and Alex look towards Lucy, and Kara is the only one looking at Lena with a soft blush in her cheeks and a smile.

“We heard it was really popular,” Kara says. “And almost impossible to get into.”

Jack, who has tuned back in after observing Lucy’s winnings, grins at her. “Oh, well, good thing we know the owner of the hotel, eh?”

--

It manages to not be nearly as awkward as Lena thought it would be. Apart from the hyper aware buzz that thrills across her skin being this close to Kara in public, dinner passes easily.

Lucy and Alex take up most of the conversation, helped along by Jack who orders them a round of shots with the kind of flourish that makes Lena roll her eyes. “You’re like a frat boy sometimes, I swear,” Lena says under her breath, but affectionately.

He slings an arm across the back of the booth they’re sitting in and grins cheekily at her the way he always does. It makes her smile back and laugh when he winks. “You like that about me, love.”

When Lena turns her attention back to the table she notices Kara’s eyes watching Jack’s movements intently for a moment before her eyes flit away.

Alex and Lucy are hovered over Lucy’s phone on the table, flipping through pictures in an attempt to find the right one – a snapshot to accompany the story they’d just told about Kara’s rookie road trip hazing incident.

There’s something guilty that pools in Lena’s gut at the look on Kara’s face and for the first time ever Jack’s close presence starts to make her feel slightly uncomfortable. It makes her shift just a bit away from him and thankfully, Lucy is passing him her phone the next second and he moves his arm away to grab for it with a laugh.

They’re not dating and Kara really has no right to look – threatened – by the friendly way Jack always is with her, but Lena’s common sense seems to have abandoned her long ago because she moves her foot across the space between them under the table and lightly hits Kara’s toes with her own.

It jerks Kara’s gaze back up to hers and Lena’s grateful for the way their other three companions seem completely engrossed in each other.

All Lena can think to offer is a reassuring smile that she shouldn’t have to give someone she’s just sleeping with, but it eases the lines of tension on Kara’s face and god she can’t deny how much better she feels at seeing it.

“Lena, look at this,” Jack is saying with a whiskey induced chortle as he moves back in close to her and shows her the picture displayed on Lucy’s phone.

A laugh pulls out of her immediately. In the picture Kara is sporting a heavy frown and is dressed in a mismatch of clothing items – ridiculous gold parachute pants, a cat-print button down shirt and a multicolored oversized baby’s bonnet.

“Stylish,” she deadpans as she tries to suppress her laughter.

Kara grins – an expression Lena had been waiting for since they bumped into each other – and it flutters warmth across her chest.

There’s something else in her face too. Something more intent and promising and just like that Lena starts thinking of ways to be alone with Kara and wonders if it’d be too obvious if she just told the rest of the group to fuck off and dragged Kara up to her room.

--

It doesn’t end up being a problem. After dinner Jack announces he’s had about three whiskeys too many and leaves them to return to his room.

Lucy – who has probably also had three whiskeys too many but doesn’t seem like she’s going to stop – tells them that she’s feeling lucky again. Which apparently means she’s returning to the slot machines because she just walks off that way without further word.

The three of them – Alex, Kara and Lena – watch her go for a second before Alex rolls her eyes. “I better make sure she doesn’t do something stupid,” she grumbles and without so much as another look at either of them follows Lucy through the casino floor.

That leaves Kara and Lena alone, staring at each other for a long moment before Lena can’t help but smile slyly and see an answering expression pull across Kara’s lips.

--

They end up in Lena’s massive suite - the same one she stayed in before - but this time Kara doesn’t even blink at the basketball court or any of the other luxurious amenities in the room. Instead, she stays focused on pulling fabric away from Lena’s skin, of guiding them towards the nearest horizontal surface - the couch in front of the bank of floor to ceiling windows.

The connection feels electric even though it’s been less than a week since they did this. Lena’s back hits the cushions of the couch and Kara presses in swiftly afterward. It makes her back arch and thighs pull farther apart.

“I like Vegas,” Kara murmurs, lips hot against Lena’s neck as she continues to do ridiculous things with her fingers.

Lena tries for a laugh that goes breathless when Kara’s fingers scissor inside of her and a third one joins the first two. “Kara,” she sighs, her hand gripping at Kara’s bicep so hard she’s sure it will bruise.

“I know,” Kara whispers, the confident sound of her voice making Lena’s gut turn liquid.

No other words are exchanged as Kara’s fingers get more insistent and her lips push firmly against Lena’s. Their kisses get frantic and sloppy and Lena brings her knees up to give Kara better leverage and god Lena’s sure this feeling will never get old.

How she’s going to get this out of her system, she has no idea.

--

The hotel room is quiet apart from the sound of both of them attempting to catch their breath. Distantly she can hear the sound of the Vegas Strip below them, the hustle of the casinos and the people on the street. Lena’s fingers trace idly against her own stomach, up and down, up and down as she blinks at the ceiling and tries to get her muscles to work again.

It’s Kara that ends up breaking the silence.

“You know, I’m not sleeping with anybody else,” Kara says softly. The words drag through Lena’s mind slowly, but when she registers them she tenses a bit and the languid feeling of the afterglow races away from her.

“Okay,” she says in a drawl of the word. Her heart feels like it’s going to start pounding but she can’t tell if it’s a good feeling or a bad feeling.

Kara props up against the mattress to look at Lena. “I don’t mean it like that, I just mean.” Kara shakes her head, looks away. “I want to be up front that I haven’t been sleeping with anyone else recently. So there’s not any confusion.”

Lena swallows against the sudden surge of thickness in her throat. “I don’t care who you sleep with,” she says soft and slow though it makes her think back to the pictures she’s seen of Kara out and about, different women smiling at her like she’s hung the moon and the stars.

When she looks over at Kara’s eyes they’re hard and serious and Lena has to force herself not to flinch away.

“I just think it’s important to be clear about it,” Kara says. “I like to practice safe sex and everything.”

Lena nearly laughs, but there’s something in Kara’s face that makes it easy to smother that urge. “I’m not sleeping with anybody else either,” she says and pauses briefly before she adds. “At the moment.”

Kara nods, eyes skittish. “Okay, good to know.”

A thought nags at the back of her mind for a moment and she nearly asks a question that will definitely come across like she cares who Kara sleeps with. Which she doesn’t. Thankfully Kara’s slipping out of bed and pulling her strewn clothing off the floor before the words pull unwillfully out of Lena’s mouth.

--

The game on Monday sneaks up on Lena. For a bit there, she’d forgotten that was the entire point of her trip to Las Vegas.

They get pregame drinks at a bar outside the hotel because Jack insists they go somewhere where everyone isn’t fawning all over them – you own too many businesses, Lena.

A game in Las Vegas is always a different experience than one back home in National City and not just because they’re on the road.

There’s a certain heightened fanfare to the entire thing – whether it’s because of the bright lights of the strip or the way the Las Vegas Aces fans always show up for games Lena’s not sure. Along with the thrum of excitement leading up to tip-off, there’s a seeping tension between the teams.

Lena remembers the last time the Lakehawks traveled to Las Vegas and tries to bury the memory of what happened after the game farther back into her mind. At least until she’s no longer with Jack and in public.

“Think we’ll see a fight?” Jack muses as they take their seats behind the Lakehawks bench.

“I certainly hope not,” Lena says, but with the way Alex is already glaring at the Aces bench and Kara is pulling her sister away as if Alex is liable to jump that direction at any moment Lena’s not so sure.

--

The Lakehawks manage to take control of the game early, but Cat still stalks up and down the court with a sour expression.

Alex gets called for a bad foul – her third of the game – and Cat gives her a look so withering that even Lena reacts to it.

When she gets called for a fourth late in the third quarter, Cat just puts her fingers up in the air – four of them – and stares at Alex before subbing her out of the game.

Kara watches her sister leave the court with a frustrated expression on her face, hands on her hips as the Aces sink a free throw.

It’s clear Kara’s upset that her sister has been goaded into nearly fouling out of the game and that the Lakehawks have managed to lose a hold on their double-digit lead. Midway through the fourth quarter they’re only ahead by three points and Alex is finally subbed back into the game – to retake the lead Lena imagines.

That’s about when Kara goes scrambling after a wild rebound – fighting with another player toward center court. The ball bounces away as Kara leaps forward, practically diving, and trying to body the other player out of the way.

She’s successful – though not very gracefully – and manages to tip the ball in Maggie’s direction who crosses past her defender and drives for an easy layup.

Kara, however, is bent over at center court, holding her hand against her stomach with an expression of pain.

Cat notices immediately and calls a timeout and Lena watches as Alex jogs over to help her sister, leaning over close to her.

“That can’t be good,” Jack comments casually, sipping at his beer while Kara gets pulled over to the end of the bench with the team trainer.

“What happened?” Lena asks Jack, eyes trained on Kara’s form. It irks Lena that they’re not at home where her usual seats would be inches from the Lakehawks bench. For now she’s stuck watching from across the court and without the benefit of being able to hear the usual team chatter. “I couldn’t see.”

“Looks like her hand,” Jack says and Lena feels a pull of sympathy for Kara’s pinched face as the trainer stretches out her fingers.

“I hope it’s not serious,” Lena says softly and Jack bumps his shoulder into hers.

“I’m sure you don’t,” he says in a low suggestive tone.

It takes Lena a second to understand his meaning, but when she does she shoots him a glare, shoves at his leg and says the only thing she can ever seem to say to him these days. “Shut up, Jack.”

--

It’s a mild finger injury – or so the news reports the next day when Lena’s catching her flight back to National City.

Kara had texted her of course – jammed my finger, I’m fine – but the news alert she gets on the sports app Kara had forced her to download a few weeks ago indicates it’s a finger sprain and it’s serious enough to affect her playtime.

Kara Danvers out for a week the alert reads and Lena raises her eyebrow at the news.

When she next sees Kara – the following Thursday when the Lakehawks arrive back in town after a game in Phoenix – she’s wearing a small splint on her finger and has a look of complete irritation on her face.

“I can’t believe Cat benched me because of a jammed finger,” Kara complains as Lena pours them wine.

“The Olympics are coming up,” Lena points out, handing Kara her drink and joining her on the couch.

“I can still play,” Kara says, putting her injured hand in the air and giving it a look of distaste. “It’s not even my shooting hand.”

“Don’t you use both hands to shoot?” Lena asks with a laugh and a short sip of her glass.

Kara’s eyebrows make a suggestive movement up on her forehead. “I don’t need to.”

It makes Lena laugh again. “What does that even mean?”

Kara doesn’t answer, just sets her wine glass on the coffee table in front of them and scoots close enough on the couch towards Lena that she knows she’s going to spill her own wine if she doesn’t set it down soon.

--

Their coffee is enjoyed considerably later and Lena can’t keep her eyes off Kara’s injured hand, checking it for any further injury sustained during their activities.

Kara sips idly at her coffee and scrolls through her phone. “Is your favorite color red?”

It’s then that Lena notices what Kara’s looking at. “What are you doing?”

Without thinking of it, Lena darts a hand out to snatch the phone, but Kara pulls it away in time with a playful smile. “I’m trying to narrow down your favorite color.”

“By looking at pictures of me?!”

Kara shrugs. “Seemed like a fun way to do it,” she says and she turns the phone around to show Lena. It’s a picture taken at a gala a few years back - she’d been wearing a knee length red dress with a revealing neckline.

“Why is it even important to you to know my favorite color?” Lena asks with a roll of her eyes.

Smiling, Kara looks back at her phone, swipes to a new picture. Lena thinks it’s one of her and Jack at the Luthor Corp Christmas party last year. “It’s only important because you won’t tell me,” Kara teases, glancing up just to wink at Lena.

--

The next away game is in Midway City and Kara complains so much about how boring it’s going to be considering she’s not allowed to play yet that Lena reluctantly agrees to go to the game just to get her to shut up. Luthor Corp has a partnership there with a local manufacturing company and it’s a good excuse as any to make the trip.

Kara’s noticeably surly during warmups when she’s not even allowed to dress. When she tries to even touch a basketball, Cat swats it out of her hands and glares at her, pointing towards the end of the bench in clear instruction.

It’s the first time Lena’s seen Kara wearing normal clothes for a game – a slim cut pair of slacks that expose her ankles, low cut dark loafers and a matching sport jacket with a no-nonsense black t-shirt underneath. It’s different than seeing Kara in her jersey, exertion glistening over exposed skin and a focused look in her eyes, but it’s no less distracting.

The game is noticeably different without her presence on the court, but by the time they tip-off, Kara stops pouting enough to cheer her team on and do what she can from the bench. Lena’s attention gets split between watching the court and watching the way Kara talks to her team, moving down the bench to give advice and talk to Cat about gameplay.

Kara’s a natural leader. It’s clear in the way the team seems to listen to her without question – even the more veteran players. Even Cat takes Kara’s counsel a few times during the game, calling her over from her spot on the bench to talk or showing her something on the small clipboard she uses to write out plays.

The Lakehawks manage to eek out a win. It’s clear there had been some awkwardness as the team tried to adjust to playing without Kara, but they hit their stride midway through the third quarter.

Kara looks happy with the win, but not the way she normally does. A consequence to not tangibly contributing in a way she’s used to, Lena assumes.

--

“Thank you for coming,” Kara tells her when they go out to a late dinner after the game.

Lena smiles at her. “That’s what friends are for,” she says and Kara laughs.

They’re halfway across the lobby of the hotel when Lena thinks to stop at the front desk and check for any messages. Kara lingers behind her, playing with her phone.

“Actually, Miss Luthor, these were dropped off for you today,” the desk manager says, sliding a white envelope across the counter. “They’re your usual seats.”

Lena picks up the envelope and peaks inside at the tickets. “It’s Hamilton now, right?”

“That’s correct,” the manager answers and Lena recloses the envelope. She’s always getting offered tickets to shows every time she’s in the city – Luthor Corp invests in a few of the downtown theaters – but she rarely has time to take one in. Usually she gives the tickets to Jack or to a local subsidiary executive she feels deserves the reward.

“I don’t think I’ll have time this-”

“ Hamilton?” Kara interrupts suddenly, having shown up abruptly at Lena’s side. So abruptly in fact that the manager across the desk jumps in surprise.

“Tomorrow’s show,” Lena says, watching as Kara plucks the envelope off the counter and peeks inside.

“Whoa,” Kara exclaims. “These are box seats!”

The manager is watching them with enough interest that Lena decides to pull Kara away from the desk with a polite smile. “Perhaps I’ll consider it, thank you,” she says, leading Kara towards the elevators.

“Seriously, how do you have box seats for Hamilton? This show has been sold out all week, I checked.”

“Perks of investing in theater, I’d imagine,” Lena says, pressing the button for the elevator and glancing back to the front desk to see if they’re still being watched. It’s unclear whether or not the desk manager recognized Kara, but Lena’d prefer not to take any unnecessary chances.

“And you weren’t going to go?!”

“I usually don’t have time to take in a show,” Lena says.

“This is Hamilton,” Kara says with emphasis that she’s sure is supposed to mean something, but Lena just quirks a brow.

“I take it you’d like to go,” she says with a laughing smile that just increases when Kara nods enthusiastically as they step into the elevator.

Kara’s eyes are bright and excited and it’s the first she’s seen Kara this distractedly happy since her injury. Something tugs at Lena’s chest and pulls the next words out of her mouth. “Then I’ll take you.”

“Really?!” Kara says, like she can’t believe this is happening.

Lena just nods, presses the button for her floor and leans back against the wall of the elevator car. “Yes, really. You’re here another night, right?”

Kara doesn’t respond with words, just slides the tickets into the back pocket of her jeans and pushes into Lena’s personal space until they’re nose to nose. “You’re my new best friend,” she says quietly and Lena laughs, but the sound cuts off a bit at the feel of Kara’s fingers sliding over her hips.

“Because of my connection to musical theater?”

With a grin, Kara pushes somehow closer. “Yes,” she says before nosing forward until they’re kissing, and it’s hot and filled with intention, just like the first time they pressed together in an elevator.

The ding of the doors arriving at Lena’s floor breaks them apart and she pushes off the wall, grabbing Kara’s hand on the way and dragging them both towards her hotel room.

--

It feels like a date.

That’s all Lena can think when they meet up for dinner before the show and Kara puts her hand against the small of Lena’s back as they’re lead to their table.

It’s at least a restaurant Lena is fairly familiar with and known for its discretion. It helps too that it caters to a clientele that would likely fail to recognize Kara and would dismiss her easily. Though Lena second guesses that presumption for just a moment as she takes in Kara’s perfectly tailored slacks and the pressed light purple button down she’s sporting.

A hint of collarbone is exposed where Kara has her top buttons undone and she’s shrugging out of a well-cut blazer and Lena has to look away towards her menu to avoid the cliff her thoughts threaten to fall off of.

The restaurant would certainly take notice if Lena pulled Kara across the table and pressed their lips together.

Kara seems oblivious, settles down in her chair and studies her own menu with a look of glee on her face at the opportunity to try out a new restaurant. Kara’s managed to accumulate a library of takeout menus in a drawer in Lena’s kitchen on her current quest to try every restaurant in National City. Lena supposes Midway City is a new and exciting dominion.

They order a bottle of wine and Kara orders the biggest cut of meat on the menu – laughing when Lena makes an intimidated face as she does it.

“Go big or go home,” Kara jokes and Lena rolls her eyes – orders the shrimp salad.

--

“So,” Kara starts as she cuts into her steak and Lena takes a gentler approach at stabbing her salad. “Last time we had dinner together like this you didn’t like basketball.”

“I assure you nothing has changed,” Lena teases, smiling at the look of exaggerated hurt on Kara’s face.

“Come on,” Kara entreats with a smug look on her face. “Watching me has had to have an influence. Even on you.”

“That confident in yourself?” Lena asks with a challenging arch of her brow.

“No one learns what a flagrant foul is without at least enjoying themselves.”

“I learned that from repeated forced exposure,” Lena counters, abandoning her fork to reach for her wine.

Kara’s foot kicks out a bit, bumps into Lena’s. It’s flirty and warm and Lena sinks into the feeling, doesn’t feel like dispelling it for the moment.

--

They go to the show and Kara is like a kid in a candy store – excitedly commenting on everything, thanking Lena about fourteen times before they even make it to their seats.

Kara buys them both drinks at the concession stand and a full stock of snacks then proceeds to spend the entire musical mouthing along to nearly every word. Lena’s kind of amazed, to be truthful.

Not unlike the first time they had dinner together – a lifetime ago – Kara has insightful things to add about the musical. She’s smart, and funny and every time she turns a disarming smile on Lena, Lena’s entirely charmed.

It makes her wish – in a moment of weakness – that things were different. That Lena had never had to take over ownership of the Lakehawks, that she had met Kara randomly out at a bar or a club, that she could sink into the way Kara’s arm sits on the back of Lena’s chair and just enjoy the attention of an attractive woman.

She lets herself imagine it. What it would be like if this were actually a date the way it feels like it is. Kara might let her fingertips brush absentmindedly over Lena’s shoulder, might kiss her on the cheek just because or whisper things in her ear - something affectionate, maybe something inappropriately sexy that would make Lena cross her legs and Kara laugh.

They might get drinks afterward at a nearby restaurant, Kara with a protective arm over Lena’s waist, a happy but territorial smile on her face if anyone were to notice them. A fan might approach and ask Kara for her autograph and Lena would just smile proudly and allow Kara her due praise. Lena could find satisfaction in that, if that’s the way it was.

But that’s a fantasy. It’s not how it is. And Lena knows that the satisfaction she could imagine them finding is out of reach. Not something worth dwelling on.

Of course, that doesn’t it mean it doesn’t still feel like a date when Kara follows Lena all the way up to her hotel door after the show and lingers there, a little hesitant.

There’s something happening between them and Lena knows she needs to shift this into more familiar territory before it gets worse. So instead of speaking, she tangles her fingers in the fabric of Kara’s shirt and pulls her forward until their lips are slotting against each other.

Kara reacts immediately – instinctively it seems like – and presses Lena against the door, her hands taking a familiar hold on her hips and bringing the rest of their bodies together.

Lena lets out a little noise into the kiss, the kind of noise Kara understands because she pulls away from Lena’s mouth and plucks the keycard out of her hand to open the door and push them inside.

It’s a flutter of clothing after that and they leave a trail of it from the door to the bed. By the time the backs of Lena’s knees hit the mattress she’s in nothing but her underwear and Kara’s stepping out of her pants.

“The usual rules?” Kara asks just as she’s about to push Lena down onto the bed.

If Lena had been more aware, less affected by what Kara’s hands had been doing to her or the heat she can still feel between them, she would have heard the undertones of the question. Would have questioned why Kara even asked it, considering how often they’d done this without having to speak of it. As it is, however, all she can think about is the throb between her legs that’s screaming for Kara to touch her and the way her lips feel swollen and used. How gorgeous Kara looks in the low light of the hotel room, her hands reaching for Lena.

“Whatever,” she husks out before hooking her hand around Kara’s neck and pulling their lips back together.