3. Chapter 3(1)

Lena misses the next home game against Star City because of a last minute trip she has to take to Star City itself, but she catches the highlights on a TV at the hotel bar late that night. The local news shows the Evergreens ones first: Sara Lance and what must be her sister, a more long and lean version of her named Laurel. There’s a glimpse of pregame warmups, and a shot of the two squads at center court chatting amiably. Kara’s laughing and loose, her hands dribbling the ball around her body without seeming to pay much attention to the act.

Jack had taken her seats and used the extra ticket for whatever his flavor of the week was that day and she laughs when she sees him sitting there as the camera pans over the Lakehawks bench.

The team had won - had dominated really - and they play a roll of clips, all of them showing Kara outshooting her opponent by an ungodly amount. Apparently Kara had a season high night and she’s glowing with pride in her postgame interview. Lena watches it with a quirk of her lips and doesn’t fight the memory of Kara looking similar - sweaty and hair mussed - as she leaned over Lena’s body and pressed into her.

The show switches over to the sports desk for Star City News, a man in an ill-fitting suit jacket throwing his hands up in the air. The closed caption reveals what’s frustrated him so much: How on Earth are you supposed to beat Kara Danvers when she plays a game like that?

Her cell phone sits on the bar top in front of her and she throws back a sip of her martini before reaching for it and texting Kara.

Great game tonight, she texts before setting her phone back down and ordering another drink.

Later that night, as Lena’s sliding into her bedsheets at her hotel, Kara’s response comes through. We missed you there it says and Lena chews her lower lip a bit, unsure how to respond.

Another text comes through before she can decide. I’ll try to play just as well next time for you.

It’s probably not suggestive, but Lena’s having a hard time thinking straight about anything to do with Kara Danvers and her fingers start replying before common sense can take ahold of her again.

Don’t play that well. I wouldn’t want to make a scene.

And that’s definitely suggestive, but Lena’s already sent it and she blames it on the fact that the memory of Kara’s fingers playing over her body still feels so fresh, or the fact that she can scroll upward in their text chain to find out exactly what Kara would do to her now.  All of that, coupled with the cocky smile Kara gave during her postgame interview, Lena’s already starting to feel warm.

A response comes in the form of a phone call and Lena debates for a few seconds before picking up.

“Hi,” she says, sitting up in bed and trying to sound calm. They haven’t really spoken on the phone before and considering what prompted the call...

“So, you watched the game?” Kara asks, her voice low and thick in a way that makes Lena think of soft whispers in her ear, talking her through an orgasm, or wet lips against her neck.

“I saw the highlights,” she says, fingers skittering down her own thigh.

“I broke my season record,” Kara replies, and it manages to come across as self assured, but not boastful. Her voice is still low, still silky smooth and altogether alluring.

“Congratulations.”

A warm silence sits across the line for a moment before Kara answers. “I can’t stop thinking about Vegas.”

Something throbs between her legs in response – the memory of the way Kara had felt inside her making her lips go dry. “I suppose if I had lost that much money at poker I’d be thinking about it a lot too.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kara says immediately, as if it needed to be said. Lena swallows against a thick, warm feeling of arousal that presents in her throat.

“I know,” she says softly.

“I broke my season record,” Kara repeats. “And all I could think about is how badly I want to touch you again.”

Lena’s sinking down onto the bed before she can even realize it and her fingers have started to play with the waistband of her soft pajama pants. “I’m back in town on Wednesday.”

“Can I see you?” Kara asks, just as Lena’s fingers dip below her pants and rest there. “Are you coming to the game?”

“I am,” she says and even though they’re not talking about anything particularly explicit, Kara’s voice is making Lena feel languid. She barely restrains her fingers from moving any lower even though all she wants to do is make Kara keep talking until she’s able to stroke a satisfying orgasm out of it.

“Is it tacky to ask what you’re wearing?” Kara says with the sound of a grin in her voice and Lena rolls her eyes up even as her fingers stroke against her hip bone.

“I’ve heard classier lines,” Lena replies dryly and it shouldn’t be working for her, but Kara laughs at that and Lena feels hot liquid pool between her legs.

She should not be this turned on just from a casual conversation, but it’s the knowledge of exactly what Kara could be doing to her if they were in the same room that’s making her feel wet and warm all over.

“I don’t think phone sex is generally very classy,” Kara says and the upfront way she says phone sex makes Lena’s cheeks burn with some combination of embarrassment and arousal.

“We’re not having phone sex.”

“Not yet,” Kara points out with a depth to her voice that flutters over Lena’s skin.

“Aren’t you tired?” Lena asks as some sort of last resort resistance to giving into the suggestion in Kara’s voice.

“Kind of the opposite,” Kara says softly. “I’m usually pretty...hyped up after a game like that.”

The images of how Kara looked in the highlight footage of the game run through her mind – hitting back to back threes with a look of indifference on her face, a particularly glacial look on her face as she stared down her opponent before crossing her over at the key, the victory pump of her arm after dishing a perfect pass to Alex for her fifteenth assist of the game.

“I can imagine why,” Lena replies and her fingers run north this time, leave the heat of her pants to trail up her stomach, taking her shirt with them.

“So if you’d like to help wear me out,” Kara says, drawing the words out. “In the interest of helping me get to sleep and offering me some much needed rest…”

Lena presses her lips together in a smile even as her own hand plays between her breasts. “Well, when you put it that way what kind of woman would I be if I didn’t help the team out?”

The chuckle Kara lets out sounds a lot like the noise she makes when she’s teased Lena for far too long and Lena’s begun to squirm. It’s full of promise and tease and oh god she’s totally about to have phone sex with Kara Danvers.

“Are you any good at this?” Lena thinks to ask, because she’s never really done this successfully and she’s kind of curious and it feels a little awkward but arousal is winning out and-

“I’m good at like everything,” Kara says and it’s probably supposed to be a joke, but it comes out sounding confident enough that Lena suspects she might be telling the truth. “Haven’t you heard?”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Lena teases back.

After a beat of silence, Kara’s voice comes back over the line sounding soft and commanding the way it does when they’re in bed together.

“Take your clothes off,” is all she says and just like that, Lena starts to believe.

--

Attending Lakehawks games becomes something else entirely for Lena over the next few weeks.

What was once a dull waste of her time that she had mostly dreaded becomes some kind of bizarre form of foreplay between her and Kara. It starts with the first look that connects their eyes when Kara comes onto the court for warmups.

A few of the other players have taken to greeting her with head nods and little waves now that they’re familiar with her presence at games, but it’s Kara that just looks at her. A heated gaze that cuts across the court straight into Lena’s chest.

It gets worse as the game begins and Kara goes all focus and determination. The superstar ego that she’s famous for comes out in full force as she commands the Lakehawks with the ease of a well tested veteran.

How basketball has become something overtly sexual for Lena, she doesn’t want to think about. But it’s undeniable that the way Kara moves around the court does something to Lena’s insides.

It becomes something like routine - whether Kara’s home or away, they find a way to come together. And then come together.

--

The first time it happens, Lena’s back in town and the Lakehawks host the Skippers at home.

The look Kara passes her when she jogs onto the court nearly burns Lena from the inside out. It’s brief but significant and Lena’s grateful that Jack is busy unpacking a free bobblehead of Lucy Lane and showing it to her when she jogs past in the direction of a rack of balls.

Lena’s not entirely sure how she’s going to survive an entire game with the memory of Kara’s voice from last night so fresh in her mind. It’s a struggle just to watch the team warm up with a straight face.

Kara goes through a few drills with her sister, the two of them casually dribbling around each other and half-heartedly defending shots, and Lena’s eyes get stuck on the motions of Kara’s body.

Right before tip off, Kara comes jogging towards the bench, Alex a few steps in front of her and they both pull off the long-sleeved warm-up shirts. It happens just about right in front of Lena and it takes every amount of composure she can muster to take a pointed sip of her drink and look away. If she crosses her legs and fights a blush, it’s not entirely her fault.

They’re close enough to the bench that Lena can hear Alex’s pregame pep talk to her four other starters - hey, this is our game, okay? Let’s focus. Yesterday is yesterday. Today is today. Let’s go out there and take one. Whose house?

The other four women resound in a strong chorus of our house in response and jump up from the bench, putting their hands together in the middle of their huddle.

The house lights black out in the stadium and the pregame video starts to play on the jumbotron - a slow motion video of Kara picking her head up to stare right at the camera.

The whole crowd starts to roar - Skippers games always bring in a little extra energy - and Lena feels herself get caught up in it as Jack pulls her to her feet to cheer on the announcement of the starting lineup.

Kara is last to be announced and when she jogs out onto the court, she catches Lena’s eye. There’s something in her expression that jolts in Lena’s chest, but she can’t put her finger on it. It’s heavy and hot and intent.

And it gets manifested quickly in the way Kara plays.

As soon as the whistle is blown, Kara starts to play like a woman possessed.

Lena might not understand all the mechanics of how basketball works, but considering how many points Kara manages to score in the first quarter alone, she’s fairly certain Kara’s headed to a new season record.

The girl that’s set to guard her - Siobhan Smythe, Lena remembers - gets more and more frustrated as the game goes on, but by the middle of the second quarter when Kara banks back to back threes, she catches Smythe laughing. Kara just gives her a happy smile and a shrug to which Siobhan rolls her eyes.

Leslie Willis, however, looks close to infuriated, but she’s guarding Alex for the time being and seems to have her hands full.

Despite Kara’s contribution, the score is close as they near halftime and Lena actually finds herself watching the game. Like really watching the game - her eyes flitting up to the scoreboard and the gameclock every so often.

Jack’s leaned forward, elbows propped on his thighs as he watches and Lena crosses her own legs and arms, her foot flicking a little nervously as Kara takes a pass outside the arc and the clock continues to wind down.

Smythe guards her well enough, but even from where Lena’s sitting she can see the sheer determination on Kara’s face. Kara tries to juke Smythe off balance, but isn’t successful. Then, just as time is running out, Kara seems to say fuck it and goes for the shot. Smythe must read the motion and gets close enough to jostle Kara a little, but the ball goes up towards the basket, Kara’s shooting arm extended in the air as she stumbles backwards a bit.

There’s no reason a shot like that should go in, but Kara is Kara Danvers for a reason and when Lena looks at her, Kara’s still got her arm extended and she’s looking away from the basket like she knows the shot will go in.

And it does. Just milliseconds after the clock buzzes at zero.

When her eyes connect with Lena’s, it’s with a smirk that only fades when her teammates swarm her and Alex picks her up in exuberance.

Jack leans close to her, a little of his drink sloshing over the side of the cup and Lena swipes at it, shooting him an affronted glare. He’s completely unaffected as he asks, “Am I supposed to just pretend you guys aren’t eye-fucking on national television?”

It jars her back to the present and her glare goes heavier at his words, but it just makes Jack laugh as he pulls back away from her.

There’s a blush dusting into her cheeks, she’s sure, but Jack’s reminder that there are cameras all around them and the game is indeed aired nationally, helps her keep it in check.

“Honestly, Jack,” she sighs, slapping his thigh in what she hopes looks like a good natured hit, but is really an admonishment.

He keeps laughing. Of course.

--

The eye-fucking during warmups and throughout the game almost always leads to actual fucking and they’re forced to become creative in where they hook up.

A particularly memorable post-game meeting occurs in the back of Kara’s car in the team parking lot.

It’s not intentional, but Lena happens to be leaving the arena at the same time Kara is - held long after the game for a meeting with James - and her car is parked in the players’ lot for sake of convenience and there’s no one else there because the game ended hours ago and –

“Don’t stop,” Lena pants against Kara’s mouth, cramped up in the backseat of the car. Kara’s Range Rover is spacious, but not exactly designed for what they’re doing. Not that it matters. Lena doesn’t think to care about the ache in her neck because Kara’s got her hand between her legs and her lips up under her chin now and fuck she’s going to come. Hard.

Kara’s fingers are working magic, stretching her out deliciously and moving in a rhythm that is totally doing it for her. Lena’s got her own hand down there too, helping it all along because she needs just that little bit more and –

The sound she lets out should probably be embarrassing, but she can feel a smile spread across the lips still pressed up against her neck.

The whole car feels suffocatingly hot and she’s sure the windows have steamed up which isn’t the most discreet way for them to do this, but the lot had emptied by the time they came out there so they’re probably okay. Hopefully.

Lena can’t see very far past the orgasm still throbbing its way out of her, around Kara’s fingers.

“Can we do this in a bed next time?” Kara asks with a hint of complaint as she pulls away and rolls around the muscles in her back.

Lena laughs, struggling to pull her mostly ruined underwear up her legs. Kara ends up trying to help, her fingers tracing up Lena’s thighs and settling under the rucked up hem of her skirt. Lena works on adjusting her clothing, pulled into disarray by the franticness with which they had met. It’s sticky and mildly uncomfortable, but she’s so sated that she can’t be bothered to care. “Did you really want to wait that long?”

Kara’s look is nothing short of smoldering, her cheeks flushed from their activities, and Lena realizes just like that that they’re not done yet. And she doesn’t quite mind.

“No,” is the only answer Kara gives before she’s shifting closer towards Lena and Lena knows they’re both going to be sore the next day.

Not that she cares.

Judging by the way Kara sounds a mere twenty minutes later when Lena’s got her pressed up against the door, Kara doesn’t care either.

--

The Lakehawks head onto the road to play the Philadelphia Independence and then the Washington Wonders. Kara, when Lena idly asks via text what she thinks of the upcoming games, calls the trip a chance to see Diana, at least. Lena isn’t sure if she should know who Diana is, but when she googles her and Kara, she finds a series of photos of Kara at some sort of charity game getting picked full up off the ground by a woman built like an Amazon, laughing.

It settles oddly in her stomach, but it disappears nearly as soon as Kara sends an emoji-laden text of what are you wearing? Btw, if it’s my shirt, you can have it. Looks better on you anyway.

Lena gets score updates on the Independence game sent to her phone while she wines and dines a potential investor for a new project, but watches the Wonders game in its entirety from her apartment. The commentators spend a lot of the pregame show on Maggie and Alex’s apparent chemistry, even though Maggie is the newest member of the Lakehawks.

Then, before the game, a feature runs about Diana Prince - star player of the Washington Wonders - and Lena tries not to notice just how beautiful Diana is, but it’s not really something avoidable. There’s a series of clips showing Diana dunking over defenders, laughing with teammates and making impossible passes.

It ends with a quick sequence of clips featuring Kara. It’s clear the game is being promoted as a primetime matchup between two superstars.

“Two future hall of famers tonight,” the lead anchor says, when the segment ends. “Both of them lead favorites for MVP, even this early.”

“Not only that, Ken, but this is an early look at what will likely be an Olympic meetup as well,” the other man at the desk replies.

The third anchor, a woman, shuffles some papers and nods and looks at the camera. “We’ve got a great game coming up for you, folks. We’ll see if Diana Prince and her Wonders have an answer for the way Kara Danvers has been playing the last few games.”

The show shifts to a breakdown in statistics - Kara’s shooting percentages and assist tallies - and shows the Lakehawks record when Kara shoots over seventy percent beyond the arc as she had been in her last two games.

By tip-off, Lena finds herself impressed with exactly how well Kara’s been playing, especially considering Lena’s spent the last week and a half monopolizing her nighttime attentions.

It’s the first time she’s really watched an away game without any other form of distraction. It turns out that with the sound on, Lena learns some useful information about basketball she hadn’t really figured out before. She still spends a lot of the game googling some of the rules on her laptop, but by the end of it she knows enough to text Kara -

That flagrant on Maggie in the third was atrocious.

Kara’s response comes much later, after Lena’s turned off her television and settled into reading reports - totally stupid - and then a few minutes after that - what are you doing? Can I call you?

Lena leaves her laptop on her kitchen island and walks back to her bedroom, pulling Kara’s phone number up on her screen and connecting the call.

“Hi,” Kara greets when she picks up and she sounds slightly out of breath, but happy.

“Hey,” Lena says, pushing aside her comforter to slide into bed.

“You know what a flagrant foul is now?”

Lena laughs. “As an owner, I’ve taken an interest.”

Kara makes a humming noise. “Should I be jealous it was about Maggie and not about that terrible call on me in the fourth?”

“You elbowed that girl in the head,” Lena says drily.

“Not intentionally!” Kara protests and Lena can see the footage of her indignant expression during the game run in her head.

Lena just laughs again until Kara joins in and it tapers off into a comfortable silence for a few seconds.

“Is it tacky to ask what you’re wearing?” Kara asks quietly and Lena’s body tenses with the sudden shift in conversation.

Just like that, Lena feels warm all over and she wishes Kara were there. Wishes she could see that post-game glow Kara has, that excited buzz that surrounds her after a hard fought win. “Is that how you’re going to start this every time?” Lena asks with a slight roll of her eyes.

“Think of it like a code word,” Kara says and Lena can hear the smile in her voice. “Like our secret sex language.”

“You really lean into that dork image don’t you?” Lena asks, but Kara just laughs. And if anything is their secret sex language it’s that laugh Kara has – the one that never fails to make Lena feel hot all over.

“You act like it’s not totally working for you,” Kara says and Lena rolls her eyes.

“I’m wearing pajamas,” Lena says.

“Very sexy,” Kara says, laughing loudly. Lena smiles in return.

“Don’t ask if you don’t want the truth,” Lena says. Kara makes a humming noise punctuated with a small laugh. Silence passes between them for a moment, surprisingly comfortable.

“When do you get back to National City?” Lena asks.

“We’re in Century City next and then we have Metropolis at home on Thursday.”

“Thursday is a long way away,” Lena replies before she can stop the words. They sound needy – girlfriend needy – and not the way you act with your hook-up buddy, but Kara doesn’t really react to it other than:

“That’s why we’re about to have phone sex,” Kara says in a soft, confident tone.

“Are we?” Lena asks but she’s already settling in, the memory of their last go at this making anticipation curl all the way down to her toes.

“Yes,” Kara answers and Lena’s never met anyone that can make her feel this hot just from their voice.

--

The sheets get kicked off the foot of her bed - too hot - and her face presses against the pillow as Kara’s voice in her ear pushes her close.

It’s her fingers rubbing familiar circles and her hips canting down that rips an orgasm out of her. She thinks maybe she hears Kara joining her, but the roar of her own pleasure drowns just about everything else in the room out.

As the urgency of it fades and her body goes languid against the mattress, Kara laughs breathlessly over the line and a hint of embarrassment creeps up upon her. Phone sex isn’t exactly something she’d ever thought she’d be doing.

And yet, she feels relaxed and largely unapologetic about the pleasant buzz humming across her skin.

If she’s going to break her personal rules about mixing business and pleasure than at least it’s well worth it.

--

When she wakes up the next morning, her phone is nearly dead because she had forgotten to plug it in, but she’s able to see that news has broken over who’s been named to the U.S. Olympic basketball teams.

Three Lakehawks players have made the team - Alex Danvers, Lucy Lane and Kara Danvers. The rest of the roster is filled out with the Lance sisters from Star City, two players from Central City Lena’s never heard of and a few Gotham players she remembers Kara talking about - Barbara Gordon, Kate Kane, and Helena Bertinelli.

She sends Kara a quick congratulatory text when she gets into the office and Kara’s reply is nearly instantaneous.

Suddenly their entire text thread is a wall of USA flag emojis and smiley faces. Lena smothers a laugh just in time to put her phone down and smile at Jess who’s entering her office.

--

The Lakehawks have a three day break before their next game and Kara mentions as much in a text that lacks any kind of subtlety. It’s a break from the rhythm of their hookups, to see Kara unconnected to a game, but Lena’s thrilled enough by it that she doesn’t worry too much about it.

Which is how she ends up with Kara in her apartment for the first time. One moment, Kara is suggesting they find the time to meet up, and the next, Lena is texting Kara her address.

It feels intimate. At odds with their arrangement, for sure, and Lena doesn't know how to make that stop other than not letting Kara get so much as a word in as soon as she steps foot through the door.

Kara spends her first half hour in Lena’s apartment on her knees in the entryway, pushing Lena up against the wall and hooking Lena’s leg over her shoulder.

It stops feeling so personal at that point, with her fingers gripped in Kara’s hair, pulling her in closer until the back of Lena’s head is hitting the wall. Kara’s tongue is warm and firm and so insistent that Lena’s orgasm rips through her body far quicker than she expects it.

Her vision goes a little fuzzy around the edges and her knees buckle as they go liquid with heat, but Kara catches her, keeps her upright with strong fingers under her thighs that keep Lena grounded in the moment.

“You have a bedroom in this place, right?” Kara asks, her voice low and breathless as she makes her way upright.

Lena lets herself go a little limp in Kara’s arms, tries to avoid how the easy way Kara holds her up totally does it for her and laughs. “Yeah,” she answers, gesturing vaguely behind Kara and that seems to be enough instruction.

Without much warning, Kara’s bending her knees and scooping Lena upward until Lena has no choice but to obey the movement, her legs wrapping around Kara’s hips and arms around her neck. It pulls a surprised little squeak out of her, that chokes a bit when the sensitive flesh Kara just spend long minutes torturing, presses firmly against Kara’s still-covered abdomen.

Turning, Kara starts to walk them the direction Lena indicated and good lord Lena should not be this into such a display of strength – it’s never really been something she’s thought about before – but she can’t deny the way her body is reacting to it.

“Don’t distract me or I will drop you,” Kara says just as Lena’s fingers thread through blonde hair and her lips find their way to Kara’s jaw. Kara punctuates the statement with a quick squeeze of Lena’s backside that makes them both laugh.

--

“You have a really nice apartment,” Kara jokes later when they’re spent and catching their breath in Lena’s sheets. All of Lena’s muscles feel overused and useless as she stares at her ceiling and licks out at her lips.

“Thanks,” she says with a short laugh, turning her head to see Kara on her back, naked and uncovered. Her gaze flits down the toned form before pulling away. As much as her mind thinks they could go for another round, her body would definitely not survive. As it is, she’s a little worried she’s going to get some kind of nerve damage with the way they’ve been going at it.  

Kara shifts to her side to face Lena, props her elbow in the mattress to hold her head up. “How long have you lived here?”

Lena counts in her head. “Seven years, I think,” she answers.

“Are you from National City?”

Feeling a little uneasy at the soft, open look on Kara’s face, Lena sits up a bit. “I’m sure that’s on my Wikipedia page.”

Kara’s brow furrows. “Well, sure, but I’m not going to Google you when you’re right in front of me.”

“I think we need to set up some ground rules,” Lena says, looking away.

Kara sighs, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “Rules?”

“Yes, rules,” Lena repeats as Kara reaches over to pull a nearby shirt over her head.

“I thought we already had rules,” Kara says, turning her shoulder to look at Lena. “The no one can know and you can’t stay the night rules.”

“Yes, but there needs to be other rules. Boundaries. To avoid this becoming something more than it is.”

An ominous silence stretches between them as Kara stands and turns, pulling her pants back on with an inscrutable expression on her face.

“So what?” Kara asks, hands out at her sides. “We can’t be friends?”

“I never said that.”

“That’s exactly what you’re saying,” Kara insists, fists propping on her hips. “You want a friend with benefits thing except you don’t want the friend part.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “Don’t be petty.” She stands then too, reaching for a sleep shirt she has hanging off a nearby chair and pulling it over her head.

“Friends know things about each other,” Kara says. “It’s not going to kill you to sleep with me and know that my favorite movie is Space Jam.”

A pause. “Your favorite movie is not Space Jam,” Lena says, fighting a smile, but Kara is a little less amused.

“That’s not the point, Lena!”

“I’m sorry, you’re right,” she replies and she forces her expression into something more neutral. “It’s not about not wanting to be your friend.”

“Then what’s it about?”

“I just don’t want anything to get confusing,” she says. “I don’t want the lines to get blurred. There are a lot of things to think about.”

“What things?” Kara asks with a heavy dose of incredulity that makes Lena bristle.

“How about both of our jobs?” Lena answers heatedly. “The last thing my family’s company needs right now is some sort of scandal. And this has scandal written all over it. Do you really want to be known as the player that’s fucking her team’s owner? Can you imagine the implications that people will make?”

Kara scoffs. “No one in their right mind is going to think I’m on this team because of some arrangement.”

Lena quirks a brow. “No? I guarantee you that people will think -”

“My game speaks for itself,” Kara argues. “I’m the best player in this league and that’s why I’m on this team. Don’t make this about me.”

“That’s not even -” Lena lets out a frustrated exhale. “If anyone finds out -”

“What does that have to do with anything?!” Kara asks, voice equally frustrated.

“I’m just reminding you that no one -”

“I already agreed to keeping things secret. I don’t - care about that,” Kara says, voice steel. “I’m talking about behind closed doors. I’m talking about how it’s not going to cause a scandal if we have a friendly conversation about something other than what you like in bed. That has nothing to do with people finding out about -”

“It might start there, but -”

“Oh my god, Lena. I’m not going to fall desperately in love with you just because I know your favorite color.”

A thick silence drops for a beat and Lena quirks a brow. “Well now you’ve jinxed it.”

That, at least, makes Kara laugh and relax a bit.  “Look, I’m fine with being casual. You know that. But I think we can at least be friends. Otherwise...I’m basically your like…” Kara makes a gesture, her cheeks pink in a way Lena knows isn’t from sex. “You know.” Lena waits, face expectant for Kara to clarify. “I’m like your sex toy.”

It’s a struggle to smother a laugh. “How is it you could be embarrassed by saying that after what you just did to me in this bed?” Lena asks, eyebrow arched.

Kara’s face manages to go a deeper red. It’s a charming look that presses against Lena’s sternum. “Can we stay on topic?”

“By all means,” Lena says, lips tight in a smile.

“I’d like to be friends,” Kara says softly, sincere. “I think we can do that. I’d like to know things about you. That’s all. Nothing serious.”

With a deep breath, Lena considers that. Fights against instinct to push Kara away, and maybe it’s the satisfied way her body feels right now, but she decides to give an inch in the hopes Kara won’t take a mile. “I don’t want this to get complicated.”

With a soft look on her face, Kara nods, smiles a little sadly. “I don’t know what kind of friendships you’ve had in the past, but this doesn’t have to be complicated just because I know what your Starbucks order is.”

That makes Lena roll her eyes and laugh.

A playful look crosses Kara’s face and she squints at Lena. “Is it embarrassing? Like a raspberry steamer or something? Cupcake Frappuccino?”

In place of answer, Lena throws one of the last remaining bed pillows straight at Kara’s face and hits her target. Kara lets out a laugh, catching the pillow and tossing it back onto the bed.

On a deep breath, Lena puts up her last wall of resistance. “You know, in my experience people talk a big game about having sex without strings and it almost never pans out that way.”

Kara stares at her, a hint of a smile still lingering on her face. “As soon as it starts to go down that path we can cut the sex part off and just be friends,” she offers and against better instinct, Lena doesn’t argue.

A moment of silence stretches out between them, an easy smile playing on Kara’s lips before she adds, “I like you, Lena.” A pause, a soft blinking of blue eyes. “As a friend.”

An ominous lump presents in Lena’s throat, but she pushes it down. “Me too,” she says and tries not to let her chest react to the way Kara’s smile goes impossibly wide.

--

Despite their newly agreed upon friendship, Kara doesn’t try to stay the night. For which Lena is grateful.

But she does stick around for a post-coital cup of coffee at Lena’s kitchen counter. It still makes her feel a little vulnerable to have Kara so firmly in her home like this, but she tries to quell the feeling. They’re friends. This is no different than if Jack were sitting there. Right?

Except it totally is because Kara’s hair still has that just fucked look in it even though she’s tied it back and her skin looks soft and flushed and Lena wants to reach out and run her fingers across her jawline until they’re kissing again. There’s an ache that’s already settling between her legs, a wet and sticky feeling from their previous activities and it vibrates towards the heat of Kara’s body, a mere foot away.

That’s a hell of a lot different from when Jack is sitting across from her.

As a distraction from her wandering thoughts, Lena takes a sip of her coffee and smiles at Kara. “Hey, I wanted to say a formal congratulations. In person, I mean.”

Kara tilts her head. “For what?”

“The Olympics,” Lena answers and a brightness lights up Kara’s eyes. It surprised absolutely no one that Kara was on the roster, but it’s still clearly a point of pride.

“Thanks,” Kara says with a grin. “I’m really excited.”

“Japan, right?”

Kara nods enthusiastically. “Yeah. I’ve never been, have you?”

“A few times, for work,” Lena says. “I’ve always enjoyed spending time there.”

“Do you think you might go for the games?”

At the excited glint in Kara’s eye, Lena feels herself flush a little. “I hadn’t considered it.”

“You should totally come,” Kara insists, leaning over until her hand is covering the one Lena has lying on the counter. “It’s going to be awesome.”

“I’m not much for sports,” Lena says, slowly pulling her hand out from under Kara’s warm palm.

“The Olympics is so much more than sports,” Kara says with a superior sounding scoff.

“Is it not a sporting competition on an international stage?” Lena points out and Kara just pulls a face that conveys how she feels about that categorization of an event she has clear reverence for.

“This is why you should come to Japan and see for yourself. You don’t have to like sports to appreciate that amazingness of the Olympic Games. It’s so much more than sports.”

Lena takes a sip of her coffee to hide her amused smile and shrugs a shoulder. “I’ll consider it.”

“You should,” Kara says. “Doesn’t Luthor Corp have a big sponsorship deal?”

“And?” Lena asks with a quirk of her brow. “I believe we also sponsor a NASCAR team, but you don’t see me frequenting the track.”

Kara’s lips thin, lifting up just a bit at the edges as she takes another sip of her coffee. “Did you know that the Olympics have an official condom sponsor?”

The random anecdote nearly makes Lena spit her coffee out, but she manages to avoid it, both eyebrows going skyward. “Why would I know that?” A pause, her eyebrows coming down together. “Why would you know that?”

“I know tons of stuff,” Kara says, shrugging a shoulder.

Lena rolls her eyes. “Tons of useless information, clearly.”

Kara laughs, leans closer to Lena over the counter, eyes playful. “Just trying to show you that the Olympics are about more than sports,” she says with a mischievous smile and Lena groans at the implication in her expression, reaching out to shove at Kara’s shoulder.

“You’re the worst,” Lena says, though she’s laughing.

“Oh, come on,” Kara entreats, trapping Lena’s fingers when they stop pushing at her. “Seriously. You should come to Japan. I mean, you’d get to watch your favorite Lakehawk in action,” she adds, wiggling her eyebrows with an exaggeration that makes Lena shake her head, lips pursed.

“You’re right,” she replies, pulling her fingers out of Kara’s grasp, but smiling. “I should try to make it out there to see Alex play.”

It takes a second for the words to register, clearly, but when they do, Kara makes an affronted noise, straightening in indignation. A burst of warmth and fondness rips across her chest unbidden and even though she’s bone tired, she still considers reaching forward and pressing a kiss to her lips and dragging her back to bed.

--

Excitement for the upcoming Olympics and the three local stars that will be representing the country spreads over National City like wildfire. All of the local news outlets are covering it in some capacity and it even gets mentioned in her afternoon PR meeting.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to capitalize on the publicity,” she’s being told as she flips through some of the numbers her team has polled the last month.

“Connecting your face to the teams in a more tangible way could be good for us,” another man agrees, leaning forward. “Youngest owner in the league. Three Lakehawks representing the country, one Harrier…”

“What are you suggesting?” Lena asks, looking around the table.

--

It ends up being a photoshoot. The Lakehawks are just finishing up practice across town, and they send her their way.

Lena thinks to protest. The idea of being photographed with Kara doesn’t sit well with her, but it’s not like anyone knows . Despite the fact that she feels like she’s wearing a big neon sign that says I’m fucking the superstar.

Alex, Lucy and Kara are already scheduled to take some promotional shots in their Olympic uniforms so Lena’s told to stop by during the session. As she gets there, Cat is leaving – dressed so immaculately that Lena fidgets a little in her understated black dress and red soled heels.

“Lena,” Cat greets, her eyes running up and down Lena’s form. The gaze is punctuated by what Lena hopes is a small, approving nod and smile before Cat’s waving casually goodbye and brushing past her.

“Nice to see you too, Cat,” Lena mumbles before pushing into the room.

It’s clear that Kara isn’t expecting her by the way her eyes go impossibly wide the moment her heels click forward.  The red, white, and blue of the uniform is a bit of a culture shock to the usual Lakehawks blue, grey, and white, but Lena can’t help but think Kara looks good in the royal blue the photoshoot has picked.

Alex and Lucy don’t seem as affected and they stand to greet her politely. It all feels fine and normal until she’s told to sit on a box prepared for her and Kara’s positioned behind her, close enough that she can feel her body heat against her back.

It’s awkward for the first few shots until Lena takes a deep breath and reminds herself that she’s a professional and she can handle this.

It helps that Alex and Lucy seem about as happy to have their photograph taken as Lena does. The two of them keep having secretive arguments off to the side and are constantly being instructed to act more natural around each other. Lena raises a brow at Kara in question – she’d always heard that Alex and Lucy got along well, that most of the team in general were good friends. Kara just shrugs, clearly as confused as Lena is.

From the way they’re acting, Lena might think that – a memory flits across her consciousness, Kara in her hotel room telling her that Alex and Lucy slept together over the Gotham trip a year ago. A laugh bursts out of her before she can stop it. It brings the attention of the room towards her, but she swallows the sound and waves them off. “Sorry, thought of an old joke. Carry on.”

It actually makes her feel a bit more comfortable – the idea that she’s not the only person in the room with some kind of secretive gay tension.

They get through a slew of photos in different poses. Most of them with the three players surrounding Lena and a few where she’s made to hold a basketball. Kara laughs when it happens and Lena fights a blush remembering the time Kara taught her how to shoot a basketball in Las Vegas.

They do duo shots as well – Lena with Alex, then with Lucy and finally with Kara. Just touching Kara for an extended period of time even around all these people has Lena’s skin buzzing. Kara’s hand feels hot where it slides across her back to bring their bodies in close.

The shoot ends moments before Lena’s about lose all sense of propriety and find a discreet way to drag Kara to privacy just to relieve the tension building in her gut.

“Thank you for your time, Miss Luthor,” the photographer says, and with that she’s dismissed.

“Hey,” Kara calls out, rounding the corner and jogging towards Lena down the hallway.

“Hi,” Lena says with a soft laugh and Kara looks around furtively.

“What are you doing tonight?” Kara asks and Lena just smiles.

--

It’s frankly a good thing Lena spent so much money on a sturdy bed frame because sex with Kara is a test to its integrity every single time.

Like right now, when one of Kara’s hands is curled around a bar of her headboard and the other is buried between Lena’s legs. The metal creaks under the strain of Kara pushing forward and pulling back.

Then later, when Lena’s own hands curl around a bar, cling tightly and don’t move because Kara told her to keep them there. Her fingers ache with the desire to move her hands down into Kara’s hair.

It’s almost disturbing, how good this feels every single time, how quickly she reacts to Kara, how easily Kara plays her body. It’s the best casual hook-up she’s ever had. Which is probably why she keeps having it.

Somehow, no matter how often she comes on Kara’s fingers, or with her voice in her ear or her mouth on her clit, the feeling doesn’t stop being as intense as the first time. It’s like all she can think about is the orgasm that’s ripping through her body, how quickly and severely it sneaks up on her.

Lena wonders if that will ever change. Wonders if there’s some kind of magic orgasm number that they’ll reach and Kara will stop being able to pull her apart so easily.

There’s a smaller voice, one Lena’s trying to ignore, that tells her she might not ever want to reach that number if one exists.

--

The post-coital coffee becomes as much a routine as the sex.

Lena doesn’t even ask Kara anymore - just heads into her kitchen and pulls out two coffee mugs as she starts to heat up water and find her french press.

There’s something about the way Kara sits at her counter - redressed in her jeans and the nice button down she’d shown up in. But the shirt’s only half done up and there are visible scratch marks down the center of her chest that Lena wants to place her palm on to soothe. Her fingers twitch a bit around the hot cup in her hands.

Kara seems none the wiser, is focused on looking around Lena’s apartment like there’s something to be found of interest. There aren’t too many personal touches - her interior designer had outfitted the apartment in monochrome modernity that left no room for anything too exciting.

“Is your favorite color grey?” Kara asks abruptly and Lena quirks a brow.

“No.”

Kara narrows her eyes, glances around again. “White?”

“Technically white isn’t a color,” Lena points out and Kara rolls her eyes.

“Are you being intentionally difficult?”

Lena shrugs a shoulder, fights a smile and hides it in the rim of her coffee.

With an exasperated look, but a soft smile, Kara drains the rest of her coffee and sets her empty mug on the counter. “I’ll figure you out someday, Lena Luthor,” she says playfully and Lena laughs.

Kara stands and walks over to her discarded bomber jacket hanging off Lena’s couch. After fishing in one of the pockets, she pulls out her phone and with one hand swipes it open while pulling her jacket back on over her disheveled button down.

“What are you doing?” Lena asks, twisting in her stool to observe Kara. It’s irritating how good she still looks - still a little fucked out looking, clothing all twisted and wrinkled from the way they’d gotten undressed.

“Calling my Lyft,” Kara says, adjusting her jacket over her shoulders and looking down on her phone. Lena manages to convince her legs to work toward standing up and steps closer, and dismisses it with a wave before she can think better of it.

“Don’t be silly. Take my car.” Kara’s eyebrows go up in surprise, but Lena clarifies before she can protest. “My driver, George, will take you home.” Kara doesn’t reply right away and Lena gives her a droll look. “It’s really no trouble.”

A second more of hesitation before Kara pockets her phone. “Okay, if you insist.”

Lena smiles playfully, rests her hand against the toned muscle of Kara’s bicep. “It’s the least I can do.”

Blue eyes run up and down Lena’s form, a hint of a smirk tugging at Kara’s lips, but something more affectionate in her gaze. Kara’s hands reach out for Lena’s hips, pulling her in for a languid kiss that distracts them well enough that Kara doesn’t leave for another twenty minutes.

--

“So I heard an interesting rumor,” Jack says to her as they share a plate of appetizers at a charity function Jack had dragged her to.

“What’s that?” Lena asks, picking up a carrot off his plate and biting it with a snap and a quirk of her brow.

“You’ve had a night time visitor.”

Lena stills, sets the half-eaten carrot down on the plate slowly and narrows her eyes. “Is that so?”

“That’s just what I hear,” Jack says with a knowing smirk that only makes Lena’s glare deepen.

“I’m firing my doorman,” is all Lena says and Jack laughs.

“It wasn’t Stan,” he says.

“My driver then,” she ventures, wondering how in the world Jack would have heard such a rumor. They’ve been discreet. Lena’s made sure of it.

“Don’t fire George,” Jack says with another laugh. “He thinks you’re stepping out on me with some woman. He was quite worried. It’s quite the scandal.”

Lena rolls her eyes, picks up her glass of champagne and takes a sip.

Jack leans up against the table and grins at her. “Tell me it’s Kara,” he says in a conspiratorial whisper and Lena’s jaw tightens.

“Shut up, Jack.”

“Is it?”

“It’s nothing,” she emphasizes and before he can press her further they’re interrupted by a photographer at the event who steps up to their table.

“Mr. Spheer, Miss Luthor. Quick photo for the website?”

Both of them put on practiced smiles and scoot into towards each other. Jack’s arm wraps familiarly around her waist and Lena leans in towards him as the photographer snaps their picture with a smile.

--

The Lakehawks lose to San Diego in a stunner. Lena doesn’t make it to that game - she has a previous commitment with the visiting head of her London office - but she catches some of the recap later that night on the local news. Kara’s face tells it all without needing to see the score.

Cat ends up throwing a clipboard on the ground - it cracks in two - and at one point Maggie gets a technical foul for charging at a player. Alex doesn’t even attempt to stop it from happening like she usually does.

Phoenix are in town the very next day and she and Jack make it to their seats just as the game is set to tip off. The Lakehawks look vengeful, ready to take out their frustration from the previous evening on the new opponent.

And so they do.

They take an early lead and never lose it. The whole team seems to be playing on another level - including the bench players. Kara leaves the game early, sits for most of the second quarter and then the fourth.

That apparently has left plenty of pent-up energy in Kara, considering Lena barely manages to close the door that night before she’s being pushed onto her living room couch. Kara’s wearing her post-game media outfit, a gray button-up covered by a leather varsity jacket. When Lena’s hands slip underneath the jacket, Kara’s body is warm, solid, strong, and she sinks into the way Kara touches her quickly.

--

Later, Lena has only just managed to sit up in bed and throw on a shirt when Kara ambles in with their customary coffee, dressed only in her Calvin Kleins.

“Nice shirt,” Kara says with a grin, shuffling her way onto the bed and offering Lena’s coffee to her. She grips it and lets its warmth seep through her, glancing down at the shirt she had picked up blindly from the floor. It’s got an enormous Lakehawks logo on it, along with a sponsorship logo from a local grocery chain.

“You know, before I started this whole ownership endeavor, I had a lot less free t-shirts floating around my apartment,” Lena mutters.

“Well it looks good on you,” Kara says, slipping her legs under the duvet and sipping her coffee. There’s a moment of soft silence as they drink their coffee together, Kara’s legs crossing and brushing against Lena’s thighs.

“You played well tonight,” Lena comments, realizing they didn’t even exchange pleasantries before ripping each other’s clothes off.

Kara makes a noise into her coffee, shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t love it when Cat benches me just because we’re destroying someone,” she says, a bit softly, like she’s confessing something she shouldn’t.

Lena laughs shortly, reaches over to stroke a palm over the warm bare skin of Kara’s thigh. “Well it worked out for me,” she says with a teasing grin.

Kara arches a brow, tilts her head a bit in inquiry until Lena clarifies.

“I assume that’s where all the extra energy came from,” she says, glancing over to the destruction of her bedroom - the majority of her pillows are strewn across the floor, their clothes make a path out the door towards the living room, a lampshade is tilted where it sits on her dresser and a footstool she keeps near her closet is upside down.

Kara herself has a matching look - adorably ruffled, shoulders red and hair in disarray. She looks like a piece of the picture of Lena’s bedroom, too, in a way that makes Lena’s stomach tighten and heartbeat quicken.

Rolling her eyes a bit and flushing, Kara chuckles. “It was either you or the gym,” she says, a dry look towards Lena that makes her laugh.

“Good to know I’m more exciting than a treadmill,” Lena says, and Kara snorts into her coffee mug. Lena can’t help but smile back.

“So much more exciting,” Kara says, sounding a bit too sincere to still be teasing and they’re caught regarding each other for a quiet moment before Lena’s reaching forward to pluck Kara’s coffee out of her hands and move it to a safe distance for what she’s planning to do next.

--

Luthor Corp sponsors a massive booth and the National City Pride Fest every year. It’s something Lena’s always taken on personally and this year is no different.

Of course, the universe seems keen on constantly playing jokes on her because the Lakehawks have their booth set up right across from Luthor Corp’s. A setup that’s new to Lena – usually the Lakehawks and the Harriers have booths on the other side of the park.

It’d be fine, really, if Kara hadn’t shown up to the event in cutoff jean shorts and a black tank top with a play on the Lakehawks slogan scripted across the front in rainbow text – Up, Up, A Gay! A snapback hat is sitting backwards on her head and Lena can see it’s got the Lakehawks logo on it, but instead of powder blue it’s filled in with a rainbow.

The entire ensemble is in stark contrast to Lena’s more conservative pair of capri slacks and seasonable sleeveless blouse, and it is also distracting to the point of incoherency for Lena.

Kara spends the day handing out Lakehawks schedules and signing autographs. Lucy and Alex are there too, working the booth and organizing raffles. M’gann stops in for an hour and helps out at the booth before she taps out. Some time that afternoon, Maggie shows up in an out of season leather jacket and sunglasses. She stays for all of thirty minutes before she seems to pick up a girl at a neighboring booth and heads off.

Lena tries her best to focus on her own booth and not on Kara’s legs or biceps or smile or the way Kara keeps throwing suggestive glances her direction. It’s also considerably difficult to ignore the throng of men and women that seem to throw themselves at Kara.

Kara takes it all in stride. Poses for pictures when asked, lets fans kiss her cheeks for selfies and signs a number of body parts without skipping a beat.

Lena feels a particularly inappropriate burn of jealousy when one good looking female fan requests Kara’s signature on the swell of her breast.

“Classy,” Lena murmurs under her breath as she tries to remind herself that she has no hold on Kara and if Kara wants to sleep with all her groupies then she very well can.

Eventually, Kara strides across the path between their booth and approaches Lena – hands in her pockets and smile on her face. Her eyes are hidden by aviators and for that Lena’s a tad grateful.

There’s a proprietary satisfaction in the fact that a few of Kara’s fans watch as Kara ignores them in favor of speaking to Lena.

Because I’m her boss Lena reminds herself as she tries to quell the feeling.

“Hey, Lena,” Kara says softly, glancing to the side where Lena’s booth assistant is speaking to someone about Luthor Corp career opportunities.

“Hi,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest to stop herself from reaching out to Kara, to gripping ahold of her by the waist and feeling over her ribs. “Happy Pride.”

“Happy Pride!” Kara returns joyfully, rocking up on the balls of her feet.

“I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Surprise appearance,” Kara says. “I mean, we usually come to the festival in general, but it’s a surprise to the booth. If we announced it, we could get swarmed and stuff.”

That much looks already to be true, the crowd around the booth has grown considerably larger as the day has gone on and word’s gotten around that the Lakehawks are there. “I see.”

“You should see the boys’ booth,” Kara says with a laugh. “Mon-El said one year a guy knocked the whole tent down trying to get a picture.”

Lena’s eyes go wide. “That sounds barbaric.”

Kara just shrugs. “Pride, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Are you doing anything after this?” Kara says, this time taking her glasses off and looking at Lena earnestly. “Alex and I usually have people over to my apartment and order a ton of food we’re not supposed to eat and like a lot of vodka.”

The mention of the elder Danvers sisters drags Lena’s gaze that direction to where Alex is in fact sneaking glances towards them with a slight furrow to her brow. Lucy Lane, however, keeps redirecting Alex’s attention back to something on her phone.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lena says slowly because sure they’re friends, but how many times do they need to have the we need to be discreet discussion for Kara to understand?

“Oh,” Kara replies, following Lena’s gaze and thankfully her train of thought. “Right, yeah, good point.”

There’s disappointment both in Kara’s voice and her expression and Lena feels an answering emotion in her chest as well. But then Kara brightens a bit, steps closer to the booth and lowers her voice. Thankfully the other booth volunteer has moved out of earshot, helping someone sign up on their guest log.

“I could be free after everyone leaves,” Kara says. “If you’re not doing anything.”

Lena takes a look at the skin revealed over Kara’s collarbone and makes a decision with her gut instead of her brain.

“Call me.”

--

Kara does call much later that night and texts Lena an address only a few blocks from where Lena herself lives. It makes her feel a bit ridiculous for insisting George take Kara home most nights she spent at Lena’s.

It’s her first time in Kara’s swanky apartment but she sees next to none of it - the minute she gets inside, Kara has her pressed up against the door. Kara tastes like flavored vodka and something sugary, but her hands are strong and sure as they slip to Lena’s waist and just barely glance against the skin there. Lena sinks against Kara’s body at the first feel of it pressing against her own.

This shouldn’t feel so good after this many times, but it does. It hasn’t gotten old yet. The fiery feeling that had overtaken Lena after that first kiss in the elevator still hovers in her stomach, still burns whether Kara was chasing her through orgasm with her fingers, mouth, or voice.

Kara’s mouth trails a hot path down her neck and her fingers play with the fabric of Lena’s clothing and before she can even think about anything else they’re stumbling towards a couch in Kara’s living room and scrambling to get naked.

Kara shoves a good deal of rainbow-themed items off the enormous couch just before she pushes Lena onto it, and Lena thinks to be concerned about the crashing noise something makes, but then Kara is tugging at the waistband of her jeans and her mouth is sucking at her hip bone.

--

They make it to the bedroom eventually, and into Kara’s massive bed.

Which is how Lena ends up taking six inches with Kara behind her, both hands on her hips and pushing forward so deliciously that Lena feels a million sensations at once.

It’s a race to orgasm, a frantic pace of thrusting that has Lena’s head pushing down into the mattress and her knees slipping on the sheets to spread herself open and take whatever Kara wants to give her.

But Kara doesn’t seem as quite in a hurry as Lena, because she stops and pulls out so she can twist Lena around. Her back hits the mattress and her calves bracket Kara’s hips. She can see the slick of her own desire glisten on the toy jutting out from Kara’s hips, but her eyes get pulled up to Kara’s face and suddenly it’s almost too intimate.

This time, when Kara’s hips drop down and push forward, Lena’s gaze connects with Kara’s blue eyes and she feels incapable of breaking the stare. Her body opens up to take Kara inside, a slow delicious stretch with this new angle, and Lena’s jaw drops open a bit with a sharp inhale.

“You okay?” Kara asks, her voice rough and hips slow as she slips deeper inside of Lena. It feels good, feels like she’s being overwhelmed. She nods, her hips bucking to take more.

Kara pushes inside, leans over Lena until they’re fully connected and something warm and tangible threads between their chests. A surprising spike of heat hits Lena in the backs of her eyes and she closes them in reaction.

It’s better then, with her eyes closed, and she settles down a little as Kara picks back up in rhythm. Just like that the pressure is back, tugging at her clit and her low abdomen and god Kara is good at this. She tries not to think of why Kara would be so adept at such a thing and definitely avoids thinking about why she might even care about that.

It’s easy to push all other thought aside the minute Kara brings her fingers between them to play in Lena’s flesh, rubbing delicious circles and quick flicks. Her orgasm feels like it’s going to devastate her. It starts with a shake in her thighs that make her want to close them, but Kara’s body is in the way, holding her open and forcing her to feel everything, every slick inch of unerring fullness.

She opens her eyes again to see Kara staring down at her intently, and she just wants to come and not think about anything else. So she reaches up to tug Kara’s face down and kisses her hotly, pushing her hips up into Kara’s thrusts and sinking into the tumbling feeling of her orgasm racing through her body.

Their kisses devolve into something open mouthed and sloppy as Lena comes with a sharp little noise and an arch of her back.

Kara grins – pleased and almost smug – but Lena doesn’t let the expression last, kisses against it as the aftershocks tremble through her limbs, doesn’t stop kissing until Kara has started moving her hips again.

--

They end up in Kara’s kitchen much later, drinking coffee out of Lakehawks mugs at the counter. Lena takes the time to actually look around Kara’s apartment. It’s not very often she can be impressed by someone’s home, but Kara’s space is massive and well decorated. There are bursts of color that she can sort of pick out in the dim light, odd knick knacks worked into the decor. It’s so Kara.

It has floor to ceiling windows around the living room area and a massive fake fireplace and Lena can spot a display of awards on a far wall – MVP, rookie of the year, a bunch of trophies Lena doesn’t recognize.

“This is a nice place,” she comments honestly, taking a sip of her coffee and looking back at where Kara’s leaning forward on her elbows.

“Thanks,” Kara says simply, smiling.

There’s something unsettling about the soft, affectionate way Kara is looking at her. So much so that Lena has to look away and clear her throat.

“How long have you lived here?” Lena asks.

Kara laughs, sits up a bit. “I’m sure you can find that information on my Wikipedia page,” she says in mocking tone that takes Lena a second to catch.

When she does, she rolls her eyes, lets an exasperated scoff escape that ends up more like a laugh. “You think you’re so funny.”

“Only because I seem to be able to make you laugh all the time,” Kara points out with an arch of her brow that flutters against Lena’s chest.

Lena gives her a droll look. “I’m laughing at you, darling. Not with you.”

A loud, pleased laugh bubbles out of Kara’s mouth, her cheeks still a little flushed from earlier and her hair a tangled mess on her head. It’s such an attractive look that Lena finds a happy smile spread over her own lips.

--

Pride Night with the Lakehawks is set for the game that week against the St. Roch Flyers - part of a back-to-back stretch of games. All the fans at the game get specially made league sponsored t-shirts. Jack is practically giddy when he sees his draped over the back of his seat.

They’re coming off a big win over the San Diego Rays, but the team looks energized as they jog onto the court.

Kara plays out of her mind, but it’s still a closely contested game.

St. Roch’s star player, Kendra Saunders, seems to have been tasked with mitigating Kara’s effect on the game, but she’s only slightly successful. Kara shifts her playstyle from sharpshooting to playmaker and tallies up assist after assist.

It clearly frustrates Kendra and the matchup gets physical towards the end of the fourth.

Kara takes a nasty spill almost right in front of Lena. Her legs get tangled with Kendra’s and she hits Maggie and all three of them go down hard.

She and Jack both jump up, startled by it just as Cat calls a timeout with an angry gesture right in the ref’s face.

“What the fuck, Saunders?” Maggie shouts as she scrambles up off the court and looks like she’s going to charge the other player. She’s stopped only by Alex wrapping a hand around her waist and scooping her backward. Maggie doesn’t seem too fazed by it - just continues to struggle in Alex’s hold for a few more seconds before she relents with a frustrated roll of her eyes.

Lucy offers a hand to Kara, who gets up a little more gingerly. Lena watches the motion with laser like focus.

Maggie’s still seething, but Kara and Kendra seem unperturbed by it. Kara just pats Kendra on the back good naturedly and shakes out her body.

It looks like Kara’s limping just the slightest, but Cat doesn’t take her out of the game and Kara winks at Lena as she jogs back out onto the court.

--

After the game, she and Jack head to their usual steakhouse bar and have a martini.

“Happy Pride,” Jack says, clinking his glass against hers.

“Happy Pride,” she parrots with a smile and an affectionate shake of her head.

The television, as it usually does, is playing the highlights from the game. Lena watches a series of clips of Kara’s assists, then M’gann hitting back to back three-pointers and a particularly flashy moment when Maggie got a steal and hurled the ball downcourt to a waiting Alex Danvers.

The bottom scrawl talks about the brief altercation between Maggie and Kendra and shows the nasty fall that preceded it. Lena watches again as Kara gets up with an uncharacteristic lack of elegance.

Even though she had seen all of this in person it feels very different to see it on television – especially with the slowed down footage and close up images of Kara’s expressions.

A particularly telling clip of Kara limping down the tunnel towards the locker room and punching the wall in pained frustration makes Lena pick her phone up without thinking too much about it.

Come over tonight is all Lena sends as the television switches to highlights of the National City Skippers victory over the Gotham Grenadiers.

Kara doesn’t send anything back apart from a thumbs up emoji that both excites and worries Lena.

--

The Lakehawks winning has become linked with an exuberant, energized, overly sexualized version of Kara Danvers in her mind.

But when Kara shows up at her door later that night, showered and dressed casually, Lena reads nothing but exhaustion in her face despite her heavy-handed win earlier.

That doesn’t seem to stop Kara from trying though. She steps over the threshold and kisses Lena immediately, arm wrapping around Lena’s waist. “Hey, friend,” she murmurs teasingly and Lena laughs.

“You look tired,” Lena comments when Kara pulls away a bit and Lena strokes some hair off Kara’s forehead.

“I’m fine,” Kara dismisses, but when she disengages from Lena’s body to set her bag down in the kitchen, her gait is strained.

“Is your ankle bothering you?” Lena asks.

“No,” Kara answers - too sharply to be believable.

Lena tsks disapprovingly and moves past Kara to grab a hand towel from one of the drawers. When Kara tries to follow, Lena just points towards the living room.

“What?” Kara asks with a confused glance towards where Lena’s pointing.

“Go sit down,” Lena instructs as she opens her freezer and pulls out her ice drawer. “And we’ll ice your ankle.”

“My ankle is fine. They already took care of it at the arena.”

“You’re limping,” Lena says with a pointed glance at Kara’s leg.

At the accusation, Kara makes a very noticeable effort to appear uninjured that makes Lena roll her eyes.

“Just sit on my couch and rest for a bit. I’ll pour us a glass of wine.”

“I can still do things,” Kara insists and Lena realizes what that means pretty easily. It makes her laugh.

“Ice your ankle a bit and you can do all the things you want,” Lena says with an amused tilt to her lips.

Kara’s cheeks go a little pink, but she obeys Lena’s instructions and heads for the living room after taking the makeshift ice pack from Lena’s hand.

When Lena makes it to the couch with two glasses of wine, Kara is relaxed across it with her leg propped up on the coffee table. “It’s cute that you’re worried about me,” she says with a happy little grin, clearly no longer put out at being forced to ice her ankle.

Lena ignores the way her stomach flutters a little. “Your leg is expensive,” she says dryly. “And I’m a businesswoman. I protect my investments.”

Taking the offered glass of wine, Kara makes a show of looking hurt. “Ouch.”

“Now if it were your fingers,” Lena says with clear suggestion that makes Kara laugh.

“I assure you that they are in top working order,” Kara says, wiggling the fingers of her free hand with a wink.

--

They don’t fuck that night.

She doesn’t even realize it until much later when Kara’s fallen asleep on Lena’s couch with the late night edition of SportsCenter she had insisted upon watching playing on the television.

A soft snore drops out of Kara’s mouth as she shifts in her sleep and Lena’s stuck staring at her wondering how the hell she got herself into this situation.

For a long moment, she considers waking Kara up and escorting her out of the apartment. If anything, Kara’s going to be sore in the morning considering the awkward way she’s positioned. As she considers her options she sips at her glass of wine and absently watches the television.

Kara shifts again, falling to the side on the couch until her head is bumping into Lena’s shoulder. It’s a warm, comfortable motion and Lena reaches just enough to set her wine glass down before grabbing for the blanket strewn across the side of her couch.

She manages to maneuver out from under Kara and adjust her position so she’s more fully lying on the couch. That’s how she leaves her, snuggled under a soft cashmere blanket and snoring into the cushions of her couch.

In the morning, Kara’s already gone. The blanket folded nicely where Kara’s head had been and the empty wine glasses from last night set next to the sink in the kitchen.

Lena thinks to be grateful they don’t have to share an awkward morning after, but something twists in her chest when she runs her fingers over the cold feeling of the couch cushions.

--

The Lakehawks go on the road for the next two games and Lena tries not think about how that means she won’t get to see Kara for a substantial length of time.

“You going to miss me while I’m gone?” Kara had asked with a teasing scrunch to her nose and Lena hated how the truth jumped up in her throat.

It took an extra thought to tease Kara back and lie. “No, of course not.”

This was the kind of thinking she had been trying to avoid from the get go.

So she makes a concerted effort not to text or call Kara and doesn’t even watch the Houston game.

Instead, she throws herself into some extra work until Jack finds her in her office and drags her out for a late dinner and a drink.

“Did you see that bid for Landcomm?” Jack comments as he cuts into his steak.

Lena hums into her glass of wine and glances at the TV near the bar. There’s a bit of relief that runs through her when it’s merely playing the news and not sports highlights. “You think it will go through?”

Jack shrugs, takes a bite of his food. “My friend says they’re looking to reject it. Especially in light of finalizing that Tivoli acquisition.”

“You have friends other than me?” Lena teases with a playful smile over the rim of her glass.

A smirk takes hold of Jack’s lips and he takes a drink from his own glass with a knowing look in his eye. “Well since you’ve gone out and acquired your own new friend…”

“Jack,” Lena draws out with clear warning as she sets her drink down.

“Are we really just not going to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Lena insists, pointedly focusing on her dinner and not on Jack’s face.

“See now when you say that it makes me feel like there is something to talk about,” he says.

“What could there be to talk about when it’s clear you already think you know something?” The question is punctuated by an arch of her brow and a severely dry look his direction. On most people it’s enough to have them cowering under her stare, but Jack just chuckles.

“What I know and what you’re willing to tell me are clearly two different things,” he says. “And I wish you knew that you could talk to me.”

The last bit is said with a seriousness absent from their previous discussions on the topic.

Lena sighs. “It really is nothing,” she says quietly, shaking her head.

“Can you just blink once for it’s Kara and twice if it’s not,” he says, back to the joking nature of before.

With a laugh, Lena rolls her eyes. “It’s Kara,” she says quietly, mindful of any listening ears. The bartender is far down the other side of the bar talking to the only other two patrons there. “And it’s still nothing.”

The smile on Jack’s face reaches up to his eyes and he lets out a delighted laugh. “So you took my advice?”

“What advice is that?”

“You got it out your system?”

Lena blows out a breath. “I’m currently working on that,” she admits because that urgent need to be with Kara hasn’t abated much since their first coupling.

“It’s an ongoing thing?” Jack asks with audible interest.

“It’s a when the opportunity presents itself thing,” Lena tells him and that feels a little bit of a stretch considering just how often they’ve managed to hook up. Nonetheless, there’s something relieving about telling someone any form of the truth.

“And how often has this opportunity presented itself?” he asks with a smile that would look smarmy on anyone other than him.

“I’m not telling you that.”

“But more than once?”

In lieu of an answer, Lena’s phone rings from its place on the bar and she looks over to see Kara’s contact come up on the screen as if summoned by Jack’s line of questioning.

“Is that your lover?” Jack teases and Lena turns her phone over on the bartop.

“Shut up, Jack,” she says and she’s considering getting the phrase tattooed on her forehead.

--

A picture shows up on Lena’s Instagram feed the next day of Kara out and about in Houston with some woman Lena doesn’t know.

The outfit Kara has on sends a bit of a jolt through Lena - she’s wearing all black, from the backwards hat on her head to the sneakers on her feet. Her jeans are ripped a little at the knees, practically painted on. The t-shirt she’s wearing is loose, but clearly damp, sticking to her stomach as she ducks her head away from the flash of the camera. It says Let’s Do Bad Things Tonight in a retrowave font. Everything about it looks disturbingly good.

But Lena’s initial spark of attraction disappears when she takes in the rest of the image. Kara and - the caption identifies the other woman as Traci Thirteen of the Dallas Demons - are walking out of the club arm in arm. Kara’s cheeks are flushed and Traci’s got this look on her face as she grins at Kara and Lena closes her phone as quickly as she can.

We’re just friends she repeats like a mantra in her head. If Kara wants to screw around, that’s perfectly acceptable and she doesn’t care. If Kara wants to look at other people like that or make other women laugh that’s fine. She doesn’t care.

She doesn’t.

She makes a vow to go on a date sometime in the near future to shake the feeling like she’s becoming way too attached to Kara.

As soon as she gets attached it has to end.

And she doesn’t want it to end.

That doesn’t stop her from texting Kara - as a friend. A quick having fun in Houston?

Kara’s reply comes far quicker than Lena expects it to - she wonders if Kara is ignoring some other woman in favor of texting her and she tries very hard not to process that idea. It’s a picture of Alex face down on what looks to be a soft mat at what looks like some kind of bar. Lucy and Maggie are standing over her - Lucy with a wide expression of mirth and Maggie looking like she’s trying valiantly not to laugh.

The caption explains the scene: Alex fell off the mechanical bull. It was awesome.

It doesn’t really soothe any true curiosity about what Kara might be getting up to on the road, but it does make her laugh and she sends back an emoji from the set Kara had installed on her phone. One she hopes indicates her own amusement.

--

When the Lakehawks return to National City, Lena makes a concerted effort not to text Kara even though she knows she’s back in town.

If Kara wants to hook up then she can be the one that reaches out. Not Lena.

Kara does end up texting her – one night after Lena’s finished a late night at the office and is flipping through food delivery options on her phone – but it’s not to hook up.

Instead it’s a picture of Kara, Alex and Lucy in oversized cowboy hats, grinning at the camera and posed like Charlie’s Angels. The text reads: new hawks promo?

You three look ridiculous, is what Lena sends back before thinking twice about it.

Kara’s response comes quickly. Another picture, but this time just of herself. It’s not a selfie, because Lena can see Kara’s entire figure and she’s dressed the part for the ten-gallon hat on her head – her flannel tucked into her jeans, a slightly oversized belt buckle and her thumbs tucked into her belt loops.

Her head is ducked down, face hidden behind the brim of her hat by the pose and the text comes next – I look great. I should have been a cowboy instead of athlete.

It takes a few seconds for Lena to reply – a few seconds in which she rolls her eyes at herself for being attracted to such an image – but she manages a simple yes, two equally lucrative career choices.

It’s not about money, Lena. It’s about getting to ride horses and wear cool boots.

Declining a response, Lena smothers a laugh and closes her phone, fights the tight feeling against her sternum as she pulls her laptop closer to order dinner.

--

After the San Antonio game - the Lakehawks win in overtime - Kara shows up at Lena’s door holding a pizza box and a bottle of wine.

Trepidation must show on Lena’s face because Kara laughs softly. “This is just because I didn’t get to eat after the game and I never have sex on an empty stomach.”

It relaxes Lena just a bit as she allows Kara entrance. “And the wine?”

“That’s so you didn’t have to watch me eat pizza with nothing to do.”

“Oh, so that entire pizza is just for you?”

“Is Lena I eat salad without dressing Luthor going to eat pizza with me?” Kara asks with exaggerated incredulity.

Lena rolls her eyes. “I ate nachos on our-” she trips over the words a bit “-when we had dinner that first time.”

If Kara notices the stutter she doesn’t show it. “You ate maybe four nachos and only after you picked most of the toppings off it.”

They walk into the kitchen where Kara sets the food down and moves to a drawer in Lena’s kitchen where she keeps her corkscrew. It strikes her that Kara doesn’t hesitate - seems to know where things are in the apartment.

“How was work?” Lena asks, watching as Kara’s arms flex when she pulls the cork out of the wine bottle with a pop.

With a laugh, Kara pulls out two glasses and starts to pour. “You were there.”

“I’m being polite,” Lena says dryly. “Wasn’t it you who wanted to engage in small talk?”

Kara purses her lips and shoots Lena a look. “Work was fine. We won,” she says. “And there was this distractingly attractive woman sitting courtside.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” Kara says, reaching to the pizza box to flip it open and grab a slice. “And after I eat this pizza, I’m going to do the same to her.”

Despite the way the words pump straight between her legs, Lena rolls her eyes and makes an exasperated groaning noise. “You have the worst lines.”

Kara just grins around a mouthful of pizza. “And yet they always seem to work on you.”

--

Lena ends up having two pieces of Kara’s pizza and a glass of wine and finds that she’s not especially eager to get to the naked part of their evening like she usually is.

It’s not that her body isn’t practically thrumming with the promise of a Kara Danvers delivered orgasm, but she finds that she genuinely enjoys Kara’s company in quiet moments like these.

Kara talks about the game from a perspective that Lena’s come to find interesting – like a general picking apart battles she’s won and lost. When Kara talks about basketball it no longer just seems like a bunch of people throwing a ball through a hoop like she’d always categorized it before.

Instead it’s full of strategy and skill – a lot like a good chess game. The more she understands it, the more she seems to like it.

When they’re finished with the food and the drink, however, Lena’s body reminds her that as interesting as Kara Danvers may be, there are more pressing things on the menu. The minute Kara gets the pizza box in the garbage and Lena puts the empty wine glasses in the sink, they’re colliding together like they’d been dying to do it the entire time they were talking.

Maybe they were. Maybe desire for Kara has become something so second nature for Lena that she doesn’t even really notice it anymore.

“Bedroom?” Kara asks as Lena pulls Kara’s hair out of her ponytail and enjoys the way Kara’s hands sit at her hips, pulling them close.

“Too far,” Lena says against Kara’s lips and without further prompting she pulls back to sit on her kitchen counter, hooking her ankles around Kara’s waist to bring her in with her.

“The kitchen?!” Kara asks incredulously. “Where people eat?”

“Yes,” Lena says with a smirk. “Didn’t you mention something about eating when you were done with your pizza?”

She delivers it with an arch of her brow that has Kara’s eyes narrowing heatedly. Strong hands grasp behind Lena’s knees and pull her forward on the counter.

“I did.” Is all Kara says before kissing Lena again and delivering on her earlier boast.

--

“Are you going to the Vegas game?” Jack asks her as they’re walking downtown to a lunch spot they frequent.

“Pardon?”

“The Lakehawks game in Vegas on Monday,” he clarifies. “Are you going?”

Hands in the pockets of her slacks, she eyes Jack warily. “No, I hadn’t planned on it.”

There’s a look of faux innocence on his face that worries Lena and he plays with the button of his suit jacket as they walk. “There’s a tech show that weekend that I was thinking of going to and I thought we could make a trip out of it. Catch the game on our way out of town.”

It’s suspicious if only because Jack has that look in his eye like he’s hiding something, but Lena’s not in the mood to pull it out of him. “I’ll check my schedule,” she says and he looks far too happy at the prospect of her attendance.

--