Chapter Text
Cat Grant won’t be caught without her phone. Even though answering it is far from being her favorite past time – because, let’s be honest here, when her phone rings it usually means either trouble or an avalanche of inane questions and/or requests –, she craves the availability. Even though some people believe she simply landed on her throne, truth is she had to climb all the way up, by herself, and build it from the nothing that was everything she had at first. There had been a lot of sacrifices involved and she was certainly not about to let it all collapse in the hands of her employees. For some odd reason their apparent competency seemed to abandon the building every time she stepped away for a minute, causing the consequences of their idiotic decisions to start piling up on her desk.
That’s mostly why Cat Grant slept with her phone on her bedside table. Every single day. Even, if not particularly, on weekends. The world never seemed to stop ending and so she couldn’t afford to disconnect from it.
The fact that she was perfectly aware that her phone was exactly where she always put it didn’t stop her from jumping slightly once it started ringing. She was sitting in bed, her back comfortably resting against two pillows, a book in her hands. It took her a moment to place the ringtone, its familiarity suddenly making it hard to breathe. Someone was using her personal line at two in the morning.
Carter.
That was her very first thought. Something must have happened. It took her yet another moment for her brain to remind her that this was her weekend. Her son was safely tucked in bed. Everything was fine. She let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she had been holding and finally reached for her phone, placing the book on her lap. Her heart was still beating fast and she rolled her eyes at her own state of undoing. She should probably try and sleep after taking the call. She was definitely getting too old to stay up late reading after an insane week.
Even though she didn’t feel like dealing with some random stranger – it happened that some people ran into her private line by mistake –, she would take it over having to deal with yet another drunken call from her ex-husband. Her mother? That wasn’t a possibility. She was flagged as strictly business. That thought made her smile for a minute, but it was short lived as her eyes first acknowledged the unknown number.
“Yes?”
“Miss Grant?”
Cat instantly relaxed as Kara’s familiar voice took over the silence. That was until she started asking herself why the young woman would be calling her in the middle of the night. And why was she using her personal line? Something must have happened. She felt her heart starting to beat faster yet again. This was going to be a long night.
“It’s me, Kara. Your… huh, ex-assistant?”
Her tone was soft and there were no traces of panic or hurry. Even though she still couldn’t stop herself from wondering why the young woman was calling her, it was somewhat reassuring not to feel any kind of urgency. She even allowed herself to chuckle lightly at Kara’s little identity reminder.
“I am well aware of who you are, Kara.”
Cat could hear Kara’s smile, she could feel its warmness. The young woman was all sun, even at… two in the morning? Cat raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Even though things had changed between them, this still seemed a little bit out of character.
She had promoted Kara earlier that week, given her an office rather far from her own and yet somehow they seemed to be constantly running into each other. Quite literally, actually. At first it had been rather awkward for both of them as there was a lot of touching involved, a lot of blushing from Kara’s side, a lot of half-hidden smiles from Cat’s… but they had quickly fallen into a rhythm that made them look as if they were dancing together to a beat that was just theirs. It was… comfortable.
“Good.” There was pride in Kara’s voice and she tried to cover it by coughing rather loudly. “I mean, right. Yes. Well, I am calling because…”
Kara was floating somewhere close to Cat’s balcony. She was still telling herself that she hadn’t meant to do this when she first decided to leave the house to see the ocean. All she had wanted was some peace and the water usually helped her think, helped her focus. Somehow she had ended up by Cat’s beach house and, seeing the light on, she had decided to call, flying closer to her balcony so that she could see Cat’s face. Everything seemed easier when she could see Cat’s face.
“Am I supposed to guess why you are calling me at my personal number at two in the morning?”
The tone was supposed to come across as a mix between annoyed and harsh, but instead it came out as simply amused. Cat had already figured out that Kara was probably floating close by. She wouldn’t have called if she hadn’t seen the light on.
Even though they hadn’t discussed it yet, Cat was well aware that Kara was Supergirl. Once the girl had stopped denying it, she had stopped pressuring her into telling her. She knew they would have to talk about it eventually, but she was going to let the young woman take the first step.
“I am sor-“ Kara stopped herself from apologizing once her brain told her that Cat’s voice sounded everything but mad. Instead, the other woman seemed to be… interested? “I mean, I was, I am calling because I was wondering if you would like to… huh, go out with me? I mean, for dinner? To celebrate? As a thank-you, I mean? For the promotion...?”
“And you felt like it was appropriate to do such at two in the morning?”
“I…” Kara sighed deeply.
Cat instantly sat straighter on her bed. Something was up. The world was possibly not ending, but Kara’s seemed to be. The girl sounded… exhausted.
“Just come in, will you? I am getting tired of holding the phone to my ear.” Cat tried to sound nonchalant. The tone was meant to make Kara feel more comfortable; as if joining Cat inside was not something that Cat had to endure, but something that Kara had to do for Cat’s sake.
Kara gave it some thought before landing gently on Cat’s balcony. She simply stood there though. Her movements were as unsure as her voice had been on the phone.
“Do I have to get up?” Cat tried again, this time in a gentler manner, trying to avoid having the girl fly away. She had done that before and Cat had a feeling that it wouldn’t be a great idea for her to be alone right now.
Kara finally walked in, her eyes on the floor.
“Kara? What’s wrong?”
Everything about Kara’s posture told her that the young woman was not having a good day. They had had a slow day at work, though. And, always keeping an eye out for Supergirl, she was also aware that nothing too big had happened. So what could possibly be wrong?
“Kara?”
The concern on Cat’s voice found its way to Kara’s back, causing her shoulders to drop significantly. She was finally allowing herself to look as miserable as she felt.
The younger woman approached the bed and sat down by Cat’s side, her eyes now focused on her hands that had come together on her lap. Cat couldn’t help herself. She reached out, one of her hands finding Kara’s. She squeezed them gently and Kara shuddered. She felt a bit taken aback with the young woman’s reaction, but as she wasn’t pulling away, she decided not to move. Her touch seemed to give her the reassurance she needed to open up…
“You know what they said when I told them I had been promoted?” Kara asked, moving her hands so that Cat’s was sandwiched between hers. Safe. “They said, that’s great.”
“And isn’t it?”
“No.” Kara said, her voice becoming softer and softer. “It’s fantastic on the verge of being phenomenal.”
Cat couldn’t help but smile.
“And yet no one thought of celebrating. No one congratulated me. No one said, I am proud of you.”
It was Cat’s turn to sigh. She had to bite hard on her lower lip to avoid letting the those idiots thought that kept tickling her throat come out. Again she reached out, her free hand finding Kara’s arm.
“I am proud of you.”
Kara looked up at Cat, reading all the concern on her face, and then back at their hands. She ran her thumb over Cat’s knuckles before intertwining their fingers. She sighed at the softness and at how perfectly they seemed to fit together.
“You are the only person who has ever trusted me with something other than life threatening situations.” Kara was glad that Cat hadn’t even tried to pull her hand away. “Do you know how that makes me feel?” She finally met Cat’s eyes again. “It makes me feel normal. And hey, normal might be overrated, but for me it isn’t. It makes me feel like I deserve to be here. Not just because I save lives, but because I am making the world a better place, because I am making a difference. By your side.”
“Have you told them that?”
“They don’t listen.”
“Kara, they will if you make them. They see you as the hero who goes out of her way to save people, not the hero who sometimes also needs to be saved.” Kara closed her eyes as Cat’s hand went from her arm to her face, leaning into the touch. “I tend to find you on my balconies when you do. And that’s definitely not a problem. I will always be here for you, I hope you know that. But you have to let them in. Not just for the funny parts, for the good moments, but also for when you feel like you need something back. They love you. They will understand.”
For a moment there was silence as Kara let the words sink in. She turned her face towards Cat so that she was basically nuzzling her hand. A small smile seemed to be tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“You’re kind of great, you know that?”
“Kind of?”
Kara opened her eyes just in time to witness Cat raising her eyebrow questioningly. It made her chuckle loudly. It was so… Cat. Oh, and so absolutely adorable.
“You’re the best.”
“Better.”
“No. I am serious. I don’t know what I would have done without you. With or without the suit, you see me.”
There was something other than respect in Kara’s eyes and Cat found herself a little breathless. Was it... love? It was too late to hide. That’s the secret. If you want to see someone, really see someone, you have to open yourself to be seen. Cat didn’t feel like she had had much of a choice. It all happened so… naturally. One day her little wall of China was intact and then suddenly it wasn’t. She had half-hoped not to be noticed at first, but this was Kara Danvers AKA Supergirl. She paid attention.
“You see me too.”
It was Cat’s turn to look down at her lap, the hand that had retreated from the girl’s face now playing with the edge of her blanket.
“I do.” Kara said, squeezing Cat’s hand before allowing herself to take in the sight of the woman in front of her for the first time since she had walked in. “And I am currently seeing you wearing a beyond faded, certainly below zero per cent couture, university t-shirt…”
Kara seemed to be… delighted to see Cat wearing something that could also be found in her own closet. It was like the layers that still stood between them were slowly melting away, or perhaps blending together.
“It’s comfortable.”
“You do look comfortable.” Kara started, “Beautifully comfortable.” She added in half a whisper.
If they hadn’t been siting so close to one another Cat would probably have missed the words. The thought of pretending, to avoid awkwardness, crossed her mind, but she felt a certain warmth reaching her cheeks. It was too late.
Dissipate, dissipate…
“You are aware that flattery is not an original technique, yes?” Cat asked, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
“I flew all the way out here to ask you out. Huh, I mean, you know, to invite you to celebrate with me… out… somewhere. Together.” Kara rolled her eyes at herself as Cat grinned openly at her. “That is plenty original, wouldn’t you say?”
“Kara, I recall merely stating that flattery was not original. I never said it didn’t work, did I?”
“Is that a yes?”
Cat felt her heart skip a beat at the amount of hope that the simple question emanated. There was something other than complicity in the air, something both thrilling and frightening. There were a lot of unsaid things surrounding them and Cat wondered if her one requested yes would be enough to answer them all. And was she ready to say it? For a moment she faltered…
“I don’t see why not.”
She regretted her poor choice of words the moment they left her lips and seemed to slap Kara. The young girl had gone out of her way to ask her out and she was playing it hard. Actually, she was avoiding giving it all the meaning she wanted it to have.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Kara. I want to, okay?”
Kara seemed to be finally starting to relax, as if Cat’s yes had lifted all the weight that had been set upon her shoulders. If that was all she had to do to help the young girl, she would go on saying yes. Truth be told, she wanted to carry on saying yes for her own sake, but was it wise?
Cat could feel the train wreck at the end of her line of thought. She was already bracing for impact when she felt herself being gently pulled forward as two strong arms wrapped themselves around her thin frame. She expected her surprise to come across as a slight flinch, but her body seemed to have other plans as it instantly melted under the young girl’s touch. She closed her eyes and sighed, her head resting against Kara’s shoulder until she started pulling away.
“Are you… reading Harry Potter?”
Cat blinked a couple of times. Her body was missing Kara’s warmth and her brain was taking its time to adjust.
“Oh.” She glanced down at the book that remained on her lap. “Carter wants to have a movie marathon this weekend. He said that I must read the books first, though. So here I am, reading the last one on a Friday night.”
Kara smiled warmly, reaching out for the book as if it were one of her most significant treasures. Cat couldn’t help but notice how much her posture had changed since the moment she had first walked in. She now looked perfectly at home. It was… endearing.
“Alex used to read them out loud for me.” Kara said as she let her fingers run through the pages until she reached the one where Cat had stopped, where she had interrupted her.
“Must have been lovely...”
Kara nodded, her eyes still on the words that decorated the paper with magic. She suddenly had an idea. It was the least she could do, right? After having basically barged in.
“Do you want me to… read for you?”
Cat almost blurted out yet another yes. Instead, though, she decided to offer a gentle way out, just in case she had somehow cornered Kara into this.
“Don’t you millennials usually save Friday nights for fun with friends?”
“Cat. It’s Harry Potter.” Kat said matter-of-factly, causing Cat to shake her head as she laughed softly. “Besides, you’re a friend. So I am covered.”
“Fair enough. Then I would be delighted. It improves my chances of finishing in time rather significantly.” Cat said as she moved a bit to the side so that Kara could lie down next to her. The smile she received in return for her answer felt like yet another incentive for her to go through with her say yes theory.
Kara removed her boots and cape before lying down by Cat’s side. She wrapped an arm around Cat’s shoulders, inviting her to basically cuddle her side. She did it without even thinking, only noticing when Cat accepted the silent invitation without giving it a second thought. It was incredible how natural it all felt. Kara made a mental note to wonder about it later before opening the book.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”