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“We all fight for truth, justice and the American way – it just so happens my methods are better. And more fun… That’ll be all, Supergirl.”
Cat looked immensely pleased with herself, though Kara couldn’t help but wonder if she would’ve been the same had Kara not been able to answer all of her absurd questions about her age and past. Sometimes she suspected Cat set things up so that she would always come out on top, no matter what. Kara had an errant thought about all the other situations where Cat might like to be on top before quickly banishing it – it was t oo distracting and she was already flustered enough . Those were not appropriate lines to think on at work, and certainly wouldn’t help her productivity for the rest of the day.
Kara’s phone rang as she turned away and went to leave the room but she hesitated to pick it up. If she left now, who knew what Cat would come up with in her absence as another attempt to confirm her secret identity. She looked down at the phone, considering it her hand, before deciding to let it be, clicking the power button to silence the ringtone. She needed to fix this now.
“Why can’t we go back to the way it was?”
Her voice was clear, more confident than it usually was when speaking to Cat as this version of herself, and even without looking back she could tell the older woman perked up at the unusual tone. When she finally did turn around to await Cat’s response, she could see that Cat had quirked an eyebrow up and was looking at Kara with wide, excited eyes.
“Is that a confession, Kiera?”
Kara sighed and fiddled with her glasses. She hadn’t really thought this through and in hindsight probably should have, but she had made her bed and now had to lie in it.
“Well, it doesn’t seem to matter what I say or don’t say since you’ve already made up your mind. Ms. Grant, I just want things to be normal again between us. Can’t I just go back to bringing you coffee and edits and managing your schedule? Can’t we just forget this ever happened? Why does it matter?”
Cat looked almost a little angry for a second before she huffed out a little breath and put down the glasses she had been toying with , standing up and stalking towards Kara. In that moment Kara felt very much like prey.
“No.”
Cat’s tone was snappy and short and left no room for questioning.
A hand reached out and Kara startled as Cat’s impressively strong grip trapped her wrist. S he let herself be led out of the office and onto the balcony and when they got there Cat let go of her arm and instead of looking at her she walked up to the edge overlooking the city, both hands tightening on the railing until her knuckles were white.
“It matters. So much. I cannot possibly forget this ever happened, and things absolutely cannot just go back to ‘the way they were’, Kiera. How do you expect me to work all day, knowing I have Supergirl at my beck and call, delivering me coffee and catering to my every whim. How could I possibly forget that or even ignore that? How can I work like that?”
She turned around to look at Kara, eyes flashing with something she couldn’t quite identify.
“It was a struggle enough to ignore you before, to not think about how… pretty and pliable and perfect you are. How much I’d really like to use the power I have over you for… unspeakable things. But I did it, I resisted, because I haven’t built this company up from scratch, clawed my way to top only to ruin it by falling into the very same trap I’ve condemned many a powerful man for.”
Kara gaped. Cat couldn’t really mean…. c ould she?
“But now? Knowing this… knowing my version of a midlife crisis attraction is to not only my assistant, but also arguably the most powerful being on the planet, who regardless of who she is still acts like I walk on water and hung the moon and stars? Who acts like she’d probably drop to her knees the moment I asked with no questions asked?”
Cat shook her head and pursed her lips. Her eyes narrowed in determination as she took a step closer to Kara.
“No, I can’t possibly forget that, ignore that, so things can never be ‘normal’.”
Kara took a moment, digested what Cat had been saying, before deciding to take a leap. This hadn’t at all been what she expected going into the conversation and she hadn’t planned on ever confirming Cat’s suspicions, but things had changed. Cat had confessed some things and now it was Kara’s turn.
“Then don’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t forget who I am, don’t ignore it. I don’t want you to.”
K ara stepped forwards, the space between them reduced to only inches. She slowly reached up and pulled off her glasses but left her hair in it’s braid, leaving her a dichotomy of her two identities.
“I...you’re right about the way I look at you. What I’d do for you.”
Cat’s eyes widened and she licked her lips. Kara smiled.
“All you have to do is ask. Or... just take what you want.”
“Kara...”
Cat’s voice was low, almost a whisper, and her correct pronunciation made Kara gasp. The moment of silence stretched into eternity but then Cat was swooping in, taking advantage of Kara’s open mouth to deliver a kiss that was nothing if not absolutely devastating and Kara was melting into it, the lack of her lead line glasses making her able to feel every last pinprick of sensation.
Before she knew it Cat was pulling away, somehow without a single hair out of place even though Kara knew she herself probably looked completely wrecked, and sauntering off towards her office.
“Well, come along then.”
“What...?”
Kara’s brain wasn’t quite functioning, still stuck replaying the kiss.
“I said before I’m not going down for something like this, which means that we need to go speak with HR. Preferably yesterday. Chop chop!”