steam - a supercorp au

chapter eight

8:43
Kara wasn't ready.
She had to delve into the dark section of her closet to find her dress and heels- the section of her closet that she hadn't touched since senior year of high school.
Alex was standing right next to her, sifting through the few articles of clothing that didn't have sleeves or collars. "Kar," she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief, "I don't know how you managed to get such a sexy girlfriend, because you have nothing racy in here."
Kara scoffed. "I don't need to be racy," she replied, "I just need to look... nice."
"You're going to the wildest club in National City, with a girl famous for her crazy nights and ability to never get a hangover. You cannot wear polka dots to Loerd."
Kara groaned, hiding her hands in her face. "I'm in over my head."
"Okay," Alex said, resigned, "fine. Let's check my closet." Then, grumbling, "you're lucky we're pretty much the same size."
Soon enough, Kara had squeezed into a tight black dress, curving in all the right places, plunging down to her bellybutton. "Why do you even have this?" she softly whispered, tracing the edges of the cut.
Alex grinned, clearly proud of her work. "Let's just say, when you stay home playing Scrabble, I'm a bit more adventurous."
Kara rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, you and Maggie, always out on the town."
Alex jokingly shoved her sister. "Hey, don't be jealous, just because me and my girlfriend have more fun than you and yours!" She clapped her hands together, and began pacing. "Back on topic, hair and makeup."
Kara grabbed her locks defensively. "I can't just go like this? I always try to advocate that women don't need makeup..."
"Kara." Alex took Kara's hands and looked at her with pity. "It's not that you'll need makeup. It's that you'll want it. It's fun, I promise. "
So Kara allowed her sister to lead her to the counter, and plopped herself in a seat. "You better not give me black lipstick."
"Oh no," Alex called, laughing, "I may not be Lena Luthor, but I'm good enough at makeup to know that your color is red."
---
9:19
She nervously tugged at her dress, waiting outside of the club. Glancing up at the blazing sign that read LOERD, a picture of the owner, Maxwell Lord, flashed in her mind. She recalled the first day it opened, seeing him cut the ribbon on the television in Supercafe. The one thing that she thought when she saw him was he looks like an asshole? She always tried not to judge, but that hair? That suave grin?
Kara wanted to smooth out her hair, tug on the soft curls Alex had craftfully made, but she distracted herself by fiddling with her thumbs. She knew that Lena would never stand her up, but the thought niggled in the back of her mind.
As if her worry had been a magnet, a dark black SUV came up, and the doors swung open. With legs swinging out and hair flying softly in front of her face, Lena Luthor entered the scene.
Kara was fairly sure that if Lena sat down, the dress would disappear. It was a bright red (the same color as Kara's lipstick), rising with no sleeves until it cuffed her neck. There were cut-outs just below the arms, and she was clutching a dark black purse that complemented her smoky eye.
"Kara, you look stunning," she said softly, biting her black lip. Her hair cascaded down her back as she walked towards the barista and offered a hand.
"You're one to talk," Kara mumbled, blushing furiously.
Together, they walked in, the bouncer giving Lena a friendly nod. Kara squinted, and quietly asked, "so, uh, you're a regular here?"
"Yeah," Lena replied, shrugging it off, "I come by every now and then."
Kara watched as a few people by the entrance gave Lena a familiar smile, or a 'hey, how you doing.' Her stomach slowly twisted, feeling lonelier and lonelier.
Finally, they sat at the bar together. "What are you drinking, Kara?"
Kara's eyes widened, and she replied, "oh, um, let me get my card."
"Don't be silly!" Lena laughed, flashing a dazzling smile. "I'm paying, I insist."
"Oh," Kara said nervously, albeit thankfully. "Then, um..."
The bartender strolled over, and greeted, "Hey, Lena! We haven't seen you lately." He was tan, with a buzz cut and bright eyes.
Lena rubbed Kara's hand. "I'm just here with my date. What do you want, Kar?"
Kara swallowed, and glanced at the man in front of her. "Uh, what's the strongest thing you have?"
Lena chuckled, and gave her an eyebrow raise. "Kara, how bad was your day exactly?"
Kara forced a laugh as the bartender delivered two shot glasses. The liquid was a shimmering bronze, and gave off a scent reminiscent of motor oil.
Part of her wanted to recoil, order a club soda, and just have fun. But she remembered her phone going off like crazy, people asking for her girlfriend's number, smiling knowingly as they walked through the club. A tiny voice inside of Kara's head whispered, "she has a lot of backups if you two don't work out." Her heart dropped into her shoes.
She hastily grabbed the glass, and made a face that could only suggest what have I got to lose? Weakly smiling at Lena, she said, "bottoms up!"
--
11:34
Kara's head was lolled in her girlfriend's lap, and she stared up at the stars. "They're all fuzzy," she slurred. "How many are there?"
Lena stroked Kara's hair, and replied in a quiet voice, "It's impossible to count. They'll just keep appearing."
Kara turned her head towards Lena's face and giggled. "You're pretty smart," she said, "and pretty. Even without makeup-" she lifted a finger and traced Lena's lips- "but with it, too."
Lena returned a small smile, and just kept stroking her hair. "You're drunk, Kara," she said, appreciating the humor in the situation.
Kara nodded solemnly, and sounded out slowly, "Yes, I am." She looked around at the ground, as if she had never seen it before, and whispered, "I am very drunk." Without glancing up from the pavement, she inquired, "Lena, how many shots did I drunk tonight?"
Grabbing her fingers, she began counting, "one... two... three?" She turned to Lena. "Was it three?"
Lena snorted. "It was a few more than that, babe."
"Four?"
Before she could answer, Lena's driver pulled up. The same doors to the black SUV swung open, and Kara was swung up into Lena's arms. Her hair fell over the bicep, and her head resting at the shoulder. "You're strong," she mumbled. "Why is the car f-floating? Whose car is this? It's nice."
"She had a lot to drink," Lena explained to the chauffer. "Can you just take us to my apartment?"
"Sure thing, Miss Luthor," they responded. Kara couldn't see much except for the leather seats, but she caught a glimpse of a dark black bun, and sharp glasses.
"Thank you, Jess," Lena muttered, with relief in her voice.
--
?
Kara didn't know the time, because she had temporarily forgotten which button turned on her phone while in the car. She hit the camera lens ten times, then gave up. She had stumbled over her words, saying, "Lee, my phone is broken," and then fell asleep in the back seat.
So, she was quite confused when she awoke being carried through the front door of Lena's apartment. Still drunk, of course.
"Where are we?" She rolled her head back, looking dazed. "Is this the club?" She glanced around. "You- your walls are invisible, that might be a proplem. Propleb. Promblem!"
"Just try and sleep," a familiar, warm voice told her. Kara nodded in agreement, too tired to argue.
She could feel Alex's strappy heels being gently removed, and then, her entire body being placed on the bed. Footsteps tiptoed around her, and then, the bed shifted with movement. Everything was quiet for a moment.
"Kara, are you awake?"
"Mhmm."
A hand gently pulled her hair from her face.
"Why did you get so drunk tonight?"
There was no answer, so Lena supplied, "I know it wasn't just because a girl asked for my cell number at work."
Kara's eyes were still closed, and she could feel her mind drifting off to sleep. "You've just got so many friends and fans and people," she whispered. "Even Jess, even the bartender. What am I if you have them?"
She wasn't exactly aware of what she was saying, because her will to stay awake was slowly fading.
After a second of careful thought, Lena kissed her neck. "You're my true love," she whispered back. "They could never replace you."
And with her words, Kara passed out.

A/N: LEAVE FEEDBACK PLEASE! I hope you liked it, and if you didn't, tell me why! Be specific, I can take it. :D