Chapter Text
The call came through from an unknown number. Lena considered ignoring it. She did the first time. Then they called again and her curiosity got the better of her. Just in case she decided not to use her name.
“Hello?”
“Lena,” Supergirl said excitedly. “Can you come get me? I know you’re awake because you never sleep and you really should. You’ll burn out and then you’ll cry and I’ll cry because you’re crying and it’s not a good thing. Why are you pretty when you cry? It’s not fair how pretty you are when you cry.”
Lena did not have it in her to unpack all of that in her current state of exhaustion. She took a moment to think of the appropriate response. She realised that first she had to check this was really Supergirl. She moved the phone down to her side.
“Three thousand four hundred and twelve,” she said softly.
She put the phone back to her ear.
“What did I just say?”
“Tree house and four… hundreddy and telve,” Supergirl slurred.
Lena sighed. Okay so maybe not the best test she had devised. She needed to make absolutely sure.
“Supergirl, who did I give the remote to for the device that would put lead into the air during the Daxamite invasion?”
“Me! Which was really sweet by the way.”
Lena sighed. Definitely Supergirl.
“Alright I’ll come get you. Don’t go anywhere until I get there.”
She hung up and called her driver. She closed everything down and threw a few reports in her bag to read when she got home. Home. She sighed. The penthouse didn’t feel like a home. It was empty and lifeless. Every part of it perfect and clean. The cleaning staff came in twice a week to scrub everything and restock her cupboards and fridge but rarely did they need to do more than swap over the fruit and add a new box of museli for her.
Lena sighed again. She was exhausted. She briefly wondered how long she’d been awake but decided the effort of calculating would be a waste to only depress herself.
The entire drive to the bar she was worried Supergirl would already have left but the moment she opened the door she saw her. Supergirl still in her supersuit leaning heavily on the bar under the concerned eye of the bartender and various patrons.
Heads turned as she entered and held. A Luthor was here. She saw Supergirl look up and smile.
“Lena!”
She sighed as she made her way through the dark room to the drunk hero.
“Hello Supergirl,” she said trying to sound professional.
Supergirl smiled at her looking… adorable. She was sure if Supergirl had a tail it would be wagging.
“You’re really pretty,” Supergirl slurred. “How come you’re so pretty?”
Lena rolled her eyes stepping closer.
“Luck. Come on.”
She grabbed Supergirl’s arm and pulled her easily to her feet.
“Where we going?” Supergirl asked.
“I’m taking you home, wherever that is.”
Supergirl laughed.
“I’m soo not allowed to tell you my address.”
Lena froze and then she sighed. She didn’t know who Supergirl was so she didn’t get to know where to take her.
“Why did you call me as your ride home if I can’t take you home?” Lena asked exasperated.
God she was so tired.
Supergirl frowned and leaned against her clearly thinking hard.
“Hadn’t thought of that,” she mumbled.
Lena could smell the tequila on her breath now she was closer. She turned and forced Supergirl to stay upright and preferably not leaning against her.
“Okay where should I take you then?” she demanded.
Supergirl looked at her through unfocused eyes. Lena waited as the hero continued to think very hard.
“Can I crash on your couch?” she finally asked.
Lena looked at her trying to work out if she’d really asked what she thought.
“You want to crash on my couch?” Lena repeated slowly.
How did she get into these kinds of situations?
Supergirl nodded smiling then noticing her expression rolled her eyes.
“Oh come on it’s not like you use it,” she said with a smirk.
“Supergirl-”
“Or like your bed or whatever. Like I know you’re paranoid but I’m not gonna snoop through your underwear draw while you sleep. I will however go through your fridge because I am starving.”
Lena’s brain had shorted at the idea of Supergirl sleeping in her bed. Then at the mention of underwear draw it went a little blank.
“Lena. Lena? Lena!”
Lena blinked and looked at Supergirl. She was giving her a concerned look. Then Supergirl peered closer at her.
“Have you eaten like, at all today?” she asked.
“Yes!” Lena said quickly and a little too loudly.
“You look kind of pale,” Supergirl said still closely examining her face.
“I-”
“We should get dinner and then we really need to sleep.”
Lena had no idea what was happening as Supergirl pulled her phone out of her pocket, without so much as a by your leave, and somehow knew the twelve digit passcode to unlock it and open the food ordering app.
“What do you want?” Supergirl asked. “Italian, Greek? Ooh there’s a Turkish restaurant still open like three blocks from your penthouse.”
Lena blinked again still confused. She looked from Supergirl to her phone and back again.
“What do you want? We’re getting Turkish.”
Lena had absolutely no idea what was happening. She must be asleep because there was no way a drunk Supergirl was standing in front of her with her phone in a dingy alien dive bar asking what she wanted to eat from a Turkish restaurant.
Lena subtly pinched herself. Definitely awake but barely.
“You know what. I’m just gonna order for you,” Supergirl said looking back at Lena’s phone. “Where did we land on the whole bed vs couch thing because like I know you have that awesome rug by the fireplace and it looks super comfortable if I can get some of your pillows.”
Lena grabbed Supergirl and dragged her out the door and to her car ignoring the dozen people still watching them. She unceremoniously shoved the superhero into the back seat and got in behind her.
“Yo Frankie!” Supergirl said leaning forwards. “Can we stop by here on our way so we can pick up some food?”
Frank turned to look at Lena confused. Lena sighed and just waved her hand indicating her agreement.
“Of course Ms Supergirl,” Frank said starting the car.
The food was collected and Lena dragged Supergirl out of the car and up to her penthouse ignoring the hero’s many attempts to get her to eat some kind of meat pastry in the elevator.
In her penthouse she gave in to Supergirl’s nagging and ate something. She wasn’t really sure what because her exhaustion was catching up with her. She rubbed her eyes and yawned her way through the meal.
When she started nodding off she got up and dug around in her closet for some shorts and a loose t-shirt that she shoved at Supergirl with a spare toothbrush and left her in the bathroom before going into her closet to change into her pyjamas.
Supergirl skipped out of the bathroom a minute later and Lena steered her out of her bedroom and back to the lounge. She pushed her easily onto the couch and retrieved an extra pillow and blanket for her to sleep under.
She watched the hero wriggle on her couch getting comfortable. Supergirl rolled to her other side with a sigh then onto her back then her front. Lena just stood there watching the Super toss and turn on her couch tangling herself in the blanket.
“Lena did you deliberately buy the most uncomfortable couch known to humanity?” Supergirl whined.
Lena sighed and rubbed her head as Supergirl started pouting. She was so fucking tired.
“Fine, you can sleep in my bed. But there will be no snuggling!”
Supergirl whooped and super sped away. Lena followed turning out the lights as she went. Her body seemed to be made of lead as she arrived at her bedroom to see Supergirl curled up burrito style a happy smile on her face. At least she was on the opposite side to her preference.
Lena collapsed on the other side of the bed plugging her phone in to charge and setting her alarm for six. She pulled the blanket over herself and fell onto her pillow with a sigh. Now she was down she wanted sleep more than anything else. But it wouldn’t come.
She lay there for a long minute staring at the backs of her eyelids hyper aware of everything. Then Supergirl rolled over and a very quiet voice whispered to her.
“Lena can you tell me a bedtime story?”
Lena groaned.
“Please,” Supergirl whispered.
Lena sighed and rolled onto her back.
“Once upon a time there was a city,” she said.
She heard a happy noise from Supergirl as she snuggled deeper under the blankets.
“Go on,” Supergirl prompted.
“And it had a… superhero called Supergirl.”
She heard another happy noise.
“And one day a giant robot came to destroy the city.”
A gasp came from the superhero. Lena fought the urge to smile at the childish reactions.
“And so Supergirl flew out to fight it but as she arrived she realised it was covered in green rocks and the closer she got the weaker she felt. The robot had been made by the evil… Mr Bad and he’d covered it in kryptonite so she couldn’t destroy it with her powers.”
“Oh no! How is she gonna fight it?” Supergirl asked.
Lena rolled her eyes a small smile tugging at her lips.
“Seeing that she needed help Supergirl went to her good friend-”
“Lena!” Supergirl said immediately.
Lena thought about it, she had been about to say Kara but that worked.
“Okay her good friend Lena.”
“Yes,” Supergirl whispered triumphant.
“And Lena being the incredible technical genius she is made Supergirl a special anti kryptonite suit so she could fight the robot without getting hurt.”
Lena yawned her eyes getting heavy.
“And so with a mighty kick Supergirl sent the robot to the ground and managed to pull the evil Mr Bad out and took him to prison. The end.”
Lena yawned again her body getting heavy as sleep started pulling her under.
“Did they all live happily ever after?” Supergirl whispered in her ear.
“Mhmm,” Lena hummed letting sleep pull her under.
“Goodnight Lena.”
“Goodnight Supergirl.”
Lena woke to the sound of her phone ringing. She groaned against the bright light and fumbled for the device. Her fingers automatically answered the call and she held it against her ear with a sigh.
“Hello?” she asked her voice thick with sleep.
“Ms Luthor, it’s Jess. I was just calling to see if you wanted me to reschedule your eight thirty or not?”
Lena was briefly confused then she pulled the phone away to look at the time. 8:15. She groaned. She must not have set her alarm before she went to sleep.
“Yes. Sorry Jess. Give my apologies and I’ll be in before nine.”
“Of course Ms Luthor.”
Lena hung up and after allowing herself exactly three seconds to be disappointed about having to get up she threw back the blankets and raced to her bathroom to have a quick shower. She scrambled quickly into a dress putting her hair into a high ponytail and forced herself to slow down as she applied her makeup. She was already over an hour late and she didn’t have time to redo it if she made a mistake. Though she had to admit the extra sleep had done her some good. She felt far more alert than usual.
By the time she reached L Corp at five to nine she felt ready to face whatever was coming. She got out of the car at L Corp and slipped in through a side entrance ignoring the large press pack out the front. She sighed. There was probably some disaster waiting for her. This was what happened when she was late.
Lena stepped out of the elevator and greeted Jess accepting the stack of approvals she needed to sign and a cup of coffee. Walking into her office she sat down sipping the coffee as her computer started up.
Her desk phone rang. She braced herself for whatever disaster awaited her then answered.
“Yes?”
“PR wants to speak with you,” Jess said. “They say it’s urgent.”
Lena sighed.
“Put them through.”
There was a small click.
“Jenny,” Lena greeted her head of PR reaching for her coffee again. “What’s the disaster this morning?”
“Um…” Jenny hesitated. “Did you take a drunk Supergirl back to your penthouse last night?”
Lena spat out her coffee as memories of the previous night came flooding back.