1. Chapter 1 (1/2)
"i never realised how absurd you look in that ridiculous outfit. blue, yellow, and red. it's like a colour wheel threw up."
a few days ago she almost certainly wouldn't have said such a thing to the young heroine. thought it yes, but never have said it. especially not in lieu of a greeting. then again a few days ago supergirl was more an ideal than a person, even to cat. an embodiment of strength and beauty, shrouded in mystery. desirable because she was unobtainable.
and of course cat desired her. how could she not?
the woman in the cape was alluring and not just for something as simple as her looks. the confidence she carried, the kindness she showed, even to those who seemed undeserving. the way she spoke to cat with the respect of an equal. not putting herself above cat because of her powers but refusing to act as if she was less. very few people in the world stood before cat without either trying to look down on her, or cowering.
a chuckle filtered into cat's consciousness. the sound so incredibly familiar and yet new. it reminded cat why she now dared to greet supergirl in such an unconventional manner.
it was because she knew that laugh, knew who it belonged to. she had been hearing it weekly for years. it was kara's laugh. normally when kara laughed in cat's presence there was a strained note of nervousness to it. now however it was steady and rich, full of supergirl's confidence, but still unmistakably kara's laugh.
kara's laugh was the kind of sound that could captivate others and lift their spirits by hearing it. the fact that cat so rarely got to hear it untainted like this hurt. she knew it was no fault of the younger womans. cat put a great deal of effort into seeming disinterested, or even dismissive of her assistants existence. she couldn't very well risk the chance of becoming the stereotypical boss lusting after her assistant, something she sometimes felt she was in very real danger of.
cat had been so careful during her selection process to try and pick someone that no one would think to start rumours about. she probably could have achieved this by choosing someone thoroughly unattractive but that still held a modicum a risk. if she didn't have to work as hard to push them away then she may inadvertently come across as kind and open herself up to rumours anyway. no what cat had needed was someone whose personality was so far opposite of hers that no one would ever believe them to compatible, yet still strong willed enough to survive working to cat's admittedly high standards.
several assistants had come and gone, either fired for their incompetence or leaving after an emotional
eakdown. only kara had managed to hold out. not just hold out. thrive. of course there were times when the girl struggled but she'd take it in her stride with a kind of unexpected determination that had captured cat's attention. which was what caused things to spiral. first she had noticed her determination, then her earnestness, then her kindness. the first time she had thought of the girls nervous habit of playing with her glasses as cute cat had left early for the day and gone home to drown the thought out in bourbon.
when supergirl had arrived on the scene and cat had begun feeling attracted to her the queen of media had be relieved. young, blonde,
ight. the perfect way to channel her feelings for her assistant without the possibility of becoming something she would need to worry about.
well that had certainly backfired on her.
"i'm sorry to bother you, miss grant, but james olson said you wanted to see me. something about you thinking your assistant was me?"
cat allows herself a moment to regard the woman standing before her, wondering how she could never have seen the physical similarities before. even if kara insisted on hiding behind those horrid sweaters and cheap rimmed glasses cat had built an empire out of noticing what people didn't want noticed and exploiting it.
despite what cat might have said when kara arrived the girl did look stunning in her suit. it clung to all of the right places without being overtly sexual. the cape fluttering from her shoulders was, though cat would never say it aloud, what tied the piece together.
"oh for god's sake, are we going to keep on playing this tiresome game" cat asks, more than a little exasperated. she knew that kara could be stubborn, but there were limits.
"i told you it wasn't a game, miss grant" kara said, walking in from the bullpen. cat froze.
logically it should have been impossible. but reality did not appear to agree. kara could not be coming in from the office floor because supergirl was already standing in the office. and supergirl was kara. cat knew it. she had double checked and triple checked her evidence before approaching kara. the only explanation that fit the evidence she had gathered was that kara was supergirl. and yet.
"i'm afraid i can't stay long, there are a lot of people out there who need help. as you well know." the enigmatic hero turns to kara and cat still can't believe she's seeing this. "nice to meet you by the way."
"nice to meet you too" kara says, her normal mild-mannered self. "i really like your outfit." there is something slightly teasing about her assistants tone, but not towards the hero, towards cat, it's as if she knows cat insulted it when supergirl arrived.
"i like your glasses" supergirl offers in return, a charming smile accompanying her words.
"thanks" kara says returning the smile. and then they both chuckle slightly, and cat will be damned if they don't sound the same.
she can't handle this. she wasn't wrong. she couldn't be. could she?
she cleared her throat.
"we're finished here. kara, stop treating supergirl like she's your personal assistant, she has important work to do. as do you. this bottle will not refill itself."
when in doubt, snark. it was a carefully crafted survival skill that cat has developed over the years. people rarely think someone confident enough to be barking orders and being a bitch is feeling out of their depth.
if kara and supergirl hear her they don't let on. they're still just standing there smiling at one another. if it weren't for the different outfits cat would almost believe her assistant was smiling at herself in a mirror.
"really now? this my office and i have work to-"
"so how does a sweet girl like you end up the assistant to cat grant" supergirl asks kara, apparently uncaring of the fact that cat had been speaking. the barest hint of a blush colours kara's cheeks at being called sweet by the hero.
"well i had originally planned to apply for the journalism internship" kara admits, in a conspiratorial tone. "but then the apartment building i had been living in got sold to a developer and i had to move, there weren't any i would be able to afford if i didn't have a full time job, miss grant had just fired another assistant and human resources were scrambling trying to find someone so." she trails off with a slight shrug. "i thought i'd become a reporter, tell people the stories they needed to hear, maybe help make a difference. it seems silly to say that to a bonafide hero. you're out there making a difference in people's lives everyday."
and there is that cute little glasses tic.
cat lets out a scoff of false disdain trying to purge herself of her previous thought. what she's pretending to be disdainful of she's not sure. perhaps the idea of kara being a full fledged journalist. cat is perfectly aware that kara has what it takes to be a
illiant reporter, she may come across as innocent and naive but, she's far stronger and more determined than people give her credit for. or perhaps she's scoffing in actual disdain at the way kara is looking at supergirl through half lowered lids.
neither woman so much as glances in the direction of the noise.
"i don't think it sounds silly at all" supergirl says sincerely. "it's not like i do all this hero stuff without help. most of the time the real heroes are the ones without supersuits. sometimes they're blonde with nice glasses in cute sweaters." supergirl flashes kara a dazzling grin and cat can feel the hackles raising on the back of her neck.
"yes, yes, the world is full of everyday heroes, very inspiring, very cliché, if you two are quite finished now, i'm sure we all have work to be getting on with." she walks right up to them as she speaks, well into the personal space of each woman, but still she is ignored.
"you think my sweater is cute" kara asks, a blush giving her cheeks a healthy glow. "miss grant is always calling it a polyester monstrosity."
"miss grant should stop being a price snob for two seconds and recognize how beautiful you look."