#coluans | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

owl-with-a-pen · 4 months

Note

I don't remember when, but there was a headcanon post from someone about Brainy falling asleep on the job sometimes because he overworks himself, and Winn and some of the other people at the DEO being startled by it, so what if he started falling asleep out of nowhere at the Tower too and Nia would find him and help him get more comfortable as well

This is so stupidly late at this point but anon, if you're still out there, this one's for you 😉

Nia should’ve seen it coming, all the signs had been right there.

As someone who could take the gold medal for ignoring her body’s needs when it came to sleep, Brainy came in at a close second – and that was only because he wasn’t susceptible to random fainting spells.

Usually, anyway.

There’d been one close call that morning, down in the lab. J’onn had been going over the details of their latest alien convict case when Nia had felt it. That dream-like gut punch that told her something was about to go very wrong.

Brainy had been stood at her side, arms tensely folded across his chest, all but smothering the Brainiac insignia on his shirt. To anyone else, he would’ve looked focused on the task at hand, but Nia could read between the lines.

He’d had maybe one solid thought track reserved for J’onn’s briefing, and that was being generous. It was no secret that their lack of leads over the last few weeks had been grating on everyone’s nerves, but none more than Brainy’s. She was pretty sure he’d manipulated his image inducer just to hide the extent of it from everyone. His eyes had been far too bright ever since they’d left the apartment that morning, the heavy shadows she’d seen lurking beneath them conveniently absent.

It was only when Brainy started to tilt in her periphery that Nia had realised what that gut punch had meant. She hadn't needed a vision to fill in the gaps, not when Brainy’s eyes flickered shut and he'd tipped abruptly towards her.

Fortunately, Nia was quick. Before he'd had a chance to fall, she'd caught his shoulder with her own, gently bumping him back into place. To his credit, Brainy recovered in record time, blinking quickly to recalibrate his surroundings.

The whole thing had lasted maybe two seconds, tops, and if any of the Super Friends had noticed, they didn't say a word.

So, Nia hadn’t mentioned it either.

She really regretted making that decision now. If she’d just called him out on it that morning, maybe she wouldn’t have found Brainy at his desk just a few hours later, head cushioned across folded arms, all but dead to the world.

The research Brainy had been working through was still visible on the Tower’s television screens, though the only sign of activity came from the steady flash of the stationary cursor. Brainy’s own computer screen had gone dark some time ago, which at least gave Nia a good place to start in terms of figuring out exactly how long he’d been like this.

It wasn’t too late, just past lunchtime, and while any other member of the Super Friends might have been alarmed by Brainy’s impromptu nap, Nia knew what the others didn’t.

Brainy hadn’t slept that night. And it wasn’t the first time, either.

Some nights, she’d rolled over to find his side of the bed empty by 3am. Others, Brainy had tossed and turned so restlessly that Nia had been forced to grumble out half lucid complaints just to get him to quit it. By the time she came-to, she’d find him flat on his back, perfectly still at her side - eyes closed but flickering fitfully behind his lids, never quite unconscious.

In the early days of their relationship, Nia wouldn’t have known what that had meant. Now, though? Now, she was very well acquainted with the stages of a Coluan sleep cycle.

First, there was the short but succinct restorative process that lasted anywhere between one to three hours. The Coluan equivalent of a human sleep pattern, she supposed. In that time, he’d shut down all thought tracks, all non-essential processes, and allow his body and mind the total freedom to recuperate uninterrupted. His eyes never moved in that state, there was no REM cycle going on, no dreams at all. His mind retreated somewhere far beyond the realm Nia might catch glimpses of in her own dreams, a state of being linked solely with his life core, a shared space within the Big Brain. Wherever it was, wherever it took him, Nia knew he always found peace there.

The other sleep state – the one Brainy often fell into now he shared his nights with her – was something akin to a light doze. He was freer with his choice of positioning during that time, often cosying up to her instead of lying Nosferatu-style on his back. Those were the hours Nia liked best, where she could curl up into his chest or wind herself around him, feeling his breath in her hair, his hands on her waist or tracing patterns across her spine. His mind was open to her in that state, so much that the edges of their dreams would often blur and coalesce into one still life portrait that they could share.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him inhabit either of those states.

As she watched Brainy’s back rise and fall with each heavy exhale, she knew that this was more of a light doze situation than anything else. His fingers were curled tightly against the table, a level of strain pulling his shoulders taut. Nia couldn’t see her boyfriend’s face beneath his folded arms, but she could imagine the pinched expression that might’ve greeted her. She knew this nap wouldn’t bring him any peace, not when it hadn’t been preceded by the restorative process he clearly needed.

Her skin prickled at the thought.

She should’ve said something sooner. She’d felt it in her gut, why hadn’t she just…?

“He’s not okay, is he?”

Nia turned sharply at the sound of Alex’s voice. She hadn’t even noticed her come up from the elevator, let alone sneak up behind her.

Nia tightened her arms around herself, ducking her head. “He’s not been sleeping,” she said carefully, trying to hide the strain in her own voice.

“Again?” Alex asked. She took a step closer, peering over Nia’s shoulder, reviewing Brainy with a doctor’s eye. She frowned her concern. “I don’t think I’ve seen him this bad since he first started working at the DEO.”

Nia smiled grimly. “That tracks.” When Alex looked at her in confusion, she sighed. “Brainy used to tell me how difficult it was in the early days adjusting to this time,” she explained. “It really used to stress him out. And that’s the thing— he’s been stressing a lot worse since he took off his inhibitors, especially after…” Nia shuddered, gritting her teeth at the memory. She closed her eyes. “While he was working for Lex, I mean, he hardly slept. In fact, he would’ve done anything to avoid it. So now, any time he starts stressing over something…”

“The pattern repeats,” Alex finished. She watched Brainy sympathetically, worry lines etched into her brow. “I really don’t want to wake him, but he deserves to be resting properly. This—” she waved her hand over his head, “isn’t exactly ideal.”

Nia’s lips twitched. “I’ll handle it.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, turning towards her. “Do you need any help?”

“It’s fine. Trust me, I got this.”

Alex hesitated. It was weird, seeing that protective older sister instinct take over in real time. It practically glued her to the spot. Nia tried not to smile at Alex’s expense. She knew it couldn’t have been easy handing her duty of care over to someone else, especially if this had become her area of expertise in the early days of Brainy’s career.

She wondered if his sleep cycle had ever come up with Alex before. It was probably on his medical file somewhere, but Nia sincerely doubted Brainy had given up that information lightly. It had taken her weeks of sleeping in the same bed as him just to broach the subject casually.

Eventually, Alex cleared her throat. “Well then, take him home,” she told her, holding Nia’s eye for an uncomfortable beat. “And tell him he won’t be fit for duty until he’s had a proper Coluan-fit sleep. Doctor’s orders.”

Oh yeah, she definitely knew what was up. Nia felt bad for ever doubting her.

“Noted,” Nia said, saluting with two fingers as Alex headed back down to the lab, but not before giving Brainy’s hair an affectionate ruffle. Surprising neither of them, he didn’t so much as stir.

Once she and Brainy were alone in the loft again, Nia bit her lip, shuffling a little closer to the table. She took up Alex’s old position, watching Brainy’s posture for any change, any reason to think he might have been aware of his surroundings at all.

When Brainy remained unresponsive, she took his shoulder with one hand, ignoring the tension knotted there, and brushed her fingers across his forehead with the other, knocking a few feathery strands of golden hair across his nose.

“Querl?” she asked softly.

On Brainy’s more difficult days, Nia always found it easier to reach her boyfriend by using his given name. Just as she’d anticipated, he shifted slightly, making a muffled sound into his arms. As he lifted his head, Nia tried not to smile at the imprint left behind on his cheek by his sleeve. His lashes flickered slowly as he tried to blink his eyes open. They were dark and bloodshot and extremely heavy lidded, but he was awake. He was with her.

Nia let her fingers travel up to the roots of his hair, scratching his scalp in the way she knew he liked. Brainy responded immediately, an appreciative hum rumbling somewhere in his chest. Nia did smile then. “Hey Wildcat, how’re you doing?”

“Nia?” his voice was a little dry, crackling heavily around his modulator as he became reacquainted with those muscles. He raised his head towards her, the first tell-tale flicker of acknowledgement whirring behind his eyes. “Apologies, I—I must’ve--” At that, something inside of him snapped to life and he straightened so quickly that Nia’s hand slipped from his shoulder. “I—don’t know why I—” He cleared his throat, and while obviously disoriented, his hand still found the keyboard reflexively, gripping it for purchase. Immediately, his screen turned on, although Nia didn’t miss the way he shied away from the bright light. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

“Oh, I can bet it won’t.” Nia took his elbow, leaning in towards his ear. “Because you’ve just been benched.”

It was adorable watching those cogs start to turn again as Brainy tried to figure out what she meant. She rarely caught him out like this, which really spoke volumes as to how exhausted he must’ve been. Brainy opened his mouth as though to refute her, only to close it again when he took further stock of the room. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Alex was here, wasn’t she?”

Nia snorted. “Doctor’s orders,” she repeated, rubbing his shoulder sympathetically.

Brainy’s quick burst of energy was already beginning to wane. He leant into her touch without hesitation, his eyes flickering shut again.

“Hey,” Nia said quickly, cupping the side of his face. “Listen, you’re exhausted, Brainy. Can you honestly tell me when you last slept?” She gripped his arm tighter, just for emphasis. “And not just cat naps, I mean your last restorative cycle.”

No more secrets, it had been both their promise and mantra to one another ever since Nia had saved Brainy from Leviathan’s ship. It wasn’t always perfect, and she could tell that Brainy was uncomfortable admitting to it now, but his exhaustion was clearly winning out.

After a few seconds to process, Brainy lowered his head in defeat. “Seven days, fourteen hours.”

Nia’s mouth fell open in surprise. “A week? You haven’t slept for a whole week?”

Brainy’s shoulders drew together defensively. “I have gone far longer without sleep before, my species are—”

She lifted her hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “Querl Dox, Colaun or not, nearly eight days is a push and you know it.” When Brainy failed to meet her eye, she sighed, rubbing circles into his back with her thumb. “If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me.”

Brainy made a derisive sound at the back of his throat “That’s the problem,” he muttered irritably. “Everything is on my mind. I- normally, I can compartmentalise, control and distribute any thought or calculation I wish to hone my focus on. But, but right now?” He laughed through his teeth, baring them into a tight smile. “I can’t.”

“Can’t- compartmentalise?”

“Can’t think.” He rubbed at his eyes in frustration. “Recent stressors have been a factor, of course, but I find now that the simplest answer to a problem feels like a mile long task.”

“Lack of sleep can do that to a person,” Nia considered. She dug her knuckles into some of the more compacted areas of Brainy’s back as she spoke, watching his jaw tighten as he struggled to remain functional. “Why don’t we head home for the day?”

Brainy scoffed at that, rolling his shoulder away from her. He scowled down at the table. “Do I have a choice in the matter? I suspect you will remove me either way.”

Nia shrugged. “Well, it is the logical choice, unless you wanna take it up with Alex.”

Brainy only groaned in answer.

She stroked his hair, flattening out the top of his head before planting a kiss against his scalp. His skin was warm against her lips, not quite feverish, but a little more than a Coluan’s natural heat signature. She had her suspicions that he’d been dipping into power reserves normally meant for his doppelgangers just to keep himself on his feet.

But, that was a conversation for later.

“We’ll figure it out,” Nia promised, resting her chin on his head, letting that warmth bleed into her jaw. She wrapped her arms around his front, grinning when Brainy began to relax against her again. “If my mom taught me anything, it’s that things always look a little brighter after a good night’s sleep.”

Brainy perked up curiously at that, his dark eyes flickering up to meet her. “It’s two thirty in the afternoon.”

“Semantics.” She drew back, giving his shoulders one final squeeze. “Come on, ready to go?”

Brainy’s response was a grumbled mixture of Coluan and English, but he pushed himself onto his feet regardless. Nia untangled herself from his shoulders before heading out in front of him. She was halfway to the elevator when she sensed what he was about to do.

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned.

Behind her, Brainy dropped the tablet he’d been trying to surreptitiously stow inside his backpack. “Your precognitive abilities are growing stronger, I see,” he commended with a dry smile. “It’s annoying.”

Nia laughed. “Let’s go, sleepy head, before Alex kicks us both outta here.”

Once they were home and Nia had finally managed to coax Brainy to bed, she could tell he was still too restless to sleep. He eventually agreed to let her douse him with a little extra dream energy, lulling him into a part of his unconscious mind where any unruly thoughts would have trouble following.

She stayed close to his side as he struggled to get comfortable on the bed, keeping an eye on the ever-present tension in his arms as he folded them over his chest. He’d lifted any illusions from his image inducer the second they’d stepped foot inside the apartment, and now Nia could see the deep shadows beneath Brainy’s eyes, sinking like sallow bruises into his cheekbones.

It must have felt impossible at times to sleep with a mind as crowded as Brainy’s. The restorative process was meant to be an escape from that, a total surrender to the Big Brain, but that escape didn’t come naturally to Brainy, not after so many years without it, especially when he’d worked himself up like this.

Nia knew this would be a bigger conversation somewhere down the line, but Brainy was still hesitant to share his anxieties with her, especially anything that related to his time working for Lex. Kelly had offered her office to him if he ever wanted a professional ear, but he still had a way to go before he’d feel comfortable sharing like that.

Still, every step was progress.

For right now, Nia knelt by his side, stroking her hand through his hair, across his forehead. She let her other drift over Brainy’s chest and stomach, feeding lazy swirls of dream energy into his projectors. After a while, Brainy’s eyes fell closed, a stuttered breath passing uneasily through his teeth.

She knew he was starting to slip towards the restorative process when he began muttering things in Coluan. The words were disjointed, his accent far too thick and heavy with sleep for her to pick up exactly what he was saying. Eventually, even those words mellowed into a purr-like hum courtesy of his relaxing modulator. His fingers loosened across his front and – just like that – he was totally out, the Big Brain sweeping any latent concerns away as it pulled him safely inside, his projectors pulsing brighter as a result.

Nia maintained her dream energy for a while longer, although the more she leaned into that power, the more she felt her own consciousness begin to slip away. It wasn’t abnormal for a Dreamer to get pulled under by her own energy, and while she’d fought it for a long time, she knew now that it was as natural and welcoming of an entity as the Big Brain was to Brainy.

Before she gave in completely, Nia quickly tucked herself into Brainy’s side, resting her head against his shoulder. She kept her hand poised over his central life core, holding their connection until the very last moment.

Her power washed over her like a calming tide of seafoam, turning the darkness behind her eyes into a familiar shade of blue.

Brainy would need to rest under his restorative process longer than normal to get the full effect, which gave her just enough time to paint the perfect picture inside her dreams. Like watercolour on canvas, she willed a series of soft oranges, yellows and blues to spill forth onto the page, bleeding into each other like the hazy landscape of a liminal space. From there, she began to build, turning ink blots into hilltops, marking stars around every empty spot the paint left dry.

It kept her mind at work, her body at peace and, most importantly, it gave her the perfect dream destination to take Brainy once the restorative process was complete. Somewhere that rest on any level would come easily for them both.

All she had to do was wait.

#supergirl #brainiac 5 #nia nal #brainia #alex danvers #querl dox #supergirl fanfiction #my writing #anon #my asks #i wanted to expand on more headcanons about coluan sleep patterns. and this is sort of the opposite to a previous headcanon i once wrote #i think. but i think i like this one better.#brainy x nia #dreamdox #oh yeah and happy new year!

21 notes · View notes

just-another-josh · 6 months

Text

Money

Samantha Danvers was working in her office at the Lena Luthor Foundation when the company’s namesake abruptly stormed in.

“Alright, talk.”

Sam, clearly unfazed, didn’t bother looking up from her laptop. “Hello to you too.”

Lena huffed and rolled her eyes. “Hello, Sam,” she said impatiently.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Sam tapped a few keys, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

Lena stood rigidly with her thumbs in her suit-pant pockets, fingers beating an annoyed rhythm. “I want to know about the bet.”

Sam paused her typing; her jaw set tightly as she forced herself not to look at her boss. “What bet are you referring to?”

Lena scoffed, “Oh please, Samantha. Don’t insult my intelligence.”

Sam huffed out a defeated breath and turned to face Lena. “What did you hear?”

Lena stepped closer and placed her hands on Sam’s desk. “Since you, Kara, J’onn, and M’gann were off doing the hero thing last night, Alex, Nia, Brainy, and I went to Al’s. Halfway through the evening, Nia was updating us on the status of their house hunting and complaining about the home prices being exponentially higher the closer they got to the city. Brainy then made a very off-hand comment along the lines of ‘…if only we had won the wager…’, but before he could finish, Nia elbowed him in the ribs while your wife kicked him under the table. The rest of the night, they changed the subject anytime I brought it up.” Lena leaned in and eyed Sam with a laser-sharp gaze. “So, tell me, what were all of you wagering on and what does it have to do with me and Kara?”

Sam took on a mock-offended posture, an indignant huff pushing out of her nose. “Awfully presumptive. What makes you think…and this is not an admission…that the bet was about you and Kara?”

“Process of elimination,” Lena said, feeling insulted. “C’mon, Sam. Did you forget I am first and foremost a scientist? I asked Kara when I got home last night if she knew anything, and she said she didn’t-”

“How do you know she’s not lying?” Sam interupted, trying her damndest to hide her grin.

Lena looked at Sam in disbelief. “Because secret identity aside, when it comes to me, my girlfriend is a shit liar.”

Sam nodded. “Point conceded. Continue.”

Lena flashed Sam a smug grin. “This morning, I ran into J’onn and M’gann at the DEO and asked them about it. They suddenly remembered they had to go grocery shopping and flew out of the balcony before I could get another word in.” Sam began nervously rubbing the back of her neck. “So, add J’onn and M’gann to you and the other three idiots, with Kara and I being the only two not in on it, it stands to reason that the bet has to do with us,” Lena finished arrogantly.

Sam’s face twisted into a look of indignation. “Hey! What makes you think I’m part of this…this…conspiracy?”

A look of complete bewilderment fell over Lena’s face. Resigned, she shook her head. “If your wife’s in on it, that guarantees you’re complicit.” Lena’s stare drilled into Sam for emphasis.

The CFO deflated and shook her head. “Coluan asshat. I should throw him into the sun.” Lena’s lips twisted into a cocky smile. Sam looked at her watch and saw that it was just past four o’clock. “Fuck it. It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Sam mumbled as she motioned towards the brown couch behind Lena. “Have a seat, I’ll get the drinks.”

Lena headed towards the couch, dropping her clutch on the coffee table and unbuttoning her coat. She had no sooner sat down before a tumbler filled with scotch was in her hand courtesy of Sam and her super-speed. Sam, taking a sip from her glass, had already settled on the other side.

Lena allowed her friend to indulge in a few sips silently before throwing an expectant look at her CFO. “Waiting.”

Sam took a long draw from her drink and rolled her neck, an audible crack resulted. She let out a long breath and sank further into the couch. “The bet had to do with when you and Kara were going to hook-up.”

“Hook-up, hook-up or start dating?”

“It wasn’t specified, but we all assumed since Kara is a complete Pollyanna, the two would run parallel to each other.” Sam took a drink to hide a knowing grin.

Lena chose to ignore Sam’s veiled implication that she was more morally flexible than her girlfriend, the look on her face instead remained banal. “What were the terms.”

Sam cleared her throat and shifted into executive mode. “The over/under was six months. No minimum buy-in and you could add additional money to the pot at any point, but you couldn’t change the time period you originally bet on. The pot would be split evenly amongst the winners. People were allowed to subtly try and influence the two of you but were not allowed to blatantly interfere.”

Lena tapped her finger on her chin. “Six months…when did the bet begin?”

“At me and Alex’s wedding reception.”

Lena quickly did the math in her head; she and Kara had announced that they were a couple four months after the wedding. Lena hummed to herself but remained stone faced. “Whose idea was it?”

“Winn.” Sam said without hesitation, not feeling an ounce of remorse for throwing him under the proverbial bus. “Apparently, he watched you two have ‘an emotionally charged moment’ that convinced him your relationship was heading in the direction of more than platonic.”

“For god’s sake. We were crying and hugging. There was nothing remotely romantic about it,” Lena grumbled.

Sam raised her hands in mock surrender. “Hey, me and Alex were about to take off for Argo. I’m just quoting what he said.” Lena clenched her jaw but didn’t respond. “Whatever Winn saw encouraged him to make a beeline for Nia and Brainy and…well…the rest is history.”

Lena took a sip of her scotch before resting her elbow on the back of the couch, placing her head lightly on her fist. “So, what did the pot get up to?”

“Thirty-six grand,” Sam quietly said.

Lena abruptly sat up; her eyebrows comically raised. “Holy shit! How many people were in on this?”

Sam seemed to shrink into her seat. “A lot?” she said with a sheepish look on her face.

“Names, Samantha. I want names,” Lena ordered in a playful variation of her boardroom voice.

“Okay,” Sam grumbled in defeat. With a burst of super-speed, Sam was back on the couch with her laptop, furiously typing away.

Lena chuckled. “Of course they put you in charge of the bookkeeping.”

“Well, I am the only corporate accountant in our circle of friends…so…duh.” Sam shook her head in faux disgust. Lena remained silent while Sam tapped away at her keyboard, opting instead to take a few more sips of her drink. Before Lena had time to enjoy the satisfying burn, Sam indicated she was finished. “Ok, so, you already know about me, Alex, J’onn, M’gann, Brainy, Nia, Winn…there was Lois and Clark-”

“What?” Lena interrupted. “They don’t even like me.”

“Actually, Clark likes you a lot. He says Lois still has trust issues with you, but he suspects she has a bit of a gambling problem, so…”

Lena arched her eyebrow. “Good to know.”

Sam shrugged. “Eliza, Alura and Zor-El-”.

“Really? That seems very un-Kryptonian.” Lena interjected.

“Alex and I said the same thing when Eliza told us they were onboard, but I guess Alura jumped at the chance to throw in after Eliza broke it down for her during their weekly call.”

“Hold on, Eliza and Alura talk every week?” Lena said, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

“Yup,” Sam said with a pop. She smiled diabolically. “Good luck with that.”

Lena gave an imperceptible nod as she started fidgeting with her glass; distracted by the implications of a weekly discussion between Kara’s “moms”.

“Where was I?” Sam mumbled as she scanned for where she left off. “Ah, there we are. Jess, Cat Grant, Andre-”.

“That zrhykhig!” Lena blurted out. “That’s why she’s been throwing herself at me like a bitch in heat since the wedding.” Her anger continued to swell as pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “She took the over, didn’t she? Of course, she did. I don’t even know why I’m asking. I’m sure she thought the best way to keep me and Kara apart was to con me into fucking her.” Waves of violet energy began cascading over Lena’s hands. “Swear to Rao I’m going to find a spell that’ll undo the nose job she got for her sweet-sixteen.”

Sam looked up from her laptop nervously. “Whoa, slow down there, Elphaba. There’s no need to mutilate her face.” Sam fixed Lena with a disapproving glare that seemed to calm her down; the magic arcing over her hands dissipated. “To answer your question, yes, she took the over. Now, are you going to stop interrupting me so I can get through this list?”

“No, I’m not,” Lena said defiantly.

“Worth a shot,” Sam mumbled to herself. “Next, we have Barry and Iris West-Allen-” Sam shot a hand up to stop Lena before she interrupted. “Yes, I know you just met them a month ago at his birthday party. Just a heads up, the rest of this list is comprised of people you first met at said party, but please bear in mind they’ve all known Kara for years.”

Lena closed her mouth and mimicked zipping her lips shut.

“Thank you.” Sam nodded, momentarily relieved. “As I was saying, Barry and Iris, Ray and Nora Palmer, Sara and Ava Lance-”.

“Wait, Sara Lance?” Lena threw a knowing smile at her friend.

“Yes.”

“White Canary?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t she the one that…”

“Yes.”

“With Alex…”

“Yes.”

“The one you threatened to…”

“Yes! Can we please stop talking about the woman my wife had a one-night stand with?”

Lena snorted several times as she tried to contain her laughter.

Sam, fuming, returned her attention to the list. “Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Mick Rory-”

“The big guy that sat in the corner, finished off two cases of beer, and spent the entire night grunting at everyone?” Lena asked with a puzzled look on her face.

“That’s the one.” Sam perked up. “And finally…Kate Kane.”

Sam swore she heard Lena growl. “The short-haired brunette that was all sauced up and kept getting handsy with Kara?”

“Yes. Most people just call her Kate…or Batwoman.” Sam could see a vein beginning to protrude from Lena’s forehead. “For the sake of context, she started flirting with Kara after placing her wager. I think she was pulling the same move as Andrea.” Sam reached across the couch and patted Lena’s knee reassuringly. “So, maybe don’t go all Jigsaw on her?” Sam appealed.

Lena’s posture softened, but she seemed to somehow look both perplexed and astonished at the same time. “I just don’t understand how all these people, that I’ve spent a grand total of less than two hours with, felt confident enough to wager on when Kara and I would get together.”

“Pretty simple, really. They spent more than five minutes in the same room with you two,” Sam plainly stated.

Lena leveled Sam with a look of utter confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Sam’s mouth fell agape, absolutely stunned. “Oh, honey. You two were the paragons of sexual tension. Anyone with eyes could see it plain as day. You should have seen all the confused looks I got from people when I told them you two weren’t dating.”

I light dusting of pink spread across Lena’s face, and she fondly smiled. “Paragons of sexual tension?” After a moment of consideration, she conceded, “Accurate.”

Sam let Lena stew in her embarrassment a few moments longer, taking great pleasure in watching her oldest friend squirm. Using her super-speed, she refilled their drinks, and, clearly out of patience, burst out, “So are you going to ask me, or what?” Lena titled her head questioningly. Sam sighed out of sheer frustration. “Don’t you want to know who won?!?”

Lena startled and nodded emphatically. “Yes, of course, yes. Please, tell me.”

“There were only three winners. Eliza, Jess, and…me.” Sam smiled pompously while doing a celebratory jig.

Lena, looking completely unsurprised, grinned warmly. “Eliza…no shock there. That woman can read her daughters like an open book. Jess…well I guess you could say she had a front row seat from day one.” She paused as she reminisced. A tender smile spread across her face; she focused on Sam with a curious glint in her eyes. “So, how did you know?”

Sam, pretending to take offense, gasped. “Aside from years of watching you two longingly eye-fuck each other?”

Lena snorted into her glass as she tried to take a drink, inadvertently causing some of the liquid to splash on her face. A deep blush settled over her cheeks as she wiped at her now damp face. “Yes, aside from that,” she said through a coughing chuckle.

Sam’s grin at Lena’s antics was slowly replaced by a look of melancholy. She methodically swirled the contents of her tumbler, seemingly transfixed by it. “Honestly, everything came into focus while you two were fighting.” Lena abruptly stopped her efforts to dry her face, instead focusing on Sam with a forlorn look on her face. “That year you spent apart…I watched you both flounder; you were both just going through the motions…lost. Neither one of you was whole. As cliché as it sounds, you two really are stronger together; El Mayarah in the flesh.” Sam paused to take a drink. Lena’s eyes became glassy, a slight tremor in her hands barely visible. “When it happened, I remember thinking about everything you two had accomplished together: you sent the Daxamites packing, beat Reign and saved me, stopped Lex and Red Daughter from basically taking control of the country…and handled all the other little disasters in-between. When you two finally reconciled you were able to prevent Leviathan from taking over the world and then stopped Lex from killing two-thirds of the population on Earth; and that was before you two had had a chance to work through your shit.” Sam grew more passionate as she continued, “To this day, I firmly believe that if we would’ve beat your fuckhead brother before he trapped Kara in the Phantom Zone, you two would’ve been married by now.” Lena tilted her head and lightly shrugged, silently recognizing the possibility. “I felt the same way when we got her back from that hellhole, but then Nyxly was there and threw a wrench into everything; Lex rearing his ugly bald head again was just the cherry on top.”

Lena let out a frustrated sigh as she reflected on that tumultuous time in their lives. A modicum of tears rolled down her cheeks as her body reacted viscerally to the unpleasant memories.

“Shit, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to upset you…I promise there is a point to this walk down nightmare lane,” Sam said as she reached across the couch and placed her hand over Lena’s to reassure her; Lena lightly patted the top of Sam’s hand in acknowledgement of the tender gesture. “What I’m trying to point out is that the reason you two didn’t get together after you reconciled was not by choice. It wasn’t about missed opportunities; it was the fact that you two never got a chance to breathe long enough to explore how you felt about each other. I knew with absolute certainty that once things died down, you two would end up getting that opportunity. So, when Nyxly and Lex fucked-off to the Phantom Zone, I had the utmost faith that you two would be swapping spit, and other bodily fluids, in very short order,” Sam flashed a brilliant, mischievous smile. “Hence, why I took the under.”

Lena grinned through her tears, and squeezing Sam’s hand she quietly said, “Thank you for never losing faith in me…in us.”

Sam scooped Lena into a tight hug, her chin rested over Lena’s shoulder. “Oh, sweetie. I love you and Kara so much. All I’ve ever wanted for you two is to be happy…well, together, and happy.”

They squeezed each other tighter, giggling into each other’s shoulders.

“I think we need to switch to a lighter topic,” Sam said through a choked-up laugh.

They broke up their hug, both futilely trying to save their mascara as they wiped the tears from their eyes. “I totally agree. Did you have something in mind?” Lena managed to sniffle out.

“Actually, I do.” There was a hint of nervousness in Sam’s voice. Lena picked up on it and noticed that her friend was fidgeting with her hands.

Lena scoffed, “Oh, Christ. Now what?”

Sam anxiously cleared her throat. “Weeelll, there might be one more wager that hasn’t been settled yet.” Sam did her best to avoid looking at Lena, instead focusing on her suddenly very interesting hands.

Lena’s eyebrow rose ever-so-slightly. “This should be good,” she deadpanned.

“So, after it was confirmed you two were officially dating, a second bet was made on who made the first move,” Sam said hesitantly.

Lena was a picture of stoicism. “I see. And what’s the pot on this one?”

“Forty-five thousand.”

Lena’s eyebrows shot up. “For fuck’s sake, Sam. It’s been a week since we told everyone!”

Sam embarrassedly smiled. “Yeah, a lot of people are trying to recoup their losses.”

“I feel like there’s a teachable moment regarding the evils of gambling somewhere in there, but…,” Lena drifted off, clearly indifferent to their plight. She leveled an inquisitive look at Sam. “So, Mrs. Danvers, which pony did you back?”

Sam slammed back the remainder of her drink and placed the empty tumbler on the coffee table. She timidly met Lena’s eyes and weakly smiled. “Kara.”

Lena’s brows furrowed at Sam’s admission. She let her CFO suffer through a dramatically awkward silence before responding, “Et tu, Brute?”

Sam shrugged. “Lena, I mean this with all due respect, but you are the very definition of ‘useless lesbian’.”

“Useless bisexual,” Lena quickly corrected.

“Oh, please. Jack and James were total beards!” Sam cackled.

Lena’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Sam in reproach. “No comment,” she said sternly.

Sam was now laughing so hard her side hurt. Lena took a heavy swallow of her drink and regarded her friend with an icy stare.

Her impatience building, Lena opted to change the subject. “Speaking of James, I noticed he wasn’t on the list of participants.”

Sam took a minute to regain her composure and even out her breathing. “He felt it would be inappropriate to wager on when his ‘ex-girlfriends’ would hook-up.”

“What does he mean, ‘ex-girlfriends’? Kara never even went on a date with him. They kissed twice…the first time he was being controlled by Myriad.” Lena was clearly appalled.

A look of shock climbed across Sam’s face. “Shut the fuck up! I never knew that…oh my god, Alex doesn’t even know about that!”

“I can’t believe I slept with that narcissistic prick.” Lena snorted angrily at the memory.

Sam loudly clapped her hands, breaking Lena’s reverie. “Well, I’m glad we could clear that up. Now, fess up. Who jumped first?”

Lena remained silent and studied Sam for a moment, the CFO was practically bouncing in her seat in anticipation. After what seemed like an eternity (to Sam at least), Lena slammed back the remainder of her scotch and set the empty tumbler on the coffee table. A devious grin on her lips, Lena stood and began fastening the buttons on her jacket. “Thank you for the drink and for the conversation. It was rather stimulating.” Lena retrieved her discarded clutch from the table and moved to exit Sam’s office.

Sam quickly realized that Lena was going to leave her hanging and sprung to her feet. “Oh, hell no! You’re not flaking out on me now, Luthor!”

Lena didn’t slow her pace. “I’ll see you at Game Night on Friday. Don’t forget, you and Alex are on snack duty this week.”

Sam used her super-speed to position herself between Lena and her office door. “Please, Lena! Just tell me. Alex bet on you, so it doesn’t matter who made the first move, I win either way,” Sam grabbed Lena by the arms. “C’mon Lena, Alex and I could use the money to do that add-on to the house and take the trip to Aruba we’ve been talking about for years.”

“Oh please, you just got back from honeymooning on Argo.”

“Yeah, but that was four months ago…and Argo doesn’t have crystal blue waters…and sandy beaches…and clear, sunny skies…and…and drinks with little umbrellas in them…” Sam was pleading, well, more begging at this point.

Lena gave Sam a piteous smile, cupped Sam’s cheek, leaned in, and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Love you, sweetie.” She separated from Sam’s grip and exited through the office door. Sam helplessly watched as Lena disappeared behind the shutting door.

“Fuck!” she bellowed into the empty office. Sam rushed over to her desk and retrieved her phone, quickly bringing up her wife’s contact.

MyBrownEyedGirl: The jig is up! Boss Lady was just here. She knows everything!

BigRed: Fuck! I knew Brainy shit the bed last night. What did you tell her?

MyBrownEyedGirl: EVERYTHING!!!

BigRed: Oh.

BigRed: Wow.

BigRed: How’d she handle it?

MyBrownEyedGirl: Typical Lena.

BigRed: Shocker.

BigRed: Did you ask about the other thing?

MyBrownEyedGirl: YUP

BigRed: AND???

MyBrownEyedGirl: Typical Luthor.

BigRed: Again, shocker. Plan B: I’ll load Kara up on potstickers, ice cream, and Aldebaran Rum. I guarantee she’ll talk when I’m done with her.

BigRed: Don’t worry, baby. We’re getting that new rec room AND our trip.

MyBrownEyedGirl: Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you throw around all that Big Dick Energy?

BigRed: Yes, but you can remind me again tonight.

MyBrownEyedGirl: With pleasure. Rubes is staying at her friend’s house tonight. I’ll get out the big strap.

BigRed: Fuck, I love you!!!!

MyBrownEyedGirl: Love you too, red.

MyBrownEyedGirl: Oh, one more thing. I need a favor from you.

BigRed: Name it.

MyBrownEyedGirl: Please remind me to call Nia and tell her she needs to find a new baby-daddy, because I’m going to throw Brainy’s dumb-ass into the sun!!!

#supercorp #supercorptober2023 #lena luthor #agentreign #samantha arias #gambling #kara danvers

167 notes · View notes