#bring me java

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Cat looks--if Kara is forced to pick any word right now to describe her--absolutely livid. Gone is the peaceful expression she had in sleep, with her head tucked against Kara’s heart. Now the oversized pajamas don’t seem cute or comical, they’re flapping like a flurry of mini capes as Cat paces the bedroom with almost military precision.

“Did someone… just…” she pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. “Molotov my kitchen?”

“Well, yes, but--”

“A kitchen that I have personally cleaned? With damp sponges and rubber gloves and disinfectant? On my hands and knees?”

“Okay.” Kara steps between Cat and the closet, reducing the scope and pace of her strides. “I think you’re maybe fixating on the wrong detail here. We should go somewhere else, where I can be absolutely sure I’m keeping you safe.”

“Oh, you want me to be pissed about the firebombing of my handiwork, Kara. You want me to be pissed that the glass in that door was an original feature of this house, because if I don’t focus on that? I’ll focus on the fact that some son of a bitch tried to burn me and my house down. A house my son would be sleeping in tonight if not for his father’s disorganization.”

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Yes hi hello I Am In Pain…and for once it’s not completely Molly’s fault.

After Kara tells Cat that her investigation is a bust and there's no kryptonite conspiracy in town, it's time to literally pick up the pieces. Will Cat let her guard down? And can Kara be there for her for more than a good story? Time to find out...

Thanks to @musetotheworld for the onceover.

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Kara doesn’t use superspeed to pack up the temporary office. She sorts the useless information into piles for recycling, the few relevant or personal documents belonging to Cat are set aside out of habit. Back in the office, Kara would have a place for all of them in her perfect, personalized filing system. She wonders how that’s surviving under James and Eve, how much they’ve changed in Cat’s absence and then in Kara’s.

“You don’t have to tidy up after me,” Cat says, leaning on the doorframe with her arms folded. She’s changed from earlier, maybe she’s had a bath judging by the way the very ends of her hair are damp, even though they’re pulled up in a ponytail. Her pajamas are modest, too big for her in a way that’s oddly endearing. Cat Grant, never dressed in anything less than immaculately tailored haute couture until recent weeks, now wears silky wine-colored pajamas that drape over her hands and threaten to trip at her feet. Despite their earlier flare-up, Kara can’t help smiling at the sight.

“I needed something to keep me busy.”

“Instead of going home like I suggested?”

“Well, it was just a suggestion. So I, um, ignored it?”

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Cat and Kara get to try out their fake marriage in public. Feat. real kissing.

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“What’s wrong?” Cat demands when they park outside the diner. She makes no move to leave the truck, watching the diner and its few occupants from behind her dark glasses. “Surely you must be ready for third breakfast, or whatever hobbity name you have for it.”

“I think the sunglasses are a little too ‘Cat Grant’, don’t you?”

Kara gets a glare over the top of them, but persists. “I mean, they’re Tom Ford. Not exactly barista-salary, right?”

“I was going with divorcée in need of a time-killing job until you showed up and married me,” Cat reminds her. “Am I not slumming it enough?”

Kara roots around in her purse, undeterred. She hands Cat a pair of the drugstore shades she always has a few of. Leopard print frames, just a hint of the cat-eye shape Cat prefers for her reading glasses. “Here. And we should probably do something about your hair, too.”

“You’re saying a ponytail isn’t disguise enough?” Cat snorts in accusation. She peers at the plastic frames before trading the glasses with a sigh. “Lots of people have blonde hair. Isn’t it enough I’ve given up my regular stylist?”

Rating: BUMP.

Home James, and don’t spare the horses...

Kara doesn’t know what to do with herself on the drive home. She tries fiddling with the radio, but it’s static to static and occasional bursts in between. The car can clearly be rigged with Bluetooth, she’s going to do that as soon as she looks up how, then she can play her own music to infuriate Cat even further.

At least they’re building a rhythm. Kara tries to find a station, Cat smacks her hand away and turns the radio off again. The drive isn’t a long one, and they barely pass another car on the way. The wheels haven’t come all the way to a stop when Kara hops out of the passenger seat and marches towards the front door. Sheer instinct has her scanning the walls, but they’re definitely alone. No reason why they shouldn’t be.

But while Kara’s fumbling for her keys, Cat is suddenly right behind her. Actually pressing up against her, as though she doesn’t give much of a damn whether they get through the door or not.

“I thought you were-”

“The radio thing was annoying, but not exactly fatal to your chances, if that’s what you’re worrying about.”

“No, what I’m trying to ask,” Kara turns even though Cat’s hands are actually on her waist. “Is what we’re doing? I know we’ve been flirting, but with the fake marriage in play, I just don’t want to get this wrong and overstep…”

“Pretty sure the only one stepping right now is me,” Cat says. “I think we’ve made our feelings clear about this, Kara. No more hiding behind CatCo roles, no more pretending. If you’ve changed your mind now fantasy is closer to reality…”

Kara deals with the after effects of Kryptonite, catching up with Alex in the process. Of course it wouldn’t be a chat with the DEO if it didn’t give Kara something entirely new to worry about...

Kara makes it to the relative safety of the unisex bathroom, relieved there’s no one else already in evidence. Locking herself into one of the three stalls, she’s grateful the wall is sturdy enough to hold her up.

At least in here she’s a little further away. The sweating eases up, and she can open her eyes a little wider. Holding one hand out in front of her, Kara thinks the trembling might be a bit less violent.

How is she going to get out of here? Especially without making a scene? If someone knows Supergirl is here in town, then that kryptonite is intentional, designed to scare her off at the first round of queries. It seems unlikely though, which raises the more worrying prospect that somewhere in this town is a stash of the green rock that’s considerable enough to allow random employees, or club members, or whatever the hell is going on out here, to carry some around with them.

A few minutes later she’s steady enough to splash water on her face and head out. Although she keeps her head down and goes straight back to her table as discreetly as possible, Kara feels Cat’s attention on her the whole time. She wants to wave or acknowledge in some way that the crisis is passing, but that would definitely only draw attention from the few other people scattered around the cafe.

Um guys I accidentally dropped one of my favourite tropes in here, so ENJOY. 

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Kara files her outstanding work for Snapper while what passes for the morning rush in this sleepy little town works its way past Cat’s counter. In between her notes on the people in line, she mostly watches Cat. The woman she just asked out, using innuendo, no less.

It must be the country air.

Gravity does feel slightly different out here. Not in any way that humans would be able to tell, other than that strange lightness that comes from having clear skies and lots of space. Kara’s itching to go flying on a local scale, rather than just dropping in and out, but until she gets a handle on what Cat thinks is going on with the government, it probably isn’t wise.

Before long the café has settled down, and it’s still a pinch herself moment for Kara to watch Cat come out with a clean cloth and wipe down the few tables. Of course she’s looking for information, too. Once or twice she pockets a receipt or some other piece of paper left behind. Then she’s at Kara’s table, sitting down with a sigh.

“Hard work?”

“I suppose I should say something wholesome about how rewarding it is,” Cat begins. “How nice it is to reconnect, to work with my hands and be back amongst real people.”

Kara snorts. She really can’t help it. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re right. I miss being the boss. I miss having an army of minions to call on. And all this good honest hard work is giving me is a sore back and stiffness in my fingers. Don’t even get me started on my facial muscles. I’ve undone years of botox and fillers with all the fake smiling.”

Okay I promised I would come back to this. 

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Start again from the start

It's been FOREVER but I know where this story goes and I want to get it there. You guys want to come too?

When we left off Kara and Cat were getting fake married hot 'n' heavy on the bed, only for Cat to get distracted and dash off. How do they pick up from there? Especially when the Daxamite invasion still happens and Kara has to go sort out her ex's mess. At least it's a chance to check in with Alex on the shady goings on around town... right?