Chapter Text
Lena Luthor is having a terrible week.
After trying and failing to acquire a suitable mate for the semester—a humiliating experience in and of itself—she had no choice but to spend the last 36 hours locked away in a heat isolation chamber with nothing but a set of pre-approved sex toys at her disposal. Which was not only excruciating, but also a complete waste of her time and her parents’ money.
Lena’s first two years at university were a breeze, thanks to a mutually beneficial arrangement she had with an alpha friend of hers at the time. But now that Veronica is off at grad school, Lena finds herself lurching in the proverbial wind, forced to navigate her treacherous hormones all on her own.
Only two weeks into her junior year and Lena has already lost three whole days—both in and out of the health center—thanks to her wretched biology. And now that her upper level engineering courses are starting to pick up, it's impractical for Lena to continue wasting several days every month just on her heats. Especially when most professors expect their older students to keep their hormonal situations in check.
“It’s not fair,” Lena insists into her phone as she checks out of the fertility management center. “Alphas get their pick of 50 shades of rut suppressants, and you and I are left with what? Two name-brand heat suppressants? And maybe a handful of generic knock-offs? It’s bullshit.”
She hands her credit card over to the blushing attendant who is trying hard to pretend they aren’t listening to the one-sided conversation.
“You’re right, Lee. As always,” Sam says from the other line.
These rants are of course anything but new to Sam, but as Lena's resident best friend, she is obligated to listen to them all the same. And it 's not like Lena doesn't do the same for her whenever she goes off on tangental diatribes about the stigma surrounding inter-omega relationships.
But today, for better or worse, it's Lena's turn to monologue.
“And forget it if you’re one of the lucky ones who get shitty side effects,” Lena continues as she drums her fingers, glaring at the attendant, almost daring them to say something. “Like fuck me, right?”
“Yeah, well, most omegas would rather take the side effects than suffer through a full-blown heat. You’re the outlier in this equation, Lee.”
“I shouldn’t have to choose, Sam,” Lena protests, taking back her card. “That’s the—What? No, I don’t need a copy of my receipt.” She waves away the attendant, quickly making her way over to the exit. “That’s the point.”
“Of course.”
Lena pushes her way out of the health clinic, and after some deliberation, heads for the pharmacy next door. Might as well replenish her phero-blockers while she's in the area.
“Also, you want to know the worst part of going though heats at school?” Lena starts up again as she strolls into the store, immediately attracting attention with her raised voice. “I stink.”
Sam laughs. “Why didn't you just use the showers at the center?”
“Showering in a shared public space?” Lena says with a scoff. “Yeah. No thanks.” She sighs in exasperation as she reaches the far corner of the pharmacy, where the distinctly tiny omega section has been hidden away. “There just has to be a better way.”
“Oh, is your current method of propositioning alphas at random not working out for you?”
“Shut up, Arias,” Lena mutters under her breath, even as her friend launches into an outright cackle in her ear. “It’s not my fault that the resident alpha male apparently only sleeps with good Catholic girls. In fact, it’s Lillian’s fault for not getting me baptized. Damn woman’s sabotaging me everywhere I go…”
“Still gross.”
“Yeah, I guess. And then Mike, on the other hand…” Lena just rolls her eyes.
“You asked Mon-El?” comes the accusation so shrill that Lena has to pull the phone away from her ear with a wince.
“First off, I’ll never call him by that ridiculous nickname,” Lena says, snatching up a box of her preferred brand of O-Blocks. “And secondly, yes! I was desperate, okay? He turned me down anyway, so what’s the big deal?”
“He did?” Sam sounds as incredulous as Lena felt when she had been rejected by the frat boy in question. “Wow, and here I thought that he'd fuck anything that moved.”
“Yeah, but apparently, he only fucks people on the pill. Just a personal policy of his, so…” Lena pauses to roll her eyes at some nearby shoppers who appear downright scandalized. “Um, do you mind? This is a private conversation. Unbelievable.”
Lena carries on with her vehement ranting even as she gets in line to pay, barely sparing a glance around her surroundings. Which is why it takes a good ten minutes before she realizes that the line isn’t moving and hasn’t done so in some time. Lena steps out with a huffy sigh, ready to voice her complaint, when she notices the reason for the hold-up and quickly bites her tongue.
A lone mousy customer desperately trying not to kowtow to the visibly irritated cashier.
Lena whispers a low hang on to Sam and drops her phone to her side, a frown already settling on her features as she tunes in to the commotion.
“Declined?” the customer is saying, nervously adjusting her glasses. “But I definitely have money on that account. Our payday was yesterday, so I should have more than enough… Could you please try running it one more time?”
The cashier lets out an exaggerated groan. “If it didn’t go through the first three times, why the hell would it go through this time?”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Um, hold on.” The girl roots through her pockets and manages to produce a few crumpled bills. “Is there any way I can maybe just buy half the bottle now, then come back for the rest when my paycheck comes through? I really need those meds today.”
“What? No. This is a pharmacy, not your local drug dealer. We don’t sell loose pills.” The cashier waves over to the following customer. “Next!”
He rings up the next two customers while the girl carefully searches her person for more money. All to no avail. When Lena finally gets to the front of the line, the customer shoots her an apologetic look before stepping up to the counter once more.
“Okay, if I come back with a check, could you please just not put it through until after the weekend? Then maybe…”
“Absolutely not,” the cashier snaps. “Look, you either have the money or you don’t. We are not in the business of giving out handouts, no matter how—”
“Hey,” Lena cuts in sharply. She nods at the bottles before the cashier can clear them from the counter. “You can put those on my tab.”
The cashier shakes his head, promptly taking on a more cordial tone, “Ma’am, you shouldn’t have to do that. Don’t worry—”
“I’m not talking to you, you arrogant little prick,” Lena hisses, and the cashier goes white as a sheet at the icy tone. She turns back to the customer and gives her a small nod. “I can cover you.”
The girl fidgets with her hands. “It’s actually kinda expensive. You really don’t have to.”
Lena waves her hand dismissively. “I got you.”
She tosses her credit card onto the counter, her patented glare leveled at the cashier as he silently rings up the purchases without meeting anyone’s eyes.
“Here.”
Lena holds out the shopping bag and the girl accepts it with careful hands, clutching the bag to her chest like it's a lifeline. And as someone who has just suffered through a particularly intense heat cycle, Lena can relate all too well.
“Thank you,” the girl says. “Thank you so, so much.”
Lena just offers her a smile, taking the time to watch the girl leave before returning her phone back to her ear.
“Lee? You there?” Sam asks wryly. “Or are you still playing white knight for the masses?”
“You’re insufferable,” Lena scoffs, brushing her hair back with a hand. “But I’ll have to call you back later, Sam. Because right now, I have to get this little beta piece of shit fired.”
With Sam's laughter still ringing in her ears, Lena hangs up the phone, her lips curving into a smirk as the cashier registers her words with a dropped jaw.
Twenty minutes and a heated complaint to the manager later, Lena emerges victorious from the pharmacy, a fully refunded receipt in hand. Her day is already improving remarkably and she can’t wait to recount the entire ordeal to Lex, because this is exactly the sort of thing her brother pretends to disapprove of but secretly revels in.
The high has still yet to dissipate when Lena gets to her car, which is probably why she reacts with a broad smile rather than her usual scowl when the stranger from earlier approaches her.
“Um, hi.” The girl gives her a small wave, one hand still clasped to the shopping bag.
“Hello.” Lena glances around the parking lot. “Were you… waiting for me?”
“Yes! Well, no… Well, yes and no.” The girl laughs and rubs the back of her neck. “I wasn’t trying to be creepy or anything…”
Lena tries not to burst out laughing at the very notion of the nervous girl before her coming across as anything but sweet and harmless. Quite possibly the furthest thing from creepy.
“I just realized that I didn’t get the chance to thank you properly,” the girl continues. “Or even get your information so I can pay you back.”
Lena just shakes her head. “I actually just got a full refund from management, so don’t even worry about it.”
“Oh, wow. So, it was just free? That’s, wow, that’s great!” The girl sticks out her hand. “I’m Kara by the way. Kara Danvers.”
“Nice to meet you, Kara,” Lena says and she graciously accepts the handshake before realizing that she might have to reciprocate, “Oh, I’m—”
“Luthor comma Lena,” Kara finishes for her, prompting an amused frown from Lena. Then by way of explanation, “You’re in my cultural anthropology class. That's how Dr Henshaw takes attendance and I guess I pay a little too much attention sometimes.”
“Anthro…?” Lena racks her brain, trying to mentally recreate the lecture hall for a class she barely stays awake for. “Oh, wait, do you sit next to James and… that… er, beta boy?”
“Winn,” Kara supplies. “And yeah! We took all our other gen eds together and decided to enroll in this one together too. You know James?”
“I’ve heard of him. Seen him in passing.”
Which is a much more palatable explanation than the real one where Lena had painstakingly familiarized herself with every suitable upperclassmen alphas during her search for the ideal fuck buddy. James had actually made it onto the short list before Lena found out that he only dated other alphas. How truly unfortunate.
“Oh, I see,” Kara says, nodding thoughtfully. “Well, anyway… I was kinda hoping to maybe get your number or something?” She then starts blushing out of nowhere, a bright pink coloring her cheeks. “Just so I can pay you back for the meds, I swear!”
“Kara, like I said, I got a full refund so—”
“Not with money necessarily,” Kara quickly adds. “I was thinking more along the lines of a thank-you coffee?”
Lena purses her lips, already trying to puzzle out a way to let the girl down easy. Honestly, it wouldn’t be the first time a fellow omega has mistaken Lena for an alpha—she doesn’t exactly fit the picture perfect meek omega stereotype. Although, it has never happened so soon after her heat with the excess pheromones still clinging to her frame, lingering on her skin and hair.
No doubt sensing Lena’s hesitation, Kara rushes to reassure her, “Just a coffee, I swear. No strings. No hidden agenda of any sort.”
“All right…”
They exchange numbers and make plans to meet at the campus cybercafé for the following day, and four more heartfelt thank yous later, Kara is gone.
What a strange day it’s been.
Lena dials Sam back up as she slides into her car.
“Luthor, you better not be calling me while driving,” her best friend says in lieu of a greeting.
“The key’s not even in the ignition yet!” Lena protests. “And I’ll put you on speaker phone beforehand, okay? Jesus.”
“Thin ice.”
“Whatever.”
“So… you get the poor guy fired or what?”
Lena grins. “Not only did I do that, but I’ve also managed to get a full fucking refund.” She sighs happily as she adjusts her rearview mirror. “Sometimes, it pays to be a Luthor. Literally.”
“A full refund? For overpriced meds? No fucking way.”
“Way! I got the receipts right here.” Lena snickers at her own joke, glancing down at the tiny slip of paper in question, and what she notices gives her immediate pause:
— A-Pheromonal Inhibitors (Extra-Strength)
— Rut Suppressants (High-Grade)
“… Huh,” Lena hums to herself.
“What?”
“Nothing. But I might have just solved a problem for myself.”
//
As soon as Lena steps into the bustling cybercafé, a now somewhat familiar voice calls out to her, “Hey, Lena! Over here!”
She immediately spots Kara in the far corner, the only patron waving like mad to secure Lena’s attention. Lena strides over, offering Kara a small smile as she joins her at the rickety table.
“First thing’s first!” Kara announces before Lena can even open her mouth. “How do you take your coffee?”
“Black.”
Kara falters, a hand coming up to touch her glasses. “Just… just black? No creamer or sugar? Chocolate syrup? Whipped cream maybe? Mini marshmallows?”
“God, no,” Lena scoffs. “Just black.”
“Okay. Just black,” Kara says, nodding to herself. “Easy enough to remember. Be back in a jiffy!”
Kara rushes off in a flurry of blonde hair and flapping flannel, leaving Lena to quietly wonder just how she’s managed to find herself in the company of someone who says things like jiffy without the slightest hint of irony. And how she might actually go through with her proposition anyway.
It doesn’t take long for Kara to retrieve the drinks, and soon she's setting Lena’s plain coffee before her while wielding a monstrosity of a drink for herself—one that appears to contain every single ingredient mentioned earlier and then some.
A talker who's fond of sugar highs then. Charming.
“So, Kara…” Lena says, precisely cutting off the blonde mid-run-on sentence about how many times she’s been to this particular coffee shop. “I must confess that I actually have an ulterior motive for meeting you today.”
“You mean, besides me inviting you here to meet me?”
“Yes.” Lena indulges in an extended sip of her coffee, letting the caffeine ground her. “About your meds…”
“… Yes…?” Kara hesitantly picks up her own cup and swallows a mouthful that's more whipped cream than not. “If you need to be compensated, my paycheck should be in by now.”
“What? No, that’s not…” Lena sighs and shakes her head. Then grabbing her coffee, she gets to her feet in a single brusque movement. “Coming?”
“… Huh?” Kara blinks up at Lena in obvious confusion.
“I’m going for a walk. Follow me,” Lena says matter-of-factly, already turning on her heel.
She’s almost reached the exit before she hears a sudden screech of a chair being pushed back and then Kara is there holding the door open for her.
Lena doesn’t say anything as they travel across campus, raising the occasional eyebrow in warning whenever Kara tries to break the silence or ask questions. It’s only when they reach a more sparsely populated area that Lena finally relents.
“Sorry about that. I just wanted to be on the move during our little discussion because the topic I’m about to bring up is somewhat… sensitive.”
“Okay, but like—”
Lena impatiently waves away Kara’s question before it can even take shape. She takes another sip of coffee, quietly gathering her words as they walk side by side. But as the prolonged silence stretches on and on, Kara begins to give off waves of unadulterated anxiety, all the while keeping her gaze affixed to the ground. Which of course just begs the question.
“Were those pills from yesterday yours?”
“Yes?” Kara doesn’t look over, but her brow furrows ever so slightly.
“You don’t sound so sure.”
Kara huffs. “Yes, they’re mine. Who else’s would it be?”
“I don’t know,” Lena says, her tone conversational. “A friend? A co-worker? An alpha boyfriend of yours perhaps? I don’t know your life.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or… um, anyone at the moment.”
Lena shoots a glance over at the blonde, notes the already blushing cheeks, and hums to herself. “You probably get this a lot… but you don’t really come across as an alpha.”
“Okay,” Kara says with a frown. “But I am.”
“And… if I were to ask you to prove it?”
All of a sudden, Lena finds herself without a walking partner, Kara having come to an abrupt stop somewhere behind her. She slows her own steps, turning around to regard the blonde, and there’s a hard glint to her narrowed blue eyes.
“Not all of us wear our statuses on our sleeves like it’s designer perfume, okay?” Kara gets out through gritted teeth. “And I didn’t ask to meet so I could be… interrogated. I just wanted to do something nice for you because you did something nice for me. But if you’re going to be like this, I’d rather us part ways now.”
Lena’s lips slowly curve into a pleased smile. She approaches the alpha in languid strides, reaching out to place a delicate hand on Kara’s forearm.
“All right then. No more interrogation,” Lena says, giving the arm a small squeeze. “And thank you for the coffee. I really do appreciate it.”
Kara just gives a stiff nod, eyeing the hand on her arm with some suspicion. But as Lena continues to release soothing pheromones and rub gentle circles into Kara's skin with her thumb, the tension falters then gradually eases out of Kara’s shoulders.
Once satisfied, Lena tugs at Kara’s sleeve. “Come on. There’s more I’d like to discuss.”
And Kara allows herself to be led away.
//
“Please sit,” Lena says, planting herself on a bench and tapping the spot next to her until Kara follows suit. “So. I have a proposition for you.”
“What kind of proposition?”
Lena turns to Kara, who’s already facing her with rapt attention. “One thing you need to know about me is that I’m very serious about my academic career. I’m one of the only omegas in our highly competitive engineering program and I also happen to be the top student in most of my classes. All of which only matters if I can maintain my stellar GPA.”
Kara nods hesitantly. “Okay…”
“And as you may already know, heats are always a very difficult time for us omegas, and the average un-suppressed heat can last anywhere from 48 to 72 hours. Sometimes longer. I’ve once had a heat that lasted a whole five days.” Lena sighs heavily. “And that’s just too much time to be losing on a monthly basis, you know? Especially when I have so much on the line this academic year.”
Kara nods again.
“But… if an alpha were to, let’s say, help me? That time would be cut down significantly. Just a measly four to six hours, which is much more manageable.”
Kara doesn't nod this time. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I want you to help me.”
“Help you…” Kara says slowly. “Help you as in... sleep with you? As in having sex? With each other? Like, more than once?”
“Correct.” Lena takes another sip of coffee while Kara blinks rapidly at her. “I’d take heat suppressants if I could. But unfortunately the few brands that do work for me also leave me with debilitating nausea the entire time. And that's just as terrible as my heats when it comes to grappling with differential equations.”
“Right, right, I understand that.” Kara pulls at her shirt collar and clears her throat. “But, um, why me? We’ve only just met. There has to be someone else—someone you know—who can help you with this.”
“My old fuck buddy,” Lena says, and Kara flinches at the term, “actually graduated last year. And all of my friends—bless their hearts—are either fellow omegas or betas, so they don’t quite hit the spot. Not for lack of trying, let me tell you…”
Kara blushes profusely at that, the red traveling from her cheeks up to the very tips of her ears. “And I’m the next logical choice?” she squeaks out. “We’re practically strangers!”
“Well, actually, my first two choices rejected me.”
“What? Really? But how could anyone ever—” Kara cuts herself off with a shake of her head, face suddenly scrunching up. “Wait, so I’m technically your third choice?”
“Third time’s the charm, right?” Lena offers Kara a cheeky grin that isn't returned, so she sighs and nudges Kara’s knee with her own. “It’s not like I wouldn’t return the favor.”
“Return the favor?” Kara’s brow crinkles.
“Yeah, you know… You pound me silly during my heats. And I'll ride you till you break during your ruts,” Lena says in a breezy tone.
Kara promptly chokes on her coffee.
“Oh, come on. I’ve seen your prescription,” Lena says. “With all those extra-strength phero-blockers and suppressants, your rutting periods can’t be a very fun time.”
“I mean, no, they’re not. But I take the meds so that my ruts won't be a problem,” Kara protests. “It’s an expensive situation, but it’s manageable.”
Lena drains the last of her coffee with a slow nod. “Yeah, I figured as much. But it was worth the shot, right? I should probably go though...” She gives Kara one last smile and raises her now empty coffee cup. “Thanks for the free coffee and hearing me out. Maybe I'll see you around?”
But as Lena gets to her feet, Kara’s hand shoots out, fingers nimbly wrapping around Lena’s wrist.
“Wait. I can…” Kara pauses then, swallowing hard. But when she finally looks up, her blue eyes are clear and match Lena’s own without any hesitation. “I will help you.”
“You will?" Lena asks, incredulous. “But you just said…”
“You don’t have to… return the favor or anything,” Kara adds hastily. “But I can help you with your problem for the time being.” And even as her cheeks grow pinker with each passing moment, her voice and eyes remain steady and sure. “Just until you can find a suitable replacement. An actual mate. Which shouldn’t take long. I mean, look at you.”
Lena exhales a short laugh, shaking her head in clear disbelief.
“So, yeah,” Kara says. “I can be your… favor… buddy.”
“Do you even realize what you’re agreeing to?” Lena demands. “I want you to be absolutely sure before you say yes.”
“Yes,” Kara says immediately, emphatically, climbing to her feet.
The change in position forces Lena to tilt her head up to maintain the eye contact, and suddenly she is very aware of their acute height difference.
“I figure it’s better me than… someone less savory?” Kara continues with a shrug. “You know how alphas can be. With me as a safety net, you can at least take your time vetting your options.”
“Well. You don’t have to convince me,” Lena jokes. She then tugs at her wrist insistently, prompting Kara to let go of her with a hasty oops sorry, and extends her hand. “We have a deal.”
But just as Kara goes to shake the hand, Lena snatches it right back without warning.
“Wait, are you a virgin?”
“What? No.”
Lena narrows her eyes. “But have you slept with at least two different people?”
“Yes..?”
“How about three?”
“Yes…” Kara insists, the slightest hint of annoyance coloring her tone.
“Mm… Okay.”
Lena extends her hand once more, letting Kara’s surprisingly rough palm slide against her own in a firm grip.
“So... what now?” Kara asks once they've released each other’s hands. She shuffles her feet, eyes not quite averted but not quite matching Lena’s either, already retreating back to the apprehensive girl Lena had met the only day before.
It’s enough to tug an amused grin from Lena’s lips.
She pulls out her phone with an air of nonchalance. “Now… you tell me your plans for the upcoming Friday.”
“Um. I have class until 3:15pm.”
“Great. Be at my place by four then,” Lena says, already programming the appointment into her calendar. “I’ll text you the address.”
“Wh-what?” Kara sputters, eyes widening. “But you just had your heat! We shouldn’t have to meet up for another month at least!”
Lena snorts. “You really think I’d take on a fuck buddy without giving them a test drive first? That’s crazy.”
“Can we—can we not call it that?” Kara says, once again flinching at the explicit phrase. “And—and we just shook hands! What was the point of shaking hands if you were just going to pull this all along?”
“Relax, alpha,” Lena practically purrs. She leans into Kara’s space, taking the time to brush some nonexistent dust off Kara’s shirt, as the blonde gapes down at her. “It’s just a chemistry test, mm’kay?”
“But I—um, I usually go to the gym after class.” But Kara’s excuse is naught but a mumble and Lena is already a few steps into her leave.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give you a workout,” Lena calls out over her shoulder, waggling her fingers in a haphazard wave. “See you then, Danvers.”