Step Up

Notes: Find me on Tumblr at spoopercorp and on AO3 as Local_Asshole.

TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE.

Summary: Lucy seeks a dance partner for her senior showcase, but finds that the people who auditioned do not meet her expectations. Kara comes to the rescue and drama ensues.

"But...Ms. Grant," Kara began to protest.

"That's Director Grant by the way, Ms. Danvers," the harsh lady replied.

The blonde sighed and corrected herself, "Alright, Director Grant, I don't mean any disrespect, but I applied to be a maintenance worker, not a janitor. I fix pipes, I'm a mechanic and an electrician; I don't clean bathrooms and mop hallways."

"From what I picked up from your resume was that you so desperately needed this job. Well, you got your wish and I, as your employer, instruct you to keep the college preferably spotless on top of fixing whatever the student body manages to break."

Desperate?

Kara resisted the urge to groan, relenting, "Okay, Director Grant."

The lady nodded sternly and turned around, swiftly making her way back into her main office.

The young blonde was only a week into the job and she was already targeted by the students', who were around her age as well, shenanigans. She dreaded going to work only to be greeted with haughty attitudes, superficial personalities, and outright rude behavior for being employed at such a "low-level" and "pitiful" job. Though she was officially a maintenance worker, the students referred to her as the janitor, and the men tended to produce sexual comments and innuendoes whenever she was on duty. The women, on the other hand, enjoyed spreading malicious and often provocative rumors regarding the blonde. She never made any remarks back nor defended herself even, she would just take the comments and, though she knew it had a negative impact on her health, would internalize her emotions.

Kara was used to bullying, that was part of why she decided to drop out of high school and pursue a GED instead, and she refused to continue to further her studies afterwards. Her adoptive sister Alex, on the flip side, graduated high school early and was set to major in biochemistry and bioengineering, and she enjoyed a relatively peaceful and bully-free life. Kara's adoptive parents were surprisingly supportive of her choice to drop out of high school, after a few months of convincing of course. Contrary to what others thought, her dropping out did not mean she was not smart enough; in fact, she was quite intelligent, but found that being bullied and ostracized inflicted heavy damage on her focus on academics. She was generally a very curious girl and moved away from her family to Maryland to seek out new experiences, and here she was, in the Maryland School of Arts, plumbing toilets and scrubbing bathroom floors.

It was not all bad as Kara often witnessed dancers' performances when she happened to pass by the auditoriums and studios. The college was primarily known for their classical ballet, so dancers of contrasting styles were generally unaccepted to the prestigious school. The blonde had a great appreciation for ballet artists and had taken some basic classes as a child, but leaned more towards ballroom, contemporary, and jazz; she had no qualms with hip-hop and breakdance choreography either as she was almost an inhumanely strong person and fast learner. She was more of an observer and preferred not to directly socialize unless absolutely necessary, she enjoyed watching and deducing, her assumptions of people were often accurate.

The only thing, or person in this case, that kept Kara from quitting and sending in a resignation letter was Lucy Lane, who happened to be the most popular senior in the school and very well-liked. The two only ever exchanged awkward glances when their eyes happened to meet; Lucy would give a bright smile and Kara either nervously grinned back or snapped her staring eyes and head away in embarrassment. The blonde was frustrated finding herself attracted to the brunette ballerina; she was gorgeous, had a beautiful personality from her observations, and was absolutely kind to everyone, no wonder she held such a positive reputation unlike Kara. Her father was a decorated general in the Army and recently took up the mantle of Secretary of Defense, even his daughter received military training, except for Lois, who enjoyed photography and journalism. Lucy had a future and was likely going to go far in life while the blonde would most definitely remain in not-so-ideal jobs, the highest position for her probably being a maintenance worker.

Unfortunately, Kara was almost positive that Lucy was only attracted to men as it seemed she was in a serious relationship with James Olsen, or Jimmy, after a quick fling with the personification of white male privilege, Maxwell Lord. The blonde did have a relationship with Adam Foster, but they broke up when she decided to move to a cramped apartment in the sketchy ghettos of Maryland. Kara was not completely alone though as her longtime friend, Winslow Schott, or Winn, was her co-worker as he was a clerk for the school's front desk. It was embarrassing for him as he had always worked in IT, so being demoted to a desk job was quite humiliating for his already low ego. He came from a dysfunctional family since his mother left and he was often troubled by his father's instability and obsession with toys that eventually landed him a spot in prison. Winn soon was able to sustain himself, but was still vulnerable to the crime of Baltimore; he was mugged by a pair of men, and that was when he met his knight in shining armor, Kara, who he admired and dubbed "Supergirl". She successfully incapacitated the duo without hurting them and turned them into the police.

"Hey, sexy," a voice interrupted her from her reverie. She looked up from mopping the hallway floor, scrutinizing the male student that had addressed her.

He winked, "You should grip the shaft tighter and move faster."

Kara rolled her eyes.

The student continued his way down the hall with his group of friends and karma suddenly caused him to slip on the floor. He was clearly exasperated and channeled his anger towards the new janitor, "The hell? Do better with this shitty job of yours!"

Before Kara could respond, a familiar voice beat her to it, "There's a wet floor sign right here. Do you not know how to read? Or perhaps you should get your eyes checked."

She perked her ears at the source of the sassy remark and from the corner of her eye, she noticed that Lucy was approaching the scene.

"Listen here, bitch!" the student yelled, ignoring the brunette and stalking towards Kara, "My parents will fucking sue you and you'll be a poor ass ho and owe money for the rest of your life!"

Here we go...

The blonde stifled a chuckle at the threat, and Lucy continued mocking him, "Oh no! Yet another cocky, privileged student who hasn't worked a second in his life is going to tattle to his parents and threaten to sue yet another one of the staff members!"

At this point Kara was really struggling to hold back in her laughter.

"Fight me, cunt!" he shouted, shoving Lucy.

She slid backwards from the force and huffed, "I'm so dearly sorry that I hurt your poor ego, so I'm not going to waste my time fighting you, kiddo."

"We're the same goddamn age, slut!"

"Really?" Lucy gasped, her hand moved to cover her gaping mouth, "Sure doesn't seem like it. What happened to you as a child? Did your parents give you forty-two presents this year when you got forty-four gifts last year? Did your fourteenth babysitter quit because you couldn't stop shitting in your tighty whities even though you were eleven?"

Now his group of friends were silently snickering.

By this time the boy was fuming, the rage giving his face a bright red hue, "I said fight me, whore!"

He swung his arm in a messy punch, which Lucy effortlessly dodged. She continued to evade his sloppy attacks and yawned, "I don't recommend starting a fight, especially on a wet floor. Now if you don't mind, this woman would really like to get back to work. You know...her job."

The student halted his relentless offense and screamed, turning towards Kara, "Fine! You want to get back to your pathetic job?"

He grabbed his friends' lunches and slammed them onto the floor, which was followed by a protest from the group. The drinks pooled and the food mixed into a very unsightly concoction spanning a large area of the floor. They walked away.

Kara rolled her eyes and scoffed under her breath, "I'm really sick of dealing with whiny teenagers."

She bent down to scoop up the solids into the trash, then the brunette crouched down and chuckled, "Got another mop?"

The blonde looked up and was met with scintillating green eyes that just sparkled with intelligence and genuine kindness. Kara was at a loss for words, but thankfully her speechlessness was countered by Lucy's rich voice, "That was Thomas Elliot. Typical sheltered rich kid."

"Y-Yeah..." she only managed to squeak in reply.

"You know..." the brunette continued, smiling, helping scooping up the soiled foods, "I was looking forward to the day he'd be called out on his bullshit, bonus that it was me."

The blonde remained quiet and continued to trash the food.

Lucy's eyes softened and asked with a gentle voice, "Why do you just take it?"

Kara paused, "Take what?"

The student gestured her head towards the path Thomas stormed off, "The bullying I mean. Besides standing up for others, you don't stand up for yourself, you just nod and go about your day."

The blonde smiled thoughtfully, "I prefer to avoid confrontation..."

"Bullies always come back for more if you don't lay down the line. They count on their victims to do nothing."

Kara's sweet smile never faltered, "I can handle it."

Lucy frowned at the answer, "Just because you can handle it doesn't mean that you have to."

Kara chuckled quietly, "Thanks, Lucy. I appreciate it, really."

"You know my name?"

The blonde flushed, but her flustered look went unnoticed, and she decided to play it cool, "Uh, well...I mean...who hasn't heard of Lucy Lane? Talented dancer, projected valedictorian, most popular student..."

"Oh, really..." Lucy hid a rosy blush that filled her cheeks for some unknown reason, "Well, I know you too, Kara Danvers, and it's not because of the name tag."

"How..."

"Please, who in the student body hasn't heard about the hot new janitor that horny students just can't get enough of?"

"Ahem," Kara coughed sheepishly, shrugging, "I-I'm a maintenance worker, but...I guess that's technically the same thing."

Lucy was about to reply, but the bell rang and signaled the next class period.

The blonde beamed, "You should get to class."

"I don't mind helping. That guy was a total jerk."

"Don't worry about it," Kara laughed, "I wouldn't want your parents suing me for hindering your studies."

Lucy scoffed playfully, before gliding away, "How dare you put me down to that asshole's level?"

For the next few weeks the two exchanged friendly glances and occasionally participated in conversations whenever they were not busy. It was to the point where Kara's nervousness eventually dissipated. Several times she had overheard Lucy's group of friends chuckling, alternating their sly stares between the popular senior and Kara. The blonde was curious as she swore she saw Lucy's face redden a few times. This familiar scene reoccurred especially when Jimmy ceased to accompany the group a few weeks later. Kara had assumed the couple broke up, and it was later confirmed when she overheard them talking about how neither of them were truly happy with the relationship and decided to call it off; it was not a messy break up at all, they both seemed content with the choice and remained close friends.

Kara often went out of her way to peek at Lucy's senior showcase as she had finished choreography after spring break and was now auditioning. It was marvelous to put it simply, the blonde could hardly fathom the grace, finesse, and passion implemented within the dance, and often found herself hypnotized by Lucy's routine.

However, one day, Kara had noticed that the skilled dancer was looking particularly despondent, and after ages of internal convincing, decided to ask her about it.

Lucy sighed, "I just...the people I've auditioned...none of them meet my standards and I don't know if I'm just being a total bitch or if I'm just extremely anxious about presenting my performance to the judges."

The blonde had to admit, she did manage to slip into the auditions under the guise that she was cleaning, but really wanted an excuse to see her new close friend. She had witnessed mostly mediocre performances, which Lucy had the right to reject considering that her future was on the line.

"I'm sure you'll find someone perfect," Kara smiled, "Great things come to those who wait."

"I'm not one for patience to be honest," Lucy laughed bitterly.

"Well, I don't know if you want my input, but...I kind of thought Zatanna Zatara was pretty magical."

"She's...a bit eccentric. I think being a magician than a dancer would suit her far better."

"Pamela Isley?"

"She's weird and I don't want her poisonous plant fetish to come anywhere near me."

"Jerome Valeska?"

"Nope. His obsession with bats is a little...much."

"Harley Quinn?"

"She's bat-shit crazier than Jerome."

"Mary Seward?"

"She's creepy and always freaks me out."

"Are you passing on exquisite dancers just because of their personality?"

"The chemistry between the dancers must be perfect, and I thought that their performances were lacking as well."

"You know...I can help if you need me to."

The brunette quirked her brow at the suggestion, "You can dance?"

Kara nearly choked on her drink, but managed to overcome it with a few coughs, successfully avoiding a spit take, "I was thinking along the lines of recruiting more people to audition, but yes, I can dance. Think I should try out?"

Lucy seemed skeptical and hesitated what to say next.

To be honest, Kara was sort of hurt by the woman's doubt of her, "Well?"

"I mean...what's keeping you? I'm sorry that I'm cautious about this, but it's a really complicated dance and the choreography calls for some pretty complex moves."

Kara made a pouty face, "I'm kind of offended."

Lucy chuckled, "I'm just warning you, and I've never seen you dance either so there's obviously some room for speculation."

The blonde smirked, "I'm up for a challenge. Give me a week and I swear to you that it'll be solid."

Kara heaved in relief, her audition finally coming to an end.

"I..." Lucy was speechless, her jaw dropping, "I'm impressed, you did a spectacular job! How would you like to be my partner for my senior showcase?"

The blonde shuffled her feet nervously, "Can...Can staff members actually participate or..."

The Lane brushed it off, "I'll convince Director Grant. She may be an egotistical prima ballerina, but I think she'll let us with a little push in the right direction. Ahem, anyway, meet me at studio four every day around six to nine in the evening to polish and brush up on some things. I look forward to working with you."

Lucy winked.

Kara felt a blush rush into her cheeks and looked down, gulping.

It was definitely going to be tough not to fall even more in love with Lucy Lane the next few weeks.

Neither of them were expecting to actually change some of the sequences in the choreography to incorporate more modern styles; there were several jazz and hip-hop moves implemented, but perhaps the most challenging was the majestic lift towards the finale of the dance.

They had no problems with the recent changes after hours of backbreaking practice. Kara could understand Lucy's meticulousness though, as this performance determined pretty much her entire future in dance, so the footwork and the arm and head positions and pretty much the entire flow of the choreography had to be immaculate.

Kara could see the stress eating her friend up in the first few practices, and her goal was to diminish her worries, which was successful, as Lucy became more confident with the product. The only problem the blonde had was the close proximity and hand positions that some of their sequences called for, which always made her heart beat a million times faster.

The official performance was in a few months so they had plenty of time to continue perfecting their already perfect routine, so their practices became lax and were more of a way to hang out and socialize with one another.

They had especially spent more time than usual together today as by the time Lucy left with her friends and Kara started to walk home, it was already eleven at night.

The blonde shivered and her teeth chattered, and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her thin, rugged hoodie.

"Hey!" an angry voice called out to her.

She groaned, hoping it was not some sort of patrolman around the neighborhood looking for someone to bust.

It was worse.

Thomas Elliot and his two friends quickly approached and shoved her roughly against the brick walls of the apartment buildings.

"Not so tough now with that princess Lane bitch protecting you, huh?" he sneered.

Kara's thought to resist snapping back at him was completely tossed out the window when he insulted Lucy right in front of her, so she decided to spit in his face.

It was a mistake, but she was proud of it nonetheless.

He wiped his cheek, "Now you're asking for it!"

Thomas slugged her in the gut, the pain causing her to bend over.

She groaned and released the bile that made its way up her throat before his fist connected with her cheekbone. The force slammed her into the pavement, effectively disorienting her.

The boys decided that a split lip and bruised face was not enough to satisfy them, so they continued their beating. Ruthlessly kicking especially her torso for another good three minutes. Kara resorted to a tense fetal position to protect herself and absolutely refused to give them the satisfaction of her screams.

However, that was easier said than done once she heard an all too familiar crack, several of them, and cried out in pain.

The last hit delivered was a brutal kick to the side of her skull, then the footsteps hastily scattered away after Thomas laughed, "Now that princess's senior showcase is ruined and her dyke bitch is a pulp!"

Kara only saw bright white and there was a perpetual high-pitched ringing in her ears. After what felt like hours, she finally staggered upwards and stumbled the rest of the way to Winn's apartment complex, knocking on his door around twelve thirty at night.

The aperture swung open on the third knock and she was met with a yawning Winn trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. She apologized, "I'm so sorry to come over this late and not notifying you either..."

"No, no, it's fine, really," Winn groaned, then he registered Kara's physical state, "What the hell happened to you! Come in! We have to get you to the hospital!"

"Just some assholes that mugged me, and no hospitals, I hate medical bills and my parents are going to force me to leave Maryland and move back in with them..."

Winn looked frustrated, but knew better than to argue with his friend's stubbornness, "You're lucky I had a Grey's Anatomy phase. Get in here so I can patch you up."

"Dude!" Winn sounded worried, "You have a shit ton of bruises all over you! You probably cracked a few ribs, your sternum, your collar, maybe even your cheekbone. And look, you have a black eye and some veins in your eyeball popped; I'm pretty sure the white part isn't supposed to be neon red. Then there's internal bleeding around your stomach. Great. Again, a hospital is something to consider because I'm just a nerd that's bandaging you up."

Kara groaned, "No... Just let me sleep here for the night." The injured girl proceeded to stuff her face into the pillows of the couch and out came a muffled scream.

Winn rolled his eyes and switched off the lights in the cluttered living room.

"Hey, Kara!" Lucy greeted, "It's ten after six so you're a little late, but I'll let this one slide."

The brunette stuck her tongue out and continued, "What's with the cap by the way? And why're you wearing a sweater and joggers? It's, like, ninety degrees outside."

The blonde's prayers were answered as the dim lighting and the slight darkness outside were working in her favor, she just needed to get past this question, "Ummm...it just feels like a hat kind of day, you know? And I get cold easily..."

Lucy arched her brow and patted Kara's head, "Alright then, ready to rehearse?"

The injured girl winced and got into position. She was able to hide her limp and wounds at the expense of immense pain. They got through the routine smoothly, and Lucy had not noticed anything was wrong until the lift.

Kara successfully picked her partner up, but her arms shook and faltered, with Lucy falling right on top of her. The pressure of the weight further irritated her injuries, the pain making her dizzy. The blonde got on all fours and puked out stomach acid before falling over onto her side.

"Kara? Kara!" Lucy panicked and sat her partner against the wall, taking her hat off, she gasped, "What the hell happened to you!"

The brunette gently took the injured face into her hands.

Kara moved away, "I...I...fell..."

Lucy froze, then squinted her eyes, noticing that her friend was cradling her ribs, "Fell? 'Fell' my ass!"

"I'm...clumsy?"

"Klutzy enough to injure yourself in several places?" Lucy lifted up the sweatshirt and saw gauze around Kara's stomach, "That's it, we're taking your shirt off."

"W-What?"

Before she even had a chance to protest, her arms were already being removed from the sleeves. She groaned in pain.

Lucy's angrily worried eyes drooped, her voice sad, "S-Sorry."

When the article of clothing was finally removed, she saw that Kara's torso was completely covered in bandages. The brunette gently ran her fingers over her friend's ribs. She received a pained hiss in reply.

"These are so crudely wrapped!" she commented, "Did you even go to the hospital?"

The blonde smiled sheepishly.

"Kara, you didn't."

"Guilty as charged."

Lucy hoisted her friend up, and the blonde took a sharp intake of breath at the painful movement, "You're going to the hospital and then I'm going to kick Thomas's privileged ass."

"How'd you know it was Thomas?"

"Lucky guess, and you just answered it for me."

As they made their way down the hall and towards the exit, a group of boys were cackling.

"Speak of the devil," Lucy spat, "Wait here."

The brunette stalked towards the pack and shoved Thomas, "What the hell is wrong with you? You attacked my friend! I could have you arrested for assault you asshat!"

"You're really defending a lowlife like her? A worthless janitor?" he mocked.

The next second he was on the floor crying, covering his bruised cheek in pain. It was definitely going to swell over time.

"I don't mind punching your revolting face again," she seethed.

"Ms. Lane, as much as I enjoyed your little scuffle with those boys, that action was highly uncalled for and is in discussion for a possible suspension."

"Did you even see what they did to Kara, Director Grant?"

"As much as I want to rid that spoiled brat from this school... No, I haven't, and in fact, there's no evidence to prove your claim, so you can't press charges. You're lucky I'm not expelling you or putting a stop to your senior showcase; I even let a staff member be your partner. We're already gladly paying for Ms. Danver's hospital bills too."

A knock on the door sounded and Winn's nervous voice interrupted the conversation, "Uh, actually, Director Grant...I, um, I actually have evidence from the security footage last night, so she and I...we'd really like to press some charges..."

"You got Thomas Elliot arrested?" Kara incredulously asked, her surprise causing her to surge up from her hospital bed.

"And your medical bills are already taken care of," Winn nodded ecstatically before leaving for his shift, "So take it easy."

The blonde noticed Lucy's scrunched eyebrows and apologized, "I'm sorry for not telling you, but I'll get better as fast as I can so I can help you with your dance."

"No," the brunette argued, "You're totally beaten up and I don't want my friend sustaining anymore wounds."

"But," Kara protested.

"No 'but's, you're going to focus on your recovery whether you like it or not."

"Your senior showcase though..."

"Doesn't matter to me anymore."

"Yes it does," the blonde's face fell, "It matters to you, and what's important to you is important to me."

Lucy's expression took on a gentle demeanor, almost somber, "Kara, your dedication to our friendship can't be explained with words, but my answer is still no, end of discussion."

"I wasn't asking a question," Kara said adamantly, "You might be renowned for your stubbornness, but you certainly don't know how persistent I can be."

Lucy's eyes narrowed, "Maybe I have met my match, but in the meantime you're probably going to get really sick of me because I'm going to use all of my spare time visiting you."

The blonde pretended to feel annoyed, but really, she was content with the small brunette wanting to spend the next few months with her through the recovery.

A few days before the show, Kara made close to a full recovery, and astonished the doctor as to how fast she healed, which was due to her intense participation in physical therapy and the general responsibility she held over her health.

Lucy was relieved, not because her perfect partner was able to perform, but because one of her closest friends was almost physically healed. Of course, she would have preferred for the bouncy blonde to make a full recovery, but Kara did her best and would not stop annoying her about the showcase.

The brunette caught sight of her partner resting on the school's front lawn against a bulky tree, and told her group of friends she'd catch up with them later, followed by their giggling and winking reactions. Lucy ignored them and bounded off, skipping to Kara's side.

"Hey."

The blonde looked up and squinted her eyes as the sun glared just behind Lucy's head, "Hey."

"Nervous?"

"Me? Not really," Kara smiled, "But you might be, it's your showcase after all, and I'm just a measly janitor."

Lucy playfully slapped her friend's arm, "Not true!"

"That you're nervous or that I'm a measly janitor?"

"The latter."

"Awww, thanks," Kara gushed, tilting her head and resting it on the brunette's shoulder, "That means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me..."

She trailed off and assumed that Lucy was unable to hear the last sentence as she heard a voice ask, "Pardon?"

"Er, uh, nothing. I just said that it means a lot to me."

The brunette squeezed Kara's face closer to her own and gave her a peck on the cheek, "You mean a lot to me too, Supergirl."

The blonde's face was unimaginably red, "H-How do you know that nickname..."

"Winn and I spent a lot of time worrying about you, and some other things might've spilled out while we talked."

Lucy momentarily reminisced about her conversation with the hobbit.

"You like her, don't you?" he squealed quietly.

"W-What's with the accusation?"

"Oh don't play dumb with me," Winn scoffed, "Unless...unless you don't even know that you're actually in love with Kara Danvers."

"I..." Lucy's sentence faltered, "I guess I am..."

"What'd he say about me?" the blonde covered her eyes, the tips of her ears were red with embarrassment.

"Actually, not much," Lucy chuckled, "It was me that wouldn't stop talking to be honest..."

"About what?"

Clearly Kara did not get the memo, so the brunette took advantage of her adorable confusion and leaned closer to plant a soft kiss upon her lips.

Their mouths lingered against one another for what seemed like eternity, but it was not enough for either of them as Lucy was the first to break the kiss. Kara's reaction was priceless as the blonde's eyelids were fluttering and she heaved a great sigh, "Wow..."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, "Wow..."

Then they met each other halfway for another sweet kiss.

Notes: Constructive criticism appreciated.