Lena could've taken a 100 level course for her elective but she would bore if not challenged. She positioned herself at the the front of the rows with her laptop opened to Onenote and primed to record.

She didn't care for making one semester friendships and made no pretence in joining the small talk that happened around her. It didn't mean it stung any less when she heard murmurs of 'ice witch' and 'frigid'. The student populace recognized Luthor traits and she won't make the effort to disenchant them of their beliefs.

She just steeled her heart.

The room was tight; the chairs crammed so close that people had issues making their way in. It was always overcrowded on the first couple of days but after finding out the actual work load in a class like this, most students inevitably scuttled out.

One particular train wreck nearly fell head over heels onto Lena from the step above. Lena caught the other woman by the elbow and was rewarded with a saccharine smile. "Oh gosh, thank you!"

The woman fiddled with her glasses nervously and eyed where Lena's hand still rested on her elbow.

"Excuse me." Lena retracted her hand with decorum she failed to feel and blushed that perhaps the bright sunshine of a woman would join her in the front.

"Well, I should be the one that is excused, so sorry and thanks again."

"I'm Lena." It was unusual for her to be so forward, there was no reason to greet this stranger.

"Oh right!" The woman fumbled her things onto the desk next to Lena.

Lena found herself pleased beyond reason.

The woman grinned back and even as Lena felt something thaw the other woman had already rushed to stand behind the podium. "Dr. Benanti has asked for me to take over for the term, I find Dr. Danvers to be kind of formal so you can call me Kara but if that is too informal you can call me professor, whichever you prefer."

…...

"She sparkles." Lena sighed as she turned back to the previous page of her textbook; it was the third time she had to reread the paragraph.

"Like a vampire?" Jess sat across from her, buttoned up and flawless in her law student attire, the clock neared 9pm.

They would both rather be in something comfier but Lena had been prickly today which resulted in this bizarre wardrobe standoff, neither wanting to be at ease or be the first to break the silence.

Thank god Lena caved.

"No, not like a vampire, we're in our twenties not our tweens." Lena raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "She's a child prodigy, has a PhD in astrophysics and bimolecular engineering."

"Aren't you taking her Advanced Clinical Neuropsychology class, how is she qualified to teach that?"

"Child. Prodigy."

"You have a thing for her." Jess stated before gratefully shrugging out of her blazer. She started the kettle, it was going to be either a long night or a looong night.

"Who wouldn't, she's barely thirty and has all her shit together."

"We both have our shit together; we are barely at our quarter centennial." Jess handed Lena a cup with a rooibos teabag and half a spoon of honey.

"Thank you, she's a professor."

"She's successful, young and smart, isn't that your entire kink, if she praises you, you'll probably implode."