It had been six months since Lena had shot Lex; six long months since she found out that the woman sitting next to her on the couch was lying to her about running around in a cape as a second occupation.
Lena wouldn’t lie, she was pissed when she found out. The elevated emotions from killing her brother, for the sole purpose that he would hurt her friends if she didn’t kill him, the friends that had been lying to her about the identity of Supergirl. It was all ridiculous. It took her a solid month of fuming, carefully watching all of them, especially the blonde, for her to realize that they weren’t hiding everything for malicious reasons.
She had been beyond stressed since Lex tried to take over the world, again. So many questions and concerns at LCorp and CatCo. It was difficult and resulted in little sleep for Lena and even littler time for her friends, or rather Kara. Lena was determined to keep the blonde close so that she could analyze their interactions upon further inspection and it took for Kara to have a particularly hard day as Supergirl that Lena truly understood why the blonde hadn’t told her.
It was the evening after an alien got loose from the DEO and Alex was injured in the escape, that an entire day of trying to wrangle this creature back to it’s cage that Lena saw how defeated that Kara felt for not being there to protect her sister. It took a large amount of food, massive couch cuddles, the Wizard of Oz, and Lena telling her that she wasn’t there when it happened so she couldn’t have helped Alex (Lena will admit that she was petering the line for revealing Kara’s identity, especially when she wasn’t listening to reason), that Kara finally slumped against her resigning her argument and deciding Lena was the best pillow her apartment had. Lena could easily see that she needed Lena to be distant from the situation, and for her to be safe too, so many of Kara’s human friends risked themselves helping her one way or another and Kara didn’t need someone else to worry over.
Being a Luthor came with its own amount of risk, but Lex being gone took that down a significant amount. To the point where Lena asked Jess to make a board saying “X days since last assassination attempt,” but the stern look that Lena received made her scurry back to her office and remain quiet for the rest of the day. When Kara came in at lunch, Lena was coming back from a meeting to see the blonde and Jess talking and Kara’s frown told her that Jess spilled the beans on her earlier request. Lena had to give credit to Kara, she didn’t bring it up during their lunch or anytime since.
It was nights in Kara’s apartment over the months that Lena decided she would keep her knowledge of Kara’s identity secret, even from the blonde herself, if that’s what Kara needed from her. Kara never asked anything of anyone, and if she did, it was with a lot of returned favors that over extended the balance of returning. That’s just who Kara was though, and Lena couldn’t help but love her friend more for it.
So, Lena resolved herself to helping protect Super and her friends, their friends (Lena was working on it), and also be there for Kara whenever she needed it even if it was as a source for an article she was writing.
This is how Lena ended up in the blonde’s apartment every couple of nights, so that she could support her best friend, even if she was selfishly getting some much needed companionship as well.
The episode of whatever show Kara had on ended and it popped up asking if they wanted to continue watching, Kara leaned forward to grab the remote and Lena took it as an excuse to hop up and grab something to drink. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Hmmm, water please!”
Lena grabbed two bottles of water and turned around to see the sight of Kara stretched out onto the couch with a blanket covering her, Lena couldn’t help but pause and watch the adorable mess that was now half asleep taking up her spot on the couch.
The door to the apartment thrown open roused Lena from her daze, Lena glared at the offending object pissed that it woke the Super as well.
But then in walked the viper, the witch, the devil herself. Matron of her family, Lillian.
“You.”
Lena watched Lillian begin stepping closer to the couch, Kara standing now. Lillian hadn’t even noticed that she was there yet. Determined to stop whatever threat was going to happen, Lena dropped the bottles and stepped in between the women. “Mother, what are you doing here?”
Lillian froze at noticing Lena’s presence, especially since she hadn’t until the younger Luthor stepped in front of Kara. “Well hello dear, I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
“At my best friend's apartment? Of course I spend time here.” Lena crossed her arms in front of her, weight distributing onto one side.
Lillian scoffs, “well then of course she still hasn’t found the courage to tell you then. She was too busy killing your brother.” Lillian’s eyes passed Lena to the blonde.
Lena raises an eyebrow, deciding how to proceed. Lillian already outed Kara as Supergirl and Lena didn’t fight it, why when this obviously was going a completely different direction. “Now mother, you can’t just go barging into people’s home accusing anyone without proof.”
“Proof? Daughter, he fell from the sky after battling with that alien, did you not see the news?”
“No, I didn’t, I was busy.”
“Well you’ll be able to witness this,” as Lillian pulls out a lead box and opens it to show a long kryptonite shard.
Lena took a step towards the glowing green rock, trying to separate it from Kara even more somehow. She heard a gasp from behind her but didn’t dare turn around. “Mother, put that away.”
“No, she’s going to die for what she did to Lex.” Lillian brings the shard up in front of her, “move aside, Lena.”
Lena decides then and there that she will do everything she can to save her friend. Especially from this woman and everything their last name stands for. She steps forward again, bringing the kryptonite up to her throat, “well if you’re wanting justice for Lex’s murder, then you can use a regular old steak knife over in the kitchen.”
A questioning look crosses Lillian’s face.
“I killed Lex.”
“Don’t cover for that alien. How can you even stand there defending her after all the years she lied to you?”
“Probably for the same reason you didn’t tell me, fear. You were afraid I’d turn against the family completely once I found out who she was.”
“It crossed my mind, but I figured it would make you hate them just as much as we do.”
Lena smirked, “crossed your mind enough to let it play out without your pawns in play. I’ve been using that method, except I always have my queen on defense.” Lena takes yet another step toward the green rock pointing at her.
Lillian looks down at the kryptonite and back up at Lena. Shock rippling her face.
“So mother, now it’s your choice. If you want Supergirl, you’re going to have to go through me.”
“You’d really side with them? Over your own family.”
Lena laughs, she can’t help it, “really? I’ve been siding with them over you and Lex for years now. And family? They’ve been more family than you ever were.”
“All we ever did was try to give you everything: the best education that money could buy and a loving home.”
Venom laced Lena’s voice, “there was nothing loving about that mansion except Lex! When father died, even that turned sour. The only love that I’ve ever had since my birth mother has come from this alien that you hate so much.”
Lena didn’t even realize that she had pressed forward into the tip of the kryptonite shard until Lillian pulled it back, her eyes ablaze as she saw blood coating the tip.
Lena presses on, ignoring the fact that her blood is what’s not dripping down the rock, “so, as I stated before, if you want to come after the woman that I love, you’re going to have to go through me.”
Lillian’s eyes darted between Lena and where Lena figures Kara is located, Lena’s heart was beating so fast, but she made sure to keep her features unwavering.
“Very well. If this is your fate, enjoy it before you’re too late.” Lowering the kryptonite to her side, Lillian turns and walks out the still open door. Heels clicking as she disappears down the hall.
Lena doesn’t even notice Kara’s blocking her vision of the door until her hand comes up to Lena’s neck.
“You’re still bleeding.”
Lena turns away, going over to the couch to sit down, “I’m fine.”
Kara slowly kneels in front of Lena, looking down at the ground. “How long have you known?”
“After I shot Lex, he told me and then showed me some video footage he had compiled.” Lena laid her hands on her knees, clasping them together.
“Why did you say anything?” Kara whispered this time.
Lena sighed, “I came to the conclusion that you needed me not to know, that you needed someone to unwind with, so I just did my best to also protect it for you.”
“Thank you, Lena. I thought you’d be so angry at me and here you’ve been trying to help.” Kara chuckled softly. “Then what you did tonight, she would have killed me if you hadn't been here and done that. I’m sorry she hurt you.”
“I’ll be fine, it’s just a little cut. I didn’t even feel it until she pulled it back and showed the blood. I don’t like that she knows where you live though. I’d rather her randomly pop in at my apartment than at yours.”
“You know that she can kill you too right?”
Lena scoffed, “she can’t. She feels guilty for how I was raised. She does have some humanity left somehow. I milk it in desperate times like tonight.”
Kara couldn’t help but laugh, then the room got quiet, “I don’t like seeing you in danger like that, if anything ever happened to you because of me.”
“Kara, you literally save people’s lives everyday, mine too, I’m not just going to stand there and watch her kill you for something that I did.”
“I didn’t actually realize she had kryptonite until you made the comment about using a knife instead, you kept her back far enough I couldn’t feel its effects.”
That was Lena’s intention but she’s glad it actually worked, “Good, I was hoping to keep her far enough away that you could run if needed.”
Kara scoffed then raised her hand to lay on top of Lena’s, “I wasn’t leaving you alone with her.”
“Well I figured you’d get help if we needed it since you’d be paralyzed once the kryptonite hit you.”
“I wasn’t even thinking that far ahead honestly, it was hard enough to focus on the conversation when she could have hurt you.”
Lena squeezed their joined hands, “well it’s very lucky that I know how to talk my way out of situations. Even though I didn't intend to tell her so many personal things. I’ll pay for that in our next encounter I’m sure.”
Kara looked down at their hands, taking a deep breath, “so, I don’t know if I’m reading too much into this, but you told Lillian that you loved me. And the way that you said it made it sound more than platonic.”
“The office full of flowers really didn’t give you a hint of my affection for you did it?”
A shocked expression spread across Kara’s face, “oh Rao, Alex was right.” She brings her hand up to adjust her glasses.
“Alex guessed it and not you? She’s just as oblivious.” Lena laughed. Alex was just as much of a gay mess as Kara was.
“We had just met! I’m horrible at social cues!”
“I know, darling.”
“But why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Well by the time that I figured out that you didn’t catch on to all my flirting, I just figured we were destined to just be friends. You had your secret and I had mine. We were both horrible at keeping them, but somehow we skimmed by.”
Lena looked up into Kara’s eyes, wonder and hope filled them.
“Well, I am thrilled to know your secret Ms. Luthor because I’m in love with you as well.”
“Really?”Lena had always hoped but she really wasn’t sure if Kara liked her the same way.
“Yes, of course I do. When I’m around you, I feel energized like I’m under the yellow sun, like I can do anything.”
Lena pulls their joined hands so that Kara stands and sits next to her on the couch, “I feel stronger when you’re by my side too, whether you’re Supergirl or Kara Danvers, you’ve always helped me when I needed you most.”
Kara’s eyes shine brightly, “el mayarah.”
“What does that mean?”
Kara leans forward and rests their foreheads together, “it’s my family motto, it means stronger together.”
Lena laughs, “that’s incredibly suiting for us actually.”
“It really is.”
Lena pulls away so she can look the blonde in her deep blue eyes, “so, since my previous attempts weren’t bold enough. Would you do me the honor of taking you on a date?”
A smile spread across Kara’s face, “I would love that, Lena.”
“Great, I can’t wait.”