Chapter 7
Lena may have been soaked to her bone, shivering in her clothes that stuck tight to her frame, but maybe that was why she could practically feel the heat that was radiating off Kara’s face. Lena didn’t mean to make her blush so furiously, as a matter of fact, she didn’t think her words carried that kind of weight at all. Perhaps I’m giving myself too much credit, she thought to herself. Afterall, Kara did sputter out a fairly embarrassing statement. That alone would certainly be enough to make herself blush.
Kara took Lena by the hand, and led her up a staircase. They went down the hall to the last door, where Kara shuffled Lena inside with almost a mother-like nature (not that Lena would know how real moms treat their daughters.) Kara stationed Lena and went into the corner of her room where her dresser was, shuffling through several drawers until she held up what she was looking for. A pair of sweatpants.
“Ha, found them! Take off your pan-” Kara decidedly stopped herself from finishing the rest of her sentence. “I mean, I can turn around or something. The bathroom is right down the hallway. Or maybe I can take off my pants too, then it wouldn’t be as awkward.” Lena just stared at her. “You’re right, that would definitely be a lot more awkward. Please just take the pants. And also this shirt. It’s my favorite.” Lena let Kara ramble on, because it wasn’t exactly awkward, and Lena could tell that she was trying, and trying is more than most people ever did for Lena. She grabbed the clothes from Kara.
“I’ll be right back” Lena said. She was answered by a soft, sheepish, smile.
She found the bathroom easily. She slipped inside and shut the door, and laid out the clothes that Kara had given her on the countertop. The sweatpants read “Hufflepuff” down the side, and Lena couldn’t help but snort. Of course she knew of Harry Potter, and the fact that Kara would dub herself as a Hufflepuff made all too much sense to Lena. She had only known her for a short time, but Kara had expressed more compassion than Lena had really received in her lifetime. Lena wanted to get out of her soaked clothes as quickly as possible, but she struggled more than she would like to admit with getting her jeans off (wet jeans should be considered a safety hazard.) Safety hazard indeed, because whilst attempting to strip her pants off her legs, she fell. And not like a ‘whoops silly me’ but like a ‘flat on your face smash your nose and say goodbye to your teeth’ kind of fall. The impact certainly dazed her, and it must’ve also made an impressive thud, because the next thing she knew, Kara was in the bathroom, taking in the scene that was Lena face first on the floor with wet jeans around her ankles (and honestly she wouldn’t be surprised if blood was pooling around her head.) For the second time in one day, Lena made Kara scream (is that an accomplishment?).
“Oh my god Lena! Are you dead?”
“No” Lena groaned from the floor. It was either the floor, the blood, or the swollen lips muffling her response, or more likely a mixture of all three.
“I’ve never had this happen to me before. Lena what do I do?” Kara was definitely panicking in a situation that definitely didn’t call for this much panic.
A little bit spent from the experience, Lena’s would be sarcastic reply was replaced with a tentative request.
“Could you help me up, please.”
“Y-yea. Duh. Of course. Currently helping you up,” which wasn’t exactly false, as Kara gently rolled Lena over and gathered her entire body into her arms. Which were surprisingly strong (did she work out or something? Damn.) Kara carried her back into her bedroom seemingly easily, as if Lena weighed no more than a toddler.
“Kara, you didn’t tell me you were a professional body builder.” Through fat lips and a blood clotted nose, Lena managed to make the remark.
“O-oh, these-” Kara pointed at her arms, “yeah, no. It must be genetics or something. Not that I would know. I’m actually adopted.” She chuckled nervously, probably fearing that she had revealed to much in one go.
Lena was actually pleased, in a way.
“You’re adopted?” She noticed how Kara’s head ducked (almost shamefully, or maybe sorrowfully?) and Lena quickly added; “I’m adopted too, you know.” Kara looked up curiously, but she didn’t make any inquiries. Instead, she crawled on to the bed, approaching Lena agonizingly slow, with (what Lena wanted to call it) an almost dangerous look on her face. She thought Kara would stop, but she didn’t, not until she was but inches away from her face.
“Lena, you’ve got blood everywhere,” she said, dabbing at Lena’s bloodied face with a wet cloth. It was undeniably soothing, and she made no qualms. Even through her stuffed nose, she could easily distinguish Kara’s familiar scent. It smelled like home. Like warm pie, with whipped cream and cinnamon, and it was oddly endearing, and once again, Lena found Kara approaching Lena’s face with her own face until she wasn’t approaching anymore (like Kara had suddenly realized something. What could’ve crossed her mind?) Her thoughts were racing, and Lena didn’t mean for them to, but growing up the way she did, she had to learn to analyze all the possibilities. As she felt that she was coming to a conclusion, a conclusion that was almost foreign to her brain, (but nonetheless fitting for the events happening (and now that she was thinking about it, events prior to this,)) Kara interrupted her mind.
“Hey, do you like pot stickers? Cause I was gonna order some, if you wanted.” Lena almost sighed internally. Of course it was food on Kara’s mind, and not anything else. Despite the fact that she had Kara’s friendship, and several others, Lena sometimes wanted more.
She remembered the way Lex used to make her feel when he wasn’t in such a terrible place. She just wanted to feel that again.
But perhaps for now, with Kara inches away from her face, eagerly awaiting Lena’s answer like a loyal puppy, perhaps for now, with a budding friendship and pot stickers and Kara’s warm scent tickling her nose, perhaps for now, this was enough.
And despite the fact that she smashed herself into Kara’s floor the first time visiting, despite the fact that Lex maybe wasn’t feeling too great about his situation, despite the fact that Lena was still slightly cold from her wet jeans that were still pulled only halfway down her legs...speaking of which…
“I love pot stickers, but we only order them on one condition; for God’s sake Kara Danvers, take my pants off.”
The rate of which Kara’s face grew red was almost exponential.
Oh yes. Despite all the downs in Lena Luthor’s life, she could definitely live with this.