blind without them

The sun glistens on the ocean waves, blinding Lena temporarily as the reflection catches her in the eyes. She pulls down the sunshade and glances over to the passenger seat where Kara sits. She’s got her knees pulled to her chest, sunglasses replacing her usual lenses, and a bag of salt and vinegar chips in one hand.

“THERE THERE THERE!”

Chips go flying as Kara lunges forward against the seatbelt and points frantically to an empty parking spot vacated just seconds earlier by another car.

“I see it, I see it!” Lena responds, pulling in quickly to the parking space. “Do you have any quarters?”

Kara mutters a few words that sound vaguely like ‘maybe’ and ‘I’ll see’ and begins digging into her purse and pulling out everything but the needed coins. Lena watches as rogue sticks of gum, headphones, post its, and crumpled receipts pile up on the middle console.

“God, Kara, what happened in there?”

Kara ignores the question, her tongue sticking out in concentration when the sound of jingling coins becomes audible.

“Almost….got it!” Kara pulls out three quarters, a triumphant smile on her face.

Lena stares, clearly unimpressed, “Three? That’s it? All this-“ she gestures to the mess between them “-and you only have three quarters? Kara, that’ll get us, what, 45 minutes? At the most?”

Kara’s smile remains as she unbuckles the seatbelt and opens the door to get out of the car, “Lena, Lena, Lena, no one checks the meters. Everyone knows that. We’ll be fine. At least that’s what Alex always says.”

Lena raises her eyebrows, not yet ready to believe the justification, but willing to play along, “Alright. It’s your call, Danvers.”

The beach trip had been an accident. Why it was even brought up is still unclear, only that Kara had mentioned at dinner one night how she’d gone all the time with Alex but never gone in the water past her ankles. It’s just not right, she said. A mysterious and vast area mostly unknown and undiscovered. No thanks. Lena was appalled. Growing up in Metropolis, she had lived for summer outings to the Cape and afternoons spent surfing and boogie boarding. Though, she had admitted, it had been years since she’d seen the sun for more than just walking to and from her car. Kara, upon hearing this, had insisted that they go. A call interrupted Lena’s excuses as to why that wouldn’t work, but it was only to say that the next day’s meetings were cancelled due to severe weather in Central City and the investors weren’t able to make it. The couple had left the restaurant, excitedly anticipating their weekend adventure, yet slightly confused as to how it had come about so suddenly.

So here they were, fighting for parking spots and lathered in sunscreen, swim suits on and towels packed, ready for their impromptu day-at-the-beach.

Once they find a suitable spot on the sand, Lena sets down her bag and begins spreading out her towel. Beside her, Kara has already done the same and stands, her arms spread wide, basking in the glow of the mid-morning sun.

“I never get used to this sun,” she says, more to herself than to anyone else.

Lena comes over, pulling down one of Kara’s arms and gliding her hands down until their fingers intertwine. Kara looks over and smiles wide as she squeezes Lena’s hand.

“I need your help. I can’t reach my back,” Lena holds up the bottle of sunscreen. She turns around, removing the dress she’s wearing to reveal a dark purple bikini. Kara’s breath catches at the sight. It’s not like this is the first time she’s seen Lena Luthor in minimal clothing. It’s just…she’s just…so beautiful.

“You still there?” Lena calls over her shoulder. Her hands pull her hair away from her back to make it easier.

Kara nods, though she’s fully aware Lena can’t see her, “Oh! Yes! Sorry…sorry…”

A few minutes later, when Kara has finished, Lena turns around, “Shall I do you?” She takes the bottle from Kara, her eyes hooded and suggesting.

Kara’s eyes go slightly wider as she stutters, “H-here?? At the beach?”

Lena maintains her expression as long as she can, but it proves difficult. A smile slowly forms on her lips, and she closes her eyes in exasperation. With a quick kiss on Kara’s still slightly stunned cheek, Lena turns Kara around and helps to remove her t-shirt.

“Kara, darling, sunscreen. I mean sunscreen.”

“Right…right. Of course,” Kara turns around, her shirt in one hand. “I actually don’t need any, it’s fine.”

“Kara, you’ll burn. You’re almost as white as me.”

Kara waves this off and shifts her sunglasses, “Nah, I’ll be ok. More for you.”

Lena shrugs, tossing the bottle into her bag and settling herself on her towel. She pulls out a file of financial reports and begins shuffling through the papers, a pen caught between her teeth. Kara is still standing next to her, basking in the sunlight, like an overgrown puppy. Her hands rest on her hips and Lena can make out her toned shoulders and back. One of the mysteries of life, Lena sighs. Kara’s body. She eats terribly, never exercises, and still looks like the female equivalent of Tarzan. It’s disgusting.

Kara looks down on Lena and smiles. But at least she’s mine, Lena thinks, returning the smile. It doesn’t last, however, as Kara realizes what Lena is doing.

“WORK?!” she snatches the papers and shoves them back into the file folder. “Not acceptable, Miss Luthor. This is a VACATION.”

Lena doesn’t even try to stop her, instead pulling a giggling Kara down onto the towel, her lips finding Kara’s.

“Is this better?”

Kara smiles against her, “Much better.”

Lena rolls off of Kara, leaning on her elbows as she takes in the ocean in front of them. Kara flips over and mimics Lena’s position, resting her had on Lena’s shoulder. They stay like this for a few minutes, watching the seagulls flying overhead and listening to the sound of the pounding waves. Kara eventually shifts so that her head rests in her arms, followed by heavy breathing that tells Lena she’s fallen asleep.

A half-hour into the nap (and a few reviews of financial reports later), Kara rouses. She looks around groggily until she finds Lena.

“Hey!” she mumbles out sleepily, “I thought we’d agreed…vacation!”

Lena laughs and returns the paperwork to her bag, “I’m done, I’m done. Promise!” She stands, holding out a hand indicating that Kara should follow, “It’s time to do what we came here for.”

Kara rolls over onto her back, wiping at her eyes underneath the sunglasses, “You know, I’m pretty comfortable right here.”

“Kara.”

No response.

“Kara.”

Nothing.

“Kara Danvers-“Lena reaches down, picking up Kara underneath the armpits in an attempt to lift her to her feet, gritting her teeth “-I will carry you if I have to.” She stumbles under Kara’s weight, “My God, woman, you’re a bag of bricks.”

Kara, still unresponsive, plays dead-weight into Lena’s hands, causing Lena to slip under the extra pressure, her feet unable to gain any traction. She falls hard onto the sand.

“Kara!” Lena gives a soft punch to Kara’s arm, “Kara Danvers, we are going in the ocean whether you like it or not.”

Kara finally sits up to face Lena, who is staring her down, covered in sand. She leans forward, gives Lena a quick kiss before running towards the shoreline.

“Wait! Hey!” Lena struggles to find her balance and races to catch up with the sprinting Kara. She finally does when Kara stops as the water laps at her ankles. Lena skids past, her hand brushing Kara’s in an attempt to grab a hold of it. Her momentum carries her past, however, and she is forced to make her way back to where Kara stands.

“Come onnnnn!” Lena takes Kara’s hand and tugs gently. “One step at a time. There you go. And another. Another.”

Kara sighs, gingerly placing each foot, one in front of the other, in the water as the couple makes their way further out in the waves. She gasps as a wave hits at her stomach, the chill of the water not what she had expected.

“Lenaaaa-“ Kara calls out to her girlfriend, still within reach, but a few steps ahead “-don’t leave me!”

Lena turns around, laughing as she retreats back to where Kara has stopped her advance.

“I don’t understand. There’s…there’s things in there,” Kara wraps her arms around herself and gives a disdainful look towards the waters in front of her. “Why are we out here?”

Lena pulls Kara out further, “Because it’s fun!” She ducks underneath an oncoming wave, avoiding the force of it as it breaks on top of an unsuspecting Kara. She splutters, wiping the saltwater from her face, grateful that the sunglasses had stayed in place.

“This. Is not. Fun,” Kara spits out, having accidentally swallowed some ocean water, and unable to control her coughing.

Lena pops up from underneath, “Did you swallow…? Oh Kara, I’m sorry. If you go-“

Suddenly Kara screams, flinging herself into Lena’s arms, “SOMETHING TOUCHED ME. SOMETHING TOUCHED ME.”

Lena reaches down into the water, pulling a long strand of seaweed that had wrapped itself around Kara’s leg, “I got it, I got it. You’re safe.”

Kara flicks water at the seaweed as it floats away and mutters, “Good riddance.”

Lena, amused, allows the frightened blonde to cling to her as she half-walks half-swims even further away from the beach.

“I think here is good. We don’t need to go any further. A perfectly good place to stop. Lena. Lena Luthor, are you listening to me?” Kara rambles as she hangs onto Lena.

When she finally stops treading through the water, she turns to face Kara, who is still furrowing her eyebrows in disgust. Lena reaches up and rubs out the crease that has formed on Kara’s forehead. The blonde softens at the touch and manages a limp smile.

“This is why I love it so much,” Lena says as they bob slightly in the rolling waves. “It’s quiet. No Mother to ruin it. No paperwork.” She looks to Kara, “Just us.”

“I guess…I guess it’s not so bad,” Kara admits. “As long as-“

But she’s cut off by Lena suddenly exclaiming “LOOK OUT” before she disappears under water. Kara barely has time to register what is happening before a giant wave breaks right on top of her. She feels herself get rolled beneath the water, right-side-up becomes upside-down, water fills her ears, gets in her nose, in her mouth. It seems like it lasts forever until Kara is finally standing, her feet finding the sand at last. She’s been pushed forward by several feet and Lena is nowhere to be seen.

“I. HATE. The ocean.” Kara spits out the saltwater, hands on her knees, feeling herself nearly gag. She hasn’t felt this disoriented since she fought Reactron. And that was a doozy. The sound of splashing water causes Kara to turn around and she sees Lena quickly making her way towards her.

“Kara! Kara, oh Kara honey, I’m so so so so sorry,” Lena reaches her and pulls her into a hug, “I tried to warn you, but it was too late. I’m sorry.”

She pulls back to wipe the hair and seaweed from Kara’s face, “Are you ok?”

As Lena asks the question, her words slow and her fingers linger on Kara’s cheek, her thumb swiping softly over her eyebrow. The sunglasses Kara had been wearing are long gone, lost in the tumult of the wave.

Kara realizes what’s happened as Lena’s mouth forms a soft ‘O’.
Supergirl smiles sheepishly in response.
Nearly drowned and covered in seaweed.