Supergirl came out to the world in a way no one expected.
One day, Kara just snapped.
She wanted to make a stand with Lena Luthor, who dared to move her company across the country to welcome the newly legal alien immigrant population into the medical tech field.
Lena Luthor, who Kara had been following religiously in every scientific journal she could find her published works in.
Lena Luthor, who Kara had never met, but just felt deep in her bones was going to be crucial to her, somehow.
Alex, Clark, and James had all ganged up on Kara, holding an intervention of sorts, demanding that she not make contact with the adopted Luthor.
Kara felt like a child.
“I don’t want a secret identity,” Kara says suddenly.
“You all realize I’m older than Kal, right? I wasn’t unconscious the whole time I was in the Phantom Zone. I’ve seen shit you can’t imagine. I wasn’t a baby when Krypton exploded. I’m the last Kryptonian alive who remembers the culture. I play the happy, bumbling Kara Danvers human that you’re so desperate for me to be, and I turn on the Supergirl thing when it serves your needs. So when do I get to be Kara Zor-El, Head of the House of El? The youngest person to ever be inducted into the Science Guild, the girl who did calculus at three and the woman that speaks literally every language on Earth, the alien. When will I get to be her?”
Kara’s voice breaks, but she’s never felt steelier.
“I deserve respect. You’ve all forgotten who I am, or maybe you never knew me to begin with. When you get your heads out of your asses, let me know. I accept apologies in the form of pizzas. Plural.”
She doesn’t wait for a reply, she just takes off, not sure where she’s going.
Then an idea occurs to her, and she changes her flight path suddenly.
She lands outside L-Corp, attracting a few stares, which she ignores. She removes her glasses and lets down her hair.
People snap pictures as she walks, and she doesn’t bother to stop them.
“Hi, I’m Supergirl, can I speak with Lena Luthor? I understand if she’s busy,” Kara adds after the thought occurs to her. The man at the front desk stares at her in shock, looking her up and down.
“One moment!” he says excitedly, flipping to a laminated page in an open binder to his right. “I’ve never gotten to use this page!”
He clears his throat, assuming a more professional appearance.
“Hello, and welcome to L-Corp. Are you here for a current or future emergency?”
Kara shuffles her feet. Kinda weird to have a whole form devoted to you before you’ve ever been to a place.
“No?” she answers.
“Fantastic. Moving along, are you knowingly under the influence of red kryptonite, or any other substance that may cause feelings of anger towards any personnel of this company?” Kara shakes her head in answer.
“Great! I’ll let Jess know you’re on your way up, it’s been a pleasure Miss Supergirl,” he says professionally, unlocking a safe and removing a red and blue badge with Superman’s crest on it. It’s not the same as Supergirl’s, and it sours her mood slightly.
“How can you be absolutely certain it was her?” a voice is saying from the office that Kara is about to visit. She’s on the phone, presumably with the man from downstairs.
“Oh,” the woman says as the elevator doors open to show Kara in all her bashful glory.
The woman, who Kara assumes is Jess, hangs up the phone and stands to greet her.
The office door behind her opens, and Lena Luthor walks out, looking very much not like her photos online. They really don’t do her justice at all.
“Jess, who is this?” Lena says, eyeing Supergirl with apprehension. Considering how many assassination attempts she’s had on her life, Kara isn’t surprised at her reaction to a stranger in her space.
“Kara Zor-El,” Kara introduces herself, and for a moment, she thinks their conversation will end there, and security will be called.
Then Lena slowly walks towards her, heels clicking imperiously on the floor. Kara swallows slowly.
“That doesn’t sound like a human name,” Lena says, curiosity getting the better of her.
“It’s not,” Kara says, smiling at her now, glad to at least have made it past “hello” without getting thrown out.
“You seem far too chipper to be here to kill me, so what brings a beautiful blonde alien knocking at my door,” Lena asks, and Kara knows she’s not imagining the flirtation.
Kara squeaks nervously under the not unwelcome attention.
“I’d rather work with you, actually. It just occurred to me that I don’t have a resume that shows anything from before…Earth,” she gestures around at her vaguely. “But I would have been the youngest inductee in history into my home planet’s Science Guild. I did calculus at age three, though we used some different symbols, so I’d have to brush up on that -”
She stops herself. She’s going off track.
“Anyways, I can’t prove my credentials on paper, necessarily, unless there’s a testing process or something, but I’d still like to contribute to your medical advancements. I think you’re closer to curing cancer than anyone on Earth, well, you and Jack Spheer, but that’s a collaboration anyways, and I want to help,” Kara
Lena’s stance is stiff, crossing her arms and striding closer, looking Kara up and down very seriously. If Kara couldn’t hear her heartbeat, she’d swear the woman was taking this all in stride, but no, Lena is very weirded out. Or nervous. Her heart rate is high, but nothing in her demeanor echoes the anxiety.
Jess looks like she wants to burst, and Kara remembers that Lena still doesn’t know she’s a super anything, just a random alien.
Her stomach gives little flutters at the thought. She’s never been mistaken for just an alien before.
“I wouldn’t normally do this, Miss Zor-El, but I find you intriguing thus far. At the very least, I’d like to hear what observations you have on the more publicly known projects,” she narrows her eyes at the blonde. “Please don’t give me a reason to regret inviting you into my office. Jess, listen for any screams in case Miss Zor-El turns out to be a serial killer or an assassin,” Jess nods, too stunned to say anything.
For the moment, Kara still has her secret-not-secret.
Lena will likely know who she is as soon as Jess is able to send her a sneaky text, but for the next few minutes, Kara is free to relish being herself, free of any reputation or lies, or expectations.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I really, really need to relax before my next meeting, and this meeting is totally unannounced, so I’m afraid I don’t have the same capacity for civility as usual,” she says, removing her suit jacket and rolling up the sleeves of her green button down.
Kara grins warmly at the brunette. “Please, kick off your heels too if you want. I don’t know how you make it a full day in stilettos, I couldn’t,” Lena looks surprised but nods nonetheless, and the look of relief on her face as she loses at least four inches of height is worth the risk making the comment.
“So, Miss Zor-El, you want to talk science? What kind of science are we talking?” Lena pulls her feet under her in her desk chair, looking her age for once instead of being the ultra buttoned up CEO Kara knew from her press conferences. This Lena looks very much like a twenty-five year old with the weight of an entire company and family legacy on her shoulders.
“I think I could help with genetics. It wasn’t my focus back home, but my species was extremely advanced in that field. We were all bred in labs. I’ve partially reverse-engineered the breeding matrix, but I honestly need help, or ten more years to do it. I think it could be adapted to remove genetic illnesses from children, and potentially adults as well, but their bodies are less adaptable so we’d have to see…”
Lena is smiling at her when Kara finally stops talking and notices that she’s been monologuing.
“Color me intrigued, Miss Zor-El. And what capacity do you want to work for me in? What type of payment are you seeking?” there’s suspicion in the question. Kara knows Lena is looking for a catch. People claiming that they’re able to help cure cancer don’t just show up out of nowhere every day.
Kara doesn’t want to, but she knows she has to tell Lena now, or she’ll be actively hiding her intentions.
“I’m Supergirl, paragon of hope, girl of steel, all that crap. The government doesn’t pay me very well, and my food costs from expending my powers so often are astronomical. I’m barely breaking even. I don’t care what I’m paid, to be honest. Salary wasn’t a thing on Krypton and I hate the whole system of valuing ourselves and our time with numerical values. I just want to be able to eat as many calories as I need to without cutting into my rent money. Whatever you offer to pay me will almost definitely be better than what I’m getting now,” Kara just can’t keep her mouth shut today.
She’s opened the floodgates, and now the thoughts she’s been thinking since she got to Earth are coming out unfiltered. It might be helpful if she were still telling off Alex, but right now?
Right now, it’s just inconvenient.
Lena visibly goes through several emotions, settling on vaguely annoyed. Kara curses her lack of filter.
“You’re Supergirl,” Lena repeats, and Kara cringes. She really doesn’t like the moniker much anymore. Just another mark of how she’s been forced out of her Kryptonian culture for so long.
Lena looks around at her office, the piles of paper stacked messily around her, her stiletto heels discarded to the side of her desk. She blushes, and points down at herself in disbelief.
“You’re Supergirl, and you’re sitting in my office, asking for a job,” Lena asks, blinking confusedly at the blonde.
Kara can’t tell if a dumbstruck Lena is better than an annoyed one.
“Yes?” Kara says, not sure if it’s the right answer. She reaches up to fidget with glasses that aren’t there. Lena tracks the movement with apparent curiosity.
“How would this discussion go on Krypton? Did the government provide the housing?” Lena’s tone is conversational, but Kara can hear the barely restrained excitement under the question.
“For most, yes, but those who chose specialized careers usually lived in dwellings provided by their Guild. My parents chose to live in the Law District because my mother’s position was more lucrative than my father’s and came with a sauna,” Kara smiles at the memory. She’s never told anyone on Earth about that. No one ever asked. She sinks into her chair a bit more comfortably, and Lena tries to mimic her, but the curious energy is too obvious to let her casual stance be believable.
Kara would feel like a science experiment if the brunette didn’t look at her with such softness. Kara was used to being coveted for her abilities, to people wanting to own her. This felt different. For one, Lena seemed far more interested in Kara’s life as a Kryptonian than in her powers on Earth.
Just that was different enough by itself to set Kara’s heart racing. The pencil skirt and hint of cleavage peeking out of her silk dress shirt doesn’t help either.
“My lawyers may need assistance drawing up a new Kryptonian-style contract, but I don’t see why we can’t do things the Kryptonian way. L-Corp owns several buildings with adequate security for your needs and invests in various catering companies. I can set up a fund for your expenses rather than paying you a set amount every two weeks,” Lena tries to put her feet on the ground, attempting to be more professional, but only her toes are able to touch, diminishing the power of the pose.
Kara blushes crimson. This wasn’t a possibility that she’d considered.
“You’re serious?” she can’t allow herself to hope for this in earnest if Lena’s going to pull the rug from under her.
It’s too good to be true.
She could live as closely to the life she would have had back home if this is real.
She could feel Kryptonian.
Lena nods slowly, trying to assess Kara’s facial expression. “Just to be clear, you wouldn’t be strictly an employee. The only way this will work is if I’m not your boss. I need to be your partner when we enter the lab, you can’t be subordinate.”
Well, there goes Kara’s last brain cell.
She might be in love.
Alex is going to kill her.
“I’d love that,” Kara says, too softly at first. She clears her throat, embarrassed, and repeats herself so Lena can hear her.
Lena nods too quickly, too eagerly, and Kara feels immediately endeared.
But then Kara hears sounds outside the door. She tilts her head, listening for a brief second.
“Sounds like your lunch is here,” Kara says, a hint of regret in her voice. “I’ll give Jess my info on the way out?” she asks, knowing she’s taken up copious amounts of Lena’s valuable time already.
Jess knocks on the door in warning, entering a brief second later, eyes assessing the situation before speaking.
“Miss Luthor, your lunch,” her eyebrow arched in an impressive imitation of Lena’s favorite expression.
“I’m not feeling much like salad today, Jess,” Lena says blandly, humming lightly.
She stands, and Kara jumps to her feet in response, offering a hand as Lena steps back into her heels.
“Would you join me for lunch? There’s a cafe near her,” Lena asks calmly.
Her heartbeat betrays her. Kara grins, seeing straight through the well-constructed mask.
Lena Luthor likes her.
“You just want to find out how much a Kryptonian eats for a meal,” Kara responds teasingly.
Lena’s shoulders loosen as she laughs, and Jess stares at them both in wonder.
Jess recovers her professional mask quicker than Lena.
“Well, maybe a bit. For science, you know,” Lena can’t restrain the amusement in her eyes.
“I’ll call a car?” Jess asks.
“Thank you, Jess,” Lena responds, and that’s that.
____________________________________________________________________________
One day later, Kara receives an email invitation to an apartment showing less than two minutes from L-Corp. She does a quick internet search to confirm what she already knows.
There’s no way the rent for any place in that area is less than 10K a month.
Lena’s really taking this patron of the sciences thing seriously.
She adds the showing to her calendar and sends Lena a quick text before thinking better of it.
K: Did Jess send me that listing, or did you pick this place out? Happy either way, just curious who to thank 😊
L: Thank Jess always, but I may have suggested this place in particular.
Kara’s heart warms at the idea that Lena invested her own time into finding a place for Kara to fit into. Lena offered her a life, not just a job. She could finally stop caring about minutiae and focus on things that mattered.
Things like leveling up humanity’s technology massively. That’s why Kara chose her in the first place. For all her family’s flaws, Lena only ever seemed to use her privileges to better the world in penance for her legacy’s sins.
K: All praise to Jess, of course, but I’m definitely looking forward to it more now, if I’m honest.
K: If you want, come to the showing and tell me all the reasons you picked it.
K: You probably already have a pro-con list ready to go.
L: …
L: I’ll bring the list.
____________________________________________________________________________
“Lena!” Kara all but yelped, an embarrassing amount of excitement obvious in her voice.
Thankfully, Lena seems to like her dorkier moments, at least so far.
“It’s good to see you, Kara,” Lena says, and even though it’s a platitude, Kara feels like Lena means it.
“I’m glad we’ve moved past all the Miss stuff,” Kara says, and Lena nods happily.
She’s in a sweater dress that looks so soft it could have been made from a blanket.
Kara swallows down the urge to reach out and touch it, touch her.
Well, that’s new.
It’s not like Kara hasn’t had sexual thoughts before, but they’ve always been more…vague.
Definitely not directed like a spotlight on someone in specific. She’s never had a problem being around attractive people, but being near Lena? It’s a constant struggle to not lean in for a better breathful of that glorious scent of hers. Sometimes super-senses are inconvenient.
Kara wonders briefly if the scented oils on Lena’s skin change the way she tastes -
“Shall we? I’m honestly really excited to see what you think. It made it to my top three picks before I chose the place I have now,” Lena says, and Kara can hear the self-doubt in her voice.
She wants to impress Kara.
That does things to Kara, but she doesn’t know how to classify the feelings yet, so she just notes them for later dissection and moves on for now.
“Miss Luthor!” The real estate agent greets them with extreme excitement. He must be really well paid for that level of legitimate enthusiasm.
A few minutes later, Kara finds herself in the most beautiful apartment she’s ever seen.
It shouldn’t even classify as an apartment, in her view of the world.
It’s all windows, and Kara’s hands itch to set up her easel and capture the view from any part of the panoramic view.
Everything is light wood and white marble, dark golden touches here and there, giving it the feeling of being even more open than it already is.
The ceiling is high, and the bedroom is presumably somewhere further up, in the second floor loft. Again, it’s all open. There are no walls except around the bathrooms, and there are plants growing in hanging pots from every rafter, at different heights.
It all feels so alive.
Lena is watching her, and her hands are doing that nervous twitch thing that Kara noticed the last time they met.
“There’s a functional lab on the third floor with a helicopter pad attached as the main entrance. The place was built by an eccentric billionaire, of course, but I thought maybe the landing pad would suffice for you as well. The lab isn’t kitted out yet, I wanted your input on it before I made alterations, but I was thinking of making it into a Kryptonian Care Unit,” Lena rambles, bringing a radiant smile to Kara’s face.
“It’s perfect,” Kara says simply, not bothering to force herself back to the ground when she starts hovering.
Lena blushes up at her.
“Why would you choose anywhere else if you could live here?” Kara asks, and Lena chews her lip.
“Honestly, I chose strictly by how close the apartment was to my office. I didn’t bother to tour before purchase. I actually requested photos for this one before I had Jess send you the invite,” Lena looks self-conscious as she admits the last part.
“And you haven’t even seen the sauna yet!” the real estate agent chimes in, jarring Kara from her adoration of Lena. Honestly, she’d forgotten he was there.
“A sauna, you say?” Kara asks, appeasing the man while keeping her eyes glued to Lena, who looks away guiltily.
“Yes I did,” he grins, and Kara understands why Lena chose him. He’s honest in his excitement, even if he’s boring and slightly sleazy in general.
“That’s wonderful,” Kara says, “Now tell me about the kitchen. She didn’t know why she took the lead this way, other than the pleasant blush it invokes on Lena’s cheeks.
How did she ever get through so many press conferences?
Kara already knows the answer the moment she’s asked herself the question.
Lena wears a mask, like Kara when she puts on her red and blue livery and goes out to save the world.
Lena is who she needs to be in the moment, but sometimes she doesn’t know how to act, and like Kara, in those moments, she’s the most herself that she can be.
And Kara is uncharted territory, something so strange and so new that Lena can’t resist digging in.
Kara wonders when the novelty will wear off for the brunette. She’s not sure it will ever wear off for herself.
The man is talking, and Kara is nodding, but her attention, as always, is on Lena.
She’s trying so hard to maintain a professional image, but there are so many cracks in it now, and Kara’s not sure who she sees underneath.
It’s like Lena doesn’t know who she’s supposed to be either. Maybe they’re both wildly out of their depths and just trying to figure it out.
Then Kara’s brain catches up to what the agent is showing her. There’s a whole walk-in pantry the size of Kara’s current bedroom, except the shelves go all the way up. It’s a vertical walk-in. It’s ridiculous, something that would only ever make sense for someone who flies more than walks.
And to top it all off, it’s already stocked.
If Kara hadn’t been so adamant about sampling junk food from around the world, she wouldn’t have recognized a third of what the pantry contained.
The man below stared in awe as Kara hovered and then politely touched down next to Lena. He did his best to play it off, walking out to show them some other feature of the kitchen.
Kara stops Lena at the door with a smile. “You were really confident I’d say yes, you already had this place altered for me,” she points at the vertical walk-in. Lena blushes and looks away. Kara can’t resist smirking down at the usually confident CEO. “You totally lied about convenience, I’d bet you built the landing pad on the balcony, and that when I get up there, it’s going to conveniently be made of Nth metal.”
Lena bites her lip, a tell that Kara hasn’t seen yet. “Okay, yes, I admit I had a little too much fun designing this place with your needs in mind. If it’s too much, you can still back out and we can go write up a perfectly normal salaried contract with a very healthy wage and food stipend,” Lena says, and Kara sees the self-conscious woman putting herself out on a limb.
“Oh no, I am completely 100% down to live in Lena Luthor’s Kryptonian Dollhouse,” Kara says, and Lena chokes out a startled laugh. Kara smirks at her, floating a couple feet up to grab a handful of candy bars that she recognizes from Germany.
“New plan,” Kara says, and Lena watches her with rapt attention. “I already know I want to live here, and you already know the layout of this place better than he does, right?” Lena nods, a cautious smile growing on her face.
“You say whatever polite CEO thing you need to to make him go home, and then you spend the rest of the afternoon showing me the other things you designed or want to design,” Kara offers Lena a chocolate bar, keeping the other four for herself. Just a small snack.
Lena takes the chocolate, but her mind is making other calculations.
It only takes a second for her mind to catch up.
She leaves the pantry at a brisk pace, finding the real estate agent waiting at an appropriate distance to not eavesdrop. “Thank you for your time today, you can contact Jess for the final details,” he takes the dismissal for what it is and thanks her before winking knowingly at her and leaving without further conversation.
“Well that was easy,” Kara says from behind her, leaning casually against the counter, shoes already off, and a family size bag of Japanese wasabi popcorn in her hands now, the chocolate presumably eaten by now.
“So where are we going next?” The blonde is bubbling with excitement, and it’s infectious.
Lena takes Kara’s lead and kicks off her heels, depositing them next to the door.
“Next is the lab. It’s not complete, but I have plans, and I want your input,” Kara recognizes this version of Lena. This one makes sense to her.
This is the nerdy, curious Lena, the one that doesn’t need a mask, because she gets to be all about the science, and science doesn’t lie.
“As much as I love labs, I don’t know if you can top a vertical pantry. It’s like being on a tour of Wonka’s factory, minus the slave labor and child endangerment,” that elicits another laugh from Lena and all of this is starting to feel a lot easier.
____________________________________________________________________________
Kara lives in peace for a week and a half.
She’s in the middle of painting the banister that lines the stairs with curling vines, DNA sequences hidden in the patterns of the leaves.
You’d have to look hard to notice them, but it helps Kara to paint what she’s thinking about. It’s what she does when she has a problem to consider. She paints about it.
She’s never painted as often as she has in the past few days, thanks to the curious questions Lena posed to her about their genetic differences. The hours they spent in the past few days, Lena with a glass of wine in hand and snacks on hand to pass over to Kara as requested, watching Kara paint as they discussed whatever projects either one was working on.
Kara wondered if the conversations were as enriching to Lena as they were to her, but when the brunette returned sheepishly for a third night in a row, bottle of wine in one hand, a scientific journal in the other, Kara settled on a hopeful “probably”.
When her phone rang, she picked up instantly. Lena usually called about this time, asking what Kara would like for dinner.
They both liked their patterns, and were setting into them rapidly.
“Hey you,” Kara says warmly into the phone and she’s met with dead silence.
She pulls the phone back and looks at the name on the screen. Her stomach drops.
“Oh geez, Alex, hey sis!” She tries to recover, clumsily.
“Kara…who did you think I was?” Alex isn’t going to let it go. Kara groans into the phone, flopping dramatically down onto the couch.
She’s not going to get to paint for a while now.
“Lena,” Kara decides to rip the bandaid off.
Alex sounds like she’s choking.
“Oh my god, you didn’t. Kara, what the fuck,” Alex spits out, somewhere between enraged and confused.
“We’re collaborating on some medical tech. She helped me get an apartment,” in for a penny, in for a pound.
Alex doesn’t speak for a minute. A silent Alex is a dangerous Alex.
“Where are you, I’m coming to get you,” she says.
Kara bristles. “We talked about this, Alex. I’m an adult. Who I choose to ally with is my business. We need better boundaries. You’re not my boss, you’re my sister. You can visit my apartment and meet Lena when you can act like it,” Kara says firmly, like she’d rehearsed with the therapist Lena found for her.
She’d never considered finding an alien-specific therapist before, not that she could have afforded it previously.
Silence again. Counting in the background. A couple deep breaths.
“Okay, you’re right, and I apologize for how I act sometimes. You know my dysfunctions about taking care of you, but that doesn’t justify me taking them out on you. You’re not a kid, and sometimes I forget that. When I think you’re in danger, all I can remember is the kid who would cry when her ice cream fell on the concrete,” Alex says fondly, and it’s softer than Kara’s ever heard her be.
“To be fair, there was a lot more going on for me than just the ice cream, that was usually just the tipping point,” Kara says half-sarcastically.
“You were right about that part too. I spent so much time teaching you to fit in so you would be safe that I forget how hard it must be to pretend all the damn time. And I never gave you a safe place to be an alien. You had to find that on your own, and I’m sorry for that. I’m trying to be a better sister,” Alex says, and Kara wonders if she’s been seeing a therapist too.
They definitely all need one after the life they’ve led. Taking in an alien refugee who goes on to be Supergirl isn’t exactly easy for anyone involved.
“Thank you, Alex. I love you, and I’ll always be a Danvers because of you, and Eliza and Jeremiah too, but mostly you. But I’m also really excited for you to finally get to know who I was before, who I still am now. Kara Zor-El.”
Kara thinks she can hear Alex sniffle through the muffled receiver on her phone.
“I love you too. Kara Zor-El is my sister too, not just Kara Danvers, and don’t you forget it,” it’s Kara’s turn to cry now.
Within an hour, Alex is sitting on the couch beside her, eyes only vaguely puffy from their tearful reunion.
Once they’d gotten through the mushy part, they’d fallen into old patterns easily enough. Kara texted her the new address, and Alex brought pizza, though only enough to barely cover a snack for Kara, even if she was too nice to say it.
“This feels too good to be true, Kar,” Alex says cautiously, looking around with wonder at their surroundings.
Kara smiles at that. “It does, but the only catch is that I have to contribute to the scientific research Lena requests, within parameters I decided, which is pretty much like telling me that I HAVE to have dessert before dinner. We signed a translated version of the Kryptonian Science Guild contract that I translated myself. She’s followed through on everything she’s said so far, with no reason for me to suspect anything sideways. Trust me on this, about her,” Kara says pleadingly and Alex caves under the weight of blue puppy dog eyes.
“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll give her a chance, but if she ever hurts you, I reserve the right to personally arrest her. I’ll find a reason if I look hard enough. Jaywalking if I have to. Parking fines,” Alex snarks at Kara, and it gives Kara the reassurance she needs. A sassy Alex is a good Alex, much better than her silent self. Kara leaps at Alex, wrapping the shorter woman in a tight hug, more adept at conveying forgiveness this way than any other.
She’s hugging Alex when the door opens, and a stunned Lena begins apologizing for not knowing and backing out of the doorway.
In a rush of superspeed, Kara is at the door, Alex collapsing in a heap on the couch at the sudden change.
“Lena!” Kara says excitedly, pulling the brunette by hand into the apartment.
“So sorry for interrupting, I can just drop the food and come by another time -” Lena says, more purposefully this time.
Kara looks at her, confused. “Are you kidding? I’ve been expecting you anytime now! This is Alex, my sister. We made up,” Kara adds the last part in explanation of her extra-bouncy demeanor.
The apprehension drops from Lena’s face in an instant, and Kara wonders which part put her at ease.
“Oh, that’s wonderful, darling,” Lena catches herself on the last word, freezing almost imperceptibly at her own slip. She doesn’t know the parameters here, if Kara is comfortable showing how close they’re becoming to anyone else.
“I get it now,” Alex says to Kara, a knowing smirk on her face. She looks happy, like she’s found some last puzzle piece she’d been looking for.
“Pardon?” Lena asks, self-conscious.
“Nothing, you’ll figure it out later,” Alex says triumphantly, grinning at the two of them. “Kara, take your girlfriend’s bags. That must be fifty pounds of Chinese food. Lena, it’s nice to meet you,” Alex says.
Lena blushes furiously as she shakes Alex’s hand.
“Not my girlfriend, Alex,” Kara rolls her eyes at her sister, but takes the takeout bags in Lena’s hands nonetheless.
While Kara deposits the food in the kitchen, Alex turns to Lena expectantly.
“So, you’re my sister’s sugar daddy?” Alex asks.
“Alex!” Kara yells from the kitchen.
“Fine!” Alex yells back. “Trying again,” she says at a normal volume. “You’re my sister’s new science gal pal?”
“Better!” Kara yells.
“I prefer to call it a patronage, actually, but I suppose Science Gal Pals works too. The Greeks and Romans had a similar system in some instances, though the Kryptonian one is certainly a more modern take -” Lena rambles nervously.
“Chill, Luthor. I come in peace. Kara told me about the Kryptonian contract. If you ever hurt her, I’ll kill you, but so far it looks like you’re doing pretty good by her,” Alex gestures around at the apartment.
“It suits her, and I will be back to test the sun lamps in her training room. I’d prefer to never use Kryptonite on her again to have a fair fight,” Lena nods happily in agreement.
“We don’t know the long-term effects of kryptonite, even in small doses, so I don’t want it anywhere near her. Red sunlight is what she’s native to, though. I’ll happily send the blueprints to the DEO if you agree to let me inspect it before Kara uses it, and agree to not make any alterations without proper testing, conducted by my labs.” Lena falls more comfortably into negotiation than she does into conversation.
“I’d have to run it by J’onn but I think he’d leap at the opportunity. You’ll have a mountain of paperwork to sign to get clearance but it would be worth it,” Alex says, dead serious this time.
She’s protective of Kara. She was taught to be. Seeing someone else do so much to make the world a safer place for the woman who usually did the protecting? It made Alex happy to see. She still couldn’t trust Lena entirely, but that was the nature of her job, and her life.
This was a start, though.
“Can we be done with the serious talk now?” Kara whines as she enters, handing a glass of scotch to both women before sipping her own neon yellow concoction. Alien alcohol.
The good stuff.
Kara must be feeling celebratory, both women think, amused.
“We could have a game night! Ask Kelly if she wants to come over after work, and I’ll call Winn and James,” Kara looks hopefully up at Alex and Lena. Alex acts annoyed, but agrees immediately.
Lena finds herself nodding, almost in a trance, too taken away by Kara’s excitement to even consider denying her.
“Be prepared, Lena, you think you’ll become immune to the pout one day, but that day never comes. I swear it’s another superpower,” Alex warns gravely, and Lena laughs in surprise, if nothing else.
“I’ll have to run some tests to confirm, but I think you’re right,” Lena returns, lifting her glass to toast the redhead while Kara tells Winn the address over the phone.
____________________________________________________________________________
Hours later, Lena finds herself comfortably seated on the plush couch she’d picked out for Kara purely based on softness of fabric and squishiness of the cushions.
Kara is too close for her head to feel clear, leaning in periodically to get advice on a play. Lena didn’t grow up playing board games like the others, so she’d taken a backseat role to Kara’s gameplay, offering advice that so far, had led to Kara’s unanimous victory.
Monopoly was particularly devastating.
“That’s it, we’re being hustled,” Winn says, depositing the last of his paper money into Kara’s hand.
“I run a multi-billion dollar company, darling, did you think I’d give bad business advice?” Lena gestures to the piles of money sitting between her and Kara.
Kara stiffens beside her.
She wears a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
____________________________________________________________________________
“Kara?” Lena asks, and her voice is so small that it hurts Kara to hear.
She turns to the brunette, eyes wide, baring her emotions.
“What did I do wrong?” Lena asks, and Kara breaks a little bit. She didn’t expect Lena to notice her change of mood, much less be so affected by it, but of course Lena knew.
“It’s so stupid, I feel so dumb, it’s not your fault at all,” Kara stumbles through the phrases, stepping close to Lena to reassure her before she knows what she intends to say.
“You just, you -” Kara grasps for some way to say it without sounding absolutely ridiculous and comes up empty.
Lena looks up at her with sadness pooling in the greens and blues.
“You called Winn ‘darling’ and it really really really shouldn’t have bothered me, and I know that, but I just feel so stupid saying it out loud, oh my Rao, maybe kill me now?” Kara runs her hands over her face in frustration.
She’s not even a full month into this, whatever this is, and she’s ruining it for no reason.
Lena stares at her for a second before she takes a step closer. Kara holds her breath. Lena takes her hand.
“Oh darling, if that’s all, then I won’t call anyone else that. That one can be just for you?” Lena asks teasingly, but Kara knows she’s serious underneath, she’s been spending enough time with Lena to predict her moods accurately.
Kara preens, but she’s not totally satisfied. Lena raises an eyebrow, watching the Kryptonian carefully.
“You want something else, don’t you,” Lena smirks at the sheepish blonde. “I don’t know why you still get nervous asking at this point, I’ve literally never told you no,” Lena pats the blonde lovingly on the arm.
Kara shrugs, “I just wonder sometimes if you’re like this with a lot of people, or would be if you had better options.”
Lena rubs soothing circles into Kara’s hand, which she doesn’t remember reaching out to hold, but here they are, being too familiar yet again.
“Oh baby,” Lena says, and Kara freezes under her hand. Lena’s gone too far. She didn’t even mean to say it.
“That doesn’t sound like something you’d call Winn,” Kara says breathlessly, eyes wide.
Lena snorts, “No, I should think not. Is it something I’m allowed to call you?”
Kara’s nodding before she finishes the question.
“Um, yes, I think I would be very okay with that,” Kara says smugly.
Lena laughs at her antics. Even jealousy bordering on possessiveness is somehow cute on the blonde.
Lena’s always hated possessiveness, but on Kara it’s…different. Maybe because she doesn’t actually covet anything Lena has. She values the items, sure, but Lena knows deep down that it’s not the stuff that Kara likes. It’s the attention.
And Lena has never had someone want her attention in such a happy, mutually beneficial way.
Giving Kara so much attention has made her healthier, created a schedule in her life that requires her to leave the lab before midnight and eat actual meals throughout the day instead of living off coffee and protein bars.
“You’re the only one I’ve ever treated like this, just so you know. My accountants are baffled at your sudden access to my accounts,” Lena shares a conspiratory grin with Kara, the tension dissipating between them finally.
____________________________________________________________________________
Lena’s wrapping up another boring press conference when something hits her like a truck.
It comes out of nowhere, and she thinks that she’s going to die like this, under the force of something she can’t even see because it’s too close, choking her, pressing down with so much weight she can’t wrap her mind around it.
And then it’s gone, and air is being forcibly dragged into her lungs by the vacuum the pressure created.
“Lena!” a familiar voice calls out to her, but there’s another loud crash, and then darkness.
____________________________________________________________________________
When Lena wakes up, she’s in a familiar bed.
She’s watched movies in it, stayed up till three a.m. discussing quantum entanglement in it, even purchased every stitch of soft fabric adorning it, but she’s never slept in it.
Kara’s curled up in a ball at her side, only touching Lena’s right hand, which is wrapped lovingly between both of Kara’s.
“Kara?” Lena croaks out, voice rough from sleep.
Kara is up in an instant, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sits up, staring at Lena.
“Oh thank Rao, Alex said you were okay but I just worried so much,” Kara says in a rush, then lapses briefly into a Kryptonian prayer of thanks before settling comfortably into Lena’s side again, this time slightly closer.
“What happened?” Lena asks. First things first, snuggly Kryptonians second.
“Alien assassin. He was fast,” Kara says regretfully, and Lena knows she’s feeling guilty for not protecting her more quickly.
“You saved me, though. I didn’t even have time to figure out what was happening before you got him, you saved me darling,” Kara visibly melts, eyes watering slightly as she presses Lena’s hand to her face, like she needs to feel that Lena is okay.
“I’ll be faster next time though. I don’t like you being bruised. Nothing broke though. You were lucky. I don’t want you to have to be lucky to not be hurt,” Kara frowns, looking at Lena as if she’s everything.
Lena’s speechless. She’s never had someone care like this about her.
“You did so well, baby. You were so perfect, so good. I’m okay, feel my heartbeat, I’m okay, baby,” Lena brings Kara’s hand to her neck, wrapping Kara’s fingers around her pulsepoint so Kara can feel the steady thrum of her pulse. She coos the words at Kara repeatedly until the blonde relaxes, the guilt fading from her expression and the stiffness leaving her shoulders.
Kara lets her eyes flutter closed as she listens to Lena’s heartbeat, feeling the pulse under her fingertips in time with the sound.
“You’re the one who’s hurt, and you’re still taking care of me,” Kara says with exhausted amusement as she slowly opens her eyes.
Lena blushes. She was fine calling Kara baby just a minute ago, but the moment suddenly feels more intimate.
“It’s your turn, you know. In twenty minutes, I could have any food you want from anywhere in the world. Maybe some chicken soup? Asia has the best broths. Or tea? You’ve been asleep for a while, maybe some ginger tea before you eat anything?” Kara waits for Lena to sit up slowly, trying not to groan too much about her achiness.
Kara’s worried enough. “I’m sure one of the prepared meals in the kitchen would be fine,” Lena says with a soft smile. She’s not good at being cared for.
Kara frowns at her.
“Um, I think not,” Kara says. “You probably shouldn’t be thinking too hard anyways. I’ll put on the TV for you and be back in twenty,” she says decisively, careful not to jar the bed as she gets up.
Lena rolls her eyes, but knows it’s not worth trying to argue with Kara when she’s like this.
“Fine, I wouldn’t mind catching up on the news anyways,” Lena says.
Kara cringes.
“What did I miss? The world can’t be that shocked at another assassination attempt,” Lena asks curiously.
Kara’s acting guilty again, but this time it’s like a kid who’s been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“You know what, I’ll let you see for yourself,” Kara says cryptically, handing the remote to Lena and placing a quick kiss on her forehead before zooming out of the room and presumably to Asia.
Well that was weird.
Lena turns on the TV, flipping quickly to her least hated news channel.
It only takes ten minutes for the story to cycle back to National City’s hottest topic - Supergirl.
The clip of the attempt on Lena’s life plays in slow-mo on the screen as she watches with rapt attention.
The alien, huge and hulking, moves faster than the camera can properly track, even when they slow it to a frame by frame speed. He’s a blur of purple skin and black clothing.
He’s only on her for a brief second before there’s another blur, a faster blur.
Her heart leaps in her chest. Supergirl.
Something’s wrong though.
It takes Lena’s brain a moment to catch up. It’s not Supergirl on the screen. It’s Kara, in the dress pants and cashmere sweater Lena had bought her for the press conference. Kara didn’t have to speak at it, but her name was listed as a contributor on the latest project, and Kara deserved a nice outfit and celebratory dinner after for her work.
The dinner didn’t work out, but Lena did think Kara looked particularly hot flying through the air in sinfully luxurious blue cashmere to punch her would-be assassin.
No way it didn’t get ruined in the fight though. She’d need to purchase another immediately.
So Kara revealed she was an alien. That was fine. It would be hard to cover up, to prevent Kara Zor-El and Supergirl from being linked, but still possible with Lena’s nearly bottomless bank account.
And then Kara slowed down in the video enough to see her expression. She was furious, nearly unhinged, and over so quickly The alien survived, but barely from what Lena could see.
Kara shook with fury on the screen as the video paused for the anchor people to discuss it. Lena tuned it out, wanting to memorize the look on Kara’s face.
She hoped to never see the Kryptonian so enraged again.
It would be frightening, almost, if her next action wasn’t to turn to Lena’s crumpled body with the softest possible expression, fear evident in her blue eyes.
People rushed forward, several with guns, Lena assumes from some government agency. They always watch her building on press conference days. This isn’t the first assassination attempt this year, even.
Guns pointed at Kara, unsure voices calling out something Lena can’t fully hear.
Kara turns to them, hands raising slowly to her neckline. They tense. She presses the trigger for her suit, and as the familiar red and blue nanotech forms around her, just as the guns fire.
The bullets don’t do anything to Kara, of course, but the effect is immediate on the people in the crowd.
The room is filled with reporters and photographers, and a government agency just tried to kill Supergirl.
The circumstances are shocking enough, but it’s Kara that holds Lena’s attention, as always.
The Kryptonian doesn’t flinch. She stares the officers down, somehow appearing three feet taller than she is as they shrink back from her judgment.
“I don’t have time for you,” Kara says darkly, opalescent purple blood still smeared across her knuckles.
She turns to Lena again, taking her gently in her arms, as if she were made of glass.
The camera rushes to follow them as Kara flies her away, and the video ends.
“We all know by now, but we just can’t stop talking about it. Kara Danvers, AKA Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl, saved Lena Luthor at a press conference for their collaborative project. And the police tried to kill her for it!” The analyses don’t go much deeper than the surface. They do a quick slideshow of Kara’s known works from her time at CatCo but that’s about it.
Lena turns off the TV, mulling quietly over the new information.
She finds her phone on the side table, fully charged, and immediately dials Jess.
“Oh thank God,” Jess says after the first ring. “Kara was insufferable while you were out. Are you okay?” Lena snorts.
“I’m fine, just sore. I need you to get the legal team briefed -” Lena begins, but Jess cuts her off.
“Nuh-uh. You’re on vacation for the next week, I already scheduled it. Which means Sam and I have already taken care of it. A government agency displayed xenophobic behavior against one of your employees, leading to said employee being shot. The absence of injuries is unimportant. Your special relationship that I politely never mention had no influence on me safely assuming that you’d want to sue the shit out of everyone who pointed a trigger at her,” Lena almost tears up, she’s so thankful for Jess and Sam.
“Sam will handle L-Corp, Kara will take care of you, and I will handle the situation. All you have to do is relax, which I know is a big ask. Also, Sam demands payment for her time in the form of dinner with you and your girlfriend,” Lena sputters in response but doesn’t argue.
“Fine, you’re invited too of course. I’ll let you schedule it, since apparently I’m not allowed to think for a week,” Lena says, and Jess hums in response. They understand each other. Lena doesn’t have to say thank you, Jess feels her appreciation. They get off the phone soon after.
Jess will also receive thanks in the form of a couple of thousand dollar bottles of wine that Jess always goes for during Lena’s fancy parties, but Jess doesn’t know about that yet.
Lena’s not good at emotions, but she is good at gifts.
Sort of.
When she allows herself to give as much as she wants, it’s too much generally. She accepts that, and has edited her behavior accordingly.
But Kara is different. Kara lets her give as much as she wants, and it’s never too much, at least, not yet.
But now Lena is being taken care of, and she’s not sure how to act.
Kara enters her bedroom with arms full of takeout bags.
“Okay, so I didn’t know what you’d want, so I got you chicken pho from Vietnam, menudo from Mexico, beef stew from Ireland, and seafood ramen from Japan,” Kara lists off the dishes, still looking stressed, worrying over Lena as she hovers over the bags that she’s set down on the side table.
“Irish stew sounds amazing,” Lena says warmly, and Kara’s eyes snap to her, relief evident on her face.
A few seconds later, a steaming bowl is placed in her hands, the stew deposited in one of Lena’s clay bowls from the kitchen instead of the takeout container, and a glass of water in her other.
She smiles. Kara uses her superspeed more when she’s nervous.
“Thank you, darling,” Lena says, and Kara responds with a distracted platitude. Kara waits for her to eat her first bite before choosing the menudo for herself. At least to start with.
After the bulk of the food has been consumed, and Lena is feeling significantly more lucid, Kara settles into the bed beside her, holding her hand carefully, like she might break at any moment.
“I saw the video,” Lena says, and Kara won’t look her in the eyes.
“Yeah?” Kara says. Lena’s heart aches thinking Kara might be unsure of Lena’s reaction.
She’s so unsure of herself, and she has no reason to be. “Thank you for protecting me, even when it meant losing your secret identity. We’re going to make sure they regret ever pointing those weapons at you, even for a second. My lawyers will eviscerate them,” Kara chokes out a laugh.
“You know, I really shouldn’t, but I love it when you’re mad,” Kara says, eyes tracing over Lena’s features slowly.
Lena feels emboldened by Kara’s tone, or maybe it’s the concussion talking, but the words that come out of her mouth are definitely bolder than normal.
“And I love watching you use your powers in cashmere,” Lena says.
Kara blushes, wiping her mouth self-consciously. There isn’t anything to wipe away, though, the food tucked away pleasantly in her belly some minutes ago.
“Will you marry me?” Kara says suddenly, and Lena’s jaw drops.
Kara’s face flushes immediately, the brightest red Lena’s seen yet.
“I’m so sorry, I know it’s not the same as on Krypton, but I manage to forget when I’m around you sometimes, and it makes me say really stupid things by earth standards,” Kara apologizes, but Lena’s mind is elsewhere. “What I meant to ask is if you’ll be my girlfriend, human-style,” Kara asks hopefully, but she’s not asking for everything she wants again.
Do Kryptonian brides wear white?
She doubts it, and something dangerous pricks at her mind. The image of Kara, in some not yet fully imagined set of brilliantly colored robes, ready to perform an alien ceremony tying them together before Rao, not a judge or a preacher.
“I don’t want to date the human way. How do I date you the Kryptonian way?” Lena asks, and she’s never been happier for her lack of filter around Kara, because the blonde lights up immediately.
“You kind of already have been?” Kara says apologetically, and Lena’s eyes widen, but she feels euphoric.
Maybe Kara is already her girlfriend by some Kryptonian standard. It’s overly optimistic for her usual mindset, but the possibility thrills her.
“You’re going to have to explain, darling,” Lena says, and Kara’s face gets impossibly redder as she sinks into the pillows on her bed.
“Well,” Kara says, presumably gathering her courage, “Typically, there would be a contractual beginning, a merging of the minds in a controlled environment, often with a third person observer to ensure propriety on both parts. Leveraging status for matches was highly looked down upon, and prevented whenever possible,” Kara says, and Lena nods, urging Kara to go on. She always gets the feeling that Kara doesn’t talk about Krypton much, so when she does, Lena tries her best to encourage it.
Her insatiable curiosity helps.
“The greater of the two houses would begin the courtship process, gifts and food were customary,” Kara glances around worriedly, afraid Lena will bolt any second. “Eventually, a proposal would be made and a secondary contract would be written, with representatives from both houses present to ensure an equal partnership was agreed upon. And then, when Rao had blessed the union, deeming it equal and beneficial for the future of Krypton, they would be married.”
Kara’s vulnerable, and Lena wants to comfort her, but more than that, she wants to give her everything she dreamt of.
She plans to say something soothing, anything to mitigate the heaviness of the moment, but instead what comes out is, “Does your proposal count, or do I still have time to make a ring, or, do Kryptonians use rings?”
Kara’s eyes have never felt heavier across Lena’s skin.
“We use bracelets, actually, welded on to never be taken off. A promise,” Kara says, watching carefully, sweetly, as the gears turn in Lena’s brain.
“I need to make some calls -” Kara cuts Lena off with a fond kiss placed on her unbruised cheek.
“Another day, my proposal still counts. Bracelets can come later,” Kara says reassuringly, and Lena feels safer than she ever has before.
From everything Kara has told her, and everything she’s pieced together from Lex’s extensive files on Kryptonians, Lena can gather that there is no such thing as divorce on Krypton. They have the breeding matrix, but more than that, their marriage system is built around creating ideal partnerships, the kind that are still symbiotic at their very worst.
What Kara is offering her is lifelong partnership. She’s saying that she accepts all the offerings Lena has laid at her feet, all the meals and the apartment, and the clothes.
She’s offering something that would usually be met with pomp and celebration on Krypton, but she’s downplaying it now, for Lena’s convenience.
“No. I refuse. I know I’m no state for a proper proposal, but I won’t accept until we do this right, under Rao,” Kara stares at her like she’s grown a second head.
“If you want to continue this courtship, I demand a proper Kryptonian contract. Sam and Jess can sit in for my side. Eliza and Alex for yours, maybe? We can arrange it once the bracelets are made,” Lena says with finality, like she’s concluding a meeting in the boardroom.
The way Kara’s looking at her, she’s not sure if the blonde wants to jump her, or jump her.
“Zhao,” Kara says gutturally, and Lena has her answer.
She doesn’t know Kryptonese yet, but she can read context well enough to know that Kara is about to kiss her, and that’s plenty enough to satisfy her for the moment.
____________________________________________________________________________
“You can’t be serious, Kara,” James grips her arm with force that would bruise a human.
Kara scowls at him. “Why wouldn’t I be? What in the past few months has led you to believe that I wouldn’t be absolutely serious about this?”
Winn nods. “Honestly yeah, I just bet too early. I thought Lena would propose for Valentine’s Day.”
Kara gasps, shocked. “Really? That would have been adorable,” she says thoughtfully.
“You’re both insane. You’re endangering yourself and everyone you love just by working there, and now you’re going to get engaged?”
“If you can’t wrap your mind around it, you can’t come to the wedding. Your choice. We’re having steak and scallops,” Kara grins happily.
“Does Lena know that you already have a wedding menu?” Winn asks, amused and choosing to ignore any and all drama.
“She’s letting me choose the food. I just have to pick one entree that includes kale, and she’ll be happy,” Kara says smugly.
Winn rolls his eyes. “You’re insufferable. Why won’t you tell me your secrets? I want a billionaire super-scientist to be my sugar daddy too. Share the dream, Kara,” Winn begs sarcastically, and Kara devolves into giggles.
“I mean, you could always ask Cat to re-draw your contract Kryptonian style,” Winn frowns at her.
“You and I both know Cat would not be feeding me scallops and steak,” Winn monotones.
It’s true.
____________________________________________________________________________
“How was your day, darling,” Lena asks, not looking up from her stack of paperwork as Kara comes into the apartment.
The brunette is obviously stressed, and if Kara’s guess is accurate, Lena has probably been staring at that same piece of paper for quite a while.
When she gets like this, Kara knows three things:
Lena probably has not eaten anything.
Lena has probably had at least five cups of coffee, black and unsweetened. Gross. She likely needs sleep, and water.
Lena will be mentally useless until the above are resolved, but she will likely not resolve them without outside intervention.
“It was good, but I’m starving. Nothing new I guess,” Kara is not starving. But Lena looks up at that, concern in her eyes.
“Didn’t you get lunch?” Lena asks, worried.
Kara shrugs. “Yeah, but I ended up going on a few Supergirl runs this afternoon and it really drained me.”
Not a lie, even if she’s being a bit more dramatic about it than usual…
“Let’s order some food. I could probably use some too,” Lena says. Bingo.
Kara grins at her.
She can’t convince Lena to eat when it’s about Lena’s needs, but she always ends up with a full stomach when she eats with Kara. Sometimes Kara thinks Lena notices, and just doesn’t say anything. Kara’s happy either way, as long as Lena doesn’t go days only eating muesli bars.
An hour later, Kara and Lena are on the couch, stuffed and satisfied.
“I should probably get back to work,” Lena says, looking regretfully at the file.
Kara tuts at her. “You’re overworking yourself, baby,” Kara says, and Lena frowns, about to argue, but the loving name stops her. When did Kara start calling her baby?
“Why don’t you stay here tonight, and let me take care of you,” Kara says, and Lena’s mouth slowly pops open in surprise, like her brain is processing the shock in slow motion.
“You want to sleep with me?” Lena says, and her voice is too high.
Kara’s eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. “Yes?”
Lena takes Kara’s hand. “Darling, I don’t want to overthink this, so I’ll just ask. Are you asking me to sleep with you, or sleep with you, as in sex?”
Lena doesn’t know which one she’s hoping for. Of course she’s wildly attracted to Kara, but the Kryptonian has never shown any signs of wanting anything but a romantic relationship.
And honestly, Lena can be fine not having sex the rest of her life if she gets to see Kara every day.
Kara’s eyes go wide, “Oh, oh, oops,” Kara begins backtracking nervously.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to have sex with me Kara,” Lena says soothingly. “Not just tonight, but ever. It’s okay if you just want the partnership.”
Kara stops moving entirely, not even her hands, which are never still, are moving.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Kara says gravely, and Lena thinks that this is it, this is the moment it all ends. Somehow, she’d misconstrued it all, and Kara didn’t want the partnership either.
“As long as you want me too, I definitely intend to sleep with you. I just tend to take it more…seriously, I guess, than humans, so I just don’t, generally,” Kara says softly.
Lena’s still stuck on the idea that Kara wants to sleep with her. Kara wants her.
“I think I understand. You said divorce didn’t exist on Krypton, right?” Kara nods. “And no one really dated there. They were matched to a few individuals and then chose from those based on personal compatibility,” Kara nods again. “So Kryptonians generally didn’t have to do the whole sleeping around thing that humans do. It makes sense that you wouldn’t want that.”
Kara nods again, eyes soft and loving as they look at Lena.
“Sometimes I think you would have fit in better back on Krypton than here,” Kara says, and Lena’s cheeks warm at the compliment she knows it is. Kara doesn’t look down on Earth culture, but comparing Lena to the comfort of being amongst your own people?
She’s never been given a compliment that meant quite as much.
“Sometimes I get scared that you’re going to get tired of the novelty of all the Kryptonian stuff, get bored, and then get bored of me. The lack of divorce on Krypton isn’t just cultural. We have…physical differences too. Once we transfer DNA willingly between partners, we can’t bear children to or for anyone else. We can have sex, but the other side of the DNA is required to ensure fertility,” she’s looking down, not meeting Lena’s eyes. “It won’t affect you, don’t worry.” She tries for a weak smile but she looks so unsure.
She’s scared Lena will find it offputting. She always reacts like this first, trained to assume that reminding people she’s not human is wrong.
Lena hopes that instinct will fade eventually. Kara has no reason to be ashamed.
“I’m glad you told me. I am happy to go at any pace you feel comfortable with, always. I would happily marry you tomorrow even if all you offered physically was the level of affection we have now. I would prefer to wake up with you every morning, and potentially make out like randy teenagers occasionally, even if we save that for the wedding night, but I mean it when I say I’m already happy with exactly what I have. I don’t need more, I just want you, however much of you you’re able to give me.” Lena’s a little stunned she managed to actually verbalize her feelings, but she guesses the combo of Kara and therapy in her life have done her some good.
“And darling, despite my lack of Kryptonian genetics, I think you’ve ruined me for anyone else, whether we’ve transferred DNA or not,” Lena teases Kara, who by now, is blushing the loveliest shade of pink Lena’s seen.
For the second time, she’s absolutely certain that Kara is going to kiss her.
Kara doesn’t disappoint.
____________________________________________________________________________
The kisses are more frequent after that, some ice breaking that apparently left Kara feeling much more free with her affection. Neither woman knows fully what to think of the dynamic shift, but there’s something new there that they both want to study. In depth.
Kara’s waiting at the bar for their drinks when the man approaches Lena. Kara watches from across the floor as another bland middle-aged man does his best to win Lena’s favor, in the bedroom or in business.
This one was too close though.
Kara forgets the drinks, not bothering to respond to the bartender as she makes her way across the room, careful to maintain a casual walk. A frantic Supergirl causes mass hysteria really quickly. She’s learned that the hard way.
The man’s hand is on Lena’s arm, and the brunette is staring at him with a polite smile that could make a bear reconsider if she’s a good target.
He doesn’t take the hint.
Kara can hear it all. The come-on, the refusal, the barely obscured threat. It all serves to make her angrier as she takes the final step towards them.
“Excuse me,” Kara says, anything but politely.
The man releases Lena, and green eyes glance thankfully at Kara before turning steely mad again.
“I believe introductions are in order,” Kara says, eyes on the man, who has the gall to look her up and down like she’s an option now too.
“Morgan Edge, CEO of GBS, pleased to make your acquaintance Miss -?” he obviously doesn’t recognize her. She may be famous, but the world hasn’t seen her dressed this way before, not a stitch of blue or red on her. She’d even cut her hair for the occasion, daring to try out a new look, and enjoying the half anonymity until social media catches up.
This man, though, acts like a predator. One who still thinks he’s in control. He’s a big fish in a medium-sized pond, and doesn’t know a crocodile has taken up residence.
Kara always had a weirdly specific and completely illogical fear of the crocodile from Peter Pan. Something about the tick-tocking sound of the clock it swallowed, warning of its approach, just creeped her the hell out.
Now she felt a bit like that, as ridiculous as it sounds.
If Morgan Edge was paying the right kind of attention, instead of trying to see down the front of Kara’s gown, he might hear the proverbial ticking right about now.
“Kara Zor-El, Xeno-technology consultant,” Kara says with equal formality, leaving off the pleasure part. She doesn’t like lying. The job title Lena had decided upon served her well.
Kara shook his offered hand, squeezing hard enough to make his hand sore, but not enough to leave bruises.
His eyes went a bit wide as he connected the dots.
“I didn’t know Supergirl attended galas,” he says.
“Supergirl doesn’t, but I do when my fiancee invites me,” Kara releases his hand, stepping close enough to Lena to put her hand around the brunette’s waist possessively.
Lena leans into the touch, a smirk on her face.
“I didn’t know,” Morgan offers as an apology.
“Now you do. Fun fact about Kryptonians, on Earth, we have a hearing radius that encompasses areas larger than the continental US. Me? Well, it’s a lot further than that. And I have a fantastic memory for voices. You should choose your words carefully wherever you are. You never know exactly who you’re talking to, or who might be listening,” Kara smiles warmly, shaking his hand again before taking Lena’s hand and guiding them back to the bar.
“I apologize if that was over the line,” Kara says worriedly.
Lena raises an eyebrow. “I’m no damsel in distress -” Kara tries to interrupt to apologize again. Lena doesn’t allow it.
“But you can save me anytime, darling. If anything, it makes me want you to fly me home this instant so I can ruin your lipstick,” Lena says in a hushed, deep voice that she knows Kara can hear perfectly well.
“Done,” Kara says with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
She takes Lena’s hand, pulling her to the exit, waving goodbye at a few people as they go. There would almost certainly be an article about them leaving together early, but neither woman can make themselves care at the moment. There were going to be articles anyways.
As soon as they’re outside, Kara pulls Lena into her arms, careful not to rip the delicate fabric of her dress as she lifts her arms, taking care to cradle her against her chest, and flies away.