Kara knew something was wrong from Lena’s heartbeat. That alone, the barely detectable change in rhythm and tempo, was enough, but her breathing was erratic and as Kara drew nearer, drifting through the afternoon air, she could hear the soft sobs.
A bad feeling had come over Kara. Things had been quiet between the two of them ever since the wedding; there had been a strange tension between them on that happy day and Kara couldn’t say why
(she knew what she wanted it to be but didn’t dare hope)
and with Alex and Kelly away on their honeymoon, Kara had mostly been on her own. Nia was spending most of her free time with Brainy and Kara sensed a proposal coming, and she was busy preparing for her public interview with Cat Grant. She was going to rip the bandages off and reveal her identity. There was a great deal of work involved, and Kara had spent a lot of time fretting over the details, and in the back of her head she was worried about the ramifications of years spent reporting on Supergirl and using “her” as a source. It was a massive ethical dilemma, and thought it always made sense at the time…
Right now all that mattered was the heartbeat. Kara had been giving Lena the space she sensed she needed, but Jess had called Kara from the Foundation and told her that Lena hadn’t come to work in three days, and no one had heard from her. It was uncharacteristic of someone who ran her life with almost military precision. Kara had even asked Alex to text Lena, but they’d gotten the same single word replies.
Kara pulled in a big breath, feeling her stomach churn as she lighted on the balcony and slid open the door, knowing it would be unlocked. She wished Lena would stop doing that, but also felt a little tilt in her chest from knowing Lena hadn’t locked her out.
She was on the sofa, curled up on her side and asleep. She’d probably had the same pajamas on for two days and there were empty bottles of wine in a neat row on the table in front of her. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her cheeks a little raw. Kara felt an instant pang and reached for her, before stopping to deactivate her suit.
Kneeling next to the sofa, Kara touched her fingers to Lena’s shoulders. Lena woke instantly with a start, head jolting up as she sucked in a reedy breath and her heart raced explosively, sending a shock of terror up Kara’s spine.
“Oh fuck,” Lena blurted, kicking out her legs as she bolted upright. “Oh God, Kara what…”
“Hey,” Kara said softly. “I was… I’m sorry. Are you okay? I came in through the balcony. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Lena’s chest heaved as she gasped for breath, staring at Kara with watery eyes. “Are you real?”
“What? Yes, of course I’m real.”
“I must have been dreaming. It was a dream. Just a dream. I was dreaming,” Lena muttered.
Kara rose from her knees and sat down on the couch.
“Come here.”
Lena almost crashed into her, wrapping her arms tightly around Kara and squeezing hard. She smoothed her fingers over the soft dark waves of Lena’s hair and pulled her in as she began to sob into Kara’s shoulder.
“I dreamed he killed you,” Lena choked out. “He came back again and he killed you and I couldn’t stop it. It felt so real.”
“I’m fine. I’m right here.”
Lena continued to sob, her entire body shaking with the force of it. Kara wrapped her in a fierce hug, trembling as she did.
“Every time I close my eyes he’s there, and when I’m awake all I can think about is that I killed my brother.”
“That didn’t happen in this timeline.”
Lena choked out an angry, frustrated sob. “It happened for me. I aimed a gun at my own brother’s chest and I pulled the trigger. And he came back! He came back and he almost killed you two or three fucking times, I can’t count.”
“He’s gone. He’s not coming back.”
“You can’t just say that!” Lena screamed into Kara’s throat.
Stunned, Kara softened her grip on Lena, only for Lena to pull her in harder, like she was trying to climb inside her.
“Why can’t I stop mourning him? He ruined my life. He was the person I trusted most and he turned out to be a monster. He used me my whole life and my emotions were just a game to him. He tried to to kill the woman I… tortured you, took you away for months and I thought I’d never see you again. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was and how much…”
Lena cut herself off with a sob.
“I know it’s not the same,” Kara murmured, “but when I was a little girl I worshipped my father. I wanted to grow up like him and do what he did. I was going to be a scientist too.”
“You’d have been a good one.”
Kara shook her head. “My father was responsible for the Medusa virus. A bioweapon designed to eradicate non-Kryptonian life. A weapon of genocide.”
Lena shuddered.
Kara swallowed, hard.
“My world wasn’t a paradise. It felt that way because it was simple for me. There wasn’t all the pain of learning alien ways and an alien language and controlling superpowers and everything else. My father taught and protected me and my mom maintained order. But it was wasn’t a paradise. My people were… Krypton was… I think in a lot of worlds out there, we were the bad guys. Okay, the Daxamites were slavers, but on Krypton people were born into the labor guild and did menial jobs their whole lives, while people like me were born into privilege. Is that much better?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t judge you for mourning Lex, Lena. He was your protector and your friend, and it was real to you. If there’s anything I hate him for, it’s hurting you.” Kara swallowed. “The one thing I can’t abide is anyone hurting you. I’ll break all my rules to keep you safe.”
Lena’s breathing eased and Kara could feel her relax.
“I’ve been avoiding you.”
“I figured you needed space. I wasn’t sure why but I trusted you to tell me if you need to.”
There was a long, heavy pause, and then Lena said.
“Kara, I can’t do this. I can’t share you.”
“Share me?”
“When you reveal your identity,” Lena pulled back, “you’re going to be the most famous person in the word. Everyone is going to be all over you. The press, politicians, everybody, and everyone who has a grudge against you or your cousin is going to know exactly where to find you, all the time.”
“I’ll keep you safe, no one will…”
“I didn’t say anything about me. You, Kara. What about you?”
“I’m Supergirl. I’ll be fine.”
“And what about me?” said Lena.
“I told you…”
“No. What about me when I have to watch you getting beaten to a pulp by another alien? What about me when you’re in a coma on the sun bed? What about me when I see on the news that a bomb went off in your apartment and I have to wonder if it was laced with Kryptonite shrapnel? I’m not worried about people coming after me. I’m a billionaire with magic powers. I could put on a goofy costume and join the club if I wanted. I’ve already lost you so many times and I can’t do it again.”
Stunned, Kara sat with her eyes wide, not sure when exactly she’d lifted Lena into her lap.
“It’s so selfish of me,” Lena went on. “You don’t belong to me. I don’t get to make demands of you. But don’t want you to out yourself. I don’t want to lose you again. As soon as you do this you’re going to be hounded by the whole world and they’ll claw you away from me again.”
Kara’s own heart raced now, hammering in her chest. Lena sounded so desperate and so sure, clinging to a Kara like she might disappear.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s your choice and I have to respect it. It’s okay,” she was clearly telling herself.
“No,” Kara choked out, “no it’s not. I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.”
“Kara,” said Lena.
“No. I have been. I can’t believe I said what I said to you at the wedding, about not being my authentic self. To you, of all people.”
Lena swallowed hard. Kara drew back and looked at her, really looked at her, drinking in the soft beauty of her eyes as she swept back a tear with a brush of her thumb. Lena’s eyes were huge, her lips trembling, and Kara felt an almost painful pang of sorrow and regret and a powerful stirring, long thrust down and buried and now clawing its way forth as Lena stared back, the deep sadness and loss in her own eyes tinged by a hint of forlorn hope.
“I can’t believe that I can see through walls and I’m so blind.”
“Kara?” Lena whispered.
“I’m calling it off. I’ll keep my secret.”
“You don’t have to do that just to please me.”
“I don’t need them. I need you. I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”
Lena’s heart raced so fast that Kara briefly thought she might have to fly her to the hospital. Instinctively, she slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders and stood, lifting Lena as if she weighed nothing.
Eyes wide, Lena bit her lip.
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean when you say you’re mine? I need you to say it, Kara. I was too scared at the wedding. I can’t do this. I need you to.”
Oh.
Kara shifted her Lena’s weight in her arms, bring them closer together. She’d danced this dance before; she thought of the day she came back from the Phantom Zone, when she held Lena in her arms and felt the sun again and she almost did it, she almost just fucking did it…
And she did it.
She kissed Lena, already ready to sputter an apology and find a way out of this, but her words were lost when Lena’s soft lips met hers and Lena was ready to devour her, happily rocketing past chaste first kiss as she grabbed Kara with both hands and pulled her in.
Kara’s stomach flipped. She didn’t know what to do. She’d been kissed, she thought she’d been intimate, but she could see now that those things had been mere stimulation and nothing more. Something soared inside her as she had soared in the sky the very first time she flew. Joy unbridled swelled in her chest and she could feel Lena laughing exultantly into her mouth and even as tears mingled on her cheeks.
She wanted this. She wanted this. It was right here all along.
“Kara,” Lena whispered. “I…”
“Should I put you down?”
“On the bed.”
283 notes
·
View notes
I do kind of wonder if One Piece might end with two "Pirate Kings"...
Like Luffy is 100% going to become Pirate King, without a doubt. You don't just build up the protagonist's adventure to reach their goal for 20+ years and then Not Deliver on it. Luffy's gonna be King, no doubt about it.
But as we already know, to Luffy being "Pirate King" simply means "being the most free person in the world". When Rayleigh asked Luffy if he thinks he can become the ruler of the seas (New World specifically), Luffy explicitly told Rayleigh he's NOT going to "rule over anything".
So Luffy could and will become the most free person in the world and gain the title of Pirate King, but he's not going to become The Ruler of the Seas.
Which leaves me wondering... could someone else ALSO become "Pirate King", some kind of a (Luffy-approved) benevolent ruler of the seas while Luffy goes off on more adventures to enjoy his life?
And if so... who? Who would be suited for that position, who might accept that role (in Luffy's stead)? And mind you, I do mean specifically a King for Pirates; even if/when the WG gets overthrown and replaced by whatever system the Revs may be preparing, it doesn't mean all the pirates of the seas are going to bend to the New Government's will.
Right now, of all known characters I feel like Shanks might be the most suited for it technically speaking, but I'm not sure he's up for it. Shanks is a man of many a mystery as are his goals, but yeah IDK if he'd want to take the throne, it remains to be seen.
Hilariously. Buggy's also a fucking option. Not only has he very recently claimed he'd like to be Pirate King mayhaps, but also during Summit War he did make his funny little predictions about becoming Shichibukai, Yonkou and finally Pirate King himself. And we know two of those predictions have already come true. So between making his final predicition also come true and keeping Buggy's trend of Falling Upwards going, it would be funny as fuck if Buggy did become The Ruler of the Seas.
Thing is, between Buggy arguably not being genuinely suited for the job (though being easy to dethrone could be a perk), we need to ask if Buggy does TRULY want to become Pirate King himself. Like yes, he may have dreamed of claiming One Piece one day, but also, his entire BEEF with Shanks has to do with how Buggy wanted to follow Shanks and watch HIM become the King after Roger.
Buggy says he wants to be the King, but does he truly? Or would he rather just let Shanks have the throne instead?
But that might be a bit of an issue that just runs in a circle; if neither Shanks or Buggy wants the throne then who the hell would take it then?
And like... No matter how I think about it, the only other option I come to is like... god damn fucking Crocodile. Because (say it with me now) if Crocodad Real, it could make sense thematically. Depending on whatever character arc the bastard might go through first.
If he was put into that role then you'd think (and hope) he'd find himself surrounded by people who trust him and he can trust back (Pirate King's crew and all) (oh hey what's this Cross Guild thing?). Not to mention if Luffy wanted to give up the job of actually ruling the seas to someone else, the only way he'd ever willingly give that fucking job to Crocodile of all people, would be if their father-son relationship improved first (you know how I feel about that) and Croc actually like proved himself to be (trust)worthy.
Not to mention, Crocodile would get to reclaim the dream he had abandoned so long ago. But also, he'd get to reclaim it while his sweet baby boy's dream also came true; they'd both get to be King together. That would be so fucking adorable and sweet. And don't let me get started on the Sobek-Ra symbolism (Sobek = protector god (a crocodile), Ra = sun god (=Nika=liberation=Luffy); Sobek-Ra = fusion of the two)
(Also let's be real, Crocodile would be weirdly suited for the job. Like he's stronk enough but also he can run operations and boss people around etc)
Like I feel so delulu even suggesting that but also it would make sense. It makes so much sense it makes me a little bit mad lmao
But in the end, what other options would we even have? Of the known characters I don't think there's many who would fit into the role AND want the role, and I feel like we're a bit late into the series to introduce any completely new characters for this purpose in particular.
I just. I dunno the thought just haunts me
68 notes
·
View notes