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#supercorp fic prompt
fluxy001 · 2 months
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All the Linda Lee | Red Daughter fics I’ve read and I’m surprised no one has done an obvious one.
What if it was Kara who died? What if Linda survived?
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asamiontop · 7 months
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Supercorptober - Wild or…
Captain Underpants (also on Ao3)
Lena: Text me when you get this.
Kara squints at the message. If she narrows her eyes to slits, the photonic assault hurts her eyeballs less. The text is from Lena, so she answers right away. Doesn’t matter that it’s far past late at night and still hours away from early morning.
Kara: hey got your message. what’s up?
She thinks, mistakenly, that Lena will be asleep. She hopes, misguidedly, that that will afford her a few precious hours of rest herself. Her phone chimes and shatters that fantasy in its infancy.
Lena: Are you home?
That’s concerning. Even through the swampiness of fading inebriation and a blossoming hangover, Kara’s synapses spark to life at the idea that Lena may be in trouble.
Kara: I’m home. everything okay?
The response comes back so fast that Kara suspects Lena started typing before she’d even answered.
Lena: I’m coming over.
Kara glances blearily at her alarm clock. 2:47am. Something is definitely wrong.
It’s a testament to her body’s exhaustion that, despite the urgency, Kara manages to fall asleep. She jolts awake to the sound of cannonballs exploding in her ears, the echoes rattling around in her skull. Her superhearing is out of whack from the sleep or the alcohol or both and nearby noise is amplified a thousandfold. The resounding knock at her door sounds more like a battering ram than a fist.
“Kara?” Lena’s voice drifts through the apartment and all other noise seems to melt away. The soothing effect is immediate. Kara’s heart slides back down her throat and thumps in relief. She sags into her pillow with a sigh before she remembers the fact that Lena is visiting her at three in the morning.
Kara superspeeds to the entryway. She just barely reminds herself to touch down on the floor before unlocking the deadbolt.
“Lena!” Kara whips her door open. She’s prepared for the whole range of human emotion, perhaps some tears or sobs or panic or any external sign of distress.
Instead Lena greets her with pursed lips (puckered in that distracting way that accentuates the crisp line of her jaw), a tilted head, and brassy raise of her eyebrow. Lena looks as beautiful as ever in the middle of the night, but she certainly does not appear distressed.
She gives Kara an undisguised once-over.
“Hello, Supergirl,” Lena deadpans.
All the oxygen leaves the room. Kara’s anatomy doesn’t require much of it, but she still feels like she’s choking on the lack of air. Her eyes bug out and she momentarily loses all cognitive function as her half-drunk system begins a hard reboot into this new reality where apparently Lena now knows her secret identity. The corner of Lena’s mouth twitches victoriously and somehow that is what kicks Kara back to the land of the living.
Without so much as a warning, she snags Lena by the wrist and yanks her bodily into the apartment. It’s a whole miracle Kara doesn’t slam the door off its hinges as Lena stumbles past the threshold.
“Heh—Supergi—that’s funny—what, uh.” Kara squeaks, sounding totally normal. She whirls around to face her friend with a manic laugh and round, wild eyes, “W-what are you talking about?”
Alex teases Kara relentlessly for her inability to play it cool. As she scratches the back of her own neck only to realize that her hair is down and her glasses are sitting uselessly on her nightstand, then completely misses the wall she intended to lean against and surreptitiously floats to keep her balance, Kara admits that her sister may be onto something.
“Kara, please.” Lena’s eyebrow lifts so high that her forehead wrinkles to accommodate it. “Don’t insult me.”
She opens her mouth to speak but something about the way Lena’s regarding her—resolute and impatient, like she’s just waiting for Kara to catch up so they can move on— makes her snap her jaw shut. Kara abandons her remaining denial with a long exhale.
She can’t help but cling to a thread or plausible deniability though.
“What, um.” Kara clears her throat. “What makes you think that I’m—” her voice cracks on the words, so foreign to her in this context— “that I’m Supergirl?”
Instead of answering, Lena raises an unimpressed eyebrow. Wordlessly, she turns on her heel and heads for Kara’s coffee table. Puzzled, the superhero follows. She just about combusts when Lena flicks on the television.
There, in what must have been filmed by a cell-phone, is Supergirl, twirling through the air suitless and cape-less—wearing nothing save for a matching sports bra and boxers. Kara’s jaw unhinges. She thinks her eyes hurt from how wide they’ve gotten. Supergirl’s hair is blowing freely in the breeze and she looks absolutely delighted as she corkscrews aimlessly above the city, half-naked and carefree.
Kara watches in horror as the video zooms in shamelessly on her butt. (Rao damn The Fruit for stuffing their mobile devices with such capable cameras.) This, mortifyingly, is precisely where Lena chooses to pause the coverage. She clicks the remote, freezing the frame on a screenful of Kara’s backside, and points an elegant but accusatory finger at the blown-up image of Kara’s favorite underwear.
It’s not just any old set of underwear. These ones are indescribably soft and comfortable. They fit just right, snug in all the right places, and they are adorned with a bizarrely adorable pattern of cartoon potstickers, puppies, and chopsticks. Most precious of all, they were a gift from one Lena Luthor last Christmas.
Kara ventures a shifty glance at the CEO, whose eyebrow is still quirked expectantly.
Stupidly, Kara blurts the first thing occurs to her. “That could be anyone.”
A second eyebrow climbs to match the first, shifting Lena’s expression from confident to incredulous in a single movement.
“I—I mean,” the superhero stammers, “it’s a really cute pattern a-and maybe Supergirl got herself the same set you bought me.”
Lena’s eyes close slowly, patiently and she shakes her head. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she mutters, “I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“Why not?” Kara demands, incomprehensibly committed to her flimsy excuse. “Lots of people like potstickers and puppies!”
“Because they are custom, Kara.” Lena’s head tilts sharply and she skewers the blonde with a pointed look. “I had them custom-made for your gift.”
“Oh.” Kara blinks. “You did?” Her voice ticks up at the end, betraying how oddly touched she feels at the gesture.
Lena appears exhausted but at least somewhat amused now. “Yes. Did you think I happened to fortuitously stumble upon the exact combination of all your favorite things printed on the exact type of undergarment you happen to favor?”
“Um… yes?” Kara shrugs even as the feeble defense crumbles around her. “You can find anything on the internet nowadays.”
Lena sighs. “Kara.” The super’s eyes lock on hers and Lena deliberately drags her green gaze down Kara’s front and slowly back up.
The hint of heat in Lena’s eyes isn’t lost on the Kryptonian, so her face is already two shades pinker than normal when she follows Lena’s stare down her own body.
Her cheeks flame up fully at the visual reminder that she is in fact still wearing the offending undergarments and precious little else.
“Oh.” Kara swallows. She is fully on display for Lena—not only mostly undressed, which induces its own type of stirrings in her belly, but also in clothes unmistakably identical to the superhero frozen on the screen. It’s four coincidences too many.
“Oh,” Lena parrots, nodding once.
Kara’s arms cross instinctively over her bare stomach. She’s ashamed. Not of her body, but of attempting to keep up such a charade without a lick of self-awareness. Mostly, she’s ashamed of hiding the truth from the person with whom she’d most wanted to share it.
Frankly, it’s a monumental relief to be unshackled from her secret. Without the burden of her identity, Kara can truly give Lena her full self, share all the bits and pieces of her that have sat leaden and unspoken on the tip of her tongue for months. Now that Kara has the liberty to be well and truly honest, maybe she can finally entertain the budding intimacy and extra warmth that’s been building around her best friend. She’s never felt quite so enthralled to be the focus of someone’s gaze before and maybe if—
Kara shakes her head, clearing away the cobwebs of hope. There’s a very different reality to be faced right now.
Casting an anxious glance at her feet, Kara flexes her toes and reaches for the grounding sensation of the grain in the hardwood.
Kara swallows thickly, mind alight with all the wrong turns this revelation can take, all the covert ways her secret could have already poisoned their relationship beyond recovery.
“I’m so sorry,” she mumbles, forcing her voice to remain steady even as she collapses into a defeated heap on the couch.
After a few seconds of silence, she gathers all the courage in her rapidly accelerating heart and glances up for Lena’s reaction.
Once again her best friend surprises her. Lena doesn’t seem mad or hurt or resentful. She looks… perplexed, if not a little exasperated.
“What exactly are you apologizing for?” Lena asks slowly once their eyes lock.
Kara senses her own crinkle bunching between her eyebrows to match Lena’s. “For keeping this from you,” she answers dejectly.
Lena’s eyes widen and Kara rushes to justify herself. The explanation clambers out of her of its own accord, gathering momentum and volume like a snowball rolling downhill.
“I’ve been wanting to tell you so badly, Lena. For months! You’re one of the most important people in my life! I trust you. I–I can’t really explain it, but something about you has always made me feel safe. I just, I felt like I knew you from the moment we met. And that feeling hasn’t faded at all. In fact, it’s grown stronger. I think maybe it’s even become—”
Kara stops short of broaching that subject and launches up off the couch, beginning a proper maniacal pacing across her living room floor.
“You didn’t even need to but you went ahead and proved to me and Supergirl and everyone in the world that you are even more noble and good than I imagined. You are so incredible, Lena. Of everyone I love, you deserve to know this part of me. But—but this superhero thing is so complicated. There are all these rules with the DEO and it’s not always safe for the people that know my identity and—”
“Kara—”
“—and as much as I wanted to be completely open with you, I couldn’t risk you getting hurt. I can’t. I won’t. So then—”
“Kara, darling.” The endearment smashes sideways into Kara and brings her ramble to a skidding, screeching halt. “Stop talking.”
Dumbstruck, Kara does. She turns back to Lena and nearly suffocates at the fondness she finds shining back at her. It’s accompanied by a dash of amusement and that same exasperation from before, but the affection is there and it’s so warm that Kara’s cheeks heat up to match. How Lena can still look at her like that after what Kara’s kept from her is… it feels unfair.
“I’m really sorry Lena,” Kara insists quietly, this time staring directly into those striking windows of sea-glass green and willing her to see how acutely she means it.
“Don’t be.” Lena’s expression softens even further and Kara wonders if this is how it would feel to live life as a lava cake. Airy on the outside and melty on the inside. Warm and delicious all over. It’s nice. Maybe she can get Lena to eat her if—Kara blinks out of her daze. Okay so perhaps she is still a teensy, weensy bit tipsy.
Lena doesn’t seem to notice her brief departure because she adds very earnestly, “I understand why your identity needs safeguarding. I can’t imagine very many people know this about you.”
“No,” Kara agrees, eyes seeking the floor again.
“Frankly, I wouldn’t have expected you to reveal something so sensitive to someone like me.”
The self-deprecation in Lena’s tone is unacceptable. Kara is about to protest that she wanted to—would have if not for the magical influence of Alex’s good sense—when Lena shrugs.
“And we’ve only known one another for a year. There are bound to be some secrets.” The next part is whispered, as if Lena doesn’t mean for Kara to hear. “God knows I have some.”
“Wait—” Kara teeters closer, itching with that Lena-fueled curiosity that swims constantly through her veins.
Lena’s eyebrow twitches haughtily and she smiles, reaching out to pat Kara’s hand. “Matters for another time, darling.”
She wraps her fingers loosely around Kara’s and guides them both onto the couch. Kara, ostensibly still in her underwear, pulls a throw pillow into her lap.
Without warning, Lena resumes the video. The frozen widescreen snapshot of Kara’s behind shrinks away mercifully to the top corner of her TV, revealing a smirking newscaster barely keeping her laughter at bay. Her brown eyes dance as she describes Supergirl’s latest antics in excruciating detail to whichever unfortunate souls are watching at this time of the night.
“Why are we still watching this?” Kara mumbles, hugging the pillow to her chest. Lena remains placidly silent.
Just as Kara thinks her public shaming is complete, a new video overtakes the screen. This one is shot from a much better—or incriminating—angle. Namely, a news helicopter hovering at altitude, level with Supergirl as she floats in lazy spirals then flutters hundreds of feet down, playful and giggling, before shooting back up and starting again.
Kara really takes the cake when she stops mid-somersault and flashes the camera an unfocused wave and a dazzling smile. ‘Up, up and away,’ the half-naked superhero slurs. Then she proceeds to plunge straight out of the sky, giggling gleefully as she falls.
“Oh god,” Kara groans as the camera swings wildly to chase her back into the frame. It finally catches up to her as Kara’s trajectory is intercepted by a green-black blur. She and the blur disappear in a flash of red and the video gives way to the newscaster once more, speculating about the inexplicable nature of her behavior.
So that’s why J’onn had showed up to fly Supergirl home.
“I…” Is there kryptonite in the room or is she just burning up from sheer embarrassment? “I don’t remember doing that,” Kara whispers, quiet as a mouse.
Beside her, Lena snorts. Kara swivels to glare at her but the image of Lena stifling a laugh into the tips of her fingers is entirely too cute to hold a grudge against. She pouts instead.
Eventually the CEO regains her composure and asks, exceedingly gentle, “What do you remember?”
Kara’s features scrunch into a frown as she replays the last several hours in her head. It’s somewhat blurry, but there’s a chronological consistency to the snippets of clarity.
“It… it was my night off,” Kara begins. A picture of Alex’s rowdy laugh shimmers to life in her mind’s eye and she smiles. “Sister’s night.”
Lena nods, smiles just because Kara did and that—that’s really something. Her heart does a happy little flump. Then she remembers.
“That’s why I didn’t have my supersuit!” Kara snaps her fingers. “J’onn told us he had everything covered tonight. He said we should take the night to really unwind.”
Lena’s unimpressed little ah sets Kara into a guilty grimace. “I… don’t think this is what he meant he meant by unwind,” Kara admits.
“Probably not.” Lena agrees. It’s a gentle admonishment and a flat tease all in one and Kara is too busy thinking that Lena is miraculous to be at all bothered by the joke at her expense. “What did you two plan for sister’s night?”
“Well… Alex came over and we had a few drinks. I remember she brought some sort of alien punch or something. I don’t know what was in it but it was really yummy. I… got a little drunker than I meant to.”
Kara omits the part where she ignored Alex’s warning about the potency of said beverages because ‘I have a Kryptonian metabolism Alex. I’ll be fine.’
“Oh. So this…” Lena gestures vaguely in the direction of the television. It’s paused on another unflattering view from below and Kara wrinkles her nose. “Was alcohol-induced?”
“Yeah…” she admits, dragging out the word.
Lena raises an eyebrow. “And… voluntary?”
“Um. Yes.”
Lena regards her for a long moment, then releases a gargantuan breath. Her shoulders fall with it, settling almost one full inch below where they’d been twisted in tension since she arrived. “Well that’s a relief,” she exhales.
“It—it is?” Kara tilts her head.
“I thought you’d been poisoned.” Lena looks at her sharply and Kara swallows. “I was… concerned.”
The flash of vulnerability in her eyes is as close as Lena gets to chastising her, but Kara still feels it like a punch to the gut. It doesn’t take much work to put herself in Lena’s shoes, to imagine the sensation of the ground dropping out from underneath her when a slew of worst case scenarios take up residence in her brain. Combined with the realization that Supergirl’s erratic behavior is also her best friend’s, it might just warrant the frazzled and urgent messages in the middle of the night.
“I’m sorry,” Kara winces. “I promise I’m okay. Just a bit hungover, probably.” She pauses thoughtfully. “If it makes you feel any better, you weren’t entirely wrong.” Lena’s brow furrows and Kara grins dumbly, if only to inject a little levity into the moment. “Alcohol is pretty much poison. I just, you know, did the poisoning myself. I had a great time.”
There’s a stifled snort sound again and then Lena’s chuckling, loose at last and shaking her head fondly. Kara melts into the angelic sound, into the familiarity and affection twinkling within.
“So long as you’re okay,” Lena adds.
“I’m alright,” Kara reassures. She reaches for Lena’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “I promise.”
Keeping their hands joined, Lena tips her head curiously. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”
“Yeah?”
“If you and Alex were home—here, then why did you leave without your suit on?”
“Oh, uh...” Kara thinks for a moment. “We went out at some point. Alex convinced me to go to Al’s—the alien bar—to meet up with Maggie—which,” Kara bristles and sniffs loudly, “was extremely generous of me, considering it was sister’s night.”
She glances at Lena for validation but her best friend just blinks placidly and waits. Kara pauses to wonder if she’s causing any sort of distress with all of the alien information she’s tossing her way. After a few seconds of Kara studying her, Lena finally raises her eyebrows in question.
“Sorry,” Kara shakes her head. “Anyway. We went to the bar and had a couple more drinks. And then—this is where things get kind of fuzzy.” Kara blushes. “Alex left with Maggie, I think.”
“Alex left you at the bar alone? While you were clearly not sober?” Lena’s face screws into a glare of disapproval. “That doesn’t sound like Agent Danvers.”
Kara barks a laugh at the formal form of address. “No, it definitely doesn’t,” she concedes. “I don’t think she actually left me though… I remember being in a cab. And then… um. Not in a cab.”
“Did the taxi drop you off at home?”
“No?” Kara wracks her brain. “I don’t think so. I remember wandering around a park somewhere and realizing I was lost. I know the city so well from above but down here I… get a little turned around sometimes.”
Kara’s cheeks flush at the admission but Lena’s fingers flex around her hand encouragingly and she relaxes.
“Anyway, when I realized I was lost I figured it would be best if I just flew myself home.”
The logic of the moment comes rushing back all at once and Kara feels the tips of her ears go from pink to red to redder. Lena, genius that she is, puts it together rather quickly.
“But you didn’t have your suit.”
“Yeah…” Kara affirms through a dry mouth.
“So you…” Lena begins, encouraging Kara to finish. She’s too embarrassed to even try. After several moments of nothing, Lena rips off the bandaid. “So you undressed to avoid being recognized?”
There’s an inferno blazing somewhere in this room, Kara swears it. She nods, not daring to meet Lena’s eyes.
A minuscule giggle reaches her ears and she breaks.
“I—I didn’t have a choice!” Kara whines. “It was late, I was lost, and my phone was dead and I, I… didn’t know what else to do!”
“Oh dear. Good thing you’re invulnerable.” Lena chuckles. “It's okay, darling.”
“It’s not!” Kara glares over at the TV. “I thought I was being clever. I even folded my shirt and my jeans and hid them in a bush, out of sight and everything! I figured no one would recognize me if I was quick about getting home so I took off but then…”
Lena looks at her expectantly, every bit the generous friend trying to keep her laughter trapped behind her pursed lips.
“Flying felt so good.” Kara admits, contrite. “I’m always wearing that gosh-darned suit with the long sleeves and the tights and just—the warm air felt so nice on my skin. Like the night sky was hugging me hello.”
She’s pouting up a storm now. “I really didn’t expect it. And, well, I guess I was just having a really nice time and my flight home accidentally turned into….” She gestures half-heartedly to the TV. “That.”
“Oh honey.” Lena extends one arm and Kara doesn’t hesitate to dive under it, hiding her face in the comfort of Lena’s shoulder. “It’ll be alright. It’s just a minor PR snafu. You didn’t do anything wrong.
“Alex is gonna be so mad,” Kara grouses, burrowing towards the enticingly familiar scent emanating from Lena’s skin, just a few inches away.
“Perhaps,” Lena allows, rubbing up and down Kara’s arm. It helps soothe the panic that comes with the knowledge of her elder sister’s impending fury. “But you didn’t hurt anyone. And the risk to your identity seems exceedingly low. Who else knows what I gave you for Secret Santa last year?”
Kara thinks back to the holiday, to the warm glow in her apartment and the people she loves gathered to share smiles and stories and gifts. “Just the people that were there that day,” she answers. “Alex, my mom, James, and Winn. And you.”
The memory of Lena glowing alongside her family makes Kara hum happily and nuzzle a little closer. Lena’s arm tightens around Kara’s shoulders.
“And is there any risk of them putting the pieces together from this video?”
“Well, that’s not really a problem,” Kara sighs. “My family has always known. James knew before I even met him because he’s friends with Superman. And Winn is the only other person I’ve ever told.”
She freezes, nervous that the reminder of being kept in the dark might cause Lena to put some distance between them. It’s the last thing Kara wants, to hurt her best friend. Besides, she’d quite like to stay right where she is, a scant inch away from the soft skin of Lena’s collarbone.
“There you have it,” Lena soothes, mercifully unfazed by the news of others that knew before her. “This hiccup should wash away with the next news cycle.” Lena pauses, tenses a bit. “Unless…”
Kara wriggles, prompting her to continue. “Unless what?”
“Have you…” the CEO clears her throat and from this distance Kara can hear her swallow uncomfortably. “Have you shown anyone else?”
“Shown anyone what?”
“This, uh, particular outfit of yours?”
“Pshh, no.” Kara scoffs and shakes her head. The movement brings the cold tip of her nose into contact with the heavenly warmth of Lena’s skin. Kara attributes the slight shiver that runs through her friend’s body to the shock of temperature difference. “Why would I show anyone my underwear?”
When Lena grimaces, the muscles in her neck tighten and Kara instinctively tucks her head closer to smooth the tension away.
“Well,” Lena begins, sounding a bit strangled. Her voice is lower, somewhat shy, and Kara is distracted by the way it vibrates against her forehead when Lena speaks. “If you… perhaps… brought someone home with you.”
“When I invite guests over I don’t include my underwear drawer in the tour of the apartment, Lena. That’s silly.”
“No—that’s not what I—hmph.” Exasperated, Lena finally makes herself clear. “I’m asking if you’ve slept with anyone, Kara.”
The superhero jolts upright, squeaking in surprise. “What?”
Lena clenches her jaw and releases it, taking a fortifying breath. “Have you been intimate with anyone recently that might’ve seen this set of underwear?” Kara gapes like a fish out of water and Lena rolls her eyes as she spells it out, seeming oddly pained. “Could they possibly make the connection between Supergirl’s appearance tonight and your identity as Kara Danvers?”
“Oh,” Kara breathes, struggling to sit still under Lena’s scrutiny. She peels at the fraying edges of her throw pillow. “Um. No.”
“Okay.” It may be Kara’s imagination, but it almost looks like Lena heaves a sigh of relief. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah, I…” the corner of her mouth twitches. “There hasn’t been anyone. Not since Mon-El.”
Kara considers the nights she’s spent with people she loves instead, the extra time that not having a love interest has afforded her with Lena and feels quite at peace with this reality. She smiles. “So I guess we’re safe on that front.”
Lena smiles back, closed-mouthed but still dimpled, and Kara feels like a lava cake again.
“See? You have nothing to worry about,” the CEO assures.
“Except—can anyone trace the purchase back to you?” Kara asks suddenly. “You said it was a custom order, won’t… won’t people think that you’re Supergirl?!”
Lena bursts into laughter at the suggestion. She howls for seconds while Kara dissolves into a panic at the idea of people going after Lena, mistaking her for the drunk Kryptonian.
“Lena, this is serious,” Kara admonishes. Lena just keeps on laughing. “You could be seriously targeted! I need—I need to protect you. Someone could try to hurt you if they thought…” her wild ideas get the best of her, spiraling out of control at the mere suggestion of increased attempts on Lena’s life.
Kara spaces out, flicking rapidly from scenario to scenario about how best to protect her best friend from this type of exposure. Maybe Lena should move in with her, so Kara can keep her safe all the time. If they share a bed, Kara will know she’s protected even while unconscious. Lena maintains an office at Catco, so the workday is covered. What about bathroom breaks, would those be—
A warm palm smooths over Kara’s forearm and squeezes until her tailspin slows to a halt. “Kara, darling. Come back.”
Kara blinks forcefully once, twice, three times, and then she’s planted firmly in her living room, staring once more at the overwhelming wealth of fondness in light green eyes. Those eyes crinkle around a smile as soon as Kara fully returns to her surroundings.
“You needn’t worry about me,” Lena assures slowly. Kara wrinkles her brow and Lena explains. “I went to a store in person to place the order and made my purchases with cash. The payment isn’t traceable to my name and no one recognized me, I’m certain of it.”
Face pinched into a frown, Kara shakes her head. “Are you sure? I won’t take that risk with you, Lena.”
“I’m sure,” the CEO smiles again and it’s nearly dazzling enough to distract Kara from her panic-fueled worry storm. “I appreciate the concern, but I doubt anyone would believe that a Luthor even knows what a baseball cap is, let alone wears one.” Lena tilts her head thoughtfully. “For that matter, I doubt anyone would believe that a Luthor could secretly be Kryptonian, all things considered.”
Kara scowls at the indirect mention of Lex, but considers Lena’s logic. She’s right in the end—short of a credit card receipt with Lena’s name on it or video footage showing her obtaining the exact same garments Supergirl is wearing, it’d be nigh impossible to make the connection.
“Okay,” she finally relents. “Okay. So now all I have to worry about is Alex’s wrath.”
The thought brings another grimace to her face and she buries it into her throw pillow. Alex is going to be so mad.
“I think Alex will be fine once we talk it through with her,” Lena offers. The ‘we’ wraps around Kara like a blanket before Lena’s arms encircle her with a comfort that Kara’s powerless to resist. She drops the pillow in favor of scooting back into her previous position, nestled into the juncture of Lena’s neck and shoulder.
They sit in silence for a few minutes as Kara recovers from her shame. The lateness of the hour and the steady drum of Lena’s heart lull Kara into a dreamy, half-conscious state and before she’s fully aware of herself she asks, “Lena?”
“Hm?”
The low hum of Lena’s voice in the apartment shrouds Kara in calm and she instinctively adjusts so she can press her nose and mouth the source of that heavenly vibration. Lena gulps and Kara is too sleepy to think anything of it.
“You aren’t mad?”
“Mad?” Lena repeats. “Why?”
“You’re not mad that I didn’t tell you my secret?”
“No, darling, I’m not mad,” Lena mutters softly and places a gentle hand on the side of Kara’s head. “It’s your secret to tell. What matters to me is that you’re safe. That’s all.”
The Kryptonian smiles and snuggles close. “Well, I’m really glad that you know now. And that you still like me. There’s so much I wanna tell you.” She pouts. “No more secrets for us.”
“Of course I still like you.” Then, most miraculous of all, Lena drops a soft kiss to Kara’s forehead. “You’re lovely, Kara. Being Supergirl doesn’t change that.”
Kara hums contentedly and drowsily returns the kiss wherever she can reach. Which happens to be the exposed jut of Lena’s collarbone. She notices a shift immediately—Lena’s muscles sing with tautness and her heart rate skyrockets.
“Lena?”
“Mm?” Her response is slightly high-pitched this time, even if the rumble of it still rolls through Kara like thunder.
“Why is your heartbeat so fast?”
“What—how can you even—oh. Superhearing. Of course.”
“Mhm,” Kara smiles, wondering languidly if Lena can feel her grin even if she can’t see it, ‘cause of the way Kara’s mouth is smooshed against her neck. Lena smells really, really good.
“You smell really, really good.” Again, Lena’s heartbeat ratchets up a notch. Kara frowns.
“Lena, you need to calm down.” Kara speaks right up against the source of the hammering in her ears, feeling the corresponding pulse pound on her lips. “‘S very loud. That can’t be good for you.”
“I’m fine, Kara,” Lena squeaks. Kara has her doubts but forgets them immediately when Lena says, “Besides, I’m with Supergirl. I’m as safe as can be.”
“That’s right.” Kara grins then places another sleepy kiss directly over that drumbeat, aiming to soothe it. “Shhh, i zhao,” Kara murmurs at Lena’s pulse point. “Settle down. You’re safe. It’s sleep time now.”
The next thing she hears after a hitch in Lena’s breath is the rich sound of Lena’s chuckle. “Did you just speak Kryptonian to my heartbeat, Kara?”
“Mm, yeah.” She’s beyond sleepy, half her cognizance has already yielded to unconsciousness. “I can never sleep when it’s loud like that.”
“What do you mean never?”
“I always check on you, Lena,” Kara nuzzles. “If your heartbeat’s too loud, I get worried.”
“You… you listen for me?”
Kara frowns again. Somehow this is only making things louder. Won’t stop her from telling the truth though.
“‘Course I listen. You’re my person,” she declares with a huff and drapes an arm over Lena’s midriff. “I dunno what’s bothering you right now though. You said it yourself, you’re safe with me.”
Lena sucks in a breath and holds it. Kara knows because she can feel the rise of Lena’s chest under her cheek and the way Lena’s throat works beneath her mouth. Kara noses against her neck, willing Lena to keep breathing and relax. Eventually she does.
Lena’s sigh comes out slow and measured and finally, her heartbeat begins to slow. She leans her head overtop of Kara’s. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Mhm,” Kara agrees. “Quiet now though, ‘s time for bed.” Lena nods above her and Kara doesn’t even deign to consider that they’re both still half upright on the couch. She does, however, remember a passing comment from earlier in the night.
“Lena?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you tell me your secret, too?”
In the ensuing pause, Kara hears the slowing beat do a stutter step in Lena’s chest. She nuzzles into it and Lena sighs once more.
Then Kara feels the warmth of lips pressed to her temple and suddenly her own heart is mirroring the pattern of Lena’s, clamoring for more of that soft sweetness against her skin.
“I think you might already know,” Lena whispers into her hair.
With the scent of Lena in her lungs and the softness of her friend in her arms and around her, Kara thinks she does, too.
(Morning finds them in the same position hours later, curled against one another on the couch. Necks stiff and backs crooked, they startle awake to a pounding on the door and an unmistakably familiar grumbling on the other side.
“Kara, you’d better be in there! What the fuck happened last night?!”)
--
482 notes · View notes
pippytmi · 28 days
Note
If you are possibly still doing song promts, not sure if you're into country music however, "Unforgettable" by Thomas Rhett is a very cute, romantic song that I believe will suit Supercorp very well, thank you.
It is a warm, sticky summer night, and the stars have never been clearer.
Kara watches them, wistful and maybe a little buzzed, stretched out in the back of her pickup while Alex flicks bottle caps below at the guys. James and Winn don’t even notice; they’re still arguing over whether they should take whiskey shots or shotgun beers, both staunchly on opposite sides of this dilemma.
“Hey,” a thought occurs to Kara suddenly, “where did Sam go?”
“To find Lena, I think,” Alex says, squinting at her next target with halfhearted commitment as she leans over the side of the truck. When she throws the next cap, it misses Winn entirely. “Damn. Open another beer, Kara, I need another shot.”
“Who’s Lena?” The name is somewhat familiar, but Kara can’t place it immediately.
“The Luthor girl. Sam’s friend, you know her.” Alex leans back to root through their cooler, and comes up with two more beers. “She’s the one who flaked when Sam tried to set up that double-date, remember?”
“Right, and I had to third-wheel you guys all night.” Kara sits up in order to scan the crowd curiously, one question at the forefront of her mind: “Is she related to Lex Luthor?”
“Yes, that’s why I said the Luthor girl,” Alex says like one might say keep up. “She’s his half-sister or something, I don’t know.” She uses the bottle opener on her keys to pop open one of the beers, handing it over to Kara and immediately moving on to her own.
Kara takes a distracted swig as she continues to look out into the crowd. The lights strung through the trees offer very little in terms of visibility, and it’s hard to make out faces. “I didn't know he had a sister,” she says.
“It's not something he exactly advertises.” Alex takes a re-do of her earlier shot now that she has a fresh bottle cap, and this time it nails Winn right on the side of the head. “Hey, losers! Quit fighting and come get a drink!”
“Not unless you have some beer cans we can shotgun!” Winn shouts back.
“No, no, he means we need some Jack Daniel’s,” James interjects, and they’re off again, shoving playfully at each other’s shoulders as if they are going to push each other into the bonfire.
Alex rolls her eyes. “Boys,” she says derisively. “Let’s get Nia instead, she deserves a drink far more than they do.” She reaches over to bang at the truck’s backseat window. “Wake up, sleeping beauty!”
“Whoa, watch it!” Kara almost spills her drink in her haste to bat Alex’s hand away. “Take it easy. I just got her all fixed up.”
“Oh sure, when Siobhan takes a baseball bat to the glass it’s all fine and dandy, but I can’t even give it a tap?”
Kara crinkles her nose. “She thought it was her ex’s car in the dark, come on. You can’t blame her for that.”
“You are also her ex,” Alex says impatiently.
“But not the ex she was trying to get revenge on,” Kara points out. “She even apologized to Brittney. I think you should, too.”
Alex gives her a dirty look. “For the last time, I will not call your car that.”
“Don’t be a hater, Alex.”
“Don’t be a fucking weirdo, then—”
Before Kara can even enact her own revenge for that comment, she is briefly blinded by one of two flashlights aimed at her face. Beside her, Alex yelps and covers her eyes.
“There you guys are,” Sam exclaims. “I got lost trying to remember where we were. Why did you park so far away?”
“To keep our drinks from the masses, mostly,” Alex says, and she hops up over the side of the truck to pull Sam into her arms. “And for privacy.”
“Ew,” Kara says, and Alex glares at her over her shoulder.
“For Nia, who is sleeping.”
“Still?” Sam grins, momentarily distracted, when Alex presses a kiss to her cheek. “I wanted to introduce her to Lena.”
Just like her name, Lena Luthor has something about her face that strikes Kara as vaguely familiar. Something in the shine of her eyes in the moonlight, in the way she bites on her bottom lip, in the slope of her nose and the cut of her jaw and the hint of a dimple in her cheek. Kara has never laid eyes on Lena Luthor before, but she finds herself unable to look away.
The only reason Kara even realizes she's been staring at Lena too long is when she hears her name:
“And this is Kara, she's Alex’s sister. She drove us here.”
Now it's Kara's turn to be stared at—or more accurately, scrutinized. “While drunk?” Lena says.
Kara snaps back to reality. “I'm not drunk,” she hastily denies, lest that somehow affect her chances with impressing Lena (coincidentally, something she had not been concerned with until this very second). “I've only had two beers, I'm practically sober.”
But when anyone else might be skeptical, Lena merely tilts her head curiously. “Okay, if you say so,” she says in a manner that’s almost…amused. Kara counts it as a win, either way.
“So are beers all we have around here?” Sam asks. “Clearly, Lena and I need to catch up to everyone.”
“We also have whiskey,” James chimes in, while Winn makes a show of gagging.
“Yeah, just beer and whiskey,” Alex affirms. “Kara did the shopping, so….”
Kara bends down to lift up their cooler as if it’s a treasure chest. “We also have Mang-O-Ritas,” she says magnanimously, passing it down to James to pop open.
“Just a regular beer for me, then,” Sam says. “Lena will have the Mang-O-Rita.”
“I’ve never had one before,” Lena says, crossing her arms and leaning against the side of the truck as Sam procures her drink. “Are they any good?”
Kara jumps off the truck in order to fully join their circle (and, okay, closer to Lena. Maybe). “They’re awesome. Don’t listen to whatever Alex tells you, she will 100% drink three of these in one sitting.” 
“Only when there’s no other option,” Alex protests.
Lena cracks open her can and takes a cautious sip. “Hm,” she says. “That’s…vile.”
“Poor little rich girl,” Sam coos. “Always such a snob about your liquor.”
“Excuse me for preferring a glass of red over this,” Lena says, but she takes a longer drink immediately afterwards, and Kara falls a little bit in love.
It's always been like that, really—Kara falls in love like breathing air. Eliza used to call her a hopeful romantic because she never liked the term hopeless romantic. (“There is nothing hopeless about finding beauty in everything,” Eliza would promise as she kissed Kara's head. Alex would always be nearby gagging, of course).
Eventually, as the fire begins to die down, they break out the whiskey bottle for shots. Lena, Kara can't help but notice, grimaces at the taste in a way that shouldn't be as cute as it is.
“I need a palate cleanser,” Winn gasps afterwards, ever the drama queen. “Stat.”
“I’ve got one right here for you, it's called Bud Light,” Alex quips.
“Blegh.”
And while Alex and Winn playfully tussle, Kara’s gaze drifts past them and back to Lena. Lena, surprisingly, is looking right back.
“You have grass stains on your jeans,” Lena tells her, and quickly looks away.
Kara glances down. “Oh,” she says, “yeah, it’s the hazard of working on a farm.” She actually got the stains from kneeling down to pet a puppy on the way here, but the farm thing sounds better. “So what do you—” 
She never manages to get the question out, because two cars down, someone screams bloody murder and Kara reflexively whips out the pocket knife in her boot. Everyone else is equally alert, until:
“It’s just fucking Mike Matthews again, falling off that eyesore he calls a truck,” Alex scoffs. 
“Again? They need to impound that thing,” James says.
Kara is about to chime in with her own horror story about Mike’s truck when she feels a tap at her shoulder; Lena waits until Kara whirls around, befuddled, before she asks,
“Can you pour me another shot?”
Kara blinks. Then blinks again. “Yeah,” she says, even though Winn is the one holding the whiskey bottle. “Yeah, of course.”
Winn gladly relinquishes the bottle when Kara asks, and he and James walk down to Mike’s group to “see if they can help” (i.e. gossip). Sam and Alex take advantage of the chaos to sneak away together (probably to make out somewhere). And Kara is left, terrifyingly enough, alone with Lena Luthor.
Lena coughs after downing the second shot, frowning down at her cup like it’s wronged her. “That is still…not good.”
Kara tries to hide her smile as she looks down, nudges an empty beer bottle away. “Why drink it, then?”
“I don’t know.” Lena pauses to chase the taste away with her Mang-O-Rita before musing, “To get out of my comfort zone, maybe. But then again, pretty much everything here is out of my comfort zone.”
“Oh, I get it,” Kara says. “Rich girl pretending to be normal. It’s very Maid in Manhattan. Or…whatever the opposite of that is.”
“You are…definitely drunk,” Lena says with the tone of someone two seconds from laughter.
Kara vehemently shakes her head. “Nope, no, absolutely not.”
“Mm, you kind of seem like you are,” Lena says.
“I am not, and I can prove it to you.” Kara cradles the whiskey bottle to her chest and prepares herself: “I can do the running man.”
“And that proves you’re not drunk how?”
“Because it's going to be the most flawless dance you've ever seen,” Kara says, immediately kicking her leg out in a shaky attempt, and Lena’s laughter explodes until she is actually hunched over with the force of it.
“Oh, God, please do that again.”
“I'm not sure I like your reaction,” Kara sniffs, taking a mock-defensive step back. “I don't want to do it now.”
“No, come on, I loved it. Really,” Lena says. Her Mang-O-Rita has spilled into the grass, and she has to stoop down to pick up the can, ruefully shaking it when she notices it's empty. “Maybe I need to slow down. Is there somewhere we can sit?”
“Yeah,” Kara says, waving the whiskey bottle to beckon Lena to follow, and she guides her to the back of the pickup. She shrugs off her jacket, laying it out for Lena to sit, and Lena gives her a small smile when she does; it feels like they’re in their own world, kept company only by the stars and the occasional crackle of the dying bonfire.
“So you work on a farm?” Lena has to lean slightly against Kara to get comfortable, and Kara holds her breath to keep from jumping.
“Yup, my parents’ farm,” Kara barely remembers to answer. “Nothing glamorous like you and your brother, I'm sure.”
“I didn't know you knew about…that,” Lena says.
Kara shrugs, feels her shoulder directly move against Lena’s. “Kind of hard not to,” she says apologetically. “I mean, the Luthor name is on just about every business in town.” She twists the whiskey bottle between her hands, listens to it slosh. “If it helps…none of us care about that.”
“Really,” Lena says, disbelievingly but still light enough to invite a follow-up, which Kara wastes zero time in grasping.
“One hundred percent,” Kara promises. “We never judge a book by its cover. Not even,” she pauses to whisper this next part, “people who stand up their dates on a dreaded double-date with their sister.”
Lena gasps. “That was not you.”
“It was,” Kara laughs, just self-conscious enough to slick her hair out of her eyes. “Didn’t Sam tell you?”
“No—all she said was you were fun,” Lena says. “And she promised to try and set me up again, another time.” She shifts, now fully shoulder-to-shoulder against Kara. “Oh my God. Is that what tonight is?”
“Alex didn’t tell me anything,” Kara wonders, “but it would make sense…”
Lena scoffs. “This would be a horrible date,” she says, almost to herself. Then, hurriedly, “Not because of you, but because of everything else. The drinks, the place, the…lack of indoor plumbing…” 
“So you’re too good for whiskey, tailgate parties, and porta potties,” Kara lists off. “Hm. I don’t know, Lena. This date is off to a rough start.”
“Oh, shut up.” Lena reaches across their bodies for the whiskey bottle, and her fingers tangle with Kara’s as she takes it. Lena uncaps it and takes a swig, coughing as soon as she lowers the bottle, and Kara smiles even if Lena can’t see it.
“What happened to slowing down?”
“That was before I realized this was a date,” Lena says without a lick of shame. “Sue me—I’m nervous.”
“You don’t have to be,” Kara says softly, and she shuts her eyes, inhales the smoke of the fire and the sweet, floral scent of Lena’s perfume. “We can just be friends, too. No pressure.”
“And you’d be okay with that?” Lena asks, her voice quiet but undoubtedly curious. “Am I not the kind of girl you want to date?”
Kara immediately straightens up. “Are you kidding? I would marry you, probably, if I could. In a good way,” she hastens to explain. “In a…general, you-seem-like-the-kind-of-nice-to-marry. Hypothetically.”
Lena exhales, and there’s a hint of a smile in her own voice when she says, “You’re coming on awful strong for a first date, Kara Danvers.”
“Sorry.” Kara slumps against the floor, sighing as the whiskey finally starts catching up to her, leaving her slightly dizzy and uncoordinated as she stares up at the night sky.
But then Lena is moving, twisting until she is half-hovering over Kara, beautifully framed by moonlight and the haze from the fire beside them. “I can’t promise marriage yet,” she says, “but I think I can do a second date.”
Kara blinks, slowly, and her grin forms before she can even try to hide it. “Really?”
“Only if I can choose the place,” Lena says. “And if you never make me drink that awful margarita again.”
“Deal,” Kara says, making room for Lena to squeeze in beside her, light-headed for a whole new reason as Lena rests her head on Kara’s arm. “But I really think you should give the Mang-O-Rita another try. Just, for the record.”
“Shhh, don’t ruin this,” Lena says, tapping Kara’s mouth with her finger, and Kara keeps on smiling.
(And later, when they’ve sobered up, Kara will kiss Lena goodnight; later still, Lena will deny that she tasted of that damned Mang-O-Rita, but only Kara will know the truth).
108 notes · View notes
ekingston · 1 year
Note
For the fic game: Kara and Lena meet in a book store as they're about to pick the same book. It's the last one so they kind of fight over it, each trying to prove why the book is important to them
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(Also on ao3.)
Kara doesn’t recognize her at first. She’s wearing jeans, for one, and it’s not as if Kara is checking her out, per se, but she’d be a liar if she said she isn’t a tiny bit mortified when she realizes the backside she’s been admiring belongs to none other than Lena Luthor, the tech mogul, philanthropist and all around human marvel who Kara is no longer allowed to talk about to her sister, for some reason. She’s just. Here, in the bookstore around the corner from Kara’s office, browsing the stacks as if that’s a thing people still do even when they could probably afford to, like. Buy up Amazon, or something. 
Kara makes an honest effort to stop ogling Lena’s ass in favor of figuring out whether she should say something to her. She hangs back, reaching to adjust her glasses before becoming worried her nervous fingers may knock them down and accidentally reveal more than just the fact that Lena Luthor’s butt looks terrific in jeans. She changes her mind, hastily shoving her hand in her pocket instead, but not before she thwacks it into an inconveniently located display, sending a selection of Dummies guides flying in every direction. 
Kara is already scrambling to pick them up by the time the sound of it reaches Lena’s ears, already on her knees and flustered by the time Lena turns around. 
“Oh!” Lena says, her eyes wide and startled. She’s wearing a pair of glasses herself, huge and heavy-rimmed. “Oh!” she says again, eyelashes fluttering, and then, “I know you.” 
And she doesn’t, see, that’s the thing. Not really. Kara has only met Lena three times, and at least two of them were under less-than-ideal circumstances. Kara wouldn’t blame Lena if she didn’t remember her at all, especially when she technically wasn’t even Kara during the second one of those meetings, when she had plucked Lena’s wobbling chopper from a surprisingly unfriendly sky.
(Lena today looks lovelier even than she had looked during that hectic, disheveled encounter, which, in spite of the fact that Lena had been sort of busy surviving her own attempted murder, had been rather extraordinary, in Kara’s opinion. Alex was somewhat less impressed, even after the third time Kara patiently explained it to her.)
Kara tries to give Lena a smile that’s as intelligent and put-together as she can manage under the current circumstances. “Yeah, um.” She rises to her feet, keeping her fingers carefully folded around the books she’s retrieved from the floor. “It’s Kara—”
“Kara Danvers,” Lena finishes with a small, quizzical smile. “Of Catco magazine. Of course.”
And Kara can’t for the life of her figure out why it’s so ridiculously flattering to have this amazing woman place her immediately like this, or why her own name sounds so much prettier when it’s spoken with that peculiar, impeccable diction Lena Luthor has, rolling from lips that are free of the red tint Kara has become accustomed to seeing. This is out-of-office Lena Luthor, Kara realizes. A Saturday morning Lena Luthor, who loiters, perhaps even moseys, who lingers in bookstore aisles long enough to make even the densest version of Kara Zor-El realize (eventually) that she is, in fact, blocking her access to the very section Kara had come here for.
It’s also a Lena Luthor who smiles at her with genuine kindness. It crinkles the skin at the corners of Lena’s eyes just slightly, just an utterly captivating smidge. “That’s quite a selection,” she tells Kara, her voice warm with humor. 
Kara blinks at her a few times, and then asks, elegantly, “What?”
Lena gives the books in Kara’s strangling grip a sharply amused glance. Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy for Dummies, Kara discovers when she follows Lena’s gaze, and also Ukulele Exercises, Catholicism, and, perhaps most incriminatingly, Raising Goats. For Dummies, naturally.
“Well,” Kara says. “That certainly paints a picture.” 
Lena is grinning, now. “It looks like you have quite the weekend ahead of you.”
Kara rallies. “Don’t judge,” she chides with a cordial glare. “We all have our own ways to relax and unwind.”
“We do.” Lena’s laugh is melodious. “However I’d argue most of them don’t involve siring baby goats.”
“You would say that,” Kara improvises with a surreptitious look at Lena’s shopping basket, “But I bet your choices are actually more unconventional than mine.” 
When Lena’s cheeks promptly flush a dusky pink, Kara fights the urge to lower her glasses a little and get a closer look — because she’s almost sure that, tucked underneath To Paradise and The Song of Achilles, she just spotted a copy of the very book Kara herself came here to buy.
The very, very sexy, very queer book Kara came here to buy.
(It’s for research.)
(Kara is interviewing the author on Monday.)
(The fact that Kara is also a huge fan of her work is irrelevant.)
Lena deflects Kara’s remark after only a moment’s hesitation. “Kara Danvers,” she drawls, smoothly placing her body between Kara and her intended purchases, “reporter for Catco magazine.” Kara gulps when Lena aims a single severe eyebrow at her, because this woman’s casual nudge a month ago accounts for an easy ninety percent of the reason Kara now holds that position, and she hadn’t held it last time they spoke. Lena chides, sounding scandalized, “Are you asking me about my weekend plans?”
“No!” Kara shouts. “I would never be so forward, or cross that— I mean. Journalistic integrity is—” She flails, just a little, just for a minute or so, and then she blurts, “Is that a copy of T. Mercer’s Tickled Ink I saw in your basket?”
Lena goes very still, her former fluster hidden away behind a flawless mask of cool composure. A flutter of movement in the muscle at the hinge of her jaw is the only indication she hasn’t gone full Nora Fries. This is objectively terrible. Kara has terrified a perfectly adorable Saturday morning Lena Luthor, and now she has anxiety. 
“‘Cause I’m, um,” Kara attempts. She takes a breath. Anything to defrost Lena Luthor, maybe make her smile at her again. “I’m. Actually here for that one, myself.”
Lena’s eyes focus sharply, but her shoulders also ease, like, a millimeter, maybe even a millimeter and a half. “I’m sorry,” she says, and Kara’s already bursting forth to assure her she’s the one who should be apologizing when Lena finishes, flinching, “I think I got the last copy they had.”
Which is, hmm. Inconvenient, Kara wants to file it away as, but in truth it’s a little bit more than that. Because there’s the interview, on Monday. And this is the first in-person interview the author has ever agreed to, after countless emails and under strict order of secrecy regarding her real-life identity, and Kara already feels a kinship with her because of that. And Kara’s read her book, obviously, read all of them, the day they came out in fact, but she doesn’t have a physical copy of this latest one yet, and she’d really like to have the author sign it, maybe even add a little dedication saying Kara is her most persistent fan or something like that.
“Oh,” Kara says.
It gets Lena to soften her posture again, at least. “Are you—” Lena hesitates, seems to need a moment to muster her resolve. “Are you familiar with her work?”
Kara needs a moment too, mainly to stop being distracted by the observation that one of Lena’s eyes seems to be slightly less green than the other so she can choose her next move wisely. Kara can’t tell her the truth, she decides — if she gives away how much she loves the author, she ruins her chances of getting a physical copy before the interview. 
Also Lena may start doubting her journalistic integrity, which, gosh. Kara can’t even stand the thought.
“Yeah,” she says. Lena’s eyebrows rise in question. Not good enough. “I mean, a little?” Kara amends. She sends up a prayer for forgiveness and closes her eyes. “It’s pretty run-of-the-mill escapist fodder, I guess.” 
Lena’s eyes also shutter, behind long, thick lashes. “Oh,” she says. “Right.” They’re a deep inky black, even without her usual makeup. They form a pretty neat contrast with, you know, with the delicate pallor of her cheeks. She gives Kara a stiff little smile. “More of a guilty pleasure, then.” 
“Sure,” Kara says with a miserable sigh, “Her romance arcs are actually a little… trite, you know?” Kara presses her lips together in an effort to keep her bottom lip from wobbling. Okay, that actually hurt to say.
Lena’s hum is unexpectedly shrill. “Trite,” she echoes, the color returning to her cheeks, and good — Kara almost has her where she needs her. Bolstered by Lena’s obvious distaste, Kara breathes out a final volley. 
“Yeah,” she cries, “plus,” she lies, “the characters are—” just say it “one-dimensional, their motivations completely mystifying and ever-changing.” Lena is practically scowling now, fortifying Kara’s breaking heart with hope her betrayal will be worth it, in the end. “It’s also pretty obvious she has no idea how to write a proper ending,” Kara finishes with a whimper, convinced she’s stuck the landing.
Lena folds her arms in front of her body, the gesture only mildly impeded by the shopping basket looped around her wrist. “You sure seem familiar with her work,” she says. “For someone who claims to hate it so much.” 
Kara freezes. “Hmm?”
Lena narrows her eyes at her.
Kara blows out a slow breath through her mouth and sniffs, her eyes still dripping. “You don’t want that book,” she pouts in a childish last-ditch effort.
Lena’s voice is every bit the CEO Kara had first faced safely ensconced in her cousin’s shadow. “And why is that?”
“It’s, well—” Kara clears the remaining phlegm from her throat. “It’s not… for you. Trust me.”
Lena huffs out a disbelieving laugh. “You barely know me.”
“Well.” Kara takes a breath, searching the ceiling for her next clue. Gotcha! “I know you’re not gay.”
Lena’s mouth and eyebrows all curve in different directions, a face journey so fascinating Kara just stares at it for a couple of beats. Her features eventually settle in an expression that reads as— comical derision? Kara isn’t sure, it’s so complex. Lena Luthor is a very complex woman. “I mean.” Kara panics. “Are you?”
Lena opens her mouth and blinks a few times before actual words come out. “I suppose that depends,” she finally says. 
Kara’s terrified to ask, but also she absolutely has to know the answer. “On what?”
There’s that severe eyebrow again. “On whether we’re on the record yet,” Lena says simply.
Kara’s stomach lurches. “No,” she says. “Listen.” She tugs at her collar, suddenly uncomfortably aware of the supersuit beneath her button-down. “I’m here on my day off,” she assures her. “I’m not— and. ‘Yet?’ We don’t have, like, anything scheduled, or—”
“Don’t we?” Lena interrupts her tailspin. Kara watches her, uncomprehending, as Lena fishes the copy of Tickled Ink from her shopping basket before setting it gently down on the floor. “Can I borrow that pen?” She gestures elegant fingers at Kara’s breast pocket and the pen is in Lena’s hand before Kara remembers she’s not supposed to use superspeed when she’s in her civvies. 
Lena blinks between Kara’s position a respectful couple of feet away and the pen in her hand for a couple of seconds before she starts flicking graceful strokes of ink onto the title page. “Seems like we both have some introductions to make,” she muses, and then she angles the book so Kara can read what she’s written.
Kara stares at the inscription.
Tess Mercer, it says, in a pleasing, loopy script, echoing the name of the author printed just below it. And above, To my dear friend and most oblivious fan,
“Should I make it out to Kara Danvers?” Lena asks, eyeing the collar of Kara’s shirt where Kara has been tugging at it. “Or to Supergirl?”
-
“For me?” Kara asks, already blushing under Lena’s fixed attention and the color of her voice. 
When they eventually sit down for that interview two days later, opting for lunch at a cozy café, Lena’s fingers find Kara’s own when she discloses she’d been meaning to buy the book for Kara all along, reminding Kara one of her emails had mentioned she owned only a digital copy. 
“I’ve always preferred a good paperback, myself,” Lena tells Kara with a wolfish grin, sliding a wrapped gift across the table between them.
Flirting is the title. For Dummies.
“Oh yes,” Lena croons.
Kara swallows when she tears the paper to reveal a lurid yellow cover.
“Figured it might come in handy,” Lena says before taking a big, toothy bite. “You know." She winks. "For your big interview.”
735 notes · View notes
vox-ex · 7 months
Text
vigilante + breakfast
Supercorptober 2023
"You can put your strength down. I’m sitting here with you at your kitchen table. You don’t need to say anything." - Eden Robinson
or ... Lena saves Supergirl from Lillian but winds up having breakfast with Kara
----
Lena doesn't know how she got here.
Standing in the kitchen of a cabin up the coast while a superhero showered in the other room.
Well, she does.
But it's a story too long to tell on 3 hours of sleep. She thinks about just leaving, about placing a note on the counter and going after Lillian on her own for almost killing Supergirl. But playing vigilante was literally the one thing she said she told Agent Danvers she wouldn't do.
So that's how she wound up here.
Standing in the kitchen of a cabin up the coast, water running in the other room while she tried to make sense of the last 24 hours and the room in front of her all at once.
She finds it all narrows down to one thing, or rather three, all stacked together.
She notices the bright blues and deep reds first, the way they stand out against the dark wood. She runs her fingers over the heavy material of the suit and through the thick creases of the cape, trailing over the edges of the sigil that peeks out. It's softer than she thought it would be. Careful stitching and little flecks of gold woven throughout. She marvels at the hidden complexities of something that had always seemed so much simpler.
But things up close never quite appear like they do at a distance.
They look out of place, folded there on the kitchen table.
The care to place them so perfectly, a contrast to the rest of the room.
A blanket still covering half the couch. Two pillows wedged together against the arm. A pot of coffee on the counter, still warm but half gone. A missing mug from the cabinet. A plate covered in bits of jam and burnt toast crumbs in the sink.
But there was an odd comfort in it, of things having been taken out and put back a little askew — careful in its own way, but cautious too. It felt familiar in a way she couldn't place.
She came back to the suit, noticing one more thing tucked inside the folds — a pair of dark-rimmed glasses.
She carefully picked them up, unable to leave them in their place like the rest of the things she had found.
Familiar in that same way she couldn't place.
They were heavier than they should be.
She turned them over in her hand, tracing the outline of the frames, running her finger over the faint outline of scratches too deep to polish away.
Imagined them set in front of bright blue eyes.
They became even more familiar then.
Marveled at the simple illusion of them.
Was so caught up in it that she missed the sound of the water stopping.
Missed the sound of someone else coming into the kitchen.
"They have lead in them."
She almost dropped the glasses.
She imagines they wouldn't have broken if she had.
Finds herself careful with them all the same.
Kara came up next to her, hair still damp as she finished putting it up into a loose bun. She had cuts scattered on one side of her face still. Mostly healed. Mostly just angry lines and shallow marks. But Lena remembered them deeper, remembered her bleeding. Her ears rang in sympathy at the memory of how they got there. Remembering the the cape in front of her wrapped around her body instead, protecting her. It hadn't felt as heavy then.
Looking at her felt like walking into the room all over again. Some parts of her familiar, others out of place.
"I'm sorry, I - I was just..."
"Please don't be." Kara gently took the glasses from Lena's hands with a soft smile and slipped them on. "I left them there for you." Her fingers lining up with the imperfections on the lenses. The cuts along her cheek coming into sharper focus, too.
"I thought, I thought it might be easier to see when I told you about me...all of me."
She reached out and adjusted them just a little, letting her fingers linger there for a moment. She felt Kara relax against her.
"There you go," Lena said
The oversized sweater and messy bun made her seem even softer. More like the Kara she had come to know.
"Here I am."
But Lena could see it now - the strength coiled beneath her gentle nature, the way she stood taller under Lena's touch. Could see all of her.
Her fingers drifted from Kara's glasses to her chin, her thumb stretching up to touch the split in her lip that seemed to be taking the longest to heal.
Suddenly, even more of yesterday made sense.
Her mother hadn't just been trying to hurt Kara.
She had been trying to hurt her, too.
Her shoulders fell as the weight on them grew.
"I should have gotten there sooner...If I had just realized what she was doing, accepted it."
"Hey," Kara set her jaw, beneath Lena's touch. "You got us both out of there."
"What if she comes after you again?" Lena asked quietly.
"She will, and we'll stop her," Kara promised, "together." Her voice softened..."tet me protect you too."
Lena nodded, taking a deep breath. Years from now, she would become used to this kind of hope, but for, now it was still new.
"I have to be honest, though; I would really like some breakfast first. Because I tried making toast, but it was --"
"-a little burnt on one side," Lena finished.
Kara ducked her head, and Lena laughed, the sound coming easily even now, as it always seemed to do with Kara.
"Any requests? I am told I make good pancakes."
Kara squeezed her hand...careful...familiar.
"Perfect, pancakes sound perfect."
----
read and follow along on Ao3 too
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toxinoire · 5 months
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Kara never thought of it when Lena first asked her this question.
"What if someone says; in like a few years maybe, I'd be...gone?" Lena asks, staring at the distance.
Kara got confused at this question. But decided to answer anyway. "Well, I'd most likely, punch them or something. I'm not letting that happen."
Lena chuckled. "You're right...I guess it's just another existential crisis."
"Want to talk about it?" Kara asks softly. Lena just smiles at her. "No, darling. It's alright. It's just one of those times."
"Well, if you need anything...food, movies, a hug, I'm right here."
Lena laughs and nods. "Got that."
She didn't ask that question for no reason. She isn't sure if Kara already figured this fact out already, but their time is limited. Because Kara won't die unless she gets killed with Kryptonite or the day the yellow sun flying over them dies.
Lena knows there's a chance that Kara's life could be at stake at any given moment, but at the same time...there's a possibility that she could have Kara for the rest of her life. While Kara won't have Lena, nor the rest of their family for the rest of her life.
See here's the thing, Kara knew that. But ignorance is a bliss, as they say. She pretends that the day won't come.
But...maybe she indulged herself too much.
Because right now, Kara, swear to Rao, drops the car she's currently carrying as her eyes widen in fear. Through a window, not that big, but big enough for her to witness it firsthand.
Lena, sweet, gentle, beautiful Lena, with a knife pierced through her neck. She heard the enemy responsible for it, the one who's back is facing the window, laugh. Fucking laugh. Kara and Lena make eye contact through the window, Lena smiling gently, softly, warmly, at her. Muttering something no human could hear, but Kara heard so clearly. Her voice as soft as her gaze.
"I love you."
Kara barges in, breaking the whole wall, she rushes to her, hoping she could still save her. Hoping she wouldn't lose her. She can't lose Lena, she just can't.
However, it was too late. The knife stabbed a very fatal spot, and Kara witnesses Lena drop to the ground.
Kara can no longer hear her heartbeat.
"Aww, look at Supergirl. The Paragon of Hope, looking hopeless-"
Before this asshole can finish, Kara pushes him, actually pushes him off the broken wall, she hears him scream and plummet down, but she doesn't care.
"Lena?"
Nothing.
"Please, no. No. Fuck. Please don't leave me, don't take her too, please." Kara tries to get help, but to no avail.
Lena Luthor's death was publicly announced two days later. Many were happy at the fact that there was not a single Luthor left. The Superfriends grieved in their own ways. At least some people in the city actually acknowledged what Lena did for the world and paid their respects. The Superfriends tried to comfort Kara. She appreciates it, of course, but it won't bring Lena, Kara's...everything, back to her.
Now everywhere she goes, Kara just sees Lena.
She would try to go to Big Belly Burger, she just remembers that time they celebrated Lena's birthday there. Noonan's? She just sees Lena's smile when Kara gives her coffee from that place. The park in National City? That time Lena used her magic fully for the first time. CatCo? She remembers every hall Lena ever walked in. She sees a book? She remembers Lena giving her one.
Her own apartment also reminds her of Lena, all the times they had there. Certain foods remind her of Lena. Everything around her is now just a ghost of Lena. Even fucking kryptonite reminds her of Lena.
She's everywhere Kara goes.
No one in the city realized how much Supergirl was so torn over the loss of Lena Luthor.
Some dickwads actually thought she was happy about it, which some idiot reporter asked her one day.
"You must be really relieved that the last Luthor is no longer a threat."
Kara stays silent, yet her eyes emmit everything she wants to say.
Kelly holds back an angry Alex from hitting someone, but Kelly herself is yelling about how insensitive that was, about how this reporter is disrespecting the dead, about how they forgot that Lena worked with Supergirl. Both Brainy and Nia list down everything that Lena has done to save the city.
Kara? She's been silent, before taking a deep breath, looking at the reporter, knowing there are cameras surrounding her, she says,
"This world is nothing without her."
Then, she flies away, higher into the blue skies and screams.
Would you look at that, world. There's a Luthor that successfully broke a Super.
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attn: Supercorp fic writers!
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Ok, hear me out. Two of the best fics I've ever read were Supercorp fics that revolved around women's basketball; one set in college, one in the pros. In each case, Kara was the b-ball star and Lena was...not even a fan. Well, maybe one of you could revisit the world of women's basketball...but this time with Lena being the b-ball star...?
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superxkorra · 2 months
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OTP Questions: Supercorp Series
Hello folks and fans of my Supercorp series. I'm working on the sixth installment to "Your Love Was Home", but I've been keeping you all waiting for another work since last August. To make up for that, feel free to pick any of the prompts below (ask for the number specifically) and I will answer in regards to my Supercorp series. I combined a lot of prompts from other sources and made my own.
That being said, anyone who wants more Ranya content while I'm working on more for that series, do the same.
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tiny-pun · 1 year
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You have heard of “drunk calling” now get ready for
“Sick calling”
Person B is sick and can’t think straight anymore since their mind is a haze of eating, sleeping …. And missing A.
So ofc what better thing to do than just … call A up? And confess that they need them and only them ? And also their soup! Their sick soup is THE best they’ve ever had (pssst don’t tell C tho)
Bonus point, if others don’t know they know each other; let alone that they’re in a fight or broken up ! … which will all now be resolved ofc, now that A knows B does care and want them!
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c-optimistic · 2 years
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Can I interest you in a spur of the moment proposal prompt? Kara seems miffed after Lena introduces her as her girlfriend and once they're alone asks Lena "don't you think 'girlfriend' is kind if a simple term to describe what we are to each other?"
Lena: What would you have me call you? My partner? My *lover*? My -
Kara: You're wife?
It doesn’t take the long, silent car ride home, or even the woeful sighs Kara lets out every few minutes for Lena to know there’s something wrong. She could tell when Kara ate nothing the entire time they were out.
They change in silence too, Lena finding an old sweatshirt of Kara’s and pulling it on before slipping into bed, watching as Kara moved around the room. Finally, the silence becomes too much.
“Why are you so mad?”
Kara stops abruptly, looking at Lena with shock. “I’m not! I’m not mad,” she insists, sitting at the edge of the bed, shirt partially undone, hair a mess. “I just—you introduced me as your girlfriend at the gala.”
Lena chuckles, realizing too late that that’s the wrong thing to do. “But you are my girlfriend.”
Kara flops back onto the mattress, limbs splayed out. She sighs yet again. “I know. But it seems…wrong.”
Lena’s heart nearly stops. Wrong? Did Kara mean the relationship? Had Lena done something? Had she erred in some way? She can’t think of anything but maybe—
“I just think it should be more, you know?” Kara says, breaking Lena out of her thoughts. “I mean, girlfriend is nice. But we’re more than that to each other right?”
Some of the fear dissipates and Lena laughs softly, reaching out to brush Kara’s hair back. “Okay, love. What would you prefer? Partner? Lover?” she adds with an exaggerated accent, succeeding in making Kara snort. “What do you think?”
Kara is silent for a long moment, then sits up, looking at Lena with an uncharacteristic serious expression. “What about wife?” she asks, one hand going into her pocket and pulling out a small box. “Your wife? If you’ll have me?”
Lena barely gets in the nod before she launches herself forward for a kiss, the word on repeat in her mind: wife, wife, wife.
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fluxy001 · 1 year
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So after the Flash trailer, I need someone to do a crossover fic where DCEU Kara gets pulled into the Arrowverse.
I wanna see CW Supergirl react to meeting this version of Kara, I wanna see Alex, Lena, etc. react to meeting this broken version of Kara.
Please 😩
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kuekyuuq · 1 year
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Spot the difference
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The one on the left is charged by solar energy, very creative, a bit dorky/awkward, can dial the puppy-eyes up to 11, sole survivor of their kind, has hope despite all odds, selfless, very devoted, is super-strong and has a heart of gold, the one on the right is scientifically adapt, sometimes a bit one-track minded, has a bit of a tough shell but is a mushy mush inside, no bs kinda girl / rational, very quickly very smitten by the one on the left despite wanting to stay on mission... 
🔍  ...I see no difference >.>
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...🔍
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...now, who’s gonna write that AU? 
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pippytmi · 1 year
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For the fake dating thing 11 with whomever you want!
“Do you always get into fist fights on first dates, or am I just lucky?”
There is a bruise already forming on Kara’s jaw, and her hand still has a phantom ache that won’t go away. There might be a touch of blood on the lapel of her shirt, too, but she has been unable to confirm without ready access to a mirror. But it’s this—the firm click of silver six-inch heels against pavement announcing Lena’s arrival—that brings Kara an instant sense of uneasiness.
“It’s kind of in the job description,” Kara shrugs off the rhetorical question. “You know, of being a girlfriend.”
Lena Luthor has an uncanny ability to make Kara feel completely, totally inept in any situation just with a quizzical quirk of an eyebrow and a ruby-red lipsticked frown. Not because she deliberately tries to, but because that’s just the Luthor™ way. Every member of that family seems to have mastered the ability to stare hard enough to make anyone squirm. Even though Kara has known Lena since they were kids—even though they know each other better than anyone else in the world—the effect is the same.
“That might be the most idiotic thing you’ve said all night.” Despite her stoic expression, Lena’s voice is surprisingly soft. “You should have walked away.”
“That would have been worse than not punching Mike Matthews, I think,” Kara says. “Really, I’m ninety-five percent sure I’m supposed to defend your honor, or… whatever the saying is.”
And the strangest thing happens; a glimpse of amusement cracks through Lena’s frown, visible in the ever-so-gentle upturn of the corner of her mouth. “Sorry, did I miss the part where we time traveled a hundred years ago?”
“It’s—you know what I mean,” Kara says. “If I was your real girlfriend everyone would expect me to punch guys in the face for you.”
“Or,” Lena counters, “it might be overkill, since everyone knows you are not inherently a violent person.”
Kara sheepishly tugs at her collar, unable to stop herself from flushing when Lena gazes at her so pointedly. “Does it matter if everyone who meets Mike wants to punch him? Because I’m pretty sure he could make a nun violent.”
“Wow,” Lena says. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say a mean thing about anyone before this.”
“Yeah, well…” Kara grimaces. “Mike Matthews brings it out of me. Or maybe this stuffy party does.” Her hand unconsciously goes back to her jacket, and she has to shrug it off all at once, suddenly feeling constricted in her suit. “I don’t know how you do it.”
Lena must be far more uncomfortable than Kara is, with those high heels and the skintight dress and the overall burden of familial expectations hanging on her shoulders, but she masks it remarkably well. “Practice,” she says—sighs. “And whiskey.”
“Gross,” Kara says, unconsciously crinkling her nose as she works at undoing her tie next. “I’m more of a Capri Sun girl myself.”
A short, stunned laugh emerges before Lena can likely quell it. “Right, how could I forget,” she says, and tilts her head in that curious way she does whenever she has a question she isn’t sure how to ask. But it must pass, because her actual question comes out in the form of: “Is there a reason you’re stripping in full view of the paparazzi?” 
“Fan service?” It’s a weak joke, but it makes Lena roll her eyes in that mock-exasperated way that Kara knows would be a laugh out of anyone else. “I just need to cool off, maybe. Then I promise, I’ll be your doting girlfriend for all the cameras again.” She allows a beat before she adds, perhaps unnecessarily, “Without any violence.”
“Yes, I think my mother would very much prefer that.”
Kara laughs, remembering the horrified look on Lillian Luthor’s face with—admittedly—a bit of glee. “Yeah,” she says, “I’m sure she’s thrilled with how tonight is going.”
“Well, she does think it’s all part of a rebellious phase,” Lena muses. “She’s convinced I’m doing this just to spite her.”
Kara has felt the brunt of Lillian’s disapproval back since she first befriended Lena when they were kids, back when they were auditioning for the same movie. Honestly, there is no telling why Lillian has always disliked Kara. Maybe it was because she wasn’t a nepotism baby like all the rest of crowd, or maybe it was because Kara would sneak Lena out of the giant Luthor mansion to go to the movies, or maybe it was because when they were teenagers Kara had wrecked the Porsche (on a dare)...but that disdain has been steadfast ever since they were young, and it’s never once wavered. Everyone knows it. Lena knows it.
Which is why Kara is unable to keep the confusion out of her voice when she says, “Uh. Aren’t you?”
“Aren’t I…what?” Lena repeats, lost.
“Pretending to date me to spite her?” Kara prompts. “You know. Since she hates me?”
Lena’s brow furrows ever-so-slightly. “I didn’t mean dating you,” she says. “I mean dating in general. She thinks it’s a distraction.” She absentmindedly picks at one of the sequins on her dress, a nervous tic that she has never been able to shake. “God, it’s getting cold out here.”
The temperature is just right for Kara, but Lena has always run cold; Kara’s poked fun at her for it once or twice (or for their entire childhood, but who’s keeping track). An unbidden smile, fonder than it has any right to be, inevitably forms. “Well sit down, so you can leech some of my body heat. Besides, you make me tired just looking at you in those heels.”
“Then I’ll be colder,” Lena objects, eyeing the stone of the fountain edge that Kara is currently sitting on. “No way.”
“You’re the most high maintenance fake girlfriend ever,” Kara feigns annoyance. “Here, then. Sit on my lap. And you can put my jacket over your legs.”
It’s hard to exactly tell with the dim lighting of the streetlights, but Lena—blushes? Maybe? And immediately shakes her head. “I’m too heavy.”
“No such thing,” Kara retorts. “I’ll keep stripping if you don’t sit down, Lena. Then your mother will really have a reason to hate me.”
“You are trying to create scandal everywhere you can tonight, aren’t you?” Lena says, but doesn’t move, only crosses her arms and gives Kara an exasperated look. “It would be a hell of a front page.”
“Wow, Lena, if you wanted me naked all you had to do was ask,” Kara says, undoing the first two buttons of her shirt while Lena continues to glare. Then, for fun, she continues up until she hits the top of her bra and Lena’s jaw fully drops in alarm.
“Oh my God, Kara, stop!”
But the ruse works, because as Lena moves forward as if she’s about to button Kara’s shirt back up (or just push her into the fountain), Kara is able to wrap an arm around Lena’s waist and tug her down. Lena yelps in surprise, arms coming up to squeeze around Kara’s neck, and Kara has to hide a grin into the curls that hit her full force in the face.
“Geez, Lena, you’re like an ice cube. Don’t you own a sweater?”
“You asshole,” Lena says, but there is no bite in her voice, only annoyed defeat. “If I get glitter all over you, I’m not going to apologize.”
“I’ll let it slide, this once.” Kara doesn’t mention that there’s nothing in the world that she wouldn’t let Lena get away with. That’s the inevitable truth of being in love with this girl pretty much her whole life—Kara caves first, and she always has. Whether it was what flavor of Gatorade to get from the vending machine, or whether it was who got to sit down in the only remaining chair for a last minute casting call, or whether it was to tag along to Lena’s prom date so the boy wouldn’t try to kiss her, Kara always let Lena call the shots.
Lena exhales; Kara feels the warmth of Lena’s breath against her temple, feels the steady weight of Lena’s body as she shifts on Kara’s lap, feels the rough pattern of Lena’s dress sequins against her fingertips. “You know you’re my best friend, right?” Lena says suddenly.
Those words always make Kara’s heart skip a beat, like they’re right back to being fifteen and nervously holding each other’s sweaty hands while poring over crumpled scripts. “I’d better be,” Kara quips, if only to keep her sappiness at bay, “or I’m returning the BFF necklaces I brought as our first-anniversary gift.”
“I’m serious,” Lena huffs, and her grip around Kara’s neck tightens just a hair. “Will you let me be serious?”
“Okay, okay. One hundred percent seriousness from here on out, I promise.”
For a moment, the only sound is that of cars passing, of the trickle from the water fountain, of the faint music coming from the party. And when Lena speaks at last, it’s quiet. “I know my mom’s not the…easiest person,” she says. “And if pretending to be my girlfriend is going to make you uncomfortable because you have to deal with her, you don’t have to do it.”
“I’ve been dealing with your mother forever, Lena,” Kara says lightly. “She hasn’t been able to scare me off yet, for as much as she’s tried.”
Lena scoffs, but her hand is unmistakably tender as she fiddles with Kara’s shirt collar. “What happened to being serious?”
“I am serious! Do you or do you not remember that time we went to the water park? I swear she cut a hole in my water tube slide. And let’s not even bring up the whole prom incident, because I swear my hip has never been the same since falling out of your window.”
“She didn’t even know that was you.” Lena laughs, and it’s still somewhat hesitant, but just affectionate enough to reflect her feelings about that memory. “That feels like a lifetime ago.”
Kara inhales, shakily, both the sweet scent of Lena’s perfume and some much-needed air. “In a good way or a bad way?”
Lena presses her forehead into Kara’s jaw, her skin still cold enough that it makes Kara sympathetically squeeze her tighter. “Can you just promise to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable?” she asks, and ignores Kara’s question entirely. “Either with my mother, or…just the pretending part with me.”
“I feel plenty comfortable,” Kara tries, but Lena just reiterates,
“Promise me, Kara. I don't want to lose you.”
Something about the urgency in Lena's tone shifts the mood entirely; Kara swallows tightly and nods obligingly. “Okay. I promise. But you have to tell me, too, if anything becomes…I don't know, too much.”
“Fine,” Lena agrees readily.
“No, wait, but listen,” Kara presses. “Being friends is one thing, but dating is another, and—even if it's fake, we're going to have to do couple things. And I don't want it to ruin our friendship.”
“I also don't want to ruin our friendship,” Lena says. “Which is why I brought it up first.”
“Good. Okay. I just wanted to be sure.” Kara awkwardly shifts, all too aware that this might not be the ideal time and place for this conversation. Much less when Lena's still in her lap, clinging to Kara as if afraid to let go. “So on a scale of one to ten, how badly have I messed up the friendship by fighting Mike?”
Lema hums, considering. “That depends on what he said about me.”
“Um, nothing nice,” Kara says haltingly. “I'd rather not repeat it.”
“Then I'll let it slide…this once.” Lena's hands find their way up to Kara's face, fingertips gentle against the bruise on her jaw. “But you are still an idiot.” She thumbs warmly against the apple of Kara's cheek and gazes at Kara from underneath thick mascaraed eyelashes, then whispers, “And you're my favorite.”
“Your favorite idiot?”
“My favorite person.” Suddenly they're seventeen again, and Kara is sitting on Lena's bedroom floor still tugging at her tux because it itches. Suddenly they're seventeen again, and Lena is biting her lip and unable to catch Kara’s eye. Suddenly they’re seventeen again, and Lena is whispering I wanted you to make sure he didn’t kiss me because I want you to be my first kiss.
Kara blinks, mouth opening and closing for a pause, before she has to fall back on a safe feeling—fall right back to humor, so Lena does not comment on the way Kara’s body automatically tenses. “Aw, Lena,” she manages, “that sounded a lot like you like me.”
“I’m just a good actress,” Lena says mock-haughtily, but her eyes are searching as they lock onto Kara’s, expression softening the way no one else ever really sees. To the world she’s always been some cold, aloof superstar, but to Kara she will always be the best friend who wanted her first kiss to be with the person she trusted most in the world.
“Well for the record,” Kara swallows thickly, “you’re my favorite, too.”
There is a split second—a charged, electric second—where Kara swears Lena is going to kiss her. Her eyes are hooded like they’re about to close, and her face sways closer, her hand still resting on Kara’s bruised jaw. But then she sighs, and Kara can feel the distance before she sees it.
“We should go back inside,” Lena says, abruptly stumbling off of Kara's lap. “Sooner or later we'll have to do damage control.”
It takes a beat for Kara to catch up. “Right,” she says, hastening to button up her shirt and follow. “It wouldn't be a Luthor party without damage control.”
“It's the first time you're the cause, though,” Lena throws over her shoulder. “And don't forget your tie!”
“Got it,” Kara calls, undoing her tie entirely and tossing it into the bushes. “Hey, wait up! Come back and hold my hand.”
That makes Lena freeze in place. “What?”
“For—you know, the cameras,” Kara says, shrugging her suit jacket back on. “So we can show a united front.”
Lena gives her an inscrutable look. “You say the weirdest things sometimes,” she says, but she allows Kara to catch up and intertwine their hands together without further complaint. 
“How else is everyone supposed to know you're not mad at me?” Kara reminds her. “Or that I'm the best girlfriend you've ever had?”
“I doubt they're going to make that assumption based on hand holding.” But as they climb up the steps to rejoin the gala, the low, golden light illuminates that dimpled smile of Lena's that makes Kara breathless. “What makes you think you're the best, anyway?”
“Just a guess,” Kara says, squeezing Lena's hand as they reach the entrance. “Am I?”
“Let's see if you end tonight without any more fights first,” Lena quips, and while her voice is teasing, her smile grows exponentially tender. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Kara echoes quietly, and allows Lena to lead her right through those double doors knowing that she would follow Lena anywhere.
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flyingpotstickers · 1 year
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“I got a new hoodie today.” Kara offers up to the squad, as they sit in a cafe drinking coffee, too much coffee, and also hot chocolate with sprinkles. (Kara will let you guess which one she got.)
Lena raises her eyebrows. “Nope. Wrong.”
“How can that be wrong? She either did or she lied about it.” Alex says---suspiciously---- frowning dangerously. She can tell this is about to be sappy. Alex wishes she had the spray bottle. Alas, Kelly said that Alex isn’t allowed to use it in public.
“We got a new hoodie.” Lena leans in, a slow smirk growing onto her face. Alex groans as she falls back in her chair. “Luthor!” she whines.
“Be cuter on you anyway, babe.” Kara says softly. Alex groans even louder. Alex wishes again that she had that spray bottle, or even better, some bleach for her eyes. Kara has leaned in and began to press a kiss to her girlfriend’s lips. “This is the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.”
“You were almost drowned.” Kara pulls back to retort. “You’ve nearly died countless times. My love for Lena is not something you need to worry about.” Kara freezes. Lena freezes.
Alex’s eyes widen.
“You love me?” Asks the Luthor, her eyes wide with awed shock. It is obvious that she wasn’t expecting that.
“Of course I love you, doofus. You’re my best friend, and I would die for you. Do I love you? Sure. Yes. Definitely. Do I wish I had said it in literally any other circumstance? More than you will ever know.” Kara rambles.
It’s cut off by Lena kissing her this time.
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vox-ex · 6 months
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seasons + stars
supercorptober 2023
“Sometimes when I look at you, I feel I'm gazing at a distant star." ― Haruki Murakami
or Kara deals with the impermanence of herself and the permanence of her love
----
Kara comes to Earth in the Spring.
On the backs of stars she will never see again she carries their dust with her, lays it down in soil tasked with bearing witness to ghosts that are not its own.
The stars that are a part of her become a part of it.
She spends days in the forest, the bright blue sky above her, Sol at her back, Rao in her chest, through the vibrant green trees, across flowers that bloom in hues of yellows and oranges.
She lays out at night on the roof, tries to trace the inky black as far into the distance as she can. Far enough she might still see a light that hasn't been replaced by darkness yet.
The stars will soon become a part of her — she will eventually become a part of them too.
Summer comes with long days and short nights and she misses the stars.
Autumn rushes in with skies that almost feel familiar.
Winter nights are long and cold. She stays out late with the stars again. Speaks to the scattered bits of light — the scattered bits of herself.
Year after year, she is dismantled and reassembled by the seasons that come and go. Until all the bits of stardust she had carried with her from Krypton are all gone. Until she is made of new stars and new dust and new atoms. And what is gone? What is gone is put back into the space to begin again somewhere else.
But then what of her?
Is Kara Zor El somewhere in space?
Is she buried in the soil on Earth?
Is she shoved inside the chest of this other her?
Will she always be two versions different of herself at once?
Kara leaves Earth in the Spring.
Sol at her back, and nothing but darkness ahead.
She doesn't choose to leave, but she is gone all the same.
She meets ghosts she thought were all gone. Buried somewhere between Krypton and Earth — lost with the parts of herself that she too had been buried.
Her own ghost is there.
Haunts her with the parts of herself she wants to hold onto but can't.
Taunts her with the parts of herself she begs to replace but can't.
Kara comes back to Earth in the Summer.
"August of another summer, and once again I am drinking the sun"
She isn't sure what she is made of now.
Isn't sure how long it will take to shed it from her skin.
Isn't sure who she will be when it's gone.
She is just tired, she thinks, of this struggle of atoms, of time, of feeling broken apart.
But she looks up at the sky that night. Find stars again instead of darkness.
Thinks of how they are each a part of Earth, or Krypton, of her.
She is tired, she thinks, but she is also thankful.
It's Autumn when the world almost ends.
The world almost ends, and she realizes she wants more time — needs more time.
It's Autumn when it starts again.
Not in the way one thinks of worlds beginning — in the way of galaxies and of universes — big bangs expanding all at once.
But in the way we do. Slowly. Little by Little.
It begins again with green eyes and dark hair.
It settles into gentle touches and quiet words.
Kara stands at the edge of a field, her feet sinking slightly into the damp forest floor. Leaves scatter across the ground with with freshly fallen pine needles. It smells like cold, like the winter that is coming.
Lena's hand slips into hers, fingers threading together with practiced ease.
Slow.
Gentle.
She feels a droplet of water cling to her skin, just cold enough that she can feel it, can tell it a part from the warmth of Lena's hand in hers.
"I can't believe it's so dark already?"
Kara follows her gaze up to the first stars just peeking through the gaps in the trees.
Meeting Lena first came at the end of a Summer.
Meeting Lena came, and the world softened just a little — just enough.
Slowly.
Little by little.
In all the months between, all the years, all the seasons. They have both been taken apart and put back together, over and over and over.
Sometimes by the universe.
Sometimes by each other.
But amidst the endless dance of stars and the perpetual renewal of atoms, the part of them that loved the other, had always been left whole, over and over and over.
And there are still days where she is not sure who she is — who she is supposed to be with this patchwork collection of particles stuffed into herself.
But then Lena will take her hand and thread their fingers together just like this, and it will feel like each one of them has found it's place and a purpose all over again.
-----
read and follow along on Ao3 too
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i forget if you’re still doing the prompt list, but if you are and haven’t done #13 it would be really cool :) you’re a really great writer so i think it would be interesting but anyways i’ll leave you be now bye :)
Alex is already getting ready for bed when her phone chimes in the dark. She picks it up from the nightstand--it's Ruby.
1 new message.
RUBY <3: AUNT ALEXX!! HAVE U SEEN THIS??
And no, she has not seen it.
There's a Youtube link attached with Kara's name mentioned. She fires off a quick, 'no, checking it out rn.' before clicking on it.
More press junket for Kara’s film, no doubt. Her sister is still in Asia promoting the film, they haven’t seen each other in months. They call each other every single day though, but still, Alex misses her so much she would willingly watch Kara's latest Youtube video near midnight if only to see a glimpse of how she is.
The link opens, and it’s one of those CatCo celebrity vids.
"Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions"
Oh.
Oh, no.
Alex can already see where this is going, if the thumbnail of Kara laughing with her hand on Lena's thigh is anything to go by.
She braces herself and presses play.
******
"Hi, my name is Lena Luthor-" Lena says, smiling brightly at the camera.
“I'm Kara Danvers-" Kara's grin equally as bright.
"And today we're here with CatCo to answer the web's most searched questions."
Somebody hands Lena a little board. "Is Lena Luthor—" the board reads.
"Wait, wait, here, let me hold it for you, I'll read. You answer," Her sister instructs, grabbing the board from Lena's hands ever the considerate gentlewoman.
Kara peels off the white sticker and reads the first one, "Is Lena Luthor Irish?"
"Hm, as you all know, I'm adopted," Lena tells the camera, "which- thank God, I'm not genetically linked to Lex Luthor."
"I don't know," Kara interrupts, "I think you can rock the Bald Lena Luthor look."
"Shhh, don't give the internet any ideas." Lena hits her lightly on the arm.
And okay, it's not too bad. Yet, Alex thinks. Not too bad yet.
"As I was saying,” Lena pointedly says, "before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm adopted. But I haven't really looked much into it. So, I don't? Really know?" Lena shrugs. "Maybe I'm Irish, maybe I’m not. We'll see."
"Ohh, maybe we should take one of those 23andMe kits!" Kara exclaims, eyes lighting up.
"Oh, yeah," Lena nods, "I've heard of those. We should do that. That sounds cool."
"Stay updated guys," Kara announces, pointing to the camera, her silent audience. "We'll let you know if Lena really is Irish or not."
Turning back to Lena, she asks, "Wait, but where'd you get the accent though? I think that's why people are asking. You have an accent you know."
"Oh, that's easy," Lena says, "I went to boarding school in Dublin."
"Oooh, hear that guys? Lena Luthor is a preppy."
Lena rolls her eyes fondly, and ah, there it is; the smitten look Alex had seen one too many times.
God, they're so fucking stupid.
******
"Is Lena Luthor villain?" Kara squints, and then raises one finger. "A villain," she corrects, "'Is Lena Luthor a villain?' Come on guys, grammar."
Trust Kara Danvers to be annoyed about improper grammar in web searches.
"Yes," Lena confirms, nodding slowly. "I am, in fact, a villain."
"A very hot villain, if I might add," Kara chimes in.
This makes Alex groans loud enough that she feels Kelly shift next to her at the noise.
"Kara, shut up," Alex hears Lena quip, dragging her attention back to the screen. "As I was saying, yes, I did in fact play the antagonist in 'Trinity'. Directed by the one and only Cat Grant. Without whom, we would not be here. So, thank you Cat Grant."
"She played the really super hot evil dictator there. You should totally watch it guys."
"Oh my god, Kara!"
Oh my god, Kara.
Alex manages to suppress her groan this time. Even though what Kara says next sickens her further.
"What? It's true!" Kara protests as Lena shakes her head, tries to shrink away and die quietly. "You used your boobs for evil, Lena" Kara whispers.
"Oh my god." Lena looks so exasperated and embarrased. A bright blush painting her cheeks.
"Please just edit that out," Lena pleads with the camera.
God, why did nobody edit it out? Alex shakes her head, the secondhand embarrassment dripping through the screen and seeping into her bones. Jesus Christ, she can't believe this is her sister. She stares at the red line at the bottom; 3 minutes down, 12 fucking more to go.
******
"Is Lena Luthor vampire?" Kara reads before bursting out into loud laughter. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry this is just so funny. God, Lena, are you a vampire???"
"Is this what those 'ma'am bite me' tweets are about?" Lena asks, eyes widening, and Alex makes a mental note to bombard Lena with as many thirst tweets as possible tomorrow morning.
"Yes," Kara answers her, still laughing. "Sorry this is so freaking funny. I can't-"
The shot cuts and transitions to the next question.
******
"Is Lena Luthor MIT?"
"Did I go to MIT? Yes, yes I did."
"Yeah, guys, don't you know we're in the presence of a genius."
Alex shakes her head. Good God, Kara, could you be more obvious?
"I have a BioChem degree that I don't use, because, and as my mother loves to put it so very eloquently, 'I went and ran off with the circus.'."
"Hey, Lillian is nice though," Kara argues.
Of course, Kara would say that.
"You're just saying that 'cos you want to suck up," Lena counters as Kara pouts.
Exactly, Lena, exactly, Alex agrees.
"No, I'm not!" Kara defends herself, before turning away from Lena and facing the camera. "Okay, Lillian, please don't listen to your daughter. I genuinely think you're lovely, and we will see you next Friday dinner.”
Great, Alex thinks. This interview will no doubt awaken their thousand sapphic shippers. God, she really wishes she could just smack Kara on the head sometimes.
"Is Lena Luthor sister of Lex?"
"Yes, unfortunately," Lena answers. "We’re siblings. I grew up with a monster. Anybody with a brother knows the feeling." She turns to the camera, voice dripping in sarcasm, before smiling and shaking her head. "No, I'm just kidding, I like Lex well enough to bring him to my premieres."
She runs her fingers through her hair and Alex can already see the hundred gifs resulting from that tiny slip of habit.
"Oh, and might I add," Lena continues. "if you're a really gorgeous model attending one of my movie premieres, I'm so sorry if my brother had hit on you."
"Lex is-" Kara tries to interrupt. Again.
"Kara, stop sucking up to my family," Lena cuts her off.
Yes, Kara, stop being an idiot, Alex adds in her head.
"I was gonna say, annoying," Kara clarifies, throwing a pout in. And the way Lena lovingly looks at her caught in 4k makes Alex want to retch.
"Oh, oh okay, fair. Lex really is annoying."
******
Kara hands off the board to someone off-cam as Lena reaches for another one.
"Okay your turn, now," Lena says, peeling off the first white sticker.
"Is Kara Danvers Supergirl? Mmhmm yes, yes she is," Lena asks and answers in the same beat, a dreamy look playing in her eyes.
"Lena, I'm supposed to answer the questions," Kara reprimands with playful eyes.
"Sorry, yeah go ahead." Lena shakes her head and Alex watches her flush.
"Yes, I did play Kara Zor-El in Supergirl," Her sister confirms, "One of the best times of my life."
"And you did a very good job with it too."
"Thank you. That is very high praise coming from Lena Luthor."
The amount of goo-goo eyes this video contains is just-
Safe to say, the sapphic community is feasting on content right now.
******
"Is Kara Danvers abs?"
Oh God, why is Alex still watching this?
"Wait, are they asking if you have abs or- Kara what are you do- oh. "
She watches Lena stutter her way; watches her sister stand up and pull up her shirt high enough; watches Kara reveal her abs; watches Lena thirst after her sister on record.
"Yeah.” Lena gulps, clears her throat. “Well, as you can see. She- uh- Kara Danvers definitely, definitely has abs."
Is this what hell is like?
"Is Kara Danvers..." Lena clears her throat, after she recovers from the stunt, cheeks still a little pink. The sticker slowly comes off. "Gay? Is Kara Danvers gay?"
"I'm pan, guys."
"And just a little note,” Lena cuts in, “celebrities don't owe telling you their sexuality alright? Just a little reminder they are humans too."
"Yes, that's true. That's important. Listen to Ms. Prep school guys. She's smart."
******
"Is Kara Danvers beefcake?"
"I don't even wanna know what that means,” Kara murmurs and Alex can’t help but agree.
"No, wait but now I wanna know,” Lena says, fumbling for her phone, “wait I don't have my phone with me."
She turns to somebody off the screen, "Hey, can anybody google it? Does any of you know what a beefcake is?"
Somebody, who suspiciously sounds a lot like Nia Nal, answers, “According to the Urban dictionary, ‘Beefcakes are usually good-looking and enjoy showing their muscles off.”
Lena’s shoulders are shaking so hard in silent laughter, but she manages to wheeze out, “Oh, god, yes. You are a beefcake, darling.”
Kara blushes up to her ears, and Christ this is just so fucking gay.
Alex will never recover from the fact that people on the internet, open their browsers just to type in the question, Is Kara Danvers beefcake?
******
"Is Kara Danvers dating?"
"I don't know, am I?" Kara evades smoothly. A conspiratorial look passes between the two.
Then the shot cuts and it’s Lena’s turn again.
"Did Lena Luthor kiss Kara danvers?"
"Oh, wouldn't you guys like to know," Kara quips, "Buy tickets to our movie and maybe you'll see us kiss. Premieres on October 22.” Kara winks to the camera and Lena flushes next to her.
Alex already knows they’re going to kiss. Kara had a massive gay panic the day she received the script. Guess who had to calm her down enough to get through the scene?
******
“Did Lena Luthor Andrea Rojas?"
"Are they asking if I did Andrea?" Lena asks, in an uncharacteristically high pitched voice.
"Yes," Kara affirms, eyebrow quirking. "Did you?"
"I refuse to confirm nor deny anything." Even from Alex's tiny screen she can see Lena's pixelated form blush.
"You totally did."
******
“Did Lena Luthor break arm?”
Ah, Alex remembers that one. Especially after finding out that Kara filled Lena's hospital room with flowers for an entire month. Talk about a simp.
“Unfortunately, yes," Lena tells the camera, fingers running through her hair. "I did break my arm, yes. The injury wasn’t that bad though, it just looked like it was.”
“You had to wear a cast for three months," Kara points out, scoffing. "It was bad, Lena.”
“Well, I mean 'No Boundaries' was an action film. Sometimes things go wrong, you know." Lena shrugs as Kara shakes her head. "What? It's true," Lena defends. "It comes with the job. But I’m better now, and now I take extra precaution in filming scenes like that.”
“It was a great film though, not gonna lie,” Kara admits, her hand finding home on Lena's thigh again.
“Oh yeah?” Lena smirks, raises a brow at her.
“Yeah, Lucy and I saw it," Kara tells her, "and like, it was a spy movie. An intense spy movie. But she cried at that one scene with you and it was Sam Arias, I think?”
“Oh, oh yeah." Lena adjusts her collar and Kara's eyes follow. "The scene at the lab?" Lena clarifies and Kara nods dumbly. "Yeah that was a whole thing. Sam was amazing in that.”
“She was," Kara agrees, gulping, clearly struggling to drag her eyes away from Lena and back to the camera. "She really was. Both of you, actually. Imagine making Lucy Lane cry.”
“Wait.” Lena raises a hand to lay on Kara's arm. Her sister stops mid-peel. “I thought you saw that with Alex though?”
“I did with Alex, too.”
“Oh, you saw it twice?”
“No, no uh- I saw it four times.”
“Oh.”
Alex just had to pause the video at that, lest she throw her phone across the room.
Deep breaths, Danvers. Deep breaths.
******
"Did Lena Luthor get oscar nomination? Yes, yes she did!" Kara exclaims, squeals to be more accurate. "And not only that, she won too."
"Kara, I'm supposed to answer the question,” Lena reminds her. Kara just smiles sheepishly, gestures at Lena to continue.
"Yes, yes I did win.” Lena turns back to the camera. “I never expected that to happen, and every time I look at the golden man on top of my fridge, I cry."
"You- It's on top of your fridge?" Kara asks, turning away completely from the camera.
"Yeah."
If anybody asks Alex when she knew Kara had truly fallen in love with Lena, she’d play them this clip. Never has she seen Kara look at another human being like that.
The golden man atop the fridge, who would’ve known?
******
“And that’s it for the Web’s Most Searched Questions.” Lena claps her hands together, and god, Kara isn’t bothering at being subtle at all, just openly staring at Lena now.
“Hope you enjoyed watching that as much as we enjoyed doing it. Gal Pals out in theatres on October 22! Save the date!”
It’s a miracle that Alex made it to the end. She sighs a breath of relief as the next video plays, she exits before it could continue.
why are they so dumb? Alex types out to Ruby.
Ruby <3: COS THEYRE GAE!!!
Well, Alex can't argue with that logic. Before she can even type out a reply to Ruby, her phone pings in rapid succession.
Kara: Good morning from Japan! Ohayō, Alex!
A picture of Lena comes through.
This Lena is a thousand worlds away from the Lena Alex just watched on her phone screen mere minutes ago. This Lena is wearing a messy bun, thick black glasses perched on her nose, chopsticks raised by one sweater paw, a bowl of noodles in front of her, smiling without reservation, no doubt at her sister behind the camera.
Kara: she’s just so pretty!!
Kara: its like 7 in the morning here and she looks like dat alex!
Kara: kawaii!! thats what the fans here say
Kara: r u asleep already?
Kara: call me later i miss u
Oh, yes. Alex will definitely call her later. There are words that need to be said.
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