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natalievoncatte · 6 months

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Lena didn’t mean to pry, she really didn’t, but Kara had to leave rather briskly to attend to that sinking cargo ship, and Lena didn’t feel like watching one of Kara’s old musicals without Kara herself; Lena probably wouldn’t have watched them at all, but she would watch just about anything to make Kara happy.

Besides, once she had a few glasses of wine, curling up with Kara beneath a blanket on her couch in her loft made it easy to pretend. Snuggling up against her human (alien) space heater made it easy to pretend. The way Kara never objected when Lena rested her head on Kara’s shoulder made it easy to pretend. The way Kara would naturally lean back into her and they’d end up curled around each other made it easy to pretend.

The way their legs tangled made it tough. The way their bodies folded together made it tough. The way Kara’s hand would always end up on Lena’s ribs made it tough, the presence of her lightly caressing thumb just below the bottom curve of Lena’s breast, threatening a lighting touch like a building thunderstorm that never breaks… that made it tough.

It made it tough to pretend.

Lena went to Kara’s kitchen island to open another bottle of a cheap rosé, the kind of drink that Lena was only allowed to like when she was with Kara (when she was herself, when she was just Lena) when she noticed something.

Kara kept a corner of her loft dedicated as a studio for her art. Lena had taken in Kara’s work without comment over the years, stealing a moment here and there to admire without really talking about it. Lena didn’t want to make it A Thing, not because she didn’t want to share things with Kara but because those little stolen moments felt too strangely intimate to give up.

(Like the time that Kara was changing and she was braless and Lena saw the broad, muscular, tanned expanse of her back, muscles bunching and twisting, sweeping curves and planes rising from the low waistband of skinny jeans that clung unmercifully to the most perfect ass imaginable. Times Lena didn’t think about. Not with the lights on.)

Throughout the years, Kara’s artwork had always quietly reflected the world they lived in. The first time Lena noticed a work in progress, it was abstract and hopefully, cheery and inviting. During the Reign crisis, Kara had been working on a landscape; Lena had thought it someplace imaginary, not realizing that Kara’s eerie and moody images depicted the home she’d lost, and the innocence that went with it.

When Lena had come back to her, when she came to confess and beg to come home, she’d seen broken frames and torn canvas, the stretched fabric ripped by the fury of the emotions vented onto it, those pieces that remained intact full of melancholy and loss.

Over time they had brightened again. Kara was working on a light, airy landscape from Krypton, an impressionistic promontory topped by a stirring crystalline temple.

She’d also been sketching. Her sketchbook was open, the quick charcoal half finished.

It was Lena.

Glass of wine in one hand, more than a little drunk, Lena let herself drink in the sketch. It was a figural study of Lena, passed out on Kara’s sofa after too much wine, probably not long ago. Another artist might have made it seem sad or even comedic, but this was a little melancholy, and even reverent. She made Lena something soft and delicate and precious with just a few feathered strokes of a pencil.

Hand trembling, Lena touched the page, dared to turn it. There was another piece, another drawing of her. Swallowing a little too much wine in a single gulp, she thumbed through the open sketchbook.

It wasn’t all her, but it was mostly her. Lena’s heart beat harder against her ribs as she realized she was looking at a timeline. One of the drawings was her in the Fortress, sorrow and rage twisting her features, but with a soft hint of pleading, the eyes heavy with broken hope. Tears welled in Lena’s eyes, at memory, at the fragile grief in the sketch, as if Kara had been punishing herself in the making of it, ripping her flesh open with graphite the way Kryptonite never could.

The earlier drawings were happier, and Lena dove into them. Her favorite was candid, rendered so lovingly that it bordered on photorealism. Lena sitting on a stool, a look of joy radiant on her face as she must have been seeing Kara arriving to surprise her at Noonan’s.

Lena couldn’t believe someone saw such beauty in her. The person that looked back at her from mirrors and selfies looked older than her years, tired, a frightened girl’s eyes in a jaded woman’s face. The subject of this image was radiant, open and full of joy and so young, lovely with an innocence and softness Lena never thought she had.

Some of them had an air of intimacy. Studies of Lena’s hands took up entire pages, and Kara seemed to be quite fascinated with the way the light fell on her cleavage.

She turned a page and blushed scarlet. This one was purely imaginary, and Kara clearly had a vivid imagination. Lena lay on a bed, open and vulnerable. Kara had added a flash of color with markers. Green for Lena’s eyes, touches of red for her lips and a pink flush on her chest… between her legs.

Wait. Kara has x-ray vision…

“You weren’t supposed to see that.”

Lena jumped, dropping the wine glass. Kara picked it out of the air without spilling a drop, gently setting it on the work table near her easel. She was still in her suit and she smelled like the sea, and there was salt water in her hair. She was shaking, but it wasn’t from the cold.

“Kara,” Lena breathed.

“I’m sorry,” Kara said, voice thick. “I’m sorry, Lena. I know it’s… if you want to go, I… I understand. I’m so sorry.”

Lena sucked in a sharp breath.

“Leave? Why?”

“I’ve been drawing you without your permission,” said Kara. “I know which one you just saw. I…”

“When did you make this one?” Lena asked, taking the book in her hands.

Kara swallowed. “I think about a month after we met.”

Lena’s heart was racing. She forced her hands to stay still, not to betray her. Her throat felt parched and her knees were weak.

“Do you really see me like this?” said Lena.

Tears glitters in Kara’s eyes, like moonlight scattered on a calm sea. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Why? You made me beautiful.”

Kara flinched, her mouth parting slightly, the tip of her tongue dragging across her lip so quickly that Lena would have missed it had she not been staring.

“I… I only tried to capture what was already there. You’re so lovely that sometimes I just want to stare at you.”

Lena set the book aside, and turned back to Kara. As she stepped closer, she smelled the salt water and diesel oil and her, and felt the heat of Kara’s body under her palms as she set her hands on Kara’s hips.

Kara was stone still, barely breathing. Lena met her gaze.

“I need a shower,” Kara blurted out.

Lena barked a laugh, and it turned into a gale of laughter as she pulled herself into Kara’s arms.

“Lena!” Kara scolded, “you’re getting your clothes all wet.”

Lena looked up at her.

“Go take your shower. Then get your pencils. Don’t worry about my clothes. I won’t be needing them.”

22. Art.

#supercorptober2023 #Supercorp #supergirl fanfiction #supercorp fanfic #lena luthor #kara danvers #kara x lena #karlena #supergirl fanfic #ficlet

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trashpandato · 7 months

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Money

When Kara lands on Lena’s balcony at L-Corp, she’s here on a mission.

“Miss Luthor.”

Lena whirls around at her desk, clearly surprised by the visit.

“Supergirl. I wasn’t expecting you. Is there a problem?”

Kara stalks into her office, hands on her hips.

“Yes, I mean, no, not a problem, per se.”

“But?” Lena prompts, picking up on Kara’s frantic energy.

“I was meeting with the mayor this morning,” Kara starts, thinking back to being summoned by city officials to talk about the damage to some waterfront buildings that happened in the wake of Kara fighting off the latest rogue alien who attacked the city.

“Oh. Well, that’s unpleasant,” Lena quips. “He’s a useless sack of flesh in ill-fitting suits, at least as far as I’m concerned.”

“Um, I mean. Yes. But, that’s not why I’m here.”

Lena sits back down at her desk and motions for Kara to take one of the chairs across from her and waits for her to get to the point.

“Right, so, he said that you paid for the damage to the two office buildings by the pier.”

A small smile settles on Lena’s face. “I did.”

The confirmation makes Kara feel jittery. Why would Lena do that? It’s not like she was involved in the fight. It’s not her responsibility!

“Why?”

“Why did I pay for it? Because I can, Supergirl. My family has more money than they know what to do with. I figured it’s only fair to use some of it for good.”

Kara huffs. She doesn’t quite know how to argue with that, but it still feels wrong for Lena to pay for the damage Kara left behind.

Lena seems to sense Kara’s discomfort. The teasing smirk on her face softens into an understanding smile.

“You do so much for this city. You put yourself on the line every day. I have the resources to help, and it won’t even make a noticeable dent in my bank account. Let me take care of this, okay?”

Kara shifts around on her chair, still a little unsure about this arrangement.

“Okay, but, you have to let me make it up to you somehow.”

At that, Lena nods. “Let me steal a couple of your french fries tomorrow at lunch and we’re even.”

Kara can hear the finality in Lena’s tone. It’s not unfriendly, but it’s clear that Lena won’t be deterred.

“Fine. Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

Lena nods again and grins.

It’s not until Kara has launched herself into the skies above National City that it clicks. Lena has lunch plans with Kara Danvers tomorrow, not with Supergirl.

Lena knows.

Shocked and distracted, Kara crashes into a billboard. She wonders if Lena will pay for that, too.

#supercorp #kara x lena #supercorptober2023 #supercorptober

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awaitingrain · 7 months

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Close-Up

Happy Supercorptober! 💙❤️🎃 Day 1: Wild

#supercorp #supercorp fanart #lena luthor #kara danvers #kara x lena #supergirl #supercorptober #supercorptober2023 #kara zor el #had too many ideas for day 1 🥲

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sheltereredturtle · 7 months

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Day 7: love

#supercorp #supercorptober2023 #hugs😭#backhug

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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?!”)

#silly little ficlet #crack fic #i am not planning on doing the full month #i just found this in my drafts and it had the prompt so here we are #take all the potential angst and pretend it doesn’t exist #supercorp #supercorptober2023 #ficlet

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vox-ex · 6 months

Text

art

Supercorptober 2023

"what does it all come down to? love? Love" ee cummings

sometimes it just takes something simple to explain something complex

----

The doorbell rang just as Kara was sweeping the last few crayons from the table into a small plastic container.

"Coming!" she called out.

As she opened the door, she realized not only was Alex there to pick up Esme but that Lena must have gotten off of work early as well.

"Hey," Lena greeted as they stepped inside together. "How was babysitting Esme?"

"Chaos, as always," Kara grinned, closing the door behind her friend. "But we had fun."

"Mamma!" As if on cue, Esme ran in from the bathroom where she had been washing her hands.

'Hey, kiddo," Alex knelt in front of her, smoothing back a stray hair from her face.

"Were you good for Aunt Kara?"

"Yup!" Esme nodded enthusiastically.

"We colored! And I learned new words."

"New words, huh?" Alex arched an eyebrow at her sister and Lena.

"I hope they're not the kind of new words you learn from your Godmother?"

She looked even more pointedly at Lena with a smile.

"Please, you just like to blame me for the ones she's already picked up from you."

"And that is one of the reasons I love you."

Alex walked over to grab Esme's coat from the chair and picked up one of the drawings off the table, unable to stop the laughter that came out when she saw what she must have just finished working on.

"Do you not like it." Esme looked up at her concerned coming up behind her.

Alex ruffled Esme's hair.

"Not at all. It's perfect kid. You did a wonderful job."

Alex picked up the drawing and walked past a confused Kara before taking a magnet and hanging the drawing right in the middle of the refrigerator before looking back at her sister.

"You might want to be careful what Kryptonian words you teach your Niece."

Kara didn't miss the idiots Alex whispered under her breath as she walked towards the door.

Esme apparently didn't either.

"Mommy says you're not supposed to call people that."

Alex chuckled as she gently helped her put her arms in her coat.

"And you're Mommy is absolutely correct."

Zipping it up with only minor difficulty.

"Now come on you... let's get some Pizza to bring home for dinner and not tell her I said it."

"Deal!"

Esme turned and waved goodbye, all of a sudden in a hurry with the now-promised prospect of Pizza.

"Bye Aunt Kara. Bye Aunt Lena!"

Alex reached to close the door behind them, but not before silently mouthing the word "idiots" one more time.

As the door shut, both Kara and Lena looked towards the refrigerator, and after a second, both lunged forward, but only one of them wound up with it in their hands.

"Ah-ah, too slow," Lena teased, plucking the drawing from Kara's grasp.

She held it up, studying the image like she would one of her blueprints.

Three simple figures were all holding hands, all drawn out in cheerful lines of different colors. Lena recognized herself, Kara, and Esme instantly.

"Looks like quite the artwork," Lena remarked, amusement dancing in her eyes. But then her focus shifted to the symbols etched next to each figure, and the letters next to them. They were elegant, even in chunky crayon. She had seen at least one of them before.

Kara bit her lip, the earlier playfulness giving way to vulnerability.

She watched as Lena's fingers traced the outline of the figure that was herself, then the smaller one next to it, running back and forth over where the hands were linked before hovering over the word 'ukiem' squeezed in between.

"Ukiem," she murmured, the syllables rolling off her tongue with unexpected ease as she glanced at Kara.

Kara fiddled with some of the other drawings still on the table, the papers rustling softly with each shuffle.

The room seemed to shrink.

"I must admit," Lena began, her voice steady despite the sudden tightness in her chest, "I am not always as well-versed in Kryptonian as I would like to be."

Kara shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"But I know this one." She tapped the word gently. "Love right?"

"Esme and I were talking about family," Kara cleared her throat.

"About the words we use for family," she began, hesitant yet determined.

"About how we can tell them we love them."

"Family, huh?" Lena's voice held an air of curiosity, her gaze fixed on the colorful drawing again.

"Y-yeah," Kara stammered, her heart pounding in her ears.

"I don't know this one?" Lena confessed, her voice trembling ever so slightly as her fingertip pointed at the word on the page, Zhao, written between her and the other figure on the page. Smiling at the way Esme drew Kara's glasses just a little crooked.

"Zhao?" Lena ventured quietly, placing the word as carefully as she could on her tongue.

"Zhao." Kara smiled, echoed the words back with a quiet certainty.

She swallowed hard. "Not all love is the same in Kryptonese."

"So, family?" Lena pointed again to the words between her and Esme and then those between her and Kara. "And?"

Kara hesitated..."Something more."

"Is that what we are then?" Lena's eyes flickered with their own vulnerability now. "Something more?"

"I'd like it if we were," Kara conceded, taking a deep breath.

Lena's eyes softened, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"I think I'd like that too."

----

read and follow along on Ao3 too

#supercorptober #supergirl #supercorp #supercorptober2023 #sg prompts #they are idiots #idiots in love

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rustingcat · 6 months

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Spookycorp

Lena sighed, picking up the toy train from the floor. She must've told them to pick it a hundred times already, not that she was deluding herself that any of them would listen to her today, no, they were far too excited to be doing that. She shook her head and cleared the rest of the scattered toys on the floor, and reached her work table. She had a last minute file she had to send before she could be free for the day.

"Muuuuuuum!" The shout from the hall got closer by the second. "Mum look!"

Lena turned her head to see her six years old son wearing an elaborate pirate costume, holding their new puppy up in the air.

"Mum, look at Krypto!" He said, biting his lip in excitement, practically vibrating from joy.

The dog had colourful cloth wings tied around his neck and a little hoodie with a beak and painted eyes.

"He's a parrot?" She tried.

Connor nodded enthusiastically. "Jeju dressed him!"

"Very cute. Then you were free to clean up the toys I told you to collect?" She raised an accusing eyebrow.

"Uhhh…" He started, but was cut off by his sister who quickly appeared on his left.

"Mum, you're not ready!" Lori pointed at her mother with her little hand. She was dressed in a pirate costume as well. It was their family costume after all.

Lena smiled. She knew full well her daughter tried to distract her in order to help her twin, but it was a rather exciting day so she could let them go this once. "I'll be ready in a moment, there's still some time. Go help your Jeju with setting everything for our guests. They should be here soon."

"Okay!" They shouted in unison and disappeared from her view before she could say anything else.

Lena let out a small chuckle and finished her work. She turned to leave the room when she noticed the crooked picture on the wall and stopped to fix it. It was a picture from their wedding day both smiling as they stood under the chuppah dressed in white Kryptonian dresses, Lena's dress had a small handkerchief tied to hers with a small embroidered shamrock. An Irish tradition she thought was beautiful. They decided to make a multicultural wedding, they exchanged Kryptonian wedding bracelets they specially made themselves, along with rings. J'onn, who acted as the pastor, married them, and they both broke the glass together. The kids were there as well, laughing and dancing with joy and delight.

Lena smiled at the memory, and continued to their bedroom. The costume wasn't too complicated to put on, an important aspect she insisted on after the year they all dressed up as astronauts. Getting in and out of that costume was a nightmare, not to mention the kids were three at the time. Lena put on her captain hat and went to join her family in the living room.

"How Rrrr you my beautiful wife?" Kara asked her in a very exaggerated pirate accent. The twins giggled at the attempt.

"I'm fine, darling," she said with a smile as she walked closer to her. "How Rrrr you?" Lena smirked, side-eying the kids who started laughing at her poor pirate accent. She tried to keep a passive expression, that was made harder with their children's laughter and her wife's growing smile. Lena went to kiss her on the cheek when her captain's hat bumped into Kara's. After a long family discussion that involved more arguments than necessary, it was decided that both Lena and Kara would be the captains of the ship, and as captains it was very important that they wear the hats.

Read the rest of the chapter on AO3

#they are rhe captains of the supercorp ship;)#cant believe i made it to the end!#ahhhhh #happy Halloween everyone!#supercorp #supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #supercorptober #supercorptober2023 #my art #my fic #done!#a small sketch that took me 7 hours....

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spaceman-earthgirl · 7 months

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Supercorptober 2023 Day 11: Earth

ao3 fic link. series link.

There’s a knock on Lena’s office door, and Lena knows it could only be one person. Jess would call ahead before entering and no one else has unrestricted access and can just walk in whenever they want.

“Kara,” Lena smiles when her best friend pokes her head through the door. “To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Is this a good time? I brought lunch,” Kara asks, holding up a greasy paper bag.

Only when the mention of food is made, does Lena realise how hungry she is. Especially when the food on offer is burgers.

“This is a perfect time,” Lena says, gesturing towards her couch. “I’m starving.’

Kara gives her a look, one that says that Lena should eat more.

Kara places the food on the coffee table as she takes a seat, and Lena knows something is wrong when Kara doesn’t immediately open the bag.

“Uhh so there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Kara asks, not meeting Lena’s eyes as she does.

Lena is suddenly nervous as she watches Kara twist her fingers in her lap, clearly nervous too.

“What is it?” Lena asks, laying her own hand over Kara’s fidgeting ones.

Kara’s hands still and her shoulders fall, relaxing slightly under Lena’s touch.

“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Alex and everyone else are coming too.”

Dinner? Kara’s too nervous for it to just be about dinner.

“I’d love to,” Lena smiles. “What’s the occasion?”

“It’s…” Kara starts and then she looks back at Lena.

Lena realises she’s not just nervous, she’s scared.

Lena squeezes Kara’s hands. “You know you can tell me anything?”

Kara swallows, nods. “I know.” She pauses. “It’s my earth birthday.”

Earth birthday? That doesn’t make sense, it’s not her birthday, and why did she add “earth” into it, unless-

“I’m-“ Kara starts, but Lena cuts her off.

“You’re an alien,” Lena breathes, and it’s not a question but Kara nods, still looking scared.

“Come here,” Lena says, tugging Kara forward, wrapping her arms around her best friend. Kara melts into the embrace, Kara’s hands twisting in the material of Lena’s shirt to hold her close. They stay like that for a few long minutes, until Kara’s arms slacken.

“At least this explains why you can eat so much,” Lena quips into Kara’s shoulder.

Kara laughs, pulling away, and only then does Lena realise Kara has been crying. “It’s not my fault I need it. But also food is so tasty,” Kara says with a laugh, wiping her eyes.

Lena smiles. “You’re my best friend, no matter what, you know that right?” Kara nods, her smile watery. “Good, now, speaking of food, why don’t we eat this before it gets cold?”

Kara holds her gaze for another long moment before she nods.

---

Lena didn’t have time to buy Kara a present so she ends up at Kara’s door that evening with the best she can do, a bottle of wine and a carton of Kara’s favourite ice cream.

She doesn’t even get the chance to knock, the door flying open to reveal Kara on the other side.

“Hi,” Kara grins. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Kara says before Lena finds herself with an armful of her best friend.

Lena looks over her shoulder and sees that everyone else is here, meaning they all know Kara is an alien too. Lena’s so happy that Kara has found such a family away from wherever she’s from, which Kara has promised to tell her all about tonight after everyone has gone home. She can’t wait to find out more about her best friend. She wants to know everything.

“Me too,” Lena smiles when Kara releases her hold.

“You didn’t need to bring anything,” Kara says, spotting Lena’s hands aren’t empty.

“I did. This is for Alex and I.” Lena holds up the bottle of wine. “And this is for me and you,” she says, holding up the ice cream.

“You’re my favourite,” Kara grins, and if butterflies flutter in Lena’s stomach at Kara’s look, she suppresses them.

Dinner is nice, Lena can tell that Kara is completely relaxed, and now she can’t help but wonder if there have been times she’s felt uncomfortable, or felt like she’s had to hide from her. Lena knows the answer is yes, and that makes her sad that Kara’s had to hide who she is. That she has to on day to day basis.

They’re about to have dessert, which includes a cake Winn proudly says he made himself, when Alex’s phone ring.

She answers and after only a few words, Alex turns to Kara.

“I’m sorry, but-“

“I know, I can hear the sirens. I’ll be back soon.”

Lena has no idea what’s happening until a second later, Supergirl is standing where Kara had been standing and then Supergirl is gone. And even then, she still doesn’t really know what’s going on, her mind stalling for a few moments before it all clicks into place.

“Kara is Supergirl?”

Everyone turns to look at her and Lena realises she’s said that out loud.

Alex frowns. “Kara said she told you?”

Lena’s eyes flicker between everyone and she realises there’s no getting out of this.

“She told me she was an alien, she didn’t tell me she was Supergirl.”

“Wait, you really didn’t know?” Alex asks, looking far too happy for the situation. “You knew she was an alien but you didn’t make the connection? I thought you were supposed to be smart, Luthor.”

Now Lena gets it, Alex is teasing her.

Lena rolls her eyes. “Forgive me for being a bit distracted.”

“I’m so telling Kara about this,” Alex grins before the smile slips from her face. “This doesn’t change anything, does it?”

Now Lena’s frowning. “Change what?”

“You’re okay with Kara being an alien, but are you okay with her being Supergirl too?”

Lena hasn’t really fully comprehended what that means just yet but yes, no matter what, Kara is her best friend. “Yes,” Lena nods. She’ll need to talk more about this with Kara later, but it doesn’t change anything, she still loves her.

“Ok,” Alex nods. “Good.” Alex lowers her voice, and while they had an audience before, they all transition back to their own conversations. “She’s been through a lot, I don’t think she could handle losing you too.”

Lena inexplicably feels like she’s going to cry. “She won’t.” Lena’s not sure she could handle losing Kara either.

Just then, Supergirl flies back through the window and then Kara is standing back in front of them, back in her jeans and sweater, looking so different to the hero she’d just been.

But now, seeing them both like this, Lena is surprised she hasn’t noticed before. Sure, there are differences, but those same blue eyes watch her as Kara makes her way towards them, the same blonde hair now tied back, the same arms half hidden by her shirt but she’s felt them enough times to know Kara is strong.

“Are you okay?” Kara asks. “I know knowing I’m Supergirl and actually seeing it might be two different things.”

Lena shoots Alex a look as Alex opens her mouth. Lena will tell Kara tonight that she hadn’t quite made the full connection earlier.

“I’m good,” Lena smiles. She nods towards the window. “Everyone out there safe?”

Kara nods. “There was a fire, it’s all sorted now.”

Lena’s always been a bit in awe of Supergirl and how selfless she is. But here Kara is standing in front of her and Lena can’t believe she hadn’t made the connection on her own, Kara is the kindest person she’s ever met.

“You’re amazing,” Lena says, and before she can overthink it, she ducks forward and presses a quick kiss to Kara’s cheek. “Thank you for keeping this city safe.”

Kara’s cheeks are red and Lena knows hers probably are too.

“Time for cake?” Lena asks, because she needs to re-center herself and knows exactly how to distract Kara too.

“It’s always time for cake,” Kara grins.

Lena watches in awe as Kara floats off the floor to retrieve some candles from a high shelf but she feels warm inside, knowing Kara is truly being herself now. She can’t wait until later tonight, when she gets to really find out about Kara’s past.

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #supercorp fanfic #supercorptober2023

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inkedroplets · 7 months

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Supercorptober 2023 Day 4: Money

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"Isn't that romantic?"

"What is?" Kara asked, so focused on her article that she didn’t look up from her computer until Nia gave her a little nudge on her shoulder.

"That," Nia said, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. She pointed surreptitiously to the man who had just stepped out of the elevator holding a modest bouquet of both white and red roses. He walked with purpose towards the desk cluster reserved for CatCo's revolving door of interns, his sights trained on the brunette whom Kara had seen earlier in the day being taught the ins and outs of the copier with a look of deep concentration on her face.

He did his best to hide the flowers behind his back before he approached for all the good that it did him because it seemed that she had caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye before he could surprise her.

She goggled at him, clearly not expecting the visit but when he produced the flowers from behind his back a little shyly, she beamed at him and leaped out of her chair with enough force to nearly bowl him over.

“That is sweet,” Kara said. She smiled, feeling happy for them even though she didn’t know them. “And who knows," Kara said and glanced towards Andrea's office. "If she snags the junior reporter job he might be delivering flowers to her very own office someday."

Maybe,” Nia said, but Kara could tell from her voice that she believed such an outcome was a long shot. A fair assessment considering how picky Andrea could be. And with only one open junior reporter position up for grabs it meant that competition would be nothing short of intense. “He’d probably want to spring for a bigger bouquet for just such an occasion. Nia smiled and snuck one more look at the happy couple before she glanced back towards Andrea’s office. “I should get back to work before Andrea comes out and makes an example out of me in front of the interns.” She rapped her knuckles on the side of Kara’s desk and set off back to her own

“He could always fill her office with flowers,” Kara suggested before Nia got too far away that she had to raise her voice. She did so almost absentmindedly, her focus had already shifted back to her article.

"Now that would be romantic,” Nia said as she kept walking. “But I don’t want to even think about how expensive that would be,” she called over her shoulder.

Would it be romantic? The answer seemed obvious but still, Kara found herself pondering the question intently while she tried to return to work. As if she didn't like the very obvious answer staring her in the face. Of course, it would be romantic.

So my office is overflowing with flowers…

That much was obvious. If a single bouquet was romantic, surely several dozen more than even that would be considered romantic. Looking at it in such an overly logical (and paradoxically illogical) way, Kara couldn't help but think of Brainy, believing he might try and break down the problem in a similar fashion.

But as distracting as the question was, it was Nia’s last comment that Kara found herself dwelling on long after she had left work. How expensive was it to fill an office with flowers? It sounded like the kind of esoteric problem you might see crop up on a particularly finicky math test. Because it wasn’t just the sheer quantity of flowers that would factor in, as well. There was also the unusualness of the request to consider. Not many flower shops would even be able to fulfill such a request, no matter how much they might like to.

She puzzled over the question while she ate dinner alone. Leftover takeout from her favorite Chinese place. As she chewed she made a couple of rough estimates. Tried to recall just how many flowers there had been in her office that day… She remembered that stepping into her office had momentarily taken her breath away. It had been like stepping into a fairytale and how she had never even tried to count them. It would have felt too much like trying to figure out how a magic trick was done. It would rob it of something essential, something beautiful.

Had she really never asked herself that before? It felt strange to think that it had only just now occurred to her. Both the enormity of the gesture and how much something like that must have cost. Maybe because she hadn’t wanted to?

She speared a potsticker on the end of her chopsticks and chewed it without really tasting it. It wasn’t just the flowers though. There was the little matter of CatCo itself… What did it mean when your best friend bought you a company? But she already knew what it meant. A part of her had always known. It might have been the utter shock she had felt upon first hearing the news that had kept her from realizing it. Maybe it was Lena’s insistence that her buying CatCo was merely a business decision that she fully intended to make the most of even when Kara could see in her eyes it was so much more than that. Or maybe it was the simple fact that she was too afraid of what it might mean.

She had come within a hair's breadth of finally admitting it when Lena had sold CatCo to Andrea. When Lena had freely confessed just why she had bought the company. But then things hadn’t gone crashing down around them soon after that and the truth staring her in the face had been all too easy to ignore.

But what was stopping her now? When things between them had never been better? The answer came to Kara at once. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Save for however long it would take her to fly to Lena's penthouse and maybe a few stops along the way…

Kara shouldn't have been surprised that Lena's penthouse was empty when she flew past. Not when Lena spent most of her nights working well into the night. Usually that would have bothered her. But not tonight. Tonight it felt right. It offered a kind of harmony that they might look back on fondly…

She touched down on the balcony and realized that she was already smiling when she saw Lena sitting at her desk. Whatever she was working on had her full attention and it allowed Kara to cross the balcony without Lena noticing. She knocked twice and when Lena looked up from her work she did so with a knowing smile on her face.

"How did you know it was me?" Kara asked when Lena opened the balcony door.

"I had a feeling," Lena said, stepping aside to let Kara inside. "And the list of people I know that can enter through my balcony starts and ends with you. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great. I just hope I'm not interrupting you."

Lena shook her head and it was only then that Kara realized she had taken off her heels, the difference in their heights a little more noticeable. "I was just about ready to call it a night." She waved a hand at her computer. "I could work through the morning and I'd still have plenty of work left to do. Might as well get a few hours of sleep before I do it all over again." she joked.

"You shouldn't work so late," Kara insisted.

"Look who's talking," Lena said but nodded a bit apologetically. "I'll take a day off soon," she promised. "We can do brunch," she suggested with a smile. "My treat."

"It's always your treat," Kara said and knew that there would be no better opening than now. "And even when it's not you always know how to distract me when the waiter comes by with our bill so that you can grab it first. How do you do that?"

Lena grinned. "You're not the only one with superpowers," she joked.

"You spend too much on me," Kara said softly.

"Well, you do eat a lot," Lena said, still grinning although it started to fade when she saw that Kara hadn't joined her.

"You filled my office with flowers," Kara said. "I have no idea how much that must have cost you. I still remember how magical it looked. It was like stepping into the Land of Oz. So much color. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me, Lena."

"Kara..." Lena said, starting to blush. "You already thanked me for that ages ago. You don't have to do it again."

"I want to. You... You bought CatCo for me." She pursed her lips, feeling a tightness in her throat. "I never... I never really thanked you properly for that. How could I ever thank you for something like that?"

"Kara," Lena said, a little sternly, her cheeks now aflame. "It was n—"

"Don't say it was nothing," Kara pleaded. She shook her head and brushed at her eyes. Please don't say that. Don't try and diminish it when it means the world to me."

Lena nodded slowly and Kara could hear her heart beating a little faster, nearly keeping time with her own. "CatCo was important to you," Lena explained. "And I..." She took a breath and let it out slowly, looking everywhere but back at Kara. "I just like when you're happy," she said softly.

"I know," Kara murmured. "I feel the same way."

"Is that what you came all the over here to talk to me about?" Lena asked, and Kara could feel her trying to inject a little levity back into their conversation.

"Not exactly. Can you close your eyes for a second? Just one," Kara said, holding up her index finger to hammer home the point.

For a moment, Kara saw the polite curiosity on Lena's face and wondered if she might try and ask what for but when their eyes met, a small smile pulled at Lena's mouth and she shut her eyes.

"You can open them now," Kara said, looking the tiniest bit windswept.

"Oh my God..." There was a sharp intake of breath and Lena reached for Kara's arm as if she suddenly needed it to keep her balance. But when she clasped her wrist it was with a featherlight touch. "Kara, how did you?" she began to say but fell silent before she could finish her question. "It's beautiful," she said a little while later after she had taken in every inch of her office as if trying to commit it to memory, and for all Kara knew she was. "Like magic," she said and looked at Kara sideways and even that was enough to make Kara blush a little.

I bet it does look like magic, Kara thought. When Lena had closed her eyes her office had looked as it almost always did, fastidiously neat, the kind of mental image one might think up when imagining an office in a sprawling high-rise. When she opened them again her office was bursting with plumerias. Sprays of color in delicate shades of pink and white, vibrant yellow and blue as well as deep red and orange. And she still had one last trick up her sleeve... She reached behind her back in an obvious way to draw Lena's eye and pulled a bouquet from behind her back that she offered to Lena a bit timidly considering she had just filled her office with flowers.

#supercorptober2023 #supercorptober #my writing

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