#i spend far too much time thinking about a Lena Luthor who finally allows herself to rest | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lena-in-a-red-dress · 3 years

Note

Nia just needed a friend to do a hard mall trip. Trying out dresses. For a formal dance. And hey, maybe Lena and Kara are mad at each other but... She just needs Lena okay?

When Lena receives a call from an unknown number, she almost ignores it. But just enough people spread her phone number that she answers it on the off chance it might be someone who needs her.

“Lena Luthor, how can I help you?”

“Lena, please don’t hang up.”

The voice is familiar, but Lena can’t place it until the voice continues.

“It’s Nia. Nia Nal? And I know--” Lena almost hangs up right then-- not because it’s Nia, but because Nia treads dangerously close to a subject Lena is dead set on avoiding. Almost. “I know you have no reason to take my call, but… I need your help.”

Lena almost hangs up. She doesn’t.

“What do you need?”

---

The crisis, Lena learns, is that Nia has been given the assignment of her life covering the Golden Globes ceremony being hosted in downtown National City, but has nothing even remotely appropriate to wear. The mundanity of it all is so far from what Lena expects that it’s long moments before the words fully register.

“Uh, Lena…?”

“I’m here,” Lena says quickly, clearing her throat. She leans forward in her chair, rattling off an address. “Meet me there tomorrow at 11am.”

The next day, a few minutes after eleven, Nia walks up to Lena outside of Sylvie with hesitation all over her face. “Lena?”

Lena tucks her phone away and turns towards Nia with a professional but bright grin. “Nia, you made it.”

“Uhm, yeah actually… I kinda thought I’d gotten lost…”

Lena looks at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Lena, I can’t afford anything on this boulevard, are you crazy??”

Oh.

“You’re not paying,” Lena says simply.

Wide eyes blink at her in shock. “What? No! No, Lena, I can’t ask you to do that--”

“I’m offering.”

“Look, I was thinking we could just go to the mall--”

“The mall.”

Nia quails under Lena’s judgement, and Lena softens.

“Nia, you are about to be on the red carpet, covering an event that could catapult your career into the stratosphere. I think that warrants something a little more than what a department store can offer.”

“But…” Nia continues to protest, but uncertainty colors her features, and Lena knows she’s slipped under her guard. Carefully, Lena places a hand on Nia’s wrist.

“I won’t force you to accept what I’m offering,” she says gently. “But calling a Luthor for help means calling for a Luthor solution-- and nothing says Luthor more than shopping at the best boutique in town.”

Nia nods, but she ducks her chin with a swallow. “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“I don’t want you to think that’s why I called, you know?” Nia expels a sigh, working a harried hand through her hair. “It’s just that Kara was supposed to come with me for moral support, but she’s had to cancel four times and the ceremony is in three days and if Andrea hears one more time that I don’t have a dress, she’s going to kill me…”

“Nia,” Lena says softly. Nia stops, and meets Lena’s gaze with a hesitant one of her own. “I would never think you were calling for a hand out. I’m offering.” Nia still looks uncertain, but Lena holds her gaze. “You asked for help… so let me help.”

Nia considers her words, studying Lena carefully. Finally, she wraps her arms around herself with a steadying sigh. “If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure.”

Nia follows a few paces behind as Lena turns and approaches the door to the shop, lingering to let Lena be the one to press the buzzer to be allowed in. But as they near, the door opens for them, ready and waiting to admit them.

Luthors don’t use buzzers.

“Welcome to Sylvie.” A pair of well groomed attendants relieve them of their purses, exchanging their bags for a couple flutes of champagne offered by a third.

“Thank you,” Lena replies easily, well versed in the practice. Nia fumbles a step behind, her movements stiff and uncertain. Instead of moving directly into the belly of the store as she usually did, Lena lingers, allowing Nia the chance to take in the shop for the first time. The showroom looks much like any other, as could be glimpsed through the windows, styled with clean lines and immaculately dressed mannequins. The true Sylvie experience, however, happens further in, beyond the curtains that separate the dressing rooms from the rest of the store.

“If you’ll follow me, ladies, I’ll show you to your dressing room.”

Lena wonders what Nia expected as they approached one of the curtained off areas. Perhaps a cramped alcove like the hollywood thrift stores shown in coming-of-age films, where your elbows knocked the walls as you changed and you’d be lucky to find a stool to put your own clothes. Certainly it isn’t the plush, spacious room that awaits them, if Nia’s wide eyes are anything to go by.

Charnelle waits for them at the curtain. “Welcome, ladies,” she greets, parting the curtain so that Lena and Nia can slip inside. “Lena, lovely to see you again.”

“And you,” Lena returns.

“I’m Charnelle,” she introduces herself to Nia. “Wonderful to meet you. I’ll be assisting the two of you today.”

“Thankyousomuch,” Nia says in a rush, her shoulders tight as she shakes Charnelle’s offered hand.

Charnelle allows the curtains to close behind them, isolating them in their own little pocket of divine luxury. Lena settles herself on the central chaise lounge, folding her legs elegantly before her. Nia perches on the edge beside her, her gaze flicking to the small boudoir in one corner and another curtain that shields the actual changing area. Inside there, Lena knows Nia will find a plush bench to sit on as she undresses, and gold hangers to hold her clothes while she tries on various gowns. It’s designed to be beyond comfortable, a place where one could spend hours-- and lots and lots of money.

“So, what do you have for us today, Lena? Another benefit gala to dazzle?”

“Actually,” Lena replies, “Miss Nal here is covering the Golden Globes this week for CatCo Worldwide.”

“How exciting!” Charnelle rounds on Nia. “And what are you looking for in your gown?”

Caught with a mouthful of champagne, Nia freezes, then swallows audibly. “Um…” she coughs out. “Something nice? I probably shouldn’t be outdressing the stars or anything, so nothing too crazy?” She shrugs. “I don’t know, exactly.”

“Charnelle,” Lena intercedes, “could you bring us some formal options in black, maroon, or blue? Floor length, of course.”

Charnelle nods, beaming. “Absolutely.” She gives Nia a wink. “She has your colors nailed, honey. What are your measurements?”

Nia stares at them both. “Uh. A six, usually?”

“They’ll need your measurements to ensure a proper fit,” Lena delivers gently. “Do you mind if Charnelle--?”

“I’m trans!” Nia blurts, her chinks coloring a solid ear-to-ear pink. “Sorry,” she adds quietly. “But-- yeah. Just so you know.”

Lena stares, surprised more by the outburst than its content, but Charnelle takes it in stride. “So am I, baby girl,” she responds smoothly. “That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have a dress that fits.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nia finally, finally relaxes. She offers a shaky grin. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Charnelle gives Nia’s wrist a squeeze on her way to the boudoir to pull a tape measure from the top drawer. While she’s busy, Lena catches Nia’s eye and lifts her glass in a silent cheers of support. Nia rewards her with a small smile, before Charnelle returns and makes quick work of measuring Nia’s bust, waist and hips.

“All right!” Charnelle chirps, wrapping up her tape. “I’ll be right back with some options. You two stay here and get comfortable, all right? I’ll be right back.”

She disappears, and Nia all but collapses onto the chaise next to Lena. “I can’t believe I did that,” she groans.

Lena pats her on the knee. “You’re all right. Sylvie only gets my business because they know the value of discretion.”

“Yeah.” Nia lifts her head with a hum, surveying the dressing room once more. “This is nice. Thank you for talking me into it.”

Lena smirks. “Just wait.”

As if on cue, the curtains part to admit not Charnelle, but the woman who’d offered them their drinks. This time, her tray holds an array of small finger sandwiches. “Refreshments?”

“Oh, wow!” Nia exclaims, quickly helping herself to three. “Okay, yeah. I could get used to this.”

Lena grins, snaring a cucumber sandwich for herself. “Thank you. And another round, if you could,” she adds, seeing Nia’s empty glass.

The woman nods. “Of course.”

When she has disappeared again, the dressing room fills with quiet, and Lena realizes that she doesn’t have a clue what to say. She’s gone shopping with her mother, and with Andrea, and in both cases the conversation flowed easily, for better or for worse. But she’s never been shopping with a girl several years her junior, and never one in the middle of Lena’s biggest heartbreak.

“It happened the last time I went shopping for a dress too,” Nia says, breaking the silence. “The anxiety about… you know. I guess something about formal wear brings out the worst of it.”

Unsure of how to respond, Lena looks at her. “When was the last time?”

Nia sighs. “Prom. I’d transitioned by then, and most people were used to me, but I didn’t have a date, and part of me just internalized it as a fixture of me not being girly enough, and not, you know, the fact I didn’t know how to talk to boys, let alone date them. I didn’t even know if it was worth it to go at all, and I just-- started crying, right there in the dress shop.”

“What happened then?” Lena asks gently.

Nia smiles fondly. “My mom. She just hugged me, and told me how proud she was to have such a beautiful, confident daughter. It was sort of embarrassing at the time, but… it was something I needed to hear, you know?”

She pauses then as the server returns with their champagne. Afte the woman dips out again, Lena nudges her. “And did you ever find a dress?”

Nia snorts, nodding. “Yeah. Like, two minutes after I calmed down I found my dream dress. And my friends and I had a blast at prom, so I’m glad I went after all.”

“Good,” Lena murmurs, sipping her drink. “Well, I can’t promise anything about a dream dress, but I’ll call it a win if we get out of here without any tears.”

“Cheers to that,” Nia concurs, lifting her own glass for a deep sip.

In that moment, Charnelle returns, wheeling a short cart of long dresses along with her.

“All right, ladies-- who’s ready to see some gowns?”

---

Nia settles on a bias-cut gown of sky blue, accented with beaded embroidery at the bust and straps. It may not have qualified for dream status, but it’s perfect for the Globes, and Lena can tell Nia is excited by the time they step back out onto the street, garment bag draped over her arm.

“Thank you, again,” Nia offers, hiking her purse higher on her shoulder. “You really didn’t have to do all this, especially with how weird things are right now. I know it probably wasn’t easy to say yes when I called last night.”

Lena blinks. It honestly hadn’t occurred to her to say no. “Nia?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you call me?” It’s her turn now to shift uncomfortably on her feet. “I’m always happy to help, but… as you say, things are weird. Why me?”

“Honestly?” Nia asks. Lena nods. “You remind me of my mom. I can’t begin to tell you how or why, but you do. And the thing is… my mom was probably the kindest person I’ve ever known. So-- if you reminded me of her, I figured you were a pretty safe bet. And the worst you could do was hang up on me, so…”

Right.

Lena nods, her throat locking painfully around a sudden lump in her throat. Forcing a smile, she clears her throat. “Okay. Well… I’m glad I was able to help. Are you okay to get home?”

Nia nods easily. “Yeah, I’ll just catch the bus. Thank you again. This was really nice, and it was really good to see you.”

Lena nods, but before she can turn away, Nia catches her by the wrist.

“I mean it, Lena. I owe you one. If you ever need anything…”

Lena turns her wrist, allowing her hand to settle into Nia’s palm. Giving it a squeeze, Lena offers her a smile.

“I know who to call.”

// prompts are closed

#lena and nia #brotp #trying on dresses #nia and lena go shopping #prompt filled #quarantine prompt party 2.0 #GUESS WHO'S WRITING #AND FINALLY CATCHING UP ON THE PROMPTS SITTING IN HER INBOX #*jabs thumbs at self* this guy!!#this was fun #thanks nonnie

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from-a-reckless-writer · 3 years

Text

The first tell was the body next to her. The second was the warmth. Her bed was never warm these days. The first two things had already clued her in that there was something off. Off was an understatement. She’s certain she passed out on her office floor clutching a bottle of alcohol and Jess was going to kill her in the morning. So, how the fuck-

The longer she stays there, eyes closed, feeling the breathing of a stranger, the more she’s convinced she’s suffered from amnesia.

Beyond scared she opens her eyes, hoping, praying that she didn’t bring home some idiot from a cheap lesbian bar. Her eyes land on blonde hair and an all too familiar set of defined shoulders and Lena lets out a gasp of surprise. She sobers up, jerks upright. Jolting the pair of arms wrapped around her waist and making her companion wake abruptly.

“Lena- Wha- Why’re you awake?”

“Kara-” That was all she was capable of as of the moment, because Kara was sitting up and flicking on the bedside lamp, letting Lena glimpse the small clock on the nightstand that read 4: 00 a.m.

Kara’s voice was all raspy and sleep-laden and she was looking at Lena with concern. She was looking at Lena like they’ve done this all the time. And they did.

Once.

She remembers jerking awake screaming from nightmares and Kara holding her; remembers waking up to Kara’s screams and holding her.

But this-

This wasn’t right.

“Did you have a nightmare?” She asks, crinkle forming. And Lena just stares and stares and-

“Kara, this isn’t real.”

“What? Oh, baby, come here. That dream must’ve really done a number on you, huh?” Kara coos and she gathers Lena in her arms. Lena can do nothing but melt and follow Kara’s movements, her mind is still reeling.

Trying to decipher the events that had led here. This wasn’t real. This-

A tremble shakes the bed. Lena’s heart rate ticks up, Kara seems to have heard because she’s tightening her embrace and more words come out of her lips, but Lena doesn’t hear a word of it.

“I’m here, you’re safe. I’m here.”

Lena finally finds her voice and she slowly tries to extricate herself from Kara. She can feel her hesitating to let her go.

“This isn’t real,” She repeats and Kara is ready to protest, “Please, Kara. Please listen to me?”

She nods. Kara was never one to deny Lena anything, anyway. Lena sighs a breath of relief.

“Thank you. Uh- I think this isn’t real, Kara. I think I’m inside a Black Mercy induced dream.”

And as if it heard a cue, the bed and the rest of the room vibrates as if ashamed of being called-out so easily.

“No, no, no. You aren’t. You’re real. I’m real, You-” Kara is scrambling for words, “Look- Here, feel this?” Kara frantically grabs her hand and presses it to her own chest, “Can you feel it? This is real. Don’t say it isn-”

Lena feels like sobbing, because it does feel real. The strong beats underneath her palm thundering through her very soul. It feels so so so fucking real. She’s never wanted something to be real as bad as this. She wants to believe, because Kara is looking at her with those baby blue eyes and she wants to say that ‘Yes, I believe it real. We’re real.’

She can’t.

“Kara, the bed is trembling. Can you feel it? This isn't real. You’re in my head.”

It was brutal. She watches Kara’s face fall. She retracts her hand back.

“How are you so sure that this isn’t real?”

The question was asked with so much fear.

“Because,” she starts shaky but certain, “I hurt you, Kara. And that is the one thing that I can never forget.”

It was true. She can never forget the way Kara crumpled to her feet. Can’t forget the way the Girl of Steel broke by Lena’s hands. Can’t forget the tear-stricken face.

Can’t forget the pleas.

“Don’t do this, Lena. Please, come on. Please, stay. Don’t leave. Not you, please I can’t-”

“Oh.”

The silence was deafening. She can’t look at Kara as she processes everything. So she takes the time to survey the room. And God, every inch of the room screams how much they’ve stitched their lives with the other.

There were books haphazardly stacked in one corner, a painting easel in the other, Kara’s cape shining in the dim light of the lamp, Lena’s old MIT sweatshirt at the foot of the bed.

A wedding portrait. They were married here. Fuck.

Lena chances a glance at her left hand and not only does she find a ring but also a matching gold bracelet. A Kryptonian mating band. Now, she notices that Kara’s ring was worn on her neck next to her Mother’s necklace Lena supposes she wears it underneath the Super suit and a matching bracelet sitting on her left wrist.

“I’m sorry,” Lena says ‘for everything.’ she wants to add but she remembers this isn’t her Kara. She doesn’t have a Kara. She doesn’t have any part of Kara. Not anymore.

“What are you sorry for? If anyone could figure out they were inside a parasite induced dream, it would be you. You’re a genius but you’re dumb for apologizing. You should reject the fantasy now, Lena. You’ll die.”

Damn it, even here.

Even here Lena is still hurting her and Kara still wants to save her.

The tears finally fall. The sobs come next.

“Oh, Lena. Come here. It’s okay. I’m here,”

“I- I know, I’ll die but God, Kara, I want to stay here. I- You’re my everything, you know?”

“I know, Lena. I’ve always known. You don’t have to die because I’ll always know. You need to get out of here now,” She whispers against Lena’s temple and Lena takes the time to breathe her in. God, even the scent smells real.

“Y-you’re right. I should go, but-” Lena doesn’t know how to ask for what she wants. That was what her therapist had said the first time she booked an appointment.

“But what?”

“Tell me about our life here first?” At that Kara pulls away a bit to look into her eyes; gauging if this is really what Lena wants.

It is, it’s what she wants but more than that it’s what she needs. The reassurance that somewhere out there, there was a world in which they made each other happy. That in a universe out there--whether real or not--the both of them had a taste of a happy ending.

“Okay, okay yeah. But first, promise me you’ll get out of here as fast as you can, once we’re done?”

She was never one to deny Lena Luthor anything, remember? She was more than happy to recount the entirety of their love story to her.

“Thank you.” And Lena can’t help but press a soft kiss to Kara’s cheek.

“Where do you want to start?”

“Do we have a dog?”

“Krypto,” Kara says with a shy smile as if she knows that Lena would laugh at the goofy sentimental name choice, “And a cat, Streaky Jr., you don’t allow pets in the bedroom so,”

“I’m impressed we have the time for pets,” Lena whispers as she shifts closer to Kara in the bed. Heart now beating in a steady calm rhythm, gone was the panic earlier, now replaced by a sense of security, no matter how false it is.

“Well, you decided to distribute most of the workload to Jess--who you promoted to board member by the way, and to Sam. And since, Wednesday is my first day as Editor-in-Chief, my schedule’s not as busy as it was.”

It was nice to hear that. The way they have obviously chosen to grow into themselves together. She was glad that in her perfect world she hadn’t forgotten about Jess and Sam.

“Oh, and also you spend most of your days in our home lab with Jack anyway. So, the pets get plenty of love.”

“Jacky’s alive here?”

“Yeah, you reversed the nanotech matrix. You saved him.”

And the crying fest begins anew.

“I miss him, so much.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lena doesn’t have to explain her reaction, Kara knows how to read her anyway.

At the reminder of Jack, Lena finds the courage to ask a question she’s never thought she would want to ask.

“What about Lex and Lillian?”

“Well, your brother’s probably drunk in an L-Corp gala somewhere and Lillian’s probably plotting about how she’s going to insult my next article-”

So, she still has her brother and it seems like Lillian’s not much of a xenophobe as she is in reality but she senses that she still is a bad mother with the way Kara talks.

“When did we get married?”

“Two years after we first met. We had two, actually.”

“I’m guessing I insisted on a Kryptonian wedding and you insisted on a human one?”

She knows that one, because she’s been thinking about it. Well, at least she was before everything went to shit. She wanted to give Kara a Kryptonian ceremony. She had wanted to show her that Lena would be honored to share everything Kara’s world had to offer.

“Are we-” she hesitated, “Are we happy, Kara?”

She wasted no time in answering, “The happiest. You make me the happiest soul alive in this universe and in any universe.”

Fresh tears fall down the side of her face and Kara wipes them away before speaking, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Well, I guess it’s only fair.” Lena sniffles and prepares her mind for what she knows will be an emotionally-charged exchange not that this has been an easy conversation thus far.

“Out there, are you happy?”

Lena’s air is stolen from her. Well, she doesn’t know how to answer that one.

“Sometimes,” she whispers. She’s not happy most of the time but sometimes she is.

Sometimes, Ruby calls her to tell her about a science project or sometimes Nia sends her meme even though she hasn’t been to Game Nights for almost a year now, sometimes Brainy takes her out for a drink and she feels like she’s got a little brother to call her own.

So yeah, sometimes. Because the thought of perpetual happiness without Kara in her life is impossible.

“Only sometimes?” Kara asks, brow furrowing.

“Yeah, only sometimes. Not like it matters, anyway.”

“Well, of course it matters! Your happiness matters!” Kara exclaims, old habits die hard what can she say?

But then Kara takes a turn from defensive to curious again, “Am I happy? Out there? I mean?”

“I- I have no idea.”

Lena waits for the answer to sink in to Kara.

“What? What do you mean you have no idea?”

“Remember when I said I hurt you?”

Kara gives her a nod.

“Well, I haven’t seen you for a long time. I’ve been avoiding you. Normally people tend to not seek out their exes, you know.”

She’s trying to keep it lighthearted. She’s trying not to let this Kara see how much she craves her presence, how much she wishes she could see Kara again. Don’t get her wrong, Supergirl is plastered every minute on the news, but-

That’s not who she wants to see.

“She’s miserable,” Kara answers point-blank leaving no room for argument, “If you’ve been avoiding me, I’d be miserable.”

That has Lena speechless.

Because miserable would be an understatement of how things had been ever since they ended things.

Ever since Lena ended things.

“I don’t like not being with you, you know?” Kara states as if Lena doesn’t feel the same.

“I- I don’t like that either.”

“I know.”

She has to go. Lena knows she has to go but Kara is looking at her so sincerely and she can feel the love and she knows this is nothing but an intricate trap formed by an alien parasite slowly killing her. She has to go but-

“Lena!”

The both of them are startled and four eyes immediately land to-

Kara?! No, not Kara. Supergirl.

“Supergirl,” She says; surprise coloring her voice. She didn’t know Supergirl would go in and save her. Hell, she didn’t even know how she found her. But then again, she’s tried solving the puzzle that is Kara Zor-El but had never been able to piece it together.

Supergirl takes a look at her doppelganger in bed with Lena; a scene so familiar to her. A scene she’s replayed again and again in her head. A scene that was once their reality then a memory and now an illusion. She takes a step closer.

“Lena, we have to go, please. Please believe me, this isnt-”

“-real,” Lena finishes for her and Supegirl looks stunned, “I know, Supergirl. I know how to reject my own fantasy. I’ve had plenty of practice, after all.”

She aims for sarcasm, because fucking fucking hell, how the fuck does anybody expect her to function if there were two Kara’s in front of her?

That was asking for too much.

Beside her, Kara had gone silent. It seems like she knows what comes next. She knows what Supergirl intends to do. They’re the same person after all.

“It’s okay,” Lena hears Kara say and she breaks away from the hero’s gaze to find Kara looking at her with those eyes again.

“It’s okay, Lena,” She repeats, “It’s okay, Supergirl’s here. You’re gonna be safe. Stay safe for me, yeah?”

“Lena we have to go. Now,” Supergirl commands from the other side of the room.

“Okay, yeah,” She whispers then she turns to Supergirl, “Just give me a chance to say goodbye, please?”

Supergirl stares at her for a moment then at Kara then she gives them both a nod and turns back to give them privacy.

“Last question?”

“Hit me.”

“What’s your surname?”

“Luthor.”

Fuck. She shouldn’t feel this surprised but damn, hearing Kara confirm it? Lena doesn’t know how to feel about that. She doesn’t know how to feel about all of this.

“Just like you promised.”

“Just like I promised.”

The words are echoed back to her and Lena hates the way she’s noticed how stiff Supergirl’s posture had become in her periphery. Ignores the fact that Supergirl has superhearing.

“Thank you for indulging me, Kara.”

“Always.”

Goodbye, darling.”

And then everything fades to black.

author’s note: hiya lovely people send me an ask if i should write a follow-up for this.

#supercorp ficlet #supercorp ficlet of sorts ig?#it's another black mercy au y'all #it's very angsty #the reckless writer somewhat writes??#the reckless writer writes #lena luthor #kara danvers #supercorp #rcklss writes

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thornedrose44 · 3 years

Text

Prompt: “I can’t do this. Just leave me alone.”

Read on AO3

"Goodnight, Kara." Lena said from across the room when she finally managed to catch Kara's eye.

It was the first time they had made eye contact since Kara had welcomed her inside at the start of the night. Kara startled at the sudden sight of Lena, waving farewell as she stepped quietly towards the door, but made no move to follow after her and when the door swung quietly shut behind her Lena knew things would never be the same.

It was Kara's birthday party (her Earth birthday party to those that happened to be in the know, which to Lena's un-surprise was a rather considerable group all things considered). Kara had invited her, further proof of the strength of their newly reaffirmed friendship. Lena had been grateful for the invite, appreciating it as the sign that they were back on the right track, and accepted it without hesitation.

She had then proceeded to spend hours upon hours thinking of the perfect gift for Kara, excitement and anticipation building in her stomach.

It would be her first proper night out in months after being thrown back into her role as CEO and dealing with all the negative press following Lex’s downfall and upcoming conviction. Her working hours had reached an excess that she had never achieved before. The blowback onto her in the form of hatred for the Luthors was even greater than last time as well, despite her crucial role in taking Lex down. She was still deemed guilty by association especially since she had been working closely with Lex for a long time before revelations about his villainy became apparent.

The news were critiquing her every move, slandering her every chance they got and rallying the masses to a fervour - she was now facing at least one assassination attempt every week.

Regardless of all that, Lena had one salvation, one light of hope that she clung onto. Her friendship with Kara. It was growing again. They were spending time together. Relearning one another or learning about each for the first time in Lena's case. The conversation was finally less stilted and the trust was back.

But there was still something missing, something stopping them from returning to exactly where they were before.

Lena, as the months ticked by, realised that they were no longer as physically close as they once were. Hugs were rare. Gentle touches of the hands were swiftly snatched back to prevent lingering. Even extended eye contact was fleeting.

Lena at first thought the problem was that she had hurt Kara so badly that the woman who sometimes communicated solely through physical affection no longer wanted to be touched by Lena. That broke something in Lena. That Kara, even though she was trying to be kind, friendly and forgiving to Lena, was not comfortable with any sort of physical contact between them, drove Lena into a drunken stupor of college-level proportions.

Once the alcohol was out of her system and she had suitably recovered from her hangover, Lena had allowed the scientist within her to take over.

No more assumptions.

She would gather evidence, make an hypothesis and work towards a solution.

If she wanted Kara back in her life properly - cuddles on the sofa and lengthy hugs a necessity of that - Lena would put the effort in.

So she observed… and what she observed was this…

Pink cheeks and bashful expressions whenever their gazes met.

A thick swallow and faltering breath whenever their hands brushed.

Deep sighs and fingers digging fleetingly into her back as if on the edge of pulling her closer whenever they embraced.

Dark eyes and teeth biting into a bottom lip whenever Lena stretched or moved her hair away from her neck.

Attraction, affection and interest .

Lena didn’t believe the results of her evidence; she re-ran the tests over and over again trying to work out if she had just interacted with Kara on an odd day, if she just happened to be thinking about something (someone) else at the same time but… it kept happening over and over again.

If it had been anyone else, Lena wouldn’t have doubted what she was seeing but… but.. This was Kara.

Kara, who she had been in love with since she had walked into her office with her cousin.

Kara, who had never picked up on or reacted to her flirts.

Kara, who had broken her heart with lies.

Kara, who meant so much to her.

Kara, who she had only just gotten back.

Was it worth the risk?

Fear had blinded her, of that she had no doubt, but was it keeping her safe from the hurtful truth of Kara not wanting to touch her anymore or from the potential happiness that Kara returned her feelings but was too sweet or shy to put herself in a position that would make Lena uncomfortable.

Lena decided to take a chance - just this once because even if she was wrong about Kara not feeling the same, she had to believe that Kara was incapable of being cruel to her if she misread it. They promised each other honesty and Lena intended to show it.

It was why she needed to buy the perfect present, something that hinted that Kara’s feelings (if Lena was right) were returned. And just a week before the party, she knew exactly what the perfect present would be.

She wrapped it personally (normally Jess would wrap any gifts she had to send out), wanting to go the extra mile. It wasn’t perfectly done, a bit messy in places and the sellotape was excessive but she had done it herself which she knew Kara would appreciate more than professional gift wrapping.

Lena, however, realised that she had made a mistake the second she arrived at Kara's.

Knew she had misread… everything …

Because Kara… Kara couldn't stand to be near her for longer than it took to say hello, accept the present and then disappear off.

Lena hadn’t expected to be with Kara for all of the party; it was Kara's party and loads of her friends were in attendance, all of whom wanted to spend it with Kara. Who wouldn't?

It's just… Lena…

Lena didn't have anyone else.

It was made abundantly clear to Lena within the first thirty seconds that she was not welcome. Alex gave her a gruff nod from across the room before turning her back to her - she still didn't trust her and Lena had prioritised winning Kara back over the last few months above everything else. Brainy and Nia smiled at her but they were deep in conversation with CatCo employees all of whom were practically snarling at Lena (clearly not Luthor fans). James was here as well and dear God did he give her such a blazing look of hatred Lena was surprised she didn't burst into flames under its ferocity. (They hadn’t dated in this rewritten universe, much to Lena’s pleasure, though his original dislike for her was clearly a mainstay of every universe).

So… Lena grabbed a drink and stood in the corner as Kara moved seamlessly between her various groups of friends and colleagues, never once sparing Lena even a glance. The majority of her movements were accompanied by William Dey, who repeatedly tried to sling an arm around Kara's shoulder - the only joy Lena got from the evening was watching Kara repeatedly squirm out from under his touch.

She held out for two hours, sipping three beers and glancing intermittently at her phone as she stayed in her corner, hoping that Kara would come over for just five minutes.

Five minutes with Kara wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

Five mere minutes with Kara would have made the whole night worth it, made the glares and malevolent whispers sent her way worth it.

It was at the two hour mark that Lena accepted the truth.

Kara wasn't going to come over to talk to her.

Kara hadn't been pulling away from her due to a sudden realisation of feelings and attraction.

Kara hadn't expected her to accept the invite. Hadn't wanted her to accept.

Kara was ashamed of her, that was why she pulled away, why she didn't acknowledge her.

Lena couldn't really blame her but that didn't mean she had to stay and take it. So gathering what was left of her dignity, she shuffled towards the door, caught Kara's eye, waved and slipped outside… though, not before retrieving the present she had brought for Kara… it would have revealed far too much and Lena didn't need to deal with that on top of everything else.

Lena returned to her office for no other reason that she still had some good liquor stored there - Kara had encouraged her a couple of months ago to cut back on her drinking and she couldn’t deny the baby blue puppy dog eyes. She staggered into her office, chucking the present she had spent hours creating onto the sofa - she would buy Kara some random meaningless gift like a nice scarf or jumper tomorrow instead - and poured herself a full tumbler before flipping open her laptop and getting to work. She lost herself in designs and business plans as she made her way through the bottle.

She used to sit and brood when she drank but Sam had made her promise she wouldn’t do that anymore, hazel eyes filled with concern at where Lena’s mind wandered when unoccupied and fuelled by alcohol. Whilst Lena was in a pretty bleak space, she refused to hurt her last (and only) friend by breaking the one promise she had made to her.

It must have been two am when Lena heard a familiar thud from the balcony followed by a gentle knock that could only belong to one person.

“Kara, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Lena called out, not bothering to lift her gaze away from her laptop screen - she wasn't sure whether the sight of Kara would evoke tears or fury and she wished to give Kara neither.

“Hey… I just wanted… I was…" Kara stammered out; Lena didn't need to see her to know that she was fidgeting with the edge of her cape as she tiptoed nervously closer. "You know… flying around and saw the light on and figured I would check in on you, see how you were doing…”

“I’m fine. Just working.” Lena replied brusquely taking a sip of her whiskey.

“And drinking…” Kara muttered, her tone more worried than disapproving but Lena took offense regardless.

“Yes. It’s a Saturday night, cut me some slack.” Lena snapped back, defiantly swallowing what was left in her glass before slamming it down onto her desk.

The loud clack as it connected with the surface was followed by a heavy, almost suffocating silence.

“You left early.” Kara whispered into the unnatural stillness, shattering the fraudulent focus Lena had on her computer screen with those three words. Kara didn't sound confused or upset, just painfully neutral as if to emotionally step back from the situation so that she could garner some emotional truth from the CEO instead.

Well, Lena was done with that, done with giving more of herself than Kara wanted so she took a deep, calming breath and allowed her painstakingly crafted mask to slip into place.

“I wasn’t the first to leave.” Lena pointed out calmly, finally turning to look at Kara, certain she could keep her voice and face blank. It was then that she saw how… small Kara looked, which was never a word Lena would have used to describe Kara in full Supergirl regalia in the entire time she had known her. Kara looked defeated and lost, a tremble to her lip and very being that she tried to hide behind a shy smile.

“Well… I didn’t get a chance to talk to you…” Kara replied, ducking her head meekly as she admitted. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Lena pursed her lips at that, “I was there for over two hours, Kara. You could have come over whenever you wanted. It wasn’t like I was occupied.”

“Yeah… what was that about?” Kara laughed, rubbing the back of her neck, trying far too hard to make her tone light as if even the idea of Lena being without company was an entirely absurd concept.

The high-pitch to Kara's laugh and the unfamiliar tension around her eyes revealed to Lena that Kara knew exactly why Lena had been standing all alone that evening.

“I’m a Luthor, Kara." Lena replied sharply, not interested in trying to smooth over the harsh truths like Kara was always so keen to do when it suited her. "No one wanted me there and they all made that very clear.”

“I wanted you there.” Kara replied so soft and earnest that Lena nearly believed her.

“I highly doubt that.” Lena scoffed derisively.

“I did.” Kara insisted, eyes desperate and pleading.

Lena merely shook her head, turning back to face her computer, “If you say so…”

“Lena, I-”

“Kara… I can’t…” Lena muttered, her voice cracking in the exact way she didn’t want it to. “I can’t do this. Just leave me alone.” Lena requested, hating how it verged on begging.

“What?” Kara murmured in shock.

“I can’t just… pretend that I’m not hurt or upset.” Lena confessed, fingers curling into fists on her desk, eyes slamming shut to lock in the tears. “I just need… time to get over it and accept what we are. So until then… please just leave me alone.”

“I hurt you.” Kara repeated, her voice broken and raw .

“Kara, I didn’t…” Lena shook her head angrily, she didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to inflict herself on Kara who had tried so hard to be her friend. “It's your birthday, Kara.” Lena sighed sadly, “You get to spend it anyway you like with whomever you like.”

“I wanted to spend it with you.” Kara breathed, and Lena could hear the sharp inhales between each word that revealed that Kara was crying.

“Kara, you don’t need to…” Lena assured, with a wave of her hand, eyes focused on her lap, “let’s just leave it, okay?”

“No…” Kara gasped, and suddenly Lena felt a trembling hand connect with her own tightly curled fists, “wait… what did you mean ‘get over it’ and ‘accept what we are’?”

Lena sucked in a sharp breath at the question, biting down harshly on her bottom lip.

“Lena?” Kara pressed.

“Fuck it, fine.” Lena snapped, yanking her hands away from Kara’s infinitely soft touch and shoving herself out of her chair before storming away from Kara, desperate for space. “I thought you liked me.”

“I do-” Kara began, taking a tentative step after her.

“No, Kara.” Lena yelled, spinning back to face Kara, with a twisted snarl of total self-loathing. “Liked me.” Lena stressed, before throwing her hands up into the air as it all just boiled out of her, “God, I sound like a teenager. I thought you liked me. I thought you were touching me less because you were attracted to me. But then… I go to your party and you don’t… it was like you were ashamed of me, I sat in that fucking corner for two hours as everyone wished - out loud, I should say - that I would go. I sat in that fucking corner in the hope that you would speak to me for five minutes. For just five minutes. Because that… that would have made it all worth it. But you could barely look at me. And I realised you didn’t - don’t - like me… you’re ashamed of me, but you’re too kind to abandon me. Too noble and generous but even you have your limits. Of course, you didn’t want to spend your birthday talking to me. Of course you didn’t.”

Lena wanted to punch a wall, wanted to down the rest of her whiskey, wanted to do literally anything than be here in this moment watching the horror-struck expression on Kara’s face grow and grow with every word, watch Kara’s body tremble and shake with each harsh sweeping gesture.

“Lena, no… you…” Kara sobbed, striding towards her with fingers twitching at her sides, “you have got the complete wrong end of the stick. Actually, you’re right but also really wrong. And…” Kara swiped aggressively at the tears rolling down her cheeks as she approached Lena, stopping when the raven-haired woman flinched at their sudden closeness. “I screwed up but-”

“No. You don’t need to do this.” Lena cut in, holding a hand up to stop Kara, wanting Kara to know that her guilt was unnecessary and that she could finally be free of Lena.

“Lena, I’m so-”

“You don’t need to apologise.” Lena insisted, taking a deep breath to rein back in her swirl of her emotions. She could do this. She could let Kara go. “You were trying to be kind but you shouldn’t… god, if I make you that miserable, that uncomfortable, you shouldn’t have to force yourself to interact with me.”

“LENA!” Kara bellowed, stamping her foot to the ground and lifting her chin to reveal a determined expression.

Lena blinked in shock at the sudden volume and intensity; falling obediently quiet.

Kara placed her hands on her hips, took a deep breath, looked Lena straight in the eye with earnest, beseeching blue and declared, “I want to kiss you right now because that would be the big sweeping action that would prove to you that I mean what I’m about to say next but… you’ve been drinking… heavily from the looks of things.” Kara shot a displeased pout at the nearly empty bottle of whiskey as if it was all the bottle’s fault for Lena’s current state of inebriation and not the youngest Luthor’s unhealthy coping mechanisms. Kara turned back to face a stunned Lena, with a fond smile, “And I really want our first kiss to be one you remember and one you can fully consent to. So, you’re just going to have to believe me… please, please believe me when I say… I’m in love with you and I fucked up massively tonight. Really, really fucked up.”

“You never swear.” Lena murmured quietly, and it probably wasn’t what she should have been focusing on but her brain was currently stuck like a record scratch unable to fully comprehend what Kara had just told her; and the swear was just the cherry on top of an entire sundae of confusing and out-of-the-blue revelations.

“Which shows how much I believe that I fucked up.” Kara replied with a helpless shrug.

“But-”

“You were the only person I wanted to spend my birthday with.” Kara confessed, “Well, Alex at some point as well. But you mostly. Alex planned the party and I couldn’t…” Kara huffed out a frustrated breath and rolled her eyes, “she did this whole thing and I didn’t want to turn around and say I didn’t want it. That all I really wanted was a quiet night watching films with you because…” Kara sighed, “because then she’d know… To make it more bearable I invited you but there were so many other people, and I will be honest… I don’t even like half of them. Alex, just invited everyone I was friends on facebook with which is not a good barometer of friendship.”

Lena cleared her throat, none of it making sense, “Then why-”

“Did I ignore you?” Kara guessed with a painful wince.

“Yeah…” Lena muttered, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

“Because… because I knew, or at least I thought I knew, that you hadn’t noticed how I felt about you.” Kara explained inching just that little bit closer towards Lena, attempting to bring them within touching distance of one another. “And I knew it was only a miracle that you hadn’t until now because…” Kara smiled a lopsided, rueful and self-deprecating smile, “Lena, I am not subtle. Not at all. And I knew… I knew if I interacted with you at the party… everyone else would be able to tell in an instant how I felt.”

Lena exhaled slow and deep, arms tightening their hold around herself, “And you didn’t want them knowing you liked me?”

“Love. Not like.” Kara corrected, patient yet firm, “Love. And no, I didn’t.”

Lena nodded once in understanding, letting out a hollow laugh, “I get it. I wouldn’t want anyone to know I loved me either.”

“Lena… no… no… you…” Kara rushed to explain, finally stepping close enough to reach out and place her hands gently on Lena’s curled biceps. Lena couldn’t help how she instinctively shifted closer, wanting to increase contact with Kara after being denied it for so long. “I didn’t want anyone knowing before you.” Kara admitted.

And that… that snapped something back into place for Lena.

Made the doubts screaming inside her head quieten down just enough to think… maybe…

Because… it was being last that had broken them the first time. Being the only one not to know and now…

“I didn’t want Stacy, who used to cheat off me in exams in college to know how I felt about you before you did.” Kara said, thumbs moving back and forth against the bare skin of Lena’s arms causing a swathe of goosebumps to rise like a wave in the wake of Kara’s every touch. “They didn’t deserve that. They didn’t deserve…” Kara’s jaw clenched, eyes darkening as she studied Lena’s face, “I was trying to protect you from them. They said horrible things about you and you should know, the minute after you left, I kicked everyone who so much as looked at you funny out. It was just me, Nia, Brainy and Kelly left… Alex, as well, but we had a rather heated argument before she was allowed to stay.” Kara bowed her head in shame, “I should have kicked them all out immediately but-”

“Then they would have known.” Lena finished for her.

“I had this whole thing planned.” Kara breathed out, her hands gradually shifting away from Lena’s arms around to her back, surrounding Lena in a loose hold, Kara’s eyes flickering over Lena’s face and body rapidly searching for even the slightest sign that Lena was uncomfortable with their contact. “Once everyone left, I had set-up the roof with lights and cushions and… I was going to tell you how I felt. I just had to make it through the birthday party from hell and I was trying so hard to keep to the plan. To not spoil it. To keep it a secret so that it could just be ours but... I…” Kara’s eyes slid shut and she inhaled a shuddering breath filled with pain. “I hurt you. And there is nothing I can say to make you forgive me, but I do… I do love you so much. And I will never, ever be ashamed of you.” Kara blinked her eyes back open and leaned forward to place a kiss on Lena’s forehead. “I just wanted it to be ours and not theirs. I didn’t want to share. You’re the only thing in my life that… I didn’t want to share.”

“Open your present.” Lena demanded, stepping out of Kara’s loving embrace.

“Lena-” Kara whimpered, pained at the sudden loss of closeness.

“Open your present, Kara.” Lena repeated, jerking her chin towards the sofa where the roughly wrapped present lay.

“I… okay…” Kara replied, watching Lena closely as she tried to make sense of Lena’s clear request. Kara walked cautiously over to the couch, picking up the gift with gentle hands. “Did you wrap it yourself?” Kara asked, her entire expression brightening as she stared down at the crooked, over sellotaped wrapping.

Lena harrumphed at the question, pursing her lips.

“You did, didn’t you?” Kara teased.

“The present isn’t the piss poor wrapping.” Lena replied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes that had the corners of Kara’s lips quirking even further upwards.

“Lena Luthor wrapped my present herself…", Kara whistled in awe, blue eyes twinkling with true delight for the first time that day, "what better gift is there?”

“Open it and you might find one.” Lena said, heart leaping into her throat as Kara’s deft fingers found a line of wrapping paper she could tuck them under.

The sound of paper ripping was deafening in the stillness; all Lena could do was watch and wait.

The paper fell away leaving behind a small black box, Kara shot Lena a hesitant look and it wasn’t until Lena nodded for her to continue that Kara clicked it open.

There was a pause.

A heavy, endless pause in which Lena couldn’t bring herself to even breathe.

“What is-” Kara began before cutting off immediately as she lifted up the beautiful bracelet made of nth metal and inscribed with ‘stronger together’ in Lena’s own cursive handwriting in both english and kryptonian.

The bracelet shined under the lights in Lena’s office, but in Lena’s opinion, Kara’s eyes shined impossibly brighter.

“You’re in love with me.” Kara whispered, seeing the present for everything Lena had hoped it would convey.

“Yes.” Lena confirmed because there was no hiding it now.

With trembling fingers Kara clasped the bracelet onto her wrist, long fingers tracing the words delicately inscribed with no small amount of wonder. Finally, she turned around and stared at Lena with so much sheer love that the youngest Luthor felt overwhelmed and like her heart might burst right out of her chest in its desire to be in Kara’s possession

Clearing her throat and clasping her hands behind her back, Lena gathered her courage and asked, “If I promise you I’ll remember it and that I am fully consenting… will you kiss me now?”

Kara was in front of her in the literal blink of the eye, hands reaching out to cup Lena’s cheeks as Lena’s hands moved to rest on Kara’s hips gently encouraging their bodies closer with a light tug.

“There is nothing I want more.” Kara assured with the widest grin that Lena had ever seen and couldn’t help but return.

Their first kiss could barely count as a kiss.

Their smiles were too wide to allow for it, but Lena wouldn’t change it even slightly. They pressed their smiles against one another, teeth knocking together and noses brushing.

It may not have been a successful kiss but it was tender and filled with so much joy that Lena wouldn’t describe it as anything less than perfect.

Their second kiss was an actual kiss, lips slotting together, tongues seeking each other out and teeth tugging whimpers and moans from one another in an endless cycle.

Their second kiss turned into a third, a fourth, a fifth.

They kissed until the sun rose.

Kissed until their lips ached and any remaining doubts Lena may have had were pushed back into the shadows by the light of Kara’s smile and blue eyes.

#supercorp #supercorp fic

650 notes · View notes

c-optimistic · 4 years

Note

for your happy prompts ask, perhaps kara is a documentary film maker who follows ceo lena around for a doc and ends up falling in love with her by learning a bunch of little things she finds out during filming? also p.s. i absolutely adore your writing even when it tugs at the heartstrings. thank you for writing what you do! it makes my day everytime i see an update or get an email

She wasn’t allowed to see Lena Luthor until she’d signed so many papers that, if stacked together, would be taller than she was. She wasn’t even allowed to touch her camera around Lena Luthor until the woman herself, CEO extraordinaire, had personally vetted Kara out.

“You know,” Kara said as casually as she could, finding herself nervously adjusting her glasses when Lena’s cold gaze fell on her, “I usually have a whole team with me when I do this.”

“And I agreed to this on the condition that only one nosy filmmaker follows me around, not a whole team.” Lena’s reply was like everything else Kara had learned about the CEO thus far: she was blunt, a little harsh, tone and eyes cold and emotionless. She gave nothing away, not in her walk, in her mannerisms, in the ridiculously healthy food she ate, in the way she spoke to her employees or board members. She was cool, detached, wickedly smart, and utterly composed. “And I must approve the final result,” she added, gesturing to the mountain of paperwork Kara signed.

(Kara sighed internally, a tiny part of her sure Lena was a robot.)

“But it’s everything, right?” Kara clarified. “A total look into your life, no holding back?”

“You may follow me around to your heart’s content,” Lena said, leaning back in her desk chair, studying Kara intently.

“May I ask, Ms. Luthor, what made you agree to this, when you’re usually so distrustful of the media?”

Lena gave Kara a smile that didn’t touch her eyes. “What made you ask to do this when you know I distrust the media?”

Lena hadn’t answered, so Kara knew she didn’t have to either, but she felt it was important to establish some kind of rapport with the woman she’d be following around for the next few weeks. “I’m of the opinion that things are rarely as simple as they seem from the outside, that’s all.”

“Well,” Lena said, looking pleasantly surprised and offering Kara a grin (a real one, one that touched her eyes and transformed her face), “perhaps that’s why I agreed to you doing this.”

“You’re one of Ms. Luthor’s closest friends, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Since before your daughter was born?”

“Yup.”

“So would you say you know her quite well?”

“Sure.”

“Do you plan on answering any of my questions with more than one word?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. So, in one word I suppose, how would you describe Ms. Luthor to a stranger?”

“Flawless.”

The rules of her arrangement with Lena were rather simple. For the next several weeks, Lena consented to having Kara around from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to sleep. In return, Kara was not allowed in certain meetings at L-Corp, was not allowed to bring her camera with her at all when Lena went down to R&D, and if Lena asked for her to stop filming at any point, Kara was bound to immediately do so and erase any footage she may have inadvertently captured.

For the first two days of the arrangement, it was actually rather boring. Lena was awake before the crack of dawn, she didn’t acknowledge Kara’s presence as she made coffee and toast (though she did push a cup and a plate towards Kara), and then spent the next fifteen or so hours in her office, sifting through papers, answering phone calls and responding to emails, and forgetting meals. It wasn’t until the third day that Lena’s routine changed slightly.

She received a phone call at breakfast, and whoever it was caused a bright red blush to bloom on her cheeks. Kara zoomed in slightly on Lena’s face as she answered the call. “Now’s not really a good time, Sam,” she began, falling silent at whatever this Sam was saying on the other end. Lena’s eyes flitted over towards Kara, but to her surprise, she didn’t ask for Kara to shut off the camera. “That sounds terrible,” she said, sounding truly apologetic, something about her countenance changing. She seemed softer, more open, calmer than Kara had seen her yet. “And Ruby was so excited too.” Lena fell silent once more, nodding almost as if unaware of it. “I agree with her,” Lena suddenly laughed, still nodding, “it’s not fair at all. But there’s no way I’m not going to visit. Do you want me to bring anything?” Lena laughed again, and Kara wondered if her camera was capturing the change she was witnessing with her own eyes. “As if I could forget Ruby’s chocolate.” A pause. “Give her all my love.” Another pause, a tiny smile on Lena’s lips. “All right, I will. Bye.” As she hung up, she looked over at Kara, as if daring her to comment, everything about her shuttering at once.

“Who was that?” Kara asked, not really expecting an answer. To her surprise, however, Lena’s eyes flitted to the camera and she let out a soft, resigned sigh.

“That was my CFO, Sam Arias,” she answered, her tone a complete 180 from what she was using on the phone. She studied Kara for a moment and must have read something on her face, because her shoulders deflated and she motioned towards her phone. “Sam is my best friend. Her daughter, Ruby, is my goddaughter. We were supposed to go to the animal shelter today.” Lena smiled softly, almost as if unaware of it. “She’s finally convinced Sam she’s responsible enough for a pet. It’s actually—” Lena stopped suddenly, her eyes shifting to the camera once more, any warmth that had managed to leak out dissipating at once. “In any case, she’s sick. So we’ll have to reschedule.” She waved her hand towards the camera. “Can you turn that off, please?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” Kara said quickly, making a show of turning the Camcorder off and setting it aside. “Is something wrong?”

Lena shook her head, leaning against her kitchen counter as she eyed Kara with something like curiosity. “You know, I’ve seen all of your other work,” she said after a moment, frowning at Kara like she was a puzzle she couldn’t figure out.

(Had she? Seen all of Kara’s work? A part of Kara was curious as to how, after all, most of her stuff was tucked away in a closet back in Midvale, waiting to be opened up and viewed during Christmas, when Alex would laugh at the films she’d made in high school about how the boys’ sports teams were unfairly given more attention than the girls’. The others were projects for her degree and one or two failed attempts to get a real production company to take the risk on her.

In fact, if not for Cat Grant’s decision as ‘The Queen of All Media’ to get involved in filmmaking, funding a project from a no-name creator, Kara wasn’t even sure she’d have the film she was making now.)

“Oh,” she said inarticulately, not quite sure how to word what she was really thinking. How rich did you have to be to be able to bribe anyone into giving you anything?

Lena nodded carefully, her face a perfect mask. If not for the way her eyes followed Kara’s every movement, Kara would’ve even thought that Lena was bored. “You’re very fond of certain themes. Hope. Love. Endless optimism in the best of humanity.” She said it like it was a bad thing. And it was suddenly Kara’s turn to lean forward on the opposite end of the counter, feeling her head tilt to the side questioningly.

“Is that what you got from my films?” she asked, genuinely curious.

Lena seemed wary of the question, standing up straight and crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “Isn’t that what you intended?”

“You know,” Kara said slowly, “I don’t actually believe in all that creator’s intent nonsense. I think we search for parts of ourselves when we consume art. So if that’s what you got from my films, that says more about you than it does about me.”

If anything, this seemed to offend Lena. “So you’d deny having any sort of intent with your work? What about making something with meaning?”

Kara laughed, shaking her head. “That’s not what I mean, and besides, who says art has to mean anything?”

“Of course art means something,” Lena argued, narrowing her eyes at Kara. “What’s the point of doing it if it doesn’t mean anything?”

Kara shrugged easily, giving Lena a small smile. “I disagree. I think art says something. But meaning is up to the people who consume it.” She picked up her camera and pointed it at Lena without turning it on. “Doesn’t matter what I intended to say with my films, you got meaning from it. So I’d say there was a point in making it, don’t you think?”

Lena eyed her for a moment, apparently not liking that Kara wasn’t giving her an answer, wasn’t telling her what she was trying to say with her work. But then, after several long seconds, she relented, letting out a chuckle and shaking her head. “Well, fine,” she said, her smile touching her eyes. “As long as you don’t try to say anything silly like hope, love, or endless optimism in the best of humanity with this film.”

“I’m afraid I can’t change who you are, Ms. Luthor,” Kara said softly, turning her camera on and effectively cutting off any response Lena may have had.

(And when she looks at the footage weeks later, she’ll freeze that frame, breath catching at the look on Lena’s face: the softness of her eyes, the curve of her lips, and the pleasantly confused crinkle between her brows.)

“Do you spend a lot of time with your godmother?”

“Oh yeah, loads! She’s great.”

“What sort of things do you do with her?”

“I mean, normal stuff? She takes me to get ice cream all the time. The other day, she rented that new horror movie that came out and watched it with me when I stayed over. My mom went nuts when she found out.”

“So you like her?”

“No, of course not. I love Lena. She’s my aunt, you know? She’s family.”

“And if you had the chance, what would you want the world to know about her?”

“That she cares, so much. And that she’s funny and super smart and helps me with homework and after my mom she’s the very best person I know.”

The visit to Luthor Children’s Hospital was, as far as Kara was aware, unplanned and in fact gave Jess a great deal of anxiety. For her part, Kara was mostly frustrated and annoyed, wondering if this film was worth it at all. Because Lena Luthor seemed to be asking Kara to turn off the camera more and more, especially when her day deviated at all and she was forced to leave her office.

(Walks in the park, lunches with her goddaughter, a touching moment with the child of one of her employees...all locked away somewhere in Kara’s memory, but destined to remain there instead of on film, where it should be.)

She huffed a little bit as she leaned against the wall, watching Lena walk quickly towards the group of nurses and doctors. She didn’t say anything when Jess joined her, a contemplative look on her face. “She always does this,” Jess told Kara after a long silence, rolling her eyes fondly. “She’ll cancel meetings last minute because she heard one of the kids in the hemoc ward has finished treatment or that they’re out of toys to give to the new patients.”

“Why isn’t there any press if she does this often?” Kara asked, turning to Jess but watching Lena out of the corner of her eye. She was talking to one of the doctors now, looking comically out of place with her designer clothes while surrounded by colorful artwork by kids that littered the walls of the Children’s Hospital.

Jess fixed Kara with an unimpressed look. “You’ve met her, right?” she asked rhetorically. “She goes out of her way to hide these visits. She says that she has to keep it under wraps because she wants to keep it about the kids and not her. But I think the truth is she’s just worried people would mistreat the kids and their families for allowing a ‘Luthor’ within ten feet of them.”

“Oh,” Kara said dumbly, a little stunned by the new information, and feeling guilty for her thoughts earlier. “That’s...awful.”

“I’m not telling you this for nothing, you know,” Jess continued, frowning at Kara. “She’s been avoiding lots of her usual charitable work since you’ve been around. The whole point of this was to get everyone else to see the real Lena Luthor, but she’s ruining it by being humble and noble.”

(Kara wanted to groan, roll her eyes, or better yet go over to Lena herself and shake her until she understood what Kara’s job was.

How was she supposed to make a documentary about Lena Luthor if Lena Luthor was so determined to hide herself away from the world?)

“What would you have me do?” she asked, not voicing her frustration, though it seeped into her tone anyway. “We have a deal, and she doesn’t want me to film these things.”

Jess shook her head, looking terribly unimpressed by the answer. “Don’t you have artistic integrity? Would you allow anyone else to boss you around and tell you what you could and couldn’t film?”

Kara looked over at Lena, who was now smiling at a young boy who had ambled up to her with his mother and infusion pump stand in tow. She watched as Lena actually dropped to her knees to talk to the boy, nodding vigorously at whatever he was saying. After a long moment, she turned back to Jess and shook her head. “No,” she said finally. “I guess I wouldn’t.”

And after Jess had given her another significant look before walking off, Kara raised her camera and began to film.

“Mr. Spheer, you’re an ex of Lena Luthor’s, right?”

“Ah, I see this documentary is quite personal. Are you sure that Lena is okay with this sort of thing going into her movie?”

“Well, it’s my movie. But she’s free to ask me to take things out.”

“Fascinating. Yes, I am Lena’s ex. I was quite brokenhearted when she broke it off to move to National City.”

“Oh, she broke it off?”

“So curious, Ms. Danvers. Perhaps you’re interested in something beyond a mere film?”

“W-what? No, that’s—please be serious, Mr. Spheer—”

“It’s Jack to you, my dear. What else do you need to know about Lena? Her favorite flowers are plumerias, her favorite food is—”

“—oh that’s really not necessary. If we could just focus on who Lena is as a person. A friend. A former girlfriend?”

“Hmm, yes. Well, just imagine your perfect woman, Ms. Danvers.”

“Oh, um, I—”

“—exactly, you see Lena. That’s an universal experience, I’m afraid. Lena is simply...too good for this world.”

“So you’d say the treatment she gets by the public is unfair?”

“It’s unfair how much people attack pineapple on pizza, Ms. Danvers. The way they speak of Lena without knowing her? That’s a pure travesty.”

They were about ten days into filming when Kara saw Lena relax for the first time.

She was using the word ‘relax’ rather loosely, of course. Lena didn’t do what Kara did after a long week—put on a pair of sweatpants, order loads of junk food, and watch so much Netflix that it eventually felt the need to ask her if she was still watching. In fact, Lena’s idea of relaxing was more work. Just, fun work.

She was dressed in jeans and a blue shirt, knees pulled up to her chest as she sat at her desk, mumbling under her breath as she did whatever she was doing. (She hadn’t bothered to explain to Kara, had just sighed and acquiesced to the presence of the camera in her home office.) Perched precariously at the tip of her nose were a thick black pair of glasses, her hair falling to her shoulders in gentle waves.

She looked different. Softer, somehow. Gone was all the trappings of a badass CEO, and all that was left was a clever (and beautiful) young woman, working on the things she loved in her spare time.

Kara zoomed in slightly, focusing on Lena’s face, on the furrow between her brows, her lips twisted in concentration. There was something there, something different, and Kara just wanted to—

“Is that camera heavy?” Lena asked, looking up suddenly, a curious expression on her face. She was good at that, the polite looks, gently asking for more information. Tiny eyebrow raises, nearly imperceptible softening of her eyes, lips quirked the slightest bit, all intended to disarm her quarry, making them drop their guard long enough that they give everything held close to their chest away.

“Not really,” Kara answered, grinning at Lena. This made the other woman blink in surprise, clearly not the response she was looking for, that expression on her face shifting suddenly, becoming more calculating. “I work out,” Kara went on to explain, shrugging easily, careful not to jostle the camera. “Besides, it’s not that heavy, I think about five pounds.”

“What kind of camera do you use?”

“Oh, it’s a Panasonic AG-HVX—” she cut herself off. “It’s not that interesting.” Kara adjusted her glasses and made sure Lena’s face was still in focus. Somehow, this made Lena’s tiny smile reappear. She stood up and circled her desk, and Kara was forced to back away to maintain focus.

“You love filming, don’t you?” Lena asked, and Kara blinked, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“Ms. Luthor, as I’m sure you’re aware, this film is about you.”

If she thought this would in any way cow Lena, she was wrong. Lena just grinned, looking like she’d somehow won something.

“Do you know what I don’t understand?” she said with faux casualness, crossing her arms and tapping a finger against her elbow. “Why would you, someone Cat Grant speaks so highly of, be willing to agree to this assignment? Something most people wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.”

Kara frowned, not thinking as she responded. “It wasn’t assigned, Ms. Luthor. I pitched the idea. I wanted to do this.” Lena’s words sank in a moment later. “Wait. Cat Grant spoke highly of me?”

“Why?” Lena asked, no longer smiling.

Kara blinked at the change in tone. “Why what?” she asked, genuinely confused. This was, apparently, the wrong answer, because Lena chose that moment to begin pacing in front of her desk, looking more than a little bothered.

“I don’t get it,” she said as she paced. “I tried to figure it out, looked into you, into your work. I thought maybe you were doing this to build fame, but I’ve seen your work and even without a movie about the last Luthor, I have no doubt you’ll be very popular—”

“Oh, that’s nice of you, thank y—”

“—then I thought maybe you have a vendetta against my family and just want me to look bad,” Lena continued, barreling over Kara’s words and ignoring her entirely, “but the only connection between you and my family is your cousin, Clark Kent, and he’s the journalist who broke the story on my brother, so if anything I should dislike you—”

“That’s not exactly...Clark and I aren’t—”

“—so I really need you to explain it to me. Why did you want to make this film?” She paused her brisk pacing as she asked the question, meeting Kara’s eyes with a fierce look, one Kara was infinitely glad she was capturing on film. Because this, this glint in Lena’s eyes, was why Kara wanted to do this.

“Do you remember the speech you gave when you came to National City?” Kara asked, and judging from the way Lena’s eyebrows rose in response, she was rather thrown by the question. “Because I do. I watched it maybe a few dozen times. All those horrible questions, all the absolute certainty that you were like your brother, and you kept your head up and you promised to prove them all wrong, to make up for what he did.” Kara sighed, shutting off the camera and setting it aside gently. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I was...interested. I wanted to see more.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Did I meet your expectations? Disappoint you? What?”

Kara smiled, unable to help it. “Does my opinion on you really matter?”

“Do you always answer a question with another question?” Lena shot back, eyes narrowing.

Kara’s smile just widened and she began to gather her things, preparing to leave for the night. Impressively, Lena didn’t question her further, just watched her then followed her to the door, looking rather cross. Pausing briefly to adjust her glasses and the strap of her bag, Kara turned suddenly and met Lena’s eyes. “You exceeded them. My expectations, that is,” Kara added when Lena offered only a quizzical look in response.

For a moment, Lena didn’t react, then that same look from her office—the softness of her eyes, the curve of her lips, and the pleasantly confused crinkle between her brows—overtook her expression, and she let out a laugh.

“Well, good then.”

“You went to boarding school with Ms. Luthor?”

“I don’t think that’s public knowledge, how do you know that?”

“Um, Ms. Arias told me about you. She mentioned your relationship with Ms. Luthor is unique.”

“Well, Sam would know, wouldn’t she?”

“Ms. Rojas, if you don’t want to speak to me, you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine. Look, Lena and I have been estranged for a while now. I...I did something to break her trust.”

“So would you say that Ms. Luthor is difficult to get along with?”

“No, I’d say that Lena values things like honesty and trust, and—you know that Austen novel? With the man who says that once you lose his good opinion, it’s gone forever?”

“Pride and Prejudice?”

“Exactly. Lena is like that.”

“Ms. Luthor is like Mr. Darcy?”

“No, she’s classic. No matter what’s going on, she’ll endure.”

“So...you were the one difficult to get along with?”

“Have you ever thought about taking your work to a whole new level, Kara? How do you feel about virtual reality?”

“Oh, um, I don’t have particular thoughts? But I’d love to know yours about Ms. Luthor. For the film.”

“She won’t believe this, or that I’m saying it coercion free, but Lena is...a visionary. More than that, she’s just a decent person. Which is more than most of us can say, don’t you think?”

After their conversation, Lena opened up dramatically.

(Well, dramatically was a stretch, but considering how closed off she’d been before, the difference was rather drastic.)

Kara filmed Lena’s visit to an animal shelter, capturing the way her fingers gently ran over the fur of the dog that immediately trotted over to her, placing its head in her lap. Lena had then explained that she went to shelters often, just to volunteer, as she was unable to adopt for fear of not having time to give the dog the attention it deserved.

Later that week, Lena let Kara stay later than usual, putting on some music as she got to cooking, going as far as to teach Kara the basics of the dish, laughing when Kara admitted that her skill in the kitchen was limited to making sandwiches. At one point she grabbed the camera and set it aside, dragging Kara into the kitchen, giving instructions and lessons as she swayed her hips to the music.

(It was silly, it was lighthearted, it was fun, and Kara couldn’t help it.

She forgot she was there to make a film.)

And as the days and weeks dragged on, when Lena showed off her skills at the piano—apologetically explaining she hadn’t had time to really play in months—or when she told Kara about her very ‘nerdy’ stamp collection or even when Lena seemed to ignore there was a camera between them and she began to talk about her day and her hopes for the weekend, Kara forgot that it was a job. She forgot that she was supposed to be making something, paying attention to more than Lena’s smile or the way her eyes lit up whenever she mentioned work she was particularly passionate about.

Somewhere along the way, Kara cared more about the opportunity to spend time with Lena than she did the film itself.

More worryingly, that realization didn’t even bother her.

“Why filmmaking?” Lena asked one morning, pushing coffee and toast towards Kara with a tiny smile. The camera was still in its bag, untouched since Kara had arrived nearly an hour earlier. “Why not journalism like your cousin?”

“My cousin and I,” Kara began awkwardly, adjusting her glasses, “well, our relationship is a little strained, I guess.” She didn’t need the slight tilt of Lena’s head to know that Lena wanted her to keep going, to explain further. She let out a soft chuckle and rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers. “Um, so my parents died when I was twelve. And Clark sort of...left me? I went to live with the Danvers instead, and they bought me a camera for my birthday.” Kara grinned at the very memory, still able to feel its weight in her hand, the eyepiece against her eye. “It was one of those old camcorders, do you remember? The ones with the tapes? I drove them nuts, filming literally everything. I don’t think they ever saw my face for the first few months I was with them, it was constantly behind the camera.” She didn’t explain why she wanted to document every moment with her new family, but judging from the way Lena’s eyes softened, she understood anyway. “From there it became serious. I started making films. School projects, etc. Now I’m here.”

“Why documentaries? Why not something like...oh, I don’t know, action movies?” Lena prodded, looking curious, looking interested, looking like the answer mattered.

Kara just shrugged, suddenly not able to look Lena in the eye. “I guess there’s a part of me that wanted to take after Clark.”

“How long have you been working for Ms. Luthor?”

“Um, this December will make seven years.”

“As her assistant, you have remarkable access to her. What’s she like?”

“Driven, ambitious, works way too hard. I don’t think she’s ever taken a holiday or even a break...but um, maybe don’t say that in the film.”

“Artistic integrity, remember? She works hard, that’s clear. But what about personally? Her relationship with you and the other employees? What kind of boss is she?”

“She cares a lot. A few years ago, before Lex Luthor, well. You know. Before all that, LuthorCorp was facing serious losses. Mr. Luthor wanted to just get rid of entire departments, but Ms. Luthor said the research was vital, and more than that, the researchers were important. She convinced her brother to keep them on—she won’t admit it, but it was more than being persuasive. She paid for it out of her own pocket.”

“So you’d say she’s charitable?”

“No, she’s passionate. And she fights for the things she believes in. Ms. Luthor likes to say that charity implies pity, and she doesn’t do anything out of pity. She just does what’s right by people.”

“Some would disagree, they’d argue that LuthorCorp, and by extension its new iteration, L-Corp, don’t care about people, but about profits. Do you think that’s a fair assessment of the company you’ve devoted seven years to?”

“Look. I get it, people are suspicious of L-Corp because it used to be LuthorCorp. But it’s not just a name change. When Lena took over, she gutted her company. There’s not a single program left from Mr. Luthor’s time as CEO. L-Corp is all Ms. Luthor.”

“So if L-Corp is Ms. Luthor, who is Ms. Luthor?”

“She’s a woman who’s been hurt all her life, Kara Danvers, and whose only goal is to keep as many people as she can from hurting too. Sometimes I just wish she realized she doesn’t deserve to be hurt anymore either.”

“Oh.”

“Also, I don’t care about your artistic integrity, that last bit does not go in the film.”

One afternoon, when Kara was dangerously close to dozing off on the couch in Lena’s office—camera turned off and set aside, not really needing more footage of Lena working at her desk—Lena suddenly jumped to her feet, an excited gleam in her eyes.

“They’ve done it,” she said, the smile forming on her lips so wide that Kara found herself smiling back.

“Done what?” Kara asked, fairly sure this would lead to Lena’s refrain of ‘that’s company business and I’m afraid you’re not privy to that information’ but instead, Lena looked at her appraisingly, then rolled her eyes.

“If I allow you to bring your camera in R&D, do you swear not to film my ongoing projects?”

“You’re going to let me film in R&D?” Kara said excitedly, jumping to her feet and grabbing her camera.

“Kara, do you swear?”

“Yes, yes, of course, Ms. Luthor. I absolutely swear.”

And the next thing Kara knew, she was filming in the one place she’d been told was off-limits, capturing the lab and Lena talking to her researchers animatedly about the advancement they’d made in gene therapy, not entirely surprised when Lena shoved the scientists towards Kara and urged them to brag about their achievement—while also warning them to be as vague as possible—and then sank into the background, clearly thrilled to have her scientists as the center of attention.

And later, when Lena decided to actually take a lunch hour as a ‘reward’ for the great strides L-Corp had made, she took Kara along, bought three different appetizers, and smiled her wide smile before she said, “It’s Lena, by the way. Just Lena.”

Mouth still bulging with the three potstickers she’d practically inhaled, Kara couldn’t manage much more than a nod, but later—when she was alone—she tried saying the name aloud, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

“Mrs. Luthor—”

“It’s doctor, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Dr. Luthor. You adopted Ms. Luthor when she was four, is that correct?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have time for this nonsense. I consented to this interview only to say one thing: Lena was always the more clever of my children, but she’s foolish and soft, and this silly film is yet another example of that.”

“You agreed to meet with me to just say...that. Okay. That’s um. Fine.”

As the weeks dragged on, Kara had little reason to continue filming. Her deadline with Cat Grant was fast approaching, and she had more than enough footage. All that really remained was editing, of putting the final pieces together. But she found herself filming anyway.

Every day, she’d make her way to Lena’s apartment, making flimsy excuses about how certain footage was no good, or had been corrupted, and that she needed retakes of Lena doing ordinary things (like reading the paper, cooking dinner, or talking about her day). She knew that Lena could tell her excuses were just that, but mercifully, Lena didn’t seem to want to call her out on it, merely gave soft reminders not to stay up so late every night to edit (the ‘you could just as easily stop wasting your time here and be editing during normal hours’ going unsaid).

(Jess had rolled her eyes when Kara came by L-Corp and Lena mentioned offhandedly that Kara somehow hadn’t gotten a shot of Lena entering her building in all the time she’d shadowed the CEO, and wasn’t that odd?)

But what Kara knew, what made her stretch out these moments as long as she possibly could, was that once the final product popped into existence, once she showed Lena and got her okay to send off to Cat Grant, that was it.

No more Lena.

And that terrified her.

(So she gathered more footage, fruitlessly hoping that the final product would never be ready, dragging her feet at every step.

She edited, studying Lena’s every expression, tried to pinpoint the exact moment she’d started to fall for the not-so-detached CEO extraordinaire, and wished it didn’t all have to come to an end.)

Two days after Kara had sent Lena the finished film, she got a curt email from the CEO herself with only three words: come see me.

Jess gave no indication about how her boss was feeling when Kara arrived, merely stared evenly at Kara and gestured with her head for her to just go on in. When Kara tried to ask her, Jess shook her head, pointed at the door to Lena’s office, and made a shooing gesture.

“It’s odd to see you without a camera,” Lena said when Kara sat down across from her, trying to keep her hands from fidgeting.

“It’s odd to be in here without a camera.” Kara took a deep breath. “Did you watch it?” she blurted, unable to keep it in. “What did you think?”

“You’re really fond of certain themes,” Lena said, then she raised her eyebrow. “You also filmed quite a bit when I had asked you not to.”

“Artistic integrity?” Kara tried, and Lena...laughed.

“I don’t know if I agree with the way you portrayed me,” she said slowly as her amusement faded. “You took a lot of liberties.”

“I was very faithful to the subject of the film, Lena.”

“What do you think you were trying to say?” Lena asked, waving off Kara’s comment.

“What meaning did you get from it?”

Lena studied her for a moment, as if she was trying to read Kara’s mind. “I’m not some selfless genius, Kara.”

“Is that what you think the film is saying?” Kara asked her, not rising to the obvious bait. “Like I said, Lena. I was very faithful to the subject of the film.” For a long moment, Lena didn’t respond, and Kara felt the worry she’d managed to push away since sending the film to Lena creep back in. “Does this mean you don’t approve of the film?”

“Hmm?” Lena said, distracted. “No, I’ve already sent it along to Cat Grant, giving my okay. Even though you broke our agreement, I can’t deny the final result was very favorable to me.”

“I wouldn’t have made something that wasn’t completely true,” Kara said, somewhat hotly, most of her irritation bleeding away with the knowledge that Cat Grant was in possession of the final product, that the rest was up to her.

Lena smiled, eyes soft, and she nodded her head almost incredulously. “No, you wouldn’t. I know that.” She cleared her throat, seeming a bit nervous. “But I was thinking. I’ve been missing our talks about your work, and I know you don’t like talking about what you’ve made, but perhaps you’d make an exception for me. Would you be willing to give me a private showing of your film? Give me all the insider secrets? I know your subject quite well, it would be a fun exercise.”

Kara’s heart slammed to a stop, the jump-started at the sight of Lena’s amused eyes, that tiny curve of her lips. “A private showing, huh?” Kara mumbled, feeling a little dazed. “I still won’t tell you what I was trying to say.”

“That’s completely fair.”

“But I suppose I could give you some insight on my thoughts.”

“Only if you wanted.”

“It may have to be more than one session,” Kara said, trying and failing to stop the spread of her smile. “There’s a lot of footage you know.”

“So it’s a date?” Lena asked, and Kara couldn’t help her eager nod.

“It’s definitely a date.”

#thank you so much!#supercorp #fanfic

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karalovesallthegirls · 4 years

Text

Avoiding your dearest friend turned worst enemy is significantly more difficult when you’re under house arrest in her apartment.

She’s fairly certain there are laws against cruel and unusual punishments and yet still they have decided that forcing Lena to spend two months locked in to Kara Danvers’ apartment with what is essentially a killer shock ankle monitor is somehow justified.

“You tried to mind control the world,” Kara supplies, unhelpful as always. “I tried to save the world from itself,” Lena corrects.

Kara just rolls her eyes and tells her to have a good day before leaving for work. Something she still gets to do every single day while Lena is stuck here, alone.

Apparently being an “evil Luthor” means you can’t be trusted around anything more advanced than a microwave. They even shut off Kara’s internet and cable just to be safe. (As if they could really stop Lena from accessing the internet if she wanted to. She just hasn’t wanted to yet.)

So Lena tried to brainwash the entire world, and? She wasn’t Lex, it’s not like she was seeking power or destruction. She wanted to help people – everything she has ever done in her life has been to help people. It’s just that sometimes helping can seem a little evil to people if they lack the right perspective.

Sadly, the DEO does not have the right perspective, and their first vote was to toss her into their highly illegal prison system and lose the key. The only thing that saved her was Kara Danvers, ever earnest in her façade, who argued that Lena could be redeemed. That Lena deserved a second chance. Somehow, that actually worked on the idiots in charge, and instead of vanishing into a system she’d never escape she found herself left alone indefinitely, living on her friend’s couch.

Her former friend’s couch.

Everyone keeps telling her how lucky she is to stay in a nice apartment with all the comforts of home, barring any communication with the outside world and an ankle monitor set to kill if she tries to leave. Better than a jail cell, right? Lena would disagree. She spends every day with the woman who betrayed her in every feasible way, and who is the sole decider of when (or if) she’s allowed to be free again. She’s in Hell.

Kara comes home late. It’s the fourth night in a row she’s shuffled into her own apartment well past nine, her head down and shoulders scrunched, acting like a teenager who is far past her curfew. Lena barely even looks up from her book. “Hey,” Kara says softly, and Lena merely hums in acknowledgement. From the corner of her eye Lena can tell Kara’s just lurking at the door, shuffling on her feet trying to decide what to do before finally just heading to the table to put her things down. Lena is hyperaware of her every movement as she stares blankly at the page before her. She tracks Kara as she takes off her coat, as she slips out of her shoes with a small sigh, as she falls into the chair beside the couch. She always sits there these days, close but not too close. She never sits on the couch by Lena, which she’s thankful for. Lena has no privacy, but at least the space she sleeps on every night is hers. As much as anything is hers anymore.

She was allowed a single suitcase of clothes that the DEO carefully scanned for devices, most of which were tossed. She’s a technological genius - of course her entire wardrobe is outfitted with devices. Her toiletries and personal items were purchased for her after they discovered her toothbrush from home could double as a laser knife (it always had that ability, in her defense. It wasn’t for an escape attempt). She has an old National City sweatshirt that is hers alone, a handful of her favorite books, and she has this couch that only she ever sits on. That is the entirety of her property now. She tries not to dwell.

“Did you have a good night?” Kara asks. She’s still trying, even after everything. “I finished my second reread,” she says, holding up her book. “Then spent most of my night reminiscing on all the stories I once had that were stolen from me.”

Kara sighs. “Like I said, if you write down some books, I can get-” “I’d like to go to bed now, I think,” Lena punctuates her words by slamming the book shut. Yet still, Kara just sits and stares at her in that thoughtful way she always does that drives her absolutely batty. It takes a throat clear and a careful eyebrow lift for Kara to get the message and jump up with a stuttered, “Oh! Right yeah, of course,” and shuffle to her side of the open-space loft. As if moving those ten feet make up for the lack of walls, lack of privacy, lack of freedom. Like she doesn’t sense every move Lena makes as she stretches off the couch to grab her blanket.

It’s been days now of this terrible shuffling and still Lena doesn’t understand. Why does Kara even want her here? Kara, who hated her so much she faked a years long friendship just to stay close and watch her. Who asked her boyfriend to spy on her, who lied and manipulated her to the point that she murdered her own brother to keep her safe. Why keep a liability like Lena around?

Why did she fight for Lena to stay under her watch, to have yet another chance after everything she’s done? Nothing about this made sense, and that alone was enough to rattle Lena’s nerves. There had to be a reason. “I put out fresh towels, if you need one,” Kara offers weakly from where she sat on her bed. She looks small and subdued, hands in her lap and shoulders hunched, and worst of all she’s wearing the glasses. Pretending, even here. It doesn’t make sense.

She can feel Kara watching her from her bed as she goes to wash her face but she doesn’t bother to shut the door. Why bother? She’s Supergirl. She can see through walls if she wants. The thought is a strange one to have while standing in a bathroom, but the moment it hits it begins to spread like a paint drop in a puddle of water.

A slow expansion of chaotic thoughts, scattered and overtaking until it’s all she can see. Why does Kara want her here? She thinks about their every interaction, about the ways Kara’s eyes linger on her lips, her chest. The way jealousy radiated off her when she met Jack Spheer. The ways Kara would grip her arms, hold her close against her. And suddenly, like a switch shifting in her brain, it makes sense. Her breathing is coming fast now as memories cascade through her mental vision of every moment they ever spent together. Of a woman who never trusted her enough to tell her the truth, but lusted enough to keep her close.

“You okay in there?” Kara asks, and Lena can see her reflection in the mirror, watching her from where she sat on the bed. She can see the concern in Kara’s face, the way her eyes drift down briefly to Lena’s heaving chest before jerking back up to her eyes. Slowly with great focus, Lena calms herself. Careful breathing to bring her back to this moment of her, here, trapped with Supergirl’s eyes on her. She stands up a little straighter, puffs her chest up just a bit, acutely aware of her choice of undershirt without a bra. Acutely aware of how Kara’s eyes drift yet again only to look away. For the first time since this hellish chapter of her life began, some semblance of control shifts back into place within her. “Oh, yes,” she says, voice low and sultry in that way that always causes a reaction -and based on the red in Kara’s face, it’s effective -

“I’ve never been better.”

#been struggling to write ***** and ********* ** for months and needed to try writing something else so I decided to dabble with this #i was like 'how do I write a quarantine fic that isn't about illness and isn't just green light' lmao #mine

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nieladasdenani · 3 years

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The daylight’s fading slowly (but time with you is standing still)

So, months later I finally was able to finish the prompt @mooooonshine gave me: The Corrs - Breathless + Summer Vibes. I hope it holds to your expectations, as it was erased twice accidentally! I love the Corrs, actually, so maybe that helped keep trying. You can also read this in AO3, if you rather.

Lena Luthor hates the beach.

She's aware that it's an unpopular opinion. And it's not just because standing in the shore of vast expanses of water trigger some trauma. It's not to be edgy either. Lena can actually appreciate the gentle breeze coming from the ocean, the calming sound of the waves. But she's not a fan of the Sun burning her skin, unless she's cocooned under a palm tree wearing a giant hat and shawl. Or the intense heat that makes the sand stick to her skin. Or the noise of too many people having too much fun, everyone trying to impose their respective playlists.

And yet, here she is. Dragged by her traitorous best friends with a flimsy excuse of getting back out there, Lena. So, it's been a while since she's last had casual sex. But less time since she had sex, though. She just ended a two-year relationship, and it's in no hurry to get back out there. Jack is still a dear friend, and it was her who ended things, it's not that she's opposed to casual sex, or one-night-stands, it's a matter of respect for the relationship they had.

"It's been a month, Lena. I think you mourned your kill long enough." Andrea's deadpan comment reaches Lena's internal ramblings, as if her friend could read her mind. She supposed she can, after all those years of friendship. Which is also why Lena glares at her openly and without remorse.

"No. Don't start, you two. We're here to have some fun, and enjoying a lovely day at the beach. We deserve a break!" Sam's always been the soft one out of the three of them. "It's also a good opportunity to meet new people!" Now Sam's throwing an unfairly sweet, hopeful smile at Lena, which in turn make her frown harder.

"Et tu, Brute?"

"Now, there's no need to be so dramatic, Lena. I'm not saying you have to, we're here to have a good time as friends, and if it happens, then, great!" Sam has the audacity to grin, and Lena is appalled to find herself softening in the face of her friends' love. Lena's not about to show this, though. Especially not when Andrea is smirking smugly at her, as if she knows she's won.

"Why are you smiling as if you enjoy spending time at a packed beach?" Lena fires at Andrea, who shrugs:

"I like it just fine. More so when I can eye such delicious, half naked snacks." She says this while pointedly looking in the general direction of a very tall, very handsome dark skinned man, who's smiling at a much shorter but equally gorgeous dark haired woman. Lena's about to point out how the pair seem to be a couple to Andrea, when Sam can't contain her enthusiasm any longer and explodes with an expressive:

"Who wants to get in the water!?"

Neither Lena, nor Andrea startle at the exuberant proposition, they both acknowledge it, however, with a decline. Though, Andrea promises to join her in a future immersion. The rejection doesn't affect Sam in the slightest, who skips the short distance that separates her from the ocean and dives head-first into the water, disappearing from view.

The attention of the remaining pair is grabbed by loud exclamations of joy coming from a group of people that are settled a short distance from them, only to discover that tall and handsome and short and gorgeous are part of the neighbors, and the actual reason they are whooping. Lena imagines it's because they come bearing alcohol and snacks.

"It seems like your snack is already taken." If she's going to have to get through this by force, Lena might as well be annoying, perhaps it will deter her friends from future abductions to the beach.

"Are you not familiar with concept of eye candy?"

"All I'm saying is, if you're going to fantasize about a handsome man, but it turns out he has a gorgeous girlfriend, and they're displaying it so publicly it must dampen the illusion somehow." Lena shrugs, not willing to let it go.

"You said that like it's a problem. All I hear is: handsome man and gorgeous woman. I'm sure you can also appreciate this combo." Andrea directs an arched brow at her, and Lena sighs in defeat, because she sure as hell can appreciate it.

"You're incorrigible." Lena huffs out with a laugh.

"Hey, guys!" They hear Sam, and turn in time to see her waving them from near the edge where sand meets water. Her smile impossibly large as droplets drip from every inch of her. Lena instinctively waves back with a small smile, but then freezes, because right behind her friend there's a goddess.

"Oh, no." She can't help the murmur that escapes her. It's a miracle that she recovers enough, despite Andrea's pointed, mocking, laugh. Just in time for Sam and her new friend to reach them.

"This is Kara!" Sam wears a smile that would be predatory when directed at Lena if it was in anyone else's face, specially Andrea's. "We were talking, and she's inviting us to join her and her friends to spend the day here at the beach!"

"Oh, isn't that wonderful, Lena?" And sometimes, Lena truly wonders why she allowed a friendship with Andrea to bloom after they fucked in college.

"Yes, so gracious." The growl is directed at her friends, but the moment she circles back to look at Kara, Lena finds herself smiling genuinely. Not only because the girl is ridiculously beautiful and fit, but because she's sporting one of the most charismatic smiles Lena has ever been hit with in her life.

"Hi! Sam said you guys were here to have a break from life, and so are we. So I figured we could just join forces and have a good time?" She's chipper, which should be enough to save Lena from this situation, because Lena Luthor hates the beach and Lena Luthor doesn't do chipper. And yet...

"That'd be wonderful, thank you, Kara. Are you sure it won't be a problem with the rest of your group?" Lena finds herself saying.

"Oh! Not at all! They're all very friendly and welcoming. Like I told Sam, it's really not a problem."

"Lovely. I'm Andrea, by the way. This is Lena. It seems as if our dear Sam has forgotten her manners."

"Right! Sorry!" She sounds anything but. "Anyway, shall we?" She's practically jumping with excitement and hurries to carry as much of their things as she physically can. Kara then jumps in to help, despite Lena's protests.

"No, it's no problem." And god, that smile is a weapon.

Turns out they fit right into the group, mostly because said group is outstandingly welcoming, at least after some awkward introductions that served to confirm that tall and handsome (James) and short and gorgeous (Lucy) are, indeed, a couple. Lena tries to send a smug smirk Andrea's way, but her friend looks, if anything more pleased. Incorrigible.

Kara doesn't leave Lena's side, not even when she looks like she's physically ill at the prospect of not getting into the water when most of the group decides to dip together. Andrea included, which almost makes Lena openly balk at her. Kara keeps stealing glances at the friends loudly enjoying the water, so much so that even Lena is close to feel like she wants to join them, too.

"You should go. I promise I'll be here when you come back." Lena teases. Satisfied when a light blush covers Kara's lovely face.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! You look like you're about to turn green with envy." Lena appreciates Kara's laugh, like she's always been free to express it, and she finds herself wanting to hear it more. A lot more. Odd.

"Ok! I'll be right back! Have fun, don't let Alex scare you, she's actually a softy." And with that Kara bolts to the water as if she'll turn to sand if she's not wet promptly... Ok, maybe not the best analogy, now Lena feels like she needs to dip in cold water. Ah, Alex. The big sister. Right. She has been friendly enough, but she keeps giving Lena the side eye and Lena's afraid she may receive a shovel talk she's not sure if she's ready to face. Lena faces her with a solid, confident stare, she's a Luthor, after all.

"So," Alex starts, "how are the labs at Luthor Corp? You're awful far from Metropolis." She never leaves her stare from Lena's face, not even when she sips at her drink. Which is a problem, because even if Lena recovers well, she's sure Alex didn't miss how much her question startled her.

"Hm, are you keeping tabs on me? What is it, agent, special agent?" Lena remembers Kara gushing about her sister's accomplishments when she introduced them, FBI.

"Doctor Danvers is fine." She says. Smug. Lena squints at her. "I'm something of a scientist myself."

"Ah, that's what Kara meant when she said you were like Scully, then." And, surprisingly, they share a fond huff of a laugh over it. So maybe there's still hope.

"Yes. I like to keep up with the latest and greatest of the scientific community as much as I can. And that seems to lately involve Luthor Corp more often than not." Oddly, Lena sees the thinly veiled compliment, she tries not to blush.

"Well, it's a passion of mine. The lab, that is." Alex hums, but adds nothing, just keeps her gaze on Lena. And are moment like these when she's grateful for Lilian, she would be squirming if it weren't for her mother. They share a few more charged stares. Then Alex sighs and drops her eyes for a moment.

"Just don't play with her, all right?" Oh, wait what? Oh, no. She thinks... No!

"We're moving the company to National City!" What? What is she doing' why is she revealing secret information to a literal stranger? "We're changing the name, too. To L-Corp." Oh my god, someone please shut her up! Now! Oh she's dead. And Alex looks completely baffled, she even takes a couple of tries to speak.

"I...Oh. Oh, ok. That's, that's great."

"You can't tell anyone, though." She's not begging, just clarifying. "Please." An afterthought.

"Sure, no problem."

"I wouldn't. I wouldn't play with her." And here Alex sends her a searching look, no doubt looking for flaws. She doesn't seem to find any, because there aren't, and because she shrugs, finally.

"All right. That's all I ask. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself. But If you break her heart I'll make you regret it."

Lilian is going to kill her. Why is she revealing corporate secrets like this? For fear of the sister of a girl she finds cute (ok, glorious)? What the fuck? Since when does she panics like this? Why does she even care to make clear to Alex she's not playing with Kara? Oh Lilian is definitely murdering her now, no matter she's the only child she has left, now that Lex went crazy. So she probably shouldn't be making fun of her brother's very serious mental illness, but she's in self-destruct mode, apparently. Oh, forget Lilian killing her! Sam and Andrea are going to mock her relentlessly. Wait, they don't have to find out! None of them. Oh, good.

"What's wrong with you?" Andrea's usually unimpressed drawl has a tint of concern. And Lena is so caught off guard by the return of the rest of the group form the water that she gapes a little. Which only makes Andrea's frown deepen.

"Nothing. What's wrong with you?" Great. Excellent comeback. Andi's eyebrows almost touch her hairline.

"What did you do?"

"Everything ok?" Kara's sweet voice carries a hint of menace, and both Lena and Andrea turn to see her in such a defensive pose it's kind of uncanny to associate it with the sunshine girl they've met. It's actually kind of hot.

"I don't know. But she looks terribly guilty." Andrea, who seems to be a little impressed herself, says while pointing her accusing finger at Lena.

"Oh! Are you ok?" And she's back to being sweet, sitting back down next to Lena and scooting closer in case she wants to share a secret... again.

"Yes. Yes, of course."

The situation is gathering the attention of everyone, and Lena is sure that she's heading towards a panic attack. But her rescue comes from the least expected place: Alex.

"It's fine. She's just trying to reconcile the fact that I'm FBI and a scientist that knows science."

Lena sends a grateful smile Alex's way, because that seemed to be enough of an explanation for everyone else. Everyone else, except Andrea, of course. Lena does her best to ignore her, which is honestly not that hard with Kara so close to her giving her all of her attention, or the years of practice Lena has in the matter of ignoring Andrea. Also because Andres has her own source of distraction, in the form of James and Lucy. The day goes by in a whirlwind of fun, Lena's loathed to admit. Until Kara's stomach actually growls.

"Yep," Alex says, "that sounds about right. How about we order some actual food before hungry hungry hippo here resorts to cannibalism?" Kara's pouting, but she's also not offering any sort of dispute either. Something Lena shouldn't find adorable, and yet...

Somehow night crawls on them, and Lena is surprised to find that she's not drunk, despite having been drinking since they joined Kara's group. Actually, now that she thinks of it, none of them are. It's probably because Kara was making sure they were all drinking water and eating regularly, the whole time. She feels a little shift in her heart.

It looks like the spell will be broken when Sam regretfully announces that she needs to pick up Ruby from her dad's place. Andrea and Lena start to get ready to go with her, but Sam adamantly refuses them, ordering them to stay and enjoy the rest of the night. That she's just going to pick up her daughter and head home anyway. They insists, even Alex offers to be the one going with Sam, which strikes Lena as odd (doesn't Alex have a girlfriend?). But Sam, for her sweet disposition is really good at being a mom and having a mom voice.

"The only thing is that you two are going to need to find a way get back. I trust our new friends to take care of that?" James is the first to scramble to placate Sam that they'll make sure Lena and Andrea get home safe.

After Sam left night was quick to fall and they group started to retire for the day. Alex received a call from her girlfriend, Brainy and Nia left for Nia’s roommate’s birthday party, Winn had “mysterious date” his friends were teasing him about the whole time.

To Lena’s utter surprise, Andrea ended up leaving with James and Lucy, sporting the smuggest of smirks. This left Lena in the sole company of one Kara Danvers. Lena is actually surprised of how good her day at the beach was, she had fun, she feels like she did make new friends, not acquaintances, but actual friends. She also learned a lot about Kara, who has no reservations in wearing her heart for all to see. Which in Lena’s life is refreshing. It’s why she can tell the blonde is nervous when she says:

“I, I could walk you?” She doesn’t word it as a question but her voice does this thing that makes it sound like one. It’s endearing. It’s disarming.

“I’d like that.” And Lena’s nervous, too. She’s just better at hiding it. She’s nervous because she really wants to fuck Kara tonight. But she truly doesn’t want Kara to be a one-night-stand, or something even more ridiculous, like a summer love. But, god, she really wants to make love to this absurdly beautiful girl. And the walk is lovely, the air is a little cooler, but mild enough they can stay in their beach clothes, it gets lovelier when Kara spots her favorite ice cream stand open and insists she introduces Lena to:

“The best ice cream ever, you’ll see.”

“I’m sure.” She is, because she’s starting to believe everything with Kara is going to be delightful, Lena’s never been more charmed in her life.

Kara ends up buying a monstrosity that’s like a sample of every flavor available in one giant cup. Lena voices her concern about the amount of ice cream, and how she doubts they’ll be able to finish it. And Kara looks at her with a genuinely offended expression. Admittedly, the ice cream is delicious, and surprisingly, Kara does manage to finish the whole thing by the time they reach the hotel Lena’s staying in while her new apartment is done. They both look at the entrance like it has personally offended them.

“Well, this is me.”

“Yeah. Uh… Would you… I know you’re an important scientist and are probably super busy, but, do you think we could see each other again?”

“I’d love that.” Lena’s sure she’s never sported a bigger smile on her face. “Here, let me add you to my contacts, and I’ll text you so you have my number as well.”

“Yes, yeah. That’s awesome!” They exchange numbers like giddy teens, but still linger just outside the door.

“Would you like to come up?”

“Oh, you have no idea. I really, really do. But I want you in my life for as long as I can have you, you know? I mean, I want to do this right.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, if… if that’s what you also want, of course!”

“What I want is you, naked, in my bed.”

“Oh… Rao…” Kara’s so red, it’d be concerning if it wasn’t so adorable. “I really want that, too. I do. But, will that mean like a one night thing? What are you proposing, exactly?” Lena is so surprise for a moment, about the openness of Kara’s feelings, that it’s taken the wrong way. “I’m not, like, trying to pressure you into anything! Please, don’t freak out! It’s just, I like you so much, I really would like to maybe try and see if we work? Together? Like, as a couple? I know we just met… What I mean is, I’d like to know where we stand.”

“Kara,” because Lena doesn’t ever want to be the reason Kara looks this distressed again. “I’d love to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship with you. I know what you mean, you want to go step by step. I appreciate that. I just really wanted to have my way with you tonight.” Lena teases. And suddenly, Kara’s whole body language changes, she gains some confidence at Lena’s confirmation of affection.

“Well, I’ll make it worth the wait.” And oh, Lena is going to hold her to that.

They’re close enough to each other there’s no way to tell who initiates the kiss, it’s probably both of them, honestly. It’s soft, but so full of promise, Lena suddenly has no problem with doing the thing right, doing it their way, at their pace. She has a feeling this is all going to be worth it.

As a matter of fact, she’ll be right. She and Kara would go to start a relationship that’d be the best either of them ever experienced. They complement each other nicely, when Kara is impatient, Lena steps up, and when is Lena the one rushing things, is Kara who grounds her. It’ll start with regular coffee dates, then dinner dates, then lunch dates at Lena’s office. Game nights, movie nights. It’ll be like watching a flower bloom. And yes, the wait for the love making part will absolutely be worth the wait.

#supergirl #supercorp #fanfic #supercorp fanart #supercorp fic prompt #kara danvers #kara zor el #lena luthor #kara + lena #summer love but forever

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eqt-95 · 3 years

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One Night in Gotham

Summary | On the eve of taking over as the CEO of L-Corp, Lena Luthor makes a trip across the bay to Gotham to see an old friend.

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"Now what is a delicate flower like you doing all alone at the bar?"

Lena stifled a sigh of annoyance at the brazenness of strangers. This kind of thing wouldn't happen in Metropolis.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Lena silently lifted her glass, indicating none was required.

Her eyes flitted up toward the bartender distracted by another patron, and she wondered for a moment how this man had been allowed into the private hotel bar. This was interrupted by the sound of the high-back chair next to her scraping against the marble flooring followed by the creak of the stranger posting up next to her. He reeked of booze and sounded winded by the exertion of the simple gesture.

"Well then perhaps I'll just buy myself a drink and enjoy the view," he smiled, exposing yellow-stained teeth behind the grizzly shag that covered his cheeks and chin.

No, this kind of thing would never happen in Metropolis.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Free country, honey," he chuckled into a cough that echoed with the wetness of two packs a day.

Lena was used to all kinds of people. Although few and far between some were genuinely kind. Some were naive fools who could be talked out of house and home. Others were snake-oil salesmen, hiding behind earnestness. And then there were those who lacked any sort of self-awareness, boldly trying to claim what wasn't theirs in the process. These were the kind of people she'd spent the last few weeks battling, and she was exhausted from it.

She opened her mouth to articulate how unwelcome his presence was when a warm hand landed on her shoulder.

"Hey babe," came a voice behind her, and Lena smirked.

"Darling, you made it," Lena replied, turning in her seat toward the tall figure clad in leather with a helmet dangling from one hand.

"Sorry I'm late," came an apology.

Before Lena could play it off, she was caught by the feel of lips were pressed against her own. She peripherally heard the clatter of the helmet land on the bar before two warm hands slid up, cupping her face and turning the quick kiss into something more entirely. Initial surprise faded into confusion which then faded into the warm, flush lips on hers and the tongue greedily fighting for something more. She gave in on instinct, and was rewarded with the slight nip against her bottom lip and the unfamiliar taste of Kate Kane.

Whether time had suspended or continued to tick away, Lena wasn't certain, but when Kate finally pulled back and their eyes met she felt an unexpected warmth at the mischief glowing back at her.

"Can I help you?" Kate asked, finally breaking from Lena and turning to the stranger.

His face had frozen, stuck in a contorted look of envy and disgust. "N-no."

"No? Great," Kate continued smoothly. "Do you mind though? Because you're in my seat."

Lena glanced back at her half-empty drink trying to contain the smile that threatened to break at the man's discomfort. A few begrudging seconds passed before the figure folded and heaved himself out of the chair, sauntering off toward the far, empty end of the bar.

The long fingers that had just sent Lena's cheeks flush slid around her glass, lifting it to her nose before smirking and tossing the rest back.

"You have good taste," Kate remarked, setting the empty glass back down and waving over the bartender.

"Do you normally use that much tongue?"

"I was trying to make a point."

"I think a hug would have sufficed plenty."

"This is Gotham. We're more animalistic here; nothing like your fancy Metropolis folk," Kate smirked, ordering another pair of Scotches. "You can't mince words otherwise you leave them with deranged hope."

"That's not my problem."

"It isn't until you're leaving at the end of the night and get yanked into a dark alley because he's been lingering for hours taking that last remaining thread of hope and weaving it into some deep-seeded, confounding belief that you were meant for him."

"Speaking from experience?"

Kate shrugged.

"So instead you go for a full make-out session in the middle of a very public hotel bar."

"You're a quick study, Luthor."

Lena hummed impatiently.

"Besides, now I've got something to strike off my bucket list."

"What's that?"

"Lena Kieran Luthor kissed me."

"I'd hardly say that. I believe you instigated, and I was struck in a moment of surprise."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'wooed'. I wooed you."

A stoic look with a hint of skepticism stared back at Kate.

"How long have we known each other?"

"I think that depends on what you mean by 'known'."

"And in all those years," Kate continued, ignoring Lena's analytical response, "how many times have you been floored by my charm?"

"Never once. Not even in the slightest," Lena deadpanned.

Kate scoffed in exaggerated disbelief. "You have, you're just too uptight to have any fun. What about that time I punched Lex?"

"I was eight."

"Your point?"

"Mostly I was mortified."

"I bet that's even the word you used to describe it. Did you walk out of the womb a genius?"

"You joke, but Mother was outraged. To this day she practically spits whenever she hears the Kane name."

"Is she still alive?" Kate smirked into her glass. "It's not my fault she raised such an egotistical snob. Beth told him 'no' a dozen times. If he couldn't hear words, I figured he could hear a fist crushing his nose."

"That's not how he tells it."

"Because he can point to so much precedent for honesty," Kate replied dryly. Lena felt herself flinch, and Kate's demeanor softened. "Sorry."

"He wasn't always an ass."

"Sometimes people just… spiral."

"Speaking of, are you back for good?"

Kate shook her head. "Just passing through."

"Special occasion?"

"A wedding," she answered, quickly draining the rest of her drink.

"Was it nice?"

"Don't know." The empty glass was lifted toward the bartender. "Just leave the bottle."

This was the part of Kate that Lena loved and hated. They were both raised in over-sized homes with curated lifestyles and a litany of archaic topics they could talk endlessly about, but the concept of speaking about their personal lives was a loss to both of them. It was a familiar feeling that echoed deep into Lena's core, and she took no offense to Kate's aloofness - she was cut from the same cloth.

"Where to next?"

"France," she answered.

"Sounds romantic."

"Sure," Kate chuckled at some unspoken joke.

"Does anyone else actually know you're in town?"

Kate shook her head again.

"You've been away for a while."

"Miss me?" Kate smirked, and Lena saw the telltale signs of deflection through humor. Yes, they were practically carbon copies of each other. Different around the edges, but traces of the same upbringing formed matching foundations.

"Haven't had the time."

It was honesty that would seem cryptic to anyone else, but Kate nodded in understanding.

They sat in silence for a moment, Kate shuffling the glass across the smooth, lacquered finish of the bar.

"When do you-"

"Next week," Lena interrupted with a practiced tone.

"Nervous?"

"I am excited about the potential of-" Lena began before catching Kate's unamused expression. It was enough to silence the curated response she'd spouted for weeks to reporters, board members, and potential funders. "Yes."

It was a single word, but it was an admission she'd kept contained in a tiny box under the mountain of to-dos that guided her days and late nights. She glanced down at the dwindling drink in front of her, suddenly appreciative Kate had the foresight to keep the bottle.

"Good," Kate replied, now swirling the glass between her fingers.

"Good?"

"I'd be worried if you weren't."

"That's not how some would see it."

"Lillian doesn't really get a say."

"Mother isn't the only resistance. God knows I've stopped trying to prove anything to her, but it's more than just her now. It's board members. It's the public. It's the very people employed by the company. I am… I am not ready for this."

Lena didn't know where the admission was coming from, but now it felt like a spigot had been pulled open, and every reservation she had about becoming the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

"I'm 22," she said, and it felt like a confession - like no one had uncovered this hidden truth about Lena, and she was one big headline away from the rug being pulled from under her.

"You know what I was doing when I was 22?" Kate asked, preemptively refilling Lena's drink. "I was getting kicked out of school and spending my nights bouncing from one dive bar to another."

"I'm not sure what your point is, but I think it serves my argument better than yours," Lena scowled. "22 year-olds shouldn't be in charge of anything."

"My point is, you're not normal," Kate clarified. "If I was asked to run a company at 22, I'd be an idiot not to run in the opposite direction. But that's because I was a normal 22 year-old. One hundred percent of the world was a normal 22 year-old."

"Again, I'm not sure your argument is-"

"The reason it's one hundred percent is because I'm rounding. I'd need to rattle off, like, a hundred nines to make my point. You're the one in seven billion meant to do this."

"Seven."

"What?"

"Seven nines. After the decimal."

Kate stared dumbly for a moment before breaking in laughter. "You really are a freak. And you've just made my point for me."

"Mental math isn't a reason."

"No, but your persistence is."

"Haven't you heard? I'm a Luthor; can't be trusted."

Kate sighed, and Lena watched her mentally struggle to find the words to say. It was different than other times Lena had met Kate. Granted, they weren't close. After Lex's nose was bloodied and Lillian's disdain made known, the Kanes and Luthors rarely interacted. From that point on, the majority of their interactions were limited to formal galas and parties of similarly rich families, bouncing from one side of the bay to the other in their efforts to impress the extents of their wealth onto others. Kate always had a knack for slipping out and getting into some sort of trouble while Lena was petrified at the thought of disappointing Lillian.

When Kate's sister and mother died, Lena 'had the audacity' to ask if they would attend the funerals. Lillian refused, but Lex persuaded her otherwise, suggesting that it would be politically good to show sympathy for the Kane family. It was perverse but worked, and Lena was eternally grateful. It was that dark day that struck up an uncanny relationship between the Kane and the Luthor.

It had been nearly three years since their paths had crossed - the longest stretch of time since Kate was thirteen and Lena ten. Lena knew Kate's absence was due to world-traveling, but the details were sparse. Whispers at the latest galas spoke of general disappointment for the Kane daughter. Like Lena, Kate was the black sheep. Unlike Lena, Kate didn't seem to care.

"You're a Luthor, yes," Kate began. "You're honestly from a pretty shitty family. I have first-hand experience, and even without that the headlines have done a damn good job at making the average person aware of it. The company is in shatters, Lex is going to prison, and Lillian isn't human. I mean, she's really truly terrible. Like… is she human? Because when we were kids, I half wondered."

"That's not really-"

"Hang on, I'm getting off topic," Kate waved away. "Yes, you're a Luthor. Yes, the world is against you. Yes, it'll be hard; I won't even pretend to know how you'll do it, but you will. I also know I'm not saying anything you can't deduce on your own. I won't waste our time with talk of your talent, your genius, your raw determination, or the sacrifices you're making to turn Lex's sins into something good. Those reassurances mean nothing to you because you aren't ready to see it yet, and I'm not the person who can help you hear it."

"That's not even remotely close to advice, not to mention helpful advice."

"I didn't say it would be advice or helpful. If it was, I'd charge you for it."

"Are you offering?"

"Are you paying?"

"Depends on the advice."

"Clever. We'll make a decent CEO out of you yet."

Conversation flowed more easily from there. The edges were softened and the curated exteriors peeled back as the bottle slowly dwindled into nothing. The void of years spent apart was slowly filled in with stories of failures, happy accidents, lovers, and reminiscing.

There was an easy comfort with Kate that always took hold; she wasn't trying to pretend to be anything special and there were never any expectations. It made for a breath of fresh air when Lena's world revolved around accuracy, planning ahead, and keeping face. Kate lived life like a game of casual checkers. Lena lived her's for the chess match it was. But for one night, on the eve of her formally stepping into her new life, she played checkers.

Lena should have known better than to assume the interaction would end after a single drink, and she was only slightly surprised when the bartender came by with the bill. She looked around realizing the bar had emptied; for how long it had been just the two of them she didn't know. She also didn't care.

They paid the tab but lingered a while longer, fighting off the real world for a few precious moments until finally, the staff politely advised that, while they didn't have to go home, they couldn't stay here.

"You aren't driving, right?" Lena asked, gesturing at the helmet left forgotten on the bar.

"No, 'here' is home tonight," Kate replied lightly, albeit with a slight slur.

"I'm sure your dad would like to see you."

"Jacob would like a lot of things."

Lena nodded, recognizing the window had closed.

"Any chance I can woo you again, Ms. Luthor?" Kate asked with a cheesy smirk. "I've got a fancy suite with a bed and stuff."

Yes, the light-heartedness was still there but it fell into their respective roles.

"That's your pick-up line? I expected more from you."

Kate pondered for a moment. "Ok, how about this: I wasn't sure if you were a beautiful angel or a sexy devil, but now that I'm close, I see heaven in your eyes."

"Does that actually work?"

"Fifty-fifty? A guy used it on me once."

"And?"

"Well, obviously it didn't work with him, but I tried it a few nights later… and, yea," Kate smirked, "it worked."

"Years at Military school, and you didn't lose an ounce of confidence," Lena sighed, tossing back the rest of her own drink and grabbing her jacket.

The entrance came far too quickly, and the door swung open to reveal the murkiness of the city night beyond.

"Huh, it's raining," Kate said, gesturing for Lena to exit ahead of her.

"It's pouring."

"It's Gotham."

"It never rains this much in Metropolis." Lena mumbled it in frustration, trying to excuse her lack of preparedness to the foreignness of her surroundings.

The sound of a soft click and thwoop came, followed by an invisible shield deflecting the incoming rain drops. Lena glanced up and saw the city was blocked out by a stretch of black fabric.

"How are you getting back?" Kate asked, holding the handle of the umbrella suspended over them.

"My driver should be here in a minute."

Kate whistled softly, muted by the avalanche of raining falling around them. "Fancy CEO privileges."

Lena forced a smile, feeling the familiar pull of stress and weight of worry return to her shoulders. She glanced back at the hotel lobby; the warm light, the soft chairs, the comforting sting of alcohol, and the laughter. For a moment she had forgotten, and in this moment she wanted to forget again.

"You'll be great. And I hope one day you'll find someone who can get you to see who you are Lena. You're a Luthor, yes, but you're so much more than a name."

Lena's eyes were pulled back to the voice next to her, and she found herself staring into Kate's piercing green eyes. Even through the haze of alcohol they were focused and confident. Focused was something Lena was very familiar with; confidence though? Hardly. Years of Lillian's cutting words had stripped her of that. But in depriving her of it, she'd acquired something better: persistence.

Kate's gaze didn't waver. Instead something else appeared, and it took all of Lena's brain to comprehend what it was: it was admiration. It was unfamiliar, and if it weren't for years of being trained as a Luthor, she'd have averted her eyes to the nearest distraction.

"If you're ever in National City, give me a ring."

"And if you're ever back in Gotham-"

"Unlikely."

"-immediately turn around and leave," Kate finished, and Lena felt her lips fight against her facade to curl into a smile at the deprecating humor. "Besides, I won't be around so who is there to see?"

"I'm sure any one of the millions of Gothamites would be a suitable substitute for Kate Kane."

"At least you didn't include the entire world."

"Only because you didn't offer," Lena shot back, and for a moment the masks fell back off, and they let laughter be swallowed into the city around them.

It settled when a black car slowed to a stop in front of them, and Lena felt the tug of life return.

"As usual, you've gotten me tipsier than I'd planned, Kate Kane."

"It was my pleasure Lena Luthor," Kate smiled, reaching for the car door and swinging it open.

Lena hesitated, feeling the wash of new car smell and air conditioning waft from the car and mix with the city and humidity. Her fingers gripped the edge of the door, feeling the drips of water mix with the dirt that had accumulated.

She didn't know the words to say to express her appreciation. Kindness wasn't something she'd been exposed to and so never quite knew how to articulate the swirling, changing web of emotions that fought to be seen. A life of compartmentalizing had cast these feelings off into the tiniest of boxes in the shadow of her mind, and she knew that a week from now the warmth and friendship she felt tonight would be a distant memory. It wasn't enough to change her, but it was enough to remind her that she could.

"Thank you," she said before stretching up on her toes to close the gap between her lips and Kate's cheek, leaving a soft kiss and silencing Kate before she could cast back a signature sarcastic response. "Now you can strike it off your bucket list."

- eqt_95 on ao3

#Batwoman #supergirl #kate kane #lena luthor #kate & lena #fanfic #oneshot #crossover

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cinnonym · 3 years

Text

with those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings (when friends come to call)

Written for Day 12 - Gifts of 12 Days of Supercorp @supercorpbb

Read on AO3

***

“I was handling the situation.”

To anyone else, Lena’s voice might sound crisp as ever, but Kara’s super hearing picked up on the slight tremor in her words just like it picked up on her elevated heart rate. For all her bravado – and judging from the impressive array of weaponry strewn all over the plateau, there must have been a lot of bravado involved in stalling the villains until Supergirl’s arrival – Lena’s nerves did seem to have taken quite a blow.

Not that Kara could blame them. After all, the aforementioned weaponry included, among others, enough explosives to bomb National City into ashes twice over, several tanks of what looked like poison gas, and was that a nuke that the SWAT team was dissembling? Jeez.

There was a zero point zero chance that Lena could have held her ground all alone, with only a gun and her trademark Luthor smirk to protect her. But Kara wasn’t going to tell her that. Not when Lena was cradling said gun a little too tight to appear fully at ease. Not when her smirk stretched a little too manically over her lips at this point. Not when it made Kara’s own legs shake just to think about the possibility of Lena hurt, Lena bleeding, Lena –

Kara swallowed, hard, banishing the unwelcome pictures to the back of her mind. Only then did she turn around to bombard Lena with her best Supergirl smile, the one that said nothing of the secret persona behind the hero, of the shaken best friend.

“Of course, Ms Luthor,” she said, lightly in a way she barely felt. “In fact, I just flew by to wish you a merry Christmas. The villain-capturing happened almost by accident.”

Yes. Humour was the best way to fight horror scenarios. Humour, possibly in combination with the surprised laugh that bubbled out of Lena as if she couldn’t help it.

“Why thank you, Supergirl. How thoughtful. But please, call me Lena.”

Kara felt her grin grow more genuine by the second, more effortless with every glimmer of fear getting blotted out by mirth in Lena’s eyes. She allowed herself to relax a little. The danger was banned, and Lena was fine. Lena was laughing, and her effect remained unchanged, whether Kara now wore the cape or not.

“Lena,” she smiled, exaggerating a bow. “And, well, anything for my favourite high profile target.”

A trace of red appeared on Lena’s cheeks, delicate enough that it took supervision to make it out. Then she bit her lip.

“Tell me, Supergirl,” she said, smoothing down her hair with a gesture that seemed just a tad too nonchalant to be convincing, “how are you spending Christmas Day?”

Kara swallowed. “Uh… Celebrating, I guess?”

“Alone?”

Something was off about the way Lena examined Kara’s face, like a tracker searching for clues. Kara fought the impulse to look over at Alex, who was supervising the SWAT team a mere stone’s throw away.

“Hmm,” she made non-committally, hoping her tone wouldn’t give the lie away.

But Lena seemed to have lost interest already. She was inspecting her nails now, one by one, the blush still shining faintly on her cheeks.

“Not that I want to invade your privacy too much,” she said carefully, still refusing to look at Kara. “I just wondered if you had someone to be with, on this day, and if not…” – at this she lifted her gaze to meet Kara’s tentatively, almost shyly – “… if you would consider spending it with me.”

Kara’s heart skipped a beat. She thought of Alex and Eliza, accompanying her every Christmas Day since Kara’s landed in their back yard. She though of the decorated loft and the heap of presents waiting for her under the tree. She thought of the three-course meal they would serve later tonight, just the three of them, as it had always been. Then she looked at Lena, and she thought of the Luthor penthouse, cold and empty despite its spectacular view over National City, because even during the holidays, Lena would be alone.

Kara swallowed. Alex would be fine. Eliza would be fine. They would understand.

And so she nodded.

“I would be honoured,” she said, watching as Lena’s entire face lit up even though she tried to hide it, as the uncomfortable tension left her body, and her fingers stopped playing nervously with the ends of her coat. And suddenly nothing else mattered.

***

For someone who probably spent almost as much time at work as Kara did, Lena made surprisingly mean mince pies. It was a small miracle, but there were what felt like hundreds of them, piled on every surface the sleek penthouse kitchen had to offer, in mouth-watering displays of architectural skill. Kara’s eyes were bulging, but Lena only shrugged.

“Stress-baking,” she said, as if she hadn’t just opened the gates to paradise, “eat as many as you like, please.”

Kara let her eyes flutter close as the first taste hit her tongue, sweet with just the right measure of spice. She moaned. “You will regret this…”

The red crept into Lena’s cheeks like a thief. She tilted her head. “I doubt it.”

“No, for real.” Kara licked a smudge of powdered sugar off her thumb. “These are divine. I feel like I could die happy, knowing this was the last thing I’ve tasted on this earth.”

Lena’s blush intensified. She reached for a pie herself, fiddling a little with the edge. “Well, please don’t die anyway. It would make for a dreadful Christmas gift.”

“We can’t have that,” Kara grinned.

“No, indeed.”

There was that lip bite again, criminally effective at throwing Kara off her game. She swallowed, busying herself with another mince pie to keep from staring at Lena’s mouth.

“Divine,” she repeated, just to say something, and Lena laughed, short but genuinely, before she leaned over Kara to reach for glasses.

“Red? I have whites, too. Or something else entirely?”

“Yes,” Kara said. Cause it was unfair, really, the way Lena was close enough that Kara could sense the warmth of her body, close enough that she could count the separate lashes around her eyes, close enough that she could feel rather than hear the vibrations of her low chuckle.

“Yes what exactly?”

Kara closed her eyes, forcing her mind to focus. She felt the role of Supergirl slip further away from her every time she looked at Lena, felt Kara Danvers push to the surface with every glance Lena threw her way. The cape was no longer an entire persona but only a piece of fabric. Her hands itched to adjust non-existent glasses. Every fibre of her being longed to embrace Lena, hold Lena, tell Lena – but what would she tell her?

“Red sounds good,” she murmured, fighting the urge to duck her head like only Kara Danvers would.

Lena smirked. “How about this one – it’s firm but surprisingly sweet. Reminds me of someone.”

Kara couldn’t help it – she blushed. “Funny,” she said almost defiantly, as if that could save her at this point, “I could say the same about you.”

“Is that so?” The look Lena shot her over the glasses was equally challenging and amused, and altogether way too breathtaking to still be fair. It was out of pure competitiveness that Kara inhaled anyway.

“Yup,” she made, taking one of the glasses Lena was offering to her, “you pretend to be all dry, but there’s definitely a sweet note underneath. Maybe even soft.”

Lena gasped. “You take that back!”

Kara almost giggled, but caught herself just in time and settled for a grin instead. “Not happening, Lena “Port” Luthor.”

“Potent,” Lena hummed, “I like it.”

“So do I,” Kara said. And finally, it was Lena’s turn to blush.

***

“I hope I’m not keeping you from something,” Lena said, much later, when the sun had set hours ago and the cool dark of the apartment enveloped them like a blanket. Kara’d eaten approximately twenty-two mince pies so far, and was going strong. Lena’d had one, but all the more wine. Not that it was showing in anything beyond a permanent and rather adorable shine on her cheeks.

“Hush,” Kara made. Although she couldn’t get drunk, the past couple of hours had lulled her into a sense of security that she had a hard time remembering to be false. “I’m happy to be here.”

Lena nodded, a small smile on her lips. She dragged a finger over the rim of her wine glass. “I wish I could make you a present though. Beyond the pies.”

“The pies are fine!” Kara sat up from where she was lunging a little too comfortably on the couch. “If anything, I should get you a gift. As a thank you for the invitation.”

“That was not what I meant to imply – “ Lena immediately started to protest, but Kara interrupted her with a touch to her knee.

“I know, I know. But it’s Christmas after all, and I want to get you something. Something nice.”

“You really don’t have to,” Lena said, but she was smiling the softest smile Kara’d ever seen her give anyone but, well, herself. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I want to,” she repeated. And then, because Kara wasn’t supposed to know Lena, wasn’t supposed to have gift ideas for someone whom she’d only met a handful of times, she added: “Is there anything specific you’d like?”

Lena’s smile widened into a grin. She leaned forward conspiratorially, motioning for Kara to come closer, then cupped her cheek to bring her mouth to Kara’s ear.

“I’d like,” she whispered, her breath hot and heady with wine, “for you to surprise me.”

And maybe it was her hand touching Kara’s face, or her lips hovering just above the sensitive spot below Kara’s ear. Maybe it was the challenge in her voice, or the gleam in her eyes when she moved back. Or maybe it was the product of all these factors, and mince pies, and blushes, and the spirit of Christmas around them. Whatever it was, it made Kara forget all about Supergirl. And she leaned in.

She leaned in, Kara Danvers through and through, and she kissed her best friend and crush of two and a half years squarely on the lips. She kissed Lena, and Lena kissed her back, and for a moment or two, everything was perfect.

And then Lena climbed into Kara’s lap, her legs scraping over the stupid skirt and not-so-stupid cape, and Kara realised that although she was kissing Lena, Lena was kissing Supergirl.

And somehow, that made Kara Danvers unspeakably jealous.

She sort of drew back then, slunk away from Lena’s lips, Lena’s touch, Lena’s body that was pressed into her like everything she’d ever dreamed of.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, not meeting Lena’s eyes, “I can’t…”

She expected Lena to be confused, disappointed, maybe even annoyed. After all, it had been Kara who had initiated the kiss, Kara who’d all but attacked Lena with it. She wouldn’t blame Lena for questioning her choices, judging her behaviour, possibly condemning it. Or, in the very best case, accepting it without further comments, and moving on. Pretending it had never happened.

She did not expect Lena to laugh. But laugh she did, full of mirth and unbridled joy, and a bubbling exaltation that Kara herself was far from feeling.

“Excuse you,” she said somehow affronted but mostly too startled to feel hurt, “Did I miss something or… ?”

Lena’s face softened. “Oh, Kara,” she said, and –

“What?!” Kara exclaimed, all but shooting off the couch until she was hovering, with Lena scrambling not to slip from her lap. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“Oh Kara,” Lena repeated, with a knowing smile and a gentle hand under Kara’s chin, “I am surprised it took you so long.”

“Took me so long?” Kara echoed. Her mind felt like it was signalling error, a string of white flags all flapping over and under each other.

“To kiss me – and to figure out that I recognised you a long time ago.”

“Reco– Huh? You… What? What are you saying?”

“I am saying,” Lena said, and although she was speaking very slowly, Kara had trouble keeping up, “That I know that you are Supergirl. Or well” – she looked at the emblem on Kara’s chest – “that you are Kara Danvers.”

“Huh,” Kara made, dumbfounded.

Lena chuckled. “Yes, well, it turns out that if there are two people in all of National City who look at me like I am worth more than my last name, like I am worth something at all, worth loving – these two people tend to be the same person. Especially if one of them is a secret superhero.”

“Huhhh,” Kara made, somewhat less dumbfounded. “So you are saying you were kissing Kara after all?”

A slight frown appeared between Lena’s eyebrows. “As far as I understood it, she – you – kissed me first. But I suppose that’s how you could say it, yes.”

“Hmm.” Kara grinned, a grin that was equal parts Kara Danvers and Supergirl. She felt carefree all of a sudden, light in a way that seemed at odds with the fact that she was literally bearing their combined weight in mid-air. “And would you do it again?”

Lena blushed, her thumb wandering slowly from Kara’s chin to her lower lip. “Can you now?”

“I can,” Kara replied confidently. And Lena kissed her, oh did she kiss her.

***

“I hope Alex will forgive me this little manoeuvre,” Lena murmured later, nuzzled comfortably against Kara’s chest. “But I thought this double-hiding had gone on for long enough now, and I finally wanted to do something about it.”

Kara chuckled and pressed a kiss to Lena’s dishevelled hair. “What kind of double-hiding are you talking about this time – the mutual pining kind or the superhero thing.”

“Both. For someone so bad at keeping secrets, you sure are stubborn about them.”

“Hey!” Kara protested, although Lena was perfectly right of course. “You could have said something too.”

Lena squinted up at Kara through her long lashes, a playful smirk on her lips. “I could have – but then you wouldn’t have had a Christmas gift.”

“Secret identity reveals count as gifts now?” Kara grinned. “Man, that will make it easy next year.”

“I asked for a surprise. It came as a surprise that you decided to kiss me first, and talk about your alter ego second. So yes, you met your end of the deal.”

Kara hummed. “I see. And what about your gift to me?”

“I told you I knew about Supergirl, of course. That counts.”

“Does it though? Maybe you just wanted to kiss me again. I call ulterior motives.”

“I wanted to tell you earlier,” Lena protested, but her words were somewhat invalidated by the treacherous red creeping once again into her cheeks, “I actually wanted to tell you when I mentioned the topic gifts in the first place, but then you said you wanted to get me something and I got distracted by your stupid – “ She stopped abruptly, her blush intensifying.

“My stupid what?”

Lena squirmed under Kara’s gaze, a silly smile spread all over her lovely features. “Your stupid face, all pretty and devoted,” she admitted finally, blushing furiously at this point.

Kara laughed. How she loved making Lena Luthor blush. Maybe that was the best present of all. That she would get to do that every day now.

#supercorp #supercorp fanfiction #sc fanfic #sc #supergirl #christmas #christmas fic #mini fic #my writing #gifts

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amaltheaz · 4 years

Text

but i know something's starting right now

length: 1,403 words

rating: general

ship: kara danvers/lena luthor

summary: the past few weeks have been a whirlwind in Princess Lena’s life, and if she had to think about it, it all started after she survived an unforgiving storm over a relentless sea.

---

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind in Princess Lena’s life, and if she had to think about it, it all started after she survived an unforgiving storm over a relentless sea.

There's not much that she remembers from that particular day past from the moment rumbles of thunder and the crack of lightning began, to saving her beloved dog, Max, from the burning ship. There’s not much else she remembers, except perhaps, for that voice. The voice that could only have belonged to a siren, beautiful and haunting. The very same voice that’s been lingering in her dreams and invading her thoughts ever since that day.

Her life really hasn’t been the same since that day.

When she tried explaining it to her trusted advisor, Jack told her simply that she had been mistaken, that she was probably hallucinating after being so close to death, that there had been nobody else around but Lena, washed up on the shore with her clothes tattered by the ordeal. But it was real, she knew that it was. She might have been groggy, dazed and confused when she first opened her eyes but there was no mistaking what she felt as she slowly came to consciousness, fingers gently almost reverently trailing down her cheek.

Lena is nothing but stubborn and completely bullheaded when fueled by the insatiable need to prove that she’s right. And if she can rub it in Jack’s face afterwards, all the better.

Day after day, she went back to the beach, to the very same spot where Jack found her, in the hopes that she would find the owner of that voice. To no luck. As the week ended and another followed, Lena had been close to giving up. She couldn't just spend the rest of her days searching for a ghost when her kingdom needed her to look after them.

But all was not lost on one fine day.

Blue eyes struck her still to the ground when their gazes met once Lena managed to calm Max down from bothering the stranger. As blue as the deep, fathomless ocean that has called to Lena ever since she was a little girl and she felt as equally drawn to this strange woman as she does the sea. There was just… something about her that felt warm and—familiar. Lena had thought that maybe she finally found her hero, the one that saved her from drowning to the bottom of the ocean along with the shipwreck. But when no sound came once she opened her mouth, Lena's hopes were dashed once again.

Still, it seemed like the woman had nowhere else to go, what with the ripped sheets that were clearly taken from the billowy sails of a ship, tied around her body. Lena felt compelled to bring her back to the castle, to take care of her, to protect her. She didn't know why, just that she felt a burning need to do so.

And though she can't talk, she is certainly the most curious person Lena has ever met, her face the most expressive out of anyone Lena has ever known. So earnest and genuine in the way that she smiles so easily at everybody she meets, immediately brightening their day. And she isn't the only one. Though Jack has been reticent at first, Lena has never seen him nor the rest of her royal staff seem so animated or so enamoured with anybody, not even with the young princesses that travelled from far and wide to seek her hand in marriage. Her very affable presence made Lena realize how truly lonely she has been since she lost her family so many years ago, and Lena doesn't know what she is to do if she ever loses her.

Without even uttering a single word, this woman brought the castle and all who live in it, especially Lena, back to life.

In those first few days that she stayed with them, Lena couldn't help but notice her guest’s eccentricities, the way she acts like she has never seen most of the things that Lena had shown her. How things just seem so new to her. Lena had already assumed that she’s a stranger to the kingdom itself but it almost seems like everything is a stranger to her. It had been simply endearing to witness.

Hence why Lena has taken it upon herself to take her on a tour around the kingdom and the surrounding lands. And since then, she has learned quite a few more things about her friend, some of which were:

She has an unbridled enthusiasm for new experiences and a clear desire to learn… everything. Something that Lena herself knows a thing or two about.

She doesn't seem to be a fan of the seafood that the staff brings her to eat, always opting to eat other meats they have to offer.

She has… an odd fascination with her feet, often looking down at them as if they're completely brand new to her.

She has a keen love of music, always wanting to stop whenever they pass a musician or a band of them.

It came to no surprise then, that once Lena taught her how to, she makes for a graceful dancer.

She also makes for a terrible and dangerous driver. Never again will Lena offer her the reins to the horses. Lesson learned.

This late afternoon, they're getting on a small boat in a secluded lagoon now. It's one of Lena’s favorite spots throughout the kingdom and she wanted to share it with her friend. Somehow, Lena had a gut feeling that she would enjoy seeing the sunset. Lena’s heart flutters at the giddy smile that beams her way as she starts to row them forwards.

It won't be too long until the sun begins its descent into the horizon.

Once they're a good enough distance from the embankment, Lena takes her hands off the oars, allowing their boat to simply drift. It's not a terribly large body of water and she has been here so many times before that Lena isn't too concerned about losing her sense of direction.

She takes a moment to watch her friend, watches as her blue eyes hungrily take in their surroundings, seeming to giggle happily at the line of ducks following the trajectory of their boat. Lena watches her dip long, graceful fingers into the water, trailing delicately over the surface. There's a wistful, almost sorrowful expression on her face that disappears as quickly as it comes. Lena doesn't know what it was that might have caused her friend such pain but she has seen it occasionally enough to know that she doesn't like it at all. So she decides to attempt a distraction.

“You know,” she starts, waiting for those blue eyes to look back up at her, “we’ve been spending all of this time together and I—wow, this is kind of embarrassing. I don't even know your name?” She laughs though she catches a spark of interest then, a whisper of a smile that encourages Lena to continue. “I’m not really good with names but I can try guessing?” She waits for a nod. “Okay, how about um… Veronica?”

She barks out a laugh at the look of utter disgust on her new friend's face. “Okay, not Veronica. How about… Andrea?” she asks, receiving a thoughtful look and then a shake of a head in response. “This is going to be more difficult than I thought. Hmmm… Sam?”

“Kara. Her name is Kara.”

Lena doesn't even think to question who might have whispered that, especially when there is literally nobody else there. Something just feels right about that name though,,. “Kara?” she voices, quiet and unsure when the smile on her friend’s face brightens as she nods. “Kara?” she asks once again, a little more confident when the nod becomes more fervent. An ache twists in her chest at how her friend’s happy smile turns into something so beguiling and absolutely breathtaking. She takes in a deep breath. “Okay… Kara,” she whispers softly. An unknown impulse drives her to grab hold of Kara’s hand with her own, her heart pounding in her chest when Kara laces their fingers together.

She doesn't notice the sun beginning to set, or the direction that their boat is taking or the faint, whispering sounds of nature around them.

Lena’s world simply narrows to the deep, fathomless blue of Kara’s eyes staring intently back at her.

#supercorp #supercorp fanfic #my fic #the little mermaid au #dont mind me #just writing another disney au #like i do #at this point i feel like its my Thing lmao

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ruffiorocks · 5 years

Text

Supergirl season 5 episode 3

Ok.... so this episode wasn't all that exciting for me, I think the whole Lena/Kara scences were hyped up and we barely got 5 minutes of them before oh lo and behold Kara got a call and had to leave, so same old same old.

I did like the little touches of her flying around the world getting all of Lena's favourites though. Feels like someone read a fan fic!

Anyhoo...

I have to start properly by saying i LOVE Kelly Olsen! The fact she's giving advice to vendors she just met!

William Dey is still acting super dodgy, but I think the fact he looks highly uncomfortable with this means he is being coerced. Still seeing NOTHING that indicates he's Kara's new love interest yet.

Naww Kara is nervous about seeing Lena and binge eating donuts! Only her wanting the lunch to be perfect sounds like she preparing for a date.

Oh, awkward Hope/Eve hug. Sooo is Hope becoming sentient because she's evolving or because she's merged with Eve? AI do not usually voluntarily hug people.

Wait.... Lex Luthor, THE Lex Luthor let Eve know what he was writing in his journals? I mean I know Hope decifed it, but why did Eve know what was on them in the first place?

Ok Brainy is adorable and so funny! But Nia don't mutter about him under your breath, if there is an issue just tell him. This won't end well!

Ok, so I know Andrea has been a bit arsey lately, but so far I've not had all that much of an issue with her, but she's was a gigantic ass in this episode. I feel like they went out of their way to make her an ass in this episode.

Kara, love, telling people you know they were lying won't help you here, you can listen to heart beats all you want, but the people done know your doing that, so yes you do sound paranoid.

Why is James Olsen at Cat Co? Why is James Olsen allowed in Cat Co at all?

Ooh I like this Jonn and Nia dynamic.

Oh no! Not Myrann! How could you do that to your son?! Totally sympathizing with Mal right now.

Erm... Kelly who was just attacked by a shape shifter isn't in the least bit suspicious of a guy she hasn't seen in 2 years showing up and apparently knowing about her job even though she just started? Oh Kelly... love your not clueless like your brother, get it together girl!

Oh so now we're at Kara and Lena's lunch, Katie does Such a good job of letting the audience know she isn't being sincere 🤣 . Kara really did let herself be manipulated here, really? Oh and immediately offers to get them. Oh and now she's leaving Lena again.

I actually don't have that much of an issue with Lena basically manipulating Kara into getting those journals. I mean one of the first things Kara did when she met Lena was to try and manipulate her into giving her info on her mother, then proceeded to spend 3 years lying, using and manipulating her. So yeah... not all that fussed. Plus Kara read a bunch of those journals with Lena, how is Lena getting her hands on them healthy at all? Kara is being a dumb ass here, she should have just said no.

Ha! Finally Kara admits she breaks the law all the time!! Take that 'Kara has never done anything wrong ever' people. This scene reminds me of when Kara discussed her relationships with James and Mon El with Alex.

😂 Alex is going to scold Brainy, and Kara learned all the rule breaking from Alex!

Oh Kelly, still not suspicious at all. Ready to break protocol already? Oh no honey!

Nia! Just tell Brainy the truth, he's offered you a window to do it.

Oh so it was Jonn himself that betrayed his brother! Bet he is immediately forgiven by the fans though, even though erasure is worse than death to a Martian.

Why is James still allowed at the DEO?!! He's a vigilante that isn't supposed to be a vigilante anymore and even wants to be a senator and yet??

Wait... hold the bloody phone!! Kara who has super powers gets to the villains home and not two seconds later James is there?!! No!! Stop trying making James Olsen happen! He's not going to happen! This is a crock of s**t! James could not get there that fast! Be didn't even have his suit on when Kara flew off.

Oh so that's why they are show casing James so much, so he can say something to make Kara do Lena her favour.

Can I just give a round of applause for the actor who plays Myrnn? Bravo sir!

Young Jonn is freaking me out a bit, they've tried to portray him as a sweet little innocent and it's creeping me out!

This villain is boring the heck out of me though, it feels like a side story.

Wait... after all that mind control and holding a sharp shard of glass Kelly isn't even scratched??

Alex needs some help, I get she's concerned for Kelly, but she's being a bit controlling. Not in a malicious way but this needs to be addressed.

I've never said this before, and I don't want to, but Nia can f**k off with the way she just treated Brainy! Nia told him to be himself and now she's not happy with that, confusing the poor guy! 'Its too much! No more food, no more anything!" Harsh words! Now the poor guy thinks there's something wrong with him. Nia just let this carry on when she could have dealt with it when Brainy gave her the chance to. How could you hurt Brainy that?!

Oh romantic music and Kara looking in on Lena??

Is it just me or does that smile Lena gave look genuine and not the fake one?

Oh so now Kara is giving Lex Luthor tech to James?? Kara!! That's not something that should be out in the world! Did you even test it?!

Yep, Alex needs to deal with this anxiety!

Way to much 'me and Lena' 'Lena forgave you 'it worked out for me and Lena' ugh we get it already! Some dodgy stuff is going to go down.

Lena doesnt look happy with what she's doing at all, remember how excited she usually is when making tech? This isn't excitement, Lena knows this isn't right, but she feels she has no other choice. Lena is still traumatized and Kara's even said that in the episode. But this was the first time Kara has seen Lena since she confessed, so no one has been bothering to try and help Lena at all? No one thought, you know what, Lena could do with some help? She is dealing with this all on her own, she's not even putting her trust in her AI since she said she doesn't trust. Lena is in need of help. But I honestly think they are pushing the dodgy bits so she can be saved down the line.

All in all a bit of a boring episode, the Lena and Kara scenes couldn't even save it. Jonns flash back was the most interesting part. The villain isn't memeorable and I couldn't even tell you her name. They made Kelly a real dumb ass in the episode, they made Nia awful to Brainy! Waaay to much James Olsen, it's like they are trying to cram as much of him in as possible before he goes and he's still useless. Alex needs help and is to clingy. Not surprised by the William stuff, Andrea was actually awful in this episode.

I give this episode a meh...

#supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #supercorp #anti james olsen #jonn jonzz #nia nal #brainiac 5 #brainia #brainy #alex danvers #kelly olsen #dansen #william dey #andrea rojas

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fernwehbookworm · 4 years

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Woke The F*ck Up- Chapter 15

February 26th, 2018

Apparently, Kara no longer lived in her apartment. Lena found out the hard way when a squat Italian woman yelled at her until Lena responded flawlessly with an apology in her native tongue. The woman then made her come inside and sent her off with homemade cannolis. Lena didn’t want to call Kara and risk being ignored. This conversation had to happen face-to-face. Lena’s next stop was Kara’s gym. It was the only other place she could think of to find her since she was too tired to pay attention to where Lena could only assume her ‘hideout’ was.

Her driver was one of the agents assigned to her in a nondescript black SUV. He took her to the gym and waited in the idling car while Lena went inside. She was impressed. The building was spacious. Free weights stood near the front. Various cardio machines lined the center. Off to the side was a partially walled off room boasting of a 30-minute ab workout. At the back was the second set of doors. Above it was simply a sign saying 'The Box’. The whole room was brightly lit. Blue was the predominant color but red and white accented it. On the walls were large printouts of different fighters from early boxing to modern MMA fighters. Lena even spotted a few of Kara.

The girl working the front desk looked young, probably a high schooler working a part-time job. She looked up at Lena expectantly but then realized she didn't recognize the person walking in.

“Hi! Welcome to the Power House. Are you here to sign up for a membership?” She asked brightly.

“Ah, no. I'm actually looking for Kara. Kara Danvers.”

“Did you have an appointment?” Lena almost laughed at the absurdity of needing an appointment with Kara. But she supposed Kara couldn't meet with everyone trying to join her gym, most of which were probably fans of hers.

“No. I'm an… old friend. But I'm only in town for a few days and I need to talk to her about something.”

“Let me see if she can see you.” The girl dials the phone at the desk and waits as it rings. Lena watches the people in the gym. It's not very busy considering it is still early on a Monday morning. Two burly men puff out harsh breaths while using free weights. One woman is cycling away on a stationary bike while two others gossip on stair climbers. She can hear music seeping through the doors of 'The Box.’

“Hey Coach K. There is a woman here to see you.”

“Who is it?” Lena hears the faint question.

“Hold on, sorry I don't get your name.” The girl directs the last part at Lena. Lena debates giving the girl the fake name she usually uses but decided against it.

“Lena Luthor.”

“Le-Lena Luthor.” She repeats, shocked.

“Oh! Send her to my office.” Kara says a little louder and more excited, Lena thinks. The girl points Lena to a door at the end of the room labeled ‘K. Danvers, Owner.’ The girl looks after Lena with a mixer of awe, confusion, and excitement. Lene ignores her and walks to Kara's office. She hesitates outside, taking a deep breath before turning the cold metal knob.

She enters the simple office. Kara awkwardly stands behind her desk rolling chair, hands resting on the back. She looks hesitant. Lena takes in the new room. The bare walls only have a few posters from what looks like early in Kara's career. A simple computer monitor sits in the desk with a few photo frames facing away from Lena. Behind the desk is a bookshelf full of different health and exercise books and Kara's trophies. Kara clears her throat.

“Hey. I didn't know if you would want to talk so soon. I know everything… it just must be a lot.” Kara looks more awkward then Lena has ever seen her. Lena lets out a harsh laugh.

“Yeah. You could say that.”

“Well, I’m an open book to you. Come on.” Lena almost laughs again but bites it back as Kara reaches up and places her palm to on of the larger trophies. A glowing green light scans it and the bookshelf soundlessly slides to the side. Now Lena does laugh and shakes her head.

“Of course your secret base is under your gym.”

“How else do I justify spending so much time here?” Kara shrugs and starts to descend the stairs. Lena sighs and follows after her.

“How do you run the gym if you're always down here?” Lena asks on her way down.

“My office phone is forwarded to my cell phone. I told them if they had a question to call me. The door automatically locks when I open the bookcase. Also, Winn set up sensors so that I know when someone is outside my office.”

Lena takes in the room again as they make it to the bottom. It is more brightly lit then last time. Workout equipment stands ready for use, monitors seem to be scanning the city while a police radio prattles on a low volume. Kara heads to one corner of the room that is much more of a living space. Lena recognizes her couch and television. Her bed stands more off to the side. A counter lines one wall with a small fridge and countertop gas burner.

“Are you living down here?”

Kara blushes as she sits on the couch.

“Yeah. My lease was up a couple weeks after… after we broke up. I wasn’t spending anytime there anyway so I moved most of my stuff into storage and listed my permanent address as Alex’s apartment. It was just easier.”

Lena catches the ‘we,’ like it was a mutual decision. Guilt lances her heart again. Only tempered by the fact that Kara had been lying to her. Lena sits at the other end of the couch.

“I just… I'm trying to understand why you kept this from me. I've told you everything. I've been so open about me, about my past, and I thought… I thought the trust was mutual.” Lena grabs one of the throw pillows and hugs it to her chest. Lena sees Kara's jaw work out of the corner of her eye, she just couldn't look at Kara right now.

“I know nothing I say can or will excuse this. But I wanted to tell you. I was going to. That's what I wanted to show you. So you could see this. See how far we had come.”

“But why didn't you tell me sooner? I mean, how many times did you lie to me about where you were, or what you were doing? Oh God, and when I came to see you. The bruised shoulder. Where you really even with James that night?”

“Yes! He had gone digging into Cadmus and was kidnapped. Winn had called me and I had to save him. But then I got shot-”

“You got shot!”

“It's fine. The armor Winn made me protected me. It was just that bruise.”

Lena rubs her eyes. Maybe she shouldn't have come. She should have just went back to London. She missed Sam and Ruby. She had called them as soon as she woke up to assure then everything was fine.

“So James found out who I am and insisted on helping. But that's another story. Long story short, he became Guardian.”

“When did all of this start?”

“A couple months before we met. My sister figured it out when James released that first picture in the paper, he didn't know it was me then.”

“So everytime. Every time you rushed off or said you were late and hung up. Every missed phone call. Every missed flight. It was because you were off being a vigilante.” Lena accuses, acid in her voice. She finally looks at Kara who seems to shrink into the corner of the couch.

“I didn't want you to worry halfway across the world. It's dangerous and illegal.”

“No shit. No, I wasn't worried about your safety. I was too worried about what I was doing wrong. If I had screwed this up. Worrying about whether or not I was good enough for you. God. I'm an idiot.”

“Lena-”

“No. I need some space. I'll call you later.” Lena swiftly stands and ascends the steps. The bookcase is still open but as she steps through it shuts and she hears a faint click as the office door unlocks. She strides through the gym and back into her waiting vehicle, asking the man to take her back to her hotel room. She calls Sam just to hear the voice of a friend. She hadn't told Sam about Kara. Just that she had seen her and they had tried to talk but it was too much and Lena had to leave.

“Do you want to work things out with her?” Sam asks honestly.

“I don't know. I mean I see her face and I know I love her. But she was lying to me. About something big. And she has her reasons for it but… I just don't know. All I know is I miss you and Ruby, but I feel like if I leave now then I won't get the closure I need.” Sam is silent for a moment.

“Maybe you should try therapy or something. Just so you can both say what needs to be said in a safe place.”

“Like couples therapy?”

“Well yes and no. It sounds like you just need an outsiders opinion. Someone unbiased to help you get the closure you need, where or not that means you and Kara try to work things out between you.” Lena bites her lip as she considers her friend’s advice.

“I'll think about it. And Sam? Thanks for being such a great friend. I don't know what I would have done without you and Ruby.”

“Of course Lena. We both love you. We will see you before you know it.”

I love you guys too. Bye Sam.”

“Bye Lena.”

Lena hung up. Feeling slightly better than she did before. She orders lunch to her room and sat down in front of the keyboard Jess had managed to get set up in her room. She began to play Clair De Lune. A classical piece that stuck with her from her childhood lessons. It was slow but good for different techniques. Lena lost herself in the piece before starting it again. Allowing the soothing tunes to calm her racing mind. Lena began to play a new song and another one after that. She played until her fingers began to get a little sore and her thoughts had been soothed from the angry panic they were this morning. Lunch had arrived while she played. The young bellhop dropped it off as she requested just inside the door. Lena ate the sandwich and chips in silence, seriously considering her friend's advice.

Now that she knew about Kara, she wasn't sure what she wanted. She had left the fundraiser with only thoughts of winning her back, but so much had happened in such a short amount of time. The only way to know was to talk it out but Lena dreaded that. She was never good with feelings. For the most part, she had learned to shut them out. But after Kara, after living with Sam and Ruby, Lena was becoming more attuned to her feelings. She liked who she was becoming in the short time since she decided to be better, for herself and Ruby. With a sigh, Lena decides to follow Sam's advice. Tomorrow. Tonight she was going to play her music and go to dinner with Jess.

February 27th, 2018.

Lena waited in line at Noonan's. She was hoping to get her coffee and grab the table in the corner. She was able to snag it, putting her back to the wall and able to see the entrance. On her laptop, she was looking over LexCorp numbers and dredging up the ancient knowledge she had thought she had never need from high school and college. Jess had sent them to her but she was having trouble getting through everything that absolutely needed her approval instead of her CFO's. Lena still hadn't decided what to do with the burden her brother had placed on her shoulders.

“Hi.” Kara's soft voice breaks into Lena's concentration. Startled, Lena blinks up owlishly as she adjusts from screen to real life. Kara stands, slightly unsure, coffee in hand but not attempting to sit.

“Hi. Please sit. I was just working on Stuff for LexCorp.”

Kara sits slowly, looking ready to bolt as soon as Lena didn't want her there. Lena types in a few notes before shutting her laptop and looking back up at the nervous blonde.

“How is it? Owning a company, I mean.”

“Awful. I never wanted it. My only blessing is Jess taking care if almost everything.”

“Oh. Umm… Well, at least you have her.”

“Yeah. And Sam and Ruby really help. I don't know what I would have done these last couple of months without them.”

Silence falls over the pair. Both nervously play with coffee cups and avoid making eye contact.

“So are you and Sam…?” Kara trails off, unsure if she wants to finish the question.

“Sam is my closest friend. I moved into her spare bedroom when the album released. But we are just friends.”

Kara lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and swallows past the lump in her throat. Silence stretches on again. Lena clears her throat and Kara looks up to meet her eyes. Lena pauses at the blue of them. The openness and the disarming kindness and hope. She swallows and finally says what she needs to.

“I don't know what I want Kara. I was never able to figure that out. That's part of the reason I never called you back. Then, when I saw your art at the fundraiser, I realized the massive mistake I made.” Kara opens her mouth to say something but Lena holds up a finger to stop her.

“Let me finish, please. That's why I came back, I realized that you did care about me and I had reacted rashly. I wanted to apologize at least, to talk things out. Then, I was kidnapped by my mother as soon as I landed, which I suspect had something to do with my new assistant, but that's another story. Finally, I'm saved from my mother by my ex-girlfriend who has been living a double life as a vigilante for as long as I have known her. Now I don't know what I want, again. It's something I need to figure out before I go back home. I can't do it alone. So, on Sam's advice, I'm going to see a therapist. I want you to come with me if you're willing, so maybe we can put everything in the open and get some closure for this whole giant circus of a shit show that has become my life.”

Kara sits silently until Lena gestures for her to talk.

“I think it’s a great idea, Lee.”

Lena’s heart soars at the nickname without her permission. Kara had a way of just slipping past all her defenses. It wasn’t fair, Lena should have known better than coming back here, where it all started.

“I actually already have one. A therapist, I mean. I started seeing her during my recovery after my accident. And after everything, I made some poor choices and Alex took me to see her again. She knows everything, so we can be as open an honest as we want to be.”

“You’ve been seeing a therapist?”

“Yeah, like I said, bad choices. But we can get into that later if you want. I’ll call Dr. Hamilton and send you her information.”

“Okay.” Lena takes a deep breath.

“So…”

“I’m not ready for small talk Kara. Thanks for coming, though. And I do want to talk through this, but not here.”

“I’ll leave you to your work then. Let me know when you make the appointment, I will be there. I promise.”

“No offense Kara, but right now your promises mean very little. But I will let you know.”

“Right. Call me later. Bye Lee.” Kara stands, hesitating before pushing in her chair and taking her cup away with her. Lena powers back on her computer and continues her work. After another twenty minutes, she looks up Dr. Hamilton and begins her own search before her phone dings with Kara’s shared contact information.

February 28th, 2018

“So, you are sure you want to do this? I am an advocate for closure, but I thought we were moving past this. At least it seemed that way to me. I don’t want you cutting open healed wounds.” Dr. Hamilton asks. Kara had arrived early to talk to her before her their actual session with Lena.

“Yes. I am sure. I think this will be good for both of us. Even if we both just say our peace and go our separate ways.”

“And do you want to go your separate ways?”

Kara opens her mouth to come up with a non-committal answer but they are interrupted by a knock. Dr. Hamilton’s assistant peaks her head in.

“Miss Lena Luthor is here, shall I send her in?” Kara nods when Dr. Hamilton looks at her and the therapist gives confirmation to the assistant.

Kara has never seen Lena look so unsure of herself, not even when she was kidnapped. Lena wears a large green sweater and black leggings and her hair is down. Everything about her is soft today, nothing of the Lena Luthor mentality came with her. That gives Kara a spark of hope that maybe they weren’t broken. Maybe they could fix this.

“Good morning,” Lena says. Kara shoots to her feet, then she realizes it was a mistake because there is nowhere to go from there.

“Morning, Lee. Umm… Lena, Dr Hamilton. Dr. Hamilton, Lena.” Kara gestures awkwardly between the two women. Dr. Hamilton offers Lena a hand to shake and gestures for her to sit in the chair across from Kara. Kara sits on one end of the couch while Dr. Hamilton site in a chair to the side.

“Lena, it's wonderful to meet you.”

“You as well, Dr.”

Once everyone is comfortable, Kara nervously plays with one of the throw pillows and Lena pulls her sleeves over her hands. The doctor watches the two as they both throw up defenses and gauge each other.

“Okay. so I am mostly here a moderator. Lena this is a safe place. I know everything about Kara and her sister has had me sign more NDA’s than I could ever come near to being able to get free of. Since this is a session with Kara, anything you say here is also covered by all of that.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Lena looks down to the ground.

“Now Kara. How about you start? Start from the beginning. When you decided to become a vigilante and then your side of events that have happened since meeting Lena. Lena, I am going to ask you not comment on anything Kara says. If you want to ask clarifying questions, that’s fine. Then when Kara is done, Lena can go and the same rules apply to Kara.” Both women nod.

“To start, I didn’t really decide to do it. More like I just couldn’t stand by any longer. There was a girl, barely out of high school, I think. She was rapped by some thug barely three blocks from my apartment. Later I found out he was low-level Cadmus muscle but I didn't know that then. Not until I started making connections. Then Winn and I had gone for a few drinks and to play pool at a bar, we were walking home and I heard a woman calling for help. I pulled up the hood of the jacket I was wearing, the red and blue one which was a gift from Alex, and knocked the man out that was trying to take her purse. That was the first night I stopped someone.”

Kara continues, telling about how she and Winn almost got caught several times. About the body armor Winn came up with and Alex figuring out her secret. Eventually, she gets to meeting Lena.

“I actually gave up my seat inside to an older couple when I saw you. It was the last table and I had just settled into my chair and I saw you through the glass. The couple was looking for somewhere to sit so I offered my table because I had to talk to the beautiful woman sitting outside, in August, in a sweatshirt. I will never regret that decision. Then when I saw you again the next day, I knew I had to convince you to go out with. I was never smooth with pretty women, Alex can give you horror stories about the clumsy, stuttering, mess I become. But with you, I was more comfortable and sure of myself than I had ever been.”

It takes nearly an hour. An hour of Kara describing her double life. In all fairness, when she was with Lena, then she was with Lena. She had only left that one night because James was in danger. And she had only taken phone calls again when James was in danger. She didn’t want being a vigilante to take away from Lena. At least until Cadmus became seriously dangerous and Kara felt like she couldn’t leave the country for days at a time. But when that happened, Lena did take a back seat in Kara’s life. Hell, Lena didn’t even feel like she was in the car anymore.

“And then when the news was released that you were missing, I just knew it was your mother. She was getting desperate with her funds depleted since Lex was arrested and I was a thorn in her side. Since she knew who I was then she knew how to draw me out. What she didn’t know is that my sister works for a government organization specifically tasked with taking her and Cadmus down. So as they stormed the compound, I could focus on keeping you safe and getting you out alive. And now we are pretty much caught up.”

Lena sits silently. It was a lot. Kara waits patiently, playing with the corners of the pillow in her lap. Dr. Hamilton had been scribbling notes the whole time. When the pen starts scratching, the doctor loos at Lena.

“Ok Lena, your turn. Go back as far as you would like but please, this is mostly about the events between you and Kara so try to keep it relevant to that.”

“I have lived a dark life. A simple one, coasting day to day, hardly ever sober as I tried to forget the pain of growing up in the Luthor household. I lost my mother at the age of four, I don’t even remember her face anymore. Just the love she poured into me. It was such stark contrast to the sharp coldness of Lillian. I think Lex tried to love me, but by the time I came around, everything good in him had been poisoned by Lillian. Lionel was hardly ever around. When he was, all he and Lillian did was fight. About money, work, women, me. Sometimes… sometimes I would hear objects breaking as they hit walls. It would echo through the mansion, long after servants went home. It got worse when Lex Left for college. Then, one night, I heard a gun go off. Just one shot. But I crawled under my bed and stayed there until the sun rose. The next morning I braved the rest of the house. There was Lillian and Lionel quietly eating breakfast like nothing happened. That’s when I accepted my early admission to college and stop fighting them to stay in high school. I couldn’t be in that house anymore.” Lena was giving a little background for the therapist's sake, Kara knew most of it at this point.

“My childhood friend, Veronica, was also going early; though she was two years older than me. We had spent most of our time together, escaping our families and high society life. It was all very shallow until it wasn’t. I fell in love with her and she didn't. I closed my self off after that and used terrible coping mechanisms to make it through everything. And I did, I made it through each day until my entire life was turned upside down by this beautiful blonde asking to share my table. She didn’t know who I was, she didn’t even listen to my music, she was just listening to it to make her sister happy. Then she smiled and brightened my whole world. I turned her down for a date even though everything screamed at me to say yes. The next day we literally ran into each other again. I couldn’t say no again.” Lena continues like that, sharing how Kara gave her hope that she could find the love she long thought she didn’t deserve. How magical everything had been since they met.

“The first couple missed and canceled flights I didn’t think anything of. I mean, I was asking a lot for you to put your life on hold to see me. But then you started not returning phone calls or texts. The another missed flight. I didn’t know what to think. Was I not good enough, did you get a few free trips across the world and that was it or was the paparazzi just getting to you and I wasn’t worth it? So I started talking to my only friend and she thought the same things. I couldn’t keep putting myself through that and so when you missed another flight, I ended it. I know voicemail is a shitty way to break up with someone, but what else would I have done? I hadn’t seen you in weeks and so many phone calls had gone unanswered. And then I went drinking with Sam, right back into my horrible coping techniques. I was dancing and flirting and I actually almost went home with this couple, a very low point for me. Then Veronica showed up.” Lena sees Kara flinch at the memories she was bringing up but Kara continues to be silent.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t really. I just needed to feel something that wasn’t a wrenching pain in my heart. Veronica promised the numbness that filled me for years. And it worked for a few hours until there was a knock on my hotel door. I opened it to find you, bruised and bloodied, then you were gone as soon as Veronica made her presence known. By the time I had grabbed a robe to chase after you, the elevator had already closed.” Lena takes a steadying breath. She looks at Kara who stares at the pillow in her lap. Lena can see wet streaks on her cheeks. It hurt Lena to hurt Kara all over again.

“After that, I spiraled pretty hard. Drugs and drinking. I scraped the album I had been working on and threw myself into my work to make the deadline. I saw Veronica a few more times, but then Sam and I got in a fight. Basically, it was sober up or forget seeing her and Ruby anymore. So, I did. After the album release, I moved in with them. I never had a place to call home before, never had somewhere to miss when I am traveling. In a very short amount of time, I found that with them. In all that I was also given LexCorp in the wake of my brother's arrest, which I turned over to be run by my personal assistant Jess because she was way more qualified than I am. Since then I have just been trying to figure out what I want for my future. I am taking a break from the music and touring. I think I will sell Jess my controlling shares and let her do with the company what she will.”

Lena continues to relay the events of the fundraiser and of the kidnapping. All too soon she is describing her decision for therapy and it leaves them sitting quietly in a room with a silence that is too loud. The doctor’s pen stops scratching as she lets both Lena and Kara process what has been said.

“Can I… Can I say something?” Kara directs her question at Doctor Hamilton. She nods.

“Lee, I know that how I treated you was awful. You questioned yourself because of me. But I think you did the one thing you knew would hurt me the most, whether or not I saw you with Veronica. You knew how my last boyfriend cheated on me, and yes you may have broken up with me over voicemail, but it still felt the same. Actually, it felt worse because… because… I… what we had was real.”

“I thought that too. Until I became an afterthought. Until you forgot about me for some personal crusade to save this city. You lied to me over and over again, you may not have slept with someone else but you cheated on me. You kept this vigilante a secrete like a dirty mistress.”

Kara sits back at the venom in Lena’s voice. She hadn’t thought about it that way at all. Lena settles back in the chair after saying her piece.

“Lena, tone it down just a bit. Kara is entitled to her feelings, as you are entitled to yours. Kara, do you have any other feelings to make known?” Kara shakes her head.

“Lena?” Lena shakes her head as well.

“Okay then. I think that is enough for today. I want you two to go home tonight and really think about what has happened. I want you to think about what you want from this therapy and each other. You both need definitive answers. If, if , you both want to continue your relationship together then I will strongly recommend a slow process of building trust and friendship before even broaching a romantic topic. But you both have to want it. And it will take time. So please consider your decision strongly.”

Both women nod at the doctor's advice and stand to be shown out. Lena heads to her waiting car with the agent holding the door open.

“Wait, Lena!” Kara calls.

Lena turns to her, trying to keep her face blank. Kara hesitates and Lena raises an eyebrow at her.

“Just… Thank you. For this. And for letting me tell you everything. I have wanted to do that for a long time. So, thank you.”

Lena nods, not trusting her voice and climbs into the vehicle. Kara stays huddled on the street against brisk winter wind. She watches the black SUV pull away and she swears she sees Lena look back at her through the darkly tinted glass.

#supergirl #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #Singer #Vigilante #AU #fanfiction #WTFU

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coeurdastronaute · 5 years

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Either/Or: Christmas Day 2 (Found)

I don't know if it will be spoilery since the story hasn't advanced that far but Kara experiencing her first Christmas on earth with lena in the au where she lands on earth as an adult.

It wasn’t until there were lights on trees and wreaths on street lights that the month was noted. By then, of course, there were santas on street corners with their bells, a light snow that was a dusting of a promise of more to come, and the music piped over store speakers were songs of a distinctively merry variety.

And all of it nearly went unnoticed, though not intentionally this time, by a CEO who found herself juggling an illicit alien-aiding crime while simultaneously lying to her brother. There weren’t enough hours in the day to fit in an entire Earth-shaped education while running a multi-billion dollar corporation and getting weird butterflies in her gut when an alien smiled at her in that stupid little way that made Lena’s thighs--

None of that mattered. Instead, she finished sending off a work email as she made her way down the sidewalk, listening to Kara describe her day of earthly adventures, unaware of everything.

“Lena?” Kara asked as she zipped up her jacket a little tighter against the chill in the air. “What’s Christmas? What are the holidays?”

“Oh damn,” the CEO sighed. “Is it that time of year already?”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Sure enough, when Lena looked up from her phone, she suddenly saw aforementioned signs of the impending celebrations and festivities. Her eyes narrowed in on a window display with a large tree and a mannequin family putting a tree on the top, all joyful because of their new, expensive pyjamas.

“Throughout the vast religions of Earth, there are certain special holidays. One of the most prevalent is Christmas and during this season there are a few holidays, so it’s kind of rolled into one.”

“But what do you do?”

“Oh, well,” Lena furrowed and tried to think about how she normally spent the holidays in a gin-soaked puddle of self-doubt and loathing on a foreign beach, avoiding her family. “Families get together and spend time doing certain things.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “Like decorating a tree, which is, ironically, a pagan tradition, and then going to church, eating a big meal, putting out cookies for Santa, opening presents, things like that.”

“Wow, those all sound spectacular!”

“They could be, I guess.”

“You don’t do some of those?”

Almost worried about it, Kara paused and waited for Lena to look at her. When she did, she furrowed a little more as Lena debated it. From what she could see, the world became a little more magical with all of the lights and decorations and happy songs that everyone seemed to agree on. Lena seemed to be the only one that didn’t care about all of it.

“I don’t celebrate,” she simply shrugged, indifferent to the whole thing.

“Why not?”

“You usually have to have a family to do all of that stuff.”

“And you don’t.”

“Exactly.”

They resumed their walk, though at a slightly distracted speed. Kara dug her hands deep into the pocket of her jacket while Lena adjusted her purse and crossed her arms, completely enamoured with avoiding thinking about her family and the lack of joy she felt toward the time of year.

All of the storefronts were glowing and showed familiar scenes of holiday events-- trees in need of decoration, parties at offices, family dinners, snowball fights, and the such. Each one was a diorama of absence for the CEO.

“Could we do Christmas this year?” Kara finally asked as they stood on a corner and waited for the light to change and allow them to pass.

Ears hidden beneath an adorable toque that Lena picked out herself, and definitely for the reason of keeping Kara warm and not because she was becoming her own personal dress up doll in all the clothes she fantasized about taking off, Kara burrowed into the scarf to protect her ears and exposed skin.

The lights from the street, from the traffic light, from the stores, all of it concentrated on Kara’s face, and she practically glowed with excitement despite the layer of begging that made Lena absolutely angry at herself for being so damn gay.

“You want to celebrate the holidays with me?”

“Well, yeah. You’re one of my favorite people on the planet. I want to do it all with you.”

She melted. Lena Luthor melted like a chocolate bar on an August day left in the back of an all-black interior car in a parking lot with no shade.

“I want to come back to your statement about being ‘one of’ the favorite people. Considering you don’t know anyone else,” Lena began quickly. “But I do think it is possible. If you’re really serious about it.”

“It’d be a nice, healthy item to check off of my bucket list.”

“That’s true.”

“If you are uncomfortable, I understand, but we can do whatever you want.”

“No, no,” Lena shook her head. “You’re right. This will be good. We’ll do all of the things one sees on a Hallmark movie.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Right. I suspect we should start there then.”

Without even realizing it, Kara unleashed an absolute powerhouse in the Christmas celebration department. She didn’t know that simply asking for Lena to show her a few things, she was actually setting forth a perfectionist who was so absolutely desperate for a holiday, that she would take one and never let go.

“I’m very happy you’ve agreed,” Kara beamed as she put her arm over Lena’s shoulder, hugging her to her side in her joy.

“Me too,” Lena mumbled, turning her head slightly to smell the intently Kara smell that existed despite the layers.

Every day for a week, the evening after work and dinner, Christmas movies were absorbed and regarded with intense study. Kara liked the lights and the singing, and naturally came with a lot of questions about many tangential earthly affairs. And Lena answered them as best she could, though she did distract herself taking notes until she compiled a perfect list of things to do for the season.

And now her apartment was a collection of boxes and decorations that were in need of putting things up.

“We didn’t have to get the biggest tree in the lot,” Lena sighed as she took a step back and looked up at the giant evergreen.

“Oh, but look at it. It’s so beautiful.”

The alien floated near the top of the tree, adjusting a pristine, glowing star. Without her abilities, it would have been impossible. That, and the fact that Kara seemed to have a sort of natural predilection toward the holiday spirit that Lena never really experienced. Maybe it was all of the movies, but she honestly believed that it was her natural state.

A carefully crafted playlist hummed throughout the place as the last of the large selection of assorted ornaments were added. Lights were hung from the doorways, and wreaths made it to the doors while a few outdoor decorations were set up on the balcony. Stockings remained hung on the fireplace, while the cat made himself fit in a discarded box.

“Do you think we got too much stuff?” Lena worried.

“No way. I think it looks fantastic in here. But I’m not really an expert.”

“I think you’re pretty close to an expert.”

“I have a list.”

“A list?”

Satisfied with her work, Kara floated down to the floor and tugged a piece of paper out of her pocket. There was something absolutely adorable about the giant Christmas sweater the alien decided to wear. Lena was finding that shopping for her was much easier than shopping for herself. She was certainly more eager than she imagined.

“The tree and the lights, and then cocoa and dinner and presents.”

“Wow! You do have a list. Very similar to my list.”

“I’m liking these holidays. A celebration of kindness and joy and giving. This is so great. I’m glad we’re doing all of this.”

“Me too.”

It took them a while to clean up the rest of the empty boxes that came from the things they all bought. But they managed, and they turned off all of the lights except for the decorations. The place glowed in a different way than ever before. It twinkled and glittered and smelled like the best parts of a forest. While the fire roared in the fireplace, Kara laid down beneath the tree and stared up at all of the lights.

Lena laid beside her on the tree skirt they agonized over for much too long at the store.

“I’m going shopping tomorrow, to find you some presents,” Kara decided, turning her head to look at the CEO daydreaming, her face multi-colors.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. I need to give you something nice. Full discretion though, I will be using the card you gave me for emergencies.”

Lena chuckled to herself and sighed as she closed her eyes. It was perfect. She was living a perfect moment, and she wasn’t sure what came next.

“You really don’t have to get me anything. I have everything I could ever want.”

“There are going to be lots of presents under this tree. Lots of them.”

“Okay. Then I’ll get you a few.”

“Just a few?”

“Wouldn’t want to spoil you.”

Kara laughed, melodically and light. It was unencumbered by pain, despite being composed completely of it. Lena admired that about her probably most of all.

“You’re already spoiling me, Lena.”

“Good.”

There were presents, now. The tree brimmed with boxes and bags and different shapes, all wrapped in festive paper spilling beneath it.

The entire apartment remained full of good cheer and mirth. The pair found themselves working through Christmas movies almost every night, often with Lena not that interested as she finished up work, but inevitably failing to keep disinterested, and gradually snuggling beside Kara about halfway through.

There’d been other things as well. They got dressed up and went to the ballet to see the Nutcracker performed. They donned gay apparel and went to a party at Lena’s office. They went ice skating in the park. They drank cocoa like it would never exist after Christmas was finished. They baked Christmas cookies. They built a snowman. They donated to every street corner they could. It was a joyous kind of exhausting.

“I’m so excited,” Kara bounced in her chair as she surveyed the living room and the presents.

“You have x-ray vision and you haven’t looked at the presents?” Lena teased as she licked some batter from her finger and handed over the spatula.

“That wouldn’t be in the Christmas spirit, and I quite like the Christmas spirit.”

“Spirit or not,” the CEO huffed as she lifted the bowl and poured it into the tray. “I’m not baking anymore sweets. You have the metabolism of a greyhound, but I do not.”

“But you bake so well.”

“And I have a sweet tooth, which is not helped by you.”

“If we’re going to have a dinner tomorrow, we have to have something festive for dessert. It’s in all of the movies, Lena.”

“I’ve created a monster.”

Kara didn’t notice, or at least pretended not to as she happily licked the spatula and Lena wiped flour on her forehead again. Kara liked that part. She loved how carefree and un-put-together the normally immaculate woman could look when she stopped caring.

“I was doing research and I discovered a tradition,” Kara smiled.

“Another one? It’s Christmas Eve. I’m sure we’ve done them all by now.”

“In a country made of ice, they give books to each other and spend the evening reading to pass the time. It’s the first gift of the season.”

“And you got me a book?”

“I did,” Kara nodded. “Did you get me one?”

“I did.”

“Great minds are identical.”

“Yes,” Lena smiled as she slipped the cake into the oven and started washing. “But I’m too tired to read.”

“Can we still open a present?”

“Ah, so that was the root of it.” Kara just smiled and nodded, clearly found out and not at all deterred by it. “Go get mine and I’ll get yours.”

The dishes were shoved in the dishwasher, the ham was thawing for the following day, and Kara sprinted at superspeed until she was sitting on the couch with a gift in her lap, impatiently waiting. It happened in under a second, and yet she was too eager to realize that Lena was mortal and did not possess any powers at all.

“Are we going to have to do this every year?” Lena asked before she caught herself thinking about the future.

“Definitely,” Kara agreed with no hesitation.

Lena smiled to herself and accepted the gift and handed over her own. They opened them and smiled at each other, though neither recognized the book the other had picked.

“I’m excited to read this. Thank you,” Lena offered sweetly.

“I thought this was a movie?” Kara furrowed as she scanned her title.

“It was a book first.”

Gently, reverently even, Kara trailed her fingertips along the title of A Christmas Carol, and she looked back at Lena and nodded, as if it were the most important thing she’d ever done. It was this solemnity that made Lena happiest.

“I’m going to read it all tonight. Thank you for this tradition.”

“Thanks for all of the traditions,” Lena shrugged. “Why don’t you read some of it out loud. That’ll be a fresh spin on it.”

“Since you’re too tired to read,” she nodded, quickly opening the book.

Somewhere between the tenth page and the end, Lena drifted off to sleep with her cheek on Kara’s arm and her body pressed up against her’s. It was a compromising position, and she didn’t even notice. But Kara finished and felt Lena and didn’t want to move. Instead, she looked at the cute, exhausted girl and smiled as she pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around them both.

The fire died down and the cat stretched before readjusting, but Kara settled deeper into the couch until Lena grabbed her ribs and held onto her at a terrible angle. She didn’t move though. Just let her.

She wasn’t in her bed. Lena knew that before she opened her eyes, but still, she dug her nose into her pillow and growled a slight complaint about waking at all. The only difference this time, was that her pillow growled back and complained about her movements by adjusting beneath her.

Lena’s eyes shot open as she felt an arm squeeze tighter around her shoulders.

Half laying atop and half smothering the alien beneath her, Lena realized she fell asleep on Kara and then used her like a teddy bear. In what looked like an uncomfortable position, Kara swallowed her fate, her head tilted off to the side as she sat sideways.

“Merry Christmas,” Kara grumbled, not interested in getting up.

Only when she saw that she was staring at someone who was wake did Lena swallow and sit up, pushing away from Kara’s warm and safe arms. She wiped the drool from her chin and cleared her throat as she blinked and got her bearings.

“I’m sorry,” Lena started. “I fell asleep. You could have woken me up--”

“I fell asleep too,” Kara tried against a giant yawn. “And you were very tired.”

With a small smile, Lena cleared her throat and adjusted herself as best as possible. She pushed the blanket away and realized she really must have been tired, to pull it down onto herself and to burrow into Kara with no memory of it at all.

“Because it’s Christmas morning, does that mean we can open presents?”

Oblivious to the horror and embarrassment the CEO was facing, the alien smiled happily, eager to start her day. She had avoided thinking about it at all, and Lena envied it.

“Aren’t you hungry?” she teased.

“But presents.”

“I’ve given you so many presents.”

“But these are wrapped and they’re a surprise. You’ve given me boring things. Like clothes.”

“And what if those are clothes?” Lena teased as she re-tied her ponytail.

“At least I get to unwrap them.”

Her excitement was infectious and even though Lena was still groggy and still mortally embarrassed, she sighed and smiled and nodded. Even though she still needed coffee, even though her neck was tight and sore, even though everything wasn’t perfect and she didn’t know how to holiday, she followed Kara to the tree where they sat, cross legged and ready.

The gifts themselves were vast in their categories. Lena received lovely smelling perfume, much different than the one she owned, but somehow better. She got vinyl records and a new coffee mug and a very expensive watch that she instantly loved. There were weird odds and ends, but Lena was surprised by how thoughtful each gift was, and she could imagine Kara agonizing in the store about what things earthlings might need.

The gifts that Lena picked for Kara weren’t much more cohesive, but she wanted to give her anything that would make her feel more at home. There was a telescope and nice notebooks, video games, a camera, another sweater, and of course chocolate.

Somehow surrounded by a mountain of discarded wrapping paper, each sat with their gifts circling them and lingering in their laps. Still wearing the new toque that Lena got her, Kara smiled at the moment.

“This was, by far, the best first Christmas in the history of Christmases,” Kara ventured.

“I’m glad.”

“What about for you? How was it?”

“It was exceptionally perfect,” Lena promised.

“Do you think we can do it again next year?”

“For however long you’d like.”

Kara smiled to herself and nodded.

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you-were-always-faster · 6 years

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Marry Me Before I Lose It

Request: Prompt #13 “Will you marry me?”

Disclaimer: Don’t own any of these characters. All rights go to DC and CW.

A/N: First Cat Grant imagine hope you love it. Really terrible title but I tried to make it funny don’t think that worked out as planned but I hope you like it

Cat Grant x Reader

Cat was sitting in her old office checking in with Lena to see how everything was going and how her transition was. The President was in town which meant you two were going to be able to spend some quality one-on-one time together tonight. While Cat tried to fly you out or come to visit it just wasn’t working for you two.

You were sitting in a meeting as Lena’s proxy for the day. They weren’t talking about anything too important so you drifted off into your thoughts. You think about the first time you two met.

Seven Years Ago in Gotham City

“Hey, Bruce I’m right outside the building, where are you,” you ask looking around. You look at your phone and see the time. “Look, Bruce, I love working for you but this is a two man job and I was really hoping you would leave me to do this by myself again. Please call me back.” You hang up the phone and check your watch’s time. “Five minutes till showtime, great,” you heave a sigh and head in.

The producer looks to you in confusion remembering there were supposed to be two of you, you shake your head and grab your mic. “Do you want us to cut the questions,” the guy asks.

“No, I’ll be good. This happens more often than you think,” you turn on the mic and nod to him as you climb the steps to the stage. Your face changes to that fun yet professional smile you always have and your voice turns into that pleasant customer service voice. “Hello Ladies,” you wink mischievously to the camera. “And Gentlemen,” you nod to the audience as you take a seat, “as many of you know my name is Y/N. Mister Wayne sadly could not be here today but on behalf of Wayne Enterprises, I would like to welcome you to the 22nd annual Wayne convention. As many of you are aware Wayne Enterprises prides itself with reaching out to new companies and helping up-and-coming business. More recently you’ve seen out medical branches and institutions in the news which is actually the main reason we’re here. Today in this audience we have a variety of news reporters and cameras who are here to get the first scoop in what these medical branches and institutions are going to be doing over the coming years with a few of our other businesses.” You look out in the audience and see all the old grown white men that you just know came to see Bruce yawning and playing with there phones. Your eyes scan the room for anything to distract you enough to forget that Bruce has ditched another conference with you. Your eyes land on a blonde with shoulder-length hair. She’s in a simple black dress with a few pieces of jewelry. She smiles softly at you.

You take a deep breath,” Over the next few years Wayne Enterprises plans on not only working with medical researchers but more importantly working with a few of MIT’s brightest students to find a way to improve our medical care system and what the best course of action is when it comes to helping others who may be suffering from poverty.” You pause for the round of applause and look down at the mic before looking back up and making eye contact with the blonde again. “So, now that that announcement has been made any questions?”

As you shake the hands of all the investors you keep an eye on the blonde. You see her talking into a mic looking at her camera. You walk over once you're done with the investors. The cameraman is pleasantly surprised to see you and nods to you. The blonde turns to you and smiles.

“Oh and it seems that Gotham’s second most eligible has come to pay us a visit,” she says looking to the camera. “Latest on our encounter at six.” She hands over the mic. To the cameraman and turns to you. “Y/N Wayne, right?”

“Uh, actually it Y/L/N. I switched my last name a few years ago,” you say with a small shrug. “I just wanted to come over and say thank you.”

She smiles,” thank me for what?”

You feel your cheeks heat up a bit. You clear your throat and put on that 1000 watt smile your family tells you to show off more. “Thank you for giving me the extra confidence boost I needed to get through this,” you motion to the chairs and the stage. “Bruce was supposed to come and help me with this but he didn’t show, again. So, thank you,” you chuckle to yourself a bit embarrassed,” I’m sorry I didn’t even ask your name.”

“Cat,” she says holding her hand out,” Cat Grant.”

You take her hand and gently bring it to your lips,” pleasure to meet you, Ms. Grant. If you would allow me to take you out for dinner for a proper thank you?”

“Now Miss Y/L/N where did the confidence boost go,” Cat teases.

Present Day

As your meeting ends you all have to take a vote on a new project Lena wanted. As the others leave you start packing up your things and head to CatCo to inform Lena of the decision made and give her the notes. As you pulled into your parking spot you checked your phone to see you had two missed text messages from Cat:

‘Morning love’

‘I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight’

You smiled to yourself as you stepped out your car with your bag. You walked to the elevator and pressed the floor number before checking the social media sites for CatCo, L-Corp, and your personal branch of Wayne Enterprise. You’re on complete autopilot when you answer an email from Bruce and step off the elevator that you don’t hear or register that you and Lena aren’t alone in the room.

“Miss Luthor I have the notes from the meeting and they decided to go with the second choice aka your favorite choice. The model should be done by next week and the design should be done a few days after. L-Corp is doing great under Miss Arias and Bruce Wayne would like to know if you’re still going to the convention on the 15th,” you say still engrossed with your email. You hand over the notes and the reports from L-Corp that you had sent over yesterday evening.

Lena looks over at Cat who has an eyebrow raised as she looks at the back your head. You’re oblivious to what’s happening until Lena clears her throat. You press send and look up,” sorry.”

She nods toward the couch. You turn to see the love of your life glaring playfully at you.

“For someone who claims they can and I quote ‘feel my presence at any point and time’ you are terrible at noticing your surroundings,” Cat says walking over to you.

You laugh,” I apologize, Ms. Grant, I was a bit distracted. I can assure you it won’t happen again.” Lena excuses herself to make a phone call but you know its just so you and Cat have some privacy. You pull Cat into a hug before gently cupping her face for a kiss. “I missed you.”

Its Cat’s turn to laugh now,” says the person who is never afraid to facetime me in the middle of the night.”

“But I still missed your presence,” you say pouting.

“Oh, you missed the same presence that you just missed a few minutes ago,” Cat teases.

You groan,” you’re not going to let this go are you?”

Cat shakes her head,” where’s the fun in that? Which reminds me you never answered my text.”

“I know I’m sorry I was going to do that after the email. As far as I know, my schedule is wide open for you tonight. Oh, um, Carter wanted to know if he could come to dinner as well. He hasn’t seen you in a while,” you say.

“That’s the first time he’s ever asked to come with us,” Cat says thinking. “What do you think? Should he come?”

You shrug,” I absolutely think he should come. It’ll be fun all three of us together.” You check your watch,” sorry to cut this short but I have to meet with Sam and discuss the upcoming project. I will see you for dinner?” You kiss her on the cheek and wink as you head to the door.

Four Years Ago In Metropolis

“Y/N Y/L/N,” you hear a voice say, you turn from your brother to see the woman you had met three years ago.

“Cat Grant, what are you doing here,” you ask confused. This wasn’t an open press convention.

“Your brother invited me to get the latest scoop on the newest branch of business.”

You look at Bruce,” did he?” You turn back to her,” I still owe you dinner. Hm, why don’t I give you a personal scoop over dinner?”

“You sound a lot more,” Cat pauses.

“Cockier,” you supply.

“Confident,” Cat corrects.

You smile. “So that’s a yes to dinner?”

“Yes pick me up at seven,” she says before walking off.

Bruce gives you a nod of approval.

The two of you have dinner and talk not only about your new company but about personal things. You learn she’s been married four times and has two kids. The two of you enjoy yourself so much that you make the impulsive decision to move to National City and work from home for a few months. The two of you continue your relationship with enough success for you to finally meet one of her sons, Carter. Carter seems to enjoy your presence when you’re over. Carter seems to like you enough to skip weekends with his dad to spend the weekend with you.

Present Day

After your meeting with Sam you head to Cat’s place to pick up Carter. You had gotten a text from Cat on where to meet but since she was still stuck at a Press meeting you had to pick up Carter. You and Carter both put on your suits and you help him with his tie but as you help him something falls out of your pocket.

“Hey, what’s this,” Carter asks holding up the little black box.

“Bruce,” you mutter under your breath. “Why don’t you open it Carter?”

Carter does and smiles,” you’re finally going to do it?”

You raise an eyebrow as you finish tying his tie. “What do you mean finally?”

“Mom always said you had a confidence problem. She also said you were cute when you try to hold on to that confidence,” Carter says standing and straightening his jacket.

You roll your eyes and head to the car with him,” I need you to hold on to that for now. I don’t want it to fall out again. Can you do that?”

He nods and the two of you begin your drive.

The two of you get seated at your table. Carter keeps looking to the dancefloor as you wait for your girlfriend. “Do you want to dance,” you ask. Nightingale by Demi Lovato starts to play.

“I can’t Waltz,” Carter says.

You laugh,” that’s a Slow Waltz its not extremely hard come on I’ll show you.” You teach him the steps and dance until he spots his mother.

She’s smiling at you two from her seat at the table. The two of you join her at the table. As you go through dinner and talk you feel Carter kick you lightly under the table. You keep talking with Cat as you reach your right hand down to rub your knee and grab the box from Carter.

You smile brightly at Cat. “Cat, I have a confession to make.”

“Oh god,” Cat grimaces,” I’m listening.”

You stand and walk over to her. As you kneel you begin your proposal, “You know I love spending time with you. Like I truly love it but I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I have honestly been going insane trying to figure out how to do this. But all that came to mind was I don’t want to just be her girlfriend I want to explore other things in life,” you begin before Cat groans in annoyance.

“For the love of God Y/N this is literally the worst marriage proposal I’ve ever heard,” Cat says.

You look at Carter who shrugs. “What is happening?”

Cat rolls her eyes,” you left your suit at my place two years ago. I went to get that nice jacket out of your closet and as I was moving your suit the box fell out.”

You blink,” what?”

“Y/N, there is no possible way that you are this oblivious,” Cat says shaking her head. “It’s been a long day and a long two years and I am losing my mind. I’ve been losing sleep over this moment and if you don’t marry me before I lose it I swear to anything and everything I will leave you.”

You chuckle,” yes, Catherine Grant I will most definitely marry you. It’s technically supposed to be will you marry me?”

“Never ever call me by my full name and yes I’ll marry you,” Cat glares at you before it turns into a small smile.

“I’m guessing you’ve already seen this then,” you say holding up the box.

“Yes, its gold with a pretty little diamond,” Cat says with a smile.

You nod and take it out and putting the ring on her finger. Carter smiles at the two of you.

“Oh by the way our wedding is next month,” Cat says looking at the ring in the light.

“I’m sorry what?!”

#supergirl #supergirl imagine #cat grant #cat grant imagine

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c-optimistic · 3 years

Note

Hi!! I love the way you write. I would love if you can write about Lena and Kara balancing their jobs and being a mother. Thank you! I hope you have a great day ♥️

hey anon! I dunno if you’re the same person who sent me a very similar prompt decades ago, but if you are my apologies for the wait, and if you’re not, great minds think alike. hope you like it.

“Have you seen my heels?”

Kara didn’t look up as she answered. “Um, I think the girls kicked it under the couch when chasing—hey, stop it Liz, you’re supposed to swallow your food, not throw it at your sister.”

“She started it,” Liz protested, pointing towards Ally and narrowing her eyes. Ally, two years older and at the stage where she believed herself to be far superior to her younger sister, mimicked her Aunt Alex’s huff of disbelief and shook her head.

“You heard Mom, Liz,” she said, sounding more like Lena than she did an eight-year-old. “Don’t throw your food. We eat food. Like this.” She mimicked eating, and Liz’s eyes went wide.

Kara winced, bracing herself for what she knew was coming.

“I know how to eat, Ally! Mom, tell her I know how to eat! Mom!”

“Okay,” Kara said, holding up a hand. “That’s enough. Ally, don’t antagonize your sister. And Liz, stop throwing things.”

“Yeah, Ally. Don’t antgize me,” Liz said with her chin raised high. Ally opened her mouth, clearly about to respond and extend this argument well into the ride to work with her, when Lena walked over, her shirt still not fully buttoned, wearing only one shoe, the other dangling from her hand.

“Kara, I pushed my meeting to next week, so you can take care of your assignment tonight. But we’re going to have to cancel lunch if I want to take off early to pick up the girls.”

Kara grinned, fixing Lena’s shirt and then allowing her to use her for balance as she leaned over to put her other shoe on. “Thank you. I know the assignment was super last minute,” she said, leaning over to press a quick kiss to Lena’s lips. Ally and Liz, united by their mutual dislike of their parents’ PDA, got over their food feud and made retching noises together before dissolving into giggles. “I’ll swing by, drop off some food. I know you’ll skip lunch otherwise.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lena mumbled, waving a hand and turning to the girls. “You two, behave for your mom, okay? I’ll see you at 4:30.” She kissed Liz and Ally on the foreheads, gave Kara one last fond look, then grabbed her bag and left.

Kara sighed, reveling in the silence that followed her wife’s departure, and then: “Why do you have to work at all, Mom? You’re Supergirl.”

“Don’t be dumb, Ally,” Liz responded, rolling her eyes. “Mom isn’t Supergirl, she’s a reporter.” She stressed the word like it was something bad, and Kara just took in a deep breath before gathering the dishes from their breakfast and taking it to the sink.

“Liz, why don’t you go get dressed? And pick one thing to bring with you.”

“Aww, just one?” Liz complained, but she did as she was told, sliding off her chair and skipping down the hallway towards her bedroom. Kara waited till she was sure Liz was safely out of hearing range, and she turned to Ally.

“We had a deal, Als,” she said, raising an eyebrow, hands on her hips. “It’s a secret until Liz is a little older.”

Ally—dark haired and blue eyed, looking a little bit more like her father as the years dragged on, but acting more and more like her aunt every single day, and smarter than either of them were at that age—frowned. “You promised you’d teach me more about Krypton.”

“And I will.” When Ally just gave her a disbelieving look, Kara stepped closer to her, dropping to her eye-level. “Look, I have some time off in a few weeks. What if I took you to the Fortress of Solitude?”

“Just you and me?”

(More and more, Ally seemed to gravitate towards her more than towards Lena. Lena liked to joke that it was Ally’s Luthor genes shining through, wanting to be close to a Kryptonian just like her father and aunt.

But for Kara...it felt nice even if she was anxious about it. Because what it was, more than anything, was evidence that Ally—for better or for worse—had chosen to see Kara as one of her mothers, that she accepted Kara the way she was, that she wanted to be involved with aspects of Kara’s life that she hid away for so long.

And yet, Kara wasn’t sure what brought it on, and Ally—much like Lena—was often silent on her feelings.)

“Just you and me,” Kara confirmed. “But we’ll have to ask Mommy for the okay, okay?”

“Aww, that’s what you said about the zoo, too! And Mommy said no.” Ally’s eyes narrowed. “You and Mommy play good cop and bad cop, that’s what Aunt Maggie says.”

“Don’t listen to your Aunt Maggie,” Kara said with a grin, straightening as Liz came running back towards them.

“I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready!” she sang, dragging a massive duffel bag behind her. “It’s one thing,” she defended when Kara gave her a look. “You didn't say the one thing couldn’t be filled with other things.”

“Ally, help your sister choose one toy, I need to get dressed.”

(And after much protest, an accident involving glitter, and a brief panic when Ally thought she forgot her books at home, they finally found their way to Kara’s office, only a tiny bit late.

Though if you asked Kara, she wouldn’t really have it any other way.)

“Liz, please stop running, you know I can’t chase after you in heels,” Lena called out, watching carefully as Liz raced towards the swing set at the park. Ally, who was walking to Lena’s right, let out a soft snort and finally looked up from the book she’d been engrossed in since Lena picked the girls up from Kara’s office.

“Mom said we should tie a bell to her, so that she can always hear where Liz runs off to,” Ally informed her, marking where she left off in her book and snapping it shut as she followed Lena to one of the benches, sitting down dutifully next to her. “I think it’s a good idea.”

Lena reached out, smoothing back Ally’s hair and smiling when this prompted Ally to lean into her. “I do, too. Though we may not need a bell,” she said, looking over at where Liz was now singing at the top of her lungs, ignoring the looks from the other children. “Did you have a good day with your sister and your mom’s office?”

“Yeah. We got ice cream. I’m not supposed to tell you, but for half an hour, Mom had leave us for a Supergirl emergency. Uncle James watched us.”

“Really?” Lena said, trying not to laugh. “Your mom isn’t very sneaky. I saw her on the news.” Oddly, this made Ally pull away, gnawing at her lip, her fingers running up and down the spine of her book. “What’s wrong, Alexandra?” Lena asked softly, knowing that the use of her full name would let Ally know she was being serious. For a moment, though, it didn’t seem as if Ally was going to respond. “Is this about you wanting to learn more about Krypton?”

“No. Mom wants to take me to the Fortress. She said we’d need your permission.”

Lena didn’t take the bait, didn’t let Ally change the subject. “Come on, Ally. What’s the matter?”

“Last week, when Mom got hurt, were you..did you...I don’t like Supergirl,” she finished, expression hardening.

(And, oh, Lena thought they’d have more time. More time with Ally as a kid, a kid who saw her superhero mom and thought it was cool, a kid who didn’t realize how much danger her mom was in every time she put on the suit.

But Ally was the smartest kid Lena had ever met, even after accounting for her bias regarding her daughter. So of course Ally would catch on, of course Ally would worry, of course Ally would want to spend more time with Kara.)

“I get scared too, you know. Every time I see your mom on the television, every time she gets hurt. That’s normal, worrying for the people you love.” When Ally turns to look at her, Lena tucks a stray strand of hair behind Ally’s ear. “Loving someone doesn’t mean we can control what they do, though. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Ally sighs. “Mom has to ask you for permission to go to the Fortress with me, but she doesn’t have to ask you to fight a bad man.”

Lena chuckles, figuring Ally’s basically gotten the point. “You make her very happy, you know. When you ask about Krypton, want to know more. She wants to share it with you. And Liz, when she’s older. And you should talk to her, about Supergirl. Maybe if you hear from her why it’s so important to her, you’ll see Supergirl differently. Like I do.”

Ally didn’t respond, but Lena didn’t really need her to. Instead, she got up and held out her hand, waiting for Ally to take it before she called out to Liz, who came running with a big grin.

And together, hand in hand, they began walking home.

When Kara made it home that night, it was completely silent.

She chucked off her shoes and deposited her bag next to the couch before slowly walking towards their bedroom, pausing as she walked by the room Ally and Liz shared.

The two of them were curled up on the bottom bunk of their bed, Liz gripping onto one of Ally’s hands, the other one near her mouth, as if she’d fallen asleep sucking on her thumb. Ally was sleeping protectively next to Liz, as if she’d fallen asleep talking to her sister.

Kara blinked as she realized: Ally must’ve fallen asleep telling Liz a story.

(That was Kara’s job. Every night, reading a story. Sometimes in English, but often—especially when the girls were younger—it was in Kryptonian.)

She walked over, pulled their covers over them, pressed barely there kisses to their foreheads, and then turned to head out. But then: “Love you, Mom. Good night.”

And when Kara made it back to her bedroom—when she slid into bed next to Lena, smiling when Lena immediately grabbed her arm and pulled it around her waist, making sure they were snugly pressed together—she couldn’t help but smile and press a kiss to the back of Lena’s neck.

Tomorrow, Liz would be starting a new daycare and Ally would be going back to school, and there were meetings and late hours Lena needed to worry about and Supergirl duties and deadlines Kara worried about.

But here now, her daughters were sleeping in the other room, her wife was warm in her arms, and everything was just perfect.

(And Kara really, really wouldn’t have it any other way.)

#asks #anon #fanfic #supercorp

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imagine-lcorp · 6 years

Text

Mustang Ride (Part III)

A/N: Hello beautiful people, here’s an update on this series. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think! Now, there’s not much to say but i wanna wish you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Kudos to you all and I hope life is treating you well :) love u <3

Lena Luthor x Shapeshifter Reader//Word Count: 1,883

Series: Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V

"You roar in your sleep." Lena said teasingly and with a kiss on your cheek that morning.

"No." You looked up from the paper you had been reading, startled by her comment. "I don't." You were sitting in the kitchen counter, sipping coffee and reading reports from the DEO.

"Yes, you do." She chuckled.

You grunted and placed a hand on your face, trying to cover your embarrassment. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry." You mumbled and Lena just laughed.

"No, it's fine. I just never heard you do that before." She took a seat near of you and smirked. "You must have been really tired after last night."

"Yeah, must be so." You said with a smile and returned to your papers in an attempt to hide the faint redness in your cheeks.

"Do you really need to get back to the DEO today? Eliza said seven weeks." She said pleading.

Since the incident with Henshaw on Alex's birthday, you had been absent from the DEO. Eliza had recommended seven weeks of rest without knowing your ribs could heal in two. It was one of the perks of having your powers. You even thought of taking those seven weeks but, after seeing the paperwork J'onn had sent you home, you decided you preferred going back as soon as you could. He, however, gave you another three days to be sure you were completely recovered.

Lena had convinced you of spending those days with her at her penthouse. She wanted to keep an eye on you and make sure you were following the doctor's recommendations. Needless to say, you did more than what the doctor had said. The days with her flew by, between her and your own work, movie nights and quiet mornings. With enough luck, you thought, this could be a glimpse of your future together.

"Yeah, I do." You raised your head at her with an apologetic look. "But I can go with you to CatCo before leaving to the DEO, if you want."

"Mmm, a ride to work? I'd better finish getting ready then." She rose from the chair and gave you a kiss before going back to her room. You shook your head and smiled, returning to your papers.

An hour later, you were at Noonan's ordering your coffee and heading to CatCo. She was excited for the next printed issue of the magazine, it was her first one after all, and she wanted to make sure everything was ready. You took the elevator to the top floor and let Lena ramble about it a bit more. It made you happy to see her like this.

The elevator doors opened a few minutes later to show you the whole floor in movement. People were here and there, talking and typing furiously on their computers, checking and revising papers, phones ringing nonstop. You found James, in the middle of it all, talking with Eve and checking some layouts. You both walked towards him once he finished his conversation with Eve.

"Hi, nice to see you two." He greeted you with a big smile. "How are you feeling, (Y/N)?"

"As good as new." You returned the smile.

"Better than that, I would say." Lena said with a smirk, making you blush a little. James was surprised for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Well, I'm happy you're ready to go back, Winn has been missing you out there." He patted you on the shoulder with a smile. "Also, good thing you're here. I have some layouts you may want to see, Lena."

"Of course." She said and turned to you. "Can you stay a few minutes more?"

"Sure, boss." You nodded once and followed them.

You heard them chat on the short way to James’s office, realizing it was the first time you had ever entered that room. The office was very James, with framed photographs on his desk, a set of weights near the couches, and the smell of his cologne. However, you were impressed by the set of televisions behind the desk, flashing with all the news. You imagined Kara and James found them useful when it came to spotting criminal activity, like the one appearing in each screen at that moment.

"Hey, what's going on?" You frowned and pointed a finger at the screens.

Lena and James where near the desk looking the layouts he had brought but they raised their heads to them. The cameras showed the front doors of the West National City Bank, police officers were outside and waiting for instructions. James took the control from his desk and turner the volume up.

"...what we know so far. Three men entered the bank, screaming and demanding money. Witnesses say the men were unarmed but were able to take control..." The reporter informed with serious voice. "...one witness also reports seeing wild animals inside the..."

"Wild animals? That's new." James crossed her arms as he kept watching the report.

The cameras shook suddenly as the bank doors went flying into the street. Reporters were moving towards the entrance to get a better take in the action. Police officers were drawing their guns and advancing towards the cloud of dust coming from the bank.

"What the..." You trailed off in shock as a rhino came storming through the dust and growled at the officers.

The cameras kept focusing on the great animal until two men stepped out, carrying big bags. There wasn't much the police could do to stop their advance as the rhino seemed to be protecting them. A young officer tried to approach the men from the side but one of them noticed and, before he could take a step further, the man turned into a big polar bear. Everything after that was chaos.

"I need to get there." You said resolute. If this was a case of shapeshifters, your own abilities could come in handy.

"(Y/N)." Lena took you by the wrist before you left and placed a quick kiss on your cheek. "Be careful."

"Will be." You assured her and then nodded to James before running to the balcony. You jumped off, turning into a falcon, and headed to the bank.

It took you less than two minutes to arrive and you were relieved to find Kara, in full supersuit, already at the scene. You flew over the street, to see cars and police officers surrounding the suspects at a safe distance. They were ordered to hold their fire and let Supergirl handle the situation. The rhino and the polar bear guys were pacing back and forth, protecting the other one, who was holding the bags.

"Let us go and no one has to get hurt!" The man shouted.

"You're right." Responded Supergirl in her power pose. "Surrender and I won't have to hurt you."

"I guess we will take our chances." The other replied with a cheeky grin appearing on his face. "Boys, go wild!" Then, like a mini stampede, between roars and growls the animals charged against Supergirl.

With a rush of wind you dived directly against the rhino's side. Kara looked at you for a second before fighting the polar bear, she was happy to see you recovered and just in time for some action. She was trying to subdue the bear without harming him, finding herself in a little predicament as she dodged and blocked his claws. He may have been a dangerous criminal but Kara was against any type of animal cruelty.

You, on the contrary, didn't have a problem with transforming yourself, after landing, into a tiger to dig your claws into the rhino's thick skin. He groaned and tripped when he felt your claws grabbing one of his legs, allowing you to stop his race. When he ended on the floor, struggling to get back on his feet, you transformed into a gorilla and put him on a headlock. You were sure that would make him become human again until a deadly grip on your arms forced you to free him.

There was big snake wrapped around your arms and shoulders, its head getting awfully close to your face. It was a python and it was opening its jaw, showing you the fangs. You couldn't but transform again to escape its bite. You jumped out of the python's hold and hopped around like crazy to distract the python, and the rhino that was now on his feet and growling at you. Being a hare turned useful when they tried to attack you, they couldn't keep up with your quick reflexes.

They were getting tired and desperate with this chase. The snake almost tangled up itself and the rhino was becoming slow and sloppy. This would open a chance to take them down easily with Supergirl's help. When making a sharp turn, you saw her finally hit the polar bear, sending him back towards the bank doors. She must have knocked him out because he felt with a loud thud and stayed on the floor, where he turned human. The face Supergirl made after that was all Kara, raised eyebrows, mouth open, horrified and apologetic.

She recovered in a flash, the expression gone to be replaced with crinkled eyes and a small chuckle when she saw you bouncing all over the place. You would have enjoyed it yourself too were it not for the snake about to throw its fangs at you. You jumped, as high as possible to avoid the attack, and turned into a gorilla again to catch the snake once and for all. You grabbed the python from the middle of its body with one hand and trapped the python's head with the other. You didn't let go until it transformed back to the man who was shouting at the police.

In the meantime, Supergirl moved using her super speed and took the rhino by the horn. There was a moment of struggle for both of them. The rhino tried to push her and Supergirl tried to hold her stance but, at the end, she drove him the ground and another man appeared instead of the rhino, too exhausted to keep fighting.

"I told them to surround." Kara shrugged and you growled softly in approval.

A moment later, DEO vehicles were surrounding the area and several agents jumped out of the cars to take the men into custody. Supergirl and you took flight, following the vans and monitoring the route in case anything else happened. But now, after the fight, you couldn't help the feeling that something was off with this whole situation. For three shapeshifters, they didn't shift into much.

Come to think of it, you had never found another person with similar powers who wasn't an alien. Maybe they were aliens but then, why didn't they morph into something scarier than just earth animals? You were thinking so hard about it, you almost didn't notice when one of the vans stopped abruptly mid-way and started moving on the spot.

From inside the car you could hear something between a roar and a scream and Kara flew down immediately to see what was happening. You followed and landed in front of the car's doors ready for another fight but, when Kara opened the doors, your whole body froze at the sight.

#lena luthor #lena luthor imagine #lena x reader #lena luthor x reader #lena luthor fic #mustang ride #part iii #shapeshifter #shapeshifter reader #shapeshifter!reader

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