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Chapter Text

———

The elevator ding-ed and the doors slid open, smooth as a waltz dancer. Kara smoothed her tie with her free hand and slid it into the pocket of her slacks as she strode out, stopping in front of Jess’ desk. 

“Hiya, Jess. Long night, huh?” 

Opening up her satchel, she slid a cup of mint green tea she had been holding and a chocolate croissant over to the young secretary, who took it with a grateful smile.

“Evening, Kara. Thanks for the late-night snack. Yeah, the last couple meetings ran long, a board member had to be thrown out by security, and a pissed Lex supporter pulled a gun in the lobby today. All in all, a normal day here at L-Corp. Go on in, she’s just filling out some paperwork, but I imagine she could use the pick-me-up too.”

The photographer repositioned her shoulder bag strap as she grinned toward the door. She turned back to Jess.

“I’m here to drag her from behind that ridiculous desk and take her home, so you can go ahead and start packing up.”

“All right, will do. Thanks.”

With a smile and a nod, Kara pushed open the heavy double-doors into the CEO’s office.

“Hey Lee! A little birdie told me that you’ve had quite a day. Are you ready to—” 

The last couple of words were choked as she saw her best friend seated at her desk. Her eyes traveled from the top-down. Prominent cheekbones, chiseled jawline, regal neck, strong shoulders. Dressed in a white-and-blue striped blouse and black slacks, the creases having lost their crispness hours ago. Even seated, Lena was poised and graceful, looking every bit the badass businesswoman she was, as always. 

But something new: a set of thick, black frames set on the young Luthor’s proud nose bridge. Behind the lenses, a pair of tired emerald eyes, lacking their usual luster. 

Lena, who had picked her head up the moment she heard the door open, sent her a small smile that slowly stretched into a trademark smirk. “Ready to what, darling?” 

Kara spluttered like an old car engine for a couple seconds as she tried to regain her mental footing. Lena Luthor wore glasses?! Who gave her the right to look that cute and hot at the same time— “Kara?” —oh, no.

Suddenly, Lena and her adorable glasses were right in front of her, looking concerned and lovely, and— Get it together, Danvers!

Laughing nervously, Kara ducked her head and jammed her hands in the pocket of her trench coat. Clearing her throat slightly, she continued, “—to get going?”

Raising a sculpted eyebrow slightly, the younger woman grinned, making her dimples pop out, as she stepped closer to the blonde. “Hello again, love,” Lena purred as she wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist. “you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

As soon as she felt the Luthor encircling her, the Super pulled her in closer and nuzzled the dark-haired head. “Missed you.”

“Did you?” The shorter woman pulled back to look Kara in the eye. Lena’s exhaustion had crept past her CEO facade; her smile was gentle and even the raised eyebrow directed Kara’s way was softer than usual.

”Yep.” The blonde nudged Lena’s glasses by the bridge. “I didn’t know you wear glasses.”

“I normally don’t. Can’t show any weakness and all that, as a female CEO. I usually wear contacts, but my eyes get tired after a while. I had to pull a longer night,” Lena walked back to her desk and started packing up her things, “so once all my meetings were over I switched over to glasses.” 

Locking her briefcase closed, she pulled on her blazer as she continued. “I don’t wear them in public much unless I want to blend in, and also because I don’t think it’s a good look for me.”

Kara scoffed at the last statement. “Are you kidding, Lee? You look great in just about everything, and you look very attractive in glasses.” 

She stopped herself from saying It makes me feel things friends probably shouldn’t feel for each other, but just barely. 

The young Luthor blushed and dipped her head with a bashful smile. “Do you really think so?”

“When have I ever lied?”

“Kara, you told me two days ago you forgot to eat dinner so you could eat with me. Thank goodness you’re bad at lying.” Lena chuckled as she slipped off the black frames and tucked it into the slim case.

The blonde huffed and crossed her arms in a faux-angry manner. “Well, anyway, you look amazing, and I could only dream of looking this good at 23.”

“Now, you’re only saying that because you’re my friend.”

“The best, and don’t you forget it. But it’s the truth! Now, can we get going? I require couch snuggles and sugary foods.”

“Sure, you big dork.”

Kara grabbed Lena’s hand and led her out of the office.

“Jess, you can head home—oh, confident in yourself, Miss Danvers?” 

She brought them to a halt in front of the elevator, pressing the button to call the car lightly. As they waited for the car to reach their level, she squeezed the hand in hers. “You can never say no to me. I can always get you out of the office, so I told Jess to head home.”

She snorted as Lena scowled. “Come on, you know I’m right.”

The shorter woman bumped her forehead on her shoulder as the car made its way down to the garage. “I don’t like you.”

“Very convincing, Lee.”

“Hmph.” The doors slid open without a sound and they stepped into the chilly concrete structure. As they began to walk toward Lena’s car, Kara spoke again, gently this time.

“Oh, and Lee? Feel free to wear your glasses any time around me.”

The affectionate grumble she got in response was as good an answer as any.

———

Chapter Text

———

Kara shifted in her seat as she stared at her screen with rapt attention. Lena had gifted her a pair of soundproof wireless earbuds for her latest article, a big success. The self-proclaimed “lab rat” had been working on Kryptonian-grade soundproofing technology for a couple years now, and she had finally perfected it. The soundproofing level was adjustable, so Kara could use it on her off-work days, her solar flared days, and anything in between. 

The photojournalist was caught up in the extremely nerdy side of YouTube, because of the one and only Lena Kieran Luthor. Her subscription inbox was filled with science videos of various disciplines.

Science was one of the many things they bonded over, now that Lena knew. A year into their friendship exactly, Kara had gotten her shit together to let Lena in on the secret. Surprisingly, the other woman had just laughed and told her she knew already. Apparently, the blonde was bad at lying.

Anyway.

Since then, the Luthor woman frequently brought up random science topics. There were many nights spent at her penthouse discussing quantum theory or microphysics.

Currently, Kara was sitting in Noonan’s, waiting for Lena; to pass the time, she was watching a BrainCraft video on “Why Women’s Voices Are Getting Deeper”. 

She may or may not have had a certain green-eyed CEO in mind.

“—seat _____ -ken?” Oh, someone was talking to her.

“Sorry,” She explained as she pulled out her left earbud, “this seat is saved for someon—Lena? Is that you?”

Kara stuttered as she rushed to stand from her chair. The shorter woman clapped a hand over the reporter’s mouth as she attempted to continue speaking.

“Yes, it’s me. But don’t say it too loud! I’m in my civilian outfit.” Lena motioned to her clothes. Kara traveled up from the bright orange New Balance sneakers, past the red star-dotted joggers and oversized MIT sweater (was that a blanket draped on her shoulders?) to make eye contact with her best friend. 

On top of everything else, Lena was wearing those damn glasses again. Kara felt like she’d run a mile, as humans put it. Her heart was racing and she was so glad the other woman didn’t have her super-hearing. 

While the entire ensemble would’ve looked silly on anyone else, the raven-haired CEO somehow made it work. Lena looked downright adorable, and the glasses on top of everything made not confessing her love harder than ever.

Kara peeled the hand off her mouth and held it in one of hers as she adjusted the Hufflepuff ball cap atop the brunette’s head, feeling a wide smile coming on. “In disguise, huh?”

The other woman tilted her head as the corners of her mouth turned up, almost as if she could see the flustered pan-ic vibes coming off of the blonde. Kara’s eyes snapped Lena’s lips, and they stayed there until she heard a slight clearing of a throat.

“Everything alright, darling? You seem a bit…flushed.”

“Y-yeah, everything’s okay.” 

Kara fidgeted with her glasses and ran fingers through her short hair. She had vacillated on cutting her hair for a good part of her adult life, but only recently decided to follow through. Lena, the kind friend she was, accompanied the nervous reporter to the hair stylist and, as Nia would say, gassed her up as they walked out of the salon. It was a good decision: Kara had never felt more confident with herself, except for when she got the new suit.

Lena softened and reached up to fix the blonde locks that had gone awry, before letting go of the taller woman’s hand to wrap her arms around Kara’s torso. The deep, resonant, slightly Irish voice of her best friend went straight to the reporter’s soul. She felt lips brush her cheek, and pressed her cheek to the side of the Luthor’s head in reciprocation.

“You look quite dashing this morning, my love.”

“Ah-heh…thanks Lee. You look really cute today.” Kara drew back to give Lena a bright smile before retaking her seat and motioning for the other woman to do the same across from her. “What are you thinking of orderi—” she hadn’t expected the brunette to sit next to her, and stuttered to a stop.

Lena picked up where the older woman left off, cocking an eyebrow, “I’m thinking of ordering an omelette with spinach and a bunch of other vegetables.” She leaned her head on Kara’s broad shoulder. “Good green things. How about you?”

Kara slung her arm around the short woman, resting on the shoulders that held up L-Corp, in order to stall while she tried to rein in her pan-ic. 

“Uhhhh, I was thinking waffles and fish sticks.” 

Lena’s eyebrow ticked up. 

“Don’t look at me like that! I’ve got a hankering for fish sticks and waffs, okay?!”

Even higher.

“I can see you judging me. As if you’re not gonna ask for a bite!”

Higher still, paired with a smirk.

“Leave me and my food choices alone.”

They had a short staring contest, until Kara finally broke first to stick her tongue out and roll her eyes. The young Luthor giggled into the Super’s shoulder as the waiter came over.

“Hiya Kar! Is this your girlfriend? Did you get one without me knowing?”

Damn it. Kara had just gotten her heart rate down, but when Erin asked that question her brain stopped functioning again. The journalist scrambled to answer—for someone with a word-intensive job, words failed her at the worst possible moments.

“Ah, uh, heyyy Erin! This is—umm, this is, nooot my—No offense, Lee, but we’re not—she’s a great woman, really, but—”

Lena cut her off smoothly, laying a hand on a tense forearm and sticking out her right hand to the waitress.

“Hello there, Erin. My name is Lena Luthor. And no, we’re not dating. We are, however, best friends, and here for brunch. Pleased to meet you.”

The waiter beamed as she took the hand, “Hiya there, Ms. Luthor! It’s an honor to be serving you. My name’s Erin, and can I just say, my girlfriend and I attended the pride parade that L-Corp sponsored, thank you for everything you’re doing!”

Lena looked pleasantly surprised at the reception as she graciously took the compliment. “Well, I’m glad you and your girlfriend were able to enjoy it. Is it okay if we order?” At Erin’s confirmation, the CEO rattled off her order crisply before turning to the still struggling blonde. 

Kara was too busy not trying to imagine Lena Luthor being her girlfriend to say anything. Movie nights every single night, sleeping in the same bed, sharing clothes, getting to see her sleepy smile, seeing those glasses all the time, matching rings—

A hand entered her line of vision. “Hello? Kar?” A couple light knocks on the side of her head. “Anybody in there?”

Kara shook the thought of marrying Lena out of her head. “Sorry, Erin, just got a lot on my mind. I’ll take the Kara special, please.”

“Alright, comin’ right up folks!” Erin took the menus and headed towards the kitchen, leaving a flustered Kara under Lena’s watchful eyes.

“Now. What’s up with you?”

Before Kara could reply, a masked man armed with a gun entered the cozy cafe and started firing.

Rao. And she was having a good day. She couldn’t stand up or leave Lena, so she did the next best thing. As quick as humanly possible, Kara pushed the table on its side, in order to create a barrier. Next, she grabbed the brunette from the chair and dragged her down behind the table. Falling back on her hero training, she covered the body of the other woman with her own as she focused her hearing and x-ray vision on the gunman. 

Then, she made the mistake of looking down. With their noses almost touching, Lena’s irises were so clear and green. The tension was so thick, but now was not the time to explore. Kara could feel the quick puffs of air on her face, and she dialed into her favorite heart. No surprise, the young Luthor was scared for her life. Her face didn’t show it, but the older woman had learned all the heart rhythms. 

As she adjusted the black frames perched on Lena’s slim nose, Kara reassured her.

“Lena. I got you, okay? I won’t let you die. I love you too much to do that. And I don’t think I’ll die either. Who else would you have brunch with?” With a roguish grin, the Super rolled off the shorter woman and crouched behind the table. 

As the criminal walked towards them, she timed her actions and unarmed him quickly, then knocked him out with a punch to the face.

“It’s okay to come out, Lee! Can you go ask the kitchen for some rope?”

Kara hog-tied the gunman while Lena called the police. Neither of them mentioned what had happened behind the table.

———

Chapter Text

———

Kara yawned and stretched in her chair. This morning had been an early start; snuffing out two small housefires and stopping 5 robberies. It was only 10:00, the Kryptonian was already bone weary, and while she wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed, her human job had requirements too. 

The buzzing of her phone shook her out of her thoughts. She was about to decline because she was working on an article that needed her undivided attention, until she saw the name on her screen. FaceTime call from Lena Luthor.  

She grinned and answered, setting her phone against her laptop screen. Her sleepiness vanished in the prospect of seeing her best friend’s pretty face.

“Hey, Len—oh. ”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “ Oh? Oh what?”

“Oh, uh, you’re wearing the glasses again. I’m still not used to it.” Kara eyed everything from Lena’s glasses, to her dark hair flowing freely, framing her face. “Give a gal a little warning, will ya?”

“Well, not everyone can have Kryptonian vision, and I love having the element of surprise,” Lena shot back, rolling her eyes. 

Kara snorted and chuckled quietly. “You look cozy.”

Lena glanced down at what she was wearing; a large, wool sweater that wrapped her up so nicely. 

“Oh, after the day I’ve had, I deserve to be cozy. I had to listen to these entitled assholes all day long. They all complained about trivial things! Honestly, I don’t even know why I came. This is the worst business trip ever. Esti de calisse de tabarnak, it was horrible, Kara, horrible!”

Kara’s cheeks flushed a little pink, because Rao, Lena Luthor just swore in French. French was the language of love, and despite the fact that Lena had used the most vulgar words in the French vocabulary, she still made it seem so… Kara couldn’t think of a word that didn’t make her seem too in love. 

“—are you listening?”

Kara snapped out of her thoughts, and focused back on Lena. “Uh, yeah, sorry. So this trip sucked then?”

The green-eyed woman was eyeing her carefully. After a couple seconds, she slowly replied. 

“...Yes. I’ll be coming back to National City tomorrow. Vancouver is nice and the mountains are pretty, but honestly darling, I can’t wait to be back home—” the Luthor broke off suddenly, uncharacteristically picking at the cuff of her sweater.

Kara leaned forward, smiling. She gently prodded her best friend to say more. “What is it, Lee? You know I won’t judge you.”

The hand playing with the warm sweater halted its movements, moving to the upper left chest area, coming to rest over the heart. If the Super focused hard enough, she could hear the steady lub-dub, lub-dub of the person she loved. Yes, loved.  

Ever since the throwaway comment by her favorite waiter at Noonan’s, Kara had come to terms with the true extent of her feelings, and also been daydreaming more often. She normally only had her head in the clouds in her suit, but these days her head was up there with her feet firmly on the ground. Her observant best friend could tell that her mind was wandering more as of late, but thankfully didn’t press her.

The brunette sighed and whispered into the neck of her sweater. “I miss you, Kara.” She wouldn’t make eye contact with the reporter, but Kara could see a dusting of pink on her high cheekbones. 

The blonde waited until she could see Lena’s pale green eyes (behind those damn cute glasses) before speaking. “I miss you too.” She laid her arms across her desk and dropped her head on top. “Are you sure I can’t fly over there?”

The CEO’s deep chuckle settled in Kara’s heart as she lightly chastised. “We’ve been over this, darling. National City needs Supergirl and I, a Luthor, will not be the reason shit hits the fan. Just one more day, okay?”

“Fine.” Kara pushed up her glasses and pulled her pen out from behind her ear.

A notification popped up on Kara’s phone, with an update from the contact she was meeting. A quick glance at the time showed that she had 5 minutes to get to Noonan’s.

“Rao, I gotta go. Talk later?”

“Of course.”

“Bye! Love you!” Kara quickly ended the chat and packed up her things with maybe a little super speed before heading for the café. 

It was only halfway there did it hit the blonde that 1) she had said the “l” word, 2) she hadn’t meant to say it, 3) she hadn’t given Lena a chance to respond, 4) Lena had definitely heard it, and 5) Lena was one hundred percent not going to forget it happened. She would have to deal with it later—her contact was waiting.

———

Kara yawned as she crossed over the threshold of her apartment and closed the door behind her. She had just ended a hell of a day. After finishing her article and helping firemen with mishaps all day, the Super had burned out her powers from overexertion. 

As she stretched her back and set down her satchel next to her coat rack, the door opened behind her suddenly. Grabbing the nearest thing to her, an umbrella Lena had left the last time she’d stayed over, she spun around to face the intruder—only to find her favourite Luthor standing there, with her glasses on and in the cosiest clothes possible, keys in one hand and takeout in the other. Kara quickly leaned the umbrella against the wall, as she felt her lip curve up.

“Not the greeting I was expecting, but good evening all the same, Ms. Danvers.” Lena’s lovely face, complete with trademark smirk, cocked manicured eyebrow, and now thick black-rimmed glasses, was better than any energy drink Alex had ever tried whipping up for her.

“You’re here. You’re here! Why are you here?” The blonde grabbed her keys from Lena’s soft hand as the other woman set her things on the kitchen counter.

“Unlike you, I have perfected the skill of lying. It’s in my Luthor genes, after all.” As Lena stowed the food in the fridge, her shoulders and jaw lost their tension, leaving Kara’s favorite version of her best friend behind: Soft Lena. “A half-an-hour after our FaceTime call, I was on a jet headed for National City. I’ve been in a plane for a few hours, which is why I’m in the comfiest garb possible. And my glasses, of course,” she shot a wicked grin in Kara’s direction, “which you seem to have taken a liking to.”

Kara spluttered indignantly. “Wh-wha-what? Me? Like your glasses? They’re ju—I mean, they’re not bad looking-you look great in them! But then again you look great in-in everything you wear! You look really cute right now! Okay fine, yes I like your glasses.” She took a closer look at the sweater Lena was wearing. “Is that my Hippo Campus sweater that I bought for myself two weeks ago? I thought I lost it at work!”

Lena laughed. “Yes, this is your jumper, and yes, your stuttering ramble confirmed that. As I said, dear, your lying skills are nonexistent ”—she poked at the blonde’s flat belly—“just like the amount of fat on your body!” She finished teasingly, setting her hand on Kara’s bicep. Kara was highly aware of the flush blossoming across her cheeks, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

 “I apologise for taking it, I thought I told you. It’s very comfy and for a short while, smelled like you. It felt like you were right next to me in Canada. Or rather, it smelled like you when you decide to take a shower.”

“I came out to have a good time, and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

Lena chuckled lowly. “Speaking of getting attacked, were you earlier today? I figured you would hear me before I got to your door.”

Kara snorted as she remarked dryly. “Yes, how astute of you, Ms. Luthor. I blew out my powers helping out all around the city. It’s been a hell of a day.”

“Ah, and that’s why you left your key literally still in the lock, hmmm?”

The older woman dramatically stepped away from the young Luthor, “Uh, rude! How do you know that I didn’t leave it there on purpose because I was expecting you?”

“If you say so, darling.”

The exhaustion seemed to hit Lena all at once then, as she blinked tiredly and her body sagged even further, her eyes drooping and heavy with sleep. She tried to stifle a yawn, but failed, and Kara watched as the adorableness of Soft Lena increased tenfold. The usually hardened CEO’s nose scrunched up and she let out a muffled noise as she rubbed her eyes behind her lenses. 

“Tired?”

“Mmhmm.” 

“C’mere, you.” Kara pulled Lena into a hug. “Let me guess—you didn’t sleep on the plane.”

“Mmm no, work never stops.” 

Soft Lena was too cute, and Kara couldn’t help but think of a future where she could experience her every night. She wondered what things could be like if she just found the courage to tell Lena how she truly felt. Could she say what she meant to Lena’s face, even after she accidentally let those exact three words slip? 

Having Lena in her arms made Kara feel alive, it filled a part of her heart that she was leaving empty for a certain someone. She didn’t mean for that certain someone to be Lena Luthor, but here she was. 

Said Luthor buried her head into the crook of Kara’s neck, digging in with her nose. From that point of contact, she could feel warmth. It was that feeling she felt every time she pulled Lena into a hug, every time Lena’s hand would brush softly across Kara’s. It was a feeling that nothing but Lena’s touch could create. 

“What did you mean when you said ‘Love you’?” 

Kara could feel a puff of warm air on her collarbone with every syllable as Lena spoke.

“Well, Ms. Luthor, in standard English vernacular, it means ‘I care for you, you mean a lot to me, and you have a place in my heart’. You’re my best friend, Lee. You’re my person. It’s about time I told you.” 

Kara spoke into the shorter head, not ready to tell her the whole truth yet. Not while Lena was half-dead on her feet, and probably wouldn’t remember much of this interaction the next day anyway.

Lena looked up, her tired verdant eyes filled with a bright sort of happiness. “Well then, I guess I love you too.”

Kara’s heart gave a sudden jolt, because she had never expected Lena to say those words back, given her family history and relationship with the Luthors. The fact that Lena was even willing to say it back warmed her soul.

“C’mon, to bed with you.” In a practised movement (Lena fell from way too many high places), the Super picked up the young Luthor in a bridal carry and made for the bedroom. Lena nuzzled back into Kara’s neck, mumbling a drowsy apology when her frames bumped the blonde.

The tall reporter slowly made her way to her bedroom and set Lena down on the left side, then made to change into some sleeping clothes. 

Lena sleepily slurred, “Where you goin’?” and grabbed for Kara’s hand.

“Shhh, I’m not leaving. I’m just changing into some pajamas. I’ll be quick.”

As soon as Kara finished changing into a pair of comfy sweatpants and Lena’s MIT sweater, she crawled under the covers next to the brunette. She held back a giggle when she saw that the other woman still had her glasses on, lenses reflecting the lights from the window. She slipped her best friend’s frames off first before her own, laying them both on the bedside table. When she turned back to Lena, the other woman burrowed deeply into her neck, breaths already becoming even and slow.

Kara matched her breathing with Lena’s, and let herself drift into an unconscious state, with Soft Lenas dancing in her mind.

Chapter Text

———

Snacks? Check. 

Drinks? Check.

Lena’s scotch and sweats combo? Check.

As Kara mentally ticked off her tv night list, she heard a familiar heartbeat getting closer to her apartment. She zeroed in on the sound, hearing Lena’s steady gait come to a stop outside the door. Buzzing with anticipation and excitement, the blonde traipsed toward it. 

Usually, she would wait for the Luthor to at least try and knock, but today she was too damn impatient. Her head had been filled with green eyes, shy smiles, pink cheeks, and soft hands the entire day. 

———

Their lunches were simultaneously saving and killing her; because it was a Saturday, Lena had been less uptight than during the week. Instead of a crisp business suit, she was wearing an unbrushed grey flannel open over a white tee, tight black jeans, and black Doc Martens. Over the entire cute-as-hell ensemble, she had a white lab coat, an MIT snapback, and lab goggles.

At the sight of the taller woman, the scientist’s face lit up as she pushed away from the lab table and clomped toward Kara, who set the take-out bag down to recieve Lena’s hug.

“Are those goggles...personalised?”

“Yes, they are. Problem?” Lena returned, as she pushed her goggles onto her forehead.

“No. Nope! Nah, just—I never knew my best friend was this much of a dork.”

“Oh, trust me, Miss Danvers, your best friend is this much of a dork and more.” Lena winked, before turning back to her work bench and picking up a pen. Kara followed her, draping her body over the shorter woman as she tried to finish writing her notes.

“Kara! Get off me! I need to finish this!”

“Please, as if you don’t have a photographic memory.”

“Okay, true. Still, let me finish, and then we can eat!”

“Deal.”

———

Damn. She had to get this crush under control before it got too out of hand. Before she turned the door handle, Kara hesitated and sent a prayer up to Rao. Please, let Lena be wearing her glasses. 

With a whoosh, Kara opened up the door to an amused Lena.

“I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point. You could hear my heart from the end of the hall, couldn’t you?”

“And your shoes. Your gait is very unique.”

“Well, it’s all in the hips, darling.” Lena smirked and patted her thigh as she passed a red-faced, stuttering Kara. She shucked off her coat and toed off her Doc Martens, before turning back to the reporter, who was still trying to find her words. 

The young Luthor had changed from her lab outfit, and was now wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a red-and-black checked flannel with the sleeves rolled up, her hands and face stained with black smudges. On top of her dark locks, a snapback put backwards, and—yes!—her thick black-rimmed glasses. She looked like she had just come back from a debaucherous road trip. Rao, Kara was going to have a gay aneurysm.

Who gave Lena the permission to look so good?! What was her secret? 

Before Kara knew what was happening, she felt warm lips on her cheek, and arms encircling her neck. This was a new, but welcome addition to their routine that had started the fateful brunch day—a hug and a cheek peck from the person she called home. 

But unlike the previous times, this one was dangerously close to her mouth. It was intoxicating, feeling Lena’s lips on her face, and smelling the isopropyl alcohol, machine grease, and burnt rubber from the basement lab that the younger woman had been tinkering in. 

“I missed you today,” the brunette CEO’s lips ghosted the shell of Kara’s ear as the blonde pulled her best friend into a lingering hug. “I’m sorry that the lab doesn’t have cell service. I’ll try to fix that,” Lena continued as she pulled back and made eye contact with the taller woman, “right after I finish saving the world.” She winked and shot a roguish smirk at Kara.

“Oh, gosh, it’s okay! All the more incentive to go visit you in person down in the ol’ basement lab, right?” Kara eventually got her bearings and gently shut the door. “But I missed you too, if that wasn’t clear.” She followed Lena into the kitchen and hugged the shorter woman from behind before reaching into the Luthor’s back jean pocket, where she knew a perfectly ironed, starched, and monogrammed handkerchief was stored.

“Here, turn around, you got some stuff on your face.” Kara motioned for the brunette to do so, and Lena hopped up on the kitchen counter. “Hey! If your butt leaves prints on the marble that I just cleaned today, you’re scrubbing it, Luthor!”

“Aye aye, captain.”

“Okay, hush, and gimme your face.” The reporter stepped in between the CEO’s legs and gently held Lena’s chin with a hand while wiping away the grease on her jaw with the other. When she finished, instead of stepping back, she lingered.

Tell her. 

“Thank you, darling.” The shorter woman’s words drew short puffs across the blonde’s face.

Kara had never been this close to Lena before. Perhaps a close second was behind that table at the cafe a few weeks ago, when the gunman shot up their favourite brunch spot. At this distance, she could see the flecks of blue within the green, and light refracting prettily through the prescription lenses and the irises. Oh, she really wanted to bump glasses frames off and spill all her feelings to her best friend. But, at the last moment, like always, she chickened out.

As she nudged the frames up the proud Luthor nose with a knuckle, Kara stepped away from Lena. “Hey, how about you take a shower and change before we get this movie night started?”

“Good idea. I’ll be back. No eavesdropping, now.” With a popped brow and a smirk, Lena whisked into the bathroom with a change of clothes and a towel.

Kara could hear the buttons popping off, clothes sliding to the floor, and glasses clunk on the bathroom counter. She left before the water started, going to Italy and Japan to grab some authentic pizza and potstickers. The longer the distance, the better.

———

When Kara flew back through the window, she found Lena had already made herself cosy on the couch with a glass of wine and a thick book. The glasses were still there, but the young Luthor had changed into the oversized sweater and joggers Kara had left out on her bed. 

“Oh, hello, love. Where’ve you been?”

Kara grinned widely and held up her bounty. “Japan and Italy. Let’s eat!”

Setting her book on the coffee table, Lena swung her legs back onto the ground and made room on the couch for the other woman. “What’s on the menu?”

“A tried-and-true favourite. Pizza and potstickers!” As Kara opened up the containers and was hit with the delicious smell emanating from them, Lena snuck a potsticker, moaning at the taste.

“Ohhh, that tastes so good. Why haven’t we done this sooner? God, I’m starved. ”

“Lee! Did you not have supper?”

“... No? I was busy, working on a project…”

“Lena!” Kara pushed a container of potstickers into the brunette’s lap. “Get some food in you! Oh, and hand over the remote. It’s my turn to choose.”

The women ate quickly as they watched Elementary, quoting Joan and Sherlock’s lines to each other. By the halfway point of “The Long Fuse”, they had both finished their late dinner and soon, Lena was curled up against Kara like a koala. Kara could feel and hear Lena’s steady heart rate and breathing, and knew the other woman was truly relaxed with her. She smiled to herself, as she wound her arm around Lena.

Before she knew it, the credits were on the screen. As they sat in a hush, Lena suddenly turned to her.

“Kar?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you like anyone?”

Kara stiffened as she whipped her head to her side to look at her best friend. “Uhhhhh, why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. You seem...lighter these days.”

The blonde reporter sank back into the couch, contemplating what she should say next. Her hand rose to weave in between Lena’s dark locks as she tried to assemble her words.

Ah, screw it. Might as well. 

“Okay, well, as a matter of fact, I do like someone,” Kara said, focusing intently on the hair that moved through her fingers.

“Do tell.”

Kara finally looked up and made eye contact with her best friend, who was smiling in that way. The soft and gentle smile that Kara knew was only for her, only directed at her when they were alone. It was that smile, that made Kara want to tell part of the truth. “I’m not namin’ any names, but she’s a great person. Kind, witty, pretty—heck, really pretty. I met her at work.”

Lena raised an eyebrow, and ran her fingers lightly over Kara’s cheek, sending goosebumps across her arms and a shiver down her spine. Lena leaned in, her face only inches away from Kara’s, and whispered, “Well, she certainly sounds like a keeper.”

“Weelllll, here’s the kicker. I’m not quite sure she likes me back. Kind of hard to tell, she’s got a poker face for days.”

Lena brought her face in even closer to Kara’s, and Kara felt her breath hitch. She wanted to move back, but the green eyes were so magnetising. 

“You know, if she really likes you back, I think she’d show you,” Lena murmured, one hand running through Kara’s cropped blonde hair, the other rubbing small, lingering circles on her shoulder.

“Y-you think?”

“Oh, yes. I think she’d try as hard as she could to make it clear, without making it too obvious,” Lena replied as she tucked her head in the crook of the Super’s neck. Her next words came out muffled, but she knew Kara would be able to hear her. “She’d be lucky to have you, darling.”

“Ahhah, thanks Lee,” was the only thing Kara managed to say. With Lena’s face so close to her own, it took all of her willpower not to give in and just confess.

C’mon. Tell her. 

Abruptly, Kara pulled away from the shorter woman and quickly moved to stand. “Hey, it’s getting late. We should get to bed.”

If she hadn’t been so preoccupied in her mind, Kara would’ve heard Lena letting out a small huff of disappointment. Holding out a hand for the shorter woman, she pulled Lena up and they headed to the bedroom.

Lena got into the bed first as the Kryptonian followed her nightly routine of checking the locks on her door and windows. As Kara crawled under the covers, the younger woman moved closer to her, practically lying on top of the blonde.

“Hey! Your nose is cold!”

“Sorry, love, but you’re so warm and cosy. And your skin is so warm anyway, it’ll warm up soon.”

“I guess. Cooking breakfast together tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan. Goodnight dar—”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Kara gently teased, tapping on the frames still on Lena’s face.

“—oh. Right. Thank you, darling, and goodnight.” Lena leaned across Kara to deposit her glasses on the nightstand table, and returned to her older woman’s side to nuzzle into her neck. 

“Night, Lee.”

“Mhm.”

———

Kara woke with a pressure on her chest; but for once, she was glad for it. She smiled down at the sleeping woman curled up in her arms. Taking in a deep breath and looking towards the window, she felt herself getting excited for the new day. Normally once she woke up, she would engage in a full-body stretch, but today she decided against it. 

As she zeroed in on Lena’s softened face, she noticed how much younger the CEO looked when the enormous weight she possessed was lifted off her shoulders. Slowly, she moved her head to the side to steal a look at the clock on her bedside stand. 

Kara raised an eyebrow when she saw the blinking numbers forming a 05:28. That was a bit early, even for her. She wondered what had woken her up when she heard it: sirens and yelling from first responders, a few blocks away.

Suddenly, Kara felt a hand sluggishly moving across her face, attempting to close her eyes.

“I can hear you thinking from down here. Go back to sleep, it’s too early for your cheerful bullshit.” Even though Lena’s words were muttered into the crook of Kara’s neck, her superhuman hearing picked it up. 

“No can do,” Kara whispered, “I hear sirens. I’m National City’s hero, and right now the people need me.”

“And if I need you more?”

“Lee…” Kara thought her heart was going to burst, under the full intensity of Lena’s soft gaze. The sleepy smile directed her way made the urge to tell her best friend the depth of her love all the more stronger.

“I’ll be quick, okay? You stay in bed. I’ll be back before you know it, and we can have more cuddles.” Kara pulled the other woman into a tight hug. Then, she sat up and moved to grab her glasses,with Lena’s hand keeping hold on her waist for as long as possible.

“Wait.” Slightly puzzled, the blonde hero turned back to Lena, only to have her face cupped on one side by the younger woman’s hand, a quick peck placed on the cheek.

“Fly safe, Supergirl. I’ll be waiting.”

With a cheeky salute and a whoosh, Kara was off to save the day.

———

It turned out the emergency was a minor one, and it was resolved quite quickly. Waving off thank yous from first responders, Kara quickly flew back to her apartment, where her favourite person was waiting for her. 

As soon as her feet touched down, she was out of her suit and into her warm, comfy bed. Lena was still awake, but only just barely. With sleep-slurred words and soft smiles, the drowsy Luthor soon lulled the reporter into a deep sleep.

When Kara woke again, it was to the soft tracing of her face. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring straight into bright green ones. 

“You never did tell me how you got this scar…”

“I’ll tell you while we make breakfast?”

“Deal.”

“Race you to the kitchen!”

“Kara!”

Lena caught up with Kara soon enough, after grabbing her glasses. By the time she walked into the kitchen, the blonde was already frying up bacon. As Lena started mixing up some pancake batter, Kara glanced over at her best friend while she whisked together eggs. With the vestiges of sleep still within her features, her hair rumpled, and her glasses on her nose, Lena looked absolutely beautiful. Whether in a suit, ballgown, or pyjamas, she never failed to look amazing. Once again, Kara’s mind wandered, imagining seeing this version of Lena every morning, getting to experience the returned love she had for her best friend. If only she had the guts.

She doesn’t live forever, Danvers. You have to tell her soon.

Suddenly, Kara felt resistance on her whisking hand. Lena’s warm hand was on hers, halting her action. 

Looking at the younger woman’s lovely face, she noticed dots of yellow at the edges of her vision. Why were there—

“Kar, the eggs are starting to foam. I tried to get your attention a couple times, but your head seemed elsewhere.” As she spoke, Lena gently pulled off the blonde’s glasses, wiping the splattered egg off the lenses with the hem of the t-shirt she wore under her sweater.

Glancing down at the bowl, Kara saw that the other woman was right. “Ah, whoops. Just thinking about, uh—”

“Unnamed mystery girl that you’ve got a crush on?” Lena stepped closer to the taller woman, slipping the black frames back on her nose.

“Yup! Gosh, you’re such a good guesser.” Kara nodded jerkily looking anywhere else but Lena, until finally she made eye contact with the brunette, only to find Lena looking at her with concern in her eyes.

“You sure you’re alright, darling? Your head’s been up in the clouds a lot lately. What’s on your mind? You know you can tell me anything.”

With a sigh, Kara put down her fork and turned her body fully to face her best friend, winding her arms around Lena’s neck. “Honestly?” She smiled softly, “You’ve been on my mind quite a bit. I’ve been so stressed and everything else in my life has gone to shit, but you’ve been here through it all. I don’t know how I would’ve made it this far otherwise.” Stepping further into Lena’s space, Kara tightened her arms around her neck as her head tucked under her chin. “Thanks for being by my side. I love you, more than you know, Lee.”

The arms around Kara’s waist squeezed once, and Lena nuzzled further into her embrace. “No one I’d rather stand by, darling. I know I don’t say it as often as you do...but I hope you know that I love you too, Kar.”

“It’s okay, you show it in other ways.” Kara sniffed the pan on the stove and frowned. “Now, I hate to break up a vulnerable moment, but your pancakes are beginning to burn, Miss Luthor.”

As Lena sprang into action, Kara chuckled and turned back to her bowl of eggs, coming up to the brunette’s side to prepare another skillet on the range. Clearing her throat, she changed the subject.

“So...you know on Krypton, I didn’t have any powers, right.”

“Yes, the red sun made you powerless, or however you want to call it.”

“Right, so I could get hurt there.”

“Oh dear, and I know how clumsy you are…”

“Yeah. I had a pet dog there, his name was Krypto—“

“Very original.“

“—I know, I know, I was really young! I loved him very much, but he made me get into all sorts of trouble. One day, he ran into the street and I chased after him, only to whack my head into a pod floating by. I cried about it for days, but I learned my lesson after that.” Rifling her fingers through her short blonde hair, Kara shook her head. “Still reminds me not to run headfirst into situations—it’s kept me alive this far.”

Lena snorted as she walked to the dining table with the steaming stack of pancakes. “I can’t say I’m surprised that you got hurt because of a dog. It seemed entirely on-brand for you, dear.”

“Yeah, sure, laugh it up.”

———

As the women ate breakfast, they skipped around many topics that continued as they cleaned up before migrating to the couch. They traded stories from their younger years as they curled up together. Minutes went by, as they enjoyed each other’s presence.

Without warning, Lena’s phone chimed. Kara knew what the tone meant: their slumber party was coming to a close, and reality was seeping in again. Lena was needed at L-Corp.

After the CEO had gathered her things and Kara had helped her with her shoes, Lena turned to the taller woman with a grateful smile. Her arms wrapped around Kara’s slim waist snugly, almost as if she was reluctant in her goodbye.

“Thank you for the rare good night of rest. It’s not every night I end up in bed with a pretty woman and actually use it for sleeping.”

Did Lena do this on purpose? She always seemed to know how to knock Kara off-balance by the slightest bit. With a chuckle, the blonde tightened her arms around the younger woman. Pulling back to make eye contact, Kara cradled Lena’s jaw with both hands as she leaned in to give her forehead a kiss.

“Glad to be of service. I’ll stop by with lunch?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you then, darling.”

With one last adjustment of blonde hair, a lingering cheek kiss, and a wave, Lena left Kara leaning in the doorway of her apartment, looking forward to another sleepover.

———

Chapter Text

———

“Jess, I thought I asked not to be disturbed.”

“I have coffee and gelato—didn’t want them to go off.” Kara hid a small grin as she saw her best friend’s head snap up faster than a pirahna’s jaw. “Think you can make an exception?”

“For you, always.” As Lena stood from her chair and rounded her desk, Kara entered the office fully, closing the door behind her. Setting the things down on the coffee table, she straightened up just in time to catch Lena’s hug.

“Hey, stranger,” Lena pressed her lips onto the reporter’s cheek as she wound her arms around Kara’s waist. “Been a while since I saw you.”

“We literally saw each other for lunch six hours ago, but okay.”

“Hush, I missed you.”

Kara snorted as she shook her head. “Missed you too. Busy day?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Got time for a small break?”

“At this point, darling, I deserve a life-long break from board meetings. I despise them with all my heart.” Her black-rimmed lenses glinting in the low light, Lena rolled her eyes dramatically and groaned under her breath as she walked back to her desk to drop her pen.

Now’s the time, Danvers.

Kara’s right hand went to scratch the back of her head and her left fidgeted with the leather strap of the satchel slung over her shoulder, as she struggled to spit out the words she had rehearsed for hours in front of her mirror.

I love you, Lena Kieran Luthor. I always have. And I want nothing more than to show you, for the rest of our lives.

A hand on her forearm shook her out of her thoughts. “Kara dear, I might be rich as hell, but I don’t like to replace things if I don’t have to. If I hadn’t stopped you, you would’ve worn a hole straight through the floor, and I really don’t know how I would explain that to Liz.”

“Liz?”

“My contractor. Stop changing the subject! It’s very obvious that you’re preoccupied.” The young Luthor rubbed small circles into the taller woman’s biceps. “You can tell me anything, darling, you know that, right?”

Kara sighed wearily as she gently slipped her glasses off, rubbing her nose bridge and clipping her frames to her dress shirt placket. She groaned and put her head in her hands, mumbling quickly, “Ihavesomethingtotellyou.”

Lena huffed a low, amused chuckle as she stepped closer to Kara, gently peeling away the reporter’s hands from her face. Swiping a thumb across one of the blonde’s cheeks, she sent a soft smile Kara’s way and got one in return. “There’s a smile. Now, I am incredibly smart, but even I can’t understand nervous Kara English.” Taking one of Kara’s hands, Lena placed it over her heart. “Relax, dear, and take your time.”

Kara could feel the steady thrum of her best friend’s heart under her palm, the soothing circles on the back of her hand from Lena’s thumb. Her shoulders sagged, and she took one last deep breath in. “I have something to tell you. And it will probably change our relationship. It’s a pretty big secret.”

Lena raised an eyebrow, moving her left hand from the reporter’s face to her chest, rubbing the raised outline of her crest, hidden under her dress shirt, with her thumb. “Even as big as this?”

“I’d put it on the same level.”

“And have you been keeping this secret from me since the beginning of our relationship, as well?”

“Well, technically. But I wasn’t really aware of it at the time? I just realised it, but looking back I can see it’s been there since the beginning.”

With a still raised brow, Lena moved to rest her arms on the taller woman’s shoulders, her voice gentling even further. “You can tell me. It won’t change a thing, unless you want it to.”

“Okay, here it is. I” —Kara’s phone rang, making her groan— “goddammit.” Her forehead dropped, making contact with Lena’s, as she dug her phone out of her slacks pocket with a sigh. “Yeah, what’s up, Al?” After listening for a couple seconds, the Super hung up, still keeping their foreheads connected. 

“Can we pick this up later?” Kara whispered across the small space, resting her hands on the shorter woman’s waist. “Lex is up to no good again.”

The youngest Luthor hummed as the edges of her lips quirked up. “Of course.” Winding her arms around the other woman’s neck, she bumped her nose against Kara’s before nuzzling the crook of her neck. The CEO was the picture of quiet confidence; but under her blouse, her heart belied her calm facade. 

Kara stepped away from Lena, quickly shedding her clothes and satchel, leaving her standing in her blue uniform. Walking out to the balcony, she was prepared to fly off when she felt something pulling on her cloak. 

Turning back to her best friend, the question Kara had on her lips died when she saw the look on Lena’s face. The tightened mouth and worry lines made the blonde grasp at the fidgeting hands, stilling them.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come back in one piece.”

“You better.” Lena’s calm bluff and her voice broke at the same time as she came closer, pressing her lips into the taller woman’s cheek. “Fly safe, Supergirl. I’ll be waiting for you.”

———

The first thing Kara felt as she came to was an overwhelming sense of cold and tiredness. It was a weird feeling, one that she had very rarely. Oh, scratch that. She was cold everywhere except for on her right leg. 

What the chocolate chip cookie?

With her eyes still closed due to exhaustion, Kara attempted to dial into her other senses. Other than feeling cold, she could feel the rough hospital gown and gurney sheets, and smell the antiseptic of the DEO medical bay. Ah, hold on...was that jasmine and mint? 

Kara relaxed slightly. There was only one person she knew with that perfume. Alex smelled like eucalyptus and sandalwood, Kelly smelled like lavender and citrus, and Nia smelled like vanilla and rose. It was Lena who was partial to jasmine and mint.

———

“Ugh.”

Kara looked up from the article she was typing on the couch in Lena’s office, towards the desk Lena was sitting behind. 

“Hmm?”

With another huff, the shorter woman stood up from her chair and walked towards where Kara sat, carrying a small bottle.

“It’s this perfume I bought. Here, smell.”

Kara did so, and she looked confusedly at Lena, now seated next to her. “What’s it supposed to be?”

“Jasmine and mint.”

“I can smell both of those.” Kara furrowed her brow as she continued sniffing the bottle. “Am I missing something here?”

“No one makes it the way I’d like. They’re all too flowery and wispy, and too jasmine-forward. I want the earthy mint coming through more, you know? I’ve half a mind to learn how to make perfume so I can do it myself.” 

Of course, Kara could not let this stand. Handing the bottle back to the brunette and resuming her typing, the blonde bumped her shoulder into Lena’s. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll find a perfume to your tastes eventually.”

“God, I hope so.”

Later that night, using her journalist skills, Kara learned the skills of a perfumer. It was hard to do it without Lena knowing, but using her speed she finished her reporter work a little bit sooner than normal, leaving a few hours every day to research. Feeling confident after two days of research gathering, Kara borrowed the DEO lab, and Alex’s nose, to bang away at a fragrance of her own. 

After two weeks of sneaking around the brunette, the reporter had come up with something she felt the CEO would appreciate. She presented the perfume (along with the specs) that night, and was pleasantly surprised to find that Lena loved it. The feeling in her chest when she saw the young Luthor’s face split into a bright grin was indescribable; Kara wished she could bottle that up.

———

Finally, Kara opened her eyes, wincing as the bright light hit her retinas. She raised her right hand to shield her eyes from the sunlamps overhead as her eyes adjusted to the light. Looking down at her lap, she found the source of the warm spot—Lena was fast asleep, piled on her legs. Her laptop and glasses were on a small table, a makeshift desk, next to her chair. 

The younger woman looked like a doctorate student, with her hair up in a messy bun, clothed in grey sweatpants and Kara’s National City University sweatshirt. At this point, it was more Lena’s anyway, with the frequency she wore it.

As she raised a hand to meet the dark locks, Kara remembered the words Lex had spit at her before pulling the trigger and sending a kryptonite bullet through her midsection.

“If you want to keep my darling little sister safe, you will break off all contact. Immediately. And make it believable! Or I won’t hesitate to kill her before your filthy alien eyes.”

Her hand and smile dropped simultaneously, and Kara shifted uncomfortably under the covers. This woke the light sleeper Lena, who rubbed her eyes and put her glasses back on, before turning to the blonde.

Lena’s nose crinkled up as she sent that smile in Kara’s direction, making the Kryptonian’s heart race. But it sank to her stomach as she steeled herself for what she had to do next.

“Morning, sleepyhead. You had quite a rough night—“ 

“Get out.”

Because Kara’s eyes were focused on the white wall straight ahead, she missed Lena’s spine stiffening, eyes blinking, and mouth tightening.

“I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?”

“I said,” Kara turned to the youngest Luthor, sky blue meeting pale green, “get out. I don’t want to see you.” She returned to staring at the wall, after spitting the words out.

Lena grabbed her hand, making the reporter flinch and pull away. “Kar...please. Talk to me. What’s going on, what aren’t you telling me?”

“I’m not going to say it again. Get. Out.”

In the corner of her eye, Kara could see her best friend building up her walls again, as Lena’s nightmare became a reality. The raven-haired woman had mentioned it several times before, a nightmare of Kara cutting off her friendship with her, that had kept Lena up many sleepless nights. 

Normally, Kara would apologise. Her heartstrings were pulled taut as she saw the other woman’s face crumble before putting up the Luthor mask that everyone was subject to. Kara wasn’t an exception anymore—she was just like everyone else, turning her back on the constantly betrayed woman. 

As Lena dropped her shoulders in quiet resignation and slowly picked up her laptop, Kara sagged deeper into the bed. She didn’t want to do this, she wanted to hold Lena in her arms and fall asleep to her heartbeat. But she was willing to do anything to keep her best friend safe.

As Lena moved to exit the room, the door swung open and Alex entered. The older Danvers sister furrowed her brow when she saw the youngest Luthor leaving, but she wisely held her tongue until Lena had left the room. Alex spun to face Kara.

“Wha—“

“Don’t ask, you won’t get an answer.”

“I—okay.” Alex slowly walked to Kara’s bedside, brow still furrowed. She took the seat that Lena had vacated, eyeing the injured superhero carefully. The sisters sat in silence for a while, until Kara couldn’t take it anymore.

“Sooo...am I allowed to go home?”

“Yes. But! You blew out your powers, so once you get to your apartment you! Will! Not! Leave! Got it? Lena’s got your work covered. You just worry about getting better, okay?”

Kara grumbled, but softened slightly as Alex brushed her blonde hair away from her face. “Thanks Alex, and I’m sorry for worrying you again. I love you.”

“I love you too, sis. It’s okay, I’m used to it. I’ll swing by your place later tonight with some pizza.”

“Sounds good!” Kara swung her feet over the side of the bed, standing up and stretching out her limbs.

“Oh, and Lena’s taking you home.”

At this, Kara froze. Selfless, lovely Lena, of course she volunteered to drive Kara back. But that wouldn’t do; Lex wanted all communication ceased, and the Kryptonian was not willing to test the older Luthor sibling, not this time.

“You know...Lena’s already really busy with trying to cover for me at work and leading two businesses...and she already wasted most of today by spending it at my bedside! I think I’ll just get a taxi.”

Alex stared at her for a few seconds, but the DEO director had enough pressing issues. “Okay, fine. Just get home safe. Text me when you get there?”

“You got it. See you later, Al.”

After grabbing her glasses and putting on her shoes, Kara was out the door and on the sidewalk outside the DEO building, waiting for a cab.

As she got to her apartment, Kara felt like she was wading through molasses. She shuffled around her living space on autopilot, until she finally landed in her bed. It wasn’t until she was under the warm covers, surrounded by a comforting smell of jasmine and mint, that she realised she was wearing one of Lena’s sweaters she had taken from her. 

She missed her best friend so deeply, it hurt. As much as Kara wanted to text Lena and ask her to come over, there was nothing she could do except tuck her nose into the neck of the pullover, breathing deeply as the comfort and warmth pulled her under consciousness.

———

“Hey, Kara. Wake up! I have pizza and hot chicken noodle soup in the kitchen.”

At Alex’s quiet words, Kara stirred and popped her eyes open. 

“Hey Alex. Time s’it?”

“It’s 17:45. You’ve been asleep for about nine hours. How are you feeling?”

“Sore and tender in the center, but otherwise okay.”

“Good. You won’t be leaving this place until you’re one-hundred percent healed. Now c’mon, the pizza and soup are getting cold.”

As they ate, Alex updated Kara on the Lex situation. He was still at large, but the DEO was working with Lena to try and find him. Kara’s reporting job was still safe, and Lena was taking care of everything smoothly.

Kara felt a twinge of guilt hearing about the last part, but there was nothing she could do. The sisters ate quickly with little speaking after that, and soon the reporter was back under the covers, in a restless state of sleep again. 

———

As soon as Kara woke up, she could tell it was going to be a very long day. While she wasn’t diagnosed with depression or other disorders, sometimes she had off days. With nothing to do but hang around her apartment, the reporter’s bad mind space got even worse.

To her side, Kara’s phone buzzed. Two pulses; one short, one long, for the morse code letter A. That was the special vibration set for Alex. She reached for her phone on the nightstand table slowly as it buzzed again.

Al🔫: Brunch later today?

Kar🥟: Rain check? I just need some space.

Al🔫: Sounds good. Love you.

Kar🥟: Have fun with Kelly tonight! Love you too.

Kara moved to throw her phone back on the table when her phone background caught her eye. It was a photo of Lena from the previous week, one of their mornings together. The normally put together businesswoman had flour on her nose, hair, glasses, hands, and clothes, the aftermath of a flour fight. If she was mad about being covered in flour, Kara couldn’t tell. The smile stretched across Lena’s face and the light refracting in her irises made Kara’s heart skip in her chest, so much so that she had to snap a photo.

Opening up her photos app, Kara thumbed the folder with a heart. This was the album with candids of Lena, that she had taken with her superspeed. As she scrolled through the photos, Kara felt tears pricking her eyes, remembering the happy moments with the dark-haired CEO. She buried her face into her pillow, as sobs shook her body like a leaf in the wind.

Suddenly, Kara heard three firm taps on the door. She groaned as she picked up her head to look through the door, and saw that it was Lena standing on the other side. Kara hesitated, and for a moment she debated not opening the door at all, but she wanted— she needed to see her, even if it was only for a second, even if she was going to slam the door in her face. 

Kara stood and walked to the door, her hand trembling as she turned the doorknob. She swung the door open and there stood Lena Luthor, her long raven hair messily done up in a bun at the top of her head. Her green eyes were glinting with unspilled tears behind her thick black frames, and Kara could almost hear her heart shatter. 

“Kara, tell me what I did wrong. Whatever it was, I’m sorry. Just… tell me what I can do to fix this. Please, ” Lena’s voice cracked on the last word, as the younger woman struggled to keep herself together. Kara could feel tears brimming in her eyes but she forced herself to keep them in, she couldn’t cry, she couldn’t.

“It’s nothing.” Kara’s voice was quiet, as she gripped the doorframe so hard the wood cracked. “You should go.”

I’m sorry. I love you. 

Those were the words Kara wanted to say, the words she needed to say. But she didn’t. Instead of reaching forward, the reporter stepped back into her apartment.

“Kara, wait—”

But Kara had already slammed the door shut. She thought back to the conversation they’d had before she had left to fight Lex, how she had been so close to telling Lena everything. Now it was ruined. 

Through the door, Kara heard a muffled sob, and she slumped to the floor, pressing her forehead into the grain of her door. With her enhanced vision, she saw that Lena had done the same. The dark-haired CEO was kneeling on the floor outside her apartment, her hand pressed against the wood. Kara aligned her own hand with Lena’s, where they would have been touching had the door not been between them. Their fingers would have been intertwined, sharing each other’s warmth.

I’m here for you, Lena. 

Rao, she wished Lena could see her, or hear her, or feel her.  

Through the door, Kara saw Lena stand up, wipe away her tears, and start walking towards the elevator. After vacillating with her hand on the doorknob for a few moments, she wrenched open the door, fully intent on following the young Luthor. She stopped in her tracks when she found a small, rectangular box on her doormat.

Cautiously, the reporter bent down to examine the small parcel. It was plain, and light, but when she tried to look through it, she found that she could not. Bringing it into her kitchen, she eyed the box warily as she poured herself a cup of water. 

Deciding that it wasn’t going to kill her, Kara opened the box to find a pair of glasses and a slip of paper. Am I really that bad with my glasses? Opening the note, she found Lena’s flowing script, the pen ink running into tear stains.

Kara,

I finally finished making this a couple of nights ago, a thank-you gift for the lovely perfume you made me. I’d like you to put them on. I know, it looks just like a normal pair of glasses. But please, indulge me.

Kara did as Lena asked, slipping off her current pair and grabbing the new one. As soon as she picked it up, she could instantly tell it was heavier. As she settled the new frames on her nose, she continued to read.

Now that you have them on, I want you to feel along the arm of the frames, on the left side. You should feel a tiny button. Press it.

Kara pressed the small raised area that Lena had pointed out on the frame, and gasped. Right there, as if the brunette herself was in her arms, was the sound of Lena’s steady heartbeat thudding in her ears.

Ever since you told me a couple of weeks ago that you use my heartbeat as a way to ground yourself when you feel anxious or panicked, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I wanted to make sure you could listen to it when you blew your powers out. You do seem to do that quite a lot, darling. 

I was going to wait and give it to you the next time you had a solar flare, but recent events moved the timeline up. I don’t know what’s happening, dear, but just know that I’m here for you. 

I may not be near you physically, but my heart will quite literally be. At least, the beating of it.

Much love,

your Lena

That did it. Kara could feel tears running down her face, and she wasn’t surprised that most of the tear stains were at the end of the note. Even though she had been a complete jerk to the scientist, Lena had gone out of her way to make something specifically for the blonde. More than ever, Kara felt like she didn’t deserve her best friend’s affection. 

Carefully folding the note back up, Kara threw herself onto the bed, still wearing the glasses. Her heart was in so much pain, and she needed to get some of it out. Kara sat up and mopped away the tears from her face with the sleeve of Lena’s sweatshirt that she was wearing.

Rolling off the bed, Kara kneeled next to it, and reached under, feeling around until her hand felt the lead box hidden below. She pulled it out, setting it gently on her mattress. 

Before walking to the bathroom, Kara pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing. She didn’t want to get Lena’s sweater stained with her dirty, tainted blood. She took her time, folding it the way she used to do in university. Turn to the back, cross the sleeves, fold the sides in, and fold up at three points. Kara left the sweatshirt on the bed, then headed to the tiled area.

As soon as she opened the lead box, the glow of green fell upon her, and Kara’s breath hitched in pain. There laid one blade of Kryptonite, and even such a small piece of the green substance was weakening her. 

It was the only thing in the world that could kill her. 

Kara pressed the blade against her wrist, and let out a scream through gritted teeth, because what the fuck was she even living for at this point? Everything, her whole life, meant nothing if Lena wasn’t in it.

Lena’s heartbeat was a dull drum in Kara’s head, a reminder of a gentler day, when Kara could rest her head against the young Luthor’s chest and listen to her heartbeat. Usually the thumping beat would be accompanied by soft fingers combing through her blonde hair, lulling her to sleep. Right now, her eyes were closing and her head felt heavy for an entirely different reason.

As she collapsed against the bathroom counter and slid down to the floor, Kara saw nothing but red pooling on the white tile. The air stinging from exposed skin sliced open haphazardly, the pain tingling in her arm, felt so good. As black spots started popping up in her vision, Kara slumped over to her side, her cheek making contact with the cool floor. The glasses Lena had gifted her got knocked off in the process, but she didn’t have the strength to reach for them.

Unbeknownst to her, the tumblers clicked in the lock of her front door, before swinging open.

“Kara?” Lena’s voice was faint in Kara’s ears, mixing in with the loud thumping of the Luthor’s heartbeat.

“Alex gave me her key, and said I should come over to break the news. Lex has been caught, and Alex is booking him as we speak.” Lena’s footsteps slowly moved from the kitchen area towards Kara’s bedroom, as her heart started to pick up its pace.

The pounding in Kara’s ears was significantly louder and faster, panicked even. “Kara, listen… whatever happened, we can work it out. Like we always do.”

Lena’s voice quavered, possessing an undercurrent of fear and anxiety that she valiantly tried to hide. 

“Love? Are you sleeping?”

Lena’s footsteps were in Kara’s bedroom now, getting closer to where she was bleeding out. By now, she has probably seen the light on in the bathroom, spilling out from the crack at the bottom.

“Kar? Are you alright? Kar, what’s— Oh my god— ”

The door opened and Kara could hear Lena’s shocked gasp, loud and clear. She couldn’t lift her head, but she could see Lena’s socks and cuffed jeans, as the brunette ran toward the steadily paling blonde. 

“KARA! Stay with me, stay with me, please!” Some shuffling. Lena’s soft and warm, trembling hands took the kryptonite out of Kara’s limp grasp, and she heard the click of the lead box closing, stopping some of the pain coursing through her veins. 

“Alex! Kara’s hurt! She used kryptonite on herself. I know you’re on a date with Kelly, but please get over here as quickly as you can!”

The last thing Kara heard before her vision went completely dark was Lena pleading her to, “Stay with me, Kara! ”

——— 

Kara was beginning to get an extreme sense of deja vu. She was spending more time in beds than she liked. As she sat up, rubbing her cheeks, her eyes fell on the vacated chair next to her bed, Lena’s laptop open and running, but no Lena in sight. Concentrating on her hearing, she found the businesswoman pacing in the living room in her heels, conducting a meeting. Kara chuckled to herself, as she glanced down at her left forearm, which was wrapped in white gauze. 

She poked at the wrapping, but didn’t feel any pain, so she slowly moved to unwind it. It was hard to pull apart the layers due to the dried blood, but eventually she revealed her flawless skin underneath. Kara sighed wearily—just once, she wished that she could have scars, to show weak moments of pain. 

At that moment, Lena came through the doorway of the bedroom to find Kara staring at her wrist.

“Kar! You’re awake! Fuck, I’m so glad you’re okay, but never scare me like that again!” Lena climbed up onto the bed, launching herself into Kara’s strong arms. The blonde followed her momentum and laid back down on the pillow, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman.

“I’m sorry for making you worry. I just wanted to feel something, and see something other than perfect skin.” Kara burrowed her nose into dark locks as she continued. “And while I’m apologising, I’m sorry for pushing you away at the DEO. Lex threatened to kill you, right in front of me, unless I stopped talking to you. You have no idea how much it hurt me to cut you out like that.”

Lena hummed as she pulled back to make eye contact with Kara, unshed tears glimmering. “I figured it was something like that. It’s fine, I forgive you. You’re too stupid cute to be mad at for long, anyway. But we aren't done talking about this, you know that, right?”

"Ugh, fine. Yes. But let's do it another day." Kara remembered a detail from before she passed out. "Where's Alex?"

"She's back at home, with Kelly. Do you want to give her a call?"

Reaching over to the bedside table, Lena handed the phone to Kara. Alex picked up within two rings.

"Kar! Are you okay?"

"I am okay, actually. And getting better. It's fine, I just...spiraled. I'll tell you about it on Sister Day?"

"Sounds good. I love you."

"Love you too, Al. Say hi to Kelly for me!"

Throwing the phone back onto the nightstand, Kara laid back down as Lena moved up to cuddle up on the older woman's chest, tuning in to the strong, steady beat. Kara just about melted at the sight of the fully relaxed CEO lying on top of her. With her hearing tuned into the dark-haired Luthor's heartbeat, soon they were synchronised. As Kara's muscles started to relax as well, a sudden rumbling from her stomach interrupted the soft moment.

Kara felt the chuckle in Lena’s chest before hearing it. “C’mon, Supergirl, let’s go rustle you something to eat, before your stomach eats your body from the inside out.”

For the rest of the night, it was an unspoken agreement that the conversation left interrupted at the L-Corp office would be revisited another day. Instead, Lena and Kara took advantage of the lazy night in.

———

Chapter Text

———

“No, I can’t accept that as fact. You’re simply wrong.”

“In this instance, Luthor, it is you who is wrong. The music video for Hozier’s From Eden is better than Almost.”

Silence fell on the cafe table as blue eyes met pale green. Kara was the first to break contact; she ducked her head and smiled at the table while fidgeting with her drink lid.

“You’re only saying that because of the woman who looks like me!” If the reporter had been paying attention, she would have seen Lena’s cheekbones growing slightly pink. Kara had mentioned the music video before, commenting on the uncanny resemblance the woman in the video had with the brunette CEO. “But you’re way prettier, of course.”

As it was, Kara was too busy twisting her fidget ring and staring off into space to notice anything. For the past week, she had been hyping herself up in front of the bathroom mirror, practicing the various ways she could possibly tell her best friend that she was irrevocably in love with, Hey, I like you! Please go on a date with me, and agree before I ramble my ass off!

“Kara!”

“Hm? What! That’s me!” Kara snapped out of her memories and looked across the table, only to find an empty seat. Where did—

“Right here, darling.”

Whipping her head to the side, she found Lena in the seat next to her, verdant eyes shining with concern behind her glasses. The younger woman grabbed Kara’s hand closest to her, rubbing small circles with her thumb.

“Are you all right, love? I’ve been calling your name for the past minute. I had to basically yell at you to get your attention. Is everything okay at work?”

“Work? Yes. Great. Work is fine, actually. Work might be the only stable thing in my life right now.”

Lena furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to say something, but her phone buzzed before she could get a word out.

“Hello, Jess? Yes, right away.”

Quickly hanging up the phone, Lena turned to the other woman as she stood and put her coat on.

“We’re not done with the conversation. But first, there’s an emergency meeting at L-Corp that needs attending.”

Kara stood up as well, clearing away the trash and donning her coat.

Lena frowned up at the taller woman, halting in the middle of putting a button through its hole. Cute. “Where are you going? Stay and finish your coffee. Don’t feel pressured to leave on my account.”

Kara snorted as she fixed her cost lapels and grabbed her satchel. “I’m,” She swung the strap over her head, “coming with you, silly.”

“But—“

“It’s Saturday, I finished my article and other required materials. I’ve got nothing planned, and plus! I want to spend time with you! I’m coming with, whether you like it or not.”

That shut the businesswoman up, as a small smile spread across her face. Leaning up to kiss Kara’s cheek, she stayed close for a hug, lips brushing the blonde’s ear.

“Thank you, darling.”

“Don’t mention it. Now c’mon! The sooner we fix your problem, the sooner we can go to yours!”

Ever the gentlewoman, Kara stuck out her arm. Ever the Luthor woman, Lena took it gracefully.

They left the cafe and started walking at a brisk pace towards L-Corp, the cafe only a few blocks away.

“So, what’s the emergency?”

“Jess mentioned one of my board members making a big stink. She told me I need to get to L-Corp as soon as possible. I hope he doesn’t burn the building down.”

“Lucky you have an invincible alien as a best friend, then, eh?”

“You’ve solar flared, dumbass. And actually, I think I’m quite grateful to have you as my best friend, regardless of your powers.”

Kara froze, bringing Lena to a stop beside her.

Every single person she knew, even Alex, always treated her like a god, putting her on a pedestal because of her powers. If something bad happened, it was Supergirl that was supposed to help, to fix the problem. No one assumed Kara Danvers could do anything. Everyone, whether they knew it or not, favoured her powers. Everyone except Lena—around Lena, the blonde always felt like she could be herself, like she would have been, if Krypton still existed.

Shaking her head, Kara chuckled wryly. “Rao, Lee. I love you, you know that?”

“So you tell me, just about every day.”

“And I’ll tell you again.”

Lena pushed Kara playfully, and the reporter went along with the movement. She had learned from her friends (and Alex) that not moving often lead to broken hands, broken arms, or broken fingers.

As they arrived at the intersection, Kara stopped Lena again, her smile sobering.

“I don’t tell you enough. I love you.”

“Sap.” The dark haired woman looked away as her lips quirked up. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m asexual.”

Lena remained silent on the crosswalk. “Now that I think about it, it makes sense.” She continued as they resumed their trek on the sidewalk. “Thank you for trusting me with that.”

“I trust you with my life, Lee, so telling you stuff I learn about myself is frankly a walk in the park.”

“What does this mean for the long term?”

In typical Lena fashion, the younger woman was looking at the bigger picture. She had a bad habit of looking out for everyone except herself, which Kara was working to change.

“The idea of sex makes me vomit, if I’m being honest. So finding a person who would be okay with not having it...it’ll be a bit of a challenge, but who knows—maybe I’ll find someone who doesn’t make me feel so...alien.”

Kara, who had been resolutely staring straight ahead, turned to the side as she felt a slender arm snake around her waist. Lena pressed into her shoulder as a hint of uncertainty crept into her voice.

“And do you feel alien...around me?”

“Oh, Rao no. I feel the most myself around you.”

The shorter woman hummed, murmuring a thank you as the reporter held the door to L-Corp open for her.

“I’m glad. You know, I feel the most myself with you. I can forget the Luthor name, and just be Lena.”

“Oh, what a coincidence. I delayed telling you about the, you know,” Kara made a flying gesture and woosh, “because I was afraid you would stop treating me like Kara and treat me like Her. Everyone else who knows treats me a little differently, expects more from me.

I didn’t want that with us. I wanted to be normal and...human, for lack of a better word. Turns out, I don’t have anything to worry about, at least with you, Lee.”

“And you never will.”

The elevator they had been standing in front of slid open, and the two women filed into the car. As it ascended, Lena leaned into the reporter’s side and spoke again.

“So, what do you think’s waiting for us at the top?”

“Probably a guy who just needs a loooong nap. And good food. Food is the best medicine for this kind of stuff.”

The workaholic CEO snorted, taking the lead as the car came to a smooth stop and the doors slid open. They halted at Jess’ vacated desk, sharing a look. Kara could see tension and concern in her favorite green eyes behind those black frames she loved so much.

“She’s probably waiting in your office...right?”

“...Right.”

Kara really, really wished she had her powers right now. As they reached the door to the businesswoman’s office, she took the lead. Even though she didn’t have powers, she’d be damned to let anything happen to Lena. Over her dead body.

As she threw open the door, Kara saw Jess sitting in Lena’s (very comfy, ergonomic) desk chair. The next thing she saw was black, as a bag was rammed over her head. She felt the cold sting of a needle in the back of her neck next, and the last thought in Kara’s mind was Lena, eyes shining in the sun behind glinting glasses, head thrown back in gentle laughter.

—

When Kara came to, all she saw was grey. Grey concrete floor and walls, with one small window covered with thick iron bars. The sky was grey outside too, and silent. She could feel the thin mattress pad under her back, placed on the concrete slab connected to one of the walls. Her head was cushioned by something soft, and she could smell jasmine and mint.

Groaning slightly, Kara slowly sat up, with the aid of steadying hands at her shoulders. She winced as she sat back against the wall.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Lena chuckled wryly as she fixed strands of blonde hair, then curled her hand around the base of Kara’s neck.

“Are you feeling okay, love?”

“My neck’s in a bit of pain, but nothing I haven’t felt before. How about you? Are you okay?” Kara nudged her glasses down to x-ray the other woman, but then remembered she didn’t have her powers. Rolling her eyes, she tried to remember how Alex did physical checkups.

As she gently turned Lena’s face from side to side and used her hands to check that all her bones were in the right place, she patiently waited for an answer.

“With my experiences of kidnapping, I rate this one an 8/10. Stellar kidnapping work, frankly. They bagged us so we couldn’t see their faces, and then drugged us to knock us out. The dosage was long enough to dump us here. This place isn’t very nice, though, so I docked a point off. The other one’s for the hell of it.”

“No, seriously.”

“I’m okay. I don’t think they knocked me around as much as they did you. Precious cargo, and all.”

Kara wasn’t entirely convinced the dark haired woman was telling the whole truth, but she dropped the issue, opting instead to pull Lena into a long, lingering hug.

“I’m glad you’re in one piece. Wouldn’t know what I’d do without you here.”

The younger woman hummed into her shoulder as she relaxed into Kara’s embrace. “Always.”

“Did they take anything off you?”

“Just the usual. Phone, wallet, jewelry, pocketknife. I assume they confiscated your things as well.”

A quick pat of her pockets confirmed Lena’s statement. Her attention moved from where they were sitting to the other side of the room, where a solid concrete door stood, harsh light slanting through a small slit in the center.

“Have you been able to hear anything?”

The brunette shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear as the hinge of her glasses glinted in the thin stream of fluorescent light.

Kara hummed lightly. “I’m surprised they didn’t confiscate you, you’re a dangerous weapon. Your looks could kill.”

“Shut the hell up, lovely.”

“But am I wrong?” She wiggled her eyebrows as Lena smacked her shoulder lightly. “Hey!” She stood and made her way to the door, much to Lena’s consternation. Looking through the thin rectangle crudely cut into the thick concrete, she saw nothing but grey walls. SOLITARY WARD was printed on one of the pitted sides.

Making her way back to the other woman, the blonde stretched out her limbs before she sat back down beside her best friend. The ride over must’ve been rough. “Looks like we’re in some prison. I don’t hear anything out there, so perhaps an abandoned one?”

“That makes sense. I think there’s one at the edge of the city limit due for demolition soon.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, leaning into each other. For a few minutes, all that could be heard was their breathing in sync. It was Lena who finally broke the silence as she played with the reporter’s fingers.

“When you said work is the only stable thing in your life at the moment, what did you mean?’

“Do you really...want to hear about it?”

“Of course. I always want to hear from you.”

For the second time that day, Kara was flabbergasted. The other woman’s matter-of-fact tone, combined with the soft look she was giving her, made her heart skip a beat. Lena, the busy billionaire CEO who had so many things on her plate, always made time for her. As she felt tears starting to build behind her eyes, the reporter buried her face into Lena’s shoulder. They stayed in that position, until the blonde felt she could look at her best friend without bursting into tears.

“Can I… never mind, I’ll just use the glasses.”

Lena scoffed and gently halted the older woman’s hand trajectory, guiding it to her chest instead. “Why in the multiverse would you use the canned version when the fresh source is right here?”

“Didn’t want to put you on the spot—I usually just tune in with hearing only.”

Kara felt the young scientist’s shoulder shake with laughter, heart beating steadily under her hand.

“What, are you a radio? Or vintage television? I’m imagining you fiddling your head like an antennae.”

“Oh, an alien joke, now?”

“I did not mean it like that, but now that you mention it...some aliens have antennae, right?”

“You kid, but there are some species with some wacky stuff. Some of the things I saw on my trips with my father...I could write an excellent sci-fi.”

“I’d read it.”

“Please, you’d read anything with words.”

“I’d read anything you write.”

They sat in silence again, backs against the cold concrete.

“So. Not to put you on the spot, but what you said earlier, do you still want to talk about it?”

“An identity crisis of sorts. And other things I’m worrying about. I’m probably overthinking, like I usually do, and I know it’s irrational and things will probably be fine, but I can’t stop—”

“Okay, let’s take a breath there. Does this have anything to do with the secret you were going to tell me when you stopped by my office the other day?”

It was a good thing Lena had stopped Kara from spiraling; it would have turned into an undignified breakdown. Their hands remained interlocked as she collected her wits and did some breathing exercises. She heard Kelly’s voice in her head, gently instructing her.

“Place the tip of your tongue at the top of your mouth, just behind your upper front teeth. Exhale loudly through your mouth, completely emptying your lungs. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose for four seconds. Hold your breath for seven seconds. Exhale loudly through your mouth again for eight seconds. Repeat if necessary. You got that? Good.”

She did it once, and then twice. By the third time, she felt her heart return to its normal pace. The noise of blood rushing through her ears abated and she bumped her nose against the other woman’s temple and pulled away.

“Yeah. I’ve had a couple realizations in the past few weeks, and I’m scared of the outcome if people know. Can we…” The blonde ran her hands through her hair. “Can we talk about this when we get home?”

The other woman leaned wholly against the blonde, warm and happy despite the circumstances. “Of course.”

They fell silent again until Lena inhaled suddenly. “Wait. Did you say you’re wearing the glasses? As in the ones I made for you?”

Kara looked up from her hands.

“I’m not sure what answer you’re looking for.”

“Yes or no?”

“...Yes?” Where was Lena going with this?

The scientist made a ‘gimme’ gesture and a tiny triumphant noise at Kara, who handed over the frames.

“I was a little hysterical when I wrote you that letter, and I kept forgetting to tell you every day after that. I added an experimental feature to these, though I’m not quite sure if it’ll work.”

She leaned over to watch the other woman’s nimble fingers. “What’d you do?”

“You already know that there’s a button on the left side for the heartbeat recording. Well, on the right side, I installed a button that should alert the Tower and Alex to our location.”

Kara shook her head. “You’re a genius, Lena.”

“You’re sweet, but we have to see if this even works.” She pressed the small outdent she had mentioned, then handed back the frames.

They sat in silence.

“So how do we know if it work—”

“If Alex breaks down the door, I suppose.”

Kara nodded. “So what should we do in the meantime?”

The other woman rubbed her temple. “Perhaps rest. I’m starting to feel a little headache,” she held up a hand, “but I don’t think it’s because of our kidnappers. I’m still healing from residual migraines after the last bad guy.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t want people to know, but I should have told you.”

She stretched out on top of the thin bed, pulling the smaller woman down with her. The glasses were folded up, stowed in their cases, and stuffed into pockets.

“Oh well, we can deal with that later. I feel a nap calling to me.”

Lena curled into her chest, warm breaths hitting the base of her neck rhythmically. “Mmmhmm.”

Of course, the situation they were in wasn’t great. And of course, she wanted to get out of this all-too-quiet desolate prison. But a selfish part of Kara hoped that Alex wouldn’t find them too quickly.

There was no particular reason.

No particular reason, she thought, as her hand moved slowly up and down on Lena’s back. Eventually, the hand halted its path, and the only movement were their chests rising and falling synchronously.

—

They woke to the sound of a door exploding. On instinct, Kara covered the body of her best friend, placing Lena between her and the concrete wall behind them. They waited silently as they heard multiple sets of boots tromping down the hall.

“Who’s there!”

Silence. Then:

“Steelhead?”

“Oh, Alex, thank Rao it’s you.”

Brown eyes appeared at the thin slit in front of them. “We got some sort of signal from here. Stay back!”

Kara curled her body around Lena’s again as their room shook. She could feel the heat licking at her back, but didn’t move. A few seconds after the ground stopped shaking, she felt a hand at her back. Sitting up, she half-fell into her older sister’s arms.

“About time!”

“Wow, I save you and this is how you react?” Alex slapped her shoulder lightly.

She kissed Alex’s cheek penitently. “Thanks for coming, you’re my heroooo.”

Yeah, yeah. I have a girlfriend to get back to, so up you get.”

Kara helped Lena up from the bed slab and they stretched their limbs out. The thin pad placed on top of very thick concrete was not enough cushioning. Her heart panged for the prisoners that had to sleep on this sorry excuse of a bed.

When their aches had been shaken out and glasses returned to faces, they made their way out of the solitary block and eventually out of the prison itself. An audible sigh of relief could be heard from both Kara and Lena as they crossed over the threshold back out into the open air. Kara almost kissed the ground.

They ambled over to the one Jeep sat in the empty parking lot. Lena squinted around.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“They left before us, the faster those guys are booked the quicker we can all go home.” Alex pulled a carabiner clip of rings out of a pouch as they neared the vehicle, unlocking the vehicle and opening the back door. When everyone was settled, she started the engine and kept a liberal foot on the gas pedal.

“So what happened to you two, exactly?”

They looked at each other with matching Do you want to tell her, or should I? expressions. At the other woman’s nod of approval Kara volunteered herself, ever the avid reporter of facts, as Lena curled her side.

“We were having brunch when we got a call from Jess about an emergency at L-Corp. When we got there something felt off but we didn’t know what. So we opened the doors to Lena’s office and that’s when we got jumped. Woke up in the prison, chatted for a bit, and Lena realized I was wearing her glasses. She pressed a button that definitely worked, I don’t know why she was so uncertain about it, ack! Lena! What was that for??” Kara rubbed her right pectoral as she glared at the dark-haired woman with little heat.

“It wasn’t tested, so of course I would be tentative about claiming it definitely worked!”

“But it did work, because you’re a good smart person! Sheesh Lee, you really have to give yourself more credit.”

Alex groaned. ”You two idiots will be the death of me. So before I die to your old-married—couple bickering, let me pick up where you left off.” She glared at her younger sister, daring the blonde to speak.

“First, we got a call from Jess. She said she had been held hostage by some men in masks, forced to trap you two. Once you two had been captured, they knocked her out and left her in Lena’s office. So we were aware that you guys were kidnapped, but we weren’t sure where you were being held.

Then, we got a signal on our computers from the old prison, but it was unlike anything we’d seen. We were suspicious of it, because no one wanted to fall into a trap. Fortunately, Brainy analyzed the code and recognized Lena’s signature. So we geared up and headed over. Infiltrated the place and found a bunch of goons at the ground floor. We rounded them up and loaded them on a few buses, and then continued our search for you. You can thank me with the gelato Kelly likes.”

Shutting the engine off with a click the operative opened the back door of the Jeep and helped them out. When their feet touched the asphalt, the reporter and CEO made for the exit, only to be spun in the opposite direction.

“And where do you think you two are going?” The older Danvers sister raised her right eyebrow high into her hairline.

“Home?” “The flat?”

Kara flashed her best reporter-who-want-answers smile. “Please?”

Alex snorted and hooked both Kara and Lena’s arms, dragging them toward the building. “You two will only go home if you have a clean bill of health.”

“Come on, seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. You both are fragile little humans right now.”

Lena grumbled as she reluctantly followed Alex into the elevator. “You’re human too.”

“I’m wearing armor, and I didn’t get drugged and kidnapped. You can’t say the same, can you?”

Kara and Lena looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“That’s what I thought. This won’t take a moment. Move your asses.”

—

True to her word, Alex had them in and out of the medical bay. She sent them home with orders to “take it easy” and “stay together”.

“And stay hydrated! I love you both, stay out of trouble.” Waving out the window, Alex drove off as the women made their way into the lobby of Lena’s apartment building. They chatted gently as the elevator brought them up to the right floor.

Entering Lena’s flat, both women let out a huge sigh and collapsed on the couch in the living room.

“Do you want to shower first?”

“You go ahead. I’m not used to being human, I need a break.”

Kara burrowed further into the couch, paying no mind as Lena came up beside her and left a kiss on her temple.

“I’ll be back soon.”

The next thing she knew, her best friend was shaking her awake. Small drops of water fell from her onyx hair, glinting from the thick black frames of her glasses.

“Shower’s all yours.”

She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.

“‘Kay.”

Shuffling towards the bathroom, she shook the sleep fizz from her brain. She tapped into her powers to finish the shower in a few seconds, returning to the living room in warm pajamas and the stink of abandoned prison gone.

She found Lena putting on her coat.

“Whatcha doin’?”

“I wanted to go check on Jess. With all the hullabaloo I forgot that she was held hostage by the men as well.”

Kara nodded and went to pull on her jacket as well.

“Where are you going?”

“With you! You heard Alex, we’re supposed to stick together. Plus, Jess is my friend too.”

As they made their way down the apartment building again via elevator, Lena let her know that they would pick up some soup dumplings on the way to Jess’ place.

“It’s a comfort food for her. I know where we can get some.”

Lena’s automobile hummed on as they slid into the seats. The trip to the Chinese restaurant was quiet and quick, and soon they were on their way to the apartment complex where Jess lived with her girlfriend.

Kara was enjoying the warm pressure of the plastic bag-wrapped parcel on her lap, but Lena was parking in front of a tall brick building before she knew it, and she reluctantly climbed out of the car with the bag in hand.

A woman at the front desk in the lobby smiled as they walked through the door. “Ms. Luthor! How are you today?”

“Gladys, good afternoon. I told you, you can call me Lena.”

“Of course, Ms. Luthor.”

Lena sighed and chuckled. “I can’t complain, it’s quite a usual day. Kara and I were kidnapped this morning by some men again.”

“They never learn their lesson, do they?” Gladys winked at Kara. “What brings you here, my dears?”

Lena slid a large plastic cup and a wide straw across the desk. “First, this bubble tea is for you. Also, is Jess in?”

The older woman’s eyes grew wide as she unwrapped the straw and strongly poked it through the lid of the cup. She sipped from the straw and sighed gratefully. “Thank you, I think I’m hooked! I saw her come in a few hours ago, and I don’t recall seeing her leave. Would you like me to ring her?”

“Yes, please.”

In a practiced movement, Gladys dialed a number. “Ms. Wang? Ms. Luthor is here to see you. Shall I send her up?” She waited for an answer. “All right. Have a good day, Ms. Wang.”

The grey-haired woman smiled at both women. “You can go on up, dearies.”

“Thank you, Gladys. Oh, one more thing. Is her rent paid for this month?”

“Let me see…” The receptionist typed quickly on the computer in front of her. “Not yet.”

Lena took out her card. “I’d like to take care of it, please.”

Kara smiled quietly as she watched the entire exchange. It was so Lena of Lena to take care of those she held close. She worked in quiet ways, behind the scenes.

Waving goodbye to Gladys, they trooped into the elevator. The doors closed and opened again to a comfy carpeted hallway with light blue wallpaper on the walls.

“Nice place.”

“Jess likes it, too.”

Lena stopped in front of a door and knocked three times. The door was opened by a tall, stocky Asian woman, but not Jess.

“Yes?”

“Hello, we’re here to check on Jess.”

“And who are you?” The woman crossed her arms and positioned herself strongly in the doorframe.

“It’s alright, babe, that’s my boss.” Jess put a hand on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Eve, meet Lena Luthor. Lena, this is my girlfriend Eve.”

Lena shook Eve’s hand and smiled gently. “Hi. Jess has told me a lot about you, it’s nice to put a face to the name and spirited discussions.”

Eve’s defensiveness deflated and she smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Luthor. I’m sorry for being so short, but Jess was attacked today, so I’m a little on edge.”

“That’s why we’re here, actually. I wanted to check on her and drop off some soup dumplings.”

The secretary’s eyes grew wide. “Soup dumplings? Well, hey, come in, come in! You’re staying, right?”

Lena looked over at Kara. “You okay with that?”

Kara rubbed her belly and licked her lips. “You know I’m always down for food.”

The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes as she stepped into the apartment. “My apologies, Eve. This is my best friend Kara. She’s a reporter, and she’s always hungry.”

Now that they were in better lighting, they could see the bruises and bandages on Jess’ hands, neck, and head.

“Oh, honey…” Lena wrapped Jess in a loose hug at the sight of her injuries. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

“It’s okay, Lena. It comes with the territory. Plus, with every kidnapping attempt I’m involved in, I get a raise.”

The CEO snorted at her secretary’s cheek. It was a testament to their friendship that Jess felt comfortable enough to joke with her boss.

As they spoke, Eve quickly unwrapped the container and set out plating the dumplings with spoons and chopsticks. “Soup’s on!” She chuckled at her own joke.

—

Jess was right. Those dumplings were some of the best Kara had ever had. Which was saying a lot, since potstickers were one of her favorite foods. After the dumplings were gone, Lena and Jess recounted their day to Eve as they sipped barley tea. Conversation soon moved to Kara’s recent work, and Eve’s career.

Kara and Lena finally left when the sun was starting to sink in the horizon, with Lena giving her loyal secretary strict orders to go to bed and rest for the next three days.

As they waved goodbye to Gladys once again and stepped out into the street, Lena wrapped her arm around Kara’s and leaned into her side.

“What do you want for supper?”

“Hmm…” Kara stared up at the rapidly-darkening sky. “Something with noodles?”

“There’s a new Japanese ramen bar, they apparently have the best chicken ramen. Jess told me about it the other day.”

“I’m down if you are. How far away is it?”

“It’s not far.”

The owner of the restaurant turned out to be a young, talented chef, a recent immigrant and culinary graduate. He had trained with some of the best ramen chefs in Japan. Now, he was trying to create his own legacy in America. His English was accented, but it was clear to see he was smart and capable. The smells coming from the kitchen proved as much.

Lena opted for the well-renowned chicken ramen, while Kara chose the seafood one. As they waited for their food, Lena told her about how she had donated money to the chef when the restaurant went through a rough patch. He was eternally grateful, promising free food for the rest of her life.

Kara smiled to herself as she felt her chest grow warm. Her best friend was the best person she ever knew. She only wished Lena could see it for herself.

With dinner secured, the drive back home was taunting and tantalizing. The whole car smelled delicious. Finally, they made it back to Lena’s, impatiently waiting for the elevator to open on the right floor.

They devoured their respective dishes so quickly, the episode they had turned on wasn’t even half-finished. As they sighed appreciatively and let their stomachs digest the amazing food they had just eaten, Kara’s mind whispered the question that had first wandered into her mind earlier that day in the prison.

“Lena, why didn't you tell me about the location tracker feature thingy on my glasses earlier?”

The dark haired woman set her bowl down on the coffee table and sighed, wringing her hands. “I was planning to tell you at some point, but in order to explain why I did it, I would have to tell you other things.”

Kara jokingly cupped her hands around her ears and swiveled her head toward the other woman. “I’m all ears. Actually, I have something to tell you too.”

Lena bit her lip. She noticed her hesitation, and spoke gently while she held her hand.

“Do you want to say it at the same time?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. Three, two, one…”

“Go out with me.” “Move in with me.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. And then they laughed. The absurdity of the entire day had culminated in this final standoff. As the chuckles died down, the serious tone returned.

“Okay, I’ll go first, since I meant to tell you in your office that night I discovered you wear glasses.” She sighed deeply and removed her glasses as she continued, throwing them on the coffee table.

“I love you.

You’re my person, and you didn’t even have to try. I wasn’t even looking for companionship and love when I first met you, but I found it in you anyway.

When I first crashed onto Earth, I didn’t think I could find someone that would respect me, understand me, and love me for who I am. I was quite literally an alien. While all my friends in high school and university found girlfriends and boyfriends and partners, I convinced myself that I was unworthy. So I focused on my career instead.

And then I met you. I said before that you’re my perfect game night partner, but I think you would be my perfect…everything partner. Life partner. So, will you go out with me? Be my partner?”

Lena sniffed and grabbed her hands, wiping her eyes under her lenses. “Of course, silly. I feel the exact same way. You were the first person who saw past my surname. You didn’t treat me like some untouchable CEO or businesswoman, but as a person. I asked you to move in with me because I want to live with you for the rest of our lives, but I figured that would be moving too fast.”

“Really? Too fast? We’ve known each other six years!”

“I figured I would ask you to move in as friends first, and then ask you out!”

“Well…I’ll move in with you if you will go out with me. Deal?”

“Deal.”

They shook hands. Lena used their connected hands to pull her into a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Can I move in tomorrow?”

“Of course. But for now…” Lena grabbed the remote. “We’re watching Designing Women.”

Kara grinned and snuggled deeper into her best friend’s arms. Her eyes fell on her discarded frames.

Things had worked out for her, against all her expectations.

All because of a pair of glasses.

———