I spent way too long on this
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It began with a sneeze.
Lenaâs entire body tensed, pain wracking her sinuses, and she tried to tamp it down and swallow it. There was a room full of investors, and she paused mid-presentation. She held up a protesting hand, signaling that she needed no help, and waved off her assistants. Finally the feeling subsided and she soldiered on, accidentally repeating part of the presentation. It didnât matter, it was just a formality.
After, she was sitting alone in her office and she did sneeze this time, hard, into a silk handkerchief. A dull ache had settled into her bones and she felt droopy, tired. Still, she had work to do. Not the work she wanted to do. Not running the company, not strategizing. Not inventing or innovating. It was menial. It was assigned. She worked for her brother.
It was his pretty revenge, because Lena shot him two times in the chest. Then a bunch of very strange shit happened and Lena suddenly found herself in an entirely different world where Lex had never died, even though they both remembered it. A hellish nightmare world where Lillian was a philanthropist and Kara and all her friends worked more or less for Lex, keeping aliens in check.
Lena couldnât go to her best friend for help, because her best friend had betrayed her. Lena almost wished sheâd been erased when the multiverse collapsed, replaced by a copy of herself whoâd never felt this agony.
There was a truth she would never admit, even to herself.
Sheâd feel better if Kara was here.
The days dragged on and so did her cold. Except, it wasnât a cold. On the third day she woke to a high fever, feeling a little wobbly when she forced herself out of bed. Her sinuses burned and she had to breathe through her mouth. When she took her temperature, it was elevated, close to being dangerous. Every muscle and joint on her body ached and the sight of food made her retch involuntarily.
Lena had the goddamn flu.
She did something sheâd never done: by a curt email, she informed her staff that she was ill and would not be in the office today. Instead, she rummaged through her closet, her breath catching on a familiar sweatshirt.
It was a Midvale High School Mathletes sweater. It was Karaâs, but Lena knew with a certainty that Kara had not been in Lenaâs penthouse since It Happened. There was no way for this to get here butâŠ
She stifled a sob. This world had its own Lena, one whose life sheâd appropriated or merged with or God knows what, and that Lena Karaâs clothes in her home. Lena kept stumbling across them and it hurt more every time.
Had they been happy, before? Kara must have spent the night. They must have been close. Lena had been close with her Kara; they hung out and Kara had slept over a few times but they werenât really on your-clothes-in-my-closet terms. Had that been what happened here? Did they share the bed? Were theyâŠ
Did theyâŠ
Lena put it on, felt it shelter her body. She put in two pairs of leggings and hoped her laptop would warm her. She curled with it on the couch, and got exactly nothing done. After three hours she closed the computer and flipped channels until she found the old friend of the seriously ill and the chronically unemployed: reruns.
Curling on one end of the couch, she laid her head to rest on the arm and her eyes slid closed.
It seemed that as soon as she did, she opened them again. Her head was throbbing. She tried to push herself up, but it was too great an effort and she flopped down again. Her throat was dry and sticky, and unable to breathe through her nose, air came in reedy wheezes. Swallowing only made it worse, and she felt a rising panic.
Something beyond sleep, thick and heavy, was dragging her down, even as she struggled.
A chill night breeze rolled over her, and she shivered explosively.
"Easy now. I've got you."
Powerful arms lifted her limp body and carried her. Gently, Lena was laid on her bed and a blanket thrown over her.
She opened her eyes. Kara sat her up, cradling her in one arm as she held a glass in another, so Lena could drink. She let the cool water wet her throat and did her best to breathe again. Gently, Kara lowered her back down to rest and folded a cool, damp cloth on her forehead. Lena sighed in relief.
âGet out. Donât want you here.â
âIâm sorry,â Kara whispered. âI canât leave you alone like this. Iâll be right back.â
She was indeed right back, Supergirl walking into Lenaâs budoir carrying a drug store bag full of medicine. She sat Lena up again and administered the foul tasting stuff over Lenaâs protests, then shut off the lights.
Lena tried to roll on her side. It didnât go well.
Kara knelt and slipped out of her boots. Then, she undid one side, then the other, and unclasped her cape from her shoulders. She then swept it over Lena and tucked it around her gently.
âKara,â Lena muttered.
âHush. Itâs a blanket. Itâll keep you warm.â
Lena wasnât sure what happened next, if she dreamed it or if it was real, but she felt the bed shift as Kara climbed aboard and laid down beside her.
Eventually, she woke up again. Kara was tucked against her back, one arm thrown protectively over Lenaâs side, resting on her blanket cocoon. Kara snored lightly, lying on the bed so that her chin rested on the crown of Lenaâs head.
Kara noticed sheâd stirred and silently stood, offering Lena her next dose of syrupy, nasty medicine. She accepted it just as silently and laid back down to sleep.
The cycle continued. Day came. Kara didnât leave her. She drew the curtains and laid on the bed beside Lena, never speaking, never making any demands.
Finally Lena was well enough to roll over and face her.
âWhy are you here?â
âI heard Gillianâs Island coming from your living room and thought you must be in danger.â
Lena snorted in spite of herself.
Kara softened. Her big blue eyes, eyes that could launch a thousand ships, carried such a weight of sorrow that Lena felt a surge of pain and regret in her heart, wondering why in the hell they were feuding. No. She couldnât do that. She couldnât justâŠ
âIâm sorry.â
Lena tucked herself into the blankets. She wanted to roll over, to turn away, to stop this before she did something she would regret later.
âI keep finding your things in my place,â Kara murmured. âIt makes me wonder if it was different here. If we were different. What if Iâd made other choices. If Iâd been honest with you. Bolder.â
âYou werenât,â said Lena. âYou arenât. Thatâs the way it is. That door was closed.â
âWhen I landed on your balcony, it was open.â
âA mistake I wonât repeat. Careless. Thank you for helping me, but I didnât need it. I donât need you.â
Kara closed her eyes and sighed.
âI hate doing this.â
âDoing what?â
âYouâre lying.â
Lena jerked back, as much as her aching body would allow, anyway.
âHow do you know?â
It didnât hit Lena that she hadnât offered a denial, at least not until later.
âEasy,â Kara smiled. âI cheat. Skin conductivity and moisture levels. Heat bloom on your skin. Pulse. Pupil dilation. Breathing patterns.â
âI have the flu. Thatâs why.â
Kara frowned.
âYouâre wearing my sweater.â
âItâs not yours. Itâs hers. The lives we stole.â
Kara shook her head. âThatâs not what he did. Your brother created this world to live out his fantasies and make me suffer. Thatâs why your things are at my place and mine at yours. Itâs showing us the life we should have had,â a tear shone on Karaâs cheek, âhad I not been a fuckup and a coward. If Iâd trusted you.â
Lena choked back a small sob, and started to cough violently.
Without a word, Kara gathered her up and rested Lenaâs head on her shoulder, walling her up in those beefy, protective arms of hers. Lena allowed it, curling her fingers against the twitching muscles of Karaâs back.
Lena wanted to pull awayâŠ
No. That was a lie, a miserable fucking lie. She didnât want to pull back. She didnât want to fight. She thought she had to, that she needed to.
âDonât cry,â Kara said, tenderly brushing a tear from Lenaâs cheek. âI know youâre furious with me. I know things are bad. I know your brother has power over us. Itâll get better. I wonât let him hurt you. I wonât let anyone hurt you. I promise.â
âYou already hurt me.â
âI know,â Kara whimpered, her voice wobbling. âIâm sorry, Lena. Iâve never been more sorry about anything in my entire life. I wake up every day praying I can find some way to take it back."
"You can't."
Kara tensed.
"Maybe you don't have to," said Lena.
Kara's breath caught. She lowered Lena to the bed, and this time wrapped them in the blankets together. She was so warm.
"I've got you."
Blessedly, Lena slept.
Each time she woke, she felt better. Eventually, she was well enough for Kara to leave the bed. A few minutes later, Kara came back, and she brought breakfast. Her appetite back, Lena dug in, enjoying the tea Kara brought.
Kara took the tray and plates when she was done.
"You look a lot better."
Lena nodded. "Ah, yes, thank you."
Silence. There was a heavy pause, and then Kara sat down beside her on the bed.
"I wish I'd been brave before."
Lena looked at her, really looked at her, this enchanting vision looking at Lena like she hung all the stars in the sky, her eyes so full of longing that Lena felt she might fall into them forever.
"What would you do if you were brave?"
"This."
Warm fingers curled around Lena's chin. Kara leaned in, and Lena felt it happen even before their lips touched. When they did, it was electric. Lena felt the world spinning. Kara caught her and lowered her to the bed.
"I don't care about multiverses and cosmic entities and your evil brother. No matter what they throw at me, I will always find my way back to you. If you want me."
Lena pulled her down into another kiss, and that was her answer.
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Kara knew something was wrong from Lenaâs heartbeat. That alone, the barely detectable change in rhythm and tempo, was enough, but her breathing was erratic and as Kara drew nearer, drifting through the afternoon air, she could hear the soft sobs.
A bad feeling had come over Kara. Things had been quiet between the two of them ever since the wedding; there had been a strange tension between them on that happy day and Kara couldnât say why
(she knew what she wanted it to be but didnât dare hope)
and with Alex and Kelly away on their honeymoon, Kara had mostly been on her own. Nia was spending most of her free time with Brainy and Kara sensed a proposal coming, and she was busy preparing for her public interview with Cat Grant. She was going to rip the bandages off and reveal her identity. There was a great deal of work involved, and Kara had spent a lot of time fretting over the details, and in the back of her head she was worried about the ramifications of years spent reporting on Supergirl and using âherâ as a source. It was a massive ethical dilemma, and thought it always made sense at the timeâŠ
Right now all that mattered was the heartbeat. Kara had been giving Lena the space she sensed she needed, but Jess had called Kara from the Foundation and told her that Lena hadnât come to work in three days, and no one had heard from her. It was uncharacteristic of someone who ran her life with almost military precision. Kara had even asked Alex to text Lena, but theyâd gotten the same single word replies.
Kara pulled in a big breath, feeling her stomach churn as she lighted on the balcony and slid open the door, knowing it would be unlocked. She wished Lena would stop doing that, but also felt a little tilt in her chest from knowing Lena hadnât locked her out.
She was on the sofa, curled up on her side and asleep. Sheâd probably had the same pajamas on for two days and there were empty bottles of wine in a neat row on the table in front of her. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her cheeks a little raw. Kara felt an instant pang and reached for her, before stopping to deactivate her suit.
Kneeling next to the sofa, Kara touched her fingers to Lenaâs shoulders. Lena woke instantly with a start, head jolting up as she sucked in a reedy breath and her heart raced explosively, sending a shock of terror up Karaâs spine.
âOh fuck,â Lena blurted, kicking out her legs as she bolted upright. âOh God, Kara whatâŠâ
âHey,â Kara said softly. âI was⊠Iâm sorry. Are you okay? I came in through the balcony. I didnât mean to scare you.â
Lenaâs chest heaved as she gasped for breath, staring at Kara with watery eyes. âAre you real?â
âWhat? Yes, of course Iâm real.â
âI must have been dreaming. It was a dream. Just a dream. I was dreaming,â Lena muttered.
Kara rose from her knees and sat down on the couch.
âCome here.â
Lena almost crashed into her, wrapping her arms tightly around Kara and squeezing hard. She smoothed her fingers over the soft dark waves of Lenaâs hair and pulled her in as she began to sob into Karaâs shoulder.
âI dreamed he killed you,â Lena choked out. âHe came back again and he killed you and I couldnât stop it. It felt so real.â
âIâm fine. Iâm right here.â
Lena continued to sob, her entire body shaking with the force of it. Kara wrapped her in a fierce hug, trembling as she did.
âEvery time I close my eyes heâs there, and when Iâm awake all I can think about is that I killed my brother.â
âThat didnât happen in this timeline.â
Lena choked out an angry, frustrated sob. âIt happened for me. I aimed a gun at my own brotherâs chest and I pulled the trigger. And he came back! He came back and he almost killed you two or three fucking times, I canât count.â
ïżœïżœHeâs gone. Heâs not coming back.â
âYou canât just say that!â Lena screamed into Karaâs throat.
Stunned, Kara softened her grip on Lena, only for Lena to pull her in harder, like she was trying to climb inside her.
âWhy canât I stop mourning him? He ruined my life. He was the person I trusted most and he turned out to be a monster. He used me my whole life and my emotions were just a game to him. He tried to to kill the woman I⊠tortured you, took you away for months and I thought Iâd never see you again. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was and how muchâŠâ
Lena cut herself off with a sob.
âI know itâs not the same,â Kara murmured, âbut when I was a little girl I worshipped my father. I wanted to grow up like him and do what he did. I was going to be a scientist too.â
âYouâd have been a good one.â
Kara shook her head. âMy father was responsible for the Medusa virus. A bioweapon designed to eradicate non-Kryptonian life. A weapon of genocide.â
Lena shuddered.
Kara swallowed, hard.
âMy world wasnât a paradise. It felt that way because it was simple for me. There wasnât all the pain of learning alien ways and an alien language and controlling superpowers and everything else. My father taught and protected me and my mom maintained order. But it was wasnât a paradise. My people were⊠Krypton was⊠I think in a lot of worlds out there, we were the bad guys. Okay, the Daxamites were slavers, but on Krypton people were born into the labor guild and did menial jobs their whole lives, while people like me were born into privilege. Is that much better?â
âI donât understand.â
âI donât judge you for mourning Lex, Lena. He was your protector and your friend, and it was real to you. If thereâs anything I hate him for, itâs hurting you.â Kara swallowed. âThe one thing I canât abide is anyone hurting you. Iâll break all my rules to keep you safe.â
Lenaâs breathing eased and Kara could feel her relax.
âIâve been avoiding you.â
âI figured you needed space. I wasnât sure why but I trusted you to tell me if you need to.â
There was a long, heavy pause, and then Lena said.
âKara, I canât do this. I canât share you.â
âShare me?â
âWhen you reveal your identity,â Lena pulled back, âyouâre going to be the most famous person in the word. Everyone is going to be all over you. The press, politicians, everybody, and everyone who has a grudge against you or your cousin is going to know exactly where to find you, all the time.â
âIâll keep you safe, no one willâŠâ
âI didnât say anything about me. You, Kara. What about you?â
âIâm Supergirl. Iâll be fine.â
âAnd what about me?â said Lena.
âI told youâŠâ
âNo. What about me when I have to watch you getting beaten to a pulp by another alien? What about me when youâre in a coma on the sun bed? What about me when I see on the news that a bomb went off in your apartment and I have to wonder if it was laced with Kryptonite shrapnel? Iâm not worried about people coming after me. Iâm a billionaire with magic powers. I could put on a goofy costume and join the club if I wanted. Iâve already lost you so many times and I canât do it again.â
Stunned, Kara sat with her eyes wide, not sure when exactly sheâd lifted Lena into her lap.
âItâs so selfish of me,â Lena went on. âYou donât belong to me. I donât get to make demands of you. But donât want you to out yourself. I donât want to lose you again. As soon as you do this youâre going to be hounded by the whole world and theyâll claw you away from me again.â
Karaâs own heart raced now, hammering in her chest. Lena sounded so desperate and so sure, clinging to a Kara like she might disappear.
âIâm so sorry.â
âItâs okay. Itâs your choice and I have to respect it. Itâs okay,â she was clearly telling herself.
âNo,â Kara choked out, âno itâs not. I canât believe how stupid Iâve been.â
âKara,â said Lena.
âNo. I have been. I canât believe I said what I said to you at the wedding, about not being my authentic self. To you, of all people.â
Lena swallowed hard. Kara drew back and looked at her, really looked at her, drinking in the soft beauty of her eyes as she swept back a tear with a brush of her thumb. Lenaâs eyes were huge, her lips trembling, and Kara felt an almost painful pang of sorrow and regret and a powerful stirring, long thrust down and buried and now clawing its way forth as Lena stared back, the deep sadness and loss in her own eyes tinged by a hint of forlorn hope.
âI canât believe that I can see through walls and Iâm so blind.â
âKara?â Lena whispered.
âIâm calling it off. Iâll keep my secret.â
âYou donât have to do that just to please me.â
âI donât need them. I need you. Iâm yours, if youâll have me.â
Lenaâs heart raced so fast that Kara briefly thought she might have to fly her to the hospital. Instinctively, she slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders and stood, lifting Lena as if she weighed nothing.
Eyes wide, Lena bit her lip.
âWhat do you mean?â
âWhat do you mean when you say youâre mine? I need you to say it, Kara. I was too scared at the wedding. I canât do this. I need you to.â
Oh.
Kara shifted her Lenaâs weight in her arms, bring them closer together. Sheâd danced this dance before; she thought of the day she came back from the Phantom Zone, when she held Lena in her arms and felt the sun again and she almost did it, she almost just fucking did itâŠ
And she did it.
She kissed Lena, already ready to sputter an apology and find a way out of this, but her words were lost when Lenaâs soft lips met hers and Lena was ready to devour her, happily rocketing past chaste first kiss as she grabbed Kara with both hands and pulled her in.
Karaâs stomach flipped. She didnât know what to do. Sheâd been kissed, she thought sheâd been intimate, but she could see now that those things had been mere stimulation and nothing more. Something soared inside her as she had soared in the sky the very first time she flew. Joy unbridled swelled in her chest and she could feel Lena laughing exultantly into her mouth and even as tears mingled on her cheeks.
She wanted this. She wanted this. It was right here all along.
âKara,â Lena whispered. âIâŠâ
âShould I put you down?â
âOn the bed.â
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Lena Luthor in her Eras era when?
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Reblog to give the person you reblogged from the ability to finish their WIPs
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I Can Hear Your Heartbeat
It happened on a Thursday. And it had nothing to do with assassination attempts or world destroying villains. It had to do with rain.
Rain had decided to pour down on National City. It was rare in this part of the country, but when Mother Nature decided to make it rain, it was oceanic level downpours.Â
Lena had been running a charity gala and Kara was there covering the event. They both got stuck rushing by foot in the rain as traffic was a disaster and Lenaâs driver was stuck in it.Â
It was going fine until they both heard little whimpers coming from an alley.Â
Kara immediately tensed next to her and then whispered, âHang on,â before she was moving toward the noise.Â
âBe careful,â had barely left Lenaâs lips before she saw Kara crouching over a dark shape. The next thing she knew she was jumping out of her skin due to a succession of lightning striking not far away. She moved just the wrong way and she was quickly meeting the slippery pavement when all of a sudden she was staring up into Karaâs eyes. Kara effortlessly held a box in one hand while her other arm was cradling Lenaâs body from head to back, a mere inch above the soaked pavement.Â
Â
How was she staying upright?Â
There was a huff from the box and a puppyâs nose could just be seen and Lenaâs eyes shifted toward it for a fraction of a second and then back to Karaâs and it clicked.Â
âSupergirl,â the word left Lenaâs lips in a splash of anger, her eyes flashing even as rain pounded into them.Â
Kara is completely still. She is a mountain in a snowstorm. Her eyes are filled with fear, worry, and apology.Â
Lena canât look at her any more.Â
She slides across the flooded sidewalk ruining her expensive dress. Her heels coming off at her quick actions. She gets to her feet and her eyes never leave Kara who is still parallel with the ground, the puppy and box still in her one hand, but her eyes are trained on Lena.Â
They are still forÂ
oneÂ
twoÂ
threeÂ
and then Lena is running. Â
They donât speak for weeks. Kara gives Lena space. She knows. Instead, she throws herself intoâŠeverything. She walks kids to school, stops fires, rescues pets, assists with teaching sports and math and photography. Builds houses and peopleâs furniture. She creates an entire article series highlighting different foods tied to history and cultures. Another series focused on individuals from different generations having discussions. She is doing everything possible, so she doesnât think about Lena and the urge, deep in her bones, to go to her, to apologize. She knows Lena has to be the one to reach out.Â
It helps that Kysh is a very active and happy puppy. Â Kara didnât have the heart not to take her in.Â
Everything changes when a series of aliens are left beat up and strung up in the streets. Kara turns her attention to figuring out who is behind it, but starts to hit roadblocks. Several evenings are taken up with Kara hunting down clues and interviewing many people. Then someone is taken from L-Corp.Â
Kara and Lena meet at the D.E.O. for a run down meeting. It goes better than Kara expects. They are both professional and focus on the work. Then end up working together a lot and everything is smooth, working as if they were cut from the same mold. Once everyone throws in the towel for the day, Kara smiles at Lena and starts to speak, but Lena cuts her off, looking her right in the eyes, âIâm only here because the work has to be done.â With that she turns and walks to the bank of elevators. Kara never takes her eyes off of Lenaâs receding back, her cape settling back into the place, the only sound.Â
The next day they work together again. Alex looks between them several times throughout the day and tries to speak with Kara. Kara cuts her off with a wave of her hand turning her attention back to laying out a plan before the team. Kara doesnât try to talk to Lena this time.Â
The day after that they are working together again. They are so so close to figuring out who has been targeting aliens. Kara had been looking at the crime scene photos, yet again, and suddenly it was right in front of her it was Derek Ames. She is so relieved that she rushes to Lena across the lab to start to explain how she figured it out. Just as she starts to theorize who Ames may be connected to, as there was no way he was working alone, Lena blurts out, âI hate youâ and turns back to reports she had been combing over, the discussion clearly over. Kara blinks and almost rests her hand on Lenaâs shoulder, but she pulls back and heads to the break room, eating two helpings of lasagna seems better than getting in an argument with Lena.
The following day they are in the field. They had been battling with Ames, it was intense as he had alien abilities and many weapons planted around. Kara and Lena were once again working completely in sync. Kara was tricking Ames while Lena was deactivating all the various grenades hidden within the warehouse. Kara could hear where he had the captives hidden, or at least, the ones that were still alive. She was striving to draw Ames away from Lena and the captives as she had seen the glint in his eyes when he had got sight of her. Supergirl was the prize he truly wanted. This reinforced why Kara felt he was working for someone else.Â
Chaos.Â
That is what reigned in the warehouse for what seemed forever. Kara had just about subdued Ames and Lena had stopped the grenades and rescued the captives when another being crashed down next to Kara and Ames.Â
Kara quickly moved to fight while keeping hold of Ames, but it was too much even for her and she had to let go. Â
Quickly both Ames and the newcomer doubled down against Kara and she was starting to lose ground when a sound bomb went off and a silent scream was ripped from Karaâs lips. Â
Her concentration broken, the newcomer slammed their weapon against the back of her knee and she wobbled more from the soundâs ricochet effecting her than the blow itself, but it was enough and then she was left covering her ears as she watched them escape. Â
A few moments later, Kara turned to check on everyone else and she saw that Lena's eyes were fixed on her from the van. Lenaâs breath was coming hard and her heart was pounding. Kara paused for a moment, running her hands down the front of her suit, taking a moment to get the ringing in her ears to fade, and then walked over to her.Â
Lena met her eyes and calmly stated, âWonderful, weâre done. I despise you and was only working with you to save these people. I donât care about you.âÂ
Kara took a smooth step forward. âI can hear your belahd zhor, your heartbeat, its rhythm hits a particular beat when you lie. Itâs a rare occurrence, impossible to forget.â Kara took a firm step back, checking that everyone was safe, then she was in the air in pursuit of this now more complex threat.Â
A very special thanks to @lbbutch for the inspiration.
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my fav girl
also hi everyone i'm alive
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When did this happen? When did my feelings for Kelly get so strong, and how could I possibly feel this way about somebody that I barely know?
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âYou didnât jump,â Kara said.
Lena glanced up from her lo mein container, chopsticks in hand. âJump?â Lena asked curiously.
Kara nibbled her lip thoughtfully, staring down at her potstickers. The evening had been a quiet one - a welcomed change of pace, after a wonderful and chaotic afternoon at Alex and Kellyâs wedding. When all was said and done - after the couple had left for their honeymoon and the party had quieted, after Eliza had taken Esme home for a fun week making chocolate chip cookies with her grandmother - Kara and Lena had found themselves in Karaâs apartment, settling down in their pajamas with a dinner of Chinese takeout.
âFor Kellyâs bouquet,â Kara said. âYou didnât jump.â
Lena shrugged, digging into her food with her chopsticks again. âIt wasnât heading towards me.â
âYou couldâve used magic,â Kara suggested, thinking of how a certain other super had used her powers to yank the flowers midair.
âAnd start a duel with Nia?â Lena grinned. âSeemed unwise. Besides, she has a likely candidate.â
Kara smiled.Â
âAt least I was there,â Lena teased softly. âI didnât see you in the crowd.â
Kara shrugged. âItâs a human tradition.âÂ
Lena tilted her head. âWhat did Krypton have?â
Kara grimaced. âGenetic testing. AI matching. Rules about guild marriages,â she said, âMy uncle destroyed the AI, at least. But romance was secondary on Krypton.â
âWhat about now? On Argo?â
âRomantic love is⊠still an alien concept, on Argo,â Kara said thoughtfully, popping another potsticker in her mouth. âIt existed in some of our stories. But our upbringing, our culture- we had to squash a lot of that down.â
âAnd now?â
âNow itâs likeâŠâ Karaâs voice had lowered to a murmur, and Lena noticed a pink tint rising in her cheeks. Kara cleared her throat, staring into her food. âNow itâs like theyâre marrying a close friend,â she continued. âI wouldnât say they have romance like Earth does.â
âLike marrying a friend,â Lena mulled.
Kara quietly picked at her food.
âAnd what about you?â Lena said, partially curious, partially⊠well. She knew Kara could hear how her heart had started pounding, as much as she wished she could hide it.
âMe?â
âYou grew up there. But youâve been here for so long. Where do you fall?â
Karaâs brow crinkled. âI think IâŠlike all the little things,â she murmured. âGiving flowers and chocolate. Kissing. Holding hands.â
âBut?â
âNot a but,â Kara said as she glanced up - still avoiding Lenaâs eyes, but looking thoughtfully ahead. âIt feels so alien to me, but in this wonderful way. Exhilarating. Strange. I feel like I have this chimeric type of romance in my head - not Earthian, not Kryptonian. Like romance isâŠâ
Kara grew quiet, turning her head to her food again, staring silently as the blush on her cheeks seemed to deepen.Â
Lena watched for a moment, taking in the unmoving kryptonian - the hint of tightness in her posture, the unusual muteness and stillness. âWhat is romance for you, Kara?â Lena whispered.
Kara slowly tilted her gaze up to meet Lenaâs. âMy perfect partner at a game night,â she confessed quietly. âKnowing someone so well that it feels like magic when weâre together.â
Lena let out the breath she didnât realize she had been holding.
Kara nibbled nervously at her lip. âYou- you donât have to see it that way,â Kara said, her voice cracking. âItâs not- it doesnât have to change anything. But Iâll understand if itâs too muchâŠâ
âI feel it too,â Lena whispered. âWhen Iâm with you. It always feels like magic.â
âReally?â Kara said. âYou could want- you-â
âI didnât want to catch the bouquet unless it was for you,â Lena confessed. âI just- all I want is to be with you.â
Kara smiled wide, and Lena watched on as the tension seemed to melt away from the still-blushing kryptonianâs frame. âI love you, Lena.â
Lena smiled back. âI love you too.â
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Supercorp bicep meme, sketchier than usual but it was fun
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Lena knew this was going to be a bad one. She was making dinner when she glanced up and saw that the Lakehawks game had been interrupted by a breaking news report. There was a fire on the south side hills, flames raking the side of the building as they reached hungrily for the sky, as if to consume the stars themselves.
Rushing to the balcony, she could see it, an angry red glow on the edge of the city. It was a bad place for a fire. It was out of control and the brush and vegetation nearby was dry; all of Southern California was under drought conditions and a fire watch. Everyone in the city would be glued to their televisions; a helicopter thumped overhead, sending a downblast over her as it thundered towards the fire.
Lena watched with her own eyes, briefly spotting the red and blue streak across the night sky. She couldnât see the fire itself but she could imagine Kara slicing through the air at full speed, dousing or something the flames in some clever way. True to form, the glow died down quickly. Lena didnât need to turn back to the tv to know the fire was was contained and would soon be out.
She waited patiently on the balcony, leaning over the railing and letting the crisp night air sweep through her hair. She looked up when she saw that familiar dash of red and blue slow and descend beside her, cape billowing out behind Kara as she landed.
Her face and hair and suit were streaked with soot and her eyes were downcast. Lena said nothing as she placed her hands on Karaâs big shoulders and led her inside. As soon as they were in, Lena closed the doors and pulled the curtains, then swiftly turned and undid the clasps that held Karaâs cape to her shoulders, sweeping it over the back of a chair. From the set of her back and the way her head hung, she knew at once that something as wrong.
She didnât ask. Kara was never cruel to her, never snapped at her, but Lena had learned to read her and knew that she needed a little bit of silence to process after something happened.
A kind of ritual had been created between them. Lena parted the skintight suit to reveal the hidden zipper and pulled it down, exposing the honeyed skin of Karaâs broad back. She wore a crop top and boxers under the suit, and shimmied out of it, gathering it and the cape.
Kara turned to head towards the bedroom, and Lena caught her with a hand resting softly on her forearm.
âI wasnât fast enough,â Kara whispered, as the tears began to fall.
Lena took the suit from her and the cape and laid them reverently across the chair.
âDonât worry about me,â said Kara. âIâll be fine.â
âYou will be, but Iâm going to worry all I want.â
Lena pressed into her and Kara wrapped her arms around her, nuzzling her nose into the crown of Lenaâs head. Kryptonian super-senses. She was taking deep breaths of Lenaâs pheromones and feeling the beat of her heart against her own chest. Kara smelled like sweat and burnt drywall, but Lena didnât care.
âEat your dinner. Iâll be okay.â
Lena let her go, but put away what sheâd been making; the chicken could brine for up to a day anyway, and she wanted to share this meal for Kara. Lena wouldnât admit that she enjoyed feeding Kara, whose body seemed so incapable of gaining any weight which was not muscle, but she knew she did. Not to mention the little thrill she got from introducing her to new tastes.
She had a protein shake instead, waiting for Kara to come out of the shower. Kara would wash her suit and cape herself, so Lena left it.
When she stepped into the bedroom, Kara had changed into a loose, threadbare t-shirt and was fluffing her hair with a towel. Eventually it would dry into flawless waves with loosely curled, salon perfect ends; apparently Kryptonians also had super styling amongst their repertoire of scientifically implausible abilities.
Kara flopped on her side on the bed, sighing.
Lena crawled aboard behind her and wrapped her arms around Kara, and Kara immediately sank back into her embrace with a soft sigh. The bed erased their height difference and Lena sheltered Kara with her body, tucking her head against her chest. After a while, she began slowly running her fingers through Karaâs damp hair, and her tuneless hum became a half-remembered lullaby her mother had sung as Kara let out a quiet sob and shuddered.
Sometimes, the biggest person needed to be small, and the strongest woman in the world needed someone to be stronger. Eventually, Kara told Lena what happened, yet another invisible scar sheâd carry forever. Once again Lena bitterly thought that Kara didnât deserve to live like this, bearing the guilt of two whole worlds on her shoulders.
But she did, so Lena would help her carry it.
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In today's edition of some distraction from stress, I present:
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Stacy's Mom but the singer is a preschool teacher and Stacy is her favorite student, who has a really hot single mom
is that anything
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