Snap.
Rao, Kara hated that sound. Out of all the sounds that existed in the world that had to be her least favorite of all. She never got used to it, no matter how often she had to hear it, which considering she spent a great deal of time punching out bad guys, was quite often. There were all kinds of snaps. Sometimes it came from the blow itself, the snap of her fist colliding with an alien foe who could withstand some of her super strength. Those were rare, the ones who could withstand her full might. Supergirl always had to hold back, because if she lost control people would get hurt. Who was there to stop her from getting hurt?
Snap.
Sometimes the snapping sound came from a broken bone, sometimes she grabbed a human too quickly, or with a little too much force, and their fragile bones would snap like they were nothing but cardboard compared to the strength of a yellow sun powered Kryptonian. They were all so fragile, weren't they? One wrong move, one little twist, one minor mistake and Supergirl might become a murderer without ever meaning to. Could she really be blamed though? How was it her fault if humans caved in with the smallest amount of pressure, because that's what she used. That delicate balance between too much and too little was so difficult to maintain, and she was expected to always keep it in mind. How was Kal-El so good at it, he did it with little to no effort. Time wasn't an excuse anymore, she'd been on Earth for years, and years. Surely she should be able to control her powers perfectly after all these years? No, it wasn't her control that was the problem, it was the situations in which she lost it.
Snap
Snapping could also refer to the state of one's mind. When someone snapped mentally there was almost always a reckoning for that person, the people they loved or in some miserable cases it was everyone who suffered. There was no way to strengthen the mind either, so people just had to go through life hoping their mind could withstand whatever terrible things the world would throw at them. Some were lucky, and experienced very little mental trauma. Others were far less fortunate, and had to deal with more trauma than any one person should experience in their lifetime. Some people had their planets explode, lost their friends and family, then found themselves fortunate enough to find a new family and friends, only to learn that so many restrictions had to be placed on them because of something beyond their control.
CRASH
The final sound wasn't a snap, but it could hurt almost just as bad. Though crash could refer to a number of painful things, it was usually the heartbreak that hurt the most. It varied from person to person sure, but with physical pain stemming from a crash, either one of the motorized vehicle variety or the being punched through a building kind, would heal with time. A shattered heart had the potential of never healing, depending on the person who broke it. If it was broken by that very special person, the person you know you were meant to be with, then there was nothing you could do but walk around and pretend to be okay. If your job consisted of giving people hope, and smiling a lot so that everyone felt okay when you beat the bad guys, well… Too bad. Some people simply didn't have the luxury of hurting.
The static in her intercom pulled Supergirl from all those thoughts, she'd been fighting on autopilot and found she could not even remember the appearance of whatever generic, evil alien jerk's lights she had been punching out. It was happening more and more frequently too, her performing tasks without truly thinking about them while she grew lost in her head. Always it was the same voice beyond the static in her headpiece that brought her back down to Earth. "Suprgirl!" echoed in her ear, a hint of annoyance tinged with the concern.
"Sorry Alex, I'm here. The target is contained. You can send agents to pick him up now, he won't be causing anymore trouble for a while."
"Thank you, Supergirl." she responded, trying to hide a sigh a relief. What followed was a few moments of awkward silence before Alex resumed talking. "You've been getting distracted a lot recently, Supergirl. Maybe you should head back and talk about it…?" Alex allowed her words to trailed off, but it was plain to Kara, and all those also listening around Alex at the D.E.O, that she was worried for her sister. They hadn't truly talked in months now, and there didn't seem to be a root cause. Kara was just drifting off, from everyone. It was slightly terrifying, not just to Alex, but to Kara herself as well.
Kara's heart twinged slightly, familiar aches threatening to rise to the surface and overwhelm her with things she'd chosen to not deal with when appropriate, so she intended to keep them buried deep. Kara didn't need super hearing to know Alex was eagerly awaiting her response, she also knew exactly what her foster sister wanted to hear. The part that hurt Kara the most was that she wanted the same thing, but she didn't know how to be that girl anymore. It all felt so foreign to her now, and even though she hated being alone the extended time she'd been spending alone was beginning to feel like home to her. Her brain and heart, which never agreed on anything, were both shouting at her to accept Alex's offer, to sit and chat, to tell her what was wrong, or at least try to since she didn't even really know… Alas, it was her pain that won out. "I'm sorry Alex, I can't today. I have a lot to do."
The Kryptonian powerhouse never even gave her sister a chance to respond. She was already going to feel guilty all night, and hearing the hurt in Alex's voice was only going to make it worse for her. It was the selfish choice, and would hurt Alex more than her but Kara felt like she had been getting pretty good at being selfish these days. There was also a small part of her that worried she would hurt Alex. It was an irrational fear, she'd never lost control around Alex and hurt her. She was pretty good at controlling her powers, but that didn't mean it wasn't a constant struggle.
Humans seemed to take for granted exactly how strong Kryptonians were. Especially the criminals, and Kara could only attribute it to her, and her cousin's, control. They watched them take down humans without injuring them every day, so they had been conditioned to believe that it was easy to not shatter bones or stop hearts. It was just another day in the life of Supergirl, right? They saw her as the hero, so that meant she wasn't capable of killing them. Sometimes Kara blamed them for those train of thoughts, humans in general. It wasn't easy, not by a long shot. It wasn't just the people she could break, but their belongings, their buildings… Everything on Earth was just so fragile, and she was the one expected to maintain some semblance of control over her powers. It hardly seems fair, but there was no alternative solution. After all, if she punched a bad guy too hard she might send her fist right through his chest. If she twitched too suddenly she might break a bone, if she exhaled too sharply she might send him into a wall hard enough to break his spine. So it was on her, to always remain focused and disciplined and to watch out for the well being of murderers and thieves.
Kara had not started out this bitter over it, her powers were a gift and when she had decided to become Supergirl and help National City it had made her feel complete, like herself. The first few years were hard, but they hadn't completely sapped her optimism away. It wasn't completely gone, even now, it was just buried inside and Kara was trying to find the good. She still loved helping people, she still loved saving people but she also wanted some semblance of fairness. She wanted to be able to enjoy her life beyond being Supergirl. Why couldn't she hug her foster sister without having to worry about snapping her in half? Why couldn't she have her first kiss without breaking the poor boy's jaw? Why couldn't she make love to someone she cared about without-
Kara's face wrinkled up, and she glanced down towards the knocked out extraterrestrial a few feet ahead of her. She'd done a number on him, knocked him out good. It was ironic when she thought how she'd never been that afraid of hurting someone when she had started, and yet since she'd developed this fear of using too much strength it was making her more savage in her fights. It's like she was trying to tempt fate, trying to find that sweet spot for each foe, the line that defined exactly how hard she could hit without doing permanent damage. It was dangerous, and reckless but it was also the only thing that allowed Kara to feel alive. After all, she was going to pick up some dinner, go back to her apartment and sit there for a quiet night of boring solitude.
The sound of sirens was rapidly approaching, and a small gathering of people had arrived to see the aftermath of the fight. Those less brave were standing a ways away, snapping photos and videos on their cellphones. Worried parents held onto their children so they didn't rush ahead, and young girls were screaming for Kara's attention, desperately hoping that their favorite hero would pause for a photo with them. Once it would have brought Kara so much joy to stop for each of those children, and make their day. Give them something to brag about to all their friends, but fear kept her at bay. It made her look like more of a bitch than she used to, as well.
Just as the sirens were coming into view Kara jumped off the ground as hard as she could, launching herself high into the air. She flew away and with her enhanced hearing she could hear the disappointed children down below, and she shut both her eyes and heart to the sound. She took a few moments to clear her head, darting between buildings and when her stomach reminded her she was hungry she decided it was time to change back to mild-mannered Kara Danvers. She flew into her apartment faster than the human eye could track, and while still utilizing her speed changed, fixed her hair and was back out on the street in the same amount of time it took to blink. She'd never done the tests, but Kara was fairly sure that she'd been getting faster over the last few years.
She did slow down for the walk to the chinese food place, moving at a more appropriate speed for public. Kara always got a kick out of walking about in public, a sort of thrill that no one knew she was experiencing. The Green Arrow, the Flash they both wore masks and took such care of their identities. Then there was Kara and her cousin, where their human identities were the secret one. Kara Danvers and Supergirl, two sides of the same coin but the line between which one was truly her had been blurring more than ever. Kara never used to walk around alone, contemplating her existence but that was also something that could be added to the list of things she'd been doing too frequently.
When she entered the restaurant, one of her favorites, the friendly old woman who didn't speak English behind the counter beamed over at her, and Kara responded with a small smile in turn. She began shouting in Mandarin behind her and the sound of chuckles reached Kara's ears. They knew her order, and though they couldn't properly communicate there was a sort of… Friendship there. Friendship wasn't perhaps the right word, but this place was comforting and made delicious food.
When they called Kara up the woman beckoned her over in the universal 'hurry' motion, and Kara's head tilted curiously. Kara was pulling her card out the pay, but the woman pushed Kara's arm away, and for a fleeting second Kara was entering panic mode. She hadn't been expecting it, what if she moved her arm too fast? What if she broke the woman's wrist? Just as quickly as her fears had appeared, they vanished when the friendly woman pulled her arm away. "You have bad day." she exclaimed, saying it as a statement, and not a question. Kara tilted her head curiously, unsure what to say. "You have bad day, I give extra. You no pay." and with arms extended ahead of her she began shooing Kara away with a large smile. All Kara could do was chuckle, and give a grateful smile. Kara would remember this, and the next time she went there she was going to be sure to leave a huge tip.
On her way back to her place, the scent of over sixty pot stickers tickling her nostrils, Kara was thinking about how pathetic it was that the highlight of her day was this food. Her friendliest interaction had been with a woman that did not even share a language with her. She was going to go home, consume all of this food alone and continue to waste her life away. She laughed aloud, there was no one around to hear her anyway. "I can't hurt you, can I potstickers?" then she wanted to facepalm, because she was speaking to her dinner.
"I think you're too hard on yourself Kara Zor-El."
Kara whirled around, clutching the large bag of food to her side, careful to not squeeze it and ruin the precious contents within. Someone was walking towards her from the alley she had been walking by. Her eyes narrowed, scanned the stranger and the surrounding area but he seemed to be alone. Her pulse quickened as she wondered what manner of alien this person was, irritation making her hope she could wrap it up quickly and go home. Whoever it was, they were enjoying making a show out of it, making sure to walk slowly out of the shadows until he revealed himself.
Kara blinked, and began giggling. She'd actually been worried, but when the stranger emerged from the shadows to reveal himself, he proved to be nothing more than a kid. Okay, a teenager, but still. He couldn't be older than fifteen years old, if that. He was dressed in tight fitting spandex, but he it didn't look like he'd modified it in anyway. It was bright blue, a cape of the same shade dangling behind him and a typical blue mask to hide his face. He was brave to startle Kara as he had, and though she was curious to how she knew she was Supergirl, Kara was no longer feeling particularly threatened.
"You think I'm funny?" He asked, quirking an uneven brow.
"I think that you should run home, kid." She responded casually enough, then sighed. "I don't know how you know who I am but I'd appreciate it if you left me alone. If you want to play hero, then don't. It's a bad idea, and you're going to get hurt."
"The Supergirl I've heard about would never judge someone at a glance." he responded, almost like he'd known what she was going to say. "You can call me The Memory Master." he bowed dramatically for Kara, a grin slowly spreading on his mouth.
"Yeah? And what can you do?" she asked, deciding to ignore the comment about the Supergirl he had heard about. That Supergirl had stopped coming around years ago. All that was left was this more cynical, sometimes afraid Supergirl. The one that had to be alone for fear of hurting someone with her powers, and even though she could admit it was irrational and based on only a few incidents, it was impossible to shake. "I'd really like to get home to enjoy my dinner."
He responded in the strangest way, with a slow clap as he began approaching Kara. He began walking around her in a circle, looking Kara up and down and the Kryptonian was wondering if he was just checking her out, which would suddenly make this encounter a lot creepier. "I'm not checking you out." he responded, which gave Kara a hint to his powers, as well as told her how she knew his identity. "Yes, I can read minds, but that's not what I do best." he responded to Kara's thought as he finished circling back to her front. He looked up towards the older woman, and nodded approvingly. "It's funny, I never would have suspected you were a super strong alien from your current appearance."
"That's kind of the point, now what do you want?"
"To show you how wrong you are…" He was humming, rubbing at his chin. "I guess we'll start at the beginning right, that's what makes the most sense? Then I'm going to run over to the D.E.O and pay your friends a visit." he nodded, and was no longer paying attention to Kara.
That got Kara's attention, and she tensed, hands balling into fists. "I don't think that's going to happen."
"You'll understand soon." he replied, and as Kara lunged at him he snapped his fingers and Kara collapsed to the ground without so much as a whimper. She'd passed out the moment he had snapped his fingers. He dragged her into the alley so she would at least be somewhat hidden, patting her head softly. "Don't worry, you'll be alright." and he left, whistling a tune known only to him as left Kara in the alley.
/
"Thanks!" Kara chirped, as she puttered around the apartment, mostly going from the living room to the kitchen to deposit all the glasses they had used that night. It had been an unusually active game night. Mon-El and Winn had both shown up from the future with the rest of the legion, Clark and Lois had shown up. Lena, Alex, J'onn had all shown up too. It had taken a long time for Clark to trust Lena enough to come to these game nights as himself, much less bring his wife, but Lena had more than proven herself since that first meeting in her office.
Lena was more than a mere acquaintance, more than a friend, something even beyond a best friend. Lena had been through a lot with their entire group, but also just with Kara. Their friendship had endured and prevailed through countless trials, including the one revolving around her secret identity. Lena had needed a bit of time after that revelation, but Kara truly believed revealing it herself had been the right course of action, and had both saved the friendship and brought them back together stronger than ever.
After the secret was out a lot of things began to make sense to Lena, including a strange incident where she had visited J'onn pretending to be a sick Kara. Everyone had had a good laugh about that one. Lena had begin to settle in nicely to the D.E.O, going as far as to partner L-Corp up with them. Lena was the one providing the capital, materials and researching the non-lethal weapons J'onn had wanted them to use. Since that time, the D.E.O had stopped using lethal force and come to some amazing technological breakthroughs as far as non-lethal containment went. None of it even used Kryptonite, which was a bonus for Kara. Lena had kept that little tidbit of information, the recipe, secret. Kara was eternally grateful for that.
Kara and Lena spent a stupid amount of time together. Lena attended game night regularly, and since Kara was usually dateless they had attended friends' weddings together, they saw movies together and Kara even invited Lena over for dinner when her foster mother would visit. Not to mention when her birth mother had visited from Argo, she'd made sure Lena had been available for that two. No one would say they were… Together though, assuredly not. That would be ridiculous, after all. Kara was Supergirl, and it had been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that all of her relationships failed tragically, and Lena? She was Lena Luthor, the Chief Executive Officer of her own company and doing so many incredible things out there in the world Throw in the entire Super/Luthor stigma and the fact that Kara had never presented with feelings for another woman, well… It simply wasn't meant to be.
"It's the least I can do Kara, after all you're always kind enough to invite me to these things. Helping you clean up is no big deal." Lena replied comfortably, moving back and forth in opposite time of Kara, glasses clinking together, the only sound in the apartment other than each woman's light footsteps. "It's nice." she added, and though she couldn't see Kara at that precise moment the blonde adjusted her glasses and frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked, curiosity peaking. The frown hadn't been one of unhappiness, more of confusion.
"It's just nice, these gatherings, I enjoy them." Lena was speaking more slowly now, and both women had slowed in their movements. Kara was on her way to the kitchen with the last of the cups, and Lena was on her way to the living room empty handed, but this time they paused, meeting in the middle. Kara was still curious, and Lena just seemed relieved, emotional almost. "Growing up I always had to worry whether or not someone was using me for my name, my money or my company. There was no other option, it was always just a matter of when. As for my employees? Well, it's easy to act like someone's friend when they sign your paycheck." Lena paused, laughing nervously. It wasn't like her and Kara never had 'real' talks, but this was the most she'd ever revealed, as far as her feelings on her life went. "I'll admit I even thought that of you a few times, tried to figure out your angle," Lena began fidgeting uncomfortably, but Kara's stare betrayed no hint of anger, or disappointment. They still only displayed her curiosity, wondering where Lena was going with any of this. "now I feel like I belong. With your friends, and with you." the usual calm tone of Lena was shakier than normal.
"Lena…"
The Luthor raised a hand to silence Kara, determined to go on. "You told me your greatest secret, Kara. You made me feel like family. You've saved my life more times than I can count and now, with all of this, you've saved my soul too."
Somewhere in between the words, unnoticed by either woman, they'd approached each other. They were face-to-face now and Kara was nervously tearing her lip apart, because she didn't know what Lena's point was. There were a few things she did know though. One was that she felt incredibly hot, and not in any sort of sexually charged way, it was more like her insides were melting. The second was that her heart had sped up, and she felt like it would beat out of her chest. Only the tiniest bit of focusing was required for her to hear its thumping with her super hearing; she worried Lena might hear it too, or feel it if they were to hug. Lena reached towards Kara, and her perfectly manicured hand rested on Kara's cheek, and the Kryptonian found herself nuzzling into it. Kara wished she could find something to say but if she were to open her mouth she would only fumble over her words, and Lena would find it adorable and that would certainly not help the situation.
Which brought Kara back to the oh-so-important question of what exactly the situation was. They were so close now that Kara saw Lena's through shift as the other woman swallowed, she could see every little shift in her friend's body which spoke volumes to how nervous Lena was. Neither woman made a move, they'd fallen completely still with both refusing to meet the other's eyes. Eventually the stillness had to end, and their eyes seemed to lock simultaneously, blue and green reflecting beautifully off of each other. Then Kara was caught off guard by what Lena did next. Judging by how Lena rushed to press her face into Kara's, she hadn't been planning on kissing her. Everything stopped mattering though, and Kara's heart engaged its hyperdrive.
Her previous kisses had nothing on this one, as clumsy as it was. Her lips locked with Lena, and in the most predictable plot twist ever Lena was an expert kisser. Her lips mashed with Kara's expertly, moving in time to lock their lips together in a slow, sweet revelation of affection. Kara was completely lost, she wasn't even able to overthink it the way she would normally because Lena had captured her completely. She was so enraptured by the kiss that she probably wouldn't have noticed the glass she was holding in her left hand exploding, shattering into a pile of rubble. The sound startled both women, and Kara dropped the other two cups she'd been holding between separate sets of fingers in her other hand.
"Oh, damn. Sorry, Kara." Lena started apologizing, groaning softly as she looked to the mess around her. Her apology was short lived as she felt herself be pushed back into the wall, a soft thud echoing in Kara's small apartment.
"It's just a glass." Kara replied, and her voice seemed on the brink of desperation, but not in that needy, upset way. She was desperate to prove to herself that the situation was real, that it hadn't been some fluke. That kiss had turned something inside of Kara, something that had been there since meeting Lena that she hadn't been able to accurately pinpoint. A sense of longing that had built deep and hollow in her chest, but had been kept a secret was all at once being filled and satiated. Kara was usually such a, for lack of a better word, good girl. She was always in control but one kiss from Lena had made her come undone and Kara was very much no longer in control.
Lena was on board with the second kiss, putting up no pretense of fighting. Instead her arms wrapped around the blonde's neck, fingers interlocking as though to prevent Kara from escaping her. Time was lost to both, they could have been kissing for mere minutes, or truly, it could have been hours and neither would have known the difference. One thing that was certain, however, was that things were different. With how the kissing had resumed, and the fact that neither seemed to want to stop it, it meant that once it did stop there would have to be talking. Unable to read each other's thoughts, neither could tell that both were equally terrified of the other not truly wanting this. Two women, silent, but hoping for the same thing and trying to find it in the comfort of each others' mouths.
With control lost, and just wanting to be closer to Lena Kara stepped forward to press her body to Lena's. Her brain wasn't processing yet, her mind had yet to catch up with everything that was going on. Her fingers were interlocking with Lena's hair, moving down to cup her face. She was grabbing at Lena's shoulder, was going to lightly pull her forward and do… Well, Kara hadn't thought that far ahead. She wanted to move away from the wall, maybe to the bed? She didn't think they'd sleep together, not so quickly, but in the end it didn't matter because there was a loud snap, and a howl of pain from Lena.
Her face scrunched up in pain after the initial shock and Kara took a step back, hands covering her mouth. Then she rushed forward to inspect the damage she had done, finding Lena's arm limp at her side. The blonde powerhouse didn't even need to use her X-ray vision to see what was wrong. She had pulled Lena's arm right out of its socket. It didn't make sense, she wasn't some kid learning to control her strength anymore, she'd had a grip on her powers for years. In her mind, the pull had been feather light.
With a dash of super speed, Kara got Lena's things ready. Lena had already called her driver, and he was en route to take her to the hospital. The whole time Kara apologized Lena kept reassuring her that it was no big deal, and despite the pain she was in she pressed a tiny peck to Kara's mouth each time she apologized, like she was reminding her they'd just been kissing. "It's not big deal." she said, as she was heading out the door. "Trust me, when we tell everyone else they're going to laugh at this story, just like we will." and Lena blew Kara a kiss, leaving the Kryptonian's face a little flushed.
It was as she was picking up the shards of glass not too long after Lena left that Kara muttered to herself. "Yeah, we'll laugh about it." and she could feel a sense of anxiety bubbling up inside her. That was something that never should have happened, and it never had. Not when she'd kissed James, or Mon-El… Sure, Mon-El was a special case, but still. She didn't just break things like that. Before she really got to overthinking it thought, she giggled as the surge of endorphins hit her again, reminding her she'd just been kissing Lena.
So what if she'd crushed a glass, or accidentally pulled Lena's arm out of its socket? Okay, that last one was a little more severe, but it wouldn't happen again. Kara spent the rest of the night giggling like a school girl with a crush, which she kind of was. She felt like it anyway, and as she fell asleep she couldn't recall ever feeling so giddy. All that time with Lena, it finally made sense and their mouths mashing together had put everything into perspective. She wondered how Alex would react to finding out Kara was interested in a woman.
Kara even dreamed about that kiss.
/
When Kara woke up, she wasn't comfortable in her bed after having made out with Lena Luthor, the possible love of her live. Hell, the last time she had kissed that women was how many years ago? Her bad was several blocks away, currently unoccupied and Kara was laying on the cold, concrete floor in an alley. She couldn't tell how long she'd been out, and her poor potstickers were all over the ground. The confusion was setting in, even though Kara didn't exactly have time for that. The most disconcerting part was that Kara felt she had just lived through that entire situation again. It had felt so real, sensations that had been long gone were fresh again. She could practically taste Lena on her lips, tongue even darting out to check if she could find anything there. Her heart sank when there was nothing there, which meant it was, in fact, years later and that was long over with. Kara was all alone. Kara was all alone and her sister was in trouble.
The Kryptonian howled into the sky, and brought both fists crashing down into the ground as she got to her knees. The concrete crumbled under the weight of her fists, and probably scaring too many people to count in the immediate vicinity. Life had seen fit to be excessively cruel to Kara, but to be reminded of things she'd lost in such a way? That was unnecessary. Rao, she could still almost feel her…
She would have to push her feelings down later, because Memory Master's voice, as loathe as Kara was to call him that, still rang in her head. Even with the throbbing in her head Supergirl, because she was no longer in Kara Danvers mode, pushed herself to unsteady legs and jumped into the air with all her might and steadied herself at the apex of her jump. She took off, turning into nothing more than a blur as she sped towards the D.E.O. She didn't just go to her former place of work (yes she still helped out, but she was far less active), she literally crashed into it, breaking through the glass doors on the balcony that overlooked the city. "Alex!" Kara shrieked, looking around with a worried gaze for her sister.
She didn't see the familiar gaze of the elder Danvers sister looking back at her, the only glances she got were terrified of her. Just a group of regular looking employees, extremely confused by their city's hero random appearance, especially in such a rough manner. As the rage and adrenaline worked itself out of her system, that was when Alex appeared. She was frowning as she rushed towards Kara, placing her hands on either of Kara's shoulders. Kara winced, the memory of what she'd done to Lena years ago still fresh, and recoiled from Alex's touch. That was something she did a lot these days too. "Alex? I don't understand. He said he was coming here…"
"Who said he was coming here?"
"Memory Master," Kara explained, "he said he was coming here to hurt you. He said he was going to pay my friends a visit…" Kara's words trailed off again, realizing the potential mistake she'd made. He hadn't specifically mentioned family, no, he'd said her friends. Who could he hurt at the D.E.O…? "Lena!" Kara cried out, reaching for Alex but catching herself at the last moment, and choosing to let her arms go limp instead. "Lena still works here, doesn't she? Or is she at her lab?"
"Take a breath, you're not making any sense."
"I think Lena's in danger, Alex."
"Am I now?" chimed in a newcomer.
Everyone turned towards where the new voice was coming from, even Alex, and there she stood. One of her perfectly plucked eyebrows quirked up inquisitively, while also somehow making it seem like she already knew what was going on, the way she knew everything. Even at work she was the picture of sophisticated grace, black dress clinging to her body nicely, but not too much to be considered inappropriate. Her lips, which Kara had just kissed - no, had just remembered kissing - ruby red, flawless, plump…Yes, there she was. Lena Luthor in all her glory. She strode towards Kara and Alex, seemingly unphased and the only sound was the whirring of machines, people's breath and the loud clicking of Lena's heels on the cool floor.
"You don't call, you don't write but here you are ready to save my life again." Lena announced. She was sporting a smile, but it seemed a little forced. "It's been too long, Kara. I hope you've been well?"
"I…"
The words hung there between them, and with the adrenaline wearing off Kara couldn't help but feel foolish. Seeing Lena was like being kicked directly in the stomach. No, perhaps being kicked in the heart was a more accurate description of what she was feeling. She longed to rush over to Lena and pick her up in her arms, and hug her tightly. Not even romantically, though the feelings she'd never settled were there too. They'd been friends before they'd been lovers, after all. They'd never stopped caring about each other. Well, Kara had never stopped caring about Lena, anyway. She couldn't speak for the Luthor, whom she once could have read like an open book, but now couldn't make out what was going on inside that pretty head of hers.
Employees were returning to work, and doing their best to look busy. The air had grown tense and awkward quickly. It was mostly Kara's fault, even though she didn't know what Lena was thinking or feeling at least the Luthor was trying to act normal. Kara cleared her throat, and deciding she didn't need them she threw her glasses to the side.
"I hope you've been well too, Lena." came Kara's too late reply. "It's really good to see you again."
There was the briefest pause. "Definitely." Lena smiled as she spoke, crossing her arms over her chest. "God, how long has it been since we've been in the same room together? Months at least."
Lena wasn't wrong, and she was being extremely polite not mentioning that even when they'd been in the same room together last Kara had scarcely said anything to her. Kara remembered it well, though. It was at the Christmas party, and Kara had only gone because she felt like she had to. That was how they interacted now. They saw each other at social gatherings. The nights of cuddles and movies on her couch were long gone, as were the days of stopping by with pizza and potstickers. The laughter, the love, even the friendship… Kara had burned it all down to the ground.
That was okay though. Because Lena was safe.
"It's been a while. I've been busy." Kara lied.
"Yes, I know saving the city demands a lot of your attention." Lena replied politely, again going along with the obvious lie. "You don't have to look so uncomfortable around me, Kara. We were good friends, once."
Kara almost flinched. "I'm not uncomfortable. I thought you were in trouble.
"Yes," Lena smiled slightly. "It's nice to know that you'd still rush in to save me, Supergirl." Lena nodded, sagely.
"It's what I do." Supergirl's response was naught more than a whisper.
"Why don't you start by telling us what you're saving me from today?"
