Kara made her seventeenth pass around National City. She sighed. Tonight was too quiet. Kara felt restless, body thrumming with energy as she floated above the city. She could really use a good fight.
She zipped around the city again, ears straining for the sound of someone in distress, but it was just as quiet as the last six times she'd looped around. Kara slowed, floating above CatCo and looking out at the twinkling lights of her city. She blew out a deep breath then shot straight up, brushing through a low layer of fog and bursting up into the clear night sky.
Kara counted the seconds in her head as she kept climbing. 40 seconds. She pushed herself faster, flying at a speed she'd never attempt when she was carrying Alex. 130 seconds and she hit another brief layer of moisture. Kara took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes as she strained upwards. The quickest she'd ever reached the far edge of the mesosphere was 233 seconds. 200 seconds. She was moving faster now, reaching for the stars that shone so bright and clear above her. Kara could feel it approaching, the limit she'd set for herself, the line she never crossed (except for once, when she'd had to, when there'd been no one else, and no other way to save everyone, to save Alex, she'd flown so far she couldn't come back on her own).
Kara stopped abruptly. 221 seconds. She fist-pumped the air. New personal best (Alex would have to add that to her journal). Kara floated for several minutes, gazing at the stars and ducking two satellites that came near her. She started to feel a slight sting of pain in her chest 12 minutes and 46 seconds after she'd taken her last breath (Alex told her that was normal, that humans felt that distress too when their bodies began to crave oxygen. Kara didn't tell Alex that it was her heart, not her lungs, that felt the strain when she looked out at the stars).
Kara spun around one last time, then flipped over, head pointed to the Earth below, and let herself fall. The first time she'd done that with Alex, just let them freefall while they were flying, Alex had screamed ('squealed, really,' Kara had teased her later), but now it was one of Alex's favorite parts of flying.
Kara took her first breath in 1327 seconds as she adjusted her angle slightly to miss a large cloud looming below her. Kara sighed and flipped over, falling backwards so that she could take a last long look at the stars. She closed her eyes and let herself have two more minutes of just being Kara Zor-El, of not being Supergirl, not worrying about the fate of humanity. For 120 seconds she thought about her mother and her father (and oh, how she wished they could've met Alex; they would've loved her, she's sure of it), and Aunt Astra and their home.
When her time was up, Kara opened her eyes and twisted around, taking control of her body and flying directly down to National City. She flew her usual route around and through the city three times, but heard no cries for help. Kara paused outside of Alex's apartment window, then took a deep breath and slowly pushed it open. She landed lightly inside, shutting the window behind her before taking off her boots. Kara draped her cape over the back of the couch and floated down the hallway to the bedroom. She hovered in the doorway, holding her breath as she gazed in at the lump in Alex's bed. The back of her head was the only part of Alex's body that Kara could see, the rest of it covered in a mound of blankets.
"Get in here, you dork," Alex mumbled without turning around.
Kara smiled slightly as she glided over to the bed. She lifted the three layers of blankets and slid in behind Alex, laying her head behind Alex's on the pillow. "Go back to sleep," Kara whispered as she wrapped an arm around Alex's waist and pulled her back snugly against Kara's chest.
Alex sighed and relaxed into her, then stiffened slightly. "Kara, are you still in your suit?"
Kara squirmed. "Maybe?"
Alex rolled over on her back and tilted her head towards Kara, lifting an eyebrow as she glanced down Kara's body. "And what's the rule?"
"No sleeping in the suit," Kara said dejectedly. "But it's only part of it! I took the boots and cape off," she offered hopefully.
"Semantics," Alex muttered.
Kara leaned over Alex, arm still snug around her waist. "Sorry," Kara murmured with a small smile, biting her lower lip.
"Karaaaa," Alex groaned, turning her head away. "Stop looking at me like that."
"But Alex," Kara cajoled, letting go of Alex's waist to reach for her chin and turn her head back to face Kara, "I really am sorry." Kara blinked enormous eyes and bit her lip again for good measure.
Alex grabbed Kara's hand and pushed her to her back, rolling on top of Kara in one smooth movement. "Ugh, do you know what that does to me?"
[Kara did, in fact, know what it did to Alex. It was the reason they'd first kissed. Alex had been angry and worried after Kara had gotten injured fighting another alien without help. Kara had pulled her lip between her teeth and promised to do better next time, to be faster. Alex sighed then (a defeated sigh, the sound of someone giving in to something inevitable) and curled a hand around Kara's bicep, pulling Kara closer and pressing her lips softly against Kara's, just the barest of pressure before she leaned back slightly and rested her forehead against Kara's. "I don't need you to be better," she'd muttered, eyes tightly closed as she'd pressed against Kara, "I just need you to be safe. I just need you here with me."]
Kara smiled what felt like her first full smile of the day, relaxed now with the weight of Alex pressing down on her. "Maybe you should remind me," Kara suggested cheekily.
"Brat," Alex murmured fondly as she leaned forward and kissed Kara.
Kara sighed happily, the last bit of restlessness fleeing her body as she parted her lips for Alex. Her sister was as thorough and considerate in her kissing as she was in every aspect of her life. Kara shivered at the first careful lick of Alex's tongue in her mouth. Alex had given up holding herself up off of Kara and lay fully on top of her, hands cupping Kara's face. Kara's hands settled on Alex's waist, pushing her t-shirt up and resting on soft, bare skin. Kara moaned in disappointment when Alex pulled back.
Alex's hand slid up to tangle in Kara's hair. "It took you a while to get home tonight," she said quietly. Her thumb gently smoothed over Kara's right eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
Kara nodded sleepily. "I am now."
Alex looked down at her for a long moment. Her fingers soothingly scratched Kara's scalp. "Did you go visit the stars?"
"Mmm-hmm. And I did it in 221 seconds," Kara said proudly.
"New personal best," Alex said with a knowing smile, leaning down and kissing Kara sweetly.
Kara hummed happily, her hands tightening on Alex's hips and pulling her even more firmly against Kara's body. Kara closed her eyes and lowered her inhibitions, letting her senses be completely overwhelmed by the taste and feel and smells and sounds of Alex (it was 2,246 seconds ago that Kara took her first breath back on Earth. But it's only now, lying here with Alex on top of her, surrounding her, that Kara feels like she can truly breathe).