Those eyes. Those eyes held something Kara hadn't seen in anyone else in the human race. There was so much emotion in the orbs that made Kara stumble and made Supergirl fall off her flight path. Whether Lena was looking at Kara or her super counterpart- there was hope. There was most of all.. Trust.
Kara had always wanted to be the best person she could be, even if she was alien, but the trust in Lena's eyes, the softness that hid behind a strong, influential woman; made her melt in a way that her heat vision couldn't even hope to counter. All Lena wanted was to be good, and in many ways Kara felt they had so much in common. But on the flip side, Lena was human. She was breakable. And there wasn't bulletproof skin to hold all that good away from bullets, or fire wielding aliens.
That's how Kara found herself hovering outside Lena's office window, her eyes reserved to staring. She should leave. She really should. She is a Super- and no matter how much Lena has tried, the Luthor name was still full of a toxic residue. But Supergirl couldn't pull herself away.
Her love for the human race had begun in Alex. In Eliza and Jeremiah. Because humanity was pure. Because these humans had so much potential, maybe even more than the potential of the lives lost on Krypton. And when she looked in Lena's eyes, she saw every facet of good. It crept up in her chest and made it hard to breathe. The passion that had made her put on the suit thrummed through her, like someone had turned a speaker on too loudly.
Many times over, Lena had proven to be able to protect herself, and her planet; from the Gala, to defying her mother. But Kara's chest still ached. And the girl couldn't find any explanation behind that fact. Kara couldn't find a reason why this green eyed woman was any different from any good citizen in National City.
Before she realized, she felt her feet touch down gently onto the balcony, watching Lena fall out of her own trance as she turned her head, watching the woman's defensive stance fall away as she turned to see Supergirl. Her alias on Lena's lips as a bright, abiet tired smile spread across her face.
"Sorry to drop in without a warning." Supergirl said, offering a soft smile, her hands pressing into her hips for a moment before she released her stance, letting her arms fall to sway as she walked into the office.
"Who am I to refuse the city's hero?" Lena offered, walking around to the front of her desk. Her head tilted slightly, those eyes looking right at Supergirl, making Kara swallow nervously. Slightly, because Lena didn't seem like the type to underestimate people, and Lena looked at Kara the same way- in a way that made Kara feel like she was looking right through her. It made her wonder if Lena would ever make the connection. "Even at this time of night...say, do you-" Lena cut herself off with a soft laugh, her head falling as her lip tied up in her teeth, knocking Kara out of her thoughts as the motion took some of her breath away.
"Do I-" Kara cleared her throat as her words came out in a stutter, looking back up at Lena's eyes, trying to regain Supergirl's confident composure. "Do I what?"
"Well, do you sleep? I know they say Justice never sleeps, but," Her brilliant smile was contagious.
"Yes." Kara replied, with her own laugh, taking a few steps closer to the woman. "I sleep- I just thought it might be good to check on you after-" She dropped her gaze after a few moments, licking her lips. "After everything."
When she looked back up, Lena's eyes were on her hands, pale fingers twined together in her lap. "I'll be fine. I've been through worse. My family has been through worse. " The woman replied, her smile losing some amplitude, and her tone reminding Kara of the interviews of Lena that she'd seen on the news.
"Doesn't change what happened." Kara reached out and gently laid her hand against Lena's arm in a way she hoped was comforting. "I know how it feels to betray the ones you love. I know how it festers and how you feel like you've become-.." She shook her head slightly as she tried to find words. "Like you've become something wrong. But sometimes doing what's right means going against family. And if it means anything-" Her fingertips rose to gently tip Lena's chin up, wanting to see those eyes when she spoke her next words. "You are National City's hero tonight. Not me. Not anyone. You saved every refugee, every alien- you saved me." Her smile spread, a soft laugh breaking through her seriousness. "I think on your own merit, you are more than just a good Luthor."
Her heart sped up when she saw tears well up in Lena's eyes, her own widening in fear that she'd said something wrong, but before she could open her mouth she felt the woman's arms around her shoulders, clumsy fingers fisting themselves in her cape. It didn't seem like a good time for words, and Kara's arms slipped around Lena without a second thought, feeling the slight shakes against her, her eyes closing as she felt Lena's warmth against her.
The woman's heart beat echoed in her ears, and Kara swore she'd never heard anything stronger or more beautiful. She almost pouted when Lena stepped back, her hands raising to run underneath her eyes, catching the black lines of watered down mascara.
"You have no idea how much I owe to you." Lena said gently, her megawatt smile back, not the least bit dampered by the tears in her eyes.
"I could say the same to you, Lena." Supergirl's eyes shined warmly, her smile taking over her cheeks. "I-" Her expression faltered for a moment, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to find the words. "I just want you to know, that," Reaching down, her fingers slipped around Lena's. "You will always have Supergirl on your side. That you've more than proven yourself, and that as long as I am protecting this city, I won't let anything happen to you. And- you won't ever be alone. Okay?"
Before Lena could reply, Supergirl's free hand's fingers slipped carefully over the woman's pale cheek, Kara's lips pursed slightly as she continued to look into Lena's eyes. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." Kara didn't sound like Supergirl at all in that moment. She sounded like Kara. Like a scared, shaking girl who was holding onto the edge of a cliff. She'd thought Lena had betrayed them, assumed that the pull of her family- her mother had made the woman stray. And Kara hadn't hated her in the least. But Lena had saved everyone.
Lena looked surprised, her pale features overtaken by what looked to be a mix between utter confusion and awe. Her hand carefully, even a bit cautiously rose to gently rest on Supergirl's forearm, her head gently lolling to lean more into the other woman's touch.
"Good thing I have Supergirl to protect me, huh?" Her words were teasing, but they were whispered so quietly, Kara might not have been able to hear them without her powers.
"Always."
Her promise fell from her lips with a pointed, if slightly teary gaze, before she pushed up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to Lena's forehead. After lingering for a moment, she gently pulled her hand away, gently tugging a black ring from her finger as Lena watched curiously.
"If you ever need me-" Kara said, reaching for the girl's hand and sliding the ring onto Lena's index finger. "Just pull up on this latch, press the emblem, and I will be there." She held the other woman's hand in her's for much longer than necessary. "You're never going to be alone. I promise you."
Supergirl gently released Lena's hand, offering her signature smile as she took a few steps back, not tearing her eyes away from Lena until she was on the balcony. And then she flew away. And she swore Lena's gravity was so much stronger than Earth's.