Disclaimers: I don't own Supergirl.
A/N: I know there's a lot of fics already about Kara thanking Lena and Lena realizing she's Supergirl, so I hope I don't step on anyone's work but I kept thinking about the way Kara, as Supergirl, called Lena by her name during the Medusa episode and how Lena looked at her, this little light in her eyes so anyway, here's my two cents.
All mistakes are mine, English isn't my first language.
If you like it, I'll try to do a sequel where they actually get together.
An hour after the incident, Kara was still flying around National City, scanning the streets to make sure everyone was okay. Despite knowing Lena had made the virus inert, she had this need to see it for herself, to see if all the aliens were safe.
"Lena…" Kara whispered. The girl had saved the day and if it wasn't enough, she sent her own mother to jail by calling the police. She knew Lena was good, she knew she was right to put her faith in her and yet her faith had faltered when the CEO turned the key to launch the missile.
The blonde couldn't really blame the woman for not telling her her plan after the way she had barged into her office to accuse her mother. She knew it had to be done but maybe with different words, a different tone and maybe Alex was right, without her fake interview as Kara.
Without realizing it, Kara was flying in direction of L-Corp. The lights in Lena's office were still on and the woman was sitting at her desk, as usual. After the events of the night, she should be resting and yet, here she was, working like nothing happened. Kara couldn't help the feeling of admiration at the woman's strength and resilience.
Kara landed hesitantly on the balcony, suddenly unsure of what to say or do, particularly given the way their last encounter ended. Maybe Lena needed space, maybe she didn't want to see her, maybe… It was too late, as if feeling her presence, the CEO had turned around in her seat and was now staring at her.
The blonde cautiously pushed the door half opened. "May I come in?"
"I don't remember you asking for permission last time." The raven-haired woman answered, her face unreadable.
"I'm sorry, Miss Luthor. I can go if you'd like." Kara forced a smile, ready to retreat. "I understand if you'd rather be alone."
Lena chuckled bitterly. "Aren't I always?" She grabbed her glass on her desk and slowly sipped her wine.
Kara frowned in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Alone, aren't I always?" The CEO repeated.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" The super hero started fidgeting. She wanted to kick herself for not being able to say anything but sorry. The woman in front of her needed support, not pity.
"It's alright, just come in." Lena said tiredly, standing up from her chair with her glass in hand and moving to sit on the couch.
"Thank you." Kara stepped inside the office and after a second of hesitation, she sat on the couch at a safe distant from the other woman.
The raven-haired woman took another sip of her wine before asking. "So what can I do for you this time, Supergirl? Do you need intel on another bad guy who somehow is related to me or is it just an 'I told you so' visit?"
Kara frowned at the girl's defensiveness, not that she could blame her but she could also feel some self-deprecation behind her words and she didn't like it at all. She scanned the office to see what the woman was doing before she showed up and noticed the almost empty bottle of wine on the desk. She teared her eyes away from it and locked eyes with Lena. "I just wanted to check on you."
"How thoughtful."
The blonde ignored the almost cold tone she wasn't accustom to and added. "And apologize…"
The CEO scoffed. "There's no need to apologize, you were right, like always. My mother isn't better than Lex after all, it was silly of me to think the opposite." She brought her glass to her lips, ready to take another sip but Supergirl gently grabbed it from her hand and put it on the coffee table.
"It isn't." The Kryptonian could see the hurt in the woman's eyes, not matter how hard she tried to hide it and it broke her heart, because she could relate to her. "It's not because someone does us wrong or does bad things that we stop loving them."
"Love." Lena snorted, fighting the impulse to reach for her glass of wine. "All my life, all it ever brings me is pain. It's a feeling I should lock away. After all I'm a Luthor, why would I deserve it?"
"It's not true." Kara moved closer, in a desperate attempt to make the girl listen. "You're so much more than that. Tonight, you were a hero. You saved thousands of lives and risked your own by going against your mother. You were brave and you proved once again that you are good person. If anyone deserves to be loved, Lena, it's you…"
The CEO stayed silent, looking intently into Kara's eyes.
The blonde noticed the glimmer in the woman's eyes and tried to stay still as the weight of the silence made her feel uncomfortable. "Please, Ms Luthor, say something."
Lena straightened her position, all emotion on her face gone. "You know, I can count on one hand the number of people who call me Lena."
The super hero blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "I, uh no…"
"Kara is one of them."
"Well she's your friend." Kara answered lamely.
"And yet, she has this special way to say my name," The CEO continued, the hint of a smile on her lips. "It almost sounds like a melody, intimate, full of warm and care."
"Oh…"
The raven-haired woman locked eyes with her again. "When we were at the dock, you called me by my name too and I heard it…"
"What did you hear?" The blonde questioned nervously. She wasn't sure where the conversation was going but she could feel her heart racing.
"The melody." Lena breathed out, almost like a secret confession.
"I…I….I…" The super hero stammered. She hadn't even realized she had called the woman by her first name.
"Just like I heard it a few minutes ago."
Kara was starting to panic, looking for any excuse possible even though, deep down, she knew it was pointless. "I..uh… It was the heat of the moment, with all this angst and uncertainty and… and… it doesn't mean we're…"
"Except it clicked," The CEO cut her off almost gently. "In that moment, when you asked me not to do it, I wasn't looking into Supergirl's eyes, I was looking into Kara's eyes, because… you're one and the same." It wasn't a question, it was an affirmation.
"Lena, I…" The blonde whispered, her name tumbling out of her mouth without her consent.
The raven-haired woman took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "God, I'll never get tired of hearing my name roll out of your mouth."
"I'm not… I, you…" It was like the super hero couldn't think. She had never been good at lying but the look on Lena's face made it almost impossible.
Lena raised an eyebrow, almost daring her to lie.
"You're right," Kara sighed in defeat. "I won't insult you by pretending I'm not, you clearly know already."
"I had my suspicions for quite some time." The CEO confessed. "But that's all it took to do the trick."
"I'm sorry…" The blonde tried to stand. She needed some distance between them but Lena grabbed her wrist gently, pulling her back on the couch.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I… I don't know," The super hero tucked some hair behind her ear. "Lying to you…" She knew it was for good reasons but in that moment, she couldn't help but feel bad.
"I understand really." Lena assured. "We don't know each other for so long and after all, I'm a Luthor, why would you even share that type of secret with me, right?"
"It's not the reason why…"
"Are we even friends or were you just pretending to care to keep an eye on me?" The raven-haired woman inquired suddenly.
"What? That's absurd, of course we're friends." Despite the woman's best effort, Kara could see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes. She reached out for her hands and took them in her own. "I… I apologize for the fake interview. It was wrong but in my defense, I was just trying to avoid a more unpleasant approach from the people I work with who wouldn't have any remorse about a breach of privacy."
The CEO frowned and tried to pull her hands away but Kara tightened her grip, careful not to hurt the woman. "I didn't agree with their plan, that's why I came to see you. I trust you, I do, I see you as Lena, as this amazing woman but… I needed to be sure because it wasn't just me... Please forgive me…"
"Kara…" Lena breathed out.
The blonde drew a sharp breath. Until today, she had been oblivious to the way Lena was calling her name but, in that moment, it hit her like a brick wall and she could hear it clearly, a melody… Without thinking, she surged forward and held the girl tightly.
After shaking up the surprise, Lena finally held her back, slowly relaxing.
"Are we okay?" The super hero asked as she broke the embrace.
The raven-haired woman smiled wearily. "We will be…"
"Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere." Kara assured.
Lena smiled more sincerely this time. "Be careful, Supergirl, when you say things like that, I could almost believe you."
"I mean it." The blonde answered before frowning when she heard her phone ring. It was Alex, informing her that J'onn wanted to see her for a quick debriefing before they could all go home. "Okay, see you soon." She hung up before sending the CEO an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I have to go…" She stood up.
"No, it's okay, go." The CEO followed Supergirl as she walked toward the window in silence.
Kara pushed the door and looked at Lena. "Call me? When you're ready I mean, call me." They had a lot to talk about, especially about this… attraction they seemed to have but, she could wait.
"I will…" Lena nodded. "And Kara?"
"Yes?"
"Don't worry, I won't say anything." Lena reassured.
"I know." Kara smiled warmly, nodding in goodbye before stepping on the balcony and flying away.