The title is a line from the song "You Are Enough" by Sleeping at Last. Although I didn't use the song as an inspiration for the story, I would recommend listening to it some time as it's a very fitting song.
Italics are for thoughts and a brief flashback.
Also, English is not my native language, so you'll most definitely encounter a few errors along the way. Please forgive me.
When Kara entered Lena's office, it was way past business hours. Well in our current time zone at least, Kara thought shaking her head. She then chuckled to herself realizing she's just used a variation of the line Lena persistently used in order to justify her erratic hours by pointing out that she lived in a multitude of time zones due to her position as the CEO of a multinational company.
Kara had been making her mission, as a friend, of course, to make sure Lena went home at a reasonable time at least a few times during business days. Even if by home, Kara meant her own place by instituting movie nights, pizza nights and even reading nights when they would just end up bundled up on the couch with a book each as they read in silence with a glass of wine and soft music playing in the background. It had become a common thing, something they looked forward to every week. Something Kara kept telling herself it was something friends did; despite the fact it was not something she shared with her other friends.
But keeping Lena away from work wasn't the only reason Kara had come up with these nights in they had been having for the last few months. It was also a way of spending time with her friend, since Lena didn't really enjoy going out very often not wanting to chance being recognized and possibly making it to the tabloids or even worse, being responsible for Kara being caught in whatever absurd the media would make up about her.
On these friends' night in, Kara would stop by L-Corp to pick Lena up and from there they'd walk to Lena's penthouse or they would take Lena's car to Kara's place. Today they were going to Lena's, but first they'd stop by the Italian bistro on the way to her apartment to get dinner to go.
Being the only one on her floor, Lena stopped what she was doing upon hearing the elevator bell announcing someone else was there. She smiled and raised her head from the papers she'd been reading so she could greet her friend, having known beforehand it was Kara who was arriving seeing as her friend had sent a text to tell her she was on her way up and that she already had placed their usual order on the restaurant.
"Kara, hey."
"Hi. You ready to go?"
"Yes, I'm just shutting this off and we can leave."
Kara walked all the way to where Lena's coat and purse were and retrieved them. She approached Lena and helped her with the coat with a smile and indicated the door with her head, a silent question if Lena had all she needed before going home for the day.
They entered the elevator in silence and said goodnight to the doorman. Once they were out of the building, they had instantly fallen into a comfortable pace in their walk, their shoulders gently touching with each pace and their fingers occasionally brushed.
After a few minutes without saying a word to each other, Lena got to study her friend's features more closely and noticed Kara was sporting a slight frown and that she was awfully quiet tonight. Two signs that the engines on Kara's head were at full tilt.
"You seem very pensive tonight," Lena said after a while.
Kara looked at her smiling softly and hummed an mmm hmm. They kept walking with no more words said between them until they had to argue about who was going to pay for the food. Kara won this time.
From there it only took them a couple of minutes until they arrived at Lena's building. Lena unlocked the door to what already felt like a second home for Kara after all those ever more frequent late nights.
"You shouldn't go at this hour."
"Lena, there's really no problem, I'm used t-"
Lena didn't even let her finish, "I know you're… you… but please stay, I have a guest bedroom and you can fly or run home in the morning to change before work."
And that's how Kara found out Lena knew about her not so secret anymore hero persona. So, after that first late night, there have been many more at either of their apartments and it became an unspoken rule between them, where they'd just stay and leave early in the morning if they had work or, if they didn't, they would just have a lazy morning where they would eat breakfast and hang out or part ways to do their own separate things.
Lena settled the food containers on her kitchen island while Kara took their purses to the living room, placing them on the couch she knew they wouldn't be using.
"I'm just going to change into something more comfortable and I'll be right back. If you want to change as well, the pajamas you claimed as the comfiest one you've ever worn are already on the bed in the guest room."
Kara left out a laugh at that. She thanked Lena and fell into step a little behind her deciding that changing out of her work clothes was exactly what she needed right now. She had been in an introspective mood for the past couple of days thinking about some of the changes in her life in this past year and a half with her becoming Supergirl, embracing a double life and getting to know herself and what she was capable of in a more deepened way as well as the new friends she's gathered along the way. And amongst them, there she was, Lena. Sweet Lena who endured so much heart ache in her life and still was one of the most loving and kind people in Kara's life.
A knock on the door took Kara out of her thoughts and she realized by the tone in Lena's voice she'd been there a while, "I'm sorry, I was just changing and I spaced out, what's up?"
"No problem, Kara. I was just asking if you'll want wine or something else with your food."
"Oh, wine is fine. We are having Italian after all," she said with her trade mark smile and head tilt.
Lena started placing their food on real plates in spite of Kara's protests because, "Kara, we are not eating this splendid food out of styrofoam compartments."
As Lena arranged their food, Kara grabbed their wine glasses and utensils to take them to the dinner table in the dining room adjacent to the living space. While waiting for Lena, she crossed the area to the other side of the room so she could get the remote for the sound system in order to turn it on to play some soft jazzy music like they were used to on these nights. When they were going to watch a movie, they usually opted for pizza or Chinese, dishes that didn't require them paying much attention while eating so they could focus on what was going on on the screen.
They were a few minutes into enjoying their food to which they had thrown in a few compliments here and there. Well, Lena had actually, with Kara agreeing and making noncommittal noises which in itself was something very unusual, even more so than the quietude that had settled between their meal time that night when usually they'd talk and get the other updated on their latest endeavors. Also, because Kara was very verbal about her food, especially when it came to a dish that was prepared for a chef as talented as the one who signs their current meal.
So, when a few more minutes passed, Lena, unable to ignore that there was something going on with Kara, even if every instinct in her body told her Kara would come to her when she felt ready, she ultimately said, "Is everything okay, Kara? You don't have to tell me, of course, but if there's something bothering you I ca-"
She stopped speaking when she realized Kara had turned her head to look at her and that she could see in Kara's eyes her friend was not done processing whatever was running through her mind, so she placed her hand on Kara's, the one that was resting at the edge of the table and she simply said, "I'm here, you know that, right?"
Kara turned her hand so its palm was now faced with Lena's and she squeezed her friend's hand in reassurance while she searched her eyes.
"I," Kara started and paused, "I know. You are a very good friend, my best friend, actually."
This time Lena was the one who grasped her friend's hand with an understanding smile before releasing it so she could resume eating. She knew Kara, she knew her usually bubbly, sunny, loving, caring friend would come to her when she was ready to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her, so Lena just looked at Kara again and carried on with her food.
Once they had finished eating, Lena went back to her room to grab her book while Kara loaded up the dishwasher. When Kara finished with the dishes, Lena was already on the couch with a book in hand just waiting for Kara to join her. Kara grabbed her purse and took out her tablet since she was reading an e-book and practically collapsed on her friend's side.
In the beginning of their friendship, Kara and Lena weren't very tactile with each other, but once these nights in in each other's company became a routine and the revelation that Lena already knew Kara was Supergirl came about, another level of intimacy was brought to their friendship, where they'd touch more and more frequently while having a conversation. They'd sit closer, they'd hold hands, one of them would be reclined on the couch with their feet on the coffee table or ottoman while the other would have their head resting on their friend's thigh reading or watching a movie or a TV show in companionable silence, and then fingers would start to delicately and absentmindedly thread through locks of hair or hands would meet and interlock fingers. This was their routine, this was their friendship. They talked about everything, from their early childhoods to how their day had gone and things they'd be afraid to admit even to themselves sometimes. Yeah, they talked about all of that too, and that's why Lena, even though alarmed by her friend's quietness, she knew, based on their interactions, that Kara would come out of her shell when she was ready.
Which as it turned out, didn't take long. Once settled on the couch, Kara rested her head on Lena's shoulder and let out a big sounding sigh. At that, Lena took her hand and waited for whatever it was that was coming. She had an inkling though, or she hoped it was what she was hoping it would be.
Kara took a sharp inhale and cut the silence, "Have I become an impediment to you meeting new people? I mean, am I taking up all of your free time and being a hindrance to potential new friends or..."
Kara went to adjust the glasses she had taken off while changing into her, well, Lena's actually, pajamas, a tick that materialized her nervousness, and upon not finding them she dropped her hand and moved it to run it through her hair and neck instead, before she finally finished, "...Lovers?"
She wasn't looking at Lena's face, having her head resting on her friends' shoulder, otherwise, she would have noticed the bewildered look on her friend's face.
"Kara," Lena said softly and a tad alarmed. "Hey," she spoke gently as she ran her index finger through Kara's chin in order to bring her to look at her face.
"What prompted you into thinking something like that? Have I done anything to suggest that I'm not happy to have you around?" Lena's eyes were panicked now because there was no way that for even a minute she wasn't happy to spend time with Kara.
"No, no. Rao no, Lena. You've never shown any signs you didn't wish me to be here or that you didn't want to be with me when we hang out. You are a great friend and company." Kara explained. "I'm, I'm just...Rao this is not going as I expected." Kara breathed out, adjusting her position so she could have a better look at Lena.
"My concern..." Kara continued after a brief pause to gather her courage. "...Is that you are relatively new in town and ever since we became friends, we spend all of our free time in each other's company or with the gang and I am happy to be spending this time with you," Kara smiles.
"I can't imagine these past few months without our movie nights and..." Kara gestured at the book and tablet. "...This, but," Kara was now on the other end of the couch, knees under her chin, arms holding her legs.
"Am I enough?" She finally let out with a crooked voice and a lump in her throat.
Kara had barely finished her sentence and Lena was throwing herself out of her place and situating herself in front of Kara on the other side of the sofa, disentangling Kara's arms from where they were now bracing her knees and locking their hands together, bringing her face close to Kara's.
"Kara Danvers, you are enough," Lena said with every confidence in her cells.
And at that, Kara released a sob as she looked up.
Lena continued with her heart breaking upon seeing her friend in so much distress, "You are more than I ever thought I deserved. Every day I thank the universe for bringing you into my life. If there's one person who isn't enough in this friendship, that's me, I can assure you of that," Lena said while she softly placed her lips on Kara's knuckle.
By now Kara was shaking her head firmly as she released both of their hands in order to bring Lena's eyes to level with hers.
"Lena, no. We covered that at the beginning of our friendship. You deserve everything that makes you happy, you deserve to be happy and you are incredible and amazing and I love every minute we spend together. I am a better person because of you; I am a better hero because of you. You've shown me how to look beyond the covers and headlines, to not just make assumptions based on family history and surnames. You've helped me deal with my own disappointments with the people I've always looked up to after being shown their darkest side and to separate myself from that, to take that as a lesson to be learned rather than assume that as an identity because we can choose to be the better version of ourselves. And when we don't believe that, we are the luckiest to have people who will believe for the both of us until we can believe it ourselves. I am lucky to have you in my life, to call you my best friend." Kara reassured her with glistening eyes.
Lena let out a sob and a chuckle and Kara used her thumbs to dry the tears Lena hadn't even realized she'd shed. When Lena suddenly started laughing, a puzzled look took place on Kara's face.
"Kara, did you hear all you've just said about me?" Lena said.
Kara who wasn't free of tears either didn't get the point. "Of course I did, Lena, how would I not know what I have just said about you?" She said kind of annoyed as she settled herself further into the couch and propelled Lena to recline against her side, one of her arms hugging Lena's.
Lena shook her head with a smile on her face, "There it is, one of the reasons why I love you so much."
"Leeena," Kara said mock annoyed.
Lena adjusted herself so she could look up at Kara's face when she spoke.
"Kara, everything you just said about me, do you not realize it? Every time you stood by me, how could I not love you and how could you not be enough? You are my best friend and yeah, Winn and the others and I are on more than acquaintances terms, we've become friends, we enjoy each other's company. So you don't have to worry about being the only person I interact with other than my associates and subordinates. I understand your concern and that having your entire world revolve around just one person isn't health, I do, so don't worry about that," Lena said, her head coming to rest on Kara's chest. "Your friendship comes with a package of five that I have welcomed into my life. As for the other concern of yours, about my love life or lack of thereof, well, that's…" She looked away for a moment and sighed.
"...Well, that's not how I imagined this going either so we both have that in common also," Lena let out a nervous chuckle. "You see, I haven't been dating or looking for someone to pursue because I have already found my someone, and I am very happy at whatever capacity she'll have me."
Kara just looked puzzled.
"Lena, you are not making any sense right now. You have just agreed with me while reassuring me, thank you, by the way, for always knowing what to say and for always believing it when I can't do so myself. I… I… This has been gnawing at me for a couple of days now when I realized we spend most of our leisure time together, so yeah, I was afraid I was taking up all of your time and opportunity to meet new people. And when it dawned on me I was terrified of losing you. I love you and I want what's best for you, so I know I had to bring it up but I was terrified of your answer and to imagine not being able to see you every time I wanted and to not have our movie nights and reading nights and just being nights because you would be otherwise occupied with someone else, it scared m-"
Kara's eyes grew two times its size in a shocked expression and Lena saw it, the moment it dawned on her friend what she was trying to tell her a couple of minutes before just now.
"Oh Rao how could I have been so stupid, I am in love with you," Kara said.
"She said it with surprise in her voice for some reason."
"You knew?" Kara said exasperatedly.
Lena laughed and smiled at her well she hoped her soon to be girlfriend's antics.
"Well, I was hoping I've been reading the signs right, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure and I didn't want to rush you. It took you long enough though," Lena punctuated it with the raising of her eyebrows.
"We've been practically dating all these months, haven't we, without me even realizing it?" Kara asked with a pout.
Lena nodded, "Yeah, I'd say so," she said and then kissed Kara's cheek noticing her disappointment in not realizing sooner what was right in front of her. Then she got up and took Kara's hand in hers. "Come here."
Kara got up following her friend to the other side of the couch, away from the coffee table. Lena hugged Kara and rested her face against her collarbone. Kara leaned her head against the top of Lena's and they started to sway from side to side to the soft melodies of the sax that filled the room from the speakers, their arms around each other.
"We've never done this before, this is nice." Kara murmured, only Lena would've been able to hear it had they been in a room full of noise.
"No, we haven't. There's no need to feel sad for not realizing all of this sooner, darling. We have different paces and that's fine. Plus, the fact I'd known or suspected it for a while doesn't exactly mean we've been dating per se since I think it takes two cognizant people to agree to something like that. And you know, there are a lot of things we haven't done yet." Lena said reassuringly.
"Yeah? Like what?" Kara asked.
"Kara Danvers, will you be my girlfriend?" Lena said in a sing song voice, a side that Kara's sure she was the only one allowed to witness.
"Why, Miss Luthor, being a bit forward aren't we, since you haven't even asked me on a date yet?" Kara said as she ran her hand through Lena's back.
"Well, I thought this, us dancing together, having this conversation after a nice dinner and now us both being very well aware of our feelings for each other could count as our first date?" Lena said in a hopeful tone.
"I can abide by those terms. Then yes, Lena Luthor, I'd love to be your girlfriend," Kara answered with a smile and a twinkling in her eyes before adding, "You know..."
"Hmmm," was the only sound that escaped Lena's lips as they kept swaying, her chin now resting on Kara's clavicle.
"There's one other thing we haven't done yet either. I mean, there are a lot of things but you know," Kara said.
Lena played along; knowing what was about to come out of her girlfriend's lips, "Oh what is it?"
"This," Kara said as she adjusted Lena's head with one hand placed delicately on the other woman's chin at the same time that she leaned her own face forward bringing their foreheads together. Now with very minimal space distancing them from that one more step into their relationship, they looked at each other's eyes for a brief second.
"Hello."
"Hi."
They said at the same time with grins stamped on both of their faces. Then there wasn't any space left between them as their lips connected and their noses brushed in a new and exciting dance.
You guys, would you believe it if I told you all of this started because I wanted to try my hand at writing a literal drabble (one words!) of them swaying together in their pajamas? *shaking my head at myself*
I'd love to read your thoughts!
