i know i should be updating one of the other 3 supercorp WIPs i have instead of starting a new one but it's a gift for my friend's birthday and i had to just post what i have so far! i don't expect it to be longer than a 2shot. maybe a 3shot if necessary. but yeah it's an all human AU and it's gay so...
follow the birthday girl over on tumblr at sapphicswimmer! she's the best i love her
The weather has been increasingly downcast, but there's been no guarantee of snow.
Lena wraps her stiff, cold fingers around her steaming mug and gazes out the window. Already, she can see the beginnings of winter. The trees look a lot sadder, empty without leaves; their thin, skeleton-like branches reach high overhead as if trying to reach the sun behind the gray clouds that seem to always cover it.
A wet nose nuzzles against her bare foot, and Lena sets her mug down on the windowsill so she can absentmindedly scratch behind Buddy's ears.
"What do you think, Buddy?" she asks. "Should we go out?"
Buddy's ears perk up at the thought of going out, but he isn't as excitable as he used to be. He rests his head on the couch instead of jumping at the chance, much more interested in sleeping.
"You're a lazy dog," Lena halfheartedly scolds him, but she keeps on petting him so she knows he's not going to take the threat seriously.
A slow rap of knuckles against the door sounds, suddenly. "Better not let mom see he's on the couch," says a familiar voice from the doorway, one Lena hasn't heard for a while.
It couldn't be, she thinks, but when she looks up she sees her brother there, lazily leaning against the doorframe as if this is something that happens every day. Lex smiles, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his jeans, and he looks so young and at the same time so much older that Lena doesn't know what to think.
All she can do is blink in surprise. "You came home," Lena says, slowly.
Lex shrugs boyishly, long curly hair falling down over his eye. "Christmas is coming up," he says. "I figured I should find out what you got me."
"Nothing," Lena says, but she is unable to keep from smiling right back at him. That's the type of person Lex is: magnetic, joy-inspiring. "What did you get me?"
"What? My presence isn't enough?" Lex stretches his arms out. "Can't a guy get a hug around here before you start asking me for stuff?"
Lena abandons her mug so she can hug her brother for the first time in over a year, sinking into his familiar embrace with a shaky exhale of breath.
"I missed you," she says, quietly.
"I missed you too, little sister," he says, squeezing her a second longer before he lets go. "Sorry I've been MIA for a hot minute."
"It's okay," Lena says, and she means it; she doesn't fault him for not coming around often. If she hadn't picked a college near home she certainly would've done the same. "You're here now."
"You're over your goth stage, I see," Lex teases, pinching the hem of Lena's blue shirt between his fingers. "What happened to the tongue stud?"
"It wasn't a goth stage," Lena protests. "...and it got infected."
"Ooh, yikes." Lex winces. "You baby freshman always make the worst mistakes."
"Like when you shaved your head bald."
"...low blow."
"You grew it out nicely, at least," Lena says, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Now you look your age."
"So do you," Lex says, playfully batting her hand away. "What are you now? A sophomore?"
"Junior," Lena corrects.
Lex whistles. "Junior. Wow," he says. "Your classes give you any trouble?"
"Not really," Lena says.
"Good, good," he says, scratching at his jaw thoughtfully. He wanders off into the kitchen aimlessly, almost pensive; Lena notices all at once how exhausted he seems. "So where's mom? I was hoping to surprise her, too."
"She's out," Lena says. "I don't know where she is, actually." Lex looks at her pityingly, because it's definitely not a secret that their mother has always liked him better, but Lena just clears her throat to change the subject. "I was just going to grab dinner without her. Want to come? We can take Buddy for a walk."
"What? No, no way," Lex says. "I'll make dinner. You go take Buddy for a walk and I'll have it ready by the time you come back, alright? And I'll make sure mom gets here too."
"It's not really a big deal—"
"It's my first night back, you can't argue," Lex says cheerfully, rolling up his sleeves. "C'mon, get out of here."
Lena suspects that he's up to something, but she's so glad to have him here she figures she can humor him for a while. "Let's go, Buddy," she says, nudging her dog up. "It's time for a walk."
Outside, it's as cold as expected; even colder than indoors, because Lena doesn't turn on the heat while her mother is away. She shivers and draws her jacket tighter around herself, silently bemoaning the fact that Buddy isn't a very brisk walker.
She doesn't know how long she's supposed to stay gone, so she lets Buddy wander past their residential and out towards the streets. The cold hasn't deterred the bustle of the nightlife; it's so crowded around the shops that Buddy gets a little shy, ducking in between Lena's legs and nearly making her trip.
"Buddy, hey," Lena says, coaxing him out. "Don't do that. We can go back, don't worry." Before she actually gets a chance to turn back around, she stumbles backwards because another dog has come rushing through her legs, tangling their leash with Buddy's.
A warm, solid body behind hers stops her fall. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry!" a voice exclaims in her ear, and Lena makes the mistake of trying to turn around; she ends up throwing her entire body weight onto the stranger, making them both tumble onto the floor.
Lena smacks her chin right on the stranger's collarbone, and she groans, rolling off before she can do further damage. Buddy runs to her, licking her face urgently until Lena props herself up on her elbows and gripes,
"Buddy, no, I'm okay. Don't—ugh."
The stranger's dog joins in, trying to lick at Lena's face, and Lena almost falls backward again. Luckily, the stranger springs into action, catching her dog with a yelp of surprise.
"Lucky! Bad girl!" she scolds. "We don't lick people we don't know!"
Lena sits up, properly, and softly pets Buddy until he calms down. He sets his head down into her lap as Lena carefully reaches over him to take his leash again, brushing her hand against the stranger's in the process; she is also trying to untangle her dog's leash.
It allows her a moment to see just who she's bumped into, actually. The stranger is actually a blonde girl, a baseball cap pulled over wavy locks of blond hair she brushes aside as she picks up her squirming dog. Her arms, tattooed and sleeveless (even in this cold), expertly heave her giant Chow Chow up as if she weighs nothing.
"Are you okay?" the girl asks, looking down at Lena with poorly concealed horror. "I'm so sorry, Lucky usually doesn't do this! We're, uh, we're working on her training."
"I'm fine," Lena says, but she won't lie, her chin does hurt a bit. Not that she's about to tell someone else that. "Your puppy just scared me, mostly."
"She gets too excited every time we go on a walk," the girl says, with an apologetic wince.
"She's the opposite of Buddy," Lena says, patting his head. "He prefers sleeping."
"Aw," the girl says, and she sets her dog down once she has a good grip on the leash so she can't run away. "That's how my mom's dogs are. I bet you're a little shy too, huh, Buddy?" She reaches out to stroke Buddy's fur, and he lifts his head to regard her quietly before he leans into her touch.
Lena takes advantage of him standing once more to get a firm hold on his leash, and she shakily gets to her feet, brushing off her jeans with her free hand. "He is," she confirms. "But he likes the attention too, don't worry."
The girl grins. "Lucky loves any and all attention," she says. "And she's definitely not that big on sleeping. Especially if I'm the one sleeping, huh girl?" This she says with a pointed brush over Lucky's fur, who has begun to sniff at Lena's shoes. "Sorry, again, to disturb you guys! We're a little new to the area, so we're exploring."
"It's fine," Lena says. "We were doing some exploring of our own. But I think we'd better go back, because it's too crowded for Buddy."
The girl nods, surveying the busy streets. "Yeah, even Lucky can get overwhelmed sometimes," she says. "Oh! Do you want some water for him? I have a bottle. Sometimes that helps."
"No, that's okay, we can wait," Lena says, but the girl is already reaching into her backpack.
"There's a bench a little ways down," she says. "We can sit?" She looks a little hesitant, biting her lip as she waits for Lena's answer, and Lena hates to admit it but those blue eyes staring at her are just too endearing.
"Okay," Lena agrees. "Just...for a little bit."
The girl brightens. "Cool! Oh, and I'm Kara, by the way. Just so you don't keep thinking of me as the weird person dragging a giant fluff ball around."
"Kara is definitely easier to remember," Lena says, biting back a smile as she shakes Kara's hand. "I'm Lena."
"Also way easier to remember than girl-I-knocked-down-chasing-said-fluff-ball," Kara says. Her smile is infectious, and soon enough Lena can't help but smile back.
For a moment she thinks about Lex and how she really ought to get back, but Kara's already leading her to the bench and Lena is helpless to do anything but follow.
(She doesn't get home for another two hours, with Buddy trudging sleepily after her and Kara's phone number in her pocket.)
.
.
.
Lena only learns about Lex's real reason for showing up until Christmas Eve.
She doesn't think too much of it when Lex slides in next to her early that morning as she's making pancakes, stealing a corner of one slipping off the top of the completed stack and darting out of the way before she can elbow him for it.
"So what are you up to today?" Lex asks, dipping his stolen piece into a pool of syrup off Lena's plate. "Last minute shopping?"
"No," Lena says. "Buddy and I usually have a movie marathon. You can join us, if you want."
"Really? That's kinda lame," Lex says. "You don't have any other plans? Don't you have friends?"
"I have friends," Lena says, which isn't technically untrue. Kara's her friend, now; they text almost every day, and even call each other sometimes. She also has a few school friends, but Winn's gone home with his boyfriend's family for the holidays, and Jack—well. She isn't too sure if they're friends anymore.
"Perfect," Lex says. "Then take one of your friends and go get us a tree."
Lena casts a dubious look into the foyer, where their Christmas tree already stands. "We have a tree," she says.
"A real tree. Something that makes a mess of pine needles and smells like pine, not goddamn dust," Lex says, stealing the rest of the top pancake. "You can borrow my truck."
Lena narrows her eyes. "You never let me borrow your truck."
"I'm turning over a new leaf," Lex says, snagging Lena's plate entirely. "Trusting people."
"You don't trust people either."
"Trusting you counts," Lex says. At Lena's unimpressed look, all he does is laugh. "What?"
"You're up to something," Lena says. "I don't trust you."
"You're paranoid," Lex says, and he punches her shoulder lightly as he makes his way to the kitchen table. This past week he's been off into his head too often, sending Lena quiet looks every now and then, but he also seems better than when he first arrived.
For the sake of keeping the color in his cheeks, Lena gives in and takes his keys. "Fine, we'll get a tree," she says, and she sends a quick text to Kara to ask if she'll come too. "You're taking the blame, though. Mom's going to hate the mess."
Lex gives her a cheeky salute just as Kara's reply buzzes in. It's an enthusiastic sure! I'd love to! and Lena really tries to hope this fluttery feeling in her stomach has to do with the excitement of hanging out with Kara again and not something else.
She tells herself it has nothing to do with just how attractive Kara is, because she's never believed in infatuation at first sight. She also tells herself it has nothing to do with how disarming Kara's smile is, or with the fact that Kara is a very tactile person and touches Lena's arm a lot. And it absolutely has nothing to do with the fact that Kara looks muscular and intimidating and is actually a soft, easily flustered person who still manages to turn every head she passes.
(But there's also no other explanation for the butterflies in her stomach, and Lena knows she's screwed.)
Is it even possible to like someone so quickly? she asks herself as she and Kara walk through the tree lot, Kara still sans a sweater but smiling despite it, cheeks and nose red with cold. Lena finds herself wanting to trace Kara's tattoos, letting her eyes linger for a few moments before she makes herself actually look at trees.
"This one's a nice tree," Kara says, stopping before a short, wide tree that barely comes up to her chin. "No one ever wants the short ones, so you'll be giving it a nice home."
"I'm not adopting the tree," Lena says. "I'm pretty sure my brother won't like it very much, though. He's all about the perfect, pretty ones."
"Those are always the ones getting adopted, Lena," Kara jokes. "Don't perpetuate the myth of what makes a good tree. Look at this one! This one's nice too." She goes right on to the next one, which stands a good foot taller than her but is skinny and dying already, so dry that when she pats it a few pine needles break off.
Lena shivers, already wishing she'd brought a thicker jacket. "You've said that about every tree we passed, Kara."
"It doesn't make it any less true," Kara says. "Are you cold? You look cold."
"Because it is cold," Lena says. "You'd know that if you were human."
Kara laughs. "I'm not bad with cold, I guess," she says, and then she furrows her brow thoughtfully. "It helps that I rode my skateboard here."
"You rode a skateboard here? There's ice all over the sidewalks," Lena says. "How do you not slip?"
"I'm lucky?" Kara offers, shrugging her shoulder sheepishly.
Lena shakes her head and turns back to the trees, tempted at this point to just take the cheapest one and go. Before she can voice the thought aloud, Kara presses her beanie into Lena's hands, shaking her messy hair out from beneath it.
"Here, see if this helps," Kara says. "I'm going to go see if we can check out some of the smaller trees, if that's okay?"
Lena's pretty sure she nods, because a second later Kara beams and goes off to find someone to lead them in the right direction. Fuck, this isn't good. She can't seriously find her one friend endlessly cute; Kara needs to stop being so thoughtful already.
...Lena still puts the beanie on, because she's weak. And it's really warm.
Kara comes back with two lollipops, one red and one blue, and makes Lena pick one before they continue their hunt. "Smaller trees are my favorites," Kara says as they walk towards the back of the lot. "They're the ones people tend to use for, like, centerpieces or for their kids...but I've always liked the thought that some people just use them as their real trees."
"You're sort of a softie," Lena says, and Kara sticks out a blue tongue at her in response.
"If you don't want a small tree, we can go somewhere else," Kara suggests afterwards, looking away as if she's just realized how pushy she seems.
"Lex is going to hate it," Lena says, putting her hands on her hips and surveying the trees again. "So let's do it."
"You're kind of evil," Kara says, but she's grinning when Lena meets her eye. "I like it."
That makes Lena's heart skip a beat, and her cheeks go pink; she hurriedly turns away, because she's beginning to learn that looking at Kara is quickly becoming her new favorite thing.
They pick a short, stubby tree that is a very vibrant green and smells very strongly of pine to appease Lex. Lena insists on driving Kara home, and Kara agrees, but only if Lena promises to go with her to get potstickers sometime after Christmas before she starts college again.
Lena isn't usually a big fan of Chinese, but of course, she agrees. She even sucks on the red lollipop and lets Kara blast a top 40's station she's sure Lex will hate her for later; it's all worth it, really, to see Kara's smile.
(Kara even tells her to keep the hat. "It looks better on you," she swears as she hops off of Lex's truck, skateboard in one hand and the other brushing her hair out of her eyes.)
Lena is so caught up in the shiny newness of this friendship—of everything Kara—that when she steps back into the house, absentmindedly making her way to the fireplace to warm up, she is all the more shocked to see who is standing in the living room.
"Jack," she says, a sinking feeling in her stomach when she notices that both Lex and her mother are waiting for her, too.
Lex is beaming, giving Lena a thumbs-up; her mother is only studying her coolly, maybe even curiously; and Jack? Jack steps forward, swallowing nervously; he has always been a good friend of hers, has always respected her boundaries, has loved her selflessly. Lena loves him, too. Just...not the way he wants her to, and now he's come to win her back and instead of feeling joy of seeing her friend again she's stuck with an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Sorry to show up unannounced," Jack says, running a hand through his hair. It's a nervous tic of his. "I had to let your brother in on this, so I could surprise you, but…" He reaches into his pocket and takes out a ring box, and Lena feels sick.
"Jack," she says, again. "Jack, we broke up."
"I know," Jack says, quietly. "I'm not going to presume anything. I know you said we're better off as friends, and maybe you're right. But I wanted to try. I had to try. So if there's any part of you that still wants this, I'm here. It doesn't even have to be about this," and he cracks open the ring box, "if you don't want it."
Lena has never felt as cornered as she has in this moment. It's clear Lex thought he was doing her a favor, but right now she's more sure he's ruined everything. Now their mother is here, and she's looking at Lena and saying with her eyes that if she doesn't accept this now she'll regret it. Lena can't let her mother down again.
(So she swallows the guilt building up in her chest and she says yes.)
.
.
.
Lena doesn't put the engagement ring on her finger unless Jack is around.
He leaves to be with his family for New Year's Eve, and he seems to sense that Lena's heart isn't quite in the right place. "You can say no," he tells her as he's leaving, watching the way she twists the ring on her hand. "You're my friend first and foremost, Lena. No matter what."
God, she wishes she could love him. "I know," she says, and lets him kiss her cheek before he goes.
Her mother is waiting when she shuts the door after him. "He's not terrible," she says, which is the most glowing recommendation she's ever given about Jack.
Lena looks away. "He's great," she corrects, and she's never said a truer statement. She just wishes she could have told him before this very public proposal that she's, well, not interested in him for a reason beyond the two of them going separate paths; that had been her reasoning when she broke up with him two months ago.
(The real reason is much harder to say.)
"This news brought Lex home," her mother says. "You should be grateful about it."
Lena digs her fingernails into her palms. "Right," she says, and that's how she knows she can't stay a second longer inside the house right now.
So she texts Kara and asks if she has any plans for New Year's.
no, Kara replies. do you?
not yet, Lena texts. want to go to a bar?
yes! (and about three different smiley emojis). i'll bring the party!
Lena doesn't even pause to ponder what that means; she just says she's going out, and her mother doesn't even look up from her wine. Lex, at least, hugs her goodbye.
"You're not twenty-one," he whispers into her ear, and she just smirks.
"One year off," she says, and pushes his chest back lightly. She almost wants to invite him, but she doesn't. As soon as she's turned her back on them, she slips the engagement ring off her finger and into her pocket.
She pats Buddy's sleeping head as she leaves, but regrets being the one to pick the bar quickly enough; she's left alone, fidgeting and sipping at water as she waits for Kara to arrive.
Apparently, a good portion of people have also escaped their homes for New Year's. Lena declines two offers to join some other tables, and she's sure she looks sad, a lone person sitting at a table for five who keeps casting empty looks at the clock hanging on the wall.
"Lena! Hey, Lena!" comes a shout from the door just as Lena is about to cave in and buy something stronger; when she turns, Kara's waving at her.
She has, true to her word, brought the party. Or at least, that's what she says when she introduces the two people she's walked in with to Lena.
"I'm Alex," says the girl at Kara's right, sending Kara a flat glare. "And this is Maggie. We're not as fun as Kara's told you."
"Way to make us sound lame, babe," Maggie—the other person Kara's dragged along—says. To Lena: "We're definitely the party."
"That's the spirit, see!" Kara beams. "First round's on me. Lena, what are you having?"
"Water," Lena says, tapping the rim of her glass apologetically. "I drove here."
"We'll be sober buddies then," Kara says, without missing a beat. "Two beers and two club sodas, coming right up."
"Don't worry, Lena," Maggie interjects. "We'll drink enough for the both of you."
"We are not doing that," Alex counters, but Maggie just purses her lips in Lena's direction and mouths we are.
They sit in awkward silence for a minute as Kara leaves, and then Maggie asks, "So, how long have you and Kara been together?"
Her tone is polite, not overtly interested at all, but Lena still almost chokes on her next sip of water.
"Um," Lena coughs, setting her glass down before she drops it. "We're not—we're not together."
Maggie blinks, as if caught off guard. "Oh, my bad," she says. "I didn't mean to assume."
"It's okay." Lena tries to smile, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. She notices that Alex studies her at the words, and she quickly clarifies, "I mean, not that I wouldn't want to. It's just, you know, relationships are so complicated."
"Oh yeah, they're the worst," Maggie agrees, though she grins charmingly at Alex as she says it; her smile doesn't falter once, even when she gets a exasperated eye roll for the comment. "Don't worry, Danvers, present relationship excluded."
"I'm sure that's exactly what you meant," Alex deadpans. She cranes her neck for Kara, frowning when she spots her. "What's taking Kara so long?"
"She's probably talking to everyone she meets, as per usual," Maggie says. "Come on, let's kill some time. Weigh in on relationships. Would Lena and Kara not be a believable couple?"
"I'm not going to think about my sister in relationships."
Sister? Lena is going to pass out of sheer mortification. She really...just told Kara's sister...that she wouldn't be opposed to dating Kara. To her face.
Kara takes that moment to reappear. "I'm back!" she announces.
(Great, Lena can't look at her either.)
"Thanks, Kara," Maggie says, snagging the beer closest to her. "Looks like it's pretty crowded in here."
"It's a very nice bar, though," Kara says, more to Lena than anyone else, as if reassuring her that she's picked a good spot.
"Yeah, very classy," Alex says, flicking a wadded up napkin off of the table. "I hope the bathrooms here are decent."
Alex's guess is as good as any, and Lena sheepishly relays so. Alex doesn't seem to mind, though. She becomes determined to find out, and ends up dragging Maggie along for the evaluation. Or so she says, anyway, because as soon as they leave Kara pulls a face and groans,
"They're just trying to find somewhere to make out."
"That's what midnight is for," Lena says, but she regrets it the instance she says it because the way Kara is looking at her is doing nothing to stop her heartbeat from quickening. "Maybe a bar wasn't the best idea."
"No, I like it," Kara says, taking a pensive sip of her soda. "It's sorta like you. Mysterious."
"Mysterious?" Lena echoes.
"Yes, mysterious." Kara nods her head firmly. "But I think there's a lot more to you than meets the eye. I'm going to figure you out, just wait."
Lena bites her lip, unable to keep her smile at bay. "Is that so?"
"Yeah." There's no mistaking the way Kara leans closer, the way her eyes drop to Lena's lips; however, they snap back up as quickly as they fell, and a hint of a blush comes to Kara's cheeks. "Uh. Is it hot in here? It's sort of hot in here."
"We can go outside for a bit," Lena suggests. "There's a nice patio area outside."
"Ooh, patios. I like patios."
It's a bad idea, but Lena doesn't pause to think about that either. Instead, she leads Kara outside. She takes Kara's hand by habit, used to leading Winn or Jack or Lex the same way, but this is so much more different; Kara shyly intertwines their fingers, squeezing slightly in excitement as they rush past people well on their way of getting drunk.
The cool night air is just what Lena needs, to clear her head. At least now she can lean against the railing of the patio and stare out into the bustle of New York City life, shoulder-to-shoulder with Kara, and not feel tempted to ruin everything they have.
"So is there a story as to why you don't have plans?" Kara's voice breaks her out of her thoughts. "If you want to tell me, that is."
Lena shrugs, and watches as Kara's breath comes out in a white puff. "My brother came home for the first time in over a year," she says. "But I don't know. I couldn't stay in that house any longer. My mom's an entirely different story."
"Gotcha." A beat of silence, and then, "I had shitty parents. At least, I think."
"You think?"
"Well, I was never that kid who wanted to find out every single detail about their birth parents," Kara says. "I was okay not knowing, I guess."
Lena can't help the huff that escapes her lips. "Wow," she says, and she's sure this is all some great cosmic joke at her expense. Why else would the universe drop Kara on her now? Why throw someone so warm, so caring, who understands Lena better than her own mother does—and then throw Jack back into the fold too?
"...is that a good wow, or a you're-sorta-oversharing wow?"
"It's an I wish I had your patience wow," Lena says. "I was, um, actually adopted too."
"Wow," Kara says, more to tease than actually express surprise, and she bites her lip as she pushes her shoulder against Lena's playfully. "That is a little oversharing-y."
"Oh, shut up," Lena says, nudging her right back and reveling in the quiet laugh Kara gives. This, she can handle. The playfulness of a new friend who she's getting to know better is nice. Uncomplicated.
"You know," Kara says, "I've been hanging out with you for weeks and I don't think I know your last name."
"I don't know your last name either," Lena returns. "So I'd say we're even."
"It's Danvers," Kara says. "Same as Alex. Who I hope didn't try to scare you off, by the way? She's a little...judgey."
"It must run in the family," Lena jokes, and Kara ducks her head in laughter. "Alex was nice. They're both very nice."
"Yeah?" Kara says, almost looking relieved.
"Yeah."
They're silent for a minute more. Lena rubs her cold hands together and gazes off at neon lights, at crowds hurrying past to get to the New York Square. Lena has never been fond of the whole deal, but she imagines it might be nice with the right company.
When she risks a glance at Kara, she sees that she, too, is also staring off into the distance. Kara catches her looking, and they lock eyes; Lena almost forgets how to breathe, memorizing the soft hue of Kara's eyes, the curious quirk of her lips, before she makes herself turn back.
(This can only go badly from here on out.)