Kara is sitting, cross-legged, on the couch, a cup of tea set on the wooden table before her. Hunched over, she stares into the wisps of steam rising from the mug. They fog up the lens of her glasses. She can scarcely see, but she continues to relish the warmth of the steam against her face. She continues to sit, motionless, long after the stream dissipates. Her wide, blue eyes gaze into the distance. Only when a gentle knock sounds at the door, she jumps to her feet. She slowly stalks over to the door, shoulders slumped. She's completely not in the mood to interact with anybody right now, but her innate politeness and genuine curiosity compel her to open the door. Her breath stills in her throat when the door swings open, and there stands Lena, her raven hair cascading over her shoulders. Her thick, dark brows are furrowed. Thin, cherry red lips are slightly parted. Deep concern is held within her bright green orbs. Kara quickly smooths her hair down, nervously running her fingers through the tangled blond tresses.
She's suddenly hyper aware of the saggy pajama pants she's wearing, as well as the fact that she's not wearing a bra. She quickly glances down to her chest before looking back up at Lena. The woman hasn't moved a muscle. She stands still, gazing expectantly at Kara.
"Lena," Kara breathes. She clears her throat. "Come on in."
She anxiously shuffles her feet as Lena walks in, breezing past her and depositing her purse on the counter. She turns to Kara, her eyebrows raised. An awkward moment of silence stretches between them. Kara casts her gaze downwards, staring at her blue slippers. She immediately glances up as Lena begins to speak.
"So, you didn't come into work today," she says gently.
Kara tilts her head down, taking off her glasses and wiping the misty lenses with the pads of her thumbs. Lena comes closer, leaning her head down to make eye contact with Kara. Kara reluctantly raises her chin. She worries her lip between her teeth, as Lena continues to look at her, her green gaze focused.
"I'm worried about you, Kara."
Kara lets out a trembling sigh. Her hand unconsciously moves up to sweep a stray strand of hair out of her face. She stares into the distance, her jaw clenched, struggling to hold back the tears burning behind her eyelids, but to no avail. The liquid wells up in her eyes. She blows a puff of air from her lips.
"Kara," Lena murmurs.
She steps closer, taking Kara's trembling hands in hers.
"What's wrong? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm here for you."
Her words are soft, but said with such genuinity that Kara feels a sudden urge to spill out the emotions she's kept harbored within her the past two days. She sniffles.
"He's back," she whispers.
She brushes past Lena, striding over to the kitchen table. She places down her glasses before turning around and facing Lena who followed her. Lena stays silent, as Kara reaches up to wipe away the tears rolling down her cheeks. She roughly swipes her sleeve across her face. Kara is angry. Angry at not being able to control herself. Angry at Mon El. Angry at the universe for taking him through a fucking stupid wormhole. Angry at time, always shifting, never still. Lena gazes worriedly at Kara, biting her lip. Kara fiercely sniffs before turning and looking at Lena, her eyes brimming with tears.
"He's not the same," she chokes out, as she wipes more tears away with her sleeve. "I-It's been s-seven m-months for m-me, a-and i-it's been seven y-y-years for h-him!"
Lena gazes sadly at Kara. The tears spilling down the woman's cheeks are like fire in the warm glow of the chandelier. She doesn't know what to do. Kara, the most kind, genuine, compassionate, intelligent, and overall brilliant person she knows is in pain, and she can't do anything to ignite the light that Kara's eyes have lost. She stares into the dull blue orbs, and feels absolutely helpless. She watches as Kara places her hands over her face. Lena steps forward, reaching a hand out as if to touch her, but it reflexively jerks back as Kara yells.
"Fucking stupid wormhole!"
A ragged sob rips forth from her chest, and more follow, loud and hoarse. Lena feels fear, more intense than any she's ever felt, as she watches sunny, loving Kara Danvers break down. Throughout their friendship, Kara has always been the one lifting Lena up, been her greatest source of strength and inspiration. Now, though, she crumbles before Lena, and the woman is paranoid. She has to be the strong one now, the mountain of support, and she doesn't even know where to start. She shakily exhales. Getting Kara to a more comfortable location would be a good start. She reaches out a trembling hand, which she places, hesitantly, upon Kara's back. She can feel the sobs racking through her body. When the woman doesn't pull away, slowly, she wraps her arm around her shoulders. She leans in until her breath is hot against Kara's ear.
"Come on, let's go sit down," she murmurs.
She only gets a sniffle and a dry sob in return, but she slowly begins to guide the other woman over to the couch. Her arm still around Kara's shoulder, she helps her sit down. As soon as Kara makes contact with the couch, she curls in on herself, drawing her knees to her chest, and sobbing into her hands. Lena sits, frozen. Her heart pounds, crashing against her skull. Her mind is bombarded with a million different thoughts and worries, but as she breathes deeply, she lets instinct guide her.
She pulls Kara into her arms, gathering the woman into an embrace. Kara melts into the touch, curling up in Lena's lap and pressing her face against her friend's chest. Warm tears soak into the fabric of Lena's shirt. Kara's frame is trembling like a lone leaf blown by the wind. Lena, without thinking, begins to murmur to Kara.
"Shhh. It's okay. I'm here. Shhh."
She quickly stops, though, as she realizes the implication of the shushing, and she instead settles for silence. She simply holds the girl tight and lets her cry. She gently caresses her back, rubbing her hand in small circles. She closes her eyes, slowly swaying from side to side. Kara's sobs become more and more frantic as the minutes slip by, and Lena only squeezes her tighter. Finally, Kara's cries begin to ebb, and a few minutes later, are reduced to tiny hiccups and sniffles. Lena strokes the girl's hair, running her fingers through thick, sun gold locks.
Kara eventually pulls away, lifting her soggy face from Lena's wet, snotty chest. Lena could care less about it. All she cares about right now is Kara and her wellbeing. Kara sniffles, wiping tears and snot away with the edge of her sleeve. Lena grimaces. She looks around for tissues, then spies them on the coffee table. Reaching forward, she grabs the box and hands it to Kara.
"Thanks," Kara croaks.
Pulling tissue by tissue out, she dabs at the tears on her face and blows her nose. She sets the used tissues beside her on the couch. She then turns to Lena. She sniffles, wiping at her swollen, red eyes. Lena smiles softly at the girl. She waits for her to speak.
"Thank you," Kara murmurs after a moment of silence.
"You're welcome, Kara," Lena replies. "It's really not a problem. I'm glad you let me be there for you." She stops before adding, "I'd hate for you to go through this alone."
Kara smiles, letting out a wet chuckle. Lena smiles back. She reaches forward, taking Kara's hands in hers. She squeezes gently.
"Is there anything else I can do?" she asks quietly. She pauses. "Do you want to talk about it? Or can I make you some tea?"
"No," Kara replies softly. She squeezes back. "Can you just hold me, please?"
Her voice breaks. Tears again enter her sky blue eyes. Lena's stomach flutters.
"Of course," she replies, her voice scarcely above a whisper. "Of course, Kara. Come here."
She holds her arms out. Kara scoots until she's lying on her side, her head against Lena's chest. Lena wraps her arms around the girl tightly. She looks down at Kara, sees the tears streaming down her cheeks. She reaches down, wiping them away with the pads of her thumbs. Then, her stomach a mosh pit, she leans over, pressing her lips to Kara's forehead. She closes her eyes, breathing in the girl's lemony scent. She pulls away after a moment, breathing slowly. She gazes at Kara who, through her tears, has a faint smile on her face. She snuggles closer, and Lena reciprocates, hugging her tighter. Minutes stretch by, as Kara quietly sobs into Lena's chest. Her tears fall one by one upon Lena's shirt. Lena stays silent, trailing her fingers along the girl's back. She breathes deeply, closing her eyes. When her eyelids flutter open a few minutes later, she glances down. Kara's eyes are shut. Her face is relaxed. Her thick, pink lips are parted. Tears glisten on her pale face. Lena can't help but stare in awe at the sleeping girl, at the supple, blond locks that surround her delicate face like a curtain. She can't help but gaze at the little crinkle in her forehead, at the way her eyelids flutter. Kara begins to snore lightly a few moments later. A smile tugs at the corners of Lena's mouth. Slowly, she shifts the girl from her position against her chest into her lap. Kara stirs slightly, mumbling incoherently, but then rolls over, her head in Lena's lap, and starts to snore again.
Lena grabs a wool blanket from the arm of the couch and drapes it over Kara's sleeping form. She then leans back, the back of her head against the couch, and closes her eyes.