"YOU DON'T LIKE MARSHMALLOWS IN YOUR HOT CHOCOLATE? WHY DO YOU HATE LOVE" :)))
disclaimed
...
"No thanks, love," Lena murmurs without looking up from her tablet, her hand moving to cover her mug of cocoa.
It's when the room falls eerily still that she realizes she's said the wrong thing.
When she does look up, Kara's frozen in front of her, bag of marshmallows still in hand, hovering just above Lena's MIT mug.
"Huh?" Kara's staring at her openly, eyebrows knit together and Lena'd laugh if she weren't so sure that she's just opened a can of worms she'd never planned to open. Kara recovers quickly enough, mouth closing as her look of confusion is replaced with one of concern. She sets the marshmallow bag onto the coffee table before leaning over to press the back of her hand to Lena's forehead. "Are you feeling okay? You never say no to marshmallows."
Actually, Lena thinks, I never say no to you.
"I ah—," she starts, eyeing the bag of sugar and contemplating shoving a handful into her mouth just to avoid this conversation. But really, there's no way to sustain this lie—it's only December third and Lena's already had a couple sugar induced headaches. "I don't, ah, actually like marshmallows in my hot chocolate."
Kara's eyes go wide first, narrowed second. Lena reaches over slowly, sliding her tablet to one side as she brings the mug to her lips, taking a small sip and then, well, hiding behind the oversized glassware.
"You don't like marshmallows in your hot chocolate," Kara parrots even as she reaches for the bag of marshmallows, pulling out a couple and popping them into her mouth. "You don't like marshmallows in your hot chocolate?" She shoves in couple more, cheeks puffing due to volume. "Why do you hate love?"
Or, at least, that's what Lena guesses that she said. Marshmallows and all. Laughing anyway, Lena sets her mug to the side and reaches for Kara's hand, pulling her down onto the couch beside her and she says, "Too much sugar gives me a headache."
"Oh." Kara swallows, her expression shifting away from incredulity to concern once more. "You should've told me!" she huffs, worry softening her pout into something sweeter. "I can make you hot cocoa without marshmallows."
"I know," Lena says simply, shifting to face Kara, throwing her legs over her lap and leaning against the arm of the couch. There's more she could say, more about how Kara's drive to give Lena the Christmas she never had as a child was just so sweet, that it made Lena melt and made it hard for her to say anything at all, really. She could probably spend about an hour telling Kara that this was the first time anyone had bothered to do things for her when they weren't paid to do so and Lena had been more than happy to just enjoy the experience of being cared for.
But it's only two in the afternoon and Lena thinks that all that would be just a little too heavy for a conversation about hot chocolate. She will tell her, though, probably soon. Make sure Kara knows what it means to Lena—what she means to Lena.
For now though, Lena shifts again, reaching up to smooth Kara's fly aways back from her face, tuck them behind her ear. "Now," she grins. "What was that about love?"