MEETING #4: WHO'S GONNA SAVE YOU TONIGHT?
When she is in battle, Kara likes to think of herself as a creature of logic.
Alex disagrees, of course. She thinks Kara is all instinct, all gut-feeling, and no tactics, but then Alex has always been the superior fighter. Kara knows that when it comes down to it, she is capable of applying both her brain and her gut in an evenly-matched fight. She knows how to deal with a criminal in a hostage situation, what to say, what not to say. She knows how to position herself in a fight so that she has the upper hand, where to hit so it hurts the most. Her alien brain works overtime, during a fight, keeping tabs on a lot of things at once, her enemy's weaknesses and strengths, their skills and how they might weigh up against her own. When it comes to getting out of a tight spot, she is pretty much sorted.
And yet, now, as she stands trapped inside a Kryptonite cage, staring into Lena's panicked eyes across the room, everything disappears.
The world is a blur, this warehouse they are in, the musty smell of cobwebs, the overwhelming nausea and exhaustion from the Kryptonite. All she can see is Lena. Lena, who is human. Lena, who has bruises on her arms, and dark circles under her eyes from her three days of captivity. Lena, who is scared, not for herself, but for Kara.
Don't be scared, she wants to tell her. Don't be scared, darling, I'll be fine as long as you're okay, as long as she doesn't harm you, as long as she doesn't touch you, I'll be alright.
She finally tears her eyes away to drag them at the person who is the cause of this, for lack of a better word, shit storm they're in the middle of. Lillian Luthor smirks at her, the dim lightbulb reflecting off her face, throwing half her features into shadows.
"The mighty Supergirl," she announces to her audience of two "Brought to her knees by a human."
"You haven't defeated me, Lillian," she replies, in defiance.
"Oh, I wasn't talking about me", she replies, airily, and Kara is confused for a minisecond. Then she gets it.
"Supergirl," Lena speaks after a long time now, hands straining at the ropes that bind her to a chair "Don't listen to her, please, don't do anything she asks you to do…."
Lillian strides over to her daughter, and slaps her across the face, so hard that the chair wobbles on its legs, and a tiny cry escapes out of Lena.
Kara would later tell J'onn and Alex that she doesn't remember much of anything because of the Kryponite, but to be honest, she knows she will remember all of it forever. Every little detail. If not of what happened exactly, and in what order, she will definitely remember the way she felt. The actual details of how she gets out of the Kryptonite lined cage is a mystery, because all she knows is an overwhelming amount of rage flowing through her veins at that specific moment. All she knows, is pain. Pain she knows Lena is in, the Kryptonite doesn't matter at that moment. She doesn't remember fighting off Corben, who arrived as soon as she broke out, and neither does she recall the DEO finally bursting in, and rescuing them.
What she does remember is how she felt when Lena was within reach, finally. When she untied the knots on her wrists, hands trembling from blowing out all her powers on breaking out. When Lena slid into her arms as soon as she was free, and they had their arms around each other, breathing heavily, sobbing. The sheer relief, the utter profoundness of that moment.
"You," Lena had sobbed into her shoulders "You're safe."
And she had just nodded, breathing in her hair, not trusting herself to say a word. The only thing that had been going through her mind had been that she would have killed for Lena. That, had Lena needed it, she would have died for her.
Meeting #5: Insomnia
When Kara cannot sleep, she flies.
She usually just takes off in her pajamas, wandering, floating around the city, idly tracking passing cars, sometimes listening to people talk in hushed whispers below her. She catches snippets of conversation, glimpses into the lives of normal people, people who don't have the weight of an entire city resting on their shoulders. Sometimes she midnight snacks in mid-air, the ridiculousness of it all making her laugh.
Tonight, however, her first day out after regaining her powers back after the flareup, she does none of that. Still in her uniform, she sets out to fly, but it's not aimless. The night is cool, and the world silent as she lands on the balcony outside Lena's house.
"You're awake," she says, surprised. It's midnight, and while Lena has a tendency of working late sometimes, it is a lot later than her usual bedtime.
Lena looks up at her from her vantage point "I was waiting for you."
The honesty in the statement startles Kara, and from Lena's expression, even her. That lasts only for a minute, though, and she regains her neutral expression back. Although it's not totally neutral. Kara know Lena, and yet she doesn't recognize this look in her eyes. It's intense, like Lena is looking past her into what's inside. If she is being completely honest, it scares her a little.
Lena stands up to look out over the city, her shoulders brushing Kara's , a gentle, comforting feeling beside her. They stand in silence for a while, just watching the tiny lights. Lena is the one who finally breaks it.
"You saved my life."
"I did," Kara replies, and there is silence again. She can feel the woman beside her struggle with something though, like she wants to say something but can't find the right words. So she waits.
"Supergirl," she starts again "What my mother did, I'm so sorry for that, I'm so, so…."
"Don't be," Kara tells her "What your mother does has nothing to do with you, and you are not to blame for that."
"But I do feel guilty!" Lena says, her hands reflexively tightening on the bars of the railing "If it hadn't been for me, you would never have been there, you wouldn't have been trapped, and she wouldn't," her voice tapers off into a pained whisper "She wouldn't have hurt you."
Kara turns to look at her, and all of a sudden, she feels an ache in her bones, and she feels exhausted, like she has nothing left inside, anymore. The sound of the city is a distant blur now, and she feels lightheaded. Suddenly weary, she leans against the wall, tired in her craving for the woman in front of her.
"Lena," she whispers "Can I hug you?"
When Lena moves into her arms, she aches again, but it's for a different reason. Now she seems to have her here, she doesn't want to let go. She never wants to let go. She wants to keep her safe forever, standing in her arms under a starlit sky, to protect her, and to make her happy. Lena, she thinks. Lena, Lena, Lena, Lena, her mind repeats this miracle of a name in her head. I love you, she thinks, and it doesn't even surprise her anymore.
Lena's grip on her tightens, as she lets out a shaky breath "Supergirl…."
"Kara," she hears herself say "Call me Kara."
When Lena moves to look at her, Kara sees no surprise in her eyes.
"Kara", she says again, and that look is in there again, the intense look. Kara wants to ask her what it means, but she is too tired for questions and answers. So she just raises an eyebrow, waits for Lena to speak.
"I like saying your name," Lena tells her, like she is making a scientific observation.
"I like hearing you say it," Kara tells her back, and Lena blushes. Then she hesitates for a moment, and leans up, presses a tiny kiss to Kara's forehead.
When Kara cannot sleep, she flies, and right now, with Lena Luthor in her arms, all she feels is the peace of flight.