Author's Note: I fuck about with comic/film/tv show mythos here with Lena's identity. Deal with it. And thanks for reading!
Part XX: Rooftop Q&A (Part I)
Neither God nor Rao could agree on how long those two stood there in that intimate and sensual embrace, but after some time, they parted with heated breath.
Lena didn't fully let go of Kara, but she managed to put back on her beanie and sunglasses. She glanced around, taking full advantage of her powers, scouting a nice quiet place, and said, "Let's go to the roof. I'd like to tell you about my childhood."
The climb to the roof was short. It wasn't long enough for Kara. Her hands were shaking. She was admirably trying, though failing to prepare herself for this inevitable conversation. The one where Lena lays bare what kind of monster Zor El really was during his lifetime. The kind of monster that justifies science to prey on children.
Lena opened the door to the roof, after a moment of difficulty with the lock, and held it open for Kara. Kara glanced downward, confirming with her X-ray vision that everything was all right, and it was. To her pleasant surprise, there were a few seats and a small portable table up here. No doubt for the staff to come up here and smoke, or just escape the pressure of a hellish day by just looking up at the sky and knowing that the world was still happening; even if they couldn't see it.
Lena shifted self-consciously before she took her seat. "I changed my mind about just telling you everything," she started, and at Kara's concerned face, she amended, "that came out wrong. I think that this will go more quickly, and more efficiently if you ask me questions, and I can elaborate from there. I'm…too much of a coward to just be out with it." Kara put a hand on Lena's arm.
"Lena," Kara breathed. "You don't ever have to tell me, if you're not comfortable with it," Kara said tenderly.
Lena adjusted her left arm so Kara didn't have her hand on it anymore. But before Kara could retract her hand, Lena firmly grasped it in hers. "I don't think I could be uncomfortable with you. At least, not anymore." The trails of dawn's light threw their mutual blush into sharp relief. "I want you to know. But it's not going to be easy, for either of us. Ask away, Supergirl."
Kara took a breath before beginning, "Are you from Krypton?"
Lena nodded her head, "Yes, I was born on Krypton. My family was in the Military Guild."
Kara nodded. Her breath shook a little bit. Just the confirmation that there was someone else who remembered home. Even if their experiences where horrifyingly different. "What, um…what is/was your name back home?" Kara asked.
Lena's brow furrowed a little. "My Earth name is Lena, and as I said before, that's what I prefer. My family…" she chuckled without much humour, "my family was disliked on Krypton. My parents were not married. I, like Kal, yes I know his name, was born naturally. But since my father's family was already frowned upon, the scandal wasn't exactly press stopping." Lena met Kara's gently searching eyes. "My mother's family was basically in the peasant class, because we had Daxamite blood in our veins. Not much of it, but several generations back, we were freed slaves of the Daxamite empire. My ancestors had been bred by them see, raped…men and women alike, until they or their female rapists bore children who were both Kryptonian and Daxamite. After the war though, Krypton claimed them all, and Daxam didn't argue. But I digress," Lena noticed the tenses of Kara's whole body as she mentioned the sexual violence visited on her people. "Hey, Kara. Look at me. I've never been raped. Okay, while all of that stuff is fucking horrible, you don't need to put that pity on me, because I don't know their experiences, anymore than my ancestors know mine."
Kara nodded. But she was still aware that Lena had dodged the question. "So your mother's family was of mixed blood. Did you live with them or your father's family?"
Lena's jaw twitched. "I lived with my mother and sister until I was taken away. I'm not really sure why or if it was just me, I was a kid at the time. I just know that men wearing armour came into our house one night, injected me with something, and I woke up in the lab. For all I know they could've done the same to my little sister." Lena's eyes began to mist over a little.
Kara took a moment to still her emotions before this next question, "It was my father, wasn't it? Who took you away from your family." Kara couldn't stop the inevitable beads of salty tears forming along her eyelids. The horror of it all was just too much to not have a physical reaction to.
Lena nodded again. "It was Lord Zor El of the Science Guild that exclusively conducted the experiments on me. So yes, I'm sure it was him who ordered my abduction."
Kara's next breath came out in a stutter. But before she could apologize Lena reached up and used the heel of her hands to brush away Kara's tears. "Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare apologize for your father. You were a kid yourself at the time, and had absolutely nothing to do with it. Hell, I'm pretty sure you wandered into your father's lab once and talked to me for a little while. You were a kid, a few years younger than me. It's one of my brightest memories from home." Lena had finished clearing away Kara's tears, only for more to spawn with Lena's latest admission.
"I think I remember that," Kara whispered. "It's all blurry, but I remember meeting someone in dad's lab. It's less of a picturesque set of memories rather than a strange and positive feeling," Kara said, trying so very hard to make that memory clearer.
"It's alright Kara, you don't need to strain yourself. I'll remember for the both of us."
"You didn't answer about your name," Kara sniffled. Lena's eyebrows shot up. It was a legitimate oversight. She just got caught up with everything else, and completely blew off Kara's question.
"Well, I suppose I'm an accidental master at deflection." Lena muttered. Kara's lip quirked into a half-smile.
Lena let out a large breath. "Very well. On Krypton, my name was Faora-Ul."