idek how long i've been gone, things have been really busy on my end. i was accepted into an exchange program to australia in july so i had to apply for insurance and visa and all that stuff. ALSO, malaysia just had an elections and we have a new government and i am way too excited about that. but i am back now! for now, anyway.
now, read, ponder, and enjoy!
Whoever it was banging on the door, she swore she would never forgive them. Sleep had always eluded her, and she couldn't remember the last time she slept so well. She had intended to ignore them when she was first pulled out of her slumber from the annoying banging, but they wouldn't relent, and she had a feeling that they would keep it up until one of them opened the door.
Groaning, Lena removed herself from the comfortable cocoon that was Kara's arms and the blanket, not forgetting to kiss the tip of the blonde's nose, and pulled the shirt Kara was wearing the night before along with her underwear. Clutching the shirt together to cover up her chest, she headed over to the door, prepared her best glare, and opened it.
Diana stood on the other side, hair pulled up into a neat ponytail and body clad in what was obviously a training outfit. At her glare, the Amazon only ticked her brow and allowed her eyes to travel down Lena's barely covered up body, lingering on her pale legs.
"Haven't lost your touch," she commented with admiration.
Lena rolled her eyes, clutching the shirt tighter. "You have a boyfriend," she replied, voice still laden with sleep. "What do you want?"
"Put on some clothes. Something you can move in," Diana added. "Wake her up too." She gestured at the still sleeping form on the bed. "Meet me on the roof."
Before Lena could even ask, the woman had already turned and left. From the door, Lena could see Alex and Sam, dressed in similar outfit, tailing her into the elevator. Lena sighed, wanting to collapse back into bed but knowing that Diana would just come back down if they didn't show up in thirty minutes at most. She closed the door and started picking up the discarded pieces on the floor, making her way to Kara's side of the bed.
Having deposited the clothes in the laundry basket, she crawled over Kara, straddling the woman with her hands perched on two sides of the blonde's head. She allowed herself one minute to take it all in – the sun had started rising and Kara was absolutely bathed in gold. Beautiful.
Gently, the raven haired woman lifted one hand to caress Kara's cheek, fingers trailing at the edge of her ear with the knowledge that it was Kara's tickle spot. As expected, the goddess groaned in displease, already tugging out of her peaceful sleep. Slight regret rose in Lena for disturbing her peace.
"Wake up, Kara," she whispered, lowering her head until they were nose to nose. She smiled wider when Kara groaned again but didn't move her head. "Diana's gonna hunt us down if we don't show up soon."
From an extremely close distance, where the freckles were in high resolution and each movement of lashes were caught and all exhalation could be felt, blue eyes gradually and tiredly blinked open, blurry at first and growing more aware along with each blink. There was a jarring second when Lena discovered herself stilling at being stared at by those eyes, completely focused on her and nothing else.
"What time is it?" Kara's slurry voice jolted her from the stillness of the moment of the second, reminding her that the sun was still rising and time waited for no one.
Lena lifted her head slightly and turned towards the clock on the bedside table. "Five thirty-two," she declared, finding the additional AM particularly irritating.
The offended expression that crossed Kara's face was utterly amusing and relatable. "Go back to sleep, for god's sake," she complained.
Suddenly, strong, muscly arms slithered around Lena's waist and toppled over until she lied on her side, face to face with Kara and body entirely trapped by a woman unwilling to let go. She giggled when Kara muttered nonsense under her breath and proceeded to bury her head in Lena's chest. She indulged by wrapping her own arms around Kara, one hand stroking blonde hair softly.
"Diana wants us to meet her on the roof," Lena informed her. Truthfully, Diana could suck it. "Alex and Sam are with her." Alex and Sam could suck it too.
"They can suck it." Kara's voice was muffled in the material of her own plaid shirt.
"You know she'll get us up there one way or another."
"You're not naked," Kara complained. And as if to solidify her complaint, she started parting the shirt, running her warm fingers over Lena's skin with no qualms whatsoever.
And really, one couldn't blame her forgetting distracted. Kara really knew what she was doing. In no time at all, she was on her back and Kara was hovering over her, kissing her without holding back, tongues and all, while her hands began to slide over Lena's shoulders to take off the shirt. Diana Prince? Forgettable in this situation.
She had her palm over Kara's breast and one hand behind Kara's head when she opened her eyes for a second and noticed a floating figure outside the window. Instantly, her bravado vanished and she was no longer in the mood, detaching herself from Kara and rolling out from under her. When Kara looked almost ready to complain, she just pointed out the window, where Diana was floating, simultaneously displeased and amused.
"My sister's a creep," Kara groaned, gliding out of bed with the blanket covering her naked body and heading over to the window to pull the curtains close.
Lena snorted, stood up, and went over to her closet. Time to face the real world.
"No."
Diana smirked and teasingly touched the dome sheet that overlapped the roof. Basically, the dome created a protective shield for anything within its confines, but in this case, it was obvious that it was the other way around. Plus, as Lena touched it herself and examined its energy, this dome was one that shielded their activities from the outside world as well.
She could appreciate a well-executed trick, but, "Still a no."
"I didn't ask," Diana said.
"I think the fact that Zeus is scared enough of me to want to put a death sentence on my head the second he knew who I am is enough for me to not have to train."
Diana, ignoring the casual way Lena brought up her impending doom, shrugged. "If you are going up against Zeus alone, then sure, I'd have let you stay in bed. But you are facing Hera and your mother and undoubtedly an army. Let us also not forget that we do not yet fully know where the Fates' allegiance lies. So, yes, Lena, we are training."
"You can't make me."
Rolling her eyes, instead of replying, Diana went ahead and grabbed a bench, snapping it in half easily and throwing one half in Lena's direction. Automatically, Lena ducked, but before she could even raise her arm to decimate the piece, Kara had swooped in front of her and kicked at it, shattering the halved bench into smattering pieces.
"There you go," Diana muttered with a smile, throwing the other half at them, higher this time. Lena watched as Kara leaped up, almost floating for a second, and slapped at it – the halved bench crashed against the dome to be quartered and collapse on the ground.
She knew that all Olympians could fly and all Olympians had super strength, but there was something about watching Kara in action that put her in awe.
It was in the way she leaped into her essence doubtlessly, as if it was a default in her machinations, the ferociousness that carried the kind of gallantness that Lena had never before witnessed. And yet, what she saw in direct contrast with the Kara she knew, sweet and gentle and kind and willing to lie on her back in a dirty park just to get a puppy out from under a bench.
"What the hell was that?" Kara demanded.
Diana shrugged, motioning for Alex and Sam to come forward, both of them had been standing at the back watching the whole time. "The two of you need to learn to work together for us to have a better chance when we confront Lillian," Diana called out. She gestured at an array of weapons that Lena was certain did not exist on the planes of Earth. "And we are going to make sure that happens."
"This is ridiculous," Lena commented when her companions brandished themselves with weapons with the exception of her. She had never put much faith in those things; she also had never used those things, not even during the war.
She and Kara stood in the middle of the compound with Diana, Alex, and Sam circling them. Knowing full well that each and every one of them were powerful in their own right, Lena's logic was yelling at her to feel fear, but at this moment, standing back to back with Kara, fear just wasn't something she could conjure.
Alex let out a war cry, her eyes glinting gold for a brief moment before she leaped forward. And that was how the fight began. They found themselves fighting the three women in turn, first Alex, then Sam, then Diana – rinse, repeat.
It was awkward in the beginning. Lena and Kara had only ever known each other to be civil; they had never fought together or seen each other fight. But when it was their second time facing Sam, they found camaraderie, one slap here and a kick there, moving different directions to allow the other leeway. Even when Diana had disarmed Kara, they didn't lose their beat and persisted on.
They were panting and sweating when the trio stopped their assault, still forming a circle around the two of them. Lena hoped that this was it, they had grown confident in the way she worked with Kara, and they would be allowed to leave this absurd training session. That hope diminished as soon as she caught the look Diana shared with her other two partners.
Fuck.
The three women leaped into the air, their suppressed aura released in full force, Sam had her wings out to assist her floating, and Lena realized that this was the worst and last attack of the day. Finding the frustration in her, the raven haired woman bypassed the pain that always followed and transformed into her other being, snarling and howling at them, ready to strike.
Only to take a pause when Kara joined them in the air, her eyes glowing blue and not relenting. She stopped howling just to watch her.
"Do not make me do this," Kara growled and – wait, were her eyes humming?
She and Diana shared a long look. And then Diana chuckled, nodding in approval before she dropped back to the ground, followed by Alex and Sam. Kara, after making sure that no attacks would be made on either her or Lena, made her descent as well, subconsciously petting Lena's head.
"Good," Diana commented. "Now we can all worry a little less."
Kara huffed, kneeling down and scratching behind Lena's ears. "That was mean."
The angry presence of her brother had already invaded her home before they could even start to detect him. He landed on the balcony heavily, imprinting his footprint on the concrete beneath his feet. The wings at his back curled out of sight and he twisted his shoulders, curling his neck and cracking his jaw, all the while glaring at Lena with darkened eyes instead of blue.
She gasped at the sight of him in his celestial glory, standing up from the couch and depositing Bench on Kara's lap. Her confusion soon dissipated when Persephone joined her brother, perched on the railing of the balcony and looking the opposite of guilty. Annoyance began to eat into her chest as she realized what Persephone had done, and when she looked to Hades, it was obvious that he was in on it too.
"This is not good," Sam murmured from the bar, eyes wide as she watched them while sipping more whiskey.
Lex was still in pain, judging by the vein popping in his neck and the occasional grimace that he quickly hid away with his deepening frown. Celestial beings regaining memories from deliberate manipulation was an entirely different experience from them regaining memories from dying as pretend mortals. The literature she had studied kept her informed about the unpleasantness regarding the onslaught of memories from handmade manipulation as compared to the slow and gentle ebb of the process when they returned home.
Lena would have moved towards her brother to take a look at him if it wasn't for the fact that he was absolutely simmering at the edges. Briefly, she wondered if she could escape from the berating that was definitely impending.
And then it came to her, and she whirled around on Diana. "You planned this," Lena accused.
Diana smiled, shrugging. "I knew of it," she remarked. "Training you both was an agenda."
"To distract me."
"To train you."
"And distract me."
"It comes with the package, yes."
Lena huffed, almost regretting not pinning down Diana and tear into her earlier – not the good kind. She turned back to her brother who had entered from the balcony and was staring at her from across the coffee table. Readying herself, she cocked her brow and stared at him haughtily.
He had no right to be so angry, really. He was the one who insisted on drinking from the Lethe River. He was the one who fell for a mortal and decided that everything else was not worth it compared to her. And yes, she understood his decision, especially after having met Kara, but he still made those decisions, and she shouldn't feel responsible for everything that had transpired after.
"I know everything," Lex started off, fuming.
"How are you feeling?" she asked. Look, he was her brother and still suffering from the after effects of having his memories forcefully returned; she cared about him.
He blinked, raising his brows in that way where he couldn't believe whatever she was saying and was ready to turn on the sarcasm in him. "After learning that my sister is on a suicide mission? Surprisingly, not very good, no."
"Oh Lex."
"Don't do that," he cut her off and rounded the table to be in closer distance with her.
He opened his mouth and closed it again, unsure of what he could say. And the starkest of it all was the unconcealed fear in his eyes, just there – he didn't even try to hide it. It was awkward, to say the least, for everyone else around them. Lex had always been the image of suave and devil-may-care, while she was an absolute champion at poker face, and yet here they were, everything on display for everyone to see.
She closed her mouth and sighed through her nose, closing her eyes and laying a hand on his arm. He reacted to her touch by pulling onto her waist and into him, wrapping her up in the warmest hug he had ever given her – tight and unrelenting. She thought he would have tried to meld them together if it was physically possible.
Squeezing her eyes tighter, she relished in the aura that had been diminished within Lex the second he forgot what he was. It was so strong, familiar, and familial. Missing him as a faux human was different than missing him as a demon, that was for sure.
"Don't do that," he pleaded, this time for something else – something she would be too late to give him. At least she was able to spend some time with him where they were not weighed down by their identity – she gave him that.
"I'm glad you're back," she whispered.
"Don't do that."
"It's the only way."
"Don't do that."
"I'm sorry." She stroked her fingers over the skin of his bald head. "I love you."
"How are you feeling?"
Lex massaged his temples and gave a soundless groan. "They're still coming," he muttered, indicating his memories.
It had been an hour since he arrived. She wouldn't be surprised if his pain would persist for another day or two. The others had promptly excused themselves – Kara making sure to kiss her gently on the lips before retreating to the bedroom – leaving her and her brother alone. Lena had led him to the kitchen and made themselves some coffee – she needed it for the rude awakening that Diana had imposed upon her and it would also probably help him curb the headache, if only marginally.
She stayed quiet for a little, watching her brother. "You should go home," she implored. "Lana's waiting for you."
At the mention of his girlfriend, Lex lifted his head from his hand and glowered at her, though she was certain he wasn't actually angry at her.
"Don't blame yourself. I told Hades and Persephone the same thing, and I'll tell you again. It's not your fault. This would have happened even if I'd stayed in the Underworld. It's inevitable."
He clenched his jaw and shifted his glower to the coffee cup in front of him on the island. "I have been so absorbed in my…ventures that I didn't even try to pursue when I knew that something has been going since the fire," he bit out. "You are my sister and I just moved my responsibility of protecting you to someone else just so I could focus on my love life. I am a terrible brother."
Rolling her eyes, she reached out to touch his hand. "Lex, look at me." When he did, she continued, "You didn't know. You didn't remember. And I don't blame you for that. You deserve this. You deserve Lana. I'm glad you found someone who can make you as happy as Lana."
"I've been distracted."
"You can't be distracted from something you didn't know," she insisted. A sigh escaped from her lips. "Like I said, it would have happened either way. We would still be stuck in this predicament, but at least this way, you found love. You found Lana. You're happy. And in my books, that's better than us staying in the Underworld – me hiding and you hiding me." She smiled at him. "And you are the best brother I could have asked for."
"Do you realize that you keep talking about everyone else but not yourself?" he asked, slightly irritated. She frowned in confusion. "My happiness, Hades and Persephone's forgiveness, everyone else's safety – all of those at the price of your life, and yet it feels like you don't even care." He shifted closer, leaning against the table. "I don't like that we are going to lose you soon, but I know that there is no way to talk you out of it. I also don't like that you're being so…callous about it, but I don't know why that is."
"I'm not being callous," she replied, her voice meek and unwilling. "I've just accepted it."
"You shouldn't!" Lex stood up, the cup clattering on the table from his spike of energy. "This is not the kind of thing you just accept, Lena!"
She raised a cursive brow. "Lex, we live in hell. This is exactly the kind of thing I've accepted a long time go."
After a long moment of glaring at her, he deflated and slumped back in his chair. He was quiet and pensive, probably pondering a million thoughts at once. She told herself that whatever decision he made, she would support him. Finally, he shook his head and reached for his phone in his jacket pocket.
"I'm not abandoning you until this is over," he decided.
She nodded, stood up, said, "Lana would understand," and left the kitchen.
They were taking a stroll in the park, hand in hand while Kara held Bench's leash with the other. Seemed to be a nice evening, where the moon held high in its crescent and the stars were all present, and after the talk with Lex, this walk was necessary.
He had told everyone that he would be back by midnight; had to go back to Metropolis and reassure Lana. Apparently, Persephone had shown up at his place with no regards to nuances of elusiveness – flying and all that jazz. Thankfully, it was still early in the morning, so no one had seen her. Well, no one but Lana, who had just gasped and almost screamed. She watched the whole deal: Persephone doing her thing on Lex's memories, Lex's wings almost slapping her face had she not ducked, and Lex and Persephone flying away without even a word to her.
But before he ducked out, he had shot her a meaningful look, a pitiful one. And she knew he was thinking about what they had talked about earlier. With that thought, she tightened her grip on Kara's hand.
Kara, noticing the gesture, led them to a random bench, only it wasn't random. Lena remembered it and couldn't help but snort as they sat down. Bench, delighted at the sight of his old home, crawled under it and started sniffing around. Kara laughed and rested against the back of the bench, arm extended behind Lena. She stayed quiet, staring ahead at the small pond that had frozen over from the winter. She was waiting.
"Do you think there's any way for us to escape and not let your father find us if we come out alive?" Lena finally asked, watching the leash Kara was holding being tugged around.
Kara visibly relaxed next to her. Of course she would; she'd been waiting for Lena to finally say something since yesterday. And of course she knew that all of Lena's talk about accepting her death was just bravado. Well, not exactly bravado – she had accepted it. But that also didn't mean she wanted it.
It wasn't fair. There was a chance that she would be the key instrument in saving the world along with woman next to her, and yet she would be killed at the end of it, while Kara would get all the praises that she deserved.
That was what she get for being born as something that was supposed to have been extinct, she supposed.
"I think that I would do anything for us to stay together," Kara carefully enunciated.
Lena sighed and shifted a little so she could rest her head on Kara's shoulder comfortably. "I really do appreciate it, you know. The time we've had together, however short it is." She nuzzled deeper and closed her eyes against the fabric of Kara's coat. "I just don't know if it's enough."
"It's not."
"Remember what you promised me?"
Kara stiffened but kept her arm around Lena. "Yeah," she choked out.
Lena smiled, opening her eyes and moving slightly to be able to look up at Kara, admiring her jawline in the process. "I knew you were lying."
Following the admission was a series of coughs and snorts and unintelligible mumbling. Lena chuckled and removed herself from Kara's arm, watching her from the side as she fumbled for the appropriate reply. Good to know that Kara was still so easily unnerved. Lena had almost forgotten about it judging by the lack of Kara-ness since they returned from Olympus.
In the end, Kara just gave up and sighed, petting Bench's head, who had scrambled out of from under the bench when he heard his mistress in trouble.
"You suck at lying."
Kara gasped, affronted. She straightened up and put her hand to her chest, an offended expression crossing her face. "Excuse me, my decades in the mortal realm as a human beg to differ."
"That's because you never had any encounter that required you to lie about your true being," Lena easily retorted, raising a brow to dare Kara to refute that.
Kara was quiet for a bit, and then she harrumphed, deliberately putting some distance between her and Lena. "Stop being so smart!" she demanded.
Lena just laughed and leaned towards Kara, searching for her lips. And the blonde willingly offered it up, fusing their mouths together. It was short and chaste, but she wouldn't want anything else in this setting. When she drew back, she rested their foreheads together, closing her eyes and one hand lifting to cup the woman's cheek.
"Don't do anything rash when I'm gone, okay?" she asked. "And don't lie to me."
Kara sighed and reached out to link their fingers together. This time, when Lena opened her eyes, the blonde was already staring at her, committed and genuine, also searching. Maybe not searching; remembering. Lena was certain that she had been doing that since the time they had the chance to wake up in the same bed.
"Okay," Kara whispered.
The rest of the evening, they spent watching Bench prance around chasing a stray bird or two after they released him from the leash. Until midnight came and they returned home, where Lex was sleeping on the couch and everyone else had occupied the guest rooms. After all the exit and entries were safely locked, they left Bench on top of Lex's chest.
And then they forgot about everything else but each other in the bedroom.
The series of thunders woke them up. It was bright – the sun had risen. But the thunders didn't ceased. Lena unwrapped herself from the pillow and saw Kara staring out the window. She turned around, a grave look on her face.
"It's started."
i am pretty certain that next chapter will be the final chapter, and then the epilogue - if i ever get myself to write one. i still haven't finished dealing with the whole exchange thing so it might put things back a little, please bear with me.
also, guys, i've made a ko-fi account, you can find the button on my tumblr, which is overcanary. you are under no obligation to donate! but you know, i'd like to make some extra cash, and if you like my writing so far and would like to show me some support, don't hesitate to donate! i'll really enjoy that cup of latte. :)