Summary: Kara has a highly detailed, multi-point plan for how to come out to Lena as an alien and Supergirl. It was a good plan. Well rehearsed.
It went absolutely nothing like this.
Notes: I've been trying to write this story forever and realized today I was trying to account for too many variables and generally being overelaborate when I don't really care about identifying all the ways this story's setting differs from canon. What I cared about was Kara telling Lena the truth about being Supergirl without it turning into a tragedy and Lena getting all the Kara kisses she wants.
Which is all of the Kara kisses. All of them.
(Not) According to Plan
Kara has a highly detailed, multi-point plan for how to come out to Lena as an alien and Supergirl. It was a good plan. Well rehearsed.
"I have a confession to make."
It went absolutely nothing like this.
Lena's eyebrow went up and she smirked in amusement. "If it's that you stole the last of my fries while I was in the bathroom, I'm well aware." She picked up and shook the flimsy cardboard container that had, moments ago, still had a handful of greasy little fries left in it. "You'll have to make it up to me by helping me make dessert."
"Sure," Kara agreed immediately, perking up at the thought of sweet, sweet treats. And then shaking her head because if she was going to ruin her well thought out plans then she might as well go for broke.
She wasn't sure if this was a date, but Kara wanted it to be one so badly. But... she should not - most definitely not - start dating Lena while keeping a Supergirl sized alien secret from her. And considering she'd already been in elaborate planning mode because she didn't want to keep this kind of secret from someone who was rapidly becoming her best friend - not that she was displacing Winn or anything like that; a girl could have multiple best friends if she wanted - well, it just made sense to just go ahead and clear the air now.
Kara had always done better with improvisation anyway.
So she added, "but that's not what I was going to confess to. Though I did steal your fries. Sorry."
Snorting in amusement, Lena rolled her eyes. "Alright, then. What's this big confession?"
"Ah, well..." Kara made a frustrated noise and then said, "so I've got this secret I've been keeping from you. And I don't want you to think that I haven't said anything before because I don't trust you or because you're a Luthor or... anything like that. I mean... there are way more people who know this about me than I'm comfortable with and only one of those people I've actually chosen to tell all on my own. Until now because, I'm telling you."
Setting down the greasy fry container and turned her full attention to Kara. "Okay." Lena sounded a little nervous now too. Probably because Kara had specifically mentioned her last name.
In Kara's big plan, she'd explain the whole refugee from a dying planet thing first and then take off her glasses and go 'surprise, I'm a Super.' But, well... all those well rehearsed words dried up in Kara's throat because anxiety was a terrible, awful thing. So she reached up and took off her glasses. Set them aside carefully.
"You look like Supergirl," Lena said carefully. "I've always thought that, but... the glasses change the shape of your face some so I never really..." she trailed off for a moment and then said. "You are Supergirl. Aren't you?"
Kara nodded. "I'm actually older than Kal-El. Er, Superman. I was twelve when Krypton..." Kara felt her voice catch. Heard herself falter.
It was never really going to stop hurting, was it?
Lena took one of Kara's hands in hers, holding it gently. And Kara found the strength to keep talking.
"He was just a baby. My parents and his were part of a plan to try and save at least some of our people... but I never... I was too young for them to tell me what was going on. It didn't work, though and the fall back was... they sent me and Kal here. To Earth. I was supposed to look after him, but my pod ended up in the phantom zone for a while and time doesn't move right there. By the time I landed on Earth and came out of stasis, Kal was all grown up and didn't need me to take care of him anymore." She still had mixed feelings about how Clark had handled her arrival on Earth. As a child, she'd assumed he was doing his best by giving her to the Danvers to raise.
As an adult, Kara has a less... rose colored view of his actions. Giving her to the Danvers was, ultimately, the right choice. And she wouldn't trade her adopted parents or having Alex for a sister for anything in the galaxy. She's just less certain Clark's motives these days.
It's not exactly a conversation she ever intends to have with him, though.
"So, uh... that's me. Alien refugee and also Supergirl. Also I sort of laser-eyed your alien detector when we had that interview about it because I didn't know you well enough to be comfortable coming out to you right then and there. So, uh... I'm both sorry and not sorry I did that." Kara went awkwardly silent and Lena just... let that awkward silence drag on a bit.
All while Kara's thoughts were basically chanting 'say something' on repeat. Well that and 'oh Rao, please say something'.
"Thank you," Lena finally said quietly, one of her hands coming up so that she could gently tuck some of Kara's hair behind her ear.
Kara shivered at the touch.
"For trusting me. For... telling me because you want to, that's..." Lena blushed. "That's special. It means a lot to me." She paused a beat. "Can we fly somewhere to pick up dessert instead? Because I love flying when its with you."
And, oh... Kara gives Lena a look she knows has to look completely love struck because that's how she feels right now. "Absolutely."
Dessert is had at one of Lena's favorite guilty pleasure cafés. Though the slice of cheesecake Lena orders isn't even half as delicious as the feeling of being cradled in Kara's arms as they flew through the night sky to reach the café.
Oh, yes, Lena's got it bad.
And she's practically vibrating in her seat at the café table, across from Kara who has her glasses back on, because she's just so... she's so happy. Every time someone Lena loves has a secret, it always comes out at the worst moment. And it's always bad in some way. On some level she'd begun to worry there was something wrong with her.
But now here was Kara Danvers. Who was Supergirl and she'd told Lena because she wanted Lena to know. Because they were friends. Because Lena's friendship was just that important to Kara.
She trusted Lena despite the Luthor family's historically awful choices and the way everyone and their dog would tell you that Luthors were not to be trusted.
Lena had already been a little in love with Kara before. And a lot attracted to Supergirl. (First time she'd found herself scooped up in Supergirl's arms, Lena's brain had started the gayest 'oh my god' on repeat. She could barely think of anything else for hours.) So finding out her two biggest crushes were the same person? Lena was pretty much ready to drag Kara back into her bedroom and offer her the best sex of her life.
(Lena was nothing if not confident about her ability to pleasure a lady. And the idea of getting to sit between those thighs... just the thought made her warm all over.)
"So, Kal," Lena said, since calling him Superman right now seemed like a bad idea, "is your cousin."
"Yeah. He was an adorable baby. I used to change his diapers." Kara grinned impishly. "Never letting him live that down, either."
Lena snorted in amusement. "As well you shouldn't. I'm sorry you didn't get to be there to see him grow up, though," she added, tone taking on a somber cast. "That had to be really hard on you."
"Yeah, I thought... when my parents were sending me away I thought that at least I'd still have him. That I'd still have family to help me survive dealing with everything I was losing." Kara took a slightly aggressive bite of her chocolate mousse cake slice. "And instead I wake up to find he's a fully grown adult who wasn't in a position to take care of me himself. But he knew the Danvers and I ended up having a family to help me learn how to grieve and how to be human and... well, Alex didn't like me at first. At all. But she came around. In fact," Kara made a grumpy face, wrinkling up her nose adorably, "she gets really overprotective of me these days."
And, yes, Lena had noticed Agent Danvers tendency to be overly protective of Supergirl. Lena had wondered if, perhaps, she wasn't the only one with a crush. But sisterly concern made far more sense.
However, something was gnawing at the back of Lena's mind and... she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Something about Superman.
She put it on the back-burner. Her subconscious would figure it out soon enough.
"So, I have a confession of my own," Lena said because, well, if Kara was willing to take a leap of faith with her... Lena wanted to do the same in return.
"You're not secretly an alien too, are you?" Kara asked, voice quiet but teasing to match the silly grin on her face.
"Alas, no," Lena replied, ducking her head and grinning widely. "I, uh, when I asked you to spend the evening with me I intended to be asking you on a date. And then I chickened out. I like spending time with you as a friend, but I... I really think we have amazing chemistry together. If it's not too late, I'd still like tonight to be the two of us on a date."
The smile that bloomed on Kara's face had warmth bubbling in Lena's stomach.
"Well, we are at a nice café and you bought me three very delicious desserts." Kara took a bite of that chocolate mousse cake in front of her for emphasis, eyes fluttering shut and... god, Lena's brain was headed straight back to the gutter over that expression. "But more importantly, I'm spending time with you. Seems like a pretty awesome date already, to me."
Lena could practically feel herself melt into a gooey mess at those words.
Another flight took them back to Lena's place where they settled onto the couch to cuddle and nurse a glass of wine each.
Kara could happily curl into Lena's arms every night. "So... we're girlfriends now, right?"
"Definitely," Lena replied, kissing Kara's cheek and then down along her neck. "Mmm, you like that, huh? Practically purring..."
Which, Kara could not deny that her happy little humming noises were rather like purrs. But Lena's mouth just felt so nice...
"So... I just had a thought," Lena giggled, pulling away and grinning. "Clark Kent. What's the expression on his face like when people ask if he and his wife are in a polycule with himself? Because he's Superman, isn't he?"
Kara cracked up. "He gets so embarrassed by that. It's the best thing, really. And Lois thinks its hilarious. She's always confirming the polycule and Clark turns just the brightest red every time."
"I've always wanted to meet her," Lena confessed. "She never interviewed me, but I always enjoyed reading her work. Up until you, she was my favorite reporter."
"Awww, I'm your favorite now?" Kara grinned, feeling all bubbly as she turned to press a kiss against against Lena's collar. The way Lena shivered was, really, quite delicious.
"You do just as much good with your journalism as you do your super powers," Lena said, the compliment buzzing under Kara's skin. She tilted Kara's head up and drew her into a needy kiss. "I just want to take you to bed so bad..."
"No complaints here," Kara assured her, drawing Lena into another toe-curling kiss.