The story of Kara Zor-El

by Miss. Styx

Kara Zor-El felt a lot of things. She was sent away from her home at 12 years old along with her baby cousin, she literally watched her planet die before being cast into a timeless prison, she came to earth two dozen years late, her mission no longer standing as her younger cousin was now "Superman" and she was still the small, weak 12 year old that left Krypton.

26. Chapter 26

Title: The story of Kara Zor-El
Chapter 26: Proposal

/.\

10 months later

Lena's POV

2 years ago tomorrow was the day when I took Kara on our first date. When I first met her, I knew that she was good; she hated to call herself that but she always chose the right path. She didn't accuse me of being like my brother, she didn't make it seem like she hated me instantly, she looked at me like she would when you're meeting someone new for the first time and she had never heard from me before. She was honest and true, an admirable trait that was rarely found, which only made it harder not to like the Kryptonian that could easily have a grudge against my last name due to my brothers actions. Now it seems surreal that we met in such circumstances; she is my best friend, my lover, and hopefully; my future wife.

If I could only get the guts to knock on the door to Astra's apartment where I had asked herself and Alex to be so I could speak to them. I didn't know Kryptonian tradition on asking someone to marry the other, and if I asked Kara, I would give too many hints towards my intention. I also wanted to ask their blessing, I know that Kara's parents perished all those years ago along with her home planet, but Alex and Astra were the closest family that Kara had, they were protective for the blonde, and if I had to ask anyone, it would have to be them.

I groan, fingering my loose hair for a moment, tugging on the roots as I move it in frustration. It shouldn't be this hard to knock on a door, I've been in this apartment so many times before, what makes it different now? Well, I guess the whole asking for permission thing was holding me back. What if they don't want me to marry her? Maybe they've had a grudge against me since I started dating Kara and didn't want to step in on Kara's life? What if-

No. I huff internally, pinching the space between my eyes as I tilt my head down. I am Lena Luthor, I can do this. If they don't like me, I can still marry her… can I? Oh God what if they don't want me to marry her!?

There was a crash in the apartment, jolting me out of my internal debate, making my nerves go on edge until I heard the voices.

"Astra! Let her knock herself, she might need time to think!" I hear Alex shout-whisper, making me realise that they probably knew that I was out here all along due to the time being later than I had asked to meet them and Astra's Kryptonian abilities.

"Alex, she's stressed! She needs a hug!" Astra shout-whispers back, they must be near the door, since I could hear their moderately quiet conversation. Astra's motherly instinct made my heart strings twinge slightly, the care that she showed towards me made me think of all the years that I went without that warmth and love. Astra truly did care for me, almost like her own child, reinforcing another pro on my pro-con list of why I should knock and ask them for their blessing.

"I know but she needs to think by herself or she would have knocked to speak to us about it." Alex says, her tone less shouty now and more of a quiet whisper. Alex's reasons also made me realise that she also- slightly- cared for me. She didn't show it often, but Alex had a soft side that has been hurt before, and to know that I am one of the people that she cares for- it's another pro on my list and will probably make me choke up later to Kara when we're snuggled in bed.

I knew that I was ready to face them now, my nerves easing slightly at the care that they're showing. I raise my fist and rap it on the door a few times, the sound not sounding as awful as I thought it would a few minutes prior. It only took Astra a few moments to open the door, pulling me in for a tight hug that sent waves of reassuring emotions through me her taller body giving me a safe place to bury my head into her shoulder and hug her back. After some time, Astra pulls away, tugging me into the apartment and closing the door, her eyes lock onto my face and a look of soft, sympathy comes over, her hand coming to my cheek to wipe at tears that I didn't realise were there until now and with no explanation to why they're there except for the happiness that the El family are giving me.

"Oh dear, what's wrong?" Astra asks, her thumb skating over the arch of my cheekbone in a very maternal oriented way. I wanted to cry into her shoulder, the urge itself quite startling- I've never cried on anyone's shoulder before meeting the El family. But I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to speak to Alex and Astra about the reason I came here. I quickly shake my head, wiping my eyes quickly with my right hand and giving her what I was hoping to be a reassuring smile.

"Nothing, I just needed to speak to you both about something." I tell her, seeing Alex behind Astra, her shoulders sagging from their protective tenseness that the agent was previously sporting. Astra gives me a supportive smile, her hand coming up to rest on my shoulder as she guides me towards the couch.

"Okay, let's take a seat." Astra tells me, easing me towards the living area and the 3 seater couch. I nod and let her guide me, finding myself in front of the middle seat as Alex goes around the other side and Astra stays where she is, the two women framing me as they take a seat first, prompting me to follow and sit down on the couch cushions.

I rub my hands on my thighs slowly, trying to wipe away the anxious palm sweat that had accumulated. Astra gave off a calming smile, her hand coming up to rest on the curve of my shoulder, rubbing a slow circle to try and help ease my nerves. I sigh and look forward, knowing that if they didn't say yes, I couldn't look at their face.

"I uh… I need to a-ask you two something." I start, finding it harder to say then the thought of asking them. It was like coming out to someone who you thought a lot of, I couldn't find the words that would make the surprise less shocking and anything that comes up seems like the wrong thing to say. It was awful. The thought of them not accepting what I was going to ask makes me pause a moment longer. I feel a hand on my thigh, looking up to see Alex with her big brown eyes looking at me with support and care, her lips tugging into a small, rare smile that makes my chest hurt slightly.

"I-I love Kara. Very much." I start, pausing to look forward again to gather my courage and to take a deep breath. "I want… I want to marry her- and I want to ask for your b-blessing." I stutter, my voice slightly strained, not having enough guts to turn back to look at either of them, just to try and avoid the chance that they could say no and shatter my dreams of staying with the woman I love for the rest of my life. There was a pregnant silence that took over the room, mainly because I was so tense about the situation and I couldn't stand it if I was- my thought track was cut off by a soft hand cupping my chin and turning me to the right to face Astra, her eyes were soft and there was a small smile on her lips.

"I couldn't imagine my niece with anyone else, Lena." Astra says softly, making my throat form a lump in it from the emotion that the situation was rising. I could see my vision blurring and the prick in my eye telling me that I was going to cry. Astra tilts her head slightly, her thumbs coming up to brush my tears away. "You had my blessing for over a year already." She continues, making me nod before Astra pulls me in for a long hug. "You're already apart of the family, the ceremony will just make it by law." Astra mumbles, making the tears come down harder, the sense of acceptance and family love was something that I wasn't expecting to feel.

But to throw me off further, I feel another pair of arms curl around me from behind, Alex hugging me with the care of a mother bear as her chin rests on my shoulder, making us look like an odd sandwich cuddle.

"I won't tell you not to hurt her because I know you won't. You've been my sister since we found Kara in a coma and it's about time you ask her to tie the knot." Alex whispers to me, causing an unexpected sob to come out of me, shaking my chest and making Astra let out a slight chuckle.

"Oh, Lena," Astra coos, a slow hand slipping through my hair. Soothing me slowly as she holds me close. "You're perfect for Kara." and those words were all I needed to start choking up again, sobbing into her shoulder and saying 'thank you's to them both.

/.\

"What should I do? Is there like a tradition on Krypton for this kind of thing? Should I buy her a ring?" I ask, having calmed down and finding myself back sat up to put less stress on my knotted up back that I was going to ask Kara to massage- she is exceptional at it. The knotts were something that came when I was stressed and put some strain on my back. Astra and Alex were both facing me at this point, both of them holding one of my hands in continued comfort. Astra smiles and brushes her thumb over the back of my hand, gently grazing my knuckles with practised ease.

"Rings are for marriage. It's tradition to give a piece of jewellery though, I would suggest a wristband- it's something most soldiers went with for safety reasons and to keep it safe. And I'll handle the marriage rings, they have to be provided by a family member, but you can get her the bracelet." Astra says, easing my nerves about what to give to Kara and making the cogs turn in my head, some ideas coming together for what I wanted to give her and how it will be made.

With a glance at the clock, I realised that it was coming around midday. With my plan to ask her tomorrow on our anniversary, I needed to make this bracelet rather fast, and I'm almost positive all the things I need are at L-Corp. I look back to Alex and Astra, giving them a smile and a squeeze to their hands, grateful for their reaction towards my decision.

"I'd love to stay, but I plan on getting it for tomorrow." I say, nodding towards the clock and making them both look too.

"Oh! Of course!" Astra says enthusiastically, standing up from the couch and pulling me up after her with the strength that I've gotten used to from Kara. I steady myself and look up at the taller woman before getting wrapped up in the famous Kryptonian hug.

"You'll have to call us and tell us how it goes." Alex says from behind, having stood up to help make sure Astra doesn't smother me. I smile as Astra lets me go, allowing me to get pulled into a rare Alex hug. "She'll say yes." Alex reassures, her hand smoothing over my back slightly before letting me go. I give them both a grateful smile as they walk me out of the apartment.

/.\

I was back at L-Corp and I decided to go see Kara in her office for a couple of minutes before going down to the labs, knowing that if I didn't tell her I might be a little late she'll come investigate. I'm surprised that she was completely okay with me going to a 'meeting' earlier, but she was so relaxed about it. I pushed into her office, having given Jess a small smile as I passed her earlier. Kara was sat behind her desk, typing away on her computer and only glancing up for a second before her superspeed started to make her type much faster. I smirk and shut the door, knowing that she was doing it so she could finish that part before she lost her thought process while speaking to me.

I move right from the door, towards a black corner couch (like the one in my office). Only managing to only just take a seat in the corner when Kara stands from her chair, showing me her daringly short skirt, it just reaching above her knees and a lot shorter to what she usually has. I know that I'm staring, her legs long, tanned and toned; who would say no to that? She moves around to me, going to sit next to me until I open my arms, inviting her onto my lap. She pauses for a moment, but then sits sideways on my lap, her body on the left and her legs carrying on down the right. I wrap my left arm around her waist, pulling her snug to me as my right-hand slips onto her bare knee, sliding under the hem of her skirt slightly and touching the smooth skin.

"Hello, beautiful." I tell her, kissing the underside of her jaw slightly as she blushes and tries to hide her face in my shoulder.

"Hey." She mutters in response, her voice filled with shyness that was surprising for how long we had been together. I smile and press my lips to her cheek softly. "How was the meeting?" She asks, obviously not suspecting my true whereabouts. I nod and press my forehead against her jaw softly.

"Yeah, it was okay. Nothing special though." I tell her, feeling my temperature heighten as I think back to the conversation that I had with Astra and Alex, it was much better than special. "How was your day, Princess?" I ask, lifting my right hand to move some hair out of her face before putting it back on her exposed thigh, feeling the muscle tighten slightly at the contact before relaxing again.

"It has been okay. I had to deal with someone though. He demanded to see you, strutting up here and thinking he owns the place." She says, sighing and pressing closer. I frown and kiss her neck softly, earning a pleased purr of my love.

"Who?" I ask, curious to who would want me so urgently and with so much arrogance that he got kicked out. Kara plays with the buttons of my shirt gently, tugging them and stroking the rim.

"He said he was Morgan Edge. When I checked the system it said he shouldn't be up here without permission and an escort from Jess. Should I put something in about trespassing or..?" Kara starts, her tone going slightly businesslike. I groan slightly and press my nose into her neck.

"It's not worth it. He always gets out of them. Next time kick him out of the building, He won't like that you're stronger than he is." I say, peppering her neck with gentle kisses. I feel her nod softly, leaning into my affection.

"Are we doing anything tomorrow?" Kara asks, her arms looping around my neck gently as she pulls my head a little closer. I hum in contemplation, knowing what we were doing specifically.

"How about we stay in for the morning, go out for lunch and have a nice walk around the park afterwards? You can decide what we're doing for the rest of the day." I ask her, hoping that she doesn't change the plans for the sake of what I wanted to do. Luckily, Kara just nods against my head, nuzzling her nose into my hair.

"I just want to spend my time with you." Kara mumbles, tugging me close and basking in our closeness. I smile and hold her for a moment, I could do that for a little while.

/.\

I left Kara with the promise to come home later when I finish, not knowing when I was going to finish my 'work' and knowing that she wanted to be home early enough to make sure she can cook dinner for us both. I was in my personal labs, one of the only places that were void of people to annoy me. I knew what I wanted to make, L-Corp had been tested producing a material that was half composite (like carbon fibre) and half titanium alloy. I started the idea not too long ago, hoping to make a material that I can use for things that are put under stress and are more likely to break; and with Kara's Kryptonian strength, the material needed to be strong. It included the titanium alloy being in strips and then placed into a mould that would be heated enough for the material to melt slightly- but not completely- leaving the material to have a stronger forming structure.

The hardest part was making the mould and the polishing work afterwards. It shouldn't take longer than a few hours- not too late where Kara would be worried about me. I started with designing the basic shape on the computer, making sure the sizes were right for the quick estimate I got of Kara's wrist. That only took about half an hour, the shape basic and lacking a lot of shape- the shape would be refined later on. The wristband will be rigid and will have a gap just large enough for her to get it on and to make sure that it doesn't fall off during the many activities a Kryptonian participates in.

After setting the 3D printer off, I went through the computer's system to look at our stock resources, making sure that the titanium strips that I would take wouldn't disturb the amount needed for other projects- though, I would log taking the titanium strips and order some afterwards to make sure that I won't confuse the employees on the amount that was in storage. I put in a request for a trainee engineer to go fetch me a small box, getting an instant reply saying that the box should be at my personal lab within 10 minutes. I sigh and slouch back into the chair, looking at the moving printer for a moment and thinking back to the person that I was making this for.

/.\

3 hours later, I held the bracelet in my hands, it held the appearance of the strips to an extent, them merging together slightly where they had melted together, the colour was grey with the slightest twinge of blue when it hit the light. To add a finishing touch, I had engraved the symbol for the house of El on the outside, the metal polished of the previously burnt residue that coated the bracelet. I would have admired it more, it's beauty probably going to be stunning on the wrist of my lover, when my phone woke up with slight vibrations and the image of a beautiful blonde- wearing the favourite red jacket that she had worn when we first met and many times afterwards. I quickly pick up the phone and press the green button, bringing it up to my ear so I could hear the gentle tinkle of my girlfriend's voice.

"Hey, babe." I say into the phone, hearing a slight giggle from the owner of the number, she seemed relaxed.

"Hey, when are you coming home? I just need to warm up the lamb and the sauce." Kara says, the sound of her voice being slightly deeper and off than usual, reminding me that her voice changes slightly when she is lounged back further than necessary when on the couch.

"I think I'm done now, actually." I say my thumb grazing the indentation of the proud family crest.

/.\

As soon as I walk into the apartment, Kara was there to take my bag and hang it up and start moving around me to shed me of my coat. She was still wearing what she had on for work but with a dark blue apron was pulled taut over her red oxford dress shirt and that short black skirt that hugged her thighs in ways that I wanted to hold them. I laugh at Kara's eagerness, pulling her to a stop when she moves to hang up my coat, my hands on her wrists with my thumb gently rubbing the tendons on the inside.

"Where's my kiss?" I ask teasingly, my lips cocking up into a smile when Kara turns her head down with a slight blush on her cheeks. Before I could say more, Kara got up onto the tips of her toes and places a small kiss on my lips, lingering for a moment before pulling back. I couldn't stop the smile from breaking out on my face; shy Kara was always the cutest Kara. She continued to hang my coat up before coming back to me, her arms slipping around my waist as she draws me in for a hug.

"I missed you." She says, pressing her face into my shoulder. I laugh lightly, wrapping my arms around her relaxed shoulders as she lets out a long sigh of relief.

"I was gone for a few hours, Darling." I tell her, my tone tight and slightly joking about her needy-ness. I won't lie, I love it when she is all huggy and needy, it makes me feel so much more wanted by the Kryptonian; not to say that she usually makes me feel unwanted. But it is always thrilling to see her so malleable around me, like I was her weakness.

"That doesn't stop me from missing you." Kara whispers, her nose pressing into the hollow of my shoulder, just above my collarbone. I smile and pull her in tighter, pressing my lips against her thick blonde hair that was let loose to cascade down her shoulders. There was a tightness in my chest, the one you get when you love someone so much, you can't imagine life without them. The fear of ever having to lose that person and also the sheer joy of being around them… I glance down at my absolutely perfect girlfriend and I know that I don't need some special arrangement to ask her to be my wife, because she was the thing that made it special.

"Kara…" I mumble, pulling back slightly. There was a flash of alarm on Kara's face, her mouth opening slightly and a familiar look of regret crosses her face. She takes a step back quickly, and despite myself, I felt a crushing feeling in my chest- even though Kara doesn't know what I was going to speak about.

"Oh, Rao. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be so clingy. I know that you aren't fully comfortable with the whole touching thing since you're not used to it and all. I'll stop, I swear-" She starts to ramble, her tone regretful and slightly afraid of my thoughts. The fact that Kara had thought that the genuine nature of our relationship was the problem made me cut her off with a surprised laugh, not at all aware that she thought that her soft side was a problem for me.

"Oh God, Kara." I start, grabbing her hands and tugging her the step that she took away from me, pure love welling up in my chest so strong that I had to place my lips to the top of her head, hopefully kissing the stress away. When I pull away, I look down at questioning blue eyes, making me tilt my head to the side slightly and give her a small smile.

"Let's talk on the couch, baby." I tell her, starting to ease out of my heels and kick them gently onto the shoe stand beside the door. Kara nods softly, still confused as she lets me guide her towards the sofa. I pause momentarily to pick up my bag before carrying on following the love of my life to our couch. There wasn't room for doubt, I knew how I felt about Kara, I knew how she felt about me. Though, I know when I actually have to ask her, I might melt a little.

I take a seat close to the corner of the couch, but making sure to angle my body so I was facing Kara who ha sat on her left leg- her right one hanging off the couch as she faced me. Her brows were now drawn together as she looked at me.

"Lena, what's going on? What's wrong?" She asks, her hand coming out to rest on my free one as I drop my bag to the floor at my side. I smile at her, tilting my head slightly as I look into her deep, blue eyes. I knew that I had to ask her now, she was the most important thing to me and I couldn't imagine keeping something like this from her for a whole night.

"Kara…" I start, moving my right hand forwards to hold one of her own, more for my own comfort than Kara's- the nervousness starting to build now. "I-... I love you, I love you more than I have loved anything before." I tell her, looking up into her softening eyes as she listens to me proclaim my feelings for her. "You're honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I cannot live my life without you. I refuse to." I tell her, watching as her own right hand comes up to stroke my cheek softly.

"You're not losing me, Lena. I'll always be here. I love you too, and nothing will change that." She tells me, her thumb grazing the edge of my jaw in slow strokes. I nod, giving her a genuine smile that was reserved for the people closest to me. I look down into my back, seeing the black box that held the thing that I was going to propose to Kara with. I lower myself to reach down with my free hand, grasping the box and bringing it out to hold in my hand with the delicacy of which you would with precariously thin glass.

"I spoke to Astra this morning, I wasn't at a meeting." I tell her slowly, trying to think of the best way of asking her to marry me other than the boring sentence that held no meaning for what I wanted to ask her. I wanted to ask her to be my wife in a way that told her how I felt about her, so I decided on just telling her about what I did and what I want.

"I asked her about Krypton's custom for marriage…" At the words, Kara stiffens slightly, but her fingers move to link with my own, a slight tightness in the hold. "I love you, Kara… And I couldn't imagine one waking or sleeping second where I wouldn't think about you, where I wouldn't worry about you or wonder where you are so I can plan on when I can give you a hug…" I tell her, being honest about my slightly creepy need to think about her constantly- but hey, that's what love does.

That was when I crack open the box, pulling it back as far as the hinge would let it and revealing the titanium bracelet to the Kryptonian, there was the slight intake of air from Kara, where it caught in her throat as she looks down on the object that I had made for her.

"Kara will you-"

"Stop." Kara says, making sure that I couldn't finish my sentence, I look back up at her, the ugly stab of rejection in my chest as Kara pulls her hand away and stands up, looking around the room with vigour. I was about to speak again when she turns back to me, her eyes filled with unshed tears and a 'lightbulb-moment' look on her face.

"Give me five minutes." She tells me, her voice slightly cracked and strained, not giving me any context before there was a gust of wind left in her wake with the balcony door shaking with the force used from the Kryptonian when she flew out of the building.

I didn't know what to do. I was told to wait by the person who I had asked to marry me. I knew it wasn't a complete rejection, but that didn't stop the part of my brain that told me that she could have said no or that she was going out to clear her head before coming back to say no. I place the box on the coffee table, fishing through my bag to pick up my phone and pull up a message thread to Astra, wondering if this could be a weird Kryptonian tradition.

Lena: So… Kara flew out on me..? After I almost asked her to marry me..?

It only took a few moments before a response came through, then another in quick succession.

Astra: Yeah, she came in a moment ago. She didn't say anything and she's in her room now.
Astra: No, wait. She's gone again.
Astra: Whatever it is, it must have been important. She didn't look rather upset per say but she was definitely crying up a storm.

I frown at the screen, not knowing what could possibly be going through Kara's head. Wouldn't she have stayed and spoken to her aunt if she was upset about the proposal? Why was she upset? I only almost asked her to marry the woman she loves (it's not narcissistic to say that, is it?). I decide to reply to Astra anyway, not wanting to leave the woman hanging from an unanswered text.

Lena: Right… I guess I'll just wait for her then. She said she'll be back in 5 minutes before she left so…

/.\

6 minutes later, the balcony door opens to Kara striding in, her fist clenching something in her hand as she strides over to the couch and where I was waiting. There were dried tear trails down her face that she hadn't bothered to wipe away and a look of determination on her face. I go to stand but she was close to me before I could, dropping down to her knees in front of me, her free hand clutching the material of my pants. With a look at her face, I could see her eyes welling up again, but this time, they were filled with absolute and undeniable love.

"I-I couldn't let you give me t-that bracelet without having something to give back to you." Kara stutters, her eyes spilling over with tears that I quickly brushed away with the pads of my thumbs. "I-It's Kryptonian tradition to exchange jewellery… it's often things that have been in the family for years or something that means a lot to the person." Kara explains, bringing the hand up that was clenched to rest on my lap, opening it to show a familiar but unfamiliar sight.

There, in her hand, was the necklace that she had told me was the last thing her mother gave her before she left for Krypton. But there was something new attached, a small brass bullet with a hole through the barrel- closer to the flat end, to make it able to stay on the chain- only made to fit into a small handgun. Kara must have seen the slight furrow of my brow, because she started to explain.

"My first job for you… I caught a bullet… This is that bullet." She tells me slowly, her voice still ridden with tears that weren't at all the sad kind. In fact, my own tears had started to fall at the realisation of what she was giving me. "It was my most valued possession, because it was the first of many times that I had saved you… It was when I realised that I would catch as many bullets as I could for you because you were worth it…"

I couldn't help myself, I grabbed Kara's face, pulling her in for a searing kiss that felt almost too rough until we melted into it, Kara pulling me closer by my shoulder and myself tilting my head to slot our lips together more firmly. The kiss tasted like the salty tears that ran from our eyes and the strawberries that Kara must have snagged from the fridge before I got in from work, making it so easy to slot this into my memories and keep it there for as long as possible. When we pulled away, gasping for air, I kept my forehead pressed against her own, refusing to be any further away, for now, needing to be close to the love of my life.

"Marry me." I whisper hoarsely, not having enough energy to waste to beat around the bush. I wanted her, and she obviously wants me.

"How could I say no?"

/.\

That night, the love we made was slow, passionate, and filled with all the care and affection we had for each other. After our third round, Kara laid by my side, her ear pressed to my chest as her hand drew slow patterns on the curve of my stomach, her legs wrapping around my own as I look up to the ceiling of our bedroom. I run my fingertips up the valley made by her shoulder blades, tracing the lumps of her spine and feeling the slight tickle of her long blonde hair. I look down at her, her hair being the thing I see the most with her nose jutting out from it as her head is faced down. Right next to her head was the necklace that she had given me, there was a warmth that blossomed in my chest at that, but also the slight worry. Kara must have noticed a difference because her hand stills on my stomach, listening and letting me come to her about my issue.

"... Are you sure you want to give me this..? It's the only thing you have left of her-" I start, stopping only when Kara turns her head to look at me, a softness to her eyes that was only for myself.

"And the love I have for you deserves something close to me." Kara states, placing a soft kiss on my chest as she keeps eye contact. Her next words ghosted against my skin, making goosebumps flourish over my arms. "... I have worn that necklace ever since she gave it to me. Directing the love I had for her to that necklace… I couldn't trust anyone else with such a precious item."

I nod softly, feeling the prick of tears as I look down at her bright blue eyes, showing only honesty as she opens up to me about something this personal. Kara seems to notice and crawls up my body lazily, resting on her elbows- it being on my right side- as she places her lips on my own, kissing me sweetly. I bring my hands up to her head and held her to me, kissing her back with slow, languid movements that make my heart swell.

I feel her sigh in content as she pulls her lips away slowly, not straying too far as she moves to lay back down, her head going to my shoulder as she relaxes into the embrace, her arms loosely wrapped around my nude midsection.

"I love you." I feel her whisper against the skin of my shoulder, before it was attacked with a flurry of kisses. I smile and press my nose into her sweet smelling blonde hair.

"I love you too. More than anything."

/.\

"I'm going away." Astra states, her arms crossed over her chest as she looks at the room filled with our intermediate family- Alex, myself, Kara and Cat (she was there on Astra's wishes). We were in her apartment, all of us sat on the couch as she stands in front of the TV, facing us as she tells us what she needs to.

"What? Where?" Kara asks, sitting up from her position slouching against me, her elbows going to her knees as she leans closer to her aunt, trying to catch every word that she has to say. Astra gives Kara a smile, her eyes shining with that motherly care that she often had when looking at the younger Kryptonian.

"It's my duty to provide the rings for your wedding. I need to go harvest the material and form it into rings." Astra explains, glancing uneasily towards Cat for a moment before looking back at Kara. "I'll be going into space for about 11 months to find the materials that I will need."

"What?" Kara asks, not out of misunderstanding, but shock. "You don't have to go out that far for the materials, I would never ask you to leave for that long." Kara continues, slightly panicked. "We don't need anything special, I'd be happy with titanium rings." Astra gives Kara an easing smile, her eyes shining with the knowledge that she wasn't going to say anything about.

"I need to make the trip anyway. The material I was thinking of… it's special. You'll see when you get married in a years time." She says, shutting down the question that was on my lips about this specific material. I rest my hand on Kara's back, trying to ease her worry a little. I know she hated space with what happened to her all those years ago.

"Promise that you'll be safe?" Kara asks, her voice slightly weak from her personal question that was clearly linked to her loss of time in the phantom zone. Astra softens her stance at her words, walking over to Kara and kneeling in front of her, her head tilting slightly as she grabs both of her hands on her own, eyes meeting each other in an understanding.

"I promise."

/.\

"Have you got enough food?"

I could hear the pestering from Cat Grant from the side of the landing pad, trying to look after Astra even while they're light years apart. It was sweet, I never knew that Cat could be grounded by anyone, yet, here she was, playing the good partner and making sure Astra was well prepared for her long voyage.

"Yes dear." Astra practically sighs, pulling in Cat by the waist and placing kisses on her cheek sweetly. I smile at the scene, I was even surprised at how soft she could be, but, I guess the Kryptonian was to blame for that one.

"They're a cute couple, aren't they?" I hear, before my own Kryptonian arm of steel wraps around my waist and pressed into my side, her head coming snug with my shoulder. I smile and wrap my arm around her shoulders and place a kiss on her head.

"Have you finished putting things on the ship?" I ask her, slipping my hand from her shoulder up to her ponytail, playing with the tips of her soft hair. Kara was mainly packing things for Astra because she had the strength to move all of this stuff and she wanted Astra to say her goodbyes as much as she can.

"Yeah." She mumbles, looking out to her aunt, who was playfully tugging at her lover. I could tell she was going to miss her, she had been a large part of her life for a few years now and the fact that she had to carry on with her life and not go with her was infuriating to the young Kryptonian.

"Hey." I whisper, using my free hand to bring up to her face and pull her eyes towards me, pecking her bottom lip gently before leaning back to look at her in the eyes. "She'll be okay. She'll come home and we can get married. She'll be there to give you to me, she is too stubborn to not come home." I tell her, placing my lips on her cheek this time, trying to comfort her more than anything. When I feel her cheek tightening with a smile, I nuzzle my nose there softly.

"I know."

/.\

"No!" Kara shouts at me, her eyes filled with anger that is rarely shown in my presence. "We can't have kale at our wedding. What monster would want that?" Kara says, her tone carrying a playful lint to it. I smile and pull her in for a slow kiss over my desk in my office. I pulled away sooner than I would usually, needing to speak through more wedding plans with her before our break was over.

"God, I love you." I tell her, smiling at her perfectness. I knew she hated kale, and I mostly said it to irritate her because she is the cutest. Kara's eyes soften as a small smile tickles her lips gently, a reminder of what I was choosing to marry; which in turn, made me smile.

"I love you too."

/.\

"So, dresses?" I ask, poking Kara on the side as I walk past. She was at the coffee machine, making us our Saturday morning brew before we go and watch some TV that we missed through the week. Kara glances in my direction, her blonde hair looking ravishing as it hung around her face, I grab some bread and place it in the toaster, setting it to a medium cook. I hear Kara sigh from the conversation that has plagued us since we got engaged, it was asked many times but we just couldn't come up with an answer.

"I mean, I love you in a dress." Kara starts, spooning in sugar and milk as she stirred the brewed cups. "But, Fuck. You look super hot in a suit." She states, making me smile softly and make my way back to her side, pressing my lips to her exposed shoulder with the vest that she was wearing, my hand coming down to gently touch her bare thigh where her short shorts were hiding her butt. I did have to admit, I do look smashing with a suit on.

"How about we compromise?" I ask, knowing that she would listen to what I have to say, but still asking the question out of respect for my partner. Kara arches her brow at me in question as she passes me my cup of coffee, turning to lean her butt against the counter as she looks at me.

"I can wear a dress to the ceremony but I'll wear a suit to the after party." I tell her, taking a sip out of my cup before continuing. "You can wear what you like, I think you would look nice in a dress but I know how much you like your khakis." I tease, poking her strong gut as I turn and walk back to the toaster, placing my cup on the side and bending down to get into the cupboards underneath for the plates.

"Oh no, I want to wear a dress." Kara explains, not hiding the fact that she was checking me out while I was looking for the plates and pulling out 2 medium-sized ones. "And I look great in my work trousers, thank you very much." Kara says, mock offence riddling her tone and making me laugh softly at her defensiveness over a little teasing, before turning to give her a slightly seductive look.

"I know you look great in them, Miss Zor-El."

/.\

"What would be our last name?" I ask Kara, our bodies laid out on the couch, her back pressed my front as we spoon on the couch. Kara links our fingers together, squeezing my digits softly.

"On Krypton, it would have been Luthor-El. El has to be passed down because I would have been a higher social status on Krypton and you don't have a hyphenated name or it would have been your family's last hyphen." Kara explains, turning her head to look at me from the side. "But I'm open to listening to what you want to say about this." She finishes, giving me the chance to put my own opinion in there. I hum softly and place my lips on her shoulder in a quick peck.

"Luthor-El sounds nice."