AN: are ya ready kids?
The world is chaos, as is the norm of the Earth with its daily comings and goings. It's the normal kind of chaos where cars plug up national highways on the way to work or heading back home. People go on asking about prices or haggling on them. Dogs are roaming around in whatever spaces they find themselves in; cats stretch and go on with their slumber. And of course, there are the more unsavory moments. The burglaries, the car accidents, the natural calamities. She tries her best to stop as much as she can—her and her cousin, she should mention—but, even with the two of them, the world proves to be busy.
Today, it seems even more hectic than usual. With razor sharp focus on her side, she combs through most of the crime—from petty crimes to armed roberries—that lingers in National City, probably still rampant by her long absence to Earth-1 a few weeks ago or just sheer desperation due to worse circumstances.
Nonetheless, she hands over the pair of thieves who took off with the belongings of teenagers to the police.
"Thanks, Supergirl!" One of the teens says to her, all teary-eyed as he reclaims his backpack. The other nods vigorously as he immediately checks the contents of his bag and almost burst into tears at the sight of his computer.
"No problem," she says back happily. "You two keep safe all right?"
The other teenager speaks this time. "We will!"
She waves at the police officers and takes off.
She uses her x-ray vision to spot a wall clock within one of the offices and sees that it's already past eight pm. Her eyes go wide and she instantly feels a rush a guilt. She picks up the pace, soaring as quickly as she can back to her apartment.
"Crap, I hope I'm not late," she grunts to herself scoldingly. She floats through her window and uses her speed to change out of her super suit and into a dress her sister picked out for her, color scheme reminiscent of her first meeting with Barry: a blush pink lace dress with a pair of stiletto heels to match. Oliver did send a text message this morning, made possible by the same tech STAR Labs had made for her in order to be able to communicate with Barry, multiverse-style. Dress up tonight, it read.
"You look beautiful," says Barry.
And wow, Barry looks damn good.
Wait—
Barry!
"AH!" She yells. She flinches so badly it almost makes her fly into the ceiling.
The man in question is in her apartment, on her couch, looking every bit as bewildered as she feels.
"I'm so sorry!" He immediately says as he stands with his stance all awkward: crouched and arms out, as if to catch her. "I... I thought you heard me. Or saw me—"
"I'm just a little distracted, it's fine," she says as she floats down. And it really is fine. He'd always crash at her apartment almost every night before they—Oliver included—had all decided to take a breather from everything that had gone down post-Invasion, as HR, Cisco and the Legends officially call it.
She kisses the top of his head before her feet touch the ground. She takes in how dashing he looks in a burgundy suit and black tie, right down to the black leather shoes that she's almost certain is made of friction-proof material. She looks up at his eyes... she just loves the green in his eyes and how they reflect the happiness within him.
"So how was your day?" He pulls her in.
"I'm one article closer to changing the world," she says in return, closing the distance between them, capturing his lips in a kiss.
Tonight is the time they're all going on a date. They haven't really talked about anything beyond the idea of a date, which probably isn't ideal, considering the issue of Oliver's rejection... And above all, this whole notion doesn't seem all that fair to Barry, who had had to endure so much pain and heartbreak to navigate the world of secret identities, heroism and a civilian life. It hurt her beyond comprehension but that was nothing to—
Barry taps her nose. "Stop it."
"What?" She asks dazed, nose scrunching in confusion.
"You're feeling guilty again."
"Oh."
Another thing she is yet to become used to: the extension of their soulmate bond that had formed a rare emotional tether to each other. She feels what they feel, they feel what she feels, the other two can feel each other. At first, it had been more than odd and felt somehow invasive; a mishmash of reactions and responses that they could not only feel but have influence whatever mood they're in.
Now, they're able to navigate and understand whose emotion is whose, even with the whole not-really-talking issue.
Oliver is quick to react, like a hand to a hot stove. He can't help but react the way he does; anger or irritation or disgust just naturally envelope his whole being. But even with that, his reflexes are just as quick. He knows what to do with his emotions—most of the time—and be able to smoothly channel it to an appropriate response for whatever circumstances he finds himself in. A useful trick for someone constantly in the public eye.
Barry is different. While also quick due to his speedy abilities, she can feel how his emotions evolve from one to another. To Oliver, due to his human perception, it may seem like lightning, but because her speed is almost just as fast as his, she can feel how he usually starts off curious or thoughtful or even confused, and, in maybe a fourth of a millisecond later, she'll feel his shock or his excitement, then it could change more to fear, panic... which can lead to premature decision making. She knows he's been working on it.
It's subtle, these differences. But once you can tell the difference, it's easy—at least for her—to make out who exactly is feeling what.
She's often wondered what her emotions feel like to them. Is it as clear-cut as the general public thinks? Or a mess like how her adversaries think?
Nevertheless, she's just glad there's no mind-sharing bond between them. Kind of. They can still see each other's dreams, but that's the worst of it.
"So, do you know what Oliver has planned?" She asks, putting on her glasses. She decides against a coat or a jacket.
"Not at all. Although... wait, was it you or Ollie feeling nervous all day?"
She lightly laughs, mostly at just how ridiculous this whole thing is.
"Babe, that's you."
His head tilts as he tightens his hold around her. Beyond the confusion, she can see the lightning in his eyes.
"Wait, what?"
And he runs them into a breach right to Earth-1 Star City.
*—*—*—*—*
The breach opens right in the middle of Oliver's office. A split second before the breach completely disappears, she and Barry share a look, as if to say, maybe breaching in the middle of Oliver's public persona's office isn't the smartest of decisions. But upon seeing only Oliver and Felicity within the immediate vicinity, she relaxes.
Even though this unfolds at a reasonable pace for her, she knows it's all happening quicker than the blink of an eye for the Star residents.
This is evident by Felicity's small yelp and fumble of items in her hands.
"Kara, Barry, oh my god!" Felicity shoves whatever files she has on hand in Oliver's hand and moves forward to envelope the pair of them in a warm hug. "Even though I'm pretty sure my soul left my body for a second, hi! It's so great to see you two after alien-geddon."
"Pretty sure we're calling it invasion," Barry says, returning the much welcome hug.
"Says who?" Felicity asks as she moves away and walks past them.
"Everyone," she chimes in. "You look amazing," she says, looking pointedly at her gold dress, sequined and embracing her figure beautifully.
"Right back at you," Felicity says. "Welp," She walks back to Oliver to retrieve what she had hastily pushed into his hands. "I'm gonna go. You know, make sure everything's all good for— Good. Yeah. See you later, bye!" And there she goes, making her quick exit.
It is only now she looks at Oliver for more than a glance and... the only word she can think of to describe her emotions right now is stunned. When she saw Barry in a tux, she was enamored by how charming he looks. With Oliver, she feels...
Stunned.
He's in a classic black tux, bowtie and all. It is perfectly tailored to him so it fits him exactly right. His beard is a bit longer than last time she saw him, well-kept and neat. His hair, too, he let grow a tad longer. His whole ensemble is so well put together that, for some reason, it makes her feel out of place. Almost like she's underdressed.
Oliver shifts his balance on his other foot, almost uncomfortably. One of his hands is in his pocket while the other one is on his side, thumb and forefinger pressed together, moving them against each other in a circular motion in the opposite way. She's noticed he does this when he's nervous, having seen it many times when they were in STAR Labs. His mouth moves to open in an almost undetectable way, only seen by her enhanced sight. He wants to say something but something is holding him back.
He seems just as speechless as she and Barry feel, sensing his awe ever since they had arrived.
"So, Ollie, what's the plan?" Barry asks, mostly to break the silence rather than curiosity.
"There's a gala at Smoak Tech. A welcome back from being kidnapped kind of celebration."
There's surprise she can feel, and she knows it's a combination of both her shock and Barry's as well. "A gala?"
Oliver nods. "Yes. And it starts right now." She can feel him mustering up the nerve to walk his way to them, pulling out the other hand from his pocket so he can hold Barry's and her hand. "You both look amazing."
And he means it, she senses, absolutely and wholeheartedly.
*—*—*—*—*
"You know I could just run us there," Barry tells Oliver.
Oliver nearly blanches at the idea. "No."
"Or Kara could carry you and fly, and we'd meet up there."
"No."
She glances at Barry. She knows exactly what he's thinking. Slow. Cars are too slow when you're faster than a bullet. But Oliver is only human, after all.
She shivers. Not because it's cold but because of how... overwhelming it all is. Just a few months ago, she had found Barry, one of her soulmates who seemed to be her exact match: a superhero with superpowers who all but came from an entire universe. Story of her life except from another planet. Eliza had been ecstatic, of course, when she had learned she, not only started dating, but because she had found her soulmate. Or at least, one of them.
Then a crisis happens, and Barry needs her help to an invasion inadvertently caused by him due to time travel. She would never hold that against him but they all recognize that Flashpoint was the catalyst that signaled the Dominators that Earth was worth something, worth invading then eventually destroying.
And there she meets her other soulmate, who all but rejects the pair of them, an action that may as well have been slowly killing him. According to Alex, Barry had been fine all these years due to his speed healing. Oliver, on the other hand, is not so lucky and has been damaging his brain this whole time.
"Any longer of this rejection and you would have caused permanent brain damage," Alex had said almost coldly.
"Permanent brain damage!" Felicity had said incredulously, hitting Oliver's shoulder with every syllable.
Oliver had remained silent and simply stared at the still-unconscious Barry.
And now, with all of them mostly recovered, with nothing more than emotional scars and mental wounds, they're trying this.
Oliver's trying to forgive himself for the pain he'd caused her, especially Barry.
Barry's trying to forgive himself for the Dominators' arrival.
And she's trying to navigate through it all as best as she can.
Under Oliver's calm demeanor, she can feel his pain, regret and self-loathing that she has become familiar with in the time they all spent together in STAR Labs recovering. He's learning to hide it from them or, at least, control it, but she'll always know where to look for it.
Barry doesn't bother to hide how nervous he is, and how each passing second makes his emotions grow.
She has no idea what she's feeling; she's influenced by pain and nervousness that she finds herself twiddling her thumbs as they stay seated in the limo that Thea had apparently ordered to drive them to Smoak Tech. She lets out a whistle as soon as they arrive, impressed by the sheer size of the building.
"Felicity owns that?" She asks excitedly.
"I think Ray still technically owns it. Felicity's the CEO," Oliver explains.
"Cool."
The driver stops right at the entrance, where there happens to be a hoard of reporters being guarded by big men in suits. She recognizes one of them, John. As they get off the limo, she smiles at the man, who returns the expression with a twitch of his lips. Most likely to maintain professionalism.
This is nerve-wracking, to be on the opposite of a microphone, a cellphone or tape recorder when she's just Kara. Typically she's used to it when she's Supergirl, but right now, she's not exactly in the right headspace to have a camera shoved in her direction as they all holler variations of Oliver's name or position in office, asking all sorts of questions from "what happened when you were kidnapped?" to "who did you bring with you to the gala?"
She can see Barry feels just as lost as she does, and they simply watch Oliver as he schools his expression to that of a blank one, guiding them to the entrance as reporters try to push past John and the others.
"Mr. Queen!"
"Mayor Queen!"
"Oliver!"
"Mayor, please, over here!"
"Who is this?"
"Who is that?"
"How are you now?!"
"Mister Queen?!"
Just short of going through the glass doors, Oliver stops and turns around. Under his breath, he says "stay behind me," knowing she'll pick it up, despite the roar of the crowd. She steps back and looks at Barry pointedly to do the same, glancing at Oliver once to communicate that the order had been from the other man. Barry nods once and follows.
Seeing that Oliver is obviously about to speak, the people shut up gradually until only traffic and pedestrians can be heard. Oliver clears his throat and begins speaking, loud enough for the crowd. "As I had said in my press conference, my kidnappers had held me and my sister captive for a number of days. What they did to me, it's for me and the police to know. I promise I will share my story when both my and my sister are comfortable enough to talk about it. As of right now, I am fully recovered. I think you can all assume that when I resumed my public duties. What happened to me did not and will not affect my ability to do my job: to serve this city to the best of my abilities. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a gala to attend with my partners here, my soulmates."
The sea of reporters explode into another wave of loud questions, volume demanding to be answered.
Her eyes widened at the mere mention of soulmates. She can feel her heart beat faster and her cheeks get warmer. She can feel Barry's nervousness wipe itself clean as complete shock took over both of their bodies. She catches John shake his head, looking happy and proud of his friend. She glances at Barry and they both almost feel confused by the sheer amount of pride Oliver is feeling as he turns on his heel, reaching out his hands for theirs.
Officially, he's theirs and they're his.
It's not much, but this is a start.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It's past midnight and the neighborhood is as quiet as can be. Most people are dead to the world, in deep slumber, to be undisturbed until further notice. Others are pre-occupied by work, by school, by love or by determination to win back a peace they can only accomplish by staying up at night.
The streetlights are mostly functional, emitting a low hum of electricity undetected by human ears. The breeze is calm and cool. It's peaceful here by the West house, where it stands empty of its occupants. Joe and all his children are in Star City, attending a gala when really it's a cover for a party for those who fought against the Dominators to celebrate all the lives they had saved and the relationships they had gained.
Apparently, Jesse Wells of Earth-2 and Thea Queen of Earth-1 are each other's soulmates with the addition of the youngest West sibling. The middle child, Iris West, had thought she could never find love as epic as she had with her now deceased soulmate, Eddie Thawne. But she's wrong, as she and Dr. Caitlin Snow are just one push away from being together.
And the oldest of Joe's kids... well, if you were to turn on a TV and flip to practically any news channel, local or national, you'll see Mayor Queen of Star City announcing his relationship status and reveal that he has two soulmates: a Bartholomew Henry Allen from Central City—whom reporters were able to track down his identity before the night ended—and an unknown bespectacled blonde woman, described as shy-looking but gorgeous. The newscaster seems downhearted reporting that Oliver Queen is and will no longer be the eligible bachelor he had once been.
Harry Wells of Earth-2 had made the decision earlier to stay behind in STAR Labs, despite the many protests and coaxing, mostly from HR with his annoying set of drumsticks and dumb collection of hats. He had reasoned with Team Flash that they cannot leave Central City completely defenseless. It's completely irresponsible.
It had almost made Cisco and Jesse stay behind but after demonstrating the many weapons at his arsenal, they had left him be.
He idly stays at the console in the Cortex, watching life go on in Central. There have been a few burglaries but nothing the police can't handle. He sips at his coffee, refusing to fall asleep should anything happen. His pride is on the line here, after all.
Then alarms start blaring, causing him to nearly spit out his third Americano. The system is quick to pinpoint the problem: a time-space anomaly. In other words, a breach is opening right in front of Joe West's house. He quickly gathers his energy rifle and a small device that allows small breaches (something he and Cisco has been making for the Earth-38 residents, but for now, it mostly only works in Earth-1 and Earth-2; they haven't exactly figured out the right frequencies yet). Stepping through the breach and gun at the ready, he waits for the intruder to show up.
What greets him back isn't the face of villainy but, instead, a child enveloped in what looks to be purple lightning. He lowers his gun immediately, but watches closely, finger ready at the panic button just in case this innocent-looking adversary turns out to be more formidable than he calculates.
The breach closes and right before him is a young blond girl, who seems to be in her teenage years. She looks back at him with a tired yet terrified expression, and he's a bit stunned at how she looks so similar to Kara, from the blonde hair to the kind face. Yet her eyes aren't blue; they're green.
She's wearing what looks like Barry's Flash suit, except purple and absent of the lightning emblem, with a white cape and a white domino mask to obscure her identity. The suit is in tatters, almost like she'd survive a long battle against an army.
She's scared beyond comprehension, twitching and looking like she's barely able to hold herself up. She's breathing hard and he can see she's been crying.
"Did I do it?" She asks, almost inaudible to him.
"What?" He says.
"D-Did I save everyone?" She asks, voice quivering.
"Who? Who are you?"
And just like that, her eyes roll to the back of her head and she falls backward. He almost catches her head, but he's too slow. He nearly flinches at the sound of her head hitting the pavement, but stares in awe when the asphalt cracks upon impact.
He knows exactly who this is.
He gathers her up in his arms and breaches them back to STAR Labs.
AN: *will properly edit later
guess what? yes there is a sequel! and it's already up! it's been up for years hahahahahahahaha here ya go, guys: breaking dawn is the sequel!
on a more serious note, this story was a rollercoaster and was definitely challenge to not only finish but to just keep it. i have an awful habit of deleting multi-chaptered stories once i reach the halfway mark. but i wanted this to work. i wanted to finish this for some sort of sense of accomplishment, for you for sticking by this story... and honestly, while i'm not totally satisfied with how this ending turned out, it's something. thank you a million times over for staying till the end despite my several hiatuses.
if ya want more karivarry stuff, feel free to check out my tumblr at temmie-loony. tumblr. com (remove spaces) and hey, feel free to follow :)
i also have some karivarry videos on my youtube channel: Temmie Loony
i also have a ko-fi account (you can access it on my tumblr or on my profile as i dont know how to put the link of my ko-fi on here) set up if you wanna support me through donations :) please do not feel obligated to, but it would be very much appreciated.