Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.
Degree
Lena had been staring at the data for hours and, finally, she was starting to see some possible connections.
"This would be so much easier if Brainy was here", she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her eyelids to shield them from the bright light of the computer screens.
"Lena?" a quiet voice said and she looked around, squinting through her blurry vision.
"Nia, hi!" Lena smiled, "Sorry, did you say something?"
Nia approached in silence, looking somber.
"No, I was just walking past and saw the light on and I thought maybe…", she trailed off.
"What is it, Nia?", Lena asked softly.
Nia sighed, "I thought Brainy might be here."
"Oh", Lena breathed, understanding dawning on her.
Nia looked mortified, "Ah, Lena, I didn't mean to say that I didn't want to see you! I was just…"
Lena chuckled, "Surprised and somewhat disappointed?"
Nia gaped, still looking uncomfortable.
"Relax, Nia", Lena reassured her, "I know what you meant. I get it. You were hoping to find Brainy because you miss him and, after all, this is his lab."
Nia exhaled and sat down, "Yeah."
Lena reached out, covering Nia's hands across the table.
"Hey, he'll be back soon", she said encouragingly. "The wedding is in a week, after all, and I know he can't wait to tie the knot", she added, smiling and squeezing Nia's hands.
"Nia beamed, "Yes, neither can I. Can you believe it?"
Lena smiled, happy for her friends. They had come a long way.
"Remember that day I asked him why he hadn't called me and he just said that I'd asked him to find me, not call me?" Nia laughed.
Lena snorted, "Oh, yes! Brainy's infallible logic. He's a 12th level intellect after all. … But, he's changed a lot since then, hasn't he?"
Nia nodded, "Yeah, removing his personality inhibitors and all. That was tough for him but", she locked eyes with Lena, "I'm glad he had you to help him."
Lena blinked, "Me?"
"Yeah, he told me about the time Kara had Kryptonite poisoning and he couldn't find a solution and how you helped him master his emotions to focus", Nia said.
Lena frowned and rolled her eyes, "Ah, my brilliant method of boxing up emotions. That was probable the worst piece of advice I've ever given him."
"I don't actually think so", said Nia.
Lena raised her eyebrow, "What? Nia, I've learned the very hard way that boxing up and shoving down your emotions is about the unhealthiest and most destructive thing anyone can do."
Now Nia took Lena's hands and fixed her with a determined look, "True, but, like almost everything, there is good in that ability too. I've never known you or Brainy to lose your head in a crisis, for example. And that is invaluable – especially in our line of work."
Lena smiled, "Well, I guess if you say it like that…"
"It's a matter of degree, right?" Nia said. "And, by the way, Brainy also told me how you prevented him from possibly going down a very dark path because of Lex."
Lena frowned, "Well, Lex will do that to you. He could turn the best people into monsters given enough time."
"But he didn't turn you into one", Nia reminded her.
Lena shook her head, "But it was so close, Nia. Without Kara and all of you, I would have fallen."
"Maybe, but without that experience you couldn't have helped Brainy", Nia persisted. "Thank you, Lena", she smiled, squeezing her friend's hands.
Lena smiled gratefully, "Actually, I should thank Brainy too because only that very day when I saw him struggling, I realized how fatal these boxes could be. And I swore to myself then that I would never overuse them again."
Nia nodded, smiling, "A matter of degree, like I said."
"I guess that's the most important thing in pretty much everything, right?" Lena conceded.
"True. And that is why", Nia got up, smirking, "you should stop working now and come with me to get some dinner".
Happily, Lena switched off the computer and rose too.
"The best idea I've heard all day", she said and followed Nia out of the lab.
