After crying themselves into slumber, Kara and Lena sleep remarkably fine. Kara feels marginally better after the talk, but the confession still stirred enough shit that the love of her life can't quite fill the hole in her heart.
They wake the following day to a full english breakfast courtesy of Taylor attempting to broaden Ghim's set of skills. Not everything is edible, but nothing catches on fire this time which is a vast improvement. Alex and Kelly both swing by but only stay long enough for Alex to swallow a burning hot coffee and stuff herself with three pieces of the less charred toasts.
The tension does not abate one bit in the following days. Everybody is on edge, and everywhere she goes, Kara feels like she's walking with Damocles' sword hanging over her head, or like someone is following her. Realistically she knows it's the case because her sister assigned a whole battalion to her personal security, but still, she can't shake the ominous feeling that seems to be clinging to her skin. It's the waiting that's the worst she reckons. They know something bad is going to happen, that another attack is due any day now, but they have no way of knowing the details, and no way of knowing when the next blow will fall on them.
Kara tries not to hover too much, tries not to be too overprotective, even if it goes against everything her guts tell her. She wants to lock them all in a padded Nth metal box, away from harm, and take on this army by herself. She knows it'd be no use though. Alex would manage to pick the lock of a doorless cell with her hands tied behind her back and she'd be very pissed once she'd be out.
Instead, she trains with Ghim, teaching her how to keep her blows below death level and how a cape can be used to protect civilians. As a result of Lena deciding she's seen enough Kryptonite for a lifetime, she's been gifted with a new suit, and so has Taylor. Like Kara's, they're composed of nanites and can be turned into full body armour with a simple press on the crest ; but where Kara and Taylor wear the sigil of their House, Ghim sports an empty spot, a diamond shaped armour plate waiting to be filled by whatever she pleases. More than once, Kara catches her looking at her chest with an air of longing and she can easily presume of what Ghim will ask for.
She also trains with Taylor and finds herself blessed by muscle memory when she picks up a sword for the first time since her days on Krypton. She's good enough to hold her own, but Taylor, well Taylor is simply ferocious and more than once Kara witnesses them executing moves that she's only ever seen one person master, on television, on a rare day she indulged in her silly crush on Diana, Princess of Themyscira. She did ask her to show it to her, the one time they met, many years ago when she was still in college and some sea monster business brought both her and Kal to National City ; but they ended up getting down to another kind of business and Kara never got to learn that particular sword trick. Her lack of knowledge lands her on the floor several times, but Lena always kisses her bruises better before they fade so she isn't particularly keen on mastering the art of the blade, to Taylor's absolute dismay.
Even with Kara's evident self-sabotage, they keep on training together, and she cherishes every single second she gets to spend with them. Because beyond the approaching battle, the crushing thought of possible casualties and the overbearing and ever present knowledge that one of them could just die, there is also the looming cloud of Taylor's imminent departure, the mind wipe that comes with it and the fear of the void that will follow with no remembrance of how it came to be. It keeps her awake at night, and Lena too.
Often, when holding on to each other is not enough anymore, they get up for an early breakfast and stand side by side on the balcony in companionable silence, Kara in whatever t-shirt was closer to the bed and Lena in several layers of clothes and blankets, and mismatched fluffy socks. Several times, Kara finds herself guilty of casual espionage, peering through walls to catch a glimpse of a sleeping Taylor, tangled in an array of Max's limbs. Conscious that it's borderline creepy, she never spies on them for too long, only for the matter of seconds it takes to calm the beating of her heart. If Lena catches her doing so, she never says anything about it, but only ever squeezes her hand tighter and lets her hold her when she needs to.
In an incomprehensible warp of space time, hours seem to both slow and speed up at the same time ; to the point that on some days, Lena, who's rarely ever been bored in her life, could die of boredom, and on some others, she's convinced she's marching to an early grave via heart failure. Nothing feels real anymore and the fact that in a way, it isn't, that if all goes according to plan, in a matter of weeks, or even days, this will not even be a memory, doesn't help at all. She's tried probing around trying to get answers to her questions, to get a grasp on what she will remember and what she won't, but with the way Taylor has been so intricately woven into their lives, there's no telling what will happen when they'll leave.
On most mornings, Lena wants to crumple as soon as she's out of bed. She wants to climb back under her covers where she's safe and nothing can hurt her, but she does not have that luxury. She's needed by too many people right now, too many people rely on her for support and safety and she cannot allow herself to be anything other than strong. So she gets up, and treads forward. She builds anti-Kryptonite suits, sits in war meetings, and doesn't drink alone in her office. She ignores her mother's letters coming in from prison, doesn't think about her mum drowning, and recalibrates her brain to include magic and the possibility of hallucinations, falsehoods and cruel mind tricks. She loses gracefully at game night, doesn't attempt to feed kale to her Kryptonians, and at night falls into restless sleep in Kara's arms, her only solace in this whirlwind.
Because she has Kara, still, and against all odds, she has her. And sure, a little treacherous part of her brain sometimes whispers in the dark that none of this would be happening if she didn't have Kara but if she could have it any other way, she wouldn't. She would go to the confines of the universe and back for the girl currently gazing at shitty cafeteria hot chocolate like it holds answers to questions she hasn't thought of yet. She's been somber lately, for good reasons, often lapsing into long silences and seemingly holding entire conversations in her own head. Lena gently nudges her under the table and she tears her eyes away from the drink that's giving Lena cholesterol from a distance to look and smile at her gently. Under the neon lights of the DEO's cafeteria she looks soft and almost fragile, shoulders a little hunched, head a little low. She doesn't straighten up until Alex comes striding in, takes one look at her drink and makes a disgusted face.
"You don't have to wait for me every night you know," she says, not unkindly. "This isn't high school."
"I know," Kara replies, draining her hot chocolate and rising from her seat in what appears to be one fluid movement. "But I want to."
Unnecessarily, but really old school chivalry at its best, she helps Lena up and into her jacket before taking her hand to follow Alex out of the room. They've been coming here to wait for Alex every day after work for a week now, Kara first picking Lena up, which at least forces her to clock out early, and then coming to wait for Alex, most of the time here and sometimes in the training room. Lena prefers the training room, at least she gets to watch Kara do pull-ups there.
"How was work ?" Alex asks as they embark on the journey down to the car park. No war meeting then today, good.
"Miss Grant called, she's planning on visiting soon," Kara says, veering left to the stairs to clearly stipulate she's not in an elevator mood. "I'm not sure I managed to convince her now isn't a good time."
"You know how she is. I'm sure you did your best."
Lena valiantly follows the pace down, even if her legs are smaller and she's wearing heels. She should just stop wearing heels really, they're becoming impractical. Finally, they reach one of the numerous black ops car and are shepherd in its back seat and out of the building.
"Our place or yours ?" Kara asks so casually that it takes Lena a second to catch up on what she said. Our place. As in their apartment, the one where they live together, as a couple. Suddenly feeling light headed, she checks out of the conversation entirely, barely registering the mention of Kelly's homemade potstickers.
Our place. Our home. Our love.
Things at the moment are neither good nor bad, and Taylor tries their hardest not to focus too much on either side of this unbalanced coin. It's not even a matter of "could be worse" or "could be better" ; but simply that the events that trickle in one after another seem to exist outside of everything, removed from any judgement scale. Or at least for Taylor they do, as they will be one of two people who remember this when they go back to the future. This too leaves them strangely indifferent. Now that they've seen their mothers again, alive and mostly well, they feel strangely untethered to either times and awfully attached to both versions of their family. They miss their Mum and Yeyu now that they're here, and know they'll miss Kara and Lena once they go back to 2044. This too is neither good nor bad but simply a thought that exists.
They do sometimes feel guilty about what they perceive as a lack of care, but Max is here now to remind them that it's okay, that whatever they feel or don't feel is legitimate. She does so in her own way, half sweet and half blunderish, but imparting no ill judgement, because somehow, she always knows what to do or say.
She's changed quite a bit in the weeks following her arrival on Earth. Or not so much changed as she evolved into a lighter, less contrived version of herself. Taylor doubts anyone who doesn't know her like they do will have noticed, especially considering the frightening ease with which she reverts to her royal self when threatened, but she's started doing peculiar things like eating with her hands and bumping shoulders with Kara to express a tender and hilarious bro-like affection. Even with their friends back at Crucible, they've never seen her so relaxed with anyone that isn't just them, and it means that, even with the slight detour they were both forced to take, they were right to invite her to live with them on Earth ; she fits right in. It could also be the combined effect of stress and belief that things don't really matter beyond saving and mind wiping everyone, but Taylor will be the first one to admit that they refuse to investigate the question.
The rumble of Max's laugh drags them out of their thoughts and though they have no idea of who made a joke or what is funny, they smile too, and lean against her warmth. She's a real furnace, runs even warmer than a Kryptonian, and Taylor who's so used to everyone being much colder than them could have fallen in love with her for that fact only if not for a million other things.
They found the source of the laughter in soy sauce dribbling down Kara's chin because Nia tried to out-eat her and she was determined to stay ahead. Poor Nia, it's a lesson she'll never learn. If the state of Max's mouth is any indication she tried to compete too. She hasn't learned yet.
When the joyous mocking has abated and everyone has recovered use of their airway, Max leans closer to them, mouth to their ear and says, "I like your family."
She smells strongly of Chinese food, mildly of honey and faintly of Lena's apartment, flowers, metal, ozone and mint, a smell, Taylor realises in this very instant, that encompasses everything they think of as home. It's not a stark realisation, it doesn't come to punch them in the face, but rather floats down gently to settle somewhere in the vicinity of their heart.
They hum, and though it's enough of an answer, they decide to speak aloud too. "I like that you like my family."
"What are you two conspiring about ?" Kelly asks, approaching almost silently to refill their glass with soda like they're a Raodamned twelve years old. If anything, it's adorable.
"Nothing," Taylor replies automatically even if the only thing they're guilty of is getting caught up in their bubble.
Max smiles at them then, in a suspicious and conspiratorially way, wiggling her bright eyebrows like they indeed were having a secret conversation prior to Kelly's arrival. Taylor's eyes follow her around the room as she refills everyone's drinks, juggling bottles with a deftness that speaks of expertise. She concludes her round with Alex, letting her girlfriend guide her down to her lap with no thought spared for her previous spot on the couch or the way it complicates the game. There's a certain languor permeating the room anyway, and no one is really paying to the cardboard, pawns and bills laid out on the coffee table. Taylor thinks Lena is on the verge of winning but then again, Lena almost always wins at Monopoly.
A shriek abruptly rouses Kara from sleep. Heat vision flaring and blurring the contours of her vision it takes her a split second to grab Lena, guide her behind her back for protection and then another to assess the situation and realise they are in no danger.
They crashed at Kelly's place, all of them haphazardly piled up on the couches and armchairs because going home to their separate apartments seemed like a waste of time when they were all warm and comfortable and together. Kelly and Alex didn't even retreat to the bedroom. Which is why they now find themselves dragged out of sleep by Max yelling from seven feet above the floor, a significant part of her body dangling into the air and the portion of her that can fit on it clinging to Taylor's body. The sight is hilarious. Taylor is not small by any definition of the word, but compared to their giant girlfriend they appear ridiculously tiny and frail and not at all like they can break bones with their pinky.
"Gods !" Max shrills as Taylor lowers her to the ground, shaking with laughter. "Warn a girl !"
"I did ! I did warn you !" Taylor manages to say between two gasped breaths. "I told you I sleep fly !"
"Welcome to sleeping with a Kryptonian," Alex mumbles, lifting her head a few inches to reveal sleepy eyes and matted hair, strands oddly sticking up on one side. She stretches, wiggles and yawns, for a moment more cat-like than her usual murderous tiger persona. "I used to find Kara on the ceiling all the time when we were kids. And Sam sleep flies too." Her eyes widen a fraction and Kara zeroes in on this immediately, gears slowly beginning to turn in her head. "I mean," Alex adds in a hurry, "I suppose she used to sleep fly for that brief period of time she was a Kryptonian. Not that I would know personally. Since I never slept with her."
Kara can unironically picture the light bulb that turns on over her head as the pieces of Alex's rant fall into place. "You didn't," she whispers. "Alex tell me you didn't." Beside her, Lena starts cackling sleepily.
"You do not have a monopoly on sleeping with super powered women," Alex grumbles, crossing her arms petulantly.
"Aw babe," Kelly coos, kissing the side of her cheek. "It's okay."
"How do you know about that ?" Kara asks, straightening up abruptly. Suddenly, she wishes she'd gone home last night.
"You're not exactly discreet," Alex replies, side-eyeing her grumpily. "And I saw Wonder Woman come out of your dorm room with her shirt on backward, that's not a sight I can ever forget."
The world disappears as Kara drops her head in her hands, a low groan escaping her.
"Supergirl and Wonder Woman ?" Lena says, tone light and playful before laying a kiss on her clothed shoulder. "Now that's an interesting concept."
"If you're interested in that sort of things," Kara hears herself saying before she can realise that it's not a proposition that should be made anywhere but in private, "I still have Diana's number."
"And I will now remove myself from this situation as I do not wish to be traumatised further. Max. Ghim. Come on, we're getting breakfast anywhere but here." Kara raises her head a fraction to find Taylor already at the door and immediately drops it back, burying herself further in her hands. She should not be allowed to speak so early in the morning.
"Diana ?" Lena repeats, enunciating the name slowly enough that Kara can see it coming a mile away. "Wonder Woman's name is Diana ? Well that's awkward."
"Awkward ?" Kara crooks.
"I think I have her number too. She's really into ropes, isn't she ?"
Somewhere in the room Nia erupts in laughter, her mirth almost covering Taylor's loud and pained, "for Rao's sake !" coming from behind the door ; and quieter, closer to her, Alex's small, "I need J'onn to bleach my brain again."
Sexual histories thoroughly discussed and desire to die on the spot thoroughly ignored, Kara ends up making her way to work late with Nia in tow. Her protege still looks about to pee her pants from hilarity and Kara is absolutely unamused. She'd also be lying if she wasn't admitting that she might be a bit distracted by what she accidentally suggested to Lena and this is the excuse she'll use to explain why she doesn't immediately notice Cat Grant siting at her desk.
"Miss Grant !" Her voice goes up a register or two which is embarrassing but not the worst thing she's ever done in front of her former boss. "I didn't know you'd' be joining us so soon !"
"I felt like visiting my favourite reporter," Cat replies with a broad smile. "Take a seat will you Kara."
Kara drags closer the two first chairs she can find but Nia, thrumming with excitement, ignores her in favour of darting away. "I'll go get us lattes !" she yells over her shoulder.
"Oh worry not," Cat says, lifting a tall cup to her lips, "I brought my own drink."
Kara winces at the sharp smell that emanates from the take-away cup. "Since when do you take it black ?"
Cat's eye twitches but she doesn't answer which isn't unlike her and wouldn't be alarming if not for Nia slowly calling out Kara's name.
Dread descending over her, Kara revolves on her chair, hand clasped on its back, ready to spring up. The elevator doors finish sliding open and a sweet smelling latte enters the room, quickly followed by the familiar clicking of stilettos on the linoleum floor.
"Kiera ? Kiera what fresh incompetence is this ?"
