The flight back to her apartment was silent as Kara drifted gracefully onto her balcony, ducking inside before any of her neighbours could wonder what Supergirl was doing in her building at this hour. She stepped through the sliding doors and pulled them shut, her cape falling around her calves as she pulled the curtains shut. Only once she was safely out of sight did she allow a slow exhale of tension, leaning against the wall exhausted. She took a minute to just breathe, her chest heaving in ragged pants. Now that the shock had worn off her heart was racing, her hands wouldn't stop trembling. She looked at them and found tiny remnants of Maxwell's blood along her fingers, her nose picking up the scent once she saw it. Her mind flashed her the memory of him dying in front of her and she almost buckled under the weight, rushing to the kitchen to support herself using the hot water to rinse her hands. She splashed more over her face, pushing the panic and dread as far into the back of her mind as she could staring down the drain, the swirling water vanishing into the darkness along with the red traces of blood. The phantom ringing persisted, heightening her paranoia and she spun around and scanned the apartment, wiping her face when she was convinced she was alone.
She couldn't understand why this was happening. What did the Reckoning want? Was killing Maxwell as simple as tying up loose ends? But what did he want with her? Why attack her but let her live? She played back the encounter again, recalling how he had her at the point of his trident but hesitated. She didn't have her powers, he could have killed her. He could've killed her a month ago when he had her in that chokehold at the power plant. Both times he let her go, even if this time Lena helped catapult him into the bushes. The more they fought the stranger their interactions became. She could sense the hate behind that helmet. So why doesn't he choose to kill her? Who was he?
Those were all questions spiralling in her brain as she stumbled across the floor towards her bedroom, running her hand along the wall keeping herself upright. She wanted to just collapse in her bed and sleep for a week. Maybe she could get some answers then. But when she reached her partition she looked inside and froze, the sleeping form of Jake White still in her bed. She'd forgotten about him when she raced off to save Lena, quickly ducking back in case he awoke and found her in costume. But she remained at the entrance watching him, the memory of their date warming her heart. Seeing him made her feel better, let her forgot about the death and chaos and paranoia.
Walking quietly she stepped into the living area and sat down so she could remove her costume, taking her time feeling the bruises on her ribs and arm irritated by the movements. The boots were the easiest to remove, unlike her top which resisted peeling over her head. She looked in the mirror for any tell-tale marks, but all that remained was the cut on her cheek which should heal by morning. Once she was undressed she folded up the costume, crept back into her bedroom and packed it away into the back of her wardrobe out of sight. She was left in only her blue underpants when she climbed back into bed and under the covers, re-joining her boyfriend nestling into his shoulder putting her arm across his chest. The young man briefly stirred, responding to her presence by putting an arm around her hugging her close. She watched him to see if he woke up, but he didn't, purring with relief as she rested her head under his chin and let herself drift to sleep using his warmth to chase the nightmares away.
The next morning Kara woke up to a warm sunny day as sunlight beamed down onto her bed. She inhaled deeply feeling their rays rejuvenate her cells, stretching out across the mattress in bliss. She hadn't expected such a good night's sleep after the night before, but she welcomed it as her eyes sluggishly drifted open. She reached across the bed and found a large empty space, turning her head discovering she was alone. She looked around the empty room, rubbing her eyes as she sat up letting the bed covers fall from her pristine body. She couldn't see anyone, but her hearing picked up the sound of her cooker and someone humming outside. She broke into a smile, falling back onto the bed curling into the pillow listening to Jake quietly humming the same song he'd sung at karaoke last night, the smell of breakfast drifting into her bedroom. She gave herself a few more minutes to lie in before she got out of bed to look for him.
Ten minutes later she had pulled a t-shirt over her half naked body as walked out into the apartment to greet him, finding the young man in her kitchen standing at her cooker. She padded silently up to the island counter wearing only her underpants and shirt brushing the blonde bed hair out of her face, listening to his humming as he flipped the pan in his hands. He looked back and found her staring at him, smiling warmly. "Good morning" he said.
"Good morning" she replied leaning on the counter watching him cook breakfast. "You really didn't have to…"
"I know, but I thought it'd be romantic" he chuckled. "You looked peaceful so I wanted to try a deliver you breakfast in bed. Fortunately you're up. I have a nasty habit of dropping plates going any further than three feet from the kitchen."
Kara giggled, her eyes dancing over the freshly baked pancakes he served onto a plate. "It smells amazing" she marvelled, her stomach rumbling begging to be fed. "I didn't know you could cook."
"There's a lot you don't know about me" he muttered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder to her warmly. "But so you know, I can't actually cook. This is as good as it gets. I figured if I can't do something overall I can at least make sure I can make the one thing flawlessly."
Kara waited patiently for him to serve the plates, taking a fork and trying a piece of it. Her mouth watered the moment it went into her mouth, a sound similar to what she made last night escaping her throat. "Oh my… that is amazing" she said, immediately taking another bite.
Jake beamed, cleaning up the kitchen while she ate. "Thank my aunt. She made pancakes for us every time we visited. It took years of my adult life to convince her to teach me. You should try it with syrup" he said, putting the ingredients back in the fridge. "By the way, you're out of eggs" he noted, holding up the empty carton.
Kara scanned her fridge and groaned. She was out of a lot. She never found time for grocery shopping lately. She saw him packing up the plates asking "you're not eating?"
"Only enough for one" he said regrettably. "Don't worry, I'm be fine. I won't be able to stay long this morning. One of my guys got back to me about a part for Olsen's bike, but I need to drive up to coast city to get it. It has to be today. Which is a shame, because I would've loved to stay longer" he confessed, leaning forward admiring his girlfriend. "Last night was…not what I was expecting."
"Last night was amazing" Kara agreed, unable to get rid of the smile on her face. "I mean, you're singing alone made my day" she laughed, seeing him roll his eyes. "And don't think I didn't hear you humming that tune just now. Admit it, you had fun."
"I'll admit I enjoyed the company" he replied. "Both before and after our walk home." they locked eyes, their cheeks blushing red with affection. "I hadn't thought I would… after Sarah's passing, I didn't think this was an option for me."
"Me neither" she admitted, staring at him with excitement and nervousness. "I hope we can do it again" she whispered.
He stared back at her, conflict in his eyes as replied "I think I'd like that too." She smiled, realising their relationship was starting to get more serious than just seeing what happens. She didn't want to jinx it by addressing how he made her feel so she went back to her pancakes. He remained silent too, his eyes transfixed on her watching her eat. After a while of awkward tension he stood up. "I should get going. The sooner I can get to coast city the sooner I can bring that part back."
"Okay" she nodded, lifting her head to bid him safe travels with a kiss. "Maybe you could call me later?"
"I will" he promised, kissing her again. "Enjoy your breakfast" he smiled, picking up his stuff walking out the front door, pausing to cast one last longing look towards her before he left.
Kara felt butterflies in her stomach as she carried her plate to the sofa, her legs carrying her in a childlike dance across the carpet until she flopped down into her seat giggling. Even now he was gone she felt goose bumps on her arms and a tingle in her chest. She felt happy for the first time in months, her smile permanently on her face. She couldn't help it, replaying their night of incredible passion as if it was a musical in her head. She'd never felt like this before, but it felt amazing. Like she was flying through the clouds and never wanted to come down. She didn't want to say what this feeling was. She thought if she said it, it would vanish.
The only thing that tempered her bliss was the cold reality of the secret she was keeping from him. She felt guilty about sneaking off in the middle of the night, even though she had a good reason. She didn't like keeping who she was from him, didn't like lying to people she cared about. But she reminded herself this wasn't like Lena, or the others. They made each other a promise last night; if she could be patient with him he could be patient with her. When she was ready, she would tell him the truth about who she was. For now, being able to have a relationship as Kara Danvers was enough. He was an escape from her superhero life. It was enough for the moment.
She checked the time and realised she had to check in at work soon. So, riding that cloud nine she was on, she finished her breakfast, took a shower and got dressed, singing and twirling periodically enjoying the good time she'd have. Even with the threat of the reckoning she didn't want to come down from this high, putting on her clothes with confidence straightening them out in the mirror. She left her hair loose letting it fall behind her ears over her shoulder, checking herself out in the mirror barely recognising that confident young woman smiling back.
She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder and reached for the door. A stray blonde hair fell over her eyes which she brushed away, pausing at the handle realising she'd forgotten to put her glasses back on. With a calm demeanour she scanned the apartment for them, finding them on the bedside counter where she left them last night. With a few quick strides she scooped them up, hooked them onto her face and set off out of the apartment.