Note: Last one! Warning for alcohol in this chapter.

Lena is indulging in her second shot of mediocre whiskey, soaking in the comforting atmosphere of bad indie music and ambient homosexuality, when she receives a text from Kara. Despite herself, her heart kicks into higher gear.

'Lenaaaaaa,' reads the text, followed by a small collection of despairing emojis. 'Can I see u finally? Pleeease? I miss u...'

Then Kara sends a picture of a puppy, and adds, 'She misses u too!'

Lena can't help laughing. 'Who is she?' she texts back.

'My imaginary internet puppy,' Kara replies. 'So can i come see u?'

Lena sighs. There is absolutely no universe in which she could possibly say no. 'Sure. I'm at the bar on 504 Rosemont Ave.'

'Really? I'm nearby! What a wild coincidence! Be there in a sec.'

'Are you bringing the puppy?'

'Nope! Just myself!'

'You're right, one puppy is more than enough.'

Kara's last response is a heart, a balloon and a blushing smiley.

Lena smiles crookedly to herself. Things have been understandably strained between them for the past several weeks. Lena has been struggling with her mortification and her grief for the relationship that never was, as well as the recurring sense of guilt, the feeling that she'd taken advantage somehow. But Kara has been her relentlessly understanding, supportive self, saying just the right things, enough to make Lena occasionally wonder if Kara was even real or just the self-indulgent devil on her shoulder.

But of course, Kara was very real, real and warm and sweet and clever even in the face of the most awkward situation imaginable, and although they haven't seen each other properly since that day, Kara still managed to brighten up Lena's life from afar, sending her baked goods and silly texts and the odd short audio message.

Shaking herself out of reminiscence, Lena just barely manages to finish her drink before she spots Kara walking over to her.

She slides onto the barstool next to Lena. "Hello, pretty lady," she says with an incongruously shy smile. "Can I buy you some fries?"

Lena grins, almost involuntarily. How is this ridiculous person so damn irresistible? "I believe a drink is more traditional."

"Well, food is much tastier, and I'd prefer for you to remember this conversation."

"What kind of featherweight do you think I am?" Lena laughs, feigning affront.

"Don't you think it's weird that part of your - I mean, um, our - conventions of courtship includes hampering each other's ability to think clearly and make rational decisions?" Kara asks, gesturing animatedly, and Lena can't help it, she loves her, she loves her. "Seems kinda fishy to me."

"Again, Irish blood over here. You don't need to worry about my cognitive functions." Impulsively, Lena winks. Badly. She'd have probably immediately regretted it, except Kara is blushing, and Lena feels nothing remotely approaching regret. "But fries it is."

Kara catches the bartender's attention and rummages around in her bag. "This is my first time at a gay bar," she remarks.

"Really? Your sister's never taken you?"

Kara flashes her a wry smile. "I don't need an escort, I'm bi enough all by myself," she says, and Lena laughs. "But no. I don't know. I'm not much of an alcohol person, and once I was with - um. Thanks," she tells the bartender as she hands her the heaping plate of bad bar fries.

The conversational thread is dropped as they both start eating. Lena finds herself enjoying the comforting familiar greasiness of the fries, the natural, companionable silence between Kara and her. She'd missed this so much. Now that she's had time to stew and process and finally make her peace with their non-existent relationship, she's grateful to find that spending time with Kara is the very opposite of painful. It's comfortable and fun and fulfilling, and it's more than enough. Friendship with Kara, Lena is certain, trumps a thousand intimate relationships with a thousand other people.

"I broke up with Mike," Kara says abruptly. Lena freezes with a fry halfway to her mouth. "It was hard, being with him, I mean it was good but sometimes so hard and I - I thought that was just the way it is, you know? All relationships are hard. They take work and compromise and sometimes you don't get what you want or what you think you deserve but -" She pauses, her face visibly drawn even in the poor lighting. She fiddles with a packet of ketchup and it bursts in her hand. Lena silently hands her a tissue.

"I realized it didn't have to be like that all the time," Kara continues. "That maybe I wasn't being unreasonable. Maybe - maybe I do deserve someone who listens, who respects my decisions, cares about my opinion -" Kara turns to look straight at Lena, half-wiped ketchupy fingers lacing loosely with Lena's on the bar top. "Lena," Kara says, "the reason I was able to realize this is... is you."

Lena blinks at her. She can barely breathe for the hope expanding in her chest. But she can't afford to misinterpret things again. "Kara, what are you saying?"

Kara grimaces, scratches the back of her neck. "I think I've been a little bit in, uh, denial?" she says, sounding uncertain, or embarrassed. "I guess in some part of my brain I knew what we were doing wasn't just regular old friend things. I mean, I haven't had that many female friends, either, and... but it just didn't occur to me to think of you like that, you know? Maybe it's some internalization thing. I don't know. But when I really thought about it, I - I realized I am kind of madly attracted to you?" Kara laughs nervously, fidgets strangely with her ear.

And Lena had been lying, absolutely, shamelessly lying to herself before, because if Kara's friendship would have been enough, this would be too much to possibly contain. But maybe it is, because Lena certainly feels overflowing, with love and with happiness and with tears that are dripping freely over their joined hands on the table, and Lena knows Kara is serious because there are still fries left on the plate and she doesn't seem concerned that they are getting soggy.

"Lena," Kara murmurs, and she is already so close that Lena can feel her breath on her face, doesn't need to hear the words because she can feel them, "can I kiss you?"

Lena nods, jerky and desperate with longing, months of longing suddenly validated, suddenly losing their bitterness, tasting instead of sweet anticipation.

Kara leans forward, closes the distance between them, and - oh - she tastes like salt and vegetable oil and soda and Lena's happiest memories. Lena moves her lips, carefully, tenderly, and Kara responds in kind, cups Lena's jaw in her palm, releases her hand to run the other over Lena's collarbone, shoulder, chest, smearing her shirt with ketchup and grease. Lena has never cared less about an article of clothing in her life.

Lena angles her head, opens her mouth, and there - there is Kara's tongue, firm and insistent and heady. Lena traps it between her lips and sucks, and Kara bucks into her over the stools, her hand twisting in the collar of Lena's shirt. Lena bunches her hands in Kara's cardigan at her waist and hangs on.

Lena has no idea how long their kiss drags on, insensate to all but every point of contact between Kara and herself, but by the time they pull apart her vision is spotty, her breathing loud and heavy, her lips swollen and tingling.

"Lena," Kara pants. "Wow."

"Wow," Lena repeats mindlessly.

"I - what did you think?" Kara asks, running Lena's shirt collar between finger and thumb.

"I love you," says Lena, thoughts bouncing barely coherent in her head. "Let's take things slow."

Kara laughs at her, bright and happy. "You are ridiculous," she says. And then, "I kinda love you too."

"Good," Lena replies, still trying unsuccessfully to bring herself fully to the present. The present where Kara's lips aren't on hers anymore. "That's good."

Kara laughs again. "Okay. Since we've already been doing everything out of order, I guess we can go slow after saying 'I love you's."

"Yes," says Lena.

"Right. So. Lena Luthor, would you like to go on a date with me? Of the romantic kind, to be clear."

"Yes," Lena says again.

"Great! Oh, by the way, you should know, I'm Supergirl." Kara smiles at her very brightly before shoving the remainder of the fries in her mouth and hopping off the stool. "I'll get you the NDAs to sign some other time. Oh, do you have any questions? I know you've suspected, but if you're confused, just ask."

"Uh. I. No, that's okay."

"Right. We'll talk later, okay? Since we're taking things slow, I should go. If I stay much longer I'll just end up kissing you again. Text me the time you want for our romantic date, okay?"

Lena nods, fighting to get her thoughts in order. Kara kissed her. It was wonderful. Kara is Supergirl. They're going on a date. Kara Danvers, who is Supergirl, wants to kiss and also date Lena. And she said - said -

Before Lena can stop herself, she grabs Kara's hand, looks up into her face. "I love you," she says intently.

Kara leans forward and places a light, slightly off-centre kiss on her mouth. "Yes, you've said." She flashes Lena a teasing smile. Then she leans back in, her lips right next to Lena's ear, whispers, "And as I have also said, I love you too. Dummy."

Lena might be a dummy, a dramatic, oblivious, emotionally incompetent dummy, but she loves Kara Danvers, and Kara Danvers loves her, so really, there's very little else she can bring herself to care about at the moment. And this time, there's no place for misunderstanding.