YEAR 2017
LOCATION: WASHINGTON
"Kara it's going to be fine, trust me. She wouldn't have recommended him if she didn't think he was worthy of you," Alex pleaded to Kara, trying desperately to get Kara into a better mood. But despite Alex's attempt to stroke her ego, Kara responded with a groan and huffed away.
It was a bright and sunny day in National City, the streets were bustling with people, some trying to enjoy the beauty of the calm and serene day, and others trying to maneuver their way in-between the crowds of people to get to whatever job, appointment, work, or meeting they had. Kara was dragging her feet across the pavement, forcing herself to go very slow, and hope that by the time Alex and her reached the pizzeria, it would be too late. Kara was one of those people the busy worker would be maneuvering around, since Kara's snail like pace was infuriating to people on a time crunch.
But Alex was not having it, and saw past Kara's tactic, "Kara we are going there whether you like it or not. You promised!" Alex's eyes narrowed on her, and the stern and mean Alex broke through, and Kara felt guilty. She had promised, she just didn't think Alex was going to follow through on her side of the promise. Just her luck.
"Fine," Kara moaned in defeat, "I'll go to this stupid double blind date. But if he is an ass, or anything he does ticks me off, I am leaving. I don't care."
Kara laid out her conditions, and Alex was contemplating whether they were agreeable terms. Silence engulfed them as they both held their ground, and mulled over the possibilities. Kara crossed her arms across her chest to signal to Alex that she wasn't going to change her terms, and it was a 'take it or leave it' type of offer.
"Fine," Alex gritted.
"Good," Kara lightened up and gave a curt nod, "Now let's go see if this guy is really 'worthy of me'."
Kara giggled, and the tension dissipated from the atmosphere. Alex joined in, more so laughing at her own word choice than the implication of whether this guy would be 'worthy of Kara'.
"And if I say cheesecake, we need to make an excuse to leave," Kara wrapped her arm around Alex's and they continued to walk down the crowded street.
"What?"
"Cheesecake. It's my signal. If I don't like him, and I want to leave and I am going to say cheesecake and we are going to get the hell out of there," Kara further explained, slightly shocked that Alex didn't understand the concept of a signal word.
"Cheesecake?"
"Cheesecake."
"Okay… Why cheesecake?"
"I hate cheesecake Alex, and I would never willingly talk about it. So if I say cheesecake it means I being forced into an awkward situation and I must be rescued. And you Alex, are going to rescue me from this blind date."
Alex took a second to process everything Kara had said, and then full on cackled. Strangers on the street even took a double take on Alex, who was bent over laughing like a mad woman.
"Kara, sometimes you are just a little too extra," she muttered out between breaths of laughter.
"Extra? I am taking precautions so I don't have to suffer the company of a potential ass," Kara was not amused that Alex was mocking her, "So stop laughing at me!"
"Okay…okay," Alex heaved as she tried to level off her breathing by taking in big gulps of air, "Sorry. Come on lets go."
She wrapped her arms around Kara's, and they were off again, heading towards the dreaded pizzeria. How did she even end up on a blind date? Oh Rao, she didn't expect Alex to actually set her up. Honestly, when Alex offered to set her up after she had playfully said she wanted a love life like hers – she had jokingly said yes – not at all expecting Alex to remember the offer, or actually follow through.
Alas, Alex was true to her word, and had set Kara up with someone. When she first talked about the blind date, Kara was dumbfounded. It was a joke. She was kidding, her words weren't meant to be taken seriously. The playful joke was to mask Kara's contempt for the perfect life Alex had managed to carve for herself while Kara had been struggling for almost three hundred years. Alex had everything figured out, from her job to her love life, and Kara envied that, and while she was jesting about wanting Alex's perfect love life, Kara was secretly wishing for a certain someone to return to hers and make it whole again. Not some new individual. Her heart belonged to another, and it might have taken her years to deduce that, and perhaps some divine interventions by Rao's hand, but she knew her true happiness, and heart beated for someone else.
But she planned on going through withh this charade for Alex, and she was definitely going to cash in on her cheesecake signal about twenty minutes into the date. There was no point in fooling around with this guy when she knew it wouldn't go anywhere.
They arrived at a quaint, hole in the wall pizzeria. The door jingled when Alex opened it, and she was pulled into the quieter ambience than the one that roared on outside on the streets of National City. Quiet chatter can be heard from the individual tables, the swift shuffling of the wait staff, and the mixing of drinks from behind the bar, and the rumble of whatever sport was being displayed behind the bar counter. The small restaurant was packed, but the vibe was calm and relaxed. Alex was eyeing each table trying to locate theirs, apparently her blind date had already arrived.
Kara groaned internally – this was going to be long day.
Alex abruptly jumped besides her, and waved her hand in the air excitingly. She immediately grabbed Kara's free hand and dragged her across the restaurant whilst maneuvering around the tables. Kara was trying to locate the table Alex had spotted, but she remained unsuccessful, and allowed herself to man-handled.
Kara collided into Alex, when she abruptly stopped in front of the table. The collision had knocked Kara's glasses, and she muttered how careless Alex was while she rearranged her specs but stopped shy of adjusting her glasses on her nose when her line of sight settled upon her blind date.
The world stopped spinning. The cosmos stopped expanding.
Time stopped.
The moment consumed Kara, and she couldn't look, think, exist past it. Kara's voice was caught in her throat, and it felt like she couldn't breathe, and her heart was pounding against her skin ready to burst. Staring at him both calmed her nerves and set them on fire.
Mon-El, her mind echoed.
Emotions escalated: reverence, wonderment, shock, disbelief, and pure unadulterated happiness. But she couldn't tell which emotion was winning, her mind was a whirlwind, and she was in the eye of the storm taking in the beautiful tempest that was engulfing her.
Her tempest was his eyes, which were boring back at her with equal intensity. Although, she couldn't tell all the emotions that were brewing behind his steel blue eyes, but whatever the emotions he was feeling, she felt one being emitted at her: joy. The joy he was oozing, with his beaming smile, warm demeanor, and soft eyes, quelled the worry that was growing in her for over thirty years.
Mon-El was alive.
Alive.
She had a million questions to ask him, and the storm grew larger and stronger as she got swept in a gale of emotions. Where did he go? Why did he go? What happened? Did he leave her? Was it on purpose? Why? Why? She needed to know what exactly transpired between them, and why he had abruptly left her – again. What could make him do that?
No. No, she wasn't going to judge him, she wasn't going to assume anything. Assumptions, half-truths, and jumped conclusions have never benefited her before, they only worsened the situations. Going head-strong in with a quick temper, and slow mind had proved ruinous to their relationship. Not once, but twice has her hot-headedness led to rash decisions and unwarranted fights. Situations that could have been easily diffused if she was able to calmly and rationally think without letting her temper and half-assed assumptions get in the way.
She would patiently await for his explanation, his side of events, his point of view, and then she will ascertain, with hopefully a calm head, whether she had the right to be upset or angered by his actions. There are always two sides to a coin, there are always two sides to a story, and she will remained unbiased until she heard him tell his take. She isn't going to make the mistake again of ignoring the other side of the coin.
But her mind couldn't help but wander off, and wonder about all the possibly scenarios that could explain his sudden disappearance. Everything was perfect, everything was going well…right?
It took a week for Kara to finally digest everything that had happened in that diner. A full week. After she ran away from him, she had contemplated his words, and the harsh exchange they had. Who was really at fault? It definitely wasn't either of them, all that had happened was circumstantial. It was fate, and Kara had learned on her time of Earth, that no one can escape fate. But she had jumped to conclusions, and had taken only her situation into account. That he had left her, and she held onto that idea for years. And when it all came crumbling down, she realized that she was the only one to blame for the grudge she had held. She could have walked into the diner and had an open and honest conversation with him.
They could have talked, and everything could have been avoided. Instead of sitting alone in her home, she would have been sitting with Mon-El and catching up and rekindling their lost relationship. But no, she had let her pride and ego get in the way, and he wasn't exactly welcoming, and everything was ruined.
And now a week later, she knew she had to mend the burned bridge, she needed to fix what was broken no matter how long it would take.
The first week she just stood outside the diner, hidden behind the trees and shrubbery. Although she wanted to remedy everything, she still lacked the courage to face him. So she stood before the diner waiting for that one shot of courage that would embolden her to walk into the diner. Just one impulsive thought of 'of course I can just walk into the diner and face him. I am brave enough', but it never came so she left defeated by her own moral.
The next week, she stood outside the diner once again and awaited for that impulsive thought. She waited for hours. She watched him bustled around in the diner, she watched him chat up customers, clean up tables, all while smiling and laughing. The desire to see him, the desire to seek forgiveness, the desire to start anew wasn't enough to convince her frightened mind that going in there wouldn't only cause her more embarrassment and pain. She left defeated once more.
The third week was different. The third week the impulse came.
She was about to reach the second hour of watching Mon-El working, when he abruptly looked out the window towards her. Not even towards, right at her. It was like his eyes were boring out the window and right at her, and Kara couldn't pinpoint exactly how or why. It was like he felt her presence, and his eyes gravitated to hers. Perhaps he honed in onto her heartbeat, but Kara didn't know. But the moment he looked at her, her heart jumped, and that impulsive thought echoed into her mind.
She was brave enough. She could do this.
After shaking off her nerves, she made her way into the diner and settled into the same booth she was sitting in before. Mon-El looked shocked when he saw her, but immediately masked his emotions and plastered a smile on his face, which looked completely genuine.
He made his way to her, "What can I get you Kara?"
His velvety voice, and soft expression eviscerated her strength and valor. She couldn't think past how sincere he was being, and her mind became a jumbled mess. She bolted out of the diner, leaving a stunned and worried Mon-El behind.
Why was he so sweet to her after everything? Why?
The next week, after she recuperated from her embarrassing stint, she returned to the diner, and sat in the same booth. He approached her timidly, afraid he was going to scare her again.
"What can I get you Kara?"
She didn't respond, but pulled out a box wrapped up with a pretty blue bow and handed it to him.
He questioned the gift, but she just replied with a, "Just open it."
She made her way out the diner, and zoned in on him with her enhanced hearing. She heard him gasp, and murmur, "Of course, and thank you Kara."
He knew she would listening for his response. Kara felt relief wash over her. She was one step closer to fixing everything. She had gifted him a mug with a small message attached to it. 'Can we start over? Please.' The mug was meant as a peace offering, to replace the one she had thrown at him. The mug had shattered, just like their relationship. And this new mug signaled a new leaf, or least the turning of an old one. It was symbolic, she guessed. But Mon-El had understood and appreciated the gift, and that was all that mattered.
She didn't wait another week to return to the diner. Nope, she went there the next day and sat down in the same booth and waited for him. She had been imbued with a new moral, and new optimism. Mon-El came and sat down in front of her, handing her a coffee mug, and keeping one for himself. The mug he was using was the one she had gifted him, and the simple gesture warmed her.
'Won't you get in trouble for sitting with me?"
He chuckled, "Fifteen minute break. Plus, Megan adores me. She would never yell at me," he shoot her mischievous winked.
"Right," she giggled.
The start of that conversation was the end of their troubles. They didn't seek forgiveness from each other, it was silent acceptance that they were both at fault and it was better to move past it then dwell on it.
They chatted for those fifteen minutes like old friends catching up, and rekindling their lost relationship. It was like they meeting for the first time again, and were taking baby steps to mend their broken hearts, and burned bridges.
It slowly became a ritual. Kara would come into the diner, maybe twice or thrice a week, and they sit in that crusty red booth while he was on break, and just talked. Just talked. They caught up, the joked like old friends, they laughed about the inventions and machines that Earthlings only managed to create, they talked about Krypton and Daxam again. Sometimes he wouldn't be able to go on break because the diner was busy, so she happily watched him serve customers. He was always so friendly with everyone, but Kara could see the intentions of some of his customers. Girls would always chat with him a little more, would bat their eyes, give sultry smiles, touch him if possible, and give him extra tips.
The green-eyed monster made a come-back. Sure they were starting as friends again, but it didn't mean all the emotions and feelings that Kara had for him disappeared. Nope. And when these girls lingered on him, her blood boiled. He might not technically be hers right now, but he was going to be, and she felt like lioness trying to mark her territory. All she wanted to do was go up to him and kiss him in front of them. A dirty kiss to make them back-off. But she couldn't do that, so she resorted to seething in the booth and letting the green monster grow, and hoped that they would become more than friends…soon.
"So you can cook now?"
"I am a Master Chef Kara, not a cook!"
"Right, of course. So Master Chef, didn't you burn bread in the brick oven in 1903? I do vaguely remember them clearly the kitchen because the smoke consumed the entire room."
"That was an honest mistake!" Mon-El moaned, horrified that Kara would remember that incident, and would actually bring it up.
"Mistake!? That was the second loaf of bread you burned?"
"Okay, so it was pattern. But a genuine mistake. And I have learned a lot in a hundred years, and cooking is just one of those things. I make the best lasagna, and bacon," he proudly exclaimed.
"Lasagna sounds amazing right now. Look what you did! Now I am craving lasagna."
"Tell you what, you come over to my house tonight, and I will make you lasagna, and you can watch me cook, and eat my delicious food. It's a win-win-win."
"Deal."
Although Kara had kept a straight face during the entire conversation, her heart was pounding.
After dinner at his house, their relationship evolved. She inseminated herself into his life, and she fit perfectly like a missing jig-saw puzzle. She became fast friends with Winn and Lena, frequently having dinner at their house with Mon-El. Sometimes, Jon and Megan would show up, and it was like they made themselves an odd perfect family.
Slowly but surely, her dynamic with Mon-El changed, they would move in sync with each other, like a push and pull, an ebb and flow. There were little things at first, the constant brushing on their shoulders, the longing gazes, the long nights spent talking. But then Mon-El would skim his hands against hers, and then the next time, he was holding her hand like it was no big deal and they did it every day. His arm would always settle at her waist, and he would pull her near. She would cuddle into him when they sat on the sofa, and always find an excuse to touch him. They never explicitly said they were dating, or in a relationship – they had lived through three hundred years of drama, and labels no longer concerned them.
The first time they actually talked about their relationship was when they were babysitting Megan and Jon's kids. They were snuggled together on the couch, watching the kids play on the carpet when Kara desire for a family sparked. On Krypton, she had dreamed about marriage, and in those dreams she had a house full of children as well. She never thought it was plausible with her being marooned on Earth, but now she had Mon-El and her dream was suddenly in reach. Who needed a birthing matrix, especially since she had such a loving partner.
"Would you ever want kids?" Mon-El asked.
She deliberated whether she should answer truthfully or not. She wanted kids, but she wanted his kids, but she didn't how Mon-El would react to that. It took a while before she settled onto an answer, "Yes…"
"Yes…? It seems like there is a 'but' somewhere in there," he chuckled.
"But…but."
"Come on Kara, just spit it out."
"Butionlywantkidsifitswithyou," she muttered out quickly that the sentence sounded like one word. Mon-El looked shocked, he was not expecting that, "Please say something?" Kara cowered away, scared that she went one step too far. She laid a hand on his cheek, "Please say something. Anything"
"I just…I didn't expect," he took a deep breathe, "Kara. I didn't expect you say that. I don't think I deserve that. Rao, I want to be with you in every way possible, I just didn't know you would feel the same."
"It's always been you silly. It's always been you for the last hundred years, and for the next hundred. And even after that. It's always been you. Even if we were a little too daft to realize it sooner."
"It's always been you as well Kara."
Kara leaned up towards him, and he brushed her hair to the side, and cupped her cheek and swiped his finger across her bottom lip, and gently brushed his lips against hers. This was their first kiss since World War 2, and she was getting intoxicated by his slow, precise movements. He captured her lips, and Kara felt herself falling away, enraptured by his torturous pace. Kara lightly bit his bottom lip, trying to tell him to stop torturing her, and he followed suit, and the languid kiss turned a little fierce with Kara was fighting for dominance.
"Ewwwww…," the kids gagged, and Kara and Mon-El pulled apart laughing.
After that evening, things shifted once more. Kara basically moved into his apartment, and had become a constant pillar in his life. They had become an old married couple, without the marriage. Waking up together, cooking breakfast for each other in the morning, talking about their day at dinner, watching TV together, going out on dates and more. They fell into a rhythm, and Kara prayed to Rao that she would never have to leave it. She loved him, with every breath, every fiber of her being, she loved him. His goofy smile, his cheeky jokes, his adoring smile, and his comforting presence. She never thought she would have fallen in love with a Daxamite, but her she was completely ubiquitously in love with him. She was fool to realize that so late, it had taken her a hundred years to realize why she sought out his company so much, why her heart fluttered when she would see him, and why losing him hurt her so deeply.
She just needed to find the right moment to tell him that she loved him, and she waited for the perfect opportunity, but she waited too long.
It was just one random Thursday, nothing special about it. Mon-El had to work the late-shift and close the diner, so Kara wasn't worried when he didn't come home at night. The next morning she was greeted with an empty bed, and although she was perplexed, she was able to rationalize the situation: maybe he had another morning shift today, maybe he was covering for someone. But then he didn't show up in the evening, and Kara called Megan frantically, worry finally setting in. Her mind jumped to the worst case scenario, he was shot with a lead bullet and was probably injured, afraid, and slowly dying alone somewhere. The worry finally cemented into fear when Megan told her she hadn't seen him all day.
She searched for him throughout the city, she called all his friends, but there was no sign of him. It was like he vanished without a trace. Weeks…months went by, and he never returned, and no clue about his whereabouts could be found. It was like he disappeared from their lives.
Everything was perfect, everything was going well….right? So why? Why did he leave? They were so close to happiness, and once again she lost it all. Why?
So many questions that needed to be answered. But she wouldn't judge him before hearing his side, there must have been a really good reason as to why he left. Right? There just had to be, and Kara was going to hold onto that belief until she was proven otherwise. And despite her urge to demand answers, another desire was stronger.
She just wanted to pull him to a hug, she wanted to smell his musk, she wanted to snuggle herself into his embrace, and she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to touch him, she wanted feel him.
No…she didn't want any of these things. She needed them. And looking at him, it looked like he wanted to do the same. The same desire that flamed on in her, Kara could see in his eyes. They both wanted nothing more than be with each other, to feel each other.
"Maggie!" Alex shattered Kara's moment. She fell back into the real world, and she realized she wasn't alone with Mon-El, rather she was in a crowded restaurant.
She took in her environment again, like she just woke up from a dream. Maggie was sitting next to Mon-El. The wheels began to churn. Maggie was sitting next Mon-El. Mon-El was sitting next Maggie. There was only one explanation for that seating arrangement.
Mon-El was her blind date.
"This is Mike," she introduced him.
Mon-El coughed, and outstretched his hand to Kara, "Mike. Mike Matthews."
"Kara. Kara Danvers," she managed to choke out without her voice betraying her.
"Alex," Alex smirked, amused by Kara being so flustered, "Alex Danvers. But not related."
They settled into their seats, and Kara couldn't look away from Mon-El. If that meant Alex was going to tease her relentless, so be it.
Silence encompassed them, and it was awkward all over. Maggie and Alex kept waiting for Kara and Mike to talk, but they just stared at each other. Kara wanted to talk badly, but everything she wanted to say, she couldn't say in front Alex and Maggie. She gently nudged Alex and gave her pointed look, and she was relieved that Alex got the hint.
"Maggie how about we go the bar and order some drinks for the table?" in return Alex gave Maggie the same pointed look.
"Right! Of course. You must be thirsty Kara. Beer Mike?"
"Ya, ummm. Thanks Maggie. Beer sounds good," Mon-El finally broke away from looking at her.
"Kara?" Maggie asked.
"Club Soda please."
"Perfect! We'll be back," Alex yelled as they walked over to the bar, and finally let them be alone.
Once again, silence. Kara now had the freedom to say what she wanted, but she didn't know how.
"I missed you," he spoke solemnly, cutting the tension.
Kara breathed a sigh of relief. He missed her, therefore he must have a very good reason to leave her. He wouldn't just waltz out of her life, their shared life, if she meant something to him.
Kara closed her eyes, "I missed you too," she felt tears pool in her eyes, and she caught one before it trickled down her cheek, "I missed you so much."
"Hey, hey. Look at me Kara. Look at me," he reached for her hand across the table, "Kara, look at me."
She blinked the tears away, and faced him, "Sorry for crying."
"You have nothing to be sorry about," he rubbed his thumb across her hand, "nothing at all."
"Why?"
He sighed, "Kara –"
"Why Mon-El?"
She didn't need to elaborate her question, she didn't need to further explain. He knew exactly what she asking. Why did he leave?
"Kara not right now please. I'll promise to tell you everything later. Later, I promised," she saw a flicker of sadness before he composed himself again.
"I promise I am not going to judge you, or jump to any conclusions. Whatever the reason, it must have been a good one. I am going to listen to what you have to say. I promise Mon-El. I promise."
"Kara I know you will. But later. Please," he implored, his voice weak and defeated, "Later."
She could wait. Hopefully. She waited almost thirty years for the reason, she could manage to wait a three more hours.
"So…Alex?" he asked.
"What about Alex?" Kara had sneaking suspicion that he was trying to change the subject because he didn't want to dwell on his disappearance anymore. It sparked more curiosity in her, but she had to trust him to tell her the full story later. She had to put trust in him to be honest, so she allowed the conversation to be switched.
"Alex…Alex Danvers? That has to more than a coincidence," of course he picked up on that. The chance of her being friends with someone who also has the last name Danvers was stacked against her.
"What? It's nothing…"
"Kara, you are crinkling."
She blushed, "I am not!"
"You are too!" he pointed towards her forehead, indicating the creases that were crinkling, "Right there."
She swatted his hand away, "Okay, shut up! I'll tell you, but promise me you won't think I am creepy or anything."
"Kara why would I think you are creepy?"
"Promise?" she asked him seriously.
"Okay. Promise," he seemed earnest in his promise, so Kara took a deep breath and continued.
"Do you remember Elizabeth and Jeremiah Danvers? My first adoptive parents. Well, really my only adoptive parents," Mon-El nodded, "Well, I have tracked their lineage across the years. Just to keep an eye on them, making sure they were safe," this really did sound creepy, "and few years back, when I went to check up on them, Alex… Alex looks like Jeremiah. Like a carbon copy. And I just couldn't help myself. I was so lonely after you left, and then Megan, Jon, Winn and Lena. They all moved on, and I was just stuck. And she reminded me Jeremiah and Elizabeth, and I wanted to feel that happiness again. So chance encounter led to friendship…and I don't think I could ever let that go. She filled a void. She is like a sister to me…. Please don't think this is creepy. Please."
"Kara, I understand. After these many years on Earth, I understand wanting to be in company of people that you care about, having something to live for. I understand."
How could she have doubted him? He was the only other person on this planet who could share, and relate to her woos, so it was rather foolish of her too think he wouldn't understand. She wiped away her tears, and hoped to change the subject to something more cheerful.
"So Maggie? How'd you meet her? She doesn't seem like the socializing type."
"Maggie. Ya, she is a regular at the bar I work at. She usually just chats with me during the downtime, and kinda is the unofficial bouncer of the bar. She just came in one day and demanded that I go on this blind date. Apparently her girlfriend had given her task of finding a guy, and she forgot so I was a last minute substitute. Not really great friends with her, but she looked ready to throw a punch if I said no, so I agreed," he chuckled.
Of course Alex pawned the date responsibility off to someone else. She would have been livid if not that this cosmos seemed to conspiring to get her and Mon-El together again. Rao's plan continues to weave its tale.
"Order up!" Maggie and Alex finally returned and placed the drinks onto the table, "We ordered the pizzas as well, hope you don't mind."
"No worries." "No problem." Mon-El and Kara said respectively.
"So how's it going?" Alex cheerfully stated, trying to read the room and hoping that this impromptu blind date was faring well.
Kara blushed involuntarily, causing Alex's grin to grow. Alex was going to rub the success of the date in her face, Kara just knew it.
"You remember our first date Danvers?"
"Oh God, how could I forget it?" Alex looked visibly embarrassed, and Kara had to know the details so she could have some leverage against her, "Maggie takes me to a date…to a fight club."
"Fight club?" Kara gasped. This was definitely going to be an interesting story. She looked over to Mon-El who was equally intrigued, but also was trying to suppress his laughter.
"Yup. A fight club. Apparently it was hitting two birds with one stone. She had an undercover assignment, and she scheduled our date the same night, so she thought 'Why not combine them? Nothing could possibly go wrong?' I thought she was into some weird things the first half of our date. Thank God it was just an undercover assignment."
"But did you have a good time Danvers?"
"Maggie…" Alex groaned.
"Don't lie to me. You were practically betting on the fights yourself, and gorging yourself. I swear you ate like twenty macaroons."
"It wasn't twenty," getting red from further embarrassment.
"No it was like forty. Your right," Maggie teased her more.
"Fine I liked the date. Happy!"
"That's what I liked to hear!"
"Speaking of desserts, does anyone want cheesecake later?" Alex threw Kara a sly wink, and all Kara wanted to smack Alex in the face. She wasn't subtle at all.
"Kara doesn't like cheesecake," Mon-El responded immediately, like it was second nature.
Maggie and Alex were mystified, that must have been one hell of a talk when they left to get drinks. Kara glared at Mon-El, silently communicating 'fix this now'.
"Right, Kara was telling…before you came back. Right before," he stammered, "Kara was telling me after you left to get drinks at the bar that she wanted to eat some desserts after the pizza. Right Kara? That was what you were telling me," Kara nodded her head with fake enthusiasm, and was mentally imagining herself strangling Mon-El for taking so long to come up with a lie, "And I suggested cheesecake and she said…Kara said she didn't like cheesecake. Which is why I know Kara doesn't like cheesecake," he finished with a declaration, and looked at Kara seeking approval for his horrible lie.
Kara just rolled her eyes and waited for Alex and Maggie to accept Mon-El's lie as a fact, "Right. Ya. I forgot that Kara doesn't like cheesecake. Right Kara no cheesecake," Alex gave her a pointed look.
"No Alex, I am perfectly fine. I don't like cheesecake, but I can make an exception this time. Okay," hoping she would get the hint.
"Well I guess we might have some cheesecake later. If that's okay with you guys," Alex announced with enthusiasm.
Maggie and Mon-El quietly nodded their heads. Both were rather puzzled by the sudden fascination with cheesecake, and why they both enunciated and articulated that word only in their sentence, but it was easier to not question what happened, and just agree.
The table soon erupted into loud chatter, they picked up conversation and dropped many more. Maggie and Alex constantly gave facts about Kara and Mon-El to each other, trying to be good hosts, and they politely accepted the 'new' information. But everything was getting to Kara slowly, and despite the sheer glee and cheerfulness of the date, she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.
After seeing him, it just felt like one thing after another, and she hadn't had a moment to consume it all in. She saw him, she asked for answers, she didn't get any answers, and now they were laughing and making conversation like the last thirty years never happened.
It was too much for Kara to bare anymore, it felt like the weight of the world was baring down on her, and slowly suffocating her. She just needed a damn second, a millisecond to breathe. Too tell her mind that is was going to be okay. She excused herself to bathroom, hoping to find some silence and she could finally absorb and fully digest what happened.
She slammed the door shut of the single bathroom, not even bothering to lock it. She was a heaving mess, and the shallow breathes were making her lightheaded. Her head was pounding against her skull, and she could hear the blood pulsing in her veins, the birds chirping across the street, the sounds of engines and honks, and sports channel was blasting in her eardrum. All she wanted to do was concentrate and just fucking breathe, but her body was shaking and on the verge of becoming a mess when she heard the sound of the door click open behind her.
She turned around in a fury, and tried to see the intruder, but all she could see was black spots. Breathe Kara, just fucking breathe.
"Kara."
Mon-El, it was Mon-El.
She shut her eyes, hoping that it would somehow stop the sounds that was resonating in her ears, but if clamping her hands on her ears didn't help, shutting her eyes was just another futile attempt.
"Kara." His voice was closer, and she could feel his breathe on her.
"Mon-El, make it stop," she pleaded quietly, her own voice wreaking havoc on her ears, "make it stop."
"Kara, Kara listen to my voice," he whispered, his voice soothing and washing over her sense, "listen to my voice."
He gripped her hands that were held air tight against her ears, and slowly started to lower them, "Concentrate on my voice. Nothing else, but my voice."
Kara tried to zone in on his voice, imaging it like a target, but her mind was too disheveled and her senses snapped back and all the sounds came flooding back and she screamed and clamped her ears shut again, "It hurts Mon-El. It hurts."
"Okay, okay," Kara could sense his desperation, "How about this Kara, listen to my heart," he had to pry a hand off her ear, and placed it over his heart, "Listen to this. Listen to beat. Focus on the heartbeat."
She could hear the echo of his heart thump, along with the countless other sounds that were booming. But with each heartbeat, thump thump thump, she heard the other sounds slowly drown out and falter away. Thump thump thump, and she felt like she could think again, like she could breathe. Thump thump thump.
She collapsed on his frame, and he caught her, and caressed his hair all while murmuring soothing things. 'It's going to okay Kara.' 'Nothing is going to happen.' 'I'm not going to let anything happen.' 'I'm right here.' 'Not going anywhere.'
And with each statement, she felt more in control of her body, and she could get a grasp on reality. She looked up at him, ready to thank him, but his stormy blue eyes were so somber and all she wanted to do was kiss the pain away. So she reached up and gently brushed her lips across his, and when he didn't pull back she took it as signal that this was okay, and was about to capture his lips when a knock jostled them out both out their cocooned sanctuary.
Another string of knocks came, "Kara?" shit it was Alex, "Kara? Are you okay?"
This entire situation was eerily reminiscent of another time they were locked in a bathroom, but there wasn't a little girl outside the door who could be easily manipulated with lies. No, it was Alex. And getting out of this situation was going to take a lot more than spewing white lies.
"What do we do?" Kara whispered.
"Ummm…how about you open the door and distract her? And I'll super-sped away. They think I am making a phone call, so I'll just return to the table a few minutes later."
"Ya. Ya, I think that might work," she agreed to the plan, despite being unsure if she could actually manage to distract Alex, "Okay, go hide behind the door and I'll open it."
They quickly got into positon. Mon-El at the wall where the door would open towards, and Kara's hands on the doorknob. She took a deep breathe, trying to steady herself once more before she left this odd asylum she had created for herself in this dusty old bathroom with Mon-El.
"You okay Kara?"
He was still concerned, afraid that she might fall apart again, but Kara nodded her head confidently. Mind over matter, mind over matter, she chanted to herself.
"Alex?" she acted surprised when she opened the door, and immediately, and rather forcefully, dragged Alex towards the dining area and away from the bathroom, "Did you need to use the bathroom?"
"No, I just wanted to check up on you. You were taking so long in the bathroom, and I was worried you were trying to escape from a window or something."
Kara saw a Mon-El flash by from her peripheral and relief washed over her. Crisis averted.
"Alex. Trust me. Everything is going fine. He is… I like… The date is going fine."
Alex sniggered, "You like him."
"Noooo," she said unconvincingly.
"You totally do Kara. You are blushing," Alex teased.
"Blushing doesn't mean anything."
"Right…of course it doesn't."
"Alex," Kara groaned.
"Kara," Alex mocked her.
Mon-El emerged from the front door, and settled into his chair as Kara and Alex approached the table. He shot her a wink, and a grin, clearly happy that their plan had worked out. Although she had calmed down significantly, and was no longer feeling anxious and hyper, her emotions hadn't completely mellowed out. She was a little panicked and jittery, and Mon-El seemed to be the only noticing her disheveled appearance, and grasped her free hand under the table, and drew soothing circles with his thumb reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, and he was there. The new contact ricocheted through her body, settling down all her hyperactive nerves, and applying a balm on them. And little by little, the restless, overwhelming emotional whirlwind that was raging in her cleared up, and she felt like she could survive the rest of the evening without her bottled up feelings spilling over.
By the time the night came to a close, Kara was getting impatient. As much as she loved Alex, she just wanted to spend some time with Mon-El, alone. After they finished paying their check, Kara was bouncing off the walls getting ancy to leave. They stood outside the pizzeria, saying their goodbyes.
"Well that was a lovely evening, and seems like you guys are getting along. Hopefully there will be a date number two," Alex commented, "Looks like a picked the perfect guy."
"You picked the perfect guy? I am pretty sure it was Maggie who did the picking, and it was half-assed picking. Random guy from the bar you hang out it, a little impersonal don't you think," Kara joked.
"I don't see you complaining Kara. All I saw was lovey-dovey eyes tonight, so random dude from a bar was a perfect match," Maggie countered.
"That was just luck."
"Luck, or fate?"
Fate. Rao, fate definitely did have a hand, but Maggie just didn't know the full extension of its influence. Fate has been spinning its tale for centuries, and hopefully it will finally come to fruition.
"Luck, fate, or coincidence. I don't care. All I know is that I have an early shift at the hospital tomorrow, and if I am not there on time I can definitely foresee a yelling from my chief resident in my future, and that will not be a coincidence. So I am going to call it a night love birds," Alex interjected, she waved and beamed a proud smile at Kara before she dragged Maggie down the street with her, "Goodnight!" they both yelled, "And use protection," Maggie added before they turned the corner.
"Mine or yours," he whispered while he took her hand into his.
"Mine's close."
Honestly, she didn't know what to expect when they got to her loft, and that both excited and frightened her. After the evening she just had, another mystery wasn't the best thing for her mental health, but if he was going to be there with her, she would be able to weather the storm.
The keys were shaking in her hand, and she struggled to unlock her door with Mon-El's watchful gaze. Rao, his silence and taunt expression was setting her skin on fire and shattered her concentration. She couldn't even get the damn key in the hole with the intensity of his presence. He was standing so close behind her, their bodies practically flush, and all she wanted to do was get into her apartment but her mind was lost in his touch for her to open a door.
"Kara," his voice sultry and further ruining her senses, "let me help."
He reached over and steadied her hand, and helped her unlocked the door. The second she opened the door she felt his arm wrap around her waist, and everything else was a blur. All she knew was that door was closed, and her back was against it and Mon-El was hovering over her like a predator to its prey. His lips were dangerously close, and his body aligning to hers. His hands were moving at her waist, and pulling her closer despite the fact that no room existed between them, their bodies were already pressed together and they were sharing the small air.
She was getting high of his touch, and her eyes rolled back when his lips skimmed over hers, "I've been waiting to do this all evening."
He pressed his lips gently against her at first, a light kiss. But then his lips descended again, aggressive and demanding more from her. Kara entangled her hand into his hair, and pulled him down onto her, and Mon-El angled himself to get more access to her supple lips.
Before Kara could even fully register and enjoy the kiss, his lips descended on her neck, trailing a path of fire down her skin. Kara let out a soft moan, and her leg hitched around Mon-El's hip, pulling him near.
As soon as Kara's leg slithered around his hip Mon-El jumped back, releasing Kara immediately. Kara looked unkempt, her dress hiked up, her hair tangled and her lips swollen from the kiss.
"Mon-El," she bemoaned at the loss of contact.
"I'm so sorry Kara. I didn't mean for it to get so far. I just wanted one kiss, and then I just couldn't control myself. Im so sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about Mon-El. I wanted it as much as you did. And I still do," she tried to pull him towards her, but he just stepped back, away from her reach.
"Kara no. Before this, before we continue this, or anything else I need to tell you why I disappeared."
Of fucking course, he would pick this moment to answer all her questions, when she was needy and wanton and ready to devour him. She wouldn't have minded waiting another hour or so, right now her mind was thinking about million other things, and none of those thoughts involved talking.
"Later Mon-El –"
"It has to be now. I need you to know everything before we start again, or pick up where we left off. We promised to be honest with each other, and I am going to tell you everything and then you can decide whether you want to stay in this relationship or not."
This was really important to him, and there was no other way around than sitting down and talking, so Kara made her way to island counter chairs and settled down, and Mon-El followed suit and sat across from her.
Mon-El paused, trying to find the right words to start his tale, "I just wanted to say before anything, that I would never leave you Kara. Not after the life we created for each other, I would never have willingly left you alone without as much as a note. I wish it was different, I wish I could change history, because knowing that I left you alone with no answers for thirty years kills me."
"Mon-El –"
"Please let me finish Kara. And then you can say whatever you want. And I'll do whatever you say. So, that year, that day when I didn't return home, I hadn't run away and left you…I had been found out. The government I guess figured out I was an alien," Kara gasped, another million questions running through her head but she remained mum, "It was all my fault. Rao, I was so stupid. I had snuck into their facilities at the Kennedy Space Center trying to get Intel on their space exploration progress, and what technologies they used. I thought they couldn't see me, that I was too fast for the naked eye and their slow cameras, but I was wrong. They had more advanced technology than I thought, and they had caught me on film. They monitored me, tried to figure out the perfect time to capture me. And that stupid, completely mundane Thursday they did. They kidnapped and took me to secret facility –"
"How?" Kara whispered. Her voice cracked.
"Nth metal. They had fucking nth metal. This planet had surpassed Level 10 in 1982 Kara. They know about aliens, they interacted with them and they possess some interesting alien artifacts, they just haven't told the general public about their discoveries and findings. They have a secret organization called the Department of Extra-Normal Operations that monitors and tracks aliens. DEO, they call it," he spoke with such malice, "Kidnapping, torture, Gods Kara," he closed his eyes, trying to force the memories from resurfacing. His jaw clenched and his teeth grinded together as he tried to keep the memories at bay. Kara could see him struggle, his hand fisting and his body becoming rigid.
Kara quickly moved out of her seat and pulled him in for a hug. His head against her chest, and Kara tucked her chin over his head and rubbed soothing circles on his back. It was now her turn to comfort him.
"Mon-El, I'm so sorry… I should have… I wish I could of have… Rao," she was at loss of words.
"Twenty-six years."
"What?"
"They had me for twenty-six years. Before I escaped. They tried so hard to break me. But I never gave in. They didn't have anything they could torture me physically with. No lead, and all nth metal did was contain me. But the loneliness…they kept me alone for twenty-six years. I couldn't…they couldn't break me. They wanted to know about other aliens, and how to capture…I just couldn't," he stammered off, his body shaking as the memories drowned him.
"Mon-El shhh, you don't need to say anything more," Kara reassured him, trying to fight the tears that were brimming in her eyes. He needed her strong right now, and breaking down in front of him wouldn't help him. Someone needed to remain strong for the both of them
"I'm so sorry Kara…"
"Mon-El stop," she pulled his head into a cradle, both her hands on his cheeks. She wiped away his tears with her thumbs, "You have nothing to apologize for. Absolutely nothing."
"Kara –"
"Nothing Mon-El," she said with such conviction that Mon-El finally relented and quietly nodded his head in agreement, "I am just happy knowing you are safe and with me. I am shocked to think that you would think I would leave you, or be angry with you for being kidnapped by some alien hating government program. We have been apart for long stretches of time, I think it is part of our pattern," she tried to make light of the situation, "But now we are never ever leaving each other Mon-El."
"Kara that's not all of it," he mumbled. He took her silence as a signal to continue, "Before I escaped I stole some technology from them," he took a deep breathe, "The technology allowed me fix my motherboard, and reinsert it into my ship…"
Kara felt numb all over, was he leaving her. Was this really happening all over again, "Are you leaving me," she murmured, "again?"
Mon-El jumped out of his seat at her insinuation, "Rao, I would never leave you Kara. Never. I reinserted it into my ship and the communication features were operational. I just had to press the damn button and talk to my home planet again, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't. It's not my home anymore, it hasn't been for a long time. Earth is my home… you are my home. But if you... but if you," he gulped, "But if you want to talk to Krypton, and if you want to return I am not going to stop you. I am not going to be the one to prevent you from returning home. I don't want to be roadblock to your happiness Kara…"
"I want to stay here," she declared.
Mon-El groaned, "Kara, take some time to think about. This isn't a two second decision. This is about your home planet, and don't think about me. Think about what you want, what you desire and not my feelings. Trust me, I won't get hurt."
"I want to stay here." she repeated her statement.
"KARA. You need time –."
"QUITE TELLING ME I NEED TIME!" Mon-El jumped a little at her outburst, "For the love of Rao, I haven't wanted to go back to Krypton since Greece. Nothing is left for me there. Maybe I will tell them I'm still alive. But going back. Never. Not in a million years. This isn't some spur of the moment decision, I have felt like this for a long time. What is it that these Earthling say, home is where the heart is? Well my heart is with you, so why in God's name would I leave you. I. Am. Never. Leaving. You. Do you understand that," she was getting more pissed by the second. She hoped Mon-El would understand now, "Never," she hissed.
And just like before, everything became a blur, and before she knew it she was pinned against a wall and Mon-El was attacking her with his lips. Trailing a path up her neck, occasionally biting her marble skin. Kara pulled him closer, and hitched her leg on his hip, and this time he didn't jump back but rather grinded himself against her, emitting a growl and causing her too moan. He paused before her lips, his nose brushing against hers. His breathe was hot, and Kara was panting as she felt her pulse race forward. She wanted him to kiss her, but he remained mere millimeters away from her lips, torturing her.
"I love you Kara Zor-El," he breathed, his lips still hovering over hers.
Kara's heart jolted, and skipped a beat. He loved her. He loved her. She had wanted to say that him thirty years ago, but was never given a chance. She brushed away his matted hair before she whispered those four words that she had been carrying in her heart, "I love you Mon-El," she left liberated by her declaration.
"Ya?" he asked, smirking.
"Ya," her giggles were devoured by his lips.
It had taken them three hundred years to realize and confess their feelings, but when Rao spins a tale, not even time itself can stop it from happening.
Hope you enjoyed the story :)) And the last chapter. As always - please ignore mistakes and an edited one will be posted later.
Do expect an one shot about Mon-El's time captive at the DEO.
I do have more works at AO3 that are not posted here, do check out my page on AO3 at PurplePetal. :)