Hey all!
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She places the drinks on the coffee table and Lena's not surprised that even after the day's events, Kara's still being a gracious hostess.
The blonde takes her place on the couch, sitting not too far from Lena who's watching as she settles herself. She turns and meets the CEO's penetrative eyes as the silence encumbers them. Each continues to digest everything that's transpired.
Their eyes lock and Lena forces herself to break the quiet interlude that's surrounded them since they left L Corp.
"I suppose you want to talk." Lena begins.
"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" Kara replies because she'd flown Lena, carried her bridal style through her balcony doors, just thirty minutes ago.
"How about a little quid pro quo then?" Lena offers and Kara marvels at her ability to be calm and rational after what she's just gone through. "I'll answer whatever inquiries you may have if you'll do the same?" Kara nods slowly.
Before Lena can follow up, she's pressed against the arm of the couch as Kara holds her because she's afraid Lena will vanish.
No one can blame her for feeling like this because it isn't that long ago that Kara thought she'd never be able to touch Lena again. And Lena clings onto the Kryptonian just as intensely, focusing on the feel of Kara all over her to keep the tears at bay.
"I thought I wasn't going to see you again." Kara whispers. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asks, voice muffled against Lena's collarbone.
"I should be asking you that." her fingers weave through gold.
Lena's not the one who's been through hell and back. The image of a bloody Supergirl, of a mortally wounded Kara, is still fresh in her mind. She tries to flood it with images of Kara's face, of the slope of her nose, her rosy cheeks, her pink lips instead.
Kara pulls away, not enough to be too far from Lena's touch, but far enough to look into those pools of emerald green.
"I'm already healed." she grabs Lena's hand and places it atop her chest where just hours ago a kryptonite blade had been lodged. "You got Hank before he could reach my heart." Kara guarantees. "You saved me." because Lena stayed when she could have ran, saved her when she could have saved herself. "You really are a hero." Lena pulled the trigger on the EMP cannon and killed the cyborgs before Hank Henshaw could permanently ensure Superman's status as the last Kryptonian.
"I'm not a hero." she wouldn't have risked her neck for anyone else. "My intentions are completely self serving." she's not going to insult Kara's intelligence by dangling pretenses in her face. "I wouldn't do it for anyone else." she doesn't shy from her truth. "I stayed for your heart." she asserts herself. "I stayed for you."
"But the Medusa virus." Kara trails.
"I did it because you asked." it hadn't been about doing what's right because even then a small part of her had wanted Kara's trust and now she craves for more.
"John Corben," Kara remembers that she'd saved Alex.
"He tried to kill me. It's not a thing I took lightly." an eye for an eye, a life for a life. "I'm selfish, Kara." and Kara's about to disagree. "I was raised the Luthor way and I only know how to look after my interests."
"But you sacrificed your life me." Kara stares at Lena's hands. "And you killed them to save me." Lena's got red in her ledger.
"It's nothing I regret." Lena's killed before. John Corben's death gave way for Metallo's birth after all. "I'm alright." she feels Kara's hand on her cheek, stroking the exact spot where her Metallo had struck her. "You know, this really wasn't the day I planned on having." Lena reveals.
Lena has been incredibly attentive to Kara since the debacle with Mon-El. She'd returned the reporter's consideration and beyond.
She showers Kara with attention like the blonde has never experienced. She texts her random facts, calls Kara just to hear her talk about her day, surprises Kara with gifts, and arranges random trips to museums and zoos and everywhere else and thanks to Lena, Kara's been able to experience a home cooked meal because the CEO actually cooks for her.
She's doing everything to make Kara happy.
That afternoon, she had sent Kara a vase filled with Plumerias because Snapper had been hounding her about a piece all week. Attached was a card inviting her to dinner and the CEO's thoughtfulness inspired the reporter who Kara finished her piece early so she wanted to surprise Lena at her lab.
But Lena hadn't been alone. Metallo and Cyborg Superman had her surrounded, demanding plans for her alien detection device so of course Kara sprang into action without thought.
"And I never thought I'd want to hear that." Kara struggles with her emotions. "Mon-El, Mike, tried to save me once and I had been so angry because he tried to help me first instead of the people and now here you are telling me you'd do the same." she doesn't understand why this time it's different, why this time she's actually pleased. "Maybe it's because you're not suckering me into training you to be a hero just so you can spend time with me but." Lena hasn't been pretentious and has been adamant about monopolizing Kara. "I'm not angry or disappointed." she's confused and tired and relieved and she doesn't know how else to feel.
"You were neglected. They left you all alone because every one's too wrapped up in their little lives to spare you any time." Lena recalls her painful truth. "Then I came along and showed you how it feels to be someone's priority." she's relying partly on Kara's gratitude to advance her plans. "It's only natural now for you to want someone to put you first." and that's what Lena does constantly.
"I shouldn't." she tries to turn away but Lena's hand is on her chin, keeping her in place.
"We all want even just one person to treat us like we're the center of their universe." she knows because for Lena that's who Kara is. "Everyone craves to be someone's priority, Kara." she knows because she wants to be Kara's.
"And that's what you want as well?" she searches the pools of green for the truth.
"I know my vast wealth, immense influence, and genius intellect usually makes me superior to every one else but this time I am a part of the popular masses." she confirms with a teasing smirk on her lips. "Not unlike you, Supergirl."
"Jus how long have you known?" Kara questions.
She remembers how Lena gathered her off the floor, pleading for her to stay awake. She remembers the feel of the blade being pulled, remembers hearing it clatter after Lena tossed it far into the next room.
She also remembers Lena whispering, pleading, for Kara to stay with her.
"I suspected when you interviewed me for the first time and no, it's not just because you said you flew on a bus." Lena chuckles at the memory while Kara frowns in embarrassment. "Your eyes," she answers the question that's on the tip of the Kryptonian's tongue. "I've only seen that shade of bright baby blue from Kara Danvers." and Kara's not really surprised that she's been paying such close attention. "But I confirmed it at the gala." she never saw them at the same time. "And really, all those emergencies?" Kara would run off on their outings and suddenly Supergirl would be on the news.
"Are you mad?" she asks. "That I didn't tell you sooner?" she pushes through, ignoring the way her voice cracks with her nerves because she really doesn't want to upset Lena again. "Because it wasn't a trust issue." she guarantees.
"No, I'm not mad or upset or disappointed." or whatever else Kara's worried about.
"Good." and it feels like a kryptonite blade has been pulled from in between her ribs, allowing for air to pass freely between her lungs. "Thank you for understanding."
"It's fine." again, Kara feels relief flooding through her system. It's short lived however because of Lena's following words. "We all have our secrets." this gives way for Kara to be intrigued and a little determined because really they should have no secrets between them at this point.
"And what is it that you're keeping from me?"
Lena's gaze drifts toward the baby blue wardrobe she'd purchased for Kara. She remembers how they spent all afternoon and a little well into the evening building it, how much fun they had, and how Kara pretended she couldn't have just done it all herself in a matter of seconds just so she could spend time with Lena.
"Tell me Kara," she's decidedly thrown her plans out the window. She's unable to stop herself from asking Kara this particular question. "Have you ever been with a woman?" she blames her impatience on the adrenaline from the fight.
"Uh," Kara actually squeaks. "No."
"Have you ever thought about it?" Lena doesn't have to wonder where she's getting the courage to be so bold.
She'd almost lost this chance, almost lost Kara.
"I mean, I have a hard enough time balancing my feelings for guys and I don't think I can handle putting women in the mix." she really hadn't considered it. "Truth be told, it's never really been an issue since I've never really had a female suitor so I guess I've never really had to think about it."
Lena weighs her options. She's cracked the door open but there's still time to pull back. She regards Kara once more and supposes this is as good a time as any to move forward.
Kara's emotional about almost losing her life, confounded because she wants to be put first, guilty because it's not something a hero should want, and is extremely grateful over the fact that Lena has saved her life and Lena can definitely use this to her advantage.
"Do you remember what I said that day at the furniture store?" she asks. "About properly distracting you?" it happened weeks ago.
"I remember."
"I want to show you exactly how I intend to distract you," Lena takes her lower lip between her teeth. "If you'd permit me?"
"Of course." she responds instinctively.
Kara's uncertain where Lena's going with this but she trusts the older woman more than anything.
She owes Lena her life and more.
Kara watches as Lena scoots closer. She is surprised when Lena begins leaning in slowly, and Kara realizes the older woman's giving her time to back away but she's too shocked by what's about to happen.
Lena closes the gap between their lips.
It's over as quickly as it began. Kara opens her eyes, not even remembering when she'd closed them in the first place, only to find that Lena's managed to exit her apartment.
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I'm super excited to see Monday's episode. It's really inspired me. I hope no one's disappointed with the way I'm writing Lena and Kara.
What do you think so far?