Chapter Text
It started off innocently enough.
But Rao, it did not end that way.
Kara was headed into the city for interviews, looking to do a piece on cultural diversity and hoping to get some good insights into the subject.
Lena had been running nonstop at L-Corp for two weeks and was an exhausted, hungry, stressed-out mess.
At the end of the day, there was no refusing clear blue eyes like Kara's, either.
And so it was that Kara found herself taking Lena Luthor to a restaurant in the center of town, with no idea what she would be in for.
What could possibly go wrong?
Kara checked her reflection one last time in the mirror, fidgeting nervously with the rolled up section of her sleeves.
“You think this is good?” she called out into the living room, and Alex's wry voice floated back to her from the couch.
“Kara. Stop. Fidgeting. You look fine.”
“But I—”
“No but's. Leave it alone before you fray the cuffs, that's my good shirt.”
Kara contemplated her reflection, gnawing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. A white, plaid button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, showcasing her forearms. Brown pants and leather boots that she hadn't pulled from her closet since … well, since she had first gotten them. Her golden hair framed her face in Supergirl's curls, but her glasses remained on her nose. It certainly pulled together nicely, but she felt as though there was something … off.
“It's missing something!” she said, frowning at herself. Her telltale crease formed between her brows, making her frown deepen.
With a sigh, she heard her sister climb gracefully off the couch and head for her bedroom. She came to stand beside Kara, studying the pair of them, and Kara idly thought about how she and her sister had always been two sides of the same coin. Where Kara was dressed lightly in simple but nice clothes, long blonde locks falling gently about her face, Alex was in black pants and a navy blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled like Kara's, but her short hair highlighted the sharpness of her jaw and gave her a sterner appearance. She was different, Kara reflected, since Maggie, since her father, since assuming the title of Director; she was harder, stronger, but also more sure of herself.
“Hmm.” Alex's brow furrowed, thinking. Finally, she turned to Kara, and she turned her head to watch her idly. “Crinkle,” the agent said, poking her in the middle of her forehead. Kara blinked in surprise, rubbing at the spot while Alex laughed.
“Be serious,” Kara grumbled.
“Stop being so gay,” Alex retorted with a grin.
“I — what?”
“You know what I'm talking about.”
“Alex, I don't—”
“Lena Luthor.” Alex's grin was borderline evil. Kara's ears turned pink.
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” she said flatly.
“Don't lie to me. You asked her to come with you.”
“She's had a bad week!”
“Kara.”
“Alex.” Kara didn't want to talk about this. Talking meant confronting the feeling she had been burying all week, the long looks and the lingering touches and the possibility that maybe —
“No,” Kara said, snapping from her daze. “Alex, no, it's not — I can't, okay? She's — I mean — I just....”
“Kara, it's okay.” At the sight of Kara fumbling, Alex softened. “It's okay if that's what you want, y'know? You guys would be good together.”
Kara raised heavy eyes to her sister's. “Yeah, maybe. Except for one thing, Alex. She's not exactly a fan of Supergirl, is she?”
Alex watched her for a long moment. Then she closed her eyes and sighed deeply through her nose, and Kara recognizes her sister's expression of defeat. The brunette chewed on her lip for a moment, debating something to herself.
“Maybe … maybe it's time you told her, Kara.” Kara's eyes snapped to hers, alarmed. “I'm serious. Maybe it's time you did. I wasn't a fan in the beginning, but … she saved you with that suit. She saved Supergirl with that suit, and … she's kind of a genius, Kara, she's gonna figure it out sooner or later.”
“I know, I know, I just....”
“If you want anything to happen, Kara, be honest with her.” Alex's chocolate brown eyes were fierce. “And tell her … if she hurts my baby sister, she'll know exactly what kind of power my ray gun runs on.”
Kara chuckled. “Maybe, Alex. If we get that far.”
Lena crunched into an apple at her desk, scanning the document in front of her while tapping a pen idly in her right hand. Heaving a sigh, she looked over at the clock on the wall as it crept toward six, cursing herself for taking so long, and refocused her attention on the paper. Her eyes refused to focus, her mind buzzing too hard to remain on something as dreary as a document.
It was already full of Kara.
With a groan, she set the apple down and sat back, rubbing her eyes with both hands. She wants to go to this thing with Kara, she does, but she has to get through this first, and if she can't focus, then she can't go, and that would not do. She growled to herself and settled down to it, forcing her mind off of the not-so-appropriate path it was taking and refusing to look at the clock.
She'd been working herself like this for days, and the strain was finally starting to show, in crease lines and short attention spans, forgetting discussions, napping at her desk in between meetings and conference calls. She had barely had time to sit with Kara for lunch every day when she inevitably came by with it, and the decline of her favorite brand of sunshine wore on her more than her restless sleeping patterns, making her irritable and grumpy. When Kara had called her earlier that morning to make sure she still wanted to go, it had perked her up faster than her coffee. She loved listening to Kara talk; something about her voice sounding a little like honey really made for—
And okay, that's a road we're not going down.
“Miss Luthor?”
Lena looked up at Jess, standing in the doorway. “Yes?” she asked, trying her best to be polite. She was so drained that any problems bearing ill news or irritated Luthor lackeys, she was going to have to call it a problem for another day.
“Kara called. She said to remind you of the time and that under no circumstances are you going in your formal wear, and that you should head home and get ready. And that dresses aren't the best idea.”
Lena blinked in surprise. How did Kara know she was still at work?
“Why didn't she just call me?” she asked instead.
“She said she needed a physical body here to help, considering she said she'll be on her way to your apartment within the hour.”
Lena laughed, her confusion forgotten in the moment. “Trust Kara to make sure you see me out.”
Jess laughed. “She cares about you. You've been killing it out there this week, you deserve a night off. Take it.”
That rung a grin out of Lena. She looked down at the document on her desk. I can finish it in the morning. She got to her feet and grabbed her bag, sweeping from her office with a grin on her face. “Maybe you're right.”
“Have a good night, Miss Luthor.”
“Please, Jess, just Lena. We've been through this.”
Kara pulled up outside of Lena's flat with five minutes to spare, putting the kickstand to Alex's bike down in her driveway and shutting off the engine. The motorcycle went quiet, the silence ringing to Kara after the roaring in her ears. She would much prefer to fly, and Alex would much rather have her bike, but Kara didn't have a vehicle of her own and Alex grumbled but offered up her keys.
“Go impress your girl, asshole,” she said. “I'm gonna raid your fridge in revenge.”
“I'm so scared,” Kara snickered, snagging the keys from her lithe fingers. “You have nothing on my appetite.”
Now, the feeling is weird. She still feels like the bike is vibrating beneath her, but she kind of likes it. Chuckling to herself, she knocked on the door and waited.
When the door opened, her jaw dropped.
Lena stood there in a light gray sweater, almost but not quite falling off her shoulders, and black leggings that made her legs look amazing. She looks amazing.
It was a minute before she could pull herself together, but when she did, she noticed Lena's eyes zeroed in on the skin of her collar, visible beneath the two undone buttons on her shirt, and she had to force herself to speak.
“I — Lena, you look … wow.”
“Yeah,” Lena said. “You look really good, Kara.”
Kara grinned. “Should we get going?”
Lena nodded her assent, and she locked the door behind her, before she noticed the bike and stopped.
“Um, is that … Alex's bike?”
Kara laughed. “She let me borrow it for the night.”
“God, what bet did she lose?” Kara laughed harder at that, and she reached out — gently , she thought — to tug Lena to the Ducati. She swung a leg over it, easily settling astride, and looked over at Lena, who seemed a little frozen in place.
“Lena,” she said softly, gently — in a way suddenly familiar to Lena — “The bike's not gonna eat you, I promise.”
Lena frowned, staring at Kara and trying to decipher the familiar feeling she had just had — and why it gave her such terrible misgivings — when Kara called her back to reality. “Hey, Lena, you okay? We don't have to go downtown, we can do whatever, I can catch up on this tomorrow, I have plenty of time —”
“No, Kara, it's fine,” Lena said quickly, shaking it off. “I just, um … I've never ridden a bike before.”
Kara grinned her dimpled grin. “It's easy, I promise. It's like riding a horse. Kind of, anyway.”
“Kind of,” Lena echoed.
“C'mon, Luthor, where's your sense of adventure?” And normally, Lena despised her last name, but something about the way Kara said it made her shiver. She sighed and clambered awkwardly into the bike's second seat, wrapping her arms around Kara's middle. Her hands tightened, fingers slipping against ridges of muscle through the shirt, and she had to keep herself from groaning at the thought of what those muscles looked like beneath the clothes.
“Hold tight,” Kara warned, and suddenly they were off, weaving through traffic as though the bike weighed nothing at all, and Lena was laughing at the feeling of her stomach soaring. Kara grinned back at her, laughing a little herself, as they sped their way downtown.
Kara: Thanks for the bike. :)
Alex looked up in time to see the message lighting up her phone before the screen faded back to black. She grinned and picked up the device, quickly texting her sister back.
Alex: Is your lady impressed?
Kara: Terrified
Kara: Shaking in her sweater
Kara: Do you think she would prefer flying or would that be too much?
Alex laughed at that.
Alex: So are you going to tell her???
Kara: I think so. You're right; I can't hide it from her anymore, it's not fair.
Alex: Are you gonna ask her about the Thing?
Kara: If she doesn't hate me afterwards
Alex: She's not gonna hate you, Kar
Alex's text boosted Kara's confidence. She powered off her phone and looked up in time to see Lena returning to their table. She smiled quickly at the sight of the brunette. “Ready to go?”
“As long as you have everything you need,” Lena replied.
Kara nodded. “Check's paid, and I've got enough notes for the restaurant to add to my article. We're good to go.” As she got up from the table, she saw Lena's slight look of disappointment. “What's up?”
Lena looked surprised. “Nothing. Just thinking.” Her eyes scanned the room. “I kinda wish it could last longer. I don't get nights like this much.”
Kara smiled and held out her hand, feeling a little thrill when Lena's slim fingers laced through hers. “It can last all night. If you want it to.”
“Such a gentleman,” Lena teased, but her smile was fuller. Kara led them out of the doors of the restaurant before she said, “I had fun tonight, Kara.”
Kara smiled easily. “I'm glad you did.” Then she sobered. “Lena … I have something to show you.” Lena's eyebrows raised, wary but curious, and followed Kara past the bike and down the path to the waterfront. The blonde was quiet for a moment, thinking, then finally stopped them when they could hear the water.
“Lena, I haven't been completely honest with you.”
Now Lena just looked wary. “About what?”
Kara sighed. “About a lot of things. Where to start, though ….” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Lena, here lately, I've been thinking about you a lot. Like, a lot more than is strictly friendly.”
“Kara....”
Kara gently squeezed her hand, asking her to wait. “I've been wanting to tell you, but if I … if I want to ask you the thing I want to, I have to show you the person you're asking for, before you find out by … by other means.”
“What is it, Kara?” Lena asked. Kara's hand slid out of hers, looking around at the deserted square, then sighed and looked down. Lena's eyes followed her gaze and yelped.
Kara was hovering an inch or so off the ground. She was watching Lena pleadingly, begging her to understand, silently asking for forgiveness. She reached out for Lena, pleadingly, but Lena leaned away.
“Hold on,” she told a mortified Kara, her voice a near whisper. “Let me process. Please.”
Stiff with fear, Kara retracted her hand and waited for Lena to speak. Seconds may have been hours, letting every bad thought whirl through Kara's head, but she held fast and waited.
Finally, slowly, Lena gained her voice. “I have questions.”
“I expect you do.”
“Danvers?”
“Alex's family took me in when I got here. Kal brought me to them when I landed, and I took on their name.”
“Kal?”
“Superman to you.”
Lena nodded, feeling kind of faint. “Where is he, right now?”
“Studying Kryptonian culture with my mother, who escaped with a few others on a piece of Krypton when it exploded. It's called Argo City.”
“There are survivors?”
“A few. A very lucky few.”
“Why aren't you there?”
Kara hardened. “This is my home now. I miss Krypton, but I have things here worth keeping. You and Alex and James and J'onn.”
She watched Lena soften a little, but continue to struggle. Kara floated back down to the ground, waiting more patiently now that she was less afraid of Lena taking the news badly.
“I'll answer anything,” she said gently.
“Do you actually need your glasses for anything?”
“They're lined with lead so I can control my x-ray vision.”
“How much restraint do you need when landing or taking off?”
Kara laughed. “Is this what you wanna talk about outside of work? Physics?”
Lena shot her a look. “I'm a scientist, Kara. Of course I wanna know!”
“I was too. On Krypton.” Lena looked astounded by that. “Science here for me is easy. And it takes more than a metric ton of restraint if I don't want to break bones. It's a very delicate balance. If I slip …” She picked up a piece of metal from the ground and crushed it in her had. “It's like putty to me.” She started heading back to the bike, tossing the scrap of metal away with a clang, and Lena fell in a step behind.
“How fast can you fly?”
“I can break the sound barrier, according to Alex.”
“That's insane.”
“It's true.”
“How long does it take to fly long distances?”
Kara reached the bike and turned to her, laying one hand on the seat. The cool leather felt good against her skin. “I can make it from here to D.C. in three hours if I push myself a little.”
Lena stopped in front of her. Kara watched the emotions range through her expression until it settled on uncertainty.
“I'm debating something,” she finally said.
“What's that?”
“I'm not sure how mad I'm supposed to be with you. For hiding this.”
Kara looked down, scuffing her boot against the pavement. “You should be mad at me,” she mumbled. “I just hoped you wouldn't be.”
Lena frowned. “You think I should be mad at you?” Kara nodded and raised her eyes to the sun, setting over the water. She still wouldn't look at Lena. “Why?”
Kara sighed deeply. “Because at first I told myself that it was to protect myself. I mean, you were still a Luthor, and I couldn't be sure … then it was to protect you, because knowing my identity could've put you in so much more danger than you already were....”
“But it's neither of those things, is it?”
Kara slowly shook her head.
“Then what's the real reason?”
Kara's eyes finally met hers. She couldn't help it; this wasn't what she expected, Lena letting her explain herself. But she was here, awaiting her reasons, not looking at her like Kara, but not looking at her like Supergirl, either. “Because I was selfish,” she finally said softly. “You were the only person who never treated me like Supergirl. You treat me like Kara. Like I'm just your best friend. I guess I didn't want to give that up yet. But … it's also not fair to you. You deserved to know, and you kept proving that, over and over again. And then I started to feel like you were more than my best friend, like … I wanted to be more than yours, and I couldn't — I can't — ask without you knowing. I'd have to leave, all the time, and I can't pretend I wouldn't be putting you in danger.” Kara pursed her lips, searching for more to say. “I'm being selfish again.”
Lena contemplated her for a long time. “I don't think that's so selfish.”
Kara's eyes snapped to hers. “You don't?”
“No.” Lena wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself and looking down. “I did it to you, too, Kara. You were the only one to treat me like Lena, and not like a Luthor. It wouldn't be fair if I treated you like Supergirl when you don't treat me like a Luthor.”
Kara smiled a small smile and looked down. “I wish I would've told you sooner.”
“I wish you would've. But you did tell me. And that's what matters, right?”
“So … you're okay with all this?”
Lena smiled and nodded. “It's still you, Kara. It's always gonna just be you, I promise.”
Kara smiled at her, and it was like the sun she so relied on.
They reached Lena's flat just as night was starting to drape itself over the city. Kara touched her foot to the pavement to stop the bike and shut it off, looking back at Lena, who swung off much more elegantly than she had the first time she had gotten on a few hours previously. She seemed much more at ease now; she smiled at Kara when she realized she was looking back at her, and Kara returned it as she too swung off of the bike.
“I really did have a good time,” Lena said, once they were at her door.
“Maybe we can do things like this more often,” Kara said hopefully.
“I don't want to impose on your job.”
“Or you could just … let me take you to dinner. Like a … like ….”
Lena grinned. “Kara Danvers, are you asking me out?”
Kara grinned too. “If that's okay?”
Lena reached out and grabbed Kara by the collar of her shirt, crashing their lips together. Kara's mind went blank; she pulled Lena in and kissed her back, wrapping her arms as gently as she could around the other woman. She closed her eyes and breathed her in, sinking into the kiss like it was the best drug she could ever partake in.
After a long moment — or maybe ten — they pulled apart.
“I'd like that,” Lena murmured against her lips. “I'd like that a lot, actually.”
Kara grinned. “Good.”
“Can you stay?”
Kara hummed. “I wish I could. I have to get up early and fly perimeter. Tomorrow?”
Lena nodded. “That'd be nice.” She reached up to take a smaller, sweeter kiss, before completely pulling away. “Thank you for tonight.”
“Anytime. Want me to stop in for lunch?”
“If you can spare the time.”
“For you? Anything.” Kara kissed her again. “I should get going.”
“I know.” Lena smiled a small smile. “I'll see you tomorrow?”
“You'll find me in blue.”
Lena nodded and turned to unlock her door. Once the door was closed and Kara heard the lock click, she launched into the air and did a few excited loops. “Yes!”
Remembering, she swooped down and plucked Alex's bike off the ground, knowing her sister would kill her if she left it in Lena's driveway.