#Bad Parent Eliza Danvers

[primeofprimes115]

A Flight with Supergirl - Supergirl x Male Raeder

Note: Fluff

"I got you"

Y/N hadn't thought he'd be asking out the girl who had been keeping the city safe since she made the world known about her presence in the form of the blonde girl with the red cape and the identical S on her suit that only Superman proudly wore.

To say he was over the Moon was kind of true in a way, he hadn't thought much of it but when Kara Danvers revealed there was more to her than meets the eye? He was ecstatic, had many questions, wondered if Kara was real and that only made her ever more interested in him, she found him cute, funny, and at times, vulnerable but she vowed to protect him, no matter what happens.

This was before the first date, the two had only met prior to bumping into each other in public, Y/N was nothing but an entertainer on social media, while Kara Danvers worked as an intern for Cat.Co Worldwide Media from time to time...

On the other half? Her real job was nothing short of being a superhero, she worked closely with her adopted parents, Eliza and Jeremiah Danvers who both loved her as their daughter, working closely with the D.E.O. from time to time. And on the other half? She'd work closely with heroes like Batgirl/Oracle, Spoiler, etc.

Kara Danvers was Supergirl, the cousin of Superman and sole defender of National City.

A lot had changed since Kara revealed the suit and cape to the unsuspecting Y/N, his life had changed since then, for the better in a way, but he had to keep the secret off social media for his safety alone, none of his fans could know that he was in touch with the Girl of Steel, not even his family... For now that is.

He found Kara Danvers to be this cute, nerdy girl who seemed to be a lost puppy at times, just someone outgoing and super friendly, she looked gorgeous in his eyes, but after she revealed she was Supergirl? It only unlocked a new perspective.

He didn't ask out Kara because she was this strong and mighty superhero who was more powerful than a locomotive, could fly anywhere; even in space, could shoot lasers out of her eyes and all sorts of other things... He asked Kara out because he was generally interested in her.

And she accepted, though she gave warnings to him about dating her, he didn't let it bother him much, he loved for who she is and would love to go on a date with her.

"I... *nervous giggle* I haven't exactly been on a date in a while" Kara eyed him, not planning to keep her eyes off him anytime soon.

Y/N took a glance at her, she could've mentioned it earlier rather than later but... He wasn't bothered much. He had other shocking news. "Let me tell you" he leaned in. "This is my first time".

"Wait, really?!?" she tried not to shout it out so everyone could hear her, pushing up her glasses to keep herself disguised. "You've never been on a date before? I've known you for two months now and you now tell me this??" she asked him curiously as she slurped some of her milkshake from the straw.

"Nope, and for someone like me? That sounds bad, doesn't it?" he asked her, resulting in a giggle from her.

"If you asked someone else? They'd be lying to you and saying it is" she cooed. "But it's not, I can understand the tension, but you don't seem to be tense around me and that's good" she told him with a big smile. "I'm happy that I'm your first date" she gave him a smile in his direction. That cute, warm smile she'd been giving him since the day they met randomly.

"Y-Yeah..." he began to lean in. "But I had no idea I'd be asking Supergirl out on a date though" he whispered after looking over his shoulder. "Like it's crazy to still think about it".

Kara giggled at his observation, she looked down to what she wore, knowing she had her Supergirl suit underneath, she smiled while sipping up the tasty strawberry milkshake from her straw.

"That reminds me" she finished taking a sip. "I gotta show you something after this, it's something I want to share with you" she gave him a little wink, her words enough made him curious to what it was she wanted to share.

"Oh? What is it?" he asked with a little smirk at the corner of his lips.

"Haha, you'll see" she smirked back. "But damn, I forgot how delicious these milkshakes are" she continued to sip on her milkshake, before Y/N done the same.

"Yeah, they are pretty delicious" he agreed.

What followed after was the pair leaving the diner they went to on their date, their hands brushed off of each other which added to the whole romantic tension.

Kara noticed Y/N blushing after their hands brushed off each other a few times, which only made her grab his hand softly and gently at a moments notice.

"I got you" she told him sweetly, he didn't understand the meaning behind her words, but he'd soon find out from where she was leading him to.

An audible look of confusion spreaded across his face when she led him to his apartment building of where he stayed for now, he didn't remember telling her where he stayed but she teased that Supergirl had been 'keeping' an eye on him, with a wink at the end.

He laughed at the hint she gave, saying how it was sweet of her to keep an eye on him the entire time, if only he knew what was coming next...

She took him to the roof of the apartment building from the stairs, using her super speed to make the journey more quicker which was a woozy experience for him but he recovered soon after...

This was when she began to take off her glasses and cardigan, revealing the suit underneath, before she took off her disguise completely, transforming into the Girl of Steel, her alter ego. He began to realize something was a little off with Kara's plan, knowing they were far up from the ground...

Like her? He had a secret of his own...

He hated heights...

Heights made him quiver, he always feared heights as a kid, he hated them.

It didn't sound as drastic as someone being a superhero, but this was something he always had a fear of, and he had a feeling Kara was going to show him something he feared.

The sun shined through the view ahead of Kara, she floated up a little, her cape being picked up by the gentle wind, rustling behind her softly. Her hair flowed like a golden cape as she closed her eyes, letting the sun soak into her face.

She inhaled and exhaled through her nose and out her mouth, letting out a satisfied sigh, her red skirt soon picking up from the tender wind, the warmth of the sun on her face soaked into her skin.

She reopened her eyes, smiling.

"Um..." Y/N soon brought her attention after he'd been staring at the golden S on her cape the whole time. "Why did you bring me up here?" a tone of nervousness came out of Y/N, as Kara turned herself around in midair.

"I never get to show much people what I see, to show them what it looks like to be up there" she looked up at the sky. "Even if its just casually, sure I've shown some friends of mine but... I never got to show someone like you what I see" she revealed, her words were rather sweet and tender, just like the milkshakes they had on their date.

Kara... Supergirl, looked down toward her date once more, before offering her hand to him while floating closer to him.

"I wanna show you what I see, I want to share this view with you, and it's a perfect time too" she smiled at him, her hand still out for him to grab. "Let me show you".

He looked at her hand hesitantly, before he found himself staring at her hand before shaking his head.

Supergirl took notice of his behavior, knowing something was up. "Is something wrong?" she asked him sweetly, putting her hand to the side before floating down in front of him, she showed a concerned look on her face.

A pure, sweet, generally concerned look...

"I... This may not be the best time to tell you..." he twiddled with his thumbs, looking down at the ground away from Kara's eyes for a moment...

"You're afraid of heights???" she asked him, despite leaving him shocked at her guessing correctly.

"Wha? How did you know that??" he chuckled nervously, his face heated up as he looked at her.

"It was a pretty wild guess" she shrugged. "But hey! That's okay! I can... Help with that" she told him next, smiling at him nicely.

"H-How?" he asked, feeling more nervous by the minute. "I-I-I hated heights as a kid, how can you help me?" he stuttered, beginning to stammer his words before Kara shut him up by placing a finger on his lips.

"I got you" she cooed, repeating her phrase from earlier after she held his hand gently, her hand was warm and soft, the soft wording made him a little bit less uneasy about her plan to show him the view.

"O-Okay" he breathed in and out.

She smiled before swooping him from his feet, into her embrace, carrying him like a bride which was something he didn't expect for her to do.

"You're safe and secure, I'm gonna start levitating okay? The wind is gonna pick up soon once I start flying completely" she cooed, Y/N nodded silently as Supergirl began to take flight, slowly her feet lifted off the roof, stage one had began of taking flight.

A minute had gone by and Y/N began to cower into Supergirl's neck a little, closing his eyes as the wind picked up a little more.

"I-I don't know about this" he let his fears known to her. "Maybe this is a bad idea" he said to himself, digging his face into the crook of her neck, feeling the soft skin and the part of her cape attached and tucked into her suit. Her scent smelt like a comforting vanilla.

She felt his face burrow into her neck, the sounds of her cape rustling in the wind growing stronger as she continued flying up soon followed, she was only half way up now.

Maybe he shouldn't have agreed on this... Maybe something else would've been said instead if he thought about it more clearly.

"Keep your eyes on me Y/N" Supergirl cooed with a little giggle at the end. "It's gonna be okay, you're in my arms, my warm embrace" she continued, the wind began to pick up a little more intensely as she increased her flight speed. "I got you" her coos went forward into his ears. "You're safe and sound within my arms" she cooed one last time before the wind picked up even more.

He could feel the warmth of her words, as comforting as they were, he still felt hesitant... He felt sick to his stomach.

But she was right... He was in her embrace, he was safe and sound in her arms... She has him.

"D-Don't drop me, Supergirl" he pulled back a little to speak, his pupils landing on Kara's eyes as she then looked at him with a sweet smile.

"I'd never do that... Never" the Girl of Steel vowed, she found it a little adorable that he dug his face into her neck and hell, this was his first date and he was already doing this. She couldn't lie but make a mental note that this was cute, and she was supposed to be the cute one around here.

It was no wonder why she suddenly fell for him the moment she laid her eyes on him more, his laugh, his humor, his gentle kindness... He was someone perfect for someone like herself and she didn't really know about him till she bumped into him, even if he was this big social media entertainer on the internet, laughing and gaffing with his social media friends just like him.

"I suppose that makes me feel a lot more better then" he chuckled nervously before gaining the courage to look at her in the eyes, taking his face out of the crook of her neck.

The caped girl smiled more brightly, showing her perfect white teeth, her eyes laying upon his and she knew she had fallen in love... He seemed to...

Perfect, even if he had said before that he wasn't...

Even she wasn't perfect, countless times she's said that she always will make mistakes, but she gets over them and pushes on, everyone makes mistakes.

No one is perfect...

Y/N kept his eyes on her, watching her baby blues stare back into his eyes, before her eyes drifted to the sunny view ahead... And at that moment? She began to fly forward.

Y/N felt his stomach aching a little bit more from the sudden movement, but he ignored it... He did as she told him...

He kept his eyes on her, watching her blonde, golden hair beautifully billow in the now softer wind like a golden cape... Her cape and skirt rustled in the wind in the corner of his eyes also but he kept his eyes on her... Only her.

On the girl he asked out on a date... He asked Kara... Supergirl, in costume... To go on a date with him and she willingly accepted not long after he asked.

It was awkward... But it worked.

"You can look now if you want, you don't wanna miss it ~♡" she winked at him once again with a huge smile. "I brought you up here so I can share this special view with you".

Y/N took up her words carefully, before seeing the ecstatic view ahead of him... He began to make a mental note of where she took him, no longer where was he in the city...

He was high above the clouds, with just her... His date, the superheroine of National City, the Girl of Steel... Supergirl.

"W-Wow" he let out a shaky breath, the view made him breathless, it was a sight to behold. "This is... What you see?" he kept his eyes on the clouds, the sun... The sky... Beginning to think maybe this wasn't so bad after all. "When you fly and all that? This is..." he didn't exactly know what to say.

Was it beautiful? Amazing? Both??

"Yeah! It's amazing, isn't it?" Supergirl laughed softly, her tone all happy and joyful at Y/N's ecstatic view on what she sees. "Flying is definitely my favorite part about being... Well... Supergirl" she admitted to him, smiling all the way.

She kept on flying slowly through the clouds, watching the sun set with her date, setting up the perfect view for her to share with him, she couldn't stop taking some glances at him when he wasn't looking while he was hyper-fixated on the view.

She began to think this could be helping out get over his fear of heights, just a little, he still kept his arms around her tightly, in fear of course.

"Want me to fly a little faster over time to give you a taste of how fast I can go? At this point? I might as well show you around the entire United States" she joked, though she was serious about it still... However, he didn't answer.

He was too busy on feeling comfortable in the superheroine's arms, eyes fixated on the view ahead of them as she continued flying him through the sky, soaring like a slow silent missile, his smile began to grow as seconds went by.

"Y/N?" the girl called out his name, hoping he'd answer her question.

"Just kiss me already" he muttered under his breath, before giggling followed from her with a little blush across her cheeks, gaining his attention. "What?" he frowned. "Wh-What's so funny??".

"I heard you, I've got super hearing" she blankly told him, resulting in him being a blushing mess, his eyes widened at his mistake.

"Oh..." he muttered loudly. Soon after, Supergirl stopped flying forward and stayed stationary in the air, not keeping her eyes off him now. "I-I... Um... Sorry".

"It's okay" she began to lean in, her lips drawing closer to his to the point he could feel her warm breath on his lips. "I was waiting for you to say something" she put in her word before closing the gap, taking him by surprise.

His eyes widened as soon as Kara's lips touched his, her eyes fully closed before his slowly but surely, eventually closed... He hadn't felt this feeling before, not once had he kissed a girl on the lips.

Imagine how big his one post on Instagram would go of him kissing the one and only Supergirl? It would probably take headliners all across social media, hell it could make him more internet famous than he is with the crew he's apart of when it comes to making content for his Youtube channel.

But he was smart enough to not do that if it were the case... It'd be putting a target on his back from Supergirl's many enemies, and probably enemies that Supergirl doesn't face most of the time, especially those in Gotham.

He melted into the kiss, their lips slowly danced with the Girl of Steel taking the lead, she was going to give him a first kiss to surely remember.

Kara moaned into his lips, adding more to the first kiss to make it memorable for him, she has kissed guys before, she had experience, she wanted to make it memorable knowing his inexperience on dating, she smiled through it all.

Suddenly, Y/N had to pull back for air, unintentionally slowly, he was panting slowly as he pulled himself back a little, soon opening his eyes to meet Kara's, who only smiled brightly at him as he soon chuckled.

"So?" Supergirl left her question linger, her smirk soon being known to him as he chuckled lightly.

"I... I haven't kissed a girl before, I know it sounds bad but... Yeah" he nodded before bringing something else up. "I just got kissed my Supergirl? My first kiss too with Supergirl?? Man, imagine that hitting social media? I'd be making the internet blow up" he joked as the Maiden of Might herself soon laughed softly with him.

"You know you can't do that, but I can imagine how it'll go in a good note too" she could imagine it blowing up across social media, before she leaned in again. "But you know you gotta keep this a secret" she cooed, making an obvious remark to the suit she wore, the cape that billows behind her and the hope she brings for humanity.

"You know I will" he told her. "I need to ask, why did you agree to go on a date with me?" he suddenly asked her which in a way, backed her in a corner in a sense, she wasn't expecting such a question but she had a form of an answer, if something similar were said.

She giggled lightly after a moment, the wind casually blowing the bright red fabrics that donned on her sky blue suit, the gold belt that shined and illuminated off the sky and sun, bright colors all around.

"The reason I agreed is because... I thought you were interesting" she revealed, surprising him... He used to always think many girls didn't want to date him is because he was this Youtuber that played games for content with his crew, having funny moments and gaffing around in those games, perhaps she could make him see he was wrong. "And... You are cute, funny and honestly very kind, though you're such a fiend to your friends" she giggled.

"Oh? So you've watched my content?" he asked like a jumping bunny almost. "Damn, I didn't think you'd like my vids" he admitted.

"Oh no, I do, you're genuinely funny. You love pranking your friends in those videogames you all play, that's the type of fun I kinda need in my life to see, just someone who's themselves and isn't afraid to be so" she smiled with a wholehearted meaning behind it.

"I... I don't know what to say" he chuckled nervously, he'd scratch the back of his neck, but being high up in the air? He couldn't... He still held onto Kara for dear life, despite being calm. "That... That means a lot" he smiled brightly.

"I really like you, Y/N... I do. And I want us to be... A thing, I want this to work, us to work" she admitted, though she felt nervous about it all... Dating a human? She done it before but it didn't really last as long as she hoped it would.

"Kara, Supergirl. I do want this to work, I'd be happy for us to be..." he paused for a moment, letting his words linger as the caped girl caught onto it and her smile radiated.

"Good..." she leaned further into the gap between herself and him. "That's all I needed to hear" her smile grew as her lips then connected with his once more to leave a cheeky kiss, pulling back to speak once more soon after. "Like I asked earlier, want me to go a little faster with our flight? I can also fly you around the entire United States if you like?" she offered him nicely.

Y/N thought about it for a moment, he still felt a little sick being high up, but at the same time, he felt comfortable in her warm embrace while she soared through the sky, just noticing she was stationary since the long lasting kiss earlier. "When did you stop flying forward?".

"Just before we kissed" she answered nicely. "But..." she lingered, keeping her eyes on him like she'd give someone puppy dog eyes.

"Sure" he chuckled lightly. "And maybe... If you're fine with it, you could... Stay at my place for the night? I-I know it's early to ask but I-Mmph!" Kara quickly shut him up with a soft kiss, where he soon melted into it, her lips pressing against his like a pillow.

"Mwah! *giggle* of course! I'd love to! Doesn't matter if it's too early or not to ask" she agreed regardless, beginning to continue soaring through the sky as she began to fly forward. "Remember... I got you"

"Wouldn't have it any other way" he smiled, beginning to actually enjoy the flight, despite his fear of heights... 

Y/N thought to himself. 'Maybe this isn't so bad after all'...

'A Flight with Supergirl... How someone would be called lucky for that...'

* * *

Fin...

Word Count: 3888

Tags: @fandomnerd9602 @6rookie-writer0110 @multi-fandom-enjoyer @ma1egamer @ab1nsur @cole-el @jacenradio7 @jadenyukiyusakufujikiyutoduelist

[pan-de-queer]

was thinking of this post (i also have a screenshot of the post at the end) and now i can't stop thinking of a uni!supercorp au set in the fucking philippines like

au is set in 2016. this is very vital to the story

lena's an international student to dlsu manila for a term (i was thinking business rich kid [so dlsu] and not lawyer/politician rich kid [admu]) bc when lillian suggested she join an international exchange program lena decided to choose the country the farthest away from lillian's influence (luthor corp has no hold in most of SEA [minus singapore obvs] and lena chose the philippines mostly because of the slightly less difficult language barrier) and majors in both science and business courses

kara got into up diliman through blood, sweat, and tears. her parents were researchers during the marcos era who were killed during martial law. kara was adopted by the danvers as jeremiah was the zor-els' co-worker and eliza was a traveling doctor. the danvers took kara and alex back to the states (usa) but kara wanted to figure out how and why her parents died and the ph is a great place to get a journalism degree so she studied up on not only the language but ph culture, history, and news as well before transferring to the ph the summer before her third year of high school. alex got a job as a medical consultant in the ph soon after and the two live together in qc (quezon city)

kara and lena meet when lena accidentally finds herself in the middle of a protest march passing through taft (kara started in up manila, not diliman hahaha)

she has no fucking idea what it's about

kara assumes lena's part of the protest and asks if she'd like to borrow one of her signs but then lena's like "what the fuck is happening"

"we're protesting marcos's burial in, uh, the national cemetery for heroes," kara explains and lena still looks so lost and kara feels both bad for the woman and awestruck that someone so beautiful exists. "marcos, like, ferdinand marcos? the country's ex-president that declared martial law, plundered the country in horrible debt, and then was banned from returning?"

lena knows some of those words, she thinks. she'd studied up on philippine history a little bit before she arrived but the textbook she'd read felt incredibly racist if not colonialist, but she's sure she read about a president declaring martial law before, so she nods as if she gets it

the protest keeps marching forward and lena finds that she can't really escape the crowd unless she wants to get crushed, so she sticks closest to kara who's both a friendly (gorgeous) face and also has the closest accent to hers

kara shares with lena more details about why they're marching and helps translate some of the more unfamiliar words of their chants

almost twenty minutes after lena accidentally joined the march, practically drenched in sweat but too moon eyed towards the blonde to care, lena finally asks where they're marching to

"to the cemetery in taguig."

taguig. taguig city. more than two hours away on foot

"oh."

when kara sees lena's face fall, she gently takes lena's wrist and manages to maneuver them to the side of the protest, away from the wave of people. kara asks what's wrong and lena admits that she's already super fucking tired and would never be able to finish the march

kara understands and decides to accompany lena while they wait for a grab ride to arrive. as lena orders her ride, kara texts her activist and journalism friends to let them know that she won't be at the final rally anymore

while they wait, they learn more about each other and find themselves even more smitten than when they first met (sometime during this part, kara also gives lena one of her extra shirts [because she's a seasoned commuting pro and knows to never leave home without an extra shirt and small towel] so lena's just looking super comfy and cute in kara's shirt)

when lena's ride arrives, kara double checks the grab because she's That Kind of person before helping her in

"thanks for waiting with me. it was nice meeting you," lena says and kara smiles, wide and toothy.

"it was nice meeting you, too. ingat!" and kara closes the card door before she remembers to even ask for lena’s number

still, the lack of contact details doesn't deter her. she knows enough about lena that hopefully dropping by dlsu more often would mean being able to see her again

and she does

anyways if this was a short fic I'd def end it around here with kara and lena getting that date but if it were a long fic then i'd 100% make kara investigate and study the ejks (extra judicial killings) during duterte's time and lena learning and falling in love with the ph the way kara has which includes lena learning how to commute (which someday, when she leads l-corp, means that she helps build and fund a better fucking public transport system)

this was suuuuppppeeer fun to even just think about and I can't promise I'll write it but just this idea has me pumped! hope the 3 pinoys who see this enjoy 💕

*edit: here's parts 1.5, 2, 3, and 4

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Our love can change the world

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/zoBeNlm by mari_cammi What if Kara had leaned in, or maybe taken Lena and finally told her what she felt for her, and Lena told her back? And if Lex had done something so terrible that not even Lilian could forgive him, especially after she started therapy with the craziest psychologist in all the DC world? Well, this is the story of Kara and Lena, as I think could have gone after Kara returned from the Phantom Zone. Something that happened in the show didn't happen or is a little different and I don't like the way Alex and Eliza treat Kara for a long time, so I won't be so gentle with them in the beginning, so if you don't like it don't read this FF. I hate Mon-EL and James, so as I said before don't read this FF if they are your favorite characters. Words: 9517, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015), Wonder Woman - All Media Types, The Flash (TV 2014), Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Batwoman (TV 2019), Titans (TV 2018) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Diana (Wonder Woman), Alex Danvers, Cat Grant, Samantha "Sam" Arias, Andrea Rojas, Nia Nal, Querl Dox, Eliza Danvers, Zor-El, Alura In-Ze | Alura Zor-El, Ruby Arias, Original Danvers-Luthor Child(ren), Esme (Supergirl TV 2015), Lex Luthor, Kelex (DCU), Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lillian Luthor, Lionel Luthor, Kelly Olsen (Supergirl TV 2015), Mon-El (Supergirl TV 2015), Bruce Wayne, J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Andrea Rojas, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Zala Jor-El, Querl Dox/Nia Nal, Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Astra/Cat Grant Additional Tags: not a slow burn, take place After Kara's rescue from the Phantom zone, Kara is the badass that she should had always had been, from 0 to 100 in the first chapter, Alex Danvers Being An Asshole, Bad Parent Eliza Danvers, but they can be redimed, Lillian Luthor Redemption, Good Parent Lillian Luthor, Fix-It of Sorts, almost canon compliant, I don't really like Mon-El read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/zoBeNlm

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Through Susie's Eyes

I did this for the Writing Workshop Week 1: Show & Tell from @bettsfic and @books. Hope you guys enjoy!

Fandom: Supergirl

Characters: Original Character Susie The Doll, Kara Danvers, Eliza Danvers, Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers, Original Characters-Ari Arias and Jonas Arias

Summary: A doll is given to a teenage girl. Will she treasure it or think it is something trivial?

Word Count: 3401

Susie sat on the box counting the stokes the spider made on his web ahead of her. It was the only lively thing in this place in recent months. Or had it been years. It is really too hard to tell. She is in the attic after all. There is a window in front of her, but it is all smudged. You can only tell if it is night or day. She tried to listen for sounds, but heard none. She sighed. Once the younger girls had moved out of the house, no one was really ever around except the mother. However, that is barely true. She is only here to sleep and is then off to who knows where. 

Susie felt a shift in the box she was sitting on. The side of the box had lost stability and began to tear. It caused the side of the box that Susie was on to dip and she fell down to the ground. She fell on her side grateful that the box also didn’t come tumbling down on her. She looked in front of her and saw her reflection in the mirror. She knew that her looks had degraded, but didn’t know it had gotten this bad. Her button eyes were sagging, her dress was torn, her red hair was missing in chunks and the ones that were left were frazzled, her shoes were scuffed, and her hands (or could she even call them hands since she didn’t have fingers), had small puffs of cotton coming out. Her blue ribbons were completely missing and the trim of her dress was now a grayish color. She always hated that mirror because it showed her imperfections every single time. Looking at herself made her think about what she looked like in her former glory when she met her person, Kara. 

Long Ago

Susie was in a box with the other Susie dolls at the Tree General Store. All of them looked the same: red braided pigtails with a blue ribbon at the end, a blue long sleeve dress with a white ribbon going around the middle, white trim going around the end of the sleeves and the bottom of the dress, white socks, black penny loafer shoes, black button eyes, a red button nose, and a black stitch smile. The dream of a doll was to be picked by their person and go to their forever home. The waiting was brutal. She heard of dolls having to wait years to be picked by their person. 

Susie felt fortunate that she was only on the shelf for a week. The mother had picked her up. Usually, most parents are happy or at least content picking up the toy for their child. However, she noticed that this mom looked really sad and a little bit frazzled. 

“Bringing a child a doll should be a joyous occasion,” thought Susie as they headed to the checkout line. 

Despite this perplexing display of emotion, Susie couldn’t help but be excited about the child she was about to meet. She dreamed of all the new toys she would get to meet and all the tea parties they would get to have. She snapped out of her daydream when she realized the car had stopped. 

The mother took her inside. It was a nice house from what Susie could tell. There was a spacious living room. They ended up making a stop in the kitchen. The mother took her out of the box and placed her into a pink small bag surrounded by tissue paper. 

“This is it! I will finally meet my person!” thought Susie excitedly. 

Susie could tell they were on the move again and that it sounded like they were heading up some stairs. After a little bit, she heard a knock. 

“Kara, is it okay if I come in”

“You can come in, Eliza,” said Kara softly. 

Susie heard the mother shuffle forward, but then stopped. It was silent for a minute until Susie felt the bag being handed over to Kara. 

“I know that you have been having nightmares since you have gotten here. I know this isn’t much, but I thought it would help.”

“Nightmares. That is terrible. I hope I can bring some comfort to this child,” thought Susie. 

She felt hands go into the bag and wrap around her waist pulling her up. As she faced her new person, they both stared at each other baffled. Well, if Susie could make faces it would be one of bafflement. Before her was not a child, but a teenage girl. She had heard horror stories about them. They were at the age where they grew out of playing with any toy and focus on more trivial things like make up, boys, and fashion. She felt her heart sink at the possibility that she may be thrown out a lot sooner than she thought. 

Kara looked up to the mother and said, “Why did you give me a doll?”

The mother looked down nervously and said, “I know it may be silly. However, when i was younger, I had frequent nightmares. One thing that helped me through them was my doll Lilly.”

“But this thing can’t do anything!” 

The mother sighed and said, “Sometimes, the best thing anyone can ask for is someone to listen.”

She kissed Kara’s forehead before heading out of the room. 

Kara stared back perplexed at Susie. 

Kara shook her head and said, “I don’t know why she thinks a doll can solve my problems.”

“I can listen though,” Susie thought hopefully. 

“It is not like you can stop the nightmares of seeing my home planet explode every single night. You can’t stop the feeling I get that I am being followed by the phantoms from the phantom zone after staying there for so long. You can’t bring my family b…”

Kara broke into tears. She brought Susie into her chest hugging her hard. She then curled into  little ball on her bed. Susie was shocked that a girl so young has gone through so much tragedy. She wished there was more that she could do for Kara, her person. All she can do is be by her side and be a sounding board. 

Kara held her in her arms until she fell asleep. Susie wished for her sweet dreams. The next morning, she watched Kara wake up with a baffled look on her face.

“No nightmares,” said Kara bewildered. 

She looked down at Susie and smiled.

“I guess Eliza was right about you.”

If Susie could smile, she would.

“I am not going to be thrown out!” she thought excitedly.

As much as she wished for having tea parties and other toys to talk with, Susie was happy with the groove that she and Kara developed. At the end of each day before bed, she would tell Susie about her day. It was mostly school and boys. It sounded like survival of the fittest to Susie, but Kara seemed to enjoy it. As Susie spent more time with Kara, she realized that she wasn’t your everyday child. She had a tendency of breaking things easily. Desk, chairs, walls, etc. You name it, she had at least broken it once. Normally, Susie would just think she was a klutz, but some of the things that she did seemed beyond human. 

Susie didn’t really think anything of Kara’s behavior until she watched them float to the ceiling one night. Susie initially thought it was the phantoms Kara had talked about until Kara woke up and yelped. They instantly fell back to the bed. 

“I can fly,” said Kara with a smile. 

Susie watched as Kara proceeded to try to jump off the bed and fly but no success. After the twelfth time, she huffed and clutched Susie in her chest. 

“I know I didn’t just imagine this,” huffed Kara. 

She turned Susie over so that she was looking her directly in the face and asked, “You saw it, didn’t you Susie? I flew. I wonder if Clark would be willing to…”

She sighed as she fell on the bed while holding Susie. 

“He barely sees me now. Why did I even think he could help me,” muttered Kara. 

Susie hated whoever this Clark person was. Every time Kara mentions him the spirit always drains out of her eyes. She wishes she could provide more comfort to her. However, all she could do was watch. 

Susie didn’t know how Kara did it, but she figured out how to fly. Whenever her sister Alex didn’t want to go with her, she would take Susie to fly at night. Sometimes they would just fly though the sky looking at the constellations. Other times, they would fly to the beach and sit in the sand making sand castles or just sit watching the waves roll in. Susie enjoyed these times with Kara the most because it was when Kara was the most at peace with herself. Her blue eyes would sparkle and the smile on her face just screamed joy. She admired how Kara went from being a scared teenager to a young adult. 

“An adult,” Susie sighed. 

For toys like Susie, the worse thing than watching your child become a teenager was to watch them become an adult. Some toys are lucky to stay with their person through their teenage years, but to stay as an adult. That was never heard of. As Kara’s graduation from high school grew closer, Susie dreaded it. She knew soon that she was going to meet her fate. A couple of days before Kara went to college, Susie was put face up in a box with a random assortment of items. 

“I am being given away,” thought Susie sadly. 

She felt the box on the move until everything stopped. She then felt them start driving. 

“Let’s hope that I will be picked up by another girl that needs help,” thought Susie hopefully.

Susie was lost in thought until she felt the car stopped. Her heart sank that this was it. She felt them begin to move a while until they stopped and felt the box being placed on a hard surface. She watched the box open and was startled at what she saw: Kara. 

She grabbed Susie and placed her on the desk next to her bed.

“I didn’t get left behind!”

If Susie could cry tears of joy, she would. She didn’t know what she did to deserve Kara. She talked to Susie less since entering college. She was busy with making new friends, doing new activities, and school. However, the conversations that they did have were more meaningful. Kara didn’t have a sense of direction of what she wanted to do in college. Susie thought that it had to do with Clark though. Kara would talk about her love of literature, writing, meeting new people, and fighting for people’s rights. She would be a perfect journalist. Susie would watch Kara make diagrams that took up the whole wall on what careers she could do. All Susie could do is sigh when she watched her do this. 

“I hope she realizes that being in journalism won’t make her like that jerk Clark,” thought Susie. 

It took Kara three years of denial, but Susie was glad that Kara came to the conclusion that journalism was the correct path all on her own. Once Kara embraced her career choice, she soared in all of her classes. She even got an internship at a famous magazine. Kara would often come back from the internship complaining about her boss, but overall loving the experience. Susie was just happy to see that Kara was finding her way in life. 

One thing that Susie didn’t like is when people would come over. Sometimes, when people came over, Kara would turn her over and wrap a ribbon around her eyes and ears. She would stay like that until her guest left. Kara would always look flushed when she finally took the ribbons off of her. 

“I hope you didn’t hear anything that would scar you for life Susie,” Kara chuckled. 

She would say that every time. Susie wished she knew what it meant. She just hated the feeling that she was being put in time out. However, when she looked at Kara, it made her wonder if she was doing it for her benefit. At least, she hoped she was. 

Soon Kara was graduating college. As she watched Kara leave for the ceremony in her black and gold gown, she wondered if she would be able to see what type of adult she will become as she gets older. She didn’t know what to expect. No toy she knew of has gotten this far. 

“I don’t think she would abandon me now though,” thought Susie hesitantly. 

As she sat in thought, she didn’t realize Kara came back until she placed her on top of a box and carried her out to the car. They drove back to her home. When they arrived, she placed her and the box at the door, and then she went to eat. Kara then left to meet with some friends. After a little bit, the mother came down and took the box and her to the attic. 

As she saw the mother walking away leaving her there, Susie tried to scream, “No, I am meant to be with Kara. Don’t leave me here!”

However, no one could hear her screams. There, Susie has sat waiting for Kara’s return. 

Present Day

As Susie laid on the dusty floor, she wondered if Kara even thinks of her and sighs. 

“I hope that wherever you are, you are happy.”

Suddenly, Susie hears the attic door hope. She hears footsteps coming towards her and then stops. 

“Are you sure you left her up here?”

A moment of silence happens before the footsteps continue. 

“You don’t have to yell. It is just no one has seen her in years. I will be….Okay, Okay, I will look.”

The person starts walking again until their feet are now in her view. The person picked her up and Susie was surprised to see it was Alex.

Alex picked back up the phone and said, “I found Susie, but she is in bad shape.”

She remained silent a couple of minutes while listening to the other person on the other end. Susie wished she could hear what the other person was saying. 

After a couple of more minutes, Alex sighed and said, “I know what to do.”

She disconnected the call and stared at Susie with a frown on her face. 

“I was hoping you were in a better state. However, we still have time to get you ready before they arrive.”

“Who are they? What are you going to do to me?” thought Susie terrified. 

After being in the attic for so long, parts of her wondered if they were going to send her off to a second hand shop or even worse, a garbage dump. Susie laid in despair as Alex brought them down to the kitchen. Susie watched as Alex went and brought back a sewing kit. She gradually fixed her eyes and sewed her new hair. She then took off her clothes and shoes, and placed Susie in the washer machine. 

Susie hated the washer machine. It was dizzying and she couldn’t see what was going on with all the soap suds everywhere. The water made her body heavy. The only positive thing about the experience was that she didn’t have any dust or webs on her anymore. When Alex took her out, she thought the nightmare was over until she put her in the dryer. It made her lighter again, but it made her disoriented and hot. Once she got out of the dryer, she was really out of it. It took her a couple of minutes to realize that she was facing the phone and could see her reflection. She squealed internally with joy. She looked like her former self. Her dress looked like it was brand new, her pigtails were back, the trim on her dress were white and she now had ribbons. Her arms no longer had cotton coming out of them. 

“I took the photo mom, and I sent it to you….Yes, I think they are going to love this.”

Alex turned to Susie with a smile and said, “You are really going to make a couple of people’s day.”

She placed Susie in a pink bag with tissue paper. It reminded her of the day she met Kara. She wonders if the people that Alex talked about were as nice as her. Susie thought that they were going to leave, but surprised they stayed in the kitchen. She suddenly hears a knock. Alex gets up and leaves her in the kitchen. Susie waits nervously. 

“I got extremely lucky with Kara. Hopefully, these new people will be just as great,” thought Susie hopefully. 

Susie suddenly felt the bag begin to move. They don’t move far though. A hand comes into the bag and picks her up. Once she gets out, she is overjoyed. In front of her is Kara with tears streaming down her face. She instantly hugs Susie very tightly.

“I thought that I lost you,” cried Kara. 

Susie beamed inside. Kara never forgot about her. She just couldn’t find her. Kara looked up at Alex with a joyous expression on her face. 

“Where did you find her?”

“She was in the attic.”

Kara frowned and said, “The attic? I never placed her there.”

Alex sighed and said, “I think mom did it by accident. I think she thought that you wanted Susie in storage with the rest of your things.”

“I think she did it on purpose,” Susie sulked to herself. 

Kara scoffed at Alex and said, “As if I would put Susie in storage.”

Another woman came into Susie’s view and said, “So this is the infamous Susie.”

“Yes, Lena. The very one that Kara accused me of throwing away over the years which she still hasn’t apologized for.”

Kara sighed and said, “I am sorry. I should have known you wouldn’t do something like that. I think that I was just mad that I couldn’t find her and you were an easy target.”

Alex patted her on the back and said, “I understand. I know how much that doll means to you.”

“Do you really think that Alexa will like her though?” asked Lena,

Kara smiled proudly and said, “Alexa will love her. Susie is the best. She listens to your problems and makes everything better.”

“Really?” chuckled Lena. 

“I know it sounds silly. However, when I first came to earth, I didn’t have an outlet. It was just nice to talk to her knowing that she was there to listen and not judge.”

Lena kissed Kara on the forehead and said, "I am glad to hear that darling.”

Kara looked down beaming at Susie and said, “Now it is time to introduce you to someone special.”

Kara brought Susie over to the couch where sat two car seats. One had a baby girl with black hair and green eyes that was clutching a brown bear. The other seat had a baby girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that was a little fussy. 

“Wonder if she will throw Susie like every toy we have tried to give her,” murmured Lena. 

Kara chuckled while shaking her head. She sat on the couch and pulled the blonde girl out of the car seat. She placed Susie in the baby girl’s arms. 

“Alexa, I want you to meet Susie. She is the best friend and listener you will ever meet.”

Alexa looked down and smiled at Susie and grabbed her into a hug. Kara looked up at Lena with a smug look on her face. 

“I told you she would like her.”

“Yes, you did. I am glad that we finally found something she likes,” said Lena, smiling softly. 

Susie felt overjoyed. Not only did she get returned to Kara again, but now she will be a special friend to her daughter too. She knew that she could always depend on Kara, and she hoped that she could provide her daughter with the same level of comfort that she provided to Kara when she was younger. 

[ao3feed-supercorp]

'Cause a Vow Means Never, Starting Now

by IndeliblyBoxedIn

The time has come for Mon and Winn to finally get married. There's just one problem, and its name is Winn's Mother.

Words: 1114, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of Secrets, Secrets, Universe

Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Winn Schott Jr., Mon-El (Supergirl TV 2015), Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers, J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw, Barry Allen, Agent Vasquez (Supergirl TV 2015), Mary McGowan, James "Jimmy" Olsen, Lena Luthor, Kelly Olsen (Supergirl TV 2015), Eliza Danvers, Various DEO Agents (Supergirl TV 2015), Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow

Relationships: Mon-El/Winn Schott Jr., Hinted, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer

Additional Tags: Marriage, Weddings, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Idiots in Love, Monster-In-Law, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Abusive Parents, wedding crashing, Evil Plans, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Trans Male Character, Trans Winn Schott Jr., deadnaming, Transphobia, Homophobia, I'm Bad At Tagging, Angst with a Happy Ending, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, No beta we die like Winn's singing parts, Misgendering

from AO3 works tagged 'Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor' https://ift.tt/wPucktQ via IFTTT https://ift.tt/wPucktQ

[ao3feed-generaldanvers]

Unexpected Visitor

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/8Oa0j1p by mommieslvt Astra and Alex was having some time together 'as friends' when an unexpected visitor came by.. Words: 745, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F Characters: Eliza Danvers, Kara Danvers Relationships: Astra/Alex Danvers, Astra & Alex Danvers Additional Tags: Bad Parent Eliza Danvers, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Alex Danvers Needs a Hug read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/8Oa0j1p

[onceuponaweirdo]

A selective mutism AU, with Alex, because I feel like not speaking ever again.

[unknownalien3388]

The Ugly Duckling Makes a Friend - AgentCorp Friendship Fanfic.

Lena and her family had just moved to Midvale a few weeks ago and have been the talk of the town ever since. This didn’t surprise Alex, as it was to be expected when a family as rich and influential as the Luthors suddenly moved from the big city of Metropolis to a small humble town like Midvale that people would talk. And talk they did. Though Alex was too busy with her school work and babysitting her young alien sister to really pay any attention to what the adults and peers around her had to say about a family she couldn’t care less about. It wasn’t until one after while Alex was waiting at school for her mom to pick her up after work, like she had promised, that her paths crossed with the youngest Luthor, Lena. While they may not have a lot in common, there is one thing that they did have in common and that was the fact they were the unloved sibling in their family. But was that enough for them to forget their differences and become friends or are they just too different?

                                                  ---------------- The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow across Midvale High School's library where sixteen-year-old Alex Danvers sat. School had long ended, but Alex remained, one of the last students lingering due to yet another extended student council meeting. Earlier that day, she had told her adopted sister Kara that she would stay late and instructed her to go home without her. Now, she sat alone, waiting for her mother, Eliza, who had promised to pick her up after work that morning. As she gazed at a history book she should have been reading, a sense of resignation washed over her. 'She forgot about me again,' Alex thought silently. She wiped away a stray tear and added with a bitter laugh, 'I bet if Kara were here, she wouldn't have forgotten. But then again, Kara is her favorite daughter.'  She was so deep in her thoughts that she did not see the girl walk up to her until she tapped on her shoulder, scaring her in the process. "Whoa. Hey, I didn't mean to scare you," the girl said calmly with her hands raised to show she meant no harm. "I'm Lena, the new girl. I saw you sitting by yourself and thought I might keep you company, is that cool with you?"

Alex eyed her cautiously. She was a short, pale-skinned girl with long raven hair who looked to be around Kara’s age of sixteen and clearly rich. She nodded her head slowly. 'Yeah, sure; why not.' She shrugged.

"Thanks," Lena said as she took a seat across from her. "So, how are you? How was school?"

"I’m well, and school was school. You?" Alex asked with another shrug.

"I’m good, thanks. School was okay. I passed all my end-of-term tests with high scores, so I’m happy with that," Lena answered with a proud smile.

"Well done," Alex congratulated her sincerely.

"Did you have any tests this week?"

"No, they’re all next week. There was a moment of silence before Alex spoke again. 'So, why are you still at school so late?' She asked. 'I mean, you just told me you’ve done all your tests. So, you don't have to study. And just by looking at you, I can tell your family is obviously rich. I’m surprised you don’t have people tripping over their feet to get you home to your mommy and daddy." Alex asked with clear disdain.

Instead of taking offense to her comment like Alex thought she would, the girl just laughed. “I was not always like this,” she said, gesturing to her outfit. “I was adopted by the Luthors, who just love to flash their wealth and money around. But between me and you, I would rather wear what you have on than this ridiculous get-up." She admitted, pointing to Alex's ripped skinny jeans and t-shirt that had some rock band on it that her father gave her before he died. She spoke with just a hint of an accent that Alex knew was not American. “But then again, anything is better than this.” She added with a laugh as she pointed to her pencil skirt and blouse.

“That’s true.” Alex agreed with a small grin.

“The reason I’m here so late is because my Chess Club meeting ran overtime. We’re getting ready for the big Interschool Chess competition at the start of next term, and Lillian, my adopted mother, refused to pick me up after she had picked up her golden boy, Lex, from his polo practice. Her reasoning being Lex had to go home and have an ice bath, and she didn’t want to ‘waste their time' by picking me up because I ‘chose’ to stay at school late.” She answered with a sneer. "But if I even mention leaving the team, she loses it. So, it's a lose-lose situation, really."

"But wait, isn't your brother old enough to get his license and drive himself around?” Alex asked.

“Yes, but Lex doesn’t have to do anything with mother dearest around.” Lena explained with a roll of her eyes.

“What about your father? Why can’t he pick you up?”

“Lionel? He’s too busy being the CEO of LuthorCorp to notice anything else. And even if he wasn’t, he’s too busy with his flavor of the month to care. The Luthors like to fool the world into believing that they are a tight-knit family, but I can promise you; it is all for show.” She answered with hidden pain in her voice that Alex knew too well. The pain of feeling unloved.

“I kind of understand how you must be feeling,” Alex said, feeling like she had finally found someone who understood her pain. ‘Maybe, I can make a friend that knows what it feels like to be neglected by their parents.’ She thought to herself. ‘Not that anyone should ever go through this.’

“You do?” Lena questioned, surprised.

“Yeah.” Alex sighed. “In case you didn’t know, I’m the student president, and well, the student council meetings also have a history of running late, like today. So, I told my sister to take the bus home because our mom said she would pick me up after work tonight, but I guess she forgot again.” She told Lena, “Oh, I’m Alex, by the way.”

“I know, we share the same third period AP Science class with Mr. Smith.” Lena informed her with a kind smile.

“Oh, I never noticed. Sorry.” Alex said apologetically, feeling a little guilty, but Lena just smiled.

“That’s okay, Alex; really. I usually sit at the back of the room, and because of my new last name, I’m never called upon during class, so not many people notice me, which is great.” She assures her in a gentle voice. “I’m just sorry that your mother can’t see how wonderful you are. But I know for a fact that one day she will.” Lena promised with deep conviction in her voice.

“Thanks.” Alex replied, not knowing what else to say and honestly not believing that her mother would ever see her or her greatness, as she felt she would always be living under the shadow of her alien sister. “May I ask how old you are?”

“Thirteen, I turn fourteen next year.” Lena answered with another proud smile. "You?" She asked in return.

"That's pretty young to be entering high school," Alex said, surprised by her age. 

"Well, with my high intellect, thirst for knowledge, and my new last name, I skipped a few grades,” she explained with a blush.

"That’s cool that you got to skip a few grades,” Alex commented. "And I’m sixteen, turning seventeen in a few weeks. My mother doesn’t like the idea of teenagers driving cars and says, 'that's the adults’ job.'” Alex said with a shake of her head.

“Yeah, have you noticed that adults are always expecting their children to do better than they did when they were young and get really mad at them when they fail to meet their high expectations? I mean I know I will never meet Lillian’s expectations, only Lex will do that.” Lena said with barely hidden distaste.

"Damn, if that isn’t true. I probably won’t ever meet my mother’s exceptions either, that will always be my sister. Now, I’m not saying I hate her. I do not hate Kara. I just wish my mother viewed us as equals, you know?" Alex asked, desperate for someone to understand her.

"Yeah, I do. But I have come to terms with the fact that Lillian will never love me as much as she loves her Lex," Lena said with a sad little shrug. "The only thing I am grateful for is that their money helps feed my need for higher education." She acknowledged. “What would be your favorite attribute?” She asked, changing the subject. “Mine’s obviously my IQ, which is higher than Lex’s IQ.”

Alex thought for a moment. “Probably my eidetic memory would have to be mine; I don’t know what my IQ is, but I can read and memorize 20,000 words a minute.” She bragged with a grin. It felt good to be able to brag about her abilities as she rarely, if ever, got the chance to do it.

“Those are two pretty cool attributes you have. And hey, with a memory and skill like that, you could get into places like MIT, Stanford, even Harvard. I also bet your IQ is super high, you must be like Einstein level smart,” Lena exclaimed in a loud voice, only to be shushed by the librarian.

Alex’s grin widened with a blush. “I wish I were that smart! But I’m aiming to get into Harvard to study medicine. It’s one of the hardest schools to get accepted into.” She informed Lena, still feeling proud at the young girl’s compliment. "My mother wants me to study science like her, but I want to be a doctor and help people. I guess that’s another thing about me that disappoints her," Alex said just as her phone beeped with an incoming message.

Mom (4:00 PM): Hey sweetie, hope school went well! I’m sorry but I can’t pick you up tonight, staying late at work. I will get Kara to pick you up soon. Lots of love, Mom xx.

Alex (4:01 PM): Okay.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lena asked, concerned.

“I’m fine, it's just my mom letting me know what I already guessed. She forgot her promise and won't be picking me up,” Alex said.

“That's just fucking crap!” Lena exclaimed with anger. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m here for you, and it’s okay if you aren’t. I won't judge you either way,” she assured Alex, worried about her new friend.

“Yes,” Alex answered with a fake smile. “Thanks.”

"Can I tell you a little about me?" Lena asked her politely, deciding to change the subject instead of pushing her to talk.

Alex nodded her head. “Yeah, sure.”

"As you might be able to tell, I was not born here in the States. I was actually born in Ireland. When I was growing up, I only had my mother; no father. My mother’s name was Kieran McGrath, and she was the only hero I ever had. She was a kind and loving soul. I loved her dearly and miss her every day."

“What happened to her if you don’t mind me asking?” Alex asked.

“No, I’ll tell you. I was about four years old when my mom decided to take me to the lake near our house for a picnic as it was a great day for it. Nice and sunny. After lunch, she wanted to go for a swim, but I hadn’t been feeling well that day, so I didn’t join her and stayed on the shore to watch her. I remember her smiling for the first time in what felt like a long time as she bent down to kiss me on my cheek before she ran into the water laughing. She had such a beautiful and carefree laugh,” Lena said with a smile and a faraway look in her eyes as she relived that fateful day. “When my mother was up to her waist deep in the water, she turned around to wave at me one last time with this big grin on her face. She was so happy and radiant. That was the last time I ever saw her before she died,” Lena explained.

“How did she die?” Alex asked, shocked.

“She drowned,” Lena answered numbly.

“Oh damn. That’s terrible,” Alex whispered, completely heartbroken for the other girl.

“A few hours later, I was sent to live in an orphanage, and a few weeks after that the Luthors came and picked me up. And you know the drill, a rich family adopts a poor orphan child with no family of their own, to help hide any of their wrongdoings while making the family look great. Charity work, they call it," Lena said with barely hidden disgust.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Alex replied mournfully.

"I won’t say it’s okay because that would be a lie, but thank you anyway. When I moved to the States, they changed my name to Luthor, and I grew up with a hateful mother who never liked me, a father that tolerated me at best, and that’s whenever he could be bothered to play at being a family man. Only Lex genuinely liked me. He taught me my love for chess, reading, and all things science. He was the best brother I could ever ask for. Everything in my life was finally okay. I may not have had loving parents like everyone else, but at least I had a loving brother. Then everything changed when he went off to college. I don’t know what happened to him over there, I just know that he came home for the holidays his first year different, and he never went back,” Lena told her.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked.

“He came back changed. He was angrier. Then recently Lex’s hatred towards anything extraterrestrial became more concerning, which is why Lillian suggested we move here to Midvale and away from the new alien superhero in Metropolis, Superman.”

"That's pretty shitty that you had to move just because your brother isn’t a fan of Superman," Alex concluded with a frown.

"Yeah, it is," Lena agreed. "But that is my life. What is your story, Alex?"

"Sorry, ladies," the kind librarian interrupted. "The library will be closing soon. If you could pack up your things and make for the exit, that would be much appreciated." She said with an apologetic smile.

The girls packed up their things and moved to the front steps of the library to continue their conversation.

"My story? Hmmm." Alex thought for a moment about what to tell Lena before settling on as close to the truth as she was allowed. "Well, it isn't as long or sad as yours but here goes. My life started off normal. Both my parents were scientists, but they always had time for me, no matter how busy they got. Due to my high intelligence and eidetic memory, I was the star of my whole family, the apple of my parents' eye. And it wasn’t until last year that things started to change. It happened after my parents decided to adopt Kara following her losing her family in a house fire…”

“No, she didn't.” Lena interrupted.

"What do you mean she didn’t? Of course, she did. I think I would know how my little sister's parents died," Alex argued fiercely, concerned that Lena might have uncovered the truth about Kara and her family.

“Just stop, Alex; you do not have to lie to me. I am in a lot of Kara’s classes and I notice things about her. I know that your sister is, in fact, an alien and is probably related to Superman. Which, if she is, would make her Kryptonian. I know this for a fact because, as I mentioned before, Lex is crazy obsessed with Superman and other aliens. He spends most of his days now trying to find ways to rid the world of aliens. Also, Kara shows signs of having similar powers as him, and it’s pretty clear that she worships a different god. One named Rao.” Lena said with a raised eyebrow, changeling Alex to disagree with what she said.

“Fine! You're right. But if you tell anyone else I swear..." Alex began to threaten.

"I won’t. I promise I won’t tell anyone. Especially with someone like Lex hanging around. I would hate to put an innocent life in danger, and I’m scared to see what Lex would do if he knew an alien was living right here in Midvale, right under his nose.” Lena told her honestly.

Alex looked into her eyes, searching for any signs that Lena might be lying to her. She found nothing to indict a lie. "I believe you when you say you won’t tell anyone, but don't make me regret it." Alex said with a pointed look. "Anyway, everything was fine then Kara came crashing into my life. Literally. Her superhero cousin didn’t want her and left her on our doorstep. That was when everything in my life changed. My parents had less and less time for me. My mother is always expecting me to grow up and be mature, always expecting me to be my sister’s babysitter like I have no friends that I want to hang out with or schoolwork I need to get done. I just feel like in my mother's eyes, I have no life outside of looking after Kara. Which only got worse when my father, who gave everything he had to protect Kara, died." Alex confessed, her voice tinged with a mix of vulnerability and longing. "I've just been trying to be strong for everyone, but it's nice to talk to someone who understands."

"That's really tough," Lena said bluntly, though her empathy was still shining through. 

“It is, isn't it?” Alex said with a humorless laugh.

"We both deserve better." Lena told Alex with a serious look on her face. I’m always being judged and ridiculed for being too much of a Luthor by strangers on the streets and in school. Then I go home to be compared to my 'perfect' brother and ridiculed for not being Luthor enough by mother and father. And then there is you, who has a mother who stopped seeing you and your greatness when Kara came along, which is wrong." She shook her head in disappointment. "We both deserve better."

Alex hummed in agreement. There was a moment of silence before a car horn sounded, causing both girls to jump and look around.

"There’s my sister," Alex said, nodding toward the truck parked across the street. "Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I’m sure Kara won’t mind giving you a lift home," she asked, sounding a bit worried.

Lena reassured her with a warm smile, "Yes, I’ll be fine, Alex. My friend Jack just texted me to let me know that his practice will be finished soon, and then he’ll be around to pick me up. But if you are still concerned," Lena offered, "how about we swap numbers so I can text you as soon as he picks me up? So, you know I am safe."

"Sure, that would be great," Alex agreed with a sigh of relief. She handed her unlocked phone to Lena and accepted Lena's phone in return.

"There you go," Lena said, giving Alex her phone back. "I will text you later, and I’ll see you tomorrow," she added with a shy look in her eyes.

Alex smiled. "You sure will. I have to go now, but we will talk soon. Bye, Lena."

"Bye, Alex," Lena called. "And hey, one day, we will get the family we always wanted," Lena promised her.

 Lena Luthor (5:30PM): Hey, it’s Lena. I just wanted to say that I think becoming a doctor is a great idea and you will be amazing in whatever you choose to do in life.         

Lena Luthor (5:31PM): Also I’m home safe. See you tomorrow.   

The better Alex (5:35pm): That is very sweet of you to say, thank you. I’m glad you are home safe. See you tomorrow.    

Lena Luthor (5:40pm): Do you mind me asking why Kara is allowed to drive if your mother doesn’t like teenagers driving? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.

The better Alex (5:41pm): No, it’s fine. Kara is allowed to drive because she’s Kara. Mom lets her get away with pretty much everything.

Lena Luthor (5:45pm):  That’s just stupid, if you are going to let one child do something then both children should be allowed to do it.

The better Alex (5:46pm):  Agreed.

Lena Luthor (5:46pm): Maybe we can complain about being the unloved sibling together?

The better Alex (5:47pm): That would be nice to have someone on my side for a change.                          

Lena Luthor 5:48pm):  I will always be on your side.

The better Alex (5:50pm): Ditto.                                                               The End.

[searidings]

With esme being around the superfriends all the time no way she doesn’t think Lena and Kara is a thing

(i took the liberty of combining these two prompts into a single ficlet i like to call the one where esme calls them out)

also here on ao3

“I think I'm gonna use orange for mommies and daddies,” Esme says, tongue poking out between her teeth as she carefully selects the desired felt pen from the box. “And blue for brothers and sisters, and purple for boyfriend girlfriends.”

Kara nods, appraising the selection with a critical eye. “Those sound like excellent choices. So.” She shuffles the six-year-old more comfortably in her lap, adjusting the pillow between her back and the couch. “Where are we gonna start?”

Esme turns to stare up at her, puffing out her cheeks in a move eerily reminiscent of an exasperated Alex Danvers. “With me, of course!”

“Of course.”

Kara mimes slapping herself on the forehead, and the young girl giggles. “Aunt Kara, you're silly.”

A flush of warmth suffuses her from head to toe, bolder and brighter than the strongest sunlight. She hasn't been around a child like this, hasn't loved a child like this, since Kal back on Krypton. For a time she'd wondered if she ever would again.

She tightens her arms incrementally around the young girl, breathing in her soft baby powder scent. “I am the silliest,” she agrees solemnly, reaching out to tap at the blank sheet of paper on the coffee table before them. “And you have homework, young lady. Come on, let's get this family tree started.”

Esme turns her attention back to the task at hand, writing out the wobbly letters of her name with painstaking care. A few inches above, Alex and Kelly are printed in unsteady capitals. Esme draws a thick orange line from her own name to the gap between theirs, then pauses.

“But, but, Mommy and Mama aren't girlfriends no more,” she says suddenly, turning to frown up at Kara. This child may not be her flesh and blood, but she'd managed to inherit the Danvers family crinkle all the same. Esme purses her lips, thinking. “Now they gonna be wives.”

Kara nods, tapping her chin in consideration. “That's true,” she agrees. “Good thinking. Maybe you could pick another colour for people who get married?”

Esme nods like Kara's just handed her the answer to the purpose of life. “I'm gonna use green, ‘cause it's pretty,” she decides, uncapping the pen. “Do you think green is pretty, Aunt Kara?”

Kara smiles. Thinks, for once, not of Kryptonite and burning screaming agony but of new leaves, new life, new shoots pushing up through the soil. Of Esme's striped bedspread and kale disappearing between pretty pink lips and one specific pair of crystal-bright eyes. “Yeah,” she hums, resting her chin lightly on the crown of Esme's head. “I think green is very pretty.”

Esme joins her mothers’ names with a bright green line then pauses, appraising. “What next?”

“Well, what about your mommies’ mommies and daddies?”

“Grandpa J’onn!” the young girl squeals, wriggling excitedly in her lap. Kara's cheeks are beginning to hurt from so much smiling. Being with Esme tends to have that effect.

Together they arrange J’onn and M’gann's names along the top of the page, then Eliza and Jeremiah and Kelly's parents, connecting them downwards with thick orange lines.

“Why I got so many grandmas and grandpas?” Esme asks once the last line is connected, her tiny brow furrowing. “Does everybody have this many?”

Kara bites her lip, considering. “No,” she allows. “But everybody's family is different. You know how your moms adopted you, but you also have another mom and dad that you lived with before?”

Esme nods, and Kara smiles. “So that means you've got two sets of parents. Some people just have one mom and dad, and some people have more, like me and you and Aunt Lena. But all it means is that there's extra people who love you. And that's never a bad thing, right?”

Esme nods decisively, the matter apparently settled. “Right.” She appraises her project, eyes narrowed in a concentrated pout that could rival Kelly Olsen's. “Now we gotta do brothers and sisters.”

They join James’ name to Kelly's with a sky-blue pen, then add Kara's beside Alex. “What about Uncle Brainy and Aunt Nia?” Esme asks, and Kara chuckles.

“Oh, Uncle Brainy is definitely little brother material.” She wraps her fingers lightly around Esme's tiny fist, guiding the child's hand to link Brainy to her, Alex and Kelly with careful blue strokes.

Esme caps the light blue and unscrews the lilac, drawing a wobbly line from the far side of Brainy's name to the blocky print of Nia's. “Boyfriend girlfriend,” she declares resolutely, taking a sip of orange juice from her zebra-print cup and nibbling at one of the double chocolate cookies laid out beside them.

Kara grabs for one too, so absorbed in demolishing it without dropping any crumbs in Esme's hair that she doesn't even notice the child writing again until an accusing lilac line is linking Kara's own name to— to Lena's.

Kara promptly inhales half a cookie's worth of crumbs directly into her lung, coughing and spluttering as she gapes down at the page. Esme seems utterly unperturbed by her armchair's choking fit, clicking the cap back on her felt pen and tracing her handiwork with one finger. “There,” she hums, satisfied. “Girlfriend girlfriend.”

Once Kara regains the ability to draw oxygen into her airways, she stares down at her niece with wide eyes. “But, Esme,” she tries, voice strangled by more than just the chocolate chips looking to make their forever home inside her bronchi. “Lena and I aren't— Aunt Lena and I aren't girlfriends.”

Esme finishes writing her name and the date in the top corner of her project and twists to gaze up at Kara serenely. “Yeah, you are.”

"Why, why would you think that?” Kara manages, breathless and blushing. Her niece gives her an honest to God eyeroll in response.

“Because,” she drawls, sounding more sixteen than six. “You do everything that girlfriends do.”

Kara gapes. “Do not.”

Esme pouts. “Do too.”

Kara flushes, heat spreading through her cheeks and prickling the back of her neck. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

“You always hold the door open for her,” Esme says without even a flicker of hesitation, ticking each point off on her tiny fingers. “And pull out her chair, just like Mommy does for Mama in fancy restaurants.”

Kara frowns. “That's— I don't—”

“You save food for her,” Esme continues, unperturbed. “And hold her drink when she's not there.”

Kara huffs. She's already had an earful about this one from Nia. “If this is about the champagne at the party last week, that was one time—”

"You gave her your last potsticker at pirate princess movie night.” Esme gazes at her coolly, as if she's just hammered the final nail into the coffin of her proof. In a way, Kara supposes, she has. But a six-year-old shouldn't know that.

“So what?” she tries, aiming for nonchalance and failing miserably. "That's not a big deal.”

"Mommy says it is,” Esme counters calmly, blinking up at her with those sweet brown eyes. “Mommy says you almost melted her face off one time when she tried to take the last potsticker. That's not very nice, Aunt Kara.” Miniature eyelashes flutter in disapproval. “You shouldn't melt people's faces. Ms Fleming at school says it's always better to talk and hug than hit and thump.”

Kara's face scrunches and she huffs, cursing her sister and her propensity to stir the pot. “Do you think Ms Fleming could teach your mommy how to keep her big mouth shut?”

Esme blinks up at her over the rim of her zebra print cup. "What?”

"Nothing.” Kara sighs, tugging a hand through her loose hair. She shouldn't be getting into this with a six-year-old, no matter how eloquent and well-educated she may be.

She reaches out, tucking an unruly curl behind Esme's ear and smoothing a hand over her niece's cheek. “Kiddo, Aunt Lena and I are best friends.” If the words burn a little on the back of her tongue, so what. If her heart cracks open, safe inside the confines of her chest, it doesn't need to make a sound.

She takes a deep breath. "That's why we do all that stuff. Because we're very close. But we're— we're not girlfriends. So, I think we'd better fix that line on your project.”

Esme's brow furrows. Kara smooths her thumb gently over the tiny crinkle as the child fiddles with the teddy in her lap, carding her fingers through the zebra's cotton mane. "But—”

“What, sweetie?”

“Your heart gets faster,” Esme whispers, gazing up at her with a mournful expression. “It beats real hard whenever Aunt Lena's here. Sometimes it beats so hard I think it's gonna come right out of you, splat.”

The little girl mimes the motion, slapping the back of her fist into her open palm. She regards Kara seriously, sombrely. “It don't do that with no one else.”

Kara swallows hard against the sudden lump in her throat. She wouldn't trade Esme for anything in the galaxy but of course, of course her adoptive niece had to be an alien with mimicking powers. A tiny, perceptive alien with the borrowed Kryptonian ability to pick up on inconvenient things like heartbeats and racing pulses and the emotional maturity to guess at what it means.

When Kara doesn't reply, Esme reaches up, pressing her tiny thumb to the crinkle that must have formed between Kara's own brows. “Don't worry,” she whispers, quiet and close like she's sharing a secret. “Aunt Lena's heart goes splat when she sees you, too.”

Kara's breath shudders out of her in a rush. She feels too warm, suddenly. Hot and exposed and a little sick, punch-drunk on the false hope dripping like honey from a six-year-old's lips.

She closes her eyes, presses her lips together hard. Wrestles herself back under control, digs around till she finds a smile that almost manages to feel genuine.

“Kiddo, I promise you.” She takes the child's tiny hands in her, marvels at the delicate bones beneath down-soft skin. “Aunt Lena and I are best friends. Nothing more. So. Let's have another look at this project, huh?”

But Esme pulls her hands away, frowning in earnest. "No.”

Kara winces. “Esme—”

“No!” The little girl pushes backwards until her back connects with the hard edge of the coffee table. Kara reaches out, trying to cushion her, but Esme wriggles in her grip.

“Mama told me what it means to be girlfriend girlfriend,” she insists, voice pitching higher. “S’when two people always look at each other, and think about each other, and do stuff together. When they have sleepovers and cuddles and spend lots and lots of time together, because they love each other.”

She pushes at the hands Kara's trying to use to pad her fragile body against the edge of the table, her face screwing up. “Mama told me! Like how she and Mommy were girlfriend girlfriend before they got to be wives. Like how you are with Aunt Lena!”

Kara swallows hard. She's still trying to corral Esme's squirming limbs back into the safety of her lap when a key sounds in the lock, the front door of her apartment swinging open.

“I'm so sorry,” Lena's gabbling before she's even stepped across the threshold, laden with carrier bags and almost tripping on the trailing end of her winter scarf. “Brainy had an, um, incident in the lab and there was goo all over our equipment that was very difficult to clean off, and now I'm late for Esme's special sleepover night even though I promised—”

Green eyes fall upon the two of them at last, Lena's ramble cutting off as she takes in the distress on both their faces, Esme's red cheeks and the way she's still trying to wriggle free of Kara's attempts to prevent her cracking her head on the edge of the table.

She blinks at them, brows pinching. “Is everything alright?”

Esme – with Kara's help – finally manages to stand up without doing herself an injury, pushing away from the couch and careening straight into Lena's middle. Lena drops the bags she's holding unceremoniously on the ground, both hands going to stroke comfortingly over Esme's hair as the little girl buries her face in her stomach.

“Oh, what is it, honey?” she asks gently, bending to scoop Esme into her arms as naturally as if she'd been doing it for years.

Kara's heart, already smarting, aches a little more.

Lena props the child on her hip, brushing her free hand over Esme's flushed cheeks, stroking at the miniature lines of her frown. “Hey, what's this?” she hums, pulling the young girl a little closer. “Can you tell me what happened, Esme? Can we try and figure it out together?”

Nudging the front door closed with one hip, she crosses to the couch with Esme in her arms, settling the two of them comfortably into the cushions. Even though her attention is focused on the distressed child, Kara feels Lena's toes wriggle against her thigh as she flashes her a quick, uncertain smile. Just that, just the simple point of contact between the two of them is enough to slacken the invisible band constricting around Kara's ribcage, just a little.

“Okay,” Lena murmurs, tucking Esme against her chest and stroking a thumb over the back of her hand. “You tell me why you're upset, and we'll see what we can do to make it better, how about that?”

Esme nods, cheek rubbing against the soft wool of the winter coat Lena hasn't yet taken off. “Aunt Kara says you're not girlfriends,” she mumbles into the fabric, fisting a hand in Lena's scarf.

Lena freezes, a tableau of perfect stillness as her eyes widen, a near-inaudible exhale sighing out of her. It's a solid thirty seconds before she composes herself enough to speak. “And—”

Her voice cracks and she swallows, clearing her throat as her cheeks flush pink. She's no longer meeting Kara's gaze. “And why has that upset you, honey?”

“Because you are,” the young girl wails, equal parts mournful and indignant. “You do all the things! You stare at each other and you love each other and I already put it on my project and, and—”

She breaks off to sniffle against Lena's collar, hiding her face in the soft waves of Lena's hair. “And both your hearts go splat,” Esme whispers just as Lena's eyes meet Kara's above the crown of her head. "They're doing it right now.”

A long moment of silence blankets the apartment.

Kara has to hand it to her niece. The feeling of what her heart is doing in her chest right now could definitely be described as splat.

Esme wriggles, shifting to face Lena on her lap, and Lena's eyes snap away from Kara's with a crackle of latent tension that zips up the length of her spine.

Lena blinks rapidly a few times, then reaches up to smooth Esme's unruly hair. “Okay, but— I still don't understand why you're so upset, darling,” she manages, teeth digging just slightly into the plush of her lower lip. To anyone who doesn't know her as Kara does, she'd appear perfectly composed. Her pulse, however, tells a different story.

“Because!” Esme insists, though she sounds marginally calmer now. “Because Aunt Kara said it wasn't true. Because she was being silly, she— she wasn't telling the truth.”

Kara flinches involuntarily at the accusation. Such an indictment, from the mouth of the child she's so desperate to protect, to care for, to love, hits her harder than she could have expected. A twisting kind of regret roots through her stomach, a nausea at having upset Esme this way, no matter how unintentional.

Lena's attention is still fixed on the child in her lap but one hand snakes out, sliding beneath the waterfall of Kara's curls to cup the nape of her neck. Lena's palm is warm, her fingers sure as she squeezes in silent reassurance.

Kara softens into it, into her, and wonders just who the hell they're keeping up this pretence for anymore.

“You know what,” Lena says gently, sliding an arm around the young girl's back to bring her closer. “I don't think Aunt Kara meant to lie to you, Esme. And she definitely didn't mean to upset you. It— it's true that we aren't girlfriends.”

Esme's mouth opens indignantly but Lena silences her with a quirk of her mouth, with a gentle finger to her lips. “But, can I tell you a secret?” she asks, hushed and smiling, and the young girl nods eagerly.

Lena leans in close, one hand still scratching lightly through the curls at the base of Kara's skull. “I think we're both being silly,” she whispers conspiratorially, knocking her forehead feather-light against the child's. “Because you're very clever, Esme, and very observant, and you know what? I think you might be right.”

Kara's breath catches in her throat just as Lena's chin lifts, their gazes locking. Lena's eyes stay fixed on hers as the barest hint of a hesitant smile pulls at the corner of her lips.

"Because, my heart does go splat around her,” Lena whispers, hushed and brave and beautiful. Her gaze never falters. The love in her eyes doesn't flicker for a moment. “I think it always has.”

Esme bounces on Lena's knees, so fervent in her excitement that she almost topples clean off her lap. Four hands snap out on instinct to snag her back to safety even as Kara's gaze stays fixed on Lena's, never breaking, wide-eyed and disbelieving that what she hopes may be happening between them is actually real.

Esme clambers to the ground and throws herself at Kara, all previous grievance apparently forgotten as tiny arms wind tight around her neck. “I told you!” she croons in Kara's ear, pink-cheeked and giggling. “Now you just have to tell her, too!”

Lena presses her lips together to hold back a smirk at their niece's authoritative tone. She slides off the couch to sit beside Kara on the floor, bent knees nudging as she angles their bodies close.

“Well, Aunt Kara?” Lena asks, the barest hint of apprehension in her eyes as she licks her lips, throat working. “Do you have anything to tell me? Something about a certain body part and a rather descriptive sound effect, maybe?”

But Kara's all done with talking. She gently detaches Esme from her neck, keeping the child close in her lap as she does what she should have been doing ever since the very first day her heart had gone splat against her ribcage on the top floor of an airy L-Corp office.

As she leans in, and presses her lips to Lena's.

Lena sighs into the kiss, softening until it's no longer Kara and Lena but simply them, the sharing of breath, the gentle give and take, the fulfilment of all her wildest dreams.

A tiny throat clearing before them breaks them apart and they do so with giggles, breathless and disbelieving. Lena's forehead knocks against her own as the hand at Kara's nape slides round, stroking over her cheekbone in barely concealed wonder.

“Splat?” Lena whispers, breath soft and sweet against her kiss-swollen lips.

Kara beams. She couldn't stop beaming if she tried. “Splat.”

When they finally pull back Esme is grinning like it's her birthday and Christmas all rolled into one, tiny hands clapping together as she bounces on Kara's bent thighs. “Yay!” she squeals, looking between the two of them with a grin. “No more being silly!”

Kara winks, lunging for the child and flipping her easily in her arms, blowing raspberry after raspberry on her belly as Esme shrieks in delight. Lena laughs, palm still resting against Kara's neck, thumb stroking lightly at the hollow beneath her jaw.

“Oh, I don't know about that,” she hums, reaching out to smooth Esme's hair out of her eyes when Kara finally lets the little girl go. “With Aunt Kara, there's always more silliness.”

Kara grins, cheeks heating, then leans in and captures Lena's lips again in a just barely PG kiss. “You love it,” she pants against her mouth, snaking an arm round Lena's waist to thumb discreetly at her hip.

Lena chuckles. “I really do.”

“So,” Esme calls, pulling their attention back to her. Lena's fingers find Kara's across the little girl's lap, twining tight. Their niece gestures down at the paper still on the coffee table, the lilac dash linking their names in the middle of her homework project. “Do I not gotta fix the girlfriend line no more?”

Lena presses her lips together, squeezing their woven fingers as her forehead tilts against Kara's shoulder. “No, honey,” she whispers, her entire face lighting up in smile so brilliant it’s almost blinding. “I think you got it right the first time.”

[oreoambitions]

Would love to see supercorp “I’ve never been festive”! Glad to see you back on my dashboard!

The thing about Lena, Kara thinks to herself as she strolls down Main Street with her hands shoved in her pockets, is that she wants to seem tough. That's the problem in a nutshell. And anyone else here in Midvale would tell you that it's just a city thing, that all the city kids want to seem tough, that Lena is no exception, but Kara doesn't think that's true. Well, okay, she knows it's true. But with Lena, it's something else. Something deeper. Something maybe related to the way that Lena has withdrawn into herself day by day as Midvale has begun to dress itself up for the holidays.

But Kara can do I'm-so-tough. She can do I-hate-Christmas, and she can do I-don't-believe-in-fun because at this time of the year she can do anything and get through to anyone. A little bit of light, a little bit of magic... maybe a little bit of love. That's how Christmas goes, right? Especially in a place like Midvale.

Kara likes to think of Midvale as a postcard town: the kind of town folks are only ever passing through on their way up and down the coast, a scenic detour, a cozy place to spend the night or just the afternoon before you move along. It's a place where time seems to have come to a standstill or at least a crawl, where it was a big deal when the first (and only) Starbucks opened, where nothing at all is open after 8pm, and you'd be hard pressed to run any errands on a Sunday, and you'd better not let Mrs. Nal catch you doing anything untoward or you can expect you'll be the topic of every conversation in or out of church for the next week or so at least. Kara would know; she's been the talk of the town on more than one occasion.

But these last several weeks the talk of the town has been the young woman who pulled up one evening in a car worth probably more than every vehicle on Main Street put together and strolled into the aforementioned Starbucks in a beat up hoodie sporting red rimmed eyes and trembling hands to ask the barista whether possibly anyone had a spare phone cable. She didn't want to bother anyone, only she'd left Metropolis in a hurry and forgotten hers and without GPS she didn't have any idea where she might stop to purchase one. She'd slid a hundred dollar bill across the counter as payment for the manager's beat up old charger and rolled right back out of town before anyone could tell her just how far from home she was.

Only then she'd rolled back into town some six hours later and booked herself into the bed and breakfast. And then she hadn't left.

The Danvers have assured Kara that in all the years Eliza and Jeremiah have run the bed and breakfast, and all the years Jeremiah's parents ran it before that, stretching back all the dusty decades since Midvale was founded, they have never had a longterm guest, no sir. It has simply never happened before. Kara doubts the veracity of such a statement but it has been delivered to her with all the solemn weight of sacred fact, and so she's taken it in stride - something which Alex seems to have found suspicious. And, true, on another occasion Kara might have been found elbow deep in records on a personal mission to prove that Jeremiah has pulled this particular historical "factoid" from some place the sun don't shine, but, well, she's been a little distracted these past weeks. Distracted by sad green eyes and coy smiles and the overwhelmingly mysterious circumstances that have delivered Lena directly into Kara's home.

Unfortunately Eliza has strictly forbidden Kara from asking the hundred and one questions perpetually on the tip of her tongue, and Kara's objections that she's twenty four now and she'll ask her questions if she so pleases haven't actually outweighed the sense that, at least where Eliza is concerned, she ought to do as she's told. So she's restrained herself. And as the weeks have gone by, she and Lena have fallen into an amicable, if not entirely comfortable, routine.

Kara serves Lena breakfast in the dining room with the other guests at precisely 8:15 every morning: two poached eggs with avocado on a thick slice of Winn's sourdough bread, a cup of coffee (black, diluted with hot water), and a side of roasted vegetables (no potatoes). Every morning Lena invites Kara to join her at the table, though Kara only does so when there are no other guests around to serve. They eat - together or not - in a silence broken only by small talk and the occasional lingering gaze when one catches the other looking until, at precisely 9:15, Lena excuses herself to seek out Eliza and enquire after the availability of another night's lodging. She pays in cash, one day at a time, without fail. She and Kara see one another again on the stairs, Kara on her way out to work a shift at the library and Lena on her way back up to her room. A small smile passes between them, affectionate and familiar, and Kara thinks perhaps... But no, the moment has passed and they've gone their separate ways for another day.

Kara has resolved that this pattern will not repeat itself again. Not now, not when Midvale is draped in heavy golds and greens, when the smell of Christmas pastry is wafting through the streets, when the trickle of seasonal tourists is threatening to become a thunder which will by necessity pry Kara's attention away. Not now when Lena is withdrawing further and further, when those lingering glances at breakfast seem to be few and far between, and it seems the onslaught of Christmas cheer is threatening to drive Lena out of Midvale altogether. If Kara is going to get through to her, today is the day.

She swings into J'onn's diner with a determined expression, sidestepping the younger Arias who has eyes these days only for her iphone and not so much for where she's going. J'onn is predictably behind the counter; Kara isn't sure he's taken a day away from the diner in all the time she's known him.

"I need two to go mugs of Bad Day Danvers Brew," she tells him. "It's urgent."

He plops two large paper cups down onto the counter almost before she's done asking. "I thought your sister was on duty tonight."

"She was. Is. It's not- It's for me."

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with a certain green eyed young lady from out of town."

It's not really a question the way J'onn says it but Kara somehow still feels pressured to answer. She flushes, turns away, scans the room. The dinner rush hasn't quite arrived. J'onn bustles about behind the counter without further comment, though he does arch an accusatory brow when Kara meets his eyes again.

"You do know," he says as he slides the drinks across the counter, "She's going to leave this place. She may not be ready yet, but the day is coming."

Kara frowns at him. "Leave is a four letter word."

"L - e - a -"

"You know what I mean."

"Maybe you should consider it too. Whole world out there waiting for you, Little Danvers. Seems a shame not to go out and see it."

Kara thinks for a moment of this world as she saw it first: a little marble hanging in a black sea, so fragile and small, so far away from home. Midvale is home now, and she'll be damned if she's going to leave it behind. She forces a smile for J'onn's sake.

"I'm right where I'm supposed to be," she says. She tries to pay him for the drinks. As he has a hundred times before, he turns her money away. Kara slips the cash into the tip jar on her way out the door.

When she gets home it's to the smell of apple pies bubbling in the oven and the sound of some old 50's Christmas record playing almost too loud for Jeremiah's battered old bluetooth speaker and hardly loud enough to compete with Jeremiah himself. Kara creeps up the stairs two at a time, one Bad Day Danvers Brew clutched in either hand, quiet quiet quiet. If Eliza catches her she'll try to put her to work and Kara isn't sure she can explain exactly what she means when she says she's too "busy" right now to help out.

She occupies herself with that thought, thinking up excuses for Eliza, each one more improbable than the last, and then she finds herself standing in front of Lena's door. She feels suddenly grimy, foolish, clumsy. What she hasn't considered in all her planning for this moment is that with both hands occupied she can hardly knock on Lena's door, and with her heart pounding an urgent rhythm in her chest and her body trembling with something that is distinctly not fatigue Kara doesn't trust herself to tuck one of the drinks into the crook of her arm.

So she does what any sane person would do: she kicks the door. Gently. As gently as she possibly can, but it still feels brutish and Kara winces as the sound of it tumbles down the hall to clash with Jeremiah's crooning and the roar of the vacuum cleaner in the foyer. Grimy, foolish, clumsy. But then the door swings open and all such thoughts fall from Kara's mind.

She has words picked out for this moment but they don't come to her. Lena stands in the doorway in jeans and a cardigan and socks that have bumble bees on them and Kara feels like she needs just a moment but the moment is already passing. Green eyes search hers, curious, bemused. Kara wants to reach out and tuck that stray lock of hair away, but-

The drinks. Right. "I brought refreshments," she says, proferring the paper cups. "For us," she adds, in case it isn't clear.

Lena reaches out for one of the cups, hesitant, then pries the lid off to take a whiff. "Hot chocolate?"

Kara wants to melt on the spot but she sticks to her guns. "It's special hot chocolate," she clarifies. This is not how this conversation was supposed to go. She had this exchange all planned out, there were contingencies, it was all perfect and here she is muddying it all up. "I was thinking maybe we could go out tonight."

"Like on a date?"

Oh, Rao. Kara's eyes drops to Lena's mouth without her say so and then they travel a little further south to the line of that cardigan and she swallows. "No," she forces out, "like on a walk?"

There's a long pause and then Lena laughs. "You're really very charming, Danvers," she says, and Kara feels an unexpected thrill at the sound of her last name in Lena's mouth. "Let me just get my sweater."

"You're already-" Kara starts, but the door clicks shut before she can finish. "Wearing a sweater," she mumbles to herself.

Lena emerges some minutes later, just when Kara is beginning to get fidgety. She's thrown on a hoodie which is perhaps a size too big and a pair of converse rather the worse for wear and Kara isn't sure what she was expecting but it wasn't this. Which is not to say that she doesn't like it. Lena licks her lips and fixes Kara with a pointed look.

"There is whisky in that hot chocolate," she says.

Kara shrugs. "I did say it was special."

They make it down the stairs and out of the bed and breakfast without Eliza noticing, though Kara is all but certain Jeremiah saw them leave together and will have Questions with a capital Q about it later. The sun is just now sinking below the horizon as the two of them turn down Main Street, ducking around Mr. Schott who is occupying most of the sidewalk with a rickety old ladder in an attempt to install another strand of lights above the toy store window. Already the street lamps bear oversized red bows and long, heavy pine garlands, and it will be only a matter of days now before every storefront from here to the edge of town is bright and warm and magical. Kara takes it all in with a growing smile. Lena takes it in with an expression that borders on an outright scowl.

"So are we going anywhere in particular?" Lena asks. They duck around a knot of visitors asking after a table at the brewery and for an instant Kara is almost certain she feels Lena's fingers brush hers.

"We are," Kara admits. And then, because she doesn't want to give away their destination, she adds, "You don't like Christmas."

Lena grimaces and takes a long sip of the Bad Day Danvers Brew. "I wouldn't say that I don't like Christmas."

"But?"

"But I've never been festive. And this year..."

Kara's mind fills in the words that Lena doesn't say: This year it's hard. Hard to see the joy and the magic and the laughter all around when you're alone and far from home. Well, Kara knows a thing or two about that. She takes a sip of her own drink and, resolutely, carefully, looking straight ahead, she reaches out to touch Lena's hand, so gentle it could have been an accident.

"This year you have me," Kara says. She's shocked the line comes out of her mouth as smoothly as it does. Her heart is so far up her throat she almost fears she'll choke on it.

Lena steps in closer until Kara swears she can feel the heat radiating between them even through both of Lena's sweaters and her own Christmas flannel. They walk in silence for a block or so, shoulders bumping once in a while, before Lena asks, "Do you have any favorite holiday traditions?"

Kara shrugs. "I like the carols. Jeremiah and I always go out caroling on Christmas eve. Oh! And the cookies. Pie for breakfast on Christmas morning."

Lena laughs at that. "Pie for breakfast? Lilian - my step mother - she'd have a fit."

"Well you can have pie with us this year if you want; I promise not to tell Lilian a thing. If you're still hanging around."

Lena looks at her sharply and then looks away, leaving Kara to feel silent and small and a little rejected. But Lena touches Kara's wrist as they move through the crowd and then, when Kara doesn't pull away, she takes her hand.

"Christmas is always an important social event for my family," Lena says. She glances at Kara as if to check that she's listening and then away again so quickly that Kara almost wonders if she imagined it. "Everything has to be perfect. The food, the decorations, the music. The family. And it's beautiful, really. Imagine a pine tree towering up to the very rafters, all the ornaments carefully curated and arranged, and a cellist flown in from Italy perches in the corner playing O Come Emmanuel while the city's elite pass through pretending to enjoy bite sized Christmas pastries prepared overnight by a team flown in from France. I suspect it would feel magical if it weren't so much work. It's hard to enjoy the magic when you're a part of it. Especially as a child."

Kara frowns. Her fingers tighten around Lena's, tugging her ever forward towards the Christmas tree in the center of town. She's thinking of Krpyton, of a perfect family, a perfect people, and a perfect world crumbling under the veneer. But she can't say that to Lena, so she flashes her a bright smile instead and says, "In Midvale, everyone who wants to gets to put an ornament on the town tree."

"Everyone? That doesn't seem practical. There have to be, what, at least a thousand people living here."

Kara nods. "Yeah. Not everyone participates, but most people. And of course that means the tree isn't curated like your family's, but it's got a special kind of magic to it. The kind you get when you aren't trying to make magic follow the rules."

It occurs to Kara that there is a sort of comedic timing to this, as this is the moment Kara steps over the low fence with the sign that reads "do not walk on the grass" and tugs a protesting Lena after into the shade - or, in this case, the light - of the Midvale tree.

"Rules," Lena is saying, "Generally exist for a reason, and when you break them willy nilly you don't get magic, you get chaos. It's important to- Wait, is this your Christmas tree?"

"Yep," Kara says. She reaches out to press a hand to the trunk and then stares up at the tiny golden lights wound among the branches with care, ornaments dangling here and there, some homemade and some not. She's definitely not supposed to get this close to it but, well, it's Alex on duty tonight and she doubts her sister is about to arrest her for trying to make a move on a pretty girl. "This is the one."

"But it's an oak tree," Lena observes. She steps up beside Kara to touch the trunk.

"Couple hundred years old, or so they told us in middle school," Kara says. "She's a gorgeous tree, isn't she? Not a pine and not perfect, but. Our own kind of magic." Then she grimaces. "Sorry; I'm being terribly cheesy right-"

"Did you know that mistletoe often grows in the California oak?" Lena interrupts.

Kara falters. She did know that, but this tree is carefully tended. No mistletoe here. She opens her mouth to say so when Lena holds up a finger to stop her again.

"To be perfectly clear I'm suggesting that we kiss here under this tree. Because you're charming and a little over the top and I hate that I love your Christmas flannel and I would very much like to have pie with you on Christmas morning. So if you'd like we can pretend there's mistletoe in the Midvale Christmas tree. It would be a very reasonable mistake; mistletoe really does grow on-"

Kara kisses her. The surprised gasp that falls from Lena's lips almost makes her laugh, but this is a serious moment so she tries to keep it in. She's got only one hand to work with - the other is still hold her Bad Day Danvers Brew - so she slides it around Lena's waist to pull her closer, and it's her turn to gasp when Lena tilts her head to slide her tongue along Kara's bottom lip.

Someone on the sidewalk cheers, and that is when Lena drops her drink. And then they do laugh together there under the tree, spiked hot chocolate splattered over the bottom of Lena's pants, Kara pressing her own drink into Lena's hands, and the sound of Mrs. Nal nearby screeching about public indecency while James tells her to go suck an egg. The two of them will be the talk of the town for weeks. Certainly through New Years. Kara doesn't think she minds.

///

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating; Happy Holidays and a lovely morning to everyone who is not! Thank you for this prompt! I expected to write a quick 800 words but it got away from me and took all month.

[writershapeholeonthedoor]

You Marked More Than Just My Skin - Supercorp

Read it on AO3

Kara’s first instinct was to blame Alex because, if she was going to be honest, Alex was the one to blame for many of her stupid decisions. Sisters' competitive nature or something like that. That's what their mother would say when they were teenagers and they randomly started a fight. A just adopted Kara who had just lost her parents was not letting an overly cocky Alex win without fighting back.

So, naturally, she was going to blame Alex for this. However, Alex had nothing to do with Kara walking down the street from her job one day and entering the tattoo shop she walked past by every day on her way home. No, it had started with Winn, her best friend, saying that Kara wasn’t the type of person to do things out of impulse. Which he wasn’t exactly wrong, although he hit a sore spot because "I can be very spontaneous!" had been Kara’s answer and everyone around them gave her that look that made it pretty clear no one believed her.

Then, just about a week after that, Nia was walking home with her after a stop at Noonan's for their killer milkshake and saw the tattoo shop still open even if it was past 10 pm. There was no one inside that they could see, but the sign read "open" in neon letters and Nia did a double-take when she saw the walls covered in drawings.

"Oh, my God! Look at that thing!" she had screamed. And that thing was a fairly beautiful drawing of a girl lying in bed with a cloud above her head as though she was dreaming about a myriad of things.

Nia grabbed her arm, dragged her inside and, ten minutes later, she was sitting on a chair while a young man that couldn't be older than Kara permanently marked the skin on her forearm with the same drawing.

"Did you draw it?" Nia asked and Kara could tell she was just a little bit in pain because she was clutching the arm of the chair and hadn’t stopped babbling for two seconds. Not that Nia ever stopped talking, actually.

"No," the man replied in an excited voice. Like he was happy to be doing a tattoo on a girl that had just ten minutes prior decided she wanted one. But Kara held back her tongue, took some pictures while Nia made her goofy faces and sat on a stool at the corner like the good friend she was. "My boss did. She does most of the drawings we have available."

"Well, she has a hell of a talent!" Nia exclaimed, bit her lip when the needle hit a soft spot and flashed another smile once it was gone. "You should tell her she's amazing!"

Jack, that was his name, Kara reminded herself, laughed like that was a big joke that only he was aware of, but nodded all the same. "She's in the office right now, maybe she will stop by to hear you say that. She loves when people pick her drawings, but she will never say it out loud."

The woman, whoever she was, didn’t leave her office, not even when they left, way past midnight, listening to Jack's careful instructions on how to take care of Nia's arm for the next week. In the end, Kara had to admit Jack was a nice guy. And he did an excellent job. Nia's tattoo was perfect. Perfect for her and perfectly done, and her friend had no problem showing it off the next day.

"Holy crap!" Winn screamed when he saw it on game night on Friday. "I didn't know you were into tattoos. It looks awesome!"

"Thank you! And I just decided to do it," Nia shrugged, as though deciding to do a tattoo on a Wednesday night at 10 pm after getting a milkshake was a normal thing. "Thank Goddess Kara was with me so she could keep me company."

"Wait," Winn eyed Kara with the same incredulous expression from a week before and she immediately felt defensive. "Kara was there and didn't try to stop you?"

"She did say I might regret it," Nia conceded with a smile. "About ten times, but she stayed with me."

Kara rolled her eyes, picked up the pizza box and sulked on the couch while her friends made fun of her lack of spontaneous nature. Kara was a planner. And she had learned her lesson when she decided to walk to the park instead of going home one day after school and returned to the Danvers' household to find out three police cars parked at the street and a frantic Eliza giving them a photo of her and saying she had disappeared. So, yes, Kara wasn't one to do things out of the blue anymore, but that was hardly a bad thing.

She tried to tell that to herself for the next week while everyone still awed and cooed at Nia's tattoo. She tried to remind herself of Eliza's panicked face while James, with his impressive looking dragon tattoo on his back, said Kara would never be one to make a tattoo because she would keep changing her mind. She tried to picture Alex's disapproving stare while Nia's boyfriend, Querl, made comments on how he loved Nia's carefree and spontaneous nature.

In the end, what pushed her to do it was her boss and Kara couldn’t even blame her, or Alex, or any of her friends. But she would, anyway.

"Kiera, the reason why people hardly remember your name-" she wanted to point out that Cat was the only one who had a hard time remembering her name but bit her tongue instead "-is because you are so... blank."

"Blank?" Kara had asked, trying and failing not to look so offended.

And Cat nodded because she knew how to get to her. "Nothing remarkable. You use terrible sweaters and write articles that everyone could write. Did you ever do something, I don’t know, remotely spontaneous in your life?"

Kara was sure - or almost sure because you can never know with Cat Grant - that her boss was trying to push her to fly to Midvale to write about the scandal surrounding some tech company there even though Snapper had decided William would cover that for CatCo. It was either that or to make her wear something that wasn’t in pastel color.

Well, all it did was send Kara straight to a tattoo shop where she hoped to find Jack and demand he did something as spectacular as Nia's tattoo. And she went on a mission, marching down the ten blocks from CatCo to the tattoo shop - that only that day she stopped to read the name of and what weird name they chose, Le Vintage Ink - her feet hitting the ground with a purpose, her hand pushing the door open with a vengeance, her eyes narrowed behind her glasses with one goal in mind.

It wasn't Jack she saw, however. She didn't see anyone at first, actually. The shop was empty like it was a week before and very silent, with the air conditioner doing a soft hum and nothing else.

The anti climax moment was enough to make all her determination wave off. Her shoulders dropped, her eyes rounded, her feet started to stamp and her determination, well, she didn’t quite remember it anymore. Nobody needed to know, Kara told to herself. Nobody knew she was going to do it, so she could just turn around, leave, go back to her apartment and try to do some online shopping. Maybe buy a red dress for once. None of her friends would ever believe she went back to the tattoo shop, so there would be no problem...

No. That was exactly the problem. They wouldn’t even believe her if she told them. They would laugh, call it a bluff, and keep teasing Kara for not being adventurous like they were. Alex does this long motorbike drives all over the state sometimes, and James goes hiking and jumps from planes from time to time. Winn would point out that the last thing Kara did without meticulous planning was to change pizza night for potstickers and that was only because the pizza place she always orders from was out of pineapples.

However, Kara reasoned with herself, instead of doing a tattoo, she could just go with Alex on her next trip. Maybe she could ask James to teach her how to hike. Querl adopted a cat he found behind his building, so maybe that could be Kara’s unplanned moment too. And what did Winn do so adventurous or spontaneous that he had the right to make fun of Kara? She couldn’t remember.

Yes, any of those things would be more reasonable. She could even do an impromptu visit to her mother. It would count for something. She knew Eliza would be happy and she loved making her mom happy. She could even pick Alex's old helmet so her sister could use it to ride with her girlfriend, Kelly, and Eliza makes a killer chocolate pecan pie too.

Already dreaming with the taste of the pie crust in her mouth Kara turned around. She must have been inside the tattoo shop for less than ten seconds and Jack hadn’t shown up yet, so that was a plus and a sign, even if she wanted to greet him and tell how nice Nia's tattoo looked after a week.

The second her back was turned to the counter, though, she heard a door opening and then a voice filled the silence. "Can I help you?"

That wasn’t Jack's voice. That much she knew. What she didn’t know was that someone could sound so... husky and still be so clear on the words. What she also didn’t know was why her body froze like she had been hit with lightning. Or why she ever decided to leave when a voice like that was inside the shop.

It would be rude to just keep walking, Kara told herself and even she knew it was a lame excuse for wanting to see the owner of that voice. But she still turned around, eyes blinking fast as she tried not to miss a second of what she was about to see, and then immediately felt her soul leave her body. That was the only explanation on why her mouth fell open and why her brain's function slowed down at least 30%.

Because the voice's owner was... for the lack of a better word, striking. It was a woman, looking a few years younger than Kara, with dark as coal wavy hair falling down her shoulders, green piercing eyes framed by some heavy eyeliner and plump lips painted with red lipstick. The woman was wearing a black t-shirt from a band Kara had never heard of, the v-cut being deep enough that she could see a black bra under it. The shirt looked like she had been cut at home - maybe she wasn't designed to have such a deep v-neck, maybe she had sleeves at some point and maybe the deep cuts by each side also weren't a part of the initial product. But, damn, it looked great on her. Since she had no sleeves and the shirt moved as she walked and showed a great expanse of her sides, Kara could see that the woman’s body was covered in tattoos.

Her arms, from shoulder to wrist, were almost totally covered. Her left arm almost looked like a flower shop, with dozens of flowers in different colors drawn all over it. Her right arm had tattoos from her shoulder to her elbow, and they were a mix of chemical elements and computer parts that, somehow, worked together in all black and white. Kara got just a few glimpses of the tattoos on her side - something that looked like a cartoon character, another one that assembled a lake, a few words that Kara couldn’t read from that far - but that was enough to make her lick her lips and try to picture what else was there. There were no tattoos on her chest area, that Kara could see, but there was a small musical chord on the left side of her neck, and Kara wondered if she had any tattoos on her legs. She couldn't see them from where the woman was standing behind the counter, and something dragged her feet forward before she could stop herself.

"H-hi," she choked out and her face immediately heated up with embarrassment. Her sister would call it 'gay panic' and make fun of her for three days, and Kara was suddenly very thankful for being alone. "I, uh..." The woman blinked, Kara mimicked her, and lost every coherent thought inside her head. "Jack."

The woman arched one perfect eyebrow, resting her hands flat against the counter, and Kara’s blue eyes were suddenly very interested in the long fingers spread over some papers. The papers, she noticed as a second thought, were unfinished drawings, but she could hardly tell what they were. Feeling her face get even hotter, Kara demanded that her eyes moved up and she was almost proud of herself when they paused for only a second at the woman’s cleavage. Of course, as soon as her eyes met the woman’s face again, she had a tiny smirk like she knew Kara was having a hard time being in the same space as her.

"I'm sorry, love," she said and Kara noticed an accent behind the last word, like she had spent years trying to get rid of it but still couldn't brush it off some words. "Jack doesn't work here on Tuesdays."

Oh. Well, that's a bit of a relief, Kara wasn't going to lie. No Jack, no tattoo, and she still could say she tried. She still wanted to say ‘hi’ but...

"Can I help you instead?"

Oh, boy. Kara almost turned around and ran away right then and there because the things she was thinking this stranger could help her with were kind of mortifying. Instead, Kara bit her bottom lip so hard that it went numb instantly, and leaned forward until she was resting her hands in front of the woman's fingers. She dared to glance down really quick, just to find out the woman was wearing black jeans and boots, before she looked up again - with a quick stop at the cleavage because good lord.

"I don't know, I..." Kara couldn’t even say her own name if the woman asked at that moment, let alone remember what she was doing there and where there even was.

The woman chuckled then. A deep, husky sound from the back of her throat that brought a small smile to her lips, and then she ducked her head - as though she had no idea that was the most blinding smile Kara had ever seen in her twenty-six years of living. Neither the chuckle nor the smile was mockingly, and her green eyes were just a little bit amused when she looked back at Kara.

"Don't get me wrong but... you don't look like the type of person that would get a tattoo."

Okay, what is it with people just assuming Kara is too boring to do something? Kara took a look at her own clothes. She wasn't even wearing a sweater that day! Sure, beige trousers and a blue button up hardly screamed "living on the edge" but come on! Was it the glasses? Alex always said she should use contact lenses, but she liked the glassed!

Feeling a new wave of determination, Kara set up her jaw and crossed her arms. "Well, that's exactly what I came here to do."

The woman raised both eyebrows now, clearly amused. "To get a tattoo?" She asked like there was any other reason for Kara to be inside a tattoo shop on a Tuesday night.

So Kara nodded, her blonde hair wiggling from side to side on her ponytail, and straightened up her back like she was about to enter a fight. Not that she ever fought before, not even when the cruel kids at her new school would call her weird and push her inside her locker. Alex would beat them up for her, so she didn’t have to, it was fine.

"Yes," she said and her voice only trembled for a second. "To get a tattoo," she confirmed like there was any other reason for her to be inside a tattoo shop on a Tuesday night.

"Okay," the woman said, clicking her tongue once before she picked up a pen from the desk, a smirk permanently spread on her lips. "Do you have any idea of what you want?"

Shit. Kara hadn’t gone that far. Maybe not even her own brain thought she would do it because she had neglected the most important part of the entire process. She had no idea what she wanted permanently marked on her skin.

(Permanently marked also sent a thousand of red lights inside her head because, you know, it was permanent)

It must have shown on her face because the woman’s smirk became more of a smile, not exactly gentle but not mockery either. "What's your name?"

"Kara." She was so glad her brain hadn’t come up with something ridiculous to say. She could remember when she met her cousin's sister-in-law and answered the same question with "mashed potatoes" for some reason she would never be able to grasp. Lucy never let her forget that embarassing moment.

"Well, Kara," and Holy Goddess of all the universe and beyond, how could her name roll out of her lips like that? "why don’t you take a look at the drawings we have here, see if you like one. If you don't, we can always come up with something for you."

She then pushed some heavy black portfolio across the counter towards Kara and opened the leather front cover to show her the first drawing. They were all separated by plastic, and she started the task of turning the pages while trying very hard to look at the drawings and not at the woman in front of her. She wasn't sure because she wouldn’t dare to look up, but she could feel green eyes staring at her and her blush returned full force.

"So..." she heard after a couple of minutes in silence. "What kind of dare you lost?"

Kara took full offense on that, glaring at her for a moment before going back to the portfolio. She had gotten on the dragon section and decided to skip it all together. "There was no dare."

The woman hummed, watched her for another minute, and then leaned over with her forearms touching the counter. She reached out, taking the plastic from Kara's fingers, and started skipping the pages until they reached the flowers. Kara looked up, catching a glimpse of the woman's arm, before meeting green eyes with a light glare.

The woman shrugged. "You look like a flower kind of girl."

"What else do I look like to you?" Kara mumbled back and stubbornly went back to the drawing she was seeing before - the ships and anchors section - even though she left a finger marking the flowers page.

The brunette seemed even more amused now, barely able to hide her smile, and she chuckled once when Kara turned the page to see another ship. "Like you randomly decided to get a tattoo because someone pissed you off."

Kara tried not to give her the satisfaction of being right, deciding to focus on studying every ship and every anchor. She heard another chuckle, but the woman wisely didn’t push the subject.

"You could save us a lot of time by just going to the flowers."

Fine, maybe she was right about that too. Kara would never pick a ship, or a dragon, or a coffee cup, or any other drawing she saw before. Although Kara never thought what type of drawing she would get tattooed. With a sigh, she went back to the flowers, throwing the woman a dirty look when she huffed a laugh.

"Hey," she said, raising her hands in playful defense, "if I'm going to do something that you will regret tomorrow, at least let me help."

"Aren't you going to try to talk me out of this?" Kara asked, remembering when Jack asked Nia five times if she was sure before touching her skin with the needle.

"No," another shrug. "I will get my money and you will get the regret. Works fine by me."

Kara scoffed and shook her head, but finally spotted something she liked. It was a rose, not larger than a paper ball, black and white with a few leafs to the side. She was almost pointing that one out when she heard a deep sigh and looked up. The brunette was staring down at the drawing with enough judgment that Kara changed her mind in a blink.

"What?" She still asked because it was a beautiful flower.

"Nothing, it's just... does that even mean something to you?"

Kara looked back at the rose and frowned. "I like roses," she defended herself.

"I like kale, but I won’t tattoo that."

"You like kale?" Kara didn’t mean to sound so disgusted by it but it was stronger than her. Her face twisted in a grimace, shocked more than anything.

The other woman laughed a real laugh this time, and Kara felt the sound into her xcvery core. "Please, don't ask me to tattoo a burger on you. You're too pretty for that."

It was like she knew exactly what those words would do to Kara because she winked right after, making her blush ten times more. "What do you suggest, then?"

The tattooed brunette smiled and tapped her finger on top of the rose. "If you liked this one, it's fine, but I would go with..." She let her voice die as she started turning the pages until she found what she was looking for. "This one."

Kara looked at the drawing and was immediately sold to the idea. It wasn't just any flower. It was a plumeria. Well, two plumerias side by side, with a few leafs to the sides and a mandala carefully placed behind them like it was the third flower. She knew she wanted that one the second her eyes landed on it.

"It would look good on you," she kept talking. "I wouldn’t add any color, though." Kara kept nodding although she was only half paying attention now that she had found the right one. Her silence must have sent twisted signals because the woman’s voice became softer. "I know I said I wouldn’t try to talk you out of this but... are you sure?"

Kara’s eyes moved up then, metting slightly concerned green eyes, and she smiled. "Yes. I'm sure."

The woman studied her face for a few seconds before she nodded once. "Okay, then. Where do you want it?"

Shit.

The panic on her face told her out again and the woman’s laugh filled the space around them like a melody. "Come on, we can figure it out inside."

‘Inside’ being a closed room very similar to the one Nia had gotten her tattoo, albeit it was clear that that one wasn't Jack's. First, it lacked the smell of cigars and heavy cologne that Kara smelled last time and made her nose itch. But it also held a more personal touch like more drawings and a few words scribbled on the black walls. Kara didn’t feel nervous while the woman turned the sign from open to close, explaining that she was the only one who worked on Tuesdays' nights. She also didn’t feel nervous when she entered the room and spotted the comfortable chair she would be sitting on. What made her nervous again was taking her shirt off so she could decide where she wanted the plumerias to be.

She placed the printed drawing on several parts of both of her arms, her shoulders and asked the brunette to hold it at some spots on her back as well. But Kara was only satisfied when she put the paper against the right side of her ribs, a few centimeters below her bra. The woman gave her a knowing look and arched one eyebrow when she said that was the place she wanted her tattoo.

"Are you sure? It can be quite a painful area to get a tattoo, especially if it's your first one."

Again, she wasn't making fun of Kara and she appreciated it, but she also wasn't going to change her mind. "I'm sure."

"Okay. I will put the outlines, then."

It was only when the brunette had her hands against her side and her face a few inches from her chest that Kara realized she didn’t even know who she was. "Hey, I, uh, I didn't catch your name before."

Green eyes glanced up, bright and slightly amused, before they returned to the task of perfectly positioning the flowers on her ribs. "Lena."

"Lena," Kara found herself echoing the name in a whisper before she could stop herself. Lena looked up again, even more amused than before, and Kara felt herself blushing. "It... it suits you."

She had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Lena smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Thanks." She pushed back the stool she was sitting on. "Take a look at the mirror and see if that's what you want."

Kara took a step closer to see her reflection and tried very hard to ignore the fact that she was standing in front of a stranger in her bra. The plumerias were exactly what she wanted and exactly where she wanted them, and she said that to Lena, who told her to lay down after turning the chair into an improvised bed. While Kara tried to find a comfortable place to lay, she heard Lena slipping on rubber gloves and moving a few things around before approaching her again. She was half expecting her to ask one more time if she was sure, but Lena said nothing when she touched her skin with the black gloves, and raised the needle to her eyes level to make sure it was ready to go.

Kara wasn’t sure if the shivers were from nervousness, the chill air of the room, or the fact that this very attractive woman was touching her just below her breast, but she did her best to ignore it. Lena had pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, Kara realized, and she could see her sharp jawline more easily now. She also spotted five different piercings on the woman’s right ear. For a second, she wondered if Lena could feel her heart beating under her skin or if she could maybe even hear it.

"Be ready for some pain, but try not to move," Lena said while she lowered the needle to her skin. "It will take longer if you keep moving. You also don't want me to fuck this up," she offered Kara a smile to let her know she was joking - at least that's what the blonde hoped for. "Tell me if you need a break."

So, Lena wasn't lying when she said it would hurt. Nia neglected to tell her about the painful part and Kara would make her pay for it by typing down her next article, but, holy crap, it hurt. The first touch of the needle made her jump and hiss, and Lena pulled it away like she knew it was going to happen, giving her a few seconds to recover.

"Sorry," Kara whispered once her body relaxed again.

"It's fine," the brunette mumbled back, totally concentrated on her job now.

It went like that for a few minutes - Kara squeezing her eyes shut, biting her lips, clutching the sides of the chair slash bed, and hissing under her breath whenever she couldn’t hold it back anymore. Until she started to get used to the pain and allowed herself to focus on other things. Her eyes trailed to the few drawings hanging on the walls, taking in the delicate traces and the lack of colors from all of them. She decided that talking would help her with the pain.

"Jack said his boss makes those drawings," she commented lightly.

There was a brief pause before Lena answered her. "That would be me."

"Oh," the blonde breathed out in shock. "So, you..."

"I'm the owner, yes." There was another pause while Lena cleaned her skin with a soft paper. "I used to work for a tattoo artist back in Metropolis before I decided to open my own business. Jack followed me."

"Well, you certainly have talent. Your drawings are beautiful."

"On paper," Lena teased and Kara didn’t need to look at her to know she was smirking. "Let's see how it translate to your skin."

Kara wanted to play along and tell her to ‘please, don't make something awful that would be permanently marked on my skin’, but she found herself saying something entirely different. "Plumerias were my mom's favorite flowers. My dad would bring them to her every Saturday after work because those were the first flowers he ever gave her." She could still remember her father getting back home on Saturdays right before lunch with a bouquet in his hand to her mom and a box of chocolate for her, all smiles and offering hugs. If she tried hard enough, Kara could still remember the smell of her mom's stew mixed with the flowers' smell, could still taste the chocolate. "They died almost fifteen years ago."

Kara had no idea why she was sharing those things with this stranger wearing black rubber gloves and breathing too close to her ribs, but she also couldn't stop. Maybe it was a tattoo thing, like sharing too much about your relationships while cutting your hair.

Lena didn’t shy away, though. She made sure their eyes were locked before saying, "Let's make sure those are perfect, then," and went back to work.

Kara felt herself relaxing more after that, although she didn’t say anything else for a few minutes. "I work as a reporter to a magazine," she found herself saying. "My boss is... both of them are impossible to deal with. I dream about throwing them into space sometimes, but... I love my job. One of them is the reason I'm here today."

"Who should I be thanking?"

Kara blushed one more time, even if she wasn't sure it was said to be flirtatious or if she was just imagining it. "Cat means well, she just... push some buttons sometimes."

"Well," Lena stopped her movements to look at Kara again, this time with a soft smile. "I will be sending this Cat some flowers anyway."

The blonde chuckled at that. "Go back to work. I don't want to end up with a dragon on my ribs."

Lena hummed, eyes dropping back to the outlines of the flowers and needle touching skin again. "I wouldn’t draw a dragon on you," she contemplated. "You're more of an iguana kind of girl."

Kara gasped in faked offense and turned her head to fully stare at Lena with narrowed eyes. "How dare you? You know nothing about me!"

The tattoo artist shrugged, not bothered by her explosion. "Maybe a kitty." Kara huffed and puffed, letting her body fall back on the chair, and did her best to keep frowning. "Definitely a kitty," she heard Lena whispering under her breath, playfully and amused, and Kara was soon smiling. "So... will your boyfriend approve this?"

"Are you fishing for information about me?" Kara teased.

"Huh," Lena sighed. "You didn’t sound this confident when you were stumbling over your words when you first saw me."

She was sure her entire body turned pink with that and she mumbled weakly that: "I was nervous about getting a tattoo."

"Yes, of course," Lena replied and Kara blushed again.

"No boyfriend," she ended up replying because the other alternative was to dig a bigger hole to herself. "Or a girlfriend."

She was ready for another teasing from the other woman, but Lena pulled back instead and eyed her tattoo with her head tilted to the side. "I need you to hold your breath for a few seconds, okay? I'm getting to a delicate part and it would be better if you hold it for, like, ten seconds."

Kara nodded and got ready to pull in a breath to hold it while Lena got her needle ready to go again. When the other woman said so, Kara took in a large intake of breath but, as soon as the needle touched her again, she exhaled in surprise when the pain shot to every nerve in her body.

"I know," Lena said. "It's the hardest part. I promise to be done with it as fast as possible. Can we try again?"

There weren't many options since Kara was already in the middle of getting her tattoo done, so she nodded and waited for the new signal. Kara grabbed the chair with both of her hands, pressed her eyes tightly shut, bit her bottom lip and held her breath for the longest ten seconds of her life before Lena tapped her skin and pulled away with a smile.

"There," she declared in her husky tone. "Good girl."

It was embarrassing how those two words made Kara react. She gasped, the breath still stuck in her lungs almost causing her to choke, and her entire body went stiff when a shiver left goosebumps all over her skin on its way down her spine. She couldn't see Lena and that was a blessing because she could feel the pause that her reaction gave the brunette. So, maybe that was a weird way to find out a praise kink, Kara decided while praying that Lena would brush it as a perfectly normal reaction to have.

"That was interesting," Lena whispered and, this time, the blonde knew she wasn't supposed to have heard that.

The blonde bit her bottom lip so hard that she could feel the taste of blood and she was totally sure that Lena could hear how fast her heart was beating. She could probably feel it, and, God, that was so embarrassing. Kara had half a piece of mind to just pull back her shirt, leave and never go back there, but the other woman didn’t give her time to react before she was once more piercing her skin with the needle. It was still painful, although the mortification she felt numbed it a little bit.

Lena didn’t sound so cocky when she spoke again and she even had to clear her throat so the words would come out less hoarse and more audible. “Just a while longer and we will be done. Can you handle it or should we finish it another day?”

Kara didn’t trust herself to ever come back – and not just because of what had just happened but also because she didn’t think she would be brave enough to get any tattoo needle to ever touch her again. So, she exhaled slowly and nodded. Lena went back to the draw immediately after that and they fell in a half comfortable silence until the trickiest part was over. Or, at least, that’s what Kara thought the trickiest part was because it hurt like hell and Lena had this crinkle between her brows when she glanced back that made her look... cute. Even with the tattoos and the five different piercing sets on her ears, the black clothes, the black room and her undeniable confidence.

It wasn’t until Lena leaned away to get more ink that she spoke again. “Plumerias were very common where I lived.”

Kara thought back on their conversation and wondered aloud, “Metropolis?”

“Ireland,” she corrected gently.

“Oh,” Kara breathed out and then hissed when the needle was back to her ribs.

“Not many people know I’m Irish, so I’m trusting you with this secret, Kara.”

She could hear the joke in the woman’s voice and Lena even poked her side playfully, and Kara heard herself giggling like a schoolgirl. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“That’s not how it works,” Lena declared with a huff. “Now you need to tell me a secret of yours.”

“What?”

“Yes, so we’re even and I can make sure you will never tell anyone what I just told you.”

“It’s not like you just confessed a murder,” Kara argued with an eye roll that was quite too fond to be directed to someone who she had met only two or three hours before.

Lena looked up for a second and their eyes met, making Kara’s face flush red. She was pulling a very uncomfortable position to keep her head raised and turned to the side so she could watch the other woman, and she had just been caught doing that one more time. “No? Well, you shouldn’t go to my office then.”

Kara hummed, trying to sound unimpressed by the joke while fighting back a laugh, and shrugged. “I knew it was weird I didn’t see Jack.”

The brunette let out a breathy chuckle, her hot breath hitting Kara’s side and making her shiver again, before she pursed her lips. “I see you’re too fond of Jack already.”

“Jealous?”

Lena quirked one dark eyebrow and gave her a look – the type of look that Kara tried to pull out her entire life while trying to look all sexy and misterious and was never able to do it – that made the blonde’s entire body warm up. “I’m the one poking your skin with a needle right now, so I think he should be the jealous one.”

Yes, Kara couldn’t keep up with that. She was weird, she rambled, she stuttered more times than not, and just, overall, was terrible at the whole flirting thing. Lena, on the other hand, seemed to be a master on it. Kara didn’t really stand a chance against it, not even for a second. She could try, pull out a word or a phrase here and there, but, in the end, Lena would find a way to leave her blushing and flustered so easily that made her head spin.

(She couldn’t be sure if Lena was just that good or if Kara was just super gay, but, whatever it was, it was working wonderfully)

“Now, come on, spill a secret,” Lena said after a long silence that stretched between them while they just stared at each other’s eyes.

Kara felt hypnotized by the green eyes and that was so unfair. So, damn, unfair. “I get my boss’ coffee order wrong every day.”

Lena stopped with the tattoo again to blink at her a couple of times in what seemed to be confusion. Then, she tilted her head to the side, glanced to the ceiling and opened her mouth as if she was going to say something. No sound came out, she closed her mouth again, and she looked so adorable that Kara felt her rambling coming to the surface again.

“Cat has this really complicated order at Starbucks that makes my head hurt just to think about. 3% fat, quarter milk, a spoon and a half of organic sugar, or whatever that is. It’s my job to get her coffee every morning and there’s no Starbucks close to my apartment, so I stop at another place called Noonan’s and get an order from there.” Lena still hadn’t said anything and Kara couldn’t bring herself to stop talking. “I used to work there, so I have a discount. I can buy a coffee for myself too with the same amount of money I would spend at Starbucks. And she never noticed it!”

There was a pause where Kara tried to come up with more things to say before a loud laugh cut the space around her. She looked at Lena with wide eyes and only slightly offended by her reaction, but the other woman was too busy laughing at her expense to notice it. The brunette used the back of her hand to cover her mouth while she shook her head and kept laughing freely.

“I’m sorry,” Lena said, waving her hand, before being interrupted by her own laugh. “It’s just... Fuck! That’s the worse thing you ever did in your life?” The tattoo artist looked at her again with her eyes crinkling at the sides and Kara felt her anger melting away.

“What? Did you expect a murder?”

“I was hoping that you would say you spit on her coffee, at least.”

Kara gasped. “I would never do that!”

Lena narrowed her eyes at her, a tiny smirk adorning her lips. “But you think about it, don’t you?”

“Every day,” she admitted with a groan, letting her head fall back against the chair.

The brunette laughed again and a cold hand came to rest against her thigh, making Kara’s body vibrate from head to toe. “I won’t tell your secret if you don’t tell mine.” Lena winked – winked – at her and Kara felt her throat too dry all of sudden. The woman chuckled again when the blonde gulped before she gently tapped the hard muscle of Kara’s thigh. “We’re done here.”

“Oh.” Kara blinked in surprise and her eyes immediately fell to her ribs. The skin was red and swollen, but she could see the delicate lines of the flowers and the leaves, and she was hit by the urge to cry all at once. She felt like a little girl again, being six or seven, and running to the door to meet her father, seeing the plumerias in his left hand and the chocolate on his right.

“Hey,” Lena called her gently, ducking her head to be able to catch the blue eyes again. “You're fine over there? I had people regretting tattoos before, but not so fast.”

Kara laughed and shook her head, trying to discreetly brush a tear from the corner of her eyes. “Everything is fine. It’s really beautiful.”

“Well, don’t say that before you take a better look,” Lena pushed her stool away and got up with a refreshed excitement. “Come on, stand up so you can look at it in the mirror.”

That’s what Kara did, sliding off the chair and walking with slightly trembling legs to the full body mirror that she had seen before. The fact that she still didn’t have her shirt on was in the back of her mind while her eyes traced the ink. It looked even better on her ribs than it looked on the paper and she made sure to tell the other woman that, earning a smile that she doubted she would ever be able to forget.

"Here." She turned around to see Lena's hand reaching out a piece of white chalk between her long fingers and sporting a kind of smile that Kara hadn’t seen on her yet - satisfied, the type of smile you give after accomplishing a task that meant something to you. "All of my clients have to write something on the walls. It's tradition," Lena shrugged in the end.

Kara’s eyes swept through the room again, taking in the black walls and words written in almost every inch available under a new light. There were small praises, thanks, some jokes and even a few doodles, and Kara wondered what she could write that could sum up her entire experience inside Lena's tattoo shop. She took the chalk more out of instinct, her brain still working on finding the right words, and Kara took a few steps around the room until she found the right place to write.

It was just below one of Lena's drawings that were hanging from a string, between a Scooby-Doo doodle and the message of someone saying they loved their new rose tattoo. Kara’s handwriting wasn't the best one - sloppy and crooked - and it looked even worse when she was trying to write on a wall, but she managed to write her first and last name to make it look readable. Then, she added her phone number under it and put the chalk inside the small box she found just beside her. Kara turned around making sure her body would cover what she had just written, suddenly feeling too nervous about it, and accepted the plastic foil paper Lena handed her.

"Remember to put on the ointment I told you about and keep it covered so it heals. It should be all healed in a week, tops. You're free to call if you have any doubts."

Lena led the way out of the room and they found themselves once again at the reception desk. Lena picked up the pen she had played with before and scribbled something on a piece of paper beside the computer while Kara reached out for her wallet in the pocket of her trousers. Their fingers brushed when she handed Lena the money and her face flushed red for the millionth time that night. Lena gave her a knowing smile before putting the money away and just like that they realized that they would part ways soon. A small part of Kara, primal and shameless, tried to come up with any reason that would make her stay for a while longer. Anything would do, really.

Even so, there was no reason for her to stay and Kara tried to mask her unjustified sadness by joining her hands in front of her body and forcing a smile to look real. “Thank you again.”

Lena waved a hand dismissively, the pen still hanging between two fingers, before her hand came to rest on top of the other one on the desk. “It was my pleasure.”

“If I regret it in the morning, I will come back with a vengeance,” Kara joked, swaying on her heels, and the laugh that came from the other woman was worth any type of regret she might end up having in the near future.

“As much as I would like to see you again, I would hate for that to be the reason you came back.”

Lena winked at her and Kara’s mouth hang open before she could stop herself. That made the brunette laugh in delight, made a deep blush rise from her neck to her cheeks, and Kara started taking steps back before she could embarrass herself anymore. Alex, Nia and all of their friends were right: she’s a gay disaster. None of them would be able to judge her if they just saw Lena though, of that she was sure.

Stumbling over one of the chairs, Kara let out a nervous laugh and, to her utter terror, she pointed finger guns at Lena. “Have, ah, have a good night, ma’am.”

She missed the door handle twice before she was able to open the door and, by the time she looked at Lena again, the other woman was smiling broadly at her. Ducking her head, Kara walked out the door and let it close behind her. Once the slightly chill air of the night hit her face, she closed her eyes and resisted the urge to hit herself for some very stupid decisions made inside that shop. She wondered if she would ever be able to live it down if any of her friends ever found out she just did finger guns at a beautiful woman as a way to say goodbye.

Well, to be fair, she wasn’t sure any of her friends would let her live it down when they found out about her very spontaneous tattoo.

God, Alex was going to kill her. Not for getting a tattoo, but for doing so without giving it enough thought. And, for Christ’s sake, Alex could be a real pain in the ass when she decided to lecture her for whatever reason it was. She was so not ready to deal with that.

It was only when she opened her eyes again that she realized she was still standing outside the tattoo shop – and that Lena could still very easily see her from her place behind the counter – and, with another blush, Kara pushed herself to start walking. Her apartment was only five more blocks down the street and she took that time to clear her mind from anything negative she was thinking about.

If her crazy and very unusual night taught her anything was that she had the thing inside her that could make her do some very adventurous things. She was capable of doing those things. Maybe randomly getting a tattoo wasn’t the ideal way to prove that to herself, but, damn, she had just renewed faith in herself.

Her poor attempts at flirting were the last thing on her mind when she pushed the door to her studio apartment open and stepped inside, making a beeline to where she had left her laptop earlier that day on the small kitchen table. She pulled a chair after turning the computer on and, reaching out for an apple inside the fruit bowl, she waited for the laptop to come to life so she could open a new file to start typing. She had an article to write, and a trip to plan.

 XxxxxxxX

 It was two days later – after Alex had scolded her for making decisions in a rush, after Nia took pictures of their tattoos side by side to post on her Instagram, after Querl had awkwardly given her a thumbs up, after James raised his eyebrows, after Winn yelped in shock – that something changed.

Kara was lazily reading something Nia had written so she could suggest some corrections before the girl submitted it to Snapper’s approval, when her phone buzzed from its place beside her mousepad – her rainbow mousepad, thanks to Winn. She picked it up, thinking it was Alex inviting her for lunch so she could yell at her a few more times, but the number who had texted her was an unsaved one. She frowned, but didn’t give it much thought before unlocking her screen to read it.

“Since you didn’t barge inside my shop to kill me, I take it that you didn’t regret it?”

The smile that curled her lips up came from within her and it was apparently too obvious because Nia, who was sitting across from her, gave her a weird look and arched one eyebrow in question. Kara shook her head, biting her bottom lip, and turned her chair around so the girl couldn’t see her anymore before typing a reply.

“I never said I was going to kill you.”

“The threat was clear to me,” came the next text just a few seconds later and Kara chuckled to herself.

“Please, don’t tell me you were scared.”

“Why do you think it took me two days to reach out?”

Kara paused at that. She had spent the last two days being sure that, despite their easy flirt with each other, Lena didn’t actually want to talk or see her again. So, to have her texting her now was really... reawakening something inside her.

“Who are you texting?”

Kara jumped on her chair, startled by Nia’s voice so close to her ear all of sudden, her phone almost slipping from her fingers and crashing on the floor. Thankfully, her reflexes were still working and she was able to grab it, but not without throwing a glare at Nia for scaring her like that. The girl gave her a sheepish smile, although she shrugged and didn’t back away from where she had perched on the corner of Kara’s desk to look over her shoulder.

“No one,” came the childish, and not at all convincing, reply and Kara didn’t need to look at her friend again to know she was busted. Now Nia was not going to let it down.

“Really? Because you have been smiling to your phone for five minutes and you just smile like that when Alex says she’s bringing extra potstickers for game night.” Nia smirked and leaned over, trying to read the texts again, but Kara quickly pressed the phone against her chest to block her view.

“Alex just invited me for lunch,” Kara attempted to throw her off.

However, Nia arched her eyebrows. “Really? Because I just texted Kelly asking her to go to that vegan place with me and she said she already has plans.” A pause. “With Alex.” Another pause. “For lunch.”

Kara groaned and turned her chair so she was facing her computer again, slipping her phone screen down on the table. “Fine, it wasn’t Alex, but I’m not going to say anything.”

“Okay.” Her friend gave up way too faster than usual and Kara watched her with narrowed eyes as the girl jumped from her desk to turn the corner back to her own cubicle. Nia was about to sit down when she tried to snatch Kara’s phone away with one surprisingly fast move, but the blonde was even faster, taking it out of her reach in the last second. “Damn.”

Kara rolled her eyes and pushed her chair back. She grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair, throwing it over her shoulders and slipping her phone inside one of the pockets, and threw an overly sweet, clearly fake, smile at Nia. “Now you will have to eat alone because I won’t have lunch with you either.”

Nia stuck her tongue out at her. “I will call Querl!”

Kara waited until she was safely inside the elevator before opening her texts again. There were three more texts since the last time she looked and a smile immediately spread over her face when she read them.

“Okay, I confess, I was a little nervous.”

“You still there? You didn’t change your mind, did you?”

“About the tattoo, not the... leaving your name and number on my wall thing.”

She barely noticed when someone entered the elevator a few floors below, too focused on replying to the texts.

“You? Nervous? You don’t look like the type of girl that gets nervous. And no, I didn’t change my mind about any of those things, actually.”

A new text only came after she was already walking down the street to Noonan’s, but she wrote a quick text to invite Winn for lunch before opening Lena’s text.

“I’m also not the type to text any of the numbers left on my walls. And good.”

“Do you get a lot of numbers on your walls?” Kara asked and she had to make a conscious effort to cross the street to Noonan’s instead of walking straight for a few more blocks to the tattoo shop. She could picture Lena leaning against the counter with her gorgeous smirk and her impressive tattoos – and even more impressive cleavage.

“Jack enjoys them more than I do.”

Kara was about to make a comment about Jack but another text came in before she could and she stopped in her tracks so suddenly that the man walking behind her shoved against her shoulder. She tripped over a few steps, but quickly held herself again to read the words over and over in disbelief. She hoped, of course, but that was... wow.

“I don’t want to be too straightforward here, or overly confident or something, but I have a client coming in five minutes, so I don’t have much time. This won’t sound romantic at all, but would you like to have dinner with me? Tomorrow?”

Kara didn’t have to think too much about her answer, of course. Alex would give her a piece of her mind for agreeing to go out with someone she barely knew – and ‘that’s the whole point of going out to meet people’ was not a good argument on her sister’s book – but Kara would deal with it later. Right now, she had a very gorgeous woman asking her out and she already knew what her answer would be.

“I would love to.”

“What? Really?” Kara chuckled at the rushed text she received back, but another one came just a second later. “Pretend you didn’t read that. I meant ‘okay, great!’.”

Chuckling again, Kara typed a new message. “I know you were the one who asked me out, but may I suggest a place? I don’t have a car and it’s close to both of our workplaces.”

“Whatever you want, just text me address. Let’s say, tomorrow at 7 pm?”

“Can’t wait.”

 XxxxxxxX

 “Hey, Kara?”

“Yes?” She asked, not taking her eyes away from her computer screen and typing away as fast as she could to be able to put all the ideas in her new article. She had never written like that before, but she wasn’t about to complain about small inspirations spikes.

“The front desk called and said there’s a pack for Cat downstairs. Can you pick it up?”

With a small sigh, not because she was mad at Winn for interrupting her but because she would have to go all out of the way to pick a pack she didn’t even know was going to come in, Kara saved her file and pushed her chair back. Nia glanced up and was about to remove her earphones, ready to follow Kara to whatever she was going to learn more about the journalism world, but the blonde made some gestures with her hand that she hoped meant ‘boring things, stay here’ before she started making her way to the elevator.

Jenny, the woman that stayed at the front desk, was kind, around Eliza’s age, and very chatty, which worked fine with Kara when she wanted to waste a few minutes talking along. “Good morning, Kara! How are you?”

“I’m great, Jenny. And you?”

“I’m fine. What happened? I recognize that smile.”

Kara tilted her head to the side, although she couldn’t stop smiling, doesn’t matter how hard she was trying. “What smile?”

Jenny narrowed her eyes and waved a finger at her playfully. “That’s the smile of someone who had a very good night.”

The blonde could feel her face heating up and a nervous chuckle escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She had been leaning against the counter, but she leaned her torso back and tapped her fingers against the hard surface nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right,” Jenny scoffed, rolled her eyes and started pulling out the packages that she would need to take upstairs with her. There was a yellow thing that was sent by one of the photographers of the last shooting they made, some letters and a few small boxes, which made Kara believe Jenny had been holding those things with her for at least a few days. Cat hadn’t asked for any of that, so it wasn’t a problem. “Don’t tell me then. You don’t have to. Is all over your face.”

Blushing even harder, Kara huffed an anxious laugh and looked down at the counter. She put one hand on her hip as the other one raised to push her glasses up her nose, but she kept her eyes down to avoid seeing the smirk on Jenny’s face. She would have to agree with her, if she did. Because she knew it was, in fact, written all over her face. She hadn’t been able to stop smiling since she woke up that morning – who was she kidding? It had been like that since dinner last night.

It had a reason – and the reason had a name – but she was not going to share any personal details about her life with Jenny. The old woman had the tendency to share everyone’s secrets – which was another reason Kara liked to talk with her so much, but she would never admit to being a gossip girl. She did tell Nia, mostly because her friend wouldn’t stop asking why Kara was fifteen minutes late that morning, though she had made the girl promise not to tell anyone.

It was still pretty new, she had argued.

“If you two slept together, it’s not that new,” Nia had teased back, making her face turn red so fast that James, that had been coming back from the bathroom, asked if she was feeling well.

Even if the whole ‘sleeping together on the first date’ thing was new to her, Kara hadn’t regretted it in the morning. Much like the tattoo. Although, it would be remarkably harder to regret sleeping with Lena when the said woman was spooning her from behind than it was to regret a tattoo that recquired a lot of afterward care. Either way, Kara was living the best morning in her life and it clearly showed on her face.

“Looks like you’re not the only one who’s having a great time.” Jenny’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts and Kara looked up in time to see the woman pulling a big bouquet from under the counter.

The flowers looked cheap and scruffy, which made it seem like someone had just thrown them together without much care. They were yellow and pink daisies, the colors clashed and didn’t work well together, but the card hidden between the flowers was black and easy to see. She knew she shouldn’t because it had her boss’ name outside the card and it was clearly not for her to see, but curiosity took the best of her – that and the fact that the card had been clearly already open, and by Jenny’s face she knew who had done it.

“Thank you – L”

Well, that wasn’t helpful at all.

Sighing and feeling silly for stealing a look, she put the card back and started to try to find a way to pick everything she needed to take back with her. She knew there was a small cart some other companies in the building used to transport stocks and other products, but she was sure she could use her hands if she just pilled everything right. Kara had just come up with a plan when Jenny spoke again.

“There’s also this one. It doesn’t have a card, but it came with the bouquet. Same delivery. The guy couldn’t say anything about it, but I’m sure we can find something if we call the shop and...”

“I think there’s no need,” Kara interrupted gently, without looking up from the growing pile in one of her hands, but she raised her head eventually.

Only to lose track of every thought she was having.

Jenny had put a single plumeria on top of the counter. As the woman had said, there was no card or any type of identification – who it came from or who was supposed to receive it – but Kara connected the dots quite easily. Smiling, she reached over to grab the simple flower and brought it closer to her face to smell it.

“Oh, I see.”

“I have to go!” Kara said suddenly, knowing everyone in the building would know she had just randomly smelled a flower at the front desk that morning. “See you, Jen!”

The look on Cat’s face when Kara gave her the bouquet, not offering any other explanation othan than that there was a card attached to it, was worth every step on the stairs she had to walk up, holding the woman’s coffee every morning. As soon as she was back to her desk, Kara pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a text before Nia could start asking any questions.

“Thought you said that you’re not good with romance.”

The reply didn’t come right away, Kara ended up putting her phone to the side and went back to work. However, as soon as it rang beside her, she grabbed it.

“Guess we’re both learning new things about ourselves. Want to have lunch together?”

And, yes, she totally did.

[hrwinter]

You’re not sure what you remember about home. If you try, it might be blue skies and warm summer rain that you played in for hours. It might be your mother washing the mud out of your clothes, frowning and asking if it was really necessary for you to roll that completely in the dirt. You told her you were just doing what the dog did.

You had a dog, right?

You’re not really sure.

Because the other memories you have are not blue and green and the dirt brown of your knobby childhood knees. They’re grey and orange and crispy charcoal black. The market you visited where your parents would sometimes have hushed meetings behind shaky hands, it’s rubble. The wind that used to blow the fragrance of fresh peaches and citrus, it’s ash. The home you had is gone.

You remember a voyage, long, dark, and ripe with a putrid accumulation of smells. You remember getting to see the water a few times, opal blue and ever shifting. It was beautiful. But the ship crashed or was attacked, you don’t know, and then it was back to the oranges of fire, the reds of blood, and the screams of your parents you’d never find.

You washed up on shore alone.

Although, not quite alone.

That’s when you first saw her. The crow. You’re sure of that. She’d been there, pecking at the sand near your arm, the same one still clutching the cheap large plastic debris. It had saved your life. You looked over the edge of it, coughing salt water into the surf, and you saw her.

It was weird. She’d surprised you. You’d never seen a bird so big and black, you thought, and she shuffled from foot to foot, nervous. Was she hungry? Was she scared?

You don’t get a chance to find out before a man with large hands is swatting her away. She cawed angrily, reluctant to go, but she did, maybe to a nearby tree. He shook your shoulders then and asked you who you were.

“Kara,” your voice came out in a croak, not yours.

“Kara,” he says again.

The crow cawed.

It’s years before you put the patchwork pieces of your life back together, that you find out what happened to you. That a warmongering company, LuthorCorp, helped exacerbate the tensions in your region then exploited and profited from them by selling both sides weapons. But that doesn’t become relevant for a long time. For now, you’re an immigrant, and an immigrant is not a very good thing in this new country.

It could be worse. There are other kids who are not as lucky as you. Somehow having never set foot here, you have dual citizenship. Your mother was American. So, despite the government calling your parents insurgents and traitors, they don’t try to deport you. Or keep you locked in a cage. Instead, they put you in foster care.

It’s hard. It’s toiling. It takes you a long while to learn the language. You’re shy to talk because of it.

And you’re pretty. At least, people keep telling you that you are. You’re not sure what you see when you look in the mirror. The kind, clever blue eyes of your mother. The hard line of your father’s brow when he’d reprimand you for sneaking too many cookies.

But your prettiness doesn’t feel like a good thing. The other children resent you for it. And it brings you a different kind of attention, a kind that has you cowering from your foster mom’s drunk boyfriend, a kind that has your crow swooping in and attempting to peck out his eyes. She almost manages it, but when he swings, taking hold of her, you jump into the fray, too. You would’ve killed him if your foster mother hadn’t intervened.

That’s right, your crow has followed you here, has followed you through it all. She’s in the tree outside of the window when your foster mother returns you to the group facility for being ‘cruel and violent.’

You didn’t do anything. At least, you didn’t do anything you wouldn’t do again, a hundred times over.

“We’re better off here, anyway,” you tell the crow sitting with you during lunch recess.

“Why do you talk to that thing?” a boy asks you nearby, trapping a soccer ball with his foot.

“She’s my friend.”

“Friends can’t be birds.”

Yes, they can, you think.

“She doesn’t understand you,” he feels the need to add, certain.

But she does. You know she does.

---

You’re adopted into a new home not long after that. It’s different than the others. They’re called ‘Danvers.’ Eliza and Jeremiah, your adoptive parents, they’re kind and intelligent. They encourage your natural abilities in science and math. You’re starting to get A’s for the first time in your life, and you’re less reluctant to speak in class.

You still feel like an impostor. It doesn’t seem like a reality that’s meant for you. You were meant for the bottom of the sea.

“You have a right to be here,” Eliza tells you, but that’s not how your new sister acts.

Your crow has somehow inferred the antagonism between you. One afternoon she swoops in to steal a large portion of Alex’s sandwich and drops it on your plate.

“Hey!” Alex shouts after her, but the crow merely glares at her with dark black eyes, wings ruffling on your side of the picnic table.

“You did that on purpose.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Alex looks between two of you, wary, parsing.

“How did you train it to do that, anyway?”

“…patience?” you improvise.

“You’re lying.”

The crow caws loudly, and Alex narrows her eyes.

“Whatever, I’m going inside.”

The crow watches her leave, and you soothe her ruffled feathers with a hand. The sheen of them always makes them seem oily, but they’re not at all. Her feathers are soft, and she preens a little under the touch. You gives her a nickel to play with. Maybe you’ll actually try to train her.

So, you make her puzzles. She seems somewhat competent in checkers. You read to her. Her favorite stories are fairy tales. Her favorite foods are unsalted peanuts, boiled eggs, shell and all. She likes apples too (you painstakingly removes the seeds, they’re bad for birds.) You feed her from the window. She sleeps in the tree there and follows you to school and back every single day. She watches you organize quarters for a state collection, nipping slightly at the plastic casing.

“I already gave you Iowa,” you tell her.

She clicks her beak back at you. Sometimes, she’ll steal your keys. You think she just likes things that you like, but you’re not sure. Alex says you’re projecting. Alex says you make up things that aren’t there, but honestly, Alex is a little mean.

Once on a fishing trip, the crow used bread to catch a fish, laying it before you all on the thick wood pier planks.

“That bird is smart,” Eliza comments, watching her chase away a hawk that seems a little too interested in the fish.

You’re proud. She’s fearless.

“Their brains are bigger than ours proportionally,” you reply with enthusiasm. You look to Alex. “See.”

“Her brain is bigger than yours,” Alex mumbles over her empty fishing line, and the crow dives down to nip at her.

“Hey!” Alex swats without making contact. The crow flies away again. “That crow doesn’t like me, I swear. She knows me.”

“Of course she does.”

“It’s meaner to me.”

“She’s a she, not an it,” you correct her.

“It’s not normal.”

“It’s perfectly normal for a crow,” you bicker with Alex. “They don't forget a face. They hold a grudge.”

“You sound like the Discovery Channel.”

“Well, it’s true. Did you know that they also mourn the dead? That they don’t migrate, staying in one place for most of their life?”

“So, you’re saying we’ll never get rid of it? Great.”

“She,” you correct her again testily. “And they can live to be 15 years old. So, yeah, you’re stuck.”

Alex quiets, and you’re thrilled to have won the argument.

But deep down inside, you’re willing to admit it’s a little weird, she’s a little weird. Crows are supposed to be social, and you’ve never seen her with any other crow. She only talks to you. She only follows you.

It would be crazy to think she wasn’t quite a crow, but something else, something more. Wouldn’t it? But you kind of do. You don’t admit it to anyone, but you do.

---

Graduation from high school is close, only days away. You’ve arranged everything for college, although not without a hulking amount of help from Eliza. She organized all of your scholarship forms, your applications, your dozens of essays. She kept you on track with projects and midterms and extracurriculars (you’re the captain of the Geology club, who knew!) And it’s all materialized into your acceptance at National City University. It’s only a couple of hours from Midvale, and you can’t wait for August.

Sometimes it’s crazy to think you’re going to college. A blonde, blue eyed girl who washed up on the beach one day like a sand dollar? You would’ve never put your money on her.

But here you are, walking a beach not that far from the one you arrived on, a big slate blue sky in front of you, wind whipping your hair. You think about the future; the new city, the potluck roommate, eighteen hours of classes in biomedical engineering.

“You’ll come with me to college, right?” you say to the crow perched on your shoulder, bobbing with every step you take.

The crow softly caws and nuzzles its head on your shoulder. It’s a rare form of her affection. Otherwise, her eyes are focused on the little crabs skittering in and out of the waves.

“I couldn’t have done it without you, you know,” you reach to bring the crow to your hand, her pointed claws clinging gracefully to two of your fingers. She looks back at you expectant and listening, canting her head to the side every now and again.

“We’ve never really talked about it,” you say as if it’s typical to apologize for conversations you haven’t had with your crow. “But you’ve always been there. You protected me.”

The crow flaps her wings a little. Is it pride? Joy?

“Thank you.”

You’re not sure what overtakes you then, but you do something you’ve never done before. Despite the fact that you’ve seen her roll around in ant piles, you lean forward and plant a little kiss on her feathered head.

Immediately, you know something has changed, that something is different. There’s a shimmer in the air in front of you, prismatic in color, and the crow flies away from you, landing, staggering in the sand. You chase after, but a crisp gust of wind blows sand into your eyes and you wobble, falling. When you scramble to your feet again, blinking and rubbing the grit out of your eyes, you don’t see your crow, but a girl with eyes as green as spring leaves, with hair as black as crow.

“You’re her,” you say as she sits up, looking confused, one armed draped across her middle.

“Yes,” the girl answers simply, shaping the word as if unfamiliar.

“You’re naked,” you announce.

“Yes.”

You strip your light jacket off, suddenly rushing to cover her. You rub her shoulders and she looks at you in that same, too intelligent way.

It is her.

You have no idea know what to say next. You just watched a bird transform into a human. It’s not real. You made it up. Maybe you passed out. You did eat a lot of cinnamon rolls right before this. You pinch yourself, but you don’t wake up. You’re still here on the windy beach, clutching a familiar creature in your arms.

In a panic, you fall back on the very first English you learned.

“I’m Kara,” you say. She sort of smiles as if that’s obvious. “What’s your name?”

She looks away, thinks hard. She has a strong jaw. Her skin is too white, like it’s never seen sun. Maybe not under the feathers? God, you think you’re going crazy.

“Lena.”

“Do you have parents, Lena?”

It’s a ridiculous question. She’s been with you for eleven years. But it’s a ridiculous situation.

“I—don’t remember. But I guess I do,” she says thoughtfully. Her voice has a raspy quality to it, not unlike her caw. “They probably think I’m dead.”

“What happened to you?”

She shakes her head again.

“I don’t remember,” then, “a curse, maybe. On my father. A woman came to our house that night. ‘A payment taken of your most prized possession’, she said. Something about an enemy loved.”

“A curse,” you repeat back. It makes sense. Even if nothing about this makes sense.

You shake your head, focusing on what’s important.

“Don’t worry,” you take her hand. Her palm is butter smooth. “Let’s go home.”

[camslightstories]

Tolerate it - Part 2

Notes: I wanted to thank you for all the support, you guys gave me with this, it amazed me. It’s my first reader x character and I cannot be happier. I wanted to do shoutout to @super66legends87, she helped me a lot, go check her out. She is an amazing writer.

If you have any request, comment, question or feedback I will gladly received. I'm working on a prompt list for my writing. Thank you again for reading, have a great day.

Lena Luthor x reader, Kara Danvers x reader, Alex Danvers x reader. Baby Danvers.

3 years later

Midvale was quite colorful during the holidays. There wasn't any snow but that didn't stop the residents from going big every year. Every once in a while a whole street would be completely lit up, and the next one would only have different inflatable holiday figures.

The smell of the ocean and cocoa mixed in the air was something that made you think of home. The soft cold breeze that Midvale would have. The caroling in the streets dressed in Hawaiian shirts and Santa hat. The beaming lights turned on at every hour of the day. The chocolate chip red velvet cookies from the girls' scout. The home that you shared with her, and it wasn't enough

You watched out of the car, how the teenagers would be skating, or just hanging around each other. You could also see the park that was situated a few minutes from your childhood home, fill up with kids laughing and playing. 

You couldn't bear to look away when you saw the happy couples entering the beach for the holiday movie night with their joint hands. You felt yourself almost breaking down at the moment the Uber stopped at your parents' house. 

Tears threatened to come out and with all of your self-control, you stooped them. Trying to put a facade before knocking on the door after thanking the driver, and wishing them safe drive home, and thanking them for the professionalism after you broke down on the passenger seat.

Your mom opened the door, immediately giving you a comforting hug. It took all of you, to not break down in her arms, but you couldn't do that. You just couldn't, you knew if you did, you would ruin everyone’s happiness. Including Lena’s and Kara’s and you would go through hell for them just to be okay.

When you pulled away you felt some tears leaving your eyes, and quickly wiped them, trying to make them unnoticeable. Your mother began who she is, noticed them, and frowned immediately as she spoke. “Why are you crying, sweetheart?”

“It's okay, mom. I just really missed you” Your mom nodded, as she believed it, your whole life you would cry if you saw others do. You would cling to any of your sisters if there was a storm. You would often make decisions on others' feelings, leaving your feelings behind. You would never stand up for yourself. You were afraid of rejection. You were just a highly sentimental person.

Eliza studied you before bringing you inside of the house as she questioned you. “Why are you doing here, Y/N? Not that I’m not glad to see you, it’s just the second of December sweetie”

“I wanted to put something away on the storage if that’s okay?” You responded as you carried some of the boxes inside.

Your tone and vibe were calm and unusual. You haven’t been like that since your heart breaks with Lucy, and a few years later Barry. Both of them leaving you for someone else, someone better.

You had a more bright persona. You and Kara had a similar vibe, you saw the best in people, you always used to bring the bright side out of everything. You were the clumsiest in the house, leaving you with a lot of bruises and broken things. You would make puns and bad jokes all the time. 

You were sweet and caring, also the innocent of the family, you would squeal like a child on Christmas day, or throw up the morning after Halloween. You were scared of the dark. You were just somewhat a child. Put when anyone you loved was hurting, you went on spiral protecting mode. You wouldn't open up, you wouldn't burden them with your problems even though it was killing you inside.

Your mom said before you would get another box, trying to make you open up. But you wouldn't give up “Of course it is sweetheart, I will make you some chocolate before we move the boxes” 

“Mom doesn't worry I can do it alone, they are not that heavy. And I would pass the chocolate thank you” You said as you walked past her, grabbing another box almost falling to your side.

Eliza chuckled at you as she went to help you while speaking. You nodded and remained quiet as you moved the boxes to your dad’s storage. “Okay sweetie, I will keep you company then.”

You couldn't help to think about the fact that the things you were storing away had somehow a memory with Lena. And it hurt you to think you are not there with her anymore. The fact that you are here storing them, except for taking them with you meant a lot. You knew that it was going to be difficult. Lena was the love of your life, she was everything and now becoming her nothing stung more than anything else.

After a few minutes of putting the boxes away, you stood outside of Jeremiah’s storage as you watched the things already organized. You marked your things and compound yourself before stepping away closing it be

Your mom stood a few feet away hugging her cardigan as she watched you from the balcony. You lifted your head to give her a small smile before she spoke up. “It’s cold Y/N, where is your sweater?” 

“I forgot it, mom, don’t worry about it, it’s not that cold” You shrugged your shoulders as you walked to the hammock seat.

The Danvers hammock seats were created by you. So you would ‘perform’ to your family the music you had created at 10, making Kara sing with you and after a time Alex too, making your parents watch.

Flashback - 2 years ago

The soft smell of french toast and coffee took part in your old room. Soft sunlight coming through the black window blinds invading the room, making you groan when you feel it in your face. The white sheets entangled between you and Lena under the blanket. A soft arm hugging you from behind protectively and a hand running through your Y/H/C hair comfortably. 

Slowly hearing Kara’s singing voice in the kitchen, you huffed before turning around with your eyes closed, feeling the glance of your girlfriend, you sighed before melting and cuddling more into her as she spoke. “Well good morning to you too, Love”

You mumbled as you pulled away to place small kisses on her face. Making the older woman giggle “It's Christmas day baby!”

When you went to kiss her properly, Lena decided to play catch moving away every time. You played along, ignoring her, making her now try to gain your attention until you heard the walkie-talkie on your nightstand sound with the familiar voice of your older sister, Alex groaning “I swear to Rao, if you don't make her shut up, the hammock performance would be viral”

“Merry Christmas dear sister. Alex, I swear-” You groaned before grabbing the yellow thing, Lena watched in amusement as she kissed your back and shoulders since you kept ignoring her. 

You were interrupted by the stuffed voice of your blonde sister yelling “I heard that! Jerks! Also, Eliza said if you don't come down the french toast would be mine”

You groaned before you could respond that walkie-talkie was flying towards your puff chair and you were pindown on the bed. Lena holding both of your hands to your side, with a smile of victory. She kissed you after a few seconds breaking the kiss with both of your smiles, as you spoke and squealed like a child “I love you and Babe! it's Christmas”

“Yes, it's Christmas love. And I love you too, darling” She responded shaking her head when you jumped out of bed. You quickly put on the closest shirt that was hers, and you were about to put your hand on the knob of the door when you were stopped by the soft voice of your girlfriend giving you a raised eyebrow

“Are you forgetting something Y/N?” She said, raising her eyebrow, giving you a soft and sarcastic glance as she dressed with your clothes. You looked at her dumbly before biting your lip and nodding your head.

“Ohh yeah yeah…. Good morning sweetie” You said before kissing her quickly before running downstairs. She didn't have the time to tell you, you didn't have pants on.

Lena looked at the door and rolled her eyes at your antics, before looking herself in the mirror trying to look presentable on Christmas morning, hugging herself with your oversize Christmas sweater smiling.

The kitchen was invaded by the smell of coffee and french toast. The sunlight coming through the windows giving a direct angle. Kara danced and sang at the other side of the kitchen since she was not allowed, because of her eating habits when your mom was cooking.

Walking through the house while it was decorated for Christmas was not the easiest, and running around it was more difficult than anyone expected, you saw Karas back before jumping in her back, clinging to her like a koala. 

A few minutes later, Alex came running downstairs, Lena and Maggie following close behind laughing. Alex didn't even blink before launching herself into Kara too, this time catching you off guard and making you three fall into the floor laughing and groaning. 

Your mom, Eliza, looked at you three daughter in the floor and walked past, giving Maggie and Lena a hug as she spoke directly to the “Merry Christmas sweeties we can sit”

Before the three of you would get up, she spoke to you pointing at your sisters and lastly at you.“The three children will come, in a second after they made sure there isn't a dent in the floor and all the food is ready.”

Kara and you pouted before getting up, while Alex just huffed and cursed quietly. Making Kara and her start a silly argument because the blonde caught you and not her even with her superpowers, while you sneaked up to the kitchen where the cookie dough stood putting a spoon inside getting caught by your mom's voice. “Without eating the cookie dough”

Before you could put the spoon away you heard all of the speakers play a familiar song. You startled when you heard the second part, you knew exactly what it was.“Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun...Now the jingle hop has begun”

“No!” Before you knew Alex and Kara were showing the video to everyone. Lena just laughed at your pouty face and gave you a kiss melting it away. Before anything else happened a few things were heard in the background

“Luthor that it's my baby sister” Alex yelled

“Not this again!” Kara yelled

“Could you two leave your sister and Lena alone?” Your mom said as she scolded your two older sisters, making you and Lena burst into laughing.

“I think the girl on the hammock band is adorable, I love you” Lena said pointing at the TV where the edited video played, it was you playing in 4 different instruments one signing as she kissed your temple.

“Put pants on nerd!” Before you could respond. Alex and Kara yelled as you felt a pair of shorts hitting your head.

Flashback ends

“How is Lena?” Your mom asked you, bring you out of your thoughts as she sat in the hammock chair next to you.

You keep your sight on the ocean, as the cold breeze hit you calmly. And the ocean waves breaking, close to the sand. You knew your mom's glance was on you, and the fact that she was trying to make you open up, told you she knew you were acting differently. 

“She is good, yeah she is good, good and she is also happy so that’s good” You responded, trying to convince yourself. 

Your mom glanced to the ocean, as she heard your response. Taking a deep breath she countered back, catching you off guard. “Are you happy?” 

You keep your glance on the ocean as you insisted, trying to not let the emotions gain control of you, you couldn't, Lena deserved to be happy and if it meant for you to be hurting, then it was worth it. “Yeah mom I’m good, I’m good, good, I’m happy so that’s good” 

“Okay sweetheart” She concluded, letting you go.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Our love can change the world

by mari_cammi What if Kara had leaned in, or maybe taken Lena and finally told her what she felt for her, and Lena told her back? And if Lex had done something so terrible that not even Lilian could forgive him, especially after she started therapy with the craziest psychologist in all the DC world? Well, this is the story of Kara and Lena, as I think could have gone after Kara returned from the Phantom Zone. Something that happened in the show didn't happen or is a little different and I don't like the way Alex and Eliza treat Kara for a long time, so I won't be so gentle with them in the beginning, so if you don't like it don't read this FF. I hate Mon-EL and James, so as I said before don't read this FF if they are your favorite characters. Words: 9517, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015), Wonder Woman - All Media Types, The Flash (TV 2014), Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Batwoman (TV 2019), Titans (TV 2018) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M Characters: Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Diana (Wonder Woman), Alex Danvers, Cat Grant, Samantha "Sam" Arias, Andrea Rojas, Nia Nal, Querl Dox, Eliza Danvers, Zor-El, Alura In-Ze | Alura Zor-El, Ruby Arias, Original Danvers-Luthor Child(ren), Esme (Supergirl TV 2015), Lex Luthor, Kelex (DCU), Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lillian Luthor, Lionel Luthor, Kelly Olsen (Supergirl TV 2015), Mon-El (Supergirl TV 2015), Bruce Wayne, J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Andrea Rojas, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Zala Jor-El, Querl Dox/Nia Nal, Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Astra/Cat Grant Additional Tags: not a slow burn, take place After Kara's rescue from the Phantom zone, Kara is the badass that she should had always had been, from 0 to 100 in the first chapter, Alex Danvers Being An Asshole, Bad Parent Eliza Danvers, but they can be redimed, Lillian Luthor Redemption, Good Parent Lillian Luthor, Fix-It of Sorts, almost canon compliant, I don't really like Mon-El via https://ift.tt/zoBeNlm

[ao3feed-supercorp]

'Cause a Vow Means Never, Starting Now

by IndeliblyBoxedIn

The time has come for Mon and Winn to finally get married. There's just one problem, and its name is Winn's Mother.

Words: 1102, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of Secrets, Secrets, Universe

Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: Winn Schott Jr., Mon-El (Supergirl TV 2015), Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers, J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw, Barry Allen, Agent Vasquez (Supergirl TV 2015), Mary McGowan, James "Jimmy" Olsen, Lena Luthor, Kelly Olsen (Supergirl TV 2015), Eliza Danvers, Various DEO Agents (Supergirl TV 2015), Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow

Relationships: Mon-El/Winn Schott Jr., Hinted, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer

Additional Tags: Marriage, Weddings, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Idiots in Love, Monster-In-Law, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Abusive Parents, wedding crashing, Evil Plans, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Trans Male Character, Trans Winn Schott Jr., deadnaming, Transphobia, Homophobia, I'm Bad At Tagging, Angst with a Happy Ending, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, No beta we die like Winn's singing parts, Misgendering

from AO3 works tagged 'Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor' https://ift.tt/U3nzVlr via IFTTT https://ift.tt/U3nzVlr

[shasta-reese]

Finale Part 2 (6x20)

Alright, continuing the 2-hour finale. I wanted to do one post for the whole finale but the 6x19 commentary was already too long so here we are if anyone actually reads my long rants in their entirety I applaud you and thank you. So for real this time, one last ride:

- Welp Lillian is officially dead. It's a sad death like she's obvs a bad guy cuz like she did attempt to commit alien genocide a few times but I also never wanted her to die. Maybe I'm just too attached to Brenda Strong but I also just didn't want Lena to lose another parent no matter how terrible they were. I would've liked her end to be like in season 3 (I think, or was it S4 idk), in jail for life but Lena still went to visit her and play chess.

- Lillian's death to me is marginally better than Shadow Weaver's death (if ya'll watched She-ra) cuz Shadow Weaver never loved anything/anyone and till her last breath she never apologized for the shit she did. But Lillian in the end just wanted the best for her children and recognises that Lena can hate her if she wants for all the shit that she put Lena through her entire life. So yeah I rather she not die but I'm not overly pressed over her arc ending in death.

- Kelly may not have many lines but the few times she speaks she reminds me that she's a licensed therapist yet somehow never asked any of them to go to therapy, especially Kara and Lena. I'm joking but not really

- The hope speech was good but I don't know why but some of the wording of it just sounds weird to me. But I can't put my finger on it.

- How can Lex and Nyxly literally be fighting each other to the death one second then just turn and fight together? To an extent I get it Superfriends are their common enemy but still

- The final battle is interesting how they paired who fought who. It is a little odd to me that Nyxly in 6A was Kara's villain in a way but when it came to the rest of the season she became more of Nia's villain instead. Which is fine but just something I find a bit peculiar, and somehow Lex has become Kara's villain when we all know his obsession is actually with Superman (kryptonians as a whole I guess). I just don't like that Lex has been used for so long as a Supergirl villain when he's Superman's. but that's just a personal preference

- Also liked that James assisted Kelly rather than "saving" her, compared to Mon-el saving Kara with Lex. I know I'm probably reading into too much of this but for a show that's supposed to empower women it just doesn't sit right that Supergirl (the title character) has a man (who's she had not the best relationship with) come in and "save" her in the series finale during what's supposed to be the big final fight.

- I am going to ignore the fact that Eliza came outta fucking nowhere and just appreciate that we got Mama Danvers being badass with a shotgun. And the reference to Helen Slater playing Supergirl in the past, ngl made me chuckle

- I appreciate the sentiment of Mitch switching sides but he literally also did nothing to help them

- Kinda weird that in the wide shot with all the heroes Lena and Andrea are not in frame, like you could even see Eliza at the back but Lena isn't? Odd choice but okay

- And here we have the most anticlimactic final battle I've ever seen, just such a cop out ending tbh. I hated that's how they ended Nyxly's arc especially. They spent all season building Nyxly's character, everything she's been through and that's the best they came up with? Nyxly was already in the Phantom Zone for forever and just got sent back like it was nothing? That's fucking terrible, the fear on her face (and Kara's) when the portal opened was heart breaking and she got sent back to the place where she suffered eternally. She's a fucking terrible person for sure but even she didn't deserve that. Lex, I don't give two shits about cuz we know if he got arrested again he would've still done shit like before so it was either death or Phantom Zone I guess. But I thought for sure after showing us Nyxly interacting with Esme last ep, she would've gotten the "villain but can be redeemed" treatment but apparently it seems like they ran out of time. It wouldn't have been the first time Supergirl has redeemed a villain, with Psi and Livewire. One of the things I don't understand is what was Nyxly's motive even to destroy the universe, it would've been more reasonable to have her goal to be collect the totems for the All Stone and finally take revenge on her father. Because we've seen that Nyxly doesn't particularly aim to harm innocents, just those that are in her way to get the totems so her wanting to destroy the world when she gets the All Stone just doesn't make sense.

- It would've been better if they played the "revenge won't bring you peace" shtick and empathising with Nyxly that yeah she's had a shit life and dealt a shitty hand but taking out her revenge on the world wouldn't just make her hurt and anger go away. She realises that they're right. Then send her to some magic proof jail and she gets rehabilitated and heal from her trauma.

- But we didn't get that and they just sent a woman who's been hurt her whole life back to the place where she suffered most. Nice

- I posted about this before but does William not have any living family? Why is he being buried in National City when he really only came here for a job? Rip William, we truly knew nothing about you and you deserved better than this.

- I really don't like that they decided to bring the DEO back. It had so many problems, they put aliens away without trail or jury for what seems like until they die, its part of the government which we all know means shady shit is bound to happen. Just so many problems. I would've preferred if they stayed independent and cooperate with the government rather than under the government. Did the entire Season 4 plot teach any of you anything!?!? Or even just start your own organisation without the government would've been better honestly.

- Alright for real tho does ANYONE know what the fuck the Lena Luthor Foundation even is? Like what does it do???? No one has ever explained it. Nice of Andrea to open a journalism school in William's name, its honestly the least she could do. Also just a sidenote, Lena just standing at the side with Andrea while Andrea is giving her speech, lowkey gives me "proud wife of the founder" vibes, kinda hilarious lmao

- Dreamer having an LGBTQ+ outreach centre is gonna make me cry again dammit

- I'm not gonna say much about the whole Mon-el never coming back thing cuz I know there are nice karamel shippers and I don't wanna be insensitive or disrespectful but I'm glad they made a solid statement that their relationship has run its course. I get why there are people who still ship them because when I watch back some S2 scenes they're good together but for me personally the bad things just outweighs the good and personally I see S2 Kara and Mon-el as more of a playful friendship but the writing just made Mon-el into a douche and turned their relationship sour

- I know Brainy isn't gonna leave but fuck this goodbye still make me tear up :'( (on a lighter note, I wonder if it felt weird for Nicole to kiss Jesse with the green make up on lol)

- Also how come Brainy didn't have a goodbye with the others? like they've know Brainy just as long they are family at this point and at the moment they think that Brainy is going to the future to merge with the Big Brain and fucking CEASE TO EXIST HOW IS NIA THE ONLY ONE UPSET HERE?! Where is his honorary sibling, Lena? Kara, Alex, they were basically his sisters. How was there only an emotional goodbye from everyone when Brainy is quite literally walking to what is essentially his DEATH??!! this literally just occurred to me, wtf?

- the moment has come...CAT GRANT BABEEE! Honestly her appearance single-handedly made me forget all the terrible writing in the first half of this episode. I love the fact that Cat called her to rant and almost didn't tell Kara the reason she called because she was too wrapped up in why she hates people, oh Cat its so nice to have you back even for just a moment. I wanna headcanon that this is a semi-regular occurrence that Cat just calls Kara regardless of what time it could be in National City just to rant/vent, that is now a headcanon you cannot change my mind.

- That mini panic that Kara has when Alex walks in to her apartment is adorable.

- Damn, that last Danvers sisters couch scene....

- NOW FOR THE WEDDING

- I saw someone else also mentioning this but who are all these people attending this wedding? Alex's friend circle isn't exactly large so I will just assume that they could be DEO co-workers, Kelly's military friends and social co-workers. Cuz let's be real we haven't seen any of them actually talk to anyone outside the Superfriends

- I am always happy to see a parent who admits that they weren't perfect and owns it. So glad to see that Alex and Eliza relationships seems to be getting better. Also Esme is just the most adorable child

- Am I the only one wondering where is Kelly's mom? Apparently according to the Arrowverse wiki she's still alive so...? or they couldn't cast a person in time due to Covid or some other reason? They seem to have a good relationship with her from what they say. Guess we'll never know. But I digress it was a sweet sibling moment between the Olsen sibs

- I haven't seen the clip of Lena and Winn entering the wedding venue before.😂😂 Why do they both look so fucking miserable?😂😂

- Okay Brainy clearly watched way too many movies and decided that yes this is my movie moment and did the most rom-com entrance. 😂😂 I love him so much. Him and Nia deserve all the happiness in the world <3

- The vows were beautiful, the outfits impeccable, just amazing. (Alex's hair could've been better but I digress)

- Esme's lil moment with her uncle Jimmy was sweet :)

- Lmao they really had Lena be like "I just lost my second mother and became a two time orphan, would you two fine ladies like to adopt me pls🥺". Smart choice honestly for making Lena the godmother cuz as the last remaining Luthor I will assume she just inherited a shit ton of money on top of the shit ton of money she already had 😂

- Wish there was at least one slow dance but it was also nice seeing the cast having fun and then probably crying once they yelled cut.

- Look we all knew that Cat Grant knew, its no surprise but it's nice that they made it canon. Cat Grant pep talks are top notch man. Bi......furcated, are you fukcing kidding me, so close, we were so close

- I just love that Cat Grant is always the one to push Kara and encourage her to dive but for some reason they've made it so that Lena's words to Kara is the final thing that pushes Kara to finally make the decision. It happened when Kara became a reporter and its happening again with Kara becoming her true self void of dual identities.

- Katie saying "hey, you" causes me to react in a way it shouldn't 😳

- I love how well Lena can read Kara. She approaches first playfully but once she sees Kara is actually troubled she immediately switches gears and comforts her

- The entire Kara/Lena conversation honestly says more than what is actually being discussed. Because out of everyone Lena is the person that Kara has this talk with, and empathises with her. And at the very end of their conversation its clear that these two are each others person, they better each other and push each other to grow in the way that parallels Alex and Kelly's relationship. They are there for each other and never try to fix one another but just be there for them and help them figure things out. The amount of faith and trust that these two have for each other is unmatched. And it is an absolute shame that these two will go down as one of the biggest queerbaits in history rather than the one of the most solid wlw slow burns. Truly shame on the CW and WB to have let this once in a lifetime ship slip through their fingers and tarnish their reputation even more to many members of the LGBTQ+ community.

- Random note, Katie's eyes are absolutely piercing during that scene, idk if that was due to lighting or the dark eye make up but it felt like she was looking into my soul.

- One final game night, I'm just glad that everyone was there looking so carefree and happy with nothing bad hanging over their heads

- One very small nitpick I have is that I would've loved it even more if Cat Grant at the very end introduced Kara as Kara Zor-el/Kara Danvers rather than Supergirl but I get what they were going for

- But I digress the first time I saw that very last shot with Kara smiling at the camera I sobbed because she looked so light and truly happy and that's all that any of us can ask for a character's ending is that they are happy.

And that is the official end of Supergirl. I know it wasn't the finale that many of us hoped for but I am satisfied that all the main characters got happy endings. It still doesn't feel quite real but I know that next week when I open tumblr or twitter and see no new updates on Supergirl it will hit me full force and I will sob again because yes in many ways this was a shit show but it was ours and we cared for it. And so did the actors and the crew, its such a shame that it didn't reach its full potential but it was still good in ways that I don't think any of us will ever forget. In a strange way I don't think I'll miss the show in its entirety but I will miss the characters, I will miss this cast being together, I will miss how I feel when I watch this show (obviously the good moments only). I can't wait to see the other projects that this cast will be involved in because they are truly a very very talented cast and this show didn't give them nearly enough opportunities to showcase their talents. And I think that's it, if you've read this entire thing, thank you for being my first true fandom experience. For the very last episode commentary of Supergirl.

Goodbye.