#Lena and Kara are going to have to work things out

[natalievoncatte]

cw: violence

Lena checked her watch. She only had a few minutes to pull this off, and had to time it perfectly. Lex was across town meeting with an investment consortium from Japan.

Officially.

She knew what he was planning. She just lacked the proof she needed. Once she had it, she would go to the media through her best friend and confidant, Kara Danvers. She had eyes on Lex right now as he met, in secret, with a Kasnian agent, the same one who'd help him orchestrate the theft of a prototype Lexosuit; that had been one of the first times that Superman had shut down one of Lex's schemes, and earned his undying hatred.

Lena needed the final piece of the puzzle before she involved Kara and pulled her into the danger of her private little war with her brother. This was so far beyond anything Lex had attempted that Lena knew now was the time, she had to stop him now, today. The line had to be drawn here, and no further.

The secure lab was deep in the bowels of the Lexcorp Tower in Metropolis; Lena made the excuse of a meeting with some of the research team working on battery enhancements for the upcoming line of Lexmobiles. (Lena had spent hours genuinely trying to talk Lex out of that god-awful name, and actually call them something marketable, but his towering ego was as immovable as it was monumental)

Lena's heart was racing as she stepped out of the elevator, carrying her briefcase under one arm. She strode down the hall like she owned the place (she did, actually- or half of it, anyway) and made sure anyone watching on the security feeds would pay her no mind. She'd worked here for years; even though she'd moved to National City to lead her own division, away from Lex, Superman, and all the drama, she was not an uncommon sight in this place.

Maybe here.

Lena stopped at the door, a heavy steel slab six feet wide and eight feet tall. Breath catching, she slipped her hand in her pocket and slid her finger through the ring she carried there. When she pulled her hand out, an image inducer created a perfect replica of Lex's hand around her own, projecting the unique contours and ridges of his palm and fingertips while simulating his pulse and unique vitals.

It was either going to work or it wasn't. She pressed the false hand to the sensors and waited. It beeped twice and turned a healthy blue.

The door let out a rush of cool air as it slid silently aside, its motion mirrored by an inner door of the same dimensions sliding in the opposite direction. Lena stepped through and removed the ring; the doors slid ominously closed behind her, latching with a heavy thunk as wrist-thick steel bolts slid home, anchoring them in place.

She knew that not only was the entire room lined with lead, but the lights could instantly switch to a red wavelength and the long sliding panels on the wall would open to reveal K-Radiator emitters. This room was designed to be a death trap for Kryptonians, should one be foolish enough to enter. That was why Lena had to do this alone.

Supergirl would rush in where angels feared to tread, and given the chance, she'd barge through those doors and end up helpless on the floor, at Lex's mercy to murder without witnesses. Or worse.

The lab was smaller than she expected, and Spartan. Despite her brother's notorious, arrogant grandiosity, he could be relentlessly practical when needed, and at heart was utterly ruthless. Lab benches lined the walls, and the computer was no different, visually, from any other workstation, though it was connected to a vast private database and would have very difficult encryption and security protocols that no one in the world could crack.

No one but her.

The far end of the room was dominated by a peculiar machine, resembling an incubation chamber of some kind, roughly human-sized and surrounded by thick steel cables and tubes, with several dozen monitors rigged up all around it, displaying all sorts of information.

Including biorhythmic data and vital signs.

Lena ran a hand over the steel of the external pod. It was warm.

Her throat tightened. This might be worse than she thought.

Turning to the terminal, Lena sat down on the stool and took from her bag a small portable drive and connection cable, setting them on the desktop in front of her. Lex had one of those drinking birds dunking placidly away at a glass of water on the desk, another bit of his peculiar humor. She'd once loved that about him, before his joking took on a mirthless, cruel streak.

Letting out a slow breath, Lena wiggled the mouse and woke the computer. It demanded a password, pass phrase, and passkey. The two she had, the latter was what the drive was for.

She typed BUCEPHALUS in the password field, then THY FEARFUL SYMMETRY in the pass phrase field, then clicked the cursor into the last box and plugged in the drive, and waited.

The program loaded automatically. If she made an attempt to brute-force the passcode, it would set off the alarms and possibly even trigger a deadly trap in this room. Lena had to crack it without cracking it; it took her months to create this algorithm, with the secret and begrudging help of Querl Dox at the DEO. He'd been concerned about it falling into the wrong hands; he was right to fear that, as it could crack virtually any system in seconds.

It did exactly that, filling in the require passcode. Lena clicked the LOGON button and let out a soft cry of relief as the screen lit up with Lex's desktop.

He had a series of folders waiting, just sitting there ready to be opened. The folders had names like LEXOSUIT, PARTICLE EMITTER, BINARY FUSION GENERATOR, SPATIAL DISTORTION CANNON, POINT-TO-POINT TRANSMATTER... and PROJECT GALATEA.

Lena opened that folder, and found a series of video files. She opened the first one, dated over a year ago.

Lex' face appeared, the man himself seated in this very lab.

"Mother stole Supergirl's DNA and used it to breach the Fortress of Solitude. She walked those hallowed halls, and didn't invite me! Not only that, she took only one device, when Superman's precious armory was right there for the taking! Is everyone a fool? Am I doomed to be surrounded by incompetents?"

He took a deep breath.

"It doesn't matter. There's enough of what she took left to comprise a viable sample... all I need is time, and I had that in abundance now that I've taken care of that nosy Gotham prosecutor that was working with Superman. He's too busy robbing banks to bother with me, and with the Metropolis police and GCPD in my pocket, Superman and that flying rat of his have nowhere to turn."

Flying rat? What the hell was he talking about?

Lena skipped a few files ahead.

"We'll call her Project Galatea. My initial plan -to create a limited-use drug that would produce Kryptonian superpowers- has been a failure. Nor was I able to successfully create a viable clone."

Lena's stomach sank. Clone? Clone? Had Lex tried to clone Supergirl? Was that was this equipment was for?

"Then it hit me- I could complete the project another way, by filling in the gaps in her DNA, but that still didn't solve all the problems. There was a missing component- I still don't know how Kryptonians actually absorb and process sunlight, for one. Still, that seems to be solving itself. Galatea's cells are absorbing the artificial solar energy that I'm pumping into her maturation chamber at a geometric rate. She might be even more powerful than her mother by the time she matures."

Lena jerked to her feet, a chill running through her body. Mother? Wait, did he mean-

Oh. Oh God.

Lena let the video drone on in the background as she moved back to the chamber. It was encased in steel plating, but it was designed to open. Lena found a pair of goggles on a work table near the control panel and put them on before flipping a switch.

The panels rotated, exposing a human form lying at an angle at rest on a padded platform. A respirator, like a flight mask, was strapped to her face, and she was submerged in thick, bubbling liquid. The chamber would have been too brilliant to look at, if Lena hadn't put on the goggles. It was flooded with brilliant solar radiation.

She'd put the inhabitant between ten and twelve years old, with golden skin and dark hair. Lena blinked a few times; it was like looking at an old picture of herself, actually.

For a brief moment, she just stared.

Then it hit her, and she almost vomited as she shoved the switch and closed the doors over the maturation chamber, stumbling back as she retched.

What did he do?

What did he do?

"I see you've met your niece."

Lena whirled, and found Lex staring her down, standing in front of the lab doors with his hands clasped behind his back, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"How... what... what the fuck did you do, Lex?"

"I think you've already pieced it together."

"Why?"

"Why?" said Lex. "I'll tell you why. Security. The security of a free state, sister. I did it because it had to done."

"This is... this is obscene," said Lena. "This is a violation, Lex. I'm not going to let you get away with it."

He laughed. "Get away with it? What do you mean, get away with it? What are you going to do, sue me for custody?"

"You... this is monstrous, Lex."

"We live in a world of monsters, dear sister," said Lex, stepping closer. "Gods and monsters, and who are we? Men, just men. There's whole universe out there, a multiverse, full of these creatures, and the human race is defenseless against them, and worse, they're being welcomed. They're eating of those Kryptonians' palms, you included, and now there are more of them. The green freak claiming to be a Martian. The so-called Amazon. There's seven or eight of them running around. Eventually it'll be twenty, then thirty, then more. They'll run roughshod over our institutions."

"You're out of your mind," said Lena.

"Am I?" said Lex. "Superman and Supergirl claim they fight for truth, justice, and the American way, right? What if their definition of justice doesn't match ours? What if they decide the American way isn't good enough? What if they decide they need to do more than pull kittens out of trees? Then what? Tell me, Lena, what happens if Superman decides to fly down tomorrow and tear the roof off the White House?"

"He wouldn't do that," said Lena. "I've met him, and I know Supergirl. She's saved my life a dozen times, and I suspect you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Lex shook his head. "Mother's extremism has always been a burden. I've done my best to protect you from her, Lena, and I've been honest about it. That's more than you can say for Supergirl."

"You kept this from me," said Lena.

"Until I was ready. I had to be sure that she was viable before I bring her out of the chamber and introduce you. She's going to be part of the family. Our long lost cousin, who we'll raise as a daughter, knowing that the Earth is truly safe now. That we'll have one of them on our side."

"This... this is Supergirl's child."

"That won't be a problem," said Lex. "It's time for you to grow up and let go of these fantasies, Lena. Supergirl doesn't have any interest in you. You're nothing to her, at best a beloved pet."

"I believe in her. We've worked together."

"I said the same thing about Superman. You know how close we were."

"It's not like that."

Lex's smirk turned cruel. "Isn't it? You've always had a type."

'Fuck you," Lena spat.

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "You're not listening. I guess I have to prove it to you. Computer! Show her."

The droning video log of Lex discussing the problems of merging Kryptonian and human DNA stopped, and another one popped up, taking the entire screen. Lena almost didn't look, but her head turned inexorably and she watched.

"Kara?"

Lena watched Kara Danvers walking down a corridor. She stumbled, as something hit her back, twice. Whatever it was tore holes in her cardigan, and she turned around, standing tall. Taller than usual. She didn't move this time; it was as if little puffs of wind were blowing holes in her clothes.

Except they weren't puffs of wind. They were bullets; Lena could see the muzzle flashes, off camera.

"What... how..."

Kara yanked her glasses off and shook her hair free, ripping the cardigan open, popping the buttons, baring the sweeping crest on the chest of her her blue uniform.

"No," Lena whispered.

"I sent the men who shot her in this recording," said Lex. "Don't worry, I already knew; Mother told me. The alien confessed it to her, before begging her not to tell you. I wonder why."

The video ended.

"This is a trick. She wouldn't... she isn't... she's my best friend."

"No, she's your master and you're an obedient dog, heeling where she tells you, and if you aren't... do you know what happened to the assassins I sent to kill Kara Danvers?"

Lena swallowed. "Shut up, Lex. Stop talking."

He smiled, teeth bared in a wolfish grin. "The martian mind-wiped them. He uses his psychic powers to erase the memories of anyone who compromises her identity."

"Stop," said Lena.

"Ever have any... episodes?" said Lex. "Any of those days, where you were so busy your memory gets a little foggy? Ever find yourself back in your apartment without quite knowing how you got there? Are you sure your own memories haven't been tampered with, Lena?"

"Shut up!" she screamed.

"You've been manipulated, tricked, deceived. She doesn't love you, she never will, and you have nowhere to turn. Help me, Lena. Join me, and we can be a proper family again. We can put things right, and lead a free world to-"

Lena reached into her pocket and pulled out a nickel plated Smith and Wesson Ladysmith revolver with faux-ivory grips bearing Lena's initials. Lex gave it to her on her twenty-first birthday, and went with her to the range the next week to teach her to use it.

"Oh," said Lex.

Lena shot him. The blast was ear-splitting in the confined space, leaving a painful ringing in its wake. Lex crumpled, toppling onto his side as if his strings had been cut. Rolling onto his back, he stemmed the gushing of his lifeblood from the wound just below his ribs and looked at her.

"Didn't think you had it in you," he rasped. "Should have known you'd be the one. You can only count on blood."

Tears stung her eyes, blurred her vision. Lena held out the weapon, her grip trembling as she aimed at his head.

"You'll never stop," she choked out. "You'll kill her. She'll never be safe as long as you're alive."

Lex grinned, the corners of his mouth wet with blood. "Do it."

Lena's finger flexed, but the trigger felt frozen in place. As it shifted slightly, a flood of memories slammed through her- shooting lessons and chess games, strange idle fancies and muted conversations, long rides in the back of sedans. Lena's graduation, Lionel's funeral, Lillian's abuses, Lex standing between their father and Lena with a bruise on his jaw, warning the old man not to lay another hand on her.

A sob tore from her throat. She couldn't do it. She couldn't.

Lex laughed flecks of blood onto the floor.

"Go on, then. I don't need you. I have my own Kryptonian, and she's going to be daddy's little girl."

It was as if the rain suddenly stopped, the sun cracking open the clouds. The gun was terribly loud again, and Lena turned away before she saw the shot connect, looking away from the blood fanning out across the floor as Lex went silent and still.

Shoving the still-hot gun back into her pocket, Lena ran.

Thought I'd share a little bit more from the in-progress Curse of Strahd AU/Crossover!

[fazedlight]

Tradition

Something had changed.

Lena could sense it, in the kisses and the small touches, in the way Kara would watch her in the mornings as Lena slowly woke. Her girlfriend had grown more pensive, looking at Lena with curious eyes - a touch of stress on her brow.

“Are you alright?” Lena murmured one morning, as Kara brushed a stray lock of hair behind Lena’s ear.

“Yeah,” Kara said, pressing her lips briefly against Lena’s, “Just thinking.”

---

Lena tried to let it go.

There was no real worry inside her. It did bother her, an itch somewhere in her mind, that Kara was holding something back. But this wasn’t like before - there was no fear or loneliness or distrust. She knew she loved Kara; she knew Kara loved her. That was all that mattered.

But she was certainly curious.

Luckily, there was always work to do to distract herself. Running the Foundation, tweaking experiments in the Tower, being a voice in Kara’s ear when the hero went out to fight. Plenty to keep herself busy in the day, before she and Kara went home at night. She could be patient.

It only took a few weeks for Kara to say something, on the couch one evening. “I promised you I would be open with you,” Kara said.

Lena glanced up, reaching her arm across to give Kara’s hand a light squeeze. “I promised that too.”

“What if I’m not supposed to be?”

Lena frowned curiously. “Kara, what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing bad,” Kara emphasized, “I just- I don’t understand Earth romance. We didn’t have that on Krypton. Parts of it are still a little alien to me.”

“Okay,” Lena mulled, trying to understand, “We can- we can talk about it? We can slow down-”

“I don’t want to slow down,” Kara said emphatically.

“What do you mean?”

Kara eyed Lena for a moment, then glanced down to her lap, shifting shyly. “If you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, shouldn’t you talk about it first?” Kara asked, “Shouldn’t they decide that together? How do you make it… a surprise?”

Oh, Lena thought, her heart fluttering lighter as she realized the source of Kara’s concern, she wants to propose.

It brought a smile to Lena. She wants to propose…

Lena leaned forward, brushing her lips to Kara’s, trying to soothe the blonde’s confusion. “We’ve talked about our lives together,” she murmured against Kara’s lips, “What we want to do, how we want to live, what it will be like to grow old. Those are the things that are important to me.”

She could feel the tension in Kara’s body dissipate, as Kara wrapped her arms around Lena, kissing her back. Lena felt herself melt into Kara’s embrace as the ardor grew, leaving thoughts of the future for some other time.

---

“Could I fly you somewhere?” Kara asked one Saturday night.

Lena looked up from the couch, where she had settled in to read a book after dinner that evening. She took in Kara’s expression, watching as the blonde fidgeted shyly. Oh, Lena thought, trying not to smile, “Sure.”

Still in her pajamas - not that she minded - Lena and Kara went out to the balcony. “I’d like to blindfold you first,” Kara said shyly, and Lena nodded. The scrap of cloth went around her eyes, and she felt as Kara’s hands directed her closer, before Kara scooped her up into her arms.

She wondered how far Kara would take her, but she didn’t ask. The cool breeze of the night was a welcome relief from the warm day, and they quickly found themselves descending.

Still blindfolded, Lena felt as Kara gently set her on the ground. Blankets?, Lena thought, now sitting somewhere outside, feeling the warm and fuzzy bedding against the palms of her hands, when did she set this up…

The blindfold lifted from her face.

Lena looked around. She was indeed in a nest of blankets, giving her cozy warmth on that cool night. Her eyes drifted to the Irish pastries and wine near her feet, two glasses sitting neatly next to one another.

She glanced up, gasping softly at what lay ahead - a lake, blanketed in night, with an array of trees and stars behind it. The reservoir, she realized, recognizing their picnic spot as one she and Kara had been to a dozen times before. A place that had grown fond to them, despite their terrifying first night there.

“When I came to Earth,” Kara said nervously, kneeling next to Lena, “Everything was new, and strange. People talked about all sorts of beliefs, different types of magic. There were so many cultural practices, so many languages. It felt like I landed on hundreds of planets at once.”

Lena placed a gentle hand on Kara’s arm.

“I didn’t understand romantic love,” Kara continued, eyes glancing up to meet Lena’s, “But I started to feel it, fragments of that spark, figuring out what it meant. And then I found you, Lena. And I realized something important - that Krypton had hidden more than one type of magic.”

Lena smiled, already feeling the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes, emotion bubbling up in her chest.

“This was the place I realized it,” Kara said, looking out to the reservoir. “I was holding you above this lake, and I realized I could never let go.”

Kara hesitated, turning back towards Lena as a hand drifted to a pocket, and Kara pulled out a small black box to present to her girlfriend. “Lena Luthor,” Kara said, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Lena said, realizing her voice was thick with unshed tears, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Kara’s lips, “Yes, yes, yes,” she said over and over again, as Kara kissed her back, as the two pulled each other close.

When they finally broke apart, Lena laughed, as Kara struggled enthusiastically to get the ring box open, before finally sliding the ring on Lena’s finger.

Kara leaned forward again, brushing her lips one last time on Lena’s. “I hope I did that right,” she murmured.

“Darling, this was perfect,” Lena whispered back.

[ekingston]

also on ao3.

“Would you stop fondling my boobs?” Lena hisses, watching as a man nearly wanders into traffic staring at what looks like Lena Luthor, elbow-deep in her own cleavage. He swerves, promptly face-planting into a lamp post when he sees Supergirl herself slap Lena’s hand away. “We’re in public,” Lena reminds her.

“Ouch,” Kara yelps. “Gentle!”

“Sorry,” Lena says. But she only feels a little bad, because at least Kara is now cradling her arm instead of getting Lena arrested for indecent exposure.

Kara is still squirming when Lena checks them in, the receptionist beaming at her in a way Lena has never been beamed at before. Dr. Sattler’s ready for them. Kara gives Lena a last, panicked look, and then she takes the therapist’s offered hand and introduces herself.

“Lena Luthor,” Kara tells Dr. Sattler with a lopsided grin. “Good to meet you.”

“And Supergirl,” Dr. Sattler says, turning to Lena, her gaze briefly flitting down at the S on Lena’s chest. “How wonderful you managed to finally come in.”

Kara flops down onto the couch with a grateful sigh, the skirt of her dress gapping immodestly as she kicks off Lena’s heels. Lena nudges her legs to close them, annoyed. The injustice of Kara getting to act as if she wants to be here. As if she hasn’t been avoiding this visit for months.

(Do we really need to do this? Kara had asked Lena just this morning. Kara’s gaze had been a cross-eyed, sparkling green as Lena applied her eyeliner with a trembling, freckled hand.

Lena had growled in response, knowing even the barest bit of unintentional pressure could blind her for life. We’re not going to cancel just because we’re wearing each other’s bodies, Kara. Hold still.

I bet you’d look good with an eyepatch, Kara had breathed, after which Lena had given up on the endeavor altogether.)

“Your work must keep you busy,” the therapist says magnanimously.

Lena huffs out a laugh. “You can say that again.” And when the Dr. looks at her, curious, “Being a superhero and all that. Always off saving the world!”

“That goes for both of us,” Kara points out. “You—I—don’t even make it to bed, most nights.” And then, softer, “Even when you tell me you’ll wait up.”

“I wish I wouldn’t.” Lena turns to the therapist and explains, “I eat when I’m bored. She comes home to a bed full of crumbs. Who wants to have sex when the sheets are littered with bits of Captain Crunch?”

Dr. Sattler opens her mouth to answer, but Kara doesn’t give her the chance. “Maybe I could make an effort not to be such a neat freak,” she pouts.

Lena’s eyes flash. “Maybe I could make an effort to wash my hands after I use the bathroom,” she snaps back.

Kara sits up. “You do!” she shouts. “You’re just quick about it!”

Lena sighs. “The laws of nature don’t work that way, darling.”

Kara makes a face Lena vows never to make again if she ever gets her body back. “I leave my hair in the shower.”

Lena snorts. “I wash it down the drain. That’s worse.”

“But you fix it!” Kara looks at her with Lena's own wide, pleading eyes. “That’s how—how you show love. By fixing things.”

“Wrong,” Lena flings back. “I break them, so I can feel needed.”

Kara blinks at her, looking hurt.

“That’s.” Dr. Sattler pauses for a moment. “Some very impressive self-reflection,” she decides.

Lena smiles at her, glad they’re getting somewhere.

Kara looks from the therapist to Lena, her blood red lips—easier than eyeliner—pinching together with uncanny chagrin. “I faked my own kidnapping to get out of her family’s Thanksgiving,” she accuses darkly.

Lena sniffs. “I have a codependent relationship with my sister.”

Kara gasps. Dr. Sattler’s eyes widen. Lena arches an eyebrow with considerable effort.

“Oh yeah?” Kara sputters. “Well,” she flails, her nostrils flaring. “You—" she takes a deep breath. "I have mommy issues.”

Oh, fuck no. That's too far. “You do not,” Lena squawks.

"No?" Kara cocks her jaw in a way that makes Lena feel, for the first time, a little sorry for the men she’s similarly stared down. “Let’s find out,” Kara says with the smallest of smirks, and then she retrieves, horribly, from Lena’s purse, Lena’s phone.

“You wouldn’t,” Lena whispers, her heart stopping.

Kara jumps up with surprising agility, dancing out of Lena’s reach. “This’ll just take a second,” she promises Dr. Sattler. “Hello? Mother?”

Lena scrambles over to the other end of the couch, practically throwing herself across the room in an effort to get to Kara.

“No reason,” Kara croons into the phone, grinning as she maneuvers herself away from Lena’s grasp. An elaborately painted and unfortunately placed vase isn’t so lucky. “Just calling to say hey,” Kara says. “It’s been a while, huh?”

Lena really should have taken Kara up on her offer to help Lena master her power of flight. “Don’t make me hurt you,” she yells.

“It is!” Kara sing-songs. “Still going strong, yup. Which is why I called! We were wondering—”

“Don’t you dare,” Lena hisses, clawing for Kara’s shoulder and exploding a couch cushion instead.

“—how would you feel about coming to our wedding?”

Lena freezes, flecks of stuffing falling around them like snow.

“Excellent!” Kara chirps. “We'll see you there.”

Dr. Sattler clears her throat. “I don’t think you two have anything to worry about,” she says. “Your communication style is—unique, but obviously effective.”

Kara beams at her as they're leaving, wearing a deeply pleased expression Lena didn’t even think her face was capable of making. “You really should start wearing more comfortable bras,” she says, rolling her shoulders. “Also maybe take up yoga.”

Lena hums. “You’ve never had any complaints before.”

Kara stops and stares at her, aghast. "Is that what I look like when I'm coming on to you?"

Lena grins at her. "Why do you think I'm marrying you?"

Kara giggles.

- - -

This was written for the multi fandom (and original!) flash fiction challenge, using the prompts ‘established relationship’, ‘at a therapist’s office’, ‘body swap’ and ‘an eyepatch’. You should give it a whirl!

[meowelous]

I'm kind of obsessed with this idea of Kara trying to tell Lena that she's Supergirl but she gets super nervous and it kind of sounds like she's coming out as queer and Lena thinks that's it. Then she says "oh Kara it's okay, I understand, you don't need to be nervous"And the conversation ends with that. Kara thinking that she told Lena that she is Supergirl and Lena thinking that Kara came out of the closet. So every time they're together doing something and there's an emergency that Kara needs to deal with it and she's like "hm I have this thing now-" and Lena thinks Kara is abandoning her to go on a DATE with a woman and gets extreme sad Then one day, Kara shows up as Supergirl to Lena and is like "I came to get you for our lunch!" And Lena is very confused and they finally figure out the confusion.

Edit: hi I wrote!

[obliviouskara]

Supergirl doesn’t huff. She doesn’t. She’s National City’s superhero, beloved and adorned. Has captivated the hearts of many, saving it tragedy after tragedy. Supergirl is indestructible, bullets bounce off of her, laser beams shoot out from her eyes. Her enemies tremble at the sight of her and yet here is she, huffing like a petulant child withheld her favorite candy all because Lena Luthor keeps ignoring her.

In Lena’s defense, she’s not ignoring ignoring her but she’s also like not giving her the time of day.

While all of National City’s — some would even argue including Metropolis, eyes are on her she can’t seem to capture a specific pair of exquisite emerald hues that belonged to a certain L-Corp CEO.

It doesn’t matter that she’s saved said tech genius multiple times now (not that she loves to dwell on the fact of just how many times she had to save her) but Supergirl always comes to her rescue. Always. Even more times than the media tabloids can count. So much so that there are rumors spreading, mostly from magazines wanting clickbait headlines. Headlines like how the resident superhero has been spotted carrying a certain CEO to safety way too many times.

People talk, tweet, whisper. Who wouldn’t? A Luthor and Super working together is a headline worthy to keep people talking. But no matter how hard Supergirl tries, nothing seems to be working. She can't catch her attention. At least not the kind of attention she secretly hopes to get out from her.

The CEO thanks Supergirl, as she always does. So polite yet begrudgingly reserved.

Supergirl earnestly tries to make sure to be her knight and shining amour and if from time to time she makes a show or flare about it, that’s her business. None of this garner any huge reaction from Lena though.

So, it makes her huff because she’s Supergirl. Although she would never admit it out loud, she does get a little thrill when people watch her in awe. She tries to hide the proud smirk when she successfully blows a house caught on fire with one breath. She doesn't even break a sweat.

If only Lena would look at her the same way.

But as fate might have it, the L-Corp CEO would simply give her a grateful smile and a practiced “thank you” and she’s off— goes on with her day as if she wasn’t just inches away from death.

Lena doesn’t bat an eye when the Kryptonian does her heroic stunts which some would argue is a bit over the top for someone who isn’t even of acquaintance to the CEO.

Supergirl’s touches are so soft, careful, reverent in such way when she rushes towards Lena’s safety like a scene straight out from a comic. This makes Sam, Lena’s friend and arguably only friend she allows to judge her to an extent—  raise a few eyebrows.

So, the National City’s superhero pouts.

Pouting like a six-year told being told to go to bed earlier than she would have wanted. This inevitably pushes her to find ways to impress the green-eyed CEO who watches her with the most blank expression.

She’d even once sent her a wink when she punches a particular large alien straight to oblivion while staring directly at the CEO. Lena's reaction? Nothing. Didn't even crack a smile. She seemed almost unimpressed. Borderline bored. The only thing she receives is a smack in the head from Alex telling her to “stop being inappropriate while wearing the suit”.

Thankfully, Kara doesn’t have pout for long because while Lena barely gives Supergirl the time of day, she gets a completely 180 when she’s Kara Danvers.

For some reason, Lena smiles wider - brighter whenever she’s around the shy, fidgety, clumsy reporter. A CATCO reporter that Lena seems to be head over heels with.

Lena doesn’t even shy away showing how much she enjoys Kara’s company. It should embarrass Kara how much Lena unabashedly favors her in more ways than one but she’d be lying if she doesn’t admit how much she loves spending time with the her. The undivided attention is just a cherry on top.

While Lena barely makes conversation with the resident superhero, she has lunch dates with Kara. Movie dates. She filled her office with flowers as a thank you for the article she published describing about the new acquisition and owner of Luthor Corp now turned L-Corp even though Kara shyly explained that she was simply doing her job, all while the Kyrptonin simply gets a “that’s lucky” for saving her from almost plummeting to her death.

Kara doesn’t miss the slight change of expression on Lena’s face when the Supergirl nervously explained how she found out Lena was in danger.

Was that jealousy? That’s ridiculous! Why would Lena even care that Kara and Supergirl are friends?

But Kara, oblivious Kara only seem to see herself worthy of Lena Luthor when Kara is her alter ego. She feels more confident when she’s Supergirl than she is as Kara. She’s not really sure why. Probably because she feels she has more to offer compared to her reporter persona. Kara is just so…Kara. Simple. Flimsy. Boring.

Lena doesn’t deserve simple. How could someone be as amazing as Lena Luthor possibly find shy, nervous, boring reporter Kara Danvers interesting? She’s just being kind. That’s just how Lena is. Even though Lena literally bought a million-dollar company she knew absolutely nothing about all for Kara. An investment that left Sam completely speechless and Jess losing sleep for a week.

Kara convinces herself that Lena is just a good person and that’s one of the many things she loves about her best friend.

But it continues, and Lena falls for Kara even more. She falls for her perfect smiles the way her face lights up with each new random fact her brain comes up with, her silly jokes that Alex points out are not even that funny but Lena laughs the loudest if only to bring another smile on Kara’s face, their genuine conversations that has Lena opening parts of herself that she has never told anyone about maybe other than Sam and super platonic cuddling.

This makes Kara as Supergirl bolder. She becomes confident in expressing how she feels for Lena while she wears a cape. Lena isn’t the only one falling. So is Kara. Hard.

She falls for Lena’s genuine kindness; how smart Lena is and yet somehow, it’s like she doesn’t know how amazing she is. She falls for the CEO even when she’s wearing the suit that the lines between her and her superhero alter ego almost blurs. Almost.

So, she openly flirts without shame. For someone who’s supposed to be professional in her line of duty, she seems to make it a hobby to send a overtly flirty smile or wink towards the CEO. Supergirl lifts 10-ton trucks in front of Lena, intentionally flexing her biceps basically just to show off. To get the slightest reaction out of Lena but all she gets is a tight lip smile before Lena shoots Kara a text to have lunch.

And while Lena spends more time publicly with Kara, they barely get swarmed with paparazzi. I mean, who would find Lena having lunch with an unknown reporter interesting.? That’s not news worthy.

It’s not even gossip worthy.

But as soon as she’s standing close with Supergirl, their photos are front and center of every magazine cover.

It becomes a headline in a span of minutes, twitter loses their mind. They earn a little fan club even and Lena tries her best to ignore it.

Really, she does but it bothers her a little. Not for the reasons people might think. She finds every headline of her and Supergirl “dating” irritating if not annoying because that’s not exactly the blonde she wants her name to be associated with.

Sure, she and Kara are getting closer - Lena can feel it. A connection more than friends tethering their bond, an unspoken knowledge neither one of them brave enough to admit. Yet.

She ponders. Hopefully.

The nonstop rumors about her and Supergirl are starting to get on her nerves since last thing she wants is for Kara to get the wrong impression.

Lena considers what she and Kara have fragile. Delicate. Like the slightest turmoil would send it crashing. She can’t have that. Not if she can help it. She won’t allow rumors about her and a hero with an awful god complex ruin it.

She worries what Kara might think of her connection with Supergirl because there isn’t. It’s purely transactional. Business at best. They’re barely even friends.

She’s given the superhero the coldest shoulder she can whenever they’re in close proximity. It's probably not fair but she makes sure to keep a respectable distance between them. It doesn’t help however that the superhero seems to enjoy being close to her.

Hovering almost. It infuriates her even more.

So, she tries to hide it. It’s not the alien’s fault Lena has fallen for the reporter. It’s not Supergirl’s fault she has issues and is overprotective of her relationship with Kara.

Lena isn’t a fan however of the fact that Supergirl somehow is never shy to leave a comment of what she thinks about Lena. While Lena doubles her effort to make sure she doesn’t mention Supergirl in any of her interviews unless necessary, Supergirl is the complete total opposite.

She talks about Lena. A lot. Her projects, her advocacy (How did she even have the time to remember that? Lena’s only mentioned it once) and what she does for the community. It’s so hard to hate the superhero when she’s nothing but nice and supportive towards the scientist.

Almost like this unwavering and undying devotion which to her is a little dramatic since she doesn’t even think highly of herself at times.

Lena thinks, “Thanks but like, can you please just shut up about me for one second?!”

Apparently, Supergirl does and she praises Lena every chance she gets, every time a microphone is shoved towards her asking what she thinks of the L-Corp CEO.

Lena knows the media is doing it on purpose too and it’s fueling whatever rumors that are going on about them. And while she appreciates Superhero’s opinions and generous words, there is only one opinion that she really cares about.

She was mortified when she saw Kara staring at a photo of her with Supergirl, arms wrapped protective around her in one of the magazines on her desk (she’s sure Sam did it on purpose, she doesn’t remember ever getting a copy for herself), Lena immediately snatches it out from Kara’s hands, shoves it inside her drawer and starts rambling defensively preparing for a full-blown explanation to whatever possible questions were running through the reporter’s mind. Noticeably, Kara barely says a word.

Even as Kara stays silent, Lena still feels as though she needs to explain herself. She tells Kara nothing is going on, and she doesn’t see Supergirl that way at all. She shouldn’t be defensive when Kara has not made as much fuss about it but she can’t help it. Sweet, nice, understanding Kara Danvers just smiles and says “I don’t know. You two look good together”.

Now it’s Lena that freezes. She stands there, gob smacked and absolutely lost because what was that supposed to mean?

Does it bother her that Kara almost seemed okay with it? Does Kara think something is actually going on or she doesn’t think much of it? Did Lena expect a little bit jealousy? That’s insane and frankly quiet immature for her to hope to get a rise out of Kara. But Kara simply shrugged and started devouring their shared lunch.

It’s fine. Lena’s fine. She doesn’t care that Kara doesn’t care. This is good. This should be good. It doesn’t bother her at all. Or so she tells herself. Until it does.

Lena tried to casually prob the topic again. Tries her best to not sound too desperate. She thinks of the easiest way to brooch the topic without being conspicuous. With perfect timing, the TV flashes an image and it showed a picture of Supergirl clutching on Lena protectively from a blast, another poor attempt on her life.

Whether it’s because of Supergirl’s overprotectiveness or just her natural aura which was how the photo was taken, it came out beautiful. Stunning. Almost breath taking that you would think it was staged.

On top of that it’s also intimate. The way the superhero is holding her. Lena barely remembers being held by the super. She was too busy trying to not have a panic attack after just seconds away from an exploding bomb.

Lena held her breathe. Any minute now.

Lena had been glancing at Kara’s direction since the news started, waiting. The news anchor mentioned what everyone else was already thinking. How sweet they both look, that somehow, they manage to turn what supposedly should have been an image that would portray fear and anxiousness into something almost heartwarming. She waits, and waits until she breaks the silence herself.

“I can’t believe people actually assume I’m dating Supergirl.” Lena scoffs, forces a laugh as tries to be casual, as if her heart isn’t about to beat out of her chest wondering what Kara might be thinking.

“I wouldn’t blame them. You two make a great couple.”

Before Lena could even respond, Kara adds, “I mean, you and Supergirl? It’s Supergirl, Lena. Everyone wants her. Half of National City probably has a crush on her. I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.” Kara finishes off, with a fond roll in her eyes as if to tell her it’s not a big deal. That it’s normal.  She takes the remote out from Lena’s hands while she uses the other to shove popcorn in her mouth. Lena swears she could almost see a smirk forming Kara’s lips. As if she was smug about something.

But it wouldn’t make any sense. Also, why was Kara so fine with it? And why was Lena so annoyed that it didn’t bother Kara? They’ve been going out on dates but nothing about it were friendly. At least not to Lena. Was she reading things wrong? She knows she’s not.

Lena’s too smart to be reading into things. She has three PHDs for crying out loud. She can explain quantum physics in her sleep but this? Lena has never been so sure and so confused about something in her life.

It’s possible to assume what she has with Kara is simply friendship but it’s hard to deny that there’s something more. She feels it. In the way she lights up when Kara is around, when a single text from the reporter brightens up even her darkest days.Good morning and Good Night shouldn’t be causing butterflies to fly rampant in your stomach or make your chest ache with so much joy. But it does. It does for Kara.

“Not me though,” Lena finally says after finding her voice. She looks away, afraid that blue eyes can see beyond the facade she’s trying to keep up. “I don’t… I don’t see her that way.”

Kara pauses mid-way from ingulfing her popcorn. Lips purse as if she’s thinking hard about something. “Really?” Kara doesn’t even hide the surprise in her voice as she slowly turns to face Lena, popcorn temporarily forgotten. “Why not?” Why was Kara whining about this? Lena should be whining, not her.

“What do you mean, ‘Why not?’”

“I mean.. Why don’t you.. But she’s so.. — it’s Supergirl, Lena! She’s like the strongest woman ever! She’s a superhero and she’s so..” Kara blushes, as if trying to find the right words but also somehow struggling to let them out at the same time. This confuses Lena even more.

“She should totally be your type! She’s like everyone’s type!” Kara throws her hands trying to make a point.

Lena just stares at her. Unimpressed. Scrunching her nose, she turns her attention back to the screen changing the channel. “Well, she’s not.” The CEO deadpans and that was the end of it.

Lena tries to forget about that disaster of a movie night. She really does. She wills herself not to think about it. She tries pushing it at the back on her mind for two days until Lena reaches her limit.

She’s furious. How dare Kara Danvers just — push her away like she’s nothing. ‘She should be your type’ plays on her head nonstop almost mocking her and it makes her want to scream! How could someone be this —ugh.

That’s how Sam finds her. Pacing around her office like a mad woman on a mission rage written all over her face. She looks like a ticking time bomb just seconds from exploding.

“Looks like someone woke up at the wrong side of the bed this morning,” cautiously Sam approaches, like walking close to a wild animal. She makes sure to leave a respectable distance just in case.

“Unbelievable!” Lena starts her rant, her hands balled into a fist. “I can’t believe out of all people she thinks Supergirl is perfect for me.”

“I mean she’s not—”

“Samantha Arias, I swear to god not today.”

Sam immediately lifts both hands in surrender, taking another step back.

“Here I was worried sick of what she might think about these stupid rumors only to find out she obviously doesn’t care! The nerve! She thinks supergirl should totally be my type?! Supergirl?!”

Sam opens her mouth attempting to ask a question or two but seeing as Lena is close to throwing the nearest thing she could grab against the wall, she decided against it.

But the thing is, Kara Danvers does care. She probably cares more than anyone. Kara Danvers cares about Lena Luthor so much that it bothered the Kryptonian that Supergirl isn’t Lena’s type hence why she’s huffing again.

However, another incident, another threat to Lena’s life changes everything.

It was such a close call that it leaves them both breathless and the girl of steel shaking as she holds Lena close. Blue eyes scan each and every corner of Lena’s face making sure she’s okay. Making sure she’s real and nothing bad has happened. She made it on time. She's safe. Normally, Lena wouldn’t allow this much intimacy between them but after this attack she needed something to ground her a little.

“You’re okay. Thank Rao, you’re okay.” Lena doesn’t move, her feet appear to be rooted both by shock and fear while Supergirl continues to examine every inch of her face. “I was so scared I was going to lose you,” Supergirl whispers and Lena could hear the tremble in her voice.

Everything happened so fast that Lena was having trouble trying to process everything. The attempt on her life, how she was merrily inches away from death. She remembers the exact moment she came to terms with it. This was it. Finally, from all the attempts on her life that this was the one to take her out. She should have known. An exploding bomb in her car was a classic. Lena would have been okay with it if not for a specific blonde reporter that she wished was with her at that very moment. She can’t die. Not yet. Not until she tells Kara how she feels. They at least deserve that.

However, the reality is Kara's not here. Supergirl is. Supergirl is the one holding her. Holding her the way she would have hoped a certain blonde reporting was holding her.

Lena had to close her eyes to stop looking back at blue eyes staring at her with so much concern. This can’t happen. She’s not — she can’t be. She loves Kara Danvers. She might be pissed at her but she knows deep down she’s in love with the nervous fidgety reporter and not to this impenetrable woman right in front of her.

Her head shakes as Supergirl’s tighten her grip as if too afraid Lena might slip away. During these moments when Lena allows herself to feel, she genuinely does not know what to make of it. Why does Supergirl care about her so much. No one is watching. There are no cameras recording their interaction.

She assumes it was all for publicly but this, it feels different. When it’s just them and no one else. Supergirl stands close to her, completely shaken and unbalanced. There is genuine fear in her eyes at the thought of being too late or not being fast enough. Lena has never felt safer.

As she starts to pulls away, green eyes meet glassy blue. She convinces herself it’s the dust and not the resident superhero actually in tears because that would mean…

“I thought I was going to lose you.”

“But why do you—”

Before Lena could respond, she feels a pair of lips against her own and everything around them seems to disappear.

It barely registers to her what is happening, completely getting lost on the pair of lips against her own. Lena feels a shiver run down her spine at the way Supergirl is kissing her, making her grab unto the superhero’s shoulder.

The action was meant to push the super away because this can’t be happening. These were not the pair of lips she wanted on her but somehow, it feels right. Like this was how things were suppose to be. She feels her heart raising as Supergirl deepens the kiss, feeling herself getting pushed slightly until the back of her knee hits against a hard surface but it barely registers to Lena because Supergirl is kissing her in a way she's never been kissed before.

Finally, Lena finds the strength to pull away the need to breathe outweighing her body’s desire. And for the first time, she wills herself to stare at the pair of brilliant oceanic eyes that she’s been trying so hard to ignore. She lets her eyes track down every detail of the superheroes face, trying to figuring out a puzzle with missing pieces. Blue eyes stare back at her with a mix of desire and unbridled affection as Lena continues to gasp for air and stares.

Something about Supergirl’s smile, the strong line of her jaw, the way her soft lips parts as she patiently waits for Lena to say something seems so familiar. Like an answer at the tip of her tongue but can’t seem to get it out. It’s frustrating as it is captivating and all Lena wants to do is drink it in, see past the mask that this superhero constantly wears and be able to see what all this means.

Being this close, Lena can see the moment Supergirl lips rise to form a smile. A smile Lena is all too familiar with now that she’s finally inches away from the superhero. It’s all too familiar now and finally, it dawns to her.

A tiny gasp leaves her lips at the realization, emerald eyes never leaving blue as Supergirl’s smile brightens. As if she too understands that Lena has finally figured it out. With trembling delicate fingers, Lena reaches up and cup Supergirl’s cheeks and instinctively, Supergirl leans against her touch. Like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Lena feels a gentle squeeze where Supergirl is holding her and she lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.

“Kara?” Lena whispers, barely hiding the tremble of her own voice and there it was. The smile of the woman she’s been not so secretly in love with plastered on National City hero’s face.

“I am madly in love with you, Miss Lena Luthor.”

[vervepain]

Supercorp AU: Kara Danvers versus The Medical Alert Golden Retriever

What if Lena had been a medically fragile child? And aside from how that complicated everything with the Luthor’s ir did mean she had to have a service dog to alert her to changes in heart rate.

And over time she’s found many strategies to deal with being chronically ill, even has a small support network.

And then Kara Danvers stumbles into her life. And she is just like sunshine personified. And here’s the thing: Lena realizes Kara can hear her heart after Kara catches her twice.

At 24, Lena is between service dogs. Not long term even. She just meets Kara Danvers/Supergirl for the one month of her life she doesn’t have a dog.

When she does get her next medical alert dog: something weird happens: Kara gets jealous.

Cuz in Kara’s mind…it’s perfect. She can help Lena. It makes her feel useful in a way being Supergirl doesn’t. But now suddenly Aster (the literal golden retriever) is everywhere…being a better girlfriend than Kara.

Which is ridiculous because she and Lena aren’t dating yet. But now when they do…Lena will already have a cute blonde who can hear her heart. 😡

This all shifts when Lena collapses at home while Kara is at work and Aster goes onto Lena’s Penthouse balcony and starts barking in a way that always annoys Kara when she and Lena are hanging out. And Kara hears it, and can flies there, and gets Lena help.

There’s a question of where Aster will stay while Lena is in the hospital. Kara volunteers…because she is in love. The thing is. Once she and Aster are hanging out? Eating pizza crusts from the pizza crust bag in the freezer and going for walks in the park? Turns out Aster the Medical Alert Golden Retriever may not be wholly villainous.

Years later, when Lena and Kara get married. Kara asks if Aster could be her best dog. Stand beside her and all that? Lena thinks it’s funny but it does make it a bit easier to plan how Aster will be at the altar with them. And Kara chokes up explaining: because without Aster I might not have you, and without Aster I definitely wouldn’t have had the guts to ask you out. And it’s very cute. And at the reception, everyone puts their pizza crusts in a bag for Aster to eat later.

[spaceman-earthgirl]

Supercorptober 2024 Day 5: Alone

ao3 fic link.

Lena wakes up, and she knows instantly she’s alone. Panic sets in for a moment, because Kara wouldn’t just leave, not after last night.

Lena would though. Lena has, after a one night stand where they did what they needed to do so she left in the early hours of the morning.

But this isn’t like this, this is Kara. Kara who told her she loves her, Kara who kissed her so gently that Lena cried.

This is Kara, her best friend, the person she trusts most, the person she loves the most, and now she knows Kara loves her too.

Lena sits up and looks around, blanket clutched to her chest. She sees her clothes neatly folded in a pile, which is definitely not where she left them last night. She’s pretty sure some didn’t even make it into the room. 

Lena blushes at the memory.

She looks around for her phone, and realises it didn’t make it to the room with them either, that it’s probably still in her purse in the living room.

That’s the first thing she needs, to find Kara. That, and she needs coffee. She debates for a moment putting on her clothes but instead decides to grab a hoodie and pair of Kara’s pants instead.

The hoodie smells like Kara, this whole place does, and for a moment it makes her want to bury herself back in bed and wait for Kara.

Because she knows Kara wouldn’t just leave her, knows Kara will be back.

It’s in the kitchen that Lena figures out where Kara is gone. Or at least that she’ll be back, a scribbled note on the table.

Be back soon. -K x 

It’s still early, and Lena knows she probably should go back to her own apartment, shower and get ready for work. But she’s not going to do that, not yet. Because all she can think about is seeing Kara, kissing her again and making sure that she doesn’t regret what happened.

Lena doesn’t.

Lena hasn’t even had time to consider making herself a coffee when the door clicks open and Kara is walking through the door.

“Oh,” Kara startles, clearly not expecting to see Lena. For a moment, Lena wonders if she should have left, but she doesn’t need to worry when Kara continues. “I was hoping to surprise you in bed.”

Lena had been so focused on Kara, she hadn’t noticed the paper bag and coffee cup holder in her hands.

Lena suddenly doesn’t know what to say. This is all new to her. Not only has their relationship changed overnight, but she doesn’t want to mess this up. Kara is too important to her and she can’t lose her over this. Lena doesn’t have a great track record with relationships and she’s never felt like this about anyone before, never wanted a relationship to work out like she wants this too.

“Are you panicking?” Kara asks, suddenly much closer than before, food no longer in her hands.

“No,” Lena replies. Kara raises her eyebrow and Lena knows she’s been caught. “Ok, maybe a little. I don’t want to mess this up.”

Kara takes her hands, and Lena instantly feels her thoughts settle, the warmth of Kara’s hands seeping into her skin.

“I know, me too. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I do know that you and me? We can do anything together. So, we probably will both mess up, but I know that no matter what happens, we can get through anything, because it’s us.”

Lena smiles. “Thank you.” 

She knows this will be a constant worry but for now it’s quietened down, both because of Kara’s words but also because Kara is smiling now too and it’s hard to focus on anything else when Kara is smiling at her.

Kara leans forward and Lena gets the memo, meeting her halfway in a kiss that feels so much like coming home that Lena feels like crying again.

“Good morning,” Kara mumbles against her mouth, Lena can feel her smile against her own.

“You taste like cinnamon,” Lena replies, and Kara pulls away. Lena would regret her words but Kara is grinning, looking sheepish in a way that’s too cute for words.

“I got hungry.”

Lena laughs. When is Kara not hungry?

“I like this, too,” Kara says, tugging on Lena’s shirt. “You look good in my clothes.” Kara pauses. “You look good out of them too.”

Kara’s blushing as she says the words, it’s adorable.

“Is that so?” Lena asks, and it’s her turn to lift her eyebrow.

Kara leans forward, clearly embarrassed as she hides her face in Lena’s shoulder.

“Yes,” Kara mumbles and Lena laughs, wrapping her arms around her best friend. ...Or girlfriend? She’s not sure, but they’re going to have plenty of time to figure that out.

Lena grins. “Good to know.”

[kiarrahatesboys]

Realistically, today had been a good day. Most of Lena's technology worked perfectly, and any tweaks she needed to make went smoothly. Nia had bought her coffee. At a private moment around noon, Kara had kissed her cheek before flying off to do rounds on the city.

Lena, however, stands in the hallway of Kara’s apartment building wishing she could punch a hole or twelve into the drywall. Her keys - including the spare key to the loft that she had been given - fall out of her hand to the floor, and she feels the tension in her chest build.

It takes an eternal four seconds to pick them up, unlock the door, and step inside.

Kara stands by her kitchen sink, sipping from her purple water bottle. “Hi, baby.”

There is no will to look over and smile in response. Lena drops her purse on the floor and trudges straight to the bed. She falls face-first into it, feet dangling in the air.

All the blankets and abandoned clothes from this morning smell familiar. Lemon and woodsmoke – Kara. Lena likes to joke that the woodsmoke smell is because she flies so fast she burns up.

She can feel the furrow in her eyebrows, and what's worse is that she has no idea why it's there. It was a good day. She didn't even have to make a pit stop at Luthor Corp to put out any fires. There's nothing wrong.

The lack of explanation for her frustration makes her even more frustrated.

“Hey.” The mattress dips as Kara sits down. “Rough day?”

“No,” Lena says into blankets, suddenly near tears. She rolls over onto her back. “That's the thing, it was good. So why am I in meltdown territory?”

Kara’s hand is in her hair – soothing, home, safety. “I’m sorry. Let me help you?”

Lena nods, toeing off her shoes. They clatter to the floor. Kara offers her hands and pulls her into a sitting position. She helps Lena out of her day clothes and expertly offers the right pajamas. Good texture, good match, good breathability.

It takes a moment for her to start pulling them on as she prepares to go from stationary to in motion. The clean air surrounding her body after she changes helps to lessen the dread in her shoulders. Kara knows the little details to make her comfortable - hood up over her head, a fresh pair of socks. Once dressed, Lena flops over onto her side and curls up tight.

Kara leans over to kiss her head. She draws the curtains. The room becomes dark, and Lena feels her eyebrows relax. It’s a warm summer day outside, and the sun has made its presence clear. The darkness now dampening her vision offers peace.

“Do you want me around?” Kara asks, voice soft.

“Yes, please.” Lena sounds childlike. Her voice is fragile, muffled under her hands.

“Okay, scooch. Make room.”

Lena falls limp as a smile ghosts her face.

“Wow. Okay.” Kara heaves a dramatic sigh.

She feels Kara’s arms snake under her body. For a moment, she’s weightless, and then she’s gently set a foot or two over from where she was before. The mattress bounces again as Kara settles.

Lena reaches behind her to pull Kara's arm over her stomach and takes a deep breath.

“Good girl,” Kara says innocently.

“Hmm?”

“The deep breath. Proud of you.”

Lena’s body feels warm with love. “Thanks.”

The conversation lulls. Lena keeps breathing. Cool air keeps her temperature regulated under a hoodie and Kara’s body. Tension still weighs in her chest, but the accommodations matter. Kara doesn't even ask what she needs, she just knows. Lena barely has to move. She's surrounded by so much love.

“I wish I knew what was wrong.” she says into silence.

Kara hums, sounding sleepy and content.

“Like, nothing bad happened. I had a good day. Why do I feel like I want to implode?”

“You’re autistic, love.” Kara slips her hand beneath Lena’s hoodie to hold her tummy. “That happens. Sometimes there's no answer. I know you don't like that, I’m sorry.”

Lena hates how whiny she sounds. “But I want an answer! I want something to fix.”

“I know, baby.”

She sighs, then rolls over into Kara’s embrace. Having nothing to blame makes the situation feel unresolved. Agitation swirls in her gut, but she knows there's nothing to be done. Sometimes there are just days where the world is too much.

“Too much world.” Lena mumbles.

Kara puts a hand in her hair. “I know. I’m sorry. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

As much as the lack of answer makes things unfinished, the hoodie helps. Having the hood up helps. She has clean socks and a dark room. Her girlfriend loves her, and is warm and solid against her.

Despite it all, she's loved. And that’s important too.

"Thank you." she whispers into darkness.

Kara scratches gently at her scalp. "Always, baby."

Always.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Musician Age Gap AU

Kara goes to the concert expecting nothing more than a tepid evening out. Well, as tepid as a night alone with her goddaughter could be. Esme has a knack for pulling Kara out of any funk she's in, no matter how deep her doldrums. And Esme's excitement to see this specific artist Kara's never heard of is nearly infectious.

Kara finds herself grinning in the car as Esme strictly tells her not to turn the radio on.

"They're gonna play one of her songs, and we need to go in fresh!"

So they simply chat on the ride to the arena, and upon arrival Kara is floored by the flood of people flowing from the parking lot to the venue itself.

"She's only the biggest name in pop music, Aunt Kara," Esme teases with a grin. "What did you expect?"

Kara's eyes go big with an exaggerated shrug of her eyebrows. "Not this!"

"Come on, old lady. This is why we got here early."

Esme finds fast friends among the other fans in line, but Kara steers clear of the parents clearly commisserating over the ordeal. She's not a parent, just a chaperone, and she has no intention of allowing herself to be infected by the endless negativity of long suffering caregivers bemoaning the whims of their tweens and teens.

Once inside, Esme heads straight for the merch table, clearly intent on spending her long-saved allowance money on anything she can get her hands on. The kid's wrists are already stacked with friendship bracelets, her own tote of swaps nearly empty and waiting to be stuffed with shirts and mugs and posters. Kara eyes the mounting total, then catches the moment Esme starts weighing the balance of what she has against the hoodie advertised at $60.

Kara rolls her eyes at the price, then reaches over with her card outstretched. "Add a medium hoodie to that, please."

Esme squeals with delight, and as soon as they're clear of the stall she throws her arms around Kara.

"Thank you!!!!"

"You're welcome," Kara says with a chuckle. "Just don't wear it til you get home. It's going to be hot in there."

"Okay!" Esme is already swapping her existing t-shirt for the tank top she'd gotten, emblazoned with the face of a young woman and the performer's name: LENA

"How do I look?" Esme asks with a spin, bracelets clicking.

Kara grins. "Like the world's cutest groupie." She tilts her head towards the crush of people heading into the stands. "Come on, let's go grab our seats."

"What's a groupie?"

Kara rolls her eyes, only to pause mid-turn when her phone starts vibrating in her hand. She hesitates, meeting Esme's eye.

"Just a sec, sweetie."

"What? No! Aunt Kara you promised no work."

Kara grimaces. "I know, but it might be an emergency." She scans the corridor, gaze catching on a short row of food vendors. "Here, why don't you take this and get us some nachos?"

She shoves forty dollars into Esme's hand and fishes out her bluetooth, nestling it in her ear.

"Aunt Kara..."

"I gotta find a corner somewhere," Kara continues. She points to a section of cinderblock wall a little ways down. "I'll meet you in across from the restrooms, okay? Five minutes, then I'm all yours."

Esme huffs. "Fine."

Kara answers the call, but waits until she sees Esme add herself to the food line before she starts speaking.

"This better be good!" she shouts into her phone. She can't hear anything but a jumble of sound on the other end, the din around her crowding out any words that might have been spoken. "Hold on!"

Reassured to see Esme already in conversation with a number of girl's around her, Kara goes looking for a quieter spot. She finds one in the nearest stairwell.

"What?" Kara snaps.

"Um," her assistant says over the line. "Mrs. Jasper called again? She wants--"

"Eve," Kara growls. "Do not tell me you called me, tonight of all nights, because Mrs. fucking Jasper called making some other inane request."

"I'm sorry!" Eve squeaks. "It's just--"

"Tell her it is after hours, and that she will be hearing from me personally first thing tomorrow morning."

"Oh, um. Okay. I guess--"

"Go home when it's done. And turn off your phone. You shouldn't be working this late either."

"Um. Okay. Thank you, Miss Danvers."

Kara ends the call with a roll of her eyes. But her frustration hardens into panic when she tugs on the door to return and-- it doesn't budge. She yanks again, harder, and still nothing.

"Fuck!" she shouts. She begins pounding on the door. "Hey! Can someone open this door?!"

No one comes to her rescue, her calls likely drowned out by the same noise that had driven her here in the first place. With another curse, Kara steps into action. She chooses to go down, hoping that the next door will open. It does, but the corridor she steps into is nearly empty. She hears a bit of bustle further down the hall, but out of sight.

She heads towards the sounds, trying the handle of every door she passes. None of them turn-- save one. She leans into it a little too hard as she tries the knob, and nearly tumbles into the room at the unexpected open.

Managing to right herself with a small yelp, Kara straightens-- only to freeze upon locking gazes with the young woman staring at her. A young woman Kara recognizes from the shirt her goddaughter had just put on.

Lena tilts her head with a droll grin.

"Well, you aren't my tea with honey."

[rocketonthemoon]

I'm kinda new to the fandom and you seem to rec fics that I don't see around a lot. Any older SC fics I should look up?

Well I dunno how much I can vouch for my taste but SC fics I really like that are more than a few years old:

Where Lamps Go to Die by WastedOn - Kara pretends to be in a relationship with Supergirl and Lena gets jealous (probably my absolute favorite SC fic. One of the first I read and genuinely a lot of fun)

lena dies on a wednesday by @karalovesallthegirls - Lena is trapped in a loop, reliving the day she dies over and over again. She just doesn’t know it. (I think this was one of the first SC fics I ever read? absolutely fantastic)

in the shadow of that green light also by @karalovesallthegirls - Kara wakes from an accident with no memory and a mysterious caretaker who creates more questions than she answers. (I'm not normally one for horror but this is SO good and makes me want to rattle the bars of my enclosure it's so good)

1,370,911 by @pippytmi - Soulmate AND Singer/Songwriter AU (I reread this on the regular you don't understand the grip it has on me)

We Deserve Only Good Things by @thornedrose44 - Kara and Lena are working through how to be friends again and an alien has them meet the younger versions of each other (yeah this one wrecks me in the best ways honestly)

quiet when i'm coming home (i'm on my way) by @valkyrieskwad - Kara's a retired smoke jumper and has to figure out life afterwards (Kara learns how to fucking heal and I'm in love with this honestly)

and of course I gotta plug @i-am-robie's you're gunna find yourself someway, somehow - Morning Glory AU aka one of my favorite Kara fics ever

And then of course I gotta plug my own work.

These are only a small handful of course. This fandom is so talented there's so many good one's to choose! So like just go through my bookmarks and have a good time. Don't forget to leave comments!!!

[natalievoncatte]

“Are you ready?”

Kara was at her desk, which was frankly rather unusual. She was plugging away at something, deep in concentration on whatever she was writing. Lena stopped to watch her for a while from the doorway, leaning against the frame. She found herself doing so more and more often now, largely for one reason: Kara Danvers was the prettiest girl Lena had ever seen.

If you asked Lena her type, she wouldn’t have described Kara Danvers, who was more athletic than svelte, built with strong shoulders and a swimmer’s silhouette. For all of Kara’s efforts to hide beneath soft cardigans and corduroy, it was obvious how jacked she was.

There was more than that, though. It wasn’t just her eyes, a peculiar shade of blue that Lena was sure she’d never seen before; it was the intelligence behind them, the curiosity and wit and shy, stammering confidence. Kara had a kind of nervous courage, for lack of a better way of putting it.

And she was gorgeous, of course. Honeyed curls, soft skin and pillowed lips and those gorgeous eyes, radiant eyes even behind a chunky frame.

Lena would never confess that she was a little in love with Kara. Even after the flower thing, and the buying the company thing, and…

Yeah.

“How about lunch?”

Kara looked up sharply. “What? Oh! Lena hi, I’m just-“

“Don’t give me that,” said Lena. “I’m treating you to lunch.”

“As my boss or my friend?” Kara asked, cautious.

“As me. No shop talk.”

Kara brightened; Lena had… put her in her place, not to put too fine a point on it, a few weeks ago when Kara snapped at her over a perfectly normal request to actually put in some time in her office.

It was necessary.

It also hurt like hell.

Kara made some noises about her work but acquiesced, grabbing her messenger bag and walking with Lena to the elevator. They rode in an moderately aggressive awkward silence; Kara seemed to be one of those people who chronically distrusts elevators despite-

The power went out.

The lights went with it. The elevator car dropped a foot in half a second and Lena felt herself crashing into a solid wall of Kara just before the emergency lights slammed on.

Lena took a moment. Kara had gently caught her and pulled her into a loose hug, for which Lena was grateful as it kept her from slamming her knees into the floor of the elevator.

“Lena? You okay?”

“I’m fine, you?”

Kara gently released her. “I’m… yeah. Fine. Are we stuck?”

“Power’s out. We might be here a while.”

Kara’s eyes went comically wide. “Nothing!”

Lena quirked a brow. “Okay.”

“Really, I’m fine. I was looking forward to lunch! You know me, always hungry. I wish I’d brought some snacks! I like snacks. Do you like snacks?”

Lena stared at her.

“Kara?”

“Of course you like snacks, that was so dumb. I’m sorry, I,” she looked frantically around the small space they found themselves in, “I don’t know why I’m… I’ll shut up.”

Lean shrugged and sat down, leaning against the back wall. Kara did not, choosing instead to pace, which was a tad annoying given the space they were in, but she was more worried about Kara than anything else.

She seemed… frantic.

“Are they going to come get us?”

“Eventually, if the power doesn’t kick back on first.”

“Do you think we’re stuck in between floors? I think we’re in between floors.”

“Probably.”

Kara flipped the panel down beneath the buttons and pulled out the phone inside, the plastic creaking in her grip. She pushed at the HELP button, but nothing happened.

“They know we’re in here right? Someone knows. They won’t leave us.”

Lena blinked.

Oh. Jesus.

“Kara,” said Lena. “Why don’t you sit down? We can just wait for help.”

She gave a short, sharp shake of her head in reply, like some frightened creature. She was now hugging herself and trembling.

“It’ll be soon, right? I can get out soon. I have to get out.”

“Kara,” said Lena.

Kara stared at her, and Lena knew.

“You’re claustrophobic.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Y-yes,” said Kara.

“Sit down with me, okay?”

Finally, she sat, shoulder to shoulder with Lena. Lena took her hand and squeezed it softly. Kara’s hand reminded her of an exotic bird quivering in her palm. Her pulse had to be racing.

“It’s going to be okay. They’re working on getting us out right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Kara swallowed.

“I won’t let anything hurt you,” said Lena.

Kara looked at her with big, wide eyes.

“At least it’s not dark,” she said, lamely.

The lights immediately went out. Kara yelped and Lena felt her jump, hugging herself as her head thumped against the all.

“Oh Rao please no,” Kara whimpered, “please not again I can’t do it again.”

Rao? What the hell was a Rao?

“Lena, it’s dark.”

“I’m right here.”

Lena wrapped her arm around Kara’s shoulders, and found she was shaking like a leaf. A strained, choking sob ripped the air and Lena felt Kara plunge her face in her hands.

She was hot, almost feverish, and her coiled muscles felt like steel cables, even as they trembled. Lena could feel Kara’s heart pounding, incredibly fast.

“Get me out, please get me out.”

Her cell had no bars. Lena tried anyway; nothing.

Kara, very softly, began to cry. When something creaked, she almost screamed, jolting Lena.

“They can’t get in, they can’t get in, they can’t get in.”

“They?”

“The phantoms,” Kara choked out. “The other things. They want to get in, they want to get me.”

“Kara, we’re in an elevator. There’s nothing outside but concrete and steel cables.”

“Are you real?”

“Of course,” said Lena.

“It felt like I’d sleep for years, then I’d wake up and something huge would be crushing my pod or the phantoms would be scraping their claws on the canopy and looking at me. They just stared. All they had to do was wait.”

“Your pod?”

Kara froze, going totally still.

“I… uhhh… I mean my… my bed? No, the car, from the accident, my parents died in the accident, I hit my heed.”

“You told me your parents passed in a house fire.”

Kara swallowed hard. “Did I?”

Her voice was thin and hysterical.

“Please, Lena, I’m scared.”

Lena gently guided Kara’s head to her shoulder and rocked her there, lightly carding her fingers through her hair.

“It’s alright, Kara. It’ll be alright.”

“Lena,”

“It’s okay,” said Lena. “Everyone gets scared. Everyone has a fear. Even you.”

Kara sucked in a breath.

“Pod,” said Lena. “Phantoms.”

“Lena I…”

“Shhh,” said Lena. “Hush now. You’ve already saved me at least three times, I owe you one.”

Kara gently wrapped her arms around Lena and sobbed into her shoulder. Lena suspected that Kara couldn’t break them out, so she didn’t press it. She just let Kara hold her and gently stroked her hair and softly sang an old lullaby she half remembered, stumbling back over the same verses.

There was a last a loud bang and Kara jerked, then let out a slow breath as the elevator doors at last spread open, forced apart by workmen.

Lena made sure Kara got out first. Then, Kara reached down and lifted her by the waist, setting Lena gently beside herself.

“Thank you,” Kara murmured.

Lena felt the eyes of the two workers behind her but she didn’t care. She smiled softly.

“I’m not mad. Actually, this explains a lot.”

Kara swallowed, hard.

“I think we missed lunch.”

“Mmm,” Lena gave her a coquettish smile. “Why don’t we get dinner, then? Just us, at my place.”

Kara smiled, wiping away her tears.

“I’d like that.”

[fazedlight]

Fight Club (a continuation of Venture)

The kryptonite cuffs stung, though not as badly as Kara expected. “I re-infused the kryptonite with lead,” Lena had said, as she latched them on. Kara swallowed harshly - it wasn’t exactly comforting to know that Lena could make kryptonite alloys - but she went along with it.

She was transported in an armored car, with guards at her flank, as Lena rode in the limo ahead. The guards were new, Kara was told, trusted and vetted and not Lex loyalists. They were in on the plan to take Veronica down. Still, Kara knew her sister would kick her ass for letting Lena put kryptonite cuffs on her wrist. 

But it’s not that Kara was some fool pulled in by a pretty face. She was taking precautions. If she didn’t touch her computer for three hours, Alex would get an alert, detailing everything about Lena Luthor’s involvement. Until then, Kara decided it was best not to get Alex or the DEO involved. After all, the DEO was tasked with removing alien threats, not helping other refugees. And Lena didn’t know about the existence of the DEO at all.

Besides, it was win-win, from Kara’s perspective. If Lena was good, Kara would walk away having freed imprisoned slaves. If Lena was evil, Kara would be long dead before facing her sister.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t a perfect plan.

The ride to the warehouse took just over an hour - long enough to be on the outskirts of the city, away from watchful eyes. Kara found herself dragged out of the armored vehicle, throwing a backward glance at Lena as she exited her own limo and met with security.

Kara only caught a glimpse of the party before she rounded the corner, but what she saw made her nauseous. A throng of men and women, holding cocktail glasses and dressed in eveningwear, ready to see their… entertainment.

Kara took a breath as she rounded the corner, trying to ignore the sting in her veins as she was shoved into a cell of waiting prisoners. Brevakks and maaldorians and hellgrammites, all sorts of alien species of different strengths and abilities, all pacing behind their bars.

She could hear the whispers begin. The burning hopelessness, the disappointment, the implication that no one was safe. “They captured Supergirl.”

She couldn’t bring herself to look at the others. I’ll get you out of here soon, she thought.

“She truly is amazing,” a woman’s voice laughed. 

Kara turned, finding her eyes landing on an unfamiliar woman on the other side of the bars, Lena approaching beside her. This must be Veronica, Kara thought, turning towards the bars and glaring at the woman head on.

“I can’t believe you pulled this off,” Veronica said, half turning to Lena with a smile. “A kryptonian? This will be a real treat.”

“Should’ve known better than to trust a Luthor,” Kara growled, getting a smirk from Lena. Oh Rao I hope I can trust a Luthor-

“She’ll be the last fight,” Veronica mulled, “Against Draaga, our strongest fighter. The crowd will love to see him.”

Kara held back a wince. The last thing she wanted was to wait all night, powerless to watch aliens get beaten up-

“Why not have her first?” Lena said cheerfully. “You can save the Supergirl and Draaga fight for last, of course. Put her up against a brevvak. Something weak. Just as a teaser for the finale.”

Veronica tilted her head, before nodding in satisfaction. “You’ll be first, kryptonian,” she smirked towards Kara, before tugging at Lena’s arm to lead her away.

As they left, Kara put her face in her hands, taking another centering breath. Please, let this work, she thought, still wincing from the kryptonite.

An hour passed, as Kara paced the cell, watching as others did the same. The aliens were anxious and nervous - some, completely withdrawn - all the while the party went on somewhere in the warehouse. Echoed laughter and clinking drinks of a high society that cared little for slave suffering.

And then the sounding chime. “Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats! The events are about to begin.”

Here we go, Kara thought.

Time passed as people began to gather around the out-of-sight arena. Guards came, instructing Kara and a brevvak to stand in separate chambers, locked off from the rest of the captives. Kara glanced over to the nervous man, holding back the urge to give him some sign of reassurance. This’ll be over soon.

At the sound of the bell, she walked through the passage way, finding herself deposited in an arena, with the brevvak on the other side. The two stood as Veronica made some speech, some starting words about the “entertainment” of the evening. But Kara’s eyes darted around the stadium, searching.

Her eyes landed on the control panel, far above her on the ceiling. Bingo, she thought, her eyes dropping down to find Lena in the crowd, not too far from where Veronica stood. She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“And now, let the game begin,” Veronica said, to thunderous cheering.

Indeed, Kara thought, watching Lena reach into her purse.

Relief rolled through Kara as the kryptonite cuffs unlocked, falling away and leaving Kara unencumbered. I guess she’s good after all, Kara thought, ignoring the fresh panic blooming through the crowd. Shaking her hands, she shot upwards.

With one strong surge of heat vision, the control box broke apart into flames.

Chaos ensued as the stadium went dark. But more importantly, the power dampeners on each and every alien failed with it, causing astonished - hopeful - gasps somewhere in the back of the warehouse.

Kara landed next to her brevvak opponent, shoving him back towards the cell. “Go!” she said, as he glanced up in confusion, stumbling in the dark. “Get out the back way!” she shouted.

She reached the holding cell, punching easily through steel bars, watching as throngs of aliens began to rush through. “Thank you, Supergirl!” many said, as she shouted instructions for the strongest aliens to leave first, punching through any guards as they escaped.

We did it, Kara thought, Rao, we did it.

But Kara frowned, ears picking up on an accelerated heartbeat - someone who wasn’t supposed to still be in the stadium. Lena, she thought, rushing back towards the arena. Lena hadn’t been able to reach the rendezvous point where her guards had been waiting.

Instead, Kara found, she was being held at gunpoint.

“Was it worth it, you bitch,” Veronica spat, alone in the stand as her own security team had delved into the chaos, trying to get a hold of the alien captives. 

Lena stood regally in front of her, defiant in the face of danger. “Yes.”

Veronica pulled the trigger, but Kara was faster - melting the weapon out of Veronica’s hand. She swooped in, reaching a surprised Lena’s side. “Would you like a ride?” Kara asked.

“Thank you, Supergirl,” Lena said, as she wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck. Kara scooped her up, jolting into the sky and leaving a shocked Veronica behind.

And then the world went quiet.

Kara could see them on the ground - alien slaves making their escape, would-be partygoers rushing to their cars to leave. She and Lena could even see their LCorp guards below, waving up in acknowledgment and satisfaction that Lena was safe, before heading back to their vehicles.

Kara felt her chest swell with pride. Perhaps she couldn’t give these refugees everything. But because of her, and because of Lena, they had a chance now - for today, that was what counted.

She turned her attention to the woman in her arms, whose heart was still racing from when Veronica pointed the gun at her. Lena’s breathing had calmed, but it seemed the height wasn’t helping her nerves. “I’ve got you, Miss Luthor,” Kara said gently.

She could sense Lena trying to relax, incrementally gaining trust that Kara wouldn’t let her fall. “You can call me Lena, you know.”

Kara’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but a small grin crept on her face. “Well, if I’m calling you Lena…”

“Kara it is,” Lena said, eyes fluttering up to meet Kara’s with a warm smile.

“Well, Lena,” Kara said, head nodding towards the night horizon, “Would you like me to take you home?”

Lena sighed, melting slowly into Kara’s arms. “Please.”

[supercorpkid]

I Forget You Aren't Mine

Supergirl. Lena Luthor x Reader!, Kara Danvers x Reader!, Alex Danvers, Brainy, Lex Luthor.

Word Count: 4k

Notes: a lot more to come! Let me know if you want to be tagged on the next parts!

Lena’s eyes snapped open. Disorientation hit like a tidal wave, drowning her in confusion. The room around her was familiar, yet something was missing— something she couldn't quite place. She sat up, the movement sending a sharp pulse of pain through her skull. Then, a voice. One she knew too well. One that shouldn’t exist. 

“Hey there, sleepyhead.”

Lex.

Lena’s heart slammed against her ribs. “This can't be real.” Her voice was hoarse, she narrowed her eyes. “You were dead.”

“So you remember everything—”

“Of course I remember everything!” she cut in, fury igniting under her skin. “I remember I killed you!”

“Yes, that’s right. You killed me.” He said it too casually. “But that’s all in the past, because I’m back now. And I forgive you.”

"What are you talking about? What is happening?"

Lex exhaled, shaking his head like she was being dramatic. “Well, there was… sort of a crisis.” His voice turned almost conversational as he launched into an explanation—how he had toyed with the fabric of existence itself, rewritten the rules of the multiverse just to suit his whims. Lena barely heard the words. Her pulse pounded in her ears, thoughts racing too fast to catch.

“And it gets better,” Lex went on, eyes gleaming with amusement. “In this new world, we work side by side in LuthorCorp and the DEO to make the world a better place.”

Lena let out a slow, measured breath. "So I’m in hell."

Lex’s smile widened and there was something wicked there. Something that told her there was more to it. A lot more. “Where is Y/N?”

Something flickered in Lex’s gaze, something sharp and satisfied. “Oh, that indigent little thing you used to date?” His voice dripped with disdain. “Lena, you had to know I wouldn’t keep her in your life. She was bad for the brand. We’re billionaire philanthropists now, sis, and that dirty little thing you were so attached to just didn’t fit the image.”

Lena froze, breath stalling, as dread curled around her ribs, squeezing tight.

Her voice was low, dangerous. “What did you do?”

Lex waved a hand. “Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her.” A pause. “Thought about it. But then I realized I didn’t have to. I just had to… give her a different storyline.”

Lena surged to her feet. “Lex,” she ground out. “I’m going to ask you one more time—what. did. you. do?”

His smirk sharpened. “Oh, don’t worry, sis. You’ll see.”

He gestured to the TV.

Lena turned, every muscle in her body coiled tight. The TV went on, and the room around her faded—replaced by something warmer, something softer. A living room, bathed in golden light. The crackling of a fire, the soft murmur of laughter. Lena’s breath hitched.

You.

You were there, radiant, tucked into the scene like you had belonged there all along. But something was wrong. Your arm was linked with another. A figure Lena knew too well.

Kara.

Her stomach dropped. 

Kara, with a soft smile, a gentle touch, fingers brushing your wrist before trailing up your arm. She leaned in, kissed you—deeply, like it was instinct. Like you were hers to have.

And you… you melted into it. Your hands on her chest like they had found their home. Your eyes sparkled when you pulled away, breathless, flushed, happy.

Lena’s world fractured. 

“No.” It left her lips as a whisper, barely a sound at all.

The scene didn’t stop. It kept going. A montage of domestic intimacy: You and Kara in the kitchen, cooking and laughing together; Kara pulling you flushed against her, dancing in the dark to Lena's favorite song; A lazy morning on the couch with music and coffee, you reading, Kara painting;  Kara pulling you closer in bed. Hand exploring your stomach, disappearing between your legs— 

She almost threw up. 

“What did you do?” Lena rasped, eyes full of tears. 

Lex exhaled, a satisfied hum. “I gave her a better life,” he said simply. “A life without you. A life with… Kara.”

Lena’s knees nearly buckled. She forced herself to stand.

"You made her forget me." It wasn’t a question. Just a fact she hated having to admit.

Lex tutted, shaking his head. “Not entirely. I simply… shifted her memories. Her affections. In this reality, she’s always been Kara’s wife. They’ve been together for years. Happy. In love. And you, dear sister—” He grinned, all teeth. “You’re just her wife’s boss.”

Something inside Lena cracked open.

She swayed, caught herself on the edge of a chair, but her body felt foreign—her own limbs untrustworthy.

“Why?” It came out wrecked, barely audible. Filled with tears she was trying so hard to keep inside. Of course she knew Lex was evil. But this? This felt low even to his standards. To any, really. 

Lex crouched beside her, voice low, vicious. “Because,” he murmured, “you killed me, Lena. And now, I want to kill you too. By taking away what you love the most. I wanted you to understand what it feels like to lose everything. To have the one person you love most taken from you—not by death, but by something worse.” His smile widened. “Memory. Affection. The very fabric of their being.” He caught one of her tears in his finger, “I wanted to kill you with you alive to feel it.”

Lena clenched her jaw, swallowed back the vomit threatening to claw its way out.

"You’ll pay for this." Her voice was icy.

Lex just laughed, standing to his full height. “Oh, I’m sure I will.” He turned toward the door, throwing one last glance over his shoulder. “But in the meantime… enjoy your real memories while everyone else lives another life.”

She turned the TV off right away. The images made her dizzy, breathless, lonely.

The image of you—smiling, in love, with Kara—seared itself into her mind. A cruel, unrelenting brand. And she could do nothing but let the weight of it crush her.

Lena stood in the doorway of your shared apartment with your now-wife Kara, her heart pounding. Hours spent hunched over Lex's servers, deciphering the intricate web of manipulated memories and fabricated connections, had led her here. Now, on the threshold, her resolve faltered. What if you didn't care? The thought struck her like a blow. What if you were happy in this twisted reality? The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken dread. What if she couldn't convince you? What if you were lost to her forever?

Her hands trembled as she pressed the doorbell, fear—-a bitter taste in her mouth. The door opened, revealing Kara. 

"Ms. Luthor." Kara's smile was a practiced performance, quickly replaced by a confused glint. Lex's taunt echoed in Lena's head: You're just her wife's boss. "You're in my apartment."

Before Lena can answer, you appear behind Kara, expression polite but distant. "Ms. Luthor?" She barely hears anything after that. Because she remembers—remembers how her name used to taste on your tongue, how you used to say it like it was something sacred, something only yours to say. And now—now it’s a stranger’s name. A formality. A weapon. "Is there something we can help you with…" You look at your watch. The Super watch. “On a Saturday night?”

Lena's heart sinks, a lead weight in her chest. She was once your whole world, your confidante, your lover, the anchor in your storm. Now, she's no one to you anymore, a ghost in your new, fabricated life. The realization is a physical ache, a raw, gaping wound.

"I… I need to talk to you," Lena tries, even though her voice is strained, a desperate plea clinging to the air. "Both of you."

Kara, ever the picture of polite hospitality even in this strange new world, makes space, stepping aside to allow Lena to walk inside. 

Lena scans the apartment. A sickeningly perfect blend of Kara’s bright, optimistic energy and your own more subtle, lived-in warmth. It’s colorful and bright, large windows flooding the space with light—a picture of domestic bliss. Kind of messy too, but the comfortable chaos she remembers from when you were hers: scattered books, half-finished projects, sweaters discarded around the furniture, the details that made the house feel lived in and alive. A constant, agonizing reminder that Lex didn't change you. He just changed the one you love.

"So, what exactly is this about?" Kara’s voice brings her back to the task in hand, a sharp, jarring reminder of the horrible present. 

Lena’s gaze flickers to you, then back to Kara. You stand so close, like second nature, and then Kara’s hand moves—light, familiar, fingers pressing idly into the dimples at the base of your spine, almost as if it is an unconscious habit. One that Lena used to have, as well. One that she misses, like a phantom limb that throbs with a pain that won't subside.

"The truth," Lena says, her voice strained, a threadbare whisper. "About what Lex has done."

You tilt your head, a flicker of confusion in your eyes. "I don't understand," your voice indifferent as if she has nothing of importance to say, nothing that could possibly touch you. "You want to talk about your brother with us?"

"Well, yes. Because he's rewritten your memories," Lena says, her voice trembling slightly, the words barely audible, like fragile, dying things. "He's… he's changed everything. Everything you know and feel, it's all—"

“Wait, what?” Kara stops her. The flicker of concern quickly morphs into suspicion, a guarded defensiveness. "What are you talking about? Rewritten memories?"

"He's made you believe that—that you two have always been together," Lena says, swallowing the lump in her throat. "He's created a false reality, a world where you're… married. Where Supergirl works for him. For us, I suppose."

Kara's eyes widen further, and instinctively, her arm curls around your waist—a protective gesture that feels like a physical blow to Lena's heart. "That's… that's absurd," she stammers, her voice laced with untrust. "Y/N and I have been together for years."

"Years of a lie!" Lena counters, her voice rising, a desperate, ragged edge creeping in. Because she knows it wouldn't be easy, but she can't have this being so hard. She needs you to believe her. "He's manipulated your memories, your affections. He's made you believe you've always been together, that you're in love."

Lena pulls out the data pad, her hands shaking slightly, the cool metal a stark contrast to the burning in her eyes. "I have proof," Her voice steady despite the turmoil within her, a desperate attempt to cling to control. "I've seen the code, the technology he used. He's created a false narrative, a twisted version of reality. He created the world his way."

You scowl, a flicker of genuine anger in your eyes. "Ms. Luthor, I don't appreciate you coming to our house and saying these things," you say, each word a tiny shard of ice. "Kara and I are perfectly happy. If you're not happy with your life—"

"Happy?" Lena scoffs, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping her lips while she clenches her fist not to yell at the absurdity of your words. She's known happiness, had it before. She's simply trying to get it back. Trying to get you back. "This isn't happiness. It's a sham! A cruel, elaborate joke."

"Okay now…” Kara's voice rumbles through the apartment, a low growl that underscores her power. “This has gone too far.”

Lena's gaze shifts back to you, ignoring the angry superhero in front of her. "Please," she whispers, her voice catching—a fragile, broken sound. "Please remember us. Remember what we had."

You look at her, your eyes searching, but find no recognition, no spark of memory, only a cold, blank emptiness. "What we had? Have you lost your mind?" you say, your voice devoid of emotion, flat and chilling. "We never even talked for longer than a minute. You always made sure to treat me like nothing. Like a dirty little thing not worth your precious time. Remember?"

There it is. The exact words Lex used to describe you. Lena's jaw clenched. It's like hearing him from your mouth. And that—that is the cruelest thing he could possibly do. 

And then Kara is there, to reassure you, to claim you, to assert her possession, with her kisses and a whispered ‘it's okay, my love’ at the side of your head. A sickeningly intimate display that twists the knife deeper in Lena's heart.

“Ms. Luthor, with all due respect, I need you to leave,” Kara says, her voice firm, her attempt at politeness failing to mask her irritation. “I know you’re my boss, but this is my home and my family you're attempting to mess with. So I'll see you at the DEO on Monday.”

"Fine!” Not fine. Not fine at all. “You clearly don’t remember," she says, her voice barely a whisper, her eyes filled with unshed tears, but a flicker of defiant resolve. "But I won't give up. I'll find a way to make you remember me, us, the truth. I'll find a way to undo what he's done."

She turns and walks away, her footsteps heavy, each step a testament to the weight of her shattered heart. The door closes behind her, a cold, definitive barrier, leaving you and Kara in the warm, suffocating glow of your fabricated reality.

A heavy silence settles in the apartment, broken only by the soft crackle of the fireplace and the shadows it casts around you. You and Kara exchange a glance, a silent question of what is next passing between you.

"You're okay?" Kara asks, her voice laced with concern. You nod, her hand finding your face even in its trembling form, and her mouth pressing possessively against your temple. “I'm sorry she came here. I shouldn't have let her in.”

“It’s okay, baby. You couldn’t have known.” You raise your head to look at her, and Kara's finger eases the crinkle between your brows, seemingly forgetting her matching one. “I wonder why she's doing all of this. What does she gain with this?”

Kara shivers slightly. "Who knows? Coming in here, saying all of that about her own brother? The guy who is helping all of National City? There's something seriously wrong with her.” Her hands cup your face, her lips meeting yours for a quick peck. “You don't need to worry about it again, okay? I'll make sure Lena Luthor never comes anywhere near you again.”

You nod, but something lingers in your mind. Something about Lena's desperation, the raw pain in her eyes, felt… real. Almost familiar.

Next day, as you're tidying up the house, you notice a sleek, black data pad lying on the keys bowl next to the door. The one Lena had, the one she'd called proof.

Curiosity wins over hesitation as you pick it up. The screen is blank, but a faint hum of energy emanates from it. You hesitate, glancing back at Kara, currently humming a song while doing the dishes. A wave of uncertainty washes over you. Should you tell her?

Doubt and unease whisper for secrecy. You slip the pad into your pocket. You don't like hiding things from Kara, but her angry reaction to Lena is too fresh: her eyes like daggers, the crinkled brows, the tight line of her lips. Besides, you know she’d probably want to break the pad rather than investigate it.

You make a quick excuse to leave the apartment on a Sunday morning, the data pad tucked securely in your bag, a secret weight against your heart. You know you can't go to the DEO openly; Lex's influence permeates every corner of the city. You need a safe, hidden place where you can meet the only people you trust with this.

You send a text to your sister-in-law. The rendezvous point is an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a place where shadows reign and secrets thrive. The air is thick with the scent of damp concrete and rust. Alex and Brainy are already there, their faces etched with concern.

"Y/N, shit! What the fuck was that text you sent? I thought you were dying!" Alex says, her concern palpable.

“Sorry. I needed you two to come straight away, without talking to anyone beforehand.” You pull out the data pad, your hands trembling slightly. Brainy's eyes light up with a spark of intellectual curiosity. He takes the device, his fingers flying across the interface.

“What the hell is that?”

“I don't know. Lena Luthor showed up at our apartment last night, she had that in her hands. Said it was proof.”

“Proof of what?” Alex starts, but before she can ask anything else, Brainy delivers the devastating truth.

"This is… remarkable," Brainy says, his voice hushed. "Lex Luthor has employed a highly sophisticated form of reality manipulation. It appears to be a combination of advanced technology and… neural programming."

"Neural programming?" you echo, your voice barely a whisper.

"He's rewritten memories, perceptions, feelings…" Brainy explains, his voice grave. "He's created a false reality. It seems like everything we're living is fictitious."

The words hang in the air, a chilling omen. None of this is real. Your world tilts, the foundations of your reality crumbling beneath your feet. Everything is fake. Your pulse slams in your ears, the weight of it all crashing down. Oh my God, Lena was right. She wasn't lying just to break you and Kara up. She—shit! She was honest. Her feelings were honest.

And then—a noise in the shadows.

Alex reacts instantly, gun drawn, finger on the trigger. Brainy stiffens, his attention snapping away from the pad. You step back, heartbeat hammering, instinctively seeking cover behind the only people who can protect you.

A shadow shifts just beyond the warehouse entrance—slow, deliberate. The air thickens, electric with anticipation. Footsteps approach, measured and unhurried, echoing against the cold concrete. You barely breathe, your body tense with fear. The realization that this could be over before it had even started.

Then a voice echoes through the room, “How’s the farmer’s market, babe?”

The tension shatters. Your shoulders slump, and you exhale a breath you hadn't realized you were holding. Alex swears under her breath, lowering her gun with a sharp exhale, and Brainy returns to the data pad.

“Kara, God! You scared us.”

She doesn't even seem to acknowledge how terrified you all look, as she keeps talking, her voice laced with a wounded edge. “Were you going to tell me about the pad? About this secret meeting?"

"Kara, honey…” You begin, voice faltering. The explanation dying in your throat, because you have none. And by the way she's looking at you, your wife knows that perfectly well.

“Oh, don't tell me you forgot I have x-ray vision? I saw when Lena Luthor left the pad behind and when you found it.”

“Why didn't you tell me about it?”

“Are you serious?” Kara steps into the light, a mixture of hurt and suspicion in her gaze. "You think you have the right to ask me that?”

"Kara," Alex interjects, her voice firm, arms crossed over her chest. "You need to listen to us. Lex has manipulated reality. He's rewritten our memories. Our lives."

Kara's eyes narrow, her expression hardening. "That's impossible," she says, her voice cold. "It doesn't even make sense." 

“It's not impossible, Alex is right.” Brainy says, hands still tinkering with the pad. “Seems like all of us have fabricated memories. But I can’t be completely sure about the extent of it. I think we might have to work with Lena Luthor to figure out the rest.” 

Kara flinches, her eyes flashing with anger. She looks into your eyes with such intensity that your knees nearly buckle. “You want to work with Lena Luthor after everything? After how she treated you for years?” 

“Kara, listen,” Alex says, her voice firm. “This isn’t about holding grudges. This is about uncovering the truth. And Lena is the only one who remembers the original reality. Plus, she has access to her brother's servers.” 

“Yeah, she is also the only one who benefits from this!” Kara retorts, her voice rising. “She’s trying to break us up, to take Y/N away from me! And you guys want to help her?” 

“Babe, please,” you plead, softening your voice. “Don’t you see? This isn’t about Lena. It’s not even about us. It's about the whole world. We need to know what’s real.”

Kara’s eyes search yours, a flicker of doubt battling with her ingrained beliefs. “But… What if this is real? What if she made up all that 'proof', huh? Have you geniuses considered that? That Lena is possibly just trying to destroy our lives?”

Brainy looks up from the data pad, “There's a very low chance she did that.”

“I don't care.” Kara crosses her arms, bites the inside of her mouth. “If there's a one percent chance, I'll say it's what she is doing.”

You breathe deep. There's no reasoning, you know this much. If you want to keep working on this, if you want to uncover the truth, this can't be your approach.

“Honey, why would she go through all this trouble for me?” You reach for her arm, stroking it gently so she can change her posture. And she does. She grabs your arms, pulling you closer with almost alarming strength. “Kara?”

“She wants what we have.” She whispers, voice low and laced with something hard. Cold hands snaking up your neck, making you shiver, “She wants you because she can't have you.”

Your heart beats fast in your chest. The sudden change in her demeanor throws you off guard. Kara never did this. She never had to. Jealousy is painted across her face, hardening her features and stiffening her posture. You don't like what you see. Her eyes are dark—too dark. She looks… foreign. Unfamiliar.

Alex and Brainy exchange a glance. You can tell they are just as worried about her new attitude.

But it seems that Brainy has even bigger concerns. “By looking at the data, there is a high probability that Lex has implemented failsafes. He would have anticipated attempts to undo his manipulations.”

“What kind of failsafes?” Alex asks, voice sharp, jaw tight.

“Potentially, any number of countermeasures,” Brainy says, his voice analytical but urgent. “Memory triggers, reality anchors, different memory alterations.”

“Oh great! Anything else?” Kara lets go of your arms, and you turn away from her, shoulders stiff, trying to hide your discomfort.

“It is a possibility. At this point, anything is possible. So we must proceed with caution.”

“So, what do we do?” Your voice wavers between fear and determination, mirroring the storm inside you. “How do we find Lena?”

"You're really not gonna let this go? After everything Brainy just said?" Kara asks, frustration threading through her words.

"I think you know I won't."

She exhales sharply. "Fine. Then we’re doing this together. I don’t want you alone with that woman, okay?" There’s no room for argument in her voice, and you both know it.

You take her hand, firm but careful. "Babe, you’re my wife. I love you. This isn’t about what Lena feels for me, okay? I promise. This is about stopping a villain, nothing more."

Kara gives you one of those easy smiles, the kind you’ve seen a thousand times—but this one doesn’t quite reach her eyes. And when she leans in for a kiss, you close your eyes and allow it to happen.

Yeah. Saving the world. As if that's the only thing at stake here.

[arayeee]

Lena Kieran Luthor, head canon(s). Buckle up.

Lena is not a robot. She feels things, deeply, intensely. That is why she isolates, builds walls, and suffers alone.. Because she doesn't want to be a burden to others. We only saw her allowing Kara to see her so emotionally vulnerable, because Kara took the time to break those walls down. That is part of the reason why Lena was so devastated by Kara's secret. Because she allowed Kara to see the real her. The only other person besides Kara to ever see that, was honestly probably Jack and Sam.

Lena isn't helpless. Everyone thinks just because she is rich she basically can't do things for herself. She wasn't always a CEO. She went to college where she certainly didn't have a butler or assistant waiting on her 24/7. She also lived with Jack in Metropolis. I can just picture their weekends full of little trips to the farmers market and grocery runs in between projects they were working on in their garage. Lena didn't get the fancy driver or assistant until she moved to National City and took over the company and changed it to L-Corp for a force of good. And even then, she didn't always use her driver or ask her assistants to do every single thing for her. She's not a helpless woman, she can do things for herself and she proves that countless times.

She had a traumatic childhood. Her birth mother drowned, she was adopted by some random ass family who was loaded. Her adoptive mother acted as if it was an inconvenience to have her there, her adoptive brother took her under his wing while they were kids and protected her. Her adoptive father later dies and then secrets are unleashed when Lena grows up. As an adult she watched as her brother became a horrendous man, adoptive mother is a narcissistic women who later admits to Lena that her "adoptive father" was her birth father and she was the product of an affair, which is WHY Lillian despised her as a child. So yeah, her mental state as an adult is kind of fucked because of trauma, plus add in her brother, mother and anyone else who hates Lena's good heart, trying to kill her. I mean, that does some damage okay. So no, she's not the best in social situations nor with emotions, but she finds her people through the turmoil and she tries. BUT. Just because she isn't the best with feelings and dealing with her own emotions, does not mean that she is weak. She is strong and she stands her ground when it's needed and she's go to bat for any of her friends.

Lena loves her friends. She loves being able to let loose and be herself. She laughs and jokes around and she's allowed to BE HERSELF. Which means she gets to nerd out and talk science and with Winn or Brainy she gets to team up on projects. With Alex, Sam, Kelly, Kara and Nia, she gets to drink wine and have girl nights and shit talk. J'onn, he is a big papa bear and she can go to him for advice if she needs a father figure. Back to Kara though, Lena gets to cry with her and tell her all the horrible things she's been through. She gets to let loose and breathe. I mean, we saw her at Sam's. She wasn't wearing fancy clothes or dresses, she wore sweats and a sweatshirt, a messy bun and then let it down into its natural state. She was able to be her sad drunken self and speak truth. Because she trusts Sam and Kara with the real her and her vulnerable side. Because Lena is actually an emotional little baby and she can't always be that way. Because a lot of people see it as a weakness when it's not.

She is SO SO smart, like IQ of Einstein smart. But she is also dumb. She stumbles, she mumbles, she's quirky and nerdy and goofy and clumsy. Because she is human. She makes mistakes and she owns up to them. She may be the smartest one in the room besides Brainiac 5, but she's quick witted and sarcastic and smooth with her words.

Lena Luthor may be a lot of things, but she is not a robot nor is she a damsel in a tower needing saving. Her world has crumbled multiple times and she's always dug herself out, picked herself up and brushed herself off.

[sssammich]

💘 supercorp bc its on brand for them

omg ok i finally have some time to write the rest of these so we're gonna tackle this one!

💘 fake relationship / mutual pining / dared to kiss

ask meme

---

Lena has to chew on her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing, forcing her face muscles to stay absolutely still. She covers her face with her hand, pressing her palm up to her lips as she attempts to make sense of what Alex is saying to her...to them.

She drops her hand down on her lap and is about to respond when Kara, having been equally quiet beside her on the couch, rests her elbows on her knees and asks the question that's on the tip of Lena's tongue.

"You want us to be in a pretend relationship?"

"I don't just want you two to be in a pretend relationship, I need you two to be in a pretend relationship."

"That's--"

"It can't be that hard," Alex reasons, almost talking to herself, her hands on her hips as she stands across the coffee table of Kara's apartment staring at them with a completely serious face. Lena and Kara share a shocked look with one another.

"And why not?" she challenges, unable to help herself.

"Because you two are best friends," Alex responds smoothly and stares at them expectantly. Hard to fault Alex about that. She and Kara are best friends with each other.

"Run it back again," Kara interrupts. "Explain one more time why we need to be dating."

Alex huffs, though by the way she drops to her knees in front of the coffee table, steepling her hands as she rests her elbows on the wooden surface, Lena suspects that Alex thinks that she's hooked them.

"Because the entire operation hinges on the fact that you're already in a relationship. And since this is so last minute, the most believable option we have going for you is your best friend who you already spend so much time with."

Lena tilts her head. It all makes sense, all things considered. She already spends almost all of her free time with Kara whether at her penthouse or at Kara's apartment (which, for the record, is where they are currently, and where she had been for the better part of the last three hours since finishing up some work earlier that afternoon).

"It makes sense," she says out loud, as if considering Alex's words.

"I knew you were the best Luthor out there," Alex quips, leaning forward. Lena can guess that Alex feels so close to attaining what she needs from the two of them, but Kara beside her doesn't sound as sold.

"I don't know, Alex. Don't you think we've done our fair share of deception and lying?"

Alex rolls her eyes, her hands pressed flat on the table in front of her. "Kara. You are a superhero vigilante with a secret identity. Deception and lying is literally part of your everyday life."

Kara turns to Lena for support, the corners of her lips tugged down and strained. Lena gives her a supportive albeit apologetic smile. "She has a point, darling," she says finally.

The pout on Kara's face is worth a hundred kisses to make go away, Lena thinks, but she doesn't move. "I thought you were on my side?"

"I am on your side. But so far, your sister is making good points. Even though the why is still a bit flimsy."

"I just said the operation--"

"But why does this supposed operation require Kara being in a relationship? Can't she simply be unavailable or that she's not currently in the headspace to date?" she asks, her hand placed on Kara's back, rubbing soothing circles between Kara's shoulder blades. She resists smiling when Kara leans a bit closer to her, as if Lena can't reach her. There's literally no space of distance between them already on the couch.

"Because," Alex starts. "There are going to be relatives and family friends from Kelly's side that'll be relentless--" and this is where Lena is baffled by how Alex is acting, "--to insist that they will have the best and most suitable eligible single daughter or son that's perfect for you, Kara. And you too, Lena. Don't think you'll get out of this scot-free."

Her face furrows in confusion. "Me?"

"Yes! They will, undoubtedly, ruin the wedding by trying to set both of you two up with other people, and we honestly can't have you two distract everyone from our big day."

Lena's eyes narrow at Alex whose own gaze is fixed in staring at her sister. It's an odd request, and her suspicions are raising alarms inside of her mind. Still, she keeps quiet, especially when Kara leans forward, her strong hand somehow landing on Lena's knee as she does so.

"You think we'll be distracting you and Kelly on your guys' big day?"

Lena pretends to scratch at her chin to try and cover her mouth knowing that she can just about hear the pout in Kara's voice.

"God, no. That's not--" Alex takes a deep breath as she straightens herself up from where she's kneeling by the coffee table. "Kara. It's not you two I'm worried about, it's them. They are going to make a big deal and I'm just trying to protect the both of you. And, of course, my wedding day with Kelly. And the truth of the matter is that there's no reason to wait for things to happen when we can prepare and cover all of our bases. That's all."

The truth of the matter. That's an interesting choice of words, Lena ponders, but she keeps those thoughts to herself.

Kara worries her bottom lip between her teeth even as her hand stays on Lena's knee. From the corner of her eye, she catches sight of Alex's gaze dropping to Kara's hand and Lena's leg, no doubt making a mental note of what she's seeing. But Lena's attention is pulled back to Kara who has now twisted her body to better look at Lena beside her. For her part, Lena stays in her exact position, hand on Kara's back, and waits for Kara's lead.

"What do you think?" she asks, her face serious, though something flashes in her eyes before Lena could really read what it had been.

"I think..." Lena begins to say, weighing every word that comes out of her mouth. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

Kara stares at her for a long moment, like it's just the two of them in the room, before sighing and leaning back, suspending Lena's hand between her back and the couch. Lena doesn't mind in the slightest, instead lets the tips of her fingers gently scratch Kara's back.

"That's all?" Kara asks, this time the question directed to her sister.

Lena turns her face enough to witness how Alex strains from smiling too wide when she nods emphatically and says, "That's all. That's it."

The longest five seconds seem to pass over all three of them until Kara sighs. "Fine. We'll do it."

Alex struggles to keep her fist pump under control and Lena wants to roll her eyes.

"Great. Figure out whatever cover story you two think will work the best. Remember, closer to the truth works best."

"I think we'll figure it out just fine, Alex," she comments, her voice taking on an airy tone. "It's not the first time we've had to give a cover story."

Alex nods again before rising to her feet. "Right, right. Okay, I'm gonna go home to the missus, and you two can work on your cover story."

Kara's just about to get up when Alex stops her. "You stay put, I'll let myself out. Have your story figured out by brunch this weekend. Sound good?"

She and Kara glance at one another before returning their focus on Alex. With her free hand, she offers a mock salute just as Kara nods up at her sister.

When Alex shuts the door behind her and leaves the two of them still on the couch, it's Kara who breaks first, tugging at Lena's arm from behind her so she can perch it around Kara's shoulder, their fingers tangled by Kara's bicep, before slumping further down on the couch with a loud exhale. She rests her head on Lena's shoulder, and Lena places a soft kiss on the crown of her head.

"You know, she used to be so much better at lying. Like I didn't even know she worked for a shadow government organization."

Lena chuckles, despite herself, and pulls Kara closer to her. "She was laying it on rather thick, I thought."

Kara tilts her head up, her ear resting on Lena's shoulder as their faces sit only a few short inches apart.

"Good work on the pouting, though. I think you really sold it."

The sleepy smile on Kara's face widens into a proud one. "You like that? I was really considering the waterworks but I think I would have given it away if I did."

"Mm, probably."

"You're a little actress yourself, Luthor," Kara comments with barely contained laughter. "Better safe than sorry. Pfft. You were practically having Alex eat out of the palm of your hands with how much you were agreeing with her. So devious."

"If there's anything Lex ever taught me, it's having the theatrical range."

Kara snorts before shuffling to sit back up. "How mad do you think Alex will be when she finds out that we're already dating?"

Lena shrugs, thinking about all of Alex's possible reactions. "Oh, I'm sure she'll never let you live it down."

"Us, babe," Kara says, leaning forward, the tips of their noses brushing with each other. "She'll never let us live it down."

"She shouldn't assume then," Lena answers before closing the remaining gap between them. Their lips slotting perfectly in place pressed against each other. It's still new, this feeling, but Lena thinks that she'll never tire of it.

Her breath hitches when she feels Kara's strong hand release her fingers only to grip her nape, followed by the smirk she knows is on Kara's lips.

"Wanna figure out our cover story in bed?"

She raises a brow, but Kara just shrugs. "So is that a no?"

Lena rolls her eyes before wrapping her arms around Kara's neck as Kara carries her towards the bed.

"I was thinking we tell people it was love at first sight," Kara muses.

Lena throws her head back in laughter, just in time for Kara to place a kiss on the hollow of her throat. She thinks love at first sight is not too far from the truth at all, and didn't Alex say the closer it is to the truth, the better?

[vervepain]

Lena Luthor, but she has a severe mental illness…in a fun way?

Hottest hot Supercorp take: I wish there were more fics where the Luthor family had a serious problem with highly heritable bipolar disorder.

Like Lionel has it, this leads him to develop alcohol addiction and have a string of affairs.

He passes it to Lex. Who well…turns the sun red during what is in part a manic episode. (Obviously he was probably planning for longer than a single episode…people can be evil and mentally ill.) (I just think it would be fascinating to see Lena grapple with the issues of: he was my brother, and kind when I moved to Luthor Manor, but evil…if he also had decreased capacity.) okay okay

And Lena. Lena was really smart. She took herself to the doctor, and then the psychiatrist and got her own diagnosis. And she started Lithium at 16 after a mild manic episode in which she: a) hallucinated all of the spice girls working as custodians in her school and b) wrote a clean energy manifesto. Sometimes she also has to take an a-typical antipsychotic.

She’s also secretly in therapy.

I just think this would be a cool headcanon, because then the whole “Kara, you have to stop me from turning into my brother thing.” Becomes much more…not plausible…but like understandable?

And Kara probably has fairly evolved notions of psychiatric illness. Kara also probably would find antipsychotics rather primitive and horrifying (they have kind of terrible side effects, like sometimes losing teeth. Krypton would have figured out how to keep teeth and brains together.)

But I think Alex might be kinda weird about it. “Kara you cannot date a Luthor. And do you want to date someone dealing with all that?”

Um…but mostly I had this thought because of the sick fic potential. I guess a small percentage of people on lithium have chronic nausea? Like they just vomit once a week or more. My original thought that got all this going was Kara finding Lena vomiting in her office late and night and flying in. And Lena groaning from her waste basket saying:

No, no, I’m fine. This is happening because I am the good Luthor. The good medication compliant Luthor.

But yeah…Lena as calculating and mildly condescending to a lot of people around her would hit different were she: always dizzy, and her toes had just gone numb.