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[thetimehorse]

Happy Mother's Day (a post finale ficlet)

When Lena wakes up in Kara’s childhood bedroom in Midvale with a rock sitting at the bottom of her stomach, Kara is characteristically quick to notice.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asks, even as the clouds of sleep slowly blink from her eyes. “Everything okay?”

Lena nods, though she knows it doesn’t fool Kara. “I’m fine,” she promises. “Go back to sleep.”

Kara does—or at least pretends to, giving Lena room to slip quietly from the room. The dawn still lurks behind the horizon, the sky visible from the wraparound porch the deep blackish blue of a world yet to wake.

The cool air of the early morning brings a measure of comfort, bracing and peaceful after the weight in her chest that had woken her. She knows the root of it, but refuses to acknowledge it, or look too closely, lest her understanding of reality shift beyond repair. She remains there until she hears the shuffle of other bodies moving within the house. The sun is well risen by then, and Kara’s hair glints especially golden as she gives her foster mother’s cheek a kiss with a soft murmur.

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

It’s not the first time they’ve spent the holiday in Midvale. It’s not even the first time that Kelly and Alex have joined the population of celebrants. No, since Lex’s defeat and subsequent exile to the Phantom Zone, they’ve spent several Mother’s Days in Eliza’s home. It’s warm and bright and full of life. The perfect place to appreciate the mothers in their lives. And yet.

Kara sidles up to Lena, wrapping an arm around her waist. She presses a kiss to Lena’s temple. She doesn’t ask, but Lena knows she knows the heavy thoughts haven’t abated. Kara issues a simple promise in the sidelong hug—whenever you’re ready.

Ready doesn’t come until after dinner that evening, when Lena retreats once more to the porch. This time Kara joins her on the bench swing, her palm resting warmly on Lena’s thigh.

“I’m worried about you.” A statement of fact, not a single press or push in sight.

Lena sighs. “I know,” she says. “I’m sorry.”

The hand on Lena’s thigh firms into a reassuring squeeze. “Can I help?”

“Against an impending existential crisis?” Lena snorts. “No, I don’t think so.”

Kara doesn’t surrender so easily. “Try me.”

Closing her eyes, Lena releases a long breath. “My entire life, I’ve lived with a simple, unequivocal truth: my mother didn’t love me.”

No response comes, inviting her to continue.

“It hurt, at first. But eventually, it became as innocuous as the sky being blue, or the grass green. It just was.” Lena pauses, taking another breath. “And then.”

Kara’s hand shifts to interlace her fingers with Lena’s. “Then she chose you.”

Watching Lex raise his gauntlet to fire at her hadn’t shocked Lena. Seeing her mother throw herself between them did. Even now, years later, the memory still locks her throat tight. Lillian had saved her life. When faced with the choice of her precious boy and the girl she’d always only tolerated, she’d chosen Lena.

And then, Lena had saved Lillian in return, her newfound magic pouring from her to heal her mother’s mortal wounds. Beyond all odds, they both survived Lex—together.

The experience seemed to have caused a foundational shift within Lillian. She’d kept her distance for the first few months, before confessing a desire to mend, to rebuild. She’d respected Lena’s distrust, but she’d remained gently persistent. Invitations for lunches, appearances at Lena’s fundraising events, even the occasional gift accompanied by a short but thoughtful note.

Slowly but surely, she’d worn away at Lena’s reservations, plying her with every kind of interest and affection Lena had ever wanted. The journey hadn’t been without its hiccups—more than once Lena had snapped, trashing the thoughtful gifts, ignoring the texts and calls, even screaming her resurfaced hurt and rage in Lillian’s face. Until, eventually, things between them had smoothed into something resembling… Lena doesn’t know.

“This is the first time it feels like Mother’s Day should mean something.”

“Should?”

Lena sighs. Sometimes, Kara knows her too well. “Does,” Lena confesses. “It does mean something. Or at least, I want it to. Maybe. I don’t know.”

Kara smiles. Fishing into her pocket, she pulls out Lena’s phone and hands it over. “Why not start small?”

With a guilty huff of breath, Lena accepts the phone and thanks her fiancé with a kiss. “Thank you.”

Kara grins against her lips. “Always,” she breathes, then kisses her again. “I’ll be inside.”

Lena scrolls through her contacts and taps her mother’s number as Kara climbs to her feet. Heading into the house, Kara hasn’t quite opened the screen door when Lillian answers.

“Lena?”

Lena can feel Kara’s smile as the screen door finally opens and quietly swings shut.

“Hi, mom.”

[thetimehorse]

It's my 1 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

[thetimehorse]

50 likes!

[thetimehorse]

The Green Pill Secret: Mercenary Dating

Welcome everyone to a new episode of the Green Pill Secret, your night owl in Reston, VA. This week, we’re talking about Mercenary Dating. Of course, before we go forward, we need to define what Mercenary Dating is. In essence, it’s dating with purpose. When you date someone, the moment you see that they can’t meet the goal you have—maybe you’re at different stages of life, or have different…

[thetimehorse]

Doctor Who Rewatch: Where it Began, How it's Going

My first episode ever of Doctor Who was The Power of Kroll, Part Two. That’s the story that hooked me for life—too many years ago for me to even consider. And here we are again! Kroll Kroll Kroll Kroll! Watching the Power of Kroll, Part Two

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The Green Pill Secret: Unrequited Love

Welcome everyone to a new episode of the Green Pill Secret, welcoming you from a moonstruck Reston, VA. This post is being released at precisely midnight as we’re only a month away from the Summer Solstice. And with the extra sun comes longer evenings and time for dates and time to meet new and interesting people. But then you meet that special gal—or guy—and she’s the world to you. You’re…

[thetimehorse]

Ive come up with the phrase "blorbo-in-law" which is a fictional character who isn't, like, YOUR blorbo from YOUR shows but it is your mutual's blorbo who you nevertheless have developed strong opinions about due to long term dash exposure

[thetimehorse]

100 posts!

[thetimehorse]

The Green Pill Secret: Bad Breakup

Welcome everyone to a new episode of the Green Pill Secret, coming to you from Reston, VA… or is it Neist Point on the Isle of Skye? I visited Skye in 2018 and this is one of my photos from that lovely trip with my ex-wife, the last trip we ever took—because of the pandemic. Of course, I did say ex-wife, not because he name started with the letter X, but because after 25 years I knew I was being…

[thetimehorse]

Prison Inmate Supercorp AU

Kara is works in the prison library, and while Lena covets a spot on the maintenance crew, as a freshie she gets assigned to laundry detail. But within days its clear that the laundry room doesn't agree with her. She doesn't offer a word of complaint, but the laundry room is hot and unbearably stuffy, and being sensitive to heat, Kara takes one look at Lena's flushed and sweaty cheeks before making it her mission to get her reassigned.

Janitorial isn't much, but it at least gets Lena some much needed air, and she gets to stay cool as she mops and scrubs. It does make her an easier target tho-- and a target she is, for the ladies who imagine themselves as Kara's next girlfriend.

They resent Lena's quickly budding friendship with Kara, and do everything in their power to make Lena's life miserable, including trashing the bathrooms, tearing apart her cell, and shoving her roughly in the halls when they pass.

When Kara meets up with Lena in the cafeteria one evening and sees an 'accidental' black eye swelling on Lena's face, she demands to know who did it. Lena wisely keeps her mouth shut. But Kara simply watches her new friend like a hawk, and when she sees the aggressors immediately moves to intervene-- only for Lena to catch her wrist and tug her back.

"I'll deal with it," she says softly.

Kara frowns. "You can't let them walk over you. They'll only get bolder."

Lena nods. "I'll handle it."

So the next time her bullies trash the bathroom, Lena gathers the dirty rags (with all manner of bodily fluids soaked into it) and dumps it in the primary offenders cell.

"You left this in the bathroom," she says simply, walking away before the woman has a chance to retaliate.

Retaliation still finds her. In the yard outside, the group corners Lena on the basketball court. They make a spectacle of it, which invites the other inmates to circle around for the show.

The ringleader moves quickly to shove Lena, with enough force to send her sprawling to the ground, but Lena smoothly steps aside, allowing the woman's momentum to send her stumbling at the unexpected lack of contact. This infuriates the woman, who turns back swinging. Lena again dodges, her movement fluid and graceful as she weaves around the blows. Not a single one lands.

The woman's cronies jump in at a bark from their leader, and they only just barely get their hands on Lena before she twists from their grips and moves into the ringleader's next attack. She turns the woman's right hook aside and wraps the woman in a reverse headlock, kicking her legs out from under her. Before the woman can fall roughly on her back to the pavement, Lena catches her sharply, arresting the fall before injury can occur.

With the woman all but hanging in her grip, Lena stares at her with an icy steel in her gaze. "Leave me alone," she says.

Then she releases the woman, letting her drop the last two inches onto the blacktop. The landing is by no means painful, but an audible oof follows, earning jeers from the crowd, who delightedly eats up the turn of events.

The dent in the woman's pride doesn't let her abandon her mission to ruin Lena's life. She just gets sneakier about it. Instead of targeting Lena in the courtyard, she next seeks her out when Lena is sent to get more cleaning solution from a secluded supply closet. All Lena registers is the point of a shiv heading for her gut, and a blur of an inhumanly fast hand reaching out to halt the hand holding the improvised weapon.

"Enough," Kara growls. The woman gapes, then glares.

"This bitch--!"

"Is my friend," Kara declares.

The woman splutters. "But I--!"

"Are nothing," Kara finished for her. She looks the woman up and down. "You are nothing."

The woman's face heats with insult and rage, but even she knows better than to mess with Kara Danvers. When Kara's grip tightens threateningly on her wrist, the woman drops the shiv, only then being released to scuttle off with her tail between her legs.

When Kara turns, Lena is staring at her with suspicion, frowning. "Do I even want to know how you got here so fast?"

Kara smirks. "Nope."

Lena sighs. "Fine then. Thank you, and all that."

"My pleasure."

[thetimehorse]

We've only just begun Pt 2 (mon-el introspective)

Being back on Earth, in this time specifically, feels strange. Like a hermit crab trying to crawl back into a shell that's a size too small. Not painful, just... odd.

Its odd to see his old friends-- long dead for centuries-- surprised at his shift in demeanor and authority. It's odd to see Kara look between him and Imra in the same way he once looked between her and Lena so long ago. And it's odd for Lena to approach him and Imra with no prompting whatsoever.

"Hello, Mon-el," she greets in a smooth voice.

Imra turns, looks at Lena, and pauses.

"You must be mistaken," she covers for Mon-el, before he can say a word. "His name is Mike."

The false identity feels comical, and even more so when directed at Lena. Lena must agree, because she lifts an arch brow with a light smirk.

"You think I don't know my own husband?"

Mon-el feels his wife-- his current wife-- no, his newest wife?-- bristle even as he himself bites back a laugh. "Imra..."

"Relax," Lena intones, letting her head tilt with a playful grin towards Imra. "It wasn't consensual."

Imra's glare snaps to Mon-el, who grimaces. "It's not like that--" he starts, only for Lena to continue.

"So, how is the flagrant adulterer?" This she addresses to Mon-el, who laughs even as Imra seems ready to snap back at the woman daring to impugn their honor.

The last time Mon-el had laid eyes on Lena, she had been so somber. Seeing her like this is like night and day, and Mon-el finds himself responding in kind.

"Widower, actually," he casually points out, wrapping an arm around Imra's waist. "And doing just fine, actually."

Lena nods, a genuine smile spreading her features. "Good." Finally, she turns to Imra and extends her hand for a shake. "Hi, I'm Lena."

Imra accepts the handshake stiffly, not quite willing to soften just yet. Lena sees her lingering suspicion, and shrugs apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she says lightly. "Last we saw each other, it wasn't exactly the time to make light of the ordeal. Seems only right to take advantage of the opportunity now."

Finally, Imra relaxes. "Of course," she says with a nod. "I've heard some of what happened."

It isn't a secret. Just shame. Shame that he hadn't stopped the wedding, shame that he had relied on Supergirl instead of his own strength-- which after seven years he knows that he has, even then. Lena had deserved better.

"Not much to tell," Lena agrees, shooting Mon-el a look. Mon-el blinks at her breezy fib, realizing belatedly that Lena had just moved herself squarely into the role of ally. She shoots him a wink before returning her gaze to Imra. "Just count yourself lucky you dodged the monster-in-law."

There's no bite to her words, which allows Mon-el to grin rather than grimace. Lena shifts her drink to her other hand, letting her fingers brush Mon-el's arm briefly as someone catches her eye.

"Please excuse me," she says magnanimously, as she moves on. "I'll catch up with you later."

In that moment, Mon-el isn't sure if she actually intends to return, but visit she does, hours later. The main crowd has melted away, leaving just the core group to linger with one last round of drinks. Mon-el has relocated to the roof of Kara's building to get some air, when a warm voice interrupts his solitude.

"May I join you?" Lena hums.

Mon-el turns. "Of course."

Lena closes the last few feet between them, coming to stand beside him. It reminds him of the last time they'd spoken, so soon after their fateful marriage. Then, the air around them had been thick with tension, implication, and a sort of grief. Now, it's lightened by Lena's surreptitious grin.

"Sorry for teasing earlier," she says. A slender shoulder lifts in a shrug. "Imra seems nice."

Mon-el nods. "She is. It's just not something we really talk about."

"I can imagine."

Lena gazes thoughtfully out over the city, and Mon-el turns to join her. National City has repaired itself well, Mon-el notes, and surmises that the woman next to him has played a large role in its recovery.

"Now that you're married again," Lena observes softly, "I find myself wondering what that means for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Am I still your wife?"

Mon-el's stomach lurches at the question, posed so simply. As though it were a mere matter of fact, and not the source of so much woe.

He takes a moment to steady himself, and then another to consider the query.

"Yes," he says grimly. "Its easier for Imra and I-- you've been dead for a few hundred years. But..."

"But," Lena surmises, "the same doesn't hold true for me."

Mon-el shakes his head. "No. It doesn't."

In the future, Mon-el has the benefit of a wife long passed, and a people so far dispersed that the personal lives of old monarchs no longer matter. But in this time, Lena doesn't have the luxury of pretending it never happened.

Should she take another partner, and should Earth become a galactic power in her lifetime, Lena's marital status could impact her planet's future in the eyes of other governing bodies throughout the universe. Those who received the transmission from his mother's ship, those who recognize Daxam's sovereignty would have certain expectations of a princess of Daxam-- even if she were a princess in name only.

Mon-el has heard Kara rail against the injustices of the american patriarchy that it's not lost on him that he, the husband, has gotten off scott free, while his wife is left to live with the burden of what had happened to them, and be forced to live her life bound by a marriage she'd had no way to refuse.

"I'm sorry," Mon-el says simply, though he knows the words do nothing to alleviate her burden.

Lena nods. "I know."

---

When all is said and done, when the worldkillers are vanquished and Lena's friend reunites with her daughter, Mon-el isnt surprised that Lena is the driving force behind their victory. Its becoming a regular occurrence, and from what he knows of what's to come, it won't change anytime soon.

It doesn't make it easier to say good-bye. Taking Winn with them helps, a little, but nothing assuages the way Kara looks at him, at Imra, and resigns herself to losing him again. When it comes time to offer his good-byes to Lena, it's a welcome distraction.

"Thank you for your help," Lena says. He accepts her handshake, which is neither firm nor soft, but somewhere pleasantly in between.

"You too," Mon-el returns. "The Legion couldn't have done this without you. Without all of you."

His gaze slides towards Kara, who quickly turns back to Winn to hide that she's been staring.

"Could you do something for me?" he asks tentatively.

Lena's gaze turns moderately suspicious. "Maybe."

He breathes a laugh, smiling in spite of himself. "Look out for Kara?"

Lifting her chin, Lena nods her assent. "Never stopped."

"I know. Thank you."

He gives her hand an affectionate squeeze before disengaging, turning towards the ship. Before he gets more than a foot, Mon-el turns back sharply.

"I almost forgot." He reaches into a hidden pocket and withdraws a small memory chip. "For you."

Lena accepts the gift with hesitant curiosity. "What's this?"

"The final distress call of the prince of daxam," he tells her, holding her surprised gaze meaningfully. "Recovered from a kryptonian escape pod found derelict in the sea of stars. It seems it was recorded as life support began to fail."

Realization dawns, and Lena's features slacken with shock. "Mon-el..."

"The traveler who delivered this hopes it might bring some closure to his grieving wife."

Lena's jaw hangs uncharacteristically open for a long moment, before her hand curls around the datachip. She looks up at him with eyes soft with gratitude.

"Thank you."

Mon-el smiles. "Thank you, Lena Luthor. For everything."

For everything she's done, and everything she's yet to do.

Thank you.

[thetimehorse]

The Green Pill Secret: Emotional Intelligence

Welcome everyone to a new episode of the Green Pill Secret, brought to you from lovely Reston, VA. This week we’re talking about Emotional Maturity through Emotional Intelligence. I, personally, am the first to admit I sometimes lose my cool. I don’t like it, but it happens. For instance, they inserted a new line item into my lease requiring me to pay for the common area at utility rates which…

[thetimehorse]

oh my favorite trope? two people who go through something so unique and agonizing and entirely beyond words that they have no choice but to create a bond that transcends all other types of love, thus acting as the sole point of understanding for the other person in a world that cannot fathom what they’ve been through

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The Green Pill Secret: TradWife

Welcome everyone to a new episode of the Green Pill Secret, recorded with love right here in Reston, VA. This week I wanted to delve into a topic which doesn’t get a lot of publicity. The idea of a TradWife, or Traditional Wife in the Abrahamic religions, is the idea that a man is responsible for bringing home the proverbial bacon, as in working for a salary worth its weight in salt. Meanwhile,…

[thetimehorse]

oh my bad The Master i didn't know you were cool like that

[thetimehorse]

The Green Pill Secret: I'm Always Right

Welcome everyone to a new episode of the Green Pill Secret, coming to you from right here in Reston, VA. This week is all about being right. Which is to say I’m not always right, and neither are you! The point really is to understand that if you always have to be right, then you’re going to have issues long term with people who hold different beliefs trusting you. And likewise, if you’re with…

[thetimehorse]

I absolutely live for the first doctor doing something baffling and then running off like a strange old wizard