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The first time Kara invites Lena to a game night, everything seems to go fairly well. There’s a bit of awkwardness between Lena and Maggie at first, but Maggie’s an expert at diffusing tension, so soon the matter is resolved, if not entirely forgotten just yet.
However, through feats of willpower more super-human than even Supergirl can manage, Lena somehow manages to not strangle Mon-El every time he touches Kara. Or insults her. Or gives her some backhanded compliment.
After a while, when James has left because of an early CatCo morning, and Alex and Maggie have all but fallen asleep in a chair, Kara and Mon-El take their bickering to the kitchen to put away some of the dishes and food.
Lena’s smile is still there, but it drops, in her mind, infinitesimally, from her features. Winn, however, arches a brow and looks at her much more intensely than ever. (Which is saying something, because he’s been ‘geeking out’ both at and with her almost all night.) She’s shaken from her thoughts by him clearing his throat and saying softly, “You, too, eh?”
“Wh-what?” Lena stammers, genuinely confused for a moment about what he’s getting at.
Winn just smiles and actually reaches across and sets a friendly hand on her knee, as if offering some sort of… comfort? Support? She’s honestly too shocked at the physical contact to really register more than the touch itself before Winn is gesturing with his beer bottle towards the kitchen. “In love with her… in some way, at least. I mean. Maggie loves her but isn’t IN love with her. You know. Cos that’d be weird. And wrong. Anyway…. right. You know she and James dated, then decided they were better off as friends, and hell, I’ve been in love with her pretty much since I met her. We -all- know how much Alex loves her.” He gives her knee a little squeeze then withdraws it, taking a sip from the beer. “Then there’s… well… you know,” he makes a face and shrugs, “Dude, I -told- James there should be some kind of stipulation that you can’t be a member of the Superfriends unless you love Kara!”
Lena’s too dumbstruck for a long while to really react, but one word sticks out and she latches onto it like a lifeline. “… Superfriends?”
Winn sputters, nearly spitting his beer. With a sheepish grin he starts wiping beer from his chin and starts rambling, “Well, yeah, I mean, c’mon, we’re SUPER good friends, and with this being, you know, the city where Supergirl is, I mean, it’d be stupid if we called ourselves like, Wonderfriends, right?” He laughs nervously.
Lena just allows herself a slight smile and nods as though he’s made perfect sense, but that doesn’t mean cogs aren’t still spinning in her analytical brain. “Well, yes, I suppose you’re right….” Then her expression sobers, and green eyes bore into him, “Does it get easier?”
Winn blinks rapidly, “Being a Superfriend? I mean, ha, we just, have game night.. OHHHH you mean… being in love with… yeah… I’d tell you that it does, but, well, it doesn’t. It gets… different, I guess? It’s the hardest when you see her getting hurt, or about to get hurt. You know? She’s just so… and then if someone…”
The brunette CEO nods softly, swallowing. “Yes. So, in other words, it changes from ‘I want her around to make me happy’ to “I just want her to be happy because that IS what makes me happy…”
Winn stares at her. Hard. “Wow. I mean. I know you’re smart. Like SUPER smart… HAH! Get it… I mean. Yeah. But… yeah, pretty much.”
A small smile curves the woman’s lips then fades as there’s a crashing sound of a dish being dropped or broken in some way from the kitchen. “I thought… that I didn’t like him because she DOES… because he’s,” she pauses, wetting her lips as she frames her thoughts, “… because he’s receiving the attention that… some of us crave.” She just shakes her head, “But he doesn’t make her happy, right? I’m not just blinded by my own feelings, am I?”
The tech nerd just shakes his head, polishing off the last of his beer. “For what it’s worth, I agree with you. On both fronts, actually. Sort of a jealous ‘why him’ for a while then an honest ‘What does she see in him?” But, she’s a grown woman, and as much as we all want to protect her…”
(Lena’s heart swells as this man clearly includes her in that ‘we’.)
“… She’s gonna have to learn on her own, and decide for herself if he’s worth it or not.”
All Lena can do is nod softly before Kara and Mon-El return, the blonde with a smile painted on all too forced and the Daxamite looking confused and clueless.
A bit later, when Winn announces it’s time for him to leave, Lena barely manages to cover up the quick smile when Kara suggests, “Mo-Mike, you should probably go with Winn. I mean, he drank a good bit. Make sure he gets home, you know?” Winn, for his part, staggers as he stands up to move around the sofa. Maybe on purpose, maybe just for show.
Mon-Mike looks stunned and about to spit some fiery protest, but Kara just folds her arms across her chest and raises an eyebrow. “He’s your friend, Mike… “
Grumbling, the Daxamite snatches Winn’s arm and they head out the door.
Lena stands as well, gathering her coat by the door. “Thank you for inviting me, Kara… do you want me to have my driver take your sister and her girlfriend home, too?”
“Oh! That’s… not a bad idea. That’s so sweet!” Kara gushes, beaming. “I was just gonna let ‘em crash on the couch, which I mean, they still can.” She frowns a bit, “Actually I’m not sure I can wake them up at this point.” She makes a show of squinting and leaning forwards, “I think Alex is actually drooling in her sleep.”
Lena laughs softly, waving a hand, “Well, perhaps next time I’ll make the offer before everyone starts drinking or sleeping, mm?”
Kara nods enthusiastically, as excited that Lena wants a ‘next time’ as much as Lena herself is excited that Kara is agreeing that there will BE a next time.
If Lena’s smile is a little more genuine when she gets into her car, well, who can blame her?