Chapter Text
The aching in her skull ebbs and flows like a cold tidal wave. ‘Oh, this feels like post-Myriad.’ Kara thinks, heavy leaden limbs struggle against the duvet till they find the edge of the mattress. She finds her footing despite her disorientation and in her line of sight, a bright pink box rests on the island counter. She’s one foot out of her bedroom when realization hits and her forehead crinkles. One, she’s not in her pajamas; and two, she catches a whiff of perfume and flowers. But she can’t focus on anything except her rumbling, empty stomach.
Desperate hands clutch the bright pink box, nearly tearing it open in a haste. Canoles. Her favorite. She woofs one down, followed swiftly with three more. She sees Alex leaning against the kitchen countertop, watching her with an undiscernible expression.
“Good morning to you too,” Alex smirks wryly.
Kara groans, “Ugh. Don’t talk so loud. My ears are ringing. Is this what a hangover feels like?”
She sees Alex’s lips move more than she hears it. “Want to tell me what happened last night?”
“Last night was a mistake. It was supposed to be one drink but I guess between Snapper and Mon-El still missing, I just wanted to try what being drunk feels like. You always drown yourself with work and alcohol, and you know human liquor doesn’t work on me. It was a whim. One-time.”
Kara stops dead in her rambling - stares, wide-eyed at Alex who immediately straightens. “What?”
“What time is it?”
Alex frowns but replies, “12:34pm.”
Shit. Her article. “I have to go!”
She speeds back into her bedroom, grabbing a new set of attire, slamming the bathroom door close and zipping out of there in a span of less than two minutes. She grabs her laptop and remembers at the last minute not to crush it in her hands. She takes a breath and exhales. The last thing she wants is a broken laptop to start her day.
“Kara! Where are you go-?”
“I need to go. Catco. Snapper’s going to skin me!,” she rushes, heading towards the door.
“Glasses, Kara!”
She touches her face briefly and zips back into the bedroom for it, missing Alex’s exasperated look. “I knew that and thanks for picking me up from the bar! Love you.“
Snapper plucks her freshly-printed article from her, tossing barely a glance. “You’re four hours past the deadline, Ponytail.” He doesn’t wait for an answer, flipping through the pages, his beady eyes roving critically at the words. “This is going on tomorrow’s cover.” He takes off his glasses and glares up at her. “Since you can’t bother coming in punctually like everyone else, I want a piece on parking violations rising.”
She doesn’t move. Snapper snaps at her, “Why are you still standing here?! Go bake!”
“I thought I was on the Guardian case?”
“Not anymore. Pewter’s earned it,” he snaps brusquely.
She leaves CatCo, head still pounding and still no sign of the internal drums ceasing for a brief respite. She stops a mugging at the jewelry store, tackling him to the pavement, and then punching into the concrete harder than she intended, scaring the burglar so much that he raised his hands in surrender.
She doesn’t have to wait long for the wailing sirens and flashing lights to arrive. Maggie Sawyer swims in her vision as Kara struggles to stand tall and upright, one hand firmly grabbing onto the burglar’s cuffed hands. On any day, she would have basked in the sun but today, she cannot stand being under the yellow sun. Its presence just makes her headache worse.
Sawyer takes the masked man away, handing him off to one of the officers before turning back to Kara. Her dark brow arches and Kara forces her face to a blank expression. “You okay, Supergirl?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Maggie looks at her and then to the fist-like hole in the pavement. “It’s normal to have a bad day. Everyone gets them.”
Kara takes a step back. The NCPD detective stands too close to her. She smells strongly of gunpowder and smoke. The combination assaults her sense of smell, overwhelming her. Kara falters slightly and Maggie catches her, steadying the caped heroine.
Her urgent tone softens. “Hey. Hey. Take it easy.”
Kara can feel the detective discreetly moving her away from the scene. Towards an alley. Her back hits the bricked wall of the alley and she breathes easier. They’re in the shade, Kara realizes, and she’s staring back to a very concerned pair of hazel eyes.
“What do you need, Supergirl?”
“Nothing. It’s- just a headache. I’ve got work to do.”
She forces herself away from the wall and lifts away, back towards the blinding sun.
She locks herself in the office Cat Grant gave to her, and sets off to finish compiling the facts to complete her article. Having ordered in four bags of pot stickers, Kara feels like she’s back to her old self. A soft chime interrupts her and she ignores it, determined to get this article done and over with. He had tortured her to wait in the slowest queue down at the city court’s administrative department.
The low vibration coming from her phone startles her concentration. She hits the button, cradling the delicate device between her shoulder and the side of her head, whilst she types furiously.
“Kara Danvers speaking.”
“Hey Kara, how are you? Are you still up for dinner tonight? There’s a new opening of a Thai restaurant down on Fifth Avenue.”
This is a call she isn’t expecting and she stills her fingers at the sound of her lilting voice echoing through the tiny speakers. “Hello? Kara?”
She breathes in and exhales. Leans back into her swivel chair, ignoring its tiny protests as she puts her full weight.
“Lena, I’m good and yes, dinner is on. I mean, I would love to check out the Thai place with you.”
The tiny scar crinkles as she checks her calendar hurriedly. She doesn’t remember setting an appointment with Lena Luthor.
“Lovely. You can tell me more about this cousin of yours, Kara, during dinner. I’d love to hear more.”
She blinks and tilts her head. “Cousin?” Kal. How did he pop into the conversation? She has always been so careful about revealing anything about her family to anyone.
“I believe you mentioned his name is Kale L? I’m curious to know what the L stands for.” She can hear Lena’s amusement trickling in.
She’s almost afraid to ask but does anyway. “When- when was this?”
Her heart lurches at the disappointing tone creeping into Lena’s voice. “Last night, after I picked you up from the bar. You sure do keep interesting company, Kara... You don’t remember, do you?”
Interesting company. The alien bar. Shit. How long does she have before Lena - the youngest bright genius CEO - figures it all out? Alex is going to kill her.
“I- I don’t. Sorry.” Did she ask Lena out while she was drunk too?
“That’s alright, sweetheart. I’ll catch you up to speed then. But first, I must say, you tell the silliest stories when you’re drunk. It’s absolutely adorable.”
She ducks her head and blushes, her cheeks reddening and once again, she’s grateful for the privacy Ms. Grant granted her.
“I would love to chat more, but I’ve got a conference call in an hour. I’ll see you later?”
Kara nods, forgetting that Lena is still waiting for an answer. “Yes. Talk to you soon. Bye Lena.”
“Bye Kara.”
All is right as rain. Her article is printed and resting in the top tray of Snapper’s desk. He grunts while checking her work. “Passable. I hope you’ve learnt your lesson.” He tosses it back and continues his work. “Now get out.”
She goes after noting that the red inked pens she has come to hate, has bypassed her article. She exits the lobby with a light bounce to her steps despite the wailing sirens in the distance. A building on fire, Kara notes, hearing the panicked screams of the residents, and the frenzied stomping of those fleeing through the stairwells. She changes into her suit and zips across the city.
She lands on the roof, only to be yanked from behind by her cape and thrown into the concrete wall, denting the rooftop door in the process. A volley of green tinted darts pierce into her suit, injecting kryptonite into her system.
Kara struggles on the ground and blinks confusedly at the perpetrator.
“Hank?”