Chapter Text
Lena’s words kept rolling around in Kara’s head, distracting her from her latest article, a follow-up piece to the cult she helped stop. Again. She – as Supergirl – had acted just like Lena’s mother. Lena was right about that. And if Lena never trusted her again, Kara would be absolutely broken, but she would understand. Yesterday Lena even said that she and Supergirl weren’t even friends! Kara’s heart ached for her best friend, and she wanted things to go back to the way things were, before all of the secrets and lies got in between their bond (one Kara used to think was unbreakable.)
Kara was going to tell Lena the truth. She might lose her forever either way, so it would be better to have everything out in the open.
So, that evening, before flying off to some rock floating through space with Mon-El, Kara stopped by Lena’s penthouse. The elevator up seemed to take longer than normal, yet somehow ended too quickly. She steeled herself before knocking on the door.
Lena opened it a few moments later. “Kara!” she exclaimed, looking both surprised and confused. “Seeing you two days in a row? I must be one lucky woman,” she said as she pulled Kara into a tight hug.
Kara breathed in Lena’s scent and held on a little longer and a little tighter than usual, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time. “I missed you, Lena.”
“I missed you too. Not that I don’t always love seeing you, but what brings you here today?”
Kara let go of Lena. “There’s actually something I need to tell you. Something important.”
A look of concern flashed across Lena’s face, followed by something else… hope? Kara took this as her cue to keep talking.
Suddenly aware of the heat, and the fact that her legs might give out the minute she said another word, Kara instead said, “Let’s sit.”
The concern in Lena’s face only grew, but she silently led them to a couch.
Once seated, Kara began again, “I—” This was going to be harder than she thought.
“Kara, it’s okay, you know you can tell me anything,” Lena said. And she looked at Kara with those eyes, somehow both piercing and inviting, like she knew what Kara was going to say and if she could just spit it out, nothing would ever be wrong between them again. Kara felt calmer, but her nerves still weren’t quite settled.
“You’re right. Lena, I…” come one Kara, it’s just three little words. “I hate kale.” Whew. What a relief to have her darkest secret off her chest.
Lena’s hand, which had been rubbing Kara’s knee, froze. Her soft gaze turned cold.
“Lena, I’m— I’m sorry. I know it’s your favorite food, and it means so much to you, but I just couldn’t lie to you any longer, knowing how much it would hurt,” Kara pleaded. She didn’t think Lena would take this well, but their conversation was going much worse than she could have anticipated.
“Kara.” Lena said, an edge to her voice Kara had only ever heard when Lena was talking to investors, or Supergirl in recent days. Their eyes locked, and Kara wanted to look away. “I’m not mad because you don’t like kale.”
Kara blinked in surprise. “You’re not?”
“No! I’m mad because you don’t take me seriously! I’m having a lot of trouble trusting people these days, and you’re making fun of me for it!”
“I’m not, I—”
“Or, you think so little of me that you thought I would end our friendship – something that clearly means more to me than it does to you – over kale? Something I already knew you didn’t like?”
Lena was standing now, towering over Kara, who just shrunk deeper into the couch.
“You already knew?” Kara asked.
“Yes, I already knew! You weren’t very subtle about it the first time I made you try it, and you haven’t eaten it since! I can’t believe how stupid you thought I was.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Kara said, meekly trying to defend herself.
“Maybe not, but that’s how it feels to me. I really thought…” Lena trailed off, the anger in her subduing to sadness.
“What did you think?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
If Kara thought her heart was broken before, now it was crushed beyond repair. “Of course it matters.”
Lena took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She kept breathing, in and out, in and out. Kara wanted to get up and hug her, comfort her, but she knew that Lena just needed to think by herself right now.
With her eyes still closed, and her voice flat, Lena asked, “Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me?”
Kara got the feeling this was her last chance to come clean. The panic set back in. She hadn’t planned on coming out to Lena tonight, not about being Supergirl or about the fact that her feelings were just a tad too strong to be completely platonic, but, well, plans change.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’m going to ask you to leave,” Lena stated calmly, though Kara could hear her heart still racing.
Kara stared at her a moment longer. If Lena knew she was Supergirl, then telling her now would be the only way to save their friendship. If Lena didn’t know, and Kara told her, it would surely ruin it. Kara only wished she had J’onn’s mind-reading abilities. Everything would be so much easier then.
“Kara.”
Well, there was only one way to find out which way things would go. Kara opened her mouth.
“I’m Supergirl.”