Work Text:
Art by: AxolotlLumberjack
Kara has always been clumsy. From her first moments on earth one thing that everyone could rely on was that Kara would find a way to stumble over even the tiniest crack in the pavement.
Alex used to make fun of her for that. Well, she still does sometimes. And Kara can‘t even be mad at her because of it. It is undeniable that, despite her powers, she can‘t really help it.
She has stumbled down every staircase she ever set foot on and has fallen down more times than she cares to admit. When she is Kara Danvers, that is no problem at all. She is just a clumsy reporter after all.
But as Supergirl... well, as Supergirl it can be embarrassing. Especially when a crowd has formed to watch her save someone, only to witness how the hero from another planet is struck down by a crack in the pavement.
But this ... this is a whole new level of embarrassing. Even for Kara‘s standards.
She had just returned from stopping a bridge from collapsing and was on her way to CatCo, when she heard the scream of a girl. Following her kryptonian instincts she immediately flew to the scene of the crime.
So far, so typical.
But when she arrived at the big tree that the scream seemed to come from, she realised, that it wasn‘t a human who needed her help, but a cat who apparently didn‘t know how to get down from the tree.
At first Kara wasn‘t sure what to do and extended her arms. She called out: „Come down here! Just jump, I will catch you!“
Thankfully the street was almost empty this time of the day and no one spared her more than a short glance. This would have been a weird picture in the news. Supergirl, standing under a tree and talking to a cat.
When Kara realised that the cat was too scared to jump down, she levitated and sat down on one of the branches of the tree. The cat immediately jumped into her lap. Kara laughed and carefully petted the cat.
„Why did you think it was a good idea to climb up here, if you can‘t get down again?“
The cat just purred as a response.
„Let‘s get you back to the ground.“
In order to not scare the cat, Kara chose to climb down the tree. A big mistake. Because, as it turned out, the cat was not really stuck in the tree, but apparently only wanted to be petted. As soon as Kara started to climb down the tree, the cat took its chance and jumped down to the ground.
Surprised, Kara looked after her and lost her footing on the branch below her. And, being the clumsy idiot that Kara is from time to time, she completely lost her balance.
And that‘s how she ended up falling onto the pavement in the very second Lena Luthor had decided to take a walk in her lunch break. Kara crashes to the floor with a loud thud, hitting her head hard on the pavement.
If she weren‘t Supergirl, she would have had a concussion.
„Supergirl!“, Lena exclaims and kneels down next to the hero who still can‘t make sense of what just happened. „Are you alright?“
It takes Kara few moments to realise who the beautiful woman above her is. When the realization hits her, her heart skips a beat. For weeks she had flown around L-Corp more often than necessary to get a glance at the young Luthor.
Immediately, Kara jumps to her feet, almost knocking Lena over in the process.
„Of course! I was just testing... testing... how someone...“ She pushes a strand of hair out of her face. Lena raises an eyebrow and slowly stands up. „How someone would fall out of a tree!“
Lena crosses her arms in front of her body, an amused grin on her face. „You were testing how someone would fall out of a tree?“
Kara stands up a little straighter, puffs out her chest and places her hands on her waist. „Of course!“, she replies with all the self-confidence she can muster after her fall. „How else can I rescue people when they fall... out... of trees.“
The smile on Lena‘s lips grows even wider. „I hadn‘t realised that a hero like Supergirl has to rescue people who fall from trees so often.“
„All the time!“, Kara replies a little too fast. „Just yesterday... I...“
„You don‘t have to justify yourself to me“, Lena grins after watching the hero struggle to find the right words for a few moments. Kara blushes and bites her lip. A tingly feeling rises in Lena that she knows all too well. Within the last few weeks she had had this feeling whenever she saw Supergirl on the news. Or outside her window, flying by on her way to save the city.
Lena sees her chance and takes it. „But if you want to tell me more about your methods, my lunch break isn‘t over for another 45 minutes.“
Kara‘s eyes widen. She doesn‘t quite know what to say, so Lena takes the wheel. „The park is almost uninhabited during this time of the day.“
The hero simply nods and follows Lena on her way to the park.
Kara‘s mind is racing. How did all of this happen just now? She would be lying if she said that she had never though about talking to Lena Luthor. But never under these circumstances. Not when she had just literally fallen for her. Or towards her. Or whatever.
They enter the park side by side, both not sure what to say or do. So they walk in silence for a few minutes. But it is a comfortable silence. As if both of them know what the other is thinking.
„So...“, Lena finally says. „What else do you do to prepare for emergencies that might occur?“
A joyful spark glims in her eyes and Kara is almost too mesmerised to answer her question.
„Well... so... from time to time I...“
„You don‘t have to tell me if you don‘t want to share your secret, Supergirl.“
Kara happily accepts this as a way to stop talking about this topic and instead starts to ask Lena questions about her work, her life, everything she always wanted to know.
And Lena happily answers all her questions, because there is nothing she would rather do than talking to Supergirl the whole day. Not because she is a hero, but because she is kind and loving and beautiful...
When they return to the L-Corp building, they awkwardly stand opposite each other, both not sure what to say.
„I would love to continue this conversation sometime“, Lena finally says.
Kara beams with joy. „I would love that.“
„Supergirl“, Lena says, extending her arm towards the hero. Kara shakes it. The handshake lasts much longer than it usually should have. Neither one of the women wants to be the first to let go.
After a while it is Lena who pulls back, smiles, and vanishes in the building.
„Lena“, Kara whispers, while her heart beats faster than it ever has. Even faster then when she had to stop the bridge from collapsing. Suddenly, something brushes against Kara‘s leg and she looks down.
It is the cat that had been in the tree just an hour ago.
„Well hello“, Kara grins and leans down to pet it. „And thank you very much.“
3 months later
„There you are!“, Kara calls out and pulls Lena into a tight hug. The CEO grins and places a soft kiss on her girlfriends lips.
„I am so sorry! The board meeting took longer than expected!“
„Don‘t worry“, Kara returns and takes Lena‘s hand. „It‘s all good. But now we have to hurry, before...“
She bites her lips and pulls Lena away from the building.
The dark haired woman frowns: „Before what?“
„You‘ll see.“
That‘s all Lena can get out of Kara. But the way they take is more than familiar. They have been walking it every day for the last three months. In every lunch break.
„Can we stop somewhere to get something to eat?“, Lena asks as they pass one of her favourite lunch spots, but Kara pulls her further along.
The blonde shakes her head: „Absolutely not! This is important!“
„Kara, what are you even talking about?“
They enter they park and Kara leads the way. Soon, Lena stops trying to get any more information out of the superhero. She grins as she sees Kara‘s concentrated facial expression. She is definitely up to something, but what exactly it is, Lena can‘t say.
But a few moments later she can see it.
A beautiful picnic is arranged on the grass in the middle of the park. Lena‘s eyes grow wide as she realises that Kara has bought all her favourite foods and even brought ice cream that is slowly melting under the warm breeze.
„Sit!“, Kara exclaims with a big smile on her face and drops down onto the picnic blanket. Lena bites her lip and sits down opposite of her. Kara takes the ice cream and discreetly freezes it again.
It definitely has its perks to be the girlfriend of a superhero.
„This is amazing!“, Lena smiles and tries to decide which food she should eat first.
Kara grins and puts the solid ice cream down again. „Well, I thought I should surprise you.“
„Why?“
„Because three months ago today we officially started dating.“
Lena almost chokes on her bite. „That‘s today?“
„Don‘t worry, it‘s nothing official“, Kara returns and can‘t hold back a laugh when she sees the distress on Lena‘s face. „And I don‘t expect you to get me anything! I just thought it would be nice to have a real lunch on this day.“
Lena swallows and stares at her girlfriend. The blonde woman grins from ear to ear, which makes Lena‘s heart race even faster.
„Now I am feeling bad that I didn‘t get you anything...“, she admits.
„You don‘t have to!“, Kara is quick to return and leans over to kiss Lena. „I am glad I could surprise you.“
„You always do“, Lena returns and playfully nudges her girlfriend. „Just like three months ago. I almost had a heart attack when you fell out of that tree.“
„As did I!“
„And all of that only because you thought a cat was stuck in the tree.“
Kara sits up a little straighter and stares at Lena in disbelief. „How do you know that? I never told you!“
„You didn‘t have to“, Lena laughs. „I saw the cat jump out of the tree when I left the building. And then you followed right behind, but much less gracefully.“
„Hey!“, Kara protests, but she is smiling. „Why didn‘t you say anything?“
Lena bites her lip. „Because it was just too cute how you tried to justify that you just fell out of a tree. I think you tried to make me believe that this was how you prepared for saving people who fall from trees.“
Kara hides her face in her hands, her whole body shaking from the laughter that has befallen her. „I was star-struck“, she finally says breathlessly. „I didn‘t want to admit that...“
„That you literally fell out of a tree?“
Kara nods. Her cheeks are flushed and tears have formed in her eyes from all the laughing. Lena scoots over so that she can lean against the superhero. She melts into the touch. Safe within the others arms, they continue their lunch that lasts much longer than Lena‘s break, but neither of them care.
After a while, Lena notices that Kara has stopped eating and turns around. Their eyes meet. Kara must have been watching her this whole time.
„What?“, Lena asks.
Kara grins and shakes her head. „I have just asked myself how this happened.“
„I was thinking the same thing. But honestly, what were you expecting, after you fell so hard for me?“
Kara laughs and leans in again to nip at Lena‘s lips. „I am not sure, but I am fully on board with it.“
„Good“, Lena whispers and lets her fingers run over Kara‘s hair. „Because I am too.“