Archive of Our Own

The explosion rips through the entrance. Glass doors shatter, chunks of wall crash into chairs and coat racks, and in the cloud of dust, another piece of wall falls. Kara's thrown backward, and she skids along the tiles. Debris cracks and falls with a crash, and people scream. Her ears ring from the blast, and she breathes in dust. Coughing, she turns on her side and spits out the nasty taste of chalk. Another explosion tears a hole through the north wall.

Staggering to her feet, Kara superspeeds forward to snatch several people out of the way of the debris. She deposits them by one of the security teams, who shift into evacuation mode, shouting orders. Beyond the atrium, she hears Alex's voice as she blocks the gallery doors and starts an evacuation.

Turning, she hears the thump of heavy boots in the cloud of dust. Someone approaches, but who?

Scanning the room, her eyes sight Lena near the front of a small crowd near one of the exits. Three men in security uniforms usher people through an exit, but others fan out toward the debris. Lena, however, stands at the back of the group, her eyes sweeping over the atrium as if to verify no one else lay in danger.

The click of an assault rifle booms in Kara's superhearing, and Lena stands in the open, the table barricades the Security knocked over not high enough for any safety.

Oh Rao, no.

Kara superspeeds to Lena and pulls her close. The hail of bullets cascade against Kara's back and fall to the ground uselessly. Shouts echo around them as security topple more tables for a barricade. Several fan out on either side of Kara, their guns in their hands. She can see the whites of their eyes as several look her way, their bodies ducked behind the tables.

"Supergirl…" Lena whispers. "Please, the others…"

Kara nods. "Hold on." She lifts Lena into her arms and dashes into the side door. She deposits Lena with the team there, gives her a kiss on her cheek, and superspeeds back into the fray. Behind her, part of the security splits into barricading the evacuation, while the rest fan out to cover the exits.

"Whoever you are," Kara snaps, "You're not welcome here." She steps in front of the barricade, her hands on her hips. Adrenaline surges through her, and more of her superpower energy releases, giving her a heady, almost manic feeling.

"We're here for the betrayer," the man in black sneers. He wears a mask over his mouth, but cold blue eyes meet Kara's, his AK-47 tightly clenched in his hands. Next to him, a thickset white man holds a crowbar over his shoulder, his mask over his hazel eyes. He spits but says nothing.

"I don't think so." Fury curdles in her veins. Even with Lena's security, these jerks still broke into the eating area, only a dozen feet from the doors to the crowded exhibit area. She can hear the evacuation on the other side of the doors. Alex has it covered, and she knows how capable her sister is.

The fact these assailants are here at all? Yeah, no, not allowed.

The man raises his assault rifle again.

Kara runs forward. One bullet cuts through her golden hair, another bounces against her chest, and a third she catches right before it hits her nose. She flicks it back, and it bounces against the other man's forehead. He drops. The first one curses, and fires again. The bullets rain against Kara's chest, but she reaches him and rips the gun out of his hand. She breaks off the cartridge and twists the rest in half. The weapon's remains clatter to the ground.

That's when she sights it.

Her wonderful wheelchair, crafted by her cousin Kal and her friend Winn, lays in a mangled heap at the doors. Part of its wheel lays atop the destroyed coat racks and under a large chunk of wall and rebar.

Her chair. The unique beauty.

"How dare you." Kara grabs the man's shirt and lifts him up. "How dare you." First he assaults Lena's gala, and then threatens Lena and her participants, and now her wheelchair? Her beloved wheelchair?

It's Lena's voice that stops her from throwing the man against a remains of the atrium's front wall.

"Supergirl!" Lena sounds breathless. "Supergirl, thank you for catching them."

Kara's hand trembles with her rage, but Lena's voice wraps around her like a soothing cloak. She looks back to see Lena behind a ring of security officers and toppled tables and chairs. Green eyes meet Kara's blue, and Lena offers her a slight smile. She holds herself regally, even with the ripped sleeve of her red dress.

"L— Ms. Luthor, it's not safe." Kara still holds the flailing man, but now her focus is on her dearly beloved best friend.

"Security has determined these were the only assailants, and you have both." Lena raises an eyebrow. "I appreciate the rescue, Supergirl. We are once again in your debt."

Kara breathes out and places the man back on his feet, her hand still gripping his jacket. She nods and looks to the security officers. Several approach, their weapons at their sides, and they tie up both men.

Once the assailants are cuffed, Kara lets go and steps over to Lena's side. She looks her over carefully but doesn't see any injuries. Without thinking, she gently brushes a lock of Lena's black hair from her face and her fingers linger over Lena's cheek. "No debt," she says, quietly. "I'll always be here for you."

Lena breathes in sharply, and for a moment, the world fades to only them. Her hand reaches up to lay over Kara's; her cheeks flush a delicate pink.

The rush of adrenaline fades. Her cells' stored energy, depleted from blocking bullets and superspeed, now fall into the inevitable agony her superpowers assail her with after each use. She tries to hide it under a smile, but Lena, her dear astute Lena, sees it.

"I'll make you a new one," Lena whispers with a slight nod toward the ruined wheelchair and coat racks. "Now rest, okay?"

Tears threaten, so Kara nods. Her fingers slide across Lena's cheek as she steps back. If she speaks, she fears she may cry. Not because of the pain, that she's used to, but because of how close Lena came tonight. Turning, she superspeeds out of the building.

Outside police cars pull up, lights flashing. Late as always. Unable to handle speech still, she leaps into the air. There, two stories above the scene, she hovers, blinking away her tears. She can't rest yet.

She races around the building but her x-ray vision and supersenses finds no more bombs. Inside, Alex and one of Lena's security teams have evacuated scared participants to the back of the Art Museum. As Kara dashes through the room, their voices ripple like ocean waves. Alex stands with one of the teams on the far side of the gallery near a metal sculpture of a dancing alien.

"Supergirl?" Alex waves at her.

Kara can't stay and talk. She gives Alex a tight smile and a nod, while returning to scanning the floors, walls, and ceiling with her supersenses. Except there are no other bombs or assailants. Instead, she finds only shaken people and aliens, a reassuring Alex, a calm Lena, and the security team handing the assailants to the police.

Drifting upward again, she lands lightly on the top of the Art Museum and sits down roughly. Rao, for Lena to come that close again? What if Kara hadn't been here when they broke into the atrium? Her thoughts drift back to when Lena first asked her to come to tonight's gala.

«…»

Under a yellow sun, Kara exists simultaneously in a world of great power and one of pain. Each expenditure of power threatens to snap her bones, saps her muscle's energy, and burn her skin thanks to her superstrength and speed. Only her flying gives her a brief feeling of freedom, but that too drains and destabilizes her body's neural field that protects her from the worst of the superpowers' damage.

"You'll hold great powers and do great things," her mother had warned her, but she had failed to share that the body did not become more durable under a yellow sun. Her evolution relied on energy wavelengths from a red sun to build her energy reserves, all other needed nutrients obtained from food and drink. Truthfully, she can't defeat her genetics, and as much as her cells absorb more energy from the yellow sun, they did not always release it in gentle ways.

Today, she sits on a ledge near the balcony to Lena Luthor's office. For a low pain day like today, she can fly without too much drain and listen to the town with her superhearing. Yet another power that causes pain on her worst days, but that one resembles the overwhelm of sensory overload, where she hides under weighted blankets and wears soundproof headphones to drown away the world with music she's chosen.

For much of her life, she's felt alone, isolated from humanity by her unique biology. As much as Eliza and Alex both helped her younger self through her nightmares and fears, Kara wishes for a partner, someone who understands her on a level that Alex simply can't. Part of the reason she perches by Lena Luthor's balcony, because out of all the people in Kara's life, Lena seems to understand her on a level she's always wanted.

And yet, she still hasn't confessed her final secret. Fear of rejection holds her back more than anything.

She hears a door slide open and footfalls. No need to glance over to know Lena Luthor stands on her balcony only a foot or so away. "Good morning," she says as she flicks her feet back and forth, her red boots lightly hitting the metal beneath.

"Good morning to you too, Supergirl." Lena leans over her balcony's railing and smiles. "You seem to like this spot."

"It's warm. Above the noisy soundscape. Less overwhelming. Very pretty." She tips her head back and grins at Lena. "And sometimes I have a gorgeous conversation partner."

"Flatterer." Lena picks at the chipped paint at the edge of the railing. "So I wanted to ask. Are you available tomorrow evening?"

Kara glances at her in surprise. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Lena smiles. "Not opposed to the idea." Wait a second, did she mean that? Kara blinks and tilts her head, studying Lena in fervor.

Maybe it's meant to be a joke, but there's no accompanying sly smile or chuckle that usually comes with one.

Lena continues, unaware of Kara's bafflement. "But it's the gala I must host. I'd like Supergirl to visit and share one of her artworks. I'm featuring alien art this year to try to broadcast their plight within America's legal system. You know, one of the ways I'm fixing what my family broke."

"I'll be there." Kara reaches over to gently lay a hand over Lena's restless one. A faint blush blooms across her cheeks. She'll have to rearrange her schedule, but anything for Lena. "I understand the need to repair the legacy and honor of one's house. I do that with my own family, but remember, you are not them. You do not have to own their horrors."

Lena sighs. "That is difficult to remember when people constantly gossip about whether I'll lose my mind like my brother."

"You won't." Kara rubs her thumb over Lena's wrist, not yet confident enough to attempt a squeeze without fear of breaking something. "I see your heart. It is good."

"Now that I find hard to believe." Her voice sharp and yet the warmth in her gaze. In the sunlight, her irises are two-toned — blue and green.

"That's okay. I'll believe it for you." Kara doesn't mind. She'll gladly tell Lena as many times as the other woman needs. She sees the way Lena's tension eases from her shoulders the longer Kara rubs her thumb against her wrist. Her senses catch the subtle changes in Lena's skin pigment as she blushes, the uptick in her heartbeat, and the subtle wrinkles in the skin by her eyes when she smiles. Her thoughts drift back to when they first met.

When she first meets Lena Luthor, she uses the wheelchair Winn and Kal had made for her. Stitched into the back of the seat is her family crest, though her wheelpack — as Winn called the pink-white backpack — covered it usually, and the wheels are painted a light blue with the metal wine colored. She'd adorned it with stickers, even though Alex insists that's childish. Too bad, Kara is going to ride in style, and each sticker she's carefully chosen to represent science, art, writing, and Supergirl.

Kal often uses arm crutches or leg braces for the days his powers cause pain; though they are a boring black color with no stickers. He doesn't have as much pain as Kara, and she suspects it relates to him adjusting to life on Earth from a baby onward. She landed at age thirteen, and the transition had been much harder on her already partially developed body.

That particular day, Kal had been in town with an investigation he'd tracked across the country related to spaceplane parts. One of the manufacturers had been LuthorCorp, before Lena took it over and rebranded to L-Corp.

Lena meets them both with a warm smile and handshake, not bothered in the slightest by their mobility aids. She guesses Kal's reason for interviewing her without him having to dig too deep. It's masterful how she handles his questions, and her movements mesmerize Kara. Sure, she'd seen pictures of Lena that showcased her beauty, but to see it up close with her super-powered senses? She feels zapped with a wonder and desire to be closer to Lena, to someday gain enough trust, so Kara can run her fingers through her ebony hair and tap her slender nose.

Kara mostly sits and listens since she's only shadowing her cousin to sort out if she wants a journalist position. Science used to be her passion — what she'd been bred for really — but the need to hide often overtakes that yearning. It's why she sought the journalism and physics double-major. Physics on Earth is not as sophisticated as Krypton, and doesn't use crystals as their basis which keeps throwing off her experiments. So the Master's had only been in Journalism, but she understands most technical talk.

Lena's soothing voice with its faint accent distracts Kara from the contents of the conversation. If Lena ever recorded herself reading anything, Kara would happily listen for hours. She also finds herself entranced by Lena's green eyes, and the fluid way she moves. She's the prettiest human Kara has ever met.

Her hands rest on the chair's hand-rims. When Kal's foot slides into place behind one of her wheels, she realizes that she'd been moving her wheelchair forward and back as she listened. Bad habit, whoops. With that movement stalled, she resorts to fiddling with the arm cushion.

Lena hands off a thumbdrive to her cousin while she reviews the schematic of the plane he'd brought. "… that particular part should have gone through rounds of testing." Lena points to the portion of the spaceplane that had blown. "I suppose it's luck that I had to cancel at the last minute due to an incident with our board." She frowns at the schematic. "I would have been in the seat next to that section."

"Wait, you'd have been in the blast radius?" Kara speaks for the first time during that meeting.

"Yes?" Lena raises an eyebrow. "You have the seating arrangement here." She taps the second paper.

"Right." She flushes embarrassed at the outburst. She glances at her cousin, who gestures for her to continue. "Is there someone who wants you dead?"

Lena leans back in her chair with a soft huff. "Who doesn't? Sister to the most notorious mass-murderer in recent history. I moved the company to National City to escape the constant threat of assassination attempts and Lex's vile history." She waves her hand at her office. "I seek to dismantle the Luthor's legacy of harm. I cancelled all military contracts, and have turned L-Corp toward renewable energy and medical technology for all people — alien or human. I want this company to be a force of good in this world. I'm just a woman trying to make a better name for herself, surely you understand?"

"Make a better name for herself" stitched itself into Kara's memories as the moment she chose to support Lena, because, yes, Kara can understand. She thinks of her own legacy, and how her Aunt had tried to harm humanity with Non. Or her father who constructed the Medusa virus to kill non-Kryptonians. Or the many aliens trapped in Fort Rozz in the Phantom Zone, freed by extracting coordinates from Kara's pod and following her to Earth to wreck havoc. Many sentenced by Kara's mother.

The weight of that legacy hangs around her neck as if to squeeze the air from her lungs. Some days she feels crushed by it, the fury at her loss and what her family did boiling her insides. Other days she can escape that pressure through art, stories, or conversations with Lena, Alex, or their other friends.

Today she feels caught between those extremes. The weight not as heavy but the escapism just out of reach. "Do you feel smothered by the Luthor legacy at times?" she asks.

Lena leans closer to her and moves her other hand to rest atop Kara's. "Often." She sighs and shakes her head. "A lonely place to be at times, truly. I take it you do too?"

"Yes. My house was known for having brilliant scientists and judges. But I learned they worked on several cruel projects. I save others—"

"As your way to repair that legacy," Lena finishes for her.

Kara nods, sadly. "When I start to feel smothered, I think of the family I chose here on Earth. Of the good we do together. How I chose to end my family's cycle of violence. I see the same in you."

Lena's gorgeous lips twitch in a slight frown. "Yet the shadow of our families mark us."

"Yes, but we must not let it steal our joy and hope. We can rise above it. We just might need a little help at times."

That transforms Lena's frown into a smile. "Count on you to give a hope speech no matter the topic."

"It is my specialty," Kara quips, which elicits a chuckle from Lena. A delightful noise that Kara loves to bring out from the often stressed woman.

For a few long moments, they stand together in silence as the sun moves closer to zenith. This warm understanding pushes back against Kara's heavy tide of survivor-guilt as one of the last Kryptonians alive. As much as it weighs on her and her cousin, where she struggles with grief, with parsing her place on Earth, all that fades when she's with Lena. With her, she's simply Kara.

Sometimes, when Kara has time and low pain, she'll come to this exact spot to watch the glow of sunrise reflect off the metal and windows of the skyscrapers — a gorgeous tapestry of red, orange, and gold that often reminds Kara of Krypton. Very bittersweet. On her good days, she'll bring Lena breakfast, so they can watch together. A brief moment of peace before their busy days. Today she spent too long in bed for that, but perhaps tomorrow she can if her pain remains low. Eating with Lena is always a delight.

"Sadly, I must head out. Meetings can't run themselves," Lena says, breaking Kara's musing, "but you are welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you." Kara understands how busy Lena can be as the CEO of a major technology company, but she yearns for these brief snippets of sharing to last longer. From the lingering look Lena gives her, she wonders if Lena feels the same or if she is simply projecting her feelings.

Lena gives Kara's hand a squeeze before sliding her own free. "See you soon, Supergirl." Her heels click against the metal balcony and the door softly shuts behind her.

Kara is left with the soft calls of birds on the rooftops and the rumble of cars and street trams below.

«…»

Apartments with elevators exist in the richer parts of town, while the cheaper places have no elevators or at least not functional ones. Kara finds this frustrating since her non-superhero job pays abysmal as a newbie to the journalism field. Affording an accessible apartment proves intensely difficult. On high pain days, Kara prefers her chair, but the chair can't navigate stairs. At least not without the use of her powers, and she doesn't like to use her powers on high pain days.

When she'd first moved to National City, she lived in a ground floor apartment that kept flooding in rainstorms. Alex assisted in finding a new, better kept place — a converted warehouse turned apartments by the harbor. The wide doorways and elevator gives her access to the street, and she likes the unfinished feel to the brick. Fairy lights, paintings she's done, and other artistic projects cover the walls between her bookcases and desk. A curtain hides her bedroom area from her living space, and the chairs are arranged facing the tall windows for a lovely view of the bay.

Alex, her sister, stands in the kitchen as she drinks a cold beer Kara keeps just for her. "She wants to showcase Supergirl's art?" She leans against the kitchen counter. Today her red hair looks spiked with the stray hairs near the back of her head. "That's going to attract some big names in the art world. Galas like that always do."

Kara mindlessly rolls her chair back and forth as she considers the array of paintings she had Alex help her set up. It ranges from scenes around National City to scenes of locations on Krypton — places that no longer exist. "Do you think going with a Krypton one is a good idea?" It reveals more about herself than she's ever done in public prior, but maybe this will helps others understand Supergirl more. Make her seem more… human?

"If you're not ready, you don't have to do this," Alex takes a swig and walks over to place a calming hand on Kara's shoulder. "Lena will understand."

Kara sighs. "Yeah." She nibbles on her bottom lip. "I don't want to hide forever, Alex. And what is your saying? Art is the window of the soul?"

"Something like that." Alex sits on the arm of the burgundy sofa. "I can't help but worry…"

"Alex, I get it. I do, but my superpowers will safeguard this. And it's just me as Supergirl. I don't have to use my real name. Besides, Lena has her security on high alert." She reaches up to pat her sister's hand. "I'm also resting so I don't burn out."

Alex huffs and takes a sip. "Well, if you're sure, why not try for a more subtle piece?" She gestures to the rendition of the Firefalls, which in the dimmed lights of her apartment the reddish hues seem more like reflected sunsets than actual lava. The one next to it captures the Crystal Caverns near her home city, and to the left of that is Argo itself. "I know you said it's lava with a weird viscosity, but it looks like a sunset through a waterfall from this angle."

Firefalls happens to be Lena's favorite too. If folks ask about it, she can relate the fire's origin tales. Her Aunt Astra called it Krypton's blood, and a reminder that war nearly destroyed their people. Her father speaks to the scientific origins of the lava and how it flows like water due to a mixture of unusual gases and melted crystals. Her mother had yet another version that related to the Firebird myths.

"Yeah, I think that's the one." Maybe this is a way to ease people into Krypton's less-harmful legacy. "Help me bundle it up." She rolls over to snag the roll of parchment paper from the table, which she always wraps first before bubble wrap and cardboard. Protects the piece from scratches or humidity.

Alex puts down her beer and holds the painting steady as Kara wraps it. Sometimes Kara enjoys the silence between her and her sister. The hardships and joyful moments they've shared weaves a shared tapestry, one that Kara has tried to paint before but never quite captured. Alex makes her feel safe, but at the same time, parts of herself can't be shared. Despite trying, Alex doesn't quite understand why Kara feels burdened by her House's legacy.

"How're you feeling?" Kara asks as she tapes the bubblewrap in place. Just three weeks ago, Kara and Alex returned to National City after a week in Midvale. As much as Alex kept lashing out at her, Kara knew going home had helped, especially when Alex gave her a shadow of a smile on the drive back. Kara had been singing a song by Birdy at the top of her lungs. Kara wishes she could have fixed things between Alex and Maggie, but truthfully, she can't. Only can be present the best she can.

"Oh you know…" Alex shrugs. She fiddles with a corner of the bubble sheet. "Doubt and wishing I could redo the last three months."

Kara positions the cardboard and tapes it over the bubblewrap. She glances at Alex with a concerned crinkle between her eyebrows. "What would you have done differently?"

"Agreed to no kids? I don't know." Alex frowns and takes the tape from Kara to do the other side. "But…"

"But you'd be miserable." Kara rolls backward to review their work. With a nod, she leans it against the wall again. "I know it hurts right now, but you'll find someone who will want what you want." She offers her adopted sister a smile.

"Yeah. Maybe." Alex sounds so despondent, that Kara locks her wheels and leverages herself to her feet. She pulls Alex into a hug, and rubs her back lightly as Alex rests her head on Kara's shoulder.

"No matter what happens, I'm here for you." That's how they are, ever since Kara's friend's death in high school. That painful week had quelled their tension and bound them together as sisters for the first time since Kara was adopted by the Danvers. It'd been the first moment where she had felt like she wasn't just some alien they took in, but a true member of the family.

"I know," Alex says softly. Neither of them speak for a few minutes. Alex eventually pulls away to nab her beer again. Conversation flows to lighter topics, like the petty disputes of Alex's agents. Kara can see that Alex needs that, so doesn't push her to talk out her feelings. When she's ready, she'll come and unburden herself, and Kara will be there with all the hugs.

«…»

The day of the gala, Kara has a half day at Catco. She specifically asked for it to make sure she has time to prepare for the Gala. Snapper had gruffly said, "Fine, just take notes and write a short bit, kid."

Since James is covering photos, taking notes on the artists and catching a few choice quotes should only take a half hour. Then she'll head to the bathroom for Supergirl's appearance.

Part of her preparation involves taking her paintings to the Gala's location. Lena meets them in the loading bay at the Art Museum, a four-story glass and metal building. She leads them through the hallway to the main viewing room. Her black dress follows her curves beautifully, her heels click on the tiles in a pleasant manner, and her hair styled in a bun, no hair out of place.

She has to look away as she wheels slightly behind Lena, otherwise, she'll get lost in fantasies of smoothing her hands down Lena's curves. So she examines the gallery instead. Several paintings are already on the walls, and several entrancing sculptures are spaced in aesthetically pleasing ways.

Kara loves the path Lena has made through the exhibit, how it starts with human art, and slowly progresses through more alien art, where each piece has a photo of the artist and an explanation of the piece. She'd written her own and sent that by email just that morning. Her spot is situated near the front by the human pieces.

Alex carries the larger canvas, while Kara has a smaller one in her lap. This one she'd painted her aunt's dog Krypto, a white terrier-like critter with thick paws and long claws.

"I'm so glad you're here. I know it was last minute." Lena grimaces and settles her purse by the wall. "I'd meant to ask sooner, but..." Trailing off, she tugs on her fingers.

Kara knows how that goes. It's easy to get lost in Lena's soft smiles she reserves just for Kara. She reaches over and squeezes Lena's hand gently. Today, she's extra careful with her superstrength powers, to avoid using too much energy before tonight. "No worries. You know how I am! Forgetting and having to text you later about all sorts of things. And I know how busy you are."

"Still." Lena huffs but she smiles. "So, I thought you'd be good for the start. Most people recognize you." She gestures to the start of the exhibit, two paintings that depict National City. "From there, viewers will walk through the diversity of our alien community. If that's okay?" She glances at Kara, and her concerned nibbling on her bottom lip makes Kara want to smooth her anxiety away.

"Sounds perfect." Kara watches Alex mount the larger Canvas. It tilts to the left, and Lena steps forward to gently push it upward. Alex nods her thanks and adjusts the mount until the Canvas stays balanced. Kara rolls forward to hand off the smaller piece, which Alex mounts easily below the larger Canvas.

"Oh, this is adorable," Lena says, surprised. She reaches out to gently touch the top of the Canvas. "Was this your dog? Or… is it a dog?" She looks at Kara with a raised eyebrow.

"Not mine. My Aunt Lara's. Kal's mother's. His name was Krypto. I played with him a lot though. We liked to go running in the dunes together." Kara smiles wistfully at the memory. "He was so energetic, but then so was I."

"Yeah, you're not one for sitting still," Alex gently teases. "A human golden retriever."

Kara swats her sister, but she doesn't mind the comparison. "Krypton had parallel evolution in some species," she continues. "We didn't call them dogs, but their genetics were similar to earth species. If Krypto came to earth, he'd have powers similar to mine. Most species had energy absorption in our cells due to the harsh environment we evolved within."

"So plant-like cells?" Lena asks, her green eyes bright with curiosity. "Like organelles with chloroplasts?"

"Sort of?" Kara laughs. "Carotenoid dye for us. If it was Chloroplasts, I'd be pretty green right now."

"But still pretty," Lena says, softly. She blushes and clears her throat. "Ah, would you like a mid-afternoon snack? And some tea before you head out?" She pulls on her fingers, that anxious fidget she's done whenever she asks anything of Kara.

"I can't," Alex says, her expression one of exasperation for some unknown reason.

Kara rolls over to Lena's side and takes one of her hands to gently calm her fidgeting. "Of course, I can. You're good, right, Alex?"

Alex snorts. "Yeah, it's paperwork day today. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She waves and heads down the hall toward the loading bay. Her footsteps echo in the hall.

Lena squeezes Kara's hand, gently, and smiles. Kara loves the dimples that form and how the skin around her gorgeous eyes crinkles. "How do you feel today?"

"Low pain." Kara releases Lena's hand, so she can pick up her purse. She rolls with Lena through the doorway into the atrium of the Art Museum. Tables and chairs have been set up with a faded rainbow tablecloths. To the right food is being set up by servers, at least the non-perishables. Spots for hot food are not yet occupied, but the door to the kitchen area wafts with delicious smells. "I'm just playing it safe by conserving energy for tonight. Hence the wheels."

"Kara, you don't have to justify yourself to me." Lena sweeps her hand across Kara's shoulder as she walks over to the food tables. "All I care about is if you're comfortable or not." She picks up an apple and rolls it in her hands. Her long fingers are so graceful, and Kara wishes she could kiss them.

"I'm always comfortable with you." Kara can't help it. She wants Lena to know how treasured she is all the time. As always, her words elicit a blush and a soft smile. Kara rolls forward to snag some potato chips and a granola bar. "How do you feel tho?"

Lena straightens, and her fingers clench the apple tightly. Her expression reflects calm; however, what Kara calls her boardroom look. "I am fine. Set-up is nearly complete."

"Lena." Kara taps her arm with her granola bar.

Lena lets out a heavy sigh. "All right, I am…" She pauses and glances around the atrium. "Come." She gestures for Kara to follow her. Kara nabs a baby water bottle and wheels next to Lena. They cross the atrium, dodging tables, until they reach an unmarked door. Lena pulls out a badge from her purse and the door clicks open. She holds it for Kara, who wheels herself into a small meeting room. The table is long, and the chairs are piled in the corners.

Lena steps inside, shuts the door, and glances at her phone. "Just a sec." She types a message, the crinkle between her eyebrows. "Jess clarifying a set-up question." After a few minutes of tapping, she places her phone face down on the table and hops up. "I admit, I have another reason for asking Supergirl to join." She tugs on her fingers again. "You know how… problematic my brother is."

"Yeah." Kara locks her wheels and stands. Settling next to Lena, she lays her hand on the table between them. "Dude fixates too much on aliens. Can't be healthy. Probably how he lost his hair."

Lena takes the offer and pulls Kara's hand into her lap to play with her fingers instead. "Kara…" she chuckles with a shake of her head. "Can't argue with that."

She pauses and looks into the distance, the crinkle back between her eyebrows. Kara wants to rub it away with her thumb, but she's not sure if that's too intimate. Instead, she waits and enjoys the lovely feel of Lena's slender and beautiful fingers as she traces patterns into Kara's palm.

"This is the most visible pro-alien event I've ever organized," Lena finally says, her voice tight and carefully modulated, much like how she sounds in her speeches. "I fear he is planning something, but I've been unable to discern what this might be. I even visited him to try to ply a clue, but…" She frowns. "He spent the time insulting you. I had to leave before I lost my temper and said something I regretted. Mother also gave a warning that proceeding with this Gala could be dangerous. However, she refused to give specifics."

"Maybe you should cancel," Kara says, concerned.

"I can't, Kara. The artists put so much work into their pieces. Several are excited and sent me thank you cards for this chance to be seen and heard." Lena nibbles on her bottom lip. "How can I take that from them last minute? I can't. Security is on high alert, and I have several teams at ready. No one can enter the gallery without going through a metal detector. I am unsure what else I can do."

"I'd say, 'don't worry then,' but I know you. You worry even while looking like the calmest human on the planet." Kara can't resist tapping Lena's nose with her free hand. "That's why I've rested so much. Superpowers at ready. Fists prepared for a good punch. My prowess will dazzle the enemy and send them packing."

She twists to face Kara directly, her expression stern. "It's possible Supergirl's presence can deter most mischief, but I do not want you to risk yourself unnecessarily. Nor did I mean to imply I want you here for your muscle only. Your art is beautiful, and I should have asked you ages ago." She sighs and shakes her head. "But I worry about the visibility of this gala. The risk you are undertaking. People could trace the paintings to Kara Danvers."

"I doubt it. I chose Kryptonian landscapes and creatures on purpose," Kara says.

Lena gives her an exasperated smile. "Kara."

"Lena." Kara leans toward her with a smile.

Lena huffs softly. "I can't tell if you're taking this seriously."

"I always take you seriously."

"We both know that's not true."

"You wound me, Ms. Luthor!" Kara presses a hand to her chest with a gasp.

Lena rolls her eyes. "Bullets bounce off your skin, Supergirl."

"And I have you know I look epic when they do." Kara flips her hair over her shoulder and gives Lena her most rakish grin.

"Epic." Lena raises an eyebrow, and her voice drops into a rich husk. "More like hot enough to boil eggs on those abs."

Oh Rao. When Lena flirts, Kara feels it through her entire body. Mere inches exist between them, and Kara licks her lips, her eyes dropping to Lena's lips. She could do it. Just lean forward and kiss her, but did Lena really want that? When Lena feels comfortable, she flirts with abandon with her friends. She's seen this whenever Sam visits, though Sam just flirts right back. A tactic Kara has yet to fully master.

Instead, she ends up tongue-tied and staring at Lena's lips or worse her chest. Today's dress isn't nearly as revealing as some Lena's worn. The red dress with bare shoulders Lena wore to one gala haunts Kara's dreams.

"Right." Kara rips open the granola bar instead and shoves it into her mouth. "Mmmm." Honey-flavored for the win! Lena chuckles, her expression fond.

"Fine. I will trust tonight will go perfectly." Lena leans over to plant a kiss on Kara's cheek and hops off the table, a sly smile on her face. Kara feels frozen with a goofy smile and a mouth half-full of granola bar.

«…»

Each time Lena Luthor hosts a gala, the location is decorated with flowers, strings of lights, and gorgeous artwork. This time the theme of aliens adds an unusual tension to the crowds, some of who are human but many alien like herself. Coming slightly late means waiting at the end of a line for the two entrances thanks to the metal detectors. One group goes in a side entrance, while the rest go through the main. Either way, they'll end up in the atrium with the food before the gallery exhibit is opened.

Once inside the doors, Kara parks her wheelchair by the coat rack, and leverages herself to her feet. Unlatching the cane from the back of the chair, she snaps it together and leans against it. She's in a navy blue suit, her supersuit hidden underneath. "How do I look? Dashing and epic?" she asks Alex.

Alex gives her an unimpressed look. She stands stiffly in a black, tailored suit. Very unlike her uniform for work. Kara's sure all the girls will definitely swoon at the sight of her sister.

"She sure goes all out." Alex nods toward the food table, which Kara can smell the delicious aromas from the entrance area. Several clusters of people are fanned around tables near the back of the atrium, near the gallery doors, and more join with plates of food and cans of pop. No alcohol, mostly because Lena discovered some aliens were allergic. So thoughtful of her.

"Of course. It's Lena." Kara scans the crowd until she sights her favorite person. Lena stands beyond the metal detectors, near the middle of the atrium, dressed in a low cut, long-sleeved red dress, her hair coiled in a bun.

Alex nudges her side. "You can drool over her later. Come on."

"I don't drool," Kara protests, but she follows her sister to the security team that has set up a barricade at this entrance. "Hi there! Nice party, isn't it?" she says to the security guards.

One grunts a greeting, but the other, who takes her cane, smiles with a murmured agreement. They hold a large metal detector paddle that they run around her body. A second officer checks her cane before handing it back to her. They wave for her to pass into the atrium proper. It's a very tidy set-up really.

Inside, Lena catches her eye and smiles broadly. She says something to the current group, and they part for her. She walks over and grasps both Alex and Kara's hands with each of hers. "I'm glad you both could make it. Please make yourselves at home. I'll start the speech in a bit, then open the gallery." She winks at Kara. "The artists are preparing in the gallery for their introductions."

"Right. Food first though?" Kara grins and leans against her cane. This one she carved herself using super strength and steel."Then suiting up for speeches and all that jazz."

Lena laughs, her head tilted back to expose her gorgeous throat, and Kara wishes she could kiss it. "Of course. Eat away, but remember, I need you in the gallery in thirty."

"Right. Can do." Kara gives her a faux salute. Turning, she wanders through the growing crowd. A few journalists nod at her, and a few greet her. She sees James in the corner with his camera and taking pictures.

A few aliens mill around a doorway next to the food table. She can't help but eye the table eagerly — all those mostly delicious dishes: chicken and seafood hors d'oeuvre, fruit bowls, gross salads, and sweet snacks like pastries and cookies. But first, work then food.

"I'm going to grab some quotes. No need to stay with me," she says to Alex. "It's going to get boring."

Alex shrugs. "I'm only here to support you." She grimaces. "These galas aren't my cup of tea. At least this one doesn't feel pretentious. More down-to-earth." She taps her fingers against her leg. "Or perhaps down-to-space is more accurate."

"Did I hear you correctly? A pun?" Kara breathes in delighted.

Alex swats her shoulder. "Oh shut it. I can be funny sometimes."

"Sometimes," Kara says with a grin. That earns her another swat. As she approaches the cluster of aliens, she adjusts her posture to try to seem welcoming. Leaning against her cane does help with this image, and the style of her suit was Lena's touch.

Most of the group are humanoid with skin colors that ranged from blue to orange to ebony. Some have ridges along their face or head, fin-like fingers, tails, or a slight protruding snout.

"Hi," Kara greets. "I'm Kara Danvers from —"

"Catco, we know." The orange scaly-skinned Ardenan steps forward. "We've read your columns. The way you fight for us gives us hope."

"Yeah," says a blue-skinned Aloi. Kara recalls a dim memory from before Krypton exploded, when her father had taken her to a few planets during his research trips. The home planet of the Aloi had been one such place. "You here to get our statements or something?"

"Yes. I'd like to know more about you and what inspired your artwork." Kara tugs a small notebook from her pocket, and leans against the edge of the table to relieve pressure from her legs. Her cane she tucks half under her arm for balance. Alex looms nearby, her gaze on the rest of the party rather than the group of aliens. "And don't mind my sister here." She waves her hand at Alex. "She's here to make sure I don't overdo it." That briefly nets her a smile from Alex.

"Okay. I can start," the Aloi says, excited.

As the conversation churns forward, Kara learns about the painting styles of Aloi, the wax art of Ardenans, carving methods of Changralynians, and others. She's impressed with the diversity of aliens Lena has found for the exhibit, and writing down their quotes makes her feel warm to be included with such talent.

However, it leaves her little time to snag some food, so she decides to swap into her suit and debut Supergirl sooner. Maybe snag some food after that before she meets up with Lena again.

Thanking the aliens, she excuses herself and heads toward the bathrooms with her cane. She figures an hour as Supergirl and an hour as Kara Danvers, the journalist is good enough for tonight. If Lena needs her as Supergirl again, she can just have Kara Danvers head 'backstage' for more quotes and do another round as Supergirl before returning as Kara Danvers. It's a routine she's done enough times that she has it down pat.

As always, whenever Lena hosts a function, one of the stalls has a false wall layered over the actual wall and etched with L-Corp's logo. Kara presses her thumb against the logo to activate its scan and it opens into a locker-like space. There she carefully hangs her navy blue suit and tucks in her cane. Closing it, she takes a deep breath and rocks back and forth on her heels as she reaches for the ceiling in a stretch. Her cells hum with energy, her neural field at high and compensating for the cooler temperature of the bathroom.

"It feels like a buzz almost," Lena had said to her once when Kara tried to explain her neural field. How it plays a role in her flight. She doesn't feel it as a buzz herself, and Alex never mentions it. Maybe Lena is just that sensitive to her.

Kara sighs at the thought of Lena. Rao, she's so beautiful. Maybe she should finally do what Alex keeps prodding her to do. Ask Lena if she's interested, but each time fear of rejection broils away her confidence.

She pauses by the mirror to undo her ponytail and sweep her fingers through her hair to give it back that spring. Must look the part. Supergirl looks regal, put together, her hair always so perfect. Part of that thanks to her protective neural field.

After another deep breath, Kara braces herself and returns to the atrium. Using superspeed, she enters the side entrance, and smiles when the guards there squeal in delight at the sight of her.

"If — if you don't mind, Supergirl, my kid really loves you and would—" He looks anxious as he pulls a pen from a pocket and holds out the gala schedule. His partner chuckles as she hovers the metal detector over Kara's suit, mostly for show.

Kara grins and takes the pen and schedule. "What's your kid's name?"

The officer smiles, "Sophia."

With a dramatic flourish, Kara writes a hopeful note to Sophia, signs it, and hands it back to the guard. "Am I good to go?"

"Yes, ma'am. Glad to have you here." The guards wave her through.

The moment she steps past into the atrium proper, groups of people turn to her. As she heads toward the food table, people press in with excited questions, asks for signatures, and she starts to feel a bit overwhelmed. She catches Alex's eye from where she's near Lena, and to her relief, her sister comes to her rescue.

"Hey, give us a moment, will you?" The group parts at Alex's stern tone.

Kara takes the chance to snatch a plate and pile it up. "Lifesaver." She eagerly bites into a chocolate coated pastry.

Alex rolls her eyes and picks up a sprite. "Kind of ruining your cool aura here."

"Nah, I'm humanizing it." Kara licks the sugar off her finger and starts on the chocolate chip cookies. She tucks a water under her arm. As she eats, she takes stock of her body. She's a little jittery mostly from nerves, but otherwise, she feels pretty good. She's spent time in the sun today to store as much energy as she can, and she rested for days beforehand. Yeah, she's ready for whatever is coming.

As tempting as it is to eat a few trays worth of cookies, she keeps herself to ten and drinks half her water by the time Alex finishes one pastry and cookie. She wraps a snack in napkins and tucks it in her treat pocket Lena had sewn into the suit. So thoughtful of her honestly.

"Kara, that's gross." Alex wrinkles her nose.

"It's called being efficient." She dumps her plate in the trash. "And it's about time to start, isn't it?"

"Yeah. About thirty minutes have passed." Alex takes a sip of her sprite with an exaggerated sigh. "I get why she couldn't do alcohol tonight, but this just doesn't cut it."

"With no alcohol, you can really focus on the art!" This nets her another unimpressed glare from her sister. "Come on, this is your chance to survey the art scene. Ogle some hot girls or something while pretending to look at art."

"Supergirl." Alex sounds exasperated but a smile tugs at her lips. "I'm not ready yet, but I guess a look can't hurt."

"There you go!" Kara gently pokes Alex's shoulder. "Go and be gay!"

That nets her a swat.

Leaving Alex to the food, she walks through the clusters of people toward Lena, who has moved toward the gallery doors. Excited whispers ripple through the guests, but only a few bold people interrupt her walk a second time. Mostly to greet her and be horrendously boring — those are the older men mostly though a few women also fall into this category. Others interrupt for her to sign their schedule — those are mostly younger people.

It takes entirely too long to finally reach Lena's side again. When she does, the crowd quiets as if in expectation.

Lena takes it in stride. "Ah, Supergirl, thank you so much for joining me this lovely night." She turns to the crowd and takes her water glass. It rings across the space, and the whispers die down to silence. "Hello and welcome all. I am Lena Luthor, and with me is Supergirl. I asked her to assist with my introduction to tonight's Space Walk Gallery, an exploration of alien art and worlds." She gestures to the doors behind her. "Humanity shares our world with many unique alien species, each with their own art forms and creativity. My hope is that tonight all of you will see the wonders hidden among our alien brethren. That you too will see how creativity and beauty connects us all, even across space and time." She dives into a brief summary of tonight's events, mostly the gallery browsing, artist talks, and music later.

Kara spends more time listening to the soft lilting accent in Lena's voice than to the content of her words. The way Lena's lips form words is so lovely.

So it takes her a moment to realize that Lena's nodded at her and gently nudged her side with her elbow.

Right. Her cue.

She glances at Lena, trying her best to hide her nervousness by crossing her arms and relaxing her stance. "Welcome everyone," she says. Lena smiles at her encouragingly, which she definitely feels low in her navel. Focus, she tells herself. Keep it simple. "The Space Walk Gallery.." she speaks slowly, and what she practiced with Lena prior thankfully falls from her lips with only one or two stutters, "…is a wonderful assembly of all the go — best artists from across multiple planets. It is with honor and joy that I invite you through these doors. Enjoy and thank you."

Turning, she opens the doors and steps inside. A wooden statue greets her along with several artists, already in place by their artwork. She nods at them as she takes her own spot by her paintings. The gallery doors are lodged open with doorjambs. Lena leads the first group, and Kara resigns herself to an hour of small talk.

Thankfully, the first people to admire her artwork is a lovely group of ladies, all dressed to the teeth in dresses or suits, and full of inquisitive questions. If only all conversations flow as well as theirs, but sure enough, the next few people are stodgy, skeptical white men. No wonder Lena hates working with that demographic, they're so negative. Relief floods Kara when a group of kids interrupt the men, thus saving her from their banal attempts at art critique.

After what feels like hours, the crowds are so interspersed that few rarely engage her with questions. Now stragglers simply partake of the artwork and nod to the artists, many of who have started to drift to examine other artworks. Her stomach grumbles for more food. Who would have thought all that talking would use up so much energy? She's so ready to tackle the food table again before she heads to the bathroom for an hour as Kara Danvers.

Lena catches her at the cookie table. "Ravenous already?" She smiles that soft smile she reserves for only Kara, and Kara should know. She's checked how Lena smiles around Sam, Nia, Alex, and the others, and that soft smile never comes out. She preens now when she sees it. Can't quite help herself.

"Talking is hard work, you know." She crunches on a pastry and hums in delight. "I approve of the food."

"Glad to have Supergirls' seal of approval," Lena quips, amused. "Again, thank you for this." She lightly touches Kara's arm. "I must attend to host duties, but later tonight, I'll have time to walk around with you."

"Sweet a date." Kara feels the heat rush to her cheeks. Oh, whoops. She so didn't mean to say that out loud.

Lena's smile only grows brighter at the insinuation, her own cheeks a slight pink. "Perfect. Until then." She pats Kara's arm and heads toward a cluster of people between the gallery doors and the bathrooms. For each group she pauses to talk with, she leans her head slightly toward the each speaker, her face intent like always. Kara nibbles another cookie, happy to watch, until she realizes she still needs for Kara Danvers to collect quotes.

Fine. She can return to the bathroom and suit up, then go back to Lena watching after a few more good quotes are recorded and stowed in her chair.

As she turns, she hears an odd set of thumps, as if something is thrown against the front of the building. That's when the first boom hits, and Kara leaps into action.

«…»

Pain permeates her cells, but it barely rivals the pain in her heart. She can't stop thinking of the initial blast, and how quickly a lovely event turned to turmoil. Over and over her mind replays the sound of that footstep followed by the clink of assault rifle, before she blocks the shots from hitting Lena. What if she'd been a split second too late?

A door creaks open behind her and soft footfalls announce the presence of a person. From the click of a heel, she recognizes it as Lena.

"Hey." Lena walks to her side and stands slightly behind to her left. Kara's boots hit the side of the building from her perch on its edge. "I thought you were still up here. How are you feeling?"

"Me?" She looks incredulously at Lena. "They tried to kill you, Lena."

Lena sighs. "Yet they failed. That's a crucial datapoint to remember, Kara. I am alive, so are you, and so are our guests. You acted swiftly, as did my security and Alex. No one died tonight."

"But Lena, they came for you."

"Yes, I know." Lena frowns, her fingers clenched in a fist at her side. "I hope you have not been ruminating on only that fact this entire time." When Kara doesn't answer, Lena continues in a softer tone. "Kara, I need to keep living my life. When these…" she pauses as if searching for a word, then shakes her head with a sigh. "What's important is no one died. We still had almost two hours of people enjoying alien art." She holds out her hand. "So will you let this go for tonight? My duty here is finished as is yours."

Kara wants to argue, but she doesn't know what to say. This isn't the first time she's saved Lena's life, and she suspects it won't be the last. Maybe it stings more because this event had been featuring people like her — aliens who just want to be seen as themselves, to not be hunted or harmed just for existing. It feels more personal.

But she can't figure out a way to say it, so she sighs and takes Lena's hand instead. Let's Lena pull her away from the edge and down the stairs, toward where she stowed her clothes and cane. Lena takes her on a back route through the gallery to avoid the clean-up crew and detectives in the atrium.

"Where's Alex?" Kara asks, once they're in the bathroom.

"I told her to head home. She worked overtime managing the evacuation." Lena unlocks the hidden door and takes out Kara's clothes. She runs her hand down the suit. "Pity." She hands Kara the suit. "I would have liked to dance with you wearing that."

Kara manages a shaky smile. "We still can at my place or yours."

A brief smile graces Lena's beautiful lips. "Perhaps." She pulls out the cane and closes the door. She taps the cane against the tile, the crinkle back between her eyebrows. "Stay at my penthouse tonight? I can draw up the guest bedroom for you." A slight tension in the word 'stay' gives away her anxiety.

"Sure." Kara nods. She switches places to pull on her suit, while Lena looks in the mirror. There's a crack down the middle of it from the concussive blast earlier. Most of the northern wall has cracks now. It'll take time to repair before another exhibit can open here. She wonders if Lena chooses the penthouse because of the extra security there. Kara's studio has no security really. Maybe asking Kara to stay is a sign tonight rattled Lena more than she admits.

«…»

From how often Kara sleeps over at Lena's, she has left some comfy clothes in the guest bedroom's dresser, along with some other important toiletries and mobility aids. Her cane thumps softly into the carpet as she navigates back to the living room, where Lena has set up a few bowls of chips and drinks.

Dressed in a long T-shirt and shorts, Kara finds her eyes drawn to the wonderfully naked skin of Lena's legs. Are they as soft as she imagines? She wants to press her fingers against them, to gather Lena in her arms and not let go the rest of their night. Or maybe forever.

"Sit." Lena pats the sofa next to her, and Kara uses superspeed to do as commanded. Not that she's into that. Well, maybe she is a little. Lena is hot as hell when she uses her commanding voice. A truth Kara yearns to tell her, but she feels tongue-tied still, and her body aches from rapid release of energy to power her super-abilities.

"I thought we could watch something to de-stress." Lena holds up her arm, and Kara gratefully slips under to burrow into Lena's side. "Likely much to do tomorrow, but let's put that aside and relax, okay?" Her hand rests on Kara's shoulder, her fingers playing with a lock of Kara's hair. Her other hand picks up the remote and turns on the television. She navigates to DC Streams, the expensive one that has practically every movie in existence.

"Sounds great." Kara can't help it. Lena smells so lovely, and her fingers start to trace the skin her bunched up shirt reveals. She hears Lena's sharp intake of breath, and looks up to see Lena studying her, her green eyes intent. The atmosphere between them feels charged. Kara, emboldened, traces her finger along Lena's soft stomach just an inch or so from the top of her shorts.

Lena stops on a romantic comedy, one of Kara's favorites, but she leaves it paused. Her pupils are so dark, her expression inscrutable, but a hint of a smile tugs at the edges of her lips. "Kara…" she says, softly, "what are you doing?" Red blooms on Lena's cheeks and neck.

"Do you want me to stop?" Kara lifts her fingers, but Lena's hand clamps down and pushes Kara's hand back against her stomach. She takes the cue and slips her fingers under her shirt to draw more shapes across Lena's skin. Feeling her roots Kara, reminds her that Lena is alive. That she'd saved her in time.

For several long moments, Lena watches her, the tension taut between them. She tightens her arm around Kara's shoulders. "Kara…" she leans closer, her breath warm against Kara's cheek. "I am aware of our proximity, ah…" she clears her throat and tries again, "I mean, tonight…" her free hand drifts upward to push a lock of Kara's hair from her eyes. Her fingers linger on Kara's cheek for a long, intense moment. "I don't want to ever lose you," she finally whispers.

"You won't. I'm right here, and always will be."

Lena nibbles on her lip. "That blast… you were so close. I — I feared the worst, and I don't …" She takes a deep breath, but her anxiety turns her normally sweet scent acidic. "I need you to know how much…"

Kara's impatience overtakes her. "Lena, I love you."

Lena breathes in sharply. "Kara…"

Kara pulls away to give herself some room to breathe, as being so close, smelling the deliciousness of Lena, it muddles her thoughts. "I can understand if you — if you don't feel the same. But what if next time someone succeeds in hurting you? What if I don't get to tell you?"

"You've told me," Lena says, shakily, "as your best friend."

"Lena, this isn't friend love. It's so much more than that. I love you. I mean, in love. Like romantic and stuff." She flushes, worried that she overstepped, "and I know I'm a pain-ridden mess sometimes—"

She doesn't have a chance to finish. Lena lurches forward and kisses Kara roughly on the lips. Immediately, Kara's arms wrap around Lena, and golly, does she taste so good. Kara loses herself in Lena's lips, her tongue, and her fingers slide into the softness of Lena's hair.

After the attack tonight, she feels desperate to pour her feelings into Lena. So Lena knows just how loved she is. Lena meets her intensity with fervor, shifting to Kara's lap, her breasts pressed against Kara's. It sends a shiver of desire through Kara's body, and her hands dig into Lena's waist.

At that touch, Lena pulls away, and Kara groans. She doesn't want to stop, but she doesn't want to push Lena to continue if she'd rather not. So she loosens her grip on Lena's waist and meets Lena's heavy-lidded gaze.

Lena pushes Kara's hair away from her face, her eyes darting back and forth as if memorizing her. Her fingers linger on Kara's cheeks."I love you too," she says, quietly. A thrill zaps Kara's spine, and she feels like she might fly from those words alone. "We should talk tomorrow, but tonight… if it's amenable to you, I want you to touch me now."

"Anything for you," Kara says, her voice thick with restrained desire.

So when Lena raises an eyebrow and says, "Bed," Kara doesn't hesitate. She sweeps Lena into her arms and does just as she asked, pain be damned.

«…»

She wakes to the sound of a pen scratching against paper. Her body aches still, which rouses her with a surge of worry. Last night's attack rushes through her thoughts. The fear from the assault rifle, her arms closing around Lena, how she'd blocked the shots.

Tears sting her eyes and she rubs them away, frustrated. Fear of loss stems from her rush of emotion, she knows this, has even discussed with her alien therapist too. So she breathes in for six count then exhales for six counts. She deliberately thinks through the evening, from the attack, the moment on the roof, to her confession in Lena's living room.

Which lead to sweet kisses and tender love. They never did watch that movie or eat the chips. Those memories feel almost unreal, too perfect. Did that really happen?

Kara sits upright and blinks against the sunlight streaming through the windows. She's naked under the sheets, and a bundle of her clothes lays on the ground by the bed. A smiles spreads across her lips. Okay, maybe it did happen. She sits with that truth, lets it sink in, but part of her needs to find Lena and verify she's still okay with last night.

Standing, she snags her shirt and tugs it on. Following the noise, she maneuvers across the hall to the half-open office door. Peaking inside, a mixture of relief and love surges through her. Seated in a too-large T-shirt with Kara's family's sigil on it, Lena scribbles furiously at her desk.

She leans against the doorjamb to ease her pain-filled legs. Lena is safe.

And she knows Kara's biggest secret now.

She hasn't left.

Instead, she works with a fervor, papers littering her desk. Kara drifts closer and realizes they're sketches of wheelchairs. Each one slightly different. She picks up one drawing, stunned by the details, many of them accounting for her alien nature.

Lena glances at her and smiles, shyly. "I had an idea for your chair." She taps her pencil against her current drawing. This one holds even more details, and there's a transformation component detailed in a series of drawings with mathematical equations surrounding each one. "I know that your neural field amplifies your powers and ability to fly. I also know that the energy release powers your abilities, but it does so in an intense rush that causes you pain. So I thought, what if we can find a balance?"

"Balance?" Kara leans over Lena's shoulder, and can't help herself. She remembers the fervor of last night, the intensity of Lena's needy cries when Kara's fingers push her to orgasm. She kisses Lena's temple and runs one hand down her left arm.

Lena breathes in shakily. "Yes. I want this to support you. So the chair will transform into a suit, one that could, theoretically of course, slow the rate of energy release. It'd let your powers last much longer. Now, it can't cure after affects, but it should lessen the pain to some degree…"

"Lena." Kara breathes out her name, amazed. "Lena, you… you can make that?"

Lena blushes. "Theoretically, yes. L-Corp has the necessary facilities, but I'd need to run some tests with you. Make sure the transform from chair to suit functions appropriately. Of course, tests on how best to support energy release may be needed…"

Kara leans forward and captures Lena's lips in her own. "Oh Rao," she whispers against Lena's lips, "I love you." The thrill at being able to say it now surges through her, and she kisses her again.

Lena's hand clutches Kara's shirt, and when Kara pulls back, her lips are a deep red and her pupils blown. "I'm glad you like the design," she says with a chuckle. "I'll have to design more tools for you. Earn me a few more kisses." She raises an eyebrow with a sly smile.

"No need to earn. I give freely." Kara kisses her again. This time Lena tugs her into her lap and wraps her arms around Kara. She tilts her head to give Kara better access and emits an adorable moan between kisses. Kara's only alien, and she chases after that sound until Lena is once again demanding her touch.

This time she takes her time, touching Lena with reverence, wonder. To share of herself like this? To receive Lena's loving touch in return? Gosh, she loves Lena so much. When they both quiet, sated and sweaty, Kara holds Lena in her arms, one hand stroking her hair.

"Is this okay?" she asks, a hint of concern in her tone.

Lena lets out a chuckle. "Kara, this is more than okay." She lifts her head from Kara's shoulder and smiles. "I know asking you to the gala wasn't technically asking you on a date. However, I'd like to fix that error. Will you go on a date with me, Kara Zor El?"

"Yes." Kara grins and kisses Lena's nose. "And I'll gladly help you test that awesome wheelchair design."

"Good." Lena settles back to her position on Kara's chest and kisses Kara's clavicle. They lay there quietly, Lena's ear against Kara chest as if listening to Kara's heartbeat. Kara, in turn, listens to Lena's soothing heartbeat, a sound she's guiltily tuned into so often to ease her own anxiety. Now she can listen without guilt.

Because Lena wants her back. She wants to take her on a date, and make her a new, epic wheelchair and suit. Maybe together they can fight back against the tide of jerks that dare threaten them.

Because they're not alone. They have each other, and that's her family motto, isn't it? Stronger Together. El Mayarah.