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Kara wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep; it could have been a few minutes or a millennium, but when she opened her eyes, her whole body froze.
She had been crying a lot. Her cheeks were already dry, but the ghost of her pain was still there, and the sight right at her side was not encouraging at all.
Kal-El was lying beside her, snoring loudly, his whole body covered in marks, scratches, and wounds that looked like they were never going to heal. The battle against Hank Henshaw had been won, but at what cost?
Metropolis was still reeling from the attack, Lex Luthor was nowhere to be found, and the citizens felt lost without Superman. Kara had to step up and give a message to everyone who would listen about the state of things.
She had practiced it with Kal-El, Lois, and the Kents, trying to find the right words. She couldn’t tell them that Superman was gone; she couldn’t admit that she didn’t know when (or even if) the greatest hero on Earth would be back to fight the good fight for them. But she had to say something. She had to bring some sort of comfort to those poor souls, desperate for the hope that her cousin embodied so well.
“Superman has been deeply affected by this battle, citizens of Metropolis,” she had said. Her whole body shook when she felt the camera drones recording each and every one of her words. “I cannot tell you with certainty when he will be back, but until then, rest assured: this city and all of you are under my protection.”
Her super-hearing picked up murmurs of distrust and words of sadness. She could even feel some criminals already making plans to strike, now that Superman was out of the game for the foreseeable future.
“I will not let you down,” Kara insisted, putting a hand across her chest and taking a deep breath. “Superman will be back…”
Maybe that was a lie. Right now, she wasn’t sure, but she had to believe in something, so she decided to believe in Kal-El.
“…Until then, I invite you all to carry the values he represents…”
She had almost said represented, but she had to believe. This was not the dark, bleak future Jonathan Kent had warned them about. Superman, even without powers, was still alive.
“…And make this city a safer place for all of us. I will be there for you, every step of the way. I will defend you, not only because I know you need me, but because that is exactly what Superman taught me since the very first moment I met him. He showed me the value of human life, and I will protect those lives, (your lives) with every cell of my body!”
She raised her voice, shaking again when she felt how some people mocked her, how others whispered she wasn’t strong enough. But then…
She wasn’t sure where it started, but it began like the faintest of voices, most probably a small child. Then a group of them, then some adults, then a whole block, then an entire neighborhood, and finally, from every corner of Metropolis, she could hear the same chant:
“Supergirl! Supergirl! Supergirl!”
She bowed her head, crossing both of her arms over her chest, and then exhaled a deep breath she had no idea she was holding when she realized the transmission had concluded.
After that, she flew as fast as she could to the Kent farm. The first to greet her was Kal-El, who immediately embraced her as soon as she entered the house.
She made a supreme effort not to confess to him how different his hugs felt now, how she could perceive that his Kryptonian strength was completely gone.
“I’m sorry, Kal-El,” she muttered, her head buried in his chest. “I did not speak the words we had agreed upon. My rehearsal…”
“Hey, never mind that, Kara,” he interrupted. “If being a journalist has taught me anything, it's that sometimes spontaneity is the best policy. You did great. And thank you.”
“What for?”
“For being a hero,” he said. Kara fought hard (harder than ever before in her life) against the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. She shook her head, focusing on him again as he kept talking. “Also, I’m not Kal-El anymore. I’m just… Clark Kent right now.”
Until then, it hadn’t occurred to Kara that the protector of Metropolis was now in need of protection more than anyone else. She could see the pain in his eyes, the fear of being powerless, the uncertainty of not knowing what could happen next.
“You will always be my cousin, Kal-El,” she said, squeezing his arms lightly and noticing how he flinched. She definitely had to work on controlling her own strength. “Now, how about you join us for a game of Last Card Standing?”
He laughed loudly, and for a second, all was well, normal, and nice. Until he spoke once more:
“It’s called Uno, Kara. And, not right now. I think I’m going to rest for a while.”
“You have been resting a lot lately, Kal-El.” It was a simple observation on her part, a piece of information that was curious to her, that was all. But she could see how much that sentence affected him.
“I guess it’s a human thing,” he replied, shrugging as a fake, hollow chuckle reached Kara’s ears.
Superman’s powers weren’t the only thing that was gone, as Kara discovered a few minutes later. Seeing him so fragile had totally destroyed her competitive nature. She had no interest in playing card games right now, and she absentmindedly dropped cards on the table that didn’t match the way she was supposed to be playing.
Lois, Ma, and Pa had noticed it, but they didn’t say a word.
Jimmy Flamebird, however, couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Are you okay, Kara?” he asked.
She didn’t know how to respond to that. He seemed genuinely concerned, but a part of her wanted to shout at him, to tell him to go find distractions on his multiple human dates. After all, weren’t they supposed to be doing exactly that before their latest crisis? Having a stupid competition, focusing on possible partners that (at least in Kara’s case) couldn’t even hold a candle to people like Jimmy?
She also wanted to shout at him for a completely different reason. She wanted to scream at him and confess that she was tired of seeing him hand in hand with other women, and how it hurt her when she saw the faces he made whenever she mentioned that stupid dating app. He probably hadn’t even noticed it.
She was tired of pretending she didn’t need anyone, tired of feigning that she was capable of dealing with all of this on her own.
“I need you, Jimmy Flamebird.”
She blurted it out. It took her less than a second; the words came out of her mouth like an unstoppable cascade, and she saw the way his whole face flared up at the confession.
And yet, as much as it broke her heart to admit, this wasn’t the right time for a human romance.
“I need you to understand,” she said, coughing and looking away, “that as a Kryptonian warrior, I am always at the peak of my physical and mental state. I am always 'okay,' Jimmy Flamebird.”
“Right…” he said, the color leaving his cheeks in an instant. “Sorry, I thought…”
She had been too cold. By Rao, she was screwing things up again. Her mind was focused on her suffering cousin, while her heart was driven by the mere presence of Jimmy. She had a decision to make, and she knew very well which of those two people mattered most right now.
“I appreciate your concern, though,” she added, smiling ever so slightly.
Without saying another word, she brushed his cheek with her lips, giving him the faintest of kisses, her own personal guarantee that once the dark clouds of their current turmoil were gone, they were going to have a very important talk.
And after that, she flew as fast as she could to Kal-El’s room.
He was, much as she expected, asleep, snoring loudly and unaware of how the world outside could crumble at any moment without his presence. His face was a reflection of pure pain, and Kara held his hand as quickly as she could, wondering if there were any words she could say to calm her cousin down.
She thought back to a few hours ago, the voices of an entire city lifting her up. Perhaps she could do the same for her cousin.
“Superman… Superman… Superman…” she whispered.
He smiled at that, and the only thing Kara wanted to do was to lift her cousin up and give him the biggest, hardest hug possible. Yet again, his human body would not appreciate that, so she simply laid down at his side. She didn’t need a mattress like him; she could sleep floating in the air. It wouldn’t be the first time.
She wanted to make sure she didn’t see any more traces of pain on his face, so she decided to keep vigilant. She would become Superman’s protector tonight, and she would not fail in her duty of care.
Her eyes caught the faintest of movements and fixed on the figure of Lois Lane, watching her from outside the room with an unreadable expression. Lois entered and closed the door behind her without saying a word or making a sound. Kara was surprised by how silent she was, definitive proof of how much she cared for Kal-El.
“I am ever so sorry, Lois Lane,” Kara said, immediately floating upwards, feeling like she was about to start crying all over again. “You probably want to spend time at your mate’s side, and here I am…”
She babbled on, trying to come up with excuses and apologizing profusely, as she watched the human sit at the edge of the bed and take off her shoes. Lois lay down at Kal-El’s right side, and Kara noticed, not for the first time, how small she looked in comparison to him.
“You are worried about your cousin. I get it, don’t worry,” Lois said, her voice merely a murmur. Kal-El could have heard her, that was, if he still had his powers. “You haven’t slept since what happened with Henshaw, have you?”
It wasn’t a question; it was a direct accusation, and Kara suddenly felt the pressure of a human journalist experienced in doing these types of things. Finding the truth and revealing it, no matter the outcome, seemed to come naturally to Lois.
Still floating, Kara replied in the same low tone of voice:
“I keep seeing Kal-El dying at the hands of Hank Henshaw,” she explained. “I see him being stabbed with kryptonite. I see Jonathan Kent being destroyed by a giant red laser. I see you and Jimmy being vaporized, and…”
She was crying now; there was no way of denying it.
“It makes absolutely no sense. I know all of you are alive. I know we survived, we defeated our enemy, and yet…”
Lois Lane, with her body still covering Kal-El’s like she could shield him forever, extended a hand toward her. Kara took it with some hesitation. The human dragged her down ever so slightly, and the Kryptonian didn’t offer any resistance.
“Nightmares never make any sense, Kara,” Lois explained. “And if your way of dealing with those nightmares is staying here to make sure Clark is still breathing, I won’t stop you.”
She looked at her boyfriend, and Kara realized she had been crying, too.
“After all, I’ve been having those very same nightmares, too. I keep thinking I’ll wake up and Clark will be simply…”
Kara used her super-speed to cover her friend’s mouth with her hand. The word ‘gone’ stayed floating in the air, without either of them daring to pronounce it. After that, Lois took that very same hand and squeezed it, placing it alongside hers on top of Kal-El’s chest.
The sudden movement woke up her cousin. He blinked several times before whispering, “Hey, what are you two doing?”
“Taking care of you,” Lois replied quickly, kissing him deeply.
Kara looked away, ashamed to be a witness to such an intimate moment. But since Lois still had her hand trapped in a surprisingly strong grip, she knew she couldn’t escape. That very same hand was now being held by Kal-El. She looked at him, seeing a giant grin plastered on his face.
“Thank you both,” he said. It was evident how exhausted he was, despite the smile.
“Get your necessary rest, Kal-El.”
“Go back to sleep, Smallville.”
Both women looked at each other, laughing when they realized how identical they sounded.
“Fine, Moms,” he said jokingly.
Kara wanted to continue the banter. She wanted to tell him that her actual mom was outside the room, and that he still owed her a game of Last Card Standing, and she would call that silly human game that, because she knew how much he enjoyed correcting her when she made stupid and inconsequential mistakes.
But he was snoring again, so she decided her best course of action would be to try to get some actual rest…
The sun was setting on the horizon when Kara opened her eyes. Judging by the orange hues that entered through the window, it was getting late. She didn’t want to move, too afraid of breaking the delicate sleep that both Lois and Kal-El were deep in.
Yet, there was another presence in the room now; someone was below her. She looked down, seeing Jimmy Flamebird’s face. He handed her a piece of paper, and even though the room was practically dark now, she could see the words clearly:
Hey Kara, thought you could have some soup. I’m worried about Clark too.
Her heart melted at that. Oh, how much she needed to tell him, right here, right now, how important he was to her. She turned around, ready to grab him by the lapels of his jacket and kiss him until morning.
Only to realize she was stuck. Her hand was still sandwiched between Kal-El’s and Lois’, damn these soft, feeble, and yet incredibly stubborn humans!
But she had a free hand, so she supposed that would have to work. She politely rejected Jimmy’s soup offering, whispering that she would eat as soon as the two mates occupying the bed freed her from their strong and corny hold.
Yes, she actually used the word ‘corny,’ and yes, that caused Jimmy to snort, immediately covering his own face and sighing in relief when the dreamers remained undisturbed.
He got up, giving her a little wave as if to wish her a good night of sleep, but Kara wasn’t having that. Using her free hand, she brushed his fingers softly, stopping him in his tracks. He looked at her, surprised and curious, but in no way denying her advance.
She pulled, gently and softly, reminding herself that this was not only necessary but mandatory, she had to be soft and slow. Jimmy lost his balance for a split second, and her reaction was instantaneous: her arm wrapped around his waist and she lifted him up.
Oh, the look of panic on his face was adorable and hilarious at the same time, Kara considered. As she adjusted her position, she saw there was the tiniest bit of free space on the mattress, and she guided Jimmy’s body toward it. She had no need for those human contraptions; she could float unfettered for eternity if that meant she could stare at his face forever.
His head and one of his shoulders were pressed against her chest, and she could feel the way his heart galloped wildly, like a startled horse. She was incredibly thankful that humans’ night vision wasn’t as good as a Kryptonian's, or he would have witnessed the giant blush covering her cheeks.
But she needed him, right here, right now. She just hoped he could understand the message without the need for any spoken words, or at least, not any words focused on their relationship.
“You are as worried for Kal-El as I am, Jimmy,” she whispered. “Let’s keep watch over him together tonight.”
He didn’t answer, and a dreary wave of doubt suddenly assaulted the Kryptonian.
“Perhaps you feel uncomfortable?” she questioned.
“No, not at all. Do you?” he asked, adjusting his position ever so slightly and looking up at her for a moment.
“I am more than okay right now, Jimmy Flamebird,” she muttered, guiding his head back to her chest.
“Good to know,” he said, not moving again.
And they remained silent until sleep claimed Kara once more. Perhaps it was the assurance of seeing Kal-El alive, or Lois’ reassurance, or Jimmy’s comforting physical presence, but she didn’t have any more bad dreams that night.
And she failed to notice how, in the dead of night, Clark and Lois woke up, saw her smiling while Jimmy slept soundly, still clinging to her body, and smiled at each other before drifting back to slumber...