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Lena is about halfway through The Well of Loneliness when she hears a light tap-tap-tap at her balcony door. It doesn’t frighten her anymore. With Lex and Lillian gone, with no one gunning for her head, there’s only one person it could really be.
She sets her book down, stands up from her couch and catches Supergirl’s eye through the glass door. Kara smiles, offers a bashful wave, and Lena chuckles to herself.
“Kara,” Lena greets as she slides the door open, stepping out into the cool air, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Kara smiles, scratches at her neck with one hand while the other remains firmly wrapped around her stomach. “Sorry to bother you,” she says. “I hope I’m not interrupting…? I mean, I listened to see if you had anyone over so I wouldn’t interrupt anything too serious, but maybe you’re enjoying some alone time?”
“My, Kara Danvers,” Lena arches an eyebrow, “are you stalking me?”
Predictably, Kara’s cheeks go red. It’s a sight that will never get old. “No, of course not! I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to step in on something important, y’know? You’re always doing important business stuff - you’re really amazing for that - so I just wanted to make sure–”
“Kara,” Lena says, and Kara’s jaw clicks shut. “I’m not busy.”
“Oh. Okay. Good,” Kara nods, smiles apologetically. “I, uh. Have a bit of a problem.”
Her eyes twitch downwards, and Lena glances down. Her heart jolts when she notices that there is blood seeping between Kara’s fingers on the hand that’s pressed against her hip.
“Oh my god!”
She grabs Kara’s hand and tugs her inside, not bothering to shut the balcony door behind her. Kara, the Girl of Steel, allows Lena to tug her over to the kitchen table despite being easily able to stop her.
“I can’t get it out myself,” Kara rambles as she gets dragged along. “The angle’s too awkward and I didn’t wanna push it in further. And Alex says I shouldn’t try to get kryptonite out myself because ‘I’m a hazard to myself’, so.”
“What would you have done if I was busy?” Lena asks as she silently instructs Kara to jump up onto the table. She rushes to the bathroom to grab towels and pulls out one of the many well-stocked first-aid kits she stores under her sink before returning to Kara’s side. Kara’s awkward smile shows that she clearly didn’t think that far ahead. “You’re going to give me a heart attack one day.”
“That’s what Alex always says,” Kara shrugs. Lena scoffs.
“Take your suit off so I can see it properly,” she instructs as she heads over to the kitchen sink to thoroughly wash her hands. When she arrives back at the table, the suit is pooled down around Kara’s hips, leaving her upper half in nothing more than her black sports bra. Lena does not look at Kara’s toned stomach because she is respectful and Kara is essentially her patient. Kara idly swings her legs back and forth, winces when she swings her right leg too far and it pulls on the wound, and then stops.
Lena frowns at the kryptonite bullet buried deep in Kara’s right hip, at the green veins crawling under Kara’s skin and steadily spreading outwards.
“I’m sure Alex would be better suited to deal with this,” she says. It’s not that she’s uncomfortable with the situation - though having so much of Supergirl’s body on display does make her face feel a bit hot - but rather Lena is a scientist whereas Alex is a doctor. Not to mention that Alex most certainly has better bedside manners than Lena could ever wish for.
“Alex’s in Metropolis,” Kara says. “They took Esme to visit Kelly’s family.”
That’s right; they told Lena a few days prior at the Tower, but she must have forgotten.
“And what about J’onn?” Lena asks. “Or Brainy?”
Kara laughs, softly, and then immediately groans in pain. Lena’s eyes dart up to her face, and Kara grins at her through a wince. “Maybe I just wanted to see you.”
Lena laughs despite herself. “Is that so, Supergirl?”
And Kara’s smile grows warmer, more sincere, and Lena’s knees feel weak. “Well, yeah,” she shrugs. “You’re, like, my favourite person.”
“I thought Alex was your favourite person,” Lena says, because the bond between the Danvers sisters is something very well known among their little friend group, something that Lena once envied with a passion but is now honoured to be a part of.
“You’re tied,” Kara easily replies. “But she’s in Metropolis right now, and she’s been constantly checking up on me and it’s been annoying, so you’re my favourite.” She flashes a bright smile and Lena laughs once more, because Kara’s mere presence seems to bring out so much joy.
“I’m honoured,” Lena says, both teasing and true. To be loved by Kara Danvers is a wonderful thing; to be one of her favourite people, even more so. And then, because she is feeling bold and because Kara is just such a sweet person, she adds, “You’re my favourite person too.”
And Kara, with her suit pulled down to her hips and a Kryptonite bullet stuck in her skin, beams widely and wriggles in place like an excited child. Lena has to aggressively tamp down the fondness that warms her chest.
She opens the first-aid kit and snaps on a pair of latex gloves. “What happened?”
“Big robbery at that bank on Harbor Drive,” Kara replies. “I managed to stop them, but I guess they were prepared for me. ‘S only the one bullet, though, so it’s not too bad.”
Lena decides to not point out how Kara’s hands are just barely trembling, how her voice sounds a bit more strained than usual. It could be worse, she supposes. She grabs a pair of tweezers and glances up at Kara’s face. Kara nods, offers a lopsided smile.
“Please don’t break my table,” Lena requests.
“No promises.”
She tries to be as gentle as she can, but the bullet is pretty deep. It fortunately didn’t hit any bone, just sunk into the soft parts. She digs the tweezers slowly and carefully, gently grips the bullet and slowly begins to pull out.
“Ow,” Kara whines, and Lena tries not to roll her eyes too obviously as she ceases moving.
“You have come back from death, Kara. Surely this does not hurt that bad in comparison.”
“I’m fragile,” Kara complains, but her lips are curled up at the corners and her eyes are full of mirth.
“You’re indestructible,” Lena retorts.
“I’m multifaceted.”
Lena rolls her eyes again, making sure Kara sees it, and Kara laughs as light as air. She groans under her breath as Lena pulls the bullet out the rest of the way. Blood begins to weep down and Lena grabs the towels with one hand and presses them against the wound. Kara grabs them and grunts as she takes over, nose wrinkling with pain.
Lena frowns at the bullet between the tweezers, at the green casing that glows menacingly and the red liquid that sticks to it. “I’m afraid I don’t have any lead boxes to put this in.”
“Strange,” Kara jokes, a tad breathless. “Uh - putting it in the freezer should nullify it, I think. If you don’t mind keeping a bullet in your freezer.”
“I’ve done stranger things for you,” Lena says, and Kara snickers. She takes care to put it in a tupperware container that she will certainly throw out once the kryptonite is dealt with and shoves it in her freezer before heading back to Kara, who looks a bit less pained. As she grabs some bandages from the first-aid kit, Kara furrows her eyebrows.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not leaving you to bleed out,” Lena scoffs.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Kara dismissively says with the wave of her free hand. “It’ll close up soon enough now that the kryptonite’s gone.”
Lena arches an eyebrow. “And you’re just going to bleed out until it does?”
“I don’t want you to waste your supplies on me,” Kara frowns.
“It’s not a waste if it’s you,” Lena says, a bit too genuine, a bit too sincere. Kara’s eyes soften, her cheeks glow a pretty pink, and Lena clears her throat and takes advantage of her distraction to gently pry the towels away from the wound. The bleeding has slowed down to a trickle now. Kara doesn’t try to stop her as she begins to gingerly wrap the bandages around her hips.
Kara’s skin is hot to the touch. Once upon a time that would’ve worried Lena, but she knows well now that Kara runs hot because of her Kryptonian biology. I’m a space heater, Kara joked once, and it made Lena feel unbearably fond of her.
They’re silent as Lena works. She can feel Kara’s eyes on her face, can see that look in her eyes from the corner of her own. When she’s finished, she allows her hands to linger, resting on each of Kara’s hips.
“Thank you,” Kara says, her eyes warm and sincere.
“Of course,” Lena nods. “Any time.”
Kara grins, and up close it’s mesmerizing. “Even if you’re busy?”
And Lena gives up on trying to play coy, decides to just be sincere. “Any time,” she repeats, thumb rubbing small circles just above Kara’s hip. “Day or night, even if I’m busy or sleeping. You are my favourite person, after all.”
Lena hears Kara’s shaky exhale, sees her throat bob as she swallows.
Here’s the thing: Lena has been in love with Kara Danvers for quite some time now. Possibly from the moment Kara stepped into her office and said, “I flew here – on a bus.”
She is well aware of this. She’s been well aware of this. But Lena is a Luthor, and while she is still unlearning all of the contempt she’s targeted towards herself, she never wanted to say anything because of this. As time went on, it became increasingly obvious that there was no time to tell Kara; both of them were so busy, and then their relationship had been torn into shreds, and then when Lena finally forgave Kara, she was gone. And now that everything is calm, now that the world has finally slowed to a pace where Lena can actually let herself feel things… there’s no rush.
So Lena is in love with Kara Danvers, and she knows this. She is fairly certain that Kara knows this as well – almost certain that Kara feels the same way about her. It’s good. She’s glad. She knows that Alex and Nia have been losing their minds over the relationship between Kara and herself, but – there’s no rush.
Lena loves Kara, and Kara loves Lena, and they both know this. They’ve been circling around this for days, months, years. It’s almost inevitable, Lena thinks, and that kind of hopeful thinking has been something that Lena has had to learn before she allowed herself to truly acknowledge what they have.
They’re in the right place now. They’re just waiting for the right time. And truly, Lena is okay waiting forever as long as she has Kara by her side. She doesn’t want to be greedy, and she’s not running from anything anymore. She has time. They both do. Lots of it.
But Lena thinks maybe now is the right time.
Kara must, too.
“Can I kiss you?” Kara asks, oh-so kind.
“I would like that,” Lena says, and then Kara’s lips are on hers.
Kara’s lips are warm and soft and sweet. They taste of that strawberry lip balm that Kara’s been using since they met, and Lena’s been wanting to know how it tastes for just as long. Kara’s hands hover, nervously fluttering from Lena’s hair to her shoulders before hovering awkwardly over her waist. Lena snickers as they pull apart, Kara’s face flushed and a smile on her lips but uncertainty dancing in her eyes.
“My hands are bloody,” Kara explains, looking a bit distraught, and Lena laughs once again.
“That’s alright,” she says. “You can put them wherever you want when they’re clean.”
Kara seems to sit up a bit straighter at that as she tries to bite back a smile. “Next time?” she asks, bright-eyed and hopeful.
“Next time,” Lena confirms.
“Yay.”
Lena snorts as she steps back, gathering up the towels and heading over to the garbage can to throw them out. She carefully peels off her gloves as Kara jumps to her feet, quietly patting over to Lena’s side.
“Sorry about your towels,” she murmurs, seeming genuinely apologetic, and Lena rolls her eyes.
“I’m a millionaire, Kara. I don’t care about a few towels.”
Kara shrugs as she begins to wash her hands, suit still around her hips, and Lena allows herself a moment to appreciate Kara’s back and arms now that they have kissed and Kara is no longer bleeding out.
Once she’s done, Kara turns around and rolls her shoulders. Lena tries very hard not to stare.
“I guess I should go,” Kara says as she pulls her suit back on. There’s still blood staining the front, still a hole where the bullet broke through. She heads towards the balcony, to the door that’s still open, and suddenly Lena doesn’t want Kara to leave. Call her selfish, but she doesn’t want this night to end. Not just yet.
“You shouldn’t fly home,” Lena says, and Kara stops. She turns to face Lena, head tilted to the side. “After the kryptonite, I mean. I don’t have any sunlamps and it’s dark out. Your powers might be on the fritz.”
“Oh,” Kara says, and then she nods. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll call an Uber.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Lena dismisses. Kara stares at her, and Lena feels increasingly more and more like a fool. “There’s no need to pay to get a drive home.” And then, like a coward, she says, “I’ll call my driver to take you home.”
Kara blinks. Slowly, she nods, but her eyes shift between Lena, the front door, and Lena’s cellphone, which she doesn’t make any move to grab. The corner of Kara’s lips tug upwards into a cute little smirk, and then Kara is beaming.
“Actually,” she says, stretching her arms above her head, “I’m pretty tired.” And Lena should be embarrassed that Kara has read her so easily, but all she can do is try and prevent the way her lips twitch upwards as Kara makes a big show of yawning. “Can I stay here for the night?”
Lena laughs, tries to cover it with a sigh. Kara’s smile only grows wider, and Lena bows her head so Kara doesn’t see how she smiles to herself like a fool. “I suppose.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Kara coos, walking over and pressing a kiss to Lena’s cheek. Lena wills her blood to remain in place, to not rush up to her face and make her look as pathetically foolish as she feels.
“I know,” she says, and Kara giggles. “Let me get you some clothes.”
Kara follows behind her like a puppy as Lena walks to her bedroom. As she sifts through the clothing in her dresser, she takes more care than necessary to find clothes she thinks Kara would like. There’s a worn MIT tee-shirt that’s a bit too big on Lena, and she pulls out her comfiest pair of sweatpants – not that she owns many. Kara seems all too happy when Lena hands them to her and practically skips into the attached bathroom.
Lena takes the time to strip and put on her own pajamas. For a moment she wanted to wear something impressive: silk pajamas or those Ralph Lauren pajamas that she was gifted by a suitor many years ago. But then she remembers it’s Kara, who she’s sat on the couch and watched shitty reality TV shows with in sweats, who she’s shared a bed with a handful of times before, who just showed up on her balcony all bloody and injured, and she laughs to herself.
She doesn’t have to impress Kara. She already has.
So she pulls on her regular pajamas: an oversized shirt from a tech conference she spoke at and a pair of shorts, and she crawls into bed. When Kara skips out of the bathroom a few minutes later, she’s smiling brighter than the sun. The shirt fits normally on her, though the sweatpants are a bit short, but she doesn’t seem bothered at all.
The sight of Kara in Lena’s clothes does something funny to her already weak heart. Lena wants to see it more often.
She hesitates at the side of the bed, looking up at Lena for permission, and Lena’s heart warms up all over again. She lifts the sheets in invitation and Kara happily crawls in, laying on her side to stare at Lena.
“Your bed is comfy,” she says, wriggling further into the mattress. Kara’s never slept in her bed, she realizes; they usually spend time together at Kara’s apartment, and the few times they were in Lena’s apartment, Kara always left before it got too late.
It’s probably the first time Lena has had someone in her bed in years.
“I’m glad you like it,” she says.
“It smells like you,” Kara adds, and Lena can’t stop the blood from flowing to her cheeks at that comment. Kara smiles at her reaction. “It’s a good thing! You smell like mint and roses. I like it.”
Lena lets out a small breath, amused and flustered and very in love. “Do you make a habit of smelling people?”
Kara grins, a bit bashful. “It’s hard not to when all of my senses are jacked up to, like, eleven. It just kind of happens. Like listening to heartbeats.”
And Lena knows that Kara listens to people’s heartbeats; she’s mentioned how she constantly listens for Alex’s heartbeat, how she always has since they were kids, just to make sure she was okay. But she never really thought about Kara listening to her heartbeat, how her heartbeat must have exposed her so many times before. Because her heart is always skipping a beat or two around Kara, always has.
“I like your heartbeat, too,” Kara adds, softer now. “It’s soothing.”
And Lena’s heart skips a beat, the little traitor. Instead of looking smug, Kara just smiles at her, warm and kind and – and in love.
“I didn’t know why it was always so fast before,” she says. “My heart gets really fast around you, too. Though you’ve probably figured that out by now.”
Lena’s throat grows thick. “I love you.”
Kara smiles. She reaches out, intertwines her hand with one of Lena’s and presses a kiss to the back of it. “I love you.”
Kara reaches out then, pulls Lena close. She’s gentle, which must be hard with her natural super-strength, and Lena allows herself to be tugged forwards until their bodies are pressed together, their foreheads touching. Lena can feel Kara’s heartbeat now, quick and unsteady, and she smiles. It’s reassuring to know Kara is just as nervous, just as head over heels as she is.
“Alex is gonna kill me when she gets back,” Kara whispers, but her lips are curved up.
“You did get shot the one weekend she’s out of town,” Lena points out.
“It’s not just that,” Kara groans, overdramatic. “She’s been bullying me about finally doing something about my feelings for you. She’s going to be so mad that I didn’t tell her right away.”
Lena chuckles under her breath. “We don’t have to tell her,” she suggests, and Kara’s eyes light up.
“You’re right,” she says, a mischievous little grin on her face. “We don’t have to tell anyone.”
Lena sighs, because she knows what that look means and she knows that she will be incapable of turning Kara down. “You want to mess with them.”
“Very much,” Kara nods. She flashes Lena her infamous puppy-dog eyes as if Lena was ever going to turn her down in the first place. “Please? Will you be my partner in crime?”
Lena rolls her eyes and sighs louder, and Kara laughs once more. “I suppose.”
“Yes!” Kara whispers, doing a pleased little wiggle, and Lena wraps her arms around Kara’s waist and hugs her tight because she loves her.
“But,” Lena cuts in, and Kara blinks at her with wide eyes, “only if you go to bed. You need rest to heal properly.”
“I need sun to heal properly,” Kara corrects.
“And the sun will rise sooner if we go to sleep,” Lena says.
Kara pouts and Lena’s heart skips a beat. “Fine,” she huffs out, but she spares Lena one of those signature bright smiles. “Goodnight, Lena.”
Lena smiles. She presses a kiss on the corner of Kara’s mouth, feels her heart speed up in return. “Goodnight, Kara.”
They hold each other close, and they fall asleep.