Work Text:
Lena hisses, snatching her fingers away from the small soldering iron and sucking on her thumb for a moment.
“Ouch,” she says, shaking her hand out before returning to her work on a tiny gadget that will probably save Kara’s life someday without her even knowing it.
Kara smiles, watching over her laptop from her perch across the lab.
“I love you,” Kara says suddenly. Then gulps, eyes widening in shock.
Lena’s hands still, tools frozen in the air over her workbench.
Kara’s heart pounds in her ears.
“I- I mean,” she stammers, moving her laptop away and standing, pressing her hands together to keep them from shaking. Lena still hasn’t moved. Hasn’t even blinked.
Kara takes half a step forward and then a deep, steadying breath.
“What I mean is, I’m in love with you, Lena.” She pushes her glasses up.
Silence.
“Lena?”
Focusing in, Kara can hear Lena’s heartbeat echoing her own, like thunderous hoofbeats in a race to react harder to the unexpected declaration.
Kara takes another breath.
“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” she starts.
And then Lena heaves a sigh, dropping her tools with a clank as her shoulders and head collapse downward over the device, palms flat on the workbench.
“Lena?” Kara asks tentatively. “Um, can you maybe- I don’t know. Maybe, say something? It’s okay if you don’t feel the same-”
And then Lena actually begins hitting her head on the metal desk.
“Lena!” Kara rushes forward to stop this horrifying turn of events, but Lena stands abruptly, placing her hands on her hips, and fixes Kara with a glare that stops the superhero in her tracks.
“Seriously, Kara?” Lena’s CEO persona is in full effect, one arched eyebrow demanding attention, voice dripping with annoyance.
“Um, yes?” Kara adjusts her glasses again and shuffles her feet, fully aware she’s displaying all of her nervous tics at once.
“Seriously?” Lena asks again. “Now?”
Kara shrinks slightly under this version of her best friend. This Lena, who holds herself with all the authority and confidence of a woman for whom money is no object and Presidents and Hollywood stars are merely dinner guests and golf partners, has always intimidated Kara a little. Or a lot. Is Kara sweating? She might be sweating.
Her eyes are drawn to slender fingers resting firmly on shapely hips, and she swallows again. Then she remembers the question and nods sheepishly.
“Yes?”
“Kara, not a month ago, we were dressed in couture and waltzing under the stars to a live orchestra.”
Kara’s brow furrows. “I know?”
“And a few days after that, you flew me to Paris to watch fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. We drank champagne and toasted to our happiness.”
“Y- Yes?” Kara’s eyes sweep her friend’s face for the key to this conversation.
Lena starts pacing, stalking the few steps between the workbench and the wall, bare feet slapping the floor.
“And a few days after that, you got hit with that goo that made you super confused and sleepy, so I brought you breakfast in bed and we spent the day watching Disney movies and eating horrifying amounts of junk food. In our pajamas.”
Kara straightens up, attempting to project confidence. “Yes. We did that.”
Lena’s pacing intensifies and she sweeps her arms emphatically. “And! Two weeks ago, I handed you a tissue right before you sneezed, which you insisted was the most romantic thing ever when we watched that show about the afterlife!”
“Well, to be fair, I sneezed several times right before that.”
Lena stops short, staring straight ahead at the wall. “And I nearly forgot! That was the same day I got pushed off my office balcony, yet again, and you caught me with one arm, with flowers in the other hand!”
“Well, I already had the flowers,” Kara protests feebly. “I wasn’t going to drop them!”
Lena resumes her pacing. “And then, for the coup d’etat, a week ago you were literally dying in my arms.” She turns to face Kara and glares hard, eyes narrowed ferociously. “Dying, Kara!”
The superhero drops her head, embarrassed. “I know you worry, Lena-”
“And I saved you! Not to pat myself on the back, but I’ve saved your life more times than either of us has bothered to count!”
“I know, and I try to thank you-”
Lena turns away and slaps both palms on the workbench, breathing in as though trying to absorb the table’s strength. Her next words come out strained.
“I gave up, Kara!”
Kara’s fairly certain her heart actually stops. She tries to breathe, but her throat just tightens slowly. Is she dying again now? “You- You gave up?”
“Yes! I gave up that day. Because if all of those romantic, heartwarming, beautiful moments between us wasn’t enough, then clearly I needed to just accept it. I needed to just take what you were willing to give me and enjoy our life together. Our friendship.”
Lena inhales deeply, gearing up again. “I even told Alex she had to stop mentioning it! That I needed to stop holding out hope! And she agreed, that if it hadn’t happened by now, you probably just were most comfortable this way. And I was okay with that!”
“You talked to Alex about us?” Kara’s brain spins through recent conversations with her sister, wondering what she missed.
Lena finally squares up to her again, gesturing wildly at the blonde superhero before her. “And now this!”
Kara’s heart has started beating again, but it’s out of control, as are her thoughts.
“Look, I’m sorry, Lena-”
“Now this, when I haven’t showered in almost a week!” Lena’s eyes are nearly manic, her face flushed. “I haven’t washed my hair since before the most recent goo debacle! I’ve been up for nearly 30 hours, fending off manipulative board members and putting out literal fires!”
“In fact!” She stabs the air with one perfectly manicured finger. “I had to get this shirt out of lost and found because my cashmere sweater caught on fire!”
Kara blinks. She’s lost the plot entirely, and is now just waiting it out.
Lena lifts the offending grey sweatshirt away from her body. “Which means I’m wearing some intern’s sweatshirt that smells like moldy curry, my feet have oozing blisters from my new shoes that you didn’t even notice, my teeth are fuzzy because I have no idea when I last brushed, and I’m running on two hours of sleep!” Her eyes widen, and Kara notices for the first time that they’re bloodshot. “So I may actually be hallucinating all of this!”
“No!” The word leaves Kara instantly; she’s confident in this answer. “You’re not hallucinating!” She shakes her head. She’s seen this panicked insecurity on her best friend’s face before, and has to respond. “This is real.”
She pauses, then takes a hesitant step forward. “And, Lena? You look wonderful. All the time.”
Lena’s eyes close and she sighs deeply, shoulders sagging. She pinches the bridge of her nose and then rubs at her tired eyes, smearing her mascara further.
Silence ticks by. Kara measures the time by her heartbeats and her fears. She takes another step forward, but uncertainty keeps her from going the rest of the way.
Just as she opens her mouth to say something, although she has no idea what, Lena sighs again and looks up.
“What a wonderful story for you to tell our grandchildren.”
“Our- our grandchildren?” Kara nearly chokes on the words.
“Yes, darling, grandchildren.” Lena shakes her head, her expression a mix of exasperation and fondness. She closes the distance between them and loops her arms over Kara’s shoulders, fingers twisting gently into blonde curls. Kara reacts instinctively, setting her hands on warm hips, and Lena smirks, her face only inches from Kara’s. “I know you want children. And just because you have horrible timing doesn’t mean I’m going to let you go before death do us part.”
Kara gapes. “But you-” She swallows. “You want children? With me?”
Lena shakes her head in disbelief. “Is that really so surprising? I want everything with you.”
Kara tightens her grip, pulling the other woman firmly against her, and watches as Lena’s eyes widen just a little.
“So-” Kara takes a quick breath. Has she breathed successfully at all this whole time? Who needs oxygen, anyway? “So, just to clarify. You- you love me too?”
Lena’s smile softens finally, her dimples appearing. Kara couldn’t look away even if the world was ending.
“Kara Zor-El, I have been in love with you for four years, eight months, and twenty-three days.”
“What?” Kara startles, pulling away, but Lena’s hands tighten in her hair, holding her fast. “You… What?” She tries to fill her lungs again. “Four years? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because, my love, I was worried you might freak out a little.” Lena smirks, eyebrow lifting again, and Kara blushes hard.
“And,” Lena continues softly, fingers lingering on the back of Kara’s neck, “with all the pressure to be a hero and adapt to Earth, and with your very understandable fear of losing the people you love, I wanted to let you make the decision. Without pressure from me.”
Kara can feel tears building behind her eyes.
Lena shrugs. “All I could really do was make sure you felt safe enough to say it when you were ready. I just didn’t quite realize how long I’d be waiting.” She laughs good-naturedly, and Kara can’t help but smile back.
“Well, I’m sorry it took me so long, then.”
Lena moves a hand to stroke along Kara’s jaw, fingertips dragging slowly across heated skin.
“It’s alright, darling,” she says, the words ghosting over Kara’s lips. “We’re here now.”
Kara’s heart is trying valiantly to leave her chest, her blood singing in her veins. She wraps her arms around Lena’s waist and lifts the shorter woman to her tiptoes, bringing them even.
“Lena?”
“Yes, Kara?” Lena’s voice is calm.
“Can I kiss you now?”
“I’ll be furious if you don’t.”
Kara pauses as she tries to wrestle back her grin. Kissing the love of her life for the first time is serious business, after all.
A buzzing noise starts up behind her, followed by a beeping, and it takes a few blinks before she recognizes the sounds.
Lena groans in frustration, dropping her face into Kara’s neck. “Seriously? Now?”
Kara laughs, lifting Lena right off the floor, and uses her superspeed to move them across the room. She sets her precious cargo on the lab table, staying close between the other woman’s legs as she grabs her Supergirl phone and swipes to answer.
“Alex?”
Lena huffs and leans her head on Kara’s shoulder.
Kara runs her free hand up Lena’s spine as she listens to the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Yeah, Alex, I hear you, but you gotta send someone else. I’m unavailable.”
Lena lifts her head, green eyes sharp.
“Sorry,” Kara shrugs at her sister’s words. “But I have something more important to do than save the world right now.”
Lena’s eyes dart to her lips, then back up.
Kara grins.
“I’ll check in later, okay? Sorry, but I think we can all agree that Lena’s waited long enough.” She ignores her sister’s shouted response. “Bye, Alex!”
She hangs up and tosses the phone. It lands with a loud cracking sound, and she doesn’t care in the slightest.
“Now. Where were we?” she asks, stepping in as close as possible and moving one hand up to cradle the back of Lena’s head.
“You were telling me how much you adore me,” Lena says, eyes twinkling.
“Oh, that’s right!” Kara grins and ducks to place a kiss on Lena’s jaw. “I do adore you. So much.”
“And how beautiful you think I am, even in this stinky sweatshirt.” Lena’s eyes close like she’s soaking up the moment.
“So beautiful.” Kara kisses the sharp line of Lena’s cheekbone. “The beautiful-est.”
“And sexy.”
“Oh, Rao, so sexy.” She kisses the corner of Lena’s mouth, which is twitching in an effort not to smile.
“And how you’re going to make it up to me for making me wait so long by kissing me every day for the rest of our lives.”
“Every day.” Kara agrees quickly, kissing her nose. “I’ll kiss you good morning,” she continues, kissing her forehead.
“Good night.” Each eyelid.
“Hello.” Temple.
“And all the times in between.” Neck, lingering to breathe in the scent of expensive perfume, long faded from human noses.
“Not goodbye?” Lena pulls back, glittering green eyes searching Kara’s, hair messy, pale cheeks dusted pink.
Kara’s never seen anything more beautiful in her life.
“Only if I have to, but I never want to say goodbye to you ever again,” Kara declares emphatically.
Lena nods, soft lips curving into an adoring smile. “That’s good enough for me.”
“Good.”
They stay like that for a moment, pure happiness stretching between them like golden threads of sunshine.
“Shall I start now?” Kara finally asks in a whisper, not wanting to break the spell.
“Yes, please,” Lena whispers back.
And so, Kara leans forward and kisses Lena Luthor with everything she has.