Chapter Text
Alex is tired and sore. All she wants to do is see the Arias girls. After a quick self-assessment, she swears to Vasquez that her injuries are only superficial and don’t require immediate attention. Vasquez eyes her suspiciously but ultimately lets her leave without a formal check-up. Vasquez has watched Alex grow over the years. Gone are the days where she'd lie about her wellbeing to skip a trip to the medbay.
"Thank you, Vasquez. I could kiss you."
"That won't be necessary, boss."
Alex instead makes a mental note to bring her an especially nice cut of meat to Saturday’s barbecue, as a thank you. Her squad is fine, tired and sore like her, but fine, so she doesn’t feel bad skipping out on them. And her report can wait til tomorrow. But right now, she has something she needs to do.
Alex returns to the DEO and has a quick shower before going in search of Sam. She finds her leaning on the balcony, peering up at the now empty evening sky. Alex's breath catches. Sam looks stunning against the city skyline.
“Hey,” Alex says softly, gently pulling Sam from her thoughts.
Sam turns to her partner. “Alex,” she says her name as if releasing a long-held breath.
“Are you ok?” Alex asks as she approaches.
Sam shakes her head. “Am I ok? You’re the one that’s been out there in the thick of it.” Before Alex can get close, Sam holds her at arms length and gives her a once-over; her hair is slightly damp, her bicep is bleeding through her white henley, and her eyes are tired. But it's ok because she’s here. She came back.
"Of course I did," Alex says earnestly and Sam realizes she said the last part out loud.
Sam lovingly traces her finger over the small bandage on Alex's forehead. It’s her most obvious injury and it’s also the one Sam already knew about. She finds comfort in that fact even as the sight of it makes her frown.
Alex breaks the silence. “You seemed lost in thought.”
“Lena was out here earlier, dispersing the lead agent. I’m worried about her.”
Sam will always worry about her best friend.
“She’ll be ok. We’ll make sure of it.” Alex reaches for Sam’s hands then and squeezes them in reassurance. “She has us,” she adds easily.
Sam smiles, the weight on her shoulders lifting as she realizes that Alex takes her best friend’s wellbeing just as seriously as she does.
A city of twinkling lights is but a turn of the head away but both choose to look at each other. Alex knows it's selfish but all she can think is Thank God. Thank God, we made it through. She spares a thought for Kara and Mon-El then, who weren’t so lucky.
God, life is short. Too short.
She still holds Sam’s hands. “Bumped into Maggie out there,” Alex starts.
“Oh?”
Sam is a confident woman and she is more than secure in her relationship. But that doesn’t mean she wants to hear about Alex’s ex-girlfriend right now.
“We were a whirlwind. God I had such a huge girl crush on her.”
“It’s called being gay,” Sam points out.
Alex huffs. “I know that now, thanks.” She returns to her train of thought. “Once we finally got going, we moved fast. We had our first kiss and then by the end of the month we were living together.”
“I’m familiar with the concept of U-haul lesbians,” Sam interrupts once more.
“Ha ha,” Alex says dryly before continuing. “Anyway, as I was saying, it was a whirlwind. We were moving so fast that everything was a blur. It obscured the things we didn’t want to see; the obvious red flags we both brought to the relationship.” Alex can admit it was a two-way street.
Sam scoffs. "Her liking the Barenaked Ladies should've been the first sign,” she mutters.
“Will you shut up?” Alex says, exasperated. “I’m trying to ask you to marry me.”
Sam blinks. What?
The CFO falters. “Uh, can I just say, I don’t think it’s my fault that I didn’t see where you were going with that.”
Alex mutters, frustrated that this proposal isn’t going to plan. “I was trying to say that my love for you isn’t impulsive. It isn’t epic and all-consuming, like a flash flood or- or a forest fire.” She frowns. She’s not good with metaphors.
“I was going to talk about how our love is enduring. How it’s reliable and makes me feel safe.“
“That sounds nice,” Sam tries.
“Yeah, well, I can be very romantic,” Alex grumbles.
“I know,” Sam encourages, tugging on her hands.
"And I like the Barenaked Ladies." Alex pouts.
Sam tries for a joke. "Well, that's a dealbreaker for me."
Alex doesn't smile. She tries to free her hands from Sam's grip but the CFO won't let her. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
Sam squeezes her hands, trying to draw her attention. Alex looks up reluctantly.
“You want to marry me?” Sam asks softly.
“Of course I do,” Alex replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Then ask me,” she whispers.
Ok, Alex. You can do this.
The agent steadies herself by sweeping her thumbs over Sam’s knuckles. She draws comfort from the repetitive movements. “I know I’m over-protective and I’m not as funny as I think I am. I know I can be grumpy and brooding and- and depending on which way you look at it, I’m either a workaholic that drinks too much or an alcoholic that works too much but-” She stops her rambling and takes a deep breath. “But I won’t stop trying to be better. And I’ll love you and Ruby until my dying breath.”
Nice, Alex. You did it. She smiles, comforted by Sam’s patient, loving countenance.
But why isn’t she saying anything?
“Oh right.” She clears her throat. “Sam, will you marry me?”
“Please?” she adds for good measure.
Sam wants to say a lot of things. That Alex’s protectiveness makes her feel loved, makes her feel lucky that Ruby has someone she can count on after it was just the two of them for so long. That she loves her bad jokes and that “grumpy and brooding” simply does it for her. That she is a workaholic too and they were working on the drinking thing together.
She’s the single mom who was formerly possessed by a tyrannical, superpowered eyeliner-abuser. Alex acts like Sam would be doing her a favor by marrying her when clearly it’s the other way around. She’s the lucky one.
But instead of saying all of that, Sam pulls her close and kisses her. She hopes it’s answer enough. To be sure she concludes with a “Yes” spoken directly into her lips.
Alex beams. “Ha! I knew she’d say yes, kid,” she shouts over her shoulder.
Ruby steps out from around the corner. “Yea, well you nearly fumbled it there.”
“Pfft, no I didn’t.”
“Kinda almost did,” Sam agrees with her daughter.
Alex frowns. “I don’t care, you said yes.” She turns to Ruby and grins. “She said yes.”
Sam looks at her daughter. “So you were in on it, huh?”
Ruby nods. “Just a little.”
Sam pulls Ruby in for a hug and the three stand on the balcony, gazing out at National City and chatting about rings and the upcoming pool party.
The following morning, a picture of Lena releasing Cloudy Girl into the atmosphere is splashed across the front page of every newspaper and media outlet. Lena feels sick with guilt even as she’s lauded as a hero.
Preventing the subjugation of mankind has never felt more horrible.
She destroys the portals. Feels kind of silly after the worst has already happened but she does it anyway. General Lane was not pleased but it would be career suicide for him to try and take on Lena Luthor at the height of her new-found popularity. He’ll go away and lick his wounds, sure to crop up again at the most inconvenient of times. She couldn’t care less. It’s over for now.
Lena avoids Kara. It means isolating herself from the rest of their group but Kara needs them more than her right now anyway. Lena throws herself instead into anything and everything that’s not related to Supergirl or the DEO. She focuses her attention on philanthropic efforts: rebuilding the damage done to city infrastructure and providing vocal support for continued ally-ship with aliens. It’s important now more than ever not to backslide into xenophobic tendencies. Hate crimes towards aliens have gone up considerably since the invasion, and Lena is working hard with communities to rehabilitate Alien-Human relations. Lena will admit that lending her face, which is now synonymous with the word “hero” as much as she hates the fact, to the pro-Alien movement is helping relations along considerably.
All of this, alongside the running of L-Corp, combines to make Lena a very busy person. At the end of each day, she falls into bed exhausted. She much prefers that to laying awake and agonizing over the invasion and her role in Kara’s heartbreak. Each night she falls into a fitful sleep and each morning she takes the guilt that swirls in her stomach and tries to turn it into something less wretched.
It’s Wednesday morning and Lena has nothing to do. It’s not often that she finds herself in this situation. Sam had kicked her out of the office. “You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here,” she had said before escorting her out of the tower herself. She thinks she’s so funny.
It’s while she’s on the sidewalk that Lena regrets for the first time taking her name off the side of the building. Because right about now she wants to shout something horribly entitled like: “Do you know who I am? That’s my name you see up there” but she can’t because all that’s staring down at her is a big, ugly “L”. Maybe if she wasn’t so tired she’d be able to think of a good comeback. Instead she huffs her indignance as Sam kisses her on the forehead. Her best friend suggests she rests, maybe has a bubble bath. She looks at Lena with maternal concern. "Don't even think about returning here before 8am tomorrow."
So naturally Lena finds herself at M’gann’s bar at 9 in the morning. She enters to see it surprisingly full. M'gann is moving between booths and tables, checking in. There is a somber air as the bar televisions are set to the news channels replaying clips from the Daxamite Invasion. It’s still a part of the newscycle, even though the focus is now on the recovery.
M’gann notices Lena’s entrance. “Luthor?” she says, surprised to see the CEO in the daylight.
Lena smiles softly as she looks around the room. “You seem busy.”
M’gann rolls her eyes. “She might be dead but that giant head in the sky really did some damage.”
In the days and weeks following the invasion, Al’s bar became a kind of refuge for aliens, not just as a safe space to enjoy a beer as it was before, but a place to come during the day to escape the public hate.
M’gann sighs. “I’ve got a Saturnian couple in the corner that had hot coffee thrown at them as they were walking here.”
Lena grimaces. She remembers all too well being on the receiving end of those kinds of spiteful acts. The Luthor name took a long time to be rehabilitated (she’s still working on it to this day) and during Lex’s trial period, Lena endured her fair share of public vitriol ranging from heckles to projectiles to assassination attempts. Thankfully she could afford security and to minimize her time spent in public. She can’t imagine what it’s like for those that have public-facing jobs and need to work to survive.
M’gann gives her a look. “Well, not to be rude but what brings you here? I know it’s beer o’clock somewhere but-”
M’gann notices Lena’s apprehension and feels bad for being flippant.
Honestly, Lena’s not really too sure why she’s here. “Um.”
M’gann’s face is open and caring. "Have a seat, I'll make you a coffee."
Lena feels relief. M'gann potters around behind the bar before handing of the drink.
Lena realizes that she didn't have to tell her that she takes it black. It could very easily have been an educated guess but it still reminds Lena of M'gann's psychic abilities.
“So you probably know how I’m hopelessly in love with Kara,” Lena starts abruptly.
M’gann has the good grace to not bother denying it. “Yes. Your mind is rather loud on that matter.”
“I figured as much.” She can’t help but feel a little betrayed by her own brain. “What else is it loud on?”
M’gann is confused. “Uh, I’ve noticed you think about Ibiza a lot, I guess.”
“Do you hear anything? Notice anything?”
M’gann doesn’t understand where she’s going with this.
Lena looks away. “With Lex, I wondered if I had missed the signs, you know? Of the Luthor Curse .” She smiles awkwardly. “So have there been any signs in my mind? Anything unusual or concerning?” She adds a little chuckle, but it’s half-hearted. Her fingers fidget against the mug.
“No, Lena.” M’gann speaks firmly.
“Are you sure?” she asks, as if she wants M’gann to check out in the back, just in case.
M’gann smiles gently. “Yes, Lena. I’m sure.”
“Ok.” Lena nods. “Would you tell me?”
M’gann doesn’t know what to say.
“Sorry,” Lena interrupts before she can answer. “I mean, could you tell me? If you do start to-”
M’gann shakes her head. “I won’t need to.”
“It’s just- It’s not exactly like I can self-monitor this kind of thing,” she says with a forced laugh.
“I promise you, I won’t need to,” M’gann assures.
“Humor me.”
M’gann nods. “Ok.”
“Ok.” Lena claps her hands together and looks around the room. “So how can I help?”
M’gann wishes Lena saw herself the way she sees her now; a generous soul with a big, bleeding heart.
“Alex, enough,” Kara says frustratedly.
It’s Sister Night once again and Kara can’t take it anymore. Alex has a dumb look on her face, surprised by her sister’s seemingly sudden outburst.
Kara sighs. “Stop tip-toeing around me. You haven’t chosen the take-out in months and you haven’t chosen the movie either. I’ve made us watch the Wizard of Oz eight times in a row just to mess with you and you’ve just let me.” She frowns. “It’s not fun anymore. I can also take so much Wizard of Oz.”
“Then stop choosing it.”
“That’s not the point, Alex! Stop being weird.”
“I’m not being weird!” Alex defends.
“Yes you are, you don’t have to keep letting me choose.”
“Of course I do, Kara. It’s the least I could do. You lost the love of your life.”
Now Kara wants to know how many movie choices equate to a lost partner. Is there a number or is it indefinite? What about a lost pet or a distant uncle? The grief to movie choice conversion must have a logic to it. So where does it begin? Where does it end?
Kara snaps out of her thought spiral to respond. “Lost is a bit dramatic. He’s not dead,” Kara states factually.
“Well, he might as well be.”
“No, Alex,” she says with conviction. “It’s such a comfort to know that he’s starting again in some place new.” Alex can see that she means it.
Kara looks down at her hands in her lap. “And he wasn’t,” she whispers.
Alex is confused.
“He wasn’t the love of my life,” Kara explains.
“Oh.“
“Yea, oh.” Kara scoffs.
“Sooooo,” Alex isn’t sure what to do with that information.
“Look I loved him. But I’ve come to realize that I was with him for the wrong reasons. Because I thought I should be, because I owed it to the memory of Krypton to try, because we both became more under a yellow sun.” She thinks back to their beginning. “Everyone was winking at me and elbowing me when he was around, and I thought to myself, ok, there must be a reason everyone sees this match as suitable. Even you told me to give him a chance.” She blushes and looks away. “And I guess it was nice to not have to moderate my strength.”
“Ok, ok,” Alex says grumpily, not wanting to have to think about that.
Kara smiles before continuing. “But I almost broke up with him twelve times in the first month we were dating.” Now she thinks back on it fondly, at the time it was exasperating.
“He was too eager and sooo codependent. I mean, I don’t blame him, he was literally new to Earth. But Rao, it was exhausting. But he was trying so I tried, too. And things were getting better,” she says generously. “But love isn’t waiting for things to get better.”
Alex nods. Sam and Ruby are the very best part of her day.
“The courtship process on Krypton is different to Earth. Milestones aren’t “moving in” together or even “having sex”. The courtship process is not long enough. Once your families have agreed you are a good potential match on paper, you go on an introductory date. Usually after three dates you are able to confirm whether or not you will be married.” Alex nods along. Kara has told her all about Krypton’s strange approach to love and relationships.
Kara gets to the point. “It’s telling that I did not commit to Mon-El, Alex. When I meet my match, I will give them a bonding bracelet within three dates. James had the qualities of a good potential suitor all those years ago, but within one date, well half a date really, I realized that we weren’t going to be compatible. So I didn’t continue our relationship.” Alex does recall how strange it was that that relationship fizzled out so quickly after Kara seemed to pine after him for so long.
“The only reason why I continued with Mon-El for so long is because everyone I love seemed to like him. And I thought maybe it was time to settle for Earth standards. You guys are always marrying men you don’t like.”
“Hey! Not me!” Alex says.
Kara laughs. She isn't quite being fair to Mon-El. She genuinely loved him in the end. But she was never in love with him.
“I knew I should’ve never let you watch those crappy 90s sitcoms,” Alex mutters.
Kara returns to the conversation. “When Mon-El left, I gave him my mother’s necklace.” Alex understands how significant that necklace is to Kara, it being one of the only things she had of her family’s when she arrived on Earth. “I wanted him to have it. But I also don’t need it anymore.” Alex can’t keep the look of shock off her face. She wasn’t expecting that. “I am the sole witness to Krypton’s end. I am living memory that we existed. I recite my prayers to a sun I will never again look upon. I have made a home where Rao’s light does not reach. An entire dead world lives on only in my head, my heart, and my blood. I don’t need someone to help me carry that weight. I need to start letting it go. And I don’t mean forgetting, I mean working through it. J’onn said there’s some great therapists within the DEO.” Kara shrugs as if she hasn’t said something extremely brave.
Alex nods. If her sister’s being vulnerable then she can too. “My therapist is great; her name is Dr. Olsen.”
“I didn’t know you-”
Alex smiles bashfully. “She’s been helping me with stuff.” She sighs. I can do better than “stuff”. “I want to be a safe place for Ruby. And Sam, of course.”
“You are,” Kara implores. Alex smiles at her sister’s eager assurance.
“I was hungover at her soccer game once. It sucked. Sam thought it was funny, I think. But I felt like a piece of shit. Whenever I feel like a piece of shit, I can usually trace it back to alcohol.”
Kara nods. Sometimes she’s thankful that wasn't introduced to alcohol until recently. She's seen Alex struggle with it for over a decade.
Alex continues. “So I’m dealing with my mom and dad issues. Dealing with the job and my anger. Dealing with my relationship with alcohol.”
Kara smiles. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you, too,” Alex responds. Then she grabs the remote. “Ok, so I guess I’m picking the movie."
Kara smiles. "Yes, you are."
"Ooh, how about something with Jason Statham?”
Kara groans.
LIllian has been helping out with Lena’s restoration efforts. Every Saturday, she’s on Lena’s doorstep with a cup of coffee and a clipboard.
Lena, much to her amusement, watches her mother curb her tongue (with great difficulty) as she works with inefficient people and incompetent vendors.
Lena’s never had Lillian show up for her like this before. It’s kind of freaking her out. Also Lillian is funny. Why didn’t she know that?
They have a standing Sunday Lunch date, which was relocated from the country club after just two weeks when Penelope Nulmutter strode up to their table and proceeded to call Lena’s lesbianism an attention-seeking phase.
Before Lena could defend herself, Lillian jumped in. “Lena was TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2017, I’m not sure her sexuality was public when she received the title. She seems to have gotten plenty of attention without it.”
Penelope departed with a rather unsophisticated joke about what the L in L-Corp really stands for and Lillian called her a jealous bitch. Loudly.
And that’s how they got kicked out of the country club.
It was Lena who suggested they simply order in and eat at her place instead.
After making the suggestion off-hand, Lena had immediately begun rambling, misreading Lillian’s shock for disdain. “Yes, I’m afraid I don’t have a private chef on-hand at my apartment, but I do have a lovely array of local takeout menus. Don’t worry we can steer clear of anything that has a drive-thru.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Lillian had said with a smile.
And so they found themselves with a Sunday lunch date that revolved around Lillian trying new, local cuisine at Lena’s suggestion.
Lillian won’t say it out loud because it sounds saccharine and twee, two things Lillian is most definitely not, but Sunday has become her favorite day of the week.
Kara watches another ad-spot that shows Lena (and Lillian) working with an alien group to repair the Children’s Hospital. That’s how she sees Lena these days; on TV or clips on social media. She is conspicuously absent from the group chat. She doesn’t reply to messages or pick up calls. And if she’s ever home, it’s not when Kara stops by.
And Rao, if Kara has to hear one more excuse and see one more apologetic look from Jess, she’s gonna fly into the stratosphere.
She’s had enough of this.
Kara storms into Lena’s office, right past a spluttering Jess.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
Lena closes her laptop and sighs. “Kara-”
“No Lena, I want to know why. I want to know why my best friend left me alone to deal with the fallout of the Daxamite invasion.”
Lena looks guilty.
“Well? What’s your excuse?” Kara needles.
Kara stands there expectantly, hands on her hip.
Lena’s voice is small. “How can you even look at me?”
Kara is shocked and more than a little confused.
“I invented the Transmatter Portals that brought Rhea to Earth and I created the device that sent Mon-El away.”
“That saved the world,” Kara reframes. "And Cloudy Girl." She smiles but Lena isn't listening.
“I took him away from you; your gift from Rao. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me. You should hate me.” I hate me.
Kara can’t fathom a world where she hates Lena. “I could never hate you, Lena.”
Lena bursts into tears. She didn’t know she needed to hear that.
“I’ve lost too much, Lena.” And she’s not talking about just Mon-El. She’s talking about Krypton, her parents, Astra, Jeremiah, Kenny, even Kal. Especially Kal. “I won’t lose you, too.”
She moves to where Lena stands behind her desk and pulls her in to her chest. Together they hold each other and cry.
Jess quietly cancels Lena's next meetings.
Things go back to normal after that. Game Nights resume, Movie Nights too. Winn asks Lena to teach him how to play pool and she cries for an hour.
But it’s ok. They’re ok.
It's Friday night and Kara and Lena are watching Law & Order: SVU. They're on the third consecutive episode but Kara’s not really paying attention to the plot. She remembers she’s seen this one before but she can’t remember how it ends. She’s thinking about popping another bag of popcorn. She wonders if Lena will let her do it with her heat vision. Probably not considering last time the bag exploded and kernels went everywhere.
“What’s your favorite season for Olivia’s hair?” Kara asks suddenly.
Lena doesn’t answer.
“Lena?” Kara prompts.
“I’m thinking.”
“Oh.” Sure enough, she seems deep in thought. She is taking this very seriously. Kara loves that about Lena. She always listens and engages with her thoughtfully. She thinks back to when Lena encouraged her to be a reporter after only having just met her. Only when she's Supergirl do others usually give her the same attention.
Lena finally speaks. “Pretty much any season where she has a short crop. 2, 3, 5, 6, 9.”
“You like short hair?” Kara asks, self-consciously raising a hand to her own messy bun.
“I like Olivia Benson with short hair,” Lena corrects.
“Right.”
“Well what’s your answer?” Lena asks in return.
“Oh. Season 8. I think she looks like Mandy Moore in that season.” Kara may or may not have been obsessed with A Walk to Remember when she was a teen.
“The Candy singer?” Lena asks.
“You’re kidding right?”
Lena smiles. “Yea, I am kidding.”
Kara laughs. She loves this version of Lena the most; relaxed, warm and more than a little funny.
“We need more popcorn,” Kara blurts.
“Microwave,” Lena says quickly before Kara can even suggest alternative methods of preparation.
It’s almost underwhelming when it happens.
Sam and Alex are swaying softly to the music; Alex’s hands at Sam’s waist, Sam’s linked behind Alex’s neck.
Alex is wearing a perfectly tailored suit, the jacket of which has long since been abandoned. Sam is wearing a simple, cream floor-length slip dress, her heels strewn somewhere under the head table. Each wears a matching look of contentment; newlyweds lost in each other as the reception winds down around them.
Nearby, Winn is cutting shapes incongruous with the slow music. J’onn is hopelessly yet sweetly attempting to follow. Nia leads Brainy around the dancefloor, undeterred by his stilted movements. He clearly looks uncomfortable but he never gives up. It’s entirely indicative of his devotion to Nia and his reward is a sweet kiss that makes him gasp in shock. “We’re in public, Nia,” he says, scandalized by her behavior. Her twinkling laugh carries over the guests and her answer is to simply kiss him again. He almost chokes.
Lena is sitting amongst tasteful table decor and half-eaten slices of cake. She had spent what felt like hours on the dancefloor with Ruby, who is now curled up nearby under Alex’s jacket, and trying to fight off sleep. Lena smiles at the sight. She’ll be asleep within minutes.
Lena looks at the newlyweds who are oblivious to the guests around them. It really was a perfect wedding. She has a small thought that if she were to get married, she’d like it to be like this.
Kara clears her throat. As the best man, she too wore a suit. Her jacket is flung over the back of a chair and the tie is now hanging loosely around her neck. Lena thinks she looks as handsome as ever. Her cheeks are flushed (with joy only, it was a dry wedding and no one missed the alcohol).
Kara extends her hand. “May I have this dance?”
Lena agrees despite her sore feet, only because it’s a slow one and she knows Kara can lead.
They reach the busy dance floor. “Sorry stud, but you’re gonna have to do all of the heavy-lifting, us mere-mortals can’t handle hours of dancing.”
“Of course, my lady.”
Kara gently pulls Lena’s arms around her own neck. Then she finds Lena’s hips. With a gentle touch, she lifts.
Lena feels like she’s floating. She experiences instant relief. She sighs dreamily. “Everyone should have their own personal Supergirl.”
Kara laughs, only swaying softly to the beat.
Earlier today they had seen each other in their wedding attire and exchanged similar breathless compliments before getting swept off into their respective duties. Of course, Lena was Sam’s Maid of Honor. When they walked together, arm-in-arm down the aisle as Maid of Honor and Best Man, it felt supercharged, like the moment was loaded with more. They both felt it. When they split at the altar, Kara left her with a kiss that burned on her cheek throughout the entire ceremony.
They’ve been dancing around this thing for a while now, years if they’re being honest, but strangely, now that they feel the horizon nearing, there’s no sense of urgency. This moment on the dancefloor, like the one at the altar, or the one this morning, is just one of many, all of which were leading them to each other.
Of course they fucking were.
So here they are, moving to the music, flushed from a day of love and celebration and family.
“Lena?” Kara whispers as one slow number rolls into the next.
Lena hums.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Ok.”
It’s soft, so soft, and it doesn’t last long, but it’s everything.
The End
Epilogue
The newlyweds leave the dancefloor first to the cheers of their loved ones.
Alex picks a sleeping Ruby up into her arms and carries her gently out of the venue, Sam by her side, heels dangling from her fingers.
The crisp night is heaven on their warm skin, the sweat from the dancefloor quickly cooling in the still air.
Alex loves being able to drive them home, loves being able to remember every little moment.
She navigates the roads with Sam’s hand in hers, checking the rearview every so often to see Ruby still happily asleep.
As Alex drives, she sees the years stretch before her like the road under her headlights. It’s not daunting though, it’s a comfort, and she is struck most of all by a feeling of gratitude.
She lifts their linked hands to press a kiss to the back of Sam’s hand. “Thank you,” she whispers into her knuckles.
Sam looks at her, eyes narrowing in confusion. “For what?”
“For everything,” Alex says easily.
And back at the venue, still Kara and Lena slow dance, foreheads pressed together, breathing each other in.
“You kissed me, Supergirl,” Lena smiles.
Kara chuckles. “I did. With permission, you’ll recall.”
Lena nods, moving both of their heads at the action.
“I’ve loved you for the longest time,” Kara whispers.
Tears fall unbidden from Lena’s eyes then and Kara gently wipes them away.
“I’m sorry,” Lena whispers. Now it’s Kara’s turn to shake her head.
Lena feels silly for crying. This moment is surreal. She wouldn’t believe it if for the fact that she can feel Kara’s hands on her hips and the warmth of her breath on her cheek.
“You call me Supergirl when you’re flirting,” Kara smiles.
Lena blushes.
“I like it,” she assures.
“Ok then.”
They trade whispers and kisses as the night stretches and the world falls away.
The next morning, Kara lays awake beside a sleeping Lena, her dreaming face soft and serene. Lena awakens under Kara’s quiet gaze.
“Good morning, Supergirl,” she mumbles, slightly self-conscious at Kara’s close inspection.
Kara shows no signs of embarrassment at being caught staring. It’s not the first time Lena’s felt Kara’s penetrating look, but only now is she calling it what it’s always been: plain old adoration. It’s no different than it was yesterday or the day before and she feels stupid for never noticing it for what it really was.
Kara can’t help herself. She captures Lena’s lips in a kiss.
Lena grins, her jumbled thoughts dissolving. “I’m glad you’re here,” she whispers.
“I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me.”
Lena reaches for Kara’s face then. The touch grounds her. “I used to dream of this,” she confesses.
Last night was full of confessions of missed moments and shared heartache.
I couldn’t name the pain in my chest when I saw you with James.
I thought Mon-El was your soulmate.
I hated that I liked Mia.
I couldn't stand the way William looked at you.
“Me too,” Kara admits before kissing her once more.
When she pulls back, she smiles. And there they lay, two smiling idiots.
“Will you marry me?” Kara says.
Lena laughs and stretches her hands above her head. The sheets shift to reveal alabaster skin but no, Kara won’t let herself be distracted.
“I mean it,” Kara says.
Lena is trying to gauge if she’s being serious. “We only just kissed for the first time last night,” she reminds her.
“We did a lot more than kiss last night,” Kara says, her eyes finding the exposed skin of her shoulders and the marks she left there.
Lena rolls her eyes even as she blushes pink. “You know what I mean.”
Kara nods. “On Krypton, I would’ve asked you to marry me the moment I knew you were the one. By those standards, this is far too late.”
Lena arches an eyebrow. “And when did you know, Supergirl?” she says coyly.
Kara’s face falls. “When I realized that keeping my identity a secret had destroyed us before we had truly begun.”
Kara retreats, the pain old yet still so easy to summon. Lena shakes her head, trying to avoid resurrecting those feelings. They should stay dead. “Hey, hey, we survived,” she soothes.
Kara nods. “I know. But-" She takes a deep breath before continuing. "Once I realized that truth, it was already too late. I knew I was delaying the inevitable by not telling you. I knew it was wrong. It was like being on a runaway train. I knew I’d run out of track eventually but I couldn’t turn back. There was nothing I could do,” she says mournfully.
Lena knows, she’s heard this all before; in therapy, on the couch together in the time after the credits have rolled, in bed late at night, shoulder-to-shoulder. They really should’ve seen this coming.
“Of course, in this metaphor, I’m not Supergirl. Obviously. I could very easily save an out-of-control train.” Kara flexes her muscles and strangely it reminds Lena of Mon-El. It makes her smile.
“Oh, of course.” Lena chuckles, glad not to linger too long in this old hurt.
“It took so long to get here,” Kara laments. “I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“Ok.”
“Ok? Ok, you’ll marry me?” Kara asks hopefully.
“Zhi, khap nim uvrreosh rraop, Kara Zor-El,” Lena answers. [Yes, I will marry you, Kara Zor-El.]
Kara beams. Lena leans in for a kiss but Kara jumps out of bed and zips out of the room. Lena huffs and pouts, unhappy to have been left hanging.
Kara comes back two seconds later with a bracelet.
“Well. That was quick, Supergirl.”
Kara blushes. “I may have had it on hand.”
Lena shakes her head. This feels utterly unreal. She can't really fathom the implications that Kara had made a Kryptonian bonding bracelet ahead of this moment.
Kara recites the ancient words she never thought she’d get the chance to say and tenderly places the bracelet on Lena’s wrist.
Kara speaks around the frog in her throat. “Um. This is just the engagement piece. On our wedding day, I will replace it with something more befitting.”
“It’s beautiful,” Lena says reverently.
“I’m gonna kiss you now,” Kara says.
“Please,” Lena responds, glad not to be kept waiting any longer.
They kiss until their kisses grow into more. As morning shifts to afternoon, they finally make it out of bed and to the kitchen.
Lena peacefully drinks coffee and scrolls her phone while Kara chews her toast thoughtfully.
“What are you thinking about?” Lena asks.
Kara blushes making Lena all the more curious.
Kara swallows. “I was thinking about your last name. If you would change it once we’re married.”
“Do you want me to?” Lena asks, thinking it is probably worth talking about dropping a name that was once synonymous with hating Kryptonians.
“No, no. I just-”
Lena looks skeptical. “It’s ok if you do.”
Kara shakes her head. “I fell in love with Lena Kieran Luthor. I love you and I love your name.”
Lena rolls her eyes.
“Genuinely.” Kara gathers her thoughts to explain herself. “I was just thinking about Kryptonian naming conventions. My surname is my father’s first and last name. On Krypton, names didn’t change after marriage, not like on Earth. And it’s patriarchal in both societies anyway,” she trails off.
“But?”
“It’s not like you could be Lena Kieran Zor-El Danvers-Luthor.”
“No, that’s a bit silly,” Lena says truthfully.
Kara sighs. She wants to honor all parts of her identity, not just the Earth ones.
Lena suddenly bursts out into laughter. Kara is confused.
“What about just El-Danvers?” Lena suggests with a smile. Kara looks confused so Lena continues to explain. “We can just drop your father’s first name.”
“Ok, and what about Luthor?”
“Well, I changed Luthor Corp to L-Corp, I’ll just drop Luthor to El.”
Kara grins as she starts to follow along. “Are you sure?”
Lena shrugs. “While I have made peace with the Luthor name recently, I’d be honored to represent the House of El. Khap zhao rraop, Kara.”
Kara kisses her then. The combination of hearing her mother tongue, and reconciling her two cultures, has her feeling lighter than she has in years. Or maybe that's just being in love.
Kara had found a journal of Mon-El’s not long after he left. When she opened it, she had expected doodles and cool ‘S’s and perhaps even other immature renderings; admittedly all of which were predictably present. But alongside his scrawling type, she also found a series of notes centering around herself. Her favorite foods when she’s sick, her favorite songs when she’s sad, her favorite sweater when she’s missing Krypton and, most revealing of all, her favorite TV show to watch after a long day: Law & Order: SVU.
This tidbit of information puts a smile on Kara’s face as she understands instantly that Lena has given him all of this information. Because Lena’s wrong. That’s not her favorite show to watch after a long day; it’s Lena's. And all this time she's just simply played along. Because she loves listening to her wax poetic about Mariska Hargitay's jawline.
Kara flips through pages and pages of notes, all dating back to around the time when Kara saw an improvement in her relationship with Mon-El. In that moment she feels a swell of affection for her best friend. It makes her storm into her office and demand they reconcile after spending time apart in the wake of the invasion.
Years later and long after they're married, Kara finally brings it up with a teasing lilt. When Lena is made to think back on those long-ago moments, it isn’t the old ache of her unrequited love she feels, or even the pang of missing her unlikely friend. It's contentment. The quiet contentment of knowing that that Lena, the Lena who loved Kara so deeply she wrote the curriculum on it, is going to be ok.
Even better, she’s going to get the girl.