Chapter Text
Kara’s always been weird. Not weird, weird, but weird.
Alex thinks its weird, weird.
Kara takes a huge breath in when she enters the women’s locker room at National City University. It’s the weird, weird that Alex accuses her of. In Alex’s opinion, locker rooms smell disgusting no matter what the cleaning staff does. In Kara’s opinion, it smells like hard work and dedication.
Again – weird, weird.
“Welcome back, Supergirl,” Coach John claps her shoulder in welcome.
Kara pushes up her falling glasses, “glad to be back, sir.”
“We got you a new set of equipment.”
“I’m okay, thanks,” she dismisses with a laugh.
Another weird, weird thing that Alex doesn’t understand is why Kara has chosen to wear the same equipment day in and day out since she was thirteen.
It’s weird because it smells disgusting… in Alex’s opinion.
Coach Jonn laughs. “Your stuff is already in your stall. I cleaned it as soon as it arrived. I had hoped you’d at least have it cleaned during the off-season.”
“There’s no such thing as an off-season for Supergirl.”
Kara gives Jonn another beaming smile and heads into the changeroom.
Alex and the rest of the team trickle in an hour later, rolling her eyes at the site of her sister, “Oh nice, only an hour early this year.”
Kara playfully salutes the older Danvers before throwing the grey and blue number twelve jersey over her head. She grabs her stick from the front of the locker room, taps it a few times against the floor and heads out the door.
“Overachiever!” Alex calls after her retreating form.
“Slacker!” Kara calls back before the door shuts.
Kara sets up her stuff against the boards, swinging her legs up to the ledge to stretch her hamstrings while she waits for the Zamboni to finish cleaning the ice. And that’s when she catches a glimpse of her - The Hot Chocolate Girl. She’s the most beautiful woman Kara has ever laid eyes on in the two years she’s been at National City University.
Lena Luthor.
Her uncontrollable crush on the youngest Luthor is another reason Alex thinks she’s weird, weird.
Kara knows all about the decades old drama between their families - Her brother and Clark were teammates, and in a bout of jealousy, Lex tried to ruin Clark’s career by severely injuring him during a scrimmage. He failed, and Clark’s then girlfriend and budding reporter, Lois Lane, exposed Lex Luthor’s jealous rampage to the Daily Planet which resulted in Lex being banned from ever playing in the NHL.
Lex is always in the media – the sports world only has so many psychopaths to talk about, and so the campus condemns Lena by default, and Kara stares wistfully across the ice every day working up the nerve to talk to her, but never quite working up enough.
So, naturally, they’ve never spoken.
But it’s a new season, and Kara just knows this year is special - she can feel it in the air. And with a new season comes new beginnings.
Lena looks exceptionally good today in a deep green V-neck sweater that must be at least two sizes too large and dark blue jeans, and her arms flex when she hefts two boxes, shuffling them to balance underneath each arm. She makes it a dozen feet, directly in front of the stretched out Kara before her boxes slip from her grip and land on top of Kara’s skate.
“Oh!” Kara startles, wrenching her leg off of the ledge too quickly. She nearly steps on a box, slicing the top of the carboard with her blade, overcorrects and lands directly on her butt.
“I was - sorry - I just - do you want help?” Kara scrambles to her feet, hiding the blush that has spread across her cheeks from her clumsiness. She reaches down and hoists the offending boxes in an easy motion.
“Thank you,” the raven haired girl says, barely glancing in Kara’s direction before diverting her focus to her hands.
“Oh, it’s no problem. I’m happy to help. I could have helped earlier, you know, I’m always around. Sorry - I mean, my name is, I’m -”
“Supergirl.” Green eyes finally raise at Kara’s rambling, and sparkle in amusement. Lena tilts her head towards the entrance to the arena and motions to the ceiling to floor banner, then turns back to the blonde with a smile. “Your face is plastered all over the arena, its hard not to know who you are.”
Kara flushes further. “My friends call me Kara,” she corrects. Kara tries to juggle the boxes to free a hand in a sloppy attempt at a handshake.
“Lena.” Lena reaches forward and grips the tip of Kara’s hockey mitt and gives it a small shake.
“Lena,” Kara repeats, “Cool. So do you - do you wanna show me where we’re taking these?” She rushes, embarrassment creeping higher up her neck. She pulls her hands back quickly – too quickly to not be weird. Quit being weird, Kara – she thinks.
Lena turns on her heel and strolls to the left of the ice, stopping in front of the concession stand that is nestled between the entrance and the locker rooms.
“Right here is fine,” Lena gestures as she drops the box in front of the closed window. There’s a delicate lilt in her voice that Kara finds her brain puzzling over. “Thank you again, Supergirl.”
Kara chuckles, cheeks pinking yet again. “It’s Kara.”
“I thought that was just for friends.” Lena’s eyebrow is perfectly coiffed, perfectly lifted, just so damn perfect that Kara is mesmerized.
“I think we’re on our way,” she replies hopefully.
Lena hums. “Alright. Kara,” she says it with a soft click of the ‘k’ and an even softer roll of the ‘r’. Kara feels like she’s never heard her name pronounced so sweetly and she decides she wants to hear it pronounced this way as often as possible. Lena’s eyes wander to the closed window. She rubs her hands on the front of her jeans and looks back at Kara, who is still just intently watching her. “Are you more of a chocolate, sweet or salty person?” Lena’s eyes bore into Kara with an intensity far too great for the simple question.
Kara feels like she’s being studied. Her smile hurts from its own brightness. She wants to say that she likes it all, but really, she likes the girl behind the counter. The Hot Chocolate Girl.
“I’m partial to hot chocolate.” And, oh, Kara feels like she’s spilled her most precious secret with the way Lena’s smile erupts.
“Kara! Where the hell are - oh, hey, let’s go, the Zamboni’s off the ice!” Alex yells from behind, carefully watching the exchange. Kara flinches at the distinctly different way her sister says her name from Lena.
“I’ll see you around?” Kara doesn’t want to scare her away, so she tries to make her voice dance the line between hopeful and indifferent, but ultimately fails. She takes two steps backwards, afraid that if she looks away Lena will disappear, and Kara will be awoken from a hockey induced coma to explain how she managed to finally speak to her crush.
“Bye Kara,” Lena says softly, a small, awkward wave at the blonde. “Have a good practice.”
Kara walks backwards as long as she can, floating on the syllables of her own name in her ears, and ends up crashing into her sister by the boards of the rink. Alex shoves her helmet into her gut in response. “Ouch. What’s that for?”
“That’s Lena Luthor,” Alex hisses when they’re far enough away. She shoves Kara’s stick into her hands once her helmet is on. “Luthor, as in Lex Luthor, you know, the guy who broke Clark’s leg back in ‘08.”
“I - oh,” Kara glances over her shoulder to the girl at the concession stand busy unpacking boxes of candy and chocolate. She sighs, stopping to lean on the bench walls and stare. “No one even cares about what happened back then.”
“Pfft,” Alex drops down to the ice to stretch her groin and legs. “they’ve literally been talking about it since you signed to NCU,”
Kara rolls her eyes, already annoyed at this conversation turning towards her cousin, as always. “They’re just trying to make a story out of nothing.”
“You’re literally on pace to beat all of Clark’s titles. You play the same way. Kara, you wear his old equipment. Not to mention, you’re literally studying journalism just like him, and Lena’s a science major just like Lex. There’s a lot of similarities.”
“And yet I’m referred to as Super girl instead of Superman, and no one has referred to Lena as violent or insane.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Isn’t it? Something bad happened a long time ago and now I must deal with the consequences?”
“A Luthor is a Luthor, their whole family is bad.” Alex grumbles.
“Whatever,” Kara snaps. “I’m already warm, I’m gonna do some laps.” She takes off before her sister can even respond.
***
It’s not until after dinner, when Kara is trying to get ahead of her homework that Alex comes back to their dorm room.
“I brought potstickers,” she says meekly.
Kara sighs and removes her glasses, rubbing her eyes and turning to her sister with a doleful look.
“I know I was harsh earlier, but you know I’m just trying to protect you. A lot of people are counting on you, Kara,” the redhead says.
The potstickers taste sour in her mouth when she thinks of all the reasons everyone hates Lena Luthor, and the fact that not one of those reasons are because of what she’s done. “I know I’m supposed to stay away from her, but Alex, she’s - I don’t know, she doesn’t seem like she’s out to get me like her brother and Clark.” Kara ends up pushing away the plate of food with a frown.
“You got all that from one conversation?” The redhead raises a skeptical brow. Her eyes dart to the neglected food before pinching into a frown.
“Exactly my point!” Kara exclaims, throwing her hands in the air, food completely forgotten now. “I think I should get to know her! Just give her a chance!”
Alex crosses her arms with a roll of her eyes, but she doesn’t respond.
Kara grasps onto the silence, beating her sister to a rebuttal. “Look, I promise, if she’s as bad as you say I’ll back out. I’ll even buy you a bottle of scotch for being right.”
Alex sighs in defeat. “I know how stubborn you are. We’ll talk about this later - I just wanted to check on you before I head over to Kelly’s. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kara says. She waves towards her computer with a frustrated smile. “Gotta start now if I want to be like Clark.”
***
Kara spends every moment after their interaction thinking about Lena. She swears she sees her in her journalism class and in the cafeteria, but of course knows that isn’t the case since they haven’t ever crossed paths outside of the arena before.
It’s not like Kara needs any more distractions with the way Professor Grant has warned her how difficult she structured her schedule, and Kara’s struggle with Professor Snapper Carr’s inherent ability to be a jerk. She already has little time as it is with road games and practices and training, and from her experience, it’s hard to maintain a friendship with someone who doesn’t have a similar schedule. But Kara can’t really help that she’s drawn to the youngest Luthor. She wants to get to know the woman who hangs around the arena by choice, with a textbook in her hands; always smiling pleasantly and speaking softly even when someone is yelling in her face.
She’s so wrapped up in the thought of seeing Lena it takes her a moment to recognize that the concession stand window is actually open.
“Aha!” A head of black hair pops up from behind the counter with a loose m&m between their fingers. “I have found the final piece of inventory!”
“Oh!” Kara’s face falls from shock to disappointment. “Hey, Brainy.”
He nods in that odd way that's come to be associated with him, interlocking his fingers overtop of the counter separating Kara from himself. “Good afternoon, Miss Danvers. Unfortunately, I am unable to procure you with any concessions as we are only taking inventory at this point.”
“Oh, uh, no worries, I just was um…” Kara taps her fingers on the counter, leaning over slightly to see inside. Brainy quirks a brow with a frown, leaning away.
“Is Lena working?” Her cheeks redden and she scratches awkwardly at her neck.
Brainy hardly appreciates the question, his brow raising further and his frown tightening. “Lena will not be able to procure you any concessions either, I’m afraid.”
Kara huffs a laugh, “No, I - I know that, I just - I…”
“The concession is open at the start of the season.”
“I know,” Kara sighs in exasperation. “I just I’m, I want to talk to Lena.” She raises both eyebrows and smiles tightly, willing Brainy to understand.
His face pinches, frustrated at the misunderstanding.
“Um, is everything alright?”
Kara whips around to see Lena standing behind her with yet another box in her hands. Her brows are furrowed, but amusement paints her lips when she takes in the frustrated blonde.
“Lena!” A smile immediately blooms on Kara’s face. “Hi! You have - how’s your - can I help you with your box?” She grimaces as her brain stumbles over her words. Her cheeks darken as a sharp eyebrow is raised in her direction.
“No, I’m quite alright. Is there something I can help you with, Kara?” She places the box on the floor and dusts her hands, fidgeting with the rings on her fingers.
Kara runs her tongue over her lips, trying to think of a reason to have stopped by other than the fact that she has a giant crush, “Um,”
“I’ve already informed Miss Danvers that you cannot provide any concessions at this time,” Brainy interrupts.
“No, that’s not…” Kara rubs her temple and sighs.
Lena chews her lip to hide a smile at the mounting frustration in blue eyes. She knows Brainy’s quirks and knows how quickly a conversation can become derailed. “All we carry that’s not part of the inventory is hot chocolate,” she shrugs. “Tons of extra hot chocolate was delivered accidentally.”
“Actually -,” Brainy starts, but Lena interrupts, her smile sharp and dangerous.
“You can take your break now, Brainy!” She glances back at Kara, tips of her ears warming slightly at the blonde’s knowing smirk.
Maybe Kara isn’t the only one who is feeling off balance. “I do love hot chocolate.”
Lena walks behind the counter and pushes aside the candy that Brainy was counting and shoos the man out of the stand, much to his voiced dismay. She pulls up two Styrofoam cups and starts pouring the boiling water all without saying a word.
Kara leans against the counter with a forced nonchalance. “So, um, what are you studying?” She fidgets with her glasses to give her something to focus on other than Lena’s delicate hands.
“Physics and chemical engineering,” she replies.
“Oh, wow, that’s -“
“With a minor in biology.” Lena adds on.
“Golly,” Kara says with a stunned expression. “That’s impressive. Wow, Lena, that’s - you’re amazing. What are you planning to do with those degrees?”
“I was hoping to focus on environmental and biological advancements to help create more efficient ways of distributing clean water around the world, and how the pollutants affect quality of life in cancer patients. I feel like we can reduce the destruction of the planet while saving lives if we look at it from a holistic view.” Lena’s cheeks dust with pink and her eyes widen. “At least, that’s what my thesis is going to be on.” She shrugs, trying to appear nonplussed in the face of Kara’s obvious growing awe.
Kara blinks. Takes a sip of her hot chocolate. “Did I tell you that you’re amazing?”
The youngest Luthor tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What about you?” Lena asks.
Kara is watching her so intently that she’s caught completely off guard, trying to think of how words work again.
Lena’s eyes dance with withheld laughter.
Kara waves it off while she gives the designated answer. “Oh, I’m majoring in journalism. I want to be a journalist like my cousin, Clark. I Want to explain complicated concepts to the masses.”
Lena’s eyebrows furrow and once again, the intensity of green eyes has Kara feeling unmoored. “Really?”
Kara sighs, twists her mouth to the side. “Yep, Journalism.”
It’s rather intimidating, being at the centre of Lena’s attention when she wants to solve a puzzle. She pierces Kara’s gaze with her own. “You don’t seem too excited by it.”
The intensity of green sends a kick to Kara’s gut, the shock of being seen knocking the wind from her sails. No one questions her choice. Journalism is a respectable career. It’s what she’s supposed to do. “It’s just a lot of studying,” she deflects. “Lots of… words… and stuff.”
“‘And stuff’,” Lena mimics. “Sounds awful.” Her mouth slowly tilts upwards, a teasing smile taking over as she let's Kara escape the accusation.
Kara’s eyes flit to her watch, noting her time is coming to an end even though she isn't quite ready for it. “So, uh, maybe we could grab a bite to eat later in the cafe? Discuss more about your work?” She tries to hide the hopefulness in her voice, fidgeting with her glasses and looking everywhere but Lena’s curious eyes.
“I -“ Lena is cut off by the boisterous laugh of Nia Nal, and the chittering of both the men’s and women's hockey teams.
Lena’s shoulders tense at the noise, her face smoothing from the crooked grin to a more serious, blank look, and Kara feels her heart crack at the change.
Morgan Edge shakes his head when he notices Lena, whispering something to Maxwell Lord, who then turns to stare at the pair. “Oh ho ho if it isn’t Lena Loser . Better watch yourself, Kara, I hear the whole family is psycho,” He spits.
Kara stiffens and shoots a glare so hot at the forward pair she thinks her eyes would burn them to an immediate crisp. “Screw you, Lord. Don’t get too many splinters riding the pine this year.”
Kara, itching with anger from the idiot’s comment, rubs the back of her neck and turns back to face Lena. “Sorry about those jerks.”
“I’ve been called worse by better,” Lena shrugs. She quirks her lips into a tight smile, her body still stiff and reserved.
Kara can’t find it in her to smile at Lena’s self-deprecating joke. “So, uh, yeah, dinner? You can teach me about the physics of hockey? Or we can talk about… ‘stuff’?”
She sighs. “Actually, um, I have a lot of studying to do, so… maybe some other time. I should, uh, I should probably get back to work, though, so…” Lena avoids the blonde’s eyes.
Kara’s heart implodes, Lena’s clear discomfort a blow to Kara’s chest. “Okay, maybe some other time.”
***
Kara finds herself excited to get to the rink the next day, hoping to spend a little time with the youngest Luthor. Lena’s eyes lift from the textbook when she hears the squeaking of Kara's sneakers on the freshly cleaned floors.
“You’re early.” She tries and fails to hide a smile.
“I needed a hot chocolate fix,” Kara says with bright eyes, rapping on the counter with her knuckles.
“We’re not technically open till the season starts.” Lena’s already grabbing two cups.
Kara lets her palms press into the counter. “And yet, you’re here.”
The raven-haired woman lifts one shoulder, letting it drop as the hot water falls into the cup. “It’s quiet. And who would picture me, of all people, here, of all places?”
Kara chuckles. “Yeah, I’d think you’d be the last person slumming around a smelly arena. I figured they’d have a seat in the library with your name engraved on it.”
“Not when you’re a Luthor and your last name is on the news for literally only bad things,” Lena sighs. Her brows furrow and her jaw clenches once, twice.
Kara frowns, her fingers twitching to reach out. “I’m sorry.”
Lena clears her throat, a sly smile replacing the tension from earlier. “Don't you think hot chocolate before practice is detrimental to your performance?”
Kara graciously let's the subject drop. “I think hot chocolate is a great pregame ritual. It has protein and carbs to fuel this temple.” She flexes her bicep and doesn't miss the way Lena's eyes widen slightly.
“You hockey players and your superstitions.” She laughs.
“Oh, you know much about hockey?” Kara asks. “I know Lex played, do you?”
Lena shakes her head, passing Kara her cup. “Nope. Mother preferred me in ballet classes rather than on skates.”
Kara takes a large step back from the stand and makes a grand attempt at a plier. “Ah, the ballet. Plier. Pirouette. Arabesque. Pointe shoes. Uh - Nutcracker.”
Her smile widens at Lena’s scrunch of her nose. “Are you just naming random ballet words?”
“Definitely,” Kara replies, dropping from her toes back to her normal stance.
Lena lets out a breathy laugh. “Mother would be appalled.”
“Oh,” Kara pouts.
“That’s a good thing. I like it,” the raven-haired girl says quickly, dimples showing with her smile. Kara knows that Lena is putting on a brave face. There’s a tension in green eyes and a subtle clenching in the chiseled jaw that gives her away.
“Anyway,” she deflects with a flash of a smile. “No, to me playing hockey. Have you and Alex always played together? Have you always been close?”
Kara shakes her head. “No, when I first moved in with the Danvers, Alex and I didn’t get along. I was, um, I was a lot to handle at first, so…” Kara shrugs, “I get it. But she always looked out for me. Made sure I was safe. She’s my best friend.”
Kara knows what she said would lead to questions about her life before the Danvers, but Lena seems to be content with what Kara wants to give her with her kind gaze and soft smile.
“Lex used to be my best friend. When we were kids, he’d talk about science more than hockey, just to get me to talk to him. He bought me my first microscope.” Lena laughs at herself, but her smile softens into something sad. “He was… very different to who he is now, if you can believe it.” Her chin quivers. She clears her throat. “I don’t really know this version of him, and he doesn’t know me. Not anymore.”
Kara wants to reach out and comfort the dark-haired girl. She doesn’t. She knows it’s not what Lena needs to hear, so, instead, she pushes her glasses up her nose, and asks Lena about the only thing she knows would lead Lena into a tangent. “I was reading an article online - do you know anything about Quantum Entanglement?”
The brightening in green eyes jumpstarts Kara’s heart. Lena breaks into an excited tangent that flies so far over Kara’s head the blonde can only nod and laugh and feel warm all over.
She’s completely enamoured by Lena Luthor.
Nia shows up, waving excitedly over at them and gently reminds Kara that the rest of the team will be showing up soon. She does a very unsubtle attempt at winking at Kara, throwing a thumbs up at the blonde when she thinks Lena isn’t looking.
“I should...” Kara starts, pointing toward the doors of the locker rooms once again with darkened cheeks.
“You should…” Lena agrees with a nod, still softly smiling at blue eyes.
Kara starts to walk away but turns back quickly. “Oh, and Lena?” Green eyes meet hers, and Kara reminds, “Your brother is missing out on knowing someone so wonderful.”
She catches a glance of Lena’s bright red cheeks before she walks away.
***
Alex fidgets while she lingers by Kara’s desk chair.
Kara raises a brow at her sister, waiting.
“Do you wanna come to Kelly’s? James will be there. We’re going to have a game night.”
“No, thanks,” Kara thumbs through the next page of her book. She’s having to read multiple chapters a night to keep pace with her workload, increased ice time, training, video review, and one-on-one sessions for the approaching season.
Alex huffs. “You haven’t hung out with us at all this semester. Kara, this is similar to when -“
“Don't.” Kara snaps her book shut and glares at her sister. “This is not the same.”
Hands raised, Alex backs off and moves to her side of the room. “I’m just saying, it’s not healthy to only socialize with one person.”
Kara rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. “But it’s okay if it’s not Lena, right? Because she’s the only anomaly this year.”
Alex sighs. She doesn’t want to fight with Kara, but her sister won’t listen to reason, so, to avoid another fight, she leaves.
***
Kara’s pre-hockey ritual continues as the Home Opener arrives.
Kara gets hot chocolate with Lena, and they chat about everything. It’s nice. It is the farthest cry from the school newspaper writing comparative reports between Kara and Clark or Kara and Lena; or her professors and coaches all expecting perfection; and being reminded to decide what she wants to do for her senior thesis - Professor Grant strongly hinting towards covering the Immigration crisis like her cousin did.
So, Kara refuses to compromise on what little time she gets to spend with Lena. What little time she isn’t having to be the reflection of Clark, nor Lena having to live in the shadow of Lex. It’s nice to have a friend that she can just be Kara with.
Lena breathes a laugh when she tosses her empty cup in the trash. “Always so superstitious.”
“Always,” Kara says with a smile, slugging back the dregs of her hot chocolate.
“Kara!” Alex barks from the change room.
Kara rolls her eyes. “Duty calls,” she says to Lena.
“Never a day's rest for Supergirl. Good luck, Kara.”
By the end of regulation time, Kara has cemented her claim to the pregame ritual. She manages to walk away with seven points - scoring a hat trick and contributing on four other goals in NCU’s blowout win. She winks again at Lena on the way off the ice, releasing a pretty pink on Lena’s cheeks, and Kara carries the warmth in her chest for eliciting that reaction for the rest of the day.
***
Kara is riding high that week. Lena opens up to her more and Kara grabs at any tidbit of information the youngest Luthor wants to share with her, and when she finally calls them friends, Kara nearly cheers aloud. But, of course when a Super and a Luthor come together, the world creates chaos.
Alex storms into the cafeteria and slams a newspaper down onto Kara’s table, nearly giving the girl a heart attack.
“Hey!” Kara grumbles, settling her orange juice before it spills onto her pancakes. She pulls her danish, donut and coffee cup closer to her as well, fearful of Alex slamming something else and sending her food toppling to the ground. “What?” She snaps around a mouthful of food.
“Read that,” Alex wears a smug grin that turns Kara’s stomach.
LUTHOR VS SUPERGIRL: Lex Luthor Appointed Head Coach of Women’s Hockey Team at Metropolis University.
Kara rubs her temple and sighs. “Alex…”
“I don’t trust her. You’re telling me that only now that you two are friends, her brother decides to coach the women’s team at our rival school?”
“You don’t trust anyone,” Kara grumbles. Before Alex can respond, Kara holds up her hand. “Alex, I appreciate it, I do, but whatever this is,” she gestures to the paper, “is just pandering to the warring public. It’s like Team Edward or Team Jacob.”
“Except this isn’t a crappy sci-fi movie! Kara, come on, you can’t tell me this isn’t suspicious?”
Kara grinds her teeth so hard she worries her jaw will crack under the tension. “What's suspicious is why you weren’t this worried when I told you that something about Mike felt off!” Kara ends in a hiss, trying her best to not draw attention to their argument in the middle of the crowded cafeteria.
Alex pales, but Kara isn’t finished. “No, from what I remember, you and everyone else told me that I was being ridiculous for not giving him a chance and it took you forgetting your jacket and walking in on him pinning me to a wall for you to believe me.”
“I just… I messed up with Mike,” Alex huffs, running a hand through her short red hair. “I shouldn’t have pushed you, so maybe I’m overcompensating a little.”
“Maybe?” Kara bristles, “He nearly broke my arm! Lena smiled at me. It’s not the same.”
“Okay, fine, I am,” Alex exhales. “I just worry. It makes no sense that he’d get the job now.”
“Maybe he wasn’t looking. Maybe he wasn’t qualified. I don’t know, Alex, maybe he was in a contract! There are so many possibilities but your head is so far up your own butt you can only see the possible poop storm!”
Her sister crosses her arms, jaw working frustratedly at the younger Danvers.
Kara grabs the newspaper and reads through the article. “ ‘From a trusted source, it seems the Luthor siblings are playing the long game, forcing his sister to learn Supergirl’s weaknesses off the ice so they can capitalize on. ‘There have already been threats made by the youngest Luthor to Supergirl’s face’, says Maxwell Lord, a friend of Supergirl and member of the NCU Men’s Hockey Team.’ Alex, this is clearly a load of crap.”
“There’s some truth in everything, Kara. Even if it’s stretched.”
Kara is done with this. She wants to eat in peace, and she wants to stop being told who she can and cannot be around. She refuses to let anyone make that choice for her, even her sister. “She’s not Lex and I’m not Clark!” Kara forgets the potential onlookers and slams her hands on the table, sending her plates wobbling to the edges. “Let it go… Captain, and leave me alone.”
She’s gone before Alex can respond.
***
Kara is so upset by her sister’s accusation that she skips her classes altogether. Her body is antsy, and she feels triggered by her sister, so she grabs a change of clothes and heads to the rink even though it’s a scheduled day off. If she’s going to skip class, she might as well make good use of her time.
She is wholly unprepared to see a figure elegantly carving a path along the untarnished ice, black hair whipping about as they pick up steam in the straight away to then open their hips into a mohawk and to a backwards glide. Kara is absolutely mesmerized by the gracefulness of the skater. She's not sure how long she stands there staring, only realizing that she has walked towards the glass when her foot bumps into the boards loudly and draws the attention of the skater.
“Lena?”
Green eyes widen. She quickly gathers her belongings and escapes the scene before Kara can chase after her.
***
An hour and a half later, Lena approaches the edge of the open rink door awkwardly, watching a panting, sweaty blonde lying in her street clothes on centre ice.
“You know, you can get hot chocolate from the cafe?” She yells, aiming for levity. “You didn’t have to come all the way here and wait for me to get out of class.”
Kara doesn’t react, her breaths uneven like she’s been… crying?
Lena fumbles with her backpack, thinking for one long second, then shuffles out onto the ice in her sneakers.
“Hey,” she says quietly upon arrival next to the prone figure. She nervously digs her fingers into her own crossed arms.
Kara’s red rimmed eyes snap closed. “That’s all you have to say?” Her voice croaks. She sounds miserable.
Lena shrugs. She chews on her bottom lip and flexes her fingers into her skin. Kara is visibly upset, and Lena has an idea what or who caused it, and she feels a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“What was all that?” Kara accuses, gesturing lamely to the rink around them, eyes still refusing to look at the dark-haired girl. “Why did you lie? You said you don't know how to skate.” Her voice is sharp, like she anticipates being proven right in her preconceived notions.
The pain and accusation in Kara’s voice settles heavily on Lena. “What I said was that I didn't play hockey. And, might I add, I don’t owe you an explanation, Kara, for what I do and don’t do.” She clenches her jaw so hard it hurts. She doesn’t want to be mean to Kara, but she doesn’t want to be walked over for something she had no control of.
“I know,” Kara breathes. She lightly bumps her fists against her forehead. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m having a bad day and I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
“You're right, you shouldn't,” Lena replies, but she melts seconds later when she sees teeth gnash against an already swollen bottom lip, and shoulders start shaking. “But you’re always safe to talk to me about how you’re feeling. Do you want to?” She asks, sliding down to a seated position. “Maybe over hot chocolate?”
Kara sniffs, rubbing her face with her hands and using them to hide the tears that keep spilling down the sides of her cheeks.
Lena slides to her back and shuffles until her arm is pressed against Kara’s cool skin, hoping the warmth provides some comfort. “Is this about Lex?”
Kara shakes her head yes, then no, then shrugs. It’s more so about Alex, and Kara’s history, and her feelings for Lena, and Lena’s history, and the media, and how overwhelmed she is.
Lena picks at the edges of her sleeves. “I didn’t know,” Lena sighs out, and immediately Kara tries to comfort, pushing herself up and shaking her head.
“It’s not that.”
Lena gives her a knowing raise of the brow.
“Okay, it’s slightly that, but it’s mostly… it’s everyone else’s opinion of it.” Kara lays back onto the ice, pressing the side of her arm against Lena’s once again. “I can’t explain it.”
“The pressures of living with the mistakes of my brother. Trying to live up to the triumphs of Your cousin?” Lena tries.
Kara turns her face to the side. Lena turns to match. Green and blue search each other, quiet in the soft puffs of warm breath. “Yeah,” Kara whispers. Her heart tattoos against her chest, her gaze drops to Lena’s lips before flitting back to her eyes. “It sucks.”
Lena smiles, warm and soft, and inches her hand closer to loop her pinky over Kara’s. “It does.” A shiver suddenly runs through the dark-haired girl, the cold from the ice finally seeping into her bones. “How about that hot chocolate?” She asks again.
Kara smiles a real smile for the first time today and hauls Lena to her feet, escorting her to the safety of the rubber mats outside of the rink.
“Why did you run?” Kara asks, leaning her arms against the rink door instead of exiting. There's a crinkle to her brow, a furrowing that appears only when she’s trying to figure out a problem.
Lena shrugs. “I was scared. I thought you’d get mad that I was on the rink, or that you’d think I had lied out of spite. I’m a Luthor, I’m always seen as being devious and I just… didn’t know how to handle you thinking that.”
Kara chuckles. “That sounds like the two furthest possible realities. I don’t think that, and I definitely don’t judge you on your last name. I actually thought I scared you away. That you thought you couldn’t trust me.”
“I do trust you, Kara. It’s actually -,” Lena huffs, pulls at her fingers, “I was thinking about - um, Would you… want to study with me later? I know I said no before, but… I figured it’d be nice to study with someone else, and since we're friends and you had asked…” Lena’s voice trembles.
A slow smile spreads across Kara’s face until her cheeks start to hurt. Lena rolls her eyes and playfully pushes her shoulder to make her glide back a good ten feet.
“Thank you,” Kara says quietly, skating back to the edge of the rink and stepping off the ice. “For the hot chocolate… and the company.” She towers over the raven-haired girl, her skates adding a good four inches to her already taller frame and the difference makes Kara feel an urge to protect, so she leans into Lena and wraps her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug. She feels the girl stiffen for a fraction of a second before melting into Kara’s embrace and wrapping her arms loosely around Kara’s side.
“I’ll meet you after dinner?” Kara regretfully pulls away.
“Perfect. I’ll let you get back to it.”
“Cool,” Kara says, “that's cool.” She can't help the smile on her face or the awkward way she drums her fingers on the leg of her pants.
***
Kara does her darndest to avoid her room after her skate. She has no idea if Alex is there, but she doesn’t want to risk running into her and having another blowout. She tries and fails to work on an assigned piece about the downfall of the rise of feminism (which she wholly disagrees with) on campus, grumbling the entire time about how Snapper Carr is evil, evil, evil. She spends two hours in the cafeteria, trying a few new combinations of food just to kill some time. She plays video games in Nia’s room and then decides to take a nap in the student lounge when she exhausts everything else.
She startles from her slumber at the sound of the door slamming and shoots up off the couch in a tizzy, eyes darting to her watch to see that it’s well past dinner time.
“No,” Kara whispers. “No, no, no!” Kara let's out a pitiful whine. “Shit, God damnit,” she breathes, burying her head in her hands.
“I never thought I’d hear you swear,” the lilt of the most wonderful voice makes Kara’s head snap up so quickly she falls off the edge of the couch.
“Lena!” she exclaims, scrambling to her feet, tripping over the coffee table in front of the girl who sits primly in the armchair. “What are - what are you doing here?” She dusts down her sweatpants and begins fidgeting with the ends of her sweater in her fingertips.
Lena smiles softly, tapping the textbook strewn across her lap. She puts it on the small coffee table beside her and stands to greet her sleepy friend. “Nia caught me in the dining hall, told me you left to take a nap in the lounge, and when you didn’t show, I came here first.”
“I'm so sorry I overslept, I know I look awful, and, oh god, did I snore? You look amazing, fantastic, really. I was gonna change, of course - but did you want to still - or we can study another time? I’m so sorry, I know we had plans.”
“Breathe, Kara. It's quite alright,” Lena says. “You look good and it’s still early.” She lays her hand on Kara’s forearm, and the blonde immediately stops speaking.
Kara takes a large breath. “So, where to? I know you hate that library.”
Lena’s cheeks colour up to her ears. “Um, actually, I was wanting to do something else. If you’re okay with that?”
“I have no problem not reading another work by old white men who were way behind their times just like Professor Carr,” Kara jokes.
Lena’s breathy laugh makes Kara’s heart stutter and fumble over itself. “Well maybe tonight’s activity can make up for the lack of diversity in your readings.” She sounds hopeful when she looks Kara’s way.
“I know the company will.” And Kara feels proud of how easily she let's the flirtatious line drop between them. Her chest nearly puffs out in pride. “So, what do you want to do?”
“I wanted to show you something. On the ice.” Lena’s shoulders crawl up to her ears, the pink on her cheeks darkening and her fingers nervously grasping each other.