Chapter Text
The applause and adulation of the people around him were not enough to satisfy Guy Gardner's ego. They are never enough, but at least distracted him enough not to irritate Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific as they all disembarked from the latter's oval ship.
Metamorpho wasn't bothered by his partner's attitude; in fact, he found it quite amusing.
They were greeted by a huge, anxious crowd that cheered as soon as Guy Gardner made a victory sign with his fingers, showing that everything had gone well.
“Of course everything was going to turn out fine; we are your trusted protectors.”
Despite the Green Lantern's arrogant charisma and the presence of the entire Justice Gang, the people's attention also fell on the Kryptonian who had accompanied them on the mission and was now slowly descending with hands behind his back. His knowing smile lit up everyone's hopes even more than the sun, and the younger ones quickly ran up to him to express their admiration.
Gardner couldn't help but roll his eyes.
“Oh, come on, don't act like he deserves all the credit!” He sought support in Terrific's expressionless face, then in the distracted winged girl, and finally in the newest member of the team, whom he hugged by the shoulder and shook to recapture the citizens' interest “This guy! This friend here is the one who stopped the ruthless villains, right, Metafisura?”
“Actually, my name is Metamorpho.”
“Exactly, him! And me too, obviously- I mean- all of us were the ones who-”
“Give it a rest, Guy. It was just a bunch of lunatics who tried to spray methane over the city, and Superman took care of most of them. Don't exaggerate.”
The Lantern's forced smile, as he waved with one hand and held Metamorpho with the other, became even more fake as the crowd cheered after Terrific's words. If at first the children were eager for Superman to pick them up, now they were almost begging him to fly with them.
“Damn it, you had to ruin it, buddy.”
“I'm leaving.”
“Kendra? You support me, right?”
She paid no attention to him. Her frown before and after removing her helmet seemed to pay attention to nothing but the figure of the kryptonian a few meters away surrounded by people.
In response, Guy Gardner lowered his arms in resignation, muttered a couple of derogatory comments, and followed the other two when the police arrived to take everyone's statements.
However, Kendra had something important to do first.
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sure.” With his smile intact, Clark carefully put down the child he was carrying and said goodbye to two others who were playing with his cape before looking at the winged girl “How can I help you?”
“Do you know when Kara will return?”
“I thought she had already returned and was with you these days.”
“I haven't seen her since she left last time.” She looked away to hide the shadow that crossed her face “I guess Krypto will want to come back soon to play with everything here, and that will encourage Kara to do the same.”
Clark's bewildered look just frustrated Kendra more, but she didn't direct her anger at the superhero, who wasn't to blame for anything. Even he, despite being taller and bigger, looked genuinely confused.
An effect that his cousin has on everyone.
“I'd say it's weird for her to disappear for more than two weeks, but... I guess that's normal for her.”
“Yeah...”
“How are things between you two? Sorry for asking, it's just that my cousin doesn't tell me much about her personal life and sometimes I worry.”
“Don't worry.” Kendra took a breath, put her hands in her jacket pockets, and lowered her wings, indifferent to the sun shining in her eyes “She and I are fine. She makes me angry about a lot of things, but the good things outweigh the bad.”
“I hope her tendency to escape the solar system to drink isn't an inconvenience in-”
“It is.”
She held the annoyed Superman's gaze before snorting a small smile and nodding her head, which took the gravity out of her words.
“I told you, her excessive drinking bothers me, and she's lucky I have a lot of patience.”
“Are you sure you don't want me to talk to Kara about it?”
“What for? She's not the kind of woman you can convince with a simple discussion. Besides... it's something I need to talk to her about when she gets back.”
Another family approached to take photos of their children with the Man of Tomorrow. Of course, there were many others who wanted the same thing as Hawkgirl, and although she allowed it without any problem, the burning sensation under her skin caused by her girlfriend's disappearance just increased with the distractions.
They resumed the topic as soon as they had the chance.
“I imagined Kara would appear out of nowhere in the sky when we were fighting those jerks. It would have been nice...and cool.”
“I admit I thought it was strange not to see her protecting the city today, but you're right. It would have been cool.”
“I'll keep waiting for her.”
“Are you sure she didn't tell you which planet she was going to? That way I can estimate how long it would take her.”
“No, she didn't say anything about that.” She crossed her arms; her annoyed gaze fixed on the grass in front of her boots “Kara just mentioned something about settling scores with some insectoid beings or something.”
“Oh...”
“From your reaction, I guess I shouldn't wait for her standing up, right?”
“Rather, don't expect Kara to come back clean.”
“...”
“Or sober.”
. . .
Twenty-four hours passed and everything remained the same.
The same afternoon sun, the same calm air, the same news on television.
The same absence of Supergirl.
The only difference to note was that there were no more attacks on the city by ridiculous villains, which gave her the chance to stay at home without any outside obligations, something she greatly appreciated.
The frustration caused by the blonde-haired kryptonian with reckless attitude is already too much to add to the whirlwind in her head.
She came out of the bathroom with a sigh of relief after the hot water relaxed the tension in her shoulders. The towel drying the moisture on her neck and brown locks is her best friend right now as she sits on the edge of the bed watching television.
As she changes channels, she sees her own reflection on the screen and unconsciously thinks of Kara. The robe she put on, the one she always wears when she gets out of the shower, reminds Kendra of her girlfriend's hair color.
It's a strange feeling, and she doesn't know if remembering her makes angry or grateful.
She doesn't even pay attention to what's on TV; her mind is busy deciding how she will react when they meet again. She doesn't know if she will let go of the anxiety weighing on her shoulders and embrace the girl who has come down from heaven or, on the contrary, reproach her forcefully and throw a pillow at her head.
Kendra recalled Kara's most recent goodbyes over the past few months, each one sincere in her excitement to return, but also devastating in the time that passes until the next time they embrace again.
She dried her hair on autopilot as images from the past flooded her mind.
“Change to another channel.”
“We've been changing channels for like ten minutes and you can't decide on one.”
“I don't like any of them, and I doubt you'd find a show about exotic food recipes interesting. Change it.”
“Ironic coming from someone who can't stop eating when there's food in front of her.”
“That's different.”
“Why?”
“Because- wait, that movie is good! Leave it there.”
Melancholy intertwined with loneliness, and both struck the brunette's expression as her own memory brought back the most recent afternoons of cuddling on the couch, herself lying on her back and Kara face down on top of her, moving her feet back and forth.
The shared warmth of their bodies transcended the present and made her smile, even if only because she longed for it again.
“Are you hungry?”
“The question itself is offensive.”
“I'll assume you're not.”
“Yes, I'm hungry! Sorry.”
“Do you want us to make hamburgers?”
“Yes please.”
When she teasingly touched her nose with her finger on that occasion, she made sure to look at her closely to etch that memory into her mind. The gray sweatshirt that covered her hands up to her knuckles just further highlighted the Kryptonian's natural beauty.
Eyes as blue as the sky, surrounded by strands of hair as yellow as the sun and complemented by a beautiful mouth that she couldn't resist kissing.
That day, their clothes didn't stay on for long as their kisses descended to their necks and excitement began to burn in their lower belly.
“I love you.”
Without realizing it, she touched her lips, perhaps as an impulse of her body to keep alive the ghost of the kisses they shared before she saw her slowly rise against the light and disappear into the immensity of the sky.
Despite being somewhat accustomed to periods of time without her partner, Hawkgirl spends several nights gazing at the stars, either through the window on the right side of the bedroom or on the roof of her home, hoping to see a flash of blue, red, and yellow.
That hope is also what keeps her anchored to reality. She is objective in the fact that she is dating a girl who is not from this planet, who does not have the expected needs of a human, and who has an alarming obsession with drinking.
She frowned with a low growl as the image of Kara completely drunk and passed out on her bed came to mind.
On the one hand, it's funny and even adorable to see her deny that she has a drinking problem. On the other, it's a thorn in her side, fueling her concern that it could significantly harm Kara in the future.
Kendra already knows that Kryptonians don't suffer the same consequences as humans when it comes to drinking, regardless of how much alcohol they consume. If that weren't the case, Kara would have been hospitalized with alcohol poisoning long ago.
But even so, she can't help but imagine the worst-case scenario if her girlfriend doesn't moderate her drinking during their adventures in distant worlds.
Not to mention the physical consequences if she faces a lethal threat while drunk.
She sighed as she turned off the television and before completely drying her hair.
She doesn't want to think about that right now.
The sun's rays coming through the window warmed her body, barely covered by her robe, and the feeling of vulnerability in her bare feet was already taking its toll.
It was unknown when the snow would begin to fall; meteorologists announced that it would be in the next few days, and Kendra could already feel the cold in the air despite the pleasant warmth of the sunset.
She was blinded for a few seconds when she turned her head and chose to get dressed without facing the window. The intensity of the sun left her dazed for a few seconds as she stood up and reached for the knot of her robe.
This position prevented her from seeing the intruder until her instincts warned her, and she froze with her back to the light.
“Your hair always- Hic! Always looks darker when it's wet. I like it.”
The goosebumps didn't subside when that recognizable voice reached her ears; it intensified in a way that was different from what one would expect from a threat or compromising situation.
“You look so sexy.”
Hawkgirl felt a myriad of emotions as she slowly turned around with one hand over her eyes to block out the sun's rays and make out the female figure in the chair in front of her window.
A female figure dressed in red and blue, sitting with one leg over the other in the most arrogant posture Kendra had ever seen.
The can of beer in her hand hanging at her side was nothing compared to the expression on the blonde's face. After looking her girlfriend over with a drunken, loving gaze, she smiled, maintaining eye contact with an expression that exuded equal parts confidence and intoxication.
And Kendra didn't know which of all those details in Kara's presence made her frown more before she re-tied the knot of her robe and crossed her arms, ignoring the sun that was bothering her eyes.
Now she had a much more important reason to feel annoyed.
“Hi, birdie, I missed you so much. So much.”
