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It was windy on her balcony and Lena stood with a sharp smile on her face, eyes shining with pain, the light spilling out of her office reflected in them as the darkness of night enveloped her. She shivered in her shirt, resisting the urge to wrap her arms around herself as she stared at the blonde woman standing a few feet away from her with a confused look on her face.
“Have I done something to upset you? If I have, then I’m sorry, I just- I don’t know what it is.”
“No?” Lena asked, lifting her chin in a haughty manner as pain blossomed in her chest. “Not a single clue?”
“Lena, wha-”
Scoffing quietly, Lena rolled her eyes and purposely took a step back to the low bench she’d had installed outside so she could sit in the fresh air and escape the suffocating confines of her office for a few minutes a day. Now, she climbed up on top of it, staring at her friend, uncharacteristically dressed in sweatpants and an old plaid shirt, looking a little weary as if she was coming down with the flu.
Lena had called her urgently, knowing Kara would come. It had taken her longer than she expected, almost as if she had caught a bus or a cab, instead of flying, but Lena knew that she would have flown. She was Supergirl, regardless of the fact that Kara was still pretending that she was two people. Now, Lena was going to make her say it, after weeks of avoidance as she came to terms with the truth. And if Kara was insistent on making her go to certain extremes, Lena was more than equipped for it.
“What are you doing?” Kara asked, a low warning in her voice as she took a measured step towards her, backlit by the light of the office. Her hair was like spun gold, her skin paler than usual, and blanched even paler as Kara stared up at her with round eyes, and Lena’s lips twitched into a slight smile. “Come down from there. You’re being silly.”
“Afraid I’ll fall?” Lena asked, a challenge in her voice as she arched an eyebrow, a wry smile curling her lips. “Oh, don’t worry. Supergirl will save me, I’m sure of it.”
She turned and raised one foot and braced it against the top of the wall, glancing back over her shoulder at Kara, who had taken another nervous step forwards, both hands outstretched now.
“Lena, please. Don’t do this. We can- we can talk.”
“How about we talk at the bottom?” Lena suggested, cocking her head to the side, a flicker of victory warming her, even as her stomach fluttered nervously as the wind tugged at her hair.
Despite the fact that she was terrified of heights, Lena was brimming with adrenaline as it coursed through her, and she breathed in deeply, clenched her hands into fists, and gripped the edge of the balcony.
“Don’t!” Kara shouted from behind her, her voice breaking on the word as she watched Lena hoist herself up onto the lip of the low wall, teetering on the edge for a moment before she fell.
It was almost graceful, and she didn’t make a sound as she disappeared into the darkness below, the wind rushing around her, swallowing the choked sounds of Kara’s exclamations. Lena closed her eyes, feeling the wind bite her cheeks as she fell quickly, arms and legs splayed to slow her descent, giving Kara the moment she needed to change into her costume.
Up on the balcony, Kara was scrambling up onto the bench, the wind ruffling her bangs as she gripped the edge of the balcony, gritting her teeth as she felt the human weakness in her wiry muscles, the muffled sounds of the city, where it should’ve been a deafening cacophony that should’ve been loud enough to overwhelm her. She had solar flared that morning, expending too much energy trying to keep the city safe as she spread herself thin, cleaning up the mess that Agent Liberty had left in his wake with alien dissension.
Still, powerless and drained to the point of exhaustion, Kara didn’t hesitate for a moment as she pulled herself up onto the precipice of the balcony, feeling the wind howl around her and clutch at her clothes, before she raised her arms above her head like a diver, and pushed off. Her back curved in a perfect arc and she cut through the air like a knife, glasses falling away, lost to the night, urging herself on towards the dark figure she could see tumbling through the sky below her.
She had no cape, no invulnerability and not even an ounce of flight, but Kara was seized with so much terror that she couldn’t think of any other option but to jump after Lena. Perhaps she’d survive the fall, and with a bit of solar radiation from the yellow sun lamps at the DEO, she’d be fine. But Lena - Lena wouldn’t survive it. She wouldn’t walk away with broken bones that could be fixed with a little bit of radiation, and it was with startling clarity that Kara realised she meant for Kara to save her. Jumped with the full confidence that Kara would be half a step behind her, ready to swoop in with her red coat swishing behind her, strong arms cradling her against her chest. It was with crushing devastation that Kara swallowed a sob and let gravity pull her down as she silently prayed.
But as she fell, Kara knew that she wasn’t going to make it, and she watched the ground race up and up, lit by street lamps and the light spilling out of office lobbies and restaurants, with Lena just within arms reach of her. And then colliding into her with a solid warmth that reassured Kara for the briefest moment, before the terror of their free fall filled her once more. She held her tightly, eyes squeezed shut, waiting to dash themselves against the sidewalk and smear it red as their bodies broke against the concrete.
And then the air stilled around her and she felt weightless, Lena’s arms circling her waist, and Kara’s eyelids fluttered open with the tentative fear of someone who was confused and wary to look. But she looked, and Kara found herself staring at her own dark reflection glimmering on the dark face of a helmet as she hovered mid-air. It was deep emerald green and plum, cold to the touch and glowing faintly, and Kara’s throat was dry and constricted as she stared speechlessly, the air chased from her lungs.
Slowly, they descended, until they touched down on the sidewalk with such gentleness that Kara’s knees almost gave way beneath the weight of her body as she found herself on solid ground, in the shadow of L-Corp. The helmet of the suit Lena wore - a design similar to the one that she’d made for Kara, the blonde suddenly realised - retracted to reveal the triumphant woman encased within it, standing tall and smug.
“What is wrong with you?!” Kara exclaimed, eyes wide and frantic, chest heaving as she staggered, completely off balance as her heart pounded in her chest.
Her voice was ragged and broke as she spoke, each word laced with panic and so much fear that it made Lena falter for a moment, lips parting as her dark eyebrows rose. Staring at the ashen face and windswept hair, the look of utter terror in Kara’s glassy eyes as her knees buckled and she sagged against the grey wall of L-Corp, Lena found herself rooted to the spot, cheeks still flushed from the free fall and lips parted in surprise.
“Why would you jump off a building?!” Kara shouted, her voice cracking as she let out a shuddering sob, which caught in her throat as she slid down the wall and came to a slumped heap at the bottom.
Looking faintly nauseous, her pallid face slowly started to redden with anger as Kara clutched at her chest, which was rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to calm herself down. Still clad in her bulky armour, Lena took a few lumbering steps towards her, brow furrowing as she reached out a hand.
“I thought- I thought you’d catch me.”
“Catch you?” Kara choked out, an almost indignant expression on her face as she managed to shake herself out of her stunned stupor and meet Lena’s anxious green eyes. Her own were thunderstruck, a cerulean storm as she gave Lena an astounded look. “I have no powers! You could’ve- you could’ve … died! You arrogant asshole. Why would you do that to me?! ”
Mouth falling open, Lena recoiled as if she’d been slapped, before her jaw snapped shut and her lips pressed together in a flat, white line. A jolt of fear ran through her, prickling her spine and turning her icy cold as she stared down at the sorry heap of a woman who had just thrown herself off a twenty-floor building on a whim.
Finally managing to move, Lena made a low sound of panic at the back of her throat, slamming a hand against the glowing purple disc on the front of the emerald suit and stumbling forward, tripping over her feet in her haste. The armour rippled over her body, retracting back into the silver bracelets she’d taken to wearing, hidden beneath the cuffs of her starched shirts.
Dropping to her knees before Kara, Lena’s anxious eyes swept over the blonde’s face, face pinched with worry as she couldn’t even find the words to speak. She’d lost her glasses in the fall, and Lena stared at the face, identical in every way to the caped hero’s that she was floored by her own blindness, yet confused by the fact that Kara had been helpless as they fell. Even Lena didn’t believe that she would’ve let her die just to keep her secret; not after nearly exposing herself to save her before.
“I thought that you- Lex said- he had videos ,” she stammered, stumbling over the words as she struggled to get them out, confusion and disbelief colouring her voice as she looked at Kara with bewildered astonishment. “Why would you jump after me with no powers.”
Choking on a laugh, it slipped past Kara’s lips in a strangled sound as her face twisted with painful amusement. “Why would I jump? What would you have me do; stand there and watch you fall? I thought you- I didn’t know you had that … thing. I thought I ... well, I thought was going to lose you.”
Kara ran a trembling hand over her face, cold sweat beading her forehead, and she let out a shaky breath as her hand flopped back down beside her and she met Lena’s gaze. Her eyes were wide and mournful, full of so much tender sadness that it twisted the knife in Lena’s heart, making it hard for her to swallow the lump in her throat.
“I thought you were Supergirl,” Lena said, voice meek and quiet and regretful as she curled inwards, shying away from Kara as she waited for her to lash out for her reckless stupidity.
Bangs ruffled, eyes still wide with disbelief, Kara lay splayed against the bottom of the wall with a look of sheer incredulity as a strained laugh bubbled up her throat and out of her mouth, until her listless body was shaking with laughter and her eyes were welling up with tears. Lena wasn’t entirely sure what sort of shock she was experiencing, but she was almost certain that Kara was sad. As she watched, the tears spilt over and ran down her cheeks, and as wounded as she’d felt only minutes before, as bitter as she’d been about her friend’s lies - although, Lena was starting to doubt herself now - she wanted to reach out and tenderly wipe them away.
With a weariness to her face, Kara’s laughter faded to just the ghost of a smile curving her lips ever so slightly, and reached up to her chest with a leaden hand, fumbling slightly as she scrabbled at the fabric of her shirt. It was almost as if she was trying to tear the shirt open, heedless of the buttons, and Lena felt a sinking in her stomach as she knelt before her, shoulders bowed and stared at Kara’s clumsy fingers.
“I am,” Kara croaked a moment later, voice hoarse and pained, eyes pleading and desperate as she managed to undo the top button, revealing a sliver of blue. “I am, I just- I can’t. I solar flared. I don’t have any- any powers.”
Reaching out, Lena slowly unbuttoned the rest of the outfit, taking in the crest splashed across Kara’s heaving chest, and found herself speechless, words failing her. She just knelt there before her, gripping the fabric of the plaid shirt as she felt slow burning anger rise up within her, fear blossoming in her chest as she made a pitiful sound.
“You could’ve died,” Lena finally managed to gasp out, her hands limply falling as she scrambled backwards, a hand going to her mouth as she felt her stomach twist with nausea. “You could’ve- why would you do that? You can’t just- you can’t do that, Kara! I thought you- I thought you’d catch me.”
“I didn’t know you had that!” Kara spluttered.
A flush of anger made Lena feel hot beneath the collar of her shirt, and her eyes prickled with tears as she choked on a sob. “Don’t you- don’t ever do that again. Don’t you ever try and save me if you- God, don’t do that. Please.”
With a shaky laugh, Kara gave her a tired smile, reaching out a hand to her, which Lena slowly placed her own in, feeling the fragile human warmth of Kara’s touch as she wound their fingers together. She swallowed another sob and met Kara’s tender gaze as she gently squeezed her fingers, saying everything that they’d never said to each other with that one look. Lena felt it in her chest as strongly as if she’d said the words.
“You jump, I jump.”