#and the truth of what Lex did

[thatonebirdwrites]

We're close to the end of this story. Chapters 11 and 12 will wrap it up, and I added 13 as an epilogue for fluff.

This part of the story requires a lot more editing since Integration is something that I struggle with myself. So it's the exploring different ways to learn to either coexist with alters or integrate. But this also means I can more easily triggered while editing. So it takes me longer, plus my health has been atrocious of late. This flareup has been awful.

Anyway, may you enjoy this update and let me know your thoughts!

EXCERPT:

The location of the private laboratory sits two floors below her penthouse. Installed as a back-up to the private labs at L-Corp, most of its existence serves to research what exactly Lex did to her. It contains a full suite for blood and genetic testing, electron microscopes, scanning machines, and various chemistry and physics equipment. Due to this, the lab covers the entire floor, most of the doorways and interior walls dismantled to give more space for the machinery.

It has been a month since Lena last stepped into this lab. Partly due to time, partly due to Lex’s death, and partly because she sits trapped in her mind. Lost in a maze of memories.

So the person who enters the lab is not Lena. Nor is it Kieran, Rory, or Angry.

The Other, programmed for one purpose years ago, steers Lena’s body through the doors and into the cavernous interior. The Other moves cautiously, as if still unfamiliar with the act of walking. The single-minded purpose surges with flares of green that washes through the ventricles of Lena’s mind, distracting the others.

What The Other does not know is that the door to the lab holds a movement sensor. The Other's failure to input an encryption key triggers the download of the sensor’s data into the automated email program. This sends a heavily encrypted message to Lena Luthor and a back-up message to Sam Arias in case Lena is incapacitated for any reason.

The release of the automated emails triggers a second tripwire, which turns on cameras, set to the local network to document the transgressor’s progress. As the progress is monitored, another tripwire activates. Without Lena’s encryption key, the larger lab instruments and analyzing units become inert, while the database unfurls another layer of encryption. All this happens in less than six seconds.

The Other seeks the chemistry equipment, and data on all prior Kryptonite projects, both of which lurk in the lockdown status. The last remaining isotope still sits in the test apparatus next to the blood analyzer, the pile only twelve grams in total. Under lockdown, passwords aren’t sufficient.

But Lena’s fingerprint is. One press of a thumb, and the blood analyzer starts up with a hum. Two pinpricks later, the necessary vials are filled with a sample of Lena’s blood.

[zylev-blog]

Danny was pissed. He was chilling in the Speedforce, waiting on his dad—the Flash—to show up when he felt something shift around him. He exited the speedforce to find that the timeline had changed again, and he had been written out of the timeline. He technically was a time anomaly now, and didn’t exist. So he talked to Clockwork, a ghost he’d gotten to know extremely well after Danny’s creation.

Danny was a clone of the Flash and Green Lantern(Hal Jordan) as part of an experiment that Lex Luthor had taken prior to cloning Superboy. Lex had wanted to know if the power ring was able to transmit anything genetically (it couldn’t. It was a wearable weapon, not a genetic thing.) but Danny had inherited Flash’s superspeed, so he wasn’t a complete loss. Danny wasn’t sure if he looked more like either man, considering they both wore masks. He had brown hair and green eyes. Beyond that, he tanned well, was tall for his age, and packed on muscle far easier than the Flash did. He hadn’t ever seen either man out of the costume.

After a talk with Clockwork, he decided he was just going to force his way back into his Dad’s life. Both of them, if possible. He arrived years before his creation by mistake, right near the start of the Justice League. By his estimates, the team had only been formed for a year before he’d arrived. It was strange; he both didn’t exist and was from the future. He guessed that it was around nine years before his birth, and since he was technically six months old, he was 9 years in the past. Thinking about this was going to give him a headache.

The Justice League was severely mistrustful of each other. They didn’t go out of their way for teamups, didn’t have weekly meetings, and almost pretended if the other members didn’t exist. The most recluse of them was Batman, of course. If any hero set foot in Gotham, they were booted out before they even got to downtown. Danny highly suspected Batman had the entire city on camera. The situation was weirding him out more than before. What had happened to the team?! He was used to everyone being one big family, and even the sidekicks having their own teams… speaking of sidekicks, why was Robin so small?! Wait a minute, that wasn’t the third Robin that he was used to, that was the first Robin! Baby Nightwing!

Thankfully for him, he still had his costume on this entire time as he zipped around the country, spying on the younger members of the Justice League. It was surreal watching everyone try to capture him, but he wasn’t going to be caught that easily!

Eventually his presence forced the Justice League into another teamup. Batman laid the trap out, and Flash lured him into it. The plan was so beautiful that he didn’t even realize it was a trap until he was caught in it. Green Lantern took off Danny’s mask, and for the first time, he looked at his fathers without a mask. They didn’t make the connection to him right away. It wasn’t until Wonder Woman’s lasso made its way around his wrist that the truth finally came out.

“Who are you?” Wonder Woman asked.

“Oof , hard question—ow ow oww—I’m being honest!” He struggled against the lasso as it started to burn him. “My designation was Dn-y, I go by Danny, though. I’m a clone.”

“Of who?” Batman demanded.

“Flash and Green Lantern.” The lasso was glowing brightly, indicating that he was telling the truth.

“How did you escape?” Flash asked.

He didn’t answer right away. He was trying to think about how to phrase the whole time traveling—timeline erasure thing when the lasso started to burn him again. “Ow ow! Sorry, I’m thinking! Ow! Turn down the settings on that thing, holy shit—okay, okay.” He winced, his words coming out in one breath as he quickly talked, “What do you know about time travel?”

Diana’s eyebrows were rising. “How are you able to resist the lasso for so long?”

“I’m not really resisting it.” He answered, noting the obvious deflect of his last question, “I just-oww—okay! My mind moves too fast for me to put into words sometimes and it makes me stop to think about it, but like, I’m not good at controlling the speed in which I speak all the time—owww make this thing stop burning me! I’m speaking honestly!”

Diana revoked the lasso, and he rubbed his wrist where his costume was starting to singe. He was still trapped in an anti-speedster prison, so it wasn’t exactly like he was going anywhere anyway.

“Why were you asking about time travel?” Batman asked.

“Based on the crickets chirping I heard earlier, that leads me to believe you guys haven’t had any experience in it yet.” He leaned against the wall of the prison, wincing as it shocked him with electricity. “Seriously? How paranoid are you, Batman?” He rubbed his shoulder. “Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting with you people, but I feel so attacked right now.”

“So we have experience with it in the future?” Superman piped up.

“Yeah?” His tone of voice equated to a ‘duh’ tone. “Why would I ask what you knew if I wasn’t from the future?”

“How far in the future are you from?” Green Lantern asked.

“Nine years, maybe close to ten? Timelines are weird. I’m technically six months old, but at the same time I’m sixteen. Cloning is odd, but I was like, the first clone ever, so I don’t really have a basis for this sort of thing, if you catch my drift.” He shrugged. He seemed like he talked a lot more than the heroes did, but he didn’t know if that was because he was a chatterbox, or because they weren’t comfortable in each other’s presence. Either way, the silence was odd to him.

“How did you end up here?” Batman asked.

“Honestly? I don’t fully know. Don’t give me that look, Diana! I’m telling the truth.” He added quickly as Diana fingered her lasso again. “All I know is one minute, I’m chilling in the Speedforce, and the next, the timeline is changed and I’m nine years too early for my birth. You’d think the timeline would at least have the decency to spit me out in my own year, but nooo, it wanted to—“

“What’s the Speedforce?” Superman interrupted.

He tilted his head at Superman’s question, then turned to the Flash. “How long have you had your powers?”

Flash shifted uncomfortably. “Two years.”

“Oh boy.” Danny’s green eyes widened. “You don’t know anything about them, do you?”

“I do know things!” Flash deflected, “My suit doesn’t catch on fire anymore! I can run up to Mach 2! I can get from either end of the country in thirty minutes!”

He groaned loudly. “Oh no. Oh no.” He chewed on his thumb, trying to recall everything he’d learned about his powers from his Flash. While he hadn’t learned his or Green Lantern’s identity yet, he knew almost everything about their hero personas and a lot of personal information. They were just worried of the Cadmus connection and didn’t want their identity to fall into the wrong hands if they still could see inside of Danny’s head.

“What’s wrong?” Diana asked.

“Okay.” He ran his hands through his brown hair, making it spike up. “Hypothetically—“ he cut himself off as Batman glared at him. “Okay, totally real, but uh, Flash, let’s just say that I’m faster than you right now. A lot faster.”

“How much?” Flash took a step forward, obviously curious.

“From what we can tell, I’ve topped out at Mach nine.” He responded with a dry laugh, “But your speed was still a lot faster than mine. You’d never tell me what it was. I’m still growing though, and I’m getting faster. I’m able to beat my precious time by almost double each time we test. But my situation was complicated, and things were happening, and it was a mess.”

“Like what?” Superman asked.

“World war three. I think?” He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture that he had picked up from Green Lantern, “Things got complicated. That’s why I was going to wait for…” his eyebrows scrunched together as the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. “It was you!” He turned to Flash. “You!” He jabbed a finger at the speedster. “You set this up! You set ME up!”

The heroes took fighting stances, but Superman took a step forward, blocking them from Danny. “What are you talking about?”

“Okay okay.” He was trying to calm down his anger, but he had been told by Green Lantern in the past that he had inherited the man’s anger issues. “Let me start at the beginning. This is going to be a long story, you might want to take a seat.”

Nobody moved, but everyone was tense.

“Or not. Okay. So my creation starts with Lex Luthor.” He noticed Superman stiffen. “He used me as his trial, if you will. Once he got a successful attempt at cloning—me—he moved onto his real target. Cloning Superman.” Danny’s green eyes hovered onto Superman’s blue ones. “He was successful.”

“What happened?” Superman’s voice was unnaturally quiet.

“Well, at first, Conner wasn’t showing that he had all the powers of Superman. So Lex tossed him aside and tried again. The second attempt was more successful than the first. But cloning Kryptonian dna was hard, I guess.” He shrugged. “The second clone lacked basic emotions. Empathy, remorse… it made him the perfect little weapon for Lex. But eventually, the clone’s anger and Lex’s greed got to a point of no return. Lex was elected President of the United States and uh…you can probably see where this is going, right? While the fighting hadn’t like…’officially’ started,” He used his fingers to create air quotes around the word ‘officially’, “Things were getting tense. See, we couldn’t take the clone down because Lex had wrote out the Kryptonite deficiency out of his weakness. And the clone had all the strength of Superman and none of his remorse…”

Superman looked pale. “I see.”

“So Flash and I came up with a plan.” He turned back to his father, “We were going to travel into the next dimension for help. From what we could tell, that dimension was full of god-like beings, and one of them actually helped me out earlier! But for a lot of them, they ask for a price for their help. But anyway, Flash and I were going to take our case to the King and plead for help. I was waiting for Flash when the timeline reset and I found out that not only did I not exist, but I was nine years too early.”

“What are you going to do now?” Green Lantern asked.

“Dunno,” His voice dropped as the reality hit him. He wasn’t going home—his home didn’t exist anymore.

[bluerosefox]

Tim, buddy, what do you mean you might had accidentally made a Love Child?!

Danny finds out that

1. He's a clonish 'love child' of two heroes

2. He was accidentally created during one of his donors mental break downs after losing his father and best friends (one of which was his other donor)

3. CW interfered before his creator realized what he made and pulled him out of that dimension because "it would had lead that world to true ruin if he found out at his state of mind. He's better now but it would had been the final straw for him should anything had happened to you in his care and given who he had to partner up with later... I did what I had to."

4. Due to Danny having a bad fall out with his parents after he told them about being Phantom (they didn't attack him... but they did disown him.) Danny is left adrift of what to do. He doesn't wanna bug Jazz, she's in college and dorming. Tuckers place has no room. Sam's parents would never let him stay. Vlad was a definitely a no go. And Dani (Ellie) last check in was near the Amazon rainforest.

5. Danny finds out some of his powers might not be as ghostly as he thought... it does explain the huge power boost some of his powers have compared to other ghosts.

6. He went to Clockwork... who proceeded to tell him the truth, smile his cryptic smile while saying "and now. Have fun this time around. I'll see you again in due time Daniel." Before yeeting him into a portal.

7. Danny woke up in his home dimension.... deaged to being five years old (the age he would be if he stayed and grew by now) (DC timeline is slower than DP in this)

8. He woke up apparently his creator's home city... during a Gala (Danny woke up in a garden, dazed and confused. His memories are fuzzy)... and wandered into the party... and apparently he looked like a perfect mix of his.. dads? Which catches A LOT of peoples attention.

9. Especially with Tim Drake-Wayne and Conner Kent-Luthor just announcing they're dating that very night.

10. Rumors and gossip of a random kid, who looks just like the recent happily announced couple, go flying quickly among the elite... and reaches certain ears before it gets to batfam and supers (I have a feeling they learned how to block out rumors and gossips during these events)

11. Those ears happen to be Lex Luthor and Ra's al Ghul (both who are there at the Gala just to annoy and unnerve the Bats and Supers)

12. By the time the rumors get to Tim and Conner, they find Danny almost getting taken away by one of those two.

[natalievoncatte]

It began with a sneeze.

Lena’s entire body tensed, pain wracking her sinuses, and she tried to tamp it down and swallow it. There was a room full of investors, and she paused mid-presentation. She held up a protesting hand, signaling that she needed no help, and waved off her assistants. Finally the feeling subsided and she soldiered on, accidentally repeating part of the presentation. It didn’t matter, it was just a formality.

After, she was sitting alone in her office and she did sneeze this time, hard, into a silk handkerchief. A dull ache had settled into her bones and she felt droopy, tired. Still, she had work to do. Not the work she wanted to do. Not running the company, not strategizing. Not inventing or innovating. It was menial. It was assigned. She worked for her brother.

It was his pretty revenge, because Lena shot him two times in the chest. Then a bunch of very strange shit happened and Lena suddenly found herself in an entirely different world where Lex had never died, even though they both remembered it. A hellish nightmare world where Lillian was a philanthropist and Kara and all her friends worked more or less for Lex, keeping aliens in check.

Lena couldn’t go to her best friend for help, because her best friend had betrayed her. Lena almost wished she’d been erased when the multiverse collapsed, replaced by a copy of herself who’d never felt this agony.

There was a truth she would never admit, even to herself.

She’d feel better if Kara was here.

The days dragged on and so did her cold. Except, it wasn’t a cold. On the third day she woke to a high fever, feeling a little wobbly when she forced herself out of bed. Her sinuses burned and she had to breathe through her mouth. When she took her temperature, it was elevated, close to being dangerous. Every muscle and joint on her body ached and the sight of food made her retch involuntarily.

Lena had the goddamn flu.

She did something she’d never done: by a curt email, she informed her staff that she was ill and would not be in the office today. Instead, she rummaged through her closet, her breath catching on a familiar sweatshirt.

It was a Midvale High School Mathletes sweater. It was Kara’s, but Lena knew with a certainty that Kara had not been in Lena’s penthouse since It Happened. There was no way for this to get here but…

She stifled a sob. This world had its own Lena, one whose life she’d appropriated or merged with or God knows what, and that Lena Kara’s clothes in her home. Lena kept stumbling across them and it hurt more every time.

Had they been happy, before? Kara must have spent the night. They must have been close. Lena had been close with her Kara; they hung out and Kara had slept over a few times but they weren’t really on your-clothes-in-my-closet terms. Had that been what happened here? Did they share the bed? Were they…

Did they…

Lena put it on, felt it shelter her body. She put in two pairs of leggings and hoped her laptop would warm her. She curled with it on the couch, and got exactly nothing done. After three hours she closed the computer and flipped channels until she found the old friend of the seriously ill and the chronically unemployed: reruns.

Curling on one end of the couch, she laid her head to rest on the arm and her eyes slid closed.

It seemed that as soon as she did, she opened them again. Her head was throbbing. She tried to push herself up, but it was too great an effort and she flopped down again. Her throat was dry and sticky, and unable to breathe through her nose, air came in reedy wheezes. Swallowing only made it worse, and she felt a rising panic.

Something beyond sleep, thick and heavy, was dragging her down, even as she struggled.

A chill night breeze rolled over her, and she shivered explosively.

"Easy now. I've got you."

Powerful arms lifted her limp body and carried her. Gently, Lena was laid on her bed and a blanket thrown over her.

She opened her eyes. Kara sat her up, cradling her in one arm as she held a glass in another, so Lena could drink. She let the cool water wet her throat and did her best to breathe again. Gently, Kara lowered her back down to rest and folded a cool, damp cloth on her forehead. Lena sighed in relief.

“Get out. Don’t want you here.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara whispered. “I can’t leave you alone like this. I’ll be right back.”

She was indeed right back, Supergirl walking into Lena’s budoir carrying a drug store bag full of medicine. She sat Lena up again and administered the foul tasting stuff over Lena’s protests, then shut off the lights.

Lena tried to roll on her side. It didn’t go well.

Kara knelt and slipped out of her boots. Then, she undid one side, then the other, and unclasped her cape from her shoulders. She then swept it over Lena and tucked it around her gently.

“Kara,” Lena muttered.

“Hush. It’s a blanket. It’ll keep you warm.”

Lena wasn’t sure what happened next, if she dreamed it or if it was real, but she felt the bed shift as Kara climbed aboard and laid down beside her.

Eventually, she woke up again. Kara was tucked against her back, one arm thrown protectively over Lena’s side, resting on her blanket cocoon. Kara snored lightly, lying on the bed so that her chin rested on the crown of Lena’s head.

Kara noticed she’d stirred and silently stood, offering Lena her next dose of syrupy, nasty medicine. She accepted it just as silently and laid back down to sleep.

The cycle continued. Day came. Kara didn’t leave her. She drew the curtains and laid on the bed beside Lena, never speaking, never making any demands.

Finally Lena was well enough to roll over and face her.

“Why are you here?”

“I heard Gillian’s Island coming from your living room and thought you must be in danger.”

Lena snorted in spite of herself.

Kara softened. Her big blue eyes, eyes that could launch a thousand ships, carried such a weight of sorrow that Lena felt a surge of pain and regret in her heart, wondering why in the hell they were feuding. No. She couldn’t do that. She couldn’t just…

“I’m sorry.”

Lena tucked herself into the blankets. She wanted to roll over, to turn away, to stop this before she did something she would regret later.

“I keep finding your things in my place,” Kara murmured. “It makes me wonder if it was different here. If we were different. What if I’d made other choices. If I’d been honest with you. Bolder.”

“You weren’t,” said Lena. “You aren’t. That’s the way it is. That door was closed.”

“When I landed on your balcony, it was open.”

“A mistake I won’t repeat. Careless. Thank you for helping me, but I didn’t need it. I don’t need you.”

Kara closed her eyes and sighed.

“I hate doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“You’re lying.”

Lena jerked back, as much as her aching body would allow, anyway.

“How do you know?”

It didn’t hit Lena that she hadn’t offered a denial, at least not until later.

“Easy,” Kara smiled. “I cheat. Skin conductivity and moisture levels. Heat bloom on your skin. Pulse. Pupil dilation. Breathing patterns.”

“I have the flu. That’s why.”

Kara frowned.

“You’re wearing my sweater.”

“It’s not yours. It’s hers. The lives we stole.”

Kara shook her head. “That’s not what he did. Your brother created this world to live out his fantasies and make me suffer. That’s why your things are at my place and mine at yours. It’s showing us the life we should have had,” a tear shone on Kara’s cheek, “had I not been a fuckup and a coward. If I’d trusted you.”

Lena choked back a small sob, and started to cough violently.

Without a word, Kara gathered her up and rested Lena’s head on her shoulder, walling her up in those beefy, protective arms of hers. Lena allowed it, curling her fingers against the twitching muscles of Kara’s back.

Lena wanted to pull away…

No. That was a lie, a miserable fucking lie. She didn’t want to pull back. She didn’t want to fight. She thought she had to, that she needed to.

“Don’t cry,” Kara said, tenderly brushing a tear from Lena’s cheek. “I know you’re furious with me. I know things are bad. I know your brother has power over us. It’ll get better. I won’t let him hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

“You already hurt me.”

“I know,” Kara whimpered, her voice wobbling. “I’m sorry, Lena. I’ve never been more sorry about anything in my entire life. I wake up every day praying I can find some way to take it back."

"You can't."

Kara tensed.

"Maybe you don't have to," said Lena.

Kara's breath caught. She lowered Lena to the bed, and this time wrapped them in the blankets together. She was so warm.

"I've got you."

Blessedly, Lena slept.

Each time she woke, she felt better. Eventually, she was well enough for Kara to leave the bed. A few minutes later, Kara came back, and she brought breakfast. Her appetite back, Lena dug in, enjoying the tea Kara brought.

Kara took the tray and plates when she was done.

"You look a lot better."

Lena nodded. "Ah, yes, thank you."

Silence. There was a heavy pause, and then Kara sat down beside her on the bed.

"I wish I'd been brave before."

Lena looked at her, really looked at her, this enchanting vision looking at Lena like she hung all the stars in the sky, her eyes so full of longing that Lena felt she might fall into them forever.

"What would you do if you were brave?"

"This."

Warm fingers curled around Lena's chin. Kara leaned in, and Lena felt it happen even before their lips touched. When they did, it was electric. Lena felt the world spinning. Kara caught her and lowered her to the bed.

"I don't care about multiverses and cosmic entities and your evil brother. No matter what they throw at me, I will always find my way back to you. If you want me."

Lena pulled her down into another kiss, and that was her answer.

[impyssadobsessions]

DPXDC Enemy of my Enemy is the Worse "Excerpts" (Part 1?) I have more Ideas

Okay I kepy thinking about the prompt Enemy of my Enemy is the Worse I made LOL- (gonna post excerpts.) Probably wont fully write this.. as much as I like to right now LOL. If this inspires anyone to write, go for it.

"So now what? Going to vivisect me? Experiment? Rip my molecules apart like how my-Mr. Fenton keeps telling me." "Unfortunately, no." Agent K grumbles. "And its dissection, not-" Agent O tries to correct. "I maybe dead-but I'm not THAT dead." Danny rolled his eyes, flashing them at the two men in white. He can't believe any of this is happening. Oh he wished he listened to Jazz.. or Sam or Tuck more. He pulled at his ghost proof bindings, them having him ridiculously buried in the restraints. "Actually, Mr. Phantom, is it? I wanted to talk." Another bald man walks in, his suit notably black. Danny raised his eyebrow unimpressed, "What? Is it the Guys in Black and White now? Not that I'm against it, I'm all for equality, but it does seem a little off brand. I'm guessing the bleach bill is getting too high." Agent O was about to speak out- when the guy in black raised his hand to silence him. This guy only looked slightly amused, which gave Danny the creeps. "Of course not. That'd be ridiculous, though I'm not against inclusivity either. I'm Lex Luthor, and it is my recent interest in ghosts that had allowed the GIW to reach its full potential. " "So another annoying billionaire. Great."

"So you know of me? Perfect, then we can keep this simple. In truth, I am only interested in one ghost in particular." "We can capture him without involving ourselves with this scum-" "This GHOST has not only evaded my notice for YEARS, but has been stealing very valuable technology that would go beyond NASA's comprehension. Though I don't doubt your expertise, it has not come without notice that this particular ghost is seen the most-" Lex flicked his eyes down at Phantom. "With you." Agent K and O unrolled paper from their suits to reveal a picture of Plasmius. "The Wisconsin Ghost." - "Plasmius?!" Danny spoke same time the Agents did. Lex smirked at the Agents then down at Phantom. Danny took a moment to register what was going on before busting out laughing. "Really? What makes you think I'm buddy buddy with Plasmius? He's a total fruitloop and honestly- not surprise. He steals blueprints from my p---Dr. Fentons all the time." "You steal their items as well, if we recall." Agent K raised a brow. "Well-I- Just because- YOU USE THEIR BLUEPRINTS TOO!" "Enough. " Lex starting to sound annoyed, Danny felt like it was a win. Serves bastard right. Man did he hate billionaires. "I've observed your work in Amity Park. If I dare say you are quite similar to many of the masked vigilantes that plague this Earth. Even more heroic in my opinion." Danny was not biting at whatever trick Lex was pulling. Though he didn't miss the skip of his core at being recognized something other than a menace. 'He's lying to you.' he repeated in his head. Pulling on his bindings again to remember the real situation before him.

"That being said, I like you to do as heroes do and capture this criminal, then bring him to me." "Look, thanks for the compliment- but we both know I'm not seen as a hero. So why don't you quit the buttering 'cause I'm not interested in culinary and tell me what's in it for me. Even though I'm barely c-average on the best of days, I'm not dumb. I'm not doing this for free or just some lame you will be spared nonsense. Been there done that." Lex smirked again, "I'll grant you immunity from GIW and you can have your haunt back." "Wait? What?!" "But it took so long to capture him-" "IF you manage to capture Plasmius and bring him to me before GIW can." Danny glanced at the two agents as they puffed out their chests. Cocky. They really think they could capture Vlad? Then painfully reminded himself that they did catch him. "And if I don't agree?" "We DISSECT you and use you for very unethical and highly painful experiments that are legal on subjects like yourself." Agent K happily boast. "Riiiight." Danny clicked his tongue, "Add in that these guys are not allowed to be in a 50 miles radius from Amity and I'll do it." "No-" "Deal."

------------------------------------

Danny looped on back to the entryway as he finished swooping through every room of the manor. "Alright! Come on out Fruitloop! I know you're still here-" Just as Phantom floated down to land, he felt a hard punch in his face that sent him skidding across the room into the wall. "OOF" "Guess I should have seen that com...ming..." Danny rubbed his jaw, turning back to see who punched him. His eyes widening as he recognized the heroes he was facing. "Phantom. We're taking you into custody." "YOU CALLED THE JUSTICE LEAGUE ON ME?!" -----(Fight happens)--- Flash manages to hold Phantom, using his speeding molecules to keep Phantom from phasing through his grip. Danny gritting his teeth as the other heroes ready to capture him. Fine. If he can't phase through, he'll just phase in. Phantom uses his icy breath to freeze everything around them. Superman quickly uses his laser vision to melt the ice covering the room in mist, trying to keep themselves from being frozen. "Flash!" When the mist cleared the was no sign of him. Superman using his hearing to try and locate him- despite guarding his right side, he was kicked into the wall by Flash. Flash's eyes glowing bright green. "Well this is weird." -Proceeds to fight in Flash's body for a moment, until he gets knocked out of it. Danny's on his last legs, thinking he barely done a number on them (Not realizing he had been giving them quite a fight). Danny tries to reason again only to hear Amity Park doing great since GIW involvement. Still he isn't backing down. Even mentions Lex is backing them. He knows its only temporary peace if its really peace at all. Which he suspects is a big farce. Besides the portal still resides in Amity. GIW can't get a hold of that- portal. If he can't make them hear him out, then he'll show them why Vlad isn't just some victim. (Not realizing what Justice League may have already discovered) "Want to know why the number 2 worse billionaire is after Fruitloop?" standing up as the net placed on him burned and electrified him. It hurt so much, but he wasn't ready to quit now. Superman flew out in front of the others to block Phantom as Phantom tackled him. Phantom just uses rest of his strength to crash Superman through layers of floors til they reached the secret lab. Superman flinging Phantom into the other side of the room just as they landed, making him slam into a green tube, shattering it. The netting having dropped to the ground away from him. He coughed, shaking as a white ring dangerously popped around his waist shakily dancing, until Phantom sucked it back in. Not yet. The green ectoplasm from the tube soaking into his skin. His eyes widening as he saw what the green ectoplasm was from, jumping back with a disgust yell. He watched the clone fizzle out. "ALREADY? Really Vlad?" He shook off the creeps. "What is this?" "A Lab, du-UAHHHHHHH-" He found himself being spun around by Flash, and flung into the air where he was lassoed. Wonder Woman yanked on the rope tight, swinging him down into the opposite wall. He really was tired of being walled by them. Batman was quick to cuff him as Superman froze him in place. Danny raised a tired brow, unamused. "Are we chill now?" "No." "Thought so." ---bit more talking. Danny navigating his way through the truth of the lasso before using his wail as his last ditch effort to escape. Manages to escape through the portal as the lab collapses.

[spaceman-earthgirl]

Supercorptober 2024 Day 13: L-Corp

ao3 link. series link.

Kara hates Lex Luthor.

She hates what he did to her cousin, she hates everything he stands for, and she hates his stupid face, making him even more punchable when that’s the last thing she can do.

And now she’s on her way to interview him at Luthor Corp and she can think of nothing worse.

She almost turned down Cat’s request to interview him but then realised it was a good opportunity to give him some bad publicity, which is the least he deserves after everything he’s done.

She thinks of every bad thing he’s ever done as she walks into Luthor Corp, fuelling her rage. She wants him to know she dislikes him. She can’t do much as Kara Danvers, and she knows Cat will be unhappy if she does anything rude, but she will glare and ask him difficult questions and make him regret requesting an interview.

“Hi,” Kara smiles as she approaches the security desk. She’s mad, but she’s only going to take it out on Lex. “I’m here-“

“CatCo?” The security guard asks. Kara doesn’t get a chance to question how he knows as this eyes flash down to her badge.

“Yes,” Kara confirms.

“Take the elevator to the top floor, Jess will be able to help you.”

“Thank you,” Kara says.

All the way up, she imagines punching Lex in his stupid bald face. If she has to be in a room with him, she knows she’s going to get the urge to do it more than once.

Jess is nice, directing Kara towards the office ahead after she steps off the elevator. Kara steels herself before opening the door. She considers knocking, but Lex doesn’t deserve any courtesy from her.

The moment Kara steps into the office, she freezes, because it’s not Lex sitting at the desk.

It’s Lena Luthor, Lex’s sister. Someone she’s only seen in photos but photos do not do justice to the woman sitting in front of her. She’s gorgeous, and it’s not helping Kara’s confusion at the situation because it’s hard to think straight when she’s looking at literally the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen.

“Uhh,” Kara says, glancing towards the door. Has she made a mistake? Is she in the wrong office?

“You must be Kara Danvers,” Lena says, hand outstretched as she approaches Kara. “Lena Luthor, it’s nice to meet you.”

Kara takes the offered hand, the situation no clearer but she does note that Lena has very soft hands, even as her handshake is firm.

“I can see by your confused look that news of my arrival hasn’t spread yet. Which is good, because I wanted to give CatCo the exclusive.”

“The exclusive?” Kara asks.

“I’m taking over Luthor Corp, rebranding as L-Corp, trying to make up for what my brother has done. I want to make this company a force for good.”

Clark would say any Luthor can’t be trusted, but Kara can see it in Lena’s eyes (which are a remarkable green colour) that she’s being truthful.

Kara’s still on the back foot, but every second she spends looking at Lena, her anger dissipates. This is not how she expected today go at all.

She still want to punch Lex, but she’ll save that for later.

“Well then,” Kara smiles. “I’ll be happy to write an article about you.”

[thatdogmagic]

I will be addressing the broader issues this sprang from in more detail in the coming weeks, alongside the reason why I waited for some time to talk about it/why I'm talking about it at all. I had thought to wait a while longer for a number of reasons, but the upcoming election makes me much more inclined to make this clear:

I am not a TERF. I am not a transphobe.

And leading up to this election, where transphobia is so centered, I do want to make it clear to my trans followers that these accusations aren't being made in good faith. I'm still with you. And I'm still among you, in my own indefinable way.

To be clear: this is not an attempt to 'start shit again.' This is not an attempt to re-engage. This post, and the one that will follow, will officially be the last time I'll be talking about this in any public setting.

So. The accusation:

It came from blackbackedjackal, who premised the argument on me apparently altering their character's (concealed) genitals in an image, when the fact of the matter is: I had no idea she was trans when I did that image (the previous conversation w/ this person that I posted was the first time I'd been told or heard about it; I didn't follow her lore that closely). And in spite of showing off many multiple WIPs in private DMs, it never got mentioned. I was never informed I'd made a mistake. I'd done commissions of trans characters before, that had been posted; there was no reason to think I'd be hostile to corrections.

Meanwhile, another participant in that particular piece, Angela, was outright asked how she wanted her character, Lex, depicted. With her permission, I'm sharing a screenshot of our conversation:

In the final, neither character's genitals were immediately visible to the audience. That was for later images, that I never got around to doing. There was always time to say 'my girl is trans and has a penis,' and if I'd known to ask about it, I would have.

I'm sorry if people ever felt unsafe with me in that respect. But like many other things in the fanfiction that's been written about me (and the frankly disgusting bullshit that's been written about Ependa), the truth is more (and less) complicated than all those posts might lead you to believe.

I hope everyone's been okay out there. Regardless of what anyone thinks of me, I'm grateful for everyone who kept believing in me.

[brucewaynehater101]

Do you think after BruceQuest the bat kids + Oracle and Alfred (maybe or maybe not Batman)

all but blatantly cut contact with the Justice League?

Even if Batman forgives them for leaving him for dead even with all the evidence in front of them, they've still shown themselves wildly unreliable to even their own members

Unless the Justice League forces themselves into a Bat's conflict or other situation or the bats genuinely have no other option

Bats lean towards each other for help, next best thing is Young Justice or other heroes of their generation, and as last resorts, mercenaries or villains, maybe even ex-LOA members

The Justice league (including Batman if he sticks with em) are the last last resort and are the last people to learn of Bat-involved incidents, if at all

Maybe rogues outside of Ra's learns what BruceQuest was, how it ruined Red Robin's reputation irreparably and uses it to annihilate the League's PR by showing the truth to the world?

I know Mr Lex Luthor would lap that shit up

Especially if Batman is still on good terms yet Red Robin is still dealing with the aftermath years later

Everyone is pulling their hair out because Lex is doing an objectively good thing for the wrong reason and when his villainy is toppled again—

Red Robin isn't going to live his life like his repaired reputation is gonna last

Ooh. How would the Bats react to the JL post BruceQuest?

Cass, Steph, Duke, and Jason do not have a relationship or rely on the JL. Jason probably is already upset at the JL for a variety of reasons. All that would change if the batfam is Team Tim would be those batkids being colder to the JL. Maybe they also pull off pranks.

In the end, those Batkids would be the equivalent of hearing your sibling talking about their toxic workplace and hating those fuckers (who you rarely see/interact with) on principle.

For Damian? It's a toss-up. It depends on how he views Tim and the JL. If Damian wants to become Batman, he might see the JL as a necessary step for that. He might need to have several conversations with various family members and his friends (like Colin and Jon) to understand his own position and thoughts on the JL.

For Babs, I hc she helped them a lot with their systems and other work. She probably feels guilty about Tim (not believing/supporting him and his traumatizing trip he did alone). If she was also on Team Tim, she would pass all system management to Vic and maintain a slightly frosty professional distance from them. Her Birds of Prey would become aware that she helps them, but she only assists the JL in dire circumstances.

Dick would have mixed feelings about it. He kind of told other heroes that Tim wasn't to be trusted and that he was having a mental breakdown due to grief. Now, what they did with that information is not Dick's fault. They should have supported the teenager and understood that Dick was also crumbling under his grief/responsibilities. So, Dick feels conflicted. He wants to make it up to Tim, though, and probably maintains a more professional distance from JL.

Alfred is also guilty of not being there for Tim when he needed help and care. However, I like to imagine he makes very pointed comments at JL members when they visit for their direct actions in that situation.

I do think that the batkids join together to mutually say "fuck you" to the JL, but in their own ways.

Batman/Bruce is iffy. On one hand, people like to use the BruceQuest as Bruce's kick in the pants to be a better father. On the other hand, he does his whole Batman Inc shit and is in Gotham less. So, it depends on how you picture him dealing with that trauma and his relationships with his family. If he's doing the less local Batman stuff, then he's probably more with the JL (and thus not on his kids' side).

The Lex Luthor theory you have going on? Brilliant 👏

[thatonebirdwrites]

Pine

The needles crunched under Lena's shoes, her hands deep in the pockets of her red jacket. Around her, the pines stretched toward the cloudy sky and a dusting of snow coated the ground. Snow caught the world's noise like the sound-cancelling headphones Lena used when alone.

It's why she loved the first snow. The silence wrapped around her, and she disconnected from her reality.

Snow here in California felt strange, but hadn't everything been off-kilter since she woke in her penthouse, her brother suddenly alive again?

Her thoughts bounced between the new reality her brother had somehow crafted. One where he was a hero instead of a villain. One where he'd tripped over backward to manipulate her into working for him, but he'd forgotten one detail.

Sam.

She still worked in L-Corp's financials, and she was Lena's friend still. But it had been a friendship prior Lena kept from Lex for reasons that Earth-38 had yet to understand, considering how cryptic some entries became during the worldkiller crisis, and how a few had been in a code that Lena struggled to decode.

Lex didn't know how close prior Lena had been with Sam. Nor had he known Sam had been a worldkiller. Lena had hid from Lex to avoid Lex killing Sam too like he did the other worldkillers.

The place he'd lured Purity and Pestilence became an inhospitable, irradiated wasteland, but the nuclear bomb had obliterated those worldkillers. A massive clean-up effort had been under prior Lena's jurisdiction, along with research of the worldkillers' effects on the climate and how to stabilize it.

Her boots crunched on a twig, and Lena slowed her walk, reluctant to reach her destination.

The world saw Lex as the hero who saved them, but Lena knew the truth. Written in prior Lena's journals, Kara, prior Lena, Alex, J'onn, and Nia had all worked to save Sam and destroy the terraforming machine in totality. A fight that nearly cost them their lives.

Prior Lena hadn't hesitated in asking Supergirl for help, but then prior Lena knew Supergirl's true identity. She'd been trusted from the beginning by Kara.

Earth-38 Lena had tried to do it all alone, scared that whatever secret government group worked with Supergirl would kill Sam instead of save her. She had not been trusted from the beginning by Kara.

Prior Lena knew how to trust. She had faith in her friends. She hadn't been painfully betrayed again and again and again. Most of her sour experiences lay in arguments with Lex about use of military weapons and the buying of the DEO.

Oh, and apparently Andrea had betrayed her in this reality too.

So here Earth-38 Lena existed as an interloper. Someone who shouldn't exist in this reality. Prior Lena had been erased, and Earth-38 Lena walked under pine branches in prior Lena's shoes.

Bitter, distrustful, and wrapped in pain -- Sam had noticed immediately the difference, and no amount of hiding from her worked. She'd been relentless in showing up to check on Lena. To find out why Lena was in such grief and pain.

Lena hunched in her jacket as she approached the center of the park. She thought of Sam's talk last night, of how it'd gone off the rails rather quickly, and she'd ended up confessing everything.

She hadn't realized how badly she'd needed a sounding board.

"Sam, I don't know what to do. Work with Supergirl or my brother? It's not like I can trust either. Both have used me in the past." Lena pressed her hands against her forehead. "I've been just a tool..."

"No, you're not going there," Sam interrupted as she sprinkled more flour across the cutting board, where she worked her gluten-free dough with expert fingers. In the living room, the music from Ruby's game drifted into the kitchen. "I get that it feels that way, but from what you've said, Supergirl tried to fix things, right?"

Lena shrugged. She still wasn't sure if Kara's actions were guilt or truly her trying to engage in repair.

"And your brother somehow made this reality..." Sam shook her head. "Which is a little hard to believe, but..." She studied Lena for a long moment. "But you aren't yourself."

"Oh?" Lena sneered. "Then how am I supposed to act?" She hadn't meant to sound so defensive, but Sam's words hurt.

Sam sighed and waved her hand vaguely at Lena. "That right there isn't you. The Lena I know laughs more, believes in the goodness of humanity, works toward a more equitable world."

"Equitable world. That's what I'm trying to do!" Lena crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Sam.

"Is it?" Sam punched down into the dough with far more force than it warranted. "We used to go to activist events about the climate and alien rallies together. But the last few weeks, you've become a bitter recluse. And now this new project? This sudden turn from disaster relief and climate studies to mind control? Honestly, Lena, I don't know what to say."

"It's not mind control," Lena protested, but it was a weak protest. Exhaustion soaked her bones, and she wondered if Sam was right. "It's just an algorithm to prevent people from hurting one another. It'll be a more equitable and safer world."

Sam frowned. "Right. And how is that not a violation of free will?"

"Sam." Lena looked at her pained. "I'm trying to free humanity from suffering."

"Are you?" Sam's beating of the dough grew more pronounced, the flour dusting the marbled counter. "Lena, my suffering is what molded me into who I am today. Yes, it sucked at times, and some of them were my fault. But I learned and did better."

"But wouldn't things be better for Ruby if she didn't have to suffer like you did?" Lena knew it was a weak argument, but part of her felt so hollowed by Lex's actions, by this new reality, that her heart wasn't in fighting for this project. She'd become disillusioned since waking up in hell.

"Of course I don't want Ruby to suffer!" Sam flipped the dough and dug her knuckles into it before rolling it into a ball and repeating the gesture. "But I won't let anyone, even you Lena, take away from Ruby her ability to choose."

"It's not about--" Lena's words died at Sam's glare.

"Keep lying to yourself, hun." Sam wiped her hands on a hand towel that hung from the stove's handle. "Lena, I've always had your back, right?"

Lena wasn't sure exactly what Sam had done in this reality, but the prior Lena's journal entries -- since when did she write in a journal anyway? -- her, Sam, and Kara had met up often for drinks or board games.

So this Sam had no idea what Lena went through, nor what Kara had done. How the hurt between them soured everything. Her attempt to explain had failed; the words just wouldn't come out; her thoughts and emotions a bundle of pain and fear.

Lena had used Kara, trapped her in kryptonite, and still failed. All her plans for naught, and she, honestly, should have stayed dead. She didn't deserve to be here. This should be prior Lena's life, the person who was a true hero, not like herself.

"Lena?" Sam grasped her shoulder. "You got that haunted look in your eyes again. What is it?"

"You don't know what I've done," Lena whispered. "Or what Kara did on that prior Earth. You weren't there. I -- I shut you and everyone out after the betrayal."

"Then don't do it here. Don't push us away for a project that would steal our free will."

Lena laughed, but it turned into a sob. The walls of Sam's kitchen, which had felt so comforting at first, folded in on her, and she needed air. She turned to run, but Sam caught her arm.

To her surprise, Sam spun her into a hug. "I said I'd always have your back, Lena, so how about this." She murmured into Lena's hair, her arms warm and comforting -- something Lena hadn't felt in months (lifetitmes?). "How about this. Let's explore options. I'll get my hands on a truthseeker, and we'll put it on Kara. You'll get the truth you want, and I'll be there this time."

Despite not remembering Earth-38, Sam acted remarkably like the Sam there. Lena sunk into Sam's embrace, and a few tears escaped. "Okay," she said, quietly. "We'll try your way."

So here she was, walking in the climate-change snow toward the meeting place. She'd let Sam pick it, let Sam reach out to invite Kara, to act the neutral party.

Sam didn't have Lena's history with Supergirl and Kara, and Kara had no reason to suspect Sam of villianry. Yet Lena wondered if Alex and the others were watching somewhere, ready to judge her, condemn her, maybe even nuke her.

Because she wasn't a fool. On Earth-38, she'd seen Claymore change it's orientation. Hope had calculated the trajectory, and it had pointed at her.

If that was Alex or Kara, Lena didn't know, but her heart suspected Alex. Kara had been too desperate to convince save her despite Lena trapping her in kryptonite.

This was a detail she hadn't told Sam. How could she?

Sam was all she had left, and she was the loophole in Lex's plans. Because whatever he planned, it might be worse than the red sun incident or Red Daughter/Kaznia. Prior Lex had been too free with his military toys during crises, but he'd been far kinder and more accepting than Earth-38 Lex.

No, trusting Lex, even after his truthseeker confession, was a dangerous situation. Lena had seen Lex's tells when the truthseeker sat on his arm. He'd omitted things, said only what he believed was true to convince her.

But what had he omitted? What did she fail to see?

A cold breeze ruffled the branches of the vines, and needles shook loose to drift softly into the snow. Ahead the clearing where benches loomed before a fountain. Lena stopped at the edge or the pine forest and ducked behind a trunk.

There, sitting on the central bench, Kara sat watching the sky, where a few snow flurries danced above the fountain, it's water shut off and a thin layer of ice over what remained in its marbled bowl.

Her golden hair hung loose, and the wind whipped to the left, locks drifting across her face. She looked ethereal in the light of the setting sun, her skin almost aglow. Her glasses were in her hands as she cleaned them with a white cloth. She wore no protective gear for the cold, no scarf, no winter coat, no boots, just a navy blue jacket and jeans with sneakers.

The grief and pain in her soul pulsed with the love that she'd failed to exorcise. Her urge to walk over, push Kara against the bench, and kiss her haunted her thoughts. Nothing had exorcised that desire from her traitorous heart.

She leaned against the rough bark, and nibbled on her bottom lip. Maybe she should leave now, before anyone noticed her.

But the thought of the truthseeker on Kara kept her rooted in place. She needed the truth, all of it unfiltered. No more omitting facts, no more lying, no more half-truths.

Part of her dreaded what she'll find, another part urged her to push forward with the plan, and yet another part burned with a desire to just run from everyone. To leave this cursed city and disappear from everyone.

Footsteps caught her attention, and she sighted Sam on the opposite side of the clearing. No, she'd ghosted Sam once already. Of all the people in her life, Sam hadn't ever betrayed her. She didn't deserve to be hurt again by Lena.

Sam rounded the fountain, a duffel bag over her shoulder, and her winter coat a different color than what Lena remembered. On Earth-38, Sam wore darker colors, often navy blue, black, or brown. Here she wore a forest green winter coat with brown cuffs and collar.

"Hey Kara! Thanks for meeting." Sam waved with a smile. "I know you've been really busy lately."

"Yeah." Kara brushed off snow. "It's weird to see snow in California."

"Polar vortex dipped too far south again." Sam shrugged. "Lena was studying it by the way. Had an idea on how to stabilize the climate, but..." She dropped onto the bench next to Kara, her duffel at her feet. "It's been a weird few weeks."

"Yeah. That's for sure." Kara's laugh sounded forced. "Was anyone else meeting us?"

"Yeah, one more." Sam scanned the clearing. Lena tried to keep out of sight in the pines, but her friend was far too observant. "Lena, stop hiding, girl. I can see that red jacket."

Lena sighed and stepped out from behind the pine. She tugged on her fingers nervously. "Hi." She didn't know what else to say.

"Lena?" Kara shot to her feet, her eyes wide. "What -- what are you doing here?"

Gingerly, Lena stepped out of the pine's safety and onto the stone tiles of the clearing. "I -- I was asked by Sam to come as well."

Kara frowned. "Last time we talked you almost threw a wine glass at my head."

"Wait she did?" Sam looked between the two. "Well, I suppose that's better than the microscope at Jack's head."

That was another weird thing about this reality. Jack still lived, but prior Lena had never dated Jack. Instead, she'd dated a lot of women, no men at all. Another major difference -- prior Lena was a lesbian, but Earth-38 Lena was a bisexual.

"A microscope?" Kara repeated. "What did he do?"

"Irritated me," Lena said, with a shrug. "His testing plans were ridiculous, and he wasn't listening to me." She walked to the bench, but didn't sit down. "Um, so, did Sam tell you what this is about?"

Kara glanced at the dufflebag. "Sort of? She said she'd bring a truthseeker to help mediate between us."

"Both of us will take turns with it," Lena said. She sat down on the armrest of the nearby bench. Cold seeped into her clothes. "The full truth, no holding back."

Kara nibbled on her bottom lip. "Okay."

Lena frowned. "Just okay? No self-righteous speech about how I should trust you without it?"

Kara sighed. "I don't want to fight you, Lena. If this helps you then I'll do it."

Sam unzipped her bag and pulled out a silver cylinder. "I admit, this is weird. Both of you are not acting like the Kara and Lena I knew." She settled the cylinder on her lap and shook her head. "Lena had been panicking over whether she should ask you out before-- before whatever caused this weird change."

Lena looked down at her hands. She'd read that in prior Lena's journals, and it had hurt so much. Prior Lena had confidence in everything but love, and yet, she'd still been more courageous than Earth-38 Lena. Prior Lena admitted to her love, while Earth-38 Lena hid from it.

"Wait, you were going to ask me out?" Kara leaned closer to Lena. "Really?"

"Prior Lena," she said flatly. "It's in her journals. She was a meticulous record keeper. Better than even myself."

Sam shook her head. "Comments like that sure make this surreal. So who wants to go first?"

"I will." Kara pushed up her sleeve and held out her arm. "Do it, Sam."

Lena said nothing, only watched as Sam carefully keyed the code and opened one end. She tilted it into Kara's lap.

The unnerving creature slipped out and wrapped its appendages around Kara's arm. The hiss of not-quite pain escaped Kara's lips, and a hint of redness blossomed around the tentacles.

"Ask away," Kara said, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at Lena.

"Did you ever trust me?" Lena couldn't meet Kara's gaze, so she picked at her cuticles instead.

"Yes. I did."

Lena frowned. "Are you immune to that thing or what? How can you say you trusted me and yet you used me."

"Lena," Kara said, fervently. "I did trust you. It's myself I didn't trust. I made a big mistake by using James to go behind your back and search for kryptonite. I'd been so wrapped up in pain at seeing my people harm Earth again, that when I heard synthesized, all I saw was red. And red would have doomed us."

"Red what?" Lena demanded. "It sounds like you're just making up excuses."

"Red Kryptonite," Kara said, her voice strangled almost. "Max Lord made it on Earth-38. It... it brings out the darkest parts of me, and people almost died. Alex and J'onn had to use everything they had to subdue me enough for the cure."

Red welts appeared along the edges of the wrapped tentacles. Something she'd never seen on Kara's skin before -- her always flawless skin, always flawless hair, always perfect in every way. More signs that she was not fully human if Lena had been more observant.

Or maybe more honest with herself.

"Is that your excuse? Past trauma giving you the right to use people I cared about and my name against me?" Lena wanted to slap Kara, but that'd likely break her hand.

"It's not an excuse, Lena. It's my truth. I fucked up, and I'm sorry."

The curseword stole all the angry accusations from Lena's lips. She'd never heard Kara curse ever.

"So," Sam said, cautiously. "Lots of bad blood between you two. My question is, what is real? This Earth-38 or our current world?"

Kara slumped against the bench. "Earth-38 and the multiverse at large was destroyed in the antimatter wave. It took all of us paragons -- and there wasn't many of us honestly -- to end that threat and restore the multiverse. I don't think Earth-38 will ever exist again." Pain coated her voice. "I couldn't save them."

"I couldn't either," Lena pointed out. "I build that massive portal, evacuated who I could, and yet we still died on Earth-1, didn't we? So all our actions were pointless."

"Never," Kara snapped. "We still thought we had a chance to win when that happened. You saved so many, Lena. You didn't have to do that. You could have turned Alex away."

"I'm not a monster," Lena said. She dropped onto the bench proper, and rested her arms on her knees, her hands clasped. "All I've ever wanted is to do good."

"Then do good now!" Kara said, earnestly. "Help us against Leviathan and Lex. Don't --"

"Stop." Lena struggled against an urge to cry. Why was she doing this? It felt like torture. Her heart ached, and she didn't deserve this second chance at life. "I manipulated you for months, Kara. Used you to finish my project. I encased you in a kryptonite prison."

"Yeah, that was awful." Kara winced. "More than awful. Like lava in my veins, but you didn't leave me there. It melted the moment you left, and you'd programmed a drone to saturate me with the sunlight I needed to recover," Kara pointed out. "You could have killed me, but you didn't."

Lena didn't say anything. She couldn't kill Kara.

She was capable of killing her own brother, but she couldn't kill Kara.

Her nightmares about Lex's death had returned with a vengeance since she woke in this hell world. She could feel the heft of the pistol in her hands. The stench of gunpowder as she shot her own brother. Her ears still echoed with the gasps of his breaths between his rants. He had checkmated her, and the truth he'd revealed about Kara obliterated Lena's heart.

"Why try to save me?" Lena watched the snow blow across the fountain's ice. "I saw Claymore reorient itself to face my location. You could have fired it."

"No! I would have caught caught it, taken the blast myself."

Lena's eyes darted to the truthseeker still on Kara's arm. The red welts had grown. Next to Kara, Sam sat silent, her eyes on the truthseeker, and a troubled expression on her face.

"Why?" Lena leaned closer to Kara, one arm against the bench's armrest. "Why are you so damn determined to save me? I'm not worth this effort, Kara. You should have let me die that day."

"Never. I can't lose you, Lena. I can't." Pain etched into Kara's voice.

"Why? Why can't you?" Lena snapped. "Why do you persist? You didn't care before! Lying to my face over and over again. And I, the lovesick fool, fell for it every time."

"Lena, when I was just Kara with you, I wasn't ever lying." The pain in Kara's voice echoed with a deep grief. "I can't lose you because I love you." Her face reddened, and she looked at the truthseeker.

Lena breathed in sharply. "Love?"

"Yes," Kara said, weakly. "I love you. And I wanted to protect you. But I was a coward. I couldn't be just Kara with you, even though I tried so hard. If either of us should have died in Crisis, it should have been me."

The red welts crept up Kara's arm. Lena couldn't take her eyes off it. "What's happening to your arm?" She pointed to the affected areas.

"I think I'm allergic to it," Kara whispered.

"Okay, that's enough." Sam double tapped the creature, and it unwrapped from Kara. It's slimy skin glistened with a soft blue glow, and it slithered back into its cylinder. "I'm sorry, Kara. I can go run and grab some Aloe Vera for you?"

"No need, Sam." Kara smiled, tiredly. "Time in the sunlight will heal this."

Lena stared at Kara's arm, the confession rattling against the sight of the allergic reaction.

Sam closed the cylinder and shifted to tuck it into her bag. "If you're allergic, then I don't think we should risk anyone--"

"Do it, Sam." Lena tugged her arm out of her coat and held it out. The cold bit into her arm, and she steeled herself. "I said both of us, and I, unlike some, follow through on promises."

"Lena..." Sam frowned. "What if you're allergic too?"

"I don't care. Just do it."

Kara looked back and forth between two, her brow scrunched with worry. She stayed silent, one hand lightly rubbing her sores.

Sam grumbled but walked over and opened the cylinder above Lena's arm. The creature slid out and wrapped around Lena's arm, and a rush of chemicals seethed into her veins.

Lena gasped at the mixture of pain and an intense desire to speak bloomed within her.

"Ask your questions, Kara," Sam said, sharply.

Kara stared at the truthseeker. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes. No. yes." Lena struggled against the urge to scream her truth. To hold herself back somehow, but whatever the truthseeker slipped into her blood overcame her. "I trust you to keep me alive. I trust you to come to my rescue. But I don't trust you with my heart. You broke it."

Kara took a haggard breath, her eyes haunted. "I'm sorry, Lena. Truly I am."

"Stop apologizing!" Lena snapped. "Ask me why! Ask me why it hurt so much, Kara!"

Kara flinched. "Okay, okay, why did it hurt so much?"

The words exploded out of her. "Because I'm in love with you. All I wanted was you. It's why I bought Catco. For you. It's why I led it and gave Sam L-Corp's CEO position. To be close to you. Why do you think I filled your office with flowers?" Tears stung her eyes, and she gulped back a sob. "To learn you never trusted me with your true self?"

"But I did! You saw me, the me I wanted so badly to be, and if it weren't for you, I would have lost myself after losing Mon-el." Kara darted to her feet and dropped down in front of Lena. "You are my light, Lena. My heart. And I'll never stop fighting for you." She started to reach for Lena's hands, but Sam intervened and pushed her back.

"How can I trust that?" Lena blurted. "I'm scared. I'm scared to trust again, scared to love you. I should have died, Kara." Tears blurred her vision, and yet she couldn't stop. The truthseeker pulsed its toxins into her, pushing her to spill her truth. "I erased prior Lena, who was a much better person than me. I'm a murderer, a villain, a monster that should have died."

"No!" Kara shouted, frustrated. "You deserve life."

"Okay, that's enough." Sam tapped the truthseeker and collected it in its container. It left slight red marks on Lena's arm, but nothing compared to Kara's. "No one deserves death, for God's sake." Sam ran a hand through her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. "You two have apparently gone through hell on Earth-38." She locked the lid and stowed it in the bag. "But this is getting ridiculous. I want you both to talk, while I return this. When I get back, you two better have talked this out, or I'm gonna lock you two in a room for a week. Don't test me."

Lena shoved her arm back into her warm coat, and zipped it shut. "Fine." She felt raw, exposed, but the truth had been laid bare. The truthseeker had done it's duty.

Kara clenched her hands into fists but said nothing. True to her word, Sam slung the bag over her shoulder and marched to the south, the far end of the park.

"Would Sam really lock us in a room?" Kara said after a long moment of silence.

"Yes." Lena chuckled softly, but it felt hollow still. "She locked me and Jack in a room to force us to talk through a rather ridiculous fight. I was being stubborn. She even barricaded the door."

"Well then." Kara sat back on her heels, her hands on her knees. She looked up at Lena. "I suppose we should talk then?"

Lena wiped her eyes. "I guess."

"Lena," Kara reached out, but her hand hovered between them, uncertainty on her face. "Can we start over? This time honesty and trust will be our cornerstone. And we can rebuild from there?"

This was the one difference between Lex with the truthseeker and Kara. Lex didn't love her. He'd chose his words carefully for maximum manipulation. He hadn't worn the truthseeker long, only enough for him to say the words he knew Lena wanted to hear.

He refused to keep it on for her questions.

But Kara had worn it long enough to blister her skin.

Lena reached out tentatively and grasped Kara's hand. She tugged Kara closer, her other hand gently running along the edge of the red welts. "This is new to me," she said softly. "I -- starting over feels overwhelming. Can it really be that easy?"

"Who said it'd be easy?" Kara settled between Lena's legs, her face upturned. Her gorgeous blue eyes met Lena's emerald ones, and her hair hung in soft ringlets around her beautiful face.

Lena's other hand betrayed her and tucked a lock of Kara's hair behind her ear. She bit her lip, and tucked both her hands under her legs. "I'm tired, Kara. Tired of fighting." She bowed her head, her hair cascading around her face. The snow seeped into her pants, and the wet spread its coldness to her skin. "I'm in hell. Lex masterminded all of this, and that makes us what? Pawns on a chessboard? I murdered my own brother for you. I stained my soul forever. Only for him to somehow survive." She laughed bitterly. "I'm a monster, Kara."

"No. No you're not." Kara gently tugged Lena's hand free and rubbed her thumb over her skin. Warmth radiated from Kara's hand. "You did what you needed to keep us all safe. You deserve care and love. Rebuilding will be hard, I know, but I think you're worth it. I wouldn't have agreed to come if I didn't believe that. Nor would I have tried to warn you about Lex once I woke up here."

Lena thought of the prior Lena's journals. Of the projects she'd been doing, projects Earth-38 had forgone to focus on Harun-el-- her hubris nearly destroying what she'd hoped to save. Or her revenge, once again abandoning projects that could have really helped people out of her delusions of grandeur.

"I'm not better than Lex," Lena said. "Sam's right. Non Nocere is just another mind control project. One Lex will definitely find a way to twist and pervert."

"Then don't do it. Work on other things." Kara leaned closer, her face inches from Lena's own. "Let me work with you. I was the youngest in centuries to be accepted to Krypton's Science Guild, at least before it died." She took a deep breath. "So maybe earth science uses odd units and programming languages, but I can learn it. You don't have to do it all alone, Lena. Please, let's start over. This time on the right foot."

Lena leaned her forehead against Kara's. The warmth seeped into her, and she took a shaky breath. "Okay."

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

Hatchetfield Theory: Becky Barnes Has The Gift

So I wrote yesterday about how we might be underestimating how important Becky is to the overall narrative of Hatchetfield. After all, she's the Warrior of Light in Black Friday, and now we know that the original Workin' Boys script was about Wilbur Cross trying to sacrifice specifically Becky at a black altar--when it wasn't her that died, the whole thing fell apart.

The more I dwell on it, the more I think that Becky might have had a touch of the Gift as a child. Or even a tad more than just a touch... (Full theory under the cut. In typical me form, it does gets a little wild at the end.)

Perhaps, like with Lex, her powers were strong enough that they never fully wasted away, even as she grew out of the correct age and forgot they ever existed in the first place. This could be what makes her the Warrior of the Light, and explain why Wiggly's hold on her was more tenuous than his grasp on any of the other adults. Think about it--unlike Tom or any of the others, she only ever seems to personally care much about the doll when she's face-to-face with it and its thrall is strongest. And whereas Tom required a whole scene and climatic song to throw off Wiggly's influence and see the truth, Becky went from attacking Hannah over the doll in one scene to shooting Linda and letting Lex burn the very same Wiggly in the next. Maybe, when she accidentally knocked herself out with the shot, the Gift lurking in her subconscious was able to take hold and completely free her from Wiggly's control.

So if Becky did have enough power that she still retains some of the Gift into adulthood, like a somewhat less powerful Lex, that could be what Wilbur needed for his Workin' Boys ritual. Hannah would have been too young and important, and Lex could have been unreachable or not usable for some other reason (I think a lot about how Wilbur and Lex seem to have the same power, but that's another post), so Becky it was. Since we now know that Wilbur, erm, crosses between timelines (geddit?), he could even have possibly chosen her because of what happened in Black Friday.

And then there's the tree. As @kmesons pointed out, the one thing we really know about Becky's childhood, outside of her high school cheerleading and relationship, is that at some point she rather famously climbed a tree and refused to come down for two days. So my question is, what if it was not a regular tree, but part of the Witchwood? After all, the "Becky Barnes Climbed A Tree" song implies that the tree in question was quite large, and we know that things grow fast and big in the Wood. Maybe, like the Fosters, the Barnes lived on the edge of the forest. If Becky had a strong touch of the Gift, could she have struck a bond with the gifted person planted inside of this particular tree, a-la Hannah in The Witch in the Web? The fact that Becky's tree climb is the namesake for a whole Nightmare Time story indicates that there's some supernatural element to the situation, and that could definitely be a start. And (told you we'd get a little wild) if she did befriend a planted kid, and climb their tree for reasons as of yet unknown, could that tree have given her something? Knowledge or some other powerful gift that the Lords don't want her to have, and yet makes her a warrior?

(And we can't forget Stanley, the abusive husband who chases her into the Witchwood in a brutal fight to the death. Who loses the fight and disappears, last seen lying bleeding out among the trees... perhaps trees just like the one she climbed as a child, trees grown from children that had been just like her. We've been focused on how the fight taking place in the Witchwood could easily mean that Stanley's still alive, or at least undead, but what if it's the other way around? What if the trees helped her?)



[another-supernova-girl]

Bleed American - Wyatt Walker ("Ida Red" 2021) x Fem OC

* Part 1 : Salt *

I'm taking a short break from my Cooper Abbott fic to indulge in another Hartnett character that I had actually started writing for before I watched Trap. This is canon divergent from the last, oh, 30 minutes of the movie (where Ida gets paroled as agreed upon, so Wyatt and Dallas don't have to do the violent plane theft job, and Dallas doesn't have to die, and Wyatt doesn't have to go to prison 💙). Feel free to check out my Josh Hartnett masterlist for all my writing of his characters so far. Comments and reblogs with unique are very appreciated (I'm sorry if I don't respond, I do see them and read them all and they give me about the only serotonin I have left these days). Gif is mine .Also...I really hate onions.

(( word count ~ 6,800 ))

“I'm...I know, I'm sorry, just...can't you just come pick me up?” Darla whined into the phone, to her older brother, knowing that calling up her so-called 'mom' or 'dad' was more than she was ready to deal with, after the events of the night so far. She glanced over to the woman at her side, sitting on the edge of the stage, an apologetic look on her face as she waited for the voice on the other end to speak up. After a few moments, she started nodding, spewing thank you's and more sorry's, and disconnected the call, letting out a breath. “My brother an' my uncle are gonna come pick me up,” she confirmed as she slipped her phone into her pocket. “I'm sorry for makin' you wait.”

“It's okay...I just wanna make sure you get home safe.”

* * *

“Alright, baby girl, I can't wait to hear an explanation,” Wyatt Walker's voice rang out as he stepped into the mostly empty building, his uncle, Dallas Walker, at his back, the two of them glancing around for signs of life.

“I didn't do nothin' wrong,” Darla vocalized her defense, Wyatt and Dallas following her voice until they reached the main room of the establishment, featuring a bar, several tables pushed back toward the walls, and a small stage for live music, serving as a perch for Darla, and a young woman neither of her relatives had ever laid eyes on.

“No, 'course not, someone else-” Dallas spoke up, but Darla's nervous voice piped up again.

“Ask Lex, she'll tell you! I didn't...it wasn't my fault,” she huffed, crossing her arms and looking to the non-relative at her side for back-up. “Lex?”

Wyatt and Dallas both directed their dark eyes to the stranger, who suddenly looked quite nervous herself. “I...well, it's true,” Lex uttered, and Darla threw her arms up as if that were the end of the conversation, hopping off the edge of the stage and walking toward one of the tables to grab her bag, leaving the stranger alone with the two men before her. Dallas watched as she wandered away, his gaze quickly gravitating toward the bar, which he began to approach, leaving his nephew alone with the stranger.

“Lex, huh?” Wyatt spoke up as he eyed her casually, reaching his hand out, and carefully grasping hers when she took it and hopped down.

“Alexandria,” she mumbled, her eyes darting toward the teenage girl as she snagged a bar stool and sat upon it to grab a beer she was definitely not legally old enough to drink next to her uncle, who grabbed a bottle of the same.

“Alexandria,” Wyatt repeated, nodding as she extracted her hand from his, and following her as she walked across the empty room to join the other two. “So what excitement did we miss tonight that you couldn't call your mama about-”

“She ain't my mama-” Darla murmured, and Wyatt closed his eyes, his expression becoming momentarily tense as he sat down.

“You know what I mean,” he answered, but his gruff demeanor quickly faltered as he glanced at his little sister. He couldn't stay mad at her, not for much of anything. “Well, we ain't gonna get the truth outta this one,” he declared, shifting his gaze instead to the new acquaintance. “How 'bout you?”

Lex opened her mouth briefly before closing it again without a noise. She hadn't expected a conversation, just a confirmation that the girl was in safe hands so she could head back to her motel room.

“Well, damn, Wyatt, you're makin' her nervous,” Dallas spoke up, and Lex followed the voice to the man farthest from her. “What was your name, sweetheart?” he asked, reaching out a hand that Lex tentatively grasped.

“Lex,” she mumbled, and the eldest of the quartet nodded.

“Well, I'm Dallas, I'm Darla's uncle, and this is Wyatt, her brother. He ain't usually this rude,” he concluded, and Wyatt let out an audible breath. “Why don't you tell us what went down?”

“Well...,” Lex began again, licking her uncomfortably dry lips, not even slightly more at ease than she had been before she knew their names. “We were on stage-”

“We?” Wyatt asked immediately.

“Yeah, my band and I-”

“You're in a band?” Dallas inquired, surprised, though he supposed the vibrantly dyed purple hair and calloused hand he'd shaken made more sense in retrospect.

“Yeah, we suck. Anyway,” she continued before she could be cut off again, “we were playing, and I saw this girl,” she quickly indicated Darla, “getting groped by some guy in the crowd, and it was pretty obvious she wasn't about it, so I stopped the show and had security pull him on stage, and...”

There was silence for a few seconds before Wyatt's voice sounded, repeating her last word, “And?”

“And, I...tased him in the crotch,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders at the male grunts on either side of her.

“Twice,” Darla added, Wyatt looking to his youngest sister, Dallas taking another swig of beer.

“I asked him if he knew how old she was, and he said something about how she was dressed, and it was pretty clear the message hadn't sunk in,” she continued, “so I electrocuted him until he couldn't stand up.”

“Well, that's...not what I expected,” Dallas declared, setting his bottle down, glancing to the musician, and his nephew beside her. “And where's this guy now?”

“Um...no idea? But, uh...” she paused, shifting her weight on the stool and reaching into one of her back pockets to pull out a government-issued piece of plastic, and placing it in Dallas' hand when he reached out for it. “I snagged his license, in case she decided to press charges, after all, and I asked security to remove him. I figured it was safest for Darla, here,” she acknowledged, reaching to grasp the teenager's hand, “if she had someone trustworthy come pick her up, just in case.” She heard the seat beside her squeak under the brother's weight, and glanced his way reflexively.

“Well, that's awfully upstanding of you,” he drawled, his face seeming a bit kinder than it had the last time she'd looked his way.

“Well, we...try to make sure wherever we play if a safe space for the girls and the gays, so...” she shrugged again, finding it harder this time to look away from him.

“Well, on behalf of the girls, and, uh...” he motioned to his uncle, who raised his beer in acknowledgment, before taking another drink, “ the gays, that's much appreciated.”

Lex glanced Dallas' way and let out a light chuckle, eyes drifting back to Darla, who seemed more at ease after the vocal explanation. “Well, anyway, you're here now, and I'm sure she's in good hands, and I really should be go-”

“Well, hold up, now. Where do you think you're going,” Wyatt cut in before Dallas could, the two men clearly on the same page as they caught each other's gaze.

“...Away?” Lex hedged, easing off her bar stool.

“Nah, we can't have that,” Wyatt stated as he reached out, snagging a belt loop on her jeans with one finger. “You saved our girl, here. Least we can do is buy you dinner,” he offered, though with his digit clinging to the loop at her hip, it seemed more like a demand. “You hungry? Dallas, you hungry? Darla?”

“Starved,” Dallas declared, Darla nodding, looking to Lex for her answer.

“I...I guess.”

* * *

“Are they always that intense?” Lex asked the teen at her side as she drove behind Dallas' car, toward the 24-hour diner they had suggested, having declined the offer to ride along in the same vehicle as both of the men.

“I guess...I mean, not really...sorta,” Darla mumbled, playing with the charm on her necklace as she watched their surroundings from the passenger seat. “Dallas is always kinda crazy...Wyatt was actin' kinda weird, though,” she admitted.

“Like he expected you to be the cause of the trouble?” Lex ventured, glancing briefly to her side, before her gaze flitted back to the road.

Darla let out a soft laugh before answering, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You run to them for help a lot?”

“Wyatt, mostly. He was my favorite uncle, and then I found out he's actually my brother, and...it's just confusin', I guess. He still backs me up, though,” Darla continued. “He ain't mean, or nothin'. I think he's just been stressed out. Guess I ain't exactly helpin'.” The conversation dwindled to a mostly comfortable silence as Lex's car continued to follow Dallas', the restaurant finally coming into view, to her relief.

* * *

“Ah, not the salad. Don't tell me you're one of those girls,” Dallas chided as Lex flipped through the menu and landed in the health-conscious section of the laminated booklet. “Get some meat on them bones, girl!”

“Do you have any idea how much fast food I get stuck eating on the road? I am cheeseburger-ed out,” she retorted, glancing to the elder of the two men, before returning to the description to figure what she'd need to have left out. She wasn't about to sit and pick out onions from her greens in front of these people.

“Yeah, whatever,” he mumbled, taking a swig of beer from a new bottle provided by the diner, another reason she'd chosen not to ride with the men.

Somehow, she'd managed to find herself in the middle of a round booth, in much the same layout of group members from the bar : Wyatt, herself, Darla and Dallas. How it kept happening this way, she wasn't sure, and regardless of how obnoxiously handsome both of these men were, she couldn't shake her discomfort.

“You spend a lot of time on the road?” Wyatt spoke up, and Lex glanced his way before shifting her eyes back to the menu. His presence had felt intimidating in the shadowy bar that doubled as her band's venue for the night, but in the florescent light of the diner, he was even harder to look away from. It took a conscious effort not to stare, and his arms outstretched, resting along the upholstered edge of the booth seating, and nearly at the back of her neck, wasn't helping.

“We mostly do local venues, but when we leave the city, we try to schedule as many stops as we can to get the most out of the trip,” she answered, taking a drink of water.

“And what's local?” he continued, reaching with the hand not inches from her shoulder to push his hair out of his face.

“Um...Oklahoma City,” she confirmed, and he nodded, as did Dallas.

“ 'Bout a hundred miles away,” the older of the two acknowledged, and she nodded. “How you like it, down there?”

“I don't,” Lex uttered immediately, which earned her glances from both men, before the entire table lifted their gaze at the approaching, elderly waitress, each guest proceeding to rattle off their order, ending with Lex, who specified what she did and didn't want on her salad, and feeling the eyes on her from the inhabitants of the table, finishing off her order with, “and a banana shake.” After the waitress disappeared again, Lex glanced to Dallas' smirking face. “Happy?” He shrugged in response.

“Sure...I'm gonna judge you on those onions though-”

“My mother made it her mission to put onions in almost everything she could, okay? I hate them. I'll always hate them, and you can't make me feel bad about it,” she cut in defensively, Dallas' smirk widening, Wyatt remaining silent as his limbs shifted slightly, his tanned arm brushing against her neck, the ends of her purple ponytail tickling his skin.

“Alright!” Dallas exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defense. “So, anyway...what's it like, being a rock star?” he inquired, receiving an eye roll from Lex, though Darla's attention perked up at the question.

“I...couldn't tell you,” Lex admitted with a small laugh, shaking her head slightly.

“Not the fake modestly,” Dallas protested, but Lex shook her head, firm in her convictions.

“No, really...I mean, you saw how tiny that stage was, right? How small that venue was? No, if you wind up at one of our shows, it's probably by accident,” Lex explained, taking another drink.

“Well...you look the part, at least,” Wyatt suddenly spoke up, and Lex felt his hand graze the back of her neck, playing at the ends of her dyed hair.

“Yeah, I guess,” Lex murmured, unsure how she felt about the physical attention. He still unnerved her, maybe even more than the older man at the other end of the booth.

“So...” Dallas spoke up again, his eyes shifting to his nephew, and back to the new acquaintance, “what's the deal? Can't play your instruments of somethin'?”

“Because we're a girl band?” Lex asked suddenly, head tilting, eyes slightly narrowed. “Because girls can't play their instruments?” When Dallas shrugged, she shook her head slightly and relaxed more fully against the upholstered seating, Wyatt's arm drifting back around the edge again, the nape of her neck against his sleeve. “We currently have three guys, and me, by the way. I'm the only girl.”

“Currently?” Wyatt's voice again.

“Yeah, that's, uh...that's kinda part of the problem. We're constantly losing and gaining and swapping members. I think I've been with them the longest at this point. We mostly do covers, though, so it doesn't really matter who's playing or singing or whatever,” she finished.

“And that doesn't bother you?” Wyatt asked suddenly, Lex turning to look in his direction, to the chocolate brown eyes that hid in the shadow of his brow.

“Um...some days, I suppose. I guess I...I was never really a songwriter. I mostly just wanted to learn to play the songs I already loved, from other bands. Certainly not itching to get famous or anything.”

* * *

The conversation carried on steadily until their meals came, and a mostly comfortable silence filled their corner of the diner as they ate, Dallas and Wyatt finally shifting some down the booth so everyone could stretch their arms and eat comfortably. In the midst of finishing their meals, Lex cleared her throat and mumbled an “excuse me”, indicating for Wyatt to move so she could exit the booth, the younger man slipping out and stepping around to the other side to sit by his uncle until she returned. As soon as she slipped through the women's bathroom door, Lex put her weight against it, and the back of her shirt slid against the glossy wood until she sat on the tile floor, taking a deep breath.

When she'd pulled the creep on stage to humiliate him and zap him with her taser-like stun gun, she never expected the rest of her evening to turn into this. She certainly had no regrets in saving Darla, of course, as she'd hope that anyone on stage who saw such behavior would do the same, but...she had not signed up for this, sitting at a table in some secluded diner in the middle of the night with a couple of 'good ol' boys'. Regardless of how admittedly attractive both of them were, they were intense and intimidating, and she had not felt comfortable since the moment they'd walked into the venue that night. “Just a little longer...it's almost over, I'm almost free,” she mumbled to herself as she sat with her face in her hands, cross-legged on the floor. She wondered briefly how much charge was left in her little stun gun.

Deciding she might as well make the most of her time away from the group, she quickly used the facilities and rinsed off her face, swished some water around in her mouth to loosen any spare bits from the salad, checking her reflection, taking her hair down to redo it...and wondering why she was taking the time to groom herself at all, given the situation. With a last glance in the mirror, she stepped toward the door and pulled it open, and nearly yelped at what she found waiting for her.

“Jesus, fuck, what is with you two?!” she exclaimed in as hushed a tone as she could manage, confronted with Wyatt, waiting just outside the door in the narrow hallway.

“You were gone so long-” he began in his cool demeanor, but she quickly cut him off.

“And?! I don't...I don't fucking know you. I haven't done anything to you, or your uncle, or your sister. I did a nice thing, and ever since you two showed up, I feel like I'm being sized up and interrogated and shit,” she huffed, letting out the frustration she'd kept locked inside the last few hours. “What is with all this,” Lex continued, looking around to make sure there weren't more strangers approaching, “all this intimidation crap?”

Wyatt slumped against the wall behind him, though it put little distance between them, watching her thoughtfully. “Didn't realize I was-”

“Really?” Lex challenged, reaching for his waist to snag a finger around his belt loop and giving it a tug, as he had done to her at the bar. “Grabbing me like this, and hovering and touching me, that doesn't...” her words faltered as he dipped his chin to drop his gaze from her eyes to his waist, where she gripped his jeans, staring for several seconds before he extended his own hand to carefully grasp hers and draw it away.

“You're right,” he admitted, running his free hand over his chin and cheek to scratch lightly at the facial hair that decorated his skin. “It's, uh...it's been a tough year, and I suppose it's made it hard to trust people, and my own instincts. And that's got nothin' t' do with you,” he explained, running his thumb absently over her knuckle. “I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It weren't my intention. I guess it's just...habit,” Wyatt continued, and Lex's gaze finally shifted from their connected hands, up to his face again, his pretty brown eyes framed by those charming brows. “Can we start over?”

* * *

Another half hour had passed by the time Dallas stood up to give his arms a stretch, glancing over at Wyatt and shifting his head to indicate the younger man follow him, the two of them leaving the booth to walk across the diner, toward the register to pay the bill.

“He ain't with nobody,” Darla whispered as soon as she presumed them out of earshot, and a smile spread across Lex's lips, shaking her head as she let out a breath of amusement.

“I wasn't planning on asking,” she answered, glancing over at the two men, oddly huddled together, as if in a secret conversation of their own.

“Oh, come on. You two've been making eyes at each other since...well, at least since you got back from the bathroom,” Darla protested, but Lex continued to dismiss her.

“We live a hundred miles apart-”

“So?” the teenager's voice took on a whiny tone in protest.

“And he's gotta be close to twenty years older than me-”

“Sooo?” Darla continued, as if she were speaking to one of her schoolmates.

“Annnd...” Lex whined back, a little exasperated. “We don't even know each other.”

“Well, I can give you his phone number,” Darla offered eagerly, and Lex put her elbows on the table, her face in her hands, covering her eyes as she leaned forward.

Meanwhile, across the diner, Dallas leaned on his own elbows against the varnished surface of the bar counter, his voice hushed as Wyatt leaned against the same counter at his side.

“She sure is somethin',” the older man muttered, staring at a rogue menu, considering whether of not to get a dessert to go.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Wyatt answered, staring at nothing in particular.

“I noticed you noticin',” Dallas responded, thumbing through the laminated pages. “So, you want me to...pop outside and kick her taillight in or somethin'?” When Wyatt finally looked directly at him with an indignant stare, Dallas continued. “She can't go home with a busted taillight...someone's gotta fix it so she don't get pulled over...and damned if you don't just happen to own an auto shop-”

“Yeah, Dallas, I get your meaning. I'm not an idiot,” he answered, shaking his head. “And how exactly do you think that's gonna look after the night we've had?”

“Hey, I'm not the one that decided to spend half the night acting like a dick-”

“Fuck,” Lex's voice sounded from across the diner, and both men shifted their gaze in the girls' direction.

“What's wrong?” Darla piped up, sliding out of the booth and walking toward Lex, standing directly in front of the glass entrance door. Heavy rain drops plopped down from the sky, soaking everything in sight, coating the windows of the cars in the parking lot and giving them a sheen of fog. Dallas and Wyatt had crossed the restaurant by the time she answered.

“My windshield wipers are...pretty much useless,” she huffed, leaning her forehead against the glass, water vapor collecting where she breathed against it. “I didn't exactly plan to be out until...fuck, almost 2am,” she sighed as she looked at her phone. She knew rain was on the way, she just thought she'd be able to beat it, easily.

Wyatt and Dallas were already exchanging glances by the time Darla's voice sounded again. “Well, Wyatt's got an auto shop just a couple miles away,” she explained, and Lex lifted her forehead from the glass to turn and glance over her shoulder at the two Walker men who had gathered.

* * *

“Thanks for this,” Lex mumbled as she watched the rain through the passenger window of her car, Wyatt in the driver's seat, having split up from Dallas, who'd agreed with absolutely no complaints to take Darla home.

“It's nothin',” Wyatt answered, tempted to sneak a glance at the young woman beside him, but thinking better of it with the rain coming down as hard as it was, the rubber squeegees of the wipers uselessly flopping around like spaghetti noodles as they swiped noisily across the windshield. “You saved our girl...that's worth a lot more than a salad and a milkshake.”

Lex was quiet for several moments before she spoke up again, leaning her head to the side against the upholstery of her seat. “I half expected you to lecture me for letting them get this bad,” she confessed.

“Yeah...you get this one, lecture free. I'm not your daddy. Just don't let the new ones...what?” he glanced over for the briefest second when he noticed an odd expression on her face in the periphery of his vision. She shook her head, but continued her silence. “Did I say something funny?”

“Don't worry about it,” she mumbled, glancing out the window again, a crooked smile on her lips.

True to Darla's word, not ten minutes of driving passed before Wyatt's combination auto shop and car lot came into view, Wyatt pulling in when he was near enough and driving around the back to the dock doors, Lex breathing a sigh of relief.

“See? Told you I'd get you there. I ain't got an umbrella though...can't promise you won't get wet,” he stated as he got out of the parked car and closed the door behind him, walking around the front as Lex watched him, stepping out when he opened the passenger door. “What?” he asked as he glanced briefly to her face, but stating nothing else as she followed him with narrowed eyes back around the other side to the front door. When they stepped inside, Wyatt quickly locked the door behind himself, and walked past her as she stared at him, wandering toward his office. He stopped suddenly in his tracks at the unmistakable sound of angry electricity, swerving around to look upon the young woman, still situated near the front door, grasping the device she'd zapped the creep at the concert with, earlier.

“Just testing it,” she stated simply, sliding it back into the purse she carried.

“Right...how about you find a place to sit and get comfortable, and I'll get your car in here and take a look,” he offered, wary of the small but powerful weapon, resuming his walk toward his office. Lex didn't take a step until he'd disappeared from view.

* * *

“So what do you do, when you're not playing, uh...what was it you said you played?” Wyatt's voice rang through the shop as he gathered various tools and bottles of fluid, the wipers swapped out for new ones without issue.

“A little bit of everything, mostly bass though...I didn't ask you to do that,” Lex spoke up as she realized her car was slowly rising into the air, Wyatt activating jacks underneath.

“No, you didn't...but your oil is filthy,” the mechanic declared, drawing out the dipstick to show her, Lex waving her hand as she approached.

“That's okay, I believe you,” she mumbled, putting her hands on her waist as she watched him pull up a rolling board to lie on and disappear beneath her car. Before he even touched metal with his hands, he felt himself being pulled back out, and he found the musician crouched beside him when he reappeared, her hand firm on the molded plastic his weight lay upon. “Why are you doing this?”

“Like I said, your oil is-”

“Good enough to get me home,” she cut him off, shifting her legs until she sat on the cement floor beside him. “I'm grateful for the new wipers, but you don't need to do all this.”

“It's really no big deal,” Wyatt shrugged, and vanished again when Lex loosened her grip.

“So, is this what passes for flirting up here? Topping off a girl's fluids?” she asked, leaning forward to balance her elbow on her leg, her cheek against her palm as she glanced around at her surroundings.

“You make it sound so dirty,” Wyatt's voice floated out from underneath the car.

“I saw your finger nails, you're way past dirty,” she mumbled, sliding back a bit when the little wheels beneath his body began to move and he reappeared before her, fresh grease stains on his cheek and forehead. “Definitely dirty,” she observed, but her smile was a pleasant and welcome sight to behold. “Do you need anything?”

Wyatt looked thoughtful, and he stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out some change, dimes and half a dozen quarters. “Why don't you go grab a drink from the vending machine.”

“That's not what I meant-”

“I know what you meant. I've got this handled, darlin', you just relax.” When she wandered off for a few minutes, and reemerged, it wasn't the sound of a can opening that met his ears, but a box full of something loose inside. “What'd you get?”

“Sour Patch Kids,” Lex declared, tearing at the thin cardboard as Wyatt slid out into view again. “What?”

“You took my Sour Patch Kids?” he asked, and she glanced down at the box. “Those are my favorites.”

“You gave me the money,” she mumbled, easing open the plastic bag inside and dumping a few pieces into her own hand.

“I said a drink,” he reminded, but there was no edge in his voice, or on his face. “Everybody around here knows the Sour Patch Kids are mine.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn't keep them in the vending machine,” she shrugged, watching as he started to reach for the box in her hands. “No, your hands are gross...here.” She plucked a piece out of the bag and hovered it over his lips, which he immediately parted, accepting the tangy treat. “Are you about done under there?”

Wyatt chewed briefly and swallowed, turning his head to glance back at her elevated car. “I guess I'm just stallin',” he finally admitted.

Lex nodded and glanced up at her car, freshly serviced and in much better shape to hit the road. “Yeah, I kinda guessed that.”

“You gotta drive home tonight?” he inquired suddenly, and something about the question felt more like a sort of invitation. She dipped her slender fingers into the box and drew out another piece of candy, offering it to him when he opened his mouth again.

“In the morning. I have a motel room, tonight...that I will be going back to, alone,” she clarified when he raised his thick brows.

“Now, did I say anything about-”

“No, but you said, yourself, that you're stalling,” she reminded, dropping another sour-coated gummy into his mouth, his larger, grease-stained hand grasping hers suddenly when she started to pull it away. He was quiet for several seconds, content to stare into her dark green eyes, before he finally spoke up.

“You gonna electrocute me with that zap stick if I try to kiss you?” he whispered, his eyes trained on hers.

Lex watched the mechanic thoughtfully, his body practically sprawled out on the floor, before her. “God, this has been such a weird fuckin' night,” she finally declared, and his lips twitched in response.

“That ain't exactly the answer I was looking for,” he retorted, and Lex leaned away again as he slid out completely from beneath the car and sat up on the rolling board. “You got a boyfriend at home, or somethin'?” She glanced away, shaking her head, the loose strands of violet hair by her ears swaying. “Or a girlfriend?”

“No, I...I'm not seeing anybody,” she admitted, looking back at him as he lifted himself off the board and rose to his feet, reaching a dirty hand out that she stared at for a few seconds before accepting.

“Anybody waitin' for you back at that motel?” he asked abruptly, and she suddenly wondered if it had been a bad idea to leave her stun gun in her bag. “Or can I convince you to stay a little longer?”

“I, uh...” she began, but her words faltered.

“You don't have to,” he stated, loosening his embrace of her hand. “But, I sure wouldn't mind if you hung around a bit longer.” When she swallowed noticeably, her face visibly flushed, even in the dim light of the empty shop, Wyatt nodded with a hint of a smirk, dropping her hand completely. “Why don't you think on it, and I'll go get cleaned up.”

In his brief absence, Lex began to wander around the auto shop, eventually finding her way to what was clearly his office, leaving the door open behind her. Small, cheaply framed pictures of Hot Rods and other classic cars hung against ugly, yellow ochre walls. To her relief, there were no sleazy calendars of scantily clad women draped across muscle cars in sight. Ignoring the distance slaps of rubber-soled shoes against smooth concrete, she continued her casual inspection, glancing over pinned-up receipts and finally rounding the desk, finding brightly scrawled coloring pages full of cartoony cars, taped to the walls. Darla's name was written in crayon on both of them. “Don't tell 'er I still got those up. It'd just embarrass her,” Wyatt's voice sounded from the doorway as he observed his office invader.

“I won't,” Lex answered, a gentle smile on her face as she observed them, the mechanic stepping around the desk from the opposite direction and dropping down into his swiveling chair.

Reaching into a desk drawer and pulling out a canister of grease-cleaning wipes, Wyatt popped open the container and handed one to his guest, placing her car keys down on the glossy surface as she wiped away the stains he'd left on her hands. “Whatcha thinkin' about?”

“About how much of a hypocrite I am,” she mused, glancing over her shoulder before shifting to rest her weight against the edge of his desk. When Wyatt said nothing in return, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest instead, regarding her with curious eyes, she continued. “Preaching to your little sister to take care around dangerous men...and now, here I am, doing something impulsive and stupid,” she explained, shrugging her shoulders, placing her palms against the rounded edge of the desk.

Wyatt was silent for several seconds as he considered her, only serving to add to her hesitance. “I take it Darla's been tellin' stories about me,” he finally stated, and Lex simply raised her brows in response. “So...am I still makin' you nervous,” he guessed, his gaze, directly into her eyes, ceaseless.

“I don't think 'nervous' is the word I'd go with,” she mumbled, glancing away from his intense stare.

“Then why do you keep doin' that?” Wyatt asked suddenly, and Lex's brows knit together in mild confusion. “Lookin' away from me like that...Do you just not trust me, or-”

“I don't trust me,” her voice was barely above a whisper, and Wyatt tilted his head to the side, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward in his chair, a strange smile forming on his lips.

“That so?” he asked, and Lex pursed her lips, as if she were wary some other uncomfortable truth might slip out. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk tighter as Wyatt finally stood up from his chair, stepping so casually in front of her, and so her body sat sandwiched between his own and the heavy, sturdy piece of furniture below her. “Know what I think?” he asked, his body looming, and Lex shook her head as her eyes focused on his. “I think you're a little sweet on me,” he murmured, his large hands finding her smaller ones and uncurling her fingers to weave his own betwixt them.

“Against my better judgment,” she whispered, glancing down to where their hands joined.

“You know, I...just 'cause I ain't exactly on the straight an' narrow...doesn't mean I ain't a good man,” Wyatt did his best to assure, his hands maneuvering hers up to his shoulders, and letting go to grasp her waist when her fingers scrunched up the fabric of his button-up. “Ain't nothin' t' be nervous about, sweetheart,” he rasped as her digits clutched at his shirt, his large, calloused hands traveling down her sides and gripping her outer thighs when he reached them to lift her up onto the edge of his desk. The tiny metal bits of her jeans scraped against the smooth wood as he stepped even closer and situated his thighs between her open knees. “Alexandria,” he breathed as her fingers worked their way up his neck, to the chestnut hair at his nape, his own hands gliding over her bare arms, her shoulders, finding their way back up to her jaw, tilting her chin back with his thumb until she had no choice but to look into his eyes. “If you're gonna tell me no...you better do it, right now,” he warned as her fingers worked through his dark mane, Wyatt finally descending over her to capture her lips, the tiniest moan sounding in Lex's throat.

Wyatt's lips were just as soft as they looked, careful and gentle as they caressed her own, the accumulation of his short whiskers scraping lightly against her skin. His mouth worked so delicately against her own, as if any hint of over-ambitiousness might divide their bodies from one another, that it was Lex who finally took some initiative. Parting her lips against his, gripping a fistful of his hair as his hands began to descend down her body again, she took advantage of the opportunity when a sigh escaped him, prodding against his tongue with her own until his mouth practically latched over hers. A muffled groan rumbled in Wyatt's throat as he felt legs wrap around his waist, slender fingers at his shirt again, groping along his clavicle and shoulder, Lex's blunt-cut nails gripping the fabric as his own hands worked under the hem of her tee. When her body gave a light shudder at the contact of his rough fingertips against her bare skin, but showed no sign of displeasure, he eased higher, mouth still working against hers as his calloused digits met fabric-wrapped underwire, traveling higher still, cupping the soft mounds of flesh through the light padding of her bra. It wasn't enough.

Finally drawing away from her mouth, leaving lighter kisses against her cheek, her jaw, his hands slid around her to pluck at the clasp keeping her soft flesh from his hands, pausing when her whole body seemed to noticeably still. “Is this okay?” he breathed against her skin, his scruffy chin against her temple, open palms against her shoulder blades. Wyatt felt her breath on his throat, her hands meeting at the top button of his shirt. “Is that a yes?”

“I...I'm sorry. It's just been a long-”

“Don't apologize,” Wyatt quickly cut into her words, his hands descending to the small of her back, her unhooked bra still clinging to her chest. “You got nothin' to be sorry about.” His large hands still at her back, his thumbs gently caressing her sides, Wyatt's mouth found Lex's once more, following her lead as she descended against his desk, legs still at his waist. His fingertips eased her shirt up over her stomach, grazing a bit too lightly over her ribs, making her squirm for just a moment before his hands slid higher, pushing back multiple layers of clothing up to her collarbone, and grasping gingerly the soft mounds he'd uncovered.

“Wyatt?” he heard her whimper as his mouth followed in the wake of his hands, ghosting his lips over a taut peak as he palmed at the other side, his tongue dancing over her supple flesh as his free hand weaved between their bodies, toward the button of her jeans. It was enough to snap her out of his spell, and Wyatt found his face being lifted off her chest from her grip in his silky hair.

“Too much?” he mumbled as her fingers loosened, pushing his fallen hair out of his face.

“A little,” she managed, rising up on her elbows, her legs unlocking to fall away at his hips.

“I just wanted a little taste,” he whispered, abandoning her breasts in favor of her parted lips.

“I think you've tasted enough for one night,” she answered, but her smile was still present when he granted some distance between them. “What time is it?”

Glancing at his watch as Lex began to pull and clasp her clothes back into place, Wyatt proclaimed it nearly four in the morning, and surprise and an edge of panic took over Lex's features. “Oh, shit, I didn't...God, they're probably freaking out,” she mumbled as she scrambled off his desk, disappearing from his office before he could ask whom she was talking about. “Fuck!” he heard her exclaim as he stepped out of his office, following her voice across his shop, finding her holding her phone up to her ear as she waited for a voice on the other side of the call. “I know, I know, I didn't have my...yeah, I'm okay, I, uh...kinda lost track of time,” she spoke into the receiver, glancing at Wyatt as he stepped closer, his features tinged with concern and a dash of frustration. Frustration with himself for keeping her out so long, or pushing a little too far, or just the thought of not getting to see her again after tonight, he couldn't decide. Maybe a bit of all of the above. “Right, yeah, I'm about to head that way...yes, I'll text you when I get to my room...goodnight.”

“Your band?” Wyatt ventured, and Lex nodded as she ended the call.

“Yeah, I guess they've been blowing up my phone for an hour, now,” she confirmed, pushing her mobile into her back pocket. “You're not the only one that worries, I guess.”

“I guess,” he repeated, a weak half-smile across his lips. “I suppose I gotta let ya go, now.”

“Um...yeah,” she agreed, though she didn't look any happier about it than he did.

“I don't suppose I'm gonna see you again,” he spoke, not even trying to fake a smile anymore.

“I, um...I'd like to...I don't know when, exactly, but...I-” Lex's words ceased as Wyatt closed the distance between them, his hands finding her jaw as his lips met her own, his kiss as gentle as their first.

“We'll figure somethin' out,” he assured as he put the slightest distance between their mouths, his hands descending to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in closer. “You ain't gettin' away from me that easy.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

tagging : @one-of-thewalkingdead , @gissellec1 , @rainingrabbits89-blog , @pinkflowerwombat , @sashimeep , @strangererotica , @the-butchers-baby , @callsign-fangirl , @hibiskooks , @jessy02 , @charliehoennam , @pinastrihaven , @amethystblackkchaos , @bleeding-heartz , @lucy-sky

If I forgot anyone, I apologize, and please let me know if you want to be tagged in the next one

COMMENTS AND REBLOGS AND TAGS ARE DEEPLY APPRECIATED. 💙

[natalievoncatte]

Something, some instinct, told Lena that she wasn’t alone. She wanted to blame it on the whisky, but it was better to check. She grabbed the gun from its hiding place beneath a pillow, where she kept it in case of an intruder.

She wasn’t sure why she did that now; she was, in theory, safe from her greatest enemy. After all, Lena had murdered him in cold blood. She’d killed her own brother for a monstrous lie, and while there was little to mourn -the man he was died years ago by his own hand- it hurt. It hurt so much that the pain squeezed out of every pore, until she awoke in the depths of the night thinking the hot stains on her cheeks might have been from crying blood.

The one person she had truly trusted, respected, revered-

(desired)

-was a lie, an illusion. At least Lex had, at one point, been real.

Lena scouted her apartment. It didn’t occur her to check the balcony until she was about to go to bed. She was on the thirty-sixth floor. No one could get up here.

Kara was outside.

She hasn’t landed; she was hanging in the air with her cape lazily swirling against her legs as she hung in the nighttime breeze. She was far enough away that Lena couldn’t get a read on her.

“What do you want?”

She drifted closer, in that unnerving way she had.

“Hi.”

Lena sighed, and waved a dismissive hand.

“Go away, Supergirl. I’m not in the mood for another speech.”

Lena turned back inside, but stopped when she felt the soft gust of wind. Kara was a few feet away from the balcony now, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

She hated how things had changed when Kara told her. She no longer saw Supergirl, just Kara in a costume. It was impossible not to see her, and yet for three long years she’d done just that. Blinded herself. Refused to see the bitter truth. All she’d ever wanted was a real friend

(lover)

who respected and admired

(and loved and cherished)

her and with whom she could share those feelings, and she’d really thought Kara was it. She was the best friend

(the one)

that Andrea and Jack could never have been. She believed that so deeply.

(she doesn’t want me the way I want her)

“I’m not here to give you a speech.”

Lena looked up sharply.

“Then what? Here to stop me? Foil my evil plans? I’m a villain now, remember.”

Kara’s face turned hard. “Don’t lie to me.”

Lena barked out a bitter laugh, feeling that need rise inside her, that anger. She had lost everything. The love of her mother, the protection of her brother. No matter how wealthy she was, she could never have those back. There was no price for what Lena wanted.

“How dare you say those words to me,” Lena hissed. “You’re the biggest liar I’ve ever met. Everything you’ve ever said to me is a lie.’

“That’s not true.”

“You told me you’d always protect me. Who’ll protect me from you?”

Kara looked away, shuddering as she breathed, or silently sobbing. Lena smiled a thin smile, glad to twist the knife.

(stop it stop it stop it stop hurting her)

“Something happened to me tonight.”

“I don’t care.”

“A fifth-dimensional being came to me and offered to let me change the past. I could change whatever I wanted.”

“I don’t see any changes,” said Lena.

Kara shook her head. “His gifts were all poison. Every time I tried to fix what happened, it turned out wrong. I tried and tried and tried until I realized what was happening.”

“Which is?”

“I was supposed to learn that I can’t just push past my mistakes. I have to own them and accept the consequences. There’s no magic wand that can fix us.”

“There is no us, Kara. We weren’t meant to be.”

“How can you say that?”

Kara drifted closer, sank down so they were face to face with the balcony railing between them.

“How can you say that?”

“It’s obvious. Whatever this was, it wasn’t meant to be. We’re just too different.”

Kara shook her head.

“When I think of all the things that had to happen in order for me to be here right now, it boggles my mind,” said Kara. “Two species from two different galaxies evolved so close together. Just the chances of that happening are incredibly small, and…

“And then my people had to find this world, and Kal-El’s parents had to choose it for their son. This world, this world specifically, and then I had to get stuck in the phantom zone on my way here. All of those things and a billion others all had to happen in perfect, crystalline order just for me to walk into that office and see you.”

Lena has gone still, listening. Kara looked at her so intently, so reverently, that Lena felt something strain inside her, stretch against itself to the point of breaking. It took all her many years of carefully honed composure to keep herself still.

“Every moment I had with you was a gift. Every single one. There are times when… there are times when I think that if I could somehow have saved Krypton, I don’t know if I could, because it would mean losing you. I don’t know if that’s a choice I could make and I don’t know what that means.”

“That’s lovely,” Lena said, trying and brutally failing to keep her voice from cracking, “but it doesn’t change anything.”

Kara let out a soft, choked sound.

“I know that. I know I ruined everything and I can’t fix it. I just needed to say this because it needed to be said. I’m not here to ask you to forgive me. I’m here to ask you to forgive yourself.”

“Oh, please.”

“I can’t stop you.”

Lena blinked. “What?”

“I can’t stop you. I can’t fight you. I know that now. It doesn’t matter what you do, I won’t ever hurt you again. I don’t want to confront what that means.”

“That’s rich, considering that the last time we had one of these chats, your sister pointed an orbital fusion canon at my head.”

“If she’d fired that thing,” said Kara, “there would be no more satellite, and no more DEO. I would shatter the foundations and pull down the walls. I would rain destruction on whoever hurt you. I’ve seen what happens to me when something happens to you. I never want to see it again.”

Lena leaned on the railing. “Go away.”

“What you have planned, you need to stop. I can’t stop you, and if I can’t, no one can. Please, Lena. I’m begging you, don’t do this. Don’t become someone you’ll hate just to hurt me. I’m not worth it.”

“Not everything is about you, Supergirl.”

“Please. Don’t take away everyone’s choice. I know what that’s like.”

“Oh?”

Kara nodded, and in the moonlight, her tears sparkled on her skin. “On Krypton, we were assigned to guilds as children. We had arranged marriages. Everything about our lives was planned from birth. Here, people have so much choice. Yes, they make mistakes, but people choose life and art and love. You can’t take that away over me.”

“It’s too late,” Lena said, her voice cracking, finally. “I’m doing it and if you won’t stand in my way, it’ll be done.”

Kara took a deep breath.

“Okay. I guess I should go.”

Lena rocked back.

“What? No. I’m going through with the plan.”

“I know. I won’t fight you.”

Kara turned, about to rocket off into the sky.

“You can’t just leave!” Lena screamed, her voice ragged from liquor and tears.

Kara stopped.

“You’re supposed to fight me. You’re supposed to yell at me and tell me the truth, that you knew I was a monster all along, that you were just staying close to me to watch me, to get to Lex. You’re supposed to fight me! You’re supposed to fight me!”

“No.”

Lena let out an incoherent scream and balled her hands into fists, meaning to slam them on the balcony, but they struck the implacable flesh of Kara’s chest. Powerful arms gathered around Lena, sheltering her from the nighttime chill and the voiceless judgment of distant stars.

“I won’t ever hurt you again,” Kara murmured. “I promise. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you for what I’ve done.”

“Why?” Lena whimpered. “Why won’t you just fight back?”

“Because you’re just like me. We’ve both lost so much. We both don’t want to see anyone else die.”

Lena should have shoved her away, demanded to be set free, screamed, protested, shoved. Instead her arms wound around Kara, drawn as if by gravity, and Kara’s gentle fingers began to stroke through her hair, her warm breath on the crown of Lena’s head.

“Come back to our life, Lena. To our friends. Come home.”

“I killed my big brother.”

“I know. I failed you both. I’m Supergirl. I’m supposed to find another way, a perfect solution.”

“I had to. He’d never have let you live if he knew how I f…”

Lena caught herself as the last moment.

It was Kara who sobbed now, her entire body shuddering. So much power with so much tenderness, her vast crushing strength kept at bay as she held Lena like one of the most precious of treasures.

“In one of the timelines that Mxy showed me, you… you told me how you felt as you were dying. I saw you die so many times, I can’t do it again.”

Lena tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry.

“I didn’t get to tell you before you died. I was scared. I never thought you’d want me like I want you.”

Lena went stock still, feeling Kara’s shuddering breath against her as she held her own. She couldn’t look up, afraid that if she did, this would be a cruel nightmare and she’d jolt awake in an empty bed and a penthouse full of bitter memories.

“Kara,” Lena began, finally. “Kara, what are you saying? What do you mean?”

“It’s so hard to say,” Kara sighed, and then, almost to herself, “even if I don’t have much left to lose.”

“Say it.”

“I love you.”

Lena’s heart soared, and a harsh sob exploded out of her. She’d dreamed of those words, longed for them, needed to hear them. So many times, Lena had almost let herself believe it.

“I want this to be real,” said Lena. “I just don’t know if I can forgive you, Kara. It hurt so much.”

“Can we try?” said Kara. “Can we give it a chance? Can you give me a chance?”

Lena finally looked up, and when she saw those tear-stained blue eyes filled in equal measure with terror and hope, she knew.

“Yes,” she said, simply.

Lena looked behind her, and was suddenly full of revulsion and regret. She hated this place.

“Can you take me back to your loft?”

Kara lifted her easily into a bridal carry and into the sky.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

All the Love, Supercorp ficlet

"Do you love me?"

The question comes soft and uncertain. Lena stops in her tracks, her soliloquy on why Kara should NOT sacrifice herself for the nth time grinding to a shuddering halt.

"Excuse me?"

Kara swallows thickly. "We promised no more secrets. I know how I feel about you, and I think you do too." She meets Lena's gaze with eyes that glimmer in the light. "Now I-- I'd like to know how you feel about me."

Lena's heart thunders in her chest, breath stolen. She struggles to reorient herself, and tries to buy herself enough time to do so.

"There are many kinds of love--"

"Yes," Kara says, nodding with all the solemnity of a diligent student in the classroom. "Humans are known to love in 8 predominant ways:

"Philia, or platonic love, as demonstrated between close friends.

"Pragma, the enduring love that persists across time.

"Storge-- the love for family, by blood or by bond.

"Ludus, playful love: the bond of humor and flirtation, regardless of age.

"Mania, or obsessive love. All consuming.

"Philautia. The love shown to oneself, the strongest foundation of all other love.

"Agape: selfless love, without expectation or transaction, given without strings. And--"

Kara pauses then, her features soft, vulnerable.

"Eros," she murmurs, with the weight of years unspoken. "Romantic love."

Lena's throat locks. She takes a quiet breath, the air trembling in her lungs. Her eyes remain locked on Kara's, unable to look away.

Kara steps forward, around the edge of the table between them.

"Do you love me, Lena?"

"Yes." The answer escapes with Lena's next breath. She can barely think, let alone move as Kara moves ever closer.

"In what way?" Kara presses gently. Lena has, after all, eight to choose from.

The truth surges from Lena and she makes no effort to curb it.

"All of them," she confesses, cheeks heating with a warmth that spreads down her neck to her chest, taking root around her heart. "Every way."

As a friend-- Lena would die happy to keep Kara in her life, whether this moment happened or not. There is no time, no reality in which Lena did not love Kara Zor-el, Lena is certain of it. Kara is a part of her now, part of her family, in a way Lex and Lillian never were.

She feels it every time Kara smiles, when Kara cracks a corny joke that has Lena laughing despite herself. At times, it feels as though Kara has permeated every fragment of Lena's life, and Lena still wants more. But even then, Lena retains the core of who she is-- herself that seems to shine brighter to be loved by Kara. And in being loved, Lena has been shown how to love herself, and everything she is.

Lena wants Kara-- in every way Kara will give. She thinks she's loved Kara since the moment she stepped into her office at L-Corp, a lifetime and reality ago. She'd wanted to ask Kara to drinks, to dinner, to bed from the first, but the moment never felt quite right-- until Lena found herself squarely in a friendship and looking on while Kara continued to date another person.

But the want never disappeared.

"In all the ways a person can love, I love you," Lena whispers.

Kara's hand slides across the tabletop to cover hers, their hips almost touching. When Kara tilts her head, their foreheads touch.

"So, please," Lena continues. "Let us help you."

Kara nods against Lena, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Okay."

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 62)

Alexia Putellas x Character (22)

Masterlist (other parts here)

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Alexia POV

There was something about the way that Ridley took care of everything that Alexia was obsessed with. Her entire life she’d been the one doing that. She’d been the dominant one, the one who made the decisions, cleaned up after messes of players or amongst friends. It became her identity without her actually choosing that, and so that’s how people thought of her. Alexia Putellas, the Captain. Alexia Putellas, the problem solver. Alexia Putellas, la Reina.

It wasn’t a burden all the time. She did enjoy it sometimes, though she was so used to it that she didn’t realise just how incredibly relieving it felt to be the one looked after. With Ridley, she knew she always had a choice, and yet she still took away her burdens without even trying. She wasn’t worried about paparazzi, or what she was wearing, or about her knee. Everything took a backseat because the demeanour of the Australian was very much that of confidence and an all-encompassing awareness. For Alexia, tonight was about her taking some of that burden away from her by organising their dinner, reassuring her that she was there, and just being friends… who flirted. They both enjoyed and encouraged that, though.

Their car ride was silent, but not awkward. In fact, they both wore smiles on their faces that they couldn’t seem to rid themselves of. Alexia couldn’t help but stare at her as she drove. Ridley had that little smirk playing around her lips; her mind clearly somewhere it was happy. She wondered if she were thinking about her.

She watched her thumb absentmindedly stroking the steering wheel and wished it were doing that on her thigh instead. But tonight, they were friends. Alexia needed a friend... as much as she wanted Ridley to pull the car over and fuck her senseless in the back seat.

Another thing Alexia wasn't used to. Wanting to be submissive. She never had before, but that’s just another uniqueness she drew out of her.

On the contrary, the thought of Ridley under her was… enticing. She wondered what sounds she’d make as she came. Would she even want to be under her?

“Stop thinking about sex, Lex.” Ridley said in English, smiling at the rhyming.

Alexia’s eyes widened. “I… wasn’t.”

They stopped at a red light and Ridley turned to her and softly put her fingertips under her chin. “Don’t lie to me, la Reina.” She said it softly, though her eyes flashed. “Ever. Let’s both agree to never lie to each other.”

Alexia could feel herself turning into a submissive mess.

“Okay. I agree.”

Ridley didn’t remove her fingers until she was satisfied that she was telling the truth. “Good girl.”

Although those words made her wet, Alexia had a moment of strength as she slapped her hand.

“That’s not very ‘friends’ of you.”

Ridley smirked as she began to drive.

Alexia continued to tease, reminding herself who she was. La Reina. “But I guess, you’re usually touchy with your ‘friends’, aren’t you?”

“I deserved that.” The Australian laughed and then looked at her with that natural flirt of hers. “You don’t want to be my friend?”

They both knew it was just that, a tease. A rhetorical one at that. Up until that point, Ridley had seemed to almost be avoiding sex with her for fear of emotional proximity.

She answered anyways. “We both know how that went last time.”

Ridley nodded slowly. “One of my larger regrets.”

Alexia put her out of her misery. “But yes, I do want to be your friend. I’d like that.”

They were talking about actual friendship now, nothing else, and Ridley’s responding smile was everything to her.

“I’ll do that,” Ridley insisted. The waiter stepped aside as she pushed Alexia’s seat in and moved to sit opposite her.

He gave them their menus, read out the specials, and then left them.

“You look surprised..”

“I’ve never been here before,” she murmured as she looked around. “Lucy has good taste.”

Lucy had originally made the booking a while ago, intending on taking Blau when she planned on spending a night in London. Then the accident had happened and although they could have gone, Blau felt more comfortable at home until she could walk.

“Well she does eat a lot.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

There was something stress-free about talking in Spanish around people who most likely couldn’t understand them. They received a few looks and in an even amount as Alexia was well-known and Ridley was… Ridley.

“What are you thinking?”

“The chicken piccata. And you?”

“Beef Wellington.”

“Hm, that sounded nice.”

“Would you like to share?”

Alexia caught her eye. It was a genuine request. “I’d like that.”

The waiter came over at Ridley’s gesture and took their order and left.

“I have a request.”

“Shoot.”

“I want you to let me pay you back for the physio.”

“Ah. Request denied.”

“Ridley…”

“No.”

“Ridle-”

“Nada.”

“Rid-”

“Nope.”

“Lee!” She had no idea where it came from, but it certainly got her attention. Ridley tilted her head, her eyes wondrous. A few seconds of silence fell.

“Say it again,” she murmured, her eyes on her lips.

Alexia took a breath. “Lee.”

She saw her pupils dilate. Was she not used to nicknames? Riddles. Romeo.

“Lex and Lee, hm? And your accent makes it much cuter.”

She struggled to not respond to the flirting. “Let me pay you back please?”

“No.”

“You can pay for that, or you can pay for dinner, but you’re not doing both.”

“Watch me.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re annoying?”

“It’s not a regular occurrence...”

“You’re annoying.”

“I think you mean ‘chivalrous’.”

Alexia was fighting a losing battle against a brick wall, but she could be sneaky as well. “Argh. I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Don’t get lost now.”

She rolled her eyes and when she was out of sight, she bee-lined for the cashier and gave them her credit card for the table, insisting they use it for their meal. She left it there and headed to the bathroom so it wouldn’t be so obvious before going back to the table.

She tried to hide her smug smile when she returned, though it disappeared when she twisted her knee wrong as she went to sit.

Alexia sharply inhaled a breath as she all but fell into the seat Ridley was holding. She was down by her side immediately.

“Lex…” she worried. “Your knee?”

“I turned stupidly. It’s okay.”

Ridley’s hand went to her knee and started to feel around.

“Let me take your heels off.”

“They’re only small. And it’s a really nice restaurant.” Alexia murmured as she looked around, wondering if it looked to people like Ridley was proposing.

“Eyes on me.” Alexia’s eyes found Ridley’s immediately. “Don’t worry about anyone else. Let me take them off, please?”

Alexia nodded. Ridley was right.

She enjoyed the feel of her fingers along her ankles a little too much, not realising just how sensitive that part of her body was. Unfortunately, she was too quick for her to really enjoy it, though perhaps that was a good thing. She had already been surprised once in the bathroom by how wet she was from their car ride.

Ridley returned to her seat and patted her thigh.

“Really?”

She didn’t answer, just patted it again and held her eyes. Alexia lifted her leg and placed her ankle on her thigh under the table, Ridley holding it there with a hand gripping the lower part of her calf. Her hand slid further up then, slowly, sensually, and Ridley watched her expression carefully as she did so. Alexia forgot how to breath, how to speak, how to be a human. Her expression must have said all of the above, because Ridley smirked.

Her hand stopped at her knee and began to massage it exactly where she needed, her expert fingers kneading away the tension in her soreness and increasing the tension inside of her. She could have come right then and there.

They sat in that comfortable silence while her fingers worked her knee and all around. By the time she gave her leg back, the waiter was on his way over with the food.

They ate half of their plates each, and then switched as they said they would. They talked about what they missed in Spain, about Chiquito, about flying.

Their plates were cleared while they were still talking away, just enjoying the company of each other. They didn’t care that there was a hundred other people around them, nor that the sun had set, nor that outside it was now raining heavily, battering down onto the roof. They only had eyes for each other.

The waiter handed them a dessert menu, and again Alexia wasn’t sure if she should, and so they agreed to just share one between the two.

“Just one menu for her, please.” Ridley told him before smiling at her. “Your choice.”

Her choice. Of course it was. It always was with Ridley. She didn’t need long to decide.

“The éclair please…”

“With two plates please,” Ridley added, Alexia enjoying hearing her Australian accent in English. He nodded and left. “The éclair? Naughty.”

“You said you liked anything with custard…”

Ridley hadn’t seen the menu, so she didn’t know. She looked excited. “It’s filled with custard?!”

“Vanilla custard, yes.” Alexia felt like she’d done something right. She was proud of herself.

They returned easily to their talks, the conversation flowing easily. Watching Ridley’s excited face when the éclair came out was the highlight of her night.

She closed her eyes as she took that first bite, nodding in agreement with the dessert. Alexia couldn’t help but use that opportunity to take a little cream from the top and decorate her nose with it.

Her eyes opened mid roll. “Really? You’re lucky you look too stunning tonight to return the favour.”

Instead, she wiped it off with one finger and placed her elbow on the table, extending it towards her. It was a challenge to see what she would do in a room full of people.

And so Alexia did something she would never do in public. She took Ridley’s hand in between her own and made sure to keep her eyes as she sucked the cream from the tip of her finger. The excitedly surprised look that Ridley gave her as she watched was worth it.

“Mmn. Thank you.”

“You never fail to surprise me.”

They finished off the éclair and Ridley called for the check. Alexia hid her smirk as she bill came, though it disappeared quickly.

“The bill is paid. Here is your card, ma’am.” He extended a black card to Ridley. She thanked him as he left. Ridley winked at her and reached into her jacket pocket to retrieve another card. She held it up between her first two fingers.

“This is yours, I believe?”

Alexia’s eyes widened. “What? When?”

“When you were in the bathroom, of course. You’re far too predictable.” She said as she winked.

Alexia snatched the card and put it back in her wallet. She needed to get better. She needed to outplay Ridley.

“I’ll get you back for this.”

“You’ll try.” Ridley picked up her high heels with her cast hand and offered her other to the footballer. “Shall we?”

It was absolutely bucketing down outside.

“England weather,” Alexia grumbled.

“Happiness, remember?” Ridley gestured to her necklace. “Would you like me to bring the car right up here?”

“I don’t mind the rain actually… but the puddle…”

The car wasn’t far, it was just across the road, but a puddle that looked shin deep ran up the curb closest to them as the drain must have been blocked.

Alexia looked down to her bare feet and back, shivering at the cold.

“Come here.” Ridley took her jacket off and put it on Alexia. She would have fought it, but she knew better with Ridley, and she was already so cold. She pulled her into her chest and rubbed her back until she was a little warmer.

“Here’s my key.” She said as she gave it to Alexia and pointed to a button. “When we get close, push this button.”

“What? Why-”

She didn’t finish her sentence before she was lifted off the ground.

“Lee!”

Ridley smirked down at her, those gold flecks dancing in her eyes. “Chivalry is never dead around me.”

The rain hit them hard, but Ridley didn’t falter. She walked them over to the car, wading through the now knee deep water. Alexia pressed her face to her body to shield it from the rain, though she was already soaked and almost not wanting to admit that she was enjoying herself.

She pressed the button to open the doors when they were closer and Ridley placed her gently down in the passenger seat.

“Not so bad, hm?” She shook her wet hair near Alexia’s body like a dog which earnt her a slap.

They stumbled through the front door of Ridley’s penthouse late at night, both soaking wet and laughing. Chiquito took one look at their rain-soaked bodies and padded away.

“I’m never getting this dress off.”

At this point, the rain had moulded it to her body. Ridley chuckled. “Turn around.”

She helped her shrug her jacket off and then unzipped her dress slowly as Alexia offered her back to her. She wasn’t wearing a bra with it, just underwear. Ridley’s hands came up and gently pushed the dress off of her shoulders, following it all the way to the ground and waiting for her to step out, which she did. Alexia was suddenly almost naked, and freezing. Her arms came over her chest to hold some heat to her body and to cover those hard nipples from the cool air in the room.

Ridley laid the dress on the table and put her jacket back on Alexia, one arm at a time, pulling her close to keep her warm and rubbing her back.

“You need a warm shower, Lex.”

Alexia pressed her face into Ridley’s shoulder and spoke quietly. “Thank you for being my friend tonight. I know you had things to do… but I really needed that. Thank you for the happiness.”

She wasn’t used to being so open and vulnerable. It felt good.

“You’re welcome, Lex. Anytime.” She murmured against her hair. “And for what it’s worth, I would always prioritise you, because every moment with you is special. I’d happily sit and talk with you for hours and I’d feel nothing but happiness.” Her cheek leant on her head. “I’m so glad I met you.”

Tears pricked her eyes and Alexia’s entire being relaxed into her as the Australian continued slowly. “I just want to talk to you and hear about your day. I want to be in your presence. I want to see your smile and hear your voice. I don’t care if you’re happy or grumpy or tired. I… want to be around you on your good days, and your bad. I just…”

Ridley trailed off but it didn’t matter, the words were already spoken and finally, Alexia realised that Ridley cared for her as deeply as she did.

“Will you stay?” She whispered as she shivered.

Ridley’s grip tightened. “I can’t… you know I can’t.”

“I don’t want that. I don’t expect that…” She said, pulling her head back. She let her cheek graze along Ridley’s jaw as she leant back to look at her. “Stay… as a friend. Just… stay.”

“Alexia-” Ridley cut herself off, her expression looking anguished, like she was fighting herself.

“I want to use one of my favours. Stay the night… please.”

She’d made the difficult decision for her. “Are you sure?”

Alexia nodded. “Just friends. Stay…” She put her head to her neck and sighed into her. “I’m right here. Stay with me, Lee.”

“Okay.” She said so softly that she barely heard it.

“Okay?” Alexia lifted her head.

Ridley nodded, the decision clear in her eyes. “I’ll stay the night.”

“Okay,” she breathed.

“But I get to teach you how to defend yourself. And we’re going to watch a movie.”

Alexia returned Ridley’s happy smile with a smirk. “Deal.”

“Good. Go shower. Right now.”

Alexia unwillingly untangled herself from the warmth of Ridley and padded her way to the shower, unable to contain her pure joy that she was staying. She showered gratefully, savouring the warmth and found Ridley in the theatre room after she’d dressed into her comfortable sleeping clothes.

Ridley was flicking through channels, also now in track pants and a shirt for sleeping, with Chiquito curled up between the couch and her leg. She patted the couch next to her when she came in. Alexia wondered if she’d chosen the theatre room as a neutral place for them to be close to each other.

“Lucy’s taking me to the Arsenal game tomorrow. Do you want to come?”

Ridley pouted as she stared at the tv. “I have work from midday until late.”

Alexia was disappointed, but she tried to not show it. “Maybe after then.”

Ridley turned to look at her. “Maybe… is tonight and tomorrow morning’s self-defence session not enough Ridley for you?”

The confidence. She thought about biting back, but she was tired and knew what she wanted to actually say was what Ridley wanted to hear.

“I’ll never have enough Ridley. I’ll never tire of you. You make me smile and you make me laugh. You make me happy just being around you.” She rode that momentum and wrapped two of her arms around one of Ridley’s, cuddling it to her chest and pressing her body into her, resting her chin on her shoulder. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re a wonderful person.”

She caught those dark eyes that were looking at her and mulling over her words.

“Is this okay?” Alexia asked, speaking about the way their bodies were touching from their legs, up to where her arm was cuddled to Alexia’s body.

“Yeah,” she breathed. Her hand was in Alexia’s lap, and placed itself carefully on the inside of her thigh, her thumb stroking it like it had done to the steering wheel just hours earlier.

Alexia closed her eyes and felt her body twitching a little as she got closer to falling asleep, her body fighting her like it always did. The feeling of Ridley relaxing further just encouraged her own state of bliss, her body falling further into her. Ridley’s cheek found the top of her head and rested there gently.

She felt a blanket being lifted over her, and then her hand was back on the inside of her thigh, stroking with her thumb. Ridley.

She’d dreamt of this. Of falling asleep to the smell, the feel and the warmth of Ridley. Tonight, she’d get to live that dream.

But not this minute. Her phone buzzed and she was mad at herself for bringing it. She gave a little, frustrated noise and lifted it to have a look.

“Oh… oh joder.” She lifted the phone to show Ridley. “This is not good, right?”

She felt Ridley’s jaw clench as it rested on her head.

“No, that is definitely not good.”

[morganacorp]

Lena knew that kryptonite hurt Supergirl in ways she couldn't imagine. She had heard her say once that it felt like molten lava running through her veins, broken glass against her skin, piercing her until she was weak and vulnerable.

Lena saw the way Supergirl's skin started glowing green the moment her mother stepped closer to her and pulled out a gun loaded with kryptonite, shooting her with a short green beam of light from the rock making her fall to her knees in agonizing pain. She saw her mother's satisfaction when she took a step back and Supergirl stayed down on her knees, trying to catch her breath while she tried to fight the pain.

"Something as simple as a green rock can bring the most powerful woman down to her knees and make her soft." She smirked, nodding so one of her goons would step in closer and punch Supergirl.

The hero was obviously affected by the kryptonite, struggling to defend herself. Lena watched in horror how one of the goon's punches landed on her jaw and followed with another one in her eye.

"She bleeds!" Lillian said with delight.

"Stop hurting her!" Lena screamed, trying to free herself from the man that was holding her still.

"That's nothing compared to what we're going to do to her." Lillian smirked at her daughter. "Her family destroyed your brother's life, and it's her time to pay."

"Lex went insane because he's a psychopath, but Supergirl is innocent!" Lena said loudly, hoping to distract her mother while Supergirl caught her breath. "She has done nothing to you or Lex-"

"She's a dirty alien, Lena! She's Superman's cousin." The woman scoffed, stepping closer to Lena. "He took your brother's sanity away, and I'll take the last living member of his family." She said with disgust.

"she's innocent!" Lena insisted, pleading at her mother with her eyes, watching how Supergirl stood up with difficulty, the open wound on her lip bleeding profusely.

"She's from Krypton!" Lillian yelled and nodded at her goons so they forced Supergirl back down to her knees again, punching her hard. "Besides, my dear Lena... My sweet, oblivious daughter." She said mockingly. "Would you be defending her this fiercely if you knew the truth?" She smirked, her bitter voice making Lena's heart race.

"Lillian." Supergirl managed to say. "Your problem is with me. Leave Lena out of this." She said and one of the men kicked her side so she fell and curled into a ball, feeling how her body struggled with the pain.

"Isn't that sweet." Lillian mocked her. "Little alien hypocrite."

"Let her go, mother." Lena pleaded.

"It's funny, now that I think of it." Lillian said, approaching Lena. "You defend her and you don't even know who she really is." She smiled, that cruel grin Lena knew all too well. "The truth has been in front of you the whole time, and you have never realized it... I'll be honest and say I thought you were pretty close to a genius, but it has been disappointing watching you be fooled by a pair of glasses and a sweater." She scoffed.

"Lillian!"

"Shut up, alien!" She yelled and shot her with a green beam of kryptonite that made her writhe in pain.

"Mother, please! Let her go." Lena pleaded.

"You hate lies, don't you, Lena?" She asked with a sarcastic tone. "You hate being lied to and you hate when people hide things for you."

"Whatever you're trying to do, just stop it." Lena replied bitterly. "This woman hasn't done anything wrong, all she's done is help people!"

"Did you know she has a job? And an apartment, and friends." Lillian continued, ignoring Lena. "She lives the life of a mere mortal, with the powers of a goddess." She said and stepped closer to Supergirl, making her skin turn even greener as the gun was pointed at her. "She will hate you, she will enjoy watching you die." She whispered in Supergirl's ear, a satisfied smirk on her lips before she used her gun to hit her on the head, opening a wound that started bleeding profusely.

"Stop, mother!" Lena pleaded, struggling against the man holding her. "Please, mother. I'll do anything you want but please let her go." She implored and Lillian laughed.

"Oh, Lena. You're a fool."

"I am a lot of things, so take it all out on me. Let Supergirl go." She said angrily.

"Supergirl... What a curious way to call your best friend." She said and Lena froze, her green eyes fixed on her. "Should we tell her the truth, Kara?" Lillian asked, and watched how her daughter's eyes filled with tears.

"What?" Her weak voice causing more pain to Kara than the kryptonite.

"That's right, Lena. This woman, this hero you have idealized and defended over your own family, has been lying to your face for years." Lillian said and pointed the gun at Kara, who was using all her strength to look up at Lena.

"It can't be." Lena shook her head.

"Lena." Kara whispered and then a green beam was shot from Lillian's gun, making her fall back and whimper in pain again, the blood from her head wound making her blond hair stick to her forehead.

"Not so eager to defend her now, are you?" Lillian smirked, stepping closer to Lena while they watched Kara gasp for air. The two men that had been next to her moved back to continue carrying the loaded boxes of guns Lillian had been trying to smuggle out of Lex's vault, leaving only the man holding Lena back.

"Kara..." she asked, a quivering lip and tear stained cheeks.

"Lena..." Kara sighed, trying to get back on her knees, but feeling the pain of broken ribs weighing her down.

"I'm gonna kill her." Lillian told Lena, making her snap back into reality.

She was mad, furious and hurt, but she couldn't let Lillian hurt Supergirl. Sure, she had lied to her, but her point that she had done nothing but help people still standing.

She wanted to see her suffer and make her pay for her lie, but torturing her with kryptonite was not what Lena wanted. She saw Lillian shot at her again, this time making Kara -Supergirl- slide back a few yards from where she lay.

Supergirl moaned in pain, her bruised and broken body hurting so much she could barely focus on anything. She tried to get back up again, but when she looked up she found Lena's pained and conflicted expression.

"Lena- I just-"

"Save it, alien." Lillian told her, shooting her again.

Lena was hurting and struggling to reconcile her thoughts and her heart: she saw Supergirl, a hero who had saved her life and had protected the city and the world countless times, and then she saw her best friend Kara, who lied and betrayed her. She couldn't stand the sight of Supergirl suffering, but thinking that Kara was there in front of her, whimpering in agony and helpless, made Lena's heart break.

She was mad, but her heart was soft and bleeding for Kara. That one person who always had her back, saved and protected her in her own way.

The same Kara that always knew how to cheer her up, or when to sit by her without words. The same Kara she looked forward to seeing, the same Kara that always greeted her with a warm hug that made Lena's heart race.

"Does your people have some kind of prayer for when you're about to die? I'm feeling generous." Lillian said with poison, watching how Supergirl struggled but managed to get on her feet, wobbling and almost falling down twice before she found her footing.

Lena looked at her and noticed everything she had refused to see before, all the clear signs that Kara and Supergirl were one and the same. She stared at her, noticing the bruises on Supergirl's face, the blood on her suit that was still dripping from her open wounds, and then she caught a glimpse of the blue eyes she knew all too well.

She noticed that now that she was slightly further away from Lillian the kryptonite didn't have the same effect on her, allowing her to recover enough to stand on her own. She was obviously very weak, but Lena knew that she still had enough in her tank to escape if given the chance.

"Lillian, let Lena go." She said with effort, her voice breaking.

"Don't say my daughter's name with your filthy mouth, hypocrite." Lillian scoffed bitterly.

"She's innocent and she-"

"Stop trying to defend me." Lena said firmly, tears streaming down her cheeks in earnest. "Don't you dare to say my name." She said angrily and looked back at the man holding her back until he let her go, sure that she wouldn't try to run.

"Lena-"

"I think my daughter was pretty clear." Lillian said and lifted the gun, pointing it at her. "You have betrayed a Luthor, alien, and now you'll pay for it." She said and Lena waited until she was surely about to pull the trigger, knowing that she only had one chance to do it.

She knew kryptonite wouldn't kill her, that it doesn't hurt her body in the way it hurts Supergirl. She knew it was a gamble, but she had always liked tempting fate.

She ran towards Kara, stepping in front of the green beam that would've ended her life and protecting her with her own. She felt the force of the green light hitting her square on the chest, pushing her back until those strong arms wrapped around her.

Kryptonite wouldn't kill her, no, but the force on that beam was enough to disorient her and take her breath away. She could hear her mother cursing and Kara's voice- Supergirl's voice-yelling at her, but she couldn't make up what they said.

She closed her eyes, feeling Kara's arms holding her against her body, and then everything went black.

"She's waking up." A familiar voice said softly when Lena opened her eyes, trying to focus while she loked around. "Lena, it's okay. You're safe." The same voice said softly, and her eyes finally found her face.

"Alex." She whispered.

"You have a concussion, and you were out of it for a few hours. You're safe." She explained, looking into her eyes with a concerned frown. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a truck." She said honestly.

"You have bruised ribs too... What you did was stupid." She said, grabbing her hand. "But incredibly brave." She said giving it a squeeze. "Thank you."

"That should be me thanking her." Kara's soft voice caught Lena's attention, and it was until then that she noticed her sitting on a chair next to her, the warmth of her hand resting on top of hers.

She was dressed as Kara, even though the bruises and dried blood reminded Lena of the truth.

"Kara-"

"Alex, can you-"

"I'll be back in a moment. Call me if she gets dizzy." She nodded, knowing the two of them needed to talk. She walked out of the med bay area and informed Nia and Brainy that Lena was awake.

"Thank you for saving me." Kara whispered, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry."

"You should be under the sun lamps." Lena responded, slowly removing her hand from Kara's.

"I will heal, eventually." She shook her head, removing her glasses and looking up to try and contain the tears that inevitably made their way down her cheeks. "I was going to tell you... I just-"

"You lied, and that's something I can't forgive." Lena whispered, her own tears making an appearance.

"Let me explain." Kara whispered, pleading blue eyes behind bruises. "Lena, I just... I was scared."

"You should get under the sun lamps, Supergirl." Lena said softly, her voice breaking. She turned her face away from Kara and felt a horrible headache making her brain throb, something that wasn't helped in the least when she tried her best to contain a loud sob.

Kara sat there in silence for a moment and then moved to her bed, feeling the warm from the sun lamps engulfing her like a healing blanket. She rested her head on the soft pillow and cried quietly, trying her best to not hear Lena's quiet sobs a few steps away.

[mr-celestial-writings]

Two Of A Feather

Pairing: Conner Kent x Darkseid/Doomsday Clone! Gender Neutral! Reader

Summary: When you were discovered, Batman stepped up to give you a place to stay, to teach you right from wrong. Yet, nobody outside of his family and the Justice League were to know about you. So when Tim let it slip... Conner had to see the truth.

a/n: wow, first a/n at the start, but this was a request! Requested by @seven709! Thank you so much! I appreciate you and your request! Possibly unrelated, but I had to speed run learning about Doomsday and Darkseid via the fandom Wiki. Never been more thankful for an adblocker.

DC Masterlist!

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Conner was pissed. At Superman, at Tim, At the Justice League for keeping you a secret.

There was somebody like him, another clone. Sure, you weren't a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor, but you were still a clone.

A Clone of Darkseid and Doomsday. Created to be their weapon. And if it weren't for the Justice League, you could have been.

Conner wasn't supposed to know you existed. Nobody was. You were to be hidden, protected from the outside world. Or maybe the outside world was to be protected from you.

Conner sore through the skies until Wayne Manor came into view. Anger was an ugly beast, especially for Conner.

The funny think was, it was an accident how Conner found out about you.

"So anyways, Damian decided it would be a good idea to spare with [Name]-" Tim said. He and Conner were on a voice call.

Conner raised a brow at the new name, "Wait, whose [Name]? Did Bruce adopt another kid?" He asked.

"Eh, kinda. [Name]'s a clone. Darksied and Doomsday decided it would be smart to create, but anyways Damian tried to spare with them-"

Conner hung up the call after that. In the blink of an eye he was out the door and flying towards Gotham.

He landed on the front porch, and banged on the door. Alfred answered it and before the old butler could greet Conner, the Superboy was pushing his way inside.

"Where are they? Where's [Name]?" He asked. He clearly wasn't playing around.

Alfred sighed, "Master [Name] is in their room. Allow me to guide you." He said calmly, leading Conner to a room on the second floor.

Conner had a stoic look on his face. How dare the existence of another clone be kept from him! Conner didn't care whose clone you were, you needed to know you weren't alone.

Alfred stood outside the door, motioning for Conner to enter. Conner didn't hesitate as he opened the door.

And There he saw you. You were tall, built like a brick wall. Your eyes were a solid color. But for the most part... you looked human. That's what surprised Conner the most.

Sure, your skin was a little gray, but you were... just you. Not the monster Conner was expecting. He felt bad for expecting that monster.

You looked at Conner, eyes wide and innocent. You weren't... a monster at all. In any sense of the word.

"Uh, Hi... I'm Conner." Conner said gently, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh-... I am... [Name] Wayne." You introduced yourself. Your voice was rough, your tone almost robotic.

"S-Sorry for barging in like this. I just heard there was another clone and-" Conner got cut off by you. You rushed over and held his shoulders.

His cheeks felt a little warm at the bright grin on your face.

"You are... like me?" You asked. Your eyes sparkled with hope, with joy.

Conner returned your smile and nodded, "Yeah, I am. Nice to meet you, [Name]."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Conner."

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And that was the start of your relationship.

Conner got an earful from Clark and Bruce, but when they saw how you two bonded... They couldn't be angry.

They agreed that maybe you and Conner having a bond wouldn't be a bad thing. It may help ensure you don't end up back in the hands of your creator.

Conner helped you learn more about humanity, and how to be human. He even taught you about your creators. Conner didn't think it would be right to hide that truth from you.

Months passed, and what was once a friendship turned into lingering touches and shy glances.

It all boiled over one night.

Conner had brought you to the Kent farm, wanting to show you the stars. You two sat on the rough of the barn.

Conner couldn't tear his eyes off of you. How happy you looked, how amazing you looked under the night sky, how your eyes sparkled with the stars...

Conner wanted to burn this moment into his brain forever.

"So... How are you liking your life here so far?" Conner asked gently.

You looked at Conner, grinning bright, "It is fun! My Family is amazing, and You are amazing!" You said.

Conner felt his cheeks go warm again, he returned your grin, "Good! Good, I-I'm glad." He looked up at the sky, "Hey... so... I wanted to ask you something, [Name]."

You tilted his head innocently, "What would you wish to ask, Conner?"

Conner fiddled with his fingers, his nerves high as his heart raced, "I was wondering if you... would like to be my partner- Romantically?" He found himself stuttering trying to get the words out.

He watched as you flushed, It was cute.

"You would... like to be romantically involved with me? Are you sure?" You asked weakly, braced as if this was a cruel Joke.

Conner nodded, "Y-Yeah! I'm positive... You're just... so amazing, [Name]." He spoked gently.

After a moment, you replied, "Yes, I would like to be your romantic partner, Conner." You answered with a nod.

Conner Lit up, and without thinking he pulled you into a kiss. It took a moment for you to return the action.

It was awkward, but it felt right at the same time.

Conner pulled away, "Thank you."

You shook your head, "No, Thank You."

Conner rested his forehead against yours, laughing softly. He felt like the luckiest man alive. And maybe he was in the moment.

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a/n: Man, I think I need a root canal after writing this it's so sweet! I hope it's up to your standards! Thank you again for the request.