#my studies on kara

[karaspal]

kara was actually insane for that. sorry guys, but that’s literally flirting. she’s gay.

[tomoyoo]

You turn it into light

[jadedloverart]

Values 2.0

[fazedlight]

Borrowed Time (S1 canon-compliant angsty character study)

Fort Rozz was heavy.

Heavier than Kara anticipated, as she struggled to lift it above her head, as she shot into the sky with shaking arms and panting breaths. Fort Rozz was heavy, and it was the last thing she would ever lift.

She couldn’t cry. Not now. There wasn’t time, with Myriad’s vibrations getting closer and closer to destroying humanity. If she started crying, if she broke her concentration, she wouldn’t be able to complete her mission to throw Fort Rozz into space.  Everyone was counting on her - Alex and Eliza and Winn and James and Cat Grant and all the others that she once cared about and all the people she had never met.

Her muscles ached, and yet she was reaching space so quickly. The air became thinner and thinner until Kara was gasping for air that would never reach her burning lungs. She watched as the edges of her sight narrowed, as her vision began to tunnel from the lack of oxygen. And all she could think about was how she was the last - how Aunt Astra and Uncle Non were dead, how the remaining kryptonians were in stasis on Fort Rozz, how she would share with them the same grave in the expanse of space.

It had always been borrowed time - she was a mistake, an aberration, a fluke to have survived the destruction of her planet. Last daughter of Krypton, they had called her. She supposed Kal would still be the last son, of a culture he never knew. He was a beginning, not an end. Not the last vestige of a dead world. Not like her. Rao, make my journey bright.

There had never been a certainty about afterlife. Her people whispered the words we will remember you in every dawn, and await the night we join you in the sky as though it meant something, and yet she couldn’t be certain if it was literal or not, or if existence in the afterlife would involve any meaningful level of consciousness.

But it didn’t matter - far more important was may Rao protect us, so that we might protect others.

She never set out to be a vigilante. That was Kal’s purpose - until it wasn’t. Until happenstance clawed out at her, and she felt with growing certainty that this was the way to honor the lost. And so it only became the greatest irony of her life that she would have to thrust her remaining kin to their deaths, to save the found family who had given her refuge. 

She wondered what death would be like, and baffled at the fact that she would be experiencing it soon, as she finally breached the atmosphere and noted the gentle curvature of the Earth into darkness. She had learned so much about the planet’s customs, learning to camouflage in one of its many cultures. Her traumatized 13-year-old self never imagined that vigilante or martyr could be in her future. 

She had dreams. Some that died on Krypton. Some that were born on Earth. She found herself enamored with the thought of disregarding algorithmic mandates, to find a companion by turning oneself over to the whims of fate. She wasn’t the type to imagine a wedding - kryptonian weddings were beautiful, but they weren’t about the consecration of love, and she never grew attached to Earthian wedding customs. But love? She found herself hoping, assuming that there was someone out there for her, waiting on Earth. Now she hoped there wasn't.

She let go of Fort Rozz, her strength finally faltering, as she drifted above the planet that had served as her home. The stars blanketed her, a sense of calm washing over her as she began to slip away. They are safe, she thought, as her eyes slowly drifted shut. Safe.

[brofightiscancelled]

So if choro hate real…. What’s the current actual ranking of the brothers.

my overall brother ranking is here.... i thought about this a little more deeply and i think if you break down the definition of "i like this character" between "i like rotating this character in my head" and "i get joy from seeing this character in fanart/amv/official illustrations/merch", the rankings are different

rotation ranking: oso > totty >>>> choro >> kara = jyushi = ichi

joy from seeing them ranking: jyushi >>>>>> ichi > oso = kara = totty >>>>>>>> choro

[wolfie-bee]

Happy Supercorp Sunday! ❤️💙 Just reposting the character study I'd done on metallo lena:

the pieces of me (cling to you)

Summary:

"To know me is to know pain, Supergirl." Lena says simply. "To know me is to know that coincidentally, on the same day you disappeared, my helicopter was blown out of the sky."

Lena's words land their intended blow. Supergirl flinches, guilt etched across her face like Lena had just damned her to Hades. And maybe she did.

"To know me," she continues, stalking forward once more, watching in sardonic glee as the veins in Supergirl's body light up once more."is to understand that I don't care about what if's and altruistic Supers who also want to do no harm." She says, pausing when Supergirl’s prone form is but an inch from her boot.

Or

What if Metallo Lena meets Supergirl and feels a strange connection to her that she couldn't identify the source of? And what if she kept Supergirl around long enough to explain this strangeness to her?

written for scbb 2023

[amtrak12]

idk what made me think to categorize my ships this way -- But for some reason I was curious to know if I cared more about the relationship itself or one of the characters involved and my brain grabbed the impulse and ran lol

So here's the ranking of my current favorite ships and characters therein. On the left is the thing I care about the most in terms of interest and exploring and the right is the element I care about the least. The more greater signs between elements, the larger the gap in my caring.

Current Favorite Ship

Lucifer/Chloe >>>>>>> Chloe > Lucifer

Current Top 5 Ships of All Time (though top 5 I have unfinished business with might be more accurate)

Doctor/Rose > Rose >>>>>> the Doctor

Erin > Yatesbert > Abby

Myka > Bering & Wells >> Helena

Cat > Supercat >> Kara

Ned/Chuck > Ned < - > Chuck (honestly feels pretty even to me? But possibly Ned > Chuck)

Other Perennial All Time Fave Ships

Luke/Lorelai > Lorelai >>> Luke

Leslie/Ben > Ben > Leslie

[mukuharakazui-official]

Hey, Kazui. *holds out a phone with Kazui's cover songs queued up to play*

I like your banner, by the way.

"Ah, what's this now..?"

He recieves the phone with hesitance, though he smiles and recieves it nonetheless. He can only hope it's not as...personal as the last was.

[ you know the drill, under the cut for peoples dashboards :p ]

He sighs internally as he plays the first song, labelled "Cowardly Montblanc". He immediately regrets it when he hears his own voice. They're definitely trying to commit some sort of psychological warfare on him... ah, well. No chickening out now...

The song is melancholic, and he listens to the lyrics despite his hesitance.

"These are all the feelings I have; I’ll only say them in this many words. I loved you, but it was a heavy burden. Is that all there is?"

Oh. Hilarious, it's almost like what he told Hinako. He truly was regretting choosing to listen to the songs, but... For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to stop.

“I wish you’d just hurry up and die!”

"...Ah... I'd never say that, i hope you all know, ahaha" was that what she felt he was telling her? Is that why she...

"While quelling my doubts by thinking, “Even the truth is okay,” I was wishing for it all to be a lie Because I worked out the consequences, And I was still a cowardly mont blanc, after all."

He lets out a sigh as the song ends, though he's quick to put on a calm smile again. "Well, it was a very nice song...I'm not too sure on the lyrics, though..."

...He was very sure that they were targeted, though. Hearing his own voice admit to cowardice, the implications he could catch of a failed confession... It wasn't very pleasant to think about.

So he doesn't think about it! Or, well, he tries not to think about it. He doesn't need to say anything to these people anyway, revealing so much to the warden was embarrassing enough, if he were to be honest. And it was their job to hear these things.

"On to the next one then, right?" He hopes it's not as bad as the last. "Let's see...Neo-Neon..?"

"Going in circles, Neo-Neon I should have told the truth if it was going to be like this but I wanted to keep on shining to show you I can lie for you “I’m sorry”"

He has to consciously stop himself from reacting to the lyrics. He's jinxed himself, he thinks. He can't help but feel like the lyrics are connected to him, to what happened, though. They sound awfully similar to how his thoughts were before he'd started dreaming again.

they sound awfully similar to how his thoughts were now, too, but he doesn't want to think about that.

"Something that impossible is impossible Love always wins and I always lose, and that’s fine"

Haha...that's almost comedic, when it comes to what he's been through. Maybe he should've just let "Love" win, if he was going to lose either way.

...He does react when he hears another voice join in. One that sounded awfully similar to Hinako...

"I can’t say it even if it kills me"

The line stands out, spoken instead of sung. He had felt that way once...and he wishes he'd stuck to it.

"e.g. You quit your heartbeat e.g. I quit my breathing Something that impossible is impossible Love always wins and I always lose, and that’s fine"

He can't even bring himself to fake a smile, but he lets out a half hearted laugh anyway. "Well that's...not a very happy song, huh. It was... nice sounding, though, thank you for showing it to me"

Lying is like breathing, just something you have to do to live. He should've learnt that sooner, but he can't do anything about that now.

[bloodymyhands]

.

[karaspal]

insisting a character’s main trait is “anger” like it’s a good thing, when the anger they are feeling comes from a place of grief they’ve been trying so hard to get over, is wrong. do you think they want to feel that way? do you think they want anger to be a part of them forever? do you think they want to be seen as the angry one? do you think all they are is their trauma? is that it?

[punkforkos]

@deityofhearts Thank you sm!! ;w; (and ty for all of your sweet comments on your reblogs!! <33) Have this lil extra doodle as a treat

And here's that extra context you requested!! (And the full writing pieces if anyone was interested in that!)

*Note: This is gonna require a bit of backstory and some characterization explanation, so hopefully I can summarize it in a way that won't bore you!!

Intro to the characters:

Sylvaine:

She/They/He, Unicorn Tiefling

College of Lore Bard

Nobleborn but got kicked out to the streets because he was taking the lifestyle for granted. Has a bit of a mean girls demeanor, but is also much more self-aware and was in the process of improving himself when he met Solaire.

Has a very big "I can fix him" attitude GHDJK but also knows her limits. They have the patience of a saint.

Solaire: (my character!)

He/Him, Pink Tiefling

Phoenix Sorcerer

Nobleborn, was the golden child of the family because of his powers but got kicked out (temporarily) because he and his older brother tried to murder each other and the family needed to try and salvage their image. (I have an animatic about this, actually!! I'll be posting it here on tumblr soon :D)

Solaire's powers came from a phoenix elixir his mother drank when she was pregnant with him... she had been sickly and used it to heal herself. When Solaire was born, he was VERY sickly too but the elixir gave him the ability to survive the sickness and also blessed him with powerful innate fire magic. He is chronically ill and has to manage his symptoms constantly. There's a lot more I can say on this but that's good for now!

Important Context: Solaire's family is an absolute nightmare. His father praised him for his powers but shunned him for his illness. The family cares more about image than anything and Solaire adopted this mentality because it was all he knew. This is why he doesn't realize anything is wrong with him! And why he has such an intense ego / behavior issues / self-perception issues. He can't handle when things don't go his way, can't handle being anything less than perfect, is disgusted by messes, hates that he is ill, hates when people see him as weak or vulnerable, doesn't know how to resolve any of this.

THAT BEING SAID!! The context behind the writing itself:

Solaire and Sylvaine first met during a three-shot battle royale event. This event was hosted by a vampire named Vito, who wanted a little extra excitement / entertainment in his life, so he plucked a bunch of adventurers and put them into an arena to duke it out. Solaire was extremely confident that he would prevail as the winner, and he easily swept the board in the first round, but the other two were way more taxing,,, and Vito made an absolute fool out of him in the last round, biting him as a power move (but not turning him into a vampire). Sol was cursed to see his failure replaying in an orb that would hover around him henceforth. Note: Sylvaine and Solaire never killed each other during the battle royale! They both took a liking to each other immediately and when the events concluded, they decided to travel together and eventually ended up becoming partners! (And Sylvaine also realized how messed up this dude was and planned on making him a project,, he needed the help and she wanted to be the one to give it to him.) This writing piece explores their dynamic after the battle royale event & how Solaire feels about the bite and the shame of being humiliated in such a way.

And! If you're not tired of reading yet, here are the writing pieces my friend made for this!! They're an extremely talented writer and they understand Solaire so well <33

If you made it this far: Thank you for reading all of this!!! It means a lot

He doesn't claw at her-- he doesn't hold on at all. He just stands there, limp, almost hiding. The blood from his neck seeps into her clothes and she whispers a healing spell as she holds him.

Drew a small moment from a piece my friend wrote for these two!! Solaire can't stand being seen at his most vulnerable,,, but Sylvaine will always be there to meet him where he falters.

>> my carrd | ko-fi | inprnt <<

[jadedloverart]

Poor Lena...

[shinypandamiracle]

Lately Kara has been going through a rough patch and she knows that, but no one has said anything yet so maybe it's not so serious, she can get over it, right? Right?!

Yeah, no.

Luckily Lena notices and takes a leap of faith.

[onmyyan]

(ive been spottily active lately and missed soooo much amazing stuff I'm trying to catch up still but the one thing someone mentioned to you is now running circles like an energetic puppy in my brain) yandere batfam angst with (yandere?) superfam fluff. The savior complex. The rivalry. I love your writing so much. I love how so many cool people message you and share ideas. You're awesome.

A/N: First of all you're so sweet ❣️ thank you!! I so appreciate this request and how it made my brain turn!!

In this situation let's say you've already done the whole 'neglected so you leave and trigger their yandere instincts' thing, so you've been kidnapped, bound to the manor for months at this point, but Bruce decides you've been behaving well enough to deserve a treat. He knows how cooped up you feel, he's not as delusional as the rest of his family who believe you love it there, so he takes you with him to the hall of justice, he isn't worried about you escaping after all the hall of justice is in outer space, and you're surrounded by experienced heros, you're not going anywhere.

That's his first mistake.

Clark takes to you immediately. You've got the Wayne charm but so clearly your own person, you stand away from Bruce, asking Clark earnest questions, listening oh so intently, he knows you're an adult, but your so much smaller than him, (the man is 6'3 he's bigger than most people.) he noticed the way your heart rate picked up when Bruce so much as touched you, you were scared of him, he could tell, and this is what ignites that dangerous flame inside him.

He starts by inviting the whole Wayne family over for dinner, can't draw suspicion by inviting only you, (despite that being exactly what he wanted to do) Lois makes a feast, that night you meet Clark's entire family, his son's Conner and Jon, Kara his cousin, and of course Lois his wife, they all focus on you despite trying to play it cool, Kara's around your age and asks if you'd like to go shopping with her in metropolis some day, you smile starting to nod before Bruce answers for you, "Her studies are taking up most of her time nowadays, some other time." He grins taking a bite of his steak.

Clark sets his silverware down, grinning that friendly smile of his, "Well surely she can take a little break, one day away from her studies won't kill her, besides she'll be safe as can be with Kara by her side." Bruce glares at him, he can't outright deny the claims because his own possessive need to have you by his side at all times, and because they're true, so he relents, and that's how you find yourself spending time with her, and in turn the superfam.

It doesn't take long for them to fall in love with the idea of you being there, with them, at their dinner table.

The second they're all in agreement,(about a week after getting to know you) they quickly decide you're better off with them, and when Superman breaks into the Manor one day and sweeps you off your feet, the batfamily can't do anything but watch in horror.

[natalievoncatte]

4. Garden

Kara waited as long as she could. Taking to the air, she lifted herself to cloud-height, ignoring the bite of the upper-atmospheric chill as the high winds snapped at her cape. Hovering in the air, she took a moment to unbind her senses, expanding her awareness to let in the cacophony of sounds she usually suppressed through years of focused willpower and concentration.

She rocked in the air, shocked by the sensitivity of her own ears. Jeremiah and then Eliza had taught her this, made the world in its vastness small enough that she could live in it.

Clark had taught her to reach out, to hear, as well as see and smell and taste and feel, beyond. Sol’s gentle kiss did more than expand her awareness and multiply her strength, it activated pathways in her brain itself, giving her a control over her senses that she could never match under a red star.

It took only moments to sift out the quiet sounds of Lena’s pulse and her gentle, hissing breaths as she fought back sobs.

Air folded around her as she shatters the sound barrier, flying high enough that the boom that followed her would be a mere puff to the ground. Another trick she picked up from Clark, using the earth’s rotation to speed her flight.

Kara touched down at a familiar but foreboding place: the Luthor estate.

All that had been the property of her family was hers now, a gift and a curse. Lena had talked about making it an orphanage or a long-term care hospital or a new children’s medical campus, but the building itself had held her back. What malevolent secrets had Lex left behind? Booby traps? Sentinel robots hiding in the walls? Caches of weapons or Lexosuits?

A Kryptonite bomb, to spit death at her for hate’s sake?

Kara hesitated, but Lena was here and upset. She went inside.

It was immediately obvious where Lex had reinforced walls and lined rooms with lead. Kara listened for Lena, finding that the trail of sound led her outside.

She had to use her x-ray vision.

Lena was kneeling in an hidden place, a walled off section of the formal gardens. Kara found the entrance cleverly disguised, a section of wall where one slipped through a gap and turned left then right and came out in a tiny, overgrown courtyard.

Kneeling, Lena was surrounded by pruning shears and garden implements, dressed to work outside. She looked so out of place it was almost a little silly to see, but there she was.

Kara could see that Lena had already been working on cleaning and clearing. She knelt before a small plumeria plant, resting in a well kept pot.

“Lex let it all die,” said Lena. “He knew it was here. He could have kept it for me, but he didn’t. I suppose I’m lucky that Lillian didn’t rip it up and install a septic tank.”

Kara walked over, standing next to her.

“My father built this. It’s a replica of my mother’s garden. We had a little walled garden next to the cottage where I lived with her before I came to live with the Luthors.”

Kara said nothing, instead brushing a lock of Lena’s now-curly hair back from her shoulder.

“He never showed it to me.”

“Why?”

“My parentage was his dirtiest secret. Lillian didn’t even tell me until she thought she could use it.”

“Do you think he loved her?”

“I have no idea. He loved me, I think. He loved Lex but in a different way. I don’t think he even liked Lillian.”

“You’ve never told me about him.”

“It wasn’t easy being his child. He drank too much, neglected the company, and drank more when things went badly for us. The family was actually in trouble until Lex turned it around. He started managing things when I was in grade school. By the end, he’d spend all day in his study and I’d spend half the night sitting with him while he talked and told me stories. Lillian hated him for it.”

“You miss him.”

“I miss them both. I miss Lex. I miss him so much. I mourn him every day.”

“I know,” said Kara.

“My mom died, my father died, my brother went insane.”

“Lena…”

“Is it me?”

“It’s not, you know it’s not.”

“Is it my witch blood? Am I cursed?”

Kara knelt beside her, pulling her cape across Lena’s shoulders to fight the autumn chill. Lena leaned into her.

“What if it is a curse? What if it gets our little one too?”

Kara put her hand on Lena’s belly, spreading her fingers. There was no bump yet. Kara listened intently, eagerly awaiting a moment she would never forget, when a second heartbeat joined Lena’s. It hadn’t come yet but it would.

“Nothing is going to get our baby,” said Kara. “Their moms are Supergirl and Lena Luthor. We can do anything.”

“It’s going to be a children’s hospital,” said Lena. “The house. A lot of the grounds are going to be torn out, but I’m keeping this garden. I’m going to give my mom a memorial. I think I might put one in for my dad, too.”

“I love you,” Kara murmured. “I love you so much.”

Lena leaned into her and Kara sat down to pull her in.

They sat for a long time, and listened to the wind that shook the leaves.

[fazedlight]

Awakening (Kara character study, small part supercorp softness)

“But why can’t I be matched to Tali, mom? She’s my best friend!”

Alura turned to Kara, her jaw tensed with frustration with the stubborn child. “Kara, you know better than this. Stable matching can only be achieved if there is a true bijection between disjoint sets-”

“We don’t even have a true bijection because the population is constantly changing, we don’t sort according to all possible preferences, we don’t even have-” “It is not in our nature, Kara,” Alura said, with a dangerous tone in her voice. “We are not Daxamites.”

“But-” 

“The answer is no.”

---

Kara is thirteen Earth years the first time she’s called “dyke.” She doesn’t know what it means. She had only been to school for a couple of weeks. Before that, the only substantial English she had spoken was the couple months with Eliza, Jeremiah, Alex, and Kal. 

Clark, not Kal. Saying “Kal” would put her baby cousin- her older cousin- her cousin in danger.

Alex’s face flushes, and her eyes almost burn with anger, as she shoves Jake Howell against a locker. Kara could do it easily herself, but showing her newfound strength to humans would put her in danger too, somehow. Kara doesn’t think asshole is a nice word, given how Alex growled it. But she suspects dyke isn’t a nice word either.

That night after dinner, Eliza sighs, and hugs Kara gently - and Kara resolves to never get called dyke again.

---

“She’s gorgeous, she’s smart, she smells nice. Hell, I want to date her.” Kara flushed with discomfort, as the words came unbidden from her lips. But Alex didn’t remark on the odd statement, and Kara shoved the thought away.

Just weeks later, awkwardness would turn to tension as Lucy growled. “You and Hank, why do you all lie?”

“When you are an alien,” Kara choked, “You’re willing to sacrifice anything, everything, betray your fundamental instincts - just to fit in.” Something tugged in Kara’s soul at that moment. That she had always tried to fit in, long before she became an alien. But there simply hadn’t been time to linger.

It was only weeks later, when Lucy was saying her goodbyes before leaving National City to rejoin the military, that Kara felt the uncomfortable spike again. “I do know what it’s like to hide,” Lucy confessed.

Kara tilted her head, questions like why? and what do you mean? floating through her mind. But she thought it would be kinder not to ask. “I hope someday, you can be all that you are.”

Lucy gave a small smile. “Me too.”

---

She hadn’t expected meeting Lena to feel like lightning in her veins. The younger Luthor was quick-witted, and beautiful, and playful. Kara felt herself flush with the gentle teasing during their first coffee, and found herself marveling at never quite having a friendship like this before. 

---

“So… so she’s gay?” Kara asked, the word heavy in her throat. “And are you saying, you’re gay too?”

Alex sighed and paced in front of Kara, her frustration just as apparent as her confusion. How can you not know if you’re gay?, Kara wondered, at the same time feeling strangely allergic to the conversation. Wouldn’t it be obvious? “What’s changed?” Kara asked.

---

Yeah, he was… immature. Irresponsible. But they connected - orphans of a lost planet, who spoke the same tongue, who had the same bewilderment in their first moments on an alien planet with newfound powers. And if being in his bed brought her pleasure, it was only proof of their connection, that a good relationship could come of it.

Sometimes there were those flashes - Mon-El had been confused by Alex’s coming out, not understanding the concept. The more the merrier would ring in Kara’s head, and she’d chase away the image of Lena’s face.

---

“I couldn’t have done it, Kara.”

Kara’s chest heaved as she gazed down at Lena, hearing Kal’s words flash through her mind. Lena clung to Kara’s arm as Kara hovered above the reservoir, and some corner of Kara’s mind knew that she should go land, that the danger was over. That Lena was safe. That the city was safe.

But she could only stare down at Lena, whose heart hammered in her chest, whose panting breaths from her climb had not yet slowed. I almost lost her, Kara thought, forlorn. I couldn’t lose her…

It was that moment that her world came crashing down, that realization made her feel like she was drowning. That romantic love wasn’t merely a combination of friendship and lust. That shared experience didn’t mean a shared connection. There was something that ran deeper.

She was in love with Lena, and she could no longer deny it.

---

It was a drunken movie night, after Lena’s breakup with James, when Kara heard I love you fall from Lena's lips.

“It was always you,” Lena confessed, her words slightly slurred from the alcohol as Kara finished pulling the covers over her. “I just wanted to be close to you.”

Kara stood back, feeling her heart pound as she watched Lena slip into slumber. I wish I had told you, Kara thought, her mind flashing to a moment long ago in a forest. I wish I had told you, before…

Kara spent a fitful night trying to sleep on her couch, and Lena’s eyes flashed with shame the next morning as she woke. But they left for Noonan’s, leaving the conversation behind.

---

It felt impossibly brief, that window of time after Kara had revealed her secret, where everything felt almost right with the world. Maybe someday, she and Lena could finish that conversation.

But she found herself in a kryptonite shell.

The universe ended soon after, and even magic couldn’t fix how they had broken. Until the day Kara finally found her hands in Lena’s, vowing together to take down her brother, and Kara felt again that hopeful wonder of what a future with Lena could hold.

And then she found herself in the Phantom Zone again, the words ringing in her head, I wish I had told you.

---

Sleep had eluded Kara in the weeks back from the Phantom Zone. So she was already wide awake at 2am, when she heard Lena’s heart begin to hammer. 

Kara tensed, rushing to her window and ears tuning in as she prepared to fight off an assassination attempt or catch Lena as she fell.

But as she shot into the sky, she nearly tumbled when she realized that Lena wasn’t in distress. The shaky breaths and small laughs caused Kara’s chest to tighten in anguish. She’s fine, Kara thought, feeling tears prick the edges of her vision. She’s fine. 

---

“Are you okay?” Lena said, when she finally found Kara in the Tower, sitting on a step. “Alex said she couldn’t find you - you were in the Fortress?”

Kara glanced up from the steps. “I just, um. I was reading in the Fortress, I fell asleep there.” It had the benefit of being true. The Fortress was far enough to drown the sound of Lena’s heart out.

Lena shuffled next to Kara, taking a seat. “I don’t remember seeing any beds there.”

“I float in my sleep,” Kara shrugged, staring at her hands as she let silence fall.

Lena shifted, uncomfortable with the quiet. “Are you okay?”

Yeah, Kara almost said, but something stopped her this time. Perhaps it was the poor sleep. Perhaps it was the litany of I wish I had told you that would replay in her mind.

How many more times am I going to do this?, Kara thought. How many more times am I going to carry that regret? “I love you,” Kara said finally, sensing Lena tense up next to her. “I know… I know that door is closed. But I love you. I should’ve told you so long ago.”

“You… you heard me last night,” Lena wondered softly. “So you went to the Fortress?”

Kara grimaced. “I stopped listening as soon as I realized,” Kara said, fighting a panic. Will she be angry? “I never meant to- to invade your privacy. I’ll be more careful.”

“The door isn’t closed,” Lena said. “If you don’t want it to be.”

Those words made Kara brave enough - or maybe just confused enough - to finally tilt her head up to meet Lena’s gaze. “But- last night-”

“I’ve been trying to get over you. Not very successfully,” Lena added, with a wry grin.

“Really?” Kara smiled.

“Really.” 

---

The matching laws had been long dismantled by the time a smiling Alura officiated their marital rites. Kryptonians didn’t have concepts like best man or matron of honor, but that didn’t stop the two women from inviting Alex and Kelly to stand at each of their sides as they said their vows.

Kara never imagined that it’d be a woman’s wrist she’d place her wedding bracelet on. Though she supposed she never imagined marrying on an asteroid of her father’s creation, or marrying for romantic love, or marrying someone her people would call Hero of Argo for the creation of a black rock.

She never imagined finally telling Lena her secret. She never imagined Lena’s forgiveness. She never imagined the feel of Lena’s lips pressed against her own, hands tugging at her robes, as she whispered zhao against Lena’s lips.

And she never imagined being the one to make Lena’s heart race.