Chapter Text
The weekend of the tournament had finally arrived.
For the past few weeks, the L-Corp team had trained for this day. Because Kara couldn’t make it to every training session, Alex, Sam, and Jess — who turned out to be the soccer coach of her niece’s team — occasionally took over. Of the private training sessions she had with Lena, Kara only had to cancel one due to obligations to her own team.
Lena knew that she might meet some of her rivals on the field today. Amongst them was Andrea; her high school friend and teammate, James; her ex-boyfriend, and Morgan Edge; a misogynistic and narcissistic man, who had always seemed to feel threatened by Lena. Funny enough, Kara cracked her knuckles at the mention of his name as well.
“He used to sponsor my team and forced us to wear bikinis to his promotional events, I managed to buy my way out of that obligation with the money I received from my anonymous sponsor. I prefer to refer to that sponsor as ‘my guardian angel’ actually. That’s how much that money did for me,” Kara had explained when they talked about him.
Kara would not yet understand why Lena teared up at this confession.
With Kara fast and agile in forward, Alex controlling the midfield, Sam organizing the defense, and Lena being the final wall to pass, each line of the field had a strong player to fall back on. They easily survived the group phase, which contained three matches. One of those matches was against Obsidian North.
Lena was glad to see that Andrea hadn’t lost any of her fire, even though she could still play dirty, her passion burned bright.
The entire team had a healthy dinner, paid for by L-Corp, to celebrate a successful first day.
Kara had grown fond of her green-eyed goalie over the past few weeks, even though no moves had been made by either of them, she could feel her heart beat faster at the thought of seeing her again. After this tournament, when the formal connection was over, she would ask her out on a date, she promised herself. If Lena needed more time due to her recent split, Kara could wait. But she would not waste this chance of staying in contact with Lena again.
During dinner, Kara sat next to Lena because being in her orbit made her feel like she was so light she could float.
“As we are gathered here, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your commitment to this project. Not only did you give it your all on the field, during training, and - if you haven’t played that many minutes yet - as moral support on the bench; I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’ve had a lot of fun together, and got to know each other on a whole new level,” Sam spoke to everyone, while Lena’s hand was desperately searching under the table for Kara’s touch by faux accident.
She did not dare to look up from her menu when Kara’s fingers gently slid between hers, answering her initiative with a soft squeeze. Lena did not dare to look up from her menu, afraid to make eye contact with anyone, giving away her little secret under the table.
The tickle in her tummy felt so childishly good that she wanted to keep it all to herself.
“So, let’s raise our glass to victory, fun, friendship, and love!” Sam ended her speech.
At the last word, Lena’s head shot up, feeling guilty as charged.
Sam winked at her before shifting her attention to Alex.
Looking around the table, nobody seemed to have noticed the little one-on-one between the two best friends.
From the corner of her eye, she peeked at Kara, whose face had turned red as she stared at the empty plate in front of her.
Lena caressed the back of Kara’s hand with her thumb, drawing a shy smile from her.
Over food, compliments were shared about the games they played and the confidence they had for the semi-final against Edge Global, and – if all went well – the final match against either CatCo or Obsidian North – again.
“Every team scores. We were the only team to keep the zero!” Kara complimented the defense and her green-eyed goalie.
“True, but we didn’t have to defend against you,” Lena complimented Kara.
“You would have stopped those kicks.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Lena, you were on fire today!”
Alex quietly shook her head.
“I can’t watch this anymore,” she quietly said to Sam.
“Can I interfere?”
“No!”
Sam chuckled, entertained by the words of admiration Kara and Lena threw at each other, while Alex was slowly losing her patience.
“Are they stupid? Do they think we don’t know or do they still don’t know?”
“They don’t know, yet,” Sam answered, “Lena might seem like a closed-off person, but to the people she trusts, she’s an open book. She would have told me.”
She had told Sam about the first time they hit the showers together, and how weird yet natural it felt to share such a space with Kara. She had told Sam about their first hug, which came a few days after the first shower. Lena had trouble letting Kara go, but she got the feeling that Kara didn’t like to part either.
After the last private training before the tournament, they had dinner together. According to Lena, this wasn’t a date; it was just closure to their training sessions and found friendship.
That was all Sam got: Lena called Kara her friend.
—----------------------------------------------------------
The semi-final started with high motivation and good hopes but after the fifth foul against Kara, Lena wished for nothing more than this match to be over. Winning from scum like Edge was not worth Kara’s career.
During half-time, Alex was already wrapped in a loud discussion with Kara when Lena entered the dressing room.
“I’m not backing down. Edge does not deserve to win, so I refuse to let him have that!” Kara went against Alex’s worries.
“I’ve got the feeling he’s not in this for the win, Kara. This feels personal. You’ve been attacked on the field by several players, all reckless. It’s a matter of time before one of them kicks you into the hospital,” Alex said.
“Don’t be silly, Alex. He can’t be that bad.”
Lena crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“He once poisoned me, Kara.”
Kara’s eyes grew large.
“He did what?”
“He thought that I tempered with his car. I was lucky that Alex was visiting Sam when it happened,” Lena did not want to dwell on the attempt on her life, “Please, Kara. Get out of the field before he injures you beyond recovery.”
Her lower lip trembled out of anger and genuine concern for Kara’s safety.
Kara could handle Alex’s worries, she was used to them, but the look in Lena’s eyes pierced her heart.
She placed her hands on Lena’s upper arms, “Lena, look at me. I’ll be fine. These people aren’t professionals, I can handle them.”
Her worry turned to anger when Kara stayed ignorant of the threat.
“It’s because they are amateurs that you are in serious danger. They don’t know what they can do. If Edge promised them a bonus for getting you out of the field, people can go to extremes with serious consequences. I do not want you in the field any longer. Get out or I’ll withdraw our team, damn the consequences!”
She had left Kara with no choice.
Even though she was annoyed with being overruled like that, and she never backed down from competition, a part of her knew that Lena was right. She had seen careers end over an injury, the thought of that happening to her silenced her for a moment.
Kara inhaled sharply, pulling her hands away from Lena as she turned for the door.
“Liam, get ready. Do a proper warming up, and don’t forget to stretch. I’ll start the second half. Pull me out when you are ready. I’ll survive another ten minutes if I have to.”
She burst out the door, frustrated by the situation and the idea that they might not win over foul play.
Lena felt Kara’s anger sting. She didn’t want to force her into this situation, but it was the only way she knew to protect her. She knew that Kara’s will to win as a team was bigger than her ego, withdrawing the team would eliminate every chance of winning.
They were just a few minutes into the second half when Edge’s team fired a shot at the goal.
Kara knew from the moment the ball left the opponent’s foot: Lena would catch this ball with ease and they could do what they trained for in their one-on-one sessions.
During one of their after talks, Lena told her that she got the biggest thrill from creating a counter by catching the ball against all odds and being able to take a well-placed shot to the other side of the field where one of her teammates would be running toward.
In the next training, Kara found a way to train in this specific situation, just for fun.
Now, the perfect opportunity presented itself to them, so Kara ran.
As predicted, Lena did what she was trained to do. Her shot landed yards in front of Kara, exactly where she wanted the ball. With Kara’s almost inhuman speed, no defender would be able to take that ball away from her.
Faster than average legs could carry a human, Kara broke out towards the other side of the field. In a flash, she saw movement in the corner of her eye.
With a forceful blow, Kara’s feet were swept from under her. Because of her speed, her crash into the ground caused her to tumble a few yards.
Lena saw how her ball crossed the field, landing where she wanted it. Kara’s response was so flawless that Lena’s heart jumped even before the goal was scored. Knowing Kara, she would not miss.
A defender tried to keep up with her, but Lena was sure he would fail.
Everything turned silent when Lena saw him plant his two feet, stretched in front of him, into Kara’s thigh and calf. This was the career-ending foul Lena had feared for her. The one that could snap her leg like a twig and injure her beyond repair.
Sound returned with Kara’s heartbreaking cry of pain ringing in her eardrums as she rolled over the field.
Lena did not wait for the referee to stop the game, she started running for the woman she grew to adore over the past few weeks.
“Buy your way out of that one!” Edge, who was coaching his team, screamed from the side.
Even though Alex wished for nothing more than to drop down to the ground next to her sister to cure her wounds, the threat of the opposite team still inflicting harm on her was too great. Alex and Sam stood side by side, pushing anyone off who dared to come too close until the referee stepped in.
Lena ignored the tense situation that surrounded them, for her priority was with Kara.
She dropped to her knees next to the groaning athlete, who was grabbing for her leg.
“I’m here Kara, hold on to me.”
From a position half behind her, Lena draped her arm around Kara in an attempt to calm her down.
With Lena’s arm in front of her, she could draw her attention away from her pain and fear by clenching onto Lena for dear life.
“I should have listened. I’m sorry,” Kara whimpered between gritted teeth.
To provide her with more comfort, Lena sat behind Kara wanting to comb her fingers through her blonde hair, but her gloves were in the way.
“That’s not important now. Try to keep calm, Alex will take a look at you in a minute and you will be alright,” Lena risked a false promise to soothe her.
“It doesn’t feel alright, Lena. It’s bad. It’s-”
Kara’s breathing became too uneven to continue talking.
Using her teeth, Lena got rid of her glove so she could caress Kara skin on skin.
“Concentrate on your breathing, darling. Concentrate on my touch. Everything else will come later. Right now: You’re in my arms!”
—------------------------------------------
"You've got some strong muscles to keep those bones together, Kar, I have no reason to believe anything is broken. For your muscles and tendons, you should visit your team specialist after the weekend," Alex said as she pressed an ice pack to the swollen bruise on Kara's thigh.
The sisters had the first aid room to themselves, although Sam had to drag Lena out to gain that level of privacy.
"I can't believe they stopped the game because of my injury," Kara said as she shook her head in disbelief.
Alex sat down next to her sister, who lay on an old hospital bed the soccer club used for emergencies.
"It wasn't just your injury, you know that. The way they played against us – against you – had nothing to do with good sportsmanship or charity. Sam and Lena will make sure there will be consequences."
"Our heroes," Kara sighed with a shy smile.
Adored by the blush that spread across her sister's face, she broke her own rule of not interfering.
"So… you and Lena?"
Kara's smile faded.
"There's no me and Lena… I like her, but- Oh gosh Alex, I've made such a fool of myself! I was panicking, thinking my career was over. She cared for me so tenderly and now I'll probably just limb for a few weeks before I'm back in the field. I overreacted so dramatically."
She hid her face behind her hands.
"I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear that."
Alex nudged Kara's shoulder with her fist.
"The way she held you-"
Kara bit her lower lip.
"I can't lie: I'd fake an injury to be in her arms like that again."
Alex chuckled, "You're in deep, Kar. Why on earth aren't you two dating yet?"
With a groan, Kara pushed herself to a sitting position.
"I wanted to ask her after the final after we won because I was so sure we would… I planned on asking her on a date. If she doesn't like me that way… we could always celebrate, you know?"
Alex raised her eyebrows.
"Not like that!" Kara corrected herself.
"I wasn't saying anything," Alex chuckled, "but seriously… Just ask her, Kara. The way she took care of you out there was more than friends do."
She rubbed her sister's back in encouragement.
"When we first met, I held her so she could breathe again after she took a blow," Kara said while staring ahead with a dopey grin on her face.
"I guess the circle is round then… or as Sam likes to call it: meant to be!" Alex put on a voice, lovingly mocking her girlfriend.
Kara scoffed, "Instead of offering her the player who brought her team to victory, I'm broken now. Why would she want to date me?"
"Because you're the broken one, silly!"
Kara did not dare to hope that Alex was right. She had been praised and loved for being a soccer player for so long that it would be hard to believe that Lena fell for her: just Kara."
"Shall I let her in now? I bet she's worried about you."
Alex couldn't help but tease her sister with a wink.
When Alex opened the door, Lena and Sam were waiting outside.
"You can go see her," Alex said to Lena.
Lena shot a worried glance in Sam's direction, who nodded her encouragement.
Without saying a word, Lena strolled past Alex.
Alex closed the door behind her, giving them some privacy.
"How is she?" Sam asked.
"Totally smitten, but afraid that she will be rejected because she was so dramatic and is broken."
Alex wrapped her arm around Sam, walking away from the first aid room.
"She's broken?" Sam asked, shocked by her girlfriend's light tone about the end of Kara's career.
"No!” Alex scoffed. “She took a firm blow, she might not be able to play for a while, but I've seen athletes recover from way worse. Kara is a tough cookie. I'm not too worried." She kissed Sam's temple to reassure her.
—-----------------------------------------------
Lena stood inches from the door, unsure what to say, so she did nothing more than stare at Kara, hoping her medical state would somehow reveal itself to her.
"Your pass was amazing, Lena. I just knew you would catch that ball and this would be your moment!" Kara’s praise broke the silence. Her sky blue eyes sparkled with pride.
To repress a blush, Lena fidgeted with her fingers.
"Thanks… I'm sure you would have scored if not for-" Lena tilted her head to the side and sighed.
"Seriously, Kara, how are you?"
She finally found the courage to approach her injured friend.
Kara dropped her gaze, ashamed of the state Lena had seen her in.
"I'm okay, I guess… According to Alex, chances of a fracture and permanent damage are slim, but I'll have to contact my team doctor tomorrow and we'll see."
She looked up at Lena, who was now standing by her side.
"I'm sorry, Lena. I overreacted."
Kara scoffed, "I made quite a scène out there."
Lena couldn't let Kara invalidate herself like that.
She shook her head.
"You were in pain and confused by the sudden loss of ground beneath your feet. There's nothing to apologize for. You panicked and I get that. When my brother got arrested, I saw my whole world crumble. That's terrifying."
Kara bit her lip and averted her gaze.
Lena gently placed her hand on Kara's leg, causing her to flinch with a pained groan immediately.
"Judging from your reaction and the angry bruise, you're still in pain. You don't have to put on a brave face for me. Please, feel free to be you with me."
Tears formed in Kara's eyes at the kind words she didn't know how badly she needed to hear them from Lena.
"I'm scared," she admitted with a brittle voice.
Lena sat down beside her on the bed so she could wrap her arms around Kara.
"That's okay. I'm here… As long as you want me, I'm not going anywhere!" Lena promised.
She deeply wished that Kara would have her.
Kara rested her head against Lena's shoulder. Even though Lena was still a little sweaty from the game, Kara couldn't help but be mesmerized by her scent all over again.
"You know… I'd love to stay in your arms, but I think I'm gonna hit the showers. This leg won't be of any use in the field," Kara tried to lighten up the mood.
She lifted her head to face Lena. Their faces were so close that Kara could feel Lena's breath warming her lips. The gap between them — no wider than two inches — tempted Kara to close the distance.
She didn't. She couldn't. Lena deserved the world and Kara was going to ask her out first, instead of forcing herself upon her.
"Do you need any help?"
Kara got hypnotized by the movement of Lena's lips without catching what she had said immediately.
"What? Eh… with what?" Kara pulled away when the meaning of Lena's words finally penetrated her thoughts.
Lena chuckled, "With your shower. I don't want you to fall… Besides, there's nothing there I haven't seen before."
Lena teased, even though she wasn't sure if she overstepped a boundary.
Judging from the coloring of Kara's face, Lena felt she needed to rectify that.
"I mean… it wouldn't be weird… for me. I can keep my clothes on and carry you… or support you… or just place a chair under the shower for you to sit… or undress you…"
Kara laughed at the stammering Luthor.
"You just made it weird!"
Lena bit her lip as she looked away.
"But thank you for offering your help. I think I will be fine though. Besides, you have a final to prepare for!"
"I don't want to."
This time it was Lena's turn to slump against Kara, who responded to her need for attention with a protective arm around her.
"Is it because a certain someone plays for CatCo?" Kara asked, knowing well that Lena's ex played for that team.
"I don't want to face him. He'll try too hard to prove himself. I could have handled that with you on my team, but…" she whined.
Kara stopped Lena with her hand on her jaw.
"There's an upside to me not being able to play." She placed her forehead against Lena’s and whispered, "I can sit behind the goal and be close to you all game long."
—-------------------------------------------
Lena refused the position of captain over the team of her everyday employees.
Thankfully, Alex volunteered, who also had her fair share of captain experiences, when she was the number one in her high school days.
"Did you pick this spot for the view?" Ruby asked as she sat down next to Kara behind the goal where Lena was stretching her muscles for the last time that day.
"What? I- pfff… no!" Kara stammered.
Ruby laughed at her.
"She's pretty, aunt Kara, even I can see that."
At that moment, Lena looked over her shoulder to wave at Kara, who joyfully waved back.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Ruby bluntly asked.
"Can you keep your voice down?" Kara hissed, afraid that Lena would hear them.
"I guess that means: No!" Ruby concluded.
Without Kara, the L-Corp team had trouble scoring.
With Sam holding a strong defense and Lena stopping balls like she was born to be a goalie, the match remained without scores from either side.
During the match, James often sought Lena’s attention. Whether it was to flex his muscles, give her an irrelevant compliment, unnecessarily touch her, or intimidate her by pumping himself up face to face with her; it all infuriated Kara.
If it wasn't for her injury, she would have stood between them to shield Lena from his inappropriate behavior.
During a corner close to the end of regular playtime, he placed himself close behind Lena, laying his hand against her butt.
"I know you miss this!" He said softly to her as he squeezed.
Lena could have stopped the game, and maybe she should have because James was way out of line.
James was also a lot taller than her, and with that, he was a threat to score. As long as he was assaulting her, he wasn't focused on the game. To Lena, his behavior only fueled her determination to win.
She ignored him and was able to punch the ball away far enough so Sam could start with a new round of ball possession.
Lena knew that Kara must have seen what happened. She also saw that Lena did nothing to stop it.
Her stomach turned with a feeling of guilt.
If anyone would have been entitled to touch Lena like that, it wouldn't have been James.
Not anymore.
When the ball was steadily played far away from her goal, Lena turned to search for Kara's gaze.
Those gorgeous sky blue eyes stared at her as if she had just seen a ghost.
"I'm sorry," Lena mouthed at her.
Kara shook her head, but Lena had already turned her back on her.
She shouldn't be sorry, Kara thought, this is all on him.
With the whistle blowing to end the regular play time, Kara called out for Lena. As she tried to get to her as quickly as she could, she cursed the leg that refused to carry her weight.
Luckily, Lena waited.
She waited, so Kara could wrap her arms around her, tell her how wonderful she was performing, and how proud she was.
Lena sank into Kara's embrace, relieved that she wasn't mad about her not stopping James from touching her.
According to the rules determined for this tournament a final match that ended in a tie, would be decided on penalties, which meant this was Lena's time to shine.
The team gathered halfway the field, where Jess — the coach — picked the players who would take the penalties. They supported each other standing side by side with arms wrapped around each other.
Kara joined as moral support, where she joined the team between Alex and Lena.
"I know how good you are, Lena. You can do this for L-Corp!" Kara motivated her.
Lena smiled, "I can only win, Kara. As a player, you'll be a loser when you miss. But when you stop a ball as the goalie, you win… I can't lose!"
With her head high, Lena walked to the goal, determined to stop the first ball - which she did.
After four penalties from the CatCo side, Lena had stopped two of them.
Unfortunately, the L-Corp team had also missed two when Alex walked on to take the 4th shot.
"If Alex scores, I'm sure James will take the last shot," Lena said to Kara, "his ego wants the glory of the winning goal, and I refuse to give it to him!"
Lena had her arm around Kara's waist, and with her thumb she caressed Kara's side, turning her insides to jelly in the process.
When Alex scored in the low left corner, Sam cheered the loudest and proudest.
"He's gonna peacock," Kara noted during the short celebration of the score.
Indeed, James walked over to them.
"Can I use you to provoke him?" Lena asked for only Kara to hear.
Kara would do anything to spite him. She did not like him. He did not treat Lena well, nor did he respect her as she deserved.
"Always!"
James crossed his arms in front of his chest, flexing his muscles as he stood in front of Lena and Kara.
"You can go home with a winner tonight, Lena," he said.
Lena knew very well that he insinuated himself in that position.
She raised her eyebrow and smirked.
His attempt to play with her mind was too easy to turn around.
"Oh," she said, "I definitely will!"
Lena turned to Kara. Without further warning, she pressed her lips against hers.
Kara did not expect this to be Lena's idea of using her, but as she felt full, soft lips merge with hers, she figured that she would allow Lena to use her like that anytime she needed.
The kiss was too short.
Lena pulled back, leaving Kara wanting more.
"A kiss for good luck!" Lena smiled at her before she ran towards the goal.
Kara remained with her mouth left agape, and a soft whimper escaped.
Sam was too distracted to see James skyrocket the ball high over the goal.
She witnessed Kara's face turn red while her soul left her body to dance on a rainbow surrounded by glittery pink clouds.
Lena had crossed a line she shouldn't have, in Sam's opinion.
Alex stood petrified as she could feel her sister's body radiating heat. The timing might have been odd, but Alex was happy that the two of them finally took that next step.
Proudly, Lena walked back to the group.
James had just humiliated himself, if Sam would score now, he would turn into the biggest joke of the tournament.
On her way to eleven meters, Sam snatched the ball from Lena's hands.
"Coward!" She called her.
Lena could feel her disapproval shiver down her spine.
"What?" she asked.
Still, on her high from preventing James from scoring, she could not imagine what she did wrong.
"We'll talk later! First I have to win this thing." Sam strolled away.
Unlike many others, Sam had learned to turn anger into power. Many would lose focus over strong emotions, but during her life, Sam's survival depended on not letting her emotions lead.
With anger in her system, her shot would only gain more speed.
With some distance from the ball, Sam shot a glance at the bottom left corner where Alex scored before her.
She ran towards the ball and kicked it.
As she counted on, the goalie jumped to the bottom left corner, totally missing the ball Sam shot straight ahead.
The team ran for Sam to celebrate the player who brought the L-Corp victory.
Lena stayed behind to support Kara, who could not put weight on her leg any longer.
Only Alex was able to draw a genuine smile from Sam.
She did not care that they were surrounded by so many, everyone was allowed to see how proud she was of her woman who kept her head clear during the most important moment of the tournament.
"It always takes a while before the team realizes the importance of their goalie, the winning score is celebrated first," Kara said as she leaned more heavily on Lena.
"I'm not in this for the glory, Kara. I got what I came here for."
She shook Kara lightly, not getting into the deeper meaning of her words.
—-----------------------------------------
Sam had given the team a speech of gratitude in which she pulled Kara forward to say a word.
From her heart she spoke about the joy and amazement she went through while training with the L-Corp team, she thanked them for the opportunity and the open arms she was welcomed in.
Kara directed those last words towards Lena, who averted her gaze to not get lost in Kara's eyes while blushing bashfully.
Soon after the award ceremony, where Kara insisted Lena and Sam accept the trophy, Sam took Lena aside while the rest gathered around the professional athlete and the trophy.
"What's your problem?" Lena asked directly when they found a place in private.
"That was such a Luthor move!" Sam bit at her.
Sam rarely called Lena by her last name, since the load surrounding that name was heavy and distant from the person Lena was.
This time, Sam meant to insult her.
"Excuse me?" Lena was taken aback by her best friend's attack.
"You hid the truth within your lies, coward!"
Sam knew she promised Alex to not intervene, but she couldn't hold her tongue any longer.
"We both know that you fancy that woman, yet you kiss her with the excuse of provoking your ex. You lied to her, saying it was just to use her."
"Kara didn't mind!" Lena argued.
Sam had to count to ten not to face-palm herself into a concussion.
"Of course, she didn't mind. Kara would do a backflip with her injured leg if you asked her to."
"Why would she-"
Sam raised her eyebrows as she waited for Lena's penny to drop.
Lena's mouth fell agape.
"Oh…" she outed as she understood what Sam was trying to make clear to her.
"Yes: Oh!" Sam could finally let go of her frustration.
"I grew fond of her, and she deserves so much better than that fake pretends kiss you gave her, Lena. So, I don't care when and I don't care how, but you are going to make that up with Kara today. Give her the kiss she deserves to get. One that's all about her!"
—-------------------------------------------------
Kara hadn't seen Lena since the award ceremony.
As most of the team headed to the showers to freshen up, Kara's eyes kept scanning the fields for Lena without success.
"She's not in the dressing rooms either," Alex informed her little sister.
Kara slumped back in the booth of the sports café.
"It's not fair, Alex… I was going to ask her out and… She disappeared on me, again!"
The crack in Kara's voice pierced Alex's heart, for she was certain that her sister could find love with Lena, who now rejected her by leaving without a trace.
"Again?" Alex drew patterns on Kara's back to comfort her.
"When we were teenagers… It took me some time to make peace with her leaving without saying goodbye. She left nothing more than a note to thank me. Now, I-" Kara sniffed, "I feel like that dumb rejected teenager again."
Alex was determined to have a serious talk with Lena about breaking her sister's heart like this.
Unfortunately, for now, she could only hold her.
"Hey!" Sam joined the booth that was clouded with emotions.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
Kara hid her face in the fabric of her sister's shirt, not wanting to expose her vulnerability to Sam.
"We can't find Lena anywhere. It looks like she just left," Alex informed Sam.
Lena did leave, indeed. Sam knew.
She nodded with a mischievous smile.
"I think it might be better to head home as well," Sam suggested, "to give that leg of yours some rest."
—------------------------------------------------
What Kara expected to be a big celebration, turned out to be a bigger deception than she could have imagined.
In her mind, the worst-case scenario was losing the tournament and taking Lena out to at least celebrate a good time. But in reality, Lena didn't answer her phone or even read her text messages.
Dressed in a blue superhero t-shirt and red boxers, Kara had settled herself on the couch, moping about Lena.
To Kara's disappointment, Ruby had a last-minute sleepover at a friend's place. She was the best at distracting Kara, but now she had to draw all her joy from the happy couple; Alex and Sam.
"How's your leg?" Alex asked as she took a seat in the chair next to the couch where Kara lay.
"It twitches, my muscles cramp, and my knee hurts," she answered while staring at the ceiling.
"There's a lotion in that bathroom cabinet that works wonders on your muscles, massage it gently and it will ease the pain."
"Great. Can you get it for me?" Kara whined monotonously.
Sam stumbled down the stairs with a suitcase.
"No, I can't," Alex answered, "Sam surprised me with a night away combined and a spa day."
Kara pushed herself up in sudden realization.
"You're leaving me alone?"
"You've lived on your own for years," Sam answered, waving Kara’s worries away.
"But I'm hurt!"
"It's not like you haven't been hurt before."
"But-" Kara didn't mean the hurt in her leg, though she was too proud to admit her heartbreak over her green-eyed goalie.
"But I'm hungry," she whimpered.
"I'm not your cook, Kara. Order yourself something!" Alex teased.
"Alex, I have trouble getting up, how do I get to the door in time?" Kara searched for excuses to keep them from going.
"You'll figure it out, you're resourceful," Sam complimented her with a smile.
"I need help getting up the stairs!"
Kara couldn't believe everyone was leaving her on a night like this.
She felt horrible.
"Sleep on the couch," Alex laughed.
"That's not funny!"
Kara's desperation caused Alex to feel sorry for her.
She changed her tone when she comforted her sister with a hug.
"I'm sorry, Kara. But I'm positive that you will be fine tonight, even if you don't feel like that now. Trust me!" She kissed the top of her sister's head.
"Alex, we need to leave. It's time," Sam said as she put her phone away.
"If your night is truly terrible, you can call me and I'll come back for you, okay?" Alex promised Kara.
Kara nodded, knowing that she would not want to rob her sister of a date night.
"We'll be home after dinner tomorrow. Don't forget to call your team doctor!" Alex said as Sam dragged her to the hallway.
Since Kara's back was towards the hall, she did not see them leave, but the closing of the front door was the loneliest sound she had heard in many years.
Kara usually didn't need people around to be comfortable, she learned to rely on herself as she was often far away from her loved ones.
On rare occasions — like this evening — Kara needed her loved ones around to feel safe.
In her fragile state, air wrapped around her throat, suffocating her. The tightness around her chest became painful. Her eyes filled with tears as she could no longer fight her emotions.
—--------------------------------------------------
With the door closing behind her, Lena stood petrified. Her anxiety took the best of her as her mind ran over everything she could and shouldn't say.
How to start?
How to end?
How to not make a fool of herself?
She had dressed in her most handsome suit, redressed to a short, black dress, and eventually ended up with a strapless, bright red dress that brought attention to her cleavage – a sight she knew would be appreciated. She made sure to look her absolute best tonight.
Lena ran a billion-dollar company, but human interaction in her private life could take the best of her.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a loud sob coming from the living room.
This was the shift in atmosphere that Lena needed to take action.
"Kara?"
Lena placed the food and flowers she brought on the cabin in the hallway, so she could rush at her with empty hands.
"Kara," Lena called out her name again.
Startled by the other present in the room, Kara propped herself up on her shoulders, clenching her teeth together in an attempt to smother her sobs.
Unsuccessfully.
Lena sat on the edge of the couch next to Kara, placing one hand against her upper arm while the other hovered a few inches from Kara’s teary face.
“I startled you, I’m sorry. Are you okay? I can leave if you want to,” Lena rambled.
A few minutes ago, Kara felt the world cave in on her, sucking her into an abyss of loneliness; now, she was looking at the only one she wanted near.
Her mind had trouble processing the sudden change, while her body pulled Lena into a tight hug.
“Don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone!” Kara whimpered.
Lena answered Kara’s plea with her arms wrapping around the trembling blonde.
“I’m not going anywhere. As long as you want me, I’ll be here.”
Kara surrendered to Lena’s embrace with a deep sigh of relief. She nuzzled her cheek against Lena’s collarbone, allowing herself to let her tears flow until all her sorrow was spilled.
As she slowly came to her senses, she realized how bare Lena’s skin was, immediately pulling her gaze down to check her view.
With Kara starting to move beneath her touch, Lena asked, “What’s wrong, Kara? Is it your leg?”
Unable to pull her eyes from Lena’s cleavage, Kara nodded half a lie.
Sure, Kara was worried about her leg, but most of her tears fell over Lena’s absence.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" She managed to say with just one sob in between, finally able to force herself into eye contact.
Even with her puffed, red eyes, and her teary face, Lena still thought Kara was gorgeous. The blue in her eyes popped even brighter.
"Sam and Alex let me in," she answered as she placed the palm of her hand against Kara's cheek.
Lena bit her lip while she searched for the right words to say.
"I came to apologize," Lena said while bowing her head in shame, "I shouldn't have kissed you."
Kara felt like a fist punched her in the gut. To her, it was the best moment of the day, and Lena called it a mistake.
Lena pulled her hands to herself so she could play with her fingers, "you deserve to be taken out on a date, treated like the wonder you are, be completely wooed, and then be kissed only if you want to… but it should be all about you. Not about provoking some ex," she scoffed at her own stupidity.
"Oh…" Kara sighed, "That's okay. I didn't mind… and I didn't like him anyway. I think you deserve way better."
She forced a smile out of herself. Kara believed that she could be a better match for Lena, she even thought they were close to getting together, but an apology for the kiss shattered those expectations.
Lena smiled bashfully.
"I think we can both agree on that," she chuckled.
Even if Lena didn't want more than a friendship, having her around made Kara feel better. She could even enjoy the silence that followed in Lena's presence.
Lena swallowed, "That's actually why I'm here…" She forced herself to look at Kara. "I've been meaning to ask you out on a date, but since you're injured I thought-" Lena stood up and walked back into the hallway.
Kara followed her movement in confusion, afraid that she would leave despite her promise to stay.
Lena picked the flowers back up.
"I'd bring the date to you. If you'd have me of course."
Gaping like a fish, Kara forgot how to use words.
"I also brought potstickers and ice cream. Sam mentioned that it's your favorite."
Kara let her eyes roll over the beautiful brunette, who had made an effort to look her best.
"I feel so underdressed for this date!" Kara snickered through her last tears.
"You only need a red towel around your shoulders and I can call you my Supergirl," Lena joked, "I also have more comfortable home wear with me if that makes you feel better, but I wanted to make myself pretty for you first."
Kara found her eyes darting over Lena's roundings, lingering a bit longer on her chest.
"You surely succeeded! I’d like to enjoy the view a little longer if that’s okay with you?" Kara said, drawing a chuckle from the gorgeous brunette.
She tore her gaze away from Lena's figure to lock eyes with her green-eyed goalie.
"You mentioned potstickers?"
"I surely did. Does that mean the date is on?" Lena raised her eyebrow.
Kara turned on the couch — ignoring the pain it caused in her leg — to make room for Lena, who understood the hint and sat next to her.
"About that kiss?" Kara bit her lower lip as she saw Lena's eyes travel down.
"Using you to provoke him was such a lie," Lena admitted as she forced herself to lock eyes with her supergirl.
"I used him as an excuse to kiss you."
"So… make it up to me!" Kara challenged her.
Lena gently placed her hand on Kara's uninjured thigh, feeling her muscles flex beneath her touch.
"Kara Danvers, can I kiss you?"
Her heart raced with excitement as Lena's thumb caressed her skin.
Patiently, Lena waited for Kara's permission.
Instead, Kara brought her hand up to Lena's neck, guiding their faces together.
Even though this wasn't the first time their lips met that day, it was the first time Lena got to enjoy the taste of Kara without distraction.
This wasn't for show, nor victory.
This kiss was for pleasure, and maybe even for love.
As they parted, Kara rested her forehead against Lena's.
"My green-eyed goalie," she said softly, finally letting out the nickname she harbored for her ever since they met.
Lena was touched by the sweet words of affection.
“Did you just call me; your green-eyed goalie?” She smiled with a blush creeping on her face.
Kara nodded before she kissed her again.
"You're a keeper!" Kara confirmed.