Chapter Text
They had established a routine before every single one of Kara’s games. She would go to Lena’s apartment, have some food, take a nap with her girlfriend, then do her hair while listening to her pre-game playlist, finishing off with Lena’s good luck kisses on her wrists.
Although, since the game against Central City, Kara now insists that Lena do her hair because she does it better.
Kara sat on the floor in front of the couch, and Lena sat behind her and ran her fingers through her hair, scratching her scalp. Kara hummed, rolling her head back into Lena’s lap, and she smiled and kissed Kara’s forehead.
"Dutch braids?" Kara nodded. Lena set to work, brushing the tangles out of her hair. "Why braids?" Kara hummed questioningly. "I’m just curious; braids don’t seem like something you would choose. Don’t get me wrong, they look great, but you don’t wear them any other time."
"Oh, 'cos we’re the Vikings, obviously I have to look like a Viking," Kara supplied, simply.
"Ahh, of course, and you can only be a Viking during the game."
"Exactly. It helps me get in the zone; it’s like I’m someone other than myself. A warrior puts their armour on before heading into battle." Lena kissed the side of her head. "It’s stupid, I know-"
"Hey, it’s not stupid." She draped her arms around Kara and hugged her from where she was sitting. "It’s not stupid at all. In fact, I think it’s a very good way of describing it. " Kara reached up and held onto her arms.
"I know the Netherlands wasn’t formed until after the age of the Vikings, but Vikings braided their hair, and Dutch braids were the closest I could get while still being practical for a game," Kara explained.
"Can I try something different? If you don’t like it, I’ll change it," Lena said, sitting back up.
"Go ahead," Kara said, leaning her head back again, and Lena pecked her lips.
Lena started by sectioning the top of her head into three sections. She braided the middle section into a wide plait that continued down the back of her head. She then braided the left section, smaller and tighter this time, continuing down into a thinner braid. She repeated the same process in the right section.
Kara spoke to her while she was working.
"Where did you learn to braid hair like this?" she asked.
"Where else but boarding school," she laughed, "that’s all we could really do during our free time after class: gossip on our beds and braid each other's hair—well, that was until we started sneaking out at night, drinking and smoking behind the school walls."
"What? Perfect little Luthor breaking the rules? I don’t believe it," Kara teased.
"I went through my wild phase when my parents were on the other side of the world; what they didn’t know, I couldn’t piss them off," she chuckled.
She pulled the three braids and her remaining hair up into a ponytail.
"I’m finished, darling," she husked into Kara’s ear. She handed her a mirror, and Kara looked at the intricate braiding.
"Holy shit, Lena! That is incredible! I look like a warrior!" Kara was giddy with excitement and kept looking at her hair in the mirror.
"You want to keep your hair like this for the game?" Lena asked.
"Of course, look at me!"
She actually looked somewhat intimidating when they were announcing the starting lineup, like a Viking ready for battle.
__________
Kara had never seen Lena look so flustered; she was usually unflappable before a game. She prepared way in advance: she watched all the film available, was thorough and methodical, analyzed her game and the opponent's game, and covered all the angles. She calculated which tactics and which plays on set pieces would yield the greatest chance of success based on the defense's style of play.
Of course, soccer wasn’t a game you could control through mathematics; there were outliers and wild cards, and you could never tell definitively what a player was thinking. But that’s what makes it so much fun—it’s almost unpredictable.
It was remarkable to watch, and Kara had asked her to talk her through the calculations she’d made once. It really was phenomenal to see how her brain worked, and Kara had picked up a few things that she could transfer into her own game preparation.
Lena prepared in advance so that her mind was clear on game day, and she would spend the day relaxed, knowing she’d done all she could.
Kara had never seen her so anxious. They were sitting on the couch, waiting for Sam to get home. She didn’t have much of a routine before a game, but she and Sam always went together. That was a tradition. Kara was watching Lena closely; she was hunched over, one leg bouncing uncontrollably, and she was pulling at her bottom lip.
"Lena, are you okay?" Kara received no response. "Lena?" she said louder this time. Her head snapped up,
"Hmm? I’m sorry, darling, did you say something?"
"What’s got you so nervous, baby?" Kara asked gently, her arm slipping around the ravenette’s waist.
"I-I don’t know. I don’t think tonight is going to go well at all, and I’m usually right about these things." She wrung her hands together.
"Why don’t you think it’s going to go well?" Kara asked softly.
"I just have a weird feeling, like... like I’m not myself somehow," she breathed.
"Well, then maybe you need to be someone else for this game," Kara said, an idea popping into her head.
"What do you mean?" Kara gently pulled out her tight ponytail.
"I think you need to embrace your inner Viking," she said, right next to her ear. Lena let out a breathy laugh.
"Kara, that’s your thing; I always wear my hair in a ponytail," Lena said.
"So?" She brushed Lena’s hair away from her neck and pressed a light kiss there. "You’re not superstitious about your hairstyle, are you?" Lena shook her head. "Well, then, braids it is," she motioned for Lena to sit in front of her; she did as she was told.
"I won’t do anything too drastic," she said, pressing another soft kiss to Lena’s neck. Kara kept her classic ponytail, but with two small braids running from just above the tips of her ears on either side of her head.
"There you go, baby," Kara whispered, "ready for battle."
Lena played the best game of her life that night; she scored five goals and was absolutely unstoppable.