Work Text:
Kara is loath to leave the soft warmth of her bed, to extricate her limbs from around Lena’s waist and under her pillow, to unglue her chest and tummy from Lena’s back. It’s not that this is a novel occurrence, exactly. When she’s lucky enough to convince Lena to fall into bed with her or to let Kara sleep with her, this is often how it ends up.
She can’t help it. She’s a cuddler.
It’s novel in that this is the first time she’s waking up to sunlight beaming across her girlfriend’s body. Well, they didn’t exactly define the relationship last night, but they confessed their love and they kissed and Lena stayed the night. So. Seems like they’re pretty well into girlfriend territory.
With a reluctant sigh, Kara steals out of her room and into her kitchen, smiling at the plumerias sitting unwrapped in the vase on her counter. She’s got a little bit of time in the fresh morning sun to snag some coffee and breakfast for them. Even though she’d much rather lie in bed and wrap herself even tighter around Lena’s body.
She wants to do something special for her this morning, which means no lie-in for Kara. Ideally, she’d run the Lena pattern – her little route through Europe where she hits all of Lena’s favourite little shops to bring back the perfect breakfast. Unfortunately, Alex had given her an earful the last time she broke the sound barrier in the vicinity of National City and she didn’t want to endure another lecture about it so soon.
A good old fashioned Noonan’s run it would be.
Kara slips out the window and lands behind the dumpster in the alley by Noonan’s. She brushes herself off and fixes the tilt to her glasses before heading inside.
“You’re here early,” Steph comments when she spots her, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
“Early bird gets the worm!” Kara replies with a wide smile, sauntering happily up to the counter.
Steph’s lips purse. “What’s up, Danvers? You’re way too happy and I know what your baseline is.”
Kara blushes. “I just had a good night is all,” she says.
“Hmm,” Steph’s hum is ripe with disbelief. “The usual?”
Kara nods. “Plus a cinnamon bun, spinach danish, and a large black coffee – no room for cream.”
Steph’s brown eyes widen comically and then she snorts. “That kind of good night, eh? Well done, Danvers.” She rings up the order and then offers Kara the machine.
Kara’s face feels as hot as the surface of the sun as she taps her card. “I – not like that!”
With a smirk, Steph writes on Kara’s cup. “So the extra stuff on your order isn’t for your Lena?”
Sputtering, Kara can’t even deny it. “I – well, it is, but – look, it’s –” and then she just gives up, covering her face with her hands with a strangled noise.
“Hey, no need to be dramatic,” Steph says and Kara peeks through her fingers to see a friendly smile. “Y’all are cute together.”
“Thanks,” Kara says through her hands.
“Go on,” Steph tells her, using a shoulder to gesture her over to the waiting counter. “It’ll be a few minutes.”
Kara waits off to the side, watching as they pack up a tray of sticky buns and Les steams milk for her latte.
It’s going to be perfect. Lena will hopefully still be asleep and she can sneak back into their cuddle, leaving Lena’s coffee on her bedside table so it’s ready whenever she is. Maybe she can even check Lena’s alarm and turn it off. She deserves a lie-in.
“Kara!”
She perks up and collects her order before stepping into the alley and jetting off back home.
Lena wakes slowly to the sunlight, but something feels off. It’s warm but it’s not warm enough. She can breathe easily, so that’s good, and if she stretches –
She can stretch.
She turns herself over so abruptly she twinges her wrist a little with the odd angle of pressure.
There’s no Kara.
Lena tries not to panic, tries not to let the worst-case scenarios take centre-stage in her mind.
A Supergirl emergency. Except there’s no note and – Kara would leave a note, wouldn’t she? For a reporting emergency, too, right? She wouldn’t just –
Lena focuses on the sounds she can hear, which, admittedly aren’t much. Notably, there’s no water running or movement in the bathroom. No cabinets or drawers open and close in the rest of Kara’s apartment.
She’s just. Gone.
Lena sits up in bed, letting the covers fall off of her body and pool at her waist. She pulls up her knees and hugs them to her chest, trying not to catastrophize, trying to find comfort in the soft cotton pyjamas Kara’d let her borrow for the night.
She went to sleep optimistic, relaxed, loved.
She woke up alone.
How many times did she try to give Kara an out? How many times did she try to let Kara off the hook, to let her take it back, walk it back, to try and prevent something exactly like this scenario from happening?
Kara couldn’t love her, why did she let herself believe it? Just because she’d wanted to, wanted to so badly she thought she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t at least try. But here she is anyway.
Abandoned.
Alone.
What is she supposed to do now?
There’s some kind of commotion in the main part of Kara’s apartment.
Is she back? Is she hoping Lena’d already taken the hint and scarpered?
Lena takes a deep breath, willing herself not to cry, not to show weakness, not to give Kara the satisfaction of bringing the last Luthor down.
“Hey, your heart’s running wild, are you – oh.”
Kara stands in the doorway, confused, brow furrowed, holding a large paper bag and two coffee cups stacked on top of each other.
Lena chokes in a breath and in the blink of an eye, Kara’s sitting on the bed beside her, hands emptied of her goodies, rubbing a soothing hand on her back.
“Hey, it’s okay, you’re alright,” Kara coos softly. “You’re safe.”
It’s too much effort to speak without keeping the tremble out of her voice, so Lena just nods, sagging into Kara’s touch. Kara wraps her other arm around her and holds her. She doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t ask any of probably a dozen questions that are almost certainly buzzing around her head.
“You weren’t here,” Lena says after another couple of minutes, when she’s sure her voice won’t shake, won’t break, when she’s sure she can hide the vulnerability in her words behind a smokescreen of disaffection.
“I went to get – I thought you might want some coffee that isn’t my too-sweet instant hazelnut-flavoured stuff that you hate,” Kara says. “And then I thought you might want something for breakfast that isn’t Cocoa Puffs or Hot Pockets…”
She still sounds confused and there’s a note of worry in her voice that would be incredibly endearing if it was divorced from the context they’re in right now.
Lena’s overreacting. The worst part is that she knows that already.
“Thank you,” Lena says quietly, bordering on morose.
“What’s wrong, Lena?” Kara asks softly.
“Nothing,” Lena says, which is technically true.
“Lena,” half-pleading, half-stern.
“I woke up and you were gone,” Lena says quickly. “I just worried, that’s all. I’m fine. You’re fine.” She says it like she’s convincing both of them.
Guilt soaks Kara’s reply, “I’m sorry.’
Lena shakes her head. “No, it’s my problem not yours. You were doing a lovely thing.” She reaches out to squeeze one of Kara’s hands.
Kara doesn’t seem to be reassured by that, the frown on her face deepens, if anything.
Lena tries for a smile and a joke. “I’d happily drink instant coffee if it meant you were still here when I woke up.” It doesn’t come out funny, only too serious and a little sad.
“I won’t leave you again,” Kara vows, then amends, “Or I’ll at least leave a note or something if I really have to leave.”
With a nod, Lena says, “I would appreciate that.’
Kara leans over and presses a kiss to Lena’s temple. “We could cuddle for a bit before we dive into breakfast, if you want,” she offers.
“You’re willing to delay food?” Lena asks, voice falling into a familiar teasing tone despite her surprise.
Kara shrugs. “I love you. Sticky buns can wait.” She climbs back into bed and pulls Lena down beside her.
Lena thinks that might just be the most romantic thing Kara’s ever said to her.
The next time Lena comes over, there’s a V60 pour over and a bag of pre-ground coffee displayed in the corner of the counter.
“So I don’t have to leave,” is all the explanation Kara gives her.
Lena doesn’t wake up alone for a very long time after that.