acclivity

νέα ημέρα: new day

Mon-El decided he wanted to talk combat for the drive that day. The previous day they had been talking tech which he and Kara both weren't too interested in, except for its combat applications. So he took control of the conversation, coming up with all sorts of theoretical situations for them to talk about. "So if you had to fight one of the Gigantes, which god would you want on your side?" He asked.

"Artemis," Kara said without a second thought. Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds like you've thought about this before, Kara." She teased. Kara just shrugged.

"It makes a certain amount of tactical sense really. I'm really a charge in and fight in close combat. She's a master archer. Long distance and short distance." She said simply. Lena nodded in understanding. It did make some sense. "What about you Mon-El?" Kara asked her friend.

"Gotta be my dad. What could be a better fight? One of the Gigantes vs Ares and one of his sons. Battle of the ages." Mon-El said eagerly. The whole car laughed at his enthusiasm. For the next few hours, Mon-El kept coming up with different scenarios ranging from fighting one of the Gods themselves to what weapons they would want to use in a fight against a Hydra.

Lena found herself enjoying the conversation immensely. While she liked the tech talk she had with Winn the previous day, there was something about battle strategy that she found particular joy in. It was challenging. Like a puzzle that had no right answer. It was frustrating, in a good way. She would come up with an answer and someone else would counter her answer with some other circumstances.

***

About halfway into their trek, Alex decided to take a pit stop in Iowa. Everyone was getting a little fidgety and Kara, as usual, was getting hungry. So Alex pulled into the next rest stop. "Alright, guys, time for a break." She said, turning off the engine and getting out of the car to stretch her legs. Lena opened her own door, getting off of Kara's lap and out of the car. She offered her hand to Kara, who took it and the daughter of Apollo pulled her friend to her feet.

"Thanks," Kara said. "My legs kind of feel like jelly right now." She said shaking them out a little. Lena had asked Kara earlier if she wanted to trade places or something, but Kara refused, telling her friend it was fine.

"Don't say I didn't try to help you with that," Lena said, rolling her eyes. Kara just shrugged.

"I like you sitting on my lap. It's nice." She said simply, walking in the direction of the small convenience store they had at the rest area. Lena blinked, before following her friend.

"So, what kind of food are you going to satisfy that appetite of your this time?" Lena teased. Kara just pouted but shrugged.

"Dunno." She said. "Anything you're particularly into?" Lena just shook her head.

"Not really. I'm really open for anything. There's so many... new foods that I've been exposed to in the last few months." She said with a shrug. "With the Luthors, we kind of only got the most high-end, high-quality foods and well... burgers and chips weren't exactly amongst them." Kara's jaw dropped at the casual tone of voice Lena used.

"How did you live!?" She exclaimed. "When we get back to Demos, I'm going to introduce you to so many new foods," Kara said excitedly. Lena just chuckled but nodded in agreement. Anything to spend more time with Kara. The two reached the small convenience booth and Kara picked out a couple of bags of chips for the two of them.

She offered one of the bags to Lena. "Barbecue potato chips. Absolute must try." She said happily. Lena eyed the open bag but took one and munched on it slowly. It had a slightly tangy flavor but Lena found herself enjoying the taste. "Good?" Kara asked as the two headed back to where the car was parked.

"Yeah, they're pretty good," Lena said, accepting another chip from Kara. The blonde beamed. The two women reached the car, hopping back up on the trunk like they had the previous day. Alex and Maggie were walking hand in hand in the grass a small distance away. Mon-El had gone to the restroom and Winn was examining some of the landmarks.

"It's a nice day today," Kara commented, the sun high in the sky above them. Lena looked up, basking in the sunlight, nodding.

"I love the sun. Never knew why until..." She trailed off. Kara nodded.

"I always loved flying too. Even when I was small. I just loved the feeling of being in the sky. My parents owned a small plane that we would sometimes just fly over the countryside." Kara said sadly. Lena bit her lip slightly, detecting the sad tone in Kara's voice. She didn't share much of her previous life before Demos. But Lena latched onto every bit and committed them all to memory. She was glad that Kara felt comfortable enough with her to be able to feel like she could share tidbits like that.

"I never liked flying much. Always scared me. I know it's the fastest way to travel but..." She said with a shrug. Kara nodded.

"It's not for everyone. James doesn't really like flying either, to be honest. I think his dad died in a plane crash so... yeah. He hasn't been too keen on it since then." Kara said. Lena nodded.

"I didn't know that." She said sadly. Kara just nodded.

"Yeah, he doesn't talk about it too much. Kind of like why I don't talk about my own family. It... just hurts." Lena nodded. She couldn't understand exactly the same way they could. Her birth parents had died before she could really form any potent memories. She didn't remember much besides a flicker here and there. Most of her memories were of the Luthors.

"I hope you know you can talk to me. About whatever. Or not. But I'm your friend and that's what friends do, right? They listen." Lena said, taking a risk and placing her hand on Kara's thigh, rubbing it gently. Kara looked down at Lena's hand, before looking up into her green eyes. She smiled sadly and nodded.

"Yeah. And we're the best of friends." Unbeknownst to each other, their stomachs clenched at the word friends .