After a giant breakfast and many Disney movies, the women take turns showering. They move around each other like they have been living together for years. Kara makes sure to respect Lena's space and privacy, trying to let Lena talk to her in her own time. She still doesn't understand what happened with those women yesterday.
"Hey, Lee? I'm going to need to go to my apartment. I need fresh clothes and take care of some things." Kara watches as her shoulders slump at the news. She rushes her next statement partly in nervousness and partly to comfort the woman. "You are more than welcome to come. And maybe you can stay over tonight? If you wanted a change in scenery? I can cook for us and give you a nice homemade meal instead?"
Lena freezes momentarily. "Why?"
With a crinkle on her brow, Kara hesitantly asks "Why what?"
"Why are you being so nice to me? Don't get me wrong; I appreciate it. I'm not sure what I would do if you hadn't been here, but- I need to know: why? You barely know me. You don't know who I am or the things I have done. You don't know who you helped kick out yesterday. Hell, you didn't know who I was at the bar. Just- it doesn't make sense. Why?"
Kara leads Lena to the couch to sit. She holds her hands while she tries to gather her thoughts. "I'm not sure how to answer your question. I'm just being me. While I didn't know who you were at the bar, it wouldn't have made a difference if I had. That's just who I am. I couldn't watch and do nothing. My friends and family claim I have a 'savior complex.' I have intervened and gotten into plenty of hairy situations doing the same thing on different nights in different bars with different people. But you are the only one that I've felt a connection with; I needed to make sure you were okay. I don't understand it fully myself, but I want to be here for you. As for what you've done and who you are, I don't need to know what the public thinks of you. I want to get to know you myself... in whatever capacity you will allow."
Lena has tears in her eyes. "You may not say that after you figure out what my reputation is."
"I don't care what anyone else has to say. I will leave you alone if you want me to, but I will do so under extreme duress. Can I ask: where is this coming from?" Kara runs her thumbs on the back of Lena's hands comfortingly.
"I-I-" Lena sighs. "That was Veronica and Andrea yesterday. I've known them since boarding school. I thought they were my friends. It turns out that they knew. They knew I was with them. They knew the last time I ran into them, too. They- they did nothing. I trusted them, and they didn't help me. But you, a total stranger, intervened. You stopped them. Then on top of that, you came over in the middle of the night when I called. You took off work to stay with me. You kicked them out without knowing anything about the situation. And now, you are inviting me into your home. People don't do that for complete strangers."
"Well, I'm not most people, Lena. And neither are you. I can't do much about your shitty friends, but I choose you. I want to do this."
"I don't know what to say, Kara."
"Just say yes to coming over. Let me show you how real friends behave." Kara whispers, "Because I hope you choose me, too."
Lena throws her arms around Kara in a tight hug which she returns with gusto.
"Yes. I'd love to come over. Let me pack some things."
Once at Kara's apartment, she provides a brief tour and starts to meal prep in the kitchen. She throws on her 90's playlist and makes a fool of herself singing and dancing over the stove. No matter how many times Lena offers to help, Kara shoots her down.
"Just sit there and look pretty."
"I take offense at that!" Lena exclaims.
"You are my inspiration for this meal. Just relax and let me spoil you. Please?" Kara lightens her tone. After a few beats of silence, "Would you like something to drink? I've got wine, juice, water, tea, coffee..."
"Wine, please," Lena requests quickly.
"Coming right up!" Kara pours her guest and herself a glass of red while she continues to cook and sing.
Lena finds that she has had a small smile on her face since agreeing to come back with the blonde. She's never been pampered to this extent before, not even by anyone she's dated. She can acknowledge that she is attracted to her hero, her rescuer, but she isn't sure if Kara even feels that way towards her. She can't imagine someone as good as Kara would stay with her long term.
"Did you hear anything I just said?" Kara interrupts Lena's train of thought.
"Sorry, darling. What were you saying?"
"I was just saying that some of my friends and I are getting together tomorrow night to play games and hang out. I was hoping you would want to come with me?"
"Oh!" Lena says filled with surprise. "Are- are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose. And don't feel like you need to keep spending your time on me, Kara."
Kara interrupts her again, "Lee, I would really like it if you would join me. I wouldn't invite you if I didn't want you there. But I also know that you've gone through a lot in the past couple of days, so if you aren't up for hanging out with new people, I totally get it. No pressure."
"I- I would like that."
Kara's face lights up like a Christmas tree. "Yay! Yes! Okay, I'll be your partner the whole night. This will be so much fun! I'm so excited for you to meet Alex, Winn, Nia, and James! And of course, I'll be by your side the whole time."
Lena smiles at the blonde's rambling speech and continues to sip her wine. The two talk about nothing and everything over the dinner Kara prepared. Lena is shocked to learn that Kara was actually adopted at age 13 by the Danvers family. She takes an interest that Kara's father was a renowned scientist and her mother was a federal judge. Kara shares with her that she chose to go into the biochemistry field with her sister, Alex, to honor her parents. She adopted the Danvers' last name to avoid being recognized as the daughter of Dr. and Judge Zor-El and to make her own name for herself. Lena can only admire the strength Kara had to go through all of that as a teenager.
After dinner, they snuggle on the couch to watch some trash TV. Lena rests her head on Kara's lap and thoroughly enjoys the feeling of her hair being played with. She lets out a moan in pleasure. Subconsciously, she rests her hand on Kara's knee and rubs her thumb back and forth on the warm skin. She quickly and easily slips into a deep sleep. She barely registers that she is being moved. She inhales deeply and smiles at the familiar scent of vanilla.
Kara can't help but smirk at how cat-like Lena is. She practically purrs, nuzzles, and paws like a cat would. Even without the physical behaviors, Lena can be easily spooked but loves attention (although she has to be convinced to allow it). She is looking forward to game night and introducing Lena to her friends. Kara shifts them both onto the bed with Lena on one side and Kara on the other. Kara doesn't want to assume anything, but she really misses having Lena in her arms.
Turns out, Kara doesn't have to worry. The two shift throughout the night until Lena is laying on top of Kara's chest and Kara's arms are wrapped around Lena, letting them both sleep peacefully.
******************************
The next morning, Lena wakes first and spends time studying the blonde underneath her. Before long, she decides to sneak out of bed to cook them breakfast. She feels obligated to show Kara that she is just as invested in getting to know the blonde as the blonde is in getting to know her. She makes her way to the kitchen and digs around for everything she needs to make omelets.
"Could it kill you to eat a few vegetables?" Lena mutters to herself. She's a little concerned about the contents of Kara's kitchen. It seems to be filled with sugary treats, takeout containers, and premade food with high sodium content. Somehow, it doesn't surprise Lena since the blonde is just a giant puppy that doesn't have any self-control.
Lena smirks to herself thinking about how much the woman reminds her of a puppy. The way her eyes and face light up at the smallest things, her fierce loyalty, her protective nature, and her optimism. Her eating habits seem to confirm this: always wanting treats and eyes bigger than her stomach. Lena wonders if Kara would respond to praise the way a puppy would. Lena makes a mental note to test that theory later.
After she finishes making the omelets, she puts them in the oven to keep them warm. Lena sits on the couch to bask in the sunlight and reflects on the past couple of days. She can't help but replay the night with Edge and Lord. She can't identify the precise moment that they trapped her. She goes over and over it again, trying to remember when Veronica and Andrea slipped out of the group. She remembers how they pressured her into drinking more than her limit, claiming that it was rude to decline a drink that was already paid for. Lena berates herself mentally for falling into that trap. She should know better than to be pressured by men.
Lena focuses on Andrea and Veronica for a bit, trying to remember if they ever did a single nice thing for her. Even when she came out to them as lesbian, they just scoffed at her and pointed out the fact that she dated Jack for years. As if people can't discover their queerness later in life?
Her thoughts screech to a halt.
Lena makes a revelation. She came out to them before the first interaction with Max and Morgan. Those bitches knew she was no longer interested in men when they left her with them. Lena's face hardens at the realization.
"Lee, you okay?"
Lena didn't even hear Kara approach, and suddenly, she is sitting on the couch next to her. Lena smiles sadly at her. "I'm alright, darling."
Kara hesitates, debating pushing her for more information. "How'd you sleep?"
"Great. You?"
"Same."
"I made us some breakfast." Kara moves to get up. "Nope, no. Sit there and look pretty," Lena teases.
Kara rolls her eyes and slumps back on the couch as Lena grabs the food. "I'm rather alarmed at the lack of fresh fruit and veggies in your fridge, darling."
Kara laughs a bit awkwardly, "Well, typically I'm at the lab all day and too tired to cook at night. But I work out! Clearly my diet is okay if I've got these!" Kara rolls the sleeves up her arms and flexes her biceps. Lena chokes on her food. "Oh, Rao! Are you okay?" Kara moves to rub Lena's back.
"Warn a girl when you are going to break those out," Lena says while coughing.
"I'll keep that in mind the next time," Kara quips.
"Awfully presumptuous of you." Lena suddenly remembers the mental note she filed earlier in the morning. "Although, I can't fault you for following my instructions. You definitely sat pretty for me, darling."
Kara blushes profusely and dips her head to hide. Lena just smirks. They both move to continue their breakfast, but Lena can't help herself, "You look so beautiful when you're blushing." Kara just looks at her shyly.
After breakfast, Kara cleans up. She insists since Lena cooked for them. After the women shower and get ready, they decide to head to the park a few blocks away to go for a walk. They fall back into their pattern of joking and enjoying each other's company. They spend the day laying on the grass and eating from the food trucks nearby at Kara's insistence. Before they know it, it's time to head to Nia's apartment for game night. Kara can sense Lena's apprehension.
"Lee, you know we can back out right?"
"It's okay, Kara. I want to go. If I need to, I'll head out early."
"No, no. If you need to, we will head out early. You can stay the night with me again. I- if you want, that is."
Lena fidgets with her fingers. She still can't get over the fact that a stranger has gone to such lengths for her of all people. "Surely you have better things to do than just stick to my side. I'm alright, I promise."
"Do I have other things that I could do? Yes. Are they better than spending time with you? Absolutely not. I want to spend time with you if you are willing to spend time with me."
Lena blushes at the attention and the earnestness behind Kara's words. "I like spending time with you, too," she whispers.
"Alright, let's go!" Kara hands a helmet to Lena as they head out to Nia's.