Kara ran to the body closest to her, a young man in a suit sprawled near the entrance. There was no blood, and when Kara listened with her super hearing, no pulse. In fact, there was not a single heartbeat within earshot. She flipped the body over, searching for injuries. Still, there wasn't a scratch of evidence, not until Supergirl noticed the space above his ears. Little blood dribbled out as if he had scraped his head on both sides. His hair was pressed down in five spaces, resembling fingerprints. Kara raced to the next dead employee, a receptionist slouched against the desk. Sure enough, the same ghost hands had touched her, leaving behind five distinct scabs.
The metahuman had arrived twenty-four hours early.
The placard marking the staircase was in the corner of her eye. She sped through the staircase as fast as her feet would carrying her. Considering the seconds it took to reach the top, she had to question herself if the Flash had assisted her to the top floor of L-Corp. But all thoughts of help ceased as Kara ripped open the emergency door. Sirens went off, but they were hardly noticeable compared to the silence that filled the hallway. Jess was absent from her desk, thank Rao. That's what the metahuman got for attacking L-Corp during the weekend. But still, all those people downstairs− Kara could count at least twenty in her head− should she have seen it coming? The Kryptonian looked behind her, noticing that she used excessive force on the door, bent and shoved into the corner wall.
Amongst the wailing sirens, one heartbeat rang loud and clear on the top floor. It pounded in Kara's ears along with erratic breathing.
Lena was alive.
Kara was in her office before she knew it. The CEO was focused on her laptop before the Kara walked in, but she immediately jumped up at her sudden appearance. Her bright green eyes pierced Kara like daggers, her mouth dropping in shock.
"Kara?" Lena began to approach her, "Kara, what are you doing here?!" Kara wrapped her arms around Lena, making the other woman freeze. She relaxed into the hug, wrapping her arms around Kara's waist.
"I'm sorry," Kara spoke, "I−I came to surprise you. I had no idea... I should have seen this coming. I should have." Over Lena's shoulder, she could see the security footage on her computer screen. There wasn't a single sign of life− bodies piled up on the lower levels of L-Corp.
"How could you have?" Lena tried to be optimistic, "What's done is done. Nobody can fix this."
"I know," Kara tightened her grip, "I wish I could do something."
"Nothing to do but wait," Lena insisted, "The police should be up here soon."
"The police?" Kara pulled back, catching Lena by surprise, "No, we can't do that!"
"Why not?" Lena stuttered.
"That was a warning!" Kara explained, "It'll just kill the police if we're still here. The longer we stay, the more we endanger National City."
"God, you're right," Lena ripped open one of the drawers to her desk, flipping through her papers, "You need to get out of here before it comes back." Identifying a few important documents, she folded them before stuffing them into the pockets of her coat.
"I'm coming with you!" Kara insisted, putting her hands on the opposite side of Lena's desk. The other woman's gaze snapped to her, green eyes so intense that Kara felt herself backing away.
"Why the hell would you do that?!" Lena challenged her, "I'm a fugitive! I can't let you get hurt!"
"Lena, there's something I need to tell you−" Kara's super hearing broke her attention. The shuffling of several pairs of boots made her turn away from the other woman. A door slammed from the bottom floor, loud enough to make the Kryptonian flinch.
"Kara−"
"The police are here," Kara told her, "We need to go!"
"How would you know that?" The shuffling of boots grew loud enough for even the Luthor to hear, confirming Kara's claim. Lena looked back at her, body frozen and eyes wide in confusion.
Kara could feel the adrenaline coursing through her body. She had run up to the top of L-Corp to tell Lena her secret, and now it seemed that she hadn't given herself a chance to take it back.
"Hang on!" Kara shouted, ripping open her buttoned-up shirt to reveal the "S" on her chest. She shot through the balcony and was in the air in seconds, red cape flying and Lena Luthor in her arms. She gripped the other woman around her waist with her left arm, her right extended to help her steer. Lena's heartbeat raced at unimaginable speed as they flew over the sleeping city, the golden light of individual windows whizzing by them. Skyscrapers turned to an endless sea of grass as Supergirl made her descent. National City was a silhouette against the setting sun, emitting the last light of day. Supergirl touched down onto the soft grass, letting go of her hold on Lena. The Luthor stumbled for a moment, eyes trapped in a daze but frantically scanning her surroundings. Her black hair was frazzled by the wind, arms out to keep her balance.
"Well," Supergirl looked around, "There aren't any roads here. The metahuman can't find us if we're on the road, right? I met the Flash here once. Weird, how a gut feeling can take you to the right place." Lena's eyes fell on the Kryptonian, but was still unresponsive. A seed of worry planted into Kara's stomach, and she felt her voice tremble.
"I, um, I meant to tell you. I really did. I− I didn't want to put you in danger, you know? All my friends had to go into hiding when the metahuman showed up. Until, um, I had a good talk with an old friend of mine, and, well, she kind of convinced me to talk to you," Kara's voice failed the more she tried to explain herself, "That's why I was there, and, and Supergirl was not there, because, you know, I'm Supergirl, a-and Supergirl is Kara Danvers, so−"
Kara's voice died as Lena approached her. Her cheeks grew hot as Lena reached for her face, only to pull off her glasses. In the rush to get out of the building, Supergirl had forgotten to take off the most pertinent piece to her disguise.
"Forgot your glasses," Lena tried to joke, though her voice was hoarse, "Now you look like the Girl of Steel." Kara reached for her arms, noticing how shaken the other woman was. Her entire body was shuddering, her heartbeat still racing faster than ever before. Even Supergirl could hear her own at a similar rate, but it wasn't for the same reasons.
"Hey, are you okay?" Supergirl questioned Lena, "It's a lot to take in."
"I need a minute," Lena insisted, cracking a smile, "I−I really hate flying." Kara's nose crinkled as she laughed, bringing back Lena's attention.
"Don't worry. We can walk to the next town, if you'd like," Supergirl smiled.
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Lena joked. Her balance faltered, and she leaned against a deteriorating fence post. Kara moved to help her up, but Lena held a hand out in protest.
"Can we just sit down for a moment?" Lena asked. She began to sink into the grass, letting out a deep sigh.
"Yeah, of course," Kara reassured her, crouching down to sit beside her. Both of their backs were against the fencepost, which trailed off into the meadow's horizon and out of sight. The first stars twinkled in the sky, observing the two women on Earth. In their rush to leave the city, the two of them had missed the sunset. But the moon protected them, washing the meadow silver. Bugs chirped and hummed around them, conversing with one another while Lena and Kara stayed silent. But the silence wasn't bad− Kara could sense both of their heartbeats slowing, and Lena could focus on calming herself down from the flight. Knowing that the other woman was right next to her was all that Kara needed.
Cat's words seemed obvious to her now. Despite how terrifying it was for both of them, diving was necessary. Though there was one last worry that nagged at Kara and ate up her insides. She didn't dare speak it out loud, looking to the stars for a distraction. Rao had shown up in the night sky, watching over her.
"God," Lena broke the silence, "Why didn't I see it was you?"
"I'm so sorry," Kara's gaze shifted to Lena, "You should have known sooner. I should have told you right when you gave me a hideout."
"Kara, you don't need to apologize," Lena turned her head to look at her, "You have a secret identity for a reason."
"Yeah, but I tell the people I care about," Kara insisted. Fear stabbed into her chest after the words fell from her mouth. Kara could see Lena out of the corner of her eye, but her laugh told a thousand words. There was a spike in Lena's heartbeat, a pause, and she took Kara's hand.
"And I thought I had two cute girls in my midst," Lena teased her. Supergirl felt herself grin from ear to ear, chuckling all the while. There was another period of silence, and the Kryptonian could feel Lena shooting nervous glances at her. As they sat under the ever-growing blanket of stars, Kara could only focus on the warmth of Lena's hand.
"Is Kara your real name?" Lena asked.
"Kara Zor-El," Supergirl told her, "I wasn't lying when I said my mom was sort of a lawyer. She sentenced a lot of the criminal aliens back on Krypton."
"Do you remember Krypton?"
"Yeah, I was thirteen when I left. You see that one tiny star, to your left?" Kara pointed toward it with her free hand.
"The reddish one?"
"Yeah! That's Rao, Krypton's sun," Kara explained. Chuckling to herself, she muttered something in her native language, making both women look at each other. Lena's gaze pierced into Kara, the butterflies in her stomach churning into a storm.
"What's that mean?"
The Kryptonian knew exactly what Cat would tell her if she were here. Dive, Kara. Dive.
"You're super cute, too."
Lena's eyes grew wide, her grip tightening on Kara's hand. A small smile pursed her lips, growing into an enormous grin. The butterflies in Kara's stomach had floated away in one surge, making her feel light. Laughter began to bubble out of her, a childish excitement flowing into her. It was as if she was being exposed to Earth's sun for the first time, a burst of warmth that gave her infinite energy. Lena started laughing alongside her, a deep laugh, as if the other woman's was contagious.
"You think so?" Lena asked between laughs.
"No, duh!" Kara giggled, "'Course I do!" She let go of Lena's hand, threading her fingers through her hair. It felt like running her hands through silk until her arms wrapped around Lena's shoulders. The Luthor closed off the space between them, cupping Kara's face in her hands to kiss her. Now there was a second yellow Sun, making her chest explode like fireworks. Kara pulled Lena closer to kiss her back, though she found it difficult not to smile through the process. When they broke apart, Kara gave her a peck on the forehead, making the Luthor giggle.
"It's about time you said something, Kara Zor-El," she teased. She put her head on the Kryptonian's shoulder, looking up at her with lovestruck eyes.
"Gosh, did everyone and their mother know I was bi?" Kara protested, making Lena laugh again. The two of them smiled until their cheeks were sore, blanketed by the galaxy and the meadow below them.