Chapter Text
It had been a year since Lena went to college. And Lena made sure to keep her word and return as often as she could. She’d call every other day and the two teens would speak of how their days went. They’d talk and talk and talk until one of them fell asleep. It helped with her fears, and Kara knew that Lena and Alex wouldn’t forget her.
Which was why when Lena said she couldn’t come home for most of her final school year, with the exception of winter vacation, Kara was okay with it. Lena hadn’t let her down, and Kara trusted that Lena wasn’t going to start then.
But that left Kara lonely for those months. Winn was busy with his final year of school, her parents were working, and Alex was in National City. Kara started to take Krypto to the park daily, spending hours just watching him play with other dogs, taking him to the beach, anything to fill her days that weren’t spent eating, sleeping or learning.
It was then she met a new friend. He was in workout clothing, heading to somewhere that Kara didn’t know. Krypto started to bark at him, and he quickly jumped in fear. He looked at the dog, tense.
“Krypto, be nice,” she said, giving the lease a small yank to get the dog’s attention.
Krypto let out a huff and stepped back. He kept his eyes on the other boy. Kara gave him a beaming smile. “Hi! I am Kara,” she greeted, extending her hands.
The other teen stared at Kara’s hand, a small confused look on his face. Kara cocked her head just slightly. “Hand, shake?”
He looked up into Kara’s blue eyes. “Why?”
Kara shrugged. “Dunno. Humans are weird.”
He nodded, agreeing, before putting his hand into Kara’s. Kara gave it one shake and let it go.
“Kar-ruh, I am Mike,” he said, offering his hand back to Kara. Kara placed her hand in his and he gave it one shake. Mike nodded his head as if he understood. “Like to climb?”
Kara nodded her head. “Trees.”
“Wanna come?” he asked, and thus began their friendship. Upon getting to know him, Kara learned that Mike was like her, except he used to be a cat named Mon-el. He also made a wish and became a teenage boy. His former owners, now parents, changed his name to Mike and got him a spew of tutors to catch him up. Like Kara, he had daily tutoring.
But when the two weren’t learning, and Kara wasn’t taking Krypto out for his daily walks, the two started to rock climb. They started small, but soon were climbing cliff sides. There were close calls, but they always watched each other’s backs. Mike did fall once, fortunately it wasn’t too bad. They made up their day with burgers.
Lena smiled when she arrived at the Danvers home. She had missed hugging Kara, kissing her. She couldn’t wait to reunite with Kara. She knocked on the front door and just waited. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait too long. Kara yanked the door open and wrapped Lena in a hug. Lena just leaned into hit, her own arms pulling the blond close. Lena frowned at the lack of cushion on Kara’s body.
“Sup Luthor,” Alex greeted from inside the house. The twenty year old was eating an apple on the couch.
Kara grabbed Lena’s hand and pulled her into the house. Lena took off her jacket. She sat down next to Alex. Kara sat down on the ground and looked up at Lena. “Hi,” the blond greeted, giving her a beaming smile.
“Hello,” Lena responded, a smile on her face. She stared into Kara’s eyes, something she could do all day, every day.
“Gross,” Alex muttered, pulling out her phone.
Lena rolled her eyes and smiled at Kara. The blond was looking at her, with a curious look. She looked so soft, so cute. “How have you been?”
Kara nodded. “Good. Me and Mike climb rocks.”
The younger college student frowned, “Who’s Mike?”
“Mike,” Kara said, as if that answered her question.
Lena looked at Alex, who was watching them with a small smirk.
“Mike Matthews. He made a wish on the same shooting star. Used to be a cat,” Alex answered, turning back to look at her phone.
Lena nodded slowly, a frown on her face. She automatically didn’t like this Mike.
“Aren’t you getting a little hot Kara?” Alex said in a teasing voice.
Lena blinked, confused about the sudden change of subject. She turned to Kara, who was nodding. Lena watched as Kara took off her sweatshirt. Lena felt her own eyes widened as she saw the newly formed muscles on Kara’s arms. Kara unconsciously flexed, and Lena’s mouth just dropped. When she had visited during the winter holidays, Kara wore a sweater for the whole time. Lena didn’t see what was under the sleeves. And now, she wished she had seen them earlier.
Alex snorted. She reached over and closed Lena’s mouth. “Clean up the drool. That’s my little sister.”
Lena blinked, “Uh?”
“You are useless. Kara, Lena needs a napkin.”
Kara got up and rushed to the kitchen. Lena made a choking sound when she saw her back. Alex just started crackling, tossing her head back. Kara returned and offered Lena the napkin, but Lena just stared at Kara’s arms.
“Lena?” Kara asked, but Lena blinked. Her brain felt like it was short circuiting. Lena wanted to thank Mike for showing Kara the wonders of rock climbing.
“She’s drooling Kara,” Alex said, her phone up.
Kara nodded, as she patted Lena’s cheek with the napkin, humming to herself. Lena seemed to snap out of her daze and took the napkin from Kara and wiped her own mouth and chin. Her face was so red, she felt so hot.
“Are you sick?” Kara asked, pressing her hand on Lena’s forehead. Lena made a dying sound at the contact.
“She needs a hug Kara,” Alex said, moving back to get the whole situation on camera. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena.
Lena stopped breathing. Kara just held Lena close and ran her hands through the dark hair. Lena turned to Alex. “I can die here.”
Lena met Mike the next day. He had visited Kara, ready for their rock climbing session. Although Lena had to share Kara, she got to see her climb. Mike was shy around her, and barely spoke to her. Lena sat on a boulder, and watched as Kara and Mike prepared to climb a rock.
Lena placed her elbows on her knees and placed her head on her hands as she watched. She watched as Mike took off his shirt, leaving him shirtless, and Kara took off her jacket, leaving her in a muscle tee.
Lena watched as Mike jumped up and grabbed the rocks. Kara followed behind him. Her eyes followed Kara as the two teenagers climbed the cliff side. Lena felt like her heart was going to stop at times, each time Kara or Mike slipped. She was sure she was going to watch one of them fall.
Lena kind of wished they had gone indoors rock climbing, but something about seeing Kara outdoors was different. Lena didn’t remember the last time she saw Kara so relaxed.
Lena watched as Kara reached the top of the cliff just before Mike did. She frowned, wondering how the two were going to get back down. She watched as the two moved to another part of the cliff, and jumped.
Lena jumped off the boulder and was about to scream, when Kara and Mike waved at her. She held her breath as they kept jumping until they reached the ground. Mike and Kara high-fived, but Lena stormed to them. She raised her hand and slapped Kara’s arm. She glared at the blond.
Kara gave her a confused look, and Mike looked at Lena with fear in his eyes.
“You gave me a heart attack!” Lena told her, her eyes going to Kara’s arms that were covered in sweat. Lena didn’t know why, but it got really hot. She heard Kara say something, but she couldn’t hear anything.
“Is your Lena okay?” Mike asked, a small frown on his face. He looked at Kara, tilting his head in confusion.
“She is a little weird,” Kara responded, patting Lena’s head.
Mike nodded, agreeing with her. “Food now?”
“Yes, yums,” Kara said, and Lena just blinked. “Lena?”
“I know what I want to eat,” Lena muttered, before she realized what she said. Mike and Kara looked at her with small frowns on their faces. “Yeah, let’s go get food.”
Mike and Kara high-fived again and grabbed their things.
After Lena dropped Mike and Kara at their respective homes, Lena took a cold, cold, shower.
Kara and Krypto moved to National City after she turned twenty-three. Alex, Maggie and Lena were living in the city, and Kara wanted to be with them. She moved in with Alex and Maggie. Maggie was an officer, and Alex had started her interning in the National City General Hospital. Lena had her own apartment in the city, and was working in Luthor Corp. A year later, Winn and Mike moved into the city.
Twenty-four year old Kara now had a job, a home, and a girlfriend. Lena had finally asked her out after Kara moved to National City.
“Sticky bunnies,” Kara said in awe. She shoved two straight into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out. Lena was sitting across from her, a breakfast sandwich in her hands.
“You’re beautiful,” Lena said, a soft smile on her face.
Kara looked at her with wide eyes. Lena had to laugh, Kara looked like a chipmunk.
“Go on a date with me,” Lena said, putting her sandwich down.
Kara nodded, trying to finish her sticky buns. Lena gave her an endearing smile as she waited. Kara inhaled deeply when she finished her sticky buns. She looked at Lena and beamed. “We still kiss?”
“We’ll kiss more,” Lena responded, getting an excited hop from Kara.
“Yes, we will date. And kiss,” Kara responded, grabbing another sticky bun and shoving it into her mouth.
They went on their first date. Lena took Kara to a golf course, to take advantage of the cliche dates. Kara copied Lena, and when it was Lena’s turn, Kara would ‘help’ her. They spent too much time on a single section, Lena was sure they had angered the other patrons.
After the golf course, Lena took Kara to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Kara was so happy. She had a bit of everything, always going to refills. Lena watched her with a grin. Watching Kara have no shame in shoving all different foods into her mouth. It was disgusting, but it made Lena fall even more in love with the blond.
Lena had her driver drop Kara off at her apartment. She walked the girl up to her apartment door.
“Thank you, I liked today,” Kara said, rocking on her heels.
“I had a lot of fun too,” Lena responded, her eyes on Kara’s beaming smile. The whole time, Kara had a smile on her face, and Lena found herself getting lost.
“Can we kiss now?” Kara asked, titling her head, and Lena was hit with an image of a puppy. She wished she knew Kara when she was puppy but wondered if it would be weird.
Lena nodded her head, and leaned forward. Lena closed her eyes when she felt Kara’s soft lips against her own. Lena took the lead and placed her hands behind Kara’s head to pull her closer. She pulled away first for oxygen. She looked at Kara, whose eyes were blown, her cheeks bright red.
“I like that,” Kara said, “Can we do again?”
“We can do that all the time,” Lena responded, moving closer to Kara.
The blond leaned forward, when there was a bang from inside the room. Both looked at the door, frowning.
“We weren’t spying!” Maggie shouted from inside the apartment.
“Don’t corrupt my baby sister too much!”
Kara giggled, her eyes on Lena. Lena leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Kara’s cheek. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
Kara nodded. “Bye Lena. Love you Lena.”
Lena smiled fondly. “Goodnight Kara. I love you Kara.”
The blond gave her one last beaming smile and walked into her apartment. Lena went back to the car and sat down with a sigh.
“Had a good time Miss Luthor?” her driver asked in a teasing voice.
“The best day of my life,” Lena whispered, closing her eyes as she remembered Kara’s lips on her own.
Kara got her first job after she turned twenty-four. She was walking Krypto, and bumped into an older woman and her small dog. Krypto didn’t react, but the small puppy started to yap. Kara frowned, and crouched down in front of the puppy.
“Hi, it’s okay. I am sorry. Krypto is sorry, yes Krypto?” Kara told the puppy, before looking at her own dog. Krypto let out a hug, before letting out a small bark. The small dog stopped yapping, and walked to its owner.
The older woman pulled her sunglasses off and looked at Kara. The younger blonde stood up and gave her own dog a pat. “Hi!”
“Do you have a resume?” the blond woman asked, boredom leaking into her voice.
Kara shrugged, before shaking her head. “I do not have resoom.”
The blonde lady let out a sigh. “Tomorrow, at noon, come to this location,” she said, handing Kara a small card. Kara grabbed it and frowned. She looked at it, trying to read the name.
Cat Grant
Catco Shelter
Kara looked at the lady, but she was gone. Kara blinked, confused before walking back home.
When she showed Maggie, who was home, the girl was surprised.
“Cat Grant, she owns Catco Media. And an animal shelter it seems. She asked you for a resume?” Maggie asked, looking from the business card to Kara.
The younger girl nodded her head. “I do not know. Resoom. John didn’t show me.”
“It’s a list of accomplishments and other work you’ve had that can get you a job, when Alex gets home, we are going to work on one, okay?”
“And then I get job?” Kara asked, feeling excited about a new thing.
Maggie nodded. “And then we can work to get you this job.”
Kara beamed, and rushed to tell Lena.
The following day, Kara went to the animal shelter with a printed resume in her backpack. She had a hop in her step. She looked up at the building (the night before, Alex had taken her to the shelter, so Kara could get there alone). She took a deep breath and opened the door. She heard the canines barking, and it brought a smile to Kara’s face. She looked at the brunette woman behind the counter.
“May I help you?” she said, in a tone Kara didn’t understand.
Kara chose to ignore how weird her voice sounded and nodded. She reached into her pocket and placed the wrinkled business card on the table. “I see Cat,” she said, giving the woman a grin.
The woman grabbed the card and stared at it. She then looked at Kara, who was still grinning at her.
“I’m sorry, Miss Grant is not here,” the lady said, frowning.
“Cat said noon. Here. It is noon,” Kara said, biting her lip. She looked at the clock, she was sure she got the time right. John made sure she learned to tell time. But what if she didn’t? And she was late. Kara could feel her heart quicken, her palms got sweaty, and her head got spinny.
“Hey, are you okay?” the woman asked, looking at the blond with concern in her eyes.
“Is it noon?” Kara asked, looking at the woman.
The other woman looked at the clock, “It’s thirty before noon.”
“I wait for noon?” Kara asked, pointing to the chair against the wall.
The woman looked from the chair to Kara, before nodding her head. Kara walked to the chair and sat down. She twiddled her thumbs while she waited, watching as the red line moved around the clock.
Before she knows it, the door opens. Kara quickly stands, but it wasn’t Cat. It was Mike who came in. He looked at Kara and grinned. “Kara!”
“Mike! Hi!”
“Are you getting a doggie?”
Kara shook her head. “Job.”
Mike beamed and looked at the woman behind the counter. “Imra, this is Kara. She is my friend.”
Imra gave Kara a smile. “Hi Kara, Mike told me a lot about you.”
Mike beamed at Imra. He walked up to her and kissed her cheek. “Girl friend?”
“Yes. I find someone too,” Mike responded, nodding his head.
“I am happy for you,” Kara told him, clapping her hands. Mike beamed, looking proud. He walked into a door, leaving Imra and Kara. The two women stared at each other for a second.
“So Kara,” Imra started, leaning forward, “are you like him?”
Kara nodded her head, and then shook it. “Mike was a kitty, I was a puppy.”
Imra gave her a smile. “So you can talk to the dogs?”
Kara nodded her head.
“Okay, Ms. Grant doesn’t come here often. Why don’t you go see the dogs, get them to feel comfortable. I’ll let you know if Ms. Grant gets here,” Imra said, pointing to the door with a dog picture on it.
Kara nodded and held her backpack straps as she walked into the hall with the canines. The dogs started to bark, and Kara greeted them all. She had a smile on her face the whole time she spoke to the dogs.
Kara didn’t know how much time she spent in the shelter, but she loved it. The puppies were all excited to speak to her, the elder dogs shared their memories, and the rest of the dogs just loved to talk.
“Kara,” she heard Imra call from the doorway. Kara walked to her and beamed. Imra gave her a smile back. “Ms. Grant is here.”
Kara walked out to the lobby and saw Cat Grant standing there. “Cat!” she greeted, waving.
“Keira, I am surprised by the silence, Matilda, how was the test run?” Cat asked, looking at Imra.
“It went really well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so calm,” Imra answered, winking at Kara.
Cat Grant nodded. She looked at Kara, who was just beaming. “You’ll work here for a week, and then we will look over your employment. Do not disappoint me.”
“Thank you Cat,” Kara said, watching as Cat Grant’s eye twitched.
“Make sure she knows how to address me,” the older blond told Imra, who bit her lip to keep from smiling.
“Of course Ms. Grant,” Imra said, and the older woman walked out of the building.
Kara turned to Imra with a beam. “I will call Lena.”
Imra nodded, and Kara quickly called Lena. She had gotten her first job.
Within a few months, Alex was doing well in her residency at National City General Hospital, Maggie took her detective’s test, Lena took over the Luthor Corp National City base, and Kara was working full time at Catco Animal Shelter.
One day, Kara was coming home from work. She had helped three kids, a couple, two women, and an elder man all adopt dogs. She also spent a dog’s final hours with him, making him as comfortable as possible. She had cried to Lena over the phone. It helped, but Mike and Imra made it better, by reminding her that she gave him everything she could. That he was happy when he passed. It helped make her much better, and was able to finish her day on a high note.
Kara arrived at the apartment and shoved her key into the slot. She turned it and walked it. The whole place was dark, and Kara shrugged, assuming Alex and Maggie were on a date night. She closed the door and flipped the switch, only for a group of people to pop up and shout, “Surprise!”
Kara dropped her bag and jumped two feet.
She looked at all the people in the apartment, all the people she cared about. She could see Alex, her parents, Maggie, Winn, the Kents, the Luthors, John, Megan, Barry, Oliver, Thea, Mike, Imra, and Krypto. She could see the smiles on their faces.
“What’s happening?” Kara asked, a frown on her face.
“Ten years ago, you officially joined this family. We wanted you to celebrate it with the people you love,” Alex said, taking a step forward.
Kara smiled, “Thank you.”
“Let’s party!” Maggie shouted, raising her glass. Everyone cheered, before Alex shushed them.
Everyone started to mingle, while Lena walked up to her. She wrapped her arms around Kara.
“Hi,” Kara greeted, smiling fondly.
“Hello, I missed you,” Lena responded, leaning forward and giving Kara a kiss on the cheek.
“Love you Lena,” Kara said, gently kissing Lena’s lips.
“I love you too Kara,” she responded, hugging her girlfriend. The two looked into each other’s eyes, before Lena spoke again, “Move in with me?”
Kara frowned, “Move?”
Lena nodded, more determined. “Move in with me? Live with me? Come home to me every night.”
“Yes,” Kara said, “I wanna move with you.”
“Move in with me,” Lena gently corrected, before pulling Kara in for another kiss. Kara just melted, before Maggie pulled them apart and took Kara to greet other people.
Kara looked up at the sky, her arms around her knees. Everyone had gone home, except Lena, who was sleeping over, and the Danvers, who were in the guest room.
“Hey,” Alex said, moving to sit next to her little sister.
Kara gave her a smile, before turning back to the sky.
“I’m proud of you, you know,” Alex said, also looking up at the sky.
The blond frowned and turned to look at Alex. The older sibling turned to the younger one.
“Look at how far you’ve come since you made that wish. You learned a whole new language, you created bonds with people, you got a girlfriend, and you got a job all on your own. Kara, you have proven that anyone can do anything. You have made my life so much better just by being in it. I love you Kara, more than I have loved anyone else,” Alex said, her eyes on her sister.
Kara smiled. She scooted over and snuggled against her big sister. Alex let out a chuckle and held Kara close.
“I love you Alex. You are the best sister.”
Alex snorted, a fond look on her face. “I know. So are you.”
The two turned to the sky. They saw a shooting star appear in the sky. The two smiled as it crossed the sky for a few seconds.
“Did you make another wish?” Alex asked, a smile on her face. She looked at Kara’s face, but the blond was just staring at the sky.
Kara shook her head. “I have everything I want.”