Who: Hels and Kara What: Going shopping! Where: Tokyo; the Peninsula and then Harcoza When: Recently Warnings/Rating: Kara being Kara and Hel being so deep in the closet, Narnia's closer.
Hels wasn't kidding when she said she needed girl time. A few days away from Gotham, away from Tim might help her clear her head. Or at the very least, keep her from talking about him all the time like Kara had said. (She never thought of herself as one of those girls that would ever talk about someone all the time, but she'd never figured she'd be hung up on someone's gender either. Go figure.) So, girl time. Tokyo. Dancing. That's what she'd had to agree to.
Dancing, of course, meant shopping -- something that Kara was much at than she was. Kara was the fashionista, Hels was the comfortista. And usually, it worked for them. As long as she kept Kara from getting her into anything too short, too tight, or too low cut, she got something suitably fashionable for her bestie and her bestie didn't deplore her wardrobe. It all worked out.
Just like this trip was going to. Hels arrived early, checked into their suite at the Peninsula, and promptly settled down on one of the couches facing the Imperial Gardens. It really was a beautiful view. Picking up an apple from the artfully arranged bowls of fruit, she stretched her legs out in front of her and kicked off her shoes to let her toes sink into the soft rug. Kara could take her time, she was going to be right here. Relaxing. Eating her apple.
Kara loved the Peninsula. It had been one of her favorites in their last not-home, and she was more than a little pleased to know it existed here too. So far (and she'd done some poking the past few days) this place was a lot like their last not home, which was so okay with her. Ending up somewhere totally different would have been a little more than she could deal with. And, yeah, so she still had "issues" about everything that had happened back home, but she wasn't like Hel. She hadn't been raised by super awesome 'rents. She'd had a year with her Cuz, and then everyone died. So she was a little touchy about sharing the one person she had left in the whole wide world. So sue her. She was going to try not to dislike this Timmy guy right away, but she was used to protecting Hel, and it was going to be a hella challenge.
Kara arrived late, because even being able to fly everywhere didn't help her be punctual. She had two bellhops trailing her, both ladened with suitcases full of items she'd purchased during the last 24-hours, after learning that her bank accounts were mostly intact. The purchases were celebratory, because she'd lost a few labs, a lot of research, and some money, but she was still in the game.
The door opened with enough force to leave a dent in the wall (oops!), and the poor, beleaguered bellhops followed in as Kara made a beeline for the couch, which she flopped on (more carefully!). She pressed an impulsive kiss to Hel's cheek, stole her apple, and waited for Hel to pay the tired looking boys. "I missed this place," Kara exclaimed, putting her legs up and taking a bite out of the apple. Even back not-home, she'd been too busy with the tunnelers and energy signatures to spend much time reclining on couches with her BFF.
There was the tiniest of sighs as Kara came in, all motion like a storm barely contained, relaxation out of the question now, but Hels didn't mind. She smiled at the poor, hard-worked bellboys and merely thanked them. They weren't sherpas and given how they'd always been whenever she tried to pay them, Hels didn't even bother this time. She did, however, stand and offer them a small bow and thank you.
As soon as they were out the door, Hels leaned over and unceremoniously took a bite out of the apple that had been previously hers, mindful of keeping her teeth away from Kara's fingers as they sank into the soft flesh. "I know you did. When I saw it was here, there wasn't another option."
Plunking herself back down on the couch, she spread out on her belly so she could rest her head in Kara's lap. It was almost starting to feel like not-home again. "How did the tour in Rome go? Everything where it should be?" The quantum tunneler really was Kara's project, but she still tried to keep up to date on the things they were doing in her labs, even if it made her eyes cross.
Kara made a mock sound of outrage when Hel stole the bite from her apple, but it was paired with a grin and a hug. She'd put up a fight about them having this time alone, but she'd really, really wanted it. She didn't think it was devious to make Hel work for it, because she just wanted to make sure Hel really wanted to be here. Kara could be as grown-up as she could be childish. Blame years in a Kryptonian pod for that one.
Hel stole her lap as a pillow, and Kara rolled her eyes, and then began to drag her fingers through Hel's long hair, fanning it out behind her. "Rome was Rome. There's no sign of the tunneler, and some of the stuff is missing. None of my guys are there, so I'll have to hire new ones. But it's gonna be easier than I thought. At least everything isn't back at square one. I'm less bummed," she admitted, though she was still bummed in general. What if none of it worked? She didn't want to get bumped around the galaxy forever. "I was thinking of going back to Micronesia. Don't flip. It was just a thought," she added immediately.
The fight hadn't surprised Helena in the least bit. Years together had ensured that she knew her BFF well enough to understand the fluctuations in her personality. Truth was, she needed this time as much as Kara did and she would have fought a lot harder for it if the other girl had resisted. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her cheek against the soft material covering Kara's thigh.
"Good," she murmured, lazy as a cat while being petted like she was. No one could blame her if it felt good, the tension easing further out of her shoulders. "You could come back with me," she said quietly, not flipping even though she wanted to do nothing more than wrap her arms around Kara and keep her by her side. "We don't have to stay at the Manor if you don't want to. We could find a place. You and me, while you get things in order." Because no matter what types of roots she laid down here, she wasn't going to let her bestie go without her.
Kara laughed when Hel rubbed that cheek against her thigh. "You're so like your mom sometimes," she said. It could be said Kara had been living in the past way too long. She hadn't let go of those people or those memories. She didn't want to. She didn't want to give up. But maybe she didn't have choice, and it seemed hella wrong to just pick up a new life, like the previous one didn't matter. So she was having issues, okay? She knew she was gonna have to give it up eventually, but not just then.
"Hel, I'm not gonna turn your world upside down by being here. You have stuff, a life, people. Family. I'm not gonna drag you away from that. These are your peeps." It was the elephant in the room, wasn't it? "It's cool. I just need to find where I fit, and I never fit into Bruce's family, even way back home." Because Bruce Wayne had been the only person Kal trusted her around, and the only person she was even allowed to answer calls from, but that didn't mean he was family; he wasn't. And this guy, he was even less family. She'd been resisting the urge to go see Lois, but there was a reason for that too, and Kara could be uber stubborn when she wanted to be. Doing what Hel wanted, it felt like betraying the people she'd lost. Maybe that was stupid, but she couldn't help it.
If there was a universal truth to Helena it was this: no matter which universe she was in, no matter who she was with, she was the daughter of her parents. Both of them. She grinned up at Kara and did a quiet, mock meow before returning for another cheek rub.
"You're my people too," she pointed out. "My family. I want you there." Which was why she'd leave the Manor if it meant that Kara would live in Gotham with her. She tried to tell herself that the place didn't matter so much, but deep down she knew, her internal compass didn't point North, it only pointed straight towards her home city. "Think about it, we could have our own place. Somewhere quiet, big. Just for us. A home away from home," she said quietly against her thigh before she rolled onto her back, long strands of hair draped over Kara's hip. "You could have your own walk in closet..." Making this place a home, however temporary, never felt like a betrayal. Her mom would want her to find her people, her dad would want her to be comfortable and safe. They'd lost their lives fighting for Gotham, for its people, and if Hels could help the little rag tag band that made up the current Batfamily -- well, they were people of Gotham too.
Kara groaned, and she shoved herself up from the couch, taking Hel with her in one, fell swoop and catching her BFF so she didn't fall. "Rule for the trip. No talking about what what happens after we leave Tokyo. Deal? Shopping, dancing, and fun, but none of that serious business stuff." She would have left it at that, but she really meant it, and she knew Hel would push like a tiny semi-truck if she didn't get that. She took both of Hel's hands and she looked her forever-BFF in the eyes. "Serious, Hel. Just fun? Just one day? I just ended up here, in the head of some middle-aged angry mom, and I just want to chill and spent time with my BFF." Kara was terrible at commitment, and making decisions sounded like commitment. No way. She wanted a new dress, not some life-changing decision. She gave Hel puppy eyes; Hel always fell for the puppy eyes.
"No, no, no," she started to say as soon as Kara looked in her eyes, because Hel knew what was coming. And then they were there all big and round, and heartbreakingly, shockingly perfect. It wasn't that she always fell for the puppy eyes, it was that every time Kara made them she wanted nothing more than to smooth out her brow and kiss her until those lips turned upwards. Which meant Hel always gave in when they came out because she just -- couldn't. Glancing down, she nodded quickly, a bob of her head to agree. No talking about anything else. Just fun, dancing, shopping, all the things that Kara loved. "Promise," she said, her gaze lifting to meet her BFF's for a moment, so that Kara knew she meant it before she drew back to the opposite end of the couch to put some desperately needed space between them. Was it a little warm in here?
Kara didn't have the space concerns Hel did, and she squealed and wrapped Hel in a quick hug that was all-encompassing Kryptonian, and then she jumped up from the couch and kicked the bags of new stuff aside; there would be newer new stuff. She tossed the apple into the garbagecan that was way across the room, her aim perfect. Kal had harped on her about aim forever, because she just wasn't patient enough to target stuff the way he was. But whatevs, garbage can achieved, and then she was tugging Hel to her feet. "We can go to Harcoza," she told her BFF. She loved Harcoza, where everything was way pink, and way over the top. She was already pulling Hel to the door as she talked, even as she was trying to decide if anyone would notice a quick fly over there. It would be so much quicker than hitching a ride.
"Kara!" Hels groaned, but she went along with a lot less dragging her feet than her tone would suggest. Kara loved that store, and though it wasn't Hels' style at all, she'd promised her BFF. Harcoza it was, in all it's radiant Pepto Bismol glory. It only took a few lingering steps before she gave up any pretense of a fight and wrapped her arm around Kara's shoulders and grinned impishly. "Going to fly us there?" It'd be shorter, but for someone that spent as much time on rooftops (so not going there) actual flight was something really awesome. Besides, it was always a little cooler in the air.
Kara smiled a brilliant smile, blue eyes going bright-bright, and the smile lighting up her entire face. "You bet, if that's what you want," she said, taking the question as Hel's desired outcome. Kara was good at that, running away with an idea if it matched up with what she totally wanted for herself. She tugged Kara back from the door, because flight was way better in private. The hotel room window wasn't the kind you could open, but that wasn't any kind of barrier. Kara cut the glass at the edges with her heatvision, and she set the thing aside like it was paper. She could fix it later, and if it fell in the meantime, well, that was no big; they'd just pay for it.
Kara grinned at Hel, and then she tugged her BFF against her side, and she flew. Okay, so maybe she showed off a little, but she always did like to do things big. She shot up in the sky, careful to stay low enough so that the air wasn't too thin for Hel to breathe, and then she dipped quickly enough to make her BFF scream, before landing them in the alley beside Harcoza a few seconds later. Kara didn't think to unwind her arms from Hel's waist right away after touching down, and she just hugged the other girl instead, maybe a little too tight, before yanking her into the pinky pink store.
Hels would never say that she needed that tight grip once Kara set them down, her knees like jelly after that dip. Breathless laughter was muffled in the curve of her throat as she simply clung to her for a few seconds, let the ground stabilize beneath her feet once more. "Missed that," she whispered, knowing Kara would hear anyway. And if she hung on a little while longer, her arm looped around her BFF's trim waist as they entered the shop, it was only because she missed her.
Except deep down, Helena knew that wasn't true, but for a little while, just a little while, she could stay close. "Pink looks so much better on you," she started, trying not to hold a hand up to her eyes from all the sheer, unending bright pink. It was definitely not a Gotham color.
Kara rolled her eyes. Pink worked on everyone. But okay, okay, so Hel liked to be a little less bright. It only took Kara a few seconds to find a cute little dress, which she held up to Hel's body, before taking her BFF and practically dragging her to the dressing room. "In," she said, holding the dress out for Hel to take, whether she wanted to or not. "Don't make me use my x-ray vision to make sure you're actually trying it on," she warned, wandering over to a rack of much more risque dresses in white. She pulled out a cocktail dress, and she slipped into an adjacent dressing room. "I want to see it when you've got it on!" she called out, even as she stepped out in front of the three-panel mirrors herself, her curves poured into the white dress. "Awesome. Some red earrings, and it'll be perfect."
She'd promised Kara she'd do this. Promised. And as far as her BFF's tastes went, it was fairly tame, even if it was a bit short in the legs and a bit low in the chest for Hels. She knew better to say anything though, it was positively conservative for Kara.
Sighing, she undressed quickly, back to the door. "I'm trying it on, I'm trying it on," she said lowly as it went over her head, the material sliding down her body. The very tops of the cups of her bra were visible over the neckline. "Need a different bra to wear with this," she pointed out, not coming out of the door, not with her underwear showing.
"Take the bra off," Kara insisted. Some dresses weren't made for underwear, and Hel was tiny enough that she could pull it off. She counted to three loudly, so Hel had time to take the bra off during the countdown, and then she yanked the door. She only gave the door the tiniest of pulls, really, by her standards, knowing the thing would come away in her hand, broken lock and all. "Oops?" she said over her shoulder to the poor girl who was helping them. "The wood musta been bad," she said before glancing back at Hel. "Twirl!" she ordered, excitedly.
Dress, dancing, she'd agreed to all of that, but not while she wasn't wearing stuff underneath it, no matter how small she was. "Strapless bra," Hels tried to compromise without removing the one she was wearing. If she did that, she knew she wasn't going to get into another one while Kara was here. That was the way her BFF worked. Still, she did a little twirl on command, even going so far as to rise onto her tiptoes like she was wearing heels (it was only a matter of time before Kara got her into a pair of those too). And then she got a good look at what the other girl was wearing. Hels bit her tongue from asking where the rest of the dress was, because she knew Kara, knew how her friend liked to dress, and she could deal with this. Right? Whoever said that less was more needed a concussion.
Kara rolled her eyes. Hel was so concerned with modesty. But, secretly, she was glad to see that new-not-home hadn't changed her BFF all that much. She whistled when Hel twirled, appreciatively catcalling, and then asked the salesgirl for a pair of killer black heels for her friend, and red stilettos for herself. She rattled off the shoe sizes with the habitualness of someone who was used to shopping for both of them. "Fine, strapless," she agreed, and then she did her own twirl, waiting to be appreciated, before taking the shoes from the returning girl. She slipped her own, red heels on, and then held Helena's heels out to her, all while having an animated conversation with the salesgirl about what kind of strapless bra would make Hel look like she had more upstairs.
Hels tried to look without really looking, being appropriately appreciative while she wanted nothing more than to go somewhere private where she could be the only one to see Kara dressed as she was now. She'd had a lot of practice at this particular thing. "Looks gorgeous on you," she said with a small smile. Taking the shoes with all the ease of someone who was used to all of this, down to Kara ordering her size shoes and handing them to her, she slipped them on while her BFF and the salesgirl talked. "Less padding," she interjected, though it was hard to tell if either one of them heard her request for the bra. No matter how much padding it came with, it was never going to give her Kara's breasts or even her mom's curves and Hel was okay with that.
Kara gave Hel a brilliant smile at the compliment, and she unthinkingly cupped her BFF's cheeks and kissed her full on the lips. Okay, this felt like old times. Maybe the world wasn't so topsy turvy. The salesgirl disappeared, and Kara turned Hel toward the mirrors and set to work mussing her dark hair in a way that looked a little less put together. She was all warm curves against Hel's back, there and gone as soon as the salesgirl returned with the bra, which definitely had padding. Kara tugged all the pricetags off everything, and she handed the bra to Hel. "I'll pay," she offered cheerily, even as she started heading toward the register. She whistled again, this time way from halfway across the store, and then she'd focus on paying. They'd have an awesome night, and that was just that. Hel's boy toy could have her back in the morning.
Kissing, Kara's warmth at her back -- all SOP with her BFF. All designed to make Hels keenly aware of every place that they were touching, where Kara was, how she felt, and for a few moments she didn't say anything as her hair was artfully mussed into however the other girl wanted it to go. She could have this, glut herself on it and lick her lips to taste Kara and apple on them. It was these times, little pinpricks of memories that kept her going and if this was all she could ever have? Hels would take it, smile when Kara left, ignore the plethora of boys that seemed to ogle her, and keep going on. Her eyes closed briefly when she went to pay and Hels moved out of immediate eyeline of the door to change. All good.