đčđČđ»đź đčđđđ”đŒđż (villainized) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-04-16 19:28:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, dc: lena luthor, ⎠inactive: alex danvers |
WHO: Lena & Alex
WHAT: Girl talk over drinks and chips
WHERE: Lena's apartment at Morningside
WHEN: Backdated to April 2nd
WARNINGS: Nah
STATUS: Complete
So, that happened. Outing Clark as Superman to Lena hadnât exactly been Alexâs to-do list for the day. She didnât see it as a problem, really, and there hadnât been much of a dust-up. Vallo was a unique place with unique circumstances. She may not completely trust it, but Kara lived openly here â everyone knew she was Supergirl â and she had adjusted. The same went for Clark and Superman. She hadnât thought twice about mentioning it publicly, but she hadnât considered that this would be yet another revelation for Lena if she saw it. And of course she saw it. Despite what theyâd come from back home, she trusted they werenât going to have another Non Nocere on their hands. She trusted that Lena was sincere in her efforts to make things right, and she had much less of an investment in Supermanâs identity than Lex would have. Connecting the Clark-Kent-is-Superman dots wasnât going to cause any issues there. But it wasnât hard to tell that not connecting those dots had made her feel a little stupid. And stupid was the absolute last thing Lena Luthor should be feeling. Alexâs solution, as usual, to bad feelings was drinking. She had taken note of the type of scotch Lena had come over with the first night sheâd been here and fulfilled her promise to purchase another and bring it back to Morningside. At seven oâclock sharp, armed with the freshly bought scotch and a bag of sour cream and onion chips and in her more comfortable, lazy clothes, she rapped on Lenaâs apartment door. Lena may have been feeling a bit ridiculous over the entire ordeal, yes. It wasnât as if Supermanâs true identity had been on her list of priorities either - she had never thought to ask, she didnât really know him (she had met her worldâs version Clark a handful of times) despite having an older brother be so intimately and madly obsessed with him. Clark Kent and the Man of Steel being one in the same, though - it shouldnât even be surprising. He and Kara were cut from the same cloth (and planet) when it came to assimilating into human culture via a career of journalism and having suspiciously infamous connections with the most revered Kryptonians of the Earth. The lines between the dots drew themselves. So, really. It was fine. It wasnât something she took personally. Lois and Alex were right; there was something very distinct on how the two of them carried themselves and perception was a powerful, altering thing. But she also couldnât get over the damn glasses. At least she had plenty to keep herself occupied with, and her fingers had been punching the letters of her laptopâs keyboard (a gift from a Dr. Darcy Lewis) with zero mercy when someone at the door made their presence known. What she didnât finish could wait until tomorrow - she had expected the company anyway, and greeted Alex with a lazy ensemble of her own. Sweatpants (hers now, she supposed?) and this touristy t-shirt she had purchased from a vendor stall that had the words WELCOME TO VALLO printed on it. What? Lena was serious when it came to supporting the local economy. âHey,â was how she greeted her guest, hair down with a hint of waviness and a semi-tired smile. âI see youâve brought snacks to absorb the scotch? Excellent planning, come in.â Morningside Apartments were very comfortable for free housing. Stylish, too. It was also nice being close to the Danvers sisters - their own unit was down the hall - but she also enjoyed having her own space. The quiet was needed. She needed it to work and think. âNot my first time,â Alex chuckled. She followed Lena inside, heading right toward the counter to set down the bag and bottle. Without asking permission, she reached up into the cabinets above, quickly tracking down two glasses and a sizable bowl to dump the chips in. Thankfully, these apartments came equipped with the basics theyâd need, no extraneous shopping required. She handed Lena a glass and the bottle, taking the second glass and the bowl full of chips herself. âCâmon, couch. Itâs been a day.â Alex had actually seen Lena pretty regularly since sheâd ended up in Vallo just a few days prior. She had started work at S.T.A.R. Labs pretty much immediately, and Alex had been in every day she was off patrol. It was good for her to be in the lab again. She had offered Sara help with administrative duties, but until she was taken up on that, dividing her time between Defense and actually putting her scientific brain to use was working well. Working with Hank was fun, but working with Lena was her preference. Their specialties were just opposite each other and they always synced up well. It was nice to work with her again without being smacked in the face with overwhelming resentment. It was good to see her settling in, too. There was always that chance she could be gone in a weekâs time â Alex herself had been before, though she didnât remember it â but the majority seemed to stick. And it usually didnât take long to accept your fate. If there was any getting out of here, it was as involuntary as ending up here. âSo,â she began, settling onto the couch and holding up her glass. âTo another day of revelations, huh?â Such direction. Lena had no qualms with her moving about the apartment with familiarity - it was difficult to really consider it hers to begin with, and Alex had proved she had a better idea of where everything was. The proof was in how she located the bowl. Obviously she was aware this place was fully-equipped with a little extra than the simple basics, but didnât exactly know where everything was quite yet. Getting comfortable on the couch suited her just fine, and she made sure her laptop was shut and set aside for optimal use of space. âTo another day of revelations,â she echoed as their glasses met for a clink. Lenaâs legs were curled up underneath her, and her body was twisted to keep herself facing Alex. âIâm not upset, I - hope you know that? Caught off guard, yes, but I think Iâve finally reached enough awareness to understand the need for secret identities.â Not that she didnât before, but her issues had lied in not being deemed trustworthy enough to have been told from the beginning. Now she knew the extremes in which the loved ones of a superhero could be endangered, and Lena understood it more. Didnât mean she liked it, didnât mean she wasnât hurt by it, but she understood. âI know,â Alex assured her. She had jumped to that conclusion at first, more out of worry than any sort of logical thought process. But she trusted Lena when she said she was fine and the feeling would pass. Sheâd never had a grudge against Superman; that was all Lex. And her issues with Kara had been circumstantial and all about hurt feelings. Thankfully, they were past that now. âThatâs good to hear, though. Iâm impressed with your growth.â She smirked, clinked her glass against Lenaâs again, and proceeded to expertly down her drink. âBut, you know, it would be okay if you were a little upset. No judgment.â She reached for the bottle, refilling her glass and offering Lena the same. The knockback of scotch was in unison - she usually didnât down it that quickly but for the first shot of the night, it seemed necessary. Lena would sip the rest, though. Keep that buzz going slow and steady so she wouldnât do anything rash like, oh, sign up for another social meet-up app. âItâs - more of a bruised ego if I were to be honest,â she answered back after a thoughtful pause, propping her elbow atop of the couch cushions. Lenaâs hair was done, not as pin-straight as she usually kept it - the crinkled waves was a more natural look for her, and she tucked some behind an ear. âNow that I know I just donât understand how glasses could have ever been that convincing?â It was silly. She scratched at the bridge of her nose, the smile that quirked her lips sheepish. âIâm going to obsessively study the psychology over something like this to help soothe the embarrassment. Thatâs all.â Alex chuckled, shrugging a shoulder and smiling at Lena fondly, a little spike of protectiveness surging through her. She looked good like this, at ease in a way Alex had never really seen her. Sheâd been at their game nights, of course, with her feet up and a glass of wine in her hand and actually enjoying herself, but even that had an air of performance about it. This was different. She was undone, at her most relaxed and vulnerable. âWell, I donât think you have any reason to be embarrassed, but I get it.â She took a sip from her fresh glass and gave Lena a sage nod. Sheâd never been in Lenaâs shoes, but she could understand her point of view. She was literally brilliant â Alex hadnât been embellishing when sheâd told Hank as much. Of course thinking sheâd missed something obvious would be a blow to her ego. âJust remember you had no reason to think anything else. Hindsight is 20-20, right?â It did feel good to unwind - really good. Lena had arrived tightly wound, bone-stiff in apprehension not knowing what to expect but she had been pleasantly surprised. Kara seemed to have greeted her with open arms despite the nasty turn their friendship had taken, and Alex didnât seem to resent her for what sheâd done (especially to her sister). Best way for her to justify it was that maybe time helped with that, and they werenât buckling under the pressure of what was happening back on their Earth. No threat to Karaâs identity, no constant battles of the alien variety or those close-minded enough to assume being from outer space was synonymous with being a terrible being. No Lex, which improved everyoneâs mood tenfold. Perhaps this really was some kind of thinly veiled vacation. âIâll keep your wise words in mind when this inevitably keeps me up at night,â Lena smirked, reaching out a leg out to nudge her. âKara talk to you more about what she planned to do with CatCo?â They had done a thorough sweep of the building after its discovery, ensuring there wasnât anything of risk inside of it - sheâd been a bit worried about Obsidian technology (even if thereâd been any, no one else here really knew how to work it) but thereâd been nothing. It was merely an empty building with potential, sitting there and waiting. Alex remembered how things had gone with Lena back before Crisis. Jâonn had restored the memories â permeated with disappointment and anger and regret. She had hoped for better from Lena, had seen her be better, and she loved her. And when the truth had come out about Non Nocere and her plans for Myriad, it stung to know she was going down a dark path. But all of that conflicted with the Lena sheâd known in the re-written Earth. It hadnât always been perfect, but the Luthors had funded the D.E.O., worked alongside her to keep National City safe. The dissonance between the two worlds was still something her brain sometimes struggled to wrap around. But it worked in Lenaâs favor, too. It was easier to give her the benefit of the doubt and let the past be the past. She nudged her leg back against Lenaâs foot, smirking as she picked up a chip out of the bowl pushed back against the couch between them. âSheâs still waffling,â she sighed. âI think she wants to hire and get the magazine out, maybe rent offices at affordable prices for other businesses. But itâs a big time and money investment, and for whatever reason, sheâs afraid sheâll be a bad boss. Which we both know she wonât be, but she doesnât have that confidence.â Alex had taken it upon herself to loop Lois in on what was going on and where Kara seemed to be in the thought process, but Lois had a job of her own. Now that the farm was here, she had another responsibility on her plate, too, and Alex knew literally nothing about journalism or running a business like that. She would help as much as she could, but ultimately, it would be up to Kara to take it on and get everything going. âOh, speaking of Kara - has she told you about her boyfriend yet?â Ah, right, Karaâs insecurity of being the big meanie boss. Literally impossible. It was definitely an ambitious venture though, Lena would agree with that - she had owned it once (back when she spontaneously bought it for Kara) but that wasnât the same thing as running it. She let James do that, back when that office of a million flashing flatscreens was his. There were times she had given input and direction but when it came to the nitty-gritty details, she wasnât experienced enough to know those. âUm,â was the noise made before Lena took a generous sip of her scotch, letting it burn on her tongue before swallowing. âMentioned him, yes. The details were a little vague.â It was weird to wrap her mind around it, knowing that Kara had spent almost a year here and they were left catching up on what she had spent those months doing. Seeing someone had apparently been one of them. Which - good for her, she deserved that. It made Lenaâs heart cinch in a way she didnât care to acknowledge, however. âWhy, has she said more to you?â Yep, Lena was taking another sip - it was enough to finish her glass. Pour her another, Alex. âNot really,â Alex replied succinctly, lifting the bottle to refill Lenaâs glass again. She had her suspicions about Lenaâs exact feelings toward her sister, but she never spoke about it, so Alex never pushed for details. She cared about Lena, but that was still a line she wouldnât cross. Her romantic life was her own, and Alex hoped she would be able to settle in and find someone here. She deserved that, especially in a place where the Luthor name didnât have the same impact it did back home. âI know his name and that he has a daughter, but Iâve never met him. Which, actually, kind of concerns me,â she admitted. She popped another chip into her mouth, polishing it off with another sip of scotch. âItâs not like her to be so close-mouthed about guys in her life. I guess she might have been trying not to overwhelm me?â It was all guesswork, really. She hadnât been here long, but a lot had happened in the little over a month she had been here. Karaâs romantic life, like Lenaâs, was obviously her own business. But Alex was so used to being her sisterâs sounding board, and vice versa, that the lack of details was kind of worrying. And his lack of appearance, even more so. There was an arch of a single brow at that, it practically skyrocketed into her hairline since she assumed Alex would be more in the know about her sisterâs love life. Lena cradled the glass with both hands, lips pursed as she mulled that over. âHeâs an outlander like us, isnât he?â It was possible that Kara had mingled with one of the locals and entered some kind of relationship, but. Eh. Doubtful. It made more sense for her to be drawn to someone also pulled from their home into this particular pocket dimension. âSomeone has to know him, or he has to be lurking the network to an extent - maybe you can ask someone. Youâve been here longer than I have.â Alex likely had more connections out in Vallo than she did. Someone else had to know who this elusive Klaus was. Alex shrugged. âYeah, maybe. I guess I should go straight to the source first. Maybe sheâd been waiting for me to ask to meet him.â That seemed like a reasonable assumption at this moment in time, but of course the only way to know for sure was to ask Kara directly. Sheâd been distracted, trying to settle in and keep herself busy here in Vallo, so maybe it was all a matter of Kara attempting to give her the room she needed to do that. She would ask around, though. She knew Rogue had been around for a while, but she didnât seem like the keep-up-with-gossip type. Maybe Katherine. She hadnât been around nearly as long, but she was definitely the sort to know things. Reminded Alex of a high school HBIC, in some respects, but much more tolerable. And getting to hang out with Nadia was a bonus, too. âMaybe,â hummed Lena, lips rubbing together - the lipstick had faded throughout the day, and they were colored a muted pink at best from it. âI would think sheâd be more forthcoming about the details. Have a little girlâs night about it, perhaps.â Much like the good olâ days, before the crushing revelation of Karaâs secret identity from her brotherâs dying mouth. She didnât really expect their relationship to fall back to immediate normalcy despite ten months having passed for her closest friend - but between the Danvers sisters, it was obviously a different story. Another sip from the glass, the burn of the scotch a dull tingle on her tongue now. âRegardless - good for her. Iâm glad she had someone here when we werenât. She seems happy here. Free, even.â âShe does,â Alex acknowledged, lifting her free hand to brush a few stray hairs back out of her face. Sheâd needed that to ground herself. Kara was happy, that was what mattered here. She wasnât obligated to tell Alex anything more than what she had if she didnât want to, and she just had to deal. They hadnât been together for months, bordering on a year. Some things were bound to change. If she wanted to know things, she would have to approach her sister about it herself. Which meant â time for a subject change. âSo, any hot ladies pick you up off that app yet?â she questioned, smirking at her teasingly. She stood by the Lenaâs romantic life is her own sentiment, but she couldnât help being a little bit curious. Mostly because she was a good part of the reason Lena had caved and made the Tag! profile to begin with. It was fortunate Lena didnât go for another sip, she could have almost choked. Right, that dating app - or social app, really, since Alex was also on it and last she recalled, also very taken. âYes,â Lena confessed with a roll of good-humored roll of her eyes. For the sake of pacing herself she set her scotch onto the coffee table, freeing her hand to pluck at more chips to snack on. âOne did. I havenât been in bed with anyone since, well - James, come to think of it? And with a name like Luthor itâs risky to even go the casual route without some unwanted exposure. Now I can, and letâs just say itâs a method of stress relief that I vastly prefer.â Crunch went a chip, cracking between those pearly white teeth of hers. It was nice to be somewhere that wasnât aware of the sins of her family (except for the few that she shared a universe with). In a way, she felt free here too. Alex grinned at her, placing a hand on her chest dramatically. âI am so proud,â she declared, picking up a chip to chomp on herself. âSeriously, though, good for you. Iâve been there, and sometimes, it really is the best way to get some tension out. And the selection here isâŠâ She raised an eyebrow, let out an approving hum, and polished off her chip with a final swig of scotch. She may be with Kelly, but she had eyes. There were plenty of gorgeous women here, some not even fully human, and if she were single â well, there was a good chance sheâd be much more active on that social app. She hadnât been celibate between losing Maggie and finding Kelly. National City had a pretty legit gay scene, and sheâd gone through clubs, bars, and a few different apps to explore all her options. Ultimately, she preferred monogamy, but getting some experience under her belt had done her a world of good in figuring out her preferences. âI wonât ask you how it was because thatâs none of my business,â she continued, grabbing the scotch bottle for another top-up. âBut is it safe to say you didnât hate it?â A chuckle rattled through Lena, and she shifted so her head could rest on the back cushion of the sofa. She might have sunk down into it more in general too, arms loosely crossed over her stomach. âDefinitely didnât hate it,â she replied. âDefinitely kind of - preferred it, honestly?â Maybe it was Maze herself, who knows. That was a woman who knew what she wanted, unashamed to set out firm boundaries that she could also agree on (neither of them were interested in anything more besides a romp between bed sheets). âIâm not ready to make an official statement or anything like that. It happened only once but I think weâre both⊠open for a second go.â Alex cocked an eyebrow, propping one elbow up on the back of the couch and leaning her head down onto her open palm. She knew that feeling, of preferring women to men. Being with Maggie â hell, even just having feelings for her prior to the sexual side of their relationship â had flipped a switch inside her. Odd as it may be for a California born and bred girl, she had never truly considered women an option romantically. She had buried any of those urges so deeply that sheâd forgotten they existed, forgotten all about the intensity of her feelings for Vicki back in high school. Then Maggie came along and pulled it all back up to the surface again and the world shifted on its axis. Maybe it wasnât quite that earth-shattering for Lena, but it didnât have to be. It was still awesome to see her letting herself be open and free to do as she chose, when she chose without fear of it following her. Having that kind of pressure lifted off her shoulders had to be pretty life-changing in and of itself. âGood. Enjoy it. Like, be safe, obviously. And call me if you need backup for any reason, but - enjoy it.â She knew Lena was capable of handling herself, but even here in Vallo, crazy was around every corner. Maybe even more so given the insanity they could go through in a month. God, speaking of - with all this talk about Kara being in a relationship, Lenaâs new beginnings of experimentations, she really ought to inquire how Alex was holding up. âI will, but -â Biting the inside of her cheek, her arm stretched over the bowl of chips so she could rest a hand on her knee. âAnd how are you doing? Adjusting here. Without Kelly.â It was easier for Lena to get her bearings here; she wasnât missing anyone in particular. Brainy, perhaps, because they made quite the pair under pressure when they worked through technological breakthroughs but that was really it. Being here without your significant other must be a weird limbo that she could barely imagine being in. There it was. A part of Alex was expecting the subject of Kelly to come up eventually, but it still made her heart squeeze uncomfortably. Not because she didnât want to talk to Lena about it â she was fine with that, and given how sheâd been prying into her life, it was only fair, anyway. Coping had just never really been her strongest suit. It was hard for her to admit she was hurting or when she felt like she was failing. âIâm â I guess Iâm dealing.â She lifted her glass of scotch, raising her eyebrows pointedly, before tilting it to her lips for another sip. âI miss her. This whole thing is â Itâs so strange, you know? Thereâs always the possibility she could show up here, like any one of us, but itâs also possible she never may. And I could be stuck here forever without her.â She couldnât even fathom how to deal with a situation that was such a stab in the dark, so she didnât, not really. She drank and she kept her focus on Kara and Lena and the people sheâd befriended and her work with Defense and S.T.A.R. Labs. The more distracted she was, the easier it was to push all of that aside. Right, Kelly could really just show up randomly and the two could be reunited to continue their relationship bliss out here as well. It obviously wasnât out of the realm of possibility. Biggest issue was though thatâs all it was - a possibility. None of it was set in stone. The uncertainty had to be tortuous for her. âI can always buy you a body pillow,â Lena suggested, teasing lightly with the ghost of a smile and a worried gleam in her eyes. There was also the fact that drinking made her a touch more playful, like she was trying to soothe Alexâs emotional ache with gentle humor. âFor the nights youâre feeling particularly cuddly? My theory is that youâre the little spoon.â âOh yeah? Spent some time thinking about my spooning habits, Luthor?â Alex asked, reaching out to squeeze the hand still resting on her knee. She wasnât blind to Lenaâs obvious concern for her, but she appreciated the way she had decided to address it. She wasnât really in the right place to get down to the nitty-gritty details of how it was making her feel. She appreciated that Lena seemed to get that. âYouâll have to test that theory if you want confirmation. Like a real scientist.â âSpent a little bit of time,â Lena chuckled, hand slipping out from beneath hers so she could almost cinch her index finger and thumb together for emphasis. âNext time we have an adult sleepover weâll have to see. My cuddling skills are rusty.â She may be open to having a few one night stands but none of that involved any sort of aftercare, like hair stroking and spooning. It was a nice thought, sure, but she had opted to pass on that. The last thing she wanted to do was to send mixed signals, and she had set her boundaries firmly and clearly to avoid misinterpretation of her intentions. The honesty may borderline iciness but at least it was still honesty. There was no cruelty coded to it. âNext time,â Alex agreed, an amused smile curling her lips. âKara will cuddle me when I get home, anyway.â Karaâs natural touchiness had rubbed off on her, and she always liked a good cuddle, even platonically. But she was also obviously teasing. It was nice just to hang out, get a little drunk, vent, and just hang out. Even her brain needed a break from constant busyness sometimes. |