WHAT: A semi-spontaneous roller skating date WHERE: Freewheelin's WHEN: Tonight WARNINGS: Some sad and some spice but mostly just mush STATUS: Complete
It was a conclusion Alex came to one very ordinary evening: feet propped up on the coffee table while she watched Law & Order: Special Victims Unit with Lena’s feet in her lap while she read a book on the other end of the couch. It was comfy; she was content, and actually, getting a little lazy time with her girlfriend after a full day’s work was basically her favorite thing in the world.
And she was quick to assure Lena, after her odd outburst, that she wasn’t bored, that there was nothing wrong. She just suddenly got that feeling that she wanted to do something different. They were very settled in their life together, in the little routines that made their day-to-day. And she loved that — it was the kind of stability she’d always craved — but she wanted to change things up a little, too. Go out and try something new or maybe something they hadn’t done in a long time.
That was how roller skating came to be.
It was a no-brainer, really. Lena had already proved herself adept at ice skating, so the same definitely applied to roller skating. If anything, Alex would call wheels a thousand times easier to navigate than ice skate blades. Freewheelin’s was a nostalgia trip, too, with its peak 90s decor, so it was basically perfect.
(Kara would love it.)
So, two days later on a lovely Friday night, after dragging Lena out of her office a whole hour early, Freewheelin’s became their date destination. It was a popular one, too — there were couples of all ages and types, a group of semi-rowdy teenagers Alex would surely be glaring at as the night progressed, and even a handful of families with young kids making their way around the rink with the mini-walkers-on-wheels to help the little ones stay upright.
“Refreshments first?” she suggested, nodding toward their left after entering. The line was currently short enough to make quick work of grabbing some classic roller rink fare (also known as, well, carnival food).
Lena was plenty of fun, she’d argue.
But, fine, yes, she understood what Alex meant about adding a little more spontaneity in their routine. They had the grand fortune of falling into a pattern here that was relatively normal - neither of them had gotten any unpleasant surprises from home, and they had lost a few friends over time but their lives here were good.
Sometimes a little monotonous, though. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing. On the bright side - nothing was in reference to their sex life, so.
Skating it was.
“I already have plans to be a Big Kid and get one of those icees,” she announced with a suggestive eyebrow waggle, a little bite to her own bottom lip as if this was some kind of scandalous news. Her attire today was casual - jeans, button up blouse, hair half-up without the precision of a hair straightener or any product to keep it all in sleek perfection. Lena hooked a finger into one of Alex’s pockets and pulled her along. “I haven’t done skating since hockey and it’s been a minute - I might be rusty. But this time I won’t be stuck lugging around a giant stick or wearing an awkward helmet.”
Lena Luthor had a hockey phase. This was a strange timeline.
Casual was the name of the game — lightweight, too. Alex had worn a thin, loose t-shirt and jeans with a fair amount of fashionable holes in them. It wasn’t her usual style, but she knew she couldn’t go heavy on the clothing or she’d sweat herself to death within minutes. She needed air holes and this worked.
She let herself be pulled along without protest. “I can’t remember the last time I put on skates at all,” she admitted, “so you’ll still one-up me without any trouble. Just like you do in every other facet of our lives.”
She was teasing, of course, a big goofy grin on her lips as she leaned in to press a kiss to Lena’s cheek. “Thanks for doing this with me, anyway. We’ll hold each other’s hands and hope for the best together. And you better share that icee.”
“The goal is to not spill the icee while we wobble around,” Lena chuckled, eyes briefly closing at that cheek kiss. It was reciprocated with a kiss on the lips, magic unmixed in her lipstick for the sake of leaving a small smear. Her girlfriend liked those - but they were also in public and in an area where children frequented so, yes, small. “But I read up that this place has magically self-cleaning floors to avoid injuries and insurance claims.”
Magic - the answer to everything here. It would frustrate her more if the entire thing wasn’t convenient in this case. Anyway, when she approached the concession stand it was a large icee she ordered, Coke flavored. They had various options but she wanted a classic. “I’ll also accept that compliment, except next time you feel like inflating my ego - no self-deprecation, even jokingly.”
“Thanks for the constructive criticism, Ms. Luthor,” Alex drawled, stealing another kiss, small and quick. She knew Lena was trying to be considerate of the crowd they were mixing with, but it was still date night, damn it. She was allowed to snag a few kisses.
On top of the oversized icee, she ordered two slices of pizza, which were tossed on paper plates and then a cafeteria-style tray and handed over in short order. “I was thinking we’d eat at a booth like normal people, then skate,” she clarified. “But if you want to take the icee for a spin first, go ahead. I wouldn’t mind seeing the magically self-cleaning floors in action.”
“No no,” she protested with a wave of her hand, scanning the area for a vacant table for them to occupy. Lena spotted a small two-person one, and led the way to it. “We can eat like normal people. The floors have some cleaning enchantment woven into it. My clothes, in fact, do not.”
But something to look into later for the sake of convenience, perhaps.
Lena picked her seat, crossing her legs and snatching up a slice for herself. “I’ve great pride in my grace but even I can’t guarantee I won’t spill some of -” she reached for the icee, shaking it for emphasis, “- this on myself anyway. Or you.”
Alex’s nose crinkled. “I don’t think Coke-flavored icee sounds all that appealing spilled all over me,” she commented, taking it back from Lena to take a drink. “Whipped cream, maybe some chocolate syrup, but—” She shrugged a shoulder, grabbing the remaining slice of pizza to take a bite. “Icee would probably be worse than being doused with Gatorade after soccer games.”
That was a celebration Alex had been on the receiving end of several times back in high school. She knew it was a sporty rite of passage, but it was also sticky and disgusting after the high of winning. Good thing the locker room showers had never been far.
Lena had to cover her mouth like a lady while she laughed around a bite of pizza - can’t have Alex have a peek of barely-chewed up food and not think she was attractive, after all. “Coke icee isn’t appealing,” she breathed after a moment, openly being able to at least chuckle after she finally swallowed, “but other sticky substances are? When did we decide as a society that dessert foods were sexual?”
Add that to the list of topics that needed researching for the hell of it. But there was no diss on the food kink, she was grinning and clearly tickled with amusement. Beneath the table, her ankle went to brush against hers oh so obviously. “That’s cute, though. Such a jock thing to experience.”
Alex shrugged. She’d been in jock territory as a kid, she couldn’t deny it. She was still somewhat sporty when she wasn’t drowning in alcohol or work. These days it was always one or the other, though she leaned more toward the latter in the interest of bettering herself. That hadn’t been an easy streak to continue after so many losses — Mobius, Richie, Stephen, all in one fell swoop — but she’d white-knuckled her way through.
Maybe she should look into some sort of contact sport around here. She was much less active on Reserves than on active Defense.
“You’ve got a good point,” she acknowledged, reaching for the icee to take a sip. “Maybe it’s the chocolate-is-an-aphrodisiac effect. The whipped cream part? Total mystery.”
“Mmm, the whipped cream must just be lagniappe then,” Lena mused, chin resting into her palm with her arm on top of the table. “Don’t need any of the extra stuff though - you taste perfect without it.”
Yes, that was delivered with a wink. A bit cheesy but it was all true, anyway. “Hurry up and finish, though. Since we’re on the topic of sexy things I intend to seduce you with my skating prowess whether it’s surprisingly graceful or a total disaster.”
Chances are there would be some grace to it; she had too much pride to look like an utter fool, is what she hoped.
“I’m sure I’ll be swooning in no time,” she chuckled, wasting no time polishing off her pizza. She grabbed a napkin to rid herself of as much grease as she could manage, took another long drink of their shared icee, then got to her feet.
“So,” she began, extending her hand to Lena. “Ready to shove your feet into skates that God-only-knows how many people have worn before you?”
Must she word it like that? “Alex,” she warned with offense (and mild disgust), a crease forming between her brows. “This was your idea.” It warranted a quick little slap on her butt too, something quick and generally discrete - no one was looking their way, she checked. “Besides, socks. They exist.”
And were, in fact, a mandatory part of the package when retrieving their rentals. Lena’s were technically roller blades; they felt more similar to actual ice skates and would probably feel more familiar to balance in. These were a lot lighter than what she wore on ice, too. The difference was felt even when she tied up the laces once they found a bench to occupy. “You know…”
One last knot, and - there.
“I have never been jet-skiing,” Lena mentioned. It wasn’t terribly out of the blue, all things considered.
Alex received her punishment with a little grin. She’d been aiming for that exact face, and once she got it, she knew she’d done her job right. The rental process was quick, and while Lena elected for blades, Alex went for actual skates — two rows of wheels that she’d feel more comfortable balancing on after years without practice.
“Jet-skiing, huh?” Alex smiled, brief and small and bittersweet. It still ached a bit when she thought about Mobius, and their friend and jet-skiing were forever intertwined in both their minds. “That’ll be our next non-lazy date, then. I can take you.”
Lena felt Mobius’ absence - hard. As did Alex. He was a constant in their routines, with him often tagging along to Alex’s AA meetings or him joining her in the lab. Always making her remember to hydrate, bringing her lunch so she didn’t accidentally skip a meal.
She tested the rollerblades sitting down first - letting the wheels glide against the carpet to get a feel - before daring to rise on them. There was a slight wobble but she stabilized quickly.
“It seems like an aggressive ride,” she chuckled, offering her a hand. “I’ve been on rides on your bike that have left my thighs a little sore - straddling is very hard work. But I’d like to. It was something I wish I had taken the time to try while he was still here.”
Alex finished lacing her skates just a moment later and reached out to take that offered hand as she rose to her feet. She held out the other hand to make sure she had her balance before wrapping it around Lena’s hand to join the other.
“He understood.” She offered Lena a quick, reassuring smile. “And you know he was glad to spend time with you anywhere, no jet-skiing necessary. That thing was a beast.” She had grown up surfing, and she’d jet-skied a handful of times with her dad when she was young. She still hadn’t driven one herself, but she knew it wouldn’t be any trouble. And maybe it would be good for them both, therapeutic in a way.
“Alright.” She lifted Lena’s hand to gently kiss her knuckles. “Ready?”
Lena knew, of course; knew that Mobius never minded the laboratory work, the long hours, the late night conversations. They existed outside of that too - the coffees, the dinners, the house visits. She was just finding herself in this limbo of I should have done this and I should have done that while he was still here. It was pointless. Unproductive. Some regrets you couldn’t change, no matter how seemingly small they were.
“Yeah,” she said softly, pulling her in for a kiss on the lips and letting her hand cradle her face for a few seconds. “I am. Definitely okay with holding hands the entire time even if one of us falls and takes the other one with her. You fall, I fall.”
Was that an edited version of ‘you jump, I jump’ from Titanic? Absolutely, Lena wasn’t even hiding the fact and if Alex wanted to let out an ugh, she was allowed.
Alex’s nose crinkled, but instead of letting out the probably-expected groan, she just smiled and leaned into Lena’s touch. “You fall, I fall, Jack,” she murmured. “Even if all the kids around here laugh at the old ladies.”
Yes, Titanic was a little sappy and dramatic for her, but she knew it was Lena’s favorite, so she’d play along. It was one of Kara’s favorites, too — further evidence that Alex was the alternate Danvers, but she was okay with that. She’d take every second she could get with Lena and savor it while she could.
“C’mon, let’s see if those ice skating skills of yours translate to a roller rink.”
Old ladies?? Oof. Lena’s face was of clear offense to that - she even splayed a hand over her chest as if that comment made her heart physically hurt. “We absolutely are not,” she protested, opting to lead the way towards the rink. Wheels were easier than actual blades on ice, she thought - way less heavy, and movement was more fluid.
Putting the brakes on it might be a little different, but they’d figure it out.
Her hand held Alex’s throughout it. “This actually isn’t too bad for me but how are you doing?” she asked, sizing her girlfriend up for any awkward discomfort or wobbles. “Can you handle going a little faster? I would almost race you if it weren’t for the fact that I really do enjoy holding hands in a non-hetero way with you.”
It did take Alex a good lap to make sure she was entirely steady, but she stabilized without too much trouble. She may not have skated in a long time, but she and Kara had spent endless hours at Midvale’s skate rink when they were teenagers — mostly just so Kara could show off and feel something close to flying when it was forbidden. But Alex had loved every second of it right alongside her, and that feeling immediately came back to her.
“I’m good,” she assured Lena, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. She gave their joined hands a squeeze. “All thanks to the homo hand holding, most likely. But I can hold my own and race if you want. I’ll even promise not to be a sore loser.”
“Not sure if you’re able to keep that promise, Danvers,” Lena teased, letting their joint hands swing in between them. Her legs moved in longer strides to pick up the speed a little now that they got the hang of it. It involved zig-zagging around the slower folk a bit but that wasn’t very challenging - she had to do that plenty on the ice.
Gods, she can’t believe she actually did the whole hockey thing for a bit.
“Buuuut - we can do one lap around,” she continued after giving it some thought. “Winner gets bragging rights, gets to choose tonight’s movie, andddd…” Lena’s face scrunched up. “Something sexy. I don’t know what it would be, but it has to be sexy.”
Alex grinned. She tried not to be much of a sore loser since, spending years with a Kryptonian sister under the same roof as her meant she lost near constantly. For the most part, she lost gracefully, but there were admittedly bad times. This, though? Even if she lost, she won, so she’d definitely keep that promise.
“You’re on,” Alex agreed, poking at the way her nose creased with that scrunched up face. “I can already tell you’re in a Titanic mood, so let me win real quick so I don’t have to watch that movie for the five millionth time.”