Chapter Text
It was kindergarten when they'd met. Lena was four but tested in as ‘gifted’ from her Luthor upbringing, while Kara was five and carefree as ever. They had sat next to each other that first day and Kara was so excited that it was frightening. She rambled on about all the things she'd seen her big sister do that she’d been waiting her whole life to experience – ‘Did you ride the big yellow bus here? Wasn't it fun? I can't wait to do that every day, it was so cool!’
She went on and on to anyone that would listen about all the things they’d be going through soon, and she did it so fearlessly, with a smile on her face all the while, even though everything she said sounded terrifying to the girl who sad beside her everyday. In fact, it was almost baffling how excited someone could be over new things - not to mention how friendly someone could be. Kara wasn’t afraid to talk to anyone and in return everyone seemed to be drawn towards her. There wasn’t anyone who disliked Kara Danvers.
Honestly, even Lena, who almost never said a word, loved listening to Kara ramble on and on. They rarely spoke directly, but Lena liked hearing about it all from afar. It was incredible to her that someone her own age was capable of being that confident and sure of herself and bubbly. It was captivating and intimidating, all at the same time.
Because Lena was the total opposite. Even at four, she was reserved and quiet and all-around timid. She followed the etiquette she was raised to have and never spoke out of turn. Despite knowing the answer to every question that was asked, she never so much as raised her hand, because it was all just so scary to her.
To Lena, school was a terrifying concept. None of the other kids seemed to think so, but it was. It really was. And it wasn’t due to a lack of intelligence - Lena was more than intelligent enough to succeed - but socially she was so far behind. Everyone else made friends so easily while she had no idea where to start. She’d had private tutoring in elementary subjects since she could remember, but no one had ever taught her how to talk to kids her own age.
So, most of the time she sat back, silently observing and trying to learn by watching what others did, hoping it would somehow rub off on her. And it did work to an extent. She quickly noticed the social strategies everyone else was implementing, but by the time she caught on it was November and she was too shy to participate.
It was when she was forced to ride the bus that she first really spoke to Kara. Both her parents were out of town and the nanny had to bring Lex to some conference for extraordinary scholars, so she was left to use public transportation for the morning. Lillian wasn’t exactly thrilled that her daughter was riding a school bus, and for once Lena completely understood, because riding a bus was yet another nerve-wracking first for her.
That ’big yellow bus’ Kara spoke so highly of that first day of school was not fun, nor was was it cool. It was just horrifying. Even years later, she'd remember stepping onto the high steps and walking on to see the long row of seats with all the kids staring at the newcomer. She felt so small and unprepared - not to mention physically nauseous from exposure.
She stood still at the front for a moment, looking for an empty seat when she finally heard a, “You can sit with me if you want.”
She to where the voice had came from and saw Kara sitting on the third bench in. Lena actually smiled at the familiar face. She was still timid and scared, but at least she found someone who wasn’t a stranger. It was that same girl she sat next to every day in class.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Kara looked self-satisfied at the gratitude and gave a firm nod. “You're welcome. Why are you on the bus today?”
“My parents couldn't drive me,” Lena shrugged, not fully understanding the explanation she was given at four years old.
They sat in silence and Lena’s heart pounded. She wanted to make friends and knew this was a good place to start, but it was still all so scary.
“This isn't as cool as you made it seem,” she eventually blurted out, her face immediately heating up at the proclamation.
Kara looked over at her, clearly surprised that Lena had said anything to begin with, then she smiled and tilted her head with exasperated confusion. For the first time, Lena saw that even at 8 a.m., her bursting energy was present.
“What do you mean!?” She exclaimed. “It’s so cool! Look at all the people, and all the seats, and all the big windows! It’s like an extra big limo! And you can feel literally every bump you go over!”
Lena looked away with a shy smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a matter-of-fact, “You and I have very different ideas of cool, Kara.”
Kara shrugged as if that didn't matter at all. “Maybe. But buses are cool. End of story.”
Lena had no idea what that short conversation would bloom into and if someone had told her she wouldn’t have believed them. Looking back, she’d find it baffling what could grow from someone saying how uncool school buses were. But her and Kara did.
xx
That day at lunch, Lena moved to sit on her usual corner of their class’ table, but before she could her name was being called from behind.
“Lena!” Kara was chasing her down. “Hey! Come sit with me and Winn!”
Lena looked behind her to see a scrawny boy who looked just as intimidated by Lena as Lena was of him. They stared at each other for a moment, and Lena tried to find a way to bashfully decline, but for the first time she saw how adamant Kara Danvers got when she wanted something.
“C’mon! You have to!” Kara begged.
And even at four years old, Lena couldn't find a way to say no to those pretty blue puppy dog eyes. She felt she had no option but to agree. “Okay. If I have to, I will.”
Kara lit up as she took Lena’s hand to drag her with them to an opening in the middle of the long table.
Winn’s whining was quiet and probably meant for Lena not to hear, but she heard it nonetheless. “No one likes her, Kara. Why do we have to sit with her?”
“Because,” Kara humphed. “She's my new friend.”
And the explanation sounded so simple coming from Kara’s mouth, but it was something that was so monumental to Lena. No one had ever called her their friend before.
Lena stared at her with awe, but Kara was as oblivious to her amazement as ever. It was like she’d said nothing out of the ordinary.
That was how Lena had found her first friend.
xx
“Hey, Mom?” Lena asked as she shuffled her food around her plate two nights later. She'd been dreading asking the question she wanted to ask, but she also wanted what she wanted so badly. “You know how I rode the bus a couple days ago?”
“Sit up straight, dear,” her mom ordered, before continuing to prod. “What's wrong? Did something happen there?”
“No, I just… It was fun.” She thought back to Kara – to her friend. “I was wondering if I could do it every day.”
“You want to ride a school bus every day?” Her mother double-checked with shock. When Lena nodded in confirmation, her mom grew even more wary. “Why would you want that?”
“I don't know,” she shrugged in response, raking through her mind for an adequate answer while her brother silently analyzed her from across the table. “I liked the kids. They were nice.”
“I don’t think–”
“We’ll think about it,” her dad interrupted the tone of disdain her mother had momentarily emitted. “We’re glad you had a good time.”
“Lionel,” her mother hissed.
“Lillian,” her dad mimicked with finality. “We’ll discuss it.”
xx
Lena sat on the stairs that night, listening to her parents argue about their decision with raised voices. The way they spoke would make someone think the desire to ride a school bus was promiscuous and dangerous - and Lena had thought it was until two days ago. But now, she wanted to go back.
“She's a Luthor, Lionel. She is not riding a school bus. We pay our drivers how much, exactly? Why would we agree to let her ride public transit?”
“Because she wants it,” her dad softly murmured. “Lil, she never asks for anything.”
“And when she does it's this…” her mom muttered in disbelief. “Typical for her. Just typical.”
“She's our daughter,” Lionel reminded her of a fact that often felt forgotten to even the eavesdropping four-year-old. “The least we can do is allow bus rides.”
There was silence and Lena held her breath, then let out an excited smile when her mom finally gave in with a, “Fine. But I want it noted that I don't agree.”
“It's noted,” her dad calmly stated as Lena crept back up the stairs, ready to jump with joy from the triumph.
When she passed her brother’s room, he called to stop her and Lena looked in to see him hunched over a textbook, but his curiosity was focused solely on her. “Why do you wanna do the whole bus thing? It kinda sucks.”
“Oh. I don't know,” she felt herself stumble around the brother who before had seemed to always understand her. “I just liked it.”
He stared a second longer, then shrugged it off with mild confusion. “Well… have fun, then, I guess.”
“Thanks,” Lena gave a grin that was wider than it should've been, considering she’d blatantly heard the way he didn’t agree with her decision. “I definitely will.”
xx
When she stepped on the bus, Kara's excitement made overcoming her fear of asking questions so worth it.
“Lena!” She exclaimed, as her whole face lit up. “You're here again!”
“I am,” she grinned, holding the backpack that looked way too big for her tiny frame closer to her body. “Can I sit here again?”
“You can always sit next to me,” Kara promised. “You're gonna be my new best friend.”
xx
Lena didn't say anything to that very large claim at first, but after a while the curiosity ate her alive and she had to confront it.
“Hey,” she mentioned as Kara took another bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch time. When blue eyes met hers, Lena tilted her head to the side with the most innocent curiosity. “Why do you want me to be your new best friend?”
“What do you mean?” Kara asked as if the question was mind-boggling. “You're Lena, Lena! You're the coolest person I know!”
And Lena couldn't find it in her to argue how untrue that was, so she decided to let Kara believe that while it lasted. She loved her company too much to bring up how inadequate she was and how Kara would eventually see that. Lena didn't know the first thing about being a friend to anyone, never mind the bright and bubbly girl beside her, so she knew she was destined to fail at it and disappoint her.
“Well, I think you're the coolest person.” Lena took a casual bite of her own lunch. “I'm glad we're new best friends.”
xx
The first time Lillian Luthor heard of Kara was that spring when Lena got an invite to her birthday party. It was three Saturdays away, and when she brought the invitation home Lena had to hide her excitement from being invited to a party. Not a fancy dinner, not to one of the Luthor galas, but a real party with actual kids her own age.
Her mother looked over colorful invitation with raised eyebrows full of scrutiny. “Who's Kara?”
“She's my best friend,” Lena told her. For an alibi she brought up, “I talk about her with dad a lot. He knows!”
“Of course he does,” her mom mumbled, analyzing the card as if she was trying to find something that would warrant a ’no’. “What's her last name?”
“Oh – I – I never asked,” Lena stuttered. She should've asked. Not knowing would probably make her mom say ‘no’. “I can! I can ask her tomorrow!”
Instead of answering, she was reprimanded. “Don't stutter. You're too old for that.”
Lena bowed her head in apology, then looked up with a small glimmer of hope. “But can I go?”
Her mom looked apologetic, yet lacked any form of sorrow in her voice as she explained, “I'm sorry. I just don't know this girl and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. You're a Luthor, after all.”
And Lena had yet to understand what that meant, but with tearful eyes she nodded nonetheless.
“Maybe next time,” her mom offered.
Lena just nodded her head again, because if she spoke she would cry and the last thing she needed was a lecture about how, ’You're four now, Lena. Enough of these baby tears.’
So, she trudged back upstairs without a word, holding everything inside until she reached her bed. She had yet to discover what being a Luthor meant, but she decided that if that was the reason why she couldn't go to Kara’s party she didn't like being one one bit. Not even a smidge.
xx
“My mom said to give her your mom’s number,” Kara told her as soon as she took her seat on the bus the day after Lena declined her invitation. “She said she wants to introduce herself and try to convince her to let you come to my party.”
Lena somberly looked away, shaking her head. Kara didn’t understand at all. “She won't be convinced. Trust me.”
“Oh,” Kara frowned. But a few seconds later, her face brightened up again with a new idea. “Well, what if she talked to your dad? He's nice, right?”
“Well… Huh,” Lena pondered the idea. “Yeah… Yeah, that might work.”
“Cool,” Kara grinned. “Do you have his phone number with you?”
“No, it’s memorized.”
Kara looked at her with confusion and a lack of understanding. “What does memorized mean?”
“That I know it in my head without looking.”
Lena didn't expect the casual explanation to get such an awed response, but Kara looked at her as if she were from another planet. “You can remember it? All of the numbers together? In the right order and everything?”
“Yeah,” Lena shrugged. Then she felt her insecurities creep in. “Wait, why? Is that weird?”
“No.” Kara looked her over with such a warm smile that it made Lena believe her. When she received that smile, she felt at ease again. “You're just so smart. It's so, so cool.”
And Lena had long ago learned that ’cool’ was Kara's favorite adjective, but to this day, every time it was used to describe her she tingled all over.
Lena felt her face warm up, but still didn't know what that meant, so she just ignored the sensation altogether. “Good. I don't wanna be weird, you know?”
“You're not,” Kara promised. “Seriously. You're the coolest person I know.”
xx
The next night, Lena came home to her parents sitting tensely in the living room, far apart from each other on the couch. When she walked in the door, her dad called her into the room with a fond smile and she stood in the doorway until he patted the space next to him. She moved over to hop on the couch between them before scooting closer to her dad.
“I hear you were invited to a party,” he sing-songed. “That's really exciting, huh?”
Lena smiled a little until she remembered she couldn't go. That brought a frown to replace it as she looked down with a mumbled, “Yeah.”
“You didn't tell me that,” he tapped her knee for her to look up. When she did he seemed to be so genuinely happy for her. “Kara must really like being friends with you to invite you to her party.”
Lena lit up at that thought, a wide smile coming back out to play. “I love being her best friend, Dad.”
“I know,” he promised. “Kara’s mom called me, and your mother and I decided you should go. But is it okay if one of us stay to supervise? Just to make sure you're okay?”
Lena couldn’t believe her ears and immediately started laughing from being so happy, ecstatically nodding her head. She didn't care if there was supervision, she just wanted to see Kara - to go to her party. “Yes. Yes! If you stay, can I please go?”
“We think that's a great idea,” her dad wrapped his arms around her. “We’re so glad you've made such a great friend.”
“Kara is the best,” Lena raved. She turned to her mom who still looked displeased, then begged her believe the same thing. “She's the best, Mom.”
“I'm sure,” her mom dismissed her. “Unfortunately, I won't get to meet her yet. Your dad is going to be the one to take you.”
That news was icing on the cake. Not only would she get to see Kara and go to her party, but she'd get to bring her dad. “That's okay!”
“I’m sure.” Her mom gave a small smile, then made dismayed eye contact with her dad. “If you’ll excuse me, I better go make sure Bri is finishing up dinner okay.”
“Lillian–”
“It's fine, Lionel,” her mother declared as she left the room. “You've always made the calls with her, right?”
Lena watched her mom storm out of the room, then turned to her dad with fear. “Is she mad at me?”
“No, honey,” her dad sounded beyond disappointed, but it didn't seem to be with her, which made things feel a little bit better. “You're perfect. She just needs time to be angry. That’s unfortunately how she’s sometimes. But she loves you very much.”
Lena bit her lip, looking towards the doorway her mom had stormed out of a few seconds prior. “Are you sure she loves me?”
“Very much,” her dad promised.
Lena had yet to feel that.
xx
“My dad said I could go!” Lena exclaimed when she got on the bus the next day. “He said your mom called him!”
“I know! I can't wait!” Kara shared her excitement. “I wanted you to be there so bad! Now my party can be perfect.”
“Perfect?“ Lena was taken aback. “Because of me?”
Kara wasn't old enough to recognize the surprise written across Lena’s face. “Of course, because of you! You're my best friend, right?”
Lena simply smiled along. That was beginning to sound so meant to be. “Right. I am.”
“Exactly,” Kara proclaimed. Then, she casually added, “I really hope we're friends forever, Lena.”
Lena just stared as Kara looked out the window. The idea of being friends forever didn’t seem to phase her at all. The concept seemed totally normal for Kara. Meanwhile, Lena had never fathomed someone would want to stay in her life forever.
Finally, in a daze, she regained the ability to pronounce, “Me too. Best friends. Forever and ever.”
“And ever,” Kara emphasized, looking to her with the brightest smile. “No matter what.”
xx
Lena was overwhelmed by how many people were gathered in Kara's backyard. Half of their class was there, plus Kara’s sister, plus her cousin, not to mention all of the parents that were huddled on the deck. She felt out of place and scared. This was all so new to her.
And it didn't take long for Kara to see that.
“You seem sad,” she picked up on Lena’s discomfort, pulling her aside so it was just the two of them. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lena made an attempt not to make a big deal out of it. This was her best friend’s party, after all. She was supposed to be happy.
But Kara just gave her a stern look and tried again. “What's wrong, Lena?”
“Nothing! It's just…” Lena straightened out her outfit with nervousness, then looked up at her best friend again to explain, “There's a lot of people here.”
“Oh,” Kara took the answer in.
And Lena knew someone as friendly as Kara couldn’t truly understand that anxiety, but she still seemed sympathetic. She looked at Lena and the desire to cure her worrying was clear as day in her eyes.
It took a minute for Kara to finally formulate an adequate response, but when she did it was simple and ever-so-confident, “You don’t need to worry about them. I'll never let anyone hurt you.”
And she wouldn't have believed it if anyone else said it, but since it was Kara, she believed it with all her heart. “You promise?”
“I'll protect you always,” Kara confirmed. “I promise.”
xx
Two weeks after the party, Lena’s dad softly tapped on her bedroom door. “Hey, Kiddo.” When Lena looked up he took a small step in. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Lena sat up straighter, setting her LeapFrog on the bed beside her as he came in further. “What is it?”
“Nothing bad,” he promised, sitting with her on the bed. He scooped her in his arms and ran a hand through her hair as he shared, “I just wanted to tell you how proud I am.” He wore a soft smile. “You're doing so good at school. And you seem so happy.”
“I am happy,” Lena delivered another wide smile. “I love school, Dad.”
“I know you do. And I’m glad,” her dad smiled back. “That’s all I've ever wanted for my little girl.”
Lena looked up at her dad. She was still timid, but also so, so confident now. Not to mention, proud. “I've even made friends! I have Winn and James – and Kara, of course.”
“Of course,” her dad smiled along in agreement. “And this is only the beginning, Lena.”
xx
Over the summer that year, Lena didn't see Kara. Her dad had arranged for them to have a play date once, but that was about it. Lena could tell her mom still didn't like the idea of them being friends, and she constantly insisted that she wanted Lena to focus more on her private instructions. She was adamant that piano and tennis lessons would get her much further in life than frolicking around with a six-year-old would.
But Lena didn't really like piano or tennis. If she was being honest, she didn't like them at all. She’d much rather frolic around with Kara, and if it were up to her she would, but no one ever asked and her private lessons made her mom happy, so Lena went along with them without a word. She dreaded them, but at five years old, all she wanted was to make her mom proud, and participating in things she hated seemed like the only way to do so. She wanted her mom to be proud of her so badly - she’d do anything.
Sometimes, she was so desperate for her mom’s approval that she actually thought of ending her friendship with Kara. She thought of not riding the bus anymore and going back to letting her mom call all the shots in her life. She wondered if that would finally make her mom happy – if that would finally get her approval. But every time she thought of how much she missed Kara Danvers that summer, she dismissed that plan entirely. It was a very real possibility that her mother would never be pleased with her, but Kara…
When she thought of Kara, Lena always smiled. Kara made her so incredibly happy that she couldn’t leave her side, even if it would mean making her mom happy. She figured not asking to see her more than she did over summer break was enough of a sacrifice. She didn't have to end their whole friendship.
But still, even without seeing Kara, every afternoon as Lena sat at their piano, struggling to stretch her tiny fingers far enough to reach the right keys, Lena thought of her best friend. She thought of how much better her summer would be if they could see each other. She sighed at the thought of how long it'd been.
Just three more days until they were reunited, though. She'd focus on that.
xx
“Are you still doing your stupid bus thing this year or are you gonna ride with me and Shaina” Lex asked as they sat across from each other playing chess. “She's the best nanny we've had, you know?”
Lena just smiled at him. They'd grown closer this summer considering they’d been forced to spend it all together, but sometimes it still felt like they were on totally different wavelengths. “I'm riding the bus again, Lex.”
Her brother laughed at the answer, shaking his head with amusement. “I still don't understand why you like it so much.”
“I like making friends,” Lena shrugged. “It's nice bonding with people my own age.”
Her brother still didn't seem to understand. “It's nice, but why don't you just do that in a classroom?”
Lena shrugged. It was frustrating, because she didn't have the words to explain it to him. She knew he had a point and she could just bond with Kara when they were at school together, but those bus rides were fun. They listened to music together on Lena's MP3 player and laughed at all the other kids who thought they were so cool for doing the dumbest things. They pointed out cool clouds to each other and took turns getting the window seat. In the mornings Kara would tell her funny stories, and in the afternoons Lena would help her with her math homework. It was bonding they wouldn’t have if Lena didn’t ride the bus – times of bonding that she cherished.
“I could, I guess,” she mumbled, not bothering to put any of those thoughts into words. Instead, she summed it up with, “I just prefer the bus.”
“Okay. As long as you like it,” Lex gave in with a soft smile. “I'll miss you in the car, though.”
Lena nodded a little. She was too excited to be back on that yellow bus to miss the car rides she used to share with her brother, but she reciprocated the sentiment nonetheless. “I'll miss you too.”
She really couldn't wait for school to start again, though. Three days until she saw her best friend on that bus again. Just three more long days.