Nobody gets me like you do

by ananabzin

Summary:

Five times Lena is sent to Midvale to spend the school breaks with the Danvers.

Once Lillian is who visits the city.

Notes:

This work is a translation that for a mysterious reason I couldn't link to the original version, so if you can read in Portuguese check that in my profile.

I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 1: Begin again

Lena was 5 when she went to Midvale for the first time. Before leaving, Lilian took her to the car and explained that she'd stay with family friends for a month until school starts again and Frank picked her up, that she should be polite with Danvers' daughters and respect Eliza. Lena just nodded, doing her best to not show how scared she was to be sent to an unknown place with new people again.

The trip wasn't so bad because Frank was there. Lena liked the driver from the first day she came to Luthor's mansion, he told her jokes and sometimes let her hide in the car when the adults were fighting and becoming scary. That day Frank put music on the radio and sang in a funny way the whole time, making her laugh and forget for a moment why they were there.

As the car stopped in front of a white house with blue doors and windows, Lena wanted to ask to go back to the mansion. Actually, she wanted to go back to her old house where she lived with her mom, but she knew it would never happen again. Still, she accepted Frank's hand when he opened her door with a kind smile and guided her to a blonde woman who was waiting for them at the entrance of the house.

"Hello, you're Frank, right? Thank you for bringing her." Lena watched them greet each other with nice smiles and after exchanging a few more words the woman bent down to be at her eye level. "I'm Eliza. I'm very happy to meet you, Lena."

She didn't know what to respond and got worried about the possibility of annoying Eliza so soon, but the woman didn't seem to care and just got up to take the baggage that Frank was carrying.

"Do you want to come in and meet Alex and Kara?"

Lena glanced at Frank as if questioning what to do, he kept that kind smile and nodded towards the house.

"Have a good vacation, Miss Lena." Lena always liked how the driver called her because it made her feel like she was a princess, but at that moment she hated it because she knew it was a goodbye.

"Bye, Frank." She let go of his hand to take the one Eliza offered to her. Before entering, Lena risked one last glance to see her only friend walking away towards the car.

Inside the house, two girls were waiting in the living room. One looked to be around Lex's age, had shoulder-length brown hair and the same welcoming look as Eliza. The other was blonde and her height, she smiled radiantly and seemed extremely excited.

"Hi, I'm Alex and this is my sister Kara." The older one said while holding the smaller one by the shoulders as if she was trying to keep her in place.

"I'm Lena" she said quietly and shyly.

"Hi Lena!" Kara said quickly and excitedly. "Can I hug you? Mommy said that I should ask you first and that it's okay if you don't want to."

Lena nodded a little reluctantly and a second later she felt the impact of a body against hers. It was strange because she wasn't used to getting hugs like that, but somehow it was still good and she felt welcomed.

"We have a surprise for you, but Alex said it's a secret and I can only show you after lunch." The blonde spoke when they separated.

"Kara, you just ruined the surprise." Alex said laughing at her sister who made a confused face with the statement.

"But I didn't say what it is." The two older ones laughed and Lena felt herself relax seeing that everyone seemed happy.

"Darling, are you hungry?"

"Me?" Lena asked confused when she noticed that everyone was looking at her waiting for her to answer Eliza.

"Yes, do you want to eat now?" She repeated gently.

"Today mom made lasagna because it's Alex's favorite and she got great grades at school, Alex is super smart. Come, you have to try it, mom's food is the best in the world." Kara said as she pulled Lena by the hand without giving her time to respond.

In the kitchen the smell that greeted them was delicious and only then did Lena realize that she was starving. At the table Kara insisted on staying next to her and filling her glass with juice because Lena was the special guest, Eliza served the dishes and everyone was talking, Alex made sure to include her in the conversation and often Eliza checked if she needed anything. Luthor couldn't help but wish meals at home were like this too, instead of the tense silence or conversations about work between her parents.

In the end Kara could barely keep still while Alex looked for the surprise. Lena had her eyes closed – following the blonde's request – and as soon as she received permission to open she saw the cake decorated with the words "Welcome, Lena".

"I wrote it!" Kara said, proud of herself, pointing to the slightly crooked letters in different sizes. "Alex helped me because I still don't know all the words, but I did it. Did you like it?"

"Yes, it's so beautiful. Thank you" Lena was delighted to receive something so thoughtful, she wanted to hug her new friend again, but she still wasn't sure if she could do that.

"It was nothing, dear" Eliza said, placing her hand affectionately on her head. "We're happy to have you here and you're always welcome, okay?"

The girl just nodded without really knowing what to say. She wanted to say thank you and show that she was happy too, but at the same time she had a confusing feeling of overwhelm, all the sudden affection seemed a little too much to handle at once.

"Alright, let's eat before Kara attacks the cake herself. Then she can show you the room you'll be sharing."

The blonde almost jumps on her chair with so much excitement, this was a part of the day she was anxiously waiting to do.

"I have toys and books and star figurines on the ceiling to show you. You can even choose which bunk bed you want to sleep in. And when daddy comes home he'll help making a fort and we can watch cartoons and eat more cake." Lena smiled, mirroring Kara's enthusiasm.

Maybe spending the summer with the Danvers wouldn't be bad. She still couldn't be sure, but she was starting to feel like this was the best thing Lillian had done for her.

Chapter 2: Christmas Must Be Something More

Summary:

Lena has her first holiday withe Danvers.

Notes:

It's my late Christmas fic and I hope someone is still interested to read this theme because I love Supercorp being cute children on holidays

Spending summer vacations with the Danvers has become a tradition for Lena. Going to Midvale and meeting not just her best friend, but her whole family too, was an event that she looked forward to.

At 7 years old Lena was especially lucky, because on the last school day before winter break Lillian told her that she would stay with Eliza for the holidays. The little Luthor needed all her energy to control her happiness and just answer "okay, mom".

When Kara heard the good news she made everyone delay the preparation for Christmas because she insisted that her friend participate in everything, so when Lena arrived with Frank, the first thing she did was let Kara drag her to decorate the tree and hang stockings on the fireplace.

Lena wasn't the biggest fan of the holiday because for Luthors, Christmas was gala balls and business dinners, which meant that Lena would have to wear an itchy dress and listen to boring adult conversations all night. But soon she realized that just like everything she had experienced so far, the holiday was a totally different thing for the Danvers.

"Lena, what did you ask for Santa?" Alex asked while she tried untangling the flasher that had been stored in a shoe box for a year.

"Nothing" she was a little confused with the question.

Kara gasps in surprise and faces Lena as if a terrible thing had happened.

"Why?!" The brunette shrugged and this just got Kara more shocked. "If you don't ask anything Santa Claus may bring a present you don't like."

"Santa Claus don't give me presents."

The blonde's expression became pure sadness immediately and even without understanding the reason, Lena felt bad seeing what her words caused. Alex watched the younger girl try to comfort her sister with her chest tight, not for the first time she hated Luthors for depriving the girl of the most basic demonstration of affection.

"Have you ever written a letter for Santa?" Alex questioned and received a negative nod in response.

Actually, Lena wasn't sure she believed in Santa Claus. Every year she heard other kids talk at school about the gifts they got, but she herself hadn't received anything since she was adopted – sometimes Lillian gave her a new dress for the galas, but it wasn't the same. Besides, Lex had told her last year that that was nothing more than a baby story, but Lena didn't know if she could trust him since it wouldn't be the first time her brother had lied about something.

"There's still a week until Christmas, I think if you write your letter today we can send it yet." Alex said after thinking for a minute.

The attempt to cheer them both up worked perfectly, Lena's eyes shone full of hope and in the next second Kara was running to get the necessary material.

The girls spent the afternoon sitting at the dining table surrounded by paper, pencils and markers. At first the brunette was a little lost on what and how to ask, but after Alex's advice and some suggestions from Kara, Lena decided that she wanted a telescope to look into space. At the end of the paper, the blonde helped her draw a picture of them with the new toy, a starry sky full of planets above the girls and a bicycle in the background – that had been Kara's request when she wrote her own letter days before.

The following week, when the long-awaited Christmas morning arrived, the children woke up the whole house as soon as the sun showed its first ray. They went down to the living room holding hands and Kara ran directly to the mountain of gifts under the tree, reading the names on each tag, but Lena remained frozen meters behind.

"Is everything alright, sweet?" Eliza said softly as she walked down the stairs with Jeremiah and Alex.

Lena looked unsure at what her friend was doing, then turned to the older woman, moving her hands anxiously.

"Did Santa bring something for me?" Her voice was quiet and fragile.

"I'm sure he did. Let's see." The girl took her hand and they walked slowly to where Kara was sitting on the floor.

“Look Lee, this is yours!” The blonde said suddenly and dragged a long box towards the youngest.

Everyone saw when Lena's eyes filled with tears and with the most sincere smile in the world, she tore open the package and found a telescope exactly as she had asked for. Kara celebrated with each package that the brunette opened – because yes, to Lena's surprise, Santa Claus brought her several other gifts – and a few hours later the house was a confusion of bright papers, laughter and the smell of gingerbread cookies that Eliza prepared.

That year Lena learned that Christmas could be her favorite holiday, as long as she was with the right family.

Chapter 3: Cruel summer

Summary:

A little of jealous bring some feelings to the light.

Lena was lying on her bed at Danvers' house trying to read the same page for the tenth time. Everytime she tried to reset her mind went back to Kara and the discussion they had earlier.

When her friend invited her to go to the movies with James, she decided that she would rather drink chlorine than accept the invitation. Of course it wouldn't be just them, Lucy and Winn would be there too and she loved to spend time with them when she came to Midvale, but since Kara confessed to having a crush on James Lena has developed kinda aversion to the boy. So who could judge her for losing her patience after hours listening to Kara begging?

Lena even didn't know why exactly she was so mad with the possibility of James and Kara starting dating. Maybe because she is the most amazing person Lena ever knew, while she couldn't think of a better adjective than ordinary to describe James. Also there was the option that she was just taking out the stress of other things in what was supposed to be a barely annoying situation.

It had been a terrible year at home. Lex had graduated from college, taken a position at Luthor Corp and could become even more narcissist. Lionel had drank very often and never was a good idea being around when her dad had a bottle in hand. Lillian was the only one who kept the same as always, living from an unreachable distance while also being a constant presence supervising her actions. And then there were her own stupid feelings that she could barely name most of the time, but that always made her feel wrong.

Lena spent months just wishing for summer to come and now she had a fight with Kara in the first week, congratulations Luthor.

"Is everything fine?" Lena was so deep in thought that she was startled when someone appeared at the bedroom door.

It was Alex, still with a suitcase in her hand and a backpack having just arrived home to spend the summer break of college.

“Alex!” She shouted excitedly and ran to hug the older girl.

“I missed you too” Alex said, laughing slightly and returned the tight hug. “Where is Kara?”

Lena pulled away and shrugged, going back to her previous spot on the bed.

"She went to the movies with James." Alex couldn't help but laugh at the way Lena said his name.

"And why are you not with them?"

"She invited me, but I didn't want to."

“Since when do you guys fall apart during the summer?” The youngest just shrugged again and Alex understood that something was happening. “Does that have anything to do with you being so upset when I arrived?”

“I wasn’t upset.” Lena said defensively.

“You were mumbling and huffing to yourself, so that book offended you personally or something happened.” Usually Alex would give Lena space and wait to come to her whenever she wanted, but she also knew that sometimes all the girl needed to open up was a little encouragement. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’ve known you since you were almost a baby, I know when something bothers you.”

Alex left her things on the hallway floor and went to sit next to Luthor, each one occupying one end of the bed. The older girl could see the gears in Lena's brain working as she decided whether she was going to speak or not.

"I don't like James" she started hesitantly. "And I don't have a good reason, he's just... I don't know, I feel strange when they are together."

"How strange?"

"I don't know, I just don't like it."

"Did you guys talk about this?"

"Of course not, I can't ask her to stay away from a friend just because I don't like him."

“I'm not talking about that, I mean that I believe that talking to her might help you identify your own feelings.” Lena frowned, seriously thinking about it. On the one hand it seemed to make sense, but on the other...

"I don't think this will help much. I think that's not James' fault, at least not totally, sometimes I think I'm the problem."

"Lena, why do you think that?" The concern and caring she sees in Alex makes her want to cry while encouraging her to keep talking.

"I have those feelings and thoughts and I don't know what to do with them."

"Can you try to explain it to me better?"

This time Lena takes a long time to choose her next answer. She really didn't know how much she should talk to Alex when she couldn't even process all those emotions properly, but who would be better to help her than her almost older sister?

"I think I like girls, only girls. Actually, I like Kara." Lena speaks shakily, as if she is afraid of her own words.

Alex isn't surprised at all, she saw this moment coming a while ago. When she came out two years ago she had noticed how Lena started to look at her with a different admiration than she was used to, when she saw Maggie her expression was always carrying a dreamy look. Not to mention that little Luthor practically worships the ground Kara walks on – her sister is not different, but Alex always bet that this would be a slightly slower process. So no, Lena confessing her feelings was in no way a surprise.

"It's okay, darling. There's nothing wrong with that." Alex said as softly as she could.

"I know, but it still doesn't feel right" Unshed tears stung her eyes, but Lena refused to cry. “My dad and Lex say bad things about you and Maggie and I hate it but I'm never brave enough to say anything.”

Alex closes the space between them and places a hand over Lena's on the mattress. She's afraid to look up and see anger or disappointment on the older woman's face, but when she does all she finds is a soft smile, as if Alex is saying she understands.

“I know it's scary, but I promise it's going to be okay. They may not understand, but you will always have me, Kara and our whole family by your side.” With her free hand, Alex tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and Lena can no longer stop herself from crying. “Falling in love isn’t wrong and I’m so proud that you had the courage to tell me.”

"What if it’s not real? What if I’m just confused?”

"This is real!" Alex speaks with such conviction that for a second it's easy to believe. “Everything you feel is valid and you deserve to experience all the happiness that comes with it. And if in the future you realize that it wasn’t exactly what you thought, that’s okay too, you have a lifetime to know yourself.”

At a loss for words, Lena throws herself into Alex's arms and grabs her shirt as if her life depended on that closeness. Danvers rubs circles on her back and her affection makes Lena relax. She couldn't explain how Alex has the power to calm all her fears like that, but she was sure that there wasn't a safer place to be at the moment.

When they separated, Luthor dried her last tears and took a deep breath, there was only one more thing she needed to do.

"Do you think Kara will still want to be my friend if I tell her about... you know, my... uh, feelings for her?" Alex let out a barely contained laugh that would have made Lena blush if she weren't already red.

“I'm sure that there is nothing I'm the world that could make Kara stay away from you.” A small, hopeful smile appears on her face.

“Thanks, Alex.”

“It was nothing, I’m always here if you need me.”

As they hug one last time in gratitude, hurried footsteps on the stairs can be heard in the whole house, then Lena's name is called repeatedly. A second later Kara bursts through the bedroom door.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop thinking about..." The blonde is breathless and runs over her words in what should be a classic ramble, but stops when she looks better at her friend and her expression changes to complete concern. "Are you crying? What happened? Was it because of the way I spoke earlier? Lee, I'm so sorry.”

“It wasn’t that, it’s Alex’s fault.” Lena said in a provocative tone.

Kara immediately gave her sister a deadly look and Alex stared at Luthor with false surprise.

“Traitor!”

"What did you do?" The blonde questioned with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m kidding, Alex and I were just having an emotional conversation.” Lena said, still having fun.

“Thanks for clearing things up here. I'll leave you alone to listen to whatever Kara so desperately wants to say.” The older girl got up, but before walking out of the room she gave Lena a wink that made her smile.

Alone, the girls didn't need much to forgive each other for the afternoon's argument. Lena still didn't have the courage to confess her feelings and pretended not to care about hearing about James, but it was okay because before they went to bed that night it was in her arms that Kara cuddled.

Notes:

Writing a coming out wasn't in my original plans because I know how sensitive this topic is for some people (myself included), but I thought Lena deserves a special moment with Alex and a little validation.

Chapter 4: New year's day

Notes:

Let's pretend I'm just detached from holidays and it's cool to post a New Year's chapter on January 5th?

On December 31st Kara and Lena were in the park with their whole family, friends and, well, the entire city. It was almost a rule that everyone should watch the fireworks show by the lake and Danvers were big fans of that tradition. Kara loved to come early to choose the best spot to make a picnic until midnight, even more so in the years when her best friend was there.

Lena was overjoyed to see the blonde so happy, when she arrived two weeks ago she was worried that they wouldn't be able to enjoy the holidays. Kara hadn't been in her best mood since she figured out that James was talking with other girls besides her, for a few nights Lena tried to send some comfort though the calls they did, but nothing can be as effective as the hug they wanted so much. Fortunately, she seemed to overcome her heartbreak and all that was on her mind were plans for the new year.

The Danvers arrived at the park long before the sunset, Alex stayed with her parents, organizing the picnic blanket at a higher point where they would have a good view and could keep some distance from the lake – they had learned by the hard way a few years before that Lena was terrified near the water and they didn't want to repeat the mistake. The girls ran to find their friends somewhere further away from the crowd.

"Lena!" Lucy yelled as they met and pulled her to a hug.

They became really good friends over time and now Lena is another reason to look forward to visiting Midvale. Winn also gave her a hug and soon the four of them were catching up on the news of the last weeks or months.

“You won’t believe who’s dating.” Lucy said with a provocative smile. “My sister and your cousin." She pointed at Kara who's jaw dropped.

“He didn’t even tell me!”

“Lois told me a few days ago, but I already knew because I saw them kissing once.”

“And you didn’t tell me anything!” Kara complained in disbelief.

“It was my sister’s secret, I couldn’t tell you.” Lucy defended herself.

Kara was still a little upset about feeling left out, but she also understood, she would never tell Alex's secret, not even to Lena.

“It looks to be gross kissing someone.” Winn said, making a disgusted face.

“You say that because you’ve never kissed anyone.” Lucy teased.

“I agree with him, it seems weird.”

“I kissed Jim on Halloween and it wasn't bad. Are you going to say that you didn’t want James to kiss you?” Lucy teased Kara playfully.

The blonde blushed and Lena shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide how much she still hated remembering her friend's feelings for Olsen.

“James is an idiot, now I’m actually glad nothing happened between us.” Lane shrugged and agreed, not wanting to ruin Kara's mood.

“What about you, Luthor? Has a boy ever kissed you in Metropolis?”

Lena couldn't help but look disgusted, making everyone laugh. “The boys are disgusting. Kissing seems cool, but there's no boys I want.”

“And girls?”

At that point she felt her face heat up so much that she could have sworn she was going to combust. In an act of courage, she risked a sideway glance at Kara who, to her surprise, was already looking at her with cheeks as blushed as hers.

“The girls… hm, are better, I guess. But there aren’t any that I like in Metropolis either.” With a second glance at the blonde, Lena was relieved to see a small smile being directed in her way.

“You guys are so boring, we should find someone for each of you to kiss on New Year.” Lucy spoke with the face of someone who is already coming up with terrible plans.

All afternoon Lucy took them to talk to other teenagers she knew from school or any cute stranger who looked their age. Kara and Lena refused to be a victim of “Lane's Tinder,” leaving Winn to deal with the attention. The girls had to admit that it was hilarious to see their friend trying to talk to the girls that Lucy introduced him to and at one point they even started hoping that he'd at least get one of their numbers.

When the stars began to appear in the sky and the lights in the park were turned on, Alex sent a message to her sister telling them to come back to eat, then each one went to find their respective families and agreed to meet again after midnight.

As night fell and the food – which was as always delicious – ran out, the conversation between the family only became more lively. Jeremiah spent most of the time telling embarrassing stories about Kara and Alex making everyone laugh, especially Lena. Alex was a little distracted texting Maggie, but no one could complain because of that smile that went from ear to ear every time a notification arrived. For the millionth time in her life, Lena wished she could live with that family all year long.

“Did you make your New Year’s goals?” Eliza asked when the fireworks were about to start. “I definitely need to relax a little more.”

“Spending more time at home with my beautiful wife and girls.” Jeremiah said, giving Eliza a brief kiss and a loving look at the other girls.

“I just want to survive through the last semesters of medicine with some sanity.” Alex said.

“I’m going to learn how to surf.” Everyone laughed because that's what Kara had said every year since she was 8 years old. “Hey, this time it’s serious!”

Lena looked at the blonde's frown and thought nothing could be cuter. She wanted to lend over and kiss her forehead to soft that expression, or maybe that grumpy pout.

“Lena, what are your goals?” Eliza asked, bringing her to reality.

Asking her best friend on a date was what she wanted most, but of course she would never be brave enough to say it out loud. When she looked at Alex she saw a smile that said the older woman knew exactly what she was thinking, it was comforting at the same time as it was a little scary.

“I think I’ll join a science club at school.” She said with a shrug.

“You’re such a nerd.” Kara lightly pushed her shoulder, but was smiling so beautifully that Lena could never have bothered.

Soon all the families around started to walk closer to the lake to start the countdown. The adults moved a few feet away as well, while Lena and Kara remained alone on the picnic blanket. When everyone started counting, the blonde put an arm around her shoulders for a side hug and Luthor could have sworn that the fireworks show started at that moment, because it was impossible that the noise in her ears was just her own heartbeat.

Lena met the blue eyes that were already looking at her, they were so close that it was impossible not to think about kissing her, it would be so easy...

“K-kara I… can I…” she stammered and hoped that her gaze locked on the blonde's lips was enough to get the message across.

"Yes, please." Kara said immediately at the exact moment everyone around shouted the end of the count and a colorful show took over the sky.

It was a clumsy kiss, full of teeth and hands that didn't know where to land, but for Lena it was perfect. It seemed to have happened in a lifetime and when it was over they both wished it had lasted longer.

They broke apart with wide smiles and barely noticed that Lena's lipstick was all over Kara's face. They were glad their family didn't comment anything beyond a few knowing looks and laughs. As for Lucy, it's obvious that she'd never have let this fact go unnoticed.

Chapter 5: Everything has changed

Summary:

Childhood memories and plans for the future

Some things changed after the first kiss. The first of them and also the most obvious was the talk about their feelings and the beginning of their relationship. Jeremiah made Lena start to sleep at Alex's old room because "being a girl or a boy, you guys are too young to spend the night with a girlfriend in the same room". Consequently Eliza gave them a conversation very awkward and a little traumatizing about safe sex and consent. Also they went on a few double dates with Alex and Maggie when the older couple moved to Midvale after graduation, which was one of their favorite parts. But after some years it looked like they were about to go through the biggest change of all.

Kara and Lena were sitting in the blonde's room, each one with their own laptop on their lap, the email inbox opened on the screens and nervous faces.

"So, do you want to do it together or one at a time?" Lena asked.

"I don't know, shouldn't we wait for my parents and Alex? I think they would like to be here."

"You're right, maybe it's better."

They two received the email from National City University on Thursday, but Lena just arrived at Midvale on Saturday morning. None wanted to break their promise to find out the results together. That's why they were in this situation, hearts racing and hands shaking to click and find out if they were approved or not.

“They will only arrive at night.” Kara said reluctantly. “I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

“If we stay here neither will I” the brunette replied with a sigh of discontent. “Let’s do something to try to forget this.”

Lena stood up and extended her hand to her girlfriend – even after years she can't help but smile when she thinks Kara is her GIRLFRIEND.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know either, but if we stay at home we won’t resist and your family deserves to celebrate with us.” She doesn't mention the possibility of the result not being worth celebrating, but the idea falls on them in the same way.

The day was hot as expected for the beginning of July and Lena was still in her Metropolis clothes – “Metropolis clothes” was the way she called what a Luthor was expected to wear, during vacations she prefers jeans and any t-shirt from Kara's closet – so they just left the house as they were.

For a long time they just walked aimlessly in silence. Lena thought about how Eliza and Jeremiah were worried when they told trem that they wanted to go to the same university, the Danvers thought they were putting their relationship before their studies, but that wasn't true. Of course, the fact that they could see each other more often than ever was a very attractive point, but NCU still hosts one of the best courses in the field of the two, so why not combine the useful with the pleasant?

When Lena got off her mind, they were downtown, surrounded by people enjoying the weekend to go out with their families and go shopping. None of them were big fans of crowds but they had the best childhood memories in that neighborhood, every corner reminded them of a story they lived together.

"Are we going to visit Streaky?" Kara asked excitedly when she recognized the street Lena took them to.

“I thought he'd be a good company now.” She responded with a soft smile.

As soon as they passed through the bookstore doors a bell rang above their heads announcing their entrance, the woman behind the counter gave them a warm smile and turned her attention to the computer. The couple walked straight to the back of the store where the armchairs that Streaky liked to sleep in were. He was an orange cat who was adopted when they were both just starting elementary school, the library had a few owners over the years, but Streaky was always a constant presence attracting almost as much attention as the books.

“Hi Kyki, I miss you.” Kara spoke in a cute voice, petting the cat's head, who meowed in response.

“I’m sure he’d curse you for calling him that if he could.” Lena said as she laughed.

The blonde slapped the air dismissing that absurd idea. “He loves me, don't you, baby?”

Lena petted the cat's back, letting her girlfriend enjoy her friend's attention. She thought it was adorable to watch their interaction.

They stayed there for several minutes until the cat decided to stretch and leave, probably tired of so much human attention. Kara pouted out of disappointment but it quickly disappeared when Lena kissed her as she always did when the blonde had that sad face, she suspected that at this point Kara's cute and upset expressions had become purposeful just to receive more affection, not that Lena would complain.

“I've been thinking,” Danvers announced as they left the store. “We should go get ice cream like in the old times.”

“Saying it like that doesn’t even sound like you’re John’s best client.” Lena teased.

“But I haven’t been there with you for six months. And I’ll pay this time.”

Lena laughed at the way her girlfriend puffed out her chest in pride as if she didn't know that the Luthors had a fortune that would comfortably support ten generations.

“Okay, but only because you’re going to pay for it.”

They walked holding hands through some busy streets to the store with a yellow front and a glass door. It wasn't really big, just a small room with tables and a counter with ice creams in the back. That was the place they used to go almost every afternoon during their childhood, Kara always chose chocolate, Lena strawberry and Alex made jokes about the absurd amount of toppings her sister put on it.

“Little Kara!” the owner of the ice cream parlor, a middle-aged black man with a bright smile, exclaimed as soon as he saw them. “Little Lena, it’s been a long time since you’ve been here.”

“I just arrived for summer break, you’re going to get tired of seeing me here this month.” Lena said, mirroring her smile.

"It will be a pleasure. So, do you guys want to try the new flavors or go with the usual?”

“The usual, please.” They said at the same time and John laughed without any surprise.

The dessert only strengthens the feeling of nostalgia inside them. It could be the fact that Kara would inevitably be living in another city for the first time in the next month or just the usual longing that needed to be satisfied every time Lena was in Midvale, but without much planning they ended up visiting several places they went to as children.

After the ice cream shop, they walked to the park where they played superheroes – which was also where the blonde had broken her arm at age 8 pretending to fly like Supergirl –, visited the small aquarium that left Lena fascinated the first time she saw it and ended the day at their favorite snack bar, each one with a big burger and more fries than was socially acceptable.

When they went back home in the early evening, they were talking and laughing distractedly, so much that they only remembered the reason they left in the morning when they found Eliza, Jeremiah, Alex and Maggie waiting for them anxiously. Now all the family were huddled together on the living room couch, staring at the two computer screens.

"I can't do this." Kara said nervously as she bounced her leg up and down as a clear sign of anxiety.

“I’ll do it then.” Alex spoke promptly, already trying to pull the notebook towards her.

“No, I’ll do it!” Kara held the device tighter and slapped her sister's hand. “I’m just nervous. What if it’s not good news?”

“I’m sure we passed.” Lena spoke in a comforting tone.

“It’s easy to say that when you’re literally a genius.”

“Darling, you are both very smart, always got good grades and you're fantastic at sports.” Eliza assured.

“Also, it’s okay if this isn’t the answer we want. There are other great universities and summer will always come for you and Lena.” Jeremiah added with a calming touch on her back.

Even though it didn't do much to reduce her anxiety, it was still good to feel the support of her family. So the couple exchanged comfort glances one last time before clicking on the emails at the same time.

“Oh my God, you passed! You two passed!” Alex was the first to yell and pull both girls at once into a hug.

Kara was still in too much shock to react immediately, but as soon as she heard Lena celebrating with her family, she could no longer control an emotional laugh. Eliza's eyes were full of tears and Maggie kept repeating “I knew it! I told you!”, everyone was so happy that they stayed up until late at night celebrating and making plans for how things would be in the coming months.

Lena was ecstatic, everything was so perfect that it was impossible not to wonder if it was real. She had the opportunity to study something she loved, in a city far enough away to not have her life controlled by the Luthors, a family that truly loved her and the girlfriend she always dreamed of. At that moment she fully believed that there was no way to be happier.