Nerdism is sexy.

When Kara takes a potsticker between her chopsticks and holds it out for Lena to try, her smile is shy and her hand is steady as a stone.

Lena holds eye contact as she leans in for a bite, letting the taste of pork and ginger wash over her tongue. Kara’s smile grows, matched by a pretty pink blush that brings out the blue of her eyes.

“So, what was the emergency?” Lena asks, leaning back while maintaining the challenge of her stare.

Kara’s hand falters, the rest of the potsticker dropping to the table with a wet thud.

“Oh, shoot,” she picks it up between two fingers and drops it onto her napkin before answering.

Lena knows stalling when she sees it and simply raises one eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“Um. Family emergency. My sister? Alex? Her—her car broke down?”

Pork and ginger are overtaken by the acrid taste of Kara’s poorly delivered lie that drifts through the air from Kara’s mouth to her own.

Lena licks her lips, mouth watering with stringent deception. She swallows.

“Mmm, I see. Good thing she has such a trustworthy sister to call in a pinch.”

Kara’s blush deepens, eyes dropping to her plate in poorly concealed guilt.

“Yeah,” she says to the pile of food that she no longer seems eager to eat. “Good thing.”

-

Lena knows that she should end it. Her heart has been broken by betrayal so many times, it’s tantamount to self harm to continue seeing someone she knows to be lying.

Ever since the strange ability developed she has made a habit of dropping liars at the first fib.

And yet.

Lena doesn’t mind secrets. She has a pretty weird secret of her own. It’s the lying that’s hard to swallow.

-

They go on three more formal dates and out to brunch twice before Kara lies to her again.

For a while Lena thinks maybe she’s going to come clean, tell her that she’s Supergirl, that there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, that she trusts her enough to tell her the truth.

And yet.

Despite seven dates and dozens of flirty texts between them Kara still hasn’t kissed her. She spends a lot of time wondering if Kara’s kisses will taste like chapstick or only of more lies.

-

“There’s something I want to tell you,” Kara says as they stroll arm in arm through the park.

It’s a sunny day and Lena is suddenly grateful for the pair of large black sunglasses covering her eyes.

She watches Kara’s face carefully, taking in the nervous tick of the corner of her mouth, the familiar crinkle drawn between her eyebrows.

“You can tell me anything,” she says in an even voice as Kara pulls them toward a quiet bench beneath an oak tree where they sit, still arm in arm. Beside her Kara takes a deep breath.

Lena braces for impact.

“My sister wants to meet you.”

Not what she expected.

Lena licks at her lips experimentally and tastes only the remnants of the vegan gelato they shared earlier that afternoon — traces of cherry and raspberry, bittersweet like the moment.

“Oh.”

Kara loosens her hold on Lena’s arm enough to turn toward her with big, blue puppy dog eyes.

“So, what do you think?”

Lena stares back from behind the shield of her sunglasses and is surprised to feel a sting of tears in the corners of her eyes.

“Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

She watches Kara’s throat bob in a thick swallow.

“Yes.”

Lena’s jaw flexes and she forces a smile around a mouthful of salt.

“Okay.”

-

“Hi, Lena. I’m Alex. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Lie.

“Oh, I work for the FBI. It’s more boring than you’d think.”

Lie.

“Kara hasn’t shut up about you for the last three months.”

Truth.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this happy in a relationship before.”

Truth.

“It was really nice to meet you.”

Lie.

-

“Are you ever going to tell me?” she asks one evening, her legs slung over Kara’s lap where they’re curled together on the couch.

She’s well into her third glass of wine and it’s loosened her defenses just enough to risk the pain that is sure to follow.

Kara turns to look at her, mouth hanging slightly open.

For a moment they just stare at each other in silence with Lena’s legs in Kara’s lap and Lena’s heart in Kara’s hands.

Finally Kara speaks.

“Yes.”

“Then tell me.”

“I love you.”

Lena inhales deeply and feels her heart squeeze in Kara’s iron grip.

The truth is honey-sweet.

-

When Supergirl gets hurt in a fight, Lena doesn’t hear from Kara for three days.

On one hand she’s beside herself with worry.

She misses work. She paces. She barely sleeps. She waits for a call that never comes.

On the other hand she is extremely, devastatingly, undeniably pissed off.

-

Lena’s making tea when red boots touch down on the balcony.

“Oh, you’re alive. How nice.”

“Lena—”

“Yes, Supergirl? Something you wanted to tell me?

Supergirl’s arms falter, falling from their usual superhero pose to drop to her sides.

“I’ve wanted to tell you so many times.”

Truth, chamomile smooth.

“And yet.”

Supergirl takes a few tentative steps forward but Lena does not move to meet her, keeping the kitchen island between them.

“I was just trying to protect you.”

The lie stings on her tongue.

“Is it because I’m a Luthor?”

“What? No, Lena of course not.”

The truth soothes the lie away.

“Why then?”

Kara reaches the other side of the island, braces her hands against the counter top behind her. She’s close enough for Lena to reach out and touch if she wants.

She crosses her arms across her chest and leans back against the opposite counter.

“I was selfish,” Kara says, meeting her eyes blink for blink. “I waited too long and then after so much time had passed I knew you would be hurt, I knew you would feel betrayed and I— I didn’t want to lose you.”

Truth, savory.

“I was wrong. I’m so sorry, Lena.”

Truth, sweet.

“Do you need space? Do you want me to leave? Whatever you need. Whatever you want. I’ll do it.”

Truth, clear and quenching like a cold drink of water.

Lena decides what she wants and steps forward.

“Kiss me.”

Kara tastes like chapstick and wind and powdered sugar.

-

“So, you can—”

“Taste lies, yeah.”

Kara’s eyebrow crinkles.

“Are you secretly an alien too?”

Lena presses her lips to Kara’s in a sweet kiss before answering.