verve pain

Lena and Kara meet as Tumblr friends in middle school, just before the accident that kills Kara’s parents. They stay devoted internet pen pals through college when Lena invites Kara to Metropolis.

Only, Lena has been keeping kind of a big secret.

Lena Luthor is a wunderkid tech genius heiress who has been making talk show appearances since she was 16. With her brother Lex, they are using their century old family technology firm to develop new advancements and revolutionize the field of computing and bioengineering.

Kara has a huge crush on Lena Luthor, a fact Lena, her friend not the celebrity, loves to tease her about. Once Kara considered if her Lena and Lena Luthor could be the same person…but that would be ridiculous. Sure they are around the same age and both brunette, but Kara’s Lena studied engineering at a school outside of Boston, but like…not MIT. And just…her Lena is soft? She’s not the debonair heiress that drives Bugattis on sports tracks at charity races. She’s just…a girl Kara flirts with sometimes who wears thick glasses and messy buns and read Russian classics. She is Kara’s best friend.

Kara’s Lena invites her to Metropolis for a week after they graduate college. Lena explains she has big girl money and wants nothing more than to spend it on finally meeting Kara.

Kara insists she can buy her own plane ticket, but still agrees. Meeting Lena, well that would be everything. Lena is the only person who knows all of her. Who knew her before the accident and stayed her friend. Frankly, Kara has sometimes thought about moving to Metropolis…just to risk running into. So she could introduce herself. Irl. And ask out Lena.

When Kara lands in Metropolis she messages Lena. And the woman sends a thumbs up. But just as Kara steps off the plane, a man in a suit escorts her to a private corridor. Kara has no idea what is happening until she is lead to a door. The man gesture for her to enter. When she does she sees floor to ceiling windows overlooking a runway. Four leather chairs look out, further down the room extends opening into a small library and kitchen.

Kara clears her throat, and one of the chairs turns. To the utter shock of Kara Danvers Lena from Tumblr is not there, in her place is a young woman with a slicked back pony tail and an Armani suit. She is wearing killer heels. And the. Something happens that changes Kara’s entire life, the woman—Lena Luthor—reaches into her breast pocket and pulls out a pair of thick glasses. She places them on her nose.

“Please, I am so sorry. But please don’t be angry,” Lena says.

Kara can’t quite handle what is happening: the two Lena’s: her ultimate crush and most intimate home collide and fuse and resonate and dissolve until all that she can do is ask:

“Am I under arrest?” Which she realizes was the wrong thing to say.

Lena smiles a bit.

“No, I, Kara, Darling, welcome to the private Luthor Family lounge at Metropolis International. I said I would pick you up, but I thought you might enjoy a snack and a private restroom before the car. The ride to my penthouse will be an hour this time of day.”

“Oh wait, so Lena, you like, this is actually happening.”

Here Lena Luthor smiles and Kara Danvers. And in the way her teeth appear and then the pink gum, the way the smile grows, overtaking her face and infecting her eyes Kara can see: oh this is her Lena.

For some reason.

Lena Luthor’s of to coffee order used to be a black quad shot americano with a packet of Splenda, if it won’t be trouble.

When she began dating Kara…it changed. To, and she does hate to admit this, a double caramel mocha with whipped cream, and sprinkles.

Not because she finds…what she can only assume to be a drink meant to emulate the salient qualities of unicorn vomit…but because Kara does this thing. She will enter Lena’s office kiss her cheek and see a drink and grin and smile and help herself.

And in the past, Kara would then look like she had purposely been victimized by Lena’s Americanos. So they…kind of changed?

Yeah, initially, Kara feeling she could just eat from Lena’s plate or drink from her glass shocked Lena. She didn’t really mind in practice, but on principle the action was so alien, so comfortable it perhaps irked her.

Lena had never known this kind of intimacy. The Luthor household was a place of guard what meager portion (meager here is metaphorical not literal, god knows Lillian would expect her to eat triple servings if they ever had duck.) you were given from the fucker to your left (Lex) looking to stab you in your sleep.

Even more shockingly, it goes both ways. Kara is always offering Lena her food. Her clothes. Her body—not like that. Like if Lena needs to reach something, can Kara get it for her? If Lena is chilly, well Kara is pretty warm come to think of it, how about Lena take her sweater? Or Kara has pizza, would Lena like a slice? Would Lena like another? Lena you like it? Do you want the last one?

So yes, she is embarrassed to order at Noonan’s, but she loves knowing Kara is coming, that she’s going to wrap Lena up in a firm hug, and chug half her drink.

You would think Lena would be the business/paperwork/doctor visits mom…because vibes? But no. Kara frankly has a better aptitude for not threatening to nuke someone’s garage because they wouldn’t let her kid skip a grade (Lena would point out it was one time, and in her defense Lori ended up skipping two grades.)

No, Lena Luthor, as far as other parents at National City Co-Op and Preparatory Community School for Exceptional Young Minds is concerned, Lena is the…fun mom. Not that most of them even realize that woman who runs the monthly playground clean up is Lena Luthor. Because yes her name is Lena. But she’s always wearing an oversized NCU crew neck and faded jeans. And then does yard work, like shoveling manure yard work for three hours on a Saturday.

They gossip sure. They know Lena Luthor apparently has a kid these days but it’s super hush hush. And like? Lena…isn’t her last name Danvers? Lori’s paperwork says Danvers. Someone actually bribed the school secretary to check.

(Side note: AU, imagine this is a future fic from around season three. So Kara is a little less high profile, and Lena remains boss bitch ceo of LCorp.)

You can’t convince anyone that’s Lori’s mom Lena is Lena Luthor. Lori’s mom chaperoned the field trip to the basketball stadium last month, and everyone knows Lena Luthor owns the Lakehawks, but Lena the mom knew nothing about basketball. Which was embarrassing for her in a way, since her daughter must be a super fan; she was decked out in head to toe custom Lakehawks gear. But again it all said “Danvers.”

At one point Lori sprinted out onto the court to play. Everyone actually expected security to do something, but the gaurds were very chill. Just, like, waved to Lori and her mom. Which is lucky. They could have kicked the whole class out.

The main reason everyone knows Lena is not Lena Luthor? The time a supervillain threatened the school during pick up—Lena was there ushering Lori into a Range Rover—whatever Lori’s mom does, it does pay well—when Supergirl appeared. An explosion occurred, and what did Supergirl do? For some reason? She shielded Lena. There were other people around, though it did kind of seem like they had been aiming for the Range Rover…weirdly. And Supergirl was right there, protecting Lena Danvers: average citizen. Not special. With that red cape, and a fury in her eyes no one had seen since, like, that Alien invasion last spring.

Supergirl then carries the Range Rover away. Weird enough. But immediately she flew back and carried Lena! Like bridal, but her hands…were kind of weirdly…on Lori’s mom’s ass?

EVERYONE KNOWS SUPERS HATE LUTHORS AND VICE VERSA.

But there was Supergirl, holding Lori’s awkward, good-at-gardening mom flying her to safety like it was the most important moment of her life.

And after, when everyone asked Lena for details. Like…does she actually feel like steel? Or is her hair soft or like metal spaghetti? Lori’s mom was all silent and blushing. Does she think she could actually bag Supergirl? Is she thinking of cheating? People have seen Lori’s other mom, she’s not bad looking. Tall, blonde, very fit. Kind of if the concepts of truth, justice, and like the america way were an aesthetic? Oh and always has such a cute ponytail.

But I mean, she isn’t Supergirl.

Lena 100% got Kara Era’s Tour Tickets. I know what you are thinking: Kara never mentioned being into Taylor Swift in the show?

Lena bought them for Kara. But they were 10000% for Lena Luthor: secret swiftie.

And Kara understood the assignment. Understood she would claim Reputation early so Lena would have no choice but to go as her favourite era: Lover.

Kara stood in the long merch line to buy one of every live-exclusive shirt, hoodie, and sweatpant.

The real kicker came when they got there, in the floor seats, standing room only. And Lena, short as she is had a bad view. But she also had a super girlfriend.

Which is to say:

Alex suggested Lara. Nia was team Kana. Brainy thought Lenara was nice. Brainy also would not stop muttering: she must be stopped.

No one understood why. Until the couple went public. Through a CatCo profile article. The headline of which used a celebrity ship name.

Now remember, as editor in chief, Kara got final say. Now rember Kara Danvers chose to publish the phrase:

Meet Karle!

Karle. Karle was the name Kara chose. Alex asked Lena if she was consulted, and Lena looked at Alex and asked: what do you think?

Alex turned her head to the side.

Lena admitted: I was asked, but she pouted so I acquiesced immediately. And bought us shirts.