Chapter Text
"Are you sure you don't need me down there?"
"Absolutely. I'll be fine, Sam. You and Jack already have your hands full with L-Corp. I hope you know how much I appreciate this."
"Hey, whatever you need, we've always got your back, Lena."
Fingers drumming softly on the wheel, Lena smiles, feeling the tension drain from her shoulders for the first time in a while. The unpaved road is a little bumpy and uneven, kicking up a thin beige dust behind her as her sleek black Mercedes picks its way past the small town of Midvale towards a somewhat isolated cabin on its own plot of land. Her mother's cabin—her biological mother. A little something Aoife Kieran had secretly left to Lena in her will as a final fuck you to Lionel Luthor after he'd tossed her aside and blackmailed her for sole custody.
Lena barely remembers her biological mother except for a few fuzzy memories of warm hugs and the smell of freshly baked cookies, everything else replaced by the cold and clinical childhood of growing up in the Luthor mansion with Lillian as a... step-mother, of sorts, if barely that. Lex has always ping-ponged between caring half-brother and coldly estranged for all the years that she'd known him, before he landed himself in prison for bombing his own laboratory and killing multiple employees in a last ditch attempt to hide his illegal human tests, and Lillian only resented Lena more after Lionel died and left LuthorCorp and his entire fortune to his beloved—albeit illegitimate—daughter.
Honestly, she's surprised it took her this long to leave. Bless Sam and Jack for taking over as co-CEOs of L-Corp, allowing her the ability to act as a distant Chairwoman, only stepping in when her advice is needed.
"I'm just pulling up now. Thank you again, Sam... I'll text you tonight after I've settled in. Give Ruby and Jack a hug and kiss for me?"
"Yes to the hugs, but Jack's not getting a kiss." There's a distant and muffled 'Rude!' in the background to the familiar sound of Jack's accented lilt, followed by Sam's warm laughter. "Talk to you later, babe."
Ending the call with her best friend, Lena double checks the number on the mailbox by the road before turning up onto the long gravel driveway, easing to a stop next to the large cabin so that there's plenty of room in the main driveway for the moving truck later. She's early as planned, and eagerly fishes out a worn key from her pocket, thumb rubbing over the initials engraved into it. A.K. on one side, for her mother Aoife, and L.K. on the other, for Lena Kieran.
The cabin is a large and spacious one-floor home, its exterior a gorgeous design of dark logs and tall floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the entire place with as much natural light as possible. Mossy green tiles make up the gable roof, and the front door is wide and tall, its lovingly worn wood with faded red paint seeming to beckon her inside, like a wardrobe door to Narnia. Her key slides silently into place, turning the lock with a soft click.
"I'm home, Mum," she says softly, pushing the door open and stepping across the threshold.
The open space design is simplistic and homey. A wide living room takes up the main area with a giant U-shaped couch setup, the worn brown leather of the couch cracked and well loved. The kitchen is off to the side with a tall island and high chairs, a small dining table tucked into the corner. A sectional fireplace and log walls covered in framed photographs split the cabin in half, the bedroom and bathrooms hidden beyond. It's barely familiar, present in flashes of memories from her early childhood. Lena stands there for a moment, soaking it all in, her eyes soft as she takes in the musky home, long untouched after her mother passed away many years ago. Her eyes linger on the kitchen, imagining a flash of dark red hair, of a wide, toothy smile, of hot trays with melting chocolate chips on oatmeal cookies. Aoife had stayed here alone after Lena had been taken from her. It was the one thing Lionel had allowed, after forbidding her from ever stepping foot into National City or getting anywhere near his family.
This was the closest Aoife could get to her, and now Lena is finally home.
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Lena steps past the fireplace and down the short hall, peering into the small study, the spacious bathroom with its lacquered wooden walls and massive tub, and then the master bedroom at the end, taking in the patchy quilt still neatly spread over the queen sized bed, the photographs on the walls and the antique dresser in the corner. Everything is warm and well-loved and rich with her mother's memories, and Lena wishes for the millionth time that she could have grown up here instead, that she could have had Aoife's unconditional love instead of Lillian's cold resentment.
After bringing in her purse and laptop bag from her car, Lena spends a half hour more thoroughly going over the cabin, checking locks and lightbulbs and making a list of things that will need to be updated or repaired. The property has sat locked and empty for years without care or maintenance, leaving much to be desired. Still, those are issues for another day, as the moving truck comes rumbling up the gravel driveway shortly in the afternoon and Lena brisky goes out to greet them and direct them as to where each item gets placed. By the time the movers are done and driving off into the evening sun, she's hungry and tired with no desire to do last minute grocery shopping or to cook her own meal. Quickly pulling on the first warm coat she can find in a box of packed clothing, she makes the short drive down into town, seeking out hot food and perhaps another much needed dose of caffeine.
"A salad? No, wait. Grilled salmon. Kale smoothie?"
Nia laughs as her blonde friend scrunches up her face, insistently pointing at the picture of a burger on the menu and squinting her eyes suspiciously.
"You're too easy to rile up, Kara, you know that?" she snickers, taking the plastic menu away with a grin. "Brainy's already got your usual going. Sit tight."
Kara sticks out her tongue, tapping her hand to her chin in a playful insult that has Nia disappearing into the back kitchen with a cackle. Next to her at the counter, her sister Alex rolls her eyes, pushing her empty plate away and sipping at her coffee.
"One of these days, that black hole in your stomach is gonna disappear and you'll end up on my table with clogged arteries," she sighs, looking unimpressed as Kara grins at her.
Not in your lifetime, Kara signs cheerfully, giving her flat stomach a firm slap. She hops up off her stool as Nia returns, a white takeout bag in hand with Dreamer's emblazoned on the side in its usual bright neon design. Jerking a thumb at Alex, Kara signs, Put it on her tab.
"Rude," Alex says, at the same time Nia chuckles and says, "Sure thing."
With a takeout bag and a bottle of rootbeer in hand, Kara kisses Alex's cheek and waves Nia goodbye, scurrying out of the diner and zipping off across the street, blonde ponytail swishing behind her.
"What's got her in a hurry? Big job?" Nia asks, grabbing the coffee pot to refill Alex's cup. Alex runs a hand through her red-auburn hair and snorts in amusement.
"Not even. Winn's building some sort of retro arcade game and roped Kara into building the cabinet. They've been working nonstop on it since last week."
"Ah. That explains Brainy spewing nonsense into the phone for three hours straight last night," Nia chuckles, earning an indignant squint from her boyfriend through the kitchen serving window. "Another late shift tonight?"
"Yeah. Mills and Swan left early for maternity leave, so my mom needs the extra hands. Actually, can you get me two of my usual espresso mixes to go?"
"I know your bloodstream is probably ninety percent coffee, doc, but that much caffeine can't be good for anyone."
"It's not all for me," Alex insists, the barest hint of pink on her cheeks. Nia lifts a brow in intrigue.
"Oh? Would the second drink possibly be for a certain beautiful psychologist you went on a coffee date with?"
"I reserve the right to remain silent," Alex deadpans. Nia smirks.
"Two super duper espresso frappuccinos comin' right up."
She turns away, getting to work on the excessively caffeinated drinks while Alex counts out a few bills and flattens them on the bartop. The bell over the door chimes and she glances over her shoulder, a polite smile ready. You don't live in Midvale your whole life and not know pretty much everyone by face, if not by name. The young woman who steps into the diner is surprisingly familiar, but not because she's a Midvale local.
Eyebrows rising, Alex turns away quickly before her staring is noticed, taking a moment to rein in her surprise at the appearance of Lena Luthor. No one else seems to notice or care, which is to be expected; Midvale is idyllic and isolated, and that's the way it's always liked to be. Alex prefers to stay in the loop, however, receiving daily news updates on her phone about the world around them, and so she can't help but frown with suspicion when the infamous youngest Luthor approaches the counter next to her.
"Hi! I'll be with you in just a moment," Nia chirps, smiling pleasantly as she sets both drinks into a drink tray and brings them over to Alex. "Here you go, two heart attacks in a cup. Tell Kelly I said hi."
"Will do," Alex murmurs, slowly rising from her stool with the tray in hand. She turns away just as Nia greets the newcomer, pretending to be distracted by something on her phone so that she can slow-walk towards the door.
"What can I get you?" Nia asks, a curious smile on her face as she takes in the slightly befuddled brunette in a fashionable double breasted long coat. The young woman tucks long hair behind her ear, quickly glancing at the menu board on the wall behind Nia and then smiling a kind, albeit hesitant smile.
"I just wanted to order some dinner and coffee to go, if that's alright."
"Of course! Take a seat, I'll get you the full menu to look over."
"Thank you," she murmurs, gently perching on a stool as Nia grabs a plastic menu to hand over. Alex chances one more glance back, getting a curious look from Nia, before finally heading out the door, the door chime announcing her departure.
Shoulders sagging with relief, Lena gives the menu a full readover, glad that the redhead is gone. She'd felt her lingering presence and her wary glances, and knew that at least one person in this little town recognized her. No doubt because of the family legacy she'd left behind.
"So, what brings you to Midvale?" the girl behind the counter asks, sliding a mug of hot coffee towards her. Lena blinks, fingers tapping restlessly on the menu for a moment as she debates her answer.
"A fresh start," she says eventually, offering a tentative smile. "I needed to get away from a bad family situation."
Understatement of the year, but she assumes word will get around town in a small place like this, and she'd rather start off with some sympathetic souls on her side rather than have them looking into her background for the full story. God knows National City had never bothered to remember that she'd had no choice in being a Luthor. She takes a mouthful of the fresh coffee and relishes in the hot bitterness as it rolls over her tongue.
"Well, you picked a good place for it," the girl offers after a momentary look of sympathy. "Midvale is its own little family. I'm Nia."
She holds out her hand, smiling sweetly, and Lena takes it with a sigh of relief. "Lena."
"Brainy, come say hi to Lena, she's new to town!" Nia calls towards the kitchen window. A moment later and a face appears there, boyish and awkward, his lengthy hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail under a net. He blinks at her and lifts up a spatula in a semblance of a wave.
"Hello."
"Hi," Lena replies, bemused. He glances down at the menu in front of her.
"I recommend the Shepherd's Pie."
"That sounds lovely. I'll have one of those."
He nods, disappearing out of sight. Nia grins. "That's my boyfriend Querl, but we all call him Brainy. He cooks here part time, works at the repair shop part time. He's a little awkward around strangers, but if you ever need help with any kind of tech, he's your guy."
Lena nods, pursing her lips in thought. She doesn't need to hire anyone for tech; she's a genius, after all. But there's plenty of updates and repairs to the cabin that she'd rather not do herself, and it's not like she hasn't inherited a fortune. It never hurts to put money into the local economy.
"Actually, there's a lot of work that needs to be done around my cabin. Carpentry, mainly, but some pipe work and renovations, too. Do you have a recommended local here I could call in the morning?"
"Oh! Yeah! I know just the person for you!" Nia grins, pulling out her little notebook and pen, scribbling out a name and number before ripping it off and passing it to Lena. "Shoot her a text, she can get just about anything done for you. She's a good friend of mine, just tell her I sent you."
Nia winks, friendly, and Lena finds herself feeling surprisingly comfortable in the girl's welcoming presence. The scrap of paper has the number of one Kara Danvers, and Lena quickly tucks it away into her pocket for safekeeping.
"Thank you. This is really helpful."
"Not a problem." Nia waves it off with a smile. "Where abouts are you, anyway? Did you move into one of those cute new townhouses they built over by the park?"
"Oh, no. My mother used to live here, just a short drive out of town. A few acres of land with a cabin. I've moved in there."
Nia's eyebrows jump up. "No way! The Kieran property? That place has been empty for years. Beautiful spot, though. Kara's been dreaming about all the ways she'd like to fix it up."
"Has she?" Lena inquires, amused.
"Oh, yeah. It's been her dream home ever since she started thinking about moving out on her own. She'd hoped it would go on the market. Guess she'll have to settle for renovating it for you," Nia laughs, turning away to grab Lena's food when Brainy taps the little serving bell. She bags the takeout box and brings it to Lena, along with a large takeout cup of coffee. "That'll be eight dollars and fifty cents, please."
"That's it?" Lena asks, surprised, her wallet half open in hand. She hadn't looked at the prices on the menu, but the generous serving portion of the shepherd's pie—with a large side of veggies, no less—could probably feed her thrice over. Not to mention the extra large to-go cup of coffee Nia had given her. "That takeaway box looks huge."
"Small town prices," Nia shrugs. "I guess you're from the big city?"
"Something like that." Smiling wryly, Lena hands over a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the rest."
Nia's eyes go wide. "Wha— seriously? I can't. It's more than your bill—"
"Really, keep it," Lena says softly, standing up with her takeout and coffee in hand. "Have a good evening, Nia. Thank you for your help."
She leaves, smiling and waving briefly over her shoulder and leaving a floundering Nia at the counter. With a steaming hot takeout box and a strong coffee safely settled in her car, she makes the drive back out of town, looking forward to curling up on her mother's couch and having her first meal in her new home before unpacking.
"Augh. This is too perfect. I don't know how you do it, supergirl." Winn nearly wiggles with delight as he fits his machinery through the back of the arcade cabinet Kara has built, his lips stretched into a permanent smile of awe and excitement. Kara's not one to boast, but she will admit that this is one of her best works. The cabinet is a perfect recreation of a classic arcade system, except the smoothly sanded panels are decorated with gorgeous custom artwork from a local artist, depicting a menagerie of famous video game characters in retro style. Above the monitor is a carved and lacquered marquee to match the custom mahogany joysticks she'd crafted to replace the old plastic ones on the control panel Winn had salvaged.
Think it'll be ready to play tonight? she signs with her free hand, taking another large bite out of her burger with a barely audible but happy hum. Winn had paused what he'd been doing to watch her for a reply, his head tilting as he smiles warmly at the rare sound.
"Um, I'm brilliant, remember? Of course it'll be ready to go," he grins, turning back to his work as he adjusts the panels and starts connecting the proper circuitry. After a moment, he leans out from behind the cabinet again to see her. "What time is Alex gonna be home? She's gonna be so pissed if we don't let her have a go."
She's doing an overnighter at the hospital with Eliza, Kara smiles wryly, sympathy in her eyes. Her adoptive mother and sister have been running on fumes, looking even more exhausted than usual all week in the scant hours that she sees them at home. They're short staffed and their replacements aren't due in until next week.
"Lame." He dusts his hands together after another half an hour of focused silence, leaving the back of the cabinet uncovered for now as he pads across Kara's small workshop in the Danvers backyard to grab an extension cable, hooking it up to the power supply. The monitor flickers to life, bright colors welcoming them to the nostalgic sight of a retro gaming menu. Winn had collected a ton of popular classics and turned it into an all-in-one gaming system, and Kara eagerly crumples up her empty takeout bag and tosses it into a bin to join Winn at the cabinet.
"Hell yes," he says, pumping his fist in the air as it seems to be working properly. "Hey, you got some finished chairs we can sit on while we make our way through this legendary collection? I love a classic cabinet, but I am not standing on my feet all night."
Kara snorts, pointing to the far wall where a bunch of her finished furniture pieces are lined up, either commissions waiting to be picked up, or random pieces she'd made on a whim to be sold at a later date. She grabs the backboard she'd crafted and quickly screws it into place on the back of the cabinet while Winn glances the furniture over and pulls over two matching bar stools, briefly admiring the polished maple. "Ooh, these are nice. Did M'gann order them for the bar?"
Kara perches on one, already using the joystick to scroll through the available games while absently nodding 'yes.' Her eyes light up when she finds the original Pac Man.
Bet I'll get the high score, Kara smirks.
"Oh, you're on," Winn challenges, rubbing his hands together gleefully.
Lena's up and out the door first thing in the morning, intent on getting the cabin stocked with food and essentials before she does anything else. After hitting up the local grocery, she drops by the diner again to grab an omelette and coffee to go, making pleasant conversation with Nia before driving home. The pantry and fridge are filled, the bathroom equipped with supplies, and her stomach full when she finally picks up her phone, adding the number Nia had given her to her contacts list and then punching the 'call' button.
It rings once before going abruptly to voicemail, indicating that her call has been rejected. Frowning, she stares down expectantly at her phone, assuming the woman will text her back with an explanation. Sure enough, ten seconds later a text arrives.
Hi! This is Kara Danvers. I can't speak on the phone, please text me if you have a job that needs doing and I'll get back to you ASAP to discuss. :)
Lena sighs, vaguely annoyed. It's so much faster and simpler to talk on the phone. Text messages are easily misunderstood. Still, this woman was Nia's recommendation, so she's willing to withhold judgement and go along with this for now.
Hello. My name is Lena, Nia from Dreamer's Diner gave me your number. I've just moved here and my cabin needs a lot of repairs and renovation work done. Are you available to come take a look at the place and give me a quote?
She's about to stand and get a kettle going for some tea when her phone buzzes with another text. At least Kara Danvers is quick to respond.
Of course! I'm available anytime. Just tell me a time and date that works for you and I'll be right over!
Well, no time like the present. Lena suggests noon and sends her the address. She's immediately bombarded with a picture of a shocked Pikachu, followed by multiple surprised emoji faces and exclamation points.
No way! I love that cabin! I've always wanted to see the inside!!! Be there at noon! :)
Somewhat amused by this mystery handywoman's response, Lena shakes her head and goes about making some tea, pushing open the window over the kitchen sink to let in some fresh air. The clean, earthy scent of the woods bordering her property drifts in, coaxing her body to relax from the rigid stance Lillian had beat into her as a child.
This is going to be good for her, she reminds herself gently, peering out her window to the front of the cabin where her black Mercedes is tucked off to the side of the gravel driveway, now dusted with pine needles from the tall trees looming above. The sun is warm and bright out, offset by a cool breeze that rustles the woods and sends pinecones dropping to the ground with soft patters and thuds. A chipmunk scurries across the gravel driveway, chased off by a large squirrel that stops and sits, staring curiously towards the cabin while chewing away at a walnut. Lena smiles, watching it munch for a few minutes before it finally grows bored of her and scampers away.
When noon finally rolls around, the sound of a large truck comes rumbling up the driveway, gravel crunching under large tires moving at a surprisingly polite pace. Lena's never been a fan of trucks at all, hating the sound of them roaring by at obscene speeds driven by equally loud men, but the handywoman rolls up leisurely and parks a little ways back from the cabin, cutting off the engine and hopping out to walk the rest of the way. There's a giant, fluffy white dog padding along at her heels, and Lena hurries to greet them at the door, delighted at the prospect of petting a furry friend. Lillian had never allowed her any pets, but she's always loved dogs and will always go out of her way to pet one if she can.
"Hi, Kara? It's nice to meet you," she greets warmly as soon as the door is open, offering up her most welcoming smile. And, dear lord, Kara Danvers is gorgeous, tall and lean with muscle in her fitted jeans and soft red-white henley, her thick blonde mane tucked under a blue baseball cap. If Sam were here, Lena's sure her best friend would be wiggling her eyebrows and shooting her an encouraging thumbs up. As is, Lena clears her throat and thrusts out her hand, intent on making a good first impression on this pretty handywoman that dear sweet Nia has sent her way.
Midvale, I like you already.
Kara smiles shyly, less rambunctious than her text messages had suggested, and snaps her fingers at her side, causing the big white dog to sit down with a loll of his tongue as she takes Lena's hand in a gentle shake and waves hello with the other. Somewhat baffled by the silent greeting, Lena waits as Kara pulls out a cellphone from her back pocket and wakes the screen before passing it over.
It's nice to meet you! I can't speak and will communicate through my phone, but I can hear just fine, so please speak to me as you would normally. :)
Lena blinks down at the message on the screen for a moment, suddenly feeling guilty for her earlier annoyance at having her call rejected. She wonders why Kara can't speak, of course, but that's most definitely not a polite question, so she offers her a flustered smile instead.
"Oh, of course. Thank you so much for coming today. Um, I— can I pet your dog?" She'd planned on getting right to business, but that giant fluffy face peering up at her is impossible to resist, and it's been far too long since she's pet a puppy. Kara just grins and nods, quickly tapping out a new message on her phone.
His name is Krypto and he's super friendly!
Crouching down, Lena holds out her open palms and beams as Krypto steps towards her, licking at her hands and sniffing his way up her arms until he can bump his large head against her shoulder. She gives him a good ruffle, fingers gently scratching around his head and neck and then smoothing down his shoulders. He looks like a Great Pyrenees, maybe, about as tall as Kara's hips and with thick, cream-white fur.
"Hello, Krypto. You're such a handsome boy," she coos, stroking over his big floppy ears as he pants softly, smiling at her with his big brown eyes. Not wanting to seem entirely unprofessional, Lena stands back up after one last pat, pushing the door open all the way and gesturing inside. "Please come in."
Kara and Krypto step into the entryway, the dog staying obediently next to his owner as Kara's mouth drops open, her eyes greedily drinking in the interior of the cabin with awe.
"Would you like a tour first?" Lena offers, delighting in the way Kara blushes profusely and nods. The blonde toes off her sneakers at the entryway and motions for Krypto to sit and stay, eagerly following after Lena as the brunette shows her the home. The cabin is large, certainly, mostly open space with high ceilings, and Kara stares up at the wooden beams and examines the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the backyard with great interest. She gestures excitedly past the windows, seemingly taken by the soft slope of grass that leads down towards the pond, and Lena can't help but smile at the other woman's childlike enthusiasm.
"It is lovely, isn't it? I thought adding a deck would be nice, eventually. Maybe even a little gazebo next to the woods."
Kara nods excitedly at the idea, deep dimples appearing on both cheeks as she smiles, and Lena vows to commission her to make everything just so she can keep seeing that cute smile.
Get it together, you useless lesbian. She's probably straight and just happy to have work.
She shows Kara the rest of the cabin, and then they go over everything a second time with Lena pointing out all the things that need repairs or updates, as well as things she'd like completely renovated. Kara adds to a list she's typing out on her phone, nodding and smiling or sometimes typing out questions, and eventually shows Lena a message that she just needs a couple minutes to tally out the material and labor costs of everything.
"Of course. Why don't I make us both a cup of coffee in the meantime? Do you drink coffee?"
Kara nods, so Lena goes about plugging in her Keurig machine and brewing two fresh cups. She finds a large mixing bowl in one of the cupboards and fills it with cool water for Krypto, setting it down on the kitchen tile and clapping her hands for the dog's attention. He tilts his head at her, still obediently sitting by the front door, and glances at Kara first. When the blonde snaps her fingers in a come here gesture, he approaches and happily sticks his face into the giant bowl.
"Would you like any cream or sugar?" Lena asks, bringing the two cups to the little dining table where Kara is doing calculations on her phone. Kara nods, smiling in appreciation, so Lena brings both, watching in amusement as the blonde dumps three heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a large helping of cream into her coffee, mixing it into an almost beige, sugary sweet concoction one would expect to get at a Starbucks. When Kara takes a sip and gives a happy little sigh, Lena can't help but melt slightly, utterly endeared by the other woman.
Damn it, she's adorable.
Kara seems to sense her staring, flushing prettily as she sets her cup down and returns to typing on her phone. After another minute or so of companionable silence, save for the occasional slurping sound of Krypto drinking from his bowl, she slides her phone across the table with a shy smile. Lena quickly looks it over, surprised at how... not expensive it is. She's asking for a lot of work done. Kara's estimated costs for materials is minimum, and her labor costs are painfully low. Lena vaguely understands that the cost of living out here in little Midvale isn't high, and everything is locally produced and thus not being resold for more than it's worth, but compared to what she's used to paying in National City, this is staggering.
"Kara, I can't possibly pay you this little for all the work you're going to be doing," she says, frowning as she looks back up. The blonde's face is pink and she looks uncomfortable at the thought of charging more, her head shaking slightly as if to shrug off the idea. "No, this is far too low. I paid contractors much more for far less work in the city."
Lena picks up the phone, erasing Kara's total price and doubling it. Ironically, even that much is pocket change to a Luthor heiress, but Lena knows raising it much more would probably upset the humble blonde. Still, she's always believed in paying people properly for their time and efforts, especially artists and laborers, and she's not going to let Kara get away with charging the bare minimum wage.
"Here," she says, handing the phone back and watching as Kara's eyes boggle. They're a bright baby blue, like that of the sky on a warm spring day. Lena nearly drowns in them as she meets Kara's shocked stare. "Please don't fight me on this. I want to pay you fairly for your time."
Kara's mouth opens and closes a few times, hands flailing a little as her eyes bounce between her phone and Lena. Lena chuckles, reaching out to grab a flailing hand and watching as Kara immediately goes still, ears and cheeks turning red.
"Bring Krypto every day and let me play with him in the yard, and we'll call it even," she offers, smirking. Krypto gives a deep 'wuff' sound as if in agreement, his tail thumping heavily on the kitchen tile. Kara eyes the both of them with narrowed eyes for a moment, then slowly nods in acquiescence, sighing dramatically. Releasing her hand, Lena leans back in her seat with a laugh, crinkles showing themselves at the corners of her eyes. "Excellent."
Kara snatches her phone, tapping out a message and then sliding it across the table. Fine, you win. But I'm not taking the labor cost until after the work is done! How do you know I'll even do a good job?
Lena glances up at Kara's challenging stare and the sassy tilt of her brow and promptly smirks, unable to pass up the chance to flirt, even if her chances are probably zero. "I get the feeling you're very skilled at what you do, Miss Danvers."
What little sass Kara had disappears immediately when she blushes hot red again, eyes flickering around to look at literally anything but Lena. Deciding to show some mercy, Lena relaxes back into her seat and sips at her coffee.
"I work from home, so I'll be here pretty much all the time. When do you think you'll be ready to get started?"
I'll have to pick up some materials for some of this stuff and have the rest ordered in, but my toolbox is in my truck. I can go over all the piping in the house and check that everything's tight and up to date right now if you'd like.
Lena nods, handing the phone back. "That works. Perhaps Krypto can keep me company in the meantime?"
Kara nods, her dimples showing as she smiles lopsidedly. Finishing off her coffee, she stands and heads out the front door, motioning at Krypto with an open palm to stay in the cabin. Heading over to the large U-shaped couch in the center of the open living room, Lena tucks herself into the corner and clicks her tongue, patting the cushions encouragingly. Krypto doesn't hesitate to bound over to her with his tail wagging, stepping up onto the couch and flopping down heavily to rest his big head on her lap. The leather of the couch creaks under his weight, reminding her of its age, but Lena loves it too much to consider replacing it with something newer. It was her mother's, after all.
Kara comes back after a minute, toolbox in hand, and she pauses to smile at the sight of Lena happily squashed beneath the giant fluffy Pyrenees, cooing quietly to the beast as she strokes the fur around his face. Leaving them to it, she starts in the kitchen, checking over all the pipes and connections for the sink and tightening anything that looks to have gotten loose over the years, then heads off for the bathroom and the small laundry room. There's a small leak with the washing machine that she patches and cleans up, and the bathroom needs some TLC, but an hour later she deems the cabin to be fully functional. Taking her toolbox back outside, she makes a quick walkaround of the cabin, examining the roof and every window before heading back inside.
Where is the furnace and hot water tank located? she types out, holding her phone out to Lena as the brunette has ended up half reclined against the couch, Krypto partially on top of her with his chin resting on her chest. Lucky dog.
"Oh, that's a good question. I hadn't actually thought about that. Up please, Krypto." With a dramatic huff, he moves away to allow Lena to get up, casually brushing white fur off the front of her shirt as she moves around the couch to join Kara. "I think there's a door down to the basement. I hadn't actually gone down to check."
Leaving Krypto sprawled out on the couch, she leads Kara down the short hall back to the little laundry room, where another narrow door blends partially into the wall. Opening it, both women peer down the little stairwell into the darkness below.
Kara blinks wide eyes at her, uncertain. Lena grimaces.
"I'll grab a flashlight."
Lena finds a small flashlight from the junk drawer by the kitchen, and after a wordless exchange in which Lena holds up the light and Kara gives her a puppy dog stare, Lena turns it on and leads the way down. The steps are wooden and creaky, and worst: narrow. One hand trails along the wall, more wooden supports and beams than actual plaster, and she holds her breath as she descends, worried she'll miss a step and fall. Thankfully she makes it to the bottom safely, Kara close behind, and proceeds to swing the flashlight around trying to search for some sort of lightsource. There's none that she can see; no wall switches, no breaker panel aside from the one up in the laundry room. There's a single pull chain hanging in the center of the room, attached to what looks like an old school ceiling bulb, but a few tugs and useless clicks later, they both surmise the bulb is dead.
"Well, this isn't creepy at all. I promise I didn't bring you down here to murder you," Lena sighs, grimacing. Somewhere in the darkness behind her, Kara laughs, her laughter coming out as little huffy exhales of amusement. A hand touches her shoulder and Lena momentarily jumps before realizing Kara is just trying to get the flashlight from her. Handing it over with an embarrassed smile, she follows the blonde as Kara locates the furnace and hot water tank, checking both over and wiping layers of dust off the gauges to make sure everything is running as it should. Aoife's lawyer had someone come by to turn everything on after having dropped off the house key with Lena a few days ago, but clearly they'd not bothered to check anything else. Lena's just glad nothing exploded before she had a professional look everything over.
Straightening back up and slapping her dusty hand against her jean-clad thighs, Kara smiles at Lena in the darkness, tilting her head towards the staircase to indicate that they could go back upstairs. She angles the flashlight at the bottom steps and allows Lena to go up first, though about halfway up, Lena hears the thunk! of Kara stumbling and catching herself on the steps, her face bright red when their eyes meet.
"Are you okay?" Lena asks, concerned. Kara just nods rapidly, waving away her worries with an embarrassed grin. They both visibly relax once they're out of the basement, the door firmly shut behind them. Krypto lifts his head and wags his tail when they reappear in the main room.
"Well, I officially have a murder basement," Lena says after a moment, chuckling. The little puffs of laughter from Kara are worth the dry attempt at a joke.
I'll bring a new lightbulb for it tomorrow, Kara types out, smiling. Then, momentarily backtracking, she adds, Is tomorrow okay? I can pick up the stuff I need in the morning and come over to start at about 10?
"That works perfectly," Lena agrees, warming at the thought of getting to see Kara again so soon. She doubts anything more than friendship is in the cards, but for someone who's had very few true friends in her entire life, Lena is willing to take whatever she can get.
Stampeding footsteps and the excited barking of a giant dog is all the warning Winn gets before his best friend suddenly bursts into his flat, all wide blue eyes and flailing hands as she chucks a wrapped meatball sandwich in his direction.
"Whoa! Hey! Where's the fire?" Fumbling to catch the peace offering, he tosses aside his controller and gaming headset, abandoning his TV as Kara flops down dramatically onto the couch next to him, dumping her own sandwich onto the coffee table before rapidly speaking in sign language. Winn raises his eyebrows, struggling to keep up as she moves almost too quickly for him to comprehend. He gets the gist of it, sort of. He catches the signs for 'woman,' 'beautiful,' and 'oh no' amidst the flurry of hand movements.
"Kara, slow down!" he laughs, waiting until she drops her hands on her lap with a huff. "At a human pace, please. I'm good but I'm not that good."
He unwraps his sandwich, happily taking a big bite out of it as Kara takes a breath and starts over, still signing on the fast side but slow enough for him to translate in his head.
I just got a HUGE job. A woman moved into the old Kieran property and hired me to fix and renovate it. Her name is Lena and she's so BEAUTIFUL. WHAT DO I DO?
Her gestures are bigger and more dramatic than required to express emotion in ASL, and Winn can only snicker as Kara reverts to gay panicking on the couch, something she'd managed to hold in all day and only release once she was safely away from the cabin.
"What do you mean what do you do? You do your job and enjoy the free eye candy while you're there," he chuckles, not seeing the problem. Granted, his best friend is absolutely hopeless when it comes to pretty women, but surely it doesn't call for this much panicking.
I think she was FLIRTING with me, Kara signs, wide-eyed, her expression a mixture of hopefulness and sheer terror. Winn gives a dramatic sigh as he drops a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head gravely.
"Kara, sweetheart," he drawls, "when a beautiful woman flirts with you, you're supposed to flirt back."
Kara's shoulders droop, her frantic energy subdued just as quickly as it had come, and a furrow makes itself prominent on her brow as she frowns.
Easy for you to say. I have to awkwardly type everything out when I want to talk to her.
Grimacing in sympathy, Winn sets his sandwich down and takes her hands with a squeeze. Connecting with new people has always been tough for Kara; her family and closest friends are all quite fluent in ASL now, but aside from that, the most she interacts with the rest of Midvale is with polite nods and smiles and the occasional wave of a hand. Not many locals, even people she sees on a daily basis in the streets, have bothered to learn the language, and so romance has always been on the backburner for the youngest Danvers, her work the sole focus of her life.
"Hey, keep an open mind, Kara. It's been a while since we've had anyone new in town. If she made the effort to flirt with you, maybe she's worth sending awkward flirty text messages to, huh?"
He winks, grinning his boyish lopsided grin, and Kara offers up a wry smile, thankful for her ever-positive best friend. Behind them, the door to the flat pops open again, Winn's roommate lumbering in and hesitating at the sight of the giant dog laying next to the couch.
"Hey, James," Winn greets, he and Kara both giving a little wave while Krypto turns his head away, ignoring the man. James nods his hello, expression bland as he carefully sets down his camera bags on the dining table. Kara turns her attention to her sandwich, glad for any excuse to not engage. Their friend group has been pretty much the same band of people for years, give or take the occasional romantic partner joining or leaving, and Kara had always gotten along relatively well with James. That was until just last year when he'd finally convinced her to go out on a single date with him, after which she'd come to the conclusion that she had absolutely no interest in men and had politely told him that she wanted to remain friends. He'd been hurt about it at first, more 'wounded' than he really had any right to be when she'd only conceded to a single date and nothing more. He spent the better part of a month acting as if he'd been dumped from a committed relationship, huffing about it so often that even Winn—who'd had his own "why won't you date me" phase years ago before Kara had knocked some sense into him—finally put his foot down and told James to grow up and get over it.
Nowadays, he's just a vaguely distant and awkward "friend" that she exchanges stilted conversation with when necessary, and Kara wishes he'd just go through with his supposed plans of moving to Metropolis to work for the Daily Planet. God knows he whines about it enough to drive them all mad.
"What're you two up to?" James asks, opening the fridge to grab himself a beer. Kara takes another large bite of her sandwich, letting Winn do all the talking.
"Just hanging out," Winn says, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Did you know that someone just moved into the Kieran property? Kara's doing renovations for them."
"Oh, no way. That place is gorgeous," James sighs, envious. "I got some great nature shots out there back when it was empty. Lots of wildlife in that area. Who moved in?"
"It was Lena-something?" Winn glances at Kara to confirm. She pulls up her contact info for Lena and flashes the screen at him so he can see. "Lena Luthor."
"You can't be serious."
They both look up then, startled by the sharpness of his voice. His lip is curled with disdain and he's squared his shoulders to make himself seem bigger, more intimidating.
"What?" Winn asks, exasperated by James' tendency to puff up like a 'big strong man' at the slightest provocation.
"She's a Luthor," James spits, as if either of them have ever paid any attention to the world outside of Midvale. "Her parents built up an empire on dirty money, and her brother's practically a terrorist. She's bad news, and she does not belong in Midvale."
"Seeing as she owns the property, I'd say she's here whether you like it or not," Winn snorts. James sets his hands on his hips and sets his gaze on Kara.
"You can't work for her."
Here we go, Kara thinks with a roll of her eyes. Even back when they were decent friends, she'd hated this side of him; the macho protective man who always thought he knew what was best for others and had no issue saying so. She's even less tolerant of it now that she no longer considers him much of a friend at all.
I work for whoever I want, she signs at him, scowling.
"Kara, you don't know what she's like!"
And you do?
"I know her type. She's manipulative and dangerous, you can't trust her—"
I can decide for myself who I trust, Kara starts to sign, annoyed, but James is already going off on his righteous speech, very obviously not even reading her sign language. Frustrated, she throws up her hands in defeat, unable to shout over him to be heard.
"Dude, that's enough," Winn snaps, a rare moment of genuine anger clouding his features as he sits up and glares at his roommate. "Don't talk over her like that."
Their friend group has always been very conscious about never disrespecting Kara by using her handicap against her, and James finally catches on to his faux pas, clearing his throat and dropping his head for a moment before nodding, his jaw working in frustration.
"You're right, I'm sorry. That was disrespectful," he says stiffly, hands still on his hips, his tall posture suggesting he's really only apologizing because Winn has called him out. Kara knows better than to expect anything more sincere, so she just nods back, accepting the disingenuous apology for what it is. "I'm only saying this as a concerned friend, Kara. She's not a good person. You don't want to be around her kind."
I don't discriminate based on gossip, Kara signs, slowly and clearly, making sure he's watching her hands. You don't know her. She's kind to me. I'm still working for her.
He works his jaw and shakes his head, grabbing his things and disappearing into his room with a sigh of frustration. Winn squeezes her shoulder as she sinks back down into the couch.
"Ignore him, you know how he gets," he says with a wry grimace. Kara shrugs, unbothered.
Krypto loves her, and you know he's the best judge of character.
She doesn't point out that Krypto has always hated James. Winn just laughs. "That he is."
L.L.: Sam
L.L.: Sam help
SamArias: what?? what's wrong??
L.L.: My new handywoman is adorable
SamArias: ... what's the problem?
L.L.: I don't know if she's gay
SamArias: oh my god you useless lesbian