Hii! If you want to: For the trope mashup: 12. Roommate Au + 63. Mistaken for a couple?
"How does my lipstick look, babe?"
Kelly finishes applying the light coat of plum lipstick onto her lower lip, and turns around for her girlfriend's inspection. Behind her, Alex grins.
"Like it wants me to kiss it off." An arm snakes around Kelly's waist, and she finds herself pressed against her girlfriend's wiry frame. Alex smirks, but she's careful to kiss the corner of Kelly's mouth to make sure she doesn't smudge her makeup.
"You look beautiful, as always. But like I told you, you don't have to look perfect today. It's just my sister." Alex's smile turns sweet, and her eyes soften as her intimate embrace turns into a comforting hug. "Kara's gonna love you, no matter how you look."
Kelly touches her cheek, smiling when Alex nuzzles into her hand. "I know, I just want to make a good impression."
Alex kisses her palm. "This goes both ways, you know. She'll be wanting to make a good impression on you too. She's probably driving Lena crazy rearranging their furniture for the twentieth time today."
Kelly tips her head curiously. "Lena?"
"Yeah. Her roommate." There's an exasperated note in Alex's voice that doesn't go unnoticed.
"Wait, Lena as in Lena Luthor? James's girlfriend?" Kelly's interest is piqued. "I knew Lena was sharing her apartment with a friend, and I know you said Kara had a roommate, but I didn't realize that the two of them lived together. Small world, huh?"
"Oh, it's about to get a lot smaller, babe." A grim smile accompanies the ominous words, but Kelly puts it down to Alex being dramatic. "You'll see."
Kara and Lena's apartment turns out to be a lovely pre-war brownstone in the quieter side of town, far enough away from the noise of the city, but close enough for a short commute.
The first thing Kelly sees when the door bursts open is a wide, beaming smile that's familiar to her from the photos on Alex's phone. Kara Danvers's smile radiates from a cellphone screen, but it's even brighter and lovelier in person.
"Hi, you must be Kelly! Welcome! It's so nice to meet you! I've heard so much about you from Alex and James, I feel like I know you already!"
Kelly barely gets a glimpse of blonde hair and blue eyes before she's swept into a friendly hug amidst the babble. She returns it as warmly, if not as enthusiastically. "It's great to finally meet you too, Kara."
Over Kara's shoulder, Kelly sees Lena Luthor saunter into the room at a much more sedate pace, a wry smile on her lips. "She's a hugger."
"Lena, hi." Once Kelly is released, she reaches a hand toward her brother's girlfriend.
"Hi, Kelly." Lena greets her with a delicate kiss to her cheek and a warm smile. "Always good to see you."
Kara blinks at both of them, looking between Kelly and Lena.
"Wait, you guys know each other...? Oh, right! James. Pfft." Kara smacks herself on the head with a sheepish smile. "Of course, I forgot."
Alex makes the strangest noise at that, something between a disgruntled snort and a derisive laugh. Kara blushes lightly and determinedly avoids Alex's eyes. Kelly turns to her girlfriend, but Alex just shakes her head.
The moment passes, and they're swept into the living room with offers of coffee, tea and snacks. As they move further into the apartment, Kelly immediately notices certain things.
The living room is bright and inviting, with large windows to let in natural light. There's art tastefully adorning the wall. Some rather expensive pieces that Kelly recognizes from the art classes she took in college, mixed with a few pieces that have a "KD" signature on the corners.
There's a lot of photos too, all of them featuring Kara and Lena together. Some framed and hung in places of honor on the walls, like the black-and-white picture of Kara and Lena, obviously taken at a gala, standing close with their arms around each other's waists.
Some are unframed -- like a grinning selfie of them together; a solo picture of Lena standing in front of an arcade booth, shyly tucking her head into a giant plushie; a photo of Kara painting at an easel; and a snapshot of Kara and Lena lounging outside what Kelly recognizes as Lena's summer lake house -- each tacked affectionately onto the refrigerator door with cute little magnets, along with ticket stubs and other mementos.
As the visit progresses, Kelly's observation shifts and hones in on the two women themselves.
Kara is delightfully enthusiastic as she questions Kelly about her job, her hobbies, how long she's lived in National City, how she and Alex met, if she's ever had any pets. There's a genuine curiosity to her questions, eager without being interrogating, interested without trying to intimidate -- as if she really just genuinely wants to know more about her sister's girlfriend.
And she and Lena are clearly very at ease together. They weave around each other fluidly -- Lena passing the mug Kara's reaching for before she even asks for it, Kara gently shifting Lena away from the home espresso machine so she can take over making the coffee.
This really shouldn't be surprising, considering they live together and they've introduced each other as "best friends". But there's something about the naked affection between them that surprises Kelly.
She's known Lena for a couple of years now, has seen her enough times to form an impression of her. When James had first taken Lena home to meet their family, Lena had been perfectly polite and lovely toward them, all smiles and poised grace, a bottle of Cheval Blanc in one hand and a bouquet of their mother's favorite azaleas in the other.
But as affable as Lena had been during each visit, Kelly had the feeling that Lena had never truly relaxed in their company, no matter how friendly they had been. There had never been any outward anxiety or awkwardness, but Kelly had gotten the sense that she was very carefully choosing every word, controlling every move, so as not to make a mistake. And while Kelly is never one for armchair diagnosing anyone -- especially not someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a friend -- her clinical brain had been skimming lightly over 'OCPD' and 'anxiety disorder' whenever she and Lena hung out.
So, to see Lena so comfortable and relaxed, so blatantly affectionate and intimate with another person, is admittedly a surprise to Kelly. Not a bad one, just... unexpected. And interesting.
Kelly observes both women keenly.
Kara joins them in the living room, balancing two cups of coffee in her hands. One she hands carefully to Kelly with a bright grin, and the other she places gently on the table in front of Lena. When Lena turns to her with a grateful smile, Kara bends down and presses a soft kiss to the top of her head. Lena closes her eyes for a moment and leans slightly closer to Kara.
Kelly tips her head curiously at them. "So... how long have you two been together?"
Lena blinks and turns away from Kara to pick up her own cup, blushing lightly. She clears her throat before taking a sip, but Kara just looks at her, grinning widely.
"Oh, we met about a year and half ago, when I did an article on her new nanobot technology. We nerded out so much together that the interview turned into lunch, then coffee, then dinner."
Kara leans toward Lena and nudges her lightly with her shoulder. "She was so brilliant and fascinating, and so passionate about her new projects that we couldn't stop talking. By the time I was ready to leave, I realized the office was empty, and Lena's assistant had left hours ago."
A soft shy smile graces Lena's face, and she ducks her head. "Kara's one of the few people who can keep up and actually challenge me when we're discussing nanotechnology and bioengineering."
On anybody else -- hell, even on the Lena that Kelly had been accustomed to -- it would sound arrogant and condescending. But Lena says it so softly, and she looks at Kara with such genuine adoration, that it can't be mistaken as anything but a sincere compliment. Kara lays a hand on Lena's, squeezing her fingers gently.
"We've been best friends ever since! And we just became so much closer since we moved in together. It's been, what, almost a year?" Kara looks to Lena for confirmation.
"Eleven months next week, darling." Lena says fondly as she stands to refill the pastry plate. Kelly looks between the two women and observes the soft bright gaze Kara sends Lena as she disappears into the kitchen.
"Eleven awesome months!" Kara beams as she takes a bite of her pastry. Across from her, Alex rolls her eyes heavenward.
Despite the occasional oddness, Kelly enjoys their visit. Kara and Lena are excellent company, and they're all having such a lovely time that Kelly and Alex decide to stay longer.
Toward the evening, the four of them end up getting dinner at a quiet little Italian bistro near the apartment.
They're getting into the wine when Kelly finally thinks it's safe to bring up the elephant in the room. She sets her wine glass down and regards Kara with a thoughtful smile.
"So, Kara... James told me that you were his friend, but he didn't tell me you were his meta as well."
Alex chokes on her wine, and Kelly serenely rubs her back. Alex coughs and attempts to hide an amused smirk behind her napkin.
"His what?" Kara blinks up at Kelly, her brows forming a confused crinkle on her forehead.
"His meta," Kelly prompts as clearly and as gently as she can. "You know, his metamour?"
"What's a metamour?" The crinkle on Kara's forehead grows, and she and Lena exchange a bewildered look.
Kelly studies both women closely. "It's the term used in polyamorous relationships for the partner of your partner."
"The partner of my...." It takes a few seconds, but it's clear when the realization hits Kara. Her cheeks bloom a bright red, and her eyes widen. Her mouth drops open, choking out a few stuttering sounds before she can speak again. "Oh. Oh. That's um -- I-I'm not, um-- Lena's, uh--"
Lena is the first to be coherent, and she swiftly snatches her hand back from where it had been resting next to Kara's on the table. Her lips narrow and a blush rises high on her cheeks. "Kara and I are just... friends."
Kara's face is fire-engine red, and she coughs out an awkward, almost manic laugh. "Yeah, no. We're not -- p-poly -- not that there's anything wrong with that, but um-- that's not us..."
Her breathless laugh trails off into a desperate wheeze, and she turns back to her plate of gnocchi, staring hard as if contemplating burying her face in it. Beside her, Lena discreetly throws back half the wine in her glass.
"My mistake," Kelly smiles, contrite. "I shouldn't have assumed."
Thankfully, the waiter arrives at the table, asking how they're enjoying their food, and they all jump at the distraction, assuring him that they find it all delicious. Once the waiter leaves, Kelly redirects the conversation to her trip to Italy a few years ago.
For the rest of the night, Kara makes a valiant attempt at a cheerful front, but it's clear that most of the wind has been taken out of her sails. Lena makes it through the rest of the dinner with a tight smile.
When they all finally part, and Alex slides into the car at the end of the night, Kelly turns to her girlfriend, widening her eyes. "Well. That was..."
Alex bursts out into a laugh, shaking her head. "I know, right?? I told you!"
"Wow..." Kelly shakes her head with a small chuckle. As Alex starts the car, she pulls out her phone and starts typing. Alex looks at her curiously.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm texting my Mom for her peach cobbler recipe," Kelly explains without looking up. "James may like to pretend he's all tough and stoic and unaffected after a breakup, but nothing makes him cry like our Mom's peach cobbler. It's very nostalgic for him."
Alex gives her a curious glance out of the corner of her eye as she pulls out onto the street. "You think my sister's gonna break James and Lena up?"
Kelly gives her a knowing smile. "I mean, babe... I like your sister, Kara seems like she wouldn't hurt a fly. And Lena's a nice person... But given what we saw tonight, I think we both know how that's gonna end up. And I still need to be there for my brother when he inevitably gets his heart broken."
"Fair enough."
...
...
When they visit Kara and Lena at their apartment again a few months later, nothing has changed.
It's the same cozy, pre-war apartment with large windows and high ceilings. The decor hasn't changed, and the same photos of Kara and Lena adorn the walls and the fridge.
The only thing that's different is that when Kara hands Lena her coffee, she doesn't kiss Lena on the top of her head. Instead, Kara puts down the coffee and gives Lena a sweet, lingering kiss on the lips instead.
While Alex pretends to gag and Kara throws a couch pillow at her head, Kelly smiles and lifts her coffee cup at Lena.
"Glad you finally figured that out."
Lena ducks her head shyly, but there's no carefully controlled tightness, no hidden anxiety in her eyes as she returns Kelly's smile. She takes a delicate sip from her cup.
Superman is like. outwardly identical to a human but are his Internals the same as a human?? whatās the situation there. i think it would be very funny if his insides were totally different personally.
like itās just as well heās invulnerable bcos if he ever had to go to a doctor it would be a disaster. what if one time he did manage to get hurt while doing superhero stuff & they had to take chest x-raysā¦ heās just sitting there poker-faced while the doctors try to figure out what theyāre even looking at
Oh man do I have good news for you, so dc released a book called anatomy of metahumans and in it they reveal the anatomy of our boy Clark, just so you can have an idea here are some screenshots showing Clarkās internal organs:
So, yes, Clark is really fucked up inside thanks for coming to my Ted talk
So what youāre telling me is if Clark Kent went to the doctor as a kid, Ma Kent absolutely made threats against lives if the told anyone about her boy.
That or she and Pa Kent forged vaccination and doctorās visit documents for him.
Clark: *SMASHES DOWN WALL OF THE BATCAVE* BRUCE I NEED KRYPTONITE.
Bruce: *Not looking up from his monitor*: Hello Clark. I will remind you I have a door.
Clark; Sorry, its justā¦ I need to borrow that Kryptonite.
Bruce: Why?
Clark: I need to get vaccinated.
Bruce: Against what?
Clark: Pretty much everything really.
Bruce: Are we talking COVID? Small Pox, Measles?
Clark: Yes.
Bruce:ā¦This is because those Anti Vaxxers started co opting your image isnāt it?
Clark: THIS IS BECAUSE THOSE ANTI VAXXERS STARTED CO OPTING MY IMAGE YES. Like I promised to never take a life but those guysā¦.
Bruce: I feel the same way. Look, let me call my family physician, Iāll set up a whole thing, weāll make a big show about it. If that doesnāt work, Iāll send Cass to break their thumbs. Hell I may do that second part anyway.
Clark: Lets get me vaccinated and weāll play the rest by ear.
Now assuming he can get access to kryptonite tipped needles, is he going to get vaccinated as Superman or as Clark Kent?
Because thatās another problem, if he gets publicly vaccinated as Superman then he still has to fake the records for Clark Kent. On the other hand getting vaccinated as Clark Kent is tricky because only doctors on the superhero side of things would be trusted with kryptonite needles.
So even if Superman gets vaccinated (thereās probably a Justice League vaccination clinic with specialty needles for various superheros with invulnerability or other unusual anatomy) heāll still need to fake at least one set of records.Ā
I was actually thinking about this. Clark would never fake a vaccination (and, depending on when weāre talking about, he may have been penetrable enough for his pediatric vaccines so letās not worry about it too much.) Hereās how I think it would go down.
Nurse: Ok, left or right?
Clark: Left, but one second.
(he hurriedly unwraps a small candy and pops it in his mouth)
Clark: sorry, hate needles, it calms me down. Just give me a second.
(he grimaces as he begins to feel the effects of the tiny grain of Kryptonite through its peppermint-painted cement shell)
Clark: OK
(in the recovery/observation area, he pops the candy back out of his mouth and hurriedly rewraps it in its lead āfoilā)
Clark Kent, who is a Good Boyscout, getting vaccines that - even if he were capable of getting these illnesses - may not even be effectively interacting with his alien immune systemā¦. i love this.
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