Kara Danvers was in love with her best friend. It was nothing new, not the product of some grand revelation. It was quieter than that. A slow realization, growing in the back of her mind. A warm glow, every time Lena smiled. A flurry of butterflies whenever she laughed. A deep, aching pain when she suffered. Little things, all adding up, until somewhere along the way Lena's happiness became more important than Kara's own.
Whether it was something as simple as romantic attraction, or more complex, Kara wasn't sure. Krypton didn't really differentiate the two like Earth did, and Kara still struggled sometimes to draw the line between friends and romance. But it was Lena that Kara thought of, when love songs came on over the radio, and it was Lena that Kara imagined spending the rest of her life with. Kisses, and sex, and dates, and anniversaries, all seemed irrelevant in comparison to those simple truths.
There wasn't any particular urgency in the feeling. At one time—after telling Lena her true identity—Kara had considered coming clean about her feelings as well. But before she'd been able to work up the courage, Lena had stolen Myriad, and things after that had devolved so thoroughly that Kara nearly gave up any hope of something between them. When she returned from the Phantom Zone, again, Kara had nearly confessed. But things between them had still felt so uncertain, and by the time they stabilized out there was Nxly to deal with.
Now, though, things had finally quieted down. Alex's wedding had come and gone. Lena had moved into Kara's apartment, while she was trapped in the Phantom Zone, and never bothered moving back out. They shared a bed most nights, falling asleep and waking up in each other's arms. Living together was easy; within days they'd fallen into a rhythm so easily in was like they'd been cohabitating for years.
Physical affection between them had come so naturally, it seemed like something long overdue. A kiss on the cheek or forehead; a hand at the other's waist as they slipped by; cuddling on the sofa, or the bed, after a long day. Alex's eyebrows had just about leapt off her face when Lena had seated herself in Kara's lap one game night, burying her face in Kara's neck as the game wound down. Kara had laughed off several questions that night, and even more comments in the days that followed.
"We're friends," Kara assured everyone who asked. She could never bring herself to add the "just". "Just friends" seemed insufficient for someone she was in love with. And as Kara watched Lena now—curled up on the sofa, reading a book—she found herself dwelling on that. She was in love with her best friend. She turned the though over in her mind, holding it gently, feeling the soft warmth radiating from it.
Lena looked up, dark hair falling away from her face. "What?" she asked with a soft laugh, noticing Kara's attention.
Kara just shook her head, smiling. "Nothing," she answered. "I just like looking at you."
Kara could hear the quiet flutter of Lena's heart at her words, and easily saw the pink blush staining her cheeks. "Dork," Lena retorted gently with a shake of her head and turned back to her book, still smiling broadly.
Kara crossed the distance between them, sitting down on the sofa beside Lena. Without a single word or moment of hesitation, Lena shifted so she was leaning against Kara's side. Reflexively, Kara raised an arm to welcome her in, resting it around Lena's shoulders as she settled. As she did, Lena let out a tiny little hum—a sigh of contentment—and Kara felt as though her heart might burst with affection.
Kara Danvers was in love with her best friend, and she was pretty sure her best friend was in love with her too. Neither of them had said as much, but that was okay. There was plenty of time to figure it out, and until then this was pretty nice too.
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