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Kara already knows that Lena is waiting for her as she lands on the balcony, Lena’s heart rate quickening as her red boots land on solid concrete. Kara can smell her, a sweet mixture of coconut shampoo and fresh deodorant, a smile stretching her lips as she follows the scent towards their bedroom.
Lingering in the doorway, murmured greetings and shared gentle smiles warm Kara from the inside out, but one thing causes her lips to twitch—concern wrinkling her brow.
She hates the way Lena covers herself. It breaks her heart to see Lena uncomfortably fold her arms across her stomach, attempting to hide the way it spills over the waistband of lace panties. Lena is beautiful, her pale body almost shimmering in the moonlight that shines through their bedroom window, the red lingerie in stark contrast as she rests against the pillows.
Kara loves Lena’s stomach. She loves the feeling of soft flesh against her cheek whenever she uses Lena as a pillow during movie nights on the couch. She adores reaching upwards to stroke it as she kisses Lena’s most intimate parts, enamored with how lovely and squishy it feels beneath her fingers.
She wishes Lena could see it, too.
A lifetime of the Luthors and their ridiculous, disgusting, unattainable high standards still clearly hangs over her beautiful head, but Kara will tell her how beautiful she is every day until Lena starts to believe her and forget about the venom of Lillian’s words.
And then she’ll tell her some more.
“You don’t have to hide yourself from me, baby,” Kara murmurs, the mattress dipping beneath her knees as she carefully climbs onto the bed.
“I know,” Lena whispers, and perhaps she does know that, but knowing it and accepting it are two entirely different beasts.
Kara smiles sadly and crawls upwards, her hands settling on either side of Lena’s head as she leans down to gently capture her lips. She can feel each of Lena’s trembling breaths against her skin, can hear the way her heart erratically pounds, the love of her life stepping out of her comfort zone and trusting Kara to be gentle with her heart and mind.
“I love you,” Kara smiles. “I love you more than I have ever loved someone before.”
“I love you more.”
"No," Kara shakes her head, "that's not possible."
"We're even then." Lena’s grin is crooked, timid, her emerald eyes darting downwards to grimace at the source of her discomfort.
“I love your mind,” Kara whispers, kissing Lena’s forehead. “I love your nose, I love your lips.” She kisses each part, her arm squeezing between Lena’s spine and the mattress and her fingers splayed out on her lower back as she gently cradles her human, fragile body.
"I love your neck,” she kisses a sensitive pulse point, “and I love your boobs.” Kara lingers for a moment, relishing the gasp that sweet attention to Lena’s nipples drags outwards.
She carefully slides downwards, her upper body settling between Lena’s thighs as she carefully pries Lena’s hands away from her stomach.
“And I adore your stomach,” she promises, allowing her cheek to nuzzle the warm and lovely skin. Kara kisses just below Lena’s belly button, “soft, warm, beautiful.” Her hand shifts around and settles on Lena’s waist, her thumb tenderly stroking the shiny stretch marks that Lena despises so much.
“It’s not—I don’t….” Lena trails off, unshed tears causing her eyes to prettily shimmer in the low light of the full moon.
“I know,” Kara coos, kissing each stretch mark, branding them with the love that they deserve, the love that Lena is so unwilling to give them. “They’re beautiful just like you,” she whispers, warm breath washing across sensitive skin. “They’re a part of you, a map of your life,” Kara kisses a little lower, her lips mere inches above stark red lace.
“I love every lovely inch of you, baby, and I always will,” she says, her gaze drifting upwards to capture red-rimmed juniper eyes.
Her heart cracks wide open, gaping chasms filling and overflowing with a silent promise to ensure Lena knows how lovely she is, how beautiful she is—inside and out—how fantastically, imperfectly perfect she is. How, to Kara, there is no better person on this entire planet for her.
Lena’s trust in her is a gift that Kara never thought she’d receive when she first met the guarded young woman, no matter how much she had craved it. She holds that honor close to her chest at all times, guards it, protects it, tells herself over and over that she will never lose it. Kara would never be able to forgive herself if that ever happened.
“I’m okay.”
Lena’s whispered promise breaks her from her thoughts, Kara watching as trembling fingers reach out to trace her sunkissed abs. “I’ll get there,” Lena murmurs. “One day, I will, but I….” she trails off and blows out a shaky breath, her throat bobbling with a hard swallow as she gazes upwards to meet Kara’s eyes.
“You will,” Kara nods. “One day you will see what I see, love what I love, accept every part of yourself.”
She kisses Lena’s stomach again and drifts lower, her nose nuzzling pretty folds through rough lace, “And I love this, too. You’re perfect to me, baby. Even when you’re upset with me for leaving my wet towel on the floor or on the bed, when you make me eat something green instead of the pizza that I was craving, and especially when you lie here and let me see you,” Kara whispers with a tender smile.
“There’s nothing about you that I don’t love with my whole mind, body, and soul. I would die for you, for what we have, and I would take on anyone who tried to ruin this for us.”
She gazes into Lena’s shining eyes, “I love you, baby. So, so much, and I will love you forever.”
“I will always love you, too.”