Sleep, my sweet, grumpy hero

Chapter 5

It was late. Lena peeked at the clock on the screen of her laptop - very late.

The TV played in the background, footage of Supergirl helping with a massive fire in a building, playing repeatedly. The fire had been reported as extinguished one hour ago, with several injured but no casualties, thanks to Supergirl's timely intervention. Still, the alien was nowhere to be found. Could she be working on something else? Had she forgotten they would stay at Lena's tonight?

Lena drummed her fingers on the laptop, staring at her phone apprehensively. She could call Alex, but unless there were an alien behind the fire, Alex would be home, asleep.

A noise coming from the balcony caught her attention. She turned around on the couch to look behind her: Supergirl stepped inside, her shoulders sagged and covered in soot, grime, and other things Lena couldn't really identify.

"Hey sweetie," Lena greeted her with a smile that faltered once her nose detected the acrid smell that clung to her girlfriend's body. "What's that smell?"

"The building had a chemical lab." Kara sniffed her arm and made a disgusted face. "I have no idea what it is, but it's giving me a headache..."

Lena nodded, understanding. If the stench was intense for herself, it should be killing Kara.

"Honey, if there was a lab there, there could be dangerous substances on your body. You should go to—"

"—Alex already forced me to go through a decontamination shower and a myriad of tests. Nothing came up," Kara answered quietly, looking more and more dejected to Lena's watchful eyes.

"Why don't you go take a shower while I heat dinner for you?" Lena wanted so badly to hug her, but the stench was too intense, and it was making her eyes water. 

"I'm not hungry..." Kara mumbled.

"Honey," Lena started, but Kara just mumbled something about the shower and left for the bathroom.

Lena stared at her, alarmed. Still frowning, she picked up her phone and texted Alex.

Lena Luthor 03:34: What happened?

Lena glanced at her fridge and decided to heat a plate of the macaroni she cooked for dinner, hoping that the smell of warm, homemade Italian food made Kara hungry.

Alex Danvers 03:36: A fire in a lab. Nothing much, but she stinks.

Lena rolled her eyes at her friend's answer.

Lena Luthor 03:37: No kidding? I sent her to the shower already.

Alex Danvers 03:37: LOL I'm sure she's going to need more than one, but don't worry, we tested her, and everything's fine.

Lena Luthor 03:39: Right, but she doesn't seem fine to me. Can I take a look at the report?

Lena set the steaming plate on the coffee table by the couch, a large cup of hot chocolate next to it, blanky already set on the armrest.

Alex Danvers 03:42: Already on your email. She did look kinda off when she got here, but she wouldn't talk about it.

Lena Luthor 03:43: Thanks.

Lena opened her email and read the preliminary report from the fire department. Nothing extraordinary to it, except for the endnote that reported the top floors of the ten-story building, the ones closer to the lab, blowing up. Lena's lips pressed in a thin line. She was sure that was the problem. The sound of shuffling feet reached her ears, and she put her phone away, giving Kara a warm smile.