SuperCorp+

The Mechanic (Part 2)

Kara milled around in the reception area. She already sent off a text to her sister, asking her to swing by J'onn's for the new radiator. She was smirking at her phone as Alex was trying to figure out who needed the part. It's not like Midvale had many people, and they knew what everyone drove. Kara was in the middle of rolling her eyes at the outlandish guesses when Lena walked in. Kara may not know Lena, but she could tell something was off.

Lena gave Kara a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You ready to go? I'm starving."

"Yeah, come on. It's not too far," Kara said while leading Lena through the main door. "Everything alright?"

Lena's eyes widened in shock for a moment. "Yeah, of course." Lena tried to smile a little brighter. It didn't fool Kara for a second.

The women hopped into truck as Kara drove them into town. They rode in silence. Any pleasant tension they had turned into something sour and uncomfortable. Kara didn't know how to strike equilibrium again without exacerbating things. She felt like she didn't have the right to question Lena. After all, she only met her a couple hours ago. 

"So, you never did answer my question," Kara said gently. Lena gave her a puzzled look. "What brought you all the way out here? It's not often we get people driving through. Most take the highway."

"I'm traveling for work. I decided to take some extra time for myself."

"That sounds like fun! I always enjoyed road trips, but it's not often that I get to take them. What do you do for work?"

"I-" Lena hesitated briefly, "work in technology. I'm supposed to be at an expo in Metropolis in 2 days, but now with the car problems, I don't think I will make it in time."

"Well, I already contacted J'onn. He has the part we need. Alex will pick it up and will be here tomorrow morning. I'll get started right away tonight to have everything set. With any luck, I will have you on the road again by lunch tomorrow. It'll be a long drive for you, but it'll be doable."

Lena immediately perked up at hearing the timeline. She wouldn't be as late if that was true. "Kara," she said with reverence, "I- I don't know what to say. Thank you. So, so much."

Kara smiled softly and blushed at the tone, "Anytime, Lena."

Kara continued to drive them into town in silence, but much more comfortably this time. Kara smirked to herself in pride at getting the mysterious woman to open up, even a little. Kara parked her truck along the street. She rushed over to Lena's side to open the door for her.

"Such a gentlewoman," Lena chuckled. It brought another light blush to Kara's face.

As Kara held open the door to Noonan's, Lena noticed that everyone greeted Kara by name. The blonde was chipper and responded in kind, asking about their kids, mothers, work. She clearly knew everyone extremely well on a personal level. 

"The usual, Kara?" a brunette asked as they sat in the corner booth.

"Hey, Nia! Yes, for me, but we may need a minute to look over the menu." Kara indicated that someone was sitting across from her on this visit.

Nia approached and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there! I'm just so used to Kara here by herself. You take all the time you need," Nia said to Lena.

"Could I get started with a coffee?" Lena asked politely.

"And a water for her, Nia." Lena arched a singular eyebrow in response. "You need to hydrate. If I hadn't stumbled across you when I did, you would have been passed out on the side of the road."