Weaponizing One's Love

Chapter Five: The Reality of Nightmares

Lena sat at her desk, trying to finish her work as the sun shone in her office. She dreaded being at Luthor Corp. Having to avoid her obnoxious brother was exhausting. Most days, she'd go home with a headache that'd develop into a migraine as the night went on. Before the Crisis, Lena tried to reinvent the company and undo the damage he caused. And now, thanks to it, she had to work alongside him and fight to keep her brother from doing more than he already had. After a few minutes, she closed the last spreadsheet and turned off her laptop. The youngest Luthor was about to get up and grab her jacket when she heard the familiar sound of Kara's boots landing on the concrete balcony.

"Kara, nice of you to drop by," said the ravenette as she walked over to where she was standing.

"Lena, hey. How was your day?" asked Kara, walking into Lena's office, cape swaying behind her as she moved.

"Long, as usual," Lena replied as she sat with the Kryptonian on the couch. "My brother seems to take every opportunity to get under my skin."

Kara chuckled. "Siblings can be annoying sometimes."

"Yes, they can." Lena crossed her legs as she leaned back and rested her elbow on the back. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, actually, I wanted to talk to you about something," answered Kara, fiddling with the edge of her cape.

"About what?" Lena tensed up as she waited for the Kryptonian to continue.

"You making kryptonite," replied Kara, looking up and meeting the ravenette's eyes.

As Kara spoke, the youngest Luthor noticed multiple red lines on the Kryptonian's hands, slowly creeping toward her face. Startled, she shifted on the couch and moved away. As soon as she did that, she felt a hand grab hers and squeeze lightly. The grip wasn't tight, and if she wanted to, she could pull away. And for a second, she considered that. Lena watched as Kara's blue eye color dissolved into the all too familiar ruby red. She knew she should fear what was happening. Yet somehow, the kindness in the Kryptonian's eyes never faded, even when the menacing red color tried to drown it out.

"Please, Lena, hear me out," said Kara, sounding like her usual self despite the red veins all over her body. "I understand why you made it, but you know it's dangerous to me."

Lena, shocked by what Kara said, pulled her hand away. "Kara, I'd never use it against you. Don't you know that?"

"Yeah, but it's kryptonite, Lena." Kara's eyes returned to their blue color as she moved closer to the ravenette. "Whether you use it against me or not, it's still dangerous."

"I know, and that's why I haven't made it since the situation with Reign," added Lena, trying not to sound offended. "I've been too afraid to make it again, even if it could help you and our friends."

The red veins on Kara's body slowly dissipated. "I-I didn't know."

"You shouldn't have assumed I'd use your greatest weakness against you," Lena replied as she shifted on her couch.

That triggered Kara. She stood up and flashed over to the balcony, hands clenched at her side. She could feel the urge to threaten Lena increasing with each breath. The voices in her head screamed at her, making the Kryptonian cringe as she struggled to ignore them, to keep the ravenette safe from herself. She ran her fingers through her hair before leaning against the concrete railing. Lost in the mental battle, Kara almost missed the footsteps approaching her. Quickly, without thinking, she turned and glared at Lena.

"Don't come any closer," pleaded Kara as her eyes glowed an eerie red. "I... I don't want to hurt you, Lena."

That warning caused the youngest Luthor to step back. "Kara? Are you all right?"