Find Me a Find, Catch Me a Catch

Chapter 17 - Boundaries

Standing outside of the bedroom, Kara knocked on the door and said, "Are you decent?"

"Go away!"

Sighing, Kara pressed her forearm against the door and her forehead against her arm. "I don't even get a comment about your decency for that? Come on, Lena, that was a softball. Smack that one out of the park." She waited, but there was no response only the sound of movement from within. "Not even a comeback about smacking me out of the ballpark?"

"I don't want to fight with you, Kara. Just...go away!"

"I don't want to fight either. I came to apologize." Kara listened while the motion within stilled. "Can I just come in and apologize to you? I'll do it through the door if that's all you'll let me do, but I'd rather do this face-to-face." After a few seconds of silence, there was movement within again. "Okay, look, Lena, I was wrong, and I just wanted to say—"

Suddenly, the door opened leaving Kara to recover quickly, so she didn't fall into the room. Lena was there in a green button-down shirt and...Kara would have to assume underpants though she couldn't see them at the moment. The dark-haired women managed a bit of a glare, though there was also pain on her face. Her hair had been blown dry and hung loosely over her shoulders. She held the doorknob with one hand, and her other arm moved to cover her as if she would cross her arms over her body for protection.

Paused, Kara gestured toward the room. "Can I come in?"

Pulling the door open the rest of the way, Lena shrugged and stepped back. "It's more your room than mine. I'm just a guest."

Rubbing the back of her neck, face down as she sheepishly took only a single step forward, Kara said, "Still, if you want your privacy, I'll leave you alone. I just came to apologize."

"It's fine. You can..." With another shrug, Lena made a vague head movement toward the room, but when Kara lifted her head, she attempted a smile.

It wasn't much, but it gave Kara the encouragement to smile back a bit and enter the room.

"So..."

"So..." Kara nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I freaked out about the Kate thing. You didn't do anything wrong, and I totally overreacted. She just gets to me, and I guess I don't really know why."

"Don't you?" Lena asked, one brow cropping up slightly.

"I..." Kara nodded. "Okay, I guess I kind of know why. She just seems so good at stuff, so natural, and I'm awkward. Sometimes it's hard not being human, not growing up in this culture, especially when you see someone who fits in so well. People like Kate make me feel like an alien."

Taking a tentative step forward, Lena asked, "What's wrong with being an alien?"

"Nothing," Kara replied. "I don't mind that I'm not human, but I do mind that I'm an outsider. That may not make any sense to you—" When Lena's laugh interrupted, Kara frowned, but her face softened when she saw Lena wasn't actually smiling just shaking her head.

"Oh, I know all about not fitting in. I was the weird pre-teen in high school. Then I was the weird teenager in college. It's one thing to be too young to drink in college, but you should be old enough to vote or at least drive. I just..." Lena shrugged. "I just thought I didn't get people in my life where I fit. Lex was the first person who made me feel welcome, and he was off running the company with father. I thought I just had to find my own way in the world, and then you came walking through my door and just blew through all my walls. I didn't know what to do with you."

"Is that a good thing?"

Moving to drop into a seat on the bed, Lena admitted, "Most days I think so. Stalwart and content were my normal, but then this idea of happy came along with you, and I have to admit it's rather addictive, Miss Danvers. You've thrown off my perfectly laid schedule."