The three of us (karamel baby AU)

Moods

The day was almost gone, almost done, as the sun shone weakly, barely peeking behind the horizon. The gentle breeze outside grew colder by the minute, and the lights turned on, one after the other, mirroring the scattered stars above. The CatCo building stood bright within the heart of the city, illuminated even though most employees had headed out already. But the top floor, as it was usual, as it was customary, was still busy. Some people just didn't get the idea of 9 to 5 it seemed.

Kara walked into Cat's office, nowadays used by James, currently occupied by Lena, with a stack of papers in her hands. Her steps were heavier than usual, her pace slower than normal, and when she set the stack atop the desk she lifted a hand to rub at her eyes. She knew it was getting late, and she should be going home by now, but there were so many things to be done, so much work still waiting for her.

Sitting on one of the couches in the office, Kara leaned back, needing to take some weight off her feet for a minute or two. The place was silent  –she was alone, Lena having gone to the bathroom for a bit– so Kara sighed and relaxed, letting her tiredness show now that there was nobody there to see. The truth was she wasn't feeling at the top of her game at the moment, her feet ached and her head was pounding, but she didn't want to say anything. Everyone was too quick to worry lately, her four-month-old baby bump being the main reason why. So she remained silent, trying to mask her unease. After all, it wasn't something worth fretting over, it was just her being a normal pregnant woman and her body getting accustomed to the new situation.

Placing one hand across her protruding stomach, Kara looked down sternly. "You're no fun today," she whined, stroking at the skin beneath her dress. Gone were the days of skinny jeans and tight skirts, nowadays she tended to wear flowing dresses and comfortable button-ups. Not that she'd gotten that big, it was still early after all, but Kara had never been her current size before and everything annoyed her. Mostly the buttons, although the zips she barely tolerated as well.

"Are you okay?" Lena asked, marching in, her blouse rolled up to the elbows. Her brows furrowed and she had a look of concern across her eyes and well, Kara wanted to kick her own ass when she saw it. She'd been so lost inside her head that she hadn't heard her friend approaching.

"I'm fine," Kara lied, rolling her eyes and moving to stand up. The motion must have been too fast however, because as soon as she was on her feet, she wobbled on the spot, losing her balance for a moment.

"You're clearly not." Lena rushed to the blonde's side and grabbed her arms to steady her.

"It's nothing," Kara insisted but let herself be guided back down on the couch. Her sudden dizziness made her vision blur a little and she couldn't trust her feet to keep her upright. "Just tired," she added and rubbed her temples.

"Stay put," Lena said and went to fill a glass with water. She offered it to Kara and the alien gulped it down gingerly.

"I'm gonna pee seven times for this, you just watch," the blonde groaned, setting the empty glass on the table.

Lena laughed at her friend, having grown used to that moodiness for the past couple of months she'd known Kara was pregnant. Actually, come to think of it, everyone close to Kara had had to, the blonde hadn't really kept it a secret that some days having a baby growing inside of you could be quite a challenge.

"Are you feeling better now?" the brunette asked, taking her previous spot again.

Kara nodded. "I should probably call it a day," she said and stood again, this time slower. "I'll have Mon-El pick me up," she added and went to grab her phone to do just that.

Lena glanced out the window, noticing the darkening sky for the first time. "It is getting late," she noted. "And we're the only ones left."

Kara shrugged a shoulder at that, knowing as well as Lena did that it wasn't the first time the two had stayed behind. It was rare that one left earlier than the other now that Kara had put Supergirl on hold. Usually she and Lena were the last ones out.

***

Thirty minutes later Kara was lying on a different couch, in her loft this time. Her bare feet were propped up on a cushion and she had changed in sweatpants and a buggy shirt. Still, her bump showed, and she had a hand glued there. Earlier on in the pregnancy she'd told herself that she wouldn't be one of those women, she wouldn't become a cliche, always having one hand on her belly. But she had failed, big time, because as soon as her belly had grown enough to be noticeable, as soon as the idea of a baby became a palpable reality, she'd caved. So now Kara was one of those women, she had become the cliche.

"Are you comfortable?" Mon-El asked her, jogging in from the bathroom, his eyes frenzied. They'd been in the house for all of ten minutes and he'd already made her food, run out to get her extra pot stickers and cheesecake when she complained she was still hungry, and prepared her a hot bath. Even as he asked that he was rocking on the heels of his feet, ready to complete another task, whatever she might be needing at the moment.

Kara rolled her eyes at the sight. "I'm fine," she said and made a motion for Mon-El to get away from the TV as he'd been blocking half the screen. Truth be told, Kara hadn't really been watching, but she was trying to, because if she didn't find something to busy herself with there was a good chance Mon-El would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Yes, she was in a mood, again. She didn't really know why, or rather she didn't know what annoyed her the most. She'd had to change her ways so much in the last few months and it hadn't been easy, all that time later and she was clearly still struggling. Plus her hormones. They could be a real pain some days.

Mon-El moved out of the way, unfazed and silent. He quickly went back in the bathroom to switch the faucet off before the tub overflowed and then slipped on the couch with Kara. Without a word and with the gentlest touch he took her feet and placed them on his lap, and when she didn't complain he started rubbing at her ankles, knowing they were her most sore spots.

Kara watched him with guilty eyes, and even though the annoyance was still there, she fell in love. Because there he was, patient and loving as ever, taking care of her even through her moods, without a hint of unwillingness. And she knew, despite the fact that she hadn't told him, that he knew she hadn't been feeling too well. She knew because normally Mon-El was more playful, more clingy, more touchy, more eager to push her buttons, but tonight he was different. Tonight he hadn't said much, apart from asking her what she needed, and he hadn't tried to invade her personal space or done anything she hadn't specifically told him to. Tonight he was too careful, too gentle, too quiet.

Kara sighed. "Mon-El?" she called, her voice low.

"Hmm?" his eyes shot up to look at her instantly.

"Come here," Kara prompted and nodded once when she noticed Mon-El hesitating. When he moved beside her, she wrapped both arms around him and nuzzled her face in his neck. "I'm fine," she said.

"Are you sure?" Mon-El asked, his brows furrowed. "You didn't look so good earlier," he noted.

Kara pressed a kiss against his skin. "I'm fine," she repeated, her hands wandering, her fingers lifting his shirt up.

Mon-El didn't stop her, didn't even try to, and when Kara pulled his shirt over his head, he simply made it easier for her. At the moment he was compliant and tentative and he didn't care about being anything else, not when a pair of comets looked straight at him and held him captive.

"Take a bath with me," Kara said and waited until Mon-El mumbled a soft okay. With a sweet smile, she pecked his lips and whispered, "carry me."