Chapter Text
Lena stomped her feet to the rhythm of Red Hot. A song from the soundtrack of The Dirt, the movie that started out as an ironic, even guilty pleasure, but she came to enjoy it and Lena has always found the predictability of Mötley Crüe's classic notes relaxing as well. She was much more focused with background music as a companion as she soaked in all the information regarding her new medical condition.
It was the only thing she could do for now, right?
She sucked on her lower lip piercing tired of seeing Jack Spheer, manager and best friend, pace around the living room of the Luthor house like a caged lion while the man-made multiple calls ranging anywhere from annoyed to pleading.
"It'll do you wrong to stress yourself out so much." Lena said in a mocking tone.
Jack turned to look at her, squinting his eyes in complete annoyance.
"How can you take this so lightly!?" The man asked, offended. He continued when Lena shrugged it off as nothing. "Lena! You got kicked out of the band and now we must legally fight for the rights to every single one of your songs!" Continued the man now with a sad look on his face.
Of course, Lena was aware of the situation, but she returned her gaze to the tablet.
"Lena!"
The brunette clenched her jaw, of course she was upset about the whole thing. Even much more than he was. Yet she just wanted to completely turn all her attention to other things. She'd already written over twenty different song lyrics over the course of these days not to mention made loose sheet music or voice notes on her computer that range anywhere between sadness to anger and frustration. The false happiness of being 'free' and back to crying, completely lost as if she were a child again.
She was kicked out of her band, Vincent's Killer. And not in just any way, but it was at her worst moment. When she was at her weakest and with no way to defend herself.
It was not a false accusation of a crime.
It wasn't for something she did because she wanted to as a sign of rebellion.
It wasn't because of some of that problematic shit that every rock or metal star (and derivatives, but let's not get technical) has been labeled for.
Lena always covered for James and Lucy when they were doing their nymphomaniac groupies wherever they could. She was always there to pretend to be the one driving or filling in to play guitar when Veronica was drunker than a skunk... and of course she never thought that her own girlfriend (now ex - Lena has at least a little self-respect) Andrea would be her fucking replacement in the band.
Then Lena thought, 'Enjoy it, motherfuckers! Fuck yourselves!'
She grabbed her things and went home to get all those negative feelings out of her. Especially wary of the possibility that they would see how much they had affected her. They would not see her at her worst. She would not give them that privilege.
Her sin, you ask?
Hypoglycemia. Or a low concentration of glucose in the blood brought about when a diabetic doesn’t have enough sugar in their body, which is a very important source of fuel for the body and brain. Without enough of this monosaccharide, a person can experience a number of serious complications ranging anywhere from fainting to coma to death. Lena Luthor unfortunately found this out the hard way.
She was innocently driving home when she began to feel weak, irritable and restless. Anxiety settled in next, sending her heart racing and she broke out into a sweat. All of this compounded into a headache that wouldn’t let her utter a single word, much less see the road properly, only illuminated by the lights of her car. It was a state outside of herself that she had never experienced before and she became more afraid of herself as she began to feel more and more confused, drowsy and her vision was as reliable as a broken cell phone screen.
She did not even realize how long she had been zigzagging while driving, obviously attracting the attention of a patrol car that asked her to pull over.
She wasn't even able to put her mouth to the breathalyzer and had it not been for one of the officers recognizing the rare symptoms of her discomfort and suggesting she be taken immediately to the nearest emergency room; she didn’t know what would have happened.
Unfortunately, someone recognized her as the lead singer of that troubled band and took as many pictures as they could along with the caption 'Lena Luthor overdosed' which morphed into 'Lena Luthor in rehab’ or ‘A matter of time before another relapse' on twitter which quickly went viral. People were talking about the Luthor as if they had known her all their lives. As she was being administered with glucose intravenously in her unconscious state, people speculated as if they knew her better than anyone else.
Fans were split into two camps when the band's social media made it official, 'We'll be going our separate ways from now on.' Because the label wasn't going to get over another misdemeanor by any of the members, even though Luthor herself had been the person with the cleanest record compared to her former friends.
Lena was hospitalized and unconscious when everyone she trusted, except Jack, decided to block her everywhere and give fake sad faces about her 'exit' from the group.
Meanwhile, Lena woke up with a full diagnosis. She was a type 1 diabetic, which meant that her pancreas didn’t produce enough insulin to control the glucose levels in her blood. And it also meant complications for her health if not treated properly, not to mention it also shortened her life considerably.
There was so much new information in Lena's mind given by a specialist with the patience of a saint in the face of the brunette's constant questions in conjunction with her little existential crisis and fear of doing or saying something inappropriate. But of course, she was going to panic when her life was taking a 180-degree turn. She felt completely naked.
But she didn't find out about the betrayal of her former band mates and label until later that morning when she tried to contact each of them about the news. She just wanted some support from those closest to her, but only Jack and Lex, her older brother, instantly rushed to her side to support her.
After she saw the whole damned media circus, she did the best thing she knew how to do: she shut herself off, condensed all her feelings and turned them into new songs.
Unfortunately, though, she didn't have as much time to let off steam when she also needed to create a proper new routine to keep her body healthy.
She could no longer skip any food intake, Jack even started to keep Gullón brand cereal bars and cookies or small bottles of ‘diabetic milk’ (name given by Jack, it's just Ensure) in her purse. She also needed a new exercise routine and to learn how to do a proper glucose measurement and how to inject the insulin along with the times before each meal (this is where Lena was grateful that she started with tattoos at eighteen years old as she felt no fear at the sight of the small needle of the syringe) and finally, there were the regular check-ups with the doctor although Jack would be in charge of helping her to schedule future appointments on her phone.
Lena was slowly but surely adapting to the world of proper diabetic health and proper dietary management. Because yes, diabetes was not at all just about abstaining from sweets as if you were allergic to sugar. The important thing is to control that little part of your body that is not fully functioning because it needs help in conjunction with a lifestyle that is right for the person. She was so focused on it that she couldn't even think about anything else so time kept getting away from her.
Lex told her to talk about it on social media, not to keep quiet about the whole thing and to get her place back in Vincent's Killer. But Lena didn't want to.
It was as if her desire to stay by their side was completely gone. Lena no longer wanted anything to do with James, Lucy, and Veronica, let alone Andrea.
Damn! She didn’t need them.
She wished them well.
She would learn to work on her own.
Or that was the conclusion she came to after long hours of crying and still feeling extremely betrayed.
She simply thanked fans who wished her well, responded that she was completely sober to friends and touring acquaintances who asked about her health, updated her mother on the matter who responded in surprise as the only person with diabetes in the family had been Lillian's own grandfather. And Jack went on to demand and shout about all the compensation Lena deserves after ten years of music on Clean White Records along with her former band.
Now at twenty-eight years old, she was practically unemployed, trying to adapt to her new condition and to keep all her negative feelings from boiling over.
Oh, what a wonderful life! Fuck!
So, she deleted all her posts on social networks. She left only profile and cover photos in a matte black color. And a link leading to an empty YouTube channel made just over a week ago that was quickly going to reach two million subscribers.
"At any time, I can start from scratch like any former member of a band with a solid ten-year career." Groaned Lena, annoyed. "I'm the one who wrote every song and composed every melody! I'm the one who came up with the aesthetic straight out of a Tim Burton movie! I'm the one that Kerrang, Rolling Stone and Alternative Press call 'The Face of Gothic Glam Rock' and won awards for best female voice three years in a row!" She stood up from her spot trying to look bigger. "I'm Lena Luthor and I was the inspiration for all those people labeled as freaks who just needed to feel safe with someone." She moved to pull out her two notebooks. "Give me the time I need to get myself together and I swear I'll shut them all up. I don't need anything from them because now they are a reminder of how much fame can corrupt... I... can make something beautiful."
Jack smiled warmly at her. Full of admiration for his old friend's words.
"They will regret betraying you." Said the man.
Lena shook her head with a displeased frown.
"No Jack. If I'm going to make music it's for me, for you or even for Lex and all the fans who ask every day if I'm okay." Lena said. "The unconditional people in my life regardless."
Maybe her words sounded confident. As if she were a queen in power or a war general about to conquer an entire country, yet Lena didn't feel so sure about it.
But she had faith.
...
"I'm so happy you called me." Sam said with a small smile on her lips.
Samantha Arias, now the founder of Parasite Eve Records, was an old friend during the time Lena was running off from school to sneak into the Metropolis Music Conservatory. Sam would lend her musical instruments in exchange for Lena's help with practical work since Sam, despite having a good ear and a good approach for how to make a melody, could not compose a song to save her life. Despite the slight age difference, they always got along excellently. They were the dynamic duo until their paths diverged.
It wasn't that they stopped being friends, but both Sam and Lena had their own responsibilities and couldn't always physically keep up with each other's lives.
But now Lena wanted someone to get her career back on track and she knew Sam was the right person to trust. Not all those companies interested in the morbid or who just wanted to take advantage of her through an abusive contract regarding the ownership of her art in order to squeeze her until there was absolutely nothing left.
And so, she found herself in the Latina's office for a heart-to-heart talk.
"And I'm so happy you responded even though I didn't make an appointment." Lena swallowed dryly before nodding her head. "I..."
"Of course, the call wasn't just a fluke, was it?" Sam gave her a knowing look rather than any sign of disappointment Lena thought she'd see. "You chose me and my company even though we're a record label that works with Punk Rock and Punk Pop bands." She laughed, slightly amused.
"I think regardless of genre the important thing is to know that you're not going to take advantage of me." The brunette came clean.
"I think... Jack is still your right-hand man?" Lena nodded. "Good. Then I think I can come to a suitable arrangement with him if you promise to stay sober, Lee."
Lena's smile faltered for a few moments. Of course, she had forgotten to tell Sam about her condition, but she was giving her a chance despite believing that the three months she had been in the dark were to detox. The brunette nodded her head slightly before pulling a special cloth airtight bag from her backpack to maintain the cool temperature inside which she carefully opened to reveal a few disposable syringes and a vial of insulin.
Sam took the bottle between her fingers with a look full of understanding.
"Those pictures..."
"They were from the day I had a problem with my glucose that almost cost me my life while driving. And it’s only because one of the police officers recognized my symptoms that I was able to make it to the emergency room. I came so close to dying as people speculated about me and everyone, I was close to turned their backs on me." Lena explained as Sam put the insulin back in its place and then carefully closed the bag.
"Then you can sue them for defamation." Samantha said seriously.
Lena shrugged. "Jack got me forty percent of all royalties on every product where my face, name or signature was so I don't care much about getting anything."
"What about reputation?"
"Ozzy Osbourne never denied all those bullshit lies they talked about him, he capitalized on them. I don't mind doing the same thing. What's different about me being talked about for some fictional overdose or addiction when so many male singers and band members do it all the time and are seen as fucking idols?" Lena asked, amused. "It's bullshit that because I'm a woman they wait for me to be one way or another to label me an angel or a slut, why is it necessary for us to stay on guard to keep our reputation intact lest we be branded as lunatics or something worse?" She looked her old friend in the eye. "We grew up listening to Therion, Nightwish, Within Temptation and Epica. I toured side by side with Hayley Williams and Avril Lavigne. We don't need to destroy each other but we need to support each other to erase all that stuff and just appreciate the art."
Sam smiled warmly at her words.
"You’re right, therefore I would like you to work alongside someone very special and her friends." Said the Latina in response to her friend's short monologue.
"Someone special?" Lena asked curiously.
"That's right! Kara Danvers."
"Danvers..." Lena frowned. "I don't know who you're talking about," she admitted.
Sam laughed lightly. She pulled out her cell phone and handed her the headphones to show her a video. It was a song called Hypocrite. It featured a blonde girl dressed in pink with white wings with a quiver and bow representing a very pink cupid who didn’t know how to aim his arrows right, therefore didn’t make good matches. Kara was a dysfunctional cupid who fell in love with the wrong people, and the video portrayed that as various funny situations even though the song was more about making mistakes during relationships and not learning from them. It was an interesting idea putting it in perspective.
The song was quite polished with a guitar as a symphony marker, with soft drums that only set some tempos. The bass was barely noticeable along with a piano that sometimes stood out in the song when no other instrument was playing during the beginning or the 'breakdown' before it started up again with the full melody. It was all so homemade. The song was catchy with an easy to learn chorus and the blonde's Mezzo-soprano voice stood out as such an expressive tone to such a simple song structurally speaking. It was so full of youthful energy and heart.
Not to mention that she was a completely beautiful woman to Lena with the smile of a thousand suns.
"Interesting, isn't it?" Sam smiled happily.
"Barbie has a beautiful voice." Lena replied feeling a slight warmth in her cheeks.
Sam laughed out loud.
"Her name is Kara and she is the lead songwriter for Blue Girl and The Royalty." Sam said.
"Blue Girl?" Lena asked skeptically, scrolling down with Sam's phone, but on the covers of the seven official channel videos was the blonde dressed in pink looking like the long-lost daughter of Elle Woods and Barbie. But with the detail that her cheeks were painted blue as if they were tears that were marked by her makeup full of glitter.
"It's metaphorical, not that it's Blue because of the color."
"She... is she sad?" Lena looked at the titles of each video on the channel, but most of the songs seemed to have the typical romantic title that became trendy for the summer.
"Not everything is what it seems. Kara and her friends Livewire, Imra and Psi with their 'Ugly Tears' EP managed to position themselves to go viral in such a way that I called them personally because I've seen that same potential you felt, Lena." Samantha looked at her full of determination. "Even though they are somewhat strong, but not yet established enough to do a full tour that sells out. I have the hopes for them, but they're missing that push to start being somebody, not just something momentary and viral."
Lena nodded her head slowly. "So, what's your plan?"
“You’re going to be working on your first solo album with them. You can create an impressive concept album and show them how we do things in the big leagues. Not only will they learn from you and your incredible creative process, but we’ll also set up a full tour across the United States with the times split so that you both can perform without there being a separation between opening and opening show.”
"We are both headliners."
"Exactly, you're the familiar face looking for a new chance to be reborn as a phoenix and they want their chance to get ahead beyond their hometown." Sam's eyes sparkled.
"What if the fans just come to hear the old songs?"
"You can do different versions of some of your old favorites to go along with your new stuff or even some Medley per album. That shit always really moves the audience to tears along with the acoustic versions. I'll take care of all the legal paperwork just in case." Sam winked at her.
"My God, it all looks amazing." She said, then frowned. "But Sam, just one thing." She waited until she heard a ‘Mhm’ from her friend (now boss). "I'm not wearing anything pink."
Samantha couldn't help but laugh loudly. That same afternoon, after talking with Jack and Lena’s lawyer, Selina Kyle, Lena signed a five-year contract for Parasite Eve Records. This was the first positive news about the brunette to hit the media in a long time.
And it felt so good.
...
"No, no, no... And no!" Said the pink-haired man.
"You're not serious." Grunted Lena in disgust from her spot in Jack's truck.
The brunette's best friend drove them to the club where Blue Girl and The Royalty were performing. Along for the ride were Lena, Jack and the now-soloist's old friend Kells Baker, a rapper and pop punk singer who went by the name of King Poser.
He can be a man with a huge ego, a penchant for weed (although he respects the no smoking near her or inside her house rule), loves to get into trouble and sometimes seems like a frat boy...and yet he's still more decent than his old band mates. After Jack and Lena’s mother and brother, he was the first to arrive at the hospital and even offered his lawyers to keep her from getting permanent drug possession charges even though the only noxious thing the brunette has ever consumed is whiskey.
Then he decided to accompany her to the show to find out more about Lena's new tour companions. His presence was particularly helpful because he knew much more about Pop Punk than she did.
But he also decided it was a good time to read the lyrics Lena had recently written and was ready to record.
"Of course, I'm serious." Kells said. "Really, are you willing to play the same songs about those idiots for the next two to three years?"
"Kells..."
"It's like that ex you can't get over, they'll use the stuff they had before they kicked you out and you'll be choking on your anger even though time passes and you get over it. You're so much better than this."
Lena paused for a moment to turn to the back seat where the lanky man with the tattoos and short pink hair was sitting. And painfully, she had to agree with him.
She wasn't going to indulge them by writing about it, about them, and then come off as the woman who has never gotten over her former band.
"Your compositions and lyrics are good; I can't take that away from you. The problem lies with being too direct with who it's for and not getting out of the trouble that they started and that you want to feed. You know, give them something to talk about that you don't really want to talk about..." Kells explains. “I’m just saying, in my opinion, you should choose another subject matter outside of the dissent and anger of being kicked out of the band."
"Although I do recommend leaving at least one song about breaking up." Jack said, amused. "What, they're crowd favorites."
Lena huffed a slightly amused laugh.
"I think you should take this opportunity to reinvent yourself." Kells shrugged.
"Or... make this album some kind of potpourri of new genres that you've never played before for the sake of showing yourself as someone who hasn't grown stagnant in her career."
"Like Kells?" Lena said referring to the pink-haired man’s genre change after he had a less than favorable exchange with a rapper of higher status than him.
"Just so you know Luthor that was pre-planned.”
"We all believe you, Baker." Jack scoffed. "Ouch!" He groaned as Kells pulled a couple of hairs from his beard.
"The phases of grief." Lena said absently as she watched the road and ignored the childish exchange of her two best friends.
"What?" asked Jack.
"Kells said I am full of anger, but it's not just anger. It’s also sadness. Grief. Denial. And I think I’m still in shock. I’ve been mourning. It’s not like a breakup. Just a loss, like the death of someone important to me… and I should compose around this, share my pain and how I’m overcoming it.” Lena finished speaking by lightly biting her thumbnail. “I don’t need to actually name all of these feelings in their exact order because it would be inaccurate. I just feel terrible…”
"And you need to get it out." Jack said as he pulled the van to a stop.
"You can experiment on the basis of that theme and also compose about what it's like to live after that grief." Kells got excited. "In fact, you have a few lyrics you can adapt."
"But that can come later, now we must see how Lena’s girlfriend plays." Jack teased.
Lena looked at him in surprise before smacking him on the forehead with an open hand.
"She's not my girlfriend!"
"Ouch! Lena, you spent all week listening to her EP and watching all her videos." He justified himself by pouting. "And let's not talk about you just hanging out watching this Kara's social media."
They exited the vehicle although Lena frowned at having been caught red-handed.
"Aww, Leni-Boo is in love." Said the pink-haired man.
"I'm not in love with Kara Danvers!" Lena said in a much louder voice than she wanted to. The blonde was very beautiful in Lena's eyes, not to mention her voice or smile or perfect hair or… all those things that encouraged Lena to know more about her, but that wasn’t something she admitted to her best friends.
Her outburst caught the attention of a red-haired woman who just got off a motorcycle. The woman stared at her in surprise for a few moments before continuing to put the chain around her vehicle and Lena blushed fiercely, causing the two men to laugh.
"She's a beautiful and talented woman, okay?" She made clear in an even tone of voice and began walking toward the compound.
"If you're not in love with her, is it okay if I ask her out?" Kells asked. Lena paused only to turn and glare at her friend.
"Don't even think about it." Lena again almost shouted making the other female bystander jump and look at her in surprise again.
Jack and Kells looked at each other for a few seconds before they started laughing at Lena 'Tomato' Luthor.
"You two share a single neuron." Lena growled in disgust.
"Lena and Kara sitting in the tree..." Kells began to croon.
"K-I-S-S-..." Jack followed.
The red-haired woman laughed before entering the club.
They too entered through the VIP door after Jack showed their tickets. It wasn't that big of a place, but it was packed with approximately a little over a hundred people.
The redhead from a moment ago was chatting with someone who Lena thought was a member of the lighting crew and they were starting to pull out a computer and camera.
Lena and the boys sat in a tiered area near the stage where they could see perfectly the moderate mass of excited people who were gathering to see them perform.
It was a few minutes before each of the members entered which of course Lena took the time to research and learn the names of each: Psi with her bass smiling brightly, Imra on guitar who had her face painted with two diamonds under her eyes and Livewire, wearing all black and a crown, who walked across the stage giving high fives to those in the front row before sitting down at her drum kit. The silver haired woman started with a drum solo before stopping and Imra came in with a sustained note. Then they all came in with her on the song before Kara herself ran onstage dressed as a bride.
The blonde had on a gorgeous wedding dress almost straight out of Corpse Bride, with glittery makeup that looked streaked from crying and sparkled under the stage lights. Instead of a bridal veil, Kara was wearing a white and dark blue jester's hat.
They were playing 'DID I RLY LET GO.' Kara sang as cleanly and perfectly as the studio version even though it was obvious that the girls were adding a lot more to their instruments to bring more excitement to the audience that jumped and sang along with Kara. The song had a bass solo before they started playing Mission to Mars.
Lena couldn't help but sing along with just as much excitement as the audience. She was having the most fun she’s had since she was diagnosed.
Kara had a good handle on the audience as well as some experience giving not only a great rendition of the songs but also almost acting out a kind of sung monologue that made it an incredible experience.
When ‘Can't Be Love’ started, Lena couldn't help but give a little scream because it was her favorite song.
Unbeknownst to Lena, Jack had started an Instagram live. He pointed from the stage to Lena where she sang as much as the blonde. Kara danced along with Imra as she followed the song until the part where it cuts off for a moment and Lena watched as the blonde slowly approached the edge of the stage and sang the bridge of the song while squatting before jumping up and back into the audience as they sang the chorus.
So, they went with SWAYZEE and Sleepless in LA, but when they finished it, Livewire began with a drum solo before starting the song that their EP was named after: Ugly Tears.
Something that seemed interesting to the brunette was the way the drummer possessed a much heavier energy than the other girls and that gave more shape to the show. It was as if she had come out of a Thrash metal band while Imra gave the Punk touch while not stealing the limelight, but still doing whatever she wanted on stage. Jumping while playing or raising and lowering her instrument. On the other hand, there was Psi, who was the pop side. She almost looked like a princess circling while playing. Finally, there was Kara, who was a marriage of Broadway musical actress along with the vocal technique worthy of Juliet Simms or Maria Brink with the feminine sweetness and pep of Hayley Williams.
Kara didn't need to say Cry, Cry, Cry because the audience was in charge of that. Imra did a guitar solo in the middle of the end while Kara sang 'Love like a movie' and between turns the song ended.
They took a moment to drink water and chat with the audience, the blonde even took one of the acoustic guitars where she tried to improvise playing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis even though she was confident that she didn't know it. So, she started with a cover of ‘Everlong’ by Foo Fighters where Jack also began singing, but after the break they played ‘Love Me’ and ‘Ottawa Rockstar.’ Followed by the blissful song with which Lena discovered the blonde and her friends: ‘Hypocrite.’
By the second chorus Lena noticed how she was being watched by the redhead on the control team and the boy accompanying her who seemed petrified as they had their own conversation without taking their eyes off the brunette.
Had she been recognized?
She didn’t care.
So, she didn't hesitate to smile at them both.
The performance ended with Psi starting to sing along with Kara for ‘Catching On’ while Imra clapped the microphone within reach of Livewire who had her own maraca.
Kara danced by herself a classic flamenco with a mix of free and funny movements and at some point, in the song she threw her hat to the audience. All instruments were muted for the bridge of the song before coming back in stronger.
The audience and Lena were ecstatic about the show. And that's when Lena fully knew what Sam meant about the potential that Kara and her friends had. They owed nothing to other bands in the genre and it was beautiful the atmosphere they created during that whole hour.
Kells hugged her by the shoulders and smiled in approval and Jack told her to send a wave to the 8,000 people on the Instagram feed.
Lena shook her head before smiling at them.
"As you noticed, it was a fucking show, wasn't it?" Lena pointed to the stage. "Now, I so want to say hello to those amazing girls."
"I think I can handle that." Said the red-haired woman from earlier. "Hi, sorry if I'm interrupting. I'm Alexandra Danvers, Kara's older sister and the manager of Blue Girl and The Royalty." She introduced herself.
"Jack Spheer, Lena Luthor's manager." He pointed to Lena at his side.
"Yes, I know. Although I didn’t recognize Lena or the Cleveland Devil at first.” She pointed to Kells.
"It’s a pleasure." The man smiled.
Lena nodded in response after taking Alexandra's hand. "If you want to meet my sister, you can follow me."
"Thank you, Miss Danvers." Lena replied.
"Just Alex."
"Then just call me Lena."
...
So again, they swept through Al's old club. Kara couldn't stop smiling after finishing her bottle of water in the dressing room. Imra was helping Kara take off her makeup.
"We blew them up tonight!" Psi jumped up happily hugging Imra, separating her from the blonde.
"Did you see when the audience almost sang ‘Ottawa Rockstar’ alone?" Imra smiled sideways proudly before returning to her task.
"Or when they fought over my jester hat...or when." Kara paused to see Livewire still drinking from her water bottle. She had taken off her T-shirt leaving her in only a sports top and was wiping her sweat with a towel. "When Livewire broke the drumsticks in the middle of her drum solo and still kept going!!!" Kara jumped up and down excitedly.
"It was crazy out there, Goldilocks." The platinum-haired woman said calmly with a smile.
"Girls!" Winn, their soundman, entered the dressing room.
"Are you okay, Winslow?" asked Psi.
"Well!" The boy's eyes widened comically and he held out his hands. "Lena Luthor!"
"What about her?" Imra looked at him confused and curious.
"She was watching the show!" Shrieked the boy. Imra looked at him in shock and Kara frowned in disbelief.
"You’re lying." Livewire frowned incredulously. "Lena Luthor, The Symphonic Metal Singer herself? She took a moment out of her busy superstar schedule to watch us perform. Aha, of course and I'll accompany sweet Psi to her grandmother's farm to milk cows."
"I hope you do accompany Psi." Said a voice.
Kara saw her standing there next to her sister and thought she looked something like the reincarnation of Hades (Yes, Hades is a woman to Kara and a perfect representation of melancholy and beauty that no one has ever portrayed before) Kara was immediately captivated by her black hair, green-blended eyes and pale skin. Sharp features. And dark clothing like Livewire's.
Lena Luthor was undoubtedly very beautiful. Alex stepped aside to let Lena and company pass.
Kara was in shock seeing this goddess. Winn left the dressing room with the first excuse he could find to give them privacy. Livewire let out a fart with her mouth very amused by the situation. Psi laughed a little at the woman's words and Imra... well, after coming out of the initial shock she gave a high-pitched scream and went straight to hug Lena.
Lena was a little surprised, but gladly received the brunette woman's embrace.
"Sorry for the initial scare, Imra is a big fan of yours." Kara said coming out of her stupor.
"And Lena is a big fan of Kara Danvers!" Said the pink-haired man behind Lena and Imra.
"Look who brought the trash, The King Poser." Livewire said, eyes narrowed.
"Look everyone, a True Metalhead!" Said the man pointing at Livewire with both hands wielding finger guns.
"Why don't you go fight some cult gang leader again?" Said the platinum-haired woman disdainfully.
"Leslie!" Kara admonished her with a frown. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with her. She's usually a nice person." Kara promised.
"I'm still here." Livewire grumbled. Psi chuckled lightly. Imra broke away from Lena to return to Psi's side smiling brightly.
"Kells is always a bloody troublemaker." Lena pursed her lips. "Why don't you and Jack go to the van?” She suggested, turning back to Kara conspiratorially. “I’ll give them the blessing of pretending I don’t know they hang around making out when I’m not around."
"We don't do that!" Kells said with a slight blush. The dark-haired man still outside the dressing room chuckled lightly.
"Let's go, Baker. Lena doesn't want us here." Said the bearded man. "Nice to meet you girls." He walked into the dressing room to pull the other man's arm to the door so he could get out of there. "Oh! And Kara, right?"
"Yes?" The blonde asked curiously.
"With the show you put on tonight I understand perfectly why Lena likes you so much." Jack said before leaving.
"Jack!" Lena yelled to where Jack had been. She turned back to where Kara and the girls were standing to giggle nervously. "He's a little over the top sometimes." The brunette said with pink tinting her cheeks.
"Of course, he is." Alex began, wrapping her arm around Lena's shoulders with complete confidence. "It's totally normal to check a person's social media all the time on a platonic basis, learn all their songs... and look ecstatic when this person puts on a pretty good show despite having years of experience in this field because despite seeing hundreds of concerts..."
"Alex." Kara warned, sensing Lena’s discomfort as the flush on her cheeks brightened with every word. "Stop it.”
"We had the honor of Lena coming to our show and you try to embarrass her." Imra spoke up affronted, defending her idol.
"No, no. I wanted to see how far she would go to crown Ms. Luthor as the number one fan of our 'Blue Girl'." Livewire said, amused.
The green-eyed woman cleared her throat before separating from Alex.
"The truth is that it has been a real pleasure to see you all live, you have a lot of potential and this is one of the few times that I can say that the studio version fell very short to express how talented you are." Lena said in a sincere tone, giving them a smile. Her eyes went around each one in such a way to give more emphasis to her words before lingering on Kara's. "It reminded me of those times where I would get up on stage and sing covers of The Killers, Epica and Black Sabbath, putting on a show just for the love of putting on a show and especially having fun."
Now it was Kara's turn to blush.
"Really?" Imra said with her voice cracking. The blonde turned to look at her, of course her friend was going to cry at getting compliments from her favorite singer.
"Yes." Lena confirmed. "That's why I accepted Samantha Arias's proposal to go on tour after recording my album."
"An album? Your first solo album?" asked Psi in surprise.
"Yes. So, I hope we all can get along and be able to work together properly." Lena said.
"It would be my pleasure, Lena Luthor." Kara said extending a hand to shake with the bleary-eyed woman.
"Just Lena." Said the woman shaking Kara's hand.
Kara had to pretend she didn't feel a spark and warmth on contact. Lena was Epica, The Cure and Black Sabbath personified while Kara was Green Day, Good Charlotte, Artic Monkeys and The Neighborhood... and yet something between them felt like a perfect fit...
...
Between the start of writing her new album, the new responsibilities of keeping up with her new medical condition plus being on the lookout to show herself as a new Lena outside of her band, she couldn't see beyond a blur when it came to remembering how, when and where she did the order for each song. So, she will just recall the moments at the base of each song as her mind finally clears to tell us about it.
Ho me Sweet Home (Cover).
"You called me." Kara said sitting in the chair in front of Samantha Arias' desk.
"Yes." Said the Latina looking away from the papers in her hands.
"Is something wrong?" The blonde asked curiously.
"I need you to help Lena." Samantha said.
"Help her?" Kara frowned.
"You may be looking at me right now like I have three heads, but I promise you that if Lena doesn't have someone else, she will end up doing one of two things: she will go for the darkest, most brooding thing she can come up with. Or she will throw away everything she’s ever worked for her because her intrusive thoughts tell her she’s doing a worse job than she is.” The woman spoke as if she had known Lena all her life. Kara nodded slowly. "That's why I wanted her to work with you. I think you have this perfect balance and I know you won’t try to sabotage each other.” Samantha said.
"It will be my pleasure to help you, is it okay if I need to call the girls too?"
The other woman nodded.
"It's on the fourth floor, studio number 103." Sam smiled knowingly.
"Thank you!" Said the blonde as she left the office and headed for the elevator.
As Kara entered the studio, she heard a sweet piano melody playing. When she moved closer, she noticed that Lena was playing it. Lena took a couple of times restarting the main melody until she was comfortable finding a vocal melody to accompany it.
The blonde quickly realized that Lena had apparently forgotten to hit record on the control table, and without hesitation, before the older woman lost her inspiration, she pressed the button.
Kara had already heard Lena sing several times due to Imra playing her music almost all the time, but this time it was not what she knew as the provocative, story-telling Lena. Rather a more patient Lena seeking to express her feelings.
She was singing about coming home to the one she loves, to her Home Sweet Home.
She picked up speed on the piano in one part as she sang along and then just concentrated on the piano and gave a high note chorus until she returned to play the beginning of the song again with a small smile as she hummed along with the piano giving a final strum on the keys.
Kara cut off the recording just as Lena looked up to meet her.
Lena seemed surprised to find her there. She left the recording area looking clearly confused.
"Hello?"
"Hey, lucky you." Kara laughed a little nervously.
"Luck?"
"Samantha Arias told me to accompany you to keep you from sabotaging your work and here I find you singing beautifully but you hadn't even pressed record." Kara shook her head. "If I hadn't come along, it would have missed the take of your song."
Lena opened her eyes and looked at the control table before letting out a soft chuckle, she nodded her head.
"Thank you so much, Kara." Lena said softly. "Even though it's not my song, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me with the recording."
"Not yours?" Kara frowned.
"No. It's actually a song by one of my favorite bands." Lena said, taking a seat gracefully on the studio couch. She patted for Kara to sit next to her.
Kara did so even though she wasn't as graceful as the older woman. Lena leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh.
"It's called Home Sweet Home, it's by Mötley Crüe." The brunette began to tell her. "It's like my comfort band, because whenever I'm feeling sad, upset or stressed I can listen to them and relax. It's almost like this perpetual cycle that always brings me back to them."
"Isn't that the troubled band that was all about wrecking, having sex with lots of women and getting high?" Kara didn't hesitate to ask.
Lena laughed lightly; it was a soft, quiet laugh. Almost trusting.
"Yes, it's that band."
"Why do you like them so much?" Kara paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, that sounded very blunt. What I'm trying to say is that you don't seem like the kind of woman who follows that kind of lifestyle, so I wouldn’t think they would be your vibe."
"We haven't met, Miss Danvers." Lena said with an amused smile. Kara shrugged. "Well, I like them so much for all that amazing music that helps me emotionally, they are a reminder to keep your feet on the ground. Sometimes I’ll do one thing and think: 'This is something Nikki Sixx would have done.’ But then, I’ll think no, he wouldn't because he'd be too busy loving heroine. And it just helps me be a better version of myself and not the kind of troublemaker I'm always labeled as in the genre.” The brunette explained. "Somehow, despite everything they've survived over time and being as troubled as they are, they had talent and could always get their act together. It reminds me to think the same of myself no matter the setbacks.”
"Like giving that acoustic concert mid-protest showing yourself on the side of the protesters." Kara said. Lena lifted her head to look at her in surprise. "What, you're not the only one doing research."
"So, do you know?"
"I knew pretty much off the top of my head when all that happened because Imra seemed pretty torn up, so I looked for some information, but it was all gossip quoting other gossip with nothing truly fixed as proof... so I just let it be." Kara shrugged.
"Anything else you want to say?" Lena asked looking at her amused.
Kara paused analyzing Lena who was wearing a white tank top and jeans along with brown boots. Now that they were only twenty centimeters apart, Kara thought she was even more beautiful than she was when they met. And aside from that, despite what everyone was saying about her, she looked healthy. Nothing like an addict.
The blonde’s eyes swept over her face. She was pale, but not a sickly color. Her nose wasn’t red from inhalation. Her lips were perfect, beautiful pink gloss over them. Her neck and arms were unmarred, apart from the patches of tattoos of band logos from all genres on her left arm. And a beautiful blackout that went from shoulder to wrist on her right (Kara found all of them interesting since she didn’t have a single tattoo yet.) Lena’s hands were clean. Manicured and polished.
Everything about Lena, as far as Kara could tell, didn't look like a drug addict at all. And she had experience volunteering in the bad parts of Midvale during college when she was studying nursing. At twenty-two, the blonde considered herself a good judge of character.
"To the naked eye you look like a completely healthy woman."
Lena smiled softly at her almost as if she is grateful to confirm.
"Almost completely healthy." Lena said in a calm tone.
"Almost?"
"I am diabetic." The older woman recounted. "And have this weird desire to always be in control of myself." She said with a little scoff.
Kara's eyes widened in understanding. And then she felt personally offended.
"I can't believe it, you... you were ostracized for having a medical condition and they used a supposed drug addiction as an excuse for that." Kara spoke in a heated tone frowning and tensing up.
Lena hummed in confirmation, taking one of the blonde's hands between hers to give it a squeeze.
"That's why I'm aiming to release my album on the same date as their release date, to be better than they are and to be happy." Lena said calmly.
"That's so unfair, you don't deserve that!" Kara growled.
"Not at all, but it's better to be alone than in bad company." Lena smiled at her full of melancholy.
"No. You're not alone. Not anymore." Kara said earnestly. Blue seeing through green, two souls connecting through a single destiny. "If you let me, I want to be part of your team."
"Depends." Lena replied seriously.
"On what?"
"Do you like Coldplay?" asked Lena in a serious tone.
Kara looked at her for a few seconds in surprise before she grimaced and replied. "Oh no. It's not my style, I don't know. Hmm I don't think so."
Lena smiled indulgently at her before leaving a kiss on the blonde's cheek.
"We're going to be a great team!" Lena said, giving Kara her best smile.
Between the start of writing her new album, the new responsibilities of keeping up with her new medical condition plus being on the lookout to show herself as a new Lena outside of her band, she couldn't see beyond a blur when it came to remembering how, when and where she did the order for each song. So, she will just recall the moments at the base of each song as her mind finally clears to tell us about it.