Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl or any of the characters.
It's a quiet Friday evening, and Kara and Mon-el have settled down on the couch, ready to unwind after a long week with some mindless television binging before bed. Mon-el has taken control of the remote, and so far, he has been flipping through the channels, unable to settle on anything. After another few minutes of indecision, he finds something that captures his attention.
It's a rerun of Dancing on ice.
A couple in shiny stage attire and skating gear are dancing on the ice, accompanied by thumping music and beautiful lights.
Kara smiles, her heart filling up with a sense of warmth. "This show reminds me of home."
Mon-el smiles back at her. "Me too." He pops a bottle of beer, offers her a sip, which she declines, and settles down more comfortably, with his legs on the table. "I miss the ice and the crystals," he confesses.
"Darn global warming," Kara jokes, hugging a cushion close to her chest, trying to lighten the mood. "We should move to Antarctica. We can live in igloos. With actual penguins!"
Mon-el laughs. "As long as I don't have to file my taxes."
They both sigh at the same time, feeling the familiar longing for the worlds they have lost, when an idea hits Kara.
She stands up suddenly, determined. "Come on," she says, motioning at him to follow suit. "I know where we should go."
He hesitates for a minute. "No offense, Kara, but I kind of can't fly. At all. I'm a little tired to literally leap all the way to the Fortress of Solitude, as much as I'd love to feel at home."
Kara rolls her eyes, adjusting the glasses on the tip of her nose. "We're not going that far this late at night. You haven't seen all the many, many, many 'home away from home' that I have right here in National City. Now let's go. Please?"
Curious, Mon-el turns off the TV and grabs his shoes while Kara grabs hers and the keys, and off they go.
After a fifteen minute ride on the bus, they reach their destination- an ice skating rink.
Kara watches Mon-el as his face lights up with a smile when he takes in their surroundings. There's a thin layer of ice on the ground- artificial, he's guessing, but beautiful nevertheless- and people are skating on it, mostly laughing teens and happy people in their early twenties.
"Well, there are no penguins, but I think this will do," he comments, making Kara laugh.
She finds an isolated corner and leans against the wall, watching the scene contently.
He stares at her, forehead wrinkled in confusion. "You came all the way just to watch skating?"
She grins widely. "I do this sometimes when I miss home. Isn't this fun?"
"You know what's more fun?" He asks, grabbing her hands with his, "Actually skating."
Kara panics, shaking her head vehemently. "Oh no, no, no. This is a bad idea. I can't skate."
Mon-el scoffs. "Sure you can." He drops his voice so nobody else can hear him. "You're Supergirl."
"Supergirl can't skate," she confesses. "A friend took me skating once when we were teens. Turns out I have horrible balance. I slipped. We both fell. He ended up with three broken bones."
"Ouch," Mon-el says, lightening his grasp on her hands till he is holding them gently and rubbing circles on her skin. His eyes are full of understanding for her genuine fear, and it makes her relax. "Well, I will catch you if you fall, I promise."
She gulps, weighing the pros and the cons. On one hand, she is terrified of repeating the accident. On the other hand, she has wanted to skate for a long time now- it looks like fun. Plus, Mon-el is a Daxamite, she doesn't have to constantly worry about injuring him.
"Please?" Mon-el says, with those puppy-dog eyes that's hard to say no to. "Trust me?"
That she does. Taking in a deep breathe with her eyes closed, she nods.
He answers with a radiant smile, and then a question of his own. "Umm, where do we get those shoes?"
Kara pays for the rental, and when they have put their shoes on, she clings to the railing with both hands, eyes closed. "Shoes are not supposed to have wheels," she babbles, shaking her head. "Bikes have wheels. Cars have wheels. You know what else they have? Brakes! They can stop before somebody gets hurt. These shoes need brakes." She opens her eyes again, and sees Mon-el, standing very gracefully even with the shoes on, and smiling at her in amusement. "What? Me freaking out is funny to you?"
"A little," he tells her honestly. "You're usually so brave. I thought there's nothing that scares you."
"Everyone is scared of something," she points out, and against her better judgment, she lets go of the railing with her left hand and rests it on his arm. "Don't let go," she half-pleads and half-warns.
"Never," he promises, and guides her other hand from the railing to his shoulder.
Kara stands very still, trying her best to balance and not fall.
"Can I?" Mon-el asks, placing his hands lightly around her waist.
"Yes, please!" She mumbles, closing her eyes. "I can't believe you talked me into this."
"You'll thank me," he challenges with a grin, as he slowly begins to move, letting Kara lean on to him for support. He can feel her heart beating rapidly against her rib-cage, and her legs move clumsily, trying to move in the same direction as he is.
After a few minutes, her heart reaches a steady rhythm, and she opens her eyes to see that they are no longer where they started. "I'm skating," she blurts out, surprised.
"Told you so," he answers with a bright smile.
"We haven't broken our bones yet?" She asks, just to confirm.
He laughs. "No. We're actually having fun, I might say."
Kara smiles, slowly nodding. "Yeah, you were right. This is fun." Feeling a little braver, she now takes her hand off his shoulder, tentatively trying to skate on her own. Mon-el removes his hands from her waist too, letting her find her pace. She takes his hand in hers, still needing him for balance, and also for feeling secure. He links his fingers with hers tightly, and gives them a reassuring squeeze, waiting for her to move when she's ready.
Slowly, they skate, hand in hand, matching grins on their faces. Mon-el even shows off a few of his moves, making Kara laugh out loud, and twirls her around in his arms, ending with dipping her, making her laugh even louder.
It's so much fun that they don't feel like going home. But after two hours, they are just tired enough to give it a rest for the day.
"Thank you," Kara says during the ride back home, resting her head on his shoulder.
"You're welcome," Mon-el replies earnestly. His planet may be gone, but he's starting to realize that home isn't a place, it's a feeling, one that he has when he's with her. And so he smiles all the way back 'home'.
A/N: Happy new year to all and I hope you liked this :)