Chapter Text
Lena glanced curiously at the runway from the other side of the fence.
It wasn’t that she was intimidated, not by the men. Not when her electrical engineering degree at MIT had gotten her accustomed to being in a male-dominated field - even fewer women were in her classes now as she worked on her masters. Seeing all the guys strutting around, carrying their flight bags and headsets, didn’t make her nervous.
But the environment was… alien to her. The air smelled of what she assumed was aviation gas. Loud propellers and engines seemed to scream as small planes taxied by. It was a bright day at Hanscom Airport - just 20 miles from Boston - but something about the field in front of her made adrenaline crawl in her veins.
She tried to forget she was afraid of flying.
Lena glanced down at the gift card in her hand. Good for One Discovery Flight at Fast Aviation, it said, with an expiration date only a couple of days into the future. She had told Jack, after their breakup, that she’d be glad to give it back to him - but he had refused, saying he thought she would enjoy a flight lesson anyway. For almost a year, she had stared at it from where it sat on her desk.
This is the dumbest decision of my life, Lena thought, as she pulled open the terminal door.
The airport was small. Functional, rather than glamorous. Lena found a long hallway, making her way down until she found a propped-open door - with old, peeling-off painted lettering that matched the name on her card. Peeking her head inside Fast Aviation’s door, she saw a couple of rooms with chalkboards and small tables, a beat up couch in a corner, and a receptionist’s desk.
Here goes nothing, Lena thought, as she walked in, causing the receptionist’s head to pop up. “Hello!” the man said, as he glanced at his computer monitor. Lena spotted a schedule on the screen when he spoke again. “You must be Lena! Here for a Discovery Flight?”
“Yes,” Lena said, stepping forward. “Are you, uh, my flight instructor?”
“No, I’m just a dispatcher,” he said, rolling his chair backwards to a section of wall that had a series of small hooks, each with a key. He grabbed one labeled N5527J, before reaching to the side to grab a small booklet. “Your instructor is Kara Danvers. She’s finishing up with another student, she’ll be in soon. Feel free to take a seat.”
Lena nodded politely, glancing to her right towards an old beat up couch. She took her seat, taking slow breaths. This is a terrible idea, she thought to herself. Commercial flying is the safest form of travel, but that doesn’t apply to hobby aviation…
Lena glanced at the casing that formed the receptionist’s desk. Inside were various items - flight instruction books for different levels of licenses, small black booklets with the word “logbook” glossed in front, spiral-bound checklists for different types of aircraft. Lena tried to slow her breathing. They fly these planes every day. All the time, she reminded herself, trying to soothe her fears.
She didn’t have long to stew, as she heard footsteps and chatter down the hall. “-and that last landing was absolutely perfect,” came a woman’s voice. “If you keep your eyes towards the far end of the runway on flare, that’ll happen more often. When you’re chair flying, just imagine those float scenarios, and remind yourself not to shove the nose down-”
Lena glanced up as a blonde woman entered, shortly followed by a dark-haired man. The man was shuffling into his flight bag, before pulling out a logbook. “Not sure how I’m going to remember to deal with the crosswind at the same time,” he said, as the blonde took his logbook and opened it, pen already in hand. “I got lucky with the winds today.”
“It’ll just take practice,” Kara said, scribbling into his book. “Good job, Max.”
“See you next week,” he said, as she handed his logbook back to him. Lena watched as Winn waved Max off with a you’re all set, as the blonde placed a headset and keys on the counter. “What’s up next, Winn?” she said.
“You have a discovery flight,” Winn said, gesturing behind her.
Lena rose up from the couch as the blonde turned towards her, and Lena finally got a good look at the face of the woman who had walked in the door. The blonde held out her hand in a friendly gesture, Lena automatically returning it as she said the first thing that came to mind. “You’re young,” she blurted. Fuck, she thought.
“I’m Kara,” the blonde said, smiling back in amusement. “What’s your name?”
“Lena,” she said.
“Nervous, Lena?”
It was clear that the blonde was amused - but her eyes weren’t mocking. If anything, they seemed quite understanding, and Lena tried to shake off some of the tension that she was feeling. Young doesn’t mean incompetent, Lena thought to herself, thinking of the conversation Kara had with the student earlier. She literally flies all the time… “Yeah,” Lena confessed. “Not a fan of flying. I’ve never been in one of these small planes.”
Kara picked up the keys that Winn had placed on the counter, along with her bag and the second headset. “I’ll take good care of you,” Kara said, causing a brief shiver to go up Lena’s spine.
It’s not as though Lena hadn’t noticed how attractive the blonde was, but she had bigger issues going on - like surviving the next hour. Kara gestured for Lena to follow her, and the two headed out the door towards the tarmac. “How long have you been instructing?” Lena asked.
“A little over a year,” Kara said.
“Wow. Not very long.”
Kara hummed. “Instructors don’t last very long,” she said.
Lena looked over in alarm, causing Kara to quickly clarify. “Most instructors are building time. We need 1500 hours to join an airline. Instructing students is the quickest way to get that, without paying.”
Lena tilted her head. “That seems odd. The least experienced pilots are the ones instructing?”
“There’s a lot of debate about it, honestly,” Kara said. “But there’s a lot we can do to keep ourselves safe. Want me to show you how to preflight? Normally I do the preflight myself for discovery flights, but I’m happy to talk you through what I’m looking for.”
“Sure,” Lena said, nodding.
The engine has oil. The pitot tube and stall warner are clear. The flight control surfaces are moving correctly. Lena watched and tried to absorb everything Kara was explaining to her, though she admittedly found herself distracted by the blonde climbing up the plane to visually check the fuel levels. Kara’s shirt was loose, but tightened up enough around her arms to show off the surprising muscle beneath, and Lena could feel a small flare of interest that she tried to quash down.
But it was a nice distraction from Lena’s nerves, and she also felt soothed by Kara’s patient instruction - what each part of the plane did, what she was looking for when she examined each area - that Lena was already starting to feel better about the prospect of the flight itself. But getting into the small cab of the plane was causing her nerves to surge up again.
It didn’t help that the quarters of the Cessna 152 were tight. Lena’s arm brushed against the firm muscle of Kara’s arm, causing a pulse to go up and down her spine, and she reluctantly admitted to herself that her heart was pounding for more reasons than one.
Kara pushed in a red knob, fingers gliding over other buttons and switches, before opening her window. “CLEAR PROP,” she yelled out, before starting the engine. Lena was surprised by the noise - even through her headset, she felt like she was inside a washing machine - but the surprise faded quickly. She could hear Kara speaking to ground control. The words were too fast for her to catch, with the unfamiliar vocabulary, but she figured they were in the clear when Kara began to taxi the plane.
“We have two options,” Kara said, as Lena glanced over. “We can fly over the city and give you a nice view, or we can go to the practice area and let you fly this thing yourself. Which would you prefer?”
“Practice area,” Lena said, surprising herself with her answer. Given her fear of heights, it had been a miracle enough that she had gotten into the plane at all. But she found herself feeling more and more comfortable.
And maybe a little bit of that had to do with Kara.
After a last few checks of the engine and controls, Lena found herself hurtling down a runway, lifting off and quickly reaching speeds beyond what she’d hit on a freeway. Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults - but the view out the window was entrancing. Trees and rivers and roads, even some mountains in the distance. Kara had invited her to open the window - something she didn’t realize small planes could do - and she found herself smiling at the fresh flowing air and the sights below.
“We’re leveling off,” Kara said. “Do you want to take the controls?”
“Y-yes,” Lena said shakily.
“I’m right here,” Kara said comfortingly. “I’m not going anywhere. We have plenty of altitude, you’re not going to hurt anything.”
Lena nodded, placing her hands on the yoke in front of her. For all the adrenaline that was coursing through her… it was starting to feel like a good thing.
Kara smiled as she watched Lena initiate another turn. For all that Lena had started nervous, she was smiling with each maneuver, with the cutest dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Keep it professional, Danvers, Kara reminded herself, glancing out the window to scan for other airplane traffic. “Turn right to a heading of one-seven,” she said, smiling as Lena initiated another turn. “Remember to use your feet,” Kara said, pointing to the turn coordinator, “You want to keep the rudder in line with your turn.”
“This is incredible,” Lena said a moment later, as she rolled out of the turn. Not bad for a first flight, Kara thought, noting that they were only about 5 degrees off heading.
“How did you get started in this?” Lena asked.
The smile on Kara’s face dampered, but she quickly schooled her impression back into a smile. “Family,” she said simply. “A long time ago. But I got my licenses working my way through college.”
She could sense Lena’s surprise at how Kara skimmed past mentioning her family, but Kara was grateful that Lena didn’t push further. “That’s nice,” the brunette said. “Do you like instructing?”
“I love it,” Kara said, brightening. “No two flights are ever the same. There’s so much you can do in these planes.”
“When’s your favorite time to fly?” Lena asked.
“Winter, after a snowstorm,” Kara said. “The world is blanketed in white. It looks surprisingly peaceful from up here. Though spring is fun, too - the winds get a little squirrely, makes it interesting to fly in.”
Lena laughed. “You make it sound like you like turbulence.”
“The sky’s just an ocean,” Kara shrugged. “It’s nice to feel the waves.”
“Do you think you’ll miss it? When you join the airlines and start flying big planes?”
You have no idea, Kara thought, her mind briefly drifting to her plans immediately after Lena’s flight - and how some things don’t last forever. Realistically, joining an airline was the only real career a pilot could pursue. In a few months, she’d have her hours, and be able to take the next step in her career.
Any other dream was simply… unrealistic.
But at least she’d still be flying planes every day. And in the meantime, she could enjoy her next few months. “I’ll definitely miss these planes,” she said.
Lena’s knees felt shaky when she finally stepped out of the plane. That was exhilarating, she thought to herself, thinking back on the forests they had flown over, on how responsive the plane was in her hands, on how… freeing it all was, to be disconnected from everything on the ground, if only for an hour. It was only when they were almost back at the flight school that Lena realized she was smiling ear to ear.
“Welcome back,” Winn said, as Lena and Kara entered the office. Kara quickly ducked behind the counter, before pulling out one of the unused logbooks, and began writing inside.
“How did you like it?” Winn asked brightly, as Lena handed him the keys.
“Less terrifying than I thought it would be,” Lena said, a little breathless, and still trying to slow her beating heart, and reflecting on how much she seemed to just want more. The company didn’t hurt either, Lena thought, watching Kara curiously as the blonde continued to write.
“Ready, Kara?” came a deep voice behind them.
Lena turned as a man entered the room. He nodded in Lena’s direction, before turning to Kara.
“Almost,” Kara said, finishing what she was writing. She glanced up, and held out the logbook to Lena.
Lena took it curiously. “What’s this?” she asked.
“Your logbook,” Kara winked. “If you ever want to pursue a license, that flight counts.”
Lena smiled, glancing down at the black book. “Thank you.”
“It was nice meeting you, Lena,” Kara said, extending her hand.
Lena reached out, holding back a shiver as Kara’s hand encased her own. “Nice meeting you too, Kara,” she said.
Kara smiled, releasing Lena’s hand, before reaching down for her bag. “I’m ready, J’onn.”
Lena turned, watching as Kara and J’onn headed out the door, before turning back to Winn. “Not a lot of downtime, huh?”
“Never,” Winn said. “The instructors are usually running back to back. Especially her, when she’s taking lessons too.”
“Kara’s taking lessons?”
“With J’onn,” Winn said, nodding. “She’s taking aerobatics lessons. J’onn’s a competition-level instructor.”
“Aerobatics?” Lena asked, her stomach dropping at the thought of doing wild and crazy maneuvers in the air.
“She loves it. Does amateur competitions. Goes to every air show she can.”
Lena tilted her head in thought, mulling over Kara’s hesitance when Lena had asked about joining an airline. I wonder…
Lena glanced curiously over her shoulder, to where the blonde had left. She felt it inside her, the pull, an instinct that she thought she should ignore. “I…” her voice trailed off as she hesitated. “I think I might be interested in taking more lessons?” she said, turning back to Winn, part of her feeling insane for the words that had fallen out of her mouth.
But she felt she wasn’t done with this. Not yet.
“Sure,” Winn replied, turning to his computer, where Lena could see a schedule pop up. “Snapper can take another student-”
“What?” Lena asked, confused. “Kara can’t?”
“Her schedule is pretty full,” Winn said, frowning at the screen. “One of her students had to cancel today, that’s how we got your slot last-minute.”
“Oh,” Lena said, deflating.
“But…” Winn said, eyeing Lena. “I can ask her if she’d be willing to take an extra student? Might mean some late evenings for you if she says yes, though.”
Lena glanced at Winn. This is foolish, she said to herself. What am I doing here? Do I actually want to learn to fly? What if she says no?
But still high on adrenaline - on the views of the sprawling forest below and the rumble of the engine and the smiling blonde next to her - all good judgment had flown out the window. “Y-yes,” Lena said. “If you could ask, I’d appreciate it.”
It’s too soon, Kara thought, as she got back on the ground with her last student.
J’onn had kicked her ass during her aerobatics lesson… she was never unsafe, but her focus was definitely lost, leading to some sloppy inverted spins. She had managed to push Lena out of her mind for the two students she had to train after her lesson with J’onn - it helped that they were both on the earlier end of their training, and so needed a lot of detailed instruction - but she simply couldn’t get the brunette out of her head.
It’s too soon anyway, Kara told herself again, as she walked towards the flight school’s office, chatting with her last student about their lesson plan for next week. I’m barely over Lucy as it is, she thought to herself, wondering how her ex was doing back in Metropolis.
There was no point in dating. Not when she only had about 6 more months before joining the airlines. And then she’d finally be able to start paying down her student loans, get an actual healthcare plan. What’s the point of starting a relationship when I’m just going to leave anyway?, she thought to herself.
Her last student left, and Kara turned to Winn, who was finishing some tasks in the schedule, making some last-minute checks on maintenance logs. “Need any help?” she asked.
“Nah, I got it,” Winn said.
Kara nodded, throwing a quick see you tomorrow in his direction, before turning towards the door.
“Oh, wait!” Winn said, causing Kara to turn back.
“Yeah?”
“Your disco flight today - Lena?”
“What about her?” Kara asked.
“She was wondering if you could take an extra student,” Winn said, looking up. “I told her you probably couldn’t, but maybe if you want to do late evenings? If you want to build your time a little faster.”
She wants me?, Kara thought, trying not to let it go to her head. She tried to hold back, knowing damn well that she certainly shouldn’t date her student - she couldn’t know if Lena was interested in women anyway.
But seeing the brunette again? She was giddy at the thought. “Yeah,” Kara said offhandedly. “I can take an extra student.”
“Great!” Winn said, jotting a note down on the desk. “I’ll let her know first thing tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” Kara said, before turning to head out the door, with an extra skip in her step.