1. Could you ever be happy with me?
“You’ve been avoiding me.” Cat jumps at the sound
of Kara’s voice, nearly dropping the phone she’d been typing on as she rounded
the corner of the hallway to her apartment in shock.Kara would be apologetic, if not for the fact
that Cat has been impossible to get a
hold of for the past few days.“What the hell are you doing here?” Cat’s shock
turns into anger before Kara’s very eyes, as she draws herself up to her full
height and shoots Kara her best glare. “How did you even get in the building?”“Well, I tried to front desk but apparently I’m no longer on your list of
permitted visitors.” Cat at least has the grace to look a little guilty. “So I
came through the window, instead. Considering the price you pay for this place,
you should really have better security.”
Tag: fanfic
Hair Care
Based off a head-cannoning session with @quietpersona as I finished my last essay of the semester.
You can also read this on AO3
This is SuperCat btw, set in season 1. It dumb.
As most interactions begin with Kiara, this one begins normally. A pen through her hair.
It’s safe to say that perhaps (maybe) Cat has thought about replacing the pens with her own fingers. To let those long, silky strands slide across her palm before leaning in to press her lips-
Ah yes, budget sheets.
Anyway, Kiara, besides never using conditioner and always looking like a whirlwind had ripped through her house, leaving her with nary a hairbrush to be found, has decent enough hair.
——
The next item is a little… less normal.
Majorly judging you, 14!
sitting on someone’s lap
It’s easy, sometimes, to forget that Alura’s life on Krypton was, for her, not so long ago.
It’s easy to forget that for her, her planet’s destruction was not decades ago, but so recent, so, so recent, because she’s adapted to life here to quickly, and she’s built a life in the place of her sorrow. She’s happy, too, Lucy knows that, she can see it, she sees it when Alura laughs with her sister and embraces her daughter, sees it when she watches Astra and Alex lean together like they have no troubles in the world. She sees it in Alura’s eyes when the woman kisses her. She knows that Alura is happy, because the woman spent enough of her life pretending, and hiding, and she leads this new life with an open honesty that is more refreshing than Lucy can describe.
But its the little things, really, that remind Lucy that Krypton’s influence is still very much present and alive within Alura. Things like this; the way Alura glances away when Lucy cups her face and tells her she’s beautiful, the faint crease that furrows her brow, the dusky flush high on her cheekbones.
Lucy frowns slightly in response, running her thumbs over Alura’s cheeks, and leans forward to nudge her nose against her jaw. ‘Hey’, she murmurs, kissing the defined edge, ‘you okay?’
Alura nods, her lips curving, her fingers carding through her hair. ‘Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?’
Lucy purses her lips slightly, considering her words, running her hands up and down the woman’s back. Alura’s weight is warm and familiar in her lap, their hips pressed together, and Lucy reaches for the remote to mute the television, silencing their marathon of Brooklyn Nine Nine, before she settles her hands on her hips. ‘No reason, really, just…’ she cups her face again, fingertips curling at the hinge of her jaw, ‘you sometimes look… so surprised when I say that’.
Alura blinks. Her brow furrows slightly, and she murmurs, ‘I suppose… I suppose I am’.
Lucy’s frown deepens, and she loops her arms around Alura’s neck, twisting locks of her hair around her fingers. ‘You don’t think you’re beautiful?’
( x )
“Hi! I’m calling on behalf of–”
Alex was going over inventory with Vasquez, when her phone buzzed at her hip.
“Your mom?” Vasquez asked, checking off a box on her list.
Alex scowled at Vasquez. “I have other people besides my mom calling me, you know.”
Vasquez snorted, but kept her eyes on her clipboard and the stockpile of dangerous items in front of her. Alex picked up the phone, eyes narrowed and trained on Vasquez.
“Hello?”
“Hi! I’m calling on behalf of–” a cheerful voice started off, and Alex’s frown deepened, pulling the phone away from her ear to glare at it.
oh my god that is the cutest little thing!
wobbly, rambly Kara is A++
imagine person a of your polyship has a sibling who is very important to them, and so their partners take it upon themselves to get to know a’s sibling
The second Kara had stepped through the front door of the Danvers home all those years ago, Alex’s core programming had gone from ‘Be the best’ to ‘Protect Kara, no matter what.’ More than a little resentful at the newest addition to her family, Alex had fought it tooth and nail. But when push came to shove, she was the one breaking noses and egos whenever someone tried to take advantage of Kara’s alien naivety.
As the years went on, it took its toll on her dating life. Her partners didn’t quite understand why she would drop everything at the drop of a hat to check up on Kara. Throw in Eliza constant expressing her disappointment in Alex, a dual MD/PhD program, and the stress of protecting Kara’s secret as best she could, and it was little wonder she had ended up having a massive downward spiral that ended with her in a drunk tank. Even after a considerable amount of therapy and patching things up between her and her mother, Alex still had a tendency to put Kara above everything else.
By the time Kara came out as Supergirl, Alex had pretty much given up the hope of finding someone else. Besides, years of covert work and countless lies had blurred the lines of what she considered to be the Real Alex and Work Alex. Work Alex was more than happy to detain a man who had threatened her sister without a warrant. Real Alex was more than willing to throw down to protect her sister, but tired quickly of the means it took to do that.
Then Lucy had entered her life. Lucy, who understood what it was like being held up to a sister who could do no wrong in the eyes of the world. Lucy, who understood crushing parental expectation. She had walked into the DEO, saw through Work Alex, and immediately started to punch holes in the wall that separated Work Alex and Real Alex. Arrest and near-deportation to Cadmus aside, Alex found herself drawn to the shorter woman. She quickly pushed those feelings aside because not only was Alex straight, but Lucy was Kara’s friend.
Then Maggie showed up and promptly kicked that idea to pieces. Even if Alex hadn’t had the meltdown that she had, she was pretty sure that Maggie would have figured out her connection to Supergirl soon enough. To her surprise, Maggie had taken it better than she expected. She looked out for Kara much like Alex did. And for once, Alex had hope that maybe she could still protect Kara without having to sacrifice her own happiness.
And then Lucy met Maggie and turned Alex’s world on its head. Neither one of them were content to see Alex drive herself into the ground trying to keep her Work self and her Real self apart. Nor were they particularly enthused by Alex’s lack of self-regard whenever Kara’s life was on the line. So they both conspired with each other to get to know Kara much like Alex knew her. To make Alex see that she wasn’t the only one who cared about her sister or willing to go to serious lengths to keep her safe.
–
Maggie
A knock at her door woke Kara up. She blinked blearily a few times before she managed to get herself to stand. She shuffled over to the door. She opened it.
“Alex, I’m fine, I’m just–” she cut herself off abruptly when she realised that it wasn’t Alex standing before her. It was Maggie. “Maggie?”
Maggie grinned. “Hey Little Danvers.” She held up a bag of what smelled like potstickers and chicken soup. Kara’s stomach rumbled at the scent. “Mind if I come in?”
“Oh yeah, of course.” Kara moved aside to let Maggie in.
Maggie stepped inside. She looked around the apartment and frowned. The blinds were wide open, allowing for maximum sunlight to flood the space and give it a nice warm feel. Maggie knew that Kara loved the sunlight more than most humans did, but she also knew that the only reason Kara would have the blinds this open was because she had blown out her powers and was now sick. She glanced over to the coffee table. A few tissue boxes and a small, nearly full rubbish bin confirmed her suspicions.
“Alex know you blew out your powers?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at Kara.
Kara could feel her face heat up. “No,” she mumbled. Her latest fight had taken more out of her last night than she expected. She’d had enough power to make it home, only to wake up with a scratchy throat and a killer headache.
A thought struck Kara. “Wait, how did you know?”
Maggie shrugged. “Gut feeling.” She had been on scene for the latest attack the night before and could only watch as Kara was beaten down seven city blocks before she managed to get the upper hand. Something had told her that the younger Danvers wouldn’t be happy in the morning.
Kara eyed her suspicious. Had Alex said something to Maggie? She couldn’t see how, considering she hadn’t even told Alex yet. Before she could ask, several harsh coughs wrack her chest.
Maggie was by Kara’s side before she could blink. “C’mon Little Danvers, let’s get you back to the couch,” she said. She helped settle an unprotesting Kara on the couch.
“’M fine,” Kara grumbled.
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, sure,” she said. Kara pouted. Maggie placed a hand on Kara’s forehead. It was warm, but not terribly so. “I’m going to go heat up some soup, you just lay there, alright?”
Kara huffed, but otherwise didn’t protest. Maggie gently pulled one of the throw blankets over Kara before making her way to the kitchen. She unpacked the food and shoved it into the microwave. She started it up and pulled out her phone to see a text from Lucy.
How is she?
Sick and stubborn, like Alex.
Lol. A bubble popped up, signaling that Lucy was still typing. So her powers are out?
Yeah. Looks like they went out sometime last night. Maggie shook her head. I’m heating up some soup and potstickers for her right now.
Ok. I should be out within the hour, assuming Adamson’s speech doesn’t go over. Again.
Maggie had to fight back a laugh at that. She could picture Lucy’s scowl. Lucy’s disdain for the flamboyant, Guliani-esque prosector was well known by her and Alex.
Ok. See you in a bit. Love you. A thought struck Maggie. Can you bring one of Alex’s sweatshirts? Think Kara might need it.
Will do. Love you too ❤
–
Lucy
Lucy used the spare key in Kara’s fake potted plant to get inside her apartment. She walked in to see Kara, fast asleep, curled up against Maggie. Maggie’s head turned at the noise.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“How long has she been out?” Lucy asked, kicking off her heels and shrugging off her blazer.
“’Bout 30 minutes, give or take.” She motioned at the coffee table. “Managed to get her to eat about half the soup and six potstickers before she fell asleep.”
Lucy nodded. “That’s good.” The fact that Kara still had the appetite to put all of that away before she fell asleep was a good sign. She reached into her purse and pulled out Alex’s worn Stanford sweatshirt.
Maggie gently nudged Kara awake when she saw it. “Hey, Kara.”
Kara’s forehead scrunched up, but otherwise there was no reaction. Maggie and Lucy exchanged looks before Maggie gave Kara a slightly firmer poke.
“C’mon Kara, up for a few minutes, alright?”
Kara huffed and opened her eyes. Maggie helped her sit up as Lucy passed her Alex’s sweatshirt. She showed it to Kara. Her bleary eyes lit up at the sight.
“Need help?”
At first, Kara wanted to say no, but her body felt so heavy and an ache that hadn’t been there before was now present at full force.
“Yeah.”
Maggie worked to help Kara pull it over her head while Lucy went to get more blankets. Soon, Kara was settled back up against her. It didn’t take long for Kara’s breathing to even out as she fell back asleep.
Lucy reemerged with a Stitch blanket that she knew was Kara’s favorite when she was sick, but would emphatically deny when she was coherent. She tucked it around Kara before sitting on Maggie’s left and cuddling up next to her.
Maggie ran her free hand through Lucy’s hair, gently undoing the tight twist she had it in.
“J’onn know that Kara’s powers are out?”
Lucy hummed the affirmative. “He’s informed Alex and Morrison, who says that we should bring Kara in first thing in the morning.”
Maggie nodded. “You think Alex will be home tonight?”
“Probably.” Lucy shrugged. “I texted her and told her that we’re taking care of Kara, but you know how she gets.”
Maggie nodded. Calm as Alex was under pressure, she was usually the first to panic when Kara solar-flared. Of course, a panicked Alex usually translated into extra snark, increased recklessness, and a sharp rise in the number of bodies being sent to the medbay.
Lucy leaned her head against Maggie’s shoulder. Soon, both of them dozed off alongside Kara.
–
Alex
Alex rushed up the steps of Kara’s apartment two at a time. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She’d gotten Lucy’s text informing her that Kara had solar flared and, despite J’onn’s reassurances that Kara was being well taken care of, immediately jumped on the next flight home. She flung the stairwell door open and skid the last fifteen steps to Kara’s apartment. She took a moment to catch her breath and gather herself before using her key to get in.
She froze at the sight in front of her. Lucy was curled up against Maggie, who had her arm wrapped protectively around Kara. There was a half eaten order of potstickers and soup.
Lucy was the first one awake at the sound of the door opening. She shifted slightly and glanced over her shoulder to see Alex standing in the doorway like a deer in the headlights. She waved.
“Hey, Danvers,” she greeted, voice rough with sleep.
Alex quickly hurried over. “Hey.” By now, Maggie was starting to stir. Only Kara remained asleep, a true sign of just how much the solar flare had taken out of her.
Maggie blinked. “You just get home?”
“Yeah.” Alex nodded. “Took the first flight home after J’onn called.” She glanced at Kara and bit her lip. “Thank you, both of you for…” She motioned to Kara.
Lucy leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on Alex’s lips, drawing a noise of surprise from her.
“You don’t have to thank us, Danvers,” she said.
“But–”
“Don’t worry about it, Alex,” Maggie interrupted, but not unkindly. She gave her a lopsided smile that seemed to emphasize her dimples. “We get it.”
We get just how important Kara is to you and it doesn’t bother us, was left unsaid, but Alex heard it nonetheless. Her shoulders slumped in relief. She hadn’t felt that kind of relief since before the three of them had become a triad. Up until now, she felt like she had been walking on eggshells trying to balance her relationship with the two of them and the duty that had been engrained in her as a teenager to keep her sister safe.
Alex stood. “Let me at least help get her into bed,” she said. “That couch can get pretty uncomfortable after a while.”
Maggie groaned as she moved. “No kidding.”
Alex reached out and shook Kara awake. “Hey, Kar, wake up,” she urged.
Kara’s eyes fluttered open. She was more than a little confused to see Alex standing in her apartment.
“’Lex?” she asked groggily. “W’at are you d’ing here? Thought you…” she yawned. “Had a con’frence.”
“Got bored and came home early,” Alex lied almost immediately. Lucy and Maggie traded exasperated looks that went unnoticed by the sisters. She gave Kara a slight smile. “Probably a good thing I did.” She tilted her head. “Think you can stand?”
Kara nodded. She tried to push herself up and almost immediately regretted the move. She swayed on her feet for half a second before Alex and Maggie caught her.
“Easy, Kara,” Alex said. “Just one foot in front of the other.”
“We got you, Little Danvers,” Maggie assured her.
Slowly but surely the three of them made their way to Kara’s bedroom. Lucy took the rear with the blankets firmly in her arms. The three of them helped Kara into bed and then exchanged looks with each other. Surprisingly enough, Lucy was the one who broke the stalemate. She rolled her eyes and before either Maggie or Alex could react, she was crawling into bed and curling up next to Kara.
Maggie fought back a laugh at Lucy’s actions, but followed nonetheless. Alex was the last to join in on the cuddle pile.
Kara cuddled closer to Maggie. “You’ve got the warm’st girlfriends, ‘Lex,” she grumbled. “They’re…” Another yawn. “The best.”
Alex smiled warmly. “Yeah, they are.” She kissed Maggie and reached over to intertwine her fingers with Lucy, who was just out of reach to kiss. Lucy squeezed her fingers and turned the smile.
Alex settled up against Maggie and let her eyes drift shut. It was great to beloved, but it was so much more profound to be understood, and they understood her better than anyone. She wouldn’t trade her lovers for anything.
Kitten Thinks Of Nothing But Murder All Day
“Winn.”
Alex’s voice comes from behind him, low and dangerous. It immediately puts Winn on edge as he swivels around to see her stalking towards him.
“What the hell is this?” Alex demands as she thrusts a picture into his face.
Winn tries to back up so he can actually see the picture. The few centimeters between his chair and desk are crossed quickly, and he has to squeeze into the seatback cushion. Still he manages to make enough space to make out a small ginger kitten attacking a ball of yarn and a caption that reads, “kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day.”
“An internet meme?” Winn ventures cautiously. He’s pretty sure Alex is aware of the meme, so he’s not sure exactly what she’s asking.
“I know that,” Alex says, confirming his suspicions. Picture still in hand, Alex places a hand on each of his armrests and leans in intimidatingly, her face now occupying the space where the picture used to be. “But what is it doing on my office door?”
Oh.
Oh, this is bad.
This makes so much sense.
Which is probably why it’s so bad.
When it
happens it happens fast. The story about Lena’s illegal activities leaks
online first – a blog run by a disenfranchised L-corp employee who was shocked
to discover the company she works for is spending a fortune to develop
technology seemingly designed to kill the superhero who once saved her
life. Lena did the science on her own, but the amount of money she
spent making the kryptonite couldn’t stay hidden forever. Lena and James
are in full damage control mode. Kara is panicking and conflicted by the
tone of the coverage – people are laying into Lena in defence of *her*,
supergirl, furious at what they perceive as another Luthor up to the same old
tricks, threatening their hero.‘Lena’s
my friend’ she wants to say. ‘She’s not a bad person.‘ Except Lena
did do all the things they’re angry about and their reasons for being angry
seem valid. Kara’s left with an uneasy feeling that she’s missing
something.Cat sees
the stories within an hour of the original leak. Her response is immediate.
After a long conversation with Olivia and a hasty search for a replacement Cat
hands in her resignation and takes a private flight back to National City,
networking all the way. By the time her flight lands there’s an emergency
board meeting scheduled for the next day, one that James and Lena don’t know
anything about. They’re surprised to see her, then furious. The
terms under which Lena was allowed to purchase a controlling interest in a
multi billion dollar company so cheaply are quite clear – provided Cat has the
money and isn’t in public service she can claim them back any time she likes –
but that doesn’t prevent Lena from trying to stop the buy back. The
meeting gets ugly, but Cat doesn’t give her a choice and the board is on side.
They don’t all love her, but they like Cat (and the power of her brand, not
exactly weakened by a stint as the WHPS) a lot better than a young and untried
CEO who seems to treat the company as a hobby.
Especially when that CEO is being investigated by the FBI.Because
the feds weren’t just sitting around while all this is happening. Lena Luthor has possibly broken a bunch of
federal laws and the DEO has apparently dropped the ball on investigating
her. The FBI are already opening a case
file.Lena
doesn’t seem to know how to handle someone who simply refuses to let her
browbeat or guilt trip them into submission. Is that why she signed the
contract, Cat wonders? Did she think she could get her own way just by
complaining? Lena claims prejudice against Luthors. Cat points out
that it’s not prejudicial to be investigated for breaking the law when there’s
quite a lot of evidence that you did, in fact, break the law. When the meeting
gets out Kara is there, wide eyed and pale faced and Cat wishes, badly, that
she had time to stop and explain, but she doesn’t. There’s a lot that
needs to be done and it needs to be done fast.Her next
meeting is with James. Olsen is all pride and self-importance, clearly
thinking this is an opportunity to badger her about the short sharp way she’s
just dealt with Lena. She expected so much better from him than this.“You’re
fired,” Cat tells him.There’s
yelling, all the usual words men call women who have power over them.Cat has
some things to say about people who run media conglomerates not reporting major
stories. Such as, for example, a powerful billionaire having secretly and
illegally made their own stockpile of kryptonite with misappropriated funds and
having lied during a criminal investigation. There are also the illegal,
unethical, unauthorised medical experiments (with no actual doctor involved)
said not-so-hypothetical billionaire was running. And James knew about it
and didn’t report it.It didn’t
even occur to him that he should report it, Cat observes. He’s so far
gone there wasn’t even an ethical struggle. Is it because Lena was his
boss or his girlfriend? She doesn’t accuse him of thinking with his
dick. She doesn’t have to.She has a
few observations to make about the amount of time he spends being Guardian when
he’s supposed to be running her company, too.James
wonders why Kara gets special privileges. She knew too, he says.
She’s hardly ever in the building because she’s being Supergirl.Save the
world a few times Cat tells him, then we’ll talk. There’s a difference
between having power come to you and feeling you have to put it to good use and
chasing the thrill when you already have a job and power that you could use to
change lives, Cat says. And Kara is one
very junior reporter (whose identity James just outed, by the way). James
is – was – responsible for setting the editorial tone for the whole damn
company. He has to be better because his choices affect everyone, affect
CatCo’s entire output and determine what kind of information CatCo’s readers
are getting.Which
brings her back to how his ass is fired. Security are already waiting.CatCo’s
coverage of the scandal is unrelenting. Cat has brought a new protege
back from Washington with her, a woman named Nia Nal who ends up taking the
lead on the story after an investigative piece that examines how Lex Luthor
used Lexcorp resources in his campaign against Superman and questions to what
degree those operations were repurposed by Lena. What did she find out after she took over the
company and how much did she keep to herself instead of reporting to the
authorities? Nia is sharp and incisive in her writing, more Lois Lane
than Cat Grant in the way she reports but definitely Cat’s student in the way
she dresses and acts and charms. Kara is
a little intimidated honestly – Nia is a year or two younger than her but feels
ten years ahead in experience and confidence.
And maybe a little jealous of her connection to Cat. The timeline
she assembles of Lena’s activities is damning. So is the article she
writes about the dangers involved in artificially synthesising Krytponite,
happily unaware of Kara’s personal experience with both of the major incidents
related to it.When Lena
is marched out of L-Corp in handcuffs, by FBI agents who are actually FBI
agents, Kara watches from CatCo. She
doesn’t trust herself not to do something stupid if she was there in person and
they are actual law enforcement officers doing their jobs. Her conscience says to protect her
friend. Her conscience also says to
respect the law. It feels like being
ripped in two. It turns out that having
private manufacturing capability for Kryptonite is a much bigger deal than Kara
even realised – she’s surprised by how many laws Lena actually broke to make
it. It seems like half the government is
involved. The FBI of course and the IRS
aren’t that surprising. There was
apparently some tricky bookkeeping involved in hiding the expense. But OSHA?
The EPA? She doesn’t realise she
spoke the thought aloud until Nia answers.Well
yeah, says Nia, Kyrptonite is an unstable radioactive element that doesn’t
occur naturally and which scientists hardly know anything about. There’s even some evidence that it might be
dangerous to humans as well as Kryptonians. Experiments with it often go
wrong. Lena was working with the stuff
in a building with thousands of occupants who had no clue it was there, with no
oversight and only the safety regulations she felt like following. Not to mention all the ways it could be
abused. What if criminals got hold of it
and detonated a dirty kryptonite bomb in Metropolis or National City? What if terrorists threatened Superman or
Supergirl – beloved national icons – for leverage? The role Supergirl and her cousin play in
society makes an unregistered, unknown supply of Kryptonite a national security
issue, Nia points out, although she adds that she has mixed feelings about
letting the government have a monopoly on the stuff either. Kara is reeling. She’s not used to thinking
about herself in those terms, but she realises Nia has a point. And it occurs to her, with a sinking feeling,
that Lena can’t have been blind to all of this.The trial
is a nightmare. Kara feels torn in every
direction at once. Alex is furious on
her behalf and fights to stay calm because she knows Kara is heartbroken and
her anger isn’t helping. James turns
state’s evidence to avoid charges of being an accessory after the fact.Through
it all Cat is her rock, even as the media rips Lena apart. CatCo’s coverage is uncompromising, but Cat
gives strict orders that they aren’t going to sink to the hysterical conspiracy
theories about the Luthor family that every other rag in town is spouting. All the while Cat counsels Kara, even when
Kara lashes out, screams at her for the things CatCo is printing about
Lena. It’s true, Cat tells her, soft and
sad and just hurting for Kara.
Everything we’ve said is true.
She did break the law. She broke
a lot of laws. And lied about it in the
course of a criminal investigation. CatCo will be fair. If Lena is damned, she’ll be damned only with
the facts, not with rumour or suspicion. When she’s calmer Kara works up the nerve to
ask her why she’s so understanding of Kara’s mixed feelings towards Lena,
especially when she knows that Cat is furious about the conflict of interest
Lena created by taking a position at CatCo in the first place (Kara’s heard
more than one staffer speculate about Lena’s motivations for buying the media
outlet with the close relationship to Supergirl in light of everything).Cat takes
her out onto the balcony and talks to her about unhealthy relationships. Sometimes we love people who are bad for us,
she says. Sometimes we are loved by
people who are bad for us. That doesn’t
mean the love isn’t real, only that it isn’t healthy. Cat will never disrespect Kara’s emotions or
say she’s not entitled to them. She will
encourage Kara to understand them and recognise what’s good and what isn’t, and
leave what isn’t behind, but she’ll never tell Kara she’s not entitled to
them. No crying at work, Kara reminds
her. We’re not allowed to be angry. That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to feel
them, Cat replies. Only that there’s a
time and a place to show them. Then she
asks Kara how her new junior editorial position is working out – the position Cat
gently nudged her towards as soon as she found time after plotting CatCo’s
response to the first wave of LuthorGate (Cat purely hates that name, but
despite her best efforts it seems to have stuck). Kara’s not sure if it’s for her yet, but in
some ways it comes more easily than reporting did. For now it’s a good place to have a little
peace.Then Lena
takes the stand. It’s a disaster. The evidence of her illegal activities is
incontrovertible, especially since she has outright declared much of what she
did. When confronted over why she broke
the law, she insists that she was justified, that it was necessary, that she
had to do it and only she could do it.
Not once does she deny any of the crimes she’s accused of. Instead she declares that she was right to
commit them or that she had everything under control so there was nothing to
worry about. The prosecution press
her. Why? Why was it necessary? Why did it have to be her? Eventually she has something that isn’t exactly
a breakdown, it’s too calm and controlled for that, but a long declaration of
the threat posed by aliens, the necessity of being prepared, whatever that
takes, even if it means lethal force and dragging them lout of their homes. They’re so dangerous, Lena says. Earth has to be ready. Just in case, she says. Just in case. Kara thinks about Alex when she was under the red kryptonite. Thinks about how Alex would have killed her, if she had to, not in fear or anger but in love, because she knows Kara would want someone to stop her. Lena is all fear and anger now.It’s
horrendous to witness, partly because she’s so calm, so certain, even as she spouts
the language of fear and paranoia and hostility. She’s speaking but those are Lillian’s words
coming out, Kara thinks, and Lena doesn’t even realise it.Then the
defence call a surprise witness. Cat
Grant. Cat recounts several encounters she
had with Lillian when they were both a lot younger. When Lena was a child. She talks about how she saw Lillian treat
Lena, the coldness, the manipulation, the steady stream of prejudice Lena was
fed. Cat is not the only witness to
these events and not the one who saw the most – a stream of household staff,
classmates of Lena’s and others are called.
But Cat has the biggest impact – the woman who supported Supergirl from
the start, who always had faith. Kara
hears what no one else can in Cat’s words and knows that Cat sees parallels between
Lillian and Katherine. Being raised by Lillian Luthor was probably a lot like
being raised by Katherine Grant, multiplied by a 100 and with sustained
exposure to anti-alien bias thrown in.Eventually
Lena is sentenced to a minimum security prison with a lot of mandatory
therapy. Kara’s not sure how she feels
about that. Take your time, Cat tells
her. You don’t have to figure it out
right now. Kara reaches out and takes
Cat’s hand. And just sits. And lets herself be.#supergirl #supercat #supercorp #kinda? #cat grant #kara danvers #kara zor-el #lena luthor #this just came pouring out of me in an hour flat #i’m a little salty #okay a lot salty #argyle-s #this is your fault #you kinda inspired this #james olsen #is also in this #i am not kind to him #and i am not sorry #some people will probably call this lena bashing #honestly i tried my hardest to be fair
I’ll absolutely take the blame for this. Lena and James are both characters I really want to like, but they are both terrible friends to Kara.
Completely inspired by/contributed to by @of-suns-and-guns, blame her for everything. NSFW.
Kara’s apartment is empty when Alex arrives, not that she’s expected differently. There’d been a call right before Alex had finished changing out of her uniform, a nasty three-car accident on the highway.
She’d known Kara would respond and perhaps she’s a little relieved Kara will be late. There will be less chance of Kara swinging back by the DEO and exchanging any sort of gossip—which suits Alex just fine.
She hums to herself as she lays out the takeout and paper plates, taking the time to make sure everything is neat before she turns the TV on.
Just as everything is prepped and she’s begun serving herself, Kara arrives.
“How’d it go?” she asks without looking up from adding rice to her plate.
Kara’s boots thud softly against the ground. “Could have been worse. Everyone got to the hospital in record time, at least.”
“That’s good news. Every second counts,” Alex agrees. She pushes a piece of chicken back from the edge of her plate with a fork.
There’s a few quick gusts of wind, and then Kara is taking the seat next to her.
“So how was your day, Alex?” Kara asks.
Alex’s senses go on high alert. Kara hasn’t picked up a plate. “Fine. Chill, even.”
“Is that so? I heard you caught a live grenade. That doesn’t sound very chill to me.”
Alex/Lucy- 14 + 2
2. Royal AU + 14. Bodyguard AU – OH MY GOD what an interesting set of universes and I AM LIT FOR IT thank you anon for stretching my mind a bit with this combo i played with three different thoughts before i decided to put this one down
“Why do I suddenly need a bodyguard?” Alex growls as she walks alongside Kara through the Great Hall. Her cape is swishing behind her in the same manner that Kara’s used to but now Kara’s changed her supersuit out for the royal Kryptonian garb. Needless to say, they were both going through a transition process.
Kara tries not to sigh because her sister was going through a tougher time since leaving Earth and joining her on New Argo City. “Alex, it isn’t just up to me. The United Nations still doesn’t have a functional intergalactic policy that lets us freely travel between planets.”
“Isn’t that the purpose of these summits?” Alex argues. “We come in good faith and all that? We have made our intentions clear that we’d like to form a mutually beneficial relationship between our planets.”
Kara smiles at how much Alex has unconsciously adopted New Argo City as her second home. “Alex, we may be able to express that, but that doesn’t mean that everyone will believe it. To humans, we are gods and nothing is more terrifying than knowing that there’s a whole planet of gods out there.”
“Oh please,” Alex scoffs, rolling her eyes.
Kara giggles at how unafraid Alex is. “Look, I know that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but you’re still human. When you go back to Earth, the yellow sun won’t give you the same benefits as we have.”
“I have this suit,” Alex argues gesturing to the suit with the House of El emblem she’s adopted since her move, “which has let me live like any other Kryptonian for last couple of years and with some modifications, I’ll be just as bulletproof as you.”
Kara stops walking and lets out a small sigh. She looks like she’s about to give in but she can’t. “Alex, let’s just go with it for now. My mother has already made arrangements with the UN. Please? Please, please, please?” She gives her best puppy eyes at Alex and clasps her hands.
“Fine,” Alex grits out, unable to say no to Kara, “but I’m wearing my suit the whole time.”
Kara beams. “Yay! I’ll be wearing mine too!”
—————-
The yellow sun is a bit jarring to Alex surprisingly that when they break through the atmosphere to land, it takes her a bit more time to readjust her vision. It’s harder for her than it is for Kara, so she settles for wearing sunglasses with her Kryptonian suit.
Everything feels different. It’s strange how much time has actually passed because it feels a lot different on New Argo City. The technology is far different, much superior than Earth’s, so coming back – even riding a car feels different to Alex. There are things that she misses like the motorcycle she left at the DEO.
They pull up in front of the UN headquarters after a row of other cars and Alex dreads it already because the press is there. Luckily, there’s a boundary set up to keep them at bay.
“Remember to be nice,” Kara says as she smooths out her skirt.
Alex sticks her tongue out and sees through the glass someone approaching to open the door, but she shoves the door open on her own, almost whacking the person coming towards her.
The man at the door stands stunned as Alex doesn’t wait to get out of the car and in fact brushes around to hold the door open for Kara herself.
Just as she is about to reach for Kara’s hand, someone else’s reaches out first. They both of them stare stunned at the owner of the hand.
“Hey there princess,” Lucy greets with a cheeky smile. She’s dressed in a sharp black suit with a crisp white shirt like the rest of the men.
Kara lights up at the sight and grabs Lucy’s hand to climb out of the car. “Lucy, it’s so good to see you!” she says as she hugs her tightly.
Lucy lets out a small grunt to the force of the hug and gently pats Kara’s back. “Alright, alright. More pleasantries later, I am on duty.”
Kara pulls back with an excited smile and nods. She looks to Alex, who is still stunned to see Lucy there without her uniform. It’s been years.
Lucy lets the man lead Kara while she lingers after with Alex, falling in step as they walk towards the entrance. She says something indistinctly, pressing her ear as she does so.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Alex says gruffly, wringing her fingers behind her back. The cape obscures her nervous tick as she walks beside Lucy.
Lucy smiles. “I was told the human counselor of New Argo City needed a bodyguard.”
“So you’re going to put tall, dark, and blandsome over there to protect me?” Alex lifts her head to look past Kara at the guard. “I could break him with my pinky.”
Lucy suppresses a laugh. “I’d love to see that. But you’re stuck with me, Danvers.” She holds the door open for Alex after Kara passes through.
Alex’s eyes widen. “What?”
“Apparently you’re House of El royalty.” Lucy quips. “You think I’d miss out on this opportunity to give you shit for it?”
Alex rolls her eyes. Great, a week with Lucy by her side constantly. It makes her heart race in all directions. “I am going to give you so much hell then.”
Lucy tilts her head up with her glossy lips affectionately pursed. “I look forward to it, Counselor Danvers.”
Alex holds her breath at the obvious flirtatious tone Lucy uses on her and walks into the building with a swish of her cape. Seven days with Lucy. Alex can think of worse ways to spend her time visiting Earth.
Have you ever thought of a Supercat West Wing au, where Cat
is still Cat Grant, CEO of CatCo World Wide Media. She’s going along with her
life, kind of just coasting (I mean. Coasting for her), and she’s a bit bored with her life, but there’s not very
much she can do to challenge herself at this point—she’s built her empire,
she’s made her legacy. But she’s feeling a bit restless, the same restlessness
that got her to this point, that drive to be more.And then one day, someone from her war correspondent days
walks into her office, one Hank Henshaw, who saved her life when she was just a
rookie war correspondent who knew absolutely nothing, comes to see her. And he’s talking about this New England small time politician he wants
her to go see, at some retirement center, and that’s it.
He’s never called upon that debt, never used her for political or financial gain. Cat’s just thinking no way is she the real thing, at this
point (especially without Sunny Danvers in her life), more than a bit
jaded with humanity and pessimistic.But the man who once saved her life is asking her for a
favor, and it’s not power or money or a position of influence. It’s simply to
go to this place in Middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire, and hear some imbecile
speak. And this is what old friends do for someone who owes a life debt (and maybe she herself is just a little bit hopeful, just a little bit
curious. This is someone who has Hank
Henshaw’s faith. Henshaw might be the most honorable and decent man she
knows—and for someone who’s life’s work is to ferret out secrets, who refuses
to keep her head in the sand, that means something).And then on the way, maybe she stops in New York to visit
her old friend Lucy Lane, who’s working for gage whitney, making rich white
guys even richer. Both stuck in their ruts, uninspired.And Lucy tells her to come back if she sees the real thing.
Cat gives a bit of a sarcastic laugh and asks her how the hell would she even
know—and Lucy tells her she’s seen Cat excited before, truly excited. Lucy will
just know.(and maybe Cat did her background research on her way
there—she was a journalist first. Foster child, with a life plagued by tragedy,
adopted by one of the state’s oldest families. Some went to college on military
scholarship, had a bit of a career as an artist after serving her 4 years of
active duty. Single. Spotless record. Very few relationships, married to her
work. Cousin’s a journalist, two tattoos, worked as a diplomat after the
artistic stint, majored in art and political science, minor in linguistics.
Licensed pilot. Polyglot. Sister of Alexandra “Alex” Danvers, former army medic
and Surgeon General. Again, she’s Cat Grant—she does her homework)So Cat goes to that retirement center and is just prepared
to have some really mediocre chicken. She’s barely paying attention—she even
has a crossword in front of her—even has it be paper, to prove a point that
she’s not busy with a work email or something truly important on her phone Nope.
It’s a crossword puzzle. And then there’s the question from the dairy
farmer—why did she vote on the way she did on those milk subsidies? That hurt a
lot of dairy farmers.And then there’s just this pause before Kara goes, “Yeah. I
screwed you on that one.” And Cat’s head just rockets up and she immediately stops what she’s doing because this is something Cat’s never seen. And
she watches as this politician explain that the reason that she didn’t do
something very politically advantageous—in a state where dairy farms are big, this small tiny state where those
votes really do matter—was because
she didn’t want children to go hungry. She wanted children to be able to buy
milk.What you are taught in every college political science
class, every high school civics class, in every democratic society, the
goal of every politician is to be reelected. And yet this is something
that won’t score her any political points, will make her lose constituents—she didn’t offer justification, like oh I voted
for this because they’d give us better grazing laws, or anything. This was flat
out “I did it for starving children. Not for you.”And just. She’s almost a little bit pissed because goddammit
Hank was right, Cat is absolutely hooked. She’s completely bamboozled and
yeah like Josh she’s just in awed shock and she comes into Lucy Lane’s firm, dripping wet, hair a frizzy mess, outfit
ruined,—and this is Cat fucking Grant, she never looks anything but pristine, not a hair out of place—just grinning.
And Lucy just stops talking to the client about the deal that would have made
her a partner, the culmination of her career and everything she’s been working
for her entire adult life—and it’s one of the easiest decisions she’s ever
made.And then Winn, drunk off his ass because he thinks he’s
going to get fired tonight because he told if she’s asked about her vote
against the dairy farmers tonight she should, and only because it’s the easiest
thing to remember, tell the truth.And then Alex comes in and fires everyone but Winn—which
Kara protests wildly at because Kara still doesn’t think that she’s actually
going to get elected, that she’s just doing to keep her opponent honest and
talk about some issues and be very comfortable conceding the race but Alex has
been in politics, has plans for Kara
and knows that they could go all the way to the White House, Hank as VP for
anyone worried about having such a young woman as President, Alex as Chief of
Staff. (and there’s a reason Alex has never planned on running for the White
House and that’s a)she is horrible at any type of public
speeches and b) Sierra Tuscon, drinks, and pills.)And then Winn goes all the way to California to visit his
old friend James (complete with the James falling into his pool scene with the
sheer white shirt because I may be gay but I have eyes and EQUALITY). Winn lets
James know that. Well. Yeah, you’re right kara’s never heard of you but Alex
sure has. And yes, Kara Danvers is a good person. And that’s all it takes for
James to pack up from his 500k a year job to the one that pays 600 a week.And so now Kara has a team of Lucy Lane, Hank Henshaw, Alex
Danvers, Winn Schott, James Olsen, and Cat Grant. And she’s worried now,
because she was never supposed to win. She’s just there to make her
speeches and keep her opponent honest because they may live in a time where a
woman could be president and a black man can be VP—but a straight female
president. Not a gay one. But Alex was right and they win and they’re off to the White House. So Kara keeps her secret,
and hopes (prays) that no one finds out, because she’s been so very careful,
not even Alex knows.And if Kara thinks that Cat Grant is witty and fierce and determined
and witty and sarcastic and absolutely radiant?
Well, she’ll keep that to herself.Holy shit yes.
Question of Smoke 