Sometimes when it’s slow, Supergirl hangs out at the skate park
Oh you KNOWWWW I’m gonna headcanon the everloving crap out of this:
Alex goes through a skating phase. She’s out of it by the time Kara arrives, but she still has a couple boards. Kara finds them and can’t stop asking questions. Alex takes her to the skate park for some show and tell but soon learns she has to physically sit with Kara to remind her not to go try. (A kid that faceplants with zero injuries or a kid who flies when the board gets away from them, which is more suspicious?)
So Alex takes her in the dead of night. The summer before they go to college especially, Alex gets nostalgic and sad she’s leaving so they go skating at 3 am, like, twice a week. And Kara can master all these physics, so she watches a YouTube video like once and masters the most insane tricks.
Fast forward several years and she’s Supergirl. Whenever Kara’s really homesick, Alex doesn’t know how to deal with it either. So she finds a skatepark and drags Kara there at 4 am until Kara starts to smile.
Winn finds out after Alex comes in early one morning with some splinters because of Kara breaking the fifth board that year and she was picking up the pieces. Winn builds her a board out of titanium alloy and trucks that’ll actually hold up to the weight she puts on them, plus wheels that are soft enough they won’t damage the concrete when she lands, and they’re self-healing in shape. It’s also decked out with some super-awesome Supergirl designs.
And Kara’s thrilled. Alex wants one immediately. (Winn is the crowd favorite at Christmas that year)
Kara’s flying back from a fire on a Saturday afternoon and happens to see some kids trying to master a trick at her favorite skate park and having a tough time of it…
The third Saturday afternoon of every month at a certain skate park, kids know they can get free skating lessons on the absolute hardest tricks from Supergirl herself—and she’s a really good, patient, encouraging, and helpful teacher. It’s one of the better kept secrets of National City’s resident hero. (Sledding help, she leaves to Guardian and his shield)
And if skate shops everywhere see an uptick in requests for Supergirl logos on their decks and helmets and knee pads and bandaids, well, that was a long time coming anyway.
After swooping in to save no less than fifty kids in an afternoon from a nasty spill as they try new tricks, Supergirl has a veritable army of slightly grungy and ripped-jeans 6-16 year olds ready to go to war if anyone badmouths her.
And after the RedK incident, they’re the ones that help her find peace with herself first. We all get pissed sometimes, a fifteen year old with blue hair tells her. We all do things we regret. You just gotta get back on the board and remember that you love the sport. She sometimes wonders if she even needed forgiving in their eyes.
AHHH!! It got something written for it!!! It’s amazing! This is so great. (Tbh I did have the soccer headcanon in the spirit when I was drawing this).
There is a very specific way I want to see Kara’s identity
reveal and the very last thing Lena
learns is kara’s name, not the first. For James, all there is to his Guardian
reveal is that he is Guardian—sure there’s maybe a few details about his suit
specs and maybe what might have motivated him to do this, but that’s it. But
for Kara, revealing that she’s Supergirl means so much more than revealing she’s
a mere superhero. There’s only ever been one person that Kara’s told her identity
to (Winn), and that was when she was going off the rush of adrenaline and the
high of flying again. Kara was told all her life she has to hide and blend in—sure
some people have figured out that Kara is Supergirl but none of them know that she
is Kara Zor-El, not simply a human with powers but a Kryptonian always, someone
who is a refugee and has been hiding for the past decade—even when she’s
Supergirl, she’s still hiding. The last of her world–she’s always afraid.
I want Kara as Supergirl to tell Lena about Krypton, about her religion,
about Rao, about the way Argo city looked way up high in the crystal
towers, the songs her people would sing, the way it feels to be the last speaker
of a dying language, what it was like to live a childhood without powers only
to gain them, the color of her mother’s eyes, how the one thing she wants more
than anything in the world is just one I love you—just one more hug. How it
felt to see that message from her mother and seeing her face for the first time
in more than a decade, how she tries to remember the sound of her father’s voice
and how there are days she can’t remember what it looked like when they laughed
because she has her mother’s AI but it’s
not the same.
I want her to tell Lena what it was like to have to pick
herself up when everyone was gone and
there was no hope of any of them coming back except Astra did. Astra did—and she
never got a chance to hug her. She never got a chance to let her aunt know the
person she was able to become. I want to see Kara talk about her absolute terror
of people experimenting with Kryptonite, about how one experiment gone wrong
resulted in being forced to act on every bad thought and impulse she ever had,
fully cognizant after of what happened and understanding all too well what Sam
is going through on a level humans can’t—it’s not quite the same, but it’s
closer than anyone else can understand.
Kara talking about her anger with her parents, how maybe they could have saved their planet and their
race (echoing back to that scene with her mother’s AI could Astra have saved us?—she was a criminal—but was she right) and how that anger also wars
with her guilt—guilt that saving Krypton means that she would never come to Earth
and she wouldn’t trade that, we see that when Kara gives up Krypton and in the
Black Mercy episode she would choose Alex every time.
I want to see Kara tell Lena the only reason why she ever
revealed herself and saved that plane was because she would do anything for the
people she loves and won’t lose
another person she cares about. That choosing to be the light in her friends’
life is an ever constant choice—it’s not always easy but god does Kara try, tries not to let her anger and
loneliness and grief consume everything that she is I want Kara to tell Lena
her name is Zor-El—her family’s
legacy, about el mayarah.
And then, when Kara
is finally ready and no longer scared, I want her to tell Lena, fully knowing
that she is echoing that conversation from so long ago and all its implications, those flowers remind me of my mother.
Carter looks adorable with his cheeks painted with red and blue stripes, an over-sized jersey drooping over his shoulders and covering all but an inch or two of his shorts. He clings to the railing, for once completely at ease within a crowd. Cat snaps a few discrete pictures in between glancing down at the field. The National City Nightingales are tied, one-to-one, with the Metropolis Meteors, and the game time is rapidly ticking down.
The woman wearing the number on Carter’s jersey sprints down the field, deftly kicking the soccer ball to and fro, around opponents and between legs. She’s tall, blonde, and leggy; her thighs ripple with muscle, and her calves look hard enough to cut diamonds. Cat nibbles on her lower lip and watches DANVERS instead of the game as a whole.
Kara Danvers, number seventeen and forward for the Nightingales, is Carter’s favorite player. Not only does he have her jersey, but his room is covered in her pictures and his corkboard hosts every article he can find on her. For his upcoming birthday, Cat has negotiated an interview with the professional player so that Carter can meet his idol. Having a piece in the Tribune about female athletes will fit in well with the next issue as well. She bets Danvers will photograph well.
In the last few moments of the game, Danvers fakes to the right, dodges to the left, and shoots to the upper righthand corner of the net. The Meteors’ goalkeeper trips over her feet in a last ditch attempt to keep up with the ball; the effort is wasted, as the ball nests into the net. The crowd roars, and Carter jumps and pumps a fist in the air. She wishes she’d brought him to a game sooner, but she worries about him, perhaps too much.
Because of his autism, he tends to get overstimulated. This sort of environment should be a hornet’s nest for him, with the people bumping into him, the constant din of shouting fans, and the abundance of sights to feast his eyes on. She’d thought they’d have to spend most of the game in the car, only entering the arena for the interview after most had left. She’s proud to see how well he’s handling this, and she wonders if she shouldn’t buy a season pass for them. Although she doesn’t care about soccer, she cares about how much he does.
He hugs her fiercely as the fervor of the match dies down, and she leans to kiss his unkempt crown of curls. He murmurs gratitude into her stomach, drawing back a moment later to take her hand and tug her toward the merchandise stall. Because he’s done so well, she allows him to select one item for Danvers to sign during the interview and then leads him toward the locker rooms.
Danvers meets them just outside fifteen minutes later, her hair still damp and her face glowing. The win seems to have invigorated her, as Cat can’t imagine being so energized after such a physically grueling game.
“You must be Carter,” Danvers says, squatting down and sticking her hand out.
Carter hesitates a moment before shaking hands. Cat gives him a moment to speak before interjecting.
“He’s very glad to meet you. You’re his favorite player.”
“Is there some place quiet we can do the interview.”
“Oh, yeah.” Danvers gestures down a hallway. “Some offices aren’t being used right now. We can just choose one.”
“Do you mind if I record the interview?”
Danvers shrugs and walks them to the nearest room. Flicking the lights on, she gestures for Cat and Carter to choose a seat. Cat waits for Carter to make his selection before sitting down as well.
“Go for it, I guess.” Danvers spins a chair around, sits down, and leans her arms against the back.
Cat sets a small recorder on the table and presses the red button. “First, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I know you must be busy.”
“Never too busy for a fan.” Danvers smiles again at Carter, who still can’t manage a response.
The interview is short and sweet, and Danvers has a slew of positive, inspiring answers. When Cat reaches her final question, she glances at Carter. He had wanted to ask this one, but he shakes his head. She understands how overwhelming this must be, so she doesn’t pressure him.
“How does being autistic impact you as a professional athlete?”
This time, Danvers takes a few seconds to think. “I think… I think being autistic has helped, really. Sometimes, people can be mean about it, but I see things in ways that other people don’t. I come up with plays that my teammates wouldn’t have even thought about.”
“Like at the end,” Carter finally speaks up. He watches his fingers fidget. “That double-feint was cool.”
“Right!”
Cat sits back and lets them chit chat. She has all the responses she needs to write a nice article promoting the team, the stadium, and Danvers as a player, and she aches with happiness to see Carter open up. He’s a bright boy, so smart and sensitive, but so few people get to see that side of him. Perhaps there’s simply something about Danvers that evokes trust; Cat knows she’s likely a little bias, as she finds Danvers exceedingly attractive, but Danvers has this impact on other people as well.
“If you ever want to come and kick the ball around, you definitely should.”
Carter grabs Cat’s hand. “Could I?”
Cat rubs her thumb along the back of his hand. “Of course, although we shouldn’t impede her training.”
“I’d love to have you back.” There’s an awkward pause as Danvers inhales and seemingly fumbles with her next few words. “Both of you.”
“You should come to dinner with us. We’re celebrating his birthday this evening.”
“I don’t have a present for him…”
“I’m sure he understands.”
Carter nods, his eyes darting up for a moment. “Please?”
“Okay.” Kara stands. “I need to put something nicer on.”
“You look wonderful,” Cat says, a bit too quickly. She straightens. “What I mean is that we don’t want to inconvenience you, and there’s no need to go out of your way, especially when you look like… like you.”
“Okay.”
Cat had always been glad to support Carter’s interests without being too personally attached, but for the first time, she finds herself loving soccer just as much he does.
Lena almost regrets the words as soon as they’re out of her mouth, regrets the way Kara’s babbling about history class stutters to a halt, and the way her pretty face falls from it’s usual bubbly smile into a half frown.
She almost regrets it.
But she has to know.
Has to be clued in on why the most popular girl at school has decided to sit at her lunch table and make one-sided conversation for the past two weeks.
It has to be some sort of elaborate joke.
Some long game con to make her feel comfortable and liked before Kara ditches her and she finds herself the butt of some school wide joke.
Better to cut it off now.
“Umm …” Kara seems at a loss for words, and she almost feels sorry for the girl and starts back tracking.
Almost.
“I mean, you’re Kara Danvers, the most popular girl in school; the star quarterback that somehow still finds time to write for the school paper. And I’m Lena Luthor, the weird punk kid that dyes her her hair different colors and plays snare drum in marching band – the one everyone makes sure to stay clear of in the hallways. There’s no reason for you to talk to me, who put you up to this?”
“Umm, no one?” Kara’s gaze flits around the table.
“So you just thought of this elaborate scheme on your own? You must be smarter than you look.”
Kara’s face melts into a full frown at that, and an adorable crinkle appears in her forehead.
Adorable?
Control your gay, Luthor.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. And frankly, I think it’s rude that you would suggest that I have an ulterior motive for trying to be your friend!”
“If you don’t, then why are you being so nice to me?!” Lena demands, anger curling her fingers into fists.
Kara’s face falls further, and she studies her tray for a long moment before responding.
“I know what it’s like to be the weird new kid that no one wants to hang out with. I didn’t want you to have to go through that. I was trying to be the friend that I never got.”
“Oh really; you, Kara Danvers, know what that’s like? Sure. I bet. Why don’t you go back to your popular friends and leave me to eat my lunch in peace?”
She turns her attention back to her food, fully expecting Kara to storm off. Only after a few moments of silence across the table, she looks up to see Kara staring at her.
Lena meets Kara’s gaze, surprised to see tears glistening in her blue eyes.
“When umm, when the Danvers first adopted me, it was really hard. I was 12, and things here are … a lot different than where I came from.” Kara nods, as if encouraging herself to go on. “I said a lot of stupid stuff, and did a lot of weird things, and Alex – my sister – she tried her best, but I could tell she got tired of me asking so many questions. Plus, I got sensory overload a lot. No one wants to be friends with the kid who hides under the table every time it’s popcorn day. It’s not as bad now as it was -” Slim fingers tug at her glasses, and Lena catches herself watching the movement. “But I still get it sometimes.”
“As for the football thing – Everyone laughed at me when I tried out; they all thought I’d fail for sure. And then when I didn’t – “ She shrugs before continuing.
“I’m a horrible speller, Ms. Grant has to correct all of my articles like five times before they go to print. The first year she never even let me do anything.
“I know you think this is all some sort of prank, and after the way people have treated you around here, I can’t say I blame you. But I honestly just want to be your friend. If you don’t want to be mine though, it’s okay, I can find somewhere else to sit. I just thought …” She trails off, staring at her food, and Lena studies her for a moment.
Carefully, she considers her options.
No one else seems to be paying them any attention, so either the prank hasn’t played out yet, or Kara is legitimately trying to be friendly.
Something about the dejected set of Kara’s shoulders though, makes Lena think she’s telling the truth.
“I tricked Mr. Sanders into giving me an extra cookie on the lunch line, wanna half it?” she finally says, holding out half of a chocolate chip cookie.
The smile that lights up Kara’s face?
Totally worth the possibility of future embarrassment.
Kara is in a bathroom stall trying to finish a particularly long rambling text when the two walk in. She doesn’t pay them much mind at first, but her ears perk up just a bit when she hears one of them say supergirl in a heavily accented, heavily vitriolic whisper.
She floats her legs up so they can’t be seen under the door.
“I know it is uncomfortable,” the other one is saying as the water turns on, “but it is the price we pay. With them here at least we know we’re safe.”
The first one laughs a throaty, obviously alien laugh, and says, “tell that to those who died in the attack. You know that would never have happened if they were not around.”
“Look, there’s nothing we can do. They’re friends with the owner. Besides, all my interactions with them have been pleasant.”
“My brother is still missing, you know that? Those pigs took him from our home four years ago without any warning and he’s still gone. No word if he is even alive. But now that they’ve got their little human looking poster child suddenly it’s okay to be extraterrestrial, it’s okay for them to come into our space and act like they are not our oppressors. Like they have not stolen our children away time and again. It sickens me.”
“I have heard of another place opening soon. less legitimate but a strict no human policy.”
The other one grunts, shutting the sink off. Kara can hear the sound of paper towels being used.
“And none of their little alien pets, either.”
The other laughs – a shrill groan that makes Kara’s insides feel like mush – and agrees.
“Of course. No supergirl.”
Kara waits nearly fifteen minutes after they leave to let her feet touch the ground again.
She walks slowly back to the table where her friends sit drunkenly arguing over a story from a few weeks ago. She sees Alex with her arm slung casually around Maggie, sees the hint of her sidearm under her jacket. Winn is loudly refuting James claim while munching away at the only bar food edible for humans. Kara lets her eyes wander over the rest of the bar and it feels like she’s really seeing it for the first time.
She sees how the other patrons huddle on the walls with at least two tables between them and her friends. She sees The tells of agitation, the side eye glare that flashes towards Winn when his excited yell results in spewed food crumbs all over the group. Everyone yells back, jumping up to try and escape his spray. Kara hears the grumbled mumblings of a large bug-like humanoid who tosses its money on the table and skitters out in a huff.
She’s brought back by a soft hand on her shoulder. Alex is giving her a concerned look.
“Hey,” Alex says quietly, “you okay?”
It feels like the walls are creeping in on her and her ears are ringing.
“No. I’m not.”
Kara starts the next morning.
She doesn’t actually wait until the sun has risen. She talked with Alex for an hour and formulated a plan. Alex isn’t entirely on board–yet–but she’s willing to give it a shot. And that’s a good enough place for Kara.
She has Vazquez teach her the last bits of the system she didn’t know and is halfway through the records before J’onn and Winn even get into work.
J’onn examines her work and just sighs. She glares. “You knew this was coming.“
“I did.”
“Times have changed, J’onn. We can’t do what we used to. We can do better. It’s time. It was time months ago, years ago. We can’t put this off.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
And they begin.
Kara speaks to everyone personally. They can’t put every alien through their rehabilitation program. But they have a relocation program for those who want it, and they move all but the most dangerous into better accommodations. Bigger, with more light. A comfortable bed and a stack of books and a window–reinforced bulletproof glass, but still.
About half their prisoners are released within six months. There are some that have been locked up for a while, for no particular reason. Many had minor misdemeanors. Lots just didn’t know how to deal with their abilities on earth, and weren’t given the same loving care Kara first had. Kara–and J’onn and Alex–work with them on controlling their abilities. And they’re let free, with only a little bit of oversight. Not parole, not a supervisor, just a sort of… someone looking out for them. Someone in their corner. A lot of DEO agents volunteer for the new mentorship program.
And slowly, so slowly, the DEO isn’t a prison. For the most part. They still have the most dangerous alien criminals locked up. The rehab program isn’t for everyone. Some aliens are just bad, the same way some people are just bad. Kara chats with Psi weekly. She flies to the old bunker and all their other facilities to help out with the program.
Some aliens are harder to rehabilitate than others. Some can’t speak English. Some are completely out of control with their powers. Some have been locked up in a fish tank in the dark since the real Hank Henshaw and now are so mad at the DEO they’d be a threat to public safety if they were let out. But Kara won’t give up. And pretty soon, there are a lot more people working on solutions with her.
Kara writes a hundred stories on the aliens now out in public. Lena works on tech to help suppress the powers of those who ask for help with it. Alex teaches them how to defend themselves without taking out a city block. Winn gets them ID’s and starts a weekend class so they can learn computer skills. James and Sam work to find them all jobs until they find something they want a career in.
J’onn’s still nervous about some of them. Kara finally rolls her eyes and fixes him with a stare. “Do you really think that I can’t track down anyone if I need to? Give them a chance, J’onn, the world is changing and they deserve a chance. We got one.”
J’onn finally wraps an arm around her. “I know you’re right. I trust you. Change can be hard, but you’re right, it’s worth it.”
And if one day, Kara hears that voice from the bathroom again, but this time it’s to her face, somewhat mumbled, and thanking her for her efforts, well… she’ll know she’s on the right track.
Okay, so this isn’t crack – it’s only vaguely funny and kind of went out on a vaguely angsty tangent, but here you go anyway!
–
“Why did I do this with you?”
Astra slides another shot of some kind of alien alcohol across
to her in answer. “Because, sister, you wanted a break from human law school
and going out with your human friends to get drunk isn’t feasible.”
Alura groans, leaning sideways onto her sister’s shoulder. “I
don’t like being drunk, it makes me think of lots of things I wouldn’t.”
“That’s what being drunk is,”
Astra replies, patting Alura’s head gently. “Did you get all your essays done,
before you came?”
“Yes,” Alura reaches for the shot glass at the reminder,
wanting to completely forget the nightmare that were her essays. Downing the
fiery liquid, Alura struggles not to cough, accepting the citrus piece that
Astra offers, still leaning on her. “I miss Lucy.”
“Oh?” Astra queries, sounding like it amuses her, “Do you
really? What do you miss about your wife, Alura?”
“Her hair. Her smile,” Alura sighs, moping, “She makes me scrambled
eggs in the morning and I haven’t been able to make them the same way.”
“You might have the milk to egg ratio wrong,” M’gann offers
as Astra motions for the bottle, watching as she pours more shots for them
both. “Or the temperature might be wrong. Oil makes a pan hotter.”
“We make eggs in the microwave machine,” Alura meets eyes
with the Martian, not expecting the horrified expression. “What is it?”
“Eggs in the microwave?
What kind of heathen is your wife?” M’gann demands, wrinkling her nose. “You
make scrambled eggs on a pan with bacon-”
“We don’t eat meat,” Astra interrupts, “Unlike my sacrilegious
niece.”
“The point remains: you make any type of eggs in a pan,” M’gann
moves away to answer some other patron’s demands, Alura frowning.
“Why does Kara eat
meat?”
“She was raised that way,” Astra replies magnanimously,
pushing a shot to Alura when – predictably – her sister’s mood sours as a
result. “Apologies. This is supposed to be a night of fun and relaxation.”
“Instead, we talk about the wrong way to make scrambled eggs
and how Kara was raised into eating animals.”
Astra clinks a shot glass against Alura’s. “To dreadful conversation.”
What if, when Petunia Dursley found a little boy on her front doorstep, she took him in? Not into the cupboard under the stairs, not into a twisted childhood of tarnished worth and neglect—what if she took him in?
Petunia was jealous, selfish and vicious. We will not pretend she wasn’t. She looked at that boy on her doorstep and thought about her Dudders, barely a month older than this boy. She looked at his eyes and her stomach turned over and over. (Severus Snape saved Harry’s life for his eyes. Let’s have Petunia save it despite them).
Let’s tell a story where Petunia Dursley found a baby boy on her doorstep and hated his eyes—she hated them. She took him in and fed him and changed him and got him his shots, and she hated his eyes up until the day she looked at the boy and saw her nephew, not her sister’s shadow. When Harry was two and Vernon Dursley bought Dudley a toy car and Harry a fast food meal with a toy with parts he could choke on Petunia packed her things and got a divorce.
AU where Alex and Kara are doing the Kim Possible thing, but in secret. Lucy is a teenager witch, complete with centuries old aunts and Salem. Maggie is a Power Ranger. They have been managing to keep these secrets, until they end up doing a group project together.
Kara’s comment was soft. She spoke under her breath as she looked around.
Alex fully agreed with her assessment, but kept her expression straight. She, at least, had known about the plans for the new base, even if it was her first time seeing it. They hadn’t gone further than the command center, hadn’t explored the rest of the building, and it was already vastly different than the desert base.
There were windows, for example. Large ones that made up the entire wall and let the sun fill the room with light.
Light that shot through Alex’s eyes and pierced into her brain. She squinted behind the pink tinted glasses designed to help her migraines.
“Welcome to city base command,” J’onn said.
“It’s…wow,” Kara repeated, stepping up to a circular table that stood in the center of the room. “Not that I’m complaining, but why do we have a second base?”
“For faster response time to events in the city,” J’onn replied.
Kara raised an eyebrow.
“They’re your backup,” Lucy said. She stepped up next to Alex.
A grin erupted on Kara’s face.
“No,” Alex said.
“You’re my backup,” Kara laughed.
“We are not,” Alex said. “It’s a tactically sound decision that was in the works before Supergirl.”
It had really not been anything more than a concept thrown around every year or so. It hadn’t gotten any footing until Supergirl’s appearance had caused an increase in operations within National City itself. Neither were facts Kara needed to know.
“I’m sure Winn could make you a new uniform,” Kara continued. “Something perfect for my sidekick.”
“I’m not your sidekick.”
“You basically are.”
“I can kick your ass.”
“Bring it.”
“Enough,” J’onn cut in.
Alex bit her lip, ducked her head slightly to keep her amusement down. She glanced over at Lucy.
Who was smirking at her.
“While assisting Supergirl will be one of the tasks assigned to teams at city base, it is far from the only one,” J’onn told Kara.
Alex looked up to see Kara tilting her head in confusion.
“This location will be used to contain lower security prisoners as well as any in temporary custody. It has a full trauma center dedicated to agents injured on missions,” J’onn said.
“About a third of the research division is moving here,” Alex added.
“And,” Lucy jumped in. “With the new NCPD liaison starting soon, it works as a better meeting place than the desert. Along with any future political visits, like the president tomorrow.”
Kara nodded. “Wow,” she said. She smirked at Alex. “I just can’t believe you’re going to officially be my backup.”
Alex narrowed her eyes. She turned to glare at Lucy.
“See what you did.”
Lucy grinned at her. “Just told the truth.”
J’onn groaned. “Alright. Let’s go check the rest of the base.”
He gestured towards the stairs that led up to the next level.
Lucy slid up next to Alex as they walked.
“Sidekick outfits should be skimpier than the hero’s, right?” she asked.
Alex furrowed her brow. “What?”
“The sidekick suit? The one Winn could design for you? I’m feeling a mini-skirt.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re not funny.”
Lucy glanced up to where Kara and J’onn were climbing up the last step.
“But I got Kara to laugh.”
Alex took a deep breath.
It had been a rough two weeks since Myriad. Especially for Kara.
The high of saving the world had quickly faded upon learning the impact Myriad had truly had on not just National City, but the entire country, upon hearing how many had died. Alex was sure she could count on one hand the amount of times she had heard Kara laugh since the number had been totaled.
“Yeah,” she murmured. “You did.” She shook her head lightly. “You ready to take over desert base?” she asked.
Lucy’s eyebrow twitched, noting the change in topic, but she didn’t comment on it. “You say that as if I wasn’t in charge the entire time you two were gone.”
“True.”
Alex looked around the new level.
Research. For the more sensitive research, directly related to current missions. There were labs spread throughout the skyscraper, under false companies, for the rest.
Alex peeked into each lab they passed, rolling her head every now and then to fight off the tightness in her neck.
“How was it?” she asked. “While we were gone?”
“Not bad. There was definitely some resentment from the ranks, a lot because of who my father is, but I learned to ignore those comments years ago.”
“Being a general’s daughter not always as cracked up as it seems?”
Lucy let out a short laugh. “Not really.”
They passed the last few labs in silence before reaching a stairwell. Alex held the door open for Lucy.
“How’re the logistics for the memorial service going?” Alex asked.
“As you are not an agent not involved in the operation, I’m not sure I can divulge specifics,” Lucy said.
Alex rolled her eyes.
“Just because I’m not on the field team doesn’t mean I can’t know anything.”
“Maybe, but too much information at once might overload that bruised brain of yours.”
“I’m glad you can joke about my brain damage.”
“We all have brain damage, Danvers, but you’re the one who flew directly towards the source.”
Alex shrugged, not able to argue.
If Kara’s pod hadn’t had any sort of shields on it, she would have died before she had gotten as close as she had. As it was, she was left with worse symptoms than the agents who had stayed in the base.
Like the near constant migraines.
Doctors had been hesitant to call the remnant damage from Myriad concussions, but the symptoms were similar enough all agents had been put on concussion protocol. Those with the worst symptoms had been benched.
Including Alex.
She would do it again to save Kara if she had to.
“Speaking of your head, how’s it feeling?” Lucy asked.
Alex shrugged again. “It’s been worse.”
Lucy scoffed.
The exited the stairwell. That floor and the one above were agent quarters, if Alex remembered the building plan correctly.
“It’s fine, Lane, really,” Alex said. “I took some meds before we came over, and the glasses really help.”
Sure, there was some pain. A decent amount of pain, really, but it was better than it had been a few days ago. No nausea at the moment, that was definitely a plus. No vertigo, either. All in all, not too bad.
A headache, but not a migraine.
Yet.
Kara looked back at them. Alex waved her off.
She didn’t want Kara any more worried about her than she already was.
“You’ll let us know if it gets worse before we’re done?” Lucy asked.
Alex watched her for a moment, searching for anything beyond concern, but found nothing. She nodded.
Alex sighed as she shut the door behind J’onn and Winn, giving one final wave to them as they headed back out to the car. It had been touch and go for a while there with Kara, but now she was safe and healing. As much as Alex would have preferred to keep Kara at the DEO, she’d insisted upon going home so that she could get some rest in her own bed.
Which was why Alex found herself puttering around her sister’s kitchen, cleaning up some of the dishes left in the sink and generally tidying up the place. It was calming. Something to take her mind off of what had happened that day. Kara… her whole life, Alex was her protector, keeping her safe. And then on days like this, when some psycho managed to hurt Kara… It rocked Alex to her core.
Her hands shook under the hot water from the tap and she balled them into fists, hoping it would steady them. Soft footsteps from the other room made Alex look up and she saw Kara standing there, a blanket draped around her shoulders. Not quite the cape she was used to wearing, but Alex liked it better on her.
“You shouldn’t be up,” Alex said, shutting the water off, her tone business-like. “You need to be in bed, resting. I was just cleaning, I’ll be out of here soon.”
“Stay with me tonight?” Kara asked, her voice soft, almost pleading. Alex resisted the urge to sigh. How could she say no to that? How could she say no to Kara? She couldn’t.
Question of Smoke 