286. Chapter 286

She cums hard and she cums loudly – something she’s never done before, with anyone – and she cums so many more times than once that even competitive nerd Alex loses count.

And normally, she’d drift off to sleep.

Safe and happy and peaceful and home in Alex’s arms.

And normally, Alex would press endless kisses to her forehead and they’d whisper to each other – about work, about their teenage years, about their exes, about their adventures, about their terrors, about the random cat memes that Kara would send and Maggie’s latest gym shenanegins with James and her latest pool hilarities with Winn and how beautiful you are and how lucky I am and what did I ever do to deserve you – until they fell asleep.

But tonight, they both lay awake.

Tonight, they look into each other’s eyes and they smile, and then they laugh resignedly, because they both know what the other is thinking.

Kara.

“I’ll order ahead for the pizza and potstickers. You let her know we’re coming,” Maggie says as she passes Alex her shirt, her bra, and grabs one of Alex’s for herself, a habit that Maggie has never had with anyone else and a habit that Alex loves, loves, loves.

“I lo – you’re… you’re incredible, Maggie.”

“In bed? Yeah, you seem to have informed me – oof!”

A pillow smacks her shoulder lightly and they both giggle as they languidly pull their clothes back on.

“For knowing. For caring. About Kara. For not… for not being mad at me. For needing to go be with her.”

“Alex, she’s your sister. Of course you need to go be with her.”

“You’ll come too? She’s kind of gotten attached to you.”

Maggie smiles, thinking of the last game night when Kara had encouraged Mon-El to go home and get some sleep, but practically begged both Alex and Maggie to stay, and she fell asleep in both of their arms with a safe, comforted smile on her face that was too rare nowadays.

“Of course I’ll come, if you think she wants me to.”

Alex laughs as she looks down at her buzzing phone, and she holds it out to show Maggie.

Yes. Please bring potstickers, pizza, and your girlfriend.

They hold hands the entire drive over – taking Maggie’s car because Alex’s bike needs an oil change and they’d walked home from the station, and because they can’t bear the loss of physical contact – and they somehow still manage to keep holding hands while carrying three pies and two heaping bags of potstickers up to Kara’s apartment.

She’s curled in a ball and she’s sniffling and she’s red-faced and puffy-eyed when they get there, and she holds out grabby hands for the food and for her sister and for her sister’s girlfriend, but she says nothing, because there’s nothing to say.

“Do you feel relieved at all?” Alex asks softly, only after Kara’s torn through five potsticks and a slice of pizza.

Kara’s lip wobbles and she shrugs and Maggie squeezes Alex’s hand and elaborates gently.

“It’s okay if you do, you know. He was a piece of home. Or, well, closer to home than any human could give you. Because he might be the prince of all assholes – no, not might, he is – but Little Danvers, he knew your language. Your history. And not because you told him about it, but because he grew up knowing them. Like you did. That’s important, and it’s powerful, and it can make you overlook a lot. Hell, Kara, you could kiss him without breaking his nose, you could be… intimate without hurting him. That… that’s special, Kara, those are… those are special things, and they’re hard to… They’re hard to lose, even when maybe we should. It’s okay if you feel relieved, though. It’s okay. You’re not betraying your history. You’re being true to yourself.”

Alex beams at her girlfriend and kisses her sister’s forehead and strokes her hair and pulls her into her arms.

“I’m proud of you, Kara. Do you… your text said he told you he loves you. Do you…”

She nods, and then she shakes her head, and then she nods, and then she shakes her head again.

And then she shovels three more potstickers into her mouth, and Maggie grabs four subtly – two for her, two for Alex – before they’re gone.

“It’s what Maggie said, I think, I… Daxam was… complicated, it was wrong, but if I’ve learned anything about my past since coming out as Supergirl, it’s that Krypton wasn’t all that much to be defended, either. That weapon my father made, Fort Rozz, I… he’s part of home. Not like you, Alex, not – you’re my home, Alex, you’re the only home I’ll ever need, I just – “

“I know. It’s okay, you don’t have to explain. I know.”

Kara sighs her head into Alex’s shoulder and Alex draws her closer and Maggie’s heart warms watching them.

“I just can’t believe it took me this long to realize that he just… I deserve so much better than someone who lies like that, who invalidates me and manipulates me and – that’s what he was doing, right? Am I making that up just because I’m hurt now, I – “

“No, you’re not.”

“Absolutely not – that’s what abusive, gaslighting relationships make you think, Little Danvers, that you’re out of touch with reality, that things are your fault, that you’re making things seem worse than they are…”

“It wasn’t abusive…”

“Alright. That’s okay. That’s a big word, and it’s a scary one. I get it, I do. You can process that how you need to, at whatever pace you need to. We’re here, both of us, through all of it, okay?”

Kara nods slowly, her brain spinning, and Alex kisses the crinkle between her eyes.

“Kara, you’re amazing. And I’m so proud of you for knowing what you deserve. You know that, right? That you deserve only the best?”

Kara sighs and takes her glasses off and rubs her eyes and Alex smiles.

“You are so beautiful, Kara. For yourself. Not for some man to redeem himself for. For yourself.”

“You have to say that, you’re my sister.”

“Well I’m not, and I say she’s right.”

“You have to agree with her, you’re her girlfriend.”

“I – “

“She’s got a point, Sawyer, I mean, ride or die, right?”

Kara laughs softly as Maggie fake scowls up at Alex and kisses her knee.

“I want what you two have.”

“Ugh, just like Brian.”

“Briannnn.”

“Please don’t compare me to – “

“Then please don’t use his phrases.”

“How was I supposed to know he said – “

“You don’t wanna know more, trust me.”

Kara sighs into a laugh and snuggles into Alex’s lap. “Don’t leave?”

“Never, Kara. Never.”

“You too, Maggie?”

“I’m right here, sunshine. I’m right here.”

Kara smiles sleepily – all the crying, all the pain, will knock her right out – as Alex strokes her hair and Maggie wraps her in a blanket.

“I love you, Kara. For exactly who you are.”

“I love you too, Alex. For the same thing.”

Maggie doesn’t say anything – not yet – but in her mind, she repeats their words over and over, because as the three of them drift off to sleep in a bundled, pizza-heavy heap on the couch, she feels that love, too.