367. Chapter 367
They have to wait a couple of weeks.
Because it’s a week or so until Alex and Maggie can – emotionally and physically – start having sex again.
And after that, no one has any hope of seeing them at night.
So they have to wait a couple of weeks.
But when they have it again – game night, because that’s what families do, and god, are they a family – Kara invites Lena, and Alex puppy eyeses J’onn into coming, and Lucy’s in from out of town because “you think you can almost die on me and get away with it, Danvers?”
Winn is withdrawn, at first – he won’t stop staring at Alex like he’s seeing a ghost – until she taps James on the shoulder, replaces him on the couch next to Winn, and throws her arm around him.
“I’m not gonna disappear if you take your eyes off me, Schott,” she says, and her voice is softer than any of them have ever heard it when she talks to Winn, and he puts his head on her shoulder and she kisses his hair.
“Yeah yeah, don’t get used to this,” she murmurs when James, Lena, and Kara awww, and he smiles and pulls back.
“You’re my sister. You’re not allowed to disappear, okay?”
Alex’s eyes flood.
“Yeah,” she promises, gravel in her voice, and Kara hugs Maggie into her chest.
“Operation?” Winn suggests, and Kara shouts him down, arm still slung around Maggie’s body, because “precision isn’t exactly my thing,” and “yeah, we know Little Danvers, that’s why we wanna play,” and “well I think Kara should pick the first game, since she is gracious enough to be hosting us,” and “of course you’re on her side, Lena, she’s like your sworn protector and kombucha buddy,” and “but no kale!” and “oh, god forbid kale!” and “what’s wrong with kale?” and “same thing that’s wrong with vegan ice cream, Maggie,” and “maybe you two should just give up and let your girlfriends date each other, at least their weird healthy food choices would match up” and “good god, I don’t believe I agreed to participate in these shenanigans,” and “you ain’t seen nothing yet, Director Henshaw. Um. Sir.”
They settle on Mario Kart, because all of them have too much energy for quieter games – Alex is alive, and she’s safe, and she and Maggie love each other and will actually admit it now – and Lucy climbs over Kara’s back to see better and Kara starts hovering without thinking about it and Lucy shrieks and grabs on and Lena laughs a little too vindictively because isn’t Kara supposed to be hers and James snaps a photo because the image of Lucy shrieking and grabbing hold of Kara’s waist on finding herself suddenly airborne – all the while Kara refuses to take her eyes off the video game, controller steady in her hands – is too good an image to pass up.
None of them – except Kara. of course, except Kara – expect her to, but Lena leaves them all in the dust, never failing to toss a perfectly aimed turtle shell at the last moment to unseat the apparent victor and crown herself Mario Kart Queen.
Alex steps back from the couch when it gets too much – when it’s so much love in one room, when so recently the only room in her life was full of water – and J’onn joins her first.
“I’m so proud of you, Alex,” he reminds her, and she almost blushes.
“Just doing what you taught me,” she tells him again, and he shakes his head.
“You’ve far exceeded anything I’ve ever taught you, Alex. Your heart sees to that every time.”
She cradles her body into his chest, and she closes her eyes as he just holds her, holds her, holds her.
Neither of them notice James turning around and snapping a photo, but all of them notice the photo on Alex’s mantle and on J’onn’s desk at the DEO the very next morning.