465. Chapter 465

The world is better – calmer, steadier – when she walks between her sister and her sister’s girlfriend.

It’s like they block the bad noise, and filter through only the good noise.

Their laughter and their jokes; their voices and their affection.

She’s heard them laughing together in Alex’s room, and they’re nowhere near as loud right now, next to her.

She knows they’re being softer for her, and she smiles to herself as they make fun of the principal’s spluttering when Jeremiah told him off for trying to punish Alex, not the boys who were trying to hurt Kara.

Her sister and her sister’s girlfriend.

She looks away when Maggie tugs the door to the ice cream shop open for them both and Alex leans in to kiss her on the lips. She looks away and she giggles to herself and she adjusts her glasses and she waits for them to be done.

Sometimes their mouths are as noisy as Kara’s hands.

“Kara, you know what flavor you want?” Alex asks when she and Maggie punctuate their kiss with a giggle, but she already knows the answer.

“Chocolate in a waffle cone so they give more ice cream,” Kara chimes, and Maggie grins.

“That sounds good, Little Danvers – should I get the same?” Kara flaps her hands noisily, her excitement radiating that someone as cool as Alex’s girlfriend wants the same ice cream as her.

“Feeling better, kid?” Maggie asks as Alex orders, and Kara frowns.

“I think so. I don’t like when Alex feels like she has to punch those boys, but I like being with you two now.”

Maggie grimaces a smile. “Well, hey Kara, one day? One day, everyone will recognize what a superhero you are, and the ones who still don’t? Won’t matter.”

Kara glances at Maggie’s face quickly before looking away, before adjusting her glasses and staring at her sister, paying for their ice cream cones.

“You think I’m a superhero?”

“Oh, I know it, kid. And not because you uh…” Maggie lowers her voice and leans slightly toward Kara, but not close enough to touch her. “Not because you’re Kryptonian. Because you’re you.”

Kara beams and flaps her hands as she reaches out to take the ice cream from Alex, beams and flaps her hands as she blushes her pleasure at Maggie’s words.

Maggie’s phone chimes out and she grimaces again as she checks it.

“Dammit, babe, I’ve gotta run back to school. I totally forgot we have a sound check in the auditorium today for the play. See you later tonight? Homework?”

Alex winks and nods and kisses her. “You bet.”

“See you, Kara.”

“Bye Maggie!”

Kara gives an energetic wave, and Maggie does the same.

Alex melts.

“Can we go home with our ice cream?” Kara asks, and Alex grins.

“Of course we can.” She slings both their schoolbags over her shoulder and they walk home in silence, licking at their ice cream and thinking their own thoughts.

“Alex?” Kara asks when they’re settled onto Kara’s bed at home, her favorite panda stuffie in her lap.

“Mmm?” Alex asks from behind her chemistry book.

“What’s it like to kiss Maggie?”

Alex arches an eyebrow and closes her book slowly, shifting to sit up.

“It’s like uh… it’s like catching the perfect wave, or… or that peace of silence just before sunrise. It’s like… it’s like coming home, Kara. Kissing Maggie is like coming home.”

Kara giggles and pushes her panda’s nose in and out of his fluffy face.

“You’re in love,” she teases. “What if I wanted to kiss a girl?”

Alex nearly chokes and Kara adjusts her glasses nervously.

“If you wanted to kiss a girl, Kara, I would love you to the edges of the galaxy and beyond, just like I do now. Do you want to cuddle and maybe tell me about this girl you have on your mind?”

Kara shifts closer to Alex, happy to replace Alex’s gigantic chemistry text book in her lap.

“Cuddle now, talking later?” Kara asks, and Alex kisses the top of her head gently.

“Cuddle now, talk later sounds perfect,” she tells her, because it really, truly does.