488. Chapter 488

Maggie and Adrian assure them that National City Pride is not nearly as huge – or nearly as corporate, thank the gay goddesses – as Prides in bigger cities.

Maggie and Adrian assure them, but they still have two very nervous Danvers girls on their hands.

Kara cuddles on Alex’s shoulder that morning, while Lena, Maggie, and Adrian are on a coffee run. While they’re soaking in as much quiet, alone sister time as they can before a packed weekend of body glitter and hilarity and community and solemn remembrance and a promise to live in honor of those who haven’t been allowed to, to fight for those who aren’t allowed to now.

“Do you think it’s wrong? For me to want to go as myself? Not just as Supergirl? Am I letting the queer kids of National City down?”

Alex strokes her sister’s hair and shakes her head. “Of course not, Kara. You’re doing what’s healthy for you, you’re doing what’s gonna make you happy. You want to roll down the street holding your girlfriend’s hand, as you, not have everything you do and say photographed by someone who’s not us, who’s not James. That’s okay. You’re allowed, Kara. I promise.”

“And I wrote that press release of support, explaining that Supergirl wants to be with her girlfriend – “

“Yeah, and you exploded the internet with you writing that coming out piece on behalf of Supergirl, sis. I don’t think you’re letting anyone down. I really don’t. That piece lifted a lot of people up.”

Kara sighs and shifts closer to her sister.

“But what if I… what if I can’t do it? What if I can’t stay? As just… me?”

“If you get overwhelmed?”

Kara nods, face buried in Alex’s shoulder, and Alex tightens her hold on her little sister.

“Then you let us know, and we’ll leave. We’ll take as many breaks as you need to, okay? No one’s going to make you stay a second longer than you want to.”

“That won’t be letting anyone down? It won’t be letting Lena down?”

There’s a rustling at the door and laughter outside of it, and Alex smiles. “Why don’t you ask her right now?”

“Donuts and coffee for our Danvers girls!” Maggie announces as she swings the front door open, beaming.

Adrian – rainbow bandanna already slightly sweaty on his forehead – is carefully balancing coffees while Lena, by design, is carrying the donuts.

Kara squirms out of Alex’s arms and straight to her girlfriend.

Or, more specifically, to the donuts.

She downs three before gulping at enough air to speak.

“If I get overstimulated and have to leave, will you be mad?” she asks Lena, and Lena scoffs sympathetically and shakes her head.

“Oh Kara, of course I won’t. How could I ever be angry at you for asserting what you need?”

“Aww, look at those bi babies being bi together,” Adrian singsongs, and Lena and Kara laugh into each other’s arms.

“How about you, Danvers?” Maggie wraps her arms around Alex. “You ready for your first Pride?”

Alex gulps down her coffee too quickly, and that’s all the answer Maggie needs.

“I’ll be with you the whole time. So will Adrian, and so will your sister. And James, Winn, J’onn, M’gann, the whole crew, everyone’s gonna meet us there. And didn’t you say Lucy’s coming in?”

“Or out, as it were,” Adrian murmurs, and Alex snorts before sobering and trembling just a bit.

“But what if I don’t like it? What if it’s this big queer explosion and I just… hate it? What if Kara’s overstimulated and I’m uncomfortable and… won’t we just be bad… gays?”

“Oh, sweetie, no,” Maggie begins, but it’s Adrian who finishes.

“You don’t have to like Pride to be a good queer, Alex,” he grins. “I barely like Pride. I mean, I do, right, it’s amazing. Look at me, I’m one big rainbow.” Maggie chuckles and kisses his cheek, and Adrian preens before continuing. “Seriously, though. Pride’s mostly overrun by cis white guys who act so much like the world is about them that the might as well be straight. It’s corporate as all hell, and they keep finding ways to appropriate us. And if it doesn’t feel right to you? That’s okay. It often doesn’t feel right to me, either. We won’t take away your membership card, I promise.”

“I’ll still go down on you as much as you want,” Maggie whispers into her ear, and Alex squeals. Lena and Kara glance over, somewhat scandalized, and Alex blushes.

“Sorry,” she whispers, and Adrian chuckles.

It turns out that Alex likes it more than she thought she would. She barely blinks the entire time, and she doesn’t once let go of Maggie’s hand.

Sometimes she lets go of Kara’s – when Kara wants to kiss Lena, when Kara hugs James and Winn and J’onn and M’gann and Lucy when they all meet up, when Alex hugs J’onn hard, hard, hard, because his t-shirt reads “I Love My Queer Daughters” – but not once do the sisters let each other out of their sight.

Because Kara is beaming and she’s jumping up and down and pointing out all the t-shirts, all the signs, all the different flags.

She’s squealing when she sees the black, grey, white, and purple from the asexual flag Adrian helps a teenage boy hoist, and she’s laughing and blushing when Lucy and Lena swap notes about Kara’s levels of Superhero Hotness.

But she’s always got her hand in Lena’s, and she’s always got an eye out for the telltale signs of her big sister’s panic attacks.

And, likewise, Alex has always got her hand in Maggie’s, but she’s always got an eye out for the telltale signs of her little sister’s overstimulation.

When she sees them – when Kara falls silent and her eyes glaze slightly, when she stops bouncing and she looks like she’s concentrating so hard on each step – Alex exchanges a glance with Lena, and together they quickly, subtly, round up their group.

“Coffee shop break?” they both ask, and everyone agrees instantly, knowingly. They trudge off the street and spill into a mercifully air conditioned coffee shop.

No one says anything about Kara needing a full ten minutes alone in the bathroom. No one minds the wait.

Because Kara Danvers is always, always worth the wait.

And Rao, is she grateful she took a break – that her family helped her take a break – because when she steps out of the bathroom, refreshed and excited but still a little unsteady, it’s to one of the most beautiful sights she’s ever seen.

Her family, talking and laughing and cuddling in together, in spite of the heat, together, together, together, waiting for Kara to be ready to head back into the sun.