528. Chapter 528

Kara swears that Alex didn’t mess up.

That she was learning.

Not only how to balance a girlfriend and a sister – a sister who also happens to be a superhero – which would be difficult enough.

Kara insists that Alex was learning how to balance her girlfriend, her sister, and – for the first time in her life since she was fourteen years old – herself.

And that doesn’t require apologies.

That doesn’t mean that Alex doesn’t spend the entire year feeling badly about the little cupcake she showed up with at the last minute. That, for the beginning of her Earth birthday, Kara had felt rejected and neglected and, quite frankly… replaced.

And this year?

This year, Alex makes sure she doesn’t make the same mistake again.

This year, she tells Kara all about her plans to cuddle up with her all night and fill both their bellies with everything from toaster strudels to popcorn – made directly by the original popcorn maker from Jeremiah’s old kitchen in Midvale, the one that had made little Kara dive under the kitchen table all those years ago – all of Kara’s first favorite Earth foods.

“Remember when you would only eat sweets at first, until Mom figured out what supplements to give you to make sure you got enough calories?” she laughs.

“You were so jealous. And I had to have soooooo much popcorn to even feel a fraction full,” Kara giggles, leaning her head into her sister’s shoulder, and Alex smiles.

Because she’s not lying to Kara about her plans for her Earth birthday. Not exactly.

She’s just leaving some things out.

Some things like the fact that she got Lucy Lane to come home for the weekend.

Some things like she snuck Kara’s communicator to Earth-1 out of her room and used it to get in touch with Cisco Ramon.

Some things like she texted their cousin, and told him to give Eliza a ride into town.

Some things like why she’s telling Kara to meet her at the bar instead of at home.

Because if she’s going to be surprising Kara with a lot of people – even people she loves – it’s only fair that Kara can brace for being around people to begin with. And she’ll do that if she’s heading to the bar, but not if she’s just heading home for a quiet Earth birthday alone with her sister.

“Hey, Barry!” Kara squeaks excitedly when she sees him. Excitedly, ecstatically, but not quite like she’s surprised.

Barry furrows his brow. Cisco points between Kara and everyone standing near him. “Who told her?” he wants to know, and Sara Lance shrugs.

“Wasn’t me, but then again, we don’t talk nearly as much as we should, Supergirl,” she grins, and Kara squeals and launches into Sara’s bemused arms. then Barry’s, then Cisco’s, Wally’s, Iris’s, Caitlin’s, Felicity’s, Digg’s. Even Oliver’s.

And later, Sara will even swear he cracked a smile.

“No one told me!” she bounces on the balls of her feet, squealing louder when she notices Eliza and Clark. “It’s just that no other human has a heart rate as low as Barry’s, and I heard it when we walked in, but I didn’t expect everyone… Alex, I…”

She turns to her sister, standing nervously with Maggie, with Winn and James and J’onn and Lena.

“Alex, is this all because of today? Is this all… for me?”

Alex nods, throat too tight to speak, heart slamming too hard to trust herself to open her mouth.

Because this needs to be special, Kara deserves this to be special, the last year has been… Kara deserves this to be so, so, so special, and if she doesn’t like it, if it’s not enough, if –

But Kara hugs Alex long and hard and shaking, crying into her shoulder and murmuring about how loved she feels, how grateful she is, how much she loves her, how absolutely perfect this Earth birthday is.

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” Winn beams as James and Maggie exchange an excited, conspiratorial glance.

“Apparently, there’s enough food to fuel an entire civilization at Alex’s apartment,” J’onn tells Kara as he takes her into his arms.

Kara starts floating before J’onn can wrangle her down, and Alex laughs into Maggie’s hair, drying her tears so Sara Lance won’t see.

She has a reputation as an at least somewhat smooth lesbian to uphold.

“And hopefully, that means there will be some left for the rest of us when the Earth birthday girl gets through,” Lena teases as Kara kisses her soundly, eliciting whoops from Sara and Iris and Wally.

“Thank you,” Kara beams, to Alex, to Lena, to… to everyone. To her entire family.

Here for her, here to celebrate… her.

And food. Lots and lots of food.