719. Chapter 719

Kara squeezes one of their hands, and Maggie kisses the other.

“You’re going to be just fine, Danvers. I promise,” Maggie tells them as Kara beams over at her sister-in-law.

“It’s gonna look so badass, Alex,” she adjusts her glasses with her free hand before digging into her pocket and squinting at her phone. “Oh, and Lena says you’re going to be amazing, and that she can’t wait to see.”

Alex shivers and bites the inside of their cheek. “But what if I hate it? What if it looks ugly, or I don’t have the right face for it, or everyone thinks I look stupid, or that I’m faking it, or – “

“Hey, hey,” James puts a gentle hand on their shoulder, his other hand holding Winn’s, which still makes Alex smile every damn time. “Alex, listen, we love you. You couldn’t possibly look ugly, ever. And we’re going to a good stylist who’s gonna know what’s gonna look right with your face; and if anyone thinks you look stupid or are faking it – “

“You have Guardian, Supergirl, Detective Maggie Sawyer, and… well… me! On your side,” Winn assures them, and Alex nods nervously, gratefully.

“Thanks, guys,” they murmur, accepting a long, gentle kiss from Maggie as they reach the salon door. “You’re sure it’s not stupid that all of you are coming with me?”

“Are you kidding? It’s awesome. We’re cool,” Kara grins, crossing her arms over her chest and automatically leaning back to back with Winn and striking a pose, making James, Alex, and Maggie all laugh.

“Your sister’s right, babe. And anyway, this is a big milestone in your life. It’s normal to want to have your family supporting you.”

Alex nods, their heart beating nearly out of their chest, slamming against their binder.

“And Adrian said to show you this,” Maggie grins broadly, holding up her phone to show Alex a photo spread of Adrian as a younger teenager, sitting with a terrified grin in a barber’s chair, his father holding his hand, first with hair for days and then with it buzzed and dyed. The before pictures are full of fear, and the after pictures are full of ecstasy. The photos make Alex’s heart rate steady.

“You’ll hold my hand?” Alex turns to their wife, and Kara squeals with happiness, leaning into Winn and James as Maggie kisses Alex’s knuckles.

“The whole time, sweetie,” she promises.

Alex doesn’t speak when they step into the salon, but they don’t have to.

Maggie is the one who introduces them, who tells the stylist Alex’s name and appointment time; and she and Kara bounce back and forth with their explanations of every requirement Alex has for this haircut, all the factors they’d discussed earlier, while the stylist smiles with a knowing nod, carding her fingers through Alex’s hair and clearly envisioning the work ahead of her.

“Do you wanna show her your photo spread, babe?” Maggie prompts Alex to take out their phone and pull up the Pinterest board Kara and James had helped them make, of styles they like, styles they hate, styles where they love this but don’t really want that. “They made a bit of a chart,” Maggie turns to explain to the stylist, making sure to emphasize Alex’s pronouns, which soothes them and pleases them deeply.

And, true to her word, Maggie doesn’t let go of Alex’s hand as they get their hair washed, as they sit in the chair. As the stylist tells Alex her plan and Alex nods with wide eyes, murmuring to themself about how they’ve literally saved the planet, they can handle a damn haircut.

Alex meets their sister’s eyes in the mirror as Kara hovers behind the stylist, and when Kara beams and nods eagerly at them, Alex wonders how they got so lucky with their little sister.

And when they catch the gazes of James and Winn in the mirror, too, and they both smile and give them huge thumbs up, they wonder what they did to deserve such amazing friends.

When their phone buzzes and Maggie shows them the “you’ve got this, Alex!” text from Sam and Lena, busy at the office but eager to see the outcome, they smile across their entire face.

And when J’onn texts Maggie and asks her to please tell his eldest Earth child that he loves them and could not be more proud of them, they feel tears stinging their eyes. Good tears. Happy tears. Perfect tears.

And through it all, Maggie never lets go of their hand.

Until, that is, the cut is finished and Alex stands, finally able to run their hands through hair that’s buzzed in the back and sticking up slightly in the front. Finally able to feel a breeze on the back of their head, the skin on the back of their neck.

Finally looking in the mirror and seeing what they’ve been too scared to want to see for so many years.

All their friends hug them at once, and Alex has never been much for intimacy, but this?

This feels absolutely fantastic.

“Thank you,” they whisper to their wife. “Do you like it?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think, Danvers. Do you like it?”

“I love it. But, Mags, it does – “

“It would scar your sister for life if I fully showed you how sexy you are right now, Alex Danvers,” Maggie assures them, and Kara groans and mutters loudly about superhearing; but all along, the smile never leaves her face, because her sibling is an absolutely happy, absolutely perfect badass.