Chapter Text
Alex let her phone drop onto her bed and sighed. Stupid Instagram with its stupid people and stupid pictures. She just wanted to forget about Maggie and her feelings and yet it was like the universe kept throwing it in her face. It was worse now that she had to hide her broken heart from Kara. She was so happy that her sister had a girlfriend, especially one that seemed so in love with her already, and she didn't want anything to ruin Kara's giddy smile. If Alex told her about Maggie's situation, Kara would insist on talking it out and would just be sad with her when she could be out with her new girlfriend instead.
"Kara, I've got this!"
Alex rolled her eyes hearing Vasquez's exclamation. They had kindly volunteered to help Kara prepare food for her first date with Lena. Kara was a mess of nerves and Alex was secretly relieved that Vasquez was there to help deal with anxious Kara.
Half an hour later and Vasquez was dropping onto Alex's bed with a content sigh.
"She's in the shower and the food is all ready to go."
Alex smiled. "Thank you for helping out."
"No problem! You know I see Kara as my little sister. Plus, I wanted to give you a few moments to yourself." Vasquez adjusted their position so they could see Alex's face. "Now that you had your moment, spill. What's troubling you?"
"Nothing! I'm fine!"
Vasquez rolled their eyes, "Nope, don't try that on me Danvers. I know you too well. You've been acting all sad and mopey for the past couple days, what's up?"
Alex took a deep breath, not sure if she wanted to talk about it, but when she opened her mouth everything just came pouring out. Vasquez patiently listened to her, resting a comforting hand on her leg. Alex only realized she was crying when they pulled her into a tight hug, she sank into their body finally letting long overdue tears fall.
Kara almost fell face first in her haste to open the door to great Lena. Vasquez was kind enough to try and hide their laughter behind a cough but Kara didn't even mind. She pulled the door open with a greeting ready to go, only to find the words disappeared at the sight of Lena. She wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary, just black jeans and a dark blue shirt with the sleeves cut off and flannel wrapped around her waist and yet Kara could hardly breath.
"Hi." Lena smiled brightly, "You look beautiful."
"You too!" Kara breathed out.
"Hey Luthor!" Alex wrapped an arm around Kara's shoulder. "She better be home before eleven!"
"Alex!" Kara pushed her sister away, embarrassed.
Lena laughed. "Yes ma'am!"
Kara's cheeks were already starting to hurt from all the smiling she was doing. Every time Lena glanced in her direction with that small grin, butterflies danced in her stomach and her lips pulled into a smile almost against her will. She had spent the night worrying about this date while Alex and Vasquez tried to calm her down - without much success - but when she was with Lena at the date she felt more excited than nervous, even though she didn't know where they were going. Kara had been responsible for the food and Lena for the location of their picnic, which she had kept a secret.
The drive was a little longer than Kara had expected, but Lena had put on the High School Musicals soundtracks because she knew Kara enjoyed them and just that gesture alone would be enough for Kara to love their first date.
Lena had chosen the top of a hill Kara had never been before even though she had lived in the same city for most of her life. They could see the whole town from up there, it was gorgeous. They worked together to put the blanket down on a nice spot of grass and grab all the food Kara had stuffed into an old basket she found in their attic.
"Kara, how many people are you expecting to join this picnic?" Lena asked with a chuckle.
"Just us! Is this not enough? Vasquez assured me we had enough!"
"I was thinking more like this could feed five people. I'm not a big eater."
"Oh! Don't worry, I'll eat whatever is left." Kara grinned, popping grapes into her mouth.
"Of course you are."
Lena's smile was teasing, her piercings shining in the sunlight and all Kara wanted was to lean and kiss her. Lena beat her to it, her warm lips enveloping Kara's gently. Kara was just really happy she was allowed to do that now. Kissing Lena was like nothing she had ever experienced and she loved every single second of it.
"You look cute talking about food." Lena said after they broke the kiss up.
"I'm glad you think so because it's one of my favorite subjects."
Alex yawned, stretching her arms above her head to work out the kinks. They had been watching dumb tv shows for hours and she was feeling better. Vasquez was really good at comforting and listening to people.
"Wanna eat?"
"Sure. I should probably head home after, though." Vasquez said. "You'll be okay right?"
Noise coming from the window startled them both, interrupting the conversation. Alex jumped off the bed and pulled the window open to investigate.
"Is that Maggie?" Vasquez asked in a surprised whisper.
Alex shook her head, wordless. If Vasquez hadn't said anything she would think she was hallucinating. Maggie had her softball jersey on and was standing there with what looked like pebbles in her hand.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked.
"I'm… trying something!" Maggie answered, slowly. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah."
Alex walked towards the front door, heart hammering in her chest. She knew it was going to be hard to be friends with Maggie but she wasn't ready for the way her insides hurt just by seeing her.
"Alex, relax." Vasquez patted her in the back. "You'll be fine."
Vasquez pulled the door open after squeezing Alex's shoulder reassuringly.
"Oh, Vasquez. You're here. I was hoping to talk to Alex alone, if that's okay."
Alex nodded at Vasquez’ silent question and they walked out of the house. Alex was about to say they didn't have to leave when she noticed Carol sitting inside a car waving at them. She let Maggie inside feeling extremely awkward. They went into her room and Alex immediately sat down on her bed, arms crossed. Maggie stayed up. Alex thought she looked nervous.
"I really needed to talk to you. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few days and I realized something: I'm an idiot."
Alex blinked, surprised. She had no idea where Maggie was going with this conversation, but that certainly wasn't what she was expecting.
"What are you saying?"
Maggie had started pacing nervously and stopped at the sound of her voice. She stood right in front of Alex, looking as serious as Alex had ever seen.
"My first, and only, relationship was… eventful, I guess you could say. Carol prefers “not healthy”. Anyway, it was intense and I was so in love I lost myself completely. My grades dropped, a lot, I gave up basically everything to be with her. She was very demanding and...It doesn't matter. The important thing is…" Maggie licked her lips, dark eyes burning into Alex. "I vowed not to let that happen again. I want to be a detective and I don't want anything to fuck that up."
"Maggie…" Alex stood up, bringing herself closer to Maggie than she expected. "I would never get in the way of your studies, you know that. I want to work for the CIA or something like that, I've wanted that for years. Why do you think I have so many fighting sessions on top of my school work?"
Maggie nodded, "I know, I wasn't… I guess I wasn't thinking. I was so focused on my past that I didn't even give you a chance. It took some long hours talking to Carol to get me to realize that you've actually helped me focus on my studies a lot more than you've distracted me."
"So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't want to be your friend. We're great together. I love spending time with you and I really, really want to kiss you every time you talk about science or make a joke. Well actually, I just want to kiss you pretty much all the time and it's just very stupid of me to pass up on that because I'm worried."
Alex had been holding her breath through Maggie's whole speech, she exhaled loudly, heart beating so loud she was sure Maggie could hear.
"Are you saying you like me?"
Maggie smiled. "Yes."
Alex just couldn't not pull Maggie into a kiss then, those dimples would be the death of her. She could hardly believe she was kissing Maggie after everything. Maggie wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling their bodies flush together. Alex let her fingers tangle into dark hair, keeping Maggie as close as possible. Maggie was an amazing kisser and Alex only pulled back when the need for air got too much.
"Does this mean I'm your girlfriend?" Alex asked breathing heavily, a teasing smile pulling at her lips.
"I don't know, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" Maggie raised her eyebrows playfully.
Alex rolled her eyes and kissed Maggie's stupid smile.
Kara finished drinking her juice with a content sigh. The food was delicious, the weather was nice and Lena was just as good as usual, well better since they could hold hands and kiss and stuff.
"You've got-" Lena produced a napkin and reached over to clean Kara's upper lip. "There you go."
"Thanks." Kara said sheepishly.
Lena just smiled sweetly at her. Every time she did that, Kara had to remind herself that this was real and not some detailed dream she was having.
"I'm really glad we're doing this." She confessed.
"Me too."
A baseball ball rolled to a stop right beside Kara and she picked it up with a frown. The form of a small girl appeared a few seconds after that, a big baseball glove on her hand. Kara squinted trying to see with the sun on her face, the girl looked familiar somehow.
"Kara!" The girl ran towards them and threw herself onto Kara's lap.
"Jo?" Kara managed to ask from under thick black hair that was now covering her face."What are you doing here?"
"I'm playing ball with my new family!" Jo beamed, her uneven teeth showing. "Dad is teaching me baseball, he said I'm real good! Daddy doesn't like baseball but he says we'll play football when I'm older!"
"That's amazing! I bet you'll be great at it!"
Jo grabbed the ball from Kara's hand and jumped up.
"It's my turn to throw now. Bye Kara!"
Just as quick as she had appeared, she was gone. Kara shook her head, a smile still on her face.
"I'm so happy she was adopted! She deserves a nice family." Kara said. "I haven't been to the foster home in a while, I really should go back soon."
"Do you mind if I tag along?"
"Of course not! I had a great time last time."
Lena grinned. "So did I. You're a great dancer. Maybe we should go dancing on our next date."
"Yes please! I don't get to dance as much as I would like to."
"Well, I'll make sure to remedy that!" Lena winked and pressed a kiss to Kara's cheek. "Hang on, I just remembered something."
Lena jumped up and headed back towards where she had parked her car. Kara snacked on the pieces of apple she still had while she waited, feeling warm inside. Lena came back a few minutes later and handed her a small box into Kara's lap.
"I got this for you, but never found the right time to give it to you."
Kara's smile was delighted and she made quick work opening the box, eager to see what was inside.
"Oh." She pulled the necklace from the box reverently. The chain sparkled a little as it moved, making for a pretty sight. The pendant was Beauty and the Beast's rose in a glass. "I love it!"
"I thought you might. I saw it at the store and I just had to buy."
"Help me put it on!" Kara asked, pushing her hair out of the way.
Lena's fingers were warm on her neck, making Kara shiver.
"There you go."
"Thank you." Kara said softly.
They stayed silent for a moment, Kara admiring her necklace and Lena watching Kara.
"You know, I've been thinking about our conversation at the party a lot and you're right. I have been relying on Loren for years already, he has been more of a family to me than my actual one. I guess a part of me was still hoping there was a part of them that wanted me, since they adopted me, but I can't just spend my life waiting around for them to show it." Lena was playing idly with a discarded package. Kara grabbed her hand, their fingers intertwined. "I don't want to let their expectations ruin my life. I just wanna be myself."
"I didn't know you were adopted!" Kara exclaimed. "I'm glad I could help. And yes, family should be something we choose, not something is forced on us. I'm glad you see LA that way and I hope with time you'll see that in me, my sister and our friends as well."
"Are you proposing already, Kara Danvers?"
"What? N-no!" Kara shook her head.
"I love how you blush when I mess with you." Lena chuckled. "It's okay, I'm good with making plans for next week, not the rest of our lives. We have plenty of time."
Lena leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Kara's lips. It warmed Kara from the inside, she could not have asked for a better day. If this was how her dates with Lena were gonna go, she would be the happiest girl ever.
Lena wrapped an arm around Kara's shoulder and it felt like the most natural thing to rest her head on Lena's shoulder and breathe on her citric shampoo.
"How about a museum next?" Lena suggested quietly. "Or maybe we will go to a real karaoke this time."
Kara hummed barely registering the words when Lena started to caress her hair. She didn't care where they went, just that Lena stayed close to her.
Alex bit her pen trying to think, Maggie's finger softly combing through her hair was a little distracting though. She was almost done with her homework anyway, so she didn't stop Maggie's actions and just let the pen drop. The school's library was mostly empty so Alex stretched her legs out, lying down properly on the floor with her head pillowed on Maggie's thighs.
"Are we going to Lena's tonight?" Maggie asked.
"What? Why?"
"The Doctor Who binge thing? Kara was spamming the chat about how we never actually got around to do it so we should do it tonight."
"Oh, my phone died." Alex shrugged. "But, sure. Kara is really excited for us to meet Lena's dog and you know my parents won't let Kara stay over at Lena's if I don't tag along."
Maggie smiled. "Yeah, right. You're a nerd and just want to watch the show."
"Shut up. The women are hot..."
Maggie's smile said she didn't believe her, but Alex didn't mind. It was no secret that her girlfriend was also kind of a nerd and she knew it was all harmless teasing. It would be good to actually spend some time with her sister too. With school and now both of them dating, they had barely seen each other and she missed Kara.
Kara beamed when Lena entered the room, her excitement coming off in waves.
"I finished our fort!"
"I can see that." Lena smiled, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Kara went to her and grabbed her hand to pull her inside their fort. She had found out Lena had never had a sleepover before - well with girls, she slept over at LA's all the time - and decided to give Lena the whole experience. Instead of going to the mini cinema the Luthor's had at their house, they were sticking to Lena's spacious room. For someone who had never made a pillow fort Lena was very efficient and they got everything done with no problems.
"All we need now are snacks! Oh, and Trinket! I promised her she could come watch with us!"
Lena chuckled."Of course you did. Why don't you go get her while I grab the food? Alex said they'll be here soon."
Once Alex and Maggie had arrived Kara quickly pushed them inside the fort, eager to get things started. They had more snacks than they knew what to do with, plenty of comfy pillows and blankets and Kara was already wearing her favorite pj's. She settled in next to Lena and Trinket the dog was quick to join them, lying down by their feet.
"Are you sure the dog is okay?" Maggie asked, watching the Rottweiler warily. "She keeps staring at me and I don't think she wants to play."
Lena chuckled. "Don't worry, she won't leave Kara's side. I think she's more in love with her than I am."
Kara smiled feeling her cheeks burn up at the wink Lena threw her way.
"Relax Sawyer, I'll protect you." Alex teased.
Maggie fake glared at her girlfriend and Kara quickly drew their attention back to her before they started to make out.
"All right so, to make sure everyone is paying attention to the show and not to their girlfriends, I bought us Twizzlers but you can only eat one when something from this list happens." She waved the blue paper she had printed earlier on Lena's fancy computer room. "You know, like a drinking game but responsible. And with food which is better than alcohol."
"Like a drinking game but for dorks." Maggie said quietly.
"You do know you included yourself in this group of dorks right?" Lena pointed out.
Kara ignored them and put the list where everyone could see. Lena wrapped an arm around her waist and she settled back against her chest with a content sigh.
Hours later Alex was almost falling asleep with Maggie tucked against her side. The amount of food they had eaten combined with how comfortable she was made it hard for her not to feel sleepy. Let alone the fact that it was way past midnight. Her sister on the other hand looked like she was about combust. Kara had eaten more than everyone - no surprise there - and had drunk at least five RedBulls wanting to stay awake to watch as much as she could. She had cried three times already and Alex was just glad Lena was there to deal with it so she didn't have to move.
"I just love Rose so much!" Kara sighed.
"You should probably slow down on the sugar now, babe." Lena suggested. "Why don't we go for a walk so you can spend some of that energy?"
"But the next episode-?"
"Will still be here when we get back, come on."
Lena gently guided Kara out of the fort, Trinket immediately following them.
"Little Danvers is going to crash so hard later." Maggie mumbled, moving around so she was facing Alex.
"Yup." Alex caressed her face gently, pushing a few stray hairs from her face. "Good thing she has a girlfriend to deal with that now, I'm not moving."
Maggie chuckled lowly. "Good, I was prepared to wrestle you into staying."
"Who says you would win?" Alex raised her eyebrows in challenge.
"Pretty sure I can take you Sanvers."
"In your dreams Sawyer."
Maggie grinned mischievously and before Alex knew she was on her back, Maggie on top of her, hair cascading down her face. Alex was one hundred percent sure she could turn the tables on Maggie, but when she looked into those sparkling warm brown eyes and those dimples she didn't really want to move. Not a bad place to be, under her hot girlfriend. She pulled Maggie down into a kiss, relishing the fact that she could do that now. Kissing Maggie always left her all warm inside and she was sure she would never get tired of it.
Kara took a sip of her water knowing she needed to be hydrated if she wanted to last through the night. She was still paying the price for eating so much and drinking so many RedBulls at Lena's on their sleepover.
"Are you sure you want to come with me? I don't mind going by myself. Loren will probably be around with his newest crush." Lena asked as she drove. "This crowd and the band are kinda heavier than you're used to."
"I'm sure! I don't care where we are, I just want to spend time with you!"
Lena smiled. "You really need to stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Saying things that make me want to kiss you while I'm driving."
Kara grinned, feeling incredibly happy. She was going to a concert, one of Lena's favorite places, with Lena, her awesome and beautiful girlfriend. And after that they were heading to Kara's favorite shop to get Sundaes. A perfect date in Kara's book.
As soon as she got out of the car Lena was standing in front of her. Kara blinked a little startled but she wasn't complaining. Lena had added a couple new piercings to her growing collection and she had recently shaved her sides. Kara thought she looked even more beautiful than the first time she had seen her, it was hard to believe she got to call her her girlfriend.
Lena cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a long kiss. Kara happily kissed her back, wrapping her arms around Lena's waist so they were as close as possible. Lena's jacket was poking into her because of the spikes but Kara didn't care, the only thing that mattered was staying there with Lena. When they broke apart Lena smiled brightly at her.
"I'm glad you're here." Lena grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's rock!"