Chapter Text
Kara Danvers woke up in the middle of the night to something small hitting her on the face. And it hurt.
She rubbed her nose as she sat up to see that her four-year-old was wriggling on the bed again and it was his fist that had hit her nose. She ran a hand through his messy, dark hair and placed a soft kiss on his brow.
“Kai,” she called, softly. “Baby, it’s okay. It’s just a bad dream. Mommy’s right here.”
The little boy calmed down when she pulled him closer. He snuggled against her and she swore she heard him call for his dad. Kara let out a sigh. It wasn’t easy being a single parent knowing your kid missed his dad every day. But she was trying, as always.
Kissing him on the head, she started humming a Kryptonian song her mom used to sing for her when she was a kid. Kai immediately relaxed in her arms, and Kara was glad she could be there for her baby at times like these.
Morning brought in rays of sunshine through the many windows. Kara was glad she had changed the curtains in her so-called bedroom so Kai could sleep better. As she made her way to the bathroom for a shower, her eyes fell on the little figure curled up on the bed. Her baby was growing. He needed a bed of his own. Hell! He needed a bedroom of his own. But she was so attached to her loft that she had tried her hardest to make Kai feel at home here.
Kara stood brushing her teeth, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes, and she was desperately in need for a good night’s sleep. Reporting and Supergirl-ing were hectic for the past few weeks. She was constantly running around and not to mention the nightmares Kai was having these days. Kara had talked to Kai’s dad about the nightmares and he had assured her that Kai slept peacefully at his place every time he went to stay there. Kara let out a groan. Kai had his own room at his dad’s place, one that he was allowed to decorate as he wished. One that had an extra comfy bed for her boy, that sadly she wasn’t providing him with.
Having a kid wasn’t easy. She knew that all too well now. Even though Kai’s dad was gracious with his child support, there were just some things money couldn’t buy. A good night’s sleep, for instance. Her sister had noticed the dark circles and suggest for a Girl’s Day Out. Shopping. Lunch. Spa. Movie. Potstickers. And of course, plenty of rest. But for that to happen, Alex knew Kara had to let Kai go to his dad’s for the day. And so she had called him and asked him if Kai could spend the whole day at his place. It was Friday, but he had a day off like her. She had gotten nothing but overwhelming joy from the other side, and Kara felt a pang of guilt. She had to let the Father-Son duo spend more time together, maybe the weekends weren’t enough.
After taking a quick shower, she hurried out and changed into her clothes right in time to see Kai sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Good morning, baby!” Kara called as she went to hug her little boy.
“Mowning, Momma!” Kai gave her a big smile as he got out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom. Kara giggled as she followed him.
When Kai was ready for the day, she started making breakfast for him. It was Takes again and she had to blame Kai’s dad for the habit of pancakes her son had gotten. As Kai ate his breakfast, Kara started packing his bag for him. He was going to stay the night at his dad’s and only return the next afternoon.
Plenty of time to relax, Kara thought.
She didn’t bother with her own breakfast. Some coffee and an apple were good for her now. But a strange feeling crept over her as she remembered the man who once cooked for her, just because he wanted to make her happy. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and chuckled when she saw Kai eating his pancakes like a burger.
Once Kai was done, she helped him change out of his PJs and just then, the doorbell rang.
“Daddy!” The little boy called out excitedly as he ran to the door in his underwear.
“Kai, you need to put on your pants,” Kara called after him. But seeing him waiting eagerly for her to open the door, she shook her head and pulled it open.
He had been standing there with his phone in his hands. Adjusting his glasses, he looked down when something small crashed against him as soon as the door opened.
Kai was hugging his father’s leg and he looked up with a big grin.
“Hello there,” his father said, bending down to lift him in his arms.
“General Kenobi!!!” Kai called out excitedly as he wriggled in his father’s arms.
Mon-El burst out laughing when he saw Kara shake her head with a small smile. “You and your stupid Star Wars jokes,” she muttered as she walked in.
“Hey! They aren’t stupid. They are fun, aren’t they, Kai?” Mon-El held a hand up for a high-five. Kai’s small palm met his and that’s when he noticed Kai was in his undergarments.
“You aren’t ready yet, Kiddo?”
“Soon,” Kai said as he wriggled out of his arms again. Mon-El set him down and took a seat on a chair nearby.
“Coffee?” Kara asked him. When she saw him nod, she went to pour him a cup.
“Thanks, Kara,” Mon-El muttered as he took a sip. Coffee was something he would never say no to. And it didn’t matter if he had already had two cups that morning. “Have you been sleeping well?” he asked, when he noticed Kara letting out a yawn.
She looked up at him and shook her head. She looked down at Kai once and then Mon-El and mouthed, “Nightmare.”
Mon-El’s eyes fell on his son, concern grazed them as he realized those nightmares were only getting worse. He used to have nightmares too, about Daxam’s fall, about getting lost in space… about losing Kara. Every single one of them had come true.
Mon-El looked at Kara and let out a sigh. It had been five years since that incident but the pain was still raw.
Five years ago, she stood in the same spot she stood now when she told him that she was done with him and that she wanted him gone. He had no idea what he had done for her to react that way. He had pleaded with her. Apologized despite not knowing if he had wronged her. But then something snapped inside him. He wasn’t going to let her throw him away whenever she wanted and pull him back when she missed him. That day he had decided to do as she wished and to stay away. And that break up seemed final. He was not going to apologize and go back. She was not ready to tell him what was wrong and ask him to come back home. That was the day they fell apart but then he hadn’t known that she was already pregnant when she broke up with him. When he had come to know of the pregnancy few months later, he told her that he was going to be a hands-on dad for his unborn child. He wouldn’t make the mistake his parents had made. And he sure wasn’t going to let Kara keep him away from his child.
And she didn’t.
Kara appreciated all the support she got from Mon-El. She was grateful of his friendship. She knew that she had been wrong when she broke up with him, only because she feared Mon-El didn’t want the baby and there was no way she was going to abort her baby. But her biggest mistake was she hadn’t bothered talking to Mon-El about her concerns. And when she did, it was too late.
But they moved past it and had managed to maintain a cordial friendship thanks to Kai. He was their first priority, so they weren’t going to let their failed relationship come in between their co-parenting.
“Sorry for the sudden call last night. You were already asleep by then?” Kara asked when she was done helping Kai get dressed.
“Oh no! I was in bed. Reading.” Mon-El took another sip of his coffee slowly.
“Reading?”
Mon-El shrugged. “Had a long week. I thought I would fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed, but I couldn’t. Decided to catch up on my reading.”
Kara gave him a small nod as she grabbed Kai’s bag and handed it over to Mon-El. She then kneeled down to give Kai a big hug.
“Buh bye, Momma!” Kai waved her goodbye and made his way to the door when Mon-El held it open for him. But before he could walk out and join his son, he felt Kara grab his arm.
“Everything okay?” Mon-El asked, taking Kai’s hand. The little boy didn’t step out and waited patiently for his dad to join him.
“Yeah, it’s just… are you free for dinner tomorrow?”
Mon-El raised a single brow at that. “Well… no. I was supposed to bring Kai back here, wasn’t I? I have plans to go to the dive bar with a couple of friends tomorrow.”
“Oh!” Kara let out a disappointed sigh and stepped away.
“What is it? Is this about Kai?”
Kara looked down at her son, who was busy checking his backpack. “Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“How about lunch then? Will you be at Alex’s place tomorrow? I can drop Kai off there and we could head to lunch.”
“That would be great! Thanks, Mon-El.”
“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mon-El gave her a small smile and led Kai out of the door, not before being stopped by Kara, who leaned closer and kissed his cheek. Mon-El schooled his expression as she bent down to kiss Kai’s head. He suddenly started wondering if she really just wanted to talk about Kai or was there more.
Once Mon-El and Kai left, Kara headed to the balcony and looked down to see Mon-El’s car parked on the opposite side of the street. They came into view as the Daxamite carefully helped his son cross the road and helped him get seated in the car. Kara could hear Kai’s laughter; it was the purest thing she had ever heard. Mon-El was cracking a lame joke and Kai couldn’t help but laugh. Smiling, she went back in to get ready to meet Alex. It was going to be a long day today but she knew she would relax a little. Kara just hoped that Mon-El and Kai’s day was exciting as well.