Chapter Text
The crowded bar was always a welcome feeling – even if she couldn’t drink there. Something about it being the space where she and Maggie started, being the space where J’onn and Kara could be open, being the place where Lucy once dragged her into a single stall bathroom and had her way with her – made it a safe space.
And now, it was a safe space for her other family.
“Yo! Cap,” Zeek’s grin was contagious – ears pulling back so far they almost disappeared into his shaggy hair. He pulled out a chair as she limped up to the bar. “What happened to you?”
She grunted, waving a hand for her regular. “Drew sucks.”
“Ah, they kicked your ass in sparing, huh?” He guessed (correctly), throwing down some bills for her drink, winking at the human waitress as she left. He made very sure not to inappropriately watch her walk away with Alex around – he liked his ass unkicked thank you.
“They cheated, is what they did,” she muttered, hooking her unbandaged leg around the stool to drag it closer to the bar. “Doesn’t matter – how are you doing dude? Haven’t heard from you in a while – was surprised to get your message.”
“Oh,” he shrugged, spinning the base of her glass. “Just working down at the foundry – shitty money but easy enough.”
She turned her body to face him, tapping at his knee, leaning her head on an elbow on the counter. “You know the offers always open; I can help you find something else.”
“Thanks, but I don’t wanna work for your girlfriend, or your sister’s girlfriend,” Zeek smirked back. “And anyway – it’s nice, ya know? Just… going to work and not having to save lives or solve the world’s problems and shit?”
“I really, really get it,” she took a sip, thinking about her conversion with J’onn, with Lucy and Maggie – about her future at the DEO. Or… her lack of future at the DEO, and how that made the pressure in her chest lift, just a notch. “But my doors always open, alright? We can always find you something less intense, if that’s what you need.”
He laughed good naturedly, knocking back the last of his drink but not signaling for another – not with Alex. “What I need is to just grab a drink with my Captain every once and a while.”
Her smile softened. Leaning over, she patted the side of his face, leaving her hand there and ducking her head. His ears twitched at the affection. “You don’t need an excuse to spend time with me Ze – my door is always open.”
“I know,” he ducked his head, wrinkling his nose. “Just harder now, ya know? Since moving from Parthas and the crew all scattering and stuff, it’s starting to feel…”
She tilted her head, dropping her hand away but staying close. “Lonely?”
He pressed his lips together, but nodded, turning to face the bar properly.
“I know it’s not the same,” she started, turning her body towards the bar too, but keeping her eyes on her friend. “’Cause I had people waiting for me, but I get feeling lonely, since getting back. I certainly don’t feel adjusted yet, even after eighteen months.”
Zeek sighed, staring into his empty glass. “It’s just weird, ya know?” He titled his head to look at his friend – his leader – his mentor. “Going from seeing you guys every day to… not at all.”
Alex bit the inside of her lip, thinking about that same… weirdness. The shift from one life into another, after four years of adjusting and learning and settling. She would never trade her life on Earth for her life in space back – but there were parts of the Exodus that she missed. Her other family being key among them.
“Well,” she started, thinking about the Parthas and the Exodus and how it hadn’t had a chance for a good run in a while. “Maybe we should try get together more often, ya know. As a group? Most the guys that stayed through the end ended up in National City, but almost all the 90 stayed with Bré – we could take a ride over.” A family reunion.
“Hey, Cap, you know I woulda stayed on if I hadn’t been injured, right?” Suddenly wide eyes were set on her, thinking about being the 90and how the intimate crew that stayed aboard somehow felt… special. Better. More loyal. “Like… I know- I know you told me to get on the jump, but like, I wanted to stay with you guys. Even though I don’t wanna work with the DEO or nothin’.”
“Yeah Ze,” she rested her chin against her shoulder, smiling at the nervous man. More boy really – he’d only been 19 when they took off. He was barely a man now but growing into himself every day. “I know. You’re good.”
Pride. That’s what welled in her chest. Pride.
He’d come a long way from the guy that stole her rations and tried to lie about it around the crumbs of evidnce.
“Okay good then,” he nodded, once sure. “But yeah, a reunion sounds good! I know…“ he trailed off, eyes flicking away from her, to someone sitting further down the bar. “Yo, Cap. Check out your six – guy in the big coat.”
Alex turned to look more fully at Zeek but let her eyes drift beyond, to the far wall – the bank of glass which lined the pool tables created a mirror, giving her a good view of the guy. Zeek always had good instincts, a result of living on the streets. There was a reason why she had him on her ground crew, despite his age.
“Good eye,” she muttered, watching as the man in question suddenly got up, slouching further to hide his face as he walked. Something was… off.
She stood, and immediately winced, dropping back onto the stood with a wince. “Fuck, okay. Never mind.” She was going to kill Drew.
Zeek half laughed, already off his seat. “I’ll just shadow him a bit, make sure he’s on the up and up. Stay down you cripple.”
“Hey, be careful!” She called, watching Zeek step into a jog to catch up with the man already out of the bar. “Fucking kids thinking they can just run into danger like some kind of-“
And then the coughing started.
It took Alex’s eyes a second to see what was happening. What was wrong.
Fog was filling the room. Orange and thick and acid on her tongue.
The alien two stools over from Zeek’s empty seat collapsed, crashing to the floor violently. Leg injury or no, Alex was on her feet, two steps over to him when the screaming started, drowning out the coughing and wheezing.
Aliens. She looked around, gripping the corner of the bar – the human waitress who’d served them dropped her tray, scrambling away from a stumbling Firunte. It’s just the aliens.
Taking a sharp breath, she reached out to catch a falling Valarian – but then the fog coated her lungs. Still thick – dense like liquid – but now she could feel it. Could feel her heart rate increase, could feel her lungs contract as it entered her system.
Revised observation, her brain unhelpfully produced as her knee’s gave out under her. She slammed hard enough into the ground to bruise. Just aliens and me.
Because it was affecting her – for every second she remained drowning in the fog, her breathing became more labored. It felt like she was sucking air through a straw. Her vision was blurring but she could see her hands were shaking.
A violent cough ripped through her, and she lurched forward, catching herself on her bad hand. It took whole seconds for her lungs to stop contracting – chest protesting through the sharp burn. Through blurred eyes she noted that there was blood splattered on her hand, on the floor– right next to the Firunte lying dead.
The fog had cleared, but it was too late. It was in her bloodstream – whatever happened had already happened. She coughed again, hacking so hard it felt like she would tear her throat open. She collapsed completely now, dropping hard to the sticky bar floor, eyes locked on the dead alien inches from her
The last thing she saw before the seizure ripped through her was Zeek – frantic, sliding to the floor beside her.