Work Text:
Tiff never gave much thought to Kara’s status as a Kryptonian. Why would she? It didn’t affect the way she looked at her or the sheer amount of love in their relationship. It just meant that her girlfriend was also Supergirl but then again, Tiff was captain of the Metropolis University cheerleading squad. So she supposed they both had their hobbies. Kara never tried to rank herself above Tiff due to her status as a hero and Tiff never held it against her. It was simply...part of their lives. It was an odd bit of normality but there was normality. Even if she was dating Superman’s cousin.
Superman. The only way Tiff could express the way she felt towards her girlfriend’s cousin was ‘polite irritation’. Sure, Superman was great and he did save lives but his personality just...didn’t click with Tiff’s. She was loud and outspoken - particularly in regard to the legal and ethical issues linked to superheroes. Not to mention the fact she despised his wife. Neither her nor Kara had ever truly warmed to Lois Lane. There was something about her that was artificial; like a snake loitering in the grass and waiting to strike. But, unlike Kara, Tiff was under no familial obligations to even pretend to like Lois which may have led to an incident involving her house keys and Lois’s car (even if no one could prove it was Tiff).
Tiff had tried to introduce Kara to her family once and never tried it again. She was estranged enough from her parents as it was but she had thought that maybe if they met her girlfriend then things would be okay. Maybe they’d finally learn to accept her. It had gone horribly in every sense of the word. And honestly? Tiff had felt close to broken as she had left her family home with Kara’s jacket wrapped tightly around her. She hadn’t been expecting much else. Why would she? If they had despised her before then they were going to continue to despise her now. There was nothing left that she could do.
There was silence between the two as they walked away. Tiff didn’t know what to say and Kara didn’t know how to comfort her. So for a long time, there was nothing. Just pure and utter silence as they walked hand in hand. Finally, Kara was the one to break it. “Do you trust me?”
Her voice made Tiff jump slightly before furrowing her eyebrows. “Of course I trust you! Why wouldn’t I?” She’d trusted Kara from the second they had met. She wouldn’t call it love at first sight but it had been something . It had been a certainty that this was someone she wanted in her life, and that certainty had quickly grown into something more. It would be absurd to assume that Tiff did anything but trust her.
“Close your eyes and take my hands.” She hesitated for a moment before pressing her hands to Kara’s and letting her eyes close. Tiff didn’t realise how sore her eyes had been until she closed them. Had...Had she been crying this entire time and just been too lost in her own thoughts to notice? That made a lot of sense, actually. Still, Tiff kept her eyes closed as a feeling of weightlessness washed over her. “Now open them.”
Tiff opened her eyes as Kara moved to wrap an arm around her waist. It took her a few moments to realise just what exactly was going on because they definitely weren’t standing on the ground. They were floating. No, they weren’t floating . They were flying . It couldn’t be floating as Kara took them higher and higher until they had the perfect view of the city. If she were with anyone else then Tiff would have undoubtedly been terrified. But this was Kara and Kara would never let her fall. “It’s...incredible.” Because how else did you explain looking down across a city whilst in the arms of the person you loved most? “Everything looks so...small.”
Kara gave her a fond smile at that. “Because it is, in perspective.” She tilted Tiff’s face until their eyes met. No sight in the world had anything on the beauty she saw when she stared into Kara’s eyes. “And we’re giants looking down on this small, miniscule city. Only, it’s not small, is it?” Tiff couldn’t bring herself to look away. “It’s big and full of so many buildings and so many people. Metropolis and the rest of the world are so much more than just one house full of people that can’t see you for what you are; that refuse to see the beautiful person that they’ve lost.”
Every muscle in Tiff’s body tensed up at that. “But they’re not just anyone and you know that!” She finally broke her gaze as she glanced back down at the city alone. “They’re not just some homophobic strangers that hate us for existing. They’re my parents. It’s my parents that hate me for loving you, and that means something to me .” Her voice cracked as the weight of the words hit her. Because it was true, wasn’t it? The same parents that had adored her as she grew up - that had bragged about how she was studying law and how she was head cheerleader and every single other achievement she’d had - now hated her for being herself.
“I know.” Kara’s grip on her waist adjusted until she was just holding Tiff in her arms protectively - as though maybe if she held Tiff close enough, she could fight off the terrible thoughts in her mind. But bad thoughts weren’t a villain any superhero could vanquish or save Tiff from. Her girlfriend however…”I just...There’s more to the world than just them, Tiff. There’s so many more people that love and care about you. There’s me, Brad, Steph, and practically everyone that has ever met you. Your parents aren’t your only family.” Tiff slumped against her slightly, returning the hug as if it were the most important thing in the universe. “You still have the family you chose and none of us are going anywhere.”
As Tiff glanced down at the city below, she couldn’t quite bring herself to argue. Because Kara was right . She had a family of friends, even if her biological family didn’t want her anymore. Her gaze on the city turned away from trying to find her parents’ house and instead looked over at the buildings that made up Metropolis University. Because that was the closest thing she had to a home right now. It was where she had met the people that mattered most to her. It was where she had met Kara. And honestly? That was more than enough .