Chapter Text
Kara has always been different, she was an alien for one and for two, she can see colors. Kara has always been able to see colors, it's just one more thing that sets her apart from everyone else. Her cousin doesn't even see colors, but the Danvers have since concluded that was due in part to his lack of development and exposure to Krypton beyond a few days.
Given that Kara was thirteen when she left, and her ability to see auras while on Krypton was still fledgling in comparison to someone like her Aunt Astra. Astra was a master, you had to be to hold the title of General, she had been directly responsible for Kara's more advanced ability in that area .
Back on Krypton they always had the codex, or pre-arranged marriages based on house politics, soul mates were something sacred. Ironically her Uncle and his wife Lara had gone completely against the system, falling in love and having a child without the typical methods most Kryptonian's were born under.
Of course, Jor-El had been influenced by his brother, Kara's father. She herself was a product of that chance of fate. Of parents who genuinely loved each other out of connection not predetermined complacency. Kara herself was a happy accident, one her mother swore made her almost predestined for greatness to the likes of Rao. That her life would one day be chronicled and used as inspiration for generations.
Little did they know at the time just how true the words were, but with one devastating twist. Her world died, and everyone along with it. She was thrown off course and sent to a planet where she was the child and her cousin was the hero. Twelve years later, growing up in his shadow, add to that her inherent abilities involving color and there were days like today she felt even more alone and out of place on Earth.
As Kara sat on her couch, munching away on cereal, she couldn't help but recall when Alex had first started to cry that she couldn't see colors like before. It was as if someone were desaturating the world by the time she turned fifteen. That was when Eliza explained to them both the uniqueness of the world and soulmates and love and all the things you want to be anywhere else in the world discussing with anyone else than your mom in your bedroom and how you're becoming a woman.
Eliza had made it a point to assure the both of them that soulmates were not the end result of one's life. They weren't goals to strive for every waking moment until it happened. There were already enough people in the world that had lost themselves to those endeavors or driven mad when they couldn't seem to find that 'one person that could make them see color again.' Amidst all manner of possibilities that could befall Alex, that finding her color wheel shouldn't dictate who she is, what she was capable of or her worth and place in the world.
Eliza had admitted that her and Jeremiah had never seen the full color spectrum once the world went to soft tinted grays. That she herself had never seen the trails of color in the world her soul mate was supposed to possess and leave behind for her to follow. That Jeremiah had been following the faint trails of colored hand prints on a wall only to run right into Eliza, while the hand prints continued to trail down a hallway past her. They became friends, and Eliza was constantly trying to help Jeremiah find those hand prints or any other blazing trails of color left by his supposed soulmate, not knowing he had fallen for her in the meantime.
Eliza pressed upon both girls at the time that she and Jeremiah had truly loved each other beyond all reason and what was a world with color when they had that? Eliza swore that Alex had brought plenty of color to their lives. That when she was born, for a week she and Jeremiah had been blessed with a world of true color that faded away like when they were Alex's age, but this time not as far into the spectrum of dull desaturation like before.
Kara was nearly twenty when the colors of the world began to fade, she could remember calling Eliza to tell her more afraid than elated from her dorm room in school. By the time she graduated while the color of the world was duller, no doubt much brighter than most humans ever saw it after they went through puberty, Kara revealed one more thing to her foster mother. The woman who was the biggest purveyor of making Kara feel like she was normal and belonged in this alien world no matter what. Kara could see color in all people, that everyone was a virtual rainbow at all times to her. How emotions rose off people in wisps of what looked like colored smoke bombs, or outlined their bodies or various organs in brilliant displays within the grayish tinted backdrops of the rest of the world.
Kara's question then to her had been, if she did have a soul mate, just maybe here on Earth, how was she ever going to see them? When she was already so different, even from her cousin who was the only other Kryptonian to exist that she knew of. Why was there one more thing that made her feel so much more isolated?
At the time Eliza couldn't answer her, nor had she been able to since. Neither could her sister, who after her initial resentment at Kara's much longer experiences with color in the world, had told her plenty of times before now and since that no matter what, she would always be there for her baby sister. That she wasn't alone in the world.
What Kara hadn't expected, once her sister seemed to reappear in her life after a rather self-destructive phase just before Kara's graduation was one of the larger reasons behind it. That while Kara saw colors in every person everywhere she looked, Alex had seemed to be her own exception. That there had never been a gradual reduction of colors for her like everyone else in the world. Alex admitted shortly after Kara arrived, that she only ever saw the world without any color what so ever.
Somehow, over the next few years the pair had grown closer in the oddities between them. It was a running joke that they shared in and amazed, or in most cases annoyed, their mutual acquaintances at the DEO and especially Hank. It also served as a salve when someone around either of them would run into their soul mate. For Alex the person became a sharp contrast of blacks and whites, to Kara they were a starburst of colors that trailed for what seemed like miles from around their bodies.
Kara heard the knock on her door and knew who it was without even answering. “In a minute.” She shouted, padding over to her counter to refill the mixing bowl she was using as a cereal bowl before making for the door. Halfway there Alex pounded again, her voice urgent and Kara hastened her pace, throwing the door open.
“Alex what-”
Her sister broke past her, nearly turning her around completely. Kara shut the door and put down her food, making a beeline for her sister who was in the process of flinging her jacket off like it was burning her.
“I saw it.”
“Saw what?”
“Color.” Tears were already burning Alex's eyes as she turned on her sister before resuming her pacing. “I, it, never, was just getting … I saw color.” She stopped, saying the words aloud for the first time made it that much more real and despite her tears she actually laughed. Her hand was quick to wrap around her mouth where she choked on a sob looking back at Kara.
Kara was beaming, her own eyes glassy as she looked at her sister. “Your heart Alex.” She swallowed and stepped closer looking at the organ and the brilliantly red and gold pulse that bounced through her sister's chest and then faded into the air around her. “It's beautiful, it's red and gold and you saw color!”
Alex laughed again until the two were wrapped around one another in a fierce hug until Alex murmured about needing air.
“When? Where? Did you see who?”
Alex choked on her air, holding onto her sister before shaking her head. “I saw color, but I think I'm screwed because I think they were on a plane or something cause it was in the sky.”
Kara looked confused and then figured of course, if someone were on a plane and their soulmate just happened to look up and were close enough in proximity they might actually see some color. Given how devoid Alex's sight was she could probably see color from the international space station if it belonged to her soulmate.
“We'll find them, I mean, maybe not them them but if a plane was going in whatever direction or something we can check back at the DEO look for flight plans or I dunno.” She held her sister up, a grin plastered on her face. “Alex, you saw color!”
Alex wanted to scream and hugged her sister again. “I have so much adrenaline. I need to fly before I just run and base jump out of your apartment.”
Kara laughed aloud, Alex never asked her to fly, not since they were little. “Two seconds, just stand there and hum for two seconds and I'll fly you all around National City and then get your favorite late night take out.
Five seconds after that, Kara grabbed her sister without prompt, and in a burst of super speed jumped out the window of her apartment with her, causing her to scream, s Kara got into the perfect position, catching Alex mid-drop before they pitched up and Kara shot off in a burst across the heart of the city.
“I SAW COLOR!” Alex shouted at the top of her lungs as she wrapped her arms tighter around Kara's shoulders from where she was balanced on her back.
Unbeknownst to the pair of them, someone else saw color, streaking in wild formations all across the city in haphazard loops and even symbols written in the air that they recognized as Kryptonese. “Rao bless it.” Astra swore from her perch standing to her full height on the edge of the building as the symbols began to fade as they got further and further away from her.
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The next morning, Kara stood primed and ready with her boss's coffee as she counted the beats of her heart and how much louder each one got as the elevator rose before stopping.
“She's here.” Kara mentioned, causing Winn to straighten his shirt and pretend to look busy. There was a part of her that swore this was the best part of every day. The dull background of the office would slowly creep in on her, despite the vast arrays of everyone's aura and how they swirled and spit around the people she worked with. Or how various parts of them resembled neon lights that beat through their bodies and then echoed into the air around them as they moved.
Despite all that cacophony of noise as she came to see it, nothing compared to when Cat came bursting out of her private elevator. It was like fireworks going off starting in her core and exploding out, leaving a carnage of color behind her as she stalked into her office. What was the most interesting to Kara, was as soon as Cat got to her, their simple exchange of a coffee would seem to calm the noise and even Cat herself became a wraith of smoke and charcoal until nothing but her heart was visible in full color to Kara.
It was always a deep red and gold, like the skies of Krypton at sunrise, and if she were really lucky, some days she would see lightning strikes of blue upon every heartbeat. It makes her breath catch every time, and she secretly envies whomever makes Cat's entire being respond that way.
“Good morning Ms. Grant.”
Her latte was grabbed, her bag tossed and her chair immediately sought after. “Get me the layouts for this week and put my lunch order in early.”
Kara knew by the tone and the tension, as well as the fact that Cat hadn't removed her sunglasses that she either had a hangover or hadn't slept well. “Yes Ms. Grant.” Kara turned, after placing Cat's purse in its rightful place, intent on settling into the day and how much of a buffer she was going to have to play for the rest of the office thanks to her boss' mood.
“And get Olsen in my office now. I want a meeting with Supergirl asap, no exceptions or he's fired.”
“Wh- isn't that a -”
“Now Kiera.” Cat snarled and turned her chair around pointedly.
Kara made her way to James' office, closing the door and double checking to make sure no one was within ear shot. "I'm so sorry." She watched him, in his full color glory ever since he found his soul mate, and set his work aside and regard her with his full attention.
"What are you sorry for?"
"Ms. Grant wants a meeting with me, er, Supergirl, through you."
James sighed, knowing already this was going to make the day that much harder. "I told her a few weeks ago, I'm not at her demand and Supergirl isn't at mine."
"I think we're just going to have to bite the bullet on this one. I'll make it quick, she probably just wants an interview or something." He started to protest but she shook her head. "I'll talk to Hank and Alex, just, see how the day goes maybe she'll let it go like she has before."
"Good luck with that."
Throughout the rest of the day Cat's mood only seemed to get worse, especially when Kara was around until Cat actually told her to go home early when she had personally delivered James to her bosses office as an attempt at a peace offering.