#'but yeah no obviously he kept kryptos around!'

[irregularbillcipher]

do love how many of us bill cipher flatland truthers heard "when bill destroyed his home dimension, he killed everyone he'd ever known" and all simultaneously decided "well except kryptos. he knew kryptos. he kept kryptos :)"

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

A Little Family All My Own - fic

For @mayleebaby28! Thank you for donating to my fundraiser and being one of the kindest persons I’ve ever met on this hellsite. <333 Their reward request was an open prompt.

Characters: Kon-El, Tim Drake, bit of Damian and less of Bruce. Summary: Kon-El has a little brother named Jon. A/N: This is purposely vague and kind of universe-mixing (preboot, rebirth, whatever else) because I’m not reading current comics with Kon in it and only know what out of context panels I see. Does he have a baby? Is he married? I don’t know. So ignore all that. Damian also did not let Kon in the house, but knew he was there, and had recently had a similar conversation with Jon. So, he’s just a smart baby.

~~

The air in the manor always seemed different when a Kryptonian was visiting.

So when Tim slowly closed the front door behind him, he quickly began listing in his brain. No emergencies that he knew of from the League, or cases any of his siblings might have called in help for, or even holidays or birthdays.

Jon visiting Damian after school? It’d been a while since the two had had a sleepover, or time to be just friends outside of teammates.

No. As Tim passed the parlor, he could see Damian in there reading a book, absently petting the cat lying on his chest.

Clark visiting to talk about news or politics on his way between Metropolis and Kansas?

Nope, not that either, as Bruce appeared in the parlor out of the door connecting to the kitchen, newspaper under his arm and carrying two steaming mugs of tea for himself and Damian.

He gave Bruce a wave and smile when he glanced up, but continued towards the stairs without a word.

Kara here, with Dick maybe? Since the girls tended to stay with Barbara at the clock tower.

No, Dick is in Bludhaven, and the visits are rare these days. And even if he was here, he’d have been found with Damian at least.

So, he thought as he climbed the stairs and walked towards his room, who else would that leave?

But then he put his hand on the handle, turned it, pushed the door open. And found someone lying on his bed.

He blinked. Oh. Yeah.

Kon.

Kon, who’d been stuck in space and time for the last however many years. Kon, who he just refound, and so much had changed between them already.

Kon, who used to break into his city and apartment and office building all the time, so why is he surprised that it’s happened now, even after everything?

“Hey, Kon.” He said anyway, nonchalantly. Kon was sprawled dramatically along the end of his bed, arms spread from his sides as he stared blankly at the ceiling. “What’s up?”

Kon didn’t answer. Just sighed deeply.

“Everything…okay?” Tim tried, closing the door behind him. “What’s wro-”

“I have a brother.” Kon whispered.

Oh. Yeah. That was one of those big changes.

“…I know.” Tim offered. That seemed to get Kon out of his stupor. “I’ve met him.”

“Of course you have.” He snorted, sitting up. He dropped his elbows to his knees. Stared at the floor for a moment, then glanced over. “His name’s Jon. He’s…ten?”

“Correct.” Tim walked forward. “Have you met him yet?”

“No, I…” Kon shook his head as Tim sat next to him. “I don’t know…how.”

A pause.

“But you do.” Kon hummed. Tim cocked his head to the side. “You had a brother show up in your life when he was ten.”

“Well, sure. But Damian and Jon could not be more different if they tried.” A slight smirk, as Tim thought about it. “Which makes it pretty funny that they’re best friends, honestly.”

“Tim, I’m serious.” Kon huffed. “I know Damian was…a monster back then and Jon probably isn’t, but…what am I supposed to do here?”

“I can’t answer that, Kon. You know that.” Tim sighed. “Damian and I aren’t biologically related. You and Jon are.”

“Still…” Kon shrugged. Tim watched him knowingly. “…What’s he like?”

Tim smiled. “He’s cute. Very…eager. Damian says he’s like a puppy sometimes.”

“…So a mini-Clark.” Kon smiled too.

Tim laughed. “A little, yeah. But also so very obviously Lois’s son.” A twist of his lips to think. “He’s a little…naive, though. But I guess most ten-year-olds are. My only experience with ten-year-olds is…Damian. And he’s a freak.”

Kon chuckled softly. “But you and the kid are good now.”

Tim shrugged himself. “We’re good enough. A lot…a lot happened while you were gone, Kon. Put a lot of things in perspective, for the both of us.”

Kon nodded. “Am I…I don’t…what should I be feeling?”

“About Jon? Whatever you want to feel.”

“I want to say I feel replaced.” Kon admitted, gently wringing his hands together. “But that would like…be like saying I ever wanted to be Clark’s son in the first place.”

“Do you feel replaced?” Tim pushed. “Because I know I did. So if you do, that’s totally normal.”

Kon shook his head. “Not really. I think I just feel…nervous.”

“Nervous?”

“Because now it’s not just Clark. Now there’s two people who have my DNA. Now, I…I actually have a little family. Not just an unknowing sperm donor who’s doing his best. Now I have a little brother.” Kon’s voice became lighter and quieter and airy in disbelief the more he spoke. “That makes me a big brother. A real big brother. And…how do I do that? How do I be a big brother? How do I protect him? Am I even supposed to? Should I keep my distance? Should I bother at all?”

“Kon, relax. You’re getting ahead of yourself.” Tim put a hand on his shoulder. Squeezed until Kon took a deep breath.

“And then…the other problem.” Kon whispered, and when he looked up at Tim, he looked terrified. “Lex.”

Tim paused, blinked.

“Does Lex know about Jon? If I go meet him, will Lex find out? Will Lex try to use him against me? Will Lex try to hurt him?” Kon was shaking his head, and already his eyes were starting to mist. “I can’t let Lex hurt a ten-year-old, Tim. I can’t let this kid get hurt because of me.”

Tim blinked twice more, then laughed out loud. “You Supers, I swear.”

“What?!”

“I’m assuming Clark told you about Jon, right?” Kon nodded. “Didn’t he mention that Jon’s been developing his own Kryptonian powers? That he’s been going by Superboy for the last year? That he’s already tougher than my whole family combined?”

“That doesn’t matter. He’s ten.” Then a frown. “Or are you saying you’re fine with letting Damian go out on his own, say, against his stupid mom just because you know he’s really well trained?”

Tim returned the frown. “Low blow, man. I’m sure Clark told you what happened to Damian too.”

Kon looked down in remorse. Bit his lip and nodded absently. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“…I get your point though.” Tim admitted. “And it’s…adorable, that you’re already so worried about him. But I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about. Trust me, Jon’s already been through some real shit, worse than Lex could probably ever throw at him, and came out better on the other side.”

Kon didn’t move, but his body language said he didn’t quite believe that.

Tim smiled again. “…You love him already, don’t you?”

“Clark showed me a picture of him and Krypto.” Kon mumbled in embarrassment. “And he’s so fucking precious I want to die.”

Tim snorted and pushed Kon’s shoulder. Kon smiled weakly.

“What do I do, Tim? How do I…approach him? Should I just do it? Talk to Lois and Clark first? What kind of things does he like, should I bring him a present?” He sighed, ran his fingers through his hair. Stared at his shoes for a full minute in silence. Long enough for Tim to tune in to the rest of the house. Heard Titus barking, and the front door open. Soft voices in the foyer.

And as Tim was slightly distracted, Kon whispered: “Do you think he knows about me?”

Well, Tim couldn’t answer that.

“Do you think Clark told him anything? Or did he think I was gone for good, so just kept it all a big secret from the kid?” Kon breathed.

Tim silently listened, but found himself tuning back in to the voices in the hall. There was a group of people. Adults, female and male. Another dog? A child, or children. He could hear Damian talking to that one.

“And if he doesn’t, should I even bother?”

Someone on the stairs, someone walking towards Tim’s room. A dog trotting behind.

Then, a gentle knock, followed by the door immediately opening anyway. Damian appeared, looking curiously around the room before landing on the bed. He glanced at Kon only briefly, and didn’t seem all that surprised to see him.

“Drake.” He said instead, as Titus barreled into the room, trotting immediately towards Kon and giving him his best tail wag.

“What’s up, kid?” Tim asked nonchalantly, felt Kon sit up straight next to him, staring just as curiously back at the youngest of the Bat clan.

“The Kents are here.” Damian hummed, almost like he knew. And maybe he did. Maybe he knew Kon was here. Maybe he was the one who let Kon into the house, and showed him to Tim’s room. Maybe he knew what Kon’s dilemma was. Maybe he was the one who called the Kents over, under the guise of something else.

Regardless, he said nothing else. Just waited for Tim to nod in confirmation, then disappeared back into the hall.

“���Well.” Tim huffed, standing. Titus wagged his tail harder, and began tugging at Kon’s sleeve to make him follow Tim. Tim watched Kon with a smile, then held his hand out to him. “Only one way to find out, don’t you think?”

[corruptapostasy]

Past’s Consequences

Ok, so you guys have no idea how much i genuinely love the Henchmaniacs. Their designs are all so unique and bursting with charm, and their goofy, loveable personalities (or at least what we see of them) never fail to make me smile. 

So, here are my thoughts about their relationship with Bill, as well as my idea of how he got his powers. Enjoy!

The sky seemed much more dull now. No longer were the ever-changing colors so neon bright it could hurt your eyes, nor were they so fluid and thick that looking at them made one sick to the stomach. It seemed they were losing shade, losing texture, draining away until it was nothing but the void. It was alarming, definitely, but it was only slight, as if the heart had jumped mildly in the chest.

After all, without Bill, escape was hopeless.

Pyronica sighed as she laid down a few dead bodies in a circle of stones, followed by Hectorgon with an armful of broken lumber. Kryptos, who was attempting to play Go Fish with 8-Ball, looks up at them dimly, as if barely acknowledging they were there. Xanthar was laying down a few feet away, simply staring into the distance, or at least it looked like it. After a moment or two, 8-Ball lays his cards down, which were so dirtied that the numbers couldn't be determined, and turns his head toward Ronnie. "How long now?"

The pink demoness looks up at her goblin-like friend, blinking slightly as if caught off guard. But after a second, the look in her eye fades and she glances over toward a crumbling, barely intact wall, which contained an array of tally-marks burned into the concrete. "...5 months now."

8-Ball merely hummed, while Kryptos's mouth turned down in a worried, troubled frown. "...You think he's ok out there?"

Normally this question would've been met with instant responses, denying any possibility of their closest, and strongest friend, their leader, being hurt or harmed in any fashion.

'Are you nuts?! Bill is fine!'

'I'm sure he'll be back! He just needs to handle those Pines first!'

'He's the Boss, you moron! Nothing can touch him!'

Now, nothing of the sort came. Only the low whistling of the wind had the gall to answer such a heavy question. Kryptos's fists clenched ever so slightly, the leather of his gloves stretching over his claws and barely preventing them from cutting into his palms. A wave of heat washed over his body, and he glances over to see Pyronica setting the make-shift fireplace ablaze, the wood and the dead bodies starting to catch alight. She glances around, then frowns. "Where are the others?"

8-Ball's left ear twitches. "Teeth and Pacifire went to the Eyebats to get anything back. They have those things scouting the entire dimension."

"And AS? Keyhole?"

"Went out to look for stragglers; hopefully we can use whatever tech they have to build us a wormhole out of here. It can be anywhere, really. Even that stupid dimension where everything is an M."

Ronnie sits down in front of the fire, occasionally adjusting a corpse so the meat is cooked more thoroughly. "That isn't going to work."

"Well, they won't listen to that. And, to be frank, neither will I." 8-Ball's ears now flick back, and his expression sours. "..We...We can't just sit here and wait for it all to crumble, Ron."

Kryptos suddenly speaks up, his eye closed and bent down, as if he was hanging his head. "It won't."

Hectorgon, who had been sitting beside Ronnie and merely combing his mustache with an old fork, seems to lean away, as if taken aback. "Are you daft? Can you not see the skies crumbling? The emptiness of the lands around you? It took us days to find these!" At that, he waves an arm at the now sizzling dead bodies. "This whole plane is going to be caving in on itself like a failed attempt at pottery!"

Kryptos looks up at the other shape with a stern glare, gritting his teeth. "No it won't! B-Bill's coming back, you hear me?! He will, and he'll get us out of here!"

Hectorgon leaps to his feet, hands balked into fists. "And how do you know that?! How long are you going to make us sit and wait here until we're all swallowed up by the void?! I say we try and find any outsider we can and make them build a portal too! If a human could do it, so can they!"

Something sparked inside Kryptos's body, and quickly, rage began to fill it up. His eye narrowed as his scowl quickly fell into a snarl of anger, and his vision went red. Suddenly, the mustached prism was shoved to the ground, and harsh blows were landing all across his face. The rhombus was screaming, while Ronnie and 8-Ball only watched, frozen.

"BILL DIDN'T BAIL ON ME WHEN THE WORLD WAS ENDING!! WHEN MY WORLD WAS ENDING! HE CAME AND GOT ME, KEPT ME SAFE, AND I WILL NOT TURN MY BACK ON HIM NOW! NOT WHEN HE'S OUT THERE AND POSSIBLY DEAD!"

Blood was now staining Kryptos's gloves a dull red, and he only realized it when flaming claws had grabbed at his body and forcefully yanked him off. He kept thrashing, his screaming just dissolving into loud curses as he fully came back to himself, and watched as Hectorgon slowly got up off the ground, one of his teeth missing, his lip busted open, and his hands trembling.

8-Ball's ears flew up in alarm, and leapt into action, grabbing Hectorgon under the arms before he could lunge and holding him back. Said shape began to writhe in the goblin's grip, looking ready to murder his attacker, now screaming back. "YOU IDIOT!! YOU'LL GET US ALL KILLED!!"

Ronnie was backing up now, trying to hold Kryptos steady as he started yelling back, kicking wildly. "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOUR STUPID PLAN WILL WORK!!! FACE IT, WE'RE TRAPPED HERE UNTIL BILL COMES BACK!!"

"HE ISN'T COMING BACK!!"

A sudden loud roar fills the air, as a closed, giant purple fist comes crashing down just inches away from the four, lifting Ronnie and 8-Ball up in the air by a few feet. They all crashed to the ground in a jumbled heap, and the fire pit was now nothing but splinters, and the stones that made it up were now scattered all across the ground. Xanthar was towering over them sternly, their face inches away from the others, as if glaring at them, trying to make their order clear: no more fighting.

Kryptos and Hectorgon glance at each other, and away, going quiet. Pyronica sighs in relief, and glances at the purple loaf with a shaky grin. "Yeah, buddy. Can do." She gives their face an affectionate pat. 8-Ball just gave a slow thumbs up.

Seemingly satisfied, Xanthar pulled away and laid back down, shifting for a few moments to get comfortable. Kryptos sighs softly as he pushes Ronnie's arms off of him, walking over to the corpses and dragging them back over to where they originally lay. He grabbed a knife, and starting cutting open the skin, a silent gesture for the others to come by and sit. Hectorgon sighs, accepting the olive branch for now, and walks over, touching his bruised lip tentatively. 8-Ball and Ronnie glance at each other before climbing back up to their feet.

Things were much more silent while they ate, with no one speaking at all, for fear of breaking the momentary peace. Kryptos's gaze wandered up to the sky, surveying the slowly darkening horizon, and he could feel his stomach coil into a hard knot. He idly starts chewing on a bone, just to keep himself sated, and after a moment, he glances at Pyronica, who was munching on a femur. He sighs, and removes the bone to speak. "..So...How did you meet Bill, anyway? I mean, from my perspective, he had just...disappeared."

All three of them look up, blinking at the question. Pyronica, after a moment, smiles as the memory comes back to her. "Heheh. It was honestly by accident. See, my homeworld was kind of extremely territorial, and it just so happened that some intergalactic prison had wandered too close, and so, we attacked. Uhh...I think I was a foot soldier or something, can't quite remember anymore. But I do remember opening a prison door and just seeing, well, Bill! He was all colorless and tiny and just so cute! How I could I NOT want to take him with me?"

Kryptos smiled slightly, a faint chuckle drifting from his lips. "Really? Why was he in prison?"

Ronnie flapped a hand dismissively. "Oh, those chucklefucks throw in anyone that doesn't have a license to hop from dimension to dimension. They caught him just as he came through, I think." She bites down on her bone, snapping it in half. She continues speaking, spewing chunks of marrow everywhere. "Anyway, after that, the Council or some shit wanted to execute all the prisoners, to make sure the secret of our existence never got out. We kind of lived on a star, see, and we obviously didn't want anyone coming by to try and enslave us. So, to avoid getting killed, Bill talked me into ditching them, and gave me the offer of both of us exploring the cosmos together. Of course I said yes, and we hijacked a ship belonging to one of the dead prison guards. Off we went to the nearest outpost, and we decided to get jobs. He was a salesman and smuggler, while I was a mercenary and assassin. Pretty good duo, huh?"

8-Ball nodded and spoke up next, smiling as well. "Then you guys ran into me next. Ever wonder where these chains came from?" He gestures to said metal clamps around his ankles and wrists. "I was a sort of genetic monster grown by an extremely violent Empire of bug-people. Thrown me into gladiator fights ever since I could walk."

Pyronica nodded, giggling slightly as her smile turns sheepish. "Me and Bill were captured after a few weeks of traveling around, looking for someone to hire me, and were set up to be new contestants in one of their annual competitions. Poor little guy was basically defenseless against almost every opponent. Running around like a headless Cirblup."

Kryptos blinked, caught off guard by the sudden alien term. "Uhh...You mean a chicken?"

Ronnie chuckles. "That too. Anyway, we had finally reached the rank to face off against Eighty here." She affectionately punches his shoulder. "And, hoo boy, did you put up a fight! I think I had to use my cape to blind you at one point because you were so damn strong! Then Bill came around and clubbed you in the back of the head!"

The goblin chuckles at the memory, and he nods. "Yup. And, well, I had never been defeated before, so I could say I was pretty shocked. Shocked and awed. Soon after, I broke out of my bonds, helped them get back to their ship, and, well, off we went again. Honestly, until we got a job, we were just running around aimlessly.”

Kryptos smirks, giggling slightly. "Why do I get the feeling that every time you first met someone you beat the shit out of them?"

Both 8-Ball and Ronnie look a bit sheepish now, the former answering the question. "It wasn't EVERY time. Like, uh Pacifire! Yeah! He was a demon locked away inside the core of a dying planetoid. This weird religious civilization payed us to try and kill him off, but, when Bill saw how miserable Paci was in there, he made a different call. Imagine being trapped inside a ball of fire. Now imagine that ball being slowly compressed by a fuckton of gravity as a huge rock collapses on itself from within. That's where he was when Bill found him."

Kryptos cringes, shuddering at the painful image that was brought to his head. "Yeesh."

And so the conversation grew, Keyptos listening in awe of all of the encounters Bill had witnessed out there in the Multiverse. They had met Teeth inside an abandoned laboratory, the monstrosity having the ability to consume all types of matter no matter how dangerous, but grew too unstable and had attacked and eaten all of the staff. Keyhole was a thief on the run from a galactic dictator, and had hired the group to protect him from bounty hunters and assassins trying to kill him off. Hectorgon was a rebellious leader, trying to overthrow the hierarchy of the Spheres in his home dimension, who were corrupt and cruel.

Kryptos's gaze soured upon hearing that particular section, fists clenching. "...Tch. And here we were thinking the Sphere was an immortal being. Of course the only information of the outside we were given were nothing but lies."

Hectorgon only sighed. "I honestly wish your kind did not have to suffer because of their actions. Toying with your civilization and lives like they were nothing but chess pieces. Bill certainly enjoyed killing them when the rebellion was over."

"Good." Kryptos smirks bitterly.

That sick sense of satisfaction only grew when he learned about Amorphous Shape. Turns out he wasn't just a mutation of the Nightmare Realm like he originally thought, no, it was much worse. The being was a collection of kidnapped Flatlanders, who were killed and their bodies reshaped, in hopes of successfully making a 3 dimensional being. Bill was so disgusted and sickened that he had destroyed the labs in which those experiments had taken place entirely, along with everyone inside. Kryptos had only laughed, stating that they got what they deserved.

And Xanthar? Well, Xanthar just kind of showed up one day on their ship, a lot smaller then he is now, about the size of a puppy. Pyronica was so delighted at the thought of a pet that she refused to listen to Bill's complaints, designating him as the animal sidekick of the group. It wasn't until they landed at another outpost that they found out the purple loaf was the reincarnation of a planet-swallowing monster, and that it would take around 7 trillion years for him to grow to his full size. That still didn't stop Ronnie from getting a dog collar for him, as well as a party hat to wear.

From there, it was only the tip of the iceberg. Bill had seen so many things alongside his friends, things Kryptos, even in his trillion years of life, could barely grasp. Galactic sirens that were as big as nebulas, planets of crystal that spawned advanced civilizations of sentient rocks, oceans of acid that carried beasts of bones, artifacts of immeasurable power, Empires that rose and fell (sometimes because of Bill himself), and even beings of pure, living darkness that would consume anything that approached. By the end of it, the rhombus was slack-jawed, floored by all of the wonders he was still missing out on out there in the grandest and biggest of all dimensions.

Then he paused. And then he spoke. "Wait, how did Bill get his powers then?"

Everything went quiet, and the jovial air vanished in seconds. Pyronica's face was blank for a few moments, and then she bit her lip, arms crossed and shoulders hunched. "...Well...Bill and the rest of us had gotten quite the reputation in many dimensions. Seen as an incredible force that anyone could go to for help. We even began to alter the fate of entire Empires. And, eventually that attracted...other attention."

8-Ball's ears went back, and his expression flickered with fear. "Elder Gods. Those are the things you never want to fuck with. Or deal with."

Ronnie sighed, shaking ever so slightly. "But Bill didn't know that. They came to him when he was alone, tempted him with the promise of nigh immeasurable power and knowledge. Said that all he had to do in return was collect souls. Souls of the people he would continue to make deals with, and sell them off to the Gods so they could grow in strength. Of course, Bill took it. He got power, all the power he could ever want....He was so excited that he decided to try and go back to his home...To see you..."

Pyronica didn't need to finish the thought. He knew what she was talking about. That day, that horrid day when the skies had ripped open and destruction rained down. The entire dimension was reduced to ribbons in a matter of minutes, as if the Gods were shredding up paper. He barely managed to survive, and even then, he was near death when Bill had found him.

Because of Bill, the 2nd Dimension was burnt to ashes. The All-Seeing Eye who destroyed his home for power.

Ronnie shook harder, visibly trembling, eye squeezed shut. "...He...He tried to convince himself, you know? Convince himself he had done it on purpose. Tried to live up to the whole 'demon' thing, since that's what he became. Began conquering entire dimensions to rake up as many souls as possible, absorbing more power to make himself stronger...Happier...And we all sent along with it, just so we could make him smile..."

But it never worked. Kryptos could see it now. All those times his best friend howled with laughter upon burning down armies, gloated and teased any captives he had "befriended" for the sake of tricking them to let him in, or even partied with his friends as they watched civilizations fall...It was nothing but a lie. His happiness was fake.

Kryptos suddenly had tears streaming down his face, and his hands clasp to his eye as he began to hoarsely sob. "...I..I s-sh-should've known...I..I'm...I'm his f-f-fucking friend....H-He was k-killing h-himself...A-And I d-didn't know!!"

Instantly, Ronnie's arms were around him, holding him close as he cried. He could vaguely feel Hectorgon and 8-Ball join in, creating a group hug, and even Xanthar, sensing the sorrow, had leaned down, pressing his face against the four in a soft nuzzle.

Pyronica was rubbing Kryptos's back, shushing him, body shaking. "It's ok. He'll come back, and we'll find a way to make it all better."

Her breath hitches as a tear falls. "H..He'll come back....I..I know he will.."

[jedifighterpilot2727]

I think something that would be really cute (besides kara and Lena asking Lexi if she wants to live with them and like her first day at home) would be some quality Eliza/Lexi and Alex/Lexi fluff. Ps I love your writing and the first time I read anything with Lexi in it my heart almost exploded

Sorry for any mistakes, Im sleepy and tired of looking at it!Aunt Alex Read it on AO3 - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10189040/chapters/23567397

Alex locks her eyes with the wide blue ones across the kitchen table.

She is not prepared for this.

She drums her fingernails on the wooden surface and the blue eyes shoot down to lock on the source of the noise.

Right.

Lexi doesn’t like loud noises.

She stops drumming to clasp her hands in front of her.

She really hopes it doesn’t take Kara long to beat up that alien.

 ”Hey could you come over?”

 “To your apartment? Shouldn’t you be off fighting that massive pink alien that’s terrorizing downtown?”

 It’s one of Alex’s rare nights off and Maggie had gotten called in for a an alien murder in the financial district. She was actually debating on just going into the DEO - you could never have too many hands on deck when there was a rogue alien the loose- when her phone had rang.

 “Yeah, that kind of the problem, Lena has conference call with Tokyo that she can’t miss and I can’t exactly leave Lexington at home by herself.”

 Lexington.

 Right.

 It’s so easy to forget that her baby sister is a mom now.

 “So just bring her in with you, I’m sure Winn can babysit.”

 “I am NOT bringing my three year old daughter into a top secret government agency when she can barely stand to hear the doorbell ring without freaking out!” Kara hisses.

 “The DEO has quiet rooms! Besides, that’s like the safest place she could possibly be.”

 “Alex!” Kara huffs and Alex can practically see the pout forming on her sisters face. “Please just come over and watch Lexi! I want her to at least be with someone she’s seen before, and I think she’ll be more comfortable here than some where she’s never been!”

 Alex sighs and begins tugging on her shoes.

 She should have known this was going to happen sooner or later.

 “Do you have food at least? Last time I was at your place the only food in the entire place was a can of spaghettios.” The fresh fruits and vegetables Lena kept the fridge stocked with didn’t count.

 “Lena has all of her … ingredients, but I don’t think she has any leftovers put away. We have peanut butter and jelly? That’s all Lexi really eats. ”

 “Strawberry jelly?”

 She’s forced to pull the phone away from her ear when Kara squeals.

 “You’re the best sister ever. I totally owe you one!”

 “Yeah, yeah you keep saying. I’ll be there in ten.”

 … … .

 As soon as she shows up at Kara and Lena’s penthouse, the door swings open and Kara jerks her inside, tugging her towards Lexi who’s sitting at the kitchen table coloring.

 “Lexi?” Kara kneels down beside the little girl’s chair, pulling her attention away from the outline of Supergirl she’s filling in. “Hey, little one.” She smooths back the brown hair falling in Lexi’s face. “You remember your Aunt Alex?”

 Lexi’s eyes turn to Alex and study her carefully before nodding.

 “She’s going to watch you for a little bit while I go take care of some things, okay?”

 There’s a moment’s pause before Lexi nods again and Kara leans forward to place a kiss on her forehead.

 “Thank you so much, Alex!” A kiss to her cheek and Kara’s gone, leaving her alone with her three year old niece.  

- - - - - - - -

That had been ten minutes ago.

Now she’s sitting across the counter from her niece, who she’s met a total of two times before. And it isn’t that she doesn’t like the kid, she just doesn’t really like any kids.

And now she’s alone with one.

One that doesn’t speak.

And keeps staring at her.

She’s sat across the interrogation from hardened criminals and been less stressed than this.

“What are you coloring?” She asks softly.

That seems like a safe topic.

Lexi turns around her coloring book, pointing at Supergirl, flying through the air with a giant fluffy dog.

She isn’t sure where the idea of Krypto the dog came from, but he’s adorable, even if he isn’t real. She gets an idea.

“You know, I have a dog that kinda looks like Krypto, wanna see?”

Lexi nods enthusiastically and Alex flips through her phone for a picture. She finally finds one of Leo with his coat all fluffed out and Maggie’s aviators  perched on his nose. She shows it to Lexie, who giggles and claps her hands.

“He’s pretty cute, huh? Maybe you can meet him soon.”

Lexie nods and looks contemplative for a moment before passing one of her coloring pages to Alex and moving her crayons to the middle of the table.

“Is this for me to color?”

Lexi nods.

“Thank you.” They share a smile before Lexi turns back to her page, leaving Alex to color her own.

It’s quiet, quieter than Alex is used to in her own apartment - but then she doesn’t live in the penthouse apartment in the nicest building in National City either. She can see Daisy and Mac snoozing in the corner and Lexi has her tongue between her teeth as she fills in the ’S’ on Supergirl’s chest.

She totally has this babysitting thing down pat.

Carefully, she selects just the right color of blue and fights the urge to laugh as she starts coloring in her sister’s super suit. She wonders for a moment if she should tell Lexi that she knows Supergirl, but she decides to save that for another day. Long minutes pass as they color in silence, the only sound is that of their crayons scratching against the paper and that of the air conditioner cutting on and off.

It’s oddly relaxing.

Eventually, the grilled chicken salad Maggie had insisted they eat for lunch is gone, and her stomach growls.

“Are you hungry?” She forgets to speak softly, and Lexi startles slightly. “Sorry,” She lowers her voice. “My stomach’s growling. Do you want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

Lexi nods and watches her carefully as she steps into the kitchen. It’s probably time to eat for the dogs too, so she scoops kibble into their bowls, bracing herself as the sound of nails scrabbling on hardwood floors grows closer. The dogs careen to a stop in front of their bowls and she looks over to see Lexi standing in her chair, peering over the table at them in fascination. She crinkles her nose at Lexi before moving to the refrigerator to dig out the jelly. In the cabinet, she finds the peanut butter and the bread, along with a jar of Ovaltine. She hasn’t had chocolate milk in forever, so she fixes them both a glass.

The simplicity of it all makes her smile, and she thinks maybe Kara and Lena aren’t so crazy for adopting after all. She was a little worried, at first - because Kara and Lena are good people, sure, but she’s never really seen them as parents. Obviously Lexi thinks differently though, because she somehow seems happier and calmer than when Alex first met her.

Carefully, she carries the plates and glasses (Lena only has ridiculously expensive dishware, and Alex wonders briefly how long that will last with a three year old in the mix) into the kitchen and sets them in front of Lexi. The little girl peers at the sandwich for a long moment, frown stretched across her face.

Uh-oh.

“Is that not right?”

She digs out her phone and dials Lena.

“What’s wrong?” is the immediate answer, and it’s the voice Lena uses when she has a conference call on mute.

“Is there a wrong way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Lexi won’t touch it.”

“Did you cut it in half?”

“No?”

“Ah, you have to cut it in half. Triangles! Not rectangles! Hold on -“ Lena begins speaking in what Alex vaguely recognizes as Japanese, and she walks to the kitchen for a knife as she waits and then carefully cuts Lexi’s sandwich into triangles.

That seems to appease Lexi, because she stacks her papers and crayons to the side.

“Oh, and you have to wash her hands first, don’t forget.”

“Right, of course, hands.” Alex agrees like she hadn’t completely forgotten.

“Everything else okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re all good here.”

“Good, I should be home in an hour or so.”

“Well we‘re just fine without you, so take your time.”

“Thanks, Alex, sorry to spring this on you last minute.”

“Hey, what are aunts for, right?”

She hangs up to see Lexi staring at her.

“Hands, right?”

Lexi nods.

“Come on.”

She lifts Lexi by the arm pits and carries her over to the kitchen sink, giggles following them the whole way. Carefully, she braces her knee against the counter and balances Lexi atop. She squirts soap on their hands and scrubs them together, washing and rinsing before reaching for the hand towel on the stove.

She carries Lexi back to the table, hoping that everything is finally right.

It must be, because Lexi digs in, her face quickly becoming smeared with jelly.

Obviously, Lena hasn’t had the opportunity to teach her table manners yet, because even Kara eats politely at this point, and that’s a feat that Alex would have never thought possible. It’s kind of adorable though, she thinks as she sits back down to eat her own sandwich.

Absently, she wonders what she would have to do to get Maggie to let her eat peanut butter and jelly. It would probably have to be some almond butter and organic peanut butter. It can’t be any worse than the farmer’s market brand that Lena stocks - which actually isn’t that bad if she’s being honest. Neither is the chocolate milk, which she assumes is Kara’s doing.

She’s so lost in the thought of trying to firgure out which fair trade chocolate company has the best chance of having chocolate drink mix that he sound of her phone ringing startles her, and Lexi even more so. She fumbles for it, wiping her hands on her pants and swiping to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey!” Kara’s voice is on the verge of breathlessness. “I’m in the elevator, on my way up.”

“That was fast!”

“Nothing a little laser vision couldn’t fix.”

A part of her wishes she had been there for the fight, but she knows she was needed more here.

“Well, we’ll be here.” she promises as she ends the call and looks back to Lexi who is completely reabsorbed in her sandwich. The sound of a key in the lock sends the dogs into a frenzy, and Lexi looks up, pb&j leaking between her fingers. Her face lights up when Kara enters, and if Alex had her doubts about this adoption then this moment sends them flying out the window.

Kara kicks off her shoes and pads over, pressing a quick kiss to Lexi’s hair.

“Peanut butter and jelly, huh? Did Aunt Alex make it like you like it?” Lexi nods and Kara grins, turning to Alex.

“Thank you so much, I just didn’t know what else to do!”

“No problem, we had fun! Right Lex?”

Lexi nods and Alex feels her heart swell just a little.

“Oh, Lena says she should be home in about -“ She checks her watch, “-forty- five minutes.”

“You talked to Lee?”

“There was a slight issue with my sandwich cutting skills, but we got it all sorted out, no worries.”

Kara seems to settle, just a little bit, and Alex leans forward to wipe a smudge of soot off her forehead.

“Oh, thanks!”

“No problem! Like I said, what are aunts for? And just a heads up, I kind of promised a play date with Leo soon.”

“I see you’re getting sucked in already, huh?” Kara laughs. “Hey, don’t you have a wife to get home to?”

“Mmm, if she’s done solving all of National City’s murder mysteries -  which wouldn’t surprise me.” She stands and stretches. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll swing by the DEO first thing on my way to CatCo.”

“Perfect. Tell Lena I said thanks for the crisis aversion.”

“Will do. Thanks again for the help.”

“Anytime.” She waves to her niece, “Bye, Lexi!”

The little girl waves back, all smiles, and Alex can’t help but grin back - the smile staying glued to her face all the way home.

[blue-road-writes]

Say hi to Krypto !

Chapter 1 : you scared Krypto !

There was a thing with having an alien sister : whenever Alex thought she could never be surprised anymore, Kara somehow just found a way.

When she got to her sister's appartment for the movie night, she did not expect to be welcomed by a "meow".

She froze in the entrance and scanned the place. It was all clean and cosy as usual, but, as her special agent skills could tell, there was something new.

"Oh no you didn't, she thought hearing another meow.

In answer to that words, another...

- Meooow. Alex looked at the couch, it was there somewhere... Probably hidden and scared... - ...Kara !

But her sister wasn't here of course. The window being open, she must have had some supergirl thing to deal with. - Meeeoooow. - Oh come on I'm not that scary !

She took off her jacket and her shoes, opened the fridge and sighed. Naturally there was no beer.

- Meoooooow ! - Yeah, yeah, wait for my sister to arrive, oh we'll have a talk... She closed the fridge and decided to take a look at the source of the noise. Another complaining meow and she knew it was under the sofa. She slowly approached, using her best spying abilities to be quiet, she kneeled... - Meoooow shhhhhhhhh ! The kitten ran away as fast as it could before Alex could even catch a glance. - Oh really ! - Meow ! She stood again and turned around. The kitten obviously thought it was very well hidden behind that cactus, except its grey tail was sweeping the floor. All right then, change of strategy.

- Kitty kitty... she repeated walking very slowly towards the cactus. The tail stopped moving. - Kitty kitty come on... she kept saying using her best smooth voice. - Meow... - Here kitty kitty... - Meow... - Yay meowww meowww... She was feeling rather stupid. - Kitty... come say hi to Alex... - Meow... She was almost there. So close. The cactus was just one foot away. She could see its grey ears. So close... Full concentration on now... No sharp move... - Alex you're he... She jumped so hard her head knocked the cactus. - Arg ! - Meow ! - You scared Krypto ! Alex stood still not even daring to face her sister. Did she just say what she thought she said ? - Are you ok ? I thought you heard me come in ! - I... scared... Krypto ? She glanced over the cactus. The kitten was gone already, so much for the effort Danvers. Kara flushed a little and disappeared in her bedroom. Like she could avoid Alex. She heard her change her clothes. Finally she reappeared holding her pyjamas in one hand and gesturing in the air with the other. A fair attempt to distract Alex. - I should take a shower, did you order anything ? -meow- I'm starving ! Some pizza would be nice... -meow- Or potsickers ? Correct that : and potstickers. Can you -meow- check if there's still -meow- ice cream ? 'Cause I believe I finished it... - Are we going to ignore the cat ? - Shower, right ! And her sister was gone. She was sure she used superspeed.

That's when she saw it. A tiny grey kitten, with a black mark on its nose, making its way to the bathroom door. She looked at it incredulously and, hand on hips, she frowned as the kitten sat before the door and began meowing. Was she invisible now ? She resisted the urge to throw some peanut to the kitten. She sat on the sofa and ordered their usual, waiting for Kara to finally get out of this long shower.

The first time Kara brought a pet home, she was thirteen. It was a baby squirrel. Because of course it was a baby squirrel. It took some time but she finally understood that she could not bring all the animals from the planet earth back to their home. Kara pouted a lot.

- Meow. The kitten stiffened, Kara was now probably getting dressed.

When she got out of the bathroom, she could not pretend there was no cat meowing and purring around her. She looked up at Alex, who made her big-sister-I-know-what-you-did look while waiting patiently for Kara to come up with an explanation. - I couldn't leave him there ! - Oh yes you could ! - Come on Alex his family could not keep it after the fire, he was crying and looking at me... As she talked she grabbed the kitten who purred even more and knocked his head against Kara's forehead. - I'm supposed to save people ! - People, Kara... Besides you could have just dropped him to a shelter... - How could I ?! She made her pouting face holding the kitten under her chin, the kitten who, Alex noticed, had the same blue eyes. She swore he was pouting too. Ok it was cute but... - I will not be part of this ! - I didn't ask you ! I can take care of a cat ! - You can't take care of your plants. Why do you thing people give you cactuses... - It's too late anyway, he loves me already. - Meow ! - Did you even go to the vet... ? - The vet ? Alex held her breath for a second. She would definitively be part of this. Kara sat near her with the kitten on her chest. - And can we talk about the fact that you called him Krypto ?

She knew Kara was bat at keeping secrets, but still, she could at least try. - Don't worry, I call him K too ! - Oh then nothing to worry about... Alex said waving her hand around. - You cannot deny he is cute. - Meow. Alex looked into the kitten's deep blue eyes. He was now resting on Kara's legs and throwing Alex a defying look. She knew she would never win this. - All right. But we will go to the vet tomorrow. - Meow. - Yay yay, you won. Kara beamed at her like she always do. - So... For Krypto's first movie night, I thought we could watch The Incredible Journey. - Meow."

She was doomed.