#okay so this one is defs meh but that doesn't mean i don't miss astra...cause like i do

[team-science-mega-nerds]

Fictober Prompt #17: “There’s just something about them/her/him”

Fandom: Supergirl

Pairing: GeneralDanvers (Astra x Alex)

Warnings: None 

Frankly, it’s offensive the way Alex is forced to go through her day and pretend like none of this is actually happening. She goes to the same nook that she’s been roaming around since she was seven years old and she got her first library card. And then she sees her, every single day, walking around like all of this is normal. 

Fine. Live your life, Alex thinks to herself as she peers over her second Gloria Naylor book this week, but Alex is boiling with rage. None of this is normal. Alex has been on break from grad school for only two weeks. She’d usually go to the library and pile up on novels just once on her break, thankful that she had worked so hard through high school and undergrad to allot for actual time off. Kara had asked, of course, like the curious little sister that she is. What the hell are you doing there all day? Alex can’t tell the truth, not until she’s collected more information, and maybe had a conversation that didn’t start and end with Alex clumsily asking where a book was located. That was too easy, that could be faked, genuine human emotion could not. This summer, she’d gone to the library six times so far, and today would mark the seventh. 

Alex doesn’t plan on leaving without the truth. 

Her approach is slow but calculated. The cart that the woman pushes is only half full and she’s sure to swing by the front desk, gather a pile of books that had been dropped off over the course of the day, and begin organizing them in the fiction second. Alex bides her time. Goes through the script in her mind. Then, when the woman moves, Alex moves too. When the woman stops - Astra, Alex remembers the name from her nametag - Alex slows and leans gently against the bookshelf. “Hi.”

“Hello.” Astra studies Alex for a second, paying careful attention to the leather jacket that Eliza had bought her along with her shining glory, her Ducati Scrambler. “Can I help you?” 

“Yes, actually, I’m looking for a very special book. The Trial of Persephone, first edition.” Astra looks intrigued but doesn’t commit to a reaction. She starts to lead Alex to the next aisle where her eyes scan the shelves fast. Too fast. 

“It is not here. Shall I seek the text elsewhere?” The way she talked had always caught Alex off guard but now that she has a word for it, it seems like every word Astra says confirms it. She’s not from here, she’s an alien - literally - and Alex is determined to prove it. 

“That’s nice.” Alex points to Astra’s necklace. 

“Oh, this…” Astra twirls the pendant in her hand. “It’s...jade.” 

“Really? May I?” Astra nods apprehensively. Alex holds the pendant and studies it closely. “It looks different. Very rare or perhaps something...alien.” There it is. Astra is remarkably easy to read. Alex releases the pendant. “You’re not from around here are you?”

“I am.”

“You’re not.” Alex smiles. “I would know, your inflection, it’s sharp. Where did you come from?” 

“Cleveland? Cleveland. Yes, is where I am from.” 

“You’re far from home.” Alex taps her finger against her chin. “You know, when I first saw you, I thought there’s just something about her.” 

“I do not know of what you are referring.” Astra grabs her cart and she doesn’t even notice that the metal is bending under her fingers. 

“I think you’re quite interesting.” Astra looks down at her mustard yellow sweater and leggings. She frowns. 

“Your perception is skewed,” Astra assures Alex. “You have returned from your studies with men who bathe once a week, so anyone looks above average to you.” Alex laughs. “You find this humorous?” 

“Very.”

“Maybe we could laugh some more over drinks?” Astra toys with the silver tuft of hair that always catches Alex’s eyes. “Coffee or alcohol, perhaps?” Alex is taken aback but intrigued. If Astra is an alien, then she’s doing a terrible job at hiding it. If she isn’t then she’s strange in a way that has caused Alex to spend hours at a library. Alex doesn’t know if she should be confused or excited. 

“Yes. Okay.” Alex smiles. “I’ll give you my number.” 

“Your number? A ranking of sorts?”

“My phone number,” Alex adds, stating what should be obvious. To a normal human at least. Alex slides a pen out of Astra’s grasp and scribbles her number down in the margins of Astra’s work checklist. As she’s about to find her bag and perhaps get some fresh air for the first time since she’s been home, Alex looks over her shoulder. “I’m Alex by the way.” 

“I am Astra Zor-el of the planet…” Astra stops, suddenly. Her mouth hangs open for a second and she blinks around her own fear. “Earth.” 

Alex shakes her head and continues on her way. “Right. Earth.”