The three of us (karamel baby AU)

Oh... (Part 1)

Time ticked by slowly and Kara tried – and failed – to muffle her fourth yawn in just as many minutes. It wasn’t that she was bored, or that she wasn’t interested in what Alex had been talking about, she was just tired. It’d been a long day of fighting rogue aliens and capturing amateurish – and not – criminals and the blonde felt drained of energy. Perhaps she was to blame for her current predicament, she hadn’t been sleeping or eating well lately — although if she remembered correctly, the fatigue and the moodiness had started before that.

She shifted in her seat and lowered her eyes, suddenly very aware of the pounding headache approaching and her newfound sensitivity to the light. Alex continued to talk and the blonde was trying to listen, but it proved to be an unsuccessful task. She couldn’t say what was wrong but it certainly felt like she had gotten sick somehow. It was aberrant, considering the fact human viruses couldn’t affect her and she couldn’t recall coming close to anything resembling kryptonite the last couple of weeks. Once again, she squinted her eyes as a yawn escaped her chapped lips.

Alex gave her a side-glance, her forehead creasing and her brow lifting. Kara noticed her sister looking at her questioningly and she shook her head, too tired to cover up her odd behavior. The two continued to share glances until Alex was finished with her debrief and then sat quietly while the room emptied out. The blonde didn’t make a move to go, even though at the moment she was dying to fly home and slip out of her suit. She squirmed in her chair again, her eyelids getting heavier by the minute.

The older sister started shedding pieces of her tactical gear. She unfastened her bulletproof vest and the straps clasped around her thighs before proceeding to put everything away. Everything except her gun. That last one she hid beneath her shirt, tucking it in the back of her waist like always. "What’s going on with you today?" she asked.

Kara closed her eyes for a second. "I’m not sure," she responded. "I think I’m going to solar-flare or something. I’ve been feeling so strangely lately. So human." A frown tugged at her mouth and she massaged her temples.

Alex regarded her, biting her bottom lip, her confusion only fueled further. "Have your powers weakened?" She sat beside Kara, having noticed the way the blonde had been favoring her head, and allowed her to rest it on her shoulder. She didn't get an actual answer, but a negative sound echoed from Kara's throat as the blonde nuzzled closer, just enough to cover her eyes from the harsh light illuminating the room. Alex sighed, wrapping an arm around her unfortunate sister. "I could run some tests, if you let me draw some blood…" she suggested, her voice quiet, then nodded when Kara shook her head to protest the suggestion.

"Can you drive me home? I don’t think I want to fly right now." The superhero pulled away and stood, fidgeting with her suit and pulling at the fabric like it made her uncomfortable. She felt hot.

“Of course," Alex said, not missing a beat.

The pair got into Alex’s car not long after that. They drove in silence, the radio muted to protect Kara from the added unnecessary noise, and the blonde leaned back in her seat, wincing every time the car hit a bump in the road. Luckily, the traffic was light for once, and the journey didn't last long. Kara had wanted to call Mon-El, to ask whether he had prepared anything for dinner, but the thought had been forgotten as she leaned more and more toward sleep. She didn't doze off, didn't have enough time to, but she spent most of the ride in a half-aware state where her brain wasn't really functioning despite the fact that her eyes had remained open.

When the car engine switched off and the gentle roaring stopped, Kara needed a minute to regain full awareness. She stumbled into her building, Alex quickly steading her with an arm around her shoulders, and they slipped into the elevator without a word.