268. Chapter 268

“Oh my god, Maggie, get down.”

“Um, Danvers, we’re kind of… in front of your sister… and all our friends…”

Alex takes a moment to get it, and when she does, her jaw drops open and her eyes go wide and she turns beet red.

“No, not – Jesus, Sawyer – I meant get off your tip toes!”

Maggie’s eyes get wide and innocent, and James rests his camera on his hip in resignation and exchanges bemused and slightly terrified grimaces with Winn and Kara, because lord, this might take a while.

Because all of them had been perfectly happy to get away with it. With trying her best to look as tall as Alex in pictures.

Kara had even stood behind her and lifted her slightly once or twice to spare her calves.

But Alex Danvers loves everything about her girlfriend. Everything. Including how her stature makes Alex feel strong – though she knows, of course, that Maggie can and does kick some serious ass – and like she can protect her, like she can hold her, like she can dote on her, like she can toss her arm around her and just wrap her up and let the world know mine, mine, mine.

And if she likes to record that feeling in photographs, she should be allowed to, shouldn’t she?

She won’t be thwarted by Maggie standing on her tip toes and thinking her secret agent girlfriend doesn’t notice.

“I don’t… I’m not on my tip toes, come on, Danvers.”

Maggie glances around the family for support.

Kara suddenly has found something very interesting to stare at on the ceiling, Winn has suddenly gotten a very urgent text, and James bravely – probably because his Guardian suit is in the bag on the couch – furrows his brow, purses his lips, and pumps a supportive fist at Maggie.

“I saw that, Olsen.”

“See Alex, I think you might be imagining things. Imagining Maggie standing on her tiptoes, imagining me doing something out of the ordinary just there…”

Alex swings her arm off of Maggie’s shoulder and starts toward James.

“Give me that camera, Olsen.”

He backs away quickly, backwards, and reminds Winn forcibly of that scene in the last Harry Potter movie when Hermione demands Harry give her wand back and – even though she’s unarmed – he scampers away from her with the kind of terror he’s never shown Voldemort.

“Relax, Guardian, I’m not gonna destroy it, I just need proof.”

He lets her snatch it from his hands to avoid doing it damage, and he winks at Maggie over Alex’s shoulder.

“Seriously, James?” Alex’s indignation spreads across the whole apartment.

“None of these pictures have our feet in them? Even the full body shots? None of them? Come on. I thought you were supposed to have a Pulitzer Prize or something.”

“Hey, listen, I was told to take great pictures of you two. I wasn’t told they had to include your combat boots.”

Maggie beams at him behind Alex’s back, and Winn gives her a secret solidarity high five while Kara adjusts her glasses and tries to take her sister’s faux-rage seriously.

“Maybe Maggie’s just trying to be closer to your pretty face, Alex,” she offers, and Alex quirks her lips off to the side as she turns toward Maggie.

“Is that what it is, babe?”

“No idea what you’re talking about, Danvers,” Maggie maintains staunchly.

“You know what then? Fine. You wanna not look shorter than me. Come here, you.”

“Alex what – “

But Maggie’s sentence turns into a laughing shriek, and suddenly her arms are around Alex’s neck and Winn and Kara are cheering and James is adjusting the camera Alex had thrust back in his hands and snapping photograph after laughing photograph.

Of Alex with Maggie in her arms, bridal style, laughing.

Alex with Maggie in her arms, staring into each other’s eyes like no one else had ever existed or ever would exist again.

Alex’s hair falling over her face as she kisses Maggie like her sister isn’t desperately adjusting her glasses just a few feet away.

Alex setting Maggie down and standing behind her, head over Maggie’s shoulder, smiling into the camera like she’s never been this happy in her life, and Maggie holding Alex’s hands – which are wrapped around her waist – and smiling the same exact way.

Alex turning her face and kissing Maggie’s cheek, and Maggie swooning and giggling back into her strong hold, the most brilliant of smiles on her face.

Winn and Kara leaping behind both of them, mouths wide open in hilarity, as Maggie turns her face to kiss Alex’s lips.

Every single photograph gets framed, and Maggie never feels the need to stand on her tip toes next to Alex again.

Except when she needs to kiss her, of course.

Because that? That is just perfect.