582. Chapter 582

At first, she doesn’t register the soft singing that becomes humming at the highest notes.

At first, she just registers it as part of the natural background to the amazing scents of pancakes and coffee and the crisp fall breeze pouring in through the open windows.

Part of the natural background – her new normal – of the sounds of her big sister in the shower while her sister’s girlfriend makes enough brunch for six people… just for the three of them.

Her new Sunday morning normal.

It takes her a few weeks to realize that it’s Maggie humming, that it’s Maggie, singing, as she cooks for the two most important people in her life. Safe. Secure. Happy.

It’s enough to make Kara hug Maggie for no apparent reason, and whisper in her bewildered ear that she’s so happy Alex has her.

It takes her a few more weeks to realize that Maggie is humming songs from musicals.

Sometimes, she realizes, it’s Wicked. Other times, it’s Hamilton. Once, it’s that song from Waitress. Other times, it’s The Newsies. Once or twice, it’s Les Mis.

Kara runs back through her memories of Maggie’s song-murmuring, and her jaw drops with the realization.

“Maggie,” she stands suddenly, her eyes wide. “You like musicals?”

Maggie freezes and splutters and Kara nearly breaks down laughing, because god, her big sister really is rubbing off on her.

“I… sorry, was I singing? I never realize when I do it, uh… when I feel safe, uh… it’s just something I do, but I can stop, I’m sorry, I – “

“No, Maggie, no! Don’t… don’t you know what this means?”

“Um… can I ask the audience?”

“Maggie,” Kara repeats, jumping up and down now, and Maggie looks pleased, if not slightly alarmed. “You like musicals. You know who else likes musicals?”

“Barry Allen?” she asks, and Kara waves her arms wildly like she’s physically brushing away an invisible Flash.

“Aside from him!” she jumps up and down eagerly.

“Oh god,” Alex says from the bathroom door, dressed only in a towel, her hair dripping wet.

Maggie’s jaw drops. It never fails to drop when she sees Alex… like that.

Kara sighs.

“Oh god what?” she wants to know.

Anything to keep Maggie from striding across the house and doing the things she so apparently wants to do to Alex right now.

“You finally put it together, didn’t you? That I’m dating a massive musicals nerd?”

“You knew?” Kara shrieks. “You knew and you didn’t tell me, Alex? I thought we were family! I thought we were best friends! I thought we were sisters!” Kara’s eyes are wide with mock-outrage.

“We are, Kara, but I also didn’t know if Maggie was ready to handle what goes with being a Danvers woman and loving musicals.”

“Um – “ Maggie starts, and Kara takes her cue, flying straight over the counter to take Maggie’s hands into her own.

“I can fly us to New York – no need to spend all that money on planes or a hotel, I can be there super fast – hehe, get it? – and we can see any show we want! We should aim to see one once a week! The perks of a DEO and CatCo paycheck! And… and the food! We can get food there, Maggie! New York pizza! And we can watch everything here! All the classics! We can invite Barry over! And Winn! Oooh, and Iris’s dad has a great voice, too! He’s a cop, a detective, you’ll like him so much! And we can have singalongs! We can have performances! We can – “

“Whoa, Little Danvers, I don’t perform – “

“We’ll need a stage manager if you’re not ready to sing in front of everyone yet!” Kara’s enthusiasm remains unchecked.

Until she notices that there are tears flooding Maggie’s eyes.

“Wait, no, I’m sorry. You can be an audience member, you don’t have to stage manage, either, I’m sorry, Maggie, I – “

“No, no, Kid Danvers, that’s not it, I… you… your sister called me a Danvers woman, and you didn’t protest, and I… I’m sorry.” She sniffled and touch the top of her index fingers to the bottoms of her eyes and gave her head a vigorous shake. “I’m sorry. You were saying? Singalongs? Performances?”

“Yeah,” Kara tells her, smiling, quieter now, more intimate, now. “For the family. Our family.”

They reach for each other at the same moment, and Maggie tip toes to fit her head over Kara’s shoulder.

“You will put on some clothes before joining this hug, Alex!” Kara scolds laughingly as she hears Alex approach.

Maggie groans in mock disappointment, and Alex grumbles about clothes being overrated, and Kara groans as Maggie agrees enthusiastically.

And all three of them don’t know the last time they were this, purely, happy.