Note: Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) in the comics is Clark's older cousin, but for the Earth 16 universe I made her younger, probably in her mid-20s.
Also, M'gann is secretly a White Martian in the comics and it seems this is probably true in the show as well, but for this fic I pretty much ignored that fact and made it so that J'onn really is her uncle. Sorry! I have plans to play around with her White Martian-ness for a different story, though.
Anyway.
"We'll Make it Step by Step"
"Eat my plasma, Kid Mouth!" There is a loud explosion, followed by a cackle. "Hah! That's what you get when you ask for friendly fire!"
"Dude! Would you quit killing me? The only reason I wanted friendly fire on was because she was on my team!"
M'gann reaches the end of the hallway and quietly peers in, smiling when she sees her three friends sitting on the couch, controllers in hand, immersed in their game. Wally is sitting between Dick and Artemis, who has her head thrown back in laughter. "Sucks for you, Bay Watch," she taunts, before looking behind Wally at Dick, "Give it here, Robs!" The two laugh as they high-five behind the grumbling boy.
Kaldur is visiting Poseidonis alongside Orin for the day, and not too long after the pair had left, Dinah arrived and took Conner with her. She didn't specify what they were doing, just that she'd have him back for dinner. With the exception of Red Tornado, that left the four of them with the Mountain to themselves.
M'gann had declined their offer to make her a fourth player since she had never played before, opting to just read or watch TV in her room until they tired of their game.
Three hours later, she begins to think that is unlikely.
As she is turning back around, planning to head back to her room, she hears Artemis call out, "Megan! Where're you going?"
She spins back around to face them, and the game is paused as all three of them look at her expectantly. "Yeah, Miss M," Dick pipes up, "we've got dozens of controllers. Why don't you play?"
"I-It's alright," she assures, "I just – came out here to see if you guys were hungry."
"Surprisingly, I'm good," Wally laughs, patting his stomach as if to emphasize his point. "Thanks, though."
"Oh," she says in a small voice. "Alright."
A guilty expression crosses Artemis's face, which may or may not have to do with the fact that she had declined the offer to go down to the mall with the Martian. M'gann was initially hurt for a second, but figured Artemis just wasn't quite as girly as her and genuinely would rather play games. Of course she offered for her to play with them, and make it girls-versus-guys, but M'gann obviously declined.
As Artemis opens her mouth to say something, Red Tornado's android voice suddenly fills the air, "Miss Martian, you have a guest waiting."
"Guest?" Wally repeats, voicing everyone's confusion.
"Her parents, maybe," Dick offers.
A spark of hope ignites in the back of her mind, but is quickly put out. "No," she corrects, "it can't be. They're way too busy. Just, uh – you guys can keep playing. I'll go see who it is."
They all kind of exchange hesitant looks but she turns back around and flies down the hallway before any can protest. When she makes it onto the platform, she finds Red Tornado standing beside—
"Kara!" She flies up to the girl, and would've tackled her into a hug if it wasn't for the fact that the alien is as sturdy as Conner and the Man of Steel himself. Kara hugs her back just as tightly and holds her at arm's length when they pull apart. "I can't believe you're here!"
She shrugs one shoulder. "I was back in the neighborhood and thought it's been a while since we've hung out. You're not busy, are you?"
"No," M'gann laughs. "What did you have in mind?"
M'gann has twelve sisters. She also has seventeen brothers, and a lot of cousins.
Needless to say, she comes from a very, very large family. It took a lot to get attention from her parents, or any of her aunts and uncles for that matter. The only one who always, always made time for her was her Uncle J'onn, so naturally she gravitated towards him. It devastated her when he left for Earth, and his work there kept his visits scarce. Still, whenever he was home, she still got his full attention.
"You would like Earth, M'gann," he would tell her after finishing one of his stories. "Perhaps I shall take you, someday."
"Would you?" she asked eagerly. She had fallen in love with Earth, through her Uncle J'onn's stories, the books he would bring her, and the television shows she would watch.
Plus, there her Uncle was more or less a star. Maybe she needed to go there, too, to finally get to shine.
He chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Of course."
When her parents finally gave her permission to live with her Uncle on the blue planet, naturally she was overjoyed and overwhelmed all at once.
She was to stay in "hiding," so to speak, for the first few weeks. He told her that it was so she could adjust, and so he could help train her a little more and teach her the ropes. She knew that there were technicalities going on as well that he just wasn't telling her (she later found out it was about the sidekicks who would become her future teammates and friends), but she didn't bother him for the details.
On her first night, she sat in front of the television watching some Earth baking show while Uncle J'onn was cooking dinner. Still a bundle of nerves, she yelped in surprise when the doorbell rang.
J'onn chuckled and came into view. "It is alright, M'gann. I told you we were having guests over for dinner, didn't I?"
She shook her head and watched as he pulled open the door.
"Ah, thank you two for coming," J'onn greeted, "M'gann, why don't you come over here and say hello?"
She bit her lower lip and stood to her feet, watching as the man she knew to be Superman from Earth news walked in, except he was dressed semi-casually with spectacles in front of his eyes. He smiled at her and nodded before stepping aside. Beside him, a woman emerged from the doorway. She looked younger than Superman, though older than M'gann, with fair skin and pale blonde hair.
She smiled a dimpled smile at M'gann, and M'gann felt some of her nerves disappear as she walked over to stand beside her Uncle. "M'gann, this is Clark Kent."
"Welcome to Earth," Superman greeted, extending his hand.
"Thank you," she returned, nervously bowing her head a little as they shook. "I'm – I'm M'gann, M'gann M'orzz."
"Aw, J'onn," Kara laughed lightly, stepping forward to wrap her arms around the Martian, "She's precious." M'gann blushed in embarrassment at the sudden embrace. "I'm Kara, Clark's younger cousin."
"You might want to tone it down a bit," Clark advised, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "As scary as you are, let's not frighten the poor girl on her first night."
Kara shot Clark a playful glare, pulling out of the hug and placing an arm around M'gann. "Nonsense, Kal," Kara laughed. "M'gann and I are going to be great friends, aren't we?"
M'gann turns to face Kara, taking in her warm smile and the shine in her eyes, and is vaguely reminded of the smile her mother had given her before leaving Mars. "R-Right," she nodded. And, when Kara stuck her tongue out at Clark and pulled her along towards the kitchen, she felt the rest of her nerves dissolve.
After dinner, M'gann and Kara found themselves in the living room in front of the TV once more, leaving Clark and J'onn to discuss some League matters over video in another room. They were both on the floor, with M'gann cross-legged and behind her Kara on her knees, braiding her hair. M'gann stopped flipping through channels as the Comedy Classic Network announced that Hello, Megan was next.
"That show's funny," Kara laughed behind. "You know, you two look exactly alike."
M'gann squinted a little. "Do you really think so?"
"You're like twins or something, except for the skin, of course. What are the chances?" the blonde giggled. "I'll bet Megan would be a great Earth name for you, too."
"Earth name?"
"Well, yeah. For identity purposes and whatnot," she explained. "So you can blend in with humans and maintain cover. The entire League has secret identities, and so does J'onn."
"He does?" M'gann mused, looking back at the screen once more as the girl on the show hit her own forehead, laughing Hello, Megan! She'd have to ask her Uncle later.
"Of course. I have one, too," Kara added. "I go by Claire Kent. It was Kal-El's idea."
"I think it suits you," she informed.
Kara laughed. "Thanks. It was one of the very first things Kal and I ever agreed on. And, Megan really does suit you, too. Ooh," she exclaimed suddenly, making M'gann look up at the screen, "those cookies look delicious!" She grabbed off of the floor and switched the TV off, standing up. "Come on, I'm really in the mood for something sweet after that."
"We're going out?" M'gann asked, confused.
"What? No," Kara laughed. She offered her hand and pulled the Martian up to her feet. "We're going to bake! I'll help you."
"You know," Kara giggles as the Martian (whose skin has morphed into a paler, flesh-colored tone) does a twirl in the dress she is wearing, "green is really your color, Megan."
"Well, obviously only on certain occasions," she laughs. "I bet my Team will get a kick out of that, if my whole wardrobe was green."
"Speaking of which," Kara says, "Kal was filling me in on everything that happened while I was gone, and he mentioned the entire ordeal that resulted in the Team. Oh, that reminds me," she taps her finger to her chin lightly, "After we're done here, we should probably go back so I can meet my little cousin… well, I guess technically he's my nephew." She shakes her head. "But, how are you adjusting?"
"A few bumps in the beginning," M'gann admits, "and we're not perfect. But overall, we make a great team."
"And as friends?"
"They're wonderful," she replies. "It can be a bit challenging at first, but we all mostly get along just fine. They teach me all sorts of things, and they let me bake and cook for them."
Kara smiles, "Sounds like you guys have a lot of fun. Where were they, anyway? The place didn't sound empty when I got there."
"Oh, well, Conner and Kaldur left for the day," she explains, "and Wally, Dick, and Artemis were just in the living room playing video games."
Kara arches an eyebrow. "And you didn't want to play?"
"I… never learned how," M'gann confesses. "Usually, back home, whenever we'd have free time, I'd hang out with…" She trails off, biting her lower lip softly.
"Your brothers and sisters," Kara finishes, "I'm beginning to see where the problem lies. You're homesick."
M'gann's eyebrows pull together. "I'm… not sure. I mean, I haven't really thought about home recently, so can it really be that?"
"Of course. You don't have to think of home, Megan," she corrects, "Some things can just be felt without us really knowing where it's coming from until someone else figures it out. Maybe subconsciously alienating yourself is just a result of being away from your siblings for so long, and missing doing what you used to do together."
"Miss them? Ah, hello, Megan," she exclaims in realization, "That makes perfect sense! Since there was so many of us, it was hard finding things my siblings and I wouldn't do together."
"Which is probably why you feel like a stranger, even around your friends," Kara explains. "But still, Megan, that's no reason to become a stranger. You should be expanding the things you can do together."
M'gann laughs, slightly embarrassed. "How do you fit in so easily, Claire?"
"I don't," Kara laughs. "Trust me, when I first came here and found Clark, it was disastrous trying to adjust."
"But you act so naturally here," M'gann points out.
"Well, yes, but all of that came with time," Kara reminds. "It also came with having to deal with the fact that I wasn't home, or rather, this was my new home. I had to completely open up to Clark, and to everyone else, and I had to learn to ask for help constantly. It was a bit of a nuisance, actually," she laughs, "and my ignorance probably tested everyone's patience. But I got over it."
Kara walks over to the Martian, brushing her hair aside. "We both came here for a reason, and our families would want us to take every possible experience away from it, no matter how strange or new."
"Hey Megs," a familiar voice greets as she is walking into the kitchen later that afternoon.
M'gann looks up to see Artemis closing the fridge, pitcher of lemonade in hand, smiling at her. The archer reaches into the cupboard overhead and pulls out a glass, turning to set it on the island. "I was wondering when you were coming home," she admits, pouring.
"I… really?" M'gann asks, voice and face automatically perking up. "Were you… I didn't keep you waiting, did I?"
"Long enough!" She feels a pang for the briefest of seconds until Artemis lets out a laugh. "Well, yeah, who else would I have waited for?"
Her smile widens, possibly a little too brightly, because Artemis arches an eyebrow at her and chuckles in amusement before turning around to stick the pitcher back in the fridge. However, her smile fades a little as she looks around the room, eyebrows drawn in confusion. It was impossibly… quiet, empty; as if lacking a few key people. "Where are the guys?" she asks.
"Kaldur got back about an hour ago, and Robs and Bay Watch went with him to the beach for a last-minute swim."
"Oh. And you didn't want to go?"
Artemis snorted. "Please, I can only take so much testosterone in one day. That's why I like having you around," she admits. She sounds embarrassed, nervous even. "It's nice having a sister."
M'gann bites her lip, beaming at the blonde, and asks, "Really?" in an octave just under a squeal.
"Of course," Artemis shrugs, "Why wouldn't I?" M'gann's teeth let go of her lip and Artemis gives her this small, genuine smile. "I'm not really good at… this sort of stuff, or girl stuff. I've mostly been around guys my whole life… so, I'm sorry if I make you feel like I don't want to hang out with you sometimes. I'm still getting used to this change of pace."
M'gann shakes her head dismissively. "Thank you. I'm sorry, too."
"Sorry for what?"
"Not trying harder," she laughs. "Remember when I told you that I had twelve sisters?" Artemis nods. "Well, I guess I was feeling a little homesick and I wanted all of you to be a substitute for my brothers and sisters back on Mars. A part of me was still clinging onto my life back home, but I love my life here, too. I'm still learning a lot of things here, like… I have no idea how to play a video game."
Artemis takes a sip of her lemonade. "Tell you what," she begins, "You can do my hair and nails—you can teach me to do yours—and when the polish dries, I'll teach you how to kick ass with a controller."
M'gann beams. "Deal."
A/n: I'm not really... Eh, I don't know what to feel about this. It may be re-written. But I liked the idea of Kara and M'gann being close (it seems like a very realistic friendship if they introduced Kara on the show; in my opinion, at least) and I did like the Artemis and M'gann scene at the end. It's probably the only thing I'm truly satisfied with.
So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!