Maggie loves the way the adrenaline rushes through her, the feeling of freedom as she runs down the field, a ball at her feet and the goal in her sights. She fakes a pass to Gabriel, twists her body as her opposition dives to the right and she goes left.
The goal is wide open and she kicks, watches the ball fly through the air and sail through the shoes they've laid out to mark the goal. Cheers come from her teammates as one of her brothers gives her a high five while two more of them groan at having lost again.
Maggie laughs as she watches her fourth brother run after the ball to retrieve it.
She loves afternoons like this, where she can just relax at the park with her brothers, with no pressure from anyone to be something she's not.
She gets enough of that at home, but now she's at college too, she has much more freedom to just be herself.
And playing soccer is her absolute favourite thing to do, and growing up with four brothers meant she got a lot of practice playing with them.
Unfortunately for her though, being the only girl in her family, her parents, particularly her father, don't think that playing soccer, especially with a bunch of boys, is very lady-like. She's lost count of the number of times she got into trouble for turning up home, covered in mud, from playing with her brothers.
She'd had to fight to even get the chance to go to college, her three older brothers go here, so why couldn't she? Her youngest brother is in this last year of high school and she knows he'll be here next year too.
The good thing now though is that she can use the showers at the gym on campus to clean up before she gets home and her parents are none the wiser.
She's really not looking forward to the day she has to tell her parents she wants to be a police officer, it had been hard enough for her to convince them to let her study psychology. But they're paying for her to go to college so at least that's something.
"How do you always do that?" Nick asks, her youngest brother, coming up behind her.
"It's just because I'm better than you," Maggie teases, stealing the ball from his hands. She drops it to the ground and then off she goes, kicking the ball and running as her brother chases after her.
She laughs as they all scramble to try and steal the ball from her, to no avail.
--
"Can we stop and get ice cream on the way home?" Kara asks and Alex turns her eyes on her sister.
"We literally just ate, how are you still hungry?"
"We trained hard today, I think I deserve a treat."
"I'll tell you what you deserve," Alex mumbles with a roll of her eyes.
Kara clearly takes that as a yes because she grins.
They cut through the park on the way back to their dorm room. She'd been lucky to be able to get a room with her sister, it makes it much easier with the schedules they both keep with all their classes, plus all the training they have to go through as part of the NCU soccer team.
Their captain may be Alex's best friend but she certainly doesn't take it easy on them.
"Hey, look," Kara says, slowing down halfway through the campus park.
Alex looks in the direction of Kara's head nod and sees a small game of soccer going on. She watches as the smallest of them all, a girl, weaves in and out of the other players like it's nothing, a grin on her face as she kicks the ball through the 'goal' they've made for their game.
"She's pretty good," Alex admits.
"Just pretty good? She's great."
They've stopped now to watch the game, one of the guys kicking the ball back into play, the girl trying to steal it back from the opposing team. She may be small but she's fast, and Alex watches as the ball flies towards them, the girl and another guy chasing it after one of them had kicked it too hard, the ball going wide and entirely missing the goal down this end.
The ball rolls in front of them and Kara stops it with her foot.
The girl, being much faster than the guy, makes it to them first and Alex gets a good look at her up close.
She is short, but not as short as Alex had originally thought, the height of the guys she is playing with had made her look shorter. Her hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, her eyes are a warm, brown colour, crinkled at the sides from the smile on her face. She's wearing shorts and t-shirt, the clothing leaving a lot of tan skin exposed and Alex feels her eyes glance down over the girl's body of their own accord.
"Thanks," the girl says as she stops in front of her, nodding to the ball at Kara's feet.
Kara uses her foot to scoop the ball up, bounces it on her foot a few times before she catches it with her knee before she bounces it even higher, using her head to knock the ball back towards the girl.
"Impressive," the girl says as she catches the ball, her smile widening even more.
"Maggie, come on!"
A shout from one of the guys gets the girl's, Maggie's, attention and she turns back around, ball at her feet. "Thanks again," she calls over her shoulder as she runs back over to join the game.
"Do you think she's going to try out for the team next week?" Kara asks as they continue their walk across the park. "She's better than half our team."
A few of their players have dropped out recently, to focus on their studies, which means there's a few spots open and Lucy told them today they'd be holding tryouts next week to see if they can get some new players.
Alex shrugs. "Maybe. And don't let anyone on the team hear you say that."
Kara loses focus as she spots the ice cream truck at the edge of the park. The guy makes a killing from students by being parked up on campus as he is.
Alex glances back at the girl while Kara gets her ice cream and she feels a strange feeling settle in her stomach. She finds herself hoping she does tryout, because she'd be good for the team, of course, not for any other reason besides that.
--
Alex is disappointed the next week when at tryouts, she doesn't see Maggie.
"I was hoping that girl would turn up," Kara says and Alex's eyes widen as she looks at her sister. Can Kara read her mind? "What?"
Alex quickly looks away. "Nothing."
"She was really good, we could really use her on the team since we lost Leslie, none of the people who tried out today are close to as good as her but I'm sure, what was her name, Maggie? I'm sure she'd give Leslie a run for her money."
Alex nods. It's true, Maggie really would've been an asset to the team, especially if they want to win the university cup again this year. She changes the subject, uncomfortable with the way butterflies settle in her stomach. It's just because she's nervous about the competition this year, right? "Do you want to get some ice cream on the way home?"
"Actually, I kind of already have plans this afternoon."
This time she really is surprised when she looks over at her sister, Kara never turns down the chance to get ice cream.
"Plans?"
"Yeah, with Lena."
"You're hanging out with her again?" Kara and Lena met at the start of the semester and since then, Alex has found herself more and more often without her sister, who seems to be spending more and more time with Lena.
The blush on Kara's cheeks tells Alex everything she needs to know, she knows her sister well and she definitely has a crush on Lena.
"You could hang out with us too, if you want?"
Alex knows the offer is genuine but she also knows Kara would like to spend some alone time with Lena. "No, you two have fun. I have some study I should be doing anyway."
Alex watches as Lena approaches them and can't help but smile at the tentative hug they give each other, both of them blushing as they pull apart.
"I'll catch you guys later," Alex says and she receives a wave of a hand from Kara and a small smile from Lena in return.
Alex thinks about going to find Lucy to see what she's up to but she thinks she can remember her talking about plans with James so she decides to head back to her dorm to study, just like she'd said she would.
She cuts through the park, decides to stop for ice cream anyway, might as well treat herself before a day stuck in her dorm room.
She's halfway across the park when she spots her, the girl from last week, and she feels her heart speed up in her chest. The feeling confuses her but she keeps walking even as her traitorous eyes wander over to Maggie as she does.
Alex forces herself to look determinedly ahead, trying to forget the fluttering in her stomach as she wonders if she had an ulterior motive for taking this course through the park.
"Look out!"
A call from not far away catches her attention and Alex looks around in time to see a ball flying towards her. She acts mostly on instinct as she turns, uses her head to head butt the ball back in the direction it came from.
Maggie stops as she catches it, clearly surprised. "You play soccer?"
"Yeah, for the NCU women's team. You?"
"Just here, with my brothers." She nods her head back towards the four guys she'd been playing with last time. Alex blushes when she sees them all watching her.
"I half expected to see you at tryouts for the team today, you're pretty good." Alex feels her cheeks go even redder as she's just admitted to noticing the girl.
"Maggie," Maggie says, her hand outstretched in front of her.
"Alex," Alex replies, shaking the offered hand. "We could actually really use you on the team, we had tryouts today but no one was as good as you."
She notices the way that Maggie blushes this time, it's kind of cute.
Wait, what?
"I would, but I really need to focus on my studies. And I don't think my parents would approve of me being on the team anyway."
"Maggie, come on, let's go."
Maggie looks behind her then back to Alex. "Sorry, I've got to go, but it was nice meeting you."
She jogs away before Alex can even say goodbye.
Alex groans internally, what was she thinking, talking to her again? The embarrassment swirls around her chest and she just wants to hide from the world and forget this ever happened. Why is she so awkward? It's no wonder she doesn't have too many female friends, especially when she's just made a fool out of herself by admitting she'd noticed her in the park last week.
She's definitely going to need that ice cream now.
--
"What was all that about?" Gabriel asks, nudging Maggie playfully in the side. She glances back to where the girl, Alex, had been, and she's almost glad she's gone, so she doesn't have to witness her brother's teasing her. "Is that the same girl from last week?"
"She was just giving me the ball," Maggie replies, tossing it harder than necessary at her brother's chest. He catches it easily, still smiling.
"Are you blushing?" Adrian teases and this is the worst part of having four brothers.
"No. Now, are we going to play, or not?"
"Not until you tell us what she wanted."
She steals the back from Gabriel to throw it at Tomas instead. He doesn't catch it, it bounces off his chest, and Maggie takes some pleasure in the way he rubs the spot the ball had hit.
"I just told you-"
"Yes, but why are you blushing if she was just returning the ball?" Even Nick is involved in the teasing, the traitor.
"Fine, she was telling me I should try out for the NCU women's soccer team, she said I was pretty good."
"NCU has a soccer team?" Adrian asks just as Nick says, "You should tryout!"
Maggie rolls her eyes at Adrian. "Do you live under a rock?" She turns to Nick. "No, I shouldn't, dad would never let me play."
"Who says he needs to know? We'll help you and he never needs to find out. I bet you're better than half the women on that team."
Maggie smiles at Gabriel, she appreciates the support, from all of them. "It's a moot point anyway, tryouts were today so I missed them."
"Well, I'm sure if you talk to that girl, the one you clearly have a crush on, I'm sure she could help."
Maggie blushes again. All her brother's know she's gay, it's just one more thing she can't tell her parents. She's glad she has them, not sure what she'd do without them, even if they do tease her a lot.
"Can we just forget about this and play?"
Maggie can't help but think about what Alex said as she continues to win against her brothers, just like always. It would be fun to be on a proper team, have some proper competition, and it wouldn't hurt if she got to see Alex again, the girl was cute.
But could she really do it? Pull off not letting her parents know about yet another thing in her life? Although, it probably doesn't matter now, since she'd missed tryouts. But it seemed like Alex had been asking her to play, maybe if she spoke to her, she'd help her out?
--
Alex tries to put Maggie out of her mind, she has no reason to be thinking about some random girl she's met a total of twice. But that doesn't stop her mind from wandering, and she's not sure why. She considers talking to Kara about it but what would she say? She has no idea what she's feeling herself.
"Hey, Alex!"
The call across the hallway startles her and she somehow recognises the voice immediately.
"Uhh…hi."
Great start, Alex.
Maggie smiles, the same smile she hasn't been able to stop thinking about since she'd last seen it two days ago. "Hi."
Alex wracks her brain for something to say but comes up empty. Where is Kara when she needs her, she's always been the one that found it easy to make friends.
"Were you serious the other day?"
Alex frowns. "About what?"
"About trying out for the women's team."
"You want to play?"
She really hopes the answer is yes.
Maggie looks unsure. "Is that possible, since I missed the tryouts?"
"Yes! As soon as Lucy and Coach J'onzz see how you play, they'll no doubt put you on the team."
Maggie blushes. "Such high praise and you've only seen me play twice."
"Yeah, well," Alex shrugs, tries to act nonchalant. "You're good."
She is, and Coach J'onzz and Lucy immediately agree when they see her play too.
"What made you change your mind?" Alex asks when they're in the changing room afterwards. Alex had joined Maggie on the field, wanted to show Lucy and their coach just how good Maggie was.
Alex tries not to think about the fact that Maggie is changing just behind her.
"My brothers. They said they'd help me keep it a secret from our father."
"Would it really be that bad if he found out?"
"He's never approved of me doing anything that doesn't fit in with his sexist ideas about what woman should and shouldn't do. But it's not his decision, it's mine, it's my life and I can do what I want with it."
Alex doesn't know what to say to that. "At least you have your brothers then, they seem very supportive."
Alex turns around in time to catch Maggie's smile. "They're the best." She frowns down at the shoes in her hand. "I think I'm going to need new shoes if I'm going to be playing competitively."
"I know just the place, if you're up for a shopping trip?"
Maggie gestures towards the door with another smile. "Lead the way."
--
Shopping with Alex is fun. She's had a fun afternoon with her all round. Playing with her for her tryout had been amazing, finally, someone who can keep up with her on the field. In fact, she thinks Alex may even be better than her.
After that they'd caught the bus across town to a sports shop that Maggie thinks is heaven. There are so many different pairs of boots, and other sports gear, to choose from.
She finds a pair of new boots that cost more than any other pair of shoes she owns but they're definitely worth it. She has to give them to Alex to look after because there's no way she's risking her dad finding them.
"Thank you, for today, and for helping get me on the team."
Alex smiles. "You did that all on your own." Alex reaches up and runs her hand through her hair, the short strands falling back around her face. It's something she's noticed Alex does when she's nervous or unsure about something. It's pretty adorable. "So, I'll see you at practice tomorrow?"
She's also going to have to come up with some excuse to tell her father as to why she'll have to leave at 6.30am the next morning for practice at 7am, but she'll think of something, and her brothers will always have her back.
"I can't wait."
--
"Where have you been?" Kara asks as soon as Alex walks through the door of their shared room.
"Where were you last night?" Alex counters, momentarily redirecting the conversation onto her sister. She already knows the answer, knows that Kara snuck into the room in the early hours of the morning, but it's fun to tease.
Kara blushes. "With Lena."
"Then why didn't you get home until almost 3am?" Alex asks, eyebrow raised.
"We fell asleep during movie night."
That's a tamer answer than Alex is expecting. "Why didn't you just stay the night there?"
"I didn't want to wake Lena with my alarm for training this morning."
That's kind of sweet.
"Have you kissed her yet?"
Kara splutters, embarrassed, and that's the reaction Alex had been hoping for before. "No! And we were talking about you, where have you been?"
Alex allows the subject change, for now, only because she wants to tell Kara about Maggie.
"Guess who joined the team today."
"Who?"
"Maggie."
Kara's face splits into a large grin. "Really?"
"Really. We showed Coach J'onzz and Lucy how good she was and they instantly put her on the team."
"Yes!" Kara fist pumps the air. "Now there's no way we're going to lose at National's this year."
Alex grins too, knowing Kara is right, their chances at winning at National's just went up.
She doesn't mention her afternoon with Maggie after the tryout though, she doesn't mention how much fun she'd had or how much she'd enjoyed spending time with Maggie. It doesn't make sense to her, the way one look from Maggie, one smile and a tilt of her head, makes her heart flutter in her chest and butterflies to swirl in her stomach.
She has no idea what it means but she doesn't want to share it with her sister, wants to keep this warm feeling locked in her chest until she can figure out what it means.
Notes:
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
This fic will be a few chapters long and I plan to get it written and posted fairly quickly. Thanks for reading.
Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl
Chapter 2
Notes:
I'm having a lot of fun writing this #sanvers are endgame
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Maggie drags herself out of bed the next morning with the excuse to her father that she's going for a run. It's cold as she makes her way to the field but her morning brightens when she finds Alex in the changing room, all dressed and ready to go. Maggie's bag is there too, thanks to Alex.
"Thank you, for looking after this."
Alex smiles. "It's a small price to pay to have you on the team."
Training is tough, Lucy and Coach J'onzz don't muck around when it comes to exercising and drills and she's exhausted by the end. She'd thought she was in better shape than this but apparently not.
"You look tired there, Sawyer."
Maggie laughs at the use of her last name, Lucy has been calling her that all morning.
"Thanks, Danvers."
Alex grins in return as she towels her hair dry. "What time's your first class?"
Maggie pulls on her hoodie as she answers. "Not until ten."
"Do you want to grab some breakfast before then?"
"Hey, what about me, I thought we had plans," Kara butts in.
Maggie would be annoyed if anyone else had interrupted potential plans with Alex but she already has a soft spot for Kara, the girl much too nice and friendly for her to ever have any negative feelings towards.
"You can come too."
Kara opens her mouth but Alex beats her to it. "And of course Lena can as well."
Kara shuts her mouth as her cheeks go red.
"My sister has a crush on Lena," Alex stage whispers and earns herself a punch on the arm for her words. Alex winces as she rubs the spot.
"I do not."
Alex gives her a look. "Whatever you say."
Lena is waiting outside the changing rooms for them and it's easy to see that Alex was right when she sees the hug Kara and Lena give each other in greeting, and those heart eyes are hard to miss. Kara definitely has a crush on Lena and there's no doubt in Maggie's mind that Lena likes Kara too.
--
Alex's finger hovers over Maggie's name on her phone. They'd exchanged numbers this morning after breakfast and Maggie had said to text her, but what if Maggie was just being nice and didn't actually want Alex to text her?
Alex shakes her, she's over thinking this.
Hey, it's Alex. Do you want to go for a run tomorrow morning?
They train on alternate days but Alex tries to do some form of exercise every day to make sure she stays in good shape.
She quickly drops her phone on the bed once she's sent the message. There, it's done, now all she has to do is wait for Maggie to reply, not that she expects one now or anytime soon but-
Her phone's message tone goes off and she scrambles to pick up her phone. She fumbles for a moment but manages to grab it before it falls to the floor.
Are you trying to kill me?
Alex doesn't even try to suppress her smile.
Is that a no?
Meet you at 7 on the field?
Alex's smile only gets bigger.
I'll see you there.
--
Maggie tries to keep up, she really does, but Alex is just too fit (not that she's complaining about that necessarily, because Alex does look damn good in her workout clothes) but it does mean she's left almost winded by the time they finish their run.
Alex hands her a bottle of water and she's grateful.
She grabs her towel from her bag and wipes her sweat-soaked face, she's even more tired than she was yesterday. She thought she was already in decent shape but she's really going to need to get in better shape for their first game, which is a only a couple of weeks away.
"You okay, there?" Alex asks, a smirk on her face.
Maggie huffs out a breath. "I'm good."
"Next time we'll take it a bit slower."
"I'm not sure I'll ever be able to walk, let alone run, again."
Alex picks up her shirt and throws it at her. "Stop being dramatic," Alex says with a grin.
Maggie sticks out her tongue in response.
By the time the first game arrives, Maggie's feeling much better about her fitness levels, at least with how they compare to the rest of the team. Turns out, Alex is just insanely fit and even trying to keep up with her is a mistake.
They still run together every second morning (or sometimes hit the gym) but Alex takes it a bit slower than Maggie knows she needs to, and she definitely appreciates it.
She's glad her dad isn't much of a sports fan, which means she knows he won't turn up to the game. (The fact that they're a women's team means that even if he did like soccer, he wouldn't show up to this match anyway).
Maggie's surprised when she finds out she's in the starting lineup and she feels herself getting nervous as they get dressed for the game. This is much more competitive than any game she's ever played before and there's definitely going to be way more spectators than she's used to. All her brothers are here though, and that's a comfort, knowing they're all here to support her.
Alex must pick up on her nervousness. "Are you okay?"
Maggie nods, not sure she can talk right now.
"My very first game was the scariest but don't worry, you got this." Alex bumps their shoulders together and Maggie finds herself relaxing.
They end up winning the game, 3-1. Maggie didn't personally score any of those goals but she did assist Alex with one of them and the tight hug she receives from Alex afterwards is better than having actually scored the goal herself.
--
"We're going out for celebratory drinks, you coming?" Alex asks as they're getting dressed after the match. She's buzzing, she can still feel the adrenaline pumping through her.
"Of course," Maggie smiles and her heart feels like it's floating at Maggie's response.
There's a bar near campus they can go to. A few of the team are under 21 so they can't drink but the rest of them can (and they sneak drinks to those who are underage).
It's tradition, to go out and have a few drinks together after the first game of the season. And this year, Alex is even more excited to go out because Maggie is coming too.
She hasn't entirely figured out what's different about Maggie, what makes her want to spend more time with her, what makes her want to be good friends with her.
Maybe alcohol will help clear things up?
"To us!" Lucy shouts, her glass held up high. "The best damn soccer players this university has ever seen!"
They all clink their glasses and down their drinks, the burning feeling in her throat welcome as she gets herself another one.
"You did well today," Alex smiles, sliding into the seat beside Maggie.
"You too, it was a good goal," Maggie replies, clinking her glass against the one in Alex's hand.
"The next game is an away one, how are you going to do that with your parents?"
"I'll just tell them I'm staying at your place to study."
"Good, because I'd hate for you to miss out."
A pleasant, warm feeling settles in her stomach as Maggie smiles at her and she's going to blame it on the alcohol.
They're all a few drinks in when Kara pulls her onto the dance floor. Alex grabs Maggie's hand as she goes.
If Alex has to dance, then so does she.
Maggie's hand is warm in hers and she holds on tight, doesn't want them to get separated.
There's a press of bodies around them as they dance, Kara shouting the words to the song as they all dance together.
Alex can feel Maggie close beside her, their hands still tangled together and she feels hot all over.
From all the other people pressing in close, of course.
Maggie's hair a loose mess around her face, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed. She looks so carefree and beautiful and Alex hopes this isn't the last time she'll get to see Maggie like this.
What does that mean?
An uneasiness settles its way into her stomach.
It's just the alcohol, right?
(Deep down, she knows it's not).
--
Maggie eyes the one bed as they step into their room, reminding her of every romance movie she's ever seen where the romantic leads have to share bed.
"Sorry about this," Alex says, apologising for what must be the tenth time. "I usually share with Kara."
"I know," Maggie says, sending her a reassuring smile. Alex has already explained several times that she usually shares a room with Kara. What she can't explain though is why this time Kara asked to swap rooms, leaving her with Alex instead of Lucy, like they'd originally planned. "I don't mind, really." Maggie's certainly not going to complain about getting to spend extra time with Alex, as long as it doesn't make her uncomfortable. "I can take the floor, if you'd prefer?"
Alex rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor."
They dump their bags on their respective sides of the bed and then a knock at the door tells them they're leaving for the game in five.
"You feeling as nervous this time?" Alex asks as they collect their gear.
Maggie shakes her head. Once they'd been on the field, actually playing the game, her nerves had settled completely and she'd had too much fun to worry about anything else. This time, they may not have home field advantage but the game will be the same, she'll still be out there, with her team, and she can't wait.
This game is closer, 2-1. But this time Maggie did score one of those goals, her teammates swarming around her for a group hug after she'd scored.
It had felt so good.
By the time they get back to the motel they're staying in, she's completely exhausted, but in the best sort of way. A few of the girl's are going out for drinks but Maggie declines this time, too tired to even contemplate getting dressed up and going out.
(If Alex had gone, she may have reconsidered her decision, but Alex had declined the invitation too).
As soon as the door is shut behind them, Maggie flops face first onto the bed. After the long drive here, then the game, she really is tired. She feels the bed dip beside her and turns her head to the side to see Alex lying down beside her.
"I'm never moving again," Maggie mumbles, voice muffled by being half pressed into the pillow.
Alex laughs, turning too so she can see Maggie. "At least get into your pyjamas first."
God, Alex looked beautiful, hair loose around her face, a tired smile on her lips. Maggie's heart skips a beat.
"I'm too tired, I'll just sleep in this."
Alex laughs again as she pushes herself off the bed. "Suit yourself."
--
Alex grabs her pyjamas and disappears into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She's tired, but it's a nice tired, a tiredness from good day, but now she wants to do nothing but curl up in bed and go to sleep, especially since they have a long drive home tomorrow.
She looks down at the pyjama pants she's just put on, the little cartoon dogs smiling back at her. It wouldn't have been a problem if she'd been sharing with Kara, in fact, Kara has a matching pair, but now Maggie is going to see her ridiculous clothes and her cheeks heat up just thinking about it.
Alex shakes herself, she's being stupid, why does it even matter?
When she exits the bathroom, she finds Maggie in much the same position as she'd left her, except she's under the covers now. Alex hesitates as she stands at the edge of the bed.
"Come on, Danvers, I'm tired," Maggie mumbles, clearly already half asleep. She blinks over at Alex. "Cute pjs."
Alex feels her cheeks go red again as she pushes past her nerves and climbs into the other side of the bed. Why is she even nervous? She's shared the bed with Kara dozens of times and this is just Maggie.
There's nothing just about her though, she's different, and Alex can't quite figure out why.
Alex reaches over and shuts off the light, the room suddenly bathed in the streetlight that makes its way through the flimsy curtain.
"Goodnight," Maggie says, her dimples visible even in the dim light.
Alex feels her heart skip a beat. "Goodnight."
She's lucky she's exhausted because she falls straight to sleep.
--
The first thing that Alex notices when she wakes the next morning is just how warm the bed is. It's nice and cozy and she never wants to move. Until she feels movement at her back and remembers she's not alone.
And not only is she not alone, but they both must have shifted during the night because now they're both in the middle of the bed, Maggie pressed firmly against her back, an arm slung loose over her waist.
Panic rips through her, while a part of her wants to do nothing more than to press into the warm weight at her back.
That thought only increases the panic.
As carefully as she can, she lifts Maggie's arm and slides out of her embrace. She needs to get out, needs some air (and needs to figure out why a part of her longs to stay close for just a bit longer).
She can't think about that right now though, she needs to move before Maggie wakes, can't have her know they're essentially cuddling in bed.
That thought makes Alex's heart beat even harder in her chest and she moves as quickly and quietly as she can into the bathroom, snagging her bag on the way passed.
By the time she's showered and dressed, she finds Maggie up and out of bed too. She looks up when Alex enters the room.
"Morning," she smiles. "Did you see the message from Kara? The team's going to grab breakfast together before we hit the road."
"Morning," Alex smiles in return. She picks up her phone and finds that there is indeed a message from Kara.
"I'll shower then we can leave?"
"Sounds good."
Breakfast with the team is good and Alex stands by her decision to stay in last night when she sees half the girls are hungover. The bus ride back isn't going to be fun for them.
And Alex is right, they have to stop a few times for a couple of the girls to be sick, as Coach J'onzz turns a blind eye.
Maggie's in the seat beside hers, a pair of headphones shared between them as Maggie plays songs she insists Alex will love.
All in all it's been a good weekend and Alex is so glad that she'd made the decision to walk through the park that day because without that, Maggie wouldn't be sitting beside her now.
Notes:
Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl
Chapter 3
Notes:
Thanks for reading!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Not even the rain bucketing down outside, running down the windows of the bus, can dampen Maggie's mood, although it does make her regret not bringing an umbrella.
But she doesn't worry about that now, she looks back over at Alex beside her and can't help but think how much today has felt like a date.
It's not a date, there was no mention of the word 'date' when Alex asked her to lunch, and they split the bill afterwards, but they did share a dessert and Alex had this soft smile on her face the whole time so Maggie's heart flutters like it is.
"I had fun today," Maggie says, wishing their time together wasn't coming to an end. But her stop is coming and she's quickly running out of time with Alex.
Since joining the team a couple of months ago, Maggie hasn't gone a day without seeing Alex, something she's definitely not going to complain about.
"Me too," Alex answers, that soft smile back again, the one that makes Maggie think she's not the only one who's started to develop feelings in their friendship. "Here, take this, or you'll get soaked on your way home."
Maggie pushes the umbrella in Alex's outstretched hand back towards her. "If I take it, then you'll get soaked."
Alex shrugs. "I have a jacket."
Maggie had forgotten her one of those too. "My house is only a few blocks from the bus stop, I'll be fine."
Alex levels her with a look, one that clearly says she won't be fine. But luckily for Maggie, there's no time to argue though because it's her stop. She stands, turns to say goodbye to Alex, only to find her standing too.
"Come on," Alex says, giving her a gentle push towards the door as the bus pulls up to the stop. "Before the bus driver gets annoyed."
Maggie can only move helplessly as Alex directs her out the door. She steps off the bus, expects to get instantly drenched by the downpour, only to look up and find Alex's umbrella covering them both.
"Alex," Maggie says, turning to tell Alex off for getting off the bus with her, only to cut herself off, finding Alex even closer than she'd expected.
"What?" Alex says, smiling down at her as rain pours around them. "You wouldn't take my umbrella so this is a compromise. This way, neither of us gets wet."
"You know it's just a bit of water, right?" Maggie asks, but she just can't keep the smile off her face. Alex is too sweet.
Alex knocks her side playfully as they start walking. "Yeah, but we can't have you getting sick, the team needs you too much."
Maggie presses in close to Alex's side as they walk, the umbrella is small and she doesn't want to get wet. Or, that's the excuse she uses anyway, as she leans into Alex.
Alex loops their arms together as they walk and honestly? This feels like the perfect end to a perfect date.
But today's not a date, of course, even if Alex is now walking her home.
They reach her house much sooner than she'd like and Maggie slows her walk as they approach the front door.
"Thank you for this, you really didn't have to."
Alex shrugs again and the sky may me dark with clouds but there's still enough light to see the blush that stains Alex's cheeks.
If they weren't in front of her house, where her parents are home, Maggie would seriously consider leaning forward and kissing her now.
Maybe.
Okay, she probably wouldn't, because she's a coward, and she's not completely sure that it's something that Alex wants too, but the thought of kissing Alex is definitely a pleasant one.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course, we're watching movies after class, remember?"
How could Maggie forget? Today had been a spontaneous lunch trip to town after Maggie's only afternoon class had been cancelled, but tomorrow they both finish classes at 2pm and have been planning this movie afternoon for the past few days. Maggie has had thoughts of cuddling up to Alex, watching movies, and after today, that possibility seems even more likely.
It takes Maggie a moment to remember she's meant to see Alex in the morning too.
"What about practice?"
Alex grimaces. "It was more wishful thinking on my part that it'll be cancelled. If it's still raining then, I'm sure Lucy will have us running drills in the rain."
Maggie pulls a face too. That doesn't sound fun.
"But either way, I'll see you tomorrow?"
That brightens Maggie's mood considerably.
Maggie pulls Alex in for a hug, made only slightly awkward by the umbrella between them. Maggie relaxes into Alex for a moment as one of Alex's arms wrap around her back to return the hug.
Alex really does give the best hugs.
"Now go," Maggie says as she steps back, under the shelter of her front door. "Before you catch a cold and we lose our best player."
Alex grins at her as she steps back herself, waving before she turns and heads back in the direction of the bus stop.
Maggie watches her go before she turns around herself and heads inside, a smile stuck on her face. What has she done to deserve someone as good as Alex in her life?
"Who was that?"
The voice startles her and Maggie's hand flies to her chest. "Jesus."
She turns around to find her dad giving her a look, and she's not sure if it's because she hasn't answered his question yet or because she said 'Jesus'.
"That was Alex."
He frowns and Maggie feels her good mood leaving her. "The same Alex who's house you slept over at a few weeks ago?"
"Yes."
Why does he look so mad?
"You told me Alex was a girl."
"Because she is."
Now her dad just looks confused. He nods his head towards the front door. "That was a girl?"
Maggie realises now that he must have been watching them, and through the rain, mistaken Alex for a boy. God, he's ridiculous sometimes. He's been a bit more relaxed about her hanging out with boys since she's an adult now, but spending the night with one? That would definitely be out of the question.
"She has short hair but yes, Alex is a girl."
He relaxes completely at her answer and Maggie can't help but wonder what he'd say if he knew she was gay.
--
It takes her an extra half hour to get home, but Alex isn't going to complain because she's had a really good day.
She always has fun with Maggie, whether it's training, their early morning runs, studying, or just spending time together (which is something that's been happening increasingly often), Alex always enjoys her time with Maggie.
(She thinks she may be a little closer to figuring out what that means, but she's not sure yet).
"You look happy."
Alex looks up to find Kara sitting on her bed and she bites her lip. "I am. What are you still doing here? I thought you had plans with Lena?"
"I did, but she cancelled because she refuses to leave her room because of the rain. So I'm going over there instead, I was just waiting for that." Kara nods her head at the still wet umbrella in Alex's hand and it only reminds Alex of her day and her smile is back again.
"Are you going to tell me why you can't stop smiling?" Kara gasps. "Did you have a date? Is it that cute guy from your micro class?"
Alex tries to think about what guy Kara is talking about but comes up empty. Not that that matters, her smile has nothing to do with him. She rolls her eyes. "No, I just had lunch with Maggie."
Kara deflates at her answer and Alex suddenly feels like defending her day, she may not have been on a date but she still had a great time with Maggie.
"We went to that place in town that you recommended, the place you took Lena." If Kara wants to talk about dates, maybe she'll admit that she had taken Lena there on a date.
Alex stops at that thought. She'd invited Maggie out for lunch, to the same place where Kara maybe took Lena on a date. She didn't ask Maggie on a date, did she? No, because she's not….no.
Kara's face lights up. "It's so good, right? Please tell you me you tried the dessert?"
Of course, Kara is more excited about the food and Alex goes along with it to distract herself.
"We shared the same dessert you and Lena did. It was delicious, the whole meal was."
"The four of us should all go there sometime!" Kara says excitedly and Alex can do nothing but agree, definitely not thinking about how that very much sounds like a double date.
"Okay, I'm going to go see Lena."
Alex pulls her sister in for a quick hug, holds on for an extra moment to steady herself. "Have fun."
Alex spends the rest of the night studying and decidedly not thinking about Maggie.
--
The rain has stopped by the morning and the ground is a little muddy so they get a bit dirtier during training than normal, but at least they don't have to train in the pouring rain.
Alex's spirits are up as her last class of the day finishes up and she walks out of the classroom to find Maggie already waiting for her.
"Hey," Maggie grins and Alex feels her heart flutter at the smile.
She swallows down the feeling and grins at Maggie. "Hey, yourself."
They walk together to Alex's room, swapping stories about the few hours they'd been apart. The only thing that's happened since she last saw Maggie is the A she had gotten on an assignment and the proud smile Maggie gives her is just as good as the feeling the grade had given her.
"Look at this," Maggie smiles as they enter Alex's room and she sees the little set up for their movie afternoon that Alex had organised last night. "Laptop, snacks, blankets and pillows, looks like you've thought of everything."
"You should've seen how jealous Kara was when she got home last night, she even asked if she could join us, but I told her this was an Alex and Maggie movie day and she'd have to wait until next time."
Maggie puts a hand to her chest. "Aww Danvers, I'm honoured."
Alex ducks her head as she blushes. "Shut up."
They get changed into comfier clothing because a movie day isn't complete without comfortable clothes, and then they arrange themselves on Alex's bed, blankets, pillows and snacks situated around them.
Alex hits play on the laptop and The Princess Bride starts playing on the screen between them. They'd found out that it was a favourite to them both and it became an obvious choice for their first movie after they've decided to have a movie day.
About halfway through Alex feels Maggie lean into her side and she feels heat bloom at the contact and her mind is thrown back to that night they'd shared a bed. It's something she's tried not to think about too much, it only confuses her when she thinks about it too long.
Why does the thought of Maggie close make her heart race?
Alex glances down and sees Maggie's hand resting atop the blankets, so close to her own. Her fingers itch to reach out and find out if her skin is as soft as she remembers from the last time they'd held hands.
She'd been drinking that night, thought maybe her thoughts of Maggie had been fueled by alcohol, but it's obvious in the time since then, when she's had similar thoughts, that alcohol had nothing to do with it, it was all because of Maggie.
Alex looks back up at the screen, doesn't want Maggie to notice her wandering attention.
She's pushed all these thoughts down for the past two months, just like she does with most of her feelings, but these ones are harder to make go away than the rest.
Maggie laughs at something on the screen and Alex does too, not sure what she's entirely laughing at as her attention has been everywhere but the movie. Maggie turns, sends a smile her way and Alex is caught in her gaze, in warm brown eyes that she finds herself suddenly lost in.
It's the tilt of Maggie's head that does it, that breaks Alex away from staring into her eyes, only for her own eyes to fall down to Maggie's smile instead.
Her lips look soft, would they feel soft too?
She watches as the smile slowly drops from Maggie's lips, but even then she can't look away, even as her heart hammers against her chest.
"Alex?"
She sees the word more than hears it and Alex swallows against all the feelings rising inside her. She doesn't want to think right now, she wants to act, wants to lean forward and find out if Maggie's lips really are as soft as her skin.
Alex sees Maggie moving closer, and she's not sure if she's leaning in, or if it's both of them, but it doesn't matter because she wants this, she does, despite the fear rising in her.
Just for a moment, everything feels overwhelmingly right, as warm lips press gently against her own, and suddenly everything makes sense.
But just as quickly panic tears through her chest and she pulls back.
"Alex."
She almost falls over herself in her haste to get away, eyes wide, fear coursing through her as she realises what she's just done and stumbles off the bed.
She just kissed Maggie.
She needs to leave, needs to think, needs to breathe, and she can't do that with Maggie looking so confusedly at her.
"Alex, wait!" Maggie calls, but that doesn't stop Alex as she opens the door and leaves, she just needs a moment, as everything she'd previously thought about herself has suddenly been flipped on its head.
Alex is out of the building before she stops, having no idea where she's actually going. A few people give her weird looks as she pulls her phone from her pocket with shaking hands, glad she has it with her.
She dials Kara's number, she needs her sister right now.
Notes:
We'll get back to the soccer next chapter, which will probably be posted soon because I can't deal when they're apart.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl
Chapter 4
Notes:
Thanks to murdershegoat for looking over this for me.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Alex calls Kara, finds out she's at Lena's, and by the time she makes it there, she's close to hyperventilating.
"Alex!" Kara says, immediately pulling her sister in for a hug. "I've got you, just breathe, follow my breaths."
Alex relaxes instantly into Kara's arms, feels the strong presence of her sister she needs right now. She tries to match Kara's breathing, feels her heart beginning to slow down as she feels some of the panic start to fade.
With Kara here, she knows everything will be okay.
"Hey," Kara says gently, ducking her head to get Alex to meet her eyes. "What happened?"
Alex swallows down the fear that bubbles up in her again. She needs to talk about this, she knows she does, because she just left Maggie in her room and she can already feel guilt, mixing with the fear, as she remembers the look of confusion and hurt that Maggie had been wearing when she'd left.
But she also needs to take a moment to gather herself.
"I'm okay." She takes a breath. "Sorry to interrupt your day," she says, smiling, or at least she hopes it's a smile, over at Lena. "What were you two doing?"
Kara eyes her for a moment but seems to know she needs a moment to herself and Alex is glad. "It's fine, we weren't doing much, just hanging out."
"We were trying to study," Lena butts in, throwing Kara a look. "But someone kept getting distracted."
"Study is so boring though," Kara says, pulling a face.
"Yes, but we still have to do it," Lena says with a fond smile and a shake her of head.
The easy back and forth between them makes Alex feel that bit more normal, while simultaneously reminding her why she's here in the first place.
Something must show on her face because Kara's voice is soft as she turns back to her, her face serious. "What about you, I thought you were spending the afternoon with Maggie?"
"I-" She chokes around the word, the feelings all rushing back. She swallows and tries again. She can do this, this is Kara. "Maggie kissed me."
"Oh." The surprise is clear on Kara's face. "And then you ran?"
Alex nods, her sister knows her well.
But maybe Kara doesn't know her as well as she thought.
Hell, Alex isn't even sure she knows herself at this point.
"Does she not know you're straight?"
Alex's breath catches, because that's the whole point, isn't it? She's not so sure that she is.
She thinks of Maggie's lips, pressed softly against her own, and scratch that, she knows she's not.
That panic bubbles in her chest again. She needs to get this out, maybe talking about it will help loosen the pressure in her chest.
"Do you want me to go?" Lena asks quietly, looking between them both, unsure.
"No, please, stay," Alex quickly says. She can't kick Lena out, this is her room after all. Plus, she finds she doesn't mind if her sister's best friend is here too. Her voice is quieter as she continues. "I don't mind if you hear this." She turns back to Kara, finds her waiting patiently, concern clear on her face, for Alex to continue. "I…uhh…" Alex stumbles over her words. "I kissed her too."
"You kissed her?"
Alex thinks again of the kiss, of Maggie's eyes slipping closed just before their lips had touched, of the gentle pressure of her lips, and just how damn good it had felt, for the brief time it had lasted.
And yes, she kissed her too, she wanted it, she'd leaned forward, just as Maggie had, and she'd kissed her.
Alex bites her lip and nods.
Kara pauses, clearly looking for her next words. Alex waits as a confusing mix of emotions swirl in her chest. There's still the fear, but there's also a flutter of something good as she thinks of Maggie again.
Kara's voice is soft when she finally speaks. "Do you like her?"
Alex feels like her heart is ricocheting around her chest.
She knows what the answer is.
"Yes."
Kara looks surprised again as she pauses for another moment. "Do you think you might be…?" She trails off, but it's clear what word is meant to be on the end of that sentence.
Gay.
"I always thought I'd just never met the right guy," Alex starts, going through the argument she's told herself a dozen times. "And then I met Maggie and I started thinking about her and-" Alex feels the panic rising again, not because of Maggie, but because of everything. "All my life, I've had this clear picture of myself in my mind, and now suddenly I feel like I'm a completely different person."
"Being gay," -and there's that word, the one that Alex has been avoiding, even if it's becoming clearer that it's the right one to use- "doesn't change who you are, it's just another part of you. You're still the same Alex I saw this morning, the same Alex who's crazy smart, who's the best soccer player I know, and the best sister I could ever ask for. You're still you, you just know something new about yourself."
"I'm gay," Alex says, the words nothing more than a whisper, but before Alex knows what's happening, she finds herself in a bone-crushing hug.
The words I'm gay roll around in her mind and she knows they're right, knows that it's not just Maggie.
"I'm so proud of you," Kara whispers and Alex holds her sister back just as tightly.
When Alex pulls away, her cheeks are damp and Kara rests her hands on her cheeks, wipes her thumbs under her eyes. "I really am so proud of you." Kara uses her hands on Alex's face to tilt her head down and presses a kiss to her forehead. "And I can't believe I didn't see the fact that you liked Maggie before, it seems so obvious now."
Alex laughs, her head falling to rest on Kara's collarbone. This is exactly what she had needed, her sister's steadying presence.
"Shut up."
Kara just pulls her in for another hug.
Alex pulls away after a few long moments. "I should go."
Because she knows what she has to do now.
She just left Maggie in her room, and she's not sure if she's still there, but she needs to go and talk to her, at least try and explain what's going on, because whatever happens next, Maggie is already so important to her, and she doesn't want to lose her, even if they do just remain friends.
"To talk to Maggie?"
Alex bites her lips as she nods. Slight panic rises inside her again but she breathes through it. She can do this, she can do anything knowing that Kara will be right here if she needs her.
Kara pulls her in for another hug. "Want me to come with you?"
Alex shakes her head. "Thank you, but I need to do this alone."
"You'll call me, if you need to?"
Alex nods.
"I'll be home later," Kara gives her hands a squeeze as they part. "Good luck."
Lena repeats the sentiment, and Alex flashes her a smile too, before she leaves.
She really needs to talk to Maggie.
--
Maggie looks down at her phone for what feels like the hundredth time. She's sent several texts to Alex and all have gone unanswered, as did the one time she'd tried to call her. Kara hasn't replied to her messages either and Maggie just hopes Alex is with her sister.
She was so stupid, to kiss Alex like that. She'd thought that Alex had wanted her to, but clearly she'd just been projecting her own feelings onto Alex, because the way Alex had dashed out of here after they'd kissed, well, that told her everything she needed to know.
Maggie knows that she should leave, Alex clearly doesn't want to talk to her if the unanswered messages are anything to go by, but she just wants a chance to explain, to apologise to Alex and hope that she hasn't ruined their friendship. It wouldn't be the first one that has ended because of feelings that Maggie has developed, but she hopes that that doesn't happen this time, Alex means too much to her.
She's never felt like this about anyone before.
And it sucks that her feelings are unrequited, but she'd rather have Alex in her life as a friend than not at all.
Maggie looks up as the door opens, to find a surprised Alex standing in the doorway.
"You're still here?"
"I," Maggie stands, twists her fingers together nervously. Alex looks exactly the same as before she'd left, minus the fear, and Maggie could almost pretend that this was any other day. Except it's not, and she needs to apologise for what she'd done. "I didn't want to leave without talking to you, without apologising. I'm sorry for what I did, I-"
"No, please," Alex cuts her off, steps towards her until they're just feet apart. "You have nothing to be sorry for, I-"
"No, I shouldn't have-," Maggie cuts in, only to be cut off by Alex again.
"Maggie," Alex says. "Please, just let me explain."
Maggie can tell how serious Alex is and she stops, lets her talk.
"I," Alex huffs out a breath. "I don't really know where to start. But please," Alex says, holding up her hand. "Let me talk."
Maggie nods, waits patiently while Alex gathers her words.
"You did nothing wrong, okay? I want you to know that, you have nothing to be sorry for."
She may not necessarily agree with that, but she keeps her mouth shut anyway, knows that Alex has more to say.
"I just," and here it comes, the part where Alex tells her she's straight, or that she's gay but she doesn't see Maggie that way. She'd really thought that there'd been something between them, but obviously she'd been wrong. "I panicked, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you don't need to explain anything to me, I just hope we can still be friends."
"I wanted you to kiss me," Alex blurts and that brings Maggie up short. Suddenly, all her previous theories for why Alex had run don't make sense anymore.
Alex takes a deep breath, looking nervous again.
"Are you okay?"
Alex nods, takes another deep breath before she continues. "I'm sorry I ran, but I panicked."
She's said that already, and Maggie can tell that there's still more that Alex wants to say, so she gives her a smile, hopes it's reassuring.
"I've never…"
"You've never…?" Maggie prompts when she sees Alex is struggling for words.
"I've never felt like this about a girl before."
It's the word girl that catches Maggie's attention, and she's suddenly getting a clearer idea about why Alex ran.
"You think you might be bi?" Maggie asks, voice soft. "Why didn't you talk to me? I wouldn't have kissed you if I knew you were unsure."
Alex bites her lip, shakes her head, as she looks down into the space between them.
"I'm gay."
The words are quiet, but Maggie hears them.
Alex laughs, the sound startling Maggie as Alex glances back up and meets Maggie's eyes, a grin on her face. "That's only the second time I've said that out loud."
"Oh, so you…" She trails off, not entirely sure what to say. She knows how confusing it had been when she'd first started to think she may be a lesbian, but she can't imagine what it would be like to not realise it until you're in your twenties.
"I always thought I was just waiting to meet the right guy, and then you walk into my life instead."
Maggie smiles, she may not know what it's like waiting for a guy, but she does know that Alex completely surprised her when they met.
"And I tried not to think about you, and then I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I'm beginning to realise that this isn't the first time I've had feelings like this, feelings for a girl, but it's definitely the strongest feelings I've had."
Maggie blushes at her words, blushes at the confirmation that Alex really does like her too.
"And then we kissed, and it may have been brief, but it never felt like that with a guy before."
Alex is blushing now too.
Maggie reaches out, takes Alex's hands, feels soft skin gliding over her own as Alex threads their fingers together. "I don't want to rush you, okay? You've just figured out this big thing about yourself and I'll be here for you in whatever way you need me. But I want you to know, if it wasn't already clear, that I like you too."
Alex smile is beautiful. "What I would really like is to kiss you again."
--
Alex can't believe she's just said the words, that she's said all of this, out loud. But it feels good, to get it all out, to finally be honest with herself. And be honest with Maggie.
Maggie's smile is blinding. How had she not realised before now, because that smile is without a doubt the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.
"Are you sure?"
Alex nods. She feels a different kind of fear rise in her as she thinks about her next words. "I may need some help from you along the way but I'd really like to try this, us, if you want that too?"
Maggie's dimples are out in full force. "I'd love that."
They don't kiss again, but Alex pulls Maggie back over to where they'd been nestled together on the bed, before everything had happened. "Do you want to finish the movie?"
They settle onto the bed together and Alex situates the laptop between them, making sure to keep their hands joined as she does. She hits play but she's unfocused again, as she watches Maggie's thumb soothe over her skin, the touch sending sparks up her arm.
"I'm sorry," Alex repeats. "Again. For earlier. I'm sorry I didn't just stay and talk to you."
Maggie gives her hand a squeeze and turns to look at her. "I assume you went to Kara?"
Alex nods.
"Then it's okay. I know that you needed some time and to talk to your sister. And you came back, that's what matters."
Alex gives her a smile. Really, what has she done to deserve someone like Maggie?
They're in much the same position as they were before, before when they had kissed, and that's enough for Alex's eyes to drop down to Maggie's lips.
"Are you sure?" Maggie asks again and Alex nods. She definitely wants this, and she's not afraid this time.
Alex untangles their hands, uses her now free hand to trail her fingers along Maggie's cheek, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Everything about Maggie is so soft and Alex can't help but lean into her.
When their lips finally meet, Alex gasps at the touch, Maggie's lips warm and inviting and she presses closer.
This is what she'd been missing with her few previous kisses, this is what it was meant to feel like.
She feels the kiss all the way through her, from where their lips are pressed together, to the soft hand that's on her cheek, all the way to her toes.
She feels alive, like she could run a marathon, or fight a bear, or jump higher than the tallest building.
Maggie's breath is hot, her touch like fire, as she presses closer, and yet it's still not close enough, as Alex tangles her hands in Maggie's hair to pull her that much closer.
Her lips slip from Maggie's, run along her jaw, as she tastes warm skin and she feels Maggie's hand slip into her own hair.
God, she really has been missing out on something amazing her entire life.
"Wait," Maggie says, and she's breathless, and Alex feels a thrill shoot through her knowing she's the cause. "We should slow down."
Alex doesn't want to, but she knows Maggie's right.
"Can I take you on a date?"
Alex pulls away and Maggie's lips are red, her hair's a mess, and it's very difficult for Alex not to just kiss her again.
"You want to take me on a date?"
Maggie nods. "If you want?"
Alex grins as it feels like her heart grows three times in size at Maggie's smile. "Yes."
Alex leans in to kiss Maggie again but a knock at the door stops her. She groans as she pulls away. "Yes?" Alex calls.
"It's me," a voice calls back, clearly Kara.
Alex's eyes widen as she shoots a panicked look at Maggie.
Maggie reaches out, soothes a hand down Alex's arm. "It's okay, it's just Kara."
"I know, and she's about to walk in, and she's going to be able to tell that we've been making out. This isn't something I've had to worry about before."
There's never been a fear of Kara walking in on anything like this before, because she's never really done this before, she's kissed a few guys, but she'd never invited them to her bedroom.
Maggie laughs. "That's what you're worried about?"
"Hold on!" Alex calls before she turns back to Maggie as she runs a hand through her hair, where Maggie's fingers had made a mess. "Quick, how do I look?"
Maggie runs a hand through her own hair before she reaches out and tucks a stray strand of hair behind Alex's ear. "Relax, you look fine."
"Really?"
Maggie laughs again. "Yes."
"Okay." Alex takes a breath. "Come in."
She scoots away from Maggie when she realises how close they're pressed, just as the door opens.
"Hey." Kara smiles as she sees the two of them on the bed. "How's the movie going?"
Alex feels herself blushing and she wills away the colour in her cheeks. Kara's raised eyebrow means she can guess exactly what was going on before she walked in, and Alex's cheeks only grow darker.
"Good," Maggie says, shooting a smile her away. Alex feels her heart flutter and she can't help but smile back.
"Good," Kara replies.
Alex looks back over at Kara and catches the knowing look on her face and suddenly, Alex sees a lot more teasing in her future.
Notes:
Okay I lied, back to soccer next chapter.
Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl
Chapter 5
Notes:
Thanks for your comments on the last chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The sun is warm as she lies side by side with Maggie, their hands joined, as they wait for Maggie's brother's in the park. She gets to meet them today, they're going to have a game of soccer together, and she's both nervous and excited.
In the past week, it feels like so much has changed, and yet everything feels almost the same. She still spends most of her free time with Maggie. They still run together, train together, have lunch together and meet each other after class.
She still feels like the same person she was before she discovered she liked girls.
There's just a lot more kissing now. She actually gets to kiss Maggie now. And it's wonderful and exciting and perfect.
Maggie is a really good kisser.
Alex smiles at the thought.
But it's not just that. She's found some (besides Kara) that she can be open with. They talk, a lot. About silly things, but more personal things too, and it's nice to have someone who really gets her.
There's more physical contact too, and she doesn't just mean kissing.
Whenever Alex wants to, she can just reach out and take Maggie's hand, whether they're walking around campus together or hanging out in her room, she can just reach out and pull Maggie close and it's wonderful. They hug and sit close and Maggie is warm and soft and it's perfect.
Maggie likes to touch her too. A hand at the small of her back as they walk through a door or fingers trailing down her side as they sit watching a movie.
She loves it when Maggie threads her hands through her hair and pulls her close for a kiss.
Alex loves trailing her fingers through Maggie's hair too, brushing strands behind her ear so she can see her beautiful face.
"What are you smiling at?"
Alex tilts her head to look at Maggie, her cheeks going red. "I was just thinking about you," she admits.
Maggie laughs lightly, her smile bright as her cheeks dimple. "You're a softie, Danvers."
"Shut up," Alex says with her own laugh, embarrassed. But she doesn't look away, doesn't hide her face, mostly because Maggie looks so beautiful right now and she doesn't want to look away.
"Mags!"
A shout from nearby grabs their attention and Alex had almost forgotten why they're here, that she's going to officially meet Maggie's brother.
Her heart starts beating rapidly at the thought.
What if they don't like her? What if she embarrasses herself? What if she makes a bad first impression? She needs them to like her, doesn't want something like Maggie's brothers not liking her to come between them.
"Relax, it'll be fine." Maggie gives her hand a squeeze as they walk towards her brothers. "And I'm sorry for anything they say."
This time it's her who gives Maggie's hand a squeeze.
--
Maggie's nervous as they approach her brothers. Not because she thinks they won't like Alex, she knows they'll love her because, what's not to love?
No, she's nervous because she really has no idea what they're going to say or how they're going to act. She's never introduced a girlfriend to them before. They've known girls she's liked, who she's casually dated, but she's never been this serious about someone before, never wanted to introduce anyone she's been dating to her brothers before.
But Alex is different, and she doesn't want her brothers to screw up something that's just beginning, something that's already so good.
"Guys, this is Alex," Maggie says as they stop in front of her brothers. She'd given them a talk earlier about behaving this afternoon, let's just see if they listened. "Alex," she says, gesturing to the boys in front of her. "This is Gabriel, Adrian, Tomas and Nick."
"It's nice to finally meet you," Gabriel says, much more polite than usual, holding his hand out for Alex to shake. "We've heard so much about you."
"You too," Alex answers, just as politely and for just a moment Maggie thinks things will be okay, they'll have a few more minutes of polite conversation, like this, before they play a friendly game of soccer.
Of course, she should've known her brothers wouldn't let her off so easily.
"We really have heard a lot about you," Gabriel continues.
"Yeah," Adrian adds. "Maggie never stops talking about you actually. She's all 'Alex is so smart and she's so beautiful and she's so good at soccer and-'"
"Adrian," Maggie groans, cheeks going red. She shoots him and look and he stops talking, but the shit-eating grin on his face tells Maggie he knows he's accomplished embarrassing her.
Alex laughs, the sound light beside her, and it lessens the knot in her stomach.
Well, Adrian stops, but Tomas doesn't. "Maggie has never introduced us to a girlfriend before, so clearly you must be pretty special if she's introducing you to us after only a week." He shoots Maggie an innocent smile but she sees the teasing look in his eyes. This was a mistake.
"We're leaving," Maggie says, only half joking as she tugs on Alex's hand.
"No!" Everyone protests, even Alex, who looks highly amused.
"We'll behave," Gabriel adds, but she can tell he's lying.
"If you want baby photos, I'm your guy," Nick grins.
Gabriel bursts out laughing. "And if you ever want embarrassing stories about Maggie's youth, then I've got plenty."
"Oh my God," Maggie groans, turning to bury her head in Alex's shoulder this time, knowing there's no point in trying to drag Alex away again. She lifts her head, glares at them all. "Can we just play some soccer now?"
"Sure, if Alex is on my team, it'll give me some time to tell Alex some of those embarrassing stories I just mentioned." Gabriel winks at Alex and she laughs.
"Nope, she's with me," Maggie says, tightening her grip on Alex's hand. There's no way she's going to leave her alone with any of her brothers now. Plus, with Alex on her team, they're bound to win. "The two of us versus the four of you."
Adrian laughs. "Two of you against the four of us? That seems a little unfair."
"Unfair on you, you mean?" Maggie answers, feeling her confidence rising again. She can tease her brothers about this.
"Remember," Nick says, nudging Adrian's side. "Alex is the best soccer player Mags has ever seen."
Maggie blushes again. She's regretting telling them about Alex at all.
It becomes obvious as soon as they start playing, that they've underestimated Alex's skill, especially after she scores the first three goals. Maggie helps Nick up from where he'd dived for, and missed, the ball that had sailed through the goal.
Maggie grins as her other brothers all give Alex high fives, congratulating her on the goal. Maggie had helped Alex get down the field, passing the ball between them, and it's obvious once again how well they work, how in sync they are, as they work together to score goals for their team.
The second goal she could've scored herself, the space was there, but she'd passed the ball to Alex anyway, wanted to show her brothers just how talented Alex really is, as she'd dodged Tomas to score the goal.
She just really wants them to like Alex, okay? And there's no doubt in her mind as she watches them now, that they do.
The game comes to an end a while later, Alex and Maggie grinning, the clear winners.
"I honestly thought Maggie was talking you up because she likes you so much but you're just as good as she said."
Maggie's blushing again, damn Adrian.
"Thanks," Alex says with a laugh, blushing too, as she sends a smile Maggie's way.
She can tell her brothers like Alex, just like she knew they would. There'd been easy teasing between them all as they'd played, Alex fitting naturally into their game.
She pulls Alex into a hug before they depart, promising to text her later. Her brothers all wolf whistle, causing both women to blush again.
"I had fun today," Alex says as they step apart, a shy smile on her face. "And I like your brothers, they're all really nice."
"Me too," Maggie smiles. She nods her head behind her. "And I can tell they like you too."
"Yeah?" Alex asks, voice full of hope.
Maggie smiles. "Yeah."
--
They'd had an exhausting practice this morning, Coach J'onzz and Lucy had worked them hard. Lucy must've felt sorry for everyone, seeing how tired they all were, as practice ended, because she'd offered to tidy up the gear while everyone else headed to the changing rooms.
Alex sees the opportunity and takes it, wants to talk to her best friend alone. They haven't had much time for each other lately, between soccer, classes, study, Lucy's own busy schedule as captain, and of course, Maggie, they haven't seen each other much recently.
And something big has happened to Alex, she's realised something big about herself, and she wants to tell Lucy.
"Hey, can we talk?" Alex asks, stepping up beside Lucy and helping her pick up a line of orange cones.
Lucy smiles. "Of course." They dump the cones in a pile and start picking up the balls. "Is it about the team?"
"No, it's personal, actually."
"Go ahead," Lucy answers, eyes focused on collecting the balls.
Alex picks up one herself, rolls it between her hands as she looks for the right words.
The silence catches Lucy's attention and she looks up. "Hey, are you okay? Is something wrong?"
A smile slips onto Alex's because this conversation is about the opposite of that. She's more than okay and things are finally so very right.
"Hold on, I know that look. I've never seen it on your face before, but don't tell me someone, has finally caught the attention of the great Alex Danvers?"
Some of Alex's nerves dissipate as Lucy grins at her. This is her best friend, she can tell her anything.
"Maybe," she answers, dragging out the word.
"Don't play with me, Danvers," Lucy says, dropping the bag she's holding to step in front of Alex. "Spill."
Alex bites her lip, stalling, but mostly now just to annoy her best friend.
"Alex Danvers I will bench you if you don't tell me who this lucky person is."
"You wouldn't."
Lucy raises an eyebrow, the expression clear. Try me.
Alex drops the ball to the ground, twists her fingers together. Because despite her teasing Lucy, she still is nervous. Lucy is only the second person she's told. Well, third, including Lena.
She takes a deep breath. "I'm dating Maggie."
"Holy shit. Good work, she's hot."
Alex laughs, the sound tearing out of her without consent. "Lucy!"
"What?" Lucy grins. "It's true."
Alex is well aware that it's true. Her girlfriend is stunning.
The term 'girlfriend' is still new to Alex, both being someone else's girlfriend, and having one herself. She still gets a giddy feeling in her stomach whenever she says it, whenever she thinks it.
"There's something else," Alex continues and this part feels easier now, easier now that Lucy knows she's dating Maggie, and easier because she's slowly becoming used to the term herself. "I'm a lesbian."
"Well, duh? Have you seen how you dress?"
Alex splutters. "What? You knew! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh my God," Lucy says, grin on her face as she pulls Alex into a quick hug. "You really are an idiot sometimes." Her smile softens as she steps back and looks up at Alex. "But I'm glad you're happy now."
Alex smiles, relief washing through her now that Lucy knows. It's only been a couple of weeks but this feels like another step in the right direction, another step forward with Maggie.
"I am."
"I hope she knows if she hurts you, she'll have to answer to me."
Alex lifts an eyebrow. "Do you think you could take her?"
Lucy laughs. "No doubt."
Alex is pretty sure that Maggie would win in a fight, but she may just be biased. Either way, she's not going to tell Lucy that.
"So, I have a question for you."
"What?" Alex asks hesitantly, because the current look on Lucy's face can't mean anything good.
"Is she good in bed?"
"Oh my God," Alex says, turning away, mostly to hide her red cheeks. "I'm not going to answer that." Mostly because she doesn't know, but she's not going to tell Lucy that either.
They pack up the rest of the equipment together, and by the time they're done, the first few of their team are exiting the changing rooms, including Maggie.
Maggie walks over to them and Alex can tell by the way she's watching her, that she's trying to figure out if she's okay. She must see that their talk went well because she smiles. "I have to run to class, I just wanted to say goodbye first."
Alex's heart flutters as the shorter woman looks up at her. "I'll see you after class?"
"Of course."
Maggie gives her one last smile before she turns, but Lucy's words stop her.
"That's no way to say goodbye to your girl!"
Alex turns to glare at Lucy, but it's lost as a smile slips onto her face instead. Her heart flutters again at the words 'your girl'.
Alex really likes the sound of that.
Maggie has let Alex take the lead in their relationship so far, especially with PDA in public. It's not something Alex is used to, not used to wanting to hold hands, wanting to kiss someone.
But she's getting better at it, more confident in her actions, and the smile that always settles on Maggie's face washes away any lingering nerves.
And right now, she doesn't care that they have an audience, that there are others from their team behind them, some hanging around waiting for their friends, as others continue to exit the changing room.
All she cares about is the woman in front of her, who's watching her carefully, making sure she's okay, especially knowing they have an audience behind them too.
Alex steps forward, feels the heat of Maggie's body and she leans in close, presses a lingering kiss to Maggie's cheek. She can smell her body wash, her shampoo, and it only makes Alex want to lean closer, to wrap her arms around Maggie, bury her face in her neck, and just hold her.
But there'll be time for that later.
Maggie smiles at her again before she leaves and Alex watches her go. She sees the confusion on some of her teammates faces, but most of them are grinning at her, Kara (and Lena) included, and all Alex feels is warm and happy and loved.
Notes:
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl
Chapter 6
Notes:
Oops sorry I didn't mean to just leave this fic for 2 months! But I'm back, and I plan to finish this one soon.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Alex has woken up pressed against Maggie before, but last time, there wasn't this much skin.
She stills, almost on instinct, not used to feeling this warm and content, but Maggie presses a kiss to her bare shoulder and she feels herself relaxing.
"Are you okay?" Maggie asks, voice soft and thick with sleep, the words mumbled against Alex's skin.
So many times Maggie had asked those words during the night, constantly checking in to make sure she was okay.
Alex's answer was always yes.
"Mmhmm," Alex hums, leaning back into Maggie who is warm behind her, who has a comforting arm thrown over her waist.
Alex has never woken up like this with anyone before (or done the things she did with Maggie last night) and she hopes they can repeat both very soon.
She's feels Maggie move away from her and she's about to protest when she feels pressure on her hip and she gets the idea. When she rolls over, she's met with a dimpled smile, warm brown eyes and mess of brown hair that Alex has the sudden desire to run her fingers through.
It's a sight she looks forward to getting used to.
Maggie reaches out and brushes a strand of Alex's own hair behind her ear. "Hi."
"Hi," Alex grins and because she can now, and because she definitely wants to, she leans forward and kisses Maggie, feels soft lips instantly press back against her own.
Maggie presses in closer and Alex hums at the contact, at the feel of all that skin again.
"Wait," Maggie says as she pulls away and Alex loves how breathless she sounds. "What time will Kara be home?"
It takes Alex a moment to focus, to pull her mind away from Maggie long enough to process what she's asked and remember the answer.
"Not until lunchtime."
They both glance at the clock on the bedside table and it tells them it's not gone 10am yet.
"In that case," Maggie says as she shifts and then Alex feels a suggestive hand run down her side. "Why don't we make the most of our morning?"
Alex grins. "I like the way you think, Sawyer."
Now Maggie is grinning to and God, is she beautiful. "I seem to remember you also liked when I-"
Alex cuts her off with a kiss before she can finish that sentence.
--
There's a knock on Alex's door just after 12pm and Alex smiles when she hears Kara's voice through the door. They've both started knocking now, just in case either of them are to interrupt anything.
Alex is sure one day she's going to enter the room to find Kara and Lena together, it seems inevitable at this point.
As soon as the two realise they like each other of course.
And if Kara had arrived a couple of hours ago, she would've definitely been interrupting something.
So, yes, they both knock now.
"Come in," Alex calls, laughing when Kara pokes her head around the door with her eyes closed.
"You can open your eyes you dork, Maggie's not here."
"Oh," Kara says, opening her eyes, looking around the room like she has to make sure. "So," she says, walking over to sit on her own bed, across from Alex. "How was last night?"
Kara waggles her eyebrows suggestively and Alex laughs again.
She knows that Kara is teasing, knows she's just trying to make her blush. Kara probably doesn't even think anything had happened last night.
Hell, Alex didn't think anything was going to happen until it did.
She'd invited Maggie over for a movie night, one where it would just be the two of them. She didn't expect anything to happen, she didn't plan the night specifically so Maggie would sleep with her, it had just happened.
And she knows that Maggie didn't think that either.
The night was just meant to be some time they could have together, to spend alone and just enjoy each other's company.
And that is exactly what they did, just not in the way either of them had expected.
Alex thinks about playing it cool with Kara, pretending that nothing happened to avoid having to bring it up. But she sort of wants to bring it up. She wants to share the fact with Kara that she's happy.
It's a good thing she wants to share it too because she can't hide her emotions as she laughs.
Or, to be more precise, she giggles.
"We had a really good night."
Alex's cheeks go red but she's too happy to be embarrassed right now.
"Oh my God, Alex!" Kara grins and Alex can only laugh again. "So," Kara continues, with another suggest quirk of her eyebrows. "How was it?"
Alex really can't believe they're talking about this.
"I'm so gay. Like so so gay."
"Oh my God!" Kara repeats, standing from her bed only to sit down next to Alex and pull her into a hug. "You're happy?"
Alex smiles. "I am. Now let's talk about you, how was your night?"
"No, I want more details."
"Do you really?"
Kara pulls a face. "Okay, maybe not."
"So, how was your night?"
"Good," answers Kara, smiling now too. "Lena and I had our own movie night."
"Like Maggie's and mine?" Alex asks, eyebrow raised, now it's her turn to tease Kara.
"What! No! I-" Kara splutters, going even redder than Alex was before.
"Relax, Kar," says Alex, trying not to laugh. "I'm joking."
"Yeah, well." She huffs out a breath. "Don't."
"You know it's okay if you like her, right?" Alex asks, bumping her side. Months now they've been dancing around each other, and still, nothing's happened, even though it's clear to Alex that they both want something to.
"I just…she's my best friend." Kara pauses, looking hesitant. "Do you think she likes me too?"
Alex hadn't expected that question, no matter how many times she's brought it up, Kara has never opening admitted that she has feelings for Lena.
At least now this is a step in the right direction.
Alex pulls Kara into her side, wraps an arm around her. "Yeah, I think she does."
"Really?"
She sounds so hopeful that Alex can't help but smile.
"Really."
She's gotten the girl, and it looks like Kara may soon too.
--
There's no way that Maggie can suppress the smile that's on her face as she catches the bus home. She just, she can't believe how much has changed in the last few months.
She's joined the woman's soccer team and with that, gained a bunch of new friends, which are two things that have been amazing.
But the main thing that has made her so happy, that has her smiling on the bus at lunch time on a Sunday, is Alex.
Alex, who is kind, funny, beautiful, smart, good at soccer, and so many other adjectives that Maggie could sit here all day trying to describe how great Alex is and she still wouldn't be able to truly capture just how special Alex is.
They just click, in a way Maggie never has with someone before.
And for some reason, someone as amazing as Alex, likes her back.
She really can't believe how lucky she was to meet Alex that day. The woman had just strolled into her life and Maggie had no idea how important she'd become.
And now they're here, now they're together, and she can't stop smiling because she's discovered a new part of Alex, Alex has trusted her enough to show all of herself to Maggie and she really is the luckiest woman alive.
Maggie hadn't expected them to sleep together last night, and she knows that Alex hadn't either, but they'd been kissing and then Alex had taken her top off and things had just progressed from there.
She can still remember Alex's soft skin under her hands, under her lips, can still feel the warm press of Alex's body against hers as they'd been in bed together.
And then they'd had sex again, twice, this morning.
Maggie has a good sex before, she's even had great sex before, but nothing could've prepared her for how amazing sex with Alex is.
Because damn, it had been so very good, and she'd made sure she told Alex that too.
The cute way Alex had bitten her lip, the "really?" she'd asked, her eyes wide, had been enough for Maggie to wish she didn't have to leave this morning, wish that they could have spent the day together. And she doesn't mean in bed, she just wanted to spend time with Alex, whatever form that took.
But unfortunately she'd had to leave, her parents were expecting her home soon and she knew Kara would return, she probably already has by now, and she knows neither Danvers sister wants Kara to interrupt them having sex.
The kiss Alex had given her at the door though, the way she'd pressed their whole bodies together like she hadn't wanted it to end, had softened the blow of Maggie having to leave.
Maggie had pressed one last kiss to Alex's lips before she'd left, with a promise she'd see her soon.
She's still smiling as she gets off the bus and walks towards her house, too happy with thoughts of Alex on her mind.
Her girlfriend, Maggie reminds herself. Even though it's been almost two months since they'd started dating, it sometimes still doesn't feel real.
But right now it does. She just spent an amazing night with her girlfriend, her body is telling her that much.
She tries to school her features as she enters her house, doesn't need unnecessary questions about why she looks so happy. Her parents will no doubt jump to the conclusion that she spent the night with a guy and that's the exact opposite of what happened.
"Maggie, is that you?" her mother calls as the door clicks shut behind her.
"Hi," she calls back before she gives her mother a hug and kiss when she appears from in the hallway.
As she pulls away, she notices her mother looks worried. "What's wrong?"
"Your father wants to see you," she says with a nod of her head towards the living room and dread spreads through Maggie's stomach. This can't be good.
Maggie gives her mum a smile, even if it's hesitant, as she turns towards the room her father is in. There's no point in putting off whatever this is, clearly he wants to talk about something.
He doesn't know about Alex, does he?
She wishes Alex were here now, if only to bring her some comfort. Or maybe if Alex was here, she'd just tell her parents the truth about having girlfriend and deal with whatever the consequences are. She doesn't like having to hide Alex, one of the best things in her life.
As soon as she steps into the room, she sees that this isn't about Alex at all, but about something else she's been hiding.
"What's this?" her father asks, gesturing to a folded up shirt on the table. It's obvious what it is, it's her soccer shirt. How had it ended up here though? She's always so careful about where she puts it, it must've ended up in the laundry somehow.
Maggie thinks about lying for a moment, but she can't see a way out. The name "SAWYER" is printed large on the back, so she can't pretend it's Alex's or someone else's on the team. It's a woman's shirt too, says so on it, so she can't pretend it belongs to one of her brother's either.
She could say it's a joke, something Alex made to try and get her to join the team because she heard she used to play when she was younger, and that might actually work, but she also doesn't want to lie about it anymore. She loves playing, and maybe it's time her parents see that too, no matter the consequences.
"It's a soccer shirt."
"Is it yours?"
"Yes."
He doesn't look surprised, so he definitely already knew it was hers.
"Can you explain to me why you have it?"
Here goes nothing. "Because I play for the NCU women's soccer team."
He does look surprised now. "Maggie…"
"I know you don't want me to play, but I'm good. Like really good. Someone saw me playing in the park and wanted me to join the team and so I did. I've been playing for the last few months. And I love it. The team is great, I've made some really great friends and I just love playing, and I'm not going to stop just because you want me too."
She can't read his face as he just watches her, and Maggie worries she's gone too far when he's silent for almost a whole minute.
"How are your grades?"
That certainly isn't what she'd expected him to say. "All A's, like promised." That is one thing she does want for herself, all A's. She needs good grades if she wants to go on to become a police officer, and then a detective, like she plans. But that's a conversation for another day with her parents.
"So soccer doesn't interfere with your schoolwork at all?"
"Not at all, I even study with some of the team."
He looks hesitant now. "And you like it?"
This is really not how she saw this conversation going, she expected more yelling. She smiles. "I love it."
He nods. "Okay. But the minute your grades drop, you're off the team, got it?"
Maggie's eyes widen. "Of course."
"And maybe…" he pauses and Maggie really has no idea what he's going to say next. "Maybe your mother and I could come watch you play sometime?"
She pauses herself, not used to conversations like this with her father. "That sounds good."
"Okay." He nods and Maggie knows the conversation is over as she turns back to the TV.
She grabs her shirt and dashes upstairs, not entirely sure what has just happened. But she's not going to wait around for him to change his mind. She needs to call Alex and tell her the news, because this is huge.
Notes:
Thanks for sticking with me! I decided not to have Maggie's father get angry about her playing soccer, I want to keep this fic light and more about Alex and Maggie's developing relationship. And Maggie's family already abandoned her in canon, I didn't want this one to abandon her too.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Tumblr: spaceman-earthgirl
Chapter 7
Notes:
Sorry it's been a million years since I've updated this, but I'm back, to actually finish it this time. I hope this chapter is consistent with the previous chapters since it's obviously been a while and I had to reread most of it while writing this.
I hope you enjoy x
Chapter Text
Maggie feels the familiar burn in her muscles as they step off the football pitch and head towards the changing rooms. Early morning trainings aren't exactly Maggie's favourite thing but there are some upsides to them.
One, she is much more fit than she was at the beginning of the year, playing on the team has definitely improved her fitness from when she just ran around the park every now and then with her brothers.
Two, Coach J'onn and Lucy are relentless with their training, but it's fun, training with others, they usually have a good time, even if it's exhausting.
And three, she gets to see Alex more. Sure, they spend more of their free time together, they go on runs and study together, but this is fun too, their competitiveness definitely helping to push her more in training.
The downside of course is less sleep, but on days like this, that doesn't really matter.
"So, your dad is really okay?" Alex asks, toweling sweat off her face as they reach their gym bags in the changing room.
Even with grass stains on her shirt, hair a tangled mess, sweat dripping down her face, Alex is gorgeous.
Maggie shrugs. "He seems to be, and it'd be cool if he really did come and watch a game, I'd like to show him how good I am."
Alex smiles. "I hope he does too." Alex slips her shirt over her head, leaving her in only shorts and a sports bra and sure, she's relieved and so glad her dad isn't mad about her playing soccer like she thought he would be, but that's a thought for another time because Alex's abs are very, very distracting.
"See something you like, Sawyer?" Alex grins.
Maggie doesn't even care that she's been caught staring, she just pulls her own shirt over her head, enjoys Alex's own heated gaze as it drops.
"See something you like, Danvers?" Maggie counters.
"I…umm…" Confident Alex is sexy as hell, but flustered Alex is adorable.
Maggie knows if Alex's cheeks weren't already red from training, she'd be able to see her blush.
"That's not fair," Alex laughs, breathless, which is definitely from seeing Maggie shirtless and not the exercise.
"If you two can't behave, I'll separate you," Lucy calls from across the room, prompting a mix of laughter and groans around the room, the loudest groan definitely coming from Kara.
Alex waves her off. "We can behave."
Maggie leans in so only Alex can hear her. "I know I can, but can you?"
Alex shakes her head with another laugh, this one paired with an affectionate look. Despite their surroundings, and Lucy's threat, Maggie just can't ignore Alex when she looks at her like that. She leans over the small space between them, her hand settling on Alex's bare waist as she presses a lingering to Alex's cheek.
The look has only intensified when Maggie pulls away, three words forming on the tip of her tongue, words she's not sure Alex is ready to hear yet, words she's not ready to say yet, especially not surrounded by their team, half naked, in the changing room.
"What did I say?" Lucy calls.
Maggie immediately removes her hand from Alex, holds it up in surrender. "I'll behave," she says, turning to find Lucy grinning at them anyway.
Lucy laughs. "Good."
They shower (separately) and they're about to leave when Maggie realises she's forgotten her hoodie.
"Dammit," she groans. It's not too cold outside but it's cold enough that she'll need it.
"What?"
"I forgot my sweater."
Alex picks up Maggie's sports hoodie. "Just wear this."
Maggie turns it around, the grass stains on the back showing exactly why she can't wear it.
Alex then holds out her own one instead. "You can wear mine, it's clean."
"Really?" Maggie laughs, taking the hoodie and turning it around. It's clean, as Alex had said, but the name 'DANVERS' across the back is something else. "You just want me wearing your name, don't you?"
The flush from their training is gone now, leaving the blush that spreads across Alex's cheeks this time clearly visible.
But that doesn't stop Alex from smiling. "So what if I do?"
Maggie laughs again as she takes the hoodie and pulls it over her head. "How do I look?" she grins, spinning as she does.
Alex winks. "Gorgeous."
Can you blame Maggie for leaning over and kissing Alex again? This time it's on the lips though, lingering longer than the last one. She knows she's in trouble (she loves it) when she feels Alex's tongue brush against her lower lip.
"Oi! You two! Quit it!" This time it's Vasquez who calls across the room, luckily Lucy has left already, Kara too.
They both break apart with a laugh, Maggie with her own blush this time.
"Come on," Maggie grins, threading her fingers through Alex's, tugging her towards the door, they have class to get to after all.
"Do you think anything will ever happen there?" Maggie asks, nodding her head in the direction of Kara, who's greeting Lena with a hug, lingering a lot longer than Maggie would consider friendly.
Alex grins, looking like she knows something Maggie doesn't. "I hope so."
"Hey, so," Maggie says as they walk. Sometimes Maggie hates that both their first classes this morning are on the other side of campus, but on other days, like today, she's glad for that extra time with Alex. Even though they have lunched planned together, with Kara too, since Lena is busy, Maggie enjoys that extra ten minutes, where their fingers are tangled together, their shoulders occasionally brushing, and today, Alex's name scrawled across her back.
Maggie is actually really glad Lucy had left the changing room before them, or else she would've given them both shit. She needs to avoid her brothers too.
"I was wondering," Maggie continues. "Do you have plans tonight?"
Alex shrugs. "Not really, I was just going to study, why?"
"Because this morning my mom said her and dad were going out for dinner and they wouldn't be home until ten so I was wondering if you wanted to come over for pizza and to study?"
Alex waggles her eyebrows. "You're inviting me over while your parents are out?"
"Not for what you're thinking," Maggie laughs, even though she'd very much like for that to be the reason. "We both have to study and I…" Maggie Sawyer never stumbles over her words, unless it comes to feelings or Alex Danvers. This time, it's both. "I'd…umm…really like to show you where I grew up, if you want."
There's that soft look again, one that shoots straight into Maggie's chest, warms her, makes her feel things no one else ever has before.
"Sounds perfect."
--
Maggie has never really cared about the state of their house before, namely it's tidiness, and her mom always keeps the place clean, as hard as it was with so many kids in the house. Maggie heard somewhere, "home is for free expression, not for good impressions" and she always liked that, or at least that's what she'd tell her parents when they insist they clean her room.
But right now, she wants to make a good impression on Alex, she wants her room to be tidy, she doesn't want Alex to see embarrassing posters and photos she has around her room. She knows Alex likes her, she knows Alex likes her a lot , which is still honestly a bit ridiculous in her mind because Alex is amazing and wonderful and beautiful and Maggie is lucky enough that out of everyone, Alex likes her too, but she still doesn't want Alex to judge her for the state of her room.
Which is a little stupid, honestly, she's seen Alex's dorm room, seen the clothes that lie scattered across her floor, even though her desk is always tidy. She's seen the cute picture Alex has on her beside table of herself and Kara when they're younger, arms around each other, grinning at the camera.
She's seen everything, didn't judge Alex for any of it, and she doesn't think Alex will think any more or less of her because there are a few clothes on her floor or because the bed is poorly made or because there's a Bend It Like Beckham poster on her wall, but that still doesn't mean she's not a little nervous, nervous enough to leave after her last class and go home to clean up instead of waiting an hour for Alex's last class to finish.
On my way.
Maggie smiles as she reads the text, before a sudden thought hits her. What should she wear!? But as quick as the panic hits, it fades just again. What is she even worrying about? What she's wearing is fine, in fact, Alex will probably like what she's currently wearing more than anything that she could change into, purely because she's still wearing Alex's hoodie, her name still across Maggie's back.
Alex laughs when she sees Maggie still wearing the hoodie when she arrives, but she doesn't say anything so Maggie doesn't remove it. The other upside of wearing Alex's clothing, besides the reaction from Alex, is that it's smelt like Alex all day. Which has been a little bit torturous, since Alex wasn't actually there, but also wonderful because Alex smells wonderful.
And as Alex hugs her in greeting, Maggie presses her nose into Alex's shoulder and inhales.
Wonderful.
They eat pizza in the kitchen, because that is one of her mom's rules, no food in the bedrooms, before they head upstairs to study.
Maggie kind of guessed this would happen, which is why she was so nervous earlier, but Alex seems fascinated with her room, looking around, taking in every single detail as her eyes scan the room.
"Look at you all," Alex grins, pointing to a photo pinned to Maggie's wall, of her whole family when they were all younger. "That's adorable. And that," she points to Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra on the wall. "Is entirely predictable."
"Shut up," Maggie laughs, tugging on Alex's hand, in the hopes of distracting her from catching sight of anything else embarrassing in her room. "Like you didn't have a crush on Keira Knightley too."
"I mean I did, I just didn't realise it at the time."
Maggie shakes her head fondly, glad she could help Alex figure all of this out for herself. She leans in, her lips meeting Alex's.
"I thought we were studying?" Alex mumbles into the kiss, but making no move to pull away.
"This first," Maggie says. "I missed you today."
Alex hums. "I missed you too."
Neither of them bring up the fact that they saw each other at lunch.
They get distracted for about half an hour before Alex pulls her shirt back on and declares it's time to study. As much as Maggie wants to fight the decision, she knows Alex is right. If they both want to keep their grades up, they need to study. She can't let her school work slip now, not when she's just gotten her father on board with her playing soccer too.
It's almost 9pm when Alex stands and stretches. Maggie knows she needs to leave soon to avoid seeing her parents, but not just yet. Her eyes fall to the sliver of Alex's stomach that is exposed from her stretch, before Alex starts looking around her room again, eyeing the photos she'd missed before, smiling when she sees the teddy bear sitting on Maggie's cupboard that she forgot to put away.
"Come here," Maggie says, holding out her hand towards Alex.
"Do you just want me to stop looking around your room?"
"Maybe."
Alex laughs as she steps closer to Maggie anyway. "Fine, but I want to know the story behind that photo later," Alex says, pointing to a photo of Maggie and her brothers, Maggie covered in mud, all five of them grinning at the camera.
"Later," Maggie says, winding her arms around Alex's neck. She loves the height difference between them, loves the way she has to tilt her head up to see Alex, loves the way she feels protected and safe as arms wrap around her waist.
She pretends she hates it when Alex teases her about it, but she secretly loves that too.
"Thank you, for inviting me over, for letting me see this part of you too."
"Even if I totally hid my baby photos because they're embarrassing?"
"It's fine, Nick already sent me some," Alex grins.
"I'm going to murder him."
"Later?" Alex asks, her lips brushing Maggie's.
Maggie hums, leaning into the touch. "Later."
--
A door downstairs startles them apart, Maggie's wide eyes meeting her own.
"Shit, my parents are home."
This hadn't been part of the plan, the plan had been for Alex to be gone before they got home, leaving before Maggie's parents could be suspicious, leaving before she had to meet her girlfriend's parents.
Sure, they don't know that she's anything other than friends with Maggie, but she thought she'd have more time to prepare than this, more time to figure out exactly what she'd say and do. She wants to make a good first impression on the people that she hopes will, one day, be her in-laws.
Now that's a big thought, but one she can unpack later, now is not the time.
"What do we do?" Alex asks, wide-eyed, feeling the panic rise even more in her chest.
"Breathe," Maggie says, as hands cup her cheeks.
Alex takes a few steadying breaths, Maggie's touch helping even if she looks a little panicked herself.
"They don't know anything, they won't suspect anything," Maggie continues as her hands move into Alex's hair, smoothing out what is probably a mess. It's bad that she wants to kiss Maggie again, but it's her lips that got them into trouble in the first place, distracting enough that they both forgot she was meant to leave before 10pm. "Eyes up here." Alex's eyes flicker up to meet Maggie's eyes, brown and gorgeous. Panic and lust are mixing in her brain and it's not helping. "My parents know you're my friend, know that we're on the team together, and they know I study with the team and you. We were just studying and lost track of time."
Maggie sounds like she's trying to reassure herself as much as she is Alex as her hands shift to her own hair to smooth it out.
"Okay," Alex nods as she gathers her books.
"It's best if they see you, if I try and hide you and they find out, it'll be worse."
"Okay," Alex says again, ignoring the slight shake in her hands as she shoves her books into her bag. This really shouldn't be a big deal, she's met parents of friends before, parents usually love her.
And normally that'd be it, she wouldn't care, but that's because there's no pressure, if they don't like her, it's not likely to ruin a friendship, but if Maggie's parents don't like her, it'll make it so much harder for Maggie to tell them they're dating, which Maggie wants to do eventually. She doesn't want to make it harder for Maggie to come out than it needs to be.
"Now?" Alex asks, eyes flickering to the closed door as she swings her bag over her back. She needs to leave before the last bus or it'll be harder to get back to campus too. "I…" Alex swallows. "I just really want them to like me, I don't want to mess this up."
Maggie nods, taking Alex's hands. They're both nervous. "It's going to be fine, they're going to love you, I promise. And all we have to do is say hi, we can use the bus as an excuse to keep the conversation short. I didn't expect it to be today, but I do want you to meet them. You're an important part of my life, and I want to share all of mine with you." She presses a quick kiss to Alex's cheek, Alex's heart fluttering thanks to both the kiss and Maggie's words. "We got this."
Alex squeezes Maggie's hands before she drops them. "We do."
Maggie leads them from her room and downstairs. Alex can hear Maggie's parents in the kitchen, her heartrate suddenly skyrocketing as she realises this is actually happening.
It's going to be fine, she tells herself. She hopes she's right.
"Hey," Maggie says as she enters the kitchen, Alex close behind. She calculates her odds of being able to escape through the front door unnoticed. She thinks she could get away, but she also thinks Maggie's parents would hear the front door, leaving Maggie having to explain on her own. "How was dinner?"
"It was-" Maggie's mother starts before she cuts herself of. "Oh, who's this?" she asks, eyes landing on Alex.
"Hi Mr and Mrs Sawyer," Alex says, stepping up beside Maggie. Be confident. Don't give them any reason to be suspicious. "I'm Alex, it's nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you both."
"We were studying and lost track of time," Maggie explains.
"It's nice to meet you, Alex. I'm Elena and this is David," Maggie's mother smiles, gesturing between herself and her husband.
Alex smiles under Elena's kind gaze. "It's nice to meet you both."
"You're on the soccer team with Alex?" Maggie's father asks.
"Yes, sir." Alex almost says she's the one that invited Maggie to join but decides against it.
"Alex isn't just on our team, she's the best in our team," Maggie grins. Alex blushes under the compliment.
"You must be pretty good then, I've seen our Maggie play with her brothers and she's pretty good too," David says.
Alex can tell Maggie is surprised by the compliment.
"She's amazing," Alex beams at Maggie, realising a moment to late how affectionate her gaze is. She clears her throat, looking back to Maggie's parents. "I'm sorry for intruding on your evening, Maggie and I got distracted studying."
Alex's cheeks heat as she remembers what had actually distracted them, the way Maggie's lips had travelled across her jaw, the way Maggie's hands had travelled up her shirt before tugging it off completely.
These are not thoughts she should be having while talking to Maggie's parents.
"Nonsense," Elena waves her off. "It's too late to be travelling back to campus on your own at this time of night, you can just stay here. What are you studying?"
Alex looks at Maggie, unsure. Maggie gives a small nod. Not that she thought she'd kick her out, but this hadn't been part of the plan either.
"Thank you," Alex smiles. Maggie's parents haven't kicked her out, so that's a good sign too. "I want to be a doctor."
Both her parents look impressed, which is the usual reaction from adults when she says that. "Wow, lots of study for you too then."
"Alex is getting straight A's too," Maggie smiles, her affectionate smile returned. She hopes Maggie's parents don't read too much into it because Alex is having a hard time looking away. Maggie has really cute dimples.
"Well then, you're welcome over anytime you and Maggie want to study," Maggie's mother smiles. Alex can see where Maggie gets her smile from. Her eyes are from her father though. "Now, we better get to bed, but it was lovely meeting you Alex."
"You too," Alex smiles. "And thank you, for letting me stay."
Maggie gets a hug from her mother, and then Alex is surprised when she gets one too. Her father gives them both a nod of his head. "I'll help you set up a place for Alex to sleep."
"Are you sure it's okay that I stay?" Alex asks, once they're alone again. Maggie's father had pulled a spare mattress out from one of the other rooms and put it on the floor for Alex to sleep on. Maggie wasn't entirely sure where her brothers are but she'd told Alex that she expects them all home sometime soon.
"Of course," Maggie says. "As long as you don't plan to sleep on that mattress."
Alex laughs, she didn't intend to anyway. "Fine, do you have something I could wear?"
"Do you really need something to wear to bed?" Maggie asks. The tilt of her eyebrow says she doesn't mean she wants Alex to sleep in what she's currently wearing.
Alex shoots a look at the closed door, one that doesn't have a lock. "Definitely."
"Relax," Maggie says with a laugh, already digging through her drawers. "I'm kidding. They won't come in, especially without knocking, but I'm not risking it, that's not how I want my parents to find out about us." Alex doesn't either. "Will these do?"
Alex takes the offered t-shirt and shorts with a quick kiss to Maggie's cheek. "That turned out much better than I was expecting." She makes Maggie turn around while she gets dressed. She can hear Maggie doing the same behind her.
"I knew they'd love you."
"I wouldn't go so far as to say they love me."
"They will," Maggie says. Her voice sounds so sure that it makes Alex's heart flutters. She wonders if Maggie could one day love her too. She's pretty sure she already loves Maggie, though she's not sure, she's never felt like this before. "And they wouldn't have offered for you to stay if they didn't like you."
"Can I still leave early tomorrow morning? Because I think I need a little more time to prepare before seeing them again."
Alex gets a glimpse of toned stomach as she turns back around to see Maggie, just pulling her shirt back over her head. Her girlfriend is unfairly gorgeous. "You did great tonight, I promise." Maggie smiles. "But sure, if that's what you want."
Alex smiles gratefully as Maggie tugs her towards the bed. They slip under the covers together, their bodies easily slotting together on the too small bed. It feels natural, the way their bodies fit together, like they were made to be together. Alex thinks they just might have been.
Maggie settles against her, her head pillowed on Alex's chest. She feels the hand that slips under her shirt, rests against her stomach.
"No funny business," Alex whispers against the top of Maggie's head. All she can smell is Maggie's shampoo and it's intoxicating.
"None," Maggie promises. "My hands are cold."
Alex thinks Maggie is lying, her hands aren't that cold against the warm skin of her stomach, but she doesn't say anything because she doesn't exactly want Maggie to move either.
"Good night," Maggie says, pressing a kiss to Alex's chest, the only place she can reach from where she's curled against her.
"Good night," Alex smiles, placing her own kiss to Maggie's head.
--
They both make sure to get up early the next morning under the guise of going for a run. It's definitely an excuse to get out of the house before Maggie's parents wake and go back to Alex's dorm to make out some more.
(Alex notes the absence of Kara when they arrive, and hopes she's with Lena).