Mon-El was lonely.
Earth-1 was great, Barry and his friends were great, Kara's visits were greater but…
It wasn't the same.
Every day when he woke up, he told himself that today was the day they would figure out a cure and he'd be able to step through that blue swirly portal back to Earth-38. Back to his home. Back to his family.
Just about every day, Winn and Alex (and, when her schedule allowed, Lena Luthor) came through the portal to work with Cisco, Caitlin, Julian, and Barry on the lead cure. Kara came too, when she could. Most days she couldn't; Snapper was being his usual bossy self and National City's crime rate was up at the moment; luckily alien problems were practically zero.
"So, how was Earth-1 today?" Kara asked. They were strolling down the street, ice creams in hand.
Mon-El shrugged. "Normal."
Kara pursed her lips, she could tell he was a little depressed. "How are you feeling?"
"As someone I know once put it, I'm feeling betwixt and between." Mon-El admitted.
"Ah," Kara sighed. "Well, we're all working on a cure. I'm sure it will be soon."
Mon-El nodded. "Yeah."
"Barry said you've been helping him and Wally sometimes," Kara said, trying to change the subject.
"Yep." The Daxamite smiled. "I think they like having a nearly indestructible alien on their side."
Kara laughed. "I'm sure."
Mon-El's phone rang. "Uh, yes, hello? Yeah. We're just getting some ice cream and - yeah, sure. Bye." He hung up and turned to Kara. "We need to get back to the lab, they think they have something."
"What do you have?" Kara asked the moment she and Mon-El speeded into one of the labs.
Alex took in the anxiety on her sister's face. "Hopefully a cure."
"What's the problem?" Kara sensed the tension in the room.
"Well, we don't have any real way to test it out. The biology of animals to Daxamite biology could have different effects than we anticipate." Caitlin explained. "So, in the chance that it's wrong…well…"
"It could leave you in an unknown state such as comatose or paralysis. It could possibly kill you," Lena said bluntly, looking Mon-El in the eyes. She didn't want to sound rude, she just hated it when people tried to beat around the bush.
Mon-El nodded. "I understand."
"Mon-El," Kara griped his hand.
Mon-El took half a step forward, fingers still entwined with Kara's. "Do it. Please."
Caitlin stepped forward, a syringe in hand. Mon-El sat in a chair, Kara standing beside him, everyone else hovering nearby. Winn brought a small red-sun solar lamp over and set it up over Mon-El's arm.
"I love you," Mon-El said.
Kara smiled weakly. "I love you too."
"Ready?" Caitlin asked.
Mon-El took a deep breath. "Ready as I'm going to be, right?"
Kara squeezed his hand.
Caitlin nodded and raised the needle. Positioning it over a blood vein, she pushed it in.
Everyone's eyes watched as the liquid in the barrel drained into Mon-El's bloodstream.
Kara had never liked needles. She didn't have to deal with them as much as everyone else (perks of having impenetrable skin) but she'd never liked them. Maybe it was because she couldn't help but think about tests and being tested on. She'd told Alex once, the night before Alex had headed off for college.
The older Danvers had told her that was a perfectly normal feeling and had promised that she'd always be there to protect Kara.
Now, watching the needle slip into Mon-El's arm…
Kara inhaled deeply, trying to keep her heartbeat steady. Seeing others in pain, especially those she loved, well that might be the worst kind of kryptonite.
For a moment, Mon-El felt nothing. Well, nothing out of the ordinary anyway.
He watched the syringe empty of its contents, felt Kara's hand tightening in his, heard the breathing of everyone in the room.
It started in his shoulder, several inches above where the needle had broken skin.
It was almost like a burning sensation under the skin. At first, it was only a little uncomfortable. Then, in an instant, it was white hot pain.
Mon-El screwed his eyes shut and bit back a cry of pain.
"Mon-El?" Kara's voice was panicked, scared.
"He's convulsing!" Someone said, Mon-El couldn't tell who. He couldn't hear anyone now or feel anything but the blinding pain that was creeping into every part of his body.
Winn was desperately trying to hold Kara back; the only reason he was having any effect at all was because she was conflicted between the urge to be with Mon-El and the knowledge that she'd only get in the way.
Barry, Julian, and Cisco were straining to keep the Daxamite in the car; Alex had Mon-El's head in her hands, struggling to keep his head and neck steady.
Caitlin and Lena was bent over a table, hurriedly looking over papers and mixing something.
"Caitlin, could you hurry up?" Cisco yelled, dodging Mon-El's flailing arm.
"More restraining, less talk, breacher boy," Lena snapped.
Alex smirked.
"Look at the Luthor," Barry laughed. "Giving Cisco a run for his nicknaming job."
"Oh nuh-uh," Cisco said. "I make the names around here."
"Can't stop me from naming you on my earth," Lena shot back, still absorbed with her work. She handed something to Caitlin who took it and did something with it, Barry couldn't tell from the angle he was standing at.
"Done!" Caitlin spun around and just about rammed the syringe into Mon-El's arm.
A moment later, Mon-El went limp, eyes closed.
"We need to monitor him," Lena instructed.
"Hey," Winn turned Kara so she was facing him. "You okay?"
Kara tore her eyes away from watching Barry and Julian get Mon-El on a bed.
"It's gonna be alright, they'll figure it out," Winn pulled his friend into a tight embrace.
Kara relaxed into the hold. "Yeah."