Many thanks to Karamel. Melwood for this prompt in which Kara sneezes and Alex goes into overprotective sister mode. The poll is now open again and I'd really love to hear your thoughts about this chapter so please leave me a review to let me know!

Some things never change.

Alex waits for her sister to come out of her bathroom and she feels like she's fifteen again because she's taking for-ev-er. She thrums her fingers in a steady beat against the sofa's arm, her head resting against the back cushion as she stares at the jungle of skyscrapers bathed in the late afternoon sunlight outside one of Kara's many floor-to-ceiling windows.

She checks her watch. She's wary of hurrying Kara because she knows that she's had a tough day and is probably just taking a minute, but if they don't leave soon they'll miss the launch of the Orion-9 space shuttle and she knows how excited Kara's been to go and see it in person. She's barely shut up about it for the last month and a half, but Alex hasn't minded one bit because she's just as excited as her sister. They just have different ways of showing it, and Kara's enthusiasm is so infectious Alex couldn't not have been excited.

Their love of space and the stars is something they've shared from the moment Kara arrived on Earth; it was a subject they could bond over and teach each other amazing things beyond their comprehension. Kara had so many stories about faraway galaxies that she could share with Alex, and the elder Danvers taught her sister about Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons and how scientists were sure that there were more planets out there in our solar system that they hadn't even discovered yet. They'd always made sure to go to as many space-related events as they could, but this was the first time a shuttle was being launched this close to home. And it'll be launching without them if Kara doesn't hurry her ass up.

Alex checks her watch. She lets out a long sigh.

Five more minutes and-

"Achoo!"

Alex's head whips around to face the direction the sound came from faster than Kara can devour a potsticker.

Was that a sneeze?

"Achoo!"

Alex's body tenses as the sounds cuts through the air again. If this is what she thinks it is – knows it is – and it's coming from where she thinks it's coming from – which it is – then it's bad. It's really bad because that was a sneeze and it came from the bathroom.

"Kara? Are you okay?" Alex calls, unable to keep a hint of worry from seeping into her voice.

There's the smallest of pauses before Kara answers. "I'm fi- ACHOO!"

"Kara!" Alex is outside the bathroom in record time, rapping on the door. Her worry for her sister drowns everything out, so much so that she misses Kara quietly tell her that she can go in.

The door slowly slides open to reveal a red-nosed, watery-eyed Kara, her free hand clutching a crumpled piece of toilet roll. She rests her head against the edge of the door as she awaits the inevitable barrage of questions Alex will fire at her.

Alex's eyes widen at the sight of her sister's condition. "Oh my God, Kara! How did this happen?"

Kara shrugs. "The fight earlier… I pushed myself too close to solar flaring."

Alex places the back of her hand against Kara's forehead but Kara tries to swat it away. With her depleted powers, her resistance is futile. "I'm fine!"

Alex's worried brown eyes look right back into Kara's shiny blue ones and her brows crease over them. "Kara, you are not fine! When did you start feeling like this?"

"A little over an hour ago," she answers honestly, looking down at the fluffy socks on her feet. Kara hates lying – that's why she told Lena everything; the longer she kept her secret, the more it gnawed away at her – and that's the reason she doesn't, but even if she had, Alex would have seen straight through her, even without her years of rigorous DEO training.

"Have you taken anything for it?"

Kara shakes her head against the door but stops abruptly when it starts to feel like someone has pegged her nose and is inflating her brain. She instinctively raises her hand to her head, cradling it and suddenly Alex's arms are around her, offering her comfort. Having Alex around always makes everything better. Except when she's asking so many questions.

"Have you used your sun lamp?" Her voice is gentle, though she's sure she already knows the answer. She guides Kara out of her bathroom and sits her down on the padded cushion at the foot of one her sundrenched windows, making her hair appear golden in the light.

Kara sniffles and wipes her nose onto her tissue. "No…" She hesitates as she looks up at Alex slowly.

Alex knows exactly what's coming next and Kara already knows what Alex's response will be. It's the inevitable disagreement they always seem to have when Kara blows her powers, an argument that usually proves Alex the winner.

Kara decides she'll say her piece anyway, clinging to the hope that they can still go to the launch. "But we're going to be out in the sun, I'll be fine, we need to get going if we're going to make it."

"Kara-"

"Aleeex, pleeease! We've been looking forward to this for so long, I don't wanna miss it and I know you don't either!" Kara puts on her best pout, which does draw a small smile from Alex, but a small smile isn't the answer the younger Danvers wants so she pushes further. "We'll just go, see the launch and come right back, I promise."

Alex considers Kara's suggestion for a moment. She feels like a mean parent saying no to her child, but they can't risk it. She's just as desperate to go as her sister is, but Alex knows how susceptible Kara's immune system is to picking up viruses and how stupid it would be for her to allow them to go. "I don't think it's a good idea, Kara. I know you've not completely drained your powers but you must be pretty close to be this bad after an hour. And after what happened last time… I'm sorry, Kara."

Alex's heart sinks as a wave of disappointment crashes over Kara's pinkened face. As she leans against the wall, Kara averts her gaze so that she's looking out of the window, staring into the distance, her hair entwined with the light breeze that weaves its way between buildings. In the silence of the apartment, Alex grabs some Paracetamol from her handbag, fills a glass with water and plops herself opposite her little sister. She holds out both full hands and Kara takes the offerings from her without complaint. Sitting in the sunlight is already helping her to feel better, though it does nothing to quash her disappointment.

"Not even for an hour?" She tries one last time, taking another sip of the cool water that soothes her throat.

Alex takes Kara's warm free hand in her own. "You almost died last time you blew your powers, Kara, and that's because your cells weren't given enough time to absorb the yellow radiation before you were exposed to the outside world. You're lucky I haven't already hauled you down to the DEO myself." Alex sighs. She doesn't want to say any of this and she's sure Kara doesn't want to hear it, but she needs to. "It's sunny now, but it'll be dark by the time the launch is over so there'll be nothing to replenish your cells after the sun goes down. There'll be other launches and we'll be at every single one of them if that's what you want, but please just trust me on this one." Alex gives Kara's hand a squeeze; she's so close to being human that she can feel the strength of her sister's hand as it grips hers.

She knows then that Alex is right. The last time she blew her powers she got pneumonia and it came incredibly close to killing her, closer than anyone, especially Alex, would ever like to admit; they struggled to contain her human symptoms enough for her Kryptonian cells to regenerate and suppress the infection. She was laid up in the med bay for three days and then ordered – by Alex and J'onn and Maggie and Lena and pretty much everyone else – to bed rest at home too. That was the worst part, except from when they snuggled together on the couch and watched movies all night. That made her feel better. Because of all that, there's no point in discussing the launch any further because there's no way Doctor Danvers or big sister Alex is going to change her mind.

"Always," Kara says quietly, offering her sister the smallest of smiles. "But can we hold off on that sun lamp for while? The humming noise it lets off drives me insane."

Alex laughs and Kara's smile widens at the sound. "It is kinda annoying," Alex agrees with a shrug, the sun bringing out the small smattering of pale freckles across her nose that sneak their way along her cheeks. "You should be okay until the sun goes down." She stands to pour herself a glass of water from the kitchen.

"Hey, could you grab me a slice of chocolate pecan pie from the fridge?" Kara may not have her powers but she's as hungry as ever.

At first, Alex is relieved because Kara having no appetite means that something is seriously wrong, but the longer she thinks about it, the more concerned she becomes. "You must be sick, you never have any food left over, especially not pie," Alex partly jokes. She eyes her sister suspiciously as she opens the fridge. "And this one's whole." Alex's observation comes out half as a statement and half as a question. They'd shared a pie the yesterday at movie night with Maggie and Lena and Alex can't decide whether there is a more logical explanation for her thinking that there could possibly be any left or for there being a brand new one.

"That's because I bought two," Kara offers, watching Alex place it on the counter and cut into it. She sneezes into her tissue before she continues. "I bought an extra one to have all to myself while I binge watch The Good Place."

Alex smiles at just how Kara that is before she cuts a slice for herself; Kara is always stealing food from her fridge. Sometimes she buys extra food just in case Kara comes round, knowing that there'll be nothing left if she doesn't. Often, the only thing that is left is Maggie's vegan ice cream, and Alex still refuses to eat that. Kara clearly does too. "Well, it is the best dessert in the galaxy," Alex replies wryly, repeating her sister's words back to her as she hands her the bowl with the slice that's twice the size of the other. "I'm still surprised it even lasted this long."

Kara doesn't make a comeback; she's already on her second spoonful. The way she attacks the food is borderline aggressive; the clink of the spoon meeting the bowl is so powerful and loud that Alex is surprised it hasn't shattered. "Wow, who took chocolate pecan pie from you?"

"You, actually, when I was fifteen," Kara replies quickly and seriously before shovelling the last bit into her mouth. "I've never forgiven you for it." The last part is muffled but Alex understands every word; she lived with Kara for long enough and has eaten with her almost as many times as she has without to know what she's trying to say when she has her mouth full.

"That's funny, I seem to remember you buying me chocolate for my fourteenth birthday," Alex recalls with a grin. "And then eating it all yourself."

"True," Kara agrees with an innocent shrug, sniffling as she does so.

The sisters set their empty bowls down on the floor under the window ledge. Alex lets her left leg dangle outside the window, her other bent so that her chin rests against her knee, her hands resting against her shin. Kara sits cross-legged, her long limbs taking up most of the space between them.

"Sooo," Kara draws, puffing out her cheeks. "What do you wanna do? I mean, you don't have to stay with me, it's okay…"

Alex shakes her head vigorously. "The Danvers sisters don't just cancel sister night because of a cold, even if it is a super one."

Kara smiles gratefully; she didn't want Alex to leave. "I guess we could watch the launch on the news…"

'Though it won't be the same' are the unsaid words that linger in the air. Both sisters know it. Kara's not trying to make Alex feel bad, nor would she ever, and Alex definitely shouldn't because she's right, but Kara can't help but want to erase thoughts of disappointment from both their minds. She says the first thing that comes into her head and she knows immediately that it will make her sister smile. "I'm hungry."

Kara is right. She sees the small frown of thought vanish from Alex's face, immediately replaced with a beaming smile. It's only when Alex shoots up from her comfy position in the window that Alex realises she's excited.

"We're gonna see this launch, Kara," she declares proudly. "In person."

"How?" Kara's crinkle works its way between her eyebrows as she tries to figure out what Alex means. She frowns deeper in confusion as Alex presses her hands either side of her head and turns it so that she can see what her sister sees. "Oh!"

/

"Pass me the potstickers?"

Alex scoops up the tub from the window ledge that now acts as a table and hands them to her sister before flopping back against the couch with a contented sigh.

"Thanks," Kara replies, tipping three more onto her mountainous plate. She eats another and realises just how good this evening is going to be. "This was a genius idea!"

"Well, they don't give PhD's to just anyone," she jokes and Kara throws a potsticker at her. She pops it in her mouth, much to Kara's obvious surprise. "Thanks!" She exclaims teasingly when she sees the look on Kara's face.

The sisters sit facing each other on Kara's couch, which they've moved from the other side of the room to sit directly in front of one of Kara's south-facing windows. The buildings on that side don't rise as high as in other directions, which is perfect because that's the place the shuttle is launching from. Alex and Kara easily manoeuvred the couch in front of the window with the best view, ordered in takeout – potstickers, because Kara claims that they have 'healing properties' and make everything better – and are patiently awaiting the countdown to the shuttle's takeoff.

The sun still shines brightly from its lowered position in the sky and filters into Kara's apartment, the summer air pleasantly warm. Both sisters are clad in comfy shorts, Kara's tissue tucked into the band of hers, Alex in her grey 'Relax, It's Just Rocket Science' t-shirt that Maggie bought her for her birthday, the words sitting outside the blue NASA logo, a red cartoon rocket sitting in its centre and Kara wearing her 'We Are Made of Star Stuff' slogan tee, each letter covered in tiny flecks made to represent just a handful of the billions of stars that stretch across the universe.

The rolling news hums away in the background with the promise that the live countdown is coming up soon. An excited reporter is currently interviewing the head of the programme, the towering figure of the Orion-9 standing proudly behind them.

"I don't know who's more excited, him or me!" Kara exclaims as she cranes her neck to turn towards the TV. As she breathes in, the light tickle in her throat intensifies and she can't help but cough.

"You," Alex replies simply like it's no competition, especially after that coughing fit that was only partly because of her cold. "Definitely you. I bet he hasn't eaten fifteen – sixteen – potstickers," she chuckles as Kara bites into another. "And clearly counting."

Kara throws Alex her best unimpressed look before reaching for a tub of noodles.

"...two years in the making, and there are plenty more missions that are soon to be underway."

Kara looks at the TV but she's not really watching it. She bites her lip before she speaks, her sentiment initially getting stuck in her sore throat. "I thank Rao every day that my mother chose to send me to a planet that cares about the exploration and understanding of the universe as much as Krypton did, and as I do," she says thoughtfully, the blue of the sky mixing with her sparkling, awed eyes as she looks away from the TV and stares upwards through the open window at the sky that now has hues of early-evening red seeping into it.

Alex nods her head in understanding. Kara notices as she tilts her head a little to the side and she smiles inwardly as she realises that that's exactly what Maggie would do. They're so tuned in to one another, so perfectly matched. Kara hopes she and Lena will reach that point one day.

"I thank every star in the multiverse that your mother sent you here," Alex says honestly, setting down her plate now that she's finished eating. Her big brown eyes convey every ounce of her sincerity, truth woven deep within them. She takes Kara's warm hands in her own before brown eyes meet blue. "And that I get to be your sister."

Pools form at the corners of Kara's eyes and trying to stifle them only makes her feel worse. She also knows that if she cries, even if it's because she's happy, the pounding headache she had earlier will come right back. She decides there's only one thing she can do. She pulls Alex into the strongest hug she can without crushing her. "I love you, Alex."

"I love you too, Kara." Alex's response is muffled by Kara's wavy hair, but Kara hears it clearly, even with her weakened super hearing.

When they break apart, Kara grabs her tissue, wipes the tear streaks from her cheeks and has to blow her nose.

"...with a fifty million dollar investment from L-Corp," the news anchor says in a way that manages not to give away her opinions of the business or its owner.

"Ah. Now it makes sense." Alex's mouth turns up at one corner into a cheeky grin.

Kara looks between the TV and Alex, trying to figure out what the heck she's talking about and why she's looking at her like that. "What?"

"Lena gave the programme fifty million dollars. Might you have had anything to do with that?"

Kara bites her lip and begins to play with a loose thread on her woolly socks. "Noooo," she draws mock-innocently in a way that really means yes. Alex is sure she sees her cheeks pinken a little; maybe they did with her depleted powers.

"And how does one persuade one's girlfriend to donate fifty million dollars to... well, anything?" Alex's cheeky grin widens.

"Not the way you're thinking," Kara replies with a half laugh, but Alex doesn't get her answer because Kara looks over at the TV, seemingly deliberately avoiding her sister's question.

"…The future of space travel looks bright."

"Yeah, almost as bright as the shade of orange they've painted it," Kara scoffs, frowning in disapproval and distaste as the Orion-9 flashes on screen. It is a particularly bold shade of orange. "My pod is way cooler."

"True. Nice change of subject."

Kara huffs which only makes Alex laugh heartily. "She donates money to two different recipients every year; one charity and one project. This year, she donated to the Arrivals Charity and the NASA programme, even though they don't really need it. I told her not to, that she could pick a different project."

"What did she say?"

"She just said that she chose to help fund the Orion because she knew it made me happy. And she let me choose the charity. She completely agreed and we like to think that the money goes towards helping people who have only just arrived on Earth. Even if they're only half as lucky as me, it's money well spent."

Alex has nothing to say to that because she doesn't think she's ever heard anything as sweet in her life. Sure, there are less expensive ways of showing how much you love someone but Lena's heart is certainly in the right place. She just gets Kara, and that's all Alex has ever wanted for her little sister. They're perfect for each other. And the bit about Kara being lucky melts Alex's heart even more because she feels just as fortunate to have Kara in her life.

Lena is on a business trip in North City that had been organised long before Orion-9's launch date was announced and she hadn't been able to wriggle out of it, otherwise she'd have loved to see Kara as excited as this. Maggie had been working hard on a case she was sure she was close to cracking and couldn't have had the time off even if she'd wanted to, although she promised Alex she'd take a minute to watch the Orion's ascendance. She loves how Alex and Kara love space and she's come to take a bigger interest in it too. Neither Maggie nor Lena mind too much that they're not there, though. They know how much Kara and Alex will enjoy sister night, especially because of their shared love of space.

"T minus one minute."

"Heeere weee gooo!" Kara exclaims excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"Do you need any more medicine?" Alex asks after the clapping dies down. Kara still seems to be suffering with her cold, even though she's been sat in the sunlight pouring through the open window for the last few hours. It's also due to go down soon.

"Nah, I'm good." Kara waves away Alex's concerns. She does feel a little better and the big countdown is upon them; getting better can wait five minutes.

The second the countdown hits ten, both sisters jump up from the couch so that they can clearly see the TV from where it sits at the other side of the room. Their eyes are glued to the screen, transfixed by what they're seeing. Sure, they've seen their fair share of space ships in their short lives, but this has to be one of the only non-hostile ones they've seen in person.

"Three, two, one….." They shout excitedly in time with the official countdown voiceover.

"We have liftoff."

The sisters watch the Orion as it rises from the ground, its base enveloped by blinding orange fire, which sends grey clouds billowing in all directions. It slowly but surely begins to make its way towards its destination. As soon as it's high enough, the sisters tear their attention from the TV and watch as the shuttle appears in the distance from behind the buildings next to Kara's.

"Oh my Rao!" Kara squeals, watching in awe.

"That's so cool!" Alex can't believe how good the view is from Kara's apartment; the shuttle may be far away but the clear sky and bright orange paint make it easy to follow.

They flop onto the couch, slouching further and further as the Orion rises higher into the evening sky and watch until they can't see it anymore.

/

The sun has long since dipped below the buildings but the air remains warm and the star-filled sky clear, the sun's touch permanent.

The Orion-9 has just docked on the ISS a little over six hours after it launched. It received rapturous applause from the Danvers sisters, as well as a deserved high five. They've tracked its progress the whole way through the images on the news from aboard the station and the tablet Winn had given them, which had a higher level of access than the media.

"Y'know, this was way better than actually going to see it," Kara declares tiredly, unable to stifle a yawn, her cold having finally caught up with her. She tucks her hair behind her ears and shuffles around on the couch so that her sock-clad feet are tucked into the corner and her head rests in Alex's lap, her body still facing the world outside. Alex gently runs her fingers through her sister's blonde curls and Kara responds by cuddling up to her impossibly further. "Thank you for staying with me," she says mid-yawn before sniffling again. "And for making this night even more special than I ever thought it could be."

Alex doesn't say anything at first. She savours the moment, knowing that, despite its simplicity and the fact that it hadn't gone the way they'd expected, it has turned out to be one of her favourite evenings of the thousands she's spent with Kara. It was the perfect sister night.

The gentle breeze tickles her short hair against her cheek and muffles her already softly-spoken words. She can tell from the soft, quiet breathing sounds and the steady rise and fall of her shoulders that Kara has been lulled to sleep and she can't help the small, contented smile that reaches her eyes.

"I'll always be here for you, Kara," she replies tiredly, her eyelids drooping closed, her head resting in the crook between the cushions. "Always."