Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl or any of the characters.
Summary: Clark visits for the holidays, Alex is drunk... again, Mon-El is being Mon-El and Kara's oblivious to everything except the fact that the two most important men in her life can't seem to get along. Post Medusa; KaraMel.
Author's Note: So this references events that happened in both 'Of Breakfast and Milk Cartons' and 'Of Pig Latin and Crossword Puzzles' so I guess it's part of the "Of" series that I didn't even realize was becoming a series. You don't have to read those to get this, the references are pretty tiny, but it might help.
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"So if Mon-El decides to help Kara fight evil," Alex began, leaning on Winn a bit as she turned around too fast and swayed unsteadily. "Can we call him Superboy?"
James snickered from behind his beer as Kara turned to laugh into his shoulder, while dually sneaking a glance at Mon-El to see how he felt about his new name.
"Absolutely not," the Daxamite replied decisively, grimacing at the thought.
Alex giggled and took another sip of wine. "Well you can't be Superman."
"Why not?"
"Because there's already a Superman," Kara supplied helpfully as Alex ignored his question in favor of drinking the rest of her wine. "He's who you're meeting tonight."
"I thought I was meeting your cousin," Mon-El questioned with a raised brow, thoroughly confused.
When Kara had told him her cousin was coming for Thanksgiving, he'd been puzzled because he'd been sure that they'd had Thanksgiving last week with her mother. Then again, that was right before he almost died and the events surrounding that time were quite fuzzy; he could have been mistaken about the specific holiday they'd celebrated. Then she'd told him they were having two Thanksgivings since her cousin couldn't make the first one.
It seemed that the entire situation was set out to baffle the hell out of him.
"You are, silly," Alex slurred, smacking at his tie with her free hand.
"Okay," Kara drawled, snatching the wine glass from her other hand. "No more alcohol for you."
Alex whined and started to follow her as she deposited the empty wine glass into the sink but Winn grabbed her arm and held her in place next to him. "Who do we need to talk to about her drinking problem?"
"I don't have a drinking problem, Winny."
Kara and Mon-El exchanged an amused glance. "Well you and I are going to have a problem if you keep drinking," she laughed. "Remember what happened last time Clark was here and you hit the bottle too hard?"
That piqued Winn's interest. "What happened?"
"She practically molested him right in front of his girlfriend," James informed, laughing at the memory. "I don't think I've ever seen Lois quite so mad before."
Kara huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. "Yeah that was fun. It's also why we're having Thanksgiving with Clark late. Lois refused to come this year."
Alex had the grace to look sheepish, or at least try to anyway. "I was just having a little fun."
"Well have a little less fun this year, okay? Try not to molest my cousin, please."
Alex giggled and crossed her heart as Kara shook her head.
"Wait. So he's your cousin," Mon-El began, looking at Kara. "But not hers? That would mean he's-"
"From Krypton." Winn finished, moving his beer away from Alex who had obviously decided that, since she was no longer allowed to drink her own alcohol, she would just steal his.
Mon-El's face took on a stunned quality as he slowly turned his gaze back toward Kara, who ducked her head and took a large gulp of wine.
"Did I not mention that?"
He slowly shook his head, eyes still glued to her as James whispered something about lovebirds and quarrels and, enlisting Winn's help, ushered Alex over to the couch.
"No you didn't."
He didn't sound mad, just confused and she instantly felt bad for keeping it from him.
"I didn't want you to be nervous," she offered, placing a comforting hand on his bicep as he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
"Nervous? Why would I be nervous? Just because I'm a Daxamite and he's a Kryptonian and we're supposed to innately hate each other doesn't mean I'm nervous."
She could tell by his tone and rate of speech that he was more than a little agitated and a cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. "Well I'm Kryptonian and you don't hate me, do you?"
His gaze flew to hers at that, shocked that she had even asked. Sure a lot had happened between them, what with him almost dying, the kiss and their talk that wasn't really an official talk, but he could never hate her. Even when she'd pulled away from him he couldn't hate her. How could he when she'd still let him stay with her and made sure he was taken care of and comfortable even though it had to have been awkward for her?
Hate her? Never. Quite the opposite actually but he sensed that neither of them was ready for that conversation just yet.
"Do you really have to ask?"
The hurt in his voice made her cringe at having doubted him, while also warming the cold feelings of doubt inhabiting her gut. "Just checking," she defended with a small smile. "A lot has happened lately."
The expression on his face became downright tender as he hesitantly raised a hand to her cheek. "None of that changes the way I feel about you. I don't think anything ever could."
She opened her mouth to reply, with what she wasn't sure - she hadn't thought that far ahead - but a knock on the door saved her from having to.
"I'll get it!" Alex called giddily from the couch.
"Not without help you won't," Winn grumbled, still trying to hold his beer out of her reach as she tried to figure out what was more important.
Alcohol or the door?
Kara shook her head as she set her glass down and made her way to the door. She would never understand what it was about the holidays that made Alex feel the need to get totally plastered but she did have to admit: it usually made for an interesting night.
Knowing that Clark was coming to visit and knowing that it was probably him who had knocked still didn't prepare her for the sheer joy she felt at opening her door and seeing him standing in front of her. She felt as happy and energetic as a child and so found it difficult to keep from throwing herself at him.
It didn't take her long to lose that internal battle and, before he could even open his mouth to say hello, she was in his arms. "I missed you so much," she whispered against his shoulder.
As spontaneous as her embrace had been to her, it seemed as though he had expected it somehow from the way he just laughed and tightened his arms around her.
"That feeling is very mutual," he confessed quietly. "I think the last time I was here, I took having someone I could actually share things with, really talk to, for granted."
She finally pulled back, beaming up at him with her signature smile. "Then I guess we'll just have to make every second of this visit count then, won't we?"
He nodded, returning her smile as she pulled him and his overnight bag into the apartment. He and James were almost immediately knee deep in conversation about work and James's promotion as temporary head of CatCo and Winn was silently fan-boying from his spot on the couch, while trying to keep Alex from bombarding the Kryptonian male with her drunken affections. Apparently being gay had no bearing on how aesthetically pleasing she found Superman.
Kara ignored them all though as she made her way back to Mon-El, who still stood awkwardly in the kitchen. On the outside he was calm and collected but she could see the anxiety in his eyes.
"He's going to love you," she assured, tucking herself into his side when he wrapped his arm around her.
"How can you be so sure?"
She looked up at him, blue eyes serious as she admitted: "I'm not. But I know Clark. He's an open-minded man who I trust to judge you, not by your birth, but by your character."
He sighed and took a swallow of beer. "You have too much confidence in others."
She just shrugged and leaned in to kiss his cheek. She was blushing when she pulled away but her voice was sure and steady when she next spoke. "Maybe so but just remember, I put my confidence in you too."
"I remember," he smiled, blushing a bit himself. "Everyday."
The smile that lit up her face distracted him so much that he didn't even realize she'd grabbed his hand until she had already dragged him to where Clark was leaning on the back of the couch, animatedly talking to the others about the goings on in Metropolis.
"Clark," she began, voice a bit shaky as she squeezed Mon-El's hand nervously. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Clark stood up straight, measuring eyes sweeping over Mon-El before settling on his and Kara's joined hands. "Ah, so this is the-"
"Mon-El," Kara cut in quickly.
She knew Clark didn't mean anything by it but she also didn't want a slip of the tongue to start them off on the wrong foot and somehow she didn't think Mon-El would appreciate immediately being dubbed The Daxamite.
"This is Mon-El. And Mon-El this is-"
"The Kryptonian?" he cut in snidely, obviously as aware of where Clark's thought process had been going as Kara.
Clark's mouth set into a thin line and Kara could practically hear the juvenile 'Ooo' that everyone was thinking.
Jabbing Mon-El in the ribs with her elbow, she cleared her throat and stepped between them. "Clark why don't you go freshen up and then we can all sit down for dinner? We had turkey last week with Eliza so I made a ham, I hope that's okay."
"It sounds wonderful," he assured, smiling tightly as he continued to eye Mon-El over Kara's shoulder. "Should I put my bag in the spare room?"
Kara's eyes widened marginally as she opened her mouth, only to shut it again a moment later. "You... Uh... No," she finally stuttered out. "You'll be staying in my room this weekend, I'm taking the couch."
"What's wrong with the spare room?"
"That's where I sleep," Mon-El explained, smug smile firmly in place.
Oh when they were finally alone she was going to give him what for.
Clark's eyes narrowed and shot to a mortified, red-faced Kara. "Kara, can I talk to you for a minute?"
She nodded slowly and waited until he'd already started for her room before she turned and punched Mon-El in the shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For being a...a... Daxamite," she growled before spinning on her heel and following her cousin.
James let out a low whistle and turned to Mon-El, who was still staring down the hall after her. "Welcome to a little club we here on Earth like to call the doghouse," he laughed, clapping the confused alien on his uninjured shoulder.
"What's the doghouse?"
"It's hard to explain," Winn began, philosophically rubbing his chin.
Alex giggled, hanging over the back of the couch and patting Mon-El's chest sympathetically. "Just know you're in it."
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"I don't like him," Clark informed seriously as soon as she'd closed the door to her bedroom.
She sighed. "Yeah I got that but if you would just give him a chance you'd see he's really not that bad."
He shot her a disbelieving look.
"He's a bit prickly and a little antagonistic but that's only until you get to know him, then he's-"
"Even more of a jerk?" he supplied helpfully.
"No... Well sometimes but he's really a good guy once you get past all that," she assured with a weak smile. "I just want you to know him like I know him."
He snorted. "That's sweet but I don't think I'm his type."
She floundered a moment before sputtering: "It's not like that."
"He's living here," he stated with a raised brow.
"He has nowhere to go. He can't live in a cell at the DEO," she argued back, a little upset at the thought of Mon-El sitting there by himself without anyone to talk to; anyone to take care of him. "He's not like us. He needs to find his own calling and it's just taking him a while."
"And he couldn't stay with James or J'onn?"
Kara practically cackled at the idea of J'onn and Mon-El living together and she didn't even want to consider the trouble she'd have on her hands if he lived with James. "I don't think either of those are a good idea. Besides, he's comfortable here and you know how important it is to be around someone that's like you. Someone that understands and can talk about home and things that people from Earth can't even begin to comprehend."
She was tugging at his heartstrings, appealing to his caring nature and, unfortunately, it was working.
"Fine, I'll try and keep an open mind," he relented, cracking a smile as she hopped excitedly in place.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she chanted like some kind of happy mantra.
"But it would be nice if he'd drop the attitude."
Kara nodded, agreeing completely. "I've already hit him. He'll be much better, I promise."
She smiled brightly as her cousin, amazing man that he is, turned to rejoin the others with a renewed determination to get along with Mon-El. Only when she was sure he was gone did she let herself continue her thought.
"I hope."
0000
Even though food had somehow sobered Alex, or at least reverted Winny back to just plain Winn, dinner was nothing short of a disaster in Kara's eyes. Maybe that's why she'd taken to indulging a bit more than normal. Indirect cut after indirect cut flew from one end of the table to the other as Mon-El and Clark couldn't seem to find one thing in common other than her. And, quite frankly, she was tired of trying to keep the peace between them so eventually she stopped trying and decided that getting tipsy was a much better option.
She now knew why Alex got drunk on holidays. Drinking always made her sleepy though and it wasn't long before she found quiet refuge on the couch.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves," Alex began almost as soon as James and Winn had seen themselves out. "She went through a lot of trouble to make the perfect night, the perfect setting, to introduce you to each other. No bad guys, no rogue aliens, no impending threats as far as the eye can see, and you two ruin it with your alpha male bickering."
She was slightly out of breath when she finished her tirade and her cheeks were flushed but she looked more lucid than she had all night.
"Try not to kill each other for her sake, will you?"
And with that she made her own exit, leaving them both standing by the door, feeling lower than low.
"She's right," Mon-El began, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Kara ran herself ragged this week making sure everything would be perfect tonight."
Clark nodded and laughed nervously. "Yeah that sounds like her."
They both turned to each other at the same time, faces set in stone.
"I don't like you," Mon-El blurted out suddenly.
Clark nodded in understanding, his own sentiments much the same.
"But I like her. She's important to me and, as her only family from Krypton, you're important to her," he continued slowly, as though working something out in his mind before abruptly sticking his hand out, startling Clark for a moment. "Truce?"
To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. Never in a million years had Clark Kent expected a Daxamite to be capable of calling a truce but here it was, staring him in the face.
He eyed Mon-El's hand warily for a moment before shooting a glance at Kara, fast asleep on the couch. "Truce," he agreed, taking the proffered hand in a brief handshake.
Mon-El turned away first, striding toward the couch with purpose and, just like that, the moment was over. Clark watched, fascinated, as he bent down and moved a strand of hair from Kara's forehead with more care than he'd ever thought anyone from Daxam could possess.
"Come on," he mumbled, slipping an arm under her knees and the other around her back. "Time to get you to bed."
Kara groaned and began to sleepily protest to being picked up. "But I am in bed," she yawned. "The couch is my bed tonight."
Mon-El just shook his head, picking her up with ease. "You know, it's cute that you really thought I'd allow you to take the couch."
She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "You're such a Daxamite."
The insult sounded more like an endearment when she said it like that and it brought a smile to his face. "And you're beautiful."
And as Mon-El disappeared down the hall, Kara safely in his arms, Clark decided that as long as the Daxamite continued to be good to his cousin, maybe they'd be able to get along after all.
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Alrighty guys, this was my first time writing Clark so I hope I did alright. I also know that Clark was a baby when Krypton was destroyed but I have a headcanon that when Kara texts Clark to tell him about Mon-El and mentions his birth, Clark goes into protective mode and flies right out to the Fortress of Solitude to find out everything he can about this alien that's around cousin. (And we know how biased the information at the Fortress is.) I also hope you all enjoyed this and please remember to review.