Chapter Text
It was the sun’s rays that woke Kara up every morning, peeking through a sliver in her curtain to laser against her eyelids. For most it might’ve been uncomfortable or unpleasant, but for a person with Kryptonian blood flowing through them it was invigorating. If she had to describe the feeling, it was like how her mom always described her morning coffee.
“Wakes me right up like nothing else.” Is what she’d say every time Jon would ask, and Jon asked a lot. Kara would roll her eyes, and Conner would just snicker like he was watching some comedy show play out. It was routine at this point.
Kara rolled out of bed, stretching her stiff limbs and shaking herself out. It was Friday, the last day of the school week before the weekend. If it was her dad on breakfast duty today, she might’ve been able to convince him to let her stay home. Unfortunately for her, it was her mom making breakfast today. That meant there was absolutely no way she was going to get to skip out. Lois Lane-Kent, for however hypocritical it made her look at times, was firm about her beliefs that they should never skip and should always aim to be on time to every class. It wasn’t like Kara hated school or anything, but why go if you’re only there for half a day and have half the time to get any work done?
Whatever. It is what it is. Kara changed out of her Superman themed pjs -a gag gift from Conner last Christmas- into some grey sweats and a red hoodie. If she was going to have to go to school on a Friday, she wasn’t going to bother putting in much effort into her outfit. She didn’t even bother to brush out her hair, just brushing her teeth quickly before shuffling down the stairs to get breakfast.
Jon was already up and ready for the day, as usual. He would always get up at the same time Dad did, which could be as early as 4am on days where ‘Superman’ was needed somewhere in the world. Dad might be on-call for his superhero gig, but that didn’t stop Jon from trying to see him before he went every day. If it was saving people from natural disasters or fighting secret evil organizations, he was at the Daily Planet doing reporter stuff with Mom and uncle Jimmy. She didn’t really get the appeal, since most of the time it was just writing up articles, but she knew it was an important job that was well respected in Metropolis.
Conner must’ve only just rolled out of bed, because he didn’t even bother trying to look ready to start the day. Still in his pjs and curls pointing up at unruly angles, he munched on a slice of toast with peanut butter and banana slices on it with no real energy. He reached up a hand to ruffle her already messy hair as she came to sit next to him, chuckling as she swatted his hand away.
“Morning, Sunsprite,” Conner teased her with the nickname he’d given her years ago, smirking at her when she grimaced in mild annoyance. “how’s your first real morning as a teenager?”
“Not as different as I was expecting,” Kara shrugged, picking up a slice of toast from the pile on the plate in the center of the table. She lathered it in raspberry jelly, her family unfazed at the absurd amount she enjoyed. “I mean the party yesterday was great! I just thought I’d FEEL thirteen, y’know?”
Conner chuckled and passed Kara a plate, sliding it under where crumbs from her slice of toast were falling. “Yeah, you won’t feel your age for a while. Just the way it goes, I think.”
“I feel six!” Jon chimed in gleefully, raising his hand and beaming. He turned six at the start of the summer, and was super excited to finally start school like his older siblings. He’d been practicing raising his hands when he had a question or something to say, but most of the time he’d just raise his hand and say whatever it was at the same time. It was cute, but Kara could imagine the difficulty the teachers were having and felt a pang of sympathy for them.
“We know bud, and you’re great at being six.” Conner smiled back at Jon, and that seemed to settle him now that he’d been acknowledged.
“Well, enjoy your youth while it lasts. One day you’ll blink and be forty, wondering where all the time went.” Their mom sat in the chair across from Kara, next to the empty seat her dad would normally be in if duty wasn’t calling early in the morning. She cupped her hands around her coffee mug, smiling softly and regarding them each through her serene, lidded gaze. She often looked at them like that, like she was savouring something sweet and trying to memorize its flavours so she’d never forget.
“You say that every year!” Conner chortled and Kara sighed in faux exasperation, stuffing her face with some scrambled eggs and bacon she’d snagged off the other plates. Their mom just smiled warmly in amusement, leaning back into her chair.
…
Kara finished packing her lunch into her backpack, mentally going over everything she’d need for the day and double checking that she had it. Her gaze drifted over to Jon, who was hovering into the air so Conner could help him tie his shoes. She watched for a moment, smiling as she listened to Conner sing a little tune their mother had used for them to teach them how to tie their own shoes. It was a rhyme that made remembering the steps easier, which was especially helpful for Jon since he was still struggling with the finger movements.
“Alright people, let’s get going!” Kara snapped out of focus, their mom slipping on her wedge boots as she grabbed a coat and slung it over her shoulder. Kara slipped her backpack over her shoulders, trotting over to the shoe rack to slide on her own sneakers.
She felt a shift at her back and craned her neck to see Conner zipping up her bag. “Wouldn’t want anything falling out, now would we?”
He smirked, grabbing his own backpack and sliding a strap over one of his shoulders. Kara elbowed him playfully as she passed him, and he shoved her shoulder in kind. They both giggled all the way down to the car, where everyone piled in just quick enough before their mom was zipping them off faster than the Flash.
It was because of their mom’s quick -though barely legal- driving techniques that they made it to school in time, sliding in right behind all the other cars of kids being dropped off. Kara took Jon’s hand as they exited the car, as the both of them were going to the same school. She may be thirteen now, but she was still in junior high. One more year before she could join Conner in High School.
“Be good, all of you. I don’t wanna hear you’ve been causing any trouble, only sniffing it out and reporting it!” They all shared a quick laugh as their mother gave them all a kiss goodbye. Kara began walking off with Jon, waving goodbye to their mom and Conner.
“I’ve got practice after school, so don’t wait up for me. I’ll get a ride home from one of my buddies.” Kara heard Conner tell their mom, though any regular teenager wouldn’t be able to hear over the sound of all the students and teachers getting to their own classes.
“Alright hon, call if you need me or dad to come get you.” Their mom replied, and Kara could practically see her tucking one of Conner’s curls back into place.
“I can always fly home, no biggie!” Conner half-joked, knowing how dangerous it would be to use powers like that in a busy city like Metropolis. If anyone saw him, it could mean trouble. Conner knew that, and he knew that their mom knew he knew that. She just sighed and gave him another kiss on the cheek goodbye before Kara heard her driver door click closed and she drove off.
…
Kara had been working on a project for most of the evening after getting home from school. some presentation she’d have to give with some classmates about the history of Atlantis. She didn’t particularly care about the subject, but she wasn’t about to let anyone bring down her grade so she was putting in double effort. Especially since one of their group members came down with the flu and couldn’t contribute as much. Thanks so much for that, Harriet.
It was only a bit past nine pm when it happened. Kara’s mom had come downstairs, looking a bit nervous but trying to hide it like she usually did when something was bothering her. She smiled tightly at Kara as she passed through the living room into the kitchen, shuffling around doing who knows what.
Kara glanced at the clock and pieced together why her mom was nervous. Football practice for high school ended at eight thirty, and Conner was ALWAYS home before nine. Without fail. Even if he was going to be late, he’d call or message. Kara didn’t think too much of it at first, because there are so many reasons for a person to be late. Plus, his phone could’ve died or he just forgot to message. Sometimes Conner lost track of time when he was really into something, so Kara wasn’t worried.
Maybe she should’ve been.
It wasn’t more than maybe ten minutes later that the front door flew open with enough force to rattle the hinges nearly off the door. Her dad looked more disheveled than usual when he got back from a particularly grueling mission, and his eyes were rimmed red. At first she thought he might be injured, or overused his laser vision. Then she saw the way his chest shook and heard the way his heart threatened to pound out of his chest.
Her mom flew into the room at a speed that could rival any speedsters, and strode over to her dad. Worry laced her features as she cupped his cheek and asked him in a quiet voice what was wrong.
Kara wished she didn’t have a habit of eavesdropping. She wished she couldn’t hear every little thing in the house, from the tick of the clock to the soft shuffling of beetle legs on the window sill. More than anything, she wished she could unhear the way her mother screamed.
When you hear the cries of people on TV, running from something dangerous or crying over a loved one, it doesn’t feel real. It’s sad, sure, but it still feels so far away. Like the pixels can hold all of that suffering back and make you believe that could never happen to me here. Except it did. The sound of her mom’s cry would haunt her forever, she knew this then. The kind of cry filled with such unimaginable grief and anger, so real you can feel it settle into your bones and infest your veins with dread. A cold, clammy pit had opened where Kara’s stomach should be. She knew that pit would be there forever.
Conner was dead.
Conner was dead.