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arty-shadow-morningstar · 1 year

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I was Enchanted to Meet You

@maribat-secret-santa

To: @silverwhiteraven

(Ao3)

-----

"KARA!!!!"

Kara turned around at the sound of her name to see a black hair girl racing towards her.

"Mari Net-Ta. Be careful." Kara chided the younger girl who didn't slow down.

Mari rammed into Kara and hugged her. Kara ruffled the shorter girl's hair, chuckling.

Libra Ak-Var, Mari's mother, ran up to Kara.

"Kara, I am sorry. Mari really wanted to see you as soon as possible."

"It's fine. I like Mari too."

Libra turned to her unruly child and scolded her,"Don't run off like that, Mari. You might fall down. By Rao, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I am sorry, Mom." Mari said with her head bowed.

"I know. I know. You wanted to play with Kara." Libra chuckled and she greeted Kara's mother.

"Hello, Alura."

"It's nice to see you too, Libra." Alura smiled and turned to their daughters, "Okay, children. Go have fun while we talk."

"Come on, Kara." Mari bounced in excitement as she dragged Kara away.

"Slow down. We don't want another clumsy Mari incident again." Kara said.

"I am not that clumsy." Mari replied indignantly.

"You are."

"Are not."

The two bickered back and forth.

Although, Kara was three years older than the other girl, since they had met as children, the two girls were close like two peas in a pod. They knew each other's deepest secrets and confided in each other. The bond they shared was unbreakable and there were a few jokes by their parents about a union between their families in the far future. As they ran through the fields under the rays of Rao, they had thought that they could be together forever.

------

"Kara, I heard that you have a cousin now." Mari asked while she flipped through her book in Kara's room.

"Yeah, his name is Kal-El. I babysit him sometimes. He's adorable." Kara replied, looking up from her own studies for her graduation trials.

"You can't like him more than me."

Kara laughed, "Mari, you are thirteen and my best friend. Why are you jealous of a baby?"

Mari's cheeks were red as she shot back, "You said that he's adorable. You like adorable things. So I have reasons to be worried about him taking my place as your closest person."

"Don't worry. You are more adorable than he is. Besides, I can't discuss engineering with a baby like I can with you." Kara reassured her friend, unaware of Mari's cheeks turning redder at the compliment.

Mari sat up eagerly, "That's right. Take that, Kal-El."

"He's not even here. Now, can you explain this theory to me?"

Mari took a look at it and sighed, "Kara, I already told you about this many times. Which part do you have trouble with?"

As Kara went on a rant about how difficult the equation is, Mari rested her cheek on her fist, smiling fondly at her best friend/crush.

------

Mari woke up to her mother shaking her awake.

"What? Mother?" Mari yawned, and looked around her dark room. Rao hasn't risen yet.

"Mari. My precious child. I don't have much time to explain but you have to come with me right now."

Mari heard her mother's panic in her voice and immediately was awake.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

"Come along, Mari."

Mari did as she was told and followed her mother to a spaceship where her father was inputting in some commands into it.

"Father. What's going on?"

Her mother grabbed both of her hands and stared at Mari with teary eyes which had Mari panicking. Her mother had never cried in front of her before.

"Mari.." Libra started, "Listen carefully to me. Jor-El, Kara's uncle, believes that Krypton is going to be destroyed. So we are sending you somewhere we believe you will be safe."

"Mother." Mari whimpered, frightened and in shock.

"Don't worry, my child." Libra wiped off some of Mari's tears, "Kara is already on her way there. Along with her cousin, Kal-El. You won't be alone. You have to survive, Mari."

"Mari."

She turned towards her father, Net-Ta who hugged both his wife and child. A man of few words but his love for both of them is clear from his actions. "Mari. Remember what I have taught you." He said and Mari nodded.

Mari cried and hugged her parents one last time.

"Now, get in the ship."

"What about you?" she asked, once she was inside.

"You will be put in stasis mode for the journey and we have put in everything you need to survive." Her father replied as the hatched closed.

Mari realized that her parents never answered her question and she tried to find the latch to get out. "Mother, Father." She cried, her voice muffled by the glass. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she banged on the glass, which were strong enough to withstand the pressure of exiting the atmosphere.

"I am sorry, my daughter." Ne-Ta whispered, typing in a command that put Mari in stasis. Her cries quietened down as she fell asleep and the ship took off.

Libra hugged her husband as they watched the ship become a distant speck in the sky.

------

So we all know the story.

A baby boy is sent out from a distant planet on the verge of destruction on a rocket and crash-landed on Earth, somewhere in Kansas where he was found by a lovely couple. The baby named Kal-El is raised as Clark Kent and goes on to become Superman. Becomes a living god while walking among men as a clumsy reporter.

Cliche trope. But also the best possible outcome. Least trauma.

A second space pod is sent out which contains his cousin. Complications occurred which made her arrive on Earth later than intended. But that is in the far future.

Happens when writers want someone like their main character but Girl. More trauma since she is older and remembers her home planet so utterly devastated to know it is destroyed.

However, this story would focus on the girl that was sent out on the third ship.

Space is filled with mysteries and danger. Despite Krypton's advanced technology, they still had not figured out about wormholes and prediction of their possible appearance. The third ship had the bad luck of being sucked into one and spat back out to the same location.

Just 21 years later. But still arrived earlier than the second ship.

The ship continued on its original course and instead of landing in Kansas like Kal-El. The ship landed somewhere in rural France where a couple was returning to Paris after a vacation in Spain.

Most likely to happen in a fanfic. Also possible to happen in canon or a TV show adaptation. Suspiciously ripped off the original origin story of the main character. Might also involve a crossover character that doesn't really belong here.

If this was a sci-fi horror story, one should never approach the suspicious thing that fell from the sky. Sure, it might be a space satellite. But it could also be the pod of some slimy alien that would suck the life out of you and lay eggs in your corpse. Luckily for the couple, the being inside resembled a human teenage girl who woke up and spoke in a language that doesn't sound like anything from Earth. And they decided to take her home with them.

They taught her how to adapt to the local culture and speak French which she picked up easily but spoke with an accent regarded as quirky by others. After getting in touch with a few shady connections, the couple forged her a new identity as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Newly adopted by the Dupain-Chengs. A totally normal human orphan girl who they found wandering around and had taken in to raise as their own.

They also did their best to help her get control over her powers when they showed themselves.

It started with her carrying a large number of bags of flour which Tom, a big man, managed to barely carry and she did it without effort. She runs faster than humanly possible at times. Her scrapes heal in a matter of minutes. Mari once accidentally lasered off her eyebrow and nearly destroyed the bathroom. She also floated and was stuck to the ceiling for hours until she figured out how to get down.

It was hard for Mari Net-Ta. People on this planet were raised differently than those on Krypton and she had to adapt to the rules if she wanted to survive. She also no longer had access to the advanced Kryptonian technology which she had taken for granted, except for what her parents had packed for her in her rocket and it had frustrated her to no end that humans hadn't made them yet and lacked certain resources on the planet to make them.

With the yellow sun granting her powers due to her different genetics and learning how to control them, it added more to her stress.

Tom and Sabine were warm and patient people who tried to help as much as they could and Mari felt immense gratitude towards them for their goodwill. However, they don't know that Mari stays up at night often to look up at the sky, with an advanced telescope she had modified since the ones available were lacking, to view Krypton of the past. Light that once bounced off her home planet once upon a time, traveled through space and finally reached Earth years later. She had imprinted the picture of it to her memories and took as many pictures as she could to preserve at least an image of it before light would just reflect what's left of it. She mourned the loss of her home, her family... and her other half.

Mari had done everything she could to find Kara. Clinging onto the words of her parents that Kara had escaped the destruction that had claimed them.

She had sent out signals in Kryptonese, in hopes of an answer. As days went by with no replies, her hope diminished and Mari had to face the possibility that Kara hadn't survived the trip.

Mari locked herself in her room for a week, not eating nor sleeping to cope with that realization.

------

A year went by and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was officially ready to start her first day of school. Moving on living as one of humans among their society.

A very big day indeed.

Which was about to get bigger because;

Somewhere in a secret lair in a specific mansion, there was a man horrendously dressed in purple from head to toe who just released a purple butterfly out into the world.

------

Ladybug paced back and forth, trying to calm her nerves.

A warm hand settled on her shoulder to sooth her and blond hair entered her view. She turned to meet green eyes. Disappointment bloomed in her chest. Not blue. Never blue. She was gone. Mari had to learn and accept that. However, the hole in her heart persisted.

"Milady. What got you all wound up?" Chat Noir gave her a reassuring smile. "If it's about the so-called Justice League, we can just cata- I mean, turn them into dust if they refuse to cooperate."

"No. We aren't doing that. That would cause an international incident which we don't want." Ladybug replied firmly.

"Just one. How about that Batman guy? From what we know, the dude has no powers. I can take him."

Ladybug shook her head, "Please don't."

A year and a half ago, Earth was invaded by aliens. The Miraculous Heroes had taken care of their own city with Hawkmoth taking a temporary ceasefire for the next month. The guy at least has some morals. Not really. Gabe had been busy in the aftermath as one of his factories was destroyed during the invasion. He had no time to indulge in his supervillain hobby.

In the aftermath of the invasion, a new organization made up of heroes called the Justice League was formed. After establishing their headquarters and recruiting more heroes to their cause, they had looked into places that needed their help and Paris had fallen into their radar with the moth problem they had had for the past few years.

They received an invitation to discuss in further details what the JL can do to help. Wonder Woman came in person to give it.

So the Miraculous Heroes found themselves on the rooftop of Hotel de Grand, approaching the set meeting time. The more well-known heroes like Rena Rouge (who was trying her best at a poker face to contain her inner fangirl), Carapace, Vispera, Pegasus and Monkey King were going with Ladybug and Chat Noir as support. The rest were hiding on the nearby rooftops and on standby in case things went sideways and to satisfy Ladybug's paranoia.

When their Miraculous phones showed the meeting time, a light suddenly enveloped the group on the hotel rooftop.

Ladybug found herself and her team in space, a blue glow coming from her adopted planet underneath them. They looked around in awe of the sophisticated technology surrounding them. However, Ladybug frowned slightly as she saw hints of Kryptonian technology and engineering in the structure of JL headquarters her team had been transported to. The teleporter itself screamed of Kryptonian tech.

Her heart pounded in fury of how these Americans managed to get their hands on her people's technology.

"Welcome, heroes, to the Watchtower." Wonder Woman greeted them warmly.

The team teared their eyes away from the awesome view to face the older heroes. All of them looked at them with guarded eyes, wary of the adults.

The Justice League was slightly taken aback by how young most of the Miraculous heroes were. Their magic, not being able to completely hide the fact that they were not adults.

"Holy shit, you guys are just kids." Green Arrow blurted out.

"Which proves how brave they are to take on the task of protecting their home." Wonder Woman added, not wanting to offend the holders.

Batman frowned disapprovingly. '`Who taught you how to fight?" He interrogated them.

"Easy, spooky. They are just children." Green Lantern butted in.

"Excuse you. We are teenagers. Thank you very much, Monsieur Green Light." Chat Noir shot back.

"It's Green Lantern." Hal felt less inclined to be nice towards them.

"And for your information, Monsieur Bat," Chat Noir continued, "We learned it on the job which is pur-ri-ty impressive if I do say so myself. Right, Milady?"

Chat Noir lightly bumped Ladybug on her back. It brought Ladybug who was staring intently at Superman's chest, out of whatever she was thinking of.

"<Sorry, what?>" Ladybug replied in French.

"<LB, back me up here. Batman just got more frowny.>"

Ladybug cleared her throat.

"Apologies, I got a little distracted. I would like to negotiate on what and how much the League can interfere regarding Hawkmoth. After that we will answer any questions you want. Questions pertaining to our identities are out. Obviously. There will be some about the Miraculous that we will not answer for reasons we can't disclose."

Her accent was noticeably thicker than Chat's.

Batman let out a grunt but nodded.

Rena Rouge fake-coughed which made Ladybug sigh and add, "If any of you are willing, Rena would like a few selfies afterward."

To which the fox hero grinned in glee.

Thus began the negotiation process.

------

While Rena went around getting pictures and the other Miraculous heroes loosened up and talked with their older counterparts, Ladybug approached the Man of Steel.

"Ladybug."

"Superman. We need to talk."

Superman remembered her uncomfortable stare at the start of the meeting like she was trying to laser his chest with heat vision.

"Um...any particular reasons why?"

"You tell me, poser. Why do you wear the Symbol of El on your chest?"

Instantly, Superman was on guard. "How do you know?"

"One would think that the 'S' on your chest stands for your name but Kryptonians know it stands for the House of El."

"Who are you?" His eyes turned red as a threat.

"That's what I want to ask." Her eyes, also turning red. "And how the Justice League got their hands on the technology of my people."

"Ladybug?" Chat Noir asked worriedly.

"<Back-up plan now!>"

Batman snapped to attention, "Stop them."

The League immediately went into action as Rena Rouge blew her flute and summoned illusions that were duplicates of all of the members. It was hard to tell who were the real ones as all of the illusions spread out through the Watchtower. The Justice League chased after all of them.

Meanwhile, the real Ladybug and Superman were in a stand-off.

"They are my people too. My father gave me the knowledge and I choose to use it for the betterment of Earth."

"So what? You found this cool new place where you get superpowers and decided that Krypton wasn't worth it any more? Is that why you didn't do anything to stop it from dying?" Mari angrily yelled and threw a punch.

Kal managed to stop the punch but her words confused him. There was something that didn't add up.

As she continued her barrage of punches, she screamed, "You should have helped Jor-El convince the counsel to save us!"

Superman dodged another punch and got out, "Jor-El was my father. How do you know that name?"

Mari faltered in her attacks. "Jor-El only had one son named Kal-El and he would be a child if he was still alive."

"My name is Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. As a baby, I was sent away from my planet on a rocket for my safety."

His heartbeat was steady.

"You..." Mari started, eyes-wide. She looked out the Watchtower's windows, her eyes searching for something in the distance.

The positions of the stars were not where they were supposed to be. Using her lessons, she calculated how long it would take from what she remembered to now.

Then she lowered her head, "So it's true. Somehow I must have arrived at least 20 years into the future."

Mari cried and Kal hugged her as she sobbed into his chest.

------

"Flamebird, just in time." Superman greeted the other Kryptonian as she flew up and punched a meteor. Her suit was red and had yellow lines in the shape of flames going down her sleeves. Her cape had its edges in the shape of flames and turned from red at the shoulders to yellow at the bottom. Like her name, when she flew, it was seeing a phoenix fly. Unlike him, her chest proudly displayed the emblem for the House of Ta which looked similar to the letter 'f' with the curved part looking similar to that of a bird's head and had wings spread out for the line stroke across.

"Sorry. Adrien was rather insistent on not letting me leave." Mari explained, blasting with her heat vision into tiny pieces.

"At least, he won't be mad at you for being late to another date."

Clark can already imagine how Lois would be mad for being late for their reservation. Again.

"What if your super annoying cousin from France paid you a surprise visit and she tagged along with you for your date after many, many successful attempts to get rid of her?"

"It's fine. I can face Lois. Like the big boy that I am."

"Alright." Mari chuckled.

Mari remained silent as she sent another meteor to crash into the trajectory of another and they both exploded into tiny pieces which will burn out in the atmosphere.

Clark noticed that she was distracted.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"He got hurt again." Mari punched another meteor, a little harder than before.

"Ah." Superman said in understanding.

Adrien's wish to continue heroism, years after both of them had given up their Miraculouses, was a subject of disagreement between the couple. He had seen the vigilantes like Batman and Green Arrow in action, fighting without having superpowers and decided to do the same.

He was rather peeved to find out that the name 'Nightwing' was taken as he wanted them to match. Instead, he decided to keep going by Chat Noir, and teamed up with Max to provide him with gadgets for his vigilantism. However, there are times Adrien gets too far in head and forgets that he didn't have a Miraculous now so Mari had stepped in at times to make sure he didn't get killed. Mari really wanted to support his dreams. She really does. But she doesn't want him to die because of it.

Like during their time as Miraculous holders, he expects her to save the day at the last minute like she did as Ladybug. She had reminded him many times that she doesn't have a reset button anymore and be able to heal his injuries after she saved him from another dangerous terrorist plot or a murder crazy cult.

Lately, he had been insisting for her to change her name back to Ladybug and calling her 'milady' on occasion. The only problem was that Mari wanted to keep her Ladybug and Flamebird identities separate. Going as far as to create a necklace that would change her hair to blond as Flamebird in case someone might make a connection between the two heroes. She didn't want to deal with the inevitable questions of why she didn't use her super powers to take down akumas and Hawkmoth faster. The Miraculous had somehow blocked her powers from working and she really didn't want that information to get out.

In short, their relationship was currently going through a tough patch.

"We have superpowers and yet our love lives are terrible." Mari said, getting rid of the last of the meteors.

"Tell me about it," Superman dusted off his hands, "Love Square." He teased her.

Mari rolled her eyes, "Look who's talking, Triangle."

She sighed as she stared at the world below them.

"You okay, Mari?"

"Just homesick." She answered as she looked in the direction of the galaxy where their home planet once was. "And I miss Kara. You have the same eyes as her. You know. Probably your grandmother's. There are times that you act the same."

Mari sighed again. Her gaze filled with longing and something else. Something more.

"Were you two...together?" He tentatively asked.

To his surprise, Mari blushed and denied it. "What? No. Not the way you think."

"I am okay with it, you know. It's fine if you like her."

"That's not. There's Adrien and-" Mari flustered.

Clark stifles his laughter at her expense.

Eventually, Mari stopped her denial and took a deep breath. She didn't look at him as she slowly admitted.

"You got me. I loved her. I still do. But you know things happen. Planet exploding and all that. I just never got to tell her."

"Oh. I'm sorry." He reached out to her shoulder and patted it.

"I can't do anything about it now. Adrien's nice and all but..." Mari trailed off.

She loves her kitty. After all they had gone through together, it was natural for them to be together. However, Kara and her. They were together for longer. Kara happened first and it was hard to not forget your first.

"But?" Superman prompted her to continue.

"I still miss her." Mari answered. "How could I not? When she was the strongest and brightest person I had ever met? She made everything so much better and I was happy to be with her. My greatest regret was never being able to tell her how I felt. If I could meet her again- "

Mari paused, noticing that something was coming towards them at high velocity. She squinted to make out what it was.

"What is that?"

Just then, a rocket flew past them, headed for Earth.

"Where did that come from?" Mari exclaimed in surprise.

"Whatever it is, we have to stop it." Superman replied seriously before giving her a wink and challenged, "Race ya."

Superman zoomed off.

"Cheater!" She yelled after him and give chase.

He re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and Flamebird did the same, lagging behind a little. The Kryptonians raced to catch up to the rocket where it had landed in Siberia.

When Superman arrived first, the rocket hatch was open and its passenger was currently fighting the soldiers deployed. The bullets seemed to have no effect on her like she had a skin of steel.

"Stop. I don't want to fight you." He said and he stilled when the stranger looked up. She looked like a human female in her late teens with long blonde hair but what drew his attention was the symbol of the House of El on her chest. Same as the one on his chest.

"[Who are you?]" The stranger asked in Kryptonese.

"[I am Kal-El. Son of Jor-El.]" Superman replied in the same language. Mari had been a strict teacher, making sure he got the grammar and pronunciation right until he was talking like a native Krypton. She had been appalled at his clumsy attempts and proceeded to teach him the language, drilling the lessons until he was dreaming of it in his sleep. More than once he found himself reciting a Kryptonian poem in his sleep.

"[No. You can't be! You are an imposter.]" The stranger angrily yelled and attacked him.

But she was stopped by Flamebird who grabbed her wrist.

"Kara." Flamebird whispered, her eyes shining.

Kara whipped her head towards the other female and hissed out, "[Let me go. Who are you?]"

Flamebird blinked in confusion before remembering her necklace. She touched it, returning her hair to its natural dark state. There was a glint of recognition in Kara's eyes.

Mari released her grip on Kara's wrist and pulled her into a hug. "[It's me, Kara. Mari. Mari Ne-Ta. Your best friend. I am so glad that you are still alive.]"

She choked back a sob and she tightly hugged the girl she thought that she was never going to see again.

Kara hesitantly lifted her arms before wrapping them around the other girl. She also cried.

"Mari. Mari. Mari." Kara repeated over and over. Her best friend's voice and embrace grounded her in the new confusing world she had found herself in with abilities she couldn't understand.

In the meanwhile, Superman talked down the Siberian government from launching another attack on Kara, explaining the situation. He waited awkwardly for the two girls to finish.

Kara Zor-El. Mari had often told him a lot of stories about his cousin and sometimes about his aunt and uncle because they were the only family of his which Mari met the most. Stories about his parents were often one-off encounters with not much to talk about. Looking at his cousin, he felt a sense of familiarity. She brought up some vague feelings of happiness which he couldn't remember properly.

Kara laughed after they parted and calmed down from their emotional reunion.

"[It's really you.]" She finally said as she looked over at Mari, "[What are you wearing?]"

After another look, "[And how are you taller than me?]" she asked with a pout.

Mari chuckled,"[Well, it's hard to explain but on my trip to this planet, my ship ran into some complications and I think yours went through something similar which is why we both landed here later than we were supposed to.]"

"[Kara, there is someone I should re-introduce you to.]" Mari pulled her towards Clark and grabbed his hand. "[This is your cousin, Kal-El. Remember the complications I mentioned earlier. Well, Jor-El is the only one of our fathers to successfully send his child to this planet properly and he grew up here. It's been 26 years.]"

Mari quietly said the last part.

"[Krypton?]"

Mari shook her head, "[It's gone. I checked. It's been gone for years now. Nothing but rocks.]"

Kara wiped her tears. "[Mother. Father.]"

Mari hugged her, "[I know. I'm sorry.]"

"Um...Hello." Clark started before switching to Kryptonese and nervously asked, "[Mari says that you are my cousin? Kara Zor-El?]"

Kara hugged him and Clark patted her back, a little bit uncomfortable by her tight hug.

"[You resemble our fathers.]" Kara finally said as she pulled away.

"[I do?]"

"[Oh, right. You were just a baby when you last saw them.]" Kara said and grimaced, "[They were not on great terms with each other.]"

"[We should get going.]" Mari piped up. "[I don't know about you but Siberian weather is a little bit too much to handle even if we are invulnerable to the cold.]"

------

There was a bit of a delay since Kara wasn't able to fly properly yet. In the end, Mari carried her all the way to the Dupain-Cheng house.

Clark had to leave because he had forgotten about the date with Lois and remembered when he took out his phone to see the many missed calls and texts from a very pissed girlfriend.

Mari gave Kara some Earth clothes to change into and then changed out of her Flamebird outfit. She also explained everything that had happened the past few years and what to expect from living on Earth with a yellow sun with a few demonstrations.

Kara sat there on Mari's bed, absorbing what she was told.

"[So that explains it.]" She said as she looked down at her fist, clenching and unclenching it. Remembering how she bent the metal weapons the humans used so easily.

Kara looked around Mari's room and her eyes landed on a painting of herself pinned to the wall, her name written in Kryptonese under it. She went for a closer look.

"[It's me.]" Kara said in awe. The painting was a dead-set replica. It was almost like looking in the mirror and the tiniest accurate details like the mole near her eye and the curve of her lips were there.

"[I thought that you were dead.]" Mari nervously explained and quietly admitted, "[And I didn't want to forget you.]"

Kara hugged her again. She felt flattered? and very happy that Mari wanted to not forget her. There was also something else. A feeling much deeper that Kara can't describe which made her feel warm and fuzzy at the thought that Mari saw her, Kara Zor-El, as someone special to remember. She didn't know what to say and hoped her hug conveyed it.

"[You were the greatest Artist of our generation. You were guaranteed a spot in the Artist Guild if you had finished your trials.]"

Mari blushed at the compliment. "[Thanks, Kara.]"

Then, she grabbed Kara's hand and dragged her towards the trap door.

"[Come on. I am going to introduce you to two very special people. They helped me a lot when I arrived.]"

Kara felt flushed somehow at the contact. She and Mari had touched each other a lot before so why did she feel weird about it now? She was smiling as Mari told her about her adopted parents on this planet.

Her life may have turned upside down but as long as she had Mari by her side, Kara found herself ready to tackle it head on.

------

It had been a tough adjustment for Kara but soon, she settled in her new home quite nicely.

Mari had graduated from lycee. She had decided to move to Jump City for college and work with the Teen Titans. Meanwhile, Kara got herself adopted by the Danvers who are old friends of the Kents and was currently trying out high school as a human teenager.

Mari and Adrien broke up instead of maintaining a long-distance relationship. After a long painful talk, Mari managed to convince Adrien from pursuing hero-ing as a career and they agreed to give each other space before trying to be friends again.

Currently, Adrien was trying for a physics major at Cambridge University where his cousin was also going.

Kara made her debut as Supergirl and was recognized as Superman's cousin who also survived their planet's destruction.

The media was crazy for a while.

When Flamebird started out and identified herself as another Kryptonian survivor, they speculated that Superman and her were dating and there were theories of them being the new Adam and Eve, choosing Earth as the planet to repopulate their species.

The two Kryptonians did an interview with Lois to clear things up where they revealed that Flamebird then was not even of legal age by Earth's standards while Superman was a full-grown man. They clarified that their relationship was that of family and more accurately, siblings. Those dating rumours died down pretty quick afterwards except on a few conspiracy theory sites.

After Supergirl came into the scene...

Well, let's just say people noticed the chemistry between Supergirl and Flamebird when Flamebird was in town. The rumours started when people pointed out that Flamebird showed up in Metropolis more often since Supergirl showed up than she ever did since her first appearance when she usually stuck to her city at the other side of the pond. Social media went wild when someone posted about overhearing that Supergirl and Flamebird were childhood best friends.

SuperFlame is a tag that would be trending every few months. More fuel to the fire was added when the Supers stayed silent about the matter. There were times where the crowds would shout 'KISS! KISS! KISS!' when the two are next to each other after saving the day. In response, Supergirl would deny having that type of relationship with Flamebird while Flamebird herself would kiss Supergirl's cheek, give them a smirk before flying away and leaving behind a red-faced Supergirl. Superman joined in at one point.

There is also a lot of hand-holding and touching. Their faces often turn as red as Flamebird's costume. Metropolis is sick of them dancing around each other but at the same time, invested in their slow burn favourite ship.

------

"Hey, Kara."

Kara looked up from her math homework and smiled. "Mari."

Mari grinned back. "Sorry for being late. The mission was longer than I had anticipated."

Kara shook her head, "It's fine. I ordered ahead for you. One Chocolate milkshake."

She pushed the drink towards Mari.

"Thank you, mon soleil." Mari replied, kissing her cheek and sat down in the opposite seat.

To be honest, Kara was initially annoyed when she found out that Mari was now technically 2 years older than her now. She was no longer the eldest of the trio when she was the first to be born. Her baby cousin was not a baby anymore but a grown man who was getting married in a month. Then, her best friend had grown up, gaining a good few inches on Kara and a fair amount of toned muscles that had Kara's heart racing at times.

Kara was looking respectfully when Mari took off her leather jacket to reveal her buffed arms and placed it on the back of her chair.

She sipped her milkshake a little too fast and got a brain freeze.

"Hey, Kara. Easy." Mari rubbed her shoulder and reprimanded her, "I know the milkshakes here are good but slow down."

"Sorry. I will be more careful."

The two girls chatted about what they had been doing since the last time they met, which was a month ago before Mari went with the Teen Titans for a mission overseas.

During a lull in their chat, Mari suddenly said, "So I heard that you went on a date with Nightwing."

Her words instead of the usual curiosity that comes with gossip were tinged with an edge of nervousness... and was that jealousy?

Kara blinked, thrown off by the unexpected question. She admits that she felt a slight attraction towards the vigilante. He was handsome with his dark hair and had a charming personality. Kara enjoyed his company. She acted on an impulse and asked him out as per Earth's custom.

To be honest, the date was a disaster. They both were awkward with each other and found it hard to find a common subject to talk about. They just didn't have the same chemistry that her cousin and his mentor did.

Kara left that day, apologizing for the failed date and Dick had reassured her that they could still be friends. It was the best outcome for the two of them.

She didn't know why her chest felt heavy when Mari asked about her date with Nightwing. Kara didn't know that Mari had liked him like that.

It made sense if she did. In the myths, Nightwing and Flamebird were lovers. Their superhero identities even match. How in Rao did she not notice before? Of course, Mari was jealous. She went on a date with her crush. She was such a terrible friend.

The ache in her chest became almost unbearable at that realization.

"I am sorry." Kara said, guilt pooling in her stomach.

It was Mari's time to blink in confusion.

"For what?"

"For not telling you." Kara's tongue felt heavy as stone in her mouth. She didn't know why.

"Kara, it's fi-"

"He's a nice person and he treated me really nice. He's a great person." Kara noticed that Mari's frown got deeper. "The date was terrible. We just didn't hit it off really well."

"Really?" Mari sounded brighter. Kara clenched her fists. She felt suffocated. Why did she feel so upset over her best friend liking someone else?

"Yeah."

Kara didn't know why she was feeling this way.

Kara flinched when she felt a cold hand touch her forehead so lost in her thoughts. When did Mari get so close to her?

"I am fine." Kara said as she turned her face away. Then, she hurriedly packed up her things and made up some excuse about needing to go somewhere. She ran out of the cafe, leaving behind a confused Mari, and ran into the nearest alleyway to fly somewhere far far away from girls with blue eyes and black hair.

------

Clark found Kara at the top of Danver's roof. He floated down towards her and sat down next to her.

"So..." Clark asked, "What happened?"

Kara buried her face further into her knees and mumbled something Clark was barely able to catch with his super hearing.

"I am sorry?"

"I said I don't know. We were talking about Nightwing and my date with him." Kara explained frantically, "I figured out that Mari has a some kind of crush on him. And I don't know. I felt terrible. I don't like the idea of them being together and I didn't want to stay, talking about it."

Clark was confused. Dick had told about how bad the date with Kara went and apologized.

"But I thought that you and Dick decided to be friends instead." He pointed out.

"I know. He's a great guy but I don't know why I am angry at him." Kara said frustrated and let out something like a whine.

Clark observed his cousin who was moping in a similar way to a certain someone when they found out that their crush went on a date with Dick. Kara didn't notice the smirk that passed his face.

"Maybe you are just jealous." Clark 'casually' commented.

Kara immediately gave him a dirty look.

"Jealous? Me?" Kara said, offended, "Why would I be jealous of Mari? She's the best. Nightwing would be lucky to have her. They would be a great couple."

Kara suddenly looked sad at that thought and quietly added, "Who wouldn't want to be with her?"

Clark disguised his laugh as a cough and focused. <strike> His bet with Lois, concerning the two girls dancing around their feelings, was on the line here. If he do this right, he might win.</strike>

"What if.." Clark hesitantly said, getting Kara's attention, "You are jealous of Dick instead of Mari."

Oh.

The blood rushed to Kara's cheeks and burned hotly.

"What?" her voice cracked.

"What if it's Mari that you want to be with and that's why you are mad at Dick for being the one to receive her attention?" Clark said, looking carefully at Kara's reaction.

Kara put her hands on her cheeks in an attempt to cool them down. Was she really jealous like Kal said? Jealous that she couldn't be with Mari when Nightwing can?

She always viewed Mari as the one constant in her life she could count on. Even after their planet had exploded and she felt disoriented from her new surroundings, Mari was there to give her a hand. As she learned to adapt to the local culture and her new powers, Mari was there. Clark also helped but she felt a deeper connection with Mari. Maybe because they both had grown up together on Krypton that Mari understood the situation she was going through, having gone through the same thing herself but without any help like she did.

She loves every minute she gets to spend time with the other girl. Especially now that Mari was busier than ever with being on the Teen Titans and college.

Kara gets a warm and fuzzy feeling at those times, knowing that Mari had used what precious free time she had to spend it with her. Even now thinking about Mari has her heart fluttering. By Rao, Kal was right. She, Kara Zor-El, had fallen in love with her best friend.

"You're right." Kara admitted.

"I am?" Clark blinked, wondering if he heard it right.

"Yes. I am jealous of Nightwing. Because I am in love with Mari Net-Ta. The most amazing person in the universe and my best friend." Kara confessed and then groaned. "And she likes someone else."

Clark lets out the laugh he had been desperately holding in for the past fifteen minutes.

"What's so funny?" Kara demanded. "I just poured out my feelings, you know. You shouldn't be laughing."

"I am so sorry." Clark apologized and cleared his throat to prevent further laughter from erupting. "It's just... Mari hates Dick and she loves someone else."

Kara looked dumbfounded. "Sorry? She what?"

Clark explained, "So years ago before you came, the two of them used to go by different names. Mari went by Ladybug and led her own team against a supervillain who was giving them trouble in Paris. Dick was still under Bruce's wing and went by Robin."

"I already knew that. So you mean that Dick was the one to change his name to match hers instead?"

"No. Let me finish. At that time, Mari was planning to use another name after she finished her job as Ladybug. She wanted to be Nightwing."

Kara was shocked and Clark continued his story.

"However, Dick changed his name first. He wanted a new name that wasn't associated with Batman and wanted to be independent from Bruce. He asked me for help and I told him about Flamebird and Nightwing. It was meant to provide some sort of motivation and words of support for his goal but Dick took it to heart and took on the name Nightwing. Mari was rather pissed when she found out. She had everything set up but she wasn't done with the whole Hawkmoth business. She then asked Dick to change his name multiple times. Dick was rather stubborn in his decision. In the end, she decided to go with Flamebird instead."

"So Mari doesn't like Nightwing then?" Kara inquired.

"Yup."

"So who does she like?"

Clark grinned, "Well, I am not going to tell you that that easily."

Kara slapped his back. "You bastard."

"Ask her yourself then." Clark said as he jumped.

Instead of flying away, he looked back and added, "If you want a hint. Mari's type are blondes."

Then he flew back home where Lois was waiting, leaving Kara alone with her thoughts as she stroked her hair.

------

Kara was a coward.

Ever since that day at the cafe, Kara had avoided Mari and ignored all of her messages.

She made up excuses of being busy to Mari's requests to hang out. Every time Mari showed up in Metropolis, Kara would then hightail it out of the city under the pretense of having more superheroing duties to do, like saving a puppy.... all the way in Australia. Mari had caught on to what Kara had been doing and was trying to corner her into talking. At the Watchtower, after stopping another crime in Metropolis, at Kara's high school. Mari would be there and Kara would slip away like an eel upon seeing the other girl.

It was a frustrating situation for everyone watching.

Finally, Clark, a usually patient man, found himself putting his foot down and put an end to this game of avoiding-and-excuses that Kara was dead-set on playing.

Kara would have to face Mari sooner or later and she will not get out of going to his wedding. He promised that he would talk to Mari and persuade her to not interact with Kara during the event. In return, she has to explain to Mari why she had been avoiding her after the wedding was done. Mari had been hurt at her best friend avoiding her without any explanation and was tearing herself apart to fix whatever wrong she could have done to Kara. Clark showed Kara a picture of the Teen Titan's kitchen which was filled with baked goods and used baking pans as a result of Mari's stress baking.

"You see this, Kara. Mari is not in a good shape. The Titan Tower smells like a bakery and the Flashes are even complaining that they are sick of baked goods. Lois is not happy with the amount of cupcakes she had been receiving and worried she might not be able to fit in her dress next week."

Kara winced. The Danvers had also been receiving baskets of pastry goodness on their doorstep every morning for a while now. They now had so much that they had to give some away to neighbours, who love Kara's 'secret admirer'.

Clark put his hand on her shoulder and in a low voice said, "And I know you are afraid of rejection from Mari but if you don't talk to her, you might lose a friend too."

Kara sighed, knowing it was inevitable to meet Mari again and that Clark was right. "Okay, Kal. I agree to your deal. I owe Mari an explanation and I can't avoid her forever."

"Thank you. I love the two of you and I want the both of you there on my special day."

Clark smiled happily and Kara returned it with one of her own.

------

So far, like Clark had promised, Mari didn't try to bug Kara about what had happened. Kara didn't know whether to be relieved or empty. Upon seeing Kara, Mari gave her a bright grin that would put the sun to shame especially with the dress she wore which made her look stunning and sent Kara's heart fluttering. Kara forced herself to turn her head away and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mari drooped like a wilted flower which made her chest ache uncomfortably.

Just a few hours. Kara repeated it like a mantra.

The wedding went smoothly. It was a family and friends only event for those in the know about Clark being Superman and held at the Kents farm.

Vows and rings were exchanged. Clark and Lois kissed. Then, it was time for the champagne to be brought out to celebrate.

So far, as Clark had promised, Mari didn't try to bug Kara about what had happened. Which Kara didn't know whether to be relieved or empty.

The black-haired girl made sure to stay out of Kara's way. It was awkward when they kept accidentally meeting eyes with each other so Mari would look away in the opposite direction, holding up her end of the deal. But that gesture made Kara's chest sting with hurt.

She asked for this. Kara reminded herself. But it doesn't make it less painful when Mari turns away.

The day went by and soon there was a lull on the dance floor. Clark and Lois were slow-dancing in the air above the dance floor while a few couples joined them, either on the floor or in the sky. The rest of the guests formed groups, chatting among themselves about their latest missions, the last world-ending disaster or just the daily mundane things on the civilian side of the identities while resting their feet from the dance battle they did earlier.

Kara found herself at the edge of the crowd by the buffet table, sipping her (non-alcoholic) drink as she watched everyone. Her eyes were drawn to Mari who was talking to a blonde she never met before in rapid French.

"Hey, Kara. Are you having fun?" A voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Kara looked to see that it was Dick Grayson with his bow tie loose and collar open and jacket missing.

She nodded back in acknowledgement. "Dick."

Then, she continued staring at Mari. "I think so."

Dick followed her gaze. "Oh. I didn't think she would bring him as her plus-one."

Kara looked at him and asked, "You know him?"

"That's Adrien Agreste. Her ex-boyfriend." He answered, pointing at the blonde model.

"Her what?"

Dick gave her a confused look. "You didn't know? He also used to be her superhero partner, Chat Noir, before she became Flambird. He continued to be a vigilante type hero for a while after they both defeated Hawkmoth and had to give up their Miraculouses. I think he stopped before they both broke up and moved away from each other. It was around the time you arrived, I think."

Kara then knew who he was talking about. Mari would often mention her Chaton in the passing with fondness and Kara only knew that he was doing college somewhere in England.

Mari laughed at something Adrien said. It made her heart feel heavy. She recalled what Clark said about Mari’s love for blondes when Adrien ran his hand through his messy, blond locks of hair. Then, Adrien whispered something to Mari in French which Kara didn’t know what it meant but it made Mari blush a bright red.

Suddenly, Kara couldn’t take it anymore. Dick turned back to his conversation partner only to find her gone.

------

Kara sighed as she stared blankly at the lake near the Kents farm. She was sitting on one of the large rocks nearby. In the distance, she heard people celebrating as the happy couple ended the wedding reception with Earth’s traditions.

Sooner or later, she was going to have to face Mari. But Kara didn’t have the courage to face the other girl after what she had witnessed.

Adrien had made Mari laugh and she looked happy to be around him. She didn’t want to get in the way of Mari’s happiness with her own confusing feelings for her own selfishness. She stared up into the sky where the sun was setting but a few stars were out. Should she leave this planet?

Kal was starting his own family with Lois and Mari has something going on with Adrien. They were perfectly happy to start a new life on this planet. Where did that leave Kara? There are days where she feels out of touch with the people around her. Kori was the only one who remotely understood her struggle to live as a human. But Mari was the only other one to know how it feels to lose a planet. Kal had lived here too long to ever remember what it was like to feel Rao’s light on his skin and how the sky looked at night on Krypton with its three moons instead of a very lonely one.

A shadow fell across her which made her groan and curler tighter to avoid the inevitable conversation.

“Kal-El, don’t you have a bride to go kiss, instead of meddling in my love-” Kara looked up to see the last person she wanted to see “-life.”

Her traitorous heart skipped a beat.

“Kara.” Mari smiled gently although her eyes showed hurt at being ignored. “The wedding’s over so I came to find you.”

Kara stayed silent.

“We need to talk.”

Kara bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. She thought that she had time. Time to organize her thoughts and collect herself.

“Kara? Oh Rao.” Mari panicked and landed in front of her. She wiped the tears away.

“Kara. I don’t know what I did wrong. Just tell me how I can fix it.” Mari’s voice pleaded, sounding desperate.

“No.” Kara blurted out and then tried to fix her mistake at Mari’s downtrodden look. “I mean. It’s not you. It’s me. I- um….”

Kara took a deep breath and calmed herself. Mari patiently waited for her to explain.

Kara continued, her voice more steady but quieter. “I made a mistake and I thought that staying away from you was…. the best solution.” She meekly admitted

Mari let out a sigh of relief. “That’s it? Whatever this mistake is, we can fix it together. Just like old times.”

Mari gave her a grin which made Kara remember the many messes they had made as kids and giggling as they cleaned it all up.

Kara shook her head and looked away from Mari. “I can’t tell you. It will be selfish of me to drag you into my personal business.”

She felt hands grab the sides of her head and turned it back to face their owner.

Bluebell eyes stared into hers, filled with determination.

“Kara Zor-El. You are one of the most important people in the world- No, wait- in the entire universe to me. Whatever problem is making you like this, it is not a burden. I will do everything I have to help you. So don’t think that it is selfish.” Mari took Kara’s hand and held it to her own face. She leaned into it. “Don’t you ever think that it is selfish to burden me with your problems.”

“You…” Kara quietly said, “you are making it very very hard to not like you.”

Mari blinked. Her eyes wide and filled with confusion, hurt and deep sadness.

“I like you.” Kara confessed abruptly because if Mari wanted to be burdened, she could be burdened by Kara’s crush. “I could even go as far as to say I love you. I want to kiss you. I want to hold hands all the time. I want to be around you all the time. I want the whole world. No. I want the whole universe to know that you are mine. This whole time I had been avoiding you so I won’t act on them and damn Kal for forcing my hand. I have been trying to get rid of this crush but all I couldn’t stop thinking about is you. You are in my mind all the time. Even if I don’t see you, you are there. So please say something?”

For the entire speech, Mari was frozen with her mouth open, not saying a word. Then, she broke out into the biggest and goofiest grin and let out a laugh of joy. Mari hugged Kara tightly.

“Kara. Kara. Kara. Kara Zor-El.” She repeated the name like a prayer. Kara didn’t know what came over her friend.

Then, Mari kissed Kara.

It was like the stars exploded in her head. All of the worrying and sadness she had all melted at the touch of Mari’s lips.

Soon, they parted. Kara found herself smiling and Mari doing the same.

“I actually came here for another reason.” Mari grabbed something from behind her and showed it to Kara. It was Lois’s bouquet.

“Oh wow.” Kara said as she took it and breathed in the flowers’ fragrance. “Wasn’t this Lois’s?” she asked.

Mari blushed furiously as she replied, “You should know that I fought a Thanagarian to get it.”

Then, she lowered her voice, “I don’t know if you knew but according to Earth’s superstitions, they say that the one who catches the bride’s bouquet will be the next one to get married.”

“Not that we have to get married.” Mari somehow turned a brighter red than before. “I mean we can get married but not right now even if I want to do it right now. No- I mean I would like to get married to you in the future if you would let me.” She finished lamely.

Kara giggled, “So is that your way of asking me out?”

“Um..yes.” Mari sighed, “I had a plan. You just have to be so pretty that I forget what I planned to say. Can I start over?”

Kara nodded with a shy smile.

Mari cleared her throat. “Ever since we were little kids, I had the biggest crush on you. When I thought I lost you, my life was a dark place and even as I continued to move forward, I have never forgotten you. The day you came crashing back into my life was the happiest day of my life. So Kara Zor-El, would you give me the honor of being your girlfriend?”

“Yes.” Kara replied softly and leaned in to kiss her newly minted girlfriend.

------

EPILOGUE:

It was a rather snowy day in Metropolis and the Christmas spirit was high in the air. The crowds of Metropolis cheered as Flamebird and Supergirl saved the day once again.

They were making to fly away after checking on the victims of Toyman’s latest attack.

“KISS! KISS! KISS!” The crowd shouted at them.

A few of the citizens were throwing mistletoe at the two of them or trying to dangle them above the flying heroes.

Supergirl caught one and held it up between the two of them.

The two heroes exchanged smirks before Flamebird grabbed Supergirl’s waist to pull her closer, tilted her back to place her lips on Supergirl’s. The crowd was silent with shock for a second before they roared with delight and flashes went off to capture the historic moment. The couple pulled apart, giggling at the reactions.

Flamebird grabbed Supergirl’s hand and announced, “Citizens of Metropolis. Have a very happy Holiday and I will be spending mine kissing my girlfriend.”

The people screamed louder as the two Kryptonians flew away hand in hand.

#maribat #karanette #kara x marinette #ml x dc #maribat secret santa 2022

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