Chapter Text
Lex and Alex were perfect for each other - or so Lena heard it all through her childhood.
Every time they repeated it Lena disagreed. The adults were always amused with her protesting. ‘Always protecting her older brother’ she would hear Lilian say. Honestly, Lena couldn’t care less about Lex’s love life.
===
She remembered the first time she saw Alex Danvers.
That morning, Lionel had called her to his office. He was nice. She liked him. And she never actually had a dad. It was only her and her mother and she found it nice to have someone like Lionel around.
(Weeks later she'd find out how actually he was never around, but in that moment, he still seemed like the perfect dad.)
“Some friends of mine are coming over this after noon and I’d like for them to know you. Would you be okay with that?” Lionel asked.
She nodded as she had been doing to everything they offered or asked. Lena still spoke very little. He admired her instinct of protecting herself, after all, they were still strangers to her.
It was her second week with the Luthors and she was still quite shy. So when the Danvers arrived Lena was hiding behind Lionel’s leg.
She could see a couple by the door but what actually surprised her was the third person. A girl dressed in shorts and a loose t-shirt. If it wasn't for the long hair she might have mistaken her for a boy.
The girl saw her too and tilted her head trying to see Lena who hid further behind Lionel’s leg.
“Somebody is being shy today,” Lionel laughed.
“Don’t be rude, Lena,” Lillian said gripping Lena’s arm and dragging her out of her hiding spot.
She didn't like Lillian much. Lionel told her she'd be her new mother. She cried when he said that and said she wanted her old mom back. Lionel explained that Lillian could never take her place - and Lena couldn't quite place the familiarity with which he spoke of her her mother - but that Lillian would be taking care of Lena as if she was her own daughter.
Lena tried to believe it, but Lillian seemed to be much warmer and kinder towards Lex than she was to Lena.
“Say hi to our guests," Lillian demands using her harsher tone - the one reserved for Lena and the house's staff.
Lena waved and tried to ignore her urge to hide.
She didn’t like Lillian, but she had noticed how it wouldn't be a good idea to disobey her. Lionel wouldn’t come to her defense against Lillian – the two respected each other's power. He would never question Lillian's actions, nor would she question Lionel's.
Lex tried to protect Lena but he was still too young - and too naïve, would say Lionel, and too sensitive, Lillian would say - to be able to do anything.
The blonde older woman, Eliza as she introduced herself, was the first one to talk to Lena, kneeling in front of her. She seemed nice - nicer than Lillian - but Lena remained only nodding or shaking her head at her questions.
Lena watched as Lex went over to talk with the younger guest. She saw the girl smirking and crossing her arms as Lex talked to her. Alex punches Lex's arms and Lena frowns at that. She watched as the girl and Lex left the room running to the gardens.
At that Eliza had already realized she had lost Lena's attention.
“She’s been awfully attached to Lex,” Lillian told Eliza. “At first I had my doubts if it was a good idea, but I think it’s going to be good for Lex. Make him more responsible, more mature.”
“Maybe I should adopt one myself. Alexandra has been impossible these days and someone doesn’t help,” Eliza said eyeing her husband.
The man gave her a warm smile but it was Lionel who spoke next
“Oh, Eliza. Don’t worry about it. If she wasn’t difficult she wouldn’t be good enough for Lex,” Lionel said with a proud smile and flirting voice. “When should we schedule the wedding?”
They all laughed and with a hand on the man's back Lionel took the man to his office. Eliza gave Lena her hand as they walked to the garden. The gesture reminded Lena of her mother and how Lillian didn't bother to do the same.
She was a weird woman.
Years later she'd realize that 'weird' in this case meant 'cold'.
Alex and Lex were hanging around one of Lex’s projects. It looked like a rectangular box and he was attaching it to Alex's back. Lena sat on a chair between Lillian and Eliza. Her attention is completely on her brother and the girl.
“Best case scenario you should float a couple inches above the ground,” Lex said as he was attaching some sort of a suit on Alex’s body.
“Worst case scenario?”
“What? Don’t you trust me, Danvers?”
“Not a bit, Luthor,” she answered with a smirk.
Lena watched it all a bit scared – she’d seen things explode around Lex quite often those last weeks. She was afraid the girl might be one of those things to go boom too. She could tell that Eliza was a bit tense too while Lillian was only proud.
“Shut up, Danvers, or I might replace you with a real guinea pig.”
“Just turn it on already.”
===
Alex didn’t actually float.
She complained about little electric shocks on her waist and took the thing off. Lex was frustrated and started working on the machine right away as Alex started climbing the trees trying to reach some fruits.
She almost fell twice and started laughing when her mother gasped.
On the second time, Eliza made her climb down.
===
Lunch went okay.
Lena still found the food kind of weird and resisted eating for a bit before Lillian threatened to ground her. The table got tense after it. Lena started eating with a frown on her face until Alex started to make silly things with her food across the table. They were awfully stupid but they got Lena to laugh.
Eliza made Alex stop but the girl was happy enough that she managed to wipe that cute little girl's pout out of her face.
After lunch, Lex went back to his project and Lena went to her room. She was reading a book (the book her mother used to read to her every night before going to bed) when she heard a knock on the door. It was open and against the door frame the girl was leaning and looking at her.
“Hey, I was looking for the restroom and got kind of lost. Do you mind if I join you?” Lena shook her head and Alex sat on the floor next to her. “What are you reading?”
Instead of answering, Lena showed the girl the cover. Alex smiled.
"That's a good book."
It took actually half an hour until Lena feels comfortable enough to actually talk to her. That whole time Alex had to read every one of Lena's little reactions to actually know she was listening to her.
Alex opened the brightest smile when she Lena finally spoke and Lena’s cheek got flushed. After that Lena didn't stop talking.
When it was time for Alex to leave, Lena bit her tongue so she wouldn’t ask her to stay just a little bit longer. Lena followed her to the main entrance. Lex appeared still complaining about his invention.
“Yeah, call me when you are sure it’s not going to shock me to death,” Alex told him with a punch on the arm. Across the room, her eyes met Lena’s and she opened a smile. “Do I get a hug from the most beautiful girl of the house?”
Lena pushed her lips together and crossed the room shyly to give Alex a hug.
“You still owe me the end of that book, Lee,” Alex said with a wink.