Bab 14: Chapter 14: It's Lovely to be Seen
The group gets about halfway through Captain Marvel when almost everyone has finished their meal. Lena refused to eat her peas when Kara tried to feed them to her. She tries them herself and can barely mask the disgusted face she pulls after swallowing the offending vegetable.
The reporter tried to bribe her with ice cream, it almost worked but when the peas touched the CEO's lips, she was not having it.
The peas take a back seat, more asparagus is introduced though, and that goes better than the other greens. Maggie doesn't really have a problem, but Kara can see her eyeing the peas, she downs them with the rest of her mashed potatoes to mask the taste.
Alex is on dish duty since Sam took the brunt of the work when cooking, Kara usually helps but she heard a factory fire happened somewhere in Paris, she usually wouldn't think of leaving when Lena is like this, but the rest of her family is more than capable of handling things for a few moments.
Kara kisses Lena's head, "I'll be right back Lee."
Lena picks at the rest of her food, waiting for her girlfriend to get back, Alex is almost done with the dishes when the familiar swoop of air hits her. The soot-covered hero showers for about five minutes and the Super comes out hair dripping and smelling like freshly cut strawberries.
Lena's plate is about done, Kara takes it to Alex to wash, along with Maggies.
Kara grabs some wet wipes, Lena was playing in her food with her hands, not the first time. Lena gets bored while eating, it apparently tastes better if food was eaten with fingers.
Kara wipes each individual finger. The blonde uses two wet wipes to get the job done, and another to wipe her face from food residue.
"Let me get one of those please," Sam says from the other side of the couch. She has been eyeing Maggie, she has a little food leftover on her face and Sam knows eventually she would just end up wiping it on her clothes, and that's no good.
Kara hands her the pack of wipes without questions, then she goes to throw her used ones away.
The CFO takes the offered wipes and wipes away the remnants of food that sits on the corners of her little one's mouth. Maggie squeaks at the coldness.
Her cheeks flush a faint pink, most of her embarrassment masked by her toned brown skin.
Maggie scowls at Sam, making it known that she was not happy with the babying.
"I can clean myself."
"I know you can," Sam still scrubs away at the food-clad face, "I want to take care of you, let me bun." She says the last part while looking at her little one directly. She tries to convey her love with just a look, it seems to work well enough. The detective softens.
She lets Sam finish cleaning her face and hands. The Latina's eyes stay glued to the movie, trying to stay enraptured.
Having Sam call her bun, a nickname reserved specifically for her little moments, is triggering a drop. Before with Lena, having fun just talking like that, always put her on the in-between. She never fully dropped around the CEO before though. With her, she feels so carefree, almost like she does with her girlfriends, but they exude security, she doesn't get that without them.
She never dropped until a while ago, when they fell asleep on the couch, she just hoped that Lena didn't see her sucking her thumb like a baby, that would be embarrassing.
Maggie's rational brain knows it's safe but her irrational side is screaming at her, telling her the opposite.
She hates their yelling, it confuses the shit out of her. She just wants to be. Be present, be in the soft caring moments. The moments filled with love and family. Moments filled with laughter and fun. Moments filled with cuddles and not a care in the world. Moments like earlier, with her newfound best friend.
She knows she's safe, but she doesn't know it.
Frustrated tears well in the detective's eyes. Why can't my brain just work and pick!
It's hard picking through thoughts when all I want is to be little.
Maggie just wants to be cared for, looked after unconditionally, like she never was when she lived with her father.
Sam puts the wipes down and pulls Maggie into a love-induced hug after feeling tears fall on her bare legs.
"I love you bun, we all do."
That's what breaks the damn, those words cut through her like a freshly sharpened knife; a sob rips through her vocal cords.
The detective clammers on Sam's lap. Seeking for the firmness and comfort her strong arms can bring.
Her salty tears soak through Sam's blouse but neither pay it any mind.
These fallen tears aren't tears of sadness or anger. They are tears of relief, Maggie feels cathartic with this type of release.
It's like an unmeasurable weight has been lifted off of her chest, and Maggie can now find that she can breathe, she can breathe easily and freely. She never noticed how much of this weight has been holding her down. She's gotten comfortable with it after years of neglect and abuse, day in and out. It became her new normal. She eventually acclimated to the weight, and always expected to be held down by all the baggage.
That weight felt like being held down, having both arms and legs tied behind your back. Asked to sing the Russian alphabet while being flogged with razors. This may seem excessive, but it's the only way the feelings can be put into words.
The detective sobs tapper into little sniffles. Her other girlfriend shows up after she has calmed, knowing that in the moment of such an emotional outburst, having more people come so sudden can make things worse.
Alex's hands rest on the dimpled part of Maggie's back, just under her shirt for skin-to-skin contact. The redhead's thumb rubs small soothing circles.
A light flickers just behind Maggie's eyes. Her world turns, not upside down, but right side up. She looks at everything with new vision, not impaired like before. This has all been so freeing for her, everything is in a new light.
The voices have stopped, more specifically the devil that usually sits on her shoulder has died down, not even a hum from them can be heard.
Her ear rests just above Sam's breast, all Maggie can hear now is the rhythmic beating of her loved one's heart.
The detective sits and listens, aware of the beating heart and the hand that rubs her back. She tunes into the breathing that is above her, in and out, in and out. She unconsciously mimics the rhythm. She feels herself drifting, not to sleep though. She's floating, like one would imagine if they could fly and rest upon a cloud. Or rafting on the silent waves of the deep blue sea.
Her thumb rubs just the underside of her bottom lip, contemplating entry.
"Go on bun." Sam whispers just above her head. She wants her little one to make this leap by herself, she doesn't want to push, but sometimes that's all the person needs to finally get there. She knows Maggie needs reassurances, and that's what she gives her.
Little Maggie doesn't have to be told twice. She puts her thumb in, giving it a few cursory sucks. She coats it in saliva for easier sucking.
The tiny detective no longer pays attention to the movie. Instead, entranced by mommy's beating heart that sings in her ear and mama's soothing pats on her bottom. She knows now, for a fact, that she is undoubtedly safe, safe with her mama's and her friends.
She is safe to breathe and be herself, her entire self. Whatever that may be.
Before she drifts off into Neverland, she feels the familiar warmth of mama's lips on her forehead.
"Love you little bug."
She drifts
She steadily rocks on the clear and silent waters. Her mind plays in the soft pink and orange clouds above, she can taste the moon. She can feel its soft warm glow on her cheeks. She can hear the night birds sing their favourite tune, the chirps of crickets play on their beat. Her dreams are filled with the calming sounds that a thunderless rainstorm brings, she is at peace. Peace that she is knowing for the first time. She never wants to forget it. This is love, this is love.
Her only coherent thought left, bliss.
The CEO is unaware of the tremendous step that just occurred.
"Can I have ice cream?" Kara can only groan and faceplant into the couch cushions. Alex and Sam try to hold in their laughter, weary of the now-sleeping Maggie.
"What did I do?"
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