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owl-with-a-pen · 1 year

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Merry Christmas/Hanukkah!! <3

prompt of brainy and nia spending the holidays at Nias parents house???

Happy Holidays! I whipped this one up in record time so forgive any mistakes. Hope you enjoy! x

Mornings had once been quite the monotonous feat to Brainy. A simple routine of waking, preparing for the day ahead and executing those plans exactly as intended. Some time before then, the morning hadn’t even been a time of day at all. It had existed outside of his perception, neither here nor there, as he had worked through the rise and fall of sunlight locked within his lab, or the artificial rays that had run in conjunction with the Legion ship’s automated Earth-clock.

That had changed in recent years. Now, Brainy had learned to indulge in all the gifts the morning had to offer. The most important of which he could find just by rolling onto his side, glimpsing one Nia Nal curled into her pillow just inches away from him. Sunlight held a far more pleasant aspect when it glowed atop her head as she slept soundly half buried beneath their comforter, not quite ready to face the world just yet.

When Brainy had awoken that morning, they weren’t in the familiarity of the bedroom they shared in National City. Instead, they were some miles away, spending the holiday period at Nia’s family home in Parthas. This was not the first time that Brainy had slept in Nia’s old bedroom, but sharing a space with his partner that was filled with so many memories, so much love, was a comfort he found he was never quite prepared for.

When Nia stirred at his side, a soft groan parting her lips, Brainy shuffled in close, burying his nose into her hair. “Good morning,” he murmured, his mouth lingering at her throat.

Nia smiled, lifting her head to meet him. “Morning to you, too,” she said, her voice still a little croaky. She rolled over so that she was facing him, snuggling into her favoured spot tucked away against his shoulder. Brainy grinned, relishing in the feel of her warm breath tickling his collar bone.

“How’d you sleep?” Nia asked into his pyjama shirt. She poked his chest, lifting her chin to fix him with a half serious look. “Did you sleep?”

Brainy had expected the question. Since his brush with death at the hands of Leviathan, Nia had taken to checking in with him every now and then on his sleeping patterns. He knew she felt regret at how soundly she could sleep on nights that a vision didn’t intrude on her dreams, but he had assured her time and time again that he was only glad she could find that peace so often now. Since she’d begun to master her ability, the chances of nightmares had tapered off to a handful every few months.

Brainy’s sleeping pattern, however, remained unruly at the best of times - old anxieties that he still struggled with from the removal of his inhibitors. It was true that he required less sleep than most species, but even he knew that he had made something of a habit of pushing at those limits to an unhealthy degree.

Today, though, he could be honest with her. “I did,” he admitted. “In fact, I slept for far longer than anticipated.”

Nia’s smile was infectious. She nuzzled into his throat, her lashes brushing against his skin. “The perks of sleeping in a Dreamer’s bed.”

“This room is indeed very cosy,” Brainy agreed. The natural light that bled in through the windows gave everything it touched a warm orange glow, reflecting against old nick knacks and stuffed animals, cherished items of Nia’s childhood that had been cared for with utmost love in her absence.

Brainy wound an arm around Nia’s back, drawing her in close. “I would have slept for longer I suspect, but I wanted to wake before your father.” He frowned thoughtfully. “He is quite the early bird normally, but factoring in the eggnog that was consumed last night—”

Nia chuckled. “Oh yeah, you’ve got an extra two hours, easy.”

Brainy smiled triumphantly, kissing Nia once on the cheek before sitting up. “In that case, I would like to propose that I make breakfast this morning!”

Nia sat up hastily at Brainy’s declaration. She took his arm, trailing down until her hand was wound firmly to his wrist. “Alright, so I’d like to propose we do that together.” She smiled at him honestly. “Dad’s – uh – had a taste of your cooking before, so he knows what to expect, but Maeve’s coming over this morning.”

“Ah,” Brainy said seriously, leaning in towards her. “Is her palate not as well-refined as your father’s?”

Nia snorted suddenly, covering her mouth in a blatant attempt to hide it. “You could say that.” She rolled her eyes, pecking him quickly on the lips. “It’s alright, we’ll figure it out together. Just, let me brush my teeth first.”

She whipped off the blanket in one swoop, bounding off the bed with revitalised energy. Just as she was about to skip out of the door, she paused, turning towards Brainy with a grin. “Oh, and Merry Christmas!”

Brainy grinned even brighter. “Merry Christmas,” he returned.

---

This wasn’t the first Christmas Nia had spent without her mom, but it was the first time she’d been back to Parthas for the holidays. It had been something Nia had both been looking forward to and totally melting down over in equal measure.

Brainy had kept her strong throughout the worst of her backpedalling, holding her firm when she’d tried to talk herself out of going this year, reminding her of all the stuff she’d expressed over and over again about how much she’d been looking forward to.

For starters, Parthas never did anything half-assed. Their holiday celebrations were some of the biggest and brightest, a community event that brought everyone together to celebrate with music, food and good company at the town square. Nia had never believed that holiday spirit could be superficial, not when she saw it so animatedly in the eyes of a town that shared so many unique cultures and holidays, both from Earth and off-world.

That part, Nia wasn’t dreading so much. She was even looking forward to visiting her mom’s grave again, laying out some flowers for her in all the colours she knew she loved. Ever since she’d paid the ultimate price to see her again, the connection with her mother didn’t feel so far out of reach. When she talked out loud to herself, she could almost imagine her mother listening in; there were even times when she’d catch the impression of someone familiar standing with her in the dreamscape, encouraging every step of her progress.

So, no, those things weren’t what was freaking her out so much. As she helped Brainy cook up a breakfast spread for her family, though, she knew exactly what it really was.

This was the first Christmas she’d be spending with Maeve since their mother had passed. Since the fight that had separated them. Since… everything that had come to light in between.

It was also the first time Maeve would be meeting Brainy in person, which felt so weird. Brainy was such a large part of her life and, up until recently, so was Maeve. Nia knew that her sister was trying in earnest to build her trust again, but it wasn’t going to be easy and whether Nia admitted to it or not, she could feel that strain whenever they were together.

She wanted things to go well when Maeve turned up, but at the same time she was painfully aware of how different it would feel for her to be here with them for the holidays. It wasn’t just Nia that Maeve had disappointed, and although she’d finally gone to visit their dad shortly after their team-up in the dream realm, things were still a little rocky on all fronts.

Again, Nia couldn’t have been more relieved for Brainy’s endless patience throughout her meltdowns. She was honestly surprised this hadn’t triggered any unwarranted anxieties of his own, but it seemed his adamance to support her had overridden any signs of that.

When the doorbell rang at the Nal household, Nia nearly dropped her spatula. She was just plating up the last of the pancakes, and Brainy had been digging in a drawer for cutlery, but they both paused to look up, catching each other’s eye.

Nia held her breath, holding her chin high. It was now or never, she supposed.

“Coming!” she called out.

---

“Nia, hi! How have you been?”

Maeve’s high-energy smile was dazzlingly hard to figure out, especially when she swept Nia into a hug that lingered a little awkwardly for everyone involved.

Nia was the first to draw away, trying to relax her jaw as she offered a smile of her own. “Hey, Maeve. I’ve been good—really good, actually.”

“I can see that.” Maeve winked at her conspiratorially, squeezing her hands. Nia wasn’t sure what she was talking about at first, that was until she felt Brainy join her at her side.

Maeve’s eyes darted to Brainy eagerly. “So, you’re the brainiac that Nia won’t shut up about.”

Nia felt a blush warm her cheeks.

Brainy smirked, bumping Nia’s shoulder. “I suppose I am exactly that.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Nia said easily, kissing his cheek.

“Aww, you guys are so cute,” Maeve gushed, but Nia could already see the game she was playing. She still hadn’t let go of her hands, after all.

Just as she expected, the second Maeve spotted the ring, she gasped. “Is that—?”

Nia bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smile. She and Brainy had been engaged for a couple of months now. They’d already announced it to their friends and family, in fact, the last time she and Brainy had been back to Parthas had been in the summer when they’d surprised her dad with their engagement. She still remembered the tears of joy in her dad’s eyes when he’d hugged her tight, shaking Brainy’s hand before pulling him into a hug of his own, formally welcoming him to the family he’d long-since been a part of.

Maeve had been a no-show at the engagement party Kara and Alex had put together for them, work obligations had predictably tied her down. Nia honestly hadn’t minded all that much. As much as she wanted to build a relationship with her sister again, she knew it was never going to feel the same as before.

Maeve squealed in delight as she turned over Nia’s hand, inspecting the ring from every angle. “Oh my god,” she said, scrutinising each detail. She paused suddenly, her eyes snapping to Brainy. “What, no rock?”

Brainy quirked a brow. “That ring is far superior to any Earth diamond, I can assure you.”

Nia grinned proudly, splaying out her fingers for Maeve to see. “It’s made of Nth metal,” she explained. “It gives you the ability to fly.”

Maeve visibly recoiled, although she collected herself quickly. She looked at Nia accusingly. “You just made that up!”

Nia’s grin broadened. “Nuh-uh,” she said. “And hey, maybe if you’re on your best behaviour, I’ll even show you how it works later.”

Maeve’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, you cannot dangle that over me!” But her tone was made in good jest, enough that even Brainy smiled along.

The rest of the morning went better than Nia had ever expected. Maeve relaxed to Brainy’s unaltered appearance almost immediately and seemed genuinely curious about his culture and species as a whole. She brightened tenfold when she realised that he was fluent in Naltorian and the three of them spent a good thirty minutes dipping in between languages as they grew to understand each other a little better.

Late to rise, when their dad finally came down the stairs, he was greeted with the sound of shared laughter and the smell of palatable pancakes drenched an inch to their life in maple syrup.

They ate together in the living room, sharing stories old and new, catching each other up with their lives and for the first time in forever, feeling like a family that wasn’t hollow at its core. Nia caught herself glancing up at the photo of her mom that their dad had displayed on the mantel, her smiling face watching down on them in the same way she’d imagined in her dreams.

She would’ve been happy to see them all like this, Nia knew. And maybe, someday soon, she might even catch a glimpse of her in the dream realm again, and maybe she’d be able to hear that from her lips for real.

They spent the majority of the morning lounging lazily in each other’s company, Nia curled into Brainy’s side as they shared their engagement story once more for Maeve’s benefit. It was the first time in a long time that Nia saw real elation in Maeve’s eyes. No resentment, no jealousy, she seemed to be truly happy for them. She didn’t even tense up when their superhero lives were mentioned. If anything, there was a sense of pride that had begun to radiate from her now, for the sister who had spared her a second chance, who she was determined to prove herself to with every waking breath.

A few drinks were shared before they headed off for the town’s festivities. Nia found herself walking hand-in-hand with Brainy, her free arm hooked through her sister’s, their dad walking amiably at their side, and she suddenly wondered why she’d ever been so scared of this day at all.

For today and – she hoped - for every day after, they were a family again.

That was the best gift she could have ever asked for.

#supergirl #brainia #nia nal #brainiac 5 #maeve nal #paul nal #dreamerdox #supergirl fanfiction #my writing #my prompts #anon #i saw this in my ask box this morning and jotted down some dialogue because this just gave me instant inspiration #and it's now uh.. nearly 4am.. and i've spent like the last 2 hours writing it up #anyway happy christmas/hanukkah and happy holidays #i'm going to bed now 😅

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