Human for a Day (Supergirl, F)

[wannablessedbe]

Hi gang!

So, it's been quite a while since I posted anything new...I was lacking in inspiration. But now I have some again! I just started binge-watching the first season of Supergirl, which is a little corny but still completely awesome, especially if you like strong female characters and lots of 'em! I am a fan of the show as well as the actresses, and wouldn't you know it, episode 7 is called "Human for a Day." I knew I was gonna write a sneezefic for it as soon as I saw the title; but then I watched it and those beautiful tv writers beat me to the punch! she gets a cold the second she loses her powers. unfortunately she only sneezes during the first 5-6 minutes of the ep, but they're really really cute and pretty darn realistic (I posted the clips here). Of course there were not nearly as many sneezes in the ep as I would've liked...plus y'all know what a huge sucker I am for any hurt/comfort/caretaking opportunities...so here's the ep the way I would have written it! The only backstory you need to know is that Kara (Supergirl) loses her powers fighting an android that the military designed and forced her to fight supposedly as a "field test"...but when she blows the thing up, it blows out her powers, and that's where the "Human for a Day" ep picks up. Also Kara has an adopted human family including an older sister named Alex who works with her to save the world and stuff. Plz let me know what you think! Yay new fandom!!!

 

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Human for a Day

A Supergirl fic for SFF

By WannaBlessedBe

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“Kara! Are you okay? What's happening?!” Alex demanded anxiously through her earpiece, terrified at the thought of anything hurting her little sister—even if her little sister happened to be an indestructible alien from across the galaxy. Her mom had told her the day they took Kara in that it was her job to look out for her new little sister; and Alex had never taken anything her mother said more deeply to heart.

“I'm okay,” Kara's voice responded through the earpiece, sounding rattled and exhausted. “It's over.”

“Way to go, Supergirl,” Hank Henshaw smiled begrudgingly, his voice a deep, reassuring rumble. He'd tried to keep Alex Danvers' adopted alien sister as far away from the DEO as possible, honoring their father's dying wish a decade earlier; but the girls couldn't know of this, and in the end it had been impossible to keep the heroic young girl away once she knew of the DEO's existence, just like her older sister. And he couldn't argue against the results. “Come on back to HQ for a debrief. I think you'll be interested in what we uncovered about the android's design specifications.”

“Copy that, I'm on my way,” Kara's voice crackled through the transmitter. Then they all heard the whoosh of her leaping into flight; but this time it was followed by a loud thud and a shocked, gasped cry of pain.

“Kara, what's wrong?” Alex demanded urgently, brushing her dark hair impatiently off her face.

“I can't fly,” Kara panted, in a shocked, terrified voice. “I barely got ten feet up, and it just...I just fell. And I skinned my knee on a rock when I landed. I'm...I'm bleeding. I don't understand what's happening.”

“Hang tight, kiddo. We're coming to get you,” Alex assured her sister in a calm but commanding voice. The expression on her face was considerably less calm when she looked up at her boss, who nodded in agreement and sent Agent Danvers out with a field team to collect her sister.

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It only took an hour for the helicopter to reach the dusty desert plateau outside National City, but to Kara it felt much, much longer. She'd never had to wait for anything before. She'd never felt this tired before, either. The cut on her knee wasn't deep, but she stared at the blood in morbid fascination as it trickled down her leg, as alien to her as this entire planet had been the day her pod crashed here twelve years ago. When the DEO team found her, she was half-asleep against the side of a tall rock, her head drooping drowsily against her shoulder with her long, light brown hair billowing gently in the breeze against her arm.

“Kara! Hey, I'm here,” Alex gushed, trying to keep her voice calm despite her alarm at finding her sister in this state, powerless and woozy with real, red blood drying on her skinned knee. She knelt down on the dusty desert floor beside her alien sister, who roused herself with a small, self-deprecating grin.

“Hey,” Kara replied, her voice rough and exhausted. “Guess it's your lucky day, huh? The DEO can finally study my blood.” She chuckled a little, flexing her knee to display the dried blood, and winced at the small shock of pain from the broken skin.

“Oh shut up, I don't care about that,” Alex huffed, winding one arm behind her sister's shoulders and helping her stand up. She was so light, just a wisp of a girl inside the blue and red superhero suit with her long cape billowing in the desert air behind her.

“Henshaw will,” Kara shrugged, submissively allowing her big sister to steer her back to where the helicopter stood waiting for them. “Alex, I lost my powers...all of them. I can't fly, I can't do the laser eyes or the freeze-breath or...anything,” she shook her head feebly, looking more depressed now than scared. “I don't understand how this happened...”

“It was the android, Kara. It wasn't designed for military combat like Major Lane told us. It was designed to kill Kryptonians. When you blew it up, something in its design specs must have drained your body's natural solar regeneration charge,” Alex said grimly, keeping one hand protectively on her sister's back as one of the DEO field agents reached down to pull her into the helicopter.

“So...it's permanent?” Kara asked, white faced with exhaustion and anxiety.

“No. I don't know. I don't think so,” Alex sighed, sitting beside her in the chopper and pulling the heavy door closed behind her. “Let's just get you back to HQ and we'll figure this out. I promise,” Alex smiled reassuringly, her dark eyes shining as she squeezed her sister's hand.

“'Kay,” Kara sighed, managing a weak smile in return. Then she laid her head limply against her big sister's shoulder. “Is it okay if I just...close my eyes for a few minutes?”

“Of course, sweetie,” Alex murmured, running her fingers lightly through the younger girl's long, wavy hair. “Just rest now...you've earned it.”

“Mmm,” Kara mumbled in agreement. Exhaustion rolled over her like a warm, heavy blanket. Despite her worry and anxiety over her powers, the comfort of her sister's shoulder and her soft, loving voice lulled Kara into a deep, dreamless sleep.

….................................................................................................................................................................

Back at DEO headquarters, Henshaw ordered every conceivable test, and Kara spent the entire weekend lying on lab tables being scanned, having her blood drawn, and even having three different alien-biologists examine her, with her sister by her side the entire time. She spent hours under the bioengineered sunlight panels, which had never failed to recharge her solar batteries before; but after three eight-hour sessions, the doctors were still able to stick her arm with needles and draw blood, test after test assessing the depth of damage done to her DNA. It was hard not to feel scared, but the assurances from the DEO scientists that her powers would soon return, and that the same thing had happened more than once to her cousin in Metropolis, helped keep the anxiety at bay. When panic began to overtake her, she'd just reach out and squeeze Alex's hand; and her sister would never let go first.

Finally, early Monday morning, they let her go, to resume her normal human life until her powers returned. No one could say exactly how long that would be—it had already been a full 48 hours, which was the longest her cousin had ever gone without powers, but everyone still seemed exceedingly confident that the condition was temporary. Maybe some gender-related DNA features were the reason she was taking longer to recharge.

“Just check in with us as soon as you feel your powers coming back,” Henshaw said with a reassuring pat on her shoulder. “How are you feeling now?”

“Fine, I guess...if this is what fine feels like now,” Kara sighed glumly. Her body felt so frail and weary; there was a rawness in the back of her throat that flared slightly every time she swallowed, and a dull ache in her head behind her eyes. Was this what it felt like to be human? How did anyone ever get anything done?

“Come on, I'll walk you to work,” Alex smiled encouragingly. “You'll feel better once you get back to your normal routine...you'll see.” Kara nodded, returning the smile gratefully. If it weren't for her sister she would've been hysterical from the moment she fell out of the sky.

As they exited the DEO into the pale autumn sunlight, Kara shivered; Alex noticed, and pulled off her black leather jacket, settling it over her sister's shoulders. “You've never needed to dress for the weather before,” the older girl observed wryly, with a little smirk. “How do you think Ms. Grant will like the bad girl look?”

“God, she'll hate it,” Kara shook her head with a little giggle. “But I love it...thank you, Alex. For everything. You're the only thing keeping me sane right now.”

“Don't mention it, sis,” Alex smiled back. Then Kara abruptly stopped short, staring off absently into space for a long, silent moment. “Kar? What is it?”

“It's...I...” Kara's voice died as her eyes narrowed slightly, and her lungs expanded with an involuntarily deep breath. At the same time, her nostrils twitched and opened wide. Her body was acting completely of its own accord; the sensations swirling through her head and chest were so intense, she couldn't even think. “Hhha'ehxchoo!!!” She sneezed helplessly into the open air, her upper body jerking forward involuntarily with the force of it. “Ohhhh,” she whimpered softly as she straightened up, blinking dazedly. A trickle of snot leaked slowly from one nostril, and she sniffled, again without conscious thought.

“Bless you, baby!” Alex exclaimed, biting her lip to hold back the chuckle that she knew her sister would not appreciate right now. “Is somebody catching a little Supercold?” The older girl teased gently.

“Is that...*snfl*...what this is?” Kara asked, sounding a little woozy as she reached up and swiped the damp underside of her nose against the back of her hand. “I never...*snghf*...never lost control like that before...” Alex opened her purse and fished around until she found a small pocket pack of kleenex, pulling it out and handing one to her sniffling sister, who still looked completely dazed from the intense sensory experience of her first sneeze.

“Aw, honey,” Alex sighed, shaking her head. She watched her sister wiping her nose relentlessly in the tissue, eyes scrunched up tight as she rubbed the bottom of her nose roughly up and down.

“H-hhuh...hhetchhxsh!!” Kara sneezed again, this time with the damp tissue pressed firmly up against her flared nostrils, muffling the damp, helpless sound. “Ughhhh,” She whimpered again as she straightened up, one hand wiping her runny nose in the crumpled tissue while the other straightened the glasses she only wore to blend in with the human race.

“Bless you,” Alex said again, her amused smile turning sympathetic now as she reached out and pressed the back of her hand against her sister's forehead. It felt a bit warm. “Okay, change of plans. I think we better take you home, kiddo. You're getting sick.”

“But...” Kara protested, wiping her nose again on the damp, crumpled up tissue. Alex handed her a fresh one. “But you never stay home when you have a...*snfl*...a cold...” She still looked dazed and distracted; as soon as she stopped wiping her nose, a fresh trickle of snot dribbled from one nostril. She sniffled again, her perfect little nose twitching ticklishly.

“Kara, you've never been sick in your life. Look at you, you can barely finish a sentence. Do you think Ms. Grant will understand if you spend the whole day tripping over yourself every time you sneeze, and forget what you were supposed to be doing?” Alex raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip, her most authoritative big-sister pose.

“I...*snfl*...I guess not,” Kara conceded glumly, with another rough swipe of her runny nose in the tissue, followed by a long, liquid sniffle.

“You need to blow your nose, sweetie,” Alex said gently, resting one hand lightly on her sister's back. Kara nodded woozily, cupping the tissue more snugly around the slick rims of her nostrils, and gave a long, wet blow, eyes scrunched up tight.

“Ughhhh,” Kara sighed when she'd finished blowing her nose, blinking up miserably at her sister. She took off her unnecessary glasses and put them in her pocket. They were just a distraction now, and they slid down her nose every time she sneezed. “This feels so weird...”

“C'mon tough stuff. We're going home. You need to get in your PJ's, take some cold meds and have a movie marathon. You'll feel better soon.” Alex wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders and kissed her temple. Kara sighed dejectedly.

“Are you gonna stay with me?” the younger girl asked in a small, vulnerable voice.

“What do you think?” Alex teased gently, bumping her hip. That earned a small smile. “Come on, let's just hop in a cab. You're shivering, you have a fever. Mom would murder me if I let you walk around the city like this.”

“Okay,” Kara nodded submissively. She felt incredibly guilty for being sick and powerless; she'd never felt so out of control before, and despite always encouraging others to ask for help when they needed it, she still felt like a huge burden right now. If it were anyone besides her sister offering, she probably would've said no and continued stubbornly on to work as if nothing was wrong. “Thandks, Alex.” She hugged her sister tight, resting her feverish forehead on her sister's shoulder.

“Of course, Kar. Anything for my baby sis.” The older girl smiled sweetly when they pulled apart, and tapped her lightly on the tip of her cold-stuffed nose. Kara smiled back.

….................................................................................................................................................................

It was only a fifteen minute cab ride back to Kara's apartment, but she was asleep on her sister's shoulder again by the time they got there, just like in the helicopter. As soon as they were inside, Alex ordered her to go change into PJ's, and Kara complied submissively, eager to be comfy and horizontal on the couch. When she came back out of her room, wearing a soft, warm pair of flannel purple pajamas with little rainbow polkadots, she found Alex waiting for her on the couch with a steaming cup of tea, a package of bright orange cold pills, and a thermometer in her hand. There was a big box of tissues on the coffee table in front of her.

“Hey,” Kara smiled, feeling warm and safe despite her body's strange, uncontrollable complaints. As if to remind her that she was no longer in charge of her own body, the inside of her head began to tickle again, and she raised a hand absently to her face, knowing now what was coming. “Aah'ehhhshOO!!! *S-snfl*...” Her long hair swung forward over her shoulders with the force of her sneeze, and she straightened up blinking and sniffling again, keeping her hand cupped over her nose and mouth as she stumbled the last few feet to the couch.

“God bless you, sweetie,” Alex gave her a crooked grin as she passed her sister a tissue.

“Thaaahh...*snghf!*...thadk you,” Kara croaked out woozily as she sat down, cupping the tissue in both hands and giving her nose another deep, congested blow. It felt good, if only for a moment, to clear the wetness from her twitchy nose. “Ughhh, God...this sucks,” she whined, dropping her head back against the couch cushions with a defeated sigh.

“Welcome to the human race,” Alex smirked gently. “Now open your mouth, I'm gonna take your temp.” Kara opened her mouth without argument, long past the point of resistance to her big sister's protective caretaking. When she closed her mouth around the thermometer, she had to breathe through her nose; and even though she'd just blown it clear a moment ago, it was still stuffy, and she sniffed and rubbed a finger under her nostrils, scrunching up her eyes and crinkling her nose briefly. Alex giggled. Kara opened her eyes and gave her sister a mutinous glare.

“Sorry,” Alex chuckled as the thermometer beeped. “It's just...I never expected to see you like this. It's kind of adorable.” She drew the thermometer from the pouting girl's mouth and examined the readout. “101.8. That can't be fun.” Kara snatched a fresh tissue from the box in front of her, holding it a few inches in front of her face as her eyes narrowed again, breath hitching erratically, snot trickling gently from both nostrils as they quivered in helpless anticipation.

“UhhIIISHHooo!!! Hhhuh...*s-snfl*...hhht'chxshhoo!! Ohhhhh,” Kara sneezed desperately into the tissue, with another soft, involuntary sigh of woozy discomfort as she straightened up, sniffling. “Thandk you so, so mbuch for...*snfl*...for making me come home,” she groaned, pinching her itchy, leaky nose in the damp tissue. “If I was at work right now...I thindk I'd just lie down on the floor. *Snghf.*”

“You're welcome,” Alex grinned gently, charmed to see this woozy, submissive, helplessly human side of her sister for the first time. “What are big sisters for?” Kara merely pressed the damp tissue in her hands back to her wet nose, eyes fluttering as she tried hopelessly to keep them open.

“Aahh'txchhew!!! *Snfl*...” She sneezed wetly into the already soaked tissue, reaching for another one as she straightened up. The underside of her nose and the divot of her upper lip glistened with a thin coat of translucent snot.

“Bless you, Kar,” Alex cooed, all traces of teasing gone from her voice as she took in the miserable expression on her sister's face.

“Ughhhh,” Kara whimpered, wiping her nose and then dropping her head heavily on her older sister's shoulder. “Why does it feel like...the room is spinning?”

“You're dizzy, sweetie. From the fever. Here, swallow these, okay?” Alex reached forward (gently, so as not to dislodge Kara's head from its resting place on her shoulder), and popped two of the fat orange pills out of the package, putting them the woozy girl's hand. Kara blinked her eyes open, and lifted her head slightly, just enough to put the pills in her mouth and then take a sip of tea to wash them down. The tea felt good, soothing on her raw throat.

“Thadk you,” She murmured again, rubbing her eyes clumsily with her knuckles.

“Mm-hmm,” Alex murmured gently, grabbing one of the fat, squishy throw pillows and putting it in her lap. “Now lay down and relax, okay? We can watch anything you want.” Kara complied without a word, relieved to be lying down as the room seemed to tilt and wobble around her. She felt herself trembling, and realized she was cold; but before she could even say it, Alex was pulling the neatly folded afghan from the arm of the couch and laying it over her. “Snug as a bug,” the older girl cooed, threading her fingers through her sister's long, shiny hair. Kara sighed happily, her body relaxing under the warmth of the blanket and the loving, gentle touch of her sister's hands in her hair.

“Uhh...*s-snfl*...hhheh'iiishhoo!!! *Snghf!*” Kara curled up under the blanket involuntarily when she sneezed, shivering and sniffling.

“Bless you,” Alex hummed softly, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. Kara blew her nose sleepily.

“...Ohhhh,” She sighed, wiping her nose again. She was starting to feel a dull ache in her chest when she sneezed, but she decided not to worry about it. She would get her powers back soon, and then it would all go away and she'd be soaring through the clouds again. She remembered the first time she'd taken Alex flying with her, when they were just kids. Alex hadn't wanted to, she was scared...but Kara floated into the air just a few feet above her, grinning and holding out her hand. Trust me, she'd said with a smile. And Alex had. They'd barely known each other...but they were sisters instantly.

“You doe what?” The woozy girl sniffled sleepily.

“What, baby?” Alex asked quietly, reaching for the tissues and pushing a few into sniffling girl's hands.

“When I think about everything I lost on Krypton...my parents...my world...it still hurts so much,” Kara murmured quietly, wiping her nose in a fresh tissue. Alex stayed silent, but slipped one hand under the blanket to rub her back. “But when I think about what would've happened if I'd never left...if I never had you as a sister...it hurts just as much.” She heard a soft sniffle, and rolled onto her back so she could see Alex's face. “Oh, crap, did I make you sick?” She asked anxiously, suddenly remembering that colds are contagious.

“No, dummy,” Alex shook her head, wiping her dark eyes with a big, dopey smile on her face. “You made me cry.”

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2016 by wannablessedbe

[SneezeloveronGirls]

I'm curious if she will still be ill when she gets her powers back if they return gradually which would cause the virus to adapt in order to survive. It would be amusing to see how she deals with a cold that is adapted to Kryptonian DNA along with how much destruction would be caused by a super-powered cold.

[wannablessedbe]

23 hours ago, SneezeloveronGirls said:

I'm curious if she will still be ill when she gets her powers back if they return gradually which would cause the virus to adapt in order to survive. It would be amusing to see how she deals with a cold that is adapted to Kryptonian DNA along with how much destruction would be caused by a super-powered cold.

Lol thx, I'm sure that's a fun idea for someone but definitely not for me. I've never been into super/giant/magical sneezes that are superhumanly huge. Idk why, it's just not my thing. But maybe you want to write a fic like that!

[PropertyofCora]

I love this!  Those two are so precious, I can totally see this happening.  When I first saw the sneezing in this episode I basically fell off my chair.  I have never been much into superhero shows but Supergirl is so addictive.  I especially love shipping Kara and Cat.  Now if only Kara would share her cold with her lovely germaphobic boss...

[NoV]

On 4/3/2016 at 3:24 AM, wannablessedbe said:

It's...I...” Kara's voice died as her eyes narrowed slightly, and her lungs expanded with an involuntarily deep breath. At the same time, her nostrils twitched and opened wide. Her body was acting completely of its own accord; the sensations swirling through her head and chest were so intense, she couldn't even think. “Hhha'ehxchoo!!!”

I really like the idea of someone experiencing a sneeze as an adult who has never sneezed before, not knowing what was about to happen. Great story

[wannablessedbe]

12 hours ago, PropertyofCora said:

I love this!  Those two are so precious, I can totally see this happening.  When I first saw the sneezing in this episode I basically fell off my chair.  I have never been much into superhero shows but Supergirl is so addictive.  I especially love shipping Kara and Cat.  Now if only Kara would share her cold with her lovely germaphobic boss...

Dude! I am 100% on board with loving Calista Flockhart's performance as cat grant; but I have to admit I never thought of shipping her with kara. They have such a mentor-ish relationship, and such a big age gap-- cat has a son the same age as kara! (Not that you'd think it, I know, she looks amazing). I think the age difference just skeeves me out a little. But I like how you're thinking!