Chapter Text
1
Lex was running late. He’d cleared his entire afternoon in order to meet Lena and Lily at the park.
It had been several weeks since he’d been to the park…and other places.
He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d dropped Lily off at school or taken her to get ice cream.
She’d spent nearly every day with Lena. He knew from asking around that some of Lena’s own projects were starting to lag behind.
Lex may have felt a little guilty when Lily gave her best “puppy dog” pout over her cereal bowl that morning.
It hadn’t been easy canceling a Zoom meeting with a lab in Austria, but he’d done it.
And now he was an hour late.
As soon as he arrived at Wayside Park in the heart of Metropolis, Lex was running clear across a grassy field towards the 3-6-year old playground he knew Lily loved.
It didn’t take long for Lex to spot Lena standing on a foot path at the edge of the playground.
“Damn!” Lex cursed when he spotted Lily held securely in Lena’s arms, her small face buried in her aunt's shoulder.
Of course, Lily had fallen asleep.
Lex’s pace slowed, his urgency almost instantly lost. As he got closer, he noticed that Lena was talking to someone.
Someone Lena clearly liked, if the tilt of her head and the light blush on her cheeks was any indication. The twinkle of a laugh she let out at the stranger’s words was most certainly a tell.
Lex found himself smiling despite his mood taking a plummet at arriving to a sleeping child. It’d been a minute since he’d seen Lena date. Jack Spheer was the last person he’d knew of.
The person shifted to the side and moved slightly closer to Lena and suddenly Lex saw the blonde woman in full. Held up in each of her arms were two black haired boys with matching blue eyes. Both dressed in light blue flannel button downs.
“Mini-Clark Kents.”
Lex could recognize that man’s face anywhere. Even if it was just a striking resemblance in the faces of two small children.
“He’s my cousin!” The blonde answers Lex’s unintended statement with too much enthusiasm. She jostled the two boys as she spoke, causing them both to giggle and grip her tighter.
Lena smiles at the woman brightly. A smile that actually touches her eyes and it shocks Lex.
“Kara, this is my brother Lex.” When Lena turns back to him, Lex is insulted that the smile she greets him with is far less warm. “Lex, this is Kara Danvers.”
Lena says Kara’s name in a reverent sort of way that immediately makes Lex feel sick.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Danvers.” Lex responds politely.
“Kara, and it’s nice to meet you too!"
Lena is smiling at Kara brightly again and Lex just does not get how his sister could fall for the cheery blonde.
Especially since she’s related to Clark Kent of all people.
“These are my nephews, Jon and Jordan. They really like playing with Lily. Who is very cute by the way.”
“She gets it from me.”
Kara laughs and Lena rolls her eyes at him.
“Your brother is funny.”
Lex sticks out his tongue when Lena shoots him an annoyed look.
“Yes, funny.” Lena deadpans.
Kara laugh again and Lena instantly brightens once more.
“I should probably head back to Clark’s, it’s dinner time soon.”
“Lunch tomorrow around 1?” Lena asks hopefully. Lex’s eyebrows raise at how desperate his little sister sounds.
“Of course! Just text me where you want to meet.” Kara hoists the boys up a little firmer in her grasp. “Say goodbye to Ms. Lena, boys!”
“Bye, bye Ms. Lena!” Both boys chortle back with the same amount of enthusiasm as their aunt.
“Bye Lena, see you tomorrow! Nice meeting your too, Lex!”
“Yes, the pleasure was all mine. Please say hello to Mr. Kent for me.” Lex is proud that he only flinches slightly when Lena jabs in him in the ribs with his elbow.
Lex’s eyebrows disappear into his non-existent hairline as when Kara leans forward and presses a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head. “Bye little napper.”
His eyebrows travel into space when Lena giggles.
Giggles.
Kara bounces off, carrying the two boys who each must weigh more than Lex’s daughter like they’re as light as feathers.
“Bye Lena, see you tomorrow.” Lex mocks with a scoff after Kara’s further up the path.
This time he does flinch and cough a little when Lena’s elbow connects with his ribs.
“Stop it.” She growls back.
He doesn’t have time to respond before Lena is gently shifting Lily into his arms.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Lex shakes his head again, gathering Lily close and looking off into the direction where Kara had walked down the path and towards the parking lot. Despite not even 2 minutes passing, she was no where in sight.
“No, I’ll take Lily to school tomorrow. It’s been a while since we’ve spent any time together.”
Lex can feel that nudge of guilt again.
Lena nods. “Okay, I’ll see you at work then.”
“How long has auntie Lena known Ms. Kara?”
Lex glances at his rolex.
8:42
His driver was effortlessly managing the early morning Metropolis traffic. But they still hadn’t made it to Lily’s private school and he was probably going to be more than the alotted 90 minutes late to work this morning.
“Dunno.” The little girls auburn hair fell in waves over her shoulders and onto the white shirt and dark blue dress that made up her school uniform. She bounced happily in her gray booster seat as she eyed a chess board on a bright pink tablet.
The 5-year old girl made a quick swipe on the chess board and then handed the tablet off to Lex. Green eyes looked up at him excitedly.
“Lily that was a very sloppy move, you should’ve taken my bishop.”
Lily’s shoulder’s dropped. “Nooo Lexy, check. I put you in check.”
Lex looked again and then his cheeks colored.
“Ah, I see.”
He easily evaded the maneuver and handed the tablet back to Lily.
“Remember Lily, dad or daddy. Okay?”
Lily bounced in her seat and nodded vigorously. “Okay, Lexy!”
Lex dragged a hand down his tired face.
“Did auntie Lena meet Ms. Kara at the park?”
“Mmmhmm.” Lily bounced again. “Yes!”
“Not so loud Lily.”
Lily shrunk down in her seat a bit. Lex sighed, a pang of guilt running through him.
“I play with Jon and Jordan. I like Jon best.”
Lex nodded along.
“Do you like Ms. Kara?”
“Mmmhmm.” Lily was bouncing again. “I think auntie Lena likes her too.”
“Yes, daddy thinks so as well.” Lex’s mood instantly darkened.
“Lexy?”
“Yes, Lily?”
“Are you about to meddle in auntie Lena’s life?”
“What? No!” Lex could feel his irritation growing at the sound of his driver’s laugher. “Why would you think that?”
“Auntie Lena says you do that a lot.”
“I do not.”
Lily made a swipe on the tablet and handed it back to Lex. He looked down and then back at his daughter.
“You won.” He stated incredulously.
“Auntie Lena says you lose a lot too.”