writing & crime fighting

BRAINY/NIA (enhance your experience with my Brainia playlist)

Dead :- Nia is too late to save Brainy from Leviathan’s ship. (Character Death TW)

Home :- With the AI virus defeated, the Legion return for Brainy. Brainy has to make a decision about his future with Nia.

Fanfiction :- Nia and Brainy discover the wonders of Alternate Earth internet.

Possessed :- Brainy is taken over by an alien’s influence.

Vocabulary :- During a card game, the Super Friends notice a few changes in Nia’s vocabulary.

Anniversary :- Nia forgets their anniversary.

31st Century :- Brainy takes Nia with him to meet the Legion.

Argument :- Nia realises she was holding more of a grudge about Shelley Island than she’d thought.

Stuck :- Nia gets stuck in the dreamscape. Naturally, she tries to get Brainy’s attention.

MIA :- Nia gets captured on a run-of-the-mill mission.

Mother :- Nia meets Brainy’s mom. ALSO ON AO3

Aftermath :- Brainy comforts Nia after a run-in with a particularly nasty foe.

Snow :- Brainy experiences snow for the first time in National City.

Mistletoe :- Nia enlists Brainy’s help in making Christmas cookies.

Night Terror :- Brainy wakes from a nightmare convinced that he’s alone.

Sofa Cuddles :- After a stressful day, Nia finds comfort in Brainy’s arms.

Valentine :- Nia and Brainy share their first Valentines together since Leviathan.

Director Dox :- Nia finds out a little more about Brainy’s female doppelganger.

Follow the Leader :- Tension runs high when Brainy asks Nia to lead a DEO mission.

Eruption :- When Nia is hurt in the field, Brainy blames himself.

Murderous :- Nia wants to kill Lex for what he did. Brainy tries to talk her down.

Pinky Promise :- An alternate take to the pinky promise scene in 6x01

Not Fun :- An extension to the pinky promise scene in 6x01. Brainy is exhausted, Nia is there for him.

The Chair :- Extension to 6x06. Brainy and Nia have a little fun before their ship is due to arrive back in the present.

Not Dead :- Extension to 6x07. Nia gets the hug she deserves from the person she thought she’d lost.

While You Dream :- Nia wakes to find someone watching over her.  

Ice Skating :- Kara proposes an interesting group activity.

Nuzzle Cuddles :- Nia indulges in her favourite kind of affection with a sleep deprived Brainy. 

Voicemail :- When Yvette takes Nia out post 5x10, things get a little messy. Brainy can’t help but to come to the rescue. 

Back Rubs :- When Brainy struggles with his anger, Nia finds the perfect remedy.

First Night Alone :- Nia struggles to sleep when Brainy’s not there. Fortunately, he left something behind.

Awkward Angles :- Nia falls asleep at an inopportune moment. Brainy makes sure she gets to bed safely.

Truth :- After William’s death, Brainy reveals the truth about the merge to Nia. A truth of which Nia refuses to accept.

Dream Echo :- Nia experiences a dream echo of Brainy’s death. Good thing Brainy is right at her side to help her back to sleep.

Slow Dance :- Brainy and Nia share a slow dance at Alex and Kelly’s wedding.

The Proposal :- After all, there’s a 100% chance it was gonna happen at some point. ALSO ON AO3

Sushi :- Nia teaches Brainy how to use chopsticks for the first time.

Valentine 2 :- Brainy decides to do something a little more impressive for their second proper Valentine’s Day together.

Together Again :- In the aftermath of 6x20, Nia and Brainy share a kiss during game night.

Close Call :- Brainy and Nia jump into action when Esme puts herself in a life-threatening situation.

Let It Out :- Nia comforts Brainy through a bad day without his inhibitors. 

Magic :- Set during 6x14 - Brainy helps Nia after Lena’s magic breaks her brain.

Freezing :-  Brainy keeps Nia warm when they become trapped in an unforgivingly cold environment. Later, Nia repays the favour. ALSO ON AO3

Dark Timeline :- In the dark timeline, saving Brainy from Lena’s influence is only the start of the healing he requires, but Nia promises to stay at his side no matter what.

Piano :- At Alex and Kelly’s wedding, Brainy teaches Nia how to play the piano.

Affections :- Nia expresses Naltorian affection to Brainy who is more than happy to reciprocate.

Phantom Nightmare :- The night they return from the Phantom Zone, Brainy and Nia open up to each other about what they experienced.

Side Effects :-  Extension to 6x01. The radiation's effect on Brainy rears its head at an inopportune moment. Despite recent tensions, Lena and Nia are there to help. ALSO ON AO3

Holiday Special :- Nia and Brainy return to Parthas for the holidays, but there’s one guest that Nia’s more than nervous about seeing again.

The First Dreamer :- Additional scene following the events of the Flash season 9 episode ‘Wildest Dreams’. Nia comes home to Brainy and explains what she was able to uncover about her powers’ history.

That Brought Me to My Knees :- An alternate ending to the Bottle Episode. What if Brainy’s evil doppelganger hadn’t been quite as defeated as everyone thought? What if Nia pays the price? ON AO3

The Stare :- A new power develops for Nia during a hostage mission gone sour.

Headache :- An additional scene for the end of season 4. Guilty over all he has yet to tell Nia about his ancestral memory, Brainy faces the consequences of his realignment.

Restore Required :- Brainy hasn’t been sleeping. When he passes out at his desk, Nia steps in to help. 

Sick & Tired :- Sick and exhausted from the aftermath of Leviathan’s radiation, Brainy falls into a nightmare of his own devising. Nia helps to guide him out. 

In Too Deep :- Additional scene set during 6x13 showing what actually happened when Brainy couldn’t wake Nia from her dreams.

Bracelet :- When Brainy gets hurt, Nia takes on babysitting duty solo. But, who’s looking after who?

New Year :- It’s been a year since Kara revealed her secret identity to the world and a lot has changed. Nia and Brainy spend the New Year with their friends and reflect on their future now that they’re engaged.

Married Life :- After a difficult night, Brainy helps Nia with her morning hair routine.

Sleep Easy :- Nia’s skills are needed at a local hospital when a virus hits the city.

Apart :- Nia ruminates over recent changes in her role as a superhero. Brainy surprises her with a kiss.

Don’t Freak Out :- Alternate scene for 6x02; what if Nia did get arrested when she was sent to cover the Lex Luthor court case?

Set Up :- Set between 4x12 & 4x13; Alex and Kara decide to give Brainy and Nia a push by setting them up on a surprise coffee date.

ALEX & BRAINY

Crying :- Alex finds Brainy crying at the DEO.

Coffee :- While searching for Supergirl, Alex makes sure Brainy takes a break.

Moody :- When one of Brainy’s moods turns violent, Alex tries to figure out what triggered his outburst.

LENA & BRAINY

Hair :- Lena finds out the real reasons Brainy grew his hair out again.

BRAINY/NIA/KARA

Recovery :- Kara and Nia snuggle with Brainy while he recovers from Leviathan’s radiation.

Nightmares :- Brainy has a nightmare. Kara and Nia are there to comfort him.

Bottled :- When Brainy closes himself off to them, Nia and Kara ask for Bottled!Brainy’s help.

Glasses :- Joking around at the table leads Kara to a daunting realisation.

Inducer:- Brainy reveals a big decision to Nia and Kara.

BRAINY & KARA

Outcast :- Set during 6x06. Young!Kara opens up to Brandon about some of her insecurities.

Worst Fears :- An alternate scene from 6x07. When Brainy’s fear vision makes him believe that Kara is dead, he loses all sense of hope.

Streaky 2.0 :- Brainy surprises Kara with a perplexing gift.

NIA & KARA

Cat Grant :- Nia panics when she and Kara run into a very familiar face at CatCo.

Before You Fall :-  Nia wasn't flourishing, it just took Kara far too long to see it.  ALSO ON AO3

Something Borrowed :- Nia enlists Kara’s help when she needs to find something special for her wedding day.

J'ONN & BRAINY

Advice :- Brainy goes to J'onn for relationship advice. ALSO ON AO3

ALEX & KARA

The Boys!AU :- In a world where Kara and Alex are ‘heroes’ from The Boys, Alex speaks out against Kara’s growing dispassionate behaviour.

I’ll Protect You :- In the aftermath of 6x07, Alex helps Kara get some well deserved sleep.

NOVA!AU

2040 :- During a mission to the future, Brainy and Nia accidentally run into their daughter.

Handful :- At five years old, Nova proves to be a handful even for superhero parents to deal with.

BRAINY &/VS ZOR-EL

Argo :- When Brainy takes Zor-El home in the Legion ship, old wounds are re-opened for both of them.

BRAINY VS LEX

Lex :- Whilst helping Lena with an errand, Brainy is forced to speak face to face with Lex Luthor after his charges are dropped.

STARGIRL/SUPERGIRL CROSSOVER

First Meet :- Courtney meets the Super Friends.

Brass Goggles :- Brainy meets Beth Chapel.

THE FLASH/SUPERGIRL CROSSOVER

The first thing you need to know about Brainy is that in almost every iteration that exists, he is an incredibly emotionally unstable character. In the show, this is mostly demonstrated through his inhibitors (something that’s also briefly touched upon in PZH continuity) but for other variants…. Brainy is just like that.

There’s a sort of unspoken expectation of Brainy in the comics that because of his twelfth level intelligence, he should be capable of handling just about anything. And because of that, he constantly takes on too much. He doesn’t sleep. He stresses himself out. He internalises. He has a mental break down. Rinse and repeat.

During LoSH's first continuity, Brainy was institutionalised after becoming delusional and paranoid from overwork and lack of sleep, feeding a jealousy he’d already been harbouring after not being voted as leader by the other Legionnaires. This nearly led to him destroying the entire planet with the use of the Miracle Machine, and even when he briefly regained enough of his senses to save the planet, his plan left another Legionnaire, Matter Eater Lad, completely mentally broken after using him to fix his own mistake.

So now you have a bit of context, allow me to introduce you to the story arc that I’m referring to for Brainy. One of my favourite Brainy-centric arcs of this specific continuity, actually:

THE TRIAL OF BRAINIAC-5

Over the course of this comic’s lifetime, many Legionnaires were put under scrutiny in one way or another, either in a UP courtroom or by the Legion itself.

In this story, when a long-term villain known as the Time Trapper causes the death of the Legion’s Superboy, Brainy – fuelled by anger and heartbreak - goes against the Legion’s back, gathering the support from a few trusted Legionnaires in the process, to concoct a plan to kill the Time Trapper. Brainy’s plan involves using the Infinite Man, formally known as Jaxon Rugarth, against the Time Trapper. Jaxon was left brain dead after a time travel experiment gone wrong that led to his transformation and eventual comatose condition. Therefore, he had no ability to give his consent to be involved with this plan - a plan that meant sacrificing his own life by becoming the Infinite Man again in order to destroy the Time Trapper.

However, knowing Jaxon’s values, Brainy surmises that he would have wanted to give his life for this and, in sacrificing Jaxon, he was in fact successfully able to defeat the Time Trapper.

Saturn Girl, Triplicate Girl and Mon-El all agreed to be co-conspirators in this plan and during the fight, Triplicate Girl – at the time known as Duo Damsel – loses her second body when she is killed by the Time Trapper. For added context, in the early years of the LoSH run, one of Brainy’s inventions – COMPUTO – took on a mind of its own and killed Triplicate Girl’s first body, leading to her name change in later issues. Mon-El was also gravely wounded during this attack and later succumbs to his injuries. *Although he is eventually resurrected

While Brainy wasn’t necessarily responsible for either of these deaths, he was still held in contempt by his fellow Legionnaires due to the unethical nature of his plan. In fact, they hold a court hearing for him where the Legion must vote on whether he can remain a member. Legion opinion is split. Some agree that Jaxon was brain dead with no hope of recovery and that the plan was therefore morally sound, however others believed Brainy’s actions as sacrilegious as Jaxon was still technically alive and unable to consent.

Brainy doesn’t take the court hearing seriously because he honestly doesn’t care what the Legion thinks of his decision. In his mind, the plan was fully justified and he has no regrets in carrying it out. He even requests that Saturn Girl offer nothing in his defence.

Instead, he tells the Legion exactly what he thinks. That there is no trial, only an argument of morality, and he believes that his is sound.

In the end, even though the Legion do vote in favour of him staying, he decides to leave of his own volition, returning to Colu to pursue his research where he won’t be restricted by Legion politics.

It's important to note that Brainy is not a cruel or callous character. He cares about his friends and the Legion very much and wishes to protect them to the best of his ability. However, he is willed by his logic and practical mindset, and so when he isn't able to do his job because of the obstacles the Legion puts in his way, he isn't beyond leaving. Brainy leaves and rejoins the Legion a few times during the comic's run, sometimes due to dispute, others due to his own mental health, but he always rejoins the moment he's needed.

In fact, the only regret Brainy has over the fight with the Time Trapper is that Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel had to lose another life - both that he feels responsible for - leaving her with only one body. Before he leaves the Legion, he reaches out to her, leaving his shield belt - his signature tool - with her as an apology, and in hopes of keeping her safe.

Okay – so now let’s jump to Nia’s arc.

Nia Nal who, at 18 years old, only had about three years of experience as a superhero before she was forced to work for Amanda ‘The Wall’ Waller against her will. Nia Nal, who - in this universe - did not have the likes of Supergirl’s example to follow, but was rather made to lead a bunch of morally ambiguous criminals to carry out Waller’s bidding in a new Suicide Squad.

Nia Nal, who at just 18 years old, accidentally killed an old man when she was forced to transport her team to his location through his dreams. Oneiric Travel: a power unique to her comic variant

Nia had started out with the purest intentions, wishing only to live up to her mother's example, but after Waller threatened to dox the location of her home, the secret alien haven of Parthas, she was willing to protect it with everything she had, even if it meant abandoning her own morals in the process.

When Waller releases Parthas' location to the public anyway, Nia, full of rage and intending to kill Waller for what she had been forced to do, discovers through a dream that there was a trigger inside of Waller's body that would go off the second her pulse stopped. A trigger that would terminate her only surviving family.

She'd never had a choice, only orders, and if she mis stepped, it would have been her father and sister that ultimately paid that price.

Just like Brainy, Nia’s story is a lot darker than some of the other heroes that she runs with. For example, one of the first heroes she befriends is Jon Kent, son of Superman, who embodies the teachings of his father, never killing or using his powers for ill will.

So, you can imagine Jon’s surprise when he finds out that Nia had not only killed someone, but had been planning on killing a recently prison-breaked Waller as well.

But Nia had already left her mark on Waller.

After the events of the comic arc Absolute Power, Waller was finally incarcerated and the trigger was removed from her body, but not before Nia stole every incriminating memory Waller had, every piece of information she could have ever used as leverage. Waller’s power came from her intel, and Nia made sure that Waller would never have the means to blackmail anyone ever again.

*Nia did not, in fact, put a bomb in Waller's head. But she's happy for her to go crazy believing that.

Jon doesn’t approve of Nia’s methods, but Nia isn’t apologetic for doing what she did. In her mind’s eye, her plan was justified. She had ensured that Waller would never be able to hurt anyone again, but when she finds out that Waller might be in the process of having those memories restored, she doesn’t hesitate to plan her murder again.

In the end, Nia sees Waller at her weakest, stripped of her power, without her memories, and realises that so long as Waller’s memories can be permanently extracted, she isn’t a threat, nor is she worth killing. She only wants her to face justice for everything she's done.

By the time we catch up to Nia’s arc, she is disillusioned and bitter and no longer believes that she would ever fit in the tight constraints of the Justice League.

By this point, she’s seen the darker side of being a superhero, she’s worked with the people who never once had an easy day in their life, who were used and abused by systems outside of their control, who had become criminals to survive or simply because they had no other choice. Not only that, but in the Absolute Power arc, Nia had sacrificed her own life to protect Superman and other heroes from being attacked inside the Fortress of Solitude. Her body was ripped to shreds in an explosion and the only reason she survived was through the dreamscape of Jon Kent, where she was able to rebuild and reconstitute her body before returning to the physical realm.

Despite what she gave up, it amounted to nothing in her eye. Jon still doesn’t trust her after learning about what she’d done to Waller, and his boyfriend Jay still blames her for the part she played in his mother’s murder - despite the fact she’d already revolted against Waller before that had even happened.

So, she doesn’t want to be accepted back by the Justice League. Partially because she’s punishing herself, partially because she’s angry for being judged by the choices she made.

Despite all this, she’s still a hero. She’s lost a lot, and she’s terrified of losing anyone else, which oftentimes makes her choices come off as selfish. In fact, her own losses often blind her to the larger picture, which is that despite her losses, her closest friends have also experienced similar devastation.

And those friends are still striving for hope within the new Justice League, one they desperately want her to be a part of. Nia’s pain and self-hatred skew her own judgement. She no longer believes in herself, but in the end her heart and will to do good is still present, she’s just refusing to see it.

There’s still a lot of story left to be told, and so we don’t yet know how Nia will grow from here, but for the moment I’m taking what we do know to draw my parallels.

So, you may be asking at this point – what parallels? Aside from the fact that Nia and Brainy in the comics are way more messed up than their show counterparts.

I think what interests me the most about these two is that Brainy and Nia are both passionate for what they stand for, and they don’t let codes or judgement get in their way of doing what they believe to be the right thing. Nia and Brainy both make selfish choices at times, choices that may come from anger or grief or lack of control, but that doesn’t mean that those choices don’t lead to results that end up stopping the bad thing from happening, something that a hero with a cleaner conscience may not have had the heart to carry out.

And, when judgement is inevitably cast upon them, they are not ones to back down. In fact, they are more than happy to part ways with a system that they don’t believe is working in favour of finding one that better serves their interests. Justice is all that matters in their eyes, especially at these specific points in their respective arcs, and I just love that so much.

Brainy’s strength comes from his intellect, but his flaws are in his hubris. Nia is incredibly powerful, but she’s also inexperienced and punishing herself and others by refusing to look beyond the side of the story that she’s experienced first-hand.

Obviously, this isn't a perfect parallel, both characters are in very different stages of their journeys in these arcs, and their reasoning for not joining forces with their respected teams are coming from different places too, but it's their justification and passion for what they believe in and stand for that ultimately tie these two instances together in my mind.

Still, he could not rest easy. Even sat inside that church, he’d been able to feel the tug of the leash in his hands, one that held a dangerous, unpredictable ticking time bomb on the other end. Who was gaining more slack with every moment he wasted.

Brainy wasn’t sure how he had been talked into going to the Danvers’ family home for dinner. Perhaps he had agreed while his mind had been elsewhere, perhaps it had been upon the might of Eliza’s own insistence, but some hours later, Brainy found himself sharing a living space with his friends, unable to find the energy to draw out even the weakest of lies.

He was cracking, he could feel it. The house smelt overwhelmingly like fresh like pine, along with a welcoming waft from whatever Eliza had cooking on the stove. The living room was too small for so many people; claustrophobic, even, and yet no one else seemed to notice.

Brainy pressed his back against the wall closest to the doorway, unable to meet anyone’s eye. It was better that way, he rationalised, to keep his distance, even if it did mean he was the only person left standing.

Kara and Alex were sharing a blanket on the couch. J’onn had taken to an armchair. And Nia…

Nia was engaged in a conversation with Kelly, her eyes brighter than Brainy had seen in so long. Almost as though a weight had been lifted from her heart.

Good, he thought. That was good. His only hope in all this had been for the pain that he had caused her to ease as swiftly as possible. He had no misconceptions that she would forgive him when all was said and done. No matter how hard his heart screamed on the contrary, his logic was undoubtedly sound. His latest simulations had left him with a bleak outlook for his future where his friends were concerned, anyway.

Perhaps he should have taken this moment of unity as a blessing.

But it was a curse. To stand in the company of such kindness and compassion, all the while knowing the secrets he was harbouring, the heartbreak he had caused. And what of the hurt yet to come? The inevitable distrust when they learned of his deceit? He couldn’t stop, not now, not when the end was so clearly in sight. All he needed was that damned location. As soon as Leviathan was out of the way, he would be free, he would be…

He would have to tell them all the truth.

The smell of a home cooked meal soured on the back of his throat, making his stomach turn. Sweat prickled across his brow as he reached instinctively for his phone, lending two thought tracks to the task of pinpointing Lex’s latest tour stop. Madrid. Yes, that was right. He had just landed.

No more distractions, no more delay. He needed answers. An update. Anything.

Brainy snatched his phone from his pocket, already dialling Lex’s number with his mind as he slipped silently out of the room.

Breath shallow, judgement clouded, Brainy was just able to locate the door to the backyard before his vision began to blur, yanking it open as he all but stumbled outdoors.

The crisp evening washed over his face in an instant, cooling the sweat on his skin as he shakily drank down a lungful of fresh air.

All the while, the ring tone droned on like a bell toll inside his ear.

No answer. He redialled immediately, fingers clenched tight to the screen. No answer. Again. Brainy’s teeth sank into his lip, nearly drawing blood. He redialled again.

No answer. No answer. No answer.

“Brainy?”

Brainy flinched, turning towards the voice that had most certainly not come from his phone. He pulled it away from his ear with haste, erasing his call history with a single thought.

It was Nia who stood in the doorway, a reserved look in her dark eyes.

Brainy could find no words to respond with. He wasn’t sure what might come out of his mouth should he try. Desperately, he fought for control, stuffing every unruly emotion into place as quickly as he deposited his phone back inside his pocket. He struggled to find that version of himself again, the stoic and emotionless figure he had been presenting himself as ever since he’d removed his inhibitors. It was draining to hold so tightly to a part of himself that did not exist, moulding his expression back into affectless stone.

If Nia noticed anything unusual, she didn’t express it. Instead, she swallowed, nodding towards the house. “Dinner’s ready, if you’re hungry. Eliza needs some extra hands to set the table.”

It was such a simple sentiment, and yet Brainy was barely able to contain the wave of emotion that struck him.

In truth, he wanted nothing more than to join Nia inside that house. To eat with her, share her company, her burdens, to be with her in any way that he could. He was exhausted playing this charade; being dialled in so strictly to a single mode of thinking had drained his mental reserves to the point of serious systems fatigue.

Some days, it hardly felt worth it. Every move he made was as deftly monitored as his own attempts against Lex, and he knew that he was falling behind. No matter how many simulations he ran, there were too many variables to account for. If he made just one mistake, the domino effect of events would surely lead to the harm of one of his friends. And if his life held so many similarities to that of his female doppelganger, if her losses became his, on this Earth… the mere thought was too much to bear.  

But Nia was there. She was right there and, just hours ago, she had been close enough that he could have held her.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t even hold her hand.

Which meant that no matter how much he wanted to follow her back inside that house, to join his friends at such a difficult time, he could not. He doubted he would have been able to eat anything, anyway. The constant guilt that churned inside his stomach made him perpetually nauseous.

And yet, giving in would have been far too easy.

“Brainy?” Nia asked again, more serious this time. She glanced down towards his pocket, hesitating before she said, “Was that Lex?”

Brainy froze. This, he realised, was his out. An arguably inoffensive lie compared to the hundreds he had already accrued. It was either that, or one of a dozen other far less convincing excuses to get him out of Midvale post-haste.

“Yes,” he said swiftly, forcing a steady tone. “I am needed back at the DEO.” That was the truth, at least. He had spent far too much time away from his post already.

Nia smiled harshly. “No such thing as sympathy leave when your boss is evil incarnate, huh?” When he didn’t respond, her expression hardened. “Are you going, then?”

A longing part of his heart almost asked if she wanted him to. Instead, he dug his hands into his pockets, squaring his shoulders. “I must. If I am to maintain my cover—”

Before he could finish his drilled-in excuse, Nia interrupted with a derisive snort, turning to leave.

He should’ve let her go. He should have had the fortitude to have stopped the conversation long before it had even started. And yet the yearning in his heart screamed louder than any shred of sense he had left. Before he could stop himself, her name was already out of his mouth. “Nia--?”

Nia’s hand clenched around the doorframe, knuckles white as bone. “I just don’t get it,” she muttered. “How can you—how can you do it? Act like it’s not eating you alive to work for him like that?”

Brainy wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry. It took all his energy simply to hold a neutral expression. “It is imperative that I remain close to him, so that I am able to feed information back to you all.” He shrugged, willing his voice not to shake. “Logic does not demand an emotional response.”

Nia turned to him bitterly. “Of course,” she said, eyes shining. “How could I forget? You operate on logic only now, right?”

Brainy ducked his head.

“Was it logical when you sat next to me today?”

His heart thudded loudly in his ears. Brainy swallowed hard, unable to speak.

“In the church,” Nia continued, voice thick. “You were right there and you didn’t have to be. You could’ve sat anywhere else. You haven’t spoken two words to me since you walked out. You avoid me at every corner. So why change that now, Brainy? Why--?”

“I can’t give you the answer that you want.”

Nia faltered. “What—?”

Brainy lifted his head. It was the last thing he wanted to do, to look her in the eye while he drew in from this awful character he had invented - but he was out of time. “It is natural,” he said without malice, “that you would feel emotionally vulnerable so close to the anniversary of your mother’s death. Trying to find comfort from someone that you were once – close – to is logical, also. But I can’t be that person anymore, Nia. I—” He grit his teeth, speaking faster if only to get it over with sooner: “If my proximity during the service gave you the wrong impression, then I apologise. I will not make that error again.”

Nia’s eyes widened in shock. She blinked, quick to mask it, though not quite quick enough to catch the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Brainy’s heart sank as he watched them descend, collecting somewhere beneath her chin.

Nia sniffed hard, swiping them away hastily with her knuckles. Her shock turned to hurt, then to rage in an instant. “Great,” she hissed out. This time, when she turned from him, it was with a finality that Brainy was both grateful and wholly unprepared for. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

The door slammed hard as she disappeared back into the house, a swirl of energy illuminating the glass briefly in blue.

Brainy didn’t move. There was no relief to be found in what he had done. Exhaustion softened the sharper edges of his guilt, though he knew it would strike him soon enough.

He deserved every part of it. Twice now, he had made Nia cry. Twice he had broken her heart. All to preserve this terrible lie.

Nia was right to have been suspicious of his motives. Despite his doppelgangers’ insistence against it, he had wanted to be close to her during the service. It had been his concern that Jeremiah’s funeral might bring up unsavoury memories for her, his choice to sit at her side. And yes, in focusing on that closeness - a proximity they hadn’t shared in months - he had even lost sight of his own mission in the process.

And for what? He had only made things worse. No matter how much he wanted it, no matter how much it tore him apart inside, there was simply no way he could be there for her that wouldn’t twist the knife in deeper for them both.

Had his words just now ensured she would not question him leaving? Almost certainly.

Had it been worth it?

Absolutely not.

His Legion ring allowed for a swift departure at least, although as he launched himself into the ever-deepening twilight, he found no reprieve from the burdens he had left down below.

Let them follow him home, he thought, let them haunt him until the end of his days. Because when Brainy closed his eyes, it was already Nia’s face that looked back at him, the pain he had caused crystalised to her cheeks like shards of glass.

He would resolve this. One day soon, it would all be over. Leviathan would be destroyed, Lex would be behind bars and then… then he would set about putting things right with his friends. With Nia. He had to.

“Ah.” Brainy smiled, leaning forward. “You, I believe, prescribe to what is known as the fashionably late approach. For rooftop drinks, you were twenty minutes late, you were ten minutes late to game night and an impressive fifteen minutes early to Thanksgiving dinner.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Perhaps I do require more data. Your pattern is – ah - somewhat inconclusive.”

Nia laughed, rolling her eyes. “There’s no mystery to that, Brainy. I wanted to help set up.” She shrugged. “Plus, my dreams had been keeping me up at night; I was afraid if I left it too long, I might fall asleep and miss the whole thing. So, better to be early, I guess.”

Brainy appraised her with a subtle interest. “A strategy, then. I will have to factor that in next time. It is also something that we can work on.”

Nia pressed her knuckles against her lips. She could already feel the blush creeping along her cheeks at the prospect of spending more time with him, even if it was strictly for training purposes. It was what she’d wanted to focus on, after all, and Brainy had taken that to heart with immediate effect. It was endearing how quickly he’d committed himself to her request, even going as far as getting permission from Kara to use Superman’s renowned Fortress of Solitude as their training grounds. She got goosebumps just thinking about it.

And maybe that wasn’t just about the Fortress.

Honestly, it was kind of crazy how comfortable she felt in Brainy’s company already. Outside of that one wires-crossed dinner date, this was the first time they’d ever sat down at a table together, just the two of them, and yet Nia didn’t feel all that weird about it. If anything, it felt natural.

She cleared her throat suddenly, realising that she must’ve been staring at him for a while. Maybe she’d get lucky and he’d assume she was still out of it from using her powers. It wasn’t exactly untrue – since she’d started leaning into her visions, certain points of focus had started getting a lot blurrier around the edges. Although, right now, she was a little too aware of what was going on.

Nia fumbled for her phone again, snatching it from the table. “I’ll text Kara,” she murmured, swiping quickly through her contacts list. “Maybe she forgot, or there was a superhero emergency or something.”

Brainy hummed, unconvinced. “I can confirm that there is currently no threat in National City in need of Supergirl’s attention.” His brow furrowed, his mind lost once more to cyberspace. “Nor the DEO, for that matter. Alex should be here.”

Just as he’d spoken, Brainy’s phone buzzed twice on the table, at the exact same moment that Nia’s pinged in her hand. She blinked in surprise. “It’s from Kara,” she said slowly, reading the text aloud, “won’t be able to make it, trouble in the city. Have fun.” Her mouth fell slack. “Um?”

“Mine is from Alex,” Brainy announced in equal bemusement. “Meeting running late, won’t be able to make it. Have fun.” His frown deepened as he scanned the text again, this time lifting the phone closer towards his face, scrutinising every detail. “That is impossible. Alex’s schedule was clear all morning. They are lying to us.” He blinked up at her, expression forlorn. “Why would they do that?”

Nia only half registered his question; she was far too immersed in the one clue that Kara had left behind. “Uh, did Alex put a little winky face after have fun?”

Brainy shook his head. “Alex does not favour the language of emoji.” He peered over at her curiously. “Why?”

“Well, Kara did.” Nia sighed, turning her phone screen for him to see. She couldn’t help the knot of embarrassment that had started to twist itself through her stomach. If this was really what she thought it was - and she was pretty certain that it was - then this was low, even for Kara.

No wonder she hadn’t wanted to show her face at CatCo that morning, her bluffing skills were majorly lacking. It was like her Supergirl secret drained her of the ability to hide literally anything else. Nia fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Mm.” Brainy studied the screen for a long moment before glancing back at her. “Is she mocking you?”

Nia jerked her hand away, a surprised laugh catching in her throat. “What? No! Wait, is that what you think that means?”

Brainy straightened, fixing her with a serious look. “Winking faces can allude to various intents. Jokes, whimsy, cruelty. Although, recently, I have learned that winking in conversation can often signify the reference to one thing, when in fact meaning another. Especially in the realm of secret keeping. They are hiding something from us.” He inhaled sharply, making to stand. “We should investigate immediately.”

Thinking fast, Nia grabbed for his arm, all but yanking him back into his seat. She smothered a laugh with her free hand. “Brainy, hey Brainy, just stop a second, okay?”

Brainy fell back into his seat with a confused clutter. “You are smiling,” he noted distantly. Then, he blinked. “Why are you smiling?”

Nia groaned. “Because I know what this is.” She snorted, tipping her head back. “I just can’t believe Kara actually got Alex to go along with it.”

“Along with… what?”

“They set us up, Brainy. They were never going to show - because they wanted us to go to coffee together.”

Brainy fell silent, twisting his fingers over one another, as though he was trying to figure out a complex algorithm. “But we have drunk coffee many times together.”

Oh god, she was really about to spell this out for him.

Nia shrugged, feeling her face begin to warm again. “Sure, between training or grabbing them before work, but not like this. Y’know, like a…” She hung onto the word for as long as she could before closing her eyes, hissing between her teeth, “Date.”

“A… date?” Brainy scoffed, rearing higher in his seat. When Nia only met him with a tired smile, his face fell. “You think so?”

“Yup.”

“Is that something you want?” Brainy asked. He lowered his voice nervously. “I thought that after the first time— and-and then with Valentine’s Day--”

Nia flinched. “Okay, so we’ve both been pretty bad at the whole date thing. Maybe that’s why Kara and Alex thought we could use the push.”

“So it is, then, something that you want?”

She smiled. “Maybe not this exact scenario, but, yes, Brainy, it is. Is it something you want, too?”

Brainy seemed to relax a little as he considered, folding his hands beneath his chain. “Dating is not so different where I am from, although there is a severe lack of anti-gravity bars in the twenty-first century.” He shrugged. “Coffee seems a fitting substitute.”

Nia laughed, feeling her own embarrassment begin to fade. There was still a tingle of something like anticipation in her stomach, although she decided she liked that feeling a lot better. “Okay, great. It’s a date, then.” She cringed. “Or, it will be, we should probably order first.”

This time, Brainy did stand. “Allow me.”

“Wait, I didn’t tell you what I—” She trailed off as she watched Brainy march away, rolling her eyes. “Right,” she muttered to herself. Brainy had had her coffee order memorised since before they’d met again on that rooftop. Even if she did decide to change it up, she was pretty sure he’d still get it right somehow. Differential calculus or whatever.

She settled into her chair instead, watching with a smile as Brainy headed to the counter to order.

She was excited - in a way she hadn’t felt on a date in long time. She knew it was just coffee, and it was just one date, but it was the best shot either of them had taken since whatever was going on between them had begun to register.

Nia may have only just started on her path as the Dreamer, but she was pretty sure her dreams had never alluded to anything like this before. She kind of hoped they never would. For right now, it was more fun to live in the present, and for the future to remain a pleasant surprise for them both.

Idly, she tapped back into her phone, typing out a quick but deliberate response to Kara’s text.