"Usually I don't get hurt on things like this." I muttered. He stood, just watching me struggle. I didn't know if he was waiting for me to explain or wondering how to give a hand.
I scooped up more of the papers and dropped them on the table, avoiding his gaze. My wrist was sprained, at most. I managed to pick up the last paper with my other hand before he spoke. I had to drop them in front of him. Of all people, I had to make a fool of myself in front of the most intimidating person on the team.
"What's your name?" He asked, cocking his head to one side. I'd heard the story, naturally. But I'd never really talked to Superboy. He was distant, angry. I'd known about his relationship with M'gann. He was strange, I had never spoken to a clone before. I didn't know what to expect.
"Cassie." I said, tucking my hair behind my ear, looking up at him.
"Cassie." He said as if rolling it on his tongue. "Why are you here?"
It was true that my mom lived in Michigan, so when I joined the team, I lived in the mountain. At the time, there were a few kids living there, including Superboy. But I had only been there a few months. I wouldn't expect him to know me. Well, after the cave blew up, some of the kids were relocated to the Hall of Justice. Most went there, but knew it wasn't a permanent thing.
"I live here." I said dumbly, instead of saying something articulate and smart, like the reason I had thought out in my head. No I had to sound like a complete idiot. His eyes clouded.
"I know that, I meant, why aren't you in the Med-Bay?" He took his weight off the doorframe and walked over to me. "You're hurt."
"It's really not bad." I said quietly, ducking my head down. His hand reached out and touched my swollen wrist gently. I froze. He turned it over in his hand, examining it. He reminded me of Superman, but with more of the ominous air. Still, he had the care and the tenderness going for him.
"Let me help." He said nothing, looking up at me. His head still nodded down, just faintly casting his eyes up at me. I felt flutters in my stomach. His eyes were captivating.
"Okay." I said after a pause. He blinked, holding my gaze before letting go of my wrist and walked past me to the hallway. I had not much choice but to follow from the kitchen.
"Where are we going?" I asked as I followed behind him down the dark hallways. He said nothing, only opened the second door we came to.
"It's my room." He flicked a switch on the wall and the small room lit up. I really didn't know what I was expecting. Maybe some pin up posters and dirty socks. But no, his room was as ominous as he was. But, we had only been here a few weeks.
There was a bed and one dresser, with a small canvas bag at the foot of the bed. He walked into the adjoining room, which I assumed was a bathroom. I saw the lights turn on and I heard him rummage around for something.
Really, the room was scary clean for my taste. It was abnormally clean. It looked like he didn't even live there. Even in the days after the explosion, my new room at the Hall had clothes and books on the floor. I'd never been messy really but this was just freaky.
"Nice place you have here." I said jokingly. He wandered back in, carrying a load of bandages and what looked like a Popsicle stick, only bigger.
"Was this during the whole fight with Black Beetle?" He asked, sitting next to me.
"Yeah." I paused as he touched my wrist gingerly again. "He is stronger than he looks."
"Your back is probably much worse." He muttered, putting the stick in my palm so it lay flat.
"It's cut, but I haven't checked." I said, mesmerized. He took the bandage and wound it around the wood and my hand, binding it in place so I couldn't bend it.
"Can I see?" He looked up at me. I began to become very aware that I was sitting alone in a room with this guy. This guy who I had never spoke to but who had gorgeous blue eyes and was actually bandaging my hand.
"Sure." I turned around, letting him lift up the back of my shirt. I felt his fingers touch the bruises and around the cuts for a few moments before pulling the shirt back down.
"That looked painful." He said as I turned around. I stretched my arm out in front of me and cleared my throat. It was getting very hot, maybe it was just me.
"Well you are Kryptonian. You probably don't get hurt at all." I said, wiggling my fingers under the bandages.
"Not much. But I'm only half." I looked up and he smiled. Really, I had never seen him smile before. All I'd ever heard was that he was this hard, angry guy. He was so different then his reputation seemed to be.
"Is it difficult? Being a clone?" I saw him blink, he didn't expect that question. I knew it must be. There must have been a reason for that anger.
"Sometimes it is. The aging is difficult." He said after a pause. He looked away, gazing off while putting his hands on his knees. "But I am alright. It's not the most terrible of an existence."
"I'm new, I've only heard the stories of the original team." I smiled, crossing my legs on the bed and looking him straight on.
He smiled. "The original team was great. Things have gotten so screwed lately."
"I know what you mean. Kaldur? That must have been hard for you guys. And M'gann, I heard…" I immediately regretted saying anything. His mouth hardened into a line. He closed off completely.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything." I say, touching his arm.
"It's okay, I should be able to talk about this stuff right?" He looked up, questioning. I didn't know how to answer. "I don't usually talk about what bothers me."
"Why not?" I asked, he turned to me, crossing his legs as well.
"It's hard. I just never have. Maybe I wasn't programed with it." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I moved my head to the side, closer to him. "I'm a good listener."
This one wasn't really a smile. I started as a little turn up of the lip. Just a smirk. Maybe because he was really hot, maybe because my hormones were raging, but my heart skipped a beat.
"Well, she just started doing things that weren't…morally right, in a way. Things had been weird for a while, but then she tried to use her mind control to make me forget that I was mad at her. It just was wrong. Everything about it was just messed up. So I broke it off. It's been a while now…" He faded off. "But sometimes I still miss her."
"Do you still love her?" While talking, his gaze drifted from me to behind me. When I said that, they shot back to me. He narrowed them, thinking.
"I don't know." He said honestly. "She was my first real girlfriend. I don't know if I still love her or if I just miss human contact…that might sound stupid." He ducked his head and started fiddling with his fingers.
"It's not stupid. I know what you mean." I said. He was so different than what I'd thought. He was sensitive. He had feelings.
"Well then what is your story?" He picked his head back and smiled. "What does Cassie think about at night?"
I felt butterflies in my stomach when he said my name.
"At night? I usually just worry." I probably answered to honestly.
"About what?" He looked genuine. I was falling for him. In that moment, I knew, I was a goner. I was falling for someone who was still not over his ex. If this were a classic book, I would be the one that dies for love. There was no way that it would work.
I gulped. "None of this being worth it, none of us being able to stop this." I gestured to the ceiling with my injured hand.
"Well that is bright." He pulled my hand down quickly and left his hand on top of it. "Cassie, it's worth it. If we die, we end up dying for something. Although, I don't think we would die, so you don't need to worry."
"That's right. We are practically made for each other." My brain failed to deliver the abort memo to my mouth before it was too late. I was firing off messages over and over trying to do damage repair. "I mean…uh...like in the sense of abilities…and strength."
He laughed. Honestly, he laughed. I have never even heard of Superboy laughing, I didn't even know he could. The people I have been getting me information from must have been talking about a different Superboy, because this one was completely different person.
"That is an interesting idea." He smiled. "You know I almost thought you were a Kryptonian when I first saw you fight? And then I was like, not even possible. So yea, I see what you mean."
A literal wave a relief swept through me.
"I like you Cassie." He said, that smirk on the side of his mouth again. "You're different. I've never met anyone like you before."
"Well that's not saying much, you don't exactly know a plethora of people." I smiled.
"And you don't have a filter. I like it." I was again aware that his hand was on mine in front of us. Our knees were almost touching too.
Really, I hadn't even known him until this afternoon. This was crazy. But his smile made me feel so safe and warm. God, I was so screwed.
"You are different. I have heard so much about you, you don't act like I was expecting." I said, going on the whole him-liking-the-no-filter-thing.
"What were you expecting?" He brought his face closer as if telling a secret.
"I don't really know, more anger? Everyone seems to think you are a time bomb. Or at least the stories I've heard seem to suggest you were." I smiled tucking my hair behind my ear again.
"How do you know all these stories about me anyway?"
"Word gets around about you Supey."
He smiled at that one.
"Besides, you have the advantage here. I don't even know your name. Do you just go by Superboy all the time?" I asked, bringing my head down closer to his.
"Superboy, Conner. It's all one in the same." He said, smiling.
"Hmm, Conner." I felt his hand intertwine with mine. His fingers wrapped between mine between us. "I like that. You're different. I like you."
He kissed me. I wasn't expecting it. There was no tongue or anything special. It was warm, soft. He held it for a few moments before pulling away. But dear me, I saw stars.
"What was that for?" I asked, blinking.
"An experiment." He replied.
"And what were the findings?" I asked, smiling up at him. God he was flirting, he kissed me. There was hope. We could be something.
"Inconclusive, not enough data."