July 17th, 2010 - 23:16 PDT
It was always easy finding where Brick and his lackeys would be, not that they were a terribly conspicuous bunch. Speedy didn't know, if he were a kingpin (which he wasn't, but just hypothetically speaking), if he'd be at an open port transporting illicit goods under the barely notable cover of night, especially since he probably wouldn't be able to see eyes such as his own peeking out from the dark above to watch as each group unloaded their respective shipping containers, taking out large cases of what he could only guess were illegal things.
Just as it always was.
The teen vaguely wondered what they might accomplish if they put in half the effort they stealing and being a thorn in the public's side into something that was actually productive. Despite it being generally futile, what, working for a kingpin as a dispensable, living meat shields, he just didn't see how any of these idiots actually stood to gain anything from this. His sharp eyes watched as each lock and seal were removed, revealing what had to be hundred in just that shipping container alone, and he sighed, rolling his eyes as he readied a charge into his bow.
He paused above two of the men, hardly notable in his mind as they appeared as run-of-the-mill as it got; they reached in the container and lifted free just one of the cases and began carry it. Cocking back his smoke arrow, his eagle-esque sight aimed just between their shoes, a single motion that, before either one of them could ever react, the charge exploded, a thick plume of choking smoke rousing the nest would-be hornets all at once. The case dropped, and from his vantage point, he could make what they'd been carrying.
Weapons. Just a few fell out of the container they'd been in, and though he was sure much of the other cases held the same, one of the guns slid across the ground...directly into Brick's shoe. The burly man was quick to kick the firearm into his hands, its ringed barrel humming to life as the man seemed to know precisely where to aim; high, high above him, Speedy stood up, sparing the man a stern, unmoved look, even when the former's booming voice rang up at him.
He could tell he was pissed.
The youth withheld the urge to grin, but his excitement was clear; he loved fucking with bad guys.
"You again! I'm starting to get insulted that Green Arrow's not messing up my operation personally!" Brick yelled up at him, firing off a single shot of his gun at the rogue hero, though that wasn't his point of concern. Making easy work of dodging the first, he wouldn't be able to ease his guard as the older man loosed several more, missing each time with Speedy's apt evasions about the metal complex beneath his feet. He couldn't help but feel a little agitated at Brick's comment, the teen gritting his teeth slightly at the sting to his pride.
This muscle head hadn't been the first to make such a pass at him, not since he went solo.
It wasn't too often that people, much less villains, saw sidekicks going off to do their own thing without their heroes at the ready and at their side. It must have been enough to make some sort of impression as, without fail, every single one he'd taken down in the almost two weeks he'd stopped serving at Arrow's side, it was nearly impossible to escape at least one mention of his former mentor.
And more than that, he thought snidely as he sprinted along a path way leading to another section of the complex as Brick fired off more shots, there was always this allusion that he was somehow less without the prick here, overseeing and nitpicking every little thing he did. If anything, he though taking another arrow from his back and readying a different charge, an incendiary sort, pulling back the string of his taut bow, he was more than what he was before.
He wasn't Arrow's little pet anymore.
He just needed these assholes to know that, too.
Turning back, he loosed the shot after an evasive, landing it squarely in the chamber of Brick's gun, causing it to explode. The blast had more than damaged the older man's clothes, leaving them tattered and singed, and the man in question very livid.
This time, Speedy didn't resist a small grin as he watched him look at what remained of his, admittedly, once nice suit, though, the youth couldn't help but notice, wasn't reflected at all on his person. In fact, his reaction was more akin to that of earnest annoyance than actual pain, though it was certainly no less satisfying.
"Do you know what I pay for a suit in my size?!" He yelled at Speedy, and from where he was, he shrugged casually, leaning slightly on the railing of his vantage point with a smug look on his face?
How exactly was that his problem? He wouldn't have had to ruin his little suit if he weren't being a shitty person.
Tough luck.
Without a missed moment, Brick turned to his henchmen, each of them readied with a weapon identical to the one their boss had before he'd blown it up. Each of them came to attention at his words.
"Scorch the earth, boys." He ordered, and they each looked ready to act when Speedy saw a blur of light, and at once, one of the men were taken eye just a second later in a streak of red and yellow.
Speedy's grin faded.
Not them again, He thought with a low groan, frowning as the last people he needed, or wanted, to see showed up.
The Little League was here.
Wally sped past them, long gone before any of the rest of Brick's men even had the chance to react, and just as quickly, Robin disarmed those that remained, knocking their weapons free of their grips with rings thrown with precision that could even rival his own. The Bat's protégé swung into a concealed part of the port just as Aqualad appeared in turn, leaping into the air when the dark bands upon his arms began to glow a luminescent blue, a note of his building power as thick rivulets of water sprung forth like whips. Speedy had to admit that their work had definitely improved, though he didn't have time to ruminate on that as, no sooner than Aqualad had used his power to take out of commission two more of Brick's goons, each struck with a band of volatile water, the kingpin himself was back into the fray.
Powerful hands dug into the earth itself and lifted up a sizable portion of concrete, and lobbing it straight at the youth as he hopped from his vantage point and sprinted along the containers, dodging just as the massive stone crashed overhead, and in that short window of time, he was afforded even the shortest amount of room to fire off another arrow. Exploding, again, upon the man's skin, he wasn't surprised to find that it hadn't done much to him, just as it hadn't the first time. Minding somewhat the look on Brick's face, he was steadily more interested (and somewhat annoyed) to find the other three, Robin, Wally, and Aqualad, convening once more. They were quickly approaching, and the teen wasn't shy in expressing him agitation as his masked face scrunched up accordingly.
I was doing just fine on my own...can't these guys take a hint?!, He couldn't help but think, and as he rushed out of the way of another hailing stone from the metahuman's grasp, Aqualad was quick to take his place, bisecting the slab of concrete with ease, done with manifested blades of water that, again, radiated from his bands. This seemed to take Brick aback as, seeing this opportunity, Speedy released another smoking arrow, if only to distract him a bit as he formed a plan.
Or he would have formed a plan if Aquama's apprentice hadn't taken that moment to talk to him, spouting off more nonsense he, frankly, wasn't in the mood to hear.
"The cave is perfect. It has everything the team will need." And immediately, it was exactly what he was expecting for him to say.
More bullshit reasons for him to join their little gang.
They'd been going on about this for nearly a week, he could recall it well. Finding him whenever they could on his stints and rounds around the city, pestering him about this or that. Speedy wasn't shy about turning them down at every turn, yet just as much, they weren't shy about finding him in hopes that this, or the time after next, would be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
Or in Speedy's mind, the straw that broke the last of his waning patience as he Robin landed behind them, spouting the same shit as Aqualad had.
Couldn't these fools see that he was less than interested in joining their little...whatever this was? Whatever they liked to call it, all it said to him was pacifism.
Their so-called mentors were just pacifying them and they were too dense, naïve, or both, to notice it. In a way, the teen thought with a hint of pity, it was sort of sad.
If just a little.
"For covert missions, you know, spy stuff." Robin chimed in, looking almost proud of the notion.
Under the table, you mean?, Speedy corrected in his mind, giving the boy wonder a doubtful look. He was above doing things that couldn't be openly talked about. He wasn't taking handout missions; he rather strike out on his own than be on a glorified leash like this lot. Wally was the cherry on the cake, he thought, the younger speedster appearing before him with his piece.
"And wait till you see Superboy and Miss Martian. But I saw her first." Kid Flash added in post, though seemed to have been mostly joking, though he didn't miss Robin's mild shift in stature, a subtle tension that, given his sharp eyes, he would have been remiss to disregard.
Not that it mattered to Speedy, at all. He had no intentions on meeting either of them, anyway, or dig into what vapid social drama was going on behind the scenes. In a way, it pleased him to find that Brick was no longer distracted as he was quick to make them scatter, another slab of concrete meeting them where they were upon the containers as they each went their separate ways to avoid its impact. Aqualad, however, responded in kind, spawning a pair twin spiked maces to make quick work of the incoming boulder. With a clear shot, Speedy fired another arrow, numbering three as Brick was impaled by each. In succession they denoted, knocking back the large man for a breath before sending him to his knees to recover.
It didn't last long though as , without so much as flinching, the metahuman was back to taunting the youth.
He laughed before he spoke, tone scathing.
"Tell Arrow he shouldn't send boys to do a man's job." The kingpin shot back, clearly trying to get a rise out of Speedy, and for a second it worked.
But just a second.
He wasn't in the business of letting petty comments throw off his game, even if it hit his pride in just the right way. He knew better than to let it show.
Never let an enemy know that they got to you...even when they did.
Pulling an arrow from his quiver, its tip was thick and unlike the others in his possession. Drawing back his shot, Brick looked smug, standing tall and spreading his arms as if welcoming whatever was to come next, unbothered by the idea of taking another shot as he did before.
But Speedy knew that he was in for a surprise.
"Go ahead." Brick shouted back, readying himself, as far as the archer could tell, was just another incendiary shot, but this...would be anything but. Firing without a moment's hesitation, the large man looked as cocky for all of a second when he saw it didn't explode...but it had.
Just not with fire.
But with foam.
He'd quickly gotten the hint shortly into his career that not every fight had to be won with force. Sometimes, he understood, it was enough to end the fight without the extra effort of beating them down...and Brick was just one of those cases. He knew going into this that his regular explosive shots wouldn't be nearly enough to take down a living army such as him, and that was just part for the course for your run-of-the-mill metahuman. Brick wasn't especially powerful, but he enough of a challenge that could serve as quick test of concept for some of the more...creative solutions he had up his sleeve.
Or rather, he thought with a hint of amusement, in his quiver.
Observing his work as Brick was quickly overtaken by the substance, encapsulating him thereafter, Wally sped beside him, minding the process with curious, appreciating eyes.
"High-density, polyurethane foam. Nice." He complimented, but didn't do much to acknowledge it as he turned on his heel and started away. He knew the quality of the work; he didn't need empty words to affirm what he already knew.
He was competent, intelligent, and far more capable than what most would expect. Every time he scouted out the city from rooftops, stopped robberies, upended little schemes like this, he lived that truth. That he wasn't just some token sidekick, that he didn't need some big-wig from the Justice League pulling his strings to make a change...unlike these three.
Wally didn't seem particularly offended by his lack of comment, not enough to stop the others from asking the question he was sure would be asked at some point during their meeting.
They'd made a habit of asking so often that he practically felt it coming, and as such, his answer was waiting on his lips, primed for those coveted words that dripped from Robin's lips. He hardly had to think at all when he responded.
"So, Speedy, you in?" The boy wonder asked, as predictable as always.
The archer paused, knowing that gracing them with even this much of an answer was more than what he owed them. He...didn't owe any of them anything.
"Pass." Turning his head to meet Robin's masked gaze. None of the others around him seemed too surprised at his refusal, almost expectant of it, though there was certainly an air of disappointment in their eyes as he continued to speak, not that that was enough to sway his decision.
But...they'd been his friends.
Or at the very least close associates, seeing as they'd never really been around each other that much to begin with, but he liked them enough that it almost saddened him to see them pick this path when they could be heroes with cages...but he wasn't there to pick it for them. They had to choose that themselves.
"I'm done letting Arrow and the league tell me what to do. I don't need a baby sitter or a clubhouse to hang out with the other kids." He exclaimed boldly and without hesitation, and any sense of sympathy he had dissolved when he gazed at Robin with disdain, though his words were clearly for the rest of them as well.
He lowered his voice, but his cadence and words were clear.
"Your junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy andinyourplace." He spat with a touch of contempt that he barely restrained.
Because that was just what it was. A joke.
A charade, a sorry illusion that they were all playing into so they can wanted and included, but he didn't need the bells and whistles to make his life mean something.
That was for theweak.
That...that was forthem.
Stalking away down a line of storage containers, he made that known, parting with these final words before he left them.
"I don't want any part of it." And just like that, his red form disappeared into the shadows, and he didn't look back.
Not once.
July 18th, 2010 - 10:53 PDT
The week had been quiet...for the most part.
Kon woke up that morning in a similar fashion as he usually did now: drenched in sweat, shaking like an leaf from passing images and sensations that he should have known weren't real, but...felt so familiar that they ought to have been. Getting dressed was much the same, too.
A long, burning hot shower as he rubbed his skin raw.
It was fine; he would heal.
A run-through with a razor to his lower extremities (he thankfully found some already in his bathroom so he wouldn't have to ask anyone and have to explain why it is that he needed them); it felt disgusting having anything down there resembling hair. Even just the thought of fingering through any of it, sweaty, tangled, and thick with his - never mind.
The thought of it was enough to make the hybrid sick just thinking about it; he'd made out better just discarding the notion and memory of it outright instead of processing it at all, and that was just what he did. His bare skin, though, still made him squirm slightly at the brush of the fabric of his briefs, but it was tolerable enough.
More tolerable than being around her, at least.
Leaving his room that morning was much the same as any other, and for that, he had to admit, he was thankful. M'gann hadn't made any efforts, as far as he could tell, to really do much...besides the occasional glance here and there, a nervous every now and again. And when she was feeling especially bold, she tried to talk to him...one could probably guess that didn't go too well. If anything, he was perfectly fine with never speaking to her again, and more than that, it was probably for the best that they didn't speak. He still wasn't too sure that he could stand to look at her without getting sick to his stomach, but to make casual conversation as if he didn't loathe everything about her, to act as if just the thought of hearing her voice didn't make him want to vomit...that was too much, even for him.
Walking from his own bedroom (and he didn't have to do much to dodge any of the wood that had been there seen it had been long since cleared away, another dresser in its place) and into the main hub towards the kitchen. In truth, he hadn't really had much of an appetite over the course of the week, really; eating just felt...weird. Swallowing, especially.
It was as if...she was down his throat, her thick, slithering tongue choking him as she -
"Stop it! Don't think about it...just...j-just forget it."He reminded himself sharply, voice almost desperate as he tensed slightly, doing his best to relax though he felt anything but. The clone hated that, too...how his mind just had a way of...reminding him of things he'd much rather it didn't; it didn't let him sleep, it would allow him peace when he was awake. It was as if it were hellishly set on making his life worse when all he wanted to do was just...go back to the way things were.
Or as close as he could manage to get, at least.
Was that too much to ask?
Stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, he moved into the kitchen from the corridor in the hub.
But he wasn't the only person there.
He couldn't have been so lucky to be.
At his entry, he could hear her heart begin to thrum at the sight of him. M'gann was at the counter, prepping what he could only assume was cookie dough as she carefully molded each ball and set them upon the sheet in a careful assortment to ensure that they would bake into each other. He didn't look long, though, the teen making no effort at all to even acknowledge her presence, much less speak as she waved to him bashfully, doing her best to smile when he didn't meet her gaze. In his eyes, it was enough already that they were even in the same space, and despite his reservations, he was also hungry, opening one of the many cabinets in search of something he could nibble on. He could practically feel her tense as he went the long way around, circling the island that was set in the middle of the kitchen, to find a snack.
It wasn't as if he were making any effort to hide the fact that he was, in fact, avoiding her.
He didn't owe her that decency.
Even so, and with the clear hint that he did not want to speak to her, she still cleared her throat to beckon his attention, though it was only marginally successful, seeing as he only barely glanced in her direction before returning to his task.
His expression hardened, but he didn't face her, but she went on to speak anyway.
"G-goodmorning, Kon. I hope you slept well..." She started pleasantly, taking another piece of dough from the premade package to her left and rolling between her hands, looking up just a bit between each motion to look at him (he could feel her eyes burrowing into the back of his skull; she was making it rather obvious). It didn't help that she seemed to be nervous, if her rushing pulse and the slight tremor of her voice was any way to tell. He didn't answer, though, considering the inquiry with a touch of irritation as his mind turned over her words.
Slept well? Was shefuckingserious?
It felt more like he hadn't slept in a week, and in a way, he really hadn't.
It was hard enough now to stay asleep, and even harder to fall asleep in the first place, the teen recalling very vividly his growing paranoia as he stared long and hard in the dark at the door...expecting her, somehow, to work her way inside. He wasn't even sure he trusted the lock on his door most nights, but when he finally did manage to get to sleep (if he could call it sleep at all), it was just her.
Holding him.
Touching him.
She was always there, rooting around in his skull, making him...do things.
Shaking his head, a wave of nausea rushed over him.
He couldn't recall the last time he'd actually had a good night's sleep...and he had her to thank for that.
She watched him for a long moment, it felt, before chuckling slightly under her breath, as if trying to ease the tension a bit.
"I, uh...I'm making cookies, if you'd like some. I know you're looking for something to snack on and - " Superboy didn't even let her finish before he cut her off, thoroughly tired of her voice already.
"Pass." He responded, opening each cabinet one-by-one in search of something, though he quickened his pace, his discomfort in being around her growing tenfold with each second. If he could help completely being away from M'gann, he did, making every effort to stay as far from her as he could. Something about being in her presence just...unsettled him, and this was proven again when he doubled back, pausing for a moment to think about what she'd said.
How...how did she know he was -
Then it dawned on him.
His grip on the cabinet door intensified as he very quickly slammed it shut, startling her in kind.
She was there again, in his head, messing with him. She...she didn't belong there, and knowing that she'd probably read his thoughts to try and get close to him again...it only worked to make him angrier and angrier until he came to a stand, whipping around to meet her eyes with a cold, infuriated stare.
Why?
Why didn't she fucking get it?! What was difficult to comprehend about her staying out, of respecting the little space he had by just letting him have his thoughts? Was that too much to ask? Was taking his body not fucking ENOUGH?! She seemed to understand immediately why he'd reacted the way he had, looking away swiftly as she gripped the counter, bracing herself against his voice as he opened his mouth to break the silence that had fallen over them in the scant moments after he responded.
He was sick of this.
Sick of her.
Sick of the psychic BULLSHIT! All of it was getting on his nerves.
"I've already told you to stay out of my head! What part of that don't you understand?!" The clone spat at her, slamming his fist upon the counter to accentuate his point, though his anger was just barely restrained enough for him not to break it in the same fashion as he had his dresser or wall, but just barely. Instead, his eyes were trained firmly upon her, the girl shrinking down a bit at his voice.
He couldn't feel her rooting around anymore, at least, not for that moment...but he still didn't let down his guard.
He couldn't...not around her.
"I'm just...sorry, I was trying to help. I thought - " But Kon turned away, both out of disinterest in whatever she had to say, and because the sensor and overhead intercom spoke, announcing the arrival of another member of the team as both of them heeded its words.
"B-02 'Aqualad', has been identified", It called, and his sensitive hearing could pick up Aqualad's footsteps in the main hub, echoing softly against solid walls just beyond the kitchen before a whir of sound from the holographic screens caught his attention. Leaning back from the counter, he didn't face her. He considered the entrance to the kitchen, thinking then that leaving would likely be the best course of action.
If anything, he wasn't even hungry anymore, not to mention that spending even a second more in here were her was more than he could take. But from the island, he could see her face twist with sadness, a feeling he couldn't be bothered to sympathize with as she clenched her hands, her red hair like a bleeding veil she hung her head, staring long upon the counter beneath her hands as she whispered out solemn words, quiet as they were.
"Superboy, I...I just wanted to help you. If we could...if you could just talk to me, then maybe we can - " She paused when she heard him laugh, a rueful sound that bore no humor in its tone.
It was a hollow sound, wrought with bitterness conveyed in his voice alone.
So...so shewasserious. She honestly thought...he wanted anything to do with her? What exactly was there to talk about?
WHAT?!
She couldn't honestly think that there was even the remote possibly that they would ever, EVER be friends, after everything that she'd said, after everything she'sdone?! Was she seriously this delusional?!
"Talk?Talk?! Are you...you can't honestly think I would want to - nevermind. Just...I don'twantyour help. Just...j-just leave me alone. Just leave me thefuckalone." He spat at her, making no effort at all to conceal the breadth of his loathing in his words.
He'd never hated anyone before. Back in Cadmus, he'd learn of it, the word, and even of its meaning, but he never truly understood what it meant to feel that for another. How could he? There were only the four walls of his small chamber, the smooth glass of his pod, and the G-Gnomes that had taught him everything he knew from his conception onwards. Even the White Coats weren't worth that emotion, he thought; they'd been cold, less than loving...but he didn't hate him. He...he didn't even hate Superman.
If anything...he could almost understand where his better half was coming from.
Almost.
But looking upon her and her face and her body and her...her everything, the closest thing he could even liken to hate, a deep, seething disgust more perverse than anything he'd felt overcame in one fell swoop as he made every effort to restrain himself.
If there was anyone that he hated, anyone at all, it would be her...her and her alone.
Without even glancing to her again, he left the counter, rushing from the kitchen to clear his head and join Aqualad, desperate for a distraction from his thoughts. Leaving the kitchen, he missed it, the shimmer of malevolence that twinkled in M'gann's eye as her darkened gaze traced his path to the main hub.
But he was gone before could notice it.
Gone before he could feel her trembling, psychic grip crawl quietly into his mind to take root.
Making it to the rounded center of their base, Aqualad nodded to him curtly in greeting.
"Ah, Superboy. It's been a while." The youth began, hailing to the blue screens before him as the clone joined his side.
"Yeah, it has." He answered back, finding out quickly that he wasn't really sure what to say further than just that. There hadn't been many visitors to Mount Justice in nearly two weeks now, and the two of them hadn't exactly had the chance to really...speak much apart from the scant moments during their initial meeting back in Cadmus. If anything, he...wasn't sure what to say in general to anyone, really, seeing as he hadn't been schooled on how to really...converse with people.
Believe it or not, the White Coats weren't very eager to speak with him beyond the occasional question and inquiry regarding their studies or whatever scientists do. This became more apparent when Aqualad nodded awkwardly, appearing just as much at a loss for words as the latter as he turned his gaze back to the many screams, typing upon the hovering keyboard a list of commands that he looked to curiously before it brought up a map. Upon it was a small icon of what looked like Red Tornado. On another, documents he didn't know the origin of appeared, and Aqualad seemed taken with them, rendering him unsure of what to say.
Should I talk? Or...would it be better to stay quiet? What do I talk about?, He tried to reason, shifting slightly in place. Honestly, it was nice being in the company of someone other than just the adults or her, but that also only aided in his anxieties all the same. The young clone tried to consider what he'd learned from the G-Gnomes, about the topics that he could recall that made typical conversation.
People talked about sports...but he didn't know much about teams and or anything like that.
He could try to talk about...hobbies? However, he relented on that idea, realizing quickly that he didn't...have any. Not yet, at least.
He hadn't really traveled anywhere, he wasn't sure if he had any favorite foods...so what could he -
Oh! I know! I could talk about -
"The weather, is, uh, nice today, huh?" He started hesitantly, giving the former a lopsided smile as he tried his best to behave pleasantly.That was right,he thought; he'd been told many times that it was common to talk about the weather as a way of getting to know each other, right? His eyes watched the other's reaction carefully as he waited for a response.
But Aqualad cocked his head, appearing, if anything, a bit confused by the question.
"What?" He asked, urging Superboy to clear his throat, trying again.
"I heard the forecast was supposed to be pleasant today. That's...good, right?" The clone offered carefully, ringing his hands nervously as the other considered his words, shrugging casually.
"I...suppose so, yes. It is sunny." Aquaman's apprentice answered simply, and the hub went quiet once more.
It was silent after that, Kon's thoughts racing as he tried to think of something, anything, else to say. What was one supposed to follow-up with after that? Was he meant to continue? Should he change topics? Should he -
"Hey, Aqualad!" He heard a voice, M'gann's voice, call from the direction of the kitchen, and at once, his own musings ground to a halt. He did his best to moderate the shift in his expressions as the psychic came over to them, flying quickly, excitedly, over to Aqualad as the former smiled at her arrival...a reaction he didn't have when Superboy appeared, the kryptonian couldn't help but notice as the Altantean turned to greet her.
"M'gann! It has been a while! How have you been?" He asked far...nicer, too.
Almost...warmly.
Sneaking a glance at Kon, the girl smiled gently, reaching out to hug the young man before pulling away, taking a step back to converse with the other.
"I've been great! How about you?" She exclaimed excitedly, and it wasn't long before Aqualad had completely turned his back to Superboy, the youth entirely engrossed in her all of a sudden, as if the former hadn't been there at all.
The clone crossed his arms tightly across his chest, eying the two with a quiet glance as he looked on to the screens, biting his lip.
How had she just...how did she manage to just swoop in and start conversation so...easily? It made his attempt pale in comparison, especially considering the fact that she was just as inexperienced as him...but she was managing just fine? If anything, Aqualad looked far more interested in her than him...but he tried not to think about it too hard.
He looked away, pretending, mostly, to not be interested.
Their conversation continued.
"You know, honestly? I've been well, if busy." He started, turning to face the screens as their conversation continued on, M'gann responding in kind.
"Oh? With what?" She asked, Aqualad was eager to oblige.
"Not much, really. Mostly intel, things like that. What about you guys? What have you been up to?" He asked, and there was a pause, and for a moment, M'gann was silent.
Deathly so.
His body tensed as he felt her eyes tremble over to Kon for a moment, for a breath, before she frowned slightly, a saddened look falling upon her face.
"Not much, really. Kon...he hasn't really been talking to me. I was trying to spend time with him, but...he's kind of...ignoringme right now." She said softly, earning a stunned look from Aqualad, but Superboy? His eyes widened as he considered her words, and the crock of bullshit that they surely were.
What...what the hell was she talking about?!
"What?! That's not true! We weren't even - " Before he could get out what he was trying to say, Aqualad cut in, raising a judging brow.
"Why? Did something happen?" He asked, looking to the clone with an odd look before M'gann continued, clasping her hands in her lap, an innocent look on her face.
"I...I don't think so...but that's okay! Some of us just need more time to warm up, that's all. Right, Konny?" She asked sweetly, tilting her head slightly as he eyes remained trained on him, unblinking as the youth was left unable to speak, the teen grimacing at the sound of that name.
What was she talking about?! If anything, there wasn't a moment that passed that he wanted to be around her, so what was she playing at here? Looking to Aqualad, he couldn't deny the strange, judging glint in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at the clone, clearly unsettled by her obvious lie that was, for all intents and purposes, making him look bad. But that was just it.
If he told the truth and denied that ever happening, he would look guilty by omission. If he lied and went along with it, he would have to explain why, and no matter how he looked at it, he was going to lose either way. Gripping his jacket sleeve, he decided not to answer, averting his gaze to the floor as he omitted himself from the conversation.
He wasn't sure what she was trying to play at, but he wasn't doing this...whateverthis was.
Yet despite his refusal, Aqualad didn't seem pleased, staring at him for long moment before turning away, looking back to the screens.
The three were quiet for a long moment before the overhead voice spoke again.
"B-01 'Robin', has been identified; B-03 'Kid Flash', has been identified." It said, and just like that, two more of the Team rushed up to them, thankfully cutting through the awkward air that had settled around them as Kid Flash and Robin ran from the entry portals and to where they were standing. Coming up to them, they began speaking at once, their tones excited.
Superboy didn't look at them, eying the icon instead in a bid to focus on anything but the stifling anxiety of the situation at hand.
"Did you ask him?!" Robin started, and Wally just a step behind, asking another question in succession.
"What did he say?!" He asked, and Aqualad, without looking at Superboy again, turned to face them. The clone couldn't tell if he should be relieved or not, having those piercing eyes upon him in judgement, but beside the youth, M'gann almost seemed to smile at from across the space they shared, her sweet look still upon her face as she tilted her head slightly before looking to Robin and Wally.
His grip intensified, a manifestation of his frustration as the Atlantean spoke in kind.
"He's arriving now." He answered, and that was all it took for the other two to begin on their way in another direction.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Wally exclaimed excitedly, running off with Robin and Aquaman in tow, the last of them shooting the clone a passing, odd glance before walking off behind the first two.
Leaving just Superboy and M'gann behind.
He'd only just turned to face the martian, his confusion budding to irritation quickly as he angrily opened his mouth to speak.
"What was that?! You know none of that was true, so why did you - " He paused when the girl chuckled slightly, raising a hand to her mouth to shield her upturned lips as the airy sound flitted from her, only serving to confuse him further. What was so funny? He didn't see anything worth laughing about, so why was she -
"But Konny...it is true, right?" She started, starting towards him, and Kon felt himself tense at her closing proximity.
What was she -
"Youhavebeen ignoring me; why does it matter if it's the truth?" She asked innocently, giving him a doe-eyed look that seemed to fit her face too well, rousing Kon's disbelief as he took in her words. Was avoiding the person that had done all that shit him really ignoring her when it seemed much more that he was just avoiding them? Of course he would react that way; that was normal, wasn't it?! Whatever idea about his actions or causes was cooking in her head, it was clearly making her come to completely unjustified conclusions.
And even more, she was spreading these delusions to other people...trying to paint him as the bad guy.
He ground his teeth harshely as it dawned on him that that was just what she was trying to do, and if anything, he realized just as quickly as his mind flickered back to Aqualad, the way that he'd looked at him...it was working.
And that scared him.
Stepping forward to meet her, despite his reluctance, he knew he needed to make this clear.
Crystal...fucking...clear.
"Whatever you're trying to play at, whatever little scheme you've got cooking in that sick, fucking brain of yours...stop. I am not doing this with you. These games stop here, do you understand me?"Leaning down, they were practically nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye, amber to blue as Superboy made certain to pronounce every syllable so that every one of his words were made clear.
This...this he wasn't doing.
She wasn't going to ruin everything for him because she was sick in the head. He had to nip this in the bud.
Right here, right now.
However, she only seemed more confused by his words, something that shouldn't have been possible, seeing as he made himself more than clear.
"Huh? What do you mean? I was just telling him what we did. Or...I guess I lied, too." She purred, strolling up to him to place her hand on his chest, a gesture that made Kon's skin crawl at once as he gripped her wrist at once, squeezing it somewhat tightly as his gaze went cold.
"Do. Not. Touch. Me."He hissed, fixing his eyes upon her own as she smiled sweetly.
Too sweetly.
It was making him sick.
"Oh? But you liked it enoughthen, didn't you?"The martian hummed slightly, palming his stomach with roving hands that only made his chest grow tighter. He pulled away quickly, resisting the urge to vomit what little he'd managed to choke down that morning.
But more than that?
To say, to even suggest, that that was something that he might have wanted even remotely? How could she even start to phrase it as if he did?
"No...n-no, I - that was different. That wasdifferentand youknowit - " He protested somewhat weakly, weaker than he'd meant to sound. There was no reason that he could remotely think of that would him to doubt that in any sense, so why he seemed to almost…hesitate to say it was beyond him entirely. If anything, there shouldn't have been a hint of anything even resembling the emotion.
She knew as well as him that that…wasn't what he'd asked for.
Not even remotely. What they did - what he'd allowed to happen - was anything but willful.
"Do I? Was it? I remember you liking it just fine. Enough that you - " Her hands explored his chest more, and with a shove, he forced her back, vision tunneling reflexively as images flared in the forefront of his mind.
She was on-top of him. Sliding up and down, touching him, running her hands along his sides as he tensed, as he came -
"Stop talking. Right...now." The teen whispered, struggling to keep his voice even and level, a present fear of losing his cool in front of the rest of the Team the only thing keeping him from dropping the façade of composure. She was more than aware that she'd struck a nerve, her warm, unnervingly calm eyes placid as she stepped forward again.
She looked up at him.
The girl giggled.
"What's wrong, Konny? I didn't upset you, did I? I think you're just overreacting a bit...it wasn't like I lied." She purred again, running her eyes along his body in such a way that made him feel...exposed.
He was quickly coming to hate having her look at him at all. She just...everything about her was just wrong.
But he was lost on her words.
"Y-yes...yes you did. You told Aqualad - "
"The truth. Don't you remember?" She asked, minding his face with a soft grin, humming as she traced lines along his arms, and again, he yanked away from her, shooting her a cross look. What part of 'don't touch me' was hard to comprehend?!
"I told you to stop fucking do that - " He started, but she continued, completely ignoring what he'd said. M'gann appeared to focus only on his body, where her distant gaze fell in kind. Even her voice seemed to change, falling away to a stern whisper that made the space between them vibrate with tension.
"You won't look at me. Won't talk to me..." She all but muttered, hovering her hands above his skin, just close enough that it almost felt...electric.
But not in a good way.
In the sort of fashion that it made him squirm.
She continued, wistful, but this time, she stepped forward again, pressing against him as her hands trailed the rim of his jeans, wrenching the sound from his throat as she whispered into him.
"Won't...touch me..."M'gann uttered, and at once, where he would have rushed off to meet the others, his patience and tolerance for any degree of contact with her spent, his body remained still, as if every muscle had gone slack at once under her touch. He opened his mouth to say something, to call for someone, anyone...but his voice was gone.
No...n-no, this couldn't happen again. Not again -
"What was I supposed to say, O'll'ishi? It's your fault that he looked at you like that. That's what happens when you're mean." The young martian explained softly. She lingered there, pressed against his chest as she smiled to herself, ignoring the choked, panicked sounds in his throat as Superboy struggled to free himself from her hold.
His heart beat wildly in his chest.
Help. He needed...he needed help.
Please...please someone...help -
"Hey! You guys coming or what?! He's almost here!" Came Robin's voice from the end of the corridor, catching only Superboy's back as M'gann's eyes opened, staunch irriation clear in them as her hold persisted, but she looked around Kon to respond back, that same, doe-eye smile parting her lips in kind. It was almost like a mask, slipping on seamlessly even when the boy right before her remained wrenched in her psychic grip.
But it was as if all were well.
From the outside looking in, things certainly seemed to be.
"Yep! Coming! We'll be right that!" She beamed, and at that, the boy wonder left out of sight again, leaving just the two of them once more.
She smiled sweetly at him, and affectionate look that wasn't matched by his own, silent terror so egregious and apparent that he looked ready to scream at any moment. Perhaps in some way, one could muse, he already had been.
Internally...ever internally.
"I think it's time that we go, don't you?" She asked, but Kon remained unmoved.
But every fiber of his being was desperate to follow suit.
Anything,ANYTHING, to get away from her.
Despite his train of thought, she considered him quietly before she spoke.
And the vaneer was gone, utterly dash and killed to give way to a low voice, so unlike M'gann's own that the clone almost didn't know whether to believe that it was her at all. But it certainly was, her soft lips parted with spoken words that were shared just between the two of them.
Just for them to hear.
"I lied for you, you know. I think that means something, doesn't it?"She started, forcing his body forward so that she could lean into his ear. He breath was cold, colder than he thought it would be as she whispered, but even colder than that was he himself, rendered inert and still again with feelings of helplessness that wouldn't resolve no matter how hard he fought.
But he considered her words.
Lied? For him? No, she just made him look like an absolute jackass for no reason; that wasn't helping him -
"Yes, it was. I can hear you, you know. You don't think I can hear it, how much you don't want anyone to know? I wonder what they would think...if I told them what you did to me?" The girl pondered with a sinister tone, and Kon's heart stopped.
What? W-What are you talking about? I didn't do anything to you. You were the one that -, He was stopped short by her continued speaking.
"I wonder what Robin would say. Or maybe Wally. Superman, too. Knowing that you forced yourself on me. That was very bad, Konny. Very, very bad." Putting a finger to her lip, Kon froze, a stroke of horror befalling him by the very idea of it. She...she wouldn't lie about something like that, would she? But to question her intentions was foolish on its own...seeing what the fucking monster was capable of. If she could do something like that to him, then lying was child's play to her, wasn't it? He didn't even want to think about the looks one all of their faces if she were to tell them that he'd...he'd done something like that; the part that bothered him most was something else entirely.
His mind drifted to the conversation that he'd had with Batman just a few days ago, and somewhere inside of him, he was certain of just one thing; there was no way that, given how "well" things had gone with the Bat, that any of them, even just a single one of them, would even begin to believe him or listen to his side if something like that got out. There a certainly lying in the idea that even just the allegation would be reason enough to believe her; there was no denying that he'd be ruined immediately in a scenario such as that.
His face was surely pale as he could feel the color drain from his face, still arguing against her even in knowing the futility of doing.
I didn't...that didn't fucking happen! Don't you dare tell them that! I swear to god I'll - ,However fervently he tried to fight it, he knew his words were hollow. What exactly could he do here, right now, with her not only holding him, but also, with everyone else just a short walk away. What would they say if they saw him yelling at her, looking like the brute they all already believed that he was; his reputation couldn't take more of a beating than it already had, he reminded himself anxiously as he bit his tongue, minding the hot rush of blood that made his head turn with unresolved malevolence.
Yet even so, that wasn't that only thing gave him pause.
It was her expression.
He must have said something that upset her as her expression transitioned from warm to cross in so swift a movement that it seemed more that he'd somehow managed to blink and miss it despite having never blinked at all. Regardless of his steely defiance, there was just something so...suffocating in her gaze, her...dissatisfaction.
And even more, in the sinister hiss of her voice.
"Ah, ah! That's not very good, is it? You shouldn't talk like that! Not unless...you want them to hate you." She added with a cruel undertone that didn't waver, even when the young kryptonian's eyes widened at her callousness.
Kon gulped.
Was she so ready to just...ruin him? At every turn, she just...why was she so determined to make his life hell?
He didn't...he even begin to comprehend why, but there was no predicting how far she'd take this. Against his pride, his self-respect, he bit down on his lip harder, stifling himself, shaking his head to refuse her threat.
He had to play along. Just long enough to figure out how to make this all stop.
However long that took.
His relenting pleased her, though, as far as he could tell. Just like that, the veil was back, and she was smiling, that bubbling kind face that the others knew so well...but he could see through it. That writhing, violent animal that was barely held back by niceties and compliments he understood only rung hollow from her.
He knew what she really was.
He knew that there was a monster just hiding underneath.
"That's better. I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell. It's not hard to be good, is it?" The girl chided condescendingly, drawing a line along his jaw before running a long, careful finger along his lips. He could feel himself clenching his muscles with discomfort at the contact, his eyes aflame with crude anger at her tone.
But there was something else there, just as perverse and slithering beneath his skin that the teen couldn't begin to understand in himself, though it questioned all the same.
The way she dug around in his skull.
The teasing, the taunting...the way she'd...hurt him...
What...was it all for? What was she looking for?
Why...why are you doing this? What...w-what do you want from me?, His mind managed to scrounge together the thought with some effort, and he squinted slightly from the strain that it took to think at all. It was there again, the weight that manifested in his head every time, it seemed, that she found her way into his thoughts. It was as if a stone had landed inside his skull, and even with trying to focus, it was becoming harder to center his thoughts with each passing moment that he'd been bent at her side, a listening ear to her raving nonsense. The inquiry itself, though, made the martian run quiet for a moment, and that fleeting smile faded and gave way to looked to be a rare moment of clarity that he was nearly surprised to see, having run into it so infrequently.
All he'd seen from her was manic, chaotic exuberance, an undercut to the cruelty that begged to be freed from her at any given time, but this?
This expression was...tender, guided by a closing hand upon his cheek as her warm palm set about his face. It was light, feathery, careful, as if he were a fragile work of art she didn't dare to touch, and besides the yawning headache and the pull of his aching muscles that gave beneath her terrible power...a sickening thought passed through his mind that he discarded but couldn't help but acknowledge.
It felt nice.
Her touch, her being gentle...almost felt...pleasant, in some sick way.
But he couldn't shield himself from his disgust at the notion, nor the way he yanked at proverbial chains to escape her hold.
It was futile.
There was no way he would leave until she allowed him to.
His attempts to be away from her didn't disturb her tranquility, though, and with a earnest smile, she spoke.
"I want us to be happy, Konny. But we can't if you're bad. That's why I have to make it better." Came her quiet admission, and leaning against his shoulder, he was embraced, a touch like ice shocking him to his core.
However, her words did that tenfold.
Bad? He wasn't…bad. And what was she on about? Fix what?
W-what...what the hell are you talking about - ,He wondered, a foreboding, ominous sense filling him when this time, Wally popped back to inquire.
It was then that he wondered how long they'd been standing there…how long he'd been in her hold.
It…felt like a long time.
A really,reallylong time.
"Guys! He's about to get here! You're gonna miss him!" The young speedster called over to them, and gripping his should tightly where she'd rested her head, there was a moment where they met eyes.
Hers were bright with affection, a sickening saccharine look, inclining his to grow nauseous with each second that lingered, staring into his own.
"Be right there~!" The martian responded in a sing-song voice.
And again, it quelled their impatience, a point of dismay for the youth that desperately wished for them to just come a little closer.
Just enough so that they could -
"I'll tell you more later, okay? But we have to go." The girl hummed, pushing him up to allow him to come to a full stand, his back screaming from the strain of having been bent up for how long, he couldn't tell. But his face didn't reflect any if that discomfort…seeing as he couldn't.
Her hold overall was loosening, but she was still there, in her head.
She wasn't finished quite yet.
This time, there was a notable twitch of his face at the ease of her power over him.
He. Wanted. Her. Out.
He wanted to be away from her.
"Remember; don't tell anyone, okay? We can keep it our little secret, just like you said, right, Konny?" She was casual, even a little playful, even as he was rendered unable move, still, but his eyes were daggers, stabbing into her over and over again.
A dream, a safe haven, to the helplessness that he felt.
You're...y-you're insane...,He allowed his innermost thoughts to slip out for a moment there, a pronouncement of his deep loathing as no sooner than he'd uttered the idea, her features contorted. All the same, her grip in his brain became a vice.
There was a drawn, unsettling stillness over her, as if she couldn't feel his body shiver with deepening discomfort under her hands.
It...it was beginning to hurt, but he refused to let it show. He would not give her the satisfaction, he would not -
"That was mean. I don't like mean words. Say you're sorry." Her voice, her cadence, was flat, deadened by careful brutality that she administered with such precision that it stunned him for a moment.
But not long enough to give him cause to obey her.
Apologize? To you? Fuck you,Kon almost grinned.
Her expression became more severe, and though he loved seeing her upset, his mouth opened slightly with a gasp. It was harder to ignore, the thick, gross radiation of pain that began to trickle from his head and down his neck. It was just like then, back in that kitchen from what felt like an eternity ago when she'd gotten him to bend then, a sense of shame filling him all the same.
That only gave him cause to resist her harder, though the pain was only becoming more intense the longer and harder she pulled.
He feel himself losing his footing.
Slowly but surely.
"Don'tsaythings like that. I don't like when you say those things. Say you're sorry." M'gann uttered dangerously, a terror vocalized that didn't match her face at all.
It was giving him whiplash, the speed and frequency of the "shifts" that she would undergo was making it all the more difficult to keep up with her. One moment she was sweet and kind, the next she was calm, and now? The girl looked ready to tear him apart, one piece at a time.
Something in his mused that maybe this was her attempt at doing just that, that if she kept this up long enough, he would fall away, turn to mush.
That's what she wanted, right?
It had to be.
I said no - , Kon started, but would sorely never finish.
Not when, for a single breath, his world went dark.
For a moment more, it stayed that way, a placid void that broke at once to hail a storm of agony he couldn't even begin to vocalize.
Pain.
That's all he could feel.
Pure, unadulterated pain.
It stole his breath, leaving only cavalcade of trembling gasps that fell from his flaring nostrils, though it became clear that something was wrong. He could smell it, the thick traces of coppery blood dripping from his nose and dribbling into pursed lips; the bitterness made it all far more real.
The iron stung his tongue, but paled to in comparison to what chiefly took his attention.
She was crushing him, collapsing him from the inside.
It…it hurts. Everything…hurts.
It hurts, it hurts, it -
"I SAID SAY YOU'RE SORRY!",She screamed inside his head. It was loud, so loud that it felt as though it were all around him, thundering through every cell as she pushed harder, harder than he thought possible.
A morbid thought, however, scant, wondered if this was what it felt like to die. Was every instance this…painful? He'd hoped, in this brief moments that he'd pondered it, that it would be kinder, softer…perhaps even peaceful, if he could help it.
But he couldn't think on it for too long, not without her growing impatient.
She tugged crudely against him, and for a moment, it seemed as though she would pull his brain out, tearing him open with enough force to make his guts spill out. Perhaps it only felt that way, but the dripping blood from his chin said otherwise.
"Say. It. Now." She commanded, coming down harder.
Enough that he felt himself wilt, the edges of his vision darkening as he tried to speak.
He had to stop this. He…he couldn't take any more of this.
I…I so-s-so…r-rry -,Kon could barely get it out, those broken, disjointed words that trickled from his bloodied maw.
It was becoming hard to think.
Hard to…breathe -
"Say it louder. So I can hear you, Konny." M'gann hummed, and Superboy could only comply.
"I…I'm…s-s…sorry. I'm….sorry… - "Came a strangled, gurgling sound, blood bubbling to his lips before he felt all of her power melt away, and he fell to his knees, choking on spittle and copper. Coughing violently, his eyes widened as she knelt down beside him, rubbing his back with that same gentle touch that had caressed his cheek before. It was insulting in a way, her administered care after what could have been likened to her killing just a moment before.
His muscles contracted from her touch, but he was much too concerned with getting himself together to attempt to pull away.
And more than that? Something in him felt it better to remain still, that upsetting her so soon was only asking for the last thing he needed.
Pain.
More pain that she was ready and willing to administer, and he wasn't sure he could take anymore.
And that scared him. He would never admit it, but it did.
"See what you made me do? I didn't to do that, but when you act like that, what am I supposed do?" The young martian purred softly into his ear, a haunting cadence that echoed through him. He reached a shaking hand to his nose, smearing bright, red blood across his hand.
Beside his fear was shock, each emotion paired hand-in-hand, stunning him into a silence that was unlike him.
Jerking away from her touch, he went to stand when she grabbed his arm again, gripping the sleeve hard enough that he was forced to wince.
Her eyes were still, empty with malice.
So much that it dripped from every word, every syllable, in kind.
"Konny, you know I don't want to hurt you, right? Do you want me to?" That other her, that other M'gann, wondered aloud, a threat. So clear and obvious that the moment that she'd uttered it, his arm began to throb.
She squeezed tighter.
And tighter until -
"N-no…no, just…please s-stop…"Came his, frankly, tired response.
He was too tired to fight with her.
He just wanted it all to stop.
And she smiled, continuing to rub his back in little circles as the kinder M'gann returned, as if she'd never been gone, just as both Wally and Robin began to rush up to them from corridor from afar.
"Good boy; because you asked so nicely, I'll fix you up later, okay? I'll do it ju~st for you. See how much I care?"The girl sang in his ear, her breath warm and ticklish against his lobe.
Kon didn't have the energy to respond, and he trained his eyes on the ground, unable to even muster a glance at her.
But that only displeased her.
"What are you supposed to say?" The martian hissed, and it only just occurred to him what it was that she wanted him to say.
Sighing, and hoping to not incur her wrath, he opened his mouth and found that his throat was horribly dry.
"T-thank…you…."The clone whispered hoarsely, and she placed a hand on his head, patting it softly, leaving his arm throbbing beneath his sleeve where she'd grabbed him.
He tried to ignore it, the ache that was left behind.
"Don't forget next time, okay?" M'gann corrected, scolding almost in the same fashion a mother would, a stern, firm look that screamed expectation in kind.
He managed only a nod before Wally made it over to them, Robin fast behind him.
"Come on! They're waiting for us - woah! What the heck happened?!" Wally was the first to shout, only worsening Kon's headache as he gripped his head in pain. M'gann was back to old self, her voice laced heavily with mock concern as she turned to face them.
"I-I don't know! We were just talking and then his nose started bleeding all of a sudden. Are you okay, Konny?" The girl asked sweetly, and though Wally and Robin didn't bend down to inquire about his condition, they looked concerned enough, each of them waiting on his response the question that he'd been asked. Thinking on it even just a bit, it pissed him off that she was really going to play all of this up to some freak occurrence, and not what had clearly been done by her hand only just a moment or so prior.
If anything, it was in his best interest, he thought, to just spill the beans right then and there, and for a moment, he considered doing just that. From the bloody nose to the fresh bruise on his arm, wasn't this enough to incriminate her? It was tempting enough, he thought, considering them for a long moment before his eyes drifted to her.
She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, and more than that, there was a sense that she'd almost expected him to have those thoughts the very moment she uttered the question. As a result, he could already feel it, that hellish pressure that only worsened the terrible threatened to split his head in two.
With it, he could hear her voice, cutting, calculating, and pure malevolence made manifest as she spoke.
"They won't believe you. No matter what you tell them…I wont allow them to. I think you know that, don't you?"M'gann told him, and he saw her smile, a knowing, even expectant look dulling that sharp glare.
He stared back.
She…she was serious. She was -
"You're okay. You just had a nose bleed, right?"She affirmed, and looking up at Wally and Robin, it didn't seem as though they even knew anything was wrong…not that he blamed them or anything.
But that was just it.
They were right, so close that all it seemed so easy, so simple, to end. Even with her threat, even with the fear that had since burrowed its way into his chest, there was still that fleeting, fragile hope that they would just…say something.
That they would…just…just…
"I'm…I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." He responded weakly, and M'gann was bursting at the seams with satisfaction only he could see.
She was pleased with him.
Then another thought.
He'd managed to avoid it, avoid being punished.
That itself was a win.
She was quick to help him to his feet (with the clone fighting the urge to pull away from her) and Robin was first to speak, nodding to M'gann with a reassured grin.
"It was a good thing that she was here, right, Wally?" The boy wonder assessed somewhat inaccurately, stabbing Kon through from the sheer irony of his words.
A good thing?
A GOOD THING?
Kon allowed a rueful, bitter grin to cross his face, and discreetly, he yanked himself away from her touch, and even though could vaguely sense the acceleration of her heart in her chest as if made momentarily angry from his gesture, she calmed herself quickly.
Superboy briefly wondered if that would come back to bite him later.
He hoped it wouldn't.
But he couldn't be sure of anything when it came to her.
Instead, she blushed, fiddling with her hands a touch whilst she did what she could to find words of gratitude for their praise.
"Yeah, but what's with the nickname? Konny? Never saw you as the mushy type, Superboy." The speedster teased, and even though Kon understood well enough that the former meant well enough, it didn't ease the agitation that bloomed in his chest at the remark. Beginning his way to the kitchen to get something to wipe his nose, he was stopped by Wally who, by the time he'd turned and managed take even a step, was already back with a wet paper towel, holding it out with a wily grin.
Taking it, he thanked him, avoiding the question entirely,
He didn't want to talk about any of that right now.
Or perhaps even never.
Either option would have been fine with him.
Yet as always, M'gann was by his side, monitoring him closely with an guiding hand as he took a feel swipes at his nose, cleaning blood quickly as his nose had since begun to heal. Or...whatever had caused the nosebleed, seeing as nothing had been broken as far as he was aware. That only made him uncomfortable, thinking about what she might have done to induce something like that, but he didn't have much time to consider it as, after he'd cleaned himself up, he heard the girl beside him speak, her voice grating to his still sensitive ears, the clone wincing in response to the sound.
"I'm so glad you're okay. I was afraid something had happened...are you okay to walk? I can help you if you need me to - " She reached for him slowly when he stepped away a bit, looking from her to where Wally and Robin had been, gritting his teeth and tensing as much as he could as his world spun in a violent haze that he forced himself to endure, betraying none of the nausea that quaked deep within him. Bile breached his throat before he choked it back.
Shaking his head, the clone steadied himself.
Or tried to, at least.
"I...I can walk on my own. I don't...n-need any help." Kon hadn't meant to stammer, but it didn't appear to arouse much concern, none that anyone outwardly expressed. Figuring that he was well again, Wally and Robin nodded, waving off his short tone as if it were normal, fully expecting the hybrid to be as unpleasant as he usually was. The sense of their exhaustion was clear by the slightly annoyed looks that flashed on their faces, a slip of the masks, before they started on their way, gesturing for the other two to follow.
"Then, come on! I bet you he's already here." Robin stated, running on ahead, and Wally flanked his left, rushing to meet with Aqualad who'd stay put whilst they were inside.
Kon started behind them slowly when he felt M'gann cling to his arm.
The contact startled him a bit, throwing him off balance for only a moment.
His face contorted with anger.
"Let...me...go...p-please. I just want to - "
"I just want to help, Konny. You should let me help you!" She said, holding him tighter, smiling. But when she looked up at him, he could see her.
The real her.
Swimming beneath those warm, amber eyes, pooling brutality that shimmered with potential violence he was beginning to get familiar with. It wasn't above using it, he could see that well, and though it was covered by abundant pleasantries, Superboy knew better. It was best to play along...for now, wasn't it?
He couldn't get out of this if she made him a corpse before then, could he?
Or worse...if she did something else...but the ideas that came to mind terrified him. Enough that he simply looked away, refusing to meet her eyes any longer.
Clenching his jaw, he didn't pull away, allowing her, with great reluctance, to press against him as he nodded, relenting to her wishes.
M'gann beamed, holding him firmly in her locked arms as she started forward, the taller teen stumbling with her in kind. Though he was a little unsteady at first, he was sure that he could have managed on his own, but he wasn't willing to risk another fight about this, his massive headache a reminder of a stubbornness he couldn't afford...at least...not yet he couldn't.
He had to be smart about this, after all.
The two walked together in silence, meeting the others that had already started outside and made it to the secret hatch at the back of their collective hideout, the verdant air of Happy Harbor blowing in seaside air that, for a moment, almost drew away the attention from his head, though it still pulsed angrily throughout his head. Even so, the light graced his face, but before he'd get the chance to relish it, M'gann held him closer, tighter.
As if he were ready to flee at the drop of a dime.
He considered the thought.
He wished very much that he could.
