tushanshu | 14. [Video]

[He takes a deep breath and nods for her. He hadn't wanted to leave. This place had been his home for almost two years now, minus the few days he was gone. He'd gone through a lot, had a lot of relationships grow stronger and made new ones. He found out a lot about himself since he'd been here. Though coming back had been hard when he suddenly remembered what happens to him and who he becomes. That was a quick passing thought that would no doubt come back to him later where he could worry about it to himself.]

Promise.

[It wasn't one he could hold and Hayley would know that. But he would do his best to not vanish like that again. After Hayley pulled away, Kon let her, bringing his arms down to his sides. He pulls the door open even wider and steps back to let her in.]

Yeah. Soon as I posted this he spoke to me, came over. I got coffee on if you want some. Return the favour from before.

[She does know, that it's something he can't promise, yet she understands the sentiment for what it is and finds the hollow reassurance oddly comforting. Hayley gives him a brief smile when she steps back, then pauses as he opens the door wider for her. Her muscles tense again. Having expressed the sentiment she came to express, staying feels kind of like hanging out. While that's not foreign to her even here, the idea of hanging out with Kon is somewhat unsettling because he understands her so well.

After a second's hesitation, she steps inside, flashing him a forced smile on the way. The expression falls from her lips not a moment later when she pauses awkwardly a few feet into the suite.]

Uh, yeah. Coffee's great. [She confirms, trying to force the discomfort she feels away. Hayley's not one for anxiety more than necessary and so her mind sets about to compartmentalizing, trying to set herself more at ease.]

[There's no subtlety to her hesitation from her body language to the way she talks. He isn't offended that she feels on edge so he keeps the door open and steps closer to her.]

I'm not gonna make you stay y'know. If you'd rather go, I won't be offended. Promise I won't cry myself to sleep in my room.

[He didn't want her to feel like she had to stay. To have coffee and talk about anything. She was always welcome to leave whenever she wanted if she started to feel uncomfortable.]

[Hayley casts him a genuine smirk over her shoulder.] You couldn't make me stay if you tried.

[Of course he can, if he really tries, but it was a comment back to their last conversation, how she shouldn't let them decide what she wanted for her. In combination with his promise, she genuinely feels slightly better about being here, if still somewhat apprehensive.

Hayley steps closer to him, then moves around him to close and lock his front door. With a smile, she then moves deeper into his place and takes a seat on his couch. Now that he's offered her the out, she's more determined to stay, like any self-respecting petulant teenager would be.] Coffee?

Edited 2014-04-13 22:56 (UTC)

[That made him smile as he held up his hands for her. He watched her as she came close then closed the door and locked it. It made Kon feel happy that she felt like she could trust him enough to lock herself in with him. They'd progressed a lot in a short amount of time, because working on this for months was still a short time frame considering how far they'd come.

Kon walked in and rolled his eyes.]

Coming right up.

[He walked into the kitchen and got a few mugs filled with coffee before coming back in. He handed one to Hayley before he sat down himself.]

Know what's weird, I'm not even angry being back here.

[In truth, Hayley knew that there was little a lock would stop with the people she worked with these days. It wouldn't do anything to slow or stop Kon and, likewise, wouldn't slow or stop Bart either. But it was a gesture, one he seemed to appreciate for what it was, even as he rolled his eyes at her.

She accepted the coffee when he offered it, taking a small sip and then holding it in her hands. His words surprised her and it showed briefly on her face before she reclaimed her expression back to neutrality again. She had no idea how she would feel, but she was pretty damn sure she liked this place more than her home.]

Why? ['Why would you be?' 'Why aren't you?' She felt the single word covered the full range of options.]

[It was even the small things that could mean a lot.

Once she asked that, Kon took a moment as he sipped at his coffee and thought. He shrugged his shoulders as he remembered his conversation with Bart.]

Because I came back to this place, screw the reason we were brought here, that's stupid as hell. But...I was one of the firsts here, that's been a long time and I've done a lot in it. I've made friends, I've lost friends. I've gained family I never thought I'd have. Sure there's people I miss from back home but...I remember this place.

You didn't remember when you were gone? Or you mean you did remember and that's why it was worse?

[This was the first time she was talking to someone who had returned in any detail at all. She didn't know how it worked or what might happen, other than knowing that sometimes people returning forgot their time here before. At the thought, she frowned deeply, feeling almost sick at the thought of him not remembering and having to go through all of that again.]

I'm glad you remember now. [She added offhandedly, as an explanation of her sudden change in expression.]

I didn't remember when I was home. It's like hey say, things just carry on like nothing happened and you weren't gone for any time. I remember the events of being home fresher as well...the exact same place in time. Well, give or take a few hours I guess.

[He was glad he remembered as well. He didn't think things would work out if he came back the same way he was back home. He was far too arrogant and obnoxious and though initially when he woke up that was the attitude he gave, when things calmed down, he began to remember everything.]

Me too.

[She frowned at the thought, not knowing her own perspective.] If I told someone about anything that happened here when I went home? They'd call me crazy and lock me away. And not being able to tell anyone would kind of suck, so.. I don't know. I think I'd rather forget.

[It would be strange forgetting people like Bart, Kon, Bruce Banner, Jor-El, and others, but maybe it would just be like a vague and forgotten memory. Hayley doubted that any memory of it could be pleasant trapped in reality as she was back home.] But, I mean, in the meantime, I'd definitely rather be here than back home.

[A beat and her eyebrows furrowed.] How long have you been here anyway?

I'm pretty sure I'd get locked away as well, I mean even for my standards this place is still weird?

[Kon rubs at his arm and frowns. Bart had said how he'd rather forget as well. Part of him saw where they got the thought from but Kon was just unsure and didn't want to forget.]

Since we all started showing up. Guess it's been almost two years? Y'know if we don't count the little break.

[Hayley takes a long sip of her coffee as she considers his words, ignoring that the liquid is slightly too hot for drinking at length. Then she lowers her mug again. The idea that this place is even weird for Kon is almost unsettling, given who he is and where he comes from and everything. He should be used to this.]

That's.. a really long time. [She sounds equal parts surprised and concerned. After a beat, she decides to add her own admission, something she wasn't planning to talk about.] It'll be a year for me, in two days.

[A pause.]

Are you okay? [She asks suddenly, having noticed the way he rubs his arm as a reflection of her own nervous habits. He's harder to read than Bart. Maybe because he isn't saying aloud pretty much everything he's thinking.] You seem to be handling all of this really well.

[Parts of it were more than normal, it was the how he was brought here, the living that was made here, some of the things that had happened. He hadn't experienced seeing people from different worlds gathered like this in the one place. Thinking about it too much though sometimes gave him a headache.

All Kon does is nod as he thinks on how long it's been and then he looks at her.]

I dunno whether to say congrats or not. [He stops for a second or two and then there's a slight smile as he shrugs.]

I'm fine, I've got friends here so it's not as bad as it could be. I dunno what I'd be like if I didn't have you guys though.

[Hayley pointedly shrugs, an atypical gesture from the teen.] I don't know either. I like it here, but it's weird.

[To the latter, she raises her eyebrows with a smile and healthy dose of skepticism. She likes Kon including her in that, but it's still kind of weird.] Oh come on. It's not like we're best friends. I'm the murdered girl who attacked your original, remember?

[There's a slight pause and then her expression is serious.] Should I not call him that? Should it just be your cousin?

[Another pause, then she continues with a partial sigh.] We are friends, don't get me wrong. I'm just not used to my presence really making a difference to someone.

[Except for Donna, Jeff, Aaron, and those others who wouldn't live to recognize the difference she made. Obviously this isn't like that. Here, he's talking about being grateful that she's around.]

Maybe we should just keep it to having some cake then.

[It's not a term he's fond of being used. Whether it's true or not it's a word that kind of pulls and twists at his gut. But it doesn't show on his expression, if he did then that'd just let people know it gets to him, well the wrong kind of people anyway.]

Cousin works better. [Why wouldn't he include her in this? It was true and he felt like, even through the horrible things that had happened, they'd bonded? They'd found something that made them as people click and allow for them to talk. Talk and not argue.]

Don't have to be best friends either to make it matter. C'mon you gotta think more highly of yourself.

As if. [Cake to celebrate this place seems like too much.] When's your birthday? We can totally have cake then.

[She silently accepts the correction, knowing how upsetting the word might be to him. It's why she clarified in the first place, not wanting to upset him without meaning to. Rather than make a big deal out of it, she gives an apologetic smile.] Cousin it is.

[And then another smile, almost wicked in its own way.] Trust me? It has nothing to do with low self-esteem. I'm not used to having friends, and not because I was a loser or whatever. I'm.. pretty content to keep to myself most of the time, you know? You guys just make it really hard to talk and get along without having some kind of relationship, so the whole friend thing was kind of inevitable.

[And on that note.] By the way, did Bart tell you about.. uh.. the.. [She lifts one hand as if to make a gesture and then realizes there really isn't one.] ..you know, that whole thing where he kissed me and I pushed him away but then I kissed him because I didn't exactly mind, but it was really weird and now he's pretending it didn't happen and I might be kind of avoiding him a little?

Was a few months back so we should probably do it by yours instead.

[Kon appreciated it, the fact that there wasn't a big deal made out of the request and the fact that she had even bothered to ask if it was okay or if he'd prefer something else. It made him feel good about it and he nodded in thanks.

Okay, so usually he would have said how at times he guessed he understood the being okay by yourself thing. And that he believed what she said about it not being low self-esteem because she carried herself well and lots of people had nervous gestures. He would have said how he was glad that was the case, that the friends thing had to happen. Usually. Because what she began to say next distracted him. Actually no, it surprised him and it showed as he sat there almost dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that to be a thing that would have happened between them and his mind was scrambling to put it all together. To make sense of this ease concept but with these two people and...then he stops for a moment, lets his eyes go back to their normal size and picks up his jaw.]

Holy crap, really? So do you you like him? That why you're avoiding him? How did I not know? When did you kiss?

Next month. I don't really do parties or whatever, but we can do cake. [There's a very slight glare that accompanies the comment, a subtle threat that no really, just cake, or else.]

[She regrets telling him immediately, grimacing at his shock. When he begins on the questions, her replies come with a begrudging tone and she lifts a hand as much to idly scratch at her eyebrow as to subconsciously hide her face.]

Calm down, spaz. First of all? I think you're the only one who knows and I'd really like to keep it that way. Second, like I said, I've been avoiding him and he's pretending it never happened, so it's not like we're suddenly dating. And third? ...This is super awkward. Never tell him I told you. If he tells you? Pretend you don't know. Although at this point, I kind of doubt he will.

[That smile right there should tell you that telling Kon it was next month was a bad idea. Because he's keeping that information and when the time is right, he's so doing something.

Kon shakes his head, his initial 'what the fuck' reaction has already blown over and the rational part if kicking in. As rational as he can be any way because whaaaat?]

Don't worry about it, I'm not gonna go blabbin' my mouth at folk about this. You know you gotta talk about it though, right? Like you can't just...not? Cause it'll just keep gettin' more weird? And yeah, I won't tell him you told me, it's cool. [Because if Bart told him, he was sure he could act surprised again no problem.]

[Hayley is very obviously rethinking this whole 'confiding in Kon' thing. Between his evil birthday plans and the whole excitement about her and Bart, maybe he's way more like a normal teenager than she gave him credit for. And that's generally the kind of thing Hayley tries to avoid.]

Talk to who? You or him? Because he's.. [She glares down at her coffee, as if that drink is somehow responsible for everything that has transpired between she and the Flash.] I'm not okay with his whole 'pretend it never happened' gig, but it's not like I'm going to just ask him about it. He doesn't want to be a couple and neither do I, so.. I'll avoid him until he finds someone else or something.

[There's a hint of pettiness in her tone. Her remark about not wanting to be a couple possibly meaning that her disinterest is a response to Bart's rather than sincere disinterest. Normally it's something Hayley would hide, but she struggles keeping complete control when she's not playing a role. She looks back up at Kon with a very calculated facade of apathy.]

It's really not a big deal.

[It wasn't so much excitement as it was complete surprise. He knew Bart was the touchy feely kind but he hadn't gotten any sense from him that said he was interested in anyone on the turtle. With Bart and Hayley, he'd always seen a close friendship and okay, now that he looked back on it he could understand where the desire to act came from? And because it had happened and this was the reaction to it, he didn't want things to be strange between them. If they liked each other, then great. If the kiss had really been a mistake then they should talk about it and work it out. Not let it affect their relationship.

Kon finished his coffee and put the cup down on the floor, the look Hayley gave him wasn't fooling him and he has to sort this out from one end.]

He's acting like a kid and you need to talk to him. Avoiding him isn't the way to go about it, that's just going to make things worse and so's his attitude. You're smart Hayley, you know it's true. It's a big deal if my friends are acting strange around each other.

[He gave a small shrug and drew him lips together for a moment.]

If you both like each other then cool, just don't...act and then freak out.

What I know is that I didn't have to deal with stupid situations like this when I didn't have friends. [She gave him a pointed look.

There was a reason Hayley had spent so many years being close with a very, very few people and had opened up to even less of them. If she and Bart stopped being friends now, she trusted him not to talk about her past and she would keep his secrets. They could part ways amicably enough and not have to worry about all the awkwardness that came with relationships and being in too deep.]

Kon, he kissed me and I yelled at him and he promised it would never happen again. I told him I liked him, I kissed him, and that's when he backed off and decided to pretend it never happened. How am I supposed to take that?

[His movements reminded her of her own coffee and she took another long sip. The pause made her suddenly aware of just what she was doing, admitting to her confusion and chatting as if they were old friends. Her muscles tensed and her posture stiffened as she focused on ensuring her expression didn't convey her sudden discomfort. She forgot that he might be able to hear her heartbeat increase or notice the tightness of her sudden smile.]

I meant what I said about it not being a big deal, okay? And I'm.. alright with being your friend or whatever, but that doesn't mean I'll automatically get along with Bart. I shouldn't have even told you. I just wanted to give you a chance to explain if he'd mentioned it. Because maybe he and I aren't friends anymore and I don't want you freaking out.

[Her voice became just a hint manic by the end. Hayley remained unaware of how desperate she was to convince Kon of that. In truth, the thing that scared her most was the idea of she and Bart actually working things out and trying to make a go at it. Avoidance was easier.]

[He frowns at the look he gave her. But he wouldn't change the fact that she had friends here. He was glad that she did, that if she chose to, there was people here she could rely on. Talk to and hang with and that they didn't expect her to do these things.

Relationships though, between friends, those seemed to be tricky. Especially when therer wasn't really a relationship going on and things were getting awkward. So all Kon can do is shrug his shoulders because he doesn't know. He thinks they're both being stubborn and should just talk to each other about everything that had happened, about what they meant with what they said.]

Dude, there's no way he'll stop being your friend, not over something like this so...don't worry about that. I'm glad you did though, that you trusted me enough to tell me without knowing if I knew or not already.

I'm not worried. I don't think he'll stop being my friend. [Hayley replies, giving him a sidelong glance to suggest the unspoken: she would stop being friends with Bart, not the other way around. Of course, she tried that with Bart before and somehow they ended up here. He's not exactly an easy person to get rid of. Less so, she imagines, with Kon around.]

[She shakes her head to clear the idea away and stop Kon before he can protest.] We'll figure something out, okay? But.. like I said, no telling him that I told you and don't go hinting at it until he guesses or whatever. I'll.. try to let you know what happens or whatever.

[Kon didn't really need to glance to be able to tell which of the two would be more likely to end things. It wasn't something he would ever hold against her or judge her on. Some people were like that, cut ties quick and get out. Kon thought that in some situations it might be better to be like that, but only some. But he did think that she might be worried about it in some way.

There's a smile as she talks and Kon nods his head in understand.]

Promise. I'm not that kinda guy. Well, not anymore at least. I believe you'll get things sorted, it's a small shell after all.

14. [Video]

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