Coping at Ke'e Beach

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

So, what do you do when you find out you're going to die? Kon's seen how thrown Kal is from his death--but Kal comes back. Even if he doesn't believe it now, Kon knows this, and he knows that he's not likely to have the same thing happen to him. He's not Kal. The world doesn't need him like it needs Kal, so why would he come back?

Heh. The Good Ship Stacy: two good-as-dead Super-guys enter, one super-guy leaves.

...Okay, that's kinda not funny.

Superboy doesn't know if he can take his mentor's tack of playing it by ear and trying his best to help everyone else. He doesn't know if he can get over the whole feeling lost part of it to get to what he needs to do, and just deal with their situation here.

Even after all his talk to Tim of not avoiding people, Kon deals at first by avoiding the others. But it's just for a bit, just a little while, not like all that time he spent on the farm, hiding, after Luthor made him hurt everyone, and the difference is, he's not hiding from coping, or repressing, this is how he copes. He just doesn't like people to see the initial anger--and it is anger, that he expresses by punching robots in the Sensorium until his knuckles start to bleed.

Heh, and that leads to his other problem. Not enough sunlight. The stuff in the Sensoriums feels like the real deal, but it's obviously not, if he can't process it so that his powers stay at full super-levels, and the light that Will kid's been conjuring up for him is weak. He's going on empty now. He can be hurt.

And it just drives it home even more exactly how...mortal he is.

But if anyone comes looking for him and poke their head in the Sensorium, they'll find him not punching robots or moping and brooding. If they peek in, they'll see him sitting on a rock on a beach bathed in the glow of a Hawaiian sunset. He hasn't availed himself of holographic clothes, but his plantsuit is stripped down to his waist, and he's writing things on one of the media pads from the Media Library, a thoughtful look on his face.

"--Have I ever been sledding? No. Better put that on there..."

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression... is he at acceptance already? Maybe his general attitude of rocketing through his life at warp speed is benefiting him for once.

Comments

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

Who hasn't kissed Poison Ivy? Seriously. That's her whole brainwashing via pheremones and sexy shtick. No one is immune. (Except, like, Robin, but that's 'cause he'd just whip out a gasmask).

Kon holds up a hand.

"Good. It should stay that way. Possible forever."

Why yes, at least a little bit of Kal's protective streak (at least the one he has by their time) seems to be genetic.

[girl-of-steel.livejournal.com]

"Aww, Kon," Kara reached up and touched her chest, pretending to be touched. She was touched, but the boy deserved some heavy teasing. "I didn't know you cared." She grinned impishly at him. "I've already seen him naked though. And he's seen me naked too." At the pod pop, but she wants to see if the statement freaks him out at all.

[supertshirt.livejournal.com]

Kon claps his hands over his ears.

"LALALA, SHUDDUP SHUDDUP SHUDDUP, YOU HAVE NOT AND NO HE HASN'T, LALALALA~"

[girl-of-steel.livejournal.com]

Kara laughs uncontrollably. Oh, this was fun. This was so much fun. Not a lot of people got to terrify Superboy this way.

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

"You're a mean one."

[girl-of-steel.livejournal.com]

She punches Kon lightly. "Like you're not?"

[so-pregnable.livejournal.com]

"Ow. I'm huggable and loveable and a complete joy to be around."

He rubs his arm.

"Watch the punchy, by the way. Invulnerability's fading."

[girl-of-steel.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure Cassie would agree one-hundred percent," Kara said dryly. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I still don't, you know, remember to control the superstrength sometimes." She chuckles. "At least no one can ever accuse me of punching like a girl, and if you even make a joke about that, I won't watch the next punchy that makes it's way to you."