superboy (tm)

kon - el for secretcrisishq. loved by sav.

[svpernovva]

rcdrxbin‌:

unlike some of the stories tim’s heard — and seen photos of — he doesn’t mind so much getting carried around by someone able to fly. sure, it’s a little weird with some more than others. namely kory, who was the first to kindly reject any prospect of star trek being a reality to a young nerd. but with kon, tim has unerring trust, fake falls or not. it’s always more exhilarating, and tim doesn’t need to analyse it to know that always starts from when he’s  loaded into his friend’s arms. “ always thought your funniest bit was trying to join the flocks of geese, superhonk. ”

tim’s arms wrap around kon’s shoulders without hesitation, and it’s a relief that the time apart hasn’t made this more awkward. it still feels semi-natural, even if tim never knows where to look when they’re not yet up in the air. “ you’ve got until we get the food for hi-jinks. i’m not a complete tyrant. ”

“ last time i tried to join a flock, ” kon begins, and his feet leave the ground mid-sentence, grip tightening reflexively, “ three of the geese attacked me, so i’ve temporarily sworn off flocking together, sorry to disappoint.  i can’t risk us getting pooped on, or snapped by ugly ducks. ”  kon turns a smiling face to the sky above them as they rise rapidly.  

 “ i’ll save it for when you’re least expecting it, wonder boy. ”  truth be told, kon’s enjoying this too much to be a total jackass about it.  so he only loosens his grip a tad when they get to a decent cruising height.  “ you still got those dorky star trek posters up in your room ?? ”

[svpernovva]

gcblinprince‌:

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Just something to think about. Think you’ve got a little growing left to do, buddy.” Harry shouldn’t antagonise the guy, he knows, but he’s not exactly fond of the fact the way he’s showing off. “I don’t know. If you’re trying to pass yourself off as Superman, I’d say you should reestablish your stance on that.” He crosses his arms over his chest as he watches, waiting to see exactly how the guy reacts - not that he would blame him for being a bit peeved. It’s not like Harry’s done anything but poke fun at him. “That’s not really your business. And they’re trained not to use the guns unless it’s self defence. They know better. So - you weren’t really needed here, sorry to break it to you.” He pauses, tilting his head to the side a little. “And you didn’t answer my question. What do you actually call yourself?”

you know what?  kon isn’t so sure he likes this guy, now that he thinks about it.  he plucks his glasses up from the top of his head and puts them back on, then adjusts his jacket so he can get ready to blow this popsicle stand.  what’s he got to be embarrassed about, anyway ??  he’s a bonafide superhero, thank you.  “ yeah, you got me -- superboy, at your service. ”  his tongue pushes idly at his lip piercing.  “ to be fair, i was superman for a stint !! ”

[svpernovva]

lightningstrikcs‌:

“ what, you expected them to get easier ? ” cassie asks, looking up from her stretches on the floor. “ where would the fun be in that ? ” she cringes hearing the other’s joints pop, the sound mirroring how her body felt. “ careful kon, sounds like you’re in for an early retirement. ” she starts to stand up but decides against it, the weight causing pain in her calves. “ yeah, i’m fantastic, never been better, ” her voice cracking as she sits back down.

   “ maybe a little, yeah !!  like, hypothetically, we’re getting tougher, right ?  so they should be getting easier. ”  it’s just logic, cassie.  duh.  kon rolls his neck, hoping it’ll do something to mitigate the bone-deep-absolutely-everywhere-including-his-teeth ache.  “ i don’t know, fun to me sounds like taking it easy on a beach.  little umbrellas in the drinks, tiny bikinis as far as the eye can see -- thats way better than getting my ass kicked. ”

[svpernovva]

rcdrxbin‌:

“ I don’t know about prepared. but sometimes the best method of attack is a surprise attack, right? better question is if you’re ready for B as your first student. ” tim snorts, making a note somewhere to record the occasion if kon can get away with it. or if they don’t immediately get distracted by other means. he’s not had many chances to spend time alone with kon since coming back, and somehow he’s a lot less eager to spend some of this one with bruce in tow, or kon getting thrown out the city.

but tim’s smiling in earnest now, shoving the laptop away before tugging at the front of kon’s jacket. relevant or not, it’s nice to see some things are at least the same as he knows them. “ yeah, i’ll take a lift. feed you some fries on the way if you don’t pretend to drop me? ”  

it seems a high likelihood that kon’s going to get distracted the moment he gets there.  not, of course, that kon doesn’t relish the opportunity to be a pain in batman’s ass.  its just he maybe relishes sticking to tim’s side just a little bit more.  what’s the point of being invited home with a friend otherwise?

“ but pretending to drop you is my funniest bit by far. ”  kon shifts his weight from one foot to another with an embarrassed smile when tim tugs at his jacket.  he’s happy to pick  tim up next, one elbow hooked under tim’s knees, the other across his back.  “ i’ll try to keep my hilarious hi-jinks in check if it gets me some fries. ”

[svpernovva]

jean-rising‌:

Jean’s attention snags at the address, mostly because, as far as she can tell, the person it’s coming from is not one of her students. The follow-up question only confirms that the kid – young adult? – definitely isn’t enrolled. “I sure hope he isn’t,” she says, mouth curved in barely restrained amusement. “Monday nights are Bachelor watch party nights. Bobby gets really cranky if we miss them.” Jean pauses, extending her telepathy as non-invasively as she can manage, attempting to scope out whether or not she should be worried about the unexpected visitor. He wasn’t a mutant. Not exactly, anyways. “What’s your name?”

   “ the bachelor’s still on ??  no shit ??  i didn’t know anybody still watched it. ”  he shouldn’t be surprised, he just found out that american idol is still on television.  yikes.  “ oh, me ?? ”  that doesn’t bruise kon’s ego at all, nope.  “ kon, is fine.  superboy from time to time.  just poking around. ”  probably not a good enough reason to be here, but kon’s curious by nature, and the x-men are fucking cool.

[svpernovva]

@lightningstrikcs​

    “ is it just me, or does it seem like bad guys are getting tougher than they used to be ?? ” kon stands up and feels at least five joints pop.  next, he stretches one arm across his chest then the other.  “ i feel like, ya know, a few years ago that would have been a cake walk.  now everybody and their brother’s got superpowers.  y’alright, w-g ?? ”

[svpernovva]

rcdrxbin‌:

tim does his best to ignore the new weight on his shoulder, but with limited success. it turns out it’s harder to concentrate on more than one thing, at least when one of them is kon’s face inches away. “ really? I kind of thought you’d be too spiritually attuned to the rooster to forget. he’s got your vibes all over him. ” tim manages, and distractedly manages to finish tagging the last few surveillance files.

“ can kinda imagine those later decades. the great battle of darn kids in your yard. ” he teases, and finally shuts the laptop away. of course then he has to come to face kon properly, and up close - the dissonance in tim’s memories and the year apart come clearer. the hints of stubble, most obviously, the slight change in his features. but still kon, bravado and all. “ c’mon then mr. continual superboy. you wanna come home with me and give B some tips on cultural impact? ”

kon manages a smile, looking straight on at tim, but all he can think about for a moment is how much it feels like tim’s changed sometimes.  he’s not a different person, and he’s always going to be kon’s best friend, but the little things that have changed feel huge.  kon wasn’t supposed to miss out on stuff.  “ thank god i came back when i did.  you’d have had crows’ feet if it had taken another month. ”  

his smile grows at the offer, though.  “ you think he’s really prepared to hear my sermon on staying relevant ?? ”  says the boy in a clearly dated costume.  regardless, kon’s not gonna turn down an opportunity to go home with tim.  “ c’mon, we can pick up food on the way back.  you want a lift ? ”

[svpernovva]

gcblinprince‌:

Harry has security systems and people in place to make sure thugs like this don’t break into his building. And they probably would’ve done so if this guy hadn’t swooped in to try and save the day. He can’t help but raise an eyebrow as this kid lands in front of him, unimpressed by what looks a lot like showing off. “Big expensive fancy buildings usually attract unwanted attention, yeah. Big expensive fancy buildings also have security in multiple forms to stop this kind of attention, though.” He points out, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches one of his security guards deal with the criminal now trying to scramble away from the so-called-hero. “Superman?” Harry pauses, looking the guy up and down and raising an eyebrow. “Sorry but - I saw Superman a couple of months back, he was a lot taller. Different hair. Broader shoulders? If you need a new name maybe like - Super-Kid? Super-Punk?”

   “ broader shoulders.  you’re sure about that ?? ”  kon squares his own shoulders and keeps it nice and casual.  “ well, if that’s true, it just sounds totally unnecessary.  there’s such a thing as too broad, you know.  i like to think i skirt that line artfully. ”  this attempt at charming or suave is crashing and burning something fierce.  he doesn’t address the super-kid bit.  it’s frankly insulting, but admitting he’s superboy now feels like losing.  “ guys with guns are a terrible security team.  what if somebody gets shot ?? ”

[svpernovva]

@jean-rising

kon whistles an impressed note while he looks up at the vast institute, crossing his arms over his chest and getting a good look.  it’s a whole world here that he doesn’t quite understand, but he finds himself drawn to it.  good company here, too.  he flashes a charming smile -- “ hi, miss grey !! ”  he drops his voice and clears his throat.  “ is magneto here ?? ” he whispers.  he’s got to admit, part of him wants to meet the guy, terrifying though he might seem on the news.  kon’s even taken out all of his most precarious piercings to make sure he doesn’t start losing blood due to angry magnet-people.  “ oh !!  or the dude with wings ?? ” 

[svpernovva]

rcdrxbin‌:

the thing is, tim still can’t figure out how he managed to forget kon, now things are pieced back together. for one, he’s tim’s best friend, and again everything felt like it was slipping to hell when kon wasn’t around. now it’s more than that, when kon can still sneak a laugh out of him before tim can catch on. it’s pretty weird to still miss someone when you already have them back. but it’s all of that which means tim is entirely willing to watch what’s likely going to be the most impressive and probably gross display on offer. “ alright, but when chicken run 2 comes to fruition, it’ll all be pinned on you and the egg gorging of ‘20. hope you’re ready for your cultural impact. ”

kon snorts, hooking his chin on tim’s shoulder and watches what he’s working on with moderate interest.  personal space is more a suggestion than a rule anyway, right? “ i don’t remember what chicken run 1 was even about,” he confesses.  he’ll have to orchestrate a team re-watch -- he’s ninety percent sure bart owns the movie on dvd.  

“ you should know better than anybody that i’m already accustomed with a cultural impact.  you’re talking to the former superman and continual superboy.  that’s at least seventy-five percent as culturally impactful as batman.  with many more decades of iconic service to come. ”

[svpernovva]

@gcblinprince

kon pushes dark glasses up into a mess of even darker curls and flashes a smile complete with deep, clark kent style dimples.  his feet touch the ground, and the slight red-glow that kon occasionally carries with his powers dissipates.  he drops the thug none too gently at the base of oscorp tower.  “ you normally attract that kind of attention? ” he asks, cracking his knuckles.  “ kinda a problem to keep an eye on.  can’t always count on superman to save your skin.  that’s me. ”

[svpernovva]

@hauntedknight

kon lets out a loud, low whistle from his perch atop one of gotham’s most sinister spires.  is he going to get in trouble for being here?  probably, yes.  but he definitely isn’t going to get killed, so that’s a level of insurance that makes kon feel comfortable.  “ i’ve only heard seven sirens in the last hour. ”  he holds up a matching number of fingers for emphasis.  then, “ that’s down from earlier -- think it was ten.  sounds like you’re having a hell of a night, bat -- should i be giving’ red robin shit for not helping you out? ”

[svpernovva]

@gcdofstories

   don’t compliment morally ambiguous gods ; don’t compliment morally ambiguous gods ; don’t compliment morally ambiguous gods -- “ your outfit is seriously rad, has anyone ever told you that ?? ”  kon’s about ninety percent sure that someone’s already told said morally ambiguous god that before, but it’s worth repeating.  “ where do you get a jacket like that? ” kon has to know.  for science and style alike.  never mind that his current jacket is littered with bullet holes. 

[svpernovva]

rcdrxbin‌:

the clear of throat isn’t really needed, when tim is already pretty hyper-aware of kon in his surroundings. it’d be worrying, if tim wasn’t about 95% certain that was the case even before he went and managed to forget his best friend. tim rolls his eyes anyway, because that’s what’s expected, but he’s already nudging back into kon’s side in agreement. “ don’t get evil with it, but i’m pretty sure you’ve got diary dibs for a while. ” part of that offer might be guilt, but the other part is largely getting that last year the hell back. stuff can wait a little longer. “ feel like taking your eating records back, or are you deadset on the moneybags thing? ”

the nudge tim redelivers is warm and familiar and acutely missed the second it’s gone.  crazy how suddenly being back, seeing his friends again, makes kon ache more than the time alone had.  out of sight, not exactly out of mind.  but return had seen so improbable, so farfetched, that kon hadn’t let himself spend time missing anything.  

now that he’s back, he realizes he’s missed it regardless of whether he thought he was allowed to or not.  his heart beats a weird, out of sync beat, and the unfamiliar thump makes him feel off center.  “ i can’t let anyone in this city think they can eat more eggs in one sitting than me, ya know?  gotta make sure everyone knows i’m back in town. ”

[svpernovva]

@rcdrxbin

    kon clears his throat, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket, and bumps his shoulder against tim’s with slightly more force than strictly necessary -- friendly, nonetheless.  there’s this odd urge, always, to grill tim for what he does and does not remember of before.  but that’s not productive or helpful, and it’s no ones fault that they’re in this position.  kon swallows the urge and his questions, sighs instead.  “ i’m starving.  take me out to eat, moneybags, ” he demands.  “ if you have time, of course. ”

[svpernovva]

@notyourweapcn

     “ you know what’s crazy ?? ”  kon busts into every conversation like a bull in a china shop.  no regard for appropriate levels of familiarity, for subjects that should be broached gently.  none of that.  he just crashes through the glass door into whatever topic’s on his mind.  he thinks his candor is charming.  most people disagree.  “ like fifteen years ago, they couldn’t figure out how to clone a sheep.  and now look at us.  fully functioning clone brigade !!  fucking wild. ”