InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hey look, a penny!"

conner kent (superboy) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-12-24 21:46:00

Entry tags:

!open, arthur pendragon, conner kent

Who: Conner Kent, Open
What: It's Christmas Eve and Conner's out and about.
Where: The Park
When: Christmas Eve
Rating: PG

It was Christmas Eve and Conner was alone.

This wasn’t really new for him. He was used to feeling alone. Feeling like he didn’t belong. He just never understood why it never got any easier. He sat on the ledge of the top of a building, a red scarf around his neck, a black coat on, and his black rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. He knew he didn’t need to wear them. Definitely not in this place, but it made him think of the Kents and, as silly as it sounded, less alone. For a time, he’d started to feel like that was where he belonged. With the Kents. With his friends. He thought of Tim, Bart, and Cassie, and he felt his heart sink just a little more before he pushed off the side of the building.

He plummeted for a few seconds, the feel of the wind rushing up against his skin, and he propelled himself upward into the sky. Flying always made him feel alive. He dipped and spun and then slowed toward a float, hands behind his head, and wondered what everyone was doing right now. Had they noticed he was gone?

Okay, the time for depressing thoughts is over, he told himself and descended, touching down at the park. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began the trek to his new home.

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a_royal_prat
2009-12-25 04:05 am UTC (link)

Arthur thought the world was going to collapse under the constant strain of static snow. He trudged through the trampled paths of the park, ignoring the cold biting into his cheeks as he went. There would be colder days still, but the heat in the apartment had been oppressive and Guinevere was still taken with her tree. He really had meant the thanks he had given Merlin, for once, he'd managed to do what Arthur had been striving for weeks to achieve, keeping Gwen smiling.

Either way, he saw no further significance to this night than any other and kept his head low to the wind as he moved.

It only made sense that he wouldn't notice the other person until he was stepping into his shadow.

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superboy
2009-12-25 04:17 am UTC (link)

It was partly Conner's fault. He'd stop to stare at some of the decorations people were putting up. It reminded him of Metrpolis - that sparkling and twinkling city of tomorrow. He grinned for the first time in months.

And then he was walked into.

He turned back, brow furrowed, slightly confused, but went ahead and put on a sheepish grin and pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "Uh, sorry. I got distracted by the..." He motioned toward the lights and shrugged.

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	a_royal_prat 2009-12-25 04:32 am UTC (link)
	Arthur scowled, more about his own oversight, than the other boy's stumbling explanation of why he wasn't moving fast enough. He was usually more self-aware than this. Or he had been before coming here. "I see." Perhaps not the best answer he could have given, but the lights barely held his attention. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

superboy
2009-12-25 04:36 am UTC (link)

Wow. Someone was scrouged out. Martha would so not be amused. "This is the part where you pretend that you're sorry and we go through pleasantries." He was still grinning, though, so clearly this was said without malice.

Conner was never the kind of guy to pry or to like. Go out of his way to see what was wrong with people he didn't know. He totally saved them from buildings that were collapsing and stuff, but like random pissy people? Didn't rate on his radar. But it wasn't like there were many friends up in this place, and everyone was pretty much going through some of the same things.

"You okay?"

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a_royal_prat
2009-12-25 04:39 am UTC (link)

"What business is it of yours?" Arthur bit out the words without a second thought, caught himself a moment later and dragged his hand back through his hair. This was why he only talked with those he had known prior. The exact reason. He could hear Morgana needling at him for this and found it within himself to give an answer. God only knew how accurate it was at this point.

"Fine. I'm fine." And because he could be a decent human, thank you, he added, "Why're you out?"

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superboy
2009-12-25 04:43 am UTC (link)

"Just trying to be nice," he said. This is why he chose to not "reach out" and shit. Because people get all pissy when you're trying to be nice. So, when Arthur lashed out he held his hands up and took a step back because hey, Conner wasn't about to push any further.

"Yeah." Conner said with raised brows. "Sounds like it." Quickly, of course, changed the topic back to himself. "Bored and couldn't sleep. Decided to..." Go for a fly? That sounded strange. "Go for a walk." He paused. "You?" This time he wasn't asking about the dude's feelings, he was asking about...stuff that weren't feelings or whatever.

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a_royal_prat
2009-12-25 04:51 am UTC (link)

"The same." Arthur decided he liked that answer before it even came tumbling from his mouth, it wasn't very committed and it certainly didn't delve into any uncomfortable thoughts such as puppies and Merlin's tree made Gwen happy while he was an utter failure at it. In fact, he could even elaborate on it.

"It was too warm inside to stay there."

Though, it was too bloody cold to be outdoors either. Arthur's hands had long since drifted into his pockets. Gloved or not, he could still feel the chill seep through the leather to reach his skin.

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superboy
2009-12-25 05:04 am UTC (link)

He nodded slowly. "I know what you mean." Well, sometimes. There were some days where he didn't feel heat or cold. It came with being invulnerable. The days he felt it were the days he knew something was wrong. Conner slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Want some hot chocolate?" Hot chocolate was pretty much Conner's cure for everything. It didn't need to be cold to have it. It was just liquid AWESOME.

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a_royal_prat
2009-12-27 06:01 am UTC (link)

It should have taken longer to answer. In fact, he should have given it some thought, but the offer was there, and he hadn't been in the mood for the rich drink since he and Merlin had been out.

So when he spoke, it startled him how certain he was in his answer of, "Yes. Do you know of a place to purchase it?"

Not that Arthur doubted they could find some, but he generally felt a distinct lack of knowledge over the layout of this city, and getting lost at night wasn't high on his lists of ways to spend the evening.

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superboy
2009-12-27 08:56 pm UTC (link)

"You always this stiff?" He quirked a brow. Had he said that out loud? He hadn't meant to say it that loud. So, instead, he said, "Um. Yeah. Chocolate is being served just a few stores down. Come on!" Great way of changing the subject. Right? Conner had memorized the layout of the city when he'd arrived. It's a thing that Clark had taught him.

"I'm Conner," he said and held out his hand.

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	a_royal_prat 2009-12-29 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	Arthur's brow knitted at the oddly insulting comment, but took the hand and shook it firmly. "Arthur." And released it nearly as fast. He had just been insulted, even if it made no bloody sense. As far as being relaxed went, Arthur felt fairly close. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

superboy
2009-12-29 06:16 pm UTC (link)

It wasn't an insult perse, more of an observation that Arthur was very tense. "Nice to meet you Arthur," Conner replied with a tight smile and opened the door for him to be polite and slipped into the warm coffee shop. Glorious hot chocolate. Definitely something worth venturing into the cold for.

"So." This was awkward for some reason. "Big plans for Christmas?" Living in a strange new dimension with no where to go left the 'getting to know you' small talk fairly limited. So, Conner had to find new ways to adapt. Things like 'where are you from' and 'what do you do' seemed moot at this point.

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a_royal_prat
2009-12-29 06:22 pm UTC (link)

It didn't do much for Arthur to see the tense smile his demeanor was earning, but he couldn't exactly switch off his personality, as much as those around him might wish him to do. He wasn't unobservant and he certainly wasn't deaf.

"I don't know what Christmas is." But being friends with Merlin left Arthur suspecting there would be something. He stepped into the queue for the counter service. "But it's likely."

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superboy
2009-12-31 09:35 pm UTC (link)

"Must not be a big deal where you're from then," he replied with a shrug. "Christmas is sort of contagious." He chuckled. "As you've probably noticed." People get crazy, wrapper, tinsil, lights, and snow vomit all over the place. It's hard not to miss. "You don't seem to excited about it."

So far, in his very short time on earth compared to most teenagers, everyone he met loved the holidays. For someone who didn't celebrate, though, it might seem like just another day. One proper Christmas changed everything for Conner, though. Christmas was kind of nice when you had people to share it with.

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	a_royal_prat 2009-12-31 09:38 pm UTC (link)
	A small smile tugged at the corner of Arthur's lips as he thought of Guinevere and her tinsel disaster. Some people were made for those occasions, he enjoyed watching. "Why should I be?" There was honest confusion in his tone that he couldn't quite hide. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

superboy
2010-01-01 12:33 am UTC (link)

"I dunno," he said with a shrug and a chuckle. "I mean. Gifts. Music. Alcohol. Cheer. Fun." He took a deep breath. "It's a time to be with friends and family and be thankful you got to see them for another year. Even if maybe you want to strangle them from time to time." He glanced at Arthur. "I think it's the one time of the year a majority of the world is happy."

He waved it off, though. "Don't mind me, though. I'm still new to the whole Christmas thing, too. So, what do I know?"

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