Who:Lois and Conner What:Chatting When:backdated to her canon update return Where:Kent house Warnings:tw talk of medical stuff? status:complete gdoc
Conner hadn’t been doing so great himself after trying to kill Dick, he had all but secluded. Not really wanting to be a social being, he spent a lot more time on his own until Lois had returned. He’d let Laura and Jordan come in his room and whatever, but other than that he hadn’t really gone out of his way to go out by himself. He felt like hot garbage and wasn’t sue how to fix it.
All the same, he wanted to see her. Krypto had taken up a portion of the couch on one side of her since she’d returned. The dog had apparently gotten attached. His head was resting on her thigh for attention as Conner made his way down the stairs to see her.
“You okay?” She looked in one piece, but what the hell had happened? He didn’t sit just yet in case this wasn’t real. He didn’t trust his own head at the moment.
Lois was still adjusting to everything from back home. While she wasn’t as weak as she had been during the chemo for the cancer and she was feeling a bit more confident on the lack of chest that she now had, Lois still was building her strength back up. Everyone in the house had been helpful, but Lois still did what she could, making sure she was here for all the kids no matter what. She knew Conner was dealing with some stuff and also what had been happening while she was gone. Instead of focusing on herself, she did like most mother’s did and had the attention on her kids both blood and non cause they were her kids as far as she was concerned.
Scratching Krypto’s head, she had been looking over her emails and cleaning out her inbox from work when she heard someone coming down. A smile showed up at the sight of Conner. “Yes, I’m fine as I told the last person who asked. You don’t need to worry about me, I’m just taking it easy as needed,” she told him. Lois hated people worrying over her, especially the kids since that wasn’t their job. “What about you? You can come sit, sweetheart,” she nodded to the other end of the couch that was completely open. Krypto was attached to Lois. Dog had become a bit lush for her attention. He leaned into those pets like he’d never had pets before and Conner rolled his eyes briefly at him. The dog was unphased. Stayed right where he was, curled up beside her. He hesitated for a moment. He really didn’t know who he was since the incident happened. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” He’d been avoiding people for the most part in general.
“Where did you go?” He was uncomfortable in his own skin at the best of times, trying to figure out how to exist again was hard. His hands were in his pockets awkwardly. Brows furrowed a bit. He wanted to sit, but he didn’t want to do anything he couldn’t control.
Lois loved the fact that the dog was relaxing next to her since it was some company when everyone else was off doing whatever. Which Lois did what she needed, but since she was still trying to build her energy back up, she learned as hard as it was that when her body was telling her to rest, then she better. Plus she didn’t feel like having everyone worried over her so she was trying even if it was hard, but that was also why she did her work while sitting here when she was tired. After running around all morning for errands, she knew her body needed the rest so she was listening with her buddy right next to her. Lois tilted her head, looking at him. “Conner, you’re not going to hurt anyone. If I thought I was in danger, I wouldn’t have invited you to sit by me, but I know you’re not going to hurt me,” she told him softly. And if needed, then all she had to do was say either her son or husband’s name and they’d be here very quickly, but Lois knew that wasn’t needed. Instead, she wanted Conner to realize he was safe and that she wasn’t scared or worried.
“I went back to my world,” she told him, waiting to see if he had any questions. Or more she was waiting to see what they were since she was sure that he would. “Did I miss anything exciting while I was gone?” She asked, scratching behind the dog’s ears as she talked to Conner.
He was still on a bit of shaky ground when it came to being near people. Avoided a lot of them unintentionally. He was trying to get back to normal, but it was fucking hard when he kept hearing things. Seeing things that he was pretty sure were Lex’s memories and not his own. Only positive thing was he was starting to recognize the ones that weren’t his. But, his head was a cluserfuck of noise a solid ninety percent of the time.”I might.” He admitted with a shrug, but finally awkwardly did sit. Krypto was too busy enjoying the attention to pay him any mind.
“Did something happen there?” Why was she pulled back? It was confusing to him. Conner was uncomfortable in his own skin, but he often was. Now was no different with Lex’s memories coming back full fledged.”Stayed with Dick for a few days.” Other than that, nothing. And he was glad for it.
Lois was worried about Conner. Had been before leaving and even after returning, but she was worried about all the kids. It was the role of mom even to the ones not related to her; however, she also knew sadly, she couldn’t force them to talk to her. All she could do was show she was there and let them come to her unless they did something stupid then it was a different matter. As much as she wished there was a way for her to know what was going on with the boy in front of her, she just had to let him decide to talk to her. “You won’t,” she said without any doubt in her mind. Lois believed he wouldn’t hurt her no matter what since she believed in him. She knew the difficult times Clark and her son had, so she was going to believe in Conner just like she did them.
His question got a shake of her head. “Not that I know of. Dome wasn’t done with me yet so it ended up bringing me back after I went through some things back home.” And had to now worry about her health. Also have the men from her world worried about her, which was the last thing she wanted or needed. Lois didn’t like people worrying over her and valued her independence so this was a hard change in being limited on some things until she gained all her strength and energy back. She nodded on hearing that he stayed with Dick for a few days. “Did you have a fun time? Maybe we should invite him over one of these nights for dinner? Would you like that?” She offered, knowing that Dick was important to Conner and she liked the man so she had no problem at all on having him over for an evening. He could even bring Barbara if he wanted.
Cautiously, he did sit beside her. One leg folded under the other. His hands resting in his lap sort of unsure what to do with himself. “Done with you?” He made a face as he listened. He didn’t like the idea that this dome sounded sentient. It could just take someone and spit them back out as it pleased. “What things?” He had questions. She was gone, and then she wasn’t. Of course he had questions. Krypto had drifted off to sleep against her.
“It was…helpful.” He had a place in the woods, it was a calming sort of place. Even for Conner. He heard less noise out there. The clone needed the space sometimes, all the noise just became overwhelming in his head. “I can ask him. It’s still weird not living with him.” Not being in the tower was always going to be weird. But the Kent place wasn’t too terrible either.
“Yes, since it brought me back, it felt a need for me here,” she told him. Lois would think it sounded outlandish, but with all she had seen around here plus what people said. Well, she figured it was the best reasoning until proven otherwise, which she kept trying to do with no such luck. “Besides trying to expose the truth on certain issues back in my world through my job, my health was the biggest issue back home. I found out I have a form of cancer. Which is gone right now though everything to have that happen is why I’ve been taking it easy and resting when it’s needed,” Lois knew the topic was scary, but it was a part of life and now a part of her own life. “I’m fine, and as I told Clark and Jordan who both already know, I don’t want you guys worrying.” That was the last thing she needed or wanted from people. It was hard enough admitting she didn’t have her old energy back just yet, but she didn’t need people treating her like she was breakable.
Lois studied him, looking at him carefully. This boy was pretty much like another son of hers even if he wasn’t connected to her like her two sons. He was still part of Clark, the man she loved. “Do you want to live with him?” Lois didn’t want him to leave; however, she also didn’t want him to feel trapped or anything like that. “If it helps, you can stay the night over at his place sometimes since I know he’s important to you. Just that we need to know when.” Lois offered, wanting Conner to know he had that freedom as long as he kept them informed.
He was looking at her with confusion written all over his face. That was a term he didn’t know. “Cancer?” He knew many scientific things, literally from the ones that created him. But if they hadn’t reported or said it He was mentally trying to bring the word up, but since he didn’t know it, he searched her face to see what she thought. He’d yet to hear it in school or anything, though it was only a matter of time until he did one day. She didn’t seem scared or worried. So he went off that and nodded. “I don’t know that word, but I’m glad you came back. You are needed.”
When she looked over to ask if he wanted to live with him he raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Here is still good. Just…different.” He wasn’t sad or upset in saying those things like he had been when he first arrived. “Krypto also likes it.” The dog was becoming just a regular house pet at this point, he was pretty damn content where they were. “Maybe sometimes.” He agreed. Dick was probably his best friend there. One he tried to kill, but still.
Even though Lois was terrified deep down about it returning or something going wrong after everything, she knew how to hide it. While Clark knew her better than anyone, she knew how to keep it hidden since she didn’t want the kids to worry. They had more than enough, and the last thing she wanted was to add to their plate though she was trying to follow the instructions for once in her life to make sure she healed rather than made it worse. “It’s a serious illness that humans have to deal with sometimes. Sadly, I was unlucky and was found to have a version of it.” She smiled at him saying he was glad she came back and how she was needed since it meant a lot.
“Of course, it’s going to be different. But you know you can talk to Clark or myself if there are things you need to make it feel more like home. I can’t promise all of it depending on what you want, but it can be a possibility,” Lois knew had said it before to all the kids, but she wanted to make sure he remembered. “Well, we love the both of you here and consider you both Kent’s,” she scratch the top of Krypto’s head as she said that. “If you decide that, then just make sure Dick is fine with it, and let us know. How does that sound?” It gave him some freedom while also setting some rules down and made sure they knew where he was.
“There are doctors here that can help with that?” He assumed there were specialists of some kind. He’d have to look into it. He liked research. It wasn’t really a thing he told many people, but he was good at doing it.
“I know…it already is. Home I mean.” He wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest there. There were just things he missed about the Tower and Dick. “Well maybe once in a while..but if that’s the case I want to be here. With the rest of you.” Decisions weren’t a lot of things he had experience in, but he was getting used to it. Krypto was heavily leaning on Lois, if Conner took him away from that he was pretty sure the dog would try a mutiny.
“That’s what I’ll have to find out, but now it’s just checking to make sure I’m clear and that I take care of myself. I was lucky the dome waited till I was healing, so hopefully, there should be no problems. But I need to make sure I stay on top of things rather than avoid like I used to,” she told him. Lois knew she’d need to find out for sure, but she was still adjusting to being back and on the mend with her energy.
Lois smiled at him and nodded, “This isn’t a prison. As you said this is home. You’re free to stay with him or even friends cause we do trust you. All we ask is that you stay safe, let us know, and make sure not to get into any trouble. I think that’s fair?” Lois knew she couldn’t keep any of the kids on a leash as she had to learn that with her own as they got older. However, she wanted them to know they could call if they got in trouble. While they might be in trouble, they’d always have her or Clark there to help them no matter what it was or time. “How about you join me and we watch a movie? How does that sound? What would you like to watch?” Lois felt tired so she wasn’t even sure if she’d watch it all, but she didn’t mind the company. That level of trust was new to him. With the Titans there were secrets, things he wasn’t allowed to share. Outside friends weren’t a thing he really needed to have or worry about bringing over. Now, he could. “You know if you need help we’ll help you any way we can, right?” That was just how Kents operated, but they also worried. A lot. However just then it seemed like she had things under control, so he would try not to.
“Yeah. It is.” Conner was a teenager, but he hadn’t really had much of a chance to be one yet until now. “Movie sounds good.” He mostly just wanted to hang around her, so he would take the option for movie any day. The mom figure he’d once had in his life was gone, Lois was filling that void. He didn’t feel as wary around her as he had once anymore. “Maybe something animated?” And he browsed through the list until they found something. It wasn’t too long before something was found and he got comfortable.