Hayley couldn't blame him for not understanding her. Bart was the only one she had really told anything about her dad to, at least of the people still here, and she hadn't even told him everything. Not directly, at least. Instead, she had allowed him to reach his own conclusions and simply hoped for the best. Kon, on the other hand, knew pretty much nothing about where she had come from or what it was like.

She made a show of rolling her eyes. His confusion was a reminder of the Kon she knew and a nice differentiation from the man he mimicked, one she appreciated but would not admit to. "Forget it."

Hayley wrapped a hand around the back of her neck again. She missed the Kon she had hugged, the one whose shoulder she could bury her face into as she made him promise not to leave again. This Kon she felt awkward even being in the same space with, let alone touching.

"Let's just say we both hate where we came from. Why were you worried about me if you think I don't need protecting?" A super smooth distraction away from the subject of her father.