(no subject)

[everylittlegirl]

Characters: Hayley & OPEN
Date: June 25th (or the next couple days)
Location: Hayley's sweet new digs or outside in the Metal Sector
Situation: Roommate shenanigans, Hayley coming out of hiding to be social again, whatever..
Warnings/Rating: None yet.

Hayley had done her best to avoid people for the last few weeks, trying to regain a more objective view of the situation and of her relationships. These friendships were getting harder to avoid and while part of her wanted to accept them, there remained a voice in the back of her mind warning her of the dangers of embracing these people. Moving had been a very unwelcome break in the monotony, but a joyous excuse for helping her in hiding away in a nice place and pretending she didn't exist. She kept contact, of course; it was the bare minimum required to keep anyone from thinking she had disappeared from the turtle.

Now, finally, boredom has overcome her and so instead of taking her food to her room and leaving for work at odd hours, Hayley was returning to a more standard routine. It meant she was more likely to run into people and to have to be friends again. She knew that and was slightly apprehensive about it, but the part of her that wanted those kinds of connections had inevitably won out and she found herself missing Bart and Kon and the others after enough time.

Comments

[tactile_telekinesis]

It was strange how much he had settled into the roll of Conner back home and how, halfhearted or not, his head turned with the hit slightly. It didn't hurt and he barely felt it, but his eyes had widened as he stared at the door where Hayley had been. The punch hadn't been expected, he knew she was angry, he saw it, heard it, felt it. But he hadn't expected Hayley to punch him. His posture dropped after she yelled at him.

He turned his head and looked at her. Nothing, he couldn't think of a damn thing to say to her. Nothing that would make the situation better. No words that would calm her.

"I'm sorry."

It was heartfelt. It was sincere and he meant it. It wasn't said to brush anything away. It was said because he was sorry. Sorry that he'd made Hayley feel this way.

[everylittlegirl]

Hayley frowned at him, with the way he turned his head, knowing he didn't feel the hit at all. She felt exasperated, afraid, and relieved all at once. The fact that he apologized, otherwise unmoving, only served to frustrate her more. Because she knew he was sorry. But sorry didn't really matter to her. Either what he did was okay - and she should forgive him - or it wasn't - and they were done. Hayley didn't like the games in between, especially dealing with the feelings that accompanied them.

She slowly turned the thought over in her mind. Kon was a good friend. He was a powerful ally and one who would definitely look out for her and protect her. If she insisted he leave her alone, he might, but she would have to explain it to Bart and Clark and possibly others. It would mean another El with an awkward history, another one to avoid. She hated the petty games of avoidance almost as much as dealing with feelings.

"Okay." Hayley wanted Kon as a friend. She wanted that reassurance of her darker aspects, someone who would forgive her in spite of everything she had done and would accept her all the same. It made her angry that she couldn't seem to find a way to keep him from abandoning her, hated that he was hot and vaguely like both Clark and her father. But she wasn't ready to waste all that time and effort, not when he was such a good one to have on her side.

"There's this guy from back home? He was a total asshole pedophile creep in the worst way. You kind of look like him sometimes." She lifted a hand to scratch at her hair, then dropped it again as she moved to sit on the edge of her bed. Noticing he remained still, she waved a hand dismissively. "You can move or whatever."

A beat. "I don't want to lose my best friend."