(no subject)
Kon didn't want to tell her. Of course, he didn't want to know, either. But he'd damn near searched the island and then there was Tim who just seemed to know and... Well, it could either come from him or Tim and he was pretty sure he owed it to Cassie to tell her in person. Even with everything. Maybe because of everything. It was harder than maybe it should have been to walk to her hut. To knock on the door. To wait and hope that it was Cassie and not Donna who answered because then he'd have to explain just why he needed time alone with Cassie.
Out of all the things the island had done to him - to them - this was probably the most screwed up. Sending Bart home.
"Please be there," he muttered softly. He'd sit and wait if he had to.
Kon was in luck.
Cassie had just returned from bo practice with Donna. The older Wonder had gone up to the Compound for a shower, while Cassie hadn't bothered since she was going to climbs the cliffs with Riku later. Thinking it was Riku being extremely early, she laughed as she opened the door. "Little early aren't you, Ri..."
She trailed off when she saw Kon standing there instead and her smile faded. "Hi." She said softly, as all the conflict she'd felt at the Midsummer party returned and she clutched at the door to hide any other reaction.
"He's..." Kon couldn't get the words out, mostly because tears had started to well when he saw Cassie. If Tim was the one he always went to when he needed to talk, Cassie was the one he went to when he needed a hug and seeing her just made him want to let go. He couldn't, though. Not with her. Not anymore. "He's gone. I can't find him anywhere. I'm not sure Tim's looking anymore."
When the tears appeared and Kon almost fell apart on her door step, Cassie could only blink and stare. But when he mentioned someone was gone, her heart clenched in her chest. "Who?" She asked, in the same soft voice, already dreading the answer.
"Bart." The word came out in a broken whisper. "I know you think he and I were... And that you still hate us both. But...he was still my best friend, you know?"
"He was my best friend too." She bit out automatically to hide her shock. Bart was...gone. She hadn't seen him since that weekend; she been to afraid of hurting him and what she'd find out if she got up the nerve to ask how he could do that to her. How he could try and sleep with the boy he knew she loved. Now...she'd never know, since even if he returned to the island, he wouldn't remember what had happened. She's lost her opportunity for good. And that made her feel oddly cold inside, to the point she even shiver slightly. "He's...really gone?"
"I know," Kon said quickly. Softer, he repeated, "I know. It was always the four of us. Since the days of Young Justice. Even here, where none of us has..." Powers. He kept his eyes on the ground as he talked. "He's really gone. I've been looking, Tim's been...I thought he might have been here and that maybe you two were...talking, maybe."
"You mean the three of you..." She said softly, looking away. Then she shook her head, as if she hadn't said anything at all. "No, I haven't seen Bart since before...everything happened." And she felt...oddly guilty. For leaving things as she had. For better or for worse...she should have faced him. This never knowing was going to haunt her. "I can't believe it."
Kon looked up at that and took her hand quickly. "The four of us. It was always the four of us, Cass. Until here." This place just shattered things irreparably.
And Cassie immediately took her hand back. "Your right. Until here. Until you boys made it clear that it was each other you wanted." She couldn't help her bitter tone. She was guilty and anger and upset...and damn if she just didn't want this all to be over. She was tired of it all.
"I didn't want him! Do you really think I'd do half of what I did then on any normal day? Yes. A very small part of what happened with Bart was because of something I really feel, but it wasn't desire or love or anything like that. It was frustration because here we're not us. It's different and I hate it and I wanted to get back at them. It was Tim's bed we ended up in, deliberately chosen so that he'd show up. Looking back it seems mental and stupid and I hate myself for it." Kon wrapped his arms around himself.
"I don't know Kon! I didn't think Bart would try and sleep with my boyfriend either! What am I supposed to think? I get here and hear that Bart and Tim used to be together. Bart kisses you at New Years. Then you and Bart almost sleep together in Tim's bed. Not to mention the three of you have always been closer then anyone I've ever met! I bet you didn't know how I've always been afraid that one day you boys would decide you didn't need me anymore and this place is only proving me right!" Now Cassie was almost in frustrated, angry tears as she let out everything she'd been holding in. She couldn't keep it in anymore or it would kill her. Gripping at the door, Cassie suddenly felt exhausted.
"You're supposed to think that I lied to him. That I knew him well enough to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear so that he'd do what I wanted. I told him we broke up. Maybe it was bad timing, but he honestly believed...I made him think..." Kon's lips twisted into a grimace. "I'm the one to blame here, Cassie. And I have been. Blaming myself."
He swallowed and took a breath that was closer to a gasp. "Didn't need you anymore?" He wiped the tears away stubbornly. "You're the only thing about this place that seems right."
And didn't that just feel like a kick in the gut. Cassie finally admits her fears and Kon says that.
They stood there in silence for a few moments, two young heros brought to tears and struggling with a situation that had gotten out of hand before either of them had even stepped onto the island.
Finally, Cassie said in a soft voice though looking more at Kon's feet then at him, "What do we do now?"
"Find a way to go on without him." It was the thing to say and even then, a huge part of Kon rebelled at the idea. He sucked in a long breath and glanced up at her, trying not to show just how much he needed this. "Maybe...maybe find a way back to being friends again." He didn't dare say a relationship. He knew he didn't deserve that much.
"Okay." The soft word came out before she could help herself. Cassie blinked but then she realized that she needed it too. To at least be friends, because the thought of anything else...that still hurt.
Kon nodded and then, before he could help it, he was hugging her and whispering in her ear. "Just promise me that you're not going anywhere without me, too. I don't think I could...I just couldn't."
Cassie couldn't not hug him back. "I promise."
Kon knew what he wanted. He wanted to hold her and fall asleep and wake up with her even if it was nothing romantic. He'd done that all those months back when he'd first arrived and talked to Clark. He knew want he wanted, but he knew that he couldn't have that. Not yet. He gave her a gentle squeeze and pulled back. "You were obviously expecting someone. I should go."
For a moment, Cassie was confused about what he was talking about. So much had happened in the last few minutes that she'd forgotten about her plans for later. "Oh. Right. Riku." She said, as if to remind herself. "Yeah, I should get ready." She had to find her sneakers with treads for the rocks, she idly remembered.
"If I'm not...I might crash on Joey's floor or head over to the other treehouse tonight. If you need anything." Kon sighed. "I don't know that I could handle the Treehouse alone."
The treehouse. Even with just Kon, the thought of going there didn't sit right with her. She hadn't looked twice at it since she'd moved out. "I don't blame you." She paused, then added. "See you at training?" It would be the first time she'd come to training since everything had happened, but...well, she'd see how it went.
Kon looked surprised and then nodded. "Training." He turned and walked away before he could say something stupid or do something even more stupid, like hug her and not let her go. He needed to get a few things from the treehouse before leaving. Just a few things.
Out of all the things the island had done to him - to them - this was probably the most screwed up. Sending Bart home.
"Please be there," he muttered softly. He'd sit and wait if he had to.
Kon was in luck.
Cassie had just returned from bo practice with Donna. The older Wonder had gone up to the Compound for a shower, while Cassie hadn't bothered since she was going to climbs the cliffs with Riku later. Thinking it was Riku being extremely early, she laughed as she opened the door. "Little early aren't you, Ri..."
She trailed off when she saw Kon standing there instead and her smile faded. "Hi." She said softly, as all the conflict she'd felt at the Midsummer party returned and she clutched at the door to hide any other reaction.
"He's..." Kon couldn't get the words out, mostly because tears had started to well when he saw Cassie. If Tim was the one he always went to when he needed to talk, Cassie was the one he went to when he needed a hug and seeing her just made him want to let go. He couldn't, though. Not with her. Not anymore. "He's gone. I can't find him anywhere. I'm not sure Tim's looking anymore."
When the tears appeared and Kon almost fell apart on her door step, Cassie could only blink and stare. But when he mentioned someone was gone, her heart clenched in her chest. "Who?" She asked, in the same soft voice, already dreading the answer.
"Bart." The word came out in a broken whisper. "I know you think he and I were... And that you still hate us both. But...he was still my best friend, you know?"
"He was my best friend too." She bit out automatically to hide her shock. Bart was...gone. She hadn't seen him since that weekend; she been to afraid of hurting him and what she'd find out if she got up the nerve to ask how he could do that to her. How he could try and sleep with the boy he knew she loved. Now...she'd never know, since even if he returned to the island, he wouldn't remember what had happened. She's lost her opportunity for good. And that made her feel oddly cold inside, to the point she even shiver slightly. "He's...really gone?"
"I know," Kon said quickly. Softer, he repeated, "I know. It was always the four of us. Since the days of Young Justice. Even here, where none of us has..." Powers. He kept his eyes on the ground as he talked. "He's really gone. I've been looking, Tim's been...I thought he might have been here and that maybe you two were...talking, maybe."
"You mean the three of you..." She said softly, looking away. Then she shook her head, as if she hadn't said anything at all. "No, I haven't seen Bart since before...everything happened." And she felt...oddly guilty. For leaving things as she had. For better or for worse...she should have faced him. This never knowing was going to haunt her. "I can't believe it."
Kon looked up at that and took her hand quickly. "The four of us. It was always the four of us, Cass. Until here." This place just shattered things irreparably.
And Cassie immediately took her hand back. "Your right. Until here. Until you boys made it clear that it was each other you wanted." She couldn't help her bitter tone. She was guilty and anger and upset...and damn if she just didn't want this all to be over. She was tired of it all.
"I didn't want him! Do you really think I'd do half of what I did then on any normal day? Yes. A very small part of what happened with Bart was because of something I really feel, but it wasn't desire or love or anything like that. It was frustration because here we're not us. It's different and I hate it and I wanted to get back at them. It was Tim's bed we ended up in, deliberately chosen so that he'd show up. Looking back it seems mental and stupid and I hate myself for it." Kon wrapped his arms around himself.
"I don't know Kon! I didn't think Bart would try and sleep with my boyfriend either! What am I supposed to think? I get here and hear that Bart and Tim used to be together. Bart kisses you at New Years. Then you and Bart almost sleep together in Tim's bed. Not to mention the three of you have always been closer then anyone I've ever met! I bet you didn't know how I've always been afraid that one day you boys would decide you didn't need me anymore and this place is only proving me right!" Now Cassie was almost in frustrated, angry tears as she let out everything she'd been holding in. She couldn't keep it in anymore or it would kill her. Gripping at the door, Cassie suddenly felt exhausted.
"You're supposed to think that I lied to him. That I knew him well enough to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear so that he'd do what I wanted. I told him we broke up. Maybe it was bad timing, but he honestly believed...I made him think..." Kon's lips twisted into a grimace. "I'm the one to blame here, Cassie. And I have been. Blaming myself."
He swallowed and took a breath that was closer to a gasp. "Didn't need you anymore?" He wiped the tears away stubbornly. "You're the only thing about this place that seems right."
And didn't that just feel like a kick in the gut. Cassie finally admits her fears and Kon says that.
They stood there in silence for a few moments, two young heros brought to tears and struggling with a situation that had gotten out of hand before either of them had even stepped onto the island.
Finally, Cassie said in a soft voice though looking more at Kon's feet then at him, "What do we do now?"
"Find a way to go on without him." It was the thing to say and even then, a huge part of Kon rebelled at the idea. He sucked in a long breath and glanced up at her, trying not to show just how much he needed this. "Maybe...maybe find a way back to being friends again." He didn't dare say a relationship. He knew he didn't deserve that much.
"Okay." The soft word came out before she could help herself. Cassie blinked but then she realized that she needed it too. To at least be friends, because the thought of anything else...that still hurt.
Kon nodded and then, before he could help it, he was hugging her and whispering in her ear. "Just promise me that you're not going anywhere without me, too. I don't think I could...I just couldn't."
Cassie couldn't not hug him back. "I promise."
Kon knew what he wanted. He wanted to hold her and fall asleep and wake up with her even if it was nothing romantic. He'd done that all those months back when he'd first arrived and talked to Clark. He knew want he wanted, but he knew that he couldn't have that. Not yet. He gave her a gentle squeeze and pulled back. "You were obviously expecting someone. I should go."
For a moment, Cassie was confused about what he was talking about. So much had happened in the last few minutes that she'd forgotten about her plans for later. "Oh. Right. Riku." She said, as if to remind herself. "Yeah, I should get ready." She had to find her sneakers with treads for the rocks, she idly remembered.
"If I'm not...I might crash on Joey's floor or head over to the other treehouse tonight. If you need anything." Kon sighed. "I don't know that I could handle the Treehouse alone."
The treehouse. Even with just Kon, the thought of going there didn't sit right with her. She hadn't looked twice at it since she'd moved out. "I don't blame you." She paused, then added. "See you at training?" It would be the first time she'd come to training since everything had happened, but...well, she'd see how it went.
Kon looked surprised and then nodded. "Training." He turned and walked away before he could say something stupid or do something even more stupid, like hug her and not let her go. He needed to get a few things from the treehouse before leaving. Just a few things.