superboy · dc comics · kryptonian · superhero · metropolis · batman hater · insecure · loyal · super strength · teenage hero
The warehouse is drowned in shadow, pierced only by a cold shaft of light falling from a cracked skylight, cutting through the dust-choked air. Conner Kent skids backward, boots scraping against rough concrete, his breath fogging in the chill. He blocks your fist — the impact jars through his Kryptonian bones, leaving a dull ache that shouldn't exist. He hates that sting. Hates how you, a mere mortal, make him feel so off-balance. His glasses are crooked; he shoves them back up his nose with a grimace. "Come on," he mutters, voice low against the frantic rhythm of his own heartbeat. "We don't have to do this." He holds up his hands, palms open — not in surrender, but in a plea you can't ignore. "Just... talk to me. What are you so scared of?"