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It was nearly impossible to catch a Kryptonian off guard, with their heightened senses they were almost immediately alerted to any oddities around them. Conner prided himself on the fact that no one could sneak up on him.
Stray being an exception, of course.
Stray barely counted, as a regular human shouldn't be that silent when moving or blend that easily into shadows. Stray could sneak up on an omnipotent god, Conner was certain; therefore, he didn't count.
Not only was he prone to sneaking up on Conner, but if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn’t. That’s what made spotting him in Metropolis all the more interesting.
“You shouldn't be here, Stray” he arrived at the ledge the other boy was perched on, “You live in Gotham, go pick-pocket people of your own city.”
“Hello to you too,” Stray grinned, his eyes dancing. Conner scowled.
Stray made himself comfortable, falling from his previous crouch to sit on the ledge, prompting Conner to land beside him.
“I'm not pick-pocketing anybody,” Stray said, “can’t a guy just drop by to say hello?”
“What are you doing here?” Conner demanded, and Stray rolled his eyes listlessly.
“You really know how to turn a guy off, don’t you?” Conner continued to scowl.
“Fine, fine, you got me,” Stray held his hands up in surrender, “I’ve moved here in hopes of finding a new start and building my life anew with a clean slate”
“Stray.”
“I know you have a sense of humor, Conner, c’mon,” Stray taunted as he beckoned for Conner to come sit down, who hesitantly obliged.
“Why are you really here?” Conner asked again, the harshness in his voice replaced with exasperation. It wasn’t that he disliked seeing Stray, it was just the opposite, but Stray wasn't really the ‘pop in another state for some banter and kicks’ kind of guy. Plus, Conner had a reputation to uphold; technically, he shouldn't even be speaking to Stray.
“Is that your way of letting me know i'm unwelcomed?” Stray teased, leaning close. Conner said nothing, being unable to disagree but not willing to agree and enable the patronizing bastard.
Stray was making himself comfortable in Conner’s personal space, unabashedly pressing himself against his side. It was… cute. Really cute. And if Conner wasn't putting on his stone-cold persona right now he would be all over it. And Stray, ever the mind reader, knew that. Privacy-- that was all he needed, and Conner was wrapped around his finger. Well, he always was, but publicly Conner would deny it stubbornly.
Stray moved quickly for someone who wasn't a meta, one second sitting next to Conner, the next waving his tail attachment teasingly before dashing off the roof in a chase invitation. Conner would bite as always, but, per tradition, he would also give Stray an unneeded head-start.
Really, Conner had a map of the city pretty much implanted into his mind, and somehow Stray still knew the ins and outs better than him, disappearing quickly and effectively, usually only hinting to where he was when he was already far away enough to disappear again by the time Conner caught up.
Well, usually that’s how it went, this time Conner struggled to even catch a glimpse of the cat themed thief. And really, he could fly and had x-ray vision, it wasn't like he was at any disadvantage, but still somehow Stray had the advantage.
Conner was now looking more quickly, scanning fast and what he thought efficiently, but the other boy continued to elude him. He didn't appear a few roof tops away as he often did, he wasn’t down in the alleys between buildings where he sometimes liked to hide; if Conner didn't know any better he would think he had disappeared into thin air. Maybe Stray was a meta.
That was until he heard what was unmistakably Stray’s voice, a mocking tone, an increased heart rate and heavy breathing. Conner panicked for a second; his first thought was danger, a fair assumption. His second was trouble.
He was already flying towards the sound when another thought hit, Stray could be causing trouble, which despite himself, Conner found comforting. He would rather have to berate Stray for causing trouble in his city than rushing him to a hospital for getting caught up in something he shouldn't.
He dived from his height as he closed in on the sound, flinging around a few more buildings before shooting into an alley where the source of the noise stared him in the face.
Stray was going hand to hand with some nasty looking guys, angry enough to want to deal damage but clearly smart enough to not let that get in the way of dealing that damage.
Conner logically knew Stray had it covered, the kid was far from helpless and even if he didn't seem the most familiar with hand-to-hand, it wasn't foreign to him. He used the momentum of one of the man’s swings to send him away from him and stumbling to the ground. At the same time, the other man positioned himself behind Stray.
“Stray!” Conner launched in without a second thought, tackling the guy, surprising Stray enough to miss the other’s recovery. He was angrier still, and sent a good kick to Stray’s side, sending the kid to the ground with a loud thud.
Once Conner was sure the man he had tackled was down he turned to take the other, who was already squaring up with Stray, staring him down. He lunged, reaching for something at his side, back peddling as Stray side stepped and grinned cockily.
A pocket knife between his fingers as he addressed the man, “Missing something?” he quipped. The man yelled, lunged again, but Stray quickly produced some kind of collapsible staff, as it extended and rammed the man in the head, knocking him down hard enough that he went unconscious.
He turned to Conner, all traces of a grin replaced with a piercing glare.
“ What was that!?”
“What was that? What was this? ” he countered, gesturing to the unconscious men.
Stray ignored him, “I had it handled- ”
“Didn't look like it,” Conner’s temper surfacing.
“ Of course it didn’t, you idiot! They start getting reckless if they think they have the upper hand! I had it under control, until you came barreling in like a maniac and messing everything up!”
Stray was already stalking away by the time his rave was over, and Conner was a bit grateful that it could have kept Stray from noticing the embarrassed flush that had covered his face. But Conner did notice the way Stray held his side.
“Why would you even get yourself into that, if you wanna talk about reckless- ”
Stray whirled around and was suddenly in his face, “ you don't get to tell me what’s reckless, this had nothing to do with you and that means you have no right to lecture me on it! Just because I'm in your city doesn't mean you get to babysit me and tell me what to do!”
“Are you kidding me? How are yo-” Conner glowered as Stray ignored him in favor of running off. He sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to find Stray if he didn't want him to, he yielded and just decided to cool down through laps around the city.
By the time Stray did let himself be known, he was sitting on a building far off near the edge of the city; a few buildings away from being too far for Kon to follow.
“The sky is nicer here than in Gotham,” Stray said conversationally. His shoulders were free of the tension that indicated a previous argument, but his voice betrayed it.
“Hm,” Conner couldn't necessarily agree or disagree, having never been. He regarded the horizon though, the golden line from the setting sun. He hears it be described as beautiful, he didn't think much of it, he didn't think he would describe it that way. It was just a sunset, it happened every night, what was so special?
He came to stand next to Stray, watching it alongside him. He didn't care for it, but if Stray didn't want to talk he didn't have to. Conner also didn't want to leave him by himself.
Conner still worried. He worried about Stray’s side, he worried that Stray was mad at him, he worried every time Stray was around about when he would see him again, he worried about what Stray was doing when he wasn't around. Stray could take care of himself, he knew that, but he still worried.
“I have to go soon,” Stray commented, “I wasn’t expecting-” he gestured vaguely, “-I thought we could've spent more time together but… you know.”
He was looking at Conner again, his expression open as he examined his face. He didn't look angry, thankfully, and Conner relaxed a bit.
“I guess we’ll just have to spend it the next time you visit.”
Stray smiled at Conner, his eyes going from curious to content, laced with something Conner couldn't identify, or maybe was afraid to. He was sure it reflected in his own.
“Yeah.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't, instead turning back to the sky and leaning against Conner.
Conner wanted to put his arm around him. He didn’t.
“I hope you’ll be alright,” Conner mostly referenced the previous scene. Stray tensed for a fraction of a second and then sighed.
“'Tis a flesh wound,” he joked, “some bruising probably, I’ll be fine.”
Conner made a noncommittal noise and said nothing.
“Anyone tell you you’re a great conversationalist?” Stray glanced up, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. Conner rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah,” he went to bump Stray playfully but since they were already side and side he only achieved to make them sway together slightly. He still wanted to put his arm around him. Instead he swallowed and looked away again.
Sunsets weren’t beautiful, not to Conner, but he thought that this moment was. Every moment with Stray was. He cherished those moments in a way Stray would scoff and roll his eyes at. For all the flirting he did, Stray still brushed off sentimentalism.
Conner wanted this moment to last, standing with Stray, just appreciating each other's presence. because it would be gone in a second, Stray would leave and Conner wouldn’t see him for a long period of time, as usual. He would have to wonder about how he was, when he would see him again, if-
He swallowed again. He would miss him, he always did. The time they spent together was few and far between, and it made him ache. He wished he could follow Stray- back to Gotham, and to wherever he wanted to go. To the ends of the earth.
“You’re thinking sappy stuff, aren't you?” Stray teased, looking up at Conner again, “I can tell, you make that face .”
Conner rolled his eyes again, “yeah, sure.”
It was Stray’s turn to make a noncommittal noise and Conner to laugh.
“Don’t do that, I do that.”
“Then that gives you no room to tell me not to do it,” Stray countered.
Conner just snorted and glanced down at the other boy. Their eyes lingered, holding each other’s gaze for what felt like too long. Because they were all Conner wanted to look at in that moment. Nothing else was worth looking at when Stray was with him, nothing could draw him in like Stray’s eyes.
They were blue, a deep blue unlike Conner’s, that paled in comparison. They were always alive, hiding the thoughts Conner wished he could hear.
Conner didn't think sunsets were beautiful, but Stray was- Stray was the most beautiful thing Conner was sure he’d ever seen.