by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Kon-El, Bart Allen (mentioned)
Words: 289
Tags: Light Angst, Introspection, Missing Scene
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Takes place during the Wonder Comics series of Young Justice, during the time between Flashpoint and the team arriving in Gemworld.
That first day on Gemworld was the hardest. Every sudden noise, every tap on his shoulder, every semi-familiar face in the crowd... everything sparked that hope in him. 'This is it! They found me and I can go home now!' That first day nearly killed him with each new promise of rescue, only to have reality smack him back down again.
By the end of the first week, Kon no longer perked up with anticipation at every knock on the door. By the end of the second week, he stopped trying to chase down every person that he thought looked like an old friend. By the end of the third week, he wasn't jumping at each mysterious noise, except ones that might herald the arrival of bandits trying to raid the farm.
It wasn't until the first full month had passed, though, that Kon was hit with a painful realization. He wasn't searching the faces of strangers passing by anymore. He wasn't waiting for the next knock on the door. He wasn't waiting at all, he realized. There was no one to wait for.
Two months crawled slowly by, and then three. The seasons changed and all the farmers set to work on their harvests. Kon did, too. And when the crops were in and it was time to begin planting the next season, he didn't even know how many months had passed.
He wasn't counting anymore. He wasn't waiting anymore.
Which is why he had no idea how long had passed before a familiar little red blur came barreling into his north field and slammed into his chest with the force of a hyperactive hurricane. And that was okay, apparently, because Bart had been counting every single day.