driftfleet | A June Tourist

Mon-El just came clean about lying to me about a really big thing for a pretty long time.

And you know how I took lying-by-omission earlier. This is way worse.

[ okay. kate frowns -- and then crouches to unlock a cabinet beneath the bar housing some of the little remaining superbrew in malum's inventory. when she rises, she grabs a shot glass with her free hand. ]

How worse is 'way' worse?

Do you have the Hatfield and McCoys in your world? Think that level of way worse, except on a planet scale going back hundreds of years where the Hatfields represent science and democracy and freedom and the McCoys promote slavery and hedonism. Just call him Prince McCoy.

[ sounds a lot like the skrull and the kree -- at least until kara treads a little too close to making 'her' side rater obvious. kate frowns. ]

Prince.

[ well, that explains a lot. somehow, this doesn't surprise her; it's almost like she's had a dear friend turn out to be an alien prince before now.

hint: she has. ]

He made it like he had no choice in the matter but lo and behold, he was the prince the whole time.

Whoa, nelly. Back up.

[ kara you are getting ahead of yourself; hatfields and mccoys aside, kate knows very little of these specifics. she pours a shot of super brew, but holds it hostage while sh asks: ]

No choice in what?

Being a Daxamite, and everything that entails.

[ look, darling, she was all ready to take your side and man-hate their way to a great bender. but. ]

You think just because of who his parents are, he's -- what? Complicit? Still? Not that I even understand what's so bad about 'everything that entails'.

Did you miss the part where they had slaves?

He wasn't like me when he left, Kate. He was an adult. He could've done something about the oppression. But instead his guard killed the Kryptonian diplomat and he stole a ship and ran away.

[ kate sets the shot glass down. yes, daxam sounds like a mess of atrocities wrapped up in a hurricane of arrogance. but mon-el seems so opposed to that, now -- then again, maybe that's not enough for kara. ]

Look, [ she bites her bottom lip, ] I don't know what you want to hear from me. Some of us take longer than others to wake up to the sins of our fathers.

[ frank. a little brutal, maybe. one might argue kate's never been much better for still relying on derek bishop's fortune long after she realized what sort of man he was. ]

My parents weren't saints either. I can admit to that. But he shouldn't have lied to me for so long, Kate.

-- So end it.

[ because as worse as this lie is, it shows a pattern of disappointment for kara. and kate doesn't want that for her friend. not for either of her friends.

then again, she's always been ruthlessly efficient in ending her own relationships. ]

Kara. If you're not happy? End it. Don't let it linger; that'll only hurt more.

I'm not not happy, Kate. That's the problem. Not only have I never felt this way about someone before, but he's all I have left of home right now. I just lost like, all of my friends... the ones who "get" what my life is like. I don't want to choose to send Mon-El away. But I'm hurt he didn't tell me. I don't know where to go from here.

Is 'not not happy' enough?

[ maybe kate's no expert -- but she's fairly certain when it comes to bright and honey-sweet spirits like kara danvers, anything less than enthusiastically happy simply doesn't cut the mustard. kate's not looking for romance, but when she does? she won't be looking to settle.

she doesn't want kara to settle, either. and what kara's describing sounds dangerously close to it. ]

You can either accept him, or you can not accept him. As he is -- as he's trying to be. You don't get a middle ground with something like that.

[ accept, she says. not forgive. because this isn't about the lie any more -- there's clearly more to it than that. ]

I guess that's what I have to think about.

I really do like him, Kate. I just don't want to put more into it than I get back, you know?

Is that what you think is happening?

[ her, putting more in. lying is lying; it's bad boyfriend 101. kate knows this -- but she's not sure mon-el could be accused of not putting hard work and dedication into the relationship, all the same. ]

Well, I mean, I don't want to be fooled anymore.

So don't be -- I'm sorry, Kara, I know it doesn't sound all that supportive but... [ she trails off, frowning. ]

I don't care who the guy is. If he made me as miserable as you look right now? He'd be out on his ass.

Mm.

[ she's going to drink that drink now ]

Maybe it's not what you want to hear right now, [ kate admits, ] but you do need to hear it. You just don't have to follow it.

[ because in the end, it's kara's choice to make -- but kate won't sit back idle and pretend like what she's hearing is okay. nor will she shore up and defend a relationship that, by kara's current description of it, is more a matter of an emotional bandage than an equitable exchange -- in her eyes.

the truth means a lot to kara; kate respects that priority. ]

I don't know what I want to hear, except "never mind none of what he said is actually real". But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.

-- We can't all be paragons.

[ she's known some crappy people. but, sometimes? they get better. look at clint. look at, like, half the avengers' roster.

I don't expect people to be perfect. But this is a pretty big deal.

[ she totally expects everyone to be perfect ]

It's not a bad thing to stick to your priorities. Especially when someone violates them. [ she shakes her head. ] You gotta decide for yourself if that's a deal breaker or not.

[ it wouldn't be for kate; maybe it should be for kara. ]

It would be an easy call if this were happening to you or my sister.

But I'll think about it some more.

A June Tourist

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