Alexithymia

'deception is a game...'

❝ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ɪs ᴀ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs❞

|Mount Justice

|September 7, 6:30 EDT

Serene B08

Aurora blinked a few times to adjust to the bright lighting in the cave. She rubbed at her eyes, stifling another yawn behind her palm.

Hal was many things; brave, funny, forgetful, loud, an early riser---right, that's what she meant to think of in the first place. But basically he was up at the earliest time possible every day.

Unlike her, who very much preferred getting things done late at night and waking up at the latest time possible. Unless her uncle was around, she could get away with noonish. Unfortunately with Hal in the picture it never quite worked out like that anymore.

He was knocking on her door with a mouthful of breakfast sandwich at five thirty in the morning. FIVE THIRTY.

Not to be dramatic, but she was sure there were x's on her eyes as she stood in her civilian clothes in front of the zeta tubes.

Both her uncle and mentor believed that letting the team see her without a mask would help put to rest some of the understandable questions they had about her. With the explanation and reassurance that her files were still very much encrypted by the best and that the only information to be found was the basics--she was dropped off with a pat on the head and the scent of maple syrup still lingering on her fingertips.

She let out another yawn, trying to go through the script of carefully curated words and small shimmers of expression to combat the much more necessary vacant demeanor of hers. 

Aurora didn't want to keep secrets from her teammates or be distant from them. For the time being it was for the best, even she understood that. But she also wanted friends. Even if one of them was Robin. Despite his annoying persistence to uncover Aurora's secrets, she still thought he was actually pretty cool to talk to.

Her breath came out more shaky then she would've liked, but it did the job in pushing down whatever upset feelings were bubbling in her chest. Aurora's footsteps echoed against the walls leaving her to wonder if anyone was even up.

She crossed her fingers. That would be perfect cause she was already eyeing the couch in the living room area. Plus Hal wouldn't be able to complain since she didn't have anything to do with the place being empty.

Her nerves had long ago died down after the third empty hallway, yet she would willing bet that Hal would go through the security system to double-check if she walked around the entire place. Aurora rolled her eyes but continued her walk to the landing bay.

What a walking contradiction. Wanting friends but not wanting to go through the effort of forming those friendships. Then again, nerves and anxiety were a very real thing too.

The closer she got the more the faint voices grew with the lump in her throat. So close yet so far. Hesitantly she walked into the room.

Unfortunately for her, the teammate who happened to have super-hearing stood inside the room. Superboy turned in her direction the moment she stepped foot in the room (Aurora guessed that he heard her from even further away), prompting the others to glance as well.