The Shirt

By craziestanimefan

Everyone thinks the shirt is part of his costume.

Not to say that it isn't, because it is. When he went with Wally to the department store to get new clothes, the red shielded 'S' was familiar and, despite all of its negative connotations of experimentation and denial, comforting in a world that he only knew about through sixteen weeks of force-fed information.

He bought multiples because, judging from the state of disrepair of his original outfit, he was going to need every one of them. Also, he didn't ever want to wear spandex.

No capes, no tights; that is his policy. He may be a genetic clone of Superman, but after being shunned by the Man of Steel he wants to be more than that. He wants to choose his own destiny, to be his own person, to be himself, to be Conner.

She gave him that name. Conner. Her favorite.

He finds it astounding how one girl managed to influence him so much.

It all started with a simple sentence. She reached out to him with an open mind and an open heart and said, "I like your t-shirt." It was the first welcoming action without any ulterior motives that he had received since he awakened.

Slowly but surely, she grew on him. She too was new to Earth and adapting just as awkwardly as he was. She was friendly, polite, cheerful, and so different from him, but she did something that no one else really did: she listened.

As he struggled with life on Earth, she listened. As he wondered about being part of a team and having friends, she listened. As he grew angry and frustrated with his father, though he could barely consider Superman to be one, she listened.

One simple sentence led to the person that he could always depend on to be there for him, to care about him, to help him through his troubles and sorrows, and to watch him grow beyond the shadow of his DNA.

"I like your t-shirt."

Yes, the shirt is part of his costume. It is also part of his rebellion against Cadmus, his bond to his team, and his independence from Superman. But he wears it every day only because M'gann said she liked it.

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day."

A/N: The first of many one-shots in the Limitless series, as inspired by the blog post 'What is Love? Some Really Smart Kids May Have The Answer.' The link is in my profile. I hope you enjoyed The Shirt!