Realize Chapter 1: The Date, a young justice fanfic

Here is my first story of a Young JusticexBatman Beyond crossover. I hope it's enjoyable. Please enjoy and review. Please check out Terry's profile if confused about him.

Realize

Chapter 1: The Date

"Recognize…" Batman, Superman, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and the rest of the team (Robin, Aqualad, Artemis, Kid Flash, and Zatanna) walked out of the zeta tubes in Mount Justice as the computer named them off.

"Oh, you look so handsome!" they heard the voice of Miss Martian squeal as the sound of an engine was running.

They followed the sounds to the bay where they found the two heroes and Wolf (the venom-enhanced predator), who hadn't noticed them, even Superboy, who couldn't hear them, thanks to the running engine of the alien motorcycle that was Sphere.

Speaking of Superboy, or rather Conner, they stopped dead and looked in shock (well, Batman was surprise but he hid it under an impassive, masked face) at the sight of him.

He was dressed up in informal clothing. He was wearing a nice crystal blue collar shirt with a black suit jacket, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. There was no S-shield anywhere on his person, which was strange with how attached he was to the symbol.

Miss Martian, or M'gann, was dressed in her usual clothing of a pink jacket, a white shirt, pink skirt, white high socks, black mary-janes, and a pink headband. She looked like she wasn't changing anytime soon.

It was clear that wherever Conner was going, M'gann was not coming with.

"Oh, you look so handsome!" M'gann squealed at her spot next to Wolf and the motorcycle Sphere as Conner come out in his new look. He was tugging carefully at his collar, not that it was tight. He was nervous.

"Thanks, M'gann," Conner said.

"Oh, you're going to have such a great night. Your date is going to be so happy. Now, shoo before you're late!"

"All right, all right."

Conner hopped onto Sphere and flew off. M'gann waved to him good-bye as she watched him disappear from sight.

"Something going on, Miss M?" Robin's voice asked from behind her. M'gann stiffened and turned slowly to see her team, their mentors, and Superman.

"Why is Supey all dressed up?" asked Wally.

"Uh, uh, he's going on a date?" Miss Martian answered nervously.

"Then why aren't you with him. You're his girlfriend, aren't you?" asked Artemis with her hands on her hips.

"Uh…"

"She only pretended to hide the person he is really dating," J'onn replied after quickly reading her mind.

"Really? Who?"

"I found out accidentally!" M'gann blurted out, "Superboy begged me not tell. He didn't want anyone finding out!"

"We will have to find out anyway," Batman said.

The next thing M'gann knew, she was tied up and taken to her bio-ship with her uncle driving with everyone inside. She was force to combine her powers with J'onn in order hide the sound of them from Superboy's super hearing as they caught up with him.

"I really don't think we should be doing this," M'gann protested. She really didn't want Conner upset with her. He was just so protective of this person he cared a lot about. He was always so happy and open while talking about the person and after seeing the person.

"We're not listening, M'gann," Black Canary sang. The mentors was all for this. The team were hesitate about invading Conner's privacy like this.

"We need to make sure that Superboy's date isn't a threat to the team," J'onn said.

Superman merely nodded, and M'gann can't help but feel rage at him. He wanted nothing to with Conner from the very beginning and hasn't shown anything different. Now he feels to have the right to see who his clone was dating. It was unacceptable. Batman and Black Canary did have the right since they have been giving him attention and help. She could read that they were genuinely worried about Conner. He was going out with someone they didn't know about.

This was still a show of mistrust that Conner had worked so hard to lose after his release from Cadmus. M'gann could only hope that this won't hurt Conner. For those who really knew him, like the team, then Batman and Canary, they knew that Conner was actually a sweet person who just wanted a little affection and acceptance.

"He's going into… Gotham City?" Superman said confused as they all watched Conner descend to the ground and drove on the road on Sphere. The bio-ship glided through the air lowly behind him.

Conner drove into a pretty decent middle-class neighbor and stopped at a house. The heroes watched as he took a deep breath and got off of Sphere. The door of the house opened. With anxiousness, they watched a figure walk out. The sight of this person made a sweet smile appear on Conner's lips.

While Conner's smile shocked the heroes, it was nothing compare to the shock of what his date looked like. First of all, his date was a boy. Though that was okay, it was just that for those who really knew… he looked so much like Batman under the cowl!

Observing that tall but quite thin body as he was approached, Conner could not help but feel lucky. His date was very beautiful. He was quite feminine for a boy with pale skin, soft raven black hair that framed his face, and ice blue eyes that reminded him of the lovely full moon, especially the one on the night of he gained his freedom of Cadmus. He was dressed in black dress pants, a rich green collar shirt, and a jacket. He was giving Conner his gentle, loving smile.

"Terry," the Superboy breathed the boy's name.

Conner walked up meet up with him and consumed him in a great embrace, making his love's head lay on his chest. With the feeling of Terry in his arms, he felt complete and a sense of belonging in this world. He felt so warm even in this crisp cold air that barely affected him.. He knew that Terry was warm from their body heat.

"I missed you, Conner," Terry said, giving a small kiss on his lips. Conner returned it with a kiss to the forehead.

"I missed you too. Let's get going," Conner said, taking Terry's hand and leading him to Sphere who was still in motorcycle form.

"So, what's the plan? Our attire is more formal than our usual dates, and our usual is what you're most comfortable with," Terry asked, letting Conner lift him onto the motorcycle like a gentleman.

"Uh, I just thought that we could try something different," the clone answered unsurely.

"Uh-huh…" Terry replied, seeing right through the excuse and gave him an amused look that said 'I will ask again, but I'll let it go for now'. Conner smiled and shook his head. With his date secured at his side, the Superboy took off on Sphere, still on the ground and still unaware that he had followers.

The heroes watched them go and followed in silence. They were in a bit of a shock. For Kid Flash, Aqualad, Artemis, and Zantanna, it was because of how happy Conner seemed and how much love showed his face as he looked at his date. For Batman, Superman, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Robin, it was that the boy looked so much like Batman's secret identity, Bruce Wayne. M'gann, who already knew about Terry and was ignorant that he looked like Batman under the cowl, sighed happily. She was happy for Superboy. Terry did him good.

"W-Who is that guy?" asked Flash. They all turned to M'gann who was still tied up.

"Terry. His name is Terry McGinnis. Superboy knew him somehow. Remember how grumpy and quiet he was those first few weeks and then suddenly, he was getting a little friendlier, especially after he let Black Canary train him?" she asked, all except Superman nodded, "It was then he had found him again, and I think that's when they started going out."

She then giggled, "Sorry, but I can't help but to remember the look on his face when I accidentally looked into his mind and found about Terry. He looked like a deer in the headlights. Superboy is so protective of him and that he was thinking of running to him and keep him safe like I was going to tell anyone. For some reason, he thinks that if the league found out about him, they would do something to him."

"Why?"

"Don't know."

"J'onn, are you able to connect with McGinnis's mind unnoticed from here and find out his true intentions towards Superboy?" asked Batman.

"Yes, I can," answered the Martian Manhunter.

"Won't that be an invasion of privacy?" asked Aqualad.

"We must find out why this boy is going along with Superboy like this. It's for the sake of your teammate," Batman answered, sounding truly concerned.

"I have a connection," J'onn reported as his eyes glowed, "Terry McGinnis has a strong, protected mind, but I can see some things. He knows who exactly Superboy is, what Cadmus is, and what has been going on. It seems that what he plans for Superboy is… to love him."

"What?" everyone questioned. Someone with the knowledge of Cadmus and the Superboy is only going to love him. His intentions were pure?

"Details," demanded Batman.

"There's not much I can get from here, especially with such strong mental defenses. All I can see that he is in love with Superboy. No tricks, no teen illusions. He loves Superboy, and he knows it and embraces it."

"Whenever Superboy would come back after time with Terry, Superboy would be a great mood for hours. He makes him happy. They are devoted to each other," M'gann added.

"Hey, look! They're stopping," Zantanna pointed out. As she said, Superboy had parked Sphere at the park lot of a restaurant. It wasn't anything really fancy or a fast-food restaurant. It looked good, and the food smelled good from the bio-ship.

They watched (after Robin hacked the restaurant's video cameras) as Superboy and Terry walked in and was escorted to their seat, a booth seat, where they sat side by side.

Superboy had his arm stretched out behind Terry on the top of seat, allowing the smaller boy to snuggle right into his side. The two were having a good conversation before and after they ordered their meal. They laughed, poked fun, and exchange quick and small kisses. They were completely comfortable with each other.

"I cannot believe Superboy has his guard down like this. I've never seen him this way," Zantanna commented, "I mean, the guy is literally under a year old, and they are acting like they've known each other for years."

"Well, I cannot believe that Superboy has a boyfriend," Flash added, clearly fine that they were both boys like the rest of them, "The guy is even a year old as you said, he's proven to lack social skills, but he caught someone faster than Superman ever could. Look at that!"

Flash pointed to the monitor as Superboy said something that made Terry blush and kissed his nose, resulting in Terry nuzzling into his side as if to hide his red face. "That's charm. Where the heck does he get it from? Not Superman, I can tell you that. He's been after his girl for a long while."

Everyone had to agree that though Superboy's social skills was still a work in process, he was getting better. His interaction with Terry was amazing. Superman was put out for the mentioning of the lack of love life he had, and he couldn't say anything to add to this, since he knew little of his clone.

When their food came out, the atmosphere didn't changed as they ate with good manners. One or the other would toss a little piece of something on their plate at the other when teased.

They then ordered dessert, which looked like Terry insisted on paying for while Superboy insisted on paying on the dinner itself. Superboy ordered a cinnamon apple pie that came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, drizzled with caramel. Terry ordered a chocolate cake that came with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top, drizzled with chocolate syrup.

They happily dug into their dessert. Superboy made a comment to Terry with a smirk clear on his face, making him blush again. They were really enjoying themselves.

After the dessert was eaten and the bill was paid, the two left on Sphere. They were followed once again to a teen club.

"You checked this place?" asked Terry as Conner led him towards the entrance.

"Yup, this club is for 15-20 year olds, no alcohol, and rules for proper behavior. Seems safe enough. There shouldn't be any trouble inside," Conner answered.

"Sorry, but this is Gotham, and we've never gone dancing before."

"So, I am told. I know. Come on, I hope this place is as fun as it sounds," Conner said, carefully putting an arm around Terry.

As they walked in, Conner could not help but noticed that heads were turning to his Terry. Couldn't really blame them. He is quite beautiful and was easily mistaken for a girl. Of course, Terry himself didn't notice the attention he was getting from the other teens. He never saw himself as beautiful in his own eyes, especially after what happened months when he and Conner met for the very first time.

The attention didn't make Conner jealous. It made him protective. Terry had eyes only for him, but that didn't stop others from trying. In other dates, some guys and girls would to Terry (most girls were after Conner though) and do a worse pick-up line that Wally wouldn't even do and unfortunately trying to touch him casually. That's what would get him angry. Terry's body was a bit different as well as delicate and very sensitive. It was a no-no to touch Terry without his permission. Conner hated it too, since he was the only one that knew to be careful and had full consent.

The music was blasting harshly. Both Terry and Conner couldn't help but wince. Both prefer quiet atmospheres. It wasn't easy either with Conner having super hearing. They had to moved to the part of the dance floor furthest from the D.J. and the speakers just for it to be more tolerable.

Once they found the spot, they began to dance to the music. They weren't the best, but it was decent. It was modest, compared to what some couples were doing. They just moved with the beat. Their world was only each other and the music.

You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads when you walk through the door
Don't need make up
To cover up
Being the way that you are is enough

Ah, what a good song. Conner had heard it before and thought of Terry. Though not a girl, Terry was a bit feminine, and as comfortable he was with himself, he didn't compare himself well with people, thinking that he wasn't good enough.

Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

Terry was blind on how beautiful he was. Conner was happy that the person who loved him was so beautiful inside and out.

[Chorus]
Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell
You don't know
Oh Oh
You don't know you're beautiful

The love Terry brought to him was a light that helped him while he was still getting use to the world.

If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know
Oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
Oh oh
That what makes you beautiful

So c-come on
You got it wrong
To prove I'm right I put it in a song
I don't know why
You're being shy
And turn away when I look into your eyes

Oh, how sweet Terry was. Despite how his body was, he was a cuddlier. As the cold months were rolling in, their favorite activity was to snuggle under a blankets with mugs of hot chocolate in Terry's house

Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

Their relationship was more than any other teenage romance. They haven't done anything sensual yet, and they weren't planning to in a few years. Their passion was under control. The way they felt was more the feeling of completion that each other's presence would bring. The warmth that would settle in their hearts with each gentle touch and sweet kiss, knowing that they loved the other.

[Bridge]
Nana Nana Nana Nana
Nana Nana Nana Nana
Nana Nana Nana Nana

Despite meeting also nine months ago, it felt like forever. He couldn't wait for eternity.

Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell
You don't know
Oh Oh
You don't know you're beautiful

Because their love was special.

If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know

They were soul mates.

Oh Oh
You don't know you're beautiful
Oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
Oh oh
That's what makes you beautiful.

(You Don't Know You're Beautiful by One Direction)

The song finished. A slower song was coming on. Couples began to face each other if they hadn't already to slow dance.

Terry leaned against his boyfriend with one hands on Conner's muscular arm and the other on his hard chest. Conner had his arms around him, holding him close. Terry couldn't help but smile at being this close to him.

I am a question to the world
Not an answer to be heard
Or a moment that's held in your arms

Oh, it was this song. Terry looked up at Conner's face, finding him looking upset. This reflected how he felt in this outside world. After being free from Cadmus, he knew Conner felt lost and alone, that he didn't belong.

And what do you think you'd ever say
I won't listen anyway
You don't know me
And I'll never be what you want me to be

Terry was so mad at the Justice League… well, most of them when he had met up with Conner again and finding out what happened to him after the escape. At the time, he had no real name or a real home. He was just call his hero identity, 'Superboy', and he lived in his team headquarters, hidden from the world. His Superboy, his Conner, was just put in storage by the league. He was left all alone. Sure, he made M'gann, who was a sweet girl, but she had someone and somewhere else to go to.

And what do you think you'd understand
I'm a boy, no, I'm a man
You can't take me and throw me away

Cadmus only saw Conner as a weapon. He wasn't real to them. He was real to Terry. He was a real boy as far as he concerned. He was there and was a project too. Conner was the only light in Cadmus for Terry. He protected him as much as he could. Terry wanted a better life for him with a name, a home, and a family.

And how can you learn what's never shown
Yeah, You stand here on your own
They don't know me
'Cuz I'm not here

(CHORUS)
And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on, and feel I belong
And how can the world want me to change
They're the ones that stay the same
They don't know me
'Cuz I'm not here

Terry was the first person to ever care about the Superboy. He did what could to prepare him to meet Superman. He had warned him that Superman probably wouldn't take him well. If Terry hadn't done that, Conner would have fallen apart.

And you see the things they never see
All you wanted, I can be
Now you know me and I'm not afraid

And I wanna tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man
They can't break me
As long as I know who I am

He had made a promise to himself when he realized how strong the bond with Conner was. In some shape or form, he would love him, even if he was the only one.

They can't tell me who to be
'Cuz I'm not what they see
Yeah, The world is still sleeping while I keep on dreaming for me
And their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe

Terry jumped up and wrapped his arms around Conner's neck to pull himself even closer to him as they still moved to the song. To let him know that he was not alone. He was not unloved.

(CHORUS)
And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on, and feel I belong
And how can they say I never change
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now
'Cuz I'm still here

Because he loved him. He saw the clone as someone special.

I'm the one
'Cuz I'm still here

Because Conner was here now, and so was he.

I'm still here

Because they were soul mates.

I'm still here
I'm still here (I'm Still Here from Treasure Planet)

After that song ended, the music picked up again. Terry and Conner were in their own little world. They were still in each other's arms, looking in the other's eyes. Conner couldn't stop looking to those pure and warm ice blue eyes, and Terry couldn't stop looking in to those beautiful out-of-this world crystal blue eyes.

They shared a kiss, happy to have the other.

"Wow," said all Kid Flash could say.

That slow dance was really emotional. Conner looked so sad while it was playing. Terry seemed to know that and helped him. They really seemed to belong together.

They watched the two dance together longer until they decided it was enough and left the club on Sphere.

Conner and Terry were followed to one of Gotham's parks. When landed, Superboy let Sphere go until he called her when they were done in the park.

After the motorcycle on her own, Conner held out his arm to Terry. Taking it, they walked into the park.

"Well, that was fun," Conner said, looking down at Terry.

"Yeah, it was quite an experience."

"So… we're not doing that again."

"Not without some ear plugs."

"Good," Conner said, taking his free hand to rub his ear. They were still ringing from the loud music. The dancing was fun, but the music was uncomfortable. When he thought of doing this for their date, he thought it would be a fun and different thing to do. Yet such an atmosphere was not what they were use to.

"I'm having a good time though," Terry assured, making him smile. Conner led him to a bench and they sat together, enjoying the nature of the park and the beautiful sight of the full moon. Now this was more like their usual dates.

Ever since Conner was freed and saw the full moon that very night, he was hooked on the beauty of nature on Earth and the Heavens above. As he tried to calm down and find a place in this world, being outside in the fresh air made him feel at peace. The effect was the same for Terry, especially after his own Cadmus experience. That was one of the reasons why their dates were always simple.

"How are you feeling?" asked Terry. Conner raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Conner, you're not wearing the S-shield. I know how you feel about it."

"I-I'm fine," Conner told him. Truth be told, he wasn't all that comfortable in not wearing the symbol that gave him a sense of belonging. He was willing to not wear for the sake of this different and more formal date.

"Uh-huh," Terry said, knowing him better than that. He reach into his pocket and pulled out something in his arm.

Conner looked at it. It was a hand knitted sweatband, made of black soft yarn. It looked big enough to fit his wrist perfectly. The important detail of it was the S-shield knitted in the creation in red yarn.

"Look at the inside," Terry told him. Conner did. Inside the band, there was more red yarn. This time it was sewn careful between the stitches to make letters. The letters said: "Superboy" and "Conner Kent".

"No matter what you wear, you still have the S-Shield on your person wearing this," Terry explained.

"Wow, thank you," Conner said, putting it on his wrist and then pulled his sleeve over it. It was perfect. Then Conner looked over at Terry with a teasing look on his face again. He knew that Terry made this from scratch. He knitted it himself.

"Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault I have these female antics," Terry scolded with his face flushed, turning away from him to hide it.

Conner chuckled before placing a gentle kiss on Terry's neck before meeting the lips. "Thank you, I love it."

Conner pulled Terry closer to his side and sighed. It was time.

"Terry, there's something that I need to tell. You were right when there was reason behind this date."

"Okay, but if it's too hard, you don't have to tell me," Terry said, not wanting Conner to not get too discomforted.

"No, it's important," Conner told him while reaching into his own pocket, pulling out a case, and handing it to him. Terry studied it. It was not a usual case. It had the S-shield on it and inside of it, there were weird red patches that was the shape of the shield but without the 'S'.

"A few days ago, on Thanksgiving, I was able to hear a high frequency call. Superman was off world at the time, so I was the only one, except Wolf, that could hear it. The call told me to go to Washington D.C. There I met Lex Luthor."

Terry listened to Conner with undivided attention while holding the case. This really was important.

"I didn't want anything to do with him when I saw him, but he told that Cadmus made another clone. So, naturally, I went to Cadmus, intending to free him."

"And hopefully be a brother to him," Terry said, getting a smile before the story continued.

"Guardian and Dubblilex didn't know what I was talking about. They showed me around their Cadmus. Afterwards, I went down where my old pod was at and found a secret room. I found him, Project Match. He looked exactly like me, but when he opened his eyes, the white of them were black. He attacked me as soon as he woke-up. He saw the S-shield on my shirt and went crazy. He could fly and had heat vision. He beat me down badly."

"When I regain consciousness, Luthor contacted me. He explained that Match was created before me. Match is unstable because the scientists didn't truly know how to handle kryton DNA."

"But it sounds like if he was controllable, he would have been the perfect weapon," Terry commented.

"Yeah, he explained that Match was too much and that they claimed him as a failure. Then they moved on to make me, this time with human DNA with Superman's, meaning that I'm half-human, half-Krytonian. That's why I don't have all of my powers and probably never will."

"Luthor gave these things, called shields," Conner pointed to the case, "They suppressed my human DNA. When I tried one when I had to fight Match again, I had all the powers. It was wonderful. I had heat vision, and most of all, I could fly. Unfortunately, I got angrier than usual. I guess, it's a side effect. I beat Match and had no choice but put him back in his pod.

"I confronted Luthor about the whole thing after using x-ray vision to find a tractor in the case. He used me to find where the genomorphs. Then he confirmed my suspicions about where my human DNA came from. Luthor donated his DNA to create me and is my human father."

"I see," Terry said. His eyes showed no judgment, no change in how he looked at Conner. His love for him wouldn't change with what he just learned. Conner relaxed a little, knowing Terry would always be on his side, but he sighed.

"I don't know how am I going to tell the team. Let alone, Batman. I don't want to be labeled as something bad than I already am."

"Labeled? What do you mean?" asked Terry.

"Luthor said that the reason Superman doesn't want anything to do with me is because I came from Cadmus, a bad place. Superman sees things in black and white as Luthor theorized. The league already thinks of me as something uncertain. If they find out that Luthor is in my blood, they think of me as evil too. I just don't know what to do…"

Terry silenced Conner with a kiss. He poured his love into that kiss to comfort him.

No one moved as they listen in on Superboy's story. It was unbelievable really. Match, Superboy, Luthor…

Now Superboy was afraid of telling them because he was afraid of being judged. After hearing how scared and lost he truly was, it was awful to hear it.

They watched as Terry kissed Superboy while pushing him lower on the bench, making him sit over him.

When Terry broke the kiss, he looked down at Superboy with loving eyes.

"Conner darling, do you think judge me for having Batman's blood running through my veins, instead of Warren McGinnis?" Terry asked.

Batman and Robin stiffened when they heard that. Terry was related to Batman? That would explain why he looked like him.

"No, of course not!" Conner protested.

"Never did Warren McGinnis."

"Wait, you mean, he knew?"

"He left a letter. He knew something was going to happen to our family. He found something wasn't right with my blood type. Between him and my mother, my blood didn't match him. Being a scientist and opened minded man and a trusting husband, he searched for answers. He found out about the flu injection and Project Batman Beyond. He knew I wasn't his child, but he gave no indentation that there was something going on. He didn't care, because to him, I was still his son, Terry McGinnis. He didn't judge me for something that wasn't my fault, so the league and your friends shouldn't judge you."

Project Batman Beyond? So Terry was Batman's biological son? Was he meant to have his blood to replace Batman, like Superboy with Superman.

"But Superman…"

"Isn't a saint as he seems to be. He gives chances to criminals, including Luthor. He hasn't given you one yet. Yes, the fact that you're here is shocking, but it has been months. Superman is a coward and needs to be hit with some kryptonite and get over it already."

Superman couldn't help but wince. That one hurt. He did sound pathetic.

"Besides, they don't know what you did in Cadmus."

Everyone shot up. What did Superboy do?

"They don't know what you did to keep me safe. They don't know that even with a new, vulnerable mind, that you still resisted orders under the mind control to hurt me. They don't know that they punished you for it with kryptonite. They don't know that you never taken advantage of me while I was vulnerable to you. They don't know that despite being knew in the world, you came to love someone, you came to love me, someone who was planned to be just a slave and breeder to you by Cadmus. They don't know what you really want in life to be good, to be beyond being known as a weapon, and to have a family. You are good and loving. They don't know that."

Terry spoke with such passion. His voice was laced with devoted and love for Superboy.

But what did he mean by 'breeder'?

Terry kissed Superboy on the cheek before getting up from the bench. He took a few steps back, took a look around the area to see if the coast was clear, and being to unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt. Once the shirt was loose, he pushed it down his arms to expose his upper back.

"You are able to love me with this wacked-out body," he finished. Then suddenly, a pair of beautiful white feathered wings burst out of his back. Superboy didn't even blinked.

"Terry," Superboy said as he stood up and went to his boyfriend, gently touching the wings, "All I see in front of me is a beautiful being with wings of an angel. Yes, Cadmus messed with your birth, giving you Batman's blood and a working womb with female side effects. Yes, they experimented on you, giving you these wings, forcing a lot of knowledge into your head, and making your womb krypontain compatible. You're beautiful in my eyes, even though your body is different. You were the only person I could trust in Cadmus. You loved me, despite I was different, a weapon, and now have Luthor in me."

"You never made it hard," Terry told him blushing, pulling his wings back in his back and fixed his shirt, "But with the fact that you are half-human, means that you are not a clone, but a real boy. Take that, Desmond! And if I see Luthor, he will be getting a earful from me."

"You're so defensive of me," Conner commented smiling.

"Of course. Now, about the shields," Terry said, taking a closer look at the patches, "From the looks of them, the chemicals aren't addictive. Can't say the same about the experience they give. I suggest in using them for emergencies only. And don't believe that you will never get your full powers. I know never doesn't exist. Even if you can't, nothing will change me."

Terry gave the shields back to Superboy who put it back in his pocket. Superboy then pulled Terry into a hug.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Terry. I'm scared what would happen if the league found out about you. You know too much," he said.

"Which is not my fault. The genomorphs knew more than the scientists thought. I know that it's risky knowing almost all the heroes' weaknesses, among other things and having a piece of kryptonite. It can keep me safe too. And like you would let anything happen to me. You're just as protective of me as I am of you."

Superboy said nothing. He just held Terry.

The heroes and the team could see that he was scared but determine. Terry really meant a lot to him. As uncomfortable as it was knowing that this person knew so much about the league, there was nothing they could do, even if they wanted to.

"Darling, I'm not going to leave you easily. If they take me away, I will fight to get back to you. If they take you away, they will see a force greater than Batman and Superboy put together. I love you, Conner. I'm not leaving you anytime soon. No matter what happens."

"I love you, Terry. You know I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

After an hour, Conner called on Sphere and headed back to Terry's house.

They now stood on the driveway in each other's arms.

"Let's go out on Saturday. This time, it will be our usual. A nice, quiet picnic with our favorite foods, especially your favorite dessert, apple pie. All made by me,"

"Sounds like fun, but you know I may be called to a mission."

"Oh, you could've been call to a mission tonight. Don't worry. I'm not one of those people who gets upset like that."

"Don't I know it. Is Matt with a babysitter?" Conner couldn't help but ask.

Matt was Terry's little brother who was spared from inheriting Batman's blood, like Terry. He was a true McGinnis. To his big brother, it meant that Cadmus couldn't try to recreate Batman like they did with him. After getting freed from Cadmus himself, Matt and Terry reunited. Thanks to the preparation of Warren McGinnis, they could stay together and live comfortly.

Once Matt met Conner, he instantly liked him, especially when he heard that the Superboy protected his big brother. The little boy even encourage their relationship, liking the two together.

"Yeah, she'll go home when I go in," Terry said, before looking into Conner's eyes, "Be careful. Now remember, I love you and if this hero thing doesn't work out, you have a home here. You have a place outside of the Cave, like the others. You can come here for Christmas. You are never alone. You have Matt and me."

"I don't doubt it," Conner said, "I'm sorry I can't visit Matt, but I have to get going before anyone realizes I'm gone and M'gann is unable to cover for me. I love you, Terry."

"I love you too, Conner. Have a good trip and thank M'gann for me."

"Will do."

Conner hopped back on Sphere and with a wave, drove off.

Terry turned to walk into the house with a soft smile.

Yes, their love will last. They were meant for each other.

The riders of the bio-ship had watched the good-bye between the two. Then they took off to get M'gann back to the Cave before Superboy.

They had a lot to consider now that they found out that Batman had a son and that Superboy loved him.

One thing was for sure, they wouldn't go between them. They try to make things easier for them. Ease the fear. Let everything be all right.

It had to be that way. They didn't want to take away that happiness that radiated from Superboy when he entered the Cave. No one ever seen him like that before. How can they take that away?

Superman had things to think about. Superboy was more than a clone, more than a weapon. Someone saw that before him, way before. Superboy was capable of love. Now it was time to embrace his existence.