Conner. Conner Kent. The sound of it rang through his ears. Superboy couldn't believe it. Now the team would all be able to stop calling him by ridiculous nicknames like Supey or Supes. He didn't think it would stop them completely but it was a small hope he held on to.
Everything had happened so quickly, though. Black Canary had taken a liking to him. She had also taken it upon herself to give him an earth name. He remembered when M'gann wanted to do that for him when they first met. He wouldn't let her though. It had been too soon for that. Dinah didn't ask for permission to name him, she just decided to do it. Next thing he knew, she was calling him something different every time he walked into the room.
The first time she tried it Superboy didn't know she had been talking to him at all. After the eighth time of hearing an unfamiliar name, he began to respond to any she threw at him. Every single time though, she would wrinkle her nose after saying the name. It was a sign that she didn't like it.
M'gann was more than willing to help Dinah on her hunt. They would sit on the couch in Mt. Justice while watched TV from the loveseat. At first they would throw names back and forth, anything that came to mind. They would even ask for his opinion on it. It was going to be his name after all.
Sometimes M'gann would choose a Martian name and then laugh. She'd hit her forehead and say, "Hello Megan," each time she let one slip. Superboy couldn't help but laugh a little each time she did it.
One day Superboy walked into the living room space. He was surprised to see Batman and Superman there, both in costume. The two stood behind the couch, looming over the girls sitting on the couch. He figured there was a mission to discuss until Dinah laughed. Superboy narrowed his eyes and walked closer.
"Do you think Michael would work?" M'gann asked.
"Michael Kent?" Batman said.
Dinah wrinkled her nose again, "No. That won't do."
"Where's the list?" M'gann asked.
Dinah shifted in her seat to get a piece of paper off the coffee table. Superboy stepped into view. She leaned back into the couch and handed the list to Miss Martian.
"Oh, Bradley, nice of you to join us."
The two men exchanged a look and shook their heads. Dinah had looked up at them. Her face told them that she didn't like it either. She looked down to her lap again and turned a few pages to a different section.
Superboy walked over to her and picked up the book. It was the first time he had seen her with one. He held her place with one finger and read the cover, "1001 Baby Names?" Then he dropped it. She reacted without thinking about it. She caught the book and placed it back on her lap.
M'gann reached over and took the book into her own lap. She let her red hair hide her face as she flipped the pages. She could feel Superboy's eyes on her. His gaze was heavy. For some reason, she felt embarrassed to have been caught with the book.
"Want to see the list we chose? Maybe you'll find one you like," Dinah offered.
He didn't say anything. She extended her arm out to him anyway, the single sheet of paper between her fingers. He practically ripped it out of her hand when he took it.
Quickly he scanned the list. Nothing jumped out. A few were names he had overheard her talking about with Miss M prior to this little meeting. He handed it back to her and turned to leave the room. He stopped at the door and glanced back at Superman.
"Are you in on this too now?"
Clark shared a look with the caped crusader beside him, "Not really. I was told it was something urgent and rushed over."
Superboy scoffed and left the room without another word. He couldn't believe that they were lying to Superman now to try to involve him in this. Unless Superman was lying to him? He shook his head. Thinking about it only angered him more.
Days passed. A sign went up in the main room of Mt. Justice. It took Superboy everything he had not to rip it off the wall. It was a poll on names everyone was supposed to vote on. Three had been chosen and written in large letters at the top. He didn't like any of them. Christopher, Kyle and Colin. There were columns underneath where people were to mark which name they wanted. A pen had been attached to the sheet. At the bottom the word vote was written in capital letters.
There were a few tick marks under Christopher, one under Kyle and a lot more than the others combined under Colin. He was beginning to wonder who was actually voting on this. Were they inviting the entire Justice League over to vote on something so trivial or were those within Mt. Justice voting multiple times?
He walked away from the sign without marking one off.
"You know, it might make it easier if you decided on one you liked for yourself," a familiar voice said from behind him.
He turned to look at Dinah, "Yeah, well, you started all of this. Might as well let you finish it."
She frowned, "You don't like any of them, do you?"
"They're just names."
"Yes, but you deserve one too. They add to a person's identity."
"I'm barely a person."
"Do you really still believe that?" she asked, eyes focused only on him. It made him uncomfortable and he looked away. "I decided that you should have one because you are somebody. You have friends and people who care for you. That makes you a person, no matter where you came from."
He looked back up at her, a bit of surprise on his face. His features changed quickly back to an expressionless look. Without another word, he turned to leave again.
Black Canary had walked up to her sign. She started at the three names listed at the top. "Colin Kent," she said to herself. She kept repeating the name over and over again until it changed. The syllables on her tongue became something different, and they morphed together. "Conner," she said puzzled. Then she repeated it again and smiled, "Conner Kent."
She took off down the tunnel Superboy had just walked down. "Conner!" she exclaimed.
Superboy almost didn't stop. She said it again, louder. Then he paused to let her catch up. She put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her and saw a huge smile on her face.
"Conner," she repeated. "Conner Kent."
He thought about it. He let the letters and the sounds run through his mind. He hated to admit it but he liked it.
Dinah was beginning to think he didn't like it. After weeks of staring at books and talking it over with the other members of the League, she felt like she finally found the treasure and that Superboy didn't see it that way. She hesitated. Her hand began to slip from his shoulder.
Then he smiled at her, "Yeah. I think that name fits."
She went into the living room space and found one of her baby books. She flipped through the pages to find the name. Her finger traced the column until she found it. "Conner. Irish for wolf lover," she laughed at the meaning. The meaning wasn't the important thing though. What was most important was that they found a name and agreed on it.
The next day, Batman had returned to Mt. Justice. He had a mission for the young team. Black Canary intercepted him after he doled out assignments. He stared, towering over her, a blank expression on his face.
She was beaming up at him, "I found a name."
"Are you sure this time?"
She nodded, "Conner. Even he liked it."
Bruce let slip a small smile, "Feel better now?"
"Yes," she beamed at him like a proud mother.