Father figure
Author notes: Okay, so this prompt was sent to me a while ago and I said I'd fill it after 'Nightwing, Den Mother'. However, the next update for 'Nightwing, Den Mother' is going to take a while. It's probably going to be another long chapter.
November starts tomorrow, which means NaNoWriMo (google it if you don't know what it is). I will be participating and trying to write a 50,000 word novel in a single month. This, unfortunately, will mean slower updates for my fanfiction stories. I will still be updating just not as often because my writing time will be spent on my NaNo project.
The Prompt:
Well it's not a father day but I would like to see a father day during first season when Superman still didn't liked Superboy. So the team would explain M'gann, Connor (and maybe Kaldur?) what a father day is and of course Connor gets all depressed because Superman doesn't want to be his daddy. So someone tell him that it doesn't have to be a biological father (ok so he is more like clone then son but whatever) that it can be just someone who act like a father figure. So Connor starts thinking about it and comes to the weirdest conclusion – Wally is his father figure. Like he cares about him, he showed him a moon, give him place to sleep (before he start living in Mount Justice), maybe he gives him hugs when he is sad or helps him with homework or whatever you will think about. Then on father day Connor decides to give Wally a gift to thank him for everything.
I would love if Wally was first totally confused and speechless but when Connor explains him why he sees him as father figure he become typical Wally excited/happy (but still deeply caring) especially when he thinks about his parents faces when he will tell them that they are grandparents. It would be also nice if he would try to incorporate Connor to his family.
And how will Superman react when he will find out? I don't care if he will try to fix his relationship with Connor or just feel awkward with whole situation but I would like to see his reaction.
Bonus: If Flash tell Connor to call him uncle since he is now part of Flash-family.
SuperBonus: If other members start thinking about it and with terror discover that sometimes Wally act toward them as father too (because Wally is so full of father instincts)
Basically I want to see that under all that silly acting Wally deeply cares about everyone.
It was M'gann, researcher into everything Earthian, who first brought it up.
"Have you decided what you're going to do for Father's day?" she asked him.
"For, what?" Conner questioned with a raised eyebrow before carefully closing his locker. He already knew from experiences around the mountain that he could cause a lot of damage if he didn't do everything carefully. Sometimes that meant taking a moment to pause before moving something.
The spark of panic and… something else, was enough to make him cautious; especially since it brought an urge to punch something with it.
"Father's day!" Megan said happily. "Earthlings have a day every year when they honour their father, just like they honour their mother!"
Conner remembered Mother's day. It had been a lonely day, made worse by the sour mood most of the team had been in. Conner didn't have a mother to give anything to and hadn't expected the empty feeling the day had brought.
But, he had a father. He had Superman. Superman, who didn't spend any time with him and didn't teach him anything.
Superman, who probably didn't even celebrate Earthian holidays. Conner didn't know if he did.
He felt his face twist up into a scowl and his hands curl into fists. Megan placed a pink hand onto his shoulder.
"Sorry," she said quietly, "I forgot. Everyone else was talking about it and I… sorry."
Conner breathed in and out, just like how Black Canary had taught him.
"It's alright," he told her, placing his hand over hers. He didn't blame Megan, he didn't blame anyone really.
It was just the way it was.
It didn't stop him from snapping a pencil and kicking out one of the legs of his desk when the teacher brought up Father's day in English class.
Wally found him sitting outside the mountain with his head in his hands.
"I just heard," he said, "did you really break a school desk?"
"They're saying that the desk was old and on its last legs anyway," Conner groaned. He was trying, really, so why did they always have to explain costs and make him feel guilt over breaking things?
Wally let out a bark of laughter before moving to sit next to him.
"Of course it was," he said sarcastically. "I love it when people come up with their own ideas for how unexplainable things happen."
Conner curled up tighter. He felt like an idiot. Worse, he felt like a weapon, unable to rise above his violent urges like a hero was supposed to.
"Oh! There was this one time at school when I vibrated too hard and ended up blasting the floor." Wally laughed at Conner stared at him. Sometimes, his friends' powers surprised him. "Yeah. When I try to vibrate through things, they tend to explode," Wally explained, as if he could see the question in Conner's face. "Anyway, the 'official' explanation the school came up with was exploded water main or something." He laughed again.
"How can you laugh about that?" Conner asked, mystified. Was this just another piece he was 'missing' as he was a clone and not human.
"Well, it was a while ago and I learnt from the experience, I guess," Wally said, "plus, no one got hurt which is better than the alternative. No one got hurt when you broke your desk, right?"
"Aside from the desk, no."
"Then it's something you'll be able to laugh about one day," Wally explained, standing up. He shook out his legs and said, "alright, now let's go inside. We can work on our homework together."
Conner wondered why, every time he did homework with Wally, they normally ended up playing video-games together.
Conner liked weekends when the whole team hung out at the mountain. He could be himself and not worry about hiding his powers and what he wasfrom the world.
Except today. Tomorrow was Father's day and he was already feeling the hurt.
Superboy was heading to watch the 'no signal' channel when he noticed Robin sitting in the kitchen, muttering while he appeared to be wrestling with something colourful on the table.
It was a box, covered in coloured paper with sticky-tape all over it.
"Robin?" he questioned, noticing tape and bits of coloured paper on his teammate's fingers.
"There!" Robin cheered, holding the messily wrapped present up. "Batman's Father's day present wrapped!"
"Oh." Robin turned at the sound of sadness in Superboy's voice. "I guess you're going to be with your father tomorrow."
Robin blinked and Superboy wondered at the expression which passed over his face. Robin's lips parted and he seemed to be remembering something. Something sad.
Then his mouth clicked closed.
"Batman's not my dad," he said.
"But, you have a present for him?" Superboy was confused. He thought you were to present your male biological parent with tokens of affection.
"I'm giving Batman a Father's Day gift because he took me in and he protects me, like a father. You don't need blood to be family." Realisation flickered over Robin's face and he added to his explanation. "On Father's day, you can give gifts to any important father figure in your life. M'gann's giving one to her uncle, Wally's giving one to both his uncle and his father. Artemis, I'm not certain but I think she's actually spending the day with her mother; something about her mother is both a mother and father to her in her real father's absence. I'm giving one to Batman and one to another male influence in my life, who's more of a grandfather figure. And Kaldur is giving something to Aquaman, as thanks for taking him on as Aqualad. Of that list, only three of us are giving presents to people who are blood relations and Wally's the only one able to celebrate with his father." Robin paused for a moment to let this sink in. When Superboy nodded in understanding he said, "can you think of someone to spend the day with? Maybe someone who is there for you, shows you new things and would help you if you asked or were in trouble?"
Superboy thought about it. He wanted to spend the day with the team but that wasn't an option. M'gann was the person who spent them most time with him but, he knew that was different.
But, someone who showed him new things? There was one person who came to mind. His first day out, right after Superman refused to look at him, there was someone who stood up and offered to take him in.
Someone who gave him clothes and took him out to the shops. Someone he took down his first criminals with, even if Superman hadn't approved.
"Someone who keeps promises?" he mused. Wally had said he would show him the moon and he did.
"Yeah," Robin responded, "you have someone in mind?" Superboy nodded. "Want some help picking out a gift?"
Superboy was reminded of the first time he went to a mall. That day, he had Wally West, Kid Flash, beside him. Wally had been eager to show him everything and willing to let him join in when the Terror Twins robbed a jewellery store.
"So, you're going to give a present to Wally?" Robin questioned, a slight tone of scepticism to his voice. Superboy had just explained the story of his first day out, the reason why he chose Wally.
"Wally took me home," he said. Even though the West's house had been strange, Wally had been open and warm. "I thought you might feel the same. He always offers to shares his food with you?"
Robin blinked. It was true, he couldn't remember a time when Wally didn't offer him a bite of whatever he was munching on. And there were times when Wally helped him with his science homework.
"He's more of a best friend," Robin mused, although he knew there were times Wally acted paternal.
"Help me pick something," Superboy reminded him why they were there as he motioned out at the busy mall, packed with people.
Robin whispered Superboy's plan to the rest of the team.
"Kid Flash? Really?" Artemis snorted quietly.
"Kid Flash does complement my cooking in order not to hurt my feelings, just like the father's on TV," M'gann pointed out to Artemis.
"Kid Flash is not the father type," Artemis pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.
"He does ask how my day's been," Aqualad commented, "and he offers advice."
Superboy nodded in agreement.
"He does," Robin added, his voice high with realisation.
Artemis frowned more and added, "okay. You're right about that one. Even if he's a bit condescending about it sometimes."
"We will do this," Aqualad announced.
Wally had already given his father's day gifts to his father and Uncle Barry. And he had been helping his mother make his father's lunch when his communicator went off.
'Hey. We've got a mission,' Robin's voice came through loud, clear and unwilling to compromise.
He informed his mother and was off, slightly annoyed at the intrusion to this peaceful day.
"So, what's the mission?" he asked Robin as soon as he arrived at base. Robin motioned towards Superboy who was shifting awkwardly. Kid Flash frowned, worried. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Superboy glanced over at Robin, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. Kid Flash's vision was then assaulted by a brown wrapped box.
"What is this?" he asked, pointing to the object.
"Father's day gift," Superboy mumbled.
"For you," Robin added a moment later.
"For me? What? Why?" Kid Flash questioned, wondering if this was some kind of joke.
"Because you're like a father," Superboy responded bluntly.
Kid Flash's mouth opened and then closed when he couldn't think of anything to say. Robin decided it was a shame Artemis wasn't here to see this.
"Why me?" Kid Flash wanted to know.
Superboy stared at his shoes, not wanting to look at Kid Flash's expression. He wasn't angry but Superboy could see he wasn't happy.
"It was something Robin said about Batman; 'he took me in'. I realised, you did the same for me," he responded.
He didn't see Kid Flash's eye widen or the little smile Robin had.
"Really?" Kid Flash questioned, his voice full of awe. He knew Robin's civilian name and what it meant when Batman took him in. He had invited Superboy home without a second thought and hadn't really thought about it since. He felt a little sad that he didn't even realise what that one little action had meant to his big and strong friend.
"And you smile a lot and teach me things and are," Superboy stumbled as he tried to think about which word to use. While it fell short, "nice," was the only think he could think to say.
Kid Flash felt his eyes sting. He knew what he had to do now. If he was father to Superboy, then Superboy was family.
"Right, you're coming with me!" he announced, "and we're going to spend the day together."
"I'm going back to Batman," Robin said, "have fun you two."
Conner wanted to hide when Wally pulled him through the door of the house, announcing to his parents that, "this is Conner and he's now your grandson!" Within milliseconds, they were surrounded with interested Flash family members who wanted to know exactly what Wally meant.
Wally explained about Conner's present and the Flash family seemed to accept it. Wally's parents ask Conner about school and congratulated him on his name, since the last time they saw him, he was still going by just Superboy.
Barry gave Conner a smile and a slap on the shoulder as he told Conner that he could call him 'Uncle Barry' because 'Great-Uncle Barry' or whatever you call your father's uncle was too much of a mouthful.
Iris told Conner about her job and Kid Flash's first days a young hero. Then she and Wally's mother took Conner into the kitchen to help make the pie.
Conner also met Jay Garrick, the first Flash, who taught him more about being a hero through stories and tales of the 'good old days'.
Conner was surprised at the warm feelings he had, completely opposite to how he felt on Mother's Day.
Wally finally unwrapped his present with Conner but away from other prying eyes, towards the end of the day. It was a mug with the Flash insignia on it and Wally's face lit up.
They were both too distracted to notice the click of a camera.
Flash was smiling and moving around like he was the one who could fly. He chatted away non-stop about his cute nephew and how his cute nephew had informally adopted Superboy.
Superman wondered why no one was bringing him up. After all, they all thought that he was Superboy's father and he hadn't even seen the boy on Father's day.
"Oh, that's just precious," Green Arrow cooed. He beckoned over to Batman. "Hey, check out this Flash mug Superboy got for Kid Flash!"
"I already know what it looks like," Batman growled back. "Robin helped pick it out."
Superman noticed that, even though Batman was not contributing much to the conversation, he also wasn't stopping it. Usually, he would have told Flash to stop talking about his nephew and get to work.
Black Canary came in a few minutes later and Barry instantly shoved the picture in her face, explaining at a rapid pace about Conner's Father's day with the Flash family.
She had only one comment.
"Superboy has good taste."
Superman wondered why no one had ever said he had good taste. He quickly squelched the feeling of curiosity and envy that went through him. He could not do anything now, not with everyone present and, for once, not talking to him about he was failing Superboy.
He would do it later. Away from the rest of the team.
Once he figured out exactly what it was he wanted to do.