Rating: T

Where else can I find this story? All five parts are on the first page of Part 5 of the original Young Justice Anon Meme on LiveJournal.

Hero

Masks, Part V

Chapter 18: Clark's Last Day

He teleports to Metropolis, and makes his way to the Planet.

Lois sees him the minute he gets into the newsroom, and she looks ecstatic to see him. She runs to him, as fast as she can, which isn't very fast, not only is she human, but she's wearing high heals.

"Con," she whispers, "where did you go?"

"Greenland, then Gotham."

Lois looks confused. "What were you doing in Greenland?"

"I, er, accidentally drifted there. I can fly now, apparently, but I don't know how. Then I called Batman, and he came to pick me up, it was kind of a disaster."

"I can see how that would be a problem, yeah. I bet Alfred was livid."

"Pretty much."

"You know, I bet I can bully Superman into teaching you how to fly…"

Conner laughs sadly. "No. It's ok. He already volunteered. I turned him down. He hasn't helped me with any of my other powers, I can figure this one out on my own. Or, with my girlfriend."

Lois elbows him lightly. "You dog."

"Lucky, lucky dog," Conner admits shamelessly.

"But, that doesn't tell me why you ran off," Lois says.

"I was just… really mad at Clark."

"Any idea what's gotten into him?"

"An inkling, but it's really not my place to tell you."

"Since when are you Mr. Privacy?"

"I've always been 'Mr. Privacy'—I just broke character because we had an extraordinary situation on our hands."

Lois Lane looks supremely unimpressed. She crosses her arms and glares at him in a more than adequate impression of Batman.

"If you're not telling me, I can only assume it's me. He's been avoiding me all day, and yesterday, while I grilled him about why you ran off, he wouldn't make eye contact."

"I… er…" Conner looks away. "You remember that waitress?

"The one who was totally into him?"

"Yeah. Well, he called her up, they went on a date, and, I think, I think she-may-have-told-him-what-you-said. About him. You know. About him not being like Superman."

Lois grimaces. "Fuck!" She stops her foot. "Shit." Then for good measure, she says "Fuckfuckfuck! He wasn't supposed to hear that."

"Yeah. I know."

"Fuck. Where does that little bitch get off—wait until I get my hands on her—

"Wait," suddenly there's a new horror in her violet eyes, "please, please tell me this isn't why he's suddenly decided to let Perry make him a war correspondent."

Conner smiles sadly. Maybe he can make this work after all. Though now he's not so sure he wants to set Lois and Clark up together anymore. "I can tell you any lie you want Lois."

"Fuck. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. He's going to get himself killed."

"Oh, I don't know Lois," Superman suddenly interrupts and Conner wonders how he missed the Man of Steel's approach. "I'm pretty good at running at the first sign of danger."

Lois visibly cringes. She swirls around fast and accidentally knocks the coffee Superman is holding into his shirt, spilling coffee all over his white shirt.

"And I guess that's me being a klutz," he says grimly. "Well, I guess I should go take care of this."

And Superman turns away, towards the bathroom.

It takes Lois a second to recover. When she does she shoves Conner. "Con! Go after him! We have to fix this mess!"

He doesn't really want to go, but he can't think of a handy excuse to give Lois, so he nods, and follows after Superman slowly.

Superman's locked himself in the handicap accessible bathroom.

"Let me in, or I'll break the door down," Conner says.

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," Superman answers.

"What… what the heck does that even mean?" Conner asks, thoroughly confused.

"You don't know?" Superman says, like it's one of those obvious things every five year old knows. Superman unlocks the door and lets Conner in, closing the door behind him. His shirt is in the sink, leaving Superman wearing his trousers over his Superman ensemble. He's still wearing the glasses. It might be the weirdest thing Conner's ever seen, and for a superhero, that's saying something.

"It's from 'The Three Little Pigs'," Superman says. "There are three pigs, one lives in a house made of straw, one lives in a house made of twigs, and one lives in a house made of bricks. The Big Bad Wolf comes to each pig in turn and threatens to blow their houses down unless they let him in. Each time the pigs reply 'not by the hair of my chinny chin chin', so he huffs and he puffs, and he blows the house down. Except for the one made out of bricks."

"That's a terrible story," Conner says.

"It's for little kids, not exactly supposed to be Dostoyevsky," Superman says as he goes back to washing his shirt.

"Why'd you let me in?"

"Because you didn't know the story. And because Lois sent you, and if I didn't let you in, Lois would force her way in eventually. But can you please leave? Go tell Lois I'm alright. I'll be out in a moment."

"Of course I can leave," Conner answers. "It'd be my pleasure. You're not exactly my favorite person in the world."

"No I imagine not," Superman says. "Big club these days: You, Luthor, Bruce, Lois. Hell, even my own mother's mad at me."

"Oh, grow up!" Conner spits out. "I wanted nothing more than a scrap of your attention, and I almost got myself and Kid Flash killed trying to get it. Why the hell should I give you the time of day now? And Batman… you have no idea the crap he's going through right now. But worst of all—you're mad because Lois Lane's in love with Superman? Newsflash: you are Superman. Get your head out of your ass and just tell her."

Superman capitalizes on his sigh to dry the shirt. "Newsflash," he echoes bitterly, "There is no such person as Superman. Superman is just a suit I put on so that I can sometimes indulge myself in the delusion that I can have anything resembling a normal life.

"I don't like cheering children and swooning women. I can't stand that people wear t-shirts with my family's crest. I hate the fact that everyone always looks to me to solve their problems, like there's anything special about me.

"I'm maybe not a klutz. But I am shy. I hate every. Single. Time. I have to get on a podium and be the face of the Justice League. My posture's terrible; I like to slouch. It drives me crazy when people look at me like I'm the moon.

"Hell! I don't even like primary colors. I have no fashion sense: white shirts and navy suits, all the way. Or plaid shirts and jeans.

"My idea of a good time is driving cross country, or a quiet night in with the folks, or reading a good book, or watching the game.

"I go to church every Sunday. I have dinner with my parents once a week. I help my dad with the farm when I can. The only reason I put on this suit is because I have all this incredible power, and I can do good with it.

"But at the end of the day? I'm just a shy cornball from Smallville, Kansas, who's still flabbergasted every time he looks up at LexCorp Tower, because, gee whiz, how did we make a building so tall?"

And then Superman deflates.

"And none of that appeals to Lois." He pushes his glasses up. "And, if it turned out that Superman was just… well, you know… Smallville… maybe she wouldn't love him either. And if Lois Lane didn't love, at least a part of me… I… I think I would die."

Superman takes his glasses off and stares at Conner. And for the first time, Conner sees the Man of Steel, with his soul laid bare, and it turns out, he's just a man.

Conner is speechless for a minute. Then he remembers who he's talking to.

"Yeah, sorry. I never realized you were a coward."

Without a word, Clark puts the glasses back on.

"Because, you know, she might think Superman is lame, or, she might realize that everything she really loves and admires about Superman is really Clark Kent… except… I think she finds Superman's courage appealing, and you're a coward.

"Kinda cruel of you though, to string her along and let her be in love with someone who doesn't exist. Though, now that I think of it, you're perfectly capable of being cruel, and no one knows that better than me."

Conner unlocks the door and leaves.

Lois is waiting at the end of the hall. "He'll be right out," he tells her. "He's just drying his shirt with the hand dryer."

Superman—Clark—whoever the hell he is—doesn't say anything to either him or Lois for the rest of the day. It's just once it's late that he tersely informs him that he's flying to the Fortress of Solitude. It doesn't sound like an invitation, and he's not going to ask for one, so Conner stays silent on the elevator ride up to Batman's penthouse and goes to sleep after Superman flies away.

And that's pretty much how it is for the rest of the week.

Until Friday morning. It's the last day Clark will be spending at the Planet, so he has to arrive early to pack everything away. He stops by the penthouse at five in the morning, with coffee and donuts (double chocolate for Conner).

Conner accepts the olive branch without much fanfare. It's pretty scrumptious, he has to admit grudgingly.

In the car Clark finally opens his mouth. "For what it's worth, and I guess it isn't worth much, I really liked you once I got to know you. I wish things had been different."

"Yeah," Conner agrees, careful not to sound too enthusiastic.

"Maybe someday, I can take you to the Fortress," Clark continues. "It's kinda a cool place. There are crystals with information about Krypton… you know, what it was like before it blew up."

"Do you remember it?"

"Faintly."

"Kinda sucks to have your planet blow up, I guess."

Clark doesn't quite laugh. "Yeah. I guess it kinda does. But I guess being a clone made by an evil cabal and not knowing 'The Three Little Pigs' probably sucks too."

"Yeah, well, you get used to it. And now I know the story. I wasn't missing out on much."

That makes Clark laugh.

When they get up to the newsroom, it turns out everyone is waiting for them, even though it's not even six.

Lois and Jimmy have organized a surprise going-away party that interferes with Clark's packing, but for the first time all week, Clark doesn't seem to mind. He even smiles a bit.

Jimmy Olsen's turned into the waterworks, and for the first time, Conner can sort of really respect the kid. Lois keeps swallowing extra loud… it makes Conner think she's trying really hard not to cry. Eventually she just gives up and starts sobbing. And then she throws caution to the wind and wraps herself around Clark.

"Oh, jeeze Smallville. I'm going to miss you and your Midwestern morals and your bad eating habits and your magical ability to disappear just at the wrong moment. You'd better write some damn good stories, you know. But not too good, because I don't want you to get a Pulitzer before I do." And then she starts sobbing again. She's smearing her mascara all over Clark's shirt.

"Whatever you do, stay alive. I'll never forgive you if you die! And don't just eat junk food! But make sure you only drink bottled water, or boil tap water. And if you get into any trouble, call me, and I'll send my dad to help you, ok? He's a jerk, but he likes you."

Clark puts his chin on the top of her head and strokes her black hair slowly.

"I'm just going away for a little while. And then, I'll come back with twenty Pulitzers, and you'll wish I was dead."

Lois laughs through her tears. "You're good Smallville, but you're not that good."

"Yeah," Jimmy butts in, "the most anyone's ever gotten's four."

Lunch is when it happens.

Lois insists that if Clark is leaving Metropolis, he'll have to have one last authentic Metropolis meal, and there's nothing more authentically Metropolis than the street vendor hotdogs. It's the first time Conner's seen Lois insist that Clark eat junk food. She gets him three hotdogs, a can of Coke, and a side order of cheese fries, with a soft pretzel.

Conner sees it while Clark's busy stuffing his face with hotdog.

Up on the roof of the Planet, there's a gunman, Deathstroke, already taking aim.

It strikes Conner as silly.

Luthor's going after Clark on the last day Clark has a League security detail. It would be so much easier to go after Clark in the Middle East, where any assassination attempt could be blamed on terrorists.

But maybe, Luthor wants for it to happen here, just to prove that he is in fact, the motor that moves Metropolis. And if that's the case, this is his last shot. Literally.

He's never met Deathstroke, but he's read about him. He knows he won't miss. That's good. There's a crowd.

Conner knows Clark can hear the bullet as it whizzes toward him. He knows that Clark can't duck out of the way—it'll hit Lois if he does. It'll ricochet into the crowd if he doesn't duck out of the way.

There's only one thing for Conner to do, and he's glad, so very glad that he didn't let Batman replace him with Artemis or Wally, because neither of them would be able to do what he can do.

Conner's not as fast or as strong as Superman, but he is faster than a speeding bullet. He jumps between Clark and the bullet, hand outstretched to catch it and keep it from bouncing off into someone else. He closes his hand around it with satisfaction. He looks up to see Deathstroke's reaction to having missed Clark, but the assassin is already gone. Conner turns around to tell Clark.

Lois looks white as a ghost.

"It was Deathstroke," he says, pointing with his free hand to where Deathstroke was. "But I caught the bullet," he says proudly. What a stupid thing to be proud about… it's not like he's never caught a bullet before. But it's a small victory over Luthor, so he's happy.

"See?" he asks, as he unfurls his hand.

Except, instead of a bullet, there's a hole straight through his palm.

Suddenly, he stumbles forward, into Clark. Clark stumbles backward, like he can't support Conner's weight, which is stupid, because Clark is Superman, and he can bench press the Titanic.

For some reason, his knees give out, and Clark struggles to hold him up.

"Lois!" Clark shouts, "Lois! I need you!"

And then there's Lois, holding him, along with Clark. The two of them are holding him. Holding him up. Strange. It's like his body has turned to lead… or like his legs have turned to rubber.

"The car!" Clark says. "We need to get him to the car!"

They're moving him, taking him somewhere. To the car, probably.

"Why to the car?" Lois asks. "Shouldn't we call an ambulance?"

"And what good would they do?" Clark asks, groans, more like it. "The car's lined with lead. He said the car was lined with lead."

Clark sounds like he's in pain. Conner doesn't understand? Did he mess up? Did Deathstroke somehow get to Clark? But Clark's Superman. Superman's invulnerable. Why does Clark sound like he's in pain?

" 'Severythin' ok?" he asks.

"Yeah, kid," Clark answers, but Conner can tell he's lying. "Everything's fine. Everything's going to be fine."

"You sound like you're hurt," Conner says.

"No. I'm fine."

"Liar. Liar. Pants on fire. Why do you always lie?"

Suddenly, Conner feels like he's being thrown somewhere. On a couch, maybe? Someone presses something soft into him.

"Keep the pressure on, ok, Lois? Try to keep him awake. Keep him talking. I think he's in shock."

There's a loud noise. Something's pressing into his chest. Too hard… it hurts.

"Clark!" Lois screams. "Clark! Clark! Don't, don't you dare leave me!"

Conner knows that's bad news. He tries to get up, but the heavy thing on his chest presses down and he can't get up. It's gotta be something really heavy. Maybe a dwarf star, if it's heavy enough to keep him down.

"Lemme go," he says. "Gotta save Clark."

"You already saved him," Lois tells him.

"You said… said he was leavin'…"

"Yeah… he left."

"Iraq?"

"No, no, just, just over there."

"Someone in trouble?"

"Yeah," Lois says. It sounds like she's crying again. She must be really sad because Clark's leaving.

" 'S OK. Clark's gonna help."

"Yeah. Yeah. Of course Clark's going to help. He's going to help make this all better."

"Course. He's Superman."

Lois sobs even harder. "Con, stay with me, ok?"

"Ok. Not goin' anywhere. Where's Clark?"

"He's gone to help."

"Cuz he's Superman?"

"Yeah, of course. What day is it?"

"Um… I dunno."

"Conner, what's my name?"

"Why're y'askin' me?"

"Who's Batman?"

"Masked vigilante operatin' outta Gotham City, for… for at least eight years. Alias unknown. Appears t'ave no superpowers, operatin' on theatrics and technology. Leader ota Justice League."

"Who's Bruce Wayne?"

"I… dunno…"

"Who's Lex Luthor?"

"Dunno… Please, Dr. Spence… Tired. Wanna back t'pod."

Dr. Spence hits him across the cheek. It doesn't really hurt. Not compared to the pressure on his chest "Stay awake Conner!" she screams at him.

"Whoscnnr?" he asks. But really, he's so tired, he doesn't even care. He just wants to be allowed back into his pod so he can rest.

"Conner, stay with me! STAY WITH ME! GODDAMMIT!" Dr. Spence is shrieking. But he's so tired, so tired… it doesn't really matter… he's just going to close his eyes… it's nice and cold… like his pod… and he's already lying down. Just a nap. A little nap.

"Clark! Clark! Superman! Please, somebody, anybody, HELP!"

Just a nap. Dr. Spence can keep shrieking all she wants…

A/N: Yes. I'm stopping now. Because I am evil.

Edit: So, it turns out that V and B are next to each other on the keyboard, so when I meant to bold, I accidentally pasted-hence why this chapter was initially repeated. Thanks to the people who pointed it out.