Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Conner never planned to end up like this.
Everything had been so good he was a hero, he had a team, he was happy… or at least that’s what he thought.

It all began with Wally’s death. When Wally died, something broke within the team. The fights started arguments, even punches when their mentors weren’t looking. And despite everything, they tried… they tried to stay together.

Then came his breakup with M’gann. At first, everything was normal a few small arguments here and there, like any couple. But everything was fine, or so he thought.

Until he discovered something terrible through old recordings that had almost been erased. Apparently, M’gann had been cheating on him with multiple people throughout their relationship. And every time Conner found out, M’gann erased his memories manipulating them.

That shattered Conner’s heart. He broke up with M’gann in front of everyone to make sure she couldn’t mess with his memories again.

After that, the tension within the team grew unbearable. Conner tried to stay professional while working with everyone, but eventually, the team still fell apart.

Even so, Conner tried again he tried to get along with the new heroes of Young Justice. But apparently, the new heroes didn’t like him, even though he did his best to be friendly, with Nightwing’s help. Still, nothing worked.

Not long after, Conner was expelled from the team over a mistake. A simple mistake. One that plenty of the original heroes had made before… but when he did it, they just kicked him out.

The mistake? He punched Bart in the face after Bart hit him first and called him a “stupid, brainless clone,” just because Conner accidentally ate one of Bart’s candies.

Conner hadn’t even hit him that hard Bart just had a small bruise on his cheek, he didn’t even fall to the ground. But apparently, that was reason enough to expel him.

Soon after, all the heroes began to distance themselves from him, believing he was “unstable.” This even led Superman to strip him of the Superboy title, forcing him to hand over his hero suit.

That was one of the things that hurt Conner the most because the hero left him right where he took the suit away, telling him to go home and take it as a “vacation.”

Completely forgetting that Conner didn’t have a home outside of Mount Justice like the others. So technically, he had been fired and abandoned in the city.

After that, Conner tried to find a job and a place to live, but no one would hire him because he was underage. And since he had no guardian to sign any consent papers, he couldn’t work anywhere.

He had to resort to dumpsters and abandoned buildings though he was soon kicked out of those too, since in Metropolis, old buildings were always being demolished to make way for new ones.

That meant Conner had to move constantly. And it’s not like he could contact his friends he didn’t have a phone, and he didn’t know their numbers.

Then came the Meta Virus. It had been created by Lex Luthor to kill Superman every meta who inhaled the virus in gas form would die slowly over the course of a week.

Lex managed to release the gas in a small plaza before the Justice League arrived and contained it, defeating Lex. Luckily, there were “no victims.”
But no one noticed that Conner had been in that plaza affected by the gas.

Soon after inhaling it, Conner had to be transferred to Metropolis Central Hospital and placed in quarantine while doctors tried to find a cure.

None of his friends or fellow heroes knew he was there, so no one came to visit.

A few days later, Conner’s life slowly faded away… on the seventh day.

The door burst open just as the machine flatlined and the doctors, resigned, began to disconnect it.

Standing at the doorway was none other than Clark for the first time, breathing heavily and sweating, as if he had run all the way to the hospital.

Clark’s breathing grew uneven as his eyes swept across the room until they found the young body lying on the bed.

He didn’t even realize when he had approached the bedside, staring at Conner’s now lifeless body.

His skin had turned an uneven pale tone, his lips were starting to go blue, the dark circles under his eyes looked deeper, and his once-bright blue eyes were dull and empty.

Clark slowly reached out, his hand brushing against Conner’s cheek, which was quickly losing its warmth.

“Conner… wake up. It’s not time to sleep,” Clark said softly, trying to wake the boy.

“Conner, sweetheart… come on, I’ll take you home. Wake up.” Clark’s voice broke as tears began to fall down his face, landing on Conner’s pale skin.

The doctors began to quietly leave the room, glancing back with pity and sorrow though some couldn’t help but feel resentment. The boy had been hospitalized all week, and Clark hadn’t bothered to come until now.

“Come on, Conner, don’t do this to me, please. Come on, my boy, please wake up. I’m sorry for being so stupid… but please, wake up,” Clark pleaded, cradling Conner’s head and letting his tears fall into his hair.

At the same time, Nightwing rushed into the hospital room, tears streaming down his face, followed by the old Young Justice team.

“Conner!!” Dick shouted, running to his friend’s bed, staring at the lifeless body at the eyes that no longer held their familiar blue shine.

“Gods, Conner, wake up… don’t do this to us,” Dick begged, ripping off his mask as tears fell from his eyes.

From afar, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Artemis cried, unable to approach too afraid of what they were seeing.

“Sweetheart, come on… I’ll take you home, and we’ll decorate your room together after you eat your favorite meal,” Clark whispered, stroking Conner’s hair.

Nightwing just cried bitterly, resting his head against Conner’s chest where his heart used to beat so strongly, now silent.

 

---

And then… Conner began to slowly open his eyes.

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Conner woke up...

He really woke up...

He was back in the capsule where it had all begun. Back in Project Kr, back inside the Cadmus facility. When he opened his eyes, in front of him, on the other side of the capsule, were his friends.

But they looked younger, which confused Conner. In front of him stood Night—no... Robin, trying to open the capsule again, while beside him stood Aqualad, ever watchful, and Kid Flash—Wally smiling.

Conner’s eyes filled slightly with tears, but he blinked them away quickly. He didn’t know how, didn’t know if this was a dream, a different dimension, or an illusion, but one thing was crystal clear:
He wasn’t going to waste this second chance.

When the capsule finally opened, Conner stepped out slowly, still wearing the white lab suit with the symbol of hope on his chest. He looked straight at the three standing before him but this time, he didn’t attack impulsively.

Conner stared at them, and when Aqualad was about to speak, Robin interrupted him, saying something no one expected not even Conner.

“Wow, your eyes look like sapphires with stars in them,” Robin blurted out suddenly, leaving Conner slightly confused.

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” Conner said, a little bewildered, looking at Robin, who was still mesmerized by his eyes.

“Wow, dude, that sounded so gay but don’t worry, we don’t judge. And actually, I’ve gotta agree,” Wally said, glancing at Robin in confusion.

Aqualad only nodded, slightly embarrassed, before speaking. “I agree, but… I think we’d better get out of here,” he said, pointing behind him.

“Oh, I know the way out but can you guys take care of them first?” Conner said with a small smile, pointing at the G-Gnomes.

The three boys looked at him oddly but didn’t question it, knocking out the G-Gnomes instantly and without much effort.

Then they looked back at Conner, waiting for him to move. “So… this way?” Robin said after a few awkward seconds, beginning to walk toward the exit, followed by the other young heroes.

As they escaped toward the building’s exit, Conner was releasing different experiments to ensure they’d cause as much chaos as possible, making their escape easier.

“Isn’t this dangerous?” Aqualad asked, watching as Conner released G-Gnomes and other, more monstrous looking creatures from their capsules and cages.

“No, they’re harmless. Besides, it’s the only way out,” Conner said, freeing another creature before running toward the exit.

Robin just shrugged and ran after Superboy with a playful grin.

It didn’t take long before they reached the elevator doors or where the elevator should have been. Now there was just an open shaft.

“So, what now, pretty boy?” Robin asked, looking at Conner with a smirk.

“Pretty boy?” Conner asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Well, that, or do you want me to call you ‘Superstar’ instead?” Robin teased, stepping closer.

“Hmm, I don’t really care what you call me, Wonder Boy,” Conner said, stepping closer as well, a defiant look and a faint smile on his lips.

“So, Wonder Boy, huh?” Robin grinned, leaning in until their faces were just inches apart.

“You can call me Kid Flash or Wally, or honey, or better yet Wally, my love,” Kid Flash interrupted, smirking as he pushed Robin back and locked eyes with Conner.

“Move over, I was here first!” Robin shouted, shoving Kid Flash, and soon they were shoulder bumping and arguing.

Conner chuckled softly at the sight of their bickering especially when Aqualad grabbed both of them by the ears and pulled them apart.

“You two, stop fighting. We’re in the middle of an important mission,” Aqualad scolded firmly.

“I think it’s time to leave. Though, fair warning it’s my first time flying,” Conner said, grabbing all three of them in his arms.

“Wait, wha—AHHHHH!” Robin screamed as they suddenly lifted off the ground.

Kid Flash and Robin started flailing their legs in panic, causing Conner to wobble slightly.

“Stop moving! If I lose balance, we’re all going down,” Conner scolded, tightening his grip on them. “Also, you’re kinda heavy,” he added, cheeks slightly flushed from the effort.

“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be a clone of Superman?” Kid Flash asked, slightly offended.

“I’m half Kryptonian. You can’t make a full clone of Superman it always goes wrong. So I have to train my strength,” Conner explained, slowly ascending to avoid dropping anyone.

“So if they only used half of Superman’s DNA… whose is the other half?” Robin asked in detective mode, finally stopping his kicking.

“Someone named Lex Luthor,” Conner replied, remembering how, in his past life, Luthor and Superman constantly fought over him each trying to claim or control him.

A silence fell over the group. They all knew Lex Luthor was Superman’s main nemesis.

Before anyone could say more, they reached the surface. Robin happily retrieved his grapple gun.

“Quick, keep moving. We don’t know if the released experiments were enough to stop them,” Aqualad said, taking the lead.

After a few seconds of walking, they exited the burning building.

“Hey, pretty boy, look it’s the moon,” Kid Flash said, pointing upward. Conner instinctively followed his finger, smiling softly.

“It’s beautiful,” Conner said, smiling at Kid Flash, whose cheeks turned slightly red despite his cocky look.

Robin, feeling jealous, stepped between them immediately, earning a glare from Kid Flash.

Conner saw this and smiled it reminded him of when everything had been fine with Young Justice, before… everything went wrong. Before he died. Before everyone abandoned him.

In that moment, Conner realized something he didn’t want to waste his life anymore. He didn’t want to be ignored. He didn’t want to be hurt. And the only way to ensure that was clear…
Conner would no longer be a hero.

He wanted to live—truly live—for the first time. To be normal, without the weight of being the hero civilians depended on.

As he kept looking at the moon, he noticed figures flying toward them. He knew instantly it was time to change his fate.

“Well, time for me to go,” Conner said, beginning to levitate slightly off the ground.

The others looked alarmed and confused as they saw Superboy float.

“Wait—what!? You can’t just leave!” Aqualad exclaimed, stepping forward and grabbing Conner’s wrist.

“Yeah, you still have to meet Superman!” Kid Flash said, disappointed as he moved behind Conner.

“And you just got out of that capsule—you have nowhere to go!” Robin added, grabbing his other arm.

Conner quickly realized they were trying to stall him. They’d probably noticed their mentors approaching. He needed a distraction—fast.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find somewhere. And I doubt Superman will be too happy knowing you stole his DNA,” Conner said, trying to back away, only to bump into Wally’s chest.

“You’ll be a great hero, you know that? Don’t worry—we’ve got your back. Even if Superman doesn’t want you,” Kid Flash said, stepping closer.

“Being a hero’s not my thing, thanks,” Conner replied—and with a strong pull and a burst of flight, he broke free from Aqualad and Robin’s grip.

“But—you’re Superman’s clone!” Kid Flash shouted, glancing at Aqualad, who was subtly manipulating water.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” Conner said with a smirk, flying higher—

—or he would have, if not for a red-and-white blur slamming into him mid-air, sending him crashing into the ground just as the rest of the heroes arrived, including Superman and Batman.

Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash stared wide-eyed at the crash site, their faces full of worry.

“Captain, this is the sixth time this has happened,” Superman said, landing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What did he crash into this time?” Wonder Woman asked with a small smile, eyes fixed on the fading cloud of dust.

Instantly, Robin and Kid Flash rushed forward, pushing Captain Marvel away from Conner—shocking the heroes and the dazed Captain, who landed hard on the concrete.

“ROBIN! WHAT DO YOU THINK—” Batman began scolding, and Flash was about to do the same, but both fell silent when they heard pained groans coming from the crater.

That’s when everyone understood—even Captain Marvel, whose expression turned to horror as he realized what he’d hit.

He’d collided with a civilian—apparently one who was with the protégés of Batman, Flash, and Aquaman.

Robin and Kid Flash helped lift him up slowly while Captain Marvel, panicking, stood and began apologizing profusely as he stepped forward.

“Gods, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you let me take you to a hospital,” Captain Marvel said, approaching as the dust cleared.

Everyone froze in shock especially Superman at the sight of the “civilian.” Everyone except Captain Marvel, who put the boy’s arm over his shoulder to help support him by the waist.

“Ugh, my nose,” Conner groaned as Robin pressed a handkerchief against it, which quickly began to stain red.

“Mm, definitely broken,” Robin said, pressing a little harder, making Conner hiss in pain.

“Yeah, broken nose and maybe a cracked rib, too,” Kid Flash said, touching a specific spot that made Conner yelp.

Meanwhile, Captain Marvel grew paler with every word.

Superman, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring at the boy before him his paleness shifting into realization, then anger and distrust.

It was clear now this boy, in a white suit with an “S” on his chest, was a clone. His DNA had been stolen and used to create him very likely to weaponize him… or kill him.

Superman wanted to speak, but couldn’t. Just looking at the boy made him feel violated. Still, he needed answers and he needed them now. He stepped closer.

With just one look, Captain Marvel backed off, and Flash and Batman took their protégés aside.

“I want an explanation and I want it now,” Superman said, unable to hide the anger in his voice as he stared at the blue-eyed boy with a bleeding nose.

“Isn’t it obvious? They took your DNA and cloned you. Boom, here I am. Not that hard to figure out,” Conner said with sarcasm, glaring at him with hate.

He remembered how hard he’d tried, in another life, just to be acknowledged by Superman only to be ignored, dismissed, or treated with fake kindness.

Superman clenched his fists at the boy’s words, but something made him pause. The look in the boy’s eyes it wasn’t just anger. It was distrust, disappointment… and maybe fear.

It was a look Superman never wanted to be associated with especially coming from eyes so young, and so much like his own.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m not interested in being a hero and if I were, I’d definitely never be one like you,” Conner said, lifting off the ground again.

For some reason, those words made Superman’s chest tighten, a lump forming in his throat.

Conner turned toward the three young heroes and smiled. “Thanks for helping me escape. By the way my name’s Conner,” he said softly, unaware of the blush spreading on Robin and Kid Flash’s faces.

With that, he flew toward Captain Marvel, who was still too worried about his injuries to care about the confrontation. Lifting Conner up, he carried him toward the nearest trustworthy hospital.

Superman stood frozen, eyes wide, watching Captain Marvel and Conner fly away into the distance.

And for the first time in a long time, a strong, unfamiliar feeling filled his chest...

Superman...

Superman was jealous.

And his eyes said it all.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Superman was very jealous, too much, and the entire Justice League noticed it immediately when they saw how thoughtful he was while they were discussing what they should do with Superboy, now also called Conner.

Furthermore, Superman couldn't stop looking at the screen showing the hospital's security cameras live.

He was more specifically looking at the room where they were treating Conner, who was chatting animatedly with Captain Marvel.

His jealousy was also evident because the more he watched them, the more he squeezed the edge of the table, deforming it.

"-Su. . . Super. . . Superman. . . SUPERMAN-" Batman shouted directly into his ear, which made Superman jump and grab his ear with a little pain.

"-Oh, yes!?" Superman quickly asked, very startled, taking his eyes off the tablet he had in his hand that was still playing the hospital cameras.

"-We were discussing what we are going to do with Superboy," Batman said, taking the tablet from Superman. That made Superman finally look up completely.

There, around the table in their respective seats, was the entire Justice League looking directly at Superman.

Superman blushed and began to apologize quietly, very embarrassed.

"-Alright, now let's get back to the main topic," Batman said in a serious tone as he returned to his seat.

Superman discreetly tried to retrieve the tablet, but Batman slapped his hand when he touched it just a little.

Disappointed, Superman slowly withdrew his hand to lower it under the table and hunched over, lowering his head sadly.

Diana and Barry thought he looked like a scolded child who had been caught doing something wrong.

"-What are we going to do with Superboy?" Batman asked, expecting ideas from the other League members.

It was clear to everyone that Batman already had multiple plans for the boy and was only asking for formality, and that he would destroy all their ideas in less than 5 seconds until only his own remained.
But before anyone could speak or say anything or even open their mouth, the door burst open.

"-Me!! Me!! I have one!! I offer myself as a tribute to make Conner fall in love and seduce him to keep him controlled," Robin said, raising his hand and standing between Diana and Dinah.

Suddenly, Robin was pushed back by Kid-Flash, and the latter stood between the two heroines.

"-If it's about seducing, this mission is clearly for me. Superboy clearly prefers someone with charisma and personality," Kid-Flash said, smiling proudly.

Before Batman could speak to scold the sidekicks and ask them how they had gotten there, Flash spoke.

"-If that's the case, then I think Kid-Flash would be more appropriate for the mission. I mean, maybe Superboy's type is fun and attractive," Flash said, not really thinking much about his words.
That angered Batman.

Did Barry dare to even suggest that his son wasn't fun or attractive enough for Superboy? Before even thinking it through, Batman spoke.

"-Excuse me!? Are you saying that my son is not good enough for this mission?" Batman asked in an annoyed voice, losing his composure a little because no one, NO ONE messed with his sons.

"-NO!! I didn't- I mean, I- I was just saying that-" Flash said, starting to stammer a little before Batman's terrifying figure.

"-Because if so, I think Robin is much more qualified for this mission. It's clear that Robin is more Superboy's type," Batman growled, glaring at Flash, who was shrinking in his seat.

"-No offense, Batman, but Kid-Flash is pretty much everyone's type," Flash said, gathering courage from who knows where as he nervously moved his hands.

That made Batman frown much more and look angrier.

"-If we are talking about possible partners for Superboy, then I propose Speedy," Green Arrow said, taking advantage of the opportunity to see if, once and for all, he could find someone for his son, because at this point, Oliver was begging for his son to just bring someone home.

Oliver didn't care if it was a Man, Woman, Trans, from the future, from another dimension, Alien, Monster, enemy, or a Galactic threat. He just wanted his son to bring someone home already.

"-Speedy!?" Robin and Kid-Flash shouted at the same time, horrified, because they knew that if anyone had a chance to appeal more to Conner, it was Roy because of his personality.

"-I propose Aqualad," Aquaman said, also smiling with the hope that his protected Son/Not Son would finally introduce someone to him so he would forget about his Ex.

"-NO!!" Robin and Kid-Flash shouted at the same time, looking daggers at Aquaman.

"-Well, I propose M'gann," Martian Manhunter said, interested in the conversation and seeing the perfect opportunity for his niece to get a human partner.

Robin and Kid-Flash didn't say anything this time because they didn't know who she was, but they knew they now had more competition.

It wasn't long before everyone started arguing like wild animals to see who should have the mission.

Batman had Barry threatened with a Batarang, Robin and Kid-Flash were about to hit each other, while Black Canary and Aquaman argued about why their child was a better option than the other, while Green Arrow ranted that his son was going to leave him without grandchildren at this point, while Martian Manhunter just watched without saying anything.

"-ENOUGH!!" Wonder Woman shouted, raising her voice, which caused everyone to immediately sit in their places.

Everyone fell silent and looked at Wonder Woman, who had stood up from her seat and slammed the table slightly to yell.

"-If someone should decide who will take this mission, it is Kal-El, as the boy's father," Diana said in a firm tone, pointing her hand at Superman, before sitting down.

Instantly, everyone looked at Superman, and he gulped when he saw everyone's fixed and expectant gaze.

"-Umm, well . . . I'm not actually his father, so th-" Superman said, but he was interrupted instantly.

"-We don't give a shit if you're his father or not!! Just decide who the hell is going to have the mission once and for all," Batman surprisingly said, and that caused everyone to look at the Bat strangely because he almost never swore.

Batman, on the other hand, already had the Kryptonite ready in case Superman dared to choose someone other than his son.

"-W-Well, how about . . . The sidekicks form a team and their central mission is what you're talking about, like a competition," Superman said, sweating cold as he waited and prayed that the answer could satisfy everyone.

"-Done," said everyone who had nominated their sidekicks before standing up.

"-Well, also taking advantage of the competition, I propose a team for the missions that the League cannot fulfill," Batman said, and everyone instantly sat down again.

"-That's a very good idea. The League often can't fulfill all the missions we are given or need," Wonder Woman said, clearly pleased with the idea.

Everyone else nodded, as they also admitted that it was difficult to complete the missions requested by civilians and the higher priority missions in a short time, so a second team would be fantastic for them and their sidekicks could also gain experience.

While the others discussed the details, Superman discreetly took out his cell phone under the table and reconnected to the hospital's security cameras to monitor his clone and Captain Marvel again.

Only this time, he couldn't turn on the audio and couldn't hear them, since Conner's room was soundproof.