Fic: Bond of Brothers (Kon-El, Chris Kent)
Title: Bond of Brothers
Author: milleniumrex
Fandom: Superman
Rating: G
Characters: Kon-El (Conner Kent), Lor-Zod (Chris Kent), Thara Ak-Var
Words: 1323
Summary: After the Crises pass, Kon seeks out a fellow Superboy.
Author's Notes: Contains spoilers for Legion of 3 Worlds #4, as well as the current run of Action Comics. This fic is set in the future, and a lot of it is fanon as to how things shape up after New Krypton concludes.
Chris rolled over in bed as the morning sun peeked through the bedroom window. It was hard to believe it was actually over. Alura, Zod, Ursa and their loyalists had been sent packing to the phantom zone, war between Earth and Krypton had been averted, and the majority of the Kryptonians had set out to find a home in space, far away from Earth. Ever since he had arrived on Earth as a boy, it seemed like the specter of destruction had always been looming overhead. This was the first time it seemed like his future was actually his to control. Sure, he had lost ten years of his life, aging from 6 to 16 as a result of his exposure to the Phantom Zone, but he had gained so much more. Friends, allies, and a real family. He looked over at Thara, who was still sleeping on the other side of the room. She'd had to grow up so fast, fighting to defend Kandor while she was still a girl herself. As happy as he was for his own new beginning, he was just as happy for hers. During their time on the run as Nightwing and Flamebird, he'd come to think of her as a sister.
Chris was snapped out of his thoughts by a slight tapping on the glass. He looked outside, but nothing was there. Then he saw the post-it note taped to the side of the window.
"Roof. See you there."
For a minute, Chris wondered if he should wake up Thara for backup, or even let Clark know. But something told him the mysterious visitor didn't want to fight. Slipping into his Nightwing costume, he flew up to the roof.
"Wow, kid. I heard you grew up quick, but I didn't expect this."
Chris whirled around to see a slightly older teenager with dark hair wearing a Superboy t-shirt grinning at him. He recognized him instantly. It was Conner Kent, aka Superboy. The young hero who died saving the world. The guy he always tried to live up to.
"Wow. You're...Superboy. I heard you were back, but things were so crazy, that..."
"Yeah, intergalactic war and all that. Didn't get to drop by until now. I wanted to see who's been filling my shoes while I was gone."
Chris felt his face going red. "Filling your shoes? No way, I was just trying to do what I can, and - "
Kon laughed. "Relax. A guy saves the multiverse once, and the rookies get all skittish around him. I just figured we should talk. Superboy to Superboy."
"Wow. Okay, sure! Maybe I should just let my mom and dad know - "
"It's not like we're far away. So, you're staying with Clark and Lois, huh?" Kon sat down on the edge of the building. "How's that working out for you?"
"Oh, it's great. They took me in when I was six, for a little before I went back to the phantom zone. I was really scared after the whole thing with the aging that they wouldn't want me back, but they didn't seem to care. They even let Thara stay with them too, after they found out her parents died on Krypton."
"Huh. So...Clark's doing the mentor/dad thing now? That's surprising." Kon looked away.
"He didn't used to? What did you do when you were just starting out?"
"Oh, you know. The usual. Hang out in Hawaii, date beach bunnies, fight giant sharks." Kon grinned. "After a while, it all started getting too much, and Clark had me live with his parents in Smallville. They helped me out a lot."
"That's great. I'd love to meet them."
Kon looked away sadly. "His dad died while I was...away. It really sucks. I hate that I never got to tell him how much he helped me. He never got to find out I was alive."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too. But you know, you're lucky Clark is looking out for you. He's a great guy, usually."
"Did you talk to him? Since you came back?"
"Nah. Well, a little right after everything in the 30th century, but we've been carefully avoiding each other since then. We didn't exactly have the best relationship."
"You should talk to him. I mean, everyone changes, right? He's probably sorry he missed out on that chance with you."
"Look who's playing teen psychologist." Kon laughed as he ruffled Chris' hair. "Burger? Trust me - whatever Lois said, we're Kryptonian. Our metabolisms can take all the bad fast food Earth dishes out."
Chris grabbed the burger and bit into it, savoring the greasy taste. Kon bit into his own, and there was a moment of silence.
"So...we should talk about the elephant in the room."
"Elephant? I thought those were only at the zoo."
"Nah, I'm talking about the one big thing we've got in common. Our dads. The ones we don't like to talk about."
"Oh." Chris realized he had suddenly lost his appetite. "Do...we have to talk about him?"
"No, but I figured it might help. I mean, your dad is General Zod. World-conquerer and scourge of the Kryptonian empire. That's got to be a little scary."
"You think?" Chris said. "I feel like I've been running from him my whole life. And even if he is gone for good...will I ever really be free of him? I mean, he's in my blood. And my mom's not exactly great either. I was lucky enough to get the best adoptive dad in the world. That's who I want to be like. But what if Zod's too strong to get away from?"
"Yeah, and that'll always be scary. But you can use that. You remember how strong he is...and you be stronger. You keep remembering who you are, and the people you love, and he'll never be strong enough. I don't let many people know this, but...my other half is Lex Luthor."
"The evil bald mad scientist? Really?"
"Yeah. And he's made some seriously messed up attempts to gain control of me. He even made me hurt my friends." Kon shook his head. "But they didn't turn on me. They didn't care where my DNA was from, just who I was. And that's what I wanted to tell you. You've already got some great friends here. And if you ever need to talk about mutual dad issues, the stresses of being a teen hero, or anything else...you've got me."
"Thanks. Being here on Earth again...it's great, but it's also kind of scary. I could use another friend."
"And hey, you've got Tactile Telekinesis, right? One of these days, I'll take you to the beach and show you all about how to use it." Kon winked. "All the tricks Superman doesn't want you to know."
---------------
Chris flew back into the apartment. It was just about the time he would get up normally, so no one knew he had been gone. His head was spinning with everything he had learned about Kon. Even with Clark, Lois, and Thara, he had always felt pretty alone here on Earth. Now, he felt a little less so. He had just met Kon, but the way Superboy had reached out to him made him feel that this was the beginning of something great.
Thara stirred from her bed. "Lor? I mean - Chris? You're up already?"
"Yeah, just decided to get a little air before breakfast. How'd you sleep?"
"Okay. It's just kind of overwhelming. Being here on Earth, not having to worry about protecting Kandor anymore...do you think this will ever feel normal?"
Chris smiled. "Eventually. But the best thing about this planet...we've got friends here."
Chris and Thara headed out of their room for breakfast, as Chris made a mental note to take Kon up on his offer for TTK training as soon as he could get away.
Author: milleniumrex
Fandom: Superman
Rating: G
Characters: Kon-El (Conner Kent), Lor-Zod (Chris Kent), Thara Ak-Var
Words: 1323
Summary: After the Crises pass, Kon seeks out a fellow Superboy.
Author's Notes: Contains spoilers for Legion of 3 Worlds #4, as well as the current run of Action Comics. This fic is set in the future, and a lot of it is fanon as to how things shape up after New Krypton concludes.
Chris rolled over in bed as the morning sun peeked through the bedroom window. It was hard to believe it was actually over. Alura, Zod, Ursa and their loyalists had been sent packing to the phantom zone, war between Earth and Krypton had been averted, and the majority of the Kryptonians had set out to find a home in space, far away from Earth. Ever since he had arrived on Earth as a boy, it seemed like the specter of destruction had always been looming overhead. This was the first time it seemed like his future was actually his to control. Sure, he had lost ten years of his life, aging from 6 to 16 as a result of his exposure to the Phantom Zone, but he had gained so much more. Friends, allies, and a real family. He looked over at Thara, who was still sleeping on the other side of the room. She'd had to grow up so fast, fighting to defend Kandor while she was still a girl herself. As happy as he was for his own new beginning, he was just as happy for hers. During their time on the run as Nightwing and Flamebird, he'd come to think of her as a sister.
Chris was snapped out of his thoughts by a slight tapping on the glass. He looked outside, but nothing was there. Then he saw the post-it note taped to the side of the window.
"Roof. See you there."
For a minute, Chris wondered if he should wake up Thara for backup, or even let Clark know. But something told him the mysterious visitor didn't want to fight. Slipping into his Nightwing costume, he flew up to the roof.
"Wow, kid. I heard you grew up quick, but I didn't expect this."
Chris whirled around to see a slightly older teenager with dark hair wearing a Superboy t-shirt grinning at him. He recognized him instantly. It was Conner Kent, aka Superboy. The young hero who died saving the world. The guy he always tried to live up to.
"Wow. You're...Superboy. I heard you were back, but things were so crazy, that..."
"Yeah, intergalactic war and all that. Didn't get to drop by until now. I wanted to see who's been filling my shoes while I was gone."
Chris felt his face going red. "Filling your shoes? No way, I was just trying to do what I can, and - "
Kon laughed. "Relax. A guy saves the multiverse once, and the rookies get all skittish around him. I just figured we should talk. Superboy to Superboy."
"Wow. Okay, sure! Maybe I should just let my mom and dad know - "
"It's not like we're far away. So, you're staying with Clark and Lois, huh?" Kon sat down on the edge of the building. "How's that working out for you?"
"Oh, it's great. They took me in when I was six, for a little before I went back to the phantom zone. I was really scared after the whole thing with the aging that they wouldn't want me back, but they didn't seem to care. They even let Thara stay with them too, after they found out her parents died on Krypton."
"Huh. So...Clark's doing the mentor/dad thing now? That's surprising." Kon looked away.
"He didn't used to? What did you do when you were just starting out?"
"Oh, you know. The usual. Hang out in Hawaii, date beach bunnies, fight giant sharks." Kon grinned. "After a while, it all started getting too much, and Clark had me live with his parents in Smallville. They helped me out a lot."
"That's great. I'd love to meet them."
Kon looked away sadly. "His dad died while I was...away. It really sucks. I hate that I never got to tell him how much he helped me. He never got to find out I was alive."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too. But you know, you're lucky Clark is looking out for you. He's a great guy, usually."
"Did you talk to him? Since you came back?"
"Nah. Well, a little right after everything in the 30th century, but we've been carefully avoiding each other since then. We didn't exactly have the best relationship."
"You should talk to him. I mean, everyone changes, right? He's probably sorry he missed out on that chance with you."
"Look who's playing teen psychologist." Kon laughed as he ruffled Chris' hair. "Burger? Trust me - whatever Lois said, we're Kryptonian. Our metabolisms can take all the bad fast food Earth dishes out."
Chris grabbed the burger and bit into it, savoring the greasy taste. Kon bit into his own, and there was a moment of silence.
"So...we should talk about the elephant in the room."
"Elephant? I thought those were only at the zoo."
"Nah, I'm talking about the one big thing we've got in common. Our dads. The ones we don't like to talk about."
"Oh." Chris realized he had suddenly lost his appetite. "Do...we have to talk about him?"
"No, but I figured it might help. I mean, your dad is General Zod. World-conquerer and scourge of the Kryptonian empire. That's got to be a little scary."
"You think?" Chris said. "I feel like I've been running from him my whole life. And even if he is gone for good...will I ever really be free of him? I mean, he's in my blood. And my mom's not exactly great either. I was lucky enough to get the best adoptive dad in the world. That's who I want to be like. But what if Zod's too strong to get away from?"
"Yeah, and that'll always be scary. But you can use that. You remember how strong he is...and you be stronger. You keep remembering who you are, and the people you love, and he'll never be strong enough. I don't let many people know this, but...my other half is Lex Luthor."
"The evil bald mad scientist? Really?"
"Yeah. And he's made some seriously messed up attempts to gain control of me. He even made me hurt my friends." Kon shook his head. "But they didn't turn on me. They didn't care where my DNA was from, just who I was. And that's what I wanted to tell you. You've already got some great friends here. And if you ever need to talk about mutual dad issues, the stresses of being a teen hero, or anything else...you've got me."
"Thanks. Being here on Earth again...it's great, but it's also kind of scary. I could use another friend."
"And hey, you've got Tactile Telekinesis, right? One of these days, I'll take you to the beach and show you all about how to use it." Kon winked. "All the tricks Superman doesn't want you to know."
---------------
Chris flew back into the apartment. It was just about the time he would get up normally, so no one knew he had been gone. His head was spinning with everything he had learned about Kon. Even with Clark, Lois, and Thara, he had always felt pretty alone here on Earth. Now, he felt a little less so. He had just met Kon, but the way Superboy had reached out to him made him feel that this was the beginning of something great.
Thara stirred from her bed. "Lor? I mean - Chris? You're up already?"
"Yeah, just decided to get a little air before breakfast. How'd you sleep?"
"Okay. It's just kind of overwhelming. Being here on Earth, not having to worry about protecting Kandor anymore...do you think this will ever feel normal?"
Chris smiled. "Eventually. But the best thing about this planet...we've got friends here."
Chris and Thara headed out of their room for breakfast, as Chris made a mental note to take Kon up on his offer for TTK training as soon as he could get away.