The echo of his boots on the polished floor filled the silent hall as Leon searched for Superboy. He eventually stumbled into Superman emerging from a nearby room, Superboy trailing behind him.
Superboy looked noticeably better—his posture calmer, his expression lighter. Whatever turmoil he'd been through with M'gann seemed to have lessened, likely thanks to the influence of the ever-dependable Boy Scout.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "You're living here now?" he asked.
Superman caught the question's subtle tone and responded gently. "Conner is still learning—how to control his powers, and how to find balance. Once he's ready, I plan to take him home to Smallville. My parents would like to meet him." His eyes softened, flickering with what looked like gratitude toward Leon, perhaps recalling Leon's earlier reprimand that had shaken some sense into the young clone.
"You've picked a new name then?" Leon asked. "Conner sounds good."
Conner grinned, pride shining through his boyish excitement. "Yeah, my full name's Conner Kent." He spoke it like a child tasting something sweet for the first time—the weight of belonging in every syllable.
Leon's lips twitched upward in a faint nod before his gaze cooled slightly. "So... about that outburst before?"
Conner sighed but held Leon's gaze. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. I'll apologize to her."
That honesty caught Leon a bit off guard, but he quickly figured Superman must've helped nudge him in the right direction. "Good," Leon said with a short smirk. "Here I was thinking I'd get to use you as a punching bag again. But… maybe next time."
Superboy flinched—only slightly—but managed a sheepish smile as he rubbed his ear, clearly remembering what that kind of training could mean.
Then Superman turned to Leon. "I came here to talk to Conner... and to talk to you." His tone carried a deeper weight this time.
Leon tilted his head. "I'm guessing this is about the tail—and that whole 'alien ancestry' thing?"
Superman nodded steadily.
"Alright," Leon said after a pause. "Let's bring the others in on this. I'll let Raven know—this might take a while and maybe even involve some of the League, right?" He chuckled, half-amused at how this day was unfolding.
Superman, however, shook his head. "Easier if we handle this one-on-one."
Leon smirked. "Fair enough. But I doubt your 'itsy bitsy batsy' will resist sticking his nose in, so maybe we should just do it in front of him."
Superman chuckled softly. "I'll handle Batman. Consider this… an apology for my behavior earlier."
Leon's expression softened, and he nodded. "Alright then. Lead the way."
The two soon took off into the open sky, leaving the world's noise behind. They soared over the quiet harbor, the wind carrying only the rhythm of the waves below. Eventually, they landed atop a long bridge, where the sea reflected the orange bleed of the setting sun. Superman sat down first, patting the spot beside him.
Once seated, Leon spoke—his voice quieter now—as he recounted his story, his origins, everything that carved him into who he was. When he finally finished, a silence lingered, broken only by the wind and the creak of old steel.
After a time, Leon asked softly, "Do you ever miss them… your real parents? Even if you never really knew them?"
Superman—who had been quietly watching the sun dip beneath the horizon—turned his gaze toward Leon. "I've… actually met my father," he said after a pause. "Or rather, a piece of him. He left his consciousness as an AI in a Kryptonian ship I once found. We spoke. I saw his face, heard his voice. It wasn't truly him—but it was close enough to make me understand what I lost."
Leon gave a teasing grin. "Bragging much?"
Superman chuckled softly and shook his head. "No. What I mean is—yes, I do miss them. But it's not just the kind of missing where you wish they were here. It's deeper than that. It's like I was born incomplete—like someone took away a part of me before I'd ever known it was mine. I can live without it… but it never stops aching. There's an emptiness there—a silent reminder that some things were never meant to be filled."
Leon was quiet, thinking. "Kinda like finding out the girl you've been crushing on liked you too… only after she's gone?"
Superman laughed—a real, heartfelt laugh that broke the tension in the air. "Yeah," he said between smiles. "Exactly like that."
Leon joined him with a small chuckle before his gaze turned distant, drawn back to the horizon. "It's a messed-up feeling, you know. Being loved—truly loved—by your adoptive family, and yet something inside you still feels hollow. Not because they're lacking, but because your heart's greedy enough to want what it never had in the first place."
Superman's eyes softened. "We can't reclaim what was taken from us, Leon. The past doesn't give back what it steals. But we can build something new. Stronger, brighter. We can fill those missing spaces—not with what was lost, but with what we'll create next."
Leon stared at the fading light for a long moment before nodding slowly. The sun dipped below the sea, leaving the sky brushed in gold and violet. Two silhouettes remained on the bridge—one, the world's mightiest hero, the Man of Steel; the other, a young warrior still stepping into his destiny, soon to bear the title whispered among stars: the Prince of Saiyans.
In that shared silence, two lost sons of distant worlds found quiet understanding—not through blood, but through the shared ache of longing, and the unspoken promise to rise beyond it.
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(A;N : Check out my other fanfic In DC with a Tail !! Uploads at the same time as this one and I may need y'all help with power stones as we are just well above 60 if we can reach 150 by the end of this week I'll mass upload 20-30 chapters so help y'all miserable author out!)