Chapter 48: Welcome Home Jon.

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(Jon's P.O.V)

Washing dishes wasn't hard, and was even calming and the perfect way to spend time with Ma who I'd missed over the last few weeks. But truth be told, my attention was split.

My hands moved on autopilot, scrubbing a plate that had been clean for a while now.

I clearly registered the warm water running over my fingers and the distant clatter of spoons and ceramic, as mom dried and arranged the clean untensils, while she told me about work. Almost too clearly. With the awakening of Ki, Oneness was effectively on at all times now.

Silmuteneously I kept thinking back to earlier today.

After Raven and I quelled the riots and repaired the damage with a combination of our powers, we left Belle Reve at Dawn for Themyscira.

Raven had been a massive help, the rest I could do was escort her back.

We had flown silently for a couple hours, simply enjoying each other's company and the rising sun which I'd missed during my incarceration.

By the time we neared the home of the Amazons, I'd recharged my solar reserves to a sufficient degree. Surprisingly, the energy limit of what my solar cells could hold had increased exponentially, making my Kryptonian powers even stronger.

I made a note to schedule a power test and see what I could really do.

Passing through a shimmering protective veil, a paradise was revealed to my front. Raven and I had shared a look as we flew past our rocky training island, before descending towards Themiscyra.

The waves had been crashing against the cliffs, the salt-heavy wind ruffling the edges of my white Dagger blazer.

The Amazons, armed with sharp pointy weapons, watched us, particularly me, like Hawks as I hovered beside Raven on the sandy shore. My soles had been an inch above ground, technically abiding by their long standing rule of 'Men are forbidden to set foot on Themiscyra'.

Raven had been quiet for most of the flight, lost in thought, and when I turned my eyes away from the hostile immortal warrior women to finally look at her, I had noticed her fingers grazing the gemstone embedded in her forehead.

"It's reacting," she had said.

I frowned. "Reacting to what?"

She exhaled, her violet eyes flickering with something I hadn't seen in them before—hesitation. "I don't know. Ever since we left the Belle Reve, it's been fluctuating. It's never done this before, Jon. And I have a feeling… something is coming. You have to be careful."

A cold weight settled in my stomach.

Raven wasn't the kind of person to get spooked easily. If she was saying this, it meant something serious was happening.

'We don't need this right now. One Evil God is already too much to deal with.'

But instead of letting that fear sink in, I channelled Dagger and deflected.

I smirked, nudging her arm. "You sure it's not reacting because I'm just so ridiculously good-looking?"

She deadpanned. "Jon."

"Okay, okay." I lifted my hands in surrender before my smirk softened. "I'll be careful. You too. And Raven? Thank you for everything. I couldn't have pulled what we did alone."

I knew she downplayed her role but Raven was the reason my plan had gone smoothly. From awakening the seeds to dealing with Waller. Most importantly, she kept me sane.

She nodded, though she still didn't look convinced. "Sure. Anyway you should get going before my sisters make up a reason to shoot at you. We'll continue our lessons during the week."

"Right. Our 'lessons,'" I mused.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"If we're already making plans," I said, trying to sound casual. "Might as well add a date to the schedule. I did promise."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I like you Rachel Roth, and this is me asking you out." I told her completely serious.

For a long moment, she just stared at me, like she was analyzing every word, every intention. Then, finally, she let out a sigh, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"One date," she had muttered. "Before the world inevitably crumbles, fine."

I had grinned. "I'll text you the date. You won't regret it."

"I already do."

I barely managed to hold back a chuckle at the memory before my mom's voice snapped me back to reality.

"You're distracted," she said.

I blinked, looking up to see my mom rinsing a glass, smirking like she already knew the answer to the question she was about to ask.

"What?"

"You've been scrubbing that plate for three minutes."

I quickly set it aside. "Just thinking."

She hummed knowingly, that smirk growing. "Uh-huh. Thinking about a girl, maybe?"

I stiffened, which only made her smirk even wider.

"Nope," I lied, too quickly.

Mom gave me an unimpressed look before rolling her eyes. "You're a terrible liar."

"And you're a nosy mom."

I replied, quickly drying my hands and making my escape before she could press further.

"Comes with being an award winning reporter." Her laughter carried to my ears as I ran up the stairs.

After a much needed shower, I stood naked in front of the mirror in my room, letting the steam curl around me as I took a good look at myself.

I had grown.

I was almost sixteen, but I looked older—taller, leaner and had the outline of veins in places where there hadn't been before. My muscles had gained more shape, my frame broader, and my skin…

It was glowing.

Not in an obvious, blinding way, but there was a subtle golden hue to it, another evidence that my body was absorbing the sun's energy more efficiently than before.

I rolled my shoulders, flexed my fingers, and took a deep breath.

I felt stronger.

Faster.

More… aware.

I was still staring at my reflection when the familiar hum of a Psionic mind zipped through my open window.

"Jon! You're really back!"

M'gann—still disguised as me—floated inside and gave me a tight hug, before she suddenly backed away with a blush, realizing I was completely naked.

"Sorry."

I shrugged. "Don't sweat it. It's nothing you haven't seen or touched for the last couple weeks."

She studied me for about two seconds before letting out a loud, exaggerated groan.

"Yeah, okay, I definitely can't copy you anymore," she huffed, dropping on the bed. "Your muscles are too defined now. Even your voice sounds deeper. This is sooo unfair."

Hello Puberty.

I snorted, grabbing a towel to dry my hair. "Guess I'm finally outgrowing my stunt double. In all ways."

She opened her mouth to retort, but then her eyes dropped to my crotch and actually took in the fact that I was right—and she immediately covered her face. "Please put some clothes on."

I smirked. But instead of teasing her about it, I decided to try something new while getting dressed.

("Thanks for covering for me these past few weeks.")

M'gann jumped, her hands flying to her temples as she stared at me in shock. "Jon?! Did you just—?"

("Speak directly into your mind? Yeah. Guess I picked up a new trick.")

She shook her head with a small laugh. "You're full of surprises, you know that?"

"You're one to talk," I chuckled, pulling on a shirt.

M'gann shifted back into her Martian form, smiling warmly. "You're welcome, by the way. It was actually kinda fun being you."

I raised a brow. "That so?"

She smirked. "Your mom didn't even notice it wasn't you."

I winced. "Yikes. Let's not tell her that."

M'gann giggled before gesturing to the window. "Ready to head to the base? The others are all there."

I grabbed my jacket. "Let's go."

As we took off into the air, I noticed Ma watching us from below, her arms crossed as she muttered to herself.

"Miss Martian, huh? Not bad."

Haha not even close, nosy mom. Also, you want Connor to punch me?

-0-

The second I stepped out of the Zeta tube and into Mount Justice, an explosion of confetti hit me in the face.

"SURPRISE!!"

I blinked, startled, as the entire team grinned at me, streamers and decorations set up like it was someone's birthday.

"They sent me," M'gann whispered guiltily, "because I could shield my mind and keep the party a secret. Sorry."

Which means they already knew about my Psionic abilities. Batman obviously.

I shook my head, brushing the confetti out of my hair, a smile lighting up my face at the sight of my friends, standing below a banner with 'Welcome home Superboy' in bold. "You guys really didn't have to—"

"Oh, we did," Wally said, slinging an arm around me. "You got locked up in Belle Reve for weeks! That's prime welcome-home-party material."

Robin smirked. "Besides, we figured you'd rather walk in on a party than an interrogation. The former has cake, food and drinks the latter, a small room with red sun radiation."

Translation: You're going to tell us EVERYTHING.

"Fair point."

We caught up quickly, the team filling me in on their latest missions, what I had missed, and how things had been running without me. Turns out I'd missed a lot.

The Bialyan mission where the Team lost their memories, prompting Batman to send in Supergirl as back up, which led to her being offered a probationary position in the team.

The Tower of Fate mission where the team run in to Abracadabra and Klarion the Witch boy, whose jaw Kara broke in frustration.

"That jerk deserved it mmph!" Was all Kara said when I looked her way. And I couldn't argue.

Eventually, the topic of Red Arrow came up.

"He's in rehab," Aqualad said, crossing his arms. "Martian Manhunter and the League are trying to undo the brainwashing."

I exhaled. "Good. He deserves a second chance." I didn't like him but Roy was a victim just as much as Kara.

"What about the original Roy? Any news?" I asked and Aqualad, Robin and Kid looked glum.

"No. We've been searching for other cadmus bases but nothing has turned up so far." Artemis answered, placing a hand on Kid's shoulder. "But now that the whole team's back together, it's only a matter of time."

"And Belle Reve? You didn't tell us what happened after Waller was arrested." Wally asked, changing the subject.

"Dr. Harleen's in charge for now," I said, leaning against the couch. "The government's figuring out a replacement, but honestly? They'll probably just let her keep the position permanently."

The team exchanged looks.

"So you left the prison in the hands of someone who knows nothing about running a Prison?" Robin asked.

I shrugged. "She's a Psychiatrist with experience handling crazies. And she's smart too. Trust me, she'll be fine. And if anything comes up, I gave her my number."

It was easy to argue against the logic of it, but as always, my team trusted me.