Chapter 51: The First Date.

More advanced chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

(Jon's P.O.V)

I'd never been on a date before. Not a real one, anyway. Sure, there'd been awkward school dances and a few fleeting crushes, but nothing that had ever made my heart race like this.

And Raven—well, Raven wasn't just anyone. She was Raven. The kind of girl who made me want to pull out all the stops, even if I wasn't entirely sure what "all the stops" entailed.

With my capabilities, the possibilities were endless, but that only made the pressure worse. I had to get this right.

Adamo 2 was… a risk. I knew that. But according to the Fortress's data archives, it was also the furthest place from Earth I could take us with the Motherbox, and if there was one thing Raven deserved, it was something extraordinary.

The planet was breathtaking—endless fields of giant flowers, skies filled with iridescent butterflies, and twin blue suns casting a cool radiance over everything.

It was the opposite of her usual dark, brooding aesthetic.

"Of all the things I was expecting from you, Jonathan Kent," Raven said, her voice low and measured, "a planet of sunshine and flowers was definitely not one of them."

I winced, my hands fidgeting with the picnic basket I'd brought. "Uh-oh. Please don't tell me you hate it."

She tilted her head, her violet eyes narrowing as she shielded them from the suns' glare.

"Hate is a strong word," she said dryly. "I'm just not used to my ground being so… soft."

She stomped experimentally on the petal beneath her feet, which bounced slightly under her weight.

I chuckled nervously, setting the basket down and spreading out a red blanket. "Well, you're not exactly what I'd call 'girly,' but I figured I'd go big or go home."

"Thank you," she replied without missing a beat, her tone as flat as ever.

I grinned, shaking my head as I unpacked the sandwiches and drinks. The smell of Mom's special olive and cheese sandwiches filled the air, and I couldn't help but smile when Raven zeroed in on them like a hawk.

"Adamo 2," I began, slipping into what Raven called my 'history lesson' voice, "Thousands of years ago, the entire planet was embroiled in a genetic war that wiped out all sentient life. After recovering, the ecosystem evolved to be dominated by insects and, well… flowering plants."

Raven raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into the faintest hint of a smirk. "I feel like there's an ironic joke hidden somewhere here."

I grinned. "Oh, for sure. Think of this as me trying to bring a little more color to the doom and gloom that is your life."

She paused mid-bite, her eyes narrowing as she regarded me with a mix of suspicion and amusement. "I don't believe you."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Something's off," she said, setting the sandwich down. "You're acting strange. The sandwiches are amazing, and I can tolerate the overwhelming floral scent. I can even appreciate the view. But I can't accept that we had to leave the planet for our first date."

I hesitated, my shoulders slumping as I let out a long sigh. "Ugh, I hate when you do that. I make it a point to be cryptic and mysterious, you know. But… you're right. Most first dates are to the movies, not alien worlds hundreds of light-years away."

I sat down heavily on the blanket, running a hand through my hair. "To be honest, I might have used our date as an excuse to… escape everything."

Raven's expression softened, though her tone remained firm. "Explain."

I groaned, leaning back on my hands. "It's the team. After I decided to branch out, things got… tense. They're not talking to me."

Raven's lips twitched, though she kept her voice neutral. "Wow. That sounds tough."

"It's been a week," I muttered, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "You'd think they'd try to understand why we need two teams, but nooo, I'm suddenly the bad guy."

"Well, you are," Raven said matter-of-factly, popping another olive into her mouth.

I stared at her, incredulous. "What?"

"Think about it," she said, her tone infuriatingly calm. "They came to you about going off on your own without discussing it with the whole team, and then you turned around and did the exact same thing by deciding you no longer wanted to be part of It."

I opened my mouth to argue, then stopped. "That's… oh."

"You see the problem?" Raven asked, reaching for the last sandwich. She couldn't help it— Ma's recipes were 'that' good.

"I messed up," I admitted in a quieter voice. "But you have to agree, Rae-Rae. With the League soon to go off-world, someone needs to step in and take over protecting Earth."

"And that would be you?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism.

"No," I said, my gaze locking onto hers. "It would be us. I need you on my team, Rachel."

Raven blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in my voice.

"Look," I continued, leaning forward, "the team was built for black ops. They handle the missions that fly under the League's radar. What we need to set up is a symbol in the light. Think of us as Justice League-lite, only with the chains of morality loosened. We'll do what's right in every situation, not just what's correct."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Even if it means killing?"

My jaw tightened. "If it's to save the entire world? What's one bad apple to a billion?"

"That's dangerous talk, Jon," Raven said, her voice tinged with concern. "I've never heard you speak like this before. Are you alright?"

Instead of answering immediately, I turned my gaze to the horizon, where the flower fields stretched endlessly.

"A war is coming for Earth," I said after a beat, "and I think it's my fault."

Scratch that. I knew.

Raven's breath hitched, but she stayed silent, waiting for me to continue.

"If we're not prepared by the time it arrives, we'll lose everything. And I'm afraid of what I'll be forced to do to even the score." My voice carried a haunted echo, one that sent a shiver down my own spine.

For a moment, the only sound was the gentle rustle of the petals in the breeze.

Then Raven spoke, her voice subdued but steady. "Okay. I'll join your team. But you owe me a second date, mister. I can't believe I got all dressed up for nothing."

She gestured to the sleek black dress she wore, which clung to her figure in a way that made my cheeks flush.

Curvy just found it's definition.

"Not nothing," I said softly, closing the distance between us.

Before she could react, I leaned in and pressed a gentle, unexpected kiss to her lips. It was brief but left her flushed, my own lips tingling as I pulled away.

"You look beautiful, Raven," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

For once, Raven was at a loss for words.

Later, back at the base, I stood in the mission room, my stomach in knots.

The team was gathered around the table, their expressions a mix of confusion and irritation. I'd called them here under the guise of a mission from Batman, and now I had to come clean.

"What's this about, Jon?" Robin snapped, his fists clenched at his sides. "You drag us here under some fake mission, and now you're just—what? Showing up like nothing happened?"

'Shit. He called me Jon, not Kent.'

I took a deep breath, surveying the angry and hurt faces of my friends. It stung that I was the cause. "I know you guys are angry, and you have every right to be. But I needed you all here so I could apologize."

"Apologize?" Wally scoffed, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. "You've been ghosting us for a week, and now you think a simple 'sorry' is gonna fix everything?"

Technically, they were the ones that had been ghosting me but whatever.

"No," I said quickly, firmly but calm. "I don't expect it to fix everything. But I do owe you all an explanation. And an apology. I've been an asshole. I've been disrespectful, acting like I was the leader of this team when I'm not. I'm sorry for that, Kaldur. And I'm sorry for lying to get you here today. But it was the only way I could think of to get you to listen to me."

Robin's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. Out of everyone he was the most mad. "You don't get to decide when we're ready to talk to you, Jon. You turned your back on us. On me. On everything we've built. And now you're lying to us? I don't even know who you are anymore man."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I didn't flinch. Instead, I nodded, my shoulders sagging slightly. "I'm still your best friend Rob. And you're right. I messed up. And I'm not asking you to forgive me right away. But I am asking for a chance to explain myself."

The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

My hands raised in a placating gesture. "First, I need to tell you about the mission. I really got it from Batman so it's real, and it's important. But it might also be our last official mission together as a team."

The Brain's bio-genetic and illegal mutations experiments were next on the list. Which reminded me that I really needed to do something about the Light.

My words had their attention. Aqualad leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean, 'last official mission'?"

I hesitated, glancing at Raven, who gave me a subtle nod of encouragement. We'd discussed this at length and she'd helped me come to a decision that I hoped would satisfy everyone.

"I'm not leaving the team," I said carefully. "Not exactly. But I am stepping back from covert operations. And before you argue, let me explain why."

I took a deep breath, my gaze sweeping over the room. "The war happening out there in the universe—the one the League is gearing up to fight—it might have something to do with me. I think… I think I might be the reason it's coming to Earth."

The room erupted into murmurs, but I pressed on, my voice rising above the noise. "If that's true, then I have to take responsibility. I have to step up and protect this planet in a way that the League can't while they're off-world. But I can't do that while staying in the shadows with the team. That's not who we are. That's not who I am."

Artemis crossed her arms, expression still skeptical. "So what? You're just gonna go off and play hero on your own?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not leaving the team. I'm asking you to work with me in a different way. Think of it as… an overt operations counterpart to the team's covert operations. We'll still be part of the team, but we'll be apart in the sense that we'll be protecting the world in the light, while you handle the darkness in the shadows."

Robin's eyes widened slightly, and he leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're talking about creating a public-facing branch of the team."

"One that operates openly, while we continue to work behind the scenes." Connor, silent till now, surmissed the rest.

I nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Exactly. We'll be two sides of the same coin. The Team protects the world at night, and we'll protect it during the day. Together, we'll cover all the bases."

Kara frowned arms crossed over her chest. "And what happens if we don't agree to this? What if we think it's a bad idea?"

My smile faded, and I met her gaze head-on. "Then I'll respect your decision. But I hope you'll at least consider it. Because the truth is, we're stronger together. And with the war coming, we're going to need every advantage we can get."

Her frown gave way to a thoughtful look and the room fell silent again, the weight of my words settling over everyone.

Even Robin seemed to soften slightly, his shoulders relaxing as he let out a long breath.

Finally, Aqualad spoke, meeting my eyes. "This is a big decision Superboy. One we'll need to discuss as a team. But… I think it's worth considering."

I nodded, relief washing over me. "That's all I'm asking for. A chance to make this work. Together."

As the team began to discuss among themselves, I glanced at Raven, who gave me a small, approving nod. For the first time in days, I felt like I was finally on the right path.

Now, all I had to do after convincing the team to trust me, was to look for new team members.

With Raven and I, that made it 2. Where do I get the other-

"Screw it, let me join your side. It sounds like fun." Kara suddenly declared, surprising everyone.

All eyes turned to me.

The correct thing would have been to immediately accept. Kryptonians are a rare find these days.

However, I'd learned my lesson and instead did the Right thing to maintain the trust between me and everyone.

"We'll think about it." Raven interjected on my behalf, clashing gazes with Kara.

"Last I checked, he can speak for himself." Kara said icily, glaring at my number 2, who simply turned my way with a raised brow. "Jon?"

"Like she said, Auntie. We'll think about it." I voiced my support for Raven.

Kara growled and stormed off. "If you don't pick me I'll trash your room, dear 'Nephew'."

Robin's subtle grin my way and the mouthed words, 'you dirty dog' was the reassurance I needed to know that I still had my best friend.