"What the hell…"
Kara's voice slipped out before she could stop it.
The entire room turned.
They were all gathered at Titans Tower now—fresh from the Hall of Justice, still processing everything that had happened. The tension hadn't faded, just… moved. And Kara, standing stiffly near the entrance, looked like she'd just been hit with another shockwave.
Nightwing tilted his head. "Kara? What's wrong?"
She blinked, realized everyone was looking at her, and immediately shook her head. "Nothing," she said quickly, a nervous blush coloring her cheeks. "Just… something someone said earlier. It's nothing."
Nightwing nodded slowly, clearly not buying it but not pressing further.
"Alright," he said, redirecting attention. "Everyone, this is Cain Dawn. Some of you saw him at the Hall, some of you already know what he's been through. He's not only earned our respect—he deserves our support."
He gestured around the room. "Those of you who know what happened—give him some space. And give him a chance."
Cain looked around the room. His internal monologue stirred quietly.
This is weird… he thought. I barely recognize anyone from the original team.
He could name them—sure. From comics, from media, from the League's digital records. But seeing them in person?
It was different.
Very different.
There stood Atom Eve, her red hair pulled back, her eyes curious and calculating. Aqualad—Jackson Hyde—stood near the wall, arms crossed, posture guarded. Tempest, more stoic, was speaking in low tones to Robin—Tim Drake. Static hovered near Cyborg, the two deep in a tech conversation.
Then there was Bumblebee, hovering at eye level, a look of amused suspicion on her face.
Cain stepped forward and gave a small nod.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said. "I know I've been thrown into this… fast. But I'm hoping I can learn from each of you. I've got a lot to catch up on—and if I'm going to be here, I want to earn it."
Some smiles.
A few nods.
Then Cain's eyes slid to Kara.
She was watching him.
And blushing.
Which made him blush.
What the hell is going on between us? he thought. Why does it feel like my whole chest gets tight when she looks at me?
Before Kara could speak, another voice cut in.
"Hey," said Samantha Wilkins, stepping forward.
Cain blinked. Wow.
Even in his past life, he'd seen panels and adaptations of Atom Eve. But none of them did her justice. Samantha in person had a presence—strong, confident, with a soft fire behind her eyes that made her both brilliant and approachable.
She held out a hand.
"Samantha. I think we go to the same college," she said. "And I intern at your mom's company."
Cain smiled and shook her hand. "Yeah, I remember. I was the one who approved your internship."
Her brows lifted in surprise, then a smile spread across her face. "Really? I didn't know that. Well… thank you."
"You earned it," Cain said. "Your application was sharp. And the reviews from your professors were impressive."
She gave a little laugh. "Still… I appreciate it. Your mom's company is one of the few honest ones in this industry. And from what I hear, you've been keeping it that way. It's… admirable."
Cain's smile softened. "That means a lot. Thanks."
There was a brief pause. They just looked at each other.
Samantha tilted her head, smirking slightly. "If you ever need a study partner… let me know."
Cain laughed. "You read my mind."
He pulled out his phone. "Here—let's trade numbers."
She nodded and pulled hers out, and they exchanged contact info.
Somewhere behind them, Kara folded her arms tighter across her chest, her expression unreadable.
Samantha caught on quickly. She glanced at Kara, saw the red in her cheeks, the tightness in her jaw, and the flash of irritation in her blue eyes. She gave me a quick smile and excused herself before anything could get awkward.
"I'm gonna go catch up with Karen and Virgil to talk Star Labs internships," she said smoothly, then turned and strode away with that same quiet confidence.
I didn't even have a chance to breathe before Kara stepped in. "We need to talk," she said, voice clipped, eyes hard. The thing I knew, she was leading me down the hall, moving so fast I barely registered the other Titans as we passed.
We entered her room, one of the newer dorms on this wing of the Tower. It was… tidy. Sharp. Clean lines and smooth white walls interwoven with bands of glowing crystal tech. Kryptonian. Modified. A blend of futuristic alien hardware retrofitted into Earth-standard appliances.
My eyes scanned the room quickly. A few keepsakes. A charging terminal. A window that adjusted opacity based on mood. Of course it does.
I kept my thoughts to myself, but inside, I was thinking about something I'd always knew from the comics, shows, and reports: Kara had the hardest adjustment out of any Alien coming to Earth. She wasn't a baby like Kal-El when she landed—she was a teenager. A fully aware citizen of a highly advanced world is suddenly dumped into our analog society.
Like being from 2025 and forced to live in someone's idea of 1970. "How's the cultural downgrade going?" I asked, trying to break the ice.
She gave me a small look, almost tired. "Still not used to doing things your way. Everything takes so long. So inefficient. So… physical." She motioned to her dresser, her bed, her journal or tablet. "On Krypton, we just think, and the tech responds. Here? I have to charge a phone."
Her tone was flat. She wasn't looking for sympathy. But I got it. She sat on the edge of her bed and looked at me, her expression shifting from frustrated to serious. "But I didn't bring you here for that. We need to talk about what happened the other night."
I nodded, leaning against the wall. "Yeah. I figured this was coming." She exhaled. "Kelex scanned me, I mean, one of Superman's helper robots. I asked him to check if something was wrong. And he said—well, what's wrong is… you."
I tilted my head. "What exactly did he say?" "That you triggered something in me. Biologically. That I'm… reacting to your Viltrumite pheromones. He said I'm ovulating." Which doesn't normally happen for my people anymore because we have reproduced for so long with cloning. Except for my cousin, who was made the old-fashioned way.
I winced. "Yeah. I figured as much." Her eyes widened. "Wait—you knew?" "I've known most of this since I was 14," I said with a small shrug. "Minus the Kryptonian part. That was news." Her face twisted. "How do you 'know' about alien mating pheromones at fourteen?"
I smirked. "That was my version of the birds and the bees." "The what and the what?" "My sex talk. You know, the awkward conversation all parents dread?" She rolled her eyes, but then narrowed them. "And despite knowing all that, you haven't exactly been… careful."
I looked down for a second, then met her gaze.
"I thought I'd dodged the Viltrumite bullet. For five years, nothing happened. No flight. No increased aggression. Just my metagene. I figured maybe I got lucky. Then you showed up—and boom." She blinked. "Wait… are you saying I'm the reason your powers awakened?"
I stepped forward, unconsciously closing the gap between us. "Looks that way." Kara didn't move but she suddenly realized just how close we were. Our chests nearly touched. Our breath mingled. Only fabric separated us.
Her cheeks flushed red.
She stepped back quickly. "We need to stay away from each other." "Agreed," I said, raising both hands. "Problem is… you're one of the only people on this planet who can keep up with me in a sparring session. Training. Missions. Whenever I decide to stay here, you're one of the few people on the planet who can help push me to get stronger."
Kara looked away, frustration painting her features. "I know. That's what makes this harder."
I tried not to smile, but I was fighting impulses too primal to ignore. I fight the idea to rip her clothes off and bend her over. My body was humming like I'd downed lightning. Every cell was screaming to close the gap again.
She could feel it too.
"We have to do our best," she said, walking to her desk and gripping it like an anchor. "If we lose control, Rao knows what might happen."
"I'll stay out of your orbit," I said, already backing toward the door. "Promise."
The door slid open. I turned, grateful for the cool air in the hallway.
And that's when I nearly collided with Bumblebee.
Karen's gaze dipped immediately.Right to the growing, very visible bulge in my pants.
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh my… You might want to handle that before someone else gets the wrong idea."
Then she winked and strutted past like it was just another Tuesday. "Thanks, Karen," I muttered, pressing a fist to my forehead. I made a sharp turn and marched down the corridor to the training room. I needed to hit something hard. Good thing this place had equipment rated for Kryptonians.