Young Justice and Their Grandmother

Apotheosis

-finally updated lol. Get ready for some climactic Kryptonian whatnot-

To be fair, Clark hadn't been excepting a particularly warm reception, but he'd hoped some time with ma, and the focus on returning their friend, would have the kids acting civil.

He, of course, was horribly mistaken.

"Oh, fuck me." Artemis shouted as he touched down, tightening her bow on the porch. "Guess who's here?" She shouted into the doorway.

"UGH! No! Not him!" Someone-- Wally-- yelled from inside. 

Clark winced; in his own childhood home. That was just cruel of them. "I'm here!" He padded towards the house. "Ma?"

"Hello" His beautiful mother strode out down the porch. only when she was within ten feet of him did he realize she was not her usual doting self. "Don't you 'Ma' me, Clark Jonathan Kent."

Clark stepped back in an immediate sign of surrender. "Sorry?"

"Sweetheart, children, back inside and eat your dinner while I talk to Clark." She told the teens assembling in the doorway to watch.

"Robin, camera!" Artemis urged, sniffing hard as she rifled his jacket.

"All those plates will be clear when I reenter this house!" Ma snapped.

The children scattered from sight, leaving Clark alone to his morbid fate.

"Ma, I don't understand." Clark put his hands up to guard himself. "I thought we sorted things out over the phone."

"Well, Clark, I thought you told me the truth over the phone." The little old lady glared down at him with malice. "Do you care to explain why you still call you have been voting against your own son?"

"What?"

"Don't play innocent with me, son. Richard showed me everything."

What was everything? what did Dick have? Hell, he was bat's kid, he probably had everything. But what did she mean by 'voting against'? "What did Dick show you?"

Ma scoffed and removed a scrap of paper from her apron. She adjusted her glasses. "July 7th: discussion of if superboy should be around the other sidekicks. 11 for, 5 against."

"I voted against, but I did because we didn't know if he was dangerous or not yet!"

"July 14th: discussion of if superboy should be allowed or encouraged to be in public. 8 for, 8 against. August 30th: discussion of if Superboy should be allowed to attend school. 9 for, 7 against." She flipped the page and continued reading. "January third: Discussion on whether Superboy's addiction deserves treatment. 6 for, 10 against... Would you like to tell me, Clark," she lowered the paper and pricked off her glasses. "Why you were on the against side of all these votes?"

"I--"

"He is a child, son. You are an adult." She sighed, breathing smoke. "Clark, please, take responsibility for this."

"Please, stop making it sound like that thing in my son." The man broke out, desperate in his tone. "Even if I had a hand in its creation, which I didn't, it's not mine!"

"It is exactly yours!"

"I don't want it." He pleaded. "Ma, It's violent! It's got nothing but hate for me!"

"HE just wants to know you." She growled. "HE is a person."

"How do you know? Has it-- he told you?" Clark corrected quickly. "...Its not right. You said he started smashing things just because you said you were related to me. It's not safe."

"Clark." She gave a heavy look of disappointment and bitterness. "Lord knows me and your pa did our best, but you need you to fix yourself." He flinched. "This is not about you. Go find that child, apologize, and offer him the name you picked out, if he'll have you."

"If he'll have me?"

"God knows you've put the poor baby through enough, he doesn't owe you forgiveness." She snapped, causing her son to shrivel in size. "I think this Superman life has changed you, Clark. I don't think you can remember a time when a person didn't thank you for breaking their legs.

"Clark, go find that poor boy and apologize to him. Right now."

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The children had insisted on leaving after eating, claiming that they would spread out 'just in case' Clark 'missed' him.

That left her alone, scared, restless, and certainly angry.

Martha sat, wringing her hands. She could do nothing, while god knows what was happening out there. There was a huge, Kryptonian-child running wild out there with a very short temper and tendency towards lashing out; by all reasonable measures, she should be worried about what he's doing, but she found herself more worried about his safety. The others had spoken about him getting himself into trouble and running off. 

Maybe she shouldn't have sent Clark; who'd abandoned his science-son at the first chance given, to find and bring him back. Oh, Martha knew that she couldn't stay mad at her son, but she decided to make the most of the burning feeling while it was present.

Who found they had a baby with super strength and didn't tell their own mother? And who abandoned that son without even offering it to loved ones first? The boy didn't seem overly dangerous; maybe a little unsettling, but not any more than your average 6-foot baby.

Yes, even if Clark had been so worried about Conner being dangerous, it was absurd to alienate him and not tell anyone. Martha and watched him grow up, did Clark really think she'd go fainting into the nearest armchair at the mere mention of the child? She was less scared of Conner than the so-called-man-of-steel was.

The woman sighed, maybe she should just keep him to himself. Was she equipped to do so? Not at all. Was she ready to put his life on hold to accommodate and essentially raise a traumatized, scared kryptonian? No. But it's not like she could leave the boy chasing after Clark for attention...

There was a quiet knock on the door. Maybe her son, but Martha couldn't help hoping it was the children, she wasn't mad at them.

Hoping for good news, she stood and paced to the door, heart already sinking. "Hello?" She pulled the door open, revealing the hulking figure before her.

Her grandson.

The clone said nothing, holding out a chipped blue plate, with large, trembling hands.

"Oh, baby, come inside."