A/N: Sorry for the delay; life's been pretty busy for me lately. Anyway, here's the last chapter :)
STAR CITY
December 25, 13:40 EST
Dinah lay on her back, her body spent, her breathing heavy, and her muscles pleasurably sore. She smiled in contentment, thinking back to how quickly Conner had been able to get the hang of it – it being sex. Those G-Gnomes did a damn good job on him. Looks? Check. Brains? Check. Good in bed? Check.
Despite her initial reservations about sleeping with a teenager, all her fears and doubts had vanished the instant she'd seen all five-foot-seven-inches of his gorgeousness in the nude. It was insane, really, how ridiculously hot he was. Yet, he also made her feel sexy and beautiful and safe and protected – which was kind of ironic, considering she was older.
Throughout their entire morning of wild, passionate lovemaking, Dinah hadn't held back at all or felt guilty about it. As she traced imaginary circles on his swoon-worthy chest with her fingertip, a purr of satisfaction escaped her lips. Who knew sex with a teenage superbeing could be so incredibly mind-blowing?
"Wow, that was just…wow," the other occupant of the bed observed dazedly. Conner was at a loss to describe the phenomenal experience they had shared together.
Dinah giggled. "My thoughts exactly. Thank goodness it's Saturday."
He grinned like a little boy. "Which means we still have Sunday to stay in all day."
"All day?" she echoed, arching one eyebrow. "Slow down, Tiger."
Conner blushed furiously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—I just thought you'd want—"
"Oh, relax, I was just teasing you." Dinah chuckled in amusement. "I also wish this weekend could last forever. You and me, in bed…. Clark would completely freak out if he knew." She suddenly became quiet and her smile slipped, as if something were troubling her.
"How are we going to tell everyone about…about us?" he asked, reading her thoughts.
She sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea."
"Maybe we should just keep it a secret."
Dinah shook her head. "They're bound to find out. It would be a lot better for us to come clean right away."
They didn't say anything for a while before she broke the silence.
"You know what? Let's stop worrying about the future and just enjoy the present." Dinah got up from the bed, not bothering to cover any part of her flawless body. She gave him her most smoldering look. "I've always wanted to try it on a motorcycle…"
Conner didn't need to be told twice. In the next second, she was literally swept off her feet.
MOUNT JUSTICE
January 3, 17:55 EST
"Hey, man, good to see you again!" Wally greeted him enthusiastically with a fist bump.
Conner grinned. It was nice to be with his friends again.
"Do anything new or exciting?" Robin asked.
Here goes nothing. "Actually…yeah, I did."
M'gann clapped her hands together. "Ooh, what'd you do? Let me guess. You went snowboarding, didn't you?"
"Uh, no."
"Skiing?" Artemis chimed in.
"Nope."
"You got a car?" Wally asked.
"Dinah – I mean, Black Canary – and I are dating," Conner finally blurted out so that he wouldn't have to entertain any more of their wild guesses.
Letting out a whoop, Wally punched the air with his fist. He held out his hand to Artemis. "Cough up the fifty bucks."
"I'll get it to you tomorrow," Artemis grumbled under her breath.
Conner furrowed his brow. They had placed bets on Dinah and him? That was just plain creepy.
M'gann, Dick, Aqualad, Zatanna, and Rocket looked at one another, unsure of what to say. It couldn't have been a joke; there was no way Superboy would've joked about something like his.
"Um, congratulations?" Zatanna offered, not quite meeting his gaze.
"I hope you guys are happy together," Aqualad added awkwardly.
Conner crossed his arms over his chest. "Why don't you guys just spit it out already?"
Dick fiddled with his hands nervously. "Spit what out?"
Rocket rolled her eyes. "Oh, you guys are all wimps." She turned to Conner. "What I'm – we're – trying to say is that you're kind of, well, young for her."
The Boy of Steel scowled. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Kid Flash clapped him on the back. "Ignore them, all right? They're just jealous of you. The dudes, I mean," he added with a wink.
Artemis elbowed him in the ribs, earning a yowl.
"Sorry, Conner, we didn't mean to make you mad," M'gann said apologetically. "If you're happy with Black Canary, then we're happy for you. Right, guys?"
"Right," everyone chorused.
Suddenly, Batman's voice rang out through the intercom, interrupting their conversation. "Team, report for mission briefing.
Conner's revelations weren't mentioned again that day.
THE WATCHTOWER
January 3, 18:31 EST
The meeting had come to a close. The League members were preparing to file out of the JLA conference room when Dinah cried out, "Wait."
Everyone stopped in their tracks, taken aback by her sudden outburst.
Superman regarded her with confusion. "Is there something you'd like to say, Dinah?"
They looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on.
Way to be melodramatic, Di, she berated herself, flushing profusely. There's nothing to be scared of. Come on, you've faced terrorizing aliens the size of monster dump trucks. These are your friends. They won't judge you. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course they're gonna judge me!
Dinah cleared her throat a few times. "There's something all of you need to know. Conner and I…" She stuffed her sweaty palms into her jacket pockets. "We're, um…we're sort of, you know…in a relationship."
Wonder Woman gave her a strange look. "Yes, we're all aware that you're his combat mentor."
"No, what I mean is…we're dating."
Stunned silence greeted her admission. Then, there was laughter.
Everyone glared at Captain Marvel, who was giggling like the ten-year-old boy he actually was.
"You find that amusing, Billy?" Dinah asked evenly.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to insult you or anything," he said, trying hard not to smile. "I just think it's kind of funny that you used to date Green Arrow, who's eight years older than you, and now you're dating Superboy, who's eight years younger than you."
Ollie uncomfortably shifted from one boot-clad foot to the other. Some of the other League members quietly chuckled in amusement.
Hawkwoman scoffed. "This has got to be a joke. You do realize April Fools' is still three months away, right?"
"It's no joke," Clark said absentmindedly. "I saw them in bed together." Damn it, did I really just say that out loud?
Everybody gasped.
"You…saw us?" Dinah queried, her voice trembling.
Clark sighed. "I'm really sorry. It happened about a week ago. You weren't answering your door, so I kind of used my x-ray vision…"
Dinah's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, my God. I'm mortified."
"Believe me, so am I," he muttered.
"This is unacceptable, Dinah," Batman announced firmly. "Conner is only sixteen. The fact that he's your student makes it even more inappropriate."
Hal Jordan was the next person to speak. "Whoa, let's hold on a second before we just start judging. Sixteen is the age of consent in a lot of states. Besides, it's not like Dinah's some creepy forty-year-old cougar or something."
Canary frowned. "Thanks, Hal…I think."
"He's still just a teenager," Bruce shot back. "He doesn't have the maturity to be in a relationship with a woman in her twenties. In case you haven't noticed, Conner can be quite volatile."
"Well, Dinah's the one who actually helped him learn to control his temper," Hawkwoman pointed out. "Maybe this will be good for him."
The caped crusader sighed in exasperation. "Have you all lost your mind? Clark, say something."
"I don't want to get in the middle of this," Superman protested.
Bruce narrowed his eyes at him. "Too bad, because you're his father."
To everyone's surprise, Clark didn't contradict his statement. "Okay, look, here's my opinion. I think Dinah and Conner should be together if they want."
"No matter what happens, it's going to end badly," Bruce countered. "And if it ends badly, it's bad for the Team and the League."
"Let's vote," Wonder Woman suggested. "Otherwise, we're just going to keep arguing in circles."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Dinah, would you please leave the room?" she asked politely.
STAR CITY
January 3, 22:19 EST
The arrangement of candles cast a soft glow on the bathroom. Conner sat in the bathtub opposite Dinah, who was sipping a glass of champagne while reading Harper's Bazaar. The tub was somewhat small, so they were forced to sit with their legs intertwined.
Not that either of them were complaining.
"When are we gonna talk about it?" Conner said suddenly.
It was clear that he was referring to their conversations with their respective colleagues.
Dinah peered at him over the top of her magazine with a wry smile. "Did you have to bring this up during our relaxing bath?"
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I would have brought it up during dinner, but I was…sort of distracted at the time."
"Ah, so you discovered my evil plot to divert you by playing footsie with you," she joked.
"I-I didn't mind," he stammered.
Flustered Conner was just too cute. "All right, we'll talk about it if you want," Dinah offered with a sigh. She put her magazine aside. "I told the League about us, and they decided to put it to a vote. It was split thirteen to six in favor of me being allowed to 'pursue a romantic and sexual relationship with Superboy.' " Those had been Wonder Woman's exact words.
He cringed at the wording.
"My thoughts exactly," Dinah remarked with a shrug. "It was the most awkward meeting ever. But the good news is, they gave us their blessing. Well, not Batman, but hopefully, he'll come around eventually. So tell me about your day. How did your peers react to the news?"
Conner reclined in the bathtub, putting his hands behind his head. "They were pretty surprised, to say the least." He crinkled his brow. "I think Wally and Artemis made bets on us."
"What?" she exclaimed. "Wait, actually, don't tell me. I don't even want to know."
"But the Team is being supportive," he added. "Though they're treating me differently now."
"Same here," Dinah said softly. "But we both knew that was inevitable."
"I hope you don't think" – he swallowed nervously – "that this was a mistake."
"You mean being with you?
Conner nodded, lowering his eyes.
To his surprise, Dinah leaned forward and captured his lips in a tender kiss. "I will never regret taking a risk to be with you," she assured him with a smile. "You've made me happier than I ever could've imagined. I love you, Conner." She pressed her face into his chest.
Conner brightened up instantly. He felt like picking her up and twirling her around and around.
But that could wait. For now, he was content to enjoy their soothing bath and bask in the wondrous feeling of being loved – truly loved – for the very first time.
A/N: And that's where it ends. Hope you enjoyed, and thanks to everyone who read and reviewed.