Chapter 11

-[Star City]-

-[Dante]-

Walking back home from a convenient store, he had a few bags in his hands. Though he was mindful of his environment, his mind was occupied by other things.

He recalled his previous life, his relatively abusive father who expected nothing less than perfection from his son and his mother who he was told died after he was born.

Though he was meant to be sad or angry that he was ripped out of his own universe, he couldn't find it in him to feel that way. Despite the impending threats in the dc universe, he had one thing that he didn't have last time, a mother.

He almost laughed, realizing how corny or cliché it sounded. Most would laugh at him for something like that but for someone like him who didn't have a mother figure while growing up, Dinah was like a gift from heaven.

Whether or not it was due to her job as a therapist, the woman was understanding, letting him be himself without fear of repercussions.

He had come to genuinely appreciate her participation in his life. Though he wouldn't call himself a particularly moral person, he knew where to draw the line. He wasn't some kind of mass murderer who solved everything by killing but the world wasn't as simple as black and white or good and evil.

It was only a matter of perspective. His own perspective had been molded from an early age, a somewhat hypocritical perspective. If it came to it, he wasn't afraid of toeing the line…to protect his new family…

'To protect Dinah…' he pushed the thoughts out of his head as the apartment entered his sights. Dinah was too tired from work so he offered to do the shopping seeing as how he'd already been there before.

Upon arrival, he immediately noticed that the door was open, his eyes narrowing as he entered. Dinah was a hero so he wasn't worried about something like thugs getting to her or breaking into the apartment.

Closing the door behind him, he immediately realized why the door was open, feeling Green Arrow's mind inside.

"-ow do you expect me to feel? It's basically like you had a child with another man. It doesn't help that you spend most of your time with him." He heard the man's voice, pausing at that.

"Ollie, what are you trying to say?" Dinah's voice came, sounding tired and exasperated.

"When was the last time we went out since you took him in?" The man asked.

"I have a responsibility as his mother, he's my son." Dante couldn't help the happy feeling that spread through his body upon hearing that.

He carried the groceries to the kitchen, allowing his enhanced hearing to continue picking up the conversation.

There was a sigh from Green Arrow. "Look I get how you feel Dinah but try to understand how I feel about all of this."

"And I understand how you feel but you can't expect me to drop everything. Have you even spoken to him before?" There was silence as Green Arrow didn't speak.

"Did you know he likes painting?" More silence.

Painting was one of the few things he enjoyed in his previous life. It was an escape from the harsh world at the time. It also helped that he could now challenge himself by using only telekinesis to paint.

His room in the apartment had a few paintings in its corners, Dinah not hesitating to get him the necessary equipment and materials.

"Dinah, what's this really about?" Green Arrow asked, the silence this time coming from Dinah.

Just when he thought she wouldn't answer, she spoke. "I can't have kids."

There was a light gasp from Green Arrow and wide eyes from Dante who was eavesdropping but the woman continued. "I went for a check up a few weeks ago and it turns out I'll never be able to have kids, at least not naturally."

At this point, Dante intentionally reduced his hearing range, feeling that he had heard too much of what he wasn't supposed to hear. Dinah had given him everything she could without asking for anything in return, the least he could do was respect her privacy…that he had previously breached…

They were in there for a while after that, making him consider whether to take a stroll outside. Before he could make up his mind, the door to Dinah's room opened and Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen walked out with a somber expression.

As the man went for the exit, he and Dante made eye contact, neither of them saying anything to the other. In the end, Oliver frowned before exiting the apartment.

'Well that wasn't awkward at all.' Dante thought sarcastically.

Not a minute later, Dinah walked out of the room. Seeing Dante, she held a surprised expression. "Dante? How long have you been back?"

"I just got back a few minutes ago." He answered, lying just a bit.

She moved into the kitchen to inspect the items he bought. "I'm sorry you had to hear that." She said, catching him off guard.

"J'onn also has super hearing." She added with a small chuckle upon seeing his surprised expression.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop." He apologized, looking away.

"It's not your fault. You didn't ask for any of this. Honestly I wouldn't blame you if you resent me for being selfish about this." She said with a small sigh.

His head snapped to her. "I don't." He said, surprising her a bit. "Nobody forced you to take me in but you did it anyway. If anything I'm grateful."

He could see her eyes tear up a bit. "Besides, it's okay to be selfish. What makes you think I don't feel the same way?"

Dinah couldn't hold it anymore, pulling him into a hug which he happily reciprocated. The talk with Oliver weighed on her mind which was evident by the slight tremble he felt.

"Thank you." She whispered as the trembles reduced.

"You're welcome…mom." His response generated a light gasp from her, tightening her hold on him.

They enjoyed each other's comfort for a while before they separated, both feeling much better.

"You know what? I have two tickets to a magic show happening tonight. What do you say we go after dinner?" She proposed, pulling out two tickets from her pocket.

"I'm in."

-[Unknown Location]-

In an empty conference room, eight monitors were set up in a round format and active as usual, showing a different light shrouded figure on each screen.

"So, Sportsmaster was captured. That's a first." A male voice said, showing surprise.

"We were also unable to get even a sample of the Kobra Venom. The factory has been raided and the entire stock confiscated by the Justice League." Another voice said.

"The capture of Sportsmaster is a loss that we cannot afford to allow. There are other means in which we can secure the venom but Sportsmaster is crucial. Action will be taken." An aged voice said confidently.