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It's been an odd couple of weeks for everyone. John Henry had only just gotten back on his feet after the attacks from Cyborg Superman, and the engine city debacle, so it was nice when he got to have a moment of down time with the youngest of the "supermen", now officially Superboy. They were talking about nothing really, just small talk that they had started to enjoy when the kid checked on him while he was injured. Now they were talking about favorite foods, though it was mostly the kid listening to him talk about his own experience, since Superboy was all of a few months old technically. John Henry had brought up one of his favorite places back in D.C., when the kid had mentioned only ever having pizza once, and that he was so tired he could barely even remember it beyond scarfing the whole thing down the way John Henry knew that teenagers were want to do, "I mean, I basically know everything that surrounds the idea of pizza, y'know?"
John Henry did not know, even a little bit what he meant. It was a simple question he asked "have you had pizza?" And he wasn't expecting anything more than a one word answer, but apparently, like most other things, it was more complicated than that. But in the kids ramblings, he had caught the key details, and he thought it was a travesty that nobody had ever taken the kid out to have pizza, and that his only real experience with the food was so lackluster. John Henry was getting antsy, he hadn't been able to move around and do all that much the past few days, and he was anxious to start going out and doing things again, and, well, if he wasn't gonna take this poor kid to get some pizza, who would? So he said to the newly minted Superboy, "Let's go get some real pizza."
"Alright!" He pumps his fist in the air, and John Henry has to hold back a laugh.
Gessi's pizza is a short walk from his apartment, short enough to where it doesn't aggravate his still healing injuries, and nice enough that John Henry can still enjoy the scenery he's seen a thousand tomes before. They passed by a small tree that John Henry had seen grow over the past 5 years here, and the worn down curb from new drivers and bad drivers not knowing the road. He notices the kid looking around at the tall brick buildings that made up most of the neighborhood. walking this street makes John Henry think of the late nights he didn't have time to cook. Gessi's pizzeria sold a couple sizes of pizza, ranging from small to 'a single slice is slightly bigger than his head' but he mostly deferred to the kid on what he wanted. He bought Superboy and himself a medium sized pizza, and he could see the excitement behind the boys sunglasses as they sat down, drinks in hand and Superboy holding the piping hot box as they sat down at the table.
Superboy eagerly opens the box, the smell of pizza hits John Henry's face, and the kid looks like he has stars in his eyes behind the sunglasses.
The kid reaches over to grab a slice and doesn't bother with moving it to his plate before taking a bite. John Henry grabs a piece for himself and puts some crushed red pepper flakes on his slice from the small glass shaker on the table. He's about to ask how the kid is enjoying it. Then he looks up to see Superboy, eyes wide and leaning back in his seat, cheese stretched comically from his mouth to the remaining slice. He saying something like "hmmn!" Which John Henry has no hope of deciphering. But from the panicked look on his face he assumes it's something like, "help!" He didn't think it would be this entertaining to see the kid figure out how to eat pizza, but now he almost wishes he had a camera.
After a few seconds of finagling with the cheese, Superboy swallows his bite and turns back to John Henry with a huff, "Nobody told me cheese could be that stringy! Don't laugh at me!"
John Henry shakes his head and tries to hide his remaining laughter, "Did you at least enjoy it? Stringy cheese aside?"
Superboy grumbles to himself, "yeah," before pointedly picking up his slice again and tearing off a bite, his brows are furrowed in concentration to avoid any kind of cheese pull. It's not an effective intimidation tactic, and just has John Henry holding back even more laughter at this baby faced teen trying to angrily chew pizza.
After a couple bites, John Henry is certain the kid isn't actually upset. "But really, how are you enjoying it?"
The kid has a bit of a lopsided smile, "I like it! This place is way better than the other one. Plus I've seen like 3 pizzas go out that are 5 times the size of my head, which is cool."
John Henry nods and takes another bite of his slice, he's glad that the kid is enjoying it. And thay is far better than the last few times they had met up, almost dying kind of puts a damper on things.
It's a bit later, after Superboy has grabbed the last slice, that he asks, "Hey, is it alright if we get another pizza? I'm still kinda hungry."
He has the money to spare at the moment, what with his medical bills being funded though some nebulous D.E.O. program he still has to look at the fine print for, and with getting paid pretty recently from his patent. "Sure thing, kid"
3 pizzas later, and a precariously stacked pile of boxes on the table, John Henry's eyes keeps darting back and forth from the fourth pizza sitting in front of him (of which he's only grabbed one slice) and sees superboy shove another slice into his mouth. John Henry can't help but chuckle a bit, and superboy, mouth full, cheeks puffed out, stops mid bite and stares questioningly at him, his sunglasses now clipped onto his shirt so John Henry can see the piercing blue of the kid's eyes.
The kid tilts his head a bit like a confused dog, and John Henry laughs a little bit more. "You're fine, kid. It just makes me remember being a teen, I couldn't eat almost 4 whole pies in one sitting, but I also didn't have superpowers to go with the metabolism of a fifteen year-old."
Superboy doesn't know how to reply, so he just shrugs, and John Henry smiles. He thinks of Natasha back in D.C., and his heart aches to see his niece and nephews again, to take them out to have food and go on day trips with them like this. He misses his family every day, of course, but in this moment it hits harder than usual. He misses talking to Jemahl about his ever shifting interests. He misses Nat rambling about whatever was going on in her classes especially, and it had been so long since he'd seen her last, he wondered how she had fared in the last five years, beyond the short phone calls and updates he would get from back home. He doesn't think realized exact how much he missed them until now, but it hits especially hard.
He wonders how Superboy feels, with no real family at all, just a guy named "Rex Leech" , his daughter Roxy, that reporter that John Henry only vaguely remembers seeing at the airport before leaving for what was Coast City, and the strange people he talked about from Cadmus. John Henry was glad to give him this, to have a moment to breathe before being thrust back into the world of "Superboy".
John Henry takes a moment to enjoy this too. He sips his drink, staring out the window onto the Metropolis street, glancing at the people walking by, some of them he can tell are whispering about the presence of Superboy, with his distinctive look, but none of them have come to bother him or the kid, which is best thing he could ask for. Letting him feel like a normal kid, and himself feel like a normal adult, was refreshing after the past few months of cyborg maniacs and explosions over Metropolis.
Superboy leans back in his seat and burps, loudly, before sheepishly covering his mouth and saying "Excuse me." He's started tapping his hand against the table, "Thanks Mr. Irons."
John Henry nod, "It's no problem, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. And that you had real pizza."
Superboy starts avoiding his eyes and tapping his hands harder against the table to the beat of the music playing in the background, "I can pay you back for the pizza once I get my part of the check from Rex next week, by the way. I know four pizzas isn't exactly the cheapest thing in the world."
John Henry gives him a look that attempts to convey 'don't worry about it.' And though the kid doesn't quite get it, he does drop the subject. He's happy to pay for four pizzas if it means that this kid doesn't have to think about his finances right now. Especially in relation to Rex Leech. John Henry has seen him a few times, receding hairline, sunglasses that covered half of his squashed face. He doesn't exactly trust the guy, but he's not really involved in Superboy's life enough to make that choice. So, the least he can do it get the kid some food.
"Are you ready to head out?" John Henry asks, patting his pockets making sure he has everything.
"Yeah!" He floats up from his seat to stand. It's funny, but seems more normal to him than actually walking.
They start the walk back, and John Henry asks the kid, "So, out of all of them, what was your favorite topping?"
The kid hums, "Pepperoni probably."
John Henry nods, "Good choice."
Superboy asks the same, and they go back and forth, simple questions, learning the little things that make up the other, until eventually they get back to John Henry's apartment.
"I um. Wanted to say thanks, Mr. Irons. It was a really nice day, and that pizza was really good." The kid still avoided eye contact, instead looking above him at the top of the doorframe.
"It's not a problem, really. Just make sure you call if that favorite pizza topping changes, alright?"
The kid nods, and smiles brightly, before flying off his front doorstep, though not before giving a salute as goodbye (John Henry laughs again), and flying off.