Super Cafe Beyond

Plot
Next Gen Series installment. Saving the day can be a tiring job, so superheroes need a place to chill out and take breaks in. The Son of Superman and Wonder Woman and the Son of Batman have finished their patrols and they need to relax and unwind. What troubles and burdens need to be unloaded?

Transcript
Metropolis...

Still, among the shining example of human achievement, the city of Metropolis has advanced along with all other cities through the years of technology, architecture, and development. But despite all the flying cars in the certified city airways, there were places that still remained the same. Like a particular cafe-diner that was not too shabby, but there was something that made it special; it was a watering hole for superheroes.

Whether amateur or veteran superheroes, if you were a person who went out and saved people and stopped villains, then this is the place to come if you wanted to rest. There are other cafe-diners like this one of other major cities across the world, but this one, in particular, had two special guests; the son of Superman and Wonder Woman and the son of Batman.

Kairos was not one to eat, due to embracing his heritage and physiology in surviving solely on solar radiation, but the cafe served beef bourgionnin, so this was an exception. Terry was only human, and he needed a good coffee mug, that and the Neo Batman looked anxious and in a dilemma. This didn't go unnoticed by the Kryptoamazon.

"Well, it doesn't take super-senses to see your upset. What's wrong?" Kairos asked as he grabbed the saltshaker to pour into his meal.

"I think I cheated on Dana," Terry groveled, resting his head in the palm with the elbow resting on the table. Kairos raised an eyebrow at the answer, and bluntly asked, "You think? You either did or you didn't."

While one could have been offended or hurt by a statement like that, Terry knew he could trust Kairos in being honest, despite Kairos' inexperience with romance. Reflecting on Kairos' statement, Terry mustered up what had happened.

"You heard of the Royal Flush Gang," Terry asked, sitting back up straight.

"Yes. They've recently begun to hire metahumans and mages growing their influence, with the motif of a deck of playing cards," Kairos answered with informative detail from what he knew in the Justice League and ARGUS database.

"I had a fling with their 10," Terry said and then looking directly to Kairos to hear the Krypoamazon's response. Kairos remained stoic even from this personal secret of Terry revealed to him. "Then it's adultery," Kairos immediately answered, as he poked a fork into a chunk of beef and took a bite. While Terry looked at Kairos with more sorriness.

"D-don't you want to know the circumstances?" Terry stuttered.

Finishing eating the mouth fully, Kairos answered,"It's adultery. No matter the circumstance." Terry blinked a couple times, as he then dropped his head to the table and groaned, "Eeeegh..." Kairos looked at Terry still wallowing in remorse and regret. The Kryptoamazon thought to himself, 'This is what romance can lead to. All this emotional despair. But why would Terry do something like this if he knew it was wrong?'

Kairos decided to play as the consoling friend to Terry, as he should, for Kairos did consider Terry his best friend. Kairos whispers to himself a quote from one of his favorite philosophers, "'One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.'"

The Kryptoamazon then asked in room level voice so that Terry could hear, "What exactly happened that led you to make such a decision?"

Terry sighed, as he sat back up once more, as he looked off to the side before finally speaking; "Remember when I became Batman?"

"I remember when Bruce had a seizure while he was in flight in the suit. If not for Barbara taking control of his suit's flight control, he could have gotten killed," Kairos recalled. "And then dad tells me about some corporate scheme made by one of his board members. Derek Powers was trying to use our company to produce a nerve agent. With him hospitalized, dad needed me to take up the mantle to let people know Batman was still running," Terry said. "Are you saying you got overridden by stress? That was three years ago," Kairos reminded. "Hey, this is hard work, man. You superhumans can do so much with your powers. I'm still a regular human," Terry cursed.

"I'm Kryptoamaz-," Kairos was about to correct, but Terry interjects saying, "You know what I mean!"

Kairos was unmoved by Terry and merely stated, "You should get a hold of yourself. What happened?"

After explaining, what happened, which involved arriving late to one of their date's because of his job as Batman. Then meeting up with a blonde girl by the name Melanie. Stress and adrenaline from his recently completed mission that involved getting hammered in by a militant theta-level metahuman with enhanced strength and durability, Mad Stan, Terry's attraction toward the consoling drifting girl got the better of him.

"Well?" Terry asked, looking at Kairos, who remained stoic as usual. Batman Beyond asked, "Any wise words?"

"Why did you start going out with Dana?" Kairos asked.

"I met her at high school when I convinced dad to let me at least go to a charter," Terry answered. "She was the first girl there who talked to me like a normal person."

"And what of Max?" Kairos asked.

"She's my normal best friend," Terry reminded Kairos.

"Why are you with Dana?" Kairos asked yet again.

"I already told you. She makes me feel like a normal person," Terry said.

"Then that there is the problem. You're not treating your own life as it is . You yourself make it seem as your personal life and justice life as incompatible," Kairos gave his commentary. "You should accept your life as it is and live with it, and then treat those around you with sincerity and truth."

"You're saying I should have told Dana that I'm Batman," Terry rhetorically translated Kairos' commentary.

"She would have understood why you receive multiple injuries," Kairos reasoned.

"You twip, I can't just tell her. That put her in danger," Terry protested, while Kairos remained unmoved. Kairos responded with a shrug, "Then she may never understand, and you might as well let her go."

Terry groaned once more, as he raised his hands to his face rubbing in anxiety. Then Batman Beyond raises a hand up to give a protest, but then he lowers it back down thinking more on Kairos' advise. Kairos was born into royalty, he embraced the lifestyle of the superhero, and his personal life usually pertained to his family and friends that were all superheroes. Yet Kairos made room for family and friends. "How do you handle this?"

"Stoicism," Kairos simply responded.

Terry gave a deadpanned look, as he gave himself a facepalm in the mind for not predicting Kairos' method of handling stress.

"Don't be a slave to your emotions," Kairos advised.

"You're right... I'm too afraid to show her the truth, and I shouldn't be doing this causing this much strain on myself," Terry answered. Looks out the window to see the city life passing by. "And it's definitely not fair for Dana."

"No, it is not," Kairos comments, inspecting his beef bourgionnin dish to see it had gotten cold from the room temperature. Using a bit of heat vision to reheat it, and then proceeding to cherish his meal.

"I kind of envy, Jon. You don't have to deal with this romance," Terry commented.

"It's tough all over," Kairos said.

"Oh yeah, tell me when you had a hard time with ladies," Terry said.

"I face female villains throughout my patrols. Do you want me to list them down?" Kairos dryly asked, keeping a straight face to give a slight tease. Sure enough, Terry crossed his eyes at Kairos' dry humor and emphasized, "No, I mean any ladies personally."

Kairos remained quite reflecting, as he then pokes a fork to a piece of beef in his dish and eats it. Cherishing his meal first, and then finally answering, "Astraia has shown her devoted loyalty to me, and Lisa has expressed her feelings toward me. I have considered relations with Astraia."

"Wow, really?" Terry surprised to hear his prude friend consider romance.

"She's been a loyal friend in Themyscira, and she's always been willing to be my consul in times of distress," Kairos confessed, as he recalls the memories of the relationship with Astraia, the adopted daughter of Artemis of Bana-Magdhall.

"Well, then what's up?" Terry asks.

"I apostatized from the Olympians. Astraia is a follower of the Moon, the Sun, and the Owl," Kairos explains.

Terry quickly recalled his knowledge in the Greek polytheistic religion of gods of what each symbol represented which; the Moon Artemis, the Sun Apollo, and the Owl Athena. Batman Beyond knew since they were kids that Kairos hadn't followed up in the worshiping and service of the Olympian gods, but never had he thought such belief would strain relationships. "Damn. I'm sorry to hear that, man," Terry gives his condolences. "I mean, you believe they exist, isn't that enough?"

"I don't worship the Olympians. That's the thing. I refuse to acknowledge them as gods at all. They may be powerful beings, but they're not gods to me," Kairos explains his perspective on the Olympians. "I know they exist physically, but good have they ever done?"

"I mean, they did lead to the foundation of your mom's homeland," Terry retorted. "Hurrm," Kairos humphs in response, indicating he was stumped by Terry's response and forced into a reflection of his demeanor toward the Olympians that his mother, sister and the rest of his people followed. "Perhaps respect those gods that did have direct aid and help to my mother and the rest of Paradise Island."

"Guess we've both helped each other out today," Terry comments, as he's about to call the waitress to make an order. But then suddenly...

"Eherm!"

The two superheroes hear a stifling throat, and then turn to the voice and see two men that the entire world knew by a first glance; Superman dawning his iconic red and blue costume, and the Batman in his modified bat-armor outfitted for the exoskeleton that Bruce now requires wearing. They see original Batman carrying a mug of coffee and a newspaper, who look at the two younger heroes with a deadpan expression. The older Batman points at the younger Batman with his mug, and says, "That's my spot."

Another Slice of Life of my series, 'Next Gen'

Deadpool: this is all you could do during Spring Break?! For shame!

Pinkie: I want to see 'Legend of Heroes' updated!