Changing back into her regular clothes made Jon feel odd. They were simple clothes that she liked (A Superman hoodie, jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap), but she only now realised how little she resembled a girl when wearing them. Colin apparently noticed this and put his hand on her shoulder.

“I think I know how you feel,” said Colin. “I grew up in an orphanage and always had to wear hand-me-downs. I’d always try to get boy clothes but sometimes, all they had were dresses and skirts.” Colin pulled a face.

Jon thought that “dresses and skirts” sounded wonderful, but then she remembered that Colin was a trans boy. “Wanna swap lives?” she asked, jokingly, before realising what she had said. “Sorry” she mumbled, “Bad joke”.

“It’s okay.” Colin chuckled, “I’ve been told that this is a common feeling when trans guys meet trans girls. I guess we can consider this a validating moment” They both laughed.

"So!" Said Jon, "What happens next? I need to tell people, right?" She began to feel even more anxious, as she thought of everyone who saw her as a boy.

"Calm down!" Colin said, reassuringly, "Sit down and take a deep breath "

Jon sat on a nearby bench and breathed deeply. She felt a little better. Colin sat down next to her, and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay," he said calmly. "You don't need to tell anyone until you're ready. There's no rulebook you have to follow. Every trans person's experience is different."

Jon looked up. "Really?" She asked.

"Totally!" Replied Colin. "Take me, for instance! I've known I was a boy for as long as I can remember. I hated dresses and having long hair, and never answered to my deadname."

"What's a deadname?" Asked Jon.

"It's the name I was given at birth, when people thought that I was a girl" said Colin. "Most trans folks change their name as part of their transition." He paused. "Do you want to change your name?"

Jon was taken aback by the question. Change her name? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had never really cared for her name. She had been named after her grandfather, who was a great person, but not someone she wanted to be named for. But what could she change it to? Joan? Jenny? Jessica? No. Too cliched.

"I…" She stammered. "I'm not sure…?"

"It's okay," said Colin. "There's no rush. Take some time to think about it. In the meantime, how about I call you "J"?”

J smiled "Thank you. I'd like that."

They hugged. Colin was starting to remind J of her big brother, Conner. Both of them were big, strong, and gave big hugs and good advice. This made J think about who she was going to tell first. Conner? Kara? Mom and Dad? Damian?! She decided it was best to take Colin’s advice and wait until she was ready.

“C’mon!” said Colin. “Let’s leave Damian and Cass to read their books. We can talk more in the Batcave.”

“Good idea,” said J.

As they made their way back through the manor, they passed Tim again. He had finished his book and was now texting on his phone. J wondered if he was texting her big brother, Conner.

Tim, Conner and their girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, were all senior members of the Teen Titans and had been dating each other for a few years now. The three of them sometimes came to visit the Kents in Metropolis. There were so many people in J’s life that she was starting to feel overwhelmed with the prospect of telling them all.

Eventually, J and Colin arrived at the grandfather clock that hid the entrance to the Batcave. Standing by the clock was Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family’s butler, cleaner, cook, chauffeur, pilot, tech-support, medic, mentor and gardener.

“Good evening, young masters.” said Alfred. “I’m sorry to say that I cannot allow you to enter the Batcave, without being accompanied by a designated individual.” The butler looked at his watch. “It’s currently 5:30pm. Master Damian and Mistress Cassandra should be finishing their session shortly. I’m sure you can wait until then”

J felt annoyed at being called “young master”, but Colin just grinned at Alfred.

“C’mon, Alf!” said Colin, trying to sound cool. “Don’t I count as a designated individual? I’m practically a member of the Bat-Squad at this point, right?” He held out his fist, apparently hoping for Alfred to fistbump him.

“Hmph” replied Alfred. Then to J’s surprise, he returned the fistbump. “I suppose, if I were to escort you, it would be acceptable for you to enter.” He walked over to the clock, opened the face and set it to 10:48. This activated a mechanism that opened a hidden staircase to the Batcave behind the clock.

It was at this point that J had a sudden realisation and she turned to look at Colin. “Wait a minute! How does Colin know about the Batcave?!” She was fairly certain that that particular fact was supposed to be a secret among the superhero community.

Colin started laughing at the outburst and even Alfred smiled at the over reaction. “It is a pretty well guarded secret, but I’m a special case. You could even say I lived in the cave for a little while.” Colin said mischievously.

“You… lived in the cave?.... so you knew about Uncle Bruce being Batman this whole time?” J looked annoyed. “I’ve been trying to keep it a secret!?”

“MISTER WAYNE IS BATMAN!!?” Colin cried out, even louder than J had. “Oh my god! Damian just told me Batman was renting the basement! This changes everything! I must tell the world!”

“No!” The tiny girl tried to tackle the older boy, expecting him to run off and alert the media. Unfortunately, with their size difference, it was more like J had just aggressively hugged Colin. “Damian would kill me! You can’t say anything! Please!”

Colin was laughing harder than ever, ruffling the little Kryptonian’s hair, “J! J calm down! I’m kidding, you goof! Of course I knew about Batman before! My moms used to work with him… well against him, but they’re friends now.”

J huffed and playfully punched Colin in the arm, “Don’t scare me like that!” Colin smiled “Sorry. Couldn’t resist!”

J was grumbling under her breath as they continued down the stairs to the cave. Colin was still smiling and even Alfred was chuckling, which for him was the equivalent of laughing his butt off. “You said, your moms worked against Batman?”

“Yep.” He answered simply, “Harleen Quinzel and Pamela Isly. Otherwise known as-“

“HARLEY QUINN AND POISON IVY?! Your moms are villains?!” J gasped.

"Former villains" corrected Colin. "Well okay. They may still sometimes bend the rules a little, but so do most heroes."

"But they were still villains!" Said J.

"Hey!" Said Colin, sternly. "They've changed! They're the best moms I could ask for and I won't let anyone bad-mouth them."

J looked at her feet. "I'm sorry.' She muttered.

Colin put his hand on the young girl's shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. Maybe you can come and meet them one day. They would love you! Trust me."

As they made their way down into the Batcave, J noticed that they were taking a detour. They were heading for a small section of the cave, away from the main concourse. J was familiar with this section. It was an area that Damian’s brother, Jason, had once snarkily referred to as “The Demon’s Petting Zoo”. As they entered, J looked around.

Said zoo was really just a feeding area for Batcow (a cow that Damian had rescued from a slaughterhouse and subsequently adopted), but Damian’s other pets could also be found here. Batcow shared the space with Amirah, Damian’s prize mare, with a large service elevator leading up to the stables in the manor grounds allowing the animals to roam free when they weren’t being fed. Pennyworth the Cat could also often be found roaming this area, as cats tend to do. Finally, curled up in the corner, lay Titus the great dane, who seemed to share a unique bond with Damian’s other pets.

J paused for a moment, looking at an empty corner of the zoo. It held a basket bed large enough for several lions, a huge perch, and a saddle too big for any horse.

“Oh yeah… Goliath.” said J, as she remembered the gigantic Dragon-Bat creature that Damian used to ride upon. Come to think of it, J hadn’t seen or heard anything about Goliath for a while. “What ever happened to him?” she asked Colin

Colin paused and chuckled, “Oh he’s still around if you know where to look.” Pennyworth and Titus both came over to greet the new guests. The huge dog seemed to be very fond of Colin. “Heeey Titus! You miss me, big guy?” The dog barked loud and happily.

Pennyworth purred and nuzzled against Colin’s leg on his way to say hello to J. Even Amirah and Batcow had turned to look at Colin and seemed happy to see him. He was clearly very popular with Damian’s pets.

Alfred cleared his throat. "Mister Wilkes" stated the butler. "I trust that I can leave you two to wait here. Master Damian should be with you shortly."

"No problem. Thanks Alfred!" Replied Colin.

Alfred nodded, turned and left. J, Colin and the animals now had the place to themselves.

“The animals love you.” J said, scratching Pennyworth behind the ears, as Titus licked Colin's face.

“Oh yeah. They’re all sweethearts. Good friends and good listeners too. Come on, over here.” Colin gestured and led them over to Goliath’s vacated bed and plopped down on it like a sofa, “Have a seat, Miss Kent.”

Being called "Miss Kent" made J feel so happy she wouldn’t be surprised if she was flying a few inches off the ground. All the same, she hesitated to sit down, “In the dragon’s bed? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Don’t worry," chuckled Colin. "It’s clean and no one down here has fleas. Trust me! This is the most comfortable seat in the cave. Everything else down here is pretty spartan.”

“Well, alright then…” J cautiously sat across from her new friend. “Wow… this is comfy! It’s like just a giant bean bag chair!”

“See? Told ya.” Colin chuckled as Titus and Pennyworth climbed into the huge pet bed too. “There, perfect setting. Comfortable, quiet, private and it’s got emotional support animals. Perfect spot to continue our talk.”

“Oh… Yeah I guess we do have a few more things to discuss…” J took a breath, her mind returning to the problems of coming out as a girl to friends and family. As if knowing she needed the support, Titus came over and rested his large head in the young girl’s lap.

“We don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to, J.” Colin said, trying to reassure her.

“No,” J sighed. “I think I need to talk about this. To know what to do next.” She looked over at Colin. “Can I ask? How did you come out to your moms?”

Colin let out a quick bark of a laugh before covering his mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s not a funny question, but the memory just makes me laugh.” He leaned back as he remembered. “There wasn’t really a “coming out” moment with them in the way you are thinking. Like I said, I always knew I was a boy, but the orphanage I lived in didn’t see it that way.” His smile faded slightly. “They always tried to get me to wear dresses and refused to call me by my name.”

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard.” J interjected as Colin paused.

“It was,” Colin nodded, as he continued the story. “Anyway, Dami was determined to get me out of there, and as it happened, he knew just who could help...”

“Who?” J asked.

“My moms, of course!” said Colin “They had been talking about going clean and starting a family for years, and Dami convinced his dad and friends to help them with all the complicated adoption work. They were ex-criminals, so they would’ve struggled without Mr Wayne’s help.” Colin smiled as he reminisced. “Dami told Mom and Mama all about me - minus me being trans of course - and they wanted to come and meet me straight away.”

“So they knew you were a boy, but not trans?” J was following the story with great interest.

“Yep,” said Colin. “Unfortunately, the witch who ran the orphanage was not happy about the whole situation. When my moms arrived to meet me, she was trying to force me to wear a dress and calling me by my deadname.” Colin shut his eyes as he remembered the bitter memory.

“Fortunately, Mom - that’s Harley, just so you know - is a psychiatrist and knew a trans kid when she saw one.” Colin started grinning as he got to his favourite part of the story. “She came right over to me and asked what was wrong. I told her I was a boy and they made me dress like this. The look she shot at the witch is something I will treasure forever!” Colin was now grinning from ear-to-ear. “The witch lost her temper and started yelling at Mom and Mama, calling them sinners and saying they couldn’t adopt me ”

J was listening with eyes wide. “What happened next?”

“It turned out that Mama - that’s Ivy - was filming the whole thing on her phone,” Colin continued. “She sent the video to the press, who began pressuring the head of the charity that ran the place to make some serious changes, The head of the charity just so happened to be Bruce Wayne himself!”

“No way!” laughed J.

“Long story short,” said Colin. “I was soon adopted by the best moms in the world, the witch got fired, and Mr Wayne made sure that new owners were... more open-minded.”

“Wow…” J was quiet for a moment, “That’s quite a story. Your moms really do sound nice! I can’t wait to meet them!”

“See? Told ya so!” Colin chuckled to himself, “My moms are the best thing that’s ever happened to me… cept for Dami of course.” His cheeks turned a soft pink.

J thought for a moment and smiled, “My mom and dad are pretty great too. They’re…. reporters for the Daily Planet. I-“

Colin held up a hand to stop her “J, you don’t need to hide your family secret from me too. I know your dad is the big blue Boy Scout.”

Somehow this wasn’t as surprising as Colin knowing about Batman, but it was still a shock. “How the heck did you know that?” She gasped.

“J, you are wearing a Superman hoodie and being trained by Robin.” laughed Colin. “If I didn’t know about your dad before today, it wouldn’t be hard to figure it out.”

“Oh…” she whispered, sheepishly.

“Don’t worry, I’m good at keeping secrets” assured Colin. “It’s funny. Once you know who Batman is, it becomes really easy to figure out who all the other superheroes are. So your mom is actually a reporter and your dad is Superman posing as a reporter?”

“Oh no, he actually writes for the newspaper too. He’s a good writer, though mom is better,” J said. “She’s won awards and stuff.”

“Wait,” said Colin. “What’s your mom’s name?”

“Oh! Lois. Lois Lane.”

“No way!” laughed Colin. “I know her! She was the reporter that my Mama sent the footage to!”

“Wait, what?!” said J.

“Yeah!” smiled Colin. “Oh man! J, This is great! She wrote a whole article on how important it is to protect trans kids and make them feel accepted and valid.”

J was speechless. She never thought she could love her mom any more than she already did, but this was proof. “She… She wrote an article...on kids like us?” J made a mental note to pay more attention when her parents talked about work.

“If Lois Lane and Superman are your mom and dad”, Colin thought aloud, “then they should be really accepting!” He paused. “Though, it’s your choice if and when you want to tell them.”

J had been dwelling on this since the ballet session. Everything was moving so fast for her. She had woken up that morning assuming that she was a boy and, in the last couple of hours, her eyes had been opened to a whole new world of possibilities. She didn’t know for certain, but she was fairly sure that this was not a typical “coming out” experience.

Then again, J wasn’t a typical girl. She was the daughter of Superman and Lois Lane. She had the potential to become one of the most powerful heroes on earth. Her friends and family were all part of the superhero community. If it all went well, she’d not only have the best support, she could become an icon for trans kids everywhere.

“I... kinda wanna tell my parents.” said J, softley, after a long pause. “Like, I was thinking… tomorrow?”

Colin seemed slightly taken aback, but then, he smiled. “That’s your choice. Just remember, if you need anything, I’m here for you” He pulled J into a hug. “I’m proud of you, J.”

Suddenly, There was a loud noise as the service elevator activated and started to descend. Colin and J both stood up to see who was on it, though they had a pretty good guess.

Damian stood on the elevator. Though his back was turned, J could tell it was him. He had apparently changed into his Robin outfit as evidenced by the cape and hood he was wearing. Though, why his back was turned, J had no idea.

“Habibi? Jon?” called out Damian, ever the drama queen, “Are you ready to depart for Metropolis?”

Colin rolled his eyes. “Okay Dami,” he sighed. “You’re obviously hiding something. What is it?”

“VOILÀ!” shouted Damian as he spun around with a swish of his cape.

As it turned out, Damian had not changed into his Robin outfit. He had merely put on the cape, hood, domino mask and utility belt that were part of his costume. Underneath, he was still wearing the black ballerina outfit, including gloves, tights and make-up, from earlier. Even the tiara was just visible under his hood. He resembled a gothic version of Little Red Riding Hood, though J was sure to keep this observation to herself.

“Wow!” exclaimed Colin, his cheeks reddening. “Dami! Are you sure you want to go out like that? People might see.”

Damian laughed as he strode over to his boyfriend. “Don’t worry, Habibi. It’ll be fine. Besides, I look good in this outfit so I might as well make the most of it.”

“Can I just ask?” interrupted J. “How exactly are you planning to take me back to Metropolis? We’re not taking the Bat-Wing, are we?”

Damian looked bemused. “Of course, we’re not taking the Bat-Wing!” he laughed, then he paused and looked at Colin. “Wait. You haven't told him yet?”

Colin smiled sheepishly at J, who just looked even more confused. "Told me what?"

"Oh Jon" said Damian with a diabolical grin. "You are in for a sur-"
"J!" said J, before she could stop herself.
"What?" Said Damian.

"Sorry" said J, "Colin's been calling me "J", and I kinda… prefer it?" She grinned awkwardly at the two boys. Colin gave a subtle nod of approval, whereas Damian just raised an eyebrow.

"Tt." Damian clicked his tongue. "Very well, J. You are in for a surprise, my friend."

“Ummm, Dami?” interjected Colin. “Do you mind if I change first? I’ll need to take my shirt off, but I’m not exactly… comfortable with J seeing my…”

“Not to worry, beloved!” said Damian. “Damian al Ghul Wayne is always prepared.” He walked over to Goliath’s nest and pulled out a small duffle bag. From the bag, he produced a small black disc which he tossed to Colin.

“It’s one of Baba’s nanosuit discs.” explained Damian. “Slip it under your shirt and press it against your chest. It will form a suit around you, under your clothes. It should allow you to transform while keeping your modesty.”

Colin smiled warmly. “I love you, you know that?” he said as he slipped the disk under his flannel shirt.
“Of course, Habibi.” Damian nodded, smiling. “The feeling’s mutual.”

J couldn’t help but notice what Damian had just said. “Transform?” she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Sorry, J” said Colin, as he removed his shirt and jeans, revealing that the nanosuit had formed a plain, black unitard underneath. “I thought it might be easier to show rather than explain.”

“Let’s just say that Colin has superpowers of his own” grinned Damian. “Are you ready, Colin?”

“Ready, Dami.” said Colin.

“Good luck.” said Damian. The two boys shared a quick kiss before Damian took a step back, as Colin began to transform.

J stared in shock as red fur began to slowly grow all over Colin’s body and face. His muscles bulged out and his hands and feet morphed into claws. Colin doubled over as a pair of leathery wings sprouted from his back and a draconic tail emerged from behind.

J felt Damian’s hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said, calmly. “He’s friendly.”

J was frozen in shock and awe (and fear) as Colin began to grow, until he was the size of an elephant and his face began shifting to form an animalistic muzzle. His ears grew out over his head, his nose turned upwards to form a snout, and when he let out a beastly growl, J noticed huge razor-sharp fangs had grown in his mouth.

J stared up at the creature that, until a few minutes ago, had been Colin Wilkes. There was no doubt about it. Colin had just transformed into Goliath, the Dragon-Bat.