Work Text:
Mount Justice, 07:45AM, August 13
“Preparations have been made for the six of you.”
“You mean the five of us.”
All attention was pointed at Superboy even as Batman responded with “No, I don't.”
“Robin can't go with us.”
“You still got an ax to grind?” Robin asked with his usual playful tone. “I thought we were good again? I mean even if we weren't I'd be going---right Aqualad, there's not a bar on me, is there?”
“Not that I'm aware of,” Aqualad responded with a side eye toward Batman, who only watched on with a flat expression.
Superboy raised an eyebrow at Robin. “It’s great that you're making sure we're getting along again, really, and we are ‘good’ as far as I care. That's not what I'm talking about.”
Robin scanned the others and shrugged nonchalantly. He's a great actor with impeccable deflection skills, definitely earning his reputation as Batman’s miniature, but he wasn't great enough.
“I'm getting uncomfortable with everyone staring at me. You're either playing dumb or you genuinely have no idea, but you have one last chance to tell them for yourself why you can't go.”
Robin's facade cracked the littlest bit and he let loose a gobsmacked cackle. “Excuse you, I don't need another surrogate father, thanks. I'm in top condition---”
Superboy clicked his tongue once and slowly shook his head as amusement and concern battled within him. “So what condition are you in when you don't have a broken leg? Five of us are going.”
Now all eyes, and horrified grimaces, flicked to Robin. He was preparing to fight the allegation by gaslighting the absolute hell out of Superboy, which he only considered doing because his bluff was called and he had no other escape, but Batman shut him down before he even started.
“Still wrong; four of you are going. Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Artemis, you will proceed with the mission as discussed and are dismissed. Congratulations, Robin, you won another hospital escort.”
“What, come on!” Robin huffed as Kid Flash snickered at his stubborn best friend and clapped his shoulder on the way out, heading to the Bioship. “It's a waste of our time and theirs; all they'll find is a normal check-up’s worth of information. My weight, height, completely average blood pressure---”
“A fissure in your femur,” Superboy said as he mimicked Robin's indignant tone and received a chorus of laughter from the other teens as they ventured down the hall and out of sight, “and torn muscles around it. You're arguing with someone who can hear your blood flow, you aren't fooling anyone.”
“That,” Batman said as he raised his hand to be visible on the screen and pointed to Superboy, “is why you and Captain Marvel are taking him. He has handled escorts to the hospital before and knows the procedure, meanwhile your one task will be to regard Robin as a flight risk at all times and stop any attempts to leave the hospital before he is fully treated.”
“‘Broken leg’ but I'm a flight risk,” Robin grumbled as if it would go unnoticed by World’s Greatest Know-It-All Batman and Boy-Who-Could-Tell-His-Teammates’-Apart-By-Heartbeat-Alone clone of Superman Conner Kent.
“ETA on Captain Marvel is 20 minutes.”
“Copy that,” Superboy said as he locked his attention on Robin, who was already edging away from the center of the room as if he was going to take off towards the Zeta Tubes and beam off somewhere he couldn't be found.
The screen went dead and as soon as it did Superboy was behind Robin, hands firmly on his shoulders.
“No sir,” Robin said as he tried to pull away, “you don't get to put your hands on me, especially after squealing like that!”
“Why wouldn't you say anything?” Superboy asked softly. Robin obviously knew Conner was a clone, he was one of three that discovered him after all, but sometimes he couldn't make himself believe that Conner didn't grow up with Clark. Times like now, when Robin could hear so much kind-hearted simple farm boy in his voice that he expected to pull barn kittens from his pockets. Superboy has anger, certainly, but that was largely due to overstimulation or specific triggers. Beyond that anger, he was a genuine boy scout.
“Stop making me less angry at you.”
“I don't understand why you're angry at all,” Superboy said as he let go of Robin's shoulders and gently scooped him up to carry him to the Zeta Tube, “going on a mission now would only make it worse, and I know you know that.”
“I can walk myself to the Zeta,” Robin said with as even a tone as he could manage despite the warmth that crept up his neck at being toted around like a doll, “I don't need this.”
“Of course you don't; you're perfectly capable of getting into all kinds of trouble.”
“So?”
“For one, I'm supposed to be keeping you out of trouble.”
“Aw, but what fun is that?” Robin hummed as he lifted his arms to wrap loosely around Superboy's neck, “We could always run off together and never think of hospitals again. You know you wanna take me somewhere else.”
“And this is actually point two;” he pecked a quick kiss to Robin's reddening cheek and continued, “you don't want me to put you down.”
Superboy was where they needed to be with another 17 minutes to spare.