"It is a wondrous human characteristic to be able to slip into and out of idiocy many times a day without noticing the change or accidentally killing innocent bystanders in the process." -The Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams)

A call from a frightened woman in the middle of the night about a man lurking outside her apartment found Milo and his partner going to investigate. It would have been nice to call everyone available, but such calls were so often pranks that they couldn't afford it, although there was something of a work around. Other cruisers would drift by until the matter was either resolved or dismissed, putting them in close proximity in case anything happened.

But those moments in a shootout where it's just you and the bad guys are like an eternity, and it doesn't take more than a second to find yourself shot and killed. Such situations were mercifully uncommon when compared with the number of calls the officers took in a given day.

"Go around back," Milo's partner said "I'll keep an eye out front."

Milo didn't really want to go around back, but someone had to do it so it might as well be him. He didn't hesitate or complain, he just up and did it, and sternly informed the fear in the back of his mind that it damn well better not get in his way.

He went around the side of the building, one hand on his gun (which was still holstered), the other loose but ready to grab a flashlight if it got too dark for him to see properly. Before long, he was out of sight of the street, utterly alone even though his partner was just around the corner.

He heard a noise overhead, a clattering like someone on the fire escape. Fired by adrenalin, he pulled his gun out of its holster and leveled it at the area above him, at the same time flicking on his light. Something moved in the light, like a shadow leaping back from the sun and he almost fired, checking himself only just in time as he recognized the distinctive red and black of Robin's costume.

"How is it that nobody ever looks up except when I'm up here?," Robin scoffed, nudging something at his feet.

And there, quite alive but wholly unconscious, was the "lurking man". Robin leaned down and picked something up with his gloved hands, an object Milo soon recognized as being a handgun. Robin examined it with clear disdain, as though guns were offensive solely because they were such primitive and simple weapons. He set it down and then, in one fluid movement, leaped most of the way down the fire escape until he was only a floor above Milo's head.

"Evening, officer. How goes the patrolling?."

"Just fine," Milo replied, having recovered himself and holstering his weapon.

"Good. I notice you've got a new computer system. Nice. Did you design it?."

"How did you-... wait, never mind, I don't want to know," Milo shook his head "I guess I did design it at that. Any suggestions for it?," but when he looked up Robin already seemed to be gone.

This wasn't the truth, however, because Robin's voice floated back as thought from an alternate dimension:

"Make a mobile version."

"Sure, David," Milo told the empty night "I'll do that."

"Oof!."

The cry was Robin's warning to duck, something he did with great alacrity. This was because Kid Flash, who had been sparring with Superboy, was hurtling through the air and flying straight for him. Robin ducked and watched with no small measure of amusement as Kid Flash bounced off the wall, rolled across the floor, then came to a stop, where he flailed around a bit before righting himself.

In fact, he found this so entertaining that Robin laughed at his friend's misfortune without really meaning to. Kid Flash didn't really mind, it wasn't an unkind laugh, and Robin did have the decency to remain silent until it was clear KF was unhurt aside from his pride.

"You think that's funny, do you?," Kid Flash grumbled, dusting himself off "why don't you try it sometime?. Superboy's wrung all of us out recently except for you."

"I'm game," Superboy put in "unless you're still nursing your 'war wounds'."

Robin's eyes flashed. Even though it was spoken in jest, the comment lit real anger inside him for a moment. He swiftly quashed it, because only a fool would go into a fight with emotions at the forefront of his consciousness, as any sensible person well knows.

A moment later, he'd slipped into a fighting stance, an eager fire in his eyes. In truth, Robin wasn't a hundred percent yet. But if he was well enough to rejoin the Team, he was certainly well enough to take on Superboy. He knew he didn't have to win, just put up a respectable fight.

But if there was one thing Robin hated, it was losing. And he had no intention of doing that.

"Hey guys, Robin's taken up sparring again!," Artemis shouted, having been audience to the last battle.

Aqualad and Miss Martian showed up shortly thereafter. Robin and Superboy looked as though they had been waiting for this, though in reality they'd been circling, measuring. Robin was getting back into the swing of things, and Superboy couldn't recall what sparring with the Boy Wonder was like.

Robin was often jokingly referred to as a cheater, since he had a veritable plethora of equipment to help him out, in addition to having had more years of experience than any of them, even though he was the youngest. Superboy did recall that actually catching and holding Robin was a frank impossibility.

It would be like trying to catch a fish with salad tongs.

If any of the Team had forgotten Robin's prowess in the weeks since he'd been away from them, they were to shortly receive a clear reminder. Superboy might be nearly invincible, but nearly wouldn't cut it. Especially as he often forgot to use his head for anything but a battering ram. Considering how long he'd been alive, it's a weakness Superboy could easily be forgiven for having.

After all, sixteen years hadn't been enough to give Kid Flash the advantage over him.

Quite suddenly, Superboy launched his attack. Robin had seen it coming. Superboy had a tendency to telegraph his moves. Robin saw fit to do more than just leap and flip and dart out of Superboy's way, he landed a kick in his adversary's back, right between the shoulder blades. It wasn't a very solid one, but it was enough to knock Superboy off balance, an easy enough thing to do if your opponent is going fast (especially if he isn't minding where he's going or how swiftly he's getting there).

When he landed and rolled, Robin seemed to flinch a bit, which may have been because he landed on the shoulder which had been shot. Or maybe he'd muffed the landing. Nobody ever asked him.

It slowed him down enough for Superboy to turn, close the gap between them and catch Robin by the arm. He was immediately, clearly reminded of the accident itself, because Robin executed almost exactly the same maneuvers, only not in panic or intent to wound.

If you've ever picked up a cat that didn't want to be touched, and had it stick the claws out of all its toes and then lash wildly with all of them, not to mention flipping about with its spine and tail and snapping with its teeth, you've got some idea of how holding onto Robin was for Superboy.

For, though Robin was a great deal smaller and weaker than Superboy, he was a very dangerous creature to grab from behind. He suddenly seemed to be all boots and elbows and Superboy remembered why you shouldn't try to hold onto him while sparring and let Robin go.

The effect, which was rather humorous to watch, was that Robin shot across the 'arena' like a little red lightning bolt and vaulted onto the railing, where he perched looking at Superboy with a decidedly wild look in his eyes. But not a panicked one, more satisfied than anything, like a feral animal who knows you can't reach it and finds it funny to watch you even try.

Superboy knew he'd basically been made a fool of, and that made him mad. This, of course, had been perfectly in line with what Robin expected to happen, what he wanted to happen.

For, more than being an acrobat, Robin was a performer. He knew how to play upon the feelings of his audience, to get just the reaction he wanted. He'd learned that almost as soon as he learned to walk on a high wire. Later on, Batman had taught him to use it in battle. For Robin, the whole world was a stage.

It didn't hurt any that the 'audience' part of the Team thought this was all very funny. Especially Kid Flash, who had just finished getting his ass kicked by Superboy. Superboy hated being laughed at, and the not-so-carefully-hidden amusement of the Team just made him angrier than he already was.

It was at this point that Superboy made a grave mistake. He charged blindly. And Robin took his shot. Robin hopped from the railing to the floor and slid right towards Superboy, which seemed a suicidal move. But Superboy couldn't stop or change direction when he ran blind. And it doesn't matter how strong you are, if your weight is shifted just so, you will fall. Robin's boot connected with Superboy's right ankle as he was lifting it and he first wobbled and then careened off course, and fell with perhaps a more tremendous crash than seems entirely likely.

Superboy was more or less unhurt, though Robin had effectively taken him down and therefor won. When he had determined himself to be unhurt, Superboy opened his eyes and made as if to get up. Robin, standing in front of him, held out a serious hand and Superboy let him help.

"I could kick your ass with my arm in a cast," Robin said quietly, yet all the Team were able to him, especially his next words which were spoken in an almost threatening growl "never forget that."

Robin's eyes seemed to bore into Superboy for a moment, then the intensity was lost.

Robin let go of his hand and scampered out of the sparring arena, rejoining the rest of the Team. Superboy was a bit angry and even offended by the statement, until he looked at the rest of the Team and realized the comment had been meant for them all.

And now he knew why Robin had made such an idiot of him. Robin was making good and sure they all knew who and what they were dealing with. He was reclaiming the respect he felt he'd lost when he'd been hurt, and letting them know in no uncertain terms that he would tolerate no jokes about it.

And Superboy realized that the anger he'd allowed to consume him for just that critical instant was doubtless the same hot embarrassed fury which had caused Robin to accept his challenge in the first place. And perhaps Robin felt he had more to prove (or, more likely, he was just having fun) because he shot a defiant look at each member of the Team in turn and asked point blank:

"Alright, who wants to be next?."

A/N: I want to thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I always appreciate reviewers, but y'all were really unbelievably great this time around. It meant a lot to hear from you, whether you liked the story or not. So, anyway, thank you for reading and reviewing, hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time