Author's Note: And it's the last of the Longing for Lullabies. I'm kind of sad. Except for the fact that I have some left over ideas and I'll be posting them as oneshots/drabbles in a story called Remnants of Lullabies which is going up next. Sigh. I'm hopeless. I wanted to make the 'stories' go along with the lyrics but I had to put the you love, you burn part last because I felt it fit better there.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or song, ok?

Longing for Lullabies

Longing for lullabies

You live, you learn

You love, you burn

You win, you lose

- Kleerup, Longing for Lullabies

When they meet -

- it's been a year or so since Jason died. And while they're all still mourning, it's past that time when they start getting through the day without thinking of him. Conner can function without thinking that maybe if he, or Kaldur, or Dick had been there that maybe they'd still have their second Robin. He can function and think about trivial things like M'gann and that annoying pufferfish kid.

He's about to go up against Black Canary when he hears the sound of the zeta transport. He recognizes Dick's Recognized: B01 Nightwing but startles at the arrival of Recognized: B20 Robin.

And Conner can't help but think that a little warning would have been nice, because the silence is eerie and almost as if they're expecting the dead to rise.

But it's not Jason that walks behind Dick. It's a scrawny kid in an updated Robin suit that walks behind Nightwing.

And it's the scrawny kid that he's going to spar with.

Conner stares at Nightwing, looking for a signal to go easy, or that it's just a training exercise, or, hell, he's dreaming so he can wake up. But all he gets is a smirk and a nod.

And he's charging at the scrawny kid who suddenly has a bō staff and next thing Conner knows he's punching thin air and he feels a small electrical current running across the back of his neck that freezes him long enough for this new kid to take him out by his legs.

He's staring at the roof when a gloved hand reaches to help him up, even though Conner and this scrawny kid knows that Superboy has no problem getting up on his own.

The kid lets a small smirk steal across his face before it's back to neutral. The next round is in Conner's favor and he offers the same hand to the new kid.

He'll start calling him Robin in his head when Robin beats him in a 'best of three out of five' training exercise. He'll know to eventually call him Tim.

But for now they just shake hands.

When the meet.

When they trust -

- it's long before that night when Robin told him his name.

Timothy Jackson Drake III.

It's long before Conner reveals that he's not sure where he fits in the teams dynamic anymore.

But it's cemented when Tim cocks his head to the side and Conner can tell his mind is probably going into overdrive, running through every sentence he can say that will actually have an affect. It's known that there is trust when Tim's lips slip into a small smirk and he says, right here, and pats the seat next to him on the couch, handing him a controller. Tim doesn't play video games often, but knows that it's something that Dick and Wally and Conner did and wants to make the clone feel comfortable.

They know it's there when Conner's face lights up when he hears Timothy, when he's given permission to call him Tim, when his good friend trusts him with the one thing Batman has said to protect no matter what.

When Conner can state his fears, his desires, his needs, he knows.

When Tim can slip off the mask when they're in one of their rooms, can unburden on someone that isn't Dick, who is off with Wally or saving the world in a way that Tim can't, he knows too. When he can have a friend who knows that he's Robin and Tim, son of Batman and Bruce, an orphan and a child of family, when -

- when they trust

When they make love -

- it's the clumsiest thing either of them have ever done.

They're a blushing mess the whole way through. They don't know where to put their hands, their legs, their heads, and for one wild second Tim thinks oh dear god, does he know where to put it? There was only M'gann before me and we've never talked about this. I don't even know how we got here and, holy hell please tell me he doesn't think I have a va -

But then Conner chuckles, because this is ridiculous and if Tim would just place his hand here and, no not there, here and oh hell, just stop moving Wonder Boy and maybe they could do this.

And, goddamn it all, it hurts when Conner pushes in and Conner has to remember, Tim is human, meaning that he'll have to get a new headboard because his hand is already making this one creak and crack. And the hand that's keeping Tim in place will definitely leave bruises and he hopes to god that Bruce doesn't give his bat brood physicals often.

The room is filled with Tim's gasps and grunts as Conner tries hard not to move but can't help the small thrusts that his body does unconsciously, can't help the bites and kisses he litters across Tim's neck and chest, can't help but need to push in just a little deeper and -

Tim moans and grabs Conner's hair and tells him to just move faster already because it's as good as it's gonna get. And Conner, on instinct, grabs Tim's erection because the boy is too busy with one hand on his neck and the other fisted in the sheet. Conner can't help but shiver when nails scratch along his back, can't help but think that would feel good on his chest and makes a mental note for next time to put Tim's hand on his chest.

He hopes with everything he is there is a next time.

After, Tim laughs, out of breath and tells him that next time the should probably not do it on a wooden bed frame. That he knows where to get a more durable on. And all Conner hear is next time, next time, next time.

It's the clumsiest thing either of them have ever done.

When they make love.

I thought it was sweet? And this one was the easiest to write.

Thanks for reading.

Eva