Title: On Fathers and Fear
Summary: "'I'm supposed to fearless! A little cut on Batman isn't supposed to freak me out. But it does! It scares me to death...'" Robin was afraid of losing his father; Superboy's father was afraid of him. Part two of the "Less" collection.
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.
Special Info About This Fic: Robin and Superboy-I mean Conner bonding; Second story in the "Less" collection in which Robin needs the help of one of his teammates to get him back on his feet.
Authors Note: I don't know if I like Conner's new name or not. I'm so used to calling him Superboy. He doesn't seem so super anymore. Thanks to everyone who read On Sense and Sight! Sorry if it is a bit weird. I sat down at 5 o'clock A.M. and typed nonstop to get this out by Father's day.

Superboy felt like punching something. Not someone; he had gotten over those urges rather quickly from a little help from Batman and Black Canary. But at the current moment, anything that moved would definitely be a target. The clone of Superman gritted his teeth and forced his fists to uncurl. He took deep breaths and tried to calm his thoughts but his stewing anger did not dissipate.

Superboy decided it probably would be in everyone's best interest if he stayed away from people until he cooled off. Even his own team thought he was dangerous. According to Wally, Superboy should just sit in a corner and try to glare a hole in the wall with his nonexistent heat vision. Superboy felt a sneer rise on his face. He had heat vision. He also could fly. How was it possible that the perfect clone of Superman didn't have the same abilities as the Boy Scout? Batman even hinted at Superboy learning those abilities in time if Superman was there to help him. The only problem was that Superman always had something better to do than help his genetic clone.

It's because I'm dangerous. Superboy looked down at his hands. He curled the fingers in one hand slowly in. It was a simple gesture but the teen knew he would have been able to snap bones effortlessly. He was created to defeat Superman. He's scared of me.

It's because he doesn't trust me. The boy uncurled his fingers and closed them into a fist again. Even Batman trusts me enough to be on the team but he still doesn't. And I'm the closest being in the universe to being like him! I even have his name.

Conner Kent. The name still rolled off of his tongue oddly. He hadn't been thinking on the same wavelength as the Martian Manhunter when he had been bequeathed with the Kent name. He had believed, like Megan, it was in honor of Kent Nelson. He hadn't realized it belonged to Superman first until Wally pointed it out the next time they met. After that, the name sounded foreign and not his. Like he was some fan boy who stole that name because he was Superman's biggest fan. Even Superman looked offended when Batman informed him of Conner's new name because it implied that they were related.

That was the thing that made Conner the angriest. Superman was supposed to be his father. The boy quickly looked up the word in the dictionary Cadmus had installed in his brain.

Father. A man who is the parent of a being, or a male animal that has produced offspring by contributing genetic material. Superman was technically his father by scientific standards, whether the Boy Scout liked it or not. He donated genes—unwillingly—to Cadmus's project and Superboy was the offspring. Conner flipped through the other definitions in his head, each one sounding similar to the first in some sort or way. The second to last definition stopped the boy in his tracks.

Father. A man who brings up and looks after a child as if he were its sole guardian, nurturing it and providing the requirements for the child to live happily. In this definition Superman was not his father. Of all of the mentors, it was Batman who showed the most paternal side to the clone. Conner stood in the middle of the hallway, unable to process walking when his brain was so overloaded. Does that mean Batman is my father? Or is it Superman because genetically he is my donor? He even wondered if technically Black Canary was his mother because she showed the most maternal side but the notion of that threatened to completely overwhelm his brain. He decided to just focus on the father part for now.

I need to ask someone, Superboy finally concluded. Someone on his team had to be able to help him. Kaldur would be the most sensible, but I do not know if he has a father. I could ask though… However he decided not to ask and instead use this new thing called "tact" that Artemis had taught him. Maybe I can ask Artemis. The girl had always been frighteningly nice to the clone, especially when his shirt couldn't keep up with him on missions, but when asked about her personal life, the archer would become rather irritable and not very nice at all. Wally and Megan have fathers, Conner was sure, but their mentors are their uncles. That may complicate things. Quite frankly, asking Wally about his family slightly terrified the clone; the speedster would just talk and talk and talk. He had a feeling that asking M'gann wouldn't have that different of results. Unwilling to make things harder for himself, Superboy crossed them both off of the list immediately. In the end it left only Robin. He had never mentioned a father either, the boy's thoughts were slow and calculating. But Batman's just like his father. Conner hadn't missed the very brief flash of a smile and the comforting way the Dark Knight would lay his hand on Robin's shoulder. Conner always noticed how after each mission, Batman would look slightly uneasy until he saw Robin safe and sound and the soft praise he would whisper to the boy.

Slowly Superboy's feet started moving again. Three of his other teammates were at Mt. Justice with him: M'gann, Kid Flash, and Robin. M'gann was the easiest to find. He could hear the clinking of metal hitting glass coming from the kitchen. The quick heartbeat of Wally was nearby in the living room. Robin, on the other hand, made Superboy think a little bit more. After a moment of concentration, he heard a quick thumping of a heartbeat that could have matched Wally's. Conner's eyebrows wrinkled as he tried to place where the boy was. It was coming from one of the many training rooms. Only Robin would be training this hard after our past mission. Superboy turned around and headed in the direction of his friend.

"What's Superboy doing here?"

Superman's flustered face was not the first thing Superboy wanted to see in that mission. He looked down at his feet and Robin's smile lost some of its power. Batman, however, looked unconcerned at his fellow mentor's discomfort.

"He has a name, Clark. You don't have to keep calling him by Superboy. It's Conner Kent."

"Kent?" Conner glanced up quickly to see the hint of rage on his genetic donor's face.

Batman looked as if he were dealing with a small child. "Yes, Kent. Usually a child takes the name of its father. This is no exception."

"Oh, there are exceptions, Br-Batman." Conner didn't miss the pointed look to Robin and the frown from the Dark Knight. Robin's smile now seemed strained. Conner was grateful that Superman dropped the subject after staring down a Batglare for a few seconds. Superman looked away and huffed; it was almost frightening to Superboy on how childlike his father was being.

"What's he doing here? Robin too? I thought this was a mission just for us." Superman almost sounded sad.

Batman adjusted a few things in his utility belt and Robin did the same. Superman straightened the S shield on his chest and when he thought his donor wasn't looking, Superboy fixed the one on his T-shirt. Robin caught the action and grinned. Batman looked back up at Clark. "I invited them. Conner needs some experience working with his father," Superman didn't dare protest again, "and it would not hurt Robin to work with Kryptonians."

Superman slowly nodded and the breath that Conner had been holding was released. Batman briefed them on the mission. It amused Superboy greatly on how even though Batman was only human, he still acted like he was the strongest and in control.

Their mission was a simple one but still relatively dangerous. A man named Lex Luthor, a name which seemed vaguely familiar to Superboy, had given a shipment of Kryptonite to an unknown party. It was their job to confiscate it and find out how Luthor got it. Conner somehow got the feeling that originally in the plans, he and Superman wouldn't be going on this mission. He believed wholeheartedly that Batman would have taken Robin, some other League member, or most likely gone by himself. As Robin would have put it, Kryptonians added to the dis of disaster more often than not. But somehow Superman found out and because he did and insisted on coming, Conner was brought along by Batman to try to speed along the bonding process.

At the current moment, Superboy was afraid it wasn't working out so asterously. He had tried not to, but his rashness had set off one of the alarms. Even though no one was too badly injured, Superman's and Batman's mood seemed to be getting worse. Batman didn't say anything but Superman would continually send exasperated looks as if to say 'See? I told you!' to Batman.

The World's Greatest Detective led the other three to a large, open room. Superboy glanced around. No one was there and he couldn't hear a single heartbeat apart from the ones in his party. Superman leapt into the air and flew to the middle of the room, Conner watching him enviously. Superman turned slowly, searching every nook and cranny with his various types of visions.

"I don't see anything, Batman!" He called down to them. "No traces of Kryptonite, either. Maybe you were wr—" The look Batman gave him stopped the sentence immediately. "No, you weren't wrong. Perhaps I'm not looking in the right spot…" Clark busied himself with looking around up at the top and out of the sight range of Batman.

Robin grinned and it took Superboy a few seconds to come to the same conclusion. Superman's afraid of Batman. He's not the only one. Conner looked at Batman and wondered how a single human could induce so much fear in so many people. The Dark Knight was currently examining a slice on Robin's arm. Conner watched, fascinated, as Batman transformed into a "fretting hen" as the educators at Cadmus had worded an overprotective parent. Batman asked his partner if he was alright. Robin grinned and said something so quickly Conner couldn't catch what was said. However, Superboy did hear the older man whisper compliments to his son from their past fight. Robin's smile widened while Conner felt his fade. The clone of Superman turned away and wished he didn't have special hearing at that moment. He felt like he was intruding on something personal and it felt wrong. He even willed for the mission to end so he wouldn't have suffer through anymore of the "father and son bonding."

Suddenly a loud whirring went off and caused Superboy to jump. Someone, he thought it might have been Superman himself, had triggered another alarm. The Boy Scout flew back to the others and avoided Batman's narrowed eyes. More guards came from all sides and attacked the father-son pairs. Batman and Robin took off without a single word. They worked in tandem although they were completely different. While Robin was somersaulting and cackling over his opponents, Batman was a silent shadow who always caught the one who came too close to his bird. Superboy looked hopefully at Superman but Clark was already in the air. Feeling his typical anger boiling in his gut, Conner launched himself at the first unlucky guard he saw.

Even though Superman had completely ignored his son's attempts at team work, Superboy noticed the older Kryptonian was continually watching him. Each time Conner saw his father's face, it was a different emotion. Sometimes it was wonder and sometimes it was discontent, but often times it was a subtle mix of horror and guilt. He didn't know which felt worse: being observed like he was a strange, new bug or completely ignored. Conner forced the thoughts from his mind and focused more on the fight at hand. His fighting became more brutal as his anger channeled out through his fists. With each hit, Superboy's fury mounted. Why doesn't he ever talk to me? Conner possibly broke someone's jaw. Why doesn't he ever stop by? He hoisted one man up by his collar and threw him to the ground. Why doesn't he help me? The boy's anger finally exploded. With a shout he grabbed one of the guards and threw him into the wall. He grabbed another person so roughly he could hear bones snap. The man cried out and it only fueled Superboy's anger more. He twisted the broken limb further back.

Batman looked up from his fight. "Conner! No!"

Superman stopped in his clash as well and froze, staring at his son with his mouth hanging slightly open. Superboy suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He dropped the person and patted him on the head for good measure. The clone stepped back and tried to distance himself from all of the fighting.

While the mentors were distracted, a few of the guards took the chance to regroup and redesign their plans. None of the heroes saw the gun until it fired. The bullet sped through the air and hit Batman in the chest. Robin reacted first.

"Batman!" The Boy Wonder ran as fast as he could towards his father. Batman waved the boy away and attempted to carry on as if nothing had happened. However, the Caped Crusader's movements were more sluggish and Conner could hear the man's breathing become more labored.

Any anger Superboy had been feeling before that now seemed like slight irritation. He let out a loud bellow and attacked anything he saw. Remembering his father's face, Conner's attacks were more to disarm than to hurt. Regardless, the men looked terrified when a majorly ticked off Superboy came after them. One man had panicked so badly he had shot off of an entire cartridge straight into the air. Over one hundred bullets crashed into the catwalk that was swaying insecurely above Batman and Robin. The metal shrieked and buckled, falling towards the Dynamic Duo. Robin braced himself while trying quickly to find coverage for his now fallen partner. The two were completely buried under the remains of the metal. As much as Superboy wanted to rush over and help the others, he knew he had to stop the guards first.

It was not long after the catwalk had collapsed when a majority of the remaining villains figured this was a fruitless fight and fled for their lives. Soon all that was left was Superboy, his genetic donor, the pile of metal debris, and a few unconscious guards strewn across the room. Conner sprinted to the pile in a time that would have rivaled Wally's and began pulling pieces off. A weird feeling settled in the pit of his stomach…was it fear? Superboy brushed it off, clearing more metal, not minding when the jagged sections cut his hand. Anytime one particular strip of metal gave the metahuman any trouble, the boy would simply rip it to pieces with an angry shout.

Conner first uncovered the boot of the Dark Knight. He could still hear two heartbeats which was promising. The feeling that had been a small seed in his stomach blossomed bigger. Superboy felt slight twinges of fear as he cleared over half of the metal and still no sign of Robin. The clone breathed out in relief as he lifted up a huge piece of metal that had covered Batman's head and upper shoulders. Robin had managed to wrap himself around his mentor's head in a makeshift sort of shield from the fallen scraps. Not feeling the heavy weight on his back anymore, Robin straightened up, blinking slowly. He looked from Superboy to Batman then back to Superboy. Conner noticed the boy's breathing was hitched and Robin's heartbeat was pounding rapidly.

"Is…is he…?" The boy hiccupped.

"Batman's still alive and he should be all right. But he needs medical attention immediately." Superboy twisted around quickly to see Superman hovering above them. The clone stared at his father's face, searching for any expression other than its currently blank slate. The older Kryptonian's face was forcibly controlled. He touched down to the ground, scooped up Batman, and launched himself back into the air. Conner saw Superman's mask chip and in the nick of time caught his expression. It was of pure terror. I thought he said Batman was going to be okay. Superboy stared at the hole in the wall which Superman had made on his way out. A thought struck the clone as he remembered the constant looks in his direction while fighting. No…he was scared of me. Superman was scared of me. He stared up at the hole, feeling like he was trapped in Cadmus more and more every second.

Superman is scared of me.

Superman is scared of me. As much as he wanted it to, the thought would not leave the teen alone. Perhaps talking to Robin will clear my head.

"Robin?" There was no answer. Superboy frowned. He knew Robin was in the training room a few feet away. He could hear the young boy's pounding heartbeat.

He poked his head into the room and saw Robin beating on a punching bag with low grunts. The younger boy didn't seem to notice Conner's entrance or call. I remember Kaldur telling me that when a person is mad, they may go off and try to do something soothing. Similar to what I did. Superboy watched Robin take out his anger on the swinging object. This looks anything but soothing.

"Robin?" Superboy called louder.

Robin froze and looked up at his visitor. His mouth turned down further into a sneer and he resumed his exercising.

"Are you mad at me, Robin?" Conner's eyes remained fixed to the swinging bag. The chains suspending it rattled loudly.

Their youngest teammate was silent for a moment. "No," he said finally.

"Are you mad?"

Robin stopped and rested his wrapped hands on his knees. "What do you think?"

"I believe you are angry. Why?"

The Boy Wonder ignored him and returned to the punching bag. Superboy watched Robin himself now. The boy was still in the same clothes from their past mission a few hours ago. From where the sharp metal had fallen on him, the cloth was ripped from his right shoulder to collar bone. An angry purple and yellow bruise glared at Superboy. The boy's pants were barely any better, condition wise. Superboy hadn't seen Robin's cape since they had gotten back to Mount Justice. Cloth wrappings replaced the boy's usual gloves. Sweat dripped down his face and his breathing was labored as if he'd been running for a while.

"Why are you angry, Robin?" Superboy repeated, starting to get annoyed.

Robin ignored him again and Conner wondered if he was doing that to intentionally make him mad. It seemed to be working. The clone gritted his teeth and pushed Robin roughly away from the punching bag.

The boy stumbled backwards, eyes narrowing on Conner. "What the hell?"

"Why are you angry?" Superboy demanded back.

"Do you want to know why?" Robin stepped slowly towards his teammate. He lashed out and tried to punch Superboy in the jaw. The clone deflected it, glaring at Robin. "It's because people like you have all the power in the world and they don't even care!" He tried again to hit Conner but was brushed off. This time Conner pushed the younger boy further back. Robin leapt at Superboy again with a loud yell. The clone stepped to the side and Robin stumbled past him.

"I can try twice as hard as you but you still will always save more people." Somehow the boy ended up on the ground. He swung his leg quickly and swept Superboy off of his feet. The clone hit the ground and stared up at Robin who was hovering over him.

"I'll always be too slow or too weak or too human!" He raised his foot to stomp on Superboy. However, Conner was prepared. He grabbed Robin's foot, rolled him onto the ground, and shakily got to his feet.

Robin wasn't on the ground for long. He jumped to his feet and rushed at Superboy again. This time instead of deflecting Robin's attacks, he grabbed his shoulders and forced the boy against the wall. Conner felt his stomach drop as the boy's head banged loudly against the stone. Odd, shuddering noises came from the younger boy and Superboy was briefly afraid that he might've hurt Robin. He slowly let go of his shoulders and the boy slid to the ground. Conner peered down at his youngest teammate and frowned. The noises were getting louder and were very similar to the ones he had heard after pulling Robin from the wreckage.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, Robin."

The boy looked up at Conner and blinked. He wiped at his mask which gave Conner the impression the boy had been crying. "No, you didn't." He was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry for snapping."

"What were you mad about?" Superboy asked cautiously. He didn't want to repeat their past battle. The clone watched Robin's legs warily.

The Boy Wonder tucked his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I was scared," he said in a small voice.

Conner blinked in shock. "Scared?" He settled down next to Robin.

The boy nodded weakly. "Yeah, terrified. Isn't that hilarious?" He laughed bitterly.

Superboy didn't think it was that funny. He stared at Robin's face closely. "Where you scared of dying?"

"Un uh, nope," Robin paused. He looked at Superboy then stared up at the ceiling. "I was scared I was going to lose Batman." His face took on an interesting shade of red.

"But Batman's supposed to be okay. I didn't even think what happened was too bad." Superboy frowned.

"Yeah, I know. It really wasn't that bad. He only got shot then buried under a pile of rubble. That's usually a light day for us." A grin pulled at one of the corners of the boy's mouth. "It's just…" he stopped again, trying to come up with words to describe it. "Usually I can help him. Usually I'm there in time to stop it completely or make the results much less threatening. If one of us gets hurt, usually the other gets hurt too because it was just a really good bad guy. Not some lackey with a gun." Robin brought a closed fist down on the floor and let out a trembling breath. "I'm supposed to fearless! A little cut on Batman isn't supposed to freak me out. But it does! It scares me to death whenever he gets hurt and I just want to run and hide. I'm scared he'll get hurt or worse and then where will I be without him? Some partner, huh?"

"But you did help Batman," Conner insisted. You protected his head even though it hurt you." The teen nodded towards the large bruise on Robin's shoulder. "That was brave."

"Yeah? So? I was still terrified. It was just instinct that made me do it."

The clone to Superman stared Robin. "I don't think it's bad to be scared. If you're always fearless, then you're probably just reckless and you can never know true courage or bravery."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Which fortune cookie did you read that from?"

"Actually it was a commercial for heart medicine."

"Ah, right." Robin stared down at his hands and played absently with the wrapping around his right fist. "Do you ever get scared, Supey?"

The clone was silent for a moment as he debated the question in his mind. "Sometimes I do. I was scared when the catwalk fell on you and Batman. I was afraid you might've been crushed to death." Conner stared at the binding around Robin's hand.

Robin sighed. "I guess only our mentors are fearless."

"No, they aren't. I know Superman is scared of me. Every time he looks at me, it's like Kaldur's face when Wally comes back with Long John Silvers or anchovies on the pizza. Superman's scared of me. I was created to replace him and he feels threatened."

The younger boy tapped one of his boots against the ground. "Uh, yeah, I would be too if Batman got another Robin that tried to kill me. You haven't hurt Superman though. I bet if he got to know you, he wouldn't be so um, frightened."

"But he's scared to get to know me! I don't know why. It's only because of Batman that he knows my name." Conner crossed his arms and stared balefully at the floor tiles.

Robin hid a little smile. "Batman never gets scared. He's fearless."

Conner shook his head. Robin's smug expression morphed into a copycat Batglare. However, it was not nearly as potent as his father's due to the fact that Superboy did not combust into flames or wither away.

"How's Batman not fearless?" Robin demanded. "He's human and he braves things that would give anyone else nightmares!"

"He's scared for you," Superboy pointed out. "Whenever you do something risky or you're in trouble, he gets frightened that you may get hurt." Conner frowned, suddenly feeling sad. Robin seemed to understand his friend's depression. He nodded softly and fell silent. Mentioning Batman brought back Superboy's original purpose in finding Robin.

"Robin, if I give you two definitions, can you tell me which one is right?" The boy nodded and Conner recited the two definitions for father.

After some thought, Robin replied. "I'm no expert on the dictionary," he grinned, "but I'd say both were right. One's a scientific definition while the other is the uh, domestic definition." Superboy's brow wrinkled up in confusion. "Why?"

The clone of Superman frowned. "How is it possible that a father can be two different people at once? While one is a genetic donor, the other cares for the offspring."

"Wait…what?" Robin looked just as confused as Conner. He then thought about Superboy's "family" and though about his own twisted family. "Oh, I get it." Sort of like how Batman didn't give birth to me—thank God; that would be scary—but he cares for me because my real parents are… The boy drifted off and sighed.

Superboy straightened up. "You understand?"

"Yeah, sure. It isn't that hard. Superman is your scientific father. But who's your domestic father…?" Robin tried to run through a list of males who Superboy would know. Red Tornado? Maybe. Green Arrow? Woah…I hope not. Kaldur? Oh, that'd be great but kind of scary.

"Batman."

It took all of Robin's will and strength to not burst into hysteric giggles. The mental image of Batman in an apron with an iron was too overpowering. Domestic Bruce. Robin's cackle bubbled out of his throat and Superboy looked offended.

"Sorry, sorry!' Robin sputtered through giggles. "I just never heard anyone say Batman was a father role model before." Hearing it put that way, Superboy smiled a little as well. Looking at the terror that was Batman, one would not think the man would make a good father. But he's been a better father than Superman. Conner frowned again and Robin stopped laughing.

"What's wrong?"

Superboy shook his head. "It just doesn't make any sense. If the Batman could bond with someone, I thought for sure that Superman could just as easily. I really want to get to know him, too."

"It'll happen eventually, Supey. It took me about two and half years to get close to Batman and even now he can still be distant."

"But you have him wrapped around your finger," Superboy objected, using a phrase he had heard Artemis say about Wally and Megan.

Robin grinned. "Yeah, well, just blink your baby blues at Superman a bit more and he'll cave soon enough. Never mind the fact that Superman can just look in a mirror just as easily. I dunno why…but blue eyes always work," he said cryptically. The boy's jet black eyebrows rose playfully and Superboy wondered if Robin regarded everything as a sort of game.

The Boy Wonder climbed to his feet and smiled brightly at Superboy. "Thanks for pulling us out of the wreckage. Actually, thanks for coming with us in general. You saved our lives."

"You would have been able to get out of the metal."

"No, we wouldn't have." Robin repeated. "Do you remember the point of the mission?"

Superboy nodded. "A large shipment of Kryptonite to an unknown party. We were there to confiscate it," he said slowly, unsure of where this was going.

Robin shook his head, unable to hide a smile. "That's not really what was supposed to happen. I found out that it was a trap for Batman and possibly me. The whole thing with the Kryptonite was to prevent Superman and you from meddling in it. Didn't work very well, huh?"

"How did you know that?" Superboy studied his teammate's face closely.

"I know people," Robin deadpanned.

"That kind of scares me," Conner then laughed at what he had said.

Robin grinned. "Fear is good though, right?"

"Right." Superboy got to his feet as well. "Thank you for talking to me, Robin."

"No problem. I felt like a psychiatrist with all of your 'daddy issues.' It was all right, though. And don't worry—Superman will come around eventually. If not, your other dad can go scare him into more bonding with you." Robin grinned. "If he knows how bad you want to get to know him, it'll happen in no time." The Boy Wonder added loudly.

Superboy returned the smile. The two friends walked out of the room and ran right into the Big, Blue Boy Scout himself. Superboy looked shocked while Robin tried to hide his grin.

"Batman's stable at the hospital. Do you want to visit him?" Superman looked everywhere but at his son.

Robin nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely." The boy was already halfway down the hall. Clark watched him go, a smile lifting on his face.

Superboy stared down at the floor, wondering if he could put a hole in the ground without heat vision. He also wondered why his father hadn't left yet.

Superman hesitated then looked at his son. "Are you coming too…Conner?"

The clone's head jerked up so quickly his joints popped. "Really? I mean, yes. I would really like to come as well."

Superman nodded and the two Kryptonians went down the hall together. Superboy felt a smile grow on his lips as his father placed a hand on his shoulder.

It never occurred to Conner that just like his son, Superman had super hearing.

Awww. I thought that was cute. Anyway, thank you very much for reading. Please offer any feedback.

Happy Father's Day!