Superboy hadn't expected his first fight against the Teen Titans to happen this way. He hadn't even expected to have to term it as his "first." He supposes that makes him a failure of a weapon.

When he had first seen Red Robin and Wonder Girl on his monitor, he had felt - something. He didn't know what it was. So he ignored it and focused on finding the weaknesses in their techniques.

But when he sees them for the first time in front of him, real and alive, the feeling comes back. It feels like being tackled into a wall and like he forgot to do something, all at once. This time, he ignores it in favor of throwing Wonder Girl into the pavement of Times Square. Some time later, Red Robin, Kid Flash, and some other teenagers he's never heard of show up to fight him. His eyes automatically focus on Red Robin and Kid Flash until the speedster zooms away somewhere and he's left staring into Red Robin's mask.

It's hauntingly familiar and for a moment, he remembers another mask and another face; this mask is green and round and the face is younger and just a little less fierce. Then he blinks and it's gone, replaced by a black and yellow disk whizzing up to catch him on the shoulder. He growls in annoyance at the burning pain and uses his tactile telekinesis to detach a window frame from the building he's floating next to and hurls it down at Red Robin. For a moment, he stands completely still and Superboy thinks it's going to make contact, but then he flips out of the way with ease and efficiency.

Kid Flash runs around in a circle beneath him and Superboy looks down just in time to realize what he's doing yet too late to avoid it. He's buffeted by wind on all sides, stuck in a vortex of air and looking down at the red and yellow blur in the middle of it all just makes him dizzy. Then suddenly it stops and he almost forgets how to fly but just as he's remembering, he's being kicked in the side by Red Robin. As he goes down, he sees that he had used a grappling hook to launch himself from the side of the fifth story of the building and then he's skidding into the pavement. Red Robin lands on top of him, his weight forcing the air out of his lungs.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks him, eyebrows furrowing behind his mask. "You wear the S-shield, so why are you fighting us?" Superboy just snarls at him and his arm twitches with the urge to punch. But then Red Robin's gone and there's beeping coming from his chest and suddenly everything is an explosion of light and pain.

He's not invulnerable. They told him that once but he hadn't listened. He had fared well against those gigantic inmates and Wonder Girl, so who would have thought Red Robin's toy would take him out?

Apparently, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. did. They had people stationed around the fight area to take him back to the lab before the Teen Titans could call anyone else.

There, he was scolded like a dog. He had scowled at them and promised to do better next time. Now, he's watching news footage of the fight, examining his own faults as well as those of the Teen Titans. He still doesn't have his freedom and it's humiliating.

The next time they fight, it's in Central Park. This time, it's mostly private once the civilians scattered and fled. Superboy is grateful for that. Times Square had been nerve-wracking; he had never been around so many people in his short life. Even flying above Central Park had made him a little nervous, but it wasn't nearly as bad. This place is more open with no walls in sight and no corners to turn and he doesn't know what to do with so much room. The only thing to watch out for when he flies are the low branches of the trees.

He sees Red Robin glance around at the trees as well and he imagines he must look just as out of place in his black and red outfit as Red Robin does. So he soars into the sky above the tops of the trees, intending to draw out Wonder Girl and take her down first. Then he'll deal with the rest.

When Wonder Girl takes the bait and follows him, he doesn't expect to see Red Robin in her arms. Nor does he expect to see her let go and try not to laugh as Red Robin's wings allow him to fly. Superboy is infuriated; this kid is a pain in his ass.

"Superboy, please, let's talk this out," Red Robin pleads as he follows him higher into the air. "What do you have against us?"

Superboy doesn't know how to answer that. They did nothing to him. He's doing this because he has to. "It's none of your business," he snaps.

"Actually, since this is the second time we're fighting, I think it is," Red Robin answers dryly.

"Oh, just punch him!" Wonder Girl shouts as she comes up from behind him. He grabs her fist as she punches him and twists it, throwing her to the ground. He can hear Red Robin flying toward him and turns around, grabbing his ridiculous wings and pulling. They break easily enough under his strength and Red Robin's eyes widen behind his mask as he falls.

Superboy smirks in victory until he realizes what he's actually done. He watches, unable to move as Red Robin plummets to the ground and for a terrifying moment he thinks he's about to become a killer. But at the last moment, Wonder Girl catches him and Superboy feels his heart start to beat again. His eyes lock with the white lenses of Red Robin's mask and it feels like the boy can read his mind. It makes him look away, even in the middle of a fight.

The next thing he knows, Wonder Girl is in his face, screaming at him. "You could have killed him!" she shouts as she aims a punch at his fist. He lets it connect but dodges the next one.

"I didn't mean to," he growls back at her. The hatred in her eyes makes him want to squirm and apologize but he resists the urge. He thinks he's dreamed about eyes like hers, filled with love and admiration.

The spider creature's - Skitter's - tail catches him in the back of the head at that moment and he falls. Kid Flash is there to meet him when he reaches the ground and right after, so are Bunker and Red Robin. He's under a barrage of attacks when Red Robin pulls out a glowing green ring from one of his belts. Immediately feeling ill, Superboy collapses. When he looks up at Red Robin, the boy is regarding him with something that looks like guilt and sympathy. It could be the kryptonite or the mask messing with his head, but it looks like he doesn't want to hurt him.

For the second time, Superboy blacks out when Wonder Girl lands an unforgiving blow to the already sore spot on the back of his head.

The third time he fights the Teen Titans, it's two days later and it's barely a fight at all. More like a misunderstanding. This time, they come to him.

Wonder Girl looks furious as always but Red Robin looks...softer. Before Superboy can process why and how that is, let alone decide on an attack plan, Red Robin reaches out.

"Superboy, join us," he offers and Superboy has to wonder if he's losing it. "How they're treating you here, it's not right. You're a person, not just some experiment. Come with us and you can have a family. We'll introduce you to Superman and there's even a Supergirl now. Come with us and you'll have freedom."

It's a nice idea. But Superboy has no idea how trustworthy he is. He tenses and feels the floor around him with his tactile telekinesis to find security officers scurrying around in a panic beneath them.

"How can you promise that?" he asks, disbelieving.

"Heroes take care of their own. You can be one of us, no questions asked," Red Robin swears, and the mask has never looked so serious. Superboy glances at the other Teen Titans. Wonder Girl is glaring at the floor with her arms crossed but seems to be resigned to his possible acceptance of the offer. Bunker and Skitter are looking at him almost eagerly, though it's hard to tell. Kid Flash is vibrating with nervous energy.

"Okay," Superboy says after a tense moment and takes Red Robin's outstretched hand. "But if this is some kind of trick, I'll destroy you."

"It would only be fair," Red Robin replies and he's actually grinning at Superboy. It's a little shy and a lot reassuring.

Wonder Girl thumps him on the back a bit viciously and spares him a small, sharp smile. "Let's blow this joint before the scientists get through Red's nerd barricades."

They give him a bedroom in Titans Tower. It's sort of their hideout while teenage superheroes are being hunted down and it's difficult for Superboy to get used to living with people. There had been people where he lived before, but they had simply worked there. They were only there to study him. Here, he shares food with Bart before he annoys Red Robin into the TV room so they can teach Superboy about video games. Here, Cassie and Miguel give him these looks that he can't decipher while they talk to him. Here, he knows everyone's name-except Red Robin's.

He's asked him for it before. Red Robin had just looked at him sadly from behind his mask. It wasn't personal, he had said. Superboy doesn't believe him.

Every day, they spar. Apparently, Superboy needs to learn how to control his powers better. It only makes sense, since he hasn't been alive as long as the others and even they need to train. Except Red Robin. His muscles are real, not artificially produced, and his movements have a calculated grace that he's never seen before. Unlike everyone else in the Teen Titans, he knows what he's doing.

So it's a shocking victory when Superboy gets him on the floor of the training room, back flat against the hard tile and expression dazed from hitting his head. Superboy kneels over him, leaning down to inspect the damage. Red Robin is wearing his armored costume, but his head isn't protected and he's been taught that humans are extremely fragile. This one is less so, but it's still...worrying.

"Are you hurt?" he asks, reaching out to touch the back of Red Robin's head gently. He winces when Superboy's fingers graze where it slammed against the tile.

"Just...give me a second," he answers and his mask scrunches up slightly as he blinks rapidly behind it. Superboy's thumb brushes over the edge of it lightly as he continues to kneel there, studying Red Robin's face. Or what he can see of it.

Before he realizes what he's doing, the edge of the mask is separating from Red Robin's skin. It's peeling up slowly and Red Robin is staring at him, he can feel it, but he doesn't say anything so Superboy doesn't stop himself. Soon, the other side of the mask is being pulled off by his tactile telekinesis as well and the suspense is almost too much for him. He wants to see Red Robin's face, his eyes, his identity. Superboy wants to know who he is.

Finally, the mask comes off and his aura throws it aside. Blue eyes gaze up at him almost shyly and Superboy can't even blink. He can see Red Robin's intelligence in them, as well as his sadness and bitterness. It's all so familiar. It feels like he should have known all along what was under the mask but for some reason, he had forgotten.

It also feels wrong, to see those things in Red Robin's eyes. The focused intelligence he had almost expected, yes, but the other things that the boy is failing to hide shouldn't be there. Red Robin shouldn't look like he's just lost everything he's ever cared about.

But then Superboy remembers that he shouldn't care about what Red Robin's eyes look like aside from the issue of secrecy. He doesn't even know this kid's name. He's just the leader of some ragtag group of superpowered refugees. Superboy wasn't created to care.

He lets Red Robin's head fall the two inches to the floor when he removes his hand and rises, not sparing the discarded mask a glance as he flies out of the training room.

The twenty-third time Superboy fights Red Robin, he leaves him uneasy and disconcerted.