Author's Note: This is the first chapter of a six chapter, five times plus one fic focused around Kaldur and the Kaldur/Roy relationship. It will be posted every Sunday for the next six weeks (including this one) until it is finished. This fic was heavily inspired by RockscanFly and Shadesninde, who are the two big Koy writers in the fandom, past and present. I adore them and want to give them a huge shoutout.

If you like the chapter, please leave a review! Thanks!

One: Robin

Early missions never went well – not for the army, and not for the Team. They'd inducted Artemis only three weeks prior, and the relationships in the Team, romantic and otherwise, were still fresh and new. Easily broken and less easily mended.

The mission had not gone as planned. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission. Get in, get the information, get out. None of them had expected the goons, nor the bombs, nor the explosion that had blown Kid Flash off his feet and into the river.

If it hadn't been for Kaldur's quick thinking, Artemis had said. She hadn't finished the sentence. She hadn't needed to with the mental link. They'd all seen the same thing.

So now, with Kid Flash in the infirmary, M'gann and Conner off on their own, and Artemis talking to Black Canary, that left Kaldur'ahm to speak with Robin about the mission. About the failure Robin thought was his own. About the dangers that none of them could have predicted.

Kaldur walked through the cave with a quiet purpose – one of finding Robin. He held a tea cup in his hands and a pain in his heart. A pain that called out for the hiding boy silently. Kaldur had seen the look on Robin's face when Wally had been hurt. Had seen the look when they were on the bioship together.

He knew Robin was tearing himself apart. And Kaldur knew he'd have done the same at that age. Before experience and his king and a certain angry archer had taught him about letting go of things not in his control. Although, even now, he still struggled immensely with such a concept.

Kaldur found Robin tucked into the arm chair in the cave's living room, staring at a news report detailing the damages from their earlier mission. The explosion had taken out the power and water supply for other three thousand people. Kaldur fought a grimace at the numbers. He hadn't expected their loss to harm so many others.

"Robin," said Kaldur, keeping his voice perfectly neutral and soft.

Robin said nothing. His sunglasses covered eyes did not flicker from the screen.

Kaldur sat down on the couch directly across from Robin, carefully angling his body and his body language to seem open and accepting, but not forward or defensive. It was an odd balance on the surface world, one much more easily conveyed in the waters of Atlantis. He set down his tea and clasped his hands together.

"I would like to speak with you," said Kaldur.

"Pass," mumbled Robin. "Batman is already going to lecture me. Canary too. Don't need you to add to it."

Kaldur frowned. "You misunderstand, I do not wish to lecture you." He paused then, struggling to find his next words.

Robin glanced over to him from where he was curled up – arms wrapped around raised legs and chin resting on his knees. He frowned and said nothing.

"The mission was a failure, yes," started Kaldur. "But we survived, we walked away, we will live to fight another day. That is what is most important."

Robin snorted. "Who told you that? Television?" There was something sharp and bitter in his voice.

"Robin, Wally's injury is not your fault…"

"Of course it is!" shouted Robin. He jumped to his feet and stalked across the room, fidgeting with his hands. "I'm the one who did the recon. I'm the one who told Wally it was clear to run. I'm the one who didn't know about the bombs." He scrubbed his hands through his hair and let out a choked laughing sob.

"If it wasn't for me, Wally wouldn't be unconscious right now, fighting to get enough blood into his body to survive." Robin's voice broke at the last word, dropping into a shaky, awful sob that wracked his small frame. He fell to his knees. With his arms wrapped tightly around himself, Robin curled forward and let the sobs consume him until he sounded like he couldn't breathe.

Kaldur slid off the couch and crawled across the floor to Robin. He wrapped his arms around Robin and leaned Robin against his chest. Robin clung tightly to the material of Kaldur's sweatshirt. His tears stained Kaldur's shirt, but Kaldur found he didn't mind. He stroked Robin's back and hummed a lullaby his mother used to sing to him.

After a time, Robin's tears lessened. "He could have died," Robin mumbled. "He could have died and that would have been on me."

Kaldur stroked his back. "Everything is fine. He lived. We all lived."

"But…"

Kaldur leaned back and took Robin's face in his hands. "You cannot dwell on 'what ifs' and 'maybes', my friend. You must look only at what actually happened." He rubbed his thumb to wipe Robin's tears. "Now breathe, my friend. Take a deep breath."

Robin did so.

"Now let it out."

Robin did so.

"Now, focus on what truly transpired tonight. Wally is alive and he will be well. Everyone else is fine. The mistake was not yours alone and no one could have found those bombs." Kaldur smiled, it was a soft and reassuring thing. "We fought, we lived. All is well. All right?"

Robin nodded. "Okay."

"Good," said Kaldur. "Now let us visit Wally, then you need sleep. It's been a long day."

Kaldur helped Robin to his feet and led him to the infirmary. He kept his hand on Robin's shoulder the whole way, and hoped that, by morning, Robin would feel much better.