For TheBlueFoxtrot A Samba's 100 Prompts challenge.
Parity- State of being equal
Rank had always been a part of Kaldur's life, and one of the only parts that was easy to figure out. From his childhood to joining the military, and later the Conservatory, he had always known all who were above him, and the few who were below. Back then, he always knew what was expected of him, and exactly how he could carry it out. He had been foolish to think it would be the same on the surface.
At first, there had been a certain thrill in working side by side with his King. He was no longer a part of a matched rank, disposable and unimportant. He didn't have to adhere to every order that was barked by a distant commander. He didn't even have to hide his face from the enemy. He was important enough to be feared without a thousand duplicates.
Then the apparent opportunity arose to become equal with the League. Of course Kaldur was thrilled, and of course he was hopeful. Everything that had been taught to him was being refuted, bit by bit. It was liberating, but a bit disorienting. He was almost glad when their promises turned out to be a sham. At least some things never changed, no matter where you went.
The others seemed worse off, though. Roy had even gotten up and left, though Kaldur could have seen that coming, League or no League. It made Kaldur wonder what kind of upbringing would cause somebody to expect anything more than this kind of treatment from people, heroes even, who were so much older than them. Since that day, Kaldur began to stay on the surface more and more to learn about its every aspect, until visits to Atlantis were few and far between, unlike the switched around situation from before.
Joining the team had been the main change, though. He was not sure what to initially expect out of it, but what he got was definitely something completely different. Everyone was unique and they were not afraid to show it, at home or on the battlefield. Kaldur knew about the many suspicions and secrets within the team, but everyone was still open compared to the Atlantean military, in that they actually showed who they were, and soon enough Kaldur found himself going along with them.
When Kaldur had been called upon to lead, he obliged, because he thought he had to. Kaldur also assumed that he would be disrespected, seen as a placeholder, used until Robin was of age to lead, and then disposed of. He had never expected to have his own position of authority and friendship towards every member of the team.
Robin himself was hard to figure out. Ordinarily, Kaldur would have wanted to place Robin at a lower rank within the team, because of his age. But three years of friendship had taught him that Robin was not a child. At that point, Kaldur wanted to place him at a higher rank, accounting for experience. But again, as time passed, he was able to learn that Robin did not see him as a substitute leader, but one to learn from. Just as Kaldur learned from Robin, and his ability to diverge from the set path.
So he did not know what to think, but maybe that was okay. Kaldur was content to let things like ranks be, as Robin did, and as young people should, he supposed. Even if he didn't know this hero's thoughts about Kaldur or this team, or even his civilian alias, they could still exchange a knowing smile between leaders, and maybe even between equals.