"Let me go!"

Steve heard the muffled shout from his cabin. What was going on? If Sam and Wally were fighting again…No, this time it was Wally and Robin. And Garth, Kaldur and Roy?

The youngest was stuck under a dog pile. Wally holding him in a head lock while straddling the boy, Garth sitting on his feet, Kaldur keeping the boy's thrashing arms to the ground and Roy was using Peter's web canisters to trap the bird. Peter didn't look to happy about that—he and Sam looking on in confusion from Sam's bunk.

"Hold him down Kal!" Roy was spraying his friend's torso in webbing, but Kaldur was having a hard time keeping his arms still. Robin's face was red from yelling.

"I'm trying but he's slippery…..sweet Neptune! Hurry Roy, he bit me!"

Steve regained his composure.

"Boys!" He clapped his hands together, only Sam and Peter turning to look at him. Robin's friends still holding him down. Placing his fingers in his mouth he whistled loud and shrill. Only then he got a few glances.

"Ohmygosh! He bit me too!" Wally held his fingers. "For the love of Pete why didn't we gag him?"

So they gagged him. Steve had an idea.

"Oh well I guess I can't do anything. I better go get Black Canary…."

"NO!" All four boys shouted, whipping around to stare at him. Good. They were still.

"Alright, get off Robin. Roy give Peter his web slinger back." The archer complied. "Now, let him up."

It took a while to get the webbing off the bird. And as soon as he was free he made a break for the door. Wally tackled him like a football player, grabbing his legs and bringing him to the ground. There was a scary cry of pain as Robin's jaw slammed into the ground.

"Wally! We're trying to keep him from training, not break him!" Roy groaned. Robin got free from the speedster and was out the door in two seconds. "Oh great going West!"

"Shut face Queen!" The red heads went as red as their hair as the shouted at each other.

"Please," Kaldur sighed, Garth plugging his ears and flinching, "will you two calm down. Arguing will get us nowhere."

After a few minutes they shut up, though Roy looked like he was going to stab Wally with an arrow.

"You three, head back to your cabins. It's almost lights out, Wally—stay here. I'll get go Robin."

"But—"

"Wally, everything will be fine, okay?" Steve herded the other three boys out the door. "Robin will be okay."

Breakline

He had really just meant to grab Dinah, but Fury had been in the same room and demanded he go along as well.

Since Roy made a comment about training, the figured Robin had retreated to the training facility. And after finding the door and cameras in the area had been hacked their suspicions were confirmed.

Robin was in a stimulator. He was taking down robotic adversary with acrobatic grace and devastation kicks to the head. He was swift, efficient. Nothing like the smirking bird Steve had seen sparring with Jade or Conrad, and definitely not the cheery kid who had rammed Wally of the pedestal on the blow up gladiator battle station.

His face was blank. His mask narrowed in anger, Steve could hear vicious growls coming from him as he threw a bird-a-rang through a robot. But there was something wrong. While he looked emotionless, it also looked like Robin was witnessing all of his nightmares birthed into one horrid dream. His face was pale and sweaty—not just from his extreme work out—but he looked sick.

Stressed. He was stressed. Dinah was at the controls. Tapping out codes to shut the robots down. With a sigh she completed her task, forcing Robin to stop and allowing the adults entrance into the locked room. Simulator rooms locked while in use to keep from new kids entering. She was the first in. Robin stood stock still. A bird-a-rang hanging limply from his hand.

"W-Why'd you stop me?" His voice sounded empty.

"You need to sleep." She corrected him lightly. Fury crossing his arms—he wanted this to be over.

"Was m-my form wrong?" Didn't Robin hear what Dinah had said?

"No—your form was fine."

"Was it perfect?" He looked up slightly. "I-I have to be perfect."

"Robin—no one is perfect." She took a knee next to him.

"I need to be perfect. Father—"

"Batman knows no one is perfect."

"Father needs me to be perfect." Steve was growing concerned. "He can't lose—not again." Sweet cheese, was that a tear Steve saw?

"Robin….what is your mind saying?" That was a…odd question. But the child responded to it.

"April 27th." Dinah wiped the tear off his face. "S-Stay away from my brother. D-Don't touch R-Robin—you clown faced…." He trailed off, Steve moving next to the silently crying hero. He spoke in a copied voice—he was speaking as someone else. "Please stop. Don't hit h-him anymore. M-My turn….s-stop hitting him." He gulped, biting his lip and trembling.

"Go on sweetie." Dinah cooed sadly. "If it bottles up inside it can hurt you." She sounded so sad and scared.

"D-Don't worry baby bird—I have t-to finish big birdy o-over here first." Oh Lord no, Steve grabbed Robin's shoulder. "S-So you can have his hand-me-down crowbar." Robin trembled some more. He blinked slowly. "I-I lost everything. I lost my b-b-bubby, m-my friend—I c-could've saved him….I-if I was perfect."

Dinah pulled Robin against her chest, he was sobbing. Hiccupping. She held him so tightly, like he was going to disappear.

"Robin—you are loved. You are as perfect as you can be. You—"

"I should've done better a-against T.J."

"You did a great job," Steve smiled softly as Robin glanced up at him. "Robin—I know what Batman said to you, but you did the best you could."

"I have to be perfect!" He let out an ear splitting wail. "M-My parents are d-dead because I wasn't p-perfect, m-my brother w-was murdered 'c-cause I g-got distracted. M-My b-best friend h-hates me because I w-went to f-far with r-revenge…." He trailed off. Crying even harder. Fury looked awkwardly.

"Young man." Robin jumped slightly—staring up at the S.H.I.E.L.D director. "We may not see eye to eye—but I will tell you this. The world's a butt load of crap. We get fed lies every second of our lives. And I don't like lies."

"Could've fooled me." Steve couldn't help but mutter. Nick glared, but continued.

"You are a brave young man. You fight harder and longer than most can and will. Perfection is unachievable, hate to break that to you. But you already knew that. Being the best depends on the set of skills—and you are on the top rung. I am deeply sorry for the loss of your brother, and your friend. But blaming yourself for such things and wallowing in pity will not help you grow past them and get better."

"Thanks you Nick. Robin, it's time for bed—sleep. Understand. Wally is probably still waiting up for you." Dinah stood straight, holding her hand down from Robin to take. Steve was about to make a similar offer.

"C-Carry?" The Boy Wonder asked. BC smiled tenderly and swung him up on her hip—then wrapping him in his cape she carried the small child like a baby. The little boy's small hand grasping the leather jacket she wore—his mass of oxen hair resting against it.

It was strange to see the invincible, legendary Boy Wonder acting like the actual child he was. It was strange to see him sad, not serious or goofy—but crying. His brother had died. Steve wanted to know more—he felt a duty to be able to talk and help Robin if he had another panic attack.

The panic attacks made sense know. Robin had not only seen bad things in Gotham—his parents were dead. Cap always assumed Batman was Robin's father—and Bat's wife and Robin's mother didn't fight crime, or wasn't in the picture. But he was an orphan—and had probably seen his parent's death.

He had a brother as well. Someone who loved him. Though Steven now wasn't sure if his brother was biological or adopted. And they were now dead. And—it sounded like Robin had been there to witness the young man's death, had to hear his brother tell a clown—the Joker most likely—to hurt him instead of Robin. No wonder the kid felt like he was to blame. And the Joker…..Robin's brother met death in a harsh way. Robin had mentioned a crowbar…..sweet mercy—had the nine year old witness his older brother being beaten to death with a crowbar? Had he heard screams and seen blood and laughter as his family died before his eyes?

No wonder he had panic attacks.

Wally was indeed waiting up, he snuck out to the porch—the lights turned off in the cabin showed that Peter and Sam were asleep. Wally looked like a kid getting to hold their newborn brother for the first time—but terrified and worried that they might drop the baby.

"What happened?" Wally barely whispered.

"April 27th." Dinah supplied, she transferred the half asleep Robin into KF's arms. Wally drained of any color.

"I can sleep in his bunk—right?" He sounded like the idea was absurd. But of course he could! Even if there was a rule against the kids sharing a bunk—Steve, nor Dinah he figured, would have any problem for Robin to sleep close to someone who helped him be happy and at peace with his demons.

"Of course. Remember—"

"Trace infinity signs on his hand if he freaks. Screams, rub his back. Count Agent A cookies if he can't fall asleep after a nightmare. Trust me Aunt Dinah—I know my brother."

Fury had broken apart from the group during the walk there, so only Steve and Dinah were on the porch, Steve holding the door open for Wally since his arms were full of Robin.

"Thank you for getting me." Dinah looked extremely tired as she spoke, Steve almost felt bad about what he was going to ask next. "He can be a little hard to deal with….not like that! But—you have to be someone who understands his past and fears to help him."

"His team does?"

"Not his ID, but they know how much he's lost. I serve as the kid's therapist. They're almost all orphans. Wally, Garth, Tula, Jade and Arty still have parents. But Wally's…..abusive."

"….oh." Steve did not know that.

Dinah shifted slightly, she sighed.

"All I can say, my kids are jealous."

"Of who?"

"Y.A.L." Dinah smiled softly. "Ben has his father, Kaldur never met his. Thor and Jane are there for Destin to see, Jade and Arty see their parents once a month in jail. Conrad and Natalie love their parents, and their parents love them. Wally loved his parents—but his mother was too high to care and his father was wasted every night. You're always there for Piper and Bucky—Megan was hated by her family. Robin watched his parents die—he wants them. Same with Roy. That's why Roy and Bucky fight."

She started to head off the porch, Steve following her. "Roy's mother was amazing, she died when he was five. Cancer."

"I'm sorry, that's awful." She nodded.

"His father died when he was ten. In a forest fire on a camping trip. He loved his father—he wants a father like Bucky does."

"But Oliver—"Most of this kids had adoptive parents.

"Cami. You loved her, didn't you?" He had to nod, he did love his wife. "But you loved Peggy more. You would've chosen Peggy over Cami—but you love them both. Roy loves Ollie, but he would rather be with his birth father."

That made sense. "Robin wishes he had what T.J. has. He wants his mother, he wants his father. Truth be told, Pepper and Tony look a lot like Rich-Robin's parents—so that hurts."

"Dinah—would you tell me about Robin? Who is he? What about Batman? Does he take care of his son? How did his brother die? What friend did he loose?"

She froze. "You can't tell anyone. You remember the day T.J. became Iron Girl?" Everyone did. "Shortly after she met Robin—he insulted her, to get back for what she said to someone about him."

Oh yes, he remembered that. Though he didn't like the comments T.J. had about Gotham and Robin, he didn't appreciate Robin's teasing.

"He was tired of comments T.J. made about his team and himself on play-dates." Huh? "He felt bad, as he made those things. Tried to apologize, but T.J. wanted war. He was hurt—so a week after Richard called her out at Wayne Manor." Steve felt his mouth drop. "They fought, and the friendship ended. Richard was seven. His parents died when he was six. A year after Y.A.L. and T.J. started to hate him, April 27 came. He was eight when his brother, Jason died. T.J. came to the funeral. She asked him if he could've done something to save him—like he could've saved his parents."

"S-She really wanted war."

Dinah Lance nodded. "Young Justice came to his defense—but Robin openly claims he started it. Everything that happened to him shaped him. He demands perfection from himself, he tries to mimic both his brother and mentor. Which is why he's messing around one minute and a drill sergeant the next. He's had depression since his parents died, Jason helped him so much. Bruce did too. Steve, Bruce really cares—he's just afraid to show it. He doesn't work well with emotions."

"But Robin needs to know—"

"He does. Trust me, he does." She turned stone faced. "I've told you enough for now—do not confront Robin about this. He's afraid to tell people his ID, so don't tell him you know."

"S-Sure." She walked away. Steve stood still under the moonlight. All of this made things different. YJ had started the war, but Y.A.L. made it worse. Robin watched his parents and brother die and felt responsible. Survivor's guilt. Well—Steve shook his head as he turned back to his cabin—he knew that feeling all too well.

Jason and Bucky…..children of the night…such brave children who went off to fight…..