~YJ~
026. Tears
Rated: K
~YJ~
The first thing that Kaldur thought when he saw Robin's eyes for the first time was that they were really, really blue, brighter and deeper than Red Arrow's or Superboy's eyes. The second thing he noticed was that they were welling up with tears. Kaldur had gone looking for the other boy to tell him that the group was going into town; what he'd found had led him to tell the others that they would catch up later.
When he'd knocked on the boy's bedroom door, he got no response, but he could hear strange sounds coming from inside. They sounded strangled and hushed, but he could hear the pain. Making a mental note to apologize later, he took a step back and, with a solid kick, knocked down the door. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't what he found; Robin was curled up on his side, a pillow clutched in his hands and his knees drawn up to his chest. His eyes, wide and uncovered, were fixed on the Atlantean; Kaldur spotted his shades lying discarded on the floor. There were tear tracks on his cheeks, and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy.
"…Robin?"
The single word shattered the uneasy calm that had descended in the room, and in a few long strides, he'd crossed the threshold and sat down on the bed next to his sniffling friend. Without saying a word, he tugged the pillow out of Robin's surprisingly weak grip and pulled the crying boy into a hug. He felt the younger tense up at the contact, and he hoped that he hadn't just screwed it up and made it worse. But then Robin relaxed against him and buried his face in Kaldur's chest, and Kaldur held him as he cried.
Sometimes Kaldur forgot that Robin was only thirteen. Despite being the smallest on the team, he was best fighter and the most highly trained, with the most experience. He could take Superboy out in hand-to-hand combat in under two minutes, and could take on opponents much larger and stronger than himself. It was easy to overlook that the acrobat was still, in reality, a child.
The fact that Robin was the youngest was suddenly very important, and he could feel his whole perspective shift as he held the trembling boy close. His hand was rubbing soothing circles between the other boy's shoulder blades; he could feel Robin's tears soak through his jacket. Kaldur felt an abrupt surge of affection for the little bird.
Kaldur had never thought that Robin could be vulnerable; all he saw was the lighthearted, slightly immature, smirking teammate. Robin was strong-willed and hyper and a prankster; he was kind and patient with M'gann and Superboy, fun-loving and teasing with Wally, and all of those things with Kaldur.
The boy in his arms was still Robin. Impish eyes. Messy hair. Wild smile. Creepy cackle. Secrets. Video game extraordinaire. Hacking master. Kid genius. Born leader. Ninja of the night. Boy Wonder. Protégé of the Dark Knight. Caped Crusader. Half of the "Dynamic Duo." The little brother of the team.
My little brother…