TITLE: Life Without a Friend (World's Finest #1)
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S EMAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Please ask.
CATEGORY: A little of this and a little of that. ::shrug:: Any more would ruin it, IMO.
RATING: PG for some bad language
SUMMARY: When Tim leaves the superhero life behind, Kon and the other Teen Titans decide to find him.
CONTINUITY: This diverges from current continuity just after Tim gives up the Robin suit.
DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to DC Comics. I just fantasize and worry about them.
NOTES: This story is the result of an off-hand comment I made while sending feedback to Te. The title is from a Spanish proverb: "Life without a friend is death without a witness." Thanks to Illmantrim and Ozchick for copious help and suggestions that turned this from an amorphous blob into vaguely coherent fic. You guys rock!
* * * * *
It took all of Kon's recently-acquired restraint to not smash in his monitor the first time he read the note. And the second time. And the third.
"To: thesuperkid@secure.tt.net
"From: birdguy@secure.tt.net
"Subject: I guess this is goodbye
"Please don't try to find me.
"I'm not sure if you'll have heard the news by the time you get this, but my dad found out I was Robin and he freaked. A lot. The upshot of which is that I'm no longer Robin. There will be a new Robin coming out to the Tower, someone I know and trust. Don't pick on her, because none of this is her fault.
"In fact, she'll need your help, since she doesn't have nearly my experience or skills. If you won't help her for the sake of the team, help her for me, okay?
"I promised my dad I'd make a clean break and I owe it to him to at least try, as penance for all the lying I've done over the years. In fact, my e-mail account will be deleted by the time you get this message, so I guess this is goodbye. Tell everyone I'm sorry. I'm sorry it happened this way, and sorrier I didn't get to say goodbye in person, but we both already knew life's not fair.
"I'll miss you. Take care."
Kon didn't even have to look at his computer screen anymore; he'd read the note so many times, he knew it by heart.
Lying in his Smallville bedroom, he stared at the ceiling, bathed in the glow from the as-yet-unscathed monitor. Once his anger had drained, Kon was left feeling empty.
He'd just gotten a Dear John letter from his best friend, for heaven's sake. Even for someone with a life as surreal as his, that had to be a new low, right?
Tim was gone. A few sentences over e-mail and he'd just...disappeared. Without a last name, Kon didn't even have any way to find him. He stared at the cracks in the ceiling, numb.
He'd thought they were friends. But if Tim could drop him so easily, what had their friendship really meant?
Tim said not to look for him, but he couldn't let it end like this. If he didn't want to be friends, then he'd have to say it to his face. Which left the problem of how to find someone when you didn't know their last name. And couldn't even be entirely certain the first name you knew was the truth.
Kon decided he hated his life. A lot.
* * * * *
By the time Kon got to Titans Tower that Friday, things had gone downhill. Starfire thought her authority had been overridden again, Bart wanted to talk to Tim *right now*, and Kon couldn't figure out *what* Cassie was saying.
"I take it you've heard," Cyborg said to him, taking a break from arguing with Starfire.
"Robin sent me an e-mail."
"You got an e-mail?" Bart nearly ran him down and everyone else stopped shouting. "What did he say?"
"That he's sorry." Kon knew his voice sounded flat, but he couldn't do anything about it. "Take care. Help out the new Robin."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Changeling sidled up to him as everyone else went back to shouting. "You seem remarkably calm about this."
"Do I?"
"Hmm." Changeling shrugged. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay? At least not where I can see it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"That's what I'm here for." He morphed into a parrot, flapping his wings to Cyborg's shoulder, where he squawked in counterpoint to everyone else.
* * * * *
Kon cornered Bart in a remote hallway. "We gotta find Tim." His words echoed against the metal walls, making him jump.
"Yeah, but how? I mean, I can run all over Gotham, but..."
"If Batman catches you, you're dead meat, I know. Same with me if I fly. Let's go talk to Cassie, maybe she'll think of something."
They found Cassie on top of the tower, knees pulled up to her chin, baking in the sun reflecting off the light-colored roof. "Lemme guess," she said without turning around. "You guys have got some hare-brained scheme and you want my help."
Kon grinned, floating in front of her. "Close. We were hoping *you* could come up with some hare-brained scheme to find Tim. Without Robin, we're short a strategist."
Half an hour later, they had hare-brained schemes galore--Kon was particularly proud of the one involving the personals ad and the giant lizard--but nothing that resembled a viable plan.
"Maybe we should ask for help," Cassie said, sounding hesitant.
"From who?"
"Whom," Bart said.
"Shut *up*, Bart. No more grammar books for you." Kon rubbed his forehead harder as a twitch developed over his left eye. "Who should we ask?"
"The JLA."
"Oh yeah, I'll just get Oracle to patch me in so I can ask for Tim's address. Maybe she'll tell me Batman's shoe size while I'm at it."
"No, seriously. We could ask Wonder Woman. She takes the team thing pretty seriously."
"Umm, she doesn't like me much." Kon winced as he remembered his and Cassie's abortive kiss and subsequently being thrown halfway across San Francisco Bay.
"She's so over that." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Diana loses her temper easily but she forgives. C'mon, let's go talk to her."
Bart skidded to a stop, gravel flying. "What about training? Aren't we supposed to be in the gym now?"
Kon waved his hand. "We'll be back soon. Besides, this is important. It's team stuff."
Bart cocked his head, eyes wide behind the goggles, then shrugged. "Okay."
"Follow me," Cassie said, lifting into the sky.
* * * * *
They found Diana coming out of a meeting in Chicago. Bart and Kon hung back as Cassie convinced her to talk to them.
Wonder Woman examined each of them as they walked through a small city park toward a lake, and Kon tried not to shuffle his feet. For some reason, she intimidated him more than anyone else except Clark. Maybe it was her complete self-assurance. Or her large and carefully-displayed chest. As a teenager, it was difficult to tell.
"How can I help the Teen Titans?" she asked, sinking down onto a park bench.
Cassie and Bart looked at Kon. Thanks, guys, he thought. "Well, um, you've heard that Robin had to stop being Robin?" Oh yeah, real eloquent.
"Yes, I did." She waited patiently for him to get to the point, a light breeze stirring her hair.
Kon took a deep breath. "We want to find him."
Wonder Woman tilted her head, eyebrows raised. "You don't know his identity?"
"No, just his first name," Cassie said. "And he must live in Gotham. But that's not enough."
Wonder Woman looked into the distance. "I don't know his identity either, even if I wished to tell you."
Kon stepped forward. "But you know Batman's."
Wonder Woman turned her gaze on him and he gulped, hoping she wasn't going to throw him across the city again. "I do know his identity," she agreed, "But I certainly would not reveal *that*."
"No! No, I meant you could use that to find Tim for us."
"I believe that if the young man wished to be found, he would have let you know."
"He sent me a note right before," Kon said. "His dad told him to not contact us."
"Then I would not wish to interfere in his family's affairs. As you may recall," she said to Cassie, "that was my concern about your joining the Titans to begin with."
Cassie bit her lip. "Diana--"
"I'm sorry. When he is of age, he can choose to rejoin the team. Or perhaps Batman will succeed in convincing his father."
"Batman's not even trying," Bart said. "He's already got a new Robin."
"Ah. In that case, I doubly would not wish to interfere." Wonder Woman stood, smoothing her costume. "If you can provide a reason why you need to see him, then let me know. Otherwise, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to help. I'm sorry."
Cassie hung her head. "Well, thanks for listening."
"I *am* sorry, child. I really must be going, however, as I have another meeting."
Kon and Bart mumbled farewells and Wonder Woman strode back through the oak trees, leaving three dejected teens to stare at each other.
"What about Flash?" Kon asked. "He used to be a Titan and after Nightwing gave him that lecture, maybe he'll be feeling guilty enough to help."
"It's worth a try," Cassie said.
* * * * *
It took half an hour to find Flash in Denver, and twenty minutes to help him rescue people from a burning housing complex.
Leaning against the side of the fire engine, Flash looked wearier than any speedster had a right to. "I wish I could help, but...it was the kid's decision."
"And you're afraid of Batman."
"Damn right I'm afraid of Batman." Instead of being angry, Flash was amused. "If you've got a brain, you're scared of him too. Look, I'm not going behind the back of the Dark Knight without a damn good reason. If you find one, call me."
"But Tim's our friend," Cassie said. "We just want to talk to him."
"Sorry. Thanks for the help. Now you'd better get back to San Francisco."
And Flash was gone, burger wrappers and abandoned newspapers stirring in his wake. Kon grabbed the back of Bart's collar before the boy could take off in pursuit. "He's not gonna help us. Let's get back to the Tower."
* * * * *
Kon spent the entire 20 minutes while Cyborg and Starfire were lecturing them on responsibility trying to figure out the next step in finding Tim. But there was no time for him to consult with the others, as Cyborg immediately set them to sparring and Kon was too busy trying to keep Starfire from blowing his tail off to even think. Which was probably the idea, he thought as he hovered in the far corner of the gym trying to catch his breath.
It was hours before the conspirators could gather again, this time in Kon's bedroom. Cassie slumped against the far wall, head tilted back, Kon perched on the bed, and Bart vibrated his way between the window and the bed.
"I can't believe they're both afraid of Batman," Kon said, banging his head against the wall, hoping an idea might shake loose.
"Isn't everyone?" There was no appreciable irony in Cassie's voice.
"Tim isn't."
"Point."
Bart skidded to a stop at the foot of the bed. "It's your turn."
"Huh?"
"We need to talk to Superman."
Kon groaned. "We'll never get out of the tower to find him now. They'll be watching us."
"Then you'll have to talk to him during the week," Cassie said. She stood, dusting off her pants, and Bart nodded, then zipped out the door.
"But..." Kon said as the door shut behind them. "You mean I have to ask him all by myself? Thanks, guys."
* * * * *
Kon chickened out on Monday, coming up with a variety of excuses in his own mind, but (un)luckily for him, Clark came by the farm late Tuesday afternoon.
Chores done, Kon was lying on the roof staring at approaching storm clouds when Clark floated up to sit next to him. The cape fluttered a bit in the wind and Clark tucked it under his knee. "Ma tells me you're pretty upset over Robin leaving."
Kon yearned to say 'What was her first clue?' but decided sarcasm wasn't entirely constructive. Look, the clone learns how to think before he speaks. "Yeah," he finally said. "Um, I wanted to talk to you about that."
"Yes?"
Kon sat up and stared at the Metropolis skyline, watching a plane landing at the airport. "Well, we didn't really get a chance to say goodbye, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and me. We were kind of hoping you'd help us find him."
"Find him?"
"He just vanished." Kon's throat felt oddly thick.
Clark was quiet for a few moments. "Conner, I--"
"No, lemme guess: I should respect his decision, even though his dad made it for him, it's not your place to interfere, oh, and you're afraid of Batman just like everybody else."
Kon found himself shouting. So much for thinking before speaking. Now he *really* couldn't look at Clark, so he just kept staring at Metropolis and hoping that a stray supervillain might try to kill him. Maybe even succeed.
The silence was uncomfortable, but it was a minute before Kon could trust himself to speak again. "I'm sorry," he said, cursing himself for destroying any slight chance of getting help.
"Sounds to me like there's more than just a friend leaving the team. What's wrong?"
Slowly, he turned. Clark's brow was furrowed, his square-jawed and earnest face filled with concern. "I just...I didn't know how important his friendship was until he took off. All I want to do is ask him why he left."
"It's not that simple."
"Yes, it is! Tim is--was, whatever--Robin. Fuck that, Tim is *Tim*! If he'd decided he wanted to stay, he'd have found some way to do it. He's our planner, our brain. He can do anything."
He wanted to pound his fist on the roof for emphasis, but in his current agitated state, that might leave holes. Instead, he crossed his arms.
Clark nodded once, his expression now unreadable. "If you saw him, what would you say?"
Breath caught in his throat, Kon stared. "D'you mean you'll--"
"Hold on. What would you say?"
"I, um, I guess that we miss him. I'd ask why he didn't want to stay."
"Mm-hmm." Clark was oddly intent. "What else?"
"I don't know."
Clark looked at him for a moment, then lay back on the roof, obviously mimicking Kon's earlier pose. Hesitant, Kon lay down next to him and they stared up at the clouds.
The storm had reached Metropolis and Kon could see the heavy raindrops as they fell on the city. There was a smell in the air that said the storm was heading their way.
"Going behind a teammate's back to contact his protégé, even a former protégé, is a serious matter."
Kon gritted his teeth.
"Before I agree, I would need a good reason."
"That's what Flash and Wonder Woman said."
"I know."
"What?" Kon sat up, aghast.
"They're my teammates. What did you expect?" Clark tucked his arms behind his head and smiled at him. "Did you think JLA members never talk to each other?"
Since that was exactly what he'd thought, Kon lacked a clever response. "Does Batman know?" He looked around the farm wildly, as if the other man might attack him at any moment.
"No, he doesn't. Yet."
"Hey, wait. If you've talked to them, then you already knew what was going on."
"But I wanted to hear it from you." Clark paused. "I wanted to hear your reasons. Wally and Diana agreed that you had instigated this and were pushing the hardest. It got me curious."
"He's my friend." Kon crossed his arms, feeling on the defensive.
"And Batman is my friend. It's lovely symmetry, don't you think? In any case, you have other friends."
"Not like him."
"What's different?"
Kon's mouth opened, then closed. There weren't words to explain it, at least not in his vocabulary. "I...he...I mean, he's Tim," he said.
Clark sighed. He seemed to be thinking seriously about something. "You know, Batman once asked me what I saw in Lois, and I said something similarly incoherent. Batman laughed at me, as I recall."
"Uh..."
"I guess what I'm asking," Clark's face turned red but he kept his eyes locked on Kon, "is whether you're in love with Tim."
"Uh..." Kon's world spun and he would have fallen off the sloped roof if Clark hadn't grabbed his arm.
"It's okay. I'm not upset but I need to know."
Kon sputtered, finally managing to ask, "Why?"
"I told you. I need a good reason. That would constitute a good reason."
"No, I mean why would you think I'm...I mean, that I...oh, shit." Kon buried his face in his hands, not sure what he was trying to say.
"Does Tim know how you feel?" Clark's voice was so soft and sympathetic, Kon wanted to die. Was it was possible to die of embarrassment?
"No."
"No, you're not in love with him, or no, he doesn't know?"
"Um. The, uh, the second. At least, I don't think he does." His face felt like it had burst into flames and his stomach churned. He was definitely dying.
"Okay. That's good enough." Clark patted his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry I had to ask you but I needed to be sure before I took this step."
"What step?" Kon looked up.
"Do you trust me?"
Kon's jaw dropped, but it was apparently a serious question. "Yes."
"Okay. Then please leave this alone." Clark held up a hand to forestall the inevitable protest. "For now. Give me a chance to see what I can do without your interference. Please."
"Yeah." Kon pulled his knees up to his chest. "I'll stay quiet for now. I'm kind of out of ideas anyway."
Clark patted his shoulder again. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
Everybody knew that Superman didn't lie. Kon's heart felt lighter as he watched Superman fly toward Metropolis.
--continued in "Death Without a Witness"--
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S EMAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Please ask.
CATEGORY: A little of this and a little of that. ::shrug:: Any more would ruin it, IMO.
RATING: PG for some bad language
SUMMARY: When Tim leaves the superhero life behind, Kon and the other Teen Titans decide to find him.
CONTINUITY: This diverges from current continuity just after Tim gives up the Robin suit.
DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to DC Comics. I just fantasize and worry about them.
NOTES: This story is the result of an off-hand comment I made while sending feedback to Te. The title is from a Spanish proverb: "Life without a friend is death without a witness." Thanks to Illmantrim and Ozchick for copious help and suggestions that turned this from an amorphous blob into vaguely coherent fic. You guys rock!
* * * * *
It took all of Kon's recently-acquired restraint to not smash in his monitor the first time he read the note. And the second time. And the third.
"To: thesuperkid@secure.tt.net
"From: birdguy@secure.tt.net
"Subject: I guess this is goodbye
"Please don't try to find me.
"I'm not sure if you'll have heard the news by the time you get this, but my dad found out I was Robin and he freaked. A lot. The upshot of which is that I'm no longer Robin. There will be a new Robin coming out to the Tower, someone I know and trust. Don't pick on her, because none of this is her fault.
"In fact, she'll need your help, since she doesn't have nearly my experience or skills. If you won't help her for the sake of the team, help her for me, okay?
"I promised my dad I'd make a clean break and I owe it to him to at least try, as penance for all the lying I've done over the years. In fact, my e-mail account will be deleted by the time you get this message, so I guess this is goodbye. Tell everyone I'm sorry. I'm sorry it happened this way, and sorrier I didn't get to say goodbye in person, but we both already knew life's not fair.
"I'll miss you. Take care."
Kon didn't even have to look at his computer screen anymore; he'd read the note so many times, he knew it by heart.
Lying in his Smallville bedroom, he stared at the ceiling, bathed in the glow from the as-yet-unscathed monitor. Once his anger had drained, Kon was left feeling empty.
He'd just gotten a Dear John letter from his best friend, for heaven's sake. Even for someone with a life as surreal as his, that had to be a new low, right?
Tim was gone. A few sentences over e-mail and he'd just...disappeared. Without a last name, Kon didn't even have any way to find him. He stared at the cracks in the ceiling, numb.
He'd thought they were friends. But if Tim could drop him so easily, what had their friendship really meant?
Tim said not to look for him, but he couldn't let it end like this. If he didn't want to be friends, then he'd have to say it to his face. Which left the problem of how to find someone when you didn't know their last name. And couldn't even be entirely certain the first name you knew was the truth.
Kon decided he hated his life. A lot.
* * * * *
By the time Kon got to Titans Tower that Friday, things had gone downhill. Starfire thought her authority had been overridden again, Bart wanted to talk to Tim *right now*, and Kon couldn't figure out *what* Cassie was saying.
"I take it you've heard," Cyborg said to him, taking a break from arguing with Starfire.
"Robin sent me an e-mail."
"You got an e-mail?" Bart nearly ran him down and everyone else stopped shouting. "What did he say?"
"That he's sorry." Kon knew his voice sounded flat, but he couldn't do anything about it. "Take care. Help out the new Robin."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Changeling sidled up to him as everyone else went back to shouting. "You seem remarkably calm about this."
"Do I?"
"Hmm." Changeling shrugged. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay? At least not where I can see it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"That's what I'm here for." He morphed into a parrot, flapping his wings to Cyborg's shoulder, where he squawked in counterpoint to everyone else.
* * * * *
Kon cornered Bart in a remote hallway. "We gotta find Tim." His words echoed against the metal walls, making him jump.
"Yeah, but how? I mean, I can run all over Gotham, but..."
"If Batman catches you, you're dead meat, I know. Same with me if I fly. Let's go talk to Cassie, maybe she'll think of something."
They found Cassie on top of the tower, knees pulled up to her chin, baking in the sun reflecting off the light-colored roof. "Lemme guess," she said without turning around. "You guys have got some hare-brained scheme and you want my help."
Kon grinned, floating in front of her. "Close. We were hoping *you* could come up with some hare-brained scheme to find Tim. Without Robin, we're short a strategist."
Half an hour later, they had hare-brained schemes galore--Kon was particularly proud of the one involving the personals ad and the giant lizard--but nothing that resembled a viable plan.
"Maybe we should ask for help," Cassie said, sounding hesitant.
"From who?"
"Whom," Bart said.
"Shut *up*, Bart. No more grammar books for you." Kon rubbed his forehead harder as a twitch developed over his left eye. "Who should we ask?"
"The JLA."
"Oh yeah, I'll just get Oracle to patch me in so I can ask for Tim's address. Maybe she'll tell me Batman's shoe size while I'm at it."
"No, seriously. We could ask Wonder Woman. She takes the team thing pretty seriously."
"Umm, she doesn't like me much." Kon winced as he remembered his and Cassie's abortive kiss and subsequently being thrown halfway across San Francisco Bay.
"She's so over that." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Diana loses her temper easily but she forgives. C'mon, let's go talk to her."
Bart skidded to a stop, gravel flying. "What about training? Aren't we supposed to be in the gym now?"
Kon waved his hand. "We'll be back soon. Besides, this is important. It's team stuff."
Bart cocked his head, eyes wide behind the goggles, then shrugged. "Okay."
"Follow me," Cassie said, lifting into the sky.
* * * * *
They found Diana coming out of a meeting in Chicago. Bart and Kon hung back as Cassie convinced her to talk to them.
Wonder Woman examined each of them as they walked through a small city park toward a lake, and Kon tried not to shuffle his feet. For some reason, she intimidated him more than anyone else except Clark. Maybe it was her complete self-assurance. Or her large and carefully-displayed chest. As a teenager, it was difficult to tell.
"How can I help the Teen Titans?" she asked, sinking down onto a park bench.
Cassie and Bart looked at Kon. Thanks, guys, he thought. "Well, um, you've heard that Robin had to stop being Robin?" Oh yeah, real eloquent.
"Yes, I did." She waited patiently for him to get to the point, a light breeze stirring her hair.
Kon took a deep breath. "We want to find him."
Wonder Woman tilted her head, eyebrows raised. "You don't know his identity?"
"No, just his first name," Cassie said. "And he must live in Gotham. But that's not enough."
Wonder Woman looked into the distance. "I don't know his identity either, even if I wished to tell you."
Kon stepped forward. "But you know Batman's."
Wonder Woman turned her gaze on him and he gulped, hoping she wasn't going to throw him across the city again. "I do know his identity," she agreed, "But I certainly would not reveal *that*."
"No! No, I meant you could use that to find Tim for us."
"I believe that if the young man wished to be found, he would have let you know."
"He sent me a note right before," Kon said. "His dad told him to not contact us."
"Then I would not wish to interfere in his family's affairs. As you may recall," she said to Cassie, "that was my concern about your joining the Titans to begin with."
Cassie bit her lip. "Diana--"
"I'm sorry. When he is of age, he can choose to rejoin the team. Or perhaps Batman will succeed in convincing his father."
"Batman's not even trying," Bart said. "He's already got a new Robin."
"Ah. In that case, I doubly would not wish to interfere." Wonder Woman stood, smoothing her costume. "If you can provide a reason why you need to see him, then let me know. Otherwise, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to help. I'm sorry."
Cassie hung her head. "Well, thanks for listening."
"I *am* sorry, child. I really must be going, however, as I have another meeting."
Kon and Bart mumbled farewells and Wonder Woman strode back through the oak trees, leaving three dejected teens to stare at each other.
"What about Flash?" Kon asked. "He used to be a Titan and after Nightwing gave him that lecture, maybe he'll be feeling guilty enough to help."
"It's worth a try," Cassie said.
* * * * *
It took half an hour to find Flash in Denver, and twenty minutes to help him rescue people from a burning housing complex.
Leaning against the side of the fire engine, Flash looked wearier than any speedster had a right to. "I wish I could help, but...it was the kid's decision."
"And you're afraid of Batman."
"Damn right I'm afraid of Batman." Instead of being angry, Flash was amused. "If you've got a brain, you're scared of him too. Look, I'm not going behind the back of the Dark Knight without a damn good reason. If you find one, call me."
"But Tim's our friend," Cassie said. "We just want to talk to him."
"Sorry. Thanks for the help. Now you'd better get back to San Francisco."
And Flash was gone, burger wrappers and abandoned newspapers stirring in his wake. Kon grabbed the back of Bart's collar before the boy could take off in pursuit. "He's not gonna help us. Let's get back to the Tower."
* * * * *
Kon spent the entire 20 minutes while Cyborg and Starfire were lecturing them on responsibility trying to figure out the next step in finding Tim. But there was no time for him to consult with the others, as Cyborg immediately set them to sparring and Kon was too busy trying to keep Starfire from blowing his tail off to even think. Which was probably the idea, he thought as he hovered in the far corner of the gym trying to catch his breath.
It was hours before the conspirators could gather again, this time in Kon's bedroom. Cassie slumped against the far wall, head tilted back, Kon perched on the bed, and Bart vibrated his way between the window and the bed.
"I can't believe they're both afraid of Batman," Kon said, banging his head against the wall, hoping an idea might shake loose.
"Isn't everyone?" There was no appreciable irony in Cassie's voice.
"Tim isn't."
"Point."
Bart skidded to a stop at the foot of the bed. "It's your turn."
"Huh?"
"We need to talk to Superman."
Kon groaned. "We'll never get out of the tower to find him now. They'll be watching us."
"Then you'll have to talk to him during the week," Cassie said. She stood, dusting off her pants, and Bart nodded, then zipped out the door.
"But..." Kon said as the door shut behind them. "You mean I have to ask him all by myself? Thanks, guys."
* * * * *
Kon chickened out on Monday, coming up with a variety of excuses in his own mind, but (un)luckily for him, Clark came by the farm late Tuesday afternoon.
Chores done, Kon was lying on the roof staring at approaching storm clouds when Clark floated up to sit next to him. The cape fluttered a bit in the wind and Clark tucked it under his knee. "Ma tells me you're pretty upset over Robin leaving."
Kon yearned to say 'What was her first clue?' but decided sarcasm wasn't entirely constructive. Look, the clone learns how to think before he speaks. "Yeah," he finally said. "Um, I wanted to talk to you about that."
"Yes?"
Kon sat up and stared at the Metropolis skyline, watching a plane landing at the airport. "Well, we didn't really get a chance to say goodbye, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and me. We were kind of hoping you'd help us find him."
"Find him?"
"He just vanished." Kon's throat felt oddly thick.
Clark was quiet for a few moments. "Conner, I--"
"No, lemme guess: I should respect his decision, even though his dad made it for him, it's not your place to interfere, oh, and you're afraid of Batman just like everybody else."
Kon found himself shouting. So much for thinking before speaking. Now he *really* couldn't look at Clark, so he just kept staring at Metropolis and hoping that a stray supervillain might try to kill him. Maybe even succeed.
The silence was uncomfortable, but it was a minute before Kon could trust himself to speak again. "I'm sorry," he said, cursing himself for destroying any slight chance of getting help.
"Sounds to me like there's more than just a friend leaving the team. What's wrong?"
Slowly, he turned. Clark's brow was furrowed, his square-jawed and earnest face filled with concern. "I just...I didn't know how important his friendship was until he took off. All I want to do is ask him why he left."
"It's not that simple."
"Yes, it is! Tim is--was, whatever--Robin. Fuck that, Tim is *Tim*! If he'd decided he wanted to stay, he'd have found some way to do it. He's our planner, our brain. He can do anything."
He wanted to pound his fist on the roof for emphasis, but in his current agitated state, that might leave holes. Instead, he crossed his arms.
Clark nodded once, his expression now unreadable. "If you saw him, what would you say?"
Breath caught in his throat, Kon stared. "D'you mean you'll--"
"Hold on. What would you say?"
"I, um, I guess that we miss him. I'd ask why he didn't want to stay."
"Mm-hmm." Clark was oddly intent. "What else?"
"I don't know."
Clark looked at him for a moment, then lay back on the roof, obviously mimicking Kon's earlier pose. Hesitant, Kon lay down next to him and they stared up at the clouds.
The storm had reached Metropolis and Kon could see the heavy raindrops as they fell on the city. There was a smell in the air that said the storm was heading their way.
"Going behind a teammate's back to contact his protégé, even a former protégé, is a serious matter."
Kon gritted his teeth.
"Before I agree, I would need a good reason."
"That's what Flash and Wonder Woman said."
"I know."
"What?" Kon sat up, aghast.
"They're my teammates. What did you expect?" Clark tucked his arms behind his head and smiled at him. "Did you think JLA members never talk to each other?"
Since that was exactly what he'd thought, Kon lacked a clever response. "Does Batman know?" He looked around the farm wildly, as if the other man might attack him at any moment.
"No, he doesn't. Yet."
"Hey, wait. If you've talked to them, then you already knew what was going on."
"But I wanted to hear it from you." Clark paused. "I wanted to hear your reasons. Wally and Diana agreed that you had instigated this and were pushing the hardest. It got me curious."
"He's my friend." Kon crossed his arms, feeling on the defensive.
"And Batman is my friend. It's lovely symmetry, don't you think? In any case, you have other friends."
"Not like him."
"What's different?"
Kon's mouth opened, then closed. There weren't words to explain it, at least not in his vocabulary. "I...he...I mean, he's Tim," he said.
Clark sighed. He seemed to be thinking seriously about something. "You know, Batman once asked me what I saw in Lois, and I said something similarly incoherent. Batman laughed at me, as I recall."
"Uh..."
"I guess what I'm asking," Clark's face turned red but he kept his eyes locked on Kon, "is whether you're in love with Tim."
"Uh..." Kon's world spun and he would have fallen off the sloped roof if Clark hadn't grabbed his arm.
"It's okay. I'm not upset but I need to know."
Kon sputtered, finally managing to ask, "Why?"
"I told you. I need a good reason. That would constitute a good reason."
"No, I mean why would you think I'm...I mean, that I...oh, shit." Kon buried his face in his hands, not sure what he was trying to say.
"Does Tim know how you feel?" Clark's voice was so soft and sympathetic, Kon wanted to die. Was it was possible to die of embarrassment?
"No."
"No, you're not in love with him, or no, he doesn't know?"
"Um. The, uh, the second. At least, I don't think he does." His face felt like it had burst into flames and his stomach churned. He was definitely dying.
"Okay. That's good enough." Clark patted his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry I had to ask you but I needed to be sure before I took this step."
"What step?" Kon looked up.
"Do you trust me?"
Kon's jaw dropped, but it was apparently a serious question. "Yes."
"Okay. Then please leave this alone." Clark held up a hand to forestall the inevitable protest. "For now. Give me a chance to see what I can do without your interference. Please."
"Yeah." Kon pulled his knees up to his chest. "I'll stay quiet for now. I'm kind of out of ideas anyway."
Clark patted his shoulder again. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
Everybody knew that Superman didn't lie. Kon's heart felt lighter as he watched Superman fly toward Metropolis.
--continued in "Death Without a Witness"--