Thank you to Sarcasmisinmyblood, Dirtkid123, Hithere, AlienGhostWizard14, LRW, and Casey Storm (whoo, thanks!) for the reviews! I will be sending you guys messages soon. It was just a busy day today. :P

Special shoutout to ABEDFAN for figuring out exactly which DC superhero team I'm picking for this waaaay in advance!

Okay, two notes for this:

One, please be kind to this newbie. I've just started on the Young Justice series a little more than a week ago, so I'm not as familiar with the characters as I'd like to be yet. I did try my best in this switch-up, though. :)

And two, before I get grilled for my choice of who stands in for Wally West, just know that I have chosen the New 52 version of Kid Flash in place of the original. (And [spoiler], this is actually inspired by the direction CW's The Flash will take regarding Wally. Can't wait to meet him later on this season!)

Anyways, as always, more proofreading to be done at a later time.

Onto day sixteen!


/day sixteen/

Prompt: Lab Rats, Young Justice switch-up

Featured LR character(s): Adam and Leo


"Just and Adjust"


He still doesn't feel like he belongs, but one of his teammates seems to think that with them is where he should be.


Mount Justice still feels like a foreign place. He has been living here for weeks, maybe even months, but to Adam (or Superboy, as his teammates and the members of the League call him), something about it still doesn't feel like home.

He's not longing for that underground lab that the others have rescued him from. He knows that in there, he will have no freedom. He will only be a puppet on a string. He also knows that to those scientists, to whatever corporation ran the project that bred him, he is a weapon. He doesn't want to come back there.

Adam guesses that what he's searching for is a place where there would be someone to accept him. Maybe he's really just looking for a family. The man he's been cloned from is still obviously not comfortable with the idea of him being, well, there. He doesn't even seem like he wants to entertain the fact that he is technically his son.

Admittedly, that makes him feel angry and disappointed and worthless and all sorts of other things, but the worst has got to be that it makes him feel like an outcast.

He can do many things, like lift incredibly heavy objects and hear the softest of sounds even when it's coming from far away – but figuring out how to shake that awful feeling off is not one of them.

"Why are you arguing with me about this?"

"Because your way of getting it done is horrible, Kaz."

Adam looks up from the couch and finds Robin gaping at Kid Flash. Robin glances at him and then back at his longtime friend. "I thought we agreed about keeping our IDs on the down low?" Robin hisses as quietly as he can manage.

Kid Flash looks at Adam then back to Kaz. "Oh, please. It's not like he's gonna spill the beans to everybody," Leo says, heading towards the fridge to look for something to eat.

Kaz sighs, knowing that the argument is not worth pursuing. He nods at Adam. "Have you seen Skylar and Amaranth?" he asks.

Leo scoffs, his head still buried deep in the fridge. "Now who's the one not keeping the IDs on the DL?" he says, his voice slightly echoing out.

Kaz's eyes widen. "Oh, uh, no. Skylar and Artemis. That's what I mean," he corrects.

"I haven't seen them since our training with Black Canary hours ago," Adam says. "Have you checked the beach?"

"Hmm. No. I guess I haven't," Kaz says ponderously.

The door of the fridge slams shut. "We're seriously out of food?" Leo asks, notably upset.

Kaz shrugs.

Adam only stares.

Leo deflates. "Fine. I guess I'm going to have to get something," he says, unhappily. "Anyone have any money for pizza?" He groans when he's met with blank looks. "How come I have to do everything around here?" he says. Then, he turns around and super speeds out of the headquarters.

Adam, like Kaz, only looks at where the young speedster has vanished. He doesn't like that kid very much. He's talkative, and he tends to complain a lot. He's actually one of the reasons why his stay here is uncomfortable. It's a little hard to have peace and quiet with that hyper teenage boy. "Why are you looking for the girls?" he asks, turning his attention to Kaz instead.

"Oh. Red Tornado just wants to talk to us about upping the security here," Kaz responds. "I think he wanted to make sure that it's working well and that it wouldn't, you know, zap us when we step in."

Adam says nothing.

"He'll probably want us all in here in ten minutes, so I should probably look for the rest of the team," Kaz says then jogs out of the room to look for the other three teenagers and to avoid having an awkward lapse of silence between them.

That's another reason why Adam feels out of place. His teammates seem to always be walking on eggshells when they're around him. He knows it's his fault; during their first few weeks, he hasn't been very pleasant to them, especially to Skylar. It didn't get any better the more his undefined relationship with his father frustrated him. Except for their team leader and Skylar, it seems like no one wants to understand him. All they want to do is stay clear, and that makes him feel more like a freak.

He is snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a swift rush of wind. Looking up, he finds Leo holding onto a big box of pizza. "Aw, what? Robin left?" he asks no one in particular as he places the box down.

"He's out looking for the others," Adam says.

"Hm. Bummer." He flips the lid open and then tears a slice of pizza. He stares at Adam as he begins eating.

"What," Adam says, irritated and annoyed.

"Do you want one or not?"

Adam glares at him. "No," he says then turns away.

"Fine. Suit yourself. But, I'm telling you right now, once those guys get here, there won't be any left for you," Leo comments. He continues to work on his food while also fearlessly observing the introverted teenage boy. He hops up onto the counter to sit on it then says, "You hate it here, don't you."

Adam frowns at him. "What?"

"Look, it doesn't take a genius or even Skylar to figure out that you're not okay being here," Leo says.

"What makes you think that?"

"You don't really interact with everybody. And, I just offered you pizza, from New York, and you just turned it down."

"Well, not everyone's like you," Adam mutters acridly.

"This has nothing to do with me, and you know that." Leo stares at Adam then waits until he looks back at him before saying, "Look, I know I'm the last person you'd want to talk about whatever…stuff you got going on in your head, and I'm fine with that. We didn't get off on the right foot, and I think we get on each other's nerves constantly. But, I hope you understand that the only reason why you feel excluded from us is because you're excluding yourself. We're all good with you being here. You're part of the reason why this—" he gestures widely around him, "works."

"Oh, just like you're 'good' with Artemis being here and how she also makes the team 'work'?" Adam asks sardonically.

"No. Artemis, I don't trust. You?" A small smirk pulls on Leo's lips. "I do. And I really think you're an important part of this team. You just need to loosen up, man. You also need to quit finding reasons as to why you don't belong here, because you do."

Adam says nothing but only stares as he thinks over what he said.

"B01, Robin. B02, Aqualad. B05, Miss Martian. B07, Artemis," the automated system outside announces.

Leo jumps off the counter. "Better get a piece before they come," he says with a grin.

Adam looks at him blankly for a second, and then smiles. "Don't tell me what to do," he says good-naturedly. He stands up from the couch, and then proceeds to the counter to get a slice of pizza.

He may not like Leo very much, but it doesn't mean he isn't right. Throughout his time with them, he has seen many evidences of what the speedster has claimed. They may not know how to deal with him, but they constantly try their best to befriend him. And, although he has differences with them, they always have his back no matter what.

Maybe this isn't as bad as he thinks. Maybe it's just time for him to reevaluate his stay here.


(EDT: Just in case it wasn't clear in the story, Adam is Superboy, Kaz is Robin, Leo is Kid Flash, Skylar is Miss Martian, and Amaranth is Artemis. ;) )

Reviews are appreciated! If you've also got a suggestion on who Aqualad should be, please let me know in your comments! It would be really helpful when I make corrections to this entry later on.