Chapter 6

WC: 3,931

AN: I apologize for the utter delay this took. If it's any consolation, it's not just this story. My life has been hectic (new job, moving, holiday season) and I've been too pooped to do anything beyond what I have to do. And unfortunately writing is a hobby and doesn't put bacon on the table so it goes on the backburner of my life sometime. Also my internal muse decided to take a vacation without clearing it with me first and I've ended up with a bit of a block. It's mostly gone now (taking a break for the holidays has been nice). So for now, I'm back on track. I will try very hard to update more regularly. If not, understand it's likely I'm passed out on my keyboard. If nothing else I will try to update my profile if I can't dish out some chapters so ya'll know what's going on (I forgot to do that this time and again, I apologize).

I hope you all have a wonderful end of the year. Happy Holidays to everyone. Hope ya'll are safe and sound with your family and loved ones.

"Recognized: Superman 01"

Superman took a deep breath as he entered Mount Justice. The main room was quiet, not a soul about. He could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. He sucked in another breath, held it for a moment, and then released it in a whoosh of air.

Superboy appeared in the main room from the hallway that lead to the living quarters. His hair was in disarray and he was only wearing boxer shorts and a black shirt with his red S-Shield on it. The boy appeared to have just leapt out of his bed moments ago. Superboy was staring at him with wide eyes before he looked around the cave.

"Are you looking for someone?" Superboy asked as he looked dejectedly down at the floor. "Red Tornado and Black Canary aren't here."

For the first time, Superman realized how much he was hurting his...clone. The boy didn't even believe that Superman could possibly be looking for him. Instead he assumed that the only reason Superman would come to Mount Justice was because someone else would be here.

He suddenly understood with complete clarity why Dick had blackmailed him into coming here. Superboy needed him.

Superman closed his eyes and swallowed, mentally going over the conversation he wanted to have with Superboy. It was just going to be a conversation today. Something short and simple because he needed to get into the office early. He had a very important story to show his boss. After that Superman planned to come more often and for longer periods of time. Dick had stressed that more than anything else, Superboy needed his abilities tested.

Superman was the only one who could test those limits.

He opened his eyes, giving as much of a smile as he could muster when he found Superboy looking at him in confusion. Superman took a few steps forward until he and his clone were within a few steps of each other.

"I'm actually here to see you," Superman said, inwardly cringing at the way Superboy's face lit up in disbelieving joy.

He had been a jerk, hadn't he? It was hard, though. It was hard to look at this young man and see things he didn't want to see. Superman saw himself...and he didn't like what he saw. He saw a boy with no control. An outcast. He also saw an abomination. He saw someone who shouldn't exist. Who wouldn't exist under normal circumstances.

Superman saw the boy he had been and the son he would never have.

"Did I do something wrong?" Superboy asked quietly, looking down at the floor again.

Superman sighed and reached out an arm. He hesitated a moment before clasping Superboy's shoulder. He waited until his clone looked up before continuing. "I'm here to help you. Like I should have been from day one," Superman said. "It's been hard for me adjusting to the situation though. I've been taking out my frustration and anger on you which isn't fair. You haven't done anything wrong."

Superboy's posture straightened until he was standing at his full height, his head held high and his face expressing a shy smile. Superman smiled back uninhibited and patted Superboy's shoulder. He actively put more pressure into the action than he normally would and he was impressed when Superboy didn't move. His clone was strong.

"I'm here to train you," Superman continued, taking a step back. "I can't today, I have some important business to attend to at work. But starting tomorrow I'll begin testing your limits. Does that sound good?"

Superboy nodded like he was in a daze. "It sounds wonderful. It's what I've always wanted," his clone said quietly.

Again, Superman's heart twisted at the boy's words. Superboy's voice was earnest and he sounded so excited. If he was a dog Superman knew he would be wagging his tail and yipping happily. He patted his clone's shoulder again and then stepped away. "Good. Then I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning," Superman said, clearing his throat when his voice sounded rough.

He turned around and headed for the zetta-beam teleporter, stopping to input his destination. As the teleporter warmed up he glanced over his shoulder. Superboy was still standing where Superman had left him, a giddy smile on his face.

When Superman looked at him now...he saw something he could be proud of in the future. Someone who might turn out to be more than a reflection of Superman's flaws and the reckless heartlessness of Cadmus.

"For the record," Superman called out over the voice of the computer. "I'm sorry."

In a flash of light, he was gone.

Robin hummed happily as he walked down the streets of Happy Harbor, his hand clasped tightly in his boyfriend's. Superboy was quiet beside him but it wasn't unusual. Robin looked up at the sky and sighed with contentment. Nothing was covering his eyes. It was so nice to be free of any masks he had to wear on a daily basis. He leaned in closer to Superboy's side as they rounded a corner, beginning to head away from the city center.

They were headed back to Mount Justice after spending the afternoon together. Robin had finally gotten his second date.

He had wanted to do more and go somewhere different but he was already testing Batman's patience. So he decided to follow his mentor's orders and keep their date to Happy Harbor. It was pretty mellow for a second date (dinner and a movie) and it was certainly nothing compared to their first date. Robin smiled up at Superboy. It was still nice.

It was the first time they had really been alone together since Megan was sent away. Robin pressed the side of his face against Superboy's bicep and held his boyfriend's hand tighter. He was so glad things were back to the way they were supposed to be. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have been like if things had stayed the way they were after Bialya.

They were on the outskirts of town now, walking into the woods that surrounded the harbor and Mount Justice. Robin looked behind them and grinned. There was no chance for prying eyes now. He chuckled and dragged Superboy over to the nearest tree. His boyfriend looked a little bewildered as Robin pressed him against the rough bark of an oak tree. He smirked and leaned up to press a kiss to Superboy's partly opened mouth. Robin sighed as he slipped his tongue into his boyfriend's mouth, tasting the popcorn and Raisinets they had shared at the movie. He wrapped his arms around Superboy's neck, standing on his tiptoes to properly deepen the kiss.

Robin moaned softly when Superboy responded to his kiss and wrapped his large arms around his waist. He angled his head to one side then the other, trying to get as much pleasure from their kiss as possible. Robin was slowly lifted from the ground as Superboy held him tighter. He found his back to the tree a moment later and Robin wrapped his legs around Superboy's waist.

He really, really hoped Batman wasn't so paranoid that he had surveillance cameras in the woods surrounding the Cave. The last thing he or Superboy needed was to suddenly have mandatory supervision because they couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

Robin groaned as Superboy kissed him harder and pressed their bodies tightly together. His breath hitched as their groins rubbed against each other and he gasped in surprise at the feeling invoked. They had never gotten past this. But he wanted to. He wanted to do something more. Something that would make them both feel good. It scared him at the same time. Scared him enough to stop their progress the couple of times prior when their relations had gotten this far. Robin was scared and thrilled by what would happen next. What would happen to them if they got past this point?

Suddenly Robin found himself on his butt on the ground. He grunted at the unexpected fall and he looked up at Superboy, who was standing several feet away from him now. Robin frowned softly as he stood up, rubbing at his sore derriere. Superboy wasn't looking at him. His boyfriend was looking at the ground guiltily with his hands clenched into tight fists. He looked scared.

"Superboy?" Robin called, reaching out a hand that his boyfriend avoided. "What's wrong?"

Superboy shook his head and turned away from him, shoulders hunched. Robin felt worry bubble up in his chest and he reached out again to press a hand to his boyfriend's back. Superboy was trembling beneath his fingers. Robin quickly rounded on the clone and grabbed his shoulders, trying desperately to catch his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, angry at himself for how panicked his voice sounded. "Please Superboy. Tell me."

Superboy just shook his head and closed his eyes. Robin slowly let his hands fall away from his boyfriends shoulders and he took a step back. Now he was really worried. "Did I do something wrong?" Robin asked softly. Had he been too aggressive, too forward, too...promiscuous?

Superboy looked down at Robin with wide eyes, reaching out to him and stroking his cheek. "You could never do anything wrong," Superboy said.

Robin felt himself roll his eyes even as his heart ached pleasantly at the sweet words. He had plenty of episodes of doing exactly the wrong thing, both on purpose and on accident. He wouldn't get into them now though. It was off topic. Robin really wanted to know what was wrong with what they were just doing before regaling Superboy with his younger and crazier stories of driving Batman nuts.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked for the third time.

Superboy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, eyes far away, lost in thought. He released a quick breath and looked back at Robin. "I suppose...we're moving too fast?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. You didn't get taken under the wing of the world's greatest detective and not pick up a few things. Such as the typical glance to the left when someone was lying or evading the truth. Superboy had done just that. Yet his tone did suggest that was part of the truth...but that wasn't all. His boyfriend was hiding something. Robin looked away but nodded. He'd buy the excuse for now. Quite honestly Superboy was right. They were both a little too young to go in the direction they were headed. Sex would be too much for them. Robin was physically too young and Superboy was mentally to young. Still, that didn't mean there weren't other kinds of intimacy they could try. They were in too dangerous of a position to waste the wonderful relationship they had.

So Robin would let the issue go for now and masturbate on his own for a while until Superboy was ready.

He reached out and took Superboy's hand, lacing their fingers together and tugging him toward the Cave. "You're right," Robin said softly, tucking himself against Superboy's side as they continued their walk. "We are moving a little too fast."

Superboy squeezed his hand tighter for a moment but otherwise made no reaction to Robin's words. They continued in silence all the way back to the cave. Robin internally sighed and rested his head against his boyfriend's sturdy shoulder.

"Recognized: Superman, 01."

Superboy sped from his room to the teleporters in an instant. Trying not to look too excited as Superman appeared before him in a flash of light. This would be their third training session together and Superboy was ecstatic. In two days alone he had already learned more than he had in the months of living at Mount Justice. Not to mention, the more time he spent with his...mentor, the more comfortable Superman became around him.

He had even told Superboy his secret identity yesterday. Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet.

Superman smiled and lead the way to the training room. He went to a mechanized squat machine that would be able to increase its weight up to 100 tons without having to add larger weights. Superman patted the machine and turned towards Superboy. "Today we'll start testing the limits of your strength. This machine is a good starting point for basic weight lifting then we'll work on lifting weight under duress and assessing liftable objects in the field," his mentor explained.

Superboy nodded in understanding but inside he was worried. A part of him worried that he would disappoint Superman and another, larger part of him, worried that he would get out of control.

The exercise started simply enough. They started with a low weight, Superman spotting him as the computer increased the weight by 100 pounds with each successful lift. Superman had his hand over a button that would immediately eliminate the weight if Superboy found himself struggling. He got to 50 tons before he had to stop. He knew he could go further, but with each subsequent lift he felt more and more out of control. Like any moment he would break the machine or hurt Superman.

Superboy quickly stepped away from the machine, rubbing his hands over his face. He saw Robin's broken body behind his eyelids. He didn't want to go any further. Each time the weight increased he was reminded how much stronger he was than his delicate boyfriend. One wrong move and his hands that could lift the weight of a blue whale could completely shatter Robin's body.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up slowly to see Superman's sympathetic eyes. "It's scary isn't it," the man said softly.

Superboy frowned in confusion, tilting his head to the side.

Superman patted his shoulder an explained. "The amount of power you have. It seems almost uncontrollable, doesn't it."

Superboy's eyes widened in shock at the fact that Superman had seemed to read his mind. Was telepathy a secret talent his mentor had? Superman laughed at the expression on his face and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'm not listening to your thoughts or anything. I just know what you're going through. When I was a kid I always knew I was stronger than the average guy. That I was different. Most of the time it was helpful and I could control it. Then I went and dislocated my first girlfriend's hip. I freaked out pretty bad. I realized then how dangerous my strength could be. It had always been an asset but suddenly it was destructive. I know you haven't hurt Robin but I can tell you're worried about it."

"How did you know," Superboy asked bewildered, feeling concurrently better and worse as Superman spoke.

"Robin told me he was worried about you. He didn't really go into details but what he did explain seemed to fit. Then I saw your expression here. You looked terrified about how much you are able to lift," his mentor said with a knowing, sad smile.

Superboy looked down and nodded. "I'm scared I'll lose control of my strength."

"It's a possibility. But there's a greater chance it will happen if you don't know your limits. That's why I'm here. To find those limits and train you to control them. Not to mention I doubt you would ever hurt Robin. You care about him too much to do so. And if there's anyone who would be able to find a way to handle you if you do find you control slipping it would be him. He may be human and significantly weaker than you but that doesn't mean he's not strong."

Superboy nodded and looked thoughtfully at the floor. He wondered if maybe he was making the situation more complicated than it was. He was going to learn to control his strength. He had to believe in himself to control his strength as well. And he had to understand that Robin wasn't the youngest sidekick in history for nothing.

Superman landed a hand on his back and steered Superboy back to the weight machine. "Let's find your limit, then we can start tackling control. Okay?"

Superboy smiled and took up position again. He rested the bar of the machine across the back of his shoulders and spread his legs, taking a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

Wally munched on a bag of Cheetos as he leaned over Robin's shoulder. His best buddy was tapping away at a holographic computer in the Cave, eyes focused intently. "Whatcha doin' dude?" he asked brightly, a few crumbs falling through the holographic computer to splatter on the floor.

Robin scoffed and looked over his shoulder at Wally with a cocked eyebrow. "How do you not have a girlfriend yet? You're so charming." Ah, sarcasm. Awesome. Robbie was in a good mood.

"I'm just too much man for the ladies," Wally said as he struck a pose. The wind was knocked out of him when Robin elbowed him and returned to his work. Wally rubbed the spot for a moment then returned to his snack and leaning on his best buddy's shoulder. "So what are you doing? Homework?"

Robin glared at him but didn't stop his typing. "If you must know I'm hacking several systems of the government so I can create an identity for Kaldur and Superboy. Batman wants Superboy to start going to school and Kaldur needs to keep an eye on him," Robin explained.

"Why doesn't Supey just go to school with you?"

"Harder to explain his sudden appearance where I go to school. Not to mention he really doesn't fit in. He'd probably break a desk on the first day. No offence, Boyfriend," Robin shouted the last sentence out and Wally heard a muffled 'It's okay' from down the hall.

Wally closed his eyes and pictured Superboy in a school uniform going to Gotham Academy. He snickered. Yeah, that would never work out. Public school it is then. He watched avidly as Robin's hands few over the keyboard, rewriting history and creating new lives. Wally was super glad Robin was on his side. He could probably seriously wreck Wally's life with a few strokes of his fingers on a computer if Wally ever made Robin super mad. Page after page of information flashed before their eyes, faster that Wally thought possible for Robin to work on them but whatever. He wasn't a world class hacker like his buddy was. But through the swift page turns he did notice something.

"Supey still doesn't have a name?" he asked in shock.

Robin paused, nodded, and resumed his work. "I can leave it blank for now but he'll need one in a week before school starts for him," Robin whispered, looking sad at the news.

Wally stuffed another handful of Cheetos in his mouth, wondering what he should say to that. 'Sorry your boyfriend doesn't have a name?'

'Sorry you don't have anything to shout out at climax except Supey?'

'Can I name him?'

Wally chuckled to himself and crumbled up his now empty bag of Cheetos. Nah, none of those would work. If anyone was going to name Superboy it would either be Superman or Robin. "He'll get one," Wally finally said, tossing his crumbled bag into the trash, making a 'swish' sound when it went in.

Robin didn't respond, but Wally didn't expect him to. He seemed pretty worried about that particular topic. So Wally did what any good friend would do. Distract his buddy by changing the topic to something even more depressing.

"Any word on Miss Martian." Wally had dropped using her name after he learned she was messing with other people's emotions. Not cool.

Robin froze in his typing for a moment and glanced slyly over his shoulder. "You can't tell anyone you know this. Or even that I know it." Robin said in a whisper, glancing around.

Wally crossed a finger over his heart. "Let me guess, you hacked something."

Robin smirked a very evil smirk and Wally was once again glad his buddy was on his side. And also not evil. Robin would be a kick ass but super dangerous villain.

Wally watched as Robin shut down the computer and led Wally towards the kitchen. He grinned and hopped on the counter while snagging a bag of cookies from a cupboard. "So what's the latest gossip on the airwaves?" He asked around a mouthful.

Robin snatched a cookie and nibbled on it. Couldn't he just eat like a regular teenage boy. Crumbs, projectiles, and belching. No, Robin had to be all Miss Manners. "I don't know a lot, just that she's not coming back any time soon, if at all."

"Why? Did Supey pitch a fit?"

"No, Superboy doesn't know anything about this. Apparently, Miss Martian disappeared."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, and that's not all. When they were searching inside her head for details of what she did, they found out she's a White Martian."

"Dude..."

Wally's mouth dropped open, thankfully not full because Robin would have pitched a fit if it had been. He's really prissy when he wants to be. He snapped his jaw shut at Robin's raised eyebrow and scratched the back of his head. Huh...Miss Martian was a White Martian. That sorta explained a lot. Then it just left more questions and speculations in Wally's head.

"I know how you feel," Robin spoke up, just finishing his first cookie. Wally would never take time like that one food. "I was pretty whelmed when I found out. She flew out of there when they found out. She was probably worried how they would treat her. J'onn hasn't heard from her since. He's coming back to Earth tomorrow."

"So what happens now?"

"Now? I guess we keep going like we have been. If she shows up, we'll deal. But for now there's nothing to worry about. She's on Mars."

Wally felt strangely worried and relieved at the same time. He was relieved that she was so far away that she couldn't mess with his best buddy anymore. But he was worried. Wally knew a bit about the problem on Mars between the Green and White Martians. Things were tense. Miss Martian was nice but Wally wouldn't be surprised if she felt bitter from how Martians like her were treated. No wonder she posed as a Green Martian.

Still...it didn't mean Wally forgave her. She messed with Robin, and when you mess with his friend, you mess with the Wall-man.

"Batman's working on finding someone to replace her."

Wally's head jerked up at Robin's words. He grinned cheekily. "Is she a cutie?"

Robin chuckled and rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he started walking out of the kitchen. No doubt going back to work on his super hacking skills. "I'll let you be the judge of that. Batman is calling a team meeting in a couple of days to introduce them to the team."

"How do you know all this?" Wally asked laughingly. He already knew but it just blew his mind how much Robin was aware of and could find out if he wasn't. So great that he's on Wally's side.

Robin waved a hand over his shoulder and laughed down the hall.

Wally chuckled and moved on from his cookies to the popsicles in the freezer. He really hoped the new girl was cute. He only had Artemis to ogle at nowadays and Wally really didn't want to do that. It made him feel in ways he wasn't ready for yet.

AN: Geez this thing is sure getting out of control. I need to sit down soon and really plan out where this is going. I need an end at some point. I mean I think I do XD. I know I want to play with Wally a bit. And of course Bats and Superman. And then we of course can't forget Robby and Supey. Baby steps though. Let's get through the first day of school and go from there. (By getting rid of Megan I've realized the big gaping hole I left and the many plot lines I'll have to fill in. Eeeeek!)

Thank you all so much for you wonderful comments and reviews. I'm in a rush right now (Christmas Eve and all) so I can't respond better than that. i'll come back next week and edit in my warm hugs and cookies for everyone kind enough to review. Thank you all.

Happy Holidays!