Disclaimer: I do not own either Young Justice or its related characters. Such are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Yearning

Chapter Five: Seven

Luthor was in his office, working late. The building maintained a full security detail round the clock regardless of business hours. His office was the entire top floor -excepting space for a receptionist's desk and the elevator, of course. One wall was taken up by a window. The window was double paneled concussion glass, able to withstand a hit from a rocket launcher. (Lex Luthor never made the same mistake twice.) The window did not open. 'Fresh air' was fed through the ventilation after passing through three separate filters.

If Tim wanted to get into the office, he could not go through the window. The ventilation system would be problematic as well.

That left distraction and misdirection.

A small forced entry alarm was tripped at the loading doc on the ground floor behind the building. The main security contingent was diverted there with just an auxiliary team left to maintain the rest of the building.

Motion was detected inside the ventilation system on the upper floors, slowly making its way towards Luthor's office. Mercy left her employer's side to investigate. It would be hours before she figured out the motion sensors had been hacked.

Tim slipped in through a concealed 'escape hatch' Luthor had meant for himself. For when he had to make a quick get away. The exit to it came out several miles from the Lex Corp tower, somewhere in the Hobb's Bay area. He never would have imagined someone using it to get into his office.

Luthor was halfway out of his chair when Tim's shadowed figure came up behind him, one hand covering his mouth so that he couldn't call for help, the other pushing him back down into his chair. "Hands where I can see them, Luthor." He growled. "No weapons. No silent alarms. I'm not here for your life, I just want a bit of technology."

All Tim could see was the back of Lex's baled head, but he felt the old man smiling against his glove as he asked, "Is this a business proposal then? My, my, Robin, what would your employer think?"

Tim deigned not to reply. Bruce didn't know he was here. No one did. But... he missed Conner so much. He would do anything to bring him back and to do that he needed something only Lex could provide. "Its 'Red Robin' now." He said. "The old Cadmus technology. What you used to create Superboy in the first place. I want it."

"Still carrying the torch, I see... Red Robin."

"Always."

...

Tim always wanted Conner, from the first moment he laid eyes on the man. But he couldn't have him because, while he may look like a man in his late teens, already reached the age of majority in some states, he was actually just a child. Only six years old.

So, he satisfied himself with just keeping Conner close. Like a friend. A best friend. A best friend that he secretly wanted to bone.

Dad and Dana were very happy to finally be meeting one of his friends from the 'youth group' he spent so much time with. That had been his cover story to Dad, to explain his long absences after school and on weekends. Jack never really questions it since he and Dana appreciated not having a teenaged son underfoot during those first early months of their marriage. That had been almost two years ago now and Dad and Dana were starting to wonder why they never actually got to meet anyone from this youth group, or ever saw pictures from their fishing trips, or ski trips, or campouts, or sailing, and so on.

So, they were overjoyed when Tim asked permission to have Conner over for dinner one evening.

Dana was excited. She cooked her famous all organic Five-Spice Tofurkey and Lettuce Wraps.

Conner took one bite, swallowed, then whispered to Tim, "Dude, what did I just put in my mouth?"

Tim gave him a patient smile for the benefit of his parents while secretly jumping for joy in his head that his demi-kryptonian wasn't a dirt-first, tree-hugging, health-nut hippy like his step mother. Tim liked Dana (most of the time), and he understood that eating healthy was important (in his chosen extracurriculars, healthy living was a must), but all of her super-healthy, vegetarian, vegan, organic, hippy granola got tired every night. But then... that's what you get when you have a physical therapist for a step-mother.

After Tim finished explaining all the wonderful benefits of a vegetarian diet to his Superboy, Conner gave an awkward and apologetic smile. "Uh, sorry, Mrs. Drake." He flushed with embarrassment and it was so adorable! "My family owns a farm where we raise cattle. Ya know, beef stake."

Dad gave a snort of amusement. "Looks like you two are natural enemies. No wonder Tim likes him so much."

"Dad!"

"Oh, Jack, stop teasing."

Conner just sat there looking confused.

...

Dinner at the Kents' was far more relaxed than dinner with his own parents.

Because Martha and Jonathan had raised the freaking Superman they already knew Tim and Conner's secrets. Their secret identities, that it. Nobody had to hide anything at the table -except for a giant throbbing crush on the demi-kryptonian sitting next to him. But why quibble over details. And it was a great compliment when Martha compared them to the World's Finest. Tim just hoped he didn't end-up like Bruce. Silently pining after his kryptonian while watching the man move on with another woman...

After dinner was when Tim found his opportunities to plant his cameras and microphones. One mic and two cameras in the bedroom, both cameras focused on the bed from two different angled. One camera but no mic in the upstairs shower-head, That one was a risk because he didn't much care for the idea of having to sift through footage of either of the elder Kents in the shower. But it was the price he'd have to pay to see his Superboy naked, wet and soapy.

A tour of the immediate property gave Tim the opportunity to hide one in the barn opposite the hayloft, angled down. So that he could watch Conner as he bailed hay. He hoped he did it shirtless. If not, he hoped it got him all sweaty. But, considering that his Superboy could lift a building without breaking a sweat, that wasn't very likely.

...

It wasn't just a physical attraction Tim felt for his Superboy. Although, yes, that was a large part of it and there was only a little shame in admitting it. Conner was a very attractive man-child.

But more than that, Conner was just adorable. Knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects, as he should be thanks to his Cadmus programming. But smart too. If a little absent-minded. Okay, very absentminded. So absent-minded that he gets Tim in trouble with Bruce sometimes when he comes to Gotham and forgets to censor his powers. Tim plays the part of the pissed-off guy friend because that's the way Conner will learn, but really, he's not all that mad.

Tim thought it was cute, actually. The way that Batman's ban on metas in his city would just slip the demi-kryptonian's mind. The Robin liked to think that it just showed how much his Superboy liked him and how excited he was to see him. It made Tim want to do nice things for Conner. More than just lend him books that he'll never read. Superboy's ex-girlfriend used to throw him huge surprise parties every year on his birthday. Maybe Tim could take-up and carry on the tradition. It might even be a nice and subtle way of confessing his feelings. Would Conner understand the significance? Tim decided it wouldn't matter whether or not he did. Just so long as he got to see his kryptonian happy.

It was as he was going over the supply list for Conner's party that Dad knocked on his door. Tim lifted his head just as he heard Dad's voice drift through the wood, "I don't see a sock, so I assume its safe to come in."

"Just a minuet!" Tim quickly closed all the tabs he had open that held any Bat or Team related information, even peripheral stuff, and shoved his utility belt under his bed. When he was sure everything incriminating was out of view, he got up to open the door.

Dad wheeled his chair in and parked it between the bed and the computer. "School work?"

"Friends stuff." Tim sat on the edge of the bed, close to Dad. It looked like he wanted to have a little heart-to-heart. They had fewer and fewer of them progressively over the years, especially after Jack's second marriage. "Conner's birthday is coming up."

"You've been spending a lot of time with that boy, haven't you." Dad observed.

Tim tried to shrug nonchalantly and look casual whilst in his head he began to freak out. There were two things he never wanted his father to know about him no matter what. One, that he was actually Robin and spent his nights, weekends and most of his summer vacations swinging from rooftops, fighting villains, getting shot at, blown up, stabbed, poisoned, and drowned. And, two, that he was gay. "We're friends."

"I didn't say you were anything else." Dad offered a gentle smile. "I just wanted to come in here and touch base. Since you're always to busy to talk anymore. I know your extracurriculars are important to you. I just... want to be kept in the loop on what's going on in your life."

Sadly, that was never going to happen since Tim could not share ninety percent of the things that happened in his life. But, he could tell Jack some things. Like, "Well, I met with my guidance councilor today and she says my GPA is perfect, but I'll need some really good letters of recommendation. My SAT scores should be arriving in the mail this week, so you'll have to watch for them incase they arrive when I'm not home. I don't know where I'm gonna go yet, but I did pick up an application for the Wayne Foundation at the financial aid office just in case I get accepted into one of my top choices. They're all pretty expensive schools. And then, of course, there's the-"

Dad held up a hand for silence. "Tim, you've got your school stuff well in hand, and I'm proud of you. But what about the rest of your life? Don't tell me that with all the time you spend with this youth group you haven't found one cute girl to moon over! I remember when I was your age, there was this fine young thing-"

"Oh, god! Dad! No!" Tim covered his ears with his hands.

"-that I fell madly in love with and she became your mother." Jack finished.

Oh. Suddenly it was a beautiful story.

"So," and here Dad cleared his throat awkwardly. "This Conner, has he got a girlfriend?"

"No." And Tim began to worry about what his father might be fishing for.

"So, you're just two guys with no girlfriends."

"Are you trying to say something, Dad?" He asked outright.

"No." Jack shook his head. "Just trying to stay up-to-date in your life. Conner seems like a nice enough boy."

"Okay, seriously, what are you trying to say." Not because Tim hadn't already figured it out, but because he didn't want to confirm any of the suspicions Dad kept alluding to.

"Just that its nice you have someone you can depend on." He offered a wan smile. "This is a very uncertain world we live in, Tim. We never know what's gonna happen to us. We lost your mother tragically and unexpectedly, I lost the use of my legs... I'm very lucky to have Dana. I know she'll never replace your mother-"

"I like her just fine."

"-but I can depend on her and she on me." Jack continued without pause. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... Its nice you have someone you can depend on in Conner. So, whatever you are to each other, its okay. I just want you to be happy."

...

Tim nearly jumped out of his skin when he stepped out of the zetta tube and saw Conner already at the Tower waiting for him. Holding what looked like a foil-wrapped pie in his hands and looking a bit like a kicked puppy. Was that pie for his birthday? Did he think no one would remember and that was the reason for his kicked puppy look. Aw... Well, Tim would show him!

"Oh! You're here." He said. "I didn't think you'd be here so early."

Tim brushed past him as he carried the two later cake Alfred had baked to the kitchen. It was just the cake, frosting didn't travel well through zetta transporters for some reason. The cake still had to be frosted and decorated. Tim was thinking black and red frosting, since those seemed to be Conner's colors. Chocolate and cherry. Or would he like strawberry better? Ooh! Cherry strawberry mix!

His Superboy followed him into the kitchen. "Tim, I'm sorry about-"

But the Robin didn't give him time to finished, shooing him out of the kitchen so that he could work. "You weren't supposed to get here so early! Nightwing told you five o' clock. Its three fifteen! Make yourself scarce!"

"But, I-" The demi-kryptonian dug his heels in. Damn, he could be as stubborn as Clark sometimes. Well, as Bruce often said, kryptonians were very hard-headed. It made sense, after all, they were hard everything else. "Tim, I'm trying to apologize to you!"

"For what?" That gave Tim a moment's pause. Then it hit him. "Oh! Breaking Batman's no metas rule." He was still on about that? That was like a week ago. Aw... but he brought Tim some of Ma's pie. That was so sweet! If he weren't only turning seven today the little Robin probably would have jumped on him and kissed him right then and there. But he didn't. Tim had resolved to wait until his Superboy was a more acceptable age. "You can make it up to me later. Now get out. Go! Go save a kitten from a tree, or whatever it is you kryptonians do to kill time."

He wanted to see where his kryptonian would go or what he would do, but Tim told himself he had to work. He only had a couple of hours to get the cake all ready. Dick said he would help with the decorations, but Tim knew the Nightwing was coming from Helena Bertinelli's place and so expected him to show up late and missing some undergarments. That meant that Tim was mostly on his own -at least until the rest of the Team began to arrive. He could put them to work. Especially if he told Gar that it would impress Rae to see him work.

Tim cut himself a slice of Ma's pie that Conner brought. Alfred was great with pastries and things, the really complicated French and Italian stuff. But when it came to good ol' fashioned American pie, nothing beat Martha Kent. Clark had even flown all over the world to test that fact. Martha Kent made the best pie on Earth.

Mm... what would it be like to eat this pie off of Conner's wash-board abs...? Tim didn't really subscribe to most food fetishes, he thought they were messy. The clean-up was disproportionate to the pleasure gained. But with Conner, and this pie... he could make an exception.

He'd just have to wait for his demi-kryptonian to grow up a bit more, first. Today the Superboy would be turning seven. That was just to young. To damn young! Sixteen would be better. When Conner turned sixteen, Tim would be twenty-four. But then, eighteen would be better. Eighteen was legal. When Conner turned eighteen, Tim would be twenty-six. God! Could Tim wait that long? He would have to. If he wanted to be with Conner, but didn't want to put an emotional strain on him, traumatize him, or force him into something he wasn't emotionally mature enough for like his relationship with M'gann forced him to. He might look like a man in his late teens, but he was still only a child.

It was fair of Tim to ask him fro anything but friendship until he was properly grown-up.

Oh! But Conner looked so cute out in the courtyard when he walked out to fid his surprise party! All confused and nervous. Like he had completely forgotten his own damn creation day and was worried he'd instead forgotten someone else's birthday. So cute. Tim just wanted to cross the lawn, stretch up on his tip-toes and plant one right on his lips. Tight in front of the Team. What a way to come out, too! Ha! No. It was a lovely fantasy, but he would just have to wait. Tim was patient. Waiting was something he could do.

Even when Dick, like the Richard-bag that he was, singled him out and told the demi-kryptonian that it was all Tim's idea with Tim doing most of the work. He wasn't proud of it, but the little Robin had blushed. How embarrassing. Bat-clan did not blush!

"I just thought we should start celebrating your creation day again." He explained, knowing he must look just as self-conscious as he felt. "So, I just threw something together. Ya know, like how Miss Martian used to do for you."

...

Tim had no shortage of his demi-kryptonian's DNA.

He pulled samples from almost everywhere, almost a dozen different sources. The clothes he had died in for one. They were covered in a plethora of his beloved Superboy's blood, sweat, tears, and saliva. Hair from his pillow cases, from both his beds at the Tower and at the farm. Semen from used condoms in Conner's trashcan and the bed-sheet, both in his bedroom at the farm and at the Tower. Tim would have even raided his own room's waste can at Wayne Manor, but Alfred was to aggressive with his cleaning. They had only been together for a month. One short month, but they had filled that month with as much activity as they could. There was no DNA evidence to be found at the manor. But there was more sweat, semen and pubic hairs from his boxers...

When Tim was sure he'd gotten everything, every last shred of genetic material his lover had left behind, all carefully packing into sealed evidence bags, and meticulously labeled, the Robin -excuse me, Red Robin, he was Red Robin now- returned to his own 'cave'. It wasn't really a cave. Nothing like the Batcave of the Team's old base at Mt. Justice that they called the 'Cave'. No. It was just a lab he'd set-up in the basement level of one of the League's safe-houses. Not one of the bat-clan's safe-houses. He didn't think the others would approve. He didn't think the others would understand.

For three years, Tim waited for Conner. For three years he pinned and yearned for what he told himself he couldn't have because of his age. Oh, how wrong he had been.

But he would get his Conner back. When Clark died, he came back to life. When Jason died, he was brought back to life. It was possible. Tim knew it could be done! He just had to figure out how. He would not go near the Pit. The Lazerus Pit that Ra's and Talia had used to bring Jason back. Tim would not touch that with a hundred meter poll. Clark's resurrection was credited to the Solar Matrix at the Fortress of Solitude and his thirty year long exposure to Earth's yellow sun. Conner had only been exposed to Earth's sun for eight years before he died, there was some doubt as to whether or not that same resurrection technique would work for the demi-kryptonian.

Tim needed to find a different avenue. An alternate way to bring his Superboy back to life.

Tim wanted his conner back.

...