FF: (Protect and Defend)

Fandom: Young Justice

Summary: Asami sees Tye as a hero, he sees her as a savior. ((Team Headbands Drabble))

A/N: Team Headbands is CANON! And Tim has a thing for blondes (which we knew already- XP). Anyway I love both Asami and Tye's character(s). They bring out the best in each other, but they aren't completely and hopelessly enmeshed- which is a very healthy thing actually. Plus it makes for some very adorable awkward moments. R&R!

They had a loft, their very own rooms- all of which Luthor was paying for. To a rare few, it seemed completely ordinary, but to the meta-teens (more specifically- Tye) it was a dream come true.

It had been a solid three years since his mom started dating Maurice; and Tye knew he was trouble from the start. After his own dad died, his mom seemed to go a little haywire. She lost track of time, stared out at nothing; she even forgot to get dressed one morning. That was the week she lost her job, and that was the week Maurice came into the picture.

Maurice was a big man; he was controlling and manipulative- it was next to impossible for him to take 'no' for an answer. It wasn't much of a surprise when he learned that Ms. Longshadow had a son; in fact he couldn't of cared less. It gave him a location to work out of, and a girl on the side- he couldn't complain.

At least he thought it wouldn't be a struggle keeping the kid in his place; how was he to know the boy was smart? Tye would often follow him at weird hours, watching where he went and what he did. Most of the time though, Tye would grow bored of the stakeouts, and board off to the nearest 7-11 to kill time. It wasn't until he told his mom, that things got rough.

"Just what is it you do out at 1 in the morning?"

"Dammit! Maria! How many times do I have to tell you not to bother me with my work?

"You wanna question the way I make money? You question how I pay for this house? How I provide for you and your kid?! Maybe you don't need my money- eh?"

"No, no Maurice, please listen to me. I- I- I didn't mean it like that. I'm just..."

"Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong! YOU THINK I HAVE TO TAKE THIS FROM YOU?"

"Please, p-p-pl-please, Maurice, stop. I'm s-s-s-sorry, I'm sorry; I'm s-s-so sorry!"

"MOM!"

"Tye? Man, wake up." Virgil kicked his friend with his foot, trying to snap him out of the daze he was in. "Movies been over for ten minutes." Tye's eyes fluttered open to see three meta-humans staring at him worriedly. He shook his head.

"Sorry, guys, I fell asleep."

"Asleep? All we do is chill round here- you sure you're feeling okay?" Virgil hopped aboard his trash lid hover craft. "Ed and I were gonna go out on the town seeing as there's nothing to do here. You wanna come?" Tye shook his head rubbing his eyes.

"Nah- I'll hang here with Sam." At the mention of her name, the girl's ears perked up. After throwing thumbs up in the boys' general direction, she skipped off to her room; Virgil and Ed just shrugged before heading out the door. For a moment Tye was alone- a moment where it was just him, where he could just be. No hidden agendas, no self-preservation necessary; it was ok. It would all be-

"Sumimasen?" Sam's eyes were widened with worry as she sat down next to the boy next to her. His eyes were glossy and strained; he was tired, yet his body was fighting sleep. Why?

"Tye- ok?" Her hand gently brushed against his shoulder causing him to instinctually grab the girls wrist. Quickly, his eyes darkened and a horrified expression took over his face; withdrawing his hand as if it touched fire, he stumbled with his words.

"Sam, I- I- I-"

After Maurice started living with him and his mother, he gave up his sleuthing activities. Course, when Luthor mentioned something about Asami's previous condition, he listened. Her older sister had been battling cancer for sometime; all the while their mother bombarded them with verbal abuse. They were never good enough, they had no purpose, and they would never about to anything. It had driven her sister off the edge, and after two unsuccessful attempts; Jaie had committed suicide. Asami was heartbroken; so fragile, so hurt. Naturally, Tye felt the need to protect her; from what- he did not know. All he knew was that she was broken, and he, himself was broken. And that maybe, just maybe, together they could pick up the pieces and become whole once again.

It took a while but after rounds of apologizing and charades, Tye had managed to confront Sam. He was nervous, but ready; he wanted her to understand more than anything. He wanted her to know that she wasn't alone.

Picking up his new iPhone (provided by Luthor of course) he opened the translator app. Gently opening her door, he spoke into the app, carefully and slowly.

"My mom was dating a guy who was, not friendly. He hurt me, she hurt me by letting him hurt me, and I hurt myself worst of all because," here it was, "It took an alien abduction to learn that I had the power to stop him, and I did nothing." Cautiously a green eye poked through the crack in the door, then a brown one. They were puffy and swollen; she had been crying, crying over what he did. Gently her long fingers graced the phone in his hand before she had spoke into the translator herself.

"My mother was not nice to me or my sister- even when sister had cancer, mother did not stop her teasing and ridiculing. Nee-san hung herself a week before the Light found me." Her eyes were definitely watering now. "Tye-kun made me feel better- telling me story." The robotic echo if the translated audio rang out through the loft. It was the one thing either of them were sure of as they embraced each-other in a hug. No one said their native "thank you", they simply didn't have to.

It was as if they had their own wavelength; two complete strangers communicating through a series of flutters and empathy. It was nice; it was beautiful.

Sam wasn't very trusting of her fellow meta-humans when she first met them. After what her own mother had done, how was she to? It was never safe; not at home, not in hiding, not in Star Labs- hell, even the loft she currently resided in was the furthest thing from a home. Home was were you loved unconditionally, and respected each other; home was safe. She knew it was rather silly; the two could barley exchange "How are you"s. Still, it kept occurring to her that the only safe place was in her hero's arms. Tye would save her time and time again- the boy knew that. What he didn't know was that, with every heroic action he took in order to rescue her, she was always ready to rescue him right back.