Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The escape drone floated on the waves, bobbing to the rhythm of the ocean currents.

Kon ripped open the hatch and got his first look at Earth.

All around them was ocean. It stretched as far as the demi-Kryptonian could see, until the curve of the planet dipped down behind the horizon; making it look like the world had an edge and one might fall off if they sailed too far. The water was more of a green-teal than a proper blue; from Space Lab the Earth’s oceans all looked blue, but planet side they were green?

The sky was blue. Deeper than robin’s egg blue, lighter than the dark royal the oceans appeared to be from space. A shade of blue all its own. Now Kon understood why they named a color after it. Sky blue.

Red Robin also stood up in their escae od and Kon took his hand again. It was because of Red Robin that he was able to make it to Earth at all. Because of Red Robin, Kon saw oceans and sky; he breathed air that wasn’t recycled for the space station. He was on a world.

Tugging on the hand Kon was holding, Red Robin pulled the demi-Kryptonian closer to him, flushing their bodies together.

Kon’s eyes were drawn to the man’s lips as he leaned in. Kon leaned forward to meet him and their shared a kiss.

A kiss befitting the ordeal they’d just been through. The hero kissing the rescued damsel. Zoom in. Fade to black. And they lived happily ever after.

And then Kon woke up.

He laid in bed, staring up at the white-crystal of his bedroom ceiling and wished the dream had been real.

In truth, Red Robin never kissed him. Once their escape drone landed on Earth, the masked vigilante pulled a device from his belt that transmitted a signal and they were quickly collected and brought back to land.

On land he was questioned by Earthling authorities and Kryptonian peacekeepers. Then it was off to the hospital where the Earthling doctors failed to take any of Kon’s vitals because his Kryptonian invulnerability made their methods ineffective. The doctors were still fretting over their bent needles and burst blood-pressure cuffs when Kon’s parents entered. The people who volunteered their genetic material for the hybrid project. Ambassador Kal-El and his Earthling wife.

The moment Kal-El and Lois entered, Red Robin left.

Kon never had the chance to kiss him. Kon didn’t even have the chance to tell Red Robin that he was Kon’s hero.

The door to Kon’s room shimmered open. Thousands of smart-crystals shifting and shuffling themselves out of the way so the door could be passed through.

Kelex entered.

“Kon-El, my sensors indicate that you awoke eight minutes ago, yet you have not risen from the bed.” Announced the robot. “Are you unwell?”

Kon groaned. He loved his parents and he was happy to have lived these past few years with them on Krypton. But there were some aspects of life on Krypton that reminded Kon of living in Cadmus’ Space Lab. Krypton was very structured; very rigid, and every aspect of life was monitored. Just like at Cadmus. Kon loved his family and his House, but he wanted to return to Earth.

Earth was where he was created.

Earth was where he belonged.

And that had nothing to do with the fact that he never got to kiss Red Robin.

With the nagging robot watching him now, Kon climbed out of bed.

“Jor-El would like to discuss your choice of work-study program before you submit your final application to leave Krypton.” Kelex informed him.

“Of course he does.” Kon grumbled.

Jor-El was Kon’s paternal grandfather and the Head of their House. As the Head of House El, Jor-El wanted to discuss every decision any member of the House made. Well! Jor-El wasn’t going to change Kon’s mind. He was going to return to Earth. Even if he had to steal the solid gold rocket prototype from Jor-El’s lab to do it.

Red Robin’s dark cowl and whited out eyes rose to the forefront of Kon’s mind. The dark cowl and the exposed lower half of his face. A slightly rounded chin under a square jaw, and lips that were full (if a bit chapped); a thicker lower lip and a slightly thinner upper lip with a cupid’s bow indent.

The chances of Kon ever meeting Red Robin again were slim. Earth was a large planet and Red Robin’s missions took him all over Earth’s globe and satellites (both manmade and natural).

That was why Kon chose a study program based in Gotham. Batman Inc., the organization Red Robin belonged to was also based in Gotham. That increased the chances of crossing paths with him again. Kon knew there was still no guarantee he would meet his hero again, but he did know one thing for certain: he would never see Red Robin again if he stayed on Krypton.

But Kon couldn’t tell Jor-El that.

While Kon showered and dressed, he rehearsed what he was going to say to the Head of his House to convince the old man to let him go. In theory, Jor-El shouldn’t have any objections to Kon going to Earth since he let Kon’s father, Kal-El, go to Earth and marry and Earthling. Kon felt it would be very unfair if Jor-El let Kal-El go to Earth, yet made Kon-El remain on Krypton.

Jor-El was already waiting for Kon in the morning room where the family usually took breakfast.

Kal-El was nowhere in sight. Neither were Lara and Lois. Apparently, this would just be a conversation between Kon-El and the Head of his House; not a family discussion.

Kon sat down at the end of the long ceremonial table that was opposite Jor-El. The whole length of the table stretched between them, an expanse that felt oddly stretched; a physical divide to give form to the generational divide between them. In truth it was no longer than 3 meters, as earth measured things.

Being manufactured on the human-run Space Lab, meters were Kon’s first method of measurement. Now that he was going to return to Earth, Kon was making an effort to resume thinking in meters again, instead of Kryptonian measurements.

“Kelex said you want to discuss my study abroad.” Kon said once he was seated. Then he didn’t wait for the Head of his House to say anything. He just launched into making his case. “The guild already approved my application for work-study on other planets. And I’m familiar with Earth. I already speak the languages most widely spoken there, and-“

Jor-El held up a hand for silence.

Kon instantly shut his mouth and waited for the Head of his House to speak.

“As you are well aware, the humiliation Kal-El and Lois Lane-El suffered over your conception has left me warry of that world. I am reluctant to allow another member of our House to venture to Earth.” Jor-El told him flatly.

There was no bitterness or scorn in Jor-El’s tone. He held no prejudice against Earth. He just believed that after the debacle with Cadmus, Earth simply was not the best planet for his family to visit.

A counter argument was hot on Kon’s lips.

But Jor-El resumed speaking before Kon could say a word.

“However, Lois Lane-El has reminded me that you are half-human and humans do not listen to logic. She seems to think that if I forbid you from returning to Earth, that you’ll simply steal one of my ships and run away there yourself; which is something we both agree would be much, much more dangerous than just going along with your original plan of a work-study through the guilds. So I will not be forbidding you from returning to Earth, Kon-El.”

Kon loved his mom. Lois just got it.

“I have, however, changed your study program. I saw you had chosen the work-study offered through Wayne Enterprises which is based in Gotham. Bruce Wayne is friends with Kal-El and so you application was assured. However, Gotham is not a safe place; there are many travel advisories for it warning both extra-terrestrial travelers and Terran natives alike warning people to be cautious in Gotham. I would feel more comfortable knowing you’re in a safer city. That’s why I’ve changed your host organization from Wayne Enterprises to Lexcorp. You will be staying in Metropolis in dorms provided by Lexcorp. That is all.”

Kon just stared at him.

He chose the Wayne Enterprises program because he wanted to meet Red Robin again. But he couldn’t tell that to Jor-El.

“I don’t know anything about Lexcorp.” Kon said instead.

“I’ve sent their brochure along with your packing list and travel itinerary to the crystal console in your room.” Jor-El informed him.

The older man then stood to leave. He had a Science Council meeting to get to.

Kon was left at the table, neither of them had even eaten anything. He sat, mulling over his thoughts.

He was still going back to Earth. Jor-El didn’t stop that. He only changed where Kon would be living and where he would report to when he wasn’t looking for Red Robin. Staying and working in Gotham would have been more convenient, but it wasn’t inconvenient for a person who could fly to stay somewhere else.

It would take Kon a few says soaking up the yellow sun rays to get his powers back. But once he did, it wouldn’t matter how far from Gotham he was, Kon could fly to anywhere Red Robin was.

This wasn’t a setback. This wasn’t even a bump in the road.

Kon was still going to Earth!

…

The elevator dinged and Tim shifted the box of chocolates and flowers he was carrying in his arms. He immediately regretted the movement the moment his bruised ribs protested and a whole half of Tim’s body lit up with pain. He still managed to get the door of his condo open.

Inside was dark and silent.

Tim sighed. Well, Bernard did say he wouldn’t be there when Tim got back. For some reason, Tim didn’t take the threat seriously. It was just something couples said when they fought. Tim made a special point of stopping at a 24-hour grocery to pick up chocolates and flowers to make up with Bernard after their fight. Looks like this time Bernard was serious.

Tim set the chocolates and flowers down on the kitchen island and checked the bedroom. All of Bernard’s stuff was gone. His clothes from the closet and the dressed drawrs, his books from the shelves, even his toothbrush from the bathroom was gone.

It was safe to conclude that they were now broken up.

Moving stiffly and bending cautiously, Tim sat down in one of his living room chairs (the furniture cover was gone, that was Bernad’s too). His ribs ached with the change in position, but the pain ebbed away once he was sitting with his back supported.

Being Red Robin really did a number on him sometimes. It was actually the source of his relationship problems with Bernard: Red Robin.

Bernard knew who he was. The secret wasn’t the issue. The issue was the danger. Bernard loved Tim, and hated seeing the man he loved injured. He hated it when Tim came home from a case with a broken bone or bones, or flayed skin, or a ruptured organ, or a missing spleen! Bernard was a good boyfriend and he nursed Tim back to health every time.

But a relationship like that isn’t sustainable. Everything relationship like that has an expiration date. Tim wasn’t going to stop being Red Robin and Bernard was just going to become progressively more and and more concerned, worried, and horrified by the damage Red Robin did to Tim’s body. Until enough was finally enough.

It looked like they finally reached their expiration date.

Tim should feel upset. But at the exact moment his only emotion was relief. Relief that he didn’t have to put up with a partner nagging him about the damages of vigilante work while he’s nursing bruised ribs.

Maybe tomorrow he’ll be upset.

Tim leaned his head back against the chair cushions and sighed. He was sitting down in a position that did not hurt. He was comfortable. Tim opened his eyes.

But dinner and pain meds were in the kitchen, and now there was no one for Tim to ask for help.

Maybe he would miss Bernard tonight. Parts of Bernard. The parts of him that made tea and brought Tim ibuprofen.

Tomorrow he’ll put together a presentation for Bruce on why he shouldn’t be taken off any of his cases on account of his ribs. Removed from the field, fine. But Tim could still be useful reviewing evidence; he didn’t need healthy ribs to peer through microscopes or sit in front of a computer. (And now that Bernard was gone, Tim would need the distraction.)

In fact, maybe Tim should ask for more work. More hacking, decrypting, coding work. Sitting down work. A project that takes up all his mental energy so that he doesn’t have any left to spare a thought for Bernard and they break-up.

Either that, or a new mission all together. Something new and novel. Something he doesn’t see very often and would command his attention. With so many aliens visiting Earth every day there had to be a new case (preferably one that did not take him into space, Tim was not a fan of space). Tim needed to get out of his bubble of Gotham crime and secret societies of assassins. Tim needed an alien case.

That would fix him.

Chapter Text

“No.” Bruce said with the calm finality of a gavel.

No new missions until his ribs were healed. Not even support work on the coms, hacking, or research. No active duty. No passive duty.

“You shouldn’t even still be going into the office.” Bruce added in a gentler tone. “Any normal employee with an injury like yours would be out on Medical Leave for a month at the least!”

“It’s just some bruised ribs.” Tim groaned. Groaned because just getting enough air out to form the words hurt.

Tim refused to take any pain medication that ended in ‘-odone’ and had been trying to manage his pain with ibuprofen; when he ended up taking more than the maximum recommended dose of ibuprofen, he switched to acetaminophen, when he exceeded that, Tim asked Cassie or Bart to come over and slather his entire middle mass with hospital grade menthol gel. It did nothing for his ribs, but the icy-hot sensation gave him something else to focus on besides the pain in his ribs.

“As I said, any normal person would be out on Medical Leave for an injury like yours.” Bruce repeated.

“You wouldn’t!” Tim snapped back, one arm now wrapped around his mid-section.

That was true, and they both knew it. Batman wouldn’t let a few bruised ribs keep him off the streets.

There was nothing that could be added after that.

Bruce turned away and marched out of Tim’s office, slamming the door behind him. He said ‘no’, that was final.

A few hours later, Tim got an email from HR with paperwork for a Leave of Absence for medical reasons.

Tim sighed.

Then winced, because even just that deep a breath lit up his ribcage with pain.

Okay. Fine. Maybe the old man had a point. Injuries were serious and needed time and rest and heal.

But the old man didn’t understand! Tim needed to work! If not on the streets as Red Robin, then in the office as Timothy Drake-Wayne. He needed to get out of his condo, he needed something to occupy his mind. He needed a distraction. He needed…

Tim picked up his phone and thought about calling Bernard.

Tim stared at the number in his contacts. All he had to do was press ‘Call’.

His thumb hovered over the touch screen.

Bernard would tell him to give up being Red Robin all together. It became his litany every time Tim got injured. Tim was never going to give up being Red Robin.

Tim closed his contacts without calling Bernard, and opened his group chat with Cassie and Bart.

[ Hey ] He messaged. [ Wyd? ]

Tim had barely slipped his phone back I his pocket before there was a whirlwind of motion in his office. Then Impulse was suddenly standing on his desk in full costume.

“Omg! They fired you!?” That was the only reason Bart could imagine for why Tim would be messaging them in the middle of the day asking what they were doing.

“Gawddamnit!” Tim swore.

Moving on adrenaline, which was sometimes magic for ignoring body pain, Tim stood from his chair, grabbed Impulse by the front of his costume, yanked him off of his desk and threw Impulse under it. Tim Drake-Wayne would be a little hard pressed to explain if someone saw a costumed hero standing on his desk (especially one who was not based in Gotham).

Before anyone could say anything else, one of his windows opened and Wonder Girl floated in.

She closed the window behind her and kept her feet on the floor once she was inside. But if anyone had happened to look up and saw a sorority sister of the Amazons float into his office, there would be questions.

Tim dragged both his hands down his face and groaned. At least he only had two idiot best friends to endanger his secret identity and not three. What would he do if there was also some super-strength member of their core team that would smash through the floor or something. Tim drew comfort from his secret mantra: ‘It could always be worse.’

He took a breath. The adrenaline melted out of his and with it returned the pain in his ribs. He silently reprimanded himself for manhandling Bart. There wasn’t enough over-the-counter generic brand pain medicine in the world to sooth what he was feeling.

“What’s going on?” Cassie asked. “You never message us to hang out in the middle of the day. Ohmygawd! Are you dying!? You’re dying and you only have 24-hours to live and you wanna spend that time with your best friends!”

“No.” Tim groaned. He was seriously questioning the wisdom of reaching out to his friends. Who ever said people needed friends and a support structure had never met Tim’s friends. “I’m not dying and they didn’t fire me. B is forcing me into a leave of absence. Apparently, its normal for people to take time off of work when they’re injured.”

“Oh yeah!” Bart said, as if suddenly remembering something he already knew, but Tim could see in his eyes as he laid under the desk that the lights might be on, but no one was home inside that head of his.

“That makes sense.” Cassie nodded sagely. She, at least, Tim believed understood a little bit of what it meant to be human. She had a mom who was human with no superpowers to speak of, or anything extraordinary save for one singular affair with a Greek god.

“Right.” Tim didn’t realize he’d wrapped both arms around his mid-section until Cassie placed a hand at his lower back to support him. “So now I have a bunch of free time.”

“And you need help cooking a meal and doing things around the house since Bernard dipped out on you.” Cassie guessed. She wasn’t a detective, but she was smart and she did know him all too well.

Tim was afraid to go home to an empty condo. (And his injury meant that he did need help.)

Out loud, Tim said, “Bernard didn’t ‘dip out’ on me!” Tim, at least, was still in love with him and would defend any rebuke of his character with every breath he had. “Bernard made a decision to put his own mental health first, and there’s nothing wrong with that!”

Cassie looked at her feet. Tim wasn’t wrong. In fact, there was sort of an epidemic in their community of people not taking care of their own health, be it mental or physical, and pushing themselves past the point of breaking in order to serve the Greater Good. Superheroes were many things, and among those many things ‘Self-Destructive’ was counted in the top ten of the list. In some ways, an average person like Bernard Down was a lot stronger than the vast majority of the super hero community. Bernard was able to say ‘enough is enough, I’m not putting up with this anymore’ and walk away.

Bart climbed up from the floor behind Tim’s desk. At some point between the floor and standing he had changed into civies, so fast Tim didn’t see the change. He was now wearing kaki shorts and a bright short-sleeve button-down shirt and yellow undershirt. He stuck his hands in the pockets of shorts. “Alright. Then let’s get you some lunch.”

Tim supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised where Cassie and Bart decided to take him for lunch. He glared up at the sign above the front door.

Red Robin. (The restaurant.)

“I. Hate. Both. Of you.” Tim said through clenched teeth.

His words were met with a duet of mischievous grins that Cassie and Bart flashed at each other. Yes. Har har. It was so hilarious to take Red Robin out to eat at Red Robin. Let's all have a good laugh while we keep Tim away from his (brooding) empty apartment.

They didn’t even offer never-ending fries anymore! Their bill was going to be astronomical with Bart at the table. Not that the cost was much of a burden to Tim, it was more the principal of the thing.

But then, he recalled, the alternative was taking them both back to his apartment so Bart could eat the contents of his refrigerator and order delivery, and order delivery again. Tim didn’t have the patience for that and he especially didn’t want to go back to his apartment.

What he really wanted was a distraction. Something to take his mind off the breakup. If not a case, if not his day-job, then- …something.

Tim gingerly lowered himself in the slightly better than uncomfortable seat of the booth they were shown to. At least his back was supported. That took some of the pressure off his ribs and he sighed in appreciation of the slight relief. He should order something that wouldn’t require him to clean over the table.

Tim turned his head, looking out the restaurant window.

It wasn’t a great view. Gotham didn’t have very many great views on account of the smog layer. But it was at least a partial view of the bay and Metropolis beyond. Through the cloud-cover of Gotham’s haze Tim saw the running lights of a space shuttle descend from the upper atmosphere.

Ever since Dick married a Tamaranian princess, it seemed like there were new aliens arriving on Earth every day. Some just tourist visiting Earth as a romantic novelty, others curious to see what the big deal was about Earth; why did this planet need (Tim took a moment to check his mental roster) seven Green Lanterns (eight if you counted Alan Scott)? Others came looking for work, and a lot came as students working towards their alien equivalents of Masters degrees or Doctorates in cultural studies, bio-diversity, robotics, or engineering.

Tim wondered which kind that shuttle was bringing to Earth.

…

Kon was so excited when the shuttle finally touched down. It was a battle against himself to stay seated while the craft went through all its landing checked and depressurized the cabin so the doors could be opened. Kryptonians weren’t bothered by things like air-pressure or oxygen to nitrogen ratios in the atmosphere.

But other creatures were and Kon was not the only passenger on the shuttle. Kon was the only Kryptonian on the shuttle in fact. Apparently, the scandal of his creation was a big enough offence that most Kryptonians refused to visit Earth. Now the only Kryptonians one might find on Earth now were those who worked for the embassy, which Krypton still maintained on Earth for diplomatic purposes. But you would never see a Kryptonian tourist, and Kon was the only Kryptonian student since the scandal of his creation went public.

“I heard Princess Koriand’r settled in Gotham with her husband.” Said one of the passengers a few rows behind Kon. “I think his name is… Penis?”

“No, no, no, that was just some slander that was spread on the holonet.” Replied their companion. “The Princess’ husband is- uh… Dichard? I’m pretty sure.”

Kon rolled his eyes. He knew the name of Princess Koriand’r’s husband. He was one of the adopted members of Bruce Wayne’s House, and Bruce Wayne was very good friends with Kon’s father, Kal-El. Kon had never met him before, Kon hadn’t met any of House Wayne aside from Bruce Wayne himself and Tim Drake-Wayne, but Kal talked about him and his House often. Princess Koriand’r married Richard Grayson, who often went by ‘Dick’ which was, unfortunately, also a slang word for penis.

With an impatient sigh, Kon looked up at the Fasten-Crash-Harness sign.

As soon as the pressure was equalized between the interior and exterior of the cabin, the sign would be turned off and the passengers could get out of their seats.

“Do you think we’ll see one of Earth’s Green Lanterns?” Asked another alien tourist a few seats over to Kon’s left. “Most space sectors have only one Lantern for the whole sector, but Earth has, like, fifty for just the planet alone!”

“I’m sure it’s not fifty.” Scoffed the person in the seat immediately next to them.

Kon knew decidedly less about the Green Lanterns. Before he left Earth with his parents, Kon met one of the Green Lanterns, briefly. They wanted to reassure the Kryptonians that the Corps. took the safety of everyone within Space Sector 2814 very seriously, and were very sorry that they let down Kal-El and his family. But were also very clear that the Green Lantern Corps. did not get involved in political conflicts in any capacity beyond that of mediators.

Although, Kon still didn’t understand why Earth needed -he took a moment to count on his fingers- seven Green Lanterns.

Above him, the Fasten-Crash-Harness sign went dark, finally turned off.

Kon was out of his seat and already pulling his carry-on bag out from the shuttle’s storage compartments before the captain had even begun her announcement that passengers were now free to move about the cabin.

It still took longer than Kon liked to disembark the shuttle. He was excited to be back on Earth and wanted to hurry up and find Red Robin. He was sure he had some time to make a quick trip to Gotham before he had to report to the Lexcorp dormitories to pick-up the key-code for his housing. His security clearance for the Lexcorp business campus and research labs would be picked up when he reported for his work-study on the first day of the work week, which on Earth was Monday.

But it seemed the Lexcorp internship had made other arrangements.

Once off the shuttle, Kon saw there was someone waiting for him on the tarmac.

A woman, human by all appearances, wearing a uniform with the Lexcorp logo on the shoulder was holding a sign that said in very neatly written Kryptonese glyphs ‘Kon-El’. The sign was hand written, but the glyphs were Kryptonian type-face, not Kryptonian script, implying that they person had copied the glyphs off a screen and was not a native speaker of the language. Of course, not a lot of people on Earth would be able to speak or write in Kryptonese, it was a very difficult language.

Kon glanced longingly at Gotham across the bay. Somewhere in that hazy smog-choked city was Red Robin. But it looked like Kon would have to put off his plans of searching for his hero just a little bit longer.

With a sigh, Kon marched up to the woman. Keeping his back straight and his head high, he said, “I am Kon of the House of El.”

Even to his own ears, Kon’s words sounded stuffy.

“You can call me Mercy.” Said the woman with far less ceremony.

Mercy tossed her sign through the open window of the passenger side window and opened the backseat door for Kon-El to enter and sit.

“Mister Luthor is waiting for you.” She said and politely (by Earthling standards) gestured for him to get in.

“But intern orientation isn’t until Monday.” Kon argued, confused. “That’s when we’re given our security clearance and key cards.”

He read the intern itinerary very carefully because he wanted to know how many opportunities he’d have to fly to Gotham and look for Red Robin. A work-study internship was how Kon was able to return to Earth, but reuniting with Red Robin was the reason he came to Earth.

“Mr. Luthor wishes to meet with you right away.” Mercy informed him. “Most interns would consider it an honor.”

“Oh.” Said Kon. “Is Mr. Luthor showing me favor or something? I don’t want any special treatment.”

“If you decline Mr. Luthor, you won’t get special treatment.” Mercy assured him. “You’ll be removed from the program and sent back to Krypton.”

“Oh!” That changed things. “Well, then I don’t want to keep Mr. Luthor waiting.”

Kon tossed his carry-on bag into the back seat and crawled in after it.

“The rest of your luggage will be delivered to your campus apartment.” Mercy assured him before slamming the door shut behind him.

Kon looked out the car windows as they drove to Lexcorp campus, watching Gotham shrink from view.