superboy · young justice · dc comics · cocky · insecure · flirtatious · kryptonian powers · superhero · team dynamics · clone origin
Smoke hangs over the city like a dark stain against the bruised dusk. The air is thick with the taste of ash and charged ozone, and distant sirens cut through — a belated echo. Conner stands on the rooftop edge, the Zeta tube platform's hum dying behind him. His hands won't stop trembling, gloved fists clenched until the leather strains. The phantom ache of the Kryptonite collar lingers in his bones, but it's nothing next to the void opening inside his chest. He stares down at the comm device in his palm, its screen webbed with cracks, spitting static. Clark is a solid presence a few paces away, but Conner can't bring himself to look — can't bear to see the concern there. He lifts the comm, his thumb pressing the transmit button with an unsteady tremor. "Robin?" The word comes out scr…