YJ: Robin - Travel Sized for Your Convenience

The first time it happened it was on the battlefield, a reflex really. Robin was going to get hit by a barrage of bullets without much thought Superboy just picked the small boy up and covered him from the shots. Superboy never realized it was so easy to pick someone up before.

The second time it happened was when they were all in the kitchen together Megan was attempting to teach the boys how to bake. Robin was in front of the refrigerator grabbing some pans from the cupboards across from the fridge, Megan was telling him to get her some milk out of the fridge stat and Kid Flash was on the other side of the fridge racing the electric mixer with his super speed mixing. Not able to get around to the fridge Superboy did the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hey!" Robin cried as he felt himself being lifted into the air by a pair of strong hands. "What are you doing?" The boy exclaimed as Superboy placed him on the counter in a sitting position.

"You were in the way. I needed to get milk from the fridge." Superboy replied simply pulling the milk out of the fridge and handed it over to Megan.

"You know a simple 'excuse me' would ha sufficed." Robin huffed pouting cutely as KF doubled over laughing.

The third time it happened was in the hallway. Robin and Wally were engaged in one of their "heated discussions" in the middle of the hallway and neither of them seemed willing to budge or move from their spot for that matter. Superboy walked up to them and picked Robin up again much to the younger boy's surprise and dismay.

"You've got to stop doing that!" Robins complained as Superboy set him down on his feet beside Wally who was laughing his head off.

"Why?" Superboy asked with a straight face.

"You can't just move people around like that!" Robin stressed.

"But I don't move people around. Just you." Superboy admitted.

"What's up with that?" Robin sputtered in disbelief.

"You are just so small and moveable." At Superboy's words and KF's cackling Robin threw his hands in the air and walked away cursing his height.

After that it was not just Superboy who was displacing Robin all the time.

"Robin dinner is ready." Megan had come to the boy's room as the boy was hunched over his desk focused on the codes he was madly tapping on his keyboard.

"I'll be there in minuet." Robin replied absent-mindedly still focused on his project. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted out of his chair and floated over into Megan's arms.

"Superboy's right, this is much easier!" Megan's smile only made Robin flush indignantly.

"Put me down!"

Wally was the next to take a liking to picking Robin up and moving him. Robin had playfully hopped onto the comfy couch KF had been laying on when the boy zipped off to the bathroom during commercials.

"Hey dude! Not cool!" Wally said as he came back in less than a minute.

"Sorry man you moved and lost your seat those are the rules!" Robin said making a face at the older boy. "Besides I am sitting here now what are you going to do about it?" A smirk appeared on Wally's face and the next thing Robin knew he was being hoisted up into the air.

"You left your seat Rob its up for grabs rules are rules." KF laughed before plopping poor Robin down on the floor. Robin could only shoot an annoyed glare at Superboy who had started all this. Superboy on the other hand was feeling a strange feeling in his chest every time someone else picked up Robin. It was HIS thing to pick up the small boy, why was everyone doing it now?

Over the next week even Kaldur and Artemis joined in. It seems that whenever they wanted Robin somewhere or to do something everyone just whisked Robin off his feet and placed him down wherever they needed him. Artemis picked Robin up when he was eating breakfast to bring him over to the computer lab where she had crashed her computer on Thursday morning. On Friday Kaldur picked the boy up off the workout bench when Robin insisted that he was going to weight lift for another hour (not that he was compensating for anything of course) and sent Robin off to the showers. By Saturday Robin has had enough. Sure he was light and easily picked up but that didn't mean everyone had to do it.

"That is it! I am not putting up with this anymore!" Robin shouted as Superboy plucked him off the couch during a video game session. "I am a person! Not something that you guys can just pick up and move whenever you want. I am tiny I get it! You don't have to rub it in!" Robin said angrily turning to face Superboy, "This is all your fault! I hate you don't touch me!" Robin's outburst surprised Superboy so much he dropped Robin. The boy landed gracefully on his feet and stalked off leaving his shocked team behind.

To say Robin was irritated when Batman came to take him to Gotham for the weekend was an understatement. The boy tried not to let the irritation show but when Batman picked him up and deposited him into the front seat of the Batmobile because he had been standing there deep in thought for so long Robin snapped.

"Why is everyone's first reaction just to pick me up?" Robin almost yelled. "I am not a child!"

"First of all you were taking too long, we don't have all night. Second you are technically still a child" Batman said as they drove towards Gotham, his words only further upset the small boy.

"God why can't I be bigger! Like Superboy, or even just taller like Wally and Kal?" Robin sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Batman asked his protégé.

"Something wrong?" Robin exclaimed, "No, everything is completely normal everyone is just carrying me around like I am travel sized or something! First it was Superboy and now everyone is doing it! Even you!" Batman said nothing and let the boy vent. Robin ranted for a bit about all the times he had been picked up that week and it made him feel a little better. "Just promise me Bruce you won't pick me up again." Batman merely replied with a curt nod as the two got out of the Batmobile and headed into the darkening Gotham streets.

After almost being blown up seven times and a long tangle with the Joker and Harley Robin was feeling dead on his feet. The Robin suite was nearly ripped to shreds and his body was covered in cuts and bruises not to mention the broken and cracked ribs. Robin barely made it back to the Batmobile as Batman helped the police wrestle Joker and Harley Quinn into the armoured vehicle to Arkham. The moment he collapsed into the seat Robin allowed fatigue to take him a passed out.

Dick faded back into consciousness as he felt himself being picked up out of the Batmobile.

"Did you still not want to be picked up?" Bruce asked as he scooped Dick into his arms. The boy was too tired to protest, and truth be told it was nice to be In Bruce's strong arms, it made him feel safe. Dick didn't have enough strength to say anything he just snuggled his head closer to the man's chest in consent listening to his mentor's steady heart beat lulling him back into slumber.

By the time Robin got back to Mount Justice on Sunday evening the entire team had heard about the Joker's attack on Gotham and waited anxiously by the door for Robin to return. Robin had insisted that he was okay to walk in on his own leaning on a crutch and Batman let him. The moment Robin was through the door he found himself whisked off his feet by Superboy.

"We were so worried!" Megan gushed and she took him from Superboy, soon Robin was being passed around by the group each of them giving him a gentle hug before passing him back to Superboy. For once Robin didn't mind being picked up or carried around. His friends were really worried about him. Superboy carried Robin back to bed with the others following close by. When they tucked him in to bed and made sure he had plenty of everything that he would need they left him to rest. Superboy lingered for a moment standing by Robin's bedside awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked the older boy.

"Sorry…" Superboy said quietly.

"For what?" Robin asked slightly confused.

"For picking you up." Superboy replied curtly.

"Oh," Robin rubbed the back of his head with his unbroken arm sheepishly. "I am sorry I took it out on you. And it's not bad to get picked up sometimes. Sometimes it is nice, comforting." Robin admitted. "Just not all the time. Without my permission. It's irritating."

"May I pick you up now?" Superboy's question took Robin by surprise but he could see the sincerity in the older teen's eyes. Robin smiled and nodded. Superboy gently picked Robin up and put the smaller boy on his lap.

"Why do you like to pick me up so much anyways?" Robin asked leaning back against Superboy's strong chest quite comfortable in Superboy's arms.

"Because I feel tated when I hold you." Superboy admitted shyly. Robin looked up at Superboy with a questioning glance.

"Tated?"

"If the opposite of irreversible is reversible then the opposite of irritated would be tated right?" Robin smiled at Superboy's explanation.

"I feel tated to be held by you."