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“Hey Bart, do you know where Kon is?” Robin asked, leaning his elbows over the back of the couch, peering down at what Bart was currently playing.
“Uhh—“ Bart cut himself off before he could even finish his sentence, a small shockwave of air ruffling Robin’s clothes as he disappeared. Then he was back, right where Robin had found him, his hair settling right back over his forehead. “He’s outside.”
“Oh, thanks,” Robin smoothed his own hair back as Bart looked up and gave him a toothy smile before returning to his video games.
It was only after Robin had already left the room and was making his way to the entrance of their base did he realize that Bart hadn’t exactly specified where Kon was outside. Knowing Bart, Kon could actually be outside somewhere halfway across the country and he just happened to fail to mention.
Robin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. If he didn’t find Kon somewhere around the outside of the base he’d try calling him again, even though the past few times it had just rung out and then gone to voicemail.
Nothing to worry about too much, Kon often put his phone on silent and then forgot about it. He wouldn’t go off somewhere stupid and get himself hurt without them knowing or at least trying to communicate.
Turns out, as vague as Bart had been, Robin didn’t have to go very far out of the cave entrance before he spotted a familiar figure lying in the grass.
Robin approached slowly, eyebrows furrowed with barely disguised curiosity until he was standing right at Kon’s head, his figure casting an imposing shadow over top of him.
Kon was sprawled out on the grass a few meters away from the entrance of the cave, shirt off and balled up into a pillow beneath his head, his sunglasses pressed right up against his face and a pair of casual shorts slipping down over his hips.
Although his superhero suit left none to the imagination, Kon didn’t often go shirtless. His chest and stomach were pocketed with small, barely visible scars although how he got them with his powers was beyond Robin. He was well built, Robin knew that, toned muscles and heavy proportions gave it away.
But he had never seen Kon so relaxed, especially not like this. Robin could make out the outline of his abs but when he was lying down there wasn’t much there to gawk at, soft pale skin rising and falling slowly with each breath over his stomach. His chest framed by the shape of his ribs following up into the bulk of his shoulders.
He looked normal in a way that Robin had never seen him, like just a regular guy. Relaxed in an even more unusual way, not like his normal demeanor that was just barely disguised stress hidden behind smiles and jokes. He seemed completely and genuinely at ease.
Robin slid his tongue over his lips, trying to put on an annoyed face, something that usually came easy to him when it came to Kon. Now he found it hard to muster.
But before he could interrogate the other boy, Kon beat him to it.
“Okay, you’re blocking the sun,” Kon heaved a sigh, clearly annoyed at Robin’s presence already (he hadn’t even done anything yet). He tilted his head back to peer at Robin through his large round sunglasses, “What do you want?”
“How come you’ve ignored all my calls?” Robin demanded, crossing his arms over his chest, not wanting to convey any sort of worry for Kon. Although he was sure that if Kon was paying attention, he could probably hear it in his voice.
“No phone, no communicator,” Kon patted his shorts pockets revealing the entire nothing he had on him, “Not even in the suit. Can’t I get a moment's peace around here?”
“Maybe if you would let someone know what you’re doing before cutting off all communications,” Robin tapped his foot on the grass, “Then I wouldn’t have to come find you.”
“That defeats the purpose, if you know then you’re gonna come bother me anyway,” Kon complained, reaching up to scrub at his face, pushing his sunglasses up just enough that he could really glare at Robin. “I should’ve moved when I heard Bart run by.”
“What are you doing anyway?” Robin looked Kon up and down and then turned to survey the surrounding area to see if there might be any clues. There was only empty forest around them.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Kon sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, “Just relaxing, soaking up some rays, enjoying the sun which you are currently blocking .”
Robin stepped to the side annoyed and looked around at all the nothing around them. “You look stupid.”
“Maybe. But maybe you should try it, it might do you some good,” Kon raised an eyebrow at Robin, shrugging his shoulders lightly. “Plenty of room out here for the both of us.”
Robin took another step back and furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms in front of his face, “You’re going to get sunburnt.”
“It would be mighty stupid if I could get sunburnt.”
“You are still part human.”
Kon tilted his head to the side and thought about that for a moment, “True, but I still think it’s stupid.”
“Thinking it’s stupid doesn’t stop the sun.”
“Oh shut up, are you gonna join me or keep nagging?” Kon waved his hand in a loose gesture and then tucked his arms back under his head. He looked at Robin expectantly and there was something soft on his face, like a silent plea.
“Fine,” Robin grumbled, muttering to himself in annoyance as he plopped down on the grass next to Kon. Kon sighed in content and once again practically melted into the ground.
Taking a few minutes to adjust and find a comfortable position, Robin laid back on the ground, arms tucked behind his head, legs sprawled out in the grass, and his face tilted up right at the sun. It was a lot brighter when he was staring directly at the sky and he had to squint, even through the mask, just to not hurt his eyes.
Kon hummed to himself, a soft breathy tune that rumbled in the back of his throat. He seemed perfectly content to bask in the sun, even more so now that Robin had stopped bothering him.
Robin lifted one hand, using it to shield his eyes from the light so it wasn’t barreling down directly at him. There were no clouds in the sky today, just bright blue all the way around with the light spilling over everywhere that it could reach.
The temperatures were just starting to rise as it crept closer to the summer, but it wasn’t sweltering just yet. Still comfortable enough that being outside wasn’t so oppressive, but actually nice for once. The sun washed over Robin’s body, warmth soaking right into his dark clothes.
Occasionally a gust of wind would blow and ruffle Robin’s hair, applying a cool salve to the warmth beamed into his body, heating him up beneath the layers that he probably should have taken off when he laid down. Too late for that, he wasn’t going to back down.
Robin heard Kon shift, the grass rustling beneath him as he got comfortable again. Robin dropped his forearm over his face, not wanting to keep his hand raised above his head for that long, his arm was starting to go numb.
“It’s kind of bright,” Robin complained, not sure if he was going to get chewed out for talking or not.
“Do you want my sunglasses?” Kon offered casually, shifting a little bit again in the grass.
“No.”
“Here,” Kon nudged Robin’s arm and Robin pulled it away from his face, turning to glare at Kon. He didn’t even bother to sit up and look at Robin, instead just held out his arm, sunglasses casually hanging from his fingers.
“I don’t want your sunglasses,” Robin tried to push his hand away but Kon moved out of the way and just kept his arm in place.
“They’re super nice, trust me,” Kon insisted, shaking the sunglasses in his hand for emphasis.
And just because he was annoying, stubborn, and persistent, Robin took them.
“Fine, happy?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t look,” Robin hissed at him, turning his face away so he could replace his mask with the offered sunglasses without Kon seeing.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
With Kon’s sunglasses on, Robin laid back down on the grass, looking up only to notice that, surprisingly, he wasn’t exaggerating about the quality of his sunglasses. It darkened most of the light around him, making it so that Robin didn’t even have to squint if he looked up at the sky, the sun barely a dot visible in the mix of deep blue.
“Huh,” Robin muttered, mostly to himself.
“Told you they’re nice,” Kon nudged Robin with his foot and then after a few moments of silence, added in a voice way more honest than Robin was used to hearing: “Sometimes artificial lights really get to me. So the sunglasses help.”
Robin didn’t know that. Maybe he could request to get the lights in the base changed to something that seemed a bit more natural and less fluorescent.
“What about now?” Robin asked as the one wearing Kon’s sunglasses. If the light normally bothered his eyes, wouldn’t the sun be so much worse? No wonder he had such strong sunglasses on all the time.
“The sun never bothers me, it’s really nice,” Kon explained, “I imagine it’s what it feels like for Batman to be in a dark cave all the time.”
“Not really how that works,” Robin muttered, crossing his arms over his stomach.
“What!” Kon sat up suddenly in the grass, staring at Robin with wide eyes and his mouth half open. Robin noticed that his cheeks were slightly rosy.
Robin couldn’t help but laugh at Kon’s genuineness. “It’s just his style.”
“You mean to tell me that he doesn’t get his energy from sitting in the dark?”
“Nope, well, maybe, but I don’t think so,” Robin shrugged, still unable to muffle his laughter.
“That’s so lame,” Kon sighed and flopped back down on the grass with a small oof. He let out a long sigh.
“Sorry to burst your bubble,” Robin said, not really sorry at all.
Kon grumbled but didn’t say anything. They settled into a lapse of silence.
Robin’s chest rose and fell with every breath he took, the warmth spreading over his body, making him actually kind of sleepy. It was a comfortable temperature, not too hot, not too cold, and the wind kept him from overheating. Kon’s sunglasses definitely helped make the light from staring directly at the sun much more bearable.
From a few meters away, the leaves and bushes rustled with the wind, and from even further away, Robin could make out the overarching ambiance of birds chirping and insects buzzing. It was so different from the sounds of the city, or even the constant noise inside the base. Aside from the sunlight, it was just plain peaceful out here.
Maybe this was nice, as much as Robin hated to admit Kon being right about anything.
He wondered what it felt like for Kon, someone who actually took energy from the sunlight, someone with super hearing and sensitivity to artificial lights. What was it like for him to finally be somewhere where the only sounds were of nature and the only light was one that actually energized him.
Well, Kon could probably still hear all the noises he never admitted to hating but Robin could always see on his face whenever the noises bothered him.
But what was it like to lay out in the sun like this? What was he thinking and feeling right now? What was it like?
Robin knew how it worked, he knew a lot about his powers and how he took energy from the sun. But he didn’t know what it felt like. He couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
All Robin felt from laying out in the sun was sleepy. Although it was nice, he was sure that wasn’t what it was like for Kon.
“Hey, Kon,” Robin spoke, his mouth working faster than his brain.
Kon hummed in acknowledgment.
“What does the sun feel like for you?” Might as well get right to the point. No need to talk around the simple question. It was a simple curiosity, nothing else. Kon didn’t need to look into it, and Robin didn’t need to talk his way into some sort of justification to receive a harmless answer.
“Like, how does it feel for my powers?”
“Sure, or just you, I guess.”
“Hm,” Kon hummed to himself for a few moments, thinking hard about Robin’s question. “It feels like I’ve just gotten my first good sleep in weeks like I’m all energized and ready to go. You know?”
Robin hummed in affirmation although he didn’t really get it. All he felt was tired.
“It’s like, I can feel it all over my body and it feels like… I don’t know… it feels like the first time in a long time that my body actually feels right,” Kon paused for a moment and Robin heard him shift, although he didn’t see what he did, “Like I feel sluggish inside sometimes… But here it just feels like how I’m supposed to feel. Like my body is mine and exactly how it is supposed to be.”
“That sounds nice,” Robin admitted honestly, hoping that he sounded as genuine as he felt.
“Why do you ask?” Kon nudged Robin’s leg with his foot again. His body radiated warmth, enough so that Robin could feel it just from that brief contact.
“Just wondering.”
“What does it feel like for you?” Kon asked, and although it was to be expected, Robin wasn’t prepared for that.
He took a second to get his words together before he spoke, “It’s really warm,” He started, “Like being wrapped up under a blanket, it makes me feel sleepy.”
“Does it still feel nice?” Kon asked, and something in his voice sounded strangely concerned.
“Yeah, it’s really nice,” Robin admitted because Kon would feel bad otherwise, “It’s refreshing.”
“Good.” Kon seemed pleased with himself, humming casually. His foot was still pressed against Robin’s leg.
Robin scooted a little closer, brushing their arms together. Kon just sighed in contentment, looping his fingers around Robin’s wrist. Although it startled him, Robin didn’t pull away and soon relaxed into the small touch.
They continued to relax in the sun, basking in the warmth and energy that it provided, relishing in the presence of the other, but enjoying the silence as well.
Robin would admit he lost track of time, only deciding to get up and go back inside once it started to get cloudy and the sun got blocked by a particularly mean-looking gray cloud. Kon groaned loudly in complaint.
Robin had to practically peel him up from the grass to get him to move and come back inside before he got rained on. Maybe next time Robin should check the weather beforehand.
“Oww—” Kon complained, rubbing his reddened chest with one hand, speckles of sunburn making an odd pattern all over the front of his chest.
“What did I tell you?” Robin laughed, “Mister I can’t get sunburnt.”
“Hey, maybe you should look in the mirror too Rudolph,” Kon shot back, kicking Robin in the back of the heel.
Confused, Robin did, only taking the sunglasses off once he was sure Kon wouldn’t be able to see.
And, well, sure enough, his nose and all over his cheeks were bright red, only disrupted by pale circles around his eyes where Kon’s sunglasses had protected his skin. He groaned loudly and heard Kon laughing from the other room.
Embarrassed, Robin quickly replaced the mask on his face. Kon would never let him live it down if he noticed the stupid sunburn lines on his face.
“I’m never doing that again,” Robin declared, loud enough he knew Kon would hear. He heard Kon protest loudly from the other room and laughed to himself.
Eh, it wasn’t that bad, maybe next time he’d have to get some sunscreen.