something a lil Connor centric for Morally_Gray for their birthday!!

TW: SENSORY OVERSTIMULATION

Enhanced hearing always sounds better than it feels. It can let you hear danger from a mile off or allow you to truly take in how much life there was in the world around you. Sitting in a field would be a symphony. Yet on this night in the middle of winter, enhanced hearing only made the anger of nature fiercer. Connor was used to his enhanced hearing. He had to be since he was living with it constantly. The sound of heartbeats, breathing and that one leaky faucet that was inescapable had all become white noise to him. Sure sleep was never the easiest thing to achieve but he managed to get more than Robin. That wasn't saying much but at least he wasn't the worst. He didn't really get the point of sleep either. Close your eyes and waste time standing there? What's the good of that? None that he could see. So one night during a horrible storm, he wasn't bothered by the lack of sleep he was getting thanks to the noise. It was the noise itself that bothered him. Every crack of lightning struck the ground and every roll of thunder felt like they were striking his eardrums with pins. It hurt to hear the waves thrash against the shore and vibrate through his head. Thanks to enhanced hearing, there was no escape from the sound but that didn't stop him from looking for something to bring him comfort. Thankfully, there was another person up but not for the same reason. 

Connor had his hands clamped over his ears as he walked through the halls of the mountain. He could hear the rain pounding the roof above him and trickling down to the ground. It sent shivers of displeasure down his spine. How people listened to rain noises to sleep, he would never know. His vision was blurred from the sheer overstimulation which made navigating the space much harder than it needed to be. He knew the way from his room to the kitchen so he stuck to that route. The kitchen wouldn't do much for him though. It was too late at night for Dinah to be there to offer some comfort and the others would be sleeping off their last mission. His footsteps felt like he was stepping on his brain, booming in his mind. Enhanced hearing was going to be the end of him. Everything felt like a personal attack against his ability to hear. How did Superman deal with it? Didn't he work in a city? They were a good few miles from the city and he could still sometimes hear the cars honking at one another if it was a particularly peaceful night. As he mused about how his mentor could possibly deal with the overhaul of sound, he heard a new player enter the game of "What sound will make Connor lose his mind?" Typing. It was soft, almost mindful of his hearing with how soft it was. Maybe, just maybe, if he focused on that sound he'd feel better. It was faint so he had to really concentrate on the frequency. Soft. Faint. Comforting. The typing soothed his aching brain in some way. It was a nice thing to focus on at least. It was also in the direction of the kitchen. Maybe Dinah was here this late at night. He continued his journey to the kitchen, concentrating solely on typing. None of the other noises was left exactly but they weren't blaring all at the same time. Random crashes would make him jump and forget what he was supposed to be focusing on but for the most part, he was able to keep the typing as the main focus. Then breathing came into the mix. Low and slow. Calm. Could be Dinah. Then came a soft sipping noise. A smell of coffee attacked his senses. There was no sweetness to it. It was abrupt. Black coffee. Dinah didn't drink black coffee. The only person who could handle that was Robin. Robin. He was smart. He was quiet too. He knew to be quiet. That was part of his thing when he worked with the ever silent Batman. It was interesting considering he could speak almost as fast as Wally but then be completely silent on missions. Connor was appreciative of him being quiet and smart. Maybe he'd have an idea of how to avoid the noise. 

When Connor got to the kitchen, he found Robin's legs kicked up over the top of the couch and the glow of his computer filling the dim room. He wrung his hands for a moment and stayed in the doorway. What was he supposed to do now? Sitting with him wouldn't make the noises go away. Connor would be still hearing the noises only now he was sitting in a new place rather than sitting in his closet hoping for everything to go away or at least calm down. So he stood there looking lost for a little too long before there was a shift of material against material and Robin's head popped up over the sofa. The younger tilted to the side in curiosity and looked over his fellow hero. Inspecting him. It always made Connor feel awkward but he knew the inspection wasn't to point out flaws. He was making sure that the super was okay. Checking him over for injuries. His concern could be appreciated even with the onset of awkwardness. "Hey SB, not able to sleep?" Connor winced at the addition to the roaring in his ears.

"Your voice is annoying."

"Ow dude," Robin replied, visibly deflated by the comment. He sank back down to return to his work which left Connor at a loss. He'd done something wrong but he'd told the truth. Robin's voice was annoying because it was overlapping such loud repetitive noises that were already annoying. Was he supposed to explain that fact to him? Or was that rude too? Lingering in the doorway wouldn't do much good so he put his hands back over his ears and took a seat on the couch beside Robin. The acrobat spared him a glance and his aggravated expression softened with empathy, seemingly understanding the situation. Robin hummed and opened a new file on the computer. He tapped away for a few seconds before pointing the screen toward Connor and pointing at the message. "Can I type to talk to you?" He nodded. The screen was turned away from him and there was another round of typing before he showed him a new message. "What's up?"

"Too loud," he replied. Robin squinted his eyes for a moment before nodding to himself, seemingly working out whatever roadblock he'd briefly hit. He held up a finger and then left the room. Now without typing, Connor was without his thing to focus on. The noises fought for dominance but they only ended up creating an unintelligible mass of noise that couldn't be distinguished as anything in particular. Was that the waves hitting the shore or the rain slamming the roof? He didn't know. It all sounded the same and yet so terribly different. He shifted in his seat and stared at Robin's computer. Counting the minutes gave him something to do but it wasn't as useful as the typing had been. There was no comfort to it.

Upon his return, Robin flashed headphones at the hero before gesturing if he could put them on. Given that they couldn't make things worse, Connor nodded and took his hands from his ears so the headphones could be slipped on easily. It wasn't silent but it was quiet. Blessed quiet. Things were muffled and he was able to actually hear his thoughts without the roar of unorganized noises. No shrilling winds nor rushes of water. Just soft tappings and the gentle thump of his fellow hero's heart. He visibly relaxed against the furniture finally free from the noise and Robin let out a small laugh. It wasn't making fun of him though. It was lighthearted and kind. More so happy that he was relaxed now. "Talking okay?" Connor nodded, happy that the frequencies that heart his ears were now dulled. "They're my headphones. Soundproof. I know they won't be soundproof for you but I thought they'd at least dull it," he explained. He returned to his seat and picked up his computer. "I'll start on making super versions. Maybe you can help me with the graphic design? Doubt you'd want them Robin or Bat themed."

"Why do you have these?" The shorter looked hesitant to answer and went so far as to lean back in his seat to make sure no one was coming down the hall. He moved a little closer before he answered.

"Missions get me on edge and sometimes it's hard to turn it off. Putting those on and sitting in a dark room helps me catch my breath."

"Why are you whispering?" 

"I'm Robin. I don't get shaken up." That sounded stupid but Connor didn't say anything about it. He knew that would be wrong to say even if he was sure he was right. He may not understand much about the world as of yet but he knew keeping things a secret didn't work out nor did suppressing how you feel. In fact, it just seemed to make things worse. "You gonna get some sleep SB?" He hesitantly nodded. "You can stay here if you like?" Connor liked that idea. The typing would likely return and he looked forward to that. He needed the comfort and soothing it provided even if the worst of the noises were muffled. "Let me get you some warm milk and then you can come to sit next to me." That sounded nice. He watched as Robin got up again and prepared his drink. He did so with a soft smile all the while, killing any worries of bothering him before they could even begin. With a mug of warm milk in hand - a mug, mind you, they bought specifically for the super because super strength was hard to control - he sat back down next to Connor and passed him the drink. "Are you okay with me working?" Connor nodded enthusiastically. "Great. Let me know if you need anything." Again, he nodded. He sat back as the young vigilante got to work with his work. It looked like a patrol report but he was more concerned with the even soft typing. 

Hours later, Robin was rubbing his eyes and the typing was stalling. He let out a tired yawn but kept pushing through until the typing eventually came to a stop and soft snores replaced it. He leaned to one side and rested his head on Connor's shoulder. Connor was almost certain that Robin didn't know he wasn't putting his head on the armchair of the couch given how exhausted he was. They sat there for a moment or two as Connor tried to think of what to do. He didn't want to sit there for the rest of the night - well morning at this point - and do nothing due to the sleeping bird but he wasn't sure what to do with him. Did he just leave? Was he supposed to put him somewhere? He thought through any information he could use and he came across a memory from a month ago. Robin had fallen asleep on the couch and Wally had let out a low chuckle at his friend. He scooped the younger up and took him to bed before returning and talking their ears off about some girl in history. Connor hummed to himself. Surely that's what you're supposed to do then. Carefully, he took the computer out of the other's lap and placed it on the table alongside his mug. He put one arm around Robin's shoulders and then another under his legs before pulling him up and holding him bridal style. There was a small noise at the change but nothing he would consider worrying about. Adjusting his grip slightly, he made his way to Robin's room and opened the door. The room itself was pretty bare but he could respect that. There were a few posters, some newspaper clippings on a desk and what looked like a spare utility belt beside it. He didn't pry too much. That would be rude. He went straight to Robin's bed and gently placed the shorter down where Robin made a little happy hum at feeling the comfort of his soft pillow. "'Night Supes," he said quietly, not opening his eyes.

"Goodnight Robin." There was a long pause as he thought over his next words. "Thank you. For tonight."

"Anythin' for my lil bro." Connor listened to his breathing even out, slow and deep, and left it there. He went back to his own room and was pleasantly surprised when he found himself drifting off to sleep.