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“Watch out!” Robin yelled, just in time for Kid Flash to turn and avoid a laser. As a result, he collided with the wall of the rundown warehouse and left a Wally-shaped imprint.
“We need to finish up quickly; I doubt the door will stay jammed much longer,” Robin said over the mind-link as he helped Kid Flash up.
Kaldur nodded. “What do you suggest? We need to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves. Batman wouldn’t be pleased if we try to pull off something too dangerous.”
A moment of contemplative silence fell over the team. It was broken with a long sigh from Dick.
“Eh, screw it. Let’s just blow it up and call it a day,” he suggested, eliciting a strange look from Kaldur.
“I’m with Rob on this one,” “Robin is right,” KF and Artemis agreed simultaneously, which led to a small squabble the rest of the team tuned out. Superboy was the next to come around to the idea, followed by Miss Martian and, at last, Aqualad.
Kaldur sighed. "And how? I don’t assume you have a bomb of such magnitude on hand.”
It was clear that he was already mentally preparing a speech to explain to Batman how they were able to blow something up on an undercover mission. Again.
"Actually," Robin began, "I’ve already placed bombs at each of the building’s main supports while you all were exploring the area.” He cackled and the rest of the team gaped at him.
"Oh, and I just activated the timer, so we should probably start running or we’re going to blow up,” he added after a moment. This snapped Wally out of his frozen state.
"Dude, are you serious?!"
"Aw, come on, KF. You knew what you were getting yourself into when you tried to befriend me."
"I didn’t know back then you were a pyro."
"Now you’re just being mean. Maybe there were a few small fires, but never anything unmanageable."
"Of course there wasn’t a big fire! After the explosions, there wasn’t anything left for the fire to burn!"
"Therefore, I’m not a pyro."
"You’re insane!"
"You've only just now noticed?"
"Robin, how much time do we have left?" Kaldur interrupted. Robin frowned and thought for a moment.
"I’d say around 50 seconds," he answered finally. Robin seemed completely unperturbed at the shouting that followed and Wally swore that the smile of his best friend even grew wider.
The two shared a look and Wally realized he was calm because he knew Kid Flash would get them out in time. That, or he’d finally lost it.
In just under a minute, he’d brought the team back to the bioship, moments before the warehouse exploded with a deafening bang. When Wally was able to look back at the building, in its place was an ashen crater and charred detritus, almost completely obscured by the smoke that remained.
“How the hell am I going to explain this to Batman?” Kaldur said miserably.
“It was like this when we got here?” Robin suggested and Artemis snorted.
“It was like this when we got here…” their team leader repeated dully. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad would it be if–“
“Oh, at least a twenty,” Dick interrupted.
“He’s going to kill me.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Wally muttered tersely.
“Lighten up, Walls. I’ll be the one to tell him.”
“Why would you do that?” asked Kaldur suspiciously. The redhead could understand his mistrust towards the boy completely, because yeah, it’s Dick.
Robin only shrugged and silence descended over the group as everyone looked at Kaldur.
“Okay,” their leader finally said.
“Awesome, you won’t regret it,” Dick promised with an amount of enthusiasm that certainly didn’t fit the current situation. “As I calculated it, Batman will be totally whelmed when I’m done with him.”
“Yeah, for sure,” Wally said sarcastically.
“Come on, when have my calculations ever been wrong?”
“Well…”
“Shut up, that was one time.”
...
When the bioship landed, the team was called to the debriefing room where Batman was already waiting for them. Immediately, Robin launched into a plausible (although false) retelling of what happened, which not only pulled the blame from the team but painted them in a good light.
Rather, it would have if Robin wasn’t laughing the whole time.
Batman glared at Robin with an intensity that could shake even Superman to his very core.
“Don’t lie to me, Robin. I know you were the one who blew up the building.”
“I swear, I didn’t do it,” Dick said through giggles.
“Then why are you laughing?”
“‘Cause whoever did it is a freaking genius!”
“Robin…” Batman growled warningly.
“Batman...” he mimicked.
“Am I the only one who noticed that Robin is behaving strangely?” Megan asked quietly.
Superboy shrugged. “Isn’t he always like this?”
“Nah, I’m the first to admit he does crazy stuff sometimes, but never to this extent,” argued Wally, a pit of worry forming in his stomach.
Their attention was drawn to Dick as he stumbled, eyeing him just in time to see his eyes roll back into his head before he collapsed. Batman caught him before he hit the floor and laid him down gently on the carpet.
“Is that part of his plan?” whispered Superboy as they approached the now seemingly unconscious boy.
“I don’t think so,” murmured Megan, concern evident in her expression.
“What’s with him? Is he okay??” Wally asked, panicked. The boy’s guardian narrowed his eyes at him before turning to address the team as a whole.
“He’s had a rough week, nothing sleep won’t cure.”
“Are you for real?! He fainted! You’re his guardian; you shouldn’t have let it get this bad. He may be a superhero, but he’s still just a kid!” Wally cried.
It occurred to him that he’d never yelled at Batman before but, after all, his crush —no, friend, he reminded himself— had just fainted in front of him. The same boy who could be thrown from a building and still insist on participating in training had just collapsed from exhaustion. If there was ever a day when Robin willingly took a nap, something was extremely wrong.
Batman glared at Wally with a fury seldom seen from the Dark Knight and the speedster had to use all his willpower to not run away.
Before either could speak, Robin mumbled something and tried to sit up. This seemed to placate Batman and, rather than snapping Wally’s neck, he settled for helping Dick.
“Why are criminals always spending so much money on murder weapons?” Dick said softly. His eyes were far away and he didn’t appear to be talking to anyone in particular.
“What–“ Artemis began but Robin interrupted her.
“Y’know you can pick up like, a brick or a tire iron off the side of the road for free.”
Artemis snorted and tried to cover it with a cough, while Megan gave her a stern look. Likely satisfied in the knowledge he’d imparted, Robin’s eyes closed once more and he went limp.
“I’m bringing him back to Gotham. You are all dismissed for now,” Batman said sternly. As he bent down to pick up Robin, however, his communicator started beeping.
The instant he read the message, his eyes became tired and he sighed. This was one of those moments that the team realized that he is like Robin— just a human walking among metas, aliens, and gods.
The moment passed as quickly as it had come. Batman handed Robin’s limp body to Kaldur, who struggled for a moment not to drop him. Something heavy settled in Wally’s stomach and he didn’t realize he was glaring until Megan tapped him on the shoulder. He sent her an apologetic look and turned back to Batman.
“There is a Justice League emergency. I’ll leave him here for now. Don’t try anything… funny.” He looked directly at Wally, who froze.
Shit, does he know I like him?
“He’s in good hands, Sir,” assured the Atlantean. Batman merely nodded and left with one more warning glance toward Wally.
Of course he does.
“We should bring him to his room,” Megan suggested.
“No one knows the code… except Baywatch, that is,” Artemis said with an expression that could only be described as suspicious.
Wally’s face lit up and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. His chest must’ve puffed out a little, as Artemis rolled her eyes at him.
“Yeah, you can give him to me. The Wall-Man’s got this.” The speedster reached out like one would to lift a kitten and Kaldur handed Robin over.
You know when you’re handing someone something and you think they have a good grip on it so you let go and it turns out they didn’t?
That’s what happened then.
There was a dull thud and the team glared at Wally who, admittedly, had miscalculated how heavy Robin would be.
“Oops?” was all he could think to say as the team stared at him in dread.
“Oh god, is he bleeding?” Megan asked, horrified.
“No?”
“That’s not a question you should answer with another question, Wally!” she shouted. After a moment, she whispered, “Oh god, we killed him.”
“You guys are horrible,” Robin muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Megan screamed and backed into Connor.
“I’m not dead, Miss M,” Dick consoled. “Not yet, anyway,” he added, glaring at Wally.
“Oh, thank god, you’re alive. I thought Batman was going to kill me! I’m too young to die!” Wally sobbed (only half-jokingly) and hugged him tightly, though the hug turned out to be more of a tackle or a full body slam than anything else.
Robin cried out in pain, which soon turned into a low hiss. Wally’s expression became serious as he moved the boy onto his lap.
“This isn’t just sleep deprivation. You’re hurt, let me see,” he demanded, scanning him for injuries.
“Oh, come on, Kid Idiot, I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle.” Dick looked away and Wally swore he could spot a light pink dusting his cheeks, though it was likely from his fever. He even managed to stand up again without wincing, but, again, this was Batman’s kid.
“I just had a rough week. Poison Ivy and Harley teamed up again, so I haven’t really had much downtime. All I need is some rest,” he explained. Wally’s brow furrowed.
“You sure? I mean, you acted really weird, even for your standards,” he argued. Robin shrugged.
“This is just what I’m like when I haven’t slept in such a long time, Walls.”
“Oh god, your poor parents,” Artemis said under her breath. For a moment, there was a crack in Robin’s well-kept guard and his feelings reflected clearly on his face. His expression was a mixture of pain and anger before it turned emotionless, not even the ghost of a smirk residing on his face. He crossed his arms and laughed humorlessly.
It wasn’t the light, joyful sound usually reserved for Wally or even the mischievous cackle he was known for. Rather, it was cold and sharp like a knife—it was wrong, coming from him.
“Hilarious,” he hissed.
“Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, Rob,” Artemis said, putting her hands up in a non-threatening gesture.
“Apology accepted,” Robin chirped, embracing the archer tightly. The team merely gaped at him.
“...I think he needs to get some rest,” Megan suggested and Artemis nodded vehemently. Removing herself from Robin, she patted his back and helped him toward the redhead.
“Come on, Boy Wonder. The amazing Wally West is going to bring you to bed.”
“But Wally, we haven’t even had our first date yet!” Robin smiled playfully at Wally in a clear attempt at flirting. It seemed to work its magic, as Wally blushed furiously and turned away to clear his throat.
“I’ll make you breakfast if you come with me” he bribed, hanging off of Wally’s arm. The boy nodded in return and followed him into his room, ignoring the looks of his teammates and glaring at Artemis who had apparently been recording.
Robin closed the door behind them and immediately started to undress. Wally was frozen. He watched, wide-eyed, as his best friend removed his shirt to reveal lean muscles and soft, bronze skin. Dick fumbled with his belt, glancing at Wally with half-lidded eyes.
As he started to take off his pants, Wally finally found it in himself to look away.
“I’d ask if you’re an exhibitionist but I doubt you could even spell that word right now,” he joked, desperately trying to hide the effect Dick had had on him.
“Only when cute redheads are watching.” He winked at him, but in his state, it looked like he had something in his eye.
“Wow,” he said dryly, suppressing a smile. Cute.
“You weren’t supposed to react like that. That’s so not astrous!” Robin exclaimed, placing a hand on his hip.
“And how was I supposed to react?” Wally asked slowly, knowing full well that he would regret doing so.
“You should be wooed by my bold flirtatiousness! I should’ve swept you off your feet,” he announced, clearly unhappy with the outcome.
“G-go to sleep, Dick,” Wally ordered. His head was spinning from what the ebony had just said to him. Could he… maybe… Nah, he’s probably just really tired.
Robin huffed. “May every sock you wear be slightly rotated, just enough for it to be uncomfortable. And when your mother comes to talk to you, she leaves your door slightly ajar so you have to get up and close it.”
“Okay, you wanna FIGHT? Because we can,” he said fiercely, “tomorrow, after you’ve slept.”
“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch,” Robin warbled and giggled.
“Come on Rob, please. Just go to sleep. For me?” He tried his best puppy dog eyes on him.
“Okay,” he said simply and crawled under his covers. “You coming?” Wally choked on air.
“You– I mean, it’s… what?” he spluttered.
“It’s cold. I need a heater,” Robin demanded, reaching toward the redhead. “Besides, it’s been a while since someone held me,” he admitted quietly.
A wave of sympathy rolled over Wally. He knew that the boy lost both of his parents early and, yeah, Batman didn’t seem like the affectionate type of guy.
He sighed in defeat and laid down beside Robin, trying his best to calm his rapid heartbeat. As soon as his body touched the mattress, Dick practically threw himself at him. He nuzzled his head into the Speedster’s chest and mumbled something he couldn’t make out.
“You’re more like a cat than a bird,” Wally said softly, mostly to himself. He looked down at Dick, who had already fallen asleep.
‘How cute’, he thought, and yeah, he really did look younger in his sleep.
...
Wally woke up to something cold on his face.
“Wake up!” someone shouted, far too close to his ear. He groaned and snuggled deeper into the bed.
“Just five more minutes,” he groaned hoarsely. The sudden, ice cold of the water knocked the breath out of him for a moment and he sat up straight in bed.
“What the hell, dude?!” Wally shouted at Robin, hair dripping.
“You didn’t wake up the first time I poured water on you,” Dick said with a smug grin. “You, sir, are a heavy sleeper.”
“Fuck you,” he cursed, throwing off the covers. He sneezed three times in a row and added sourly, “Were you dropped on your head or what?”
“Actually,” The boy lifted a hand to his head. “I think so, yeah.”
A wave of guilt washed over the speedster. Wally never had a good poker face, or at least not one good enough to fool Dick Grayson.
“Wally, what did you do?” the ebony demanded.
“What? Nothing!” he lied. One look from Dick was enough to break him.
“…I may or may not have dropped you.”
“Wally, remind me to kill you later,” he said dryly. God, how he hoped he was joking.
Just then Wally realized that Dick himself must’ve just woken up because he was still in his boxers. And, of course, he had to blush like a man from the 14th century seeing a woman’s ankle by accident.
“I’m sorry, Walls,” Robin mumbled.
“What for?” Wally asked, his mind racing. Did he know how affected he was by the lack of clothing on him?
“I’m really difficult to put up when I’m sleep deprived. I get really moody and hypersensitive and I talk without a filter.” He chuckled nervously. “So, I’m sorry you had to put up with that. And for the things I might have said.”
Dick paused for a moment, biting his lip and looking away. “I didn’t say anything...weird, did I?”
“It wasn’t that bad. You were quite a flirt, actually,” he teased and, just to get revenge for the way he was woken up, he winked.
Dick turned red as a tomato and cleared his throat, pointedly looking anywhere but at Wally.
‘Does he… does he maybe like me? Like… really?’
The thought struck him and, seeing Dick in his current state…. it wasn’t so absurd of an idea.
“Haha, yeah, sorry, I get like that when I’m sleep deprived. Just ignore anything I said,” Dick explained and Wally’s heart sunk.
“Really? You didn’t actually flirt with anyone else, though,” he said in what he hoped sounded like a casual tone of voice. “Like, at all.”
“Huh, weird,” he said, then changed the topic. “Do you have any clue where my utility belt is? It’s not where I usually keep it.”
Perhaps Wally was being stupid, clinging to the small shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, Dick liked him as something more than a friend. Maybe it was stupid of him not to take Dick’s offered out and forget what happened last night but, nonetheless, he wasn’t going to let this go.
“Yeah, I do, actually,” he said tersely. “It’s in your laundry basket. You threw it there while you were, you know, undressing in front of me. You actually made a pretty ‘weird’ comment, as you would put it.”
“Batman needs to talk to me,” Robin said and made to leave the room.
“Dick.” His voice cut through the silence and Robin pretended not to hear him, reaching for the door handle. “If that was you talking without a filter, like you said, then what was that speech you made about how I should have fallen for you by now? Or, as you put it, ‘wooed by your bold flirtatiousness?’” Dick froze and looked down.
“Wally…” he began softly as said redhead approached him.
Wally continued, “What about when you said I should ask you out on a date? Or your blush just a few minutes ago? What was that, Dick?”
He realized the words had likely come out more hostile than he’d intended and that he shouldn’t have raised his voice. He noticed Dick’s hands shaking and felt a pang in his chest.
“What was that?” he repeated, just above a whisper. His tone was no longer accusatory, though he cringed at the hope that managed to seep into his voice.
Finally, Dick turned to face him, eyes filled with regret.
“I think you know, Wally.”
The speedster’s eyes widened and, slowly, he leaned into Dick. He gave him the time to push him away or to tell him that he just didn’t feel the same way but, when nothing of the sort happened, he closed the gap between them.
At first, Robin didn’t react. He neither broke the kiss nor reciprocated. It was like he was frozen. Wally thought about pulling back when Dick started to return the kiss and wow.
His lips were softer than anything he could ever imagine. Soft like a snowfall, like biting into cotton candy, like melting and floating and being weightless all at once. So sweet, so effortlessly sweet. And warm, like a cup of hot chocolate during the winter.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds but when they broke apart, they were both gasping for air and their cheeks were colored a bright red.
“I love you. I have for years now,” Dick said softly. “At first, I didn’t want to fall in love with you. Not at all. But then you smiled at me, and, holy shit, I blew it.” Wally laughed, feeling lighter than he had in years.
“I love you too,” he answered and gazed deeply into Dick’s eyes. They were the colour of a clear blue sky through a broken prison wall; the colour of a perfect raindrop on a blue aster; the colour of a river hurrying to join the great ocean. Like they would cast a spell on him and he’d never be able to look away.
Dick’s smile was the sunshine and the birdsong. It was the tranquil silence of the night— both the cage and the ever-open door.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, eliciting a laugh from the younger boy. Wally’s heart swelled.
“How about a date?” he suggested. Robin looked at him with a lopsided smile.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Laser tag?” he offered, knowing full-well how terribly he’d lose to Dick, even with his powers.
“Sounds perfect,” came the reply. The smile Dick gave him was brilliant and full of love, which left a warm feeling inside Wally’s chest.
“I’m so going to kick your ass though.”
“Yeah, I know,” Wally said softly and leaned in to kiss him again.