Work Text:
“WALLY!”
This wasn’t the first time the team had been aroused from their sleep by the sound of someone screaming Wally’s name. In fact, it happened at least three times a week; or four if he was feeling restless. Sometimes he wouldn’t even have been staying overnight at the mountain. It was like he would just wake up in the middle of the night with the perfect idea for a prank and have to implement it right away.
Usually it was the most recent addition to their team that would fall victim. But something about the anger-filled shout struck differently this time.
Slowly the team’s heads began to poke out of their rooms, curious and confused.
First it was M’gann, hair in a rumpled mess and concern shining in her eyes. Then it was Kaldur who was typically in the middle of his morning exercises when these things happened. Conner followed after, looking quite annoyed that the wake-up call had come two hours earlier than was normal. And finally came Artemis, who seemed just as surprised as the others that she hadn’t been the one targeted.
That only left…
“Wally! I swear I'm going to kill you!”
Robin.
“What do you think he did?” M’gann asked, looking much more uncertain than before. Robin was probably one of the most patient members on the team when it came to dealing with the speedster; it took a lot to make him lose his temper. And most of the time he either ignored Wally’s antics or aided in them.
Before anyone could voice their opinions on the matter, a loud squawking noise filled the hallway and something streaked by them in a blur.
“Get back here, Coward!” Robin’s voice followed after it. “I chase down the worst scum Gotham has to offer every night! Don’t think I won’t catch you!”
It was then that he rounded the corner.
His whole body was tense and stiff as he stalked after his supposed best friend, hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He was surprisingly still in his pajamas, sweatpants and an extra large Batman t-shirt that came almost to his knees; the sunglasses were sitting a little crooked on his nose, as though they had been an afterthought made in haste. His mouth was twisted into a scowl so dark it rivaled anything they’d seen from the boy’s mentor. And his hair…
Robin’s hair had been dyed a brilliantly stunning orange.
The team watched in wide-eyed silence as he marched by, not sparing them a glance, and disappeared into the common room.
“Guess we know what he did now,” Conner pointed out rather obviously.
Artemis clicked her tongue, hands on her hips and a pleased tilt to her mouth, “I’d hate to be in Kid Idiot’s shoes with a vengeful Bat on the warpath.” Her words were punctuated with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the mountain.
Kaldur released a weary breath, “I suppose we should go make certain they do not destroy anything important.”
“Or at least that they don’t hurt each other,” M’gann murmured anxiously.
Artemis looked practically giddy as she hurried down the hall, tying her hair up as she went, “Oh Wally will definitely be hurt before this is over. He might get away with some of the stunts he pulls on me; but you can be sure that Robin isn’t going to let him off so easily.”
Artemis was at the front of the pack when they found their missing teammates, the others more wary of what they would find.
Robin had cornered Wally in the kitchen where two of the counters met. His stance was deadly serious and he was clutching a batarang in each hand, leaving the team to wonder where he had gotten them from; he looked about a second away from jumping the older teen.
Wally had the look of a cornered animal, eyes darting, jittering nervously. He was practically cowering as he held his hands out in a placating manner. “Easy, Rob,” he stuttered shakily, “It was… just a joke.”
Though Robin’s eyes couldn’t be seen, it was obvious that they had narrowed dangerously. “You have thirty seconds, Wallace,” he hissed through his teeth, “to explain to me why you thought it would be a good idea to dye my hair so that it would look as ridiculous as yours.”
Wally audibly gulped and tugged at his sleeves. “Well,” he shrugged sheepishly, “It’s kind of St. Patrick’s Day, and I thought… well you’re kind of, um… sho- well, not short exactly… you’re just… not tall?”
Robin just raised an eyebrow, “Twelve seconds left.”
“I just thought you’d make a better leprechaun than Artemis!” Wally blurted. Immediately his hand shot up to cover his mouth, regret over his words written clearly in the widening of his eyes.
Artemis snorted and turned her face into her elbow to muffle the laughter that surely would have ruined the moment. M’gann, Conner, and Kaldur seemed a bit uncertain about how to react; not aware of what a leprechaun was or why it should be seen as an insult.
Robin didn’t move or say anything, letting the silence stretch out for a long uncomfortable moment. Then his shoulders eased into an almost relaxed position; he lifted his shirt to reveal his utility belt strapped to his waist as he replaced his batarangs and removed something from one of the many pockets.
Wally paled and looked faint, wondering what his friend would do next.
But in his hand Robin held a simple green rubber band, which he pulled onto his wrist with a snap. He calmly cracked his knuckles and considered the fearful speedster.
“Alright, Wally,” his tone was strangely cheerful, “If that’s how you want to play it…” The boy somersaulted forward and back so fast that the team hardly had the time to register the movement; popping up in front of Wally in one second and then reappearing in the same spot as before.
He smirked mischievously as he flipped something the size of a coin into the air with his thumb. Catching it between two fingers, Robin revealed a small green button that had previously been pinned to Wally’s shirt.
“No green on St. Patrick’s Day, Wally?” he teased, his smirk becoming a sly smile. He tossed the pin to Artemis without looking and tilted his head to the side. “Now that’s just asking to be pinched.”