It Always Works

Wally was sleeping calmly in front of him. Wally's warm back against his chest. His arm around him. Wally's buttock against his... No! Think of a stone brick! A cold stone wall! Vomit!

With his arm around Wally, he felt the steady rhythm of his breathing. His chest was calmly rising and falling. Dick was glad that Wally was sleeping peacefully. He had been really worried last night when he heard Wally screaming. It had felt like his worst nightmare was coming true. He had run to Wally's room and had tried to calm him down at first but quickly realized that there was no option but to wake him up. So he did what he had to do, which only succeeded after a few tries. Wally was really deep in his dream and tears were running over cheeks, even while asleep. He started fighting Dick when he touched Wally to wake him up. It was then that his wound had been ripped open, but he hadn't realized it until Wally had pointed it out to him minutes later.

Dick had immediately known it wasn't a normal nightmare. No, it was far more serious than that. Only traumatized people had such bad dreams and reacted so heavily to them. He had promised himself that he would try talking to Wally about it today, which he was planning on doing. But Wally would probably need all the rest he could get, so it would be better if he left him alone for now.

He tried slowly pulling his arm back. But he had only moved a few inches when Wally grabbed his arm and pulled it back. "Don't", Wally mumbled. Dick lay his arm back and pulled Wally a bit closer again. He closed his eyes, concentrated on Wally's steady breathing and, for the first time in years, fell back asleep after 5 am.

Something was wrong. Dick felt it. He had only awakened seconds ago. His eyes were still closed but his mind was racing. He tried getting an impression of the room with all his other senses. There was no particular smell in the room apart from the dirty clothing on the floor. He concentrated on his hearing.

There was nothing to be heard, nothing but the sound of Wally's and his breathing. Another trick he had learned from his Bat-training. If you wake up to a suspicious situation, never change your breathing or they'll know you're awake. This was only one of the many mantras he had learned by heart.

He kept listening, but still, there was no suspicious sound to be heard. If you hear nothing, act like you're moving in your sleep. Most attackers will react and reveal themselves in one way or another.

So he did what he had been taught. He pulled away from Wally, whom he was still spooning with, in a flash of sadness and rolled on his other side mumbling in the process.

Still nothing. No sound, no change. He had probably just made it all up in his head.

When you decide to open your eyes eventually, do it swiftly and without any warning. Act immediately. This will make your situation slightly less disadvantaged. Dick jumped up unannounced and took a fighting position in. He carefully scanned the room with his eyes. There was nothing suspicious. He looked around a second time... a third time...

Wally awoke sleepy. "Dick, what are you doing?" "Sshh, Wally. I'll explain later." Wally may be talkative, but he knew to shut up when Dick was serious. Dick was putting all his senses in the battle to find out what was wrong, but he found nothing. He was about to give up, accepting that he had only dreamed it when a voice spoke from a dark corner of the room.

"At least you follow some of my teachings", the voice said. A silhouette stepped forward and Dick relaxed. "You scared me, Bruce." Wally's eyes widened in fear. The Batman had watched him spooning with his half-naked ward. Oh, God... He's done for.

"I see your wound has been ripped open again." "An accident," Dick explained, "Wally was having a nightmare." "I assume that's also why you slept in his bed?" Dick nodded. "And why exactly did you have to sleep shirtless?" Dick looked away and kept silent. "Because I was cold!" Wally jumped in the conversation. Bruce pulled his eyebrows up. "You were cold?", he asked, "with a metabolism five times the speed of a normal human?" "Oh Bruce, please. Even we two have slept in one bed for a long time", Dick reacted. Bruce looked at Dick with cold eyes. "Batcave, five minutes", he said and walked away through the door.

"Are you in trouble?" Wally asked worriedly. Dick walked up to Wally and put a hand on Wally's shoulder. "Nothing I can't handle. He'll just give me one hell of a lecture, but I know what I did was right and I wouldn't change it for the world." Dick leaned in and kissed Wally full on the lips.

"Please don't go", Wally begged. "I have to, but I'll come back the minute he lets me go." Dick pulled back. He put on his Robin suit and turned to the door. Right before he closed it he whispered: "I love you."

"I love you too", Wally said to the now empty room.

Robin ran through the hallway, trying to get to the zeta tubes as fast as possible. When he ran through the kitchen his nose picked up something and he came to a sudden stop. He sniffed and turned to the stove. "This can't be true", he whispered.

M'gann turned around from behind the stove. "Robin, you're awake! Want some scrambled eggs and bacon?" Robin's mouth started watering at only the delicious smells, but duty called. "I would kill for a plate, but I'm on my way out. Bat-business." "Just grab a few fast bites. It won't take a minute and there's more than enough, I made more than even Wally and Barry could eat together", she giggled. Robin succumbed to the heavenly flavors coming from the spattering pan. "I'd love to see that theory tested", he smiled.

Rudolph wandered further in the hall. He assumed that the room he was looking for would be next to Dick's and he was right. He opened the door and found there the lightly snoring Wally West. Rudolph grinned, time to learn him another lesson. He took Wally's shoulder and shook lightly. "Wake up".

Wally opened sleepy opened his eyes. "Wha.... Dad?"

Rudolph smiled mean. "Hey, kiddo". He lifted his arm up and forcefully landed his fist on Wally's face.

Dick awoke sleepy. A noice had disturbed his peaceful sleep. He just didn't know what it was. There it was again. Doff... doff.... doff. He sat up in his bed and tried to localize the sound. It seemed muted. He listened carefully and realized the sound came from Wally's room. What is he doing? Dick decided to go check on him. Maybe he was just having a wild sleep, but he could do no wrong with checking up on him. He stood up and went to Wally's room. He silently opened the door, in case Wally was still sleeping. He looked inside. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!", Dick screamed.

His whole body filled with anger in a split second and he stormed to Rudolph without a second thought. Rudolph turned himself around.

"Wha-?"

Dick jumped Rudolph and pinned him to the ground with his own body.

"YOU WILL NOT HURT HIM EVER AGAIN!"

Dick fought with all his might and punched Rudolph wherever he could.

"Dick.... please stop", Wally brought out weakly. Dick stopped and looked at Wally. Before he could say anything Rudolph took the opening to puch Dick from him and take a knife from under his clothing. He stabbed Dick right in the heart before he or Wally could react. "DIIIIIIIIIICCCCKKKK!!!", Wally screamed. "That's what you deserve, you heartless cunt", Rudolph said cold. He pulled out the knife and Dick's body dropped to the flour, lifeless.

Dick is dead and it's all my fault, was all Wally could think of. If he hadn't come to the mountain Dick would still be alive... Why did he always ruin everything? Tears rolled over Wally's cheeks. His whole body felt broken. He fell from the bed, trying to get to Dick. When he reached him he rolled him on his back and tried to feel a pulse. There was no pulse to be found.

"Don't do this to me, Dick," Wally whispered, "please come back..." He was almost begging, begging for him to come back, to heal. "No, please...." Wally put his head on Dick's chest. A waterfall of tears rolled from his eyes and mixed with the blood flowing from the gaping hole in Dick's chest. Puddle of blood around the body grew larger and larger. It was not long before Wally was covered in blood.

Wally!

Wally!

Wally!

The voice seemed to get louder and louder.

Wally!

Wally!

Everything around him started to shake.

Wally! Wake up!

His eyes shot open. His breath was uncontrollable fast. He noticed a familiar face looking worried. "Dick...", Wally said, "you're alive..." "Of course I am! You were having a nightmere. I heard you screaming. What happened?" Wally couldn't answer, he started sniffing uncontrollably, tears flowing from his eyes. "Oh, Wally...." Dick pulled him in for a hug. Wally put his head on Dick's chest and the warmth started to calm Wally down.

"You died", Wally whispered suddenly. "He killed you while you were protecting me." "Who did, Wally?" "Dad... I can't lose you, Dick. I just can't." The sniffing turned to a full out crying. "Sshh, Wally, it's okay. I'll never leave you, I promise." A small smile broke through Wally's tears. Dick always knew how to comfort him.

"Will you stay with me?", Wally asked, "I don't want to be alone again." "Of course I'll stay." Dick laid himself next to Wally. Only then he noticed that Dick was only wearing his pyjama shorts. His chest was beautiful, but... oh God, Wally thought, his wound given by Ra's was bleeding again... it seemed to be ripped open...

"Dick, your wound..." Dick looked down to his own chest. The crust was gone and a stream of blood dripped out. "It's okay, Wally. It was ripped open while I was trying to calm you down. I'll put a new bandage on it." "I did this? Dick... I'm so sorry..." "Don't worry. You couldn't do anything about it. And I've had worse, you know", Dick said with a smile.

Dick went quickly to the bathroom and came back with a clean bandage. He laid himself next to Wally and pulled his head on his chest.

Wally felt Dick's arm wrapping around him amd snuggled a bit deeper in his chest. The comforting warmth radiating of Dick was all Wally needed to calm down.

"Hi, Dick," she said, "I hope your friend didn't give you too much trouble for yesterday?"

"Barbara, I am sorry, but my friend made me realize kissing you was a mistake."

Barbara stood there perplex, on the edge of crying. Dick put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm truly sorry, but I just don't think we're made for each other."

"I... I understand", she responded sniffing. Barbara turned around and walked away. Dick felt bad hurting her so much, but he had had no choice.

He went further to the school gate, where Alfred was waiting on him. He stepped in the car. "You know, Alfred, picking me up every day with the Rolls Royce can be a bit too much."

"That may be, but master Bruce asked me to keep your cover as rich ward up at all costs."

Dick sighed. He would never win this discussion.

"Do you have my suit with you?" Bruce had forbidden that Dick took his suit with him to school in case someone looked in his backpack.

"Of course, master Dick, it's in the usual place."

Dick opened the secret compartment next to him. There he found his suit and his two main weapons, his two escrima sticks. Or his two sticks of doom as Wally would call them. He smiled at the thought of Wally.

"Can you take me to the nearest Zeta Tube, Alfred?"

"As you wish."

Alfred put the car in motion and Dick changed into his Robin suit. He was taking his utility belt out of his backpack -Bruce had ordered him to keep this with him at all times- when Alfred stopped next to an old telephone cell in an abandoned street. "We have arrived", Alfred announced.

"Thanks, Alfred."

He put on his belt, looked if no one was watching and snuck into the telephone cell.

Recognized, Robin B-01

And with a flash of green light, he was gone.

"Hey, Robin!"

"Hi, M'gann", Robin answered when he walked in the kitchen.

"Everything all right?", she asked him.

"Couldn't be better!"

M'gann laughed, it was a warm and nice laugh.

"I'm glad to hear that. How's your wound?"

"Almost completely healed, but I'll have another scar."

She gave him a warm smile as an answer and turned back to her cooking.

"What are you making?", Dick asked curiously.

"Macaroni and an apple pie for dessert. But speaking of food, have you heard from Wally?"

She had Dick's complete attention with these words. "No, nothing. Is something wrong?", he answered worried.

"Well, not immediately, but Wally always comes directly after school to the mountain. His school is already an hour out and he's still not here."

"Have you tried texting him?"

"Yeah, but no response. Which is weird, he always answers my text immediately."

"He's probably with the Flash", Dick answered calmly. He may seemed calm on the outside but filled with worries on the inside. Wally always texted before leaving with the Flash. Maybe his phone died. Yeah, that's probably it, Dick convinced himself. But still, he sent Wally a text.

An hour went by with no sign of Wally and Dick began to worry more and more. He couldn't hold himself anymore and sent a message to Barry, asking if Wally was with him. He got a response immediately:

No, today he's with the team. Check if he's at the mountain.

Now Dick was almost completely freaking out. His love had gone missing. He knew what he was about to do was a violation of Wally's privacy, but desperate times call for desperate needs. He hacked Wally's phone from a distance since it was connected to the Justice League mainframe and localized it through GPS. His phone was apparently in his room. He ran to the Zeta tubes and beamed to Central City.

He arrived at Wally's house not much later. It looked like no one was home. His parents were probably still working, it was only 5 pm. He was in his Robin outfit so he couldn't just walk to the front door in case anyone saw him. He snuck to the back and climbed to Wally's window. Luckily, the window was open and he could enter the room easily.

"Wally? Are you here?"

No answer. The room was completely silent. He searched for Wally's phone, but it was nowhere to be seen. Still, the GPS showed it had to be here somewhere. The simplest way to find a phone was to call it. It was a trick as old as time, but it was worth a shot.

It worked. His cell phone started ringing. He followed the sound and ended up in front of the closet. Why was his phone in the closet? He opened the closet only to find nothing, no phone, no sign of Wally. Still, the sound was coming from somewhere here. It seemed like the sound was coming from behind the closed. He tried to move it but to no avail. The closet was immovable. Then it occurred to Robin that Wally had no ring like Barry to keep his suit in. He had probably a secret compartment in his closet for his suit. He searched the closet for a button or something alike to open the compartment. He found one and pushed it.

The backside of the closet shove away and the secret compartment opened up. It was quite large, about 2.5 yards deep. The Kid Flash suit was hanging on the back wall and a crying Wally was sitting on the floor with his arms around his legs. A wave of sadness and compassion crashed on Dick when he saw this scene in front of him. "Oh, Wally, what's wrong?" he said while he sat himself down next to him and pulled him in for a hug. But Wally pushed him away. "It's better that you leave me alone", he said through his tears.

"I will never leave you, Wally", Dick said lovingly, "no matter what!".

He put a hand on Wally's knee.

"It's okay, you can tell me what's wrong."

"It's better that you go away."

"Wally," Dick now said very worriedly, " tell me what has hurt you so much."

Dick read pure panic in Wally's eyes after these words. It broke his heart to see Wally like this. He wished he could take the pain from him.

"He'll hurt you too," Wally said panicking, "you have to go!"

"Wally, who has hurt you?"

"You must go!"

"Wally, calm down. I need to know what is going on."

Wally did no such thing, he only started panicking more.

"He cannot hurt you, please, just leave". Wally almost begged now.

"I won't leave without you, Wally! I love you too much for that."

Wally looked at him with panic and helplessness. A moment later he was gone; he had sped away. Dick was filled with worry. Wally had never been this broken. Something really bad has happened and Dick had no idea what.

His com sounded. "Miss Martian to Robin. come in, please."

"Miss Martian, I read you."

"Wally has come to the mountain speeding and locked himself up in his room. Is everything alright?"

"I'll be there in five", he answered, intentionally ignoring the question.

And indeed, five minutes later he arrived at the mountain. He walked straight to Wally's room. Miss Martian was standing in front of the door. "Wally? Are you in there?", she asked. No answer.

"Are you sure he's in there?"

"Yes, I feel his presence."

"Maybe it's better if you let me try, we've been friends for a long time."

"Yes, that's a good idea!"

Robin didn't want to send M'gann away, but he knew Wally wouldn't open up if she was there.

He knocked on the door. "Wally?"

"Leave me alone!"

"Can I come in?"

No answer, well, ignoring is agreeing Dick said to himself and he opened the door. There he saw Wally curled up on his bed. He went sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Wally, please talk to me."

Wally didn't even look him in the eyes. He kept his gaze down. Dick was sick with worries and seeing Wally like this hurt him more than any wound he had ever had.

"Wally, please...". Dick was almost begging at this moment. He put his hand on Wally's and a tear rolled over his cheek when Wally pulled his hand away. The tear fell from his cheek and made a soft plop sound when it hit the bed sheets. Wally looked up and saw what was happening.

"No, please don't cry. I don't want to hurt you anymore." Wally was close to panicking.

"Wally, I care so much about you, but please, tell me what's wrong. It hurts me to see you this way."

"Th-that's wh-why it's better that you leave me", Wally sniffed.

"Wally, I would never leave you! You're my everything, you're the one I love!"

"That's just the pink kryptonite speaking."

"WALLY!". Dick was shocked. Why would he think that? He took Wally's head between his hands and kissed him passionately on the lips.

"Did that seem fake to you?", Dick asked when he let go. The kiss didn't have the effect he hoped for, Wally just curled back up.

"It's still better that you leave."

"Why, Wally, why?". Dick was desperate now.

"Because I don't deserve you. I mean nothing."

"You mean everything to me! Hell, I would even give up being Robin for you."

"You... you really mean that?

"Of course I do. I love you with every cell in my body."

A faint smile appeared on Wally's face.

"I just don't want to hurt you, Dick. Even if it means giving up."

"The only way you could hurt me is by giving up."

"And what if everybody goes away because you're with me? I don't want you to lose the team, I don't want you to lose anyone because of me!"

"Why would I lose anyone because of you?"

"Well, because you're in love with me, a boy."

"Look, many people accept gays and some don't. If they can't accept me for who I am, why should I be worried about losing them?"

"Even if they are your parents?"

Dick's eyes widened when he realized what had happened.

"Oh, God. What did they do?", he said while pulling Wally in for a hug. Wally started crying and Dick hugged him tighter. "It's alright. Everything is going to be okay." Dick calmed him.

Wally cried for another ten minutes before he finally calmed down enough to talk.

"Wally, I have to know what happened."

Sniffing, Wally agreed. He explained him everything. He told him about the coming out, the beating, the reaction of his mother and his thoughts. He told him that when he woke up he didn't dare to go downstairs in fear of his parents. He had hidden himself in the secret compartment so that no one would find him.

"You poor boy", Dick said when Wally was done talking.

"And I have no idea what to do now", Wally said.

"Well, I think it's for the best that I tell Batman everything. He'll probably tell Barry."

Dick saw a glimpse of fear in Wally's eyes after these words.

"Don't worry. You know Barry is a hell of a good guy. He'll love you no matter what."

These words seemed to comfort Wally a bit, but still, he pulled Dick in for another hug. Dick happily answered the hug.

After five minutes of a comforting hug, Dick finally broke the peaceful silence.

"I have to contact Batman now."

"You do that, but I'm not letting you go", Wally replied while he tightened his grip on Dick.

Dick grinned and opened a communication line with Batman.

"Robin to Batman, come in."

Almost directly a faint answer came through, but Wally couldn't make out what was said.

"There's a situation.... with Wally", Dick said.

"..."

"No there's no problem between us. It's worse:..."

Dick explained the whole situation to Batman. Wally could barely hold himself together. Hearing the story felt like reliving every moment. But I have to be strong, he told himself. I have to be strong for Dick.

Dick and Batman kept discussing things for a while and Wally stopped listening. He didn't want to hear it all again and he knew Dick would tell him the things he needed to know afterwards. Wally just put his head on Dick's chest and listened to the calming beat of his heart. Every time he felt Dick's chest rumbling when he talked he snuggled a bit deeper.

Wally was in a half-awake slumber when Dick ended his call with Batman.

"Hey, Wally, are you awake?"

"Yeah"

"Okay, so Batman has a proposal for what you can do, but you have to agree. We want the best for you, so if you want something else, you just tell us, okay?"

Wally agreed and Dick explained that he could stay here in his room at the mountain for as long as he wanted. Dick would stay here too for a few days in his room to comfort him when he needed it, but after those days he would go back to the Wayne mansion.

"Are you okay with this Wally?", Dick asked.

"Can I ask just one thing?"

"Of course!"

"Just don't tell the team, don't tell them anything about what just happened."

"Of course, it's your decision to tell them"

"What will happen to my parent? Shall I never see them again?", Wally asked with tears in his eyes.

"Just give them some time, I'm sure they'll turn around."

"Do you really think that?"

"I do"

It hurt Dick to see Wally so weak. On the other side, it felt right to be at his side at this moment. He knew Wally had been by his side when he was wounded. And it was Wally who helped him through. What they had was real love and no one could come between them. Dick was certain.

"Wally, it's already 10 pm, maybe we should go to bed. It has been a tough day and tomorrow will be better."

Wally agreed and leaned in for a good night-kiss. Dick gladly answered.

"Sleep well, Wally. Remember that I'll always love you."

"I love you too."

A wave of warmth flowed through Wally's body. His heart began pumping faster, his breathing accelerated and the adrenaline began to rush. Dick had crushed on him for years! Just like he had on Dick! This was too good to be true, but still, it was. Wally felt like he could take on the world at this moment.

An elevator came down, entering the Batcave. Dick came out panicking. "Bruce, Wally saw me kissing with Barbara. What should I..."

It was at this moment that Dick saw Wally standing. Dick looked confused about why he was here for a second, after that he just looked ashamed, realizing what he had just said.

"Euhm, hi Wally..." was all that Dick could say before he was cut off again. This time by Wally kissing him firmly on his lips. Dick was for a moment confused, why was Wally kissing him? He wasn't gay.

Dick was about to pull back from this unexpected kiss when his love for Wally burst out again, it was like a mighty stream, pushing all other feelings aside and making him remember his love again.

All of this hadn't taken a second to happen, but now that Dick remembered his true love again, he started kissing Wally back passionately.

The kiss was wonderful. The world could have been destroyed and both Dick and Wally wouldn't have cared; there was only this moment, there was only each other.

Batman coughed. Wally broke the kiss, missing Dick's lips from the moment they parted. Wally noticed Batman turned around and was watching him and Dick with his arms crossed. "Very careful indeed, Wally", Batman said. "I'm sorry", Wally reacted, not sure if Batman was serious or not.

Batman turned back to his desk, making sure that both Wally and Dick didn't see his smile.

Dick hugged Wally. "I love you", Dick whispered. A feeling of euphoria came over Wally. "I love you too" "Now," Dick said, "let's have our rendezvous" "With pleasure!"

Wally and Dick went up to Dick's room in the huge mansion. The room was in proportion with the mansion, it was enormous. There was a king-sized bed, a game tv with all the controllers you could wish for and a large sofa covered the left wall. On the right there was a door, leading to the bathroom, probably with all the stuff you could think of.

The moment the door closed, Dick almost jumped on Wally. He put his arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Dick was in complete control of the kiss and led Wally to the sofa. They fell and kept kissing passionately.

They kissed for a long time before they simultaneously stopped. "Let's watch some tv together", Dick said. Wally agreed and they watched a movie while they laid on the sofa, Wally's arm around Dick. They fell asleep in each other's arms not much later.

Wally woke up and wanted to stretch himself, but he felt a weight on his chest. He looked down and saw Dick's head resting on his chest, still sleeping. Wally smiled and happily remembered what had happened before. He was completely happy for the first time in his life. He couldn't possibly have known it wouldn't last long.

Dick had woken up by this time. "What will we do tomorrow?", Dick asked sleepily. "What do you mean?" "Tomorrow, at the mountain, will we tell them or not?" "I don't know," Wally answered, "I see no reason not to tell them." "You're right, but we'll do it together, no?"

Wally was surprised Dick was insecure about their coming out. He always looked so strong and confident. It warmed his heart that Dick had his insecurities too. "Of course we'll do it together", Wally answered lovingly.

"Wally, Dick, can you come down for a moment please?", Bruce asked through the door. Wally looked questionably at Dick, he had no idea what this could be about. He just hoped it wouldn't be something bad. Dick, on the other hand, had a suspicion what this would be about and he was relaxed. He saw that Wally was a bit stressy. "Relax," he said calmingly, "it's just Bruce."

Yeah, Wally thought, just Bruce. Not only is Bruce Wayne the alter ego of the most frightening superhero, but he's also the father of his lover. Yeah, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

When they came downstairs Bruce was sitting at his desk in the study. Dick and Wally went sitting in front of him. Wally searched Dick's hand under the desk, still nervous about what was to come. A small smile came across Dick's lips when he felt Wally's hand searching for his. He answered Wally's search and held his hand comfortingly.

Bruce had started talking by this time. "I understand and respect that you two will want to be together a lot, but you mustn't forget that you two are both superheroes and the life of a superhero is never simple. That's why you must promise to put your responsibilities first. Not only are you both superheroes, but you are also part of a team. A relationship in a team can cause some tension between members. I am confident you can handle this professionally and work evenly good with every member." "We understand," Wally answered, "we've decided to come out to the team tomorrow." "If you come out or not is your choice, just don't destroy the team spirit."

Wally and Dick both agreed. They stood up and were about to go back upstairs when Bruce said one last thing. "Wally, it's 10 pm, maybe it's for the best if you go back home. You can come back tomorrow, but Dick and I are going on patrol."

Wally agreed and left the study with Dick. They walked to the front door where they shared one last passionate kiss. "Take care on patrol, my love" "I will. I'll see you tomorrow at the mountain?" "You can count on it!"

They hugged again and Wally didn't want to leave Dick, but he had to. I'll see him tomorrow, he said to himself.

"I love you", he whispered in Dick's ear. "I love you too"

They let go of each other after these words and Wally left after one last look in his lover's eyes.

Wally ran back home. He was happy, truly happy for the first time in his life. His true love loved him back, he was a freaking superhero, he had the best friends anyone could wish for and a loving family. What could possibly go wrong?

He missed Dick, that was the only negative point at this moment, but he knew he would see him tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that...

At home were two loving parents waiting... Shit Should he tell them? Should he tell them he was gay? Should he tell them Robin and he were together?

He thought about it for a moment, but realized then there was no reason not to. His parents would love him no matter what. Yes, he would tell them the moment he came home.

Now that this decision was out of the way, there was nothing to worry about and not long after he arrived at his home in Central City.

He opened the front door and walked inside. He went straight to the living room, where his parents were sitting on the couch, watching a movie.

"Hey, Wallman," his father said, "how was it with Dick?" "We had lots of fun," Wally answered, "but I have to tell you guys something." "What's wrong, honey?" his mother asked concerned.

Wally waited a second before answering, getting rid of the last doubts. The certainty he had before about his parents had now made place for nervousness, his parents love him, they shall accept him no matter what, no?

"Dick and I are together." "You are gay?!" His father nearly shouted. His face had changed from a loving one to one filled with anger and hatred. "My son can't be gay. My son is how he's supposed to be, not a God-defying creature from hell."

"But..." Wally said on the edge of crying. "No, shut up!" His father stood up. "You have said enough."

What happened then was something Wally would never have expected. His father punched him. Hard. In the face. Wally grabbed his nose in a shout of pain. His hands were covered in blood in a matter of seconds. "Father, please", he begged. "Don't call me that!"

Another punch, now right in his stomach. Wally fell to the ground. All the air was pushed out of his lungs and breathing was difficult. He curled up in a ball, trying to protect as much of his body as he could. He felt so weak, so powerless.

"Do you think I'll take pity on you when you're lying down like that?" His father started kicking him. No place on his body was spared. Why doesn't my mother do anything, he thought to himself. Has she too turned against me?

The kicking went on for what looked like an eternity. "He's had enough", his mother said. His father sniffed in disgust, but stopped. Everything hurt, every muscle, every bone, every damn place hurt. He tried to get back up, but he slipped in his own blood and fell down to the ground. He tried again and almost fell again, but his mother came to support him. She guided him to his room and laid him down on his bed. His mother walked back to the door. She opened the door and turned her head back to him. "You're no longer a son of mine", she said while closing the door.

After all the beating was this the hardest hit he had to endure. He was no longer a part of the family. His nose had stopped bleeding thanks to his fast metabolism and healing factor. His wounds would be healed by the morning, the physical at least. The mental he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

He started sniffing. He was so weak, he didn't deserve Dick, he didn't deserve his friends, he didn't deserve his family. He was a worthless piece of crap. He was a luggage for his uncle Barry. He too would hate him now. His friends would leave him. The sniffing changed into a silent cry. He made everyone around him unhappy. Dick would be better off without him. He had been selfish by kissing him. Dick would never choose Wally out of himself. The pink kryptonite was probably still working and he had taken advantage of it, betraying their friendship. They were all better off without him.

Now only Wally was left. He considered taking the Zeta-Tube to Central, but he decided to run. He put on his frictionless suit, he wouldn't want to arrive naked with only remnants of burned clothes, would he? And he ran to Central City. It was only less than a minute running, but a minute can be almost an eternity for a speedster. When he arrived, he changed into his normal clothes and went to school.

He entered the school building and was glad when he immediately saw his clique standing in front of their lockers. Sophie, Tessa, Allison, Clarissa and Alexandra, they were all there. He was the only male in his clique, but he didn't mind. He had a few male friends, but they were more acquaintances because he wasn't really close to them. He wasn't super close with his clique either, they knew nothing of him being Kid Flash and certainly nothing about him being gay. Nobody knew he was gay actually, He was just another piece of clothing in the closet.

Now, his clique was always teasing Wally that he could be gay. They weren't serious, but the fact that they were right, gave Wally a weird feeling. He didn't quite like it. But friends tease each other, that's how it goes, so he always let it slide. It's not that they had real suspicions.

The group welcomed him and they did some small talk. When the bell announced the first class, they went on their way to their classes. He had geography as first class. His teacher really made the question arise how slow a teacher could go. But for once he didn't mind. He only had Dick on his mind. And so first period passed, boring as ever.

Then came math. Mathematics was always nice. He had a great teacher, but again he couldn't concentrate because of Dick. Then came history with the political situation in the Netherlands in 1500, and then P.E. The teacher organized a running competition. He was so distracted he ended up last.

School was finally out after three more periods. He quickly said bye to his friends and went on his way to Gotham Academy. He ran as fast as he could. He really wanted to be with Dick, he had waited for so long and he was worried sick that something had happened. He arrived at the school and waited for Dick at the gate, where he always waited for him.

Dick still hadn't arrived after almost 20 minutes. This worried Wally, he was never this late. Almost every student had left the school by now and Dick was always one of the first to leave. If Batman had taken him away for hero business, he would have sent a message. Wally began to worry.

He decided to go look for Dick, maybe he had lost something and needed help looking. Wally knew he was lying to himself, the Boy Wonder never lost something and always knew where his stuff was.

He entered the hallway. It was empty. He walked through the hall and took the stairs to the second floor. Another empty hallway. He was about to go to the third floor when he heard a sound. He didn't recognize what it was but followed it. It brought him in front of a classroom door.

He opened the door and what he saw, broke his heart. His love, Dick Grayson, was kissing with a red haired girl. He recognized her from the papers, it was Barbara Gordon. Wally heard his heart break. He couldn't move. His whole world crumbled before his eyes. His love, his soulmate was kissing a girl in front of his eyes. Dick looked up and was clearly surprised seeing Wally.

"Wally...", he said.

It was only then Wally felt the tears flowing over his cheeks. His eyes were waterfalls and his body was frozen. His soul was crushed by what he saw. He didn't want to let Dick see him like this. He covered his face with his hands and ran. He didn't care that the Gordon girl saw his super speed. He just wanted to get away from Dick as fast as he possibly could. But instead of running to the other side of the world, he found himself in the Batcave a second later.

Batman was sitting in front of his computer when Wally arrived.

"Wally?" he said surprised. Tears were still flowing over the young speedster's cheeks and his head hung down defeated.

"The pink kryptonite isn't working," Wally said through his tears," his sexual orientation hasn't changed. I saw him kissing with Barbara Gordon."

When he finally arrived at the mountain after what felt like an eternity, he sped to Black Canary, certain that she could help him. 'Wally,’ she said with a confused look,’ what are…’ 'Robin got stabbed by Ra’s al Ghul and he needs help!’ 'Put him down on his bed, I’ll come right after’, she said without hesitation. Wally ran to Robin’s room and laid him down on his back. 'Wally,’ Robin said weakly, 'I have to tell you something.’ 'Not now,’ Wally answered softly,’ you’ll need all your strength to get through this.’

Black Canary arrived before Robin could respond. With her she carried the First Aid-kit and other medical tools to free Robin from the knife. She opened the kit and gave him some painkillers. 'This next part is going to hurt’, she said. Robin nodded that he understood. She pulled out the knife and cleaned the wound swiftly. Robin kept still, but Wally saw on his face that he was in pain, in a lot of pain. He wished he could take over the pain, or at least soften it. He took Robin’s hand in his, holding it tightly to let him know that he was there. He was going to help him through. Wally was glad when he noticed that Robin was squeezing his hand in return.

'Help me hold him upright, so that I can put the bandage on’, ordered Black Canary. Wally let go of Dick’s hand with pain in his heart. But he held Dick upright, maybe a bit more in a hugging position than was necessary, but Black Canary said nothing about it so he kept holding him like that. 'It is done,’ she said,’ you can put him down.’ Wally put him down gently. 'Good,’ spoke a low voice behind him,’ now all he needs is rest.’ Wally turned around in shock. Behind him stood Batman. It didn’t surprise Wally that the best detective in the world knew when his protégé was hurt.

By this time Dick was unconscious, both from the pain and the medicine. 'I’ll need a blood sample’, Batman simply stated. He walked to Robin without waiting for an answer. He took a syringe from his utility belt and took a sample from Robin’s arm. He put it back in his belt and walked away without saying a word. Wally sat down, not knowing what to do. 'He’ll need his rest now’, Black Canary said. She took the First Aid-kit and left, but not before saying that he should call her when the bandage needed to be replaced.

The team entered the room only minutes after Black Canary had left. 'How is he?’ Miss Martian asked. 'He’ll make it’, Wally answered without lifting his gaze up from Dick. 'That’s a relief’, Artemis said and the rest of the team agreed. 'Did you handle Ra’s and his assassins?’ Wally asked with an angry tone. Oh, how he hated him at this moment. Wally’d kill him the next time he saw Ra’s’ ugly face. 'After you had left, they retreated fairly quickly. But we were unable to capture any of them. They are very skilled’, Aqualad reported. 'But we’ll get him next time!’ Superboy added because he could sense Wally’s anger. He respected that Wally was so loyal to his best friend. 'We’ll let him rest now’, Miss Martian said. The whole team left except for Wally, he kept sitting where he was.

'Aren’t you coming?’ Superboy asked. 'I want to be here when he wakes up. I don’t want him to wake up alone.’ And again Superboy thought this was proof of his friendship. 'Oh, okay.’ Superboy left the room. Wally took Dick’s hand back into his the moment the door closed. He wanted to let him know we was there, he was there for him.

~~~

Hours passed and Wally just watched Dick sleep, holding his hand. He watched him breathe, his chest slowly rising and falling, rising and falling. M'gann had brought him a cup of tea and some food an hour ago. She asked if he wanted to change to his normal clothes, proposing that she would stay to Robin’s side for as long as he was gone. But he had refused, feeling that leaving was betraying Dick in one way or another. So he drank his tea and took some bites from his food. At one moment Dick had woken up, just whispering: 'Thank you, my friend’ and falling back to sleep. This had put a smile on Wally’s face. He was glad that Dick knew he was there for him.

~~~

'Wally, wake up’, M'gann said softly. Wally opened his eyes slowly, hoping that it had all been a bad dream, but he saw his wounded friend sleeping right in front of him, proving that it was all true. But he was glad to notice that he was still holding Dick’s hand. 'How long did I sleep?’ Wally asked. 'I don’t know exactly but I’ve brought your tea and food only an hour and a half ago.’ He was relieved that he had only slept for half an hour. 'Thanks, M'gann. I’ll stay awake now, you can go.’ 'Wally, it’s 5 am, you need to rest’, she answered compassionately. 'But Robin…’ 'It’s no good for Robin when he wakes up and you’re so tired that you can barely stand. He’ll need your support when he wakes up, but you won’t be able to provide any if you keep doing this to yourself! Take a shower, go to bed and catch a few hours of sleep.’ Wally knew she was right and no matter how much he disliked the idea of leaving Dick’s side, he disliked the idea of not being able to help him when he needed him even more. He let go of Dick’s hand and stood up. 'I’ll wake you when he wakes up’, the martian promised. Wally thanked her and left the room, but not before looking at the sleeping Grayson for one last time. He noticed that Dick looked very peacefully, which made it easier to leave.

Wally walked through the hallway, too tired to use his superspeed. He decided to pass through the kitchen to get something to eat first. He took a burrito and warmed it up. Wally was just about to leave when he heard two voices coming from down the hall. They were Batman’s and Superman’s. ’… about Robin’s condition’, he heard Batman say. Wally wanted to hear this, so he did the only thing he could think of, he hid himself.

'What about it?’ Superman asked concerned. 'I ran a blood analysis and there was a poison in his blood. But it’s no normal poison, it won’t kill him. It’s a weakened version of pink kryptonite, modified for humans.’ Superman’s eyes widened. 'So that means that his sexual orientation changed…’ Superman asked concerned. 'Yes,’ Batman confirmed, 'but only for a period, but it’s impossible to calculate for how long exactly. I personally expect that it won’t last longer than a few days.’

Wally couldn’t believe his ears, would Robin be gay for a few days? He considered taking advantage of the situation and and getting a kiss from Dick, but he abandoned the idea quickly. He wouldn’t take advantage, Dick was still his best friend and he would treat him with respect. If Dick wasn’t into boys, he wouldn’t force himself on him. That was the promise he had made a long time ago and he wasn’t planning on breaking it. Wally’s thoughts were interrupted by Batman:’ You can come out now, Wally.’

Wally was confused as to how Batman knew he was there. But then he remembered, Batman was after all the greatest detective. Wally came out of hiding,ashamed for his actions. He didn’t dare to look Batman or Superman in the eye and he felt his cheeks burning red. He feared the punishment he’d get for eavesdropping. 'I didn’t mean to…’ he began apologizing, but Batman interrupted him.

'We aren’t mad,’ he said calmly,’ you just can’t tell anyone.’ Wally promised them not to tell anyone, glad that there weren’t going to be consequences.

Wally left the room, still a bit confused about what he had just heard. He walked to his room, passing Dick’s on his way. He had the urge to check on him. He knew he should have fate in Miss Martian, but the urge was just too big. He opened the door just enough to see Dick sleeping peacefully. This calmed him down, but he still couldn’t get the thought of Dick being gay for a few days out of his mind. The thought that his love was so close, but still impossible hurt him. But he told himself that it was no different from the past, even with Dick’s temporarily changed sexual orientation. It would only hurt their friendship if he made a move and he would rather die than screw up his friendship with Dick.

It was only then he saw M'gann sitting next to the bed, looking at him. 'I was only checking on him’, Wally said apologetically.'It’s okay, Wally. Everything is still the same.'This put Wally at ease. He closed the door silently and went to his room.