Young Justice 1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This fic was written for the wonderful Black Friar as part of a Christmas fic exchange between Sidekick Heroisms, Black Friar and myself. **

**A very special thank you to Sidekick Heroisms for the beta, handholding and encouragement, and for the title! **

**The conclusion will be up soon :o)**

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><p>"You do not, under any circumstances, leave this rooftop. You are here to observe only. You will not engage in any way, shape or form. Is that understood?"<p>

Robin looked up at his mentor and thought Batman looked as stern as he'd ever seen him. "Yes, Batman," he replied solemnly.

"But what if-" Kid Flash started from beside him.

Robin elbowed him in the ribs, but it was too late. Batman turned his grim gaze to the other boy, the corners of his mouth pulled even further down. "Is that _understood_, Kid Flash?"

"Yes, Batman!" Kid Flash squeaked, instantly withering under Batman's stare.

"Good."

Batman turned around and nodded to Superman and Flash, who had been patiently waiting behind him. Without looking back, he took out his grapple gun, shot a line and sailed off the rooftop.

"See you later, boys," Superman said with a warm smile before following. Flash just gave them a quick wave before taking off after his fellow Leaguers.

Robin sat down on the rooftop's ledge, his legs dangling over the side. Kid Flash settled in beside him and they exchanged bright grins.

The air felt charged, electrified, the downtown Gotham City lights flashing at Robin in the distance, as if the city was signaling an awareness that something extraordinary was going to go down tonight.

Or maybe he was just projecting.

A crisp breeze ruffled his hair and stung his cheeks a little. He would need to switch to winter gear soon – it was December after all, even if the weather had been rather mild by Gotham standards – but right now, the anticipatory excitement of getting to watch Batman, Flash _and_ Superman in action was more than enough to keep him warm.

Beside him, Kid Flash was jittery.

"This is so cool."

Robin smiled. "Yeah."

"This is _so cool_!"

"I know," Robin said, swinging his legs back and forth in an effort to contain his own excitement, like a release valve.

"Rob! Do you have any idea how cool this is?"

Robin couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, KF! I _know_! Dude, you're gonna bounce off the roof if you keep at it like that."

"I can't help it! I just can't believe we get to watch Batman, Flash _and Superman_ in action! That's just- it's like- it's _so cool_!"

"Yeah, it really is," Robin said, unable to keep a grin off of his own face.

"You know what would be _super_ cool though? If we, you know, actually got in on the action."

Robin glanced over at his friend. "KF, whatever you're thinking ─ no."

"Why not?"

"Because Batman told us to stay put."

"So?"

"What do you mean, 'so'? He's Batman!"

"Okay, yeah," Kid Flash said, resting his elbow on his thigh and plunking his chin in his hand, pouting a little. "Good point."

Robin grinned and shook his head. His friend was nothing if not eager.

Truth be told, Robin was kind of itching to get in on the action himself. Superman had been investigating rumors that Lex Luthor was in the process of building an army of androids. A lead had brought him to Gotham, prompting him to get Batman involved in the case. Given the fact that Luthor had had access to kryptonite in the past, they'd both felt it prudent to have Flash there as back-up, just in case. Tonight, they were going to raid the factory where the androids were being assembled, according to their informant, and take down whoever was working at that plant and destroy whatever robots they might find.

As soon as Robin and Kid Flash had gotten wind of this joint operation, they'd naturally pleaded with their mentors to allow them to come on the mission, but it had actually been Superman who'd taken pity on them and persuaded their mentors to let them tag along.

Dick was seriously getting Clark the biggest, awesomest Christmas present ever this year.

"There they are," Kid Flash whispered, pointing at a shadow landing soundlessly on the far side of the roof.

From where they were sitting, Robin and Kid Flash had a good vantage point; their building was slightly higher than the factory across the street from them, which enabled them to see everything that happened on the rooftop and even allowed them a glimpse of what was going on inside of the factory through the skylight. The lights were on and they could see some movement – Robin longed to just sail across and press his nose against the glass so he could see _everything_ – but not enough to be able to tell what was going on.

They watched as their mentors took up strategic positions – Flash and Superman covering the exits, Batman preparing to enter through the skylight – and held their breaths.

Then all hell broke loose.

As soon as the glass from the skylight shattered and Batman dropped down into the factory, Robin and Kid Flash leaped to their feet so they could see inside properly. Armed thugs were milling about shouting, obviously taken completely by surprise, zigzagging between rows upon rows of what looked like seven-foot-tall robots.

So. Luthor really had been building an army of droids.

Sudden bursts of weapons' fire made them both jump, but as they watched, an almost invisible blur took down the goons with guns. It seemed the whole thing would be over in a matter of minutes and Robin bit back a cheer as he saw his mentor take out three of the thugs in a fluid series of moves.

Watching his mentor kick some bad guy butt never got old.

And then, everything changed.

One of the robots moved. And then another, and another. Apparently, in their desperation, one of the goons had activated the androids and it looked like at least some of them were already fully operational.

Beside him, Robin heard Kid Flash gasp as a number of the droids began to fire their own laser-fitted weapons while others physically launched themselves at their mentors. For a few terrifying minutes it seemed as if the robots were about to overwhelm the three superheroes through sheer numbers alone, but then Superman managed to create an opening by tearing a hole through the chest plate of one droid and ripping the head off another and smashing the bodies into two others. Robin watched in awe as their mentors and Superman worked together seamlessly to destroy the robots, as if this was what they'd been doing all their lives; Flash corralled the droids like sheep, picking them off one by one and drawing their weapons' fire, while Batman and Superman fought back to back, taking out droids left and right.

Robin knew he himself and Batman were a good team, but watching his mentor work with his JLA-teammates…that- that was something else! Many of Batman's maneuvers he recognized, but some he'd never seen before, and he made a mental note to ask Batman about them because they were _awesome_ and he _needed_ to learn them!

He was so caught up in the battle going on inside the factory, he almost missed the two men who had escaped through one of the side-entrances and were now making a break for a black SUV that was parked nearby.

Robin nudged the boy beside him. "KF, look!"

His friend followed his outstretched finger. "Crap!"

"C'mon, let's go!" Robin said, already reaching for his grapple gun.

"Wait, I thought you said we should stay put?"

"Duh, not when the bad guys are getting away!"

Kid Flash pumped his fist in the air. "Sweeeeet!"

Robin grinned. "Okay, you do your super-speed thing and follow them on foot. _Don't_ let them see you. When you get to wherever they're going, wait for me, okay? I'll get there as soon as I can."

To his surprise, Kid Flash didn't take off, but stood, hesitating.

"What?" Robin said, trying not to sound impatient, his eyes still tracking the vehicle containing the two baddies. It was about to round a corner and he was going to lose sight of it if they didn't get a move on.

"You uh…you look pretty light," Kid Flash said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So I was thinking maybe- I dunno, maybe if you got on my back I could give you a lift?"

Robin blinked. Let a speedster give him a ride? It sounded like a pretty awesome idea; he'd always wondered what it was like for speedsters to be able to run at a speed that surpassed even Superman's. He wondered if it would feel like flying.

Either way, it would be faster, _and_ they wouldn't have to split up.

"Sorry, I guess it's stupid—" Kid Flash began, studying his boots.

"No, no, it's a great idea!" Robin interrupted.

Kid Flash looked up with a grin, and Robin noticed he looked a little relieved.

"Just- don't drop me, okay?"

This time his friend's face _really_ lit up. "Dude, I wouldn't dream of it!" Kid Flash quickly turned his back and bent his knees a little to brace himself. "Hop on."

Robin did, wrapping his arms loosely around his friend's shoulders and feeling the other boy's arms come up to support his legs.

"Ready?"

A frisson of nervous excitement made his stomach flip and he tightened his hold on Kid Flash a little. "Yeah, go."

Before he could take another breath, the world turned into a dark blur, the wind was whipping through his hair and he had no idea where his stomach went.

It was both an incredibly exhilarating and thoroughly disorienting experience, like riding a rollercoaster without the loops and corkscrews but with the sharp, unexpected turns and twists. The wind screamed in his ears and dragged at his cape and he tucked his head a little lower so it no longer felt as if his face was being scorched off. He had absolutely no idea where they were going and had to trust Kid Flash to not accidentally slam them into anything. It was disconcerting and made him feel…vulnerable.

When his friend skidded to a stop and lowered him to the ground (and Robin had managed to pry his fingers from Kid Flash's shoulders), Robin staggered a little. _Whoa. _

Kid Flash immediately reached out to steady him. "You okay?"

Robin blinked rapidly, trying to focus on his friend's anxious face to get the world to stop spinning already. "Yeah. That was…that was _cool_, but, wow, does it- does it always feel like that?"

"Like you got caught up in a tornado?" Kid Flash grinned. "You'll get used to it."

"Are you offering to give me more free piggyback rides?"

The other boy bowed with a dramatic flourish. "The Kid Flash taxi-service at your uh…service."

Robin chuckled. "Dude, that was _terrible_." Then, reminding himself of their purpose, he grew serious. "Okay, so where are we?" he asked, peeking around the van Kid Flash had positioned them behind.

They were several yards away from what looked like a rather dilapidated warehouse. It was fairly small, and Robin doubted there would be more robots hidden in there. As far as he could tell there were only a few small windows, but they were enough to tell him that the lights were on inside. He spotted the black SUV parked in front, and several trucks were positioned near a large sliding door.

"We're about twelve blocks away from the factory," Kid Flash informed him. "Those two guys just went in through the front door but I haven't seen anyone else."

"Okay. Let's just take a quick look inside and see what's going on. If there's too many of them or if something big's going on, we'll go back and let Batman, Flash and Superman know. Sound good?"

Kid Flash nodded. "Lead the way, Rob."

oOo

_Worst. Team-up. Ever._

It was the first thought that flashed through his mind as Robin woke, groaning, his head feeling like it was about to explode and the rest of his body sore. His right arm burned a little and he could feel something warm trickle down his skin. Great.

The warehouse that had looked rather old and dilapidated from the outside actually turned out to be impressively high-tech on the inside. They'd made their way inside, and then a group of men had somehow gotten the drop on them – the details were a little fuzzy but he remembered fighting and then Kid Flash accidentally clocking him in the head with his elbow. It all pretty much went downhill from there.

They were definitely going to have to coordinate their moves a little better next time.

It was dark when he opened his eyes. He could just about make out the faint outlines of a door, a little bit of light just managing to navigate its way around the edges, and a small window high upon the wall that showed him a mostly overcast night sky. His wrists chaffed and he realized they were bound behind his back. His gloves were gone and the lack of a familiar weight around his waist told him his utility belt was missing. When he shifted his legs, he discovered that his ankles were also restrained. Awesome.

There was a racket coming from beyond the door; loud voices and the sounds of things being moved or thrown around in a hurry.

"Robin?"

The unexpected whisper made him jump, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

"KF?" he whispered back once he'd gotten his heart rate back under control.

"Oh, thank _god_," Kid Flash said.

"KF, you okay?" Robin asked, keeping his voice low and squinting into the darkness.

There was a rustling sound to his right – and then he was biting back a yelp when there were suddenly hands on his face, a finger almost poking him in the eye.

"Dude! Jeez!"

"Sorry, sorry! I can't see a thing and my hands are tied behind my back! I was trying to follow the sound of your voice," Kid Flash whispered back, removing his hands from Robin's face.

"Well, you found me," Robin hissed a little irritably. His friend was making him feel entirely too jumpy. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You?" Kid Flash asked. There was more rustling. "…Yuck- What's this sticky-? Wait, is this blood?! Oh my god, are you bleeding? You're bleeding!"

"Shhh! KF, keep your voice down! I'm fine."

"Is that Bat-speak for 'I'm mortally wounded' and then you're just going to collapse on me and die, because I don't speak Bat fluently yet and, dude, you dying would totally suck and Batman would _kill_ me and—"

"KF, breathe!" Robin interrupted. "I'm not gonna die, okay? Yes, I'm bleeding, but it's just a scratch – and no, that's not Bat-speak for 'my arm's falling off'. I've had worse. Don't worry about it."

"So it's your arm?"

"Yeah, I think that tall guy nicked it with his knife." He sat up gingerly, ignoring the spike of pain the motion fired through his head. "KF, are you sitting with your back turned to me right now?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Okay, don't move."

It took some maneuvering, but eventually he managed to position himself with his back against Kid Flash's, his fingers immediately seeking out and exploring the knots binding his friend's wrists together. The movement pulled on the wound in his arm and he bit his lip, trying to ignore the discomfort.

"Hey, Rob?" Kid Flash whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry."

"For what?" Robin asked, only listening with half an ear; the first knot was already falling away under his fingers.

"For- you know, whacking _you_ in the head instead of the bad guys."

"Don't worry about it," he replied automatically. Then he paused, his fingers stilling. "Actually, I think I almost hit _you_ with a batarang."

"At least you missed," Kid Flash said, sounding miserable. "I got you full in the face!"

"That just means you're better at dodging than me."

"Dude, I'm serious."

"So am I." He gave his friend's back a little backwards bump with his shoulder. "Look, KF, all it means is that we're not used to working together, okay? We just need some practice so we'll do better next time."

"You mean, _if_ there's gonna be a next time." Kid Flash groaned. "If we get out of here, Flash is gonna ground me _for life_. I mean, you know, _after_ Batman kills me."

Robin winced, his fingers resuming their work. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the inevitable confrontation with his own mentor. "Let's just worry about getting out of here first, okay?"

"Right."

"Oh, and let's just- let's just never mention this whole thing to anyone. Ever. _Especially_ not to Speedy."

"Oh god, he can _never_ find out. He would never let us live it down!"

"You see my point. So, deal?"

"Deal!" Kid Flash agreed.

Just as he was about to start on the last knot, the noise on the other side of the door suddenly grew louder and Robin quickly pushed himself away from his friend. "Someone's coming!" he hissed. Seconds later, the door was ripped open and light spilled inside. The lights in the room were switched on, momentarily blinding him.

Four men burst in and Robin braced himself when he saw the aggression on their faces. He recognized Tall Guy from the earlier fight, the one who'd managed to slash up his arm, and figured that the other three had probably been in on it as well. By the looks on their faces, he and KF had pissed them off pretty badly with the hits they'd scored – before, you know, they'd gotten themselves captured.

Tall Guy held up his hand, stopping the three other goons from exacting whatever revenge they had in mind. For the moment. The man turned to Kid Flash.

"I know all about the Bat's little brat," he spat, "but who the hell are you?"

"Name's Kid Flash."

"Kid Flash? You mean you're Flash's kid?" Tall Guy laughed, loud and obnoxious. "That's fuckin' hilarious. Couldn't come up with a better name, huh?"

Realizing that the criminals' attention was completely focused on his friend right now, Robin immediately took advantage of their distraction by attacking the ropes binding his own wrists. The first knot surrendered to him in seconds.

"Yeah, and the suit!" one of the other men sneered. "What the hell were you smokin' when you picked it out, kid? It hurts my eyes just lookin' at it!"

Kid Flash glared at him. "Yeah, well, at least I can take it off. You're stuck with that ugly-ass face of yours!"

Robin froze. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. _Grayson, you idiot! You should've warned him about Gotham criminals!_

The guy growled and grabbed Kid Flash by the front of his suit. "You little snot!" Without so much as a warning, he drew his arm back and cracked a fist against the boy's cheek. Kid Flash's head snapped to the side. The other men laughed, egging the guy on, and he followed up with a kick to the ribs.

Kid Flash grunted in pain and Robin scowled. He was down to the last knot and swallowed his immediate instinct to draw the attention away from his friend and onto himself. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he got them to pound on him instead when he didn't have his hands free. He bit his lip, tried to ignore the men's laughter and his friend's quiet grunts, and doubled his efforts to undo the last knot. When the ropes finally slipped free, he made quick work of the bonds around his ankles and shot to his feet.

"Leave him alone!" he roared, launching himself at the nearest thug.

He had two goons flat on their backs on the ground before they even knew what hit them. The third guy went down two seconds later, howling with pain after a particularly vicious kick to the kneecap. Robin whipped around to take care of the fourth – and stumbled when a sudden dizzy spell hit him. _What the-?_

He had just enough time to wonder if maybe Kid Flash's elbow had given him a little more than just a headache before the one remaining goon – Tall Guy – seized him by the wrist of his good arm. A heavy boot caught him right between the shoulder blades at the same time as his arm was yanked back. He felt his shoulder joint give and cried out when his arm was ripped straight out of its socket. Stumbling to his knees, he tried to breathe through the pain, but Tall Guy was wrapping his meaty hands around both of Robin's upper arms and dragged him to his feet.

The guy was yelling but Robin was hardly even able to focus on what he was saying as both of his injured arms were screaming at him. Then, one of the hands shifted and a thumb started to dig into the knife wound in his arm. A strangled cry tore itself from his throat as lights flashed before his eyes. It was too much. _Too much!_ He wanted to tell him to _stop! _But he couldn't seem to form the words.

"Yeah, how does that feel, huh, Boy Wonder? _How does it feel?_"

The thumb burrowed deeper into his flesh and Robin struggled, his legs thrashing uselessly. He dimly heard Kid Flash's voice call out from somewhere, but couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Yo, Jerry!" an unfamiliar voice yelled suddenly, and then the thumb removed itself and Robin was able to breathe again. Barely.

"Come on, man, stop fooling around, we ain't got time for this! We gotta blow this place up before Batman and whoever else gets here. Just tie 'em up and leave 'em!"

"Fine," Tall Guy growled in response. Without loosening his grip on Robin's arms, he turned to one of his comrades, who was just picking himself up off the floor where Robin had left him after slamming him in the balls.

"Jas, you all right, man?" Tall Guy said. "Go grab some of that duct tape. We're gonna make sure this little bitch ain't going nowhere this time."

Robin stumbled as Tall Guy dragged him to a metal pole and pushed him to his knees. The man yanked Robin's arms up over his head and he shrieked at the agony radiating from his dislocated shoulder. Tall Guy didn't even pause. He bent Robin's arms back so far that his fingertips brushed the bottom edge of his shoulder blades, forcing him to arch his back further than that of any normal person was meant to go. Robin writhed and whimpered but Tall Guy held his arms firmly in place and the man called Jas cocooned his hands around the pole with tape. Next, he yanked both of Robin's ankles back – making him wobble and forcing him to bend his back even more – and taped them to the pole as well.

It was a good thing he was flexible, but the position still made his back feel like it was slowly being bent in half until it snapped, and his arms hurt so much that it felt like they were being consumed by flames of agony.

Through a haze of pain, he heard Tall Guy and Jas laugh. "I'd like to see you get yourself out of that one, Boy Wonder. Too bad we're just gonna blow you up!"

Jas tore off a last strip of tape and slapped it across Robin's mouth. Robin only just caught the cruel twist of the man's lips before his head was yanked back and a knee smashed into his side. He felt something snap inside of him and he grunted, the sharp pain making his eyes water.

"The bitch is all set," Jas said with another cruel smile before he released Robin's hair and turned to his colleague. "Let's go!"

Without even glancing at Kid Flash, the two men collected their fellow goons from the floor and left. The door slammed shut behind them with a bang.

Robin's nostrils flared as he tried to breathe in enough air to help clear his mind a little, even though every breath he took felt like a knife stabbing him in the side.

"Dude," Kid Flash said into the silence a moment later, his voice hushed and shaky. Robin was just able to turn his head far enough to see him lying on his side on the floor, watching him with wide eyes. There was an ugly bruise on his jaw. "Are- are you okay?"

Robin just nodded his head tiredly, even though, no, he definitely was not okay. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the pole, trying to think past the pain. He just wanted to go home. _Bruce…I'm sorry. I should've listened. Please come find us…_

"Do you- do you really think they're gonna…blow us up?" Kid Flash whispered.

Robin raised his head a little and opened his eyes, reminding himself that he was the more experienced sidekick and that Kid Flash was probably pretty freaked out right now after what he'd just witnessed. Robin needed to get a grip. He looked at his friend and nodded his head again, more vigorously this time.

A large screen on the opposite wall suddenly turned on and flashed numbers at them in a definite countdown. The timer was flashing seven minutes and fifty-five seconds.

"Oh, crap! Oh crap oh crap oh crap!"

Kid Flash's voice rose in panic and Robin felt his own heart start to pound in response; there was no way he was going to be able to free himself and- oh god, was he gonna die here? He didn't want to die!

Terror stretched out its claws towards him, and he desperately shook his head. _Stop it! Don't think like that!_ _**Don't**__ think like that!_

He looked over at Kid Flash, who seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating, and the sight helped him rein in his own panic. Six minutes and fifty-nine seconds. They still had a chance – there was a speedster in the room with him for god's sake! But he'd have to get Kid Flash to stop panicking. He was obviously not going to be able to talk him down, so he did the only other thing he could think of to draw the other boy's attention.

He cleared his throat. Loudly.

Alfred would have been proud.

His friend met his gaze and as Robin watched, the expression on the other boy's face slowly transformed from terror-stricken, to scared to determined. "Okay, okay," Kid Flash said, taking deep breaths, clearly trying to get a grip. "Okay, hang on." He struggled a little, though Robin couldn't see what with. "Okay, I've almost got the ropes—got it!"

He quickly untied the ropes around his ankles and Robin started a little – wincing as the movement pulled on his side – when his friend appeared by his side a mere second later.

"God, dude, you're shaking," Kid Flash observed, carefully peeling the gag off of Robin's face.

It was true. The strain from being tied up in an extremely awkward position and the excruciating pain emanating from both of his arms were taking their toll on his body, and Robin could feel himself tremble. His eyes slid to the flashing numbers. Five minutes and forty seconds.

"K- KF," he said once the tape had been removed from his mouth. "You should- you should get out."

"Nuh-uh. No way, dude. Hang on, I'll have you out of this in a sec."

Robin felt him begin to pull at the tape swaddling his hands and Robin sank his teeth into his bottom lip to keep from crying out at the pain lancing up his arms.

"Crap. Okay, maybe it'll take slightly longer than a sec."

Robin threw his gaze around the room, turning his head as far as he could, trying to find something that might help, and his eyes fell onto the solitary desk in the corner. "KF, check the drawers of that desk over there. Might have scissors or a letter opener or something."

There was a blast of wind, followed by rummaging noises and clanking and then Kid Flash was standing beside him again, empty-handed and looking desperate. "Nothing! There's nothing! And the damn door's locked!"

"It's okay, KF. Just try to pry the tape loose then."

He felt Kid Flash pick at the tape again, but in his growing desperation, it wasn't long before his friend was outright yanking and this time Robin couldn't stop himself from crying out.

"Stop!" he gasped. "KF, s-stop!"

"I'm sorry! I know it hurts, but I have to get you out of this and I can't get the damn- it won't- ARGH!"

Feeling his last sliver of hope slip away, Robin leaned his head against the pole again, breathing hard, his eyes shifting to the ceiling.

"KF—"

"Shut up, I'm not leaving you here."

Robin frowned. "That wasn't- I was _going to say _try dislodging the pole; there are just two screws attaching it to the ceiling."

"Oh. Got it. And I know just the thing!"

There was another gust of wind, a loud scraping sound and then the desk Kid Flash had searched through moments before materialized beside him. More clanking noises and then his friend was back, holding a small fire-extinguisher he'd apparently found somewhere in the room. Kid Flash leaped onto the desk and disappeared from Robin's field of vision, but he was pretty sure he knew what his friend was about to do. And he also knew it was going to _hurt_.

"Uh…dude? You may want to brace yourself," Kid Flash said, and Robin heard the apology beneath the words.

Robin steeled himself as best he could, but it was hard when his entire body was quaking, his legs were cramping and his side and arms were killing him.

And then it got worse. So. Much. Worse.

A loud bang was followed by a shockwave of vibrations that travelled down the length of the pole and reverberated through his arms. It felt like someone was drilling daggers into them with a power drill and he gasped and choked—

And then there were more bangs and he writhed in agony, screwing his eyes shut tight, trying to keep the tears from escaping. His throat felt suddenly raw and he realized he was crying out or yelling or maybe even screaming and he tried to rein it in, tried to get a grip, but he _couldn't_ because Kid Flash didn't stop, he didn't pause, he kept going and now the pole was _shaking_ and—

The next thing he knew he was lying on his side on the floor and he felt something cold slide out from between his still restrained wrists and ankles. He heard a metal clank as the object was tossed aside and then his hands were slowly, carefully being maneuvered from their awkward, bent-backwards position, and he cried out at the excruciating pain pulsating from his mangled shoulder at the merest touch.

The movement stopped but before he had a chance to recover his breath, there were suddenly hands on his face.

"Rob! Rob, are you okay? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I know it hurt, I know it hurt but IhadtodoitIcouldn'tstopthere'snotime—"

Robin gazed up at Kid Flash blearily before his mind finally began to clear a little.

Time. The countdown…how much time did they have left? Robin turned his head and slid his gaze over the flashing numbers.

Two minutes and fifteen seconds. A sense of urgency washed over him and he looked back at Kid Flash, who was still rambling at him. "K-KF, go, get out of here, there's s-still time."

Kid Flash snapped his mouth shut and rolled his eyes at him. "Dude, for the last time, I AM NOT LEAVING YOU. Now help me figure out how to get us _both_ out of here."

"W-window."

Kid Flash threw a look over his shoulder and when his eyes met Robin's again, they were filled with fierce determination. "Got it!"

Then Kid Flash was gone and Robin heard the desk scrape across the floor again. The sound of glass shattering and tinkling to the floor made him start and it reminded him that he should _get up and do something_. His arms were useless, but his legs still worked – even if his ankles were taped together.

He rolled himself onto his knees, wincing as the movement pulled at his side. He was still struggling to get to his feet when Kid Flash appeared beside him again.

"Rob, I'm really sorry about this but it's the only way…"

A second later he was swept into his friend's arms and before he even had time to blink he and Kid Flash were on the desk the other boy had shoved against the wall and Kid Flash was lifting him towards the window.

"N-no, feet first," he ground out once his brain had caught up to him and he realized what his friend was doing.

"Right, right!"

He clamped down on a scream when Kid Flash shifted his grip and jostled his dislocated shoulder in the process. Then his friend grabbed him by the hips and boosted him towards the window once more. It was awkward and painful and he could barely even see where to direct his feet, but then his legs slipped through the window and once he got his butt on the frame, he was able to squirm through the rest of the way himself.

It wasn't until he was actually falling that he realized he had no way of catching himself.

He tried to twist in midair but with his hands and feet still tied, there was very little he could do. A second later his feet hit the ground, hard, and pain shot up his leg as his ankle rolled beneath him. His leg gave way instantly and he pitched sideways. Before he had time to even try to raise his arms, his bad shoulder collided with the ground and he gasped and whimpered, no longer having the strength to scream.

Desperately trying to bite back the pain, he glanced around wildly for the familiar yellow and red costume. "KF!" he rasped. "KF, where are you?"

_Oh god, what if he couldn't fit through the window? What if Tall Guy came back? What if—_

"Right here."

As relief flooded his system, hands began to pull at him. They yanked him to his feet and he moaned in protest.

"Sorry, dude, but we're out of time!"

The world spun and a blast of frigid air struck him in the face and he realized Kid Flash was carrying him—

And then the world was ending, his ears exploding with sound, heat searing his skin and light blinding his eyes. There was a sudden sharp stab of pain in his head, and then all he knew was darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It means so much to me when people take the time to let me know they've enjoyed reading one of my stories! Thank you!**

**And to answer YJFanYeah's question, yes, Wally and Dick are 13 and 11 respectively :o)**

**Happy reading!**

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><p>It was the familiar scent of firewood mixed with fabric softener – of <em>home<em> – that slowly expelled the clinging darkness.

Home. He was home. But…that didn't make sense. He frowned, his eyes still closed, trying to think past the cotton stuffed between his ears. He remembered…he remembered — pain. Excruciating pain. And the world ending. Darkness and then- lights and voices and—

"Dick?"

He started when fingertips brushed his forehead, smoothing his bangs from his closed eyes.

"Brs?" he garbled. Whoa, he was really going to have to do better than that. He scraped his throat and swallowed. "Bruce?"

"Hey, kiddo," Bruce said, his voice soft and a little gravelly. "Can you open your eyes for me?"

It took some effort, but he managed to peel his eyes open and squinted up at his guardian, who was sitting beside the bed. Dick discovered he was in his own room, the curtains half-closed to keep the bright sunlight from shining directly onto his bed without plunging the room into total darkness.

"How do you feel?"

Dick put some thought into that, but he really just felt pleasantly numb. "Um. Not too bad." He couldn't help but notice the bruises beneath his guardian's eyes. "How do _you_ feel?"

The corners of Bruce's mouth quirked up briefly before he shook his head and his expression grew serious again. "I'm not the one laid up in bed, kiddo."

Dick studied the creases in Bruce's forehead and the lines around his eyes and mouth that he didn't remember being there before. He also had a busted lip and a swollen and purple left cheekbone. "No offense, Bruce, but you kinda look like you should be."

Bruce didn't answer. Instead, he picked up a glass from the nightstand and held the straw to Dick's lips. Dick automatically tried to raise his arm to take the glass from him, but the movement immediately stabbed his shoulder, and he hissed. _What the heck?_

He looked down at his arm, which turned out to be in a sling and draped across his stomach. His other arm was heavily bandaged and trapped between his body and a mound of pillows, keeping it effectively immobilized.

Oh.

That's when everything finally came flooding back, the cotton that had been lodged in his brain dissolving.

"KF!" he exclaimed, jerking almost completely upright and bumping his chin against the glass his guardian was still holding out for him, water spilling down his front. He ignored the discomfort and the pain the sudden movement shot through his body and looked to Bruce for answers. "Bruce! KF! Is- is he-?"

Bruce firmly eased him back down and set the glass aside. He plucked some tissues from the dispenser on the nightstand and dabbed at the damp splotches on Dick's pajama top. "Kid Flash is fine. Better than you, actually."

Dick sagged in relief. Oh god, if his friend had been killed…he never, _ever_ would've forgiven himself. It would've been all his fault.

"What- what happened? I mean, I know we- we almost got blown up, but-"

"Kid Flash got you out and away from the initial blast, but you were both knocked out by the shockwave," Bruce replied, his shoulders suddenly stiff. "When Flash, Superman and Batman arrived, Kid Flash was already showing signs of regaining consciousness but you were unresponsive, so I took you to Dr. Thompkins' clinic."

Dr. Thompkins… An image of her concerned frown hovering over him suddenly presented itself in his mind.

Bruce's eyes bored into him. "By the time we got to the clinic you were starting to come around, but you scared the crap out of me, Dick."

"I'm sorry," Dick said, turning his gaze to the injured arm supported by the sling. He was sorry for a lot of things. A headache was starting to gather behind his eyes. "Is- is my arm okay? I mean, the dislocated one? I know it was pretty messed up."

"Dr. Thompkins performed surgery on it. There were some complications, and you'll need to keep it immobilized for a few weeks, but she believes it will be fine."

Dick breathed a small sigh of relief. At the same time, he felt his energy drain away as the various aches and pains in his body were starting to make themselves known.

"The cut on your other arm was fairly shallow and only needed a few stitches, but it developed an infection so you will still need to keep it immobilized for a few days as well."

Dick scowled. Great. He wouldn't even be able to go to the bathroom by himself. "So…how long has it been? And why can I barely remember anything from being in the clinic?"

"Dr. Thompkins kept you pretty heavily sedated because your injuries, and especially your shoulder, were causing you quite a bit of pain. You woke up a few times but were pretty out of it. Alfred and I brought you home last night and we've been weaning you off the heaviest painkillers. You had the surgery the night before."

Two days. He'd lost two days.

He sank a little deeper into the pillows and shifted uncomfortably. His head was really pounding now and his shoulder was _throbbing_. The dull ache in his side wasn't helping matters. Dick swallowed and forced himself to look at his guardian. "Bruce, I- I'm really sorry-"

Bruce shook his head. "We'll talk about it later, kiddo. When you're feeling better and your mind's a little clearer."

"I'm fine."

"Dick, you're tired and I know you're hurting, no matter how much you try to hide it. You also have a concussion and you should get some rest. We'll talk later."

Dick nodded before jerking his head up to look at his guardian as a thought occurred to him. "What about the androids? Tell me you guys kicked butt."

The corners of Bruce's mouth twitched and there was a satisfied glint in his eye, which told Dick all he needed to know.

There was a sudden, polite knock on his door before it swung open. "Master Dick," Alfred said as he swept into the room bearing a tray loaded with what looked like broth and a bottle of painkillers. "It is a pleasure to see you awake. How are you feeling, young sir?"

"I'm okay, Alfred."

"Indeed? Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind some soup to fill you up a bit before your next round of painkillers?"

Despite his exhaustion, Dick's stomach growled and he licked his lips. "Soup actually sounds pretty good, Alfred," he said, summoning a smile.

He knew there would be consequences to disobeying Bruce's orders and he didn't like that he was going to have to wonder and worry about what those consequences might be for a while, but he was kind of relieved, too, that Bruce seemed unwilling to give him a lecture when he was still drugged up and, well, vulnerable.

For now, with both his arms out of commission, the humiliation of needing Alfred to spoon-feed him his soup was punishment enough.

oOo

A week later found Dick Grayson sitting on a rooftop on a sunny but nippy afternoon in Central City. He'd made sure to sit far enough from the ledge to avoid being seen by the people below. It wouldn't do to have someone spot him and cause a racket because they thought he was a jumper. Jumpers were common enough in Gotham, so nobody would've been really surprised or startled to see a kid sitting on a ledge; things in Central City, however, were different. Central City was a bright, sunny place where the colors were still vivid – not airbrushed with a grey hue like Gotham – and the people friendly and optimistic. A kid sitting on the roof of a five-storey building would've caused a major uproar and Dick really didn't want to draw attention to himself.

He huddled a little deeper into his coat, the arm still immobilized in the sling warm against his belly. His other arm had thankfully healed up enough for Alfred to remove the stitches, allowing Dick to use it properly. Glancing at his watch, his lips curved into a grin. In the four months he'd known Kid Flash, he'd learned that being a speedster wasn't synonymous to being punctual.

Dick had asked his friend to meet him here, on the rooftop where they'd met as Robin and Kid Flash. They had been accompanied by their mentors then; Flash and Batman both had thought it a good idea for him and Kid Flash to get acquainted and had taken them on a patrol of Central City together. They'd hit it off right away and Dick was delighted to _finally_ have someone his own age to share his experiences with. Being a kid sidekick was cool and he wouldn't trade it for the world, but it was also kind of lonely when there wasn't anyone he could really talk to about it. Kid Flash was still very new to the superhero life, but they understood each other – even if their first team-up hadn't exactly gone off without a hitch.

Now, Dick was here in his civvies but with his shades in place and his hair messy.

A familiar blast of air heralded the sudden arrival of Kid Flash and Dick looked up at the boy standing beside him, not bothering to stand up.

"Hey," Kid Flash said.

Dick smiled at the bright red baseball cap his friend was wearing and the dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes. "Hi, KF."

"How uh…how are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Yeah…uh, fine."

Dick fought the wince at the unexpected awkwardness between them. Kid Flash seemed embarrassed, shy almost, though Dick had no idea why. He himself was feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious , not to mention nervous as heck about what he was planning to do, about why he had asked his friend to meet him here in the first place. But if he was going to do this, he needed to take control of both his nerves and the situation. He smiled back up at his friend, who was still standing in front of him, no doubt wondering what to do with himself.

"Are you gonna keep standing? 'Cause having to look up at you is kinda giving me neck cramp."

"Oh! Sorry, yeah, I uh…" Kid Flash said, looking around for a place to sit.

Dick rolled his eyes behind his shades. "You can come sit next to me, you know. I promise I won't hurt you."

Kid Flash chuckled nervously at that but did finally sit down beside him, drawing his knees halfway to his chest and leaning back against the ventilator unit, mirroring Dick's pose.

Dick's stomach suddenly began to tie itself into knots as he tried to remember how he was going to broach the subject of his secret identity. He'd played out the intended conversation a hundred times in his mind while on his way to Central, but now that the moment suprême had arrived, his carefully constructed cues had all gone out the window.

He clamped down on his doubts and cleared his throat. "KF, I-"

"Dude, I'm sorry!" Kid Flash suddenly blurted.

Dick blinked, his thoughts instantly derailed. "…What?"

"You're mad at me, aren't you? And you have every right to be! I totally screwed up the entire mission, hitting you in the head like that and freaking out and-"

Dick frowned, turning to his friend. "Wait, wait, wait. KF, what the heck are you talking about?"

"Dude! I _know_ I screwed up! I almost got us both killed! And I'm _sorry_!"

Dick stared at him. "Are you _serious_? KF, you _saved_ my life! You thought I was mad at you? You idiot, I asked you to meet with me because I wanted to _thank_ you."

Kid Flash's mouth fell open. "Huh?"

"Dude, KF, you were _awesome_. We were about to get blown up and you could've gotten out, saved yourself, but you didn't! You- you wouldn't leave me behind and that- that means a lot. So I… I wanted to thank you by- by showing you how much I trust you."

He took a deep breath and reached for his shades with his good hand.

Beside him, Kid Flash made a distressed sound. "Dude! No way! Are you- you're not gonna- are you?"

Dick laughed and he felt the tight hold his nerves had on his stomach ease a bit. "Yeah, I am." Just as his fingers closed around the frame of his shades, Kid Flash's warm hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Dude…Rob, are you sure? You don't have to—"

"I want to."

"Are you _sure_ you're sure? You won't be able to undo this, Rob… I can't unsee it! And I mean, do- do you really trust me that much?"

Dick smiled and felt his stomach calm even more. "Yes, KF, I'm sure. I didn't just suddenly decide this overnight, you know. I put a lot of thought into it, and yeah, I talked myself out of it, like, a hundred times, but I just kept coming back to- well, to the fact that you risked your own life to save me when you could've walked away. And I just figure that if- if I can trust you with my life, I can trust you with my identity. Just- promise me you'll never tell anyone. Ever. 'Cause if people found out, things could get pretty bad for me and Batman."

"Okay. Yeah, dude," Kid Flash said, letting go of his wrist. "I promise."

Dick took a deep breath, pulled his sunglasses off and waited.

And waited.

His friend was just staring at him.

_He doesn't recognize me_, Dick suddenly realized.

Then the older boy tipped his head sideways a little and slowly reached a hand out towards him. Dick had no idea what he was going to do and had to squash his instinct to pull away. Fingers brushed his bangs back from his face and he squirmed a little as his friend studied him intently.

"Dude, no way… You're-you're Richard Grayson, aren't you?"

Dick grinned. "Call me Dick."

Kid Flash blinked. "Dick? Uh…okaaaay. But- wait- oh my god, if you're Richard Grayson, then does that mean Bruce Wayne is Batman?!"

"KF! Shhh! Not all of Central needs to know that!"

"Right, sorry, sorry!" Kid Flash said, immediately lowering his voice to a whisper. "Oh my god, I can't believe it! Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson are Batman and Robin…who'd've ever thought it?"

Dick chuckled.

"And- oh my god, that means you're rich, doesn't it? Dude!"

Dick's smile faded a little. "Well, it's not really my money…"

Kid Flash looked over at him and whatever he saw in Dick's face made him sober instantly. "Richard Grayson…the Flying Graysons…your- your family…"

Dick drew his knees further up to his chest and wrapped his one functioning arm around them. "Yeah."

"Dude…I'm-I'm so sorry."

Dick shrugged his good shoulder, the hurt suddenly sharp in his chest.

They were both silent for a moment before Kid Flash spoke up again. "No one's- no one's ever trusted me with something like this before," he said, sounding hushed, awed, almost reverend. "Not even- not even Flash. I mean, I know who he is obviously, but he's never trusted me with anything this important."

Dick looked at him and smiled at the expression on his friend's face.

Kid Flash turned to him suddenly and reached up to take off his hat and his own sunglasses.

It was Dick's turn to stop his friend. "Wait, KF, I don't want you to feel like you should tell me your identity just because I told you mine. Don't do it till you trust me. Like, _really_ trust me."

Wally stared at him. "Dude, you're _Robin_! What kid _doesn't_ trust you? And anyway, that's not why I want to do it. _You_ saved _my_ life first."

"Huh?"

"Dude, when those guys back in that warehouse were- were beating me up, I saw the look on their faces. They were grinning like loons, like they were on happy drugs or something. It-scared me. I don't- I don't think they would've stopped. If you hadn't jumped in when you did…"

Dick felt guilt twist his stomach. "I'm sorry, KF, I should've warned you about Gotham thugs. They're not like goons in Central, who actually have a conscience some of the time. Gotham criminals are _vicious_, and they won't hesitate to kill. Not even kids."

His friend nodded. "Yeah, I got that. But dude, that just makes me admire you even more."

Dick's eyebrows shot up. "Uh…'even more'?"

Kid Flash turned red and raised his hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Uh…well, yeah. I mean, like, _every_ kid wants to be Robin, because, well, 'cuz you're cool. And, you know, you get to work with _Batman _and sometimes even with Superman! But- now that I know what you're up against and how you can take down three thugs four times your size in three seconds flat…I dunno, I just- you kick butt, dude."

Dick was pretty sure he was turning as red as his friend now. "KF, that still doesn't mean you should-"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I do trust you. A lot," Kid Flash interrupted. "Just- let me show you, okay?"

Dick relented. "Okay."

Kid Flash pulled off his baseball cap to reveal his flattened red hair. He scrubbed a hand through it before proceeding to remove his shades. He turned his green eyes to Dick. "I'm Wally W-"

"West, I know," Dick finished for him, and then grinned at the look on his friend's face.

Wally blinked. "What?"

"I've known who you are for a while, Wally."

"What?!" Wally squeaked. "But- but- how?!

"Protégé of the World's Greatest Detective, _remember_?"

Wally sputtered. "Well, why didn't you say something?! I feel like an idiot being all secretive and stuff!"

"Wally, I didn't say anything because it wasn't my place. Whether you wanted me to know your secret identity was up to you. The fact that I already knew it doesn't change that." He took the baseball cap from Wally's hands and pulled it low over his own eyes. "Besides, I kinda liked your cool-guy-slash-jock look."

"You thought it looked cool?" Wally questioned, then paused, raising a eyebrow. "Wait. You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

Dick laughed, ducking the swat Wally took at him.

"Dude! Not cool," Wally said, but there was a smile behind his eyes. "Anyway, I guess it wouldn't be such a shock if people found out my secret identity. I'm just a kid nobody knows. I'd imagine the world would go pretty crazy if they found out about yours and Batman's."

Dick nodded. "Things could get pretty bad."

Wally paused mid-nod. "Wait. Does Bruce know you were going to tell me who you are?"

"Um. No."

"What?!" Wally stared at him, eyes wide, looking horrified. "Dude! Is- is he gonna kill me if he finds out I know his secret identity?"

Dick grinned at him. "Better make sure he _doesn't_ find out, Wally."

Wally dropped his face in his hands and groaned. "Duuuuuuude! Not. Cool!"

- End -


End file.

Young Justice, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort