Bedside Manner
By Snare-chan
Pairings: Kid Flash/Robin
Ratings: K+
Category(ies): Romance
Warning(s): None
Status: One-shot, complete
Summary: Rules are meant to be broken, especially to Kid Flash who refuses to let such technicalities get in the way of him visiting Robin.
Notes: This story actually marks my first attempt at a Young Justice fanfic and there's still certain aspects of this that I'm uncertain about, but I hope with more practice I'll become comfortable writing the characters. Written in response to a prompt posted on the livejournal anon meme: Dick is in the hospital and Wally refuses to leave his side. Sometimes he'll sneak in past visiting hours and lay down next to him.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice; wish I did like everybody else. They should put YJ in stock, then I'd buy it all!
The window was left cracked open, Wally purposely having left it so a moment prior when he was asked to leave the hospital room due to the limit on guests. He'd adorned his stealth suit, the gray and black uniform helping him to blend in with the nocturnal environment. He'd worn it under his civilian attire, needing the comfort only his superhero suit could provide in situations like this, even if Flash would have been cross to know he'd dressed in it outside of training or combat – but he would have also understood.
Holding his breath in preparation, he ran from the edge of the property, under the unlatched window and up the wall; he didn't release it until he'd reached his destination. Wally had gotten better at scaling these past few months, though his shoes made a scraping noise against the brick and he flinched. Hopefully nobody had heard the commotion.
He peeked his eyes over the ledge, ducking down a second later when he spotted Batman present beyond the glass. The redhead held his breath a second time, worried that he was caught for sure, but after a beat – then another – no black gloves reached out to wrench him up and away, nor did a pointy cowl come into view to scowl at him reproachfully. Hesitating, he lifted his head again and glanced into the room. Batman hadn't moved from his attentive spot beside Robin's bed. It was the same spot beside the chair Wally had occupied since his friend was admitted.
Robin looked so small, his stature altering without his attention-getting personality to build it up. The sight of the Boy Wonder in such a state was frightening in ways Wally couldn't accurately articulate. It made Wally's arms tremble for reasons not involving his hanging from a two story window.
Movement brought him away from his darkening thoughts as Batman gripped the chair and adjusted it closer to his charge as he sat down. Robin stirred, despite his mentor's action being precise and silent. He glanced around, bleary-eyed and frantic, before calming when he saw who was with him.
"How long?" Robin asked, and from the way his words slurred, the medication had taken effect. If he didn't have his training to rely on, he'd most likely be in a drug-induced coma.
"Forty-eight hours," Batman said. "Your team members made it back safely."
Robin's shoulders slid downward, a weight lifted without him needing to voice his concern, and he nodded minutely in acknowledgement.
"And the mission?"
"Completed."
But not labeled a 'success'. Wally noticed the choice of words and Robin must have picked up on it, too, because the space became awkwardly still.
"Rest," Batman instructed, and Wally ducked his head again as the man ran a gloved hand across his protégé's forehead, brushing sweat-soaked bangs out of his face. The moment was too personal and Wally didn't feel he deserved to witness it. "I'll debrief you when you're feeling up to it and have Black Canary instruct the team on improved stealth techniques."
"We've already covered those," Robin said, frowning in confusion.
"Advanced, then."
They shared a look, then as one turned to regard the single window in the room – Batman in what was disappointment and Robin in realization. Wally gulped and tried to become one with the exterior wall in mortification.
"Goodnight…Robin."
When Wally looked for the last time, Batman had vanished without a trace, not even the creak of the door marking his leave. The room was empty, save for his friend, and Wally clambered up the rest of the way; his arms were relieved to no longer support his weight.
"Hey," he greeted, sheepish. "Welcome back to the world of the living!"
"Tch, as if there was any doubt?"
Wally smiled, a little wan around the edges, but they'd all had a long couple of days. He wasn't quite up to par, himself.
He jogged over to Robin's bed, not bothering to request if he could join him. He'd already done this, not that Robin or anyone else had to realize that. Wally laid back in the space Robin wasn't occupying – which, again, was a lot. He was so small – wiry and spry and compact and Wally had to stop himself there because if Robin suspected his thoughts – and he would deduce them – he'd get insulted and maybe demand that he leave. Wally wasn't prepared for that outcome.
"How you feeling, buddy?"
"Like I could leap tall buildings in a single bound," Robin said, and grinned somewhat dopily. Definitely high off the morphine.
"Leave that to Superboy, huh? You should concentrate on-" recovering "-what candy you want me to sneak in and the movies we should watch during your downtime."
"Mm, I think this calls for a horror genre marathon," he said. His head knocked against Wally's shoulder and stayed there; the redhead didn't dare move afterward, the act of sitting still murder on his nerves, but he refused to disturb his teammate.
"How about comedies instead?" Wally suggested.
He remembered the fight – how the situation went from bad to worse to worst before anyone could have known. The way Robin's body had snapped all wrong in the air and the sound his screams made… Wally definitely couldn't handle anything gory at the moment.
"Sure, so long as it's not a romantic comedy. Nausea is the last thing I need right now."
"Deal."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Robin's breathing starting to even out as fatigue began to conquer his friend's resolve.
"Wally?" he asked, voice muffled by his shoulder as he pressed closer, curling tighter against his side. Wally allowed himself to readjust, quick as lightning to downplay jostling his teammate. He moved his arm to circle above Robin's head on the pillow and gave him room to draw nearer.
"Yeah?"
"You staying the night?" There was an undercurrent of something more profound in that question, and Wally was able to pick up on it because he'd known him for so long. He tucked Robin's head under his chin – gently, so as not to apply too much pressure.
"Sure. We'll have a good ol' pajama party."
"Nice," Robin said, and drifted off to sleep.
Wally remained vigilant throughout the entire night, dozing once between the periods when the sky faded from black to navy. A sudden presence in the room that hadn't existed seconds prior alerted Wally to something amiss, and he noticed Batman having returned from wherever it was he'd disappeared to. He was looming beside the door; Wally still never heard it open or close.
Wally became self-conscious when Batman said nothing, and he glanced from him to Robin and then back again. At a loss for what to do, he offered a finger wave in Batman's direction, afraid to do more lest it stir his bedmate. Batman didn't react right off, but eventually nodded and approached with fluid, quiet footsteps. Wally hoped that, someday, he'd be taught how to move like that.
"It's past visiting hours," Batman pointed out.
"The sign outside states visitation starts at 11 A.M."
"It's currently five in the morning."
"Not in France – right now it's 11:07 in that part of the world. If the medical staff wanted to enforce time zones they should have specified on the notice," Wally persisted, growing anxious. Robin unconsciously sensed his distress and clung to him in his sleep. He made a physical effort to relax.
As an afterthought, Wally added, "Uh, just to clarify, Batman, sir. Since time can be tricky to keep track of, and I'd hate to see you get in trouble for trespassing at this hour."
If he didn't know better, he'd swear Batman was smirking at him. Wally theorized that it was a trick of the morning light.
"Interesting conclusion, Kid Flash."
He said nothing more and approached the bedside table, setting down a small case filled with cookies. They looked homemade, but Wally couldn't imagine Batman participating in domestic endeavors like cooking. For starters, the desserts weren't bat-shaped like everything else the man touched, and for another, he was…well… The Dark Knight.
"Are those for-" he stopped short. In the span of him taking his eyes off Batman to observe the cookies, the man had gone. It boggled Wally's mind that someone could speed past him, but he'd long since learned that if there was a single thing in this universe that he couldn't explain into simplicity, it was Batman. Wally and his own mentor had already tried to brainstorm together and failed to come up with the simplest of explanations on how Batman, and at times even Robin, could accomplish what they did.
He nestled back against the bed, taking notice that Robin hadn't relaxed yet and absently rubbed his thumb in soothing circles along Robin's upper arm – away from the bandages and IV tap. His friend eased at the gesture and at the feel of Robin's skin – warm and alive under his touch – eventually, so did he.
-Fin-