There Are No Shadows

A/n: No worries, there isn't any slash in here. Just a bonding, friendship fic, as per usual. (: And.. the bad place word shows up in here once, hence the.. K+ rating.

"How can you sit out here all night?"

The "here" that Kid Flash was referring to was Gotham City, where the young superheroes were currently perched upon the roof of the Wayne Enterprises building. The night breeze whistled around the top of the tall building that overlooked the whole of the city, which was currently illuminated as well as it could be from the multiple street lights. However, the small pin-pricks of light did not shine anywhere near the dingy corners and alleys of the Dark Knight's domain, and they helped very little with the overall morose tone of the place. Even the bright moonlight seemed to barely seep into the blackness of the inner parts of the city.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, turning to his friend and raising a curious eyebrow.

"It's just so gloomy. And creepy. I don't think Central City is ever this dark... even when there's a lunar eclipse!" Wally exclaimed, gesturing across the panoramic view that the building offered.

At this, Robin loosed a signature chuckle, to which Wally just shook his head softly and narrowed his eyes in confusion. Even though the speedster had known Robin and his secret identity before the formation of Young Justice, he still did not understand how the impressionable thirteen year-old could stand to see all the things the darkest corners and deeds the world had to offer. To one who based his life on science, it was incomprehensible, and likely still would have been if the redhead knew the whole to the little bird's past.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark, KF." Robin said, the tone lightly mocking.

"I'm not." came the blunt and grumbled reply.

"Uh huh. Well, to answer your obscure question; in the dark there are no shadows." The questioning look Robin received as an answer made the youngster sigh and glance back over the city, a warm smile on his face. He brought both legs up to his chest, and rested his arms on them, sitting as comfortably as one can on a very tall building.

"Ever heard the term, "shadows of the past?" Well... for me and Batman it's application is more literal. In the darkness, we can escape momentarily from our past, and try to better the future by putting criminals where they belong. I'm sure you understand the implications one moment has on the future and for us there was one instance, well, two separate ones, that irrevocably changed our futures forever."

"I get it... but, what's in the past that needs to be escaped from?" Wally asked quizzically, trying to clear up some things before the Boy Wonder went too far in his story. Every now and then the redhead cast a glance about Gotham, attempting to see things the way the young teen beside him did. A multitude of questions were crossing the redhead's mind after hearing his friend's cryptic explanation. However, the logically-minded teen could feel that Robin was not quite finished explaining yet, so he was content in waiting, hoping that the many more intricate questions he was dying to ask would be answered.

"Things that I wish weren't only memories." the Boy Wonder said with a sigh.

With that single statement, Wally began to put together facts, and immediately things were becoming clearer. This little piece of the puzzle had helped with some other pieces, but others were still shrouded in mystery. Before, his young friend had told him the general aspects, such as 'my parents died,' but that was the extent of his knowledge, and Wally could not bring himself to push for more information, and he was content with that. He wasn't a master detective like the Bat, but he could deduce that whatever had happened to Dick's parents that left an open wound in the young teen, and it was still hurting.

"KF?"

The redhead quickly turned his attention and gaze back towards the little bird, even though Robin's own gaze was still cast over the city. "Yeah?"

"Before I had told you my parents had died... that's not entirely true." The last part of the statement was said in little more than a murmur, and it took a second for the words to process in Wally's mind.

"Huh?" was all that the stunned speedster could manage, and it too, was spoken quietly, as if afraid the words would shatter whatever was making the young Boy Wonder speak so truthfully and openly about his past.

"They did die... but it sure as hell wasn't an accident." The venom that suddenly appeared in the Boy Wonder's voice shocked the speedster and he was completely taken aback. Wally sat up straighter and his eyebrows hitched up in surprise at Robin's sudden volte-face in attitude. The redhead was about to question his friend about what he meant, but the sudden question caught him off guard and gave him no time to speak the words.

"Remember the incident at Haley's Circus a few years back with the acrobats?"

"Uh huh..."

"They were the Flying Graysons, and the name isn't a coincidence. They were my parents."

The breath hitched in Wally's throat as he heard the declaration. His head spun as his thoughts turned to the last couple of years. He remembered sitting on the couch watching his favorite cartoon when his Uncle had commented on the "poor kid", and saying something about the circus which was no longer going to visit Central City. The Flash had been reading the newspaper, and the news was crunched into one of the back pages along with other "latest updates." The back pages, tucked away in the crease of the paper. The news of the acrobat's death, and the now-orphaned child hadn't even appeared on the front page.

"That was you." The statement was met with a solemn nod from the Boy Wonder, "Why... I mean, you've always been so silent about your past, why did you decide to tell me now?"

"It's the anniversary of their death." Robin wiped away a single diamond tear that had escaped from behind his masked eyes angrily, fighting to keep the rest of them hidden and unshed.

"Hey, Rob, come on. No need to cry..." Wally was uncomfortable at best, the snarky Boy Wonder that couldn't be fazed was gone, replaced by a normal thirteen-year old who had seen and dealt with too much.

"We can see if the Bat is back from his party and go get some ice cream? It always makes me feel better." The speedster offered. He was rewarded with a shaky smile from the boy next to him, who had seemed to calm down some.

"Mint chocolate chip?" Robin asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide the same shakiness that showed on his face in his voice.

"And Rocky Road for me!" Wally cheered, standing up and offering a hand to the younger, who ignored it with a grin and jumped to his feet.

Robin pressed a button on his glove and a blue screen popped up with Batman's cowled face, which immediately twisted with worry. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything's taken care of, no need to worry. Quiet night, for once. KF and I are going to find some ice cream, I'll meet up with you at oh three-hundred?" the Boy Wonder asked with composure and his usual grin. The Bat just nodded, and the screen went dark. Robin knew he would be explaining things later. Nothing got past the Bat, especially when it had to deal with his ward.

After cutting off the communications, he pulled out a grappling hook, handed one to Wally, and looked towards his costumed friend who had started to speak.

"Where exactly are we going to find ice cream at two in the morning?" the speedster asked, eyes roving over the grappling hook. No matter how many times he did this, it was still very creepy.

"Gotham doesn't exactly sleep at night, there will be some place open" Robin answered, and walked towards the very edge of the building, looking down. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Wally grumbled.

The bird launched himself over the side of the building, his signature gleeful giggle being whipped across the area as he fell. It was about a hundred feet before the swoosh of the grapple gun was heard as it shot out and attached itself to the nearest wall, catching the Boy Wonder before he could turn into a pancake against the pavement, and lowered him down to the ground softly and quietly. Kid Flash just shook his head and shot the grapple gun across the gap in the buildings before taking a deep breath and stepping carefully over the side into nothingness. His short fall, compared to Robin's, was caught quickly by the rope, and he too was soon safely down on the ground.

"The Flashes definitely belong on the ground. You and Bats can have the sky... and tall buildings." Wally said as he handed back the grapple gun to Robin, who just snickered, back to his old self. "Now... let's go find ice cream."

Ta-da! :D Too cheesy? I'm assuming even if Robin did get emotional, he'd pull himself back together very quickly. Hence the very fast change... Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I shall respond to them this time! Doesn't that lovely little button look lonely? You should click it and type. ^-^