A/N: Be Warned! This is EXTREMELY dark! And I don't own the characters, just the story!
Bart returned from a mission acting strange … Wally figures out what happened.
Wally knocked on the door nervously. Why was he there? For someone he shouldn't even know.
Bart was assigned to an undercover mission as a member of a drug cartel for a few months. But, he hadn't responded in the last few checkups. Wally's gut told him something was terribly wrong, and he needed to find out what. So, he found himself in front of Jay's house, knocking on the door. Bart opened the door, slowly. Wally's gut clenches even more.
Bart's eyes were swollen from the lack of sleep. His cheeks seem to have shrunk even more and , as if this was possible, Bart seemed to have lost weight. What the hell happened on that mission?
"Hey Wally. Wasn't expecting you. Jay's gone for the weekend."
"Actually, I came to see you Bart. Can I come in?" For a second, a look of surprise came upon Bart's face, followed by a smile that didn't reach his eyes like usual. The door widened all the way. The house looked the same as usual.
"Want anything? Water, juice, food?" Bart asked. Wally looked at him confused. Why was Bart so nervous? Take this slow and easy. Ease into the conversation.
"No thanks. How are you?"
Impulse grabbed a bottle of water and sat down. "I'm fine." Wally knew that was a lie. Hell, he created that lie.
"Really?" Bart leaned on the doorway and stared at Wally confused.
"What do you mean?" Looks like I should just ask directly.
"Bart, did anything happen to you on the mission?"
Bart seemed to slightly step away from the room. Something did happen, Wally thought.
"All the injuries sustained are logged in my file report. I'm healing just fine. And even Black Canary has seen me about any mental scarring. I should be back on the team in 1 to 2 weeks time." Wally shook his head, already indicating he didn't believe Bart.
"What do you want me to say?"
"The truth." Bart looked down, almost as if deciding whether to say what really happened. The silence was palpable. With every second that went by, Wally's gut twisted even more with dread.
"Why are you here?" Bart's question came out almost as a whisper. "I've been on missions before, and you never came then. What's different this time?"
How do you answer that? Wally thought for a second. Whilst Wally had given Bart his old uniform, he had a point. They weren't brothers like Nightwing and Robin. Hell, he wouldn't even consider Bart a friend. So, why was he worried for Bart so much now, to the point he felt sick? Wally decided to go for the truth.
"Honestly, my gut's telling me something really bad has happened. Something you want no one to know. What could be so bad that …?" Wally stopped as Bart's body trembled and a hand wipes his face.
Bart … was crying.
Wally didn't even know that was possible. The only thing Wally knew what to do in this situation was to hug the person. Were they that close? It doesn't matter. Wally walked up awkwardly hugged Bart. That's when it happened. The freak out.
Bart panicked and even punched Wally before snapping out of it. The gut feeling Wally had throughout this entire conversation just exploded. Bart has NEVER lashed out like that. Hell, he usually initiates the hugs.
"I'm so sorry. Please … please don't touch me. I'm sorry." Bart was out of breath and muttering.
"I'm fine. But you're not. Please tell me what's wrong." Bart sat down, hands shaking. For some time, the only sound that could be heard was his breathing.
"I … I was … Well … I … was …" Another deep breath escaped his lips.
Bart's heart was pounding. Tears were burning his eyes. He felt like vomiting and fainting at the same time as the memories flash through his mind.
"A few weeks ago, on the mission, I was summoned to the Boss's office. I ... " Another deep breath. Bart struggled to keep his breathing under control. Wally noticed this and decided not to push him, opting to let Bart tell the story at his pace.
A few moments go by. "I went to his office. But, he wasn't there. So I waited. Sometimes he would be late and would expect you to be in the room for a briefing. I waited. He ... "
Another pause. Wally's mind recognized the symptoms of PTSD.
Bart waited for his heart to pump slower. Then he continued. "His niece walked in … with her bodyguard." Bart couldn't hold the tears back.
Wally moved to the seat next to Bart, his mind already trying to work out what could have happened. "I'm here. You don't have to go on if you don't want to."
Bart shook his head. "She ordered her bodyguard to break all 4 of my limbs. He did. Then … Then …" Bart couldn't carry on. He broke down a little and struggled to breathe. Wally had to ask, his entire being dreading the answer to his question. "Did he hurt you?"
Bart shook his head. "She had him leave after. "
"Wait, this wasn't on your incident report. Why?" Bart looked Wally in the eye.
"For someone like us, this isn't considered an injury." For someone like us? Wally notice the moment he said this, Bart broke contact, lowering his gaze. It was almost like he was ashamed. Ashamed? What would make Bart so ashamed?
Wally begins to pace, trying to solve Impulse's riddle. When out of Wally's peripheral vision, he noticed Bart flinch. That moment, Wally noticed something extremely strange.
Bart was sitting still.
Bart, who would usually move as if to slow down time, yet it seems he was now frozen in it. Right now, the riddle will have to wait, Wally thought.
"Bart …" Bart's eyes were closing slowly. However, Wally noticed his reluctance to sleep. Wally remembered what Artemis does to get Wally to sleep; bore him to sleep with … Celebrity Gossip. Wally internally groaned.
"Sorry Bart, but you will thank me later" Wally muttered.
"Did you know that Kim K is releasing an album?" Bart looked at Wally as if he had grown a second head. But before he could question the statement, Wally starts again. "It's called My Sex." Wally continued this pattern for ten minutes, throwing random facts he couldn't care less about at Bart at an alarming rate. Wally continued to the point where he didn't even notice Bart was fast asleep until he heard quiet snoring.
Wally takes a nearby cushion and sofa throw, going back to the chair. This was going to be a while. Wally starts reflecting on the last few hours. First, the freak out of the hug, then the constant pauses during his story, then the two clues. 'For someone like us' and 'ashamed'. He then began to analyse the term 'us'. What did they have in common? They were both male, both redheads and both speedsters. Did this woman take his speed? That would be traumatic as it was for Wally. But, why would Bart leave that out on an incident report and why would he be ashamed if it has happened before? So, it must be male. Male must be the clue. Ok, so Bart was with the woman alone. What could she had done to Bart that …?
The answer hit him like a brick shattering glass. Wally looked at Bart, dreading the moment he would wake up.
Bart woke up hours later. Had he just slept? He recognized the setting, the living room.
After a few blinks, Bart sat up and looked ahead. Wally was still in his chair, staring off at a distant point. What was Wally doing there? How was he in the living room? Slowly, Bart began to recall hours prior to his nap. Wally came over and they talked about … the mission.
No.
Bart looked at Wally. With the look on Wally's face, there was no way Wally didn't know. Bart mentally cursed himself for slipping up. Now, he's done it. Wally would tell the team and they would see him for what he is. Weak. Bart shuddered at that thought internally. He looked at Wally, who was a statue.
"Please don't tell them." Bart's broken voice snapped Wally out of his thoughts. It broke him to still see the desperation in Bart's eyes.
Wally knew why he'd want this to be kept quiet. In fact, he spent the hours Bart was asleep to come up with a way to help Bart tell the team. But, what do you say? What can you say to take away the pain? However, Wally also knew he needed to get justice. He moved from his seat, ignoring his sore butt from sitting in the same space for hours, sitting next to Bart. He then looked at Bart. Seeing Bart like that made Wally's blood boil. He didn't deserve this. Nobody did.
"Bart, I can't even imagine what you're going through. I don't know your pain. But, I do know at least Uncle Barry needs to know this. He needs to know for the future." As soon as Wally mentioned Barry, Bart moved for the first time, and very really quickly, though not using his superspeed. He shook his head numerous times, trembling and sweating.
"He'll see me as weak and not let me help. Please don't tell the others, especially the Flash. Please." Bart was practically begging and on the verge of breaking down at that thought. For the first time, Wally felt guilt. Guilt for not letting Bart feel like his family. Guilt for making Bart feel like he couldn't come to anyone for help. Guilt for making Bart feel like he had to hold it in.
Wally realized what he needed to do. Wally calmly walked up to Bart , and looked him in the eye. "Bart, I need you to look at me." Confused eyes meet Wally's.
"You are not weak. Nobody sees you as weak. I don't think you're weak and I know Uncle Barry wouldn't see you as weak."
"How do you know?" Bart asked him. He looked like he desperately wanted to break but not in front of Wally.
"Because I know Uncle Barry. I've told him things I haven't told my step-father. He's never told anyone else." Bart's eyes were filled with uncertainty. That was an improvement in Wally's mind.
"Bart" Wally started as he could see Bart's walls breaking. "You've survived things no one else has. And I know that you're not used to talking to people. But, you do understand you're not alone? You have people here who will help you if you ask. Uncle Barry, Jay, the team and JLA … and me. I'm here for you if you need me." Bart's walls broke as Wally hugged him.
After a while, when his breathing had shortened into semi - hiccups, Bart muttered a name. A few days later, Bart asked to see Barry and Wally alone. That night, Regina Florence was found unconscious and arrested on charges of drug and human trafficking.
A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! This was an extremely hard fanfic to write. But, it was sexual harassment awareness month and someone said "Only girls get raped." But that's not true. So, I decided to write a fic to portray the harsh reality that anyone, even the greatest heroes, can get raped and that should be unacceptable. Though I know one fanfic is not going to fix this massive issue, I just needed to get this message out in my own way. I am sorry if this upsetted you. But , I felt that this is just something that needed to be said.