"Looks like Batman's finally here!" Flash grinned, jumping away from his slouch by the window. Superman was being nitpicky, stating firmly that all the League members had to be at the Watchtower before they 'officially' started the meeting. Really, though, the speedster just thought it was all an attempt to bore him even more than usual.
He swiftly ducked into the briefing room, cheerfully informed the others that the Bat was approaching, then ran down to the hangar where the sleek black jet was just coming in to rest.
"Hey, Bats!" Flash called out as the grim hero dropped to the floor. "We've all been waitin' on ya-" Both heroes froze at the muffled thump from inside the plane. "Uh..."
"It's nothing," Batman said off-handedly, striding past the scarlet speedster. "Now come on, I don't want to be any later."
"Uh, right, I... I, um, just need to use the bathroom right quick." He held up his hands at the glare directed towards him. "S'fine, I'll just be a minute, you go on up." Without another word, Flash ran down the hallway, though he skidded to a stop once around the corner. It was pure torture for the hero to wait as his teammate slowly turned and walked in the opposite direction, heading for the elevator that would take him up to the briefing room. Eventually, though, Batman was gone, leaving the speedster free to come back into the hangar and check out whatever had made that noise.
Jumping up and clambering around to peer in the open cockpit, he couldn't have guessed what he would find inside.
-S-
Several of the other heroes frowned as Batman came into the room, alone.
"Where's Flash?" Green Lantern grumbled. "I swear, after all his complaints about waiting-"
"Said he had to use the bathroom." The Dark Knight answered, though Superman and Wonder Woman were the only ones to notice his brief flicker of apprehension. That was immediately worrying to them. Before either could ask what was the matter, though, the door slid open once again.
"BATS! Whyisheherewhatwereyouthinkingjustleavingakidthissmallallaloneinyourplane?!"
"Flash, what-" Hawkgirl's question died on her lips. "Oh. Um.."
"I thought I told you to wait in the jet?" Batman growled.
"I was," Robin said in an annoyed tone, crossing his arms where he dangled from Flash's tight grip around his shoulders. "Until this knucklehead came poking his head in and saw me. Next thing I know, I'm being dragged up here so fast I don't even have time to blink! Will you please put me down now?!" He snapped this last complaint up at the speedster, who just blinked.
"Set him down, Flash." Superman said sternly, cutting off the sharp insult Batman was about to deliver about the treatment of his young partner.
"Huh? Oh, sorry kid." Gently depositing the scowling boy onto the floor, the speedster at least had the presence of mind to step back and look sheepish. "Guess I got a little carried away there."
"No, I'm the one who got carried away. Literally." With a huff, Robin stalked over to Batman's side, where the two of them continued to glare at the other hero. At least, until Wonder Woman stepped forward with a raised eyebrow.
Sighing, the Dark Knight proceeded to introduce his young partner to the other heroes, minus Superman, who'd already met the boy a month before the League formed. "We were returning from an emergency overseas, and I didn't have time to take him back to Gotham before the meeting. I had ordered him to remain in the Batplane-"
"Which I was!"
"And to not disturb anything until it was time to go."
Lantern snorted. "After having Static and Gear up here last fall, you were really going to make your own kid wait without getting a tour?"
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Flash grinned. "You guys go ahead and have the meeting and I'll show the kid around!"
Batman glared, opening his mouth to veto the idea, but Superman beat him to the punch. "Sounds fine, Flash, as long as you both keep out of trouble."
"'Course we will, right kiddo?" Robin barely had time to turn a slightly panicked expression to his mentor before he was once again snatched up by a red blur and hustled out the door. In that moment, the Dark Knight really wanted to bang his head against the wall - or maybe Superman's, except that the Kryptonian would probably go straight through.
"Shall we begin, then?" J'onn said quietly, monotone voice not betraying a hint of the amusement he felt.
"Yes. Let's." Batman managed to grind out. And when we finish, Flash is going to get a lesson in proper courtesy around another crime-fighter's partner. Maybe worse if he does anything to corrupt Tim before then...