Summary: 'So you only befriended me because I was some pity case to you?' Dick had admittedly firstly only befriended Wally because of his lack of protection from his parents. Now three years later, Wally doesn't know what to think of his so-called-best-friend.
Disclaimer: Don't own YJ.
…Yes, I love beating canon to a bloody pulp. I own mistakes and I suppose any OOC-ness shown.
"Baywatch! Do you really need to eat five tubs of ice-cream?"
Wally just shrugged, sprawled on the couch as he finished the fifth two-litre tub of strawberry swirl ice-cream.
Artemis scoffed, "Did your parents teach you anything about manners?" She snapped, turning around and walking to the kitchen where M'gann was stirring something in a big stove pot. She missed the quick flash of hurt on Wally's face and his tensed figure. Instead, she just gave a smile to M'gann and helped her with the recipe.
Robin, though, saw Wally's reaction and inwardly groaned. Trust Artemis to say something about his parents.
Robin stood up from his place next to Wally, walking to the kitchen.
"Whatcha makin'?" He asked casually, walking next to Artemis. He took a glance at Wally, then poked Artemis in the arm and gestured for her to follow down the hall- ignoring M'ganns answer. She didn't see them leave.
Wally did. He almost face-palmed because of it.
Robin and Artemis were standing in Artemis's temporary room at the cave, and Robin was rubbing the bridge of his nose below his glasses.
"What's this about?" Artemis frowned, tilting her head slightly and placing her hands on her hips.
"Wally. Look, I know you guys fight and all but just… just don't say anything about his family, okay?" Robin finally said, and Artemis's eyes widened slightly, a knowing feeling knotting her stomach.
"Why not?" She dared ask, but she had a strong feeling that she already knew the answer.
"Because… Because Wally never had good treatment from his parents. He doesn't want anyone to know about it and I probably shouldn't be telling you now. But KF… When I first met him, he just looked so…" Robin sighed, thinking of an appropriate word. "He looked lonely. Flash took up the role for his father I suppose, but Wally still didn't have protection. He had no one but the Flash, I suppose. This was three years ago, just about by the way. He's fine now; he has a lot of people to help him."
Artemis just gaped slightly. "So… You became friends with Wally because he was lonely?" Artemis frowned. This information was a delicate matter. And Wally was just so… full of himself (or, rather, it) you wouldn't of considered he had a pretty crappy childhood.
Robin stayed silent. He didn't answer the question. He didn't know how too.
Artemis just shook her head. "Alright, I won't say anything, bird boy."
Robin smiled gratefully.
They didn't know Wally was listening to it all, his ear placed against the door.
His eyes widened as he heard Robin speak, then Artemis's question. And then Robin's silence.
'He isn't denying it… He… He only befriended me because I looked lonely?' Wally's sad, confused thoughts turned angry. Only because he lacked protection?
'Some best friend! He wasn't even meant to know about my past, the goddamn stupid bat! He didn't even tell me he knew! He could've said… And if he's hiding this secret, then what else is he hiding? Is he only pretending to be my friend out of sympathy?' Wally was screaming silently. He had a lot of things he wanted to say to the mini-bats.
Instead, he backed away from the door and took in a deep breath. He ran to the zeta-tube.
'Recognized, Kid Flash. B03'
By the time Robin and Artemis left the latter's room, Wally was sitting on his bed, his head in his hands.
Artemis frowned, looking at the couch Conner now sat on, watching the latest headline. "Where's Baywatch?" She asked the room. Zatanna shrugged and so did M'gann.
Conner just replied with, "No idea. Thought he disappeared with you." Robin shook his head. No, he didn't 'disappear' with them.
Kaldur walked up, "I heard him leave the cave," He offered and Artemis just nodded.
Robin tilted his head, looking at the clock on the wall. "Must have gone home, I suppose." He said, but something nagged at him. Wally never left until M'gann finished her cooking and he could finish flirting.
'Probably sick from the ice-cream,' He thought, smirking.
Wally sat in his room, his mind racing. He was angry, confused and everything just bad.
Aunt Iris knocked on his door, peeping her head through the gap. "Hey Wally. I heard you enter. Are you alright?" She asked gently, stepping through the doorway. He looked up and sighed.
"No. Dick… H-He knew, Aunt Iris. He knew and he didn't tell me," He mumbled, closing his eyes to stop himself from letting his eyes water too much. She sat on the bed beside him, "What did he know kiddo?" She asked, hugging him on the side. "Befo- Before you guys," Iris knew it was the only information she was going to get out of him, but it was enough. "Oh kiddo. He's the bats kid, did you expect anything less?" She clutched him tighter. "No, but he could've told me!" His voice rose to anger. Why didn't his best friend tell him?
Iris just sighed, "He might have waited for you to tell him," She reasoned, and Wally shook his head. "He told Artemis! He told Miss Congeniality, but didn't tell me!" He stood up suddenly, surprising his Aunt. He was out of the house within the second.
'Recognized Kid Flash. B03,' the computer announced to the cave, and the residents inside it. Robin turned his head slightly, watching as a few moments later Wally walked through to the kitchen. His head was down, his body visibly tense.
Well, visibly tense to the kid that was trained to notice it. To anyone else, he was relaxed and fine.
'Maybe just stopping himself from punching Artemis,' Robin thought, dismissing the tensed Wally who was slowly eating a cookie.
That's what caught Robin off-guard. Wally never, ever, ate things slowly. Frowning, he got off the couch and propped himself up on the kitchen bar stool, facing Wally.
"You don't look very astered right now," Robin muttered to him, not wanting to be noticed by the others who were watching TV.
Wally just shrugged and Robin sighed. He was probably annoyed.
"Dude, you don't look fine. You're eating something slowly," Robin gestured to the cookie and Wally closed his eyes, standing up and walking down the hall.
'Okay, that's weird' Robin thought and followed him.
He became even more concerned when he noticed Wally was walking. Determined to find out what really had Wally on edge (it couldn't be Artemis still. He wouldn't be this annoyed at it for this long) he continued following him until Wally stopped, whirling around and stared at Dick, like he was looking at him in a new light.
"Are you really my friend, Dick? Should I even call you that, since only your real friends can?" The questions caught Robin off-guard, and he gaped slightly.
"Uh, what?" He asked, staring right back at Wally behind his shades.
Slowly, the pieces began to fit into each other inside Dick's brain.
"So you knew about my parents? And you didn't tell me?"
Robin still gaped, but the pieces fit themselves together. Damn it! He should've been more careful!
"You only befriended me because I looked lonely to you? So you only befriended me because I was some pity case to you? Is that it, Robin? It must be! Because that's what you do, don't you! You help those who are less fortunate than you, so you decided to just come along and be my friend to help me. Not because I was funny, or nice or just me. It was because I lacked protection. Please, please tell me I heard you wrong, Robin." Wally shook his head, stepping closer to Dick- looming over him. Dick stood like a fish out of water. He didn't know what to do. Bruce… Bruce never taught him anything like this. It was becoming nuts.
He couldn't tell Wally he heard him wrong because he simply hadn't. So he stood there.
"Well, I see then. Nice to know I'm just someone else to save," Wally said, in the exact same voice he had used when he was angry at Artemis*.
In that moment as Robin stood there, Wally had walked right past him. Pure anger covered his eyes.
Robin just hung his head in shame, refusing to believe his eyes were moistening.
Thank you for reading (: Yep, it may not make sense. It hasn't been proofread xD
*In Insecurity, at the end. And yes, Wally is a bit of a jerk here, isn't he?
Reviews will make me update faster ;) A smiley will do!
~Kayla :D