It should've been an ordinary day as every other for Wally. Visiting his Aunt Iris, pretending to do homework while watching TV instead and getting to know his new Uncle Barry a bit better. He just met this guy twice and he always acted kind of awkward around Wally.
But the boy didn't mind much. His aunt seemed to like him a lot, so he was doing his best to like him, too. Well, not as much as his aunt, obviously, but you get the point, right?
Right now he was alone in his aunt's house though.
She had to leave for work because of some emergency or whatever. Wally didn't really listen. He had promised to wait for her or Barry to come home and spend the hour or so (finally) doing his homework. As soon as Iris exited the front door he rushed into the living room and turned the television on. Pff, he and doing his stupid homework. As if!
Not even 10 minutes later he was so bored he decided to walk around the house and look into random cupboards instead. What Aunt Iris didn't know, wouldn't bother her, right?
That's where he found something he totally didn't expect. There was this box signed as 'Barry's old reports'. Wally knew his uncle worked for the police or something and hoped to find something interesting. What he found, was more than interesting but had nothing to do with Barry's work. Well, not his official work.
The reports in fact journalized some quite difficult experiments. Wally understood only half of it. But what he got was what this experiment did. It gave someone superspeed.
The ginger wasn't as stupid as he liked to make others think. He instantly figured what this meant: His aunt's boyfriend Barry was Flash! The Flash!
Did Aunt Iris know this? And she didn't tell him anything?
Most likely.
She knew how big of a fan he was! She should have told him! He totally would have liked Barry a lot more! And would have asked for autographs and to have a run with him and…join him as his partner/sidekick/whatever! This Batman-guy and Green Arrow-dude had younger fellows, too! Flash would totally need someone - need him!
Wally was exited! He totally would confront Barry with this new found information and he was sure, Barry would love to get him as his partner!
The boy reread the last experiment pages – the ones that worked in the end. He would have to understand this, if he wanted to have superspeed himself. Sure, Barry could help him doing the experiment but he was eager to at least understand what would happen to his body.
He always was good at science anyways. He had his own chemistry set since he was 7! Well, and if he would care a bit more about school he probably would have only best marks.
This experiment was way beyond anything he ever did or saw, though. Wally closed the box and put it back into the cupboard, without the sheets he wanted to read, of course. Then he walked back into the living room to sit down while reading. Just when he reached the couch the front door opened and Barry shouted a greeting into the house.
Shocked Wally stopped in his track and looked around frantically. His homework lay still open on the dining table. Quickly he put the experiment papers in the open folder and shut it right when Barry walked into the room.
"Hello, Barry! Aunt I had to leave for work, she'll be back soon, though!" he babbled on while trying to look as innocent as possible. He preferred to not let Barry know he just looked through his personal stuff. Wally didn't want him to get mad at him, now that he was about to become his partner in crime fighting.
Barry just nodded and smiled politely. "Yeah, she just called me and asked me to come home earlier."
Oh so his aunt didn't trust him all on his own? Wally felt offended for a moment. The he remembered what he just did while being alone. Well, maybe Aunt Iris had a point…
"So…you finished your homework?" Barry asked while walking to the couch. The TV was still turned on. Barry grabbed the remote and switched the channel.
"Yup, all done!" Wally lied. "Just finished it a minute ago."
Barry plopped down on the couch and looked at Wally. He smiled, no smirked, for a moment and turned back to watch TV.
"Sure thing, kid. Just promise me to do it later…and don't tell your aunt."
Slightly flustered Wally crossed his arms in front of his chest. How did he know he was lying? Pouting he sat down next to Barry and looked straight at the TV, not really concentrating on the program though.
"How did you know I lied…?" he asked quietly.
Barry laughed lightly. "I was the same, when I was your age! And well, the TV was on, you know."
Oh, so Barry thought he watched TV all the time! Well, that's better than knowing the truth.
Wally still had to confront him about being The Flash and everything though. How should he start this without giving away he sniffed through their cupboards…and borrowed those experiment sheets…he totally only borrowed them! He intended to give them back later, after all!
He gulped and looked at Barry. "Can I ask you something…?"
The blonde man nodded. "Sure, what's up?"
"You and Aunt Iris are going to marry someday, right? And then you are going to be my uncle and we will go on camping trips and play baseball or whatever together. All the cool uncle-nephew-stuff, you know?" He paused for a moment. Barry now looked at him, lightly blushing, but Wally didn't really understand why. Did he say something embarrassing? Well, whatever. "So…there shouldn't be any secrets between us, right, Uncle Barry?"
It felt weird to call him his uncle. He still barely knew this guy after all. But he was sure he would get used to it sooner or later.
Barry still looked kind of flustered and highly confused.
"Uhh, well sure, Wally," He replied blinking a few times. When Wally just kept looking at him he added: "So…is there something you want to talk about?"
Wally was quite for another moment but kept looking at Barry. Then he inhaled deeply and put on his most serious face.
"I know you are The Flash." – Barry's eyes widened in shock, but Wally kept talking – "And I want to be your partner! I know there are other heroes my age, or well soon-to-be-heroes, but still! And I always wanted to fight crime and have some superpowers and all this cool stuff! I'm a good runner already and after this experiment I'd be just gorgeous! And-"
Barry lifted his hand and interrupted him.
"How do you know about the experiment!?"
He looked angry and Wally felt caught for a second.
"Uhm…the internet…?" he replied a bit unsure. But Barry didn't notice he lied this time. He sighed deeply and brushed his hand through his hair nervously.
"Listen, Wally. I…I won't deny it. I am Flash. But I don't want a sidekick, okay?"
Wally was confused. "What? But why? I could help you and-"
"No!" Barry shouted and got up. He walked around the room to calm down and continued in a more calm tone. "No, Wally. This is way too dangerous. You have no idea how close to death I am every day! And I'm doing this hero business for a few years now. I couldn't manage to watch over someone else at the same time. Your aunt would kill me, if I'd let you get hurt!"
"I can watch out for myself perfectly fine," Wally insisted. He got up as well and stood in front of his uncle, looking straight up at his face. But Barry just shook his head. "I always get my homework done in time! I never fail a test – sure I could do better- but I always pass! And I even managed to watch over some friend's pet due holidays, you know how dad won't let me have one myself, but-"
"This is different, Wally. You know that."
The boy pouted and crossed his arms again. "I won't be a burden, I promise!"
This didn't go as planned. Why wasn't Flash just happy to get a helping hand? Why would he deny to want a sidekick? He sure did want one! All the other heroes got one these days, after all! Wally didn't understand…
Barry looked at him very serious, almost angry. He put his hand on Wally's shoulder and bent down slightly.
"No. I don't want the responsibility, Wally. Please accept that. It's flattering you want to help me and everything, but no is no," he continued to look at Wally a bit longer then lifted his gaze messing his hand through his hair again. "Now drop this topic, please."
He went back to the couch and set back down. Wally stayed where he was, still pouting. He knew the argument was over, but that didn't mean he'd show that to Barry.
But Barry didn't turn around again. He just kept quiet, faking to watch TV again.
Wally sighed. He would drop it, for now. But like hell he would give up! He wanted to be a hero himself! His life was so boring and just nothing until now! He would change that, for sure! He would just ask Barry over and over again until he gave in.
He sat down too, not looking at Barry.
"Can I still ask for an autograph or something…?"
Barry laughed and pushed his hand through Wally's hair.
"Sure thing, kiddo."
A few weeks passed and Barry still wouldn't let Wally join him. But the boy was positive it would happen, sooner or later.
On top of that he studied the experiment sheets over and over again and knew them by heart by now. He still copied them to one of his notebooks and secretly put the originals back.
So, in case Barry would continue to not listen, Wally could just give himself superspeed. Then Flash would accept him as his sidekick, for sure.
Unknown to Wally, his uncle already berated his 'problem' with some of his superhero colleagues.
The ones who already had sidekicks, to be certain. Green Arrow was understanding, though recommended to give the kid a chance. He even offered to help training him. Batman on the other hand kept quiet for the longest time but in the end agreed, that Flash isn't capable to watch over a sidekick. Barry knew he should be offended by this statement but it was the truth and he knew it. And he really appreciated an honest opinion at the moment.
"So, what should I do?" he asked the Dark Knight. "The kid won't stop asking and I'm kinda afraid he might do something stupid if I don't get through to him…"
"What do you mean?" Green Arrow asked, looking confused.
Barry looked down at his hands, slightly shaking his head. "I don't know…it's just the way he's acting or something…"
Batman looked at him. It was barely visible, but even he looked slightly concerned. If he really was worried about Wally or just about the whole situation (some kid getting Flash's secret ID that easily for sure annoyed him) he didn't know.
"He won't listen to you, so maybe someone else should talk to him," he finally stated.
Flash looked up, blinking a few times. "You…I mean…I don't think it's a good idea to talk to him yourself, Bats. I mean, sure he would be afraid like hell. But-"
"I wasn't talking about me, Flash," he was interrupted.
"Not?" He was confused. Very confused.
"Someone his age might have more success."
Barry still wasn't sure about this. Or why he agreed to it in the first place. But it was worth the try, hopefully.
So here he was, Wally to his left babbling on about school and what so not, walking down a street. He had picked up the kid from school. Wally thought they were going to eat ice cream in the nearby park and go home to his and Iris' place later. This wasn't out of the ordinary or suspicious at all. They really started to get along the past weeks, no matter how annoying Wally sometimes was. He really liked the kid and – if it wouldn't be for the 'danger part' – he sure would love to have him as a sidekick.
But nonetheless it simply was too dangerous. Wally was still way too young to start crime fighting – not to mention to do this equally dangerous experiment to his body. And Flash himself was simply not ready for such a big responsibility.
They were nearing the park and stopped by their favorite ice cream parlor down the shopping street.
Barry asked Wally to wait while he went inside the parlor. Wally – being the nice and responsible nephew he wanted Barry to see in him – nodded and smiled.
He looked around and watched the people passing by, but nothing too interesting seemed to be going on. Wally lifted his arms and folded his hands behind his head, looking as bored as he felt. Glancing back to the shop he saw the long queue and sighed. This would take aaaages.
Just when he turned around to watch the street once more, he suddenly heard a weird whirring noise from above. Before he could look up he felt someone grab him around the upper torso and pulling him upwards. He wanted to yell, but no sound would leave his mouth.
Before he could even finish processing what just happened he felt ground under his feet again. He gaped at the sight before him. He was on top of the building. The people on the street looked just like ants from up here! But most of all – no one seemed to have noticed he got just kidnapped!
He was pulled backwards and just now registered there was still an arm around him.
He was too afraid to turn around, however. He just hoped Uncle Barry would notice his absence soon and rescue him.
This was so not what he wanted to happen! He wanted to be the hero, not the frightened victim!
Wally was now a few steps away from the edge and the arm was (finally!) removed. He felt the presence behind him take a few more steps back. What were they planning?
He inhaled deeply, trying to calm down.
He couldn't just wait for Flash to rescue him! Wally had to prove he was brave and could do this by himself or else Barry would never give in and let him be his sidekick…!
Slowly he turned around to look at his opponent. First things first. He had to know who he was dealing with and then he could think about a strategy.
To say he was surprised, when he saw who had kidnapped him, was an understatement.
There stood a dark-haired boy, nearly a head smaller than himself, arms crossed over his chest and grinning widely. He wore a mask to cover his eyes and a black-red-yellow mixed uniform, with cape and everything. Not to forget the yellow utility belt around his waist.
Wally recognized him right away.
"Wha-...Robin…?"
Batman's famous protégée. The first sidekick ever. The boy who gave him the idea of being a sidekick himself in the first place!
He must have made a really stupid face, because said boy giggled at him.
"Hello Wally. Nice to meet you, too."
Wally still didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth and closed it again while staring at Robin. What was going on? Why would Robin kidnap him? He thought Batman and Flash got along quite well. Or did they have an argument and Batman would now…torture him or something as revenge? Oh please no…
He gulped and tried to focus on thinking positive. At least it was 'just' Robin. He might have got a chance to escape here.
Though, who was he kidding? This boy just, literally, lifted him out of a crowded street and no one frigging noticed!
Wally started to understand why Robin had the nickname 'Boy Wonder' …
"W-what … is going on…?" he asked finally. He sounded way more frightened than he wanted to. But he couldn't help it. He was still just a 12-year-old kid after all, okay?
Robin grinned at him the whole time, seemingly liking how frightened Wally was. Now he was laughing lightly again.
"Well, the Flash asked us for help with a little problem, you see?" he responded and took a step closer to Wally. The ginger wanted to back off, but his legs wouldn't move an inch.
Oh my god. He ASKED for this? Did he annoy him too much? Had Barry now asked Batman to…dispose of him?
His last hopes dropped. If Flash wouldn't save his butt, no one would. He was sure about this. His fate was settled. He was going to die.
Suddenly Robin laughed out loud. He clutched his stomach with one hand and pointed the other one at Wally shaking slightly. Wally was sure, if he wouldn't wear this mask he would have seen tears from all the laughing in his eyes. "You should have seen your face!" He finally stated through laughter and walked to Wally's right. He set down with his back to the edge of the building and patted the space beside him, obviously wanting Wally to sit down too.
The ginger was still highly confused, but no longer frightened. Hesitantly he set down keeping a bit more distance than necessary though.
"Dude, not cool! That wasn't funny!" He pouted at the younger boy, who finally stopped laughing.
"True, hilarious would be a better description," Robin replied. He shook his head slightly and lifted his gaze at Wally, still grinning widely.
"What are you doing here anyways? Gotham City isn't really close by or anything. And why did you kidnap me? You know, my uncle is right down there and probably looking for me by now!" Wally suddenly felt way more confident. This Robin-guy was just a kid – like him – probably even younger than him! There really was no reason to be frightened. "And how did you do this? Like getting down there and picking me up without anyone noticing? I mean, that was really not a nice move of you – impressing – but not nice. And-"
"You really talk a lot. I don't want to imagine this with superspeed added," Robin interrupted him. "But thanks. I always feel flattered when I can impress my fans~"
Robin crossed his arms behind his head and smirked at him.
"Wha-? No! I never said I'm your fan!" Wally tried to defend himself. "And you didn't answer my question…"
Robin set up straighter and crossed his legs as well.
"First of, I already told you, duh. Flash asked for help. So here I am taking a trip to Central City just for some noisy, ginger brat." Wally instantly looked offended and wanted to interrupt him, but at the same time he couldn't help himself to feel a little bit excited. Robin was here simply to talk to him. To little, unimportant Wally! Even if this whole attempt to become a sidekick brought him nothing else, at least he had the chance to meet Robin once in his life! So he kept quiet…for now. "Second, you recognized me instantly. You sat down without a fuss and didn't even consider asking me to bring you back down to the street. Conclusion: You want to talk to me. This means you are, most likely, a fan."
Wally almost laughed at this. This boy was smart for his age. A bit too cocky, but still. He couldn't deny he already liked talking to him.
"Don't forget to add to your list that you already insulted me a few times and I still keep talking to you," He smiled himself now. Robin laughed at his statement and simply replied "Added."
Wally laughed too. He was finally easing up and getting used to this weird situation. And he started to understand what's going on, at last.
"But hey, can you blame me? I never met another sidekick before! It's just natural to want to talk to you, right?" Oh yes, he was so calling himself a sidekick, although he wasn't one technically…yet.
"'Another sidekick', huh?" And Robin noticed, of course. His smile finally got smaller and he looked way more serious all of a sudden. Wally kept smiling confidently and lifted his right fist to his chest.
"Soon-to-be sidekick of the amazing Flash!" he stated. But Robin's smile didn't return.
"You know why I'm here, right?"
Wally's smile faltered as well. He sighed and looked down to his feet.
"Yeah…"
Robin lowered his arms and crossed them lazily over his stomach.
"I suppose Flash already had this whole 'too dangerous', 'you're too young' and so on talk with you?"
Wally laughed bitterly. "Way too often…"
Robin nodded.
"You know he's just concerned and doesn't want to lose you, right?"
"Of course, I know! I'm not that stupid, okay?" Wally relied a bit harsher than necessary. He really was tired of everyone telling him what to do. Maybe it was dangerous, so what? It was his own choice! "And anyways, you are even younger than me and still doing this whole sidekick job! How the hell should talking to you change my mind?"
He looked up again, trying to look Robin straight in the eyes. It felt kind of weird due to the boy's mask, but he didn't lower his gaze.
"Exactly for that reason. You have no idea what it's like to be a hero's sidekick, but I do.
"I go to school, do homework, go to training and whenever Batman let's me, I join him on patrols. But mostly this is only on Friday and Saturday. Like I said, there is school as well. Still I get way less sleep than an average kid. I have to train a lot. I have to study a lot. Just recently for example I started to learn how computer codes work so I'm prepared to hack into villain's systems. Do you think that's easy to learn? While still studying for school and training of course?"
He paused for a brief moment. Wally didn't know what to say, he just slightly shook his head.
"And most of all: There is no time for friends. I can't just spend my evening hanging out. I can't even tell anyone at school what I'm doing in my free time. I always have to lie to them. No one must know I'm Robin. Does this sound like fun to you?"
Wally shook his head again. He had to admit, he never thought that far about all this. Sure he knew about the whole secret ID stuff. He would never have told anyone his uncle was The Flash. Sure it would be nice to brag about it and be the center of attention for something good for once. But he knew it was wrong and he knew it would endanger Barry.
Keeping his own sidekick-life a secret was obvious too. He just never considered it being difficult. Not like that.
"Last but not least there are the fights itself," Robin continued. "Just like Flash told you. They are dangerous. Sure the moment when the villain is defeated and you know you did something good feels great, but else? Not that much fun. You have to concentrate really hard the whole time. You have to be more careful than you can imagine. You really have to know what you're doing and there is no turning back if you do a mistake or misjudge a distance or anything. Like I said, I already train a lot. And still I get hurt most times - nothing life threatening, but bruises, cuts, and all that. Again I have to cover them in my 'normal' life and even if something hurts really badly – I mustn't show it.
"Really Wally, if you think being a sidekick or hero would be just cool and fun you are in fact stupid."
Wally had his gaze lowered as far as possible by now.
"I…I never said I'd think it's just fun…" he said quietly. Robin didn't say anything further. He probably had said everything he wanted to say.
Neither of them spoke up for a few minutes. Wally thought about everything Robin just told him. Sure, it sounded tough and kind of scary at first. But the longer he thought about it, the more he knew it wouldn't bother him all that much. Well, he wouldn't care to go through all this himself. He felt sympathy for Robin, however.
"It's Wednesday," Wally stated the first thing he could think of.
"So?"
Wally sighed and looked up a bit. "So: Sorry." Robin looked confused. Wally wasn't too sure because the mask still hid most of the boy's emotions. He explained himself anyways. "Well, you just explained how you have no time at all for yourself and on top of that normally have no missions in the middle of the week. Sorry you have to waste your time with me instead of at least a real mission…"
Robin just looked at him for another moment before he smiled at him and shook his head.
"No worries. I'm glad for any mission," he said. "And to be honest, it's kinda nice to talk about all this to someone. It's not like I could run up to Batman and complain or something, you know…"
Wally laughed slightly at this. He looked up completely and returned the smile.
"Feel free to come to me, whenever you need someone to talk to," he said. And he meant it. No matter if he ever became a sidekick himself, or not. He'd happily help this kid to deal with his tough life, even if this meant to shut up and just listen. "Though, I'd be grateful if you wouldn't kidnap me next time pulling me up some skyscraper and shit."
Robin laughed and leaned back until he was lying down completely but didn't reply.
Wally kept sitting where he was, bouncing for and back a little. Shouldn't he feel awkward now? He was sitting on a rooftop, talking to an almost stranger, after all. But he didn't. He felt awkwardly comfortable, to tell the truth.
Not to mention, he was supposed to feel scared or concerned now. He should feel like not wanting to be a sidekick anymore. But no, he did neither. Sure it would be tough, but he just knew it would be worth it. He would be somebody for once…
Also, he just knew he would find an awesome friend in Robin. Maybe even best friend…
"Can I ask you something?" Wally finally asked.
"Sure," was the short reply. The boy didn't bother to get up.
"Why did you become a sidekick anyways? I mean, you're pretty smart, probably even smarter than me! You…you sure knew what it would be like and everything…" Wally looked at Robin expectantly.
Robin lifted himself up slowly, without using his arms. He looked at Wally for a moment, thinking hard. Then he shifted his gaze to the side, looking over the city. "Honestly? No I didn't. I totally underestimated it."
Wally didn't expect that. He blinked a few times, confused.
"But…why you never just, you know, quit? Batman is scary and all, for sure. But I doubt he is forcing you into this, right?" He kept looking at the Boy Wonder, who slightly smiled now.
"Would you quit?" he just asked. And Wally laughed slightly. No, he wouldn't. Never.
"It's worth it, huh?" the ginger asked back. Robin just nodded and finally looked back at him. He still smiled a bit.
"I didn't convince you at all, did I?"
Wally shook his head, smiling apologetically. Robin suddenly moved his upper body back, just to swing forward fast and hop to his feed. He stepped right in front of Wally, so the ginger would have to look up at him almost painfully.
"I don't get you. If I'd have known about all this trouble, I'd have thought twice about becoming a crime fighter." He had his arms crossed again looked rather annoyed.
Wally just kept smiling though. He didn't even flinch. He just shrugged his shoulders.
"I did so too. More than twice, even. But I decided: It's worth it."
Robin kept looking at him, most likely trying to think of something to say to finally change his mind. Wally kept looking up at him, smiling confidently.
If this would have been a test for him about being serious or not he so would have passed it! But he knew it wasn't. Deep down he knew Flash just didn't want a sidekick. He knew he wouldn't change his mind and he knew he couldn't do anything about it.
Sure he could just look for another hero to take him in, but that's not what Wally wanted. He adored Flash! He was his hero! Superspeed was just the coolest power ever to him! And…he really liked Barry, not only as Flash, but as a person, as his uncle.
If he became anyone's sidekick, it'd be Flash's.
Before Robin could speak up again, Wally decided to drop the act. He sighed through his nose and shifted his gaze to the right.
"I know I'm being stupid, okay? I just…can't help it. Flash is…he is my hero since I'm a kid. To suddenly meet him felt like destined. I…I just…I don't know…" he drifted off. He didn't really know what he wanted to say anymore.
"I never said you're being stupid. I don't really know you but judging from what I know, you're probably smarter than you know yourself." Wally looked up again to see if the other boy was just mocking him again. But Robin looked all serious. He really meant it.
Wally couldn't help a slight blush covering his cheeks. He pushed his hand slowly through the hair at the back of his head.
"Uhh, thanks…" was all he could reply.
Robin knelt down in front of him, so they were at the same height again.
"You know, you probably really would make a great sidekick," he suddenly said. Wally was quite startled but didn't have a chance to say something in return, before the boy continued. "But you have to remember: This is not about you. It's about Flash. He is not ready for a sidekick. Not ready for you."
Wally had to gulp. He suddenly felt really bad to try to force his uncle into all this.
"Just, be patient, okay? Maybe one day he will be ready," Robin added and now smiled at Wally again. After a moment Wally nodded hesitantly.
Robins smile widened. "Promise me, you won't bother him about this anymore, okay?"
Wally closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"Alright. I promise."
Robin dropped backwards and sat down again. He smiled generously - most likely because he completed his mission successfully.
Wally smiled too, but more sadly. He turned his gaze to the right again, looking over the city. The sun started to set and the sky was already bright orange and red.
He had to give up his dream of the past few weeks. Or more like, dream of the past few years. There always was a small part in him, hoping to be a hero one day, just like Flash. Now he had to drop this and go back to his normal live. Think up normal dreams and goals.
What did normal people strive for anyways?
"And there I already made a list of possible names for my sidekick self," he joked. Wally just didn't want to stay quiet. It made him feel more miserable than he already felt.
Robin laughed lightly. "Oh, really? Shoot!"
"Well," Wally started. He sure had thought about this a lot but never came up with a name he really liked. "'Flashboy', for example. Or … 'Flash Jr.' I know I could do something totally different, like you. But I kinda want to have the word 'Flash' in it."
Robin giggled beside him. "'Flashboy'? Seriously?"
Wally blushed slightly and crossed his arms.
"It's not that bad…!" he stated, although he knew he was wrong. He so not wanted to call himself Flashboy. "But…I don't really like it that much either. I just couldn't think of something better yet."
"What about…," Robin mused with his index finger against his chin. "Yeah, what about 'Kid Flash'? You realized how Flash calls younger ones always 'kiddo'? Would be kinda fitting to call his sidekick Kid Flash…"
Wally looked at him with wide eyes. This was just brilliant! Why didn't he come up with this idea? He really liked the name! It was just perfect!
But he couldn't let Robin know.
"Yeah, Kid Flash sounds okay, too. It was on my list as well," he lied and crossed his arms behind his head.
"Oh, really?" Robin smirked at him knowingly. But Wally ignored it and looked to his right once more. His gaze drifted over the city slowly. He just realized, he never got to see it from this high above before. It was really beautiful.
"It's getting late," Robin stated now serious again and offered him a hand to get up. Wally didn't even notice the other boy had gotten up. He took the hand and pulled himself up.
Robin moved to the other side of the building and gestured him to follow. He stopped next to the edge and pointed his arm to the opposite building. A grappling hook suddenly shot from a small box under his arm and hooked itself into the wall. Wally just watched blinking. So that's how he got dragged up here.
Robin motioned him to get closer. "Come on. Let's get down."
The smaller boy slung an arm around him tightly and jumped forward without a warning. Wally clung to him instantly and his eyes widened in shock. However, Robin knew what he was doing. They dropped quite fast at first but got smoothly slower when they neared the ground and landed lightly.
Wally let go of Robin and stepped back, still a bit startled.
"Next time, warn me before you jump, okay?" he more stated than asked. Robin laughed slightly.
"Can't promise that," he chirped happily.
Wally put a fake pout on and looked away. He couldn't hide a smile before long though. Robin maybe didn't say it directly, but he never declined to meet him again either. So there was a high chance for them meeting again, right? They could become friends, anyways. Wally didn't necessarily have to be a sidekick to be Robin's friend, right?
"You know your way home from here?" Robin asked, although he probably knew the answer. Wally nodded anyways. He lifted his hand, made a fist and held it out for Robin.
He smiled again and shook his head, but bumped his own fist into Wally's nevertheless.
"It was really nice to meet you, Robin, " Wally dropped his hand again and grinned widely. "And thanks for…you know, everything."
Robin nodded understandingly. "It was nice to meet you too, Wally," he replied.
They looked at each other quietly for another moment.
"Well, see ya," Wally waved his hand and moved backwards one step.
"See you," was the short reply. Then Robin stepped back himself, way more smoothly though. He was gone in the shadows within seconds. Wally blinked confused for another moment before he turned around, smiling brightly.
He arrived at his aunt's and uncle's house about 15 minutes later. He still smiled to himself when he ringed the doorbell. Barry opened the door not even a second later.
"Wally!" he looked overly relieved and hugged the boy. "I already got worried because you were taking so long…you are fine, aren't you? He…wasn't mean to you or anything, right?"
Wally had to laugh. First he set Robin up on him and then he got all worried about it?
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Wally pushed away slightly and broke the embrace.
They walked inside and Barry closed the front door behind them. He kept looking at Wally curiously and a bit expectantly.
"So…," he started carefully, "How did it go?"
Wally thought about it for a moment. He kind of wanted to tease his uncle and tell him it would have been horrible or something. But he just couldn't bring himself to be really mad at him, or even stop smiling.
"Cool," he said instead. Barry instantly looked relieved.
"And just to make myself clear: I so have all rights to be mad at you right now! But…it was really nice to meet Robin, so I forgive you. It was lots of fun to talk to him! He's way younger than I expected though. Do you know how old he is exactly? Nine or ten or something?" – "Uhh, ten, but-"– "Hah, I knew it! It's really impressive he can do all this cool stuff at his age! I really hope we can become good friends, like really! I never met someone as cool as him before! But don't tell him I said that, okay? It'd be weird if he knows I talk like that about him. And-"
"Wally," Barry interrupted his rambling. "I…I'm glad you two get along and all, but…you know this is about something else." He looked concerned.
Aunt Iris was in the kitchen and didn't seem to notice Wally was even there. She just quietly hummed to herself.
Wally's smile dropped a bit, but not completely. "Yeah…"
They looked at each other for another moment, neither of them even moving. Wally didn't really wanted to talk about this, but he knew he owed it to his uncle. And Robin.
"He even made me promise to stop bothering you," he finally said and turned around to sit down on the couch.
Barry exhaled heartily, obviously relieved.
He set down as well, but didn't say anything in return. He still felt a bit guilty to have done this to his nephew in the first place.
"Can you…just promise me something in return?" Wally suddenly asked. He lifted his gaze and looked at Barry seriously. "If you ever feel ready to have a sidekick: Don't hesitate to ask me. It…it would mean the world to me."
Barry laughed happily in return. "I know Wally, I know. And … promised."
Wally smiled up at him equally happy in return.
"So, what was this about you and Robin being friends?" He leaned back in the couch, relaxing.
"Well, where should I start?" Wally said excitedly. He wanted to tell his uncle everything that happened the past few hours and was happy to see Barry wanted to hear all of it in return.
He wasn't sure, how he ended up like this. He had promised not to do that!
Well, okay he had just promised to stop bothering Barry. But he knew this also implied to not do…something stupid. Like he just did a few hours ago.
What got into him, really?
Oh right, school, his not-really-friends at school, his dad…he got so frustrated about everything that simply trying this experiment on himself sounded like a good idea.
And look what it got him. He was in a hospital, his whole body ached and he could barely move a finger. His parents just left. His mum was crying the whole time and his dad didn't even look at him. He was probably more furious about his garage getting destroyed than about his son being hurt.
Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris visited him too. Barry had blamed himself the whole time, no matter what Iris said.
Wally felt miserable.
Not only had he almost killed himself, he made everyone else worry and probably mad at him and…he didn't really want to think about it.
Uncle Barry most likely wouldn't talk to him ever again.
And Robin neither.
They only met twice in the past three months since their first encounter. Once Wally went to Gotham with his uncle, the other time Robin visited him in Central for a few hours.
Both times they just talked about whatever came to their minds: video games, movies, their favorite food or drinks or ice cream flavor. They never talked about something too personal – Wally knew the other couldn't tell him and he accepted it. He wasn't happy about it, because he really wanted to know about Robin's 'normal' life. But he knew it was wrong to bother him about it, so he didn't.
At the same time he didn't feel like talking about himself much either. He didn't like his current life all too much and he was kind of embarrassed that he couldn't change something about it on his own. Wally didn't want Robin to think he'd be a coward or loser. So he kept quiet.
Still he thought about Robin as a good friend, maybe even his closest friend at the moment.
Well, as soon as Robin knew what he did they probably would no longer be friends at all.
Wally closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as good as he could in his current state. He should try to catch some sleep and think about this later.
Just a moment later he heard the door to his room being opened and closed swiftly. He opened his eyes again, thinking it would be just a nurse checking on him. To his utter surprise it wasn't.
A small boy with black hair, wearing dark shades, a blue hoodie and dark jeans walked up to him. Arms crossed and looking rather serious he stopped beside Wally's bed.
The ginger was confused. He didn't recognize his visitor at first but then he gaped highly surprised.
"Robin…?"
The boy just huffed and set down next to Wally's knees.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to sit up straighter. Pain shot instantly through his back though and he had to lean back again.
"What do you think, Wally?" Robin asked back and kept staring at him sternly.
"I-I…uhh...," Wally started but didn't really know what to say. He wanted to apologize and explain himself. But he didn't know where to start. However, Robin spoke up before he could say anything further.
"I came home just to hear you blew up yourself and barely made it. Do you really think I wouldn't check on you?" the boy looked a bit angry now but the concern was evident in his voice.
He just cared and wanted to check if his friend was alright? Wally was relieved and relaxed a bit more.
"You…you are not mad at me?" he asked carefully. "I broke my promise after all and well…screwed up quite badly…"
He averted his eyes to the left. He would have run a hand through his hair out of nervousness if he could move his arms properly.
Robin finally unlocked his arms and smashed one hand down on the bed. He leaned forward a bit and frowned at Wally, who now looked at him again.
"Of course I'm mad!" he stated. "But…I'm way more worried, okay? So, how are you?" His expression eased and he set up straight again with his hands in his lap now.
Wally smiled at his friend. He wasn't happy he made him worry. But he was glad that Robin wasn't too mad at him and more concerned about his wellbeing.
"I feel awful but the doctors said I'll be fine in a few weeks. Right now though…everything hurts and I can barely move and … honestly I feel so miserable because I made everyone worry – and I'm really sorry! I just …" he didn't know how to finish. Some part of him wanted to tell his friend why he did the experiment, although he knew how stupid it was. The other part wanted to stay silent forever.
Robin didn't say anything. He just kept looking at him expectantly.
Wally sighed. He knew Robin wouldn't leave before he explained his actions.
"I…had a really tough time lately," he started slowly. "I slacked at school a bit and the teachers started to annoy me instantly and my dad got angry too…it's not like I didn't know myself that I should learn more and take school more serious! But I kinda got annoyed and did even less and well, you can imagine. Everything got worse and I felt just more and more useless…and worthless. I had no one to talk to about all this – at school everyone already thinks of me as the class' goof. So … I don't know, I just thought, if I'd have superspeed at least I'd be something."
He laughed slightly, more out of embarrassment than anything else. "Saying this out aloud now makes it sound so stupid…"
"Well, it is stupid. Why didn't you just talk to your aunt and uncle? Or me?" Robin had his arms crossed again and pouted slightly. He obviously tried not to but couldn't help it.
Wally dropped his gaze.
"Sorry, I know I can trust you. But I didn't want you to think any less of me, somewhat. You probably think I'm a total coward and loser now … and well, probably that's just what I am-"
"Don't be stupid," Robin interrupted him. "You're not a loser because of some bad marks at school or whatever. You're just lazy – and I knew that about you before. The only cowardly thing you did was not to talk to anyone and try to 'fix' things on your own."
Wally looked up for a second but couldn't bear it. So he dropped his gaze again, his hand clutching the blanket weakly.
"Sorry," was all he could reply. He knew Robin was right, there was no point denying it.
They were both quiet for a few minutes. Robin still looked at him and he looked up shortly ever now and then.
"And…did it work…?" Robin asked at last.
Wally looked up all the way for once, though confused.
"The experiment, duh," he added slightly annoyed. He probably rolled his eyes at Wally, but the ginger couldn't see it due to the shades.
"Ah, no. It doesn't look like it worked," he answered simply. He hasn't even bothered to think about this until now. But he didn't feel like having any superpowers at all. He could barely move his body right now, not to mention move it at superspeed.
Robin nodded once.
"Too bad," he said after another minute of silence. "I hoped it would have." He paused another moment, while Wally just looked at him blankly. "I know I shouldn't, but I really hoped you'd be a sidekick too, sooner or later. I … if I'd have taken this more serious, I'd have talked you out of this more eagerly. I just never thought you'd end up hurting like this…so this is kinda my fault too, I guess. Sorry."
Wally just blinked at him and then shook his head as good as he could in his current state.
"Now you're being stupid. This is not your fault. Nor is it Barry's or Mum's our Aunt Iris' or anyone else's fault. Really, why does everyone have to blame themselves for something I did?" He was the one to roll his eyes now and looked annoyed.
Robin huffed but didn't reply. He was looking around now, scanning the monitors Wally was attached to for a brief moment and then stood up and walked to the window. It was pitch dark outside, expect for some distant street lights.
Wally followed him with his gaze.
"How did you know how to do this experiment anyways?" The black-haired boy asked suddenly. He didn't turn around to look at Wally though.
"Uhh…well I kinda found Flash's reports about his experiments and, well, copied them…?" Wally answered quite unsure. He hasn't even told Barry about this yet. He'll scold him so hard about this.
"And, you just understood these reports? Aren't they super difficult or something?" Robin just asked back and now walked back up to Wally's bed. He stopped beside him but didn't sit down again.
"Not everything at first. But like half of it – I was always good at science, you know? I just looked up the elements I didn't know and well. The most difficult part was to get all the materials." Wally explained while looking up to the ceiling, remembering how much fun it was to work through the reports. He couldn't help a small smile forming on his face.
Robin huffed again. "Yeah, I can imagine this is not the kind of stuff they sell to a kid."
Wally nodded slowly in return.
"Still, it's amazing you understood this experiment. I looked at the reports too and couldn't make sense of it at all," Robin added shaking his head slightly smiling.
Wally grinned at him, then with the sudden realization frowned highly confused.
"Wait, how could you take a look at Flash's reports?" he asked gaping at Robin. He didn't break into his aunt's and uncle's house to look at the reports too, did he?
Robin chuckled amused.
"They are filed in Batman's computer. They were a bit difficult to find, but let's just say, Batman shouldn't teach me how to hack into computer systems if he doesn't want me to take a look at those files."
Wally couldn't stifle a laughter himself. It hurt his upper body quite bad though and he had to close his eyes. He hissed in pain and clutched a hand to his ribs.
When the pain eased he started to smile again and looked up at Robin. He in return watched him rather concerned, but couldn't say anything as Wally was already talking again.
„Wait, so does Batman has a file about me in his super computer, too?" he asked way too happily. He didn't want Robin to worry about him any more than necessary. Sure the laughing had hurt, but he didn't mind at all.
Robin smiled back at him slightly. "Yeah and he wrote: 'Dork, who tried to give himself superspeed by recreating Flash's experiment with a kid's chemistry set in his garage. lol'"
He had his arms crossed over his chest once more and his smile had turned into a smirk.
"Hey!" Wally fussed. But he stopped mouth open and frowned slightly again. "Wait, what? Batman writes shit like 'lol' in his reports?!"
"No, of course not! I was joking, silly," Robin laughed at him and Wally huffed in return. He turned his head away and pouted overdramatically. He could barely keep the act up however and felt more like smiling.
"I wrote that, not Batman," Robin added and made the ginger look at him again.
"Hey! Not cool!" he pouted for real now and made Robin laugh even more. Soon he smiled too though. He felt way better now that he had talked to his friend.
Not only could he be sure they would stay friends although he screwed up really bad, but Robin also cheered him up quite effectively. On top of that he had a feeling their friendship just got a bit closer. Wally didn't mind telling Robin about his problems like before.
"Thanks," he said rather quietly after Robin eased his laughter into a smile.
The ebony tilted his head slightly still smiling. "What for?"
"Just, everything," Wally replied smiling wide. Robin was probably the best friend he ever had until now. He couldn't bring himself to say this out aloud, but he hoped the other boy would understand nonetheless.
Before either one of them could say anything further someone else entered the room. Both looked to the door quite startled. Wally relaxed as he noticed it was just his Uncle Barry. Robin didn't seem too tense either, so Wally guessed he knew him without his Flash costume as well.
"I don't want to interrupt you two," Barry said quietly while closing the door "but I have to take you back home, kiddo. Batman was not happy about you just leaving a note and running off." He smiled at them apologetically.
Wally wanted to ask about this 'just-leaving-a-note' thing but he knew now wasn't the time for this. He would ask about it whenever they saw each other next time.
Robin frowned slightly and had his arms crossed again. But he didn't object.
"Fine. I'd promise to come back tomorrow, but I'll probably get grounded so…See you soon, kay?" He said smiling back at Wally. The ginger nodded in return.
"See you soon! And thanks again for visiting!" He slightly waved his hand and smiled, not as truly happy as mere moments ago but still quite honestly.
Barry promised to visit him the next day and then they left. Wally was all alone again and suddenly he realized just how tired he was. Now with his mind at ease, he fell asleep quite easily the smile never completely leaving his face.
It was a miracle, really. Wally still couldn't believe it.
Just a week after he got out of hospital he suddenly got his superpowers. It was as if his body had waited until he was fully healed.
He barely could control his powers at first and hurt himself quite a lot – but his body healed super fast too all of a sudden. He had to eat way more than before, but that was fine. He liked eating anyways.
One of the best aspects was still the fact he could do his homework way faster and learning got a lot less stressful as well.
His parents were highly concerned at first when he showed them his superspeed and all. But by now they were cool with it. Wally was sure this also resulted due to his way better marks at school.
All in all his life got a lot better. Not only because his problems at school and with his parents eased up, but he finally could live his dream.
When Uncle Barry saw him with his superspeed he really couldn't say 'no' anymore. He had to teach him how to use his powers properly after all. He looked not so happy about it at first, but Wally was sure he saw him smile at him, too.
His powers weren't as strong as Flash's though - probably a result from the failed experiment. But Uncle Barry said that his powers might grow with the training and most likely with growing up. Wally didn't mind it all too much anyways. He could muse about this later.
Right now, he was simply and utterly happy.
A broad smile graced his face as he stood side by side to The Flash on his first mission. They had spent the last two months training him, getting him a proper costume and everything else he needed to work as a sidekick. Flash still wasn't sure if Wally was ready for this, but he knew how hard Wally worked on his powers and how badly he wanted to use them on a real mission.
And they weren't alone after all. He had asked Batman and his protégée for assistance and they were happy to help. Well, Robin was – because he hadn't seen Wally in action yet – but Batman didn't object either. That was as close to 'happily helping' as it probably could be.
Their mission wasn't too difficult either. Flash would have managed it by himself, but he didn't want to risk anything. And Wally was happy to see his friend again and fight along his side. They haven't met since Robin's visit in the hospital but called each other.
The ginger had insisted to call Robin and tell him about his belated appearance of superpowers. Barry gave in after a while and lent him his com-link for a few minutes. Somehow Wally managed to talk Robin into sharing real phone numbers – and Barry still didn't know how he did that. As far as he knew the boys talked at least once a week. Batman didn't seem too happy about this at first, he never forbid it however.
So here they stood in a small alleyway in Central City waiting for Batman and Robin to join them.
The next Zeta-Beam wasn't too far off and most likely they would show up any minute. They had still some time before the mission could start anyways, there was no need to hurry. Wally was getting impatient though.
Not even five minutes later said hero and sidekick approached them from behind. Flash noticed their presence immediately. Wally on the other hand just spotted them after he saw his uncle turning around.
He beamed at Robin at once and the ebony smiled back equally exited. Batman just nodded at them showing no emotions at all.
"Did they show up already?" He asked, simply concentrating on the mission.
"Not jet. They will show up for sure tough. Another 10 or 20 minutes maybe," Flash replied smiling reassuringly. Batman just barely nodded again.
Meanwhile Wally and Robin walked a few steps aside. They were still in hearing distance and both glancing at their mentors every now and then.
"Nice costume," Robin spoke up first. He smirked at Wally who smiled back proudly. "Thanks dude!"
They both laughed lightly. Wally had already explained what his new costume would look like in all details. It was the first time he was allowed to wear it in public, but it was no surprise at all to Robin what it looked like.
"So, you go by the name 'Kid Flash' now, huh?" Robin asked smirking even wider. Wally couldn't hold back another laughter. He had expected Robin to point this out. And he didn't mind at all, to his own surprise.
"Yep. A really cool friend of mine came up with this name, you know?" the speedster answered putting his hands on his hips.
They just smiled at each other for another moment before bursting out laughing again. Their mentors looked at them quite sternly. Both boys did their best to muffle their laughter, apologizing quietly.
They shared another smile, knowing that both of them were happy to have this friendship and equally happy to finally be able to fight side by side.
Wally might still don't even know Robin's real name, but it didn't matter to him at all. He was his best friend, no matter what. And Wally knew that nothing would ever change that.
"Get ready," Batman stated suddenly, not even turning to look at them.
They did as they were told and concentrated back on the mission.
„We'll always have each other's back, right?" Kid Flash asked, gazing at Robin out of the corner of his eye. The ebony smirked at him.
"Of course!"
Hello and thank you for reading! :D
There are a few things I'd like to point out about this story. First of all: I'm not native English, so sorry for every mistake I (probably) made. Feel free to tell me what I could/should correct! I'm always eager to learn! :)
Second: While discussing the story with my beta-reader we were really unsure about one fact and I kinda 'd like to know your opinion. xD
Is it common in US to just walk into friends/families houses without ringing the doorbell or anything, or not? Because over here, front doors are always locked and stuff, so it's not even possible to enter someone else's house/flat without a key. But idk about US, or other countries. So how do you guys do this?
And third: It's the first YJ-Fanciction I ever wrote. I know there is another one already public, but yeah...I couldn't come up with a title for this one so I uploaded it later. xD Anyways, what I want to say: I'm still kinda new to the fandom and obviously don't know all the facts. I tried to stay in character and all, but sorry if I didn't get it all the time!
I hope you enjoyed reading nevertheless! :3
Sara~