Flash's PoV

I've been working non-stop to make this antidote and it's taking forever. Even with John's help it's not going as fast as I'd hoped.

It's gonna take at least another hour and a half for me to finish and I just pray that Bruce can hold on.

The truth is, Bats scares me. A lot. But at the same time I count him as a good friend. He's one of the few that never treats me like a child, even when I might act like one. He looks past the stupid jokes and sees that I am a capable hero that can get the job done.

The league is like a giant family. John as always been a big brother to me and Shayera has become a sister. Supes is like that stern Uncle that makes sure everyone follows the rules and Wondy is the badass yet fun Aunt that you love to see. J'ohnn is the distant cousin type, he stays out of the way but you know you can always count on him to be there.

At first I wasn't sure Bats was a part of the 'family'. I knew him and Supes were like best friends, but he was scary and intimidating. I wasn't sure how to approach him.

As it turns out, I didn't have to.

I remember when I was sitting in the commissary, all by myself. I guess I was sulking, I had just been turned down by this girl that I was really into and it kinda stung. I was poking at my food, for once not shovelling it in my face when I heard footsteps behind me. I wasn't sure who it was and I wasn't really in the mood to talk anyway. To my surprise though, an ice mocha was set in front of me and Batman just sits down with me and starts working on some sort of gadget.

He doesn't talk. He doesn't ask why I'm upset or why I'm not eating. He just sits there, working.

I stare at the ice mocha for a minute, thinking 'why on earth would Batman do something like this?' But eventually I reach out and take it, savouring the flavour.

I begin to eat some of the food I got, silently watching Batman work on whatever he has. After a while I sigh, setting my fork down. I don't know what promoted me do to so, but I started talking to him. Telling him about the new girl at work, how she was really nice and really pretty. How I had been working up to asking her out for weeks, only to be told she wasn't interested.

Sure, I like to flirt and try to hit on pretty girls as the Flash. But Wally West? He ain't so smooth with the ladies.

I was staring at my food the whole time I spoke. I don't know what I expected when I looked up, maybe for him to be gone, or still working on his gadget, or even a bat glare. But when I finally did look, I saw that he had stopped his work and was giving me his full attention.

After a moment of silence he speaks, "Linda Park?"

I'm shocked for a moment before I realize who I'm talking too. "Uh, yeah."

He starts fiddling with the gadget, "Don't be surprised, it was nothing you did. She just got out of a very serious relationship. Well, serious for her, the guy cheated on her, several times. With people she called friends. She's a little hurt at the moment. All she needs right now is someone to be there for her. Once she realizes you are nothing like him, she'll probably reconsider."

I blink a few times before I can reply. "Thanks."

He gives a slight nod and resumes his work.

We continue to sit there in silence, occasionally I'll tell him something I think is cool, and for once I'm not written off. He asks me questions and lets me tell him all about what I like. It really felt good to actually talk to someone.

From that day on I felt like Bats and I were friends. I knew not to push it, he wasn't really the socializing type but I wanted him to know that despite his silence and creepiness, I wasn't gonna stop talking to him.

Whenever I could I sought him out, told him about something cool I found at work or update him on my relationship with Linda, which I owe all to him. And if he was working on something or had monitor duty, I would keep him company. Tell him about one of my latest adventures or I'd bring my food with me and have lunch with him. I'd always bring an extra chocolate pudding cup for him. I knew he liked them and the majority of the time, he'd eat it.

I realized after a while that Bats really was part of the family. Just like John, he had become an older brother of sorts. The aloof, but overprotective one.

That's why I am working so hard. If we lost him, I don't know what would happen. He always seems so invulnerable. It's easy to forget that he's just human. Running beside aliens and metas, he seems like he's more than he is underneath the cape and cowl. What most people don't realize is it's his intelligence that keeps him alive. His ability to be three steps ahead of everybody else. It's something we all rely on, even if we don't realize it. He's always the one with the plan or the information that we need.

The Justice League needs Batman, and though his hard shell is difficult to penetrate and he can be frustrating, I know each and every one of us has a certain fondness for the Dark Knight. The way he takes care of us in the smallest of ways, the way he looks out for us. He is fiercely protective of this team. And though at first glance you might not realize it, he is the glue that keeps us together and the oil that keeps us all moving.

I'm not gonna fail him in his time of need. It won't be much longer until this antidote is ready. Hopefully the others can keep him calm until I've finished.