(A.N: The lateness of this is bad, and I know that. But my family has been going through some stuff, and I've been right in the middle of it. But do not worry, I'm still here!

BUT anyway. I tried to make this a funny one, with a little Rob/KF bonding. No slashy though, cause it's not my OTP. That's Rob/Wren, HA HA.

I was hungry as crap when I wrote this. As you can probably tell.)

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If there was a climax of boredom, Robin had reached it a long time ago. He was so bored, he was coming up with new ways to say he was bored. In between being medicated, treated, and sleeping, he had exactly 0.0 things to occupy his time. He was still alone in the second medical wing, despite asking to be placed with his sister more times than he could count. The answer, every single time, had been no. He'd expected that, but still.

He was BORED. He had been reduced to trying to pick out patterns in the plain white paint by his bed. He had never ever in his life just sat still and done absolutely nothing. It was nice at first, almost like an extended break, but now the novelty was quickly wearing off. He now knew that he hated doing nothing. The staleness was getting to him. His butt was starting to hurt from sitting in the same place all day.

Definetly non-aster. Definitely.

The only thing that kept him occupied, at least mentally, was thinking about how he and Wren were going to escape the Mountain (again) and what their life would be like afterwards. It was great, imagining where they'd go and what they'd do, and the notion of never being separated from his sister every every again. But after a while, even fantasies of sunny beaches got boring, and it was back to the paint swirls.

On the fifth night he was drowning in his boredness, he decided he was through with it. He was going to have to schmooz and scrape and kiss some major ass if he was ever getting out of the med wing, and if there was one thing being with Slade had taught him, it was how to kiss ads.

When it was time for Superman to come and check on him, Robin was awake and waiting for him, with the biggest, cheesiest smile on his face. He looked expectantly at the door when it started to open, already rehearsing in his mind what he was going to say... and his every plan came crashing through the roof when BATMAN walked in instead, looking like the Grim Reaper's long lost brother. Robin's smile flickered and faltered slightly. "What?! You?" Internally, Robin cursed- he had been expecting Superman, who was a freaking pushover as far as he was concerned. Batman was like Mount Everest.

Batman's scowl deepened, and Robin went pink around the ears, scrambling to regain his cool. "I, uh...w-where's Superman?" he asked casually, running a hand backwards through his black bangs. 'I need a haircut...' he thought. Slade always made him keep it a certain length, and it felt weird to be shaggy. Then again, he was never going home, so why not grow it out?

Batman uncrossed his arms and strode over to the bed. "He's on Watchtower duty with Manhunter." he droned. "I hope that's okay with you." From the tone of his voice, he clearly didn't care either way.

Robin inhaled deeply. Pity Act, engage. "No, it's fine. As long as someone does it..." he said quietly, lowering his eyes and setting his face in a glum pout. "I guess I'm just not used to being taken care of."

Batman was not moved. "Is that so." he said dryly. Robin blinked, and a glint of irritation lit up his eyes. That would have worked on anyone else. The "Adorable and Pathetic" act ALWAYS worked. Batman gestured at him sharply. "Well?" Robin reached up and pulled his shirt over his head, then rolled up his pant leg gingerly to reveal the line of thick sutures holding the artery in his thigh closed. Batman began unrolling his bandages roughly, treating him more like a mannequin than a real person. He cut away the stained gauze from the wound on Robin's side, appraising it silently. He moved quickly but gently, and Robin found himself wondering if and when Batman had done this kind of thing before. He tried to make conversation. "How's it look?"

Batman ignored him.

"Found that Kryptonite yet?"

Not even a glance.

"How's Wren doing?"

"..."

"You're really good at the whole silence thing, you know th- AH! Shit!" He jerked away before he could stop himself, wincing and blinking tears from his eyes. One of the bandages had become cemented to his body with dried blood, and it yanked on the healing knife slash when Batman pulled on it. "Sorry." The Dark Knight grunted, actually sparing him a glance. Even though he was shivering, Robin fixed his face in a bright, sunny smile that showed all his teeth. "It's okay...it hurt, but I'm grateful you're helping us. Nobody else would have."

Batman paused for a split second, then abruptly pulled away. The suspicious ice in his glare was almost enough to make Robin look away. "What do you want?" he snapped. Robin's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and a seamlessly innocent mask fell over his features. "What do you mean?" he asked sweetly. "What makes you think I-"

"What. Do you want?"

Robin dropped the facade. "Fine. I want out of here." Batman didn't even blink. "You are confined to this mountain until-"

"I know, I know! The whole 'quid pro quo' thing." Robin interjected quickly. "I don't mean out of the Mountain. I mean out of here." He waved his arm around his head, indicating the room. "I'm so bored, my sheep are counting sheep. When I'm AWAKE."

"You think we'd actually trust you to be alone and unsupervised here? No. Plus, you're still hurt."

"I'm not!" Robin argued. "I'll heal faster if I'm actually doing something. And if you don't trust me, just put that silver thing back on my arm." Batman did not look convinced. "No, Robin."

"Come on. It's late anyways. No one's here." he persisted stubbornly. "I'll just stretch my legs and visit my sister. That's all." That stared at each other for a long, long moment, and Batman had to glance away from the familiar looking determination in the junior criminals face as his heart gave a wrench deep in his chest. Jason had looked just like that.

His hands curled into fists, and his expression remained unreadable. Instinctively, Robin leaned away, his body preparing for a blow. But Batman's next words sent him into shock for the second time that night. "...Fine."

"Huh?" The word escaped before he could stop it. Robin stared at Batman, open mouthed and dumbstruck. He hadn't actually expected him to say yes.

"I said Fine." Batman growled. "One hour, with the tracking bracelet, then you make your way back here. I don't want to have to find you and bring you back. And neither do you." he rumbled. Despite the fact that he was being threatened, Robin broke into a cocky smile. "Yes, dad." Batman reached inside the black vortex known as his cape and removed the tracking bracelet seemingly from nowhere. "Wrist." he commanded.

Robin stuck out his arm, and the bracelet was quickly attatched to his wrist. The cold metal band tightened by itself, fitting seamlessly to his skin as if it would never come off. "One hour, huh?" he mused. "Not much time."

"For you, it's generous. If the mountain wasn't empty, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. And one more thing. If you ever call me dad again, we are going to have a very unpleasant encounter." Batman was satisfied to see Robin's face pale considerably, and his throat twitched as he swallowed dry.

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Batman left him so he could get dressed, then returned seconds later to unlock the door. He watched Robin as he left the med room, his chilly arctic glare saying more than words ever could. Robin felt it on his back even after he was out of his line of vision and around the corridor. It was like a shadow, following him. It was unnerving.

But man, it felt good to be walking around. He could literally feel his tight muscles and tendons stretching and popping as he moved. He reveled in the sensation, flexing and shifting his joints happily as he made his way through the silent hallways. He didn't even know where he was going. Batman had given him strict instructions to stay away from the Dorm Wing, the Security Room, the Garage, and the Grav Tubes, on pain of death. The limitations pissed him off, but mischief could wait until later.

It was a shame, too. He bet he could have done some real fun stuff with the electrical systems...

No one was around, so he moved leisurely, swinging his arms and occasionally turning lazy flips. Mount Justice was even bigger than Slade's compound where he lived, and a hell of a lot friendlier. He went into an empty rec room and gazed at a ping pong table, rolling the ball between his fingers. People had actual fun in here. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done something just because it sounded fun. Had he ever done that?

Suddenly, Robin felt very alone and small. He realized that he'd never actually had a life. He'd watched other people live theirs, and he knew of the things they did, but he'd never done them himself.

He threw the ball hard against the wall and walked out of the rec room, burning with jealousy for everyone else but him. It wasn't fair, any of it. What had he done to deserve what he'd gotten? Why did the sidekicks get to live HERE, and not him too? They had all of this...what did he have?

'Wren,' the voice in his head murmured. 'You're had Wren.' Robin shook his head. Why didn't that seem like enough anymore...?

A sharp pang in his gut shook him out of his depressed thoughts, and he pressed a pale hand against his abdomen as it rolled and growled. He winced- he hadn't realized how hungry he was, but he was starving. He frowned thoughtfully. Was there a kitchen in this place? And if there was, could he go there? The mountain was huge, and he had no clue where it was. He considered going back to the med room and asking Batman, but then his stomach roared painfully. 'Screw it.' That would take too long. He'd figure it out on his own.

«»«»«»

It took nearly thirty minutes, but after wandering the hallways, Robin finally found the living room and the kitchen attached to it. The sight of the gently humming refrigerator made his mouth water, and he darted over to it without a second thought. Quickly and quietly, he opened cabinets and drawers, searching for what he usually ate at home- oatmeal, cheese, plain hominy, Carbtein supplements. He couldn't find any of it.

What he DID find was loads and loads of nothing but junk food and shiny packages. He tossed those back with a grimace. All that stuff was unhealthy, and with Slade, unhealthy was a sin. He and Wren were forced to eat healthy so they'd remain fit. He'd never been allowed-...

Robin's hand paused over a bag of chips as the realization broke over him. Slade had never allowed him to eat what he wanted, but Slade wasn't here. He wasn't his master anymore. He would never know, and Robin wouldn't get punished for it. He licked his lips nervously and eyed the gleaming bag, and his fingers hovering inches above it. He knew he shouldn't do it. He knew it was bad for him. He knew his master wouldn't approve.

He thought of the rec room, and the life he'd never been allowed to live. Robin wasn't Slade's pet anymore. Robin was Robin, and Robin was going to eat some chips.

He snatched the bag off the shelf and ripped it open. His stomach snarled as a waft of salty, greasy air hit him in the face, and his saliva glands went into overdrive. Robin crammed his hand into the bag and withdrew a huge handful of chips, then stuffed them into his mouth. His blue eyes widened in the dark, and his whole body went still, save for the pleasured shivers running down his spine.

It was the best thing he'd ever eaten in his entire life.

He tore through the rest of the bag with vicious, vindictive speed, licking the grease from his fingers. When it was empty, he got another one, then another one. He let the empty bags fall to the floor and looked around like a ravenous wolf that's tasted blood. The junk food seemed to have shut down his higher human funtions, and all he could think was-

'More.'

He climbed nimbly onto the countertops and reached up to open the cabinets, grabbing an armfull of what was up there. Robin demolished the rest of a package of Double Stuff Oreos and gulped down Skittles and M&M's alike, popping them like pills.

'More more more...'

Cheetos, Airheads, Doritos...when the cabinet was empty, he moved to the fridge, seizing three cans of Faygo and chugging them down in record time. He took the peanut butter, found a spoon, and dug out huge globs. He sprayed a mountain of whipped cream into his mouth and sucked it all down, swallowed huge handfuls of lunchmeat, destroyed a leftover pizza...

'So good, so good, more, more, MORE-'

"GAAH!

"AAH!"

"What the HELL?!"

"..."

The surprised scream came from behind him and shocked the living hell out of him, making him drop the peanut butter. Robin spun around blindingly fast and simultaneously grabbed the first thing his hand touched- a butter knife- fliiping it around and thrusting it threatningly at whoever had snuck up on him. The point of the knife stopped centimetres away from the wide green iris of one Kid Flash, staring shocked and open mouthed at the scene in front of him. The sleepiness was rapidly fading from his face, replaced by fear and alarm. He couldn't break away from Robin's heated blue grey glare, and he didn't want to make any sudden movements, like somebody confronted with a startled Indian Cobra. He didn't want to get bit...or stabbed through the cornea.

Kid Flash gulped dryly and blinked, not believing what he was seeing. The Boy Terror...was raiding the kitchen. Oooo-kay...how did one deal with that, exactly?

"U-um...D-dude? Robin?" he stammered, leaning slowly away from the gleaming knife point still aimed at his eye. Robin's face went brick red, and he lowered the knife, but didn't drop it. Now it was at neck level. He couldn't believe he'd let someone sneak up on him doing something so stupid.

Damn junk food.

Kid Flash blinked again. His first instinct at seeing Robin walking free was to yell for a member of the leauge. But then he remembered that Robin was kind of an...ally? Not an enemy anymore, anyway. Still, he figured he'd be as careful as possible. The guy HAD threatened to kill Artemis, after all.

"Um...what-?"

"Nothing." Robin snapped, pulling back and angling his head so that his bangs shadowed his lava red face. "I just..." He had no excuse. Kid Flash took in the ruined kitchen, and he forced himself to nod. "Ah...o-okay. Y-yeah. Got it." He inched around Robin, then used his speed to retrieve the peanut butter jar. Robin didn't flinch, only stared at him distrustfully. Still moving slowly, Kid Flash turned to the open fridge and removed the jelly jar. And then, with Robin still pressed into the corner, he preceded to make himself a sandwich. Needless to say, it was awkward, even though it only took three seconds, literally.

"Who ate all the Ore-"

"..."

"...never mind..."

Blushing as red as his hair, Kid Flash took his sandwich and exited the kitchen, seating himself awkwardly on the couch and deciding to act as normal as possible. He turned on the tv and tried to focus on what was on, but he couldn't. The kitchen was trashed. Robin had clearly been smashing down. It was like he hadn't eaten in months. Then again, what if that was true? Who knew when Slade let him eat?

Kid Flash's leg bounced up and down in a hyper motion. He glanced back toward the silent kitchen, bit his lip, and made up his mind. It was the least he could do.

He jumped up from the couch and speeded back into the kitchen, moving around so fast he created a red whirlwind. Not sure what exactly was going on, Robin's body shifted into defense mode, hands clenched and muscles tense. To his surprise, Kid Flash didn't attack him, and he stopped as soon as he had started. He was holding a plate with a second sandwich, and he held it out to Robin cautiously. "Here. It tastes better like this."

"Why?"

"I dunno, it just does."

"Why did you make that for me?"

Kid Flash met his suspicious glare with a shrug and a scratch of his head. "You look like you needed it. Plus, I didn't know if you knew how to... you know, actually make a sandwich. Just being nice, I guess."

"Nice?"

"Yeah, nice. N-I-C-E? Ever heard of it before?"

"But you...you hate me." Robin stated, looking utterly confused. Kid Flash shot him a funny look. "Dude, I don't hate you. I mean yeah, you're done some pretty screwed up stuff, but you're helping us now, right?" He shrugged again. "I figure that makes you okay."

"I hurt you."

"Yeah...I never said I trusted you." Kid Flash stated bluntly. "But I don't think anybody really hates...okay no, Conner hates you. I'm not gonna lie." Robin's eyes hardened to icy chips at the name. "But everybody else is just kinda...scared, I guess?"

"And you're not?" Robin asked. Kid Flash grinned widely. "Nah, not really." he lied. Robin scared the hell out of him. But he was smart enough not to admit it. Ha ha, Artemis. He held out the plate and waved it side to side. "You want this or not, dude? Cause I have no problem eating it." Robin stared for another minute, then snatched the plate out of his hand and started wolfing it down. He ate half, then wrapped the rest in a napkin to save for Wren.

"You wanna watch tv?"

Robin froze mid chew and glanced at him. Kid Flash was already in the living room, flipping through channels at sonic speed. "You DO know what a tv is, right?" he joked nervously. Robin stared at him blankly, wondering what the catch was, but he couldn't see one. "What...what are you watching?"

"Avengers. Seen it before?"

Robin shook his head, and Kid Flash's jaw dropped to the floor. "Oh, DUDE! That's criminal! You gotta see it! It's like the most epic superhero team up film ever made! Captain America kicked some major alien ass."

"...Who?"

"Oh my God. You poor child. Sit down- this just turned into an intervention."