A/N: Hey, look I finally updated this. And I almost posted the wrong chapter. Anyways, things are...slowly getting better for Wally. Slowly. Enjoy!

Constant eyes on Wally didn't let up even as his punishment surpassed the two-week mark. When he was at school, Hartley and James never let him out of their sight. On days without school, Wally spent all his time with Jay and Joan.

Sometimes Wally wondered if Barry had told the Garricks about his…recent activities because they didn't treat him any differently. Halfway through the second week, Wally found himself looking forward to the days with the Garricks. It was somewhat of a relief to be treated as though he hadn't completely screwed up his life. Especially since Barry had been so distant with him. The tension was so palpable that Jay gave Wally a look after Barry dropped him off one day.

"Things ok between you two?" he asked. After he shut the door, he looked at Wally, who shrugged. "I don't think I've ever seen Barry so stiff and aloof with you."

"He's angry…" Wally mumbled. His head dropped as he followed Jay into the living room. "You know…"

"I can't blame him for being angry." Jay sat in his chair and Wally took his usual spot at the end of the couch closest to the older man. "But it's still surprising to see him like that."

"He hates me…"

"Don't talk like that, kid."

"It's true, Jay."

"No, it isn't. I know Barry's angry, but he doesn't hate you. Don't ever doubt that he loves you."

Wally looked away and slumped down. He watched the quick-moving images of a black and white movie Jay had on. He always had old movies playing in the living room. Even if he wasn't learning anything at school, Wally felt he was learning a lot about film history. His mind jumped between trying to lose himself in the movie and thinking about Barry. 'I don't understand how Jay can say Barry doesn't hate me,' Wally thought. 'Doesn't he see the way Barry looks at me? He never smiles anymore. There's always this…anger.' While Wally somewhat understood why Barry would be angry, it didn't lessen the sting. Or the accompanied, dual feeling that he deserved his uncle's scorn. It was a lot of feelings Wally didn't want to deal with, so he tried to focus on the movie.

"Are you enjoying school?" Jay asked out of the blue a few minutes later. "You've had a couple months to adjust to the change."

"No," Wally replied quietly. "School is dumb."

"Even science?"

"Mhm."

"I'm sure it'll get better."

'Doubt it.' Wally silently watched tv until it was time for lunch. The silence remained as he ate, then as he joined Jay and Joan for an afternoon walk around their neighborhood. Thankfully, neither Joan or Jay pushed him. They let Wally exist in his silence, just accepting his presence.

— —

Barry had just sat down to do his paperwork when his phone started ringing. "Hey honey," he greeted as he answered.

"Are you able to duck out of work early?" Iris asked without preamble.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"No, but I got another call from the assistant principal at Wally's school. He still wants to talk to us."

"About what?"

"He didn't say. Just that it was very important and…sensitive, so it would probably be best if we went without Wally."

Barry sighed. "Yeah, I can bring my paperwork home and finish it tonight. What time does he want to meet with us?"

"3:30."

"Ok. I'll meet you at Wally's school."

"See you there." Barry hung up, then took a very deep, slow breath. 'God, it's always something, isn't it? Why can't we just catch a break?!' It would be nice to have one week where something wasn't going wrong. As frustrating as the situation was though, he knew sitting here, stewing about it wouldn't get him anywhere. So, Barry swallowed his frustrations and gathered his papers. It was still early, but he'd done all the testing for the day. He took a deep breath and walked to his sergeant's office. "Sir?" he asked as he knocked on the open door.

"What can I do for you, Barry?" the man asked.

"Uh… I've finished all the tests I was assigned and results have been sent downstairs. And I have a thing I need to go take care of so can I leave early? I'll take the rest of my paperwork with me and finish it tonight."

"That would be fine if you can work a shift this weekend."

Barry tried not to groan. One of the perks of being a senior forensic scientist was not having to take the weekend shifts. 'But I really need to get to Wally's school.' So he swallowed his frustration and nodded. "You got a deal, sir."

"Papers on my desk first thing in the morning, Allen."

"Absolutely." Barry went back to his lab. 'I didn't really think he'd say no. He's usually pretty lenient about where paperwork gets done, as long as it shows up on his desk within 24 hours. Even though I hate bringing work home with me and working on weekends. Those are supposed to be Flash days,' Barry thought as he put his papers in a folder and slipped it into his messenger bag. Curiosity and concern muddled his brain so much he barely remembered to leave his lab coat behind. His thoughts plagued him over the possibilities of this conversation all the way to the school. When he pulled into the parking lot, Iris was already there waiting for him. "I'm surprised you were able to get away from the station so easily," he said.

Iris gave him a kick peck on the lips. "Family emergency," she explained. "And I'm sitting on something big that I've already agreed to work on all weekend."

"That makes both of us. My sergeant wanted me to come in on Saturday to leave early today."

"Are we going to ask the Garricks to watch Wally for us?"

"Maybe. I'll see if we can come up with a better solution later." They walked into the building and sat in the reception chairs of the office.

Iris noticed Barry's leg bouncing and subtly put her hand on it to stop him. "Calm down," she whispered. "We don't need you vibrating through the chair."

"Mr. and Mrs. Allen?" Mr. Hart asked as he stepped out of his office. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course." Iris and Barry followed Mr. Hart into his office, then he shut the door. "Why did you want to talk to us?"

"Please have a seat." Mr. Hart sat behind his desk. "I wanted to talk to you about Wally's academic progress."

"What about it?" Barry asked.

"Unfortunately, he isn't making any. Wally had good grades when he transferred here, but he's currently failing all his classes."

"All of them?"

"Yes. His part-time attendance combined with his lack of work ethic has resulted in failing grades across the board."

"What can we do about it?" Iris asked.

"Sadly, because the school year is almost over, we have limited options. Either Wally attends summer school or he repeats the 10th grade."

Barry wanted to curse. "When do we have to make a decision?"

"Until the school year ends in a couple of weeks."

"I think we'd like to talk it over a little bit first," Iris said.

"Go ahead."

They stood and shook hands with Mr. Hart before leaving. Neither Barry or Iris said anything as they left the school. Once they were outside the building, Barry groaned. "Why is it always something?" he asked no one.

"It does seem to keep happening," Iris acknowledged, rubbing her forehead. "What're we going to do? We definitely can't let Wally repeat a year."

"Do you honestly think he'll be in a better place to focus on schoolwork in June?"

"I think anything's possible. What else can we do?"

Barry didn't know, but he also didn't want to solve it this minute. "Can we discuss this at home? One of us has to go get Wally."

Seeing the stress on her husband's face, Iris dropped the subject for now. "I'll go get him from the Garricks'."

"See you at home." When Barry got in the car he groaned as his head dropped onto the steering wheel. 'Why is everything so complicated?' Barry took a deep breath, then lifted his head. Maybe preventing Wally from failing out of school wasn't a problem he could solve right now, but there was one thing he could do. So he pulled out his phone. "Hey, Bruce. I need a favor."

— —

That night, Wally picked at his spaghetti quietly. He stared at a spot on the table while he slowly moved strands of pasta into his mouth.

"This weekend you're going to Gotham," Barry said out-of-nowhere.

"Why?" Wally asked.

"It doesn't matter why. I said you're going so you're going."

The puzzled look on Wally's face morphed into a scowl. "So I don't get a say at all?"

"Not in the slightest."

"But-"

"Wallace!"

Iris looked on silently as Barry and Wally had a stare-down. Barry won. Wally's eyes flickered to the ground, then he shoved away from the table. Even though his plate was still half-full, Wally tossed the rest and slammed his plate in the sink. Iris put her head in her hand.

"Very mature!" Barry yelled as Wally left the room. "Acting like a child won't end your grounding sooner!"

"Bartholomew Henry Allen!" Iris snapped. She glared at her husband. "That's enough!"

"He-"

"It doesn't matter what he did. He's 16, you're an adult."

"We shouldn't be so lenient with him." Barry gulped down his last mouthful, then put his plate in the sink before leaving.

Iris shook her head as she watched him go. 'I don't know what to do with them anymore.'

— —

The following Saturday, Wally practically dragged his feet as he followed Barry to the zeta tube. He had an over-sized Flash hoodie on, with the hood pulled up and his hands shoved in the front pocket. 'I don't need a babysitter,' he thought, kicking at a rock as he walked. 'I definitely don't want to listen to Dick lecture me about my choices like everyone else.' He glanced at Barry, but his uncle was looking straight ahead. 'Whatever. It's not like it matters anyway.'

When they reached the zeta tube, Barry authorized Wally to go through. He stepped back, let Wally step through, then followed his nephew. As soon as they stepped out into Gotham, Barry picked Wally up. "Sorry, kid," he mumbled at the indigent look on his face. "But you can't run. Hang on." A quick glance told him they were alone, so he ran.

Being held while running at superspeed was a very different sensation from running on its own. Wally had to bury his face in his uncle's shoulder to keep himself grounded. Thankfully, it only lasted for three minutes. The world came to a sudden stop and he immediately pushed Barry away. His uncle set him down, then stepped away to knock on the door of Wayne Manor. Wally glared at his back as he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his sweater again.

"Good morning, Mr. Allen," Alfred said as he opened the door. "Mr. West. Please come in. We have been expecting you."

"We're Bruce," Barry asked as they walked inside.

"In his study. I'll show you to him."

'This is so stupid,' Wally thought as he followed Alfred and Barry. His eyes darted around, expecting Dick to come running around a corner, but he never did. However, Wally realized why as soon as he walked into the study. Dick was perched on the edge of Bruce's desk, his legs swinging idly as he craned his neck to look at Bruce's papers. He was dressed in workout clothes, which Wally initially narrowed his eyes at. 'Why is he working out so early in the morning?' he wondered, but then shrugged right after. 'Then again, it is Dick. He just does this kind of stuff.' As soon as they walked in, Dick's head snapped up. Wally's eyes were fast, so he caught the look of disapproval on his best friend's face, but it was immediately replaced with a smile.

"Hey, Walls," Dick said as he leaped easily from the desk. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Wally mumbled in response.

"That's good because I've got a lot of plans for us." Dick grabbed Wally's wrist, then pulled him toward the grandfather clock.

"What does Dick have planned?" Barry asked as the boys disappeared toward the Bat-cave.

"I don't know," Bruce admitted. "But I let him decide what they would be doing today."

"Hmm. Well, thanks for keeping an eye on Wally."

"We need to keep him out of trouble."

"God, what a concept. You'd think being a superhero would be the ultimate stay-out-of-trouble activity."

"He hasn't been Kid Flash for weeks, Barry."

"I know. I know. It's still hard to believe though. He always seemed like such a smart and responsible kid. Now I'm afraid to leave him alone."

"He violated your trust. It's normal for you to keep him close to keep an eye on him."

"Yeah." Barry glanced at his watch. "I have to go. I'll be back to pick him up later today."

"Hmm."

'Guess he used all his talking energy for the day,' Barry thought as he left. Something in his brain worried about leaving Wally, but then he reminded himself where exactly he was leaving the teen. 'If there's any member of the League who can keep Wally out of trouble, it's Bruce. Wally will be fine here.'

Meanwhile, Dick dragged Wally over to the workout area in the Cave. "Here," he said, throwing some sweats at Wally. They'd been left at the Manor when Wally had slept over several months before. "Get changed."

"For what?" Wally asked.

"You definitely don't want to work out in those clothes."

"I don't want to work out."

"Too bad. Go get changed."

'Why is he being so bossy?' Wally wondered. He gathered up the clothes and went to the change. It didn't take him long, but when he returned to Dick, his friend was flipping around the mat like he'd been doing it for hours.

Dick straightened as he came out of a backflip. He spun around on his heels and smiled; completely ignoring the annoyed frown on Wally's face. "Come over here so I can wrap your knuckles."

"Why?"

"Because otherwise, you might break something. Which normally wouldn't be a problem, but your healing hasn't been working." Dick walked to a bench and gestured for Wally to follow him. He sat down and grabbed strips of gaze. Wally sat silently next to him and Dick got to work. It was silent for a few seconds as Dick wrapped Wally's hands.

"What're we doing, Dick?"

"…You'll see." When he finished, Dick hopped to his feet and grabbed the punching mitts next to him. He slipped them on as he walked to open mats.

Sighing, Wally followed slowly. He stopped across from Dick on the mats. "What now?"

Dick smirked as he held up the mitts. "Go ahead. Start punching."

"Punching?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want to fight, dude."

"We're not fighting. You're just throwing punches." When Wally rolled his eyes, Dick cuffed the side of his head. "Look at me." His friend's head snapped toward him angrily. "You need to get your anger out."

"I'm fine."

"No. You're not." Like a switch being flipped, Dick's muscles tensed and coiled; his eyes darkened. "I know you're not."

"How can you-" Wally was cut off by Dick cuffing him with the mitt again. He practically growled at the younger teen.

"You're angry. In fact, you're furious." Dick shoved Wally in the chest, pushing him back a few feet.

"I'm not-"

Dick landed two hard cuffs against Wally's head. "Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be? Your parents were killed right in front of you." Wally winced, but he kept going. "They died right there and you could do nothing but watch." He shoved Wally again. "They died and you did nothing!"

"Stop!" Wally shouted as he punched at Dick. His punch landed on the left mitt solidly. Dick's arm barely moved.

"Now, you can't even use your speed! Your uncle doesn't trust you anymore! You had to leave your home and school. Your whole entire life was turned upside down!" Another punch landed on the left mitt. "Everything has changed and it's all terrible! It's terrible because your parents are dead! Because of you!"

"Shut up!" Wally threw a hard punch with every word he shouted. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" The hits landed solidly against each mitt, but he just kept going. For being so much smaller, Dick held his arms up for a while. Each time Wally punched, the mitts were there to catch his hands. He threw his whole body into it, trying to rid himself of the feelings that rose in his chest. The anger and self-hatred that jumped into his hands, forcing them forward again and again. Anytime it seemed like he was slowing down, Dick would yell.

"You let your own parents die! They were right there in front of you! But you did nothing! You hate yourself for it! You wish that you died too!"

The last sentence sent Wally into a blind rage. He laid punch after punch into the mitts, moving so fast it forced Dick back a few inches. One of them missed, however, sending Wally down to his knees. His body dropped with a soft thud! Wally's hands shook as he gripped his hair. He shook from head to toe. Tears burned behind his eyelids. After a few seconds, a hand settled on his back. Wally didn't bother looking.

"It's not your fault," Dick said quietly. "I know you're angry, Wally. I was too. For a long time. Even after we brought Zucco to justice, I was angry for years. Angry at him. The world. Myself. But being angry…it's not going to change anything, Wally. Because you didn't do anything wrong. There was nothing you could've done. It wasn't my fault when my family fell that night and it wasn't yours when your parents were shot." Wally just shook his head. "Be angry, Wally, but then let go of it. Trust me. Holding on to this anger isn't going to help you."

It was silent for several long seconds before Wally whispered, "…maybe I don't want help."

"Even if you don't want help, you need it. I know how it feels, Wally. Exactly how you feel. I promise you'll get through. You have to trust me on this. As your best friend."

Wally took a shuttering breath. "I- I just don't know what to do, Dick."

"Then trust me. Trust Barry and Iris. Your friends. We're your family, we want to help." Dick moved his hand from rubbing Wally's back to cup the nape of his neck. "We want to help you whether you want it or not. Because we care about you." Wally just shook his head. "Yes, bro. We're here to help. Believe me. Please."

It was quiet for close to a minute. Wally sniffed. "It's all screwed up, Dick… I don't know what to do."

"I believe in you, Wally. You're so smart and stubborn, you literally blew yourself up to become Kid Flash. You can overcome anything."

"How?"

"One step at a time."

Wally rolled his eyes. "What do I even do first?"

"Honestly? Try to make things better with Barry."

"He hates me."

"Barry would never hate you. He's angry because he loves you."

"He won't even speak to me."

"You'll figure something out. You always do."

"…Don't you hate me?"

"Hate you?! Of course not! Wally, you're my best friend! I could never hate you a million years! I'm angry with you, but I don't hate you. No one does. I promise." Dick pulled Wally to his feet. "Come on, let's go again."

"Why?"

"You need a healthy way to release your anger." Dick slipped the mitts back onto his hands and took a defensive stance. "Now, let's go."