A/N: Time for Kid Flash to meet Speedy! So, I know that officially Greg Weisman has said that the speed force doesn't exist in the Young Justice universe, but I think that's stupid, so in my AU it exists. There is a speed force and that's why it's mentioned. With that out of the way, enjoy!

Wally and never been very good at lying to his uncle. Minus the first few years he'd known him of course. Other than that though, he didn't like lying. Especially once he considered all Iris and Barry had done for him. He would get a knot in his stomach when he lied to them. 'This isn't lying,' he argued silently as he brushed his teeth. 'Withholding information isn't the same thing as lying.' He spit the toothpaste out and rinsed his mouth.

"Wally!" Iris called. "Are you ready for bed?!"

"Yeah Aunt I!" Wally ran out of the bathroom, only to trip in the hall way. He fell right into Barry, knocking his uncle down.

"Where's the fire Walls?" Barry asked with a chuckle. He frowned suddenly. "Nothing is on fire in the bathroom, right?"

Wally shook his head. "No." He got up and almost tripped again. Luckily Barry caught him this time. "Stupid pajamas!"

"I thought you like your new pajamas?"

Wally looked down at his red pajamas with flash lightning bolts all over. "The pants are too long."

Barry laughed and took his nephew's arm gently. "Come on, I'll help you get up the stairs." Wally almost slipped several time between the hall and his bedroom, but Barry was there to catch him. Wally sat down on his bed and his uncle knelt down. "You'll grow into them, and your powers, which Iris told you not to use inside by the way."

"Sorry." Barry finished rolling up the hem of his pants.

"I'll have Iris pin them tomorrow."

"What am I doing now?" Iris asked.

"Pinning Wally's pants so he doesn't fall on his face."

Iris smiled and ruffled her nephew's red hair. "We'd never want Wally to fall." He smiled sheepishly and she gave him a kiss on the head.

"Come on Walls, bed time." Barry pulled back the covers, red with the Flash's insignia, and patted the bed. Wally crawled in and snuggled down.

Iris gave him another kiss n the forehead. "Night Wally."

"Night Aunt Iris."

Barry kissed Wally on top of his head. "Sleep tight Kid."

"Night Uncle Barry." Wally pulled his covers up and laid down. He turned his back to the door as his uncle shut off the light. Wally heard the door shut and heard their footsteps and voices leave. He held his breath, waiting to make sure they'd left. Once it was silent for a few minutes, he rolled over and looked at his alarm clock. He still had a few hours before he had to go meet Robin. He sat up in bed and turned on his bedside lamp. He pulled out a molecular chemistry book he'd been reading and settled in. The time passed quickly as he read about the influence of thermal excitation. At one point he heard Iris and Barry go to bed and checked the time. '10:00'. He went back to reading, trying to give them a little bit of the to go to sleep. The next time he checked the time it was 10:30. 'Close enough.' He put the book away and got out of bed. He arranged his pillows under his blankets to make it look like he was till in bed; Barry had the tendency to check on him in the middle of the night. He quickly went to his closest where he hid his suit. He changed into it and paused. No sound or movement from Barry and Iris.

He went to his bedroom window and opened it. He climbed out and stood on the ledge. He looked down at the yard, uneasiness creeping up his insides. 'If I was Robin I could get down no problem.' A deep breath later and he was ready to carefully lower himself down by gripping the ledge of his window and hanging down. He was still a story above the ground. He bit his lip and started moving himself sideways across the ledge, until he reached the edge; about a foot from the railing of the back porch. 'Ok Wally, focus. You can do this.' He swung his body sideways and let go. His feet his the railing and the momentum cased him to fall off into the grass. It knocked the wind out of him for a minute and he lay there. Once he could breathe again he sat up, wincing at the pain in his chest. 'Robin makes this look easy.' He stood up and glanced up at his bedroom window. 'No going back now.' He bushed off his yellow suit and slipped his goggles over his eyes. "Let's do this." He took off running from the backyard and thought the streets of Central City. It wasn't long before he left the city and was sprinting through the open fields of Kansas. He smiled as the wind whipped at his face. He loved running. The speed force electrified his nerves and muscles with kinetic energy. He ran to feel movement.

Whenever he ran though, his mind could't help but go back to a time when he didn't feel so free. He was scared to go to Star. Barry and been warning him about Green Arrow since he'd started out as a hero. Everything about the archer terrified him. He had deadly accuracy across a football field of space and had little disregard for the lives of others. It scared Wally that someone could deal out justice like that for criminals. Barry told him all the time that they weren't judge, jury, and executioner. Apparently someone forgot to tell Green Arrow. Wally firmly believed that if he never met the emerald archer he could live a long and happy life. 'Yet here I am running head first into Star.' Which Barry had expressly told him not to do. Wally could pretty much run anywhere within state lines he wanted. He wasn't supposed to leave the country at all, he couldn't leave the midwest without permission, and he wasn't allowed within 10 miles of Star City. 'Barry would be furious if he found out.' Oh well. There was no turning back now, and not just because he was carefully navigating his way through the Rockies. Ever since he'd found out Roy he couldn't shake the need to run like this. To sprint to Star and grab him. The League's rules be damned!

He knew first hand what it was like to feel trapped. How terrifying it was to not be able to trust the person who you should be able to trust most in the world. He knew how alone it felt when you were trapped and no one was coming. Not even your hero. He swallowed. Green Arrow terrified him. Just the thought of being in the same city as that psycho was petrifying; which was saying a lot for speedsters. He couldn't turn his back on Roy though. He didn't know this guy beyond what limited information the League had given him, although he was pretty sure if he pressed Robin about it the boy wonder would know more, he couldn't abandon him though. Deep down, despite all his apprehensions, Wally didn't care if he got caught by Green Arrow. It would be worth it if he helped Robin get through to Roy. He couldn't not do anything. So he ran straight ahead as fast as he could. He and Robin would find a way to convince Roy to leave Star.

It was easy to find the paper mill Robin had mentioned once he was in the city. He stopped beside it, apprehensively watching the squalor building. 'What is it with Robin and Batman and creepiness?'

"Hey!" Robin hissed, jumping out of the shadows.

Kid Flash jumped back. "Ahh!"

"You wanna quiet it down there Kid Mouth? Superman does have super hearing."

"You gave me a heart attack!"

"You look pretty alive to me."

Kid Flash stuck his tongue out. "Next time don't jump out of the shadows."

"That's what I do!" He grinned and Kid Flash blinked. With his cape covering his tunic, Robin blended in with the shadows behind him. His smile stood out against the darkness in a really creepy way. "Come on, let's get moving!" Robin took off, leaving Kid Flash to follow. He followed the young vigilante into the heart of the city until Robin took out his grapple. He pulled himself up onto the roof and Kid Flash changed course. He ran up the side of the building, reminding himself what Flash always told him. 'Let the speed force do all the work. Keep your steps even and your body forward.' He followed Robin through the city, trying to keep up. He megohm not have been a meta, but the kid was fast. When Robin finally stopped he was waiting for Kid Flash.

"How do you do that?" Kid Flash asked in amazement.

"I'm a man of many talents." Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Wait here, I'm going to get Speedy."

"Why?"

"We need to be somewhere away from the security cameras so Batman doesn't see us."

Kid Flash crossed his arms and shifted on his feet. "Fine. Be quick."

"Chill, Kid Mouth. I'll be back before you can say asterous." Robin backflipped off the building, leaving a very confused Kid Flash behind.

"Asterous? What is Bats teaching that kid?" He was too anxious to stand still, which was a hard thing for speedsters to do in general, so he started pacing. He was so busy pacing and trying not to accidentally burn a hole in the roof that he didn't notice someone approaching.

"Robin!" Kid Flash spun around. Speedy was staring at him in shock. 'He's taller in person.' He wasn't trained by The World's Greatest Detective, but he did notice the large bruise on the side of Speedy's face and the hand shaped bruises that wrapped around his neck. His stomach shriveled up. "What in the world is he doing here?!"

"What?" Robin asked. "I promised you a surprise, didn't I?"

"Not one that was going to get us killed!" He put his hands on his head, gripping his hair like he was going to pull it out. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Green Arrow is going to be so mad! He's going to be furious!"

"Speedy relax."

"You can't tell me to relax if you're bringing yellow….whatevers here! We're going to get caught!"

"Speedy chill! If you keep yelling Green Arrow will definitely catch us."

Kid Flash decided to try and put Speedy's mind at ease. He dashed up to the archer, stopping when he was a foot from him. 'Yes! Nailed that sudden stop!' He smiled broadly. "I'm Kid Flash."

Speedy backed up. "I'm….Speedy."

"Speedy? Awesome! We're so similar! Hey, why do you call yourself that?! Are you really fast?! Do you have super speed?!"

Speedy gave Robin an apprehensive look. "…..help?"

Robin smirked. "Kid Mouth lay off."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry." He took a step back. "Seriously though, why do you call yourself Speedy?"

"You know, I don't think you've ever told me either."

Speedy sighed. "I call myself that because I can shoot arrows faster than Green Arrow."

"Really?!" Kid Flash gaped. "That's awesome!"

"Impressive," Robin nodded.

"How did you meet Green Arrow?! How do you know you can shoot faster than him?!" Robin wanted to tell Kid Flash to be quiet, then realized that coming out of his mouth at Mach speed, the question sounded incredibly innocent. Maybe it could work.

Speedy shifted and looked down. "I met him at an archery competition on the reservation I lived on. I won the competition and he was impressed with my skill and speed." His stomach twisted. That moment used to be a sense of pride for him. He could still remember the rush of winning. Of feeling like he was similar to his hero. The greatest bowman in the world! He could clearly see Oliver smiling and shaking his hand. He could remember the smile. The way it'd been so welcoming and warm. He shook his head bitterly. That memory was forever tainted now by the two years of hell that came after it.

"The fact that you won is still really good."

"Thanks." He decided to change the subject. "So…..KId Flash…..you work with the Flash, right?"

"Sure do!"

"So are you…also reckless?"

"Reckless? I'm just inexperienced."

"What did Green Arrow tell you about the Flash?" Robin asked. He had a vague idea about what Speedy thought of Batman. None of it was good. He didn't know how someone could put the Flash in a bad light though.

"He said that the Flash was reckless. That he only does the hero thing because he likes the people Central City adoring him and he acts without thinking, and doesn't care about who gets hurt."

"Hey!" Kid Flash protested while Robin mused over the fact that Speedy's description sounded like a mantra. "Flash is the greatest hero in the world!"

"Of course you think that."

"Whats that supposed to mean?!"

"Kid chill!" Robin hissed.

"He's saying bad things about Flash!"

"Batman says bad things about Flash. The whole League says bad things about Flash."

Speedy frowned as he watched them. Kid Flash turned on him. "Flash is a great hero. He helps people because he wants to. Not everyone is like Green Arrow."

"What's wrong with Green Arrow?" Speedy asked, despite knowing how ironic that statement was coming from him.

"He kills people!"

"Criminals."

Robin leaped forward and covered Kid Flash's mouth. "What my…energetic friend here means, is that the Justice League doesn't really approve of Green Arrow's actions. Which in no way reflects what they think about you."

Wally nodded and moved Robin's hand. "Yeah, Flash says you're the best teen archer he's ever seen!"

"Really?" Green Arrow almost never complimented Speedy. Usually, it was insults followed by threats and physical violence.

"Superman says you'd be a great hero someday!"

"…..he did? But….I thought Superman was…."

"What?"

"Pretentious and full of himself."

Robin blinked. 'Gotta remember to tell that one to Batman.' A smirk played across his lips. "Batman would approve."

"Superman is super nice," Kid Flash explained.

"Super nice? That's the best you got?" Speedy smiled, which Robin didn't miss.

"Says the kid who uses words like astersous."

Speedy frowned. "Asterous?"

"The opposite of disastrous?"

"Uh…..that's not a word."

"Sure it is!"

"Is not!" Kid Flash argued.

"Is so!"

"It's really not," Speedy said.

"Whose side are you on?!"

"The dictionary's."

Robin glared while Kid Flash doubled-over in laughter. "I'm improving the English language."

"You're really not," Kid Flash said. Robin stuck his tongue out.

"So, how does the League….know about me?"

"We've seen you fight on the security cameras all over the city," Robin explained.

"How?"

"Batman has his ways."

"Why?"

"Well….like Kid said. He doesn't approve of Green Arrow killing criminals instead of handing them over to the police."

"The police are inept and corrupt."

"So are the police in Gotham," Kid Flash assured him.

"Batman believes on the system, and so do I," Robin said.

"Dude relax he's not here." Robin jumped at him, but Kid Flash dodged with ease.

Speedy looked around uneasily. "I should get back before Green Arrow realizes I'm gone."

Robin nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I…won't be," Kid Flash said. He was pretty sure if he got caught he'd be grounded for a week. "Maybe another time."

Speedy nodded. He honestly like spending time with Robin and Kid Flash. When the only human interaction he had was with Green Arrow any conversation where he could relax and joke was welcomed. "I look froward to it."

"Later gator!" Robin snapped before jumping off the building.

Kid Flash shook his head. "Kids. Bye Speedy!" He ran down the side of the building and headed home.

— —

When he got back to Central City it was a little after 2 am. He stopped in the backyard and looked up at his bedroom window in frustration. "Ok….now how do I get up there?"

"You could always run up the side of the house."

"Hey! That's a great idea! Thanks Uncle B!"

"Anytime Kid."

Wally smiled, then froze. He turned around slowly. "Hi Uncle Barry." Barry crossed his arms, disappointment written all over his face. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"And Batman says speedsters have no common sense." Barry put his hand on Wally's shoulders. "Let's go." He led Wally inside and into the living room. Iris glared at her nephew as Barry led him in. "Look who turned up."

"Wallace Rudolph West," Iris began as Barry sat Wally down on the couch. "You are in so much trouble!" Wally looked at the ground. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

"No?" Wally ventured.

"Wally, I woke up and your bed was empty!" Barry yelled. "I was worried out of my mind! I thought the Rogues had kidnapped you! Or worse!"

"Where were you?" Iris asked before Barry got too off topic.

"I….Star City."

Barry froze. "Star City?" Wally nodded. "Star City?"

"Barry-" Iris warned, but her husband cut her off.

"Star City?! Wally what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I…I was trying to help Robin…" Wally answered quietly, shrinking in on himself.

"I told you not to go near that place! What if Green Arrow had caught you?! You could've died! Why would you do something so reckless?! You ran half-way across the country! You went into Star, which I'd explicitly told you not to do! You're-"

"Barry Allen that's enough!" Iris snapped, grabbing his ear.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Barry yelped as she turned around, dragging him with her. She pulled her husband close.

"I love you, but you're an idiot!"

"Iris he-"

"I know what he did was wrong, but Barry you're scaring him! Look at him, he's shaking!" Barry glanced back his heart twisted in guilt. Wally was curled up in a fetal position, vibrating. His green eyes were wide with fear. The older speedster sighed. "You need to calm down, or I'm sending you out of the room."

"Ok, ok." Barry took a deep breath. "I'm calm."

"Good." They turned back around and Barry approached his nephew.

"Wally-" He reached out to hug the kid, but Wally flinched back. His heart broke. "Kid I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just worried about you. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Wally took a deep breath and focused on stopping his vibrating. Once he stopped moving Barry could see his eyes were glazed with tears. "I-I'm really sorry Uncle Barry P-Please don't fire me."

"Oh Kid." Barry hugged him tight. "I'd never do that." He kissed Wally's red hair as Iris knelt down beside them.

"Wally, why did you go to Star?" Iris asked gently.

Wally sniffed and took his face out of Barry's shoulder. "I-I really wanted to help Robin help Speedy."

"Wally," Barry said, keeping his voice even. "as noble as that is, you shouldn't have gone without my permission."

"You wouldn't have let go though."

"I have my reasons for it."

"Speedy's been there for two years though! Two years and you've done nothing!"

"Wally-" Iris began, seeing him getting upset again.

"No! You left him there for two years! How could you do that Uncle Barry?! You're the Flash! You're supposed to be the greatest hero in the world!"

"Wally-" Barry said, but Wally's next words made his throat close.

"You didn't do that to me right?! You-you didn't know what was happening and just….do nothing about it for two years?!" If there was an award for World's Worst Human Being, Barry was pretty sure he'd win.

Barry swallowed the lump in his throat. "Wally, what happened with you is completely different."

"How?"

"First, it was all civilian identities involved. That's not the case here. Green Arrow knows Speedy's real name and that's powerful leverage. Second, what happened with you….the police in Keystone made your case a priority as a favor to me. That's how Iris and I got custody so fast and why everything went so smoothly. This isn't like that. I wish it could be Walls. I really do."

Wally started crying and Barry hugged him again. "Why does this happen?"

Barry shook his head. "I don't know Wally. I see how amazing you are and how much Batman cares about Robin….I can't imagine why anyone would want to hurt their child." Iris rubbed Wally's back.

"I had to help. I just had to."

"Wally-"

"No, you don't understand! You don't know!" He pushed himself away from his uncle. "You don't know how scared he is! Or how he thinks no one's going to help him! That no one cares! Uncle Barry, I can't leave him there, I can't!"

"Shh!" Barry soothed, hugging his nephew again. "Shh, it's ok."

"Promise me you'll help Speedy," Wally mumbled. "Please promise me you'll help him. You don't know how he feels."

Barry nodded. "I promise Wally. I promise."