Disclaimer: Lihau does not own the Teen Titans or any related characters or objects.

Special Thanks: A nice big "Thank-you" goes out to Protector of Canon2 and DC's Princess, for suggesting inspiring words.

Apology: I'm really sorry I took so long to post this, but Batman and I had one heck of a time nabbing the Joker. Believe me, it's hard to type and run at the same time.

Sense of Humor: Yes, I do have one. I am proving this once and for all by poking a bit of fun at myself. I do this by calling myself a sometimes-insulting nickname. Can you find the nickname? It starts with "walking" and ends with "traffic light".

Flying: Based on a True Story

By Robin

It's funny how things change. Sometimes for the worse. Sometimes for the better, like when I first became Batman's sidekick. Even though it's only been about four or five years since I took flight for the first time, there are already plenty of memories imprinted on my brain, some of them more easily recalled than others.

One of the ones that I have no trouble remembering was the first real injury I got as Robin. To stick with the bird puns, it was a broken wing. And everyone knows that a bird can't fly with just one wing…

-

Like a nine-year-old, though, Robin was still optimistic and ready to go out on patrol despite this. So, when it was late enough, he completely forgot the book he'd been reading and went to the Batcave, still out of costume, deciding to hang around until it was time to go. It wasn't until Batman came down and got into the Batmobile—saying good-bye—that it registered.

He wasn't going to say it.

He wasn't going to say that it was time to fly.

"Batman," Robin called, but it was too late. The vehicle was long gone.

Although he actually knew why the Dark Knight had left alone, he wasn't quite ready to admit that he was physically unfit for crime-fighting. Because of this bit of stubbornness on the Boy Wonder's part, he murmured to no-one in particular, "He forgot me." A couple of appropriate words for this emotion would be "mild devastation".

Robin sat down at the chair in front of the Bat-Computer, sulking a bit, vaguely toying with the idea of chewing out his mentor upon his return. Of course the Gotham youth would never actually do that unless he wanted to risk getting into some serious trouble, but it was a somewhat comforting idea nonetheless.

One of the least comforting things that could possibly happen occurred just then—a streak of yellow and red barreled into the Batcave, startling Robin into falling off his chair and smacking his broken left arm against the hard, unfinished, natural floor.

It hurt.

A lot.

And at that moment he was making that announcement quite loudly.

"Robin! Wow-I'm-so-sorry-I-really-didn'-mean-it-honest-are-you-okay?!"

"I didn't understand a word you said," Robin replied through gritted teeth, "and I don't really care. Ow…"

Just lying on top of that broken arm was certainly not doing any good, so he asked for some assistance in getting up.

"Yeah-yeah-of-course-sorry!"

YANK!

"AGH! Slowly!"

"Sorry!" As Kid Flash, a new friend, helped Robin to his feet, he asked, "What happened to your arm? I thought that maybe you'd just hit it really hard but then I saw that you already had a bandage on your arm and—omigosh!

"You-prob'ly-sprained-it-or-somethin'-an'-now-I-broke-it-for-you-an'-oh-wow-I'm-a-rotten-friend-I've-only-known-you-jus'-two-days-an'-I-already-broke-your-arm-an'-if-I-already-broke-your-arm-after-jus'-two-days-imagine-what-I'll-do-in-two-years-I'll-I'll-I'll-prob'ly-KILL-YOU!!!"

Once again, the speedster's rapid speech had run right past the Bat's sidekick. The next thing Robin knew, Kid Flash was on his knees, grabbing the hem of the black-haired youth's t-shirt, begging hastily for forgiveness.

"Please—PLEASE!!—forgive me! I—hey, you aren't in costume!"

"That's because I broke my arm and Batman won't let me go on patrol," Robin grumbled. "Now get up." Needless to say, he was not in a good mood. At all. Unfortunately, this only made Kid Flash think his friend was mad at him.

"Please forgive me," he pleaded.

"It wasn't your fault," was the slightly snappish reply. "Just don't come crashin' in here like that again."

"YES! Yes, I promise!" sighed the Mid-Westerner in relief.

"And while we're talking about your grand entrance, would you mind telling me how you knew where the Batcave was? I didn't think Batman told its location to the Flash."

"Batcave?" he echoed.

"Yes. Batcave."

"This is the Batcave?!"

"Well, duh," Robin muttered sourly, cradling his poor, poor arm as he sat down on the chair he'd occupied before Kid Flash's arrival.

"WOW! I'm-in-the-Batcave-I-cant-believe-I'm-actu'lly-in-the-BATCAVE!"

"Are you trying to say something?"

Kid Flash was beaming as he bounced up and down ecstatically. He zoomed around the cave a couple of times before returning to his previous position. Let the reader note that, throughout his excited dash about the Batcave, the speedster was jabbering on about something at a speed rivaling his feet.

"I can't b'lieve I'm actu'lly in the Batcave!!!" he finally exclaimed at a comprehendible rate.

Robin took a moment to let it sink in. "So what you're saying," he began slowly, "is that you found the Batcave by accident?"

"Yeah! I was coming over to Gotham to see if I could find you and ask if I could just hang out with you while you patrolled. I was searching all over and I saw the Batmobile coming out of a huge rock!"

"Cliff. It's a cliff. A rock is what I sometimes want to beat Speedy over the head with."

"Oh, right. Me, too. Anyway, I decided to just see where the Batmobile came from—you know, just for kicks, in case I could find the Batcave. And I DID! And it's AWESOME! You and Batman have got to have the coolest hideout EVER!"

"Batman," Robin sighed, putting a hand to his forehead, "is going to have a fit."

"Why? What'd ya do?"

"Not me! You!"

"Me?" wondered the speedster. "What'd I do?"

"You found the Batcave! By accident, no less!" The Boy Wonder snickered in spite of himself. "And he thinks this place is so well-hidden…"

"You—you really think he'll be mad at me, Robbie?"

"Don't call me 'Robbie'."

"Rob?"

"Robin. And yes. Even if he doesn't show it while you're around, he's gonna be pretty ticked off."

Kid Flash gulped nervously before suddenly brightening up. "Hey, d'ya think that if I left right now and we didn't say anything about this, he'd still know that I knew where the Batcave is?"

"He's Batman!" Robin insisted exasperatedly. "He'd find out somehow."

"Yeah, I guess so…. Promise me one thing?"

"What?"

"You'll bring an American flag to my gravesite every fourth of July."

"He won't kill you!" exclaimed Robin. "Give you a dirty look, maybe, but not kill."

The Flash's junior partner sighed in relief. "Oh… that's good."

"Yeah. Do you want to go find him and confess that you've discovered the Batcave, now?"

"No way—! Uh, that is, I think I'd rather stay with you," Kid Flash corrected himself, smiling and patting the other boy on the shoulder.

"Mm-hmm," Robin smirked. "And do what? I doubt if you can sit still for five minutes and I can't do anything that might hurt my arm more. That's why Batman won't let me 'fly' tonight."

"Oooooooooohhh!" shouted the Fastest Boy Alive. "I know! I met a girl yesterday! Wonder Girl!"

"Any relation to Wonder Woman?" Robin asked.

"Yeah! I think they're, like, sisters or something. Anyway, I just got this totally awesome idea!"

"Oh, really?"

"You're gonna flip out when ya hear it!" Kid Flash beamed, starting to walk around in a tight circle, grinning ecstatically.

"I bet."

The speedster began gesticulating wildly with his arms, seemingly oblivious to the Gothamite's rather sarcastic comments.

KF continued, "I mean, this is probably the awesomest idea I ever had!"

"Is 'awesomest' even a word…?"

"Oh, boy, this is so great I can hardly—!"

"Care to share?" Robin interrupted pointedly.

"Don't worry, Bird Boy!" Kid Flash exclaimed rapturously. "We'll have you flying before the night's over!"

"Don't call me B—!"

The complaint was ended abruptly when Batman's junior partner noticed that the red-haired speed-demon had already zipped away to who-knows-where.

After a moment of taking in the fact that his visitor was gone, Robin muttered, "Well, 'good-bye' to you, too…."

-

"We're back! Hey, Robbie, you still here?! Wait here, I'll find him. He's gotta be around here some—"

"Boo!"

"YIPE!"

Kid Flash fell backwards, landing on his rear end. Looking up, the Central City hero gave Robin a questioning look and demanded, "What was that for?"

"Thought I'd repay your oh-so-subtle entrance from earlier," explained Robin. "And why are you still calling me 'Robbie'?"

Ignoring the question, Kid Flash appeared to completely forget the Boy Wonder's greeting. Instead, he said, "Rob, this is Wonder Girl. Wonder Girl, Robin. Now that you've met, let's go."

"Whoa, Twinkletoes," Robin protested. "Go where?"

"'Twinkletoes'?" Kid Flash wondered, once again not seeming to have heard the question.

"Don't evade the question!"

"What's 'evade'?"

"Avoid! Don't avoid the question!"

"What question?"

"The ones I keep asking!"

"What ones you keep—?"

"Boys," Wonder Girl finally spoke, putting an end to the potentially never-ending exchange. Her black ponytail followed her head as it shook back and forth in something like partial amusement. "Do you really have to go on like that?"

"What?" asked Kid Flash, once again missing the group of words that terminated in a question mark.

"Kid Flash, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine," Robin stated. "Pay close attention, now…"

"When do I not?"

Robin sighed. "Have you ever heard of 'listening comprehension skills'? No? Well, I'm sure that you and those skills could get to be very good friends if you'd START LISTENING!"

Kid Flash was silent for a moment. He finally said, "I'm starting to get the feeling that you're annoyed with me for some reason…"

"AGH!"

Wonder Girl looked sympathetically at the dark-haired boy. She then glanced to the Fastest Boy Alive when she realized that he was snickering incessantly.

"What's so funny?" she wanted to know.

"You and Robin!" he sniggered. "But mostly Robbie!" The redhead turned to Robin. "You got so mad…!"

"Hold on a minute," Robin said. "Do you mean that you pretended not to hear all those questions on purpose?"

"Well, I didn't pretend not to hear them by accident!" Kid Flash chortled. "…Are you mad at me?"

…

"Don't worry, KF. I'll put an American flag on your grave every fourth of July."

"…Guess so." Kid Flash began rambling nervously, "I-really-didn'-mean-to-make-ya-mad-honest-it-was-just-a-joke-ya-know-ha-ha-ha-ha-and-I-thought-you'd-think-it-was-funny-but-I-guess-not-and—"

"What he means," Wonder Girl interjected, "is that he doesn't want you to kill him until after you find out what his 'awesome' idea is. Believe me," she smiled. "Once you find out what it is, you won't want to kill him at all."

"Yeah, Rob—in. Robin. Robin!" Kid Flash grinned anxiously. "You won't want to kill me at all! Let us show you my awesome idea! Please-please-please-let-us-show-you-my-brilliant-awesome-amazing-idea-please-please-please-please—"

"Alright!" Robin cut him off. "Show me."

Kid Flash's smile turned from concerned to euphoric in a record 0.00000000000000001 nanosecond. "Yay! Let's go!"

"I want an answer this time—go where?"

"You'll see," replied Kid Flash exultantly.

"That is," put in Wonder Girl, "unless you're afraid of heights."

"Nooo… should I be?" asked Robin warily.

"No—"

"Yep!" interrupted Kid Flash. "Be afraid. Be very afraid. Now get into your Robin costume!"

"Why?" the Bat's sidekick demanded.

"Well, unless you want all of Gotham to see you… whoever you are… out of costume and with me and Wonder Girl…"

"Fine," sighed Robin, understanding the speedster's insinuation. "I'll put it on the best I can."

Robin went into the changing room and came out a moment later, mask in his hand and tunic hanging loose over his left shoulder. The green undershirt was also worn over his broken arm—proof of an inability to maneuver it through sleeves.

"Could one of you button up the tunic a little and put my mask on for me?" Robin grudgingly asked for assistance.

"Of course," Wonder Girl replied, reaching for the mask and securing it around her new acquaintance's head. She then secured both ends of the tunic together with about two clasps, leaving the garment so that it acted as a second sling, cradling the broken left arm close to its owner.

"Thanks."

"No problem," the Amazon girl assured him. With no warning whatsoever, she grinned, "I hope you aren't ticklish."

"Ticklish… not particularly… why?"

"You'll see," Kid Flash answered, clearly enjoying himself. "Let's go!"

-

"We are on the roof of the tallest building in Gotham City. You two are grinning like maniacs. Okay, I admit it. I'm more than a little afraid."

"Relax, Bird Boy," smiled Kid Flash. "You're gonna love it."

"Love what? The experience of plunging to my doom?"

Wonder Girl laughed. "Don't worry, Robin." She patted his head and teased, "I don't know you well enough to want to kill you."

"This is all very reassuring, guys, but I'd like to just get your little surprise overwith. Oh, and for the record? I'd really prefer to get home with my head in one piece, if you don't mind."

"We'll put a flag on your grave every fourth of July—I mean," Kid Flash amended. "Everything's gonna be just fine." He smirked.

"Fine for whom?"

"Just stand on the edge of the roof," Wonder Girl instructed. She glanced briefly at Kid Flash to ask, "Right?"

"Yep, edge of the roof," confirmed the speedster.

"Why?" Robin reiterated for what seemed like the hundredth time.

The other two chorused, "Just do it!"

"Fine," sighed the Boy Wonder, obeying the order for reasons even he didn't know.

A moment later, two hands rested on either side of Robin's waist, keeping a firm hold on their victim.

"I don't think I'm ready for this kind of relationship," joked the victim, half-nervously.

One hand moved up to gently bop him upside the head. "Oh, knock it off." The hand, decorated at the wrist with a metal band identical to the one circling the other wrist, returned to its previous position. Wonder Girl finally asked, "Ready?"

"To die?"

"No," Kid Flash answered, a few feet behind the other two. "To fly."

Apparently this was a cue of some sort, as Wonder Girl, still holding the walking, wounded traffic light securely, moved a bit. A few seconds later, Robin realized that his feet were no longer planted securely on the roof.

"Where'd the ground go?!"

Wonder Girl laughed. "Calm down—you were the one who wanted to fly, or so Kid Flash told me."

"We—oh." Robin was silent for a few moments, knowing how idiotic his near-panicked question must have sounded.

Actually, this was pretty nice. Just seeing the city—his city—passing by underneath him. After concentrating so long on training with Batman, the feeling of being free and just doing something for the pure enjoyment had been almost forgotten.

Robin promised himself never to forget it again.

This was incredible.

He was flying.

His wings seemed to understand the reason for the prolonged quiet, or at least was considerate of the silence, and simply continued transporting her passenger over Gotham City, going for a tour of the entire metropolis.

After an unknown length of time, the journey finally ended where it had begun—at the top of Wayne Enterprises.

Kid Flash was very obviously eager to hear Robin's reaction, but managed to subdue his enthusiasm for the moment. He asked quietly, "Did you enjoy your flight?"

"Yeah," Robin murmured. "It… it was…." He smiled. "Awesome."

The Fastest Boy Alive beamed. "Hey, did I lie? You don't need wings to fly!"

"No, but I've got them anyway."

Wonder Girl shared a confused look with the speedster.

"You guys," Robin clarified.

"Aww, that's so nice," Kid Flash grinned back, "that I'd be cryin' if I was any younger."

The Amazon smiled at Robin, too, and said, "I think we're all going to be great friends."

"Hey, we already are," argued Kid Flash.

"Well, not great friends," Robin disagreed. "…Awesome friends."

As soon as they were back on the street, walking to the Batcave, Wonder Girl commented, "You know, we'd make a great team. Maybe we should get together and form sort of a… junior Justice League."

…

"Nah!" Kid Flash laughed.

Robin shook his head in good-natured agreement. "It'll never happen."

-

But boy, was I ever wrong. I've got Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Speedy…

I've got my wings now.

And I'm never landing.

The End