I said this would be a one-fic. It should've been, but I wanted to write one last chapter inspired by the recent Young Justice. Yes, it's focused more on Robin. I'm glad you guys and gals liked the previous chapter. If you're reading this, good for you. Yes, this is based on something I think Wally told Robin and it had me thinking…
"You're just thirteen! She doesn't like you!"
"You're fifteen and somehow, I'm more mature! I'm better than you! She would never like you!"
That's when Robin should've shut up. He shouldn't have argued and he knew it. He didn't even know why they were arguing about Megan. Robin knew Wally had a crush on her and that the argument couldn't end well. The Kid Flash was very defensive.
"Well… you're not even a super hero!"
"I am too! I'm Batman's-."
"Batman's not a super hero either! Neither of you are!"
"Yes we are!"
"Then where are your powers? You can't be a hero if you don't have powers! You don't belong here!"
"I… Y-You…"
"Just go home and cry to Mommy and Daddy you big baby!"
"W-W… N-N…" that's when the tears had started to form.
"That's right you big wimp! Just go on home to your Mommy and Daddy! Cry to them about how hard life is! You fit in better with regular people anyway, don't you?"
"I CAN'T!"
"You can't go home? Yes you can! Just ask Batman! He's a 'super hero' isn't he? Oh yeah, he doesn't have powers! Let me guess, your parents don't either? Face it Robin, you're just a regular guy off the street with no powers! Why are you here?"
"Because my parents are… Never mind that! I'm here because I'm a hero and you know it!"
"Because your parents are what? Mentally retarded? Poor hobos?"
"Drop it!"
"Come on, answer me! Because your parents are what?"
Robin knew he shouldn't have punched Kid Flash. He knew that he shouldn't have started crying. He could've just walked away. He could've just gone silent. It was never that easy though.
When Wally pushed it as far as to tell Robin to go to a place he didn't have to cry to people that he couldn't remember, tears sprung from Robin's hidden eyes. He let out an animalistic cry that he didn't even know he could make and his fist met the red head's jaw.
Wally cried out, but Robin guessed it wasn't from surprise. Anger surged through his pre-teenage body and he felt like not even Superman himself could stop him. He tackled Wally to the floor.
"Robin, stop it!" Kid Flash screamed, not wanting to hurt his best friend.
Robin wasn't feeling merciful though. His punches weren't as well focused as they had been before. They were more just angry swings, but it was obvious that they hurt. Wally kicked Robin off of him, but he didn't kick very hard. His kick was just hard enough to knock Robin off his feet again.
"Calm down Rob! My God, what's wrong with you?" the red head asked the furious boy.
Tears built up underneath Robin's mask, but it kept them inside. He charged back at Wally just as the boy got to his feet. The Kid Flash saw it coming though and quickly sped away and got behind Robin, pinning him against the couch roughly. Robin screamed in rage, getting the attention of the rest of the team. Robin wasn't going to be shown up by his best friend though. He reached into his belt and grabbed a small device, no bigger then his fingerprint. He threw it to the ground and it exploded, surprising Wally, causing him to release Robin. Robin took that opportunity to get off the couch, just as Kalder walked into the room.
Robin charged at Wally and tackled him from the back. The unsuspected weight on Wally's back caused him to topple.
"Dude, what the heck?" he asked Robin.
He watched, clearly upset as Robin continued to attempt to hurt him. It was true that Robin didn't have super strength, but he was strong. Kid Flash was so happy he was faster than Robin.
"Robin, KF, what are you guys doing?" Kalder asked.
"Robin's having a cow! I'm guessing it's hormones!" Wally joked as he sped past Kalder, Robin's speed seeming to increase.
Tears escaped from Robin's mask, but they were nearly invisible. Kalder quickly grabbed Robin by his utility belt, stopping him in his tracks. It didn't stop him long though. Robin just simply opened the belt and ran off towards Wally. The red head, frustrated enough already, snapped. He charged towards Robin, knowing exactly how to make the boy stop fighting. It was simple. He rushed forward and grabbed the edge of Robin's mask. Quick as he could, he ripped the mask from Robin's face.
Maskless, Robin collapsed face first onto the bed in his room, tears still falling from his eyes. Everything ran through Robin's head. Every detail, every word. Why did his best friend have to be like that? Why did he have to mention his parents? Why was Wally like this? Why couldn't he have just minded his own business and walked away? Robin's body shook with anger as tears continued down his face. To make matters worse, Kalder and Wally had seen his face. They could figure out who he was.
Robin kicked his bed furiously. This was one of the things he had always feared. He knew his best friend would figure it out someday, but he wished it hadn't had been like this. The look on their faces was enough to keep tears fresh in Robin's eyes. They had almost looked scared to see his eyes.
"I'm no hero," Robin sobbed into his pillow, furiously.
Robin jumped to his feet and kicked his bed frame with all the strength he could muster. Pain shot up his leg, but right now, he didn't care. What all did it matter? KF was right. Robin was no hero. He should just go home with his parents. That itself was a problem though. He didn't have a 'home'. His parents were hopefully up in heaven, resting with Jesus and God. He couldn't join them though. He didn't know how. He wanted to though.
Not sure of what to do, Robin collapsed onto his bed again. His clear blue eyes now seemed pink almost from all of the tears. He pressed his face deep into his pillow. It felt like plunging his head into a mountain of angry storm clouds. He didn't like it. Robin heard his communicator go off, but he didn't want to answer it. He was mad at the world now.
He was mad at Wally for taking off his mask. He was mad at Kalder for attempting to stop him. He was mad at Megan for being the reason they began to fight in the first place. He was at Superboy because Superboy was, quite frankly, a douche bag on steroids. He was mad at Batman for making him believe that he was a super hero. He was mad at himself for believing. He was even mad at his parents for dying and leaving him alone to believe that he's a super hero.
Robin took off his communicator and threw it onto the ground. His utility belt was still in the living room. His hoodie arm was wet from his eyes.
"I'm not a super hero," he whispered into the pillow with a choky voice.
Yes you are a voice in his head argued.
"How am I a hero?" he challenged, his voice muffled. "I have no powers."
Remember what Batman told you once?
Robin remembered.
"Daddy, what's a hero?" Robin asked his blue eyes scarred as they always had been.
"Please don't call me that."
"Sorry Batman," Robin quickly apologized.
Batman smiled down at Robin who was sitting beside him near the fire.
"Well… a hero is… a hero is someone that others look up to and can depend on. A hero is someone who never gives up and keeps fighting, even if it's hopeless," Batman defined in his own words.
"But the heroes I know all have powers. Why don't you?" Robin asked, the fire gently reflecting from his pupils.
Batman thought about it.
"I am a hero Robin. People look up to me and trust me with their lives. That's why they call for me when they're in trouble."
Robin thought about this.
"So, does this mean that someone in the hospital who lost their leg who refuses to let that ruin their life is a hero?" he asked.
Batman nodded. "Yes, I suppose. As long as they never give up."
"What about me? I saw… I saw that man hurt Mom and Dad, but I don't want justice or revenge. I don't want to stop… I don't want to hurt him just because he hurt them. What does that make me?"
Batman chuckled.
"That, my dear Robin, makes you my side kick."
A knock sounded at Robin's door. He sat up weakly.
"Who is it?" he asked.
He wasn't as upset, but he really wanted his mask back.
"It's me," Wally's voice sounded.
Robin sighed and slipped his sunglasses over his eyes.
"What do you want?" he asked the door.
"To say that I'm… sorry…" Wally admitted.
Robin frowned. He wasn't that easy.
"Can I have my mask back?"
He heard Wally laugh. He couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, you can have your mask back blue eyes. I don't know why you hide those things. If you didn't, the ladies would be falling all over you," the red head teased.
Robin grinned. He now remembered why he was friends with Wally. The boy always knew how to cheer him up. He unlocked his door and opened it. To his surprise, KF wasn't standing there. Instead, his mask was sitting there, empty and alone on the floor. Robin bent down and grabbed it off of the empty ground.
"I'm no hero," he whispered to himself. "But I make one hell of a sidekick."
And with a smile on his face, he set the mask down on his dresser and headed out to the living room to get his utility belt.
Yup, Robin's a bipolar Mexican, just as I am.
-FJ3
