"Wally, please. I don't understand—"

"We don't have time for this Robin. We really need to be focusing on the next convoy." Robin quieted for a while, his eyes searching the ground as his mind whirled frantically.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I had no idea that he felt that way." Robin held on to Kid Flash's arm, begging him to acknowledge him.

"I don't want to know who felt what way, Robin," Wally cleared his throat with discomfort, disgust clearly written on his face. "Can we just—" Wally sighed. "Just look for the freaking trucks, Robin." As soon as we take down Bane I can get away from here… and you. Wally didn't say it, but it was clear what he wanted. There was nothing Robin could think that would make Kid Flash look him in the eye. For all of his practice disarming foes with his playful wit and banter, he found that there was nothing.

"Kid Flash, Robin? Anything on your end yet?"

"Nothing yet." Wally responded to the radio, grateful to have something else to focus on.

Robin and Kid Flash were staked out somewhere in Tunisia waiting for Bane's latest shipment of venom, likely escorted by Bane himself. The air was hot and dry and Robin was certain that it was the sand in the air causing his eyes to water. In this desert, the wind blew across the dunes relatively unhindered by trees as the landscape was only sparsely patterned with the occasional palm tree or desert bush. Devoid of life, the silence was suffocating.

"I-It's just weird! I thought you were… y'know, normal." Robin had been waiting over a week for this chance to talk to his friend again, but he realized that he was about to miss it.

"Kid Flash…" Robin's proximity alarm chirped in his pocket and he whipped around, eyes scanning for the cause. From where he was he could see a small misplaced shadow peeking over the top of the nearest dune.

"I mean… We've hung out and talked about girls and stuff, and then you're—"

"Wally. Move, now. Get out of here." Robin watched as the shadow shifted, lifting something over its shoulder and taking aim. Shit, shit, shit! "WALLY GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE NOW!" Time slowed for the speedster as he pulled himself out of his thoughts and tried to process what his friend was telling him. He saw the shadow on the dune and ran, but it was too late. He heard the rush of smoke as he tackled the attacker, knocking the rocket launcher out of his hands. His fists were a blur of punches when he explosive hit.

People always describe explosions as a loud noise, but all Wally could hear was the deafening silence of his ears ringing and his heart pounding as the sand launched into the air around where he and his friend had been standing only a second before. It was unlikely if not impossible for Robin to have moved far enough out of the way in time, but perhaps Wally had given him enough of an opening when he threw off the rocket's aim. Please God.

Four hours later, Young Justice found themselves in the Justice League tower. Robin was currently being operated on by one of the finest surgeons Wayne money could buy while Kid Flash, Artemis, Superboy, and Miss Martian sat outside.

"Listen Wally, I'm sure he's alright. You did everything you could." Artemis sat beside him on a long bench as Miss Martian and Superboy floated anxiously. Her fingers wrapped around his, but rather than responding in kind, his hand lay limp.

"No… You don't understand." Wally couldn't look at anyone. Artemis stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

"What's there to understand? Mistakes happen. All we can do is hope that Robin will be okay." Miss Martian nodded in agreement while Superboy watched him critically.

It's my fault. Superboy's got every right to be angry… Robin… I hope he lives long enough to hate me for this. Wally shifted his legs, trying to find a position in which he could feel comfortable with the full cast surrounding his right leg. Robin… The door beside them opened suddenly and Batman's usual scowl stepped out. The team stared at him anxiously holding their breath in anticipation which Batman expertly ignored.

"So, Batman? Is he going to be alright?" Miss Martian questioned.

"He'll live," Batman started, glaring harder than usual at Wally. "He has two broken ribs, but Doctor Juang has managed to stop the internal bleeding." The team visibly relaxed. "We will have a full debriefing in an hour including a discussion regarding distractions and their role in this incident." His cold eyes focused on Artemis, Wally, and Conner each for long enough to make them squirm before disappearing down the hall.