They sat on the roof side by side. Above them, the sky was overcast, like Robin's mood. Fall was coming quickly this year. The breeze was chilled and the waves had a bite to them as they crashed the rocks far below the dangle of their boots. The cold concrete was unyielding beneath their humming bodies. "It's The Flash." Wally shattered the silence, looking at his shoes. "He got reports from the heroes watching over the cities we went to. He knew I was still crime chasing. I'm supposed to be locked up in the bunker, doing push-ups and running laps until I turn thirty." He looked down at his hands. "But we had a big fight. I told him I had someone I had to go see, and he got pretty mad. Your buddies got there just after I broke a rack of weights."

No wonder he looked touchy. He'd just had a huge argument with his mentor. "I'm sorry," Robin said sincerely. "I didn't know."

"It's ok. I'll explain it to him soon. Anyway, it's about time I came out of the closet." He turned to study Robin's features. "I'm sorry I didn't come back. I wanted to. Every night I ran laps, and I pictured it was us… running to Paris."

Robin felt his heart throb with two sharp stakes driven through it. He couldn't look at him so he watched the waves crash instead. "I thought it was something I said, or did. I was trying to work out an apology."

"Geez, Robs, no way!" Wally stared at him. "Did you really? I feel awful now. Geez, I'm sorry, really I am! Hey." A warm arm circled Robin's shoulder, pulling him in, and the other rested on his thigh. "You're great, Robs. You didn't do anything at all. Not a thing. What is it?"

Robin wouldn't look at him. He stared at his lap, his cheeks flushed, his sadness like a sack of sand tied around his neck, dragging him down. "I wish I'd known. I was stupid about it, I'm such an idiot." He thought aloud. "You had a good reason not to be here and I was blaming myself. I can't believe it."

Wally smiled. Leaning in, he touched his lips to the boy wonder's temple, the area warming up like lava that boiled though Robin's veins and turned his face beet red. "You are not an idiot. You were just afraid you did something - fear does things to your head." The boy wonder looked up at him. "You're amazing, Robs. You're funny and laid back and you put so much of yourself into everything you do. Your friends adore you – this city adores you – I adore you. You're everybody's hero, Robin."

His nerves paralyzed him as he searched Wally's face for any sort of deceit. There was none to be found. Just a warm smile dotted with freckles and two twinkling eyes. The rope around Robin's neck snapped and plummeted away, leaving him lighter than a helium balloon. A smile melted his face. He put his arm around Wally's waist and they leaned their heads together and stared out at the city across the water, their free hands tangling together on Robin's thigh. The slick of glove on glove. "Do you want to talk about the fight?" Robin asked gently.

With a shrug Wally scrunched his nose up under his mask. "Not much to tell, to be honest. He thought I was disobeying him outright. And really I wasn't, you know? I was with you, we were enjoying ourselves, and I was feeling better. Really better. He kept extending my leave because he was seeing improvement but not the kind he was looking for. And then he just got fed up and checked in with his buddies and… I got mad. I am better. I want to get back out into the city, and fight, and he was just not having it." He squeezed Robin's hand. "I… I, uh, told him he was a bad mentor."

"He knew you were mad at him. I'm sure once you explain he'll understand."

"I hope so." Wally's eyes drifted to their joined hands. "You're thinner." He looked closer at Robin's face. "Paler, too. Are you all right? Were you sick?" His worry was suddenly palpable, as if it was a consequence Robin had been putting off. It had been a train in a dark tunnel. He knew it'd been coming, but hadn't known when, and preferred not to think about it. Robin gulped.

"Can we leave it alone? I don't want to ruin things." Robin asked softly. Not yet. He wasn't ready to talk about what he'd just gone through.

Watching him, Wally hesitated. "Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, ok."

He held him more tightly and they sat in quiet silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company after a few days absence. Wally's body heat infected Robin with a happiness that repaired his state of mind. He felt like a giant weight had just been tossed off, like he'd been waiting for someone to cut the cord tied to his back. It had been so awful. That depression had done something to him. Hurt him. He didn't ever want to feel like that again. A darkness sat in his stomach. Swallowing, he looked down at their hands. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Why not?" Wally caught on at once, concerned.

Robin sighed. "I have a team to run. I can't just check out whenever I want." He shook his head. "And your mentor is doing his best to get you back into fighting shape, Wally. He only wants to help you. You know that. Maybe we should just… get back to it all."

"And give this up? We've already done so much!" Kid's protesting tone just made Robin tired, and he saw that. His face fell. "I don't want to give you up." Releasing his fingers, Wally kneaded Robin's thigh, using his other hand to bring the dark head in closer to press another kiss to his temple. "This was just a bump in the road, Robs. You're worrying too much. Look, I can come every other night and give you a bit of a break to be with your friends - I'll work it out with Flash, and it'll be fine. Look at me." Robin glanced over the freckled face, feeling a spark in his heart he wished weren't there so he could deny all this. So maybe he'd feel normal again. Wally lifted his gloved hand and pressed it to Robin's cheek, smiling. "Relax. It'll all be just fine. I promise!"

His touch was so soothing. Robin wondered what it'd be like without the gloves, without the hero gear. If they were just two regular boys. He had a sudden rush of need to pull off his gloves and touch and feel and run his fingers through Wally's ginger hair - to just give him something to be really breathless about. He never saw him breathless. His fingers closed around Wally's wrist. "You're right." He nodded, conceding. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like I want you gone. I don't. It just feels so complicated."

"Well, no more worrying. I've got this handled." Wally slipped away and got to his feet, balancing on the edge of the roof with his hands on his hips. "We're gonna be happy, you and me. I swear it." He held out his hand and Robin rose as well, smiling at last, and stood beside him. "Look at that city. Full of people to protect." He grinned at Robin. "Robin and his team and their city. Taking care of everyone else. Somebody's gotta take care of you sometime, you know."

Blushing, Robin thought of something as they headed back inside. "Do you need a place to stay, while you figure out how to explain this to Flash?" He asked, hand in hand with Wally.

"Yeah, actually," Wally lit up like a Christmas tree. "Can I stay here?"