Robin clung to Wally as they ran. It was like being in a blender when they did this, and it freaked him out, but they always got where they were going really fast so it was balanced out. Nausea versus a really long walk. When everything stopped speeding by, Robin staggered and Wally caught him. He held him up until the dizziness wore off. The boy wonder blinked, wide-eyed, and looked around. They were in a house. A normal house. He stared at the pictures on the walls, and saw Wally was in every one of them. The couches were worn and there was a plain box TV on a stand in the corner. Beneath their feet was a braided rug over pink carpet. It was so plain and clean. Looking at Wally, Robin saw his soft smile and remembered why they were here.
"I'm ok. I'm fine." Wally nodded and let him go and Robin glanced around a bit more. His curiosity carried his eyes everywhere. "So this is your house?"
"Yeah." Pulling off his mask, Wally sighed. "My folks place. I plan on getting my own when I graduate."
Robin turned back to him and quirked his eyebrow. "Where's The Flash?"
"Do you actually know how to summon me, or is that just a fluke?" Speak of the devil. They turned together, again, to see The Flash standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He walked over to them casually. "I'm sorry for my hostility, Kid," he said quietly. "But you worried all of us when you took off."
"I know. I know, I'm sorry." Wally rubbed the back of his head and sank into the couch.
Shaking hands with Robin, The Flash sized him up. "So, you're Robin; you're the one he just had to go see?" His eyes flickered between them. "The same one who took him crime fighting?"
"That's right." Crossing his arms, it was Robin's turn to be firm. He returned the man's steely gaze. "How did you know?"
"He took off his mask right in front of you. I've never seen him do that before, except around family."
"Oh." Robin squinted at him. "I didn't know he was under orders not to fight. But he never put a step out of line when we were together."
The word 'together' seemed to tip the man off about what might really be going on. He grew uneasy, shifting and glancing at Wally furtively, but his manner had loosened up considerably – his anger was almost all gone. "That may be so, but I gave him direct orders for a reason," he shrugged. "Kid has some ways that are surefire paths to clicking his gears back into place, and when he strays from it, sometimes he comes out all jumbled up." He turned to Wally. "Your head finally on straight, Kid?"
The boys exchanged an amused glance, and Wally lifted soft eyes to his mentor. "I'm better, Barry. I swear." He leaned his elbow on his knees. "Robs and I didn't do any fighting all week. Did we?"
Robin nodded. "He's right, we didn't."
"Really?" The Flash questioned in surprise. "I'd think you'd fight more, being at your home base."
"Well we were helping Robin- Oof!" Wally rubbed the knee Robin just jackknifed in shock. "Robs! That hurt!" He cried in disbelief.
"Sorry," Robin said tersely, his panic clogging up his throat. The Flash was close to Batman. He'd tell him anything he heard about how his old apprentice was doing. "He was helping me out around the Tower. My team didn't get much action anyway – sometimes it's just quiet in Jump City."
"Not too quiet, I hope," The Flash replied, still staring at him for kicking Wally.
Robin forced a smile. "Never. We get one rampaging monster at least every week or so." He sat down beside Wally, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry," he murmured as The Flash wandered from the room. "I don't want him to know I was… sick."
"Why? It's not like he cares." Wally snipped. He was a bit bitter now. His leg hurt like crazy; this guy didn't mess around when he struck a blow.
"He's too close to Batman." Robin whispered. The edge to his tone shook and Wally stared at him.
"You don't…? Oh."
Robin nodded guiltily. "Again, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick you so hard. I'll make it up to you."
This interested Kid Flash. But before he could put in a request, his folks came down the hallway and into the living room. Wally stood up, Robin behind him, and went to hug them both. His mother flung her arms around him. "Oh, Wally," she quaked. "I thought you were lost in some foreign country!"
"I'm sorry, mom," Wally muffled from her shoulder. "I didn't even think to call, or anything. I feel terrible."
His dad rubbed his back, sighing. "I figured you were just being a knucklehead somewhere. Glad to see you're ok, boy."
Wally smiled and hugged him, too, stepping back afterwards. "Mom, Dad, this is Robin. He's the leader of the Teen Titans, over in Jump City."
Shaking the father's hand, Robin nodded to them both. "It's a pleasure to meet Wally's parents. I'm, uh, really sorry we kidnapped him for a week." He said sheepishly. "On purpose or not."
"As long as he was all right, it's fine." The father replied sincerely. "He's off from school all month, so as long as he comes back before he has to go back to classes, he can think anywhere he's wants. He's a big boy."
"Thanks, Dad," Wally smiled. "At least you're on my side."
"So why did you bring your friend, Wally?" His mom questioned. "Are you going back to stay with him again?"
"Uuuhhh…" Wally paled. Robin, on the contrary, turned bright red. "No… No, actually. I was away for a week because… I was thinking. And… I have something to… tell you." He looked at his mentor. "All of you." Reaching out, he drew Robin closer to his side, hiding their clasped hands with both their bodies. He clutched Robin's hand with nervous vigor. "We're together. Dating." Their faces were priceless, but indescribable. Something between a farmer who just had an alien spaceship crash land in his bedroom and a man who's just realized with finite brutality that his wife is also his daughter.
"Oh," his father managed