Hush

Promises

Green eyes slowly flickered open, blinking sightlessly against the murky lighting. The air was chill and low beeps coupled with the sterilized odor learned him his existing locality in the hospital bay, face down on a cot. Vaguely, he wondered just how long he'd been there.

The place felt hollow…the walls around him held little more than distasteful recollections and subtexts. His fingers curled around the starched fabric, quivering somewhat. Entering such a place never alluded well, at least, not to Wally. Medical instruments only served to remind him of how fleeting life could be, how easily one could be damaged…

Elbows shifted down, tender biceps working to lift him from his stomach. The skin on his back seared with pain, bidding him to terminate his movements, but he refused and somehow managed to sit upright. A hand found his temple, willing the mild dizziness to subside.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Wally's head snapped around at the voice, a response he lamented soon after. "Roy?" he gritted, face twisted in discomfort, eyes seeking the other.

The lights to the room guttered on, momentarily blinding the speedster. Red Arrow's hand dropped from the switch to his side, face grave, eyes calculating.

"What are you doing here?" the fifteen-year-old asked dumbly, tenderly massaging his neck to soothe the whiplash.

"…Brought you something," Roy intoned after a moment, as though he hadn't heard the query, and tossed the boy a small container.

Wally fumbled comically but succeeded in catching the airborne package. Jade orbs stared quizzically at the bundle, only to alight when he viewed its contents. "Oreos?! Dude! I so love you right now!"

Roy observed silently as his comrade virtually shoveled the cookies down his throat, the very ends of his lips curving faintly upward, feeling a touch more at ease that the speedster looked healthier. A night's rest had done well for the boy.

The other's attention abruptly turned towards Red Arrow once more and reiterated his initial question through a spray of crumbs. The older male exhaled, somewhat annoyed but trekked to the side of the bed, settling down on the edge next to his "brother".

A hand reached out and ruffled the wild red locks affectionately, causing Wally to grin.

"Don't be such an idiot, Walls. I came to see how you were doing. Pretty obvious if you ask me." Relatively flat as Roy's tone was, the two had a deeper understanding of one another.

The meta-human playfully swatted the hand away, eagerly popping the last of the cookies into his mouth. "Little scratched up, but not so bad. Be good as new soon enough. Rapid healing, remember?" Wally's smile was wide, but it somehow failed to reach his eyes.

Harper nodded, face tensing once again, dreading what he was sure to come as an awkward silence fell into place.

Stagnant impressions gradually surfaced into the air once more, bringing with it the discomfort and edge once presiding. The room felt hollow again… But just as his mouth opened to speak, a gasp cut him off on the first letter.

"…Oh god…" The archer turned to see Wally's face drain of its color, jaw falling slack, toxic hues enormous. "Dick…" he breathed, scarcely audible.

Roy flinched at the name, hand swiftly gripping the teen's forearm, knowing full well the subsequent reaction.

"Dick!" he shrieked, wild eyes training on the other. "Where is he?! Is he okay?!" Lines drew harsh figures on the young face; pupils dilated as the memory dawned on him with all the deftness of a gunshot. His body was trembling and all at once pitched, desperate.

"Wally! Keep still—," The eighteen-year-old fought to restrain the younger boy, feeling him kick and flail against him.

"NO! Take me to Rob! I have to see him!" the speedster howled, struggling against his living bindings, ignoring the salient pain blazing from his spine with every jolt.

Wally castigated himself for blacking out, for not keeping watch over his best friend. How could he have been so irresponsible? He needed to see Robin. What if he'd taken a turn for the worst? What if he'd obtained brain damage? What if…? What if…?!

The archer steeled himself, vexed with the display, and shifted his weight. Wally let out a sharp cry as he was roughly shoved down and pinned against the cot. Red Arrow felt his heart tug at the tears that pooled down the speedster's face, but it was all he could do to tame the boy.

"Get a hold of yourself!" he berated hotly, watching as more and more tears slipped past those hurt, jade eyes, freckled cheeks dipping red. Wally's lips stirred beneath him and all of a sudden Roy felt the sinew wither from his limbs; his face plunged into stunned horror.

"Tell me he's not dead…"

It was as though someone had gutted him with a hatchet. He gagged, body rejecting the possibility behind those words so violently he felt sick. Wally was just as traumatized—if not more—it seemed as he begun to sob, turning his face away and slacking beneath Roy's weight. A few of the lacerations on his back had reopened during the fuss and now daubed the formerly white sheets red.

"He…He's not dead, Wally," the older teen hissed through gritted teeth, running a shaky hand through his short hair. "Don't you ever say that…" The thought was haunting. Roy couldn't even fathom what he'd do if that were the case. Surely enough, he suspected an even viler reaction from Wally…

There was a shift and then Harper stood at the edge of the bed, head bowed, fists clenched, shoulder's vibrating.

Wally looked at him, fat tears rolling quietly past his skin, painting streams in their wake. "Rob…he's…o-okay?" The older male proffered a curt nod, not trusting his voice any longer as the guilt swathed him.

There was a creaking sound before the muted pop of bare feet hit the ground. Roy turned to see the speedster upright, caustic eyes vehement, provoking and resolute as the declaration lobbed off his tongue, "I'm going to see him."

The elder said nothing for a while, prose marauding on his tongue but never escaping, before retrieving a roll of gauze from a nearby counter and displaying it on his palm. "…I won't stop you, but you'll get your bandages redone beforehand," he said flatly, leaving no room for option.

Wally made a face, as though he'd tasted something bitter, but acquiesced all the same.

"So why the heck weren't we called to back you up?!"

Kaldur'ahm sighed, sliding his eyes over to inspect Superboy, who looked both agitated and distracted. "Artemis, I clarified already. You were not recruited for the mission simply because it was unanticipated."

"You could have called me anyways!" she huffed, looking distraught. After what M'gann had shown them all, she couldn't help the uselessness she felt. Robin and Kid Flash…they'd gotten hurt so bad… Red Arrow had practically lost it and snapped his bow in half when the memories subsided. No one could speak in its wake…

Superboy snorted at the comment, startling the gathered team. "What are you? Stupid?" he asked indignantly, shooting her a look. "You weren't anywhere near here! It would've been pointless to send for you." The blond flushed.

"Conner," Kaldur reprimanded.

Sharp eyes trained on the Atlantian. "Am I wrong?"

Aqualad shook his head slowly, face yet stern. "No, you are not wrong. But that does not give you the right to insult her."

"Whatever," he spat, turning his chin away, eyes squinting as if he was concentrating.

Zatanna placed a hand on Artemis' shoulder, proffering a sympathetic smile, to which the archer reciprocated gratefully.

The exchange dropped miserably into the distinct silence the rec room once tendered. Such instances seemed commonplace since their advent two days prior; conversations were strained and frequently mutated into quarrels that fell out into prolonged bouts of hush. In those stodgy epochs, the incidents from the previous mission swathed the team's every thought. Those present during the event felt chastened at their trifling wounds compared to that of their speedster and strategist.

M'gann couldn't help but curl in a corner and weep quietly. Superboy and Aqualad stared off in diverse bearings, looking bleak and frustrated. Artemis looked exasperated and Zatanna grimly tried to calm her, gape distant.

Black Canary entered the rec room—troubled by the silence—eyes taking in each despondent teen before clearing her throat to reap their attention. All gazes promptly tapered on the League member, seeking answers. Taking a breath, she addressed them as professionally as possible. "Robin has remained stable for the past eight hours," she accounted first, knowing how severe an issue his wellbeing was for the team.

Miss Martian's face lit up and Zatanna let out a sigh of relief. Artemis rose to her feet, subconsciously placing a hand above her breast. Thank goodness… she thought. "…And Wally?" the archer asked.

Dinah moved and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "He's fine, Artemis. Wallace is a fast healer. He'll be well in a few days." Black Canary smiled reassuringly.

"Can we go see them?" she asked eagerly, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

The woman had to pause for a moment, considering the request. Roy had spent relentless hours shifting between Wally and Richard's bedsides, practically sick with unease and wrath; she was inclined to allow him the admission due to the history the three shared. And Red Tornado had just informed her that Wally had come to and had plans to visit Dick… Somehow she knew the speedster and Roy would want some privacy. What's more, Richard's identity was at risk in his current state, as he was stripped of his attire for medical treatment.

If Batman were on Earth…the thought caused her added stress.

Superboy echoed the archer's request, breaking Dinah's train of thought. "Sorry," she amended, frown forming. "Perhaps another time." The shared hope dropped from the teen's faces; the blonde felt unkind, but made no move to reclaim her decision.

Kaldur, although equally displeased that they weren't allowed to see the two boys, stood and proffered a bantam smile, remarking, "At least they are both okay. Much as we would want to visit them, it is a blessing just to hear they are recovering."

"Kaldur's right," Zatanna pitched in, tucking her dark hair behind an ear and smiling, appreciating Aqualad's effort to cheer them up. "Knowing the two are healing is a relief on its own."

The room was dim, cold and looked relatively identical to the one they'd just departed. Varied, though muted, noises resonating from the equipment played at their ears and the distinct sound of a ventilator only made Wally feel sick as they entered. He was a bundle of nerves, practically vibrating as Roy quietly shut the door behind them. The older male said nothing, which only made the situation even more agitating to the speedster, who felt as though he'd have an ulcer if the process took any longer. The meta-human could hardly bother to take note of much else beyond the initial sensations, lime irises lashing to and fro as they sought the object of his emotions. His breath hitched when finally his sight nailed on the occupied cot.

His bare feet practically shot him toward the bed. He couldn't breathe.

Robin…!

The child lay there, so dreadfully tiny atop the paillasse; his raven hair stark in contrast to the surrounding pallor. An oxygen mask was nestled over his nose and mouth and hooked to his arm was an IV. His skin was sallow; bandages wound around his skull and Wally could see more peeking out from under the covers above his torso. Bruises blossomed from his back, extending to the tops of his bony shoulders, almost outlining them in an awful shade of amethyst from being slammed into the concrete…

The meta-human felt his stomach coil, onus and fury inundating his veins thickly. Bleeding emotions were simply too imperious, bidding him to quail when he reached out to tenderly grasp Richard's exposed hand and genuflected next to the bed. He leaned over the edge, taking in the condition of his best friend with unhindered remorse.

Roy did his best to comfort the other, placing a hand on the boy's head, absentmindedly running his fingers through the short red locks as he listened to the enduring weeps. The pain coursing through them was raw, foul and nearly intolerable.

Robin, their baby brother…he shouldn't have ended up this way. Hell, Wally shouldn't have ended up as he was either! Roy bit down on his lip, hard. The tang of blood greeted his tongue. Disgust for his own self ravaged him. He was a failure in every sense; so helpless, so useless…damn it all!

…What shit kind of older brother was he?

A feral noise vibrated from the archer's throat. Wally didn't bother to turn as the older male suddenly backed away, cussing angrily, slamming a hand against a wall and eventually slumping against it.

The speedster quieted his sobs, deftly rubbing at his face. Never once did his gaze stray from the young acrobat. "Rob…" he whispered desolately, causing Roy to stiffen behind him. "Hey, Dickie…you'll be okay…right? You're…n-not gonna leave me here alone, are ya' buddy…?"

"Walls," Roy interjected, forehead still pressed against the wall, unable to handle the pitiful lilt on the other's voice, "he's going to be fine." The strain in his tone was obvious, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was a decaying feeling to see people you care for wilt before you. To see them suffer undeservingly. Maturity… Age and experience… None of that could lessen the grief.

All it really did was let the anger fester.

"I've been keeping a watch on his condition," he continued, speaking slowly so that the fifteen-year-old wouldn't mistake his words, owing to anxiety. "He stabilized a while back…there was no serious injury to his brain. The blunt trauma lacerated the skin on his skull, which hemorrhaged to a loss of 32% circulating blood volume…but the lesion was stitched and he received a blood transfusion. No permanent spinal damage either.

"Beyond that, his remaining injuries don't pose a threat to his life, at least," Harper sighed heavily, turning to look at Kid Flash, whose eyes flitted across the boy's form. "His fractured ribs will hurt like a mother and his pelvis is bruised, so I doubt he'll be very mobile, much less contented, without medication…"

"I get it," Wally remarked coldly. This drew a puzzled look from his friend. "But this…this mistake won't happen again."

Red Arrow watched as his friend turned a petrifying leer at him.

"I'll kill the bastard that did this to Rob."

This utterance stilled the archer; his heart skipping. "What…did…you say?" he asked in disbelief. What was this sudden shift in character? His Wallace West would never say something like that.

The speedster simply looked at him, eyes promising. "You heard me."

"No, actually," Harper snapped, heels cracking heavily on the tile as he closed the distance between the both of them, "I don't think I did! How about you repeat to me what the fuck you just said, WEST!"

Wally scowled when Roy's face came inches from his, eyes toxic, pupils dilated. The meta-human felt his fists clench, blood and adrenalin pumping wildly through his veins at the thought, knowing how distinctly ready he was, how honest his next words would be.

And he was surprised at how calm his tone was…

"I said I'll kill the bastard that hurt my Robin."

Chapter Three my lovelies! Tres!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. Loads of stuff has been going on as of late & WOW, I'm back on my ADHD meds...(wigging out).

Originally I'd planned for there to be more Robin in this chappy, but, as I went about typing, I thought it too soon. Needless to say, chapter 4 will definitely be having some of our favorite little bird(;

Wally is...vicious. You might think him out of character, but that's the point: he's crossing paths with his darker side. Understand that THE closest person to him is presently comatose and he feels responsible for it. Also note that Roy is stuck between a rock and a hard place; the unfolding situation with both Robin & KF, the sentiments within...it's hard to digest it all.

Everyone's feedback has really helped me make progress with this fic. I hope the reviews grow with the story and continue to present feedback, ideas, questions and constructive criticism(:

Thanks again! Muchos lovos ~ muah!

- Edited 1/8/17 -

-Kit