Chapter Text
Wally returned to find things in a much worse state than they'd been in when he’d left. Barry was crying, Batman was yelling and sounding an awful lot like Bruce, and Leslie was on a rampage.
Robin had a fever.
It seemed all of Leslie's precautions against infection had fallen short. Wally blamed her even though he knew it wasn't her fault. Robin had pushed himself to his limits even before they'd reached the Narrows, and the streets they'd found themselves stranded on hadn't been clean. Any number of Robin's injuries could have fallen prey to the grime of the city… but it was the cut on his hand that was infected. The one he'd gotten trying to cut Wally free.
There was no semblance of rationality left in Bruce. He was kicked out, forced to pace in the hallway and keep Wally and Barry company who had also, incidentally, been kicked out. It seemed three superheroes second-guessing her every move had been too much for Leslie. Superman and Alfred were in there with her, able enough to keep their heads that she allowed them to help.
After hours or maybe days or even years of waiting, Leslie opened the door and told them that Robin was holding on, but that they shouldn't get their hopes up. Wally and Bruce sat on either side of Dick's bed, too scared to acknowledge anything out loud.
Wally slept in that room. He only ate what Barry would bring him, and any bathroom breaks were limited to bodily functions alone. He didn't shower. He didn't change. He felt like he was wasting away along with Robin.
And then Batman had Robin moved to the Batcave where Wally couldn't visit, and Wally lost it.
It took an intervention from Roy and the team to get him to calm down enough to go home. He slept for two days straight. He did feel better afterwards, and hungry, and with waking came Barry with good news: Robin was going to be okay.
The relief made Wally's knees weak and he'd had to sit down. He’d cried and laughed and cried again, and his anger, which had been dormant with exhaustion, returned full force. He would never forgive Batman for taking Robin away. Wally had tried to visit, but the Cave was on lockdown. Was isolating the Cave Batman's way of lying to the world, letting them all think Robin was alive and recovering, when in fact Batman was selfishly taking the time to mourn? He knew even as he thought it that it was ridiculous, but his leniency for Batman had been all but obliterated, so he allowed himself to consider the possibility.
The team was on standby. No missions until Robin returned, which, supposedly, would be at least another two months or so. They were all anxious to see Robin, but the news that he was recovering seemed to be enough for them.
Wally still wasn't allowed to visit. He argued with Barry about it, even though Barry agreed with Wally, but Wally argued with everyone these days.
After a month of radio silence, Wally's anger broadened its horizons to Robin. Sure, Batman probably forbid Robin from contacting the team until he was recovered, but Robin was a computer genius, he could have easily found some way to send a message. A simple 'not dead' would have sufficed. It only stood to reason that Robin was ignoring him. He began to wonder if his nonexistent visitation rights weren't put in place by Bruce at all.
It was weeks later that Wally's restlessness came to a head. Everyone was moving on, but he felt like he was still stuck in that shipping containment building, still tied to that damn pillar.
So he stopped at home to grab what he needed and ran to Gotham.
Wally was at full strength. He was confident that he could handle a situation should one arise–his plan to book it out of there at the slightest hint of trouble was practically full proof. This was something he had to do, and he couldn't ask Barry for help, not with this. And he wouldn't ask Batman.
Wally returned the phone he stole, and he replaced the food he'd eaten.
He ran home.
Back to the grind. His life had become dull monotony on a loop. Everything had been stuck in stasis for weeks, which was why, when he went to the mountain for training that next day, he was struck dumb at the sight of Robin already there, casually leaning against the wall in his civvies with a smirk on his face and a 'Hey Walls.'
A dozen things ran through his mind, not one of them being that he should punch his best friend, but he did anyway. The speed force was funny like that, sometimes. His fist had moved before he had the thought to move it, or to remember why it was a bad idea, but even after he'd done it and Robin was on the floor rubbing at his jaw and Artemis was yelling an angry "Wally!" he didn't regret it. Batman wouldn't have let Robin return to the mountain if he weren't healed enough to take a hit.
Robin wiped his mouth, stood, and put a calming hand on Artemis' shoulder. "I deserved that one."
"The hell you did!"
"What's the matter, remember I exist?" Wally snapped, and Robin flinched.
Artemis shoved Wally back. "He's hurt, you moron!"
"Like Batman would let him come," snarled Wally.
Robin laughed with a sheepish rub to the back of his neck. "About that…"
Wally huffed and crossed his arms. "You're an idiot if you came here without getting cleared by Leslie."
Robin shrugged. "Probably."
Wally eyed him. He looked better, but considering the last time he'd seen him he'd been dying, it wasn't saying much. "I shouldn't have punched you."
"No shit," muttered Artemis.
"Like I said, I deserved it," said Robin.
"Yeah," said Wally, "you did."
There was a moment where Wally suspected Artemis debated calling for backup when Rob grinned. "Wanna get crushed in Super Mecha III?"
"As if I'd fall to the likes of you."
They hopped the couch and started playing their video game.
"You guys are losers," said Artemis.
It was an hour into having his butt whooped by Robin that he broached the subject. "You good?"
"Will be," said Robin.
"You could have called."
Robin's mecha character lost the advantage and Wally won his first match of the night. He found he wasn't all that proud. The option for a rematch popped up, and neither of them pressed it.
Wally glanced at his friend, who was pale. He wondered what had stopped Robin from reaching out. He wondered if maybe he hadn't been ignoring Wally at all, but avoiding thinking about it all together.
"But I get why you didn't," said Wally softly, the anger melting away.
Robin pressed rematch and they started the bout again. Wally lost. Back to normal, then.
Robin didn't talk about the Joker. Wally used to wonder if it was to spare him the gory details or if Robin just didn't like talking about it. Now he knew, because now Wally had the gory details, and Robin still wasn't talking.
Wally didn't much like talking about the Joker, either.
Batman's missions kept them out of Gotham, which Wally was selfishly glad of. The team didn't belong there, he knew that now. Wally had experienced the darkness firsthand, and it had left a seed in his heart. No, it was best to keep Gotham in Gotham, with heroes like Batman and Robin who knew how to keep that darkness contained.