Bro-code approved

DISCLAIMER: This was written a while ago following my binge of the first season Young Justice, when I fell back in love with Wally West for a few months. Now, I'm just cleaning up my in-progress fic folder. No other reasons.

Kid Flash is both the first and last to leave the tower.

First, because he doesn't come back with them after the group scares Dr Light into a dead faint. He just pauses, looks at Robin, who gives him that unreadable I-am-either-thinking-very-important-thoughts-or-contemplating-dying-your-hair-electric-blue look, and then shrugs and disappears. Robin shrugs too, but less expressively, and leads the way to make their favourite pizza place very, impressively happy with customers.

Kid Flash is back after dinner though, and it's a sign of how full the tower is that no one notices until they notice the former villain Jinx is raiding their chocolate chip cookies and pretending not to enjoy his lazy flirting.

"Give it a rest wouldja, KF?" Robin groans, and the original Teen Titans stop, and then stare, because Robin barely uses that friendly tone with them, and they've never seen him so much as speak to Kid Flash. "She already likes you; you can stop trying to trick her into it."

"Excuse me, Jinx, but I think I hear a little birdie," Kid Flash tells her, and then dramatically spins around, arms outspread with a mournful gasp. "Oh, Robin! I knew this day would come! Are you finally going to confess your love for me so we can ride off into the sunset together on your Bat-jetski?"

By now, most of the people in the room are watching with something between morbid fascination—Kid Flash is about to die—and unbridled awe that someone would be so stupid. Robin's eyebrow twitches. His arms fold. There is a collective intake of breath as they await the coming carnage.

"Dude, when we go off into the sunset together, you better believe your super-speedy butt you're carrying me," Robin says finally. "You would sink a 'bat-jetski', Kid Fat."

"It's all muscle mass, baby, you know you love it," he says, and then steps forward, jerking his thumb back toward the awe-struck Jinx. "So, hear you used to beat up on my girlfriend. That is not bro-code approved, man."

"Please, she wasn't your girlfriend back then. And she deserved it."

There's something in his tone that immediately brings back the tension that had begun easing out. It sounds like fun and games, but Robin is not happy. Someone is in trouble.

"Well, technically, she's not my girlfriend now. Unless…?" Kid Flash suddenly turns to Jinx with a broad smile, who gapes back at him. Her eyes flick from him, to Robin, and back. Then her eyes, just like everyone else's, slide back to Robin, and the deepening aura of I-am-going-to-open-up-a-can-of-Bat-on-someone-in-a-second radiating from his every pore.

It's around this point that Beast Boy decides some light-hearted idiocy is required, and slides into position between Kid Flash and Jinx. "Hey, so, we didn't actually meet in between kicking butt. I'm Beast Boy."

"And all round awesome to boot," Kid Flash says, shaking his hand. "Kid Flash, fastest boy alive. Sweet rescue yesterday, man. I hear it was seriously classy."

Robin calms down enough to step forward, slinging an arm around Kid Flash's shoulders. "KF and I go a long way back, Beast Boy. He's the one I got to safeguard the city when we were out of town a few months back."

"Oh, really? That's awesome, dude! How long is 'a long way back'?"

Robin and Kid Flash look at each other, then grin identical, terrifying grins at Beast Boy, who suddenly remembers rumours that Robin was a prankster superhero and fears for his future dignity.

Only Jinx, and those who know Robin well enough to be a little bit scared of him, notice he surreptitiously draws Kid Flash away from her and into his group of friends.

Kid Flash is usually gone before breakfast, and will disappear for hours at a time. But he sticks around, found in random places around the tower at random times of the day and night.

They realise, after a while, that he helps some of the heroes get home, but they're not sure what else he does. Robin just shrugs and Speedy mutters something about ADHD, and it's only after the fourth time they walk in to find the three of them huddled together doing who knows what that they realise Robin, Speedy and Kid Flash know each other better than anyone knew.

As Beast Boy suspected, pranks in the tower go up significantly, as do the number of times they hear Robin laughing in a day. Most people attribute it to the sheer number of people they have hanging around, but the core group look at Robin's face and just know.

They won't admit to being jealous, because (and this is the worst thing) they like Kid Flash. All of them. Even Raven.

He bonds with Cyborg over mechanics, and Beast Boy with bad jokes, and both of them with video games. He will eat anything and everything Starfire cooks, but unlike Terra, also offers constructive criticism and general tips as he goes. He mostly leaves Raven alone, but also leaves her flowers—yellow and black roses, for friendship and her colour—and finds rare books she's been dying to read.

He makes Robin smile.

They would love him for that even if he was a completely horrible person.

Cyborg is under the car, hidden behind crates and tools as he beefs up the already beefed up engine, when he hears people enter. At first, he doesn't pause—half the heroes have gone back to where they should be, but there's still a good dozen of them left—but a glance shows him familiar boots and horribly striped stockings, and he lowers his tools, barely daring to breathe in case Robin hears him.

"Why did you leave the Hive Five?" Robin demands, cold and angry like he hasn't been all week. "And don't give me that change of heart bull. I'm not in the mood."

Jinx doesn't answer at first. "I decided I could do better."

Cyborg can't see them, but he feels the temperature drop and knows that was the wrong answer.

"He's not some toy for you to play with."

"Hey, he's the one stalking me, okay?" Jinx snaps. "I was coming to you – to Cyborg. He's the one who keeps showing up in my life."

"Yeah, I bet he does. And you just keep encouraging him. A smile here, a toss of your hair, maybe some luck thrown his way –"

"My powers don't work like that."

"If I catch so much as a hint that you're using him –"

"You'll what, Boy Wonder? Huh? What are you going to do?"

There's a pause, and Cyborg watches with bated breath as Robin's boots almost step on Jinx's pretty little mary janes.

"He's my best friend. And you are a traitorous, second-rate villain I don't have to feel bad about. What do you think I'll do?"

And with that, he turns and walks out without another word.

The next day, they're in the kitchen when Kid Flash shows up, those huge blue eyes looking at Robin in confusion. "Did you say something to Jinx? She was all funny when I dropped her home today."

Cyborg watches his leader shrug innocently and shake his head, and decides there and then that he's kind of glad he and Robin aren't that close.

"So how did you and Robin meet?" Starfire asks as she somehow manages to make liquorice liquid. "Did you also work under the Bat man?"

Kid Flash honestly looks horrified at the suggestion. "No. No, I didn't."

"He's Flash's sidekick," Robin explains. "Hence the Kid 'Flash'."

"What he said," Kid Flash leans over to snag a finger-full of liquorice batter. "Our mentors decided they needed to set up a playdate. It was love at first sight! Only, you know, with masks and no love."

Robin is a little too casual as he asks, "You still working with Flash?"

In the same way, Kid Flash makes a point of not looking at him, his jaw working a little as he says, "Yes."

"Just saying, the Titans could use a speedster."

"You have the Plus and Minus guys."

"They're not as fast as you. And they need each other to run."

"Yeah, I can see that being a problem in a group that's so totally independent like the Titans."

"Shut up. Speedy joined."

"Speedy's got daddy issues."

"And you don't?"

"I have an uncle."

Starfire looks between them, understanding the words but not the conversation. "What are 'daddy issues'?"

"Pretty much the real reason everyone joins the Titans," Kid Flash says cheerfully. "Later, beautiful!"

And then he's gone, and Robin scowls at the place he'd been.

No one can quite figure out their relationship.

It's obvious, and not just because they know Robin so well, that he cares a lot about Kid Flash. Starfire very nearly starts to feel insecure about her relationship, because Robin is certainly never so possessive over her.

But, Raven points out, he doesn't have as much need to be. Starfire wears her heart on her sleeve, and makes no secret of how much she cares. Kid Flash treats everyone, Robin included, with the same friendly, flippant attitude. He makes no sign that he cares about Robin as much as Robin obviously does for him.

She thinks, in her own mind, that she would probably respond the same way if she had a friend like that. She would want to shut everyone else out and make the friend pay attention to only her.

She and Robin have often seen eye to eye in these matters.

It's why she doesn't really see anything strange about their relationship, or why someone as dark as Robin would want someone so obnoxiously bright as his friend. When you surround yourself in darkness, it's wonderful to have someone reach through it with a flashlight.

She frowns, her fingers stilling on the rose she has been trailing along her leg. The unintentional pun was terrible, and she begins to wonder if it hadn't been intentional when Kid 'Flash' was named.

"Heavy thoughts get lighter if someone shares the load," a voice says near her ear, and she looks sideways to meet Kid Flash's easy smile.

"I thought you were gone again."

"Just a little longer and I'll be gone for good," he promises, and vaults the back of the couch to sit beside her, his feet up on the coffee table and crossed at the ankles. "Though I'm gonna miss the food. Starfire's a heck of a cook."

"Most people say she can't," she notes, and he laughs.

"I said 'a heck of a cook', not a good one."

She takes a moment to look at him thoughtfully, so he leans a little to the side and watches her right back. He breaks first. "So… you gonna tell me what's bugging you, or do I have to guess? If we're playing twenty questions, I gotta warn you I don't play fair."

"Robin will be upset when you leave."

His smile gains an edge, but it's more dry than dark. "He left first, and I don't do so good at team sports. More of a track kinda guy."

"You won't be coming back." It doesn't sound like a question, because it isn't. But she's still almost hoping he'll answer it like one.

But instead he just twists slightly, propping his elbow on the back of the couch and leaning his cheek on his hand. His eyes are very blue, though she sometimes swears they're green. "I heard about the Slade thing. Kinda freaked me out. Y'know Robin didn't tell me about it?"

"So you're mad at him?" she asks, slightly surprised, but he shakes his head.

"If he'd actually lost it, yeah, I probably would have been. But you guys had his back," he says, and he grins again. She fights a blush, because it's such a nice smile he has. And his eyes are so blue. "A lot of people would've washed their hands of him. Called someone who knew him better to handle him when he was freaking out. But you didn't."

Suddenly, she understands why he's here. Why he's stuck around for so long, when even the Titans East are making plans to go home, and all the teenage heroes and sidekicks have left. Why he's been spending time with all of them, individually.

She narrows her eyes and tilts her head. "You're good at the game, Kid Flash."

"I had to learn from some of the best," he points out. "My best friend has Batman for a dad, after all."

And then, he's gone, and for so long that she almost begins to think he won't be coming back.

Robin starts getting twitchy when three days go by and they haven't seen Kid Flash. Speedy rolls his eyes and the Titans East start getting ready to go home.

"Maybe he has also returned to his home?" Starfire suggests, when Robin starts checking news feeds. "He did not seem the type for long goodbyes."

"What's his deal, anyway?" Beast Boy asks, leaning back against the control panel. "I heard he was like, one of the first sidekicks. Now he's hanging out with a chick like Jinx?"

Robin doesn't look up, and it's Speedy, trying to fish one of his arrows out from an airconditioning duct (Kid Flash and Robin had decided he should work for them, this time), who answers. "KF's always had a thing for redemption cases. And pretty girls."

"So he thinks with the wrong head, huh?" Cyborg surmises. "Guess that kinda figures. Where do you think he's gone?"

"I dunno, maybe he felt a craving for Chinese," he says, making a face. "Or maybe one of the Lanterns took him to Jupiter."

"Lanterns?" Cyborg repeats, suddenly awestruck. "Like, the Green Lantern?"

"Yeah. 'Uncle Hal'," Speedy mimics, and then laughs when he finally manages to get his arrow out. "Alright, and with that one, I'm ready to go. Anyone seen Bumblebee?"

Robin's eyes narrow as he stops on a news broadcast. He puts it up on the screen, and they all watch as a bomb disappears from in front of a Russian bomb squad two seconds after the head announces it's going to blow. The Flash—the real Flash—appears a second after that, staring around and looking panicked.

"Kid? KID!"

"Hmm, I'm probably going to get a lecture for that," a voice notes behind them, and they jump, then turn to see Kid Flash behind them, slightly damp but watching the broadcast as if he's been standing there for ages. "You guys mind if I stick around here for a few hours? He doesn't exactly know where I am right now and judging from the look on his face, I think I'd like to keep it that way."

"You need to stop carting around exploding bombs," Speedy says, and shoves him, too hard, as he walks past. "That's for the arrows, idiot. Come see us in the East sometime."

"Aw, what, no hug?" he calls after him, but Speedy just flicks a hand at him over his shoulder and continues out of the room. Instead, Kid turns to the horrified team. "Hey, gang, so what's up?"

"You picked up an exploding bomb?" Raven asks, somehow not surprised.

"Oh, geez, you still on that? Yeah, I took it out to this cave I know a few thousand miles off the coast of South America. Well. It's not much of a cave anymore. Probably more of a rubble-pile. So hey, has everyone gone home now?"

They look at him for a few moments, then at Robin, who is almost smiling. "Thought you were still working with Flash."

"I am," he says, then looks off to the side for a split second before coming back. "When he's not with the Justice League."

Robin's almost-smile becomes a smirk. "So you're not working with Flash anymore."

"Oh, shut up, I looked after your city while you were gone, you should be nice to me," he says, folding his arms over his chest. "Answer the question."

"The Titans East are the last of our visitors," Starfire confirms, and tilts her head. "Will you be staying any longer?"

"Mmm… no, I should get back, once Flash stops freaking out. Kansas has been busy lately."

Raven looks him up and down. There is no visible difference in the way he's standing, no change in his expression. But there must be a reason he has decided to stop dropping by. "Errands all done, then?"

He looks at her, then around at the others. His eyes linger on Starfire, and he grins at Beast Boy. Cyborg's eye narrows, and Kid Flash shrugs at him before disappearing. He reappears beside Robin, snatching his arm. "I'll let you know. Dude, buy me Mexican."

"There aren't any good Mexican places in Jump," Robin notes, but he's still smirking.

"Did I say 'in Jump'?" he asked, and then waves to the others, before both of them disappear in a blur of red, yellow and green.

"So, anyone want to tell me what's been going on there, the last couple weeks?" Cyborg asks, and Starfire puts a finger to her cheek, tilting her head the other way.

"I am not sure. At times, they seem to be very close friends, doing the 'catching each other up'."

"And other times I'm pretty sure Kid Flash is trying to get Robin to kill him," Beast Boy adds.

"Yeah. And anyone else ever feel like Kid Flash is sizing you up?" asks Cyborg. "I expect that sort of thing from the Titans East, not some back-town hick from Kansas."

Starfire shook her head, twisting her fingers. "No… but I do sometimes think Robin would like him to be. He was… jealous. Of Jinx and the Flash."

"You're all right," Raven says, then stops and sends a scathing look at Beast Boy. "Except you. You're never right."

"Hey!"

"Hey, look, blue eyes – good colour!" Wally says cheerfully, and Dick smiles, meeting the green eyes easily.

It's been a long time since he's taken off the mask and costume. Most of them don't, these days – it's so much easier to just be a Titan, all the time, without reality reminding you of how unrealistic your life really is.

There's no reason for them to be Wally and Dick right now, other than the fact that they know each other under the costumes and there's no one around to see the differences. See Dick's unwavering hope and Wally's insecurities.

They wander through the city, trying to pick a good restaurant neither of them have been to before, discussing video games and girls and how much it sucks to have to do your own laundry.

"But I have it okay – we all pitch in around the Tower," Dick says. "Starfire does most of the clothes."

"Yeah, she seems like the kind of girl who would," Wally notes, folding his arms behind his head. "A girl who kicks butt in a fight and an apron… score, man."

Dick laughs, and glances at him before asking, "So Jinx doesn't, I'm guessing?"

"Dude, I am so domesticated," he groans. "I mean, we're not living together or anything, but when I go to her place, I end up doing the cooking, washing her dishes, and we go to the laundromat together so she doesn't even have to do that!"

"Whipped," he coughs, loudly, and Wally whacks him over the back of the head.

"Like you can talk. That girl has you on such a tight leash I'm amazed she lets you out of the tower when that Kitten chick is on the streets."

They both laugh at that, but Robin's smile soon fades as he peeks at Wally from under his hair. "So… you taken the contacts out for Jinx yet?"

Wally makes a face. The contacts are part of his costume, so he knows what Robin's really asking. Is it serious enough for real names?

It's a bigger question than it would be with normal people. Since most of them live in their costumes, now, it's not so much a matter of trust. Titans can know each other, inside and out, but still not know what they look like under their masks. Robin has taken his off for Starfire, but that's it, even though he would and has trusted his entire team with his life, heart, soul and sanity before.

When you take off the mask, you bare everything. You aren't just trusting them to keep you safe, but everyone you've ever known. You're trusting them with themselves, as well, because without the costume, you're just… you. Normal. No powers, no abilities. Just a scared little boy who cares.

"No," Wally says finally. "No names. We're still working on her being a good guy, after all!"

"What's with that, anyway? Why'd you do it?"

"You know me. I like a good redemption story. I'm gonna save all the pretty girls, one fling at a time."

"Seriously, dude? You're doing a redirect on me?"

He sighs, looking up at the sky, then shrugs and looks away. "Why didn't your team give up on you when you went bad?"

Dick blinks, then frowns and falls silent. Wally doesn't know why he tried to save Jinx, just that he could. Because there was something there. Something better.

They find a hole in the wall that's cheap and Dick gorges while Wally eats sedately. They wind up with the same amount of food, but Dick knows Wally's going to eat more later, so he pays. He's missed his friend.

"They're a good team," Wally says, out of the blue, and Dick blinks. He smiles around his quasedia. "Your team. They're good people."

"Yeah… they are."

"I was worried. You know, with the whole Slade thing, and you not talking to Bats anymore. He misses you, you know."

Dick looks up at that. He hasn't talked to Bruce in years, still angry over the fight and that Batman hasn't shown up to drag him home. He suddenly feels nine again. "Really?"

"Yeah. But he says…" He pauses to swallow a mouthful before continuing. "He says he's not going to drag you back when you're doing better out here than you ever did with him."

Some beans drip from Dick's fork. He blushes. He puts down his fork and picks up his drink.

"But he also said to mention that Babs is coming over for Thanksgiving. And Alfred's making pie." Wally makes another face. "I think he said that to make me jealous."

He puts down his untouched drink and pokes at his fork. "Pie, huh?"

"Mmhm." Wally is suddenly occupied with scarfing down two tacos. He could chew and swallow faster than Robin could blink, but he doesn't.

Dick focuses on his own food, then reaches into his pocket and takes out his communicator. He shoves it across the table. "You don't have to join up."

"Wasn't going to," he says, but takes the communicator.

And Dick, for the first time in a while, relaxes.

Approved by the bro-code.