Scarred

Temptation

A week had passed and training had just ended. So everyone, minus Robin, had gathered to talk in the lounge.

Talking about, well, Robin.

Currently, it was Kaldur that was leading the conversation.

"His behavior is starting to get... out of hand."

Wally stepped up to him, starting to shake a little in anger.

"No, it's not! He's still just shaken up about the simulation, we all are!"

Artemis rested her hand on Wally's shoulder and pulled him back, away from Kaldur.

"Wally, he flipped you yesterday! Twice! And we weren't even training!"

Wally furrowed his brows for a moment.

"Well, that was my fault! I should have made myself known, I snuck up behind him--"

"Exactly! You shouldn't be able to sneak up on Robin! No one should be able to do that!"

Connor, who was holding M'gann's hand comfortingly, got Wally's attention.

"If you, fastest kid alive, can sneak up on Robin then maybe... he's losing his edge."

Wally spluttered like a fish out of water, trying to think of a comeback to that.

Kaldur raised a hand to his chin in thought.

"He's been fine on missions so far but he's getting worse. He may slip up one time that could be disasterous."

Wally glowered at Kaldur but didn't say anything.

It was hard to defend Robin without spilling his secret.

Because Wally knew that was a big part of his current behavior.

That simulation snapped something in him, brought him back to the time his parents died. He couldn't lose anyone else and yet that's exactly what he had to go through.

First Batman, then everyone else in the League, the people that helped raise him for goodness sake!

And then, of course, his teammates. His friends.

He clearly had survivors guilt, even if they were in reality all alive.

So of course he's going to be acting distant!

If only they understood that then they...

Then they wouldn't be saying any of this.

While Wally was trying to think of something to say, that wouldn't make his friend want to kill him, a certain little bird was listening from the hall that led to the kitchen.

He was leaning against the wall, his blue eyes closed behind his sunglasses.

He couldn't help but agree with some of the things that were being said.

Maybe he was getting weak...

When he was in the kitchen he almost took a...

He gripped his left arm tightly through his sweater and slowly shook his head.

You'll get through it. Just try to block everything out. It was just a simulation. My skin is marred enough anyway as it is--

"You know what? He's just working through some things he-- the simulation woke up bad memories about his past and... uh..."

Robin's eyes shot open behind his glasses and he speed-walked into the lounge without thinking, all the while keeping a grip on his arm.

Each pair of eyes turned to him and Wally's face turned pale before offering him an embarrassed, sheepish grin.

Robin took a second to calm his breathing before walking calmly across the room, towards the Zeta tubes.

Once he got halfway across the room, right in front of Wally, he spoke in a rather dark yet humourous tone.

"Ya know Wally, you might want to watch what you say or else I might have to flip you on purpose."

Through his perriferal vision, he could tell that none of his other teammates understood his humor.

He didn't expect them too.

But Wally had been around him and Batman enough to understand, and he gave a Robin a nervous chuckle before looking down at Robin's covered arm.

His face went dark and as Robin moved to leave, Wally grabbed his arm and slightly pulled him back.

When Robin looked back at Wally's face he saw his eyes blown wide with a burning, unsaid question.

You were just in the kitchen alone and you're gripping your arm-- what did you DO?!

But Robin just grimaced and yanked his arm back, smoothing out the sleeve.

"I know what you're thinking KF, I didn't do anything."

He turned back to the tubes with a huff.

Wally watched him go with a watchful stare until he heard his signature being announced.

"Do what?"

Wally turned back to the others with a bit of surprise, seemingly forgetting there were others in the room at the moment.

Wally just shook his head and sped off to the kitchen, not feeling like talking to them anymore.

But when he got to the kitchen, his mind, for once, was not on food.

He sped through and searched all the cutlery drawers and containers, finding none of them missing because it's not like they had much in there.

When all the knives, and any other sharp objects were accounted for he turned around and looked towards the cutlery holder, where most of the meat cutting knives were kept.

At first, everything seemed normal.

But then he noticed that the smallest one was crooked, nearly completely out of it's socket.

And it wasn't like that earlier.

How did he know?

Well, he made a bacon and beef sandwich just before he talked to the others with that very knife.

And he had made sure it was back in its spot.

He ran over to the little knife and picked it up, inspecting it.

So... he didn't cut himself.

He turned the knife around before setting it back.

There were finger print smudges on the blade, ones that were too small to be his and he was the last one who used it.

He didn't cut himself... but he thought about doing it...

That was enough for him.

He sped out of the Cave himself and headed towards Central City.

He needed to talk to Barry.