Too Far.

Chapter 9

Once Dick had answered Wally, he sighed. He didn't sound okay but just hearing his voice told Wally that he was alive and could be found and saved. As soon as Robin told him where he was at, Wally didn't wait a second, he took off as fast as he could.

The Zeta Tubes lit up and called out his name, signaling to everyone of his leave. Aqualad looked around at the others. As their leader he should know where everyone was at and going, now he had two members of his team out of sight and unknown locations. He sighed, feeling as though he was failing as being their leader and possibly their friend as well.
He knew that something was off about Robin a few days ago and now thinking about it, there were many different signs that the young boy showed that was out of character for himself. He seemed more distant, shut down and less cheerful.

"The problem was you. You're their leader and your head wasn't in the game. Either you are here 100% or you need to walk away" Batman's words echoed through Aqualad's head.
What is he wasn't focused enough and missed the fact that a member on his team was in distress. He has failed the team but most importantly his friend, Robin.

Aqualad began going over in him mind, different moments that raised red flags but was ignored or when he took the young boy's words as the truth.
He could remember him hissing out in pain from a possible injury on his arm, him not eating for days and him shut away in the training room for hours on end.

"Perhaps I was wrong for keeping my distance, when I knew something was up.'' he thought. He was broken out of his train of thought when he heard small but almost silent sobs. He turned to face M'gann, alone in the kitchen. She appeared to be cooking but she seemed distracted by something. Perhaps it was the fact that their team mate was missing but it seemed like much more. He couldn't allow himself to leave it alone, in hopes that the problem would solve itself on its own, just look at Robin. He had been distraught for sometime and it appeared that no one noticed this, noticed him and now he was gone, away from everyone and everything.
"I thought they...he trusted me, but maybe I have broken that trust by not showing that I care." he thought as he made his way closer to the Martian.

"M'gann?" he said to her, at first she didn't respond but then she turned around and seemed to fall apart right before him. She went over towards his, wrapping her arms around him tightly and crying. He didn't know what was going on or how he could help, but he just placed his arms around her, holding her until the crying had stopped. Once she pulled away, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"My friend, what has gotten you so upset? Is it Robin?" He asked her. She nodded her head 'yes' and whipped a tear off her check.

"He has been so sad and hurt lately and it is all my fault. I didn't notice it in time to help him, to prevent him from...." she stopped herself from telling him about Robin self harming. Wally told her that it needed to be kept silent, that it was for Robin to tell. Wally had told her only to help her understand and to farther help their friend in the end, but Kaldur was their leader, shouldn't he have the right to know as well?

"M'gann, this isn't your fault. It seems as though none of us saw how unhappy he was. And if it is anyone's fault it is mine and mine alone. I am the leader of this team, the eldest and I have a responsibility to look out after everyone and protect them. I have failed him, my friend and I have failed you and everyone else. My apologies." Aqualad said, lowering his head, trying to miss the possibly truth that what he thought to believe was correct, that he failed them all within her eyes. M'gann reached forward and took his hand in hers. He looked up at her and saw a smile on her face, that eased some of his distress and fears.

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As Wally ran, he thought about what he could have done more for Robin. He soon arrived to where he was and froze at the scene before him. Robin sat slumped over, his wrist covered in blood and his eyes shut behind his mask. After a moment of shock he went over to the boy. He could see the rise and fall of his chest and with that he sighed in relief. He quickly took the small child into his arms and ran. He made it to his and his uncle Barry's home. He quickly and gently laid him down on the couch and zoomed off to get some things to clean him up. One thing Wally didn't think about was the possibility that his uncle Barry, The Flash, might be home.

Wally was upstairs in the bathroom when he hear his uncle. He grabbed a few things and raced down, to find uncle Barry leaning over the boy wonder and contacting Batman and the league.

"No" he cried and grabbed Barry's arm. Robin wouldn't want Batman and the whole league finding this out.

"Kid? What is going on? Batman contacted me and Green Arrow, saying Robin had left without a trace. What happened? Are you alright?" his uncle Barry asked quickly.

"Yeah I am fine, and so is Rob, I just got to patch him up and...." Wally said but was cut off by Barry. Barry had run into the kitchen, gotten a clean, wet paper towel and was cleaning off some of the dried blood on the small child on his couch. Then he frozen and his head shot up and looked at his nephew standing before him.

"Is this... is this what I think it is?" Barry asked but gotten no answer. Wally's eyes very fixed on the 7 new cuts that were in his best friend's wrist.

"Kid!" yelled Barry, causing Wally to jump and meet his uncle gaze. Once he looked at his uncle, he seem to allow the walls to come down and he began to cry and speak very fast. Barry went over to him and pulled him into a tight hug, shushing his young nephew and telling him that it was all going to be okay. Wally felt relief that someone else knew other than himself, because he wasn't so sure that he could handle all of this on his own.