Actually, it's one of my styles! I love this style.
I love episode 5 where they meet Professor Ivo, and the motorcycle scene showing Dick and Conner talking on the bike, AHHHHH SCREAM SO MUCH CONDICK/SUPERBIRD
summary: it was supposed to be a meet cute. it was supposed to be easy. it was supposed to be Kori. it was supposed to, supposedtosupposedtosupposedto- you're beautiful. everyone always tells Dick not to stare directly at the sun. it's too bad he can't stop himself.
Dick glances up from his desk before spinning his chair around, soft footsteps on the wooden floor of his apartment as he walks to open the door.
He blinks, a small smile forming on his face.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
You look at him sheepishly. “Wally said to come over but he’s still stuck in a frat meeting and I’m locked out.”
Dick laughs, his eyes crinkling at the corner as you speak.
”Can I come in and wait here?” You hold up your chrysanthemum tea juice box like it’s a peace offering. “You can have some of my juice?”
Dick raises an eyebrow, opening the door wider for you to step through. “You want me to drink out of your half-finished juice box?” He leans in slightly, a teasing smile on his face. “Have all your saliva up in my mouth?”
His hand reaches out, gently pulling your Navy longchamp off your shoulder. You slip the straw into your mouth, glaring at him half-heartedly. “Yes.” You say seriously, taking a step into his warm apartment. “I’m going to slurp it all up into my mouth and spit it into yours–mama bird style.”
Dick gags but his cheeks still warm all the same. He reaches over, plucking the juice box from your mouth to take a sip from the straw.
His fingers brush against yours, warm and soft, a jolt running up his spine. Your hand hangs in the air, the silver bell on your bracelet letting out a soft chime when Dick gently pushes your hand back.
His heart jumps, the sound threading into his bones and pulling him closer towards the smell of white peaches and orange blossoms.
You gape at him, blinking in surprise while little droplets of juice dry on your skin, sticky and tacky.
“Hey!”
Dick raises his eyebrow again, a smile curving on his lips around the straw in his mouth. “You said this was for me.”
“I said ‘some’ not all! You fiend!”
He gives you a little laugh, slipping the straw out his mouth. His hand reaches over before he can think, his pointer gently swiping across your chin, collecting the remnants of juice before sticking his finger in his mouth.
You freeze.
Dick stares at you for a moment, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why were you staring at him like–
His tongue runs over the tip of his finger.
Oh.
Oh no.
Dick blinks blankly back at you, his every nerve set on fire. His entire body feels frozen, joints stuck in their movement. He did not just do that. He did not justdothathedidnotjustdothat–
He pulls his finger out his mouth, hurriedly walking towards the kitchen sink. “Sit anywhere.” The sound of running water fills the room. “I’m in the middle of a zoom lecture right now but I should be done soon.”
You nod, watching Dick wash his hands. His hand slips on the soap dispenser, the plastic bottle falling into the sink with a loud clatter. He winces, lifting it back up into its proper place.
The sound of running water is loud. So loud. Like it’s trying to drown out all the noise in the apartment.
He clears his throat again. “I can turn the TV on too.” Dick pauses for a moment, the flaming heat returning to his cheeks with a new intensity. Was his voice always this high? “Just—“ he shuts the water off, making his way towards you with a damp paper towel. “Just let me know.”
You take the napkin gingerly, a thoughtful look in your eyes. “You have my bag still, silly.”
Dick blinks. “Oh.”
He hands it over to you, the plushie swinging. Dick swears it’s laughing at him. You hum, curving your fingers over the straps before turning around, making your way into his bedroom.
Dick stares. “Wait— why are you— hold on—“ he stumbles in after you, ears red.
“I wanna stay with you.” You answer easily, gently wiping your chin in the reflection of his mirror. “It’s weird to be in here without you nearby.”
You meet his gaze in the mirror. “Is that okay?”
(yesofcourseit’sokaywannastayforever?)
Dick nods. “Yeah. Always.” He grabs the pajamas he had left on the bed, throwing them into his laundry basket. “You can sit here.”
You nod, setting your bag onto the floor before falling onto his mattress.
Behind him, the professor drones on and on through Dick’s laptop speakers. Vaguely, he’s aware that he should be listening when she mentions something about the midterms but he can’t bring himself to care because—
You’re wearing his sweatpants. And his hoodie. The ones he let you borrow (read:keep).
It looks good on you.
Like it was made for you – and maybe it was.
You roll around in his bed, humming quietly to yourself as you burrow deep into his blanket, hugging a dinosaur plushie his younger sister Cassandra had given to him to your chest.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
Your question makes Dick jolt, hurriedly taking his seat and turning back to his laptop. “What? Yeah, no, I’m–” He swallows, his hands randomly hovering over his keyboard. “I’m there. I’m focused. I’m a good student.”
Behind him, you let out a soft laugh, a melodic sound that makes him want to turn around again. “Good student.” You muse. “I’ll have to see the results to believe it.”
Dick forces himself to laugh.
From his laptop’s reflection, he watches as you bury your face into the soft plush of the dinosaur. You whisper something to the dinosaur, your little hushed words the only thing he can hear despite the incessant chatter from his professor’s lecture.
For a brief second, he catches himself in the darkened reflection, the sun hitting his screen just right, illuminating the smile he didn’t know he was wearing, and his expression –soft, unfocused, the kind he was careful not to be seen with.
The professor says something else, the slides on the screen change and his reflection disappears.
x.
It’s another party.
Another night of strobing lights, another night of jungle juice that Wally himself concocted, another night of being stuck in a sweaty, crowded, frat basement.
Dick was only here for you— sorry, he means for you and Wally. Roy had work tonight. Kori had a cold and Donna had stayed behind to take care of her, leaving only you, Wally and Dick to brave the frat party adventure alone.
And he’s not just saying that because you’re nowhere to be found in this busy basement. He nods his head to the beat of the music, taking a small sip out of the red plastic solo cup, scanning the sea of drunk college kids.
You were here just a moment ago, hanging off his arm, singing with Wally as he played music on the DJ booth before you disappeared, pretty eyes lit up at the sight of a friend across the room.
Dick smiles politely at a girl who glances at him again (he swears it’s the fourth time she’s done that), pressing himself further back from the crowd when the group of girls she’s with begins to inch forward.
He glances around again, tilting his head when he doesn’t see Wally’s vivid red hair by the DJ booth.
“Yo!”
Dick jerks in surprise when Wally shows up, throwing his arm around his shoulder. “What are you doing standing here? Go and mingle! Stop being a wallflower.”
Wally grins, eyes sparkling. “Or are you shy and need me to introduce you to some girls?” The red haired boy cocks his head subtly towards the girl that had been staring at Dick. “I have a feeling that you have some options.”
Dick shakes his head, letting out a little laugh that contradicted the way his fingers tightened on the plastic cup. “Nah man, I’m good.”
“You sure?” Wally wiggles his eyebrows. “You might just find your soulmate, you know?”
Dick laughs, lifting the cup to his lips instead of answering. He glances over his shoulders for a moment, the sound of a bell chime – clear and pure, familiar and warm, cutting through the music and noise, threading straight in between his ribs and into his heart – ringing somewhere in the distance.
“I don’t think I’m finding her in a frat basement.” Dick says lightly, to which Wally only shrugs. “That’s what pessimists say! Anyways–” Wally steers Dick into a different part of the basement, plopping Dick on an old leather armchair where a fan was softly blowing and the noise has dimmed. Fewer people were here now, a mix of drunk and sober college students desperate to get some reprieve from the chaos just across the hall.
“Chill out here. The bros are about to do some sort of performance thing and trust me, you don’t want to be there. Hell, I don’t even want to be there.” Wally rolls his eyes lovingly, pouring the contents of his cup into Dick’s red solo cup, the mixture of liquids rising to the brim. “Drink up!”
Dick opens his mouth to protest, but Wally’s already gone, disappearing into the party goers once more. He sighs, shaking his head and leaning back into the couch cushion as the music from the next room continues to thrum in his veins.
The little fan on the ceiling does nothing except barely move the stuff basement air around slowly. He exhales again, his chest rising and falling. For a moment, he can hear the other room erupting in cheers and screaming, the sound of music rising, and Wally’s voice, loud and clear despite the noise –‘shit!’ – and he lets out a small laugh – that must be what Wally had been trying to avoid.
He turns his head towards the wall, studying the signatures on the canvas backdrop with the frat’s letters printed on it in a blazing red, yellow and black. If he squints, he can make out Wally’s signature scrawled in a dark blue sharpie. Dick takes another tiny sip out of his cup before setting it down in the cup holder of the seat, wincing at the overly sweet, too strong taste.
“Oh my god!”
Dick turns, blinking as you saunter over towards him, hands held up in relief. “There you are! I was literally looking for you everywhere.”
He can’t help but smile when you step closer, dropping your little leather purse onto his lap. “You disappeared on me!” You pout, leaning forward. Dick reaches out instinctively when you stumble in your knee high boots, the alcohol singing in your veins. His hand rests along your hips, fingers brushing against your exposed back.
“Careful.” He murmurs, voice low.
You hum, letting yourself fall forward into his touch. “You missed their performance, by the way.” You adjust your halter top as you continue your story, pointing at your boots. Dick glances down, a hand removing itself from your waist to pull up a falling zipper, nodding as you continue to ramble on.
“--and then Ryan did like this weird kick thing? But he, like, totally misjudged distance and almost kicked Wally right in the stomach.” You’re saying, shaking your head. Out of the corner of his eyes, Dick watches a few partygoers glance your way, a boy tilting his head with a smirk as he scrutinizes your appearance before he turns back to his group of friends.
“Anyways–” Dick blinks at the sound of your voice, his blue eyes returning back to you with your sparkly eyeshadow and soft hair framing your face. You put your finger underneath his chin, gently redirecting his attention. “You’re being a bit of a boring party pooper staying out here all on your own.”
He shrugs. “I’m not a big party person.”
“But you came out anyways?” Your lips quirk upwards.
“For Wally.” Dick answers easily. Your finger still hasn’t moved from where you’re tilting his chin upwards to meet your gaze.
“Not for me too then?”
“Always for you too.” The words slide out his mouth too honestly. Dick’s finger twitches from where it’s resting on your hip, but he does nothing. You’re too drunk to even realize, a dopey grin threatening to split your cheeks in two. You giggle, the sound making his heart jump in his chest.
You pull back slightly, fanning your cheeks. “Okay, be completely honest with me.”
Dick nods, his breathing suddenly very shallow. His heart stutters against his chest before it picks up speed, thrumming violently against his ribs. He swears he can hear it despite how loud the bass is in the other room.
Did you notice? Were you going to ask him?
He swallows nervously. He wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t–
“Do I still look pretty? Is my makeup all messed up?”
Dick stares at you blankly. You frown, waving your hand in his face. “Okay, if you’re not answering me, I must look like a mess right now.”
He forces himself to shake his head, his bangs falling in his eyes. “No.” He clears his throat, hoping he sounds somewhat normal. “No, you look fine. All makeup still intact.”
“Are you sure?”
“Promise.”
You sigh in relief, reaching down to pick up your purse. Dick holds it up for you, the leather strap digging into his finger as you rummage through the contents before pulling out a compact cushion case and–
His breath catches – just for a moment, just enough to make him forget how to breathe for a split second.
It’s your lip gloss.
Not just any lip gloss though. It’s the one you had left with him the first time you had met – in this exact same frat house, only this time, Kori wasn’t here. He forces himself to stay very, very still.
You pluck your purse out of his fingers, dropping it back down on the chair in between the armrest and his thigh unceremoniously. He’s already reaching into his pocket to pull his phone out for you, the camera flipped to show you your reflection.
“Wow,” you laugh, light and easy, “You already know what I want before I say it – I like that in a man.”
The praise shouldn’t make him feel so giddy – but it does.
Dick watches you with careful precision, blue eyes memorizing each of your movements as you doll yourself up again. You press the powder puff carefully to your forehead and by your nose before closing the compact with a satisfying ‘click’ and pull out your lip gloss.
You drop your head in defeat before you even unscrew the cap off. “Oh my god, I cannot stand. Everything is spinning.”
It was supposed to be just a passing thought in his head, a wish that he was never supposed to say out loud, a desire that he had been suppressing ever since he had met you – but it comes out before he can stop himself.
“You can sit on my lap.”
You stare at him, face blank. Dick immediately recoils, letting out a nervous laugh.“I mean— just because you’re tired. And there’s no other chairs.” “It’s— yeah.” He coughs, thanking Wally and his frat brothers for the dim purple and red lighting in the room, hiding his burning cheeks. “Only if you want.”
A beat.
“Okay.”
It’s his turn to stare at you blankly now. His fingers squeeze around his phone, arm frozen and phone held up in midair. You don’t let him dwell on it any longer, already placing your hand on his shoulder as you straddle his legs, hips resting comfortably on his thighs. You shift, gingerly testing the weight before relaxing completely.
You’re closer than he remembers ever seeing you.
Fuck, you’re even prettier than he ever thought – he means, you’ve always been pretty, but now, he could see everything – the sweep of your eyelashes against the tops of your cheeks, the plump of your lips, the slope of your nose. Dick forces himself to breathe, his entire body sparking under your touch.
You give him a small smile, the smell of white peaches and orange blossoms making his head go hazy. “Comfy.”
He forces himself to laugh again. You look over your shoulder, reaching for his hand to hold up his phone again, pushing it back until it’s by his ear before you nod, unscrewing the cap of your Dior lip gloss.
It’s too much for his poor heart. Dick swears it’s about to fly out of his chest with every swipe of your gloss wand over your lips, his blue eyes committing every moment of this to his memory.
“Is it vanilla?”
Dick doesn’t even remember asking the question. You pucker your lips one more time, smiling proudly at your reflection before looking towards him.
“Yeah. It’s pretty, right?”
The hand holding his phone slowly falls, resting against your hips as his thumb brushes against the small of your back.
Dick nods. He forces himself to put his arm onto the armchair rest instead, fingernails digging into the old cracked leather.
“Smells good.” He croaks out.
You pause from where you’re zipping up your purse. “Yeah?”
He nods. “Tastes good too?”
You blink and Dick inhales sharply. A smile spreads on your face, coy and sweet. You lean in, your baby pink nail hooking into the white gold chain of his necklace, pulling him in towards you.
He can’t move, can’t think, can’t breathe—
Your voice curls in his ears, low and seductive. “Want to find out?”
Dick doesn’t answer, his heart pounding in his ears.
“I— um—“ his voice comes out lower than he expected, rough around the edges.
“C’mon Dickie.” Your lips hover over his, the proximity making his tingle. Your free hand crawls up his chest, gently pushing his hair back behind his ear before you cradle his jaw, tilting his chin up. “It’ll be really good.” Your eyes meet his, half-lidded and filled with something that makes Dick’s fingers curl against his palm and his breath hitch.
You whisper again, lips brushing soft against his. “I’ll be really good.” Your nose gently sweeps past his and his chest tightens, every nerve all too aware of the closing distance between the two of you. You stare into his blue eyes, every motion of your lips sending tingles down his spine. “I promise.”
You give a small little tug on his necklace, pulling him in even closer. Your hair falls past your shoulders, a curtain hiding the two of you from the world.
He’s too hyper aware of every movement you make—the way his chest was pressed against yours, the ghost of his breath lingering on your lips.
It’d be easy to just move forward. To press his lips against yours. To feel the warmth of your skin seeping into his while he pulled you closer--
Dick shakes his head rigidly, neck jerking with every movement. “We can’t.” He whispers.
He doesn’t know if he wants you to have heard him.
You exhale softly, your breath caressing his lips before you pull away, releasing his necklace. “Okay.”
The chain drops back down onto his black shirt, the platinum ring pendant bouncing on his chest.
Dick watches helplessly as you stand, carefully readjusting your shorts. His fingers flex against the leather seat.
“You don’t have to get up. I just—“
He pauses.
Just… what?
You wave his protest away politely, shaking your head. A smile hangs off your lips, small and practiced, hiding the flicker of embarrassment on your features before it disappears.
“Nah. I kinda want to get back to the party.” You point at the red solo cup with the blue jungle juice still filled to the brim. “Is that yours? They ran out and it’s all just shots from the bottle.”
Dick nods. You immediately reach over, chugging the contents completely before smashing the empty cup back into the cup holder. You stick your tongue out, screwing your eyes at the awful taste.
You give him another small grin, reaching forward to take your purse. “Find me when you’re ready to leave. Wally said you’d drive me home.” You call over your shoulder, boots clicking on the basement floor as you disappear from the room.
Dick watches as a few people follow after you, including the boy who had been eyeing you up and down earlier.
You don’t look back. Not once.
He tears his gaze away back to the crumpled red solo cup in the cup holder, the smell of your perfume and the warmth from your body still lingering. His fingers twitch by his side.
Despite the darkness of the room, he could still make out your little lip gloss print, shining in the haze of revolving lights. Dick’s vision narrows as he stares at it.
He doesn’t know what’s wrong with him.
He had been dreaming about this – your lips on his, the vanilla lip gloss smeared all over his lips, shining underneath the strobe lights – and he… said no?
Dick exhales frustratedly, pinching the nose of his bridge.
He really doesn’t know what’s wrong with him.
His lips still tingle from where yours had brushed his, the smell of your perfume intoxicating. Dick closes his eyes, afraid to even move on the armchair if it meant forgetting the way you fit snugly on his lap, like two perfect puzzle pieces–
“Holy shit, you actually drank it all?”
Dick opens his eyes to find Wally staring at him with an incredulous look on his face, his hand holding up the crumpled red solo cup. Wally gives him a giant grin. “No wonder why your cheeks are so red – you must be fucking wasted.”
Dick coughs, tearing his eyes away from the shiny lip gloss mark. “No. [Name] drank it all.” He gives Wally a little pointed look. “And I’m driving. I wasn’t going to drink like that in the first place.”
Wally stares bug-eyed at the cup before setting it down, twisting his head side by side, scanning the room. “Oh jeez.” He looks over at Dick, a sheepish smile on his face. “Mine was made extra strong by the brothers – pretty sure it was a mix of gray goose, everclear, casamigos and some soju.”
Dick’s lips pull back in disgust at the list of alcohol names before he blanches. “Wait–” He slowly stands up, his hand gripping Wally’s shoulder. “I don’t have puke bags in my car.”
Wally nods slowly, his expression mirroring Dick’s frightened one. “And she was already pretty drunk when I saw her earlier.”
“And she just drank the entire god awful abomination that you tried to force upon me, mixed with the jungle juice.” Dick says slowly. Wally nods again, the wheels in the two boys' brains churning.
“Shit.” Wally groans, throwing his head back. “We need to go find her.”
Dick’s already halfway out the room before Wally can finish his sentence.
x.
Dick finds you leaning against the kitchen counter, the fluorescent kitchen lights shining bright above you, a spotlight, as you laugh sweetly, leaning forwards towards the person who was talking to you.
Dick sighs in relief, weaving through the drunk partiers as he makes his way towards you. The world continues to rush past him, a group of drunk boys hooting and hollering as their favorite song plays.
He almost loses you again as the group of boys barrel past him down towards the basement, but you’re still there, shining underneath the harsh white lighting of the kitchen, glowing, glowing–
Oh.
Dick pauses for a second, his feet rooted to the sticky wooden floorboards.
It was the boy from before.
The boy says something, his hand running through his hair with a crooked smile on his face. Whatever it was, it makes you gasp before you dissolve into a fit of giggles, tilting forward into his chest for a brief moment before you steady yourself once more.
He watches, his heart in his throat, fingers making crescent moon indents on the flat of his palm. You don’t seem to notice Dick, your attention stolen by the boy that’s been orbiting you all night. You hold up your fingers, a smile that lights up the room on your face when the boy shakes his head, matching your grin.
This was… fine.
Dick forces himself to take another step closer, his joints stiff and awkward, never once taking his eyes off of you.
You could do whatever you wanted.
He takes another step forward, your soft voice making its way to his ear.
“You really don’t know how to play ‘chopsticks’?” Your voice is full of disbelief, your fingers still held up.
The boy in front of you shakes his head. “Nah. I can’t help that I had a boring childhood.”
“Oh, come on!” You shake your head, little stands of hair falling from where you’ve pushed it over your shoulder to frame your face. “That sounds so sad. Let me teach you how to play.”
The boy raises his eyebrows, his hands held up to match yours. “You sure your boyfriend won’t mind if you play this game with me?”
“What boyfriend?” You cock your head to the side, your fingers already on top of his waiting ones to help him form the proper pose.
“The boy from the basement? You were with him before?”
“Oh.” Your face falls for a moment, the light fading. You shake your head, frozen for half a second before you continue to focus on what you were doing. “It wasn’t– That was nothing.” You say quietly. “We’re not together. I was just… imagining things, I guess.”
You let out a small laugh. “That’s what happens when you’re drunk, right?”
Dick stands frozen behind you, hidden by the water cooler in the kitchen. Your voice echoes in his ears, drowning out the rest of the party.
Just imagining things.
It makes his stomach churn.
He steps out from behind the water cooler, his hand outstretched to gently tap your shoulder, mouth open–
“Dick, you find her?” Wally’s voice crashes into him from behind.
Dick flinches.
You turn around at the sound of your name, swaying gently in your spot. “Wally!” Your eyes flit over to Dick, blinking like you weren’t sure of what to make of him before smiling. “Dick!”
“When did you guys get here?” You tilt your head, fingers still held up. “I’m playing ‘chopsticks’. Come join.”
Wally shakes his head. “We’re going home. You just drank a shit ton of alc and I’m gonna make you puke it all out before you sleep.”
“What? No, but I— hey!”
Wally scoops you up easily, throwing you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Sorry dude.” Wally smiles at the frozen boy you had been playing with. “I’m doing this for your own good, she was going to puke on you if you won. Thanks for coming out to our party though.”
You groan from where you’re over his shoulder. “Wally, I’m gonna puke this way, please put me down.”
“That’s the point, gorgeous. Let’s go home now.” He turns towards Dick. “The car awaits.”
Dick nods, forcing himself to move. His fingers curve over his keys, the metal biting into his hands.
You prop yourself up on Wally's back, resting your chin on your palm. “Bye!” You call out, waving to the boy. He blinks, cheeks red, hand raised tentatively. “Bye. I’ll text you?”
“Only if you’re going to show me a good time.” You respond, giggling to yourself like it’s the funniest thing in the world before you drop forward, groaning. “Wally, you’re making me feel worse.”
The red haired boy just hums in response, opening the door of the house.
The cool night air hits the three of you immediately, a stark contrast to the sweaty frat house. Dick can’t help the sigh of relief that escapes his lips, pointing down the street towards his car.
Wally drops you carefully onto your feet outside of the Audi, your boots reflected in the shiny paint. You sway on your feet, leaning boneless in Wally’s broad chest before stiffening.
“Wally—“ you mumble, body locking. Your hand flies up, pushing him violently away from you and he stumbles back alarmed when you hurriedly rush towards the gutter. Your boots scrape across the pavement in your haste.
Wally’s eyes widen, already rushing towards you. “Oh— shit— Dick, help her, she’s gonna—“
You retch into the gutter, almost falling forward at how violently your body lurches, the world spinning underneath your feet.
He doesn’t think — just moves the second you bend down at the knees. Dick steadies you by the shoulders, his deft fingers gently carding through your soft hair to pull it back away from your mouth.
“It’s okay.” His voice is soft, murmured quietly in the night. “Just let it out.”
You gag disgustingly, spitting into the gutter. Dick rubs your back soothingly, his words barely heard over the rush of blood pounding in your ears. “You’re okay, keep going.”
Wally gently places a hand on your other shoulder. “I’ll be back okay? Gonna grab you some water and paper towels.”
You nod, coughing before another violent wave of nausea takes over.
“S’okay.” Dick brushes your hair behind your ears. “M’right here. You’re okay.” The cold pavement seeps through the fabric of his black jeans, his silver ring pendant swinging by your cheek as he anchors you. .
You shudder, letting out a small helpless whimper. “Fuck, this is—“ you groan, dropping your forehead to your knees. “This is so fucking gross, I’m so sorry.”
He shakes his head, ignoring the smell of bile. “No, it’s okay. You’re all good. I got you.”
“What did Wally put in that jungle juice?” You bemoan, sniffling into your arms. Dick lets out a little laugh, shaking his head. “You don’t even want to know.”
You lift your head slightly, eyes glassy as you stare into his blue ones, cheek smushed against your kneecap. Your mascara is smeared underneath your eyes, glitter still all over your face, lips a darker shade than usual from the overhead street light.
“The boy in the kitchen.” Your eyes flutter shut, tongue running over your teeth. Dick nods, ignoring the way his own stomach rose with bile at the mention of him. “Mhm?”
“I think… I think he liked me.” You say, exhaling the words. Dick hums, focusing on the warmth of your skin against his fingertips and the gritty pavement underneath his other palm instead of the grind of his teeth against each other.
You shake your head, sighing. “He was nice.” You furrow your eyebrows, half in thought. Your eyes open again, still glossy. “But I…”
Dick watches with bated breath.
“Bad timing though.” You let out a sardonic chuckle, gaze faraway. “I think I might have just been imagining things.” You sigh, leaning into Dick’s touch.
He swallows hard.
“We’re not together,” you continue, matter-of-fact but small. “We never were. I was just being silly, getting in over my head.”
The words land heavy, a blow to Dick.
You let out a shaky sigh, closing your eyes. Beneath the street lamp, Dick can see small tears clinging to your eyelashes.
“No.” The word slips out of Dick’s mouth. You open one eye, peeking up at him from beneath your arm. He swallows, fingers tightening their grip in your hair before relaxing. “You weren’t imagining things.”
You stare at him, the moment passing slowly. Dick’s heart beats against his ribs as he waits.
And then you laugh – a small, defeated one that makes his heart sink to the bottom of his shoes.
“You don’t have to make me feel better about what happened between us before.”
His tongue is suddenly so dry, big and clumsy in his mouth. All words in the English language fail him as he desperately scrambles for the right thing to say – but nothing comes. You sigh once more, turning away from him, shoulders drooping.
Dick opens his mouth before closing it, footsteps nearing behind him. Wally appears from over his shoulder, holding a bottle of water and some paper towels, wet and dry.
“She done puking?” Wally asks, leaning down to gently help you stand back up. Dick nods, brushing your hair away from your face again. “Yeah. All done.”
You lean against the car door when Wally props you up, the wet paper towel gently mopping up the leftover spit and puke on your chin. “Wally,” you mumble, tilting your chin up when he gently presses his finger underneath jaw, “what the fuck did you put in that jungle juice?”
He laughs lightly. “I see it’s too much for our sweetheart to handle.” Wally unscrews the cap off the water bottle, holding it to your lips. “There we go, drink up.”
Dick opens the backseat, the metal door handle cool on his heated palms. Wally guides you inside, reaching over to buckle you in without ceremony. You sigh, looking up at Wally through your lashes.
“If I wasn’t pretty, would you still like me?”
“You’re pretty in every timeline.” Wally says firmly, “I’ll always like you.”
“I’m not just imagining things?”
Dick flexes his jaw at the word, avoiding your gaze. Wally nods, pushing you gently back against the seat. “Yeah, you’re not just imagining things. You’re stuck with me forever, okay?”
You relax at that, a relieved smile on your face. “Okay.”
Wally steps away, gesturing for Dick to close the door. The car door shuts with a firm push and Dick climbs into the driver seat, the car humming to life with a push of a button.
You sigh, closing your eyes as the car begins to roll forward.
“I had a good time at the party tonight.” You mumble from the backseat, clutching the plastic water bottle in your hand. Dick looks back at you in the rearview mirror as the plastic crinkles in your tight grip.
Wally’s eyes flutter open slightly from where he’s leaning against the window, half-asleep. “Yeah? That’s good. I’m glad.”
“Mhm.” You hum in response. “I was reading into everything. Now it’s all clear.”
Dick grips his steering wheel a little tighter, knuckles white as you continue, words slurring as you drift into sleep.
“Everything can just… go back to normal.”
The car continues to drive along the road, too quiet, too full and yet too little said.
Wally raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment.
DIck doesn’t look at you, his eyes trained on the dark road ahead of him. The car drives across the empty road, the low hanging moon shining across the wet pavement. Instead, he reaches behind him blindly, hand extending between the seats.
His fingers brush against your knees once before yours find his immediately.
You don’t comment on it.
You never do.
Dick exhales through his nose, thumb pressing lightly against your palm. The warmth of you is still there – in the car, in his arms, nestled comfortably on his lap, everywhere – and it makes him ache all over.
You weren’t imagining things.
The thought settles deep in his bones, poking at him every time your fingers twitch in your sleep.
He drives a little slower the rest of the way home.
a/n: extra extraaa long chapter & a double update for the week! (bc im going to go on a little bit of a break due to writers block!! oopsiessss) anyway i hope you all enjoyed!!! silly ol dick not kissing the girl of his dreams!!! i had a lot of fun writing this chapter hehe i want to also kiss dick mwah mwah mwahhhh
anyway my loves, take care of yourselves !! and ily all for ur likes, comments, reblogs, everything. just let me give you all a big ol kiss! everytime i see someone new liking or reading my work, i just get soo happy!! love you all always <333
I think sometimes the family forget that Bruce and Dick were there for Gotham's darkest. When Batman and Robin first came to be in this city referred to as Crime City. A Nightmare out of Metal and Stone. A Sewer of Corruption. A Hell Hole. Before it was the Dark Knight's city it was Gotham.
They've been through horror movie level booby traps together. They are painfully and nostalgically trauma bonded and neither admit to the fact how traumatic some experiences were.
I just think the family forgets that until Dick and Bruce recall some memory with nostalgia and have a laugh and it's just the most horrifying traumatic thing ever
---
Dick: Oh remember the time I had to stab myself so we could distract the bad guys and you could take them out? I had to get the angle just right to make sure I don't die
Bruce: Ah yes. You almost did die. Thank God we got you care fast enough
Dick: Pretty sure the speed you knocked those guys out was a new record. It was fun though. Took away my fear of being stabbed. You get used to the pain after a while
Bruce: Yeah, I wanted us out quick. Though I also remember Alfred yelled at us and we decided to hide away from him and watch a movie
Dick: oh yeah! We watched Brave for the first time!
Bruce: *smiles* Yeah I remember. It was nice
The rest of the family: ...
---
Nightwing: [kicks body he just knocked out ] you know what this reminds me of?
Batman: [punching criminals] Spring of 92?
Nightwing: [Bomb blows up empty base] EXACTLY!
Batman: Good times huh?
Nightwing: yup
Everyone on comms: ???
---
Red Robin: it's quiet tonight...
Nightwing: don't say that!
Batman: damn it *grumbles*
Red Robin: what? I just said it was qui-
Nightwing: you'll jinx it!
Robin: you don't actually believe that nonsense, do you?
Signal: yeah that seems a little much even for you
Nightwing: Just ask B. He'll back me up
Redhood: *snorts* yeah right. B isn't one to believe in jinxes
Nightwing: oh no jinxes are very real. We found out the hard way
Spoiler: right. And what would that be?
Batman: *gruffs* 10 months
Red Robin: what?
Batman: 10 months of not a single quiet night because robin decided to jinx it
Nightwing: I said I was sorry! I regret it. I will never do it again
Red Robin: 10 months? You can't be serious
Red hood: yeah there is no way there was no quiet night for 10 months straight
Nightwing: [shrugs] what can I say? Old Gotham was something else
Batman: *sorrowful* 10...months... *shudders*
---
Robin: Nightwing! You got hit with fear toxin. We need to get you to the cave now!
Nightwing: *sniffs* hmm nah this is an old formula. I'll be good
Red Robin: yeah the scans say it's an old batch some lousy gang got their hands on an- wait how'd you know that?
Nightwing: the new toxin smells kinda like lemon mixed with chlorine. The old one smelled like-
Batman: warm pineapples
Nightwing: exactly!
Spoiler: wait is that why you two don't go near pineapples
Nightwing and Batman: [nod]
Robin: that does not matter. Nightwing you still need an antidote. Father you must make Nightwing get proper treatment against the toxin
Nightwing: don't worry baby bat. Like I said it's an old toxin, I have built immunity
Everyone: what?
Nightwing: we didn't have an antidote back in the early days so we needed to make sure the toxin wouldn't immobile us
Batman: Yes. With lack of proper masks, since most couldn't stop the toxin, and Scarecrow finally perfecting his toxin we needed a solution
Nightwing: so we built immunity
Red hood: wait on purpose? Intentionally?
Batman: yes
Black bat: but for that you'd have to-
Nightwing: be exposed to the toxin in small doses repeatedly and consistently. Yes
Everyone: ...
---
Red Robin: Damn it's cold out
Red hood: Patrolling in the winter sucks man. Gotham winter is so wet.
Nightwing: yeah the built in heat system in these suits is a life saver.
Red Robin: yeah literally, I don't think you could actually survive hours of patrol in this weather without them
Nightwing: eh you could
Red hood: it's in the negatives here, Wing. It snowed 5 inches last night. Without the heating system we'd be goners.
Batman: Yes however if you were to keep moving and take calculated breaks with a warm beverage patrol would be manageable.
Red Robin: I guess but who'd be stupid enough to ris-
Red Robin: ....
Everyone: .....
Red hood: YOU DIDN'T EVEN WEAR PANTS WHAT THE FUCK
Nightwing: we didn't have all this advanced tech in our suits back then it's not my fault
Batman: though the pants issue is one I argued on more than one occasion
Nightwing: I needed my freedom!
Batman: It was -5°C, you needed your legs attached to your body
Nightwing: I made it out fine
Everyone: debatable
---
Dick: I got here as fast as I could
Bruce: Thanks. Here's the files
Jason: did we really need to call Dickie bird all the way from Bludhaven? This doesn't seem all that big of a deal
Tim: yeah we could probably handle this on-
Dick: oh come on! Not them again
Bruce: yeah I thought so. I was just hoping it wasn't
Tim: ah so it's an old case? That's why you called Dick?
Damian: was it really that bad?
Bruce: not bad in the sense they were difficult to catch per say...
Dick: It's a group of maniacs obsessed with horror movies who last time we encountered them tried to re-create SAW
Jason: ....you're kidding
Dick: Nope. How do you think I lost my finger
Everyone: .... You WHAT?!
Dick: you guys didn't know? My left pinky finger is fake *detached and reattaches finger*
Jason: argh gross
Dick: yeah had to cut it. Nothing compared to Bruce though he had to-
