Birdflash oneshots 2

I'm lucky to have you

There were two breeds of intelligent life on the planet: humans and centaurs. Centaurs weren't quite as far along as humans yet, and were unable to navigate human cities, so they lived on special farms. They were free to do pretty much whatever there. They were housed in their own rooms, they had large fields for playing, and they had their own market with their own currency. They had a system between the farms, so if a centaur got bored at the farm they currently resided at, they could go to another farm and live there. There was a daycare for foals, and a school for adolescents. There were business for centaurs that wanted to work, and a theater for those who wanted to see a good show. 

Dick and Wally were centaurs, and were also mates. Dick worked at the theater, and Wally worked in the blacksmith. They'd been together since they were little colts, barely able to stand and only able to babble. Dick's hair was a sheen black, which mixed well with his dark skin. Wally's was a bright red, which made him look paler than he already was. The duo usually walked through the large fields when they had time off, holding hands and watching as the fillies ran around, singing songs they'd learned in daycare. Both were very happy with the life they led. They loved the farm, loved their families, and loved their jobs. They'd never considered going to another farm, or finding different jobs. They didn't want to change anything.

Everything changed the day the new centaur arrived. He was an older stallion, ripped with muscles and taller than anyone else there. He was a nice enough guy, and he hadn't tried to cause any problems, but one arose when it came to where he'd stay. He'd been an exchange centaur, meant to trade places with someone else. There hadn't been any volunteers to move, so the farmhands had chosen a centaur to trade with him. Wally had been chosen to take the stallion's place at the other farm, away from Dick. The farmhands knew they were mates, but they didn't care. They always tried to keep the duo apart. Now they'd found a way to do it.

Dick didn't leave his room once Wally was taken. It didn't matter who asked, he never left. He was always curled up on his beanbag, covered in Wally's blanket as he dreamed of his redhead. He wouldn't touch food anymore. If they tried to force him to eat, he'd make himself throw it up. He would "accidentally" knock over the plates they gave him. He'd kick away apples and carrots until there were dents in the wooden walls. He wouldn't drink, either. He'd turn away and his from any water they gave him. The farm healer had to attach an IV to his arm with a spell that made it impossible for him to rip it out. He let himself waste away, until he was a mere shadow of the centaur he used to be.

Wally had gotten to the point where none of the farmhands could get close unless they wanted to meet their maker. He'd kicked the food buckets out of his stall, scattering the contents all over the ground. He'd snort and stamp every time a human came near. He'd bit one of the farmhands before, because they'd tried to take the bracelet Dick had given him before he'd left. He'd stay in an isolated part of the field, only softening up when the little foals came around. Every centaur knew he hadn't come here willingly, but they knew he couldn't do much about it. Cities would bring centaurs back to the farms. The wilds were no place for them anymore. They'd been domesticated for far too long. 

"Come on, Dickie. Time to get out of here." Roy clopped into his room, throwing the curtains open. Dick winced as bright light shone through, blinding him. "What the hell, Roy?" "Come on, you're going to the field today. I don't give a damn if you sleep or not, but you have got to get out of this room. Come on. You don't have to interact, just get out of here." Roy pulled Dick to his hooves, leading him out of the room. Dick could barely walk, but that didn't stop Roy. He pulled Dick to the apple tree in the back of the field, sitting him down under the leaves. "You're staying there until the sun goes down. I will come and get you, but you have to get past this funk you're in. I know you miss Wally, but you have to think ahead. What are your brothers going to think if you die because you were too sad to get up?" 

Dick looked away from Roy,  ignoring his question. He and his brothers didn't really get along. Jason was always aggravated and rash. He jumped to conclusions before he had all the facts. Tim was always doing research, and he was never around. Damian was aggressive, and had almost hurt Dick once.  Hell, he didn't get along with his dad either. Bruce was always busy with his company, and never had time for his sons. Roy sighed. "Just promise me you'll try to eat something later." "I'm not hungry." "Dick, you haven't eaten in five days. You only ate because Leslie forced you to and wouldn't let you throw up. You need to take care of yourself. What if Wally comes back and sees you like this?" "He won't be back for another month, Roy. You know the waiting period." "If he causes enough problems, they'll send him back as a punishment. He could be sent back." "There's no room here. He'll be sent to another farm instead. I won't see him again." "You don't know that, Dick. There has to be something."

Wally had found the solution. After a storm hit the farm, part of the fence had been broken by a large tree. He'd leapt out before anyone noticed he was gone, racing through the forest. He needed to find Dick again. They'd been apart for too long. He knew why that stallion had left now; it was positively boring at that farm. He felt so bad for the little foals there. There was nothing for them to do. They had no toys, no daycare, no nothing. Their parents did their best to entertain them, but it was no use. There was nothing there. He had to get away before he went insane. He'd find Dick again. He would be with him before the winter came. Sure, he didn't look anything like he did before, but that didn't matter. His coat had lost a lot of his gleam, and he wasn't as strong as he was before, but he would get better. He would make sure Dick got better, too. He had to have taken this hard. The poor boy had broken into tears when he found out Wally was gone. Those farmhands didn't even have the decency to let him see Wally go.

Wally fought for days to cross the wilds. He kicked wolves away, drank from streams, and ate fruits he found. He used what little magic he knew to summon weapons and scare creatures away. He never wanted to hurt them. Besides, he couldn't eat much meat. His human half could process it, but his horse half couldn't, so centaurs limited their meat intake. It was better for the community. Wally knew a mare that had once gotten sick because a stallion insisted he had to eat meat. It wasn't pleasant. Needless to say, he went to another farm. Back to Wally. He was currently at the edge of a forest, looking down from a hill at his old farm. There, in the center of the field, was Dick. He didn't look good. Wally knew he might not, but seeing him like this hurt. He looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Wally had only been gone for about three weeks...and some days in the wilds. He lost track of time there.

Some of the little fillies noticed him, running over to the fence. "Uncle Wally! You're here!" Wally gently shushed them, sneaking down the hill to the fence. "Yes, I'm back. But I need you to keep it a surprise, okay? Nobody else knows. Can you keep a secret?" They nodded. "I do want you to get one centaur, though. Do you think you can get Dickie for me?" "Momma said to leave Uncle Dickie alone. Said he was sick, and needed some sleep." "I think I can make him feel better. Tell him you know where Wally is, and bring him here, okay? I'll make sure to get you two some extra apples." "Okay!" They ran off, giggling to each other. Wally sighed. Was Dick really that bad? It wouldn't surprise him, but he would've expected his family to take better care of him, especially since his mate was gone. That would tear any centaur apart. Farmhands usually knew better than to separate mates, but they'd never been happy with the two males being together.

A few minutes later, Wally saw the fillies leading a very skinny Dick Grayson to the fence. His eyes kept dancing around, like they were trying to find something. Dick's condition worried Wally, though. He looked like he was struggling to walk. He had an IV strapped to his back that flowed into his arm. His eyes were dull and lifeless, while his coat had no shine to it. His hair had grown out to an uncomfortable length, dancing around his eyes. "Come on, Uncle Dickie! He's over here!" Wally grinned as Dick met his eyes, shock and joy filling the dull irises. "Wally?" He whispered, trotting over to the fence as best he could. Wally got as close to the fence as possible, wrapping his arms around Dick and chuckling. "In the flesh." "But how? Aren't you supposed to be at the other farm?" "I got bored there. So I escaped. Came here instead. I couldn't wait to see you." Wally kissed Dick's cheek, gently cupping his face.

After sending the fillies away to play, Wally snuck into the field. He and Dick went back to the apple tree he'd been at before, laying down and cuddling like they used to. They's both missed this. "Hey, Dickie? Can you promise me you'll eat tonight? Even if it's just a little, you'll try?" Dick nodded. "I promise. What about you? Where will you stay?" "I'll stay in the blacksmith's hut. It's warm and dry enough to keep me safe from cold nights." "I can help sneak you food." "Don't worry about that. There's plenty of fruit trees out here. I'm not leaving you again." "Okay. I love you, Wally." "I love you too, Dickie. We'll be together now. Together forever."