Birdflash oneshots 2

The secret pond 2

Dick was eighteen years old now, and he was sick of being told the small family in the forest was not real. Hell, J'onn(who was an alien) had gone into his mind and said they were real memories! They existed, and nobody except the Martian believed him. He was so tired of it. One of the therapists had suggested putting Dick in a mental asylum, which he responded to by promptly disappearing. He left the Manor, took a small bag of supplies with him, and headed back to the forest he'd been lost in so many years before. Bruce hadn't let him near the place, too scared his trauma would decide to suddenly kick in. It had been eight years since that day, and he didn't have any signs of trauma! Okay, so maybe he had nightmares about the storm, but that was it!

Dick had hiked through the woods until he found a small pond, still exactly liked the picture Bruce showed him. This felt familiar. "Okay, Walls. You said you'd still be here. Where are you?" Dick muttered, sitting down next to the water. 

"Well, you could turn around and find out." 

Dick grinned as he looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Wally. Jeez, you grew big." 

Wally chuckled, gently kicking the ground. He looked...pretty human, all things considered. "Yeah. How've you been, man? It's been years since I last saw you." Wally sat next to Dick. 

"I'm doing okay. Got about a thousand therapists telling me you aren't real, but whatever. I know you are. Everyone else said you were a bunch of delusions." 

"I don't know, dude. I feel pretty real." 

"My dad's friend, his name is J'onn, he went into my head and found the memories. They're real, not just a delusion." 

"Yeah. However, I want to keep my family safe. We've moved out of the pond to these woods, so nobody got too suspicious. We took on human forms as well. If anyone follows you, tell them you found our family out here. The family is real, but the rest may have been a delusion. We need to stay safe."

Dick nodded, leaning his head on Wally's shoulder. "You know something?" 

"What?" 

"They tried to make me forget you. They said the memories were fake, and they were my brain's attempt at hiding trauma." 

"But you didn't forget. You remembered us." 

"I almost believed them at one point. Everyone was telling me they were right and I was wrong, and I almost gave up, but then Bruce showed me pictures of where I was found. I recognized it immediately. The pond is your source, isn't it?" 

Wally nodded. "I need it, and it needs me. The world you saw inside was my domain, although I thought it was the realm of the moon at first. It's what my Uncle Hal told me." 

"Sounds like he likes playing pranks." 

"He does. A lot. I'm still glad you came down there." 

"Me too. I got to meet you because of it." 

"It put you through therapy, though." 

"I probably needed some of it. I'm sure there's some trauma there from getting separated from my dad at age ten in the middle of a storm." 

"Eh, potato tomato." 

"That is so not the saying."

Wally brought Dick to Uncle Barry's cabin, showing him the family again. Barry had been existed to see him, especially since he wasn't injured this time. Iris was happy, although she was concerned with the amount of people trying to put him in a mental asylum. They all knew Dick wasn't crazy. They invited him to spend the night, where he slept on the same hammock that had held him so many years ago. Wally was asleep under him, and the sound of his breathing helped Dick feel like he was at home. He felt safe here. Nobody was trying to tell him he had imagine it, and nobody was trying to take him away. He would probably call Bruce soon, tell him he was alright, but not right now. Right now, he needed rest. He needed a break from all the doctors and therapists. He needed a break from the crowd of people that constantly doubted him and treated him like a science experiment.

Dick woke up the next morning pressed against a warm body, arms thrown around his waist. His head was pressed against a warm chest, and they were covered in blankets. "Hey, Dickie. You awake?" Wally asked softly. 

Dick nodded. "How long was I out?" "A little over fourteen hours. Iris said to let you sleep. Feel better?" 

"Yeah. Much better. I need to call Bruce, tell him I'm okay." 

"Okay. We've got service out here, cause of Iris' magic. If you need to, you can just call. You don't have to go anywhere." 

"K. Why are you in my hammock?" 

"You kept shivering, no matter how many blankets we put on you, so I got in next to you, and you stopped." Dick nodded, snuggling into Wally's body again. He'd slept better than he had in a while.

Dick finally managed to get the willpower up to leave the hammock, grabbing his phone and stepping into the garden. It only took two rings before Bruce picked up. "Dick?" 

"Hey, Bruce. Listen, I'm alright. I'm not hurt." 

"Where are you?" 

"The park. I went back to the pond you found me at. Turns out, the therapists were right, but I was as well. I found the family that saved me back then, but we think the glowing forest and the animals were delusions. They let me stay the night with them, and they've been really nice, Bruce. It's quiet out here. I don't have a million therapists trying to shove their thoughts down my throat. I feel safe here, and I know I'm safe at the Manor, but it feels like something's always after me. It's not that way here. I know you want me to be okay, and I do too, but I feel happy here. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm okay. I'm not lost, and I'm not being held hostage or anything like that. You don't have to worry about me." 

"I still want to see you." 

"I'm going to stay here a few days, if they let me. I'll call you again to let you know, okay? I love you." 

"Stay safe out there, Dick." 

The call ended with a click. Dick sighed, leaning up against the house and looking up. Hopefully they'd let him stay. He needed a break from the cities. "How'd it go?" Wally asked, stepping outside as he munched on an apple. 

"Well, I told him I was alright, and that both of us were right. I said I found you guys, but that we thought the forest was a delusion. That if you said it was okay, I would stay here for a few days. I just need a break from all the doctors and stuff." 

"I understand, dude. Just stay here as long as you need, okay? It's time you get a break." Wally wrapped his arm around Dick's shoulders, looking over at the late morning sky. It was a beautiful blue, devoid of clouds and filled with sunshine. 

"Hey, Walls?" Dick asked quietly. 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm glad you're real." 

"I'm glad, too, cause that means I met you." 

Dick chuckled. "Dork." 

"Ah, you love me." 

"Yeah. Think I can help with something? I'd rather do something than nothing." 

"Yeah. Got some work to do on my house. Wanna go down with me?" 

"Sure. It'll be nice to see the forest again." 

"You have no idea."