Birdflash oneshots 2

I thought you were dead!

Wally was walking down Blüdhaven's main street one night, looking around at all the buildings Dick once loved. Five years ago now, when Wally was sixteen, Dick was killed on a mission. Deathstroke killed him. They never found his body, but there was too much blood for him to have survived. They'd buried an empty casket, and Wally buried a piece of his soul. He hadn't been the same since Dick died. He lost the joy that Dick brought out of him. He stopped collecting souvenirs from missions, and stopped hanging out with the team as much. Even when it grew to house all of the League's partners, he just couldn't bring himself to get close to anyone else again. Dinah had tried for the longest time to bring Wally out of his shell, but had failed. Wally moved to Blüdhaven, the city where Dick had wanted to live. The only reason Wally was a hero anymore was because Dick would've wanted him to be one. Someone needed to protect Blüdhaven.

Wally's phone started ringing. Wally reluctantly grabbed it, reading his uncle's name on the screen. He accepted the call, putting the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Barry." "Hey, kiddo. I'm going on a mission fighting cold. If you want, you can come along." "Thanks for the offer, but I have patrol tonight. Maybe another time." "If you're sure. Oh, Iris wanted me to tell you that she's making lunch on Wednesday. She wants to see you there." "I'll do my best." "Thanks, Wally. She misses you, you know. I'm sure she wishes you'd come around more, and I do too. It feels like you're on another planet sometimes." "Sorry. Blüdhaven can get pretty wild sometimes. I can see why Dick wanted to live here. Lots of crime for him to clean up." "Well, if you ever need any help, you just have to call." "Thanks, Barry. I'll see you Wednesday." "See you Wednesday, kiddo." Barry hung up, which left Wally alone with his thoughts. Maybe he did need to see them again. It had been over a month since he'd seen anyone from the hero community. 

A hand grabbed Wally's arm, dragging him into a nearby alley. "You stay quiet and you live, got that?" A voice whispered harshly. "Dude, if you wanted my money, you picked the wrong person." Wally rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Why's that?" "I'm broke. I don't have any money for you." "You're lying. I can see your wallet in your pocket." Wally grabbed his wallet and opened it, which revealed a driver's license. "See? Broke. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going home." "I didn't say you could leave!" "Too bad. I'm going home." The attempted robber pointed his gun at Wally. "I don't think so. You can still be worth something to the right people." "Okay, look, here's the deal. Either you let me go, or you'll end up bruised." Wally turned around, facing the criminal. He was already tired of this.

Before either had a chance to move, a disk shot out of the dark and knocked the gun away. The criminal didn't get time to run, since a figure dropped from above and landed on him. Wally was prepared to run. He was in civies, and wasn't going to be able to fight if it came to that. The person stood up, turning to face him. In an instant, Wally's world froze. He felt like he couldn't breathe. No, it couldn't be. He was dead. He'd been dead for a long time. "Dick?" Wally whispered, slowly reaching out to the ebony. It was. That was his Dickie. "Hey, Wally." Dick whispered back, stepping closer to the redhead. Wally's hand went to cup his face, holding him still as Wally looked him over. He noticed that Wally was most interested in the scar over his lip. "What happened to you? We all thought you were dead." Wally gulped. "Deathstroke kidnapped me. Injured me like hell, but somehow kept me alive. He's forced me to be his apprentice." "Dick, it's been five years. How did you escape?" "I fought him. Damn near killed him and me, but I made it out. I've been hiding out for a few weeks, but I just had to see you. I couldn't let you keep living the lie that I was dead."

Wally pulled Dick closer, wrapping his arms around him. Dick immediately repeated the motion. "You're never allowed to leave me again, got that?" Dick chuckled. "Got it. Now, let's get you home. You look like you've seen a ghost." "Well, I thought I saw the ghost of my boyfriend, but now I know that's being silly. You promise that you're never leaving me again?" "I promise. Now come on. I'm pretty sure one of those motels had bed bugs, and I want a hot shower." Wally nodded, grabbing Dick's hand and leading him along the streets. He was sure they looked strange. A man in a coat in jeans, paired with one in a black jumpsuit. Somebody would probably think they were watching a spy movie where the top secret spy fell in love with the civilian he's supposed to protect. Then again, it was sort of like that, except neither of them were civilians. 

After unlocking his apartment, Wally immediately corralled Dick to the bathroom. As much as he loved his boyfriend, he was kind of filthy. "Nice apartment you have." Dick commented softly, moving to pull off his gloves. "Yeah. It's not the nicest out there, but it's home. Does Bruce know you're alive yet?" Dick pursed his lips, but shook his head. "Not yet, no. I...haven't been able to work up the courage to tell him yet." "Well, how do you feel about telling Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris? They've invited me to lunch on Wednesday, and I'm sure they would love to see you again." Dick shrugged. "I don't know yet. It took me a week to finally tell you. I think I just need some time before I tell anyone else. But I do want to tell Bruce first. He's my dad, after all." "Of course. Now, get out of that jumpsuit. The water should warm up soon." Dick nodded again. This wasn't anything like what he'd imagined. He'd expected a little resentment, for not telling anyone sooner. Maybe a little anger, for not fighting his way out sooner. He wasn't expecting to be let into Wally's apartment so easily.

After about a minute, Wally started pulling his shirt off. "What're you doing?" Dick asked. "Well, you and I both need a shower, and it'll save my water bill to just do it at the same time. Besides, it's not the first time we've showered together." "I guess that's true. But the last time was over five years ago." "I don't care. You're still my Dickie. I don't care how much you've changed, as long as you promise to come back to me." Dick chuckled. "Promise." "Good. Now, get in there. I'm sure you'll feel great in just a little bit." The second Dick got under the water, it felt like all the tension in his body just melted away. The warmth felt great, and it helped relax his aching muscles. Okay, he could get used to this. Working with Deathstroke for so long, he'd lost many things. One was access to hot water. Deathstroke had a weird thing about cold showers, and he often implemented that on Dick as well. Beside this one, he'd probably had two hot showers in the last five years.

Arms gently wrapped around Dick's waist, pulling him back against a strong chest. "You okay?" Wally asked, setting his head on Dick's shoulder. "Yeah. Just...enjoying the warmth." "Good. I definitely think you needed it." "What's that supposed to mean?" "You were super tense. Plus, you were a little smelly." "When you're on the run for a week, it's kind of hard to find time for a shower." "Well, you won't have to run anymore. Tomorrow, we're going to get you some clothes that fit, m'kay?" "Wally, it's still dangerous for me to be in one spot for too long." "I'm not gonna let him touch you again. That's a promise, Dick. If he comes anywhere near you, I'll break his knees." "You're such a sap." "You love me." "I do." "Good. Now relax. You're safe for good."