Birdflash oneshots 2

Painting 2

Dick was currently alone in his apartment, watching as the alarm clock on his nightstand flashed numbers. Well, he wasn't alone, exactly. Wally was crashed in his living room, snoring away on the couch. Dick had slept for about three hours, then got a vision of a painting again. This time it was a couple and a little boy, sitting pristinely like they were waiting for a portrait. Dick had sketched it out in a nearby sketchbook, aware of facts about the little boy. The parents were dead, killed in front of him. Just like Dick's. The kid was grown now, but he had a double life like Wally. He was a hero. If Dick had to guess, it was probably one of the ones he was currently interacting with. Probably Batman. He was getting strange bat vibes off the kid. After one last glance at his clock, Dick resigned himself to a sleepless morning and sat up. Well, if he was doing nothing, he should get to work on some commissions. They weren't going to paint themselves, after all.

Dick went to the living room quietly, trying to make his crutches as silent as they could be. Wally was still asleep, snoring loudly into the couch cushions. Dick couldn't help but smile as he walked past, leaning down long enough to brush some stray hair out of Wally's face. Even if he was some sort of super hero that probably wasn't interested in him, Wally was very handsome. What could he say? Red hair did something to him. Plus, Dick liked the idea of Wally carrying him around easily. Crutches weren't always super easy to use, especially if he was traveling over uneven terrain. Wheelchairs were even worse. Lots of ramps were very steep, and people took wheelchairs as a sign that they could just push him around if they thought he was in their  way. Wally didn't seem like that kind of person. He was genuinely sweet, and was helpful to have around. Dick pulled the blanket up to Wally's chin before moving on, heading towards his art studio.

Dick grabbed the first unfinished painting he saw, pulling up the client's order. It was for Gary Kliedman, a rich guy who came from old money. He ran an old theater downtown that was surprisingly popular. He's requested a picture of a knight in armor fighting a dragon. Pretty standard stuff when it came to knights. Dick had the knight and the dragon painted already, and was now working on the background. Kliedman had wanted it next to a ruined castle, which was pretty easy to do. It didn't take long for Dick to start, which gave him plenty of time to think. They could probably consider this little experiment a success, which meant that he'd probably be interacting with the heroes a lot more. That also meant that the villains would probably take notice of him more too, because the heroes would be around him much more. He really didn't want his life to turn into a series of safe houses and attempted kidnappings. He had too much to do to be moving around constantly.

The window to this studio slid up, and Batman landed in his apartment. Dick sighed, setting his brush down. "You're very paranoid, Bruce." Dick watched as Batman pulled his cowl down, turning into Bruce Wayne.

"It worked, then."

"Yeah. Frank Giles lives down in South Carolina, and the other one wasn't even real. Tell me something: how does a ten year old kid end up as a vigilante furry instead of, I don't know, going to therapy for their trauma?" Dick crossed his arms.

Bruce chuckled softly. "Let's just say I decided that I needed a more hands on approach to helping people. You know, I was there that night. When your parents died."

"I know. You paid for their funeral. Thank you for that, by the way. I don't know if we would've been able to afford it."

"It was no problem. I know the pain of losing someone, and I know you would've wanted them to have a nice place to rest."

"Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know of any Wayne apartments that are hella cheap, would you? I'm trying to see if there are good apartments that are cheap so I can move in after my surgery."

"No apartments, but we do have a mountain base and a watchtower in space."

"I'll pass. Being thousands of miles off the surface of the Earth is bad for business, and I work better when I'm not inside a mountain."

"I have a deal to propose. One that I think you'll like." Bruce leaned against the wall, watching as Dick uncrossed his arms.

"I'm listening."

"As you probably know, I live in Wayne Manor. It's quiet and secluded, and I have plenty of empty rooms for someone to stay in. You need a place to stay and someone to fund your surgery. I can do both. You wouldn't have to pay rent or even bother with the heroic stuff. You'd still be able to take as many commissions as you want, and I can spread word to your customers that you live with me."

Dick's eyebrows shot up. "What's the downside then? All you're giving me are good things."

"No downside. I figure we're screwing your life up enough by telling you about all this and potentially exposing you to the Light, so no drawback. You're welcome to any events that are hosted in the Manor as well."

"Damn. When you put it like that, you make it hard to refuse. However, I assume I'll also be there to be your prophet/invisible spy?"

"Only in emergencies. We don't know the extent of this ability yet, so I don't want to push you past your limits. You haven't manifested any physical drawbacks from using your power, but I don't want to discover that it gives you some terminal disease after we've been using it almost nonstop."

"Sounds like a plan. You'll need to give me a few days to get everything packed up." Dick grinned, shaking Bruce's outstretched hand. 

"No need to worry about that. I know a group of kids that have been begging me for days about weight training."

"Wow. Mr Wayne condones child labor. Should I release that to the press?"

"Only if you want to acquire rent."

"Pass. I just need to schedule my surgery, then I should be all set." 

"Good. You might want to tell Wally that you're moving. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot more of him."

"Probably. If we're going to drive your blood pressure up, then we'll need to be in close proximity."

"Just don't wreck my house. Alfred will not  be happy, and that man scares me more than the villains I face every night."

"Noted."