heartbeat ➪ d. grayson

010

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DICK STOOD IN THE DOORWAY of cella's room, his arms crossed as he watched her chest rise and fall, it'd been a day since her encounter with claude and she hadn't woken up yet, it was making him antsy.

he hadn't been further than the doorway since bruce hooked her up with all the wires and such, she seemed so lifeless from where he stood that he didn't want to know how she looked up close, as selfish as it seemed he was afraid to see the girl.

"how is she?" bruce asked, standing on the opposite side of the hall, dick admired how bruce had seemed to start calling cella one of his own, he knew how much the man liked taking in strays.

"same as last time." dick shrugged, eyes never leaving her head injury, he felt ashamed that he hadn't stopped her when she left, that he hadn't even been aware of her plans.

"you would've done the same thing." bruce began quietly, "you should know that better than anyone."

"she could have told me." the teen argued.

bruce shook his head at the boy, "like you telling me what you were going to do?" he questioned. "she's scared, dick. she needs someone to be there for her to understand everything that's happening."

dick looked as if he wanted to protest but bruce only gestured to the bed where cella had began to stir softly, "i've seen the two of you." bruce confessed. "her leaving doesn't mean anything for your relationship, you both still care for each other the same."

bruce moved away from the room as dick entered, the teen going straight to the side of her bed, not daring to make a move to startle her as she came to.

"dick?" she croaked out, her body immediately starting to shake as the boy moved to hold her. "i'm sorry," she sobbed, "i'm so sorry."

dick shushed her and reached for a nearby towel that was already damp, patting at the cut on the side of her head as she laid in his lap, tears soaking the boys pants but he didn't care, he was just happy she was awake.

the pair fell into a comfortable silence as dick rubbed the girl's back to soften her cries and treated her wounds carefully.

he was itching to know what had happened while she was away but he was more worried about the feelings he had finally allowed himself to have.

he didn't know if he could take her leaving like that again and not saying anything, it was torture.

"if you go off like that again —"

"i won't." cella interrupted, "i'll tell you next time." she assured, sitting up to look at the boy properly.

"you're going back?" dick question, looking at the girl accusingly, feeling the strong urge to leave the room.

"i have to kill him, dick." she argued, trying to meet his eyes, "it's the only way i'll be left alone."

"we can send him to belle reve." he pleaded, leaning into cella's touch as her hand held his face.

"you know he'd find a way out." she countered, her thumb brushing over his cheek. "he killed my family because i loved them," she paused, her eyes traveling to dick's lips, "i won't let him kill you too, d. you consume my every feeling, without you i don't know how to stay sane." she whispered.

cella's eyes danced over dick's face, every so often she let them rest on his lips, the longing in her chest wanting them to meet.

"love me how?" dick gulped quietly, his palms becoming increasingly hot as he realized how close they were.

"at first i thought i loved you because you were my friend and that's what friends do, they love each other, i was fine with that. i thought it made things easier but then you asked me to kiss you and i didn't know what to do." she breathed out shakily, staring at their intertwined fingers. "dick, at some point you became the reason i breathe, and since then every breath becomes another reason why i love you." she confessed. "my heart beats for you and only you."

in the charged tension of the room, dick let his hand find its way to the nape of her neck, pulling her to sit in his lap as cella's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling them closer than ever before.

their lips collided in a feverant rush, a pool of emotions flowing through them as they came to a mutual understanding of their once buried feelings, as if they were racing against time to express everything they had held back for so long.

in that moment, the world around them faded into insignificance, and it was only their bodies touching, their breaths mixing passionately as they silently agreed there was no where else they would rather be.

they pulled apart, brown meeting blue as their hearts started beating same. they found themselves laughing at their swollen lips and how long it had taken them to reveal their feelings to one another.

dick let his head fall to cella's shoulder, her hand immediately going to play in his hair, "i knew i loved you a long time ago." he confesed, his words tinged with a sense of regret and longing. "i just wanted to believe it was easier to be your friend."

"you asked me to kiss you." cella said plainly. "and kept holding my hand."

"you never protested." dick accused, sitting up to look at the girl, moving his hands to hold her waist. "you never once had a problem when i slept in your bed."

cella shrugged, "i thought it was cute." she said, watching the boy look at her dumbly, "you could do all that but not tell me how you felt?"

"you can read emotions and never said anything."

"i taught you how to conceal them." she countered, poking at the boy's side to which he groaned, moving them around so they laid on the bed side by side, he didn't think he'd ever get used to how in love he was with her.

"ive never felt more seen than when i'm with you." he whispered, thinking of all the days he sat in the manor, watching bruce come and go, he had days when he wanted to be bothered and other days he just wanted to be left alone. with cella he never had to worry about her picking and choosing, he always felt wanted. "i never want to be apart from you again, cella." he said. "not knowing where you were or what had happened was the worst ive ever felt in a long time, i felt hopeless not knowing how to help you. you mean to much to me to just accept you dissapering like that."

cella's hand cupped his cheek, her thumb rubing across his cheekbone, "ill never leave you, d." she promised, feeling the anxiety leave his body.

"i love you, cella." dick whispered, bringing her body closer to his.

"i love you, dick."

their eyes met in the dimly lit room, dick's eyes landing on cella's lips. "can i kiss you?" dick breathed out, his nose against hers.

"please." she pleaded, the pair meeting in a soft embrace that left them both satisfied by the end of the night.