First Rain

IV

"I ran here because that's what my dad was doing to me." Wally said softly.
"No. He loves me." Dick replied quickly as they lied in the bottom bunk together.
"No offense dude, but I could bet money that he doesn't."
"He does! H-He kisses me and buys me new clothes and tells me that he loves me!"
"Dick. He doesn't. He does that stuff so you'll trust him and he can keep being mean to you!"
"That's not true-"
"It is. I'm telling you Dick. My dad was the same way. He'd get drunk and beat the hell out of me, then a day or two later he'd do something weirdly nice to make up for it."
"Jack isn't your dad."
"I know, but, he acts the same way."

After hours of talking about this Wally was able to get Dick to see how toxic Jack's behavior was. And how truly awful he was being treated. Somehow during all of this Dick began to trust Wally. More than he trusted anyone. More than he had ever trusted Jack; and that said a lot.

The two boys' conversation had gone from serious to talking about that book Wally had just started to what Wally's routine could possibly be to something completely outlandish and hilarious. By the end of the night they already had three inside jokes.
Dick and Wally fell asleep in the same bunk that night, and probably would every night after too, limbs tangled and Dick's head on Wally's chest. So his steady heartbeat could lull him to sleep.
That specific night, however, they fell asleep with their fingers interlocked. They didn't wake up until noon.

The only reason they did wake up then was a knock on the door.
Dick woke up and pulled himself away from the redhead, whom immediately rolled over and started to snore loudly.
He opened his door quickly with still tired eyes.
"J-Jack, Sir-"
"Why weren't you at breakfast?"
"I slept in, Sir. I'm sorry."
"Did you really? Or were you fucking yourself to the new kid?" He growled and slapped Dick to the floor of their room.
Wally woke up groggily at the "THUD" of Dick hitting the ground.
"Dick-!" He exclaimed as he climbed out of bed, moving to his side as the kid curled up tight. "What the f-"
Jack gripped Wally by his hair.
"A word of this to anyone and you'll be next Kid."
Before Jack could even see it coming Wally cracked him right in the jaw.
The man stumbled back from their room and Wally slid the door back shut; locking it.
He moved back down beside Dick and gently pulled his hand away.
"Let me see it Dick." He whispered.
Slowly he looked up at him.
Gently he pulled him up and into their personal bathroom.
"Sit on the tub." Wally said as he flicked on the light.
Dick did as told and sat on the rim of the tub, holding himself.
After finding some cotton balls and alcohol Wally moved to clean the cut left on his cheek from Jack's ring.
"You're going to be okay." Wally whispered, gently dabbing clean his cheek. "I promise." He put, then, a small band-aid over the cut.
There. Good as new. Well, except for the bruises and whatnot.
"Wally," Dick began weakly. Wally kneeled down to look him in the eye.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." He smiled and kissed the band-aid.
"When I was little my mom would clean all my cuts and put a band-aid on it before kissing it. The kisses were what made it feel better."
"Why doesn't your mom do it anymore?" He asked softly.
Wally sat beside him on the tub's edge.
"She died when I was nine."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I saw it coming. Dad didn't."
"Was he mean before she died?"
"Oh. Yeah. Definitely. He was mean to her even. One night she tried to have me run away with her but... It didn't work very well."
"What happened?"
"He followed us down the road and made Mom crash. She and I were put in the hospital. She got sick while there and I was put in a battered shelter. I went and saw her after school every day and she got sicker and sicker everyday. And one day she just stopped getting sick. I-I was so happy, but a doctor told me that's what happens right before they let go. Then she did."

Wally couldn't remember his dad getting him back from the battered women's shelter. He just remembered his dad drinking more and yelling more suddenly.
No one ever asked how Wally was since she died. Just how his dad was dealing with it. Wally would always say 'Better than I am.' And he'd always get one variant or another of 'I'm sorry sport.' And that was it.

"I'm so sorry Wally."
"Dude, don't be." He said softly. "Wasn't your fault."
"But it wasn't your fault either."
"Feels like it is."