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» 05: "If I Wasnt Such An Asshole..."

By the time Jamie had finished scolding Bart, Zatanna had met up with them at their designated picnic table by the side doors, Wally mysteriously missing. She had just set her book bag on the old wood when the side doors burst open, the eyes of the only three in the area automatically snapping to the action. Dick Wayne stumbled out of the doorway and into their line of sight.

His hair looked like he had raked his hands through it enough times to disturb the gell that kept it in place, and even from a distance, the three losers could see the slight tremble of his hands.

Zatanna scoff at him, unfazed and assuming the king was buzzed or trying to mess with them, and Jamie kept his mouth screwed shut, determined not to do anything that would affect his weekly cash flow. Bart's blush flared to life, Dick's words echoing in his head again.

There was a soft gasp from one of them as Wally emerged from the same door, only a few steps behind Dick and too close for it to be accidental.

"Wally?" Zatanna called after him, ignoring the two younger boys rapidly hushing her. Wally's shoulders tensed and his eyes refused to turn to them, but Dick's eyes snapped up, flaring into a rage at the thought of their lingering judging expressions. He spun away from them, hands balling into fists, and only took a few steps before Wally's hand landed on his shoulder. Bart winced, picturing the way Dick would swing and punch Wally, the same way he had done to the younger runner years before. In his pitying, he missed the way Dick eased under the touch.

Wally leaned close, pushing his public luck and whispering into Dick's ear, his voice hushed. At this school, the walls had ears, and if there was something Stephanie didn't know about, Conner did.

They stood for a moment, watching the figures of Dick and Wally speak before Dick was moving, walking towards them. Wally remained standing, his eyes still not meeting those of his friends.

Dick crossed the distance between them faster than expected and his hands met Jamie's collar, curling around the fabric of his blue shirt. Jamie watched him with wide eyes, taking in Dick's sneer, full of bared white teeth, and angry eyes. It was like he had turned up the intimidation level and plugged it into an amp.

Scary.

"Tell anyone about this and you're going down," Dick paused, letting the threat sink in with seemingly practised ease, "Your little boyfriend too." His cold eyes flicked passed Jamie and locked onto Bart, staring at the younger.

"We won't tell anybody." Zatanna snapped, her stance rigid from the other side of the picnic table.

"Good." Dick bit out, letting Jamie's shoulders easy back down, smoothing out his shirt, giving him a smile that was way too threatening to be safe, and turning away from them, storming back over to the redhead who had yet to look at them.

The three did nothing but watch as Dick gripped Wally's arm and pulled him towards the parking lot, pulling Wally forward as he used the runners watch to check the time. Wally fell into step with him.

Zatanna waited a long minute after the two disappeared around the corner of the school until anger welled up in her eyes, her well-manicured hands diving for her phone and typing as she ranted about Wally's betrayal.

~<>~

There was near silence in the car for only a moments before Wally's hand went off, the screen lighting up with a new message. Wally ignored it, only for it to happen again. He powered off his phone and set it in the cup holder as he started the engine, waiting for Dick to click his seatbelt into place before pulling out of the parking lot.

"I'm sorry."

Wally's eyes flickered off the road for a second, watching the slumped figure of Dick stare out the window and bounce his knee.

"Don't be." Wally paused, slowing to a stop at one of the many red lights they would hit on their way to the other side of the city, driving in Gotham was a hellish experience. "you were just doing what you had to do," he clenched his teeth, his hands tightening on the wheel, "what I told you to do." He said as if he was correcting himself.

"Not your fault." Dick reminded him, looking away from the window and folding his hands in his lap, adjusting and moving them again a second later. "If I wasn't such an asshole..."

He let his sentence trail off into the silence of the room, watching as Wally's hands turned the wheel, bringing them ever closer to their destination. Wally didn't disagree, instead, he reached across the console of the car and took Dick's hand in his own.

"Have you heard back from Roy?" The ginger asked, changing the subject, as the paused at another red light. His eyes remained fixed on the road as Dick took out his cell phone and read his messages, typing out a quick reply and shutting the screen off, putting his focus on Wally.

"He was out with Jade and Cam, he's on his way."

Silence crowded the car again, filling the space with a nervous pressure.

"Jasons going to be fine." Wally's words had an immediate effect on Dick, thoughts rushing away from whatever he was distracting himself with and back to Jason. Wally tightened his hand around Dick's for a moment before he removed it, using both hands to pull into an empty parking space and shut the engine off.

Dick rushed to get out of the car as soon as Wally finished parking but Wally reached across the car and grabbed ahold of his wrist, pulling him back into his seat.

Wally pulled Dick's hand to his freckled cheek, ensuring that the ebony could feel his pulse. He locked eyes with Dick's panic clouded blue gaze and didn't allow him to break it. They sat in a trance for a moment, Wally taking deep calming breaths and tricking Dick into mimicking him. Wally didn't allow his grip on the king to loosen until the anxious flare faded and a calculating calm returned to his eyes, still, Wally didn't let him leave.

The runner pressed a faint kiss to his hostage's wrist, waiting for Dick to kiss him, allowing the younger a feel of control, and letting Dick's wrist drop as the acrobat's other wrist met with his other cheek, deepening the kiss.

When they pulled away they didn't go far, lingering in each others space, closer than anyone else would dare. Wally watched as Dick's eyes slide shut, his chest rising and falling as he took more deep breaths.

When Dick's eyes opened again they were clear.

Dick gave Wally a chaste peck on the lips, thanking him, then he was turning away and opening the car door, slamming it shut behind him. Wally sat for a second, his hand brushing over his still tingling lips, one thought breaking through the cloud of his mind; What am I doing with someone like him?

Wally only waited another moment before rushing to follow the younger across the large parking lot and up cement steps to the automatic doors of Gotham General Hospital, leaving his phone sitting in the cup holder.