Dick had always been fascinated with the idea of bending. Sure, he was a nonbender, but that didn't mean he wasn't amazed my it. His father, Bruce, was an earthbender, as well as Damian. Jason, Cass, and Harper were firebenders, and Cass could bend lightning. Tim, Steph, and Barbara were waterbenders. Airbenders had been extinct for a long time, so Dick knew he couldn't be one.
Dick's beautiful boyfriend, Wally, was a firebender like his uncle. They used the lightning they generated to run extremely quickly, which meant long distances were no problem. Plus, it didn't hurt that Wally could go for long rounds.
Dick was always forced to sit on the sidelines when they used their bending. They considered it too dangerous, and they thought he couldn't take care of himself. He knew that's what they thought, because he'd heard them. Sure, they'd been talking when they thought he wasn't around, but he'd heard them nonetheless. Bruce was the only one who knew what he could do.
Dick finally snapped one day. "Why won't you let me fight you?" He growled at Jason. "Because you can't bend." "I can still take you down." "Real funny, Goldie." "Try me." "Fine. Don't start crying when you get burned." "I don't intend to get burned."
"Father, stop them! Todd's going to hurt Grayson!" Damian hissed. "Just watch. Dick can handle himself." Bruce replied, his eyes glued to his eldest. It was time they learned how dangerous Dick really was.
Jason sent a blast of fire as Dick. Dick flipped over it, landing behind Jason. Jason sent a flaming kick at him, which he dodged. "The hell." Jason muttered, trying to turn and hit the acrobat. He slid under Jason's leg, jabbing at his arm twice.
Jason hissed, clutching his arm. "What did you do?" "Find out." Dick snapped, doing the same to his other arm. Jason tried to send a blast at Dick, but nothing happened. "What did you do?" "Took your bending. Don't worry, it'll return before you wake up." Dick squeezed one of Jason's pressure points, and the younger collapsed. Dick caught him as he collapsed, setting him on the floor.
"Now you understand why Dick gets so frustrated? He can easily take all of you down, but you treat him like a child. Just because he can't bend doesn't mean he can't fight." Bruce told Damian. "What was that fighting?" Tim whispered.
"That was a style he developed, using inspiration from a circus tale. Her name was Ty Lee, and she could take down any bender with just a few hits. She was also a contortionist, and could use her knowledge against whomever she pleased. Dick is simply using the information she discovered and information he learns himself to do the same."
Dick stood up, glaring at his siblings. "Are you done treating me like a child yet?" He huffed, hands on his hips. He didn't wait for an answer, turning to go upstairs. "Remind me never to get into a fight with him." Harper gulped.
Dick went to the garden, looking up at the full moon. Even if he didn't get any power from her, she was still pretty. She'd talked to him a few times, telling him about everything she'd seen, and about a boy she'd fallen in love with. A Sokka. He seemed nice. "I could really use some advice." Dick called up to her, hoping she heard.
She appeared in from of him, floating in air. "It is good to see you again." "It is." "Is your family treating you like a child again?" "That's the thing. They know I don't like that, and I showed them I can take care of myself, but I don't think it'll change anything. They'll still see me as the weak nonbender who can't take care of himself."
"They will not think of you as that for long. They saw what you did. Your brother learned that the hard way. They will know that you can take care of yourself." "Are you sure?" "I am. Trust your gut. You took Jason down. From what you've told me, Jason isn't easy to beat." "Not for the others. For me, it was really easy! In less than a minute, I had him beat."
"If you still feel uncertain, tall to them. At least talk to Bruce, and tell him how you feel." "I have! And I know he tries to change them, I know he tries to be there for me, but he has to worry about the others more. They're benders, they can cause more damage. He has to try to avoid angering them, and I know all of this. I just...wish he had more time for me."
"Why don't you tell him that?" "I can't. Even if I wanted to, I know he has to take care of the others. He has to teach them how to bend their element without hurting people. I'm just a nonbender. He doesn't have to worry about me." "But he does. He sounds like my father. I though he didn't like me for so long, but he was just trying to protect me. He was doing what he thought was best for me."
"Does neglecting your son count as protecting them?" "Like you said, he does have the others to take care of. He believes you can take care of yourself." "I can. It drives me crazy when the people younger than me try to treat me like a baby, but I wouldn't mind some attention from him every once in a while." "That's quite a situation you're in." "Tell me about it." "Why don't you visit Wally? He's at his house."
Dick did so, using a Zeta beam. He just...needed a break from his family. Yue was probably right. He just needed to visit Wally. Wally always made him feel better. Besides, Yue always knew how to make him feel better.
Dick knocked on Wally's door, pulling his sweatshirt tighter around his body. Wally opened the door, surprised to see the younger there. "Dick?" "Hey, Walls." "Come in before you freeze to death!" Wally gently pulled the younger in, closing the door behind him.
"You're so dramatic." Dick giggled, sighing as Wally cupped his face with warm hands. "Have I ever told you how much I love your warm hands?" "Yes, you have. Now come in. Something tells me you didn't come here for a visit." "My family." "Are they treating you like a baby?" "Yeah. I talked a little to Yue, and she told me I should probably visit you. It's already worth it, just seeing your beautiful face."
Wally and Dick cuddled on the couch, talking about his family. Wally was trying to be careful to keep his bending out of the conversation, knowing it was a sore spot for Dick. All of his siblings had bending, and he didn't. When he wasn't forced to think about it, Wally wasn't going to mention it.
"I know this is kinda touchy, but you're really strong, even without bending. It doesn't matter what they think." "I know you're just trying to make me feel better, but to me, it does matter. They're my family. They should think of me as the person I am, not the person they see. I'm done being treated like a kid." "I know. If you ever need a place to stay, to get away from them, my door is always open." "Thanks Walls."
Dick closed his eyes, pressing his nose to Wally's neck. Wally always radiated warmth, and Dick loved it. It always comforted him when he needed it most. He just wanted to stay pressed to Wally forever. Before he realized it, he was drifting off.
Dick slept peacefully, cuddled into Wally's chest. It was nice, getting a break from his family. Sure, they meant well, but they always annoyed him. Whether it was remarks about him not being able to bend, or not letting him fight them, they managed to get on his bad side. Wally never did that. He really loved Wally.
