Wally crumples a few napkins in his hand, swiping at his nose. “I was being completely serious when I said that I think there’s shaving cream up my nose.” 

“It was all for a good cause.” Roy says from the front seat, twisting around to hand Wally another napkin. He points at his ear. “You missed a few spots.” 

Wally rolls his eyes, swiping the napkins from Roy’s hand. “No shit, Sherlock.”

Dick watches Wally from the rearview mirror, stifling a smile. “So, how much did you guys raise?” 

“Too much.” Wally answers, rubbing at his ears. “I have done my share of work, the other brothers are going to have to take care of the rest.” 

The car drives out the parking lot with ease, the speakers humming with music coming from Dick’s playlist. The three boys sink into the leather seats, letting the music from an Ariana Grande song fill the space between them. 

Wally opens his eyes from where he’s slumped over in the backseat. Dick pauses at a stop sign, his soft hums mixing in with the song. “Why do you know this song?” Wally asks, sitting up straighter. Dick meets his eyes in the rearview mirror, shrugging. He presses on the gas again, letting the car roll forward. 

“[Name] listens to it a lot.” 

“And how would you know that?” Roy leans over the center console, his chin propped up on his hand. 

Dick glances over quickly before returning his eyes to the road. “You guys don’t hear it blaring out her headphones every other minute?” 

“No.” Wally sits up, leaning towards the console as well. He exchanges a glance with Roy before clearing his throat, laughter threatening to boil over. “You sit that close to her?”

“You sit closer.” Dick retorts, making a smooth turn down the road. “She’s practically on top of either of you half the time, or Donna or Kori.” 

Roy raises his eyebrows. “You jealous?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Wally grins. Roy snorts, matching Wally’s gloating smile. “You sure sound jealous.”

“I just don’t like being interrogated in my own car.” Dick looks over at his two friends. “Did you guys still want to go to Gotham City Diner?” 

“Yes.” Roy and Wally say in unison immediately. Dick nods, stopping at a red light. 

Wally and Roy exchange another glance. For a second, the car is silent as the two red heads have a silent conversation – if you can consider rapid bouncing back and forth from staring at Dick to each other and wiggling eyebrows a conversation. 

Finally, Wally clears his throat. “So anyways, how have you been? Since… you know.” 

“Since Kori.” Roy adds in unhelpfully, earning a glare from Wally. So much for being subtle and nonchalant about it. 

Dick says nothing. A beat passes before he lets out a long exhale. “I’m good.” 

“Yeah?” Wally meets Dick’s eyes in surprise before quickly relaxing his face. “You guys spoke to each other?” 

“Something like that. Whenever we’re all together, we talk. There’s not really a need to talk to each other outside of it.” Dick answers truthfully, pulling into the parking lot of the beloved diner. Wally’s eyes light up at the sight of the cobalt blue and cherry red sign on the building, his stomach grumbling. 

“Oh thank god, I’m freaking starving.” Wally fumbles with his seatbelt, already dreaming about the giant plate of pancakes, eggs and bacon that awaited him. 

Roy, on the other hand, unbuckles his seatbelt slowly, shooting Wally a meaningful gaze. “So you guys are okay then?”

Dick looks up from his phone. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s not like we can’t be in a room alone together.” 

“And so it’s not weird for you to hang out with [Name] given the whole…best friends thing?” Roy asks, sparing a glance at Wally who had slowly begun getting antsy in his seat. 

Dick nods, already not liking where this was going.

He fidgets with his phone, his thumb running over the smooth ridges of his phone before locking the screen. “Yeah. She’s cool. It’s easy to like her. Easy to be around her.” He casts a glance at the fidgeting Wally, whose eyes keep flying back and forth from the two boys in the car to the front door of the restaurant. “Wouldn’t it be weird for you guys too? Since we all hang out with them and you’re… you know.”

“Your friends?” Wally offers and Dick nods. 

“[Name]’s cute.” Roy says. “And I wasn’t the one who went on dates with her best friend.” 

Wally pauses from where he’s squirming in his seat, salivating at the thought of a large Diet Coke with lemon. “You say that like you’ve thought about this before.”

Dick grips the edges of his phone. “You guys are doing too much. I just think she’s cool.” He glances over at them with a small smile on his face. “Have you guys ever considered she could have a crush on me?”

“Yeah, no.” Roy immediately shakes his head, curling his hand around the door handle. 

“Most definitely not.” Wally answers just as fast. Dick stares at them in mock annoyance, rolling his eyes. His stomach dips at how quickly their refusal comes, at how quickly they shoot down the idea that you might just feel that pull towards him right back, but he ignores it. 

“Whatever.” Dick pushes open his door. “Let’s go get food. Wally’s about to jump out of my car.”

No sooner had Dick said that did Wally sigh in relief, kicking open his door and was already halfway up the stairs. 

Roy shakes his head, following after him. Dick locks his car, staring at his gear shift for a moment.

A dark blue scrunchie would look good around it. 

x.

Midterms. 

Wally always asked you for a trigger warning before you said the dreaded m-word. You’d roll your eyes and lean in close to his ear, voice dropping to a whisper before you whispered ‘midterms’ over and over. Roy would join you, making him flinch and push him away. Donna and Kori would chant the word again and again, much to his displeasure and Dick would just laugh. 

You pretended not to notice how he always kept his eyes on you, soft at the corners. 

“Kane Memorial is full.” Kori shakes her head as she meets up with you outside the law library. “What about Loyola?”

You shake your head. “Also full.” You point with your thumb over your shoulder to the doors of the Loyola Law library. You groan, letting your head fall onto her shoulder. Kori rubs your shoulder sympathetically. 

“Classrooms are all being used for actual classes or have study groups in them.” Donna appears from the other side of the hall. 

Wally, Roy and Dick appear from the other end, shaking their heads as well. “Same on this side.”

You sigh, holding out your phone, your sparkly Dior lip gloss held in your hand. “Does this mean we’re going to fail?”

Dick wordlessly takes the phone from your hand, holding it steady as you carefully apply a new layer on your lips, watching your reflection in the camera. His blue eyes track your every movement, his hand gripping the phone a little tighter when you jut your bottom lip out ever so slightly. 

Vanilla. He’s certain of it. He can smell the sweetness from where you’re leaning forward. 

His eyes glance down at the half-drank iced tea in your hand. The straw glistens softly with the remnants of your lip print, your fingers holding the lip gloss tube in between them. 

His fingers twitch by his side. He should take the lip gloss tube from your hand — just to help you, obviously. Your hands are full. He could help.

You straighten before he can make a decision, already twisting the lip gloss shut. “Thanks handsome.” You smile sweetly, brushing your fingers along his as you pull your phone back. 

Dick nods. “You redid your nails.” 

You tilt your head to the side, nodding. “Yeah. I did gel-x this time. What do you think?” 

You hold up your hands to his face. “Pretty?”

He reaches up, gently holding your hands in his as he inspects them. You wiggle your fingers in his expectantly, turning to listen to Donna and Roy as they figured out where you could all go to study. 

Your nails were cute. A light blue cat-eye that shimmered under the fluorescent hallway lights with matching 3D white chrome flowers on your thumb and ring finger. His thumb brushes softly against your knuckles, lingering long enough to notice when you still don’t pull away. 

You turn back towards him, blinking. “Well?”

“Yeah.” He swallows, his mouth suddenly dry. “They’re pretty.” 

You pull your hand back. “Thanks!” Dick nods, shoving his hand into his pocket, already craving the feeling of your fingers in his hand again. You turn away, bumping hips with Donna lightly. “Have we figured out what we could do yet?”

“We could wait around Kane and see if something opens up.” 

“But it smells really bad in there.” Kori wrinkles her nose. “I don’t think some of those students have left that place since the beginning of the week.”

“Oh ew.” You mimic her, pretending to gag.

Kori giggles, her hand reaching for your drink to take a sip.

“We can go to my place.” Dick finally offers, walking over. He stops next to you, tugging at the collar of his sweater. “I don’t mind.”

Kori looks at him. “You sure? We’re going to be there, like, all day.” She catches the way his body angles itself towards you.

He nods. “Yeah. I don’t mind. Wally lives across from me so we can always alternate — if he’s cool with it.”

“Yeah.” Wally nods. “I’m down.”

Roy claps his hands. “Alright, let’s get out of here before they change their minds — and before any of Grayson’s fan girls find out where we’re going.”

You laugh at Roy’s joke, turning to face Dick. “Always saving the day, aren’t you?”

Dick gives you a wobbly smile, his mouth open to respond, but you’ve already skipped down the hall, looping your arm through Wally’s as he walks to the parking lot. 

He shakes his head before following you down the hallway. Kori watches, a small little drop in her stomach. She considers saying something – anything that would make him look back – but she clamps her mouth shut fast and hard. 

“Kori!” You look back, past Dick who had finally caught up to you, his hand now holding your half-finished drink. “Come on!”

She blinks before jogging down the hall, pushing the little ball of emotions deep down. 

She was supposed to be over him by now. She will be over him – eventually.

x.

You sigh in frustration when your code doesn’t work, leaning your head back on the couch. Dick glances over from where he’s sitting below you on the floor, his hand reaching up to gently tap your ankle. 

“I take it your project isn’t going well?” 

You nod, rubbing your eyes tiredly. The warm amber glow of the lamp does nothing to keep the room awake, everyone else already asleep 

Wally shifts from where he’s face down in his textbook on the coffee table while Roy slumps over his laptop keyboard. Kori curls into herself on the armchair and Donna lets out a small sniff before she snuggles deeper on the opposite end of the sofa. 

You set down your laptop, slowly standing up. Dick twists around towards you when you give out a little squeak, your hand falling onto the top of his head for support. His hand shoots out immediately, grabbing your calf to steady you before he can stop himself.

“Careful.” He murmurs, eyes flickering to where the rest of the group is still asleep. “You okay?” 

Your hand curls around his hair for a moment as you gingerly place more of your weight on your feet. You bend down, hair falling over your shoulder like a curtain, placing the two of you in your own little bubble. Dick’s finger flexes on your calf, his heart beating hard against his chest. 

“Mhm.” You give his hair a little tug. “My foot fell asleep. I forgot how long I’ve been sitting.” 

Dick gives you a little smile. You let go of his hair, softly walking to the other side of the couch to move the textbook lying across Donna’s chest to the coffee table, pulling her blanket closer to her chin. 

Dick watches quietly, his fingers stilling on his keyboard as you continue to make your way through the room, carefully moving Roy’s cheek off his laptop and sliding the textbook from under Wally’s face out from beneath him. You pull a spare blanket over Kori, careful to move her laptop off the seat.

Kori mumbles something incoherent under her breath before settling again, her breath evening out.

The room is quiet once more.

You look back at Dick who’s staring at you with an odd look in his eyes. You walk over, a small smile on your face before plopping down next to him, letting your legs tangle with his. 

Dick goes very still. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You whisper, resting your back on the couch. Dick blinks, like he’s been caught mid-thought. You don’t wait for an answer, reaching for his hoodie that he had taken off at some point next to him. “Can I wear this? I’m cold.” 

He nods, forcing himself to take a deep breath as the smell of white peaches and orange blossoms flood his nose. 

“Aritzia?” You squint at the label before looking up at him with a mischievous smile. You nudge him with your shoulder, pulling the black hoodie over your head. “Isn’t this only for girls? What girl did you hookup with to steal her clothes?” 

“None.” He answers almost immediately. Too fast. Way too fast. He clears his throat, before letting out a puff of air between a laugh and a surrender. “My sister bought it for me. Steph said that no one would notice.” 

“Well, she’s never met a shopaholic like me.” You giggle, settling back onto his shoulder. His hoodie absolutely swallows you. The sleeves cover your hands entirely, the hems brushing against your thighs. “I’m glad this wasn’t stolen from another girl though. I don’t want to hear the whispers of other girls while wearing this. They’ll haunt me in my sleep.” 

He snorts quietly before he can stop himself. “Nah. No girl. Don’t worry.” 

“That’s good.” You shift closer, lifting your hips to tug at your waistband. “Ugh, I think these jeans are suffocating me.”

Dick glances down at the blue fabric. His vision blurs, his – now, yours – pajama pants with the silhouette of a polo player draped on your legs appears. He curls his hand into a fist, the small pinpricks of pain doing nothing to stop him. 

He shouldn't do this. Dick’s eyes glance across the room, landing on Kori. 

It would be better if he didn’t do anything. You were her best friend. Better to keep things clean and simple. 

But you look really uncomfortable. 

He turns his head slightly, his lips brushing the crown of your head. “Do you want to borrow some sweats?” 

You look up too quickly, noses sweeping past each other and he immediately pulls back, heart racing. “Can I please?” You murmur, eyes struggling to stay open. “You’d be saving my life.”

Dick hesitates for a second longer than necessary before nodding. 

“Yeah.” He gently eases out from under you. “I got you.” 

Your fingers catch onto his sleeve as he stands up, stumbling into him as you follow his lead. Dick blinks. “You can stay here. I’ll bring it to you.” 

“No.” You shake your head, duckling your head as you yawn. “I still have to change, don’t I?” You keep your hand wrapped around his wrist, thumb against his pulse. 

Dick hopes you can’t feel the way his pulse is beating so fast and hard, he swears his heart will pop out his chest any minute from now. He looks away, thankful the room is barely lit. The lamp by the sofa flickers once. 

“Yeah.” He finally whispers. “You’re right.” 

He leads you down the hallway, his footsteps slow and even as they match yours. Dick steps into his bedroom, seating you on his bed. You yawn, falling backwards onto the mattress, hair fanning out behind you.

Dick returns a moment later, holding up a pair of gray sweatpants. “Here you go.” he murmurs, placing it by your head. You nod, turning your head towards the clothing, eyes still closed. Dick nods, although you can’t see it. 

“You can change here. I’ll wait outside.” He murmurs, more for himself than for you. You open one eye, an amused smile on your face. “You scared I’m going to go snooping in your bedroom?”

He laughs. “You wouldn’t find anything good, I’m afraid.” 

“I can steal your boxers and sell them on the internet.” You hold up your hands like you’re imagining a headline. “Now Selling: Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson Underpants. Authentic and Worn. For an extra $200, you can get a pair of dirty ones.” 

Dick shakes his head, his smile growing wider despite himself. “You spend too much time with Roy.” 

“He’s a funny guy.”

He hums in agreement, already moving to exit the room. “Go change. I’ll be outside.”

Dick reaches for the doorknob, ready to shut the door behind him. You sit up, eyes fluttering open as you watch. The quiet presses in, slow and steady. 

Maybe it was because it was late at night. Maybe it was because Dick has been calmer around you lately, or you were just too exhausted to filter yourself. 

“Hey, wait.” 

Dick looks up. “Yeah?”

Your hand reaches for the sweatpants folded neatly next to you, the cool fabric bunched against your fingers. “Were you mad at me? Like, earlier this year?” 

You watch as he freezes, just slightly. His fingers clutch the doorknob a little tighter before he relaxes, shaking his head. The moonlight shines in through the window, the thin light illuminating his cheekbones. You wait with bated breath, already regretting your question. 

“You were just weird for a while,” you add quickly, feeling an uncomfortable heat crawling up your neck. “Not bad-weird. Just… odd. Then not. Then weird again.” Your fingers tighten in the fabric. “I don’t remember a lot from the night we all went out. Just little things. But it feels like that’s when everything started getting weird, like around the time you were…busier. With other… people.”

You don’t look at his reaction, staring instead at his dresser.

“I wasn’t mad.” Dick finally answers, exhaling slowly. “I was just…”

“Distracted?” You offer hesitantly, voice quieter now. “With other stuff?” 

He lets out a small chuckle, running his hand through his hair. “Something like that.” Dick looks up, tentatively taking a step closer. “I’m sorry – for the way I acted before, for confusing you, for…” He gestures vaguely in the air. “Everything.” 

You meet his gaze, the moonlight catching the flutter of your eyelashes against your cheeks. “Promise?” 

He holds his pinky up to you, letting the finger curl around yours. “I promise.” His voice is steady now, sincere and careful. “I really wasn’t mad. I’ve never been mad at you since we’ve met.” 

You give him a sleepy smile, tilting your head as the warmth of his pinky spreads through your hand. “You know, I feel like you’ve made another promise to me before.” 

Dick swallows. “Yeah?” 

You nod. “I can’t remember what it was for though.” You gently pull your interlocked fingers closer to you, letting your head dip until they’re touching your forehead. “But you’ve been… really nice.” You murmur sleepily. 

Dick stills. “That’s good.” He whispers–like your words mattered more than he could say. He doesn’t think he can keep his voice steady, even if he tries. Carefully, he pulls his finger away from you. “You should get changed now. Feel free to sleep on my bed.” 

“I wanna sleep outside with you.” You mumble, rubbing your eyes. “I’m going to get ‘fomo’ if everyone wakes up without me.” 

The ‘with you’ shouldn’t make him feel so giddy. His cheeks burn, his chest tightening, sharp and bright. Dick rubs his face, desperate to calm himself before exhaling softly, pulling his hand away. You tilt your head up to look at him, swaying back and forth in your spot. 

He reaches out before pausing, fingers hovering just by your face. You tilt your cheek towards him, waiting expectantly for his touch to come. Dick gently pushes a strand of hair behind your ear, his voice soft in the quiet of the apartment. 

“You won’t miss anything.” He lets his fingers brush against the softness of your cheeks before forcing himself to pull away. “I promise.” 

You frown faintly, still-half asleep. 

“If anyone wakes up,” he adds, quieter now, “I’ll come get you.”

Your frown lingers for just a few seconds longer before you relax, acquiescing. “Okay. You promised.” 

“Mhm.” Dick nods. “I promise. Now go change and get some rest.” He takes a step back, and then another, and then another until he’s by the door again, already pulling it shut. “We’ll all be outside, waiting for the princess to wake up.” 

The door closes softly. 

From outside the door, Dick stares blankly into the hallway. The lamp in the living room continues to glow, casting shadows across the walls and he can hear Roy’s small mumbles and Donna shuffling on the couch. 

The night goes on and Dick thinks – distantly – as he settles back on the floor, fingers blindly reaching for the lamp switch, that maybe he’s crossed a line a long time ago. 

The thought settles, warm, frightening and true. The room falls into darkness, letting Dick’s eyes rest.

He exhales, listening to the sound of everyone’s soft and steady breathing. He could deal with it tomorrow. 

Tonight, he lets the feeling stay.

You pull away, taking the seat next to him before leaning in to peer closely at his skin. “I don’t think you produce enough body hair to need that much shaving cream.”

Dick hands you your bag wordlessly, careful to avoid hitting the back of Wally’s head before taking the seat in front of you. Wally glances at Dick, eyebrows raised before turning towards you. “I’ll have you know that I shave very often.” 

You laugh, your hand reaching out to gently touch his chin. “Oh yes, you’re so right.” 

Wally juts his chin out further into your finger. You run your fingers lightly over his chin, feeling the little stubble that was too small to be seen with the naked eye. “It feels like I’m reading braille.” 

“Alright, that’s enough.” Wally rolls his eyes, gently pushing you away from him. You giggle in response, sticking the straw back into your mouth again. He returns his attention back to his laptop, fingers moving across the trackpad. “This is for the fundraiser my frat is throwing for our annual charity event. By the way–” He glances up to meet your eyes. “They keep asking about you. They keep trying to nominate you for fraternity sweetheart.” 

“Is that actually a thing?” 

“Yes.” Wally answers unequivocally, returning his attention back to his laptop. “And they won’t shut up about it.”

You hum, an amused smile on your face before you shrug. 

“Anyways, we’re doing a ‘pie a frat brother’ event.” Wally continues. “Five dollars will let you pie any frat brother you want in the face. We obviously can’t use real pies so we’re doing shaving cream since it’s relatively cheap–”

You glance over, an eyebrow raised. “It’s $105 for four cases.” 

“-- unless you can suggest cheaper alternatives, you better be quiet before I pie you instead.” 

You laugh, leaning into his side. Wally shifts so you can rest your head on his shoulder properly. Dick watches you fall into Wally’s space naturally, suddenly remembering the warmth of your body under his fingers when you leaned into him. His fingers flex on the table, curling them into a fist. 

Dick forces himself to laugh, hoping that no one noticed it was just a hairbreadth late. 

You do – but you won’t say anything. Your eyes flick up to meet his blue ones but he looks away. Dick shifts in his chair and suddenly the feeling that he was very, very far away surfaces again. 

Wally’s phone rings on the table, lighting up. You glance down as he picks it up to read the incoming message before setting it down, rolling his eyes. 

“They’re serious about the ‘sweetheart’ thing.” Wally looks down at you, your wide eyes meeting his. “Do you wanna do it?” 

“Do I get paid?” 

“No.”

“Then no.”

Wally grins, gently nudging your side. “That’s what I told them. You do know they’re still going to choose you, right?”

You sigh dramatically before nodding. 

Dick shifts in his chair, scraping the chair on the floor. “When’s the event?” 

Wally looks over at him. “Like a week from now. You gonna come?” He nudges you again. “You too, you coming?”

You nod, taking another sip of your drink. Dick smiles, a real one this time, cocking his head at his old best friend. “You think I’m going to pass up a chance to smash your face into shaving cream?” 

Wally groans, shaking his head as he mumbles under his breath. “It’s for a good cause, it’s for a good cause, it’s for a good cause.” 

“Yeah babe.” You laugh, sitting up to pull your laptop out of your bag. “Keep telling yourself that.”

x.

The day of the event is bright and sunny, the clouds parting as the entirety of Wally’s fraternity stands outside the Student Union, holding up signs. 

PIE-A-BROTHER

$5 PER PIE

DONATE TO A GOOD CAUSE

You wrap your arm around Kori’s waist, resting your head on her shoulder as you take in the commotion around the fraternity. Music blasts from the speakers intermingling with laughter and shouts from the fraternity brothers as plates of shaving cream get smacked into their faces.

From just over the noise, you can hear Wally shouting something that gets lost but you can tell he’s having way too much fun. 

“Pretty busy, isn’t it?” Kori murmurs, her arm wrapping around your shoulders. Donna nods, staring at the crowd with a raised eyebrow. “It doesn’t help that they’re the most popular frat on campus.” 

Roy stands next to you, arms crossed over his chest. “You think if I give them seven dollars I could pie Wally twice?” 

“It’s five dollars per plate.” You say, turning to face him. “Your math isn’t mathing.” 

“I’m operating under the assumption that I’ll get a discount because I’m close personal friends with Wally.”

Dick shakes his head from where he’s standing next to Roy. “I don’t think you’re getting that discount there, buddy.” 

“Then what’s the point?” He sighs, shaking his head. You laugh at his joke before standing up, pulling away from Kori. “Well, we can’t just stand here all day! Let’s go and pie some fraternity brothers – I mean, support a good cause.” You grin mischievously, meeting Kori’s eyes. 

She winks, grabbing your outstretched hand and the both of you take off without looking back. 

x.

Wally’s face is a complete mess, to say the least. Shaving cream hangs off his eyelashes, bits of it in his hair and clumps are still left all over his cheeks and chin. You gasp when you see him, hands flying up to your mouth.

“Oh my god.” You pull out your phone, unable to hide your grin. “You look like an absolute wreck.” 

Wally sticks his tongue out, posing for the photo. You capture the moment, laughing at his frazzled look. “What did you do for everyone to want to keep pieing you?”

“I’m just very popular.” Wally shrugs before brightening, his hands on his shoulder as he steers you towards the fundraiser booth. Immediately, his frat brothers gather round, more than half of them with the same smeared shaving cream bits and pieces left all over their noses, cheeks, chins and hairlines. 

“It’s our sweetheart!” 

“Come and pie me!” 

“No, me!”

You roll your eyes. “You guys are laying it on really thick to make me try and accept being your ‘sweetheart’.”

Wally grins, his face popping out from just beyond your shoulder. “Is it working?” 

“Let me pie you for free and I’ll think about it.” 

“Tell you what–” Wally gestures to his frat brother who’s sitting by a small till. “You can pie me twice, just pay for one of them. Give five dollars to Ryan.” 

You raise an eyebrow, turning towards him. “Twice?” You smile sweetly, clasping your hands behind your back. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” 

“Yeah. You gotta pay for at least one. All proceeds go to charity.” Wally answers, turning to wave at Kori, Donna, Dick and Roy as they catch up to you. You grin wickedly, pulling your wallet out to press a crisp five dollar bill into Ryan’s hand. 

“Okay, done. Don’t take it back now.” 

Wally pauses, finally turning back from where Roy is poking at his face. “Wait, I don’t like the way you said that. I do not consent, I do not–”

His protests get lost in the noise as someone passes you a paper plate of shaving cream, loaded up high and topped off with a little swirl on top. The smell of eucalyptus cuts through the air, your eyes widening in delight at the giant tower that wobbles with every movement. You have a feeling they emptied out an entire can (or two) for this one. 

“Yo, who gave her that giant plate?” Wally looks around frantically, taking several steps back but Roy shakes his head, howling with laughter as he grabs the red-haired frat boy by the shoulders to keep him still. Wally struggles against Roy, his eyes widening in horror. He points at someone just beyond your eyesight, cursing angrily. “You did this! You definitely did, Lucas, you fucker, I’m definitely going to–”

“Wally, I’m going to be super nice for my first pie smash.” You interrupt his spiel, a dangerous smile on your lips. You swipe at the shaving cream tower, gently patting it onto his cheek. “See? Wasn’t that super nice?”

Someone in the crowd is hollering. Another is egging you on. You’re vaguely aware of all the cameras that are whipped out, eager to watch Wally get his face smashed with shaving cream. You glance up briefly, eyes catching on to Dick’s.

He doesn’t look away this time. Instead, he nods his head, a small smile on his face as he mouths something to you. 

Give him hell. 

You look back at Wally who watches you apprehensively. His hand reaches out to steady you by the waist when you plant your feet into the ground. 

“Wait, let’s just talk about this–”

You slam the plate directly into his face, making sure to rub it along the ridges of his cheeks for extra emphasis.

There’s a stunned silence for half a second before the crowd explodes, the frat brothers screaming in delight. 

Shaving cream is everywhere – your hair, your wrist – as the plate slowly falls off Wally’s face. Donna’s already taking a photo while Kori laughs loudly in delight. Roy lets go of Wally’s shoulders, and he stumbles backwards. Wally blinks blindly as foam slides down his nose. 

You cover your mouth with your hands, unable to stop the smile from escaping. “You look so cute.” You choke out, laughter intermingling with every word. 

Wally wipes at his eyes, finally managing to see again before they narrow. “You said you were going to be nice.”

“I was nice!”

Wally nods slowly, continuing to swipe at his face. Shaving cream gathers in the palm of his hand, a small pile forming. “Yeah. You were so very nice. Let me return the favor.” 

Before you can react, he presses his palms to your cheeks, shaving cream smushing into your face. You gasp at the cold contact, staggering backwards. “Hey!”

Roy’s eyes are wide open. Donna gasps, her mouth pulled into a large smile and Kori is already at the till with a ten dollar bill in her hand, ready to avenge you. 

You swipe at your face, bits of shaving cream dropping onto your tube top. “Wally! That was so rude!” 

“No, no.” Wally shakes his head, reaching for a can of shaving cream on the table. “You were rude first. That pie smash was personal.” 

You stare warily at his hand, already backing away. 

“Wally–” You warn.

He grins, winking at you. 

Wally lunges, and suddenly you’re both a mess, shouting playfully as shaving cream gets all over your hair and face while you wrestle the can from him. 

Someone is chanting your name. Someone else is filming. You can hear your friends laughing and paying Ryan for some plates of shaving cream.

Dick watches from where he’s leaning by the table where the till is. 

His eyes don’t miss the way Wally’s hands linger at your waist to steady you when you rip the can out of his hand, spraying foam into his hair. The way you instinctively curl into him when you almost lose your balance. The way your laughter echoes across the quad, unfiltered and perfect, each breathless little gasp making his heart pound a little faster. 

You’re glowing. 

You’re adored.

You’re… 

Well, Dick doesn’t bother to finish the thought. Instead, he hands a five dollar bill to Ryan at the till, picking up a plate of shaving cream as well. 

A strong arm lifts you up, pulling you into a warm, solid chest. 

“You’re stealing all the fun.” Dick’s voice murmurs into your ear. You shiver, but you don’t back down. You writhe in his grasp. “He started it! I’m just trying to get revenge!”

“You assaulted me!” Wally shouts, pointing a shaving cream covered hand at you.

“I paid to pie you! You did not pay me!” You yell back, twisting in Dick’s hold. Dick laughs, adjusting his grip as you squirm in his grasp. 

“You pied me harder!”

“You deserved it!”

Roy doubles over, his plate of shaving cream held precariously in his hand. Donna watches with a small smile, a matching plate held in her right hand. Kori’s smile twitches before she tightens her grip on the paper plate she’s holding. 

And Dick?

Still holding you up to his chest, the warmth from his body seeping into your back. His arm is firm around your waist, his breath warm against your cheek. 

He’s laughing, really laughing, as you and Wally bicker, but his finger tightens once before relaxing, gently letting you down. His hands linger a moment too long before he steps back. 

“Wally, you have four more customers waiting.” Dick calls and Wally pales, shaking his head, green eyes catching the devious smiles on Roy, Donna, Kori and Dick’s faces and their hands full of paper plates piled high with shaving cream. 

“C’mon guys, please go for someone else. I swear I have shaving cream in my brain–”

Donna shakes her head, gesturing for him to get up. “Nope. We paid and we’re going to get our money’s worth.” 

The crowd thins as quickly as it had formed, laughter dispersing as Wally is dragged towards the booth by Donna and Roy, still protesting loudly. Kori follows them, carefully stepping on the grass to avoid slipping over the shaving cream covered patches. 

You take a deep breath, leaning forward, cheeks still aching from the laughter. You swipe at your cheek spreading eucalyptus-scented foam all over your face. You take a careful step towards the table loaded with napkins, smiling in relief as Ryan drops a few napkins onto your hands. 

You wipe haphazardly. The napkin instantly gets drenched, rendering it useless. 

“Here.” 

Dick’s closer than you expect, a clean napkin in his hand. “Let me help.” 

You nod, letting your eyes flutter shut. Dick takes a deep breath, a steady hand underneath your chin to tilt your face up as he carefully wipes away the shaving cream Wally had lathered you with. 

“I think I have shaving cream up my nose.” You whine playfully, scrunching your nose when Dick swipes across the bridge of it. “I look insane, don’t I?”

He laughs again, softer this time, his breath uneven. “A little bit.”

“You’re supposed to say no!” 

Dick lets out a puff of air that resembles a laugh. “Don’t worry. You’re pretty hard to mess up.”

You finally open your eyes when his hands disappear from your face. Your skin tingles from where he once was, the warmth leaving behind something that folds itself neatly in your chest, tucking itself away within the beating of your heart. 

Dick’s already stepping back, pressing another clean napkin in your hand before he’s jogging off to where Wally is shouting something unintelligible and Roy is somehow sporting a shaving cream mustache. 

You keep wiping at your hands long after they’re clean.

a/n: hellooo hellooo! i hope you've all missed me very much bc i know ive missed you <33

& if youre wondering about the playlist, it's been created! unfortunately im trying to figure out where i can post it bc it's currently linked to my personal spotify & for internet safety reasons, i will not be giving that out. if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

Geto stands behind him, peering past his shoulder when Gojo doesn’t make any move to step inside his room. 

“Hey.” 

Geto’s voice echoes in the empty hall, jerking Gojo out of his reverie. Gojo looks up, his hand tightening on the doorknob. 

“That girl in the cafe today—” Geto’s eyes flick down to Gojo’s hand on the doorknob, his knuckles white. “— and I’m only asking because I don’t want to make any assumptions, but are you two…?”

He lets his question hang in the air between them. Gojo lets his tongue run over his teeth before he opens his mouth.

“We’ve known each other since childhood.” Gojo answers honestly. “It’s not anything important. We just… keep running into each other at the worst moments.”

Geto nods slowly, letting Gojo finish his sentence. 

“It’s nothing for you to worry about.” Gojo finishes, and with that, he pushes his door open and leaves behind more questions than answers. 

x.

“You want us to do what?.” 

Gojo’s voice rings flatly in the somewhat empty classroom as Yaga gives them their mission. 

“Escort the girl and erase her.” Yaga’s serious expression doesn’t change as he repeats himself, his hands resting on the podium in the front of the classroom. 

Gojo and Geto stare blankly at their teacher before turning to whisper with each other. 

“He’s finally lost it.”

“It is spring. Maybe he’s starting to go crazy with power since he’s the principal now.” 

Yaga glares at the both of them and they snicker one last time before settling back properly into their seats. 

“You need to do this.” Yaga states again, his voice firm. “If you don’t, Master Tengen could become an enemy to humanity. We need to reset and rewrite his body’s genetic information by merging him with a compatible star plasma vessel.” 

“Ah.” Geto says understandingly. “So evolution will not occur.”

Gojo nods along. “So we need to reset him back to Koromon. It’s okay if he becomes Metalgraymon, but not Skullgreymon.”

Yaga stares at the two of them confusedly before shrugging in defeat. “Sure. Whatever helps you get on board with this.” 

Yaga continues explaining the mission before dismissing the two boys, refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer. 

Gojo sighs, propping his legs up on the desk in front of him. “I don’t want to go babysit a kid.” He says flatly. 

“You have no choice.” Yaga gives Gojo a glare as he stretches out his long limbs. “You leave tonight.”

Geto holds back his laughter when Gojo groans in annoyance. 

Yaga steps out from behind the podium, already moving towards the door. He stops at the threshold, turning back over his shoulders after a moment. 

“Don’t die.” Yaga says.

Gojo lets his head roll onto his shoulder, grinning. “Please. We’re the strongest.” 

Their principal just shakes his head in response. 

x.

“We need to go to Okinawa.” Geto tells Gojo calmly, looking at the message that Riko had received on her phone, along with a photo of Kuroi tied up on the floor. 

Riko bounces anxiously on her toes, tugging at Gojo’s sleeve. “We have to hurry!” 

Gojo refuses to move, his hands shoved deep in his pocket. “Okinawa?” 

Geto nods. Gojo’s jaw ticks, the muscle jumping. “Now?” He asks, but he doesn’t know why. He already knows the answer. 

Riko stares at him, confused. “Of course now! Kuroi is in danger! We have to get to her immediately.”

Geto watches as Gojo pulls his arm away from Riko, his eyes staring at nothing before he snaps his head up to meet Geto’s.

“I have to take care of something before we go.” He declares. He turns on his heels, already walking away. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t go anywhere.” 

“What?” Riko screeches, her mouth open to scream some more, her breath dying in her throat when Geto puts his hand on her shoulder gently, shaking his head. 

“Let him go,” Geto murmurs. 

Riko whirls around to face him, distress written plainly all over her face but the fire she had disappears immediately at the look on Geto’s face. “But… Kuroi…” Her words trail off. 

“He’ll be back.” Geto promises.

He stares at where Gojo’s figure was last seen, remnants of his cursed energy lingering from when he used his limitless technique. 

Okinawa is far – even for someone as strong as Gojo Satoru. 

x.

You swing open the front door, staring confusedly at Gojo as he stands on your front porch. 

“You smell like sweat.” You say plainly, crossing over the threshold to stand in front of Gojo, the front door closing quietly behind you. “Did you come here just to make my entire house smell?” 

He doesn’t even crack a hint of a smile at your joke. Your lips twitch downwards as you fold your arms over your chest. 

“I’m going to Okinawa.”

You stare at him. “What?”

“I need to leave now.” Gojo avoids your eyes. “I shouldn’t even be here but I needed to tell you.” 

Your fingers dig into your biceps. Something twists in your chest, tight and suffocating, a feeling you can’t explain and your stomach drops even though nothing’s really wrong – yet. 

You want to ask him to stay. You want to grab his arm and make him explain. But the words never make it past your lips. 

He finally looks up at you when a moment of silence passes between the two of you. “The omamori I bought you…” Gojo hesitates when you tear your eyes away from a spot on the floor to meet his, your panic slamming into him like he had just been dunked into an ice bath. “Do you still have it?”

You nod, your breath shallow. 

He nods. “Keep it close, okay?” 

Gojo lifts his arm, his hand hovering, letting you feel the heat emanating from his hand as it settles right before your cheek. You can’t stop yourself from tilting towards him, the soft skin of your face brushing against his fingers. 

Gojo swallows, letting his palm press across your cheek, thumb gently brushing the skin below your eyes. 

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Gojo whispers, his throat dry. You nod again, eyes fluttering shut at his touch, heartbeat slowing. 

Gojo refuses to move, letting himself stand there for just one moment longer, one more moment memorizing the touch of your skin and the smell of your perfume, one more moment savoring the way his pulse ticked down to something almost human, almost ordinary, like the world had softened its edges, before he tears himself away. 

Every one of his nerves screams at him not to leave. 

Gojo forces himself to take one step back, then another, and then another until he’s walked past the rose bushes in your front yard and the small fence surrounding your house – and then he’s gone, leaving you alone once more.