#birdlfash

The team grinned at Dick and he flushed, ducking his head.

“Good work tonight, Dick. I think I speak for us all when I say we’re thrilled to have you as part of our team this year. I’ve got a few notes from our performances tonight that I’m planning on incorporating into our training. Most of the stunts looked strong, but at the end of the halftime performance I could see some of you were getting tired. I know you’re all exhausted by that point-both because of the constant cheering on the sidelines and the difficulty of the routine-but I think we can train harder so our stunts look just as smart and our smiles stay as bright as they are at the start.

“Overall, that’s about all I have to comment on for now. I want all of you to go home and get some rest and feel good about tonight’s win. And the football team’s win, too of course,” she added with a soft chuckle. “Once you’re done stretching, gather up your gear and head home.”

Coach Jones left them be as they finished up their stretches. She sat on the bench and pulled out her clipboard, jotting down a few notes.

“Dick, you were amazing tonight,” Scarlett said, leaning over to him. “I wish we’d had you on the team from the start.”

“Thanks,” Dick said, trying to hide his blush. “I had a lot of fun and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the year with you guys.”

“Well I, for one, think we should have Wally at all of our games and competitions,” Zatanna said, wiggling her eyebrows. “He certainly brought out the best in Dick.”

“Zatanna,” he hissed.

She shrugged. “I’m just telling it how it is. Besides, no one here is blind, Dick.”

“Oh you thought your crush on Wally was a secret?” Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow. “No, we all knew about that the day Wally tripped and fell and you were insanely worried about him.”

Dick flushed and ducked his head as the other girls laughed.

“I think it’s cute,” Megan said. “The two of you are such best friends. You’d make a really great couple actually.”

Murmurs of agreement spread through the group.

“You really think so?” he hedged.

“Definitely,” Zatanna said, getting to her feet. She held out her hand for Dick and helped him up. “Now, put on your prettiest face since your boyfriend is coming this way.”

Dick’s eyes widened.

“Hey Dick.”

He whirled around, plastering the least panicked smile he could manage on his face.

“Hey, KF,” he said, voice too loud.

“You did amazing tonight,” he continued, stepping around the other girls who slowly got to their feet. “You looked like you were having a great time and I gotta say, the glitter suits you.”

Dick chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the blush creep up his cheeks. “I had a lot of fun. Thanks for coming. Did you enjoy the game?”

He shrugged. “It was alright. Not as great as one of Jason’s soccer games. But don’t tell Connor I said that,” he fake-whispered.

Dick laughed again, feeling more at ease now that their usual banter had returned. “No worries. You’re secret’s safe with me.”

Wally grinned. “You know what this means? We should all go to the diner to celebrate!”

“Are you sure? It’s probably packed by now.”

He shrugged and threw an arm around Dick’s shoulder, pulling him tightly against his side. “I’m willing to risk it as long as I’m with you.”

Dick bit his lip and nodded. “Sounds great.”

“Hear that guys?” Wally called back to their group who was waiting by the fence, Roy and Jason smirking at them both. “We’re going to celebrate at the diner.”

“Sounds like a great idea to me!” Tim said, finally joining the group after having to walk from the other side of the field.

“I hope you do not mind if we join you,” Kaldur said as he joined Jason and Roy, another boy at his side.

Dick frowned, trying to remember why the boy with Kaldur looked familiar. He waved at Dick, smiling sheepishly. Dick snapped his fingers, a memory returning to him.

“You!” he said, pointing at the other boy.

“Hey,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“Oh, do you two know each other?” Kaldur asked, looking between them.

“I accidentally spilled soda on him one day after school,” the mystery boy said. “I hope I didn’t ruin your clothes or anything.”

Dick waved away his apology. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a master stain fighter at home who knew exactly what to do to make sure they didn’t get ruined.”

“Are you really sure it’s okay?” he asked.

“It totally is,” Wally broke in, tightening his arm around Dick’s shoulders. “Alfred is, like, feared by every stain known to man.”

“Not every stain,” Dick argued. “Just most of them.”

The boy laughed. “I wish someone in my house was that good. Maybe then I wouldn’t have so many shirts with ice cream stains on them.”

“I’m guessing spilling food on yourself is kind of a regular occurrence.”

“More than it should be,” he admitted. “I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself earlier, but my name is Max.”

“Dick.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that considering how loud your friends were cheering for you.”

Dick blushed and tried to shrug it off. “It’s what we do for each other. We go to everyone’s games or competitions.”

“Does that mean you’re going to come to some of the swim meets?”

Dick blinked. “Are you on the swim team?”

“Yeah, that’s how I know Kaldur,” he said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder.

“When’s your first meet?” Dick asked, looking between them.

“Not for another few months, my friend,” Kaldur said. “We’re just practicing right now.”

Max stretched his arms over his head. “I’ve missed being in the water.”

Kaldur chuckled. “You say that like you haven’t been swimming all summer.”

He shrugged, gaze sliding away from Kaldur to meet Dick’s eyes again.

“I get what you mean,” Dick said. “I can never get enough of gymnastics, just like Wally can never get enough of running. Right Walls?”

He glanced over his shoulder and found Wally staring at him, looking a little miserable.

“What?” he asked and blinked.

Dick’s smile slipped. “I said you can’t ever get enough of running. Right?”

“Oh,” he said and nodded, pulling his arm from around Dick’s shoulders where it had been resting. “Yeah, definitely.”

“Right,” Dick said, feeling stuck in their conversation.

“We should be getting to the diner,” Zatanna broke in. “Megan’s on her way back with Connor. Let’s go.”

She waved a hand over her shoulder and headed for the field gates. Tim trailed after Dick, Wally, and Zatanna, and Roy, Jason, Kaldur, and Max keep in step with them as they headed for the bleacher steps. Dick hesitated as they stepped through the gates, falling back a step to be beside Wally.

“Hey, is everything okay?” he asked, fiddling with the pleats of his skirt.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Wally asked, frowning. “Everything’s fine.”

“Oh,” Dick said, voice small. “Okay.”

“So Dick,” Max said, hurrying to catch up now that they were all on the sidewalk.

“Yeah?”

“What made you want to join the cheer team?” he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Dick chuckled. “The gymnastics team was dissolved this year because there wasn’t enough interest. I didn’t want to train and compete at a private gym and needed something to do. I was only supposed to be helping out the team with their tumbling, but one thing led to another and now I get to cheer with them.”

Max whistled. “Wow, that’s so crazy!”

Dick nodded. “I know. It all happened so fast, too! I was really disappointed when the gymnastics team wouldn’t be coming back and didn’t know what I was going to do for the rest of the school year.”

“Man, I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t swim,” he said, voice filled with minor awe.

Dick shrugged. “Something you don’t have to worry about. And you can enjoy what you get to do right now. I know Wally wouldn’t be the same if he couldn’t run. Right Walls?” he asked, nudging him in the shoulder.

“Huh?” Wally asked, head sluggishly turning so he could meet his eyes.

Dick frowned. “I asked if you wouldn’t feel the same as I did when I found out about the gymnastics team if you couldn’t run.”

“Oh,” Wally muttered. “Yeah, totally.”

Dick’s frown deepened and he felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. He wasn’t sure what he did to make Wally angry or upset, but he wanted to fix it fast.

“Hey Dick!”

He stiffened and glanced up, finding Zatanna looking over her shoulder at him. Her smile was in place, but he could see the concern in her eyes and knew that the change in his mood hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Come here real quick,” she said, holding out her hand as they turned the last corner to the diner.

He hurried to catch up and she linked her arm with his.

“What’s up?” she murmured, using the growing noise of the diner to muffle her words.

Dick ducked his head and glanced to the side.

“You can tell us, Dick,” Megan added, pressing close on his other side.

He sighed. “It’s Wally,” he muttered. “I think he’s angry or upset about something, but I don’t know what to do about it.”

“I don’t think that’s right,” Zatanna reassured.

Dick frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Because he couldn’t take his eyes off you at the game,” Megan said, brushing a renegade strand of hair to the side. “He was in complete awe of you and he still is. I think part of it is him sifting through his feelings.”

“And he doesn’t like someone else showing interest in you,” Zatanna said, nudging his shoulder before she reached for the diner doors and pulled one open to let them shuffle through.

Connor caught the door from her and held it open for the rest of the group.

“What does that mean?” Dick asked, baffled.

Zatanna smirked and winked at him, not saying anything as the din of the diner engulfed them.

The host looked up at their entrance and Dick could see the tightness around their eyes, no doubt the result of them reaching capacity so quickly in the evening.

“How many?” they asked.

“Eleven of us,” Zatanna answered, practically leaning against the podium.

Dick watched the host think as they looked over the diagram.

“You’re lucky,” they said. “I think we have just enough space to make that work. You made it just in time. If you’ll wait here for me, I can get things set up for you.”

Zatanna nodded. “Thank you so much!”

They nodded and moved away, grabbing another worker to help as they picked their way through the general chaos.

Dick pulled Zatanna to the side, trying to get far enough away that no one else would eavesdrop in the small space.

“What did you mean?” he hissed.

She shook her head. “You really are pretty dense, aren’t you?”

“Shut up. Just tell me what you meant,” he huffed. He was getting tired of feeling like someone was keeping him in the dark or he was missing something.

“I’m talking about Max. He’s been pretty friendly with you since we left the game.”

Dick frowned. “And? He’s a nice guy. I can see why Kaldur brought him if they swim together.”

“He’s interested in you, dumbass,” Zatanna said, punching him in the arm.

“What?” he yelped, glancing up at Wally who turned to him. He swallowed, meeting Zatanna’s eyes again. “What?” he hissed, lowering his voice.

She nodded. “He’s interested. That’s why he practically plastered himself to your side when we left the game. Wally doesn’t like it. He’s jealous that someone else is interested.”

Dick opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the words for his raging thoughts and emotions. It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t imagine Wally getting jealous of anyone. He was so kind and happy all the time. He always made Dick laugh and got him caught up in something crazy they both enjoyed doing.

He glanced up, finding Wally on the outskirts of the group. He had his arms crossed over his chest, posture closed off from anyone else who might approach. Roy was standing at his shoulder, immune to whatever angst vibes he was putting off, and smirking as he talked about something.

Dick was shocked to find how cold Wally’s gaze looked, so far from the usual sparkle Dick was used to seeing in his bright, green eyes. He followed his gaze and found it led to Max who was talking with Kaldur.

He swallowed, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

“Follow me please,” the host said when they came back to retrieve them.

“Just trust me,” Zatanna whispered, patting him on the shoulder before she pulled Megan along behind the host towards their table.

Jason and Tim stepped around Dick to follow them and Connor hurried to catch up. Dick ducked his head, not wanting to be the last in line. He didn’t give much thought as to which chair he picked and ended up at the end of one side of the table next to Jason.

He stared at the menu in front of him, the chatter of the rest of the group washing over him. He finally managed to glance up and saw Wally was sitting across from him.

Wally’s eyes were locked on his own menu, but Dick could tell he wasn’t reading the words, just glaring at the table.

“So, Dick,” Max said, catching his attention again.

Dick forced a smile, belatedly realizing Max had sat down next to Wally and was diagonal from him.

“What’s up?”

“What else do you like to do besides gymnastics? I don’t suppose you’re training to go to the Olympics, are you?” he asked with a grin.

Dick shook his head. “I’d never be good enough for the national team.”

“Are you kidding?” Tim asked, leaning around Jason. “You’re the best gymnast we’ve ever seen. Even when you were on the school’s team, you always smoked the competition. Don’t go selling yourself short.”

“Yeah but high school competitions aren’t the same thing as the Olympics. Those gymnasts train for years to get there and constantly compete on a local and national level. They have private coaches and train so much it’s basically a fulltime job on top of whatever else they have going on,” Dick scoffed.

“You’d have access to those resources to if you weren’t so adamant about never stepping foot into a private gym again,” Jason muttered.

“What’s wrong with private gyms?” Max asked, trying to jump back into the conversation.

Dick turned to face him.

“Too many politics,” Wally explained, voice filled with as much disdain as Dick felt towards gyms. “And it’s pretty cutthroat. Everyone has the attitude that they can’t be friends with the other gymnasts because they’re all vying for the same spots. Dick’s competitive and he enjoys what he does, but he’s also not mean-spirited like the rest of them.”

Dick swallowed when Wally’s green eyes met his.

“Yeah, I…that’s pretty much it, actually,” he whispered.

“I guess I can understand what you mean,” Max sighed, crossing his arms and completely oblivious to the unspoken emotions shared between Dick and Wally. “I’ve seen some of that in the swimming circuit. There were a few people I’ve trained with who could’ve been really good friends with me, but any sort of geniality was ignored and they preferred to focus on swimming. Especially when it came to the people swimming the same stroke. If two people had different preferences, they could get along just fine and maybe even do a relay together. But anyone practicing the same style was instantly a threat.”

Dick nodded, most of what Max said going unheard by him. He felt something nudge his foot and blinked, recognizing the small smile that pulled at Wally’s lips. Dick nudged him back and returned his smile, thinking the night might finally be turning around.

“So Connor,” Dick said, crossing his arms on the table to look around Jason and Tim towards the opposite end of the table. “What is the team going to do now after that sweet victory tonight?”

He shrugged. “Keep working. The season’s only getting started and we have a long way to go if we want to make the playoffs for state.”

“I’m sure you guys can do it,” Megan chimed in. “You’ve all been practicing so hard. And we’ll be with you all the way.”

Zatanna nodded. “She’s right. And let’s be real, the football team would be so lost without us cheerleaders.”

Connor chuckled. “You’re not wrong.”

“Maybe we should have the cheer team come to an archery competition sometime. I’d love to see all the other archers break their concentration under the noise,” Artemis snickered.

“We’d smoke the competition,” Roy agreed. “As usual.”

The table dissolved into arguments over what would happen if the cheer team was at various sporting events. Dick didn’t pay it much mind and sat back, listening to the chatter. He still felt the weight of Wally’s foot against his own and was content to have that the rest of the night.

Dick clambered into the backseat of the car and set his backpack at his feet. He fiddled with the lunchbox in his lap. His leg bounced up and down as he waited for Alfred to slide into the front seat.

He chewed on his lip, squinting as the garage door opened and they pulled out from underneath the overhang and down the drive. He stared out the window as they left the Manor behind and turned down the road to leave their neighborhood.

“Are you excited for tonight, Master Richard?”

Dick jolted, pulling his gaze from the buildings they drove past.

“What?” he asked.

Alfred glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Are you excited for tonight? For the game? I know you’ve been working hard with the cheer team and thought you might be excited to show off your talents once again. It certainly has been a while since you last had the chance to perform and I know how much you enjoy it.”

“Oh, right,” Dick said. He tried to force a smile and ended up biting his lip instead. “Yeah, I’m excited.”

“You don’t sound very excited,” Alfred said, amused.

Dick chuckled, swallowing around the tightness in his throat. “I’m excited about getting to perform, but I’m a little nervous about wearing this uniform.”

“But I thought you picked the uniform?” Alfred asked, turning down the street to his school.

“I did, I’m just…I’m just worried it won’t look as good as I thought it would,” he whispered.

Alfred smiled and pulled over to the curb in front of his school. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Master Richard.”

Dick glanced up at the rearview mirror to meet his eyes. “Thanks Alfred.”

“Of course, Master Richard. I’m happy to help with whatever you need. Now, have a good day at school and good luck with your game tonight.”

Dick nodded and pulled the handle of the door, shoving it open to hop out on the curb. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and shut the door, waving at the car as Alfred pulled away from the curb and merged back into the morning stream of traffic.

He sighed and gripped the straps of his backpack. He spun around and froze when he caught sight of several people staring at his skirt. He swallowed and tightened his hold on his backpack straps, keeping his head high as he strode past and jogged up the steps towards the front doors of the school.

He was comfortable and happy and there was nothing wrong with what he was wearing, no matter what everyone else tried to make him believe.

Dick yanked the front door open and forged onwards, knowing this was only the beginning of a long day of explaining himself to everyone else in school.

He barely spared a glance at the other students as he walked past, turning sharply down the first hallway to the rows of lockers where his was housed. He spun his lock, getting his combination right on the first try and yanked the door open to switch out his books.

“Hey there wonder boy. You’re looking quite fashionable this morning.”

Dick bit his lip and glanced up at Zatanna who was leaning against the locker next to him with her arms crossed. Megan stood behind her shoulder, grinning at him.

“It doesn’t look bad, right?” he muttered, glancing to the side at a pair of students with their heads together as they shot glances his way.

“Why would you think it looks bad?” Zatanna asked, frown pulling her lips down.

Dick scratched the back of his neck, feeling it heat up. “Everyone’s staring at me. I’m getting all these weird looks.”

Zatanna sighed and stepped up next to him, linking their arms together. “You don’t look bad. You look amazing. You look as amazing as you did when you tried on that skirt and rocked those back handsprings in the middle of the hallway. All these people are staring because they haven’t seen you in a skirt before. And I’m sure half of them are jealous because they wouldn’t look half as good as you do.”

Dick sighed, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders. “Okay. I’ll trust you on this.”

“You should,” Zatanna said, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear. “Now, we should go find Wally and show him how hot you look in a skirt.”

“Zatanna,” Dick grumbled, his flush crawling up his neck to his cheeks.

She laughed and tugged Dick’s arm. “Come on. You know you want to show him.”

Dick chewed on his lip, a flash of uncertainty settling in his gut. Zatanna was insistent and nearly pulled him away from his locker. He sighed and shut his locker door, letting Zatanna lead the way. Megan linked arms on his other side and offered him a warm smile.

“Where does Wally usually hang out in the morning?” Zatanna asked, head swiveling to glance at the other students in the hallway.

“Once he gets to school he’s either in the cafeteria or the library.”

“Let’s start with the cafeteria,” she said, leading him around the next corner.

Dick’s heart skipped when he spotted a bright red crop of hair over the crowd. “I don’t know about this…”

“It’ll be fine,” Megan said, patting his arm. “Now go.”

Dick stumbled when Zatanna and Megan pushed him forward. He broke through the crowd and came face-to-face with Wally who grinned at him before his eyes slid downwards to his skirt and widened.

Dick reached out as he saw the cup slip from Wally’s fingers. Wally fumbled, trying to keep his drink from falling to the floor. He caught the cup in his arms and crushed it against his chest, breaking the foam sides and sending blue slushie all over his yellow shirt.

“Are you okay?” Dick spluttered trying to stifle a giggle after seeing Wally spill his drink all over himself.

“I-uh-yeah…” Wally said, looking down at his messy shirt and the puddle of blue syrup on the floor.

“Come on,” Dick said, reaching for Wally’s arm.

Wally nodded as Dick grabbed his arm and pulled him through the crowd towards the restroom. He pushed through the door and set Wally next to the sink.

He wet a wad of paper towels and started to dab at the drink covering his best friend. He glanced up and found Wally staring at him.

Dick paused for a second before resuming his efforts, his earlier feelings of self-consciousness rising to the surface again.

“It’s not weird, is it?” he murmured.

“Huh?” Wally asked, jerking under his touch.

“My uniform,” he muttered. “It’s not weird, right? Zatanna and Megan said it looks good, but people keep staring at me so I’m worried it looks bad.”

“It’s not bad,” Wally said, waving his hands in front of himself and disrupting Dick’s cleanup. “It definitely doesn’t look bad.”

Dick ducked his head as Wally coughed. He felt his cheeks heat up and knew a small blush was creeping up his cheeks again.

“It actually looks really great on you. And I’m sure it’s going to be great when you get to cheer tonight,” Wally continued.

“Thanks, Walls,” Dick whispered.

They stood there in silence for a moment before Wally jerked forward.

“Here,” he said, taking the paper towels from Dick’s hands. “I shouldn’t let you clean me up when I made the mess.”

He started frantically wiping at the mess on his shirt and Dick bit his lip, trying to hide his smile as Wally fought to clean himself up.

Dick clasped his hands behind his back and leaned his hip against the sink. Wally kept his focus on his shirt, but more than once he’d glance up and meet Dick’s eyes before dropping his gaze back to his shirt to resume his efforts.

“I guess this is the best it’s going to get,” Wally sighed, pulling the discolored wad of paper towels away from his shirt.

Dick grimaced at the stain covering Wally’s front. “Do you have something else you could change into?” he asked.

“I could put on the shirt I brought for practice after school,” he sighed, slipping his arms free from his backpack. He dropped it on the floor and yanked the zipper open, pulling a wrinkled shirt free. “Hold this?” he asked, holding the shirt out to Dick.

Dick took the offered shirt and watched as Wally wrestled his shirt over his head and shoved it into his backpack. He swiped the shirt from Dick’s hands and yanked it over his head, adjusting it to feel more comfortable.

“Ready?” Wally asked, meeting his gaze.

Dick nodded, straightening.

Wally grinned and yanked the bathroom door open. He turned to say something to him when the bell rang over their heads.

“See you at lunch?” he grumbled.

Dick nodded. “Yeah, see you later.”

Wally gave him a little wave before he jogged off to disappear in the crowd.

“Sooo?” Zatanna asked.

“What did he think?” Megan continued.

Dick cleared his throat, feeling his blush return. “Wally said I don’t look bad. That’s good, right?”

“Those are the words he used?” Zatanna asked.

“He said it looks really good on me.”

“That’s a very good thing,” Megan agreed, linking their arms together.

~~

Dick grinned when he stepped out from the under the bleachers that led to the locker rooms on the football field. He’d taken to the glitter the other girls were passing around and spread if across his cheeks and around his eyes, loving how showy it made him feel.

His excitement had grown as the day went on and he was ready to make his cheering debut at their football game.

The football teams were already warming up on the field and several rows in the bleachers were filled with students who’d gotten there early to get the best seats they could.

“You ready for this?” Scarlet asked, knocking shoulders with him as they set their water bottles along the fence and placed their pompoms next to them.

“More than ready,” Dick agreed.

“I’m glad to see everyone out here and ready to go,” Coach Jones said, catching their attention. “Take some time to warm up and stretch out. Do some cartwheels if you’d like, or some back handsprings. I want you all feeling nice and loose before we really get things started at kickoff.”

Dick nodded, eagerly finding an open space for himself to stretch. He spotted Tim farther down the track with his camera, ready to take pictures of the game. He raised his hand over his head and waved. Tim paused and frantically waved back, jumping up and down a little bit and making him chuckle.

Dick sighed, an easy smile pulling at his lips as he started going through his warmup routine. His eyes lazily roved over the students in the bleachers and those searching for their seats as they came in to join the crowds.

He turned away from the crowds and did a handful of cartwheels, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. He caught Zatanna glancing back at him and frowned.

“What?” he mouthed, narrowing his eyes.

She shook her head and pursed her lips trying to hide her smirk.

Dick shook his head and moved to the edge of their group. He took a deep breath and shook out his hands before bending his legs.

He pushed off, feet lifting from the ground. He arched his back, hands coming down on the black surface of the track only to push off a second later to finish his back handspring. He took a minute to shake out his legs before doing a roundoff into a back handspring.

Dick brushed off his hands after his landing, knocking small pieces of dirt from his skin.

A high-pitched wolf-whistle broke through the chatter in the stands and Dick’s head snapped up to the bleachers where a group of people stood at the railing. Roy and Jason stood in the middle of the group, Roy’s fingers still hooked in the corners of his mouth after his shrill whistle.

Wally was standing at Roy’s elbow and he jerked once he noticed Dick looking at him, giving a little wave. Artemis was next to Jason, arms crossed over the railing and hip cocked as she smirked down at him.

Dick felt a blush creep up his cheeks and waved back at them.

“Dick come on,” Megan said, popping up in front of him. She took his hand. “We need to get in position and practice some of our stunts.”

“Uh yeah, sure,” he muttered.

“You’ll do great,” she whispered, pushing him over to his group.

“It’ll be fine,” Scarlett said, nudging him into the center of their trio.

“I’m glad you think so,” he hissed, planting his feet on the ground and placing his hands on Scarlett’s shoulders.

“Well considering your friends have been standing there for five minutes and Wally hasn’t taken his eyes off you once, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” she said with a grin. “3,2,1,” she counted off.

“What?” Dick gasped, eyes widening as he was pushed up from the ground. He was late taking his hands from Scarlett’s shoulders, pulling his center of gravity off.

The grip on his shoes was firm, but he bit his lip, arms wind-milling as he wobbled in the air. He forced himself not to panic and sucked in stabilizing breaths through his teeth, relieved when he felt himself still in the air.

“And bringing you back down in 3, 2, 1…” Scarlett said.

Dick closed his eyes as he dropped, glad when his shoes hit the track again.

“Don’t say that when we’re about to execute a stunt,” he hissed.

“You alright, Dick?” Coach Jones asked, hurrying over to them.

He nodded. “Yeah, fine.”

She glanced over her shoulder and waved him over. Dick’s shoulders sagged and he followed her away from his stunt group. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you really okay with cheering tonight? You don’t need a little more time to prepare, do you?”

Dick shook his head. “No!” He took a deep breath and relaxed. “No, I’m fine, really. We just went a little too soon and I wasn’t ready yet. I can make it through the game no problem. Really.”

She didn’t look convinced.

“I promise. I’ll be fine.”

She nodded. “Okay Dick. But if you ever find you’re not up to it, let me know and we can give you a break.”

“Okay, but I promise I’ll be okay.”

She nodded and gave him a smile.

Dick turned and hurried back to his group. “Now,” he said, shooting a half-hearted glare at Scarlett. “Let’s try that again and don’t say anymore weird things to me.”

Scarlett shrugged. “I’m just speaking the truth,” she offered.

Dick rolled his eyes and rolled his shoulders, taking his spot in the center of their group. He glanced over Scarlett’s shoulder, eyes immediately spotting Wally in the crowd. He could see the worry plastered all over his face from there and knew he saw his fumble.

Dick placed his hands on Scarlett’s shoulders and squeezed, giving her a nod when he was ready. Strong hands gripped his hips. He bent his knees and gave himself over to the momentum.

He grinned at the weightlessness that came with being boosted up into a stunt. His earlier nervousness disappeared completely as the hands of his teammates kept him aloft. He shifted his weight to his left foot, keeping his balance strong as he pulled his right foot from the hands holding it.

He gripped the side of his foot and pulled it behind him in a scorpion pose.

Dick’s eyes found Wally in the crowd again. The worry melted away from his features, his eyes widening and grin pulling at his lips. Dick swallowed, losing his breath for a second at the awe on his face.

He glanced down and nodded at Scarlett. He released his scorpion and they caught his foot again. He dipped slightly before they pushed him upwards and out of their grip.

Dick crossed his arms over his chest, enjoying the feeling of rotating through the air before gravity pulled him back towards the Earth, leaving him to fall into the safe cradle of his teammates’ arms.

He didn’t open his eyes until his shoes hit the ground. He looked around at his bases and gave them a grin they quickly returned.

“Oh yeah, this is gonna be good,” Mariah whispered behind him, clapping him on the shoulder.

Dick glanced up at the stands where Wally was still watching him despite the conversation he was holding with Jason next to him.

“Hell yeah it is,” he agreed.

Dick’s attention settled back on Wally when Bruce didn’t move to say anything else. Wally moved his hand around, much to Dick’s reluctance, so that he was holding Dick’s hand in his, his thumb rubbing gently over Dick’s fingers.

“Robin,” Bruce started, and Dick looked over at him. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but if you could say anything…” he trailed off, unable to finish the question.

“How did the interrogation go?” Wally asked, at a loss for anything else to say when Dick stayed silent.

Bruce sighed. “He’s a madman. I don’t even know where to start. He was…so fixated on Robin.”

Dick’s fingers tightened around his and Wally glanced down at their hands.

“Dick seems to think so, too,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” Bruce asked.

“The only way he seems comfortable communicating right now is through touch. He’ll tighten or loosen his hold on my hand in reaction to what’s being said,” Wally explained. “Even though his expression never seems to change.”

Bruce smiled, looking a little more at ease. “So he’s still in there.”

“Of course he is,” Wally swore lowly, drawing Dick’s gaze again. “And we shouldn’t sit here and talk about him like he isn’t.”

“Have you tried writing, Robin?” Bruce asked.

Dick blinked at them both and didn’t say anything.

“Maybe later then. As much as I want to stay, I know the doctors are going to take good care of you and Wally won’t leave your side. I need to figure out what to do with the man who hurt you,” Bruce sighed, pushing himself to his feet.

Dick looked up at him as he ran his fingers through his hair and patted him on the shoulder.

“I’ll see you again soon,” Bruce said, letting his hand fall away before he left them behind.

Dick’s eyes stayed on the door for a few moments before his gaze returned to Wally. He tried to force a smile for him, but knew it fell flat because of all of guilt he was feeling over Dick’s kidnapping.

“You’ll be out of here in no time, Rob! We’ll be back with the team and we can have movie nights and eat pizza and play video games and it’s going to be so sweet!” he exclaimed, trying to be his usual energetic self. Some of his enthusiasm died when he didn’t get a response from Dick. He sighed. “I’m sorry this happened to you, if I’d just-“

Dick’s grip on his hand became unbearably tight and he hissed at the unexpected pain.

“Dude,” he cried, looking up at him. He saw one of Dick’s eyebrows twitch and he froze. “Dick?” he asked. “Dick are you-“

Before he could continue, the door was pushed open and the doctor from before walked in. He held out a pair of sunglasses for Dick who took them, sliding them on his face. The action was in such contrast to his current demeanor that Wally felt woozy, his mind racing to piece everything together.

“We’re ready to take another brain scan and then you can move somewhere more comfortable. Come with me please,” he explained.

Dick’s hand found his again, holding tightly.

The doctor glanced down with a smile and Wally stared at the side of Dick’s face even though he wasn’t looking at him.

“Your friend can come too, of course.”

Dick’s grip lessened a fraction, but he still clung to him.

“Before we can go, I need to shut down all of the machines in here and remove your IV,” he said, walking around the bed.

Wally felt a little miffed when he casually pulled the pads and wires from Dick’s body like it was no big deal that he was touching him. And maybe it wasn’t a big deal, but after Dick had been beaten and bloodied by a complete stranger, he wouldn’t think he’d welcome any kind of touch, medical or otherwise.

When the wires and the IV were removed, Dick didn’t even need to be prompted before he was sliding off the bed and standing in front of Wally. Dick stiffened at the impact as his feet hit the floor and Wally realized he must not have expected his wounds to smart. Wally stared at him, a little stunned to even see him on his feet in the first place and willingly moving.

He probably looked like an idiot sitting there and starting at Dick who stepped back and tugged his hand, pulling him to his feet. He saw something tighten around Dick’s mouth and knew he must’ve pulled at one of his wounds again. It had to have been the stitches in his arms or his broken ribs.

Wally huffed and stepped close to him, forcing his arm to relax and hang limp at his side. “Don’t pull at your wounds,” he chastised. “You’re going to take longer to heal that way.”

“I think it would be best if you were to sit in the wheelchair while we moved to the MRI room,” the doctor said, smile tight as he pulled one into the room.

“Don’t make me push you into that thing,” Wally said, narrowing his eyes because he knew how defiant Dick could be.

He was surprised when Dick didn’t put up a fight, walking over with Wally to take a seat.

“Would you like to push him?” the doctor asked Wally.

“Oh, uh sure,” he said, awkwardly pulling his hand from Dick’s so he could position himself behind the chair and push him from the room. Wally looked down at the back of Dick’s head as they moved through the halls. His hands were limp in his lap and as far as he could tell, he was looking straight ahead. Whether he was actually seeing what was in front of him was another question entirely and not one he wanted to spend too much time contemplating.

Wally thought they actually might be able to get through the process without an issue and he might be able to start helping Dick when they got to his hospital room.

“Robin we’re going to have you lay down on this machine right here without your glasses,” the doctor explained as they walked into the MRI room. “While the scan is happening, you’ll need to stay completely still. Wally, I want you to wait with me in the other-“

Dick’s hand caught Wally’s arm in a death grip where he was standing next to him. Wally turned to look at him and found him leaning forward in the wheelchair, his other hand fisted in his lap and his chest moving faster as his breathing picked up, showing obvious signs of a panic or anxiety attack.

“Hey, Rob,” Wally said, turning to him. “It’s okay. I’ll only be gone for a couple minutes. Then when it’s all done I’ll be back at your side in a second.”

Dick tightened his hold on Wally’s arm, nails digging into the sleeve of his suit and he looked at the doctor.

“Is there any way I could stay with him?” Wally finally asked.

The doctor pursed his lips. “I’d like him to get through the process on his own if possible. Let’s just get him on the table first.”

“Come on, Rob,” Wally said, helping him out of the chair. Now that he was standing, Wally could see how bad Dick’s breathing really was and his hands started shaking. “It’s going to be okay, I promise,” he soothed, placing a hand in the middle of his back. “I’m going to pick you up and put you on the table.” He carefully pried Dick’s fingers from around his forearm.

Wally wrapped an arm around Dick’s back and one under his legs, lifting him gently into his arms as Dick’s hands clung to his shoulders to hold on. He set him on the table, stretching out his legs as he eased him into lying down. He massaged Dick’s fingers that were still wrapped around his shoulders and worked to pull them free.

“Come on Rob, you know how to relax. It’s going to be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen to you here.” Wally managed to get one of Dick’s hands free and laid it out at his side. He worked on the other, but it tightened against his ministrations.

Dick’s chest started to heave again, and Wally couldn’t even begin to imagine what thoughts must be going through his head to get him so worked up like that. He was looking at Wally behind his sunglasses and Wally frowned, giving Dick’s hand a squeeze before he looked over at the doctor.

“Please, can you let me stay with him?” he pleaded.

The doctor sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Yes. That would probably be best. Make sure to take of his sunglasses and I’ll start the scan,” he said, turning on his heel to slip into the adjoining room.

“See, Rob?” Wally asked, smiling down at him. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll be here the whole time. You can relax now, yeah?”

Dick’s breathing evened out and his fingers loosened their grip. Wally squeezed his hand again, pulling his hand free to rest on the table at his side, their fingers linked together. Wally plucked the sunglasses free from Dick’s face and held them loosely in his fingers, feeling his stomach tighten at the panic that still lingered in Dick’s eyes.

“I’m going to start the scan now. Robin, please look up at the ceiling for me and stay completely still,” the doctor explained over the speaker.

Wally nodded at him and Dick turned his head, eyes looking up at the ceiling. The table moved, sliding into the opening of the MRI machine so the top half of his head was inside. Wally walked beside it, keeping any form of strain off Dick’s arm. It hummed as it started the scan and Wally rubbed his thumb over the skin of Dick’s wrist, keeping the touch rhythmic and hopefully calming.

Dick’s hand stayed relaxed in his and there weren’t any other signs of a panic attack now that Wally was stationed at his side. He tried not to let the behavior bother him, but there wasn’t much about Dick’s condition that didn’t bother him since most of it was so out of character for him.

He tried not to shift too much as he waited while the scans were taken. He knew the process could take a while and didn’t want his nerves to make Dick uncomfortable. He just had to focus on the small things. That Dick was doing okay. That he was alive. And that they’d be moved to a private room after this.

Maybe then he could get some form of response from Dick. Bruce would probably visit again soon, and Dick could get something to eat. He’d need something in his system after only being on an IV for so long. And the chocolate bar Wally had earlier had long since burned through his system.

He focused on the soft rasp of skin as his thumb moved along Dick’s wrist, using the sensation and sound to focus himself and let time pass by. The MRI machine made several loud noises, but they didn’t bother him or Dick since he remained relaxed, keeping his gentle hold on Wally’s fingers.

Wally blinked when the sounds stopped and came back to himself. The table Dick rested on slid back out and he looked to Wally who handed his glasses back to him. He put them on before reaching for Wally’s hand again which he easily gave, the action second nature now.

The doctor reentered the room. “I’m going to go over the scans once the images finish processing and should have some results within the hour. A nurse is waiting in the hallway to take you to your new room.”

“Thank you,” Wally said. He gathered Dick into his arms without much complaint and carried him back to the wheelchair, settling him in. He grasped the handles and pushed him back into the hallway where another man in blue scrubs was waiting for them.

“Follow me this way,” he said, turning back towards the way they’d come.

Wally walked along silently, eyes focused on the nurse’s back as he pushed Dick. He blinked when he felt a hand rest over top of his and glanced down, seeing that Dick had reached back to place his hand over where his was wrapped around the handle of the chair. He uncurled his thumb from the handle and rested it on top of Dick’s fingers, rubbing small circles.

He smiled and kept pushing forward, winding through the halls after the nurse. The doors they passed had numbers on them but were largely unmarked and Wally wondered how they managed to keep track of who was where. He guessed part of that was easier since it was the Watchtower and they didn’t always get much traffic unless there was a large threat to Earth that resulted in a large number of injuries among the League.

“Here we are,” the nurse said, pushing open a door to let Wally and Dick through. “There’s a bathroom through that door,” he said, pointing to the only other door in the room. “And if you need anything urgently, press that red button. Non-emergencies can be handled through the phone and you can request food that way too. Get some rest and get something to eat. You need it,” the nurse said before leaving them behind.

“Nice digs, Rob,” Wally said, rolling the chair over to the bed. He helped Dick stand and lifted him in his arms once again before setting him down on the bed. “You should get something to eat. You’ve got to be hungry after so long. I know I’m starving. So, what sounds good to you? Pizza? Burger? Burritos?” he asked, picking up the phone and running his finger down the list of numbers posted on the wall next to it.

He flashed a grin at Dick and faltered when he saw Dick was curled on his side watching him, his sunglasses resting on the shelf above the bed. Wally’s sense of how small Dick looked returned and the good feeling in his gut soured.

“Any of those options sound good?” He sighed when Dick just stared at him. “Buffet it is then,” he said, failing at lifting his own mood. He cleared his throat and dialed the number for the cafeteria, tapping the fingers of his free hand nervously against his thigh.

“Can I help you?” A woman’s voice answered.

“Hi, I’d like to have some food delivered to Robin’s room,” he said.

“What would you like?” she asked.

“Pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, mashed potatoes, burritos, a salad, chicken curry, and two brownie sundaes,” he listed off.

“We’ll have that up shortly,” she said before the line went dead.

Wally replaced the phone in the cradle and busied himself with pushing the wheelchair against the wall. He looked around for a chair to sit in and found one was nestled in the corner. He pushed it over to the side of Dick’s bed and sat down, avoiding Dick’s eyes that never seemed to leave him.

A knock sounded on the door and he hurried to answer it, glad for the distraction. He moved aside as a cart filled with food was pushed inside. He followed it with a grin and blinked when he saw Dick had managed to get his glasses on in the few seconds Wally had his back turned while answering the door.

“Do you need anything else?” the worker asked when the tray was at the foot of the bed.

“No, that’s it for now,” Wally said, already peeking under the covers on the food to see what they’d brought. He heard the door shut and smiled at Dick. “What do you want to try first?” he asked.

He took a slice of pizza for himself and spooned some mashed potatoes into a bowl, handing it to Dick with a spoon. Wally watched him stare at the food while he munched on his own plate, devouring the first slice of pizza before grabbing another two. Dick carefully lifted a spoonful of the mash to his mouth and took a small bite.

He ate slowly while Wally practically devoured the rest of the cart. He handed his unfinished bowl back to Wally when he’d eaten half of it. Wally frowned, staring down at the uneaten food that was left.

“Aren’t you hungrier than that?” he asked, looking up at Dick.

Dick stared down at his hands in his lap.

“Okay, so no mashed potatoes. But I have dessert,” he said with a grin, pulling out the two sundaes. “One for you and one for me. I doubt it’ll be as good as something made by Alfred, but we can give it a shot. What do you say?”

Dick took the sundae Wally held out for him, but while Wally ate his, he mostly pushed the ice cream around in the bowl, mixing it up as it slowly melted. The sundae was well on its way to becoming a puddle when he held it out to Wally after he’d cleaned his own bowl.

“Dick…” Wally said softly, staring at his uneaten ice cream.

He held it out more insistently and Wally reluctantly took it, eating the ice cream slower than he had everything else, the sundae not tasting as sweet as it normally would. He sighed when he finished and stacked the dirty plates neatly on the tray before rolling it out into the hallway to be picked up.

When he made to sit down in his chair again, Dick caught his hand.

“What is it?” he asked.

Dick tugged insistently, pulling him close to the bed.

“What…” He bumped into the side of the bed and glanced down, noticing that Dick had pressed himself to the opposite side of the bed to make room for another body. He shook his head. “Dick, I shouldn’t. Your injuries could be aggravated.”

Dick tugged on his arm sharply, staring at him with his wide, blue eyes. Wally groaned, shoulders dropping in defeat.

“Okay, okay,” he relented. “Let me just pull off my boots.” He perched on the edge of his chair, pulling one of his boots off and then the other, letting them drop heavily to the floor. When he was free he laid down carefully on the bed, not wanting to accidentally jostle Dick and cause him more pain than he’d already been through.

He’d barely relaxed into a comfortable position when Dick closed the distance between them, curling into his side. Wally forced himself not to stiffen as his eyes widened in shock. His arms rested awkwardly at his sides before he carefully slid one under Dick’s head and draped the other over his waist, giving him space to move closer.

Wally swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to keep his heart from kicking up speed in his chest at the feeling of Dick pressed against his side. He liked their proximity and the feeling of Dick’s small, warm body next to his a little too much.

But he didn’t deserve it. Not their proximity and not anything else. Not when he couldn’t even protect his best friend from madmen who wanted to break him and watch him bleed.