STATIC
Me: Yay, another feels fest!
Disclaimer: I'm never going to escape…Omni owns nothing.
Reviews for Outspoken:
BirdFlashIsNotAThing: Thank you! Also, it is just as depressing to write, just so you know.
MusicLyric: Evil is such a strong word…I prefer disturbed. Also, thank you!
Hopeful (Guest): I agree. If they don't bring Wally back, Imma have to stab a bish. And it is indeed depressing, but glorious? Stop making me blush.
Guest: Clipping a Robin's Wings? Depressing? Oh honey, you weren't ready were you? Also, I do this because I love you. And yes, WALLY MUST RETURN OR RIOT. Thank you! You're amazing too.
zatannagurl (Guest): *hands her a tissue* It will be alright child. And thank you so much!
Weird Inhuman (Guest): Not bad at all. I actually took a bit of pleasure in writing it, God help me. Glad you agree about Wall-man and the Mount Justice thing. And you are very welcome. ;)
Reviews for Constants:
Guest: It was just as interesting to write, but also very difficult.
BirdFlashIsNotAThing: As it happens, I already have an AU oneshot series in the works where Roy and Wally are the same age, but still two years older than Dick. It will range from angst/drama stuff, to K level fluff, all the way to tragedy. Expect to see the first chapter very soon, maybe today if I feel like it.
On with the show!
POV: Dick
I sat up and coughed, blood dribbling down my chin. It was cold and dark, but my flashlight somehow still worked and was dimly flickering in the tiny cavern I now found myself in. I put pressure on my bleeding stomach and coughed again.
"Ugh…sh-shit," I groaned. I realized how bad it was now that I could see the hilt of a dagger sticking out of my tattered suit.
It came rushing back.
We'd been working a drug deal and it went south. We weren't supposed to be out here but I wanted to stop them, because what else is the cape for? An explosion had rocked the cave and a goon had gotten me off guard. Hence the knife. I glanced around the crevice but saw no sign of him. I idly wondered if poetic justice had killed him or irony had let him live. I scooted back against a rock, gasping as the knife jostled. My com crackled.
'Robin? Robin come in, do you copy? Robin!'
That was Wally. I'd known him long enough to recognize his voice.
"H-hey Kid Mouth," I stuttered.
'Rob? Where are you? Are you okay?'
I grinned despite my situation. No matter how dire the circumstances, Wally's first question was always if he was alright.
"I have no clue, and no," I answered, wincing as pain lanced through my wound at the effort of drawing in a deep breath.
'What's wrong?'
He was panicking again. I sighed and looked down and the weapon. Even through the red fabric of my suit I could see the small bloodstain growing bigger. Although the knife was staunching the flow, I was beginning to feel a little woozy from blood loss. Or pain, could be pain.
"G-got stabbed," I replied. I wasn't going to lie to him. Not this time.
'How bad?'
His voice was quivering.
"P-pretty bad," I gasped, clutching my stomach. "A-are you all o-okay?"
'We're fine. Rob, where are you, what does it look like?'
He was crying. It's always easy to tell.
"I got caught in that cave in. 'M stuck in here," I returned, gritting my teeth as my wound flared.
'Alright, just hold on. Please.'
"'ll do my best," I slurred, feeling sleepy.
'Rob, stay with me!'
I didn't respond for a moment.
'Dick! Talk to me!'
I forced my eyes open at his firm tone.
His words gave me an idea to stay awake. He wanted me to talk? Okay, we would talk.
"D-d' you remember that time when you 'n Roy brought me t' the fair? We had those deep fried ice cream cones 'n you ate like the whole cart 'cause you were so hungry?" I began out of nowhere.
I could almost see his wistful smile.
'Yeah. The dude at the cart was so mad.'
"An' then I ate too much, so you guys took me home 'n took care 'ah me 'cause I ended up with a stomach ache," I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again with a sigh.
'That was pretty silly of you.'
He was catching on. The more we talked, the longer I would be able to stay awake. If I was focused on something, I never could fall asleep.
I heard a bit of commotion over the com.
'Hey Rob? Roy is here. I have to go help them find you, okay? Just keep talkin'.'
"'Kay," I breathed.
'Hey kiddo. How ya doin'?'
"Not really feelin' the aster here Red," I replied.
'Well don't worry. We'll get you out, I promise.'
That was a lie. He couldn't promise. He had to know they didn't have much time.
He had to know I was dying.
"Hey, r'member when I was ten 'n you let me go out on patrol with you 'n Ollie? Bats didn' want me to but you convinced him to let me. R'lly gotta figure out how ya' did that," I chuckled, then wheezed. Now that I was a little bit more attentive, I realized my ankle had swollen up. Sprained or broken, it was nowhere near the pain I felt in my stomach.
'Sorry kid, trade secret.'
I almost laughed, but it hurt too much.
'Yeah, I remember. Glad I did too. You saved our asses. Still can't believe a ten year old upstaged me.'
"Course I did. I was trained by Bats aft'r 'll," I pointed out. "Bu' you saved me too ya' know."
'Sure I did. Why wouldn't I? You're family.'
"An' don' forget 'bout th' Wayne Tech Chris'mas party. We 'll wen' t'geth'r an' had such a hard t'me st'yin' outta trouble," I continued, speech slurring even more.
'Wally ate all the appetizers.'
He chuckled, but there was a tense apprehension in his voice. He was scared.
He knew.
"Yeah he did. Didn' ev'n leave me any, th' j'rk," I huffed, squeezing the tattered edge of my cape as my ribs protested. I was starting to get really dizzy, but I chocked it up to the concussion.
Or the blood loss. Probably the blood loss.
While my external wound wasn't bleeding as bad, the knife keeping the sticky red liquid from spilling over into the dirt. But my stomach felt really tender and blood was already trickling from my split lip.
'Hey, I didn't get any either, remember? We almost got kicked out. Thank God you were with us.'
His voice broke. It was silent for a moment.
'You with me Robin?'
"'M here," I mumbled, forcing my eyes open again.
'Just keep talkin' to me, okay? Bats is on his way with big boy blue and Supey is already helping us.'
A thought occurred to me. Silly us going into a drug deal in a mine.
"He won' be able t' use his x-ray v-vision. Th-there's lead 'll ov'r th- pl'ce," I fumbled.
'Yeah, we know, we know. Just hold on. Keep talkin'.'
"D'you ev'r w'nd'r how Agen' A foun' out 'bout Bats? I m'n, he's 'lw'ys so serious. I'n s'prised he didn' have a heart 'ttack," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
'Yeah, me and Wally both. We'll have to ask Bats when we get you outta there, huh?'
"If you—"
'When we get you out.'
I heard a bit of background noise, then…
'Robin?'
Bruce…he was here.
"H-hey Bats. What took ya' so long?" I inquired drowsily.
'You're gonna be okay son. Just hang on.'
I began my tirades again. "Ya' know, I r'm'mb'r th' day you 'dopted me. It w's kinda int'm'd't'ng, s-seeing the manor 'n how big it w's," I rambled. "B-u' Agen' A w's so nice 'n he gave me cookies. An' you made my room so p'rf'ct 'n had the p'cture ah my p'ren's 'n ev'ryth'n."
'You were so happy when you saw that.'
"I w's kinda sad too, bu' I didn' care 'cause it w's so pr'tty," I admitted.
'Yeah well, it'll be right there waiting when you get home.'
Oh great. Now Bruce was crying. Didn't anyone here know how to hold it together for five minutes?
But then again, tears had begun to well in my own eyes too. Suddenly, the rock I was leaning against shifted, and the knife moved.
I yelped.
'Dick?'
Blood had begun to spill from the wound a bit heavier and the wound burned.
I let them fall. "B-Bruce…it h-hur's," I sobbed. My shoulders shook while my body trembled with agony.
'I know, I know. We're almost there, okay? Just hang in there a little bit longer.'
My vision grayed. "B-Bruce…'m s-sorry."
'Dick?'
Darkness.
POV: Wally
The terrifying sight of Batman cradling a broken child in his arms still hadn't left my mind.
Not even two days later.
Now, Dick lay in front of me, sleeping as his body recovered. He'd been conscious briefly the day before, but he was hardly coherent.
The steady beeping of the heart monitor and the hiss of the oxygen were oddly comforting.
The dripping of the IV.
The ticking clock.
Time.
It was a speedster's best friend and their worst enemy at the same time. It dragged on at a snail's pace at the times when you needed it to go faster, making minutes seem like hours, hours like weeks, days like years. You get the picture.
Like when Dick got stabbed.
When he fell.
I was right there. I could have done something. The thug, in a last ditch effort to save the deal, had stabbed Dick in the abdomen, steel dagger ripping through the Kevlar like tissue paper.
Then, the explosion rocked the earth and the floor was gone. Instinctively, I had run. Artemis and M'gann were knocked unconscious but both made it to safety. Roy, who had been hanging out with us, had grappled to the air. Kaldur had jettisoned away with his water, and Conner had jumped out of range. But Dick, who was in too much pain, didn't even have time to get his grapple out. It was after we snapped out of our dazes that we realized he wasn't with us.
I looked up in alarm when I felt his hand twitch in my grasp.
"Dickie-bird? Can you hear me?" I tried.
He moaned and I was greeted with half-lidded blue eyes.
"W-Wally?" he murmured.
"Right here," I assured him.
"D-didja get the number of the bus that hit me?" he grinned.
I gave him a smirk.
"Yeah," I said. "Three." Referring to the length of the blade.
"What was it made of?" he asked.
"Steel," I returned.
He snorted. "Called it."
NO POV
ONE WEEK LATER
Dick limped into the kitchen, keeping weight off his sprained ankle. Roy, Wally, and Ace were hot on his heels. The German shepherd wagged his tail.
"What is it boys?" Bruce inquired.
"Wanted to ask you something," Dick began.
"Oh yeah? Shoot," he accepted.
"How did Alfred find out you were Batman?
A/N
Me: N'aww, that was cute.
Disclaimer: Felt a bit rushed.
Me: Hush, it was a drabble.
-SWGJOC227