The Leap was always, always, always, ALWAYS disorientating and even though he had been warned about the sensation of scrambled brains and the Swiss cheese memory from the previous Leapers that came before, it did nothing to prepare him for the utter bafflement that took hold of him after the Leap.
"Asterous." Dick snickered like he always did after a new leap. Sometimes he'd add the dis, but usually not. It had become a thing with him after the first time.
Dick was the first person to ever hack the quantum accelerator, rig Ziggy to a hologram wrist interface somehow, and still actually Leap along with someone.
Wally nearly tripped over his white, knee high, mock leather stripper boots and fell off the stage when he realized that Dick was actually there with him that time, not just a hologram feeding him intel on who he was (or rather in who's body he was in) and what event in their history he was most likely trying to fix. Really there.
Like gave up his life, his physical body back in the lab so Wally would never truly be alone and lost through time again.
"Asterous." Dick had said in part triumph and part greeting and made use of the fist full of ones he was holding to tuck a bill into Wally's barely there nurse themed g-string, covering the fact that the stripper Wally was currently inhabiting had stopped in front of Dick and had her mouth nearly drop open in shock.
Dick beckoned him down closer as if to tell him why, why he had sacrificed so much. Wally bent over best he could at the waist, keeping his balance in the impractical footwear without toppling down into Dick's face.
The brat leered and stuffed a few more crumpled bills into the non-cleavage of what felt like a ridiculously, too empty bra.
Later Dick had laughed and and told him he was just acting so Wally could have an excuse to finish the set and leave the stage to have a semi-private chat with him in the champagne room. Wally still wasn't sure if Dick was telling the truth or had hacked Ziggy so he could see them how the rest of the world did when it suited him.
It wasn't till after they had busted the smuggling ring run out of the club and they were about to leap together for the first time did he remember again that yeah, he wasn't alone.
At any rate it now became tradition that his best friend would utter those syllables post leap no matter what kind of awkward situations or bizarre scenarios maybe for luck or maybe just to remind him that they'd get through whatever it was together.
This time seemed pretty straightforward at least. They were alone, the windows of what looked like a pick up truck fogged up. Through the windshield they seemed to be at some sort of park or scenic overlook.
The fact that Wally's face was two inched away from Dick's bare navel, hand slowly pulling down the zipper of Dick's poodle skirt made him deduce they were young lovers at a make out point some time in the 50's.
Wally stopped his traitorous hands and chuckled. While it was entirely alluring picture, Dick's tiny mary janes up on the dashboard as knee socks pointed the way back down his thighs where the fluff of skirt gathered between his lean but strong, shapely legs. Whoever Dick was in had been wearing a blouse but either her or whoever Wally was had already unbuttoned it and pushed it off her shoulders, bra was also missing in action too because his friends toned (and underage, he had to remind himself) chest was bare. It didn't spoil the image. It added to it somehow, and the fact the make up stayed on his face, except the red smear of lipstick that had pushed off her lips and across part of his cheek.
Like ravished innocence.
Wally was going to make a comment. Give him a hard time. Ask him a question. Where were they? When were they? Who were they? What were they here for? Any one of those would do. Anytime now.
He just needed to look a little bit longer.
He was surprised Dick was letting him. The bright blue eyes highlighted in rose shadow and inky eye liner were inviting him to look as long as he pleased through dark charcoal bangs.
He should ask a question. Or give Dick a compliment. Would that be weird to tell your bro, your best bud that he was…
His mouth went dry trying to conceive of the word that would fit. That would describe and suddenly he realized he might be blushing. Might have been for a while now, actually.
The truck door flew open startling the pair and the rush of cold night made Dick curl into himself with a shiver that caught Wally's eye. He should have been watching the door as large hands roughly yanked him out of the cab and onto the ground.
A man in his forties sneered down at Wally threateningly as he cursed and kicked dirt in his direction.
"You dirty whore! That's Kane's daughter you're necking with! You sick pervert! Do you have any idea what her family could do to us!? Is this how all your tutoring sessions go?!"
Shit. Wally wasn't prepared for this at all. He really should have gotten around to asking those questions.
The man pulled Wally off the ground and sneered at Dick. Wally was up in a flash and putting himself in front of his friend after retrieving the missing blouse for him.
"Oh that's how it is?! FINE!"
The man stomped away and Wally let himself take a breath before working on fastening the buttons on Dick's blouse in almost light speed.
"Wally, I can do this. Go after him."
"What, why?"
"Because the ring on your finger says you're his wife and Ziggy says that something happens in the next twenty four hours where the two of us and your hubby end up dead. You need to keep an eye on him."
Wally realized now the slacks he was wearing were women's and that there were two shades of lipstick on Dick's lips. The red smeared almost across his cheek matched the color on his own. There was indeed a wedding band on his finger.
Okay so maybe this leap wasn't so straight forward after all.
"Right. Murders to prevent. Tolerance to instill. Happy endings to ensure."
"Sounds about right." As Wally turned to go, Dick stopped him and wiped at the corner of Wally's mouth with his light colored sleeve, removing the last of a similar lipstick smear.
With the touch it occurred to Wally again that Dick was really here with him. That meant they'd figure this out and everything was going to be okay and then they'd leap together again.
"There you go."
"Dick, Thanks."
Dick looked up into Wally's eyes at that, seemingly sensing the added weight. The additional meaning, before grinning.
"Of course dude. I'll always be here for you. Always."
And if Wally heard a little extra weight and meaning there too, he probably couldn't grin any wider to show it.
