"Come on Wally!" With childlike glee, Dick dragged his best friend up the sloping hill, laughing as he stumbled over grassy tufts and shrubs. "We're gonna miss the fireworks!"
It was the Fourth of July, and Bruce and Barry were out of League business, so Wally was staying at Wayne manor with Dick and Alfred. They had already gone to the Garrick's annual Fourth of July Barbeque, but now they were running up one of the hills on the edge of Gotham in preparation for the fireworks show.
"Slow down!" Wally's nervous cry made Dick skid to a stop. Whipping around, he grabbed the ginger by his shoulders, a serious expression on his face.
"Wally. Did you, a speedster, really just ask me to slow down?" His mock seriousness was broken by a devilish smile.
In order to avoid inevitable teasing, Wally spoke quickly. "Come on, there are roots and bushes everywhere, I'm gonna trip!"
"Never stopped you before." Dick's smile grew; eyes taunting.
"Fine, you want fast? I'll give you fast!" Wally's frown morphed into a smirk, and with a whoosh, he swept Dick off his feet and ran up the hill, unceremoniously dumping his cargo when he reached the top. Apparently, Dick found this hilarious, laughing heartily as he picked himself up off the ground.
"Gee, what's got you so happy?" Wally looked quizzically at the laughing boy. "Not that I mind," he added quickly, "I'm just curious."
Dick laughed again. "I guess I'm just excited for the fireworks." Spreading out the blanket they had brought, he sat down with a smile. "You see, I really love stargazing, but there obviously aren't many stars to see here." He gestured to the smog filled sky. "So the fireworks are the closest thing."
Wally grinned. "Stargazing, eh? Interesting hobby for the Boy Wonder."
The ebony's eyes softened. "Yeah, I guess it is, but my parents and I used to stargaze every night."
At the mention of Dick's parents, Wally's smile was replaced by a morose expression. "Oh… sorry for bringing them up."
"No, it's okay. It's a good memory." Dick smiled over at Wally. "Over the years, I've realized that I'm not going to be able to forget them — and I don't want to — so it's not going to do any go do me any good if I pretend it never happened. Might as well focus on the happy times, right?"
Wally smiled tentatively, surprised and proud of his friend's epiphany. "Yeah, you're right. So, do you want to tell me about it? About them?"
"Yeah." The way Dick's eyes lit up, Wally couldn't help but grin. A sudden boom interrupted them. As sparks showered the sky, Dick leaned back to observe. "Looks like the fireworks started."
They sat there in silence for the next few fireworks before Dick spoke again.
"Every night, they'd take me stargazing. If we were on a train, my dad would open the door to the roof and we'd all lie below it. Once I was old enough, he would even take me on the roof sometimes." Eyes still trained on the lightshow, Dick broke into a grin. "It was great. On the days we were set up for a performance, they'd take me outside and my mom would tell the stories of the constellations before I fell asleep. Then they'd carry me to bed and tuck me in."
"Wow." Wally was in awe. "Every night? That's impressive."
"Yeah, every night." Dick smiled proudly. "And on the days we couldn't see the stars; Mom would tape some paper over a flashlight and poke holes in it. We'd shine it on the ceiling and then make up constellations of our own." By then, the fireworks were slowing down, preparing for the finale.
"Your parents sound amazing."
With that, an explosion of lights signaled the end of the fireworks show, and the beginning of a night full of stories.
"Yeah, they really were."