I've been looking for an excuse to write this- I couldn't get another ship to sing this song (I blame Peter) and I'm sooooo happy Wally is a cooperative character to write.

Thank you for your encouragement so far! It means a lot to me.

The further north they went, the more snow they began to see along the side of the road. It was sheer luck they were driving on dry roads; according to his phone's alert, there was a large system moving into the area that night with a projected foot of snow, possibly more at the altitude of their resort.

When Wally turned them onto the narrow road leading up the mountain, snow began to pepper the windshield.

"Ooo! Look, Dick!" Wally grinned at the small flurries.

"Yes, snow. Great." He leaned his head against the window again. Besides their banter, and earlier discussion, the ride had been boring. Back home, snow meant most criminals took the night off. It made for a safer day, but then the first night without snow would be full of those same criminals trying to make up for lost time. It meant longer, and more dangerous, nights of patrol.

Wally stuck his tongue out. "You get snow all the time. Central gets maybe a dusting if we're lucky. Well, unless Cold is out and about. But even then, it's more ice than snow."

"Then you can go play in it. I'm going to stay in the room, where it is warm, and catch up on my research."

"Like hell." Wally slowed as they pulled up to the building, carefully parking in the spot for drop off and pick up. Once the car was off, he turned fully to Dick. "You're helping me build a snowman."

"Yea, no." Dick unbuckled himself and stepped out of the vehicle. He followed Wally, who dropped the subject far too easily for his comfort.

The wind picked up as they crossed the lot to the entrance, it blew his bangs painfully against his face, and it put 'get a haircut' further up on his to-do list. It didn't bode well if the storm was hitting already. The short walk wasn't bad, but he did wish he'd worn something a little warmer. They both only had on light jackets, their heavy coats packed away in the trunk.

Wally led him into building, through the double set of doors, and to the main desk. He stood slightly behind Wally as he checked in with the overly cheerful lady at the desk. The decor was rustic, reminding him more of a hunting cabin than a luxury resort. A fire was burning in the sitting area in front of the desk and he spied another set of chairs and a couch near the large back windows. It was cozy.

He tuned back into Wally's conversation as he was handed two keys to their room. The attendant gave them quick directions- down the hall, up the stairs- before grabbing a sheet of paper off the printer behind her.

"Alrighty, behind you here is the stairs leading to the tavern and restaurant." Dick turned to see a large set of stairs leading downstairs. "Your dinner reservation for tomorrow night is set for 6pm in the main dining room. If you are planning on dining with us tonight, I suggest setting reservations now, it's already filling up. Let's see, and I have your couple's massages set for 10am tomorrow, then your sleigh ride at 3pm."

She was giving directions to the spa and barn, but Dick tuned her out. Not once had Wally mentioned anything about couple's massages or sleigh rides. Or… or…

"... and would you like us to send your champagne and truffles up a while?"

"Uh, um.. could you bring it up later tonight?" Wally stuttered out as he signed the check-in form.

"Sure thing. Wonderful, all set. Enjoy your stay, I'm here if you have any questions."

They both mumbled out a thanks and moved to the hall. "So," Dick sighed, "let's find the room then bring our bags up?"

Wally nodded and rubbed his elbow. "Um, this way, I think."

Their room was upstairs at the far end of the lodge. Above the wooden door was a carved wood sign labeling the room as 'Lover's Retreat'. Fantastic. Wally unlocked the door and pushed it forward, motioning for Dick to enter as he held the door open.

"So, yea." The door closed with a solid thud. "I couldn't change rooms…"

Dick swallowed as he looked around the room. There was a sitting area with two leather chairs in front of the fireplace and behind them was a small kitchen. At least it wasn't filled with frills, lace, and hearts. It was decorated similarly to the main lobby: wood and leather.

"Sweet!" Wally zipped around the corner of the enclosed fireplace, tapping on the glass on the other side.

Dick rolled his eyes at his friend's antics before bending down to look through to Wally. On the other side was the bed, and he could see what may have been a couch.

Wally grinned. "Doctor?"

"Your British accent sucks." It earned him a middle finger and a lopsided grin. He stood back up to walk around the fireplace where the sleeping area was. "I'll take the couch."

"Pffft." Wally pulled him forward by his shoulders, turned him around and pushed him onto the 'couch'. "Dude, you're more than welcome to sleep on this, but I don't see how that's physically possible -or comfortable."

It was a leather love seat, comfortable enough for them to sit on side by side, but not enough room for him to lay out. He shrugged, forcing down his growing panic as he stretched out. "I'm flexible."

Wally blinked at him. "Ooookay. Yea, not letting you kill your neck. Dude, the bed's a king, plenty of room."

He turned around and scrutinized the bed; yes, it was large, but would he be able to keep his unconscious self from erasing the distance between them? From previous relationships he knew he was prone to sleep snuggling.

Wally slid onto the couch next to him and snaked an arm around his shoulders, pulling him against Wally's side. "Like we've never shared a bed before. Feh!"

"We were kids…" And he had stopped doing so when he realized his feelings for Wally were not so platonic. Soon after, they stopped having sleepovers all together; Dick always had an excuse to leave early, or a reason Wally couldn't stay the night. It usually involved a mask and some rooftops.

The warmth around his shoulders was removed and Wally stretched. He instantly missed the warmth, more so when Wally stood and walked back to the sitting area without glancing back.

"I guess we should bring the bags up," Dick said as he walked around to join his friend.

Wally was standing in front of the window, the curtains now pulled open to reveal the view of the mountains and lake. It was beautiful, covered in a layer of snow, and low clouds hid the peaks from view. It was stunning, and it reminded him again of how far from the city they were.

"Yea," Wally sighed, not bothering to turn around. "I need to move the car to the main lot too."

Dick swallowed at the sudden melancholy in his friend's voice. "I'm going to wizz first. I'll meet you at the car."

Wally nodded and turned around, grabbing his keys before heading out the front door. Dick shook his head as he crossed back to where the bathroom was. It wasn't like Wally to have sudden mood swings, it was less like him to go from jovially teasing him to all but refusing to look at him. He replayed their conversation but couldn't figure it out. It happened when he mentioned how they would hang out as kids. But, he had pulled away a bit during the car ride too.

He swung open the bathroom door, fully expecting the usual tub and shower combo with a sickly looking toilet in the corner. But no, Wally did go all out for Artemis. The walk-in shower was tucked into the right wall and sported three shower heads, and there was a separate tub that looked large enough to fit half the team. He was used to such opulence from living at the manor, and boy did he ever miss the bathrooms. His current apartment didn't even have a tub.

When he left the bathroom, no more than 30 seconds later, Wally was setting down what appeared to be the last of the luggage. Everything was in a pile, coats included.

He raised a cautious eyebrow, unsure if Wally's mood had improved. "Isn't it a little risky to be speedstering around in the day time?"

"I was careful." Wall shrugged. "I put your laptop bag on your side of the bed."

Dick swallowed, his mind jumping to what sort of implications 'his side of the bed' held. "Thanks."

"I'm going to head down. There's some sleds available… and a steep hill." He paused to pull his boots and a sweater out of his luggage. "I'm thinking: build a snowman army at the bottom of the hill and sled down to destroy them." He turned around with a devilish grin, "Are you in?"

Dick eyed the bed. If he took another nap now, he would be fine to stay up all night working on his laptop- there was a case he could look into even from there. He would just wait until Wally fell asleep, then sneak to the other room. No awkward snuggling. No early morning love confessions.

"You have fun. I'm going to take a nap."

"Loser."

"You're the one who told me I need to relax more."

He eyed Wally as he began to add layers. It was odd, wasn't it, that he would speed to bring their luggage in, but not to put on his snow gear. The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he refrained, unsure how Wally would react to such an accusatory question.

His brows knit together as he sat on the side of the bed. Why didn't he know how Wally would react? And why did it matter, they had always been close enough to ask each other the 'taboo' questions. The sudden realization hit him: they were already growing apart. And they had been for some time. Since Wally returned, the only time they spent together was group events- then they had that solid chunk when Artemis left, which wasn't really bonding, it was just… being there. In the nearly two years Wally had been back, he could count the times they hung out on one hand. Pathetic.

The zipper on Wally's luggage pulled him back to the present. To his friend. They had all weekend to hang out. His eyes followed Wally as he tried to find a way to fix it. Wally walked around the corner to the sitting room without a word, then his head popped around the corner. His knuckles rapped on the wall, sounding out a familiar pattern. Dick had baby sat Lian enough times to know what was going to come out of Wally's mouth before the first syllable reached his ears.

"~Do you wanna build a snowman?~ Come on lets go and play~" Wally took a few steps forward. "~ I never see you anymore ~ Come out the door~ It's like you've gone away~"

Dick swallowed around the growing lump in his throat. He knew how the song went- Lian had him sing to her on multiple occasions, much to Roy's entertainment. His previous thoughts returned; had Wally realized they were growing apart as well?

Wally was right in front of him, never once breaking song. "~ We used to be best buddies ~ ~And now we're not~~ I wish you would tell me why!~~Do you wanna build a snowman?~"

Dick answered in song, "~It doesn't have to be a snowman~" He reached up and pulled Wally down into his arms. "I'm sorry Walls. Shit. I didn't try to- I want us to still be best buddies."

Warm arms circled his waist. "We are. I'm just as much at fault… I spent so much time with her, even before…"

Dick took a deep breath against Wally's shoulder, taking in the scent of his cologne along with the much needed air. He didn't like thinking about Wally's death- no, disappearance- and he had thought about it more than enough for one day.

Wally took a matching breath before pulling away slightly. "We'll hang out again- soon- after this trip, okay?"

Dick grinned, "Yea, one where neither of us is getting sloppy seconds."

"Hey, this room is not sloppy!"

"It will be after you're done living in it for a few days."

"Geez, see if I ever invite you for a bro weekend to a romantic trip I originally planned for- okay, sloppy seconds. Sorry." He at least did look sorry.

"I'll take whatever time I can get." He was growing increasingly aware of the warm arms still around his waist.

"So, snoman army?"

"Fine, fine." Dick playfully pushed Wally away so he could retrieve his own snow gear. As he tugged on his boots he sighed, paused, and looked up to Wally. "I was planning on staying up to work on a case, you know."

It earned him a scowl. "R-E-L-A-X-"

"Yea, yea. Well, I'm just going to warn you now: I have a bad habit of sleep snuggling. Don't kill me if you wake up to me using you as a pillow or something." He bent his head, pretending to lace his boots to hide was felt like an obvious blush. He didn't hear anything from Wally for a few seconds then a loud guffaw filled the room. A quick look back up revealed Wally holding his sides as he doubled over with laughter.

"S-Seriously? D-dude. Do you have any idea how many times I had to pry you off of me when I woke up for a snack in the middle of the night?" He sunk down against the wall, wiping his eyes. "Yo-you had no idea, did you?"

Dick ducked his head back down. He thought it began with Zatanna- had he really done it to Wally when they were kids? Mortified didn't begin to describe it. He was more glad than ever he stopped their sleepovers when he began to like-like Wally.

Wally's laughter died down. "Dude, whoa. If it bothers you that much we can make a pillow barrier or something."

"What, no!" Dick dragged a hand over his face. "No, I mean… I'm not against-you- just, I mean, you... " He sighed. "Yea, a pillow barrier should work."

Wally stood back up and grabbed his coat, then headed toward the door. "That army isn't going to build itself."

Dick sighed, taking the offered change of subject. "No using your speed to make your army quicker." He pulled his coat on and chased after Wally. Maybe he should just push the limits like he used to. He was always tiptoeing around asking about Wally's speed, about his time 'gone', about why he was so adamant on living a 'normal life'... "Actually, I have a question about that…"

Thank you for reading!

They will discus more about feelings, friendship, and the impending 'couples' things next chapter. More awkward to come- I promise it will lead to romance :)