*Ok so this is official birdflash now, sorry if some of you didn't know that that's where it was goin' :x
Dick was dying to beat something up. Even though he had caught a cold, he decided suit up as Nightwing to go on a recon mission with Superboy. He was done with all these mixed up feelings inside of him. The only way Dick could cope now was by doing his job.
Nightwing and Superboy stood on the roof of a warehouse to observe a corporation suspected of smuggling stolen tech. It was only simple recon mission.
He and Superboy watched the potential criminals across the street and collected data. For once, Dick prayed the mission would take a wrong turn so he could fight the criminals instead of watching them. Dick needed some action. After what happened that morning, he could hardly control his rage. He kept thinking about all the things he said to Wally that he never intended to vocalize. That he hated Artemis. That he doesn't like being a hero the same way. That he felt betrayed.
Nightwing noticed a particularly heavy set man next to a truck. He would be a good fight Nightwing thought to himself. He scanned the men and wanted desperately to take each one of them down. His temptations caused Nightwing to stand up and prepare to go down to fight, but stopped himself.
I better avoid any unnecessary conflict Nightwing decided. He was unwilling to make a fool of himself in front anyone ever again.
Superboy sat as he looked through his binoculars. He was wearing the unintentionally angry expression he always wore.
"That should be enough for today." Superboy concluded. Nightwing nodded in agreement while having a coughing fit.
"You ok?" Superboy asked. Nightwing placed his gloved hand on his head and could still detect a fever.
"I'm fine." Nightwing lied. "It's just a small cough."
"Not that." Superboy got up and looked up at the teen. His expression was a mixture of anger and puzzlement.
"Did you go through a tough breakup or something?" Superboy questioned. Dick's eyes showed surprise that was hidden by his mask.
"No, why would you say that?" Nightwing responded nonchalantly. Dick was in hero mode. He was not going to let himself sound flustered.
Superboy looked unconvinced. He observed up and down the muscular teen.
"Well someone must have messed with your heart." Superboy concluded. "You're acting weird and I know that expression. You can only look like that after someone's ripped your heart out. Trust me. That face is very familiar."
Nightwing blushed slightly in response to Superboy's suggestion. Dick couldn't go around Superboy's instinct, but he was going to try.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Nightwing began to jump to the next rooftop over. Superboy followed closely behind.
"Look Nightwing, you've got to sort things out or your head won't be in the game. "
Nightwing pretended not to hear Superboy's comments as they travelled roof to roof.
"When M'gann and I spilt, I was sloppy and angrier than usual. That's no way to fight."
Superboy paused.
"I guess when you're in love with someone that you have to leave, it really takes its toll…" Superboy mumbled.
In love?
That notion caught Nightwing off guard. He tripped and began to fall off of the roof top when Superboy caught him. Connor smirked.
"I knew it." Superboy said proudly. He picked up Nightwing in one swift motion and put him on the roof. Nightwing brushed himself off in embarrassment. Dick was unsure why that one sentence made lose his focus.
"Fine, I'm having issues. " Nightwing sighed. Superboy raised an eyebrow. "But it's just a friend problem." Nightwing added quickly.
"Yeah, sure." Conner teased. "Well friend problems wouldn't make you this clumsy." Superboy lifted Nightwing's eskrima sticks from behind his back.
"What?" Nightwing frantically searched himself for his weapons. When did he take them? He wondered. Superboy handed Nightwing his sticks.
"Thanks…" Nightwing said quietly.
"Look, I know it's none of my business about what you do when you're not Nightwing. But if you want to lead a team, you have to be in it 100 percent." Connor turned to leave. His back was to Nightwing.
"Sort out what you need to. But don't try to instruct anyone until you're head's on straight." Connor called sphere and he was gone.
Nightwing stood there, still as a statue. The night air blew his hair gently. He was feeling lousy, but most of all confused. He took a seat at the building's edge.
Wally is my friend, and that's all he is to me. Dick repeated in his mind. But he knew Connor had a point. Friends don't get this hot and bothered about these things. And friends shouldn't become this spacey thinking about them. Is that what Wally is? My friend?
Dick dangled his feet and looked down at the streets. They were so far away. I wonder how Wally would react if I jumped. Dick thought. Dick immediately shook away that unhealthy thinking. Why was that the first thing that came to mind? Dick stood up and wandered on the roof. His fever cooled with the chill of the air. It helped him concentrate.
Dick began to ponder the night before. He remembered how he told Wally that he hated his girlfriend. I shouldn't hate Artemis. Dick admitted. He thought about how he and Artemis fought side by side. He exhaled.
"Well, I don't really. She's my friend…" Dick spoke to himself. After a long inner conflict he started to recognize that this feeling wasn't hate.
"I guess I was jealous." Dick said in defeat. He looked around him to assure himself that no one was listening to him talk to himself. He was confident he was alone. Dick became less tense.
Friends shouldn't be jealous of other friends. Not this much anyways. Dick accepted. Superboy's words struck him again.
"I guess when you're in love with someone that you have to leave, it really takes its toll…"
"I can't be in love with Wally!" Dick practically shouted. His voice softly echoed against the buildings.
"That's… impossible." Dick thought of himself as a ladies' man. He could, and had, dated any girl he wanted to. But he never acted this way about any girl. In fact, no one made him this emotionally unstable. Dick gripped his head with force trying to deny the obvious.
He searched his mind for a contradiction in Superboy's theory. The more Dick searched, the more he realized there wasn't any. Wally was extremely important to him. Wally was always the one who was there for him. He was the only one who knew his identity, the only one to know him as Nightwing and Dick Grayson. There were so many things Dick appreciated about Wally that it crossed the borderline of simple friendship.
He knew for a long time that Wally was very important to him, but until now he never admitted why that is. Dick stood up and looked at the city bellow him. He was done lying to himself.
"Fine. I'll say it." Even in solitude Dick needed to pause in embarrassment. "I'm in love with Wally West."