Title: bloody bird
Prompt: Once again, a friend telling me to stop writing sads
Characters: Dick Grayson, Kaldur'ahm
Words: 380
A/N: This is essentially what happens when I have resorted to writing on twitter and want to torture my friends
~o~
He tries to arch his neck up - get a better view of what's happening around him - but there's a screaming, hot pressure on his chest, and blood is forcing itself up the back of his throat. His best effort is to roll his head to the side; his eyes dart around wildly, stretching in his skull. He can only see an obscure, cloudy view of the fight around him, and he tries to focus his eyes on the quick, dancing feet of Batgirl as she tries to dodge the attacks of the Atlantean in front of her.
Dick can tell that she's not focusing properly. She's distracted - she's distracted because of /him/ - and he instantly curses himself for letting his guard down so easily and putting her into this situation. For assuming that Kaldur was on their side - for not thinking about what Manta and the Light could have done to him while trying to retrieve his memories. He kicks himself for not concerning himself earlier, when Wally words: "how do you know that he's not playing you too?" were ringing through his head, or when he realized that it had been three weeks since he had heard from Artemis - since she told him what M'gann had done to Kaldur. He was under the foolish, childish impression that it'll all work out okay. That everything will still go according to plan. That maybe they'll all be able to one day go back to the cave - all of them, as it was five years ago - and everything will be easy again.
Kaldur finally manages to knock Batgirl unconscious, flinging her into a stack of crates off to the side, and Dick opens his mouth to try and call out. All he manages however, is a strangled, bubbling noise and a cough; blood sprays out from his lips. Kaldur, noticing him again, walks over slowly to tower above him, looking down with a stone-faced expression.
"Kal-" Dick coughs out. "Kaldur…plea- please…I'm your…I'm your friend…" Kaldur continues to stare down at Dick boredly.
"I do not know you," Kaldur says robotically, as his water bearer forms a sword and he brings it down to meet the bird insignia on Dick's chest once again.