This chapter's kind of short, but it was two days in a row with uploads! You guys should be considered lucky I couldn't actually wait to get this chapter written out and out of the way. Now, this is where the complications start. From this point on: Beware of sappy teenage drama! :D

Enjoy!

Mount Justice

October 6, 15: 48 EDT

I tapped my foot in rhythm to the beat of the soft music playing in the living room. It was nice to be relaxing and listening to melodies for a change. After the last mission and school time, I had been exhausted to the very core.

Artemis stood next to me; doing the homework that Gotham Academy had assigned her. We were both leaning on the kitchen's marble counter, looking out at the Team lounging in the sofas. Dick had already finished his homework, and was eating ice cream with Wally behind us.

Kaldur sat on the floor, back resting on one of the couches, and head buried deep in a book. M'Gann and Conner sat next to each other, petting Wolf as we all listened to the music.

It was a relatively quiet morning, Dinah and Ollie had decided to leave me with my friends and go out on a date. The rest of the Justice League was either lounging about in the Watchtower as there were no missions today, or at their civilian jobs.

"Do you know the answer to number seven?" Artemis muttered, poking me with the eraser of her pencil.

I nodded, and proceeded to quietly explain to her the math equation and how to solve it. I didn't want to disrupt the tranquil silence we had for once, so as soon as I was done talking, I kept silent.

There was nothing any of us needed to say; at least, we didn't think we had to utter a word. I could have closed my eyes at that minute an imagined myself in my bedroom at night, all curled up under the covers, complete silence, and the air conditioner on full blast.

"It's nice," I whispered to Artemis, "We haven't had a quiet day in weeks."

She nodded, "School and missions are more time consuming that I thought it would be."

I felt a presence stand next to me, and I smiled at him. "You finished the English homework?"

Dick's eyes widened behind the sunglasses, "That's due tomorrow…"

I smirked, and whispered as to not disturb everyone else, "Yes it is, Wonder Boy."

Dick made a pause. It was very short, and if you hadn't been close to him, you wouldn't have seen the way his eyes clouded over. He suddenly gave me a faint kiss on the cheek, "Thank you for reminding me, D!" He bolted out of the Cave, probably about to get his homework from the Wayne Manor.

I had absolutely no words to describe how much I loved it when Dick showed me that he cared. I adored it when he grabbed my hand for comfort, kissed my cheek when he was proud or grateful of me, and hugged me when I most needed it. His words though, those were the ones that really got me.

Artemis let out a breezy chuckle, "He so likes you!"

I let a small smile overcome my features, "Maybe…Just maybe, but don't make me get my hopes up."

If I became too hopeful, too sure, that Dick actually felt a romantic attraction towards me, and it wasn't like that, I would be devastated. Just imagining myself being all happy and sure about Dick and I getting together, but then him going off and dating another girl, that would tear me to shreds.

It would be so dolorous that it would be almost impossible to handle the pain. It wasn't just because of Dick going off with another girl, but it was the fact that I had let myself be too arrogant about the situation.

"—Diana?" Artemis waved a hand in front of my face, making me blink repeatedly. She snickered, and whispered in my ear, "Look at Baywatch!"

I turned around, thinking that Wally would still be stuffing his face with chocolate ice cream, but instead of eating, he was actually in the living room where the rest of our friends were.

Wally was flirting with M'Gann, yet again, but something had drastically changed in the whole situation. M'Gann was with Conner, she knew that for certain now, and didn't feel comfortable with Wally's obvious moves to make her warm up to him.

M'Gann's face was slightly cringed up in discomfort, and her lips were pressed in a tight line, trying to be polite to Wally as to not hurt his feelings. Conner's fist was holding tightly to the sofa's cover, you could tell he didn't like Wally's obvious flirting with M'Gann.

Wolf sat awkwardly on the side, not really knowing if to go or stay, but he sensed that there was a shift in the air around him. Everyone, even Kaldur and Wally, were getting tense by the scene unfolding in front of them.

Kaldur slowly moved to stand next to Artemis and I, and gave us a heavy sigh. "Here it goes…"

Here was the thing; Wally wasn't stupid like you first got the impression of him being. He was actually a very intelligent teenage boy, and he knew when something wasn't right. Wally was great at reading body language, so when he sensed that M'Gann was more uncomfortable than he planned her on being, and Conner's angry behavior, he moved away.

Wally's retreat was very subtle at first; he started with toning down on the flirting to more of a playful banter that M'Gann actually had the pleasure of joining into. One look at Conner's face, though, and Wally came barreling into the kitchen again.

"Wow, Baywatch," Artemis smirked, "That was so smooth."

Wally didn't answer her, didn't even bother looking up from the refrigerator. I found that action extremely odd, and when he sat down on the table, chugging milk from the bottle, I knew that he was hurt.

I walked over to him, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Hey, Wally?"

He looked up, and his eyes were so sad. "Yeah…?"

I gave him a sad smile, thinking up a plan to make him feel better. "We should go to that park you've been telling me about all week! I'm feeling like playing tag with a speedster today, what do you say?"

Wally tried giving me a grin, but it turned into a grimace. "Thanks, but no thanks."

I shook my head, "Aw, common, Wally! Just you and me playing tag? I know you've been wanting to take on a time manipulator on Hide n' Seek for a while!"

Wally looked up, and shrugged. "I guess winning a game of Hide n' Seek wouldn't be so bad."

I was about to stand up, and ask Artemis or Kaldur if they wanted to come with, but Wally grabbed my arm. "Can it be just the two of us? Please?" He whispered, eyes pleading.

I raised an eyebrow, but kept silenced. I knew that Wally needed some time to recover from the obvious rejection M'Gann did, and I suppose that since I was the one who knew him best here, he wanted to talk to just me.

"All right, Wallman." I turned to the rest of our friends. "We're going out, be back in an hour!"

I took Wally's wrist and hauled him to the zeta beams just when Artemis decided to make a comment, "What should we tell your boyfriend?"

I smirked, rolling my eyes. "Tell him his two best friends went out for a walk! I'm sure he won't mind us going out for a little bit!"

I wrapped an arm around Wally's back, urging him to do the same to my shoulders. He smiled warmly at me, and poked his tongue out for a good measure. Wally wanted me to know that he was going to hold up just fine, no matter how much that rejection had hurt him.

The zeta beams transported us to Star City, and we were deposited next to a seventy's bar. The sun was just starting to set behind the skyline, and the oranges really stood out that evening. It was beautiful, and I knew that the sight lifted Wally's spirits just a little bit more.

We walked in silence through the streets, roaming about in an attempt to find the fastest way to the quaint little park Wally had found one day while running around the city on an errand.

Wally had described the park as beautiful, with a little pond in the middle and over looking the ocean side. The breeze came in pleasantly, and the colors of the sky could really be made out. I was excited to be able to see what had gotten Wally so in love with something other than girls, food, and science.

I turned to Wally, "Wanna talk about what happened back at the Cave?"

He sighed, and shook his head gently. "No…not yet, I want to get to the park first."

I could see that his eyes were dimmed, as if the energy had been sucked right out of him. His footsteps seemed a bit heavier than usual, and there was no goofy smile on his face.

It unnerved me to see him so drained.

When we arrived at the park, I had been thinking of ways to make Wally feel better, so I wasn't able to really enjoy the panorama until we plopped down on a metal bench.

I heard Wally sigh contently next to me, finally letting a smile overcome him. That's when I realised that what lay in front of us was what made him so joyful all of a sudden.

I looked out at the horizon, and was overwhelmed by all the colours around me. The oranges and pinks of the sky grazed the greens of the grass and the trees softly, making the leaves reflect some of the light. The ocean held a sparkle in it as the sun set farther and farther beneath the horizon. There were some clouds littered here and there, making the sky look like a painting.

I smiled at Wally, and he looked back at me, his gaze softening. "Thanks for coming here with me, Diana. I needed that."

I gave him a light bump on the side, "What are best friends for?"

We sat in silence for a little while, just basking in the sight before us. I hadn't seen nature showing how truly wonderful it was since, well, a long time. I had missed the simple beauty of things, and finally, I was seeing it once again.

"I acted like such a sissy." Wally sighed, scowling at himself. "I mean, sure, M'Gann might have ignored me this time, but it isn't something to cry over!"

I gave him a disapproving look, "Wally, you have the right to get upset over that! If that had been me, I would have acted a little bit more maturely, but I still would have gotten depressed for a little while!"

Wally rubbed his eyes, and I gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. "I could tell you really liked M'Gann, and it wasn't just because of her appearance."

"Yeah, I—I guess that I liked her more than even I knew I did." Wally gazed at me, his eyes full of misery. "I just…I didn't actually expect her to push me away from her! All this time, she's been so tolerant about my flirting that I thought that she would never complain about it!"

I ruffled his hair, "You arrogant little speedster! Well, sometimes things change for the better. You know this better than anyone."

Wally smiled, but it was soon wiped away. "Diana, can I tell you something?"

I nodded, "You can tell me anything, Wallman."

Wally took in a deep shaky breath. "Things haven't been…going so well in school for me."

I glared at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Another pause, "I've been…getting bullied. But! You can't help me, not today or tomorrow! I need to figure this one out on my own this time."

I growled deep in my throat, so Wally wasn't the most popular kid in the world, but that didn't mean he had to have some brutes make fun of him! Wally saved the world almost every single day as Kid Flash!

Wally stroked my head comfortingly, "It's nice that you worry for me, mom, but hear me out. M'Gann rejecting me isn't the only thing that made me burst out so badly back in the Cave. It's the fact that other kids are bullying me at school, too. Those two things combined…I guess it overwhelmed me."

"Wally, you need to stand up for yourself! You can't just—"

"Diana, I can't do that!" Wally's eyes were starting to glisten, my face reflecting more clearly on them. "I just…I need someone to be there for me if it gets too bad, okay? I want that person to be you. You're the one person in the Team that I trust most, please, don't make me to fight against them."

I sighed, not wanting Wally to get away with this. He needed to stand up for himself; he needed to stop people from hurting him. His school life hasn't always been rainbows and sunshine, but he should change that, and this was his opportunity.

As Kid Flash, Wally had big amounts of confidence. Kid Flash was a superhero, a crime fighter, and the protégé of the Flash. Kid Flash had saved entire countries and families before, but Wally hadn't.

Wally needed to channel that confidence and strength that Kid Flash possessed to his life. It was a journey he needed to take alone, though, and it was better that I didn't interfere. This was something that Wally needed to understand by himself, and take charge of it.

"Wallace West, I am not happy with you." I sighed, giving him the evil eye. "But if this is your choice, then I guess I'll have to go with it…"

Wally grinned in relieve, and made a bold move to kiss my cheek. Wally was just like a big brother, a best friend, to me, so the physical affection didn't affect me like how it did when Dick did it.

"Thank you, Diana!"

Wally's eyes gave him away, though. There was this sadness and hidden strength in them that showed me how truly broken this boy was. He had gone through his dad going to jail, his mother dying, and having to go live with his uncle and aunt.

This was the face of a boy in need of a friend. I was indeed going to be that friend that he needed so desperately, anything to help a person dear to me.

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Gotham City

October 6, 20: 32 EDT

"Dick, you really need to stop coming to my house without a notice." I rolled my eyes at the raven-haired boy as he stashed his grappling hook in a basket with magazines in it.

"I've never heard you complain." Dick winked at me, laying horizontally on my bed, and gesturing for me to sit next to him.

I gave him a small affectionate smile, and moved slowly to him. He opened his arms wide open, as if expecting me to give him a hug as he lay there, but I shook my head teasingly, deciding to sit next to him.

Dick's puppy eyes appeared, making my insides melt. "I'm not getting a hug? But I wanted one!"

I laughed at his silly words, and gave into his wishes. As soon as Dick saw that I was going to embrace him, he grabbed me and pushed me down to his chest.

I was currently sitting in a very awkward position, my torso was all twisted and I was stretching a muscle further than it had ever been before. I relocated myself, lying down next to him, my head on his chest.

Dick sighed contently, "We haven't done this in such a long time…"

I looked up at him, a hint of a smile on my words. "You mean lying down with each other?"

"Yeah…I missed this."

We laid for a while, just enjoying each other's presence. My head was spinning pleasantly, and my heart hammering inside my chest. I hadn't been this close to him ever since August. Dick was right; we hadn't done this in such a long time, and I had missed it, too.

In my opinion, this was a very valuable moment with Dick. Most people would say that an important moment with your loved one, if they are a superhero, is when you're in a mission trying to fight crime. There's the uncertainty on either of you not coming out alive.

I didn't think that was the most important moment, though. It was times like this, when the two of us could just relax and sink into the warmth each of our body's pulsed off that was truly exhilarating.

Just the fact that Dick and I could be in the same room, not muttering a word to each other and be in complete comfort was a wonderful thing. Words were not needed in this situation, when it came to Dick and I being alone in a room, we preferred the silence.

Gosh, we could have been doing the laundry for two whole hours and words would have barely been exchanged between us!

Dick and I had almost of a silent language that we used only for us two, and if we were alone together. It was almost like a little secret between us, the fact that the silence was our way of communicating with each other. We never used it in front of others.

I liked thinking that Dick and I had a little secret going on, one that I hoped no one else would know of anytime soon.

"D?" Dick's chest rumbled as he muttered his nickname for me.

"Yes, Wonder Boy?" I snuggled further on his side.

His hand started stroking my hair in slow, repeating lines. "You and Wally went out today?"

I nodded my head just slightly, not wanting him to stop caressing me. "Can I ask where you two went to?"

I smiled faintly, "Is someone jealous asking?"

There was an abrupt pause that almost made me look up at Dick's steel blue eyes, but he soon regained his ability to speak up. "Maybe, or maybe it's just someone curious."

I let out a huge silent yawn before rolling over on my stomach to peer at Dick through thick brown waves. "Well," I pushed my hair out of my face, "We went out to Star City and took a stroll in a park. Later on, Wally said that he was hungry and we went to eat dinner in a burger place close to the zeta beams. Is that enough information for you?"

Dick nodded jokingly, pushing my head back to lie on top of the crook of his shoulder and arm. "Artemis said that he got whooped by M'Gann and Conner before going out."

I sighed, "Yeah. Wally tried flirting with M'Gann, but you know how she and Conner are together? I think Wally sensed that. He was pretty bummed out about M'Gann ignoring his advances on her."

Dick snorted teasingly. I slapped his arm in an attempt to quiet his cackles down; I didn't want Dinah to hear him! She would start asking me as to why he was there and how he got inside the house.

Then, I would lose my balcony. I didn't want to lose my balcony!

"So," Dick tried musing casually, "Nothing happened between you two?"

I looked up at him in confusion and surprise at his question. It didn't seem like Dick to ask something like that. It had come out of nowhere, there was no evidence pointing toward Wally and I being something other than friends, and it was a very blunt thing to question.

"I, uh, no!" I stuttered, still surprised that Dick would ask that. "Nothing at all! Why are you asking?"

Dick nodded, but his arms were terribly tense. "...Just making sure."