A/N: This one is a sister chapter to the last one. So I highly recommend you read the last one first. Okay, that sounded oxymoronic but just- yeah.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or any associated characters. Wally's POV. BirdFlash.
Why Didn't I?
There was this one day a few months ago when I saw him. I saw he was lonely, I saw he was tired. There was an opportunity for me to take, a chance for me to play on my fantasies, but he was gone before I had a chance, seeking solace in Conner.
Conner. Pfft. He's a nice guy, sure. I don't have anything against him. It's just that Con isn't exactly the first guy I think of when it comes to comforting another person. So why Rob went to Conner is a complete mystery to me. I just remember being confused and alone and... and tired.
Because I should've jumped him sooner. I had every chance to do it, but I didn't. I had tons of things to look forward to if I had just asked, but he disappeared before I could say a word. He's like a magician that way, gone in a puff of smoke, only to reappear elsewhere.
Besides, he deserves someone better. Again, Conner isn't a bad guy, he just isn't who Rob belongs with. He belongs with me. Cheesy, I know, but it feels right whenever it's just the two of us.
Maybe he doesn't feel the same. Who knows?
Now, I'm out on the back porch, that random ledge outside, and staring out into the ocean. The tides push and pull, the waves rolling over each other. White caps reveal themselves before diving back into the water, forming foam. The seagulls overhead cry, but the sounds of the door hissing open behind me drowns them out. From the footsteps, I know it's him, and my heart shutters in my chest, shivering and alone, empty of his love.
He sits beside me in his stoic silence, pulling the glasses off and rubbing his face with one sleeve. "God, Wally, why am I so- so incapable?"
I pause. Take this in. It barely takes a heartbeat for me to respond, "What?"
He's not the guy to generally pour his heart out, it's so out of character for him, but he has those moments where his knees go weak and his emotions take hold, threatening to rip him apart if his mouth stays shut. Now is one of those moments. "I'm so incapable of making the right choices." One hand runs through his ebony hair, pushing it aside only for gravity to pull it back over his forehead. "I was desperate and needy and went to Conner because I wanted someone who wouldn't reject me, and he couldn't. I screwed up. Now he's trying to get back with M'gann and I'm just empty again. More than anything, I want to have someone there. I want to feel loved, wanted, needed. It's pitiful and weak, but I need people." He rubs his face again, sniffling. "I'm so... just alone."
As if he hasn't already broken my heart, I feel like his confession is ripping me to shreds. He's putting himself out to me, and I'm angry and confused. "You're never alone, Dick."
"Yes I am." And he tucks his knees to his chest, looking smaller than ever. "I want people to love me. I blame myself and those eight months in the orphanage, but I just can't function unless I know that people actually care, and Conner cared, and he still does, but it's not the same. I just want to know that I don't have to live in a solitary world."
Daddy issues. That's what he's suffering from. Bruce keeps himself locked away from the real world, and Dick's suffering because of it. Bruce cares, but it isn't always an open thing. A smile. That's not enough to fuel him or to make him feel any better about himself. Especially not when he grew up with open affection from everyone and anyone. Daddy issues.
"Come on." I lean over and try to wrap my arms around him; it's awkward, but he allows it. "You have the seven of us. You have Bruce and Alfred. You've got all of the Justice League wrapped around your little finger!" I offer a half-laugh, but I know it doesn't help him. The sound just echoes and melts into the sound of the rolling ocean. "What more do you want, Dick?"
His head rests on my shoulder. It's just a friendly gesture, nothing more. I know. It hurts. "Love," he says sadly. "I want to know I'm loved."
There's another window of opportunity here. A perfect slot for me. I can just take advantage of him right here and play to his weakness, take my rightful place by his side, the one who saved him from the loneliness. I have a chance.
I don't take it.
"You are loved," I murmur, "whether you know it or not. Everyone here loves you. You're like the baby brother around here. I'm sure that if you asked anyone in that cave, they'd tell you the exact same thing."
He pulls away. He wipes his face. Those sad eyes look to me, sapphire sparkling with hot tears. "Really?"
"Really."
He reaches out and wraps his arms around me for a second. "Thanks, Wally."
I swallow hard and hug him back, feeling that familiar ache in my chest, a hollow hole caused by another missed opportunity. I want to cry, too, but I bite it back and hope he can't feel my heart breaking. "No problem, Dick."
He pulls away quickly enough, snatching up his glasses and returning them to his face, hiding those beautiful eyes.
"And Dick?" I say before he disappears again, looking over my shoulder at him. When he turns around, I tell him, "I love you."
He smiles like a giddy child before ducking inside, gone in a puff of smoke, a magician.
Letting him go is hard, but I have to. I at least told him. He didn't understand, but I told him. I just can't take advantage of him in such a weak state. He's weak. He's alone. He needs to recover. Then I can plead my case, but until then, I have to let him go. I can wait a little bit longer.
For now, I look back out at the rolling waves. The ocean pushes and pulls the water. The beach is worn away by the tides, rocks eroded with time and salt.
A/N: Sorry it's short. BirdFlash is my weakness, and this pairing was actually the whole reason I started writing this. I wanted to test the waters and see if I was any good. Turns out, I'm not good at BirdFlash, but I write Roy/Wally really well. Mission accomplished either way.
Anyways, review?
~Sky