"You know you look constipated like that? When your concentrating really hard." That statement brought Richard out of his thoughts and homework. His brow knit together and a frown formed on his lips as he brought his skype window back on screen and glared at the redhead who was grinning like a moron.

"Excuse me if I have calculus2 homework that I couldn't get down because some red head decided to distract me all day long." Dick Grayson was currently lying in his bed in a t-shirt and boxer briefs trying to get his homework done when wally called him on skype from his job. It was currently two in the morning and Alfred should be asleep, Bruce wouldn't be home for another hour and a half which would normally be enough time for him to get something like this done but now he was being distracted.

"You do way too much homework dude. You're going to have a nervous breakdown. Just think of me as a deterrent." He grinned.

"You're just bored. You should be working, not bugging me." He said in mock irritation. He knew that Wally knew it wasn't real or else he would have ended the call a while ago. It was surreal for Dick that it had only been less than three weeks since he had met Wally and they had already become "best bros" as the red head put it. They were hanging out at least four times a week, texting all the time and when Wally was at his intern job they skyped until Richard fell asleep at his computer. Wally said he looked adorable when he drooled on his keyboard. Anyone else would think it was creepy that the other boy had watched him sleep on occasion but not Richard.

"I already finished my assignment, plus your still up. So entertain me!" The red head demanded. Richard rolled his eyes and went back to his homework. "By the way, why aren't you at your desk?"

"I'm on my laptop, on my bed. Falling asleep in a chair every night is killing my back and sleeping in jeans is really uncomfortable."

"What do you normally sleep in?" Wally mused.

"T-shirt and underwear…" Richard stopped clicking on the keys of his laptop and brought skype back up. "Why?" He looked at the boy curiously.

"Dunno, I just imagined some expensive silk PJ's or something." He scratched cheek, something Richard recognized as a nervous habit.

"Cant, allergic to silk." Dick chuckled. "Egyptian cotton on the other hand…" They both laughed, and then fell into silence. After a few seconds Richard returned to his homework.

"Hey Dick… Me and Arty are going to this garden shrine thing tomorrow. D'ya wanna come with?" Once again fingers stopped gliding over the keys of his laptop.

"I don't know…that sounds like a "you and her thing". Don't want to be a third wheel…again." Richard paused, remembering the last time Wally had dragged him on his and Artemis' pseudo date. No one went home happy that day.

"Nah, it's nothing like that! Arty is bringing Megan, so I'm bringing you."

"By the sound of that I don't have much of a choice…where's my phone?" Dick sat up and looked over his bed.

"Nope, not really. Have you checked your pants pocket?" Dick leapt off his bed and turned on lamp beside his bed before searching all over his room for his discarded pants. "Hey as much as I like watching you parade around in your underwear…Also Iron Man undies, really dude?"

"You don't have to watch me you creeper and who are you to talk, I've seen those SpongeBob boxers" Dick laughed.

"It still amazes me that your room is messier than mine…"

"Aha!" Richard pulled the pants out a pile of clothes and searched the pockets.

"What do you need your phone for anyway? Expecting a call at 3am?

"I need to charge it if you must know. Hey dude, I'm heading to sleep. My dad's going to be home any minute not and he doesn't like it if I'm up when he gets home."

"Okay, okay… I'll see you tomorrow?" Dick stopped for a moment, tapping his chin.

"I don't know Wally…" He got back into bed, lying down on his stomach, laptop in front of his face. Wally could see the bags forming under his eyes and a twinge of guilt flashed over his features.

"Please, please, please Dickie!" He whined, giving Dick his best kicked puppy face.

"I said don't call me that!" He glared at the screen. They matched stares for a few seconds, but al went according to Wally's plan, Dick gave in.

"Fine. Good night." Dick always gave in. The red head gave Richard an easy going smile.

"Night." The call ended, Dick closed his laptop, turned out the light and hopped back into bed. He didn't fall asleep immediately, his thoughts full of a certain red head.

Dick found himself standing next to his two female friends. Arty and Megan were chatting while Dick remained silent. He was wondering if he should really be accompanying them on this outing. He cursed himself for never being able to say no to the redhead. "Bab's really wanted to come,too bad she had to go to her dads event." Megan mused. They were all at a local park where they told Wally to meet them.

"She shouldn't be. It's probably going to be boring." Artemis frowned.

"What makes you say that?" Megan asked, looking to the blond.

"I don't know…it's like every time there's a chance for us to be alone he says "Hey, let's invite dick. Or I wonder what Megs is up to. Or something like that!" She was obviously talking about the carnival incident last week. Dick frowned at the memory. "I don't think he's into me…" Richard stepped away from the two as Megan gave Artemis a pep talk. The brunet leaned against a tree, thankful he had brought a change of clothes with him. Going out everywhere in uniform was so not cool.

It took Wally a few minutes to get to them, driving up and honking. They three made their way to the car. Artemis sat in front while Megan and Dick sat in the back. "Hey beautiful, Megalicious and Dickie."

"Hey." Artemis grunted.

"Hi!" Megan chirped.

Dick kicked Wally's seat, not too thrilled Wally used that nick name while in the presence of his friends. The red head chuckled, looking at Dick through the rearview mirror. He sported a scowl as he glared back through the mirror. Their eyes lingered before he pulled out of the park and sped towards their destination.

"So, how was school today?" Wally asked to no one in particular.

"Super fun! Aced three exams and tried out for cheerleading." Megan beamed.

"Wow, sounds awesome." Wally smiled.

"It was…uneventful." Artemis shrugged. Wally glanced at her for a second before looking at Dick through the rearview for his response.

"Corrected the teacher today, and I was told there's a competition coming up-" He shrugged. "-nothing out of the usual."

"Competition? What for?" The male redhead asked, interest peaked.

"Dick is a mathlete." Artemis snorted. Richard frowned.

"Mathlete?" Wally asked, nose scrunched up.

"It's a competition where all the nerds and dweebs come together and answer overly complicated math problems for trophies." Artemis said, as informative as ever. Dick wondered sometimes how he was friends with the rude blond.

"Sounds…exciting?" Wally glanced back, Dick shrugged.

"I like it…and I'm good at it." He half glared at the back of Artemis' head. There was a sudden tension in the car between the brunet and the blond. Both red heads looked at each other. Wally's eyes were questioning while Megan's were confused.

"So uh…" Wally tried to clear the air but Artemis and Dick glared out of their respective windows making the rest of the trip a silent one; this was going to be a repeat of the carnival incident.

The sun was setting on the lovely evening, casting the garden in a lovely amber rose color. Dick was currently up a tree that over looked a small pond in the middle of the garden. He was absentmindedly tossing acorns in the water. He shouldn't have come, even though there were four of them, Dick still felt like a fourth wheel. When they had first arrived Wally tried desperately to divide his attention between Dick and Artemis which only made the blond irritated. Richard tried to create space so that she and Wally could have pseudo couple time but only made Wally think he wasn't having fun or that he was down, making the red head give him all of his attention. Maybe this is why Dick didn't have many guy friends. Having male friends was…difficult while being gay.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Dick looked to the trunk of the tree and spotted Wally looking up at him a good ten feed below.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Yeah…that's what Artemis said too…I know you guys don't think I'm bright, and I am a bit clumsy but Im not stupid. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"No." He sighed. "Nothing like that." He jumped down off the branch, landing gracefully next to the red head. "It's…complicated." Wally smiled and ruffled his hair. Dick frowned and immediately tried to restyle it.

"I…just don't like it when friends fight." He crossed his arms, looking out over the pond.

"We're not fighting. It's just…nothing." The brunet gave up trying to explain the situation. "It will fix itself soon. Trust me." He offered Wally a smile to put him at ease.

"C'mon Megan has curfew so we have to go."

"Alright." They both made their way over to where the two girls were talking. Artemis had her default half scowl on while Megan chewed her lip nervously.

"You lovely ladies ready to go?"

"Sure are!" Megan chirped, the worried expression gone from her face before the other red head could notice. "He Wally I was hoping you could tell me about something!" She ran over to him and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him away; leaving Dick and Artemis alone like she planned. Dick gulped, not liking the "conversation they were going to have.

"Look, Richard." She started, hands on her hips. "I know you have this little boy crush on Wally, and it's really adorable and all but you're stepping on my toes here." Dick didn't respond, or refute her claim. He looked away, a twinge of pink on his cheeks. "It's hard to get any alone time with him if you're always tagging along!"

"I didn't even want to come!" Dick burst out at her, catching her off guard. "He asked me to; he wouldn't let me say no. So instead of blaming me for you not being able to get his pants maybe it's something you did." His blue eyes glared at her before he stormed off toward the car. She didn't know how hard it was, how hard it was for Dick to be constantly badgered by the handsome redhead and know that nothing would come of it; that no matter what the object of your fixation, your crush would never feel the same way-that you would only be looked at as a little bother.

Richard just realized that he had stormed off and made it to the car before everyone else. He lets out a sigh of frustration and leans his head against the cool glass of the driver's side window; his breath fogs the tempered glass. In the reflection of the window he sees Wally approaching from behind and quickly composes himself. He turned around and faced the red head, seeing that Megan and Artemis were a ways behind him.

"Now I know there's something wrong…" Wally said, a look of worry settles on his face. "You're biting your lip…you only do that when something is bugging you." Dick's eyes widen. He needed to stop underestimating Wally.

"It's nothing I can't handle." He shoots the other boy a reassuring smile and turns away from him as the two girls join them.

"Okay…" The red headed boy mutters under his breath.

The car ride him was just as silent as the one there. Megan was dropped off at home first. She said a cheerful goodbye before whispering something to Artemis and skipping off to her home where she lived with her uncle. Next was Artemis, Wally stopped outside of her apartment and looked over to her. He was no doubt about to say good bye with some sort of compliment or an invitation to go out again but it died in his throat when she jumped out of the car and slammed the door. The red head sat there for a moment, watching her retreating back and frowned. He revved the engine and made his way towards Dick's house-er-manor. He told Dick to hope up front because "He was no one's chauffer". So here he was again, in Wally's front seat, hands in his lap and eyes downcast like the first time he had met the redhead; at least the time of day was different.

Wally was about to open his mouth, probably some sort of small talk to get something out his unusualy silent friend but was cut off when Dicks phone began to ring.

"Hello?" He answered. "Hey Al…No, I'm fine and I have a ride home so don't worry about it. Is Bruce there…is he coming home at all? I see…Did you tell him about the competition?" He asked hopefully. When his face fell further Wally could guess how the conversation was going. "I see, yeah I know he's busy…yeah maybe next time." Dicks voice became quieter with each word before he finally hung up the phone. His gaze lingered on the screen of the phone before shoving it into his pocket.

"I bet it gets lonely…" Wally's voice cuts through Dicks thoughts. The brunet looks at him quizzically. "Being in that huge house…just you and Alfred all the time."

"Bruce is home…sometimes. Maybe twice a week I see him. It's not that bad….I just…"

"I know…me and my dad didn't have the best relationship either." They fell into a mutual silence as the sun set in front of them bathing Gotham in the beautiful evening sunlight. "Hey….I have an idea. How about you spend the night at my place? Tomorrow is Saturday, so no school and I don't have work. It's perfect."

"I don't know if that's a good idea Wally…"

"Please Dickie!" His toes curled at the use of that name, he knew what was coming. "We're just going to up all night on skype anyway." He half whined. Wally knew he was going to give in.

"Fine." Dick always gave in.

Okay, I don't know why but this is not my favorite chapter…I may come back and edit it later, change it up a bit and I'll let you know if I do.

Vampaddiction: No, there are no real life super heroes in the story. Just comic book heroes.

Ex Mentis: Nope, I live in Cali. I just made up a name for a street, thoughI'm sure there is a Monroe st. here in Cali somewhere.

Marcus1233: Yes, Dick and Richard are the same. Dick is a nick name for Richard….not sure why *shrug*

CHiKa-RoXy: Thanks for that!

As always, please read and review and any criticism is welcome!