Truly A Goodnight

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.

Dick's POV

I jerk forward and almost nail my forehead on the back of Wally's head as he stops in front of my house. Laughing as I always do, I slip off Wally's back and land with the grace I've been trained to have. Exhilarated and slightly cold from the run, I gaze up at Wally. His emerald eyes sparkle as he grins back down at me. His fiery and breathtaking red hair is wind-blown from the run from Central City—where we were on our date—all the way back to Gotham. The freckles dotting his cheeks stand out prominently against his tanned skin. He's slightly flushed from the run but he doesn't seem tired at all. I guess that's the advantage of being a speedster. I feel my eyes drifting down his body, looking at the muscles that stand out slightly from under the red, body-hugging long-sleeved shirt he's wearing tonight. A fleeting thought in my brain tells me to reach out and touch his abdomen. I brush the thought into the recesses of my mind. Maybe later.

I notice Wally's eyes are scanning over my body, taking me in from head-to-toe. I feel a blush rising up from the core of being and cover my face. I bite down on my bottom lip and look down, away from his searching gaze. "Wally, quit staring." I mumble. Wally laughs and gently tilts my chin up to look at him once more. My breath catches in my throat. He was so adorable. I couldn't look away.

"How could I not stare, babe? You're so gorgeous." The heat on my cheeks increases. Babe? Gorgeous? Wally had never said those words to me. Those words were reserved for M'gann or any other girl in the immediate vicinity. Even Artemis sometimes got them. But never me. They were the words I'd always wanted to hear coming from Wally's mouth in my direction. To avert my eyes again, I glance down at my watch.

"It's nearly midnight, Wally," I say. "I should get going. Alfred's probably waiting up for me."

Suddenly, I'm wrapped in Wally's arms, so close our chests are touching. I gasp. What was with Wally today? First the words and now this? We'd never been this intimate with each other before. Sure, we'd held hands and put our arms on each other's shoulders, but we'd never hugged. He squeezes me tight, wondering why I was still standing with my arms stuck to my sides. After a moment of hesitation, I move my hands around his waist. I can feel him smile. For what seems like forever, we stand there. I love the feeling of Wally's strong arms holding me, protecting me from the world. He knows that I can hold my own, that I can protect myself, but yet I am surprised at how much I am actually enjoying his protective nature. I breathe him in. He smells like cinnamon and—as I've come to expect from Wally—food. Some days the latter scent is stronger than the other, especially if M'gann's cookies are around. Today's scent is pepperoni pizza, his meal of choice at the restaurant. Silently, I admit to myself that his unique smell is the most fantastic thing that's ever reached my nose.

I feel his hand running through my hair. My heart beats faster when his fingers brush my scalp. Like a cat, I lean into his touch, sighing. I continue to clutch him tightly to me, moving my hands slowly down to his hips. In that moment, I make a decision. I'm so afraid of how he'll react, but I feel like he wants the same thing as me. It's not my first time reading someone's emotions. I pull back slightly and stare into the depths of his green eyes. His gaze is powerful, steady, strong. Desire tears through me. I force myself to slow down. My heart is pounding in my ears now, drowning out everything around me. Now it's only me and Wally, stuck in our own private world. He was my best friend. This was wrong. Yet I still needed to do it. The fading blush starts to return. I close my eyes and lean forward, my face inching closer to his.

Cold air suddenly rushes across my chest as his arms push me away. My eyes fly open as I stumble on the pavement, struggling to regain my balance. He… pushed me? I raise my head and stare at him. He stares down at his hands, looking hurt, like I did something wrong. I can see the emotions playing across his face: anger; panic; guilt. And yet, even though he denied me, he looks almost lustful.

"Um," he says, finding his shoes enthralling. "You should, uh probably get going. Don't wanna keep Alfred, uh, waiting, right?"

I nod slowly, still stunned. I start to back away. "Y-yeah, I guess. I'll see you, uh, later then, Wally."

"I'll text you, o-or something." He blurts.

"Sure, Wally. Goodnight." I don't wait to see if he answers. I walk quickly, not wanting to spend another second in this embarrassing situation. I bite down hard on my lip, trying to stop the tears that are welling up in my eyes. I don't hear him run away. I want to see if he has left but I don't dare look back. I don't want him to see me, not like this. I rap hard on the door, willing Alfred to hurry up and answer. The door swings open and relief floods my being.

"Good evening, Master Richard. How was your date?"

"Okay." I say, looking back over my shoulder. Wally is still there, just staring at me. Alfred raises his eyebrow, knowing as he always does that something isn't quite right, but also knowing that if I wanted him to know I would tell him.

"Come now, Master Richard. How about a cookie before bed?" Alfred puts a hand on my back and ushers me inside, breaking my gaze from Wally's. I sigh as the door closes behind me and I am once again in the safety of the manor. I take a cookie from the plate Alfred is now holding out to me and, with a thankful nod, plop down on the couch and look out the window. The porch lights dim outside. From the corner of my eye I see Alfred take his leave. Alfred always knew when I wanted to talk and when I wanted to be alone. I wish Bruce were here so I could talk to him, but he was out on patrol as Batman. Also, I didn't want him to get mad at Wally for not wanting me that way.

Had our date really gone that bad? The dinner, the walk in the park, lying on the grass and staring at the stars: had he hated it that much? Was all the laughing and smiling, the hand holding and the arms draped over my shoulder all fake? I loved him so much. I loved his kindness, his humor, his friendliness. I loved the way he smiled at me, like I was the only person in the world. I loved his clumsiness, because it always made me laugh. When we became best friends, and even before that, I knew I felt for him as more than just a friend. I wanted to be with him. I thought that was how he felt too. When he asked to go out with me I thought he liked me that way too. For once, I had read him wrong.

Suddenly, from across the yard, Wally starts to run. Not away, like I thought he would, but towards the front door of the manor. I leap to my feet and rush to the door, knowing Wally would be there in a matter of seconds. I threw the door open just as Wally is about to knock and jump into Wally's arm's. I throw my arms around Wally's neck.

And then he kisses me.

I relax into the kiss and give myself over to him. It was my first kiss. I couldn't imagine it happening with anyone else. His lips are strong against my own, his experience showing through. Deep in my subconscious I hope that I'm not too inexperienced for him. He is so warm against me. His heartbeat is fast against my chest. I can feel my own matching his. It was finally happening, what I had dreamed of for years. Wally threads his fingers into my hair and pulls me back to him after my short intake of breath. Our lips crash together, lust fueling our every movement. I feel his tongue swipe against my bottom lip and, being new to this, I hesitantly open my mouth. As I feel his tongue slip past my lips, I sigh. It felt so right, so good to have his tongue exploring me, tasting me. He tastes like pepperoni pizza. Remembering my earlier urge, I press my hands to his stomach, exploring and outlining each abdominal muscle on his lean body. He moans into my mouth, expressing how much he loves it.

I want to stay here forever; our mouths locked together, lips against lips, body against body. All too soon, Wally pulls his tongue out. He kisses me chastely. "I love you, Dick." he whispers, running the back of his hand down across my cheeks. I feel the urge to kiss every freckle on his face. I notice his jaw harden. Fear burns in my chest as cool air fills the space between us that is slowly coming into being once again. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—mmph!" I force my lips back to his, cutting his sentence short. I smile as I release his lips and we lock eyes instead.

"Don't you dare apologize, Wally. I-I love you too." I sputter. Wally grins and pulls me into a tight embrace. I nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck.

"Goodnight again, Dick."

Against him, I smile. "Now that I've finally kissed you, it truly is."

A/N: Kon'nichiwa nakama no fan fikushon no dokusha! Hello fellow fanfiction readers! (And yes I changed my greeting cuz some people told me they didn't like it.) I feel awful for taking so long to post this. I like writing from Dick's perspective better than Wally's, or anyone else's, for that matter. Maybe it's cuz I'm such a Dick Grayson fangirl! :D I hope you enjoyed Dick's thoughts on what happened. Please review! I love all my readers and love hearing from you. Even if it's just to say, "I liked it" or to send a little smiley face, it makes me happy to see people like my stuff! Happy reading and stay astrous! ;)