Uneven
Dick was nervous.
It was a rare thing, to see her twist her hands together and pace in Gotham Academy's girl's locker room, her every step full of pointed toes and graceful legs. Wally sighed, staring. She'd never get tired of the gymnast uniform.
"D, come here," she said, sitting up on the bench and holding out her arms. Dick glanced at her warily, then shook her head and continued pacing. Then she quickly sat and stripped the tape off her fingers for the third time, re-wrapping with a quick whirl of expertise. Wally crossed her arms, a little put off.
"Come on, what's got your panties in a twist? You're ten times better than all these snooty little-" Dick suddenly threw her roll of tape, and it bounced off a locker and rolled away. Dick groaned and buried her head in her hands, curling into a ball of tension for a moment before springing back to her feet and beginning to pace again.
"Oookay. Do you want to talk about it?" Dick paused, her eyes a solid sheen of angry blue. Then she turned her back on Wally and started to stretch, arms over her head. For a moment she didn't speak, but Wally could see from her rigidness that she was just looking for words.
"I feel like crap, firstly," she murmured, voice hoarse, "I think I've come down with something. And coach doesn't even want me competing because I've missed a month's worth of practices. I'm in no shape to do anything, really." With a sigh, Dick relaxed, her shoulders slumped. Wally frowned.
"And you're really disappointed about this? I mean, Dick, you get enough practice out on patrol, and I can schmooze your coach for you, if you want. As for the sickness, if it's bad, we should ditch. I can have you home and in bed in a minute." Dick shifted her weight from foot to foot then shook her head.
"No. I want to compete. I will. Just...I'll be right back." Dick moved quickly away to the bathroom, and Wally turned to snatch up Dick's purse. There were no tampons in there, luckily, but there were quite a number of Advil. Whatever Dick had, it was a bit more serious than she was letting on.
She set the purse down just as Dick came back, and a blonde headed girl poked her head in the locker room. She glared at Wally quickly, who rose an eyebrow but didn't comment as the girl turned to Dick.
"D, are you going to compete? Coach wants to know. He's given up on the whole "you haven't been to practice" rag because the guys from West Gotham are really good at uneven. We need you." Dick nodded.
"Okay, I'm coming, just a sec, okay?" The girl nodded and ducked out. Before Wally can say anything more, Dick swoops close and kisses her fiercely, pulling back with a weak grin.
"Wish me luck," she muttered, then darted out of the room. Wally followed after a second, her head spinning.
In the gym, gymnastics equipment was sprawled in a maze of tension cables and mats. There was a sizable crowd, but she spotted Bruce almost instantly and picked her way along the sidelines to meet him in the stands.
"How is she feeling?" Bruce asked, his eyes riveted on Dick's slim form. Wally grunted, crossing her arms.
"She's sick and frustrated. There's half a bottle of Advil in her purse, so I'd say she's medicated as well. She's likely to hurt herself if she's not careful." Bruce grumbled and didn't comment. The announcement came on that Dick would be up next, and she strode up to the mat, sweating under the bright lights.
"Should I pull her out?" Wally mumbled, her thumbnail tucked between her teeth. Bruce uncrossed his legs, then crossed them again.
"No. Someone will notice, and questions will be asked." Wally turned to give the Batman a cold stare.
"So we're supposed to let her-" She cut off as she heard Dick get her sprinting start, and turned to watch with dread as Dick launched off the springboard, catching hold of the lowest bar and spinning up, holding herself aloft for a moment before completing the circle and using her momentum to vault herself to the next bar.
Wally's stomach quivered nervously as she watched Dick complete move after dizzying move with complete fluidness and poise. She knew the routine, and watched as she moved through a pike that scissored her up into another handstand on the short bar.
The final move came up, and Wally held her breath as Dick executed a triple back flip and landed, stumbling. But she was completely cool, and held herself with elegance as she walked off the mat. Wally exhaled.
And then Dick swooned and fell, her teammates screaming as they gathered around her.
Wally was on her feet and across the room in a second, nearly missing a cable and losing a leg in the process. She shoved through the crowd of girls and picked Dick up easily, even though she'd already regained consciousness and protested weakly.
"Wally, put me down, I'm fine. Just hot." Bruce was on them in the next second. He held a hand against Dick's forehead, ignoring her glare.
"Guys, I'm fine-"
"You have a fever. How many Advil did you take?" Dick looked confused for only a moment before she glared at Wally. Wally stared back at her, nonplussed.
"Three. And I threw up. But I'm not leaving until I hear my scores, and if you force me, I will make your life very embarrassing, Bruce." Bruce shrugged.
"I can deal with that." One of the girls piped up.
"Mr. Wayne, if you give me your number, I'll call you and let you know Dick's scores." Her eyelashes fluttered as she smiled up at him. Dick glared at the brunette girl.
"Tiff, you have my number, call me. Seriously." The girl deflated. Wally tapped her foot impatiently.
"Can I take you home now? You are going to bed and getting soup pumped in you, ASAP." Dick frowned, crossing her arms.
"Whatever. Let's just go then." The entire way home (Bruce corrals them into a car, because of something about wind speed and nausea that Wally only half listens to), Dick complains, until she gets a call from Tiffany. She listens intensely for a moment, then breaks out into a weary smirk and settles sleepily against Wally's side.
"I won. Take that, West Gotham High." And in a moment, she's asleep, and if Wally weren't already frustrated and desperately in love with Dick, that'd definitely do it.
It was a rare thing, to see her twist her hands together and pace in Gotham Academy's girl's locker room, her every step full of pointed toes and graceful legs. Wally sighed, staring. She'd never get tired of the gymnast uniform.
"D, come here," she said, sitting up on the bench and holding out her arms. Dick glanced at her warily, then shook her head and continued pacing. Then she quickly sat and stripped the tape off her fingers for the third time, re-wrapping with a quick whirl of expertise. Wally crossed her arms, a little put off.
"Come on, what's got your panties in a twist? You're ten times better than all these snooty little-" Dick suddenly threw her roll of tape, and it bounced off a locker and rolled away. Dick groaned and buried her head in her hands, curling into a ball of tension for a moment before springing back to her feet and beginning to pace again.
"Oookay. Do you want to talk about it?" Dick paused, her eyes a solid sheen of angry blue. Then she turned her back on Wally and started to stretch, arms over her head. For a moment she didn't speak, but Wally could see from her rigidness that she was just looking for words.
"I feel like crap, firstly," she murmured, voice hoarse, "I think I've come down with something. And coach doesn't even want me competing because I've missed a month's worth of practices. I'm in no shape to do anything, really." With a sigh, Dick relaxed, her shoulders slumped. Wally frowned.
"And you're really disappointed about this? I mean, Dick, you get enough practice out on patrol, and I can schmooze your coach for you, if you want. As for the sickness, if it's bad, we should ditch. I can have you home and in bed in a minute." Dick shifted her weight from foot to foot then shook her head.
"No. I want to compete. I will. Just...I'll be right back." Dick moved quickly away to the bathroom, and Wally turned to snatch up Dick's purse. There were no tampons in there, luckily, but there were quite a number of Advil. Whatever Dick had, it was a bit more serious than she was letting on.
She set the purse down just as Dick came back, and a blonde headed girl poked her head in the locker room. She glared at Wally quickly, who rose an eyebrow but didn't comment as the girl turned to Dick.
"D, are you going to compete? Coach wants to know. He's given up on the whole "you haven't been to practice" rag because the guys from West Gotham are really good at uneven. We need you." Dick nodded.
"Okay, I'm coming, just a sec, okay?" The girl nodded and ducked out. Before Wally can say anything more, Dick swoops close and kisses her fiercely, pulling back with a weak grin.
"Wish me luck," she muttered, then darted out of the room. Wally followed after a second, her head spinning.
In the gym, gymnastics equipment was sprawled in a maze of tension cables and mats. There was a sizable crowd, but she spotted Bruce almost instantly and picked her way along the sidelines to meet him in the stands.
"How is she feeling?" Bruce asked, his eyes riveted on Dick's slim form. Wally grunted, crossing her arms.
"She's sick and frustrated. There's half a bottle of Advil in her purse, so I'd say she's medicated as well. She's likely to hurt herself if she's not careful." Bruce grumbled and didn't comment. The announcement came on that Dick would be up next, and she strode up to the mat, sweating under the bright lights.
"Should I pull her out?" Wally mumbled, her thumbnail tucked between her teeth. Bruce uncrossed his legs, then crossed them again.
"No. Someone will notice, and questions will be asked." Wally turned to give the Batman a cold stare.
"So we're supposed to let her-" She cut off as she heard Dick get her sprinting start, and turned to watch with dread as Dick launched off the springboard, catching hold of the lowest bar and spinning up, holding herself aloft for a moment before completing the circle and using her momentum to vault herself to the next bar.
Wally's stomach quivered nervously as she watched Dick complete move after dizzying move with complete fluidness and poise. She knew the routine, and watched as she moved through a pike that scissored her up into another handstand on the short bar.
The final move came up, and Wally held her breath as Dick executed a triple back flip and landed, stumbling. But she was completely cool, and held herself with elegance as she walked off the mat. Wally exhaled.
And then Dick swooned and fell, her teammates screaming as they gathered around her.
Wally was on her feet and across the room in a second, nearly missing a cable and losing a leg in the process. She shoved through the crowd of girls and picked Dick up easily, even though she'd already regained consciousness and protested weakly.
"Wally, put me down, I'm fine. Just hot." Bruce was on them in the next second. He held a hand against Dick's forehead, ignoring her glare.
"Guys, I'm fine-"
"You have a fever. How many Advil did you take?" Dick looked confused for only a moment before she glared at Wally. Wally stared back at her, nonplussed.
"Three. And I threw up. But I'm not leaving until I hear my scores, and if you force me, I will make your life very embarrassing, Bruce." Bruce shrugged.
"I can deal with that." One of the girls piped up.
"Mr. Wayne, if you give me your number, I'll call you and let you know Dick's scores." Her eyelashes fluttered as she smiled up at him. Dick glared at the brunette girl.
"Tiff, you have my number, call me. Seriously." The girl deflated. Wally tapped her foot impatiently.
"Can I take you home now? You are going to bed and getting soup pumped in you, ASAP." Dick frowned, crossing her arms.
"Whatever. Let's just go then." The entire way home (Bruce corrals them into a car, because of something about wind speed and nausea that Wally only half listens to), Dick complains, until she gets a call from Tiffany. She listens intensely for a moment, then breaks out into a weary smirk and settles sleepily against Wally's side.
"I won. Take that, West Gotham High." And in a moment, she's asleep, and if Wally weren't already frustrated and desperately in love with Dick, that'd definitely do it.