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Description

for sleepinginblues - yjxmas secret santa exchange
note: I’m SOSOSORRY this is late and it’s not even that good but yeah I don’t know much about ouat but dickbabs is one of my otps too so I just went with that. I wrote a ficlet to go with the story, I’m sorry if that’s not as great too…I suck at shading. yeah, anyway. happy holidays/merry (late) christmas! I hope you at least kind of enjoy
Dick had been missing for a little over an hour, but had left the party so quietly that no one noticed. Except, that is, for Barbara. She’d been insisting to Zatanna that no, don’t be silly, we’re just friends now—we’ve established that; don’t give me that look! when she heard a whisper of wind escape through an opened back door.
Barbara looked around to confirm that yes, that was Dick’s blue hat that had left so inconspicuously.
"I’ll be right back," she said to Zatanna, who only smirked in return.
Dick had left a path in the fresh snow, weaving out around the cave. She followed the trail until she found a grass patch behind what she could only assume were bike tracks. Rolling her eyes, she went back to cave to bring out her own bike and went down the road to find Dick.
The trail stopped short just before the park entrance, where Dick’s bike was stationed. Barbara scanned the landscape when her eyes locked onto a lonely figure sitting on a bench, wearing the all too familiar Nightwing blue.
"Dick!" she called, approaching him with a run. "Hey! What do you think you’re doing out here? Snow doesn’t make for great party company." He didn’t reply. As she got closer, she noticed he was holding his head in his hands, shoulders tensed, and shivering. "Dick…?"
He shuffled at the sound of her voice, looked up for a moment and tried to get rid of the blur that was in his eyes.
"Dick, are you crying?"
"No—I’m—no," he choked out, still wiping his face. "I was just, I was having a staring contest with this squirrel—"
"You don’t have to lie to me."
"I’m not lying! There really was a squirrel, I was beating it, too. I mean, not like that—I was winning. And then it left, because it couldn’t handle me." He gave her a sideways smile. "I’m fine Babs, really, I am."
She shifted closer to him and rested her arm on his shoulder, looking at him with an expression that conveyed she didn’t believe him at all. “I’m not leaving until you tell me why you were crying.” She raised her eyebrows and waited.
"I wasn’t cryin—”
"You were, and you’re going to tell me why. It’s just you and me. Even that squirrel isn’t around to hear you."
"Just you and me, eh?"
She blushed pink and changed her gaze from his face to his hands. “Er—well, I mean, no one’s around to save you from me, Grayson. So you have to tell me.”
"You say that like you think you’d win against me."
"Oh, I don’t think so, I know so. I beat you last time.”
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Okay," Dick said, getting up suddenly. "Let’s see."
Babs fell sidelong where Dick had been sitting. She made a face and adjusted her hat as she stood up. They regarded each other, poised to strike. Dick’s eyes fell on her arm, where he aimed a round kick, only to be countered by Babs’ fist. He grinned and went for her waist, this time attempting to tackle her. She looked down in surprise and instinctively wrapped her legs around his head and squeezed. “Feel the blood rushing to your head?” They’d practiced this maneuver more times than she could remember, yet he didn’t try to break out. When she let go he had already released her hips from his grasp; immediately he turned away, trying, again, to wipe his face. Now Babs was worried.
"Dick. What is going on?" Her voice was soft. "Dick." She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, and felt him shaking again.
"I’m sorry—I’m sorry, Babs. It’s nothing. You should get back to the party, they’re probably wondering where you are."
"Well, if they’re wondering where I am then they’ve been wondering where you are for even longer,” she replied, and then muttered to herself, “I bet Zatanna’s laughing right about now…”
After a pause, Dick spoke. “It’s the nightmares,” he told her. “I was handling Vertigo the other day—and he did something, something new. I thought it was nothing, and then came the flashbacks.”
"To that day…"
"Yeah, to that day. I’m over it, I’m fine. I don’t know what Vertigo did, but it’s been warping my memories, making it hundreds of times worse than I remembered it at first—and when they come back…when they come back, I feel like a kid again."
"There’s nothing wrong about grieving," Babs said quietly.
"I’m not grieving. I’m angry that Vertigo just messed up the last memory I have of my parents—I’m angry that I let him.” Head still down, tears were beginning to form again, and this time he let them run. By now Babs had seated herself in front of him; she watched as the first drop stained his skin. “God, I’m angry that you’re seeing me like this.”
"We’re friends, Dick. Besides, you’re allowed to cry. I’m not going to pummel you for it, no one is. I’m here for you.”
"Are we friends, Babs?" He looked up and locked his teary eyes on hers with the intensity of a hurricane.
"Of course we are, why would you ask that?" She didn’t break eye contact, but was now aware of their fingers just touching in the cold snow. She retracted rapidly.
Dick looked down at their hands and smiled sadly. Nodding to himself, he was about to wipe his face for the last time. Babs had been watching his reaction, and before he could raise his arm she leaned forward and kissed him.
Screw it, she thought. Zatanna can make fun of me all she wants.
Thrown off, Dick fell backwards into the snow, frozen for all of three seconds. Realizing what was happening, he pushed himself up and pulled her in, smiling into the kiss. The tears streaming down his face slowed and became unimportant in the moment.
“So the nightmares may suck,” he gasped between breaths, “but you suck better.”
Babs couldn’t help but laugh. She removed herself for a second only to lightly knee his gut. “You don’t suck too bad yourself,” she said, kissing him again.
(c) artwork is mine, characters (dick grayson/nightwing and barbara gordon/batgirl) belong to their respective creators and young justice.

Description

for sleepinginblues - yjxmas secret santa exchange
note: I’m SOSOSORRY this is late and it’s not even that good but yeah I don’t know much about ouat but dickbabs is one of my otps too so I just went with that. I wrote a ficlet to go with the story, I’m sorry if that’s not as great too…I suck at shading. yeah, anyway. happy holidays/merry (late) christmas! I hope you at least kind of enjoy
Dick had been missing for a little over an hour, but had left the party so quietly that no one noticed. Except, that is, for Barbara. She’d been insisting to Zatanna that no, don’t be silly, we’re just friends now—we’ve established that; don’t give me that look! when she heard a whisper of wind escape through an opened back door.
Barbara looked around to confirm that yes, that was Dick’s blue hat that had left so inconspicuously.
"I’ll be right back," she said to Zatanna, who only smirked in return.
Dick had left a path in the fresh snow, weaving out around the cave. She followed the trail until she found a grass patch behind what she could only assume were bike tracks. Rolling her eyes, she went back to cave to bring out her own bike and went down the road to find Dick.
The trail stopped short just before the park entrance, where Dick’s bike was stationed. Barbara scanned the landscape when her eyes locked onto a lonely figure sitting on a bench, wearing the all too familiar Nightwing blue.
"Dick!" she called, approaching him with a run. "Hey! What do you think you’re doing out here? Snow doesn’t make for great party company." He didn’t reply. As she got closer, she noticed he was holding his head in his hands, shoulders tensed, and shivering. "Dick…?"
He shuffled at the sound of her voice, looked up for a moment and tried to get rid of the blur that was in his eyes.
"Dick, are you crying?"
"No—I’m—no," he choked out, still wiping his face. "I was just, I was having a staring contest with this squirrel—"
"You don’t have to lie to me."
"I’m not lying! There really was a squirrel, I was beating it, too. I mean, not like that—I was winning. And then it left, because it couldn’t handle me." He gave her a sideways smile. "I’m fine Babs, really, I am."
She shifted closer to him and rested her arm on his shoulder, looking at him with an expression that conveyed she didn’t believe him at all. “I’m not leaving until you tell me why you were crying.” She raised her eyebrows and waited.
"I wasn’t cryin—”
"You were, and you’re going to tell me why. It’s just you and me. Even that squirrel isn’t around to hear you."
"Just you and me, eh?"
She blushed pink and changed her gaze from his face to his hands. “Er—well, I mean, no one’s around to save you from me, Grayson. So you have to tell me.”
"You say that like you think you’d win against me."
"Oh, I don’t think so, I know so. I beat you last time.”
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Okay," Dick said, getting up suddenly. "Let’s see."
Babs fell sidelong where Dick had been sitting. She made a face and adjusted her hat as she stood up. They regarded each other, poised to strike. Dick’s eyes fell on her arm, where he aimed a round kick, only to be countered by Babs’ fist. He grinned and went for her waist, this time attempting to tackle her. She looked down in surprise and instinctively wrapped her legs around his head and squeezed. “Feel the blood rushing to your head?” They’d practiced this maneuver more times than she could remember, yet he didn’t try to break out. When she let go he had already released her hips from his grasp; immediately he turned away, trying, again, to wipe his face. Now Babs was worried.
"Dick. What is going on?" Her voice was soft. "Dick." She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, and felt him shaking again.
"I’m sorry—I’m sorry, Babs. It’s nothing. You should get back to the party, they’re probably wondering where you are."
"Well, if they’re wondering where I am then they’ve been wondering where you are for even longer,” she replied, and then muttered to herself, “I bet Zatanna’s laughing right about now…”
After a pause, Dick spoke. “It’s the nightmares,” he told her. “I was handling Vertigo the other day—and he did something, something new. I thought it was nothing, and then came the flashbacks.”
"To that day…"
"Yeah, to that day. I’m over it, I’m fine. I don’t know what Vertigo did, but it’s been warping my memories, making it hundreds of times worse than I remembered it at first—and when they come back…when they come back, I feel like a kid again."
"There’s nothing wrong about grieving," Babs said quietly.
"I’m not grieving. I’m angry that Vertigo just messed up the last memory I have of my parents—I’m angry that I let him.” Head still down, tears were beginning to form again, and this time he let them run. By now Babs had seated herself in front of him; she watched as the first drop stained his skin. “God, I’m angry that you’re seeing me like this.”
"We’re friends, Dick. Besides, you’re allowed to cry. I’m not going to pummel you for it, no one is. I’m here for you.”
"Are we friends, Babs?" He looked up and locked his teary eyes on hers with the intensity of a hurricane.
"Of course we are, why would you ask that?" She didn’t break eye contact, but was now aware of their fingers just touching in the cold snow. She retracted rapidly.
Dick looked down at their hands and smiled sadly. Nodding to himself, he was about to wipe his face for the last time. Babs had been watching his reaction, and before he could raise his arm she leaned forward and kissed him.
Screw it, she thought. Zatanna can make fun of me all she wants.
Thrown off, Dick fell backwards into the snow, frozen for all of three seconds. Realizing what was happening, he pushed himself up and pulled her in, smiling into the kiss. The tears streaming down his face slowed and became unimportant in the moment.
“So the nightmares may suck,” he gasped between breaths, “but you suck better.”
Babs couldn’t help but laugh. She removed herself for a second only to lightly knee his gut. “You don’t suck too bad yourself,” she said, kissing him again.
(c) artwork is mine, characters (dick grayson/nightwing and barbara gordon/batgirl) belong to their respective creators and young justice.