trashfm | cause you're the only song i want to hear.

[ in hindsight, it was probably a pretty stupid idea to run halfway across the country just to see the flying graysons perform. but it's almost like wally is instinctively called to dick grayson, any version of him. and -- there's a curiosity he can't seem to swallow, an excitement to see dick perform. to see him happy, in a life that too often was taken away from him too early. it was as simple as typing in the flying graysons into google, and there were hundreds of pictures, of dick smiling with his parents, mid-air shots of him from one performance or another, or photos of him posing with kids -- photos from two days ago, a week ago, recently. stupid videos posted on instagram. dick couldn't be much older than wally now. from there, all wally had to do was find the haly's circus schedule to see which city they were in. he couldn't not see one of their shows, even if, in some way, it felt like intruding on something he was never supposed to be part of. ]

[ he's not even supposed to be part of this universe, just a visitor on an extended stay. but that makes it all the easier to hightail it to connecticut -- he doesn't have any obligations here. he can do whatever he wants, even if he's distracting himself from the whole reason he came here. dick has always been more important that his speed, though. dick has always been the most important thing in wally's life, period. there's no way he'd pass up a chance to see him in his element, in the place he grew up. this is the only part of dick's life wally has never gotten to experience, because it had already ended by the time wally met him. he's only heard the stories, seen the photos, been there to hold dick's hand each year they visit the graves of john and mary grayson. to see them alive ... it's a once in a lifetime chance. what are the chances he'll ever visit another universe where dick grayson never became robin? ]

[ he gets a front row seat and doesn't let his eyes leave dick for a second throughout the whole show. he's captivating -- wally isn't sure he could tear his eyes away even if he wanted to. he looks so good, so perfectly part of the whole experience. wally has seen some of these moves in the field, the way his acrobatic training bled into his martial arts style, but to see them in a setting where they truly belong ... it's like watching someone dance, only through the air, and it's breathtaking. dick is a natural; he lives and breathes what he does, and it's almost as if every routine is an extension of who he is, an extension of the very fabric of his being. if wally wasn't already in love with him, this would absolutely be the moment he realized it. now, he just realizes it all over again, a reaffirmation of everything he's ever felt illustrated in the bright colors of the circus. ]

[ when the show ends, he's on his feet before he can even think about it. all he knows for certain is he has to talk to him. his best friend, even if dick will have no idea who he is. maybe one day dick will cross paths with this universe's wally west, and he'll think back to this and wonder if it was just a coincidence. it's easy enough to catch up to dick with a few quick, discreet bursts of speed, and he calls out -- ]

Dick! [ which may sound too familiar, maybe, even as famous as the flying graysons are. he flashes an awkward grin, rubbing the back of his neck. why is he so nervous? ] I mean, you're Dick Grayson, right? You, uh ... you were amazing back there.