Who:Dick and Clark What:trying to find some normalcy When:the 16th Where:Clark's Warnings:None
Dick had ultimately not slept well. When he did eventually nearly get some actual rest, he was woken by nightmares only a half an hour later. So come morning he was wide awake still and curled up next to Clark, looking a little frustrated his first attempt to sneak out the window and onto the roof had been thwarted. Of course he ended up with super hearing, guy so he couldn’t just use his ninja skills to escape. Every single muscle in his body was screaming at him rooftop. but every time he’d tried, Clark woke up.
Which was a lot. So for the rest of the night he finally did stay, but come morning he’d attempted to squirm away again noiselessly. A normal person wouldn’t have heard a sound, a super person probably heard a joint move. He’d mentally calculated his distance between ground and window, and looked back at his friend. Damn. Now he needed super ninja skills. He watched him from his pile of blankets. He’d managed to finish off at least half his sandwich from the night before, but the other half still remained. Instead of trying for the window he conceded this time and just reached for the leftover half to finish off.
Super hearing had its advantages. Especially when his best friend kept trying to sneak out the window, managing to wake him up. Not that he was getting much sleep to begin with. Much less with all of the sounds that were assaulting him. A part of him wondered if getting a sensory deprivation tank would help, but he highly doubted it.
He knew that his best friend hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. In fact, he didn't expect sleep to come to Dick Grayson for a little bit. It was another reason that he'd insisted on his friend taking the other side of his bed. Hoping that it would help, at least a little bit. Safe place and all of that.
"Morning," he says without even bothering to open his eyes, despite the fact that he could've passed for still being asleep.
His body was tired, but his mind didn’t know it yet. His mind was over exhausted as he stayed up all night with anxious thoughts. Sandwiches for breakfast, well it wasn’t like he’d hadn’t gone cold pizza for breakfast in the past. If he’d waited there was probably other options but his mind wasn’t exactly functioning at full speed. He’d given at least five attempts to get to the window through the night. It was a very heavy thought in his mind, he was certainly glad Clark wasn’t a mind reader too ontop of all his other talents or the thought might have gone over poorly.
He hadn’t even thought about the phone in the truck still, or the bag of stuff he’d come home with. So he’d just watched Clark a few times, caught some late night tv, which was left on after the nightmare attack, and now was finishing off the sandwich he’d left out.
“Hey.” He almost felt a need to apologize again, but decided against it. Clark told him not to and he was trying to take that to heart. His skin felt like it was crawling still. “You’re still here.” He seemed surprised, he thought all this would just disappear come morning. He was glad he hadn’t.
Even though Dick had eaten the other half of his sandwich from the other night, it didn't mean that Clark wouldn't make breakfast. He normally got up in the morning to do that. Also, made enough for his little brother depending on if Conner was home or not. It really all depended on the situation and who was or wasn't there.
Everything that had been in the truck had been brought in. The Kryptonian had just hidden it away. They weren't things that his best friend needed to worry about in that moment. They were merely a distraction and a reminder. His bag, however, was sitting by the couch downstairs.
"I'm still here, Grayson," he tells him, eyes opening even as he gives him a small smile.
He didn't actually miss his phone that much, chances were all that was on it anyways were calls from reporters that he didn't feel up to answering anyway.
"I kind of thought all this was another hallucination." he'd done a lot of that in jail. Some of it was good and meant to escape the awful treatment, others not so good. Like this. This was good, it worried him a little extra. While he didn't have to come off the drugs they'd forced in him, he'd have to relearn to trust when things were real again. He was better off than the day before, didn't look as lost. Not nearly as much staring into space today.
Honestly? If the reporters tried to approach his house or Dick, at any point, they'd just lose equipment again. He wasn't opposed to breaking it. No matter how expensive the crap was. It didn't really matter much to him, at any rate.
"No hallucinations. I'm very real," he tells him, reaching over and giving his shoulder a firm but gentle squeeze. "You up for some real food? Not stale bread from last night. Despite the fact that your goofy ass ate it already."
He might have wanted his phone if he was in a better headspace to deal with it, but it was far from his mind. Clark's bed was actually pretty comfortable. Maybe at some point he'd be able to sleep for real in it. It was different waking up with someone by his side again. Not unwelcome at all. He'd been alone for nearly a year, in more ways than one. He'd convinced himself he didn't deserve to let anyone get this close. It wasn't as if they'd done anything, but he hadn't let anyone in like this in a long time. He didn't hate it.
Dick glanced over at him with a little amusement. "After prison food, even stale bread is good." he wasn't even phased by it. "You going to let me get up this time?" he gives a curious look.
If Clark was being honest with himself, he'd never had anyone in his bed. Only himself. Being a firefighter didn't exactly keep him at home long enough to have someone in his bed. So, waking up beside Dick wasn't a bad thing. It was different, but he wasn't opposed to it.
He can't help but chuckle a bit at those words before shaking his head," Only if you actually head downstairs and don't try heading out the window." The window, as far as he was concerned, was off limits. So was the roof. It would be a while before he trusted his best friend up on the roof.
"I'm telling you I would be fine." He made a face as he lay on his slide to face him. All stretched out. Clark's sweats were a bit big for him but they were comfortable. His arm above his head he watched him. Intense blue eyes on his best friend as he tried one last time to persuade him. At least he seemed a bit more relaxed then he had the day before. Even if he hadn't slept he wasn't as tense and afraid.
A bit of his muscled abdomen showed thanks to the oversized sweats. He was in shape, even though he needed to put on a few more pounds. The hand that stretched out reached for one of Clark's nearby, still needing that tactile conformation that he was real. Dick probably could model if he had the patience to be in front of a camera all day. "Although I am pretty comfortable here." He paused as he looked down at their hands. "Got me in your bed on the first night. What will the neighbors think?" He teased his friend. His sense of humor was coming back anyway.
"Told you. Roof is off limits," he tells him, watching him. Dick might think he was fine or might be fine on the roof, but the Kryptonian had reservations. He'd seen how his best friend was in that place. Still had the damn picture in his phone from the day he'd snapped a photo of his wrists. A picture that fueled the firefighter's anger. So, that roof... it was going to be off limits for a bit. Until Clark knew Dick was really okay.
He can't help but give a small smile even as he holds his best friend's hand in his own, watching him. That smile turning into a bit of a laugh. "The neighbors can go screw themselves. None of their business who I bring home or have in my bed."
He gave him a petulant sort of stare, like a child who hadn’t gotten their way but didn’t really fight it much more in that moment. There would be time later to fight it. He still had some memory issues, so Clark was likely making the right call but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be a pain in the ass occasionally about it. That was sort of his calling. “I concede..for now.” He didn’t want to admit that he wasn’t entirely there yet.
The warmth of his hand was nice, it grounded him more than Clark knew. Gave him a sense of safety. Slender fingers laced with his as he smirked at the response. “Scandalous. Careful, we might make the front page.” He wasn’t really in a hurry to get up. Though he was a little hungry, he liked the idea of being right where he was. Clark had nice eyes. He’d never really noticed before. They were kind, it wasn’t a thing he was used to. Especially not recently.
Honestly? He could give that petulant stare all he wanted. It wouldn't get him anywhere. Clark did, after all, have a little brother. Not that he'd ever had any problems out of his brother, but still. That kind of thing didn't really bother him any. "Glad you see it my way."
Clark feels his friend's fingers lace with his own, but doesn't pull away. It wasn't like they were actually doing anything. He wasn't so sure he'd care even if they were. "Oh yes. Firefighter and detective have a secret fling, revealed," he says before bursting out laughing. They'd have to find a way to get pictures first. Which, good luck with that. Especially when the Kryptonian could hear them.
"I know you're hungry. I'm hungry. I plan to cook, but we have to move our asses downstairs for that."
“For now.” He emphasized again as he rolled his eyes and rubbed them a little with his free hand. It really was a hell of a thing, they were close in the Dreams, and he acted so similar in the real world. He’d had a few more dreams while in prison, but he wasn’t sure they were true Dreams or just delusions of a drugged up mind, so he hadn’t given it much thought until he was there, laying in his bed.
“A torrid affair indeed.” He grinned at the laughter, he liked the sound of it. Laughter wasn’t something he’d heard the last couple weeks unless it was deranged and coming from his cellmates down the hall. It provided a nice distraction from the darkness occupying his mind.
“Fineee.” Christ, Clark really could get him to do things easily where others might fail otherwise.
"Torrid affair indeed."
He gives him a bit of a smile before shaking his head and slipping out of bed, using the hand that Dick had a hold of to pull him out of bed too. Despite the fact that his best friend looked comfortable as could be laying there.
"Milk or orange juice?"
Even as he asks he starts their journey back downstairs and towards the kitchen. He knew that Dick probably wouldn't be up for eating too much, but that didn't mean that the Kryptonian wouldn't make quite a bit. If anything? Him and his brother would eat it later. Or it could be used for leftovers for tomorrow morning.
"That was a dirty move, CK." he whined as he was pulled up. It wasn't like he stood a chance against super strength, so he was dragged on his feet and scoffed. Using his free hand, he brushed some dark bangs out of his face.
When he's asked to pick something, it causes his brain to sort of freeze up. "I don't know. Whatever?" The idea of choices had been all but stripped from him the last couple weeks. He froze at even the simplest of ones.
"You should've been ready for it," he teases. After all, Dick had known that Clark had the super strength now. He wasn't looking forward to any of the other abilities. Even though Kara had told him they were bound to come soon. That he'd probably have more than one dream at a time. Something that he didn't particularly care to think about.
When his best friend freezes up like that, he does his best not to get upset. He'd never be upset at the other. However, if Dick knew Clark the way he said he did then he'd know that the wheels were turning in the Kryptonian's head. That he'd probably visit the guard and rough him up. No one messed with his family.
"Juice then. Goes better with eggs." A part of him wanted to force Dick to make the decisions that he's used to making, but it was too early for that. "Come on, you. Kitchen. Go sit down at the dining table while I cook."
In spite of his complaint he didn’t really fight that hard. He just shook his head in amusement and caught his balance fairly quickly to keep up with the other. Dick padded down the stairs behind him, Dick never pictured Clark with such a huge place, even though the one in the dreams lived on a farm-he just assumed this version had an apartment for some reason. He was glad he didn’t. A small place might have felt like a prison again. “Yeah yeah.” He shook his head a little amused.
Decisions were overwhelming. It was like every single fiber in his body wanted to shut down and threatened to until Clark spoke up and he nodded. “If you say so.” He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a home cooked meal to compare it to though.
He didn’t request anything, except the large sweats he was currently wearing. Wanting things in that jail only led to disappointment or worse. “Everything there was stale.” Another complaint for the board when they were likely sued, or shut down or whatever was going to happen. “I couldn’t eat it.” Half the time he’d just gone without hence the weight loss. “I can’t remember specifics, but overall it was inedible” He gingerly rubbed one of his eyes and started for the table. He stopped about midway. As much as he tried to fight it, the panic attack still crept up on him. Once they were in motion, there was no stopping the train wreck from colliding. His next step he tried to force himself to take was a weak one, and he reached out for the edge of that table.
Before he could get to the kitchen proper he heard the hitch in Dick's breathing. Moving over he slips under his arm, probably a sight to see, and moves around to in front of him. He places his hands on either side of Dick's face much like he had done before. He would do this as many times as he needed to.
"Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You're safe, Grayson. You're with me. There's nothing here that's going to get you because I won't allow it. They'll have to go through me in order to get to you. And I'm the guy who can break them in half or be shot and all it do is bruise, if that." Okay, so he hadn't mentioned that part before. He hadn't even really thought about it, if he was being honest.
Clark decides to throw him off a bit," So, if we did date, what's the first thing we'd do?" If it got him to laugh or got him to take that breath that he needed, then so be it.
He was there, but not. He didn’t notice Clark move around him, as awkward as the sight must have been he didn’t see anything. His hand gripped at that table, a white knuckled one as it felt like the entire world was falling away underneath him. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t focus. Couldn’t get out of it.
Clark was saying something, but he could barely make it out this time. It took him an extra minute to do so, and only when Clark appeared in his direct line of sight and touches him like that does he finally blink. “Shit, what?” The episodes left him confused, he hated that feeling. Not knowing what had just happened and suddenly Clark was asking about a date?
“I..” His brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders yet. He finally managed to actually take a breath, and a shaky hand moved to cling at the Kryptonian’s shirt in front of him. “Don’t think you’d want to go on a date with a hot mess.” He tried to laugh a little, but the laugh was weak. “Nighttime motorcycle ride, dinner on a rooftop. Burgers probably. Rooftop bar?” There were a few of those in the city. Actual places where rooftop going was acceptable and protected from just falling over the side.
Clark had no intentions of repeating himself. Once Dick was thinking right and able to form cohesive thought he'd probably realize exactly what the Kryptonian had said. Until then, he was just going to be there for his best friend. Something that he'd been doing for what seemed to be a very long time.
He wraps an arm around him, leading him to the kitchen table and pulling the chair out. Though, he doesn't have Dick let go of him just yet. As a firefighter he'd seen quite a few panic attacks. Some episodes even worse than what his best friend was going through now. Not something that he wanted to really think about.
"Wouldn't that just make you my hot mess?" He questions with a small smile. "You know, I've never ridden on a motorcycle or had dinner on a rooftop, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't try it."
Dick couldn't imagine having a worse episode. It felt like his entire world was collapsing with just this one. It was bad enough for him, but at least when Clark spoke of other things it seemed to reset something in his mind that had frozen before. He didn't know what it was he did that broke that spell, but he was grateful for it. He'd never had to deal with anything like this. He hoped they would end and not become a normal thing. Nightwing couldn't afford to freeze up.
He lets himself be led toward the table and finally releases that vice grip his hand had on him. Flexing a little to get the motion back.
Looking up at Clark, he's quiet for a minute as he thought about what had just been said. It certainly had him distracted. “I guess it would.” It wasn't a no. He liked those words actually, and it scared him a bit. "Aside from the rooftops.. It makes me feel better. Riding" He paused. "… When I can think clearer I can take you?" He probably couldn’t even take himself just yet. “Thought rooftops were banned.” He gave him a shit eating smirk.
There were a lot of different things that Clark had seen on the job. People that he'd burned out of burning buildings. That he'd sent straight to the paramedics on site. He didn't even want to think about his best friend having a full blown panic attack. Those? He'd seen and they weren't pretty. People had even passed out due to things like that.
When Dick lets him go, he gets him sitting down at the table and turns to head back into the kitchen. He could grab the glasses of orange juice first, but he stops at those words before giving a bit of a chuckle.
"I didn't say that they were banned indefinitely. Now did I?" He counters with a shake of his head. "Just not any time soon. When you can think clearer, though, you can take me out for a motorcycle ride. The rooftop lunch or dinner might have to wait for a bit."