Friends with the Enemy

27) Some Advice from Bird to Bird

It was dark outside now and Dick didn't have a watch to tell the time. Then he remembered that he had his phone in his pocket. Eh, he didn't actually care what time it was. Bruce thought he was fast asleep and Dick didn't have to go to school tomorrow, so it didn't matter how late it was.

Dick was half happy to be out of the manor and with Oswald- seriously, he was about to eat icecream for Pete's sake (his favorite!)- but the other half of him felt guilty for tricking Bruce. It wasn't Bruce's fault that he was sad. The manor just felt so restricting, which was odd because it was so big. Dick just couldn't put his finger on it.

You're being ungrateful, a part of him warned. He didn't know which one.

When they got to the parlor, they said goodbye once again to the driver and got inside. A wave of air conditioning hit Dick in the face the moment they got in.

"Hello! What can I get you fine gentlemen this evening?" A cheerful woman questioned as they walked to the countertop and observed the selection.

Dick looked up at Oswald, waiting for the man to tell him what he could get. Oswald noticed this and said, "you can choose whatever you like, Dick. Don't worry about the price."

That's right, Oswald was rich! How could he have forgotten? In that case... "May I please get the chocolate? On a cone?" Dick asked excitedly.

"Of course, dear,"  lady responded kindly as she itched her ear, "Would you like the cone to be small, medium, or large?"

Dick took a good few seconds to think long and hard about it. He wanted to say large, but he suspected that his stomach would be upset afterwards, so he said medium instead.

"Would you like any toppings?" The employee added. Her hazel eyes scanned Dick, noting everything about him.

Toppings?! And I get to say yes? So. Much. Power!! Dick thought, utterly amazed.

Dick shyly grinned. "Um, yes please! How much is allowed?"

"As much as you'd like, Sweetie." She answered.

"All of them!" The boy shouted. His eyes widened when he realized how loud he'd gotten. Over ice cream. To be fair, though, it had been longer than he could even remember since he'd last eaten ice cream, and even then he wasn't allowed this much control over what he got. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "I'd like all the topics please... Except for the peanuts." Dick liked peanuts but so did Zitka, and he didn't think he'd be able to hold in his tears if he thought back to the days where he'd sneak his elephant companion a handful of the salty snack.

After she scooped the many toppings on the ice cream, they moved to the cash register where Oswald paid.

"Thank you, Miss." Dick said with a warm smile. He turned to Oswald. "Thank you, Ozzie."

"You're very welcome. Now, let's sit down." Oswald insisted. They both sat across from each other at a booth. Oswald made a few phone calls as he let Dick eat. Meanwhile, the raven haired boy enjoyed the calm atmosphere and his delicious treat.

When he finished the rest of his cone, Oswald finally spoke up. "So, Dick, tell me about your first day of school."

Dick inhaled. So he was actually going to do this? "Umm, well.. it was fun. Really, it was. Everyone was nice to me. B-but.. that's the thing. I can't believe I didn't notice. man, I'm so stupid-"