Wally woke up to an empty bed. It was a pretty unusual start to his day, except for one day. It always happened every year, and he'd learned to expect it. It was the one day Dick dreaded most.
Wally slid out of bed and walked towards the closet, sitting down in front of it. "You in there, Dickie?" "Yeah." Dick's voice sounded weak. Wally didn't blame him. He'd probably been crying all morning. "Is Maximus in there with you?" "Yeah."
"Do you want any breakfast?" "No." "Okay. Give me a few minutes, then we'll go to Gotham." Wally stood up, heading back to their room. He briefly wondered if Dick had changed, but shrugged. If not, he could before they left.
The anniversary of the day Dick's parents died. It always left a sour taste in Wally's mouth when he said it. It was the one day Dick broke down, the one day he let himself be vulnerable. Dick would spend hours at their graves, crying until he got sick.
Wally knocked on the door, waiting for Dick's response. "You're ready?" "Yeah. Do you want to go ahead and go?" "Yeah." Dick opened the door, shakily standing. Maximus whined, nuzzling against Dick's leg. Wally supported Dick, kissing his cheek.
Dick found it hard to stand on that day, and often had to have someone with him. If he didn't, he would end up collapsing in random places and never make it to their graves. Wally knew that day was usually the only day Dick could visit their graves, so he wanted to make sure the acrobat got there.
Dick was silent the whole ride. They'd stopped by the flower shop to get some for the graves, which Dick held tightly. It was a mix of flowers, which Wally thought was nice. They got many flowers, not just one type.
Dick knelt down in front of the graves, looking weakly at the names. Wally sat next to him and put an arm around his waist. "I'm sorry, Dickie. I'm sure they were amazing." "You would've loved them." "I would've loved to meet them. Getting to meet the parents of my beautiful fiancé would be a dream come true."
The flowers were split, and Dick was pulled into Wally's lap. He sobbed all day, grieving for his parents. He wouldn't eat, but he'd drink from the water bottles Wally brought. Wally often wondered how much water was used for Dick's tears.
They stayed all day, until the sun went down and the moon was high in the sky. Wally had briefly returned home to feed Maximus, but had returned. Dick had probably gotten sick already, but both knew he'd be fine in a few days. It always happened.
"Do you think they're proud of me?" Dick rasped. "Definitely. You save lives daily, Dick, often at the cost of your health. There's no way they aren't proud." "But I left the circus." "There was no way you could've stayed. If Bruce hadn't been there, you could have been in foster care for so much longer. Besides, you still use your acrobatics, and you're better at it than anyone I've ever seen."
"C'mon. Let's go home." Wally said gently, helping Dick stand. Dick sighed, but followed. He knew he'd have to go home eventually. It just seemed like it came quicker each year. He wanted to stay with his parents longer, tell them how much he loved them, never leave them again. But he knew what he did was too important to stay. He had to prevent anyone else from ending like his parents had.
Wally carried Dick to the bed. He was quiet, as he normally was, and very tired. Wally had to bribe him with kisses multiple times. That was normal on that day. Dick would probably be throwing up in the morning, so Wally placed a trash can by his side of the bed.
Sure enough, as he predicted, Dick had gotten ill again. He was burning up, and extremely nauseous. Wally did what he normally did, which included getting a hand towel and soaking it and taking Dick's temperature. Dick knew that no matter what was wrong with him now, Wally would be there with him.
