Falling for Grayson : birdflash

Ch5: Only

Was it an enemy? An assassin? A goon from the League of Shadows? It only took a moment longer to realize who the perpetrator was.

Running towards us was a big, ferociously fluffy golden retriever. The bundle of pure joy jumped up onto Dick, sniffing and licking with her natural curiosity and friendliness.

"Daisy! Down!" A girl's voice yelled from afar.

Daisy, while presumably loyal to her owner, ignored her demand in exchange for more licks of the boy's face.

"I'm so sorry about that," the girl said, pulling Daisy's arms off Dick.

"It's okay, I love dogs," Dick said. He knelt down to give Daisy the pets and head scratches she wanted.

"She's way too friendly sometimes."

The girl looked at Dick in a way that I'd prefer her not to look. "My name's Rose, what're your names?"

"Rose and Daisy?" Dick questioned, looking up.

"Yeah, and I have a sister named Tulip."

"You're kidding."

"Of course I'm kidding!"

To my disappointment, I was sure that to Dick, the girl's smile was as knee-weakening as his own to me. It also didn't help that her wavy black hair, dark brown eyes, and high cheekbones made her as beautiful as a mythical siren could sing.

"My name's Richard, but people just call me Dick." Dick nodded his head toward me. "This is Wally."

I got all shy and gave a tepid wave and said, Hey.

"I don't mean to pry, but I noticed you guys a moment before Daisy began charging towards you, and, well, are you guys together?"

My eyes widened. Before I could see how Dick reacted, he replies, letting out a small laugh, "No, we're only friends."

As much as this was true and as much as I told myself that this was what I wanted or needed to want, to hear Dick use the word only when describing what I was to him, deep down, at my core, it hurt.

"Good," Rose said definitively, "because I was wondering if you'd like to go out next Friday."

"You're rather forward," Dick replied smiling. "But whose to say I don't have a girlfriend?"

"Well, do you?"

"Nope."

"Then put your number in here, dummy," Rose said, handing Dick her phone.

Dick typed in his name and civilian number, though he put Gleeson as his last name. Searches online for "Richard Grayson" would still lead back to The Flying Graysons and back to Bruce Wayne.

While the boy's name and photo in the paper doesn't necessarily lead to Bruce's crime-fighting escapades, having his past revealed to every stranger and his link to a billionaire is something Dick was weary towards. To those who were not part of his chosen family, having a public identity, while being as truthful as he could, was helpful.

"I'll text you now so you have my number," Rose said. "We can make plans for next weekend later. I gotta get back home with Daisy, I have gymnastics practice to get to in an hour."

Of course she does gymnastics.

"It was nice meeting you, Rose."

"It was nice meeting you too—and you too, Wally."

Again, I gave a weak wave and said, Same.

Rose walked back towards the trail, but not before giving Dick a small smile. I stood there with an amorphous feeling of hopelessness floating in my chest, like a cloud of insects darkening the sky.

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Q: Dog breeds you especially like? Any dog name suggestions or funny ones you've heard for real?