runningstart | MASK OR MENACE IC INBOX

[ Dick arrives home from work later than usual this evening, and makes his way somewhat precariously up the stairs to Wally's room. He's carrying a plastic box of sixteen cupcakes (clearly store bought, thank god), a small pack of candles, and a giftwrapped package — yellow wrapping paper and a red bow, of course. ]

Surpriiiise! Guess what day I think it might chronologically be!

[Sorry buddy, Wally's not in. Not too many clues to indicate where he's gone either, but his costume isn't in his closet.]

[ Oh.

Well... that's fine. He's probably just out. Doing superhero things. Without him. That's— that's cool. Not like Robin could come, anyway. Whatever.

Trying not to be too disappointed, Dick waits at Wally's desk, browsing the internet on his communicator. He waits, and he waits, and he waits a little longer. He puts the candles in the cupcakes. He takes the cupcakes out of the box. He organizes them into the shape of a lightning bolt on the desk.

And Wally still isn't here.

Did he leave again? No, he'd tell him, right...?

After about an hour and a half of sitting at Wally's desk, flicking the lighter on and off, Dick decides to wait on Wally's bed, where he has a view of the street from his window. So he curls up on his side, watching and waiting until the sun goes down and the stars come out. At some point, while debating whether or not texting him would ruin the surprise, Dick finally dozes off. ]

[Wally shows up ~~fifteen minutes late with Starbucks~~ a little after two in the morning. He'd pulled on the KF duds, but he hadn't gone crime fighting. One, because there wasn't much crime in Heropa to fight and two, because he's finding out he doesn't much enjoy the solo act. It's no fun if he can't go with someone, and he doesn't know Zatanna well enough yet and SB is a crazy rage monster who asks really difficult, life-changing questions that Wally doesn't have the answer for, and Artemis- yeah no. Not yet.

That leaves Robin. With his broken leg.

So instead Wally snaps his goggles down and goes for a run. Without a passenger he can push it, really push it, and he decides to go check out Maurita Falls, see what the fuss is about. It's not as welcoming as Heropa, and nobody was particularly happy to see an imPort but it was different from Florida and it was more like home than Florida was.

Either way, the run was nice. Calming.

Wally returns sweaty and out of breath, climbing up the stairs and slipping off his goggles to toss onto his desk- where they smack into a plastic container that wasn't there when he left. He starts, flicks the light switch by the door and takes in the dark shape on his bed.

And then the cupcakes and present on his desk.

What?]

[ There's a noise, and the lights turn on, and if it were anyone else, he'd jolt awake in a second, but it's just Wally and even his subconscious is comfortable enough with that to give him at least a moment of bleary, half awake staring. He pulls his head up slowly, hair all out of place, and blinks at Wally.

Oh, right. ]

...mmmhey, you came back.

[ He pushes himself up with one arm into a sitting position, made slightly awkward by how he's not quite used to the cast yet. ]

Yeah, I came back. I live here. [That's not exactly fair of you to say considering all last week, but whatever Wally.

He peels the mask and hood portion of his uniform off and ruffles his hair. He should probably get a haircut soon.]

What's this? [He gestures to the cupcakes. His stomach rumbles and he picks up a cupcake questioningly, pointing at the candle.]

—don't eat it yet! You have to light the candles.

[ He rubs the back of his neck. It feels kind of lame now, without the fun of actually surprising Wally. ]

It's, uh... kind of a happy birthday thing. I might be off by a few days, but I think I got pretty close. And I didn't wanna make a big fuss, because I know you're probably gonna want a real birthday party when it's, you know, your real birthday, and anyway, I didn't think of it until recently, but...

Surprise?

[ ...jazzhands... ]

-Ah!

Ahhhh! What the heck, it's my birthday! Oh my god! Did I seriously forget?!

[WOW HE IS SO MAD AT HIMSELF RIGHT NOW]

It's because of the time thing and it's stupid summer and I'm used to it snowing-! Dammit, I can't believe I forgot- Think of all the people who don't know!

[ ... should I have thrown him a party? ]

I think if there's any reasonable time to forget your own birthday, it's when it's four months early.

Dude, did you seriously count? [Wally didn't even know anyone remembered when he was from. Makes sense Robin would know though, detective and all.

So if it's his birthday now and then again four months from now...

And then he notices that the cupcakes are in a lightning bolt shape, and yeah that's definitely a present here and Robin's not exactly made of money in this world. He grins.]

...thanks.

[Birthdays back home tend to start off very differently, but this is all right too.]

[ Robin grins, too, warm and sincere (and really hoping Wally doesn't take any of it the wrong way). ]

I didn't go totally nuts or anything. It's just, I'm pretty sure when you're from was right when school started for me, so I remembered when that was... and then it was just basic math.

[ He gestures to the desk, where he'd left the lighter. ]

Wanna make a wish before you dig in?

Sure, yeah. But I'm gonna spit on each and every cupcake here. [Wally grins and holds out a candle for Robin to light, then helps him light the rest and slaps the switch by the door.]

-oh god, but don't sing. Okay I'm just gonna- [He leans down and blows out the candles, just in case Robin was gearing up for a song.] There. [He flips the lights.] Completely covered in my spit. Enjoy.

Pshuh. Like your saliva's gonna deter me. I've been waiting here for hours.

And I wasn't gonna, but since you asked so nicely—

[ And he's belting out as much Happy Birthday as he can before Wally forcibly stops him. HE SINGS LIKE AN ANGEL. ]

[we're just gonna cram a cupcake into that open mouth to shut him up ok? ok]

There that's better. [Silence is worth sacrificing one cupcake. ~~even if robin is a better singer than wally~~]

Seriously though dude, you didn't have to. I mean, I don't even know- am I just gonna turn sixteen again in November? Or maybe I should have a July birthday from now on, change my sign and all that. Mix it up.

Mmfnghf—!

[ FACE FULL OF CUPCAKE. It's sort of an ordeal, but Dick chews and swallows and wipes his mouth and winds up with frosting on the tip of his nose anyway. Also there are crumbs in Wally's bed now. ]

... I dunno how it works, dude. I know it's not really official or anything. I just thought... if it were me, it'd be cool if someone remembered? [ shrug. ] Anyway it's not like I went out of my way for anything.

[ Except going to the bakery. And a trip out to Cape Canaveral for the present, but that's only because there's no mall here in Heropa. ]

Uh huh. [Wally gives the cupcakes and present a pointed look. Didn't go out of your way, really?] Well...thanks. [Wally shifts his weight, unwrapping another cupcake to devour.] Sorry you were here until- geez, it's two in the morning.

-oh hey, dude! I haven't even signed your cast yet! [Wally shoves the rest of the cupcake into his mouth and dusts off his hands, snagging a marker from his desk. time to play 'how many dirty words can i fit on this cast before robin stops me' ]

Dude! C'mon— [ He almost says "be professional" before he stops himself from opening up that can of worms again, so he just smacks Wally's hand before he gets too into it. ] —I have to go to work with this thing on, you know. At least deface it with lightning bolts or something.

[ He flops back so he's laying on the bed again, keeping an eye on Wally and the marker. ]

... Hey, why were you so late, anyway? Busy night?

[Wally rolls his eyes but at least the next thing he scrawls onto the cast isn't laden with profanity. ...although it is a signature from "your hero, Kid Flash" inside of the Flash symbol.]

No, not really. I was just running.

[Up to places he was considering moving to.]

Oh yeah? Go anywhere cool?

[ He snorts at the very fanclubby signature, but doesn't stop him. ]

Uhhh if Pennsylvania counts as cool. Which it doesn't, by the way. [Wow Wally leave some room for everyone else to sign- wally do not write over the signatures of people you don't know you brat]

[ He should probably say something, but Dick lets him have free run of the cast. ]

You're right. That sounds way lame.

I'm gonna need more art supplies to really make this awesome, [Wally mutters, giving Dick's cast a critical stare.]

You have my full permission to bedazzle my leg.

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