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With midterms suddenly upon you, the library was seeing more of you than your own boyfriend. You had spent the past week with your nose buried in scribbled notes rather than his warm neck, hands filled with stacks of flashcards instead of his tousled hair. Honestly, it was infuriating to be apart, but it wasn’t like the two of you could study together. No, you tried that once, and it ended in dirty bedsheets and annoyed neighbors.
That meant, until your last midterm, the campus library would continue to hold all your affections. And your boyfriend would just be some attempted homewrecker.
Headphones blaring, you marched towards your only love– again, the library, not your boyfriend. You kept your head hanging low, hoping that your purposeful steps were enough to make people move out of your way. Nothing would stop you from reaching your beloved library.
“Baby!”
Despite your music blasting, you couldn’t miss that deafening shout. There was no way someone could be that excited about seeing their… that was a familiar voice. It took you embarrassingly long– a whole three seconds– to recognize it.
Immediately, your head snapped up, eyes wide as you spotted an enthusiastic Dick Grayson. Even amidst his cluster of friends– and still so many yards away– he waved at you frantically. You could do nothing but match his giddy smile. From the sight of him alone!
As you pulled your headphones from your ears, Dick scurried over to you with a speed that could surely contest the Flash. You had barely registered his presence, and already he was there, right in front of you with flushed cheeks and a breathless voice.
“Hey, beautiful,” Dick murmured, that playful grin already tugging at the corners of his lips.
His hands– the same calloused ones you had just been longing for– instantly grabbed yours, his thumb brushing over your knuckles like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Hi, baby,” you answered– almost shyly– as he stooped to kiss your forehead.
You were (rather rudely) drawn away from the moment when a sharp laugh had you peering curiously over Dick’s shoulder, back to his friends. Wally, Roy, and Jason watched you and Dick, surely teasing him for abandoning them so quickly for you.
Noticing your gaze, the three of them at least had the courtesy to greet you. Wally and Jason were kind enough to offer a sheepish wave; Roy only nodded in your direction.
Turning back to Dick, it was clear his friends were the farthest thing from his mind. He was too focused on you to be distracted by anything else.
“What’re you doing on campus?” you asked with a raised brow. “On a weekend?”
“Long story short: Wally’s stupid,” Dick said, loud enough for his voice to carry.
“Dude!” Wally shouted.
Even that wasn’t enough to tear Dick’s gaze away from you.
“Basically,” Dick continued, “he wanted tacos and said that that one place– ya know, the one in the Performing Arts Center? Yeah, he said that would be open.”
“That place is never open on weekends,” you muttered like it was a universally-known fact.
“Yeah! That’s exactly what I said! But someone didn’t listen, so now we’re heading to the taco truck that’s usually by the park.” Squeezing your hand for emphasis, Dick added in a low whisper, “Babe, if that taco truck isn’t there, I’m actually gonna lose it. A guy can only hear so much about the best taco meat before he starts going crazy.”
With a fond smile, you squeezed Dick’s hand in return and promised, “I’ll cross my fingers for you.”
His boyish grin stretched, revealing those adorable dimples that you always loved to kiss. He looked at you with such utter delight that you wondered if you accidentally proposed marriage instead of wishing his sanity well. But no, Dick just always looked at you like that; you could’ve sworn his pupils were in the shape of hearts.
“What’re you doing here?” he questioned with a curious, puppy-like tilt of his head. “I thought you were gonna be locked up in the library all day. I was worried I’d have to come rescue you, sword and armor and everything.”
“Eskrima sticks would be more accurate,” you mumbled.
“Woah, hey! Settle down!” Quickly, Dick covered your mouth, looking around wildly with his typical theatrics. “Can’t go around spilling all my secrets like that…”
You giggled against Dick’s palm, pressing a chaste kiss to his skin as an apology. Already, he was beaming again, sliding his palm away from your mouth to cup your cheek.
“Anyway,” you began, leaning into Dick’s tender touch. “I was in the library, but I got bored and needed a little pick-me-up, so I went and got a drink. And now I’m going back to the library.”
“What drink did you get?”
To anyone else, Dick’s question might’ve seemed innocent; honestly, you thought it was innocent at first too. You opened your mouth to answer before clamping it shut tightly. You knew your boyfriend better than this, this wasn’t some random, oh-I’m-just-curious question.
“No,” you said flatly. “No. I’m not telling you what I got. I know you’re gonna try to pay for my drink.”
And like the grown man he was, Dick pouted. “Please, my love, let me pay for your drink.”
“Richard,” you scolded, raising an accusatory finger. “Do not pay for my drink. I swear to God if I get a notification that you Venmo’ed me–”
“It’s okay.” Ever dramatic, Dick sighed in defeat. That lasted all of two seconds before he flashed a victorious smirk. “I already know you probably got a chai latte with vanilla cream, so that’s like… $7 if we round up. So I’ll send you… what, $20?”
“That’s a jump.”
“Yeah, well. Pocket money. It’ll pay for your next drink.”
You rolled your eyes at the way Dick looked all too pleased with himself. There was no rejecting him when he looked as sweet as that. You supposed all that Wayne money had to go somewhere… why not to a broke college kid’s caffeine funds?
“Wait, actually, I’ll send you $21! For this drink, the one after that, and the one after that.”
“You really are–”
“– the most amazing boyfriend to ever exist? Yeah, I know, babe, but I appreciate the reminder.”
Again, you rolled your eyes, shoving your palm into Dick’s face. He grabbed your wrist, holding your hand against him as he pressed endless kisses to your skin. He didn’t stop until you yanked your hand from his grip, giggling over your ticklish palms.
“Anyway,” Dick continued casually. “Are you still coming over for Pretty Woman tonight?”
“Of course I am.”
“Thank God. If I had to go another day without seeing you–”
“You’re seeing me right now.”
“Smartass.”
“You love it.”
“I do.”
Raising onto your toes, you pecked Dick’s cheek in a show of thanks. You adored when he couldn’t even try to hate you for your snide comments.
“But,” you started.
“Oh, God, no. Baby, please don’t tell me you can’t stay the night,” Dick cried, unable to contain his horror. “You haven’t slept over the past five nights. Five sleepless nights! That’s five too many!”
“Relax,” you chuckled, waving him off. And once again, the Boy Wonder was beaming like this was the happiest news of his life. “I’m staying the night, I promise. I was just thinking that maybe instead of Pretty Woman… we could watch Practical Magic. Y’know, for the fall vibes and whatever.”
“Baby, you’re a genius, and I love you. All that studying is really paying off.”
“I’d hope so,” you grumbled, failing to hide the warmth rising to your cheeks.
Taking your hands back in his, Dick leaned forward to press another kiss to your forehead, his soft lips lingering long enough that you started to giggle. He filled you with a tingling giddiness that was bound to distract you from studying.
“Get back to your studying, my beautiful little genius. I’m gonna get Wally some tacos and remind him how stupid he is. I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”
“Mhm,” you hummed sweetly. “I’ll be there at seven.”
“If you’re even a minute late I might die of heartbreak.”
“Then maybe I’ll come a little earlier.”
“I’ll die of excitement.”
“Okay, then seven it is. I like having a living boyfriend.”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
Miraculously, you and Dick managed to pull away from each other. You were pretty sure you heard Roy say an exasperated, “Finally.” You would be sure to glare at him for it later.
“Okay, see you tonight,” you said quickly, kissing Dick on the cheek as his friends drew nearer. “I love you.”
And already, you were walking off, whizzing away at a speed that couldn’t contest the Flash but could certainly contest a league of speedwalking moms. You would let Dick suffer the onslaught of teasing on his own. As if he cared about that.
Practically at the top of his lungs, he shouted after you, “I love you too!”
You glanced over your shoulder, laughing at Dick who had taken to walking backwards just to watch you go. Even with Wally jostling against him, Dick only cared about you. He brought his fingers to his lips, blowing you the biggest kiss he could. You mimicked him, sending a gentle kiss his way. He caught it eagerly, making a show of stuffing it in his pocket, keeping your kiss forever.
You continued towards the library, determined as ever to finish your studying so that you might have more time to cuddle up next to Dick. But with your back turned, you couldn’t see the way he watched you until you were completely out of sight. Even then, he stared after you, hoping you might magically reappear. He didn’t care to look at anything else.
Why would he when he had you?