To Catch Me

It was another one of those nights where Dick had sought out for his boyfriend's warmth so as to sleep peacefully. He was currently curled up against Wally's bare back, rising and falling with each breath, both submersed in a deep sleep. Dick was in a dream. He dreamt that he was back at the circus, performing one of his favorite routines alongside his loving parents. He was laughing and grinning widely, enjoying the feel of flying through the air with so much ease. Outside his dreams, Dick was slowly rolling away from Wally across the bed, heading straight for the edge of the bed.

In his dream the frequency between flips and airborne sumersaults increased, the tempo of their act increasing at an alarming rate. He felt slightly uneasy but he comforted himself with the fact that he knew his parents would always be there to catch him if he fell, to protect him when he was in danger. Back in reality, Dick rolled again, jerkily, his face scrunching up in wariness. Wally remained sound asleep next to him, seemingly unaware of what was going on with his lover.

In the dream, Dick was tossed into the air to perform his finally move, spinning and twisting gracefully before reaching up his hands so that his parents would catch him. But they didn't. No familiar hands enclosed his wrists to swing him over to safety. There were no smiling faces looking down at him with pride.
There was nothing.

Dick turned over in the bed again, letting out tiny sounds of despair, dangerously approaching the edge. Wally still slept peacefully beside him. For a moment time seemed to stop in the dream, the realization of what was go to happen to him slamming into him.

And then he fell.

A scream of pure terror started to rise and tear through his throat when the falling sensation came to a sudden halt and his eyes shot wide open. All he could see was the dark carpet floor of his boyfriend's bedroom. He was panting heavily, his brow soaked with sweat, his body shaking from fear. He gulped. Then he finally came to his senses a little and became aware that an arm was wound firmly around his tiny waist, keeping his body from crashing down  into the ground. He felt himself be lifted and turned around and was tucked into a familiar torso rising and falling much faster than it had before.

"Are you okay?"

Wally's soft voice brought him completely out of his haze and the pain settled in his chest. He shook his head swiftly once.

"A-A dream…"he started. "A nightmare. I…I was with my parents and we were performing at the circus and I-I was doing my final trick when there was suddenly no one there and I started to fall and-"

Tears streamed down his face, both at the terrible nightmare and the fact that he had been so scared. Wally just held him tightly against him, closing his eyes , pressing his lips to the top of his head and slowing his breathing.

"It's okay, Dick. It was just a dream. Don't worry about it," he whispered softly. "I'll always be here to catch you when you fall. Always."

"I know," Dick whispered back quietly, taking in a breath. "I know you will."