Chapter Text
Dick had something called synesthesia; a condition where one sense would trigger along with another. Actually, he had two versions, the first being that he saw numbers in different colors. Odds were warm colors, and evens cool, with the first ten being based in primary colors. They had stayed the same hues all his life, making math and science incredibly easy. His second was that he tasted people's voices when they spoke, each person having their own unique flavoring.
Dick learned at a very young age that his mother was the same way, although instead of tasting words she saw them in color, and numbers all had a different personality. When he was little, they would sit reading books together, and Dick would tell his mother what her words tasted like when she said them, and she would tell him what colors his were. When he learned his numbers, Dick would tell his mother their colors as they did math problems, and she would compare them to the personalities they had. Usually they matched up quite nicely.
When Bruce started taking Dick out on patrol, the boy wonder was usually able to tell when the bad guys were nearby. Just by hearing the barest hint of a voice, he would taste something faint in his mouth, and by following the strength of the flavor, he could find his way to bad guys, or friends, quite easily. Then, when it came to hacking, he followed the color patterns to help him breeze through fire walls and passwords. Although this sense confusion sometimes annoyed him terribly, like in history class where the teacher’s voice made him taste dry cotton, he usually enjoyed the sensations.
All the people he knew had different flavored words, the tastes changing with voice inflections and emotions. Most people’s words stayed about the same, like his team mates. M’gann’s voice was achingly sweet, like birthday cake and sprinkles. Artemis reminded him of sour patch kids most of the time, or gummy worms. Kaldur’ahm’s words usually tasted like cereal bars, sweet and salty at the same time. Superboy’s and Roy’s were very close, tasting like some sort of savory meat dish, or sometimes pasta. Wally’s voice, however, was Dick’s favorite.
Wally’s words brought up flavors of dried and candid fruits, depending on how fast he talked and his tone. Lots of the time Dick just let Wally talk nonstop so that he could let the flavors spread over his tongue, leaving him smiling. Today wasn’t any different, the constant stream of endless chatter bringing tastes of caramel apples to his tongue. Dick just listened to the other run his mouth, not really paying much attention to him as he did a sudoku puzzle; master level of course.
It was about the time that he noticed the top left box was missing two yellow and red numbers that the taste subsided. Turning, Dick found Wally’s face very close to his own. Blinking owl like behind his glasses Dick didn’t move, waiting for Wally to do whatever the hell it was he was going to. Then Wally spoke, the tone making Dick swallow hard as a flavor that Wally had never caused before filled his mouth.
“Penny for your thoughts?” The question was done in a low tone, a playfulness to it, and it made Dick‘s stomach suddenly do a flip-flop. It tasted like fresh raspberries dipped in dark chocolate, only sweeter, darker. He felt a heat start to stir in his lower body that made him suddenly very uncomfortable.
“The hell man?” Dick said jerking back. The laugh Wally let loose caused grapes and kiwi’s to blossom across Dick's tongue.
“Sorry Rob, just screwing with you.” And there was the usual taste of dried pineapple when Wally spoke regularly.
“Yeah well,” Dick replied, letting his word trail off. He gave a quick swallow, a sudden craving for the taste that voice caused singing through him. “D-don’t do it again.” With that, Dick stood up suddenly and left the room, leaving a very confused Wally behind him.
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Two weeks later and Dick was still craving that taste. He had been eating chocolate covered raspberries whenever he could, but it just wasn’t the same. Neither was his view on Wally. Since that day, Dick had caught himself looking at the other boy in ways he had never done before. How perfect his legs were, how much he liked the color of Wally’s hair, how amazing his ass was in the skin tight fabric of his uniform. That was the thing that finally clued Dick into the fact that he might just like Wally as a bit more than a friend.
Dick had started to skirt around the speedster whenever he could. He would excuse himself most of the time, both because he was confused out of his mind about his feelings, and because now when ever Wally talked the faintest hint of the craved flavor would start on the tip of his tongue, driving him mad.
But one day, as Wally usually did with everyone, he caught up to Dick. The boy had been semi-hiding in a grove of trees outside of the mountain, working on his mini computer to create a new algorithm for doing all of his math homework. Wally had somehow snuck up on him, his sudden ‘hello’ having cherries blossom along his tongue accompanied by the darker flavor.
“Didn’t mean to make you jump dude,” the speedster said as he quickly scurried up the tree. Dick didn’t reply, just attempted to breath as calmly as possible while Wally sat across from him. One of Wally’s long legs balanced on the rather large branch Dick was sitting on while the other hung off into open space. Both were in their civvies, Dick’s ever present sun glasses making everything look eveningish even if it was only about two in the afternoon.
“You didn’t,” Dick said a little too fast, and Wally couldn’t help but smile. Dick refused to pout at that and instead went back to messing with his wrist computer. Wally sat silently for a few minutes before he tried to get Dick’s attention.
“Rob…” kiwi snaked across his tongue.
“Roooooob,” Pineapple.
“Robin.” Chocolate covered Raspberries.
Dicks head shot up to find Wally with a hand on either side of his knees, balancing on the tree branch. The boy wonder’s heart was currently going at about the speed Wally deemed a jog and everyone else considered a full blown run. When he realized he had Dick’s attention, Wally’s face turned up in a grin that made Dick suppress a shiver.
“Now that I have your attention,” Wally’s voice stayed the same, making Dick’s mouth water. “I want to ask you a question.” The taste started to lighten as Wally’s voice did. “Why are you avoiding me?” The taste was back to kiwi’s and pineapple, and the look on Wally’s face was his basic confused look. Dick unconsciously let out a noise at the loss of the other taste, a noise that froze Wally as he started to pull back.
“Rob, what’s wrong?” He asked slowly, concern lacing the words that tasted like dark cherries. He moved forward again. “You doing okay?” The words were sweet, the worry adding a tang to everything. Dick was trembling slightly, the flavoring in his mouth had just the barest undercurrents of the chocolate tinge. He licked his lips.
“Rob wh-”
“Talk like that again.” Dick said, mouth running before he could think about it. Wally blinked.
“Talk like what?” Wally asked a bit confused.
“Like…” Dick trailed off. How the hell was he supposed to say this. ‘Talk in the chocolate voice’. Yeah, that wouldn’t confuse the hell out of the red head. “You know…the ‘dark’ voice.” Wally blinked again before his eyes went wide.
“Oh…” he whispered. “Oh!” Understanding dawned over his face, cheeks and ears tingeing pink. “You actually like it when…”
“Yes, yes I do.” Dick said unable to look at him.
“Why?” Wally asked, and a hint of the chocolate was back. Dick licked his lips.
“It…” his brain raced as he attempted to figure out what to say, and in the end just decided on the truth. “It tastes good.” The eyebrow that Wally raised made Dick sigh.
“I taste words, it’s a condition called-.” Wally suddenly cut him off.
“You have gustatory synesthesia?” Wally asked excitedly. Dick’s eyes went wide behind his glasses, making Wally smile. “No wonder you're always licking your lips. What do my words taste like?” Wally asked, chain of thought jumping around, the flavors switching so much in his excitement it tasted like a sugar coated fruit cocktail to Dick.
“Fruit, candied fruit.” Dick said swallowing. Wally thought about that for a moment before getting a wicked smile on his face.
“And when I talk like this?” Dick swallowed hard against the flavor, Wally’s smile growing wider as he watched the others throat move. “So what’s it taste like?” He asked again, moving forward, up the others body.
“R-raspberries,” Dick stuttered, “and chocolate.” The revelation made Wally smile.
“Really now?” The taste got stronger as Wally’s tone went slightly deeper, and Dick closed his eyes against the sensation. He just nodded as Wally continued to make his way forward. “Does it taste good enough to let me kiss you?” Dick jerked back somewhat at that, staring into the face of the red head who was now straddling him, most of his weight resting on the smaller boys hips so he wouldn’t make them topple out of the tree.
“Wha… I-”
“Can I kiss you?” Wally asked this time, straight forward with just the tiniest hint of fear somewhere. The fear tinted the taste with a slight bitter flavor, and Dick didn’t like that; he wanted that sweetness back.
Instead of replying Dick sat himself up, leaning away from the trunk of the tree until their faces were just millimeters apart.
“Is this a yes?”
Dick’s answer was simply pressing his lips against the others. They stayed like that for a moment, balancing on a tree branch with mouths pressed together gently. Then Wally’s tongue darted out, licking at Dick’s mouth, asking silently for entrance. Without a thought, Dick opened up and let the speedsters tongue inside, and shuddered at the feeling of their tongues meeting. Continuing their balancing act, Dick managed to wrap his arms around the other as they kissed, tongues twisting until they had to break away to breath.
“So,” Wally asked with a husky pant, “Which tastes better? Me or my words?” Dick just smiled at him.
“I don’t know, think I need another taste.”
Wally gladly gave one.