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When Wally was first picked for the mission to defend the most recent Wayne Gala from any potential superhero attacks, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Protecting the perimeter of a huge manor so all the snobby, rich men inside could drink their champagne in peace? Did the League really not have anything better for them to do?
Not to mention half the team wasn’t even here. Kid Flash leaned against the back door of Wayne Manor, tapping his foot impatiently. Robin was so lucky he got to miss this– Artemis, too, for that matter. Wally would give anything to be with Robin right now, even if it meant enduring whatever training Batman had singled him out for.
Counting down the seconds until Wally could see his best friend again, he gazed around, watching the glittering crowds mingle. Bruce Wayne was giving some sort of toast, standing on a stage, holding his glass of champagne aloft. To his left stood Dick Grayson, a man Wally could pick out in a police line-up of five other dark-haired, blue-eyed teenagers. He always seemed vaguely familiar, though Wally chalked it up to the fact that his face was plastered over every teen magazine Wally had ever seen.
Looking at the guy now, Wally was almost surprised with how still he was standing. He looked like a trophy next to Bruce Wayne, standing perfectly still in a fancy suit, a polite smile plastered on his face. Wally could never. Hell, he couldn’t even stand still now, though he preferred to blame that on his superspeed.
Wally didn’t really understand why everyone was so in love with the guy. Sure, he was attractive– really attractive, especially in that suit– but other than that, he was just a guy. He was about as charismatic and quick-witted as any kid who’d grown up with cameras shoved in their face.
Then again, maybe Wally was biased. He wondered– not for the first or last time tonight– what Robin was doing right now. He’d probably find the whole thing as performative and annoying as Wally did, making snarky comments about the Gotham elite that would have Wally trying to stifle a laugh.
Bruce Wayne finished up his speech, and the crowd was starting to mingle again. If Wally stood at just the right angle, he could see Dick Grayson gliding gracefully through the crowd, his polite smile unfailing even as he was cornered by Gotham’s richest. Wally wasn’t surprised at all that the guy was fending off suitors with a stick; Wally almost felt bad for him.
He could see Dick Grayson talking to some girl in a long black dress, her hand on his chest, and the way his smile had shifted into something more uncomfortable.
Yeah, Wally definitely felt bad for the guy.
And, well, he was here to watch out for Bruce Wayne and his family, right? It was better than standing out here doing nothing.
“The name’s Kid Flash,” he said, sidling in between Dick Grayson and the girl. “Mind if I speak to you outside?”
Up close, Dick Grayson’s eyes were somehow a brighter, prettier shade of blue than the newspaper photos made them out to be.
“Of course,” Dick Grayson said, sounding relieved. He shot the girl an apologetic smile as he allowed Wally to lead him away. When they reached the far wall, where Wally was supposed to be positioned, he finally asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Just thought you could use a way out,” Wally said. “You looked uncomfortable.”
Dick smiled, and for once, it didn’t look fake. Or maybe he was just that good of an actor, because there was no way a guy like Dick Grayson would be smiling at a guy like Wally.
Then again, he wasn’t exactly Wally. He was Kid Flash right now. Kid Flash, the young, cocky, and charismatic superhero who flirted with everything that moved, as Robin liked to put it.
“I bet you say that to all the guys you save,” Dick Grayson said.
“Just the really gorgeous ones,” Wally replied, the comment rolling smoothly off his tongue, even if it was the heir to a world-famous billionaire he was using it on, rather than M’gann. “And I promise, this has nothing to do with the fact that you could afford to buy me a yacht. Really, I don’t even want a yacht.”
For one terrifying second, Wally was sure that he’d just ruined everything. But then, Dick Grayson laughed– not a fake, polite laugh, but a warm one, that bubbled out of his chest and made the corners of his bright blue eyes crinkle up.
“I don’t think Bruce would let me buy you a yacht. I could buy you a drink, though.”
Wally froze, barely hearing the words. Dick Grayson’s laugh was still echoing in his ears. He’d heard that laugh before. He knew it by heart.
The thing with being in love with your best friend was that you started to memorize them, every crack and crevice, every inch of their personality and the way they reacted to certain things and the way they spoke. Wally had spent more than enough time gazing longingly at Robin (while he wasn’t looking, obviously) to have him memorized down to the curve of his cheekbones. Knowing Robin was as easy as breathing, probably even easier, because Wally was still a little sore from when he broke a rib yesterday.
And that was definitely Robin’s laugh. Those were definitely his cheekbones.
Robin had always kept his secret identity close to his chest, per Batman’s orders, but now, Wally had never seen anything more obvious. Dick Grayson was Robin, Wally’s best friend. And Robin, Wally’s best friend who he was hopelessly in love with, was Dick Grayson, the heir of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.
Thoughts whirled through Wally’s brain like they’d tapped into the Speed Force. No wonder Batman was so intent on Robin keeping his identity a secret. No wonder Robin wasn’t here patrolling with the rest of the team. If he could tell Artemis about this, she’d be eating her words for ever doubting his Bruce-Wayne-is-Batman’s-sugar-daddy theory.
And, most importantly– if Dick Grayson was flirting with him, and Robin was Dick Grayson, was Wally’s hopeless crush really that hopeless after all?
“You okay, Kid Flash?” Dick Grayson– Robin– asked.
Wally smiled. “Fine. I am working, though, so as much as I’d love a drink…”
“They’re serving water.”
Wally swallowed. Robin never flirted with him. Dick Grayson was . Why not take the shot he had?
“In that case, lead the way.”
Wally was still grinning when he returned to Mount Justice the next day. Dick was just as perfect as Robin was, as if he needed anymore proof that they were the same person. He was just as charming and funny and intelligent and witty as the tabloids made him out to be, and if Wally wasn’t already head-over-friction-resistant-shoes in love with Dick, he would be now.
There was no chance Robin had spent a whole night flirting with Wally just because. This had to mean something. They could be together, a couple. Wally just had to find the guy.
“What’s got you so excited?” Artemis grumbled as he strutted into the room. “Did you seduce some poor girl at the gala last night?”
“You’re just jealous you didn’t get to go. Do you know where Rob is?”
Artemis shrugged, fiddling with the tip of one of her trademark arrows. “How should I know? He’s your boyfriend.”
Not yet, Wally thought, unable to help the goofy smile that rose to his face. From behind Wally, he heard Kaldur’s familiar footsteps, and he raced to him.
“Do you know where Robin is?”
“I think he was talking to M’gann, why?”
“Thanks!”
In a flash, Wally was skidding to a halt outside M’gann’s door. There were all sorts of bugs fluttering in his stomach, Dick’s laugh and the word boyfriend playing on loop in Wally’s head. He was about to knock, heart hammering in his chest, when he faltered, hearing voices on the other side of the door.
“But you’re in love with him,” M’gann said, sounding confused.
Wally’s heart slammed to a halt. It wouldn’t be too crazy to assume M’gann was talking about Wally there, right? He wasn’t just some weird rebound for Robin’s real crush, right?
“It’s not that simple,” Robin snapped, sounding irritated. “Trust me, you don’t need to remind me how irrevocably in love I am with Wally West.”
Oh. Wally’s smile was probably bright enough to power at least ten small towns. He almost forgot to listen to the rest of what Robin was saying.
“Even if he liked me back, we’d never have a chance. Batman still wouldn’t let me tell him who I am, and I don’t think I could date someone without being fully honest with them. Not even Wally.”
The sad tone in Robin’s voice was enough to rip the wings off the butterflies in Wally’s stomach. Of course there had to be something in the way. Because when had anything in Wally’s life ever gone perfectly right?
Because he and Robin did like each other, and they’d be great together, Wally knew it. Dating would be as easy as going on missions together. But just because of some stupid rule Batman had…it was the worst kind of tragedy. Shakespeare could never.
He slumped against the wall, heaving a sigh of disappointment. Potential futures flew through his mind before dissolving into a bat-shaped black hole– futures where he asked Robin out and Robin said yes, where they ended up married and living happily ever after with a dog and two awesome kids and a picket fence that was outfitted with the best booby traps.
But despite their night at the gala, they would never…
Wait. Wally’s head shot back up. He was such an idiot. He did know Robin’s secret identity! If that was the only thing stopping Robin from dating him, then the problem was solved! He just had to tell Robin that he knew.
As if summoned by Wally’s thoughts, M’gann’s door swung open, and Robin appeared, looking slightly panicked at the sight of Wally in the hallway.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Can we talk?” Wally asked, trying to project his most suave, flirtatious, seductive persona possible even as he was practically vibrating with nervous energy.
Robin nodded, casting one last glance at M’gann’s door before allowing Wally to lead him a little further down the hallway.
Wally glanced at the camera in the ceiling, pointed right at them, and cursed internally. He was pretty sure the only places that weren’t bugged were the vents, which weren’t exactly the romantic locale Wally had been hoping for. And blabbing on camera about Robin’s hard-fought secret identity was even less romantic.
“You wanted to talk?” Robin prompted, already eyeing his exits.
Wally sighed. This would work, right? As long as Wally implied he knew, Robin would pick up on it. They’d known each other for years, and worked with each other for just as long. Robin could probably read his mind at this point, just as well as Wally could read his.
“So I was at the Wayne Gala yesterday, right?”
Robin nodded, slowly, then said, “Nothing happened, right?”
“Nothing crime-related, no. But I met Dick Grayson there, and I think I– well, I know I have a crush on him.”
Robin blinked, his face so impassive that Batman would be proud. “I don’t thinK I should–”
“What? No, Robin, it’s okay, I know.” Why didn’t Robin look happier? “I know why you weren’t at the Gala. I know that you’re… friends with Dick Grayson.”
He made sure to really emphasize the word “friend”, giving Robin a pointed look. That was the euphemism that those Disney characters used, right?
Robin seemed to deflate slightly in his seat. Wally was confident his message was getting across.
“And what do you want me to do?”
“Well, I heard through the grapevine that Dick Grayson might like me back. And since you’re… friends… with him, I was hoping you could, you know, set us up on a date.”
Robin paused, his mouth pulled into the most adorable little confused frown. Then, the white eyeholes of his domino mask widened slightly, and Wally’s heart did a little happy dance in his chest.
“You get what I’m saying? Is Dick Grayson going to say yes?”
“Yeah, I think that could work,” Robin said finally. “I’ll text him for you.”
Wally might’ve just run a marathon, for the way his heart was pounding. “You’re the best, Boy Wonder.”
It wasn’t long after their talk that Wally got a text message from an unknown number. From Dick Grayson, asking him on a date. An official one and everything.
Months of pining for his best friend, and it all led to this. Wally couldn’t wait.
I should warn you, Dick’s message read, there’s a good chance that the media will find out about our date, and run a story on it. Still want to go?
Now that Wally had him, the Flash himself could turn evil and start destroying Central City and Wally would still find a way to make that date with Dick Grayson. Still, it was adorable for Dick to check.
You can’t get rid of me that easily, Wally had sent back, before adding Dick Grayson to his contacts with a little heart next to it.
The days seemed to drag by at a snail’s pace until Thursday finally, finally arrived. He’d ran to his Aunt Iris first, and she studied him with an amused smile as he rambled on about cute rich boys and what the hell was he supposed to wear on this date, anyway?
The thing was, Wally knew he probably shouldn’t be nervous. Robin liked him, had admitted had agreed to go on a date with him, all of it. But he couldn’t help but feel like he had something to prove to Robin. Prove that he could be a good boyfriend– nay, a perfect one.
He’d been very relieved to see that the place Dick picked was a small family-owned Mexican restaurant, as opposed to some fancy upscale restaurant where Wally wouldn’t be able to pronounce half the things on the menu. At least this way, Wally wouldn’t have to worry about wearing a tie.
“You look great, Wally,” Aunt Iris cooed, as Wally fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt.
“What’s the occasion?” Uncle Barry asked, walking into the kitchen while munching on a reheated burrito. He pecked Aunt Iris on the cheek before surveying Wally’s outfit and giving him a big thumbs-up.
“Wally here has a date,” Aunt Iris said, sounding proud.
“Who’s the lucky person?”
As much as Wally loved how supportive his aunt and uncle were, he could do with a little less prying into his love life. Mostly because he didn’t really want to answer this question.
“It’s Dick Grayson,” Wally replied, feeling self-conscious. He knew how it probably seemed, claiming that a city celebrity is dating a, well, nobody. “I was at the Wayne Gala with the team, and we hit it off.”
Luckily, his parents didn’t question it.
The doorbell rang five minutes early, an oddly comforting sign that Dick Grayson was just as nervously eager as Wally was for this date. Wally had never run to the door faster, and he was rewarded with Dick Grayson looking possibly more gorgeous than he’d ever been, bright blue eyes adorably shy and raven black hair just the right kind of messy. Wally forgot how words worked for a minute, gaping like a fish.
“You look…fantastic.”
Dick blushed and smiled. “You too. Are you ready?”
“Yes! Yes, I am so ready.” He was not going to ramble like an idiot on his first date with Dick Grayson. “Let’s go.”
Wally’s hands were sweating around the menu. The table they had been seated at was in the back corners, away from the windows and the other chatting parties. It felt strangely intimate, and he was glad for how long the menu was, allowing him to fill up the quiet with the sound of pages rustling.
Dick was a much braver person than him– or at least better prepared. He started the conversation, asking Wally about his family, hobbies, interests. He was fantastic – making funny, witty comments in all the right places, sounding genuinely interested in whatever Wally had to ramble about, opening up with his own stories and interests.
Wally couldn’t help but shake the feeling that Dick was pretending like they didn’t know each other, but in a sense, they didn’t. This was definitely Wally’s Robin– down to the way Dick gave a little half-smile any time Wally made a truly awful pun, to the way Dick’s favorite color was green, to the way he had a soft spot for the circus. But, well, Wally’s Robin was still a secretive guy. But despite that, as the night went on, Wally began to relax, his palms getting less sweaty.
This was just Robin without the traffic-light-colored spandex uniform. Wally didn’t need to impress him. He just had to be himself– that’s what apparently won Robin over in the first place.
By the time their dishes came out (and, really, Wally had never cared less about food), they had found their rhythm. Not as Kid-Flash-and-Robin, but as Wally-West-and-Dick-Grayson. And it was perfect.
“And that’s the story of how I tried to get superpowers and accidentally lit my science teacher on fire,” Wally finished proudly, watching the way Dick’s very blue eyes sparkled in the bright lighting of the restaurant. If Robin’s favorite color was green, then Wally’s was definitely becoming blue.
“That’s impressive. I could never even figure out how to work the Bunsen burners.”
“Yeah, well, you go to Gotham Academy. You probably have fancy Bunsen burners with fancy buttons. Like little sonic screwdrivers that also light on fire.”
Dick laughed, and Wally felt like he’d just won the Powerball Lottery.
“I promise you, Gotham Academy does not have sonic screwdrivers. I probably wouldn’t be doing so badly in chemistry if we did,” Dick said.
And oh, that was new. “I didn’t know that,” Wally blurted out. He backtracked quickly, realizing how it sounded, and said, “The media always makes you out as perfect.”
Dick sighed, shooting Wally a cynical smile. “That’s the media for you. You’re either a perfect hero, or you’re a total failure. But, you know, no pressure.”
Wally could read between the lines– Dick was trying to be vulnerable. This was a precious moment that he did not want to break. Robin always held everything in, and Wally had to pry his feelings out with a crowbar. Dick trusted him. He didn’t want to screw this up.
Wally’s mouth didn’t seem to get the message, though.
“You’re more perfect than me. I mean, I set fire to my science teacher. That’s like…supervillain level stuff right there. I’m an awful superhero. Middle school Wallace West was a menace to society.”
Dick stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing, and Wally’s chest filled with a warm glow.
“I wish I knew you in middle school,” Dick said, laughter finally subsiding. “And for the record, I think you’re a pretty awesome superhero.”
A wave of serotonin flooded Wally’s brain, and he was pretty sure he shut down for a moment. Dick thought he was a pretty awesome superhero. It was incredible how good Dick/Robin was at washing away Wally’s insecurities.
“For the record, I’m, like, a chemistry prodigy. Just saying, if you were in need of a hot chemistry tutor that you could have a romantic subplot with…” Wally trailed off, sending Dick an overexaggerated wink.
Dick snorted. “I might just take you up on that. Study date.” Dick paused, and then said quickly, as if he was afraid he would lose the nerve. “I wasn’t kidding about me not being perfect, though. I like you a lot, Wally, but there’s some things that I can’t tell you.”
“That’s okay. I can talk enough for the both of us. I haven’t even gotten started on how I think Bruce Wayne is Batman’s secret sugar daddy–”
Dick choked on his water. It was adorable. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I have a whole powerpoint of evidence on this,” Wally said. “Artemis thinks I’m joking but I really do think there’s something there.”
Dick leaned forward. “I need to hear this.”
Wally had never been more eager to share his theory before. Of course Dick would be invested, since Bruce Wayne was pretty much his dad and Batman was pretty also his dad and oh my god, Bruce Wayne and Batman were co-parenting a child together and Wally was dating said child.
He was in for one hell of a shovel talk.
The date passed by all too quickly, and it was far too soon before Dick was dropping Wally off on his porch, looking as gorgeous as ever, even in the weird orangey glow of Wally’s half-broken front porch light.
“I had a good time tonight,” Dick said sincerely, standing mere inches away from Wally. “And I really hope you’re not kidding about that study date.”
“I’d take any excuse to spend more time with you.”
“Okay, good, because so would I. Goodnight, Wally.”
Dick turned to leave, then paused before turning back around and quickly pecking Wally on the cheek.
Dazed, Wally watched Dick walk down the driveway while brushing his fingers against the spot where Dick’s lips had been. It was the shortest kiss Wally had ever received, but it was somehow… everything. He swore he could still feel the dry, warm, pressure on his skin, a lingering reminder that Robin kissed him. Robin, his best friend, who liked him back, who wanted another date with him.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood on the porch, his brain short-circuiting, grinning like an idiot.
Dick Grayson’s predictions had been spot on. When Wally entered Mount Justice the next day, still riding the high of his date, Artemis tackled him as soon as she saw him.
“You said you didn’t meet anyone at the Gala!” Artemis scowled playfully.
“I didn’t!” Wally exclaimed, and Artemis punched him in the shoulder. “Ow! What was that for?”
Artemis shoved a newspaper under his nose. “You lied to me!”
Wally snatched the paper out of her hands, reading the headline. His eyes widened. Dick really wasn’t kidding about the media being a pack of fast-acting vultures.
GOTHAM’S GOLDEN BOY SPOTTED WITH NEW MYSTERY LOVER?
The bold black words were featured prominently above a grainy, far-away picture that was still unmistakably Dick and Wally leaving the restaurant.
“I can’t believe you went on a date with the Dick Grayson and didn’t tell me!” Artemis half-shouted.
“Artemis, do you want the whole mountain to know?” Wally scowled, shushing her. If anyone connected the dots between Robin and Dick Grayson, Robin would probably dump him, and Wally was not taking that chance.
“Seriously, it wasn’t a big deal.” He felt the blush rising up in his cheeks. “It was just, you know, a date.”
“ Just a date? Geez, Wally, if I had known that gorgeous heirs were on the table, I would’ve gone to the Gala myself instead of letting you have all the fun.” Artemis smacked his shoulder with the newspaper.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, there aren’t any gorgeous heirs on the table anymore,” Wally said, rubbing his shoulder. The portal sounded behind him, and Wally couldn’t help but smile as he saw Robin’s familiar form materialize inside the cave.
“Rob! Hey!” He held up his hand in an awkward little wave. He could feel that phantom press of lips again, the memory threatening to burn a hole in his cheek.
Robin brightened just as much when he saw Wally. “Hey, KF! Kaldur said he needed to talk to me, have you seen him?”
“No, but I was hoping we could talk about something after sparring practice today,” Wally asked hopefully. He wanted to set up his study date with Dick Grayson.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll see you then,” Robin said. “We’re still on for sparring Thursday after school, right?”
Thursday night…that would be a perfect day for he and Dick to have their study date night. He already knew they’d both be free, since he and Robin usually had a standing appointment for sparring together, alone, instead of with the whole team. Those were some of his favorite moments, sparring with Robin.
Normally, Wally wouldn’t miss sparring with Robin for the world, but he would still be with Robin, so it was probably fine.
“Yeah, I’ll text you,” Wally replied, already mentally drafting his phrasing.
Robin ran off to find Kaldur, and Wally watched him go with a smile on his face. He couldn’t believe his luck.
Beside Wally, Artemis gasped, whacking him on the arm again.
“What was that for? Stop hitting me!”
“You didn’t tell me you were in love with Robin!”
Wally turned a brighter shade of red than the Flash costume, spluttering and gasping for words. “What? No, I’m not in love with Robin ,” he lied. “I just went on a date with Dick Grayson, remember? The Gotham Golden Boy?”
Artemis raised her eyebrow in disbelief, her arms crossed over the green arrow symbol on her chest. Wally sighed; there was no lying to Artemis, was there?
“Okay, okay. I did have a small crush on Robin,” Wally amended, hoping the half-truth would satisfy Artemis’s inner world’s-greatest-detective. “But it’s not like it would ever work out between us. I’m pretty sure Batman would kill me twice– for daring to date his son and for putting the team dynamic at risk. And now I have Dick, my perfectly hot, perfectly rich celebrity boyfriend.”
“I can’t believe you’re using Dick Grayson as a rebound.”
As Artemis continued to grumble about Wally’s very exciting love life as opposed to her barren, star-less one (her words, not Wally’s), Wally couldn’t help the put of uneasy doubt that was settling in his stomach.
If Artemis could pick up on Wally’s crush with a look and a few minutes of talking, who else could tell? Not to mention the mind reader they had on the team.
Wally could either date Dick Grayson, or he could date Robin. There was too much at stake, with Robin’s identity on the line. And since he was already publicly dating Dick…Wally swallowed. He’d have to work a lot harder at pretending he wasn’t in love with Robin. No more longing stares, no more standing way too close during missions, no more lingering touches.
Wally had enough experience in desperately hiding from his feelings. He was basically a pro.
He pulled out his phone, shooting Dick a message asking if they could have their study date on Thursday. This was going to be fine. It was all going to be fine.
It wasn’t fine. It wasn’t fine at all. Robin was avoiding him.
It took Wally a while to actually figure that part, but it was unmistakable. Even though the Dick Grayson side of him agreed to the Thursday afternoon study date, during their team-mandated sparring missions, Robin could barely stand to look at him.
He wasn’t standing next to Wally like he normally did during mission debriefs. He chose Kaldur before Wally could even speak when they had to pick sparring partners. And as soon as training let out, Robin disappeared in his typical Robin fashion, before Wally could so much as approach the guy.
But Wally wasn’t one to give up.
The next day, he raced right from school to the Cave to make sure he could intercept Robin before Rob even had a chance to avoid him.
It worked perfectly. As Wally sped through the doors, Robin was hanging upside-down from one of the gymnastics bars, completely unable to make a quick getaway.
Wally crossed his arms, leaning up against the wall, doing his very best to not stare at the way Robin’s shirt rode up slightly. Blatantly staring at his hot boyfriend’s stomach didn’t seem to be a very good way to get said boyfriend to forgive him for…whatever he did wrong.
“Are you okay?” Wally asked.
“I’m fine,” Robin gritted out, pulling himself up and flipping off the bar. “I’m great. I’m feeling totally whelmed.”
Robin made for the exit, but Wally was faster, blocking the door and forcing Robin to meet his eyes. “You realize that wasn’t convincing at all, right?”
“I’m fine,” Robin repeated, sounding the exact opposite.
Wally checked the hallway behind him. Save for the security cameras, they were alone. “Wanna talk about it?”
Robin shook his head. “Trust me, this isn’t really the kind of thing you want to hear about.”
“Hey,” Wally started, in what he hoped would be a reassuring voice. “You’re still my best friend, Boy Wonderful. If there’s something bothering you, I want to know.”
Robin gave a half-hearted attempt at a smile. It was the younger version of the smile Wally had seen Dick give to half a dozen reporters. “Seriously, I’m fine. It’s not a big deal, KF.” Robin cleared his throat. “What did you want to talk to me about yesterday?”
“Just the Dick Grayson thing.”
Wally didn’t miss the way Robin tensed at that. When he spoke, his voice was carefully neutral. “You should probably ask Dick Grayson about that.”
He brushed past Wally and quickly left the hallway, leaving Wally behind.
Ouch. Message received. Robin really didn’t want to take any chances with this secret identity thing, huh?
Still, the way Robin spoke, the way he looked…Wally knew his best friend. Robin was annoyed at something, and Wally had a sinking feeling that it had something to do with him .
Wally definitely meant to bring it up during their study date, but he lost the nerve when he actually saw Dick. Because unlike the passive-aggressive, pretending-to-be-fine Robin in the Cave, Dick Grayson was smiling and charming and eager, his blue eyes lighting up as he saw Wally’s face and his laugh ringing through the room with every bad pun Wally made.
He looked a little tired, sure, but he also looked happy, and Wally was dreading the idea of bringing anything up that would take that gorgeous smile away.
Their second date passed by without any mention of Robin’s weird behavior. They spent the afternoon working through their respective homework assignments together, curled up on Wally’s bed, talking and laughing. Dick was mid-laugh when Wally summoned all his courage and leaned forward, time moving in slow-motion as their lips met in their first actual kiss.
Wally knew what Dick’s smile tasted like. He didn’t stop smiling the whole rest of the day.
They didn’t talk about it on their third date, either, when Dick took Wally out for what was supposed to be the best ice cream in Gotham City. They sat on the vandalized park bench, their pinkies brushing as they made up stories about the weird people who hung out at the public parks of Gotham (and Wally was convinced that Blue Shirt Guy and his stupid corgi were both supervillains, no matter what Dick said).
Wally and Dick didn’t talk about it, meanwhile, Wally and Robin didn’t seem to be speaking at all. Robin still wouldn’t look at him during practice, or partner with him on missions like he normally did. Not to mention that he let the next Thursday pass without so much as a mention of their standing sparring not-date. Which was just fine with Wally; he wasn’t going to bother seeking Robin out, either.
(It wasn’t fine with Artemis, though, apparently. She kept sending Wally pitying looks when she noticed Robin’s pointed ignorance of Wally’s attempts to make him laugh. She tried to pull him aside a few times, but Wally always brushed her off. He didn’t know how to explain the situation to himself, much less someone who didn’t know that Robin was Dick Grayson.)
It was their sixth official date when everything finally boiled over into one big watery mess. Bruce was out of town, so Wally and Dick were at Wayne Manor, laying on Dick’s stupidly soft rich-person bed, tangled together and gazing up at the ceiling that was so expensive it didn’t even have that popcorn stuff on it.
Wally had always been a very tactile person, but he’d never imagined that Dick would be. He smiled to himself; just one more way they were perfect for each other.
“What?” Dick asked, looking over to see Wally staring at him.
“Nothing, just thinking about how perfect you are,” Wally replied, turning on all of his classic West Charm (™).
Dick snorted, rolling over to face Wally instead of the pristine white ceiling. “I’m really not, you know.”
“You’re perfect for me,” Wally argued playfully, pecking Dick on the cheek.
“You must have low standards.”
Wally frowned, adjusting himself so he could see Dick’s face better. His hand found Dick’s across the dark blue comforter, and he stroked the back of Dick’s hand, calloused from what was probably a decade of training. “Is everything okay?”
“Just peachy,” Dick responded dryly, and Wally was instantly reminded of his conversation with Robin from the hallway.
“If something’s wrong, which it is, then I want you to tell me about it. I know you too well for you to lie to me,” he added, hoping to add a little bit of levity.
It backfired on him. Dick sat up sharply, pulling his hand out of Wally’s grasp. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
Dick moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back turned to Wally. Wally scrambled to sit next to him, very respectfully deciding to not take Dick’s hand again. He and Robin had never really fought before, and Wally was suddenly wishing they had, just so he would have some frame of reference for what to do here, what the right combination of words to save the day was.
“You’re my best friend. You’re my boyfriend. Of course I know you.”
Save from the obvious secret identity thing, Wally and Robin didn’t keep secrets from each other. They relaxed around each other. So why was Dick suddenly being so tense?
“We’ve only been on six dates,” Dick said, sounding more miserable than angry.
“Where is this coming from? What are you talking about?”
“Maybe I’m just sick of pretending to be someone I’m not.”
Wally blinked, at a loss for words. He thought of the way Dick spoke about the media, about how the pressure of his public image sometimes got to him. Was this just more of that? Had Wally said something to make Dick think he suddenly wasn’t good enough for him?
But Wally wasn’t the media. He was the guy who had been in love with Robin since they started the team. “You know you can tell me anything, right? You don’t have to pretend around me. I don’t want you to.”
“Wow, thanks so much for the permission, but I can’t. ”
Wally recoiled from the sudden spark of venom. He was definitely saying all the wrong things. “You can’t what ?”
“I can’t tell you everything.” The admission came through gritted teeth. “Especially not– the thing I really want to tell you, I can’t.”
What? Why not?
What secret was Robin hiding from him?
“Dick, babe, what–”
Dick stood up, his arms crossed over his chest in what almost looked like a defensive gesture. “I think you should leave.”
“What, you’re just going to kick me out?” Wally stood up, still speaking to the back of Dick’s hoodie. He couldn’t help but let the frustration seep into his voice. Years of friendship, and it meant nothing to him? “You’re not even going to try to work this out with me?”
“There’s nothing to work out.”
“How can you say that?” After all their years working together, didn’t that mean anything to Robin? Or was that just all an act, too? “Whatever this secret is, you can tell me. I will wait for you until you’re ready to tell me, or able to, or whatever.”
“And what if you don’t like what you see?”
“It’s you !” Wally exclaimed. “How could I not?”
Dick turned around, and there were tears beginning to form in those blue eyes of his. “We barely know each other– you don’t know anything about me. I thought I could make things work, but I can’t. We can’t. I think we should break up.”
Wally’s heart was lodged firmly in his throat, threatening to choke him. “You want to break up with me?”
Wally would be lying to himself if he said he’d never considered him and Robin finally dating, only to break up. But in all those situations, there was always a why. Something Wally did that he could apologize for, and make up for with Robin.
But this…Wally had never imagined it would end like this.
“I can’t keep dating you, Wally.”
“But we can still be friends, right?”
Dick looked at the ground, steeling himself. “No, we can’t.”
Dick didn’t have to tell Wally to get out twice. As soon as the words registered, Wally grabbed his stuff and didn’t stop running until he’d collapsed on his own bed at his own house, tears blurring his vision.
Robin had probably blocked Wally’s number– the one he used as Dick Grayson, anyway. Robin probably wouldn’t have blocked Wally from his hero number, out of some sense of professionalism. But either way, no way was Wally going to submit himself through the humiliation of finding out.
Besides, Robin had made his message clear. He didn’t even want to be friends.
For a week after the break-up, Robin was still avoiding him. Still hadn’t reached out. And Wally was more than happy to facilitate that– he could always stand beside Artemis during team debriefings.
At this point, he was pretty sure the entire team had noticed the divide between him and Robin. And he was pretty sure most of them noticed when he came in the day after the break-up with red-rimmed eyes, even if Artemis was the only one who said anything.
“I’m going to kill him,” she muttered, voice low to Wally as they waited for Batman to start their next debrief.
“Don’t,” he said, with a slightly watery smile. “You’d probably start some sort of international incident or something.”
“Fine, I won’t. He’s still a rich asshole, though.”
Wally hummed in agreement, even if every cell in his body screamed that whatever happened must’ve been Wally’s fault, if Robin didn’t even want to be friends with him.
Wally wasn’t exactly looking forward to working a mission with Robin, but the distraction of beating up a bunch of henchmen sounded like the perfect way to let off some steam. The mission Batman picked out for them sounded like a milk run more than anything– a bunch of supervillains had been committing crimes surrounding an old warehouse in a city nearby, and Batman suspected them of really being after whatever was in that warehouse.
As soon as Batman dismissed them and they trudged towards the ship, it was Robin of all people who raced ahead to get Wally alone.
Robin grabbed his arm, and Wally resisted the urge to race back to where M’gann and Artemis were talking. “Can we talk?”
“Oh, what, now you want to talk?” Wally wrenched his wrist out of Robin’s grasp, and Wally hoped he was thinking about the time Robin did the same thing to him.
Robin sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about avoiding you. I promise I’ll explain, alright?”
Oh, now he wanted to explain. “I gave you a chance to talk already. You were too busy trying to end it, remember?”
“I’m sorry for blowing you off the other day, alright?”
“Really? That’s all you’re going to say?”
He could tell Robin was getting frustrated– good. He broke Wally’s heart, he didn’t deserve to just walk away scot-free. He didn’t get to just keep entering and exiting Wally’s life whenever it was convenient with him. Maybe Dick was right– Wally was sick of the mind-games, and he was sick of the secrets.
“We can talk after the mission.”
“I can’t,” Wally said shortly.
“Why not?”
“I’m busy,” Wally lied. The last thing he needed was another speech about how they couldn’t be together for some reason Robin was hiding from him. “Sorry, Boy Wonder, but I’m not just going to wait around for you to decide when to talk to me!”
“Oh, but you’ll wait for Dick Grayson, huh?” Robin snapped.
“You’re not Dick Grayson, though, are you?” Wally shot back, angry enough that he didn’t care who overheard them. If Robin was going to play the whole you-don’t-know-me card, then so could Wally. Dick Grayson was just a persona meant to charm the pants off the media; whoever Robin really was, it certainly wasn’t that. “Not really.”
Robin flinched.
Regret swelled in Wally’s chest.
He opened his mouth, an apology on the edge of his lips. But just like that, the emotional mask settled over Robin’s face, his mouth hardening and the whites of his domino mask flashing with coldness.
“No, I’m not.”
Robin stalked off towards the ship, and for the first time, Wally realized how many of their teammates were watching them.
Wordlessly, Wally boarded the ship, ignoring Artemis’s pitying look most of all. Stupid archer knew way too much.
“Kid Flash,” Kaldur started from right behind him, frowning, “if you and Robin are having an argument–”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t let it affect the mission. I won’t.”
The mission went sideways almost immediately, not that Wally considered any of it to be his fault. Despite both Wally and Robin’s assurances that they were fine and totally whelmed and could totally handle being professional, Kaldur switched the plan around to split them up. Superboy was supposed to watch Robin’s back while Robin hacked into the warehouse’s security system, while Wally did a sweep of the interior with Artemis to watch his back.
Wally couldn’t help the frustrated sigh that escaped his lips as the piercing alarm blared around him, the lights of the warehouse turning red like a billboard.
“What the hell, Robin?” Wally muttered, preparing for the guards to bear down on him. “I thought you stopped the alarms!”
“I’m sorry about not being perfect!” Robin hissed back.
“I’m not asking you to be perfect , I’m asking you to not say it’ll take ten seconds when it clearly doesn’t!”
The guards were far too experienced and well-outfitted to really be protecting the storage facility of a canned food company. Then again, there was a reason Batman sent them to investigate. Still, Wally darted between them easily, taking out most of them with the help of Artemis’s perfectly placed arrows.
It wasn’t exactly covert, Wally thought as he slowed to a stop, admiring his handiwork of the knocked-out henchmen, but as long as they got the info on what the warehouse was really holding, it would be worth it.
“It was an estimate, I told you!” Robin said.
“Robin, Kid Flash, you need to focus,” Kaldur warned over the telepathetic link. “Robin, have you accessed the security yet?”
“Bypassing the last of the firewalls now,” Robin reported.
Wally heard the familiar grunts and heavy footfalls of more guards incoming from behind him; seconds later, Artemis’s arrow was whooshing past him, taking out the first of the guards. Wally sprang back into action.
“Thanks, Artemis. Glad someone has my back,” Wally muttered.
“Are we seriously doing this?” Robin said, irritated. Wally could practically imagine him crossing his arms, his mouth twisting into a pout that might’ve been adorable if Wally wasn’t so focused on being annoyed at him. “Look, ignore me all you want, but I’m not the one who chose–”
“Robin, look out!” Superboy called out.
Fear shot through Wally’s veins as silence filled the other end of the telepathetic link.
“Robin?” Wally called out mentally. Or he might’ve said it out loud, too. He was far too busy trying to imagine what might’ve happened to Robin– if he got hurt, if he got shot, if he was lying, broken and bruised, in a pile of his own–
Wally should’ve been there. If it wasn’t for their stupid argument, it would’ve been Wally watching Robin’s back, and he wouldn’t have let anything happen. If it wasn’t for their argument, Robin wouldn’t’ve been distracted, and he would’ve noticed a guard sneaking up on him.
And then, time caught up with Wally’s speeding thoughts, and Robin’s voice broke up the silence.
“I’m fine,” he gritted out. “Guard snuck up on me. I’m past the firewall.”
Relief flooded into Wally, threatening to drown out the earlier annoyance. Robin was okay. Wally was still working furiously to be mad at him again, but at least he was okay.
Wally was hoping he could slip away after Kaldur finished the mission debriefing. Apparently, the warehouse basement was home to some sort of power-canceling weapons manufacturing ring, which Wally supposed explained why all those supervillains were trying to scope it out.
There was a fresh gash going through the shoulder of Robin’s costume. He was okay, barely injured, but still, Wally could barely stand to look at him for more than a few seconds if he wanted to preserve his annoyance.
Wally wasn’t the one who up and disappeared while they were dating. Wally wasn’t the one who broke them up. Wally wasn’t the one hiding some huge secret from the whole team, much less his best friend–
“You need to work out whatever is going on between you,” Kaldur said, his voice strict.
“He started it!” Wally said, pointing, as Robin said, “Nothing’s happening!”
Nothing was happening? Was that really what Robin thought? Was this whole thing between them really nothing to him? He’d known Robin didn’t like him as much as Wally liked Robin from the moment Robin broke them up, but didn’t Robin think their relationship was worth more than nothing ?
“How can you say that?” Wally snapped.
Robin looked at Wally, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“How can you say that nothing’s wrong? That nothing’s happening? You can pretend you’re fine, you can say you don’t want to be friends with me anymore–”
“ You’re the one who traded in our Thursday training session for a date !”
Wally froze. That couldn’t really be what Robin was so upset about, right? He’d always assumed that the point of the training session was the whole spending-time together. More often than not, their Thursdays ended with them laying on the sparring mat the same way they’d lay on Dick Grayson’s bed, laughing despite still catching their breath.
“Is that really why you don’t want to be friends with me anymore? Because I wasn’t prioritizing training ?”
Wally would go toe-to-toe with Black Canary for hours on end if it meant getting his best friend back. Even if Robin still refused to date him.
But if it was really about training, then why did Dick Grayson pretend to have a dark secret at all?
“Me? Doesn’t want to be friends with you?” Robin scoffed, sounding almost stunned. “All I want is to be friends with you again.”
“Really? You’ve got a weird way of showing it.”
“Look, I’m sorry I avoided you, okay?” Robin didn’t sound very sorry at all. “I was jealous, alright? Is that what you want to hear?”
“You were jealous ? Of who? ”
Robin didn’t seem to hear the question as he continued his miserable rant. “I’ve been your best friend for years, and then you meet him once, and you’re– you don’t know him! Just admit you only liked him because of his money and looks, just like everybody else!”
Even Wally’s speedster mind was struggling to keep up. Robin sounded genuinely distressed in a way that made Wally’s chest hurt. But what was Robin sad about ? Anger started to take over– how could Robin think that he only liked Dick Grayson for his money?
How could his best friend, the person Wally thought knew him best, really think that about him?
“Are you kidding me, Rob? I only liked Dick Grayson because he was you!”
In Wally’s peripheral vision, Kaldur’s eyes widened, and Wally scrambled for a cover. “I just meant he looks like you, with the black hair and everything, and he’s smart like you, and–”
“I believe I should let you two talk,” Kaldur said, retreating out of the room.
Wally’s heart sank to his stomach. He turned to face Robin, bracing for more disappointment and anger and resentment, apologies already rushing out of his lips. “Robin, I am so sorry, I–”
He stopped when he saw Robin’s face– not angry or resentful at all. More…surprised, thoughtful. Almost…happy.
“You knew? Since when?”
“Since we met at that Gala. That mask does not hide nearly as much of your face as you think it does.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Robin didn’t even sound angry.
Oh, Wally screwed up. “I did. I asked you if Dick Grayson would say yes to a date with me!”
“Are you serious ?” Robin reached over, playfully whacking Wally in the arm, his smile still slightly watery. “That was you trying to tell me you knew my secret identity?”
“Hey! There were cameras everywhere, I didn’t think it would be very romantic of me to spill your secret identity to everyone.”
“I thought you overheard my conversation with M’gann. I thought– I was hoping– you were going to ask me out.”
“I did! I was! You told M’gann you would never date me as long as I didn’t know your secret identity.” Slowly, it dawned on Wally. “Wait, so the big secret you broke up with me over, that was…?”
Robin looked slightly sheepish. “My secret identity, yeah. I thought…I didn’t want to lie to you. I’ve liked you for years, Wally. I thought it was hopeless. I thought the only way Dick Grayson stood a chance was if you never found out that he was Robin. But then you started talking about how perfect Dick Grayson was and how well you knew him…” Robin trailed off.
Tentatively, Wally reached out, lacing their fingers. “I was talking about you.”
“Well, I know that now,” Robin said, his fingers tightening around Wally’s hand. He looked up to meet Wally’s gaze, smiling hopefully. “I’m sorry I avoided you for so long. I was mad about you ditching our training date, and I was worried that if I tried to hang out with you, you’d just ditch me again, or you’d talk about how perfect Dick Grayson was, or something.”
“I’m sorry, too. I never would’ve ditched that training session for anyone who wasn’t you.” Wally waited a beat, then cleared his throat, daring to ask, “But if the only thing stopping you from dating me was me not knowing your secret identity…?”
Robin’s smile grew wider. He tugged Wally down, pulling their lips together in an enthusiastic kiss.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Wally said as they broke apart, their foreheads resting against each other. “I guess it’s Dick Grayson’s turn to be jealous, because you’re the one who ended up with the hot boyfriend.”
Robin rolled his eyes, but he still leaned up again to give Wally another short, sweet kiss, so Wally couldn’t be all that mad.
Kaldur seemed even less enthusiastic to have this conversation with them.
“While I am glad you two are communicating again,” he started, trying not to stare at their interlocked hands, “if it ever gets in the way of the mission…”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it, no PDA in the workplace,” Wally said. He leaned over, kissing Robin on the cheek, right below the edge of his mask. “Don’t worry, we won’t let our personal stuff affect missions. Anymore. Starting now.”
“Good.” Kaldur sent them a small smile. “And I am happy that you two found each other.”
They didn’t tell anyone they were together, per se. They just gave each other good luck kisses before missions (and post-victory kisses, too, of course) and held hands whenever they just so happened to be standing near each other.
Artemis was very smug about the whole thing. Two days after Wally started officially dating Robin (not Dick Grayson, though, unless they were absolutely sure they wouldn’t be caught), she approached him right after their team-mandated training, interrupting Wally’s precious watch-Robin-do-acrobatics time.
“So…guess Dick Grayson really was a rebound, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah, you were right, I was in love with Robin the whole time. Happy?”
“Yes, I’m happy for you two,” Artemis said. She nudged his shoulder, adding, “Just don’t be an idiot and mess things up again.”
“Hey!” Wally sputtered. “I didn’t mess things up last time, it was just an increasingly complicated series of misunderstandings. Aren’t you supposed to be giving Robin this whole if-you-hurt-him-I’ll-kill-you speech?”
“Robin’s smarter than you,” Artemis said. “He already knows.”
As far as the rest of the world knew, Wally West and Dick Grayson had a quiet breakup after a few dates. Meanwhile, Robin and Kid Flash could periodically be seen eating churros on random rooftops in Central City– on nights when they weren’t supposed to be patrolling, of course. They did promise Kaldur.
And as far as Wally knew, things were just fine. Perfect, actually.
It was six months later when Wally West finally met Dick Grayson’s dad, the Bruce Wayne. Wally was in his very best suit, standing on the doorstep of Wayne Manor, more terrified than he’d ever been in his life.
“Hello, Wallace,” Bruce Wayne said, glaring daggers at Wally while Dick rolled his eyes in the background.
“Dad, don’t scare him off,” Dick sighed.
It was at that moment where Wally realized where he’d seen that threatening, disappointed glare before. His eyes widened, staring open-mouthed at Bruce Wayne’s familiar form.
“Holy crap, you’re Batman,” Wally said, before he could think better of it.
Judging from Bruce Wayne’s resulting glare and Dick’s wide-eyed stare, Wally was wondering how fast he could enter the witness protection program, and who would give the eulogy at his funeral.