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The first time Wally had seen the bright red polish was when he was still a little kid. His mom sat in front of the coffee table, a paper towel spread over the glass to catch any drips or mess that might happen if she got distracted. He’d been curious and held his Flash action figure tightly in his hand as he watched her paint the red on her nails, holding them out proudly to admire her work when she was done and they still needed to dry.
“Me next! Me next!” he’d cried, rushing over to her. “It’s red like the Flash!”
She’d laughed and pulled him into her lap, telling him he was right and so smart. She’d even indulged him and painted the little stubs of nails on his fingers to match her own.
His father hadn’t been happy when he’d gotten home and seen their matching nails. Rudy had yelled at Mary to get “that feminine crap off his son’s hands.” She’d tried to placate him and say that it wasn’t hurting anything and they were just having a little fun.
It didn’t help that Wally nearly threw a fit when his mom had taken him into the bathroom to wipe the red from his nails with the nail polish remover.
“Mommy, no! It’s like the Flash! I want to be like the Flash!”
He’d cried as she wiped his nails clean and she tried to shush him and make him feel better with a bedtime story, but it hadn’t made him feel any better. Not when her bright red-tipped fingers were turning the pages and he was left tucked against her side, his Flash action figure the only red he still had.
But Wally hadn’t given up. He knew he was going to have red nails again one day. His mom was beyond convincing when it came to painting his nails. She was too worried about what Rudy would say if he got home and saw. So he waited. And when he was old enough, he swiped the nail polish from the bathroom and smuggled it into his bedroom, ready to paint his nails himself.
It was a disaster.
His fingers weren’t steady enough to hold the small brush properly, causing large smudges of red to get onto the skin around his nails. And then in his excitement, he didn’t let his nails dry long enough, causing the red to get smudged on his fingertips since the sight of the polish was reverent and he couldn’t help but touch it.
That wasn’t the worst of it though, because when he tried to fix the smudges, he’d knocked over the bottle of polish, spreading a pool of bright red across the carpet of his bedroom floor.
The one good thing to come out of that afternoon was when his mom had found him, looking decidedly guilty as he tried to clean up his mess. She’d been kind and offered him a smile, taking his apologies in stride.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to have pretty nails like you.”
She’d even taken the blame for the carpet stain, saying she was spending time with Wally in his room. He was playing and she was painting her nails when she’d accidentally knocked over the bottle and made the mess.
Rudy had grumbled about it and made a fuss, but they moved on. Mary had gotten a new bottle of nail polish and life continued even though Wally never forgot about the bright color.
The first time he was in a drug store and saw the arrays of bottles and different colors, that’s when the world of possibilities really seemed to open up for him. He’d only known about red, but now, seeing blue, black, orange, green, the soft pastel lavenders, yellows, and pinks...he knew what he wanted more than anything and started saving his allowance, keeping his intentions close to his heart.
Whenever he could, he’d buy a bottle of polish from the corner drug store and created a stash in a shoe box hidden under his bed behind several unassuming shirts and socks that he’d shoved under there to keep it covered.
He kept plenty of nail polish remover and cotton balls stocked too. He had to make sure that there wasn’t any chance he’d get caught. He spent countless saturdays locked in his room as he practiced painting his nails with every color and variation of the rainbow.
His second attempt at painting his nails wasn’t much better than the first, but the mess was only on his hands this time and the carpet stayed stain-free. He got better and soon enough, he was an expert at putting the color on his fingers, not wasting a single drop.
Wally would hold out his fingers like he’d first seen his mother do and would always grin, wiggling them to admire the different shades and how they caught and reflected the light from his lamp.
The worst part of the night was always when he had to pull out the bottle of polish remover and cotton balls, starting the painstaking process of taking it off to make sure his dad didn’t see. More than anything else, he wanted to be able to wear it for weeks at a time, showing his nails to the world like so many other people got to do.
But then things changed when he went to live with Barry and Iris. The move was mainly to help with his training so they could be close and Wally would have guidance during fights on patrol, but it was a relief in more ways than one. Especially when Wally first came down the stairs and found Iris sitting on the couch painting her nails a pale blue.
He froze, forgetting what he’d come down for in the first place, but his feet started to move without his permission, as they tended to do, and he was standing at her side, staring down at her hands.
“Wally? Did you need something?” Iris asked, looking up.
He swallowed and bit his lip, wanting to ask, but afraid of what the answer was going to be.
Iris’s smile faded and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Sweetheart, is everything okay?” she asked, putting the cap back on the polish.
“Do you…” he started, shifting anxiously.
She patted the cushion next to her, careful of her still wet nails and Wally eagerly took the seat. “Do I what, honey?” She almost reached up to brush his hair back but stopped herself before giving Wally some very sticky and blue bangs. “You know you can ask me or tell me anything.”
“Do you think you could paint my nails?” he whispered, feeling his face heat up as he waited for her to tell him that wasn’t something boys should do.
There was a beat of silence.
“Sure! Do you want this blue or some other color? I have plenty of colors upstairs in the bathroom.”
Wally blinked, gaping at her when her words finally registered. “What? Really?” he asked, feeling something burst to life in his chest. Something giddy and happy and relieved.
She grinned. “Of course! Here, give me your hand,” she said, turning to face him.
Wally held out his hand and she grasped it gently, carefully lifting the brush from the jar before she drew the first stroke of polish across his nail. He sighed and smiled, staring down at the color that coated his fingertips.
It was a beautiful pastel blue and having it on his nails looked so right.
“You know,” he started as Iris slowly made her way across his fingers. “I have a whole stash of nail polish in a shoebox upstairs.”
“Better be careful giving that information to me. I might end up stealing some colors I like,” she joked. “But you can have free reign of my bottles too if you want. I’m not sure what kinds of colors you like but I’ve got plenty to choose from.”
Wally bit his lip as Iris traded one hand for his other. “Thanks, Aunt Iris,” he said, voice soft.
“No problem, dear,” she said, finishing his last pinky. She screwed the cap back on the bottle. “Now you stay here and let those dry. I’m going to grab some cookies and we can watch some t.v. while we wait.”
Iris stood and pressed a kiss to his forehead before stepping around him to head into the kitchen. Wally slid the remote across the coffee table and pressed the power button, careful not to smudge the polish on his fingers.
Aunt Iris made it back to the couch with a plate in her hand by the time Wally had found something to watch and sat down next to him, propping her feet up on the table. Wally did the same and leaned against her side, not feeling as ravenously hungry as he normally would around food.
~~
Their nails had long since dried and the cookies were completely gone when the door opened behind them. Wally immediately stiffened, glancing down at his nails still covered in the soft blue polish.
“I’m home!” Barry greeted, coming up behind them to press a kiss to Iris’s cheek. “What did the two of you do today?”
“Our nails,” Iris said, lifting Wally’s hand to show their matching colors.
Wally bit his lip, preparing himself for the reprimand.
“Ooh very nice,” he commented. “Although I would’ve thought yellow would be more your speed, kid,” he said, ruffling Wally’s hair. “Did you save any cookies for me?” he asked, walking into the kitchen.
Wally let out a shaky breath, feeling relief flood through him as something in his chest finally relaxed.
“You know I think he’s right,” Iris murmured, studying his nails. “We should give you yellow next time. It would match your suit for sure,” she added with a chuckle.
“Yeah,” he agreed in a daze. “It definitely would.”
~~
Wally wasn’t scared to hide his nails anymore. He almost always had some color decorating his fingertips and most of the time he sat in front of the t.v. with Iris as they did their own nails.
Their separate nail polish collections morphed into one that always seemed to be getting bigger since neither of them could resist picking up a new bottle that managed to catch their eyes when they were out shopping.
Wally tried to ignore how his purchases were largely developing a trend towards deep blues, some with hints of sparkles while others embraced a softer gradient.
Aunt Iris didn’t question the sudden interest in blue and he hoped she hadn’t realized why it was happening. Or if she had, she wasn’t commenting on it as he tried a different color blue each week. He knew none of them matched the color he wanted but he was happy with the blue regardless.
He was digging through their box of nail polish, frustrated that he couldn’t find the color he really wanted when Iris sat down across from him.
“Here,” she said, passing a bottle across the table towards him.
Wally stopped and looked up, freezing at the sight of exact shade of blue that somehow seemed to match Dick’s eyes sitting in front of him. He slowly raised his gaze to meet Iris’s eyes and she offered him a small smile.
“You’ve had Dick over a lot lately and I couldn’t help but notice the sudden interest in blue nail polish. I managed to find this today when I was shopping and thought it might be what you’re looking for.”
Wally curled his fingers around the small bottle and clutched it tightly in his hand. “Thank you,” he said softly, uncurling his fingers to stare at the color. “It’s perfect.”
“Have you thought about telling him?” she asked.
Wally hunched his shoulders and she chuckled. “Okay, okay. Nail polish now and love confessions later. Now pass me the box. I need to find a new color this week.”
Wally painted his nails while Iris dug through the bottles of nail polish, finally settling on a vibrant green. He stared at the blue that shined and shimmered on his nails and for a moment he thought he was looking into Dick’s eyes.
“Aunt Iris?” he asked softly.
“Hm?”
“Can Dick come over this weekend?”
He didn’t look up to see the smile that pulled at her lips. “Of course he can,” she agreed.
~~
Wally fought not to bite at his nails and chip away the polish covering his fingers. He’d just redone them the day before in the Cave with Artemis and M’gann and they still shined the brilliant blue that matched Dick’s eyes. Plenty of people had seen the color but since Dick always had to wear sunglasses or a domino with the rest of the team, he didn’t know how he felt about it and everyone else couldn’t make the connection since they didn’t know what Dick’s eyes looked like.
He knew that Dick must’ve seen the color. He was too observant to not have noticed. But Dick realizing the color matched his eyes exactly was another story entirely and one Wally wasn’t sure he was ready to know the answer to.
He was getting antsy. He knew Dick was going to get to the house soon for the weekend they’d planned together, but he wanted nothing more than to leave and go running to get rid of his extra energy.
The doorbell rang and Wally froze, going stiff on his bed. He strained to listen, picking up Iris’s footsteps on the wood floors below as she made her way down the hall.
“Afternoon Dick,” she said, pulling open the door. “How are you?”
“I’m doing good,” he said brightly.
“Good to hear it. Wally’s upstairs in his room. I’m going to order pizza later so I hope you’re hungry.”
Dick chuckled, his voice getting closer as he climbed the stairs. “If I don’t eat everything you order for me I’m sure Wally will have no problem finishing it off.”
“You’re right about that. And if it’s not Wally then it’s certainly going to be Barry,” she agreed.
“Hey dude,” Dick said, swinging around the corner.
Wally grinned, his earlier nerves and energy immediately falling away in the presence of his best friend. “It’s about time you got here.”
Dick rolled his eyes and dropped his duffel bag on the floor before climbing onto the bed to sit cross-legged facing him. “It’s not my fault. Bruce was…” he sighed. “Was making sure I had everything I needed for the weekend and reminded me that if something happens we’ll need to zeta to the Cave.”
“He gives you the same talk every time you come to stay over,” Wally said, perching his chin in the palm of his hand as he braced his elbow against his leg.
Dick’s eyes flitted towards his nails and Wally swallowed.
“Yeah I know,” Dick admitted. “And it’s probably not going to stop anytime soon. Alfred’s the same way though and I guess it can’t really be helped right now. They love playing the part as my parents. I think Bruce is watching lots of teen movies to try and get a grasp on the whole parenting thing though”
Wally let out a breath and rocked backwards, pressing against the headboard. “I mean things got a lot better when I moved in with Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris, but Bruce and Alfred aren’t exactly like my parents were.”
He saw Dick’s mouth tighten and shifted, reminded how much Dick hated the situation in the household he’d grown up in.
“Hey,” Dick said, catching his attention.
“Yeah?” Wally asked.
“Do you think you could paint my nails?”
Wally blinked. “What?”
Dick shifted. “You always seem to enjoy painting your nails bright colors and I thought I could try it too and see what it’s all about.”
“Uh, sure,” Wally said, climbing off the bed. “I’ll go get the box of nail polish and you can pick out a color.”
He waited for Dick to nod before he left his bedroom and swung around into the bathroom. He pulled the box of polish from underneath the sink, the new blue that decorated his nails sitting on top. He clutched the box tightly between his hands as he walked back to his bedroom.
Dick was sitting on the floor and looked up at him expectantly. Wally sat across from him and set the box between them.
“Go ahead and pick out the color you want,” Wally said. “You could do red since that’s your costume or maybe blue since there are a lot of those. Or maybe even green since you have so many green hoodies,” he rambled, listing all of the colors he thought Dick might like.
“Maybe,” Dick said, moving through the different bottles.
Wally glanced down and saw he’d uncovered the different pastels that Wally had bought when he’d first started his nail polish collection. His eyes flicked back to Dick’s face and he froze when a soft smile pulled at his lips.
“I think I’ll get this color done.”
Wally looked down and blinked when he pulled out a bright yellow from the bottom of the box. “Uh, sure,” he said, moving the box out of the way to take the bottle from Dick’s fingers.
He shook the bottle several times, mixing the polish together. He unscrewed the cap and set the bottle to the side, holding out his hand for Dick’s. Dick placed his slim fingers over his palm and Wally moved them gently as he started the careful process of spreading the polish over his nails.
The color was bright and stood out beautifully against Dick’s darker skin and Wally tried not to focus on how much he liked the contrast of the colors. It was the same kind of pleasure he got from seeing Dick’s blue on his own nails.
“Well?” Wally asked when he finished Dick’s last nail. “What do you think?”
He screwed the lid back on the polish, not willing to meet Dick’s eyes.
“I like it,” he said happily.
Wally looked up and saw his grin as he admired the color on his nails.
“It reminds me of you,” Dick added.
Wally swallowed, his eyes widening. “Dick…”
He watched as Dick looked away, his cheeks turning a light pink. “I didn’t want to assume anything but the color you’ve been wearing the past couple of weeks matches my eyes doesn’t it?”
“Well, I mean-that’s-I…” he started, floundering for something to say. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly.
“Why did you pick that color?” Dick asked softly.
Wally pulled his knees to his chest. “Because I like it,” he whispered. “I like...you.”
Dick huffed a laugh. “That’s good.”
“Huh?” Wally asked, looking up. He jolted when he realized how close Dick had gotten, sitting on his knees in front of him.
“That’s good because I like you, too,” he said with a smile.
Wally let his knees fall away from his chest and leaned forward, hesitating a moment before he pressed a quick kiss to Dick’s lips. Dick grinned when he pulled back and Wally laughed, letting his head fall onto Dick’s shoulder, and feeling almost as relieved as he’d been when Iris had agreed to paint his nails so long ago.
“Don’t smudge the polish,” Wally said when Dick made a move to hug him, earning a high cackle from him that echoed around the room and inside the farthest corners of Wally’s heart that felt ready to burst.