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“I know I’ve been pretty distant.” Dick crossed his arms and looked down. “It was just too hard for me to see you again, and not being able to have you back.”
The omega bit his bottom lip as his face scrunched slightly. His eyes started to sting, and he was trying hard not to break down as his thoughts trailed to when Wally came back five years after everyone thought he had died.
When he received the call bearing the news, Nightwing gave up on his mission and instead ran back to the League’s headquarter. He couldn’t believe the words, he was afraid it was all a joke – but Donna knew better than to lie or prank him on that topic. Once he arrived at the scene, Wally was sitting up in one of the beds inside the medical ward. The white sheet covered his legs up to his hips, and a few other heroes were gathered around him. Seeing his mate for the first time in what seemed forever, Dick felt as if time had stopped. At that moment, it was as if only Wally and he were in the room and, with a whimper that he only used when he wanted his Alpha’s attention, he threw his arms around the redhead.
Dick didn’t care about the others watching; he hugged Wally tight and rubbed his cheek against him. “Oh, God, Wally. I missed you so much.” His chest flooded with pure happiness, and his body started getting rid of the never-ending sadness by forming tears. It all felt like a dream.
At the same time, Wally had remained silent and still; his arms still resting against his body. Finally, he asked the crucial question that broke Dick Grayson’s heart a second time:
“Who are you?”
Dick closed his eyes as an attempt to shake off the memory from his mind. It had been six months already, and it was time for him to face his past. “I know things haven’t been easy for you as well." Dick quickly peeked at the redhead. There was a small, concerned frown drawn on his face, his hands nervously fidgeting as he scratched under one of his nails. Aside from the amnesia, Wally still was the same as he’d always been: his body language and attitude were exactly as Dick remembered. His voice still had that cheerful tone that made Dick’s heart flutter, and his scent still brought as much comfort as it used to back when their relationship was still developing.
Dick wasn’t the only one observing, Wally was quietly studying the omega’s stance. Ever since he had come back, the Alpha’s instinct was telling him to protect the other man. There was just something about Dick that made Wally feel different. It was almost as if they were connected one way or another; he could sense when the Omega was upset when he was content or even distressed.
One day, he watched Dick play with his daughter – a cute little pup with long, fiery hair and curiosity as big as ever – and asked: “What’s the story with this guy?”
Bart, who was with him at the time, winced at the question. The young speedster didn’t know how much he could tell Wally without getting into trouble. “He’s got a broken bond. His Alpha went away when he was still early in the pregnancy.” He could at least tell him that, couldn’t he?
Wally looked back at the Omega who was playfully throwing the little kid up in the air and catching her up as gravity pushed her down. The child was laughing; her arms open wide as if she was a bird; meanwhile, Dick was smiling fondly at her and said “up, up, we go” as he gathered enough momentum.
Wally smiled as he felt amused just by watching their father-daughter interaction.
“Someday, I’ll win him over.” Confidence surged inside him. “I have a good feeling about it.”
Now that they were face to face, Wally didn’t feel as confident as he had back then. Sure, he felt like there was some deep connection between Dick and him, but what if it was just the natural feeling an Alpha had toward another Omega? Or what if it was just all in his head and Dick didn’t feel the same? After all, the single father made sure to keep his distance from him to the point where Wally thought Dick hated him.
At that point, he didn’t quite know how to break the silence so he did what he thought would be best: he looked down at the little pup that was holding onto Dick’s shirt. She was wearing a blue overall dress that had some small paw prints patchworked to cover up some of the wear and tears. Under the overall, she had a plain, white long sleeve shirt that started to get a little too small for her growing body, and she wore dark mauve socks with little pink and violet hearts. Her hair was loose save for a small braid that went around the back of her head. Wally couldn’t say whether her eyes were green or blue, but they were staring at him attentively.
“Her name’s Willow.”
Wally startled as Dick spoke. To his surprise, he was offering him a small smile. “She’s a bit shy right now, but she’s got almost too much energy even for me.” He and the pup exchanged a look. Dick gently patted her head as his smile turned somewhat melancholic. “Just like her dad used to.” At that, Willow smiled and let out a small chuckle.
Wally felt himself smile as well; the little family’s complicity was too precious to witness. However, the Alpha couldn’t quite figure out why Dick was suddenly approaching him, with his daughter nonetheless and being so talkative.
“You and I go a long way back,” Dick mentioned as if he had just read Wally’s mind. “We were teammates and grew to become close best friends.” His tone sounded bittersweet, and Wally wished he could remember those times. “Wherever I went, you tagged along. And wherever you went, I went with you.”
Wally’s heart began to pound harder inside his chest; he wasn’t sure why but a little voice inside him insisted that something important was going to happen. He secretly hoped that it meant his memories would come back.
“When you were gone– ” Dick bit his lip again, took a breath to calm his thoughts and start again. “When you were gone, I felt like I had lost everything. I was scared to be alone in a world that we had promised to explore together.”
There was a short pause as Wally considered hugging the Omega. His instinct screamed to move and wrap the other man in his arms, but his thoughts warned him of the possibility to spook Dick off by moving so suddenly. Dick was still gently petting his daughter’s head; she seemed a little bored from just standing there.
“You and I, we used to be mates.”
“Wait. What?” Wally’s eyes went wide. Did he hear that, right? Did Dick said they had bonded and his stupid Alpha brain couldn’t remember it? Was that why Dick’s scent felt so peculiar? “Hold on. We were mates?”
Dick nodded. “And there’s one more thing you need to know.” The Omega gently moved the pup in between them, his hands resting on her shoulders. Willow’s hands rested behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels.
“This is our child.”