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Dick woke up with a sharp pain in his side and hissed softly when he tried to move. The bed was empty, which seemed to be much more frequent, recently. The transition to living in Gotham hadn’t been an easy one. Dick knows the reasoning just made it harder. Knowing he had to be here was different than wanting to be here.
But Gotham needed a Batman, and Dick was all she had.
Dick pushed himself up carefully. His ribs protested the movement, but Dick’s dealt with worse injuries. He wasn’t going to let this stop him. He grabbed his phone off the side table, frowning slightly when he saw the note pasted atop it. The handwriting was easily seen as Wally’s, all messy scrawl that was written quickly.
Morning Baby! Gotta run something happening in CC/be back when I can, love you!
Dick quickly peeled the sticky note off, a heavy feeling of disappointment rising. Wally and Roy have been as busy as Dick has, and they’ve barely seen each other recently. Gotham was slowing down a bit, realizing that the Batman was back and that he was ‘the real deal’. The police force has started to accept him, even knowing that he wasn’t the same man as they knew. Too many of them have told him he was just too short to be the original.
Dick wasn’t trying to be the original. He was never meant to wear that suit.
But, well, when had anything ever gone his way?
So, Gotham was slowing down a bit. Dick had hoped that meant he would get to spend more time with his husbands and give Damian a life outside of the mission. But Wally was busy with Flash duties and Roy had left some weeks ago to check in with Jason; Dick wasn’t sure how they became friends, per say, but he was glad that someone would keep Jason out of trouble.
But damnit, he missed them. He missed them like a lost limb.
(Everything was just going to shit these days.)
Dick sucked in another breath, tried his best to calm down. Damian was good at reading emotions, even if he couldn’t always identify them. He’d see that Dick was upset the moment he laid eyes on him, and the kid already had enough on his plate. Dick wiped at his eyes, checked the bruising around his ribs, and then nodded to himself. He had a job to do, even if it meant getting his stubborn kids to eat and cart them off to their first day of school.
He was Batman now. He could handle it.
Dick carefully pulled his arms through one of Roy’s t-shirts, not wanting Damian or Lian to see the bruises he sported despite one of the kids being there when they had happened. The penthouse they’ve been staying in was silent, though Damian tended to be quiet. Alfred has been staying at the Manor, for the most part, while Babs settled in the Batcave. When Alfred came back here, Dick knew, they would never quite reach this level of quiet. The old butler was always doing something, after all.
Dick knocked on the door of Damian’s room and only entered when the kid gave him the say so. Damian was already moving to stand from his bed, dressed in the Flash pajamas Wally had given him as a hopeful joke. Dick smiled at him fondly.
“Sleep good, Damian?” He murmured.
“Yes,” Damian nodded, his eyes sharp as he scanned Dick. “You, Richard?”
“Peachy,” Dick replied, “Get dressed for school, I’ll start breakfast.”
Damian clicked his tongue, “Do I have to go to school?”
“’fraid so,” Dick said, apologetic.
He knew it was going to be difficult, but if it was too much, he’d take Damian out and put him in homeschooling. A part of him worried that he was pushing the kid too much; he had just lost his father four months ago, he’s gotten his entire life turned around from being an assassin to being a hero. He’d barely gotten used to being a vigilante (much to Dick’s chagrin, because he’s ten and shouldn’t have to do this. No one should). Was putting him in school too soon? Was it too much?
Roy would have been helpful with this. Wally would have too, but they’d been too busy to really talk about anything meaningful. Alfred had agreed with putting Damian in school, but Dick remembered being ten and barely having a decent grasp on English and suffering through private school and wanting nothing more than to stay at the Manor.
“If you don’t like it, we can put you in home school,” Dick assured. Damian nodded, though he didn’t seem pleased with that option either. But he had options and Dick needed him to know that, needed him to feel safe and comfortable.
Dick watched him for a moment before he carefully closed the door to give him privacy. He moved down to Lian’s room and smiled fondly when he saw her sprawled over her bed, tangled in the sheets. She’d been staying with Oliver recently, though once Gotham was safe again, Roy had been very pleased to bring her home.
(Then Roy was running off after Jason on Dick’s hesitant request of having someone check in with his brother. One month later, Dick wasn’t sure when Roy would finally come home.)
“Lian,” Dick said, nudging the girl awake. She huffed and smushed her face into her pillow with more sass than an eight-year-old should have, and Dick laughed quietly. “You have school today!”
“I don’t wanna!” Lian replied, shooting him a pout.
“If you wake up, I can do your hair,” Dick bargained. Lian loved it when Wally did her hair – Wally did everyone’s hair, Dick hated how he had to cut his to his shoulders so the cowl would be easier – but Dick knew his way around a few hairstyles too.
Lian looked like she was considering it for a moment before she beamed and nodded. Dick watched as she started to grab her Gotham Academy uniform and slipped out of her room. He headed to the kitchen, searched through the contents of the fridge and cupboards. They were running low on supplies, and Dick made a mental note to go to the shop after dropping Damian and Lian off at school.
He settled for oatmeal and cut up some fruit. Damian had only recently informed Dick of his preferred diet of no meat and wanted to make sure all the animal products he did consume were gathered in a humane way – though he did have a weird obsession with yogurt recently. Their pantry wasn’t exactly suitable for a diet of a vegetarian, but Dick was going to make sure that changed.
By the time Dick was pouring the rest of their strawberry yogurt and topping it with strawberries into a bowl, Damian silently made his way to the barstools. He started to eat the oatmeal without further ado and nodded in a pleased manner when given his yogurt and fruit.
“Would you like anything from the market?” Dick asked, shuffling over to the coffee machine. He had a feeling he’d need a kick today. “I’ll get whatever you’d like.”
Damian frowned at him. “Whatever you wish to get.” The boy replied.
Dick nodded, not wanting to push. He’d get whatever he thought Damian would like – Wally would eat whatever he didn’t. They’ll find some favorites for Damian soon enough.
Lian burst into the room, bouncing on her toes slightly before bounding up the stool. She started to eat her breakfast quickly and requested a braid through a mouthful of oatmeal. Dick listened as she chatted about showing Damian around school while dutifully twisting her hair into a braid.
Once he was finished, he excused himself to his room to get ready. Dick peered at his phone when he grabbed a pair of slacks and a decent shirt because he couldn’t really drop Damian off at his new school in sleep pants. He frowned slightly when he saw no new notifications.
He had texted Roy before he had gone to bed. Roy was busy, obviously, and of course there were time zones to consider, but Dick always worried when any of his husbands didn’t text him back.
But Dick could handle a day by himself. He could handle weeks by himself.
He was Nightwing. He was Batman. He could handle anything.
Dick had been very hesitant to leave Damian at Gotham Academy, even with Gotham finally settling down. The woman who gave Damian and Lian their schedules had been obvious about her distaste. Dick membered the way he had endured bullying while he had gone to that school the second she had looked at them with aversion.
“If anything happens, you tell me, alright?” Dick said when they were separating. “I’ll handle it.”
Damian scoffed but nodded. He left with a small, hesitant wave and Dick could see the apprehension in his eyes. People wouldn’t bully him for not being a blood son like they had with Dick, of course, but they could make jabs at his accent or the fact that his mother was obviously not someone the socialites would approve of.
Lian had been there for about a week – having been in Blud’s schooling system until Dick had to move to Gotham – but the kids had been more scared of the rogues running wild than resentful about a girl who had three fathers. Dick hated how he hadn’t thought of that sooner.
Dick sent Alfred a text asking him to look for different schools, just in case.
The store was a bit barren when Dick arrived, most of the staff busy putting their new stock up after being ran clean during Batman’s disappearance. Dick picked up things he knew Wally and Lian loved and a few things he though Damian would enjoy. He found a few vegan options and made sure to buy the things that promised there was no animal cruelty involved.
By the time Dick was shuffling back into the penthouse with his arms full of bags, his ribs were protesting heavily, and he felt short of breath. He put the food away quickly, took a quick dose of pain medicine, and eased himself down onto the couch to wait out the pain until the meds kicked in. He’d need to check in with Tim later (if the teen even decided to answer), and then see how Babs was settling. Cases would need to be solved, then he’d have to pick the kids up and he’d need to check over their gear before they set out again tonight.
Well, he’d like to keep Damian from going out every night. Especially now that he was going to school. But Batman needed to make nightly appearances, injured or not.
It was moments like these that Dick’s thoughts wandered. He missed Bludhaven because everything had been easy there. She had been as kind to him as she could have been, and Dick had done everything in his power to help her. Wally wouldn’t have to be gone all day and Roy had even patrolled Blud with him. Tim would stop by every week and, when he had been doing better, Jason would sometimes stop by for dinner or just to have a rooftop pizza.
Being Nightwing had been easy. He hadn’t had to make tough decisions, not when it came to family. He hadn’t needed to fight his brother and essentially kick him out from Gotham, hadn’t needed to take Robin from Tim and watch as he ran after the ghost of a man.
He hadn’t needed to parent a traumatized ten-year-old boy essentially by himself.
And Dick would never regret taking that kid in, never. Damian was kind and he was young; he had a shine in his eyes and underneath the mature mask he wore, he was still a boy who wanted love and care. Dick loved him, God did he love him.
But he was never supposed to be his father. Was never supposed to be his Batman.
(It’s in moments like these that Dick hated Bruce. Hated him for making Gotham reliant on Batman, hated him for dying, hated him for creating the mission.)
Dick rubbed his face, shaking his head slightly to ease his thoughts away. His phone dinged in his pocket, and he hurriedly pulled it from his pocket.
‘Archer <3 > Morning babydoll srry for late reply, passed out last night’
‘Archer <3 > Jasons doing better. Im good too hru?’
Dick felt some of the worry loosen in his chest and smiled slightly at his screen.
‘Me >> I’m okay, miss you tho.’
‘Archer <3 > I miss you too’
‘Archer <3 > I want to come home soon. Kori joined up with us so jason wont be alone’
Dick hoped he came home soon. A bitter, angry part of his mind hated how he even asked Roy to go after Jason. Jason deserved to have friends and love and needed to be checked in on. Needed someone to keep him on the right path. And if the person who could help him with that was Roy, Dick shouldn’t be upset. Should be grateful, happy even.
‘Archer <3 > How is lian? And damian?’
‘Me << They’re good. Today’s their first day at school, so fingers crossed’
Dick thought about telling Roy that Lian missed him but decided against it. Roy already felt bad about being away, he didn’t need anything else to fuel the flames.
They texted for a bit longer, Dick sending Roy the picture he took of Damian and Lian in their uniforms – Lian beaming and holding Damian’s arm and Damian looking less than amused – to which Roy cooed over how adorable their kids were.
(And, fuck, he wasn’t wrong. Lian had always been Dick’s daughter, even if it had been a hesitantly used title when she came into the picture – Roy only having been dating Wally and Dick for a few months by the time Jade dropped the girl off – but Damian was new. Damian was his kid, even if Dick was never supposed to be his guardian.)
Eventually Roy had to leave to start his day, and Dick missed the days where they could stay on the phone and not have to say a thing, just stay in each other’s company. Wally usually rambled when they did their joint calls, but the quiet ones were always just as special.
Dick sent a few texts to Wally once Roy left after his dozens of hearts and several ‘I love you’s. Wally replied after a few minutes, saying he’d be home later in the evening and apologizing again. Dick assured him it was okay even though his heart ached.
The last time they had been so distant had been when Wally got lost in the speedforce five years ago – Roy had run off in a fit of grief and Dick had made Nightwing something to fear more than anyone had before. But when Roy finally came back and Dick stopped snapping at everyone and everything, they had been too scared to get far from each other.
(All three of them were still scared to get far from each other, even now.)
But this was only temporary. Dick would just have to tough it out.
Dick did a quick patrol, only making sure people saw that Batman was still active and stopping several crimes in the three hours he and Damian had been out. Damian had been promptly sent to bed after an injury check, and the boy had grumbled but complied.
Dick showered quickly after going over their gear, just for a quick check than anything else – checking for trackers and the likes. Once he finally made his way to the penthouse, he felt a bit dead on his feet. He closed the door behind him once he made it to his room and felt his shoulders relax when he saw Wally sitting up and rubbing his eye in the center of the bed.
“Hey,” Wally smiled sleepily.
“Hi,” Dick mumbled back and climbed into bed.
Dick felt safety consume him when Wally cuddled close to him and pressed his nose into the speedster’s neck. He smelt like ozone and wind and Dick had missed him all day. He pressed a few kisses against Wally’s warm skin and Wally hummed, pulling him closer.
“How was patrol?” Wally asked softly.
“It was okay.” Dick replied, tracing shapes into Wally’s skin. “How was Central?”
Wally grumbled slightly. “Barry broke his leg in, like, five places. It’s going to take a bit to heal.”
So, Wally would have to look over the city in his stead. Dick frowned, and Wally’s fingers running through his hair didn’t help the disappointment that bubbled in his chest.
“I’m sorry. Barry asked me to stay at the city while he gets better.” Wally said, and he sounded genuinely saddened. “I want to help you more.”
“It’s okay,” Dick said, even though it was anything but. “Gotham’s been...” Dick didn’t want to say that she’s been better, didn’t want to make the universe decide to show him wrong.
Wally hummed, already understanding. “Doesn’t mean you have to handle it alone.”
Dick could handle it. He’d always handle it.
“Don’t worry,” Dick mumbled, and kissed him.
Wally’s lips left a shock of electricity, and Dick chased after it. Their kiss was practiced in a way that only came from being together for so long – almost nine years, now – and Dick savored the feeling of Wally hugging him close, the way his lips tingled when Wally nipped them, the way Wally’s tongue was insistent and tasted like their mint toothpaste.
Dick let their lips linger together once they pulled away, and Wally let out a soft breath as he massaged his fingers into Dick’s shoulders. He missed the nights where they could do more, missed the nights when they had an archer by their side.
“I love you,” Dick said, thumbing at Wally’s cheek.
The speedster smiled at him, pulling him down to cuddle in his arms. “I love you too. Sleep good, babe.”
Dick had a dreamless sleep. That was as good as it would get.
“You’re doing okay, yeah?” Dick asked as he poured the scrambled eggs Lian requested onto a plate. He looked over to the toaster when it popped up and cursed under his breath when he saw the burnt bagel.
“Yes,” Tim replied. His responses were like that now; clipped, harsh, to the point.
“I’m glad,” Dick said, “You know you can call me if something ever happens. Or if you ever want to talk!”
“I know.” Tim said.
Dick shoved a new bagel into the toaster – he would eat the burnt one, he wasn’t going to make Damian eat it – and looked at the time on the clock. They needed to be out in ten minutes and neither of the kids were to be seen.
“Damian, Lian!” Dick yelled, moving the phone away slightly, “Ten minutes, come eat breakfast!”
“Coming, Da!” Lian yelled back.
“How’s the search going?” Dick asked as he moved his phone back between his ear and his shoulder.
“You don’t care,” Tim replied. “What do you want, Dick?”
Dick looked up to the ceiling and begged for patience. Begged for a lot of things. “I’m worried,” Dick said.
“I can take care of myself.” Tim snapped, “Stop calling me, I thought I was your equal.”
“You are,” Dick stressed. He seemed to do that a lot more nowadays; stress. “But you’re my brother and I love you!”
Tim was quiet for a moment. “I need to go.” he said. He sounded a bit hesitant as he added, “I’ll talk to you next week.”
Dick pinched his nose when the call was ended and fought back his frustration. It seemed all they did was talk next week.
“Da!” Lian said, bursting into the room, “Do my hair!”
Dick passed her the plate of eggs and toast. “Sorry, pumpkin, we’ll have to leave it down today.” Dick said as he got Damian’s bagel. He covered it in the cream cheese he liked and set it on his plate with fruit.
“Awe,” Lian whined, looking upset. “But I wanted a bun today.”
“I’m sorry,” Dick said again, “We can do a bun tomorrow. Damian!”
Damian walked in soundlessly, frowning at Dick like he caused all the world’s problems. He dropped his schoolbag at the counter and started to eat his food quickly.
“Please, Da?” Lian asked, “Please, please?”
“He said no, Harper.” Damian snapped, scowling at his plate.
“It’s Lian!” Lian yelled back.
“Okay, okay,” Dick said, “Damian, be nice; Lian, I can do a ponytail, okay? But we need to leave in,” a quick look at the clock, “Five minutes.”
He hurriedly tied Lian’s hair up, trying to sooth her over the fact that a ponytail was just as good as a bun, and then ushered them out of the house as soon as he grabbed his own breakfast.
“Richard,” Damian said as he got into the car. “Moore wishes to have a conference with you.”
“What?” Dick asked, a bit frazzled, as he pulled out of the school. He had spent the day solving cases and fell asleep halfway through the fifth one, only to wake up to his alarm reminding him to get his kids going off.
“Moore,” Damian repeated, “My teacher. She wishes to speak with you.”
Dick felt his head throb with an incoming headache. “What about?”
Damian merely frowned.
“Damian got in a fight!” Lian informed him.
“Damian?” Dick asked, looking over his shoulder sharply before focusing back on the road.
“Tt,” Damian responded.
Oh my God, Dick thought, I just want one day where things go decently. Just one!
“Do you have a note?” Dick asked tiredly.
“Yes.” Damian replied, and then, “I did not start it.”
“That’s good, I guess,” Dick mumbled, rubbed his forehead, and then turned towards the parking for the penthouse.
He listened as Lian talked about her day – she made a new friend and they absolutely had to have a sleepover, Da – and by the time Dick shuffled them inside and offered an afternoon snack, he felt dead on his feet. Damian handed over his teacher’s note before retreating to the sitting area where to start his schoolwork while complaining under his breath about how useless it was.
Dick read the note quickly and pinched his nose. The kid Damian apparently got in a fight with ended up with a broken nose and fractured fingers. Why they hadn’t called him as soon as it happened, Dick didn’t know, but he would have appreciated a call.
He knew he should reprimand Damian for getting into fights because it was dangerous. They were highly trained vigilantes, and they shouldn’t fight kids in schools, but Dick was tired, and he could always lecture later.
He felt tied down, run thin. He was handling too many things, worrying about everything that was going on around him. It was too much.
“Da, can we have pizza for dinner?” Lian asked as she looked up at him. Dick stared at her for a moment before forcing a grin to rise.
“Sure,” he said. Easy dinners always helped. “Sounds good, pumpkin.”
Wally frowned the moment he walked into their home and Dick knew his tense smile did nothing to help. “What happened?”
Dick shook his head, looked over to where Damian and Lian were arguing about the show they were watching. He didn’t want to talk about it with them listening in.
Wally huffed softly but followed his silent request. He leaned down, kissed Dick’s forehead, and then snagged a piece of pizza before sitting down next to him.
“Roy’s on a flight home,” he said softly, and Dick looked over to him.
“Really?” Roy hadn’t mentioned heading here.
Wally smiled, nodded his head. “He texted me before I headed over. I think he meant for our group chat but missed the contact.”
Dick nodded sullenly and leaned into his husband more. His eyes drooped and the headache that’s been eating at him all day made his vision blur a bit.
“Okay, no patrol for you.” Wally announced, “Let's get you into a bath and then bed.”
“I need to patrol,” Dick replied.
“No,” Wally said, “Babs has Steph going out tonight, doesn’t she? She can handle it.”
Dick wanted to say that, no, she couldn’t. Gotham was wild and unpredictable, and Batman needed to be there. But he’d been patrolling nonstop for six months and he wanted a break. He needed a break.
“Okay,” Dick said. He looked over to Damian, “No patrol tonight. I’ll be upset if I find out you left, okay?”
Damian huffed, “Yes, Richard.”
“Good, thank you.” Dick said and pressed a kiss against his forehead and then Lian’s. “I love you both, sleep well. Be good for Wally.”
“I’m always good for Papa.” Lian said proudly.
“I don’t need West to babysit me,” Damian replied, but he nodded, nonetheless.
Dick let Wally lead him into the master bath, and settled into the tub as soon as it was filled up enough. Wally sprinkled in his favorite bath salts and lit the candles Roy set up. They shared a soft kiss before he returned to watching the kids, though Dick could see how reluctant he was to leave.
The aches and pains Dick has been dealing with pulsed under the water, but after a few moments the pain dulled, and Dick felt like he could breathe normally again. He closed his eyes, sunk lower into the water, and pulled his hair slightly to ease the pressure at his scalp, trying to reduce his headache.
He only realized he fell asleep when he was pulled from the tub, and Wally shushed him gently as he swaddled him up in towels. Dick curled closer to him despite knowing it made it more difficult to dry him off, and Wally held him close as he sat on the bed.
“I feel awful,” Dick croaked.
“I know,” Wally said, carefully running his fingers through Dick’s hair, “I’m sorry,”
Dick was just so fucking tired.
He just wanted it all to be over; all the cases, all the patrols, all the responsibilities. Just for a little while, he wanted to go back to how things had been before, when Gotham had been kinder, and Dick hadn’t had to do everything by himself because there had been people there to help. Because Bruce had been there, had been Batman in the time when everything was just so easy.
He pressed his face into Wally’s neck and sobbed. His head pounded and he knew crying would just make it worse, but he couldn’t stop. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, everything was too much yet too little.
He needed to contact Steph and see how her patrol went, needed to give Babs his weekly report and send in the files he solved over dinner. Alfred was heading to the penthouse in a few days, and he had requested Lian and Damian’s preferred meals and clothing style and Dick would have to send him that too. The Justice League has been breathing down his neck, needing their Batman back for more than just monthly debriefs even though Clark and Diana were aware it wasn’t Bruce under the cowl anymore.
Dick needed to do so, so much.
But he was Batman. He could handle it.
(He felt like it was destroying him.)
Dick woke up to an empty bed but the smell of pancakes and eggs coming from the room over. He heard Wally’s voice, warm and fond, as he spoke to what sounded like Damian and Lian. Dick took a moment to lay there, to savor what was left of his relaxed morning before he had to get up and start his day.
His nose was stuffed, and his ears felt clogged, like it always was after he spent a night crying. He didn’t really feel better; crying didn’t solve anything. It certainly didn’t take the weight from his shoulders. But it felt like he earned a good breakdown, even if it was at the expense of Wally having to talk him out of it before he could get too lost in a panic attack.
Dick took a few steadying breaths before pulling himself out of bed. He pulled on the clothes Wally had left folded on the side table and headed out of the room when he was finally situated.
“Da!” Lian said excitedly, cutting herself off from whatever she had been talking about, “Good morning!”
“Good morning,” Dick said, smiling back.
“Papa did my hair!” Lian bounced over to him, showing off the French braids in her hair.
“You look beautiful,” Dick replied.
She beamed at him, “Papa said that Daddy’s coming home today!” she added, “Today is the best!”
Dick scooped her up and kissed her temple before placing her back at the table. He smiled at Damian when he noticed the sharp eyes, “Good morning, Damian,” he said softly.
“Yes, good morning,” Damian nodded, and leaned over to Dick subtly. Dick kissed his forehead, and smiled when the boy looked a bit embarrassed but pleased by the affection.
“Hello, Gorgeous,” Wally said with a lopsided grin, sliding over to Dick with a plate of pancakes and eggs in hand. He was dressed in a pair of slacks and a dress shirt, which Dick frowned quizzically at. “Damian said he had a parent-teacher conference, so I’ll be back a bit later.” he said.
“What?” Dick replied, “But I was going to...”
“Nope,” Wally led him to the table. “You’re going to eat this delicious breakfast while I take the kiddos to school and talk to the teachers. And then when I get home, we’re going to relax and watch a movie while waiting for our dearest husband.”
“But.” Dick started.
“Nope,” Wally said again. He pressed his forehead against Dick’s. “I already sent the cases to Babs and checked in with Steph; patrol went fine, by the way. The JL can f-c-k off, if you catch my drift.”
“What does that spell?” Lian asked.
“Tt,” Damian replied.
Dick huffed but relented under his husband’s concerned gaze. “Thanks, Wally.” He mumbled.
Wally pressed a kiss against his temple, lingered for a moment. He pushed some of Dick’s hair back after a moment and smiled at him. “Alright, Kids! Gotta go in a few minutes, make sure you grab everything!”
Dick watched, a bit dazed, as they finished their breakfast and hurried to grab their things before heading out the door. Lian gave him a big hug and Damian nodded his head, seeming a little reluctant to leave but following Wally, nonetheless.
“I’ll bring home your favorite ice cream,” Wally said with a wink before pressing a quick kiss against Dick’s mouth, “Love you, baby.”
“I love you too,” Dick whispered, and then they were gone.
Roy came home halfway through the movie Wally put on, looking a bit worse for wear. His hair was longer than it had been when he left, and his pale skin was a bit sunburnt. He smiled widely upon seeing them, and before Dick knew it, he had his arms full of the red head.
“Oh my God,” Roy said, and his voice was rough and deep, and Dick couldn’t recall the last time he had heard it. “I’ve missed you two so much, you have no idea.”
“Welcome back,” Wally said, sounding like he was smiling. Dick tilted his head closer to the couch so he could watch them as they smiled and kissed. “Missed you too, Speedy.”
Roy rolled his eyes, looked over to Dick. His smile softened significantly, and he reached up to cup Dick’s cheeks. “Hey, babydoll.” he murmured.
“Hi,” Dick breathed.
Roy tasted like mints and his hands were calloused, warm. Dick tangled his fingers into his hair, pulled him closer, felt tears prick his eyes. He smelt like the oil he used to shine his arrows and the usual smell of metal that clung to him after being in his workshop for so long.
“You look tired,” Roy mumbled.
Dick snorted, shaking his head. He pulled Roy in for another kiss, chased after his lips when he pulled away again.
“Care to join us for a movie?” Wally asked, his hand steady on Roy’s waist.
“I need a shower first,” Roy replied, raising his eyebrows, “Flying commercial is a pain, babes, I tell you that.”
Wally laughed and Dick smiled as he watched them. Roy lingered for another few moments, trading a few kisses amongst them and running his fingertips over their bodies. When he did pull back and shoulder his bag again, it was with a wink and a promise of only being a few minutes.
Dick leaned back against Wally, shouldering the blanket draped over them up. Wally nuzzled against his neck, peppering a few kisses whenever he got the impulse.
“What did Damian’s teacher say?” Dick asked quietly.
Wally huffed, a soft fond, albeit exasperated sound. “They wanted to talk to his father,” he grumbled.
Dick frowned, “I’ll set up a meeting.”
Wally pulled his hand up, pressed a kiss against it. “Not you, babe.” he said apologetically.
Dick stayed quiet, leaned back. He shouldn’t be surprised, and a part of him really wasn’t. Dick Grayson (-Harper-West-Wayne, legally, because of course they couldn’t pick just one name) wasn’t Damian Wayne’s father, even if he did have custody of the kid.
“I’ll deal with it.” Dick said.
“I already did,” Wally replied lightly, tracing shapes up Dick’s arms. “Don’t worry your pretty brain over it.”
“Worry over what?” Roy asked, hopping over the side of the couch to drape himself over them. Wally shuffled them slightly to where Roy was between them, and Dick eagerly clung to the man.
“Gotham Academy bullshit,” Wally said, rolling his eyes. “I told them that I’d sue them, and they changed their tune real fast.”
“Aw,” Roy pouted, “You should have called, I would have yelled at them.”
“How was your trip?” Wally asked.
Dick listened to his husband speak about all the things he had done with the Outlaws and relaxed against him. His eyes closed, content with fingers in his hair and his husbands' voices in his ears.
He really loved them.
Later, he’d have to worry about Gotham and the Justice League and Batman. Later he’d have to read Babs’ and Steph’s reports and check in with Tim and, hopefully, Jason. Later he’d have to wear the cowl and he’d have to be Batman.
But for now, he was just Dick, and he was with the loves of his life. For now, he could simply live his life with them.