Work Text:
Dick rolled his stiff shoulder as soon as he pulled dinner out of the oven. His arm had been pulled back during a mission that day, and though he had managed to get out of it before anything damaging could happen, his shoulder was still sore. He had gotten the information he needed and sent it back to the Cave before he had to rush back home and into his ‘work’ clothes.
He looked at the lasagna – made by Alfred, Dick didn’t know what he’d do without the man honestly – and idly watched the steam that rose from the meal. Wally would be home any minute now, and Dick had been longing to relax in his arms all day now. He tucked a piece of hair behind his ear before he started to plate their dinner.
Alfred tended to make Dick pre-made dinners to take home when missions were expected to run later. Dick hated how he needed to keep a strict schedule, a strict identity, with his husband. But he knew the risks, and if Wally wasn’t aware that he was married to a spy, he was in less danger.
So, Dick stuck to the schedule of leaving to his cover of working at Wayne Enterprises at eight every morning and returning home by five, just in time to make dinner and have it plated by the time Wally returned home from his job at the local university. Dick wanted to tell him the truth, one day. But after almost two years of being married, he feared Wally’s reaction. Would he leave? Would he be hurt?
Dick loved him more than he could ever say. He didn’t want to hurt him or lose him.
He was finishing the last touches when he heard the door that led to the garage open. He stilled for a moment, waiting, and only relaxed when he heard Wally’s voice call out. The tension that had been in his form all day finally released and he smiled as he grabbed their plates and started towards the dining room.
“Hey, Honey,” Dick said, smiling as he put his plate down before walking over to where Wally tended to sit. Wally beamed at him, dipping down to press their lips together before he sat down. “How was work?”
Wally shrugged, as he tended to. “It wasn’t too exciting, how about you?”
Dick thought back to his day of sneaking into a heavily guarded safe house and taking down everyone on the floor that held the information he needed. He smiled, uncorking a bottle of wine.
“So boring, you wouldn’t believe it.” He replied.
Wally watched him with fond eyes, and he laid a hand over Dick’s waist when he moved to pour them both a glass. Dick leaned further into him, sighing softly. Every evening was the same, albeit with different conversations. Dick would serve them dinner, Wally would clean up, and they would talk about anything and everything. It was nice and Dick always found it relaxing.
He glanced down at Wally’s hand and frowned. “Where is your wedding ring?”
Wally’s eyebrows furrowed and he shot a glance at his hand. He looked confused for a moment before he made a sound. “Oh, I took it off for a lab, I must’ve forgotten to put it back on.”
Dick rolled his eyes fondly at Wally. He tended to think too fast and forgot things easily, so Dick couldn’t be mad at him. He watched as Wally patted down his pockets before pulling the silver band from his pocket and slipping it on.
“Well don’t forget next time,” he said, teasing, “How else will people know you’re mine?”
Wally grinned, “I only have eyes for you, babe.”
Dick dipped down to kiss him, let their fingers rest together as their lips brushed. He tucked his fingers through Wally’s wild hair slightly, detangling a knot deftly before he pulled back. They dug into their meals quickly, Wally complimenting him on the cooking – Dick was going to send the thanks to Alfred, debated if he should get him some of that tea he liked from Germany.
Dick offered fake facts of his day, talking about the new secretary Bruce had and passing off Tim’s complaints as his own. Wally talked about the lab he had run that day and how it had gone, and Dick listened happily. Wally’s voice was always so soothing after a long day.
Eventually they finished eating and Wally was quick to scoop up the dishes. Dick followed him after a moment and dug through the freezer while Wally started to wash the dishes. He teasingly lifted a carton of ice cream from the freezer, as if Wally would say no to dessert.
Dick grinned when Wally looked pleased at the sight of their treat and pushed himself onto the counter after retrieving a clean spoon. He took a scoop and then offered it to Wally, who gladly accepted it. It was quiet between them as Wally scrubbed at the dishes and Dick alternated between feeding them both the cold dessert.
Evenings together like this made Dick feel like he lived a normal life. He almost felt like he didn’t risk his life almost daily to better Gotham (and anywhere else that paid well, really). But it didn’t change the fact that his entire family was made up of spies and his husband was an unsuspecting professor that somehow made Dick fall so deeply in love with him, he couldn’t imagine a life without the man.
Not for the first time, Dick thought of retiring. But it was in his blood by now, leaving never lasted long. Be it the loss of constant adrenaline rushes or the feeling of helplessness that attacked him whenever he attempted to retire and just focus on their company.
“Hey,” Wally said softly, “You okay?”
Dick shook the thoughts away. “I’m tired.” He admitted, privately wondered what it was he was tired of.
Wally smiled and wiped off his hands before he cupped Dick’s cheeks. He peppered kisses across his face before he rested their foreheads together. His lips were cold, and when they met for a proper kiss, Dick found that his tongue was too. He closed his eyes, sunk into the feeling with a soft sigh, and lingered even when Wally pulled away.
He watched as his husband hurried to put the ice cream away and let the water in the sink go down the drain. He sent Dick a lopsided smile when he noticed his stare and Dick felt butterflies in his belly as if it was the first time he’d seen that smile sent at him.
He was only a little surprised when Wally scooped him into his arms, locking his arms and legs around Wally’s neck and waist once the man got a strong hold on his body. Dick sunk into Wally’s embrace, pressing his face into his neck to smell the cologne that Wally preferred. Oddly enough, he smelt a bit like cigarettes.
Dick made a mental note to search his things for tobacco.
Wally placed him on their bed as soon as he was close enough to do so. He brushed some of Dick’s hair from his forehead and kissed him temple before heading to their closet. He came back with a pair of sleep pants Dick had stolen from him and Dick felt his heart swell.
“I love you,” Dick said.
Wally winked. “I know. I love you too.”
Dick watched as he slipped away to the bathroom, heard the shower start after a few seconds. He massaged his forehead slightly before he started to change from his lounge wear. He put his phone on the bedside table and watched as the screen lit up with a notification.
Dick smirked to himself once he read Tim’s text. Looks like his information had been good, and that was worth a sore shoulder.
When Wally woke up, he did so quickly. Hunger made his stomach growl, but he didn’t move to get any of the speedster bars he had stashed around the house. Instead, he was content to lay with Dick in his arms. He yawned softly against Dick’s nape and hugged him just a bit tighter. He ran his fingertips up and down Dick’s side and felt when he started to wake up.
Dick usually woke up quickly. Wally remembered how Dick used to go tense whenever he woke up early on in their relationship, but his breathing would stay even and his face soft with fake sleep. It was as if he were pretending, as if he needed to. It had always made Wally wary, but as they grew closer, Dick would simply wake up with a sigh and burrow closer.
After a few seconds of laying together, Dick twisted in his arms to press his face into Wally’s collarbone. His arms slowly wound around him, hugging Wally close and enveloping him in the safe feeling that only Dick managed to offer.
“We have to get up soon,” Dick murmured eventually.
Wally hummed sleepily in response, and Dick huffed a laugh. He leaned back after a moment, rising up to tower over Wally. His hair was rumpled and his eyes were squinted, lingering sleep trying to make them close.
Wally loved him. God did he love him. He still wasn’t sure what Dick saw in him, though he would never look that gift horse in the mouth.
“What’re you thinking about?” Dick asked.
“About you.” Wally replied, grinning.
Dick leaned down, let their lips stay a breath apart. His hair tickled Wally’s face and his eyes gleamed from between his eyelashes.
“Good things?” Dick murmured.
“Always,” Wally replied, a breath.
Dick pressed their lips together, and Wally quickly wrapped his arms around his husband. His back was all scarred, smooth skin – Wally remembered freaking out when he had seen the scars for the first time, but Dick had quickly explained that no one really stayed scarless in Gotham. Wally believed him seeing as just a few days after moving into Gotham, Wally had almost been stabbed four times. If he hadn’t been a speedster, he would have been in major trouble.
As they kissed lazily, Wally slowly brought his hand up Dick’s back. He let one hand card through his hair gently, his other resting on his shoulder. Dick hummed a soft sound and brought one hand to hold onto Wally’s thigh.
“You’re going to be late if we don’t get up soon,” Dick said teasingly.
Wally rolled his eyes. “Like I’m not late a lot.”
Dick quirked an eyebrow, “Oh, you finally admit it?”
Wally huffed and tugged him closer. Dick let out a hiss that sounded more painful than pleasurable and Wally froze for a moment.
“Are you okay?” Wally asked quickly, moving his hand from Dick’s shoulder in a move that was probably a bit too fast for a regular human. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Dick shook his head quickly, “No, I’m okay.”
Wally gave him a disbelieving look and peered at his shoulder; he looked fine. Wally scanned down his arm and felt his blood run cold when he saw faint bruises in Dick’s wrist. Dick leaned back, kneeling and creating a bit of distance between them. He had a grimace on his face, unsubtly hiding his hand behind his back.
“What happened?” Wally asked. Fury rose in his stomach at the idea of someone putting their hands on him.
“I had a run in with the press yesterday,” Dick shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “They were a bit rough.”
Wally flexed his jaw slightly, “Who was it?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Dick said softly, kindly. “Bruce is handling it.”
Wally had no doubt there would be a lawsuit of some kind soon. He sighed but nodded. Dick smiled at him and cupped his cheeks. “I’m okay, really.”
“Okay,” Wally said. Privately he thought that Dick wasn’t; grabbing his wrist wouldn’t have made his shoulder hurt like that. Did the press pull his arm back? Did Dick have to fight them off? Had he been checked over?
Dick kissed him, a thorough thing. “Baby, I’m fine.”
Wally carefully took the bruised wrist and pressed his lips against the skin. “Okay,” he repeated softly. “Is Bruce suing them?”
Dick snorted, “Probably.” He gazed at Wally fondly, “Want eggs for breakfast?”
Wally loved Dick very much. He did not love his eggs.
“I’ll make pancakes?” Wally suggested.
Dick lit up like he always did at the idea of a sweet breakfast and eagerly started to pull Wally from their bed. He silenced their alarm clock as it started to go off, and shooed Wally to the kitchen as he hurried to get one of his suits from the closet.
Wally laughed as he hurried down the stairs and paused just long enough to grab a few of his speedster bars. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for a lawsuit.
Dick skimmed the files Bruce sent as he walked towards Tim’s office. There was a mission that required someone leave Gotham for a few days, and Dick and Tim needed to discuss the details further. Dick didn’t like leaving on long missions because there were only so many business trips he could take before Wally got suspicious, but Tim tended to enjoy the missions that took him from Gotham for a bit. Especially the ones that tended to imply there would be a spy from a different organization there.
Tim was competitive and had this weird relationship with the guy whose codename was Superboy, a League spy. Dick couldn’t wait to see how that progressed – note the heavy sarcasm.
Dick turned the corner as he swiped to the next page, grimacing slightly when he saw the information they were hoping to get. It definitely had League of Assassin's written all over it. They’d have to bring one of the others on it, per protocol: at least two Bats per LoA mission. He did a quick mental check of the people available and retrieved his phone to send Duke a quick text.
“Dick!”
Dick paused at the sound of Wally’s voice and looked over quickly. He blinked in surprise at his husband’s presence but smiled all the same, quickly turning off his tablet and pocketing his phone.
Wally was standing close to Bruce’s new secretary, Megan. The poor woman didn’t look too excited to have Dick’s attention on them, which made Dick’s hackles rise. As far as Dick knew, no one in the family trusted the woman. Bruce had hired her on the notion that they suspected something was up. Why was she with Wally?
“Hey, Babe,” Dick said, trying to seem like he was giving Wally all his attention when he kept Megan in his vision, “What’re you doing here?”
“I came to take you to lunch,” Wally wriggled his eyebrows. There was a bit of anger in his posture, but Dick could tell it wasn’t at him. He softened slightly, his worry for Wally drowning out everything else. “You free?”
Dick pursed his lips slightly. He could just send the files to Tim, but Dick had been the one debriefed on the matter entirely, seeing as he had been the one closest to Bruce at the time. With Bruce having been snatched away for a meeting, it fell on Dick to assign the mission.
“Give me ten minutes,” Dick said quickly, “I need to get this to Tim real fast, is that okay?”
Wally nodded along and Dick leaned forward to peck his lips before he rushed towards Tim’s office. He heard Bruce’s secretary start to hiss something at Wally, and when Dick subtly looked over his shoulder, he saw a dark look on Wally’s face. He said something too low for Dick to hear, but from what he could read from his lips, Wally was talking about Dick.
I know – husband – wouldn’t do that – lying to me M.
Dick’s eyebrows furrowed. A foreboding feeling rose, and he quickly shoved it down. He opened the door to Tim’s office and beamed.
“Sup, Little Bro.” Dick said cheerfully, “I got nine minutes to debrief you, listen up!”
Wally walked into the League meeting with a scowl on his lips. He had been angry at them when he found out M’gann had been planted into Wayne Enterprises under the assumption that the Wayne’s were dirty. He knew his husband and he knew he wasn’t married to a criminal – or a criminal family.
But after he was left to calm down for a few days, he started to think. The Justice League wouldn’t just pull an accusation like this out of nowhere, especially knowing Wally’s connections to the Wayne family. They must have a reason, and after reading several reports on the matter, he had grown a bit wary.
He started to notice things he hadn’t before. Dick slipped out at night a lot, and Wally had noticed he’d leave bed sometimes, but he had never given it a second thought and had always fallen back asleep. The bruises on his wrist were deep and he had seen Dick stretching his shoulder out on several occasions. It was more damage than a reporter should have been able to do.
There was a gun hidden in Dick’s side of the closet. The Waynes were a very anti-gun family, it didn’t make sense for Dick to have an obviously cared for handgun hidden deep in the drawer that held his ties. It made even less sense for him to have throwing blades stashed in the back of the portion of the closet that held his work suits.
There were days where Dick would have a subtle wince to his features and where makeup could be made out on his skin in odd places. There were days where he would wear long sleeves and pants and not let Wally see him naked even though Dick was more likely to walk around undressed than he was with clothes on. Wally remembered, distantly, how Dick had darker patches to his skin seen through the white shirts he wore.
Wally suddenly had the fear that he was hiding bruises, maybe even worse injuries, on those days.
Wally didn’t want to think the loving, silly husband who looked at him so lovingly and treated him so well was a criminal. Didn’t want to think that he was a killer and assisted with terrible crimes the League thought the Waynes did.
But...he could see where the League was coming from. He would hear them out and offer his thoughts and he was going to make sure that, no matter what, Dick came out of all this safe. Wally would make sure of that.
Wally was acting odd.
Now, Wally was an odd person in general. But he was odd in a way that Dick loved and expected. But something had been wrong recently, and Dick couldn’t figure out what.
Wally was jittery when they ate, he was quick to do the dishes and head off to bed. He didn’t kiss or touch Dick like he normally did, easy as breathing and with want or love in his eyes. Dick didn’t know if he did something wrong, worried if something had happened. When asked, Wally merely replied that he was stressed. Schoolwork to grade and lessons to plan. Dick tried to believe him but found it lacking.
Did he find something? Dick had suits and weapons hidden all over the house, and though it would have been a bit difficult to find, Wally could have stumbled across some of the case files he had here. Dick bit his lip, sending a look over to the timer. He had fifteen minutes until he had to take dinner out of the oven.
Dick made quick work of dissecting all his hiding places downstairs. The things hidden under the floorboards and under the stairs were all undisturbed, and the files in his office hadn’t been messed with as far as he could tell. He’d have to move the non-WE ones from the house just in case – he’d gotten too comfortable with them being here, obviously.
He sorted through his mental map of the house, and started to check the hiding spots that Wally was most likely to find. It was possible that he found some of the weapons Dick had hidden in the closet…
Dick sorted through the drawers mechanically, saw all the false tops in the drawers undisturbed. The hidden wall behind the shoe shelf was still firmly shut and hadn’t been opened in a while. Dick grit his teeth and hit the wall to his side in a fit of agitation.
He froze when there was a soft hiss and the wall popped open to reveal a small safe. He hadn’t put that there and Bruce had told him about every hiding spot in the house. Carefully, Dick opened the small door further and stared at the line of what looked like protein bars and a folded suit. He untucked the red and silver fabric swiftly and found himself staring at the suit of the third Flash.
Fuck, was Dick’s first thought.
His second was, this son of a bitch.
He inhaled quickly and tried to ease the betrayal he felt away. He folded the suit and put it back where he found it, and closed the door until he was staring at the usual wall again. He turned on his heel and hurried down the stairs, heading for the kitchen.
Wally was the Flash, a member of the League. They were a group of spies that had a strict way of doing things, and they’d been trying to infiltrate the Bats for years. Wally must know that Dick was Nightwing. He must know that he married a man who worked for the Bats, was a major player in their operation.
He must’ve known.
Did that mean everything was just a lie? Did Wally only marry him for information, and after two years of not getting any, was finally getting tired of the charade?
Dick slammed his fist onto the counter, his eyes stinging. Everything had been a lie and Dick was so in love with Wally that it hurt and – it was just a damn lie. The one time he let himself open up to someone outside the family and it ended up being for nothing. God, he was so stupid.
Dick jerked back when he heard Wally’s voice call out his usual greeting and he wiped at his eyes furiously. He inhaled a few times and quickly checked his appearance using his phone screen – his eyes were a bit red, but he looked fine. Passable.
“Hey,” Dick said when Wally appeared in the doorway. There was a bit of a frown pulling on his lips and when Dick turned to pull their dinner from the oven, he hid his grimace. His voice sounded rough. “How was work, babe?” he asked, and it felt flat on his tongue.
“It was okay,” Wally said slowly, “How was your day?”
Awful.
“It was okay,” Dick replied. He set the pan on the counter, and pushed hair behind his ear when he got the oven mitts off. He couldn’t quite meet Wally’s eyes but tried to smile.
“Hey, what’s wrong,” Wally asked softly, raising a hand to cup his cheek.
He’d done it dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Dick had always felt safe and loved when Wally took his face into his hands and stared at him as if he were the most important thing on the planet.
“Nothing,” Dick replied, his voice quieter than he’d like. “I’m fine.”
He turned away from Wally and started to quickly place their meal. He could see the tense line to Wally’s shoulders and the way his eyes narrowed, analyzing. Dick had seen that before, too.
He tried to bring up his training because he’d been in this life since he was nine. He probably had more experience than Wally did. He couldn’t let Wally know he was onto him even if he wanted nothing more than to scream at him.
“I didn’t have a good day,” Dick admitted softly, as if he had managed to keep it a secret, “I…don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay,” Wally said, and he pressed his hand against Dick’s lower back. It was warm through the many layers Dick had on and now his abnormally high body heat made a lot of sense. “Let me get dinner, you go sit down, honey.”
Dick wondered why he even bothered.
They went through dinner with a tense sort of silence that hasn’t been there in a long time. Dick excused himself as soon as they were finished eating, and a part of him hate that he was missing their nightly tradition of sitting on the counter while Wally did the dishes, but the larger part of him reasoned that Wally wouldn’t miss it.
Their entire relationship was a lie, after all.
Dick wondered just how planned it had been. Did the League send Wally because they knew his preference? Did Wally volunteer for this? Did he mean to run into Dick when he been at Keystone for a mission that had been disguised as a business trip?
He inhaled slowly, tried to keep himself calm. Wally could be watching him, the League could be watching him. What had they seen these last years? What information had they gathered? How much risk did Dick put his family in because he fell in love?
Dick grabbed his tie and took it off completely. He cast a quick look around the bathroom, and pulled up the virus Tim made a few weeks ago. Any and all listening devices will get hacked, and then the Cave should be able to see it. He started the shower and stepped under the spray when he discarded his suit into the laundry basket nearby. The water was hot, almost unbearably so, but Dick mechanically went through his usual routine.
It was only when he realized he’d grabbed Wally’s body wash — one that made him smell like apples and cinnamon and he started using it after Dick had said he liked it - that everything came crashing down. The sob that bubbled from his throat was sudden and felt like it had been ripped from him. He curved around himself, pressing a hand against his mouth to stifle the sound.
Wally was everything to him. He was the sun on rainy days and the sound of his voice, his laugh, everything about him, made Dick feel like he could conquer anything. He loved Wally so much, and finding out that the life they built together wasn’t real made him feel like his heart had been taken from his chest.
This, Dick thought, was why the family didn’t want anything to do with the League. They were cruel, untamed. If it wasn’t for them, Jason wouldn’t have died when he was fifteen. If it wasn’t for them, spy networks would have stayed deeply in the shadows and their people wouldn’t have been targeted. Barbara, Jason, Dick himself, they would have never been put in such dangers by the Joker, Blockbuster, and do many more.
If it wasn’t for the League, Dick would have never had his heart broken.
“Listen,” Wally snapped, “You don’t have any proof that the Waynes are doing anything.”
“Wally,” Artemis sighed, “We all know there’s something going on there. We get it, you don’t want to believe that your husband would do something like that. But face the facts!”
Wally grit his teeth, pulling into the garage to his and Dick’s home. He turned the car off with more aggression than necessary. “I’ll ask him then.”
“What, no!” Kaldur said, sounding shocked. “My friend, I understand your emotions on the matter. We want to believe you as well; we’re keeping an open mind. But we cannot take risks.”
Wally deflated, pressing his forehead against the steering wheel. He hated the idea of his husband being dangerous because Wally knew him, and he wasn’t a killer. He thought back to the other night, where Dick had clearly been crying and distraught. It had taken a while, but Dick had admitted he had gotten into an argument with Jason and no dangerous mob boss cried because he got in a spat with his brother who liked to argue on a weekly basis.
“Okay,” Wally said. “I won’t do anything.”
“Thank you,” Kaldur replied.
“Keep in touch,” Artemis added.
The line went dead, and Wally took a few seconds to just breathe before he got out of his car. He grabbed his things and headed inside, trying, and failing to seem like he was fine.
“I’m home!” Wally called. He set his things down and walked into the kitchen. It was empty, but there were dishes on the counter and in the sink, and so he headed to their dining room.
Dick sat at the head of the table, a pleasant smile on his lips but something cold lingered in his eyes. Wally hesitated for a moment before he continued his stride.
“Hey, babe,” Wally said slowly. His hackles were raised, and he felt like he had just walked into a lion’s den. He tried to shake it off, blaming it on the talk with his friends.
“Hi, Honey.” Dick said. His eyes tracked Wally as he moved closer, and he tilted his head. “How was work?”
“Good,” Wally replied. He pulled back his chair, “I had a few students who had problems registering, so I added them to my…”
He trailed off as he looked at his plate. On the fancy dishes they’d gotten as a wedding present sat a wrapped speedster bar. He looked back up at Dick and saw that sweet smile nowhere to be seen, instead a cold, calculating gaze.
“Keep talking,” Dick implored, “Tell me all about your students.”
Wally inhaled sharply. He shifted slightly and Dick twisted the knife in his hands in a way that seemed dangerous instead of the silly tic Dick’s had ever since Wally’s known him.
“Honey,” Wally said slowly.
Dick hummed, swirled his wine in his glass. He sat back slightly and there was no warmth in his gaze. “Flash.” He replied.
“I don’t,” Wally laughed nervously, “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
Dick put his glass down after he took a sip. He stood up after a moment, movements swift and silent as he walked. His dress shoes, that had always made a noise on the tile floor, didn’t make a sound.
“It took me a while,” he said as he walked closer to Wally, “I’ll give credit where credit is due. But you need better hiding places.” He tapped the edge of the dish with a finger, “Only speedsters need something with so many calories.”
Wally hissed out a breath. “Fine,” he muttered, “So you’re angry with me? You lied to me too!”
Dick tilted his head, “What did you gain from this? Information? Bragging rights?”
“What are you talking about?” Wally asked sharply. “What did I gain from what?”
“From me,” Dick hissed and suddenly the knife in his hand was flying in Wally’s direction. The speedforce crackled around him, more on instinct than anything else, and Wally was across the room in half a second.
Dick turned on his heel, reaching up his sleeves to pull out escrima sticks. His gaze was cold but there was hurt hidden deep in his posture.
“Dick, calm down,” Wally said, raising his hands.
Suddenly, he believed everything the League thought. Dick looked dangerous.
“What did you get from this, Wally?” Dick asked coldly, “Are you getting paid well? Think you’re doing a good thing? What is it?”
“The only thing I got from this was a loving husband,” Wally snapped, “I didn’t know who you were!”
Dick laughed darkly, “You think I’d believe that? After everything the League has done?”
“The League hasn’t done anything to you!” Wally replied, incredulous.
Dick lunged forward, and even with his speed, Wally only barely managed to dodge. He couldn’t tell if it was shock or if Dick was truly that strong. Dick struck out, and when Wally caught his wrists, he lunged forward and slammed his forehead onto Wally’s. Wally stumbled back, disoriented, and Dick took the moment of weakness to lock something around his neck.
Suddenly, the speedforce was gone.
Wally gasped, hands flying to the inhibitor collar around his neck. Dick still looked at him with that cold fury and Wally hissed softly. There was only one way to finish this.
He lunged forward, dropping last second to try to kick Dick’s feet out from under him. Dick jumped back, easing into a flip as easy as breathing, and launched his escrima stick out of his hand. It crackled with electricity and caught his shoulder.
Wally stood carefully and blocked the attacks Dick sent at him. They were sharp and quick with a surprising amount of strength behind them. He was skilled and fast and for every hit Wally landed, Dick landed two. Wally grabbed Dick’s fist, bringing his knee up to lodge it into his stomach. Dick let out a wheezed breath but didn’t let it slow him down.
He gripped Wally’s shoulder and flipped over him, wounding his elbow across Wally’s throat, and making the collar dig into his skin and cut off his air.
“I loved you,” Dick hissed, and now there was just hurt in his voice. “At least we have better morals than the League seems to.”
“Like killing anyone is better!” Wally rasped out and rammed Dick into the wall behind him. Dick’s grip weakened slightly, and Wally shot his arm out to hit him with his elbow.
Wally pressed his forearm against Dick’s throat, and they both fell still as Dick pressed a knife against Wally’s stomach.
“I don’t kill people,” Dick spat.
Wally frowned, “The League knows about the funds your family sends out.”
Dick’s eyebrows furrowed, “So you married me because of sent out funds?”
“No!” Wally snapped, “I married you because I love you!”
Dick’s eyes flashed and he lifted his leg to kick Wally’s leg, making his balance waver. Dick tackled him to the floor, pressing his hands down and locking his legs between Dick’s.
“Don’t lie to me,” He said lowly, “You just wanted Nightwing.”
“The spy?” Wally asked, “Why the hell would I want anything from Nightwing!”
“I’m Nightwing!” Dick snapped.
“What!? No, you’re in the mob!”
“No, I stop the mob! Are you stupid?”
Wally paused, and Dick looked flabbergasted.
“Wait,” he said slowly, “You’re a spy.”
“You thought I was in the mob?” Dick asked.
“Yes!” Wally said, “The League told me last month!”
Dick’s face swam through emotions quickly. After a few seconds, he hesitantly loosened his grip on Wally’s wrists. “So, you didn’t marry me because the League wanted to infiltrate the Bats.”
“No,” Wally said slowly. “I thought you were just a random dude until you told me you were rich.”
“Oh,” Dick said.
“When did you find out I was Flash?” Wally demanded.
“Yesterday.” Dick said.
“That’s why you were crying?” Wally asked, surprised.
“I thought everything was a lie,” Dick said softly.
“I didn’t lie about us.” Wally replied, inhaling sharply. “Did you?”
“I love you,” Dick murmured and there was so much promise in his voice that it couldn’t be anything but the truth.
Wally carefully pulled his wrist from Dick’s fingers and reached up to tuck some of his hair back. Dick leaned into his hand, and quickly undid the inhibitor collar. Wally felt the speedforce rush back into him and Dick shivered slightly when he felt the vibrations that ran through his limbs.
They stared at each other for a long moment before Wally leaned up and Dick dived down. Their lips met roughly, and Dick’s fingers hurried to rip Wally’s shirt open. He tasted like wine and his hair was smooth between Wally’s fingers, the lingering adrenaline and panic settled in Wally’s stomach like molten lava and only added the arousal that flooded him.
Dick pressed their bodies close, and when Wally flipped them over, his pupils were blown wide, and his lips kiss bitten. Wally dived down and kissed him again and again.
“I love you,” he gasped, and Dick pulled him into another kiss, breathing something akin to a sob with each exhale.
Wally wound his arms around him and hugged him close, rocking slightly as Dick clung to him and cried. Guilt flooded him — this all could have been avoided if he had said something. Be it his powers, his real job, or just the fact that he’d thought his husband was a criminal for the past month.
“You’re not leaving me r-right?” Dick asked, voice cracking. His eyes were wide, and his face was a mess of tears and Wally felt like he’d been punched in the gut again. “Please, I can – I can do better! I can quit, I don’t have to be Nightwing!”
“Baby,” Wally whispered, cupping his cheeks, and wiping at the tears. Dick wrapped his fingers around Wally’s wrists, a desperation to him that left Wally aching. “I’m not going anywhere.” He said sternly, “And you don’t have to change anything. You hear me, you don’t have to change a goddamn thing. I love you.”
Dick shuddered and sobbed and kissed him. His eyes closed and he allowed Dick to push him down against the floor. It was a messy kiss, desperate more than anything. Wally tangled his fingers into Dick’s hair and couldn’t quite control the constant vibrations that ran through his limbs. It was startling to realize that he didn’t need to anymore, there were no more secrets between them.
Wally was going to keep it that way.
“Where did you get this one?” Wally asked as his fingertips carefully traced a scar over Dick’s shoulder.
Dick hummed softly, “Um, I think I got that when I was eleven. Some mission in London.”
Wally didn’t reply for a while. His fingers trailed lightly against Dick’s skin, touching anywhere he could while Dick lazily peppered kisses against his neck when the urge rose. After a moment, Wally touched a bullet wound above Dick’s collar bone.
“Two Face,” Dick said before Wally could ask.
“Two Face,” Wally muttered under his breath.
Dick took Wally’s hand and pressed his lips against his palm. “You don’t mind them, do you?”
Wally didn’t have any scars other than burns on his back. Dick now knew he could thank him being a speedster for that.
“No,” Wally said, and he delicately placed his hand on Dick’s hip when he shifted to sit up. “I think you’re beautiful. They’re beautiful.”
Dick thought they were quite ugly. Wally’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes softening a bit as if he could tell what Dick was thinking.
“I love them,” Wally said, nothing but honesty in his voice. He caressed the scars on Dick’s torso, chasing his fingers with his lips and pressing kisses against each blemish. “You’re so beautiful and strong, Dick. I love you so much.”
Dick dragged him up, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. He smoothed his hands down Wally’s cheeks, smiled when he caught the lovesick look his husband wore. The black eye he had a few hours ago was already gone, and Dick took a moment to feel a little jealous of it, if only because Wally wouldn’t feel as guilty about the bruises he left on Dick.
“I love you,” Dick said softly.
Wally pushed some of Dick’s hair back, smiled like Dick had given him the world on a silver platter (and god he would, he would do anything for this man, all he needed to do was ask). “I love you too.”
Wally pressed kisses over Dick’s eyelids, over his cheeks, and chin. He peppered kisses down his body, giving attention to each scar, each freckle, a murmur of love accompanied with each press of lips.
“Wally,” Dick said, voice cracking just slightly.
Wally kissed him, pressed their foreheads together, and smiled. “I love you.”
Dick believed him.
“This is the entrance to the Batcave.” Dick said as he led Wally in by the hand.
“The Batcave?” Wally muttered, amusement quirking his brow.
“I named it,” Dick replied proudly. “But this is where most of our things are here. It’s our main base.”
“Everyone is here?” Wally asked.
“Well,” Dick said, “Tim has his Nest, and Jason has a lot of safe houses he likes to stay at. And A few of the others have their own places. Most of my gear is at our house.”
Wally’s eyebrows raised at that information, and Dick squeezed his hand. “Sorry if this is too fast…”
“No,” Wally shook his head, “Trust me, this is probably the best outcome.”
Dick snorted, “I bet. I still can’t believe you thought we were part of the mob.”
“Okay, listen,” Wally said, “You were pretty scary last night. Must be because you’re so short.”
Dick rolled his eyes. “Okay, we both know you thought it was hot.”
“After I stopped fearing for my life, yeah.” Wally replied and he pressed close to Dick, gripping his butt. “But I always think you’re hot.”
Dick giggled and pulled Wally down for a kiss. It had been a while since they could be so close so effortlessly. Dick doesn’t even think it had been like this even a year ago. It was like weight lifted and loving each other became just that much easier.
Dick smiled against Wally’s lips, swaying slightly when his husband started to hum softly. The elevator dinged after a moment and the doors parted to reveal the Batcave. Dick wrapped an arm around Wally’s hips, threading his fingers through his belt loops.
“Ready?” Dick grinned.
Wally gave him a smile, “I’ve already met the in-laws, babe.”
Dick snickered and they walked out of the elevator together. Jason groaned aloud when he saw them.
“God, and here I thought you couldn’t get more sickening.” He complained and snapped the magazine in his hand into his gun.
“Wally,” Tim said, appearing behind them silently. Wally jumped slightly. “You know Superboy, yeah?”
Dick raised a hand up to his lips and loudly whispered, “Timmy has a crush on Superboy.”
Wally giggled slightly, “You wouldn’t happen to be Red Robin?”
Tim smiled, “Why yes, I am.”
“Superboy talks about you a lot,” Wally replied.
Tim preened, visibly proud of himself. His grin fell a bit when he noticed Bruce heading their way and he promptly turned around and headed to the computer.
“Flash,” Bruce growled out.
“Wow,” Wally said, “Who knew Bruce Wayne was an overgrown fury.”
Dick heard Jason choke, saw the way Steph slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise of her laughter.
“Oh, babe, you’re going to fit in here.” Dick said.
Wally grinned at him, and listened intently as Dick took them to the trophies.
(Two weeks later, Dick would be meeting Wally’s hero friends after inviting them over, and he would smile and not touch a thing on his plate while they were eating. Serves them right for causing so many issues.)