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Wally felt like he hadn’t thought this through all the way. Now, normally a lot of what he did wasn’t fully thought through, but he felt that this was in the top ten of ideas he blurted out without thinking.
Two weeks ago, Wally had gone to the Cave for their regular movie night. Everyone aligned their schedules so that they could all join one day during the month, no missions or stress, but a bunch of movies and way too much popcorn. It was a highlight of Wally’s month because it was really the only time, he felt normal.
“Are any of you going to prom?” M’gann had asked as they settled in and waited for everyone to join. There had been a few grumbles of yes and no, and Wally shrugged his reply.
“What, don’t have a hot date?” Dick teased, looking over his shades just enough for Wally to see the amusement in his blue eyes.
“Dude, if I show up to prom without a date, I’d get bullied.” Wally laughed and threw a piece of popcorn at the Boy Wonder. Dick caught it and munched on it casually.
“Don’t you want to go?” M’gann asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Wally had gone to Homecoming, which he figured was just prom, but just a bit smaller. He’d gotten a date, somehow, and had been ditched halfway through the dance, and he figured he wasn’t going to try school dances again.
“I’ll go with you,” Dick offered.
Wally quirked an eyebrow at him. Dick quirked one back.
“What? I’m not going to my school’s prom.” Dick said, “It would be...nice to go to one.”
“You’re sixteen, you’re obviously not going to your prom yet,” Wally teased, but he knew what Dick was really saying. Prom at Gotham Academy must be weird, anyways, Wally understood why he wouldn’t want to go. “But, yeah. That would be nice, I guess.”
It would be way better than just nice, but Wally was going to keep that to himself. Dick had smiled and looked immensely pleased with the agreement, and Wally couldn’t find it in himself to regret agreeing to go to a dance with his best friend even if he wanted to.
Now, Wally was staring at the mirror and fussing over his hair. Iris laughed lightly from the doorway and Wally held in a whine about her being no help because she had honestly done everything in terms of preparation.
“Does this look okay?” Wally asked.
He felt oddly nervous for this just being a night out with Dick. They’ve been best friends for years, and Wally’s done way more things than just going on a dance with him. Like life risking missions or sleep overs that ended with them falling asleep in Dick’s massive bed together.
“You look great, Wally.” Iris said, reaching over to straighten the lapels of his suit jacket. “And your date is downstairs.”
“We’re going as friends,” Wally whined, fighting against the heat he felt rise up his face at the idea of Dick being his date.
Wally rushed down the stairs after one last look in the mirror, and only barely managed to keep his speed at human levels. He didn’t want to mess up his hair, obviously. He heard Dick’s voice before he saw him and sucked in a sharp breath when he got to the bottom of the stairs and saw his friend.
Dick was in a black suit, the slacks hugging him just right and the jacket form fitting. His hair was slicked back in a way similar to how it was when he was trying to fit in as one of Gotham’s richer families, but there was a bit more freedom to the way his hair was in waves and fell near his face. The tie around his neck was a deep blue that matched Wally’s own, making his eyes pop.
In his hands was a corsage and Wally burst into laughter.
“What?” Dick asked. He was smiling.
“I got you one too,” Wally replied and pointed to where the box sat.
Dick snickered, “What, not a boutonniere guy?”
“Why would I do that when I can put flowers on your wrist,” Wally teased, and he offered his hand when Dick made a motion for it.
Dick had this soft expression as he carefully put the corsage around Wally’s wrist, and Wally worried for a moment that he could hear how wildly his heart beat in his chest. The blue of the flowers Dick picked out matched Dick’s tie and his eyes perfectly, and he found himself trapped in his friend’s gaze. He only snapped out of it when he heard the sound of a camera shutter and shot an embarrassed glare at where Barry was unsubtly taking pictures.
Barry pouted back, “Oh come on, I have to take pictures! It’s prom!”
Dick laughed. “Did you get my good side?”
“Do you have a good side?” Wally asked.
Dick gasped dramatically, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead. “Wally, you wound me!”
Wally snickered, and carefully removed the corsage from the box. Dick seemed eager as he offered his wrist and Wally took his time securing it.
“What do you think?” Dick asked, doing a little spin.
Wally thought he looked gorgeous.
“You look good,” he said instead.
Dick preened slightly, his eyes saying yes, yes I do.
“You look great too,” Dick said, winking.
Wally felt his face flush, and thanked all the Gods that Dick didn’t comment on it. Instead, the teen reached up to adjust Wally’s tie, and gave his chest a pat. “Well, Wally, your chariot awaits!”
“Did you drive down here?” Wally asked, incredulous.
“Nah, I Zeta’d.” Dick replied, waving a hand. “But B had a few cars around here, so.”
Wally grinned, “Can I drive?”
“If you’re good,” Dick said, flicking his keys around his finger. Wally rolled his eyes.
“Wait,” Barry said, “Pictures!”
It was after ten minutes of posing and Barry snapping pictures that Wally was finally able to usher Dick out of the house. Dick was laughing, clearly enjoying Wally’s embarrassment. Wally debated if he wanted the ground to just swallow him up.
“So,” Dick said as he stopped at the passenger side of his car.
Wally was thankful that it wasn’t one of the fancy cars he knows Dick liked to drive – his favorite was a deep blue Thunderbird he and Bruce had upgraded with tech – because he didn’t need a lot of attention on them. Dick gathered enough attention on his own, being Bruce Wayne’s son.
“So?” Wally echoed.
Dick smiled at him and opened the door, waving his hand slightly as an invitation. “Should we stop at a restaurant before prom?”
Wally grinned, “I’ll never say no to food.”
He slipped into the car with a snicker, and Dick closed the door after he was sure Wally wouldn’t get caught. Wally made a joke over Dick being a true gentleman to hide the way he felt like his heart was going to jump through his ribs, and his friend rolled his eyes as if it was the worst thing he’d ever heard.
They pulled into the parking lot a few minutes before prom officially started. Dick looked at ease as he shot Wally a grin and got out of the car. Wally took a moment to fumble with the seatbelt, and when he went to open the door, Dick had beat him to it.
“You trying to romance me?” Wally asked, grinning.
“Is it working?” Dick replied. Wally couldn’t tell if he was joking.
“You have me swooning,” Wally said dramatically, and laughed when Dick grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the car. Dick’s hand was calloused, his grip strong, and when Wally stood, he could smell the cologne he wore. It was probably some expensive scent, but it fit Dick well.
“That was my plan,” Dick replied.
Wally laughed like it was a joke. He secretly wished it wasn’t.
They walked towards the line, their elbows brushing. Wally noticed a few people double take when they saw them and felt a bit embarrassed as he tried to keep the conversation flowing. He could guess what everyone was thinking — how on earth did the nerdy, mathlete Wally West know Dick Grayson, let alone score him for a date. Sometimes, Wally felt less than his friends, and he didn’t really like the idea of Dick seeing just how much of a loser he was at his civilian life.
“Hey,” Dick said, cutting himself off from his retelling of Bruce’s latest adventures. “You know you’re my best friend, yeah?”
“Yeah, of course I know that,” Wally said.
Dick grinned and locked their elbows together, “Then stop worrying, dude. You aren’t even listening to how B fell in a fountain! It was classic!”
Wally laughed and placed his hand on Dick’s, squeezing his fingers in thanks. And if he lingered there longer than he probably should have, neither of them said anything.
Dick made a soft sound before he was digging through his pockets and retrieved his phone. He nudged Wally a bit as he lifted the phone up and grinned. Wally rested his chin on Dick’s shoulder as his friend sent the selfie to the group chat the original Team members were in.
“Feeling the aster?” Wally said.
“Hell yeah I am,” Dick grinned and added that as the caption. “Are we going to run into any of your friends here?”
Wally hummed and sent a quick look around, “A few came, but I dunno if we’ll run into them. Did…did you want to?”
Dick shrugged slightly, eyes not focusing on anything for longer than a few seconds. Wally watched as he bit his lip for a moment before he quietly said, “It would be nice to meet the, y’know, Wally West life.”
Wally bumped their shoulders together, grinning. “That’s cute.”
Dick huffed, “You’re cute.”
“Yeah, okay,” Wally said.
Dick quirked an eyebrow, “Are you doubting me right now?”
“I always doubt you,” Wally joked.
Dick pressed his hand against his chest, taking the other from Wally’s elbow to press it to his forehead to dramatically express his dismay. “Walls, how could you? I don’t think I’ll ever recover!”
“Suffer.” Wally snorted.
Dick huffed, but his expression eased into a smile almost instantly. “Oh my Gosh, I should have brought pearls.”
“So you could clutch them like a Victorian lady?” Wally asked knowingly.
“Obviously,” Dick said.
The line started to shuffle forward sluggishly, and Dick started to look around again. When they made it into the venue – a local place that the school had rented out – Dick grinned. “This is cute.”
“As cute as your galas?” Wally asked.
Dick snickered, “Dude, those are so boring.” He waved his hand slightly, “Full of stuffy rich people. I’d rather be here with you.”
Wally felt his heart jump and teased, “Sweet talker.”
“Maybe,” Dick said, “Want to dance?”
Wally raised an eyebrow, “Do you think I know how to dance?”
“Well, I don’t.” Dick shrugged, “Want to brood in the corner?”
“That’s more of your dad’s thing than mine,” Wally joked quietly, aware that Bruce did have a reputation as Brucie Wayne, an airhead. “And I don’t believe that you can’t dance.”
Dick rolled his eyes, “I know how to do slow dances.”
Wally nodded sagely, “Then let’s go figure out how to dance, Wonderful.”
Dick grinned and led them to the dance floor.
Wally smiled slightly to himself, rolling his eyes as he sent Barry and Iris a copy of the pictures he and Dick had gotten from the photo booth. Most of the photos were of them shoving and grinning at each other, but Wally’s favorite was the one that caught Dick mid-laugh as Wally beamed at him. At least Barry wouldn’t pout about not getting any pictures.
“Hey, West!”
Wally looked up, hiding a grimace when he saw a group of the more popular kids heading in his direction. Wally glanced around quickly, spotting Dick still getting drinks halfway across the venue.
“West, my guy!” One of the guys threw his arm around Wally’s shoulders as if they were friends. “Where did a nerd like you meet Richard Grayson?”
Wally raised an eyebrow, “Dick’s a mathlete.” He said flatly. That was their go-to excuse of knowing each other, and it was actually true in a way. They have actually met on a few competitions.
“But he’s hot,” a girl said, flicking a piece of hair between her fingers. The you're not was heard even if it was left unsaid. “Is he here as your date?”
“I am,” Dick agreed easily suddenly behind Wally, grinning that charming smile of his as he offered a cup of punch. Wally grabbed it, raising an eyebrow in question and Dick proceeded to wrap his arm around Wally’s waist. His fingers teased at the waist band of his slacks before slipping through one of his belt loops.
Wally felt his face heat; somehow the action felt possessive.
“Are these friends of yours, babe?” Dick asked, and the undertone to his voice was displeased. Unimpressed. Wally shrugged a bit because he wasn’t quite sure what to say, and Dick just offered a smile. “Well, nice to meet you. Wally, there was a live band outside, we have to see it!”
“Sure thing,” Wally said and let Dick lead him away.
“Those guys were assholes,” Dick muttered.
Wally carefully didn’t mention that this wasn’t the worst thing that had happened. Being called a loser and unattractive was far from damaging at this point. That was kindergarten level at this point.
“It’s fine, Dick.” Wally said, “Is there actually a live band?”
“You think I’d lie about that?” Dick asked, amused. “I thought we’d stop by the chocolate fountain first.”
“Are you trying to seduce me?” Asked Wally, only half joking.
Dick winked, his hand slipping down to rest his palm over Wally’s butt, “You tell me, babe.”
Wally waited for the laughter, for Dick to move his hand and to let go of Wally’s body, but he stayed right where he was. Wally couldn’t say he minded. They took a quick (okay, kind of long) detour for the chocolate fountain where Wally drowned everything he could in the sweets. Dick had laughed by the end of it — because Wally, unfortunately, did know restraint in terms of sharing food when he was a civilian — and swiped at the chocolate residue on his lips. Wally stared (ogled, really) at the way Dick licked his fingers clean.
“Ready?” Dick asked, looking towards the exit with a giddy expression, “I’ve never seen a live band before.”
“You haven’t?” Wally replied, his voice similar to a croak.
Dick grinned at him, “Well, not one I didn’t have to shut down.”
Wally nodded, conceding to his point. Hero work really did make their lives a bit...different.
“What are they playing?” Wally asked and was only mildly surprised when a hand settled over his butt again.
“Hey,” Dick said, voice faint through the crowd and loud music, “Um, you don’t mind, right?”
“Mind what?” Wally asked, very much preoccupied with the feeling of Dick’s hand on his ass than anything else. If Dick could cop a feel, did that mean Wally could?
Dick raised an eyebrow at him and looking unamused. “This,” He said, and pinched him.
Wally squeaked slightly. He flushed red and sent a sharp look around to make sure no one was looking and saw a few cameras already pointed in their direction – so much for subtly.
“No,” Wally said quickly, “No - I, uh, don’t mind.”
Dick nodded, and it was only when he relaxed that Wally noticed he was tense in the first place. It made some of the anxiety in his chest loosen at the idea of Dick being just as nervous as he was. The Boy Wonder always looked so unshakeable.
Wally wound his arm around Dick’s shoulder’s, tugging the shorter teen closer to him. Dick sagged against him, and Wally could barely hear the content sigh he let out.
“Hey, silly question,” Wally said, continuing when Dick hummed. “Want to slow dance?”
Dick’s eyes crinkled with his smile. He pulled away from the embrace, grabbing Wally’s hand to tug him to the dance floor. They navigated their way through the couples on the dance floor, and when they found a decent place, Dick leaned up to wrap his arms around Wally’s shoulders and tug him close. Wally let his hands settle on Dick’s waist.
“I don’t actually know how to slow dance,” Wally admitted after a moment.
Dick shoved his face into Wally’s chest, shaking with his laughter. “Okay,” he said after a moment, still giggling, “Follow my lead.”
Dick set one of his hands on Wally’s hip, nudging him slightly as they started to sway with the music. After a few moments, Wally got the movements down and tugged Dick a bit closer.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” Wally murmured into Dick’s hair. “I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Dick looked up at him, his face soft. “You act like it was a huge burden spending the night with my favorite person.”
“I thought Alfred was your favorite person.” Wally teased.
Dick rolled his eyes, “Okay, my second favorite person.”
Wally laughed, rubbed circles into the fabric of Dick’s suit jacket. “You’re my favorite person,” he admitted. The words said everything he’s longed to say for a long while now, and he knew Dick understood it. Dick always understood him.
Dick rose onto his toes and kissed him. Wally leaned into him, shuddering slightly as he kissed back. Dick’s lips were a bit chapped, and his tongue still tasted like the chocolate they had earlier. His hands were gentle as they dug into Wally’s hair, his eyelashes tickling Wally’s skin as he pressed as close as they could possibly be.
Dick smiled when they pulled apart, his hand rising to cup Wally’s cheek. His thumb pulled at his bottom lip and Wally chased the digit with his tongue.
“Want to get out of here?” Dick asked.
Wally grinned.
(He did get to cop a feel as they left the venue, giggling and kissing as if they were the only people on the planet.)
They ended up parked outside an ice cream shop, laughing and holding hands as they ate their treat. Dick stayed plastered to Wally’s side and Wally kept his arm wound tightly around him.
“You should have said something sooner,” Dick said after a moment.
“You could have too,” Wally replied.
Dick crunched on his ice cream cone. “I could have.” he admitted.
“Why didn’t you?” Wally knew why he hadn’t.
“Dunno,” Dick shrugged. He pressed his lips against Wally’s neck, nipped his skin. “Are we dating now?”
“Hell yeah we are,” Wally replied, grinning like a fool.
He’d happily be a fool if it meant he could be with Dick.
Dick beamed and kissed him. Wally found that he quite liked the feeling of his calloused hands on his cheeks.
When they did decide to head back to Wally’s house, Wally was a bit giddy with the feeling that he could touch Dick without having to worry about what was appropriate for friends. He let his palm stay on Dick’s thigh as he navigated Central City to the suburbs.
“You want to stay the night?” Wally asked once they were parked.
Dick hummed, tapping his chin like he had to think about it. “You know, I think I do.”
Wally rolled his eyes, “Idiot.”
“What? I’m funny!” Dick protested.
Wally kissed him and only pulled away when his lungs demanded air. “Sure,” he said.
“Wallace West!” Dick said, “I am the funniest person you’ll ever meet!”
“I love you,” replied Wally.
Dick paused, his lips parting and eyes widening. He pressed their foreheads together, grabbed Wally’s hands. “I wanted to say it first, Flasher.”
“Too bad,” Wally teased breathlessly.
Dick huffed, but he looked pleased. Happy. “I love you too,”
“Good,” Wally said, “I was about to have a heart attack just waiting for that.”
“Oh, shut up,” Dick rolled his eyes, and promptly climbed over the divider to settle on Wally’s lap. “Want to make out?”
“Hell yeah, I do.” Wally replied.
Dick tangled his fingers into Wally’s hair and tugged him into a kiss. Wally probably hadn’t thought the night out originally, but he sure as hell wasn’t complaining.
This is the best day ever, he’s sure of it.
Bonus
Barry inhaled and exhaled a few times before he hesitantly knocked on Wally’s door. When there was no answer, and no sound coming from behind the door, he hesitantly opened the door. The room was a mess, but then again it always was. Wally, and therefore Dick, was nowhere to be seen.
“Damnit,” Barry bemoaned.
If he didn’t find those kids, Batman was going to hunt him down. Barry would do anything for Wally, of course, but facing Batman was where he drew the line.
“Those damn kids,” Barry grumbled and made his way outside, praying to every God there was that he wouldn’t see anything that would require therapy. He’s pretty sure Dinah wouldn’t appreciate a session just because he saw his nephew doing the tango with his best friend – boyfriend? Oh well, he’d figure it out soon enough.