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It'd been gnawing at him since they'd kissed. A pit in his stomach started whenever they made eye contact. It wasn't hard to follow orders in the team setting, but once the bad guy was locked up and clean up was done, it was back to the awkward glances and forced smiles. Wally knew if nothing else he was confused. Confused about what he wanted, confused about what that kiss meant, confused about what it meant to Robin. They never got around to talking about it really. They'd just swept it under the proverbial rug to keep things from the team and probably from themselves. A little fed up with the whole thing and not being able to talk to anyone, he took a Sunday to go visit home. Considering the Titans were a unit of 5 before him, he had the luxury of being able to leave the tower.
“Oh, Wally! I wasn't expecting you,” Barry rushed to the door the second Wally had stepped in, embracing him. “How's the team, how are you?! I think you've gotten taller,” he joked ruffling Wally's hair.
“I wasn't expecting to be home so soon myself,” Wally shrugged Barry off playfully. “Team's good, I'm…fine, and I don't think I've gotten taller,” placing a hand behind his neck.
He arched a brow, “You're not really an ‘I'm fine’ kind of person.”
“It's a long story, can we get lunch before you decide to interrogate me?” Wally chuckled lightly.
“‘Course,” his eyebrow lowering and a smile taking its place. “We suiting up?”
“I already am, why not for old times sake.”
“Sounds great,” Barry ran upstairs for a second to put on his suit and rushed back. “Let's hit it,” he followed Wally out.
The place wasn't but 20 minutes by car, so of course it took them less than a minute or two to get there. When they walked in, the owner waved her spatula around from the kitchen to greet them and announce their arrival to the rest of the kitchen staff. The speedsters had visited so often the waitresses had stopped asking what they wanted because the answer was always two of everything, each. A photo of the Flash and Kid Flash hung proudly on the back wall, displaying the duo giving a thumbs up after they'd saved the diner and then proceeded to eat everything in the kitchen afterwards. Wally smiled, he missed it here and he just didn’t mean the food, he missed Central City. He missed the people and the atmosphere and the slow-pace everyone else lived at. Why had he even left? He sighed, smile fading as he sat down and looked at Barry.
“So, Kid what’s up?” Barry inquired, blinking curiously after they'd sat down.
Wally looked at him, they had come here to talk. He just figured it wouldn't be so immediately, but he didn't really want to talk about it all in earnest. He mostly wanted the break and some time away from the team. “Well, it’s kind of a long story. Well, I guess it’s not that long, I just-” he stumbled, “It feels a lot longer than it actually is.”
“Kid,” Barry started sincerely, reaching his arm across the table to quiet Wally’s hyperactive fingers from drumming. He could probably read him like a book right now.
He stopped his fingers and cast his eyes down looking at the table, pulling his hands back. The familiar pit in his stomach returning quickly and forcing him to lower his eyes further. Wally didn't want a heart-to-heart he wanted an hour--just one hour--free from thinking the boy who tied his stomach into knots with just his eyes even with that damn mask on. He was trying to run from this, he just wanted things to go back to the way they were but that obviously wasn’t working. He sighed, if he pushed this off now, Barry would only pursue it later and get Aunt Iris involved. They cared so much about him it was almost nauseating, but it made him smile just enough to force out a small chuckle.
“Right, well” Wally had to tear his eyes up from the table and let them rest just left of Barry's shoulder choosing not to focus on anything but the faded maroon pleather upholstery. “So, I screwed up right after I joined the Titans. Don’t get me wrong, it started out great, Robin and I started hanging out because of the mutual hero mentor thing. It was bonding. Then, I said some things that may have...caused or prompted, I mean…” his face flushed and he pushed his exposed hair back. “Okay ...so…um,” Wally exhaled, heart pounding, “We kissed. Well, he kissed me.
“Either way,” he waved his arm in front of his face trying to dismiss the memory of the kiss and his now reddening cheeks, “After that things started getting complicated and by complicated, I definitely mean awkward as hell. We said we’d talk. He said he’d talk. This was, like, two maybe three weeks ago, and it’s been weird since and I can function in the team just fine and it’s fine when he’s leading, but outside of that it’s just so weird.” He speech getting faster towards the end of the phrase. “I just needed to get out of there for 5 minutes to think and not be around them-” muttering quietly under his breath, “-him.”
When Wally finally focused after catching his breath, he noticed Barry trying to conceal a very obvious goofy smile.
Great, he thinks I’m complete and total idiot. And I am. He thought to himself.
Barry cleared his throat, “That it? You done? You got any more in there?” His uncle tried to sound serious, but just sounded like he was laughing at him. He knew the older Flash meant nothing by it and that he did genuinely care, but he couldn’t figure out why Barry was giggling.
Wally threw back a meaningless but threatening scowl before straightening up. “Surprise. I’m bi,” he shot back sarcastically, not having thought of a better reply, “You’re the one who asked.”
Barry took a second to compose himself before responding to that. “I’m sorry, I just thought you were going to tell me you were quitting the team, not tell me you kissed Batman’s protege. It was unexpected. It was situational humor,” He explained before actually responding to the topic at hand, “Really though, you just need to talk to him. I know you’re being really nice because that’s who you are, but if he’s not talking, your answer isn’t waiting for him.”
Wally nodded slowly in agreement. He had chalked this up to sound bigger than kissing the boy wonder, but that was a kind of big deal anyway. “Yeah, but...I don’t really know him that well and it just happened. And I don’t even know if I want this.” Hands covering his face, “I don’t even think I know what ‘this’ is.”
“Wally,” the Flash said under his breath seriously, giggles from earlier gone. Kid Flash snapped his head forward to glare at him for using his real name in uniform and in public. “This is obviously affecting you negatively. Talk to him.”
“He said that it would be a distraction and he’s not wrong. But I guess coercing your teammate into kissing you also counts as distracting, that still begs the question how do I even have a conversation with someone who is immediately just going to reject me?”
“Oh my god,” Barry almost slammed his palm into his forehead. “That is about the most Batman thing I have ever heard in my life.”
“Excuse me, what?” the phrase came out as a choked up mix of disbelief, frustration, skepticism and a hint of anger. The reality of his mentor’s statement setting in.
Of course Barry was serious. He'd been in the League with the Bat-brain long enough to know, and Wally knew Bats had pulled Barry aside and addressed him about Iris too. So really, Wally should've seen this coming from a mile away. But what did it mean, why was he getting so worked up over this? Was it the fact that the Robin he knew was currently trying to become his own hero and still adhered to Batman's rules? Was it simply that this rule was keeping Dick from feeling happiness and love? Or was being a distraction a stupid excuse? “You’re not serious right now.”
Barry’s head pressed harder into his hand before nodding an indication that he, in fact, was definitely not kidding.
Wally scoffed, crossing his arms. “This is laughable. Why me?” Just his luck to be the one who had deal with this bat-mess.
The other finally lifted his head up, “You could be the one to change his mind?” Barry said hopefully.
“Uh,” Wally retorted between sarcastic laughter, “Yeah, right. Like I said, I don’t even know what I want.”
“So?”
“So?!”
“Yeah. So. You’ll never know if you don’t try and trying means talking to Robin no matter the outcome. It’s worth a shot, Kid, what have you got to lose? Nothing. You fight tougher battles on a daily basis.” Barry answered his own question to keep him from from interjecting. “Plus the longer you wait the more you will beat yourself up over this and as your mentor (and uncle),” he snuck in under his breath, “I can’t let you do that. I would punch Batman in the face for you. I’m not joking.”
Wally’s eyes instantly widened, “Don’t. You. Dare.” Each word accompanied with a slight jab of his finger into the table.
Raising a challenging eyebrow, Barry shrugged. “Nothing to lose.”
Wally didn’t say anything, mulling over their conversation as their food arrived and they started eating. Barry was right. He didn’t have anything to lose but he had everything to gain. Wally figured he hadn’t let himself think of what a relationship with Robin--with Dick--could be like because he didn’t want to get his hopes up. But why should that stop him? Why would he be so conflicted over this if he didn’t care, if he didn’t want this at least a little bit?
“I’m sorry,” Barry broke the silence halfway through his total plates, “I’m honestly curious. What did you even say to prompt Robin to kiss you?”
Wally immediately sat up and swallowed, trying not to laugh at how awkward his nosy uncle sounded asking that question. Responding with a simple laugh and a shrug, “I insulted his height.”