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The zoo was busy today. Dick peeked through the door of a staff cabin to check on the crowd, seeing a decent number gathered around his spider monkey enclosure.
Of course, it wasn't really his enclosure—there was a large team involved in every part of the zoo, and the keepers were all encouraged to spend time with different animals, but they all had their particular specialties, and everyone knew these monkeys were Dick's babies.
"Is he there?"
Dick spun around at the voice—he hadn't realized there was anyone in there with him. "Jason, don't—"
"What?" Jason sat on the table in the break room. "I'm being supportive! I'm taking an interest in your interests, in particular the hot dad you've been obsessed with for weeks. Is he out there?"
Dick sighed. "That's not—" Jason raised an eyebrow. "I don't see him, no." Dick admitted. "Happy?"
Jason grinned. "Devastated, man." He grabbed Dick's lunch and started picking through it. "I thought today might be the day."
"What day?"
"The day you actually speak to him. I have money on it, dude."
Dick grabbed his sandwich away before Jason could eat it. "You're betting on my love life?"
"So you admit it?" Jason opened the chips Dick had been saving for later and shoved a fistful in his mouth. "You love the guy and you've never even spoken to him."
"Jesus fucking—I admit that he's hot, and that I like seeing him at feeding time. I'll even admit his kids are cute, but that's it. He's probably married, Jay. And straight."
"And that's the only thing holding you back?"
Dick turned away, peeking back out at the crowd rather than justify that with a reply. The crowd was even bigger now.
Dick wasn't looking for him. He wasn't scanning the crowd for a glimpse of one specific dad, because that would be crazy. He wasn't searching, but the shock of bright red hair wasn't easy to miss, in the middle of the front row. He was flanked by his kids—a daughter with hair as vibrant as his, shoveling popcorn into her mouth, while her brother stood on the bench, leaning on Hot Dad's shoulder and craning his neck to catch sight of the monkeys.
"Ooh, he's there now, isn't he?" Jason asked, appearing at Dick's back and trying to look over his shoulder. Dick elbowed him and shut the door again, as Jason started to shout. "I see him! I see him, he's there!"
"Shut up, man," Dick hissed. Jason cackled.
"You're so easy. What time's the show?"
Dick checked his watch and swore. "Two minutes. Fuck off, Jay, I've got to get to work."
Jason finished the chips and balled up the bag, tossing it into the trash. "You going to Bruce's for dinner?" he asked.
"Why, are you?" Dick retorted.
"Fuck, no. But if Bruce isn't expecting you, you should ask out Hot Dad. Honestly, you should ask him out either way. To hell with Bruce."
Dick rolled his eyes, shaking out his arms to get into the zone for entertaining a crowd. "If I say I'll talk to him, will you leave me alone?"
Jason shrugged. "I'm sure I'll find something else to bug you about. It's my job."
"Isn't your job looking after the elephants?" Dick asked.
Jason put a hand over his heart. "Dickiebird, we're a family here!" he mimicked the official line. "No one person is responsible for any one creature, you know that."
Dick shook his head, laughing. "Sure, man."
He checked his hair in the locked screen of his phone before tucking it into a zipped pocket and leaving the cabin.
His eyes fell on the hot dad for a moment before he turned his attention to the rest of the crowd. "Good morning, everyone! Are we all ready for feeding time? I've got some hungry little guys who I know are so excited about this! You wanna meet them?"
Dick smiled at the crowd, hearing the enthusiasm in the collected murmurs. It wasn't a glamorous show, there wasn't exactly anything in his script designed to blow the crowd away, but he loved that little chitter of excitement whenever someone spotted one of the monkeys for the first time, as the food Dick laid out tempted them down from the treetops where they liked to spend their time.
He loved working with the animals, he loved working behind the scenes, keeping them healthy and well-cared for, but this part was always his favorite—watching the faces of the kids in the crowd light up, hearing their laughter whenever one of his monkeys did something funny, or when he pretended to slip on a banana peel, or let a monkey climb onto his head.
He was, after all, a performer at heart, and playing to a crowd came as naturally as breathing for him. Once the feeding was done, he left the enclosure and stood in front of the people who were left, answering questions about the monkeys.
Most of the crowd filtered out slowly during the questions, as they always did—there were no hard feelings, he knew it wasn't why most people were there, but he'd met enough kids over the years who had a million questions bubbling up within them, deep wells of curiosity, and he'd be damned if he ever let those kids go home without at least a dozen new facts to regale their grown-ups with.
Besides, no matter how often they visited, Hot Dad's kids always had new questions or thoughts to share, and Dick wasn't going to give up on a few extra minutes with a chance of meeting his eye.
Hot Dad's son had his hand up, so Dick nodded to the kid. Maybe he should ask their names, just to avoid the mouthful of a nickname. "Hey there! I've seen you here before, haven't I?"
The kid nodded. "You remember me?" he asked, eyes wide. Dick glanced over at his dad, who was smiling at the kid with such fondness it almost made Dick lose his train of thought.
"What's your question, buddy?" Dick asked.
"Um," The kid looked suddenly shy, pressing close to his dad.
"Go on, Jai. You got this."
Jai bit his lip, working up the courage. Dick waited patiently, crouching down to his level in an attempt to seem non-threatening.
"Is, um…Is Bon-bon okay?" Jai asked, in a voice barely over a squeak. For a kid who had been so enthusiastic during the show, he was suddenly so shy. Dick's heart melted at the question.
"Aww, you noticed she didn't come out today, huh?" he asked. Jai nodded.
"He loves Bon-bon, don't you bud?" his dad asked, ruffling the kid's hair.
"He loves Bon-bon," the sister added. "He has a Bon-bon stuffy."
Dick grinned. "Those are so cute! I have a little Bon-Bon at home, too."
"Is she okay?" Jai asked again, smiling at Dick's confession and sounding a little more confident.
"Bon-bon's just fine, don't worry. She had a little check-up this morning, so she needed a little nap to recover, but the vet says she's in perfect health!"
Jai grinned.
"What about you," he turned to the daughter. "Who's your favorite?"
The girl made a face at him.
"Irey's not so much of a monkey fan," Hot Dad said. "She's here for the cheetahs, right Irey?"
Irey nodded, bright red pigtails bobbing.
"Oh, awesome! You guys must've come right here from the cheetah run, huh?" he asked.
Slowly, everyone else who'd stuck around for questioned trickled away, curiosity satisfied, but Jai and Irey and their dad stuck around, Dick listening to the kids ramble about everything and anything, all traces of shyness long since forgotten.
It took a while, but Hot Dad did eventually realize they were the only family left.
"Oh, man. Guys, maybe we should move on, let the nice man get back to his work, huh?"
Dick frowned. As much as he hated to prove Jason right, he suddenly didn't want them to leave. "Oh, no! I promise, it's fine—hey, I was actually about to go check on Bon-bon. Do you guys wanna come for a behind-the-scenes tour?"
Hot Dad frowned. "Oh, wow. We couldn't—that's…"
Dick's heart raced. "Trust me—it's no trouble. We give behind-the scenes tours all the time." He made a face and lowered his voice so the kids couldn't hear. "Usually to obscenely rich people Bruce is trying to win over for a little extra funding, but I can make an exception this once."
Hot Dad laughed, and it was a wonderful sound. "I mean, the kids would love it—Jai especially, he really loves Bon-bon. But, I wouldn't want to get you in any trouble, you know, with your boss, or—"
Dick imagined Bruce's reaction if he found out. Jason wasn't the only one who liked to bring up his tragic singleness. Bruce would probably invite the whole family for dinner if he found out Dick was actually making an effort to talk to someone like this.
"It'll be no problem. I'm Dick, by the way." He held his hand out, immediately flustered as Hot Dad took it. "And before you say anything, I've heard all the jokes already."
"Oh, I'm in no place to judge—I'm Wally." Hot Dad was laughing at his joke, and it was so distracting Dick almost didn't process the fact that Hot Dad now had a name.
Wally.
"Great to meet you, Wally." Dick grinned, then felt something tugging at his shirt. He looked down to see Irey looking up at him.
"Are we really going to see Bon-bon?" she asked. "Can we see inside other animal houses, too?"
Dick pursed his lips. "How are we for time?" he asked Wally.
Wally checked his watch, then looked at the kids. "Mom's expecting you guys for dinner at six. That's about three hours until we've got to leave."
Dick hummed, trying not to latch onto the mom mention or analyze the specific words used. "I think we'd have plenty of time to see Bon-bon, and I'm sure we can check in on some of our big cats, too. Sound good?"
The kids cheered and hugged him, and Dick looked up to see Wally smiling at him. At him.
"Well, let's go!" Dick led them to the entrance of the veterinary wing, talking through the safety rules carefully with them before going in.
Jai and Irey were on their best behavior, but Jai rushed forward to press his face against the glass when they got to the room where Bon-bon was recovering.
"Daddy, she's sleeping!" He shouted. "Why's she sleeping?" he asked, glancing at Dick for half a second before turning back to Bon-bon.
Dick leaned down to Jai's height and looked in with him. "She got a little medicine earlier, because monkeys don't always like when the vets check them over. She'll be up and ready for her dinner probably about the same time you guys are sitting down to eat." Dick glanced over his shoulder to Wally, who looked away abruptly, cheeks a violent shade of pink that clashed with his hair.
Jai didn't seem like he was going to leave Bon-bon any time soon, and Irey was right there with him, peering through the window at her sleeping form, so Dick took a step back to stand with Wally.
"They're great kids," he said.
Wally looked a little surprised to find Dick talking to him. "Uh…yeah. Yeah!" His face broke into a smile again. "They're the best—not to brag, but I did help make them."
Dick threw his head back to laugh. "You should absolutely brag. You guys come here a lot, right?" Dick asked. "I mean, I remember seeing you—them, I mean, at feeding time before. Jai's full of questions."
"Yeah, well… they love it. And they, uh…they live with their mom most of the time, so I like to take them here on my weeks. Like a bonding thing."
Dick nodded. He bit back a smile, hating himself a little for the relief he felt at Hot Dad being single.
"It's weird, you know?" Wally said, leaning against the wall, watching the kids whisper to each other. "It seems like such a cliche, but they really do grow up so fast. It's like last week they were toddlers, you know? Running around in diapers and smearing applesauce on everything, and now they're…"
"Running around in jeans, smearing applesauce on everything?" Dick offered.
Wally laughed, throwing his head back. Fuck, he wasn't just Hot Dad, he was beautiful dad. Charming Dad. Goofy Dad. Funny Dad. Dick was so fucked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Wally said. "You have kids?" he asked.
Dick shook his head. "Nah, but I love them. I've got this little brother, he's fifteen. I helped out a lot when he was little."
"Wow." Wally looked at him for a moment, then down at his feet. "That's awesome. I honestly…Linda's such an awesome mom, sometimes I wonder if I'm like…falling short." Dick looked at him, and Wally turned bright red. "Sorry, I—jeez, talk about oversharing," he shook his head. "Forget I said anything."
Dick opened and shut his mouth, not knowing what to say. "Wally, you—"
Irey appeared at his side, interrupting him. "Can we go see the big cats next?" she asked.
Dick took a steadying breath. "Great idea!" He nodded to the door. "Let's go."
Irey grabbed Jai by the sleeve and ran back out the way they came.
"Hey, Wally," Dick stopped him before following the kids out. "I don't know you super well, so I'm not sure what it's worth coming from me, but from what I've seen, you're a pretty great dad."
Dick froze, hoping Wally hadn't caught the slip up.
Wally looked faintly amused, but didn't say anything as Dick made a beeline for the door.
They walked across the park to the Big Cat enclosure, complete silence between him and Wally as the kids chattered and laughed.
Dick heard a whistle and turned to see Jason and Stephanie looking their way, matching gleeful expressions on their faces. Dick flipped them off, just as Wally looked his way.
"My, uh…they're being annoying," he explained. "Ignore them."
Wally bumped his shoulder as they walked, but they didn't say anything else until they got to the Big Cats. Dick introduced the kids to Duke, who gave them the full tour, answering all of Irey's million questions with so much patience Dick almost forgot how much of a shit he could be until the kids were distracted enough for him to turn his attention on Dick and Wally.
"Oh, Jason so owes me fifty bucks," he grinned.
Dick glared at him. "I thought Jason had money on me talking to him today?" he grumbled.
Duke snorted. "I warned him his reverse psychology wouldn't work. Have you asked Hot Dad out yet?"
Dick froze, eyes wide. "Jesus, wanna shout that any louder?" he hissed. Duke shrugged, the picture of innocence.
It turned into a staring contest, which lasted exactly as long as it took for Wally to call Dick's name, and he was gone, letting Duke take the win. He'd never hear the end of this from his family anyway, so he might as well get used to it now.
The rest of the tour went about as smooth as these things could, until the kids caught sight of the playground and made a beeline for the monkey bars, leaving Dick and Wally alone.
"Thanks again for this, Dick." Wally said, leaning against the back of a bench.
"Anytime. Really."
Wally was watching the kids play, a soft smile on his face that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, just a little.
"Can I ask something?" Wally didn't look at Dick as he asked.
"You just did, but shoot. Though, if it's not about spider monkeys, I may need to call in back-up."
"Well, that's okay. It's, uh…your co-workers. Are they being weird about this tour, or am I imagining that? You said it was fine, but…"
"Ah." Dick felt his cheeks turn warm. "They're not being weird about the tour,as such," he assured him. "They're just weird in general."
Wally laughed. "Okay, sure. Any particular reason?"
"This place is kind of a family affair, in a way," Dick explained. "We tease each other like siblings, and today's my turn I guess."
"And they're teasing you about giving a tour to some cute kids?" Wally was looking at him now, eyebrow raised.
"Well, I mean…" Dick winced.
"That Duke guy called me Hot Dad. I didn't imagine that, did I?." Wally grinned as Dick wondered if it were possible to die of embarrassment.
"That's—I mean, I wasn't—" Dick sighed. "Oh, shut up."
Wally's smile was wide and amused. "You're cute," he said, bumping their shoulders again.
Dick bit his lip, watching Wally's face for any sign of what he might be thinking. Neither of them said anything for several minutes, just looking at each other.
"We've gotta head home soon," Wally finally broke the silence, looking back out to the kids.
Dick cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure. Of course. Yeah." He tried not to look too disappointed by that. He'd known they'd leave eventually. "I hope the twins enjoyed their day."
"It'll be tough to beat," Wally admitted. "In more ways than one."
"Yeah?" Dick asked, feeling his heart kick up a beat.
Wally chewed his inner cheek, brow furrowed. "I, uh…I haven't really dated since Linda and I…" he cleared his throat. "It's been a while, I mean. I'm not great at the whole…thing."
Dick nodded. "I don't have an excuse," he said. "I'm just painfully bad at this."
Wally snorted. "Linda's got the twins tonight," he said. "Once I drop them off, I mean…I don't know if you're free, but—"
"I should be able to slip out around eight." Dick cringed at his own enthusiasm, cutting Wally off mid-sentence.
Wally looked down, nodding to himself. "Eight's good. I, um. I can pick you up here, or if you'd rather—"
Dick put a hand on Wally's arm, stopping him mid-ramble. He handed Wally his phone. "Here—put your number in. I'll text you the address of a place I know nearby, great menu. I'll meet you there?"
Wally handed the phone back, his contact saved under the name Hot Dad (Wally).
Dick snorted. "You're an ass."
Wally shrugged. "It's best you learn that early on."
Jai ran over, face red and eyes watering. "Dad, Irey pushed me!"
Wally knelt down as Irey followed her brother. "He's lying, it was an accident! I was just—"
Dick left the little family together, not wanting to lurk awkwardly by them. He ducked into a corner to text Wally the address.
"Dick," Bruce said, and Dick jumped.
"Holy shit!" he yelped, almost dropping the phone. "Where did you come from?"
"I was here the entire time, Dick," Bruce explained. "In the office." He pointed, and sure enough they were just around the corner from the main office.
"Right. Sorry."
"So, what's this I hear of you giving a free private tour today?" Bruce asked.
Dick cringed again. "It's nothing, just, um. This kid's a big fan of Bon-bon, and she was inside today, so I, you know…"
"Took their dad's phone number?" Bruce concluded. "The office window overlooks the playground, you know."
Dick sighed. "He's…" he shrugged.
"He seems like a nice young man," Bruce said, resting a hand on Dick's shoulder. "Cassandra tells me you have been watching him for weeks."
"I haven't been—"
Something grabbed Dick's legs, and he looked down to see both Jai and Irey hugging him.
"Mr. Dick! Daddy says we have to go home, but I wanna go see Bon-bon again!" Jai complained.
Dick crouched down, ruffling the kid's hair. "I'm sure your dad'll bring you back to see Bon-bon again soon, right?" He looked up and saw Wally watching them. Jai pouted. "C'mon, buddy. Chin up, right? Next time you come back, Bon-bon'll be back to her usual self, and I'll be able to introduce you to her properly. Would you like that?"
"Really?" Jai asked.
Dick shrugged. "Don't see why not!"
Irey huffed. "What about me?" she asked. Dick scrambled for something. He couldn't exactly offer to let her into an enclosure with the cheetahs, but he doubted she'd settle for less.
"What's your favorite?" Bruce asked, kneeling next to them.
"Cheetahs. I like running fast, and they're the fastest," she explained. "Are you Mr. Dick's friend?"
"This is my dad, Irey. He owns the whole zoo," Dick explained. Irey's eyes went wide and she stared at Bruce, starstruck.
"That's so cool!" she gasped.
"Well, the Cheetahs are cool," Bruce agreed. "You know, we're expecting some cubs soon. Next time you're here, I can take you back and show you everything we have set up for them, how about that? And when they'er born we can see about another visit, if your dad says it's okay."
Bingo. Irey stared at Bruce like he just handed her the entire moon. "Really?" she asked.
"Really?" Wally echoed.
"It's perfectly safe," Bruce assured him.
"Well, seems like it's our lucky day, huh?" Wally smiled. "Wow."
"Dad, can we go to Mom's now?" Jai asked. "I wanna tell her everything, this was the best day ever!"
Wally shot Dick a grateful smile before taking both of his kids' hands and turning away.
"Thanks, B," Dick said, once they were out of earshot.
Bruce shrugged. "Hey, I couldn't resist." He clapped Dick on the shoulder. "You should go home—I'll take on your closing duties. You'd better get ready for your date—there's a couple of fine young zookeepers I wouldn't mind joining the family someday." Bruce was halfway to smiling at his own joke.
Dick turned beet red and stomped away.
As great as they could be, he really hated his family sometimes.