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#nightwing grabbing the collar of Superman’s shirt a few weeks after they had to go to the batcave: DID YOU FUCK MY DAD!?!?
bambeebirdie · 1 year
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I saw this one post a while back (the post) that was someone’s au idea where Dick Grayson joins the Justice League instead of Bruce. This makes everyone kind of think Batman is a myth and then one day he reveals Batman is his dad freaking everyone out. Just this idea but also make it a superbat fic so nightwing traumatizes the league by revealing Batman to be his dad and Superman traumatizes nightwing by becoming his step dad.
Essentially it’s just this
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iatethepomegranate · 6 years
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Blue is the New Red Chapter 48
Masterlist (including AO3 and FFNet links)
Rated: M for torture, flashbacks, trauma reactions, PTSD, sexual assault of minors, consensual sexual content and related freaking out about it, drug references, non-consensual drug use, possibly underage drinking, homophobia and biphobia, references to self-harm, suicidal ideation and attempt. Chapter warnings: sexual stuff (non-explicit), nightmares, references to underage drinking.
Main Pairing: Birdflash
Status: Multiple chapters, in progress
Overall summary: Nightwing has finally made his return to the Team, but he finds the events of the past two years aren’t quite done with him yet.
Chapter notes: The team returns from the mission, but Dick is nowhere near ready to turn in yet.
Additional notes: I'm slowly turning everyone on the team un-straight. THIS IS MY MASTER PLAN.
Chapter 48: Baby Steps
Members of the League had already taken the scientists by the time Nightwing and Kid Flash reached the bioship. The journey back was quiet, or maybe Nightwing was too wrapped up in his own head to listen.
He had enough presence of mind back at Mount Justice to put the blasting cap in the lab in case Batman wanted to examine it. Away from the heat and buzzing, he felt much better.
Batman arrived shortly to debrief the team. They gathered around the holocomputer, nursing cups of tea and hot chocolate. Nightwing had gone for chamomile. Inhaling the steam was always comforting, even when the tea was too hot to drink.
“I’ve had the animal taken a remote location for testing,” Batman said. “The scientists are being held somewhere safe until we can question them and determine if they are in any further danger. Superman has safely detonated the bomb in space. You did well today. Is there anything I need to know?”
“Nightwing can sense the Lazarus Pits,” Kid Flash said immediately, dodging Nightwing’s elbow. He’d hoped to discuss that privately.
Batman blinked, one of the few times he had shown surprise in front of the team. “Interesting. Any after-effects?”
“No,” Nightwing replied. He still felt jittery, but it was just adrenaline. The bomb was just a bomb. He’d dealt with worse. On top of that, one short fight with a cyborg jaguar wasn’t enough to tire him out. He wanted to go for a run or something.
“Okay. We’ll talk about that later. I’ll see about that blasting cap in the meantime. Dismissed.” Batman beckoned to Nightwing, who followed him over to the zeta tube.
“What’s up, B?”
“Are you okay?”
“It was unsettling at the time,” Nightwing admitted, “but I’m all good now.” He took a sip of the tea, which was still too hot and burned the tip of his tongue. “I wanna stay with the team tonight.”
“Let Black Canary examine you first,” Batman replied. “As long as she’s happy, you can stay.”
It was an ordeal to sit still long enough for Black Canary’s examination, but at least Nightwing’s tea was cool enough by the time she cleared him. He dressed down to Dick Grayson and joined the team back in the living area.
“Everything good?” Wally asked, sprawled across the sofa, including Artemis and Zatanna, and shoving sandwiches in his mouth.
“Everything good.” Dick shoved Wally’s feet off the seat and squeezed into the space beside him.
M’gann was still fussing over Conner in the kitchen, despite the fact he’d passed his own checkup.
“So, you two really are always like this,” said Barbara said to Dick and Wally.
“Always,” Artemis replied.
Dick stole a mouthful of Wally’s sandwich; he was famished. And keyed up to high heaven.
“We were just talking about the mission,” Kaldur said in a valiant attempt to keep everyone from bouncing off the walls. Mostly Dick.
“We’ve talked about it for hours,” Artemis complained. “There’s nothing more to say. Let it rest. Let me rest. I’m going to bed. Later, losers.” She vaulted over the back of the couch and left the room.
Artemis’s departure was like a dam bursting. M’gann dragged Conner to bed, even though he complained he wasn’t tired. Zatanna and Raquel zombie-shuffled out of the room after them. Barbara yawned widely.
“I should’ve known this stuff was exhausting,” she said.
“You get used to it,” Dick told her.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Adrenaline, my friend. I could run a marathon right now.”
“Please don’t,” Wally complained with his mouth full. Dick grabbed a sandwich from the plate and stuffed it in his mouth. Wally had shoved everything he could in it, including potato crisps. It didn’t taste as bad as he’d expected.
“I swear you only have two post-Nightwing modes,” Jason said. “Falling asleep in the car or running a freaking marathon.”
“Tell me about it,” Wally fake-grumbled. They polished off the sandwiches and Jason and Barbara headed off.
Kaldur filled a glass of water at the sink. “You two should rest.”
Wally ran his plate under the tap. “Planning to. Not sure about someone, though.”
“I could be persuaded,” Dick replied. He almost turned it into something suggestive but remembered Kaldur was there at the last second. Wally’s ears went red anyway.
Kaldur grabbed the plate off Wally. “Go. Rest.”
“Hey, I was gonna—”
“I will make that an order, Wally.”
Dick snickered, vaulting over the back of the couch. “You heard the man.”
They made their way through Mount Justice together, diverting briefly to change in their respective bedrooms. They came back together in Dick’s quarters.
“You don’t look ready to sleep at all,” Wally said.
“Maybe I just wanted you all to myself.” Now they were alone, and Conner was probably asleep, Dick was free to get as suggestive as he wanted.
“Do you?”
“Yeah, I do. Kiss me?”
Wally wrapped his arms around Dick’s waist and pressed his lips to his forehead. “You’re not using this to avoid talking about stuff, are you?”
“Wally, I’m fine. I promise. The adrenaline hasn’t died down yet and I really wanna make out with you.” Dick wanted to do a lot more than that, but it was a good place to start. “I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s cool. You’re probably really tired after running all over the place tonight.”
Wally tipped Dick’s head back, running a thumb along his jawline. “Dude, I always wanna make out with you. And I just inhaled a dozen sandwiches. I think I’ve got the energy.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“I just wanted to make sure you’re not being a self-destructive twerp again. You’re welcome.” Then Wally kissed him. Finally.
Dick squeezed him tight, a shudder rippling through both their bodies. He hadn’t realised how much he’d been wanting this, probably for hours. Wally’s hand was massaging his scalp, and Dick was torn between turning into a puddle or throwing him into bed.
They made it there eventually and lay down, still kissing, legs tangling together over the covers. Dick grabbed the collar of Wally’s t-shirt and pulled it towards him. It was hard to imagine getting any closer to each other, but Dick wanted to find a way somehow. Wally pressed a hand against the small of Dick’s back, and that was the greatest feeling he’d had in weeks.
Then Wally pulled back, still close enough that they shared the same air. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” Dick replied breathlessly. “Keep going?”
“You know I’m gonna…”
“I know.”
Wally kissed his nose. “Where are we going with this?”
“Good question.” Dick wasn’t sure how to voice it, or where his boundaries were today. All he knew was he wanted more than a makeout.
“Babe.”
“I’m thinking.”
Wally caressed his cheek. “Let’s talk it out, hey? We’ll figure it out. Baby steps, right? So, what’s a good baby step?”
Dick had no idea how to answer that. It was hard to think about on his own and using Google for this when he had PTSD was a Bad Idea. So, he just… hadn’t.
“I remember you telling you hadn’t masturbated since before you died,” Wally said. Dick could almost feel the heat of embarrassment coming off Wally’s skin and appreciated that he powered through it. “Have you… or… is it still a bit…?”
“I still haven’t, no. It hasn’t felt right. It’s hard to think about doing stuff by myself. I don’t know why. It just is.”
“Do you think you’d feel right doing it with me?”
Dick thought about it. He hadn’t masturbated in years, and even then, he’d only just started exploring his sexuality. He felt weird trying stuff on his own these days, but he still wanted to do stuff with Wally. Maybe it was a good first step.
He nodded.
They kept their clothes on. Baby steps. Wally gave him little kisses and words of encouragement. Despite not having done it in years, and with a completely different body to the one he had now as an adolescent, Wally made it so easy for him. For his part, Wally only took about a minute because that was how he did it by himself; while he couldn’t vibrate through a wall, he could apparently use his powers for other things.
Dick lay there, in the afterglow when he finished, and took a deep breath. The world hadn’t caved in. He was still here. Wally was next to him. He felt good, like he’d finished a satisfying run and taken a long, hot bath.
This was how things were meant to be. It was meant to feel good. It was meant to make him happy. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like that, and then tears were in his eyes.
“Babe?”
Dick’s breath shook as he smiled wetly at the boy next to him. “Hey.”
“What’s wrong?” Wally took his hand, squeezing gently.
The sweetness of it all made Dick’s tears spill over. He rolled on top of Wally and buried his face in his chest. Wally rubbed circles into his back, but his breaths were shaky as well.
“Babe, please talk to me. What’s wrong? Did we go too far? Did I push you?”
Dick lifted his head, swiping at his cheeks. “Wally, shh. I’m okay. I’m…” He laughed, and Wally’s worried face, barely visible in the dark anyway, blurred before him. “I’m happy. It was great. Perfect. I haven’t felt like that since… I don’t know.” He pressed his ear to Wally’s chest, listening to his hummingbird heartbeat. “It was cathartic.”
Wally laughed weakly. “Right. I mean… yeah. It is a release. Yeah.” His hand came to rest on the back of Dick’s head. “Fuck, you scared me.”
Dick couldn’t stop laughing now, just like he couldn’t stop crying. “Sorry. It’s just… a lot. In a good way. Happy crying only.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The restlessness from the adrenaline had finally fallen away. Maybe he could sleep now… once the crying stopped.
Wally stroked his hair. “Well, if you’re okay, then we both should get some rest. I wanna talk about it in the morning, when we’re both awake. Because I’m about to drop off.”
“Mm. Same.” Dick wasn’t sure if he was still crying, but he felt like he was wrapped in warm clouds and cotton wool. It was cosy. All the tension had seeped out of his limbs and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed without the aid of heavy-duty painkillers… or alcohol, before he came back to the family.
“Okay.” Wally kissed the top of his head. “Goodnight, babe. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Dick did get some sleep, but he wasn’t exactly surprised when his dreams conspired against him once again. The nightmares were green. They burned. They screamed. They were flesh knitting back together and bandages cinched to his arms. They were confusion, disorientation, fighting, fleeing. His brain was on fire and nothing made sense.
Dick sat up so quickly he wobbled and caught himself on the nightstand. Something plastic slid off and skittered to the floor. Probably his phone. Fuck.
“Dick?”
He jumped, pressing a hand over his rapidly beating heart.
Wally sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. “You okay?”
“Nightmare.” Dick’s voice was tight, every muscle in his body coiled, braced for… something. It never came. “Go back to sleep.”
“Babe?”
Dick slid out of bed, narrowly avoiding his phone, which he slammed back on the nightstand with far more force than he’d intended. “I need to do something. Move. Train. I don’t know. Something.”
“Do you want me to—”
“No. Sleep.” Dick usually kept his workout gear in easy-to-choose sets to he could just grab a pile and throw them on. Wally rolled over, towards the wall, to give him some privacy.
Gear on, he stomped into his shoes and made a beeline for the door. Wally was already snoring, and Dick thanked his lucky stars that the guy was too tired to put up a fight.
He needed to punch something. Now.
The lights were too bright, so he staggered down the hallways, squinting with a hand over his face, until he’d grown accustomed to it. He found a training room and snatched the hand bandages from the table nearby. He wanted to punch something, not break his knuckles. He watched the punching bag across the room, sending threatening thoughts its way. But his hands shook, and it was taking far too long to wrap them on his own.
“Allow me?”
Dick damn near jumped out of his skin and swore loud enough to wake the dead.
Kaldur stopped in his tracks and held up his hands. “My apologies. I did not mean to startle you.”
“Uh. Hi.” Dick shook out his hands and took a few deep breaths. “Sorry I swore at you. I… yeah. I could use some help. Thanks.”
Kaldur took the bandages from Dick and started wrapping his nearest hand. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”
“Sleep was fine. It’s the waking up from nightmares part that’s kicking my ass.”
“I see. Anything you wish to talk about?”
“Once I’ve punched the bag a few times, maybe.”
Kaldur worked quickly and moved on to the other hand.
“How do you know how to do this? Don’t you have, like, really strong bones?”
“Yes, but some of the team does not.”
“Aww, you learned for our sake. I’m touched.”
Kaldur chuckled. “Thank you.” He finished with the second hand. “There. Would you like a training partner?”
It’d be rude to kick him out after he offered his help. “Sure. Thanks.”
They headed over to the punching bag. Dick stretched his arms above his head and gave it a look. He still felt agitated and anxious and overall shitty, but he could always project those feelings onto a punching bag and beat up his feelings for a bit. It had been known to help. Sometimes.
The first punch shook something loose in his brain, something he wanted gone. The next knocked it out. He felt better already. Each punch brought relief, and soon he was able to concentrate more on his technique. He sharpened up his footwork, bounced a little between punches, remembered to breathe.
Kaldur grunted, somewhere on the other side where he held the bag steady. “That was a good punch.”
“Thanks,” Dick said breathlessly. He took a moment to reset, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath as he clasped his hands, one on top of the other, and then lowered them in front of him as he let the breath out. It was a useful centering technique he needed to use more often than he did.
Then he opened his eyes and punched the bag again, feeling far calmer than he had when he started. Still agitated, but more… steady, he supposed.
“How are you feeling now?” Kaldur asked.
“Well,” Dick began, punching the back hard enough that his teeth rattled, “I don’t want to scream as much anymore.” Two more punches. “Still tempting, though.”
“Do you wish to speak about your dreams?”
“Nice of you to offer.” He punched the bag extra hard again. Then he paused and took another centering breath. “It was the Lazarus Pit. I guess I was more unsettled than I thought.”
“I cannot imagine your resurrection was a pleasant experience.”
“And you’d be right.” Dick swiped sweat from under his nose and started punching again. “The pain is… I can’t even describe it. And it messes with your head. You wake up with no idea who you are, or where you are. And it burns like you wouldn’t believe.” He punched faster, breaths coming in gasps, as if he could sweat out the nightmare if he tried hard enough.
“I am sorry you had to experience that, at such a young age.”
“I’ve mostly been able to ignore it,” Dick said, dragging the sweatband on his wrist across his forehead. He kept punching. “Sometimes it just rears its ugly head and I remember oh yeah… that happened. Learning I can sense the damn things is… fuck. It’s fucked. I hate it.”
“You… did not seem to enjoy that part of the mission very much.”
“No shit.” A few quick punches and he stopped seeing that goddamn green light that was threatening the corners of his vision. “Am I a meta now? A meta with the worst superpower ever.”
“I am not sure that qualifies as a superpower.”
“Good. I don’t want it to be. Life’s complicated enough.” He growled and punched the bag one more time. “I’m a lot angrier about this than I thought.” Dick stepped back and rested his hands on his knees, breathing hard. “God damn.”
Kaldur passed him a water bottle; Dinah kept a few in each training room in case people forgot to bring their own. Like Dick had, in his haste to get out of his room. He swallowed half the bottle. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, setting the bottle aside.
“Enough about me,” he said. “What’re you doing up?”
“Would you like a sparring partner?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Spar with me and perhaps I will tell you.”
“Deal.”
The moved to the centre of the room and put their hands up. Kaldur didn’t have his waterbearers on him for once. He almost looked unfinished without them.
Kaldur beckoned Dick to make the first move.
Dick struck with an open hand, letting Kaldur block him. “Soooo, you gonna answer that question?”
“Hmph.” Kaldur struck back; even though he pulled it, Dick’s forearm still rattled as he blocked. “I find it difficult to sleep on the surface at times.”
“Homesick?” Dick aimed a half-assed kick.
“Perhaps.” Kaldur dodged. “Or perhaps this air is drying out my gills again.”
“Have you tried a humidifier?”
“I have one, but it has broken. I have yet to find a replacement.”
“Late-night road trip? Is that 24-hour slushie place still open in Happy Harbour?”
“Batman would not appreciate that.” Kaldur sent out two quick jabs, which Dick blocked.
“What Batman doesn’t know…”
“Absolutely not.”
“I could just run down. Do that marathon after all.”
“No.”
“I’m kidding. Mostly.”
Kaldur retreated to drink an entire bottle of salt water; he was the only member of the team who needed it, so his bottles were covered in black marker so no one else got a mouthful by accident. Come to think of it, his gills did look a little dry. He rubbed the last few drops onto them.
“You okay, Kaldur?” Dick suddenly felt an urge to… protect him. Or something. He didn’t have the opportunity to protect the people around him very often these days.
Kaldur smiled at him. “I may take a swim before turning in tonight. It has been too long.” He set down the bottle. “I… may indeed be homesick.”
“You’re not meant to actually get sick from that.”
Kaldur sighed but didn’t dignify that with any further response. “I find swimming reminds me of my friends in Atlantis. I may have avoided it of late.”
“Maybe it’s time for a visit.”
“Maybe.” Kaldur sat on the bench, tapping the spot beside him until Dick sat there. “It is difficult to return. All my friends, my people as a whole… they move on without me.”
“That’s got to be rough.”
“King Orin gives updates when he can,” Kaldur said. “Still, it cannot compare to being there.”
“Are we really that swamped up here that you can’t visit?”
Kaldur rubbed his webbed hands together, frowning at them. “I could find the time. Perhaps I am… afraid of what I will find, if I can no longer relate to my people at all.”
Maybe it couldn’t compare, but Dick did sometimes wonder what it would be like if he returned to the circus now. He hadn’t been back since the mission he’d taken without Batman’s permission; there really hadn’t been time. He was such a different person now. Maybe too different. He wasn’t up to that kind of trip—he was almost certain they were on the other side of the country, if they were still in America at all—but he could help Kaldur now.
“You won’t know until you try,” he said.
“That is true,” Kaldur replied quietly. “I think I have been waiting to hear that. Did I ever mention my friends Tula and Garth were thinking about coming to the surface to work with the team?”
“If you did, I probably wasn’t around.”
“Ah, of course.”
“So, which one were you crushing on back in the day?”
Kaldur rolled his eyes. “Tula. They are… together.”
“Sorry. That’s rough.”
“I am happy for them,” Kaldur said, and he almost sounded convinced. “It is strange. I still feel strongly for Tula, even now, but…”
“Yeah?”
“I have always been close to Garth, too. I have spent so much time thinking about how I feel about Tula, that I become confused when I… hm. Feelings are complicated.” Kaldur lifted his hands in a shrug. “Perhaps it means nothing.”
“Well, you’ve got more than one person you can talk to if it does turn out to mean something, including this guy right here,” Dick replied, unsubtly pointing at himself.
“I… thank you for the offer.”
“Don’t mention it.” Dick got up and stretched his arms to the ceiling. His muscles protested, and he was harshly reminded that he’d forgotten to cool down. He swung his body around a bit to loosen everything again and sank to the floor to stretch. Kaldur joined him.
“It was good to have you in the field again,” he said.
“It’s good to be back. Let’s hope it sticks this time.” Dick stretched his right leg, reaching over to grab his foot. “How’d you get on without me there to hack for you?”
“We broke many doors,” Kaldur replied. “Jason helped when he could, but he does not have your experience. Our ability to remain undetected has been… limited.”
“Well, it’s nice to be needed.” Dick swapped legs. “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. I didn’t realise how much I needed to vent.”
“Nor did I.”
They went their separate ways shortly thereafter—Kaldur to swim in the sea and Dick to freshen up before bed. Mount Justice only had showers, so he used a washcloth again. He’d need a proper bath tomorrow, but at least he wouldn’t wake up Wally with his stench.
He returned to bed. Wally stirred just enough to cuddle up to him. Dick settled in, finally calm enough to go back to sleep.
He woke first and lay still for a while, resting his cheek against the top of Wally’s head. Wally had curled up around him in the night and tucked his head against Dick’s shoulder. His breaths were slow and deep.
Dick would’ve loved to lie there and listen to Wally breathe, but his stomach felt like it was digesting itself and he also kinda had to pee. So he carefully extricated himself, relieved when Wally let out a snore instead of waking, and changed quietly in the closet.
M’gann was already in the kitchen when he arrived, staring at a brand-new waffle iron. Artemis waved the instruction manual in her face.
“These things come with instructions for a reason, M’gann. You can stop staring at it like it’s gonna bite you.”
“Wally said they can sense fear,” M’gann whispered.
“He was joking.” Artemis plugged it into the wall socket and flipped the switch. “Did you make the mix already?”
M’gann handed it to her. “Are you sure it was a joke?”
“Positive.” Artemis spotted Dick in the doorway. “Back me up here, twinkle-toes.”
Dick rounded the counter and joined the pair in front of the waffle iron. “Waffle irons can’t sense fear. They’re not programmed for that.”
“They’re not really programmed at all,” Artemis added.
“Yeah, I couldn’t hack one if I wanted to.”
Artemis poured the mixture in and shut the waffle iron. “Now we just have to make sure we don’t take it out too early or it won’t work. Easy.”
“Is this seriously the first time you’ve made waffles?” Dick asked M’gann.
“Not really.”
“The pre-made ones you stick in the toaster don’t count,” Artemis replied.
M’gann crossed her arms, but Dick didn’t believe her pout was genuine for a second.
“Are you torturing M’gann?” said Zatanna as she wandered into the living area with the rest of the team, minus Wally.
“What’s with the entourage?” asked Dick.
“I got lost,” Barbara explained. “Next thing I knew, half a dozen people found me and dragged me here.”
Conner shrugged. “I heard you swearing.”
“I call it a successful teamwork exercise,” Kaldur said, slipping past to grab a bowl of fruit, which he passed around the room until everyone had taken something. Dick got away with a handful of blueberries.
Artemis nudged M’gann to open the waffle iron. “So, Dick, can I wake up Sleeping Beauty? I promise I’ll film the screaming.”
“Too late.” Wally leaned against the doorframe, yawning widely.
M’gann had somehow managed to transfer the waffles to a plate. “Are these right? They look burned.”
“I’ll be your guinea pig.” Wally zipped over, having somehow produced a fork and maple syrup along the way. He shoved several forkfuls in his mouth, nodding happily as he went.
“He’s a bad guinea pig because he literally doesn’t care,” said Artemis. “We’ll keep the next batch on for, like, ten seconds less. It’ll be fine.”
Wally polished off the rest of the test waffles in mere seconds. Dick was immune to his eating habits by this point.
The rest of the team scattered, some going to set the table in the nearby dining room, some flopping onto the couches to watch TV. Kaldur and Barbara headed to the mission room so he could update her on important intel.
Wally met Dick’s eyes, sheer joy of eating already replaced with worry. “Can we have that talk now?”
Dick glanced at Artemis and M’gann; it would be a while until they had breakfast sorted. “Sure.” He grabbed Wally’s hand, bringing him down to the garage.
Bruce had found the time to build a second Nightcycle—yes, Dick still called it that—and send it to Mount Justice. Dick leaned against it, and was reminded of all those times M’gann and Conner had been down here “working on the motorbike” when they were just making out the whole time.
Wally stood a few paces away, arms hanging awkwardly at his sides. “So.”
“So,” Dick echoed.
“Last night.” Wally scratched the back of his neck. “Look, I know you said you were okay with it at the time, but…”
“I’m still okay,” Dick told him.
“So, it was… good?” Wally’s voice trailed off, his face quickly turning crimson.
Dick chuckled at him. “Yeah, Wally. It was…” And how it was his turn to blush. “It was good.” He almost started fanning himself then and there. “Hot, even.”
Wally raised his eyes to the ceiling and groaned. “Oh, god. Let’s… let’s talk about something else.”
“You asked.” Dick was just as affected, but he’d never been able to pass up an opportunity to tease Wally. “We should do it again sometime.”
Wally swallowed. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Right. Okay. Cool. Glad you’re still okay with it but ohgodcanwetalkaboutsomethingelseplease? Um. Um. Oh. The nightmare.”
“I’d prefer to keep embarrassing you.”
“Dick, please.”
“Okay, okay.” It was easier to think about now, but he still hated it. “Lazarus Pit. Not nice. I went off and trained for a bit. Punched the shit out of a punching bag. Kaldur trained with me.”
“The hell was he doing awake?”
“He had his reasons.” Dick didn’t feel right laying out everything Kaldur had told him in confidence. “We talked while we trained, even sparred for a bit. He let me talk his ear off, really.”
“Well, I’m glad he was there.” Wally dug the toe of his sneaker into the floor, watching it instead of him. “You shouldn’t have been alone. I should’ve—”
“Wally, you did the right thing. I needed a minute to compose myself. Alone.” He held out his hands, wiggling his fingers until Wally came over and grabbed them. “Besides, you do a lot for me already. Dinah’s been going on about support networks for months on end anyway. I’m meant to have more than one person I can turn to.”
“I… yeah.” Wally looked down at their hands. “You’re right. I just worry.”
Dick leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I know. I appreciate it. You’re still my favourite.”
That brightened him up. They leaned back against the bike and kissed, Wally’s hands sliding into Dick’s hair. Dick made a noise in his throat dragged him closer by the waist.
Wally pulled back, just slightly, and they rested their foreheads together. “Let’s just grab some cereal and go back to bed. I wanna cuddle for ten years.”
“Shame everyone’s seen us already,” Dick replied, “or I’d totally go for it.”
“Fuck everyone else.”
“I don’t think I’m quite ready to throw an orgy, Walls.”
Wally reared back, making a series of aborted sounds before settling on something akin to a whine. There was no way his face could get any redder. Dick snorted with laughter. It felt good. He could joke about this. That felt like a step forward. More than a step. A leap.
“Sorry to interrupt,” M’gann’s voice came into their heads. “Breakfast is ready! I think it’s… better.”
Dick and Wally twined their fingers together and headed back out.
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