[spiderooos]

ᥫ᭡ 🃏🎐 ༘⋆☆. ── SPIDEY. ✴︎ 20-something, bi, woc, enfp, she/her.

⤷ . . . masterlist — wattpad — ao3 ✴︎ recent

P.S. currently i write once every blue moon— aka, whenever & wherever i get time around my dissertation work!

SPIDEROOOS © 2026. ── i do not give permission for my works to be reposted, or translated, used for ai training, to be plagiarised, or claimed as your own.

[spiderooos]

so how thick of a jersey accent do y’all think jason todd would have? for research purposes. . .

[spiderooos]

Hi pookieee

Luv your fics!!!!!! Wanna be moots????

(Sorry if it's coming off as creepy😭 im awkward)

hey heyyy, of course we can be moots ml!! and dw, I happen to be rather awkward as well (my mouth runs faster than my brain at all times).

[spiderooos]

teenage dirtbag ✸ wally west.

a schoolyard crush turns into something monumental when wally realises that his best friend also has eyes for you.

includes. . . wally west x fem!reader, (SLIGHT!) dick grayson x fem!reader. characterised after the young justice universe. vigilante!reader, fluff, angst, tension & slightly suggestive at the end, lots of teenage/early 20s emotions running amok here.

word count. . . 8.8k

notes. . . wally is literally so precious to me i don’t even know where to begin!!! i’ve made reader to be widow-like. oh, and wally stays alive. . . for now! JK,,, unless???? (no seriously, i’m kidding, i’m still traumatised from his death in the show). hope you guys like this!!

Summer had hit you all like a storm.

The team had split up, the tower much more quieter than normal. Most of them either were back home with their civilian lives, or off world. Those still in the tower had found themselves lounging around, the common room filled with popcorn and snacks, and a very intense game of Monopoly (that had just ended), lounging around in a rare day of peace and freedom from their vigilante lives.

“Hey, Walls,” you called out, catching the attention of the speedster who’d been hovering around the kitchen. He stood to attention, coming towards where you’d asked for him, standing at the countertop. “Help me with the drinks?”

“Anything you want, beautiful,” he flashed you a smile, leaning heavily over you as you manoeuvred a bunch of cups into his hand, while you held two tall pitchers of ice tea. He took in your outfit, dressed in shorts and a tank top, your hair pushed away from your face to combat the heat.

You looked over your shoulder, bright smile on your face. “Coming?”

Snapping out of his daze, Wally sped up to join you, setting down the cups next to the pitchers and sliding into the seat next to you.

Before he could open his mouth, possibly shove his foot in there by letting out another flirtatious comment, you speak up.

“Hello, handsome.”

Wally blinks, once, slow. Did he hear you correctly? Was he finally out of—

“Hi there, gorgeous.”

Dick.

Of fucking course it was Dick Grayson. The boy had sidled himself next to you, leaning into your personal space, and worst of all, you’re letting him. Wally looked up, you were preening under the charming smile the raven haired boy had put on. Preening, and Dick had his chest puffed out like a fucking peacock, thanking you for taking care of the team.

“You’re so nice to me.”

Wally knew that voice, the fucking low and gravelly tone swaying any girl into one Dick Grayson’s arms. The very arms that were way too close to you while in nothing but a wifebeater, muscles fully on display. The ginger huffed.

“Of course, can’t have you fainting on me from the heat,” you patted Dick’s thigh heavily, and Wally swears if he could switch powers he’d steal Superman’s heat-vision eyes—or as Wally would prefer to put it: laser-beams-that-melt-off-hands eyes—the moment Dick placed his hand over yours.

He busied himself with pouring a glass of ice tea, all but shoving it in front of you. “Didn’t you say you were thirsty earlier, babe?”

You frowned, confused, but gratefully accepted the drink he was holding out. It was hot outside. You opened your mouth to speak and Wally was waiting for. . . something, maybe pretty boy at least if not handsome (clearly, that was reserved for Richard).

“Thanks, Walls.”

“Of course, beautiful, anytime.”

You grinned, once again turning to Dick who was telling you some story, hands waving animatedly as he stole every bit of your attention.

Walls.

Wally swore he could feel the ground swallowing him whole as you laughed loudly at the story he’d heard a million times before. Fucking Alfred and his infamous cookies that made everyone act like animals. Fuck Dick too while you’re at it, he grumbled under his breath, slumping into the couch.

.

Okay, so maybe he was overreacting.

You have always been flirty and Dick hasn’t been nothing if not a very willing recipient (and active participant) of someone beautiful hitting on him. Hell, Wally was sure Dick would flirt with anything breathing if they were actually interested. Which, looking at the Wayne heir, anyone would be. But did it have to be you?

Sighing, Wally moved through the tower in a breeze, reaching the training room in record time where you were going to spar with him, like always. “Sweetheart, sorry I’m late, was running low on fuel.”

“It’s alright, Walls,” you chuckled, wiping the chalk dust from your palms, the one that Dick used when he was doing his bendy gymnastics stuff. Since when had you decided to pick it up? Were you making a career switch to an acrobat?

“So, you er, you’re doing. . . gymnastics?”

Your lips pursed at the way his voice squeaked out at the end, confused before nodding softly. “Yeah, Dick’s been teaching me some stuff.”

Cool, just two teammates helping each other out. You were the best at hand to hand combat on the team, so maybe you just wanted to find someone new to learn something from, and apparently that someone is not Wally.

“You guys hang out now?”

“Uh, yeah? Figured I’d learn something new.” You chuckled, the two of you now circling around the mat. You crouched low, eyes locked on Wally in a smile so sinisterly cocky the speedster could feel his mind going fuzzy. God, you looked good.

Before Wally could even open his mouth, you’d pounced. The young speedster barely noticed you before zooming to the other side of the mat. You raised a brow and he smiled, sheepish, apologetic. Right, no powers.

Taking a deep breath, Wally blocked the hit you were aiming at his neck, forearm pushing you off, and then suddenly he can smell you, the scent deep and warm before he had his arm twisted behind his back.

“Stop zoning out Walls,” your voice was hot on the back of his neck. He could feel his face heating up, the red creeping around his freckled face up to the tips of his ears. You let go of him as he leaned his weight into your hold to signal for him to be let loose.

“Getting distracted—“

“—gets you killed.”

You smiled at Wally when he completed your statement. Gesturing, you took your position on the other side of the mat, Wally copying you.

This time, Wally went first. Instead of aiming high like you’d done, the speedster goes low, head tucked into his chin as he grabs you by the waist, using the momentum to swing the two of you on the ground. You let out a soft sound at the impact, but it sounded more like you were amused. When he looked up, he saw the taunting look in your eye, a lazy, smug look tugging at the corners of your mouth. Without even huffing at the effort, you pushed your hips up into his, making him lose balance as you flipped the two of you over, hands now pinning him down, arm stretched across his chest as you held him down on to the mat.

“Nice one,” you grinned, blowing your hair away from your face. You leaned in closer, chest pressed against his, and Wally could swear his heartbeat was the loudest soundtrack he could ever hear. “You almost got me there.”

“Next time,” he rasped out, puffing out a breath of air, hoping it didn’t smell of the Cheetos he’d eaten before training. The movement made the stubborn strand in front of your eyes sway. You smiled, a genuine one, and somehow his heartbeat just rang louder. “I’ll get you next time.”

“I’m counting on it.”

And then you got off of him, holding out your hand for him to stand up. Sucking in a lungful of air, Wally took it, pulled up to stand close enough where he could see every shade of colour in your eyes. They were endless pools of warmth he could fall into forever, and they were looking at him. Right at him. “Walls?”

Clearing his throat, the speedster stepped back, letting go of your hand to ruffle the hair at the top of his head. “Shall we go again?”

“You sure? You seem distracted today.”

“I’m fine, just don’t think my pre-sparring snack was the best one I’ve had.”

You laughed, the sound bright as you got back to the mat. Wally followed suit, the two of you once again circling each other. “Ready?”

You had that smile again, the low, dangerous look in your eyes, the one he saw out on the field. The one Dick held in his smile after he’d seen how it unnerved your opponents. Fucking Dick and his ability to charm everyone. Wally struck out, his body moving before he could catch up, hand coming straight for your face, and before he could even think about how foolishly impulsive the move was, he was face down on the mat, your knee pinning him down as you bent his arm back, not enough to hurt, but just enough to where he could feel a strain.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

You’d let him go, pulling him to stand at his full height as you grabbed a water bottle, tossing it to the speedster, the shocking pink a contrast against the muted green of his tank. “Yeah I’m fine. Just. . . lost in thought I guess.”

“Penny for them?” you asked, now sitting next to him on the floor. Wally shrugged, handing you the bottle when you held your hand out for it, eyes watching your mouth as it used the sucker on the bottle (where Wally had his mouth moments before), tracing down the column of your throat as you drank greedily.

“I’m good.”

“Promise?” You held out your pinky, Wally smiling as he linked his to yours, the two of you kissing each of your hands as if to seal the pact.

“Promise,” he murmured, mouth hidden by his hand, but he could see you smile behind yours as you murmured a ‘good’ against it.

You pressed your lips one last time to your linked hands for good measure, letting the speedster copy you before the two of you sat up, hands still linked in the silence of the training room, catching your breaths.

God, you had no idea what you did to him.

.

Dick caught up with you as you left the training room, having just walked out of the showers attached next to it, the one Wally had gone into not too long ago. The former Batman sidekick had a towel slung low across his waist, water not yet fully wiped off of him. He smiled as he noticed you.

“Hi, beautiful.”

You grinned, standing up from where you’d been cleaning up after the sparring session between you and Wally. “Hey there, pretty boy. Took a long time in the showers I see.”

Dick fell in step with you, walking out of the training room as you slung a wet towel across your shoulders, water bottle in hand. “Well maybe I was waiting on you.”

“Is that so?” you looked up at him, brow raised. Dick just shrugged, eyes glinting with mischief. His lips were pulled into a cocky smile, tongue peeking out to wet his lower lips.

“Yeah.”

You hummed. “Is that why you’re following me around in just a towel?”

Dick blinked, slowing to a halt outside the door of your room. You watched his skin flush a deep rouge, the heat spreading across his chest and up his cheeks. “I uh, I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, alright,” you laughed, watching as he stepped back a couple steps before spinning on his feet and heading a couple steps down towards his room. His hand rubbed at the back of his neck as he reached the door, turning around once to wink at you—despite the colour in his face, before shutting the door.

“Aren’t you something,” you murmured, eyes still on the spot he left.

“Who’re you talking to, weirdo?”

You jumped, startled as you stood up straight, leaning away from the doorframe. Wally was standing next to you, now smelling fresh and clean from his shower. “Nobody. Hey, you wanna watch a movie? I’ve got the new Fast and Furious.”

Wally nodded, eyes glancing once more at the door next to yours—where Dick stayed when he was at the Titans Tower—before following you into your door, the lock clicking softly as it shut behind him.

.

Wally swore Dick was everywhere.

The stupid bird themed superhero seemed to spawn around you whenever the speedster wanted to hang out, and he was seconds away from transporting his best friend to the South Pole to live with the penguins (not you, of course, he knew you hated the cold— the ex-sidekick to Gotham’s very own Batman, however. . . ).

The beach was empty as you guys had set up a blanket on the sand, the grains warm but soothing as you dug your toes under the piles. The team had decided to have a little sunset campfire and sing-a-long at the beach, simply to celebrate the hard work of a successful week of leading double lives (in yours, Dick’s and Wally’s cases), and also for being really good at your side job of beating up bad guys.

“I’ve got the drinks,” Roy cheered, plopping down with a six pack, and some other sodas and assortments of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that were sloshing around in the portable cooler in his hand. “Here.”

He tossed a chill bottle of beer he’d pulled out of it, and Wally caught it. You grinned as Roy passed one to you as well, much nicer in his handling. “Thanks, speedy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Roy narrowed his eyes playfully at you as Wally and you laughed next to each other. You giggled, leaning into your best friend as you moved the bottle to your mouth, digging your teeth under the metallic cap, and with a slight pressure, you heard the pop and fizz of it coming off.

You looked up, catching the ginger boy watching your every move, eyes tracking your mouth as if he’d zeroed in on something that deserved his attention. You.

You licked your lips, trying to calm the sudden dryness in your throat. Wally’s eyes seemed to darken even more, the flames dancing in them tantalisingly as he copied you. You could hear your heart beating irratically.

“Sweetheart, I need your help.”

Blinking, you turned to look at Dick, mind sluggish as it tried to clear from the haze you had found yourself in. Sitting close enough to the two of you that you could feel his warmth, Dick was holding out his own bottle of beer, making you roll your eyes.

“If you wanted me to watch me use my mouth for you, you could’ve just said so,” you repeated your actions, the pop! of the metal cap opening making Dick grin as he watched you.

“But that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Wally cleared his throat, watching the two of you lean into each other, teasing smiles and eyes burning with a sort of emotion he’d never seen in you. Were you actually falling for Dick Grayson?

“I’m thinking of starting on the s’mores,” he gestured next to you guys where Kori, Donna and Roy had set up the fire, the flames curling in reckless abandon. The three of them had settled into the sand. You smiled, squeezing his hand as you grabbed it.

“We’ll come with.”

The three of you moved towards your friends, and as you sat down next to Donna, the two of you trying to tell Kori about some new music the two of you were obsessed with currently, he wondered when did you and Dick Grayson become a ‘we’. And why was he so bothered that he wasn’t a ‘we’ to you?

.

It was official.

Dick Grayson was at the top of his hit list.

Wally swore that he could find him everywhere, even in places where he didn’t think possible: like his fucking university campus.

“And then he was telling me how Tim changed every one of Bruce’s codes to. . .”

The two of you were walking through the hallways, and ever since summer, all you’d been gabbing to him was about your new best friend Richard Grayson. The first day back to school and apparently Dick had called you in the night to talk. Yeah, right, Wally thought to himself, everyone has a conversation at 11 in the night.

He caught himself before he could roll his eyes.

“Walls?” You were snapping your fingers in front of his face. When he jolted, you frowned, curious as to what was happening. “Dude, you alright? You went AWOL on me there.”

Wally coughed, nodding. “Yeah I’m fine, long night.”

“Really? With whom?”

You sounded off, somehow not as cheery as you did just moment’s prior when you told him about how Tim had hacked into the programming in the Batcave to play a prank of the Batman. Wally tilted his head towards you as you stopped swinging your joined arms, no longer moving him around while you rambled.

What was it about Dick that had you so drawn to him?

“Nothing, just couldn’t get sleep.”

You frowned, squeezing his hand. During the academic year, Wally would end up walking around with the worst dark circles known to man, all because of his tendency to not get any sleep at night, especially since the two of you didn’t go on patrol as often during the school year. You suspected it had something to do with his powers, his inability to actually stay still and his energy that’s always contagious, always overflowing with so much life that you can’t help but be drawn towards him. But this was early, even for Wally. Usually, it’d take at least a week for him to start complaining about it, and then showing up at your window in the night.

“You want to come over tonight?” You squeezed his hand again, smiling softly in a way that had Wally’s heart thump-thump-thumping hard against his chest.

“What about Dick?”

“What about him?”

The earnest confusion in your voice made him look at you, eyes searching your face. Your brows were furrowed and lips were pursed in an adorable pout that Wally could almost dream of pressing his mouth again and devouring, but what stood out most to him was one simple thing: you weren’t thinking about Dick.

“I just— nothing,” Wally rubbed the back of his neck, lips pulling into a smile when you squeezed his hand (that was still holding yours), “what time should I be there?”

“Come over right after patrol, I’ve got your sweats washed. Couldn’t get that stain out though.”

“It’s fine.”

Wally laughed, letting you drag him around to your next class before the bell rang (he had a free period in his schedule). You hated being late.

.

By the time the two of you fell onto the floor through your open bedroom window, Wally was spent. He’d starfished across the soft carpet, still in his Kid Flash costume, and you’d fallen right on top of him with an undignified oomph!

“Move your fat ass out of the way, Walls,” you poked him in his side where you knew he was ticklish, making him jerk at the sudden movement, as you got up.

“I’m good,” his voice was once again muffled, face down in the carpet, “I’ll just stay here.”

You laughed, pulling yourself up as Wally turned over to look at your grinning face staring down at him. “Do you plan on making yourself comfortable there or shall I keep space in bed for you?”

Wally could feel his heart in his throat as he nodded towards your bed. Swallowing harshly, he cleared his throat. “I can’t pass on that beauty.”

Chuckling, you headed towards the bathroom, calling out over your shoulder as you grabbed the door handle.

“Clothes are in the drawer and mom got extra snacks if you’re hungry. Just change first!”

And then Wally heard the lock click shut, the sound of the shower running beyond the wooden door. Sighing, he stood up, gravitating towards your closet to grab some spare clothes he could change into after a shower and setting them aside, somewhat of a proud smile on his face. At least Dick didn’t have an entire section in your closet for his clothes.

By the time you’d come back from your shower, Wally had sprawled himself once again on your fuzzy carpet, now filled with half the snacks in your pantry and a couple of cookies your father had baked earlier in the night.

“Hey, brought up some cookies, your parents have gone to bed.”

You grinned, bee-lining to the nightstand where Wally had left your treasure, while the redhead moved towards the shower. “What would I do without you, Wally?”

“Be boring and lonely— ow!”

Wally glared at you, trying hardest to be mad as he rubbed the spot where you’d punched him for his comment but he could feel his mouth fighting against him at your cheeky smile. Your eyes were shining with mischief and warmth and Wally couldn’t help but mirror your grin as you fell onto your mattress. “Save one for me.”

“You already ate so many!”

You looked up at him with bright eyes, and Wally could feel his heart soaring at how open and vulnerable you seemed. You were still smiling, even as he flicked you on the forehead before moving swiftly aside to dodge your counterattack.

“Yeah well, I’m your best friend. It’s in the rules: guests get more food.”

You sat up on your elbows, eyeing the boy who had a impish look on his face. “Please you stopped being a guest since you were six.”

You rolled your eyes as Wally mocked you, finally heading into the shower while you fell back on your bed, cheeks still warm from the smile on your face. That boy had no idea what he did to you.

.

Steam curled out of the bathroom as Wally stepped out, sweatpants loose on his hips and a towel he used to dry his hair. You were on your back now, reading a book as you waited on him.

“Here, saved you the last one.”

“I knew you loved me,” he grinned, snatching it up as you rolled your eyes at him, all fond and warm. You really did love him.

Wally plopped down gracelessly onto the bed next to you, laughing when you whacked him complaining about crumbs (he’d made sure to not let a single one fall, he knew you didn’t like eating in bed) and snuggled into his side of the bed.

You propped yourself up into his eyeline, watching him drink you in like he always did, like he was clawing for air only you could offer. He only hoped it wasn’t as obvious to you. “So, what d’ya wanna do?”

Wally hummed, hand coming back up to brush against the bruise on your cheek, the one that you’d gained earlier in the night during patrol after narrowly missing a fist aimed at your face. You’d managed to grab the hand before it swung into bone, but the brass knuckles that decorated it had left a blooming red score on your cheekbone. “Does it hurt?”

“Not even a little bit,” you murmured, head nuzzling into his palm like you wanted to burrow yourself in it.

Wally could see the way your eye twitched ever so slightly at the point closest to your eye when he brushed the purpling bruise, but other than that, you were still smiling down at him with such warmth he could feel himself sinking into comfort.

You turned your head to kiss his palm once, gently lacing your fingers through his to pry it off your face as you leaned over to press your lips to his cheek, and Wally’s eyes fluttered close at the contact without hesitation.

“Go to sleep, West. You look like a troll I dragged out from under my bed.”

Wally guffawed, eyes wide open as you chortled, falling onto him upon looking at the wide eyed offence on his face, your body wrecked with unabashed laughter as you shook in his grasp. “You think you’re so hilarious, don’t you?”

You nodded against him, the humour bubbling out of you seeping into him at the points where you were connected (his hands on your back, holding you close to where you’d pressed yourself into his chest), his chest rumbling with laughter under you.

“Fine, let’s call it a night, sleeping beauty.”

The two of you tucked yourself under your covers without moving, the little night light you left on your bedside table the only sign of life in the dead of the night as sleep overcame the two of you.

.

The tower was quiet when you stepped inside. You shouldered your way through the door of your bedroom in the building, finally sliding off the wet coat and shoes that had collected the rainwater from the impromptu shower that the heavens had unleashed upon you.

“Oh hey, sweetheart.”

Before you could even catch up on the reason the voice was so familiar, you’d swung around, clipping the man behind you with your wet coat, the metal of the zipper clinking hard against his face.

“Richard Grayson, don’t you know better than to sneak up on people like that.”

You glared at the cheeky smile he sported, still standing comfortably in the middle of your room as you dragged your jacket away from his face and the matching red mark you’d left on the right side of his cheekbone, mirroring the one you had on your left.

“Great you see you too, darling.”

You rolled your eyes, shimmying out of the oversized Central City University sweatshirt, now feeling overly warm in the blooming heat of the building. Your tank top stuck to your skin from the water as you let your hair fall down your back, limp and wet, droplets tracing rivulets down your spine.

“Did you need something?”

“You wound me,” the raven haired boy grabbed his chest as if you’d physically hurt him, even stumbling back to sell his theatrical pain. You shook your head at him, rainwater clinging onto his face from the close proximity as he chuckled. “I just came to check on you cause of the rain.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint but I didn’t drown.”

“Can’t have my girl drowning on me,” he grinned, pulling you into his side to warm you up, and you gratefully leaned towards the heat of his (entirely too expensive) wool jumper, wet head of hair tucked into his chin as you placed your cold hands on the back of his neck, making him yelp. “Get away from me you heathen!”

“I thought I was your girl?” you mocked him, head tilted to one side as he kept you close enough to warm your hands against his. It was no secret you hated the cold.

“Yeah you are, sweetheart.”

“Am I interrupting?”

You jumped away from Dick as if you’d been burned, the warmth of his body turning ice rigid in your veins as Wally stood at your open door, looking in at the two of you. You cleared your throat as Dick, ever the one to be able to bring in levity in pungent silence, spoke up.

“Not at all, she’s all yours.”

And then, squeezing your hands one last time (that had gone limp in his reach the moment his best friend had walked in), Dick glanced at you one last time, impish smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he moved to leave the room, patting Wally on the back while he did.

Wally watched as you glared at the broad shoulders that disappeared from the doorframe, before taking in your appearance. You shuffled, suddenly aware of not just how unkempt your hair was, but the fact that you’d been standing in front of Dick and now Wally, in a shirt thin enough to see your bra through. If only you’d had the foresight to wear a nicer one, maybe this wouldn’t be half as awkward.

“I erm. . . I got caught in the rain,” you supplied helplessly, tugging at the end of your cotton tank top, spinning around as you went to the drawer to grab dry clothes.

“I can see that.”

Wally still sounded far away: when you glanced over your shoulder after finding a dry shirt, you found him still standing in the doorway, his stance stilted and wound tight like he couldn’t decide whether he should enter or not.

”You’ve seen me in my bra before, just get in already,” you chuckled, waving him in, only noticing him hesitate for a second before nodding, following your instructions and shutting the door behind him. “Your group project finally got situated?”

Wally had stayed back at Central City University for some project he had for his Physics 301 class while you’d left earlier, having decided on working at the Tower instead. And lucky for him, he’d managed to get all the luck with the weather because it was finally sunny outside again.

Wally cleared his throat as you pulled your shirt over your head. “So, you and Dick. . .”

“What about Dick and I?”

Pulling your head through the neck hole of a dry shirt, to find him still hovering like he didn’t know how to exist in your space, a place he’d inhabited since the two of you were five and playing in the sandbox. You frowned, watching him glance around like he’d lost the right to be in there without you asking for him first.

“. . . Is everything alright?”

”Yeah, I just. . . I’m happy for Dick and you.”

You blinked, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. Did he seriously think that Dick was the one that had you losing all sense?

”I’m just going to—“ he pointed behind him, and before you could even stop him, he’d phased through the shut door. You rushed after him, trying to find the speedster as you pulled your door open with urgency.

”Wally—“

The hallway was empty.

.

It had always felt like breathing. At least, that’s how Wally thought about it.

Since the first time you’d met, Wally had found himself in tune with you, like a wavelength honing in on a frequency that it needed in order to function. You’d been giggly and had a chip in your front tooth from where you’d hit your face on while jumping off the swing and doing a flip you’d just learned in gymnastics. You’d never even cried about it, the grin of showing off to your new friend still plastered even as the corner of your lip started bleeding and your mother came rushing towards you. You’d simply grabbed Wally’s hand and told him you’d teach him how to do it too.

That was the first time he’d met you, and since then you’d been a stronghold in his life, someone he’d come to know inside out, maybe even better than he’d known himself. You’d been the first person he’d found after getting his powers, after he found out how his uncle was The Flash, the trials that came with having powers, you’d been standing beside him, always with a snack (apples crusted with peanut butter, to make sure he was both eating healthy but also had something to satiate his sweet tooth) and a smile that disarmed every bit of distaste he felt towards himself for not being good enough. You’d been there for the first ever time he’d had his heart broken, a girl he’d seen only a few months in high school, but you’d been there to cheer him up, mend the parts that he never knew could break.

Wally had known it’d only be a matter of time before Dick and you finally got together, it’d be stupid to think otherwise, but god he didn’t realise just how much it would sting being second place to Dick.

He’d learned early on that being Wally West meant being able to learn you and love you, and he’d made his peace with it. You’d were singular in every way and it wasn’t surprising that everyone around you noticed; you tended to do that, draw people into an orbit that made them feel like they were at home, because that’s what you did to him at age five with a toothy grin. He just needed to make peace with the fact that you’d found someone else.

“What’re you doing here?”

Blinking, Wally saw Roy walk up to him, the former Green Arrow sidekick dressed up as if he had somewhere to be.

“Where’re you off to?”

“Had a date,” Roy grinned, patting Wally on the shoulder as he vaulted over the couch, settling into the one that wasn’t occupied by the speedster. “Now why are you sulking? Trouble in paradise?”

Wally’s eyes narrowed. Roy, amongst other things, was a big gossip, especially when around Donna and you, the three of you always knee deep in random news you’d heard (four if K’ori wasn’t off-world). Half of it of course came from the type of vigilantes Roy and you happened to be, but the other half was simply pure curiosity. Wally had never met a man both so brilliant and downright ready to binge an entire season’s worth of reality television.

“What paradise? There’s no paradise.”

Roy simply looked at him, a stray strand of red hair falling over his forehead from his man bun—the only person Wally had seen ever pull off that style so well—and shook his head, a low chuckle emitting from his throat. “Yeah right, I’m not blind dude.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Uh huh, and we’re all just happy go lucky adults with no issues at all,” Roy nodded, and Wally could tell that the archer was taking the piss out of him, but god he couldn’t help it. “Seriously dude, just talk to her.”

“I can’t— I can’t just talk to her!”

“Yes you can, you just open your mouth and form words.”

Wally walloped him with a pillow as Roy laughed at his red face, tossing the decorative piece right back at the speedster, who simply grabbed it and placed it down next to him with more force than required.

“I can’t, she’s going out with Dick now.”

Roy raised a brow, now settled into the couch as he folded his arms across his chest. “Huh, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Tell me about it,” Wally slumped into the cushioning, hands running over his face.

He could feel Roy’s eyes burning into the side of his skull as he stayed hidden behind his fingers, trying to press them into his skull like it would press away the way he needed you into the back of his mind, to be left untouched and forgotten as time would pass by.

“My advice is you talk to her, what’s the worst that could happen?”

And with that, Wally could hear the sound of fading footsteps as Roy headed out towards his room, once again leaving the redhead to stew in his own feelings, the night sky greeting him as he stared out the window, trying to figure out just when he’d found himself so helpless to the way he loved you.

The crickets chirped faintly in the background as the hum of the city started falling asleep.

.

Wally had begun trying to find ways to avoid you. It’d started small, with not being free during the week to study together in the Central City University library like the two of you usually did. He’d been working everyday this week on some or the other assignment, or was hanging out with friends from his classes, who you had met barely in passing to actually know, which meant that you’d spent more time with his parents than him, feeling bad about only showing up on their doorstep to ask about their son. You played poker with his father as you waited, but Wally never returned home, only zooming by you on your interconnected patrol routes. Hell, it’d gotten to the point where you’d not trained together either. No matter what, Wally never missed sparring sessions with you.

You wondered what could’ve possibly happened for him to ignore you. Hooking your penknife into the latch of his window, you jiggled it around, trying to catch the grove that would help you unlock it, and after a few moments, you heard the sound of your success, the click of the mechanic registering as you slid open the window, toppling through gracefully and face first into wooden flooring.

“What are you doing?”

You stood up, brushing yourself off as Wally leaned against the doorway of his bathroom, eyeing you down with confusion. “You were ignoring me all week.”

“So you break into my room?”

”Obviously,” you chuckled, closing the gap between you as you moved into the room. You only stopped when he spoke up again.

”Why?”

Wally looked genuinely surprised, like he hadn’t expected you to fix whatever it was that had gone so wrong that he’d decided forgetting about you was better than talking with you.

You could feel your lips tug into a frown at the idea of never having access to Wally— selfishly, you needed him around, if nothing else then as your best friend. He’d been an extension of you since you’d first met him, trying (and succeeding) at impressing him enough to become your friend in the sandbox. Even at five years old, you could tell he was important, and not because he was the first boy you’d befriended. Wally had a way of making everything around you brighter, like you’d become Midas-touched gold, forever shining as long as he looked at you. He’d brought laughter out of you when your grandfather died; when you’d started crying over Marley and Me and he’d promised he’d find a way to make the dog the two of you got together live forever; when you had first killed a man on the job (an accident, and he was the bad guy, but that didn’t mean it didn’t flash behind your eyelids for over a month) but struggled to wash off the blood until Wally held your shaking hands to do it for you. . .

“Are we okay?”

The question came out quieter than you wanted it to, like punching it out of your lungs expelled all the fear you had about it, into the open where Wally could grab onto it, grab it and do whatever he pleased with the worry you held for him, for the two of you.

Wally shrugged, hands shoved into his sweatpants. He’d moved out of the bathroom now, the door clicking shut softly behind him. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat at the impassive callousness in his voice. Your tongue felt heavy, pinned down as you called out his name. “Wally. . .”

“Baby, ’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Baby, the word sunk heady into your heart, something you’d wished to hear from him, but not like this. Wally had his arms crossed over his chest, standing next to his bed now as he watched you watch him. You cursed as you could feel your eyes shine with watery tears that were beginning to form. Why did he think you didn’t care about him? All you ever did was worry about ways Wally could live a life that he was proud of, one that he wouldn’t have to hide in the future from whoever he was around (and in the most dangerous dreams you had about it, it was you by his side).

“Why wouldn’t I worry about you?” You scoffed, biting back the tears as you stared at the redhead who was watching you intently. “Do you think I don’t care?”

“No you— you do, I know that. . . but with Dick around now, you’ll—“

“What does Dick have to do with you not talking to me?”

Wally ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the tuff of it where it connected to his neck, feet moving as he began pacing. “Doesn’t everything lately have to do with him? I’m happy for you guys, truly. But I can’t be around you, not while I. . .”

“While you, what?” You asked, watching as Wally went still, eyes bugging wide when you repeated yourself. “While you what, Wallace?”

He winced when you used his actual name, not even Walls or Wally, instead shaking his head as he pointed at his window. “You should go.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” you huffed, now your arms crossed as you stared down the boy you’d loved since the beginning of high school.

Wally sucked in a sharp breath like the idea of telling you the truth caused a physical wound in him, and you desperately needed to know it was something you could fix. Because you couldn’t stand the idea of not having Wally anywhere except next to you: it’s what you’d always known, the only thing you’d been sure of since you were a little girl.

When he opened his mouth, you could feel yourself slipping into that hope that finally you’d gotten through to him. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You could feel the air expunge itself from your lungs as Wally turned to fidget with his bedding. He didn’t even look back as you whispered a goodnight Walls over his windowsill, body halfway out. Swallowing harshly, you balanced on the edge of the roof to the West house before dropping down, crouching low to the ground once you landed on the grass of their backyard.

In the quiet of the night, you walked yourself back to your apartment building (which was closer than the tower), eyes red by the time you found yourself in bed, tucked into the duvet that was still the same pastel green that you and Wally had picked together back when you were just children.

.

“Woah, you alright sweetheart?”

Dick and Donna came into your line of sight, the Wayne heir grinned good naturedly while Donna watched you curiously.

Huffing, you landed another hit on the sandbag, the chain swinging from the impact. Donna caught it as it neared her, “what’s going on?”

”Wally, he’s just. . . God, boys can be so frustrating!”

You punched the bag once again as Donna let it go, the Amazonian stepping aside right as the bag swung off the hook in the ceiling. Dick raised his hands in surrender as if he were the one in the line of fire.

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

You eyed Dick, who was still standing far enough to not get hit, and watching you with concern written into the crease of his brows and the corners of his mouth before shaking your head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, I’ll— I’ll talk to him. . . Besides, I don’t think you’ll get through him this time.”

Dick frowned, but nodded. And you understood why; Wally and Dick had been inseparable when the two of you joined the team back in the day, as children who still had hope and dreams of a world that seemed much nicer than it actually is. Wally had found a brother in Dick, and so did the former Robin, you knew that the idea of Wally not listening to Dick would hurt him, but you didn’t want whatever it was that had Wally hurting because of Dick be an issue, not until you could at least figure it out first.

Donna stepped forward, tying her hair back as she did. “Want to spar for a bit? Take your mind off of that idiot?”

“Sure,” you chuckled, shaking your head. Donna always knew how to make you feel better. If you couldn’t talk it out, you’d get out whatever it was with a fight. She’d been much the same way since she’d joined the team as well. “What would I do without you, my love?”

“Be moping,” Dick called out, now hanging off of one the beams, practicing his flips and tricks from a life he no longer had. You looked up and he was grinning from cheek to cheek. “Your emo teenage angst shit is filling this room.”

You rolled your eyes. “Dickhead.”

“That’s me,” he called, swinging his body through the maze of support beams and other bars that had been installed specifically for him.

You turned to Donna, who was grinning as well. “Well, shall we?”

“Why, of course.”

Donna crouched low, waiting on your move. You took the first step.

.

By the time you’d entered your room, it’d been past midnight. Patrol had been long, even longer when Wally wasn’t there to trade jokes with you, or attempt to guess what exactly you’d end up finding while on your rounds.

You’d barely shut your door, still in your suit as you flopped onto the bed when you could feel the familiar hum of frequency outside your door before a loud knock echoed against it.

“Get inside, Wally.”

“Can you. . . Can you open the door?”

Sighing, you dragged yourself up, pulling open the door to see Wally, still in his yellow and red costume, goggles tucked into his hair and freckles on display as the face piece to his suit was pushed back. The boy shuffled on his feet, as if surprised to see you standing in front of him. “Hi.”

“Can you not phase through shit anymore?” You asked, opening the door wider as he stepped in at your gesture for him to do so, stopping just beyond the threshold. You shut the door softly behind him.

“I’m sorry.”

And without meaning to, laughter spilled out of you, the sound more hollow and mean than Wally had ever heard out of you. “You’re sorry? That’s new. I thought you were too busy ignoring me.”

You strode towards your closet, wanting to change out of the suit that stuck to your skin, the suffocating feeling of having Wally so close to you after two weeks of him trying to erase himself from your life practically felt like you’d lose air the longer you were constricted in it. Wally grabbed your hand before you could move far away.

“I mean it, I was being a dick about well. . . Dick,” he winced, brows scrunching even further when you didn’t laugh even the slightest at the unintentional joke, something you always did. Sucking in a harsh breath, he carried on, “if you’re happy with him, I’ll make my peace with it. I just want my best friend back.”

“If I’m happy with whom, Walls?”

You looked genuinely confused, as if Wally hadn’t been there to see Dick and you fall for each other these past few months.

“Dick.”

“What?”

And to Wally’s surprise, you were laughing. You were bent over the waist, nearly falling into him at the image he’d given you. “What’s so funny?”

“Dick and I— there’s nothing. . . Oh my god, did you think I was going out with Dick?”

You had tears coming out of your eyes as you looked at him, as if the idea of anybody wanting to be with Dick Grayson was absurd. He knew the two of you were perfect together, and would look the part too in Gotham’s socialite papers and photographs.

“Please, Dick has his eye set on a redhead at all times,” you chuckled, wiping at the corner of your eyes, “he’s more likely to go for you.”

And at Wally’s shock, at his mouth that fell open, unable to find words, you’d found yourself laughing again. “Wait, so you and Dick aren’t—“

“We never were,” you shook your head, head tilting as if you’d found something out. Your eyes were swimming with curiosity, a sort of finality he’d only seen in you when you’d cracked a particularly difficult case. He’d seen it when you’d found the answer that had stumped you during your criminology courses, when you’d found out whatever Wally had hidden from you (like the surprise parties he tried throwing for your birthday, only for you to find him out five times in a row before he gave up). But now, they looked ever more sure, and Wally hoped he hadn’t been found out.

You took a step forward, now facing him as you closed the distance. “Hey, Walls?”

Wally hummed, eyes darting all over your face, close enough that he could see every shade and hue in your eyes, the way your mouth was pulled into a smile, something sly but that also said you wanted to know something, as your eyes fixed on his mouth.

“What up?”

“Don’t panic.”

“I— what? What do you mean—“

You’d grabbed him by the collar, lips slotting against his that were still sealed shut. The surprise of the impact had him opening his eyes, before reality caught up to him. You were kissing him. You were kissing him. Before he could fully return the fervour, you’d pulled back.

“That’s why.”

Wally was staring at you, eyes wide. “You kissed me.”

”I did,” you grinned, closing the gap to the point where Wally could feel your body pressed up against his, and instinct dictated that he steady you, his hands falling on your waist. “Now are you just going to stand there and gawk, or will you kiss me again?”

When Wally made no move to respond, still glued to the fact that you’d kissed him and it wasn’t a dream, you made to move out of his embrace. “Maybe I should go ask Dick if he wants to— mmph!”

”Shut up,” Wally murmured, pressing his lips to yours again, hands moving to circle around you as he pulled you closer to him, but he was grinning now. You couldn’t help mirror it as you pulled him closer to you, tugging on his hair as you did.

Wally let out a low sound, shuffling back as you hit the edge of your desk, his palms flash against your hips as he set you on top of it. The fireproof material of Wally’s suit bunching in your hands as you dragged him closer, his hands steadying you, still kissing you as if he couldn’t stop. He moved away when you hooked one leg to pull him closer.

”Wait— hold on, what does this mean?”

You blinked, the sluggish euphoria that had filled your veins, sparking a fire in your system slowed into a small flame as you finally realised what he was saying. You looked up into deep greens as they studied you, trying to figure you out, the way they always did.

”I don’t want to do this if it’s just something casual, I don’t— I can’t do that, not with you.”

You loosened your grip on his collar, smoothening it as you tried to figure out how to put it in a way that made him understand just how selfishly you needed him. “That’s the last thing I want with you.”

”Good, because I want this,” he was drawing circles into your waist, still close like he couldn’t bear to be any further from you, eyes scanning every inch of your face. “I want you, all of you.”

You smiled, heart thump-thump-thumping so wild you were sure he could feel it with how close the two of you were. “You have me.”

And Wally’s smile was blinding, the flame in your veins burning brighter just at the way he was looking at you.

“Yeah?” he asked, voice soft and wrecked with emotion.

”Yeah.”

Wally’s mouth slotted against yours against, messy and teeth clashing with how brightly he was smiling, tongue licking at your bottom lip as you dragged him into you, letting him take and take and take everything he wanted. His hands slid into your hair as he tilted your head back, lips moving across every inch of skin he could access, your legs hooking around his hips to sit flush with yours.

”I can’t wait to tell Dick you thought that I was in love with him when you’re here.”

Wally groaned against your pulse point, the spot behind your ear, the sound low and gravelly that had your eyes fluttering shut as you fought to keep your teasing for longer. He pulled away, just enough to speak.

”You won’t let me live that down, will you?”

”I can be convinced,” you teased, breath hitching as he already started tracing a path across your skin again, willing you to forget his stupidity, hands already latching onto the zipper in the front of your tactical suit. “Fuck, baby. . .”

”Say that again,” he hummed, mouthing at your collarbone and you had no choice but to acquiesce his demand.

”Wally, babe, don’t—fuck, don’t stop,” you whimpered as his hips pressed hard into yours again, the pressure only causing the fire curling low in your belly to burn harder as you met his actions and desire.

“God, you have no idea what you do to me, darlin’.”

The low drawl had you pulling him up, his eyes not only having a slither of green as they gazed up at you in hunger.

“I have an idea,” you mumbled, dragging him into you again, his body following yours with no resistance.

SPIDEROOOS © 2026.

[spiderooos]

teenage dirtbag ✸ wally west.

a schoolyard crush turns into something monumental when wally realises that his best friend also has eyes for you.

includes. . . wally west x fem!reader, (SLIGHT!) dick grayson x fem!reader. characterised after the young justice universe. vigilante!reader, fluff, angst, tension & slightly suggestive at the end, lots of teenage/early 20s emotions running amok here.

word count. . . 8.8k

notes. . . wally is literally so precious to me i don’t even know where to begin!!! i’ve made reader to be widow-like. oh, and wally stays alive. . . for now! JK,,, unless???? (no seriously, i’m kidding, i’m still traumatised from his death in the show). hope you guys like this!!

Summer had hit you all like a storm.

The team had split up, the tower much more quieter than normal. Most of them either were back home with their civilian lives, or off world. Those still in the tower had found themselves lounging around, the common room filled with popcorn and snacks, and a very intense game of Monopoly (that had just ended), lounging around in a rare day of peace and freedom from their vigilante lives.

“Hey, Walls,” you called out, catching the attention of the speedster who’d been hovering around the kitchen. He stood to attention, coming towards where you’d asked for him, standing at the countertop. “Help me with the drinks?”

“Anything you want, beautiful,” he flashed you a smile, leaning heavily over you as you manoeuvred a bunch of cups into his hand, while you held two tall pitchers of ice tea. He took in your outfit, dressed in shorts and a tank top, your hair pushed away from your face to combat the heat.

You looked over your shoulder, bright smile on your face. “Coming?”

Snapping out of his daze, Wally sped up to join you, setting down the cups next to the pitchers and sliding into the seat next to you.

Before he could open his mouth, possibly shove his foot in there by letting out another flirtatious comment, you speak up.

“Hello, handsome.”

Wally blinks, once, slow. Did he hear you correctly? Was he finally out of—

“Hi there, gorgeous.”

Dick.

Of fucking course it was Dick Grayson. The boy had sidled himself next to you, leaning into your personal space, and worst of all, you’re letting him. Wally looked up, you were preening under the charming smile the raven haired boy had put on. Preening, and Dick had his chest puffed out like a fucking peacock, thanking you for taking care of the team.

“You’re so nice to me.”

Wally knew that voice, the fucking low and gravelly tone swaying any girl into one Dick Grayson’s arms. The very arms that were way too close to you while in nothing but a wifebeater, muscles fully on display. The ginger huffed.

“Of course, can’t have you fainting on me from the heat,” you patted Dick’s thigh heavily, and Wally swears if he could switch powers he’d steal Superman’s heat-vision eyes—or as Wally would prefer to put it: laser-beams-that-melt-off-hands eyes—the moment Dick placed his hand over yours.

He busied himself with pouring a glass of ice tea, all but shoving it in front of you. “Didn’t you say you were thirsty earlier, babe?”

You frowned, confused, but gratefully accepted the drink he was holding out. It was hot outside. You opened your mouth to speak and Wally was waiting for. . . something, maybe pretty boy at least if not handsome (clearly, that was reserved for Richard).

“Thanks, Walls.”

“Of course, beautiful, anytime.”

You grinned, once again turning to Dick who was telling you some story, hands waving animatedly as he stole every bit of your attention.

Walls.

Wally swore he could feel the ground swallowing him whole as you laughed loudly at the story he’d heard a million times before. Fucking Alfred and his infamous cookies that made everyone act like animals. Fuck Dick too while you’re at it, he grumbled under his breath, slumping into the couch.

.

Okay, so maybe he was overreacting.

You have always been flirty and Dick hasn’t been nothing if not a very willing recipient (and active participant) of someone beautiful hitting on him. Hell, Wally was sure Dick would flirt with anything breathing if they were actually interested. Which, looking at the Wayne heir, anyone would be. But did it have to be you?

Sighing, Wally moved through the tower in a breeze, reaching the training room in record time where you were going to spar with him, like always. “Sweetheart, sorry I’m late, was running low on fuel.”

“It’s alright, Walls,” you chuckled, wiping the chalk dust from your palms, the one that Dick used when he was doing his bendy gymnastics stuff. Since when had you decided to pick it up? Were you making a career switch to an acrobat?

“So, you er, you’re doing. . . gymnastics?”

Your lips pursed at the way his voice squeaked out at the end, confused before nodding softly. “Yeah, Dick’s been teaching me some stuff.”

Cool, just two teammates helping each other out. You were the best at hand to hand combat on the team, so maybe you just wanted to find someone new to learn something from, and apparently that someone is not Wally.

“You guys hang out now?”

“Uh, yeah? Figured I’d learn something new.” You chuckled, the two of you now circling around the mat. You crouched low, eyes locked on Wally in a smile so sinisterly cocky the speedster could feel his mind going fuzzy. God, you looked good.

Before Wally could even open his mouth, you’d pounced. The young speedster barely noticed you before zooming to the other side of the mat. You raised a brow and he smiled, sheepish, apologetic. Right, no powers.

Taking a deep breath, Wally blocked the hit you were aiming at his neck, forearm pushing you off, and then suddenly he can smell you, the scent deep and warm before he had his arm twisted behind his back.

“Stop zoning out Walls,” your voice was hot on the back of his neck. He could feel his face heating up, the red creeping around his freckled face up to the tips of his ears. You let go of him as he leaned his weight into your hold to signal for him to be let loose.

“Getting distracted—“

“—gets you killed.”

You smiled at Wally when he completed your statement. Gesturing, you took your position on the other side of the mat, Wally copying you.

This time, Wally went first. Instead of aiming high like you’d done, the speedster goes low, head tucked into his chin as he grabs you by the waist, using the momentum to swing the two of you on the ground. You let out a soft sound at the impact, but it sounded more like you were amused. When he looked up, he saw the taunting look in your eye, a lazy, smug look tugging at the corners of your mouth. Without even huffing at the effort, you pushed your hips up into his, making him lose balance as you flipped the two of you over, hands now pinning him down, arm stretched across his chest as you held him down on to the mat.

“Nice one,” you grinned, blowing your hair away from your face. You leaned in closer, chest pressed against his, and Wally could swear his heartbeat was the loudest soundtrack he could ever hear. “You almost got me there.”

“Next time,” he rasped out, puffing out a breath of air, hoping it didn’t smell of the Cheetos he’d eaten before training. The movement made the stubborn strand in front of your eyes sway. You smiled, a genuine one, and somehow his heartbeat just rang louder. “I’ll get you next time.”

“I’m counting on it.”

And then you got off of him, holding out your hand for him to stand up. Sucking in a lungful of air, Wally took it, pulled up to stand close enough where he could see every shade of colour in your eyes. They were endless pools of warmth he could fall into forever, and they were looking at him. Right at him. “Walls?”

Clearing his throat, the speedster stepped back, letting go of your hand to ruffle the hair at the top of his head. “Shall we go again?”

“You sure? You seem distracted today.”

“I’m fine, just don’t think my pre-sparring snack was the best one I’ve had.”

You laughed, the sound bright as you got back to the mat. Wally followed suit, the two of you once again circling each other. “Ready?”

You had that smile again, the low, dangerous look in your eyes, the one he saw out on the field. The one Dick held in his smile after he’d seen how it unnerved your opponents. Fucking Dick and his ability to charm everyone. Wally struck out, his body moving before he could catch up, hand coming straight for your face, and before he could even think about how foolishly impulsive the move was, he was face down on the mat, your knee pinning him down as you bent his arm back, not enough to hurt, but just enough to where he could feel a strain.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

You’d let him go, pulling him to stand at his full height as you grabbed a water bottle, tossing it to the speedster, the shocking pink a contrast against the muted green of his tank. “Yeah I’m fine. Just. . . lost in thought I guess.”

“Penny for them?” you asked, now sitting next to him on the floor. Wally shrugged, handing you the bottle when you held your hand out for it, eyes watching your mouth as it used the sucker on the bottle (where Wally had his mouth moments before), tracing down the column of your throat as you drank greedily.

“I’m good.”

“Promise?” You held out your pinky, Wally smiling as he linked his to yours, the two of you kissing each of your hands as if to seal the pact.

“Promise,” he murmured, mouth hidden by his hand, but he could see you smile behind yours as you murmured a ‘good’ against it.

You pressed your lips one last time to your linked hands for good measure, letting the speedster copy you before the two of you sat up, hands still linked in the silence of the training room, catching your breaths.

God, you had no idea what you did to him.

.

Dick caught up with you as you left the training room, having just walked out of the showers attached next to it, the one Wally had gone into not too long ago. The former Batman sidekick had a towel slung low across his waist, water not yet fully wiped off of him. He smiled as he noticed you.

“Hi, beautiful.”

You grinned, standing up from where you’d been cleaning up after the sparring session between you and Wally. “Hey there, pretty boy. Took a long time in the showers I see.”

Dick fell in step with you, walking out of the training room as you slung a wet towel across your shoulders, water bottle in hand. “Well maybe I was waiting on you.”

“Is that so?” you looked up at him, brow raised. Dick just shrugged, eyes glinting with mischief. His lips were pulled into a cocky smile, tongue peeking out to wet his lower lips.

“Yeah.”

You hummed. “Is that why you’re following me around in just a towel?”

Dick blinked, slowing to a halt outside the door of your room. You watched his skin flush a deep rouge, the heat spreading across his chest and up his cheeks. “I uh, I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, alright,” you laughed, watching as he stepped back a couple steps before spinning on his feet and heading a couple steps down towards his room. His hand rubbed at the back of his neck as he reached the door, turning around once to wink at you—despite the colour in his face, before shutting the door.

“Aren’t you something,” you murmured, eyes still on the spot he left.

“Who’re you talking to, weirdo?”

You jumped, startled as you stood up straight, leaning away from the doorframe. Wally was standing next to you, now smelling fresh and clean from his shower. “Nobody. Hey, you wanna watch a movie? I’ve got the new Fast and Furious.”

Wally nodded, eyes glancing once more at the door next to yours—where Dick stayed when he was at the Titans Tower—before following you into your door, the lock clicking softly as it shut behind him.

.

Wally swore Dick was everywhere.

The stupid bird themed superhero seemed to spawn around you whenever the speedster wanted to hang out, and he was seconds away from transporting his best friend to the South Pole to live with the penguins (not you, of course, he knew you hated the cold— the ex-sidekick to Gotham’s very own Batman, however. . . ).

The beach was empty as you guys had set up a blanket on the sand, the grains warm but soothing as you dug your toes under the piles. The team had decided to have a little sunset campfire and sing-a-long at the beach, simply to celebrate the hard work of a successful week of leading double lives (in yours, Dick’s and Wally’s cases), and also for being really good at your side job of beating up bad guys.

“I’ve got the drinks,” Roy cheered, plopping down with a six pack, and some other sodas and assortments of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that were sloshing around in the portable cooler in his hand. “Here.”

He tossed a chill bottle of beer he’d pulled out of it, and Wally caught it. You grinned as Roy passed one to you as well, much nicer in his handling. “Thanks, speedy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Roy narrowed his eyes playfully at you as Wally and you laughed next to each other. You giggled, leaning into your best friend as you moved the bottle to your mouth, digging your teeth under the metallic cap, and with a slight pressure, you heard the pop and fizz of it coming off.

You looked up, catching the ginger boy watching your every move, eyes tracking your mouth as if he’d zeroed in on something that deserved his attention. You.

You licked your lips, trying to calm the sudden dryness in your throat. Wally’s eyes seemed to darken even more, the flames dancing in them tantalisingly as he copied you. You could hear your heart beating irratically.

“Sweetheart, I need your help.”

Blinking, you turned to look at Dick, mind sluggish as it tried to clear from the haze you had found yourself in. Sitting close enough to the two of you that you could feel his warmth, Dick was holding out his own bottle of beer, making you roll your eyes.

“If you wanted me to watch me use my mouth for you, you could’ve just said so,” you repeated your actions, the pop! of the metal cap opening making Dick grin as he watched you.

“But that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Wally cleared his throat, watching the two of you lean into each other, teasing smiles and eyes burning with a sort of emotion he’d never seen in you. Were you actually falling for Dick Grayson?

“I’m thinking of starting on the s’mores,” he gestured next to you guys where Kori, Donna and Roy had set up the fire, the flames curling in reckless abandon. The three of them had settled into the sand. You smiled, squeezing his hand as you grabbed it.

“We’ll come with.”

The three of you moved towards your friends, and as you sat down next to Donna, the two of you trying to tell Kori about some new music the two of you were obsessed with currently, he wondered when did you and Dick Grayson become a ‘we’. And why was he so bothered that he wasn’t a ‘we’ to you?

.

It was official.

Dick Grayson was at the top of his hit list.

Wally swore that he could find him everywhere, even in places where he didn’t think possible: like his fucking university campus.

“And then he was telling me how Tim changed every one of Bruce’s codes to. . .”

The two of you were walking through the hallways, and ever since summer, all you’d been gabbing to him was about your new best friend Richard Grayson. The first day back to school and apparently Dick had called you in the night to talk. Yeah, right, Wally thought to himself, everyone has a conversation at 11 in the night.

He caught himself before he could roll his eyes.

“Walls?” You were snapping your fingers in front of his face. When he jolted, you frowned, curious as to what was happening. “Dude, you alright? You went AWOL on me there.”

Wally coughed, nodding. “Yeah I’m fine, long night.”

“Really? With whom?”

You sounded off, somehow not as cheery as you did just moment’s prior when you told him about how Tim had hacked into the programming in the Batcave to play a prank of the Batman. Wally tilted his head towards you as you stopped swinging your joined arms, no longer moving him around while you rambled.

What was it about Dick that had you so drawn to him?

“Nothing, just couldn’t get sleep.”

You frowned, squeezing his hand. During the academic year, Wally would end up walking around with the worst dark circles known to man, all because of his tendency to not get any sleep at night, especially since the two of you didn’t go on patrol as often during the school year. You suspected it had something to do with his powers, his inability to actually stay still and his energy that’s always contagious, always overflowing with so much life that you can’t help but be drawn towards him. But this was early, even for Wally. Usually, it’d take at least a week for him to start complaining about it, and then showing up at your window in the night.

“You want to come over tonight?” You squeezed his hand again, smiling softly in a way that had Wally’s heart thump-thump-thumping hard against his chest.

“What about Dick?”

“What about him?”

The earnest confusion in your voice made him look at you, eyes searching your face. Your brows were furrowed and lips were pursed in an adorable pout that Wally could almost dream of pressing his mouth again and devouring, but what stood out most to him was one simple thing: you weren’t thinking about Dick.

“I just— nothing,” Wally rubbed the back of his neck, lips pulling into a smile when you squeezed his hand (that was still holding yours), “what time should I be there?”

“Come over right after patrol, I’ve got your sweats washed. Couldn’t get that stain out though.”

“It’s fine.”

Wally laughed, letting you drag him around to your next class before the bell rang (he had a free period in his schedule). You hated being late.

.

By the time the two of you fell onto the floor through your open bedroom window, Wally was spent. He’d starfished across the soft carpet, still in his Kid Flash costume, and you’d fallen right on top of him with an undignified oomph!

“Move your fat ass out of the way, Walls,” you poked him in his side where you knew he was ticklish, making him jerk at the sudden movement, as you got up.

“I’m good,” his voice was once again muffled, face down in the carpet, “I’ll just stay here.”

You laughed, pulling yourself up as Wally turned over to look at your grinning face staring down at him. “Do you plan on making yourself comfortable there or shall I keep space in bed for you?”

Wally could feel his heart in his throat as he nodded towards your bed. Swallowing harshly, he cleared his throat. “I can’t pass on that beauty.”

Chuckling, you headed towards the bathroom, calling out over your shoulder as you grabbed the door handle.

“Clothes are in the drawer and mom got extra snacks if you’re hungry. Just change first!”

And then Wally heard the lock click shut, the sound of the shower running beyond the wooden door. Sighing, he stood up, gravitating towards your closet to grab some spare clothes he could change into after a shower and setting them aside, somewhat of a proud smile on his face. At least Dick didn’t have an entire section in your closet for his clothes.

By the time you’d come back from your shower, Wally had sprawled himself once again on your fuzzy carpet, now filled with half the snacks in your pantry and a couple of cookies your father had baked earlier in the night.

“Hey, brought up some cookies, your parents have gone to bed.”

You grinned, bee-lining to the nightstand where Wally had left your treasure, while the redhead moved towards the shower. “What would I do without you, Wally?”

“Be boring and lonely— ow!”

Wally glared at you, trying hardest to be mad as he rubbed the spot where you’d punched him for his comment but he could feel his mouth fighting against him at your cheeky smile. Your eyes were shining with mischief and warmth and Wally couldn’t help but mirror your grin as you fell onto your mattress. “Save one for me.”

“You already ate so many!”

You looked up at him with bright eyes, and Wally could feel his heart soaring at how open and vulnerable you seemed. You were still smiling, even as he flicked you on the forehead before moving swiftly aside to dodge your counterattack.

“Yeah well, I’m your best friend. It’s in the rules: guests get more food.”

You sat up on your elbows, eyeing the boy who had a impish look on his face. “Please you stopped being a guest since you were six.”

You rolled your eyes as Wally mocked you, finally heading into the shower while you fell back on your bed, cheeks still warm from the smile on your face. That boy had no idea what he did to you.

.

Steam curled out of the bathroom as Wally stepped out, sweatpants loose on his hips and a towel he used to dry his hair. You were on your back now, reading a book as you waited on him.

“Here, saved you the last one.”

“I knew you loved me,” he grinned, snatching it up as you rolled your eyes at him, all fond and warm. You really did love him.

Wally plopped down gracelessly onto the bed next to you, laughing when you whacked him complaining about crumbs (he’d made sure to not let a single one fall, he knew you didn’t like eating in bed) and snuggled into his side of the bed.

You propped yourself up into his eyeline, watching him drink you in like he always did, like he was clawing for air only you could offer. He only hoped it wasn’t as obvious to you. “So, what d’ya wanna do?”

Wally hummed, hand coming back up to brush against the bruise on your cheek, the one that you’d gained earlier in the night during patrol after narrowly missing a fist aimed at your face. You’d managed to grab the hand before it swung into bone, but the brass knuckles that decorated it had left a blooming red score on your cheekbone. “Does it hurt?”

“Not even a little bit,” you murmured, head nuzzling into his palm like you wanted to burrow yourself in it.

Wally could see the way your eye twitched ever so slightly at the point closest to your eye when he brushed the purpling bruise, but other than that, you were still smiling down at him with such warmth he could feel himself sinking into comfort.

You turned your head to kiss his palm once, gently lacing your fingers through his to pry it off your face as you leaned over to press your lips to his cheek, and Wally’s eyes fluttered close at the contact without hesitation.

“Go to sleep, West. You look like a troll I dragged out from under my bed.”

Wally guffawed, eyes wide open as you chortled, falling onto him upon looking at the wide eyed offence on his face, your body wrecked with unabashed laughter as you shook in his grasp. “You think you’re so hilarious, don’t you?”

You nodded against him, the humour bubbling out of you seeping into him at the points where you were connected (his hands on your back, holding you close to where you’d pressed yourself into his chest), his chest rumbling with laughter under you.

“Fine, let’s call it a night, sleeping beauty.”

The two of you tucked yourself under your covers without moving, the little night light you left on your bedside table the only sign of life in the dead of the night as sleep overcame the two of you.

.

The tower was quiet when you stepped inside. You shouldered your way through the door of your bedroom in the building, finally sliding off the wet coat and shoes that had collected the rainwater from the impromptu shower that the heavens had unleashed upon you.

“Oh hey, sweetheart.”

Before you could even catch up on the reason the voice was so familiar, you’d swung around, clipping the man behind you with your wet coat, the metal of the zipper clinking hard against his face.

“Richard Grayson, don’t you know better than to sneak up on people like that.”

You glared at the cheeky smile he sported, still standing comfortably in the middle of your room as you dragged your jacket away from his face and the matching red mark you’d left on the right side of his cheekbone, mirroring the one you had on your left.

“Great you see you too, darling.”

You rolled your eyes, shimmying out of the oversized Central City University sweatshirt, now feeling overly warm in the blooming heat of the building. Your tank top stuck to your skin from the water as you let your hair fall down your back, limp and wet, droplets tracing rivulets down your spine.

“Did you need something?”

“You wound me,” the raven haired boy grabbed his chest as if you’d physically hurt him, even stumbling back to sell his theatrical pain. You shook your head at him, rainwater clinging onto his face from the close proximity as he chuckled. “I just came to check on you cause of the rain.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint but I didn’t drown.”

“Can’t have my girl drowning on me,” he grinned, pulling you into his side to warm you up, and you gratefully leaned towards the heat of his (entirely too expensive) wool jumper, wet head of hair tucked into his chin as you placed your cold hands on the back of his neck, making him yelp. “Get away from me you heathen!”

“I thought I was your girl?” you mocked him, head tilted to one side as he kept you close enough to warm your hands against his. It was no secret you hated the cold.

“Yeah you are, sweetheart.”

“Am I interrupting?”

You jumped away from Dick as if you’d been burned, the warmth of his body turning ice rigid in your veins as Wally stood at your open door, looking in at the two of you. You cleared your throat as Dick, ever the one to be able to bring in levity in pungent silence, spoke up.

“Not at all, she’s all yours.”

And then, squeezing your hands one last time (that had gone limp in his reach the moment his best friend had walked in), Dick glanced at you one last time, impish smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he moved to leave the room, patting Wally on the back while he did.

Wally watched as you glared at the broad shoulders that disappeared from the doorframe, before taking in your appearance. You shuffled, suddenly aware of not just how unkempt your hair was, but the fact that you’d been standing in front of Dick and now Wally, in a shirt thin enough to see your bra through. If only you’d had the foresight to wear a nicer one, maybe this wouldn’t be half as awkward.

“I erm. . . I got caught in the rain,” you supplied helplessly, tugging at the end of your cotton tank top, spinning around as you went to the drawer to grab dry clothes.

“I can see that.”

Wally still sounded far away: when you glanced over your shoulder after finding a dry shirt, you found him still standing in the doorway, his stance stilted and wound tight like he couldn’t decide whether he should enter or not.

”You’ve seen me in my bra before, just get in already,” you chuckled, waving him in, only noticing him hesitate for a second before nodding, following your instructions and shutting the door behind him. “Your group project finally got situated?”

Wally had stayed back at Central City University for some project he had for his Physics 301 class while you’d left earlier, having decided on working at the Tower instead. And lucky for him, he’d managed to get all the luck with the weather because it was finally sunny outside again.

Wally cleared his throat as you pulled your shirt over your head. “So, you and Dick. . .”

“What about Dick and I?”

Pulling your head through the neck hole of a dry shirt, to find him still hovering like he didn’t know how to exist in your space, a place he’d inhabited since the two of you were five and playing in the sandbox. You frowned, watching him glance around like he’d lost the right to be in there without you asking for him first.

“. . . Is everything alright?”

”Yeah, I just. . . I’m happy for Dick and you.”

You blinked, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. Did he seriously think that Dick was the one that had you losing all sense?

”I’m just going to—“ he pointed behind him, and before you could even stop him, he’d phased through the shut door. You rushed after him, trying to find the speedster as you pulled your door open with urgency.

”Wally—“

The hallway was empty.

.

It had always felt like breathing. At least, that’s how Wally thought about it.

Since the first time you’d met, Wally had found himself in tune with you, like a wavelength honing in on a frequency that it needed in order to function. You’d been giggly and had a chip in your front tooth from where you’d hit your face on while jumping off the swing and doing a flip you’d just learned in gymnastics. You’d never even cried about it, the grin of showing off to your new friend still plastered even as the corner of your lip started bleeding and your mother came rushing towards you. You’d simply grabbed Wally’s hand and told him you’d teach him how to do it too.

That was the first time he’d met you, and since then you’d been a stronghold in his life, someone he’d come to know inside out, maybe even better than he’d known himself. You’d been the first person he’d found after getting his powers, after he found out how his uncle was The Flash, the trials that came with having powers, you’d been standing beside him, always with a snack (apples crusted with peanut butter, to make sure he was both eating healthy but also had something to satiate his sweet tooth) and a smile that disarmed every bit of distaste he felt towards himself for not being good enough. You’d been there for the first ever time he’d had his heart broken, a girl he’d seen only a few months in high school, but you’d been there to cheer him up, mend the parts that he never knew could break.

Wally had known it’d only be a matter of time before Dick and you finally got together, it’d be stupid to think otherwise, but god he didn’t realise just how much it would sting being second place to Dick.

He’d learned early on that being Wally West meant being able to learn you and love you, and he’d made his peace with it. You’d were singular in every way and it wasn’t surprising that everyone around you noticed; you tended to do that, draw people into an orbit that made them feel like they were at home, because that’s what you did to him at age five with a toothy grin. He just needed to make peace with the fact that you’d found someone else.

“What’re you doing here?”

Blinking, Wally saw Roy walk up to him, the former Green Arrow sidekick dressed up as if he had somewhere to be.

“Where’re you off to?”

“Had a date,” Roy grinned, patting Wally on the shoulder as he vaulted over the couch, settling into the one that wasn’t occupied by the speedster. “Now why are you sulking? Trouble in paradise?”

Wally’s eyes narrowed. Roy, amongst other things, was a big gossip, especially when around Donna and you, the three of you always knee deep in random news you’d heard (four if K’ori wasn’t off-world). Half of it of course came from the type of vigilantes Roy and you happened to be, but the other half was simply pure curiosity. Wally had never met a man both so brilliant and downright ready to binge an entire season’s worth of reality television.

“What paradise? There’s no paradise.”

Roy simply looked at him, a stray strand of red hair falling over his forehead from his man bun—the only person Wally had seen ever pull off that style so well—and shook his head, a low chuckle emitting from his throat. “Yeah right, I’m not blind dude.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Uh huh, and we’re all just happy go lucky adults with no issues at all,” Roy nodded, and Wally could tell that the archer was taking the piss out of him, but god he couldn’t help it. “Seriously dude, just talk to her.”

“I can’t— I can’t just talk to her!”

“Yes you can, you just open your mouth and form words.”

Wally walloped him with a pillow as Roy laughed at his red face, tossing the decorative piece right back at the speedster, who simply grabbed it and placed it down next to him with more force than required.

“I can’t, she’s going out with Dick now.”

Roy raised a brow, now settled into the couch as he folded his arms across his chest. “Huh, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Tell me about it,” Wally slumped into the cushioning, hands running over his face.

He could feel Roy’s eyes burning into the side of his skull as he stayed hidden behind his fingers, trying to press them into his skull like it would press away the way he needed you into the back of his mind, to be left untouched and forgotten as time would pass by.

“My advice is you talk to her, what’s the worst that could happen?”

And with that, Wally could hear the sound of fading footsteps as Roy headed out towards his room, once again leaving the redhead to stew in his own feelings, the night sky greeting him as he stared out the window, trying to figure out just when he’d found himself so helpless to the way he loved you.

The crickets chirped faintly in the background as the hum of the city started falling asleep.

.

Wally had begun trying to find ways to avoid you. It’d started small, with not being free during the week to study together in the Central City University library like the two of you usually did. He’d been working everyday this week on some or the other assignment, or was hanging out with friends from his classes, who you had met barely in passing to actually know, which meant that you’d spent more time with his parents than him, feeling bad about only showing up on their doorstep to ask about their son. You played poker with his father as you waited, but Wally never returned home, only zooming by you on your interconnected patrol routes. Hell, it’d gotten to the point where you’d not trained together either. No matter what, Wally never missed sparring sessions with you.

You wondered what could’ve possibly happened for him to ignore you. Hooking your penknife into the latch of his window, you jiggled it around, trying to catch the grove that would help you unlock it, and after a few moments, you heard the sound of your success, the click of the mechanic registering as you slid open the window, toppling through gracefully and face first into wooden flooring.

“What are you doing?”

You stood up, brushing yourself off as Wally leaned against the doorway of his bathroom, eyeing you down with confusion. “You were ignoring me all week.”

“So you break into my room?”

”Obviously,” you chuckled, closing the gap between you as you moved into the room. You only stopped when he spoke up again.

”Why?”

Wally looked genuinely surprised, like he hadn’t expected you to fix whatever it was that had gone so wrong that he’d decided forgetting about you was better than talking with you.

You could feel your lips tug into a frown at the idea of never having access to Wally— selfishly, you needed him around, if nothing else then as your best friend. He’d been an extension of you since you’d first met him, trying (and succeeding) at impressing him enough to become your friend in the sandbox. Even at five years old, you could tell he was important, and not because he was the first boy you’d befriended. Wally had a way of making everything around you brighter, like you’d become Midas-touched gold, forever shining as long as he looked at you. He’d brought laughter out of you when your grandfather died; when you’d started crying over Marley and Me and he’d promised he’d find a way to make the dog the two of you got together live forever; when you had first killed a man on the job (an accident, and he was the bad guy, but that didn’t mean it didn’t flash behind your eyelids for over a month) but struggled to wash off the blood until Wally held your shaking hands to do it for you. . .

“Are we okay?”

The question came out quieter than you wanted it to, like punching it out of your lungs expelled all the fear you had about it, into the open where Wally could grab onto it, grab it and do whatever he pleased with the worry you held for him, for the two of you.

Wally shrugged, hands shoved into his sweatpants. He’d moved out of the bathroom now, the door clicking shut softly behind him. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat at the impassive callousness in his voice. Your tongue felt heavy, pinned down as you called out his name. “Wally. . .”

“Baby, ’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Baby, the word sunk heady into your heart, something you’d wished to hear from him, but not like this. Wally had his arms crossed over his chest, standing next to his bed now as he watched you watch him. You cursed as you could feel your eyes shine with watery tears that were beginning to form. Why did he think you didn’t care about him? All you ever did was worry about ways Wally could live a life that he was proud of, one that he wouldn’t have to hide in the future from whoever he was around (and in the most dangerous dreams you had about it, it was you by his side).

“Why wouldn’t I worry about you?” You scoffed, biting back the tears as you stared at the redhead who was watching you intently. “Do you think I don’t care?”

“No you— you do, I know that. . . but with Dick around now, you’ll—“

“What does Dick have to do with you not talking to me?”

Wally ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the tuff of it where it connected to his neck, feet moving as he began pacing. “Doesn’t everything lately have to do with him? I’m happy for you guys, truly. But I can’t be around you, not while I. . .”

“While you, what?” You asked, watching as Wally went still, eyes bugging wide when you repeated yourself. “While you what, Wallace?”

He winced when you used his actual name, not even Walls or Wally, instead shaking his head as he pointed at his window. “You should go.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” you huffed, now your arms crossed as you stared down the boy you’d loved since the beginning of high school.

Wally sucked in a sharp breath like the idea of telling you the truth caused a physical wound in him, and you desperately needed to know it was something you could fix. Because you couldn’t stand the idea of not having Wally anywhere except next to you: it’s what you’d always known, the only thing you’d been sure of since you were a little girl.

When he opened his mouth, you could feel yourself slipping into that hope that finally you’d gotten through to him. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You could feel the air expunge itself from your lungs as Wally turned to fidget with his bedding. He didn’t even look back as you whispered a goodnight Walls over his windowsill, body halfway out. Swallowing harshly, you balanced on the edge of the roof to the West house before dropping down, crouching low to the ground once you landed on the grass of their backyard.

In the quiet of the night, you walked yourself back to your apartment building (which was closer than the tower), eyes red by the time you found yourself in bed, tucked into the duvet that was still the same pastel green that you and Wally had picked together back when you were just children.

.

“Woah, you alright sweetheart?”

Dick and Donna came into your line of sight, the Wayne heir grinned good naturedly while Donna watched you curiously.

Huffing, you landed another hit on the sandbag, the chain swinging from the impact. Donna caught it as it neared her, “what’s going on?”

”Wally, he’s just. . . God, boys can be so frustrating!”

You punched the bag once again as Donna let it go, the Amazonian stepping aside right as the bag swung off the hook in the ceiling. Dick raised his hands in surrender as if he were the one in the line of fire.

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

You eyed Dick, who was still standing far enough to not get hit, and watching you with concern written into the crease of his brows and the corners of his mouth before shaking your head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, I’ll— I’ll talk to him. . . Besides, I don’t think you’ll get through him this time.”

Dick frowned, but nodded. And you understood why; Wally and Dick had been inseparable when the two of you joined the team back in the day, as children who still had hope and dreams of a world that seemed much nicer than it actually is. Wally had found a brother in Dick, and so did the former Robin, you knew that the idea of Wally not listening to Dick would hurt him, but you didn’t want whatever it was that had Wally hurting because of Dick be an issue, not until you could at least figure it out first.

Donna stepped forward, tying her hair back as she did. “Want to spar for a bit? Take your mind off of that idiot?”

“Sure,” you chuckled, shaking your head. Donna always knew how to make you feel better. If you couldn’t talk it out, you’d get out whatever it was with a fight. She’d been much the same way since she’d joined the team as well. “What would I do without you, my love?”

“Be moping,” Dick called out, now hanging off of one the beams, practicing his flips and tricks from a life he no longer had. You looked up and he was grinning from cheek to cheek. “Your emo teenage angst shit is filling this room.”

You rolled your eyes. “Dickhead.”

“That’s me,” he called, swinging his body through the maze of support beams and other bars that had been installed specifically for him.

You turned to Donna, who was grinning as well. “Well, shall we?”

“Why, of course.”

Donna crouched low, waiting on your move. You took the first step.

.

By the time you’d entered your room, it’d been past midnight. Patrol had been long, even longer when Wally wasn’t there to trade jokes with you, or attempt to guess what exactly you’d end up finding while on your rounds.

You’d barely shut your door, still in your suit as you flopped onto the bed when you could feel the familiar hum of frequency outside your door before a loud knock echoed against it.

“Get inside, Wally.”

“Can you. . . Can you open the door?”

Sighing, you dragged yourself up, pulling open the door to see Wally, still in his yellow and red costume, goggles tucked into his hair and freckles on display as the face piece to his suit was pushed back. The boy shuffled on his feet, as if surprised to see you standing in front of him. “Hi.”

“Can you not phase through shit anymore?” You asked, opening the door wider as he stepped in at your gesture for him to do so, stopping just beyond the threshold. You shut the door softly behind him.

“I’m sorry.”

And without meaning to, laughter spilled out of you, the sound more hollow and mean than Wally had ever heard out of you. “You’re sorry? That’s new. I thought you were too busy ignoring me.”

You strode towards your closet, wanting to change out of the suit that stuck to your skin, the suffocating feeling of having Wally so close to you after two weeks of him trying to erase himself from your life practically felt like you’d lose air the longer you were constricted in it. Wally grabbed your hand before you could move far away.

“I mean it, I was being a dick about well. . . Dick,” he winced, brows scrunching even further when you didn’t laugh even the slightest at the unintentional joke, something you always did. Sucking in a harsh breath, he carried on, “if you’re happy with him, I’ll make my peace with it. I just want my best friend back.”

“If I’m happy with whom, Walls?”

You looked genuinely confused, as if Wally hadn’t been there to see Dick and you fall for each other these past few months.

“Dick.”

“What?”

And to Wally’s surprise, you were laughing. You were bent over the waist, nearly falling into him at the image he’d given you. “What’s so funny?”

“Dick and I— there’s nothing. . . Oh my god, did you think I was going out with Dick?”

You had tears coming out of your eyes as you looked at him, as if the idea of anybody wanting to be with Dick Grayson was absurd. He knew the two of you were perfect together, and would look the part too in Gotham’s socialite papers and photographs.

“Please, Dick has his eye set on a redhead at all times,” you chuckled, wiping at the corner of your eyes, “he’s more likely to go for you.”

And at Wally’s shock, at his mouth that fell open, unable to find words, you’d found yourself laughing again. “Wait, so you and Dick aren’t—“

“We never were,” you shook your head, head tilting as if you’d found something out. Your eyes were swimming with curiosity, a sort of finality he’d only seen in you when you’d cracked a particularly difficult case. He’d seen it when you’d found the answer that had stumped you during your criminology courses, when you’d found out whatever Wally had hidden from you (like the surprise parties he tried throwing for your birthday, only for you to find him out five times in a row before he gave up). But now, they looked ever more sure, and Wally hoped he hadn’t been found out.

You took a step forward, now facing him as you closed the distance. “Hey, Walls?”

Wally hummed, eyes darting all over your face, close enough that he could see every shade and hue in your eyes, the way your mouth was pulled into a smile, something sly but that also said you wanted to know something, as your eyes fixed on his mouth.

“What up?”

“Don’t panic.”

“I— what? What do you mean—“

You’d grabbed him by the collar, lips slotting against his that were still sealed shut. The surprise of the impact had him opening his eyes, before reality caught up to him. You were kissing him. You were kissing him. Before he could fully return the fervour, you’d pulled back.

“That’s why.”

Wally was staring at you, eyes wide. “You kissed me.”

”I did,” you grinned, closing the gap to the point where Wally could feel your body pressed up against his, and instinct dictated that he steady you, his hands falling on your waist. “Now are you just going to stand there and gawk, or will you kiss me again?”

When Wally made no move to respond, still glued to the fact that you’d kissed him and it wasn’t a dream, you made to move out of his embrace. “Maybe I should go ask Dick if he wants to— mmph!”

”Shut up,” Wally murmured, pressing his lips to yours again, hands moving to circle around you as he pulled you closer to him, but he was grinning now. You couldn’t help mirror it as you pulled him closer to you, tugging on his hair as you did.

Wally let out a low sound, shuffling back as you hit the edge of your desk, his palms flash against your hips as he set you on top of it. The fireproof material of Wally’s suit bunching in your hands as you dragged him closer, his hands steadying you, still kissing you as if he couldn’t stop. He moved away when you hooked one leg to pull him closer.

”Wait— hold on, what does this mean?”

You blinked, the sluggish euphoria that had filled your veins, sparking a fire in your system slowed into a small flame as you finally realised what he was saying. You looked up into deep greens as they studied you, trying to figure you out, the way they always did.

”I don’t want to do this if it’s just something casual, I don’t— I can’t do that, not with you.”

You loosened your grip on his collar, smoothening it as you tried to figure out how to put it in a way that made him understand just how selfishly you needed him. “That’s the last thing I want with you.”

”Good, because I want this,” he was drawing circles into your waist, still close like he couldn’t bear to be any further from you, eyes scanning every inch of your face. “I want you, all of you.”

You smiled, heart thump-thump-thumping so wild you were sure he could feel it with how close the two of you were. “You have me.”

And Wally’s smile was blinding, the flame in your veins burning brighter just at the way he was looking at you.

“Yeah?” he asked, voice soft and wrecked with emotion.

”Yeah.”

Wally’s mouth slotted against yours against, messy and teeth clashing with how brightly he was smiling, tongue licking at your bottom lip as you dragged him into you, letting him take and take and take everything he wanted. His hands slid into your hair as he tilted your head back, lips moving across every inch of skin he could access, your legs hooking around his hips to sit flush with yours.

”I can’t wait to tell Dick you thought that I was in love with him when you’re here.”

Wally groaned against your pulse point, the spot behind your ear, the sound low and gravelly that had your eyes fluttering shut as you fought to keep your teasing for longer. He pulled away, just enough to speak.

”You won’t let me live that down, will you?”

”I can be convinced,” you teased, breath hitching as he already started tracing a path across your skin again, willing you to forget his stupidity, hands already latching onto the zipper in the front of your tactical suit. “Fuck, baby. . .”

”Say that again,” he hummed, mouthing at your collarbone and you had no choice but to acquiesce his demand.

”Wally, babe, don’t—fuck, don’t stop,” you whimpered as his hips pressed hard into yours again, the pressure only causing the fire curling low in your belly to burn harder as you met his actions and desire.

“God, you have no idea what you do to me, darlin’.”

The low drawl had you pulling him up, his eyes not only having a slither of green as they gazed up at you in hunger.

“I have an idea,” you mumbled, dragging him into you again, his body following yours with no resistance.

SPIDEROOOS 2026.

[spiderooos]

okay, so update!!

i’m back after not writing for a while! (uni was on my ass lol),,, i’m now like 4k into a wally west fic and i fear it’s not even halfway close to done—

idk when it is going to be halfway… my brain keeps saying i need more of the dynamic before i finally make my dolls kiss

me rn trying to write (and finish!) this fic:

[spiderooos]

ITS OUT NOWWWWW!!!!

literally the longest fic i’ve written in forever, but i’m so happy about it :)))

[spiderooos]

teenage dirtbag ✸ wally west.

a schoolyard crush turns into something monumental when wally realises that his best friend also has eyes for you.

includes. . . wally west x fem!reader, (SLIGHT!) dick grayson x fem!reader. characterised after the young justice universe. vigilante!reader, fluff, angst, tension & slightly suggestive at the end, lots of teenage/early 20s emotions running amok here.

word count. . . 8.8k

notes. . . wally is literally so precious to me i don’t even know where to begin!!! i’ve made reader to be widow-like. oh, and wally stays alive. . . for now! JK,,, unless???? (no seriously, i’m kidding, i’m still traumatised from his death in the show). hope you guys like this!!

Summer had hit you all like a storm.

The team had split up, the tower much more quieter than normal. Most of them either were back home with their civilian lives, or off world. Those still in the tower had found themselves lounging around, the common room filled with popcorn and snacks, and a very intense game of Monopoly (that had just ended), lounging around in a rare day of peace and freedom from their vigilante lives.

“Hey, Walls,” you called out, catching the attention of the speedster who’d been hovering around the kitchen. He stood to attention, coming towards where you’d asked for him, standing at the countertop. “Help me with the drinks?”

“Anything you want, beautiful,” he flashed you a smile, leaning heavily over you as you manoeuvred a bunch of cups into his hand, while you held two tall pitchers of ice tea. He took in your outfit, dressed in shorts and a tank top, your hair pushed away from your face to combat the heat.

You looked over your shoulder, bright smile on your face. “Coming?”

Snapping out of his daze, Wally sped up to join you, setting down the cups next to the pitchers and sliding into the seat next to you.

Before he could open his mouth, possibly shove his foot in there by letting out another flirtatious comment, you speak up.

“Hello, handsome.”

Wally blinks, once, slow. Did he hear you correctly? Was he finally out of—

“Hi there, gorgeous.”

Dick.

Of fucking course it was Dick Grayson. The boy had sidled himself next to you, leaning into your personal space, and worst of all, you’re letting him. Wally looked up, you were preening under the charming smile the raven haired boy had put on. Preening, and Dick had his chest puffed out like a fucking peacock, thanking you for taking care of the team.

“You’re so nice to me.”

Wally knew that voice, the fucking low and gravelly tone swaying any girl into one Dick Grayson’s arms. The very arms that were way too close to you while in nothing but a wifebeater, muscles fully on display. The ginger huffed.

“Of course, can’t have you fainting on me from the heat,” you patted Dick’s thigh heavily, and Wally swears if he could switch powers he’d steal Superman’s heat-vision eyes—or as Wally would prefer to put it: laser-beams-that-melt-off-hands eyes—the moment Dick placed his hand over yours.

He busied himself with pouring a glass of ice tea, all but shoving it in front of you. “Didn’t you say you were thirsty earlier, babe?”

You frowned, confused, but gratefully accepted the drink he was holding out. It was hot outside. You opened your mouth to speak and Wally was waiting for. . . something, maybe pretty boy at least if not handsome (clearly, that was reserved for Richard).

“Thanks, Walls.”

“Of course, beautiful, anytime.”

You grinned, once again turning to Dick who was telling you some story, hands waving animatedly as he stole every bit of your attention.

Walls.

Wally swore he could feel the ground swallowing him whole as you laughed loudly at the story he’d heard a million times before. Fucking Alfred and his infamous cookies that made everyone act like animals. Fuck Dick too while you’re at it, he grumbled under his breath, slumping into the couch.

.

Okay, so maybe he was overreacting.

You have always been flirty and Dick hasn’t been nothing if not a very willing recipient (and active participant) of someone beautiful hitting on him. Hell, Wally was sure Dick would flirt with anything breathing if they were actually interested. Which, looking at the Wayne heir, anyone would be. But did it have to be you?

Sighing, Wally moved through the tower in a breeze, reaching the training room in record time where you were going to spar with him, like always. “Sweetheart, sorry I’m late, was running low on fuel.”

“It’s alright, Walls,” you chuckled, wiping the chalk dust from your palms, the one that Dick used when he was doing his bendy gymnastics stuff. Since when had you decided to pick it up? Were you making a career switch to an acrobat?

“So, you er, you’re doing. . . gymnastics?”

Your lips pursed at the way his voice squeaked out at the end, confused before nodding softly. “Yeah, Dick’s been teaching me some stuff.”

Cool, just two teammates helping each other out. You were the best at hand to hand combat on the team, so maybe you just wanted to find someone new to learn something from, and apparently that someone is not Wally.

“You guys hang out now?”

“Uh, yeah? Figured I’d learn something new.” You chuckled, the two of you now circling around the mat. You crouched low, eyes locked on Wally in a smile so sinisterly cocky the speedster could feel his mind going fuzzy. God, you looked good.

Before Wally could even open his mouth, you’d pounced. The young speedster barely noticed you before zooming to the other side of the mat. You raised a brow and he smiled, sheepish, apologetic. Right, no powers.

Taking a deep breath, Wally blocked the hit you were aiming at his neck, forearm pushing you off, and then suddenly he can smell you, the scent deep and warm before he had his arm twisted behind his back.

“Stop zoning out Walls,” your voice was hot on the back of his neck. He could feel his face heating up, the red creeping around his freckled face up to the tips of his ears. You let go of him as he leaned his weight into your hold to signal for him to be let loose.

“Getting distracted—“

“—gets you killed.”

You smiled at Wally when he completed your statement. Gesturing, you took your position on the other side of the mat, Wally copying you.

This time, Wally went first. Instead of aiming high like you’d done, the speedster goes low, head tucked into his chin as he grabs you by the waist, using the momentum to swing the two of you on the ground. You let out a soft sound at the impact, but it sounded more like you were amused. When he looked up, he saw the taunting look in your eye, a lazy, smug look tugging at the corners of your mouth. Without even huffing at the effort, you pushed your hips up into his, making him lose balance as you flipped the two of you over, hands now pinning him down, arm stretched across his chest as you held him down on to the mat.

“Nice one,” you grinned, blowing your hair away from your face. You leaned in closer, chest pressed against his, and Wally could swear his heartbeat was the loudest soundtrack he could ever hear. “You almost got me there.”

“Next time,” he rasped out, puffing out a breath of air, hoping it didn’t smell of the Cheetos he’d eaten before training. The movement made the stubborn strand in front of your eyes sway. You smiled, a genuine one, and somehow his heartbeat just rang louder. “I’ll get you next time.”

“I’m counting on it.”

And then you got off of him, holding out your hand for him to stand up. Sucking in a lungful of air, Wally took it, pulled up to stand close enough where he could see every shade of colour in your eyes. They were endless pools of warmth he could fall into forever, and they were looking at him. Right at him. “Walls?”

Clearing his throat, the speedster stepped back, letting go of your hand to ruffle the hair at the top of his head. “Shall we go again?”

“You sure? You seem distracted today.”

“I’m fine, just don’t think my pre-sparring snack was the best one I’ve had.”

You laughed, the sound bright as you got back to the mat. Wally followed suit, the two of you once again circling each other. “Ready?”

You had that smile again, the low, dangerous look in your eyes, the one he saw out on the field. The one Dick held in his smile after he’d seen how it unnerved your opponents. Fucking Dick and his ability to charm everyone. Wally struck out, his body moving before he could catch up, hand coming straight for your face, and before he could even think about how foolishly impulsive the move was, he was face down on the mat, your knee pinning him down as you bent his arm back, not enough to hurt, but just enough to where he could feel a strain.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

You’d let him go, pulling him to stand at his full height as you grabbed a water bottle, tossing it to the speedster, the shocking pink a contrast against the muted green of his tank. “Yeah I’m fine. Just. . . lost in thought I guess.”

“Penny for them?” you asked, now sitting next to him on the floor. Wally shrugged, handing you the bottle when you held your hand out for it, eyes watching your mouth as it used the sucker on the bottle (where Wally had his mouth moments before), tracing down the column of your throat as you drank greedily.

“I’m good.”

“Promise?” You held out your pinky, Wally smiling as he linked his to yours, the two of you kissing each of your hands as if to seal the pact.

“Promise,” he murmured, mouth hidden by his hand, but he could see you smile behind yours as you murmured a ‘good’ against it.

You pressed your lips one last time to your linked hands for good measure, letting the speedster copy you before the two of you sat up, hands still linked in the silence of the training room, catching your breaths.

God, you had no idea what you did to him.

.

Dick caught up with you as you left the training room, having just walked out of the showers attached next to it, the one Wally had gone into not too long ago. The former Batman sidekick had a towel slung low across his waist, water not yet fully wiped off of him. He smiled as he noticed you.

“Hi, beautiful.”

You grinned, standing up from where you’d been cleaning up after the sparring session between you and Wally. “Hey there, pretty boy. Took a long time in the showers I see.”

Dick fell in step with you, walking out of the training room as you slung a wet towel across your shoulders, water bottle in hand. “Well maybe I was waiting on you.”

“Is that so?” you looked up at him, brow raised. Dick just shrugged, eyes glinting with mischief. His lips were pulled into a cocky smile, tongue peeking out to wet his lower lips.

“Yeah.”

You hummed. “Is that why you’re following me around in just a towel?”

Dick blinked, slowing to a halt outside the door of your room. You watched his skin flush a deep rouge, the heat spreading across his chest and up his cheeks. “I uh, I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, alright,” you laughed, watching as he stepped back a couple steps before spinning on his feet and heading a couple steps down towards his room. His hand rubbed at the back of his neck as he reached the door, turning around once to wink at you—despite the colour in his face, before shutting the door.

“Aren’t you something,” you murmured, eyes still on the spot he left.

“Who’re you talking to, weirdo?”

You jumped, startled as you stood up straight, leaning away from the doorframe. Wally was standing next to you, now smelling fresh and clean from his shower. “Nobody. Hey, you wanna watch a movie? I’ve got the new Fast and Furious.”

Wally nodded, eyes glancing once more at the door next to yours—where Dick stayed when he was at the Titans Tower—before following you into your door, the lock clicking softly as it shut behind him.

.

Wally swore Dick was everywhere.

The stupid bird themed superhero seemed to spawn around you whenever the speedster wanted to hang out, and he was seconds away from transporting his best friend to the South Pole to live with the penguins (not you, of course, he knew you hated the cold— the ex-sidekick to Gotham’s very own Batman, however. . . ).

The beach was empty as you guys had set up a blanket on the sand, the grains warm but soothing as you dug your toes under the piles. The team had decided to have a little sunset campfire and sing-a-long at the beach, simply to celebrate the hard work of a successful week of leading double lives (in yours, Dick’s and Wally’s cases), and also for being really good at your side job of beating up bad guys.

“I’ve got the drinks,” Roy cheered, plopping down with a six pack, and some other sodas and assortments of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that were sloshing around in the portable cooler in his hand. “Here.”

He tossed a chill bottle of beer he’d pulled out of it, and Wally caught it. You grinned as Roy passed one to you as well, much nicer in his handling. “Thanks, speedy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Roy narrowed his eyes playfully at you as Wally and you laughed next to each other. You giggled, leaning into your best friend as you moved the bottle to your mouth, digging your teeth under the metallic cap, and with a slight pressure, you heard the pop and fizz of it coming off.

You looked up, catching the ginger boy watching your every move, eyes tracking your mouth as if he’d zeroed in on something that deserved his attention. You.

You licked your lips, trying to calm the sudden dryness in your throat. Wally’s eyes seemed to darken even more, the flames dancing in them tantalisingly as he copied you. You could hear your heart beating irratically.

“Sweetheart, I need your help.”

Blinking, you turned to look at Dick, mind sluggish as it tried to clear from the haze you had found yourself in. Sitting close enough to the two of you that you could feel his warmth, Dick was holding out his own bottle of beer, making you roll your eyes.

“If you wanted me to watch me use my mouth for you, you could’ve just said so,” you repeated your actions, the pop! of the metal cap opening making Dick grin as he watched you.

“But that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Wally cleared his throat, watching the two of you lean into each other, teasing smiles and eyes burning with a sort of emotion he’d never seen in you. Were you actually falling for Dick Grayson?

“I’m thinking of starting on the s’mores,” he gestured next to you guys where Kori, Donna and Roy had set up the fire, the flames curling in reckless abandon. The three of them had settled into the sand. You smiled, squeezing his hand as you grabbed it.

“We’ll come with.”

The three of you moved towards your friends, and as you sat down next to Donna, the two of you trying to tell Kori about some new music the two of you were obsessed with currently, he wondered when did you and Dick Grayson become a ‘we’. And why was he so bothered that he wasn’t a ‘we’ to you?

.

It was official.

Dick Grayson was at the top of his hit list.

Wally swore that he could find him everywhere, even in places where he didn’t think possible: like his fucking high school.

“And then he was telling me how Tim changed every one of Bruce’s codes to. . .”

The two of you were walking through the hallways, and ever since summer, all you’d been gabbing to him was about your new best friend Richard Grayson. The first day back to school and apparently Dick had called you in the night to talk. Yeah, right, Wally thought to himself, everyone has a conversation at 11 in the night.

He caught himself before he could roll his eyes.

“Walls?” You were snapping your fingers in front of his face. When he jolted, you frowned, curious as to what was happening. “Dude, you alright? You went AWOL on me there.”

Wally coughed, nodding. “Yeah I’m fine, long night.”

“Really? With whom?”

You sounded off, somehow not as cheery as you did just moment’s prior when you told him about how Tim had hacked into the programming in the Batcave to play a prank of the Batman. Wally tilted his head towards you as you stopped swinging your joined arms, no longer moving him around while you rambled.

What was it about Dick that had you so drawn to him?

“Nothing, just couldn’t get sleep.”

You frowned, squeezing his hand. During the academic year, Wally would end up walking around with the worst dark circles known to man, all because of his tendency to not get any sleep at night, especially since the two of you didn’t go on patrol as often during the school year. You suspected it had something to do with his powers, his inability to actually stay still and his energy that’s always contagious, always overflowing with so much life that you can’t help but be drawn towards him. But this was early, even for Wally. Usually, it’d take at least a week for him to start complaining about it, and then showing up at your window in the night.

“You want to come over tonight?” You squeezed his hand again, smiling softly in a way that had Wally’s heart thump-thump-thumping hard against his chest.

“What about Dick?”

“What about him?”

The earnest confusion in your voice made him look at you, eyes searching your face. Your brows were furrowed and lips were pursed in an adorable pout that Wally could almost dream of pressing his mouth again and devouring, but what stood out most to him was one simple thing: you weren’t thinking about Dick.

“I just— nothing,” Wally rubbed the back of his neck, lips pulling into a smile when you squeezed his hand (that was still holding yours), “what time should I be there?”

“Come over right after patrol, I’ve got your sweats washed. Couldn’t get that stain out though.”

“It’s fine.”

Wally laughed, letting you drag him around to your next class before the bell rang. You hated being late.

.

By the time the two of you fell onto the floor through your open bedroom window, Wally was spent. He’d starfished across the soft carpet, still in his Kid Flash costume, and you’d fallen right on top of him with an undignified oomph!

“Move your fat ass out of the way, Walls,” you poked him in his side where you knew he was ticklish, making him jerk at the sudden movement, as you got up.

“I’m good,” his voice was once again muffled, face down in the carpet, “I’ll just stay here.”

You laughed, pulling yourself up as Wally turned over to look at your grinning face staring down at him. “Do you plan on making yourself comfortable there or shall I keep space in bed for you?”

Wally could feel his heart in his throat as he nodded towards your bed. Swallowing harshly, he cleared his throat. “I can’t pass on that beauty.”

Chuckling, you headed towards the bathroom, calling out over your shoulder as you grabbed the door handle.

“Clothes are in the drawer and mom got extra snacks if you’re hungry. Just change first!”

And then Wally heard the lock click shut, the sound of the shower running beyond the wooden door. Sighing, he stood up, gravitating towards your closet to grab some spare clothes he could change into after a shower and setting them aside, somewhat of a proud smile on his face. At least Dick didn’t have an entire section in your closet for his clothes.

By the time you’d come back from your shower, Wally had sprawled himself once again on your fuzzy carpet, now filled with half the snacks in your pantry and a couple of cookies your father had baked earlier in the night.

“Hey, brought up some cookies, your parents have gone to bed.”

You grinned, bee-lining to the nightstand where Wally had left your treasure, while the redhead moved towards the shower. “What would I do without you, Wally?”

“Be boring and lonely— ow!”

Wally glared at you, trying hardest to be mad as he rubbed the spot where you’d punched him for his comment but he could feel his mouth fighting against him at your cheeky smile. Your eyes were shining with mischief and warmth and Wally couldn’t help but mirror your grin as you fell onto your mattress. “Save one for me.”

“You already ate so many!”

You looked up at him with bright eyes, and Wally could feel his heart soaring at how open and vulnerable you seemed. You were still smiling, even as he flicked you on the forehead before moving swiftly aside to dodge your counterattack.

“Yeah well, I’m your best friend. It’s in the rules: guests get more food.”

You sat up on your elbows, eyeing the boy who had a impish look on his face. “Please you stopped being a guest since you were six.”

You rolled your eyes as Wally mocked you, finally heading into the shower while you fell back on your bed, cheeks still warm from the smile on your face. That boy had no idea what he did to you.

.

Steam curled out of the bathroom as Wally stepped out, sweatpants loose on his hips and a towel he used to dry his hair. You were on your back now, reading a book as you waited on him.

“Here, saved you the last one.”

“I knew you loved me,” he grinned, snatching it up as you rolled your eyes at him, all fond and warm. You really did love him.

Wally plopped down gracelessly onto the bed next to you, laughing when you whacked him complaining about crumbs (he’d made sure to not let a single one fall, he knew you didn’t like eating in bed) and snuggled into his side of the bed.

You propped yourself up into his eyeline, watching him drink you in like he always did, like he was clawing for air only you could offer. He only hoped it wasn’t as obvious to you. “So, what d’ya wanna do?”

Wally hummed, hand coming back up to brush against the bruise on your cheek, the one that you’d gained earlier in the night during patrol after narrowly missing a fist aimed at your face. You’d managed to grab the hand before it swung into bone, but the brass knuckles that decorated it had left a blooming red score on your cheekbone. “Does it hurt?”

“Not even a little bit,” you murmured, head nuzzling into his palm like you wanted to burrow yourself in it.

Wally could see the way your eye twitched ever so slightly at the point closest to your eye when he brushed the purpling bruise, but other than that, you were still smiling down at him with such warmth he could feel himself sinking into comfort.

You turned your head to kiss his palm once, gently lacing your fingers through his to pry it off your face as you leaned over to press your lips to his cheek, and Wally’s eyes fluttered close at the contact without hesitation.

“Go to sleep, West. You look like a troll I dragged out from under my bed.”

Wally guffawed, eyes wide open as you chortled, falling onto him upon looking at the wide eyed offence on his face, your body wrecked with unabashed laughter as you shook in his grasp. “You think you’re so hilarious, don’t you?”

You nodded against him, the humour bubbling out of you seeping into him at the points where you were connected (his hands on your back, holding you close to where you’d pressed yourself into his chest), his chest rumbling with laughter under you.

“Fine, let’s call it a night, sleeping beauty.”

The two of you tucked yourself under your covers without moving, the little night light you left on your bedside table the only sign of life in the dead of the night as sleep overcame the two of you.

.

The tower was quiet when you stepped inside. You shouldered your way through the door of your bedroom in the building, finally sliding off the wet coat and shoes that had collected the rainwater from the impromptu shower that the heavens had unleashed upon you.

“Oh hey, sweetheart.”

Before you could even catch up on the reason the voice was so familiar, you’d swung around, clipping the man behind you with your wet coat, the metal of the zipper clinking hard against his face.

“Richard Grayson, don’t you know better than to sneak up on people like that.”

You glared at the cheeky smile he sported, still standing comfortably in the middle of your room as you dragged your jacket away from his face and the matching red mark you’d left on the right side of his cheekbone, mirroring the one you had on your left.

“Great you see you too, darling.”

You rolled your eyes, shimmying out of the oversized Central City University sweatshirt, now feeling overly warm in the blooming heat of the building. Your tank top stuck to your skin from the water as you let your hair fall down your back, limp and wet, droplets tracing rivulets down your spine.

“Did you need something?”

“You wound me,” the raven haired boy grabbed his chest as if you’d physically hurt him, even stumbling back to sell his theatrical pain. You shook your head at him, rainwater clinging onto his face from the close proximity as he chuckled. “I just came to check on you cause of the rain.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint but I didn’t drown.”

“Can’t have my girl drowning on me,” he grinned, pulling you into his side to warm you up, and you gratefully leaned towards the heat of his (entirely too expensive) wool jumper, wet head of hair tucked into his chin as you placed your cold hands on the back of his neck, making him yelp. “Get away from me you heathen!”

“I thought I was your girl?” you mocked him, head tilted to one side as he kept you close enough to warm your hands against his. It was no secret you hated the cold.

“Yeah you are, sweetheart.”

“Am I interrupting?”

You jumped away from Dick as if you’d been burned, the warmth of his body turning ice rigid in your veins as Wally stood at your open door, looking in at the two of you. You cleared your throat as Dick, ever the one to be able to bring in levity in pungent silence, spoke up.

“Not at all, she’s all yours.”

And then, squeezing your hands one last time (that had gone limp in his reach the moment his best friend had walked in), Dick glanced at you one last time, impish smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he moved to leave the room, patting Wally on the back while he did.

Wally watched as you glared at the broad shoulders that disappeared from the doorframe, before taking in your appearance. You shuffled, suddenly aware of not just how unkempt your hair was, but the fact that you’d been standing in front of Dick and now Wally, in a shirt thin enough to see your bra through. If only you’d had the foresight to wear a nicer one, maybe this wouldn’t be half as awkward.

“I erm. . . I got caught in the rain,” you supplied helplessly, tugging at the end of your cotton tank top, spinning around as you went to the drawer to grab dry clothes.

“I can see that.”

Wally still sounded far away: when you glanced over your shoulder after finding a dry shirt, you found him still standing in the doorway, his stance stilted and wound tight like he couldn’t decide whether he should enter or not.

”You’ve seen me in my bra before, just get in already,” you chuckled, waving him in, only noticing him hesitate for a second before nodding, following your instructions and shutting the door behind him. “Your group project finally got situated?”

Wally had stayed back at Central City University for some project he had for his Physics 101 class while you’d left earlier, having decided on working at the Tower instead. And lucky for him, he’d managed to get all the luck with the weather because it was finally sunny outside again.

Wally cleared his throat as you pulled your shirt over your head. “So, you and Dick. . .”

“What about Dick and I?”

Pulling your head through the neck hole of a dry shirt, to find him still hovering like he didn’t know how to exist in your space, a place he’d inhabited since the two of you were five and playing in the sandbox. You frowned, watching him glance around like he’d lost the right to be in there without you asking for him first.

“. . . Is everything alright?”

”Yeah, I just. . . I’m happy for Dick and you.”

You blinked, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. Did he seriously think that Dick was the one that had you losing all sense?

”I’m just going to—“ he pointed behind him, and before you could even stop him, he’d phased through the shut door. You rushed after him, trying to find the speedster as you pulled your door open with urgency.

”Wally—“

The hallway was empty.

.

It had always felt like breathing. At least, that’s how Wally thought about it.

Since the first time you’d met, Wally had found himself in tune with you, like a wavelength honing in on a frequency that it needed in order to function. You’d been giggly and had a chip in your front tooth from where you’d hit your face on while jumping off the swing and doing a flip you’d just learned in gymnastics. You’d never even cried about it, the grin of showing off to your new friend still plastered even as the corner of your lip started bleeding and your mother came rushing towards you. You’d simply grabbed Wally’s hand and told him you’d teach him how to do it too.

That was the first time he’d met you, and since then you’d been a stronghold in his life, someone he’d come to know inside out, maybe even better than he’d known himself. You’d been the first person he’d found after getting his powers, after he found out how his uncle was The Flash, the trials that came with having powers, you’d been standing beside him, always with a snack (apples crusted with peanut butter, to make sure he was both eating healthy but also had something to satiate his sweet tooth) and a smile that disarmed every bit of distaste he felt towards himself for not being good enough. You’d been there for the first ever time he’d had his heart broken, a girl he’d seen only a few months in high school, but you’d been there to cheer him up, mend the parts that he never knew could break.

Wally had known it’d only be a matter of time before Dick and you finally got together, it’d be stupid to think otherwise, but god he didn’t realise just how much it would sting being second place to Dick.

He’d learned early on that being Wally West meant being able to learn you and love you, and he’d made his peace with it. You’d were singular in every way and it wasn’t surprising that everyone around you noticed; you tended to do that, draw people into an orbit that made them feel like they were at home, because that’s what you did to him at age five with a toothy grin. He just needed to make peace with the fact that you’d found someone else.

“What’re you doing here?”

Blinking, Wally saw Roy walk up to him, the former Green Lantern sidekick dressed up as if he had somewhere to be.

“Where’re you off to?”

“Had a date,” Roy grinned, patting Wally on the shoulder as he vaulted over the couch, settling into the one that wasn’t occupied by the speedster. “Now why are you sulking? Trouble in paradise?”

Wally’s eyes narrowed. Roy, amongst other things, was a big gossip, especially when around Donna and you, the three of you always knee deep in random news you’d heard (four if K’ori wasn’t off-world). Half of it of course came from the type of vigilantes Roy and you happened to be, but the other half was simply pure curiosity. Wally had never met a man both so brilliant and downright ready to binge an entire season’s worth of reality television.

“What paradise? There’s no paradise.”

Roy simply looked at him, a stray strand of red hair falling over his forehead from his man bun—the only person Wally had seen ever pull off that style so well—and shook his head, a low chuckle emitting from his throat. “Yeah right, I’m not blind dude.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Uh huh, and we’re all just happy go lucky adults with no issues at all,” Roy nodded, and Wally could tell that the archer was taking the piss out of him, but god he couldn’t help it. “Seriously dude, just talk to her.”

“I can’t— I can’t just talk to her!”

“Yes you can, you just open your mouth and form words.”

Wally walloped him with a pillow as Roy laughed at his red face, tossing the decorative piece right back at the speedster, who simply grabbed it and placed it down next to him with more force than required.

“I can’t, she’s going out with Dick now.”

Roy raised a brow, now settled into the couch as he folded his arms across his chest. “Huh, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Tell me about it,” Wally slumped into the cushioning, hands running over his face.

He could feel Roy’s eyes burning into the side of his skull as he stayed hidden behind his fingers, trying to press them into his skull like it would press away the way he needed you into the back of his mind, to be left untouched and forgotten as time would pass by.

“My advice is you talk to her, what’s the worst that could happen?”

And with that, Wally could hear the sound of fading footsteps as Roy headed out towards his room, once again leaving the redhead to stew in his own feelings, the night sky greeting him as he stared out the window, trying to figure out just when he’d found himself so helpless to the way he loved you.

The crickets chirped faintly in the background as the hum of the city started falling asleep.

.

Wally had begun trying to find ways to avoid you. It’d started small, with not being free during the week to study together in the Central City University library like the two of you usually did. He’d been working everyday this week on some or the other assignment, or was hanging out with friends from his classes, who you had met barely in passing to actually know, which meant that you’d spent more time with his parents than him, feeling bad about only showing up on their doorstep to ask about their son. You played poker with his father as you waited, but Wally never returned home, only zooming by you on your interconnected patrol routes. Hell, it’d gotten to the point where you’d not trained together either. No matter what, Wally never missed sparring sessions with you.

You wondered what could’ve possibly happened for him to ignore you. Hooking your penknife into the latch of his window, you jiggled it around, trying to catch the grove that would help you unlock it, and after a few moments, you heard the sound of your success, the click of the mechanic registering as you slid open the window, toppling through gracefully and face first into wooden flooring.

“What are you doing?”

You stood up, brushing yourself off as Wally leaned against the doorway of his bathroom, eyeing you down with confusion. “You were ignoring me all week.”

“So you break into my room?”

”Obviously,” you chuckled, closing the gap between you as you moved into the room. You only stopped when he spoke up again.

”Why?”

Wally looked genuinely surprised, like he hadn’t expected you to fix whatever it was that had gone so wrong that he’d decided forgetting about you was better than talking with you.

You could feel your lips tug into a frown at the idea of never having access to Wally— selfishly, you needed him around, if nothing else then as your best friend. He’d been an extension of you since you’d first met him, trying (and succeeding) at impressing him enough to become your friend in the sandbox. Even at five years old, you could tell he was important, and not because he was the first boy you’d befriended. Wally had a way of making everything around you brighter, like you’d become Midas-touched gold, forever shining as long as he looked at you. He’d brought laughter out of you when your grandfather died; when you’d started crying over Marley and Me and he’d promised he’d find a way to make the dog the two of you got together live forever; when you had first killed a man on the job (an accident, and he was the bad guy, but that didn’t mean it didn’t flash behind your eyelids for over a month) but struggled to wash off the blood until Wally held your shaking hands to do it for you. . .

“Are we okay?”

The question came out quieter than you wanted it to, like punching it out of your lungs expelled all the fear you had about it, into the open where Wally could grab onto it, grab it and do whatever he pleased with the worry you held for him, for the two of you.

Wally shrugged, hands shoved into his sweatpants. He’d moved out of the bathroom now, the door clicking shut softly behind him. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat at the impassive callousness in his voice. Your tongue felt heavy, pinned down as you called out his name. “Wally. . .”

“Baby, ’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Baby, the word sunk heady into your heart, something you’d wished to hear from him, but not like this. Wally had his arms crossed over his chest, standing next to his bed now as he watched you watch him. You cursed as you could feel your eyes shine with watery tears that were beginning to form. Why did he think you didn’t care about him? All you ever did was worry about ways Wally could live a life that he was proud of, one that he wouldn’t have to hide in the future from whoever he was around (and in the most dangerous dreams you had about it, it was you by his side).

“Why wouldn’t I worry about you?” You scoffed, biting back the tears as you stared at the redhead who was watching you intently. “Do you think I don’t care?”

“No you— you do, I know that. . . but with Dick around now, you’ll—“

“What does Dick have to do with you not talking to me?”

Wally ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the tuff of it where it connected to his neck, feet moving as he began pacing. “Doesn’t everything have to do with him? I’m happy for you guys, truly. But I can’t be around you, not while I. . .”

“While you, what?” You asked, watching as Wally went still, eyes bugging wide when you repeated yourself. “While you what, Wallace?”

He winced when you used his actual name, not even Walls or Wally, instead shaking his head as he pointed at his window. “You should go.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” you huffed, now your arms crossed as you stared down the boy you’d loved since the beginning of high school.

Wally sucked in a sharp breath like the idea of telling you the truth caused a physical wound in him, and you desperately needed to know it was something you could fix. Because you couldn’t stand the idea of not having Wally anywhere except next to you: it’s what you’d always known, the only thing you’d been sure of since you were a little girl.

When he opened his mouth, you could feel yourself slipping into that hope that finally you’d gotten through to him. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You could feel the air expunge itself from your lungs as Wally turned to fidget with his bedding. He didn’t even look back as you whispered a goodnight Walls over his windowsill, body halfway out. Swallowing harshly, you balanced on the edge of the roof to the West house before dropping down, crouching low to the ground once you landed on the grass of their backyard.

In the quiet of the night, you walked yourself back to your apartment building (which was closer than the tower), eyes red by the time you found yourself in bed, tucked into the duvet that was still the same pastel green that you and Wally had picked together back when you were just children.

.

“Woah, you alright sweetheart?”

Dick and Donna came into your line of sight, the Wayne heir grinned good naturedly while Donna watched you curiously.

Huffing, you landed another hit on the sandbag, the chain swinging from the impact. Donna caught it as it neared her, “what’s going on?”

”Wally, he’s just. . . God, boys can be so frustrating!”

You punched the bag once again as Donna let it go, the Amazonian stepping aside right as the bag swung off the hook in the ceiling. Dick raised his hands in surrender as if he were the one in the line of fire.

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

You eyed Dick, who was still standing far enough to not get hit, and watching you with concern written into the crease of his brows and the corners of his mouth before shaking your head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, I’ll— I’ll talk to him. . . Besides, I don’t think you’ll get through him this time.”

Dick frowned, but nodded. And you understood why; Wally and Dick had been inseparable when the two of you joined the team back in the day, as children who still had hope and dreams of a world that seemed much nicer than it actually is. Wally had found a brother in Dick, and so did the former Robin, you knew that the idea of Wally not listening to Dick would hurt him, but you didn’t want whatever it was that had Wally hurting because of Dick be an issue, not until you could at least figure it out first.

Donna stepped forward, tying her hair back as she did. “Want to spar for a bit? Take your mind off of that idiot?”

“Sure,” you chuckled, shaking your head. Donna always knew how to make you feel better. If you couldn’t talk it out, you’d get out whatever it was with a fight. She’d been much the same way since she’d joined the team as well. “What would I do without you, my love?”

“Be moping,” Dick called out, now hanging off of one the beams, practicing his flips and tricks from a life he no longer had. You looked up and he was grinning from cheek to cheek. “Your emo teenage angst shit is filling this room.”

You rolled your eyes. “Dickhead.”

“That’s me,” he called, swinging his body through the maze of support beams and other bars that had been installed specifically for him.

You turned to Donna, who was grinning as well. “Well, shall we?”

“Why, of course.”

Donna crouched low, waiting on your move. You took the first step.

.

By the time you’d entered your room, it’d been past midnight. Patrol had been long, even longer when Wally wasn’t there to trade jokes with you, or attempt to guess what exactly you’d end up finding while on your rounds.

You’d barely shut your door, still in your suit as you flopped onto the bed when you could feel the familiar hum of frequency outside your door before a loud knock echoed against it.

“Get inside, Wally.”

“Can you. . . Can you open the door?”

Sighing, you dragged yourself up, pulling open the door to see Wally, still in his yellow and red costume, goggles tucked into his hair and freckles on display as the face piece to his suit was pushed back. The boy shuffled on his feet, as if surprised to see you standing in front of him. “Hi.”

“Can you not phase through shit anymore?” You asked, opening the door wider as he stepped in at your gesture for him to do so, stopping just beyond the threshold. You shut the door softly behind him.

“I’m sorry.”

And without meaning to, laughter spilled out of you, the sound more hollow and mean than Wally had ever heard out of you. “You’re sorry? That’s new. I thought you were too busy ignoring me.”

You strode towards your closet, wanting to change out of the suit that stuck to your skin, the suffocating feeling of having Wally so close to you after two weeks of him trying to erase himself from your life practically felt like you’d lose air the longer you were constricted in it. Wally grabbed your hand before you could move far away.

“I mean it, I was being a dick about well. . . Dick,” he winced, brows scrunching even further when you didn’t laugh even the slightest at the unintentional joke, something you always did. Sucking in a harsh breath, he carried on, “if you’re happy with him, I’ll make my peace with it. I just want my best friend back.”

“If I’m happy with whom, Walls?”

You looked genuinely confused, as if Wally hadn’t been there to see Dick and you fall for each other these past few months.

“Dick.”

“What?”

And to Wally’s surprise, you were laughing. You were bent over the waist, nearly falling into him at the image he’d given you. “What’s so funny?”

“Dick and I— there’s nothing. . . Oh my god, did you think I was going out with Dick?”

You had tears coming out of your eyes as you looked at him, as if the idea of anybody wanting to be with Dick Grayson was absurd. He knew the two of you were perfect together, and would look the part too in Gotham’s socialite papers and photographs.

“Please, Dick has his eye set on a redhead at all times,” you chuckled, wiping at the corner of your eyes, “he’s more likely to go for you.”

And at Wally’s shock, at his mouth that fell open, unable to find words, you’d found yourself laughing again. “Wait, so you and Dick aren’t—“

“We never were,” you shook your head, head tilting as if you’d found something out. Your eyes were swimming with curiosity, a sort of finality he’d only seen in you when you’d cracked a particularly difficult case. He’d seen it when you’d found the answer that had stumped you during your criminology courses, when you’d found out whatever Wally had hidden from you (like the surprise parties he tried throwing for your birthday, only for you to find him out five times in a row before he gave up). But now, they looked ever more sure, and Wally hoped he hadn’t been found out.

You took a step forward, now facing him as you closed the distance. “Hey, Walls?”

Wally hummed, eyes darting all over your face, close enough that he could see every shade and hue in your eyes, the way your mouth was pulled into a smile, something sly but that also said you wanted to know something, as your eyes fixed on his mouth.

“What up?”

“Don’t panic.”

“I— what? What do you mean—“

You’d grabbed him by the collar, lips slotting against his that were still sealed shut. The surprise of the impact had him opening his eyes, before reality caught up to him. You were kissing him. You were kissing him. Before he could fully return the fervour, you’d pulled back.

“That’s why.”

Wally was staring at you, eyes wide. “You kissed me.”

”I did,” you grinned, closing the gap to the point where Wally could feel your body pressed up against his, and instinct dictated that he steady you, his hands falling on your waist. “Now are you just going to stand there and gawk, or will you kiss me again?”

When Wally made no move to respond, still glued to the fact that you’d kissed him and it wasn’t a dream, you made to move out of his embrace. “Maybe I should go ask Dick if he wants to— mmph!”

”Shut up,” Wally murmured, pressing his lips to yours again, hands moving to circle around you as he pulled you closer to him, but he was grinning now. You couldn’t help mirror it as you pulled him closer to you, tugging on his hair as you did.

Wally let out a low sound, shuffling back as you hit the edge of your desk, his palms flash against your hips as he set you on top of it. The fireproof material of Wally’s suit bunching in your hands as you dragged him closer, his hands steadying you, still kissing you as if he couldn’t stop. He moved away when you hooked one leg to pull him closer.

”Wait— hold on, what does this mean?”

You blinked, the sluggish euphoria that had filled your veins, sparking a fire in your system slowed into a small flame as you finally realised what he was saying. You looked up into deep greens as they studied you, trying to figure you out, the way they always did.

”I don’t want to do this if it’s just something casual, I don’t— I can’t do that, not with you.”

You loosened your grip on his collar, smoothening it as you tried to figure out how to put it in a way that made him understand just how selfishly you needed him. “That’s the last thing I want with you.”

”Good, because I want this,” he was drawing circles into your waist, still close like he couldn’t bear to be any further from you, eyes scanning every inch of your face. “I want you, all of you.”

You smiled, heart thump-thump-thumping so wild you were sure he could feel it with how close the two of you were. “You have me.”

And Wally’s smile was blinding, the flame in your veins burning brighter just at the way he was looking at you.

“Yeah?” he asked, voice soft and wrecked with emotion.

”Yeah.”

Wally’s mouth slotted against yours against, messy and teeth clashing with how brightly he was smiling, tongue licking at your bottom lip as you dragged him into you, letting him take and take and take everything he wanted. His hands slid into your hair as he tilted your head back, lips moving across every inch of skin he could access, your legs hooking around his hips to sit flush with yours.

”I can’t wait to tell Dick you thought that I was in love with him when you’re here.”

Wally groaned against your pulse point, the spot behind your ear, the sound low and gravelly that had your eyes fluttering shut as you fought to keep your teasing for longer. He pulled away, just enough to speak.

”You won’t let me live that down, will you?”

”I can be convinced,” you teased, breath hitching as he already started tracing a path across your skin again, willing you to forget his stupidity, hands already latching onto the zipper in the front of your tactical suit. “Fuck, baby. . .”

”Say that again,” he hummed, mouthing at your collarbone and you had no choice but to acquiesce his demand.

”Wally, babe, don’t—fuck, don’t stop,” you whimpered as his hips pressed hard into yours again, the pressure only causing the fire curling low in your belly to burn harder as you met his actions and desire.

“God, you have no idea what you do to me, darlin’.”

The low drawl had you pulling him up, his eyes not only having a slither of green as they gazed up at you in hunger.

“I have an idea,” you mumbled, dragging him into you again, his body following yours with no resistance.

SPIDEROOOS 2026.

[spiderooos]

teenage dirtbag ✸ wally west.

a schoolyard crush turns into something monumental when wally realises that his best friend also has eyes for you.

includes. . . wally west x fem!reader, (SLIGHT!) dick grayson x fem!reader. characterised after the young justice universe. vigilante!reader, fluff, angst, tension & slightly suggestive at the end, lots of teenage/early 20s emotions running amok here.

word count. . . 8.8k

notes. . . wally is literally so precious to me i don’t even know where to begin!!! i’ve made reader to be widow-like. oh, and wally stays alive. . . for now! JK,,, unless???? (no seriously, i’m kidding, i’m still traumatised from his death in the show). hope you guys like this!!

Summer had hit you all like a storm.

The team had split up, the tower much more quieter than normal. Most of them either were back home with their civilian lives, or off world. Those still in the tower had found themselves lounging around, the common room filled with popcorn and snacks, and a very intense game of Monopoly (that had just ended), lounging around in a rare day of peace and freedom from their vigilante lives.

“Hey, Walls,” you called out, catching the attention of the speedster who’d been hovering around the kitchen. He stood to attention, coming towards where you’d asked for him, standing at the countertop. “Help me with the drinks?”

“Anything you want, beautiful,” he flashed you a smile, leaning heavily over you as you manoeuvred a bunch of cups into his hand, while you held two tall pitchers of ice tea. He took in your outfit, dressed in shorts and a tank top, your hair pushed away from your face to combat the heat.

You looked over your shoulder, bright smile on your face. “Coming?”

Snapping out of his daze, Wally sped up to join you, setting down the cups next to the pitchers and sliding into the seat next to you.

Before he could open his mouth, possibly shove his foot in there by letting out another flirtatious comment, you speak up.

“Hello, handsome.”

Wally blinks, once, slow. Did he hear you correctly? Was he finally out of—

“Hi there, gorgeous.”

Dick.

Of fucking course it was Dick Grayson. The boy had sidled himself next to you, leaning into your personal space, and worst of all, you’re letting him. Wally looked up, you were preening under the charming smile the raven haired boy had put on. Preening, and Dick had his chest puffed out like a fucking peacock, thanking you for taking care of the team.

“You’re so nice to me.”

Wally knew that voice, the fucking low and gravelly tone swaying any girl into one Dick Grayson’s arms. The very arms that were way too close to you while in nothing but a wifebeater, muscles fully on display. The ginger huffed.

“Of course, can’t have you fainting on me from the heat,” you patted Dick’s thigh heavily, and Wally swears if he could switch powers he’d steal Superman’s heat-vision eyes—or as Wally would prefer to put it: laser-beams-that-melt-off-hands eyes—the moment Dick placed his hand over yours.

He busied himself with pouring a glass of ice tea, all but shoving it in front of you. “Didn’t you say you were thirsty earlier, babe?”

You frowned, confused, but gratefully accepted the drink he was holding out. It was hot outside. You opened your mouth to speak and Wally was waiting for. . . something, maybe pretty boy at least if not handsome (clearly, that was reserved for Richard).

“Thanks, Walls.”

“Of course, beautiful, anytime.”

You grinned, once again turning to Dick who was telling you some story, hands waving animatedly as he stole every bit of your attention.

Walls.

Wally swore he could feel the ground swallowing him whole as you laughed loudly at the story he’d heard a million times before. Fucking Alfred and his infamous cookies that made everyone act like animals. Fuck Dick too while you’re at it, he grumbled under his breath, slumping into the couch.

.

Okay, so maybe he was overreacting.

You have always been flirty and Dick hasn’t been nothing if not a very willing recipient (and active participant) of someone beautiful hitting on him. Hell, Wally was sure Dick would flirt with anything breathing if they were actually interested. Which, looking at the Wayne heir, anyone would be. But did it have to be you?

Sighing, Wally moved through the tower in a breeze, reaching the training room in record time where you were going to spar with him, like always. “Sweetheart, sorry I’m late, was running low on fuel.”

“It’s alright, Walls,” you chuckled, wiping the chalk dust from your palms, the one that Dick used when he was doing his bendy gymnastics stuff. Since when had you decided to pick it up? Were you making a career switch to an acrobat?

“So, you er, you’re doing. . . gymnastics?”

Your lips pursed at the way his voice squeaked out at the end, confused before nodding softly. “Yeah, Dick’s been teaching me some stuff.”

Cool, just two teammates helping each other out. You were the best at hand to hand combat on the team, so maybe you just wanted to find someone new to learn something from, and apparently that someone is not Wally.

“You guys hang out now?”

“Uh, yeah? Figured I’d learn something new.” You chuckled, the two of you now circling around the mat. You crouched low, eyes locked on Wally in a smile so sinisterly cocky the speedster could feel his mind going fuzzy. God, you looked good.

Before Wally could even open his mouth, you’d pounced. The young speedster barely noticed you before zooming to the other side of the mat. You raised a brow and he smiled, sheepish, apologetic. Right, no powers.

Taking a deep breath, Wally blocked the hit you were aiming at his neck, forearm pushing you off, and then suddenly he can smell you, the scent deep and warm before he had his arm twisted behind his back.

“Stop zoning out Walls,” your voice was hot on the back of his neck. He could feel his face heating up, the red creeping around his freckled face up to the tips of his ears. You let go of him as he leaned his weight into your hold to signal for him to be let loose.

“Getting distracted—“

“—gets you killed.”

You smiled at Wally when he completed your statement. Gesturing, you took your position on the other side of the mat, Wally copying you.

This time, Wally went first. Instead of aiming high like you’d done, the speedster goes low, head tucked into his chin as he grabs you by the waist, using the momentum to swing the two of you on the ground. You let out a soft sound at the impact, but it sounded more like you were amused. When he looked up, he saw the taunting look in your eye, a lazy, smug look tugging at the corners of your mouth. Without even huffing at the effort, you pushed your hips up into his, making him lose balance as you flipped the two of you over, hands now pinning him down, arm stretched across his chest as you held him down on to the mat.

“Nice one,” you grinned, blowing your hair away from your face. You leaned in closer, chest pressed against his, and Wally could swear his heartbeat was the loudest soundtrack he could ever hear. “You almost got me there.”

“Next time,” he rasped out, puffing out a breath of air, hoping it didn’t smell of the Cheetos he’d eaten before training. The movement made the stubborn strand in front of your eyes sway. You smiled, a genuine one, and somehow his heartbeat just rang louder. “I’ll get you next time.”

“I’m counting on it.”

And then you got off of him, holding out your hand for him to stand up. Sucking in a lungful of air, Wally took it, pulled up to stand close enough where he could see every shade of colour in your eyes. They were endless pools of warmth he could fall into forever, and they were looking at him. Right at him. “Walls?”

Clearing his throat, the speedster stepped back, letting go of your hand to ruffle the hair at the top of his head. “Shall we go again?”

“You sure? You seem distracted today.”

“I’m fine, just don’t think my pre-sparring snack was the best one I’ve had.”

You laughed, the sound bright as you got back to the mat. Wally followed suit, the two of you once again circling each other. “Ready?”

You had that smile again, the low, dangerous look in your eyes, the one he saw out on the field. The one Dick held in his smile after he’d seen how it unnerved your opponents. Fucking Dick and his ability to charm everyone. Wally struck out, his body moving before he could catch up, hand coming straight for your face, and before he could even think about how foolishly impulsive the move was, he was face down on the mat, your knee pinning him down as you bent his arm back, not enough to hurt, but just enough to where he could feel a strain.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

You’d let him go, pulling him to stand at his full height as you grabbed a water bottle, tossing it to the speedster, the shocking pink a contrast against the muted green of his tank. “Yeah I’m fine. Just. . . lost in thought I guess.”

“Penny for them?” you asked, now sitting next to him on the floor. Wally shrugged, handing you the bottle when you held your hand out for it, eyes watching your mouth as it used the sucker on the bottle (where Wally had his mouth moments before), tracing down the column of your throat as you drank greedily.

“I’m good.”

“Promise?” You held out your pinky, Wally smiling as he linked his to yours, the two of you kissing each of your hands as if to seal the pact.

“Promise,” he murmured, mouth hidden by his hand, but he could see you smile behind yours as you murmured a ‘good’ against it.

You pressed your lips one last time to your linked hands for good measure, letting the speedster copy you before the two of you sat up, hands still linked in the silence of the training room, catching your breaths.

God, you had no idea what you did to him.

.

Dick caught up with you as you left the training room, having just walked out of the showers attached next to it, the one Wally had gone into not too long ago. The former Batman sidekick had a towel slung low across his waist, water not yet fully wiped off of him. He smiled as he noticed you.

“Hi, beautiful.”

You grinned, standing up from where you’d been cleaning up after the sparring session between you and Wally. “Hey there, pretty boy. Took a long time in the showers I see.”

Dick fell in step with you, walking out of the training room as you slung a wet towel across your shoulders, water bottle in hand. “Well maybe I was waiting on you.”

“Is that so?” you looked up at him, brow raised. Dick just shrugged, eyes glinting with mischief. His lips were pulled into a cocky smile, tongue peeking out to wet his lower lips.

“Yeah.”

You hummed. “Is that why you’re following me around in just a towel?”

Dick blinked, slowing to a halt outside the door of your room. You watched his skin flush a deep rouge, the heat spreading across his chest and up his cheeks. “I uh, I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, alright,” you laughed, watching as he stepped back a couple steps before spinning on his feet and heading a couple steps down towards his room. His hand rubbed at the back of his neck as he reached the door, turning around once to wink at you—despite the colour in his face, before shutting the door.

“Aren’t you something,” you murmured, eyes still on the spot he left.

“Who’re you talking to, weirdo?”

You jumped, startled as you stood up straight, leaning away from the doorframe. Wally was standing next to you, now smelling fresh and clean from his shower. “Nobody. Hey, you wanna watch a movie? I’ve got the new Fast and Furious.”

Wally nodded, eyes glancing once more at the door next to yours—where Dick stayed when he was at the Titans Tower—before following you into your door, the lock clicking softly as it shut behind him.

.

Wally swore Dick was everywhere.

The stupid bird themed superhero seemed to spawn around you whenever the speedster wanted to hang out, and he was seconds away from transporting his best friend to the South Pole to live with the penguins (not you, of course, he knew you hated the cold— the ex-sidekick to Gotham’s very own Batman, however. . . ).

The beach was empty as you guys had set up a blanket on the sand, the grains warm but soothing as you dug your toes under the piles. The team had decided to have a little sunset campfire and sing-a-long at the beach, simply to celebrate the hard work of a successful week of leading double lives (in yours, Dick’s and Wally’s cases), and also for being really good at your side job of beating up bad guys.

“I’ve got the drinks,” Roy cheered, plopping down with a six pack, and some other sodas and assortments of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that were sloshing around in the portable cooler in his hand. “Here.”

He tossed a chill bottle of beer he’d pulled out of it, and Wally caught it. You grinned as Roy passed one to you as well, much nicer in his handling. “Thanks, speedy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Roy narrowed his eyes playfully at you as Wally and you laughed next to each other. You giggled, leaning into your best friend as you moved the bottle to your mouth, digging your teeth under the metallic cap, and with a slight pressure, you heard the pop and fizz of it coming off.

You looked up, catching the ginger boy watching your every move, eyes tracking your mouth as if he’d zeroed in on something that deserved his attention. You.

You licked your lips, trying to calm the sudden dryness in your throat. Wally’s eyes seemed to darken even more, the flames dancing in them tantalisingly as he copied you. You could hear your heart beating irratically.

“Sweetheart, I need your help.”

Blinking, you turned to look at Dick, mind sluggish as it tried to clear from the haze you had found yourself in. Sitting close enough to the two of you that you could feel his warmth, Dick was holding out his own bottle of beer, making you roll your eyes.

“If you wanted me to watch me use my mouth for you, you could’ve just said so,” you repeated your actions, the pop! of the metal cap opening making Dick grin as he watched you.

“But that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Wally cleared his throat, watching the two of you lean into each other, teasing smiles and eyes burning with a sort of emotion he’d never seen in you. Were you actually falling for Dick Grayson?

“I’m thinking of starting on the s’mores,” he gestured next to you guys where Kori, Donna and Roy had set up the fire, the flames curling in reckless abandon. The three of them had settled into the sand. You smiled, squeezing his hand as you grabbed it.

“We’ll come with.”

The three of you moved towards your friends, and as you sat down next to Donna, the two of you trying to tell Kori about some new music the two of you were obsessed with currently, he wondered when did you and Dick Grayson become a ‘we’. And why was he so bothered that he wasn’t a ‘we’ to you?

.

It was official.

Dick Grayson was at the top of his hit list.

Wally swore that he could find him everywhere, even in places where he didn’t think possible: like his fucking university campus.

“And then he was telling me how Tim changed every one of Bruce’s codes to. . .”

The two of you were walking through the hallways, and ever since summer, all you’d been gabbing to him was about your new best friend Richard Grayson. The first day back to school and apparently Dick had called you in the night to talk. Yeah, right, Wally thought to himself, everyone has a conversation at 11 in the night.

He caught himself before he could roll his eyes.

“Walls?” You were snapping your fingers in front of his face. When he jolted, you frowned, curious as to what was happening. “Dude, you alright? You went AWOL on me there.”

Wally coughed, nodding. “Yeah I’m fine, long night.”

“Really? With whom?”

You sounded off, somehow not as cheery as you did just moment’s prior when you told him about how Tim had hacked into the programming in the Batcave to play a prank of the Batman. Wally tilted his head towards you as you stopped swinging your joined arms, no longer moving him around while you rambled.

What was it about Dick that had you so drawn to him?

“Nothing, just couldn’t get sleep.”

You frowned, squeezing his hand. During the academic year, Wally would end up walking around with the worst dark circles known to man, all because of his tendency to not get any sleep at night, especially since the two of you didn’t go on patrol as often during the school year. You suspected it had something to do with his powers, his inability to actually stay still and his energy that’s always contagious, always overflowing with so much life that you can’t help but be drawn towards him. But this was early, even for Wally. Usually, it’d take at least a week for him to start complaining about it, and then showing up at your window in the night.

“You want to come over tonight?” You squeezed his hand again, smiling softly in a way that had Wally’s heart thump-thump-thumping hard against his chest.

“What about Dick?”

“What about him?”

The earnest confusion in your voice made him look at you, eyes searching your face. Your brows were furrowed and lips were pursed in an adorable pout that Wally could almost dream of pressing his mouth again and devouring, but what stood out most to him was one simple thing: you weren’t thinking about Dick.

“I just— nothing,” Wally rubbed the back of his neck, lips pulling into a smile when you squeezed his hand (that was still holding yours), “what time should I be there?”

“Come over right after patrol, I’ve got your sweats washed. Couldn’t get that stain out though.”

“It’s fine.”

Wally laughed, letting you drag him around to your next class before the bell rang (he had a free period in his schedule). You hated being late.

.

By the time the two of you fell onto the floor through your open bedroom window, Wally was spent. He’d starfished across the soft carpet, still in his Kid Flash costume, and you’d fallen right on top of him with an undignified oomph!

“Move your fat ass out of the way, Walls,” you poked him in his side where you knew he was ticklish, making him jerk at the sudden movement, as you got up.

“I’m good,” his voice was once again muffled, face down in the carpet, “I’ll just stay here.”

You laughed, pulling yourself up as Wally turned over to look at your grinning face staring down at him. “Do you plan on making yourself comfortable there or shall I keep space in bed for you?”

Wally could feel his heart in his throat as he nodded towards your bed. Swallowing harshly, he cleared his throat. “I can’t pass on that beauty.”

Chuckling, you headed towards the bathroom, calling out over your shoulder as you grabbed the door handle.

“Clothes are in the drawer and mom got extra snacks if you’re hungry. Just change first!”

And then Wally heard the lock click shut, the sound of the shower running beyond the wooden door. Sighing, he stood up, gravitating towards your closet to grab some spare clothes he could change into after a shower and setting them aside, somewhat of a proud smile on his face. At least Dick didn’t have an entire section in your closet for his clothes.

By the time you’d come back from your shower, Wally had sprawled himself once again on your fuzzy carpet, now filled with half the snacks in your pantry and a couple of cookies your father had baked earlier in the night.

“Hey, brought up some cookies, your parents have gone to bed.”

You grinned, bee-lining to the nightstand where Wally had left your treasure, while the redhead moved towards the shower. “What would I do without you, Wally?”

“Be boring and lonely— ow!”

Wally glared at you, trying hardest to be mad as he rubbed the spot where you’d punched him for his comment but he could feel his mouth fighting against him at your cheeky smile. Your eyes were shining with mischief and warmth and Wally couldn’t help but mirror your grin as you fell onto your mattress. “Save one for me.”

“You already ate so many!”

You looked up at him with bright eyes, and Wally could feel his heart soaring at how open and vulnerable you seemed. You were still smiling, even as he flicked you on the forehead before moving swiftly aside to dodge your counterattack.

“Yeah well, I’m your best friend. It’s in the rules: guests get more food.”

You sat up on your elbows, eyeing the boy who had a impish look on his face. “Please you stopped being a guest since you were six.”

You rolled your eyes as Wally mocked you, finally heading into the shower while you fell back on your bed, cheeks still warm from the smile on your face. That boy had no idea what he did to you.

.

Steam curled out of the bathroom as Wally stepped out, sweatpants loose on his hips and a towel he used to dry his hair. You were on your back now, reading a book as you waited on him.

“Here, saved you the last one.”

“I knew you loved me,” he grinned, snatching it up as you rolled your eyes at him, all fond and warm. You really did love him.

Wally plopped down gracelessly onto the bed next to you, laughing when you whacked him complaining about crumbs (he’d made sure to not let a single one fall, he knew you didn’t like eating in bed) and snuggled into his side of the bed.

You propped yourself up into his eyeline, watching him drink you in like he always did, like he was clawing for air only you could offer. He only hoped it wasn’t as obvious to you. “So, what d’ya wanna do?”

Wally hummed, hand coming back up to brush against the bruise on your cheek, the one that you’d gained earlier in the night during patrol after narrowly missing a fist aimed at your face. You’d managed to grab the hand before it swung into bone, but the brass knuckles that decorated it had left a blooming red score on your cheekbone. “Does it hurt?”

“Not even a little bit,” you murmured, head nuzzling into his palm like you wanted to burrow yourself in it.

Wally could see the way your eye twitched ever so slightly at the point closest to your eye when he brushed the purpling bruise, but other than that, you were still smiling down at him with such warmth he could feel himself sinking into comfort.

You turned your head to kiss his palm once, gently lacing your fingers through his to pry it off your face as you leaned over to press your lips to his cheek, and Wally’s eyes fluttered close at the contact without hesitation.

“Go to sleep, West. You look like a troll I dragged out from under my bed.”

Wally guffawed, eyes wide open as you chortled, falling onto him upon looking at the wide eyed offence on his face, your body wrecked with unabashed laughter as you shook in his grasp. “You think you’re so hilarious, don’t you?”

You nodded against him, the humour bubbling out of you seeping into him at the points where you were connected (his hands on your back, holding you close to where you’d pressed yourself into his chest), his chest rumbling with laughter under you.

“Fine, let’s call it a night, sleeping beauty.”

The two of you tucked yourself under your covers without moving, the little night light you left on your bedside table the only sign of life in the dead of the night as sleep overcame the two of you.

.

The tower was quiet when you stepped inside. You shouldered your way through the door of your bedroom in the building, finally sliding off the wet coat and shoes that had collected the rainwater from the impromptu shower that the heavens had unleashed upon you.

“Oh hey, sweetheart.”

Before you could even catch up on the reason the voice was so familiar, you’d swung around, clipping the man behind you with your wet coat, the metal of the zipper clinking hard against his face.

“Richard Grayson, don’t you know better than to sneak up on people like that.”

You glared at the cheeky smile he sported, still standing comfortably in the middle of your room as you dragged your jacket away from his face and the matching red mark you’d left on the right side of his cheekbone, mirroring the one you had on your left.

“Great you see you too, darling.”

You rolled your eyes, shimmying out of the oversized Central City University sweatshirt, now feeling overly warm in the blooming heat of the building. Your tank top stuck to your skin from the water as you let your hair fall down your back, limp and wet, droplets tracing rivulets down your spine.

“Did you need something?”

“You wound me,” the raven haired boy grabbed his chest as if you’d physically hurt him, even stumbling back to sell his theatrical pain. You shook your head at him, rainwater clinging onto his face from the close proximity as he chuckled. “I just came to check on you cause of the rain.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint but I didn’t drown.”

“Can’t have my girl drowning on me,” he grinned, pulling you into his side to warm you up, and you gratefully leaned towards the heat of his (entirely too expensive) wool jumper, wet head of hair tucked into his chin as you placed your cold hands on the back of his neck, making him yelp. “Get away from me you heathen!”

“I thought I was your girl?” you mocked him, head tilted to one side as he kept you close enough to warm your hands against his. It was no secret you hated the cold.

“Yeah you are, sweetheart.”

“Am I interrupting?”

You jumped away from Dick as if you’d been burned, the warmth of his body turning ice rigid in your veins as Wally stood at your open door, looking in at the two of you. You cleared your throat as Dick, ever the one to be able to bring in levity in pungent silence, spoke up.

“Not at all, she’s all yours.”

And then, squeezing your hands one last time (that had gone limp in his reach the moment his best friend had walked in), Dick glanced at you one last time, impish smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he moved to leave the room, patting Wally on the back while he did.

Wally watched as you glared at the broad shoulders that disappeared from the doorframe, before taking in your appearance. You shuffled, suddenly aware of not just how unkempt your hair was, but the fact that you’d been standing in front of Dick and now Wally, in a shirt thin enough to see your bra through. If only you’d had the foresight to wear a nicer one, maybe this wouldn’t be half as awkward.

“I erm. . . I got caught in the rain,” you supplied helplessly, tugging at the end of your cotton tank top, spinning around as you went to the drawer to grab dry clothes.

“I can see that.”

Wally still sounded far away: when you glanced over your shoulder after finding a dry shirt, you found him still standing in the doorway, his stance stilted and wound tight like he couldn’t decide whether he should enter or not.

”You’ve seen me in my bra before, just get in already,” you chuckled, waving him in, only noticing him hesitate for a second before nodding, following your instructions and shutting the door behind him. “Your group project finally got situated?”

Wally had stayed back at Central City University for some project he had for his Physics 301 class while you’d left earlier, having decided on working at the Tower instead. And lucky for him, he’d managed to get all the luck with the weather because it was finally sunny outside again.

Wally cleared his throat as you pulled your shirt over your head. “So, you and Dick. . .”

“What about Dick and I?”

Pulling your head through the neck hole of a dry shirt, to find him still hovering like he didn’t know how to exist in your space, a place he’d inhabited since the two of you were five and playing in the sandbox. You frowned, watching him glance around like he’d lost the right to be in there without you asking for him first.

“. . . Is everything alright?”

”Yeah, I just. . . I’m happy for Dick and you.”

You blinked, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. Did he seriously think that Dick was the one that had you losing all sense?

”I’m just going to—“ he pointed behind him, and before you could even stop him, he’d phased through the shut door. You rushed after him, trying to find the speedster as you pulled your door open with urgency.

”Wally—“

The hallway was empty.

.

It had always felt like breathing. At least, that’s how Wally thought about it.

Since the first time you’d met, Wally had found himself in tune with you, like a wavelength honing in on a frequency that it needed in order to function. You’d been giggly and had a chip in your front tooth from where you’d hit your face on while jumping off the swing and doing a flip you’d just learned in gymnastics. You’d never even cried about it, the grin of showing off to your new friend still plastered even as the corner of your lip started bleeding and your mother came rushing towards you. You’d simply grabbed Wally’s hand and told him you’d teach him how to do it too.

That was the first time he’d met you, and since then you’d been a stronghold in his life, someone he’d come to know inside out, maybe even better than he’d known himself. You’d been the first person he’d found after getting his powers, after he found out how his uncle was The Flash, the trials that came with having powers, you’d been standing beside him, always with a snack (apples crusted with peanut butter, to make sure he was both eating healthy but also had something to satiate his sweet tooth) and a smile that disarmed every bit of distaste he felt towards himself for not being good enough. You’d been there for the first ever time he’d had his heart broken, a girl he’d seen only a few months in high school, but you’d been there to cheer him up, mend the parts that he never knew could break.

Wally had known it’d only be a matter of time before Dick and you finally got together, it’d be stupid to think otherwise, but god he didn’t realise just how much it would sting being second place to Dick.

He’d learned early on that being Wally West meant being able to learn you and love you, and he’d made his peace with it. You’d were singular in every way and it wasn’t surprising that everyone around you noticed; you tended to do that, draw people into an orbit that made them feel like they were at home, because that’s what you did to him at age five with a toothy grin. He just needed to make peace with the fact that you’d found someone else.

“What’re you doing here?”

Blinking, Wally saw Roy walk up to him, the former Green Arrow sidekick dressed up as if he had somewhere to be.

“Where’re you off to?”

“Had a date,” Roy grinned, patting Wally on the shoulder as he vaulted over the couch, settling into the one that wasn’t occupied by the speedster. “Now why are you sulking? Trouble in paradise?”

Wally’s eyes narrowed. Roy, amongst other things, was a big gossip, especially when around Donna and you, the three of you always knee deep in random news you’d heard (four if K’ori wasn’t off-world). Half of it of course came from the type of vigilantes Roy and you happened to be, but the other half was simply pure curiosity. Wally had never met a man both so brilliant and downright ready to binge an entire season’s worth of reality television.

“What paradise? There’s no paradise.”

Roy simply looked at him, a stray strand of red hair falling over his forehead from his man bun—the only person Wally had seen ever pull off that style so well—and shook his head, a low chuckle emitting from his throat. “Yeah right, I’m not blind dude.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Uh huh, and we’re all just happy go lucky adults with no issues at all,” Roy nodded, and Wally could tell that the archer was taking the piss out of him, but god he couldn’t help it. “Seriously dude, just talk to her.”

“I can’t— I can’t just talk to her!”

“Yes you can, you just open your mouth and form words.”

Wally walloped him with a pillow as Roy laughed at his red face, tossing the decorative piece right back at the speedster, who simply grabbed it and placed it down next to him with more force than required.

“I can’t, she’s going out with Dick now.”

Roy raised a brow, now settled into the couch as he folded his arms across his chest. “Huh, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Tell me about it,” Wally slumped into the cushioning, hands running over his face.

He could feel Roy’s eyes burning into the side of his skull as he stayed hidden behind his fingers, trying to press them into his skull like it would press away the way he needed you into the back of his mind, to be left untouched and forgotten as time would pass by.

“My advice is you talk to her, what’s the worst that could happen?”

And with that, Wally could hear the sound of fading footsteps as Roy headed out towards his room, once again leaving the redhead to stew in his own feelings, the night sky greeting him as he stared out the window, trying to figure out just when he’d found himself so helpless to the way he loved you.

The crickets chirped faintly in the background as the hum of the city started falling asleep.

.

Wally had begun trying to find ways to avoid you. It’d started small, with not being free during the week to study together in the Central City University library like the two of you usually did. He’d been working everyday this week on some or the other assignment, or was hanging out with friends from his classes, who you had met barely in passing to actually know, which meant that you’d spent more time with his parents than him, feeling bad about only showing up on their doorstep to ask about their son. You played poker with his father as you waited, but Wally never returned home, only zooming by you on your interconnected patrol routes. Hell, it’d gotten to the point where you’d not trained together either. No matter what, Wally never missed sparring sessions with you.

You wondered what could’ve possibly happened for him to ignore you. Hooking your penknife into the latch of his window, you jiggled it around, trying to catch the grove that would help you unlock it, and after a few moments, you heard the sound of your success, the click of the mechanic registering as you slid open the window, toppling through gracefully and face first into wooden flooring.

“What are you doing?”

You stood up, brushing yourself off as Wally leaned against the doorway of his bathroom, eyeing you down with confusion. “You were ignoring me all week.”

“So you break into my room?”

”Obviously,” you chuckled, closing the gap between you as you moved into the room. You only stopped when he spoke up again.

”Why?”

Wally looked genuinely surprised, like he hadn’t expected you to fix whatever it was that had gone so wrong that he’d decided forgetting about you was better than talking with you.

You could feel your lips tug into a frown at the idea of never having access to Wally— selfishly, you needed him around, if nothing else then as your best friend. He’d been an extension of you since you’d first met him, trying (and succeeding) at impressing him enough to become your friend in the sandbox. Even at five years old, you could tell he was important, and not because he was the first boy you’d befriended. Wally had a way of making everything around you brighter, like you’d become Midas-touched gold, forever shining as long as he looked at you. He’d brought laughter out of you when your grandfather died; when you’d started crying over Marley and Me and he’d promised he’d find a way to make the dog the two of you got together live forever; when you had first killed a man on the job (an accident, and he was the bad guy, but that didn’t mean it didn’t flash behind your eyelids for over a month) but struggled to wash off the blood until Wally held your shaking hands to do it for you. . .

“Are we okay?”

The question came out quieter than you wanted it to, like punching it out of your lungs expelled all the fear you had about it, into the open where Wally could grab onto it, grab it and do whatever he pleased with the worry you held for him, for the two of you.

Wally shrugged, hands shoved into his sweatpants. He’d moved out of the bathroom now, the door clicking shut softly behind him. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat at the impassive callousness in his voice. Your tongue felt heavy, pinned down as you called out his name. “Wally. . .”

“Baby, ’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Baby, the word sunk heady into your heart, something you’d wished to hear from him, but not like this. Wally had his arms crossed over his chest, standing next to his bed now as he watched you watch him. You cursed as you could feel your eyes shine with watery tears that were beginning to form. Why did he think you didn’t care about him? All you ever did was worry about ways Wally could live a life that he was proud of, one that he wouldn’t have to hide in the future from whoever he was around (and in the most dangerous dreams you had about it, it was you by his side).

“Why wouldn’t I worry about you?” You scoffed, biting back the tears as you stared at the redhead who was watching you intently. “Do you think I don’t care?”

“No you— you do, I know that. . . but with Dick around now, you’ll—“

“What does Dick have to do with you not talking to me?”

Wally ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the tuff of it where it connected to his neck, feet moving as he began pacing. “Doesn’t everything lately have to do with him? I’m happy for you guys, truly. But I can’t be around you, not while I. . .”

“While you, what?” You asked, watching as Wally went still, eyes bugging wide when you repeated yourself. “While you what, Wallace?”

He winced when you used his actual name, not even Walls or Wally, instead shaking his head as he pointed at his window. “You should go.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” you huffed, now your arms crossed as you stared down the boy you’d loved since the beginning of high school.

Wally sucked in a sharp breath like the idea of telling you the truth caused a physical wound in him, and you desperately needed to know it was something you could fix. Because you couldn’t stand the idea of not having Wally anywhere except next to you: it’s what you’d always known, the only thing you’d been sure of since you were a little girl.

When he opened his mouth, you could feel yourself slipping into that hope that finally you’d gotten through to him. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You could feel the air expunge itself from your lungs as Wally turned to fidget with his bedding. He didn’t even look back as you whispered a goodnight Walls over his windowsill, body halfway out. Swallowing harshly, you balanced on the edge of the roof to the West house before dropping down, crouching low to the ground once you landed on the grass of their backyard.

In the quiet of the night, you walked yourself back to your apartment building (which was closer than the tower), eyes red by the time you found yourself in bed, tucked into the duvet that was still the same pastel green that you and Wally had picked together back when you were just children.

.

“Woah, you alright sweetheart?”

Dick and Donna came into your line of sight, the Wayne heir grinned good naturedly while Donna watched you curiously.

Huffing, you landed another hit on the sandbag, the chain swinging from the impact. Donna caught it as it neared her, “what’s going on?”

”Wally, he’s just. . . God, boys can be so frustrating!”

You punched the bag once again as Donna let it go, the Amazonian stepping aside right as the bag swung off the hook in the ceiling. Dick raised his hands in surrender as if he were the one in the line of fire.

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

You eyed Dick, who was still standing far enough to not get hit, and watching you with concern written into the crease of his brows and the corners of his mouth before shaking your head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, I’ll— I’ll talk to him. . . Besides, I don’t think you’ll get through him this time.”

Dick frowned, but nodded. And you understood why; Wally and Dick had been inseparable when the two of you joined the team back in the day, as children who still had hope and dreams of a world that seemed much nicer than it actually is. Wally had found a brother in Dick, and so did the former Robin, you knew that the idea of Wally not listening to Dick would hurt him, but you didn’t want whatever it was that had Wally hurting because of Dick be an issue, not until you could at least figure it out first.

Donna stepped forward, tying her hair back as she did. “Want to spar for a bit? Take your mind off of that idiot?”

“Sure,” you chuckled, shaking your head. Donna always knew how to make you feel better. If you couldn’t talk it out, you’d get out whatever it was with a fight. She’d been much the same way since she’d joined the team as well. “What would I do without you, my love?”

“Be moping,” Dick called out, now hanging off of one the beams, practicing his flips and tricks from a life he no longer had. You looked up and he was grinning from cheek to cheek. “Your emo teenage angst shit is filling this room.”

You rolled your eyes. “Dickhead.”

“That’s me,” he called, swinging his body through the maze of support beams and other bars that had been installed specifically for him.

You turned to Donna, who was grinning as well. “Well, shall we?”

“Why, of course.”

Donna crouched low, waiting on your move. You took the first step.

.

By the time you’d entered your room, it’d been past midnight. Patrol had been long, even longer when Wally wasn’t there to trade jokes with you, or attempt to guess what exactly you’d end up finding while on your rounds.

You’d barely shut your door, still in your suit as you flopped onto the bed when you could feel the familiar hum of frequency outside your door before a loud knock echoed against it.

“Get inside, Wally.”

“Can you. . . Can you open the door?”

Sighing, you dragged yourself up, pulling open the door to see Wally, still in his yellow and red costume, goggles tucked into his hair and freckles on display as the face piece to his suit was pushed back. The boy shuffled on his feet, as if surprised to see you standing in front of him. “Hi.”

“Can you not phase through shit anymore?” You asked, opening the door wider as he stepped in at your gesture for him to do so, stopping just beyond the threshold. You shut the door softly behind him.

“I’m sorry.”

And without meaning to, laughter spilled out of you, the sound more hollow and mean than Wally had ever heard out of you. “You’re sorry? That’s new. I thought you were too busy ignoring me.”

You strode towards your closet, wanting to change out of the suit that stuck to your skin, the suffocating feeling of having Wally so close to you after two weeks of him trying to erase himself from your life practically felt like you’d lose air the longer you were constricted in it. Wally grabbed your hand before you could move far away.

“I mean it, I was being a dick about well. . . Dick,” he winced, brows scrunching even further when you didn’t laugh even the slightest at the unintentional joke, something you always did. Sucking in a harsh breath, he carried on, “if you’re happy with him, I’ll make my peace with it. I just want my best friend back.”

“If I’m happy with whom, Walls?”

You looked genuinely confused, as if Wally hadn’t been there to see Dick and you fall for each other these past few months.

“Dick.”

“What?”

And to Wally’s surprise, you were laughing. You were bent over the waist, nearly falling into him at the image he’d given you. “What’s so funny?”

“Dick and I— there’s nothing. . . Oh my god, did you think I was going out with Dick?”

You had tears coming out of your eyes as you looked at him, as if the idea of anybody wanting to be with Dick Grayson was absurd. He knew the two of you were perfect together, and would look the part too in Gotham’s socialite papers and photographs.

“Please, Dick has his eye set on a redhead at all times,” you chuckled, wiping at the corner of your eyes, “he’s more likely to go for you.”

And at Wally’s shock, at his mouth that fell open, unable to find words, you’d found yourself laughing again. “Wait, so you and Dick aren’t—“

“We never were,” you shook your head, head tilting as if you’d found something out. Your eyes were swimming with curiosity, a sort of finality he’d only seen in you when you’d cracked a particularly difficult case. He’d seen it when you’d found the answer that had stumped you during your criminology courses, when you’d found out whatever Wally had hidden from you (like the surprise parties he tried throwing for your birthday, only for you to find him out five times in a row before he gave up). But now, they looked ever more sure, and Wally hoped he hadn’t been found out.

You took a step forward, now facing him as you closed the distance. “Hey, Walls?”

Wally hummed, eyes darting all over your face, close enough that he could see every shade and hue in your eyes, the way your mouth was pulled into a smile, something sly but that also said you wanted to know something, as your eyes fixed on his mouth.

“What up?”

“Don’t panic.”

“I— what? What do you mean—“

You’d grabbed him by the collar, lips slotting against his that were still sealed shut. The surprise of the impact had him opening his eyes, before reality caught up to him. You were kissing him. You were kissing him. Before he could fully return the fervour, you’d pulled back.

“That’s why.”

Wally was staring at you, eyes wide. “You kissed me.”

”I did,” you grinned, closing the gap to the point where Wally could feel your body pressed up against his, and instinct dictated that he steady you, his hands falling on your waist. “Now are you just going to stand there and gawk, or will you kiss me again?”

When Wally made no move to respond, still glued to the fact that you’d kissed him and it wasn’t a dream, you made to move out of his embrace. “Maybe I should go ask Dick if he wants to— mmph!”

”Shut up,” Wally murmured, pressing his lips to yours again, hands moving to circle around you as he pulled you closer to him, but he was grinning now. You couldn’t help mirror it as you pulled him closer to you, tugging on his hair as you did.

Wally let out a low sound, shuffling back as you hit the edge of your desk, his palms flash against your hips as he set you on top of it. The fireproof material of Wally’s suit bunching in your hands as you dragged him closer, his hands steadying you, still kissing you as if he couldn’t stop. He moved away when you hooked one leg to pull him closer.

”Wait— hold on, what does this mean?”

You blinked, the sluggish euphoria that had filled your veins, sparking a fire in your system slowed into a small flame as you finally realised what he was saying. You looked up into deep greens as they studied you, trying to figure you out, the way they always did.

”I don’t want to do this if it’s just something casual, I don’t— I can’t do that, not with you.”

You loosened your grip on his collar, smoothening it as you tried to figure out how to put it in a way that made him understand just how selfishly you needed him. “That’s the last thing I want with you.”

”Good, because I want this,” he was drawing circles into your waist, still close like he couldn’t bear to be any further from you, eyes scanning every inch of your face. “I want you, all of you.”

You smiled, heart thump-thump-thumping so wild you were sure he could feel it with how close the two of you were. “You have me.”

And Wally’s smile was blinding, the flame in your veins burning brighter just at the way he was looking at you.

“Yeah?” he asked, voice soft and wrecked with emotion.

”Yeah.”

Wally’s mouth slotted against yours against, messy and teeth clashing with how brightly he was smiling, tongue licking at your bottom lip as you dragged him into you, letting him take and take and take everything he wanted. His hands slid into your hair as he tilted your head back, lips moving across every inch of skin he could access, your legs hooking around his hips to sit flush with yours.

”I can’t wait to tell Dick you thought that I was in love with him when you’re here.”

Wally groaned against your pulse point, the spot behind your ear, the sound low and gravelly that had your eyes fluttering shut as you fought to keep your teasing for longer. He pulled away, just enough to speak.

”You won’t let me live that down, will you?”

”I can be convinced,” you teased, breath hitching as he already started tracing a path across your skin again, willing you to forget his stupidity, hands already latching onto the zipper in the front of your tactical suit. “Fuck, baby. . .”

”Say that again,” he hummed, mouthing at your collarbone and you had no choice but to acquiesce his demand.

”Wally, babe, don’t—fuck, don’t stop,” you whimpered as his hips pressed hard into yours again, the pressure only causing the fire curling low in your belly to burn harder as you met his actions and desire.

“God, you have no idea what you do to me, darlin’.”

The low drawl had you pulling him up, his eyes not only having a slither of green as they gazed up at you in hunger.

“I have an idea,” you mumbled, dragging him into you again, his body following yours with no resistance.

SPIDEROOOS © 2026.

[spiderooos]

okay, so update!!

i’m back after not writing for a while! (uni was on my ass lol),,, i’m now like 4k into a wally west fic and i fear it’s not even halfway close to done—

idk when it is going to be halfway… my brain keeps saying i need more of the dynamic before i finally make my dolls kiss

me rn trying to write (and finish!) this fic:

[froggibus]

— Among the Pages

Pairing: Wally West x gn! librarian! reader

Summary: Wally's dreading his bet with Kyle to read more this year until he meets the cute librarian that changes his life for the better

Word Count: 3k

Content/CW -> flirting, some book references, injury/blood, (some) hurt/comfort, Wally being Wally, friends to lovers

— requested by my 🐞 anon

froggi yaps -> lovelovelove librarian reader!!! was very tempted to have them be saved by the flash but i just Cannot see Wally divulging his secret identity that quickly </3 anyway enjoy!

The Minotaur roars, the little boy stabbing the remnants of its own broken off horn into its ribs. It flails, clawing at its chest, before it begins to turn to ash. The beast crumbles, blowing away like sand.

The shrill ring of a countertop bell snaps you out of your book. You dog ear the page, the last four paragraphs of the chapter disappearing behind the cover.

You cast your gaze up, following the pasty hand that had rung the bell and taken you out of the—quite honestly well-written—children’s book you’d had your nose buried in.

The man flashes you a charming smile, dimples punctuating his freckled cheeks. “Hi.” 

He’s tall and lean, dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt. A mess of red hair hangs over his forehead, and despite the way he pushes the strands away, they tumble back into his eyeline.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for a book.”

A dry laugh falls from your lips. “Well, you’re in the right place. Just any book?”

“Yes—well, no. Not really.” He cards a hand through his hair, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know. Can you tell I don’t come here often?”

“Only a little,” you grin.

His cheeks warm, a pink hue creeping up his neck and into the tips of his ears. The man tilts his head at you, hair following suit.

“Wally,” he extends a hand.

You take his hand in yours, smiling and offering him your name in return.

“So, Wally,” you test it, the name easy on your tongue. “What brings you to the library for what I assume to be the first time ever?”

Your heart beats in your throat while you examine his face, looking for any sign of annoyance at the jab. Instead, he offers you a playful eyeroll.

“Third time, I’ll have you know.” He blows a harsh puff of air through his lips, “it’s for a challenge.”

“A challenge?”

“My friends don’t think I have enough patience to read,” he explains. “So I’m here to prove them wrong.”

You consider him. The over-abundance of energy he expends by shifting his weight to either leg, the slight ramblings that make talking to him a little easier. You could easily see why anyone would make that assumption.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Let’s find you something to read,” you shuffle aside, pushing past the little gate that separates the counter from the rest of the library. “Are we thinking fiction, or non-fiction?”

There’s a weird sort of smile on his face. “Fiction, definitely.”

You lead him down the aisles of books, Wally following just a little behind you. He’s careful to keep his strides short, trying not to impose.

“What’s your poison?” You ask.

“Huh?”

“Romance, fantasy, horror,” you risk a glance over your shoulder, “what’re you interested in?”

“Scifi,” he says quickly. “Or fantasy. As long as it’s got a kickass plot.”

You snort, nodding at his suggestion. You lead him away from the counter, from the rows upon rows of nonfiction, and deep into the fiction section.

You duck into an aisle, rifling through a section of books until you find the one you’re looking for.

“Here.” 

You thrust the book into Wally’s arms, waiting patiently while he reads over the synopsis. His brows furrow, lips pursed while his finger traces over the lines.

“It might sound a little boring but I promise, once it gets into the action, you won’t want to put it down.”

He nods, tucking the novel under his arm. “Good enough for me.”

Wally follows you all the way back to the desk, talking enthusiastically about his friends and the challenge that led him here in the first place. 

“—and Kyle, the asshole, said if I could read 12 books this year, he’d give me 50 bucks.”

Of all the people you talk to in a day—children looking for new reads, seniors looking for someone to listen to them—Wally is by far the most interesting. He has a way of speaking that captivates you, leaving you hanging onto every word.

You set Wally up with a brand new library card, scanning through the book for him. “So,” you smile at him, “I guess if you’re on a reading kick, I’ll be seeing you often?”

His smile is like sunshine. “I’m about to be your new best friend.”

You try to hide your shock when Wally is back the next afternoon. He has the book clenched in his hands, waiting patiently behind the mom and her daughter that you’re currently helping.

You send them away with a stack of books and a smile, looking beyond them to the redheaded man swaying awkwardly. “Wally?”

His head perks up, that easy confident smile covering his face. “Hey.”

You glance at the book in his hands, the cover familiar. “Don’t tell me you hated it.”

“Huh?” He follows your gaze, green eyes widening, “what? No, no. I loved it. You were right.”

“You…finished it already?”

He nods.

“Well, you’re certainly giving your friends a run for their money.” You take the book from his hands, “that asshole Kyle isn’t gonna know what’s hit him.”

And something like sunlight falls across his face, not because you’re unintentionally making fun of Green Lantern, but because you remembered. You listened to his rambling.

“But—” You hold up the book for him to see, slipping through the gate behind the counter. “You don’t have to return these to me directly. We have a dropbox for books.”

You show him to the bookslots at the front door, slipping it inside. “See, then you don’t have to wait around for me to be free.”

“But what if I want to see you?”

You pause, hand stilling midair. A sudden heat rushes up your neck, butterflies drifting around the hollow space in your stomach. Your eyes meet his.

“Then I guess you’ll just have to keep reading.”

You help Wally find more books to check out, giving him a stack of three this time. Surely that will keep him company for at least a week.

You’re returning back to the main stretch of navy coloured carpet when Wally speaks up, walking side by side with you now.

“What’s your favorite genre?” 

“Hm?”

“Romance, fantasy, horror,” he grins cheekily, parroting your words from yesterday. “What are you interested in?”

“Oh well,” you say, suddenly too aware of how close he is, how much attention he’s paying to you. “I like a bit of everything.”

“So, what’s your favorite book then?”

Back at the counter, you slip away behind the desk and take his stack of books. “Finish these first, and then we’ll talk.”

“Deal.”

Four days later and Wally returns, slipping his stack of books into the dropbox and coming trotting up to the desk. It’s a rainy day, streaks of rain drops dripping down the windows and painting brilliant patterns.

“I see those slowed you down a bit.”

He feigns hurt, dramatically clamping a hand over his chest. “Slowed me down? You underestimate me.”

You raise your eyebrows in question.

“You weren’t here yesterday, or the day before.”

You blink. He waited two days to return the books just so he could see you?

“There are other librarians, you know.”

He leans against the counter, propped up on his elbows. “But then how could I thank you for your kickass recommendations?”

“You really are something.”

“You love it.”

Maybe you do, just a little bit.

You fall into a routine easily from here, Wally coming in every few days with an armful of books and a head full of thoughts. He tells you all about his latest reads while you browse the shelves, collecting him a new pile of books.

You’ve come to look forward to the days Wally comes, livening up the library that had begun to feel dull day after day. Your coworkers tease you about your ‘book boyfriend’, how they’ve seen him duck his head in from time to time to see if you’re working.

After the third or so time of him coming in only to frown at your absence, you slipped him a copy of your schedule, folded in the pages of one of his new books.

He works his way through all of your scifi recommendations, slowly drifting into fantasy. He was hesitant at first when you strayed away from his usual books of dragons and elves and barefooted people who lived in underground houses.

When you pulled the children’s book off the shelf and thrusted it into his arms, Wally had raised an eyebrow.

“This is for kids.” 

“This is what I was reading when we met,” you explained. “You’ll like it, I swear.”

He was skeptical, eyebrows drawn together in that way they always do when he’s considering something. Still, he’d taken the book from you in his pile and when he returned a few days later, there was an incredulous smile on his face.

He sits himself on the counter, watching as you sort through a cart of books. “You were right.”

“I always am.”

“He was so funny,” he talks with his hands, drawing abstract pictures in the air, “and the scene with the casino? Insane.”

You can only grin while he talks animatedly about the book he just read, filtering through the stack you have behind the counter. From what you’ve come to know about Wally, he’s not much different from the character from the book—funny, sarcastic, loyal to a fault.

You knew he would like it from the day you met him, it was just a matter of getting him to read it.

Finally, you finish sorting your book cart, interrupting his tangent. “Does this mean you’re ready to read the rest of the series?”

Six days. Wally doesn’t come back for six days. It’s the longest you’ve gone without seeing him since you met, the longest it’s ever taken him to read four books. Kids books, at that.

The days melt into one another, the spring rain hasn’t let up and the dreary weather along with Wally’s absence is getting to you.

The door opens, a yellow umbrella greeting your eyes and for a minute, you dare to hope. And then the umbrella gets tucked away and a handsome man with dark hair steps into the library, meticulously drying his shoes.

You freeze at the sight of him, at the stack of books in his hands. The ones you’d given to Wally almost a week ago. You watch as he dumps the pile of books into the dropbox.

As if sensing your gaze on him, he offers you a wave, sauntering up to the counter. “Hey, you’re Wally’s friend, right?”

His green eyes are warm, like soft grass in spring. He rests an arm on the counter, the gesture easy and fluid.

“Yeah, yeah.”

You take him in. The cut of his jaw, his muscular build, his slightly damp dark hair that somehow still looks perfect. He’s tall, only slightly shorter than Wally. You blink. What are they feeding these men?

“I’m Kyle.”

Your mouth falls open slightly. Kyle. This is asshole Kyle?

“Is…is Wally okay?”

“Yeah he’s just,” he cringes, nose crinkling, “out of town right now. He asked if I could return these for him.”

You try to hide your disappointment. “Oh, do you know when he’ll be back?” 

A flash of guilt behind those eyes and then, “hopefully soon.”

You nod, going quiet. Thoughts of the days before Wally showed up, days punctuated with mildewed pages and time passing like molasses. It’s as though your life has been cleaved in half—the half before you met Wally, and the half afterwards.

“Hey, so, do you think he’s actually reading these?”

“What?”

“These books, I mean you probably know better than anyone.” He flashes a smile, “Wally’s actually reading them?”

“He is.” You focus on the collar of his shirt, a stray thread hanging loose, “I think he’s definitely read more than twelve, too.”

He laughs. “So Wally told you about the bet?”

“50 bucks, Wally definitely got the better end of the deal.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right about that. He gets my money and gets to talk to his cute librarian.”

Your heart catches in your throat. Not because he called you cute, but because he said his cute librarian. Like a part of Wally belongs with you.

“Sorry,” he says. “Too much?”

“No,” you shake your head, unable to hide your smile. “No, it’s…it’s good. It’s really good.”

It’s five more days before you see Wally. It’s late by the time he stumbles in, dressed in track pants and a baggy sweatshirt, his brilliant eyes punctuated with undereye bags.

 You’re wiping down the counters, stopping in your tracks at the sight of him. “Wally?”

“Sorry, I—” He stops to keel over, resting his hands on his knees and taking deep breaths. “Sorry I’m late.”

He looks up, eyes meeting yours and the cloth falls from your hand. There’s a gash on his forehead, his lip is split and fading bruises paint his face in shades of purple and yellow.

“Jesus, Wally.”

You rush to his side without thinking, a hand rubbing a particularly dark bruise along his jaw. He relaxes into your touch, wincing when he tries to force a smile.

“What happened?”

He cringes. “Just had an accident at work.”

“Where do you work, a boxing ring?”

Wally laughs, a small stream of blood trickling from his nose. He tries to wipe it before you see but your eyes widen at the sight of the blood. You grab his sleeve and pull him over to the counter. You’re lucky it’s late, your coworkers having left you to close the library on your own. 

You duck away behind the counter, rooting through the drawer of emergency supplies you keep. “Should be around here somewhere,” you mumble to yourself.

“Seriously, don’t fuss over me.”

“It’s not fussing, it's—here!” You stand up, hoisting the small bag of bandages above your head triumphantly.

You get to work dabbing the wound on Wally’s forehead with an alcohol wipe. The man doesn’t even cringe at the pain, staying perfectly still. One of your hands rests on his cheek, steadying yourself against him.

You press a bandage over the wound on his forehead, smoothing it down softly. “There, that’s a little better.”

“You know, I heard it heals faster if you kiss it better.”

You’re not sure what prompts you to do it, if it’s the worry that burns in your chest or if it’s pent up energy from how much you’ve missed him. But you find yourself leaning in, lips brushing the surface of the bandaid.

Wally’s blushing. “Thanks,” he says quietly.

“Don’t mention it just—” You look at him seriously, “next time you disappear, warn me before you show up all mangled.”

He scoffs. “Mangled? You should see the other guy.”

You shoot him a look, Wally instinctively raising his hands in surrender. 

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

“Whatever,” you tuck the bag away. “Let’s grab you some books, yeah?”

He nods, lips pressed together in a tight smile.

He’s quieter today, clinging closer to you as you make your way down the aisles. The library is beyond closed now, Wally having helped you lock the doors before following you to the books.

He holds out his arms and lets you dump book after book into them.

“So what is your job?” 

“I work in…security.”

“Security? That’s vague.”

“Trust me,” his eyes meet yours, “it’s better if it’s vague.”

You drop a final book into his arms before ushering him back to the counter, scanning through his stack as quickly as you can. 

You glance up at Wally. “I met Kyle, by the way.”

“Oh, so he did return the books.”

“Mhm, he seems sweet.”

“Sweet?” Wally takes a beat to calm himself down, jealousy roaring in his chest. “Yeah, I’m sure he gets that a lot.”

You clock the tension in his jaw, the thinly veiled hurt behind his eyes. Handing him his stack of books, you let your hand linger over his.

“Don’t worry, I prefer redheads.”

Your words linger in Wally’s mind for days. Every time he pauses his reading, they echo in his mind. Even when he’s running, trying to clear his mind and throw himself into his work, they bubble beneath the surface.

He feels your touch on his hand. Don’t worry, I prefer redheads.

He can’t even think of you without getting flustered, feeling like a dorky teenager all over again. He reads this stack of books the fastest, his body completely healing while he does.

He returns to you two days later, sunset just beginning to break outside the window. You’re facing away from him, the pink glow from the window casting an ethereal haze over you.

Wally swallows, dumping his books into the dropbox. You perk up at the noise, turning around and smiling at him. His heart flutters at the sight.

“Back so soon?” 

“What can I say?” He beams, “I missed you.”

Your eyes widen, unsure whether he’s being serious or if it’s that signature Wally flirtation you’ve grown so used to. 

“Missed me?”

He hums, coming up to lean against the counter the way he always does.

“That’s a new one.”

It’s silent for a beat, Wally’s gaze piercing into you. You look away, focused instead at the perfectly healed skin on his forehead.

“That healed quickly.”

“I said it would heal faster if you kissed it better.”

Your eyebrows raise.

He takes a deep breath and then, “go out with me? Please?”

You’re taken aback, blinking at him in disbelief. Weeks. It’s been weeks of going back and forth with Wally, sharing books and thoughts.

You smile. “I was beginning to think you’d never ask. Where are we going?”

“I recently came into some extra cash, so…anywhere you want?”

You lean across the counter to kiss his cheek, pink dusting the skin where your lips just were. Thank you, Kyle. 

dc masterlist | navigation

thanks for reading & have a wonderful week /ᐠ > ˕ <マ ₊˚⊹♡

[spiderooos]

new dick grayson fic coming soon!!

[spiderooos]

update: it’s published now :))

[spiderooos]

sugar talkin’ ✸ dick grayson.

dick learned early on that people knowing everything about him meant that he’d lose someone else close to him, and he’d learned the hard way just how devastating loss is. which is why he can’t tell you everything, no matter what, just to keep you safe. even if means you could end up hating him.

includes. . . dick grayson x reader. angst with a happy-ish (??) / ambiguous ending, pre-established relationship, dancer!reader, reader doesn’t know about nightwing’s true identity, dick isn’t good at separating his lives, haley the cutie patootie pup (!!!), dick isn’t doing good in his relationship with reader.

word count. . . 4k

notes. . . tell me why i’ve been writing this much for a fic like it’s a fucking academic essay lol. sabrinachella altered my brain chemistry (i watched it on youtube), and that performance of sugar talking has got it back to being no.1 in my flat. this whole fic is basically inspired by that song tbh.

Dick Grayson was anything but ordinary. You’d known it since you’d first seen him, standing in line for coffee while his three-legged pup wagged her tail ferociously at his side. You’d known it since he’d pulled out every clichéd move he could in order to get your attention. Yet, for some reason, he was acting ordinary.

“Seriously, Dick, where are you?”

You pulled your phone away from your ear, looking at the time. It’d been an hour since you’d gotten your reservation. You could see the twenty something waitress watching from the corner, eyes sympathetic as she watched you leave yet another voicemail. “I’m leaving the restaurant. I’ll see you when you get home from wherever you are.”

You ended the call, signalling the waitress over. “Hey, could I get this to go? And the cheque?”

“Of course,” she smiled, eyes sorrowful for someone she didn’t even know as she walked away from your table.

Sighing, you eyed the rice and curry dish you’d ordered because you knew it was Dick’s favourite, only for it to go cold in your wait for him. He was supposed to be there an hour ago. Dick rarely was late for a date with you, except lately he’d been away from home more times than not.

By the time you’d made it home after paying for a meal you didn’t even eat properly, all you wanted to do was go to sleep. Haley greeted you at the door, tail wagging wildly.

“Hi sweetheart, I missed you too,” you crouched down, letting the three legged pup jump into your arms before standing up. Your neighbour, who you’d asked to dog sit, smiled up at you as she got up from the couch. “Thanks for looking after her. I hope everything was alright.”

“Of course, don’t worry about it,” Maggie waved you off, instead taking away the takeaway bag you’d set at the entry table and moving towards your kitchen. “Should I keep this in the fridge?”

“Yeah, thank you Mags,” you called out, scratching behind Haley’s ears as you set her down. “I think Richard might be holed up in a case today.”

“They really work them to the bone down at the police department, huh?”

“You’re telling me,” you laugh, leaning against the counter as Maggie turns towards you. She eyed you with some pity, she used to be your roommate back in college back in Metropolis, and somehow the two of you ended up living next to each other now in Blüdhaven, a few years later. “Thanks once again.”

“Please, I’d do anything for you.”

“You’re just saying that because you get my dog,” you narrowed your eyes playfully. Maggie chuckled, raising her hands up in surrender.

“Guilty.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” you asked, dropping the act as you followed your friend to your entryway. The two of you carpooled to work together.

“Bright and early, babes. Goodnight.” Maggie shut the front door behind her.

You sighed, making your way into the bedroom as you shut off all the lights, the sound of pattering paws following you. Once you’d settled into bed, Haley curled up by your side, body resting on the empty pillow where Dick usually slept. You checked your phone once again to see if you’d gotten a message from your boyfriend.

babe where are you? hello??? dick where tf are you??? read at 8:21 pm — i’ll see you at home dick. sent at 10:30pm

“Goodnight, baby.”

Haley simply nuzzled closer, soft snores escaping her mouth.

.

Warm sunlight creeped into the bedroom under the thick curtains, curling around you as you woke up. As if having a bodily clock attuned entirely to your sleeping habits, you could feel Haley shift in her sleep from where she’d curled up in your side during the night. Turning to your side, you reached over to find the bed empty, the covers still warm. Dick must have left some time ago.

Ignoring the dull acknowledgment at the back of your mind that Dick hadn’t even woken you up to tell you he was leaving (something he did every morning without fail if he had to run out the door), you made the rounds through your morning routine, trudging towards the kitchen where there was a plate of eggs and toast on the island counter. Next to it, sat a mug of warm coffee that had a sticky note on its body, a bright hot pink piece of paper that explained his absence.

Good morning sweetheart. I’m sorry for not waking you up, they need me down at the precinct. I’ll see you tonight. Love you babe! Dick.

He’d drawn a heart next to his name.

Before you could even think about it, you felt a cold nose nuzzle your leg. Haley was looking up at you with big eyes, ears dropped and a low whining noise like she’d never seen a lick of food in her life.

“Alright missy, let’s get you your food,” you laughed, busying yourself with breakfast for her, and heating up the breakfast that had cooled down on the countertop.

At 9 sharp, a loud knock echoed throughout the flat, and Haley at once sprinted to the door, barking in excitement. You chuckled, knowing Maggie would let herself in with the copy of your key. “Rise and shine sweetheart.”

“Hi honey,” you smiled, as both her and Haley walked into the kitchen where you’d been packing the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner for lunch. Maggie had clipped on the pup’s leash, and was straining to restrain the excitable Pitt bull. “Shall we?”

Maggie nodded, eyeing the food you packed with pursed lips. “Yeah, let’s go. Can’t have the children waiting.”

“No we can’t.”

.

Blüdhaven had a surprisingly well run and updated recreational center, especially since how close the city was to Gotham and its high crime rate. Maggie, Haley and you made your way towards the dance studios located further inside the building, both of you setting up in rooms opposite each other. Haley took some laps of the room, inspecting it while you set up the speaker and the barres for the incoming class.

While Maggie was a Pilates instructor, you were one of the few dance teachers that taught outside of the Gotham & Blüdhaven Dance Conservatory. Thanks to funding from Wayne Enterprises, you found yourself managing on your lifestyle easily enough in the city.

Before long, students began piling in, all talking about how their week was at school and weekend plans. You let them converse as you pulled out your phone when it buzzed, hopeful for a text from Dick, but it was just your mother checking in on the family group chat. Frowning, you texted him once, before setting your phone next to your bag.

Hey, what time will you be back tonight?

“Alright, girls and boys,” you clapped your hands together, calling their attention away from your pup who had happily rolled over in the center of the room for everyone to give her belly rubs. “Whoever does warm up flawlessly gets extra Haley time and doesn’t have to help me clean up.”

At once they all stood tall, while Haley, as if she could understand everything, trotted over to your side, watching with curiosity to see who would be the lucky person to shower her in attention and affection. At least teenagers paid attention to you.

.

Your post-lunch time was lighter for once. Since the Conservatory had yet to decide on a summer ballet, you had a moment’s reprieve before getting swept up in daily rehearsals along with your usual classes. You’d waved goodbye to Maggie, who’d finally gotten a date with the cute receptionist, instead walking back with Haley, who trotted along proudly with a large stick she’d found on the ground.

“We’ve got to drop it once we reach home, okay girl?”

Haley simply whined, moving faster. You chuckled, letting her bring the stick up with her as you entered your apartment building. You’d throw it out before Dick came home, besides, Haley would forget about it by the time she woke up from her nap later in the day.

“Come on, in we go.”

You pushed the front door open, letting the three legged pup in before following yourself. You’d just barely shut the door when—

“Hey.”

Startled, you turned around. Dick was in the living room, dressed in a simple pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt, smiling up at you from the couch.

“You’re home early.” You pointed out the obvious, moving to the kitchen instead. Setting in the dirty dishes from your lunch earlier, you spoke up again. “Did you finish the case?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that went well.”

Haley followed in after Dick as he leaned next to you against the counter. He was watching you carefully. “Can we talk?”

You huffed, scrubbing the dishes harder than required. “What’s there to talk about?”

“Sweetheart—“

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me right now, Richard Grayson,” you looked at the man next you, setting the washed dishes aside. Straightening up, turned to face your boyfriend, who was fiddling with his fingers as he waited. “Where were you last night?”

Dick grinned sheepishly, the use of his full name causing him to panic. He rubbed at the skin at the nape of his neck, the hair there ruffling at the movement. “I. . . er— I was busy.”

You watched him carefully, studying his face. Ever since you’d known him, Dick had always been somewhat closed off. He’d grown up in the spotlight, something you knew that wasn’t always his favourite, at least when he couldn’t have full control over it. You understood, being the son of Bruce Wayne meant he had a lot to carry on, especially as the oldest of four. But never once had you been unable to understand Dick Grayson since you’d crossed paths with him.

“Can we not do this right now?”

“I’m sorry,” Dick called out your name, following you into the bedroom. You shook your head, moving towards the bathroom to take the shower you were looking forward to on the way home. “Let me just— baby, please.”

“Dick, what’s there to talk about?” You sighed, rubbing at the sore spot behind your eyes. “You weren’t there last night because you were too busy to come home from work, and now you want to give me some excuse for why you ditched me. Seriously, I don’t want to do this right now.”

“Sweetheart, please, let me just explain myself.”

You huffed out a breath, looking up into his eyes. His blue eyes were dark, shrouded in guilt for not being there, swimming with sorrow. “Am I going to get the truth?”

“I’m just— it’s complicated.”

“Well,” you made a sound that would’ve been a laugh in a lighter moment. It was more air than anything else. “Let me know when you uncomplicate it. I’ll talk to you later, Richard.”

You shut the door to the bathroom before he could hear your sharp breath, trying the best you could to not cry.

.

Rain petered down towards the city in soft caresses, kissing Blüdhaven’s skyline with joy. The summer heat no longer felt trapped against the city’s caged lungs as she breathed in the cool breeze.

Dick had left to go back to his place after you’d basically shut him out. Haley, who looked confused at the fact that her father was leaving so soon, stood scratching at the door as he did. In the time you’d been together, Dick had barely been back to his own flat, most of his stuff living in spaces you’d cleaned out for him, his own life morphing into your own. The most time he’d spent at his place was during long patrolling nights, where he didn’t want to wake you up.

He was perched on the rooftop across from your building, in the shadows of the night as he watched you and Haley playing in the living room, his pup wagging her tail with glee as she waited for you to throw the ball in your hand. Usually, Dick would be there too. On a regular night, dick had the privilege of holding you in his arms.

The rain slanted in cool spurts against his domino mask. He’d finished patrolling hours ago, but couldn’t face himself to go back to an empty house, now just a place to keep his belongings, to keep anything he didn’t care about. He wondered if the reason the two of you were still awake was because you were just as unnerved as he was at being away from you.

He watched you staring at the front door, as if willing Dick to walk through the door by sheer determination. You stood there for a moment longer, before rubbing at your eyes as you shut the lights off. He watched you curl into his side of the bed, Haley tucking herself into your side.

Nightwing could handle a couple more hours of patrol. Rain be damned.

.

Dick walked in as your students were filing out of class, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. The teenagers looked at him curiously, whispering amongst themselves. You knew they were going to bring this up as many times as they could next class. The thought brought a soft smile to your face.

“Hi, can we talk?”

You sighed, nodding. Dick smiled, taking tentative steps towards you and holding the bouquet out, lips pulling up slightly more as you took it from him. Camellias and white chrysanthemums were stuffed in between wisps of baby’s breath and other flora. He must’ve had this made personally for you.

“The flowers are pretty.”

“Thank you.” You could feel Dick’s eyes on you as you inspected the bouquet, feeling the softness of the petals. “I’m so sorry about forgetting dinner sweetheart. I really didn’t mean to, I was just occupied with the case—“

“Dick, seriously, am I going to ever get the truth?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is this,” you gesture between the two of you, frowning. Dick’s brows furrowed, his lips parting to protest, or maybe to defend himself but you continued on, your emotions spilling out of you, everything finally overflowing. “You never tell me what’s going on with you, and you’re never home anymore. I don’t know what you’re doing but I can’t keep living with you like this.”

“No please,” Dick called out your name, voice full of everything he could never tell you. “I’m so sorry, I promise nothing is going on. I can’t— I can’t tell you.”

“Dick, what are you involved in? Whatever it is, I can help you out. . . We can go to your father, he can help.”

Dick’s eyes watched panic flit across your face, fear holding strong in your watery eyes as you scanned him over for any sign of something wrong, something hurt. It broke him to know that even through everything he put you through, somehow you were still more worried about Dick. “I love you, and I promise I’m alright. I need you to trust me.”

“How do you expect me to do that when I don’t know what’s going on, Dick?” you were trying your hardest to hold back your tears, your breath hitching at the effort. It felt Herculean, the weight against your ribs feeling stronger than your will to not break down but you pushed through it, somehow. You saw Dick trace the movement, his eyes now swimming in ocean blue sadness. “I can’t do this anymore. Not while you keep me in the dark.”

“So this is it?”

You could feel your lip wobbling, sucking in a sharp breath as you tried to steady your racing heart. You just wanted to be able to know what was going on with Dick, but all he seemed to do is shut you out. “I think you should leave. I’ll drop Haley off tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” he spoke softly, his voice thick with emotion as he called out your name. “I love you.”

“I know.”

The door shut softly behind him, your tears finally slipping past the threshold.

.

Dick took the long way home. He tracked a pebble with his foot till he reached his apartment building, the silence greeting him in a loud, resounding echo. Donning the suit felt more like a chore than something Dick did in order to protect his city. He hadn’t felt so empty since he was eighteen, since he had once lost a brother before he could’ve fully been saved. And even though Jason was back in his life now, he still can see the child that never got a chance to fully live.

Pulling out his phone, he saw your name show up on his notifications: you’d made a post about your role as Puck in the Conservatory’s summer ballet performance for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He knew you’d do an amazing job, and he went to speak up on it before realising where he was. He shook his head, texting Barbara that he was moving out for the night.

“Nightwing, do you copy?”

Dick tapped once on the comms device in his ear, in order to check its snugness before speaking up. “I’m here Oracle. Moving out now.”

Eyes shaded by his domino mask, he fled out into the cover of night in Blüdhaven, making his local rounds in silence, only sparsely broken by Barbara giving him directions to the warehouse where one of the Scarecrow’s lower level goons held some of his new chemical ware. Bruce had tipped him off about them working out of the city, and instead of having his brother come here on Bruce’s behalf, Dick had volunteered himself for the job. And now, he was more than glad he’d decided to go that route.

“Alright, you’re almost there,” Barbara’s voice felt faraway despite the fact that she was speaking right into his ear. Dick hummed to acknowledge his presence, “keep in contact, Nightwing.”

“Yes.”

Dick scanned the warehouse, an old perfumery ad from the 1920s painted onto the outer walls in fading paint. Decades of grime and soot cover it, graffiti and random posters peeling off the name of the brand, covering its history.

Would you change your mind if you knew about his second life?

He eyed the number of guards, pulling out self imploding bat-discs, tossing them towards the corner of the entrance and waiting on the smoke to distract them before dropping down. By the time the fog lifted, Dick had disarmed the guards.

“I’m going in,” he muttered, sticking to the shadows, much like his training called of him. This was a simple in and out job, taking inventory and possibly getting rid of the evidence, as Red Hood would like to do it (minus any major property damage).

Sticking to the edges, Dick entered in through an open window, sticking to the beams as he scanned the area slowly so Oracle could see what he was seeing. The silence was loud as he waited on a response.

Would you still love him if you knew the truth?

“All clear, take the samples and that’s a job done,” Oracle’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. He couldn’t afford to get distracted now.

Landing on his feet, Dick moved silently, gathering the chemicals required that he could take to the manor tomorrow night during the monthly Wayne family dinners. The first one in a while you wouldn’t be attending with him.

Dick could feel his chest cave in, the sinking worry that you wouldn’t let him find you again.

“I’m done for the night, Nightwing out.”

The comms device crackled with Barabara’s voice again. “Copy that, see you tomorrow.”

And then silence greeted him, already feeling like an old friend.

.

You woke up to Dick on your couch. Haley had curled up on his chest, snoring in contentment. Despite yourself, you paused, taking in the man who’d cramped himself into a space not big enough for him. For the first time in a while, you got to trace the exhaustion in his face, the way it clung onto the space below his eyes, how it seemed to seep out of him in droves. What were you up to, babe?

Deciding to let him sleep longer, you took the spare blanket, draping it over the both of them before moving towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for three, something you hadn’t done in a while.

Dick wandered in as you cleaned up after Haley, who already sat by the island counter where you’d laid out breakfast for the two of you, sitting pretty like she’d not just eaten food herself.

“Morning, sleep well?”

Dick yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He’d come over after patrol last night, having changed at his place before coming over. He was meant to leave before you woke up, only wanting a way to be near you, at least until he learns to sit with the silence. “Sorry, you weren’t supposed to know I was here.”

“So, you’re breaking and entering now?” You chuckled, passing him a mug of steaming hot coffee, extremely sweet and exactly to his liking.

Dick winced, bringing the mug to his mouth.

“When you put it like that. . .”

“Baby, there’s not a single way I could put it where it would sound nice,” you shook your head, too busy with buttering your toast to notice the way Dick’s breath caught in his throat at the nickname that slipped past your lips. Baby. . . babybabybaby—

Sunlight hugged every corner of the open plan apartment, warming up all its corners as the two of you ate in silence. For once, Dick didn’t find it pressing in on him. It felt almost . . . comfortable, like skin he could slip back on, one he’d never learned to let go of. You were being bathed in it, the sun warming around you as if you were its source.

“So,” you began, dragging the word out, “what’re you doing here Dick? People don’t typically wake up with their significant others on the couch the night after breaking up.”

“I— I’m sorry, for everything. One day, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

You nodded. Dick never once had not followed through on a promise he’d made, but yet lately, that’s all he’d seem to do. You didn’t know when everything changed. “I’m sure you will, Dick.”

“What can I do to make you believe me?”

You saw Dick’s hand come in your line of vision. When you looked up at him, he took hold of your hand gently, as if afraid you’d leave, or maybe even make him leave. He didn’t want to think about which one would hurt more.

He was watching you with eyes that had been more open than anything in the past month. You could see the guilt shadowing the baby blues, a month’s worth of promises he’d failed to keep showing up and fulfilling. You knew that he was genuine, Dick had never given you a reason to believe otherwise, but you couldn’t just rely on genuineness anymore, not when he was clearly not being fully himself with you. You needed to be able to understand why he was suddenly shutting you out.

You squeezed his hand softly, gently. “I just want you to trust me again. You’re always there for you, you’re my person. Let me be there for you.”

“I can’t. . . Trust me, I’d love to but I just— I love you too much to let anything happen to you.”

You frowned, “Dick, living in a place like Blüdhaven or Gotham means I’m always going to be in danger, you can’t stop that. I just need you to let me in.”

“I can’t.”

You sighed. Dick felt cold encase him when your hand went limp in his hold, his heart beating wildly. He placed both his hands over yours, cradling them.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Give me a chance to.”

And maybe it was stupid of you to have hope about it, but this was Dick. He was your Dick, the same man who stayed up late with you while you spent hours perfecting each move before your performances, there for every time you’d stressed out and spiralled over your capabilities on stage, on every little place you’d messed up. Dick had been there through it all. You never knew how to truly be mad at him, and maybe that was your cross to bear, but you still had hope.

Dick was still the only person who’d managed to hold your heart without breaking it, it wasn’t fair of the circumstances to expect you to hope for anything else except what you’ve always had. You just hoped he still had faith in doing so himself.

You placed your hand on top of his, something like a smile tugging softly at your mouth. Dick could feel his heart slow down as you looked at him, eyes wide and telling. This was his last chance.

“Show me.”

SPIDEROOOS © 2026.

[spiderooos]

sugar talkin’ ✸ dick grayson.

dick learned early on that people knowing everything about him meant that he’d lose someone else close to him, and he’d learned the hard way just how devastating loss is. which is why he can’t tell you everything, no matter what, just to keep you safe. even if means you could end up hating him.

includes. . . dick grayson x reader. angst with a happy-ish (??) / ambiguous ending, pre-established relationship, dancer!reader, reader doesn’t know about nightwing’s true identity, dick isn’t good at separating his lives, haley the cutie patootie pup (!!!), dick isn’t doing good in his relationship with reader.

word count. . . 4k

notes. . . tell me why i’ve been writing this much for a fic like it’s a fucking academic essay lol. sabrinachella altered my brain chemistry (i watched it on youtube), and that performance of sugar talking has got it back to being no.1 in my flat. this whole fic is basically inspired by that song tbh.

Dick Grayson was anything but ordinary. You’d known it since you’d first seen him, standing in line for coffee while his three-legged pup wagged her tail ferociously at his side. You’d known it since he’d pulled out every clichéd move he could in order to get your attention. Yet, for some reason, he was acting ordinary.

“Seriously, Dick, where are you?”

You pulled your phone away from your ear, looking at the time. It’d been an hour since you’d gotten your reservation. You could see the twenty something waitress watching from the corner, eyes sympathetic as she watched you leave yet another voicemail. “I’m leaving the restaurant. I’ll see you when you get home from wherever you are.”

You ended the call, signalling the waitress over. “Hey, could I get this to go? And the cheque?”

“Of course,” she smiled, eyes sorrowful for someone she didn’t even know as she walked away from your table.

Sighing, you eyed the rice and curry dish you’d ordered because you knew it was Dick’s favourite, only for it to go cold in your wait for him. He was supposed to be there an hour ago. Dick rarely was late for a date with you, except lately he’d been away from home more times than not.

By the time you’d made it home after paying for a meal you didn’t even eat properly, all you wanted to do was go to sleep. Haley greeted you at the door, tail wagging wildly.

“Hi sweetheart, I missed you too,” you crouched down, letting the three legged pup jump into your arms before standing up. Your neighbour, who you’d asked to dog sit, smiled up at you as she got up from the couch. “Thanks for looking after her. I hope everything was alright.”

“Of course, don’t worry about it,” Maggie waved you off, instead taking away the takeaway bag you’d set at the entry table and moving towards your kitchen. “Should I keep this in the fridge?”

“Yeah, thank you Mags,” you called out, scratching behind Haley’s ears as you set her down. “I think Richard might be holed up in a case today.”

“They really work them to the bone down at the police department, huh?”

“You’re telling me,” you laugh, leaning against the counter as Maggie turns towards you. She eyed you with some pity, she used to be your roommate back in college back in Metropolis, and somehow the two of you ended up living next to each other now in Blüdhaven, a few years later. “Thanks once again.”

“Please, I’d do anything for you.”

“You’re just saying that because you get my dog,” you narrowed your eyes playfully. Maggie chuckled, raising her hands up in surrender.

“Guilty.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” you asked, dropping the act as you followed your friend to your entryway. The two of you carpooled to work together.

“Bright and early, babes. Goodnight.” Maggie shut the front door behind her.

You sighed, making your way into the bedroom as you shut off all the lights, the sound of pattering paws following you. Once you’d settled into bed, Haley curled up by your side, body resting on the empty pillow where Dick usually slept. You checked your phone once again to see if you’d gotten a message from your boyfriend.

babe where are you? hello??? dick where tf are you??? read at 8:21 pm — i’ll see you at home dick. sent at 10:30pm

“Goodnight, baby.”

Haley simply nuzzled closer, soft snores escaping her mouth.

.

Warm sunlight creeped into the bedroom under the thick curtains, curling around you as you woke up. As if having a bodily clock attuned entirely to your sleeping habits, you could feel Haley shift in her sleep from where she’d curled up in your side during the night. Turning to your side, you reached over to find the bed empty, the covers still warm. Dick must have left some time ago.

Ignoring the dull acknowledgment at the back of your mind that Dick hadn’t even woken you up to tell you he was leaving (something he did every morning without fail if he had to run out the door), you made the rounds through your morning routine, trudging towards the kitchen where there was a plate of eggs and toast on the island counter. Next to it, sat a mug of warm coffee that had a sticky note on its body, a bright hot pink piece of paper that explained his absence.

Good morning sweetheart. I’m sorry for not waking you up, they need me down at the precinct. I’ll see you tonight. Love you babe! Dick.

He’d drawn a heart next to his name.

Before you could even think about it, you felt a cold nose nuzzle your leg. Haley was looking up at you with big eyes, ears dropped and a low whining noise like she’d never seen a lick of food in her life.

“Alright missy, let’s get you your food,” you laughed, busying yourself with breakfast for her, and heating up the breakfast that had cooled down on the countertop.

At 9 sharp, a loud knock echoed throughout the flat, and Haley at once sprinted to the door, barking in excitement. You chuckled, knowing Maggie would let herself in with the copy of your key. “Rise and shine sweetheart.”

“Hi honey,” you smiled, as both her and Haley walked into the kitchen where you’d been packing the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner for lunch. Maggie had clipped on the pup’s leash, and was straining to restrain the excitable Pitt bull. “Shall we?”

Maggie nodded, eyeing the food you packed with pursed lips. “Yeah, let’s go. Can’t have the children waiting.”

“No we can’t.”

.

Blüdhaven had a surprisingly well run and updated recreational center, especially since how close the city was to Gotham and its high crime rate. Maggie, Haley and you made your way towards the dance studios located further inside the building, both of you setting up in rooms opposite each other. Haley took some laps of the room, inspecting it while you set up the speaker and the barres for the incoming class.

While Maggie was a Pilates instructor, you were one of the few dance teachers that taught outside of the Gotham & Blüdhaven Dance Conservatory. Thanks to funding from Wayne Enterprises, you found yourself managing on your lifestyle easily enough in the city.

Before long, students began piling in, all talking about how their week was at school and weekend plans. You let them converse as you pulled out your phone when it buzzed, hopeful for a text from Dick, but it was just your mother checking in on the family group chat. Frowning, you texted him once, before setting your phone next to your bag.

Hey, what time will you be back tonight?

“Alright, girls and boys,” you clapped your hands together, calling their attention away from your pup who had happily rolled over in the center of the room for everyone to give her belly rubs. “Whoever does warm up flawlessly gets extra Haley time and doesn’t have to help me clean up.”

At once they all stood tall, while Haley, as if she could understand everything, trotted over to your side, watching with curiosity to see who would be the lucky person to shower her in attention and affection. At least teenagers paid attention to you.

.

Your post-lunch time was lighter for once. Since the Conservatory had yet to decide on a summer ballet, you had a moment’s reprieve before getting swept up in daily rehearsals along with your usual classes. You’d waved goodbye to Maggie, who’d finally gotten a date with the cute receptionist, instead walking back with Haley, who trotted along proudly with a large stick she’d found on the ground.

“We’ve got to drop it once we reach home, okay girl?”

Haley simply whined, moving faster. You chuckled, letting her bring the stick up with her as you entered your apartment building. You’d throw it out before Dick came home, besides, Haley would forget about it by the time she woke up from her nap later in the day.

“Come on, in we go.”

You pushed the front door open, letting the three legged pup in before following yourself. You’d just barely shut the door when—

“Hey.”

Startled, you turned around. Dick was in the living room, dressed in a simple pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt, smiling up at you from the couch.

“You’re home early.” You pointed out the obvious, moving to the kitchen instead. Setting in the dirty dishes from your lunch earlier, you spoke up again. “Did you finish the case?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that went well.”

Haley followed in after Dick as he leaned next to you against the counter. He was watching you carefully. “Can we talk?”

You huffed, scrubbing the dishes harder than required. “What’s there to talk about?”

“Sweetheart—“

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me right now, Richard Grayson,” you looked at the man next you, setting the washed dishes aside. Straightening up, turned to face your boyfriend, who was fiddling with his fingers as he waited. “Where were you last night?”

Dick grinned sheepishly, the use of his full name causing him to panic. He rubbed at the skin at the nape of his neck, the hair there ruffling at the movement. “I. . . er— I was busy.”

You watched him carefully, studying his face. Ever since you’d known him, Dick had always been somewhat closed off. He’d grown up in the spotlight, something you knew that wasn’t always his favourite, at least when he couldn’t have full control over it. You understood, being the son of Bruce Wayne meant he had a lot to carry on, especially as the oldest of four. But never once had you been unable to understand Dick Grayson since you’d crossed paths with him.

“Can we not do this right now?”

“I’m sorry,” Dick called out your name, following you into the bedroom. You shook your head, moving towards the bathroom to take the shower you were looking forward to on the way home. “Let me just— baby, please.”

“Dick, what’s there to talk about?” You sighed, rubbing at the sore spot behind your eyes. “You weren’t there last night because you were too busy to come home from work, and now you want to give me some excuse for why you ditched me. Seriously, I don’t want to do this right now.”

“Sweetheart, please, let me just explain myself.”

You huffed out a breath, looking up into his eyes. His blue eyes were dark, shrouded in guilt for not being there, swimming with sorrow. “Am I going to get the truth?”

“I’m just— it’s complicated.”

“Well,” you made a sound that would’ve been a laugh in a lighter moment. It was more air than anything else. “Let me know when you uncomplicate it. I’ll talk to you later, Richard.”

You shut the door to the bathroom before he could hear your sharp breath, trying the best you could to not cry.

.

Rain petered down towards the city in soft caresses, kissing Blüdhaven’s skyline with joy. The summer heat no longer felt trapped against the city’s caged lungs as she breathed in the cool breeze.

Dick had left to go back to his place after you’d basically shut him out. Haley, who looked confused at the fact that her father was leaving so soon, stood scratching at the door as he did. In the time you’d been together, Dick had barely been back to his own flat, most of his stuff living in spaces you’d cleaned out for him, his own life morphing into your own. The most time he’d spent at his place was during long patrolling nights, where he didn’t want to wake you up.

He was perched on the rooftop across from your building, in the shadows of the night as he watched you and Haley playing in the living room, his pup wagging her tail with glee as she waited for you to throw the ball in your hand. Usually, Dick would be there too. On a regular night, dick had the privilege of holding you in his arms.

The rain slanted in cool spurts against his domino mask. He’d finished patrolling hours ago, but couldn’t face himself to go back to an empty house, now just a place to keep his belongings, to keep anything he didn’t care about. He wondered if the reason the two of you were still awake was because you were just as unnerved as he was at being away from you.

He watched you staring at the front door, as if willing Dick to walk through the door by sheer determination. You stood there for a moment longer, before rubbing at your eyes as you shut the lights off. He watched you curl into his side of the bed, Haley tucking herself into your side.

Nightwing could handle a couple more hours of patrol. Rain be damned.

.

Dick walked in as your students were filing out of class, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. The teenagers looked at him curiously, whispering amongst themselves. You knew they were going to bring this up as many times as they could next class. The thought brought a soft smile to your face.

“Hi, can we talk?”

You sighed, nodding. Dick smiled, taking tentative steps towards you and holding the bouquet out, lips pulling up slightly more as you took it from him. Camellias and white chrysanthemums were stuffed in between wisps of baby’s breath and other flora. He must’ve had this made personally for you.

“The flowers are pretty.”

“Thank you.” You could feel Dick’s eyes on you as you inspected the bouquet, feeling the softness of the petals. “I’m so sorry about forgetting dinner sweetheart. I really didn’t mean to, I was just occupied with the case—“

“Dick, seriously, am I going to ever get the truth?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is this,” you gesture between the two of you, frowning. Dick’s brows furrowed, his lips parting to protest, or maybe to defend himself but you continued on, your emotions spilling out of you, everything finally overflowing. “You never tell me what’s going on with you, and you’re never home anymore. I don’t know what you’re doing but I can’t keep living with you like this.”

“No please,” Dick called out your name, voice full of everything he could never tell you. “I’m so sorry, I promise nothing is going on. I can’t— I can’t tell you.”

“Dick, what are you involved in? Whatever it is, I can help you out. . . We can go to your father, he can help.”

Dick’s eyes watched panic flit across your face, fear holding strong in your watery eyes as you scanned him over for any sign of something wrong, something hurt. It broke him to know that even through everything he put you through, somehow you were still more worried about Dick. “I love you, and I promise I’m alright. I need you to trust me.”

“How do you expect me to do that when I don’t know what’s going on, Dick?” you were trying your hardest to hold back your tears, your breath hitching at the effort. It felt Herculean, the weight against your ribs feeling stronger than your will to not break down but you pushed through it, somehow. You saw Dick trace the movement, his eyes now swimming in ocean blue sadness. “I can’t do this anymore. Not while you keep me in the dark.”

“So this is it?”

You could feel your lip wobbling, sucking in a sharp breath as you tried to steady your racing heart. You just wanted to be able to know what was going on with Dick, but all he seemed to do is shut you out. “I think you should leave. I’ll drop Haley off tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” he spoke softly, his voice thick with emotion as he called out your name. “I love you.”

“I know.”

The door shut softly behind him, your tears finally slipping past the threshold.

.

Dick took the long way home. He tracked a pebble with his foot till he reached his apartment building, the silence greeting him in a loud, resounding echo. Donning the suit felt more like a chore than something Dick did in order to protect his city. He hadn’t felt so empty since he was eighteen, since he had once lost a brother before he could’ve fully been saved. And even though Jason was back in his life now, he still can see the child that never got a chance to fully live.

Pulling out his phone, he saw your name show up on his notifications: you’d made a post about your role as Puck in the Conservatory’s summer ballet performance for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He knew you’d do an amazing job, and he went to speak up on it before realising where he was. He shook his head, texting Barbara that he was moving out for the night.

“Nightwing, do you copy?”

Dick tapped once on the comms device in his ear, in order to check its snugness before speaking up. “I’m here Oracle. Moving out now.”

Eyes shaded by his domino mask, he fled out into the cover of night in Blüdhaven, making his local rounds in silence, only sparsely broken by Barbara giving him directions to the warehouse where one of the Scarecrow’s lower level goons held some of his new chemical ware. Bruce had tipped him off about them working out of the city, and instead of having his brother come here on Bruce’s behalf, Dick had volunteered himself for the job. And now, he was more than glad he’d decided to go that route.

“Alright, you’re almost there,” Barbara’s voice felt faraway despite the fact that she was speaking right into his ear. Dick hummed to acknowledge his presence, “keep in contact, Nightwing.”

“Yes.”

Dick scanned the warehouse, an old perfumery ad from the 1920s painted onto the outer walls in fading paint. Decades of grime and soot cover it, graffiti and random posters peeling off the name of the brand, covering its history.

Would you change your mind if you knew about his second life?

He eyed the number of guards, pulling out self imploding bat-discs, tossing them towards the corner of the entrance and waiting on the smoke to distract them before dropping down. By the time the fog lifted, Dick had disarmed the guards.

“I’m going in,” he muttered, sticking to the shadows, much like his training called of him. This was a simple in and out job, taking inventory and possibly getting rid of the evidence, as Red Hood would like to do it (minus any major property damage).

Sticking to the edges, Dick entered in through an open window, sticking to the beams as he scanned the area slowly so Oracle could see what he was seeing. The silence was loud as he waited on a response.

Would you still love him if you knew the truth?

“All clear, take the samples and that’s a job done,” Oracle’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. He couldn’t afford to get distracted now.

Landing on his feet, Dick moved silently, gathering the chemicals required that he could take to the manor tomorrow night during the monthly Wayne family dinners. The first one in a while you wouldn’t be attending with him.

Dick could feel his chest cave in, the sinking worry that you wouldn’t let him find you again.

“I’m done for the night, Nightwing out.”

The comms device crackled with Barabara’s voice again. “Copy that, see you tomorrow.”

And then silence greeted him, already feeling like an old friend.

.

You woke up to Dick on your couch. Haley had curled up on his chest, snoring in contentment. Despite yourself, you paused, taking in the man who’d cramped himself into a space not big enough for him. For the first time in a while, you got to trace the exhaustion in his face, the way it clung onto the space below his eyes, how it seemed to seep out of him in droves. What were you up to, babe?

Deciding to let him sleep longer, you took the spare blanket, draping it over the both of them before moving towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for three, something you hadn’t done in a while.

Dick wandered in as you cleaned up after Haley, who already sat by the island counter where you’d laid out breakfast for the two of you, sitting pretty like she’d not just eaten food herself.

“Morning, sleep well?”

Dick yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He’d come over after patrol last night, having changed at his place before coming over. He was meant to leave before you woke up, only wanting a way to be near you, at least until he learns to sit with the silence. “Sorry, you weren’t supposed to know I was here.”

“So, you’re breaking and entering now?” You chuckled, passing him a mug of steaming hot coffee, extremely sweet and exactly to his liking.

Dick winced, bringing the mug to his mouth.

“When you put it like that. . .”

“Baby, there’s not a single way I could put it where it would sound nice,” you shook your head, too busy with buttering your toast to notice the way Dick’s breath caught in his throat at the nickname that slipped past your lips. Baby. . . babybabybaby—

Sunlight hugged every corner of the open plan apartment, warming up all its corners as the two of you ate in silence. For once, Dick didn’t find it pressing in on him. It felt almost . . . comfortable, like skin he could slip back on, one he’d never learned to let go of. You were being bathed in it, the sun warming around you as if you were its source.

“So,” you began, dragging the word out, “what’re you doing here Dick? People don’t typically wake up with their significant others on the couch the night after breaking up.”

“I— I’m sorry, for everything. One day, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

You nodded. Dick never once had not followed through on a promise he’d made, but yet lately, that’s all he’d seem to do. You didn’t know when everything changed. “I’m sure you will, Dick.”

“What can I do to make you believe me?”

You saw Dick’s hand come in your line of vision. When you looked up at him, he took hold of your hand gently, as if afraid you’d leave, or maybe even make him leave. He didn’t want to think about which one would hurt more.

He was watching you with eyes that had been more open than anything in the past month. You could see the guilt shadowing the baby blues, a month’s worth of promises he’d failed to keep showing up and fulfilling. You knew that he was genuine, Dick had never given you a reason to believe otherwise, but you couldn’t just rely on genuineness anymore, not when he was clearly not being fully himself with you. You needed to be able to understand why he was suddenly shutting you out.

You squeezed his hand softly, gently. “I just want you to trust me again. You’re always there for you, you’re my person. Let me be there for you.”

“I can’t. . . Trust me, I’d love to but I just— I love you too much to let anything happen to you.”

You frowned, “Dick, living in a place like Blüdhaven or Gotham means I’m always going to be in danger, you can’t stop that. I just need you to let me in.”

“I can’t.”

You sighed. Dick felt cold encase him when your hand went limp in his hold, his heart beating wildly. He placed both his hands over yours, cradling them.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Give me a chance to.”

And maybe it was stupid of you to have hope about it, but this was Dick. He was your Dick, the same man who stayed up late with you while you spent hours perfecting each move before your performances, there for every time you’d stressed out and spiralled over your capabilities on stage, on every little place you’d messed up. Dick had been there through it all. You never knew how to truly be mad at him, and maybe that was your cross to bear, but you still had hope.

Dick was still the only person who’d managed to hold your heart without breaking it, it wasn’t fair of the circumstances to expect you to hope for anything else except what you’ve always had. You just hoped he still had faith in doing so himself.

You placed your hand on top of his, something like a smile tugging softly at your mouth. Dick could feel his heart slow down as you looked at him, eyes wide and telling. This was his last chance.

“Show me.”

SPIDEROOOS © 2026.

[spiderooos]

NEW FIC!! NEW FIC!! NEW FIC!!

[spiderooos]

sugar talkin’ ✸ dick grayson.

dick learned early on that people knowing everything about him meant that he’d lose someone else close to him, and he’d learned the hard way just how devastating loss is. which is why he can’t tell you everything, no matter what, just to keep you safe. even if means you could end up hating him.

includes. . . dick grayson x reader. angst with a happy-ish (??) / ambiguous ending, pre-established relationship, dancer!reader, reader doesn’t know about nightwing’s true identity, dick isn’t good at separating his lives, haley the cutie patootie pup (!!!), dick isn’t doing good in his relationship with reader.

word count. . . 4k

notes. . . tell me why i’ve been writing this much for a fic like it’s a fucking academic essay lol. sabrinachella altered my brain chemistry (i watched it on youtube), and that performance of sugar talking has got it back to being no.1 in my flat. this whole fic is basically inspired by that song tbh.

Dick Grayson was anything but ordinary. You’d known it since you’d first seen him, standing in line for coffee while his three-legged pup wagged her tail ferociously at his side. You’d known it since he’d pulled out every clichéd move he could in order to get your attention. Yet, for some reason, he was acting ordinary.

“Seriously, Dick, where are you?”

You pulled your phone away from your ear, looking at the time. It’d been an hour since you’d gotten your reservation. You could see the twenty something waitress watching from the corner, eyes sympathetic as she watched you leave yet another voicemail. “I’m leaving the restaurant. I’ll see you when you get home from wherever you are.”

You ended the call, signalling the waitress over. “Hey, could I get this to go? And the cheque?”

“Of course,” she smiled, eyes sorrowful for someone she didn’t even know as she walked away from your table.

Sighing, you eyed the rice and curry dish you’d ordered because you knew it was Dick’s favourite, only for it to go cold in your wait for him. He was supposed to be there an hour ago. Dick rarely was late for a date with you, except lately he’d been away from home more times than not.

By the time you’d made it home after paying for a meal you didn’t even eat properly, all you wanted to do was go to sleep. Haley greeted you at the door, tail wagging wildly.

“Hi sweetheart, I missed you too,” you crouched down, letting the three legged pup jump into your arms before standing up. Your neighbour, who you’d asked to dog sit, smiled up at you as she got up from the couch. “Thanks for looking after her. I hope everything was alright.”

“Of course, don’t worry about it,” Maggie waved you off, instead taking away the takeaway bag you’d set at the entry table and moving towards your kitchen. “Should I keep this in the fridge?”

“Yeah, thank you Mags,” you called out, scratching behind Haley’s ears as you set her down. “I think Richard might be holed up in a case today.”

“They really work them to the bone down at the police department, huh?”

“You’re telling me,” you laugh, leaning against the counter as Maggie turns towards you. She eyed you with some pity, she used to be your roommate back in college back in Metropolis, and somehow the two of you ended up living next to each other now in Blüdhaven, a few years later. “Thanks once again.”

“Please, I’d do anything for you.”

“You’re just saying that because you get my dog,” you narrowed your eyes playfully. Maggie chuckled, raising her hands up in surrender.

“Guilty.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” you asked, dropping the act as you followed your friend to your entryway. The two of you carpooled to work together.

“Bright and early, babes. Goodnight.” Maggie shut the front door behind her.

You sighed, making your way into the bedroom as you shut off all the lights, the sound of pattering paws following you. Once you’d settled into bed, Haley curled up by your side, body resting on the empty pillow where Dick usually slept. You checked your phone once again to see if you’d gotten a message from your boyfriend.

babe where are you? hello??? dick where tf are you??? read at 8:21 pm — i’ll see you at home dick. sent at 10:30pm

“Goodnight, baby.”

Haley simply nuzzled closer, soft snores escaping her mouth.

.

Warm sunlight creeped into the bedroom under the thick curtains, curling around you as you woke up. As if having a bodily clock attuned entirely to your sleeping habits, you could feel Haley shift in her sleep from where she’d curled up in your side during the night. Turning to your side, you reached over to find the bed empty, the covers still warm. Dick must have left some time ago.

Ignoring the dull acknowledgment at the back of your mind that Dick hadn’t even woken you up to tell you he was leaving (something he did every morning without fail if he had to run out the door), you made the rounds through your morning routine, trudging towards the kitchen where there was a plate of eggs and toast on the island counter. Next to it, sat a mug of warm coffee that had a sticky note on its body, a bright hot pink piece of paper that explained his absence.

Good morning sweetheart. I’m sorry for not waking you up, they need me down at the precinct. I’ll see you tonight. Love you babe! Dick.

He’d drawn a heart next to his name.

Before you could even think about it, you felt a cold nose nuzzle your leg. Haley was looking up at you with big eyes, ears dropped and a low whining noise like she’d never seen a lick of food in her life.

“Alright missy, let’s get you your food,” you laughed, busying yourself with breakfast for her, and heating up the breakfast that had cooled down on the countertop.

At 9 sharp, a loud knock echoed throughout the flat, and Haley at once sprinted to the door, barking in excitement. You chuckled, knowing Maggie would let herself in with the copy of your key. “Rise and shine sweetheart.”

“Hi honey,” you smiled, as both her and Haley walked into the kitchen where you’d been packing the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner for lunch. Maggie had clipped on the pup’s leash, and was straining to restrain the excitable Pitt bull. “Shall we?”

Maggie nodded, eyeing the food you packed with pursed lips. “Yeah, let’s go. Can’t have the children waiting.”

“No we can’t.”

.

Blüdhaven had a surprisingly well run and updated recreational center, especially since how close the city was to Gotham and its high crime rate. Maggie, Haley and you made your way towards the dance studios located further inside the building, both of you setting up in rooms opposite each other. Haley took some laps of the room, inspecting it while you set up the speaker and the barres for the incoming class.

While Maggie was a Pilates instructor, you were one of the few dance teachers that taught outside of the Gotham & Blüdhaven Dance Conservatory. Thanks to funding from Wayne Enterprises, you found yourself managing on your lifestyle easily enough in the city.

Before long, students began piling in, all talking about how their week was at school and weekend plans. You let them converse as you pulled out your phone when it buzzed, hopeful for a text from Dick, but it was just your mother checking in on the family group chat. Frowning, you texted him once, before setting your phone next to your bag.

Hey, what time will you be back tonight?

“Alright, girls and boys,” you clapped your hands together, calling their attention away from your pup who had happily rolled over in the center of the room for everyone to give her belly rubs. “Whoever does warm up flawlessly gets extra Haley time and doesn’t have to help me clean up.”

At once they all stood tall, while Haley, as if she could understand everything, trotted over to your side, watching with curiosity to see who would be the lucky person to shower her in attention and affection. At least teenagers paid attention to you.

.

Your post-lunch time was lighter for once. Since the Conservatory had yet to decide on a summer ballet, you had a moment’s reprieve before getting swept up in daily rehearsals along with your usual classes. You’d waved goodbye to Maggie, who’d finally gotten a date with the cute receptionist, instead walking back with Haley, who trotted along proudly with a large stick she’d found on the ground.

“We’ve got to drop it once we reach home, okay girl?”

Haley simply whined, moving faster. You chuckled, letting her bring the stick up with her as you entered your apartment building. You’d throw it out before Dick came home, besides, Haley would forget about it by the time she woke up from her nap later in the day.

“Come on, in we go.”

You pushed the front door open, letting the three legged pup in before following yourself. You’d just barely shut the door when—

“Hey.”

Startled, you turned around. Dick was in the living room, dressed in a simple pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt, smiling up at you from the couch.

“You’re home early.” You pointed out the obvious, moving to the kitchen instead. Setting in the dirty dishes from your lunch earlier, you spoke up again. “Did you finish the case?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that went well.”

Haley followed in after Dick as he leaned next to you against the counter. He was watching you carefully. “Can we talk?”

You huffed, scrubbing the dishes harder than required. “What’s there to talk about?”

“Sweetheart—“

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me right now, Richard Grayson,” you looked at the man next you, setting the washed dishes aside. Straightening up, turned to face your boyfriend, who was fiddling with his fingers as he waited. “Where were you last night?”

Dick grinned sheepishly, the use of his full name causing him to panic. He rubbed at the skin at the nape of his neck, the hair there ruffling at the movement. “I. . . er— I was busy.”

You watched him carefully, studying his face. Ever since you’d known him, Dick had always been somewhat closed off. He’d grown up in the spotlight, something you knew that wasn’t always his favourite, at least when he couldn’t have full control over it. You understood, being the son of Bruce Wayne meant he had a lot to carry on, especially as the oldest of four. But never once had you been unable to understand Dick Grayson since you’d crossed paths with him.

“Can we not do this right now?”

“I’m sorry,” Dick called out your name, following you into the bedroom. You shook your head, moving towards the bathroom to take the shower you were looking forward to on the way home. “Let me just— baby, please.”

“Dick, what’s there to talk about?” You sighed, rubbing at the sore spot behind your eyes. “You weren’t there last night because you were too busy to come home from work, and now you want to give me some excuse for why you ditched me. Seriously, I don’t want to do this right now.”

“Sweetheart, please, let me just explain myself.”

You huffed out a breath, looking up into his eyes. His blue eyes were dark, shrouded in guilt for not being there, swimming with sorrow. “Am I going to get the truth?”

“I’m just— it’s complicated.”

“Well,” you made a sound that would’ve been a laugh in a lighter moment. It was more air than anything else. “Let me know when you uncomplicate it. I’ll talk to you later, Richard.”

You shut the door to the bathroom before he could hear your sharp breath, trying the best you could to not cry.

.

Rain petered down towards the city in soft caresses, kissing Blüdhaven’s skyline with joy. The summer heat no longer felt trapped against the city’s caged lungs as she breathed in the cool breeze.

Dick had left to go back to his place after you’d basically shut him out. Haley, who looked confused at the fact that her father was leaving so soon, stood scratching at the door as he did. In the time you’d been together, Dick had barely been back to his own flat, most of his stuff living in spaces you’d cleaned out for him, his own life morphing into your own. The most time he’d spent at his place was during long patrolling nights, where he didn’t want to wake you up.

He was perched on the rooftop across from your building, in the shadows of the night as he watched you and Haley playing in the living room, his pup wagging her tail with glee as she waited for you to throw the ball in your hand. Usually, Dick would be there too. On a regular night, dick had the privilege of holding you in his arms.

The rain slanted in cool spurts against his domino mask. He’d finished patrolling hours ago, but couldn’t face himself to go back to an empty house, now just a place to keep his belongings, to keep anything he didn’t care about. He wondered if the reason the two of you were still awake was because you were just as unnerved as he was at being away from you.

He watched you staring at the front door, as if willing Dick to walk through the door by sheer determination. You stood there for a moment longer, before rubbing at your eyes as you shut the lights off. He watched you curl into his side of the bed, Haley tucking herself into your side.

Nightwing could handle a couple more hours of patrol. Rain be damned.

.

Dick walked in as your students were filing out of class, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. The teenagers looked at him curiously, whispering amongst themselves. You knew they were going to bring this up as many times as they could next class. The thought brought a soft smile to your face.

“Hi, can we talk?”

You sighed, nodding. Dick smiled, taking tentative steps towards you and holding the bouquet out, lips pulling up slightly more as you took it from him. Camellias and white chrysanthemums were stuffed in between wisps of baby’s breath and other flora. He must’ve had this made personally for you.

“The flowers are pretty.”

“Thank you.” You could feel Dick’s eyes on you as you inspected the bouquet, feeling the softness of the petals. “I’m so sorry about forgetting dinner sweetheart. I really didn’t mean to, I was just occupied with the case—“

“Dick, seriously, am I going to ever get the truth?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is this,” you gesture between the two of you, frowning. Dick’s brows furrowed, his lips parting to protest, or maybe to defend himself but you continued on, your emotions spilling out of you, everything finally overflowing. “You never tell me what’s going on with you, and you’re never home anymore. I don’t know what you’re doing but I can’t keep living with you like this.”

“No please,” Dick called out your name, voice full of everything he could never tell you. “I’m so sorry, I promise nothing is going on. I can’t— I can’t tell you.”

“Dick, what are you involved in? Whatever it is, I can help you out. . . We can go to your father, he can help.”

Dick’s eyes watched panic flit across your face, fear holding strong in your watery eyes as you scanned him over for any sign of something wrong, something hurt. It broke him to know that even through everything he put you through, somehow you were still more worried about Dick. “I love you, and I promise I’m alright. I need you to trust me.”

“How do you expect me to do that when I don’t know what’s going on, Dick?” you were trying your hardest to hold back your tears, your breath hitching at the effort. It felt Herculean, the weight against your ribs feeling stronger than your will to not break down but you pushed through it, somehow. You saw Dick trace the movement, his eyes now swimming in ocean blue sadness. “I can’t do this anymore. Not while you keep me in the dark.”

“So this is it?”

You could feel your lip wobbling, sucking in a sharp breath as you tried to steady your racing heart. You just wanted to be able to know what was going on with Dick, but all he seemed to do is shut you out. “I think you should leave. I’ll drop Haley off tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” he spoke softly, his voice thick with emotion as he called out your name. “I love you.”

“I know.”

The door shut softly behind him, your tears finally slipping past the threshold.

.

Dick took the long way home. He tracked a pebble with his foot till he reached his apartment building, the silence greeting him in a loud, resounding echo. Donning the suit felt more like a chore than something Dick did in order to protect his city. He hadn’t felt so empty since he was eighteen, since he had once lost a brother before he could’ve fully been saved. And even though Jason was back in his life now, he still can see the child that never got a chance to fully live.

Pulling out his phone, he saw your name show up on his notifications: you’d made a post about your role as Puck in the Conservatory’s summer ballet performance for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He knew you’d do an amazing job, and he went to speak up on it before realising where he was. He shook his head, texting Barbara that he was moving out for the night.

“Nightwing, do you copy?”

Dick tapped once on the comms device in his ear, in order to check its snugness before speaking up. “I’m here Oracle. Moving out now.”

Eyes shaded by his domino mask, he fled out into the cover of night in Blüdhaven, making his local rounds in silence, only sparsely broken by Barbara giving him directions to the warehouse where one of the Scarecrow’s lower level goons held some of his new chemical ware. Bruce had tipped him off about them working out of the city, and instead of having his brother come here on Bruce’s behalf, Dick had volunteered himself for the job. And now, he was more than glad he’d decided to go that route.

“Alright, you’re almost there,” Barbara’s voice felt faraway despite the fact that she was speaking right into his ear. Dick hummed to acknowledge his presence, “keep in contact, Nightwing.”

“Yes.”

Dick scanned the warehouse, an old perfumery ad from the 1920s painted onto the outer walls in fading paint. Decades of grime and soot cover it, graffiti and random posters peeling off the name of the brand, covering its history.

Would you change your mind if you knew about his second life?

He eyed the number of guards, pulling out self imploding bat-discs, tossing them towards the corner of the entrance and waiting on the smoke to distract them before dropping down. By the time the fog lifted, Dick had disarmed the guards.

“I’m going in,” he muttered, sticking to the shadows, much like his training called of him. This was a simple in and out job, taking inventory and possibly getting rid of the evidence, as Red Hood would like to do it (minus any major property damage).

Sticking to the edges, Dick entered in through an open window, sticking to the beams as he scanned the area slowly so Oracle could see what he was seeing. The silence was loud as he waited on a response.

Would you still love him if you knew the truth?

“All clear, take the samples and that’s a job done,” Oracle’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. He couldn’t afford to get distracted now.

Landing on his feet, Dick moved silently, gathering the chemicals required that he could take to the manor tomorrow night during the monthly Wayne family dinners. The first one in a while you wouldn’t be attending with him.

Dick could feel his chest cave in, the sinking worry that you wouldn’t let him find you again.

“I’m done for the night, Nightwing out.”

The comms device crackled with Barabara’s voice again. “Copy that, see you tomorrow.”

And then silence greeted him, already feeling like an old friend.

.

You woke up to Dick on your couch. Haley had curled up on his chest, snoring in contentment. Despite yourself, you paused, taking in the man who’d cramped himself into a space not big enough for him. For the first time in a while, you got to trace the exhaustion in his face, the way it clung onto the space below his eyes, how it seemed to seep out of him in droves. What were you up to, babe?

Deciding to let him sleep longer, you took the spare blanket, draping it over the both of them before moving towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for three, something you hadn’t done in a while.

Dick wandered in as you cleaned up after Haley, who already sat by the island counter where you’d laid out breakfast for the two of you, sitting pretty like she’d not just eaten food herself.

“Morning, sleep well?”

Dick yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He’d come over after patrol last night, having changed at his place before coming over. He was meant to leave before you woke up, only wanting a way to be near you, at least until he learns to sit with the silence. “Sorry, you weren’t supposed to know I was here.”

“So, you’re breaking and entering now?” You chuckled, passing him a mug of steaming hot coffee, extremely sweet and exactly to his liking.

Dick winced, bringing the mug to his mouth.

“When you put it like that. . .”

“Baby, there’s not a single way I could put it where it would sound nice,” you shook your head, too busy with buttering your toast to notice the way Dick’s breath caught in his throat at the nickname that slipped past your lips. Baby. . . babybabybaby—

Sunlight hugged every corner of the open plan apartment, warming up all its corners as the two of you ate in silence. For once, Dick didn’t find it pressing in on him. It felt almost . . . comfortable, like skin he could slip back on, one he’d never learned to let go of. You were being bathed in it, the sun warming around you as if you were its source.

“So,” you began, dragging the word out, “what’re you doing here Dick? People don’t typically wake up with their significant others on the couch the night after breaking up.”

“I— I’m sorry, for everything. One day, I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

You nodded. Dick never once had not followed through on a promise he’d made, but yet lately, that’s all he’d seem to do. You didn’t know when everything changed. “I’m sure you will, Dick.”

“What can I do to make you believe me?”

You saw Dick’s hand come in your line of vision. When you looked up at him, he took hold of your hand gently, as if afraid you’d leave, or maybe even make him leave. He didn’t want to think about which one would hurt more.

He was watching you with eyes that had been more open than anything in the past month. You could see the guilt shadowing the baby blues, a month’s worth of promises he’d failed to keep showing up and fulfilling. You knew that he was genuine, Dick had never given you a reason to believe otherwise, but you couldn’t just rely on genuineness anymore, not when he was clearly not being fully himself with you. You needed to be able to understand why he was suddenly shutting you out.

You squeezed his hand softly, gently. “I just want you to trust me again. You’re always there for you, you’re my person. Let me be there for you.”

“I can’t. . . Trust me, I’d love to but I just— I love you too much to let anything happen to you.”

You frowned, “Dick, living in a place like Blüdhaven or Gotham means I’m always going to be in danger, you can’t stop that. I just need you to let me in.”

“I can’t.”

You sighed. Dick felt cold encase him when your hand went limp in his hold, his heart beating wildly. He placed both his hands over yours, cradling them.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Give me a chance to.”

And maybe it was stupid of you to have hope about it, but this was Dick. He was your Dick, the same man who stayed up late with you while you spent hours perfecting each move before your performances, there for every time you’d stressed out and spiralled over your capabilities on stage, on every little place you’d messed up. Dick had been there through it all. You never knew how to truly be mad at him, and maybe that was your cross to bear, but you still had hope.

Dick was still the only person who’d managed to hold your heart without breaking it, it wasn’t fair of the circumstances to expect you to hope for anything else except what you’ve always had. You just hoped he still had faith in doing so himself.

You placed your hand on top of his, something like a smile tugging softly at your mouth. Dick could feel his heart slow down as you looked at him, eyes wide and telling. This was his last chance.

“Show me.”

SPIDEROOOS © 2026.

[spiderooos]

new dick grayson fic coming soon!!

[jaeyss]

icarus to the sun // r. grayson

it was supposed to be a meet cute. it was supposed to be easy. it was supposed to be Kori. it was supposed to, supposedtosupposedtosupposedto- you're beautiful. everyone always tells Dick not to stare directly at the sun. it's too bad he can't stop himself. [inspired by One Tree Hill]

genre: romance, angst, hurt, comfort, slow-burn, female reader insert, AU: college/university/modern, slow burn

content warning(s): alcohol use, romantic/sexual tension, emotional distress, jealousy, mild injury, casual swearing

i. pilot

ii. all the dominos are falling in line

iii. sure, i have time. i always have time for you. sure, whatever you need, whatever you need.

iv: gravitationally bound to one another

v. you will pay in naivety

vi. you meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it

vii: we recognize each other by a look, by a touch of a hand. we recognize each other and call it love

viii: it's getting harder and harder to call you a friend

ix: you can run but you can't hide

upcoming:

10. in the dream state, forgiveness comes easily

status: in progress

[spiderooos]

Obsessed doesn’t even BEGIN to cover it

[softhandz]

do you get déjà vu?

pairing: ex!dick grayson x afab!reader, endgame!wally west x afab!reader

summary: you knew that moving on from a breakup would hurt, you just didn't expect your ex, dick grayson, to move on so soon and publicly to boot. little did you know that someone was watching out for you and is willing to do anything to make you smile.

content: ex! dick grayson, asshole dick grayson, angst, hurt, wally comforts you, banter and flirtation with wally, pining wally, observant wally, self-deprecation talk, wally fully believes in the power of food being healing, love confession,

wc: 7.1k read part 2 here

heart to heart valentine collection | buy me a coffee | general masterlist

There was a time when Dick Grayson fit into your life as if it had always been waiting for him.

You remembered it in fragments, the way memories tended to surface when you didn’t invite them.

Moonlight through your bedroom window, pale and soft, painting his bare shoulders silver as he lay on his side facing you. The city hummed beneath the tower, distant and alive, while the two of you existed in your own quiet world. His hand rested at your waist, thumb tracing lazy circles as if he had nowhere else he needed to be. As if there wasn’t a city that demanded him, or a symbol stitched into his suit that he carried even when it wasn’t on his chest.

You remembered laughing until it hurt. The kind of laugh that pulled a sound from your chest before you could stop it. Dick always loved that laugh. He used to say it made everything feel lighter, like for a moment the weight of being Nightwing slipped off his shoulders.

You mornings together was your preferred way to start the day. Sharing burnt toast and strong coffee, others were spent with gentle hands and bandages after missions. Conversations whispered into skin, secrets exchanged in the dark that felt safe simply because they were yours.

You remembered thinking, This is it. This is what it’s supposed to feel like.

The memory shattered the moment you opened your eyes.

The tower ceiling stared back at you, sterile and unfamiliar. Your room felt too quiet now, too empty. His jacket wasn’t draped over the chair anymore. There was no warmth lingering in the sheets, no sleepy voice teasing you for staying up too late.

That life belonged to another version of you.

And Dick Grayson belonged to someone else.

The last mission had been brutal — not the worst you’d ever faced, but draining in a way that left exhaustion sitting heavy in your bones. You worked well with the team, always had, but something felt… off.

It took you longer than you cared to admit to realize why.

Dick was there, and fought and covered civilians. He moved with the same precision he always did. He checked in over comms, just like he did with everyone else.

But he wasn’t fighting with you.

There was no familiar pressure at your back, no instinctive trust that someone was watching your blind spots because you watched theirs. No silent coordination born from knowing how the other person moved, thought, or reacted. You didn’t realize how much you’d relied on that unspoken connection until it was gone.

He hadn’t abandoned you. You knew that. He still cared — as a teammate. As a friend?

But the space between you felt cavernous. And fighting alone, even in a crowd, felt lonelier than you expected.

You stood under the spray of the shower longer than necessary, letting the water pound against your shoulders, hoping it would wash the memory of the mission, and the announcement that came after, from your mind.

Everyone had been so happy for them, Dick and Kori. Official. Public, almost aggressively so.

The way she glowed at his side, radiant and unapologetic in her affection. The way his smile came easy around her, unguarded in a way you hadn’t seen directed at you in a long time. They looked good together, like couple that belonged on the front page of a magazine or whispered about in awe.

It shouldn’t have hurt. You were broken up, and this was inevitable.

But your heart didn’t seem to care about logic.

You shut off the water, wrapped yourself in a towel, and stared at your reflection until the redness around your eyes faded enough to pass as exhaustion instead of heartbreak. You dressed quickly, deliberately. If you stayed in your room too long, you’d think too much.

You just needed food. Something solid, something normal.

The common room lights were dimmed when you stepped inside. Late evening, the tower winding down, and for one fleeting moment, you thought you might be safe.

Then you saw them. Kori sat curled against Dick on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, her laugh bright and unrestrained as he murmured something into her ear. His arm was slung easily around her shoulders, fingers resting at her waist like they’d memorized the shape of her already.

Arms that had once held you. Something in your chest twisted painfully.

Dick’s eyes lifted instinctively, catching yours across the room. For a split second, something flickered there — surprise, maybe guilt — but you didn’t give him the chance to figure it out.

You turned on your heel and headed back the way you came. You didn’t hear him call your name. You didn’t want to.

“Hey— wait up.”

Wally’s voice cut through your thoughts like a jolt of electricity, familiar and grounding. You slowed but didn’t stop, side-eying him as he fell into step beside you.

“You wanna hang out?” he asked lightly. “Maybe grab a snack? Get outta the tower for a bit?”

You huffed out a breath, arms crossing instinctively as you kept walking. “This isn’t because you feel bad, right?” you said. “I know this has got to be awkward for you.”

While Dick had insisted on keeping it quiet about any kind of relationship the two of you had, Wally was the exception to the rule. So while the rest of the team had no clue about any history between you and Dick, Wally has insider information. It wouldn’t be a far guess to say that he might just actually pity you, which is why you couldn’t help but ask. Not that you were really in a position to refuse a friend anyway.

Wally stopped short enough that you were forced to glance back at him.

“No,” he said immediately, cutting you off before the words could sink too deep. His tone was gentle, but firm. “It’s not about that.”

He jogged a step forward, falling back into stride beside you. “I can’t get a late-night treat with my friend and teammate now? And if it coincidentally means we leave the tower for a bit,” he added with a shrug, “well… who cares?”

He nudged your shoulder with his own, just enough that you stumbled slightly before catching yourself.

A small smile tugged at your lips before you could stop it. You sighed, the tension in your chest loosening just a fraction. “Fine,” you said quietly. “But you’re buying.”

Wally grinned, flashing you a wink as he turned toward the exit. “Wouldn’t dream of letting you pay.”

And for the first time that night, as the tower doors slid open and the cool air brushed against your skin, it felt like you might be able to breathe again.

⚡︎𓅩

You noticed it without meaning to. You’ve been trying to give the happy couple their space, but it seems like the universe is determined to keep shoving them into your face. So, of course, you notice Kori’s new fashion accessory.

Dick’s jacket was draped over Kori’s shoulders. It sat heavily on Kori’s shoulders, the fabric too large for her frame, sleeves hanging past her wrists as she laughed at something Dick murmured under his breath. The emblem on the back curved with her movement, catching the light as she shifted closer to him. Dick didn’t even look down when she tugged it tighter around herself — his arm came up automatically, settling at her waist like the two gestures belonged together.

Like this was normal, like it had always been allowed. Your fingers tightened around your cup.

It shouldn’t have mattered. It was just a jacket. A piece of fabric. Something practical, something replaceable.

But it wasn’t. Not to you.

The memory came without warning.

You were still flushed from the mission, sweat cooling too quickly against your skin as you stepped into the hallway outside the lockers. Your hands trembled faintly as adrenaline bled off, exhaustion settling deep into your bones. Dick stood beside you, already half out of his suit, laughter soft as he recounted something stupid Roy had said over comms.

You’d been cold.

You remembered hesitating before reaching for his jacket, fingers brushing the sleeve tentatively. “Hey,” you’d said lightly, trying to keep it casual. “Can I—?”

He’d looked down, surprised. Not upset, not angry, just…caught off guard.

“Oh,” he’d said, gently pulling it back before you could fully shrug it on. “Careful.”

You’d laughed, embarrassed. “What?”

“I just—” he’d smiled apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t want you to accidentally rip it or stain it or something. You know how that suit fabric is.”

You remembered nodding immediately. Too quickly.

“Oh. Yeah. Of course,” you’d said. “That makes sense.”

He’d kissed your temple instead, warm and familiar, arm sliding around your shoulders like that was supposed to make up for it.

At the time, you’d believed him.

You’d told yourself he was being practical. Protective or possessive even. That it didn’t mean anything deeper than caution and habit. You’d told yourself love didn’t need symbols, that the way he held you when no one was watching mattered more.

Now, watching Kori wear it openly and proudly, you understand. It had never been about stains, or rips, or carelessness.

It had been about visibility. He hadn’t wanted the team to know.

Not fully, not unmistakably. Not in a way that couldn’t be explained away as a coincidence or convenience. Loving you had lived in private spaces, in shadows, in rooms with doors closed and lights low.

Kori wore his jacket in the middle of the room. No hesitation or apology.

Dick didn’t flinch or glance around. He didn’t look uncomfortable. He just let it happen.

Something inside you sank quietly. It wasn’t jealousy — not really. None of this was Kori’s fault. It was clarity. The kind that arrived too late to change anything, but early enough to hurt.

You’d spent so long being careful with him. Making yourself smaller. Accepting less because you thought that was the price of loving someone who carried so much weight.

And now you saw it plainly.

He hadn’t been protecting the jacket.

He’d been protecting the story he told everyone else.

You took a slow sip of your drink, gaze drifting away before the ache could sharpen further. Across the room, Dick laughed at something Kori said, his hand resting on her back without thought.

You didn’t look again.

Because you didn’t need to.

You finally understood what you’d lost — and what you’d never really had.

But now there’s Kori tugging the jacket tighter around herself, smiling up at him. Dick’s hand rested at her waist without hesitation, easy and familiar.

You swallowed and turned away.

“Hey.”

Wally’s voice cut in gently, and you startled just enough to feel silly about it.

“Sorry,” you said automatically.

“For what?” he asked, already grabbing a drink from the fridge and sliding it toward you. “Existing in the same room as… people?”

You huffed a quiet laugh. “Something like that.”

He followed your gaze, took in the scene, and then looked back at you — really looked. The slight tension in your jaw. The way your shoulders had drawn in on themselves.

He didn’t comment. Instead, he leaned against the counter beside you. “You eat yet?”

“No.”

“Cool,” he said, nodding once. “Same. Tragic, honestly.”

You smirked. “You say that every time.”

“And every time it’s true.”

The banter was familiar and easy. It helped more than you wanted to admit.

⚡︎𓅩

It happened again a few nights later.

You were on patrol, moving across rooftops, when a familiar neon glow caught your eye. A café window, warm and inviting, steam fogging the glass.

Dick sat inside, with Kori across from him, chin propped in her hand as he spoke, eyes bright with attention. He smiled in that open, unguarded way — the one he used to reserve for late nights with you, when the world felt smaller.

Your feet slowed before you could stop them.

“Don’t,” you muttered to yourself.

Wally, your new patrol partner, ran back towards you when you saw you were stuck, having noticed immediately. “What?”

“Nothing,” you said quickly, forcing your pace to pick up again.

He glanced through the window, understanding dawning. The rest of the patrol passed in near silence.

Not the uncomfortable kind. Just… quiet. The city stretched out beneath you in a scatter of lights and distant sirens, wind rushing past as you and Wally moved from rooftop to rooftop. Normally, he filled the air with commentary, bad jokes, half-finished thoughts that tumbled out of him faster than he could filter them.

Tonight, he didn’t. He stayed close, matching your pace, eyes scanning the streets while occasionally flicking sideways to check on you. You appreciated the lack of pressure more than you could say.

By the last stretch of your route, your feet were aching, and your shoulders felt heavier than they should have.

Wally let out an exaggerated groan.

You blinked, glancing over. “Are you dying?”

“Slowly,” he said, hand dramatically over his heart. “Tragically. From starvation.”

“You ate before patrol.”

“And, why are you keeping track of that? Who are you, my doctor?”

You snorted softly. “I feel like that’s more like a dietician.”

“Come on,” he said, nudging closer. “There’s this place I love. Best late-night snacks. Open all hours. We could swing by?”

Spend the night replaying the scene you saw, or hang out with Wally? An easy choice. You shrugged, the effort minimal. “Sure. Why not?”

His eyes brightened. “Really?”

“It’s food,” you said. “You don’t need to sell it.”

“Excellent.” He paused. “Can I carry you?”

You raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

“Just for speed,” he clarified quickly. “We’ll get there faster. Less walking. You look, don’t take this the wrong way, tired.”

You hesitated — then nodded. “Okay. Yeah. That’s… fine.”

He grinned. “Great.”

He barely gave you time to brace before he scooped you up, one arm under your knees, the other steady at your back. The city blurred into streaks of color and light, the wind cool against your face, his grip solid and careful.

When he slowed, you felt the shift immediately.

You glanced around — and frowned.

“This is the tower.”

“Mm-hmm.”

You looked up at him. “Wally.”

“Yes?”

“This is your room.”

“Correct again.”

You stared at him, unimpressed. “You said favorite snack spot.”

He opened the door and gestured grandly inside. “Yes. My favorite late-night snack spot. It has everything I love and is open at all hours.”

He stepped inside, smug as anything, heading straight for the kitchenette.

You stood in the doorway for a beat, then followed, shaking your head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Effective, I’d argue,” he countered, rummaging through a cabinet. “There’s a difference.”

He tossed you a packet of something chocolate-coated, a bag of chips, and a water bottle. “Here.”

You caught it. “What is this?”

“Protein bar, allegedly. I have to be a good influence and provide something nutritious.”

You squinted at the label. “This is barely food.”

“Manners, that is no way to treat a gracious host.”

You laughed despite yourself and wandered closer as he grabbed a couple more things.

“So,” you said, leaning against the counter. “Why do you get a whole suite with a kitchenette, anyway?”

He puffed up slightly, raising three fingers. “Seniority. Pension. Hero benefits.”

You give him a deadpan stare. “You’re in your twenties.”

“Mentally? I’m at least seventy.”

You laughed again, softer this time.

He shrugged, more genuine now. “Actually, it’s the speed thing. Easier to have my own stuff than accidentally blow up the communal kitchen at three in the morning. Trust me.”

“That makes sense,” you admitted.

He nodded. “See? Practical.”

He turned and promptly fumbled the protein bar, dropping it against his chest where it smeared something sticky and dark across the front of his suit.

“Oh— come on,” he groaned. “Rude.”

He peeled the top half of the suit down in one smooth motion.

Your brain…just kinda…stopped.

His skin was warm gold under the lights, muscles defined in a way that made no effort to be subtle about the work they did. Broad shoulders, strong arms, a chest that made your thoughts go pleasantly blank.

You were aware, distantly, that you were staring.

You were also aware, slightly less distantly, that you had stopped breathing.

“Uh.”

His eyes flicked up and caught yours.

Something shifted between you, like the air before a storm breaks. The room seemed to shrink, narrowing to just the space you both occupied. Your skin prickled with awareness, heartbeat suddenly loud in your ears.

His eyes darkened slightly, pupils expanding as they held yours, and you watched his throat work as he swallowed. His chest rose with a slow, deliberate breath, like he was trying to steady something inside himself. Neither of you moved, caught in that fragile moment where possibility hung suspended, electric and dangerous.

Then there was a knock, and the door slid open before either of you could react.

Roy leaned in, eyes immediately taking in the scene: you standing far too close, Wally shirtless, snacks scattered, the air very clearly Not Normal.

“Well,” Roy drawled, leaning against the doorframe, grin slow and wicked. “What’s happening here?”

You and Wally looked at each other.

Whatever had been building between you snapped — not gone, just… scattered.

You both started talking at once.

“It’s not—”

“He just—”

“We were just—”

“He spilled something—”

“She was tired—”

You stopped and blinked before closing your eyes and taking a step back.

“Goodnight,” you said flatly, and turned and walked out.

Behind you, you heard Roy’s laugh and Wally’s very distressed, “Roy—!”

You didn’t stop walking until you were back in your own room.

And only then did you sit on your bed, heart racing, face warm, and whisper quietly to yourself:

“Oh no.”

⚡︎𓅩

It wasn’t just that Dick was affectionate. It was that he was affectionate everywhere.

The tower’s common spaces had always been neutral ground — places where masks slipped just enough to breathe, but not enough to expose anything fragile. Or at least, they used to be. Now, it felt like every room carried the echo of something you no longer belonged to.

You saw it in passing moments first.

Dick’s hand was resting at the small of Kori’s back as they walked down the hall, guiding without thinking. Fingers brushing her wrist when he laughed, lingering just a second longer than necessary. The way he leaned into her space openly, shoulder pressed to hers, head tipped close as if the rest of the room didn’t exist.

You tried not to stare.

You tried not to remember how many times you’d reached for him like that and felt him subtly shift away. How often he’d murmured, “Later,” or “Not here,” as if affection were something private, something that needed to be rationed carefully.

You had told yourself it wasn’t rejection.

You had told yourself he was just cautious. Guarded. That loving him meant understanding the weight he carried.

Now he laughed freely, loud and unrestrained, pressing a kiss to Kori’s temple without hesitation as she teased him about something trivial. The room reacted; smiles and easy acceptance, and something inside your chest tightened painfully.

You looked away, but reflections betrayed you.

In the glass of a display case, you caught the way his arm curved around her waist, familiar and intimate. You saw the way she leaned into him, trusting and unafraid, his hand settling there as it had always belonged.

You felt… smaller.

Not jealous — not exactly. Just painfully aware of how much you’d minimized yourself to fit beside him. How gently you’d loved him, careful not to ask for too much, careful not to make him uncomfortable.

Careful not to be a burden.

It hurt in a way that was dull and sharp all at once, like pressing on a bruise you hadn’t realized was there.

You busied yourself with gear checks, adjusting straps that didn’t need adjusting, focusing on routine. Anything to avoid watching the way he touched her so easily.

When the mission call came through, you welcomed it with something like relief.

Action was easier than feeling.

—

The mission was chaotic from the start.

Smoke and shouting as more concrete collapses.

You moved without thinking, instincts honed from countless hours in the field. When the opening appeared, you took it — pivoting, feinting, striking with precise timing.

Dick, however, followed through perfectly.

Your move.

The mission ended successfully. The team gathered for a quick debrief, adrenaline still buzzing.

“Nice work, Nightwing,” Roy said. “That move saved our asses.”

Dick smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Figured I’d try something new.”

Your stomach dropped. You stared at the floor, jaw tight, pulse roaring in your ears.

Wally looked at you, really looked, and saw it. The stiffness in your posture. The way you folded inward.

He remembered Dick talking about that move months ago. How impressed he’d been, how proud.

“Hey,” Wally said softly, stepping closer. “You wanna grab food? Before Roy demolishes everything edible in a five-mile radius?”

You blinked, pulled from your thoughts. “What?”

He hooked an arm around your shoulders, not tight, not claiming — just there. “Come on. I’m starving, and you look like you could use a break.”

You hesitated, eyes flicking toward Dick without meaning to. He was already being pulled into conversation, attention elsewhere.

Wally noticed, he always did.

“Hey,” he murmured, nudging you gently. “I got you.”

You exhaled slowly, tension easing just enough to let you move.

“Fine,” you said. “But if you eat my fries—”

“Whoa, whoa,” he laughed. “I’m not a monster.”

As you walked away together, Dick glanced up, catching sight of you leaving — Wally’s arm around your shoulders, your head tilted toward him as he animatedly complained about Barry.

Something twisted in his chest that he steadfastly ignored. For the first time since he could remember, you didn’t look back.

⚡︎𓅩

The tower’s living room was loud in a comfortable way.

Soft music hummed from speakers tucked somewhere out of sight, low enough to blend into the background rather than demand attention. Someone had stretched out across the couch like they planned to stay there all night, boots kicked off without ceremony. Laughter drifted freely, unguarded, the kind that only existed on nights when no alarms screamed, and no one was counting down the minutes until the next emergency.

It should have felt safe.

You stood near the edge of the room, a warm mug cradled between your hands, letting the noise pass through you instead of into you. You nodded when someone glanced your way. Smiled when it was expected. You were present in the way one learned to be present when absence would be noticed.

Dick stood across the room, Kori sat beside him, close enough that her thigh pressed against his, his jacket draped over her shoulders like a promise.

“Dick,” Kori said brightly, nudging his arm. “Tell them the joke you said the other night.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from focusing on the conversation, despite knowing that it would most likely lead to your heartbreak again.

Dick blinked, looking slightly confused. “What—?”

“The one about the—” she laughed, waving her hand vaguely as she was unable to continue the background details. “The story. It was funny.”

The room leaned in, anticipation flickering easily from face to face.

Dick’s eyes flicked toward you.

Just for a second.

Your breath catches, afraid of what that look might mean. You didn’t move, you didn’t react. You simply lifted your mug and took a slow sip, gaze unfocused, fixed on nothing in particular.

“Oh,” Dick said, a chuckle slipping out as understanding clicked into place. “That one.”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Okay.”

And then he told it. Your story.

Your voice, stripped of its softness. Your timing sharpened for laughs instead of honesty. A moment that had once lived quietly between you and a close friend — something vulnerable, something shared late at night when trust sat heavy and real between you — reduced to a punchline.

You remembered that night with startling clarity.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, lights low, the two of you laughing so hard you’d cried, a mixture of grief and laughter. How you’d confessed something small but meaningful about a close friend long since gone.

A moment you shared because you had felt safe only because of who you were telling it to. How you’d smiled afterward, warmed by the certainty that it mattered, comforted by your companion, and wanting them to carry this treasured memory with them too.

Now it was just… content.

A story told without context. Without care. Dick told it well; he’s a great storyteller.

The room erupted in laughter.

Someone wiped tears from their eyes. Someone else shook their head, already repeating the best part under their breath.

You stood perfectly still.

You felt it happen inside you, the moment something disconnected.

It was subtle, like a wire loosening, like a door closing softly instead of slamming. The ache didn’t spike. It emptied. The warmth drained out, leaving behind a numb, hollow space where feeling had once lived.

You didn’t laugh or flinch. You didn’t even look at him. You simply… stopped being there.

And it was almost as if Dick felt it.

Not immediately, but as the laughter stretched on, something in his chest began to tighten, an unease threading through the easy moment. His eyes found you again, instinctively searching for the familiar reaction he’d always been able to count on.

A smile or an eye-roll.

That look you used to give him; fond, conspiratorial, like the two of you shared something just beneath the surface.

Instead, he found nothing. Your eyes were distant, polite. Empty in a way that felt wrong and hurt.

Gone.

The laughter faded unevenly, as if people sensed the shift without understanding it. Dick’s voice trailed off at the end of the story, landing awkwardly in the space that followed. He shifted, tugging at the hem of his sleeve, suddenly unsure of where to put his hands.

His gaze locked with yours.

For half a second, memory surged: moonlight through your bedroom window, your laughter muffled against his neck, the way you used to look at him like he was home.

Then he saw it. The absence.

Whatever fragile thread still connected you, whatever hope he’d held that you could exist in each other’s lives without pain, disintegrated in that instant. Like paper catching flame, burning faster than he could reach for it.

Your eyes slid away.

You turned your body slightly, a subtle motion that somehow landed heavier than any argument ever had.

Dick’s heart stuttered.

“Hey—” he said suddenly, pushing himself upright, already stepping toward you. “Wait—”

He didn’t get the chance, because Wally was already there.

Not rushing or dramatic, despite the way Dick was experiencing it. He didn’t insert himself into the moment or raise his voice. He simply appeared at your side, like he’d been standing just outside the edge of your world, waiting for the exact second you needed a way out more than you needed answers.

Dick saw him before he registered anything else.

Saw the way Wally angled his body slightly toward you, shielding you from the rest of the room without making a show of it. Saw the way his expression softened when he looked at you; not concern exactly, but familiarity. Understanding.

Wally didn’t touch you right away; instead, he held out his hand.

Open and patient, a clear invitation, not a demand.

“Come on,” Wally said quietly, leaning in just enough for you to hear him. His voice didn’t carry—it wasn’t meant to. “You promised me a rematch.”

You blinked, eyes unfocused at first, like you were surfacing from somewhere far away.

“I did?” you asked, voice faint but steady.

He smiled, small and easy, the kind of smile that came from shared moments instead of charm. “Mm-hmm. Loser buys snacks.”

Dick took a step forward, his mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Because you were looking at Wally now.

And then — without hesitation — you reached for him.

Your fingers slid into his hand naturally, like muscle memory. Like this was something you’d done before, something your body recognized even if your heart hadn’t fully caught up yet. Wally’s hand closed around yours with quiet certainty, thumb brushing your knuckles once in a way that was achingly gentle.

Dick’s breath caught hard in his chest.

That wasn’t a first touch. It wasn’t tentative. It wasn’t careful. It was familiar. It was the kind of intimacy that came from repetition — from trust built slowly, from presence earned over time.

And suddenly, Dick understood.

This hadn’t started tonight. This hadn’t even started recently.

While he’d been absent in all the ways that mattered, someone else had been showing up. Someone else had been learning the shape of your silences, the weight of your tiredness, the moments when you needed to leave before something broke.

Wally turned slightly, guiding you with him. You followed without looking back. The room seemed to tilt.

Dick stood frozen, watching your joined hands swing gently between you as you walked away — not hurried, not dramatic — just decided.

You weren’t running from him. You were choosing something else.

The doors slid shut behind you with a soft hiss, sealing the sound of laughter and music inside.

Dick remained where he was.

For the first time, it wasn’t heartbreak that settled into his chest.

It was understanding.

He hadn’t just lost you romantically. He had lost access to you; to your touch, your reactions, your presence in his life. The loss wasn’t theoretical anymore.

It was real and it was final.

⚡︎𓅩

The hallway was quiet, the door sliding shut behind you with a soft hiss that felt louder than it should have.

You walked a few steps before realizing your hand was still in Wally’s.

The warmth of it grounded you. Steady and real, pulling you back from the numbness that had settled over you moments before. Your fingers tightened briefly before you let go, clearing your throat as you slowed to a stop.

“Sorry,” you murmured. “I think I spaced out back there.”

Wally stopped immediately. “No worries,” he said easily. “Happens.”

You leaned back against the wall, exhaling slowly as the adrenaline — emotional, not physical — began to ebb. The quiet wrapped around you, gentle and forgiving.

“Hey,” you said after a moment, trying for lightness. “You know you don’t have to… rescue me every time, right?”

He tilted his head. “Rescue?”

You gestured vaguely behind you. “You know. The dramatic exits. The timely distractions. You going full hero mode around me all the time must be exhausting.”

You smiled, small and self-deprecating, like it was a joke you’d rehearsed enough times to make it sound casual.

Wally didn’t smile back.

Instead, his expression softened into something serious and intent in a way that made your chest tighten unexpectedly.

“Hey,” he said gently, stepping closer just enough to keep your attention, not that he didn’t have it already.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Talk about yourself like you’re a problem I have to manage.”

You blinked.

“I don’t mind,” he continued, voice quiet but steady. “Not for a second. I’m not tired, I’m not obligated. I’m here because I want to be.”

His gaze held yours, unflinching.

“I care about you,” he said simply.

The words landed softly, but they knocked the breath from your lungs all the same.

Something shifted in your chest. Warmth bloomed where there had only been emptiness before. Gratitude, yes — but something else too. Something that made your pulse stutter, that made you see him differently all at once.

You looked at him, really looked, and felt it. Wally, who was looking at you intensely, saw it the second it reached your eyes.

His breath hitched, just barely. A slow smile spread across his face; not triumphant or smug, simply tender. Like he’d been hoping for that look without expecting it.

For a heartbeat, neither of you spoke. Then Wally straightened slightly, clearing his throat.

“So,” he said, voice deliberately lighter. “Snacks?”

You laughed, the sound real and surprised, and nodded. “Yeah, snacks.”

“Good,” he said, already turning. “Because I’m starving, and I refuse to have this moment derail my nutritional needs.”

You fell into step beside him, the silence between you no longer empty; just full of things neither of you were quite ready to name yet.

And for the first time in a long while, the ache in your chest didn’t feel like something you had to carry alone.

⚡︎𓅩

The debrief room was louder than usual.

People talked over one another, adrenaline still buzzing from a mission that had gone better than expected. Roy leaned back in their chair, boots propped on the table. Garth was already arguing over credit for a distraction that hadn’t actually been planned.

You sat near the end of the table, tablet balanced against your knee, half-listening while scrolling through post-mission data. This part always felt strange—being surrounded by people dissecting a fight that already felt distant, like it belonged to another version of you.

“…and honestly,” Wally said suddenly, voice cutting through the noise, “the whole thing only worked because she spotted the second location before anyone else did.”

The room quieted. You looked up, startled.

“Wait,” Donna said. “You found it?”

You opened your mouth to clarify, but Wally, already committed, kept going.

“Yeah,” he said, gesturing vaguely in your direction. “She basically mapped the entire pattern on the fly. I mean, she could probably predict weather systems if she wanted to.”

You stared at him.

“No, I can’t,” you said quickly, cutting in before the attention could crystallize into something heavier. “Obviously, the weather’s gotten to Wally.”

A few chuckles rang out through the room before the looks shifted back to Dick and Cyborg for finishing details. The room relaxed again, conversation sliding easily back into overlapping voices and half-formed jokes. Someone changed the subject. Someone else complained about paperwork.

Wally blinked, realization dawning, a sheepish expression on his face. “Okay, yeah, that was—”

“—dramatic,” you finished dryly, smiling as you shrugged. “I just noticed something off in the data. Anyone could’ve.”

Crisis averted. Or so you thought.

You leaned slightly toward Wally and mouthed, What the fuck?

He winced, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Yeah,” he murmured back, lowering his voice and leaning into your space. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

You raised a brow as if to say ‘oh really?’

“But,” he added quickly, earnest now, “you were great. If you hadn’t caught that second location, we would’ve screwed the whole mission.”

You laughed quietly, the sound warm and genuine, and reached out without thinking—your fingers brushing his knee in an easy, familiar gesture.

“Next time,” you said softly, “try not to make me sound like a wizard.”

“No promises, Dumbledore,” he replied, grinning.

The exchange was small, casual, and comfortable.

It didn’t slip past Dick.

He watched it from across the table—the way you leaned toward Wally without hesitation, the way you touched him like it was nothing, the way Wally’s attention never wavered from you. There was no tension or uncertainty in it.

Just ease.

The meeting wrapped up a few minutes later, chairs scraping as people stood and filtered out in loose groups. You gathered your things and fell into step beside Wally, already mid-conversation about something inconsequential.

“Hey.”

Dick’s voice made both of you stop. Wally turned, surprised but not uncomfortable. “What’s up?”

“I’ll catch up with you later,” you murmur to him, touching his arm to grab his attention. You could think of 50 other locations you’d rather be than in the same conversation with just Dick and Wally.

He nodded immediately. “Yeah. Definitely.”

You smiled at him, soft and unguarded, before heading off down the corridor.

Wally watched you the entire time, only turning away once you disappeared around the corner.

“Feels like it’s been a while since we’ve hung out,” Dick said, attempting casual. “Just us. You know?”

Wally considered that for a moment. “Yeah,” he said honestly. “It has, sorry about that.”

Dick’s shoulders loosened slightly. “It’s fine, I’ve been busy too. I was thinking maybe we could—”

“But,” Wally continued, already stepping back, “maybe another time. I’ve got plans.”

Dick’s brow furrowed. “Plans?”

Wally grinned, clapping a hand to his shoulder. “Yeah, with her. Don’t really wanna disappoint her, so I gotta head out now. But we’ll definitely hang out soon! Maybe we’ll do a boys’ night!?”

Before Dick could respond, Wally was gone—a red blur vanishing down the hall in the direction you’d gone.

The room didn’t stay quiet. Someone snorted. “Wow.”

Roy leaned back against the table. “You guys notice how often those two hang out now?”

“On missions, too,” Donna added thoughtfully. “They’re always paired.”

Cyborg chimed in, teasing. “Guess Dick and Kori really inspired love to bloom around here.”

Laughter followed, but Dick didn’t laugh.

Something twisted sharply in his stomach, nausea creeping in slowly and unwelcome. The room felt too warm, too loud. He stared at the doorway where you both had disappeared, chest tight with a realization he hadn’t wanted to make.

Whatever was happening between you and Wally had been growing quietly—right under his nose—while he’d been elsewhere, assuming you’d still be there when he looked back.

He swallowed hard. For the first time, the loss didn’t feel only like heartbreak.

It felt like a consequence.

⚡︎𓅩

Another month passed.

It wasn’t marked by anything dramatic; no declarations, no lines crossed, no moments that demanded names. Just time, shared and unspoken and steadily meaningful.

You and Wally fell into a rhythm without ever acknowledging it as one.

Late-night patrols that stretched longer than necessary. Coffee runs that turned into conversations about childhood, fears, and things neither of you talked about easily. Sitting side by side on rooftops, legs dangling over the edge, watching the city breathe while the world felt smaller and calmer than it had in a long time.

You learned how he liked his coffee — sweet enough to be suspicious. He learned the exact way you went quiet when you were thinking too hard. You learned that he always ran faster when you were tired, and that he always positioned himself just slightly closer when you looked overwhelmed.

He learned when to joke, and more importantly, when not to. Somewhere along the way, you realized you felt… safe again.

Not the fragile kind. The steady kind. The night it finally happened was unremarkable in the best way.

Patrol ended early. The city was quiet, streets slick from earlier rain, lights reflecting like constellations below. You sat on the edge of a rooftop, boots resting against concrete, the cool air settling comfortably against your skin.

Wally stood nearby, stretching, then dropped down beside you with an exaggerated sigh.

“Wow,” he said. “Peaceful. Suspiciously so.”

You smiled. “Don’t jinx it.”

“Right. Sorry.” He mimed zipping his lips.

Silence settled — not awkward, not empty, just unsure as to how to start.

You glanced at him without thinking and caught the way he was already

looking at you.

Wally gave no indication he was startled; he just kept looking, something you couldn’t believe was obvious in his eyes. Your breath hitched before you could stop it.

Wally noticed. Something in his expression shifted. It softened, deepened, like he’d been holding something back and finally decided to stop.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

You turned fully toward him, giving him a small smile. “Hey.”

He rubbed his palms together once, nervous energy bleeding through despite his usual ease. “Can I… say something?”

Your heart thudded painfully in your chest. “You just did.” You couldn’t help yourself from saying.

The look Wally gives you makes you laugh and helps break the uncomfortable tension that was in the air. “I think this is one of those moments you told me about that isn’t right to joke.” He teases you, throwing back your argument you told him.

“Yeah,” you said, giving him a sheepish smile and a shrug. “Sorry, I was nervous.”

“Yeah, I get that.” He murmurs back to you. The nervous energy is gone, and instead, a tension lingers in the air. He looks you in the eyes, then awa,y before looking back and slowly leaning in. His arm reaches out and grabs your hand, holding it gently in his grasp, his thumb rubbing against your knuckles.

He took a breath before letting it out slowly starting.

“I’ve been trying not to,” he admitted with a small, self-aware smile.

“Because I didn’t want to mess anything up. Or rush you, or make things weird.”

Your chest tightened.

“But,” he continued, eyes never leaving yours, “somewhere between the third late-night snack run and the fifth time you fell asleep during movie night… I realized I was already way past that point.”

You laughed softly, more breath than sound.

“Wally—”

“I care about you,” he said, gently cutting in. “Not in a teammate way. Not in a ‘I’ll always have your back’ way — although, yeah, that too.” He swallowed. “I mean… I like you. A lot. And it’s more than friendship, and I didn’t want to keep pretending it wasn’t.”

The words settled between you, warm and terrifying and real. You stared at him for a long moment.

Then you exhaled, shoulders relaxing as if something you’d been carrying finally found a place to rest.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” you admitted quietly.

His eyes widened. “You were?”

You nodded. “Yeah. Because I’ve been trying to tell myself it was just comfort. Or gratitude. Or… anything but this.” You smiled faintly. “But it’s not, and it hasn’t been for a while.”

You looked at him fully now, letting him see it.

“It’s more than friendship for me, too, Wally.”

The relief on his face was immediate — bright and unguarded, like sunlight breaking through cloud cover. He laughed, soft and incredulous.

“Wow,” he breathed. “Okay. Wow.”

You laughed too, the sound lighter than it had been in months.

He hesitated, just for a second, then asked quietly, “Can I…?”

You nodded before he finished.

He leaned closer, his gaze unwavering. As he hesitated, breath hitching in the space between you, the air thickened with unspoken words. Then, with a soft determination, he closed the distance, pressing his lips against yours.

The kiss was tentative at first, a sweet brush that ignited a spark, before deepening into something more, a shared promise that lingered in the cool night air.

Neither of you rushed it because neither of you needed to.

The city hummed below, indifferent and vast, while something small and meaningful settled into place between you.

And for the first time in a long while, the future didn’t feel like something to brace for.

It felt like something you were allowed to want.

⚡︎𓅩

a/n: everyone say thank you to olivia rodrigo for inspiring this! this was originally 3k and was like a little drabble, but then? i just? couldn't stop? and now we have this pretty little baby.

this fic could also be named "wally showing he cares by making sure you eat",

as always, likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated. here’s a kiss from me to you 💋

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