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Bored out of his mind, Wally quietly drummed his fingers on the surface of the table in the Justice League meeting room.
It had been about a year since he joined the Justice League at his Uncle Barry’s nomination, and now, he was sitting through his first annual recruitment meeting. He thought it would be loads more interesting: talking about potential candidates for the Justice League, putting forth names of heroes they want to work with, discussing powersets and skills and how they would match up with other Leaguers.
But no, Wally was sitting idly twirling his thumbs hoping it would come to an end.
It started off just fine. Wally himself brought up the newest Green Lantern since they had worked together a small handful of times through Troia, Donna Troy, and it would make at least semi-sense to have another galactic hero with the League even if they still had Hal with John and Guy as occasional allies, even with no one liking Guy. Both Hal and Clark agreed, and Batman added him to the potential nominee list.
Then Hawkman brought up Hawkgirl, having seen how well she worked with his wife, Hawkwoman, and them both believing she had proved herself over the years to be a formidable hero. Wonder Woman and Black Canary agreed, and Batman added her to the potential nominee list.
Third, someone put forth Atom. That’s when Wally began to grow bored and stopped paying full attention. Wally heard enough to know Red Tornado agreed with whoever nominated him, and again, Batman added him to the potential nominee list.
But then, Hal, ever the joker and shit-stirrer who loved annoying the hell out of Batman, nominated Booster Gold. The women on the team couldn’t have rolled their eyes harder, especially Zatanna who had been on the receiving end of a majority of his advances. Oliver, loving the way Dinah threatened to stab Hal, seconded the Booster Gold nomination, which meant Batman should have put him on the potential nominee list that they would whittle down before choosing.
But Batman being Batman and fully willing to piss Hal off just as much as Hall pissed him off, refused to do so, choosing to simply stare at the Green Lantern as stoically as ever.
Of course, that then started an argument, mostly from Hal with little jabs from Batman plus Wonder Woman and Superman trying to defuse the tension between the two. Wally couldn’t help but think that if Hal wasn’t so quick to anger and judge, he might notice just how often Batman was sarcastic and made jokes, and they’d probably get along.
Barry sent an amused grin Wally’s way, in complete agreement with the boredom, but at least Barry was hiding it better.
Until finally, Wonder Woman got the two to cut the shit, put Booster Gold’s name on the list herself, and asked if anyone had any more nominations.
“I nominate Nightwing,” Superman said.
“Absolutely not,” Batman said.
Everyone seemed to notice the way he quickly disagreed, but based on the vacant expressions of most of the members, Wally wasn’t sure many people even knew who they were talking about. But the hero had to be interesting if Batman’s reaction was an indication. They could at least rule out Superman trying to get on Batman’s nerves though since that wasn’t exactly his style.
Superman sighed in exasperation and said, “Just because he’s from Blüdhaven.”
“It’s not because he’s from Blüdhaven,” Batman argued, something tense seeping into his tone.
“Care to share with the group?” Oliver asked.
“I second Superman’s nomination if we get to hear that panic from Batman again,” Hal said, raising his hand with a cheeky grin.
Batman’s jaw clenched. “Jordan.”
“Spooky,” Hal shot back in a mocking tone. “Who the hell’s Nightwing?”
“The Protector of Blüdhaven, Gotham’s sister city,” Cyborg answered to assuage the potential for the conversation to devolve into an argument between Batman and Hal again. “But news sources disagree on whether he’s real or not.”
“Like Batman once was,” J’onn pointed out. “I’m presuming from his name that he is a nocturnal hero as well.”
“What else do we know about Nightwing?” Wonder Woman asked the table, looking particularly at Cyborg who seemed to know at least a little about the hero.
“Witness reports are just as vague as they are about Batman,” Cyborg said, typing away on the holographic monitor in front of him. “But there are a few videos circulating on the internet from people in Blüdhaven who claimed to have seen Nightwing.”
A moment later, the holographic screens for the rest of the League’s monitors lit up in a grainy, dark compilation of short videos depicting what looked like a tall shadow taking out thugs or gang members or one would-be rapist. Wally was vaguely impressed by the speed of said shadow, but there was also nothing to identify anything about said shadow.
“Some claim he has no bones,” Cyborg said as they watched the short clips. “Some say he can fly. Some say he melts in and out of the shadows. One blogger in the city claimed to have seen Nightwing get shot and then was active the next night without issue.”
“So, we can’t rule out a potential metahuman ability,” Oliver noted.
“Witness statements are notoriously unreliable,” Barry pointed out from experience, “but there might be some truth to them. He could just be a skilled human that knows how to use his terrain.”
“He’s also never been reported outside of Blüdhaven,” Cyborg continued. “And he’s the only vigilante reported to be in Blüdhaven.”
“Let’s see: a nocturnal hero that drops in out of nowhere, thus the illusion of flight, uses shadows to blend in, and is the lone protector of a city, plus Blüdhaven is Gotham’s sister city of all things,” Hal listed, using his fingers. He donned a fake pout and teasing tone. “Aww, Spooky doesn’t want another him on the team.”
“That—no,” Batman shut down quickly. But other than that, he didn’t seem to know what to say.
Barry leaned closer to Wally and whispered, “Wow, I’ve never seen Batsy speechless.” Wally did his best to hide his laugh in a quiet snort.
“He took down a major drug operation, alone, in less than two weeks,” Superman said. “He’s alone in a city almost as bad as Gotham in terms of corruption and underground crime. And when I went to try and meet him both as Clark Kent and as Superman, I saw him and lost him.”
“You lost him?” Arthur repeated, leaning forward in his seat. “You? How do you lose someone? Twice! You have super-hearing, speed, and X-ray vision. You, of all people, don’t just lose someone.”
“Perhaps that’s what Batman doesn’t like,” Hawkwoman said, a small, amused smile pulling at her lips. “He’s lost him, too.”
Wally heard a few Leaguers chuckle quietly around him, and he watched Batman for a reaction, but the man did nothing but sit and stare. Wally would say he was betraying no emotion, but he was almost certain Batman must have been frustrated based on the tension in his shoulders and jaw.
“Honestly, now I just want to vote for Nightwing to join to see what’s got Spooky so riled up,” Hal said with a wide grin.
That urged a growl-like grumble from Batman.
Wonder Woman may have devolved into pinching the bridge of her nose, but even she couldn’t hide the amusement in her expression.
“Really, Batman, why don’t you want him to join?” Dinah asked sincerely, with no judgment in her tone or expression.
The room was dead silent as everyone watched Batman closely, waiting for his response, and for a moment, he looked to be considering an answer. Until he decided to say, “Never mind,” and added Nightwing to the roster of potential recruits.
“Oh, come on!” Hal exclaimed with a groan. “You can’t do that! You’re so against it, but you refuse to say why?”
“Personal reasons,” was all Batman allowed them to know.
“Alright, John Wick, don’t tell me he killed your dog,” Hal said.
“No, he didn’t,” Batman replied, dead serious almost in a way that made it sound like he did have a dog.
It seemed Wally wasn’t the only one to pick that out considering a few Leaguers shared curious glances. It was hard to know anything concrete about Batman, so something as simple as him having a dog seemed like huge news. Wally wondered what kind he had. He couldn’t imagine Batman with a lapdog, like a Pomeranian or Shih Tzu, but he could imagine him with a guard dog, like a Doberman or German Shepherd, or maybe a hunting dog, like a Labrador or Bloodhound.
Why was Wally so curious about this man’s dog?
Oh, right, because he was bored as hell. The tiny bits of amusement from when Leaguers started arguing could only sustain him for brief periods.
From there, Wonder Woman shifted the conversation into one trimming down the list of nominees until they were left with three: Nightwing, Hawkgirl, and the newest Lantern. And with that, the League voted on each hero.
Hawkgirl and Nightwing received the majority by a landslide and the new Lantern just barely squeaked by. Wally chalked it up to Wonder Woman’s glowing endorsement for Hawkgirl, people wondering if another Lantern on the team was necessary, and everyone (par Batman) wanting to know what Nightwing’s deal was (with Batman) paired with Superman’s endorsement.
The wonders of curiosity and the words of the Holy Trinity.
Regardless, now it was time to actually reach out to these heroes to pass along their invitation. Hal immediately offered to meet with the newest Lantern considering he knew where to find him, and J’onn offered to join. Hawkman and Hawkwoman claimed Hawkgirl for obvious reasons. This left Nightwing, who Superman offered to speak with, and when he asked if anyone else wanted to join him, Wally raised his hand and said he’d join.
What could he say? He was curious and bored. He really needed to do some running to blow off some energy before he had to sit and write a paper for one of his uni classes.
Soon after, the meeting concluded shortly after the sun would be setting in Blüdhaven, which was perfect, so the League started to break up for the night. Wally hung back with Superman to let the others use the Zeta first before Superman began to input the code for the Blüdhaven Zeta tube which Wally was surprised they had.
But Superman paused when Batman walked over.
“You in a hurry? I can queue up Gotham if you need,” Superman offered.
“That is unnecessary,” Batman said, his voice and body stiff. Superman gave him an odd look. “I’m coming with you.”
“Really?” Wally blurted in shock.
Superman had the grace to take Batman’s not-request more amicably. “No offense, Batman, but based on your reaction to Nightwing’s nomination, I don’t think you’re the best person to give him the invitation,” he said carefully, eyeing Batman with mild suspicion.
Wally couldn’t even guess as to what Superman was really thinking, but he was too much of a good guy to come out and say it. Probably something akin to, ‘What the fuck?’ because that was certainly what Wally was thinking.
“I know how to find him,” Batman said, nearly forcing his words out. “He won’t show if it’s either or both of you.”
“But he will if it’s you?” Wally asked, checking to make sure that’s what Batsy was getting at. Batman gave a jerky nod. “Sounds fake, but who am I to argue?” He looked up at Superman, waiting for his call on the matter.
Superman looked like he wanted to argue, but he ended up slowly nodding and continued to input the Zeta code. Once it was activated, the three stepped through and were transported to Blüdhaven.
Wally had never been to Blüdhaven before (tended to stay away from New Jersey in general), but at first glance, it wasn’t what he expected from Gotham’s sister city. Now, Keystone and Central City were considered twin cities, and they looked it, had a lot of similarities, were similar sizes, and were on opposite sides of the Missouri River, but Gotham and Blüdhaven?
Everything Wally had heard and read about Gotham listed it as a dark, dismal, gothic metropolitan built with old money and covered in perpetual smog or overcast. He could see some similarities in that description for Blüdhaven as they went up to the rooftop of the nearest building, but it was so. . .
Bright.
Yeah, that was the word Wally was looking for.
Colored neon lights and billboards lined almost every building in Wally’s line of sight, and while the city was clearly old based on the architecture and had the same Gotham overcast, it seemed far livelier than Gotham had ever been described. He could see casinos and hotels, a long line for a nightclub, and people who didn’t look absolutely miserable. Maybe he had just been so influenced by every poor, sad, depressing description of Gotham that he expected its sister city to be the same, but there had to be darkness hidden beneath the glitz and glamor considering Superman had described it as almost as bad as Gotham in terms of crime.
Batman pointed at the tallest building they could see. “He prefers high places.”
“And you know that how?” Superman asked.
But Batman didn’t answer, instead choosing to jump off the building and begin his grapple and parkour trip over there.
Wally looked at Superman. “I’m not the only one who’s finding his behavior suspicious, am I?” he asked.
Superman sighed and shook his head. “No, I’m right there with you. Let’s go.”
Wally beat them there in record time, it was really barely a blink of an eye, but as he stopped on the roof, he was startled when a shadow moved and spoke.
“Well, you’re not who I was expecting,” a deep, accented voice said.
Wally’s breath caught as the nearest billboard shined a light on quite possibly the most attractive person he’d ever seen, and he had literally come to the city with Superman. The man, who he presumed was Nightwing, standing in front of him was dressed neck to toe in a black and blue suit that should be illegal for being so tight. A blue mask with white lenses covered his eyes, brows, and cheekbones that were painstakingly high and sharp. And why was the sight of royal blue strips lining his arms all the way to his middle and ring fingers so sexy?
His mouth went dry as the man gave him a devil-may-care grin while leaning on the rooftop access, and he had to quietly berate himself for his bisexual panic at that moment. He was there on official business, damnit! It wasn’t the time to ogle another hero.
Even if that hero was attractive. Very attractive. So incredibly attractive it hurt.
“Hi,” was all Wally was able to say, or rather squeak, and he wanted to curl up into a ball and die the moment he said it. Smooth, Wallace, smooth.
Nightwing laughed a laugh so pretty that Wally wanted to do everything he could to hear it again considering a moment later it died as quickly as it started. Wally noted that he was looking past him and turned to see that Batman and Superman had arrived.
And Nightwing didn’t look too happy.
“Superman, it’s nice to see you again,” Nightwing said as the newcomers walked up to Wally’s side. “Did I hurt your feelings by running away last time? Is that why you brought a Flash to keep up in case I ran again?”
Wally didn’t miss the phrasing. A Flash, not the Flash unlike what so many people used, so Wally was pleased to know he at least knew Wally and Barry were different heroes.
“He actually volunteered,” Superman replied with a polite smile.
“Oh, really?” Nightwing focused again on Wally and gave him what Wally wanted to classify as a cheeky smile. “It’s a pleasure, Flash.” Then before Wally could reply, Nightwing gave Batman a terse nod. “Batman.”
“Nightwing,” Batman said in an equally curt tone.
“Didn’t think I’d see you in Blüdhaven anytime soon.”
“Didn’t believe you would show yourself if I didn’t come along.”
Nightwing seemed to roll his eyes based on the way his head moved, but it was hard to tell with the white lenses. “Just as frustrating as always.”
“Was I wrong?” Batman asked.
“What do you want?” Nightwing asked instead of answering. Whatever accent he had, sharpened with the question.
Oh, how Wally really wanted more context, or to hear him talk more, either was fine, but both Nightwing and Batman seemed determined to move on based on how Batman nodded to Superman.
Superman looked visibly uncomfortable as the attention was turned on him amidst the tension, but he did answer, “The Justice League would like to issue a formal invitation for you to join.”
Nightwing started to laugh.
That was not the reaction Wally had been expecting. At all. When Barry and Hal had asked Wally to join a year ago, he was honored, speechless, and starstruck. He knew Captain Marvel had reacted similarly. He knew Cyborg had been apprehensive but still honored.
Outright laughing in Superman’s face? Never heard of it. Sounded illegal. It didn’t matter how hot the laugh was. And it was very hot. Focus, Wally.
“You’re kidding,” Nightwing said, still laughing, but then his laugh slowly began to die out as none of the three reacted. “You’re not kidding.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Seriously? Who even—” He cut himself off, pointing at Batman. “I know sure as hell you didn’t put my name forward considering how often you’ve told me never to join.”
“What?” Wally asked.
Nightwing waved it off. “Nothing.”
No! Not nothing! Wally needed to know! How well did Batman and Nightwing know each other, and why was Batman against Nightwing joining the League? Wally wanted to pull his hair out.
“I put your name forth,” Superman told him. “I’ve heard a lot about the changes Blüdhaven has gone through since you started operating here and thought you might suit the team. At the very least, I’m sure you might benefit from a little backup now again if needed, and we don’t have many team members suited for stealth missions which you seem adept at.”
“Holy shit, Superman is praising me,” Nightwing breathed out in awe. That was more like what Wally was accustomed to seeing and hearing in the presence of the great Superman.
Superman let out a startled yet gracious chuckle at the honest reaction, and then he added, “And I might be curious as to how you came up with the name Nightwing.”
“Heard you tell the story of Nightwing and Flamebird on a radio show when I was younger,” Nightwing said. “I hope that’s okay? You’ve always been my favorite hero, much to his disappointment.” He jutted his thumb at Batman then shot Wally a smile. “Though Flash is pretty great, too.”
“Oh,” Wally muttered with a bright blush. “Thanks.”
Wally heard Batman sigh in annoyance which Nightwing pointedly ignored, focusing on Superman again.
“I’m honored you thought of me and accept your invitation,” Nightwing said with a smile.
Thank the freaking Speed Force, Wally got to see more of this stunning man. The pining totally wasn’t going to bite him in the ass. Nope.
Seeing more of Nightwing wasn’t as fun as Wally had hoped.
There wasn’t anything wrong with Nightwing specifically—holy crap was a lot actually very right—but the problem stemmed from the other members of the League. Namely, Hal, Oliver, Barry, and Kyle (fuck Kyle) taking every chance they could to tease Wally about his attraction.
It all started with an innocent remark made by Superman, so Wally wanted to blame him for it all but also couldn’t because Big Blue really hadn’t meant anything by it. But wow, did saying, ‘Wally seemed to get along with him quite well,’ not do him any favors.
Again, fuck Kyle. Wally didn’t have to put his name forth, and now, he was regretting it as they watched Nightwing stretch on the training mat in the Watchtower.
Some of the full roster Leaguers were testing the strengths and weaknesses of the three invitees that day, roughly two weeks since they were given their invitations to join. All three had said yes, so there they were. Kyle and Kendra had already gone, with Hal and Wally testing Kyle and Hawkman and Wonder Woman testing Kendra. It was now Nightwing’s turn, and considering his (surprise) status as fully human and only backed by skill and tech, he was being tested by Batman and Black Canary. But based on Nightwing’s interactions with Batman previously, Wally bet Batman already knew full well how capable Nightwing was.
He was still dying to know more, but it was hard to focus on that with Nightwing stretching about forty feet in front of him and Kyle teasing him about it.
“Bet you’d prefer he was stretching you out,” Kyle said quietly, not looking up from the sketchbook he had created from his Lantern ring. Fuck you, Kyle.
“I hate you so much,” Wally replied, gritting his teeth.
Meanwhile, Hal on Wally’s other side let out an obnoxious snort and said, “Tell us how you really feel, Walls. I’ll be honest though, if I was a bit younger, I’d go for it.”
Wally tried his best to tune them out and focus on not making his Nightwing-watching creepy, but it was really hard not to watch Nightwing stretch in his tight uniform. Part of him didn’t believe that Nightwing was fully human considering the sheer lack of bones he seemed to have. Also, how could someone so gorgeous be fully human? He had to be part Kryptonian or something to be at least as gorgeous as Superman.
But yeah, Kyle was right. Wally would definitely prefer Nightwing to stretch him out rather than himself. Preferably in private. Also, preferably without clothes.
Watching him was really not good for Wally’s psyche or attention span. His amazing tan alone was enough to make Wally question his sanity. And his jawline. And his broad shoulders. And his ass. Oh, great Hawking, his ass. Wally was dying.
Once limbered and ready, Nightwing leisurely stepped out onto the training mat with a lazy, perhaps cocky grin.
“Last time I saw a hero with an expression like that, they got their ass kicked,” Hal said.
“You mean you?” Wally pointed out.
Hal gave him a look and then said, “Kyle.”
“I’m sure Wally would rather see that expression in the bedroom,” Kyle said, still drawing away.
Wally’s cheeks turned bright red again as he whipped around to Kyle and said, “I didn’t have to nominate you, asshole.”
Kyle started laughing. “Hm, side with Donna’s friend or my mentor? That’s a real tossup.” He looked up from the sketchbook to point out, “If Donna were here, she’d be making the same jokes. Just be glad Nightwing isn’t hearing any of it which is exactly what Roy would be doing.”
That gave Wally at least a little bit of hope. “So, you won’t be making the jokes with him close enough to hear?”
Hal sighed with a certain fondness in his expression. “We like teasing you, Wally, not mortifying you and ruining your chances.”
Okay, if that was the case, then Wally supposed he could allow the playful ribbing. Wally didn’t want to die on the inside (or maybe the outside, Wally wasn’t sure just how Nightwing would react), so them keeping the teasing to their little group was fine. Theoretically.
The three then focused on the impending match in front of them as Batman stepped onto the mat, facing Nightwing.
“It’s been a long time since we last sparred, B,” Nightwing said. “I’ve missed it.”
“What?” Hal blurted as the others’ eyes widened at the new bit of information.
Batman didn’t reply and held out his hand to Black Canary, stopping her before she joined them on the mat, much to every spectator’s surprise and mild worry. Mostly, the worry was for Nightwing considering no one wanted to be alone against Batman even in training. At least if Black Canary was on the mat too, Nightwing would be able to try and pit the two against each other or keep distance between him and Bat.
But it made Nightwing’s grin grow. “Aw, just the two of us, how sweet.”
Kyle leaned closer to Wally and Hal and asked, “Is Nightwing flirting with Batman?”
“Oh, thank God I’m not the only one that thought that,” Hal said with a groan. “I’ve never heard someone call Spooky sweet.” He stressed the last word like it was the most disgusting thing he’d ever heard. “And I’m curious what he considers a spar. Has Spooky kicked his ass before?”
“When we went to Blüdhaven, they did imply that they knew each other and that Batman avoided going there,” Wally told them.
“Okay, kiddo, I’m going to need a full rundown of exactly what happened on that field trip once this is over,” Hal said. “For research purposes.”
Nightwing reached behind him, grabbed his escrima sticks, and got into a starting position. “Let’s dance.”
Batman silently moved into his own form, ready to begin.
Diana didn’t look particularly hopeful or pleased with the turn of events as Batman and Nightwing stared each other down, but she did blow the starting whistle, albeit visibly reluctant to do so after a shared glance with Dinah.
Nightwing moved first, attacking with a speed Wally hadn’t been prepared for. For the first few sets of blows, the League spectators could barely keep up, aside from the speedster who had been startled. They had all seen Batman in action before, both in training kicking their asses and out in the field as a formidable ally, and there were very few people they had seen able to keep up with him in terms of pure martial ability.
So, when Nightwing wasn’t out for the count in the first thirty seconds, they were shocked. They were even more shocked when, a full minute in, Nightwing used Batman’s shoulder as a tool to leap from, twisting through the air and landing near silently on his feet several meters away from Batman. Neither looked remotely tired, and Nightwing still wore the same charming grin as though he was amused and having fun.
“I don’t know whether to be scared or turned on,” Wally said.
“Considering that’s Barry’s consistent state of being around Iris, I’d say that feeling is normal,” Hal replied. “This guy, however, is not.”
Nightwing straightened, not taking his eyes off Batman as he tossed his escrima sticks away. Then he did jazz hands. Wally wasn’t sure which part he wanted to focus on: the tossing aside of his weapons or the taunting of Batman with jazz hands.
“Is he crazy?” Kyle asked.
“Why have I never thought of jazz hands for Spooky?” Hal asked himself. “This kid’s a genius. Wally, marry the little shit.”
Wally side-eyed Hal. He had just called Nightwing not normal for successfully fighting Batman and then immediately switched his gears to calling him a genius for, again, successfully fighting Batman though with a hint of dramatic flair. Pick a stance, Hal, geez.
It was Batman who moved next, initiating the next bout of blows only a fraction slower than Nightwing and with more force behind each hit. The skill displayed by Batman never ceased to impress Wally, and now, he felt woefully inadequate in his hand-to-hand skills based on how Nightwing matched Bats easily. He answered every flying fist with one of his own and expertly evaded when needed with a bountiful number of flips and acrobatics.
Where the hell did this guy come from? And who answered Wally’s prayers for the perfect man? Something had to be wrong with him, right? Expert fighter, hot as hell, charming, a hero. There had to be something that knocked him down and showed he was a flawed human being. But if the only thing he found was Nightwing turning out to be straight, Wally would cry. Knowing his luck, that’s exactly what it was going to be.
The spar continued for what felt like ages with neither Batman nor Nightwing gaining the upper hand on the other until Nightwing used Batman’s cape against him, using the sturdy fabric to wrap around one of Batman’s arms and allow Nightwing the split second needed to gain the upper hand and pin Batman on the mat.
Nightwing pinned Batman. Nightwing won.
The entire room was speechless. Wally had to look around at the faces of the others to make sure he hadn’t just hallucinated everything. But no, it was real. The shock written on everyone’s expression made it clear as day.
Nightwing bent backward into a handstand then righted himself back on his feet before holding his hand out for Batman to take.
In the year Wally had been on the team, he had never once seen Batman take an outstretched hand to help him up after a spar aside from one time by Superman, so he didn’t expect Batman to do anything other than disregard it or bat it away.
But then Batman accepted Nightwing’s hand and allowed the younger hero to help him off the mat.
And yet that still wasn’t an end to the shock value occurring in front of everyone. Batman proceeded to clap Nightwing’s shoulder with what looked like a small smirk on his face.
“Next time, it’ll be no holds barred,” Batman said not looking away from Nightwing.
“It’s a date, B,” Nightwing replied with a grin. “And next time, don’t go easy on me.”
“I could say the same to you.” Batman jerked his head toward the door. “Go on. You’ve got a shift in an hour.”
Nightwing huffed a laugh and didn’t seem remotely surprised that Batman knew his work schedule. It didn’t take long after that for him to collect his escrima sticks, wave goodbye, and leave the training room, all with the remaining heroes watching in morbid fascination.
Soon after, Diana bid the few spectating heroes a good day and walked out with Batman. Dinah, Kendra, and Katar followed suit until only Hal, Wally, and Kyle remained.
“Alright, now’s as good a time as any to ask how that trip went down,” Hal said, turning to face Wally and Kyle, the latter of whom looked extremely interested to hear about it as well.
Wally really didn’t want to talk about it after everything he just saw, but he knew he wasn’t going to get Hal off his back about it without telling him, so he began to speak, telling the two Lanterns how Batman told them Nightwing wouldn’t show without him there, how Nightwing had shown but hadn’t necessarily been pleased to see Batman, claiming he didn’t expect to see him in Blüdhaven despite then shortly after implying they knew each other based on Batman having, apparently numerous times, told Nightwing to never join the Justice League, plus the thing about Superman being Nightwing’s favorite hero much to Batman’s annoyance.
Kyle was tapping his manifested green pencil on the constructed sketchbook as he said, “Wally, I hate to break it to you, but I think Nightwing has a thing for Batman.”
Wally’s eyebrows shot up as he stared incredulously at Kyle, but before he could ask what the fuck, Hal agreed, “I’m with Kyle on this one, though I’m going to take it a step further and say they’re already together.”
“Oh, I’ve gotta hear this,” Kyle said, dismissing the constructs and leaning forward on his knee.
Hal then began listing, “Nightwing called Spooky ‘sweet’ and ‘B’ without getting scolded. Spooky let Nightwing help him off the floor without issue. Spooky let Nightwing taunt him without calling him childish like he does me and Ollie. Nightwing stated they’d sparred before, to which Spooky said there would be a next time which Nightwing then called a date without Spooky correcting him. Take those things paired with what Wally said about Spooky being annoyed that Superman’s Nightwing’s favorite, that Spooky doesn’t like Blüdhaven, and that Spooky told Nightwing not to join the League and voted against him joining. What does that sound like?”
Wally and Kyle didn’t need to think about it for long. Wally slouched in his spot as Kyle wore a mildly intrigued expression. They knew exactly what it sounded like, but Wally didn’t want to say it out loud. . .
“It sounds like they were having a lover's spat when Supes and Wals went to Jersey,” Kyle answered. “And that Bats doesn’t want his boyfriend around the team.” Kyle looked sheepishly at Wally. “It would sort of also explain why it seemed like he was flirting with you that night and then barely looked at you today. Intentionally annoying Batman while in Blüdhaven and then being close to him today? Whatever they were arguing about, it seems like they made up.”
“Potential specifics aside, it sounds like the notoriously paranoid, mysterious, control freak has a young boyfriend.” Hal patted Wally on his upper back. “Sorry, bud. I think tall, handsome, and limber is taken. We’ll help you get laid somewhere else.”
That wasn’t what Wally had wanted. Not that he wouldn’t have totally been up for some fun, sexy times with Nightwing, but there was something about him that drew Wally to him in more ways than one way. He gave off a certain confident yet comforting vibe that was just as attractive as his physical attributes.
Nightwing gave off a golden light, and Wally was the pathetic little moth drawn to it. He had a feeling that the issue on his side wouldn’t go away anytime soon.
When Wally knew for absolute certain that his crush on Nightwing wasn’t going away any time soon, it was before a Justice League meeting in the Watchtower. Nightwing, Kyle, and Kendra had been official members for three whole months by then, and the few times Wally saw Nightwing before that, the man never failed to make a cheeky comment with a charming grin. And it was killing Wally because of how much it sounded like he was flirting.
Nightwing seemed to be personable with everyone. He talked openly and flamboyantly, and he wasn’t afraid to draw just a tad closer than most people would. He made fast friends with everyone and readily used nicknames for most. He was overtly charming, gracious, and kind and wasn’t afraid to hand out hugs.
But with Wally, it seemed like a tad bit more, and he wasn’t sure if it was all in his head or not.
Nightwing’s smile seemed more roguish for Wally, his casual touches seemed to linger longer, and many of his comments bordered on innuendos or teasing. And Nightwing was the only one aside from Barry who seemed to listen whole-heartedly to his rants, tangents, and babbling. But perhaps it was Wally’s overactive imagination. There was no way someone as gorgeous as Nightwing was into Wally. Scraggly, scatter-brained, overly talkative, chronically late Wally.
Not that Wally’s constant lateness seemed to rear its head ever since Nightwing joined considering Wally showed up nearly half an hour early for every meeting since the initiation for the newcomers with the express purpose of him wanting to see more of Nightwing. It was exactly why Wally sat in his seat in the Watchtower meeting room with twenty minutes to go before the meeting with Nightwing sitting on the table almost directly in front of Wally.
He totally wasn’t salivating over Nightwing’s thick thighs only a few inches in front of his eyes. Absolutely was not. At all. Not at all.
Shit, was he blushing? He hoped not. That’d be embarrassing. Plus, he totally missed what was being said since Nightwing crossed his legs with his foot touching Wally’s thigh. He was trying really hard not to lean into the touch.
Nightwing was just a touchy, amiable person. That’s all. It didn’t matter that Nightwing was giving his full attention to Wally. Nope.
Wally was shortly thereafter saved from his panicked, overthinking suffering when Batman walked into the room, immediately calling for Nightwing who barely hesitated to shoot Wally a smile and skip up to Batman’s side.
Okay, so maybe that didn’t so much as save Wally as much as it actually just made him overthink something else. Namely, Nightwing’s relationship with Batman. Hal and Kyle were dead set on the two being together and had roped Oliver and Barry into their theory. Ever since it was proposed, the four brought up new selections of examples where Nightwing was far more open with Batman than he was with others on the League plus a few things Batman had said off-handedly about Nightwing, like him being capable and an asset. Batman was far nicer talking about Nightwing than literally everyone else on the team.
Wally did his best to relax in his chair and pretend to idly scroll through his phone rather than watch as Nightwing sat in a nearly identical position in front of Batman which was extremely odd to see Batman allow. He also tried not to listen in as their two voices filled his ears, but the select few other Leaguers also early weren’t talking loudly enough to cover it.
“Are you coming to Gotham this weekend?” Batman asked, sorting through the stack of files he had brought with him.
“Would you like me to come to Gotham this weekend?” Nightwing asked in return, leaning his elbow on his knee.
Batman’s hands stilled amidst the files. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
A cheeky smile spread across Nightwing’s face. “Come on, use your big boy words.”
A visible sigh left Batman. “Please come to Gotham this weekend,” he said. Wally tried not to choke at the sound of Batman saying ‘please.’
“Was that so hard?” Nightwing asked. “I’d love to, B.”
It took a few seconds for Batman to then say, “It’s been a while since we’ve patrolled together.”
“Nightwing doesn’t have a partner.” Nightwing then used a teasing tone. “Maybe I should get a Flamebird?”
“That’d be unnecessary if you stayed in Gotham.”
“I like Blüdhaven.”
“I don’t like you in Blüdhaven.”
Nightwing leaned back on his hands. “Good thing I’m a grown man, and you’re not my keeper.”
Batman sighed again and shook his head. “I didn’t call you over to fight.”
With a half-hearted shrug, Nightwing hopped up from the table, saying, “Yeah, well, that’s all we seem to do.”
Before Batman could respond, Nightwing walked away from him, rejoining Wally. Instead of resuming the spot he had been in, Nightwing chose to sit in the chair next to Wally, with Wally closer to Batman almost like a barrier between them. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that after hearing the two almost argue.
Then Wally mentally scolded himself for the tiny sliver of pleasure bubbling at the thought of Nightwing and Batman being on the outs. Kyle had made the assumption that Nightwing had flirted with Wally the night they met because he had been arguing with Batman, and Wally didn’t want that to be true or to happen again.
But he still felt the need to say something.
Wally peeked his gaze up from his phone screen to look at Nightwing, not liking the glum look on his face while staring at the table. “You alright?” Wally quietly asked.
Nightwing looked up and smiled at Wally, his head tilting to the side. “Always with you around.”
And if Wally blushed as bright as his red suit, that was neither here nor there.
Both to Wally’s pleasure and displeasure, Nightwing and Batman’s disagreement seemed to rectify itself behind closed doors by the time he saw the two of them together again a month later.
Wally was leaving the monitor room with Victor after their monitor shift had ended and Batman had relieved them when, on their way to the Zeta access, they passed Nightwing carrying two coffees and a small paper bag. He grinned at them and gave a friendly greeting before continuing on to the monitor room.
The two stopped in the middle of the hall and shared a look then looked in the direction Nightwing had gone, in time to see his well-sculpted ass turn a corner.
“Was he carrying food and drinks?” Vic asked pensively, staring down the length of the hall.
“Yeah,” Wally answered carefully, not liking where he was going with his line of thought.
“And he’s on monitor duty with Batman?”
“Yeah,” Wally repeated, slower that time. “Shit.”
The two rushed down the hallway, heading back toward the monitor room. Wally opted out of using his speed in order to stay with Cyborg, especially since he did not want to confront Nightwing and Batman together alone.
When they made it back to the monitor room, they were greeted with the sight of Nightwing holding a coffee out for Batman to take, their backs to Wally and Vic. They were too late. Nightwing was doomed.
Batman had never once allowed food in the monitor room. At least not while he was there, others like Wally and Barry snuck food in all the time, but that wasn’t the point. Batman was a stickler for keeping the monitor room clean of crumbs and spills due to the sensitive nature of the equipment and shifts in the room. Understandable, but speedsters need to eat and others just liked sticking it to Batman.
And even disregarding that rule, Batman never accepted food or drinks from another Leaguer. Ever. He would look at them like they were crazy and turn away. But it wasn’t that he never ate or drank in front of them, oh, no, it was that he didn’t accept anything that he himself didn’t make or open. He was paranoid as fuck. The team chalked it up to him having been poisoned or drugged in the past, even if they did wish he would trust them. Still, they respected his wishes and stopped offering him things.
Apparently, no one gave Nightwing the memo.
Wally was about to call for Nightwing to save him from the embarrassing inevitability of Batman scolding him, but Batman wrapped his hand around the to-go cup without a word.
And then he took a sip.
Wally and Vic’s jaws dropped. They looked at each other and then back at the scene to make sure they had seen that correctly and that the other had seen it. And as Nightwing sat down in the second chair in front of the screens, Batman took another sip and then set the coffee cup down next to the keyboard. No suspicion, no questions, nothing, plus he sat it down and got back to work as though it was normal!
“I still don’t get how you like it like that,” Nightwing said, propping his feet up on the surface after setting his own drink next to Batman’s. Batman wouldn’t allow that too, would he?
“Sorry for not preferring pure sugar,” Batman said, looking up at the screens and paying Nightwing’s feet positions and drink no mind. Oh, come on!
Nightwing snorted, rolling his head lazily in Batman’s direction. “I’m not saying get what I get. There are differences between the million pumps of syrup that I get, a normal amount of syrup, sugar, or cream that most people get, and the pure black, dark as your soul, hundred shots of espresso that you get.”
Okay, surely the jab would do something? Batman never took insults, even playful ones, in stride. And why did Nightwing know Batman’s coffee order anyway?
“Dark as my soul?” Batman repeated, looking at Nightwing who had started opening the paper bag he had also brought. “As compared to being the human embodiment of a Golden Retriever?”
Nightwing gasped with a grin, looking up from the bag. “You think I’m a Golden? That’s so sweet. The online quiz I took said I’m a Husky.”
“You are rather vocal.” That had so many potential connotations.
“I bet you think you’re a Doberman,” Nightwing said. “Physically impressive, dark, scary looking.” He used a deep voice, obviously mocking Batman who simply looked at him, unimpressed. “But you know what you are? You’re one of those designer breeds that are snobby and picky.”
Batman sighed and turned back to the screens. “Just because of the silk sheets.”
Nightwing outright laughed at that. “No, B, you literally have a butler. You’re no scary working dog. You’re getting your food on a silver platter as you wear cashmere sweaters.” Wait, what? Batman wore what?
“I distinctly recall you having plenty of cashmere sweaters yourself.”
“Because of your money.” Nightwing paused as a cheeky grin spread. “Does that make me a sugar baby?”
Batman hid his face in his hand as he leaned on the arm of the chair while Nightwing laughed at Batman’s misery and embarrassment.
Nightwing then pulled out a Danish pastry from the paper bag and held it out. “You still love me?”
“You’re ridiculous,” Batman replied in exasperation. But he took the pastry anyway. “I do, unfortunately.”
Wally and Vic shared one more look before they started slowly backing away and around the corner, carefully not to move too quickly or loudly to draw the attention of Batman and Nightwing.
The slow extraction only proved to hurt Wally more since he had to process what he heard and saw in real time. He really wished he hadn’t seen or heard any of it. His stupid crush on Nightwing was going to be the death of him.
Part of himself hated how he felt. Wally should feel happy for them, right? His teammates being in a loving, trusting relationship? But no, Wally was falling head over heels for Nightwing’s stupid smile and stupid body and stupid jokes and stupid charm and stupid accent. He shouldn’t be crushing on a taken man. Batman would definitely break his no-killing rule if he ever found out about Wally’s feelings for his man.
As they got to the Zeta access, Wally pointedly ignored Vic’s sympathetic look before teleporting to Central City. Aunt Iris would let him curl up on her couch and wallow for a few hours.
Wally was slumped on the couch in the common area of the Watchtower, idly watching brain-numbing television after a mission as he ate a bag of chips. His legs were kicked up on an ottoman in front of him as he relaxed into a brain-dead stupor to avoid working on his thesis paper. A few other Leaguers were milling around as well, chatting away about the latest developments of what Hal had decided to dub BatWing—otherwise known as the last thing Wally wanted to talk about ever.
He was trying to forget about what he and Victor saw that fateful day three weeks ago with Nightwing and Batman in the monitor room. Hal had the most to say about it considering he had argued the most with Batman’s scoldings regarding food and drinks in the monitor room. But Wally understood the rule for at least Hal considering he was the one that had spilled the most out of everyone on the League. Captain Marvel and Oliver were close runner-ups, but neither argued with Batman about it.
“Ollie,” Wally heard Dinah say in exasperation.
“What? I’m just saying that Nightwing could do better,” Oliver said as he braided Dinah’s hair. “Batsy’s been at the vigilante crap for like twenty years. He’s ancient. ‘Wing, on the other hand, is clearly on the young side and can do better than a grouchy old man.”
“Says the grouchy old man?” Barry joked from next to Wally as he grabbed a handful from the chip bag before Wally could hold it out of reach.
“Hey, forty-three is not old,” Oliver argued, tying off the braid.
“The sound of your joints cracking says otherwise,” Dinah teased.
Oliver gave her a look. “I think someone wants to sleep on the couch tonight.”
Dinah simply rolled her eyes and leaned back on the couch. “Anyway, we shouldn’t be gossiping about this,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what their potential relationship is as long as it doesn’t affect missions.”
“It’s not affecting missions, but it’s certainly affecting Wally’s mood,” Hal said, nudging Wally’s thigh with his foot to grab his attention. Wally looked away from the screen. “You alright, kiddo?”
“’m fine,” Wally mumbled as he ate a few chips.
“That wasn’t encouraging at all,” Hal said.
Wally didn’t know what else to do other than shrug. What could he say? Every interaction between Nightwing and Batman implied that they were in a relationship. There was nothing Wally could do about that unless he wanted to be a terrible person and deliberately try to break them up. But Wally wasn’t a terrible person, so he wallowed in self-pity as he tried to get over his (still growing) feelings for Nightwing. He’d get over it eventually, even if he preferred it to be sooner rather than the later it was becoming.
“He’s just a hot guy,” Wally eventually decided. “I’ll get over it.”
“A hot guy that seems to have become your best friend based on how often he seeks you out and makes jokes with you and talks to you about your real-life problems,” Barry listed.
“What do you want me to do?” Wally asked, setting the bag of chips down between him and Barry. “Tell him how I feel and risk not only rejection but also Batman’s wrath? It’s not going to happen, and that’s okay. He seems to be in a happy relationship with Batman, and I’m not gonna try to ruin that.”
“Do we even know he is though?” Dinah asked. “We’ve never received confirmation and we’ve never seen them do anything explicitly romantic. Most of what we have is speculation or circumstantial.”
Hal groaned and said, “Dinah, you’re killing me with the big words right now. It’s supposed to be ‘fun gossip’ time, not ‘logical arguments and killing Hal’s vibe’ time.”
“And I’d say Batman admitting he loves Nightwing is pretty damning,” Barry added. “And how Nightwing called himself Batman’s sugar baby. It’s not really something just friends go around saying, especially not someone as emotionally closed off and paranoid as Batman.”
“I still think we shouldn’t be talking about it at all,” Dinah said, “but if you are, I’m just putting it out there that it is possible we don’t have all the information without their direct confirmation regarding their relationship.”
“You’re welcome to try and get it,” Kyle said from the floor in front of Wally. “I’ll be here wondering how to get Wally laid.”
Wally hit him with the nearest pillow.
The feelings Wally had for Nightwing didn’t come to head until Clark decided to host a game night with the Justice League in order to foster bonding and comradery. Most were for it, even if a few couldn’t attend due to personal life obligations or hero obligations, but most of the League were able to make it. Even Batman who had to basically be dragged there by Clark which Wally only knew because he heard Clark guilt-tripping Batman after the meeting a week prior. It was hard to resist Superman's puppy-dog eyes.
How Wally ended up in one of the Watchtower halls with Nightwing’s arm propped against the wall next to his head, he couldn’t remember. But Nightwing looked very sexy doing it, leaning close to Wally as he talked. The only thing on Wally’s mind was the way Nightwing’s lips formed words and the way Nightwing’s voice sounded absolutely knee-quivering.
“So, what do you say?” Nightwing asked.
“Oh, uh. . .” Shit, was he staring at Nightwing’s mouth? He totally missed most of what Nightwing had been saying.
Nightwing didn’t seem too fazed, continuing as though Wally wasn’t having an internal panic. “Or if you’re not into that, we could just grab a bite.” Nightwing gave him a toothy grin that made Wally want to be the one being eaten.
Wait, food? Food! Wally could latch onto that much. “Like what?” he asked to play it safe.
“Anything you’re feeling. I’m sure we can find something to sate that appetite.” The slightest sliver of a tongue peeked out from Nightwing’s lips. “Even if it’s not food.”
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. . . Wally had definitely missed something because there was no way Nightwing was coming on to him, right? No, Nightwing licking his lips, asking to get something to eat, leaning on the wall next to Wally’s head, fingers idly playing with Wally’s curls, and standing very close had to be something else. Right?
Holy shit, Nightwing was flirting with him. Like definitely, explicitly flirting with him, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
“Aren’t you dating Batman?” Wally couldn’t stop himself from asking.
Nightwing leaned back in alarm. “What?”
Wally didn’t quite understand Nightwing’s reaction. “What?”
Straightening up, Nightwing crossed his arms over his chest and stared Wally down through the eerie white lenses of his mask. “What did you just say?” he asked, tone stressed.
Okay, this was not going how Wally would have liked it to. “Uh, what do you think I said?” Wally asked, trying to deflect awkwardly.
Nightwing was visibly unimpressed. “You seriously think I’m dating Batman?” He turned away, making a disgusted face. “Oh, I’m gonna be sick.”
“I’m so confused,” Wally said, mostly to himself. So, Nightwing and Batman weren’t dating?
Nightwing turned back to him so abruptly that he jumped in place. “Does everyone think I’m dating Batman?” Nightwing asked.
“Maybe?” Wally couldn’t bring himself to say it outright. “Is that not what’s going on?”
Nightwing’s jaw dropped open, appalled. “Obviously!”
Wally shook his head erratically. “Not obviously!”
“I was just flirting with you,” Nightwing said, gesturing to Wally’s general being. “I’ve been flirting with you since the rooftop.”
“Really?” Wally asked, his voice small and hopeful.
Nightwing jaw ticked in mild annoyance, which shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was. “Yeah, thanks for noticing.” He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve been flirting with an idiot.”
“Hey!” Wally exclaimed in full offense.
“Why the hell do you think I’m dating Batman?” Nightwing asked, not addressing the insult.
That got Wally to clam up, winding his arms around his torso. “I, uh, it’s a long story.”
The whole interaction was already going terribly, and he did not want to make it worse. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He also wanted to rewind five minutes and go back to Nightwing flirting with him because apparently Wally hadn’t needed to be overthinking it and could have openly flirted back without issue.
But Nightwing wasn’t going to allow that. “And you’re not gonna tell it?”
“I’m not the one who put the idea out there, so no, I really don’t want to embarrass myself further.”
Nightwing gritted his teeth and said, “Fine.”
He started to turn around, in the direction of the common area where the game night for the League was already in full steam ahead. And Wally knew that the crowd inside included Batman, Hal, and Kyle. Wally could not see that going well at all with whatever Nightwing was planning on doing.
After his moment of panic, Wally zipped forward and cut in front of Nightwing, holding his hands out to stop him from going further.
“What are you doing?” Wally asked.
“Getting answers.” Nightwing moved around Wally.
“Oh, no, no, please don’t,” Wally pleading, reaching out to grab Nightwing’s arm.
Blessedly, Nightwing stopped walking and turned his head toward Wally. “Why not?” he asked.
“Batman will kill me.” And so would Hal and Kyle.
“B doesn’t kill. He’ll just break all your bones.”
Wally’s expression dropped further. “That’s not the argument you think it is.”
Nightwing huffed. “Tell me who came up with the idea of me and him dating, and I’ll sic B on them instead.”
“That’s betrayal,” Wally pointed out.
Nightwing turned his body to fully face Wally. They may have been the same height, but something about Nightwing’s posture and aura had him looming over Wally. An ever-present reminder of just how dangerous and sexy this man in front of him was.
“You want to know what’s worse?” Nightwing rhetorically asked, leaning closer to Wally. “Someone coming up with the idea that I’m fucking my dad.”
Wally’s blood ran cold.
No. No.
“Oh, my god, your what?” Wally asked, shaking his head. “No. You’re—no! You can’t.”
Nightwing looked at him in plain annoyance and frustration. It was an expression that he had seen Batman wear numerous times when dealing with Hal and Ollie.
It all made sense.
The dangerous aura, the looming stature, the quick efficiency, the imperceptible stealth. The tactics, the leadership, the hacking, the tech. The way he stood, the way he fought, the way he moved. There were differences, indeed, but nearly everything Nightwing did or had done had a hint of the big bad Bat of Gotham. And he made his own mark in Gotham’s sister city as the Protector of Blüdhaven.
Nightwing was Batman’s son.
“Oh, my shit, the guy I’ve been pining after is Batman’s son.” Wally ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, my god.”
“Pining?” Nightwing repeated curiously.
Wally looked back up at him. “Of all the things that should be obvious, it is that.”
“I’ve been flirting since we met,” Nightwing said, “and you’ve spent most of that time just staring at me or mindlessly rambling. At least I’ve spoken to you enough to indicate interest.”
Wally started sputtering helplessly before regaining his bearings and saying, “Okay, fair, but in my defense, I thought the hottest person I’ve ever seen was dating my technical boss. It was all I could do to not pass out every time you flashed me your dumb smile.”
Pausing, it took Nightwing a moment to reply. “I can’t tell if you’re telling me off or complimenting me.”
“Both? Maybe?” Wally gestured to Nightwing. “I mean, you are hot.”
Nightwing gave him a broad grin. “Thanks, so are you.”
Starting to smile bashfully, Wally then shook his head. “That’s not the point. You’re Batman’s son. Batman has a kid.”
“Kids, actually,” Nightwing corrected with a shrug. “Plural.”
“What?”
“Can we get back to you thinking I’m hot?” Nightwing asked.
“This is groundbreaking information,” Wally tried.
“Absolutely,” Nightwing agreed whole-heartedly, and Wally just knew he was thinking about the hotness thing, not the Batman having kids thing.
“Not what I was referring to.” And he knew Nightwing knew that and was being purposely obtuse.
Nightwing waved him off. “Look, man, B’s not exactly going to start waxing poetic to the League about his family and feelings now that one person has learned he’s a father considering all of Gotham has already figured that out based on the hoard of vigilantes he has trailing behind him.”
Wally wanted to ask for clarification, but Nightwing continued before he could get a word in.
“I’d say continuing along our mutual attraction train is far more important even if I’m still surprised and disgusted by you thinking I’m dating my dad.” Nightwing then held his hands up in mock surrender. “But, considering you were missing that one bit of crucial information about our relationship, I can let it slide for now if we skip a few steps and jump to me shoving my tongue down your throat.”
“Literally?” he asked.
“No, not literally,” Nightwing said. “Do you want to make out or not?”
It took a moment for Wally’s brain to catch up with what Nightwing was saying. And when it did, Wally used his superspeed to run him and Nightwing into the nearest closet, shutting the door behind them and locking it.
In the Watchtower common area, Bruce glanced down at the cards in his hand, waiting patiently for Clark to decide whether he was going to call or raise Dinah’s bet. He shouldn’t have been surprised that it would be the Big Blue Boy Scout who was indecisive while playing poker and thus had a terrible poker face. At least he wasn’t cheating with his X-ray vision.
Bruce then noticed the way Barry was looking around the room, indirectly flashing Diana a look at his own hand. Whatever he had been looking for, he evidently didn’t find it and straightened back in his chair.
“Anyone know where Wally is?” Barry asked after settling.
“He’s probably with Nightwing,” Bruce answered.
“What makes you say that?” Diana asked, still looking at her cards.
He didn’t exactly want to say it, considering it was the last thing he wanted to think about, but he did anyway. “If Nightwing hasn’t pulled Wally into a closet by now, I’ll eat my cape.”
“A closet?” Barry repeated.
Bruce sighed, reaching over to make Clark call Dinah’s bet, ignoring the indignant squawk. Clark had perfectly fine cards. There was no reason for the hesitation and indecision.
“Yes, Barry, a closet, like teenagers groping in dark corners,” Bruce said, then moving some of his own chips into the center betting pool. The table drew dead silent as they glanced at each other and him, and he didn’t quite understand why. “You can’t all have been oblivious to Wally’s feelings or Nightwing’s flirting.”
Oliver tapped his cards which Bruce knew was a terrible hand. “And you’re okay with that?” Oliver carefully asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Bruce asked in return. “Nightwing’s had a preference for redheads for years. I’d be more surprised if he didn’t try anything with Wally.” He wanted to outright add that Dick had dated Oliver’s son Roy, but that would mean he had to admit their identities.
“But it’s Nightwing,” Hal said with a hint of stress on the name.
Bruce stared in Hal’s direction, growing more confused by the second. He didn’t like feeling confused. “I can’t say I understand what the problem is.”
A few beats passed before Hal waved his hand with a nonchalant filler noise. “Never mind,” Hal said. “It’s not important.”
Bruce studied Hal as the Lantern tried hard to remain ever nonchalant and return to the game without any more fuss. The others also skillfully avoided his questioning gaze as he looked around hoping for answers from one of them without him needing to prod. But much to his disappointment and annoyance, none of them even looked up at him.
Whatever was going on, it had to do with Dick and Wally, but there was no way he was going to search them out since Dick had turned off his comm gear.
Until then, Bruce was content to stare his teammates down and watch them squirm.
It wasn’t until a half hour later that Dick walked in with a big goofy grin and Wally holding his hand with an equally goofy grin. Bruce didn’t need to ask to know that he didn’t want details, even if Barry, Hal, Kyle, and Oliver’s expressions clearly stated they wanted to ask everything.
Dick, however, didn’t give anyone the chance to speak as he looked at Bruce and said, “We’re heading out but just wanted to let you know they all thought you and I were dating.”
The playing cards crumpled in Bruce's hand. “What?” he exclaimed.
Dick provided no other explanation than a peace sign and a, “Love you, Dad,” before pulling Wally out of the room with him, letting the team delve into chaos.
“Dad?!”
"You thought I was dating my son?!"
"You're a father?!"