Chapter Text
Just to be clear, this was the last thing that Wally ever wanted to encounter while he was alive. Like, no joke, he would literally rather face an actual DEMON than go through with this meeting.
When his little bird had explained that they’d probably (most definitely!) need to keep things on the down-low for a while, Wally understood without needing an explanation. Outside of Dickie being the youngest brother of the Wayne pack, a family of some of the most hardened and resilient heroes in the world, he was also the sole omega. That most certainly warranted some extra overprotectiveness even if Dickie had proven time and time again that he could kick ass just fine on his own. Not to mention that most of them still lived in Gotham. Gotham City, people! Not to disrespect Dickie’s current home, but it was a pit with some of the most vile scum found placement in. Vile scum that had no problem hurting children alongside adults. Of course Wally expected that all of Dickie’s brothers would be super protective of him, everything considered!
At the same time, it kinda sucked because that protectiveness didn’t stop at criminals or even just strangers in Dickie’s life. No, no, no, for some reason the Wayne family also found reason to believe that the Justice League and the rest of the Titans occasionally deserved some extra scrutiny if they were too close to Dickie. Like, no joke, Wally could count on one hand how many heroes were trusted alone with Dickie - Wonderwoman (begrudgingly), Flash (slightly less begrudgingly), Jonathan, Conner, and Roy. While everyone else could technically be allowed some level of responsibility when it came to the pup, Wally knew for sure that that didn’t translate to trust on any level. Just look at what happened when Superman tried to take Dickie out flying alone? Wally could hear The Ghoul yelling at the poor man for two hours straight afterward! Baseline, at least one brother would be with Dickie if he ever was in the company of someone who wasn’t on that list. Which, unfortunately, included himself.
Luckily, Dickie was much better at sneaking around than anyone gave him credit for. Sure, having three older brothers and two older sisters should have made such a feat impossible (especially considering how many dates Dickie has gone on with Wally), but this was also the same boy who’s been trained by all of the above. He had to pick up some of their habits along the way, right? What better way to learn and adapt around than to be trained by the very people you were trying to sneak past? For a while, it seemed to work out quite nicely for him. Wally wouldn’t say that he was always the...safest...when out and about with Dickie, seeing as how any of the omega’s siblings could unexpectedly show up or suspect that something was going on. But he was still happy! Dickie always made up for the chance of danger with fun activities to do on their dates, silly stories to share, and lots of sweet kisses. Seriously, Wally would give up desserts in general if it meant that he got to enjoy them as much as they both wanted.
Though, speaking of kisses (which eventually led to make-out sessions) that was where the ‘unluckily’ part came up. Dickie had been sent to Titans Tower the previous night. The formal report claimed that it was out of a desire for Dickie to spend more time with heroes his age and, hopefully, give him a chance to find his place amongst a team. Informally, they all knew that there was also a case of dangerous heat drugs being transported in and out of Gotham that connected to a line from Bludhaven. Or, according to Dickie, that’s what it was. Wally wasn’t sure which one he wanted to believe more since he found both instances could hold some truth but by how much Dickie ended up pouting the first night, Wally was inclined to believe that his perception was probably more accurate. Anyway, with him in the Tower, it gave the two of them more time to spend together even if they still had to avoid acting suspiciously in front of their teammates.
All of that in mind, how were any of them supposed to know that the Wayne pack would only take a day to deal with a threat that connected two cities and several criminal organizations? Like, sure, they were known as some of the best detectives in the world and they had years' worth of experience in dealing with sick freaks like those criminals. But still! Wally sure as heck wasn’t prepared for a very put-together Blackbird to enter Dickie’s room as the two of them had their lips locked together only a day after the omega was dropped off at the tower for the weekend!
Wally was sooooo gonna die!
“How long has this been going on?!” Trust Damian Wayne to need to be the first one to say something. If anyone was gonna get some sort of mother henning award (especially when the target of such worry was Dick Grayson), then it would be the oldest of the Wayne children. “No, actually, don’t answer that. I know you’re going to be difficult about it. Better question - why were we not alerted the moment this became serious?!”
Wally felt Dick’s grip on his hand tighten, and he wasn’t sure if that was Dick’s way of communicating his need for the alpha to step in or if this was some sort of warning that Wally should let his boyfriend do the talking. Seeing as how they were on opposite ends of the spectrum, Wally really tried his best to guess which one was correct since it could alter the possibility of him being allowed to stay within a 50-mile radius of Dick. Oh, there was also the concern of being able to walk away from this with all of his limbs intact, but somehow that was slightly less concerning than not seeing his boyfriend. Some could argue that Wally’s priorities were a bit out of whack if that was what he was justifying things with, but he would plead his case in the name of being a faithful boyfriend. He’s sure Dick would appreciate it in the end even if, right now, he was a little less than pleased with the day’s events.
“Dami, look me in the eye and tell me that you wouldn’t kill Wally if I even hinted that we were interested in dating.” Wally wasn’t sure if Dick was actually as controlled as he sounded or if this was a facade that they all needed to tread lightly upon. Logically speaking, one could say that Dick’s brothers had somewhat of a right to be angry by being kept in the dark. Not only were they concerned for Dick’s safety but their partners had been willing to come forward to talk with the family when it came to courting. It probably hurt a bit that the youngest son felt it necessary to hide such an important thing. On the other hand, that very thing is technically what Jason and Roy did, right? Also Tim and Conner, now that Wally thought about it. So, it’s not like it would be that unreasonable to revert back to the idea of wanting to spend some time figuring stuff out.
Not that Wally was gonna voice any of those thoughts out loud, or anything!
A roll of the eyes answered Dick’s concern but before the omega could work himself up over it, Damian held up a placating hand. “I wouldn’t kill West.” Damian sounded oddly sincere as he spoke, which only meant that there was something tricky to his statement. Some loophole that was gonna come in three...two...one-
“Speak for yourself.”
Huh...ok then…
On the bright side, Damian wasn’t one of the brothers who Wally would have to worry about when it came to his impending doom. On the scary side, he wasn’t so sure that having RED HOOD speak in Damian’s place was much better.
“Hey! You got to wait YEARS before telling us about Roy! Why is my case so different?” Dick let go of Wally’s hands so he could cross his arms over his chest, looking indignant without looking truly angry. It was probably for the best. Despite Dick’s patience, one should never underestimate the omega’s temper. And if it fed off of Jason’s growing unease - or vice versa - then the room could literally combust from the combined force of half of the Wayne brothers. “And he told me that he had to convince you to tell us.”
“That’s not totally true.” Jason had the decency to look a bit guilty at being called out, so Wally wouldn’t hold the slight hypocrisy against the guy. Then again, the more he thought about it, Wally supposed that talking to your younger sibling about your romantic partner was guaranteed to be an awkward experience in general. So, maybe Jason also got a pass there too. Wally wouldn’t know, he was an only child and thank God for that. He would not be able to deal with his previous parents giving him and a potential sibling a hard time. Not to mention it would have been more difficult for Uncle Barry and Uncle Hal to get custody of two pups simultaneously.
“Fine, maybe not. But you still waited years, Jay! And you!” Dick turned his body a bit to address Tim, who had been sitting blank-faced ever since he had caught the two of them. At Dick’s direct address, he merely raised a brow, but offered no other obvious reactions. “You may have taken less time, but you also got to try things out with Con before coming out. And it made sense at the time, you know I respect your reasoning and your decision. But why does mine not get that same respect?”
Wally was tempted to wrap Dick up in his arms as the tiniest bit of hurt coated his words, alpha instincts urging him to comfort his desired omega and offer protection when the source of Dick’s discomfort was so close. However, his not-hind-brain figured that such an action would be enough to trigger another overprotective rage that could destroy any progressing success that Dick had in getting to his older brothers. For now, Wally settled for placing both of his hands on Dick’s shoulders, massaging lightly until he felt Dick relax completely under his touch. Make no mistake, Wally was sure that even something as harmless as this got all three Wayne brothers glaring holes into him. He just disregarded that threat in favor of making sure Dick was emotionally comfortable enough to continue. It was a vain thing to wish for, given how...awkward...and strained...this entire meeting started (walking in on or being walked in on was never fun for anyone). But Wally could still try. He’d only disappoint himself if things didn’t go well and that was something he could live with if need be.
“Dickie, it’s not that we...we didn’t…” Jason looked utterly dumbfounded, not an adjective that Wally ever thought he’d use when describing one of the most fearsome vigilantes to ever exist. The previous heat behind his eyes that threatened to boil Wally alive were now slightly unfocused, nervously shifting between Wally and Dick as he tried to find his footing. Wally could swear that there was a green glow wherever Jason looked, but he chalked it up as something that must have resulted from the poor boy’s resurrection. And yes, Wally knew all about that - details were sparse but it was something totally respectable considering that Jason was absent when Dick summarized the events. Dick wasn’t immune to nightmares centered around losing his brothers (a second time for some) just because he saw them as some of the strongest people to walk this Earth. Which, for the record, had to speak something about the trust Dick had with him.
Was that something Wally should point out though? Probably not.
“We wouldn’t have killed Wally if you guys were serious about each other.” Jason stood up, though his steps were uneven and somewhat graceless as he approached the two. The side-eye he offered Wally as he got right up in front of his youngest brother wasn’t exactly friendly, but it wasn’t hostile either. Wally could only assume that it was because his hands were still grabbing at Dick’s shoulders quite tightly. So, to respect Jason’s nonverbal request for space, Wally slowly restricted his hands and offered one for Dick to take once they were by his side. The omega did so with little hesitation, something Jason took note of as he ran a hand through Dick’s hair. “We just don’t want you to get hurt, is all. You’re still pretty young for dating and this family is already emotionally constipated as it is.”
“I’m fifteen, Jay. Not THAT young for dating anymore.” Dick, despite his grouching, hdid lean into his older brother’s touch without much prodding. His eyes closed momentarily, a small pleased hum following moments after. The sound was immensely calming to Wally, but when he looked to see how Damian and Tim were doing, it was surprising to register how settled they too became at the sight. Not to say that Wally expected them to constantly have their Murder Modes on. He knew there was more to them than anger, protectiveness, and violence. He just also knew that he and Dick would walk on thin ice for a while. Something Dick could escape from easier than Wally. “Besides, Wally and I talked about it a lot before testing things out. We’ve been best friends for so long, would it really be that difficult to believe that we could recover if we realized that being boyfriends wasn’t what we wanted?”
Wally wanted to agree with Dick on that (it would probably be the right thing to do since feelings couldn’t and shouldn’t be forced), but a voice in the back of his head whimpered pathetically at the prospect of not being able to love Dick Grayson in that way. It was a very dangerous mix of selfishness and standard ideologies around romantic love, but Wally would genuinely believe that he’d never really be able to get over Dick if they somehow came to the decision that romance between them wasn’t a good idea. Sure, he’d probably learn to love someone else in a way that worked long-term and he’d be happy that Dick found love in someone else, but he’d never really GET OVER the omega. A piece of his heart would always belong to the youngest Wayne brother. Whether that be simply due to Dick’s reputation as Wally’s first love or just someone unforgettable, Wally wasn’t sure.
“It would still hurt.”
“Of course it would! Heartbreak always hurts, no matter what!” Dick brought a hand up to grab at Jason’s arm, holding it steady as he gazed into his brother’s concerned eyes. Wally had to look away from the sight, sure that this was a moment that should be reserved for the two of them. If he were more sensible, he’d leave the room entirely so that the siblings could all have their deserved privacy. However, his more cautious side warned him that leaving without Dick asking him to could be perceived the wrong way and he’d end up hurting the omega. “Just like it would have hurt if Wally and I just kept our feelings to ourselves. I don’t think I could handle Wally thinking I don’t love him or want to give him a chance. I know it would hurt him, just as it would hurt me to see him with someone else because he thought that he didn’t stand a chance.”
Just for the record, Wally wouldn’t keep such an important thing to himself in the first place. Not only because of what Dickie just said - about it hurting him and stuff - but also because just thinking about it felt like a catalyst to losing Dick as a whole. Wally wasn’t someone who believed in movie logic when it came to real-life phenomena for most of the time, but one thing he did take away is that misunderstandings did far more damage than anyone gave credit. Also, they were so much easier to fall prey to. Wally knew for certain that if he kept to himself, that may have well been the best way to create distance between him and Dick, something far less preferable than just sucking it up and confessing. At least with the truth out there, Dick could reject him if he didn’t feel the same way and they’d heal. If Wally kept things to himself, he didn’t know how that would work out in the end. And it wasn’t something he was anxious to test out. A complicated type of logic, sure, but one that Wally was glad that he followed.
Even if Dick rejected him that day, even if it caused some strain in their friendship between guilt and lost love, Wally knew that telling the truth was better compared to hiding.
“I know you guys want to protect me. I understand it well. You forget, your boyfriends have been given greatly detailed stories about what will happen to them if they hurt you.”
The way that Dick’s voice darkened sent shivers up Wally’s spine and the alpha made a mental note to ask around because HOLY SHIT! What just came out didn’t sound like a tone that Dick Grayson would use. Not that Wally was gonna judge him or anything for wanting to defend his brothers. He was just curious, is all. Maybe also a bit afraid since Dick’s words implied that his brothers wouldn’t be able to touch Wally before Dick skinned him should the alpha ever mess up too horribly.
“It was a considerate gesture, little brother.” Tim’s voice pulled Wally’s attention back to the front, where Damian and Tim both had fond (if not slightly exasperated) smiles pulling at their lips. Well, ok, for Damian it was as close to a smile as he could get when he wasn’t solely surrounded by family. Which still looked more like a grimace, but Wally could see the way that his lips wanted to twitch up to reach his eyes. He could see it! He would have snapped a quick photo as proof (mainly for Dick since he’d inevitably tease Wally for digging too much into it) if he didn’t already know that his phone camera would glitch out if he tried to use his super speed.
“Oh, please, Timothy. You hardly believed your super when he warned you of our little brother’s...creativity.”
“I was messing with him, Damian. I helped train Dick, of course I’d have a pretty good idea of what he’s capable of. But I’m not the only one guilty of having a little fun, am I?”
“True. I do believe that I may have scared Jonathan from ever babysitting Richard for more than an hour at a time.”
“You’re telling me. I couldn’t get Conner to help watch Dick before since he was so concerned with losing our baby brother and getting yelled at. Now, he won’t be able to ever look him in the eye without feeling afraid.”
“You guys are aware I can hear everything, right?” Dick gently pushed Jason’s hand away from his head so he could look behind his brother and give the two oldest an unimpressed glare. “I can’t believe they’re more scared of me than of you. You guys are a lot more experienced than I am. Stronger too, for the most part.”
“Come on, baby bird, give our boys some credit.” Jason laughed a bit, likely remembering his own experience with Dick’s supposed ‘shovel talk’ sessions. “They know better than to underestimate someone who’s learned a thing or two from all of us. I’d actually go as far as to say that it’s impressive none of them shit their pants. What you said to Roy was pretty intense for what you usually go for.” Wally liked to think that he’d been fairly close to Roy when they were just starting out on the team, but after they drifted apart with the archer’s departure, Wally knew that getting close again was unlikely to happen. Still, his judgment couldn’t be so far off when he said that there were few things that scared Roy Harper after everything he’s gone through and worked out in his life. Then again, Dick Grayson was a member of the Bat clan - a group notorious for surprising everyone in all aspects, ranging from capability to devotion to family.
“He needed to understand the consequences of hurting you. Just like Con and Jon needed to know what I’d do to them if they ever overstepped.”
“None of us deny that it was a sweet thing to do, but that’s not what we’re here for.” Tim rose from his seat and started walking closer, stopping just behind Jason and placing his hand on the younger male’s shoulder. Jason immediately shrugged it off, but seemed to sense the hidden message behind the contact and backed up a bit. Wally wasn’t sure if Tim was gonna give Dick some comfort as well or if the beta was just advising that some space be put between all of them, but regardless of what it was Wally was relieved to have some breathing room. He could also now (semi) comfortably look at Dick again without worrying about coming face-to-face with Jason’s deadly gaze.
“Yeah, yeah, you guys have brotherly duties to perform now that I’ve joined your crusade in obtaining a boyfriend.”
...ok, nevermind. Wally would deal with Jason’s deadly gaze over having to deal with this right now.
Because that was Dick’s “I’m about to leave you so you can bond with my brothers” voice. Yes, that was a tone that Wally had labeled just now since he hadn’t hurt it until just now, but those sorts of details weren’t important when considering that this would be the time he’d die!
Did Dick seem to realize that?!
“It’s only fair, Dickie.” Jason crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head slightly so he could raise a brow at Wally. He would dare call that gaze challenging, as if Jason was urging Wally to do something. Wally wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do in a situation like this when it was clear that this was about Dick and not him, but was staying quiet a good idea? Would it be seen as disrespectful? Would his silence be taken as a sign of cowardice or stupidity? Wally wasn’t sure and as he remained silent, neither did Dick seem to understand what his brother was trying to communicate either.
In the end, Wally decided that doing SOMETHING was better than doing NOTHING in this specific situation. “I don’t know how much this’ll mean to you, but you have my word that I’ll never intentionally hurt your brother.” Wally had a feeling that if he just left things at ‘never’, that would have gotten him skewered much sooner. In their line of work, none of them had any way of knowing if they’d come back in decent health or in bad shape. With that in mind, Wally knew that if he ever came back injured, that would freak Dick out quite a bit. Just like if Dick came back injured (or on the verge of death again), Wally would freak out. WORDS would be HAD between the two of them, that’s all Wally would say. Aside from that, there was also just the common sense that no relationship was truly perfect. There would be ups and downs despite Wally and Dick’s best attempts to talk things out. It only felt right to acknowledge those possibilities instead of denying their existence. “I love him too much to ever want him in any pain, especially any pain that I could accidentally cause.”
Tim was the one to respond to that: “Loving someone doesn’t stop people from hurting their partners.” The way he spoke almost made it sound like he had either been a victim of that himself or been in close proximity to someone who had. Which...ok, fair. Wally had no doubts that in Gotham, these people probably encountered abuse victims all of the time. Not to mention their own awkward relationships with their parents. Or was that just Damian and Jason? Wally wasn’t actually quite sure how close Tim was with his parents, but he’s pretty confident that Dick was the only one to have a healthy and fully-loving relationship when it came to family. Everyone else either didn’t have living parents for long enough or it was distant/downright abusive.
Wally decided to keep his mouth shut about that though. It was a tacky thing to bring up in general.
“I’m not saying we won’t have our fights. I’m saying that I won’t ever raise my hand to Dick unless we’re sparring.”
Damian clicked his tongue. “Verbal abuse exists.” He sounded unimpressed, but Wally supposed he deserved that for forgetting that. “As does emotional, but I suppose that should be a subcategory between physical and verbal. What do you think?” Well, ok then. The guy really wasn’t pulling any punches today!
Wally liked to think that as someone who’s had abusive parents, he knew what signs to look for in himself. Hell, he purposefully looked for them sometimes to make sure he never ended up the way they did. Obviously, there could be unconscious things that came up later in life, but Wally refused to let them out of his thoughts if he could help it. Which he’d fight to do, to be absolutely clear. At the same time, he knew that not all people easily recognized their own abusive behavior just because they knew what it looked like if they grew up in abusive environments. All Wally could do, in the grand scheme of things, was be himself. And Wally desperately tried to not make ‘himself’ an abusive piece of shit. “I think I’d be buried six feet under before I could even THINK about doing something so despicable.” Whether it be by Dick’s hand or his brothers’ hands, it wouldn’t matter. Wally would lay down and accept it either way (honestly if it was Dick, at least the omega might get some closure). Or hope that he’d be taken down brutally if he really was that far gone enough to try and fight them off. Yes, Wally was THAT afraid of becoming the same people his parents were. Could anyone blame him for it?
Dick whined at Wally’s side after he was done speaking, so the alpha wrapped one arm around his boyfriend and held him steady as the others turned from looking at Wally to looking at each other. Wally wouldn’t say that they looked...accepting...of what he just said. However, alongside not ripping his arm off, he could swear that there was some understanding exchanged amongst them that probably meant that they believed him. At the very least, they took him seriously. Sort of. Only time and proof would show Wally that he was being completely serious. Time that Wally hoped he had - Gods, if you’re listening, please don’t make the world legible for any invasions for at least a decade if there must be a catastrophe in the future.
The silence in the room stretched pretty far for time sake. During that, Wally constantly felt like one of the older Wayne brothers was gonna get closer and either pull on his collar as they prepared to deliver explicit threats or cuddle Dick to them as some sort of acceptance that he was growing up. There was just this stillness that prepared Wally for movement if he stared for too long, if that made sense? Maybe? The Wayne boys were deadly still, Wally didn't dare imply that they were as fidgety or shaky as he was. However, it almost seemed as if this stillness was just supposed to psyche him out. Maybe they were preparing for an attack and their precision relied on their ability to really map out their opponent. Maybe they didn’t even realize they were doing anything. Maybe they were growing nervous as Dick stared pleadingly at them. Wally didn’t know! All he could say was that the longer it was silent and the longer they all stayed still, the more he felt like death was coming for him.
Finally, Jason broke the silence with a loud sigh. “Don’t give us those eyes, baby bird.” The alpha cracked a small smile at both of them. Not just Dick this time, but Wally too. Should that have been a warning sign? Wally didn’t want to dig too much into Jason’s behavior when he knew it would only give him a headache and (frankly) it was just plain rude to always assume the worst just because of Red Hood’s infamous reputation. Being caught off guard though was also not an appealing decision. Luckily, Jason didn’t leave any of them to wonder or worry for too long. “I guess if you’re happy, then I should be happy for you. That’s how things usually go, right?”
Wally wouldn’t blame Jason if still remained unhappy after learning about this, so to speak. It was kinda uncool of them to hide such an important thing from everyone else for so long (even if their reasons were justifiable). Not to mention that Jason didn’t know HIM very well. Why should he trust Wally, at that point? Still! Jason was willing to remain peaceful for his brother’s happiness. That was pretty sweet!
Damian was next, though his words were slightly less encouraging. “I told Jonathan that I will forever stand by the notion that Richard is too good for anyone on this planet.” He raised a brow when Wally audibly swallowed. The younger alpha didn’t know why he decided to do that, it just happened unintentionally, and it probably made him look like an absolute wimp before The Ghoul. Regardless, Damian seemed content enough with him that Wally didn’t get berated for it. “Though, I suppose out of all of the partners that Richard could have chosen, you are one of the least harmful to his physical and mental health.”
“If we do our jobs as brothers right, no one will ever be a threat to Dick’s health.” Tim snorted, giving Wally a thumbs up. “Do right by him. You don’t want to know what we’ll do to you if you fuck up. Ok?”
Wally really, really didn’t.
Unfortunately, Dick (the little troll), seemed offended for some reason.
“Hey! I put effort into making those threats and planning how to carry them out! How come you guys get to slack off?!”
Seriously?!
“Richard, I shall remind you that West looks like he’s about to sink into the Earth and never return?” Damian still sent a mean smirk Wally’s way as he tried to subtly creep behind Dick for cover. “I’d hate to send him to an early grave.”
“...you know what? Good idea.”
Thank God for the small mercies.