Archive of Our Own ^beta

Neal had been getting more and more reckless, he knew that it probably had a lot to do with the fact that he was constantly reminded about the fact he was one of the matchless. Ninety-eight percent of people had a soulmate, someone that they would meet sometime in their life. Most of them were romantic in nature, and most of them turned out well. 

Of course fate, or the stars, or whatever mystic thing that controlled soulmates still couldn’t account for all the assholes and abusers out there. But at least society was coming to realize that staying with a soulmate who was toxic for you wasn’t healthy and actively encouraged people to take care of themselves first. Which meant that at least nowadays he wasn’t scorned for being almost thirty with no soulmate in sight. 

It didn’t help that he was surrounded by people that were in happy healthy soulmate relationships nearly twenty-four seven. Jones had finally found his guy last year and they were talking about moving in together and getting married. He was a very buff guy that had a streak of white in his hair and worked at a super fancy restaurant. He also was pretty forgiving about all the weird hours that Jones had to work when they were following a lead.

Diana had just met hers last month at one of their cases. She worked in the museum where some Grecian artifacts were stolen. Strangely enough her name was also Diana. The office hadn’t stopped teasing her yet about her ‘narcissistic’ tendencies. Even Mozzie had found his soulmate recently. And of course Peter and El were as sickeningly sweet as ever. 

But Neal was just as markless as the day he was born. Granted the chances of him developing a soulmate after birth was next to impossible, being only a handful of recorded cases in history. Most cultures believed that the markless had soulmates in the world but fate had cursed them never to meet. 

With another Valentine’s day fast approaching he was getting reckless, but he didn’t care.  This year he had no one he could drown his loneliness with shitty action flicks and ice cream. Instead he was out in the middle of the night ‘casing’ one of his favorite museums. He wasn’t going to break in, probably. He was just looking at how he could break in as a test of his skills, and to keep him from thinking. Peter would be disappointed in him for even looking but he just needed something to distract him if only for a little while. 

Which meant he had a ground zero view of the fight unfolding downtown between the Titans and the latest alien species to ‘visit’ earth. Apparently sitting on top of a roof in the middle of an invasion wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Halfway through the battle he was dodging bursts of light and decided that despite the breathtaking view of the fight he should probably find cover. 

He was near the edge of the roof getting ready to flip off when it happened. Somehow he got hit by one of the beams of light. Fortunately, or maybe even unfortunately as the case might prove,  Nightwing saw him in danger and moved to rescue him via grapple. As Nightwing grabbed him by the waist to pull him out of the way- the light caught up with them. It hit them both. 

The hero managed to get them safely to the ground despite both of them feeling like they had dove headfirst into arctic waters in the middle of the coldest day in the year. Neal’s teeth were chattering by the time their feet hit the ground. 

“Holy crap what was that?” He asked.

“No idea, hide now. Go to the hospital if you feel side effects, they can contact the JLA for help. Got it?” Nightwing commanded even though he was shivering too. 

“Rob, are you okay?” Before Neal could go anywhere the Flash raced up to them and hugged Nightwing.   

“Yeah, just cold.”

Neal glanced around looking for a safe spot to hide for the rest of the battle. He managed about three steps before he fell to his knees. Behind him Nightwing collapsed into Flash’s arms. Looks like the light did something other than just make them cold. 

Flash pulled Nightwing closer to Neal so that he could protect them both. He reached up to his comm and let the others know that they were out of action. Nightwing wrapped his arms around Neal and pulled him into a protected alcove. He was still trying to protect the civilian despite being affected by the ray beams. Neal sank into the hold, his trembling eased slightly as a small bit of warmth started to return to him. 

“The light seems to be acting like a cuddle pollen, guys. Instant activation and debilitating when not holding someone. I strongly advise you not to get hit.”

Neal heard a crackle near his ear, probably one of his team responding on their private comms system. Either it wasn’t long till the end of the battle or Neal was losing time as he shivered in the hero’s arms. 

Eventually, there was a blur of red and the ginger speedster was squatting in front of them. 

“N, you got a place the three of us can talk? Zatanna found out something about the spell that we’re all going to need to talk about,” he did not look happy.   

Neal rattled off June’s address without even thinking. “Penthouse Apartment.”

“Nothing in New York actually. We tend to either head to the tower or pop back to the cave. Red Robin might have one but he’s off planet right now.” 

“Sounds like we’re going to the civilian’s place then.” 

After a brief bit of arranging the Flash picked Neal up in a bridal carry while Nightwing clung to his back and he raced them to his house. He deposited Neal and Nightwing on the couch and put a small trash can next to him just in case. Most people did not like travel via Flash express. The Flash started to check the room for bugs and recording devices, knowing that Nightwing wouldn’t be comfortable talking about anything this sensitive without verifying it as secure. 

“Umm, welcome to my house I guess.” Neal said after the room stopped tilting. 

“KF, what is going on?” 

Flash collapsed on the couch with the two of them and snuggled into the other hero’s side. Neal knew he was probably learning something he shouldn’t know when Flash pressed a tender kiss to the man’s forehead before he started to talk. 

“Okay, Zatanna was able to figure out what the spell is.” 

“That’s great, how soon can she reverse it?” Neal asked. 

His rescuer looked closely at the speedster. 

“KF, what are you not telling us?” He asked cautiously. 

The speedster’s hand shook and he ran his hand down his face before he continued to speak.

“The spell can’t be reversed. It won’t wear off. It’s completely permanent.”

“What the fuck?” 

“You mean we can’t go more than three steps away from each other for the rest of our lives?” 

“Yes, and no. Rob, the spell made an artificial soulbond between you and… umm, what is your name?” 

“Neal. My name is Neal,” he replied automatically, his voice was dead and hollow as panic quickly flooded his expression. 

“Everybody take a deep breath.” Flash said firmly, trying to prevent any of them from fully panicking. “There are a couple things we can try. Zatanna does not recommend the first one or even the last one but here’s our list of options. First, keep it a bond in name only and then you two have to live like this forever. I vote a big no to that. 

“Second. You two can consummate the bond and become a real soul-couple. It would follow the same rules as any other bond. No coldness, no proximity issues, you might or might not get the normal emotional transference and telepathy. It wouldn’t interfere with your other bonds but you would need to actually interact fairly regularly. So like a weird friends with benefits, sort of deal. Only problem is there is no way to tell how regularly you two would need to re-consummate your bond.”  

Both heroes frowned at that option. Nightwing linked his hand with Flash. “I don’t like it but that is at least do-able. Is there anything else we can do?” 

“Only one other option. Weirdly enough I like this one the best even though it's even more awkward than the second one. The final option is we all consummate the bond; your soulmate, you, and the two of us.” He spoke directly to Neal. “It would expand the bond to cover all of us so we’d have a four way bond instead of just a two way bond. And yeah I know the difference isn't much…” 

“Three way bond. I don’t have a bond-mate. Well, I guess I do now.” Neal croaked out a touch hysterical. 

“Okay KF, why do you like that one better?” 

“I promised you that you would never go anywhere without me. I don’t want you to face this alone.” His voice sounded very quiet and hesitant like he was ashamed to admit his reasoning. 

“So… I take it you two are soulmates,” Neal was two seconds from freaking out. He took a shaky breath and tried desperately to keep himself from hyperventilating. A criminal like him had no business being bonded to a hero much less two. 

“Yeah, we’ve been bonded forever, almost since we met.”  

“I had to wait a little while for you to grow up, Rob. Or did you forget that part?” Wally pressed another kiss to his temple.

“Semantics. Even though I swear B was going to kill you when he found out we didn’t wait till we were eighteen like he asked.” Nightwing paused then groaned loudly. “I’m gonna have to tell the others.”

“Maybe it won't be as bad as you think?” 

Even through the masks Neal could tell that Rob was giving his bondmate a dirty look. “I’m going to have to tell Batman that I have another soulmate. Worse, I’m going to have to tell ROBIN.”

“Okay you should probably wait till you consummate the bond before you tell him, or he might just try and solve the issue with his katana. At least then I can zip him away before the kid does permanent damage.”

“Umm, okay is this going to be a problem?” Neal asked. “I mean I know it's a problem but like am I putting you in danger? Putting myself in danger? Could we try and fake out the bond with a temporary death or something? Maybe it would dissolve the bond.” 

“Nah, we specifically asked about that. Apparently their race dies and like regenerates or something so once a bond is made it will surpass death and bloom again as soon as both parties are alive again.” 

“Again I say, what the fuck? Why do they even have a spell for that? Why would they use it in battle? This whole thing makes no sense.”  Nightwing burst out. 

“I’m too sober for this.” Neal groaned, burying his face in his hands. 

“Hey, no getting drunk until after decisions are made. We may not have many choices but we should at least make them clear headed.” Flash protested.

“I am okay with the trio-bondmates or the friends with benefits thing,” Neal said. “I can’t live with a foot long tether. That would definitely violate my agreement with the Feds.”

“What agreement with the Feds?” 

Neal’s eyes flew open as he realized what he said. Well anyway it happened they’d find out about his past eventually.

“Work release, I get to serve my sentence working for the FBI instead of rotting in prison for another four years.” Neal sighed. “I’m a felon- bond forgery, not a soulbond, just money bonds. I may be a con-man but I do have morals.” 

Neal tried to draw away from the two superheroes, he didn’t want the judgment. Of course as soon as he started pulling away the cold hit back full force. 

“Hey, it's okay.” Nightwing gently drew him back into the hug. “We’ve all got a past. Shit happens. The only thing we need to know is if that is something that is going to keep happening.” 

“Probably not. I mean I still have a few contacts I owe favors to that might and try to cash in but in general, no.” 

“Good enough for me.” Nightwing nodded. 

“Yeah but your stepmom is Catwoman, so it's not like you can judge anyways.” Flash snorted. 

“Wait what? You know Catwoman? You’re related to The Catwoman?”

“Yeah. Like KF said. She’s my stepmom, sort of, it’s complicated. But I think her and Bats are currently a thing right now. You wouldn’t even be the only ‘criminal’ in the family.”

“Catwoman and Batman? Weird.” 

The three were quiet for a little while before Nightwing broke the silence. 

“I think I want all of us to bond. I don’t think it would feel right without you Walls.” 

Neal stiffened. Oh, names. Secret identities. Crap there were so many secrets he was going to learn just because he was now bonded to superheroes. He wasn’t sure he was ready for this. He was sure he couldn’t last another day with this weird tether though. 

“Neal, you all good there?” 

“Umm, yeah. I just realized I’m going to find out way too many secrets aren’t I?” 

The two men nodded. 

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill me or something, seems a hell of a lot of risk for you guys.” 

“Easier? Yes. Better? No. Something we would even think about? Not a chance.” Flash said. 

“We are going to have to trust you. If nothing else you’ll be tied to us now, so for your own safety you can’t tell anyone what you find out.” Nightwing added. “Just to confirm we’re all on the same page, we’re going all in. It’s going to be all of us consummating the bond right?”

“Yeah.” Neal nodded slowly. What even is his life now? Things had been spinning out of control for years but this, this takes it all to a whole new level of weird. 

“Please. Please let me be a part of all of it. I don't want just half the relationship.”

“You’re just saying that so I don’t get two sexy hotties as bondmates and you only get one.”

“You keep telling yourself that Rob.” He leaned in and kissed the man silent. After a few more kisses they pulled away from each other. 

“Are we going to do this now?”

Nightwing nodded. Neal stood up and led them to the bed nervously. Nightwing took charge and gently lifted Neal’s chin kissing him on the lips. The two were hesitant at first tasting gently before sinking into the feeling. The bond sparking between them and pushing them to the next level. When the two finally pulled away from each other Neal was slightly dizzy with everything he was feeling. 

“Is kissing your soulmate always like this?”

“No. This is definitely amped up more than normal, probably the magic influence. The first time between soulmates is always special so it could be that too, but it’s a lot more intense than I remember it being.” Nightwing said. 

“That was also more than a decade ago, Rob.” Flash leaned across his partner and kissed Neal. His mouth moved greedily against the other man’s lips. His tongue slipped in his mouth teasing a moan out of him. Even without the artificial bonding magic it still sent him reeling with lust.

“The only thing Zatanna would tell me about pulling it off as a trio instead of just the two of you bonding is that ‘the civilian needed to be in the middle and the sexual acts needed to happen at the same time’.”

“Sure kiss me till my brains melt out my ears then ask me about logistics.” Neal grumbled playfully. “I’m a switch so I like both ways. That doesn’t bother me at all, what about you two?” 

“Both of us are the same, just KF you should probably let him top you. I think it would be better if he were eased into things with you. Powers are probably not a good idea for his first time.”

“Sadness,” Wally looked Neal over with a salacious grin, “but also that still totally works for me.” 

“Okay, one last thing before all of that…I do get to like know your names right? Or something? I’m not going to be bonded to like Blue and Red and never get to know who you two are, am I?”

“Blue and Red?” his soulmate snorted in laughter. 

“Excuse me, I never really paid attention to hero names in prison, it was dangerous to look too interested or knowledgeable about ‘the other side.’ And it's not like Jones shows me pics of the different heroes he babbles on about during stakeouts. I do know that supposedly Nightwing has the best ass out of all the heroes and all the wicked things he’d like to do to it, but what any of them look like nope not at all.” 

“Oh, do tell me more about Nightwing’s ass.” Flash laughed. 

“Nope nope, we are not talking about my ass anymore. Let’s talk about Neal’s instead. You got any lube around here?”  

“No it’s… well it’s been a while since I’ve had company. The tracking anklet really puts most people off, even those that are willing to go for someone not their soulmate.” 

“Walls?” 

“On it.” Flash streaked out of the room. 

“Let’s get you warmed up while KF goes to get us some supplies.” 

Nightwing leaned back in for another kiss. He put a hand on Neal’s  thigh caressing him and sending a frisson of lust straight to his groin. Neal let out a moan of pleasure, it had been far too long since anyone had touched him like this. Dick let his hand trail up his thigh gripping almost desperately, the spell amplifying every touch was going to make him lose his mind. 

“Oh God this is so intense.” Neal groaned. 

He hadn’t felt this out of control since he was in high school. He ran his hands over the other man’s chest touching as much of the spandex clad hero as he could. Dick shook under his exploratory touches. 

There was another streak of light as Wally came back, Dick saw a familiar box hit the bed next to them. The next thing he knew he and Wally were completely naked. Wally stripped them out of uniform so fast that he didn’t even see him move. 

“I feel very overdressed now.” Neal said, even as he looked at his new soulmates. 

“Wasn’t sure if you’d like me to strip you at superspeed, I know Dick doesn’t mind but I figured I should probably ask before I do something like that with you.” 

“So Nightwing’s real name is Dick, huh?” Neal smirked at him. 

“Yep that is me and no that is not a joke.” 

“And I’m the Flash, Keystone Flash not Central City Flash, also known as Wally.” 

“Anything we need to discuss before we get started?” Dick asked. 

“Zatanna said not to use condoms during the initial bonding but we could after that but the barrier might prevent the bond seeing as its all a weird magical construct and then you two would be stuck with the tether forever.” 

“I’m clean.” Neal shrugged. 

“We are too. Mandatory checks every two weeks- we come in contact with way too many substances as a hero.” Dick nodded. 

Neal ran his hand through his hair. Unsure of what to do now. 

“Nervous?” Wally pressed a kiss to Neal’s cheek. 

“A little, it's been a while since I’ve been with anyone to be honest and I don’t think I’ve ever been with two guys at the same time.”

“Let’s start by getting you out of those clothes.” 

Dick slipped his hands under the edge of his shirt. He ran his hands up Neal’s abs caressing the muscles as he lifted it off him. Neal shuddered and moaned as Wally immediately moved in and started sucking a kiss to his neck. Dick slipped his tongue in Neal’s mouth muffling his whine and started working on undoing his belt. 

Dick pulled back from the kiss gasping and ran his hand down the man’s strong thighs dragging his pants off. Wally ran his hands across his chest rubbing Neal’s nipples into peaks as Dick sat back and admired his new soulmate. 

“God, you're beautiful. Can I eat you out? I want to lick every last bit of you.” Dick’s eye’s blown wide with lust. 

“Oh dear god. Yes please. Anything. Just touch me.” Neal squirmed under their touch. 

“You’re going to love it. He always always makes me come when he does that… Oh shit probably shouldn’t take him that far this time in case it triggers bond things.” 

Dick already starting kissing up Neal’s legs, gave Wally a thumbs up to signal he’d heard him but didn’t stop sucking hickeys on his thighs.

“I guess I should get you prepped too, then?” Neal asked, looking over at Wally. He was barely able to focus Dick’s mouth found its target. 

“No need. I’ve had a plug in all day.” 

“God, Wally. Really?” Dick whined as he pulled off of Neal for a moment. 

“I was planning on getting fucked tonight anyways.” 

“Fuck that’s hot.” Neal surged forward and kissed the man.

Dick redoubled his efforts with Neal suddenly desperate to get inside him. He licked around the rim teasing his partner with quick flicks of his tongue. Slowly he pushed past the ring of muscle, making Neal clench down at the intrusion. 

Wally sucked one of his nipples into his mouth. Neal’s back arched as his mouth dropped open. His eyes fluttered shut, completely overwhelmed by the two men working in tandem to pleasure him. 

“Shit, I’m close.” He managed to gasp out. 

Dick and Wally backed off for a moment so that Neal could breathe. Instead Dick shoved his tongue in his husband's mouth. Wally chased after the kiss and Neal threw his arm over his eyes so that he could actually calm down. Seeing the both of them eagerly kissing after Dick spent the last twenty minutes with his tongue in his ass turned Neal on in a way he had never thought possible. 

“So very hot.” He whimpers. 

“You ready for more?” Wally asks.

“Yes please.” Neal begged. 

Wally lubed up his finger and started circling Neal’s hole. Slowly he slipped his finger in, plunging it back and forth in the tight muscle. Wally let him get used to it before he vibrates his finger. Neal gasped out a strangled moan, eye’s flying open in surprise. 

“Just wait till he fucks you like that.” Dick said. 

“Not this time.” Wally said, slipping a second finger in as well. “You’re gonna need to fuck him a few times first ‘wing. He’s nowhere near ready for that, still way too tense.” 

“Soon?” Neal’s voice broke on the question. 

“Let ‘wing take care of you the first few times and watch me fuck him at least once then you can tell me when you think your ready for it.” Wally grinned, spreading his fingers and adding a third. 

Dick nuzzled into Neal’s neck until he turned his face toward him. Then he latched onto Neal’s mouth and kissed him so thoroughly Neal completely missed when Wally added the fourth finger. 

“Oh god, you both are way too good at this.” Neal looked down at the red head between his legs. 

“Lots of practice.” Dick chirped in his ear. “Is he ready, Wals?”

“Yeah, well he’s stretched enough for you at least.” Wally had one hand gently vibrating in Neal’s ass and the other stroking over his cock. Dick moved completely behind Neal and shifted them until Neal was in his lap. Dick ran his hands soothingly down Neal’s simultaneously relaxing him and turning him on even more. 

“You want to fuck me now, pretty boy?” Wally grinned up at Neal. 

He swallowed hard. 

“Please,” he gasped out. 

Wally made a show of turning around on all fours, wiggling his ass at the other two. Neal’s eye was drawn to the bright blue plug in his cutely freckled ass. He didn’t even notice Dick’s cock twitching up against his own ass at the sight. 

“Come and get me, pretty boy.” Wally winked over his shoulder. Neal reached out and caressed his ass a few times watching the flesh flex and shift beneath his fingers. Wally gave a low moan when his fingers finally touched the plug, twisting it a few times before pulling it out a inch or so and then pushing it back in slowly. 

“You can go faster than that, I can take it.” 

“Oh, I was pretty sure you could. I just thought it would drive you out of your mind if I made it slow for you, you’re one of the fast ones right. Slow and steady makes you feel every bit of it.” Neal’s eyes were blown wide as he watched Wally squirm on the end of the plug. 

“Fuck me.” Walls groaned like a prayer. 

“Keep that up Neal, Wally loves it like that even if he never has the patience for it.”

Neal kept it at a slow maddening pace teasing Wally until he was leaking pre-come and whining for cock. Neal lined himself up and Dick lubed up Neal’s cock. As Neal pulled the plug back he nudged Neal into Wally. Neal and Wally both gasped as Dick started fucking Wally by moving Neal. Neal’s hand trembled on the plug overcome for a moment with how tight it made Wally feel. Neal thrust the plug in along side his cock fucking Wally with both before holding it in with his thumb as he started to fuck him in earnest. 

Dick was mesmerized by the sight of Neal’s cock disappearing into his husband’s ass. He watched a little longer then got behind Neal and whispered. 

“God, that is sooo hot.” 

Dick twitched against Neal’s ass prompting Neal to throw a wink over his shoulder and toss out his own. “You want to fuck me now, pretty boy?” 

“Oh, I so do.” Dick laughed as he lined himself up and pushed himself into Neal. 

Neal’s hips stuttered to a stop as he felt someone inside him. He’d forgotten how good it felt. Dick slowly pushed in until he was all the way in. He waited for a long while till Neal started to wiggle back against him eager for more. Then he drew his hips back. 

“God, you're so tight.”

“I haven’t done this in like six or seven years.” Neal moaned. He’d completely forgotten how to move. Lucky for Wally Dick’s motion pushed Neal into Wally enough that he wasn’t left completely bereft of fun.

When Neal was able to focus again he petted Wally’s back in apology. He started timing his thrusts so that Dick’s would rock him deeper adding an extra kick on his prostate to each push. 

“Oh yeah, just like that, guys. Just like that.” Wally panted underneath them as his grabbed his cock and started fucking into his hand.

Neal was the first to come, flooding Wally’s body with his cum shortly after they started. Which started a chain reaction with the other two. Neal’s body clenching down sent Dick over the edge as well. The second that Wally felt the hot gush into his hole he sped up his hand knowing that Dick wouldn’t be far behind. Before the last drop fell from either of the other two Wally was exploding into his own orgasm. 

Neal was half collapsed on Wally when he felt a hot gush of liquid in his own body. The second the first drop started to fill him, a new awareness prickled at his senses. Moments later when Wally came too, a second one popped up on the edge of his consciousness. 

Wally and Dick never shielded even a little bit when they had sex.. Hearing a chorus of ‘I love yous’ reverberating in their heads as they made love was something they both craved. The feedback between them intensified every touch and kiss, there was no danger of hurting the other irreparably when they could feel exactly how the other felt about everything. 

Neal was completely unprepared for the onslaught of having two new bondlinks pop fully formed into his mind. He whined overwhelmed. He had no idea how to deal with the extra emotions and thoughts flickering across his mind. Unlike most people he didn’t have a mark when he went through puberty. He didn’t feel his mind reach out to his bondmate and start sharing emotions. He never felt it gradually build in strength until he could actually share thoughts with his bonded. He never learned to shield himself from his bond or how to tune out the other’s thoughts. 

It took a moment for the boys to figure out the problem as Neal whimpered and stared wild eyed at the ceiling. As soon as they realized the problem they dampened the bond between them. This soon after a new bonding there was no way they could completely close the link. But they quickly pulled up their shields until only a hint of their emotions seeped through. 

Honestly, Dick wasn’t even sure he remembered how to completely close the link. They were one of the few couples they knew that never completely shielded between them. Both of them had too much trauma to ever want the link shut. They hadn’t done that since Wally came back from the speedforce. The silence reminded them too much of when Wally was ‘dead’ for them to ever be comfortable like that again.  

“What the hell was that?” Neal asked, rubbing his forehead. 

“One of the perks of having a soulbond is that you can share emotions and thoughts with your mate.” Wally said quietly, twinning his arms around Neal’s waist so that he could comfortably hold him. 

“I don’t think I like that at all.” 

“Well you caught it at full blast wide open and it's always a bit more intense after we have sex. But we can teach you to shield so it's not as big a problem.” Dick said tracing designs on Neal’s stomach. “Just umm, can you please not shut it down completely. I tend to freak out if I can’t feel the bond.” 

Wally reached over Neal and put his hand on Dick’s check wiping away the tear that had already trickled down his face. “I am right here Rob. I haven’t gone anywhere.” 

“I can hardly feel you right now and it's freaky.” Dick whispered.

Neal felt like he was intruding on something private. He felt more out of place now than any other time tonight. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Neal apologized, he didn’t mean to ruin everything. “I just… it's too much.” 

“We know.” Wally reassured him. “It’s a lot, a new bond is a lot. We’re just maybe a tiny bit more co-dependant on our bond than most.” 

“You can maybe let a little more through but I don’t think I can handle much more.” Neal said hesitantly. 

He really didn’t want it any more open but he also didn’t want to piss off his new bond mates. He had no idea that that thought had come through loud and clear to both of the others. Dick felt sad and hurt that his bondmate was afraid of them, but his skill with the shields managed to keep that hurt contained on his ‘side’ of the bond. 

“I’m gonna try something real quick.” Wally said. “Tell me if it hurts.” 

He had always been the better of the two of them at manipulating the shields. Trying to make a game of hiding information about presents and surprises for Dick and seeing how long it would take him to figure it out. So he closed his eyes and focused on his shield. He opened half of it to let Dick in and kept the other half at a trickle so that Neal wouldn’t get overwhelmed again. The sheer relief pouring across the bonds told him he got it right.  

When Neal felt Dick relax completely that was the first time he even realized the man had tensed up in distress. He ran his hand over his bare back in apology. 

“You don’t have to apologize, Neal. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Dick said, he pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

This whole people just knowing what he was feeling thing was going to take getting used to. There were a few quick gentle touches on him that felt almost like butterfly wings.

“Just cleaning up.” Wally said as he slipped back into bed in real time. 

Neal sent a sleepy wave of gratitude over the bond before he fell asleep, overwhelmed mentally and emotionally from all the changes that night. He woke to the smell of bacon and the sound of kissing nearby. He rummaged around and found his normal pajama pants and walked to the kitchen part of the room. Dick was at the stove flipping eggs, while Wally was next to him flipping pancakes. The two would trade lazy kisses and were constantly brushing up against each other.

Neal felt an intense wave of longing for what they had. They were so in love. It was clear in every movement, every touch and he just wanted that for himself. He didn’t even realize he’d been projecting until Dick wrapped him in his arms and started rocking him gently as he cried. 

“You have us now, you're not alone anymore,” Dick whispered.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m…I don’t even know what's wrong right now,” Neal said through his tears.

“New bonds are wacky.” Wally had turned off all the cooktops and then came over and wrapped them both in a hug. He pressed a kiss to the top of Neal’s head silently reassuring him they would still be there. 

It was a few minutes before Neal could pull himself together. The other two could feel him trying to hide everything he was feeling and just bury it. Dick led Neal to the table and had him sit down. Before Neal could even blink there were two cups of coffee in front of them. He felt in his mind a ‘thanks babe,’ with resounding clarity. 

Dick took a sip of his coffee and then half turned so that he looked at Neal full on. He ran his fingers along the edge of Neal’s fluffy hair and tucked it back behind his ear even though it was too short to actually tuck. 

“You may hide your thoughts and emotions from everyone else but part of the bonding process means it's almost impossible to hide from your mate. Wally’s better at it then I am, but he can never hide the big things. He can hide what kind of Christmas present or when people want to throw a surprise party for me. But he can’t hide his trauma, pain or even love and happiness.” 

“So the whole fake it till you make it thing isn’t going to work here?” Neal flinched back minutely as he figured out what Dick was trying to say. 

“Not really.” Wally said as he put all the food on the table. Platters of pancakes, eggs and bacon appeared like magic. Followed by plates, glasses, silverware, butter and syrup. Even a pitcher of orange juice and the pot of coffee were on the table before his next sentence. “We let it slide with each other a bit ‘cause we know when it's actually necessary to talk things over instead of just ignoring it.” 

“Unfortunately, for you we’re a little more enmeshed than most bondmates because of some of our past traumas. It looks like with you getting magically whammied into a bond it decided to make you as enmeshed as we are.” Dick said as he dished up some food. 

“Okay, speedster powers are kind of cool.” Neal said. Trying to change the subject. He really didn’t want to get into all his emotions. That was just tied up in his past and he didn’t want to think about that right now. Even if he had to address it later but may not now. 

“Aren’t you not supposed to use your power for personal gain though? ‘Cause magical sex powers and setting the table really fast don’t seem like appropriate use of powers to me. Some like great power and responsibility or something?”

“Stupid Spiderman comics. Make everyone think heroes have to be a stick in the mud.” Wally ranted. “We’re human too, using my power for sex is like the number one best use of my powers. Saving people is just a bonus.”

Dick snickered beside Neal and he could feel amusement rolling off him. Across the table Wally only felt like minor annoyance and that satisfied feeling you get when you're doing something you know someone else will like and it makes you happy that their happy. 

Neal could definitely see the perks of this bond thing but he was still a little, okay, a lot leery of two superheroes knowing what he was feeling and thinking. Despite their reassurances he was a criminal. He was a convicted felon with a two mile radius working with the FBI and now he was soulbonded to not one but two heroes. For the next two and a half years he was stuck in this tiny radius where anyone could find him. He was a liability and a hindrance to his bonded. 

“Would you like to talk it over?” Dick asked as Wally’s power rant wound down. 

“Talk about what?” Neal’s shoulder hunched up a little around his ears. Discomfort pouring off him in waves. 

“Whatever it is that's making you feel like that?” Dick shrugged casually. 

They could all feel that Neal’s first instinct was to deny and deflect but the gentle acceptance he felt through the bond made him hesitate. 

“I am not good at talking about things like this, especially if I have to look at people.” Neal finally said. 

“What would help?” 

“Can I paint while we talk? Most of my past partners thought I was just ignoring them but it helps me focus.”

“Sure. That would be fine.” 

Neal finished his breakfast to the now casual chatter of the two heroes trying to think about what he actually needed to tell them, what he needed to ask in return. He put his dishes in the sink and then absentmindedly set up his paints. The other two men finished their own breakfast, washed the dishes and sat on the couch nearest his easel.

The beginnings of a dancer took shape on the canvas before Neal opened his mouth. He shared his fears, his worries, and even more timidly his secret hopes for this relationship. He gave the highlights of his past and his criminal career. 

“The closest thing to family I’ve had for the longest time is my friend Mozzie. It’s just in the last year and a half that it's expanded even a little to include my team, El and June. I’m not sure if I even know how to be a part of a family anymore. I don’t want to screw this up. I don't want to screw you two up.” 

The dancer on the canvas was jumping weightless in the air gravity and worry unable to touch her. It was a sharp contrast to the bubbling stew of worry and anxiety, fear, that they had felt during much of the conversation. Not only was the painting breathtaking because of his technical skill, not to mention it was a near perfect copy from memory of an original painting Dick knew was hanging in the manor. But also because Neal could paint such an evocative image when it was completely opposite of what he was actually feeling. 

The door suddenly opened without a knock allowing a short bald-headed man to bustle into the room. Only the wave of fond exasperation kept the two vigilantes in their seats. 

“You didn’t tell me you were forging a Degas.” The man looked critically at the painting. “I could have gotten you the right canvas and paints easily. Now you’ll have to practically start over.”

There was a flicker of apprehension at the words through the bond, but it was the quick flick of the eyes to the duo on the couch that brought them to the attention of the newcomer. A few silent questions between the few friends had Neal sighing and running his hands through his hair heedless of the paint on his hands. That had the man tense and stare at them like he’d like to hurt them for stressing Neal out. 

“Neal, why is there a billionaire playboy on your couch?” Mozzie asked even more confused once he recognized one of the two men. 

“Huh?” Neal turned to Mozzie confused.

“How? In the world did you recognize me?” Dick muttered. 

He knew that he and his family were pretty famous in Gotham (and oddly enough Croatia), but he wasn’t typically recognized in New York at all. Especially, not sitting on the couch in borrowed pajama pants instead of dressed to the height of fashion at say an opera or a play.    

“Why? Neal?” Mozzie’s face got more and more concerned the longer Neal stood there without answering. 

Finally with a helpless look on his face Neal shrugged. “They are my Bonded, Mozzie.” 

Mozzie knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Neal had never had a soulmate before. Not that he hadn’t met his yet, but that he just didn’t have one. So hearing that these were his soulmates and seeing how upset and distressed he was right now sent him into an instant protective anger.

“How? Did they drug you? Use magic? I heard that Gotham has some really wild drugs running the streets but never thought they could induce bonds. Do you need me to kill them? I can have a mercenary take care of it within the week or I’m pretty sure I could even contact a cape for help…” 

“MOZ, Moz it’s okay.” Neal finally stepped in front of the wildly pacing Mozzie and put his hands on his shoulders. 

“You don’t look okay mon frère.” Mozzie said gently.

“It’s a lot Mozzie. I…never had a bond before and now I have two full bonds overnight.”

Mozzie’s face softened and he actually gave Neal a hug. It was rare that he indulged Neal in that regard preferring not to touch anyone but he could tell his friend desperately needed the grounding. 

“Are you okay?” Mozzie repeated when he finally pulled back, unable to stand touching anymore. 

“Mostly?” Neal said. 

He barely even reacted as Dick came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his new bondmate. Dick had been twitching almost the whole time Neal and Mozzie had been talking, able to feel his mates stress but unable to do anything about it. Now he buried his face in Neal’s neck pressing soothing kisses to the skin and whispering small reassurances in his ears. 

Seeing how attentive Dick was to Neal’s emotional state made Mozzie relax a little more. At least the men who were in the bond with him were going to take care of him properly. Wally drew his mates to the couch also desperate to have Neal in his arms so that he could sooth his worries. 

Mozzie settled into the chair opposite the new trio studying them carefully. He approved of the way the two men seemed to be focused on helping his friend settle into things. 

He’d always wished that Neal had someone for him like the rest of them did. Even before he’d met his Soulmate he’d been able to take comfort in the weight of the bond. Neal had never had anyone on his side like that before. Instead he took the dregs of comfort offered to him by people like Kate or Keller who would use his bondlessness against him to manipulate him into doing whatever they wanted him to do. 

Or even worse he was the temporary fling for people who wanted a pretty bed warmer when their mates weren’t available. Sometimes before they met their mate, but many times he was actually used as a way of hurting their bonded. Then Neal got caught in the middle of fights and affairs without even knowing his new lover had already met their bondmate. 

“Okay tell me everything, mon frère. What happened, how did you wind up with two new bonds since I saw you last?” 

“It was that weird invasion thing last night. I was downtown near the action. Apparently, I was in the path of one of the magic beams that the aliens were shooting off. Dick and Wally were coming back from a party or something, I don’t think I ever actually asked honestly.” Neal looked puzzled for a minute. “Anyway the next thing I knew was that Dick was trying to drag me out of the way of the weird magic spell thing.” 

“Unfortunately, I was too slow and we both got hit by it instead.” Dick said, pressing a kiss to Neal’s forehead. 

“Apparently, the aliens have tech-magic to create permanent bonds that they use in battle. I think the Titan’s said something about it being used for slave bonds.”

“What.” Neal’s head snapped up and he looked at Wally with fear in his eyes. 

“Shit, I didn’t explain that part, did I. Umm, if you guys left it at that first stage the bond would have corrupted even more and more until you were a slave to Dick. Also before you two yell at me for not saying anything I didn’t find that out until after we had already turned it into a full three way bond.” Wally spoke almost too fast to be heard. 

“The magic lady on the Titans messaged me after we had already bonded and you two were asleep. They had pulled more information from the aliens and wanted to make sure we didn’t actually leave it.” 

Neal was still tensely vibrating in his mates’ arms thinking of all the ways that could have been used against him. 

“I would never hurt you. Never.” Dick said fiercely. 

It took almost half an hour for Dick and Wally to calm Neal down. Neal felt exhausted and wrung out like a damp sponge from his emotional breakdown. It was a lot to process and it didn’t help that their distress had loosened Wally’s normal control over the shields and Neal had been buffeted with Dick and Wally's own chaotic feelings. 

Mozzie watched the trio carefully at least the horror at the thought of Neal as their slave went a long way to reassure him of their good intentions. Now that the three of them were mostly calm again Mozzie figured he should probably leave. This close to a bonding it was inappropriate for him to be here anyway. At least Neal wasn’t in any immediate danger. 

“Mon frère. I will leave you in your soulmate's hands. I am sorry for intruding on your bonding days. Call me if you need anything.” 

“Bye Moz.” Neal sounded as tired as he looked.

“Would you like me to tell the suit?” Moz hesitated. It was the family’s role to announce to others about a new bond. He never thought he might be able to do that for Neal. 

“Please.” 

“Take care of my brother, gentlemen. I will be watching you.” Mozzie gave a sharp nod to the trio. 

“Okay, that little dude is almost as threatening as Tim.” Wally said nervously. 

“Yeah. He’s a bit intense.” Neal agreed. 

“Let’s get you to bed.” Dick said, pulling Neal up from the couch. 

“Umm, I’m not really up for anything else right now.” Neal protested.

“Kinda figured, but you do look like you could use a nap.”

Dick climbed into bed and pulled Neal after him cuddling into his side. Wally joined them, Neal drifted off to sleep in between his two Bondmates. 

Peter sighed exasperatedly. He still didn’t understand how Moz and Neal had both crept into his wife’s good graces so thoroughly. Mozzie had called her this afternoon and requisitioned his house for a dinner and then proceeded to harangue his team until they all showed up with their bondmates. 

“Mozzie, why did you call a meeting of the team at my house?” 

“I have brought you together to inform you Neal has formalized his soulbond.” Mozzie said primly. 

Jones looked confused. “I thought Neal was Bondless.” 

“Me too.” Diana said. 

“Are we allowed to know who he is bonded to?” El asked. 

“It appears that he is bonded to Dick Grayson and his husband...” 

“Umm say what?” Jones’ bond mate interrupted. “Since when?” 

“Jason?” Jones looked at him confused. 

“Since alien magic forced them. Neal is … not settling in well.” 

“Excuse me. Go back to the alien magic thing what?” Jason interrupted again. 

“Have you ever met Neal?” Mozzie asked, irritated.

“Little dude, Dick is my brother. I’m trying to figure out why no one told me.”

“Relax little warrior, it sounds like they simply haven’t told anyone yet. Not that you have been kicked out.” Diana’s Diana said resting her hand on Jason’s arm. “When did the bonding occur, Mr. Mozzie?” 

“Yesterday.” Mozzie said slowly. Everyone at the table we’re now side-eyeing Diana and Jones’ Soulmates trying to figure out how they knew each other. 

“See you haven’t been excluded. If this bonding is as rough as it sounds and that new, Dick might not have even informed your father yet.” 

“I’m sorry everyone, umm, I shouldn’t have interrupted.” Jason was now blushing. Alfred had certainly taught him better manners than that.

“Di, how do you know Jason?” Diana asked. 

“I have worked closely with his father for many years. He and the others have often called me Aunty Di.” 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” El asked cutting to the point of their meeting. 

“I don’t think so. I was there for a little while this morning. I didn’t know that they had bonded of course, but the two men seem to be treating Neal well.” Mozzie pursed his lips unsure if he wanted to tell them his honest assessment before deciding it could only help. 

“He was stressed the whole time, and not because there was a non-bondmember in their space. Before I left, Neal had a nervous breakdown. The only reason I actually left is because the two men were doing a good job of taking care of him. But… Neal… Neal is not doing well at all. I know they said the hero’s magician said they couldn’t undo the bonds but I honestly think it might be worth trying to find out a way to undo it. It looks like it's destroying Neal.”

“Okay, I’m not even a huge fan of Goldie, but I will say this. If Dick said the bond can’t be broken then it's true. He wouldn’t lie about that. He is way too fiercely devoted to his husband to even think about subverting a bond. But that same devotion will now cover Neal too.” Jason said. 

“I can ask my sisters if they know of a way but I doubt it would work on alien magic.” Diana mused.  “What team did you say fought the aliens yesterday?” 

“The Titan’s.” Mozzie answered slowly. 

“Very well I will confer with Zatanna and find out more about this magic.” Diana excused herself to the backyard and flew off. 

“What the hell?” Jones’ eyes were as wide as dinner plates. 

“You didn’t know that aunty Di was Wonder Woman?” Jason asked. 

“No, I didn’t know that my bondmate was Wonder Woman.” Diana said faintly. 

“Ahh. Well surprise she is. If she’s going to ask Themyscira, I suppose I can call Goldie and get the whole story and find out if anyone told the family yet…” Jason ran a hand down his face. 

“Why is it always my family the weird shit happens too? I should probably call outside.” Jason pecked Jones on his cheek and headed out back to call his brother. 

“Okay what the hell is going on?” Peter exclaimed. “Who the hell are you all bonded to?” 

“Don’t look at me, I only know that he’s a damn good chef.” Jones said. 

“If Jason is Dick Grayson’s brother…then that means the Wayne family.” El said slowly. 

“Dick all but confirmed it today.” Mozzie nodded. 

“I’m marrying a Wayne?” Jones said faintly. 

Dick was pacing on the outside balcony talking on the phone when Neal woke up. There was a bit of apprehension and agitation slipping through his bond, but thankfully Wally had managed to dampen the bonds again. The man in question ran his fingers through Neal’s dark locks gently caressing his scalp. 

“You keep that up I’m gonna fall right back asleep.” He mumbled. “Who’s he talking to?” 

“His brother. Apparently, Mozzie didn’t content himself with just telling ‘the suit’ he called together most of your team and their soulmates and told them all. Which somehow meant that Jason got wind of the bonding and is pissed that no one told him. Dick has been out there for the last half hour trying to tell Jason that he hadn’t told anyone yet.”

“How do you know all that?” 

Neal snuggled into Wally’s arms. Wally tapped his head. 

“Through the bond. He’s pretty chill now if you want to see what it's like when we aren’t all overwhelmed at the same time.”

“Okay.” 

Wally eased up slowly on the shields opening the bond wider a little at a time to ease Neal into it. He could feel how relaxed Wally was as he ran his fingers through Neal’s hair. Now he could actually feel the underlying love that Dick had for his brother instead of just the current agitation. 

“Okay, I think I can now I can see why you guys like the bond a bit more.” Neal nodded. 

Wally laughed. “That’s only half of what we normally do, babe.” 

“Really?”

“It is probably about normal for most couples. Like we said we’re kind of,” Wally waved a hand searching for the word. “Over the top about our bond I guess.” 

“Can I ask why?” Neal wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know but he did kind of want to know. 

“I was dead for about three years after we bonded, well I was assumed dead. He couldn’t feel the bond because I was stuck in the speedforce. Sometimes, I think he was lucky, because I could feel all his pain and hurt but I couldn’t get out and help him. 

“He says he had it worse because he thought I was dead. After he died I sort of understand what he meant. Fortunately, for me he came back to life almost instantly but the void that filled my mind then was horrifying. At least I didn’t have to live with the weird sympathy and well meaning overtures to get-over-it for three years.” 

Dick walked back in and curled up around Wally, pressing a tender kiss to his cheek. 

“You two all good in here?” 

“Just letting him know why we keep the bonds open like we do.”   

“Ahh.” 

“He’s trying to ease me into a wider bond. You guys are going to have to teach me how to shield so I can do it if Wally is out of it, or whatever.”

He was pretty sure he hadn’t been supposed to hear Wally thinking about how he much rather teach him how to get fucked by a speedster. But he did and he felt the whole tone of the evening shift in an instant. Dick added a ‘Oh god he just fell apart in my hands. He would look so good being filled up as you cum twenty times in a row in his ass.’ He felt his own desire flare up when he heard Wally think back. ‘I wonder if he would let me plug him up and keep it in him all day.’  

“Holy fuck guys.” Neal whined shifting his pants as the suddenly became uncomfortably tight. 

“Opps.” Wally didn’t really look contrite. 

“I thought you guys had to show me how it's done first?”

“One of the best benefits of being a speedster is I can literally go all day. Refractory time is not a problem for me.” Wally grinned at him. 

“So you weren't kidding about that twenty times in a row.” Neal said shocked. 

“I mean I think the most I got up to was like ten or so but that was more because Dick couldn’t handle the speed anymore.” Wally said. 

“I literally couldn’t walk for three days. Best birthday ever.”

“That was a good week.” 

Dick kissed Wally. Wally flipped it around and pushed Dick hard against the mattress. Neal groaned as he watched Wally thrust his tongue into Dick’s mouth forcefully fucking him with it. He put his hands in his pants and ran his hand over his quickly filling cock. 

“You like watching, pretty boy?” Dick asked when Wally let up on the vicious assault on his mouth. Dick kissed him with his bruised lips grabbing the back of Neal’s neck to pull him closer. 

“Yes.” 

He moaned as he started to touch himself . He had never really been a fan of being manhandled before but having his bondmate pull him where he wanted sent a thrill through his body. He felt safe in Dick’s hands despite the rough touch, and he could feel Dick’s excitement growing as he moved Neal into place. He could feel Wally’s satisfaction with having both his boys right in front of him. 

If this was what it felt like to have sex with your bonded no wonder they never even considered shielding during sex. He felt like he was Wally’s hands running over Dick’s thighs, he felt like his were the thighs being caressed and he could still feel his own hand rubbing on his erection. The second Wally’s lips kissed Dick’s cock Neal was cuming in his pajama pants. 

Wally had Dick entirely in his mouth when Neal was able to focus on anything again. He automatically followed Dick’s gasped out ‘pants off Neal’ not paying any attention to striping himself. He was still overwhelmed with the feeling of getting and receiving a blowjob at the same time. Bonded sex was so weird, and so very, very good. He’d never felt anything like this. 

Then Wally slipped into fast mode, he alternated touching Neal while sucking Dick and then switching so fast that it felt like he was doing both at the same time. 

“Holy hell,” Neal’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. Everything was so intense he loved it and hated it at the same time. Wally brought his spent cock back to full hardness faster than anyone else had ever managed. 

Neal was fast losing his mind completely overwhelmed, the only thing grounding him at all instead of completely floating away in the touch was the reverberating love pouring from Dick to Wally and back again. He could feel the growing fondness the two had for him as well. He didn’t even notice the tears streaming down his checks so lost in the mindscape and flood of emotions. 

“Are you okay Neal?” Dick’s voice broke through his fog. 

“Good, good, very good.” Neal babbles. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” 

Dick arranged Neal so that he was laying on his back and then gently crawled over top of him. He planted gentle kisses on Neal’s cheeks reassuring him that he was not alone ever again. 

“Wally now please.”

It didn’t take much more urging for Wally to go ahead and start fucking Dick. With every snap of his hips Dick’s body brushed over Neal. The light touches of Dick’s cock up against his own and the constant mental touch from the other two men soon had Neal refocused on the world around him. 

“Oh fuck me.” Neal swallowed. His eyes widening with lust as he took in the sight right above him. Dick’s eyes were shut and his face was blissed out as Wally’s hips blurred behind him thrusting at an inhuman speed. Neal reached up reverently and trailed his hand down Dick’s stomach that was starting to swell from the amount of cum that Wally was filling him with. 

“You’re next if you want to be,” Wally grinned over Dick’s shoulder. 

Neal didn’t get any warning before Dick exploded into an orgasm painting Neal’s stomach white with his cum. Wally had already orgasmed four times in Dick’s ass and rocketed into a fifth at the tightening of his body. Neal could feel both of their satisfaction and Dick’s mental plea for a slight break before Wally fucked him again. Dick half collapsed next to Neal, Wally laid down next to them tucking himself against the other men. 

Neal ran his hands through Dick’s damp hair a few times and kissed his temple. He propped himself up on his elbow and half turned to look at Wally across Dick’s back. Every thought in his head left his body when he caught sight of Wally’s cum leaking out Dick’s hole. 

Dick caught a brief plea through the bond and then Neal was buried face first in his ass lapping at the mess. Wally blinked in surprise at how quickly Neal moved in. Neal moaned in pleasure at his first taste of cum. He plunged his tongue deep into Dick chasing the source of it. 

“Whoa. umm. Wow.” Dick squirmed at the intrusion in his already well used hole. 

Wally laced his fingers in one of Dick’s hands. With his other he petted Neal’s hair while the man licked fervently. “Be gentle with Dick, I kind of already roughed him up a bit.” 

“I will,” Neal nodded. 

He let out a breathy exhale, buried his face back between Dick’s cheeks and latched onto his gaping, leaking hole. Then he started to suck Wally’s cum straight out of Dick body. 

“Holy fuck.” Dick gasped and wriggled. 

Neal could tell that Dick was just startled not in pain or distress so he nipped at his butt cheek to keep him still and did it again. Dick and Wally were feeling waves of lust and pleasure off of Neal. It wasn’t until Dick was almost completely clean again that Neal pulled back and embarrassment seeped into the bond as well. 

“Umm, sorry. I really, really like doing that.” Neal blushed. 

“Not gonna lie I think it's my new favorite feeling so I’m not going to stop you in the slightest.” Dick said, rolling onto his back. “Now come here.” 

Neal crawled up the bed in between his two lovers. Wally pulled him in for a kiss, thrusting his tongue in Neal’s mouth, tasting Dick, himself,  and Neal all at once. 

“Oh god that is like twenty times more erotic than it should be.” Dick moaned watching as the two shared the traces of cum still in Neal’s mouth. 

When Wally pulled back Dick moved in from the other side and kissed Neal lapping at the inside of his mouth. 

Neal felt content for the first time since he’d decided to bond with the two men. He’d been afraid he wouldn’t fit in, with them being heroes and having been bonded since they were in high school. But despite his past as a criminal they were accepting him. While he was new to them and they to him, he didn’t feel looked over or an outcast, he felt included. 

There were still inside jokes and they had history, but he could tell that they were all willing to put in work to make them a full trio instead of a bondpair and an extra. 

It had taken a week for Neal to settle into the bond enough to go back to work. A few of the Probies tried to make fun of him for being a wimp about his bonding. But Peter shut that down by reminding them that Neal got the normal year or two of acclimating to the bond shoved into two minutes, with not just one person but two. They shut up quickly after that. 

Despite coming into work Neal was still very easily distracted for the first few days until he learned to focus around the input from his bondmates.

“Neal? Neal!” Peter’s voice cut through Wally’s excited babble about atoms and molecular bonds startling Neal back to the present. 

“Sorry.” He blushed, still not used to the multiple inputs. “What were you asking Peter?” 

“Can you tell if this is a forgery or not?” 

Peter condensed his question down. Apparently, Neal was too easily distracted right now to give a longer briefing and then ask for his input. Despite understanding the man’s issue it was really starting to annoy him. 

“It’s undoubtedly a forgery.” Neal explained. 

He listed off an analysis of brush techniques and materials that weren’t around in the time period that the painting was supposedly from. That was something that they were all used to hearing from Neal. Then he dove into the science behind the forgery and why a different method of fake aging the painting would have worked better.

“If they had used an acid like a citrus to mix with their alkaline based paints it would have mimicked the chemical structure found in the original paints closely enough to fool most of the chemical tests any authenticators would attempt.” 

“Wow Neal I didn’t know that you knew science like that.” Jones said impressed. 

“Umm, I don’t really. That is what Wally is telling me about the chemicals involved. Like a lot of the ideas I understood already because I’ve done them, but the chemical scientific reasoning behind it or even other ways to achieve the same thing now that I didn't know.” 

“Wait, you're saying that Wally is currently telling you in detail about the painting we're looking at?” Peter asked. “I thought you said he and Dick had to head home for the next couple of days so they could get ready to move up here?”

“Yeah, Wally’s in Central City talking to his bosses asking to move branches right now. And Dick’s on his lunch break in Gotham playing sudoku.” Neal said after a second to check in on his two bond mates. “And he just put a nine in the wrong column so he’s gonna be peeved when he figures that out.” 

“You can actually tell what they are doing, when they are in a completely different city?” Diana said incredulously. 

“Yeah. Is that weird?” 

“Very weird.” Jones said. “With Jason at work all I can tell is he’s annoyed. If I had to guess it would be at the sou chef he’s been complaining about all week, but all I can tell at this distance is his emotions.” 

“I can barely feel Diana at all because she’s out of town right now. I have to concentrate to make sure I can get anything from the bond at this distance.”

“Huh, they said they were a little weird with the bond stuff but I guess I didn’t know how weird.” Neal shrugged. He brushed off the others' confusion and continued analyzing the painting. 

He had no idea that due to their constant reaching over the bond and the frequent Martian Mindlinks when they were with the team Wally and Dick probably had the most powerful bond known to man. They could feel each other anywhere on the earth. Clear thoughts like they had now were usually when limited to the same hemisphere, but emotions and vague intuitive feelings were shared worldwide. 

One day about a month after they had bonded, Neal came into work and invited them to a housewarming party for the trio’s new place this weekend. 

“Don’t forget that your soulmates are all invited too.” Neal told them. 

“We will be there, Di said she couldn’t wait to meet you. Apparently, she’s known both of your Bondmates for ages and is eager to get to know you.” 

Neal’s smile turned a little brittle, he still wasn’t used to the scrutiny from the family and friends of men he’d accidentally bonded with. Meeting the Wayne’s was terrifying and confusing. Somehow they got approval for Neal to visit the Wayne Manor in Gotham despite his two mile radius. So for one whole weekend his radius was changed to Gotham city limits, the roads up to and the grounds of the Wanye Estate. 

Selina was charming and wonderful to talk shop with. Steph and Tim treated him like they were his own little siblings. Damian had refused to talk to him at all but didn’t stab him out right so Neal was counting that as a win. 

Bruce and Alfred were the two that intimidated him the most. Bruce hadn’t really seemed to approve of him, but at least it didn’t appear to be because of his criminal past. He just didn’t approve of anyone dating his babies. Alfred interrogated him gently over tea and welcomed him to the family. Despite the warm welcome he was still more intimidated by him than he was any of the others. That didn’t change once he found out Bruce was Batman either. 

He hadn’t met all of Dick’s siblings yet, Cass was overseas, Jason was in New York and Duke was off to college somewhere on the west coast. But he’d video chatted with Cass and Duke at least once already. Dick promised to introduce him to Jason when they were back in New York. They had been very accepting overall, if a little overwhelming when found in large quantities.

The West side of the family was both easier and harder. He got another weekend with an expanded leash in another city. Iris, Hal and Barry, the people who meant the most to Wally were very welcoming. Iris gave him great tips on being a civilian married to a pair of heroes. Hal gave him some pretty blunt tips on speedster sex that left him blushing and also taking notes. And while Barry attempted to intimidate him he was nowhere near as scary as Alfred. 

They were so close to the normal apple pie life that you always found sold as the American Dream that it almost burned his emotions raw. He’d honestly never experienced a person like Iris. The closest he’d ever come was El, but even she didn’t quite hit the same levels of sheer gentle kindness that Iris did. By the end of the weekend he felt emotionally drained. The weight of her kindness and optimism was so foreign he literally couldn’t deal with it. 

Now even as it was his turn to introduce his bonded to his family, he was still meeting more of their family. He knew that Jason and Diana both knew and loved his soulmates already. He had met Diana briefly when they worked the case at her museum but he wasn’t sure if she’d remember him with all the excitement of meeting her own Soulmate. 

Neal put the finishing touches on the dinner table. Dick came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him pinning him in place. 

“Babe, you’ve adjusted the napkins twelve times now.” He kissed his neck. “It will be fine, they are your friends, and family. They don’t care if the napkins are perfectly centered on the plate.” 

Neal slumped against Dick’s strong back with a sigh. “I’m nervous.” 

“I can tell.” Dick kissed him a few more times. “They are coming to celebrate with you, and to meet me and Wally, they don’t care about the tablescape even though it is very pretty.” 

“Oh thank god, you managed to calm him down. I was three more napkin twitches from zipping him off to bed and fucking all the nervous energy out of him.” Wally said walking into the room. 

Neal groaned. “Wally you can’t just say stuff like that.”

“Better get used to it, he has a dirty mouth and is always willing to make it dirtier.” 

“Dick!” Neal laughed, even as he batted at Dick’s hands trying to get him to behave. Wally cuddled close to his mates and kissed them both a few times. 

“You know I really didn’t like it at first but I’m kind of glad that those aliens hit you guys with that weird mating ray.” Wally said. “I wish we’d all gotten to choose this without being forced into it but you really do belong in our bond Neal. I don’t know how we ever got along without you to balance us out.” 

Neal smiled and leaned his forehead against Wally’s. “How are you such a sap and have such a filthy mind at the same time?” 

“Speedsters, we can multitask like no other.” Wally grinned. 

He pulled Neal into a filthy kiss that only stopped because the doorbell rang. Wally walked normal speed over to the door leaving Neal with swollen lips and half aroused in his soulmate’s arms. Dick placed one more kiss on his neck then pulled Neal with him to greet their guests.

Either they had fantastic timing or they had all waited in the lobby before coming up because everyone arrived at the same time. Wally let  the group then gently herded them toward the living room. Neal greeted the ladies with hugs and handshakes for the guys. Then he introduced them to his new bondmates. Mozzie apologized for his own bonded’s absence; they had an emergency pop up they needed to attend to. 

It wasn’t until halfway through the main course of dinner that Neal felt truly at peace. He could feel Dick and Wally beside him, he could tell that Wally genuinely liked talking to Jason and Jones. He could feel that Dick was enchanted with El. Peter’s relaxed posture said more than he’d admit about how much he was enjoying himself. Diana and Di’s bright laughter lit up the room as Dick told about one of his early mishaps with the English language. 

“Mon frère, I’m glad to see you are finally at peace with yourself.” Mozzie leaned in to whisper. 

“I am. Mozzie this was the best accident to ever happen to me. I’m really kind of grateful for that stupid alien ray gun of doom.” 

“I’m glad you finally have a pair of soulmates to watch your back. I’m glad they can be there when I can’t.“

“Thanks Moz, for everything.”

Mozzie stood up and raised his glass. “A toast, to the happy trio. For turning the unexpected into a blessing. May your lives be filled with more joy than misery, and more happiness than loss. To soulmates.”

“To soulmates, may they always be at your side.” The table raised their glasses at the traditional wedding toast. 

Neal was surrounded in happiness; his friends' joy radiated in their smiles and well wishes, and his mates’ joy echoed in his heart and mind. He would never be alone again.