Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Mommy, mommy!” Dick cried in Romani as he ran to the car he shared with his parents.

His father looked up at his wild entrance and grinned at him. He picked him up and swung him around making Dick cry and laugh with delight.

“What is it, Robin?” his mom asked, coming over to them.

“Look at my arm!” he said, holding it out for her to inspect.

There was a scrawl in black ink. Dick recognized the letters themselves, he was old enough to read and write on his own, but he couldn’t understand the words. It didn’t look like anything he’d been taught.

His mom took his arm and traced her fingers over the letters inked into his skin. Her eyebrows drew down in thought.

“What does it mean?” Dick asked, becoming impatient.

“It’s English,” she answered. “You didn’t write this, did you?” she asked, looking up at Dick.

He shook his head. “It’s from the person who leaves the words and pictures on my arms.”

She nodded and read over the words again. “Your special person is asking you to be their friend.”

Dick’s smile brightened. “Can you write something back for me?” he asked.

“Of course we can,” his dad broke in, carrying him over to the small table they had in their car. He sat down with Dick in his lap and grabbed the pen. “What do you want to say?”

“I want them to know I’m already their friend,” Dick said brightly, kicking his legs where they didn’t reach the floor.

His father wrote the words and letters carefully on his arm, making sure it was readable and not an unintelligible scrawl. “There you go,” he said, putting the pen down.

Dick admired the letters on his arm and grinned. “Can you teach me?” he asked.

“English?” his mom asked.

He nodded. “I want to learn so I can understand.”

“Sure, we can start tomorrow,” she said, dropping a kiss on his head.

“No, now!” he said. “Please?” he directed at his dad.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms tightly around Dick. “I think we have an English bedtime story around here somewhere,” he said. “Best time to start as any.”

Dick wiggled happily, trying to break free from his father’s grip. He didn’t notice until later when he was wrapped up in the circle of his mother’s arms fighting to stay awake that there was a little red heart underneath the message he and his soulmate had exchanged earlier.

He traced his fingers over the shape, grinning despite his tiredness. He looked back at the bright drawings in the story book and tried to focus on the words. He was going to learn this language and then he’d be able to talk to his soulmate all on his own.

~~

“Robin!”

Dick looked up from where he was scrawling a quick message on his arm in Romani. His mom was standing on the opposite platform from him and he scrambled to his feet, ready to get back to practice after his break.

He tucked the pen into his leotard and grabbed the bar above him before jumping and letting himself fly.

He was getting better at English. He’d been improving steadily from his first mismatched and broken sentences. His soulmate had been patient and helped him, more than a little excited they were able to understand each other.

In turn, Dick had been teaching him–because he knew it was a him now–bits of his own language. He’d been soaking it up like a sponge and they both fought to try and learn as much about each other’s languages as they could. It made translation tricky sometimes, especially when Dick didn’t already know the English word, but they figured things out. Drawing pictures helped sometimes.

Dick grinned as he somersaulted through the air, catching hold of his father’s hands as he swung out to catch him.

Their circus was in the middle of their tour of Europe and he was just starting to grasp the size of the world around him.

More than once he’d fallen asleep to sweet dreams that their circus had gone to the U.S. and a stranger was in the crowd watching him. They’d lock eyes and know they were soulmates and live happily ever after, his soulmate coming to live with Dick and his family as they continued to travel with the circus.

Dick would be swept off his feet as the man whispered sweet nothings into his ear in Romani.

He squirmed as he landed back on one of the platforms. He couldn’t wait to meet his soulmate.

Chapter Text

“We’re going to the U.S.?” Dick asked excitedly, practically vibrating in his seat.

His mom smiled warmly at him and nodded. “Haly just finished making the arrangements. We’re going on a twenty-five state tour,” she said. “We’re starting in New York and ending in California.”

“I have to tell him,” he said, jumping up from his chair.

“Richard,” his mom said, a little more sharply than normal when his soulmate came up.

“Don’t worry, Mother,” he said. “I won’t give him the details. Just that I’m going to be in America.”

She nodded, looking more relaxed at the reassurance.

Dick clutched his blue pen tightly in his hand and raced from their car. He darted across the expanse of field they were parked in and scaled a tree with ease until he was tucked into the branches, his knees pulled up to his chest. He rested his forearm across his knees and started to scribble in English.

I’m coming to America!

He waited, feeling a little impatient. He didn’t know what his soulmate was doing. Didn’t even know what time it was for him, but he wanted to share his excitement with him. Wanted to be with him to smile and laugh and celebrate.

Ohmygosh really????

Dick bit his lip and squirmed in his perch.

Yeah, I’m going to be there a few months, traveling the country.

This is amazing!! Do you think we’ll be able to meet each other?
I mean, we don’t have to if you think that’s weird, but if you come anywhere near me we could see each other in person.

Dick bit his lip.

I dunno. I’d like to, but my mother is a little nervous about that. But I’ll see if I can convince her.

That would be amazing! I’ll be rooting for you. And you’ll have to tell me all about the things you see. I haven’t traveled much

Dick smiled.

Okay. I can tell you all the stories about the elephants.

The elephants?

Dick felt himself freeze and cursed under his breath.

Are you part of a traveling zoo or something?

Dick glanced around him, making sure no one had snuck up on him. He hadn’t meant to let that slip, but as long as he didn’t give away the name of their circus or any other information, he figured it would be fine.

Something like that.

That’s so cool!

Dick grinned.

“Robin!”

He looked up from his arm and found his mother and father standing several feet away, waving up at the tree he was in.

“It’s time for rehearsal,” his father called. 

He scribbled one last thing on his arm before jumping down from the tree to race towards his parents.

I have to go. It’s time for practice, but we can talk more later!

It wasn’t until he was on the ground working on his back bends that he noticed the reply he got on his arm.

Practice?

Dick barely contained his grin through the rest of practice and rehearsal, feeling like he was soaring higher than the trapeze allowed. He had so much to tell him and he couldn’t wait until the day they were united in person.

Chapter Text

Dick stared at his arm, bewildered and a little concerned over the information his soulmate had written down on his arm.

Ate at 7:45, had a breakfast burrito and a bottle of chocolate milk.

Don’t forget to eat halfway between classes.

Mom packed an energy bar for the morning.

Remember the protein snacks Uncle B gave you yesterday for the afternoon.

Dick fiddled with the pen in his hand. Wondering what he should write back, if anything. He wanted to make sure his soulmate was okay, because as far as he knew, needing reminders of when he last ate or when he needed to eat wasn’t very healthy. Nor was the amount of food his soulmate seemed to be consuming.

He hesitated before scribbling out a quick message.

Is everything okay?

Even if something was wrong with his soulmate, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. He was too far away and had no way to get to him or help him. The thought made something terrible ache in his chest.

He felt the telltale tingle on his arm and looked at what had been written in response.

Of course! Is everything okay with you?

Dick bit his lip.

Yeah…

But?

But I’m worried about you.

Why?

Dick’s brows furrowed and he huffed out a breath.

Because you keep writing down reminders to eat and the food you’ve had! Is something wrong? Are you sick? You’re not being mistreated are you?

He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he hadn’t overstepped his boundaries. He didn’t think you could scare off your soulmate, but it would be just his luck that he would be the first person who would.

Each second that passed without an answer made him more and more desperate. He needed his soulmate and he was just about to write something else when words started to appear on his arm.

No, I’m fine. I just lose track of what I eat sometimes. I have a fast metabolism so there’s nothing wrong with me. Nothing you need to worry about

Dick let out a breath and leaned back in his chair, relieved.

Good, I’m glad. I was worried about you.

Well, I’m just fine! And if we’re sharing our worries with each other, what’s up with that weird bruise on your leg from the other night?

Dick flushed, reminded of where he’d hit the trapeze bar during practice because he hadn’t landed right. The scolding from his parents was worse than the actual injury, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.

I just knocked into something. I’m okay.

Oh. Good.
You’re not the only one who has a soulmate to worry about you know

Dick breathed a laugh and held his arm close to his chest, warmth spreading through him. He was about to respond when he heard a pair of angry voices outside.

He stilled and carefully stepped down out of his chair. He crept to the side of his car and pushed the door to the side a crack so he could see outside. He blinked when he saw Haly with an unfamiliar man. He was about to call out when Haly was shoved against the side of the car.

“If you value your circus at all, you’re going to pay what we’re asking for,” the man snarled.

“I won’t give you a cent!” Haly hissed. “These are good people and honest workers and I won’t have you abuse that.”

The man sneered and pressed into Haly, forcing his head back against the train car.

“I gave you a warning,” he said, voice low and thick with hatred. “Don’t come crying to me if these people you’re so fond of protecting don’t make it through tonight’s performance. You have until the curtain goes up to get me the money. You fail…” He chuckled darkly. “Then you can watch your freak show burn.“

Dick’s blood turned to ice and he struggled to swallow as he watched the man shove Haly against the car before he stalked away, taking no notice of where Dick was hiding out.

He watched Haly, waiting to see what he would do. He brushed off his coat and straightened it before turning in the opposite direction. Dick wondered what he was going to do, but he certainly wouldn’t let harm come to the circus when it was such a tight family.

They looked out for each other and cared for everyone.

Dick was sure the threats the man was pouting couldn’t possibly hold any sway…

Chapter Text

Dick squeezed his eyes shut as he curled up on the hard mattress of the bunk bed he’d been assigned in the orphanage. Memories from earlier that night flooded his mind. He couldn’t stop watching his parents as they plummeted to the Earth from the trapeze, the screams from the crowd loud in his ears as they hit the ground.

He didn’t remember screaming, but he must have. Haly had pulled him away from the scene, had tried to hide his view even though the image was gong to be burned into his brain for the rest of his life.

Then the police had come. There were so many officers. And they were questioning everyone. They tracked him down and asked him so many questions and he just wanted to have his family back. He just wanted to crawl into his family’s car and curl up in bed and wish for his parents to join him and wrap around him like this was all some awful nightmare.

Dick had run to Haly. But the police wouldn’t let him stay. He’d cried and kicked when the officer had plucked him from the ground.

“Haly! Haly! Don’t let them take me! Please let me stay! Haly!”

Every part of him ached. 

Dick sat up in bed and wiped the tears from the sides of his face. He looked around at the beds around him. The other kids were long asleep, used to the building and the routine of the orphanage.

He glanced at the window, glad that it wasn’t barred or nailed shut since they were on the second floor of the building. He scaled down the side of the bed without an issue. It barely creaked which was surprising considering when the larger kids climbed up to their beds, the metal frames had creaked and groaned and shook.

Dick pushed at the frame of the window. It stuck at first, not wanting to move, but he managed to make it move. It jerked and stopped, the sound of wood on wood loud in the silence, but no one else seemed to stir at the sound. Once the opening was big enough for him to wiggle through, Dick climbed out of the opening, holding tightly to the windowsill.

The building was old. The walls made of jagged brick that offered plenty of opportunities for handholds to scale if the climber knew how to handle their body and what handholds to look for.

He scrambled up the side and over the edge of the roof and sat on the soft tiles. He pulled his knees up to his chest and looked over the few buildings he could see over at Gotham around him. He heard sirens in the distance and wondered what other crime had been committed that night.

Dick was alone. There wasn’t anyone else left for him. He wished he had someone, anyone. His tears came fresh, wetting his cheeks and chilling them in the night air.

He glanced down at his arm and pulled out the pen he’d managed to smuggle from where he’d tucked it into the waistband of his pants. He didn’t know what to write, didn’t know how to start conveying the kind of heartache and need he was feeling.

Are you awake?

He probably wasn’t. He was probably safely tucked into bed in his home with his parents alive and down the hall.

“Please, please, please,” he chanted under his breath, the words foreign to Gotham’s air. “Mommy, Daddy…you can’t leave me…”

His arm tingled and he jolted, not expecting the sensation when he already felt isolated.

Yeah! What’s up?

Dick cradled his arm in his hand and sobbed, pressing his face into the words as his fingernails dug into the skin of his forearm. How could he tell him? He didn’t know what to do.

Warmth spread over the skin again.

Is everything okay?

Dick pulled back, frustratingly wiping at his eyes to clear the tears away. He took a shaky breath, pen shaking in his hand as he struggled to get the words out.

No, I

He stopped.

What’s wrong? You can tell me.

Dick bit his lip.

My parents

What about them?

Dick sniffled, wiping the back of his hand under his nose. 

They were killed tonight

The sentence broke the well inside of him. It destroyed his uncertainty and he started scribbling everything he was thinking, not caring if it was making sense or not.

I’m so alone. I don’t know what to do. The police took me away and I just want to go back to my family, but they’re not letting me stay and I don’t know how I could possibly be anywhere else. You’re the only person I have and I need you. I need you so much

The words trailed off into a scribbled line of black as he dragged the pen away, sobbing softly in the night.

The response came quickly, lighting a path of warmth across his skin that seemed to engulf him compared to the chill in the air.

I’m sorry. I’m so so so sorry. I wish I could be there for you. I want to give you everything. I want to keep you safe I I’m so sorry. It’s going to be okay.

Dick sniffled.

How do you know?

Because you’re amazing and I know you can do anything.

Dick stared at the words, blinking for a few moments. He smiled. It was small and sad and more than a little watery because of the tears and snot streaked across his face, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Chapter Text

Wally stared at his arm, feeling desperate and helpless. He had fucking super speed. He fought criminals with the Flash-as minor as they were-but he couldn’t do anything for his soulmate who was who knew how many hundreds of miles away. His heart was breaking and Wally was stuck on the sidelines, watching it happen.

It felt like his own heart was breaking.

And maybe it was in a way, because his soulmate was a part of him. He was a part of his soul and his heart and he was crumbling which meant a part of Wally was crumbling too.

Wally tightened his grip on the pen in his hand. He’d talked with his soulmate the night before until he’d finally given up and gone to sleep in the orphanage that he was apparently forced to stay at. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think there was anything that he could say to make things better.

He sighed and scribbled out a greeting. He couldn’t do much worse than that.

Morning, gorgeous!

He let his head thunk against the headboard and sighed, letting his eyes fall shut. He had training that afternoon with Uncle Barry and he knew that the only thing he was going to be thinking about was his soulmate.

“Wally!”

He flinched, jerking back against the headboard at the sound of his father’s voice calling him from the bottom of the stairs. He rubbed the back of his head where it hit the wall and pulled the sleeve of his hoodie down over the writing on his arm.

He slipped the pen into his pocket and grabbed his backpack. His dad hated knowing when he spent time talking to his soulmate. Ever since he’d proudly proclaimed his soulmate was a boy, it was a touchy subject in their house.

“Coming!” he called before hurrying down the steps, feet heavy on the stairs.

“If you don’t hurry you’re going to be late for school,” his mom said, swinging around the corner to hand him a brown paper bag filled with the food he would need for the day. He fought to bite down the quip that he’d never really be late to school when he could run there in less than a minute.

A heavy hand settled on his shoulder and Wally fought not to flinch at the memory of the punch that had connected with his cheek the week before.

“Come home after you get done with Uncle Barry. You don’t need to be out at all hours of the night,” Rudy said behind him.

“Okay,” Wally agreed, keeping his gaze on the floor as he stepped around his parents and headed for the door.

A weight lifted from his shoulders when he walked outside. He tilted his head back and let the sun fall on his face as the warmth spread over his skin. He sighed and let it out, clutching at the straps of his backpack as he turned the corner that would take him to school.

A familiar warmth spread over his skin and he smiled, automatically pulling up the sleeve of his hoodie to see what words had been scrawled on his skin.

Morning
Sorry about last night

Wally frowned and pulled the pen from his pocket.

There’s nothing to be sorry for. I just wish I could’ve been there in person.

But you shouldn’t have to deal with me dumping all of that on you

Wally huffed and rolled his eyes even though he couldn’t see.

I’m your soulmate. You’re not dumping anything on me. I want to make sure you’re okay

Okay

Wally narrowed his eyes.

I mean it. You’re not a burden and your problems aren’t a burden to me. I want to help you when I can. I just wish I could do that in person

In person, really?

Wally smiled and started writing. He wasn’t always the best with words, but things came a lot easier with his soulmate.

Duh. I want to hug you and hold you until all the pain goes away. And take you somewhere fun like an amusement park to try and cheer you up and eat all kinds of food like hotdogs and ice cream and cotton candy. And then I’d totally win you one of those stuffed bears from the game stalls.

Are you sure I wouldn’t be the one who’d win the stuffed bear? I think I have a better shot then you do

Then we’ll make a game of it. Whoever wins more stuffed animals wins.

I wouldn’t have anywhere to keep all the stuffed animals I would win

You sound pretty confident

Let’s just say I have lots of practice and I know how the games are rigged

Wally chuckled. His arm tingled and he frowned, looking down at the new set of words.

Thank you. For everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

You’re welcome. And I don’t know what I’d do without you either.

Wally smiled as he climbed up the steps to the front doors of his school. Warmth spread through his chest and he wondered if his soulmate could feel it too.

He hoped he did.

Or maybe the warmth was coming from him.

Chapter Text

Dick sat cross-legged on the bunk he’d been given. It was in the middle of the day and as much as he wished he could climb out onto the roof, he knew he couldn’t risk getting in trouble and losing full access to his nightly escape. He needed the air and the height of the roof too much to let it slip through his fingers.

I need something to call you

He tapped his pen against his thigh, waiting for a response.

Like what?

I dunno a name. It’s weird just being like my soulmate or call you you. It’s just weird.

So you want like a pet name?

No. Maybe. I don’t know. We could do colors. Like you could call me Blue

It was probably really cliche to use his own eye color as reference, but he didn’t know what else he’d easily remember. He knew that his parents had been weird about him giving out his name since he was so young and he wasn’t ready to ignore what they’d taught him yet. Not so soon.

If you’re Blue than I’m going to be Green

Dick smiled, pulling his knees to his chest. It was kind of fitting. Blue and Green. Two colors that were always near each other.

Okay. I like it.

Me too, Blue.

Dick bit his lip and was about to write a response when the door to the room was pushed open. He tensed and looked over his shoulder.

“Grayson!” the woman called sharply.

He swallowed and unfolded himself from his position, scaling down the side of the bunk easily to walk over to her.

“Head down the stairs,” she said.

Dick nodded and slipped past her, keeping his head down as she walked behind him to the first floor. She placed a hand on his shoulder and directed him into an office where he almost stopped short at the sight of a man dressed in a well-pressed suit in one of the armchairs.

“Richard, this is Mr. Bruce Wayne,” she said, nudging him forward.

Dick stared with wide eyes, taking a hesitant step forward. Mr. Bruce Wayne held out his hand and Dick tried to take it in his much smaller one and shake it.

“Nice to meet you, Richard,” he said with a kind smile. Dick nodded.

“Have a seat,” the woman instructed and Dick scrambled into the second armchair.

“Would you like to share the news or should I, Mr. Wayne?” the woman asked, taking a seat behind the desk.

“Please, call me Bruce,” he said with a smile before turning to face Dick. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to adopt you, Richard.”

Dick stared, feeling his heart stop because it couldn’t be true. There was no way that he was getting adopted. He’d never even met this man before and he was already offering his home to him.

He had to tell Green.

“Well?” the woman asked, impatience filling her tone.

Dick looked up and met Bruce’s eyes before nodding.

“Then I believe we have some paperwork to do,” the woman said with a large smile as she sat a packet of papers on the desk.

Dick sat back in his chair and watched as Bruce pulled a pen out of his pocket and clicked the top of it. He barely listened to what was being said, more focused on taking in every detail about Bruce.

He was charming, that was for sure. He had a nice smile and blue eyes and he was big. The only people that big that Dick had seen in his life was the strong man from the circus who could lift unimaginable weight.

He couldn’t wait until he could tell Green about what happened. Especially after everything they’d talked about the night before. It would be the best news he could give his soulmate after all of the comfort he’d offered.

“Are you ready to go Richard?”

Dick blinked, looking up at Bruce who was smiling kindly and towering over him. Dick swallowed, feeling smaller than he had in a long, long time. He nodded and pushed himself out of the chair. He practically flinched when a large hand came to rest on his shoulder.

“Again, thank you so much,” Bruce said to the head of the orphanage.

“Of course. We’re happy to see he’s off to a good home,” the woman said with a grin.

“Alfred is waiting outside with the car,” Bruce said, walking him towards the front double doors. “You’ll meet him shortly and come to know him better in the Manor.”

Dick nodded and kept his head down as they stepped onto the sidewalk. An elderly man was standing next to a black car.

“Master Bruce and Master…?” he asked with a slight bow.

“Richard,” Bruce supplied.

“And Master Richard. If you have everything you need, we’ll make it to the Manor in time for lunch.”

Dick froze and whirled around to face the orphanage as panic gripped him.

“Don’t worry, Richard,” Bruce said, stopping him. “We were given everything in your locker. Your trunk is already in the car.”

Dick let out a breath and relaxed.

Alfred chuckled. “Perhaps it’s best to get home. There is much we have to show Master Richard. If you will sirs,” he said, pulling open the rear door of the car.

“After you, Richard,” Bruce said, gesturing for him to slide in.

Dick climbed into the back of the car, pressing himself against the opposite door as Bruce slipped in after him. Alfred shut the door with a soft click and walked around to the front of the car, taking the driver’s seat before he pulled away from the curb and into traffic.

Chapter Text

Dick’s mind was buzzing with the effort of trying to make sense of what was around him. He’d never really lived in a house when he was with the circus, spending his time sleeping in the cars with his parents and the other members of the carnival.

But this wasn’t a house. It was practically a castle. He didn’t know how he was ever going to make sense of all the hallways and rooms that stretched out in front of his fingers. He did spot more than one chandelier that reminded him of the trapeze and left his fingers itching for a swing.

He was grateful that Bruce had picked out a room for him. He didn’t know how he could ever made the choice himself because even the thought of having a whole room to himself was unimaginable. He’d always shared a space with someone else. Ever since he was born he’d never had his own space.

After they’d eaten lunch, which was a little awkward and very quiet since he was a little scared to talk in front of Bruce and Alfred, Dick had been left alone to explore the Manor. He was glad to have the time for himself. So much had happened so quickly and he needed someone to talk to. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to go to Bruce or Alfred yet, but there was someone who he’d been connected to since he was born and he knew he’d listen.

Dick made his way to the upper floors of the Manor where the less used rooms were. He wondered if there had ever been enough people to fill them all. He couldn’t imagine it. Not unless grand parties were held that opened all of the windows and doors to the people of Gotham.

He pushed open one of the large wooden doors and found an old sitting room, the couches covered with large white clothes. Huge glass windows let in the muted sunlight shining over Gotham and Dick made himself comfortable, sitting cross-legged against the wall below the windows.

He pulled out his pen and pushed up the arm of his shirt, pausing when he caught sight of a new bruise on the side of his arm that definitely hadn’t come from him.

Green are you okay?

It wasn’t long before a reply came.

Yeah, Blue. Why?

Where’d you get that bruise?

Oh, that? School. I got bumped during gym class.

Dick frowned. He knew a little bit about gym from what Wally had told him, but it still really didn’t make sense to him. He didn’t know what sports and running around had to do with education in schools. At least not such boring stuff as running anyway. The trapeze was a much better way to teach people discipline if that’s what they were after. 

Anyway, what’s up, Blue? You kind of went silent this afternoon.

Dick bit his lip.

About that
I kind of got adopted.

Woah that’s amazing! Congrats Blue! Have you celebrated? This is exciting. You should have a cake at least. Like, happy adoption and all of that. Throw a party and invite everyone you know!

Dick laughed and smiled, feeling warmth settle in his chest.

Thanks, Green. There’s been no sign of a cake yet, but this place that I’m living in is huge. It’s like a castle.

So you’re rich now?

I guess. It’s weird. There’s so much space and I don’t even know this guy that well.

Yeah, but it’ll get better. You don’t have to sleep in that stuffy orphanage anymore.

Dick sighed and leaned his head back. A lot of the people in the orphanage hadn’t been very nice, but the bunks and the close quarters had reminded him of the circus and offered some comfort. But now he was expected to inhabit a space by himself that was as big as the one his family had been expected to live in while they traveled and worked.

Blue, you there?

Yeah, I just feel so small here. I know I should be happy but I can’t help but think about what it would be like if you were here with me.

We’d have all kinds of adventures! We could run around and see all the cool places we could hide in. It would be great! And there wouldn’t be anyone to pull us apart. We’d be together forever!

Dick smiled and turned to face the window. He crossed his arms on the windowsill and rested his cheek on them. The sky was covered with gray clouds, the sun hazy behind the mist. He wished he could see the blue of the sky and the infinite possibilities that came with it.

He missed the endless possibilities of the circus. He missed his family.

Dick sniffed as a tear slid down his cheek. He buried his face in his arms and let himself cry in a far corner of an unknown world.

Chapter Text

Dick watched in horror as his parents plummeted towards the ground. He reached out for his mother’s hand, hoping to catch her and pull her up as she gasped her last words at him.

He was so afraid and alone. Everyone around him was so big. Men decided his future without asking him what he wanted. The circus tent was too big, extending far, far above his head like the sky and space around the Earth.

He wanted to be back on the trapeze. He wanted to be able to fly and swing and smile at his parents when they taught him a new trick and he got to perform during the show.

The red and white of the circus tent morphed into something darker. Gray walls of the orphanage surrounded him, the metal of the bunk beds creaked and grated on his ears, repeating the same litany of beats that sent shivers up Dick’s spine.

Shadows danced on the walls, long fingers stretching out to catch him and pull him into their dark depths.

Laughter sounded. It was children’s laughter, high and malicious like how the kids at the orphanage had laughed and poked fun at him when he was surrounded in the small yard behind the building, stuck in their cruel circle.

Then it got deeper. The laughter became a cackle, low and dark in the back of a man’s throat.

“If you value your circus at all, you’re going to pay what we’re asking for,” a booming voice said, surrounding Dick.

“I gave you a warning. Don’t come crying to me if these people you’re so fond of protecting don’t make it through tonight’s performance. You have until the curtain goes up to get me the money. You fail…”

The dark laughter returned.

“Then you can watch your freak show burn.“

Dick ran. He had to escape. He had to get out. He had to find his parents. They couldn’t be dead. They couldn’t. Not when-

“Master Richard, please.”

Dick’s eyes snapped open, his breathing heavy as he stared into the kind eyes of Alfred.

“You were having a nightmare. Are you alright?” he continued.

Dick stared at him for a moment before he pushed himself into a sitting position. He could feel every part of his body trembling, sweat having soaked his shirt and plastered his hair to his head. He swallowed and opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the words to explain what happened.

“That’s all right, Master Richard. You don’t need to explain it right now. I have a mug of hot chocolate if you’d like to drink it and calm down,” he said, gesturing towards the mug on the bedside table.

Dick nodded and sat up more fully, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Alfred handed him the mug and he cradled it between his hands, staring into the dark liquid.

He took a tentative sip. The temperature was perfect, the drink creamy and thick and delicious. He sighed, gulping it down quickly as the liquid warmed his belly.

“There,” Alfred said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “Are you feeling better then?”

Dick stared down into the empty cup. “A little,” he admitted, voice small and shaky in the dim light between them.

“You’re not alone anymore, Master Richard,” Alfred said. “You’re part of this family now and we’re going to do everything we can to make you feel welcome and loved.”

“I miss my family,” he admitted.

“And I am indeed sorry for that,” Alfred said. “It is a tragedy that too many people I know have experienced. Would you like to try to get some sleep, or would baking a batch of cookies help? I find the act of baking rather relaxing when I’m anxious about my charges.”

“Cookies?” he asked.

Alfred smiled. “Let’s go down to the kitchen then.”

Dick swung his legs over the side and jumped down, pausing when he saw something flash on his leg before his pants fell down to cover it. He rolled the leg of his pants up, staring at the large bruise that decorated the side of his leg.

“Master Richard?” Alfred asked. “Did you hurt yourself?” He knelt at Dick’s side to inspect the injury.

He shook his head. “No. I think it might be my soulmate…”

“Well I certainly hope that he’s taking care of himself. I can’t imagine a bruise like that would happen so easily.”

Dick swallowed, feeling something heavy sink into his stomach. He grabbed his pen from the table and sat down on the floor, angling his leg to the side. He quickly scribbled a number of hearts around the bruise until it was surrounding by a ring. Inside the ring he wrote a little message.

Green, you okay?

And on his arm he wrote one more in case Green didn’t notice what was on his leg right away.

Check your leg.

“Do you know who your soulmate is perchance?” Alfred asked when he got to his feet and rolled his pant leg down.

Dick shook his head.

Alfred hummed before he smiled. “Well no matter worrying about that now. I’m sure they’re very kind and it will be lovely when the two of you do meet. But for now I believe we have some cookies to bake.”

Chapter Text

Wally bit his lip, staring down at the words on his arm, the image of the hearts surrounding his bruise and the innocent question Blue had asked burned into his mind.

Uncle Barry’s words echoed in his brain.

“You can’t tell your soulmate where the bruises are coming from. I know he’s your soulmate but we don’t know if we can trust him with this secret. There could be someone he lives with who would use him to exploit that information.”

Uncle Barry always fought to see the best in people and this time was no different. It was hard for him to accept the idea of his soulmate being bad or using this kind of information for evil. Not when they were supposedly destined to be together. And that Blue was his parallel soul.

But people had done worse things for less and even to his young, eleven-year-old heart it was a chance he knew he couldn’t take. Not when Uncle Barry had told him that it would take everything away from him and he’d have no chance of being Kid Flash anymore.

Guilt hung like a storm cloud at the back of his mind. He knew the concerned questions from Blue would only keep coming when he got bruises from training and fighting. He’d already had to deal with so much with the death of his family and getting adopted by a stranger. He didn’t need to be worrying about Wally and the things he got up to.

Wally pushed the sleeve of his hoodie up and stared at the empty excuse he’d made over the bruise. He’d need to be more careful. He needed to get stronger and faster and better skilled. He couldn’t let himself get a bunch of bruises and worry the one person who meant the most to him.

He pulled out his pen and clicked the top of it, scribbling out another message on his arm.

How’s the new place? Are you right at home yet?

His feet sounded heavy on the stairs and the smell of dinner cooking made his stomach rumble in protest, needing to have the delicious smelling food in his stomach immediately.

“I thought I told you that I never wanted to see you writing that bullshit on your arm again.”

Wally froze as Rudy’s voice washed over him. He swallowed and looked up, wincing when a strong punch connected with his cheek. He stumbled backwards, clutching at his cheek.

The back of his leg caught on the stair and he crashed down onto the steps, hissing as the stairs dug into his back and he caught his elbow on the wooden stair.

“Go to your room. No dinner for you tonight,” he snarled, fists tight at his sides.

Wally scrambled to push himself to his feet, accidentally tapping into his speed as he sped up the stairs and into his room.

He fell onto his bed and curled against the wall in the corner, keeping his eyes locked on the door and ears strained for any sound that might precede Rudy barging into his room to make things worse as he fought to get his breathing under control and halt the shaking in his limbs.

He rubbed at his cheek, feeling the tender skin throb. That was going to leave a nasty bruise and he could only hope that Blue wouldn’t notice it.

Warmth spread over his arm and Wally closed his eyes. He let out a shaky breath before he glanced at his forearm as it quickly became covered in a continuous string of messages and words.

Green are you okay???
What happened?
Why is there a cut underneath your eye?
Did someone hurt you?
What’s going on?

Pressure built behind Wally’s eyes. Blue was so kind and nice and sweet and deserved to be given the whole world because of how amazing he was. Wally didn’t deserve to have someone like that matched with him. He didn’t deserve that kind of love and kindness when they barely knew each other.

Tears slid down Wally’s cheeks and he cradled his arm to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut as more warmth spread across the skin while he cried.

Chapter Text

Dick idly rubbed his hand over the inside of his forearm as he walked through the dark halls of the Manor. He was starting school once all the paperwork was taken care of and he was a little nervous about being around so many new people.

He was starting to be really grateful that his soulmate had helped him with his English for so many years. It would help him feel less out of place in the new school. He just hoped that he wouldn’t royally mess things up. Alfred had already sat him down and explained some of the things he could expect.

Dick sighed and pushed into the study that he’d found the day before. Alfred had told him that it was Bruce’s study, but Dick had never seen him in the room. He hadn’t seen much of Bruce since he’d brought him in. Alfred always said he was down at his company working, but Dick wasn’t so sure.

He was silent sure. And kept to himself despite Dick’s presence, but for someone who was constantly working, he showed up in the Manor at strange times. Dick might not know much about cars and the drive to Bruce’s work, but striding into the kitchen in the middle of the afternoon to get a cup of coffee and then disappearing for another several hours that he didn’t spend in his study, was starting to get suspicious.

Dick walked around the perimeter of the room, eyes roving over the shelves of books that he was certain hadn’t been touched in a long time, if ever. The desk was neat and tidy and lacked any visible signs of use for a place Bruce was supposed to spend his time at home.

What caught his eye was the grandfather clock pushed up against the wall. The pendulum wasn’t swinging inside the base and the time was all wrong for the time of day.

“That’s weird,” he muttered walking over to it.

He pushed himself up onto his tiptoes, struggling to reach the hands of the clock to move them. He nudged the minute hand and huffed when he fell back onto the flats of his feet.

He looked around and spotted an armchair next to a small table. He hurried over and shoved it across the floor, clamoring onto the chair to stand and face the clock. Now that he was eye-level he had no problem moving the hand slowly around the clock face.

The hand had almost made its way back to the “12″ when Dick heard a click and the clock shifted forward. He froze, worried for a split-second that he’d broken the clock.

He glanced over his shoulder, almost waiting for Alfred to storm in and scold him for doing something he shouldn’t. When no one burst through the study door, he climbed down from the chair and shoved it out of the way.

Dick pulled on the clock and it swung outward, revealing a narrow opening and stone stairs leading into darkness. He shivered at the cool air that washed over his skin and stepped forward, keeping a firm hand on the wall.

He descended the steps carefully, giving his eyes time to adjust to the darkness. The soft sounds of running water met his ears and he almost thought he heard the gentle mewls of bats.

Dick swallowed when he saw the edge of the low rock ceiling above his head. He couldn’t see much beyond it other than more rocks and the stone stairwell before his feet. But there seemed to be more light filtering to where he was.

His steps were loud to his ears in the relative quiet of the area around him. He swallowed and hesitated before he walked down the next several steps.

“Woah,” he whispered, eyes going wide.

The cave wasn’t just a cave. It was filled with a giant computer and a car and bikes and cases of things he couldn’t discern from his position. Large blue mats covered a length of the surface and Dick caught sight of weapons and staffs to fight and practice with.

Dick practically sprinted down the rest of the stairwell now that he could see and flitted around the space, coming to a stop in front of a large glass case. He swallowed and stared at Batman’s suit. He didn’t know much about the superhero, but he’d heard a few stories from being in Gotham.

“What are you doing down here?”

“Don’t kill me, please!” Dick spluttered in Romani, jumping and whirling around to face Bruce.

Bruce frowned. “What did you say?” he asked.

“Don’t…don’t kill me? Please?” he repeated, eyes searching for an escape even as he felt small and weak before his guardian.

Bruce sighed and crossed his arms. “Batman doesn’t kill and Bruce Wayne certainly doesn’t.”

“So, you’re really Batman then?” Dick asked, perking up a little at the information and the relative safety of his person.

Bruce stared at him for a moment and Dick shifted under the heavy gaze.

“Yes,” he admitted. “Let’s go upstairs. We have a lot to talk about.”

Dick nodded and let Bruce guide him back to the stone steps that led back to the study.

Chapter Text

“I learned that Gotham needed help. There wasn’t much I could do as Bruce Wayne no matter how many charity galas I threw for the police. The levels of corruption and the reach of the gangs is apparent within the city and the only way I could find some way to make a difference was by becoming Batman,” Bruce concluded.

Dick nodded. His gaze had dropped from where he’d first been staring across the table at Bruce when they’d sat down to talk. Alfred had set a cup of tea next to him but he hadn’t even touched it, too busy soaking in every word of Bruce’s time as Batman.

“I’m trusting you with this information, Richard. I know that it’s a lot to take in but you can’t tell anyone about this. It’s an important secret. You can’t even tell your soulmate about this.”

Dick jolted, staring at Bruce with wide eyes as his heart started pounding in his chest.

The corner of Bruce’s lips lifted into a small smile. “You really think I wouldn’t notice how you always carry a pen with you? There’s often ink smudged on the tips of your fingers and I’ve seen you scribbling on your arm more than once with a happy smile on your face.”

Dick’s cheeks warmed and he ducked his head.

“I think it’s wonderful that you have a soulmate and have become so close, but we still don’t know much about your soulmate. She-”

“He,” Dick automatically corrected.

“He,” Bruce continued slowly, “could be used as a way to get too much information from you. It’s better that he doesn’t know what’s going on here in Gotham.”

Dick nodded.

“I know this is a lot to take in. I’ll give you some time. I have a lot of work that needs to be taken care of.” Bruce pushed back his chair and walked around the table towards the counter. He refilled his mug with coffee and left the room behind.

“Would you like some more tea or maybe something to eat?” Alfred asked, breaking the silence that enveloped Dick.

“No thank you, Alfred,” he said, feeling small in the large house. “I think I’m going to go walk around the backyard.”

“Of course, Master Richard.”

Dick jumped down from his chair and scurried from the room. He pulled open the back door and slipped through, pulling it shut behind him. He immediately relaxed as he sucked in deep breaths of fresh air.

He knew that he couldn’t talk to Green about what was going on, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to. There was something about knowing that Bruce was going out at night to help people that gave him hope in the world and ignited a spark in his chest.

But Batman was just one person. If there had been someone else, someone to help that could’ve protected the circus then maybe his parents wouldn’t have been killed.

Dick wrapped his arms around his stomach as a chill swept over him. He could do something. He could help.

Warmth bloomed across his arm and Dick smiled. He pulled his left arm away from himself and looked down at the new words temporarily etched into his skin.

Have an apple between breakfast and lunch
Two granola bars for after school
Gummy worms after dinner

Dick pulled his pen out of his pocket.

More reminders to eat, Green?

You must think I’m weird or something.

I do, but it’s a good weird <3

Thanks, Blue. I don’t know what I’d do without you

Forget to eat probably

Hey!

Dick chuckled as he strolled along the grass.

Hey Green?

Yeah?

Have you ever felt like there was something you really needed to do?

Yeah I have.

What did you do about it?

I did it.

Dick smiled and ran his fingers over the words. He turned around and sprinted back into the house, hurrying towards the study.

“Master Richard?” Alfred called out in surprise after him.

Dick was glad the clock was still left open and he could slip inside. He slowed as he descended the stone stairs. Bruce really needed to get some lights in there to keep from tripping.

Bruce looked up as he rushed over to the computer where he was seated.

“Richard, what is it?”

Dick sucked in several breaths. “I want to help.”

“You want to help?”

“I want to help you. As Batman. Let me fight with you.”

Bruce leaned back in his chair. “You really think you’re cut out to fight crime?”

“I know I am. I can do this. Please just…please,” he whispered.

Bruce looked over him and nodded. “We can start training and see what skills you’ve got. That’s not a promise you’ll be able to join me on the streets. You’re young and inexperienced.”

Dick grinned. “Okay.” He turned to leave but froze. “One more thing.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“I want you to call me Dick.”

Chapter Text

Dick swiped a hand over his forehead. Bruce stood opposite him on the mat looking completely composed and considering he was sparring with a 9-year-old, that probably wasn’t too hard to do.

“Am I ever going to be able to beat you?” Dick whined as he forced himself to straighten, the points on his arms and legs where Bruce had tapped smarted with the movement.

The edge of Bruce’s lips twitched. “One day you’ll get stronger than me, but you’re still young. Patience, Dick. Are you ready to go again?”

Dick nodded wearily and raised his fists. His eyes roved over Bruce’s form, looking for some opening or weakness to his still untrained eyes. He grit his teeth and closed the distance between them, aiming a kick at Bruce’s leg.

Bruce grabbed his outstretched leg and flipped him over, causing him to land on his back heavily. Dick gasped as the air was forced from his lungs.

“I think it might be time for a break, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, stepping out of the shadows. “I have lunch prepared upstairs and both of you could use a shower and a warm meal.”

At the mention of food, Dick’s stomach growled loudly.

“I have no complaints,” he said, raising a hand from where he was splayed out on the floor.

“Go upstairs and grab a shower,” Bruce said, helping him to his feet. “You’ve earned it.”

“Okay!” Dick said, sprinting towards the stairs to get back up to the Manor. Even though there was a twinge in his muscles and he was sore for days after training and covered in little bruises, training had been amazing. It had given him something to work towards and even the more boring lessons in hacking and coding had challenged him enough that it was fun to break the puzzle rather than frustrating or overwhelmingly boring.

Warmth spread over his arm and Dick slowed as he reached the hallway outside of his room. He pushed up the sleeve of his shirt and looked over the words scrawled on his arm.

Blue, are you okay?

Dick slowed to a stop, his eyebrows drawing down. There wasn’t anything going wrong. He hadn’t changed how he talked to Green and even though they didn’t always get the chance to talk as much as they liked because of school, Dick always made sure to leave kind messages and tell him about his day.

He hurried over to his desk and grabbed the pen he’d left on top of it.

Duh! Of course I am, Green. Everything’s great!

He carried the pen into his bathroom with him and turned on the shower to warm up before stripping off his sweaty workout clothes.

Green’s response came a moment later.

Oh. Okay.

Dick frowned.

Why did you think something was wrong? Is everything okay with you?

Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Nothing to worry about over here. Everything’s good!

You haven’t been forgetting to eat have you? I haven’t gotten as many notes about food lately.

Don’t be a jerk, Blue! Just because I have to eat more than usual doesn’t mean you can be mean. I’m a growing boy after all.

Dick huffed a laugh.

Sureeee that’s the reason.

He didn’t wait for Green to write back, tossing his pen onto the counter before he stepped under the warm spray and let it relax his sore muscles.

For the first time since he’d been adopted he was starting to feel like everything was going to be okay. He had Green and he had a home. And he had something he was training and working for. It wasn’t the same as training for their acrobat shows with the circus, but having a focus was what he needed.

Dick shivered when he stepped out of the shower. He still wasn’t used to how the Manor managed to seep the warmth from the air and leave him with a chill. He shoved his legs into a pair of sweatpants and slipped a hoodie over his head, glad to sink into the warmth of the jacket.

He hurried down to the kitchen where Bruce was already seated behind one of the place settings. Dick took the other chair and didn’t hesitate to lift a spoonful of soup to his mouth, glad for the warm food.

“Dick,” Bruce said before he could get too lost in the meal.

“Hm?” he asked, looking up.

“Have you thought about what you’d want to be called while fighting crime? Any ideas for what your name would be?”

Dick sat back and fiddled with his spoon. He bit his lip and took a deep breath before he met Bruce’s steady gaze.

“I want to be called Robin.”

Even though his parents were gone that didn’t mean they’d ever be forgotten by him and keeping the name was one way to honor that.

Chapter Text

Wally knew he needed to be nervous about getting home late. He knew he needed to keep his head down to try and stay as small as possible and apologize profusely for making his parents wait and his mom would be worried that he wasn’t home in time. But he was tired. Exhausted from training and sore from fighting crime with his uncle.

Wally sighed and pushed his front door open.

“I’m home,” he called. “Sorry, I’m late-“

A fist slammed into his face, cutting off his statement with a gasp as he stumbled backwards. He cupped his cheek, feeling dazed by the hit. He looked up and found Rudy seething over him, face red and fists at his sides.

“You’re late,” he snarled, pointing a meaty finger at Wally.

“Sorry, I was just…we got caught up and I didn’t mean to be late,” he rambled, trying to find some excuse or phrase that would diffuse Rudy’s anger. He felt warmth spread over his arm and glanced down at it, fingers twitching towards it.

A fist landed in his stomach and Wally choked, bending in half from the pain as he tried to get his breath back.

“And I don’t want to see you doing anything with that stupid writing on your arm,” he continued.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be late. I should’ve called and-”

“You think that’s good enough?” he snarled, fingers wrapping around the back of Wally’s neck.

Wally struggled against the hold, fighting to break away. He could’ve gotten away if he used his speed but that would make it worse. He might hurt his dad and if he couldn’t get away his dad would be even more angry.

His efforts to brace against having his head shoved into the wooden stairs were useless. He felt his nose break and blood gushed down his face and chin, splattering with a sick noise on the steps.

“Clean this up and get out of my sight,” Rudy said, throwing him against the wall. “I want you to think about what you’ve done.”

Wally curled his arms around his stomach and pressed against the wall, trying to get his breathing under control as Rudy walked towards the kitchen.

Wally swallowed, trying to clear his throat as it threatened to close up. His eyes burned, unshed tears collecting at the corners of his eyes. The warmth on his arm nearly burned.

He forced himself to move, gripping the handrail tightly as his legs shook on the stairs. He wanted to run. He wanted to flee and get as far away as possible but he felt empty. His legs dragged and the walk up the stairs took too long.

Wally stared at his fingers as he shut his bedroom door, watching them from far away as they trembled and fumbled over the lock on his door. He stumbled over to his bed and finally managed to push the sleeve of his shirt up to reveal the writing on his arm.

He swallowed, the tears finally spilling down his cheeks. But they weren’t for himself. They were for Blue.

Green, what’s going on?
Are you okay?
A bunch of bruises are appearing on my skin.
Please tell me you’re okay
Please I    I can’t lose you
Not after anything
Please tell me you’re okay
What’s going on???

The handwriting got worse as the messages went on until it was nothing more than a messy scratch that Wally couldn’t even decipher.

Wally leaned his head back and swallowed. A strange sense of calm washed over him. He was still hurting, various points of his body throbbing in time with his heartbeat and he hadn’t set his nose which means he’d have to break it again so it could start healing properly.

But he knew what he had to do. Even if he was okay dealing with the pain that came with Rudy’s beatings and his mom looking the other way, he didn’t need to subject the most important person in his life to that.

Wally pushed himself out of bed and walked over to his desk. He grabbed a pen and wrote out a steady message.

I’m not okay right now, but I’m going to be. I’m going somewhere safe and I’ll make sure you won’t ever have to worry about me again, Blue.

He shoved the pen into his pocket and grabbed a backpack. He started shoving several changes of clothes inside. He grabbed the box with his meager savings from underneath the bed and dumped that over his clothes. He sped into the bathroom and back with his toothbrush and toothpaste.

He pulled the zipper shut and turned to look at his room. He was leaving a lot of stuff behind but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have someone come back for it. His own safety was the most important thing. And the stuff in his room was worthless junk compared to his soulmate and the heart he’d been trusted with.

Wally locked his bedroom door, hoping that would keep anyone from coming inside and pushed his window open. He swung his legs over the side and let himself fall, landing in a crouch below his window before he took off for Central City.

He relaxed into the run, feeling the tension seep out of his muscles even though his injuries were slowly starting to heal. They wouldn’t disappear by the time he got to Barry and Iris’s, but he didn’t want them to.

The last bit of tension he’d been holding in disappeared once he rounded the corner to their street. He stopped in front of their door and rapped on it quickly.

“Yeah, Iris just-” the words died in Barry’s throat as his eyes landed on Wally. “Wally what happened?” he asked, pulling him inside. “Who did this to you?”

“Barry what’s wr-Wally?!” Iris cried, rushing over to him. “Is someone chasing you? Who did this?”

Wally squared his shoulders and let out a slow breath. “My dad did.”

Chapter Text

Barry and Iris stared at him, twin looks of horror filling their faces.

“Wally,” Barry started, hand hovering over his arm like he wanted to touch but was afraid of what might happen if he did. “What do you mean your dad did this? How long has this been going on?”

“A while,” he admitted. “The beatings only started a while ago. I thought if I kept my head down nothing worse would happen, but just being late was enough to set him off tonight.”

“What started all of this?” Iris asked, wrapping an arm around his back to tug him over to the couch.

Wally stiffened as she guided him down onto the couch cushions and Barry crowded in on his other side. He swallowed and took a shaky breath.

“His attitude started to change when I told him my soulmate was a boy,” he whispered.

“Oh Wally,” Iris said, sounding like her own heart was breaking.

“And tonight when my dad did all of this,” he said, waving at his face, “Blue was frantic and scared and worried and I knew I had to get out of the house. It wasn’t just me anymore. It’s both of us.”

“Wally, are you saying that you would’ve stayed in that house if you didn’t have  a soulmate?” Barry asked.

Wally ducked his head, feeling his cheeks flame from embarrassment and shame.

Barry sighed and wrapped an arm tightly around him, pulling him against his side.

“I’m glad you made the choice to come with us. I’m not going to let you stay in that house again. We’re going to call DCS and you’re going to stay with us from now on, okay?” Iris whispered. “We’re going to keep you safe and Rudy can’t hurt you anymore.”

Wally nodded, relieved and drained and wanting nothing more than to sleep and let everything fade away.

“Go get cleaned up in the bathroom. I’m going to make a few phone calls,” Barry said, pushing himself up from his seat.

Wally watched him go to the kitchen and Iris squeezed his shoulder.

“Tell your soulmate that everything’s okay. I’m going to talk to Barry. You should get some rest and if you’re feeling up to it I’ve got a snack with your name on it when you’re done.”

“Thanks, Aunt I,” Wally said. He watched her go before he pushed himself off the couch. His aches were starting to fade but fixing his nose was going to be the worst.

He trudged up the stairs and pushed into the bathroom. The harsh light made the appearance of his blood covering his chin and shirt sickly against his pale skin. He dropped his backpack on the floor and pulled off his shirt, careful of his nose. He set it on the counter and prodded his nose, wincing at how it had already started to mend and heal.

“Well, here goes nothing,” he muttered. He braced his palms against his nose and shoved, cutting off a sharp cry when his nose broke again and blood gushed from the fresh wound.

He realigned his nose and sucked in deep breaths through his mouth, trying to calm the ever more rapid beat of his heart from the pain. He grabbed his bloody shirt and held it under his nose, careful not to press against his face and disrupt the alignment while he soaked up the gushing blood before the flow stemmed as his healing kicked in.

He winced as his nose slowly starting stitching itself back into place. He dropped his shirt and dug around in his backpack, pulling out his spare change of pajamas.

Wally changed quickly, mindful of his nose as he carefully cleaned as much blood from himself as he could. He’d take a shower in the morning and fully clean himself once his nose was healed.

His arm was fully on display now that he was in a tee and Blue’s frantic writing still covered his forearm. He dug the pen out of his pocket and scribbled out a new message underneath his previous one.

I’m safe, Blue. I”m safe and I promise that I won’t let anything bad happen to me again. My aunt and uncle are going to take care of me.

Wally waited, almost wanting to pack up his things and move his backpack into the guest room, but he needed to know Blue knew he was okay. He needed them both to be okay.

The writing came slowly. Less frantic like each word was carefully thought over.

Please don’t scare me like that again, Green. I was
I was terrified. Green please don’t leave me.

I’m never going to leave you Blue
I promise. You can’t get rid of me now

Good. Because you can’t get rid of me either.

Wally smiled. His first one of the night. They were both going to be okay. He’d make sure of it. He was going to stay safe until the day they could finally meet in person.

And once that happened, Wally was never going to let him go.

Wally grabbed his backpack and his dirty clothes and walked down the hall to the guest room. He hesitated, eyeing the bloody clothes in his hand. He left his backpack and walked carefully down the stairs, approaching the kitchen.

“Thanks, Batman,” Barry said, voice filtering softly through the doorway. “You’ll be here within the day? Try not to attract too much attention. You can come through the back. I owe you for this.”

Wally didn’t hear what Batman had said, but it was something that made Barry laugh. He didn’t think Batman was capable of cracking jokes but it had been enough to lighten the mood.

He stepped into the kitchen and Iris looked up at his appearance.

“Wally,” she said, hurrying over to him. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I’m fine. I just thought it would be a good idea to get these clothes washed.”

She nodded. “I can take care of those. You get yourself something to eat. I’m sure you need it.”

“Sure.”

“How are you feeling?” Barry asked after he slipped his phone into his pocket.

“Better. Were you talking to Batman?”

Barry grinned. “Yup. He’s going to be in town tomorrow and he’s bringing someone with him.”

Wally stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

“He’s got a sidekick.”

“A sidekick?” Wally asked excitedly, grin pulling at his lips. “My age?”

“A couple years younger. He goes by the name of Robin.”

Wally’s excitement grew. Finally, he had someone to talk to about what it was like being a kid hero. He could have a new friend even. He couldn’t wait to meet him and tell Blue about it.

Chapter Text

Dick stared at the book in front of him, not even reading the words on the page. He hadn’t been able to pull his focus off Green for the past day. Not when the bruises had appeared.

He curled his fingers into a fist at the reminder. He’d been so scared. Something had been wrong and it made Dick realize just how helpless he was. He didn’t know who his soulmate was and if he was ever in real trouble, he’d never be able to get to him in time.

He couldn’t lose another person. Not after his family and then being taken from the circus. He needed Green. It was unhealthy how much he needed him.

And then when he’d said Dick would never have to worry about him again…

He hadn’t been able to breathe. The panic constricted his chest and was a lead weight bearing down on him, slowly killing him and sucking the life and hope from him. His chance at happiness was hanging by a thread and there was nothing he could do to save it. There was nothing for him to grab onto to keep the line from snapping.

But Green had been fine. He’d gotten somewhere safe and the realization that Dick wasn’t going to lose him left him feeling exhausted and empty. He’d curled up in the corner of his bed, the duvet pulled tightly around his shoulders as he tried to find his sense of equilibrium again.

It still wasn’t completely back.

“Dick.”

His head shot up at Bruce’s voice. He whirled around in his desk chair to find him standing in the doorway of his room.

“We’re going on a trip.”

Dick cocked his head. “A trip?” he asked.

“One of the members of the Justice League-the Flash-needs my help in Central City. It has to do with his sidekick and I want to bring you along.”

“We’re going to Central?” Dick asked, jumping out of his chair, the spiral of his thoughts forgotten in the wake of the excitement of their new mission. “I’m going to meet another sidekick?!”

“He’s a couple of years older than you, but we need to put down a couple of ground rules for the visit.”

Dick deflated. “Like what?”

“You aren’t to tell him your secret identity. He’s still young and neither of you need the weight that comes with revealing your identities.”

“Does that mean I have to wear a mask the whole time?” Dick asked, making a face.

Bruce chuckled slightly. “You’ll wear sunglasses when you’re not in uniform. This mission is designed for stealth, especially with the reason why we’re going.”

DIck sobered. “What’s the mission about anyway?”

Bruce’s lips thinned. “I want you to know this is very sensitive information. Kid Flash may not want to talk about it with you. Do you understand that?”

Dick nodded.

“We’re going to oversee the transfer of guardianship for Kid Flash. Because of his secret identity we can’t take this through the proper legal channels. He heals at a faster rate because of his superpowers and government officials would find it suspicious if he didn’t have any lingering bruises.”

“Lingering bruises?” Dick asked.

Bruce nodded. “Kid Flash was being physically abused by his father.”

Dick gaped, trying to comprehend how a father could treat his son in such a way. Even if Kid Flash had been a bad kid and caused trouble, he didn’t think there could be anything awful enough that would cause the parents to hurt him.

“What…how could…why did that happen?”

Bruce shook his head. “I’m not sure yet. The Flash didn’t share that with me either. We might find out when we get there, but I don’t want you forcing this from Kid Flash. He’s been through a lot and could use a positive presence around him.”

“So you want us to be friends?” he asked.

“If that’s how you see it. Allies would be fine too,” Bruce said.

“Allies is more of a you thing,” Dick said. “I’ll be friends with Kid Flash.”

“Whatever you say,” Bruce sighed. “We’re going to leave in a couple of hours so get packed.”

“But what about my schoolwork?”

“I’ll have you excused from school for the next few days and you can make up your work when we get back. Dress in something inconspicuous and meet me in the Cave when you’re ready. We’ll be taking the plane.”

“Sure thing, Bruce,” Dick said, pulling open the doors to his closet. He grabbed his uniform and a duffle bag. He turned to put it on his bed and noticed that Bruce had left as silently as he’d come.

Dick quickly packed some spare pairs of jeans and shirts. He slipped a hoodie over his head, settling into the soft warmth of the red fabric. He pulled the zipper shut on his bag and shoved his feet into a pair of broken in converse.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and sprinted from his room, hurrying towards the stairs for the Cave.

Chapter Text

Dick bounced in his seat during the plane ride to Central City. He’d hardly been able to sit still and Bruce had given him a look more than once to try and keep him from bouncing off the walls. Dick had chosen to mostly ignore that.

They landed on the outskirts of town in an open and secluded field the League had used more than once in stowing any planes or larger craft they needed to keep out of the public eye.

A car was parked on the edge of the field, a man leaning against it.

“Put these on,” Bruce said when he landed the plane and shut off the systems. He handed a pair of sunglasses over to Dick who made a face before slipping them on the bridge of his nose.

Bruce pushed out of his chair and strode towards the back of the plane. Dick scrambled after him and grabbed his duffle, slinging the strap over his shoulder. Bruce waited as he hurried down the ramp before he let it shut and secured it with a passcode.

“Ready to meet The Flash?” Bruce asked as he started across the field.

“Yeah,” Dick said, grin pulling at his lips.

The figure leaning against the car waved as they approached.

“Hey, Bats!” he called. “Glad you made it.”

“I told you I’d be here,” Bruce said, no doubt rolling his eyes behind his own pair of dark glasses.

“Yeah, but it’s nice to see you’ve come through. And brought your own squirt along with you,” he said, glancing down at Dick.

Dick wrinkled his nose. “Squirt?” he asked. “I prefer Robin.”

The Flash barked a laugh and Dick realized for the first time how surprising it was to see this hero without a mask.

“Why aren’t you wearing a mask?” he blurted. 

The Flash stopped laughing and looked down at him, eyes still filled with mirth. Dick’s face flamed and he shifted in place. He glanced up at Bruce but found the barest ghost of a smile on his face.

The Flash squatted down in front of him so they were nearly on eye-to-eye.

“Because, I trust Bats here with my identity. I know he’s not going to give me up and if you’ve been trained by him, then I know you won’t either.”

Dick gaped, mouth falling open wide and he ruffled his hair.

“Come on,” he said. “Toss your bags into the trunk and we can get to the house. The kid is looking forward to meeting both of you.”

He popped open the trunk and Dick tossed his bag in the back after Bruce’s. He climbed into the backseat while Bruce took the front and watched the plane fall away, melting into the surroundings to cloak itself before they were even out of the field.

Dick stared up at the blue sky as they drove, amazed at the difference compared to Gotham which was perpetually cloudy and grey. The sun was shining and puffy white clouds dotted the sky.

He glanced over the skyscrapers that dotted the city in the distance, touching the sky above the suburb rooftops.

Dick was only able to pull his gaze from the sights around him when he felt the car slow under him. They pulled into a drive outside a small, quaint house. It was a fraction of the size of the Manor but felt more welcoming than the Manor had when he’d first been brought there.

He scrambled out of the car, looking over the house as Bruce climbed out of the front at a much slower pace. The front door slammed open and a gust of wind whipped around Dick before a redhead several inches taller than him stopped in front of him, grinning widely.

Dick blinked, lips parting in shock at the impossibly green eyes he was faced with.

“You’re Robin!” he greeted.

Dick nodded, still staring at him.

“Uncle Barry can we go up to my room?” he asked, turning to the Flash.

Dick’s eyes went wide and he whipped around, looking at Bruce like he might know what to do with the sudden revelation, but he wasn’t giving anything away.

The Flash-Barry apparently-chuckled. “Sure thing, kid. Don’t scare him off, okay?”

“Come on,” he said, grabbing hold of Dick’s wrist before pulling him along to the house.

Thanks to his years of training as an acrobat and learning to keep his balance at a young age, Dick managed to avoid tripping on the stairs with the pace they were going and the next thing he knew, they were in a room that didn’t look very homey. It resembled a guest room with a few books and out of place clothes strewn around.

“So I know it doesn’t look like much, but I haven’t really moved in yet. I’ve only been here about a day so it needs some personal touches if you know what I mean,” he said, dropping Dick’s hand. He spun around to face Dick and stuck out a hand. “I’m Wally by the way. Wally West.”

“But what about your secret identity?” he blurted. “It’s supposed to be a secret.”

Wally shrugged. “Yeah and it will be when I’m around villains or people I can’t trust, but you’re Robin. You work with the greatest detective in the world. I know you know how to keep a secret.”

Dick blinked and carefully extended a hand, giving Wally’s a weak shake. “I’m Robin. Sorry I can’t tell you my real name yet.”

Wally waved and shrugged, the grin never leaving his face. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just have to get you to trust me enough that maybe one day you’ll tell me. Anyway,” he said, hopping back onto his bed with a little bounce. “What do you like to do?”

Dick smiled and moved to sit down next to him.

Chapter Text

Dick cackled as he flipped out of Wally’s bedroom window. He landed with a roll on the grass and let the dirt and his back absorb the brunt of the fall.

“That was amazing!” Wally cried, appearing at his side in an instant.

Dick grinned and brushed a few blades of grass from his jeans. “Now just imagine doing that off a skyscraper.”

Wally grinned, eyes shining in the bright sunlight. “How did you learn how to do that anyway? You’re so little.”

Dick wrinkled his nose. “I’m not that much younger than you,” he pointed out.

“Yeah but I’ve been a superhero longer than you have.”

Dick huffed. “And I’ve been an acrobat longer than you have.”

“You’re an acrobat?”

Dick smiled and did a back handspring before doing a back-bend and kicking his legs up into the air for a handstand. “Grew up in the circus and everything.”

“That’s so neat! What was it like! Were you friends with all the animals? Are the clowns as scary as they seem to be?”

Dick laughed and let gravity pull his legs back down to Earth. He straightened. “The clowns are nothing but a bunch of drama queens. And they have way too expensive tastes in makeup.”

“What about the animals?”

Dick dropped to the grass and sat cross-legged, tilting his head back to soak up the sun. “The elephants were always my favorite,” he murmured.

“Yeah elephants are cool. Have you ever been to the zoo?” Wally asked, sitting down next to him.

Dick shook his head. “I haven’t really done much in Gotham. Being trained by Batman took up enough of my free time.”

“But you’re a kid!” Wally cried. “You can’t miss out on such iconic childhood experiences!”

“Maybe I can convince him to go when we get back.”

“I have a better idea,” Wally said before he disappeared.

Dick blinked when he appeared a moment later and pulled Dick to his feet.

“Great news,” he said. “Aunt I agreed to take us to the zoo while Uncle Barry and Batman do whatever they need to do. Come on!”

He pulled Dick into the house where Iris was waiting for them, an amused smile on her face. She twirled a ring of keys around her finger.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Wally said, rushing past with Dick in tow. Dick grinned, hurrying after Wally as Iris strolled after them.

They stopped next to the car and Wally was practically jumping up and down in place. Dick squinted at him and found the edges of his form blurred slightly.

“Woah, wait, dude are you vibrating?” he asked.

Wally froze, a deep red blush flooding his cheeks and creeping up to his hairline. “Um, no?”

Dick grinned. “So is that a thing you can turn on and off? Do you do it unconsciously a lot?” he asked, circling Wally.

Wally cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. “I…sometimes? When I get really excited it just kinds of happens. I’ve gotten better now that I’ve learned to control it. It was a lot worse when I first got my powers.”

Dick nodded. “That’s pretty cool. Can you isolate it?”

Wally cocked his head to the side. “Maybe? I’ve never tried it.”

“No trying it in the car,” Iris said as she unlocked the doors and slid into the front seat. Dick and Wally crawled into the back and she turned around to give them both a heavy look. “I don’t want you breaking anything. We’re going to the zoo and you can save all your weird speed experiments for when we’re back at the house.”

“Yes, Aunt I,” Wally said dutifully.

She nodded and faced forward again, jamming the key into the ignition to bring the car to life. They backed out of the driveway and started down the street, headed for the zoo.

Chapter Text

Dick grinned and braced his hands on the railing in front of him, trying to get as close as he could.

“Woah, dude calm down,” Wally said, pulling him back by his hoodie.

“Hey,” he protested, trying to bat his hands away.

“Look, I know you like elephants but you can’t exactly climb over the fence to go ride them,” Wally hissed.

Dick raised an eyebrow. “I could definitely get over this wall and I know you could too. They wouldn’t even see you.”

“Neither of you are going to be climbing over any walls,” Iris said, shoving an ice cream cone into each of their hands. “We’re here to look at the animals. If you want to pet something, we’ll go to a petting zoo next.”

Wally didn’t seem too perturbed by Iris’s comment, more focused on the food in his hand. Dick watched him eat.

“How many calories do you burn?” he blurted.

Wally stared and blinked at him before resuming his eating.

“Too many,” Iris sighed with a fond smile. “Him and Barry both. I can barely keep food in the house before it gets eaten.”

“I always have to fuel up before my runs,” Wally said around a mouthful of ice cream. “If I don’t I won’t be able to make it.”

Dick thought of the reminders Green wrote on his arm about snacks and when he last ate. “You know that kind of reminds me of my soulmate,” he said, voice soft as the sentence slipped out without him thinking much about it.

“Dude, you have a soulmate?” Wally asked excitedly. “Me too!”

“What’s yours like?” Dick asked, finally licking his melting ice cream as they started walking to the next exhibit.

“He’s amazing,” Wally gushed. “Although he’s had some hard times recently. Lost his parents.”

Dick felt his own heart tighten at the reminder of what he lost. “I can understand how hard that is,” he whispered.

“Yeah,” Wally sighed. “But he got adopted and has a great new family. He’s so smart too. And funny. I wish I could meet him. And I feel bad about the whole superhero thing.”

“So he doesn’t know?” Dick asked.

Wally shook his head. “Nah, Barry didn’t want me to tell him yet. What about you? Does your soulmate know about that part of your life?”

Dick snorted. “Are you kidding? B didn’t even want me to tell you my identity, no way would he let me tell some stranger who he has no control over.”

Wally chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Rob. What else is he like?”

“He eats food all the time. Always reminds himself about it. He’s super nice and funny and he’s been really good to have around.”

They walked in silence for a while, Iris trailing behind them to let them talk while she kept them in sight.

“Do you ever feel bad about having to keep part of your life secret from the one person who’s supposed to know you better than everyone else?”

Dick blinked and stared at Wally who looked embarrassed.

“More than you know. Whenever I get a bruise from training or fighting and it makes him anxious I feel guilty,” Dick whispered.

Wally let out a breath, looking relieved. “Me too. He was actually the reason I ran away from home,” he admitted.

“Wally,” Iris said softly.

He looked back at her and shook his head. “It’s okay, Aunt I,” he said, offering her a smile before he turned back to Dick. “I scared him because my dad was hurting me and I knew I couldn’t put him through that kind of worry. Not for me. I had a way out and I took it.”

Dick nodded, shocked how similar their experiences with their soulmates were to each other. “I’m sorry your parents did that to you. No one deserves to be treated like that.”

Wally forced a smile on his face but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Your parents must be pretty awesome though. I mean, you get to run with Batman.”

Dick smiled and turned his focus onto his ice cream. “Yeah,” he whispered. “They were amazing.”

“Oh look!” Wally said. “It’s the cheetah exhibit, come on!”

He grabbed Dick’s hand and pulled him along, spouting off all kinds of facts about the fastest mammal in the world.

Chapter Text

Wally opened and closed his hands, trying to get his heartrate to slow. He was nervous. Not just nervous, he was scared. And he was trying to process the words Uncle Barry had just said to him. He could feel Robin’s eyes on him and tried to ignore how his past and present were about to implode.

“I-what?” he croaked, looking at Barry with wide, pleading eyes.

Barry sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We need to go and pack up the things from your house. You don’t have to take everything, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to abandon all of your belongings.”

“But, my Dad…”

Barry shook his head. “He can’t do anything to you without getting in serious trouble. Iris and I are your official guardians now and Batman and I will make sure he stays far away from you while you pack.”

Wally swallowed and nodded. “Okay,” he said, voice trembling slightly.

Barry nodded and snaked his arm around Wally’s shoulders, walking him towards the door where the car was waiting for them. Iris was already sitting in the backseat and Wally slid into the middle while Robin crowded in after him. Barry and Batman took the front, Batman crossing his arms while they backed out of the driveway.

Wally’s leg bounced up and down in the backseat as he chewed on his nails. He froze when he felt slim fingers wrap around the hand pressed against the seat and glanced down to find Robin’s hand resting over his.

He flashed Robin a grateful smile who smiled back and nodded.

The drive was long and Wally was anxious for it to be over. He could’ve run to his old house and back faster than it took to drive. And maybe he could convince Barry to let him run back. Iris could drive the car if Barry wanted to come with him.

Robin’s grip tightened on his hand as they turned down the street to his house and pulled into the driveway. Barry turned and gave him a supportive smile before he pulled the keys from the ignition and got out of the car.

Wally swallowed and let himself get led do the door by Robin’s grip on his hand. Barry and Batman stood in front of him while Iris stood behind him, keeping him surrounded by a wall of bodies.

Barry ran the doorbell and the door was pulled open within minutes to reveal Rudy’s scowling face.

“What do you want?” he spat at Barry.

“We came to get Wally’s things,” he answered coolly.

Rudy’s eyes moved past Barry to where Wally stood. He gripped Robin’s hand in his, afraid he might let go and disappear but Robin didn’t seem bothered by the contact. Rudy glanced down at their hands and his scowl deepened.

“What a worthless son,” he spat. “I had to get stuck with the broken one. The one who’s messed up.”

Iris’s hand tightened on Wally’s shoulder at the words. “There is nothing wrong with Wally,” she said, voice low and sharp enough to ignite a flame. “Now if you’re done, we’ll be getting his things and leaving for good.”

“So now you think you can just barge into my house and take whatever you want?” he exploded.

He opened his mouth to say something else but choked as his air supply was cut off. His face went red, eyes going wide as Batman’s hand tightened around his throat and lifted him from the porch.

“Keep quiet,” he growled, carrying Rudy into the house so the rest of them could file inside.

Iris hurried Wally and Robin up the stairs to his bedroom while Barry and Batman moved to keep Rudy occupied in the living room. Wally knew when Batman finally let him down because he could hear a string of insults once he was able to breathe again.

Wally swallowed and looked around his room, wondering how he was supposed to pack up his whole life in one trip.

“What about this?”

Wally jolted, blinking to find Robin had walked over to his desk and was holding his old home chemistry kit in his hand. He shook his head. “No. I’ve used up all the chemicals for that one so it won’t do me any good. I always get a new one for Christmas anyway.”

Robin nodded and set it back down. He gestured towards the bookshelf that held an array of science books and trophies from science fairs he’d participated in.

“I’ll bring the trophies with me and a few of the books,” he said, moving over to his side. “I only want the ones I know I’ll read again.”

Robin nodded and started to gather the trophies and ribbons into his arms, organizing them on the desk with a soothing sense of calm that had Wally relaxing despite having his father downstairs.

“Which of these clothes do you want to bring?” Iris asked, unzipping the large suitcase that had been shoved in the back of his closet.

“Just start pulling stuff out and I’ll let you know if I want it or not. I want all the long-sleeve shirts and the hoodies though.”

She nodded and grabbed those first, pulling them from the hangers to fold up and tuck away in the suitcase.

Wally was glad when Rudy calmed down and he couldn’t hear his complaints anymore. It made it easier to pack everything up. He’d be leaving soon and he’d never have to see them again if he didn’t want to. And with the way things had already gone when it came to his soulmate, Wally knew that if the choice came between his parents and his soulmate, he was going to choose his soulmate.

Chapter Text

With every small box they carried up the stairs to Wally’s new room, Dick felt dread curl tighter in his stomach. He knew once they got everything moved upstairs into Barry and Iris’s house, there’d be no reason for him and Bruce to linger any longer.

And he was shocked to realize that he really didn’t want to leave.

Wally had been fun. Fun in a way that Dick hadn’t really had since his parents died. Training with Bruce and living with him and Alfred had been great but he didn’t have any close friends at school. He didn’t really have any friends at all.

But Wally was funny and nice and amazing and Dick wanted to hang out with him forever.

Dick carried his last box into Wally’s room and found him standing in the middle of everything, looking around a little lost.

“You okay?” Dick asked, setting his box on top of one of the others.

Wally nodded, eyes slowly sliding back to him. “It’s just weird. All my life packed up in little boxes and just moved here. I always thought I’d have a place with my parents.”

Dick crossed his arms, trying to keep the memories of his own life at bay.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

Wally nodded. “Yeah, I…I think so. I’ve got my Aunt I and Uncle Barry and I know they’ll take care of me.” He grinned. “And now I’ve got you, too.”

Dick’s chest warmed.

“Robin!” Bruce called from the bottom of the stairs. “We need to head back to Gotham.”

Dick sighed, his shoulders sagging. “I guess that’s my cue.”

He dropped his arms and started to turn, hesitating.

“It was great to meet you, Wally. I had a lot of fun.”

In the blink of an eye, arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a crushing hug.

“I had a lot of fun, too, Rob. And don’t think that I’m just going to disappear on you. I still have to get you to trust me enough to tell me your secret identity.”

Dick chuckled and grinned, hugging him back tightly. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Robin,” Bruce called again.

He sighed and stepped out of the hug. “I guess I should go.”

“Do you mind if I walk you down?” Wally asked.

Dick grinned and nodded.

They left his packed room behind and trudged down the stairs where Bruce and Barry were waiting.

“Thank you for coming,” Iris said as Dick reached them. “You know you’re more than welcome to drop by anytime and we’d love to have you over for dinner.”

Bruce nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind if we’re ever around.”

She smiled. “And we’d always love to have Robin over, too. I’m sure Wally would enjoy having a friend around once and a while.”

Bruce nodded.

“Friends forever, right?” Wally asked, holding out his pinky.

“Right,” Dick agreed, wrapping his own pinky around Wally’s.

Wally pulled him into a tight hug and Dick closed his eyes, holding in the sigh that he wanted to let out.

“Time to go, Robin.”

Dick nodded into Wally’s shoulder before he pulled back. Wally’s smile still pulled his lips wide but his eyes had lost a little sparkle. Iris wrapped an arm around his shoulders and waved them out the door as Barry followed them to the car.

Dick climbed in the back, staring at the house for as long as he could when they pulled out of the driveway and started down the street. The backseat was too big and too empty and cold. He already missed being close to his new friend.

Bruce helped him out of the car with a little prodding and took both of their bags as he said his goodbyes to Barry. They trudged across the field, the Batplane materializing in front of them.

Dick settled into his seat, not really looking at anything as Bruce readied the plane and took off. His thoughts stayed in Central City as the distance between him and Wally grew. He wondered if he was unpacking and how he was fitting all of his things into his new room.

He wondered if he was smiling or if he couldn’t find it in himself to be happy after everything that had happened to him.

“Dick.”

He jumped in his seat, blinking furiously as he took in the Cave through the windshield of the plane. He hadn’t even realized they’d reached Gotham.

“Come with me,” he continued.

Dick hopped out of his seat and scurried after Bruce, following him over to a table that held several gadgets being built or tinkered with.

Bruce opened one of the long drawers and pulled out a sleek laptop.

“This is for you,” he said, handing it over.

Dick cradled the computer in his hands. “What for?” he asked, nervous at suddenly being presented with something so extravagant.

“I thought you could use your own computer for school work or if you wanted to play video games or browse the web. You’ll also find an encrypted program on the computer that will allow you to message and converse with Wally.”

Dick froze, eyes going wide as he looked up at Bruce.

“Barry is going to give Wally his own program that’s specifically designed for you two and will allow you to stay in contact.”

“Thank you Bruce,” he blurted, setting the laptop carefully to the side so he could throw his arms around Bruce’s stomach. “Thank you so much,” he gushed.

Bruce chuckled and ruffled his hair.

Chapter Text

Dick fidgeted where he was sitting cross-legged on his bed. His new computer was sitting closed on the comforter in front of him and as desperate as he was to talk to Wally again and see him, he was a little nervous about whether Wally would want to have this kind of contact with him.

Dick sighed and grabbed the pen from his bedside table. He hadn’t talked to his soulmate while he was away in Central City and was desperate to catch him up on things. And maybe he’d help him figure out what to do about Wally.

Green, you around?

He didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

Yeah, what’s up? Missed you.

Dick smiled and drew a little heart.

Missed you too. I was busy the last couple of days.

Doing what?

I made a new friend.

Oh really?! Me too! He’s super fun and cool.

Dick chuckled.

My friend is too. But he lives far away.

Mine does too. He’s only been gone a few hours but my house already feels too big.

Dick frowned.

Do you have any way to talk to him?

Yeah, my uncle actually gave me something but I dunno. I haven’t heard anything from him.

You should reach out to him. You might be surprised and he might be as nervous as you are.

Yeah I guess you’re right. I’ll do it! I’ll talk to him. And you should talk to your friend too!

Dick grinned and reached forward, pulling his laptop open. He hit the power button and sat back while it turned on.

You’re right. I’m going to do it! Thanks Green.

Anything for you.

Dick smiled when the screen of his computer lit up. The lock screen prompted him to create a new password and he quickly made up a complicated series of letters and numbers that would make Bruce proud.

Once he was in, he spotted a single icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen. He clicked on it and a large box appeared with options to open a chat or start a video.

There was one contact listed on the side-bar and Dick grinned at the little green dot glowing next to it. He clicked the contact, pulling up an empty chat with a dialogue box.

Robin: Hey Wally!

Three dots appeared in the corner before his reply showed up in a grey bubble.

Kid Flash: Rob! Hey! Can you believe they gave us a way to talk to each other?

Robin: I was kind of shocked when we got back. I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk to you for months.

Kid Flash: But now we can talk to each other all the time.

Robin: The only thing that would be better would be if we lived closer and could actually do things.

Kid Flash: We’ve already covered the zoo. What other things are you missing out on?

Robin: I don’t know? What do normal kids do?

Kid Flash: Go to the movies or the mall. We could go bowling!

Dick wrinkled his nose.

Robin: What’s bowling?

Kid Flash: DUDE. ROB. I CANNOT BELIEVE.

Robin: What?

Kid Flash: Bowling is like…amazing. And all kids should do it.

Dick watched, eyes wide as Wally descended into a rant about the merits of bowling and that as soon as they were together again, he was going to take him to a bowling alley and force him to play at least three games where he would effectively be crushed by the expertise that was the “Wall-man.”

Dick smiled, enjoying every second of the conversation and ridiculousness that he was coming to associate with Wally West.

When Wally was finally pulled away from his computer by his aunt and uncle, Dick closed his computer and sprinted down the stairs to the study. He slipped behind the grandfather clock and hopped down the stairs, racing over to Bruce where he was working at his computer.

“What is it?” Bruce asked, not looking away from the screen.

“When can I see Wally again?” he demanded.

Bruce raised an eyebrow and finally looked at him.

“What?” he asked.

“I want to visit Wally again. When can I see him again?”

“You just got back,” he pointed out.

“So?” Dick scoffed. “We have a plane!“

Bruce stared at him for a moment but Dick could see the amusement glittering in his eyes. He turned back to the computer and started typing.

“I may know of something that involves the Flash and Green Arrow and their sidekicks. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a little help.”

Dick beamed, throwing his arms around Bruce’s shoulders in an enthusiastic hug.

Chapter Text

Dick never knew teleporting could be so freaking cool.

He’d known about the idea of it and knew the technology to make it work needed to be super advanced so no one lost any limbs or was killed in the transfer when their particles were literally split apart and put back together again. But knowing about how complex the process was and actually experiencing it was miles apart.

And disappearing from the Cave to appear in an underground bunker filled with racks of arrows and bows was so freaking cool.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” Green Arrow said, grin wide and welcoming despite the cowl covering half his face.

“Rob, you made it!“

Dick grinned as he was swept up in Wally’s arms. It hadn’t been that long since they’d last seen each other and being able to talk or video chat everyday had helped with the distance. But being back with his best friend, and there was no doubt that Wally was his best friend at this point, lifted a huge weight off his chest.

“You didn’t tell me we were going to be teaming up with a couple kids,” a redheaded boy said as he slunk up next to Green Arrow.

“Hey, we’re not that much younger than you,” Wally said, voice indignant.

“Don’t let their age throw you,” Barry said, zipping in out of nowhere. “They know how to handle themselves in the field. Batman trusted his partner enough to come here on his own, Speedy.”

The kid stilled and Dick knew he was looking over every inch of him in his Robin uniform.

“This kid is Batman’s partner?” he asked, obviously not wanting to believe it.

“Sure am,” Dick huffed. “And unlike you, my mentor trusts me enough to let my handle team-ups without him.”

Barry chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go getting a big head kid. You’re still here with two members of the Justice League.”

“And your best bro,” Wally said, pointing a thumb against his own chest.

Dick snickered and held out a fist that Wally eagerly bumped.

“So, what bad guys are we taking down tonight, anyway?” Dick asked, grin pulling at his lips as excitement flooded his veins.

Barry and Green Arrow shared a grin before beckoning them over to a large monitor.

~~

Dick cackled and threw three more birdarangs at the goons on the dock. They growled and fought to move back but one of the points found its home in one of the guy’s legs.

He yelped and scrabbled to pull it out, dropping his gun to the concrete with a metallic clink. Barry and Wally zipped past, zig-zagging around each other as they spun the criminals in circles, holding their attention while they successfully made them dizzy.

Once they slipped out of range, green and red arrows descended in a flurry, giving off smoke and small explosions that rocked the dock and unsettled the rest of the criminals involved in the smuggling operation.

They looked uneasy but before any of them could make a break for it, Dick launched himself from the top of the shipping container he’d been perched on, jumping into the fray.

He saw easily through the smoke that disoriented everyone else. He jumped onto one of the guy’s shoulders and took him town. He groaned and struggled in Dick’s grip but he hit a nerve in the back of his neck, making him go limp.

Dick cackled again, grin wide as he breathed through the harmless smoke.

“Don’t have all the fun without me, Rob!” Wally said, appearing out of nowhere to fight behind him and knock down another two criminals.

“Then try and keep up, KF!” He kicked the next guy in the stomach but he didn’t budge an inch from the impact.

“You two are idiots,” Speedy hissed, jumping into the fray and loosing an arrow into the guy’s shoulder who was standing above Dick. He stumbled back, hand wrapping around the shaft of the arrow to yank it back out with a spray of blood.

“You’re the idiot,” Wally shot back. “We’re awesome. Right Rob?” he asked, taking hold of Dick’s arm to pull him forward.

“Much more awesome than Speedy,” he agreed, hopping up on Wally’s back. Wally sprinted away to the sound of Speedy’s grumbling, intent on taking down more of the bad guys before he could catch up to them.

They could both tell he was trying to feign exasperation at being surrounded by two “kids,” but they could tell it was quickly becoming fond and Speedy was actually having fun with their unofficial competition.

This mission was definitely the most fun Dick had had in a while. And he hoped Bruce would let them work together more often. If nothing else, a lot could be said about the decline in criminal activity when two speedsters, two archers, and the second best thing to Batman were all working together to crack the case.

Chapter Text

Dick kicked his legs happily where he was seated on the rooftop next to Wally with a box of pizza between them. It was more of a post-patrol snack than an actual meal but that didn’t keep Wally from inhaling half the pizza.

“If you don’t slow down, Roy’s going to be pissed when he gets back and sees all the pizza’s gone,” Dick whispered, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t carry on the wind. He was still amazing when he’d told them who he was and they’d been properly introduced to Green Arrow as Oliver Queen, yet another vigilante using his money to fight crime while posing as an empty-headed billionaire playboy.

Wally scoffed. “It’s his own fault for leaving to go get the soda,” he muttered around a mouthful of food.

Dick grinned and grabbed another slice because he couldn’t exactly disagree with that.

It had been months since their first team-up and the three of them had grown closer, going on as many missions together as they could. Wally and Roy had only made it to Gotham once and Dick took every opportunity he could to help out in Central and Starling.

Dick hadn’t managed to tell them his secret identity yet but he was dying to be able to do it. He didn’t want to hide from them anymore. Wally was his best friend and Roy was basically his older brother. It was getting harder and harder to keep details about his life vague when they were the two people he could trust the most besides his soulmate.

An arrow shot past their heads, pulling a line taut. Seconds later, Roy landed on the roof with a roll. He jumped to his feet and swaggered over to them, holding three bottles of soda.

“Great,” Dick drawled when he got his. “Now I can’t open this for at least five minutes.”

“If you don’t like it, I don’t have to bring you one next time,” Roy huffed, snatching up the last two slices of pizza before Wally could. “And gee, thanks for saving me so much pizza.”

“You were the one who volunteered to get the drinks,” Wally shot back. “You know how I get around food.”

Dick snickered behind the crust of his own slice as Wally carefully twisted the cap on his soda. He tightened it again as it immediately started fizzing.

Dick chewed slowly, his mind wandering as he gazed out over the city. He was at home with his friends. Everything had seemed so terrible when his parents died. He still missed them but it was easier now.

Bruce was almost like a dad even if he wasn’t as open as his own father had been. He had two great friends who he got to see almost every weekend and he talked with Wally on the computer every night, spending the hours working on homework.

He had a night job that didn’t pay but gave him a purpose in life. And he had his soulmate who was always a warm presence lurking under his skin and at the back of his mind.

“Come on,” Dick said, pushing himself to his feet. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Go where?” Wally asked, eyeing the crust in his hand.

Dick tossed it at him, offering a small smile when Wally caught it in his mouth.

“I‘m still eating,” Roy protested, shoving half of his second slice in his mouth.

“Then bring it with you,” he muttered, securing his soda in his utility belt. “This is important.”

Roy stilled and nodded. He shoved his own soda in his quiver and shoved the pizza box at Wally.

“Throw this away while we move. Where to, Rob?”

Dick pulled out his grapple gun and aimed it across the street. “Just stay with me and I’ll find us a place.”

He hadn’t fully decided on where he wanted to take them, but he had his eyes on the tallest building in the city. They couldn’t be seen or heard on the top of that.

Dick jumped form the roof, Roy easily following after him. Wally ran down the side of the building, making a detour into the alley to toss the empty pizza box away.

Roy asked Dick questions as they flew, wanting to know what he knew and what they were doing. He didn’t answer, preferring to keep his focus on what he was about to do.

Bruce wouldn’t be happy when he found out. That was the least of his worries.

Wally made it to the top of the skyscraper seconds before Dick’s feet touched the roof. Roy landed next to him and raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for his next move.

“Okay so?” Roy asked. “Why’d you bring us here?”

Dick took a couple precious seconds to make sure his grapple gun was secured on his belt.

“I wanted to tell you guys something,” he admitted.

“And you had to bring us all the way up here to do it?” Roy asked.

Dick nodded, letting out a nervous breath. He finally brought his hands up to his mask and peeled the edges away from his skin.

“My name…my real name,” he corrected, “is Dick. Dick Grayson.” He pulled his mask free, revealing piercing blue eyes in the dim light on the roof.

Wally stared at him, lips parted in shock. Roy didn’t look much better.

A beat passed and Dick was about to ask what was wrong when Wally sped over to him and enveloped him in a tight hug, spinning him around.

“This is so awesome, dude!” he cheered.

Dick’s laugh was high and bright as it carried over the rooftops.

Chapter Text

Dick squinted at Wally’s grainy form on the computer screen. He looked nervous and was fidgeting more than normal.

“What’s wrong?” Dick asked.

Wally jolted and forced his smile wider, trying to make everything seem find. “What? No-nothing! Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”

Dick leaned forward. “Is it your dad? Is he trying to do something?”

“No!” Wally said, eyes going wide as he waved his hands in front of him. “I haven’t seen or heard from him since we moved my stuff out of my parents’ house. Don’t worry, he’s staying as far away as he can from me and I’m not going anywhere near him.”

Dick watched him for a moment before he nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. “What is it then?”

“Well I…you see…do you wanttohaveasleepover?”

Dick blinked, his brain taking several seconds to catch up with Wally’s sentence. His eyes widened as Wally continued to fidget.

“Really?” he asked.

Wally, nodded, biting his lip. “I already asked Barry and Iris about it and they think it’s a great idea. You just need to convince Batman that you can come.”

“I’ll be right back,” Dick said, vaulting off his bed to run for the door. He threw it open and sprinted down the hall to the study. He skipped several steps as he ran down to the Cave and over to Bruce.

“Hey Bruce?” he asked, bracing his hands on his knees as he worked to catch his breath.

“What is it, Dick?” he asked, not turning away from his computer.

“Do you think I could maybe go to Central tonight?”

Bruce’s typing stopped and he turned to scrutinize Dick. “For what?”

Dick shifted, playing with the hem of his hoodie. Bruce’s eyes immediately zeroed in on the action.

“Well Wally, you see he kind of invited me over for a sleepover. Barry said it was okay as long as you did.”

Bruce hummed. “You want to have a sleepover with him?”

Dick nodded. “He…he’s my best friend and it’s always a lot of fun when we get to hang out but we haven’t really gotten to do much that wasn’t part of a mission so I’d like to spend some actual time with him.”

“I would say that you’d have to be careful to protect your secret identity but I know you’ve already felt comfortable sharing that little piece of information.”

Dick paled and opened and closed his mouth, trying to find something to say. “Bruce, I-”

Bruce held up a hand to stop him. “You made what you thought was the best decision and I can’t hold that against you. Barry has been with the Justice League since the beginning and although he’s more comfortable sharing his identity with the other heroes, I know he can be trusted when it’s important. I know he’ll work to impart that same understanding and trust on Wally when it comes to being a superhero.”

“So?” Dick prodded.

“So,” Bruce continued, dragging out the word. “Don’t stay up too late.”

Dick opened his mouth to argue that he should be allowed to visit his friend when the realization hit and the words died in his throat.

“You mean I can go?!” he asked, eyes lighting up as he bounced on his toes.

Bruce smiled and nodded. “But I am going to have some words with Flash before you leave.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “I know you’re going to call him once I walk out of the room.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

Dick grinned and threw his arms around Bruce’s shoulders, hugging him tightly. Bruce rested one of his hands on Dick’s back, returning the hug.

“Go get packed. I’m sure Wally will want you there as soon as possible.”

Dick nodded. “Thanks, Bruce,” he whispered before he turned on his heel and sprinted back up the stairs and headed for his room.

He couldn’t stop the grin that pulled at his face and collapsed onto his bed, finding a very concerned Wally watching him. He opened his mouth to say something but Dick didn’t let him get a word in.

“I can come over!” he said, voice breathless as he fought to suck in gasps of air.

Wally blinked, eyes wide before a brilliant grin stretched his face. He cheered and pumped his fist in the air making Dick laugh.

“Holy…I need to get packing,” he exclaimed, jumping up from his bed to grab a backpack. He froze and turned his laptop to look at Wally. “Wally!” he cried.

He blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“What do I pack for a sleepover?”

Wally laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Have no fear, best friend of mine, I know exactly what you need.”

Chapter Text

Dick jumped up and down as he waited in front of the zeta tube for Bruce to put in the coordinates.

“Barry is going to meet you at the other tube in Central. He’s already there and he’ll take you back to the house. Do you have everything you need?” Bruce asked.

Dick nodded. “Yeah! Wally helped me pack and I have my pajamas and a toothbrush and a change of clothes for tomorrow. I’m all set!”

Bruce gave him one last once over. “Okay,” he agreed.

“I’ll be fine, Bruce. And if you’re that worried, you could always pop over to Central to see me yourself.”

“If I need anything, I’ll just stick to giving Barry a call,” he muttered under his breath, pulling Dick into a tight hug.

Dick squeezed back, hiding his grin in Bruce’s shirt. He spun around when Bruce let him go and walked towards the zeta tube, giving Bruce an expectant look over his shoulder.

“Have fun,” Bruce said with a nod.

Dick nodded back and stepped into the tube, blinking against the bright blue light as he appeared in an abandoned phone booth in an alley.

“There’s my favorite bird,” Barry greeted with a grin. He was leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. “Are you ready to have some sleepover fun?” he asked.

“You have no idea,” Dick said, bouncing over to him.

Barry chuckled and squatted in front of Dick. “Hop on and we’ll be back to my house in a flash.”

Dick threw his arms around Barry’s shoulders and jumped, wrapping his legs around Barry’s waist as he gripped his thighs.

“Ready to go?” Barry asked.

“Yup!” Dick chirped.

The alley disappeared in the blink of an eye and Dick pursed his lips against the wind, squeezing his eyes shut as they watered from the force of the air battering his face.

Just as soon as it started it ended and Dick was being lowered to the ground.

“Here we are,” Barry said.

Dick opened his eyes and found they were in Barry and Iris’s backyard. He raced towards the door as Iris pulled it open and greeted him with a smile.

“They’re upstairs,” she called after him.

“Thanks!”

He sprinted up the stairs, barreling towards Wally’s room. He threw open the door, earning a squawk and then a surprised shout from Wally before arms wrapped around him.

“Oh cool, Roy’s here too!”

“Duh,” Roy said, rolling his eyes. “You think I’d really miss out on some quality time with my two little bros?”

“I’m not little,” Dick huffed, dropping his backpack on the floor.

“You’re littler than me,” Roy said with a smirk.

“Whatever,” Dick grumbled.

“Barry and Iris are ordering pizza later. You want to play video games until it gets here?” Wally asked.

“You know it,” Dick said, throwing himself onto the floor next to Wally and taking one of the controllers.

~~

Roy looked down at where Wally and Dick were splayed out across the pile of blankets and pillows that they’d put on the floor. They’d fallen asleep in the middle of the movie after eating giant bowls of ice cream.

One of Dick’s arms was resting on top of Wally’s chest and Wally looked like a starfish where he was stretched out, his mouth parted on gentle breaths.

Roy rolled his eyes, his gaze landing on something on the small desk that had been shoved into the corner of the room.

He grinned, face filled with evil glee. He carefully pushed himself to his feet, knowing he had to be careful if he didn’t want to wake Dick up since he was such a light sleeper and could be pulled from his dreams at the slightest out of place sound.

Roy crept across the floor and picked up the black, washable marker. Permanent would’ve been better but he would take what he could get. It wouldn’t mean he couldn’t take pictures of the damage and rub it in Wally’s face for the rest of his life.

He uncapped the marker and spared one last glance at Dick as he crouched over Wally, making sure he wasn’t about to wake up and kick Roy in the face for mistaking him as a threat to his best friend.

Roy’s tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated, holding the marker carefully so his hand didn’t rest on Wally’s face. The line wiggled as he drew the first curve of a dick on Wally’s forehead and his grin grew wider as it started to take shape.

He froze when he heard a sound next to him and glanced at Dick. He looked at Dick’s eyes first and let out a breath when he found they were still closed. He looked over Dick’s face to make sure he wasn’t about to wake up and froze when his eyes landed on his forehead.

Roy’s eyes widened as he watched the black dick he’d drawn on Wally’s forehead take shape, same squiggly lines and all.

He nearly dropped the marker on Wally’s head and scrambled to shove the cap back on. He backed away from Dick and Wally, glancing from one to the other as he realized just what that meant.

Roy pushed himself to his feet and stepped over Wally. He carefully pulled the bedroom door open, watching Dick as he did so until he could slip into the hallway. He rushed down to the bathroom and dug around the sink until he found a package of baby wipes.

He pulled one free and hurried back to the bedroom, glad to find both of his brothers were still asleep. He bent over Wally and gently started to clean the marker from his face, extremely glad he’d used washable marker and hadn’t found anything permanent that would take serious scrubbing before it came off.

Chapter Text

Dick winced as another fist connected with his arm. He rolled away form the impact and sprang to his feet, jumping back into the fray with Bruce. He tried to shake himself out of the memories that kept coming back to him from his sleepover with Wally.

Roy had acted super weird when they woke up in the morning and wouldn’t answer any of their questions when they tried to figure out what was wrong. He wouldn’t even look either of them in the eye and Dick and Wally could only assume he’d had an awkward dream while they were in the room.

That wasn’t the only thing that was still on his mind. He’d just gotten back from a mission on the other side of the world with Bruce. It had been amazing. They’d gotten to see a new place and Dick ate so much new food but there was always this sense of emptiness at the back of his mind and something tugging him back to Gotham and the States.

Something was missing from his life and he knew it had everything to do with the boy on the other end of his soulmate connection. He wanted to be with him and their limited communication through their arms wasn’t enough anymore. He wanted to sit around and cuddle on the couch while they watched movies. He wanted to go to the park and teach him how to do a handstand.

Being around Wally had helped because he was another friend who knew the superhero side of things and whenever they mourned the secrets they were still keeping form their soulmates, Dick found comfort in knowing he was there for him and understood how he felt. Bruce was doing his best and even though he understood his restrictions on what he could communicate to his soulmate, it was still hard for him to live with sometimes.

“Let’s go, Robin,” Bruce said once they’d tied up the last criminals. “I need to get you home so you can get some rest before the sun comes up.”

Dick sighed and nodded, following Bruce back up to the roof. He hated when he had to turn in from patrol early because of school. Bruce would always make him go back to the Manor where he’d be ordered around by Alfred while he finished patrolling the streets of Gotham until the sun came up.

Bruce crossed his arms when they reached the underground tunnel that would take him back to the Cave. Dick pouted but dutifully slipped inside, footsteps silent as he made his way back to the Cave.

Once he turned the first bend, low lights marked the sides of the ground so he could see what progress he was making.

He felt warmth spread across his arm and Dick grinned, sprinting towards the end of the tunnel.

“Master Richard?” Alfred asked when he burst through the opening of the tunnel and into the Cave.

“Hi Alfred!” he greeted. “I’m gonna head upstairs and get changed.”

“Alright would you like anything to…”

Alfred’s words fell away as Dick hurried up the steps to the clock and slipped into the study. He sprinted out of the room, door banging shut behind him. He didn’t bother checking the skin of his arm until he was in his room and had worked his mask off.

Blue are you doing okay? What’s with all the bruises?

Dick hummed and grabbed his pen, flopping onto his bad to write a reply.

Don’t worry, Green. Just gotta teach some people where their place is.

Oh reallyyyyyy. I thought you were just that clumsy.

Dick huffed a laugh under his breath.

I think that would be you in this relationship. You get more bruises than I do. I bet you trip over your feet.

No I don’t!
Besides, if I did, you’d be there to catch me, right?

Dick grinned.

I’ll swoop in and catch you before you can eat pavement.

My hero.

Just wait, Green. Once you meet me in person, there’s no way you’re going to get rid of me.

Then that goes double for you, Blue. I’m going to stick to you like jelly.

Jelly really isn’t that sticky…

Shut up, I’m trying to make a point.

Your similes could use some work.

When did you get so mean? I want my sweet Blue back.

I’ve always been mean. You’ve just worked away the top layers and are seeing me for who I really am. Too bad you’re stuck with me

Stuck with you? Please, I’ve been gifted with you.

Dick buried his hopeless grin in his comforter and tried to calm his heart down enough to get up and shower so he wouldn’t lose too much sleep before he had to get up for school.

Chapter Text

Dick frowned trying to wrap his head around what Bruce was telling him.

“So what you’re saying is…” he prompted.

Bruce rolled his eyes but the corner of his lips quirked upwards like he was enjoying Dick’s confusion and unwillingness to believe the words coming out of his mouth.

“We’re forming a team. Quite a few members of the Justice League have partners of their own and we thought it would give you a chance to learn how to work with a team if you took on some missions of your own,” he repeated.

“Okay,” Dick said and nodded. “Okay, good. I get that. Now who exactly is going to be part of this team/”

Bruce sighed, but Dick knew he wasn’t frustrated or upset, just amused. “Aquaman, The Flash, and Green Arrow all have partners interested in joining this team.”

Dick nodded again. “Uh-huh. Okay, continue.”

“Which means Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy are going to be your teammates.”

“Yup. Okay,” Dick said with a nod, still not quite believing this was happening.

“I’ve lost you somewhere,” Bruce grumbled.

“Nope, I got it,” Dick said.

“No you don’t,” Bruce grumbled. “Just go and get changed.”

Dick huffed and hurried into the small changing room in the Cave. He pulled his suit out of one of the small lockers and stripped out of his hoodie and jeans and shimmied into the tight kevlar uniform he’d switched to once the leotard was becoming more of a hazard than anything.

He snapped his utility belt around his waist and pressed his mask against his eyes before securing the cape around his shoulders.

Dick sprinted back out into the Cave to find Bruce standing next to the zeta tube, his cowl pulled over his face.

“Where are we going?” Dick asked.

Bruce didn’t say anything. He punched a code into the zeta tube keypad and pulled Dick inside.

Recognize: Batman - 02, Robin - B-01.

Dick stared at the large room in front of him. The ceiling arched over their heads and tunnels led off to different hallways.

“Where are we?” he asked, turning in place to get a better look at what was around him.

“It’s called Mount Justice,” Bruce explained.

Dick frowned. “Isn’t this where the Justice League used to operate out of?”

Bruce nodded. “We can’t use it anymore but we thought it would be great for Young Justice.”

Dick snickered. “Who came up with the nickname?”

Bruce ignored him. “Green Arrow, The Flash, and Aquaman are going to be bringing their partners by later. I want to show you around before they get here and we need to delve into everything else.”

Dick nodded and hurried after Bruce, craning his neck as he walked to try and inspect every inch of space around him.

~~

Recognize: Flash - 04, Kid Flash - B03

A cyclone of air circled around Dick before Wally came to a halt in front of him, grin splitting his face.

“Rob!” Wally crowed, pulling him into a crushing hug.

“Hey, KF,” he greeted, hugging back. “Can you believe we’re going to be on the same team now?”

“It’s crazy! And this place is huge!” he said, turning in a circle.

“You should see the rest of it. It’s pretty great.”

“Can I?” Wally asked, turning to look at Barry.

Barry chuckled and nodded. “Sure thing.”

“Yes!” he cheered. “Let’s go Rob!”

Dick grinned and jumped on Wally’s back, letting him speed off through the halls that he’d already seen.

They didn’t stop until they reached the large hanger that would let planes and cars out of the bunker.

“Neat,” Wally said, nodding appreciatively.

“Yeah. We’re all going to get our own room, too. And the kitchen is great.”

Wally made an interested noise and turned on his heel, making a beeline for the kitchen. They whizzed past Barry and Bruce before skidding to a halt in the spacious kitchen.

Wally set Dick on the counter of the island and yanked open the doors of the fridge. He grinned and pulled out an apple, taking a huge bite from it.

“So,” he asked, around his mouthful of apple as Dick kicked his legs. “What else is there to do around this place?”

Chapter Text

“This is Artemis,” Oliver introduced, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Dick tried not to show his disappointment that she would be taking Roy’s spot on the team after he threw a fit over teaming up with a bunch of kids. He knew it was because he didn’t think they’d be taken seriously but it still hurt a little bit after all of the team ups him, Wally, and Roy had had.

“Hell-lo,” Wally drawled, doing a little bow.

Dick rolled his eyes and smacked Wally on the back of the head.

“Ow,” he said, shooting a glare at him over his shoulder.

Dick gave him a look he couldn’t see behind his sunglasses. He knew Wally wasn’t serious with the flirting, not with how much he cared about his soulmate, but the whole display was still more than a little ridiculous.

It didn’t matter much because Artemis just sneered at him and turned away.

They’d already met two other members of the team Bruce hadn’t originally mentioned: M’gann who would be called Miss Martian, and Connor who was brought in by Superman.

“What’s good in this place anyway?” Artemis asked.

“Lots,” Wally said, throwing an arm around Dick’s shoulders. “The training room is awesome and the kitchen’s fully stocked with food.”

Dick elbowed Wally in the side. “You’re always thinking about food.”

“I can’t help it. A speedster’s gotta eat.”

Dick hummed and thought back to the conference room he’d spotted earlier when he was poking around. “I think I have the perfect team bonding exercise…”

Wally grinned. “Oh yeah? What are you thinking?”

“Remember the conference room? With the rolling chairs?”

Wally’s grin pulled wider. “Yeah dude,”

He pulled Dick onto his back and took off down the hall, weaving around corners until they found the room they were looking for.

Dick pushed inside and grabbed two chairs pushing them into the hallway while Wally took a third.

“What are you two idiots doing?” Artemis said where she was jogging down the hallway towards them.

“Yo Connor,” Dick said, only raising his voice slightly. “I know you can hear me. Do me a favor and bring M’gann and Kaldur to the training room.”

Dick started pushing the chairs down the hall.

“Why the training room?” Artemis asked.

“It’s the widest space that’ll give us plenty of room to move. The hallways would be okay but there aren’t very long stretches of space for us to work with.”

“Dude, are you seriously thinking what I think you’re thinking?” Wally asked.

Dick grinned and pushed the chairs faster.

~~

Dick gripped the arm rests of his chair tightly. He cackled as Wally sped down the stretch of the training room, nearly pushing the chair past its limit to roll effectively.

Dick whooped when they slowed and pumped a fist over his head. Wally laughed behind him and spun him around. Connor and Kaldur were making slower progress across the floor, Connor and M’gann ahead of Kaldur and Artemis.

“You guys are such cheaters using Wally’s speed!” Artemis called and crossed her arms. “I’d like to see Robin push Wally across the floor.”

“Nah, I think Wally’s got this covered,” Dick said. “He’s not the best at sitting still anyway.”

He held up his hand and Wally high-fived him before crossing his arms over the back of the chair. They’d won every race they’d had and Connor seemed determined to try and beat Wally at least once. Kaldur was humoring them more than anything else but Dick could tell he was enjoying himself a little.

“How about the loser of the next race has to buy the whole team pizza?” Wally offered.

Artemis scoffed. “You would bankrupt whoever lost with the amount of pizza you could eat.”

“Not if it’s Robin,” Wally said.

“Wally,” Dick hissed.

Wally rolled his eyes. “Come on, dude. You work with Batman.”

Dick huffed and crossed his arms.

“Yeah but he won’t lose because he’s on your team.”

The other four members of their new team slowed to a stop next to them.

“Attention Young Justice team,” Bruce’s voice crackled over the intercom. “Get suited up and report to the briefing room. We have your first mission for you.”

Wally pumped his fist in the air. “Heck yeah!”

Dick jumped out of the chair and sprinted across the floor towards the double doors, grin wide as he cackled high and bright. This is what he’d been waiting for.

Chapter Text

Dick rolled his shoulders as he pushed through the door leading to the balcony outside Mt. Justice. There was some soreness forming from their mission and he’d need to stretch later to keep it from getting worse but for now he was content to sit on the brick railing and watch the waves roll into the bay.

Seagulls called over his head and a horn blared in the distance. Dick idly dragged his fingers over the skin of his wrist, pushing the sleeve of his hoodie up a little more to reach the skin there.

The door opened behind him and he glanced over his shoulder, movements stilling. He grinned when he found Wally standing there.

“Hey,” he said, pulling his fingers back to tug the edge of his sleeve down.

“You okay, Rob?” Wally asked, walking over to him with his hands in his pockets. “You’re not still torn up about Kaldur becoming team leader are you?”

Dick shook his head. “Nah, it’s got nothing to do with that. I just…just missing my soulmate a little today is all,” he whispered, finally giving voice to the ache in his chest.

Wally was quiet for a moment before he climbed up onto the wall to sit next to Dick. He threw his arm around Dick’s shoulders.

“I’m missing my soulmate too. I feel like I haven’t gotten to talk to him as often lately.”

Dick nodded.

“What do you think will happen once we find our soulmates?” Dick asked. “It’s already difficult keeping the superhero part of it secret but once they know everything? How does Iris do it?”

Wally smiled, green eyes trained on the glittering ripples of the bay. “From what they’ve told me, they had to work for it in the beginning. Uncle Barry didn’t tell Aunt I about being the Flash right away and it made things stressful whenever he was constantly disappearing. And then there was Aunt I’s journalistic obsession with him and everything he did for Central.” He chuckled and Dick smiled.

“But they worked it out and once Uncle Barry explained everything, things went really well for them. Aunt I was angry about being lied to but she understood why he had to do it and she was glad he finally told her and they could live without anymore secrets between them.”

“But how was Iris able to trust him after that? After the years of lying? I would think that things would be rocky between them,” Dick huffed.

“It was and it took a while before they built the trust they should’ve had since the beginning, but Uncle Barry put in the effort and Aunt I came to realize he really did care about her and the lying wasn’t done to hurt her, it was to protect himself and the people he cared about in case anything bad happened.”

Dick nodded. He tried to fight down his smile but a laugh bubbled up his throat.

“What’s so funny?” Wally asked, grin pulling his own lips wide as Dick continued to laugh, shoulders shaking under his arm.

“Nothing, nothing,” he tried, sucking in air between his laughter.

“It’s obviously something. Tell me,” Wally said, poking him in the forehead.

“Okay, okay.” Dick tried to swat his finger away. He calmed down and evened out his breathing, his eyes shining behind his sunglasses. “It’s just…I was thinking how much easier this would be if my soulmate was a superhero.”

Wally groaned. “That would be the best,” he agreed. “But dude, you know what the chances of that are, right?”

Dick nodded. “Too undeniably insane. There’s no way my soulmate’s a hero. It’s just not going to happen. Especially since not everyone in the world even has a soulmate. The odds are just too crazy to work out like that.”

“When we finally meet our soulmates, we should have them meet each other too. Then they can complain about all the secrets we kept from them while we go out on missions.”

“That’s a terrible plan,” Dick scoffed.

“What? Why?” Wally cried, nearly pouting.

“Because,” Dick said. “If you give them time to get to know each other and go over every case and instance of us lying to them or avoiding the truth, they’re going to gang up on us and we’ll be in serious trouble with our soulmates.”

Wally hummed. “You have a point.”

Dick laughed lightly and rolled his shoulders, wincing when his shoulder cracked. He slid out from under Wally’s arm and swung his legs back over the ledge to hop down.

“I’m going to go stretch and maybe talk to you know who. I think I’m overdue for a conversation today.”

Wally nodded and crossed his legs on the brick ledge. “Yeah, me too. Enjoy your alone time and don’t let things get too crazy,” he said, pulling a pen from his pocket.

“Yeah right, KF,” Dick said, rolling his eyes. “I think you’re the one who needs to worry about that. And if you’re not careful, you’re going to scare him off.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Wally said, waving him off before going back to scribbling something on his arm.

Dick pushed open the door to the mountain and slipped inside. The halls were quiet but he knew the others were lingering somewhere inside. He felt warmth spread over his arm and smiled.

Dick checked to make sure he was alone before he pushed up the edge of his sleeve to reveal a small doodle of a heart. He grinned and bit his lip, pulling his sleeve back down before hurrying to his bedroom to write back.

Chapter Text

Dick frowned as he stared at the words showing up on his arm. After the first few times his soulmate had made comments about remembering to eat and what snacks he’d had, he tried to brush off any uncertainty or anxiety that might come from knowing he needed reminders to eat.

But the reminders were starting to come more often and the language Green used was starting to concern him.

Had a granola bar an hour ago
Don’t forget the snacks
Don’t starve, they need you and you need to be there for them
Take a pit stop for food between Drop A and Drop B so you don’t pass out
12 burritos = 2 hours?

Dick opened and closed his mouth, trying to find something to say let alone write back. He pulled out his pen and twirled it between his fingers. He was already dressed in his uniform for the mission that was coming and he knew he needed to get to the bioship to meet the rest of the team but somehow figuring out what was going on with his soulmate was more important.

Are you okay, Green?
You’re not sick are you?

Nope! Healthy as a horse!

Then what’s with all the reminders for food? I’m pretty sure no person can eat that much without having a serious health issue.

No health issues. I promise, Blue.

Okay, but who needs you? Who needs you to eat that much so you don’t pass out? You’re not in trouble right?

Dick was becoming more and more confused. He should be able to put this together but it was almost like he was missing a few pieces of the puzzle. He needed that one bit of information that would help all of this make sense.

No trouble! And it’s just my friends. Can’t let them down, you know? But nothing to worry about. I promise!

Dick frowned and tapped the pen against his forearm, trying to come up with something to say. He wanted to demand answers. He wanted Green to be able to tell him everything instead of deflecting each question he sent his way.

He sighed and tossed his pen to the side, pressing his domino onto his face instead. The way Green was avoiding his questions reminded him of how he had to omit the truth whenever Green was concerned about his injuries or bruises that came from missions or training.

Dick pushed himself off the bed and drove the thoughts from his mind. He could worry about all of that later when there wasn’t a mission that needed his attention.

~~

Dick stormed off the bioship, the rest of the team following closely behind him. He wanted to rip off his domino and throw it to the ground but he knew Bruce would have his head for revealing his identity to them so casually.

Their mission had been a complete failure. They lost stealth when they practically touched down and the information they were after was wiped from the drives when they got inside.

They couldn’t go to their second location without it and when they tried to pursue the ringleaders who had the information, they lost them in the city streets and the trackers they’d managed to place on their cars had been shorted out by whatever tech they had on them.

“Worthless mission. We’re never going to catch up with them now that they know we’re after them,” Dick hissed, the Romani words familiar and comforting coming from his own lips. He immediately felt himself relax after using his mother tongue, the tension and stress at the failure dropping from his shoulders.

“We’ll get them, Rob. They may have escaped us once but they can’t avoid our awesome team forever.”

Dick’s foot caught the back of his heel and he crashed to the floor, arms splaying out in front of him. He swallowed, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He rolled over onto his back to stare at Wally who was watching him with wide eyes.

The words and vowels had been mispronounced slightly coming from Wally’s lips but he’d been sure in his execution of the language.

Dick had thought he’d never meet another person in his life who knew of the language, let alone speak it back to him.

Chapter Text

“What the hell, Robin actually tripped?” Artemis asked, disbelief thick in her voice.

“Not just that but how did Wally know the language Robin was speaking,” Kaldur pointed out.

Everyone turned to look at Wally who flushed and shifted in place.

“I just…um…I kind of picked it up?” he said carefully.

Dick cleared his throat and pushed himself to his feet. “Wally can I talk to you?” he asked, voice rising in pitch as he tried to keep himself calm. His earlier frustration and anger was gone in the face of his new revelation.

Wally nodded frantically and stepped forward. “Sure, uh…where to you want to go?”

Dick glanced at the rest of the team who was watching them with interest. “My room? If you don’t mind?”

Wally nodded. And kept nodding. And kept nodding.

Dick let out a breath and turned on his heel, walking quickly down the hall. Wally caught up with him after a second.

“Mind if I?” he asked, stepping in front of him.

“God yes,” Dick said, throwing himself onto Wally’s back.

The team and the hallways disappeared behind them and within the span of a second Dick was reaching over Wally’s shoulder to punch in the code to his room. The door slid open and they stepped inside, Wally finally letting him down to lock the door behind them.

Dick peeled off his mask and tossed it onto his bedside table as he made his way to his bed. He sat cross-legged on top of it and faced Wally who hesitated before sitting down next to him.

“How do you know Romani?” Dick asked, staring at Wally.

“I…my soulmate. He speaks it and I picked up a few things over the years,” Wally admitted.

“Can I…I mean, can we talk to him?” Dick asked. “It’s been so long since I’ve talked to someone else who knows the language and not that you wouldn’t be great to talk to you’re not exactly fluent.”

Wally chuckled and relaxed. “No I can definitely say I’m not. I’m sure I butcher the language anyway since I’ve never heard it spoken.”

“So…can I?” Dick asked, not wanting to push, but desperate to talk to Wally’s soulmate.

Wally nodded and shimmied out of the top of his suit to pull his arm free. He snatched the pen sitting on the bedside table and sighed, thinking how he wanted to put things into words.

Dick looked over his shoulder as he started writing.

Hey Blue, I know this may seem kind of weird

Dick frowned at the familiar nickname. He furrowed his brow when his arm started to warm. He pulled off his glove and pushed his sleeve up, eyes widening at the words appearing on his arm in Wally’s scrawl.

“Um…Wally?” Dick asked.

“Yeah, what is it?” He didn’t stop writing and Dick took a deep breath.

“We’re soulmates.”

Wally jolted, a line of ink sliding across his forearm in shock.

“What?” he asked, eyes finding Dick’s.

Dick held out his hand. Wally zeroed in on the movement, his breath catching in his throat as he read over the words he’d just been writing and the long line of ink that appeared on Dick’s skin.

“We’re soulmates,” Wally breathed, meeting Dick’s eyes again as a wide grin pulled at his lips. “Dude, we’re freaking soulmates!”

Dick giggled. “How did we not figure this out sooner?” he asked.

Wally shook his head. “So, your parents dying?”

“Happened at the circus.”

“Which would also explain the training. And your adoption.”

Dick nodded. “And the bruises, those were because of your dad right?” he asked, all of the missing pieces finally falling into place.

Wally nodded. “Yeah,” he admitted, voice soft.

They were quiet for a moment before Dick huffed and smacked himself on the forehead.

“I’m such an idiot,” he muttered.

“What?” Wally asked, grinning. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize it. Especially when you always left notes on your arm about needing food. Of course only speedsters would need to eat that much.”

Wally bit his lip. “I wasn’t much better. Especially when you got those bruises and said you were doing great.”

Dick huffed and shook his head. He met Wally’s gaze, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

“We’re soulmates,” Wally repeated. “My soulmate is my best friend.”

Dick threw his arms around Wally’s shoulders and Wally hugged him just as tightly. He buried his face in Dick’s hair and sighed.

“I’m so glad it’s you,” Dick said.

“Me too,” Wally agreed. “Me too.”

Chapter Text

“Young Justice Team, report to the hanger. We have a lead on your previous mission and need to dispatch you immediately.”

Dick jolted, pulled back to reality from the revelation that he’d found his soulmate and had actually been around his soulmate for years without knowing it.

“We should get going,” he said, jumping up from his bed.

Wally shimmied back into his uniform while Dick stuck his mask back on. He hurried towards the door but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He paused and looked back at Wally who looked a little embarrassed before he swooped in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Dick blushed and unlocked his bedroom door, hurrying out into the hallway beyond. Wally pulled him onto his back and raced for the hanger, skidding to a stop across the floor ahead of Artemis and Kaldur.

M’gann opened the bioship and they scrambled up the ramp, taking their seats on the main deck.

“I’ve already uploaded the coordinates of the lab we’ve tracked the team too. As before, your mission is infiltration for information. Download what you can from the computers and destroy any samples you come into contact with,” Bruce said, his face appearing in a small video screen at the front of the ship.

“Of course, Batman,” Kaldur said. “We will not fail you.”

Bruce didn’t say anything before the video disappeared, leaving them alone once again.

They rose from the floor of the hanger and shot out of the opening at the top of the roof, taking off over the rooftops of the city. Dick was pleased the lab they were headed to wasn’t that far away. He was ready to wrap all of this up.

“Okay team,” Kaldur said as they approached. “As Batman instructed, our main goal is for information and to destroy samples. Discretion won’t be on our side because of our interaction earlier today so prepare for immediate conflict.”

“I’m ready to kick some scientist butt,” Wally said, knee bouncing up and down.

“The samples probably won’t be kept with their database,” Dick supplied.

Kaldur nodded. “I was thinking the same thing as well. We’ll need two teams. Wally, M’gann, and Artemis will break into the lab to destroy the samples while Robin, Connor, and I will cover the computer systems. Any objections?”

“None at all,” Artemis said, readying the tips of some of her trick arrows.

“We’re ten seconds from the drop,” M’gann said. “Our cloaking is already active but there might be sensors on the roof that can detect us.”

“That’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Kaldur said. “I don’t want to waste time scoping things out when they’re prepared for us.”

“Preparing to land now,” M’gann said. Dick felt their momentum slow and watched as they dropped through the air to touch down on the roof.

“Mental link established,” M’gann said once they’d touched down.

“Let’s go,” Kaldur said, pushing out of his seat to lead them out of the plane.

Dick hurried after him, pulling out his connection cord to hack into the system. He spotted a lock on the roof door and tried pulling the door open first. It was locked as he expected but it took seconds to hack into the system and he had the door open when the rest of the team caught up with them.

Connor stepped in ahead of the rest of them, watching the hallway as they sprinted down the stairs. Artemis kept her bow at the ready, waiting for any sign of their enemy.

They flanked the first door they came across, waiting until they were all in position. Dick pulled out two birdarangs and waited as Connor pulled the door open.

They heard shouts from down the hall and when they rushed through the door, Dick was glad none of them had guns.

Wally sped forward and knocked the whole group off their feet. Dick pulled open the first door they reached and grinned when he found a small office with a computer.

“I’ve got access in here!” he thought, rushing around the desk.

Wally appeared at his side and Dick plugged his computer into the main tower. He rolled his eyes at the low-level security and made it through the password without any issue. He found a map of the levels and located the lab on the floor below them.

“Lab team, head down the stairs and the lab is going to be on the very far end of the hallway,” he explained to the rest of them. “I’ll get working on copying all of these files and wiping the system.”

Connor and Kaldur stayed in the doorway as the other half of their team disappeared. Dick grit his teeth as the slow process of copying files started.

“We’re down the stairs,” Wally said, voice coming clearly through the connection. “We just need to-oh no, M’gann!”

Dick winced as the mental connection between them was forcibly cut.

“What the hell happened?” Connor growled.

“Something must’ve happened to M’gann,” Dick said. “We have not way to contact…wait.” He spotted the pens on the desk and grabbed one, shoving his sleeve up.

What’s going on down there?

M’gann got hit with something. Artemis is covering her. I might be able to get close to take them out but I don’t think I can do that and destroy the lab.

“Robin what are you doing?” Kaldur asked, watching his frantic writing.

“We can’t just stand around, we have to help,” Connor said, ready to punch through the floor below them.

“M’gann was hit. KF doesn’t think he can get her out and destroy the samples. What do we want to do?” Dick asked, ignoring their questions as he watched the files start copying faster.

“Getting all of us back safe is our first priority. We might be able to buy some more time after destroying the files even if they have the components,” Kaldur explained.

“I’ll tell KF,” Dick said, pressing the pen against his arm again.

He relayed the message and once the files were done downloading he began erasing them, trying to keep from getting anxious as they slowly disappeared from the computer.

They’d make it out, he was sure. But he was really glad him and Wally had figured out their bond before the mission was announced. If they hadn’t, he had no idea how the mission would’ve gone.

Chapter Text

Dick nearly sighed when he caught sight of the door to the roof. Another group of guards had found them once he’d finished deleting the files and he knew Wally and the rest of the team wasn’t doing much better. And he wasn’t too happy about having to keep Connor from racing down to the floor below them to make sure M’gann was still alive and in one piece.

He shoved through the door and waited impatiently for Connor and Kaldur to come through. He squinted against the light of the sun, waiting for Wally and Artemis to come in sight.

Part of the weight lifted from his shoulders when bright yellow appeared at the end of the hallway. He was able to make out Artemis’s blond hair as they got closer. She fired several arrows behind them at a group in pursuit.

“Come on, come on,” Dick said under his breath.

They skidded through the door and Dick slammed it shut behind them, taking an extra couple of precious seconds to hack into the keypad and lock it behind them. That might spare them a minute at most but he wasn’t holding out hope for anything longer.

He was the last one on board, but the second he stepped onto the deck the ship was rising from the roof. Dick blinked when he saw it was piloting itself as Wally and Connor looked after M’gann who was still unconscious between them.

As they got closer to the Cave and the larger buildings of the city fell away behind them, M’gann started to stir. She was uninjured for the most part and had a few bumps and bruises from the hit she’d taken, but would be fine once she was given a onceover by the medical team.

Dick met Wally’s gaze several times during the flight but they never spoke to each other. Dick wasn’t sure if he was glad or upset by that.

~~

Dick stared at his reflection in his bathroom mirror. M’gann was in the medical bay with Connor and once they’d gone through the debrief, everyone had hurried to their rooms for a well-earned shower and to get changed out of their dirty uniforms.

Bruises covered his body. He knew where some of them came from and which hits he’d taken that had left the marks on his skin, but for some of the others, he didn’t remember getting hit and knew they had to be bruises that had seeped over from his bond with Wally.

There were some other spots where the bruising was so heavy he had no idea where his bruises ended and Wally’s began. Something ached in his chest at the sight. He sighed and grabbed the pen on his bedside table.

Hey Walls, you mind coming to my room for a bit?

It was weird knowing who his soulmate was. He was so used to only having the bare minimum of information but now that he thought about it, everything made sense and he couldn’t even think of anyone else who might work as well with him as Wally did. He felt a little like an idiot for not putting it together sooner.

Warmth spread over his arm and he glanced down at the new message on his skin.

Sure thing, I’ll be there in a sec.

Dick had only just finished reading the message when a knock sounded on his door. He slid his sunglasses on and punched in the code to unlock it, letting Wally inside. 

They stood staring at each other for a minute as the door shut behind them and Dick punched in his code to lock it without looking.

Wally stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him. Dick sagged into the hug, letting Wally take his weight.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he murmured.

“Of course I’m okay,” Wally scoffed. “I’ve made sure to be extra careful after the first few times I scared you because of the soulmate bond.”

Dick wrapped his arms around Wally, hugging him tightly. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize sooner.”

Wally shrugged against him. “There were plenty of times we could’ve put things together but didn’t. But we know now.”

Dick nodded, head moving against his shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re my soulmate,” he whispered.

Wally tightened his grip around his shoulders. “Me too.”

Dick pulled back to look at him. Their gazes were soft as they met. Wally cupped his cheek and hesitated a second before he closed the distance and pressed their lips together.

Dick smiled into the kiss. It wasn’t something he’d ever imagined happening when he simply thought of Wally as Wally but now that he was merging his ides of his soulmate and Wally together, it seemed inevitable. And the warmth in his chest was a testament to the power of their bond and the friendship they already shared.

A knock sounded on the door and Dick groaned at the interruption.

Wally pulled back with a soft chuckle and kept Dick in his arms.

“What?” Dick asked, sounding more exasperated than angry.

“It’s me. Let me in,” Roy said through the thick metal.

Dick sighed and tried to pull himself from Wally’s arms but Wally simply followed him over to the door, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

“What?” Dick repeated when the door was open and Roy walked in. He eyed them, gaze lingering on where Wally’s arms were wrapped around his waist.

He smirked and crossed his arms. “When did you finally figure it out?” he asked.

Dick opened his mouth to respond and paused. “You knew?!” he cried.

Roy nodded. “I found out a while back.”

Wally and Dick shared a look.

“How did you find out?” Dick demanded, more confused than anything else.

Roy shrugged. “The first sleepover we had I think. I wanted to draw something on Wally’s face and it appeared on yours.”

Dick sagged in Wally’s arms, sinking back in his hold. “I can’t believe it took us so long,” he grumbled.

“Well you’re both kind of idiots when it came to this,” he said, waving a hand at them.

Wally chuckled. “Maybe it did, but we still had each other since the beginning,” he whispered, nuzzling the side of Dick’s head.

Roy made a gagging noise in the back of his throat but Dick smiled and turned in his hold to press a quick kiss to his lips.