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The apartment is quiet when Dick returns home.
Once, when Dick had first moved in, the silence had been a constant. It hasn't been for a long time now, not when he has Haley, who usually greets him at the door with her usual brand of excited yips, tiny paws skittering on the floor. Her absence now makes Dick stiffen instinctively, until he spies a flash of movement from the kitchen and Wally steps out. The second Dick gets his eyes on him he feels himself beginning to relax, unable to prevent the smile that stretches across his face when Wally is suddenly in front of him; the warmth that spreads through him from where Wally steadies himself, hand against Dick's torso.
“Hey, baby,” Wally murmurs, freeing Dick of his bag and slinging it over his own shoulder before he helps him out of his jacket. Dick leans into his touch, letting the last of the tension melt out of his body. After hanging the jacket up, Wally pulls him into a deeper embrace, arms circling Dick’s waist. “How was work?”
“Good. Exhausting.” Dick loops his arms around Wally's neck, tiptoeing to peer over his shoulder. “Where’s Haley?”
“A little birdie came to visit,” Wally says, and Dick immediately scans for any sign of Tim or Damian. “He was already here when I got home. Haley’s still napping with him on the couch.”
“Ah. Tim?” Damian doesn’t like sleeping during the day, and when he visits Dick he’ll keep himself awake no matter the time until he’s able to speak to him. Tim, on the other hand, has been found dozing off in much stranger (and more dangerous) places than Dick’s apartment.
Wally hums an affirmative, squeezing Dick lightly around the waist before releasing him. “Go wash up, and then you can wake Tim up to have dinner with us, okay? I'll put your stuff away.”
"Aren't you such a gentleman," Dick says, then draws Wally in for a brief kiss.
He passes the couch on the way to the bathroom and pauses for a moment to watch Tim; he’s curled up around Haley, asleep underneath a blanket that Wally probably draped over them. Haley opens one eye to look at Dick, her tail moving minutely beneath the blanket, and then she lets out a few snuffles before tucking her nose back into Tim’s shirt. Dick grins at the sight, then pulls his phone out to take a few pictures for prosperity. He can add it to his collection of potential blackmail-slash-pictures to show Tim’s significant others, if he doesn’t decide to just keep it for himself.
By the time Dick’s returned from the shower, having changed into sweatpants and a shirt that definitely isn’t his, Tim is still asleep. If the smell coming out of it is anything to go by, Wally’s finishing up in the kitchen, so Dick pads his way in and immediately clings to him. He buries his face between Wally’s shoulder blades, arms wrapping around his torso, and Wally’s unoccupied hand comes up to squeeze Dick’s lightly.
“Missed you,” Dick says, voice muffled by Wally’s shirt. “What’s for dinner?”
“Ravioli. Can you get the garlic bread out of the oven?”
Dick murmurs his assent, reluctantly pulling away from Wally to do so before he immediately clings back onto him once he’s found somewhere to put it. Wally turns off the stove, swiveling in Dick's arms. From here, his chin resting against Wally's sternum as he gazes up at him, Dick can see the flecks of gold in Wally's green eyes, ones that seem to brighten when they crinkle as Wally smiles at Dick.
"We should wait a few minutes for the garlic bread to rest, shouldn't we."
Wally raises an eyebrow. "I don't know. Should we?"
Dick takes the opportunity granted to lean up and kiss him deeply, arms still wound around his waist. Wally cups his face with one hand, using the other to press him flat against the wall, and Dick hums in satisfaction when a thigh slides between his.
Dick's just moved from Wally's mouth to his throat, indulging in the soft moans he lets out whenever he bites down, when they hear Tim clear his throat. It's loud enough it makes them freeze in place, both heads turning to the kitchen door in unison.
Awake but still clearly sleepy from his nap, Tim stands in the doorway with Haley in his arms. When she squirms he lets her down, and she hops around Dick's feet until he picks her up to say hello.
“Have a nice nap?” Dick asks, making no effort to move from where he is.
Tim frowns blearily. "No. Your couch sucks and I had to wake up to the sound of you two making out, which is something I never want to witness again."
“Whoa, Tiny Tim,” Wally says. "You're the one intruding on our date night. Have some respect."
He deftly avoids Tim’s responding kick to the shins. “You’re my least favorite speedster,” Tim replies, acidic.
Dick laughs. “Don’t antagonize my baby brother, Walls. Tim, can you give Haley her dinner while we set the table? Wally made enough food for you.” Really, Wally made enough food for himself, but he can handle one less portion for a night.
“Ugh, fine,” Tim says, grimacing. “It smells so bad. Why don’t you give her gourmet shit like Damian does? It’s not like you’re living on a cop’s salary anymore.”
“I still don’t have my own personal Alfred to handle all of that.”
“What’s he for, then?” Tim snarks, pointing at Wally.
"Okay, okay," Dick says, snickering at Wally's offended look. He reaches over to tug Tim into a one-armed hug, squeezing him tightly. "Don't take out your negative emotions on my boyfriend, please."
"Yeah, whatever. Where do you keep Haley's food again?"
Dick points it out, then gets to work setting a third set of cutlery out for Tim while Wally focuses on plating two normal-sized bowls of food for Dick and Tim and his own speedster-sized serving. After Tim has washed his hands he joins the two of them, sitting next to Dick and picking at his food. Now that they're all settled, Dick can see the way his face settles into discontent, mouth tight and eyes downcast.
He rests a hand on Tim's shoulder. “So, what were you doing napping on my couch?”
“Maybe I just wanted to see you," Tim lies, looking up at Dick with slightly widened eyes to appear more open, innocent.
“Your lies won’t work on me, Timmy,” Dick says. He taught Tim these tricks. Most of them, anyway. This one, definitely; he had perfected the art of innocent-sad-puppy eyes even before Bruce took him in, and while Tim was a remarkable liar, he could never beat Dick at his own game.
Tim scoffs. “I lie to you all the time and you never notice.”
“Wrong,” Dick dismisses, but makes a mental note to ask Jason who really crashed the bat-mobile later. Wally's eyes crinkle in amusement but he doesn't say anything, content to keep eating while Dick and Tim talk. “You know this weekend is emergency visits only, so what is it? Emotional? Physical? Did someone steal another organ from you?”
Tim pushes the pasta around his plate for a moment. “Me and Bernard broke up.”
Okay. Emotional. Dick can handle emotional problems better than anyone else in the family, which isn’t exactly saying much, but now he knows there’s a reason Tim came to him and not anyone else.
“Oh. I’m sorry, Tim," he says, rubbing his shoulder consolingly.
"That sucks," Wally offers.
“It was a long time coming, I think. I’m not even that sad about it. We’re still friends. I just…” Tim stabs a ravioli, then looks at it consideringly. “He said some… things that I can’t stop thinking about.”
Dick stiffens, his protective instincts rearing up within. “Like what?”
“I compartmentalize too much. I’m more in love with the costume than I am with him. I need someone willing to accept all of me, and that’s something people like him - civilians, I mean - might never be able to do. He worries about losing me too much to love me.”
“He said all that to you?” It comes out sharper than Dick necessarily intended; his mind is already planning a dozen ways to make Bernard's life miserable if he needs to, but it's not like he wants Tim to know that.
“It was phrased a lot nicer when he said it," Tim says, defensive, which doesn't mean much in Dick's personal experience and understanding of his younger brother. Tim has a habit of downplaying his feelings, especially when it comes to people he cares about hurting him.
“That doesn't mean it hurts any less," Dick replies.
Tim pushes his food away, folding his arms together against the table and resting his chin against them, despondent. “It’s just. Every relationship I’ve ever had has ended because of something to do with my identity, even if they know who I am. No matter how much I like - love - them, there’s always that barrier. I don't know how to fix it.”
“Dating civilians is tough,” Wally says, his plate clean. Dick lets him talk; admittedly, Wally has much more experience in dating civilians than Dick ever did. “At least other heroes understand why you do what you do. You can love them with everything you have, but when they aren’t a part of it it’s more difficult to get past the fear. It’s easier to distance themselves earlier than risk getting hurt. If you’re not both willing to work for it, it won’t happen. And we have everything working against us.”
At the reminder of Wally's failed relationships Dick stretches his other hand across the table, palm open. Wally grasps his fingers, squeezing gently. Tim watches the exchange silently, then looks back up at Wally.
“Do you think Bruce really screwed us up? I mean, when it comes to relationships and emotions and being…” he hand-waves, “all vulnerable.”
For a brief moment, Wally's face falls and his eyes catch Dick's before he recovers, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “Oh, absolutely. Dick's always been awful at it.”
“Hey, I think I’m doing pretty good right now!” Dick protests.
“You were deeply emotionally repressed for years, sunshine," Wally teases, though his smile softens when Dick rolls his eyes at him. "But you got better," he concedes.
“See?" Dick directs this towards Tim. "It gets better!”
Tim huffs out a short laugh. “Thanks, I guess. Only seven more years to go.” He looks more relaxed than before, but he still sounds resigned, mouth down-turned and unsure.
“This isn’t all about Bernard, is it?”
Tim shrugs. “Kinda? He also… implied that there was someone else. That I’m in love with, I mean. It wasn't an accusation of anything, but. I don't know. It still made me feel kinda shitty."
Those murderous urges from before begin to rise again, and Dick forcefully tamps them down before he can say anything too damning. He takes a moment to watch Tim, at his resigned acceptance of a truth he's known for a while.
"He was talking about Kon, wasn't he?" he says, gently.
Tim lets out a sound somewhere between a scoff and a huff. “That obvious, huh?”
"Only a little," Dick replies lightly.
“I mean, I only tried to clone him a hundred times when he was dead because if I thought about living without him I wanted to kill myself,” Tim says, a bitter tone to his voice. Dick's stomach sinks. “Thank god that didn’t work out, right?”
“Tim.” Dick can't quite hide the pain in his voice. Tim sits up straight to look him in the eyes, staring him down.
“I’m better now, Dick," he insists. "You know I am.”
“I know you are." It doesn't make it easier to remember, Dick thinks privately, but it must show on his face, because Wally squeezes his hand again, still holding it tightly.
"For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure Kon's in love with you, too," Wally says, shooting Tim an encouraging look.
Tim laughs helplessly. "I know. That's the worst part about it. Bernard told me and I just - I couldn't deny anything about it, because I know.”
“Why not do anything about it?”
“What, other than the fact that I just got out of a long term relationship and it’s way too early for me to even think about getting into another one, and I just got told I’m bad at relationships and being vulnerable?” Tim curls up in his seat, staring at the floor. He doesn't speak for a long moment, and the eventual confession comes out quiet. “I’m scared of losing him again.”
It's such a familiar feeling that Dick feels his heart start to ache at the reminder. Tim's been through so many of the same things Dick has, a lot of it painful, something Dick often wishes he could take on and carry all on his own. Wally's eyes meet Dick's again. He's just like you, Wally mouths, lips quirking up into a smile that Dick feels obliged to return.
“I know the feeling,” Dick says roughly, unable to keep the emotions out of his voice. Wally's hand tightens around his. “But I’m happier being with Wally than I am scared I’ll lose him, even despite everything. You deserve that, too, Tim. Don’t be afraid to open yourself up to him, okay? If anyone’s going to understand you and stick by you, it’s Kon.”
Glistening blue eyes look back at Dick. "What if I fuck it up again?" Tim murmurs, voice thick.
Dick tries to sound firm when he speaks. "Then you try again. Just don't let fear stop you from having something good, especially not with Kon."
Tim furrows his brows in deep consideration, before finally nodding, looking up at Dick with a wet smile. “I’ll think about it, I guess. Thanks, Dick. And Wally too, I guess. I’m sorry I interrupted your date night.”
“Anything for you, babybird," Dick says, ruffling his hair and ignoring Wally's mild protests that he gave a lot of good advice, Tim, you should be thankful. "Were you planning on staying the night?”
Tim shakes his head. Now that his troubles have eased, he relaxes into his chair. “Nah. I’ve got plans. I just wanted to see you first.”
“Oh yeah?" Wally leans in, interested. "What kind of plans?”
“Cassie’s taking us clubbing," Tim says, and Dick tries not to choke on the ravioli he's just stuffed into his mouth. "For my sake, mostly.”
“Are you even old enough to drink?” Wally asks, before Dick can swallow his food and say something like that sounds irresponsible and dangerous or my baby brother? drinking? I can't allow it. Tim won't care. Tim only listens to him when he wants advice on his emotional struggles.
“I am in at least half the world, but it’s not like we’re gonna be on Earth.” Dick once again takes a bite of food to stop himself from physically reacting to that, especially in a manner that Tim would mock him for. Tim grins when his phone buzzes with a rapid onslaught of texts. “Bart’s on his way.”
Okay. It's not like there's anything Dick could do, anyway, so he reins in the urge to lecture Tim on safe drinking habits, and instead nudges his pasta - now probably cold - towards him. If he's going to enable, he'll do it responsibly. "Eat up before he gets here. Wally worked hard to make this."
Tim rolls his eyes, but obligingly digs in. Dick finishes his own plate, passing the last few pieces to Wally. Right when Tim polishes off his last bite there's a rapid series of knocks at the door that could only belong to Wally's… nephew? Cousin? Dick never learned the proper terminology.
Clearly the knocking was just courtesy, because Bart doesn't wait more than three seconds before he's vibrating himself through Dick's front door. Tim stands preemptively, clearly used to it when Bart barrels into him, hugging him tightly. In stark contrast to Tim's casual clothes, Bart is wearing far too little, clearly already dressed and ready to go out.
"Tim! Are you ready to go? Cassie - oh, hiDickhiWally - Cassie's got your outfit with her, she says you're gonna love it, it's so crash." Bart's hug stops as quickly as his speech ends, and Tim grins at him, all traces of the unsure kid from earlier gone.
"Hey, Bart," Wally says, before Tim can respond. "Help me with the dishes while Tim says bye, okay?"
The two of them disappear in a blur of movement, leaving Tim and Dick standing before each other. Tim moves first, hugging Dick tightly, but Dick returns it with double the strength. He presses as many kisses into Tim’s hair as he can before Tim extricates himself from the hold. Dick doesn’t get as many chances to do this anymore, and no one else in the family is as receptive to Dick’s open affection as Tim is.
Bart appears beside Tim as soon as he pulls away, wrapping his arms around him in preparation. "All done!" he announces. "Let's go, let's go, before Cassie and Cissie and Kon get impatient."
"You're the only impatient one here, Bart," Tim says affectionately. He turns to Dick one last time. "Bye, Dick. Don't worry about me too much."
Dick's going to worry about him so much. A little less, knowing he's with his friends who, despite their occasional (frequent) recklessness, are trustworthy and kind.
“Be safe!” he says, as Tim goes to leave with Bart. Wally offers similar words of encouragement. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! Love you!”
The responding love you too! is muffled and barely audible, but Dick still delights in hearing it, and then the two of them are gone with a crack of speed, leaving the apartment much quieter than it was moments ago. Haley circles around his legs to remind Dick that as long as she exists, the apartment will never be truly silent.
"Do you think he'll work it out?" Wally asks, arms encircling Dick to hug him from behind.
Dick leans back into him, reveling in the warmth radiating off of him. "Yeah. It'll probably be faster than me. I didn't have a handsome older brother who was really good at giving advice."
"You're always so humble, it's a miracle we made it this far," Wally jokes, nosing at Dick's neck before he presses a soft kiss into his skin, making him shiver at the contact.
Later, when they're splayed out in bed together, Wally brings something up again. He nudges Dick where he's resting against Wally's chest, until he shifts just enough to make eye contact with Wally.
“So why didn’t you try to clone me when I was gone?” Wally asks, and bursts into a fit of laughter when Dick glares at him.
“I didn’t even know that was an option back then!” he huffs. If he weren't so comfortable he might have rolled off of Wally, denied him affection, but instead he just flicks him on the arm. Once Wally's quietened he adds, softly, "and I wouldn't have wanted to, anyway. It wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be you."
Wally gazes at him, so warm and in love that Dick feels himself blushing like he's a kid again, gazing back at Wally with no doubt the same adoration. A hand cups his face, drawing him in so Wally can press his mouth to Dick's, kissing him again solidly, firmly, before he draws back just enough to speak.
"I love you too, Boy Wonder."