A/N: This prompt has been swirling around in my head for WEEKS and I just had to get it down. Basically it's what the summary says: Wally and Artemis are getting married, and Dick is the best man. You know what that means? BEST MAN SPEECH! Please, children, sit back and enjoy my labor of love.
Dick Grayson nervously adjusts his cuff-link, stealing glances to his best friend next to him, who sits holding hands with his new wife. The wedding of Wally West and Artemis Crock is a big one, attracting members of both the team and the Justice League. People had been putting down bets for when this day would finally happen. Now, it's here.
And here Dick is, preparing to deliver the best man speech.
When Wally asked him to be his best man, Dick was beyond touched at the gesture. It's a pivotal point in their long standing friendship. They've gone from unruly kids goofing around when their mentors had their backs turned to full grown men, ready to settle down and start families.
At least, Wally is. Dick isn't quite ready for that just yet.
Being appointed the best man is not an honor he's taking lightly. He wants to make this day special and make his best friend proud. And the defining point of the reception? The best man speech, of course. Bruce told him to prepare a speech beforehand, but Dick dismissed him and insisted that he could just wing it. Well, as much as he hates to say it, Bruce was right. He needs to deliver the speech any second now and he has absolutely no idea what to say. What does a man say about their best friend getting married to another one of his oldest friends?
An elbow jab from groomsman Roy next to him brings him back into reality.
"Uh, yeah?" he asks blankly. Roy smirks at his nervousness and points to Dick's half empty glass sitting on the table.
"It's about time you delivered your best man speech, kid," he reminds him. "We're all waiting."
Dick smiles back at him and nods, internally panicking.
"Yes, of course, I know…"
With shaky hands, he reaches out and grabs the clear champagne glass and a fork. For a second, he's worried that a utensil will break such a delicate looking glass, but he quickly erases these thoughts. He's seen best man speeches done in the movies tons of times before, and they always start like this. It'll be just fine.
Dick stands up and starts hitting his fork against his glass, making a clear ringing sound echo through the ball room where the reception is being held. It takes a little while to wrangle the attention of the attendants – of which includes the team, all the Justice League members that know Wally and Artemis personally, and their loved ones – but he's finally able to make the entire room fall silent. Their attention goes directly to him standing there with a glass in his hand like an idiot. He swallows hard and makes a mental note to kick Roy's ass later for reminding him to do this.
He grabs the microphone from the stand behind him.
"Hello, everyone," he begins nervously. "In case you all don't know, my name is Dick Grayson, and I'm the best friend. I guess it's about time to deliver the best man speech. Now, I may not be the best speaker, but at least be thankful this won't be yet another blind drunk, YouTube worthy wreck of a best man speech."
The crowd laughs, boosting Dick's confidence just a bit. He's right. At least he isn't drunk off his ass.
Yet.
"I'm sure many of you can account for the fact that Wally and I have been best friends since we met as kids. I know of many of you who still want to get us back for the stupid pranks we pulled on you. Barry, have you forgiven us yet for putting hot pepper seasoning on your protein bars?"
He hears Barry Allen shout a loud 'NO' from his seat, causing laughter to spread around. Dick grins when he sees Wally and Artemis laughing along.
"I thought not. Wally and I were two of the most annoying little brats you could possibly come across. It was just him and me, best buddies, amigos, partners in crime. It's true we had Kaldur and Roy as friends back then too, but Wally and I had a special bond. You never saw one of us without the other. It was just the two of us against the world. Then Artemis joined the team."
He glances over to Artemis sitting next to Wally in her beautiful white dress. It's simple, nothing flashy, but still manages to be beautiful. It suits her.
"Oh, yes. The day I dreaded most had come. My best friend, who always managed to strike out with the ladies, had found a girlfriend. Needless to say, I was not happy about this. My best friend giving his time to someone else? I was not having it! Not at all. I spent all these years never having to share him with anyone, and now suddenly some girl was going to waltz in and distract him? No, it was just not acceptable."
Artemis laughs while Wally just grins and shakes his head.
"It took me a long time to get used to the fact that Wally had someone else in his life he needed to have time for. I was angry, sure, but I tried to man up and take it for his sake. I saw how happy he was and I didn't want to mess with that. Then the more I got to know Artemis, the more I realized how wonderful and strong and perfect for Wally she was. I couldn't remember why I felt jealous of her in the first place. Then I realized that it was because for the first time since we had met, Wally had someone in his life more important to him than I was. I was angry because I wasn't the only thing he cared about. I thought she came in to disrupt that."
Dick laughs to himself and shakes his head.
"It was then that I realized how deep my friendship with Wally runs. He's the person I go to when I'm sad and want to talk, the person who breaks out the baseball bat when someone messes with me, the person who will go along with me on a stupid idea, and the person who will sit down and eat a whole pie with me even if we do end up puking together the rest of the day."
Everyone in the room laughs and Wally just guiltily nods.
"He's the person I want to give the best man speech at my wedding, the person who I want to be the godfather to my children, and the person I want to eulogize me at my funeral. And I want to be these things to him in turn. He's my best friend, my brother, and I don't know what I'd do with my sorry ass if I didn't have him around to keep me in line. Today, I realize that his marriage to Artemis isn't me losing a brother. It's me gaining a sister. Instead of the dynamic duo, we'll be the golden trio. I'm okay with sharing."
He raises his glass up high, his eyes fixed on the happy couple.
"A toast, to Mr. and Mrs. West."
Everyone in the room raises their glass with him, toasting the new couple. The groomsmen, who consist of Roy, Kaldur, Conner, and Dick, all clink glasses together.
Dick feels a hand land on his shoulder and turns his head. Wally's gripping him tightly and looking like he's about to cry. Dick's eyes widen. Did Wally like it? Did he do well?
He gets his answer when Wally pulls him into a hug.
"I love you, man," Wally declares, hugging his raven-haired best friend tightly. Dick smiles and pats the red-head on the back.
"I love you too, dude. I was hoping you'd like it. I meant every word."
Wally pulls away, but keeps a grip on Dick's arms.
"And I mean it when I say that even though I'm married, you're still at the top of my priority list, okay?"
Dick nods happily and leans in to give Wally one more hug.
"Good," Dicks decides. "Because I'm not going anywhere, so you two better get used to having a third person living in your house and interrupting you all the time."
Artemis laughs from her seat.
"If you want a godchild, you'll leave us be!" she exclaims.
Dick and Wally laugh, sitting back down and digging back in to their meals. Dick grins to himself. Pft, write a speech? Bruce was so wrong. He winged it just fine, thank you very much.
But he swears to god, if this ends up on YouTube…
A/N: The Wally/Dick bromance is my favorite bromance. They're just too adorable! :D
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