Title: Back to You
Characters: Wally West, Linda Park, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Hal Jordan, Hawkgirl, Diana Prince, Barry Allen
Pairings: Linda Park & Wally West, Dick Grayson/Wally West
NOTE: I'm not working with any specific 'verse for the JL that Wally helps found. Basically, it's a mushing of the comics, movies, and TV shows that I've seen. For the YJ 'verse I'm only on season one (like episode five...I need to watch more, I know) but I've read a hell of a lot of fanfic. So I may be wrong, miss things, and so forth. I know vaguely about the invasion. Setting this in YJ 'verse was just giving me a convenient out of why Wally is in the position to get sent to another universe. I don't really know Linda Park, so I'm kinda basing her off of Lois Lane from the animated '90s Superman TV show.
Wally sits up, chilled to the bone and with a pounding headache. He looks around himself in confusion, wondering why his uncle would leave him behind. Wally stands up slowly, his legs wobbly and weak. Once he had gained his footing, Wally takes off towards Central City and is surprised when he finds himself running faster than he ever had before. "Woah," Wally mumbles to himself, "I'm probably as fast as Uncle Barry now!" After a brief pitstop for food, Wally eventually makes it to Central City but stops in confusion. "This is not what Central is supposed to look like."
Wally makes the short sprint to his parent's house but stares in shock at the sight of three little kids, all blonde, playing in the front yard. The house was painted a different color and large, mature rose bushes completed the foreign sight. A tall, black-haired woman he doesn't recognize approaches Wally warily from the house next door, "Can I help you, sir?"
Wally takes another look around his neighborhood, "Um, yeah. I was looking for a couple that I thought lived here," Wally points towards his house, "Mary and Rudy West?"
The woman looks sad as she replies, "They sold the house two years ago after the death of their son. They couldn't bear to keep living in Central City, especially after what happened to the rest of their family."
"Oh," Wally looks crestfallen, "Thank you for telling me."
The woman pats his arm, "Can I help you with anything else? Perhaps some proper clothes?" The woman gives Wally a long look, causing him to look down at his tattered suit in surprise. "My ex-boyfriend just moved out and he left some of his old clothes. He's about your size."
"Thank you, ma'am, that would be nice."
She becons him forward, "Follow me. And don't call me ma'am, it makes me feel old."
The pair walk towards her house and Wally follows her into a cozy kitchen. Wally stands around awkwardly while she goes to find some clothes. She shows Wally to a small bathroom with a shower and he makes speedy work of taking a shower and changing into the clothes, bundling his suit up into a tight ball and tying it with a piece of string he finds in the pocket of his borrowed pants. Wally walks back to the kitchen and gives her a bright smile, "Thank you!"
"No problem at all. Here, sit. Would you like something to eat? Or how about something to drink?" The woman gestures towards the extra kitchen chair, staring sternly at Wally.
"Uh, sure," Wally plops down in the chair, "You don't have to, ma'am."
She shakes her head, "I want to and what did I say about calling me ma'am? Please, call me Linda," Linda smiles at Wally as she putters around her kitchen, throwing together a few sandwiches. She places the plate in front of Wally along with a glass of water and a bag of chips before sitting down herself. "So, do you have a name to go along with the confused look on your face?"
Wally smiles back, "My name's Wally."
"You from around here, Wally?" Linda smirks, chomping on a handful of chips.
Wally shrugs, "Grew up here. You?"
"I'm from Keystone but decided to come here after graduating with a journalism degree," Linda says, staring intensely at him, "There's something strange about you."
Wally panics, "Now why would you say that? Me? I'm just regular ol' Wally! Nothing special to see here!" Wally flails his arms, "I'm practically boring-!"
"Uh huh," Linda raises a single eyebrow and says with much sarcasm, "and because you're so defensive it means you've got nothing to hide." Wally fidgets anxiously under her stare. Linda clicks her tongue thoughtfully, "You some kind of time traveler?"
Wally's eyes widen dramatically, "No! Why would you say that?"
"What's today's date?" Wally tells her and she shakes her head, "Wrong, boy wonder. You must be a time traveler because you need to subtract ten years from the year you just gave me."
Wally's jaw drops, "What?"
"You're really not from around here, are you?" Linda rests her head on her hand and purses her lips.
Wally stares at her, stricken, "I guess I am a time traveler," He mumbles to himself, "Holy shit, how am I going to get home?"
Linda shrugs, "Sorry. Can't help you there, Marty McFly," The two sit in an awkward silence for a while before Linda speaks again, "So. Let me lay this out. You somehow travel to the past and come back to...No, this has to be an alternate dimension for you!" Linda exclaims.
"How...do you figure that?" Wally hesitantly asks, "I mean, I know but I want to know why you think that."
Linda rolls her eyes, "Because, dumbass, you were asking about Mary and Rudy and your name is Wally. Their son died two years ago but you're what? Seventeen? Eighteen? Their kid was only ten. You looked shocked when you saw a bunch of random kids playing in a yard that you thought belonged to your parents." Linda smiles at him smugly, "So, alternate dimension."
Wally sighs gustily, "I'm nineteen, thank you."
Linda's smirk falls and she looks at him in sympathy, "I'm sorry. I'm being super harsh on you, especially since you just lost everything you've ever known. Here, c'mon, I bet you're tired and I have a spare room you can crash in," Linda gets up and manages to convince Wally to follow her to the spare room.
Wally crashes on the bed and mumbles, "Thank you."
Linda sits on the edge of the bed, smoothing Wally's hair, "Oh, no problem kid. No problem at all."
Hours later, over dinner, Linda peppers Wally with more questions, "So how did you even get here?"
"I can run super fast," Wally admits to her, "Like almost the speed of sound fast."
Linda makes an impressed face, "That's cool. So you just accidentally broke through the barrier between dimensions and came here?"
Wally shrugs, "I guess. Hey, why aren't you freaking out about this?"
Linda laughs, "We have a guy who can change the weather using a wand and another dude who is a human flamethrower! Also, Metropolis has a super man that can fly and apparently Gotham has a bat-themed vigilante. I don't think anything can surprise me anymore."
Wally looks up at her in surprise, "You guys have Weather Wizard and Heatwave? But you don't have a Flash?"
"Is the Flash a guy who flashes his jiggly bits at people on the street?" Linda pulls a disgusted face, "Because no matter the dimension, that's just nasty."
"No! The Flash is a superhero! He runs at the speed of sound, fighting rogues and saving people!" Wally makes large, sweeping gestures in the air, trying to make his point.
Linda taps the spoon against her lip thoughtfully, "So like Superman?"
"Yeah," Wally deflates, "I guess kinda like Superman," Wally pushes the peas around on his plate. Linda stays silent, letting him process the new information. Eventually, they finish supper and make quick work of cleaning the kitchen before retiring to the living room. "Why are you letting me stay here? Aren't you afraid I'm some crazy guy who'll kill you in your sleep?"
"You remind me of a friend that I once had," Linda shrugs, "Besides, if you were going to kill me, I'd already be dead," Linda picks at a loose thread in the blanket, the TV a dull noise in the background. Wally curls further into himself in the armchair. "I betcha don't have anywhere to go," At Wally's negative head shake, Linda continues, "You can stay here until you get on your feet. It gets kinda lonely all by myself and it'd be nice to have someone to share the chores with again."
Wally stares at her in shock, "You mean it?"
Linda nods, "Yeah, kid, I mean it."
"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Wally yelps gleefully, jumping up and giving Linda a crushing hug, "You're the best!"
Linda pats him on the back, "Hey, you're welcome. But first- some house rules," Wally settles down in the armchair again and Linda throws a writing pad at his head, "Better take some notes."
Several months later, Wally is proud of himself for not only creating a new identity but also for enrolling in online classes to finish his forensics degree and finding honest employment with a nearby grocery store. Wally figures that while his job may not be all that glamorous, it'll help ease the burden he's placing on Linda.
"How ya doin' kid?" Linda asks, walking into the living room and snickering at the sight of Wally smashing himself further into the couch cushions. Wally mutters something back. "What was that, Speedy?"
Wally reluctantly picks his head up and repeats, "My body hurts."
Her smirk grows, "Kinky."
"Not like that!" Wally screeches, scandalized, "I've been training nonstop for the past few weeks since I can run faster now. I need to know my limits."
"Ah," Linda hums, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She picks up Wally's feet before sitting and putting his feet in her lap. "Take it easy, huh? You're gonna burn yourself out if you keep going the way you are."
Wally groans, "I just want to get back home. I mean, you're great and all.."
"But I'm not your large speedster family or the League," Linda pauses, running her hands through Wally's hair. "I suppose I'm also not your boyfriend."
"I don't have a boyfriend."
Linda laughs, "You can't fool me! You talk about this Nightwing fella quite a bit."
"Doesn't mean I'm in love with him," Wally petulantly replies as he pushes his head further into Linda's hands, practically purring. "He's my best friend, that's all."
"Sure, sure," Linda sarcastically agrees. Continuing to pet Wally with one hand, she uses the other to grab the remote and flick on the TV. She flips through several channels before she stops on a news station showing Captain Cold and his Rogues terrorizing downtown Central. "Ugh, why am I never at work when the fun things happen!" Linda complains, "The first time the Rogues appear in months and I'm here at home!"
Wally lifts his head at the familiar sound of Cold's gun charging. Wally stares at the scene in horror, "I've got to do something!" Wally scrambles up and flashes into his new suit before lingering in the living room.
Linda takes in his appearance appreciatively, "Man if you weren't hung up on that Nightwing guy…" She snaps herself out of it, "The red and white is nice."
"Thanks," Wally tells her distractedly as he stares intently at the screen, "Well, I'll be back in a flash!" Wally grins, hearing Linda's groan at his bad humor.
Linda stays glued to the TV throughout the entire encounter and she's reluctantly impressed by how quickly Wally takes down the Rogues and hands them over to the police. Wally and camera crews stick around after the police load up the Rogues and drive off. The reporters eagerly wait for something interesting to happen as Wally approaches the police captain. "David Singh. Who are you?" Singh offers his hand, which Wally takes.
"I'm the Flash!" Wally sends the surrounding cameras a cheesy grin, "Just a guy who wants to use his powers for good!"
"Like Superman?" A blonde approaches Singh and Wally from the crowd of reporters. He holds a mic in his hand, "Eddie Thawne from Central City Picture News."
Linda notices that Wally startles at the name but is quick to cover up his surprise, "Yeah, like Superman I just want to do some good. Help people, ya know?"
Eddie purses his lips with a thoughtful look on his face, "Not many would use your type of power for good. They'd rather use them for personal gain."
"Well, I'll just have to prove myself to the people of Central City then, won't I?" Wally grins once more in the direction before jetting off. In a rush of air, Wally appears in the living room in front of Linda asking, "How'd I do?"
Linda tsks, "We'll have to work on your cheesiness."
"Nah," Wally dismisses the thought, "My uncle was always super cheesy- it's a speedster trait! He told me that when you have as much power as we do it scares people so you have to find ways to put people at ease. So cheese and bad puns!" Wally quickly changes back into his
civilian clothes and collapses onto the couch, snuggling into Linda's side.
Linda rolls her eyes and flips off the news and through channels until she happens upon a rerun of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail.' Linda pulls Wally closer to her and drops her head to rest on top of Wally's, "Never change, kiddo," She whispers into his hair. All she gets in response is a snore, eliciting a grin from her.
Not a month later, Wally comes home in a storm of excited emotions. Linda rolls her eyes in fond exasperation as she hears Wally flash through the entire house, knocking things over as he goes. "Where are you, Linda?" Wally calls out playfully.
"Kitchen," Linda hardly gets the reply out before Wally is standing in front of her, a ball of happy speedster. "What's got you so happy?"
"You'll never guess who I met today! I mean, it was because some aliens were trying to take over the world, but guess who I met!" Wally exclaims, his arms flailing wildly.
Linda raises an eyebrow and calmly continues to stir the soup. She adds a few dashes of salt before dryly responding, "Green Lantern?"
"Well, yes," Wally admits, "But also Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman!" Wally twirls around the kitchen and fainting dramatically against the doorframe, "And we're starting the Justice League. Me! A founding member of the Justice League!"
Linda takes her soup off the stove and places it on the table along with the rest of supper she prepared. Wally stands and gathers the dishes for their meal while Linda gets the drinks. Once they sit and fill their plates, Linda asks, "So this is like the Justice League back in your universe?"
Wally nods empathically, "Exactly! It's going to be great! And as much as I love you, maybe they can help me find a way home."
Linda places her hand on top of Wally's, "Just don't get your hopes up too high."
Wally looks down at his plate, dejected, "I know."
"C'mon, eat up and then we can go binge watch Star Wars," Linda offers, knowing that it will cheer her friend up.
Wally sighs, "Why are you so perfect?" Linda preens under his praise, "God if I wasn't so hung up on Nightwing I'd totally date you."
"Ha! I knew it!" Linda cries before proceeding to give him hell about finally admitting his feelings for Nightwing. Wally takes the teasing good-naturedly, smiling at the warm and fuzzy feeling of home in his stomach.
two years later
Linda watches in concern as Wally slinks into the room and slumps down into the armchair. Linda immediately flicks the TV on to silent. Her concern grows as Wally stares off into nothingness, his face devoid of all emotion. "Honey, what happened?" Linda gets up from the couch and crouches in front of her friend, "I thought you were off on a League mission?"
"Yeah, we were. We defeated some people calling themselves the Justice Lords. They're like an evil version of the Justice League and they invaded because their Flash died."
"But you defeated them?"
Wally nods, holding back tears, "We did. But...but I found out that there's basically no chance I'll ever get back home to my dimension. I'm stuck here."
"Well, how did these guys cross dimensions?" Linda shoves herself into the tiny gap between Wally and the arm of the chair. She pushes Wally's head down and pets him. Wally leans into her gratefully.
"They could only cross over because of how close the two dimensions sit," Wally shrugs, "I don't completely understand but I think that these two universes used to be one before theirs splintered off when this world's Wally died and theirs didn't. There's probably more to it than that. But," Wally shrugs.
"Oh, honey," Linda coos, hugging Wally closer, "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
"Keep being an amazing friend."
"Always," Linda promises. The two fall into silence as the TV silently flickers in the background, showing fake worlds where life is easier and things always work out. The next morning they wake up with cricks in their necks and protesting backs. Linda makes them breakfast and attempts to make Wally smile. While it's not perfect, she can tell that Wally is slowly coming to terms with being stuck in her universe.
Days pass and the house stubbornly remains glum and gloomy. After weeks of melancholy and sullen silences, she finally puts her foot down and convinces Wally to watch 'Ghostbusters' with her. When Wally starts laughing at the dumb jokes and cracking his own, Linda knows that he's going to be fine eventually.
After the movie is over, Linda forces Wally to look at her, "Your mental health is important. I think you should either see someone and talk about your loss or-" Linda continues to speak even though Wally's protests, "OR talk to me or one of the League members that you trust. I worry about you. You're like my little brother."
Wally stares at her, the silence thick and ominous. Finally, Wally nods, "I'd rather talk to you."
Linda gives him a small smile, "I'm always here for you," Instead of replying, Wally pulls her into a crushing hug, "We'll get through this together and besides, if I kicked you out, who would keep fixing the sink?" Wally punches her in the shoulder for the cheeky comment and the two laugh at each other.
four years later
"When are you moving out?" Linda complains, dramatically draped across the kitchen counter as she watches Wally cook them breakfast.
Wally laughs, flipping the bacon in the skillet, "You may never get rid of me! It's your own fault for offering your home to a wayward speedster. Besides, who would fix the sink?"
"True. But oh, what was I ever thinking?" Linda wails, "The horrors! The horrors!" Linda stands up and shakes Wally's shoulders, causing him to yelp and drop the tongs.
"Hey! Watch it or you're gonna have extra crispy bacon!" Wally starts plating up the food.
Linda shrugs his concerns off, pouring another cup of coffee and sitting at the table. Linda pushes Wally's paperwork off to the side before opening her newspaper and examining the latest article. "Hey, the Justice League made the news again."
Wally rolls his eyes, setting a platter of bacon, eggs, and toast on the table, "When do we not make the news? What for this time?" Wally settles down opposite Linda, carefully stacking his papers and shoving them into his satchel. Linda opens the paper to show the headline: "JUSTICE LEAGUE ONCE AGAIN INVESTIGATES LEX LUTHOR."
"Again?" Linda scoffs, "How many times does it make this year alone?"
"Too many. I feel bad for Supes, he can't seem to pin Luthor to anything and make it stick."
"That's what happens when you have all of Metropolis in your pocket," Linda shrugs, balls up the paper, and tosses it into the trash, "You have a Luthor in your dimension, right?"
Wally nods, rapidly chewing an egg, "Yeah, he's a real douche in our universe too."
"He's just such a warm and fuzzy guy, ain't he?" They look at each other for a few seconds before bursting with raucous laughter, "Oh, that'd be the day!" Linda hoots, Wally nodding and wiping away tears from his eyes. "Aw, man, I needed that. Anyway, thanks for breakfast but I gotta jet! I have an interview with the mayor this evening so I won't be home until late!"
"It's okay, I have a JL meeting tonight and then monitor duty until two am because I don't have work for a few days," Wally 'blehs' in disgust.
Linda smiles fondly at him, "It's good for your soul."
"Lies," Wally hisses, dramatically clutching his coffee cup closer to his chest.
"I'm going now," She sings, placing a kiss on his forehead, "See you later, little brother!"
"See ya!" Wally calls after her. He gets up and starts to do the dishes when he notices Linda's lunchbox still sitting on the countertop. Wally sighs in exasperation before picking it up and flashing into her moving car, leaving the box with a sticky note reading 'forgot to take your lunch, big sister xoxo.' Wally's back before the sink has finished filling. He sings as he scrubs at the dishes, giving an extra flourish as he places them on the other side of the sink to dry.
His rendition of 'Smooth Criminal' is cut short by Batman calling over the Justice League communicator, "This is Batman to JL. Everyone come to the Watchtower at once for an emergency meeting. Repeat, everyone come to the Watchtower immediately for an emergency meeting. Batman out."
Wally stares forlornly down at his comm that was currently spewing static. He turns it off before complaining, "Aw man, and I was gonna watch some TV on my day off. This sucks," Wally flashes through the rest of the dishes before donning his Flash suit and zipping to the nearest transporter spot.
"Hey, GL! Hey, Diana!" Wally cheerfully greets his teammates as he strides onto the Watchtower, "Does anyone know what the big emergency is?"
Superman breezes through the room and sternly tells them, "Conference room. Now, guys."
"Sure, Supes!" Wally cheers, eagerly following Superman with the others not far behind.
No sooner had the Justice League settled down in their seats before Batman is standing and surveying the group. Apparently content that they were all present and ready to be briefed, Batman clicks a few buttons and Watchtower security footage from a holding cell pops up on the screen showing a young man with black hair in a mask, utility belt, and a black suit that has blue stripes down the sides with a bird on the chest. Wally gapes at the sight. He quickly hides his shock and tries to school his face into something more neutral. However, by the look Batman sends him, he is unsuccessful.
"This man appeared on the Watchtower an hour ago. We do not know how he snuck in or who he is. He's been very cagey and requests to speak with Flash," Batman looks sharply at Wally,
"He says he'll only speak if Flash is present."
"You know him?" Green Lantern looks over at Wally, concern present.
Wally nods that he does indeed know the man, "I may need to tell you all something."
Batman looks agreeable, "Yes, please do tell us, Wallace West, how a dead kid is alive and twelve years older than he's supposed to be."
Batman and Wally ignore the surprised gasps from the other League members, staring each other down, "Just like how I know you're Bruce Wayne? And Superman is Clark Kent, Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, and Martian Manhunter goes by John Jones?" Wally ticks the names off on his fingers, "I could go on."
Batman's eyes narrow. A ruckus goes through the gathered heroes. Wally deflates, "I've been lying to you all. My name is Wally West, but not this world's Wallace West. That Wally died six years ago when he was ten. I came from an alternate dimension by accident and I don't know how to get home."
"Then explain this man in our cell," Batman demands, his fist thumping the table. The other
League members shift uneasily.
"That's Nightwing, he's a hero in my universe," Wally shrugs and pulls down his cowl in one smooth movement. Wally awkwardly scratches the back of his head as everyone stares at him.
"Dude. That's kinda cool," Green Lantern grins at Wally, offering his hand for a fist-bump. Wally slowly accepts the gesture.
"Don't you miss your home?" Hawkgirl asks in concern.
Wally nods, "Don't you?" He asks rhetorically before properly replying, "I miss home every day. I had a family there."
"Do you have a big family?" Wonder Woman queries with a gentle smile.
Wally shrugs, "Kinda? My parents, Mary and Rudy West. Then my Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry, who's actually the second Flash in our universe. Jay is the first Flash and he's family even though we're not related. My cousin from the future, Bart, is there as well. Plus everyone in the League is like family. This League is so much smaller than the one back home. I actually got my speed because I wanted to be just like my Uncle Barry except I didn't know he was the Flash when I gave myself powers."
"How long have you had powers?" Hawkgirl places her hand on Wally's, squeezing lightly. The others look at him with increased interest.
Wally grins at them, "Since I was twelve. I worked with my uncle as Kid Flash. All of Central's Rogues called me Baby Flash and it drove me insane. It was strange when I started working in this universe's Central City because I was so used to fighting against a bunch of Rogues that treated me like their little brother or nephew. They're also like family," Wally's grin grows, "I spent a lot of time hanging out with my uncle's Rogues. Uncle Len actually taught me how to ice skate."
"Uncle Len?" Green Lantern asks in horror, "You called Captain Cold 'Uncle Len'?"
Wally throws his head back in glee, chuckling madly, "All of your faces!" Wally laughs for a while longer before composing himself, "Yeah, I know it's strange but that's just how we rolled in Central," Wally suddenly becomes gloomy, "I miss home. I kinda even miss them calling me Baby Flash."
Sympathy crosses their faces. Superman stands and says firmly, "We'll miss you, but if you want to go home, then we'll do our best to get you back."
Hawkgirl nods her agreement, "Yes, you belong with your family. And," She continues slyly, "by the look on your face when you saw this Nightwing, you belong with your boyfriend."
"Oh!" Wally blushes, "We aren't like that! He's just my best friend! We've known each other since I was like twelve and he was ten."
"Uh huh," Green Lantern says doubtfully, shaking his head, "just friends." Everyone snickers on Wally's behalf and even Batman looks like he's taking some sort of amusement from the teasing.
"Anyways, can you please let me see Nightwing? To see if he might be from my universe?" Wally pleads, looking imploringly at Batman.
Batman takes several moments to think over the answer. Finally getting exasperated enough, Green Lantern chucks a pencil at Batman, who easily dodges, "Yes. I do believe that would be acceptable." Batman replies with his usual dignity, glaring daggers at Green Lantern.
"Thank you!" Wally mutters.
"But!" Batman exclaims before Wally could rush off, "You have to take us with you when you talk with him."
Wally looks at the other man in disbelief, "Why? I can handle myself just fine."
"I'm sure it's not that!" Superman rushes to defuse the moment, "He'd ask that of any of us going to talk to someone-"
Wally rolls his eyes, interrupting Superman, "Look. I get it. You guys are worried for me," He huffs in exasperation, "You can listen and watch from behind the glass but I'm going in to talk to Nightwing alone."
"Put your cowl back on first," Green Lantern tells him worriedly. Wally gives him a disgusted look before flashing off to the holding cells. "What?" Green Lantern asks, seeing the looks everyone else is giving him, "I'm just concerned for his safety."
"This isn't his first rodeo," Superman points out.
"Oh, like you were acting much better," Hawkgirl tsks. Batman snorts in amusement, only to fall silent at Wonder Woman's glare.
"Come, let us stop bickering and see what this Nightwing has to say," Wonder Woman commands the group. She strides out of the room with the others following sheepishly behind. When the group arrives at the holding cells, Wally is waiting impatiently for them to show up.
Wally throws his hands up, "Finally! I thought you guys got lost or something!" Wally bounces on the balls of his feet, "Can I go in now?" He sends Batman a pleading look. Batman simply gestures towards the door. Wally whoops and throws open the door, rushing inside, "Hellllllloooooo!" Wally sings, plopping himself on the floor opposite the other man. Nightwing engages Wally in a staring contest, assessing and being assessed in return.
"He's nervous," Wonder Woman comments to the others.
"Oh yeah," Green Lantern agrees, "Like a boy asking a girl out to the senior prom."
Hawkgirl snorts, "That is an understatement. I would say he is nervous like a man in love asking the one of his dreams to marry him." Batman tsks, but everyone knows that means he agrees with Hawkgirl's assessment.
"Hey, Supes isn't Nightwing the name of a guy from one of Krypton's legends?" Green Lantern questions.
Superman nods, "This Nightwing must be close with my counterpart in his dimension."
"That is promising," Wonder Woman points out.
Green Lantern opens his mouth to ask more but Batman cuts him off with a growled, "Shut up Lantern." Seconds later Nightwing begins to speak.
"So, you're the Flash."
"So, you're Nightwing." Wally counters before taking a chance and adding, "And you're also a dick who likes to butcher the English language with un-words like 'asterous.'"
The whites of Nightwing's mask widen, "Walls?" He asks in quiet awe and disbelief.
"Robbie," Wally barely has time to state before Nightwing throws himself into Wally. Wally wraps his arms around Nightwing, pulling him close and petting his hair, "Yeah, it's me and I've never felt the aster more than I am right now. No dis."
Dick snorts, "You're a jerk. Everyone said you were dead."
"How long?" Wally gently asks, continuing to pet Dick's hair.
"Four years," Dick replies before burrowing himself further into Wally's chest. Wally allows himself the luxury of hugging Dick and stops his petting so he can place his nose into Dick's hair. Dick pulls away and drags the cowl off of Wally, drinking in his face. Wally places his hands on the edge of Dick's mask, seeking permission. He beams when Dick nods and Wally eagerly, but with aching tenderness, takes Dick's domino mask off.
Unable to help himself, Wally pulls Dick in for a kiss. Just when Wally is about to freak out and flash away from his friend, Dick eagerly begins to respond and melts into Wally's chest. The pair eventually pulls away and Wally mutters, "Bro."
Dick cackles and mockingly returns, "Bro," Wally blushes almost as bright as his hair but relaxes into the second kiss when Dick pulls him in.
Behind the mirror, the League members soften at the display. "I think we can let this Nightwing out," Superman softly tells Batman, who gives a single sharp nod of agreement. Green Lantern rolls his eyes at the cooing Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl are doing over the pair in the cell.
Fifteen minutes later they're back in the conference room, Dick and Wally sticking close to each other's side while Batman interrogates Dick, "Tell me once more how you came to be in this universe."
Dick sighs, but not unkindly, used to Batman's moods, "After I convinced our universe's Flash and Batman that there was a good chance Wally was still alive, Flash and several other League members helped me build a machine that would allow travel between dimensions. This is the seventh dimension that I've checked for Wally. The sixth dimension had an evil Justice League that called themselves-"
"The Justice Lords. We know. We've had the displeasure," Batman cuts Dick off. Dick shudders and clutches Wally's hand tighter. Batman does another lap of the front of the room while Green Lantern lazily creates shapes in the air with Hawkgirl making it her mission to ruin them as fast as Green Lantern can will them into being.
While Batman muses to himself, Dick turns to Wally and asks, "Remember that time we took the Batmobile for a joyride around Gotham?"
Wally bursts out laughing and the other League members stare at the pair in horror, "Oh, boy, that was a great birthday! The look on the League members' faces when we pulled back into the Batcave."
Dick grins, "Priceless," Wally enthusiastically nods. Batman's mouth twitches, giving away his amusement to those who were as attuned to Batman as Dick and Wally are. "Man, Dad was so mad that I stole his car and took it through a Windy's drive-through."
Green Lantern's jaw drops, "Your dad is Batman?" At Dick's affirmative nod, the other League members look at him with new appreciation. "Dude, Wally, you're dating Batman's son?"
Wally shrugs, "Well we weren't when I arrived in this dimension. I'll have to get Batman's approval when I get back to our dimension but I don't think he'll mind too much. He's probably seen this coming for years since he gave Nightwing permission to tell me their identities and I got to see the Batcave."
"Dude," Green Lantern stares at Wally, baffled. Wally shrugs, unconcerned.
"You don't call your car and cave that do you, Batman?" Hawkgirl looks at Batman, raising an eyebrow. The other League members look at Batman, interested to hear the answer. Batman simply looks irritated and chooses not to answer the question.
Dick laughs, "Nah, if he's anything like my Dad, then he doesn't call his car that and the Cave is just the Cave. I was eight when I came to live with my dad and I think he let me add 'bat' in front of everything to make it seem less scary."
"You're not biologically his?" Superman asks, intrigued by the thought of Batman adopting.
Dick shrugs, "Nope, but I'm not telling you anything more because spoilers. Just in case your world becomes anything like ours. And good luck not having a sidekick Bats, in the six other worlds I visited, in five of them you had one."
Wally rolls his eyes, "Can you please tell me how you planned to get back home?"
"Fine, ruin my fun," Dick complains, "Well, they give me exactly a week in each world to search for you before they bring me back," Dick takes a small device from out of his belt and lays it on the table. The League moves in to take a closer look and Dick continues talking, "As long as I have this device on me I can get home. Anything or anyone I'm touching will be transported with me and the device has a button-" Dick points it out, "-that I can touch to request that I be brought back early. A panic button, if you will."
"There are some things I need to tie up before I can leave," Wally says, "But then I'm ready to go home. Give me two days."
"As long as I can spend them with you," Dick requests. Wally turns pleading eyes on Batman who shifts uncomfortably for a few long moments. At Wonder Woman's stern glare, Batman finally agrees. Wally cheers and rushes them both off the Watchtower.
That evening Wally introduces Dick to Linda and over the next two days he ties up any loose ends. On the morning of Dick's third day in the dimension, Wally shares an emotional goodbye with Linda. "I'll miss you, little brother."
"You could come with us," Wally half-heartedly offers.
Linda smiles but shakes her head, "I don't think…I mean there's...and the thing, ya know..."
Wally quickly looks up, sensing weakness, "Don't think what? What things? I know I'm your only family in this universe and you hate your job at the news station because of all the jerks that work with you. Come with us, you could be my long-lost cousin three times removed or something!"
Dick smiles, "We have plenty of awesome hackers that could set you up with a new identity as Wally's cousin."
Linda wavers, her resolve weakening, "I...I guess that I could come with you," Linda smiles as Wally cheers, hugging her enthusiastically before rushing off to start packing her essentials.
"Should I be jealous?" Dick teases.
Linda barks out a laugh, "Nah, he's all yours, 'Wing. I better go pack before he gets too eager and packs the entire house."
Linda and Dick finish packing her things while Wally makes a trip up to the Watchtower to say goodbye to his League friends. Wally waves at the triplets playing in the yard next door before he walks into Linda's house one final time. "Ready?"
Linda nods, "As I can ever be. Did Batman say he'll take care of my house and such?"
Wally smiles, "Yeah, he said that he'll get it taken care of," Wally picks up his bags, strapping the backpack on tight and clutching at Linda's second suitcase. The other two follow suit moments later.
"C'mon, let's go home," Dick offers an arm to each of them. The trio stands in the middle of the living room with Dick framed by Linda and Wally, who clutch the luggage tighter to themselves as Dick hits the button on his transporter device. Several beats pass before the world disintegrates before their eyes and becomes a blur of colors and finally stabilizing once more. Wally beams at the sight of the Watchtower filled with all his friends and family. Everyone stands in stunned silence before they simultaneously erupt with cheering. Wally is pulled into the mass of people and subjected to an seemingly endless amount of hugs. Someone asks who Linda is and after Dick quickly explains her presence, she too is pulled into the fray. Linda allows the hugs with good humor and a slightly bemused smile on her face.
"Baywatch!" Artemis cheers, pulling Wally in for a bone-crushing hug which Wally happily returns. The other members of Young Justice give Wally the same treatment as Artemis. Wally places a hand on top of Bart's head, both grinning like idiots.
Dick stands back from the crowd, a huge smile on his face that grows when Bruce approaches and places a hand on his shoulder. "I told you I'd find him."
Bruce gives his son a small, proud smile, "You did."
The pair watch Wally work his way through the crowd and grin at Barry practically gluing himself to his nephew's side. "You know," Dick casually says, "we're boyfriends now."
"Dick, I've known you were going to be together when you stole the Batmobile for his birthday," Bruce says with fond exasperation, "Barry and I have talked about it and we've resigned ourselves to being in-laws a long time ago."
Dick laughs, bright and happy, causing Wally to look their way and send Dick a large, dopey grin. Bruce pushes Dick towards his boyfriend and the pair meet halfway. As Wally pulls Dick into a passionate kiss, cheers go through the group. "Pay up, Queen!" Hal crows.
"Aw, shit!" Oliver curses. A large book is brought out and several League members crowd close to either pay up or gleefully claim their winnings.
"You bet on us?" Wally asks, laughing.
"Oh yeah, kid, we bet on you," Barry calls from where he's standing next to Bruce, "And you both just made me a tidy sum!" Everyone laughs at Bruce's eye roll. Wally ignores the good-natured ribbing and pulls his boyfriend close, content to be surrounded by his friends and family. Home.
