This is for Rie, who turned very old the other day. I love you gurl, always helping me and being there when I need to talk. I hope you like this

A/N: Avery is mine, anything else belongs to DC


The rain hit the windows and thunder boomed, making the traffic outside louder than Dick thought possible. He exhaled through his teeth when the lights flickered. The large glass windows were fogging, lights from cars and buildings in Gotham seemed farther away. The penthouse was quiet now, quieter than it had been for days.

Dick crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. Wally wasn't home; gone out on some League mission. Dick hadn't been allowed to go since Wally had missed out last time, it was Dick's turn. He'd scowled through the entire briefing and when he'd argued with Wally about staying home, Wally had fought back just as vehemently, accusing Dick of never wanting to be around their daughter. Then, when Dick had mentioned asking Damian to babysit, Wally had gotten even angrier.

A loud wail cut through the silence then, startling Dick. Shit, he cursed silently, feet already moving towards the noise, I thought she'd fallen asleep.

The door to the nursery is ajar slightly, and Dick pushes it open entirely, taking in the sight of his daughter. Her cries are loud; louder then he'd ever heard. Lian had never been this bad…

Avery continued crying after Dick had picked her up, cradling the baby to his chest. He tried shushing her, rocking her, feeding her, changing and bathing her, but something else must have been bothering her. This was the fifth time she'd woken up that night.

Lightning flashed again, lighting up the room. Avery sobbed harder, small fists closing around Dick's thumb.

Oh, makes sense.

Dick sighs, leaving her bedroom. Avery's cries turn into sniffles, then occasional hiccups. "You just like being held," Dick murmurs, eyeing the girl in his arms. A small smile pulls at his lips. "You're just like your daddy, aren't you?"

She hiccups, face burying itself against his shirt. Thunder booms again, and this time, the power goes out. It takes a few moments for the generators to kick back on. By this time, Avery had begun crying again.

Dick dims the light in the living room then moves to sit on the couch. Avery sobs against him, cries making Dick cringe. Wally really was better at comforting her. Maybe he should have made Damian come over. The younger boy was probably back at the Manor with Colin—

Dick shook his head and looked down at Avery. "C'mon baby girl," he rocks her slowly, fingers ghosting up and down her spine. "You gotta get some sleep sometime tonight, baby girl."

Avery sniffs and Dick thinks maybe she'll fall asleep now, but another wail rips its way out of her throat and her cheeks darken.

"Come on," Dick pleads, smoothing his hand over her soft hair. "Avery, baby, relax…"

"She been fussing all night?"

Dick nearly jumps out of his skin at the sound of Wally's voice. He turns slightly, and Avery's sobs subside long enough to peek at the speedster, before they start up again. Dick exhales loudly and glances away from Wally, eyes fixed on the wall. "Yeah, she has."

A rush of air and a view of red spandex block his view of the wall, and Wally squats down, taking Avery from Dick's arms. He looks up at his boyfriend, "Go to sleep, okay? I'll put her down."

Dick waits on the couch until he hears Avery's door close softly before he gets up and goes into his bedroom.

The bedroom is cold when he walks in, and he almost slams the door shut to show Wally just how angry he is, but he's really tired and waking Avery up, or making her cry again, would totally not be okay.

Sighing again, Dick thinks about running uptown to stay at the manor, but he isn't really that mad at Wally. At least, he's not mad enough to risk getting soaking wet and Damian not hear the doorbell because he's having se—

"That's my shirt," Wally teases quietly from the doorway, and Dick wants to punch him in the face for being so happy or teasing or whatever, but he sticks to ignoring Wally. The speedster walks into the room, stripping the top half of his uniform off. Dick tries not to stare, but the white bandage that takes up half of Wally's lower stomach makes him pause. His eyes wander up to meet Wally's in a glare. "What happened?"

"It's just a scratch." Wally tells him quickly, speeding to the dresser. Seconds later, he's in boxers and a t-shirt. "You can wear that, by the way."

Dick doesn't stop glaring, but he does pull on the t-shirt and grab a pair of pajama pants. "If it's just a scratch then why is it all covered like that?" He narrows his eyebrows to add more effect to his glare. Wally squirms and rubs an arm. "Shayera was worried it was infected or something—"

"Infected?"

"Er—yeahitwasarustybladebutdon'tworryI'mfine."

Dick narrows his eyes even more and crosses his arms. "You're just making me angrier Wally. Tell me what happened."

"What—are you still mad from earlier? Dick, c'mon—you can't go on missions whenever you feel like it. And we made a deal that when we got Avery that only one of us would go at a time unless we could get a babysitter. And no, I'm not letting Damian—"

"—who is perfectly capable of watching her!"

"—babysit my daughter. So don't be in such an awful mood every time you don't get what you want!"

"Well stop—just shut up!"

"Then stop being such a fu—" Wally flinches when the thunder booms and looks towards the door, waiting for a cry. When he doesn't hear anything, he glances back at Dick. "Come on, man. Let's not fight. We'll worry about it in the morning, okay?" He's quieter now, and Dick realizes he's won.

Wally runs a hand over his face, exhaling slowly. "Just. Please come to bed. Please?"

Dick gives Wally a long, hard look, before padding towards the bed. The sheets are cold when he slips into bed next to Wally. He glances at his boyfriend, frown on his face. "You're sure you're okay?"

When Wally looks at Dick, he realizes how tired the speedster is. Dark circles make his cheeks seem hollow, his eyes a duller green, and Dick knows then that it isn't just a scratch. His hand touches the gauze hesitantly. "Stop lying to me."

Wally leans forward, kissing Dick. The younger boy frowns, tries to pull away, but Wally puts a hand behind his neck, keeping him there. After a few moments of struggling, Dick gives in.

Pulling away, Wally touches Dick's forehead with his own. "It's not a big deal. It's healing; I can feel it. So stop worrying please."

Dick's blue eyes bore into Wally's green, and finally, he nods. "We'll talk in the morning?"

"Absolutely." Wally agrees, nodding his head. "Now let's sleep."

Nodding, Dick lies down, fingers latching onto Wally's. "I love you, Dick." Wally murmurs, burying his face in his boyfriend's neck. "I love you a lot."

"I know," Dick smiles, free hand running through Wally's hair. "I love you, too."


So I added a kid in here. Yup.

Review please :)