Life's Game
When he entered the apartment, the first thing he heard was the sound of vomiting, as he made his way to the bathroom; he noticed the folded blanket and pillow on the living room couch. When he came into the bathroom, he was greeted to the sight of Wally hunched over the toilet.
"Hey" Dick greeted.
Wally groaned.
"Rough night?" the former Boy Wonder asked as he helped his friend up, steadying him when the Speedster swayed.
"I wish" Wally said he went over to the sink to brush his teeth once he was steady on his feet, "so what brings you here?" the Speedster then said after he finished brushing.
"You know, just checking up on you" Dick said as he followed his friend out the bathroom and into the kitchen.
"Well as you can see, aside from a little upset stomach, I'm fine. Coke?"
"No thanks, and since when do you get upset stomach?"
"Las Vegas" was the answer Wally gave with a knowing smirk.
"…Oh" was Dick response, blushing a little at the memory of that particular mission, and the one part that Batman would never find out about.
Wally snickered, and fished out a coke from the fridge, then made his way to the living room, the red-head flopped on the couch. Grinning when Dick sat next to him, Nightwing snatched up the remote and started channel surfing.
"Seriously though" Dick said, eyes never straying from the flickering channels, "you're okay?"
"Dick" Wally huffed, "I'm fine"
"I mean you're alone now, and—"
"I said I'm fine!" Wally snapped.
Dick simply looked at his friend, unfazed by his outburst.
"You could always stay with me Wally" Dick then said.
Wally sighed, shoulders slumping, "Thanks, really, but I'm good here"
"You sure?"
"Yep"
Dick stared at the Speedster before nodding, and resuming his channel surfing.
~.~
Later that night, Wally emerged from the bathroom, dressed in nothing but his boxers; one towel drying his head. The pendent hanging around his neck gleamed against the moonlight that came from the window. With a sigh, he tossed the towel aside, not caring where it landed, and flopped down onto the sofa. He unfolded the sheets and covered himself with it, with another sigh he settled into the sofa.
Green eyes stared up at the ceiling, listening to the silence that filled the apartment, one of his hands came up to clench around the pendent.
"I'm fine" he thought, "I'm fine"
When morning came Wally found himself running to the bathroom, and throwing up his breakfast.
"Damn it" he groaned before bringing up more of his breakfast.
Afterward, he brushed his teeth, dressed gathered his back pack and headed for school. Stopping at a drug store to pick up some medicine and Ginger Ale along the way, the rest of his day was spent as normal, though many of his friend and Professor had asked where Artemis was (He knows Dick had planned for this, and no doubt the Professors will get an e-mail later in the afternoon, as for his friends, well he'll think of something). Lunch, he skipped not trusting his stomach (and wasn't that a first?) to keep anything down.
Throughout the whole day he kept telling himself he was fine.
5 years ago
Kaldur and Wally had to "break up", and it had to be bad, Kaldur needed a reason to leave the team, and breaking up with Wally was a good reason.
First step: Arguing.
"Must you always be so careless!?" Kaldur snapped.
Zatana and M'gann both stopped just short of the kitchen doorway, blinking in surprise at the harsh tone in the normally passive voice. They looked at each other than peeked around the corner.
There in the kitchen, were Wally and Kaldur, both glaring at each other.
"Robin could have gotten killed because of your carelessness!" Kaldur scowled at his lover
"But he didn't!"
"That is not the point!"
"Then what is the point, oh great wise leader?"
"You're careless, can't follow orders, I thought you had out grown such childishness, but I was wrong"
Wally's eyes narrowed "Well then!" he then snapped, "have fun sleeping on the couch tonight!"
Both girls eeped when Wally blurred out the kitchen and pass them, they looked back at Kaldur, and found the Atlantean with a distressed expression.
When Kaldur entered the apartment he shared with Wally later that same evening, he was hit with the smells of dinner cooking and the sound of the TV. He made his way to the kitchen where he was greeted to Wally's bare back by the stove, the Speedster jumping when strong arms wrapped around his waist.
"Am I really sleeping on the couch tonight?" Kaldur purred in his ear, a hand coming up to play with the pendent.
Wally grinned as he leaned back against the broad chest, lifting his head to nuzzle the strong jaw.
"If you beg real nicely, I might reconsider"
Kaldur gave a soft growl that rumbled through his chest as he tightened his arm around his lover.
"But I'm cooking now" Wally then said, snickering at the pout Kaldur's face, "go shower"
Kaldur did as he was told, after showering, he came back to the kitchen in nothing but his sleeping pants; Wally was just finishing setting the table.
"Robin, has informed me that we were very convincing today" Kaldur said as he sat, "M'gann, Zatana, and Conner came to him expressing concerns"
"Conner? Oh, right, superhearing"
Kaldur nodded, watching his lover stuff food into his mouth, before shaking his head and turning his attention to his own plate; after dinner the two cuddled up on the couch. They put in a movie but didn't watch it. Instead, they spent the whole time coming up with arguments to do.
Wally was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be enjoying making plans behind his team's back.
"You could yell at me for always trying to push you out of danger and trying to protect you while on missions" Kaldur suggested to Wally, the Speedster pouted down at the Atlantean he was laying on top of.
"But I like you saving me" he whined.
"As do I" Kaldur chuckled, trailing his hand down his lover's back and into his pants "especially the reward I get later for doing so"
Wally whimpered when a finger pushed between his cheeks and teased at his hole.
"I like that part too" the Speedster breathlessly moaned, "oh!" he arched when his collarbone was sucked, mewling when the finger slowly pushed inside him.
The conversation was quickly forgotten for something much more pleasurable.
~.~
The weeks that passed were never ending arguments, always within hearing distance of their teammates and mentors, a couple of times Kaldur stayed overnight at Mt. Justice; ignoring the whispers and sympathy looks. His king had even come over to the apartment once when Wally was out visiting his Aunt, and asked if everything was alright.
"Wally and I are just having a rough patch, My King, no need to worry" he had said.
Then came the day La'gaan and Tula joined the team.
Present
"Okay, that's just gross"
"What?" Wally asked, blinking at his classmate.
"Whatta mean what? Dude, you just put mayonnaise in your soda!" exclaimed his classmate Ray.
"So?"
"So? Wally, buddy, I know you can eat some pretty strange stuff, but this" Ray said indicating to the soda the Speedster was now drinking, "this is what pregnant women do"
Wally chuckled; about to roll his eyes when something stopped him, like something just clicked in his head.
Two weeks ago, he had finally stopped puking his guts out, which was a good thing considering Dick was getting that looking in his eyes; the look that involved pointy needles. Not long after that, he started having weird cravings; mayonnaise was just a new addition. Then there was the fatigue, he was always tired, which was strange because he was always eating more.
That didn't mean he was pregnant…did it? It wasn't exactly impossible, he met many alien species where the males could get pregnant, evolution, survival, and all, but he was human. Sure his lover wasn't, but they weren't compatible for…that. Maybe he was just spending too much time with his Aunt, and her pregnancy was rubbing off on him, even if it's been only a couple of weeks, yep that was it…right?
"Wally?"
Wally looked at Ray, who was giving him a concerned and curious look.
"Um…I gotta go…something…something came up"
The Speedster then left the dinner before he classmate could say a word.
5 years ago
"I can't believe you!"
Dick blinked in surprise when he entered the apartment, he went to the living room and was met with the sight of Wally glaring at Kaldur, while the other tried to calm down his lover.
"Wally—" Kaldur started
"No, don't you dare!" Wally snapped, now pacing back and forth, body vibrating.
"Wally, it's not what you think?" Kaldur said.
"Not what I think? Not what I think?! Kaldur, she kissed you! Tula kissed you!"
Dick narrowed his eyes, and made a move to intercept, and find out why Kaldur was kissing someone that was not his best friend; but was stopped when Wally spoke again.
"And you didn't do a damn thing! How could you do something like that!?"
"And what about you!" Kaldur snapped, finally losing his temper as he grabbed hold of the Speedster's arm, neither noticing the other young man in the room; or how he was thinking of ways to break Kaldur's hand painfully if the Atlantean didn't let go soon. "I've seen how you flirted with La'gaan"
"I always flirt, you know this!" Wally retorted, "and don't you dare try to turn this on me! How could you do something like that to me, I thought you loved me!"
"I do" Kaldur said voice softening, letting go, "how could you think I don't?"
"Couldn't tell, you haven't touched me in months, won't even talk to me"
"Wally you know we have to—"
"I meant here, in our home, where we don't have to pretend; but instead you're off with Tula" Wally then sighed, "at first I thought you were just hanging around her to make her comfortable with being in a new place, that it was the reason you were never home, but when you do come home; you're quiet, and smelling too much like her. I ignored it, made excuses and then I came in to find you two…"
Wally trailed, eyes getting wet.
"Wally, please let me explain"
Kaldur took a step closer, stopping when Wally shook his head and took a step back, Kaldur's voice suddenly hitched when the Speedster removed the seahorse pendent from around his neck.
"Here" Wally said taking hold of Kaldur's hand and placing the pendent in it.
"Amar" the Atlantean started, voice cracking.
"No" Wally said.
Kaldur watched him leave the living room, flinching when the bedroom door closed softly.
"Uh, you know, you guys are supposed to be pretending to break up" Dick said, making Kaldur turn to him.
"How long have you've been there?" he asked.
"Long enough to know that you're a dead man" Dick said, and though he was smirking, Kaldur knew the younger male was making plans for him to disappear if he didn't fix this soon.
"It's complicated" Kaldur sighed as he slumped down onto the couch, pendent clenched tightly in his hand.
"Everything about our lives is complicated" Dick said sitting down next to him, "….you really kissed Tula?"
"She kissed me" Kaldur corrected, "Tula broke up with Garth before she joined the team, she was vulnerable I suppose, I discouraged her advances, after all, she of all people should know how sacred the bond between an Atlantean and their Noivo was, and that I would never betray Wally"
"Noivo?" Dick inquired, mind trying to remember what the word meant.
"I believe the appropriate name in English is fiancée"
"Oh….wait, you and Wally are engaged?!"
"Yes" Kaldur said titling his head, curious as to way his friend was so shock, "the pendent for Atlanteans is the same as an engagement ring is to you humans, I thought you knew this"
"No! When…how…does Barry know? You know what, never mind, that's not important right now. What I want to know is this whole never being home thing Wally mentioned"
"I will be leaving soon, and I thought it would be best if I spent as little time as possible with Wally to…lessen the pain when it came time, it did not go as plan" Kaldur sighed, rubbing his thumb over the pendent.
"No shit" Dick scoffed, "but don't you think it's better to spend more time with Wally then less, I mean if I wasn't going to see my uh…fiancée for months, maybe even years, I'd want to spend as much time with them as possible"
Kaldur squeezed the pendent tighter, before he stood and headed to the bedroom.
Present
"Dick!"
Dick grunted when he was suddenly tackled by pounds of Wally.
"Hello Wally" Dick greeted dryly from the floor of his apartment.
"Dick, I need you to do a blood test!" Wally demanded from on top of him.
"For what?" Dick asked, eyes narrowing as he looked the Speedster over for injures, or anything abnormal, aside from his friend being paler than normal Wally seem fine.
"Everything! Just do it please!"
Dick blinked when Wally started to vibrate, the only time the red-head did that was when he was extremely emotional.
"Okay first, get off me before you vibrate me through the floor"
Wally scurried off the former Boy Wonder, once the younger male was on his feet; he forced the Speedster to sit.
"Now, why do you want me to take a blood test?" Dick asked.
"I-I can't tell you, not until I know for sure" Wally said shifting nervously.
Dick knew he could easily make his friend tell him, but Wally's been through so much, first Kaldur and then getting sick. Dick was beginning to think his friend was suffering from depression with how much he slept and ate more the usually (and that was saying a lot).
"Okay"
~.~
The blood test came back a week later, and Wally found himself eating his friend out of house and home as he waited for Dick to tell him the results.
"Well, everything's normal" Dick said as he looked through the papers, "the only thing that's not is your hormones levels, they're double what they should be, but that only happens in pregen—"
Dick trialed off, his brain clicking on as all the signs came together, he looked at his friend, who now a hand on his stomach, and an unreadable look in his eyes. The fatigue, the weird cravings, and abnormal appetite it all made sense now.
"Y-Y-You're, you're…"
"I'm… pregnant"
Dick fainted.
5 years ago
"Amar" Kaldur said as he cautiously entered the dark room, it wouldn't be the first time Wally threw something at him while upset with him.
"Don't call me that" came the voice in the bed, followed by a sniffle.
Kaldur felt the guilt beat down on him for making Wally cry, as he moved closer to the bed; he could make out Wally's shape curled underneath the covers.
"Amar" he said as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I said don't call me that"
"Amar, please come from under there"
"No"
"Alright then, please listen"
"I don't—"
"When I started to distance myself from you, it wasn't because I no longer loved, or wanted you" Kaldur continued on, "it was to protect you"
"Protect me? From what?" Wally asked, still hidden.
Kaldur slide the covers off, and his heart nearly broke at the sight of his wet and red-eyed Amar.
"I wanted to protect you" the Atlantean continued on, "from the pain when I leave"
Wally frowned.
"I know you don't like this plan, don't want me to leave, don't want to lose me, just as I don't want to lose you. And I thought by distancing myself, it would make thing easier once the day for me to leave would come. I can see now it just made things worse."
Kaldur reached for Wally's hand, hovering over it for a moment before grabbing, giving an inward sigh of relief when the Speedster didn't pull away.
"I'm sorry"
"And Tula?" Wally asked softly, voice small and vulnerable.
"She is nothing more than a friend, I am yours, just as you are mine"
Wally's green eyes stared at him, and Kaldur stared back begging him to forgive him.
"You're sleeping on the couch for a week" the Speedster finally said.
"Okay"
"And when Uncle Barry comes over, you can't hide"
Kaldur winced, ever since they've started "arguing" Barry has been just plain evil toward him, it came to the point that he pretty much hid away when the other Speedster came by for a visit.
"And you have to promise to never do anything like that again, at least not without talking to me first. I mean, I know I said I didn't like this plan, but when I finally agreed to it I had planned to spend as much time with you as possible, had I known the reason why you've been avoiding me for three months I would have punched you a long time ago"
Kaldur chuckled then looked down at his hand that held the pendent, Wally followed his gaze.
"Put it back on me?" the Speedster asked, sitting up.
Kaldur felt his heart flutter with relief and love at of the sight of the pendent around Wally's neck once more, and made a vow to make sure it never came off again.