Disclaimer: CHARACTERS DON'T BELONG TO MEEEE.
A/N: Oo, lookie! Two chapters in one day, yet again! Fun times. This one's all fluffy and cute. Well, I think it is anyway.
Day 3
Now that had been a close one.
Wally was now going to consider himself to be the luckiest boy in the world, and nothing was- right at this moment- going to make him change his mind.
He'd just arrived back from walking Robin, and as he stepped through the back door into the kitchen he was welcomed by the sight of his Uncle stood beside the kitchen counter talking to Bruce Wayne. Wally immediately panicked, tripped over his own feet, and went stumbling across the kitchen floor, the puppy in his arms squirming under his grip. Wally strengthened his grip around the animal, glad that his uncle was facing away from him, making it possible for him to back into the corner of the kitchen with Robin behind him before Barry noticed his presence.
"Oh, hey, Wally," Barry said, turning to his nephew. He paused. "Um," Barry's eyebrows creased together softly, "what are you doing?"
"Just went out for a bit," Wally replied, swallowing and giving his Uncle the most convincing smile he could muster. "Playing basketball at the park."
Barry nodded slightly. "Why the back door?"
Wally paused, his mind going blank for a second. He internally cursed. "Uh…front doors locked. Forgot to take my key." Everyone that went to their house on a regular basis knew that as long as somebody else was in the house, the back door was always unlocked.
Barry shrugged. "Okay." Wally tried not to look too relieved as his Uncle began to turn back around again. "Wait- what've you got behind your back?"
Wally felt like he might just die at any second. He might have a heart attack, or his lungs might just give out he was breathing so hard. "Nothing," he said, far too quickly. He forced himself to look straight at Barry. Damn. Damn. Damn. He was screwed. He was going to get caught. He was going to get caught, and he had no idea what to do when that happened. He couldn't say it was Dick's fault- Bruce was here. He couldn't say he'd wanted a puppy- Barry knew full well that he disliked the idea of having pets.
"Seriously, what is it? What are you hidi-"
"Barry." Bruce. Barry turned to look at the other man. "We have important things to discuss and I'm on a tight schedule."
"Yes, I know," Barry agreed. He looked back at Wally, then back at Bruce. "Let me just-"
"I have to be at an important meeting back in Gotham in half an hour. Wally can wait," Bruce said, giving Barry a look, to which Barry rolled his eyes slightly.
"Right. Fine." With one final warning glance at Wally he turned back to Bruce fully and Wally took full advantage of his position, quickly escaping out into the hall before he had another chance to turn around. Just as he left the room, he glanced over at Bruce and saw the man was giving him a half annoyed, half knowing look, which could only mean that a. He knew about the puppy, and he knew where it had come from, and b. Dick had made him promise not to let Wally get into trouble, if he could help it.
Damn, he was one lucky guy.
Wally practically sprinted up to his room and locked himself in, immediately collapsing down onto the bed on his side and turning to TV on. Now he deserved to chill. What Bruce had done for him was sure as hell lucky for the situation but it was only going to buy him time, He knew that Barry was going to come and confront him about it later. He had to be prepared.
With TV, video games and a couple of naps.
Wally flicked through the channels absently until he finally settled on a cooking show. It wasn't particularly interesting. He didn't even like cooking, but Aunt Iris was always telling him that he should watch more educational programmes. This counted, right? He was learning to make an omelette. Maybe he could bribe Barry with his new found cooking skills.
After a few minutes Wally- having already decided that learning to cook was totally impossible- felt another weight jump onto the bed beside him and he held him hand out absently, waiting until Robin walked over to his hand before pulling the little puppy towards him and laying him on the bed between his chest and his arm. Robin didn't seem content to lie down however and stood back up, his tail wagging and thumping against Wally's chest. He stepped forwards, pawing at Wally's arm slightly before turning around and attempting to climb up Wally's chest. Wally laughed slightly as Robin toppled over, landing back over near his arm.
Robin heard him laugh and made his way towards Wally's face, staring at him with big eyes. Wally grinned at the little puppy, and Robin launched himself at Wally's face. Wally screeched and rolled onto his back, only to have the puppy land on his upper chest and start licking his face and wagging his tail. Wally laughed out loud and picked the puppy up, sitting it up and placing Robin on the sheets in front of him. Robin jumped forwards immediately, nibbling on Wally's jeans.
"Hey!" Wally cried, pushing Robin away slightly and scratching behind the puppy's ears. Robin looked up, leaping into Wally's lap and placing his front paws on his chest. He barked quietly, jumping up and down as Wally laughed and stroked his head.
Wally woke up to the sound of a knock on the downstairs door. He considered going back to sleep, thinking that Aunt Iris would answer it and he didn't have to bother. He rolled over, his arm flailing out to the side, wondering briefly how he had managed to get under the covers of his bed. There was a quiet yelp as his arm hit something solid, and Wally shuffled over, stroking along Robin's back apologetically. The little puppy nudged his way under Wally's arm and lay down, preparing to go back to sleep too.
"Wally! Rob's here to see you!"
Wally groaned slightly, and sat up. "Huh?
"Robin's at the door. Do you want me to pretend you're not in? He doesn't look happy. Have you had a fight?" Aunt Iris called, from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs.
"What? No. Why would we have had a…" Wally ran his hands through his hair drearily, and rolled off the side of the bed, standing up and making his way haphazardly towards his bedroom door. "Let him in will you?"
There was the sound of a door opening downstairs, and Aunt Iris called up, "he's waiting!" before her footsteps could be heard making their way back into the kitchen.
Still feeling pretty uncoordinated, Wally stumbled down the stairs, skipping a good few steps as the edge of his heel slipped off and sent him rocketing down the stairs and landing on his butt at the bottom. He groaned slightly, not even concentrating enough to notice that Dick wasn't laughing at him for making a complete nob of himself.
He dragged himself to his feet easier this time, the fall having woken him up somewhat. He stepped out into the hallway and glanced around, surprised to find that Dick was still stood outside the door, rather than having walked into the house. He flinched under Wally's gaze, shuffling from one foot to another with an expression that resembled someone that wanted to ground to open up and swallow them whole.
"What are you doing outside still?" Dick said nothing. "I mean, you can stay out there if you really want but…well, you usually just come in on your own. What's up?"
Dick hadn't even looked at him yet, instead keeping his gaze firmly fixed onto the carpet in the hall. He didn't move an inch. "Jeez, dude," Wally said, leaning out of the door and grabbing Dick's arm. "I know I said you could stay outside but seriously, don't."
Dick stepped up into the house but still said nothing. He was chewing on his lip, something that he only did when he was either really nervous, or thinking things over too much. "Seriously, man, what's gotten into you? First with the standing outside thing, and now the whole silent treatment. What?"
"I don't know. I just thought, you might not want me here…"
Wally stared at his best friend with a blank expression, his features not responding to any sort of attempt Wally made to do anything.
Dick glanced at him, and a barely audible sigh escaped from his lips. "I'll just go-"
Wally's eyes widened. "Wait- what- no!" Wally cried, grabbing Dick's hand and pulling him back away from the door, and further down the hallway. "Dude, seriously what's the matter? Why- why would I not want you here?" He held onto Dick's shoulders, trying to catch his best friend's gaze but Dick wouldn't let him. Wally stared, totally bewildered.
"Well, on that message from yesterday you were really mad at me," Dick said, his voice sounded just as bewildered as Wally looked. "I came as soon as I found out. Bruce confiscated my phone until I'd done all my homework…I'm sorry. I don't know what I've done wrong and I should probably be mad or something because I don't know what I did, but I don't care. Just please don't hate me." Dick looked, catching Wally's gaze and nearly sending his best friend into a fit of sobs.
Dick looked so sad, and so hurt, and it was all Wally could do not to scoop Dick off his feet and hug him forever. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid and forgot about that damn phone call. God, what must it have sounded like to Dick? He had been pretty mad (understatement of the century), and Dick obviously believed he'd been serious.
"No, no, no!" Wally cried, unable to control himself as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his younger friend tightly. "I don't hate you. Oh my god, I'm sorry." He felt Dick slowly wrap his smaller arms back around Wally's chest and Wally relaxed slightly. "I didn't mean it. I was stressed about you're damn dog, and about everything else and I was tired, and I'm so, so, so, so sorry."
"Everything else?" Dick asked, looking up at Wally with concern. "Should it be me that's asking you what's wrong?"
"Nah," Wally said, his arms still around Dick's waist. "Just your average hero stuff." Dick frowned a little, not looking convinced. His forehead creased slightly, and Wally refrained himself from reaching up to smooth the skin down. "Honestly, it's no big deal."
"No problems with Barry?"
Wally shook his head. "He hasn't caught me yet, no."
"I meant generally."
Now it was Wally's turn to frown as he stared down at his best friend. "Why would I have any problems with Barry?"
Dick gave him a little smirk, and tilted his head to the side. "Wally, I'm not an idiot. I can tell by your bed head that you were asleep before I arrived, and I heard you unlock your bedroom door when you came down. Unless you're sick, the only reason you fall asleep during the day and lock your door is that you're hiding from someone- and you were on too friendly terms with your Aunt for it to be her." Wally stared unblinking at Dick for a few seconds while he stared back, looking up at Wally expectantly.
Wally groaned quietly. "Fine. He nearly caught me with your puppy, but Bats saved me- thanks for that by the way- so now I'm just waiting for him to asking about it. But it's no big deal, he's not really mad at me…yet."
Dick nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Okay, and you're sure you're not angry at me?"
Wally watched silently as the doubt crept slowly back into Dick's eyes, and despite his better judgement Wally reached a hand up to smooth a piece of fallen hair back across his forehead. "Seriously, dude, how could I be mad at you?"
"You say that like you've never been mad at me before," Dick responded, a slight blush tinting his skin and a smirk on his face.
"I haven't," Wally replied. "Not really, anyway."
Dick's cheeks darkened again, the blush creeping up towards his ears as he stood smiling gently up at Wally without really moving. Wally grinned down at him, trying not to pay much attention to all the thoughts in the back of his mind telling him that this would be the perfect time to just lean down and kiss Dick.
Because he didn't want to kiss Dick. It was just a close proximity thing that was making him realise how possible it was to kiss him. Like when he's had villains cornered once or twice before, and they weren't armed, and he realised how easy it would be to kill them. That didn't necessarily mean he wanted to kill them.
Nope. Not even if they were being ridiculously cocky and taunting him with their annoyingly bright blue eyes and soft looking lips. Not even then.
"Hey, Wally, could I have a word with you for a se-" Wally and Dick both looked to the left, to the kitchen. Barry's head was leaning around the half open door, staring openly at the two boys. Something in his expression told Wally that he was trying desperately hard not to let his jaw drop in shock. "…I'm interrupting something," Barry decided.
What? No!
Wally looked back at Dick, properly taking in their position for the first time since he'd first pulled his best friend into a hug. His arms were still locked around Dick's waist, his wrists resting on Dick's hips and his hands on the small of his back. Dick's arms were also still wrapped around Wally's chest, and their stomachs were still pressed together, their faces only a few inches apart.
"Should I, uh, come back later?" Barry asked, biting his lip to hide a grin. "I mean, I can totally come back later…the hallway is totally unimportant. It's not like I have to go through it or anything, me and Iris can just stay in the kitchen for…however long. A few hours, a day, whatever, it's fine!" Barry glanced at Wally and he brought his fist up to mouth, hiding a smirk with his eyes shining with excitement. "Okay, I'll just go back into the kitchen!"
He disappeared behind the door, and almost immediately, "Iris, Iris, Iris!"
"What?"
"We have to stay in the kitchen!" The two boys could almost hear the excitement in Barry's voice and exchanged half awkward, half amused looks. "We can't go in the hallway!"
There was a pause. "…Why?"
There was another pause, and then a tiny excitable giggle sounded on the other side of the door. "Because our nephew's having a moment with his boyfriend!"
"Boyfrie-" Iris gasped, "no way!"
"Yes way!"
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Okay, we should be quiet now…" the voices faded off into tiny excited murmurs between the two adults while Wally and Dick just stared at the kitchen door blankly, now having untangled themselves from each other's arms.
"Well," Wally murmured. "This is…weird."
"Yeah," Dick agreed, his cheeks exploding with colour and a tiny smirk on his lips. "Doesn't matter, let them think what they want. Video games?"
Wally grinned. "Of course!"
"So, where's my little puppy?" Dick asked as soon as the duo walked through the doorway of Wally's bedroom. Wally turned, closing the door behind him and locking it.
"Oh, just look around for him. He's in here somewhere."
Dick started making his way around Wally's bedroom, picking his way through the mountains of discarded clothes and piles of unfinished schoolwork that he knew Wally would never actually end up finishing.
Wally turned away from the door again; heading straight over to the bed with the prediction that Robin would still be asleep there. He wasn't.
"Robin!" he called loudly, turning and scanning the entire room.
"What?"
Wally ducked down low, lifting the sheets up and peering under his bed. "Robin! Where are you?"
"What are you talking about? I'm right here!"
"Robin, where are you, you little idiot? Come out from where you're hiding, right now!" Wally cried, standing up and glancing around him again. "Robin!"
"Dude, I'm right here!"
"Robin!" Wally walked around to the other side of his bed, lifting up a few piles of clothes in a weak attempt to find the puppy. "ROBIN!"
"Dude, seriously, what is your problem? Have I gone invisible or something?"
Wally stood up straight and frowned at his friend. "What are you talking about?"
"You!" Dick cried. "Shouting Robi-"
"Oh there you are!" Wally cried, interrupting Dick mid-sentence and making a beeline around him towards the wardrobe. The little puppy was sitting on the floor by the door, a leg of Wally's jeans lying on his head. "Come 'ere, you!" He beckoned to the puppy, who stared back at him with big eyes. Wally rolled his eyes, bending down and collecting Robin up in his arms, leaving the pair of jeans on the floor. "Why didn't you come when I called you, eh?" Robin yawned. "You were asleep?"
"Wait, is that what all the 'Robin's were about?" Dick asked, incredulously. "He's Robin?"
"Um…yeah?"
"You gave my puppy, my name?"
"But you're name is Dick." Wally got a glare for that. "Okay, yeah, but technically I didn't name him. That's just his name."
"How do you know it's his name?"
"Well, he ran off in the park, and then I called you and started screaming your name down the phone, and he came back!" Wally explained. "And he responds to his name, just generally. Watch." Wally looked down at the puppy in his arms, who was leaning against his arm, still looking sleepy. "Robin." The puppy looked up at him and blinked.
"Well I bet he responds to every name," Dick said. "Hey, Jeff!" The puppy carried on staring up at Wally. Wally smirked at his best friend, and got a glare in return.
"Aw, c'mon Rob, it's not so bad!"
"I share a name with a puppy."
"Well, I'm sure the first owners would be very happy to know that it's you that now owns him," Wally said.
"He seems more like your puppy than mine."
Dick flopped down on Wally's bed and gave the ceiling his best death glare. Wally sighed softly, glancing from Dick down to the puppy in his arms. Robin was no longer looking at him, and was instead staring at Dick with wide eyes. His head was tilted slightly, Wally thought in recognition and he was pawing at Wally's arm to be let down.
Wally obliged, placing Robin down carefully on the edge of the bed and watching as he made his way over to the other Robin, who was still staring furiously at the paintwork above his head. Robin- the puppy- reached the other end of the bed and sat down beside Dick's ear, leaning down and using his nose to gently nudge Dick's hair.
Wally watched as Dick's gaze softened slightly, and he reached a hand up, stroking Robin gently along the back of his neck and the top of his head. Robin wagged his tail, lying down on his front next to Dick and nuzzling the side of his face.
"You still think he seems more like my puppy?" Wally asked, grinning lightly, and he saw Dick smirk.
"Actually, now he seems more like our puppy."
A/N: I put a small amount of my fangirling feelings in Barry and Iris. Shhhh, there was actually a reason why I made them so. It just isn't obvious yet! Also I'm going on holiday, which means that this probably won't be updated for a little while now, which is why you're getting 2 chapters now because I decided to be SUPER PRODUCTIVE so that you wouldn't all hate me as much for leaving you! But I might do some writing while I'm on holiday, on my iPod or something, so you might actually get a chapter when I come back, I don't know.
