Author's Note: Sorry for going radio silent last weekend! I'm back now, though, and back on schedule, haha. I'm going to try to give you guys a nice, long chapter as repayment, but we'll see. I'm starting to see an end to this one, so we're getting relatively close(ish) to the end. Alright, read, review, and enjoy!
WWWWWW
Movie night had ended up being movie afternoon, but that worked out fine. Wally had big plans and the longer he had to enact them, the better. Before anything else happened, though, he needed to get Dick's ring back. Him, Hartley, and Cameron had thought up a new proposal idea and Wally was going to need the ring for when that happened. No way was he proposing without a ring. Like, nothing against proposals that don't already have a ring, but he worked his butt off trying to find that perfect ring. He was not going to let that go to waste.
Plan in mind, Wally gave the Rogues his signature grin, trying to ignore the hint of fear hidden in the back of their eyes (trying to ignore his own fear that he'll run and disappear again), and rushed off. To Bludhaven he would go.
He could still not believe that Dick had convinced him that the two of them should live in Bludhaven. Of course, Wally commuted to Central all the time for work, but, like, seriously? Bludhaven? That place was trash. Dick seemed to enjoy cleaning it up, though. Whatever made him happy. It wasn't like the two of them spent much time there. Between zeta beams and Wally's speed, the entire world was just a quick trip over. They could go anywhere they wanted whenever they wanted. A city was just a place to make camp for the night. Well, except for Central City. That would always be home for Wally. That city changed his life and gave him his family. He'd never be able to stop thanking it for that.
Wally shook his head, zipping quickly up to the window outside their apartment. This would be awkward if Dick was home. Of course, Wally could just zip around and there was nothing Dick could do, and Wally didn't technically have to explain anything to him, but still. It would be weird. Even for Wally. Especially for a Wally who was thought to still have limited memories.
He didn't hear anything from inside the apartment, though. After looking around, Wally phased seamlessly through the wall, stepping into the apartment. Hopefully, he wouldn't be triggering any alarms. The Bat cameras in the house were made to send alerts to Wally and Dick if someone other than them came into the apartment. The cameras were outfitted with incredible facial recognition and a memory of both Dick and Wally's suits. If it saw either of those, it wouldn't send the alert. Very convenient. Wally was just hoping that he was still in the system. If Dick had removed him, then this little subterfuge was over.
Then again, whether the camera caught him or not, he really should get going. He didn't know how much of the apartment he was going to have to search and he had no idea where Dick was. He could be at work or doing early hero work or with a friend or doing training. Wally was completely out of sync with Dick's schedule. He wasn't even entirely sure what Dick was doing with his life. He'd said something about leaving college, right? Wally was fairly certain he remembered that in one of their conversations. Where did Dick say he went after that? The work force, probably, but Wally genuinely couldn't remember. Had Dick even said?
Well, that didn't matter. Wally would figure that out later. For the moment, he had a ring to hunt down.
Wally started with the bedroom. It was the place that made the most sense. Plus, the apartment wasn't very large anyways. Their bedroom was a fairly large portion of the apartment. Quickly, Wally flew like a hurricane through the room, going methodically through every drawer and putting everything back exactly as he found it. He thought to himself that he was lucky he had so much practice robbing rich people's hotel rooms. This was basically the same thing and it meant that Wally was super-fast at it. He would bet that Bart couldn't do this as quickly as him (he was a little, tiny bit ashamed of how competitive he felt towards Bart before his 'death' but also was fairly certain that Bart hadn't even noticed).
It wasn't until Wally got to a box on a shelf in the closet that Wally found the ring. When he did, though, it didn't seem as important. Carefully, Wally slowed down, taking in the contents of the box. It was all… about him. If he had to guess, this was all the research Dick had done in the year he'd been searching for Wally. Heart breaking just a little bit, Wally flipped through the papers and notebooks and pictures. He found urban myths and unsubstantiated science and rumors of alien artifacts. This was… this was a lot. There was a lot here.
When he dug further through the papers, though, Wally found something that broke his heart even further. Down at the bottom of the box, there were memories of Wally's life. He saw multitudes of pictures of the two of them. There were ticket stubs of movies and plays they'd gone to. There were article clippings of Robin's daring arrests and Momentum's stunning thefts. There were knickknacks they'd picked up on their travels and cards from years of birthdays, holidays, and (if they remembered) romantic Valentine's and anniversaries.
Wally closed his eyes against the grief and guilt that slammed into him. Despite not knowing where he'd gone, Wally was reasonably sure that he hadn't abandoned everyone on purpose. Still, that didn't stop the guilt from swamping him. Dick had obviously been hurt so much from Wally's disappearance. That felt like a failure to Wally. It felt like a betrayal.
They'd both known, from the very start of their relationship, at the too-young ages of 13 and 15, that there was a very, very, very high chance that they were going to die young. Neither one of them had the safest career choices. And if they didn't die, there was always the very real possibility of Wally going to jail. They'd talked about it. They'd talked about moving on and coping and how things would be split up. That didn't make it any easier for Wally to see what it was really going to look like if he died before Dick did. He couldn't picture doing this to Dick again. That – that would be the last thing he wanted. He wasn't sure if Dick would survive it. He wondered if he'd react the same way Dick did. He felt like he would. Then again, he could always end up going down a road like Sam did, slipping into a dark depression. Or he could go a similar route as Cameron and end up being hard and cold and a worse criminal than he already was.
Wally shook his head. It didn't bear thinking about. He wasn't going to die any time soon. He wasn't going to let Dick die anytime soon either. They were fine. This wasn't going to happen again. It wasn't. (If only he could believe himself).
Alright, he needed to put everything back and then split. He'd found the ring and that was all he was there for. He could mope and have an existential crisis somewhere where there wasn't the risk of getting caught and judged by his boyfriend. Carefully, Wally rearranged everything (except the ring, obviously) back into the box and settled it on the shelf. He took one moment to look over the room, basking in the feelings of familiarity and the memories that popped up at the sight of the room. He'd never take something like that for granted ever again. Maybe he didn't change all that much with his memories gone. Maybe he would have formed the same friendships that he made the first time. That didn't matter.
What mattered was that those memories meant something to him. He liked being able to remember late nights spent cuddling and whispering secrets on that bed. He liked being able to remember allowing Roy – Will, sorry – and Kaldur over for the night. He liked being able to remember how they'd refused to sleep in the guest bedroom or living room, and how they'd taken over the bed completely, leading to a gentle wrestling match that only ended when a lamp was broken.
Those memories meant something to the people he loved, too. It mattered to Dick that Wally remembered how they met, how they became friends, how they slowly but surely fell in love. It mattered to the Rogues that Wally remembered how hard they fought for his trust, how good he felt when they finally gained it. It mattered to Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris that Wally remembered the long conversation they had to reconcile their past and to understand the shape of their complicated relationship.
Taking in a deep breath to stop tears from coming out, Wally shook his head again. Honestly, he wasn't here to get sentimental. He needed to leave before Dick came back and found him crying into their pillows.
Clapping his hands together a little bit to get himself back in the moment, Wally carefully tucked the ring into a pocket where it would be secure. With that done, he phased back through the same wall he came in. Then, he was gone, nothing but a breeze showing he'd even been in the apartment.
Wally didn't stop running until he was outside of state lines. He came to an abrupt stop by the side of a rarely used backroad. Where was he going? He wanted the ring, but then he wanted to tell Dick that he had his memories back. There had been a plan! Why had he left the apartment, then? Well, okay, that was obvious. As much as Wally loved his boyfriend, he knew that Dick was a very, very paranoid person. Wally had no doubt that if he saw a stranger in his house without any of the alarms going off, he would react in a shoot-first-ask-questions-never sort of manner. And, yes, Wally could dodge whatever Dick threw at him long enough for Dick to realize what was going on, but it would ruin the moment. Wally wanted the moment where he told Dick that his memories were back to be romantic. He didn't want to start it with almost-murder.
That brought up a serious problem, though. Wally had literally no idea where Dick was. Or what his phone number was to ask for a meeting. Dick dropped phone numbers like they were last week's trash. Normally, he'd keep Wally updated, but, well. And, again, Wally didn't know what Dick's schedule was. He could be literally anywhere for all that Wally knew.
Wally squinted in thought. Who could he go to in order to find Dick? He wanted to do a reveal to Barry and Iris later and he wanted plenty of time for that because he really, really wanted to get to know his cousins. The same for Roy – Will, yikes that was going to be hard to get used to – and Jade and his goddaughter. That meant that he had to contact someone else. The members of the Team would probably know, but… Wally wasn't sure if he knew what any of their addresses were at this point. Like, where were they living? They'd mostly been in college when he'd last been around. Some had been in dorms. Some had been in apartments nearby. Some had still lived in the Cave. Wait, no, the Cave had been destroyed hadn't it? Where were those people living, then?
Wally grimaced. This whole being-dead thing was really inconvenient. Okay, he had to know someone's phone number, right? Well, he knew Bruce Wayne's phone number, but Wally would prefer to use that as a last resort. As friendly as he and Bruce had become in later years, there was always a part of him that was highly anxious around the man. Who else? Kaldur had probably changed his by that point. He lost phones more often than he really should. Wally wasn't sure if Conner even had a phone number. Raquel and Zatanna had, the last time Wally had been around, drifted away from the Team a little after being drafted by the League. There was too big of a chance that Artemis was with Will and Jade. That left… M'gann. Wally knew her number, right? Well, he'd just have to try and see.
After he punched in the number, Wally drummed his fingers against his leg. His lips pursed further and further the longer time went without the phone being answered. He was about to just hang up and go to his backup of calling Bruce when, finally, the phone was answered. M'gann's sweet voice came through the bad speakers of the phone, "Hello, this is Megan Morse, how can I help you?"
"Megalicious," Wally answered instantly, talking over her sharp intake of breath, "I need a favor. Several, actually. One of which being that you do not reveal that you know that you're talking to Wally."
There was a quiet pause where Wally could hear the sounds of her shoes clacking against the ground before there was a squeal that nearly blew out Wally's eardrums, "Wally! You remember!"
Wally huffed out a quiet laugh, still feeling a pleased thrill at the fact that, yes, he remembered, "Yeah, M'gann, I remember. But you can't tell anyone! I'm going around and telling people separately! So far, the Rogues are the only ones who know and they're under strict orders to not tell anyone."
He could hear the curiosity in M'gann's voice when she asked, "You haven't told Dick yet?"
"Heh," Wally laughed awkwardly, "About that. I, uh, don't know where he is? I don't want to wait for him at the apartment because, well, you know how he is." She made a soft noise of commiseration that made Wally feel very validated, "I just don't know where else he would be? Or what he's doing? I'm also not super sure what his phone number is, or I would have called him, even if it would have ruined the dramatics of the moment."
M'gann giggled, "Well, we can't have that. How about this? I'll give you my and Conner's address. He's home right there. I can let him know that you're coming and the two of you can wait. Once I get out of work, I'll convince Dick to come over. Then, you can surprise him! Oh, it'll be so sweet!"
Wally grinned, "That would be totally asterous! Uh, do I have to worry about other people? I think I remember Dick saying something about you picking up some kids? I don't know. I'm very confused about a lot of stuff at the moment."
"Hello, Megan!" M'gann said. Wally could just imagine the forehead slap that came with the comment. She continued after a moment, "Of course you would ask about that. They're all at school at the moment, but they don't live there anymore. They moved to live in the Outsiders headquarters over in Hollywood."
"Outsiders?" Wally asked cautiously. He was just starting to get an understanding of the true scope of what he'd missed in the two years he was gone. He had so much to catch up on. It was… daunting.
M'gann's voice was soft when she responded, "Why don't you worry about that later? For right now, you've got your memories back and you're about to tell your boyfriend. That's enough to worry about."
"You're right," Wally said, shaking off his frustration and concerns, "As always. Okay, where am I going?" M'gann gave him the address quickly before signing off. She promised to call Conner as soon as she hung up so she'd be able to warn him before Wally showed up at the house.
For a moment, Wally just gave himself a moment to breath. When it had just been him and the Rogues, this had seemed like an exciting, easy, simple, natural thing. His memories were back. The Rogues were ready to accept him back into the fold because he'd never really been taken out of it. There was nothing complicated about it. Wally didn't feel lost or unincluded or confused.
He'd forgotten, somehow, how much drama superheroes managed to collect in remarkably short periods of times. Based on Ra's al Ghul's theatrics and the knowledge of some sort of new team (apparently – and what kind of name is Outsiders, anyways? That was almost as bad as the Team), Wally could be reasonably sure that the world was going to be ending shortly. Fantastic. Just his luck, as per usual.
Wally collected himself back up again. Right. He was going to do what M'gann said and he was going to completely forget about all that. For the moment, he was just going to focus on the present. He was going to tell his boyfriend that he was alive. They'd spend the night together. Then, tomorrow, he was going to check in with the Rogues quickly and then go on over to Barry's place in the morning. The afternoon would be spent at Roy – Will's. Only after that would Wally dive into whatever trouble the superheroes stirred up.
It didn't take him long to get to Conner and M'gann's house. When he did, though, he couldn't help but stop and let out an impressed whistle. Talk about massive. They had the acreage and the huge house. This was almost picket-fence worthy. They just needed the 2.5 kids and a dog. Wait, Wally thought. They had Wolf, didn't they? He counted as the dog. And, if he remembered correctly, the random teenagers staying at their place had been some metahuman, some alien, and a cyborg. That counts as 2.5, right? Two kids and then half a kid, half a robot. Was that rude? It probably was. Still, M'gann and Conner were living the stereotypical American cookie-cutter life. Just with aliens. And space-wolf-creatures. And superpowers. That was so bizarre.
During his ruminations, Conner had come out of the house and was leaning against a post on the porch, watching Wally. Feeling stupidly shy, Wally waved. He grinned when Conner waved back. Conner had always simultaneously felt like an older and a younger brother. On the one hand, Wally was pretty sure that Conner had been biologically older when they'd first met, but he'd also had none of the usual social skills that someone his age should have, so it made him seem younger. As time went on, though, and Conner got not only more social skills but also more control over his rage issues, he'd felt more and more like an older brother. Conner had always appreciated the way that Wally had treated him when they'd kidnapped Wally, how he'd explained words and taught Conner about hockey. It was… an interesting relationship. It was a good one. Wally felt just the slightest bit more himself with Conner waving at him.
Conner grinned softly when Wally finally made it to the porch, "Like what you see?"
"You certainly upgraded the living situation, man," Wally responded. They paused for a moment. Wally gave Conner a moment to look him over, to take in the fact that he really was alive. This was the first time Conner had seen him in person in over two years. Wally had gotten used to the painfully vulnerable, painfully sad, painfully hopeful looks people had been giving him since he'd gotten back. He figured he'd just give Conner a moment to take it all in.
Once Conner finally got his fill, he stepped forward, projecting his movements, and pulled Wally into a strong, slightly desperate hug, "I missed you."
Wally felt emotion clog his throat, "Yeah, I missed you too, big guy."
Conner rolled his eyes as he stepped back, "Don't call me that."
"Okay, big guy," Wally agreed easily, shamelessly taking advantage of the way that people were giving him free passes since he was back from the dead. He moved instantly onto Wolf, crouching down to wear Wolf had hunkered down during the greeting, "And how are you, handsome? Looking stunning as usual. You still sure you don't want to come live with Dick and I? You and Brucely get along so well. You'd love it. We'd get a bigger place. I know Dick doesn't want me using a lot of my 'illegal dirty money' to buy a house that has his name on it, but I'm sure he'd make an exception if it meant we got to add you to our family."
"Stop trying to steal Wolf," Conner grumbled, leading the two into the house.
Wally sighed, "Shan't. Wolf wouldn't come with me anyways. He loves you too much. Plus, I just know that Brucely would pout. I know it. And I can't handle Brucely pouting at me. It's almost worst than Dick."
"Speaking of Dick," Conner smirked, "What's this I hear about M'gann and I being the first people to hear about your memories returning? Other than the Rogues, of course. It's nice to know that we rate more highly than even your boyfriend."
"Ha ha," Wally deadpanned, "Don't be coy. It doesn't suit you."
"You sure about that?" Conner grinned.
Wally rolled his eyes, "You sure got mouthy. Not even sure who you learned that from. M'gann doesn't have a mouthy bone in her body. Maybe it was those teenagers you adopted. Has empty nest syndrome hit yet?"
Conner rolled his eyes back, "Please. How can it hit? I swear they not only multiplied but spend more time here now that they moved away. They have a whole huge base to themselves now. Go be free."
"You'd miss them," Wally teased.
"You don't know them," Conner shot back. He dropped his smirk into a rueful grin, "Nah, I do miss having them around all the time. They feel like our kids. They're good. One of them, I think you met his sister. You did meet Tara, right?"
"Yeah," Wally said, eyes widening, "Right! Shoot, I've gotta tell Tara that I've got my memories back. Wait. Wait, I'm confused. Wait, ignore that. Her brother? One of her brothers stayed here?"
Conner's brows had drawn inwards in confusion for a moment before they cleared and his eyes widened, "Right, sorry. Of course, you met Tara. Your memories are back. What am I thinking? Right. Also, I'm guessing no one told you because of everything that's going on. Tara told us that she was a spy for Deathstroke. She's out of there, now. She's been reunited with both her brothers. She can't quite go home yet, but they're figuring that out. I think she's enjoying being a hero anyways."
"Good," Wally said softly, thinking of the fierce little girl he'd adopted as a younger sister, "She deserves it. Her brothers aren't too jealous that I'm her new favorite, are they?"
Conner just snorted in response, "Sure. Anyways, you want a tour? It'll be a little bit before M'gann gets off work. She's going to make sure that she gets here before Dick. I think she wants to spy on your romantic moment."
"You say that like you're not going to do the same thing," Wally accused. Conner just gave him a little guilty smile in response. Wally rolled his eyes, "Alright, give me the grand tour. Awe me with your splendor." Conner laughed and obliged.
They'd gotten to relaxing on the back porch when M'gann finally got home. Wally knew she was there before she even walked through the door because she gently reached out with her mind and nudged against his own. Part of him would always instinctually clamp up at the thought of the intrusion. Sometimes he didn't let her enter and she respected that. This time, though? It had been two years since he'd been given the chance to link with her like this. Almost immediately, he let her in.
Her mind wrapped around his instantly. He'd always said that it felt like she created a hallway between their two minds and they both had to open the doors on either side. Then M'gann could step into his room or he could step into her room or they could just shout across the hallway at each other. Artemis had laughed at him, but M'gann had assured him that she thought it was an interesting interpretation. M'gann spoke into his mind, Hello, Wally. It's good to see you again.
He responded, I'd say the same, but I can't see you. He felt her tinkling laughter in his head and then she was turning the corner from the house into the back porch, a soft smile on her face. She looked human, with longer hair that suited her a lot better than the short haircut she'd worn when she was still figuring herself out. Wally moved quickly into her offered hug. The Team weren't family like the Rogues were, but they'd been with him on this journey of life almost as long as the Rogues had. They'd been there when he'd needed them, and they'd supported him the whole way.
M'gann put a hand on his cheek when he finally pulled away from the hug, "It is so very good to see you, Wally."
"And you, M'gann," Wally grinned, "You are looking as gorgeous as ever." He winked, causing Conner to let out an aggravated sigh.
"First you try to steal my wolf and now you try to steal my fiancé? Honestly, Wally," Conner mock-groused.
Wally smirked at him before the latter half of his statement caught up to him, "Fiancé? You two are engaged? Congratulations! Where's the ring? Oh, it's beautiful. I'm so happy for you two." The two stood next to each other, Conner's arm wrapped around M'gann's shoulders and her arm reaching back to hold his. They fit perfectly against each other, hips pressed together, expressions unbearably soft as they smiled at each other.
That could have been Dick and Wally. They should have been able to do that, too. Instead, Dick lost a year of his life to grief and couldn't even find true relief when Wally first returned, without memories. That was Wally's fault. Sure, he didn't choose it, but… it was his fault. He wasn't fast enough, and it caused this. It lost them this. Suddenly, the ring burned in his pocket, seeming to mock him. Why would Dick ever say yes? What could he possibly want from Wally? Why would he say yes to the person who abandoned him? Why would he say yes to Wally when Wally was nothing more than a screw-up, a slave that couldn't escape the Light?
He'd forgotten that his mind was still connected to M'gann's until she rushed forward, clasping his hands in hers and speaking earnestly mind-to-mind, Please don't think that way, Wally. What happened to you was not your fault. Dick would never think that way about you. He loves you so much, Wally. Never doubt that. And never doubt that you are worthy of that.
Thanks, M'gann, he sent back.
She smiled at him before she released his hands and stepped back into Conner's hold. When she spoke next, it was out loud, "I called Dick once I was almost home. He should be coming through the zeta beam anytime now. He was at Wayne Manor with Bruce, Tim, Alfred, and Jason. They've all been more or less living there since Jason came back."
That was good. Jason deserved that support. He'd been nervous about his return. Wally knew that there were some things that were going to take some resolving (he remembered the way Jason had flipped when Wyynde had said that the Joker was still alive and running around – Jason had been certain that his death would have been the catalyst necessary for Batman to break his code and finally kill the crazy clown) but it was good that they were living together and healing together.
Before M'gann could say anything more, Dick's voice rang out through the house, "M'gann? What did you need? And why did I need to bring Brucely?" His voice got softer as he clearly started talking to the dog, "What's the matter, boy? What's got you so riled up? I – whoa! Hey! Brucely, calm down! Okay, okay, I'll let you off your leash, geez. Here's to hoping M'gann and Conner don't mind."
Wally's breath caught in his throat. This was it. He was finally getting to see Dick again. And yeah, sure, Wally had technically seen him – more than once, even. But it hadn't been real. Wally hadn't remembered. It hadn't been the same. This was the real deal. This was the moment that mattered.
Brucely turned the corner first, claws scattering against the floor as he threw himself out of the door and into Wally. Somehow not prepared for that reaction, Wally went down hard, gasping out a little breath as Brucely buried him in dog kisses. Wally threw his arms around his dog, snuggling in close and feeling another part of himself slot into place.
It took another couple of seconds before the reason for this whole meeting came into view.
For a moment, there was just the two of them. Their eyes locked across the distance between them. Dick froze in the doorway, something painful cutting across his face at the sight of Wally and Brucely tangled together like they were mock-wrestling the way they always used to.
Wally gave Dick his most charming smile, "Hey babe, remember me?"
Dick sobbed out a laugh, taking a half-step forward before he froze again. Carefully, Wally detangled himself from Brucely, only vaguely noting the way Conner came forward to hold Brucely back during their reunion. Dick's voice was shaky when Wally finally got close enough to clasp their hands together and kiss Dick's knuckles, one by one, "You remember?"
"I don't know how I ever forgot," Wally said, two-parts honesty, one-part charm.
Dick let out a much purer laugh, dropping his forehead to rest against Wally's, "You jerk. You left me. You – I love you, Wally. I love you so much. I missed you. I love you. I'm so glad you're back."
Any words that Wally might have planned were washed away by the raw emotion in Dick's voice. Wally managed to push through the lump in his throat and say, "I love you, Dick. I love you more than anything."
"Don't leave," Dick said, desperate. The words sounded like they were torn out of him, laid out between them by his normally hidden vulnerable side.
Wally grasped them, clasped them to his heart, and got down on one knee. Tears were pooling in Dick's eyes by the time Wally managed pull out the ring and look up at him and ask, "Richard John Grayson, will you marry me?"
"Yes," Dick answered, immediate, vehement. It was clearly he'd been waiting to say yes for as long as Wally had been waiting to ask. Wally surged to his feet, pushing the ring onto Dick's finger as he kissed his fiancé passionately. When they pulled away, Dick blinked at the ring on his finger, "Did you break into my apartment to steal this?"
Wally grinned, "Would it be a proper proposal from me if there hadn't been some sort of theft in the process?"
Dick beamed back, "Absolutely not." He dragged Wally over for another kiss.
That must have been the breaking point because M'gann squealed from next to them, causing Conner to jolt and grab at this ear with a wince. M'gann rushed forward and engulfed the two of them in a hug, "That was so cute! And so romantic!"
Conner smiled at them, "Congratulations, you two."
Dick laughed, a couple tears rushing down his cheeks, "Thank you. Thanks for setting this up, too."
M'gann grinned, "We didn't. Not really. Wally just said that he wanted to tell you that he'd gotten his memories back. He did not tell us that he was going to propose. Which! Artemis is going to be furious that she missed it. Kaldur and Will, too."
"Okay," Wally said, turning slightly as M'gann went back to stand next to Conner. He plastered himself against Dick's side and grabbed his hand, running his thumb over the side of the hand, "I have a question about that. Since when does he go by Will? I know you guys introduced him as Will, but my brain says his name is Roy. Is that wrong? Do I have to worry about faulty memories?"
"No," Dick laughed, "Since we recovered the original Roy, Will decided that he'd pick a new name, one of his own. Partially so things were less confusing and partially because it helped him settle with the fact that he's a clone."
"I can deal with that," Wally decided.
Dick pressed the sides of their heads together briefly in recrimination, "You have to. So, who all knows? About your memories?"
"Other than the Rogues," Wally said, "You're looking at them."
"So," Dick began, "Since the Rogues would have had to authorize this field trip for you to be here, I'm assuming no one will come looking for you, wanting quality Wally time at all this night." His voice had dropped to something a little huskier.
"I'm all yours," Wally purred.
M'gann quickly dropped the mind link that Wally had honestly forgotten about, blushing, "Alright, that's enough of that. You two are sitting down for a lovely dinner with us first. We're having a double date to celebrate Wally's memories and your engagement. Then you two can go do – whatever it is you want to do."
"Sound good?" Dick asked, looking at Wally with adoration, hearts in his eyes.
Wally pressed another kiss to his lips just because he could, and then another to his temple before answering, "Sounds perfect."
M'gann smiled at them before they all moved to the kitchen to find something to order in.
BBBBBB
Bruce sighed as he stalked through the halls of the Watchtower. He knew that Jason was going to get to a point where all the attention was going to smother him rather than amuse him, but for the moment, he was tolerating it. Bruce thought that might have something to do with the fact that Jason likely hadn't been alone for several months at the very least. He couldn't say what it had been like for all the years he'd been missing. Jason was rather tight-lipped about what he had suffered through. All of that was why Bruce would rather be at his home with Jason, especially since he knew that Dick had been pulled away at around the same time.
Jason and Tim got on well enough, but… that was just in front of Bruce. Bruce didn't want to know what they were like when he wasn't there to mediate.
That was why he was scowling as he skulked through the hallways towards where Barry had asked to meet him. At least the newer heroes scuttling out of his way was slightly amusing. Bruce had always been entertained by the reputation Batman held around the hero circles. The newer superheroes that were there at that moment had likely thought that they were safe from ever running into Batman again once he quit. Joke's on them. They should be prepared for anything.
He finally made it to the lab where Barry was pacing at normal speed, wringing his hands as he muttered to himself, too quietly and quickly for Bruce to decipher. Bruce took extra enjoyment from the way Barry jumped when Bruce growled, "What am I here for?"
"Jeez, Bats," Barry said, holding a hand to his heart, "I swear, one of these days, I'm going to actually get you bells. You're going to kill one of the newbies, sneaking up like that."
"Flash," Bruce growled, trying to draw him back on topic. The quicker Barry told him what was going on, the quicker Bruce could leave and go back to the son he'd thought he lost.
Barry swallowed, biting his lip softly before leading with, "I've been looking through databases to try to identify Damian's father like you asked me to. I – I found his father."
Bruce sighed, "If you really took me away from my family for this -,"
Barry actually interrupted him, speaking louder to make sure Bruce couldn't continue, "It's you, Bruce. You're the father."
Bruce fell still, pieces collapsing into place in his mind. He remembered that night. He remembered being seduced by Talia al Ghul. He remembered thinking that he could use that to his advantage. He remembered nothing much after that. He'd known, the next morning, that he'd been drugged, and that Talia had had her way with him, but… he didn't remember much of the night. He… no.
No, this couldn't be right. This absolutely could not. That little kid that Talia cradled and took such gentle care of could not be his. Damian could not be a Wayne.
Except… there was a picture of the kid on the file that Barry had open, the one that had the paternity test clearly shown. He could see hints of himself in that face. He could certainly see the proof in the genetics.
He had a son. He had an actual, biological son. Damian wasn't Damian al Ghul. He was Damian Wayne.
Bruce collapsed into a nearby chair and dropped his face in his hands. Barry was there in an instant, talking a mile a minute and fluttering around.
In a minute, Bruce would allow himself to be elated. In a minute, he would allow himself to panic. In a minute, he would allow himself to feel the fear of trying to actually raise a child. In a minute, he would allow himself to be stressed at the thought of getting the kid away from Talia and her way of life.
For the moment, though, Bruce was just going to be grateful that they found the kid, that the world gave him this chance. Bruce had been a parent many times before. He would never, ever stop wanting to be a parent again.
For the moment, Bruce was just going to fiercely, fully, powerfully love his son.
WWWWWW
Dinner went flawlessly. It was everything Wally had dreamed of when he'd been stuck in those labs, when he'd been chained to a wall for days at end, when he'd been forced to kill a man. It was everything he'd wanted when he'd been alone and scared and desperate for some sense of familiarity in a completely unfamiliar world.
The four of them chatted and laughed and caught up. They talked about very superficial things, comparatively, but important ones. Wally learned what each of them had been doing with themselves. He got milestones and exciting events. He learned about new interests and hobbies and fun facts. Nothing truly serious was brought up. It was, like M'gann had suggested, a night completely devoid of worries and just focusing on them. It was perfect.
Then there was a knock on the door. Wally couldn't help the way he tensed, fingers spasming against Dick's as he fixed wild eyes on the direction of the front door, "Were you expecting anyone?"
Conner smiled reassuringly, "It's alright, Wally. It's just Brion and Tara. I don't know why they're here, but I can send them away if you like."
They all turned to Wally, leaving the decision entirely up to him. He weighed the options in his head, squeezing Dick's hand as he thought. In the end, though, these were three heroes faced with two other heroes coming to their door unannounced. There was only one answer he could give, "You can go ahead and let them in. It might be something important."
Conner smiled at him again before going to the front door. They could all hear as he opened it and asked, "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"
There was a scowl in his voice when a kid – presumably Brion – answered, "How am I supposed to know? All I know is that Gregor called us and told us that we must go to your house immediately. He said that it was important but that we should not bring our suits."
There was clear confusion in Conner's voice when he asked, "Gregor? King Gregor wanted you to come here?"
"Did – did you not ask for us?" Tara asked. Wally ached to gather her up in a hug and make sure she was alright. He was so, so, so proud of her for choosing the heroes. He wanted to tell her that.
Dick's eyes suddenly went wide. He stood up, ducking down briefly to kiss Wally's forehead and squeeze his hand reassuringly, before walking quickly out of the room. M'gann and Wally sent each other curious glances, but didn't move, content to wait the situation out. Brion's voice rang out into the quiet, "Dick? What are you doing here? Did Gregor send you here as well?"
"No," Dick said, something like laughter in his voice, "I think Gregor is meddling. Possibly the Rogues as well. Why don't you guys come on in?" He didn't say anything more, causing Brion to let out a sharp noise of frustration.
Wally raised an eyebrow at M'gann. She shrugged. They waited until the others came around the corner. Tara froze when she saw Wally sitting there. He offered a tentative smile and a wave. She un-tensed, walking forward softly. Brion remained in the doorway, scowling at Wally, "What is going on here?"
Dick smirked, "I think the Rogues knew that Wally would want to see Tara, so they told King Gregor about where Wally is so he could manipulate you two into coming to visit because he likely knew that Tara wanted to come visit Wally. He also probably wanted Wally to meet Brion."
Wally squinted at his boyfri – his fiancé – suspiciously, "Who is King Gregor?"
Dick squinted back at him, "The king of Markovia?"
"Uh," Wally said, "Wasn't his name Viktor or something? Isn't that what you said, Tara? I thought your brother was Gregor."
Tara covered her mouth with her hands, eyes going wide and teary, "You remember?"
Wally jolted, just remembering that Tara didn't know, "Totally should have led with that." He gave her a soft smile, "Yeah, Tara, I remember."
She rushed up to him and threw herself into his arms. She pounded him once on the chest, ignoring the way his breath wheezed out of him in response. She snuggled in closer, "You jerk. Of course, you should have led with that! I'd say that your intelligence didn't come back with your memories, but I doubt you ever had intelligence in the first place."
Wally laughed, delighted, "Would you believe that one of the first things Dick did was call me a jerk, too? I'm surrounded by bullies, honestly. Woe is me."
"Shut up," Tara muttered, clearly not meaning a word she said.
Wally pulled her in tighter, "Missed you too." She just sniffled in response.
Dick smiled at the two of them, "Jeez, I wouldn't have let you in if I knew you were going to steal my boyfriend – or, uh, fiancé – Tara."
"Fiancé?" Brion asked sharply. Tara lifted her head from Wally's chest curiously.
Dick beamed at them, "Yep! See? Here's the ring! He just asked me tonight."
"Really?" Tara asked, "I would have thought that you would have asked him. You had the ring and called him your fiancé earlier."
Wally grinned as Dick flushed bright red, "Aw, babe, that's so romantic. For your information, Tara, I not only ambushed him, but I also stole the ring back. He didn't even get a chance. I guess he's just -,"
Dick interrupted him with a low groan, "Please don't."
"- too slow," Wally finished, completely unrepentant. It was a speedster legacy to use dumb speed puns. It was a legacy. Tara giggled.
It was Brion who broke the moment, stalking over to the table and staring down at Wally, "So, you are this supervillain that the others have been talking about. The one that they have been searching for instead of fighting against the Light."
"Wow," Wally breathed under his breath, not entirely prepared for that level of hostility.
Tara leaned back and hissed, "Brion! Why would you say that?"
"It is true!" Brion shouted back, "Ever since they learned that he was alive, all of the adults have been completely distracted!"
Dick's eyes blazed and he strode forward, "Distracted? Like how distracted you were while looking for Tara?"
"Enough!" Wally said before they could devolve even further, "I just got my memories back. The last thing I want to see is an argument. Prince Brion, I don't entirely know what's going on right now, if I'm being honest. What I do know, however, is that what you're talking about? It's already happened. It's in the past. There is zero point in arguing about it at the moment. Now, do you have a problem with Dick and the others searching for someone they care about or do you have a problem with the fact that all these heroes and your sister care about a supervillain?"
Brion tensed. He glanced around, clearly looking for help. No one offered it, though. They just stared at him, as curious as Wally was. For a moment, it looked like Brion was going to puff back up again and start another tirade, but then he looked at Tara's young, tired face and he calmed down again, "It was supervillains who took Tara from me."
"It was those same supervillains who experimented on me for over a year before making me into a slave and forcing me to commit acts I wouldn't have normally committed before experimenting on me again," Wally returned evenly.
Brion nodded in acknowledgement, but sent back, "The others say that I should not be as offended by your criminal status because you are a Rogue and therefore not as criminal as you could be. They say that Rogues stay on the lighter side of grey, but I am not convinced."
"That's the nicest thing a hero has ever said to me," Wally said, putting a hand to his chest, "Do you know how offensive it is when heroes say that Rogues don't really count as supervillains? I worked for that status. Do you know how many places I've robbed? The answer is a lot. Just because we don't kill or do human trafficking or drug trafficking and just because we try to avoid kidnapping and, if we do kidnap, we won't kidnap kids and just because we try to avoid hurting women and children unless they're superheroes doesn't mean we're any less of supervillains. We still steal stuff! I have kidnapped people before! I've even tried to take over a city once or twice!" By the end of his rant, Wally was scowling, and Dick was looking at him like he hung the moon and the stars. Conner and M'gann were laughing at him.
Brion was staring at him like he was some strange zoo animal, though. He opened his mouth a few times before finally saying, "I did not know the Rogues had those boundaries."
Dick added 'helpfully,' "They have also done a lot of work to save the world on several occasions. If they think that the world is in danger, they'll protect it. When the world was split into two worlds – an adult and a child world – the Rogues all helped people get to safety. When the MFDs were destroying the Earth, the Rogues helped deal with damage control. You know how much Wally helped with that situation. Those are only two examples."
"You make me sound no better than casual superhero, Dick," Wally whined. Tara started laughing at him, too.
Dick smirked at him, "Jade is more of a supervillain than you and she's technically a hero."
"Antihero," Wally pouted. Just because Jade still killed people didn't mean that he was any less of a supervillain.
Brion spoke again, sounding significantly calmer, "I see. Perhaps I misjudged you, Wally. I should not have judged without getting all the facts. I am… working on that."
"No," Wally drew out, flopping against the back of chair, "I know that tone of voice. Now you think that I'm a 'light grey' villain, too. I'm a legitimate supervillain! Respect me!" That was what it took to send Dick into hysterics. He cackled as he leaned against the wall as if it were the only thing holding him up. Wally sighed.
M'gann struggled to get her laughter under control, offering, "We have yet to eat dessert and there is plenty of it. Would you two like to join us? We were planning on watching a movie afterwards."
Tara glanced over at Brion, clearly pleading with him to say yes. Brion stared at Wally for another long moment before he offered a hesitant smile, "Yes, we would like that."
VVVVVV
Vandal tapped his fingers against the armrest of the seat he was in. Luthor's report was interesting. Queen Bee's follow-up report, detailing Luthor's capture, was less interesting. Vandal would have to deal with that at some point. Luthor had been a convenient ally and Vandal could say with certainty that some of Luthor's plans had been necessary for the Light to be where it was today. Still, at this stage, if Luthor was still making mistakes because of his obsession with that boy, then he was useless. Vandal could no longer waste time on him.
Perhaps, though, Vandal could do something for him. It was Luthor who brought that boy's situation to Vandal's notice. For most of the boy's life, he was nothing other than a key to escalating Luthor's Everyman Project. At this point, though? He was Vandal's key to winning this war, to defeating Darkseid once and for all.
Darkseid was getting closer and closer to the Anti-Life Equation every day. Vandal knew that the second that happened, Darkseid would have no further use for the arrangement they'd made. The only reason he had spared them in the first place was Desaad's supposition that the key to the Anti-Life Equation was to be found within a human mind. A metahuman mind. Vandal was certain the key was that girl who had merged with the Motherbox, but he didn't know. He wasn't going to test it out, either. Darkseid was watching him too closely. All he could do was make sure that the girl and her protectors were distracted by the Light's actions and the metahuman trafficking rings. Hopefully, staying there would keep her out of the way and hidden.
Now that Vandal had this new information, he could finish his plan. If Granny Goodness and Darkseid failed to understand Halo's importance in time, then Vandal would be able to take down Darkseid once and for all.
Author's Note: Guys, I did so much research about the Anti-Life Equation and Darkseid and Halo's powers for that tiny little Vandal Savage section and, like, dang. My brain feels bigger. I missed so much from that third season, haha. Like, I cannot explain how much of that went over my head. But I think I have a better understanding now, so I can try a little bit more to be a bit more accurate. Hopefully. We shall see :P Thanks for reading!