A/N: Helloooo, Spring Break! God how I've needed you. And hello everyone again (: I'd like to take this time to thank any and all who have reviewed, favorited, or story alerted 2 AM. Special thanks goes out to Konyi, Skylark Evanson, Zewy and QuEen0fs0ng for their almost unfailing reviews. I'm sorry if I don't reply to each one; but know that you guys are awesome and hearing from you makes my day. Thanks again!
This chapter is longer than usual, and not set in the present time. Specifically, before Wally and Roy are in a relationship.
I do enjoy flashbacks.
Let's roll.
I do not own Young Justice.
2 AM
VI.
we're just tripping along
::
twelve months prior
::
"Well, that's the last of them," Wally says as he plops down his cardboard box. It falls onto the carpet with a heavy thump that makes Roy stare at him askance.
"Wasn't that marked fragile?"
"Oh." Wally quickly tears off the duct tape and opens it to make sure. "Okay, no, it's still good."
Roy rolls his eyes as he stuffs the last of Wally's clothes into the spare drawer he cleared out this morning. He holds up a black button-up flannel. Roy smiles. "I could've sworn this was mine."
"Oh… Yeah, I kept meaning to get that back to you." Don't blush Wally, don't blush, don't blu—
"Why are you blushing?"
Damn it.
"No reason," Wally mutters as he adds a few ceramic Bruins mugs and assorted bowls into Roy's cupboard. Wally hates karma sometimes. He's pale, he's a redhead, these things don't work out for him. Normally, he's able to laugh off blushes before they start, but around Roy… For some reason that trick doesn't work, around Roy. He feels himself slowly working past pink into fuchsia, before he remembers that there really isn't anything to be embarrassed about. "Your apartment's just hot."
"I forget how you even have this," Roy says as he absently folds it away.
"That time I slept over after the last alien hostile takeover, remember?" Wally, who had been gearing himself for merciless teasing, finds himself slightly at a loss at Roy's nonchalance. Ill at ease, he opens the fridge, counting on an easy distraction. Finding nothing but a bottle of ketchup and two beers inside, he closes it.
"We're gonna need to hit up Costco," he announces at large. Focus on mundane things, Wally. Cmon, it's working. "Do you even remember to eat, Roy?" Teasing; always a good distraction.
"Finished off the takeout yesterday," Roy shrugs as he comes back into the room. "And huh. You sure it wasn't the freeze ray that iced over half the city?" He's still talking about the shirt.
"Pretty sure. That was the month before."
"Your memory's better than mine, kid." He comes up from behind him suddenly and opens the fridge. Oh good, the cold air will probably neutralize the heat in Wally's face.
Wally groans a little in his head.
Why is he so obvious?
"Guess you're right," Roy says, oblivious, as he shuts the fridge and runs his finger down the many menus magnetized to the back of the door. "Well, mi casa es su casa—starting today, anyway. We should celebrate." He ponders the prices. "What sounds good, Chinese or Italian?"
"Oh, dude, you don't have to order in." Wally fidgets self-consciously, trying his hardest not to make any unnecessary contact. "I'm just happy you're letting me room with you. Dorms cost a fortune."
"Oh. It's no trouble." And the slow way he says it is what makes Wally suddenly aware that there's a hand resting on his hip. His pulse hikes up rapidly, going thumpthumpthump in his throat. "Might as well, since apparently I'm loaning you all my clothes too."
Ah, the jeans. He's just touching the jeans.
Which begs the question, why does Wally have on so many of Roy's clothes?
"Get jeans that are less nice if you don't want me stealing them," Wally manages weakly. "True Religion, yanno? I like the cut."
"Moocher," Roy teases.
"You're the one who offered."
"I did, didn't I? Which reminds me, you'll probably want to see your new room."
Wally slowly nods before what Roy says fully permeates into his brain.
"Roy?"
"Yeah?"
"You only have one room." And one bed, but why make things any more awkward?
"Wow, Wally. Y'know, in the three years I've lived here before you came along, that fact completely escaped my notice."
Wally is too anxious to find much humor in Roy's sarcasm, however.
"Your couch folds out," he points out uncertainly. That was kinda Wally's plan when he asked to crash with him in the first place. Because he's never considered—
"That's for guests."
That Roy just might—
"But ah… aren't I a guest?"
"No," Roy corrects mildly. "You live here."
And he kinda wishes he hadn't because…
"Oh."
Oh.
Looking back it should've been a bit obvious, huh?
Roy was always paying for his food, always letting him come by weekends at a moment's notice. Hell, Roy taught him to drive stick-shift using his own car. (Not that they would ever repeat that incident.)
But.
Wally's spent literally his entire high school years in equal parts idolizing and lusting after Roy. Roy, his Ridiculously-Hot-Yet-Unattainable Best Friend. Roy, who is tall and strong shouldered and always has this steady way of looking at him, that cool-eyed glance that says, You're not fooling me.
Like that. Like right now. Wally bites his lip and avoids his eyes.
"Is that okay?" Roy asks slowly. He sounds a little unsure, despite his square gaze on Wally's face. "Because I can…"
Wally's certain that Roy knows Wally likes him. There's no point in denying it.
"No. I mean. No, that's great. I'm just…"
Wally just doesn't know what to say. The idea of Roy liking him is going against five straight years of mental conditioning here. He looks up at him hesitantly.
"Are you technically asking me…?"
"Yeah. Do you mind?"
Well, they're already living together. That realization is like something exploding in Wally's stomach. Not quite butterflies; more like someone took the cap off a giant, pressurized bottle of 7-Up and let the sizzling foam fill him to the brim. Wally meets his eyes and grins, head buzzing with energy.
"No. Totally don't mind."
When Roy smiles, something in Wally responds, thudding. Hyper-aware.
"Good," Roy says smugly. "Does that mean I can ravish you on the kitchen counter now?"
The laugh that bursts its way out of Wally is startling, tension broken. Because this isn't weird at all.
"Is this why they called you Speedy?" Wally grins at how easily this comes to them. "We haven't even had our first date yet, and already I'm moving in, and you're asking to have kinky kitchen sex."
"We do everything out of order, don't we?" Roy sounds absolutely shameless.
"You move fast, you mean."
"This is me going slow," Roy replies. "You're oblivious, and I've been waiting to ask you for over a year."
Wally's witticisms slow to a fraction of their reaction time. Just like that.
He stares up at Roy. Roy doesn't take it back, his eyes melting blue and challenging and Yeah, now you know. It takes a minute, but when Roy slowly tilts his head and leans down to kiss him, Wally leans up halfway, and—
Wow.
Wally's hands instantly lift and find their way into Roy's hair, as Roy's hands slide under his shirt.
Wow.
::
present day
::
"... well I'm gonna be going out this afternoon," Artemis says, cradling the phone against her shoulder as she paints her toenails bright turquoise. "Sorry. You should text Wally about it. He'll probably want to help out."
"Are you kidding?" Dick cackles mirthfully over the phone line. "Artemis, you are aware what day it is, right?"
She inspects her foot critically, squinting in thought. "Tuesday?"
"I'm guessing you haven't checked Facebook. Guess whose anniversary is today."
She barks a laugh. "You're kidding. It's been a year?"
"Yeah. Gorilla Grodd could be pummeling the Empire State Building to rubble right now and I can promise you. He's not gonna freaking text me back about it."
"Jeez. Speaking from experience?"
"Maybe."
Artemis smirks. "How many times have you walked in on them, Dick?"
"Enough to realize I'm going to be moving my couch to Bludhaven on my own."
"You don't have a key to their apartment though." She frowns. "Don't tell me you're still breaking in through the windows?"
"Not anymore."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that any flat surface in that apartment can be used to mentally scar me. And several walls." Dick pauses. "Try not to think about that when you visit."
A/N: In my head, Dick and Artemis totally swap gossip over the phone. Dick's painting his own toenails on the other end, probably. Maybe. I love those two.
Dick. There is a reason people knock. Though, Roy and Wally would probably ignore it. Or just not stop.
... Those boys.
Next chapter, I'm gonna break my pattern and go chronological. And yeah, it's the anniversary chapter (: I had already written it out, but it didn't quite flow with the rest of this chapter. So. Gonna spruce it up and see you guys sometime next week. No promises, because I'm not the kind of updater who sticks to actual schedules. But if it's not complete I will have something else up (:
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