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Dick was in his office on the top floor, pacing nervously.
"You will be fine, Dick," Tim chuckled. "He loves you. You love him. It's not like he's going to say 'no'."
"I know," Dick sighed shakily, "I just want to make it perfect. He deserves it to be perfect. He deserves the world."
Tim smiled gently. He had never seen his brother like this with anyone before. On the surface, he thought it was hilarious, but he was also secretly relieved. He never thought Dick would settle down. He had always seemed so adverse to it. He and Dick had talked about it a couple of years ago, back when he was serious with Kori. The team had been teasing him mercilessly about wedding dates and names of future children. Levelheaded Dick very quickly turned into a blushing, sputtering mess. The rest of the team assumed it was because he was honestly considering proposing, but Tim knew his brother better than that. He saw the guilt behind his eyes, and in that moment, he knew they would never last.
There were several other women in Dick’s life after that. He was a serial monogamist; meet a girl, instantly get serious, then realize a few months into the relationship that he couldn’t spend the rest of his life with them, for one reason or another. Tim chalked it up to a fear of commitment that comes pretty naturally with their lifestyle. Things were always just too up in the air to commit to anything further in the future than months or weeks down the road. Anything could happen as a vigilante. They could die tomorrow, for fuck’s sake; it made it difficult to imagine anything that could happen a year from now.
But it was different with Wally. Tim saw it from the very beginning. The way Dick talked about Wally was different than with anyone else. He was much more likely to talk about the future, whereas he had always avoided it with his previous partners.
In a way, it made sense - if anyone could get him to settle down, it was definitely Wally. The redhead had always had a certain effect on him.
Tim’s thoughts were pulled back to the present when he saw the expression on Dick’s face. He just seemed so so nervous - definitely an unfamiliar look on the acrobat’s face. It was adorable. "Show me the ring.”
Dick reached into the interior pocket of his jacket and pulled out the little velvet box and popped it open.
Tim gasped.
It was a simple white-gold band with four gemstones - one red and one yellow on one side, and one red and one blue on the other.
"It's... it's supposed to represent who we were when we met, and who we are now," Dick explained hesitantly. "Yellow for Kid Flash and red for The Flash. Red for Robin and blue for Nightwing." He paused. "And as I'm saying this, I'm realizing how incredibly cheesy it is. It isn't too cheesy, is it? He's not going to think it's lame, is he?"
Tim chuckled at Dick's self-consciousness. "No, Dick, he won't think it's lame."
"Good." Dick shuffled his feet awkwardly and tucked the ring away. "You know, I bought it a week after we started dating."
"Really?"
"Yup. I knew. I just knew that I wanted to stay with him forever. So I had it custom made."
“He’s going to melt when he sees it.”
“I hope so.”
Dick checked his watch. “Okay. It’s time to go. Wally is going to be arriving in the lobby any minute now.”
Upon seeing Dick and Tim emerging from the elevator, a smile immediately blossomed on his face.
"Hey, handsome. I know I'm early but you know me and surprises... Especially when it comes to your surprises," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Dick grinned in spite of himself. His nervousness died immediately. This wasn’t some abstract idea of getting married to just anyone. This was Wally. His best friend, his partner, who knew everything about him. There was nothing to fear - he was marrying his best friend.
"Let's go," he said with a smile, linking his arm through Wally's and steered him towards the door. "You know, I was thinking the other day about the very first place we met. Do you remember where it was?"
Wally chuckled. "Yeah. My ass almost froze off and I just wanted to get home," he laughed.
Dick smiled and walked them down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm breeze. "We were on the roof top of the second tallest building in Gotham. Right by the bat-signal. Bruce's is the tallest and he thought it would be a little obvious if we met on top of the Wayne Enterprises building. Remember?"
"I do," Wally beamed next to him, a grin spreading on his face. "I remember how cool the bat-signal was. I kept asking Barry why we don't have a flash-signal for a full week. I drove him crazy," he chuckled. Damn, they were so young back then and it still felt it all happened yesterday. "You were staring at me the whole time."
"I loved your hair," Dick confessed. "Still do." He smiled as they kept walking. "I remember being so excited to meet another sidekick. I was psyched that there was another superhero my age. I kept watching you, hoping you liked me, hoping we could become best friends." A laugh suddenly bubbled up through his chest. "And look at us now."
They'd come a long way since then. Wally remembered how great it was to have Robin by his side. How they joked about being a smaller dynamic duo. The night when Dick trusted him with his secret identity, when he told him about his family. The real one. And now... now they were more than best friends.
Wally slid his arm down, so he could interwove their fingers instead. His face felt a little warmer.
"Honestly, I can't remember my life without you," he admitted. "Like you were always there."
Dick led them into a building, brushing off Wally's questioning look, and guided them to the elevator inside, hitting the button for the top floor. Dick continued speaking quietly as the elevator took them up. "We grew up together. In every way. We learned how to be heroes together. We make each other better." A gentle smile graced his gestures as the elevator door dinged and opened, revealing a spectacular scene - a picnic had been laid out on the roof top, complete with all of Wally's favorite foods. He smiled at the look on Wally's face and held his arm out for Wally to take. "Ready for a late lunch?"
Wally didn't know what to say suddenly, the picnic kind of was the last thing he expected - plus he recognized the roof top after a moment. It was the same rooftop where they had first met. Even the bat-signal was there. In the end he nodded, accepting Dick's hand with a sheepish smile.
Obviously, he could eat. It was literally all the food he loved and he couldn't resist, and Dick kept stroking his thigh or his arm the whole time, and Wally absolutely felt loved. It gave him warm feelings.
"Is this what I will get every time I go away for a few days?" Wally asked jokingly with a smile.
"Not every time," Dick said, chuckling. "This is more of a once in a lifetime type of thing." Wally cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed but he didn't question it, because Dick took his hand and helped him stand, then walked him to the railing on the side of the roof to look over the city.
"Remember the first time we were here?" he asked with a smile. Wally just nodded, captivated by the misty-eyed smile Dick was giving him. "I grappled in from over there," he pointed towards their left, "and you and Barry ran in from the other side. I was amazed at the way you ran right up the cement building. I couldn't stop staring," he chuckled.
Wally felt a knot tightening in his stomach. It wasn't unpleasant per se, it was rather just... something he couldn't put his finger on. The way Dick held his hand, the way he talked, the way he looked at him... Wally would never get used to it. Being looked at like he was Dick's whole world. Of course, he tried to joke it away, as he always did. "I was a little bit of a show off," Wally said, laughing. "But I'm definitely glad to hear that I reached the aimed effect. You were something too, Boy Wonder," he added with a wink.
Dick's heart sped up slightly at the wink Wally gave him. He took in a shaky breath and continued. "Somewhere in the back of my heart, I knew I loved you from the very beginning. It just took me a long time to come to grips with it. I never thought we would be where we are, but here we are. Together. And it's amazing." His voice tilted up awkwardly. "...Right?"
Chuckling at Dick's sudden bout of insecurity, Wally nodded eagerly. "Yes. Amazing."
A relieved smile graced the younger's features and he continued. "Yeah. It's been amazing. And I can't imagine my life without you."
Dick gave Wally one last dazzling smile before he took a small step backwards and sank down to one knee.
Wally’s heart nearly stopped.
They had talked about this so many times, they'd been joking and laughing about it for months. Wally always teased Dick and Dick promised him every time: one day I am going to propose to you. And Wally, obviously, didn't question this, but it was always in the future. He never... He wanted to be Dick's husband, of course he wanted to, but he never imagined this very moment, never thought of how he should have reacted when the moment came.
He knew his cheeks flushed red, but he didn't care about it. "Dick..."
Dick took his hand. "Wally," he breathed out. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. It's always been you. Always, from the very beginning, I've loved you. I loved you before I even knew what love was. I wanted you before I even knew what it meant. I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want to ever find out what it would look like if you weren't in my life - that's why I want to make this official." He took in a shaky breath and pulled out the ring box from his inside pocket, his eyes never leaving Wally's. "I knew as soon as you confessed your feelings that I wanted to marry you. I bought this ring a week after we started dating." He popped the box open to reveal the custom-designed ring. "I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Wally, will you marry me?"
Wally couldn't breathe. His chest tightened up and with every passing word from the man he loved more than anything in the world, his eyes filled with tears. He almost couldn't see that beautiful ring properly, and the sentence "I bought this ring a week after we started daring" kept echoing in his ears.
Jesus Christ, Dick had this ring since the beginning. From the moment Wally told him what he felt, he had decided that this moment would happen, even when Wally himself was still fighting with his insecurities and doubts. He had intended on doing this, the entire time.
He kneeled down with Dick, looked into his eyes, seeing anxiety and hope and longing in them, and started nodding his head, biting into his lower lip and letting the tears go.
"You are the... the most amazing man I have ever met. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Dick. Please... I want nothing more than being your husband." He laughed, wiping off his face and nodding one more time. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you. Of course I will marry you."
Dick's eyes were streaming tears too, and he laughed in relief. He surged forward and threw his arms around the other man, giggling madly through his sobs of joy, and kissed Wally with all of the passion in his heart.
"I love you so much," he murmured.
Wally kissed him back with equal fervor. After he had to pause and pull back for air, he took a moment to look down at the ring.
It was absolutely... so damn beautiful. Even if Dick hadn't said it, he'd have guessed it was custom made, because it looked nothing like a regular ring. It wasn't too much, it was a pretty simple ring but it had their colors, and the thought of wearing it... Wally needed to swallow.
He cleared his throat, looking up at Dick under his wet eyelashes. God, this man had just proposed to him. Dick Grayson proposed to him. "Would you... I know it's cheesy, but would you... put it on me?"
Dick let out an uncharacteristic giggle and brushed the tears from his face. "Of course," he said hoarsely. He gently removed the ring from its protected spot in the little velvet box and slipped it onto Wally's finger. It fit perfectly.
"Do you like it? It's our colors," Dick murmured.
"Yeah, I know," he replied, tears still a slow stream down his cheeks. "It's beautiful."
Dick reached into his opposite pocket and retrieved another ring, perfectly matching the one on Wally's finger. "I got one for myself too," he murmured. The ring caught the light as Dick lifted it to show him the inscription inside - 'If you're going, I'm going'. "Yours has it too," he added, a fresh stream of tears flowing down his face. "Wherever you are, Wally, that's where I want to be. If you're going, I'm going."
Dick loved him. He really loved him. He didn't know how to handle this realization, therefore, after giving himself a long moment to get lost in the beauty of their rings, he launched forward and wrapped his arms around his lover, pressing his face into his neck, laughing and still crying at the same moment.
"I don't deserve you, but I'm so freaking happy I have you, Dick. I love you so much. I love you," Wally murmured. The cold of the ring around his finger made him feel safe and loved and appreciated.
Dick responded immediately, throwing his arms around his now-fiancée and hugging him close. "I love you too. So, so much," Dick sobbed. He pulled back after a few moments and looked into Wally's eyes. "Oh my god, we're engaged now. Oh my god. I am engaged to Wally West, my best friend and the love of my life." He giggled madly, clutching Wally's hands. "I am so happy."
Wally shoved at his shoulder playfully, trying to hold his tears back. They were damn ridiculous; two grown men in Gotham on a rooftop, crying, clinging to each other. Simply ridiculous. "You've planned this since forever, you bastard, and you are the one who doesn't believe it?" the older laughed, not opposing the hug or the grip on his hands at all. "But yeah, we are. We are engaged. We are totally engaged. So engaged," he giggled.
Dick reached up to brush Wally's bangs out of his face. "I love you," he murmured. After a moment of staring into his eyes, he smiled gently. "When should we tell our family?"
"Hm. Does Bruce know you were going to ask me?"
"How do you think I could afford these rings?" Dick laughed. "He gave his blessing. Tim knows. So does Jason. But that's it."
Hearing that made Wally smile. It was kind of a nice feeling that all the important people in Dick's life had already accepted their engagement and they had their support, but… it sent a cold feeling through his stomach when he thought about his own family.
His gut clenched. He hadn't talked with his parents since the time they visited them and told them that they loved each other. Wally had called his mom a few times, but they hadn’t seen each other face to face since his dad blew up on him.
He pulled himself out of his dark reverie and turned his thoughts to the supportive side of his family. "Let’s send a picture of the ring to Iris and Barry," he smiled in the end. "They will lose their minds," he added with a wide grin.
"Oh, yeah," Dick said with a chuckle. "Iris will start planning our wedding immediately. I bet she's already got plans for us and is just waiting for us to make the announcement." He brushed Wally's hair out of his face again, seeming to have sensed the direction his thoughts had turned. "And we will handle your parents when the time comes. I will be by your side the whole time."
The grin softened into a small smile and Wally leaned into the gentle touch on his face, closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath through his nose. That little supportive promise helped him lift the weight from his heart a bit.
"That means a lot to me," he said eventually, looking up at Dick. "You mean a lot to me. How about I take a photo of the ring, I send it to Iris and until they call us screaming, we keep celebrating?" Wally murmured, turning his head so he could kiss Dick's palm affectionately.
A big smirk crossed Dick's face and he nods. "That sounds fantastic. I wish I could see their faces. Let's do it."
Both men hold out their hands and lace them together, then take a picture with the caption "Engaged!!"
Wally looked up at Dick and smirked as he hit 'send'. "We're so evil," he snickered. "I love it." They both took a sip of their champagne and enjoyed the Gotham skyline.
Approximately forty five seconds later, Wally's phone lights up with Iris’s phone call. The redhead couldn't suppress a laugh before he accepted the call, but in forethought he didn't raise the phone to his ear. As soon as the line connected, all they could hear was Iris' screaming.
"OH, MY GOD, BOYS, CONGRATULATIONS! WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR YOU, THIS IS AMAZING!" Wally kept laughing, pushing the speaker button so they both could hear them and leaned against Dick's side. God, he felt so damn happy. This was probably the best day of his life. "Those rings are breathtaking, Dick. Because I assume Dick is the one who proposed. I would have heard about it from Wally before now if he were the one proposing; he’s terrible at keeping secrets."
"Yes, he was the one," Wally answered with a chuckle, squeezing Dick's hand.
Then Barry's cheerful voice joined the conversation. "Congratulations, boys. You have to visit us sometime so we can celebrate."
“I also need to know what colors you want for your wedding’s theme!” Iris added.
Wally grinned. “Would the Flash colors be too much?”
Barry cheered in the background before Iris stepped in. “No nephew of mine is going to have a red and yellow themed wedding. I’m putting my foot down on that one.”
“We can discuss it all soon. We’ll have to set up a time to come over next week, Mrs. Allen,” Dick said politely.
Iris agreed. “Congratulations, boys. We’ll let you go; I assume you have some more celebrating to do today.”
Wally winked at Dick, who smirked in return. “Thank-you. We’ll see you soon.”
They hung up the phone.
“What do you say we take this back to our place?” Wally asked with a lecherous grin.
“It’s like you read my mind, handsome,” Dick replied with a grin.
Arm in arm, they walked back to Wayne tower and took the zeta beam in the locked closet in the basement back to their home. They emerged from their hidden room in their closet, hands already all over each other, and tumbled into their bed.
“Let’s celebrate our engagement for real,” Wally said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively up at Dick.
Dick just grinned down at him and pressed a sloppy kiss to the side of his mouth. "I like the sound of that, flash-boy."
Soon, the conversation faded and turned into panted moaning and reverent whispers of each other’s names.
That night, they both slept better than they had in years.