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Hal hated the new guy.
A night-time vigilante joined the Justice League six months prior, named Nightwing. Stationed in Blüdhaven, New Jersey, he was young yet skilled. His specialty was stealth and infiltration, with quick takedowns and efficient work. Most of his missions since joining the team were paired with Batman, Green Arrow, or Black Canary, though occasionally they sent him somewhere with Superman or Flash, each mission being a success with very few missteps or miscalculations. It was even more impressive given that he was completely human with only tech augmenting his natural ability, and even then, he didn’t use much tech at all.
At first, he didn’t mind Nightwing in the slightest, even getting along with the guy’s humor and geniality. Nightwing was personable and outgoing, unlike Batman whose skill set most closely aligned. He joked easily yet could be serious when the need arose. He readily lent an ear for venting troubles and gave out hugs whenever it seemed like someone needed it. For all intents and purposes, he was a well-rounded, likable young man. But then it went too far.
He started flirting with Wally.
It started simple, with little things here and there.
First, he sought out Wally more than their teammates. Hal thought it might be just the two becoming good friends, so he had let it slide easily, almost to the point of forgetting about it. Most of the Justice League members were at least ten years older than Wally and Nightwing, with the only exception being Victor who often joined the two in conversations and hangouts prior to meetings, so Hal had been happy to see Wally making another friend, especially since he had a hard time with Barry’s death and could use more comforting faces around him.
Second, Nightwing teased Wally more than their teammates. Never in a rude or condescending way, always friendly and well-meaning, so it took Hal a bit to notice since everyone acted that way with Wally and Nightwing acted that way with everyone. It was only when he noticed that Nightwing’s verbal inflection was different when teasing Wally than when teasing Victor or anyone else. That was when Hal started to watch closer.
Third, he began joining Wally on missions more often. Either Nightwing would request Wally as a partner specifically or he would request to be put on missions Wally was already assigned to that had others on the roster as well. It didn’t occur for every mission handling, so Hal didn’t realize it right away, but when he realized it, he couldn’t not notice. He even grew a bit annoyed when Batman went along with the request more often than not.
Fourth, the touching occurred more often with Wally than their teammates. Considering Nightwing hadn’t been immediately punched the moment he playfully jostled Batman, Nightwing’s touchiness with others became a common sight. Never with anyone who expressed discomfort with touching, aside from Batman though he seemed to be a special case for some reason, but Nightwing could be readily seen dolling out hugs, high fives, nudges, etc. Any casual touch under the sun seemed to be up for grabs with him.
But Nightwing grabbing Wally’s hand and not letting it go for a good ten minutes raised a few alarm bells for Hal. Then so did the arm draped around Wally’s shoulders that lingered longer than others. And then the head laying on Wally’s arm. And the feet propped up on Wally’s lap. Wally seemed to laugh most of it off if he seemed to notice it at all, and he never reciprocated with his own casual touches. When Hal had brought up the touching as casually as he could, Wally shrugged it off, saying Nightwing was just like that which Hal could only buy so much of.
Regardless, Hal wasn’t a fan of Nightwing for one very simple reason: he was a homewrecker. Or at least an attempted one.
Everyone on the team knew Wally was in a very committed long-term relationship and had even been proposed to just a month after Nightwing joined, conveniently around the same time Hal began to notice Nightwing’s flirting.
Ever since Barry had died about a year and a half prior, Hal took it upon himself to step up in Wally’s life, acting as closely to an uncle as he could without overstepping, though Barry had been more like a father for Wally than an uncle anyway. So, Hal had met Wally’s fiancé on many occasions, and he loved the kid.
Wally and Dick had met when Dick had been on a business trip to Keystone, and they had hit it off from the moment Wally had stumbled into him at a coffee shop. It seemed right up Wally’s alley to meet his soulmate during a clumsy outing in search of coffee to push him through finals week for his bachelor’s degree, even if it was strange to think that someone could just randomly meet a billionaire at a coffee shop. It was a regular Hallmark story of a smart kid working his butt off to earn a degree and be swept off his feet by a handsome rich guy in incognito.
Dick Grayson may not be who Hal had thought Wally would attract but seeing them together always made him feel warm inside, and he knew Barry would have wished the world for them to succeed if he’d been alive for the engagement.
So, seeing Nightwing butting into Wally’s life and so clearly trying to get into his pants really ticked Hal off.
But what could he do?
“Why do you keep glaring at Nightwing?” Oliver quietly asked as a Justice League meeting came to a close.
Hal had been watching yet another instance of Nightwing being far closer to Wally than he should have been. Nightwing spent the entire meaning leaning against Wally or whispering to him with sly or cheeky grins. Now, Hal was the last person to lecture on not paying attention to Batman’s long-winded lectures, but it certainly didn’t help the case for not flirting with Wally.
“No reason,” Hal replied as he slowly stood from his seat, still watching the way Nightwing hung off of Wally as they filed out of the room followed by other Leaguers leaving.
“Yeah, I definitely believe that,” Oliver muttered. “Seriously, man, what are you even doing?”
With Wally and Nightwing out of sight, and most of the Leaguers already out of the room, Hal turned to Oliver and asked, “What?”
“Did Nightwing spit in your cereal?”
Hal rolled his eyes. “No.”
“Then why do you glare at him like he’s insulted your honor?” Oliver asked.
By then, all of their teammates had left the room, leaving for missions, their homes, or monitor duty, so Hal and Oliver were left alone in the meeting room. Hal glanced at the door and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.
“I just don’t like him is all,” Hal answered.
Oliver looked like he didn’t believe him, and for good reason. “You spent the first few weeks of his membership loving him, and now you spend every moment watching his every move, so what changed? And don’t give me the ridiculous vague answers. Either suffer in silence or let me in on what’s going on.”
Hal sighed as he leaned on the table. “Do you think he hangs off of Wally a bit too much?”
That got Oliver to chuckle with a snort. “Really? The protective dad act? That’s a new one for you.”
“Shut up,” Hal said. “He’s always touching him and following him around.”
“And if Wally had an issue with it, he’d say something,” Oliver pointed out.
“He has a fiancé.”
It was Oliver’s turn to roll his eyes. “If you think Wally would stoop so low as to cheat in a relationship, especially on Dick who he is utterly smitten with, then you don’t know Wally as well as you think you do.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Hal said with a groan. “He’s a good kid, and I trust him. I don’t trust Nightwing. He’s always flirting with Wally, practically climbs all over him, and inserts himself into Wally’s missions. I don’t trust his intentions. And while I don’t think Wally would do anything to intentionally jeopardize his relationship with Dick, sometimes mistakes happen. Or a lack of clear boundaries. I know if Carol ever saw me allowing that behavior, she’d string me up by my balls. Same with Dinah and you.”
Oliver sighed and leaned on the back of the nearest chair. “All right, I understand where you’re coming from, but don’t you think that instead of glaring at Nightwing, you should be talking to Wally to make sure he’s even aware it’s inappropriate? You know he’s always been lax about physical space. Plus, it’s Wally’s responsibility to shut down disrespectful behavior toward his relationship, not anyone else’s. Taking it out on Nightwing isn’t the way to go about it.”
“I hate that you make sense.”
“Sometimes I do too.”
The last thing Dick wanted to do was hide his relationship.
It wasn’t what he had set out to do. Instead, it was a simple side effect from the lack of discussion of personal lives that came with being a Bat. But he supposed he should’ve seen the difficulties that came with a secret relationship coming from a mile away. Inconsistencies with lies or troubles juggling schedules being some of the few.
Wally’s pseudo-uncle absolutely despising him wasn’t on his list of possible outcomes.
Hal Jordan, usually a perpetual jokester and someone who didn’t take things too seriously unless necessary, always glared at him whenever he drew too close to Wally, and Dick had absolutely no idea why. He didn’t think he was doing anything inappropriate when interacting with Wally around the League.
Like sure, Hal wasn’t in the know that Nightwing and Dick Grayson were the same person, but glaring because Nightwing sat next to Wally during a Justice League meeting? That seemed excessive.
He must have done something as Nightwing and Dick had no idea what it could be. When he brought it up to Wally, he got comfort and understanding but also a lack of knowing on what it could be from Wally’s view as well. They were both stumped at what Hal’s problem with Nightwing could be, though that could be because Wally was quite clearly hiding that he didn’t truly believe Hal hated him even if he was being supportive of his feelings.
Maybe he should talk to Hal about it, but how would he even go about it? Hal was Wally’s family, his uncle in everything but law, his actual uncle’s best friend. He hated the idea of accidentally driving a wedge between them. But maybe that was a good clue that they should really tell Hal his secret identity, especially before the wedding.
When Hal got home, he stared at his phone for a few minutes before deciding to bite the bullet and call Wally. He’d put off the talk long enough.
Wally answered quickly, greeting him with a, “Hey, Uncle Hal! What’s up?”
“Hi, Wally, I was wondering if you were busy on Saturday?” Hal asked, choosing two days from then to limit the chances of a world-ending disaster or space apocalypse that would call him away. Plus, it also lessened the chance that he could chicken out of it.
“Oh, this Saturday?” Wally repeated. He paused for a moment. “Uh, Dick and I are actually going window shopping to see what we might want for wedding decorations.”
“That’s great!” Hal said genuinely even if he was a bit bummed at the day being taken.
“I mean, it’s nothing official, but we wanted to get a feel for things we like and don’t like.”
“Of course, of course. Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to have lunch, but if you’re busy, then perhaps a different day.”
“Wait, you’re welcome to join us if you’d like,” Wally said before Hal could continue and offer up Sunday. “We can meet for lunch somewhere.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your plans,” Hal said. He wouldn’t be able to talk to Wally about inappropriate behavior with Nightwing if Dick was there listening in. Hal wasn’t even sure if Dick knew about Wally’s gig as a superhero since they had certainly never mentioned it.
“It’s okay, Hal. It’s not a formal thing. You wouldn’t be intruding on anything. And Dick’s been wanting to get to know you better anyway, so lunch would be perfect.”
Hal had to fight back a groan. How could he say no to that? It wasn’t often that he and Wally got to spend any time together outside of the superhero business, so try as he might to deflect, it would be rude to turn it down just because Dick would be there. And maybe he would be able to pull Wally aside at some point to talk to him alone. The plan wasn’t completely shot.
“I guess if it’s all right with Dick then,” Hal gave in. “I’d love to have lunch with you two.”
“Great! I’ll text you the address. I gotta go, but I love you, Hal! See you Saturday.”
“Love you too, kiddo.” Upon the call ending, Hal lowered his phone to the counter, setting it down slowly as he leaned his elbows against the surface. Then he buried his head in his hands and exclaimed, “Fuck!”
The sun was shining in Keystone when Hal found himself walking down the sidewalk to the restaurant Wally had directed him to in the mid-afternoon for a late lunch. Hal had looked it up and wasn’t happy to learn it was one of the nicer places in town, a high-end Japanese restaurant, a place Hal would barely be able to afford a plate for just himself. He supposed he should have seen it coming considering Wally was marrying billionaire Richard Grayson-Wayne of all people, even if he only went by Dick as though he was a regular person.
So, Hal walked into the restaurant in his nicest button down and a pair of non-ripped black jeans. Those and his cleanest shoes were as best dressed as he was going to get short of a full suit hidden in the back of his closet that he saved for emergencies, i.e. the occasional business party Carol made him attend or the once in a blue moon gala Oliver invited him to.
Upon walking in, Hal spotted Wally and Dick quickly, sitting at a table in front of tall windows off to the side of the dining area.
When he started to be flagged down by the hostess asking if he had a reservation with a sharp smile, undoubtedly because he didn’t quite look like he belonged in the restaurant, Dick swooped in with a charming grin and narrowed eyes, saying, “He’s with us,” before pulling him away, toward their table before she could say anything else.
“Guess I’m a little underdressed,” Hal said in a light tone, trying to hide the way he fiddled with the cuff of his sleeve after glancing at the tucked-in silk shirt and pleated pants Dick was wearing.
But Dick waved him off. “You’re dressed just fine. I brought my baby brother here once, and the host that time about had a conniption upon seeing an eleven-year-old. Ignore them.”
Hal supposed that made him feel a little better.
As Hal slid into the seat facing the window, Wally smiled as he looked up from the menu in his hand and said, “Glad you found the place all right.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure at first when I looked it up,” Hal said, eyeing the earthy green cloth napkin folded like an upside-down taco on the empty plate in front of him as well as the crip clean full water glass. Every restaurant he went to, the water glasses were always at least a little stained or chipped or imperfect in some way if the cups were even glass. He didn’t know if he could feel even more out of place.
“Sorry, I wanted to go to one of the hole-in-the-wall Chinese places, but someone convinced me otherwise.” Wally turned a sharp, not-genuinely annoyed eye toward Dick who shrugged innocently with a smile.
“You like this place, don’t lie,” Dick pointed out. “And the only reason you were convinced is because I had good reasoning which we will get to soon.” Hal gave him a confused look, but Dick simply ignored it as he waved over a waiter. “Order anything you’d like. My treat.”
Hal’s eyebrows shot up, and he started to shake his head. “Oh, no, I couldn’t—”
“Uncle Hal, you’ll find that arguing with him about who pays for food is like telling Clark he doesn’t need to apologize every five minutes,” Wally said as he pointed down at the menu while looking at Dick. “I’m feeling the gyoza and edamame.”
Dick didn’t get the chance to reply as the waiter arrived and asked for their drink and appetizer order. After Dick placed an order for three appetizers and requested a full bottle of wine, which Hal could only pinpoint was a white wine because of Carol, the waiter left them alone once again. Dick asked a few mindless, small talk questions about how he’d been, filling the space before the waiter returned with the wine, opened it in front of them, and poured them each a glass. He then left the bottle on the table for them and assured the appetizers would be out soon before disappearing once more.
As Hal watched Wally awkwardly spin his wine glass on the table, Hal realized that they had their own motive for taking him out to a late lunch. So, Hal wasn’t the only one who had been wanting to talk to them, or technically one of them.
“The last time I was treated at a fancy restaurant, Oliver was buttering me up,” Hal stated simply as he skeptically glanced between the two younger men.
Hal almost didn’t hear the quiet, amused snort from Dick, hidden behind his wine glass as he took a sip. Since Hal did notice the sound, however, he focused on Dick who met his gaze before gesturing to Wally while setting the wine glass back down.
“This is all you, Walls,” Dick said as he leisurely leaned back in his seat.
“Right,” Wally said with deep breath. He faced Hal who watched in continued skepticism and a hint of worry about what was so important that it got Wally nervous. “Uncle Hal, we’ve been talking, and well, I wanted to ask something that might seem strange or out of the blue.”
“Wally, you’re making him nervous,” Dick said gently. He sent a smile Hal’s way. “It’s nothing bad.”
“I’m sorry,” Wally said, devolving into a chuckle as he ran a hand over his face. He straightened up in his seat, allowing himself an easy smile as he looked at Hal. “I want you to be a part of the wedding.”
Hal’s eyebrows shot up again. That wasn’t where he thought the conversation had been going. Granted, he had no idea what Wally was going to say whatsoever, but saying he wanted Hal to be a part of the wedding certainly wouldn’t have been on the list of ideas if he had one at all.
“What?” Hal impolitely said.
“It’s a long way out still,” Wally began explaining. “We don’t have a date planned or anything, but we’ve been talking a lot about what we imagine the day to be like, and I always knew I wanted you there. Initially, when I imagined the day, I thought of Barry walking with me down the aisle, along with Aunt Ie. So, at first, I kinda thought about you joining her with Barry gone. Then we were talking about officiants, and it clicked for me. I want you to be our officiant.”
For the first few moments, Hal was speechless, staring at the young man he had watched grow up, running after Barry. His brain seemed to stop, all thoughts dissipating and unable to form anything else.
Then his brain finally reconnected.
“Wally, I’d be honored,” was the first thing he said. Then he glanced at Dick who was watching them with a smile that didn’t betray any thoughts. “You both want this?”
That got a gentle laugh from Dick. “Any of my siblings would make the occasion far too embarrassing, Bruce is walking me down the aisle, and I think Alfie would actually be offended at being relegated to an officiant instead of a traditional grandfather role. And since neither of us are denominational, it won’t be a church wedding anyway.” Dick then let out an over-exaggerated sigh. “But if you want, I can ask Uncle Ollie.”
“Absolutely not,” Hal blurted, and it earned him laughs from both boys which he joined in with. He focused on Wally again once they settled. “Of course, I’ll be your officiant, kiddo. I’m honored you thought of me.”
Wally gave him a bright smile. “You’re family. I want you part of my special day.”
His special day. A special day about love and commitment and loyalty.
Hal took a deep breath of his own as he met Wally’s eyes and started, “There’s something important I need to—”
He was interrupted by the waiter arriving with a tray of food. And it was good timing too because not only did he have no idea how to discuss the Nightwing situation, he had almost forgotten that Dick should not be a part of that conversation.
After giving their entrée orders to the waiter, Wally asked Hal, “What was it you were going to say?”
Shaking his head with a small smile, Hal said, “It can wait.”
It was a good day, a good lunch, a good celebration with good company. He needed Wally alone and not in public. He couldn’t be the one to break Dick’s heart.
Feet up on the armrest of the couch, Hal tossed a constructed glowing green ball up and down as he lounged in Oliver’s penthouse in Star City.
“So, you chickened out,” Oliver said from the nearby living chair.
He had just finished relaying the lunch he had with Wally and Dick in Keystone the previous day. Oliver had largely been quiet during the story, allowing Hal to lay everything that happened out there for him to hear, aside from the commentary about the choice of alcohol and Hal needed to broaden his drink horizon.
“Shut up, Oliver,” Hal grumbled as he tossed the ball up again and caught it.
He heard a scoff from Oliver. “In case you hadn’t noticed, you came to me. If you wanted advice without snark, you should’ve gone to Iris.”
Hal sighed and said, “I don’t want to drag her into this. You’ve at least seen the behavior.”
“You’re the one who can’t talk to him about it, so maybe Iris should.”
“I didn’t want to ruin the day,” Hal argued as he caught the construct again. “He looked so happy.”
“You know what day could also be ruined?” Oliver asked. “The wedding day if Dick ever sees a news article about the Flash and Nightwing together. Surprised there isn’t one already.”
Hal caught the construct again and he looked at Oliver. “Does Dick know Wally is the Flash?”
“I heard him make a few jokes and puns about Wally being a runner or getting somewhere ‘in a flash,’” Oliver told him. “I’m pretty sure he knows. Also, at the last gala he said something about looking for a new apartment in Blüdhaven, so Wally might be planning to move from Keystone.”
With a groan, Hal dismissed the ball construct and said, “Why do Dick and Nightwing have to live in the same city?”
“Maybe men from horrible cities are Wally’s type,” Oliver joked. “He had a crush on Batman’s old sidekick as a kid, right?”
“Yeah, what even happened to Robin anyway?”
“He’s still around. Still in Gotham. The Gotham Gazette said he has a sword now. Although, apparently, he’s seen in Blüdhaven a lot working with Nightwing.”
At that, Hal sat up on the couch with a grouchy expression. “Hearing more and more about Nightwing just pisses me off.”
Oliver let out a sigh as he lowered the reports he was reading. “Look, Hal, you need to talk to Wally. Sooner rather than later instead of sulking on my couch. Call him up right now and tell him you need to talk. You can even invite him here. Neutral location so he’s not cornered at his place or yours, and it’s not public.”
Hal gave him a long look before groaning in frustration. “Stop being a responsible adult.”
Oliver shrugged and said, “Someone has to do it, and Dinah isn’t here.”
With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Hal pulled out his phone and pulled up Wally’s contact. After taking a slow breath, he pressed the contact and called Wally, reluctantly bringing the phone up to his ear. It rang for a few moments until Wally answered.
“Everything okay?” Wally immediately asked.
He supposed the question was a fair ask considering they had just seen each other in person yesterday and they hardly ever talked on the phone aside from the occasional meme sent to each other, Hal checking in after getting back from long stints in space, or Hal warning him that he would be gone for a while. Though the answer to Wally’s question was technically a resounding no even if no one was hurt or missing.
“I need you to come to Oliver’s place in Star City,” Hal said. “We need to talk.”
“That didn’t answer my question,” Wally pointed out in a tense tone. “Is anyone hurt?”
“No, Wally, everyone is okay. It’s not an emergency, but we need to talk.” He was certain his discomfort showed through his voice.
“Be there soon.” The line went dead.
As Hal slid his phone back into his pocket, he looked up at Oliver who had a grim expression. “You can do this, Hal,” Oliver said. “Barry’s not here to look after him anymore. You’re doing good.”
“Doesn’t feel like it,” Hal muttered as he leaned forward on his knees, lacing his fingers together.
“It hardly ever does,” Oliver said. “I can’t count how many uncomfortable conversations I’ve had with Roy or Connor over the years. But they’ve all been necessary, and I like to think they’ve all helped us grow. Wally’s a good kid, but even good kids need help sometimes.”
A few minutes later, Wally phased through the walls of Oliver’s penthouse, fully dressed in his Flash uniform. It made Hal’s heart ache at the sight of it. Wally hadn’t taken up Barry’s suit as a few League members had recommended. Instead, he kept his red and silver suit with the half cowl, and Hal was glad for it. It suited him, especially since he already had an inferiority complex about not being as good as Barry, despite having surpassed Barry’s speed. He knew Barry would be proud of Wally.
The last thing Hal wanted to do was take over Barry’s job of looking after Wally, but he had to.
Wally pulled his cowl off as soon as he settled in the living room, standing in front of them as he looked around in concern.
“What’s wrong?” was the first thing Wally asked.
“Nothing’s wrong per se,” Hal said as he got up from the couch.
Wally narrowed his eyes and pointed at him. “You never use fancy words unless you’re trying to be mature. What’s wrong?”
Oliver laughed from his seat. “Well, can’t say the kid doesn’t know you.”
“Not helping, Ollie,” Hal said with a glance.
“Didn’t say I planned on it.” Oliver gave him a mock salute and an amused grin.
Shaking his head with a sigh, Hal focused on Wally who continued looking at them with concern and worry. “It’s about your relationship with Nightwing,” Hal said.
With a frown, Wally shifted his weight and tilted his head. “Excuse me?”
“A few of the Leaguers,” because it certainly couldn’t have only been Hal and Oliver, “have noticed that you and Nightwing are. . . friendlier than you should be for someone who is happily engaged. Now, I am not accusing you of anything, but I wanted to make sure that you are aware of the potential ramifications of that sort of behavior, especially in public and in a committed relationship.”
His words were slow, each carefully thought out as best he could do, and he watched Wally’s expression closely as he talked. Wally’s face seemed to pinch, but it was otherwise devoid of any emotion or hint as to his thoughts, so Hal couldn’t guess what was going through his mind.
A few beats of silence passed before Wally eventually said, “You think I’m cheating on Dick with Nightwing?”
“Not exactly. . .” Hal tried, but Oliver interrupted with—
“Yes. He hangs off you during meetings, and you two flirt with each other. I’m sorry, Wally, but it’s not a good look.”
Wally hid his mouth behind a closed fist, his shoulders slightly shaking until he devolved into a full-on belly laugh, hunching over at the waist as the laughter rippled through him. Hal frowned at him, glancing over at Oliver who simply looked confused as he watched Wally’s laughter break down. Hal had no idea how to react as Wally continued to laugh, but soon enough, Wally straightened up with a red face as he wiped tears from his eyes.
Still chuckling, Wally held up a finger and said, “Give me a moment. I’ll be right back.”
A crackle of silver lightning signaled his departure.
Hal stared at the empty spot Wally had left. “Well, that didn’t go as planned,” he said, mostly to the open air, but he saw Oliver nod in agreement from the corner of his eye.
A few minutes later, Wally reappeared, this time with Nightwing cradled in his arms, and Hal mentally cursed. Wally was still red faced and laughing as he told Hal, “Say that again,” while setting Nightwing down.
Nightwing, to his credit, looked at them in confusion and said, “I have no idea what’s going on. I was just about to start patrol.”
“You want to hear this, trust me,” Wally assured with a continued quiet chuckle, setting a hand on Nightwing’s upper arm. “Hal?”
Hal’s eyes flicked back and forth between Wally and Nightwing. “Now, I definitely don’t want to.”
Wally shook his head at him and turned to Nightwing. “Hal here, and apparently many in the Justice League, think I’m cheating on my fiancé with you.”
Instead of laughing, which Hal thought would happen after seeing Wally’s reaction, Nightwing’s lips pursed, and he said, “I told you this was becoming a problem, but you didn’t want to believe me when I said Hal hates me for some reason. And I said we should tell him before things got out of hand.”
“Yes, yes, you were right, I was wrong,” Wally said with exaggerated movements. “I have a feeling I’ll be saying that for many years to come. But would you please. . .” His hands moved in a waving gestured motion toward Nightwing.
Nightwing gave him a long look before taking off his domino mask, showcasing the bright blue eyes and sharp cheekbones underneath that belonged to none other than Dick fucking Grayson. Nightwing was Dick. Dick was Nightwing. Nightwing was always flirting with Wally. Dick was always flirting with Wally.
Hal’s jaw dropped. Nightwing and Wally’s incredibly loving fiancé were one and the same person.
“You have got to be shitting me,” Oliver blurted, the first to fill the silence. “Dick?”
“Hey, Uncle Ollie,” Dick said with a haphazard grin. “It’s always nice seeing you.”
“Is it?” Oliver asked, glaring at him.
Hal looked at him oddly. “Uh, Oliver, what? I’d think you’d just be happy Wally isn’t actually cheating on anyone.” He looked at Wally, eyes soft. “And I am so sorry for thinking otherwise.
Wally waved him off with a filler noise. “It’s fine. It was a weird situation. No hard feelings.”
“Yes, hard feelings!” Oliver cut in, finally standing from his seat and throwing his file of reports on the coffee table all while still glaring at Dick. Hal didn’t understand at all, but he supposed that wasn’t a new feeling. “Dick, what the hell?”
Dick wildly shrugged. “It wasn’t only my secret to tell!”
“I definitely missed something,” Hal muttered, eyes darting back and forth.
Apparently, Oliver heard him, so he snapped his head toward Hal while pointing at Dick and said, “What you missed is Bruce fucking Wayne is Batman! God damn it!” His anger shifted into desperation as he looked at Dick again. “What the hell?”
Hal was still confused. “I don’t understand how I’m supposed to get Bruce Wayne as Batman from Dick as Nightwing.”
Oliver couldn’t have looked more disappointed in him. “You don’t understand how a billionaire with a million kids and supreme dedication to Gotham could be the vigilante with billion-dollar tech and a million younger vigilantes and a supreme dedication to Gotham?”
“All right, you got me there,” Hal conceded. “Batman is Bruce Wayne, but that still doesn’t explain your reaction.”
“It’s because it means he slept with Batman,” Dick said with a sly grin.
“Wait, what?” Hal asked, eyes narrowing on Oliver.
“We don’t need to talk about that,” Oliver said. He pointed at Dick. “And you shouldn’t know about that at all.”
Dick’s eyebrows furrowed. “You think it’s not in his files on the Batcomputer? I’ve known ever since I was able to hack past him, so congratulations, you’re the butt of Bruce’s harem joke among all the Batkids. Dinah would be a part of the joke too if we didn’t respect her.”
With a blank stare, Oliver said, “Get out.”
“Welp, this has been a great talk,” Wally said, grinning from ear to ear as he clapped his hands together. “Hal, glad we got that cleared up. I’ll be in touch about what you’ll need to be our officiant, and we will see you two at the next Justice League meeting.” With that, he scooped up Dick into his arms and sped away, leaving Hal and Oliver alone in the penthouse.
“Do you think Barry would’ve handled that better?” Hal asked, filling the silence.
“I think Barry knew Dick’s secret identity.”
Hal sighed. “Of course he did.”