Warnings: kissing; secret relationship

Pairings: Wally West/Dick Grayson

Summary: Batman knows that Wally is avoiding him-and he has a feeling that Dick Grayson has something to do with the reason why.

Credits: This is a non-profit, fanmade work. All characters are owned by DC. This fanfiction was written and created by me.

A/N: Story takes place post-crisis, where Wally is Flash and he works with Batman on the Justice League.

It was a late night in the Hall of Justice. The lights in the building were shutting off one by one. Wally's eyes flickered up at the ceiling when the hallway suddenly went dark. After the briefing was over, Wally had immediately ducked out into an empty corridor. He swiped through his phone, trying to see if Jesse ever texted him back. Normally, he would just pop by with a visit, but Jesse could have been anywhere in the country working on business or doing vigilante work, and he needed some type of direction before he could pop in with new information on the bad guy they were chasing down.

He picked a private corridor. In his peripherals, he could see the distant, faint shape of Superman in foyer, waving goodbye to Wonder Woman before taking off. No one would bother Wally in this part of the building—still, he began to feel impatient. Almost nervous. He wished Jesse would just pick up her damn phone already so he could skedaddle.

Huffing to himself, he dialed the number. Each ring felt long, drawn out. His heart started to beat faster with anticipation—and he huffed when the call went to voicemail.

"Damn," he muttered, looking at the screen. He ended the call.

"You've been avoiding me."

Wally nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around in what had to have been a microsecond. He held his breath, eyes flickering in every direction of the hallway, and he nearly yelped when he caught something moving in the shadows. His stalker stepped into the dim light, and even the familiar points of the cowl did little to ease Wally's tension.

He had been afraid of this moment. During the entire meeting, Wally kept his head down, afraid to even make eye contact. Wally was terrible at hiding his feelings and secrets—he was convinced that all it'd take was one look and the man would know everything.

He considered making a run for it—but that would only cement the suspicions.

Besides. No one could run from Batman for long.

"Avoiding?" Wally said, playing dumb.

Bad choice. Batman's brow furrowed deeply. "Yes. Avoiding. The missions, the briefings—"

"I've been around—you just… haven't seen me."

Even the white lenses couldn't hide that icy glare.

"I would know if you were there," he said, stubborn, and Wally didn't argue. He worked with the man long enough to know that he wasn't bluffing. With a near growl to his voice, the dark knight said, "I'll give you a chance to explain yourself before I go into my theories why you've been hiding."

Wally hesitated. He couldn't lie, but he also didn't know how to tell the truth. With everything that had been going on in Batman's life, with how moody he had been, Wally was afraid of even mentioning the name that was on his mind.

"Look, it's just…" Wally trailed off, sighing. He gestured toward Batman, sweeping from head to toe. The vigilante just stared back at him with a hardened expression. "It's hard to explain but—it's been weird working with you—"

"Because of Nightwing," Batman finished for him. It wasn't a question.

Wally blinked in surprise. The accusation was right on the nose. Snapshot flashbacks—him and Dick, sneaking around. Stealing kisses in the shadows of rooftops when no one was supposed to see.

Wally's heartrate spiked. It wasn't too late to run. He just now noticed that during their conversation, Batman had gotten closer to him. Wally looked downwards, his eyes landing almost instinctively on the homing batarangs hanging off the yellow belt.

He had to lie.

"What?" he said, forcing a laugh. "No, that has nothing to do—"

"I'm not a fool. I can read the signs. I get it, Wally," Batman said, and it was weird hearing his name and not his pseudonym. Even though Wally's identity was public, the other man had insisted on identities always remaining secret. Voice low, almost quiet, he continued, "I've suspected for awhile."

"Are you mad?" Of course he was mad.

Naturally, the question was avoided.

"If we're going to work together as a team—we need to set that aside. We can't let our personal affairs get in the way of Justice League business. I can't stop how you feel—but you need to act professional. No more hiding."

"Right," Wally said. His shoulders relaxed. As usual, Batman was right—and Wally was glad that he could finally be open about his feelings.

Batman nodded a little, an indication of his approval on the outcome of this conversation. Then he suddenly reached his arms out, leather just barely grazing Wally's cheek before the speedster could react. Wally sidestepped quickly, both of his hands in the air.

"Whoa, whoa—what are you doing?" Wally said, his voice raising.

Batman stared—then he suddenly chortled, a crooked smile on his face.

"So that's the problem, isn't it?" he murmured.

"Dude, come on. What's going on with your face? Stop smiling—it's so creepy," Wally said. Another snicker, caped shoulders shaking. Wally felt a shudder go down his spine. "Seriously, stop."

"You're afraid of me."

"No. What? No, it's just—it's weird, okay? I'm not used to it," Wally said defensively, his words like rapid fire. That smile wouldn't go away—Wally could feel his stomach twisting in response to it. "Stop, it's not funny—just… just take off the cowl and it won't be weird."

The laughing stopped instantly. "Can't. Still in public."

Wally rolled his eyes. "We're in the Hall of Justice. There's no one here that doesn't already know your identity."

Batman paused, expression suddenly thoughtful.

"I'm still me," he said, words firm.

Wally felt his shoulders sink. There it was, the true root of the problem. Wally rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, feeling guilty.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for being immature. You're right."

"I'm not sure if I believe you."

There was something to his words. A challenge. Wally's head tilted up toward the ceiling. He sighed in exasperation.

"You're really going to make me do this," Wally said. He held his arms wide open. His fingers curled, gesturing for Batman to come closer. "Fine. I'll prove it. Come here."

It was one thing to say it and another for it to happen. Wally had to mentally talk himself into not squirming away when they faced each other. He miraculously didn't flinch when the gloved hands moved towards his face. As they leaned in close, Wally felt a sudden spark of revenge.

"Ohh, Batman," he whispered, their lips nearly touching.

Just as quick:

"Barry—"

"Nope," Wally said, pushing the other's face away. Red-gloved fingertips blocking the man's lips. "Nope, not cool, nope—"

Wally crossed his arms, beyond pissed off. He couldn't believe what he had almost done. His blush burned brighter at the laugh that filled the empty hall. He listened, feeling almost resentful.

It didn't matter what symbol he wore—Dick would always have the last laugh.