Note: Just wanted to mention that I don't know much about Mary and Rudolph West's personalities, so this is just my interpretation of them. Sorry for any OOCness ^^;

Beta-ed by the lovely MistressOfRobins; thanks for being such a help… in more ways than one :3

Ready – Part 3: "Maybe"

~x~

{Central City, The West-Allen Home

May 25, 07:16 EDT}

Dick woke to the sound of birdsong. As ironic as it may seem, hearing the robins heralding the rising of the sun each morning was his favorite wake up alarm. This was also one of the reasons why Dick loved sleeping in Wally's room; the trailing branches of a great oak tree near his house brushed up against the window pane, placing the inhabitants of the room in the perfect position to listen to their music. In the Wayne Manor, the walls were too thick to let in the sound, much to Dick's disappointment.

The boy sighed softly, letting himself slowly seep up into consciousness. He became aware of other things; such as the lavender scent of Iris's detergent which wafted up from the bed sheets, or the warmth that radiated out from Wally's arms which were currently encircling him from behind. Careful not to disturb his still-sleeping boyfriend, Dick took Wally's hand in his own, brushing the pads of his fingers over the freckled, slightly calloused skin. When one's boyfriend was a member of the Flash family, it was rare that one gets a chance to see him perfectly still. Even now, in his sleep, Wally's body buzzed faintly. It was a comforting feeling against Dick's back.

Giving in to some strange impulse, Dick lifted Wally's hand to his face and brushed his lips lightly over the speedster's fingers. Of course, Wally chose that exact moment to wake up, to Dick's red-faced embarrassment. The Boy Wonder set his Bat-taught skills to good use and stubbornly pretended to be asleep, but he knew he wasn't fooling Wally. Even though his back was to the speedster, he could practically see Wally smiling. His gaze tickled the back of Dick's neck, and it took everything in his power not to turn around and look into those green eyes. However, when Wally pressed his wind-chapped lips to Dick's bare shoulder in a sleepy, chaste kiss, it made Dick's heart sing like the birds outside his window.

"Morning, Walls," he greeted, sliding with ease out of the loose grip his boyfriend had around his torso. He started to disentangle himself from the covers, using his feet to push them off.

Wally grumbled, closing his eyes tightly. "G' back to sleep, Dick, it's still the middle o' the night," he slurred in a sleep-laced voice. Dick smirked mischievously, the last traces of sleep already slipping off of him.

"Nope, it's past seven o'clock, wake up," he replied cheerfully without even consulting his watch, pushing the rest of the covers off of his body and sitting up cross-legged on the bed. Wally made grabbing motions for the retreating quilt and yanked it over his own head.

"S'not my fault you wanted to stay up till three in the morning playing Black Ops. Not everyone's an early birdie like you," came Wally's muffled voice, though it was already considerably more lucid than before. Dick just cackled lightly, and poked what he supposed was Wally's stomach through the covers.

"No. I'm sleepin'." Wally rolled around until he was firmly cocooned in the bed sheets, only a few strands of red hair to be seen. (His bare feet stuck out the bottom though because he was outgrowing his bed.) Dick rolled his eyes. Apparently, it was time for drastic getting-Wally-out-of-bed-measures. Too bad, but he had it coming.

Dick clambered on top of the older boy, straddling his shapeless form. With determined ruthlessness, Dick assaulted Wally's bare feet, pinning the speedster to the bed with his knees. He'd found out Wally was incredibly ticklish within the first few months of their friendship, and it was Dick's favored piece of blackmail. Or, in this case, one of his favored getting-Wally-out-of-bed-measures.

Meanwhile, Wally was squealing like a pig being slaughtered, and writhing so hard in his restrictive covers that Dick was having a hard time keeping from breaking down in laughter. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before Wally's next twist brought the two of them tumbling off the edge of the bed. Dick hit the floor hard with a surprised grunt, breaking his fall with a practiced roll. Wally was not so lucky, for the fact that he was still cocooned in the blankets and therefore had no room for movement. He fought his way out of the quilt, and when he was free he glared at Dick with his best impersonation of the Bat-glare.

"Dude!" Robin was, for once, caught off guard as Wally flew at him with that indignant shout, and pinned him to the floor, his vibrating fingers running up and down Dick's sides in revenge. They both were laughing hysterically within a few minutes, and wrestling each other by the foot of the bed. Only Dick noticed the door to Wally's room opening as Barry walked in, but he was giggling too hard to say anything.

"Whoa there tigers, keep your pants on," Barry chuckled, eyeing the teenagers with a raised eyebrow. The two looked at each other, taking in the fact that Wally was currently straddling a shirtless Dick (his shirt had come off during all the tickling) in nothing more than his Flash boxers, both of them with flushed cheeks and panting loudly with exertion… and they both blushed furiously.

Wally crawled off of his boyfriend to assume a more platonic position. "It's not what it looks like," he mumbled, glaring at Barry pointedly, while Dick tried (and failed) to hide an embarrassed grin. The older speedster just laughed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Actually, Wally, could I talk to you a minute?" Barry requested after a moment, tapping his fingers lightly against the doorframe. The redhead looked up, surprised, wondering what his uncle wanted to talk about. Alone, without Dick, as he seemed to imply. A shiver of apprehension fluttered down his spine, and Wally's hyperactive brain started jumping to conclusions. What if Barry didn't actually approve of their relationship? He had sounded perfectly fine with it last night, but what if he'd come to a different decision now that he'd thought about it some more? What if he was going to askWallytoenditwithDick? Whatif—

"Wally? Go on down; I was planning on taking a shower anyway," Dick interjected with a soft smile, giving the small of Wally's back a slight push. Obviously Barry wanted to talk to his nephew alone, and Dick knew intuitively when to get out of the way. Besides, he was sure Barry had some things to say after last night's revelations, he added, smirking to himself.

Wally followed his uncle obediently down the stairs, and then flopped down on the couch, trying to act nonchalant and not quite achieving it. Barry joined him a heartbeat later, and sent Wally a bright smile.

"Well kiddo, let me start by saying that I'm very happy for you – you and Dick – for finally taking your friendship to the next level. Believe me, Iris, Bruce and I have been waiting for ages for this to happen," Barry winked, then patted Wally's shoulder. "And I'm also so proud that you decided to trust us with your relationship; I know it must have been a hard decision. What I don't get is why you're looking so nervous now, because you know that I wholeheartedly support you, as does your aunt," the blond grinned.

"You… do? I mean, well—thanks, Uncle Barry," Wally stuttered, looking down into his lap and biting his lip to stop the grin from spilling all over his face.

"'Course I do. I know you care a lot about each other, always have, and he's as close as family to me. However—" here Barry drew out the last word, and Wally's first cringing thought was; uh oh. Here comes the catch. "However, there's just one thing I'd just like to… briefly address." Wally turned to glance expectantly at his uncle, who strangely enough was looking slightly embarrassed. Odd. Upstairs, they heard the sound of the shower being turned on.

"Well, ah… I think now is the time to have this conversation with you, because I know you and Dick…" Barry grinned sheepishly, and Wally started to get a sinking feeling in his stomach. This couldn't possibly be what he thought it was going to be. No way. "Wally, I don't want this to be awkward for you, but there are some things you should know… and some things I can't leave for Iris to tell you. You're a speedster, as am I, and I know firsthand some of the problems you'll encounter… later on." Oh God. It was what he thought it was. Wally hid his face in his hands to hide his reddening cheeks.

"I know you, Wally; you want what's best for Dick. I know you would never pressure him into anything he's not ready for, because you're considerate like that. But… it's hard sometimes, to hold yourself back I mean." Wally buried his face further into the darkness between his hands, but Barry continued without a pause. "We both know what it's like, being us… sometimes things just go so slow, and it's hard to remember the normal human pace of things. Sometimes, when you're caught in the moment, it'll be hard to…to tell yourself to stop before you go do something you'll both regret. And Wally, don't forget the fact that you're almost seventeen, and a hormonal teenager. You—"

"Uncle Barry!" Wally cut in, feeling rather scandalized. "You know I would never, I mean, I—" he groaned and rubbed his temple.

"I know, Kid. But it's just something to keep in mind, okay?" Barry patted Wally's shoulder again, his touch steady and comforting. "And… if there's anything at all you want to talk about, remember I'm –we're— always here for you," he added sincerely after a moment's hesitation, gesturing towards the kitchen where Iris had just entered. Wally felt that treacherous lump getting stuck in his throat again, just like he'd felt last night before the confession. When he wondered what he had ever done to deserve such an understanding aunt and uncle like this. The redhead didn't trust his voice to say anything, but he hoped the unsaid 'thank you' could be read in his glistening eyes which he turned to his uncle's.

"Well then," started Barry briskly, and Wally knew the dreaded conversation was over and done with, hopefully not to be repeated for a good many long years forth. "It's 'bout time for me to head out for work, so don't get into too much trouble. And make sure Dick's back at The Manor by this evening of Bruce'll have my head," the blond speedster called, turning into a blur as he packed his bag, shrugged on his coat, kissed Iris on the cheek, and shot out the door in a matter of minutes.

Wally drifted towards the kitchen bar, then plopped down heavily on the stool and watched his aunt with vague eyes as she bustled around, packing her purse. Iris glanced at him several times out of the corner of her eyes, but he sat still for a full minute, apparently lost in thought. She made a mental note to ask Barry later what exactly he'd said to the poor kid, though she had a fairly good idea already. Sighing, Iris leaned across the counter in front of him, and tapped Wally's nose to get his attention.

"You're not having breakfast?" she asked in disbelief, once his green eyes had focused on hers again. Wally laughed lightly, propping his chin on interlocked fingers.

"Of course I am; I'm starving," the redhead replied, poking his abdomen. "But I'm just waiting for Dick to come down," he continued, smirking at Iris's surprised expression. I'll always wait for Dick, he added silently to himself.

"Wow," his aunt grinned, flashing picture-perfect white teeth. "You are putting off food to wait for your boyfriend. Man, I can count on just one hand the number of times Barry has done that for me," she laughed good-naturedly. "Dick better appreciate it, is all I'm saying."

Wally suddenly felt two supple arms wrapping around his neck, and the scent of cinnamon shampoo flooded over him in a delicious wave.

"Oh, believe me Mrs. West, I do appreciate it," came the said boyfriend's voice in Wally's ear, the ebony's damp hair tickling his neck as he rested his chin on Wally's shoulder. Wally reached up a hand and threaded his fingers with Dick's, then turned his face to meet the soft lips over his shoulder. Natural. Perfect.

Of course, the telltale click of a camera broke the moment, and Wally jerked away to glare at his aunt. She was in the process of tucking away a tiny pocket-camera into her purse, and had put on a dreamily innocent expression.

"Aunt I…" Wally whined, pulling Dick around to sit in his lap, all the while making a half-hearted grab for Iris's purse. The reporter only let out a fond laugh, slinging it over her shoulder and out of reach.

"I will show this to your children, boys. And your children's children." She patted the purse on her hip, ignoring Wally's reddening cheeks and the impossibility of her statement. "You'll thank me one day," she said with an almost girlish giggle, and then slid out the door with a wave and a blown kiss, the sappy scene in the kitchen forever recorded and prized in her purse.

"…I'm starting to really regret telling them about us," Wally said after a long silent moment, staring blankly at the door. Dick laughed, filling up two bowls of cereal for them both.

"No, you don't." He pushed a bowl over towards Wally, leaning over the counter. "You know you don't. You love the attention." Wally stuck a spoon full of cereal into Dick's mouth to shut him up, mainly because he knew what Dick said was true, and he didn't want to admit it. Even if it meant getting The Talk from Barry, and having Iris fangirling over them at every opportunity, it warmed his heart to know that they cared. That he didn't have to hide such an important part of himself from them any longer. That they accepted and supported him, and wished him and Dick only the best.

"So… what do you want to do today?" asked Wally a few minutes later, licking his spoon. "You said, er, to Bruce…" he trailed off, remembering Dick's conversation with the Dark Knight a day ago when he'd convinced him to stay at Wally's for a sleepover. "With my parents, I mean…" Wally's gaze focused suddenly on Dick, taking in the V-neck tee shirt, the white scarf, the eyeliner, and the shorts. Short shorts. Girl shorts. Girl clothes... Wally frowned. "You little manipulative— I don't have a choice, do I?" he answered his own question, resigned.

Dick stared at him, dark blue eyes intense. "No, Walls, I mean… yeah, that was kind of the idea, but if you really don't want to we don't have to go. You had agreed that we'd tell them eventually, so I just thought we could… get it over with? First your aunt and uncle, then your—You know what, it's fine. Let's not do it," he hastily finished, seeing Wally's rather panicked expression. But that was because Wally had just realized that they'd come up with this whole damn plot with the intention of fooling his aunt and uncle, but he'd ended up spilling everything instead. Who was to say something similar wouldn't happen again with his parents? Wally gulped, but when he saw that all too familiar sliver of hurt flickering under Dick's gaze, he set his jaw in determination. He was being a chicken, and they both knew it. He wanted Dick to meet his parents, even if it wasn't really him they'd be seeing. He wanted, in some twisted way, to have their blessings. Well, maybe not blessings, but at least their permission. Because this thing with Dick? This was the real thing. And he wanted to treat it as much like the real thing that he could, considering the circumstances.

"No. We're going. Come on," Wally clipped before his intention could waver, grabbing a surprised Dick's arm and practically dragging him towards the door. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

{Keystone City, The West Home

May 25, 08:16 EDT}

Wally hadn't been home in several days, which didn't really give him any bonus points from his parent's point of view; his dad was usually extra irritable when Wally hadn't been home in a while. Well, there wasn't anything he could do about that now, so he'd just have to wing it. No backing down now.

He tightened his grip on Dick's slender fingers clasped in his, and raised his other hand to knock on the door. Whereas in Barry and Iris's house he wouldn't think twice about crashing through the house without bothering to announce his presence, here he felt compelled to at least knock beforehand. Fidgeting impatiently, Wally led the way inside, and waited for someone to come. He half hoped that his parents wouldn't be home, so he could get out of this easily, but deep down he knew he'd rather get this over with sooner rather than later.

"Hello? Oh—Wally…" Mary West's surprised voice, touched by a light Southern accent, came to them from the end of the hallway. Her eyes passed briefly over 'Rachel', flickered to Wally, and then fixed on a spot on the wall somewhere between them. "Come in, come in… I'm just making lunch…" she pointed out, waving a hand towards the kitchen as if to explain the scent of baking bread, then half-retreating back to it.

"Hey Mom," greeted Wally wearily, squeezing Dick's hand once for good measure. "Is uh… is Dad here?" Mary nodded and pointed to the living room, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and disappeared, (rather rudely, Dick thought.)

The two teens made their way into the living room, where the flickering screen of the TV was the only source of light. On an impulse, Wally turned on the light switch, bathing the room in a slightly more friendly atmosphere. His gaze shifted uneasily over the scene, and he was relieved to see only one bottle of beer standing on the coffee table instead of a dozen, as was sometimes the case. There was a moment of awkward silence, where Rudolf West pointedly ignored Wally's presence and his attention stayed fixated on the screen, while Wally shifted from one foot to the other.

"Dad…?" Rudy tore his eyes reluctantly from the TV, glancing uninterestedly at them both.

"Ah… Wally. How nice of you to show up." The redhead gulped, wishing it hadn't been six days since he'd last stepped in this house. Who could blame him though? He had a perfectly usable room at his aunt's and uncle's place, another one at the Mountain, and plus Dick had a giant queen-sized bed, big enough to fit them both comfortably. Rudy raised a bushy eyebrow, as if asking Wally to continue. The redhead stayed rather tongue-tied, however, under his father's bored and irritated gaze.

"Good morning, Mr. West," greeted Dick instead, holding out a polite hand as he had been taught to do. No French 'bisou'-ing on the cheeks this time, like he'd done with Iris and Barry. Rudy eyed the hand for a moment, but surprised both of them by actually responding in kind. With this note of confidence, Wally regained use of his vocal chords.

"Yeah um, sorry. Work and stuff, got in the way, you know…" He coughed. Though his parents knew about the whole 'hero gig', he'd been forbidden to speak of it in his house. They found it unacceptable, and ridiculous, so Wally was careful never to mention anything about his other life in their presence. "Dad, this is Rachel. She's my girlfriend…." Wally looked up to see that Mary had melted into a shadow by the door, listening in. Rudy just sighed through his nose, training a level stare at Wally and completely ignoring Dick's presence.

"So?"

"So?" Wally repeated, feeling the familiar frustration bubbling up under his skin, and trying hard not to let it show. "So, we've been going out for over a month, going steady, and I wanted you to meet hi-her. Besides, you never ask me anything about my life, don't you want to know some things?" He bit his tongue, afraid he was pushing it too far, but Rudy just snorted.

"Well, congratulations." The bitter sarcasm in his voice surprised Wally, and it took him a while to find a response, even with his high-speed brain.

"Excuse me?" Well, not much of a response at that.

"Look, son, do you honestly expect me to care? You know as well as I do that she's just another one in a long line. By the time I even learn her name, you'll have another girl or two hanging from your arm. Believe it or not, I was your age once, and I know what it's like. Maybe one day you'll grow out of it, but right now there is no such thing as 'going steady'."

Wally stared long and hard, feeling Dick tense up at his side. Rudy turned back to the television screen, apparently finding the conversation to be over.

"…Are you calling me a slut?" snarled Wally, his voice dropping dangerously low.

Rudy's eyes bored into his, the answer to that question obvious from his expression, and Wally clenched and unclenched his jaw, struggling with a reply. His father's calculating eyes turned to Dick, who was standing stiff as a board. "Maybe your little girlfriend is unaware of that fact? Well, sorry to break it to you, honey." His voice held no sympathy in it, and it made Wally's blood boil. He took an imperceptible breath; he'd dealt with this for years, he could deal with it now. Just ignore him.

"Though it wouldn't surprise me if you're just as bad as he is," Rudy added, judgmental eyes raking up and down Dick's rather skimpily-clad form in a way which made Wally feel nauseous. He stepped forward, instinctively, to stand between his father and his boyfriend. Dick made a small sound of warning beside him, but Wally was not about to let this go.

"Take that back," he ordered, glaring heatedly at his father. "Take that back, right now. You're wrong. I'm not a… not a slut or whatever you think I am. And Di-Rachel sure as hell is not," he said, his voice harsh. Under other circumstances, he would never speak to his father like this. He knew it wasn't worth it. But with Dick by his side, boosting his self-confidence just by standing there silently, he turned reckless.

Rudy's mustache twitched, and he stood up to tower over his son. Wally wondered vaguely if he'd made a mistake… but he stood his ground. Rudy sent a nasty look over at Dick, as if he was well aware of Wally's last self-assuring thoughts.

"Since when are you allowed to speak to your father like that?"

"Since you start insulting my girlfriend!" snapped Wally right back. Rudy growled threateningly, an animalistic sound. Dick reached for the redhead's wrist, trying to tell him to step down, but Wally wasn't having any of that. He wrenched his hand free.

"Your girlfriend," Rudy repeated sardonically. "What, you think you're in love?" he sneered, spitting out the words like they were a bad taste in his mouth. Wally chanced a glance towards his mother, who was still standing silently in the corner by the door. He couldn't read her expression. "The only good that can come out of you having some female company is that you won't be hanging around with that circus freak as much," continued Rudy with a careless wave of his hand.

And that was the last straw.

"Will you just shut the fuck up!?" Wally exclaimed, slamming clenched fists down hard on the counter top. "I've had to deal with your insults my entire fucking life, and I've never once complained. I've sat here quietly and listened to you ruining my dreams, and throwing away everything that was dear to me, and bashing my aunt and uncle and my friends just because they actually care about me. But, for God's sake, I'm not dealing with you insulting Dick any longer. I don't give a shit if you think he's a stereotypical gypsy or a circus freak or a charity case or whatever, because he's my fucking best friend and my boyfriend, and I'll be damned if anything you say changes that."

There was a moment of complete silence after Wally's outburst, where all he could hear was the blood pounding in his head and his own rather ragged breaths. The redhead felt oddly detached from the scene. He watched with a sort of wry amusement as first shock, and then horror crossed his father's face, his eyes widening and mouth dropping open comically as he registered Wally's words. Boyfriend. For once, Rudy seemed to have nothing to say. Wally's mother made some sort of upset gasping sound from the corner, and when he glanced at her he noticed her eyes fixed on Dick's face.

Speaking of Dick… Wally half turned, slightly fearful, only to find that Dick was staring right back at him with a surprising intensity, blue eyes brimming with an emotion Wally couldn't quite place. Pride, maybe. And mixed with a burning anger, but one which wasn't directed at Wally. He held his gaze for a long moment.

Rudy stirred then, as if surfacing from some dazed state of mind, and Wally flinched visibly from the disgust easily readable in his father's eyes. Wally met his mother's eyes, futilely searching for some support, but her troubled gaze slid away from his to fix on the floor.

"You," Rudy spat, glaring at Dick. "I should have known, should have known you would taint him." Dick crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow in silent challenge. Wally marveled at how his boyfriend could keep his cool in a situation like this. "Just… just get out, both of you…" Rudy snarled, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, as if he very much wanted to hit something.

"Gladly," cut in Dick smoothly, stepping forward, and Wally felt an unfounded sense of relief wash over him to see Dick taking control. "We'll gladly leave. And don't for a moment think that your son will ever set foot in this house again, Mr. West." It was kind of ironic how, even now, Dick still kept up the formalities by calling Rudolph by his surname.

Without waiting for either of them to reply, Dick's slender fingers gripped Wally's wrist securely, and whisked him out of the room, not pausing until the front door had slammed shut behind them, a sound of finality. Wally, suddenly feeling weak in the knees, collapsed against the white railing which led down the stairs from his house, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Wally…" Dick touched the redhead's cheek softly with his fingertips, but he didn't look up, and presently Dick's hand fell away from his face. There was a moment of contemplative silence, where Wally tried to keep his raging emotions under the surface, and while Dick watched him with a heavy expression. The Boy Wonder knew when to press things, and when to leave Wally alone. And right now, he knew he had to let Wally get a hold of his feelings by himself.

It only took another minute before Wally heaved a deep sigh, rubbed at his eyes roughly with his knuckles, and then looked up to meet Dick's eyes. Dick reached forward and tenderly brushed away the tears that Wally steadfastly refused to let fall.

"Wally. I'm not ever letting you go back there," he said quietly, trailing his fingers over Wally's lips, pressing back the protest he knew would come. "I know you love them, even after all they've done to you. But you know they won't ever change. They won't ever accept you," Dick continued. He could feel anger start to build up in him again, but he pushed it away. Now was not the time to be angry.

"But… I can't… they're my parents," Wally whispered, his voice catching on the last word.

"They don't deserve you, Wally, and they never will."

Wally blinked, staring up at his boyfriend, registering Dick's resolute tone. And maybe, Wally started to wonder, just maybe Dick was right. What kind of parents refused to love their own son just because they couldn't accept that he was different from them? What kind of parents went out of their way to make his life harder than it already was? All those things he had said, when he'd yelled at his father, he'd refused to let himself think them up until now. He'd told himself that they were his parents, they just wanted what was best for him, maybe they just didn't understand. He'd loved them for sixteen whole years, and had tricked himself into believing that deep down they loved him too. But after what had happened today…

He nodded then, mutely, a defeated look darkening his green eyes. Dick sent him a small, encouraging smile, and Wally tried to smile back, though it wasn't more than a weak twitch of his lips. The ebony twined his fingers with Wally's and pulled him gently away from the railing, down the stairs, and to the sidewalk where the familiar black and red R-Cycle gleamed.

Driving back to his aunt and uncle's house – his home, he corrected himself– with his arms wrapped tightly around Dick's comforting form while letting the steady vibrations of the motorcycle sooth his mind, Wally finally let the hot tears which had threatened for so long run down his cheeks, unashamed.

~x~

Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Please leave a review. (And vote on my poll too…) One more chapter to go—Wally's school friends and The Team ;D