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“You must stay discrete, decide among yourselves who will go undercover into the event, and who will keep watch from the outside. Remember those who will go undercover will need to be in pairs.” Hawkgirl finished the explanation of the kids’ first undercover mission.
“Conner and I can go together!” M'gann gushed, excited to go to an Earth gala, to a gala at all.
“I’m fine with that.” Conner sighed, as he allowed M’gann to cling to his arm in her excitement.
Roy threw his arms up, “I'm absolutely not going in, I'll be on the outside keeping an eye on things there and being back up.”
“I believe an equal balance between those going and those staying back as backup is wise, I will also stay back.” Kaldur stated.
Nightwing spoke up. “̴̫͑Î̵̮ ̴̲͌ċ̵̹ä̸̜́ň̴̮ ̴̖̕g̶͈̈́o̷͕͠ ̷̡͐ṵ̸̈́n̷̹̓d̶̪̀é̵͓ṟ̷͌c̷̼͝o̴̗̓v̸̻̽ĕ̸͕r̷͎͝.̶̯͆ ̶̖̑Ẇ̵̳o̸̱͊ũ̵̟l̵̫̓d̴̠̒ ̸͙̐ỵ̶̊ǫ̷͑u̸͚̔ ̵̠̇j̴̬͗ò̸͕ỉ̵̳n̸̖̔ ̸͉̈m̶̘͛e̴͙̔,̷̬̈ ̵̼̅W̶̤̓a̴̭͒l̴̮͒l̶̛̲y̸̖̾?̴̣̀”̶̭̈ As they addressed the speedster they extended a clawed hand and contorted their body into an approximation of a bow. It was wrong with the wings flaring, their head twisting to keep eye contact with the redhead, and the way their legs twisted and bent made the bow more of a strange inhuman mix between a curtsy and a gentleman’s bow.
“I would be delighted to!” Wally was the best at understanding the avian’s voice and was the first to respond.
“I’m not sure.” Donna said doubtfully “It’s a human masquerade, there are certain social norms you need to know and adhere to. Plus there's the issue of…” She trailed off and gestured to their wings.
“̸̱̀T̶͖̈́ḥ̵̏ę̵͌y̷̧̏ ̵̞͝w̶̻͑i̶̗͝ļ̸́l̴̬̍ ̸͚̅b̸̥́e̸̛̦ ̵̻̐d̸͚͗e̸̥͊a̴̗͂l̷͙͆t̶̺̎ ̷̫́ẅ̴͔́ì̷͓ṫ̸̟h̷̬͊,̶̝̋”̷͍̉ Nightwing waved her off, “̷̲̂T̶̢̓h̸̤́į̵̛s̸̼̆ ̷̧̎ī̵̹s̵͇̕n̵͈͂'̸͙̈́t̷̺̒ ̷͔̌m̸̞̓ỹ̴̹ ̸̫̀f̷̰̋i̵̩̇ṝ̶s̶̨̿t̴͓̽ ̵̺̌f̸̢̆ő̵̱r̸͈̈́m̵͙̏á̸̝ĺ̶͎ ̸͈̎é̶̤v̶̳͠e̵͍͛n̷̲͂t̸̪͆ ̶̽͜f̸͖̊o̶̪̒r̴͚͑ ̷͕̈â̶͉ṉ̸̎o̸̗̒t̷̫̀h̵͓̑e̴̘̎ṙ̶͍ ̸̡͆k̷͈̑i̴̝̕n̴̮̋d̷̳͗.̷̛̬ ̶͉̑I̸̛̺ ̵̞̈́c̶̜̑ḁ̴̐n̷̙̊ ̸̗̏ĥ̸̗ȏ̸̡l̴̞̎ď̵̰ ̸͈̒m̴̭̕y̶͖̕ ̶̣͊o̸̗͛w̸̚͜n̷͚̈ ̷͈͘d̴̫͒e̴̪̎c̵̛̼ô̶̟r̶̜͗ù̵͖m̵̳͠,̶̱̍ ̸͍͐c̵̖̉a̸̯̽n̶͙͂ ̸͈̓y̵̮̓o̴̺͂u̶͍͗?̴̒͜”̵̖̈ They challenged, pulling their wings in and coiling down ready to attack.
“Now, now. Let’s not attack friends ‘Wing.” Wally soothes, pulling Nightwing back. At Wally’s touch Nightwing almost goes limp, only supporting their own weight because Wally would not be able to support the avian, which Wally is thankful for.
“Let’s compromise. Nightwing can get ready for the event, if the majority believe it good enough to go undercover then they can go, if the majority says it's not good enough Donna will go in their place.” Kaldur suggested. Everyone agreed.
---
Nightwing wasn’t seen for the rest of the week. They arrived minutes before the team decided Donna would take their place.
They stepped out of the Zetas. The feathers around their eyes and ears were decorated with glitter and had what looked to be real black pearls at the base of the feathers; the whiteout lenses were taken out showing their striking dark blue eyes. The dress was almost ethereal: the top started as the same deep blue of their eyes, and transitioned through a long smooth gradient down to a silky black at the floor. The elbow length gloves covering their claws were colored to match the gradient for where they rested compared to the dress.
The bodice was an asymmetrical off the shoulder sleeve, with beautiful feathers strikingly similar to Nightwing’s natural feathers embroidered across the waist and tapered into the smooth princess style skirt broken up only by silk embroidered feathers, sapphires ranging in sizes from a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter, and what looked to be a crystal similar to black quartz.
Their wings were arranged to resemble a feathered cape that split halfway down. These feathers were also covered in a fine invisible glitter that shimmered as they moved. They looked to be attached to the dress instead of the avian’s skin.
Nightwing’s hair had several extensions made up into a few braids of varying thicknesses, curling around and through each other and ending in a complex but ethereal updo. Threaded through each braid were silver strings that held several gems similar in size range and composition to those on their skirt. The main focus of the hair was at the back of the crown of their head; the jeweled hair sticks were similar to the embroidered feathers and strikingly similar to the avian’s actual wings. From along the bottom of the stick’s wings dangled several precious looking jewels either blue, black, or clear in color, each jewel diffusing the light causing all the other jewels to shimmer among Nightwing’s pitch black hair creating a near indescribable effect.
“Wally?” Nightwing asked, their voice deeper and smoother than anyone would have imagined.
At his name being called by what he could only describe as a god’s voice, Wally whimpered and Conner had to catch the speedster before the redhead could fall to his knees. “I uh.” The redhead cleared his throat and pushed off from Conner, now standing on his own. “I suddenly feel underdressed.” Wally was in a simple black tuxedo without a tie or mask as Nightwing had texted earlier in the week telling him they’d provide said items.
“Handsome, like it.” Nightwing breathed, walking towards the speedster handing the shorter the promised tie and mask. The tie was a deep blue like the avian’s eyes, and the mask was a near perfect match for the other’s if a little thicker.
“What’s with your voice? Usually it's more difficult, why don’t you talk like this more?” Donna asked, getting over her surprise first.
“̸̙͂S̶͕͒e̸̦͝ĉ̶ͅo̴͇̾ń̷͈d̴͕̄a̴̟͆r̴͉͂y̶̹̓ ̴̲́v̸̭͘ó̷̗c̵̲͝à̵̳l̴͇̾ ̷͖̂c̸̣̚ó̴̲r̵̺̍d̴̯͝s̵̲̆,̶̗̐ ̸̢͊t̵͍͋ä̵̰́k̷̉ͅḛ̸̚s̷̟͘ ̶̳̈́m̴̗͗ȏ̵̜ř̸̝e̴̠̓ ̵̱̄t̵̛̺r̷̢͠a̶̱͂í̸͕n̵͇̓i̵̡̅n̷͔̒g̸͛ͅ ̸͙̊a̶̹͝ṋ̴̔ḍ̴̽ ̸͕̋ȇ̴̮f̶̘̍f̸̧̈́o̴̩̓r̸̭̂t̷̠͛ ̶͉͐t̴̠̿o̴̖̐ ̵͖̾s̸̨̈́p̷̩̏e̸͔͝a̵̛͉k̴̺͋ ̸̬̔ẘ̸̞i̴̙͆ṯ̴͊h̴̫̄ ̴̖͌t̸̙̿h̴̲͝ẻ̶͇m̸̫̾ ̵̳͊f̶͙̔o̸̻̓r̶͝ͅ ̶͈͘l̷͔̄ó̷̰n̸̬̾ǵ̵̜ ̶͇͊p̶̛̭ẽ̴͈ř̵̡į̵͊o̶̬͠d̴̜̀s̴͊͜.̸͎͆”̴̱̌ Nightwing explained calmly. “Though I can speak for short bursts. l̴͔̅o̵̤͆ǹ̶͙g̶͔̀ ̴̟͝e̵͎̾n̴̟̄ọ̵̓ǔ̸̳ġ̵̪h̴̲̍ ̶̩̆f̵̱̋o̵̭̅r̵̙̈́ ̶͉̿m̷̮̈́e̶̲͘a̸͎̐n̸̘̅i̵͍̾ṇ̶̊g̵̫͝l̶͚̃ẽ̷͖s̶̱̐s̸̱̐ ̷̖͝g̶̮̓r̴̰̀ę̶͒e̵̲̿t̷͈͛ī̷̩n̶̞̆g̵̘̑ś̸̫.̸̺̐”̷̻̉
“I think Nightwing can blend in well enough to attend!” M’gann said, giggling she continued, “And I think Wally agrees.”
Wally startled. “What?” After a second to process what was said, he found that he agreed.
“If Wally can focus on the mission and not Nightwing's ass.” Donna snickered.
“Hey!” Nightwing yelped. “I have a wonderful ass thank you very much!” They put one arm around Wally’s waist and the other on their hip as they spoke, playfully glaring at the others in the room.
---
‘Wait,’ Donna sent over the mind link
‘ What, what happened? ’ Conner snapped over the link. ‘ We are already inside. ’
‘ Can Nightwing dance? ’ The couples froze as the question was posed.
Nightwing became mentally smug, even as they performed the needed meaningless greetings to the people around the spot they and Wally had settled. ‘ I can. Wally? ’ The avian performed a more human bow, still mixing together a curtsy and a gentleman’s bow, and extended their hand to him. "May I?"
“Alright.” Wally took their hand, nervous. He had never been very good at dancing. Even through the gloves, Wally could feel the beans, they calmed him. As the next song started Nightwing set their forearms side by side, lightly interlocking the pair’s fingers. They took a step forward and Nightwing began flowing like water through a small stream. The gems and glitter in their dress catching the lights of the ballroom, comparing the avian to a meteor shower reflected upon a still lake would be a disservice to the beautiful creature in front of him.
As Nightwing twirled around him, Wally was enraptured. He could feel M’gann and the others making a ruckus in the back of his mind but he couldn't tear his focus from the god who had blessed him with their ethereal beauty. Compared to the Aphrodite of myth she would lose the contest of beauty, had he not known better he would believe Nightwing was the adored child of the goddess.
“Hey, Conner and M’gann got what we came for, we should wrap this up.” Nightwing whispered into Wally’s ear.
With weak knees Wally followed Nightwing’s lead as they expertly dragged the speedster out of the masquerade. He continued to be in a daze as he rode back to titans tower in the bioship unheeding of everyone's attempts to bring him back to the present.
---
When Wally came to, he was laying on the couch of the common room, Conner was watching a movie on the TV, and Kaldur was reading a book.
“Welcome back.” Conner deadpanned, hearing the speedster’s breath hitch.
“Wally, are you alright?” Kaldur asked, setting their book to the side.
“I’m fucked aren't I?” Wally whined hysterically, sitting up.
“Obviously. How is this news?” Conner asked, handing the redhead a sandwich.
“You have been very obviously whipped for Nightwing for a long while, my friend.” Kaldur agrees, patting Wally’s shoulder.
“Does loving Nightwing make you a monster fucker?” Conner asked offhandedly
Wally gasped, “Fuck.” He set his head in his hands as he continued speaking. “Maybe? They are sentient, sapient, not human looking, and were not raised in human culture. So probably?”
“Will you tell them?” M’gann questioned bringing a plate of snickerdoodle cookies from the kitchen.
“Maybe? Probably not? I don’t know?” Wally stumbled. “I mean they are so…” Wally trailed off unsure of how to continue the sentence.
“You are unsure if they would reciprocate your adoration?” Kaldur tried to help.
“Yes, no. Kind of?” Wally took a deep breath before he explained. “So we all know there are different ways to love, the different love languages and that they can present in a variety of ways, yeah?” he waited for the others to nod before continuing, “Something Barry and I don't really advertise is how that presents in us as speedsters.”
Ignoring the questioning noises coming from the three listening Wally clarified “When we got our speed we also got innate wanderlust. We have a deep instinctual craving to run and explore and visit different parts of the world. Barry and I don't do that for different reasons, he is settled with aunt Iris so while he does still want to visit distant lands he has a home, a person, to steadily return to. For us speedsters we love very intensely, we are also very selective on who we invest,” Wally searched for the word, not finding it quickly, “For lack of a better term, who we invest emotion into. Not a lot of people can handle continuing to be friends, lovers, having a relationship with someone who disappears on a dime for weeks to months on end, and because of that we have to be so, so careful. If we aren't careful and end up caring for someone who can’t or never did in the first place it hurts , once we care it's very nearly impossible to get us to stop.”
Wally wrapped his arms around his torso, “I think Nightwing and the rest of their flock love in the same way. But they’ve been so, I don’t know, almost scared to care? And I don’t want to push and make them uncomfortable, make them pull away, cause like it or not I’ve already started to care.” He started rubbing his chest just over his heart. “I hate the feeling of stopping myself from sinking into being able to care but falling in and being rejected would hurt so much worse. It’s a hellish limbo that I can't escape. Not on my own, and the only one who can help probably doesn't even know.”
M’gann draped herself over Wally's back from where she had perched on the arm of the couch. “If it helps at all, Nightwing did seem incredibly worried about you. It was only when another Flock member came in that they left.”
Kaldur nodded, “Yes, even with the hold their instincts demand over anything familial related, they were still unwilling to leave your side.”
Wally hummed. “Maybe I’ll confess one day. But not…Not yet.”