#akiwidarling

The sun sets, painting the sky in a beautiful canvas of vibrant pink and yellow hues. The crisp, clean scent of fresh rain still lingers in the air. The entire scene is breathtaking—something straight out of a painting, one could argue.Honestly, it would be much easier to enjoy if Wally wasn’t wrestling with a hundred different emotions right now.

The invitation in his pocket feels heavy—entirely too heavy. It is a sleek black envelope, adorned with a fancy stamp. An invite to a Wayne Gala, undoubtedly sent by his best friend, Dick Grayson. Under any other circumstance, he would go without a second thought.

But she will be there.

Her.

Dick’s sister. Batman’s daughter.

Shes the girl who has been haunting his thoughts 24/7. Her laugh. Her smile. The curve of her hips and those beautiful thighs. Her soft-looking skin. Her eyes, her nose—her everything. He thinks about the way she bursts into laughter at the dry jokes he tells, and how she adorably scrunches up her face out of habit. He even pictures the way her eyebrows knit together whenever she’s angry.

Honestly, absolutely anything she does, he adores.

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his ginger hair, knowing he was completely powerless against her pull. No matter how much his logical brain screamed at him that this was an incredibly dangerous mistake, his heart had already made up its mind. He simply couldn't bear the thought of someone else charming her when its HIS job.

With a mixture of dread and anticipation fluttering in his chest, he pulled out his phone before he could change his mind. His fingers moved in a blur across the screen as he types fast. “Count me in, boy wonder." he typed out, forcing a casual confidence he didn't actually feel. “Make sure you save me some of the expensive appetizers."

He sighs in relief and lays down...before adding:

"And a drink. Lots of drinks."

She is Dick’s sister. She is Batman’s daughter. Completely off-limits. No touching. No flirting. Nada," Wally repeats to himself like a mantra, chanting it inside his head over and over.

He steps into Wayne Manor looking effortlessly dashing in a tailored black tuxedo. Glancing around the grand room, he takes in the sea of wealthy elites and elderly socialites.

Uninterested in the high society small talk, he simply grabs an entire plate of appetizers and devours them in seconds."

You clean up nice, West," a familiar voice jokes.Wally turns to see Dick walking over, adjusting his bow tie with a grin.

"Hey, man. Thanks for the invite. Fancy place your dad’s got here," Wally says, setting the empty plate down with a sly, happy grin. He hasn’t seen Dick in a month, which feels like an eternity for best friends.

"Anytime. I'm just glad you could make it," Dick replies. He looks around the crowded room, his expression turning serious.

"Actually, can you do me a quick favor? Bruce is stuck talking to the mayor, and I need to handle a security glitch in the west wing. Can you find my sister? She was supposed to greet the board members ten minutes ago, but she vanished."

Wally’s throat goes completely dry.

Great. Just great.

"Uh. Sure. Yeah, I can look for her," Wally stammers out."

You're a lifesaver. I owe you one, dude," Dick says, already running off to fix the glitch.

Wally walked away from the ballroom, his super-hearing picking up the quiet rhythm of footsteps two floors above. He bypassed the main staircase and used a servant’s corridor, moving with a quiet precision that didn't require speed. He followed the sound to the dimly lit library on the third floor. He pushed the heavy oak doors open. The room smelled of old paper, leather, and her specific, delicious smelling perfume. Something sweet and flowery.

He stops in his tracks as he spots you. Eyes looking outside at the raining sky. Its gloomy and dark. Your wearing a gorgeous emerald green dress that makes you look too good to even exist.

"Soooo par-tay is downstairs princess!" Wally says playfully as he stands next to you. You dont react. Not straight away. Turning to face him, he feels his heart race a little quicker.

"I knew you'd come here. Heh. Oh wait. One more thing." You harshly stomp on his foot and cross your arms, to which he whines and holds his foot. "Thats for ghosting me for 3 weeks, Wallace!" You hiss at him, clearly bitter.

He whines and let's go of his foot. He scratches his neck sheepishly and says, "I was busy! Being a speedster comes with sacrifice. You gotta be prepared and what not. Gotta have the strength. And with great strength comes great responsibility— okay?"

You roll your eyes and sit on the red plush seat. "Whatever." And at that annoyed Whatever, Wally feels his heart melt. Guilt swirls up in his stomach, and he feels horrible. "Okay okay im sorry. I really am." He says.

Busy?" You counter, raising an eyebrow as you stepped into his personal space. "For three weeks, Wally? You're a speedster. You can literally text me back in a fraction of a millisecond." Wally opened his mouth to offer up another weak excuse, but the words died in his throat.

Up close, the faint scent of her floral perfume was completely overwhelming, scrambling his hyper-accelerated brain. He looked down at her, caught between the urge to back away into the safety of the shadows and the desperate, terrifying desire to pull her into his arms.

"I was trying to be responsible," he finally admitted, his playful demeanor completely cracking as his voice dropped to a quiet whisper. He looked away, focusing on the dark rain streaks pelting the windowpane. "I was trying to stay away. For your safety. For Dick's trust. For... everything."

Your expression softened slightly, your crossed arms dropping to the sides as you look at the sudden weight of exhaustion on his face. "Wally, I don't need you to protect me from yourself."

"You don't get it," he muttered, running a hand through his damp ginger hair as he paced a tight, frantic circle on the library rug. "If I let myself have what I want—if I let myself have you—everything changes. The second Dick finds out he will KILL me. Not to mention your dad whos FUCKING BRUCE WAYNE!"

Before you could answer, his super-hearing picked up the distinct, heavy click of the library's outer door handle twisting open down the hall.

"Someone's coming," Wally whispered, panic spiking his adrenaline. In a literal blink of an eye, he grabbed her hand, using a controlled burst of speed to pull both of them behind the massive oak privacy screen near the back bookshelves, holding his breath as the library doors swung wide open...

TBC!!!!