Birdflash oneshots 2

For Your Safety

Wally was by no means a stranger to Dick's self-sacrificing nature. Years with the Royal Prince had taught him that Dick would do anything for his people, especially his loved ones. There had been many times where enemies had captured Wally, and Dick had come to his rescue. In return, Wally was usually the one who found Dick first when trouble arose. He always carried an extra sword on him, balanced perfectly for Dick. He could use it, but it was better suited for the Prince. Bruce, the King, had insisted on it when his son went into battle unarmed three times. Wally didn't object. It was better for his Prince to have a backup in case something happened.

Today was a special day, however. It was Dick's seventeenth birthday, and Bruce was hosting a giant party for him. Royals from all over the land were coming, including the Gordon's from the West. There had been a rumor that the two Kings wanted an arranged marriage between Dick and Barbara, but Dick had expressed his displeasure in this. While he did like Barbara, it didn't go further than a friendship for him. Wally had accidentally walked in on the end of an argument between Bruce and Dick once where the younger insisted that, "she wasn't the one." Dick had been very agitated that night, so Wally had let him stew in silence. Dick made it clear the next day that he wasn't mad at Wally, just pissed at his father. That wasn't abnormal for Dick. Bruce had a tendency of getting on Dick's nerves, whether intentional or not.

"Are you excited?" Wally asked Dick, in the middle of dressing him for the party later on. "About the party?" "No, I meant listening to Bruce lecture you for an hour. Yes, the party. It must be amazing." "It's kind of boring, to be honest. I've managed to avoid them the last few times, but Bruce insisted this time. I think he's going to try to announce the marriage tonight, so we have public pressure to keep us from backing out." "He's still going through with it?" "I'm certain of it. It's a shitty thing, too. Barbara is in love with a Knight from Triya. I know she'd much rather marry him than me." "I'm sorry. I can't do much to change it." "I know, and I don't blame you for that. None of this is your fault. You're just doing your job." "Yes. However," Wally grabbed Dick's crown from the table. "Part of my job is to make you happy. If this isn't making you happy, then I'm failing at my job." "No, you're not. You're doing all you can. You're the best servant I've ever had, and my best friend. I want you to try to stay out of this, okay? If Bruce asks you anything about how I'd feel about it, say you don't know or you're not sure. I don't want you getting wrapped up in the politics of this." Wally nodded, but crossed his fingers behind his back. "I promise."

The ball was...exactly how Dick described it. Tons of stuffy nobles who talked down to any servant near them. Wally stuck near the wall most of the night, while Dick was standing next to Bruce. The King and Prince were greeting nobles as they came in, making small talk while people gushed over how handsome Dick was. "So, have you thought about my offer?" Bruce asked. "I have, and my answer is the same. I don't love Barbara in a romantic way, and she loves someone else. I don't mind an alliance with Triya, but I don't want to marry her. When I marry, it'll be because I love that person." "I think you're making a mistake." "Bruce, your parents set you up with a Princess when you were eight, and she didn't make it past two. No offense, but I don't think arranged marriage is the best path forward. If there is another route to take, then I suggest we take that route. I promise if you and King Gordon try to force me into this, I will disappear faster than you can blink and I won't come back." "You'd abandon your kingdom for that?" "From an asshole move? Yeah, I would. I'm not budging on this." Bruce sighed. "Very well. I'll let Gordon know. He probably won't be happy with this." "He'll understand. If I have to, I'll talk to him." "You just might."

Roy, another servant, slinked over to Wally. "So, how's the ball been?" "You mean besides the rude-ass royals? Boring. Dick's stuck up there playing in the spotlight." "Yeah. Always felt bad for the poor sucker. You could tell he didn't want the popularity side of the crown. He just wanted to help his people." "Yeah. Have you heard about the marriage?" "Who hasn't heard about it? We've also all heard that Dick's been royally pissed, pun intended." "He's been pretty angry, but that's sort of normal. The King always finds a new way to annoy him, which I didn't think was possible. He's so chill." "Yeah, but you didn't know him when he was little. He used to have an awful temper. The Royals then were even more asshole-ish than they are now, so he got pissed pretty easily. It took a bit of time with Dinah before he calmed down. Some people think it's fun to poke the bear, to see how far they can push him before he snaps. It's crap behavior, but they're royal, so they get away with it." "I'm just hoping he can hold back long enough to get through this." "You and me both. Everyone here's looking for a reason to be mad at him."