Chapter Text
Wally runs a hand through his hair frustratedly. There's a League meeting scheduled for today since the League delegation that had been sent off-world was finally coming back, and most of the major League members are required to be around so that they can get the latest updates on the intergalactic situation.
Wally had been looking forward to it, because it meant that he would finally see Dick again after almost a month apart.
Now, though… Duke had just called to say that he couldn’t come over to keep an eye on the kids as planned because there’d been another Arkham breakout and it's all hands on deck for the Bats and Birds. It's a smaller breakout, nothing that required them to call in reinforcements or even pull Batman away from the League meeting, but it does mean that none of the family will be free to babysit the kids, and Aunt Iris has an important interview today too, so she's also out of the question. Alfred would have been an option -he was almost always the best option, to be honest- but given Gotham’s current state of being in an Arkham breakout, Wally thinks that he’s justified for not wanting to leave his kids there unnecessarily no matter how safe Wayne Manor is.
Wally sighs. It's starting to look more and more like the only option will be to bring the kids with him to the Watchtower, which has its own set of concerns, albeit far less dangerous ones than bringing three metahuman children below the age of seven into an active battlefield.
Well. At least the kids are already more than well-taught to avoid using real names when their family members were suited up, and already know to respond to the codenames the family had come up with for them. It’s unlikely that there’ll be any identity leaks just from letting the kids meet the Justice League, although Wally can’t say for sure if their relationship with the Bats will come out. This will definitely expose them as Flamebird’s kids though, but whether it would expose the Batfamily, and Nightwing’s and Flamebird’s relationship is another question.
(Not that him and Dick had ever been very secret about that, Wally thinks. Besides, anyone who knew about the Kryptonian myth that they’d gotten their names from would already have guessed, although Clark had already been in the know from the start.)
Still, it's just as well that this meeting is only for the more senior members of the League, all of whom Bruce had already decided to trust with the Batfamily’s secrets a while ago. Wally doesn’t think Bruce would mind that much, if this was how the existence of the Batfamily came to light.
Decision made, Wally begins sticking on the little child-sized domino masks that they’d made for the kids a while back onto their faces, watching as three faces light up with joy at the realisation of where they’re going.
“No way no way no way,” Irey says, domino shifting in a way that Wally knew meant her eyes were as wide as could be under the mask. “Are we really going to space? Dad dad dad are we gonna meet the Justice League?! And grandpa and gramps will both be there, right, they can’t not be there?”
Mar’i perks up, smile bright. “Grandpa!”
Wally laughs, leaning down to press a kiss to Mar’i’s head. Ever since Bruce had gotten her her favourite plushie for her birthday last year, he’d officially become favourite grandparent for Wally’s youngest. “Yes, sweetheart, both grandpa and gramps will be there.”
Jai tugs at Wally then, pulling his attention away from his daughters. “Dad, masks on means no names?”
“Yep,” Wally confirms, ruffling a hair through Jai’s dark hair. “Do you all remember your codenames?”
Jai grins. “I’m Bluejay!”
“Redwing,” Irey announces, flashing Wally a bright grin with a little peace sign, and Wally laughs again. Irey’s always been the most exuberant of the kids, and Wally has a feeling that that energy isn’t going to change anytime soon.
“Nightstar?” Mar’i asks, fingers curled into the fabric of Wally’s pants, and Wally nods, ruffling all three of his kids’ hair.
“Good job, guys,” he says, watching as Irey begins vibrating in excitement, Jai following just a step behind her. “Ready to head on up?”
Irey had already zipped multiple laps around the room by the time the words left Wally’s lips, and Wally smiles, scooping Mar’i into one arm and resting a hand on Jai’s back.
“Dad, let’s gooo!”
"B-03 Flamebird,” the zeta announces, and Barry looks up just as the announcement continues with, “Guest access authorised: Bluejay, Redwing, Nightstar.”
He blinks. Why would Wally bring-
“Who-” Oliver starts, but before he can answer the question Barry sees twin streaks of yellow and orange blur across the room, and habit has him on his feet and reaching for the kids before he can process the action.
Barry scoops up a grandkid in each arm and deposits them on the floor. “Kids, what have we said about running unaccompanied?”
Jai ducks his head, and Irey scuffs her shoe against the ground.
“Not to,” both children mutter, and Barry pats both their heads.
“Redwing, Bluejay!” Wally’s voice echoes as he speeds to a stop beside the kids, Mar’i giggling in his arms. “What have we said about- oh, Uncle B, you caught them.”
Barry laughs, pushing Jai and Irey towards Wally and reaching for his youngest grandchild instead, who lunges out of her dad’s hold and floats into Barry’s instead. “Gramps Flash!”
“Hey, kiddo,” Barry says, tickling Mar’i’s side lightly and grinning when she squirms.
Mar’i looks up at him with eyes so wide that Barry can see them move behind her mask, and asks, "Can we go fast, gramps?”
A flick of his gaze to Wally, and Barry only has to see the way Wally hides a smile and waves a permissive hand before he’s darting off, hugging Mar’i tight in his arms and wrapping the Speedforce around her. She bursts into peals of laughter at the feeling of the wind tousling her hair, little hands clinging tightly to Barry and feet kicking lightly against him. He laps the Watchtower twice before finally coming to a stop beside Wally again, just in time to see Hal’s eyes bug out of his head.
“Gramps?!” Hal bursts out, staring at Barry. “Barry, since when were you-”
“Forget gramps,” Oliver says, staring at Mar’i in Barry’s arms. “Did that kid just fly? The speedsters, I can sorta understand, but as far as I know, Flashes can’t fly!”
Beside him, Wally is trying so hard not to laugh that his entire body is shaking, the soles of his boots partially vibrated through the ground, and Barry can’t help the snort that escapes him either.
“But- but,” Hal starts again, looking back and forth between Wally, Barry, and the kids. “Since when does Wally have kids?”
It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Wally bursts into laughter, snickering so hard that he bends double.
“Hey!” Irey yells, pointing at Hal. “You’re really rude, Mr. Green Lantern! Dad’s had us forever!”
It’s Barry’s turn to start laughing, Irey’s words ringing through the air as Hal stares at the little girl yelling at him, speechless.
“Redwing,” the low voice announces its owner before Batman even steps into the room, and then Barry abruptly finds his arms empty as Mar’i launches herself out of his hold and flings herself into Bruce instead.
Bruce, to his credit, catches Mar’i without a moment’s hesitation, gaze still fixed on Irey. “It’s rude to yell at people, you know.”
Irey offers Bruce a sheepish smile, and rubs at the back of her head in a gesture that reminds Barry entirely of Wally. “But he was being mean to Dad!”
(Behind Irey, Hal’s jaw drops. “Is… is Batman defending me?”)
“He wasn’t really,” Wally finally stops laughing to say, zipping over to ruffle Irey’s hair. “He was just shocked, sweetheart.”
Irey blinks. “Okay… I won’t yell anymore.”
Bruce smiles, and Barry is pretty sure that he heard at least one other League member collapse in shock behind him. “Good girl, Redwing. Although, if it’s Lantern, I suppose it’s not much of an issue.”
Wally snorts, and tries to hide it -badly- behind a cough. “Bats, stop teaching my kids the wrong thing.”
At the same time, Hal lets out an indignant squawk, and flails a little. “Hey! What do you mean it’s not an issue- hang on, how does the Bat know these kids, why do these kids act like they know him-”
Ignoring the squawking Lantern in the background, Barry watches as Mar’i tugs at Bruce, then presses a hand to his cheek when he turns to her. “Grandpa, can I have a snack?”
Ah. That will do it. Barry knows that Bruce has been more lax with his secrets these days, and the amusement that bubbles up in him when he sees the League’s eyes widen, multiple jaws dropping across the room at the word that had just fallen from Mar’i’s lips.
“Grandpa?!”
Bruce ignores them all, as he is wont to do, and pulls a pack of animal crackers from his utility belt. The moment he hands it to Mar’i, Jai and Irey are immediately beside him, one speedster tugging on either side of his cape.
Bruce takes turns to ruffle both their hairs with his free hand, then reaches into his belt to pull out more crackers.
“Here, sweethearts,” Bruce says, voice softer than Barry has ever heard him use in the cowl. “Why don’t you three go take a seat in my chair, alright? I’ve got a meeting to start.”
A meeting which, Barry thinks privately, is going to go nowhere. Everywhere he looks, he sees a stunned Leaguer. Hal’s eyes are so bugged out that Barry's almost afraid that his friend has somehow gotten a silent stroke, or an aneurysm, and Oliver’s mouth is opening and closing soundlessly, one hand frozen in midair and finger twitching from Bruce to the kids and back again. Not even the usually more composed members are spared- Arthur is doing a remarkable impression of a statue, silent and unmoving with only his rapid blinking as a sign of life, while Dinah looks outwardly composed, but Barry can still see the silent arch of her eyebrows, and the part of her lips.
Only Clark, having met the kids before, is unfazed, an amused smile playing at his lips even as he alternates looking between them and the other Leaguers, letting a curious Jai climb into his lap and prod at the emblem on his chest.
“Before the off-world delegation returns,” Batman starts, and sighs when none of the League members react.
“I will answer one question each after this meeting is over,” Bruce relents. “If we can get this meeting started.”
The League is abruptly a flurry of motion, and everyone is in their seats almost faster than even Barry can blink, staring at the screen with rapt attention.
Barry shares a look with Wally, both of them grinning identical grins, and can’t help the snicker that bubbles up when Bruce sighs again, pinches the bridge of his nose, and finally turns back to the screen.
“Alright, let’s recap what the off-world delegation’s mission was meant to accomplish.”