I've wanted to do this story for A G E S but I never had a flushed out idea of what I wanted until now so I hope you all enjoy this because this is at least a year in the making because my bitch ass brain is indecisive

EDIT: TW HOMOPHOBIA THEME THROUGHOUT

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-and-advice

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They were supposed to get married tomorrow yet neither wanted this. Barbara and Dick had been friends since childhood but their love for one another never went further than platonic. Yet they always suspected this day would come despite their obvious disinterest in it. After all, Barbara was a young lady of rich blood and Dick was the adopted prince. They were the perfect match. "Babs, I need to tell you something," Dick said just before both parted ways. It was late and they were about to go to their chambers after spending a rather nerve-wracking day together. Barbara had noticed how especially nervous her soon to be husband was. He was constantly looking around the room worriedly and had been especially apologetic. "What is it?"

"No matter what happens tomorrow, know that I've treasured our time together. I wouldn't change it for the world and I hope that we can still be best friends," he said. 

"Dick, we're getting married not executed," she joked. She held his hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. Neither would ever love each other the way they were meant to but they had to accept it. The marriage had nothing to do with them really. It was purely political. Some sort of living contract to the alliance between the Wayne and the Gordon family. "I'm sure we can get our kicks in secrecy as we always have." They'd been dating random servants and peasants all their lives though it was always in secret. Not only were they dating commoners but they were dating the same sex too. If word got out, things would be a lot different. They supposed that this marriage would protect them despite it locking them both in the confines of neither wanted. "If something happens tomorrow, look after them." Her eyebrows furrowed together but he pulled away before she could ask what he meant. "Goodnight Barbara. I'm sorry."

Barbara was being dressed by her faithful servants when she heard shouting from the hallway. She impatiently waited for them to finish lacing her up before she ran outside, picking her wedding dress up so she could run faster. The person shouting was one of the guards Dick had grown close with over the years, Barry Allen. He was the fastest of the guards and had a good sense of humour so he matched up with the ever-energetic pun-loving prince. "What's going on?" she asked him. 

"Prince Dick is missing! His room was completely empty this morning! Someone must've snuck in during the night and stolen him away!" he exclaimed. Men rushed around so word must've gotten to the king. They shouted orders to one another to search various places before Barbara's father, Knight Gordon, ran over to his daughter. "We need to get you to a secure place," he told her. 

"No, I want to help find him! He can't have just vanished!" she shouted. She already felt sick from worry. Who would've kidnapped her fiance? A villain can't have just snuck into the kingdom especially since security was even higher thanks to the wedding. This had to be some type of nightmare. "We can't risk you getting kidnapped too. Barry, take her to her chambers." The man nodded and gently lead the shocked ginger back to her room. 

"What of his servant? Wally West? The pair are inseparable, surely he knows where he is," she asked along the way. The guard shook his head solemnly which didn't reassure Barbara at all. 

"He's missing too. I suspect that during one of his nightly check-ups on the prince, he was also taken to avoid witnesses."

"Have there been any requests for ransom? Any suspects? Anything at all?" she asked. He shook his head again. She could've thrown up. She could've passed out right then and there. Her body was shaking and her face had lost all its colour. Sure she wasn't in love with Dick but he was her best friend of many years. They loved one another dearly, they'd been close for so long that the prospect of losing him was terrifying. Her mind flashed to memories where she promised to always protect the boy. The words normally came up whenever the rich kids made fun of his background or the terrible nightmares that plagued him almost nightly. Barbara was spiralling and Barry could tell. "We'll find him, Lady Barbara. It may take some time but he'll be brought home safe," he assured her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know but what I do know is that if my Wally is with Dick, they'll be okay."

Hours passed but there was still no sign of the prince. King Bruce was a mess, ordering for every person who'd said a bad word about either the wedding or his adopted son to be questioned. The princes and princesses were locked in their chambers with two guards each. Of course, all of them knew self-defence and could easily hold their own but they didn't know what they were up against. All were terrified for their brother and hoped they'd receive some news soon. Barbara's shock had long since worn off and she'd become rather annoyed that she wasn't allowed to help search for her fiance. She wasn't some fragile lady who was going to spend night after night weeping for her lost love. She wanted to find out what happened to her best friend and she was going to find out one way or another. Throughout the day, she'd been listening in on the conversation between guards and servants. Apparently, they had a theory that he wasn't in Gotham anymore. One had suggested that they check the small villages outside of the main kingdom's walls. Barbara hummed to herself and thought about the night before. Dick had apologised. But what for? Something that was going to happen on their wedding day. Wally had also gone missing. Something about this picture didn't look right. "My Lady, are you quite alright? I can't imagine how hard this has been on you," a servant asked. 

"I'm okay I just have a question about the missing pair."

"I can't guarantee that I know the answer but if you believe asking me a question may help then please ask away," she offered.

"Were the rooms of both Dick and Wally messy?" The servant shook her head. "So there was no sign of a struggle?"

"I don't believe so. From the little information the guards have shared, both rooms were missing some clothes and valuables though it seems there was no struggle." Barbara hummed again. "I wish to be alone for the night. Please don't disturb me." She nodded and walked out, letting the guards outside of her room know the new rules. The picture was coming together and honestly, she couldn't be that sad if she'd put the pieces together. Yet if the picture she was seeing was the right one then she couldn't let it be. Too many people would be too upset. Barbara walked to the window and looked out on the kingdom then far off into the distance where the sun was setting. "I'm sorry Dickie but you can't run away from all this. No matter how much you want to."

It was around midnight when she decided that she couldn't wait. Barbara couldn't guarantee that the people who found the couple would be accepting and she was going to risk that. Not only that but they might suspect Wally of putting a spell on the prince and snatching him away. Nobody knew that their relationship had been going on for ages and they'd immediately assume the worst. From their point of view, the prince that was in love with Lady Barbara would have been whisked away by a treacherous servant who abused his closeness to seduce the young man. From her view, they'd just ran away because they want to be in love. Though she wanted to let them be and be happy where ever they were, there was a family here. Families that would think someone who was so important to their lives was dead. That they were gone forever and would never come back. She couldn't watch a kingdom grieve in good conscience. Barbara paced her room deep in thought. So she knew she couldn't let this go on but she wouldn't be much help if she was blindly looking around. She needed to be tactical about this. Where would the pair run off to? It had to be far enough from the main kingdom so they wouldn't be found but it also needed to be safe enough that they could stay there. Her mind went blank for a second before bam! A memory hit her. Three years ago, Dick had told her of a place where Wally and himself would go to be alone. He'd suggested it to her since she'd been dating a servant at the time also. He'd put it on a map and told her to hide it. Bingo! Barbara ran to her fireplace and moved one of the loose bricks to reveal the map she'd been given. She replaced the brick and unfolded the map. The special place was a cave that was around a day's journey if you knew where you're going. If you didn't then you'd never find it. She smirked to herself. "You're a genius, Dickie." Now came the question of how she was going to get there. That was also easily solvable. Barbara knew how to ride a horse, she was great with a sword (thanks to Dick teaching her on the side) and she was great at navigating. Altogether, she'd be able to get this job done. Now can the job of how she was going to get out of a kingdom on lockdown. That was trickier. She tapped her chin in thought and glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on the bed. The blankets wouldn't get that far. Her eyes then fell on her wardrobe. Perfect.

It took around an hour to tie everything together but the many dresses, blankets and two corsets gave her just enough length to escape her room. She put on the dress she left out which was for the winter months so she'd be warm whilst riding and put on a thick fur coat along with a sturdy pair of boots. She tied one end of the makeshift rope to the poster of her four-poster bed then threw the other end out the window. Barbara smiled to herself at her own ingenuity and finished getting ready. She took a small blade gifted to her from her "fiance" and tucked the map in the sheath for the blade. Dick would laugh when he heard what she'd done for him. She pulled on the rope to make sure it was tied properly and would support her weight before she climbed out the window to parasail down. The wind was freezing cold but she didn't care. Her mission was clear and there was no way she was going to give it up because of some chilly weather. Barbara's feet soon hit the ground and she hiked up her dress so she could run to the stable. The shadows helped hide her from the guards that were desperately searching for the lost prince. She was soon able to evade them and slip into where the horses were. There were five horses there, including Dick's. She frowned when she saw his horse waiting there. They must've thought it would be too suspicious to take one but that meant they had to walk all the way there. Hopefully, they'd taken something to defend themselves with or at least tried to wear thick clothes to keep them warm. "Lady Barbara, I see you're going on a late-night ride," Barry greeted. She whipped around and went to come up with an excuse but he raised a hand. He walked towards her horse and began preparing it for her. She gave him a confused look. "My nephew is a bright man and I trust that he would care for Dick but my loyalty to the king is fierce. They need to be brought home and a doubt anyone but a friend of them both will convince them to come home," he explained. She gave him an empathetic look. It must be hard to choose between family and a man you've served for years. He held out his hand which she took and helped her onto the horse. "Here." He offered her a scarf and a lantern. Though she took it, she looked very confused about the garment. "You can hide your face with it. I'll say you're a messenger for the outer villages. If it comes out we saw one another, I'll claim you had the scarf already."

"Thank you, Barry."

"No need. You're a strong woman that I trust will take care of herself." Barbara wrapped the scarf around her neck then pulled it up so it covered half her face. Barry guided the horse to the gates where he was stopped by his fellow guards. "She's a messenger. It's best we get the word out," he explained. The guards nodded and let them through. "Ride safe."

"I will. They'll be back before sunset tomorrow." 

"I hope so."

The night had left the forest pitch black aside from her lantern and the small rays of moonlight peeking out from between the gaps in the trees. She watched them dance as the wind rustled the leaves. There was very little sound. She could hear the bugs that occasionally flew towards her lantern. Barbara felt an odd sense of calm despite it being so dark. She could see why they escaped to here. It reminded her of when the three had been younger. They were exploring together, picking fruit and flowers. She remembered that Wally had picked some beautiful blue flowers and offered them to Dick who was absolutely floored by the small act of kindness. Not to mention the harsh blush he got when Wally said he picked them because they matched the prince's eyes. The memory was made even sweeter when she remembered that Dick had picked leaves off the tallest trees because they matched his servant's eyes. The next day, the prince commissioned a jewellery maker to somehow preserve the flowers and the leaves. They hadn't lasted forever but they both wore the rings with parts of their assigned plant encased inside. The pair were so perfect for one another, she reminisced. It was such a shame that Dick was the eldest. That meant he had the throne first and therefore needed to secure the throne for his reign. She supposed that his siblings could do that when the throne was passed to them. From what she could tell, Dick didn't even want to be king. He said he didn't like the person it turned Bruce into and didn't want to have that happen to himself. She wondered if this event would cost him his royal status. She doubted that would matter much to him. Since they knew one another, he'd always sort of loathed being a prince. At least the prince that people wanted him to be. He hated the attention and preferred to just use his princely duties to benefit the citizens rather than to socialize. Perhaps he'd find another circus or freakshow to be a part of if he no longer had the label of royalty. Though it would be a tough life, it wouldn't be one he would be adverse to. 

Night soon ended with the rising of the sun and Barbara was forced to shed her fur coat as well as her scarf. Under the new light, she could see all the vegetation that grew around her. It was so peaceful here as it had been at night only now she could see the beauty of it all. She hoped this forest stayed here forever. She glanced down to the map and took in her surroundings. She wasn't that far now. Along the way, she'd seen nothing to suggest her theory wasn't right. There was a scrap of clothing hanging from a tall thorn bush that looked like something she'd seen Wally wear and some footsteps that hadn't been destroyed by the wind displacing dirt were spotted along the way. Barbara picked some of the berries she recognized to be safe along the way and found a small river not far from her route where she and her horse could drink. It was nice here. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and sighed to herself. Bruce was a compassionate man when he first allowed Dick into the royal home. He was a calm and caring man. Unfortunately, years of being betrayed and becoming wise to the dangers of being who he was had changed him. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. He'd become bitter, cold, and almost unfeeling. She'd listened to Dick worry for his siblings for years due to his behaviour. He often worried that the youngest of them, Damian, would become far too influenced by this new behaviour and that his rule would be far too cold. They could both see the warning signs. Perhaps Bruce's behaviour was the final push to run. She tried to convince herself that the king wouldn't be mad but she found the argument far too weak. Bruce could punish either party severely, if not for being gay, for making a fool of him. A fool of the Gordon family too. Barbara didn't care that much that the wedding wasn't going ahead. It would've been boring. Then again, she didn't want to get married in the first place. So that left her to think through the possible punishments. It suddenly hit her. What if death was a punishment? Surely he wouldn't kill the boy he raised but then again, he wasn't who he used to be. At the end of the day, he had plenty of children and a slew of the highest in the community who wouldn't blink an eye at such cruelty. He could kill Dick for this and she would be the one to bring him back. She'd be the grim reaper. Wally would be killed too if Dick was to be killed. Simple banishment would look too small. She'd have two people's blood on her hands. She shook her head of the thoughts and went back to her horse. Bruce may have changed but it wouldn't be so horrid. If he had then she'd get them out of it. She would protect them. It was only a few more hours from what she could tell.

"My love, are you alright?" Wally asked worriedly. They were sitting by the river that ran close to the cave and he couldn't help but notice his boyfriend's wandering attention. He had hoped the fresh air would do the other some good yet he was just on edge. "I think I heard something," Dick responded. The ginger gulped fearfully.

"Someone or something?" The prince gave him an anxious look. Deciding that one of them had to take the lead on this, Wally spoke again. "I'm sure it's nothing. Come, we'll go check it out together." He got up and held his hand out for Dick to take. He pulled the other up and they began their search for the noise, staying close together. Both knew how this would look if they'd been found. Both feared what would happen. As they looked, Dick noticed something through the trees. There was a dark something, a blob if he had to describe it, sitting high on a lighter blob. The dark blob had a spot of ginger. He squinted at the sight and just for a second it kind of looked like...no. It didn't look like her. It did. It was her. "Barbara?" Dick asked, shocked. He couldn't believe it. His best friend was standing right there in her knight get up, her horse that she'd been gifted from him years ago by her side. She grinned upon seeing him and ran to meet him. He ran to meet her too and let her sweep him up into a tight hug. "You scared me half to death!" she scolded though her relieved smile took the wind out of her statement. She cupped his face with her hands and inspected it in case there were any injuries. "I'm fine Babs. Wally took good care of me."

"I'm sure he did," she said with a wink. "It's good to see you again Wally."

"And me to you though I wish the circumstances weren't the same," he replied. He walked over to meet the prince and joined their hands once again. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you two idiots. The entire kingdom is in anarchy. I was barely able to sneak out to find you," she answered. She was so glad her theory was right. She didn't know what she would do with herself if anything had happened to the pair. 

"We didn't mean to cause chaos. It's just...I couldn't marry you when the one I love is Wally."

"And I understand that but couldn't you have left a note?"

"I-"

"There he is!"

The trio froze and looked a little further in the distance. The king was there, alongside the princes and princesses. Dick went as pale as a sheet of paper and looked to Wally who glanced to him helplessly. They couldn't run away, neither had horses unlike the royal family approaching them. Even if they did run and somehow got away, what would they do next? This was their only hideout. It had all the supplies they'd been gradually sneaking in after months and months of preparation. In fact, they'd been preparing since the engagement was brought up. "Richard, what is the meaning of this?" Bruce asked. He dismounted and stormed over to the prince who hung his head in shame. "I was worried sick yet here you are gallivanting with your servant? Are you that immature that you couldn't marry Lady Barbara who is in a different kind of trouble right now?" She shrunk back and looked to the siblings who gave her proud smiles. At least they respected what she did. Dick let go of Wally's hand and fidgeted with his hands, never once looking up at the father figure. Had he worn his rings, he'd be fiddling with those right now. "Answer me Richard or I will be led to believe that your servant has committed treason by taking you away!"

"No! It was all my idea! Wally had nothing to do with this!"

"Then tell me what happened!"

"I'm in love with Wally!" Dick cried. He took a shaky breath before continuing this time in a more even voice. "I don't love Barbara, not like how I'm supposed to. I love Wally, always have and I always will so I thought...I thought if we ran away then never came back you'd assume I was dead and we'd live in peace here. I thought you'd be better off having a dead son than a gay one." He took a deep breath. "Do with me as you want but don't punish him. He did nothing wrong." He awaited his punishment.

"Do you remember what I told you when I brought you to the castle?"

"You told me that there would always be a home for me there. No matter what."

"I'm aware that there are certain pressures put on you by others, perhaps me as well, to be wed to a woman so the kingdom will remain in the Wayne family's hands," Bruce began. He hooked his finger underneath his son's chin and tilted his head up. "Look at me Richard because what I'm about to say is incredibly important." Dick reluctantly did as he was told. "But that means nothing if you are not happy. I have plenty of sons who are attracted to women and will wed and will carry on my name but, unlike you if you did the same, they will be happy." He smiled at the clearly terrified man in front of him. How he'd missed all the signs was beyond him. "Your happiness comes before your royal duties. I know Wally will make a good husband for you and will keep you safe but you mustn't stay here. Gotham is your home, Wally's too."

"Wait, we can get married? We can come home?" Wally asked on behalf of his royal lover who was shocked into silence. 

"Of course," Bruce replied. 

"I think I'm gonna faint," Dick said weakly. 

As if on cue, Dick's legs gave out underneath him and he would've plummeted to the floor had his dad not caught him. Everyone rushed over to him as Bruce slowly lowered him to the ground and put him on his side just in case. "Dickie? Can you hear me, chum?" Bruce called. He lightly shook the younger and got a groan.

"We've been walking since midnight, I don't think he'll be waking up any time soon," Wally explained. 

"Why didn't you take a horse?" Damian asked.

"It would've looked too suspicious," the ginger answered. "Dick was so nervous yesterday that he couldn't eat so he's especially weak. I tried to get him to eat when we came here but he kept refusing because he felt sick." Cass frowned and brushed some of the hair out of her brother's face. He groaned quietly so she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "Burning," she stated. 

"He could've been lying about being nervous yesterday. Maybe he didn't know he had a fever?" Tim suggested.

"No, I think he stressed himself out. I'd be stressed too if I ran away with my servant boyfriend to live in the forest in hopes of making my family think I'm dead so they don't find out I'm gay," Barbara deadpanned. 

"Oh that's quite bad isn't it?" Steph muttered.

"Is that a hickey?" Jason pointed out. The family glanced up to Wally who was now bright red. 

"We were alone and he started it!" The king rolled his eyes and picked up his ward, a pit growing in his stomach at how limp he was. 

"We're going to pretend none of us saw that. We'll get him to Alfred for treatment."

Dick groaned to himself unhappily as he woke up. He felt something soft underneath him and something cold and wet on his forehead. His eyelids felt like weights and he couldn't quite pry them open. He felt someone holding his hand tightly and there was mumbling somewhere else. An attempt was made to retrace his steps but everything felt fuzzy. There were people. Fuzzy faces or not he recognized one to be Bruce and another to be Barbara. He couldn't remember the order in which he'd seen them. His mentor was saying something to him but then black dots invaded his vision. Everything faded. "Dick? You awake?" Wally asked. Oh yeah, Wally had been with him. 

"Just about," he answered softly. 

"Can you open your eyes for me?" Dick tried again to open his eyes and just about managed it, quickly fixing his sights on his rather blurry boyfriend. "He doesn't look very focused."

"He's got a rather nasty fever, I wouldn't expect any different," Alfred assured him. Wait, Alfred? How'd he get in the woods? Speaking of, where was the breeze? There was a river not that far from the cave, why couldn't he hear it anymore? He went to get up to figure it out but was attacked by a feeling of nausea that drained his face of its last bit of colour. Hands pushed him back down gently and he didn't have the energy to oppose them. "Stay down. You're not very well so you need all the rest you can get."

"Why Alfie?" he mumbled weakly.

"You fainted when Barbara and your family found us. We had to take you back so Alfred could take care of you. He believes that you have a stress-induced illness worsened by our journey on foot."

"Family?" he asked, suddenly panicked. He was calmed by the light kiss on his hand.

"They accept us, Dickie. You worried them that's all. They're giving uncle Barry a title so it'll ease some of the stigmas around us dating. Everything's going to be okay."

"Promise?" Wally nodded and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I promise. Get some rest, my love."

If anyone has requests based on this AU i wouldn't be opposed to doing them