Catch Me If You Can

Have you ever noticed that ( WALLACE WEST ) from the ( DC UNIVERSE ) looks a lot like ( KJ APA )? But ( HE ) also go/goes by ( KID FLASH ). Having the ability to/of ( MOVING AND THINKING AT SUPER SPEED ) sure makes them a force to be reckoned with. They’re known to be ( PASSIONATE, ) but also ( COCKY, ) and they’re ( 28 ) years old.

Wally West.

She didn’t expect to stand corrected, after all Artemis knew she was right. Though she was slightly thankful Wally had some sense not to hammer the point down (though she shouldn’t have said it in the first place but ya know, sometimes words and thoughts slip). “You and I may have different definitions of ‘together’.” She teased him. Though truthfully this was probably the most ‘together’ as he said, she’d ever seen Wally. “Somehow I like the vibe of a kid being messy than a kid doing that other one.” The smirk on her face was just waiting for him to sputter, it was pretty funny. “Given your normal personality is already very caffeinated, with actual coffee I’m guessing you’d be like…  caffeinated on steroids.” She joked (though it could have been probably in the realm of trueness). 

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     “And you’re so together?” he rose his brows, his smile never faltering. It took more than a few of Artemis’ less creative snipes to actually hurt Wally and besides, he knew that she was just teasing him...mostly. “That’s not- That’s not what it means and you know it” the redhead shook his head fervently, tossing one of the sugar packets at her playfully. “Yeah...I get decaf. I’d hate to think what caffeine would actually do to my heart..” he shook his head again. Running with all of that in his system didn’t seem like it could end well and when he was younger he might had downed some coffee just to see what happened but contrary to popular belief, in some ways Wally had matured over the years. 

xxx

Amelia chuckled and nodded her head. “If only everyone shared that opinion. And thankfuly most due. But, like always, there are the oddballs…” Amelia said with a small sigh. Amelia has definitely seen her fair share of horrible parents. Being a mercenary, she made sure to go after only those who have rather bad track records…And it can definitely show most of the time in someone’s home life. She’s walked in to kill a target in the middle of a abuse situation, lover an kids, many of times. Still…Amelia liked to think that not everyone was assholes with their kids. “At least now I know you don’t have the worst taste.” She teased playfully.

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     “Oddballs might be putting it gently, but you’re right. It’s good that the majority are doing pretty alright” Wally shrugged lightly. He’d been lucky enough to have a pretty great family unit - an unusual one, sure, but most people probably thought that their parents were a little wacky. “Oh, well, thank you” he grinned, chuckling softly. “I’m not sure that a few of my friends might agree with you on that one, but I’ll definitely take it” It wasn’t as if Wally didn’t deserve the reputation that he had made for himself, and he even joined in on the teasing a lot of the time.

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     “A kitchen incident?” Donna asked, voice raising towards the end of the question, an indication of her curiosity. Something told her that there was a lot more to that story and that was why he didn’t want to get into it with her. Donna had a tendency to act like Diana when it came to the original Titans. Her right side of her mouth kicked up in a smile when Wally admitted that he would be eating on Dick’s dime. It was the risk of being the rich friend, and being friends with Wally. “Thai food sounds good. Should we order something for Birdboy too?” 

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     “I’m not really sure how I managed to set fire to spaghetti - maybe there wasn’t enough water in the pot, but....it’s safer for everyone that I just don’t cook, honestly” he snorted, flushing. For somebody that loved food as much as Wally did, it would be expected that he might have picked up a thing or two in the kitchen over the years but he was unbelievably bad if it wasn’t anything simple. “I think that it’s only fair when he’s the one paying for it” he chuckled lightly, hopping up onto the counter as he grabbed his phone. “Hey Donna? I’m really glad that you’re back”

—

Amelia snorted and nodded her head. “Don’t I know it,” Amelia said with a chuckle when the redhead said that it’s a tough break for them. “Doesn’t mean they should act like assholes though.” Amelia said with a roll of her eyes. But there was no way that she was going to serve for a government that tried to kill her. Hell, that still does from time to time. She’d rather do things her own way. “Oh for sure. They definitely have gotten me even more lost before.” Amelia said with a chuckle.

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     “Oh, of course not” Wally frowned, shaking his head. “There’s pretty much zero excuse to be an asshole to your kids...but that’s just my opinion” he gave a light shrug. He had no children of his own so there was no telling what his parenting style would be like but Wally was determined to make sure that he was always there for any kids that he did have one day - theoretically, of course. Kids would require settling down and the speedster had never been good at that stuff. “Right? The worst”

Lisa rolls her eyes, giving a pretend look of annoyance with the smirk remaining upon her face. “That would give the impression I care more than I do.” She does her best to keep her current facial expression to avoid seeming too interested. “I’d expect nothing less from Cisco. Actually, if he wasn’t I’d be wondering if he’s ill.” The metahuman woman gives a shrug. “You should zip on over to see them more then. Its like, what a two hour run?” Lisa chuckles lightly before responding to his running comment. “I’ve got other tricks up my sleeve. Running isn’t my main mode of escape.” 

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     “You cared enough to ask me” the redhead shrugged, merely making an observation about her behaviour. “But that’s none of my business” he gave a light chuckle, shrugging weakly. “Right? That guy can come up with fifteen new design ideas in his sleep - it would be kind of insane if it wasn’t also absolutely incredible” Wally shook his head. “I really should - I guess it’s not all that simple sometimes but, soon” he nodded fervently. Everything would slow down eventually...surely. “Oh? is that so?”

-

Barry laughed. “Well, I’m glad I could help him out, then,” he said. “Everybody likes to get home early.” He grinned as the younger man spoke. “Actually, I’m full of great ideas, thank you very much,” he said. “And a lot of them happen to be food-related. It’s not my fault I’m hungry all the time.” He gave a little chuckle. “I’m sure I’ve missed more with you,” he said. “You know me, it’s just work and home.” He grinned crookedly. “And then, you know, work again.” The second iteration being the speedier one.

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     “That’s true...I can’t really remember the last time that I got home early. Let alone on time” the redhead laughed. It was a tough job, but Wally also knew that he would never find anything that felt as thrilling or rewarding and he needed the adrenaline. There was something about feeling the thrum in his chest as his blood raced through his veins that made Wally feel alive. “I never said you didn’t have good ideas....just that this was the best one” he teased, shaking his head. “I’m always hungry too - that’s a given - so I will always humour your food related ideas, Bar” he smirked. “No time for dating?”

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Hal looked at the other for a moment nodding his head “Everyone has their own little thing, that is something I learned earlier, especially with all my “cool” coworkers. I completely understand what you mean Wally” He mused looking at the other before chuckling softly “Yeah it’s good to be back around, everyone seems to be doing their own thing lately. I know I’ve been given a bit of a break from being a test pilot so I’ve been trying to find other things to fill my normally busy schedule”

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     “You know what? You got me there” Wally snorted, nodding at his friend’s point. Most of his company were other metahumans or beings with incredible powers and that typically meant that they had quite a few unique quirks to go with them. “Well, where are you staying?” the redhead asked, wondering how long Hal planned to be around. “I can understand a busy schedule...the whole crime never sleeps thing is way too accurate”

Wally West.  

“Guess you are what you–” Oh woops, a bit too Rated R for their setting so Artemis caught herself in the words and stopped. “Messy fits you.” She decided to say instead. “In fact they could have called you Kid Messy, and it’d still be fitting as a name.” She joked. “KM.” Artemis mused with a smirk. “Wally West? Not being patient?” She did an over dramatic feign of a gasp. “Who would have guessed? The world is shook by this totally unexpected never before seen development.” 

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     Wally’s eyes grew wide as he snorted at her insinuation. She wasn’t exactly wrong, not that the redhead was going to openly admit that to her. “Yeah? I have my shit together, though” he laughed softly. “Kid Messy? It just doesn’t have the same...vibe” Wally shook his head, an amused smirk growing on his face. Not a lot of people still referred to him as Kid Flash in person, not that he minded, of course. Apart from the fact that he had stopped being a kid a long time ago. “Okay, okay-” he rolled his eyes playfully at her sarcasm, shaking his head. “It’s worse when coffee is involved”

.

     “I did not get her number, but just for the record, I love messy” Wally grinned. He had never held any interest in anything serious that involved real feelings and it was easier for him to tell himself that he preferred things that way than it was to admit that he had a penchant for picking the wrong people. “I was just making conversation while I waited....you know how I hate waiting” 

—

“Not at all,” Amelia said honestly with a shrug of her shoulders. “My father wasn’t thrilled when I left the military. Said I should be serving until I can’t do it physically.” Amelia said with a roll of her eyes. “Which is funny considering how he had been lecturing me about how I shouldn’t join when I first told him I was considering it.” Amelia said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. “My favorite is how inaccurate the maps are. Seems like every other week something is being changed.”

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     “Parents like to think that we owe it to them to do whatever they think is right for us...it’s a pretty tough break for them when they’re forced to realize that we’re our own people with our own hopes and aspirations” Wally nodded gently. He didn’t like to assume, but he could picture that her father had served before her and expected that she was going to do the same. “Sounds like a lose, lose” he sighed. “Oh, for sure. You’d have better luck just winging it”

She notices his reaction and keeps her gaze upon him but doesn’t react much until he speaks once again. “How is Team Flash doing? Star Labs was a like a big tech toy shop last I experienced.” Lisa teases with a smirk. It was true she had been curious as to what new high tech toys Cisco had created. The metahuman had been secretly teaching herself and becoming very adapt. Afterall, she needed to keep her beloved gold gun in top shape. “He isn’t the worst personality I’ve ever endured. But as far as Team Flash is concerned, he’s the pick of the litter. Caitlyn is simply hilarious to get under her skin.” It was extremely easy to do after all. In fact it sometimes seemed that all Lisa had to do to annoy the other woman was to breathe the wrong way. “I didn’t mind running when I needed to before the power kicked in; though I do prefer swimming. But since I refuse to wear a suit like that… lets just say I’d rather get where I’m going and not have my outfit burn up along the way.” 

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     “You know that you could always just check in?” Wally rose his brows, a teasing smirk at his lips. “They’re doing just fine. Cisco is working on some really cool stuff...I keep telling him I need to stop by sometime and check it all out” A lot of people didn’t immediately think that somebody like Wally could be as smart as he was, and he always enjoyed visiting Star Labs and seeing everything that Barry’s team was coming up with. “Walking may not always be an option” Wally sighed. He considered himself to be more of a realist than a pessimist but after the recent Parademon attack right here in New York, he couldn’t be too careful. “Maybe a suit might be an option...even if it’s just for extreme circumstances”

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Hal chuckled listening to the other in truth he was very much of the same type of mind, he’d never bought into the zodiacs and suns given he’d more than spent his time among the stars people talked about. “I agree, but you must let people believe in things they wish, without too much judgment” he mused taking a sip of his drink before smiling “Nothing much, just enjoying my feet being on the ground for once, I wanted to check in with everyone and see how they are doing. So what’s up Wally anything new?”

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     “Oh I’m not judging” Wally assured him, holding his hands up. “If people need something like that to help them believe that there’s a reason that things happen or for why they are they way that they are then you gotta let them. While it’s not hurting anybody, I have much bigger things to worry about” the redhead nodded, listening to his old friend as he spoke. “It’s great to have you back around” he grinned, always happy to see an old buddy. “Nothing too new...just the usual” Just throwing himself into his work. 

-

A broad grin came to Barry’s lips, and he shrugged. “Yeah, probably,” he said comfortably. “But I’m sure he wasn’t complaining once I paid for them.” He grinned again. It definitely wasn’t cheap, but they were good hot dogs. Barry smiled, glad that he and Wally could make time for each other. They understood each other in a way that a lot of people didn’t, and it was nice to spend time with him. “Mmm, what about Chinese?” he suggested. “Plenty of helpings of that. If it’s buffet-style we may even get away with eating as much as we can without people judging us,” he added, another playful smile coming to his lips.

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     “He probably went home for the day” the redhead snorted, shaking his head. He had missed Barry a lot more than Wally cared to admit. It was just easier having another speedster around, he always felt as if he didn’t have to explain himself too much when it came to Barry. “Buffet chinese might be the smartest idea you’ve ever had” he smirked widely. “Sounds perfect. And it gives you plenty of time to catch me up on all of the stuff I missed”

“There was only one person that made that place home and hes gone now so…” She gives a highly casual shrug as if it were a very trivial statement. “Though I can understand why you’d miss it. Team Flash still seems to be going strong there from what I saw last.” The temptation to ask about Cisco was strong, though, she resisted for now. She’d wait until someone else brought him up to avoid any hint she cared. “Flash is the most annoying, in case you were wondering.” Lisa follows up with a smirk. Granted, she didn’t really have too much of a problem with any of team Flash and she actually respected most of them. A fact she planned to keep to herself till the day she dies. “My normal life isn’t worth protecting so I don’t need that separation. I just avoid running. Made that mistake once and that was enough.” 

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     Wally’s brows furrowed at her statement, but he didn’t press her to go into any further detail. Grief was never easy and her need to be away from Central City immediately made sense. “Yeah. I check in as often as I can” It was rare that Wally made it back to Central City, but he had kept himself busy with helping to keep Gotham City safe (or as safe as Gotham City could be) and now he was settling into doing the same for New York. “Oh yeah? I’m not sure I’d agree with that but, to each their own” he grinned playfully. He’d have to ask Barry about her when he next saw him, see if he could dig up more about what had happened to make her find him so irksome. “Running is kinda my thing, so...”

-

Amelia hummed and nodded her head. “Do you have a good relationship with your family?” Amelia asked the young man curiously. Her relationship with her family was…Tedious at best. “New York is definitely a place unlike any other.” Amelia said with a chuckle and a nod of her head.

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    “Yeah...for the most part, definitely. Do you?” the redhead nodded gently, returning the question. His family, just like every other, was not without it’s faults but Wally was grateful that his family was relatively close. He supposed that it helped when half of your family were also speedsters. They just...got it. “Definitely. I’m getting why it’s called the Big Apple, too. I’ve gotten lost more times than I’d care to admit, honestly...”

-

Amelia let out a chuckle as she heard the redhead’s words. “I’ve never been big on it. I prefer mine the old fashion way.” Amelia said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Nothing much. Just been hitting the gym a bit more. Trying to bulk up at least a little bit. Can’t always rely on my speed and flexibility, you know?” Amelia said with a chuckle. “How about yourself?”

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     “Me too” It wasn’t like he really needed coffee and it was rare that Wally would drink any but when he did he just wanted something simple. “Oh I felt that one” he chuckled, nodding. Being fast was great but Wally had to make sure that he could fight without that power, just in case. “I’ve been keeping myself busy, trying to adjust to life here in New York. Some of my family is here so it’s kind of cool to see them more often”