fastest man alive, part iii

BART WAS EXPECTING the worst with going in there, but getting a positive result just gave him a little more hope in the world. He hopes that someday everyone would greet them like that. He understands if people didn’t trust them, and all of them would have their own opinions. He wants to live in a world where the majority of the civilians weren’t afraid of them or hated their existence. “They did!” Bart repeats with a happy grin as he smiles brightly back at his cousin. “Are you proud of me?”

Wally nodded and clapped Bart on the shoulder. “Of course I’m proud of you, Kid Flash.” He wasn’t going to be the kind of mentor who Bart would have to break his back to impress. Wally had experienced some of that with Barry, and he knew how awful it was to have to live up to impossible standards. He’d seen that first hand with Dick. He wanted Bart to be supported and cared for, not left out in the cold and expected to find his own way. “You did good.”

“WELL EVERYONE THINKS I’M WEIRD anyway, so I’ll embrace it! I like having a silly hair color. It’s perfect for me.” Bart says proudly with his hands on his hips. He licks over his bottom lip for a moment before turning to look back at Wally. “Weird, totally bizarre. I’ve seen younger photos of them though! It’s crazy to imagine them so young. Oh, that makes a lot of sense. I totally knew that, shut up.” Bart laughs though at his own words.

“You know, you’re kind of right. On anyone else, it doesn’t work, but it works for you, Bart,” he replied with a nod. “Yeah, so have I, but it’s like....those pictures were real once, you know? Like, they’re not just pictures, Joan and Jay actually looked like that in real life once upon a time. I guess that once upon a time is now, if you think about it.” Wally snorted. “I know you did, I was just clarifying for my sake.”

“I’M ON IT!” Bart says with a quick salute as he races up the stairs to where the people were. He hopes they would be nice, and enjoy seeing him there. Not everyone took kindly to heroes in this time. Which was strange considering how well achieved the speedsters were back home at a time. He couldn’t imagine working alongside anyone else. Wally and him have a bond that works, despite what everyone else may think. He tells the people that they would be safe, and surprisingly he’s welcomed by ‘thank you’ instead of animosity. He smiles when rushing back to Wally’s side. “They thanked me!” He says with a bright grin up at his cousin.

Wally knew that it could be risky, sending Bart in there—the last thing he wanted was for Bart to get discouraged because some people they had saved didn’t want to be saved, after all, but he hoped that these people would be different. Wally wanted the world for Bart, but it was hard to give it to him when the entire world seemed to be against them. “They did?” He grinned at Bart, his nose crinkling up and causing the fabric of his mask to wrinkle slightly. “Nice work, Kid Flash.” Wally really meant it. Bart had grown a lot since the last time he saw him. 

barbara was still in astonishment that her friend was now a father. so much had changed since they came back in time, she couldn’t believe she missed the birth announcement or linda’s whole pregnancy. it really had been that long, a daunting thought but it had almost been a year since she’d seen the twenty-first century, or her own father at that. barbara took a breath, pushing her fallen strands behind her ear as she remained optimistic for her friend’s great news. “you don’t need a right time, wally, this is something that needs to be shared!” she smiled widely, but shook her head soon after, “people will be thrilled for you and linda, despite the circumstances we’re currently under. you shouldn’t keep this to yourself.”

wally laughed, his nose crinkling up. “i know, i know. i just don’t want to turn into that dorky dad, you know?” he sighed. “but i totally am. i am that dorky dad now, and i love them so much that it literally, physically hurts me sometimes,” he replied, shaking his head. “seriously. it’s like—” he gestured at his chest. “it hurts here, but, like, in the best way possible, you know?” he sighed. “i named them after jay and aunt iris,” he added. “and i just—they’re my entire life now. everything that i’m doing back here is for them in the future.”

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING GINGER?” Bart asks while looking up as his hair is ruffled around. “It’s the best hair color! I’m proud to be ginger.” He says with a grin though as he couldn’t be seriously offended. Wally was right about Jay and Joan though, they always seem like they’ve been together forever, and he doesn’t want to think about it any other way. “You’re right, I hope they never have to be apart, ever.” He squints a little. “I only have two feet though.”

“Nothing! Nothing is wrong with being ginger, I promise. Except, you know, that it’s a silly hair color,” he teased lightly. He nodded, pressing his lips into a thoughtful frown. “It really is strange to think that once upon a time, they weren’t together,” he replied. “They were like us, you know. Young. Dating around. Isn’t that absolutely bizarre?” He shook his head. “Feet as in the unit of measurement, kiddo.”

BART KNOWS THAT family won’t ever be perfect, but he was proud to be part of his family. He would do anything for any of them, and he was also proud to have a Flash mentor of his own. Wally and him may have gotten off on the wrong foot a long time ago now – but they’ve gotten to a good place. Bart can’t imagine not having his cousin in his life. He looks up to him, whether anyone believes that or not. “I think you’re right, Flash, don’t look so tough now.” He grins as the man is dizzy enough, and Bart only has to push him once to knock him down. “Easy as pie.”

Wally and Bart made a surprisingly good team. People might think because Wally used to be totally irresponsible and because Bart was impulsive and naive that they wouldn’t know how to work together, but actually, they were almost seamless in the way they took care of these things. Wally was grateful for the fact—when he had told Bart that he wanted Bart to be his Kid Flash, he had been worried that it might not work out. “Good job. Go in there and tell those people that they’re going to be okay.”

“OH! I’m curious, what if he was blonde? Wouldn’t that be interesting?” Bart asks with a bright grin spread on his face. “I hope so, they’ve been together forever I thought. It’s weird to think about them not together.” He nods at the mention of Joan. “You think so?” He wonders what Wally means by that necessarily. “It’s an expression, good, I don’t even know how long a yard is.”

“Right? Or even weirder, what if he has the ginger and looks like you?” he asked, reaching a hand out to tousle Bart’s hair as he grinned down at him. “It kind of does seem like Jay and Joan have been together since the dawn of time,” he admitted with a snort. “Yeah, I do. Jay’s always happier with her than apart from her.” Wally missed them, deeply. He didn’t realize it until that moment. “A yard is three feet, and going the whole nine yards means doing everything thoroughly.”

@flashesback

the woman didn’t have a concrete clue that he was around, she could only hope since she haven’t heard from him before she came to 1973. so jesse kept her her eyes pealed for him, have brought something that she always kept on her pocket in the events she saw him. and as she made her way through the mansion she saw no one less then wally, she let a soft smile take over her features as she pushed through a few people to get to him “wally,” she called out “hey, so glad i found you.” she said as she got closer to him “i have something for you.” jesse reached in her pocket for a small photograph of the other speedster’s family recently, his children smiling at her camera, “i figured you would like to have this, so i printed before making the jump.”

wally paused for a moment, his jaw dropping as he saw jesse, and then dropping further when she handed him the picture. he paused, unable to say anything, just shocked by her sudden appearance. “jesse?” he paused, and then a grin spread across his features. “jesse!” he wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug, lifting her up and spinning her around once—wally always did have a flair for the dramatic. “you’re here! and you know how my kids are, shit—” he looked back down at the picture, his fingertips rubbing over linda’s tired face, over the babies in her arms. they were bigger. he didn’t like that. “how are they? when did you talk to linda last?”

“i think that’s the general opinion around here.” she bowed her head, taking the other seat as she moved closer. barbara looked up again, towards her friend with a brief sigh, about to say something but her attention was soon drawn to wally reaching for his wallet, her focus quickly shifting to the photo as she sat up a little. “wally i — i had no idea,” her response was slightly breathless with astonishment but she grinned warmly and threw her arms around him. “congratulations! that’s — i’m so happy for you both!” it wasn’t often babs was at a loss for words, but this was one of those rare occassions, unsure whether to be ectastic for her friend or sympathetic, considering he wasn’t with his new family. they were stuck in the future; for the better, she hoped. however she pulled away before her uncertainity for her own future could kick in, and slapped his side, “why didn’t you say something sooner?”

wally chuckled softly. “yeah, no one did. they were born a year after all of you ditched me and came back here.” he wrapped his arms around barbara, patting her on the back a couple of times before he pulled her closer—sometimes, he just needed to feel someone solidly against him, needed that physical affection from his friends or from his family just to remind him that he was loved and to remind them that they were loved, too. “i don’t know! i don’t know when the right time to bring stuff like this is. it’s not like this is exactly an ideal situation in which to tell you i’m a dad.”

SOMEDAY BART WOULD NEED to become a Flash too, just as everyone before him has. He isn’t sure when he’ll be ready for that, but he has a lot left to learn yet. Right now though he was happy to learn from his cousin in any way he wanted to teach him. “Okay!” Bart is already racing off down the street to where the building was, stopping in front of the bad guys blocking the way inside. “You think you’re so tough aren’t you?”

Wally was glad to be able to pass on the legacy that he had fought so hard to protect. It was important to him. This family, as strange as they may seem, as discombobulated and disjointed as they might get, was a source of pride for him. He was proud to be able to call someone his Kid Flash, and the fact that it was Bart just made things better. Wally ran up slightly after Bart and ran a circle around the guy once, disorienting him and making him dizzy in order to distract him. “I think that he doesn’t feel so tough now.”

“you’re not going to get anything more interesting until the eighties.” she stated with a slight sigh, then thought about it for a moment. “any game that consists of having patience springs to mind. a card game with everyone here, where you have to slowly wait for your turn to come around.” barbara chuckled, merely teasing her friend. “that would be a challenge.” she feigned a pout, shaking her head. “but by me? i don’t think so. i’d never do such a thing.”

“again, i hate being in 1973,” he replied with a pout, sitting down next to her and slumping in his chair before he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder. “i’m getting all restless,” he complained. he paused for a moment. “i really need to get back to the future, barbara,” he added softly, fishing around for his wallet for a moment before he could take out the slightly dog-eared picture of him and linda holding the newborn twins in their arms. “we named them jai and irey.”

BART GRINS HAPPILY AS HE HIGH-FIVES his cousin, chuckling a little as he does so. He drops his arm back at his side, and turns his gaze back to who they’ve rounded up. He was older now, and although still impulsive, he has gotten better at assessing situations.  He places a hand on his face as he thinks about it, looking around. “I know! We go help the people stuck in that building over there, right? I think some bad guys are around there too from what I can see, they look like ants from here.”

Wally titled his head, watching Bart survey the area before nodding at what he said. “Lead the way, Kid Flash,” he said, gesturing forward before following Bart, lightning crackling after them when they ran. Wally knew that it was important that he not only be the best Flash that he could be but that he also teach Bart how to be that person. Someday, the mantle would be passed down to Bart, and Wally wanted him to be prepared.

“IT WOULD BE SO COOL to see him when he wasn’t so old!” Bart says with a grin at the thought. “Oh! Does that man we’d get to meet a young Joan too? I miss her cooking. Do you think they’re still together? Does Jay still have that helmet? I’d like to see if I can still get away with snatching it off his head.” Bart beams with a bright grin although maybe that was just his way of expressing how much he missed them. However, the conversation about sex was awkward – and he repeats Wally’s words to try and remember them. “Use protection … get tested … run nine yards?”

“Right? I don’t even know what color Jay’s hair was before it all turned white. Aren’t you a little curious to find out?” He paused, shrugging. “I don’t know if they were together in 1973,” he replied. “But I hope so. Joan always made Jay a better person,” he replied, a sort of dreamy smile spreading across his features. He had modeled his own relationships after what he saw with Jay and Joan—in his eyes, they were perfect, and that was exactly what he wanted. Pausing, Wally furrowed his brow. “What? No, don’t run nine yards, Bart, that was just an expression.”

“then that leaves you with the strategic type, like oregon trail.” she smirked, then feigned a pout as she shook her head. “me? i wouldn’t dare do such a thing, wallace west. it’s just a way to entertain ourselves for the time being. just a simple game of pong, i won’t hustle or poke fun at how bad at it you are too much, promise.”

“yeah, and those are boring, too. i need something that will keep up with me.” he snapped his fingers. “i’m totally challenging you, right now, to come up with something that would be hard for someone like me. i dare you. i double dog dare you.” he crinkled his nose up. “you expect me to believe that? i’ve been burned before, you know.”

“I’m not really. Maybe a little.” He answers stubborn, still frowning as he watches Wally. This was a ridiculous idea and - of course - it was all Wally’s idea, he just got dragged along before he really know what he was getting into. “I am not a scaredy cat! Next time I’m gonna make you go on your own.”

Wally laughed, tilting his head back. “Fraidy-cat. You know, there’s nothing wrong with being a wuss, as long as you own up to it.” Wally raised his hands as he shrugged. “Go ahead, J. I’ll do it and finally prove to everyone that out of the two of us, I’m the superior hero.”