first of all, i am so sorry that i am delaying chapter 2 of the hoodflash fic again, and am resolving not to give any kind of formal posting date this time, only that it will be ready “soon.” because every time i set a date and miss it, i just feel really, really awful, and it’s a little demotivating. work and school are taking a little more out of me than i accounted for, and it keeps cutting into the time that i have blocked off for writing.
secondly, since i really do feel awful, and to thank everyone for their patience, i’m going to give another preview from the chapter in the hopes that it will tide people over. so without further ado...
Wally kind of wants to scream when he sees the way Roy and Jay are with each other the next day, Roy seemingly oblivious to his mistake the night before and Jay so ready to push it aside and play her role. Honestly, he feels a little sick watching Roy press his lips to Jay’s temple and wrap his arm around her waist, watching Jay look over at him with those wide, trusting eyes when Roy himself isn’t looking.
God, this is a mess, and he’s involved now, can’t just go on ignoring it, but he has no idea how to start untangling this knot.
Roy’s distracted for much of the afternoon, practically glued to his phone as he fires off texts, and Wally isn’t surprised to see Donna’s name when he manages to catch a glimpse of the screen. But he still lets Jay curl into his side after she leaves and comes back, wraps his arm around her shoulders and tucks his chin against the top of her head when she lays it on his shoulder. Wally can’t help the frown that tugs at his lips and pulls his brow down when she cuts him a hard look.
It could be a “don’t you dare judge me,” or a “don’t try to take this away from me,” or any number of other sentiments, and Wally is uncomfortable with the way he doesn’t know her well enough to decipher it for himself. Shouldn’t he know her better than that now, all things considered?
Linda. Dick. Roy. Garth, Donna, Lilith… He’d always been able to read each of them.
He shakes his head slightly, his teeth worrying at his bottom lip as his gaze flicks from her to Roy and then back again, and something in her features softens slightly. Her lips twist into a sad smile, and Wally sees the way her shoulder lifts ever-so-slightly as if to shrug.
They chat idly, with Roy throwing in his own two cents every so often, but when Roy finally puts his phone away and drops his hand from Jay’s shoulder to slide it up under the hem of her shirt, instead, Wally finds that he can’t do it, can’t stick around and be a part of it again. He stands up suddenly, and Roy’s brow creases as he looks up at him.
“Wally?” He asks uncertainly, and Wally can only stare down at them silently for a few moments before he shakes his head and turns to walk away. Before he does, he catches the hurt look on Jay’s face and has to grit his own teeth to keep from apologizing.
“Jesus, what’s with him today?” He hears Roy ask, but the door closes behind him before he can catch Jay’s response if she offers one.
He wanders the grounds for a while after that, anger and frustration bubbling beneath his skin, and, damn. Damn, he wants to run, wants to burn off the nervous energy thrumming through him and not have to think for a while.
He could be back before anyone even notices, though he’d rather take his time. And he can, can’t he? It’s not like he’ll really be missed, not if Jay and Roy will be keeping each other busy for a while.
Wally exhales slowly, letting a familiar sense of calm descend over him, and then he’s gone, nothing but a trail of lightning left to singe the grass in his wake.
--------------------------------------------------
He feels calmer when he returns a few hours later, a familiar tiredness weighing him down and making his muscles burn, and it’s. It’s good.
He needed that, probably. A speedster isn’t meant to be kept so stationary for so long.
And it has been a while, hasn’t it? Three weeks, just about, since he’d first crossed the threshold into Sanctuary.
So much has happened in that short time, and yet he isn’t sure that he’s actually made any real progress.
But running gave him time to think, and Wally decides that he’s the one holding himself back, not anyone else. That maybe, just maybe, moving on really is what he should be trying to do.
He’s still not sure, though, where exactly Jay and Roy fit into that.