A Flash by Any Other Name
May. 28th, 2006 10:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shankieWally shares some worries with J'onn at at League meeting he should be paying attention to...
Part Thirty: Silent Conversation
This particular League council meeting was Wally's idea. In fact, it'd taken a considerable amount of convincing to get Bruce to admit that this thing with Brannock needed to be more than just some one-on-one with Batman. That it was bigger than that; and he damn well knew it.
It didn't stop him from being bored silly. His brain was somewhere completely different, and after a while of listening to Bruce and Clark droning on, he looked at J'onn and directed his thoughts as to get his telepathic attention.
'J'onn?'
'Yes, Wally?'
'Can I ask you something?'
'Of course.'
'Does Shayera know about... us?'
'Wally, you know that I...'
'Oh, yeah, totally. But you can get the vibes, right? And I'm horrid at reading people, but you're the foremost expert on our little planet here.'
'Why do you want to know?'
'Uh, 'cause, well... if she does and it's just Di that doesn't... you know, on the council... I think that I'm going to need to fix that. Doesn't seem right.'
'Batman is a very private person...'
'I live with him now, J'onn." He interrupted. "I'm practically turning into Mrs. Wayne. I just... I know we can't like, have a big ceremony on national television or anything... but...'
'Despite the need for prudence, part of you resents it.'
'Yeah.'
Wally sighed heavily, which made half the table glance up at him curiously. He feigned attention to whatever Clark had just been saying and ignored them.
'Even Lantern and Shayera kept their relationship quiet for over a year.'
'They weren't shacking up.'
'True.'
Wally could feel a reassuring brush against his mind from J'onn, which made him smile.
'I don't know what to do. It doesn't seem fair to bother Bruce with me being all girly.'
'You're worried that, in some way, he is ashamed of his feelings for you. That isn't a particularly feminine worry to have, but a human one.'
At that, Wally gave him a wide-eyed stare of surprise, then quickly looked down at the table when he realized how obviously weird he was being, twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip.
'I guess I am.'
Wally hadn't let himself seriously entertain the idea of not hiding their relationship from prying eyes. Told himself it wasn't important. His mom knew now, and had reacted not with the feared oh my God my son is gay! but with a kind of motherly excitement that he was with someone so wealthy and famous. She got all giddy at the idea of meeting him, which made him smile to think about. Of course, she didn't know about his night-life.
But aside from her, a couple League members, and some of the Bats, nobody knew. Wally had jokingly said he could go to more society functions as Angie to make their relationship even more conspiratorial. Wally wasn't really sure how serious the offer was, and Bruce hadn't really given him an answer. He did seem to like his Wally in satin, after all...
But he still took bimbos to fancy outings and never touched him around other people. On the Watchtower... sometimes it seemed like he avoided him. Now that he was healthy and didn't literally need Bruce to lean on.
It seemed like his entire life was just one big secret after another. God forbid the most powerful man in the world had a soft spot for a mechanic from Missouri. Other people at work talked about who they were dating or what they did for fun, chit-chat to fill the time wrestling with engines. He lied.
'He isn't. It projects so loudly I can hear it whenever I am with the both of you. I believe the expression is, he worships the ground you walk on.'
Wally glanced up at Bruce, who was looking at him with a neutral expression as he said something about testing security systems, then back down at his hands.
'Really?' Wally felt... strange at that. All uncomfortable, shy, and thrilled at the same time. He was pretty certain he was blushing, his cheeks felt warm despite the cool environmentally controlled atmosphere. '...Worships?'
'Yes, Wally. His projections are very... reverent.'
'But I thought he was all... stone-walled when it came to his mind?'
'Not when he looks at you.'
It was everything Wally could do not to just throw Bruce over his shoulder and haul him off right then and there. He never doubted that he really did love him... but he never really said it. Things close to it, meaning it, sometimes... but never... it. Not since the first time.
But he was Batman. Of course he didn't. But... he didn't have to. Nobody had ever had looked at Wally like Bruce did when they were alone and there wasn't anybody to fool. Or work to get in the way. Like he was drunk off the mere sight of him.
Wally smiled again, daydreaming for a while before remembering what he was 'talking' about.
'But... yeah. Just seems like the right thing to do. Telling Diana. I feel really bad about keeping it a secret, listening to her pour her heart out and just getting all embarrassed and running off.'
'Have you asked him about this?'
'Well... no. I can guess what he'd say.'
'Perhaps. He does care about her, you know.' J'onn gave him a mental nudge. 'Superman is addressing you.'
Wally looked up and blinked.
"What?"
Clark gave him an irritated frown and sighed.
"Your encounter with the Joker's henchman. Could you tell us exactly what happened?"
"Oh yeah, okay." Wally took a deep breath. "It was a little before 11, and I was doing a quick patrol. Local branch of Aparo Jewelers had it's silent alarm going off, and I overheard the call coming through on the radio of some cops I was chatting with on their break, so I went to check it out. Pretty standard break in, five guys, masks, guns, whole enchilada. I do my thing, tie 'em up and wait for the cops, and while I am, I pull off their ski masks. Lo and behold, that one guy is from the time Joker was in town. He'd had a gas mask on at the time, but he's got this real distinctive scar on his forehead that makes a bit of a white streak in his hair, you know, like a skunk or something? I knew right off the bat it was him." Wally took another deep breath and looked around at his carefully listening audience. He related, word for word, what the guy had said to him, to absent nods and frowns.
Bruce had just got done telling them about the plot against Bruce Wayne; it'd set them all on edge, and who could blame them? If he knew who Batman was, one of the most carefully guarded secrets of the League, what else did he know? Who else was next on his list to get their lives torn apart?
Wally suspected that Bruce considered this personal, against him, and he could be right; he was their strategist, after all. Losing him would be losing... more than they could afford. He'd always felt that way, even... before.
As if sensing his thoughts, Clark echoed the sentiment.
"The obvious reasons for disabling Batman aside, what conclusions can we put together at this point? What he might be doing that would require the specific actions he's taken so far?" He looked at Bruce with another frown. "How about re-capping from the top?"
"The first attack was specifically directed at The Flash. From what I could gather from Brannock before my memory gap, it was possibly a test. His physiology made him the most difficult, and at the same time, the most useful individual to control through his nano-tech. The most difficult for us to track and catch to reverse his condition. It was only through a combination of chemical agents and his knowledge of my Joker anti-toxins that it was able to take hold of his system with the effectiveness it did."
Bruce swallowed and glanced at Wally before continuing. Wally made a note to make him talk about that, later.
"The second was directed at Bruce Wayne and other Gotham industrialists, as well as Wonder Woman. Her involvement may have been an attack of opportunity, however. The others were to gain control of a large portion of the economic power in Gotham, and quickly expanded that power throughout the East Coast. The Question has been keeping me informed of his investigation, but he's covering his tracks well, and much of our intel at this point is educated speculation. The third was against Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, and I, in the memory alteration through control of J'onn. The reasons for his wanting us out of commission for those days is yet unclear, as is just how long he anticipated he'd have us under that particular spell."
"From what I can recall from that time..." J'onn said evenly, "Brannock had intended for it to last at least a full week. I made him aware of Batman's actions, but at the time, he had been... using me to make a variety of individuals unable to work." He looked clearly frustrated at that, as much as J'onn ever did. "My telepathic capacity had been diminished by the stress of the technology, and the memories I retained were mostly centered around League members due to Flash's presence in my mind when I regained control."
"From what we gather, they were mainly heads of tech firms, including Ted Kord. As of yet, we have not been able to link him to any of those firms, and ruled out any influence over Kord Industries at this time." Bruce added. "We have been keeping a very close eye on them, however. This leads to the possibility of ambitions to expand his technological arsenal, but doesn't help us with how he obtained the nano-tech in the first place."
Bruce paused, surveying the room and lingering his gaze on Wally ever so slightly longer before he continued.
"The criminals he has been confirmed to have either hired or brought under nano-tech influence are The Joker, Lex Luthor, Scarecrow, Giganta, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, The Shade, and Clayface. That the majority of these are considered to be among my 'rogues gallery' may or may not be coincidental. While a great many criminals and other civilian meta-humans have gone missing, again, we can only speculate. The need for most is obvious; muscle that could be used against the League or government forces. Also on the list is a number of human telepaths, hence the precautions J'onn has been taking with League members in the past weeks."
"So, what can we get from all that?" John asked, leaning forward on the table.
"A message was sent to my home, anonymously, claiming intentions to remove 'a need for the League' in the world. It's possible he attempting to form his own global security force to replace us, and remove us in the process." Bruce said, dripping with disdain. "If that is the case, it's almost certainly an excuse for his ambitions for power."
"So... what? He disagrees with our methods, so he wants to destroy us and prove he can do better?" Shayera said spitefully.
"What do we know about this guy, anyway?" John asked.
"Nothing." Bruce answered flatly.
"Nothing?" John said unbelievingly.
"There are no records of him in any database. We've searched for his name and likeness in every available system, in every country on the globe. Since we haven't been able to obtain a DNA sample, it's been more difficult." Bruce said, obviously annoyed at that.
"Well... maybe we should get on that." Wally piped up. "I mean, he goes to all kinds of social gatherings, right? Couldn't we just send someone to one as a busboy or something and nab a glass he drank out of?"
"I've tried that. He doesn't drink at all at any of them. We were unable to even lift fingerprints. Brannock is uncommonly... devious." He frowned. "Tails and tracking devices were unable to even locate any of his current residences, and my sweeps of his official buildings and offices found absolutely nothing. His listed address is an empty house that has no indication he's ever even been on the premises."
"His strength indicated to me he is very possibly a meta-human. Have you searched the Cadmus databanks for any possibilities?" Diana asked.
"Their records of meta-humans on the planet are... lacking. Any that didn't call attention to themselves through overt action or recorded suspicious sightings aren't included." Clark said.
Bruce nodded his assent.
"I already have The Question investigating the phone records and the hideout Joker had been using in Chicago. At this point, that is our only lead. However, I don't expect to find anything that will make a direct connexion."
Wally didn't know that Bruce had followed up and gotten an address; he should have done it himself... but he wasn't the interrogation expert.
They kept on talking, but Wally just drifted out again and thought about how this would be his first night living at Wayne Manor. At the moment, his stuff was being moved in by a discreet company Bruce had hired. He was keeping some stuff at his apartment, and maintaining it as an official address just to make things easier. There were steps to be taken to keep the move out of tabloids... the fact that his living with Bruce would be news, real actual news was still mind-boggling.
He looked up and realized the meeting had adjourned, and everyone was leaving.
'Ice cream?' J'onn asked.
'Race ya to the kitchen!' Wally replied with a grin.
He took off and already had a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream set out, with two dished out bowls waiting when J'onn floated in. They perched by the window and looked off into the points of light as they ate.
'You've been spending an awful lot of time up here recently, J'onn.'
'There has been much work to do.'
'You're still takin' that thing pretty hard, huh?'
J'onn took a moment to answer him, thoughtfully staring off at the stars.
'I let my guard down, and it cost us dearly. That we are still uncertain as to the extent of the damage I caused...'
'Hey now. We all make mistakes. I'm the crown prince of mistakes over here, how many times has someone had to save my sorry butt because my feet were quicker than my fool head?'
'That's different.'
'I don't see how. J'onn...' He set his spoon in the bowl and put his hand on J'onn knee comfortingly. 'He did it to me, too. I've come to terms with that.'
J'onn looked over and smiled.
'It seems selfish to dwell on it in the face of all you've been through, Wally. So much more.'
Wally gave him a cheery grin.
'Hey, I'm ok over here. You've a big reason for that, you know. Us talking.'
'And Bruce.'
'Yeah.'
Wally smiled and sighed.
'Besides, it was a great bonding experience for the two of us. In a real macho gladiator kinda way.' Wally laughed and nudged J'onn with his elbow before he started eating again. 'Silver linings man, silver linings.'
'You're quite adept at finding them.'
'Someone around this floating heap has to be.'
'Indeed. Although I'd be careful as to who hears you refer to the Watchtower as a 'floating heap'. Batman and Steel are rather defensively fond of their work. They may take it personally.'
Wally grinned devilishly and considered doing it just to see how Bruce reacted. He could picture it now, the folded arms and cool accusatory Bat-look. So cute when he was pretending to be angry. J'onn apparently caught the last thought, because he actually snorted.
'I believe you're the only sentient being on the planet who has that opinion.'
'Mom always told me I was special.' He winked at J'onn playfully.
'That much is clear.'
Part Thirty: Silent Conversation
This particular League council meeting was Wally's idea. In fact, it'd taken a considerable amount of convincing to get Bruce to admit that this thing with Brannock needed to be more than just some one-on-one with Batman. That it was bigger than that; and he damn well knew it.
It didn't stop him from being bored silly. His brain was somewhere completely different, and after a while of listening to Bruce and Clark droning on, he looked at J'onn and directed his thoughts as to get his telepathic attention.
'J'onn?'
'Yes, Wally?'
'Can I ask you something?'
'Of course.'
'Does Shayera know about... us?'
'Wally, you know that I...'
'Oh, yeah, totally. But you can get the vibes, right? And I'm horrid at reading people, but you're the foremost expert on our little planet here.'
'Why do you want to know?'
'Uh, 'cause, well... if she does and it's just Di that doesn't... you know, on the council... I think that I'm going to need to fix that. Doesn't seem right.'
'Batman is a very private person...'
'I live with him now, J'onn." He interrupted. "I'm practically turning into Mrs. Wayne. I just... I know we can't like, have a big ceremony on national television or anything... but...'
'Despite the need for prudence, part of you resents it.'
'Yeah.'
Wally sighed heavily, which made half the table glance up at him curiously. He feigned attention to whatever Clark had just been saying and ignored them.
'Even Lantern and Shayera kept their relationship quiet for over a year.'
'They weren't shacking up.'
'True.'
Wally could feel a reassuring brush against his mind from J'onn, which made him smile.
'I don't know what to do. It doesn't seem fair to bother Bruce with me being all girly.'
'You're worried that, in some way, he is ashamed of his feelings for you. That isn't a particularly feminine worry to have, but a human one.'
At that, Wally gave him a wide-eyed stare of surprise, then quickly looked down at the table when he realized how obviously weird he was being, twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip.
'I guess I am.'
Wally hadn't let himself seriously entertain the idea of not hiding their relationship from prying eyes. Told himself it wasn't important. His mom knew now, and had reacted not with the feared oh my God my son is gay! but with a kind of motherly excitement that he was with someone so wealthy and famous. She got all giddy at the idea of meeting him, which made him smile to think about. Of course, she didn't know about his night-life.
But aside from her, a couple League members, and some of the Bats, nobody knew. Wally had jokingly said he could go to more society functions as Angie to make their relationship even more conspiratorial. Wally wasn't really sure how serious the offer was, and Bruce hadn't really given him an answer. He did seem to like his Wally in satin, after all...
But he still took bimbos to fancy outings and never touched him around other people. On the Watchtower... sometimes it seemed like he avoided him. Now that he was healthy and didn't literally need Bruce to lean on.
It seemed like his entire life was just one big secret after another. God forbid the most powerful man in the world had a soft spot for a mechanic from Missouri. Other people at work talked about who they were dating or what they did for fun, chit-chat to fill the time wrestling with engines. He lied.
'He isn't. It projects so loudly I can hear it whenever I am with the both of you. I believe the expression is, he worships the ground you walk on.'
Wally glanced up at Bruce, who was looking at him with a neutral expression as he said something about testing security systems, then back down at his hands.
'Really?' Wally felt... strange at that. All uncomfortable, shy, and thrilled at the same time. He was pretty certain he was blushing, his cheeks felt warm despite the cool environmentally controlled atmosphere. '...Worships?'
'Yes, Wally. His projections are very... reverent.'
'But I thought he was all... stone-walled when it came to his mind?'
'Not when he looks at you.'
It was everything Wally could do not to just throw Bruce over his shoulder and haul him off right then and there. He never doubted that he really did love him... but he never really said it. Things close to it, meaning it, sometimes... but never... it. Not since the first time.
But he was Batman. Of course he didn't. But... he didn't have to. Nobody had ever had looked at Wally like Bruce did when they were alone and there wasn't anybody to fool. Or work to get in the way. Like he was drunk off the mere sight of him.
Wally smiled again, daydreaming for a while before remembering what he was 'talking' about.
'But... yeah. Just seems like the right thing to do. Telling Diana. I feel really bad about keeping it a secret, listening to her pour her heart out and just getting all embarrassed and running off.'
'Have you asked him about this?'
'Well... no. I can guess what he'd say.'
'Perhaps. He does care about her, you know.' J'onn gave him a mental nudge. 'Superman is addressing you.'
Wally looked up and blinked.
"What?"
Clark gave him an irritated frown and sighed.
"Your encounter with the Joker's henchman. Could you tell us exactly what happened?"
"Oh yeah, okay." Wally took a deep breath. "It was a little before 11, and I was doing a quick patrol. Local branch of Aparo Jewelers had it's silent alarm going off, and I overheard the call coming through on the radio of some cops I was chatting with on their break, so I went to check it out. Pretty standard break in, five guys, masks, guns, whole enchilada. I do my thing, tie 'em up and wait for the cops, and while I am, I pull off their ski masks. Lo and behold, that one guy is from the time Joker was in town. He'd had a gas mask on at the time, but he's got this real distinctive scar on his forehead that makes a bit of a white streak in his hair, you know, like a skunk or something? I knew right off the bat it was him." Wally took another deep breath and looked around at his carefully listening audience. He related, word for word, what the guy had said to him, to absent nods and frowns.
Bruce had just got done telling them about the plot against Bruce Wayne; it'd set them all on edge, and who could blame them? If he knew who Batman was, one of the most carefully guarded secrets of the League, what else did he know? Who else was next on his list to get their lives torn apart?
Wally suspected that Bruce considered this personal, against him, and he could be right; he was their strategist, after all. Losing him would be losing... more than they could afford. He'd always felt that way, even... before.
As if sensing his thoughts, Clark echoed the sentiment.
"The obvious reasons for disabling Batman aside, what conclusions can we put together at this point? What he might be doing that would require the specific actions he's taken so far?" He looked at Bruce with another frown. "How about re-capping from the top?"
"The first attack was specifically directed at The Flash. From what I could gather from Brannock before my memory gap, it was possibly a test. His physiology made him the most difficult, and at the same time, the most useful individual to control through his nano-tech. The most difficult for us to track and catch to reverse his condition. It was only through a combination of chemical agents and his knowledge of my Joker anti-toxins that it was able to take hold of his system with the effectiveness it did."
Bruce swallowed and glanced at Wally before continuing. Wally made a note to make him talk about that, later.
"The second was directed at Bruce Wayne and other Gotham industrialists, as well as Wonder Woman. Her involvement may have been an attack of opportunity, however. The others were to gain control of a large portion of the economic power in Gotham, and quickly expanded that power throughout the East Coast. The Question has been keeping me informed of his investigation, but he's covering his tracks well, and much of our intel at this point is educated speculation. The third was against Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, and I, in the memory alteration through control of J'onn. The reasons for his wanting us out of commission for those days is yet unclear, as is just how long he anticipated he'd have us under that particular spell."
"From what I can recall from that time..." J'onn said evenly, "Brannock had intended for it to last at least a full week. I made him aware of Batman's actions, but at the time, he had been... using me to make a variety of individuals unable to work." He looked clearly frustrated at that, as much as J'onn ever did. "My telepathic capacity had been diminished by the stress of the technology, and the memories I retained were mostly centered around League members due to Flash's presence in my mind when I regained control."
"From what we gather, they were mainly heads of tech firms, including Ted Kord. As of yet, we have not been able to link him to any of those firms, and ruled out any influence over Kord Industries at this time." Bruce added. "We have been keeping a very close eye on them, however. This leads to the possibility of ambitions to expand his technological arsenal, but doesn't help us with how he obtained the nano-tech in the first place."
Bruce paused, surveying the room and lingering his gaze on Wally ever so slightly longer before he continued.
"The criminals he has been confirmed to have either hired or brought under nano-tech influence are The Joker, Lex Luthor, Scarecrow, Giganta, Solomon Grundy, Two-Face, The Shade, and Clayface. That the majority of these are considered to be among my 'rogues gallery' may or may not be coincidental. While a great many criminals and other civilian meta-humans have gone missing, again, we can only speculate. The need for most is obvious; muscle that could be used against the League or government forces. Also on the list is a number of human telepaths, hence the precautions J'onn has been taking with League members in the past weeks."
"So, what can we get from all that?" John asked, leaning forward on the table.
"A message was sent to my home, anonymously, claiming intentions to remove 'a need for the League' in the world. It's possible he attempting to form his own global security force to replace us, and remove us in the process." Bruce said, dripping with disdain. "If that is the case, it's almost certainly an excuse for his ambitions for power."
"So... what? He disagrees with our methods, so he wants to destroy us and prove he can do better?" Shayera said spitefully.
"What do we know about this guy, anyway?" John asked.
"Nothing." Bruce answered flatly.
"Nothing?" John said unbelievingly.
"There are no records of him in any database. We've searched for his name and likeness in every available system, in every country on the globe. Since we haven't been able to obtain a DNA sample, it's been more difficult." Bruce said, obviously annoyed at that.
"Well... maybe we should get on that." Wally piped up. "I mean, he goes to all kinds of social gatherings, right? Couldn't we just send someone to one as a busboy or something and nab a glass he drank out of?"
"I've tried that. He doesn't drink at all at any of them. We were unable to even lift fingerprints. Brannock is uncommonly... devious." He frowned. "Tails and tracking devices were unable to even locate any of his current residences, and my sweeps of his official buildings and offices found absolutely nothing. His listed address is an empty house that has no indication he's ever even been on the premises."
"His strength indicated to me he is very possibly a meta-human. Have you searched the Cadmus databanks for any possibilities?" Diana asked.
"Their records of meta-humans on the planet are... lacking. Any that didn't call attention to themselves through overt action or recorded suspicious sightings aren't included." Clark said.
Bruce nodded his assent.
"I already have The Question investigating the phone records and the hideout Joker had been using in Chicago. At this point, that is our only lead. However, I don't expect to find anything that will make a direct connexion."
Wally didn't know that Bruce had followed up and gotten an address; he should have done it himself... but he wasn't the interrogation expert.
They kept on talking, but Wally just drifted out again and thought about how this would be his first night living at Wayne Manor. At the moment, his stuff was being moved in by a discreet company Bruce had hired. He was keeping some stuff at his apartment, and maintaining it as an official address just to make things easier. There were steps to be taken to keep the move out of tabloids... the fact that his living with Bruce would be news, real actual news was still mind-boggling.
He looked up and realized the meeting had adjourned, and everyone was leaving.
'Ice cream?' J'onn asked.
'Race ya to the kitchen!' Wally replied with a grin.
He took off and already had a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream set out, with two dished out bowls waiting when J'onn floated in. They perched by the window and looked off into the points of light as they ate.
'You've been spending an awful lot of time up here recently, J'onn.'
'There has been much work to do.'
'You're still takin' that thing pretty hard, huh?'
J'onn took a moment to answer him, thoughtfully staring off at the stars.
'I let my guard down, and it cost us dearly. That we are still uncertain as to the extent of the damage I caused...'
'Hey now. We all make mistakes. I'm the crown prince of mistakes over here, how many times has someone had to save my sorry butt because my feet were quicker than my fool head?'
'That's different.'
'I don't see how. J'onn...' He set his spoon in the bowl and put his hand on J'onn knee comfortingly. 'He did it to me, too. I've come to terms with that.'
J'onn looked over and smiled.
'It seems selfish to dwell on it in the face of all you've been through, Wally. So much more.'
Wally gave him a cheery grin.
'Hey, I'm ok over here. You've a big reason for that, you know. Us talking.'
'And Bruce.'
'Yeah.'
Wally smiled and sighed.
'Besides, it was a great bonding experience for the two of us. In a real macho gladiator kinda way.' Wally laughed and nudged J'onn with his elbow before he started eating again. 'Silver linings man, silver linings.'
'You're quite adept at finding them.'
'Someone around this floating heap has to be.'
'Indeed. Although I'd be careful as to who hears you refer to the Watchtower as a 'floating heap'. Batman and Steel are rather defensively fond of their work. They may take it personally.'
Wally grinned devilishly and considered doing it just to see how Bruce reacted. He could picture it now, the folded arms and cool accusatory Bat-look. So cute when he was pretending to be angry. J'onn apparently caught the last thought, because he actually snorted.
'I believe you're the only sentient being on the planet who has that opinion.'
'Mom always told me I was special.' He winked at J'onn playfully.
'That much is clear.'
This was sweet and funny
on 2006-05-28 05:52 pm (UTC)And the humor is just delicious! I love Wally and Jonn talking during the meeting. Kind of like passing notes and almost getting caught time and time again. And having Jonn and Wally race for the ice cream. It's probably moments like that that keep them sane after all they've seen and had to deal with.
I love this story more and more. Thanks!
Christina
Re: This was sweet and funny
on 2006-05-28 10:15 pm (UTC)Superheroes definitely need their breaks from the serious, and I'm all too happy to give it to them.
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on 2006-05-28 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-28 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-28 10:09 pm (UTC)Also? The image of Batman litterally worshiping the ground Wally walks on makes me giggle.
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on 2006-05-28 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-28 10:25 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-29 01:08 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-28 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-29 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-29 12:04 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-29 01:07 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-29 04:20 am (UTC)As different at those two are in the cartoon, they are good for each other. J'onn gives Wally stability and Wally's flightiness helps J'onn loosen up :)
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on 2006-05-29 01:32 pm (UTC)And of course J'onn would be scared. And I'm sure that Brannock knows that Flash is Wally West; I mean, he controlled him for I don't remember how long, right?
Nice chapter! I'm adding it to my JL_fic post.
no subject
on 2006-05-29 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-29 05:29 pm (UTC)We haven't had much interaction with shayera yet, but i'm hoping that will change, especially considering wally's relationship with her as a type of "big sister" thing and all.
keep up your fantastic work!
no subject
on 2006-05-29 06:15 pm (UTC)Always good to hear from a new reader, many thanks!
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on 2006-05-30 06:27 am (UTC)But a thing- -"connexion" should be spelled "connection".
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on 2006-05-30 06:30 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-30 09:21 am (UTC)And look! Real plot. A good plot, too.
Anyway, I only found this story a few days ago, but I'm all caught up now, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm hooked and loving it.
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on 2006-05-30 09:35 am (UTC)Glad the plot's working, too. It's only just recently that I actually got half a clue as to what's going on that our heroes have yet to uncover, haha.
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on 2006-05-30 06:28 pm (UTC)oops
on 2006-05-30 06:29 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-30 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-05-30 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-10 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-10 03:15 am (UTC)I agree, they should have. It was pretty clear, to me anyway, that they got closer after The Ties That Bind, but they never actually showed any of it! I guess there's only so much we can hope for.
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on 2006-06-10 03:20 am (UTC)Glad you like the comments. I know they always make *me* happy, and, well, not many people write good Bruce/Wally, and I'm a big fan, so I try to encourage.
*runs off to keep reading*
Can you believe I've been at this since 7:30? Gawd. I mean I've taken a couple of breaks but...yeah. Addicted.
*squee*
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on 2006-06-12 06:00 pm (UTC)'That much is clear.'
Yeah, I could see him having one of those shirts that say, "My Mommy sez I'm Speshal." Particularly the one I found that has the butcher knife on it.
Wally insecurities are so realistic and so...'Wally'. He's always going to have some sort of inferiority complex, no matter how much he tries to hide it. I want to love him, and hug him, and SQUEEZE the life out of him. ^_^
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on 2006-06-16 02:31 pm (UTC)