"Don't listen to Marcy." Bumble Bee warned.
"But she makes so much sense." Nightwing said.
"That's how she gets you. She logics everything to death." Bumble Bee grumped.
He smiled. "I think it's a great idea to have a team member go to Daxam with Chris for Spring Break."
"Yeah but who?" She taunted.
That was a good question.
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Nightwing got his boys together to discuss it.
"I can go." Kid Flash volunteered.
"Really?" Nightwing was surprised.
"Yeah. I want to get away from Jinx anyway."
Cyborg laughed quietly. "She's going to divorce you."
"No, she's not!"
"What do you care? You want to be away from her anyway." Nightwing high-fived Cyborg.
"I hate that you're best friends." Kid Flash wiped his eyes tiredly.
Changeling rolled his seafoam eyes. "Why are you trying to escape your wife?"
"I'm not!"
"Sounds like it." Tempest put in.
"You don't even like each other!"
"You're just mad no one's on your side."
Kid Flash pouted.
"Stop crying." Nightwing smirked. "Why are you avoiding your wife?"
"She's crazy."
"I call next Friday!" Cyborg shouted.
"I say tomorrow." Tempest shook his dark head.
"Are we betting money?" Changeling wanted to know.
"Guys!" Nightwing raised his voice. "I don't want this to rub off on the kids. We're betting chores."
The four agreed.
Kid Flash was fit to be tied.
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Christopher was so excited. He raced around his room, trying to take everything, unsure of what he'd need or want for the week.
Starfire entered his room and saw the state of chaos it was. "Young one, what happened to your dwelling?"
"Hi, Mommy." Christopher barely looked over his shoulder. "Will I need this on Daxam?"
She peered into his hands, which possessed a snorkeling mask. "I am unsure."
He stared seriously at the piece of equipment before putting it in his suitcase.
Starfire hated this. Especially with him so excited. It was like he couldn't wait to leave. "Are you taking any of the stuffed creatures?"
He wrinkled his nose. "That's baby stuff."
Her heart sank. "Oh."
He closed his last suitcase. He had three. One had clothes but the other two were filled with toys. "Okay! I'm ready!"
She looked at him as he shoved his suitcases by the door so he could grab them and go the next morning. She watched as he basically vibrated excitedly. "The evening meal will commence shortly."
"Okay." He went over his outfit for the next day. "I'll be up."
She walked out slowly, head hanging.
Christopher didn't even notice.
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Kid Flash was exhausted. He could swear Jinx was pregnant. She fought in her sleep while procreating and she was tearing him up now. He barely slept a wink the night before.
Christopher wiggled in his seat, eating breakfast early as Derrick was picking them up in a short twenty minutes. "How do you think it's gonna look, Uncle Wally?"
Kid Flash groaned as he yawned. "I don't know, squirt."
"I bet it's pretty."
Kid Flash gave a small smile at his nephew's tangible excitement. "I bet it is, too."
Cyborg walked in with the paper. "Mornin."
"Good morning, Uncle Vic!" Christopher beamed.
"Someone's excited."
Christopher nodded happily. "Uh huh!"
"How about you?" Cyborg snickered at Kid Flash.
Kid Flash bared his teeth tiredly.
Cyborg chuckled.
A horn blew outside before the doorbell rang.
"Is that him?!" Christopher stood in his chair.
Cyborg set him back down before going to check the monitor. "Yup. It's him."
"Joy. He's early." Kid Flash was not ready to be perky.
Cyborg smirked and helped Christopher down. "Let's go."
Christopher ran to his jacket and bags.
Kid Flash picked up his own bag.
The trio went to the elevator and rode down to the ground floor. They went to the door and opened it.
Christopher waved happily. "Good morning!"
Derrick Lan smiled down at his son. "Good morning!"
"We're ready." Christopher announced.
"That's cool. Want to go look at the space craft I'm driving?"
Christopher nodded and took off.
"Did they say goodbye?" Derrick asked Cyborg and Kid Flash.
"When they got him up." Cyborg eyed him back.
Derrick blew out a breath. "Okay. We'll see you next Sunday."
"Yeah. Bye, Chris!" Cyborg waved grandly.
Christopher waved back.
Kid Flash hit Cyborg's back. "See ya."
"Yeah." Cyborg saluted.
Derrick and Kid Flash walked to the space craft and got inside.
Cyborg waited for it to take off before shutting and locking the front door, heart heavy.
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It took about fifteen hours to fly to Daxam. Christopher ended up falling back to sleep. Kid Flash did, too.
Derrick landed the space craft inside a tall building with plenty of windows, resembling the Tower without being a giant "T". He began powering down then woke up his cabin mates. "Welcome to Daxam."
Christopher grew wildly excited. "Whoa!"
Kid Flash didn't see the "whoa". They were inside a garage.
Derrick smiled. "Come on. Let's go inside."
The trio gathered their luggage and went inside the dwelling. That was "whoa". Everything dripped with crystals and was sleek and modern. Pictures hung on every wall and sat atop every surface. Although it was shiny and chromatic, it radiated with warmth.
Derrick took them to their rooms and helped Christopher unpack before helping his son and the boy's uncle down to the living area, where there was a load of people waiting. "Welcome!"
"Whoa!" Christopher repeated.
"Yeah. This is our family." Derrick waved a hand.
Kid Flash didn't know about that but figured of course Derrick would want to show his son off to his family.
Derrick began introducing Christopher to his family.
Christopher smiled and waved. He tried to introduce himself but quickly had cottonmouth. But he loved meeting new people so he didn't care.
Kid Flash stayed out of the way.
Derrick was pleased. This was going well.
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Derrick took Christopher and Kid Flash to a couple places that he thought his son would love. Places that they didn't have on Earth and places that they did but was so polar opposite, it was like being in a new place.
After a fun filled day, the trio returned home, where Derrick's mother had prepared a feast. Kid Flash hoped he wasn't being too rude because he didn't know what everything was and was a cautious eater at times.
Christopher couldn't be bothered to care. He ate everything he put on his plate.
Derrick felt this was going great.
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Christopher loved the bathroom. It was like a Grecian pool and he had a blast taking his bath. After, he settled onto his bed, prepared for his story.
Derrick came in to tell him goodnight. "Goodnight, Chris."
Christopher frowned. "Huh?"
Derrick smiled, thinking he didn't want to go to sleep. "It's bedtime now."
"I know."
"You don't want to go to sleep?"
"Yeah."
Derrick didn't see the problem.
Christopher's eyes filled and his bottom lip trembled.
"What's wrong, buddy?"
Christopher frowned. "Daddy calls me "buddy"."
Derrick could see storms gathering in his chocolate eyes. "It's okay."
Christopher pouted. "No."
"What's wrong?"
A fat tear dropped down his chubby cheek. "I miss Mar'i and Nic'las."
Derrick was lost for a moment. His siblings. "I understand, Chris."
"I usually give them hugs and kisses before I go to sleep."
Derrick didn't know what to do. "How about I give you a hug?"
Christopher was unsure of if that would suffice.
Derrick was drowning. "What else do you do at bedtime? Maybe I can do that?"
"Daddy tells me stories."
"Stories?" Derrick didn't know what that meant.
Christopher nodded.
Derrick bit the bullet. "What kind of stories?"
"Fables."
What's a fable? "I don't know any, son."
Christopher deflated. "Mommy sings songs in Tamaranean."
Derrick was stuck. "I don't know Tamranean."
Christopher grew homesick.
Derrick blew out a slow breath. "How about I go get your Uncle Wally and he can call your parents?"
Christopher perked up so much, he glowed. "Yay!"
Derrick felt hurt but merely left.
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Kid Flash was tired but called Nightwing and Starfire so they could talk to their son, who was stressed out.
Nightwing answered. "Hey, Kid."
"Hey." Kid Flash yawned. "Sorry to bother you but Chris wants to talk."
"It's no bother." Nightwing side-eyed the communicator. "Where is he?"
"Here, Daddy!" Christopher grabbed the communicator.
Kid Flash gave it up.
Nightwing chuckled. "What's going on, buddy?"
Christopher eased. "It's bedtime, Daddy."
"I suppose it is."
"Are you gonna tell me my story?" Christopher hoped.
"Which one do you want?"
Christopher wrinkled his nose as he thought. "The Raven and the Fox."
"Okay."
"And can Mommy sing to me?"
"Sure. I'll go get her."
Christopher melted completely. He leaned against Kid Flash as he waited for his father to go get his mother. Things were going to be okay.