I don't own anything except my original/own characters and my original plot.
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Chapter 4- Try Hard
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WEDNESDAY, THE DAY I WAS WAITING FOR WAS FINALLY HERE. Taking Harley's- highly questionable- advice I put on the outfit Ivy got for me. It was a moment of weakness, one I soon recovered from and regretted, but I didn't have the time to worry about it. She was my best chance.
Even if my insecurities were setting in, I had to admit that I looked good. The skirt definitely showed some leg, but nothing completely out of my comfort zone. The shirt was comfortable, and I opted for some socks instead of the flats since I was at home.
"Sexy, smart, laugh at his jokes, feed his ego but don't," I whispered to myself as I did a few last-minute checks in the mirror. We had talked twice before, both of which went well. This would be fine.
"(Y/n)!" A voice called out. I took in another deep breath. I could do it. I could do it.
"Wally," I jogged into the living room, a wide grin on my face. There Wally was, in civvies, an excited expression on his face.
"Wow, you look... Wow," he breathed out when he saw me.
"You are so funny," I laughed fakely, sitting in front of the glass. On the inside I was cringing and screaming at myself. I had said four words to him and it already wasn't going well.
"Right. Anyway, I was thinking you could put your number into my phone. Or, well, you could tell me and I could put it in myself."
"I would love to," Wally pulled out his phone ready to type, "866-907-3235."
Wally sent a test text to my phone. I pulled it out at the buzz, making a quick contact name for him. Harley- Warehouse 7.
T was necessarily unique or fun, it even had Harley's name instead of him, but if the villains were to ever do a random check of my phone or were to just see me texting him for whatever reason, I needed them to think I was texting someone trusted.
"Smile," Wally stood and turned around, taking a picture of the two of us. I had a second to give a nice smile before the camera clicked and the picture popped up on the screen.
"Don't go showing your friends," I laughed awkwardly. Wally nodded in understanding, clicking a few more things on his phone before he put it back into his pocket.
"So what's hanging out with Harley Quinn like?" Wally sat down.
"Fun. We did a Disney marathon," I chuckled, thinking back to the hours we spent dancing before pigging out on half of the food in my fridge. When she left I texted Lex saying I needed more, "Lot of singing and dancing."
"You enjoy singing?" Wally asked with a smile.
"Love it. It's something to do when I'm down here," I shrugged. I hoped he wouldn't ask me to sing for him. I had never sung seriously for anyone but the villains at our holiday parties.
"So these villains... They're like family to you?"
"Yeah. We're like a dysfunctional family with a bunch of drunk uncles who plot taking over the world every other week. Either way, we all love each other. What about you and your family?"
"The team is my family, and Uncle Flash and his wife. My parents, well they weren't exactly 'loving' before I became Kid Flash," Wally smiled, but I could tell it was fake.
"That must have been terrible," I sympathized, "But to have you come out so strong and- Alright, I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore!"
"Do what, what's wrong?" Wally stood up with me, worried I did something wrong.
"Harley and I didn't just watch Disney movies, I uh, I asked her about guys," I looked at my feet in shame, flushing red, "I know it was weird and it's Harley but she's great at giving advice on other things because she was a therapist and yeah..."
"You asked Harley how to talk to guys?" Waly repeated slowly, not believing his own words.
I nodded, shutting my eyes in shame. I was waiting for him to yell at me, or just leave. I thought I had blown the one chance I had at a slightly normal friendship. I was going to go back to being alone, well, alone in an isolated apartment with villains visiting every once in a while. If he left, I would go back to my life like I never met him, becoming indifferent to the outside world like I was before. He changed everything.
"You did that for me?" Voice quiet, he took a step closer to the glass. I opened my eyes back up. It wasn't the reaction I was expecting, "No one has ever gone through that much trouble for me before. Unless helping me out on missions counts."
"Of course I did. You're my friend and I didn't want to screw this up." I laughed in relief, putting my hand against the glass. Wally grinned, placing his hand over mine.
"You were doing just fine already," he assured.
"Thanks. So, about your parents..."
~*~
Hours later I was still sitting on the floor laughing with Wally. Harley's advice was long forgotten as the night went on. The more Wally laughed with me, the more my conversation about leaving early vacated as well.
An hour after I admitted asking for advice I stopped in my room to change into sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I liked feeling comfortable and not feeling the need to dress to the nines for him.
"I have to go, it's already eleven," Wally sighed, checking his phone for the time.
"Wally," I called out absently, glancing at the ceiling.
"Hmm?"
"Next time you come over, do you want to come inside?"
Wally's eyes widened, "Would that be going too fast?"
"It's not like I asked you to move in with me. You're my friend," I laughed at his shock, running on fumes in terms of confidence, "All the villains came straight in when we first met. Besides, you're my only non-villain friend. You deserve to see me face to face, not with a glass wall between us."
"I can't wait," Wally nodded with a grin, "I'll be here on Friday, that way we won't have to worry about time."
"Until then Kid Flash."
Wally left. It was when he was gone that I realized what I had done. Wally would be the first non-villain ever to enter my home. It made me nervous. I invited him in here on a spur-of-the-moment thought. It wasn't something I thought through. What if I hurt him? I was in here for a reason.
But Wally didn't fear me or what I could do. He had powers that could hurt people too. As I thought over how similar we were in an attempt to calm myself, it also led me to discover our biggest difference. I was down here, doing nothing. Wally was above, being a hero. He had a purpose for his powers.
Shaking off the thought I focused back on the issue at hand. I had a day to plan out what exactly Wally and I could do when he came inside.
"Food," I announced to no one in particular, "Wally lives for food, as long as I nail that everything should be fine... It'll be fine."
~*~
"You can do this (Y/n)," I whispered to myself. I had just set up a dinner comprising homemade pizza and chocolate ice cream- still in the freezer. Both of them were Wally's favorites from what he had said before. All I had to do was wait for the pizza to finish cooking in the oven.
"(Y/n)," Wally called. I grinned, staying in the kitchen. I wanted to wait until he was inside for him to see me.
"Go over to the panel and type in 'littleshadow1119'!" I yelled back, pulling the last out of three pizzas from the oven.
The wonderful smell of fresh pizza spread throughout my home. A few seconds later I heard the swish of the metal door from the sitting room. Sucking in a deep breath I stepped out from behind my wall of cupboards, ready to meet Wally face to face. He was in a red collared shirt and black pants. Nicer than regular clothes, but still Wally.
Cautiously, I held out my hand in front of me, like I did so often over the glass. Wally's eyes sparked as he too covered my hand with his. This time it wasn't just me imagining his warmth, I felt it. It was a dancing tingle starting in our fingertips and pulsing through my veins. Forget feeling a spark, this was a flame, ready to consume me.
I pulled my hand away slowly, not wanting the flame to die out. I didn't notice the lightning sparking behind Wally's irises, or his racing heart. Instead, I walked to the kitchen.
"Hope you like homemade pizza," I motioned to the three pizzas set up on the counter, "I heard that speedsters need to eat a lot to maintain their metabolism."
"Babe, you rock my world," he beamed, stacking a plate up with pizza.
After Wally put at least a pizza and a half on his plate I sat down across from him with my significantly smaller plate. As we ate, we made small talk. Wally made some terrible jokes that couldn't stop myself from laugh at. He told me about his life, which was inherently more interesting than mine.
When our plates were clean and our stomachs were full, Wally let out a groan, slamming his hand against his forehead.
"What? The pizza wasn't that bad, was it?"
"No, no," Wally rushed to reassure me, "I just forgot my phone."
"Your parents think you're in your room right?" I put our plates in the sink, leaving them for later.
"Yeah."
"Then it should be fine. Want ice-cream?" I sent him a mischievous smile, pulling out the carton.
After putting some in a bowl for me, I gave the rest of the carton to Wally. We walked to the living room, and I turned on the TV.
"Any preferences?"
"Disney?"
"Good choice," I put Big Hero 6 into the player, "Who would think the Kid Flash would be a Disney nerd."
"Disney is life," he defended. I giggled, always learning new things about Wally.
We went through three more Disney movies and finished the carton. It was nearly midnight, which meant Wally had to leave soon. Even though it was Friday. He explained that he might need to go on a mission tomorrow, so he needed his rest.
We stood in front of the metal door. I wrapped my arms around his middle, hugging him tightly. I could smell energy and the forest. Pushing my head into his chest further, I relished in our close proximity.
"I don't want you to leave," I whispered, "I was scared about you coming here but after a whole night with you..."
"You didn't hurt me," Wally smiled encouragingly, "You can control those powers of yours. This proved it."
I nodded. Besides that nightmare incident I had been controlling my powers a lot better since I met Wally. He was like my anchor, keeping me grounded and sure of myself.
The two of us stood in silence for another minute. Soon, his arms wrapped around me. I felt that familiar tingling running through my veins. I had read about it, and heard people talk about it in movies, but this was so different. It was soft and warming, nothing about it overwhelming me with a sudden realization of true love.
"Would you mind if I gave you an early birthday present?" Wally questioned, taking a small step back.
"What is it?"
Wally leaned down to my height. His lips neared mine. His breath was warm, tinted with the scent of chocolate ice cream. My body tensed, eyes widening. His hand reached out for mine and my muscles relaxed in response. I closed my eyes. Warmth, electricity, and home.
"KF!"
I leapt away from Wally, nearly screaming. Holding back my shout, my jaw dropped. The Justice and Junior League were entering my home's level underground. I looked back to Wally, terrified and confused.
"Wally... Wally what are they doing here?"