MASK OR MENACE IC INBOX

[runningstart]

WALLY WEST
"You've reached the personal voice mail of the Wall-man. The honor is yours! Leave your deets, I'll holla back atcha."
[ BEEP. ]

KID FLASH
"This is the contact for Kid Flash. If it's an emergency, call Robin; he'll know where I am. Otherwise, leave your info and I'll get you back ASAP."
[ BEEP. ]


[ voice | text | email | action ]

( Please specify in tag subject line if the contact is for Wally West or Kid Flash! )

Comments

[performance]

... See, that's part of why I've been... [ He rubs the back of his neck. ] You know. Doing the food thing. We've only got each other here, so...

[runningstart]

[Wally almost says 'and Artemis' before his expression sours.

Not enough breakfast? And you've been running an obstacle course in speed mode? What is wrong with you? Come on, we should find something to eat.]

Yeah. [He looks away and sets the bowl in the sink.] Yeah, you're right. Anyway, uh. Thanks. For all of this, seriously. I mean it, dude.

[performance]

[ He'd meant the team while also trying to avoid exactly that word, but when Wally's expression goes dark he realizes he's touched a nerve anyway. He can guess what that's about. ]

Don't mention it.

[ He wonders if he's gonna regret saying something about it. Probably, he thinks, but he knows from experience that they're not just gonna get over it on their own. And if he says something Wally doesn't want to hear— well, isn't that what a best pal's for? ]

But look, Wally— I meant all of us.

[runningstart]

[Wally bristles.] Oh yeah, we're definitely all looking out for each other except those of us only looking out for ourselves. [Ugh. Just thinking about it makes him angry all over again. He throws open the fridge and pulls out a bag of apples to start demolishing.]

[performance]

It's not like that. Look, I don't want to get in the middle of this, and I'm not taking sides, but you're my friends and I'm sick of walking on eggshells.

[ Dick tosses the rest of the dishes in the sink and starts wiping down the counters, needing something to do with his hands. ]

[runningstart]

Hey! You should always be taking my side! I am the best friend and I get afforded that luxury by the code of seniority! [Joking around will help deflect the bad feelings! Too bad Wally is only about 80% joking here.....]

[performance]

You are my best friend, and that's why it's my duty to tell you this stuff.

[runningstart]

Look, I'm not the one who needs a lecture. I'm not the one who screwed up. [Wally angrily chomps down on an apple.]

[performance]

I'm not lecturing you. And she knows she screwed up. What do you want me to do, go yell at her again?

[runningstart]

Yeah, kinda! [Wally sighs.] No. Not really. I dunno, dude.

[performance]

I'm not going to. She feels awful.

[runningstart]

[Wally doesn't really have much to say to that. Mostly because he's busy refusing to feel guilty for yelling at her. He's still pissed off.]

[performance]

[ Dick gives him a minute of silence before he realizes he's not responding, and then he huffs, annoyed. This so isn't how he'd wanted today to go, none of it, and now this is putting him right back in a bad mood. ]

So, what, are you just never gonna talk to her again?

[runningstart]

It's an option. [An unrealistic option.]

[performance]

I thought you guys were getting along. I thought...

[runningstart]

Yeah, I thought so too. Apparently that wasn't enough for her though, since three months from now when we should've been getting along even better, she lies and hijacks a mission to make herself look good. So I guess we weren't getting along as well as I thought.

[performance]

[ Sometimes it's hard keeping people's secrets for them. But Artemis doesn't even know he knows about her family, and it isn't his place to say anything, anyway. Besides, he's done enough damage. ]

... If she didn't care what you thought, she wouldn't have come clean to you about what happened.

[ That much, at least, he thinks is true. ]

[runningstart]

[Wally knows he's right too, which is why his dismissive shrug is halfhearted and why he won't look at Dick as he digs out another apple. This bag is probably not going to make it through the next hour.]

[performance]

[ Dick's quiet while he cleans up some of the salvageable pans. This whole situation is way too complicated, for something so simple, and he's so not cut out to play teenage therapist. ]

[runningstart]

...she might think that I think she's the mole. [Wally flicks his core into the trash can.]

[performance]

I think the word "traitor" was used.

[runningstart]

I didn't say that! And I didn't even mean to say anything like I thought she was. She just kind of jumped to conclusions and I...didn't correct her. [Wally grabs another apple and takes his time picking the sticker off.] Not because I think she is. I don't.

[performance]

I know that. But she doesn't. And with the way you cut her off, I can't say I blame her.

[runningstart]

Dude, it's not like I stood there and tore her to pieces. She lied to us, and she used the fact that we trusted her to put the mission first to do it! That's not just a supremely uncool friendship policy, that's a supremely uncool work policy.

Am I supposed to just forgive and forget that? If any one of us had pulled that kind of crap, not only would the rest of the team be pissed off but our mentors would probably have smacked us down for it too.

[performance]

I'm not denying that.