[When Tadashi came back, most everyone he knew was gone. But that doesn't mean he didn't have hope of ever seeing them again. Instead, he wrote an app for his comm to run in the background to notify him of any names that came available.
Needless to say when Wally West popped up in his notifications, he was on his feet in a second. Used his technopathy to track Wally's comm GPS and made only one stop on the way.
So he shows up to where Wally is sitting, a big box of a dozen donuts in hand. Even if this Wally doesn't remember him, he knows Wally would never turn down free food.]
[Wally's been down here a while. His butt is definitely asleep, but at least he's gotten all the panicked crying done and out of the way; now he's just there in his slightly scuffed old Kid Flash uniform, hood pushed back so he can bury both hands in his hair as he holds his head, knees up. Sniffling. Looking like the fucking mess he is.
A shadow falls across him. Something smells like sugar, and despite the fact that he is emotionally and mentally broken, Wally's stomach growls because it just be like that.
He looks up, eyes red-rimmed.] ...Tasha?
[Oh. That's right. Because he's back here, and there's...there's people here who he would never see otherwise. Somehow, he's back here, where both alive and dead people are, even if he doesn't know which one he is yet (though he suspects). Tadashi, he's the latter, confirmed by other sources. Tadashi-
Wait a minute, how did he-] How, uh- [Wally sniffs hard, scoots over so Tadashi can sit down beside him and put his back to the wall too. He turns away, scrubs a hand over his eyes, still shell-shocked but recovering at the sound of a familiar voice (despite not hearing it or even remembering it for five years) and the promise of food, as always.] You found me quick. Hey. Long time, no see.
[It's weak. It's weak to him, so it's probably very weak to Tadashi, but he figures this guy is one of them who will get it, because if Tadashi sits down and opens that box like they're just hanging out Wally is pretty sure he's gonna start crying again.]
[He'll take the invitation and plop down on the ground next to him, handing the box to Wally.]
Had uh. Program, used it, found you here. [He's not... all that interested in going through technical jargon, not with Wally. Not when he looks this rough. He'd known what would happen to Wally and it must've... just happened.]
[Wally looks down at the box like Tadashi just handed him the ark of the covenant.
Then he tilts his head back until it taps against the brick behind them, screwing his eyes shut and sniffling really, really hard, though his lashes are still getting wet again.]
[Yep, there it is. For now, he'll just set the box on the ground in front of them until Wally's ready for it, and instead nudge shoulders before putting an arm around him.]
Glad I'm here too. [He hates the idea of Wally being alone right now, even just until he got his bearings. Nah, Tadashi's glad he made it here so quick.]
[It doesn't really take a lot; a little hiccup and then Wally is twisting over onto his hip, his knee so he can swing his arm around Tadashi's other side in a hug. His gloved fingers clutch at the back of Tadashi's shirt as he just drops his face on the guy's shoulder and lets himself tremble for just a little bit. Tadashi, he's always been such a nice person, reminded Wally a lot of Barry; that unassuming need to just be kind, to just be there for others, regardless of anything else.
Barry had screamed for him before he disappeared to- to wherever he went.
Wally clutches tighter; he probably smells a bit like ozone, like that runoff from the MFD, probably is still humming a bit like a livewire, that curiously warm buzz that speedsters put off after just barreling their way across a continent. Hopefully it doesn't bug Tadashi because Wally's going to cling for a minute and let Tadashi just shield him from everything, for just a second, if that's all right.]
[He doesn't even say a word; Tadashi moves to hold Wally and hug him close, giving a little squeeze. It must've just happened. He's not going to bother thinking about Hey this is the first time he's seen Wally in this costume, are you Kid Flash? because there's no point right now. Tadashi has a vague memory, of blood and fear and screaming, and someone in a yellow costume carrying him to the EMTs and telling him he'd be okay.
Of course it was Wally back then.
It's only right that Tadashi does the same back for him.]
[If it was Barry, or his parents, or Artemis, Wally would probably be there for the better part of an hour. He doesn't want to move but he's not going to make Tadashi cradle him gently while he has a mental breakdown, so after a few moments he scrabbles for his composure, collects himself and pulls back with a loud,] Oh-kay, [and rubs at his eyes again, sitting back on his heels.
He tries on a smile. It's not the same as when he was younger; that devil-may-care cocky grin, bursting with self-confidence and righteousness. It's older, and not as comfortable, but it's there.
Wally thumps a hand on Tadashi's shoulder before turning and sitting back down beside him, sniffling just a bit and pulling the box back into his lap.] Wow, I'm barely back for five minutes and you're already trying to woo me? You should know I'm taken, probably. [Despite, y'know. Death.
He does hold out the open box for Tadashi to take the first one, though. May not seem like much a gesture, but anybody who knows Wally knows that it's as good as throwing himself in front of a train for someone.]
[Tadashi would sit out here half a day to be that shoulder if Wally needed it. But then again, Wally's never been the overly emotional type, at least not with him. Maybe others he's closer to. He won't call attention to the change in his smile, or the suit, or any of it.
But the offering has him floored. And he's not about to be rude as hell and say no, so he grabs one, with that bright pink Homer Simpson frosting.]
Yeah, you were married to quite a number of restaurants here last time if I remember right. [Takes a bite of that donut.]
Do you want deets, or just sit and eat for a while?
Wally sighs and takes his own, crossing his legs to rest the box on his thigh and knee, leaning his head back against the brick after scrubbing a hand through his hair. It must have been a while; Tadashi looks older, and Wally knows he definitely looks older. There's probably a lot to catch up on.] Lay it on me. What you been up to?
[He's taking his time with that donut. Unlike some people next to him, he doesn't have a speedster metabolism.]
Well - Got back about six months ago. Stark's gone, his company was liquidated about two weeks before I got here. Managed to sneak into the building and get a bunch of our lab's hardware out before they turned it into whatever it is now. [He had a lot of research, and he wanted Wally's too, for all the good it would do him.] They've got me working as a youth counselor now.
Jaime's still here, he remembers everything. I don't think he's left, actually? Uh, he's engaged. I'm the only one from my home here. Most... everyone else we knew is gone. At least our mutual friends, I dunno who else you knew before. Crane's still here but... seems like he's laying low. I've only seen him around once and I can't tell if he remembers anything or not.
[He rubs the back of his head. Wally wants to know what he's been up to but...]
Honestly, I... haven't been up to much of anything. It's... felt weird, being back and barely knowing anyone anymore.
[He sure did just slide right by all that important shit like it was nothing huh.]
1. Stark is gone? Jesus 2. Jaime is ENGAGED? Double Jesus. Good for him though. 3. All their mutual friends are gone? Sounds...lonely.
Wally's on his third donut despite the brevity of the account, but honestly this was the best way to go. Wally's head is still reeling from kinetic output and magnetic disruption physics and the quantum mechanics of existing and not existing simultaneously and then also maybe death, so a short recap is...nice. Digestible.
Starts fourth donut. He's not even sniffling anymore.]
So everything's different... [Tadashi went back, too. Wally never really got the details from Tadashi about how long he had until curtains, but Wally doesn't really want to ask now. He's also 'gone back' only to reappear back in this world, weeks having passed when he'd only experienced a few hours. Comparing the passage of time between these worlds is pointless.] That crazy stuff with the submarines and the Soviet Union still going on?
No. [He finishes his donut and rests elbows on his knees, kinda linking his fingers idly.]
Haven't heard anything about it since I got here. Worst that's happened was a bunch of imPorts went to... some other alternate world and came back a few weeks later.
[ When Tadashi texted Jaime that Wally was here, that Wally remembered, Jaime decided to do the right thing and give him some time. He just got back here and suddenly everyone he ever knew or loved here - or just about, anyway - was gone. That's tough for anyone, and Tadashi is probably handling it, because that's what Tadashi does, he makes you feel better when everything else is crap, and --
Okay, it's because Jaime needs a few minutes to get his wits about him too. It's been so long. He'd consigned Wally to being nothing more than a memory a long time ago, just like he had with Tadashi, and somehow getting told in advance actually doesn't make it any less weird.
But he can't wait for that long, so eventually, after he tells himself not to do the creepy thing and track the dude down himself while he's probably, like, in the washroom or something, he calls him. With video. He'll be kind enough not to show up uninvited at his house, but he needs to see Wally's face to believe it.
[Wally's more or less collected himself by now. It's that speedster mentality (maybe), that makes it possible for them to get over things quickly (probably), so when he says he's fine even though every once in a while he feels like he's floating out of his body, it still means he's fine. He's 100% fine. Tadashi and him are politely being company without forcing conversation after splitting open their ribcages and dangling their bruised and bleeding hearts in front of each other like the polar opposite of a dick measuring contest, but they're both fine and they're not mutually licking their emotional wounds or anything.
Jaime is calling and Wally is spacing out.
He glances up at Tadashi (knew he was texting Jaime) and motions towards the door before getting up and ducking outside, just in the hallway. Not because Tadashi can't hear anything that Jaime can't hear (there's maybe like, one thing Jaime can hear that Tadashi can't and he doubts it'll come up), but more like because Wally is apparently okay sobbing in front of Tadashi but he is not okay with sobbing in front of Tadashi's new neighbors, who may be a little concerned about the new guy bringing home a deranged ginger in primary colors, and Wally doesn't want to get the guy kicked out before he's even settled in and that's incentive to not cry.
There he goes again, spacing. Wally takes a deep breath, another for the road, before he swipes his thumb over the screen to answer back with a video, knowing full well his cheeks are a little ruddy and puffy around the eyes and not worrying if Jaime knows he's been crying, just so long as he's not crying now.
His tone takes on a playful lilt, a little muted maybe (like Tadashi, like him for the last three years or so), but still there, still familiar enough...he hopes.]
Reyes. A call? Why didn't you just track my DNA and jump me while I'm taking a dump? I thought we were close.
[ Jaime's not so different that he doesn't reflexively apologize for swearing, but otherwise, he does look different. As familiar as his voice is and as familiar as his expression is - wide eyed, shell-shocked, mouth agape - the years have changed him. The scruff on his face isn't as pronounced as he'd like it to be, but it's a far cry from the paltry few strands it used to be, some of that residual baby fat on his face having since disappeared, making his features narrower, more defined, hair long enough to be pulled into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.
It's not that he thought that Tadashi was lying. Of course he wasn't. And of course Tadashi would know, immediately, if this was their Wally. But it's one thing knowing it and another thing entirely to see it, hear it, Wally quipping at him like no time has passed despite the weariness in his eyes, still rimmed red with tears. Which, fair enough; Jaime knows that he's got, oh, about ten minutes of keeping up a stoic front before that's him. He'd thought about Wally a lot over the years, the things he'd learned from him, the words he'd kept close to his heart. A nagging part of him knows that he needs to make a trip to the Ted Kord Memorial Centre before Wally does so he can take half of those remembrances down.
But he'd relegated Wally to a memory a long time ago. A good one. The memory of a friend, who'd changed him when he needed changing, who was there for him when he needed him to be, and someone who Jaime hoped he served just the same. Still, he had been a memory all the same, unlikely to ever return, just like everyone else from that chapter of his life.
Tadashi came back, though. And now Wally... he just drinks the sight of him in for a moment. Other Wallys have come through after his. Never for long, and all different from the one he knew. Even from a glance, he can tell, this one's his. He's pretty sure his expression is doing about fifteen different kinds of funky things (he's never had very good control over his eyebrows and that still hasn't changed) and he's pretty sure Wally won't appreciate being gawked at like this, communicator clutched so tightly in his hands that his knuckles have turned white with it, but can't keep all of it in. ]
I wasn't gonna bust in on you while you guys were -- while you still hadda --
[ He exhales, still feeling like this isn't quite real. ]
Hi.
[ His blood buzzes electric underneath his skin, a flicker of blue veins flashing across his temple. If he can just get his ass over there, he'll do it within minutes. He can even feel his armour prickling at his shoulder bones, eager to get moving. ]
[So different from little baby Jaime back home. Wally barely said two words to the kid but Bart was practically best friends with him, and both of them are so different it's difficult to even compare them.
Jaw a little more square, beard a little less proto. That same look in his eyes, when he wants to do something but wants to be respectful of someone's space and feelings before he does the thing he really wants to do, always so god damn careful.
Wally's grin slips, just a bit, before he half-turns and cracks open Tadashi's door to let him know he's going downstairs to meet up with Jaime, and he'll be back in a bit.]
Would you just get over here and hug me? Embarrassing. [Maybe Wally will crack when he sees him and make an ass of himself, cry again, but he'd thought he would be fine with just the phone call, the memory of his-world-Jaime still in his head and making him forget that holy shit, that's right, Jaime Reyes here is one of the best friends he's ever had, and he hasn't seen him in five years.]
You don't have to tell me twice. I'll be there soon.
[ Jaime half-transforms on-screen until the communicator is stowed and the line goes dead. This is unusual, but not so unusual that it hasn't happened to Jaime a few times recently, old friends having come home, but it's rare that Khaji feels the same thing that he does. It intensifies everything, makes him all buzzy. He knows that they're just feeding off of each other the way they do when emotions are high and they happen to be in sync, but he's not going to try to distinguish between them now; if he does, Khaji may well tone it down, and the bug rarely feels strongly about anyone in the first place.
He feels the same old nagging fears he always does when someone from his past arrives - he's so different from who he used to be, what are they going to think, what happened to them while they're gone, how are they going to feel about the fact that seemingly overnight, everyone they'd loved is gone - but he shakes it off once he becomes airborne, the crisp air helping him snap out of it, determined to take a moment just to be happy.
He hits the ground with a stumbled run and knocks twice on the door (oh, of course they're at Tadashi's) before letting himself in, suit still powering down from his knees downwards. ]
Wally?
[ And once he sees that asshole, he's giving him a big ol' hug. ]
[This asshole was waiting for Jaime to show up so he's there, Jaime mid-knock when he throws open the door and slings his arms around Jaime with a laugh.]
Reyes! Your baby beard upgraded-!
[And he's a little taller, a little broader, his chin a little sharper. Wally doesn't take long to look at him or catalog the differences; once his arms go around him and Wally's hand finds that spot between his shoulderblades where he knows Khaji is burrowed, he relaxes.
No really, he relaxes, slumps against Jaime like he just got home drunk and puts all his weight on the guy in giddy relief, knowing that if he doesn't get caught then Jaime will go down with him.]
Come on, you dick, that can't be the first thing you've said to me in years--!
[ Jaime's protest has a bark of laughter in it, predominantly because if he doesn't laugh, he'll cry. Okay, he'll cry later anyway, but he'd rather hold onto the jubilance for a little longer, and while he staggers backwards just a touch as Wally flings himself into his arms, he catches him easily enough, swaying with it. There's something comforting about Wally's weight on him anyway, familiar in all of the right ways, a solid reminder that he's here, that this is real and not some awful dream he'll wake up from with a grimace, because looking and knowing has never been enough. Jaime's always had to touch. He hooks his chin around Wally's shoulder and squeezes him tight in the way that all Reyes seem to know how.
As familiar as it is, though, Wally feels different. Looked different on-screen too. Time had passed for him at home. And while that's normally a good thing - there's a certain kind of surrealism that comes from disappearing and coming back years later when for you it's only been a moment; just ask Tadashi to get verification of that - something in Jaime's heart of hearts knows what that means. He's not positive, but he thought enough about it over the years to...
He squeezes him a little tighter. Voice muffled, he says, ] I missed you, man.
[Yeah okay Wally wasn't going to start crying again, but then.
Then.
He blew up at Tadashi for no reason when he's been nothing but nice. Jaime is bigger, is getting married- Dick isn't here, and boy does remembering everything that happened between them really throw a lot of back home issues into perspective. Wally's once again yanked out of his life to experience a whole other one for who knows how long, except that this time there's no 'back home' to get to, unless some kind of miracle happens.
He's gonna just. Be a hologram in a cave, now. Artemis is going to go home to their dog, go to sleep in their bed alone, and figure out what to do with her life now that her best friend isn't in it. Maybe she'll find out Wally was ring-shopping; maybe she won't. Maybe she'll get with someone else in the future (which makes Wally so heinously jealous that he won't entertain that thought any further).
Maybe Dick will be okay.
I missed you, man. Mumbled into his shoulder, because even if Wally's leaning obnoxiously against Jaime he's still a little taller, a little broader, a little less Kid and a little more Flash...only he's not either of those anymore at all, is he?
There's that weird pulsing hum, right between Jaime's shoulderblades.
Wally really needs to keep it in, really needs to reel this back in and tamp it down, make this reunion as happy as it should be for Jaime but it's been too long and Jaime is too much of a safe place for anything else to happen besides Wally's chuckle turning into a hiccup, turning into clenched teeth as he grabs onto Jaime's shirt s tight in return, shuddering against a sob.]
To say he'd been expecting this immediately would be a lie. But he was expecting it sometime. Sometime soon. Maybe within ten minutes of meeting up, maybe in a week, but soon. You don't come here with everything changed, everyone you've ever known and loved gone (save for a couple people, but -- Wally's seen him now, must know he's not the guy that Jaime had known) and not wind up having some sort of meltdown, in your own personal way. And Wally's never been one to breakdown silently. It's funny. Scientists - or scientific geniuses, whatever - have a reputation for being cold and unemotional, but Wally's always felt things deeply, maybe more deeply than anyone around him.
And then there's the fact that Wally's bigger. Older. He almost doesn't notice, because from his perspective, it's just that time's kept on moving for Wally too. He grew up. Jaime just wasn't there for it. But he also knows what happens to Wally. He and Bart had talked about it enough -- heck, he and Wally had talked about it enough, and he'd done the calculations, tried to figure out the timeline of it. Jaime can't know for sure. Not without specific dates.
But he knows the Porter. He knows what it does. So he doesn't tell Wally it's all right and that it's all gonna be okay the way he wants to, because it probably isn't. Jaime's been alive for long enough and here for long enough to know that. But they're both here now, and that's something. He rubs his hand in a firm circle over Wally's back, glad that Wally can't see his face. He's giving himself a maximum of fifteen minutes to start crying too. ]
[It's that that startles a laugh out of Wally, a wet, sticky thing that doesn't quite leave his throat properly.]
You sound like my mom.
[Wally pulls back, the tears short-lived; either because hearing something so quintessentially Jaime comforted him or because the fact that his life is just so god damn ludicrous struck him abruptly when he heard his best friend's voice and thought of his mom.
His face is definitely still wet and Wally is scrubbing at it in annoyance, but he's at least not shaking like he's on the verge of a breakdown anymore, half-stepped out of Jaime's embrace with just a hand on his shoulder as he presses the sleeve of his shirt against his eyes to sop up the tears.] God. I can't believe this. I can't believe you had years away from my powerful influence and you're still the same dork.
Somehow nobody ever tells me I sound like their Dad. Maybe I should be offended, [ Jaime jokes back, and -- and even a silly little joke like that comes easier now than it used to, after everything that's happened, after finding solace with Ruka, after Tadashi came back, just hearing Wally's familiar voice in his ear reminding him that that's how he used to be.
He doesn't let go of him, though, hands still anchored on Wally's shoulders unless the guy actively bats him away. The contact and pressure should be comforting, stablizing, Jaime hopes, but it's also because it's helpful for him, as though as long as he's got one hand on the guy, he's not just going to pop right back into non-existence. ]
...you got older too. I wasn't expecting that when we pinged onto your DNA. [ Usually when people come back like this, it's instantaneous, like no time had passed. But Wally...
He tilts his head, getting a look at him. ]
Seriously, though, I think you've earned at least half a meltdown.
Oh believe me, I'm taking that and then some. Dude- [Hits Jaime's shoulder lightly, as if to make up for all the crying and clinging. See he's fine, they're both fine, they're stoic and manly and fine.] Tadashi brought me donuts and it took me like an hour to finish them. There were only twelve.
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runningstart) wrote2020-04-05 07:22 pm
dated for whenever the fuck wally is actually arrived
Needless to say when Wally West popped up in his notifications, he was on his feet in a second. Used his technopathy to track Wally's comm GPS and made only one stop on the way.
So he shows up to where Wally is sitting, a big box of a dozen donuts in hand. Even if this Wally doesn't remember him, he knows Wally would never turn down free food.]
Hey.
LMAO JACK
A shadow falls across him. Something smells like sugar, and despite the fact that he is emotionally and mentally broken, Wally's stomach growls because it just be like that.
He looks up, eyes red-rimmed.] ...Tasha?
[Oh. That's right. Because he's back here, and there's...there's people here who he would never see otherwise. Somehow, he's back here, where both alive and dead people are, even if he doesn't know which one he is yet (though he suspects). Tadashi, he's the latter, confirmed by other sources. Tadashi-
Wait a minute, how did he-] How, uh- [Wally sniffs hard, scoots over so Tadashi can sit down beside him and put his back to the wall too. He turns away, scrubs a hand over his eyes, still shell-shocked but recovering at the sound of a familiar voice (despite not hearing it or even remembering it for five years) and the promise of food, as always.] You found me quick. Hey. Long time, no see.
[It's weak. It's weak to him, so it's probably very weak to Tadashi, but he figures this guy is one of them who will get it, because if Tadashi sits down and opens that box like they're just hanging out Wally is pretty sure he's gonna start crying again.]
LISTEN....
Had uh. Program, used it, found you here. [He's not... all that interested in going through technical jargon, not with Wally. Not when he looks this rough. He'd known what would happen to Wally and it must've... just happened.]
Good to see you.
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Then he tilts his head back until it taps against the brick behind them, screwing his eyes shut and sniffling really, really hard, though his lashes are still getting wet again.]
Man, I'm...really glad you're here, [Wally chokes out, voice going tight.]
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Glad I'm here too. [He hates the idea of Wally being alone right now, even just until he got his bearings. Nah, Tadashi's glad he made it here so quick.]
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Barry had screamed for him before he disappeared to- to wherever he went.
Wally clutches tighter; he probably smells a bit like ozone, like that runoff from the MFD, probably is still humming a bit like a livewire, that curiously warm buzz that speedsters put off after just barreling their way across a continent. Hopefully it doesn't bug Tadashi because Wally's going to cling for a minute and let Tadashi just shield him from everything, for just a second, if that's all right.]
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Of course it was Wally back then.
It's only right that Tadashi does the same back for him.]
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He tries on a smile. It's not the same as when he was younger; that devil-may-care cocky grin, bursting with self-confidence and righteousness. It's older, and not as comfortable, but it's there.
Wally thumps a hand on Tadashi's shoulder before turning and sitting back down beside him, sniffling just a bit and pulling the box back into his lap.] Wow, I'm barely back for five minutes and you're already trying to woo me? You should know I'm taken, probably. [Despite, y'know. Death.
He does hold out the open box for Tadashi to take the first one, though. May not seem like much a gesture, but anybody who knows Wally knows that it's as good as throwing himself in front of a train for someone.]
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But the offering has him floored. And he's not about to be rude as hell and say no, so he grabs one, with that bright pink Homer Simpson frosting.]
Yeah, you were married to quite a number of restaurants here last time if I remember right. [Takes a bite of that donut.]
Do you want deets, or just sit and eat for a while?
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Wally sighs and takes his own, crossing his legs to rest the box on his thigh and knee, leaning his head back against the brick after scrubbing a hand through his hair. It must have been a while; Tadashi looks older, and Wally knows he definitely looks older. There's probably a lot to catch up on.] Lay it on me. What you been up to?
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Well - Got back about six months ago. Stark's gone, his company was liquidated about two weeks before I got here. Managed to sneak into the building and get a bunch of our lab's hardware out before they turned it into whatever it is now. [He had a lot of research, and he wanted Wally's too, for all the good it would do him.] They've got me working as a youth counselor now.
Jaime's still here, he remembers everything. I don't think he's left, actually? Uh, he's engaged. I'm the only one from my home here. Most... everyone else we knew is gone. At least our mutual friends, I dunno who else you knew before. Crane's still here but... seems like he's laying low. I've only seen him around once and I can't tell if he remembers anything or not.
[He rubs the back of his head. Wally wants to know what he's been up to but...]
Honestly, I... haven't been up to much of anything. It's... felt weird, being back and barely knowing anyone anymore.
[He sure did just slide right by all that important shit like it was nothing huh.]
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1. Stark is gone? Jesus
2. Jaime is ENGAGED? Double Jesus. Good for him though.
3. All their mutual friends are gone? Sounds...lonely.
Wally's on his third donut despite the brevity of the account, but honestly this was the best way to go. Wally's head is still reeling from kinetic output and magnetic disruption physics and the quantum mechanics of existing and not existing simultaneously and then also maybe death, so a short recap is...nice. Digestible.
Starts fourth donut. He's not even sniffling anymore.]
So everything's different... [Tadashi went back, too. Wally never really got the details from Tadashi about how long he had until curtains, but Wally doesn't really want to ask now. He's also 'gone back' only to reappear back in this world, weeks having passed when he'd only experienced a few hours. Comparing the passage of time between these worlds is pointless.] That crazy stuff with the submarines and the Soviet Union still going on?
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Haven't heard anything about it since I got here. Worst that's happened was a bunch of imPorts went to... some other alternate world and came back a few weeks later.
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Okay, it's because Jaime needs a few minutes to get his wits about him too. It's been so long. He'd consigned Wally to being nothing more than a memory a long time ago, just like he had with Tadashi, and somehow getting told in advance actually doesn't make it any less weird.
But he can't wait for that long, so eventually, after he tells himself not to do the creepy thing and track the dude down himself while he's probably, like, in the washroom or something, he calls him. With video. He'll be kind enough not to show up uninvited at his house, but he needs to see Wally's face to believe it.
Ring, ring! ]
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Jaime is calling and Wally is spacing out.
He glances up at Tadashi (knew he was texting Jaime) and motions towards the door before getting up and ducking outside, just in the hallway. Not because Tadashi can't hear anything that Jaime can't hear (there's maybe like, one thing Jaime can hear that Tadashi can't and he doubts it'll come up), but more like because Wally is apparently okay sobbing in front of Tadashi but he is not okay with sobbing in front of Tadashi's new neighbors, who may be a little concerned about the new guy bringing home a deranged ginger in primary colors, and Wally doesn't want to get the guy kicked out before he's even settled in and that's incentive to not cry.
There he goes again, spacing. Wally takes a deep breath, another for the road, before he swipes his thumb over the screen to answer back with a video, knowing full well his cheeks are a little ruddy and puffy around the eyes and not worrying if Jaime knows he's been crying, just so long as he's not crying now.
His tone takes on a playful lilt, a little muted maybe (like Tadashi, like him for the last three years or so), but still there, still familiar enough...he hopes.]
Reyes. A call? Why didn't you just track my DNA and jump me while I'm taking a dump? I thought we were close.
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[ Jaime's not so different that he doesn't reflexively apologize for swearing, but otherwise, he does look different. As familiar as his voice is and as familiar as his expression is - wide eyed, shell-shocked, mouth agape - the years have changed him. The scruff on his face isn't as pronounced as he'd like it to be, but it's a far cry from the paltry few strands it used to be, some of that residual baby fat on his face having since disappeared, making his features narrower, more defined, hair long enough to be pulled into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck.
It's not that he thought that Tadashi was lying. Of course he wasn't. And of course Tadashi would know, immediately, if this was their Wally. But it's one thing knowing it and another thing entirely to see it, hear it, Wally quipping at him like no time has passed despite the weariness in his eyes, still rimmed red with tears. Which, fair enough; Jaime knows that he's got, oh, about ten minutes of keeping up a stoic front before that's him. He'd thought about Wally a lot over the years, the things he'd learned from him, the words he'd kept close to his heart. A nagging part of him knows that he needs to make a trip to the Ted Kord Memorial Centre before Wally does so he can take half of those remembrances down.
But he'd relegated Wally to a memory a long time ago. A good one. The memory of a friend, who'd changed him when he needed changing, who was there for him when he needed him to be, and someone who Jaime hoped he served just the same. Still, he had been a memory all the same, unlikely to ever return, just like everyone else from that chapter of his life.
Tadashi came back, though. And now Wally... he just drinks the sight of him in for a moment. Other Wallys have come through after his. Never for long, and all different from the one he knew. Even from a glance, he can tell, this one's his. He's pretty sure his expression is doing about fifteen different kinds of funky things (he's never had very good control over his eyebrows and that still hasn't changed) and he's pretty sure Wally won't appreciate being gawked at like this, communicator clutched so tightly in his hands that his knuckles have turned white with it, but can't keep all of it in. ]
I wasn't gonna bust in on you while you guys were -- while you still hadda --
[ He exhales, still feeling like this isn't quite real. ]
Hi.
[ His blood buzzes electric underneath his skin, a flicker of blue veins flashing across his temple. If he can just get his ass over there, he'll do it within minutes. He can even feel his armour prickling at his shoulder bones, eager to get moving. ]
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Jaw a little more square, beard a little less proto. That same look in his eyes, when he wants to do something but wants to be respectful of someone's space and feelings before he does the thing he really wants to do, always so god damn careful.
Wally's grin slips, just a bit, before he half-turns and cracks open Tadashi's door to let him know he's going downstairs to meet up with Jaime, and he'll be back in a bit.]
Would you just get over here and hug me? Embarrassing. [Maybe Wally will crack when he sees him and make an ass of himself, cry again, but he'd thought he would be fine with just the phone call, the memory of his-world-Jaime still in his head and making him forget that holy shit, that's right, Jaime Reyes here is one of the best friends he's ever had, and he hasn't seen him in five years.]
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[ Jaime half-transforms on-screen until the communicator is stowed and the line goes dead. This is unusual, but not so unusual that it hasn't happened to Jaime a few times recently, old friends having come home, but it's rare that Khaji feels the same thing that he does. It intensifies everything, makes him all buzzy. He knows that they're just feeding off of each other the way they do when emotions are high and they happen to be in sync, but he's not going to try to distinguish between them now; if he does, Khaji may well tone it down, and the bug rarely feels strongly about anyone in the first place.
He feels the same old nagging fears he always does when someone from his past arrives - he's so different from who he used to be, what are they going to think, what happened to them while they're gone, how are they going to feel about the fact that seemingly overnight, everyone they'd loved is gone - but he shakes it off once he becomes airborne, the crisp air helping him snap out of it, determined to take a moment just to be happy.
He hits the ground with a stumbled run and knocks twice on the door (oh, of course they're at Tadashi's) before letting himself in, suit still powering down from his knees downwards. ]
Wally?
[ And once he sees that asshole, he's giving him a big ol' hug. ]
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Reyes! Your baby beard upgraded-!
[And he's a little taller, a little broader, his chin a little sharper. Wally doesn't take long to look at him or catalog the differences; once his arms go around him and Wally's hand finds that spot between his shoulderblades where he knows Khaji is burrowed, he relaxes.
No really, he relaxes, slumps against Jaime like he just got home drunk and puts all his weight on the guy in giddy relief, knowing that if he doesn't get caught then Jaime will go down with him.]
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[ Jaime's protest has a bark of laughter in it, predominantly because if he doesn't laugh, he'll cry. Okay, he'll cry later anyway, but he'd rather hold onto the jubilance for a little longer, and while he staggers backwards just a touch as Wally flings himself into his arms, he catches him easily enough, swaying with it. There's something comforting about Wally's weight on him anyway, familiar in all of the right ways, a solid reminder that he's here, that this is real and not some awful dream he'll wake up from with a grimace, because looking and knowing has never been enough. Jaime's always had to touch. He hooks his chin around Wally's shoulder and squeezes him tight in the way that all Reyes seem to know how.
As familiar as it is, though, Wally feels different. Looked different on-screen too. Time had passed for him at home. And while that's normally a good thing - there's a certain kind of surrealism that comes from disappearing and coming back years later when for you it's only been a moment; just ask Tadashi to get verification of that - something in Jaime's heart of hearts knows what that means. He's not positive, but he thought enough about it over the years to...
He squeezes him a little tighter. Voice muffled, he says, ] I missed you, man.
[ He's not crying. He's not.
Yet. ]
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Then.
He blew up at Tadashi for no reason when he's been nothing but nice. Jaime is bigger, is getting married- Dick isn't here, and boy does remembering everything that happened between them really throw a lot of back home issues into perspective. Wally's once again yanked out of his life to experience a whole other one for who knows how long, except that this time there's no 'back home' to get to, unless some kind of miracle happens.
He's gonna just. Be a hologram in a cave, now. Artemis is going to go home to their dog, go to sleep in their bed alone, and figure out what to do with her life now that her best friend isn't in it. Maybe she'll find out Wally was ring-shopping; maybe she won't. Maybe she'll get with someone else in the future (which makes Wally so heinously jealous that he won't entertain that thought any further).
Maybe Dick will be okay.
I missed you, man. Mumbled into his shoulder, because even if Wally's leaning obnoxiously against Jaime he's still a little taller, a little broader, a little less Kid and a little more Flash...only he's not either of those anymore at all, is he?
There's that weird pulsing hum, right between Jaime's shoulderblades.
Wally really needs to keep it in, really needs to reel this back in and tamp it down, make this reunion as happy as it should be for Jaime but it's been too long and Jaime is too much of a safe place for anything else to happen besides Wally's chuckle turning into a hiccup, turning into clenched teeth as he grabs onto Jaime's shirt s tight in return, shuddering against a sob.]
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[ Jaime...
To say he'd been expecting this immediately would be a lie. But he was expecting it sometime. Sometime soon. Maybe within ten minutes of meeting up, maybe in a week, but soon. You don't come here with everything changed, everyone you've ever known and loved gone (save for a couple people, but -- Wally's seen him now, must know he's not the guy that Jaime had known) and not wind up having some sort of meltdown, in your own personal way. And Wally's never been one to breakdown silently. It's funny. Scientists - or scientific geniuses, whatever - have a reputation for being cold and unemotional, but Wally's always felt things deeply, maybe more deeply than anyone around him.
And then there's the fact that Wally's bigger. Older. He almost doesn't notice, because from his perspective, it's just that time's kept on moving for Wally too. He grew up. Jaime just wasn't there for it. But he also knows what happens to Wally. He and Bart had talked about it enough -- heck, he and Wally had talked about it enough, and he'd done the calculations, tried to figure out the timeline of it. Jaime can't know for sure. Not without specific dates.
But he knows the Porter. He knows what it does. So he doesn't tell Wally it's all right and that it's all gonna be okay the way he wants to, because it probably isn't. Jaime's been alive for long enough and here for long enough to know that. But they're both here now, and that's something. He rubs his hand in a firm circle over Wally's back, glad that Wally can't see his face. He's giving himself a maximum of fifteen minutes to start crying too. ]
Let it out. It's okay.
[ God, he's turned into his Mom. ]
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You sound like my mom.
[Wally pulls back, the tears short-lived; either because hearing something so quintessentially Jaime comforted him or because the fact that his life is just so god damn ludicrous struck him abruptly when he heard his best friend's voice and thought of his mom.
His face is definitely still wet and Wally is scrubbing at it in annoyance, but he's at least not shaking like he's on the verge of a breakdown anymore, half-stepped out of Jaime's embrace with just a hand on his shoulder as he presses the sleeve of his shirt against his eyes to sop up the tears.] God. I can't believe this. I can't believe you had years away from my powerful influence and you're still the same dork.
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He doesn't let go of him, though, hands still anchored on Wally's shoulders unless the guy actively bats him away. The contact and pressure should be comforting, stablizing, Jaime hopes, but it's also because it's helpful for him, as though as long as he's got one hand on the guy, he's not just going to pop right back into non-existence. ]
...you got older too. I wasn't expecting that when we pinged onto your DNA. [ Usually when people come back like this, it's instantaneous, like no time had passed. But Wally...
He tilts his head, getting a look at him. ]
Seriously, though, I think you've earned at least half a meltdown.
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