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.
[Holds box out again. -wait, is that Tadashi's favorite type of donut sitting untouched in the corner, despite the systematic decimation of the others around it?]
So more of the same.
[Tadashi's always been calm but he seems...different. Less calm, more muted. Focusing on someone else is helping Wally pay less attention to the shitshow that is his current emotional health so he's gonna zero in on that.] Jaime's still here? Did he end up...y'know, forgetting anything?
[Wally may as well have proposed right there with that offering. Tad gives a little lopsided smile and takes it.]
No, he remembers everything. He found me first when I got back. [And sobbed on him a second time. Right, he should. Probably take care of that. He slips his free hand into his pocket and shoots off a text before returning to that delicious, delicious donut.]
[Right, calling himself taken and everything...he's a hussy goin' after that bussy]
Wait- [Ah, Tadashi already did before Wally noticed. Not that he doesn't want to see Jaime again- he absolutely, desperately wants to see one of his best friends again- but he just doesn't want to end up collapsing into tears again because he's not sure if he can pull himself together a second time and he doesn't really want to subject Jaime to that despite both he and Tadashi being 100938420348% better equipped to handle emotions than Wally is.
Oh well. It's probably like, really fucking rude to not tell your best friend that you're back after five years...or however long it's been here.]
Okay. [His hair is well and truly fucked up, not just from the hood and him pulling at it, but he's pretty sure there's a combination of sweat and like, alien energy particles making it stick out everywhere so Wally just drags a hand through it again.] -hey, uh, why don't we go somewhere? Bowling? How d'you feel about bowling?
[Wally you literally have told him nothing of your life in the past five years. -wait, does Tadashi even know that he- was Kid Flash? Shit, he does now, doesn't he?]
[Hey he could've been texting anyone!! You don't know, Wally! But at the 'wait', Tadashi looks at him, worried, and then that kind of rambling about bowling and--
Man.]
You sure you wanna go bowling in that? We can probably stop by my place so you can change or something. [He definitely didn't know but he does now. If Wally doesn't bring it up, then he won't.
He gets the donut in his mouth and pushes up to his feet, holding one hand out to Wally.]
[There's maybe a donut and a half left in the box but Wally still tucks it under his arm as he takes Tadashi's hand. Climbing to his feet, even with Tadashi's help, feels monumental, and as he looks down at his uniform he feels exhausted beyond measure.]
...yeah. Uh, yeah, I should...probably go to my government issued barracks, or whatever the hell.
[Maybe just find a hole and bury himself in it.] Hey, did you know Dick Grayson? Is, um, is he still here? [Wally has no idea what he's going to do if fourteen- (sixteen?) year-old Dick Grayson is still cackling around the imPort cities. The last words he said to him back home weren't anything special, and they haven't been good for a long time, but it seemed like maybe they could get back there with some work. Wally wanted to work for it, but now-] Or, um, a girl named Artemis? [Wally could check on his own comm but he's kind of scared to.]
[He keeps a steadying hand on Wally's arm until he's sure the guy's stable. And god, Wally's grown. How long has it been for him? He's seeing a few more of the changes that come with age but he won't comment.
Instead he shakes his head and takes the donut out of his mouth now.]
No. Neither names, I don't recognize them. And who said anything about the house they assigned you? You're coming to mine, I just moved into a private apartment.
Nice, kidnapping time. Love to see it. [Brings back those good sidekick memories. Honest to god, Tadashi, make all his decisions for him, please. He might be flippant right now but the way his dummy big shoulders suddenly sink shows exactly how relieved he is that he doesn't have to navigate any social interactions with strangers, at least for the time being.]
[Yeah, Tadashi remembers how it was when he ported back in right after dying. He didn't want to see anyone he wasn't familiar with, he didn't want to make any decisions... At least not for a solid week. He'd never asked the circumstances of what was going to happen to Wally before. He sort of wishes he had now.
He just motions for Wally to follow him to the porter, and to Nonah.]
Don't, uh. Mind the boxes, I'm still unpacking. [The place is organized mess. A few boxes here and there, but most of the living room is taken up by a single couch, coffee table, and boxes of hardware and tech; some of it from Stark Labs, some of it from the old De Chima house, some of it from what Hiro left at Aunt Cass'.]
Wow gross, ew, [Wally says flatly, playful just by rote. He's looking around but not quite taking it in, though his eyes do hold for a moment on a photo of Tadashi, Hiro, and Cass. Right, Tadashi said he was the only one here from his world, so...Auntie C would've gone, too.
The donuts are long finished so Wally breaks the box down and tucks it into the trash, starts stripping off the various accouterments of his uniform while Tadashi disappears into his room to retrieve some clothes for him to borrow. They're around the same size; Tadashi is taller but Wally is broader, so hopefully it won't be too much work.
And then Wally just stands there in his bright yellow and red spandex, clutching his gloves and his goggles, looking as lost as he feels as he gazes blankly around at the little life Tadashi is piecing together for himself here, not quite from scratch but damn close.
...he'll be doing this, too. Maybe he should be grateful, that there's something like this for guys like them. The ones not ready to go just yet.]
Hey Tasha? [Wally calls, still looking around listlessly.] Are you religious? Believe in heaven and all that?
[He's taking a few minutes longer than he really needs. Give him a minute, he's got some wet in his eyes that he has to let out, uses a tissue to muffle a sniffle while he shuffles a box around at the same time. While he was never one to cling to the past, he's so relieved that someone who knew him before came back and remembered him.
He's coming out of his room when Wally calls for him, red t-shirt and some jeans in hand.]
...I don't know, really. I sort of did before, but... After years of this place... I don't know.
Yeah, I get it. [Wally's starting from the opposite direction: scientist stereotype, aggressively atheist, but what else could this be but an afterlife if people who die come here?
He takes the clothes, shifts his weight before nodding over to the bathroom to change out of sight. ...doesn't close the door. Starts to, but then what if he does, and then he opens it, and he's somewhere else? Or if Tadashi just vanishes back home while he's not looking, and then Wally is alone in Tadashi's half-completed apartment, with his half-completed life, and all Tadashi's clothes and photos like it's some kind of memorial?
When Wally emerges, his folded uniform, gloves and goggles wrapped up in a bundle under his arm, he pauses.] You, uh...you didn't know, right? [Lifts the bundle a bit.] It's not a big deal, not anymore, but...you can ask, if you want. [It was a big deal, once upon a time. Hell, just a few hours ago, it had felt like a big deal again.]
[He'll take the few minutes Wally's in there changing to let a few tears squeeze out. Just sit on his couch with his face in his hands and breathe while he feels his fingers get wet. And just as soon as he starts, he takes a quick inhale, uses the collar of his shirt to dry his face when Wally comes back out.]
...No, I didn't know before. Makes sense. I didn't know about Jaime either, until a few months ago. Starting to suspect everyone I know is a superhero.
Technically, I think everybody here is. [Unless they're a supervillain. Fucking Crane.
Wally tosses his uniform onto Tadashi's couch, though he does pause for a minute after their eyes meet and he notices Tadashi's are a little bit red at the corners.] Runs in the family, carried over here, more or less. I quit a while back to go to college, but certain circumstances meant I picked it back up again. [And it's a good thing he did, too; that's the only thing keeping his bitterness at bay, that he contributed to Earth's survival. Or...he thinks he did. He'll never know for sure, will he?] Anyway, I know I suggested bowling, but how about takeout and never going outside ever again?
I'm fine not being a superhero. Already had that talk with Hiro, I'll leave that to him and his team. [Had he ever talked about that with anyone else? That Hiro and all his friends back home are superheroes now?
He scoots to make room on the couch.]
Sounds like a solid plan to me. Your choice, my treat.
Dangerous, [Wally warns, but honestly he'll get Tadashi back. It takes a second to remember how to use the comm's interface but he's scrolling for nearby places that do delivery, sitting on the arm of Tadashi's sofa.]
...y'know, the superhero thing- someone being a hero doesn't make them a good person. [He glances up at Tadashi before returning his attention to his comm, checking out the menu of a highly-rated pho restaurant.] And there's tons of good people, great people, who aren't superheroes. It's just- it's different. From how it always sounded before.
[From somewhere in the other bedroom, there's a tiny squeak of a noise. And then a small, long haired cat plodding through quickly carrying a teaser toy in its mouth. It drops the toy on the floor in front of them, then jumps onto the couch meowing at Tadashi.]
I know. [He just. Starts petting what is basically an oversized kitten. He thinks back to his parents, medical experts and doing anything they could to help. To his friends being ears to listen and shoulders to lean on when things got hard. His aunt raising them both when no one else would.]
...I don't remember if I thanked you for saving me that night. So... Thanks.
[Stares blankly before realizing that it's kind of a dick move to do that when someone thanks you for saving them]
-yeah. I- [Picks up his goggles to fiddle with them, picking at a scuff along one of the lens edges.] It's fine, you did. Or- I think you did. Or you don't have to thank me for that stuff, seriously.
[He shrugs, shifting the kitten so she's not on his leg but he can still pet her.]
Still wanted to. Anyway. [He holds one hand out for his phone and starts flipping through to make his own order and add it to Wally's oversized order.] You could probably use some carbs right?
You being here reminds me I should look into getting a tv or something.
[Wordlessly passes it over, glancing around as if just waking up.] Oh yeah, I mean, you got a fridge and a shower curtain and a front door but no TV? Priorities, man.
[It feels wrong. He's torn between being the Wally Tadashi remembers -funny, energetic, hopeful, life of the party- and, and whatever he is now. Wally has never been apologetic for his feelings before in his life but to subject Tadashi to whatever this is, it feels ungrateful.
The guy hunted him down and gave him his favorite donuts. And then like, hugged him while he cried. Maybe Wally can like, bootstrap and stop being such a downer, or something.]
[Tadashi living the bare minimum sort of... mirrors the whole situation somewhat. Wally had the right of it: Tadashi's a bit more muted than he was the last time he was here.
Could it be... depression?
Naaah.
But, that part of him that hasn't quit being a youth counselor rears itself while he places the order and sets his phone down.]
Look. I'm not gonna tell you how to feel or how to handle any of this. And I know I wasn't... [He rubs the back of his head. He wasn't family, he wasn't Wally's teammates from home. He was just... some guy he met here that happened to have a lot of mutual acquaintances and a similar fate.] If you ever need a place to crash and stop for a while, my place is always open. All right?
Smooth, [Wally quips automatically, even though he looks a little surprised that he was found out. Or not surprised. -no, kind of surprised. It's the differences in time that's really screwing with him, the five years there, however many years there; back home, Artemis can read him easy peasy, and probably Dick still can too (though lately that's made him more angry than appreciative). It's not like Wally's a closed book.
Tadashi's always been like that. They weren't- they were never close close, but they'd always been friends. When Wally would storm into the lab, Tadashi would turn his desktop wallpaper into a stupid meme during lunch break and make Wally laugh when he came back.]
Y'know, [Wally sighs, tilting his head back, hands gripping the knees of his slightly too long jeans,] times like this I wish I could get drunk. Be someone else's probably for a while, not remember any of it in the morning... You know what I mean?
[He knows a bunch of gross roadside snacks and some prank gifts won't fix this. It's going to take time and effort and support to help Wally right now. Tadashi just... hopes he can do it.
No, instead that kitten gives up on Tadashi and goes to nose at Wally's arm instead. New smell! Pet!]
Honestly? Kind of. I never did the whole getting drunk thing, but there were times I wished I did. For... exactly that reason.
[He gets up to dig through some boxes and pull out cups. Water time, just. Straight from the tap like an uncultured heathen. But it gives a little distance so they aren't so close while he admits this.]
You know. When I ported back in last fall. After checking if Hiro was still here, yours was one of the first two names I looked for.
[Wally is busy figuring out how to pet this unit of a cat when Tadashi admits that, swishing some water in the cups to get the dust out before filling them properly.]
Sorry I wasn't here. [It sounds insincere when he says it, so he tries again, voice softer as his fingers fold over the kitten's ears] ...I mean it. I'm sorry.
[He comes back over to set one cup down for Wally, then sits again.]
It's ... I mean, it sucked. But it's the fault of this whole place and the Porter and all that. Anyway, I wasn't saying that to make you feel bad or anything.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
runningstart) wrote2020-04-05 07:22 pm
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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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So more of the same.
[Tadashi's always been calm but he seems...different. Less calm, more muted. Focusing on someone else is helping Wally pay less attention to the shitshow that is his current emotional health so he's gonna zero in on that.] Jaime's still here? Did he end up...y'know, forgetting anything?
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[Wally may as well have proposed right there with that offering. Tad gives a little lopsided smile and takes it.]
No, he remembers everything. He found me first when I got back. [And sobbed on him a second time. Right, he should. Probably take care of that. He slips his free hand into his pocket and shoots off a text before returning to that delicious, delicious donut.]
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Wait- [Ah, Tadashi already did before Wally noticed. Not that he doesn't want to see Jaime again- he absolutely, desperately wants to see one of his best friends again- but he just doesn't want to end up collapsing into tears again because he's not sure if he can pull himself together a second time and he doesn't really want to subject Jaime to that despite both he and Tadashi being 100938420348% better equipped to handle emotions than Wally is.
Oh well. It's probably like, really fucking rude to not tell your best friend that you're back after five years...or however long it's been here.]
Okay. [His hair is well and truly fucked up, not just from the hood and him pulling at it, but he's pretty sure there's a combination of sweat and like, alien energy particles making it stick out everywhere so Wally just drags a hand through it again.] -hey, uh, why don't we go somewhere? Bowling? How d'you feel about bowling?
[Wally you literally have told him nothing of your life in the past five years. -wait, does Tadashi even know that he- was Kid Flash? Shit, he does now, doesn't he?]
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Man.]
You sure you wanna go bowling in that? We can probably stop by my place so you can change or something. [He definitely didn't know but he does now. If Wally doesn't bring it up, then he won't.
He gets the donut in his mouth and pushes up to his feet, holding one hand out to Wally.]
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...yeah. Uh, yeah, I should...probably go to my government issued barracks, or whatever the hell.
[Maybe just find a hole and bury himself in it.] Hey, did you know Dick Grayson? Is, um, is he still here? [Wally has no idea what he's going to do if fourteen- (sixteen?) year-old Dick Grayson is still cackling around the imPort cities. The last words he said to him back home weren't anything special, and they haven't been good for a long time, but it seemed like maybe they could get back there with some work. Wally wanted to work for it, but now-] Or, um, a girl named Artemis? [Wally could check on his own comm but he's kind of scared to.]
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Instead he shakes his head and takes the donut out of his mouth now.]
No. Neither names, I don't recognize them. And who said anything about the house they assigned you? You're coming to mine, I just moved into a private apartment.
[BOSSY.]
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Nice, kidnapping time. Love to see it. [Brings back those good sidekick memories. Honest to god, Tadashi, make all his decisions for him, please. He might be flippant right now but the way his dummy big shoulders suddenly sink shows exactly how relieved he is that he doesn't have to navigate any social interactions with strangers, at least for the time being.]
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He just motions for Wally to follow him to the porter, and to Nonah.]
Don't, uh. Mind the boxes, I'm still unpacking. [The place is organized mess. A few boxes here and there, but most of the living room is taken up by a single couch, coffee table, and boxes of hardware and tech; some of it from Stark Labs, some of it from the old De Chima house, some of it from what Hiro left at Aunt Cass'.]
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The donuts are long finished so Wally breaks the box down and tucks it into the trash, starts stripping off the various accouterments of his uniform while Tadashi disappears into his room to retrieve some clothes for him to borrow. They're around the same size; Tadashi is taller but Wally is broader, so hopefully it won't be too much work.
And then Wally just stands there in his bright yellow and red spandex, clutching his gloves and his goggles, looking as lost as he feels as he gazes blankly around at the little life Tadashi is piecing together for himself here, not quite from scratch but damn close.
...he'll be doing this, too. Maybe he should be grateful, that there's something like this for guys like them. The ones not ready to go just yet.]
Hey Tasha? [Wally calls, still looking around listlessly.] Are you religious? Believe in heaven and all that?
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He's coming out of his room when Wally calls for him, red t-shirt and some jeans in hand.]
...I don't know, really. I sort of did before, but... After years of this place... I don't know.
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He takes the clothes, shifts his weight before nodding over to the bathroom to change out of sight. ...doesn't close the door. Starts to, but then what if he does, and then he opens it, and he's somewhere else? Or if Tadashi just vanishes back home while he's not looking, and then Wally is alone in Tadashi's half-completed apartment, with his half-completed life, and all Tadashi's clothes and photos like it's some kind of memorial?
When Wally emerges, his folded uniform, gloves and goggles wrapped up in a bundle under his arm, he pauses.] You, uh...you didn't know, right? [Lifts the bundle a bit.] It's not a big deal, not anymore, but...you can ask, if you want. [It was a big deal, once upon a time. Hell, just a few hours ago, it had felt like a big deal again.]
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...No, I didn't know before. Makes sense. I didn't know about Jaime either, until a few months ago. Starting to suspect everyone I know is a superhero.
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Fucking Crane.Wally tosses his uniform onto Tadashi's couch, though he does pause for a minute after their eyes meet and he notices Tadashi's are a little bit red at the corners.] Runs in the family, carried over here, more or less. I quit a while back to go to college, but certain circumstances meant I picked it back up again. [And it's a good thing he did, too; that's the only thing keeping his bitterness at bay, that he contributed to Earth's survival. Or...he thinks he did. He'll never know for sure, will he?] Anyway, I know I suggested bowling, but how about takeout and never going outside ever again?
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He scoots to make room on the couch.]
Sounds like a solid plan to me. Your choice, my treat.
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...y'know, the superhero thing- someone being a hero doesn't make them a good person. [He glances up at Tadashi before returning his attention to his comm, checking out the menu of a highly-rated pho restaurant.] And there's tons of good people, great people, who aren't superheroes. It's just- it's different. From how it always sounded before.
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I know. [He just. Starts petting what is basically an oversized kitten. He thinks back to his parents, medical experts and doing anything they could to help. To his friends being ears to listen and shoulders to lean on when things got hard. His aunt raising them both when no one else would.]
...I don't remember if I thanked you for saving me that night. So... Thanks.
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-yeah. I- [Picks up his goggles to fiddle with them, picking at a scuff along one of the lens edges.] It's fine, you did. Or- I think you did. Or you don't have to thank me for that stuff, seriously.
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Still wanted to. Anyway. [He holds one hand out for his phone and starts flipping through to make his own order and add it to Wally's oversized order.] You could probably use some carbs right?
You being here reminds me I should look into getting a tv or something.
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[It feels wrong. He's torn between being the Wally Tadashi remembers -funny, energetic, hopeful, life of the party- and, and whatever he is now. Wally has never been apologetic for his feelings before in his life but to subject Tadashi to whatever this is, it feels ungrateful.
The guy hunted him down and gave him his favorite donuts. And then like, hugged him while he cried. Maybe Wally can like, bootstrap and stop being such a downer, or something.]
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Could it be... depression?
Naaah.
But, that part of him that hasn't quit being a youth counselor rears itself while he places the order and sets his phone down.]
Look. I'm not gonna tell you how to feel or how to handle any of this. And I know I wasn't... [He rubs the back of his head. He wasn't family, he wasn't Wally's teammates from home. He was just... some guy he met here that happened to have a lot of mutual acquaintances and a similar fate.] If you ever need a place to crash and stop for a while, my place is always open. All right?
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Tadashi's always been like that. They weren't- they were never close close, but they'd always been friends. When Wally would storm into the lab, Tadashi would turn his desktop wallpaper into a stupid meme during lunch break and make Wally laugh when he came back.]
Y'know, [Wally sighs, tilting his head back, hands gripping the knees of his slightly too long jeans,] times like this I wish I could get drunk. Be someone else's probably for a while, not remember any of it in the morning... You know what I mean?
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No, instead that kitten gives up on Tadashi and goes to nose at Wally's arm instead. New smell! Pet!]
Honestly? Kind of. I never did the whole getting drunk thing, but there were times I wished I did. For... exactly that reason.
[He gets up to dig through some boxes and pull out cups. Water time, just. Straight from the tap like an uncultured heathen. But it gives a little distance so they aren't so close while he admits this.]
You know. When I ported back in last fall. After checking if Hiro was still here, yours was one of the first two names I looked for.
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Sorry I wasn't here. [It sounds insincere when he says it, so he tries again, voice softer as his fingers fold over the kitten's ears] ...I mean it. I'm sorry.
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It's ... I mean, it sucked. But it's the fault of this whole place and the Porter and all that. Anyway, I wasn't saying that to make you feel bad or anything.
Just... You're my friend.
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MY HTML THO
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