Your Turn
by Cerulean Leader
ø,,ø¤º°°º¤ø,Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ,ø¤º°°º¤ø,,ø
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. :)
WARNING: There is slight hinting of RobRae, and there are teeny-weeny making out references, but nothing major.
As a child, Wally always wondered whether or not he would become the Flash at one stage or another in his life. So, when his Uncle Barry had decided to retire at the age of forty-five and hand over the mantle of the superhero to his beloved nephew, the blonde could not have been more proud of Wally. Then again, Barry was just happy to be rid of Bart who had replaced Wally as Kid Flash during the Invasion a few years ago, when his cousin had offered the identity to him.
Artemis, of course, was slightly annoyed but was still proud of her now-husband. They had gotten married when they had graduated from college, and had both re-joined the team, even though Artemis had once again called upon temporary retirement because she was, ahem, pregnant with a certain speedster's baby.
Anyway, going back to the original reason why this was produced, Barry had called both Wally and Bart over to the Allen home, and the two had practically come rushing over. Well, after Bart had caught Artemis and his cousin making out on the bed because she had just told him of the second person she was going to have to feed for the next nine months…
"Wally…"
"Thank you, Artemis; I'm gonna be a dad…"
"Wally, don't leave a hickey!"
"OH MY GOD!"
"Bart!"
When Barry had opened the door, the three speedsters wasted no time in talking quickly, and Wally had no problem keeping up, something Iris had pointed out when she had passed them with Don and Dawn in tow, and scolded her husband for not inviting her nephew and grandson in properly.
"Sorry, boys, please, take a seat."
"What's going on, Uncle Barry?" Wally asked after kissing his aunt on the cheek and ruffling both his little cousin's hair. He pulled out a chair and straddled it, with a slightly annoyed face, glaring at Bart who snickered when he saw the expression. Barry rolled his eyes, motioning his grandson to sit down as well, which he did without any hesitance, propping his feet on the table.
"Well, as you two know, I'm getting a bit old…"
"You're only forty-five—" Bart tried to protest, but was cut off.
"…and I think it's time that I retired. My wife and kids need me. I'll be there to help out and all if needed, and I'm still a member of the Justice League, but the new generation needs to begin taking over."
Wally blinked in surprise. Jay Garrick, the very first Flash, hadn't retired officially until he was at least ninety-seven, so, why was Barry retiring this young?
The man in question reached into his pocket and pulled out the yellow ring which had the insignia of the scarlet speedster engraved into it, and offered it towards Wally. He smiled encouragingly at his nephew who raised an eyebrow, still unsure of what was going on while Bart's mouth was agape in surprise.
"Gramps, that is so not fair!" he exclaimed, looking at his grandmother who just shrugged.
"Don't look at me, I didn't make the decision."
"What decision?" the redheaded speedster asked, before the thought clicked, and he immediately began shaking his head. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no."
"Wally, it's your turn."
"…I can't, though."
"Why not, sweetie?" Iris inquired, picking up Dawn and walking over to place a hand on Wally's shoulder. "You're more than ready. You were his sidekick for six years, and have had more experience as a speedster than any of you technically speaking because you started at such a young age. Plus, if you haven't noticed, I think you've finally surpassed Barry."
"Dada," Don said cheerfully, waddling over to Barry with his hands outstretched. Barry smiled and lifted the child and placed him on his lap, bouncing his knee. Wally stared at his young cousin and then back at the ring which was kind of just sitting there in his palm.
"Artemis is pregnant. I can't ditch her for the hero gig. She needs me."
"You can still be there for her like I was with Iris when she pregnant with these maggots." Barry laughed, completely dismissing the fact that Wally had accidentally said that he was going to be a father. "Besides, you have always wanted to be the Flash. Remember when you were twelve You used to run around in one of those puffed up suits which your mom had bought at Wallmart for twelve bucks on sale, pretending to be me."
Wally spluttered in protest while Bart began to double over in laughter, banging his hand on the wooden coffee table. "You did what?!"
"The last time I did that, I was ten, thank you!" the redhead growled in response before sighing and clenching his fist. "It's not just Artemis and the baby I'm worried about, it's just…"
"What, Wally?"
"What if I'm not good enough? I'm nowhere near as good as good as you, Uncle Barry. I'm not as fast as you, I'm not a strategist like you are—"
Barry narrowed his eyes and his eyebrows creased in annoyance. "Kid, shut your trap. You're just as good, even better by now. There is no doubt that you have gotten faster over the years. You can vibrate your molecules now, can't you?"
"Yes, but—"
"Iris, can you take care of the twins for a few minutes? Wally and I won't be long."
"Ooh, ooh! I'm coming too!" Bart said excitedly, bouncing around in his sneakers.
A few moments later, the three speedsters were outside, casually walking up the clear street where Iris and Barry lived. Bart and Barry were walking slightly ahead, with Wally in the back, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans as he scuffed his shoes against the pavement. When they got the corner, Barry placed a hand over his eyes to shield his vision from the sun and whistled before turning to face the two juniors.
"We're going to have a race."
"Shouldn't we put on our uniforms first?"
"Not necessary. Everyone in this entire block has gone to work or is at school, so, we have nothing to worry about. Anyway, we're going to race right across the world and back here. This is going to prove who is the fastest." Barry explained, smirking at Bart who rubbed his hands together in glee.
"I'm going to win this for sure. We've established that I'm faster than Wally." He laughed, before shrinking back when Wally glared at him, seemingly producing an aura of death around him. Apparently, the fact that his cousin was faster than him was still a touchy subject.
"You both know the route, we've done this before. Remember, Wally? And Bart, I showed you this route a couple of months ago. No short-cuts."
The three men crouched down with their fingers pressed gently onto the black, rough road as Barry began to count down.
"Three… two… one… Go!"
With a large gust of wind, they all sped off, Bart taking the lead as letting loose a booming laugh as he threw his head back. "This is awesome!"
Within a few seconds, and annoyed groans from Wally at Bart's behaviour, they all began to race across the high seas, Bart beginning to slip back, allowing Barry and Wally to be neck and neck with each other. Even though he was an accomplished speedster, Bart still had a bit of trouble running on water, managing to maintain a speed to stay above the waves. This kept happening for the next few minutes as the three continued to run across the whole world at top speeds, and slowly, without noticing, Wally began to take the lead.
Bart's eyes had widened in surprise, and Barry had a proud smile on his aging face.
Running on land and water… They seemed so similar, but they also had so many differences that all three speedsters had lost count. But, in saying that, they couldn't deny the similarities.
When the speedsters finally made it back to the coast line of America, Wally finally decided to glance around for Barry and Bart and was surprised to find that he could not see them. 'Have they already passed me?' he thought in annoyance, biting the inside of his cheek to repress a scream as he continued to run. 'This is so embarrassing. I guess I should just hurry up and get back to Uncle Barry's so the mocking can be over and done with quicker…'
With a heavy sigh, Wally began to speed up even more, not even realising how fast he was truly going; only thinking he was going at his normal top speed.
Finally stopping in front of the Allen residence, he spotted his aunt and twin cousins waiting for them outside the house. He skidded to a halt, a bit of a dust cloud beginning to rise into the sky from the impact of his sneakers against the ground.
Iris had the biggest smile on her face, and it was really beginning to irk him.
"Alright, where are the two assholes?"
"Wall-eh!" Dawn called, tugging on his jeans, wanting to be pulled up. He did so, and laughed when the five year old began to pat his cheeks.
"Wally, language!" Iris scolded. "There are children around. Anyway, they're not back yet—"
"Sorry for the white, sweetie." Barry said after he stopped and pressed a kiss to his wife's temple. Bart was right behind him, letting out a frustrated yell.
"Alright, I give in! He's faster than me, and he's worthy of the Flash title…" he said. Even though he was eighteen now, he had decided while racing that he still wanted to be the partner of the Flash, because training under Wally would be different from Barry. They were closer in age, and Bart felt really comfortable with his cousin. Even enough to work in Wally's house like it was his own and catch Artemis and her husband making out in their bedroom…
Wally's piercing green eyes had widened beyond belief. He took a step back, and opened his palm. He had been clutching the ring in his hand the entire time. Hadn't his grandfather, Ira, designed this?
"I'm…" he paused and looked up at the people staring at him before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he began to lose his balance. That's when everything turned black.
"Your majesty?"
"Artemis…?" he said, staring up at her with wide eyes. She was standing in front of him wearing a frilly apron and a maid's costume with her long, waist-length hair, like she had when they were fifteen, down and slightly curled. She even had a gothic Lolita headband to go with it.
"I bring you food." She said with a bright smile, offering him a chip in her dainty fingers. He immediately leaned forward and began chomping on the chip, as the blonde kept offering him more.
"How are you enjoying those… Baywatch?"
"Huh?"
"Baywatch!"
Wally groaned, and slowly opened his eyes. Everything was a bit fuzzy, so, he blinked a few times to clear his vision, when he spotted Artemis standing right over him casually, blinking almost worriedly at him. Her eyebrows were knitted in concern, and her eyes seemed to always betray her emotions when it came to Wally.
"Barry, Iris, he's awake!" she called in relief, leaning forward to press a lingering soft kiss to his lips. He began to kiss her back slowly, when the two heard a gagging sound.
"Oh, come on, haven't I already caught you two kissing enough? Too much PDA."
Artemis growled, and threw the nearest item at the younger member of the team, which happened to be plastic bottle, which hit him square in the face which caused Wally to erupt in laughter.
"Glad to hear that you're okay, kid." Barry said, ruffling his hair when he walked in the room. Wally swatted his hand away and sat up, pulling Artemis next to him onto the couch.
"How long was I out?"
The blonde beside him shrugged. "About half-an-hour, give or take. I rushed over when I heard." She explained, shoving a spoonful of jelly into her mouth which Wally hadn't noticed earlier. He pouted, while she rolled her eyes and offered him a scoop as well. "Anyway, congratulations, babe."
"Huh?"
"You better accept this offer because junior over there still needs a mentor. He's sloppy." She said, jerking her chin towards Bart who was scowling and rubbing his nose still from when Artemis had thrown the bottle at him.
"That was unnecessary, Artemis." He scowled, but she just laughed in return, fist-pumping Barry.
Wally grinned and pressed a hand to his wife's stomach. "What about this junior?"
Iris's mouth fell open while Bart and Barry stood there, silent and stunned. "What? You're pregnant?!"
"…Did I not say that?"
"Wally, you weren't supposed to tell!"
"Sorry, babe!"
~13 years later~
"So, dad, how exactly did you become the Flash?" Atlanta(1) asked one day when she was sitting with her best friend, Hope(2), as the two thirteen year-olds sat in the lounge room of the Wests' home, watching a movie.
"Dad said you fainted when you found out." Hope put in with a smirk, stifling a giggle when her father's best friend began to turn red.
"I'm going to kill that troll…"
"Was Bart there? We should ask him." The half-demoness said with a cheeky grin. "Then we should tell Lian, but then your aunt will begin mocking your dad again, won't she, Lati?"
"Probably."
A/N: I just... I don't even know. I watched the newest episode today, and I got really excited that I got my Spitfire back and then the Bart and Wally scene happened when he handed over the Kid Flash mantle to Bart... Well, yeah, you get the picture. But this, I don't even know. It's stupid.
This doesn't exactly tie in to Obviously Never or Zealous, because in those stories, Wally became the Flash before he and Artemis had Lati or were even married, so, don't go trying to tying them together. Just putting that out there.
(1) Artemis was pregnant in the story, so, why not show Atlanta when she's a bit older? People have asked in the past to write stories about the kids (Ty, Benson, Hope and Lati - read MFP, and you'll understand) but I just haven't had time so I did a tiny thing with Lati and Hope here.
(2) This is a reference to my Teen Titans/Young Justice crossovers. If you want to know more about Hope, then I suggest reading 'My Father's Pride', but a warning in advance, she is, in fact, the daughter of Robin (Dick Grayson) and Raven (Rachel Roth).
Word Count: 2,258
Please consider reviewing, I appreciate constructive critisism. :)
~CL