So I figured that while I'm waiting for a tie breaker for my oneshot poll, I'd write this little Wally oneshot. It started off so innocently. It was just going to be a bonding oneshot with Iris, Barry, and Wally, but it then evolved into a bit of an angsty project. While this does take place in the animated Young Justice series (with Wally's parents together), I did kind of sprinkle in a little family drama. This is a bit of an AU as well. Wally is eight in here and from what the Young Justice Wiki pages said that technically Barry and Iris got married in '06 making Wally 12 at the time (cause it said he was born in '94).
Red hair bobbed as Wally eagerly entered the Allen household, red duffle bag in hand. He would disappear into the other room as his mother stood at the door.
It was date night for Mary and Rudy West decided to drop her energetic bundle off at his favorite relatives' house.
"Are you sure you don't mind keeping him for the night?" Mary inquired.
"Of course I'm sure." Iris confirmed. "We love having Wally over. Plus Barry could use the company."
"Speaking of Barry, where is the man of the house?"
"Finishing up his shift. He should be home soon."
"Alright. Well, I'll be on my way. Wally, honey, come say good bye to mom."
Bolting back into the kitchen, Wally embraced his mother. She would return. Upon releasing her son, Mary would open the door.
"Now be good for your Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry." Mary lectured.
"I will." Wally promised.
"Good. I'll see you in the morning okay?"
Wally nodded.
"Love you."
"I love you too."
"See you tomorrow Iris."
Exiting the house, Mary would gently close the door behind her. Iris and Wally would watch as his mom entered the car, carefully observing as the car slowly backed out of the drive way. Once the car was out of sight, Iris turned her attention to her nephew.
"So, would you like to help me with dinner?" Iris inquired.
"Of course." Wally agreed. "What are we making?"
"I was thinking lasagna."
An approved cheered let her know that it was a good plan. Tearing into the kitchen, prepping dinner began.
The smell of basil, tomato sauce, and cheese hit Barry as he entered the house. The lasagna had just been pulled out of the oven and was in the early stages of cooling.
"Welcome home." Iris greeted.
"Glad to be home." Barry admitted. "It smells great in here."
"Thanks. I had a little help."
"Uncle Barry!" Wally greeted, hopping out from behind the counter.
"Hey sport."
Wally would maneuver around the counter and approach his uncle. A hand would ruffle the fiery red hair that Wally proudly sported.
"Long time no see."
"It hasn't been that long." Wally jokingly reminded. "You saw me last week at my school's career day, remember?"
"I did? Are you sure? I thought last week was Avoid Wally week?"
An annoyed pout marked Wally's offense to the statement.
"Uncle Barry."
A laugh escaped Barry. Messing with Wally like this was always a joy. Mostly because Barry knew exactly how to annoy his nephew.
"I'm joking."
"Enough." Iris intervened, lasagna in hand. "Now Wally, I believe I asked you to set the table, and we're still three plates short."
Wally gasped, instantly making up for his mistake.
Dinner had gone great. Conversations about the school week and cases filled the kitchen and everyone ate well. While he heartily enjoyed Iris' story about a solved murder case, it was Barry's close encounter with the Scarlet Speedster that Wally was in awe over. Not only that, but Barry was given a letter just for his nephew. It may not have said much, but Wally loved it all the same.
The next few hours in the Allen household were filled with pleasant quality time. They trio played Monopoly. After a long, stalling game, Iris came out on top.
After that, everyone began their bed time routine. Teeth were brushed, pajamas worn, and Wally was comfortably situated in the guest bedroom. Curled up beneath the grey comforter, Wally started drifting to sleep. Both Barry and Iris bid their good nights to the child as Iris turned the light off.
It was barely passed two o'clock in the morning when Barry found himself groggily waltzing into the kitchen for a late night snack. Stealing a bowl of ice cream, he quietly slid onto a seat. Light tapping of the dishes was the only noise occupying the house. It was eerily peaceful.
His peace was interrupted by the sounds of muffled whimpers. Disturbed curiosity plagued Barry as he turned his attention in the direction the noise was coming from. The muffled sound only seemed to get more consistent and louder ever so slightly. He didn't bother placing his dishes in the sink, wanting to figure out what was going on.
Sneaking his way down the hallway, Barry found himself outside of the guest bedroom. The whimpering was noticeable and he knew that it wasn't good. Wally was in there, and he was distressed. That was concerning. Snaking into the room, he approached invaded the room. Closing the door behind him, Barry made his way further into the bedroom.
A loud cry startled him as he approached the bedside. Even with the lack of proper lighting Barry could tell that Wally was squirming about, trapped within confines of a nightmare. Reaching out to wake him, Barry heard desperate pleas escape Wally.
"Please stop fighting." Wally murmured. "I won't do it again. I'll be good."
"Wally." Barry whispered, nudging the child. "Wake up."
Wally was unfazed by Barry's attempt at waking him, as tears began to freefall. This startled Barry a bit as he nudged Wally again.
"Please dad don't go."
This statement alarmed Barry. He shook Wally harder.
"Wally! Wake up. It's just a nightmare."
A panicked gasp escaped Wally as he was yanked back to consciousness. His attention bounced around the dark room before the flash of the table lamp caught his eye. His eyes would adjust, focusing on Barry. At the same time, Barry was able to see the distress on his face and dampened checks from Wally's crying.
"Un… Uncle Barry?" Wally sighed.
"Yeah kiddo." Barry greeted.
Sitting up, Wally rubbed his eyes before returning his attention to his uncle. Barry didn't initially say anything, wanting Wally to process his surroundings first. When Wally appeared alert, he proceeded.
"Care to explain?" Barry inquired.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Wally denied.
"Your nightmare."
Wally didn't respond as Barry sat beside him. Wally didn't show any sign of what he was going through his mind. Taking into considering what Wally had been murmuring, Barry decided to cautiously start there.
"Is everything okay at home?"
"Yeah."
"They haven't hurt you, have they?"
"No."
There was a moment of silence.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
"Of course."
There was another moment of silence as Wally processed what he wanted to do. Barry didn't want to press it, hoping that Wally would open up on his own. When Wally curled up, Barry knew something was coming.
"It's my fault." Wally finally admitted.
That was a start. A rather unusual start, but a start nonetheless.
"What's your fault?" Barry inquired.
"Mom and dad fighting."
"They've been fighting?"
Wally nodded.
"Is that what your nightmare was about?"
Wally began to twitch in discomfort as tears began to return. He was able to shake his head, denying that that was what he saw.
"Dad left because I was a disgrace."
Barry was a little shocked by the admission as an arm wrapped around the child's shoulders. Wally's distress only seemed to increase as a cry escaped him.
"He's going to leave Uncle Barry."
"He's not going to leave you."
"But dad has been getting really mad lately and it's all because of me."
"Don't say that."
"But it's true. All I do is cause trouble. He said that."
"What makes you say that?"
"I overheard them argue about it a few nights ago."
The room went silent lost all communication once more. The only sound being the strained buildup of Wally's distress. Barry wasn't sure how to respond. On the one hand, he thought that maybe Rudy and Mary had a meaningless dispute and Rudy said something without thinking. However, why he would say that, regardless if he meant it or not, was ludicrous. Saying that about his own son infuriated Barry.
However, this wasn't the time to discuss it. What mattered was the distraught child sitting beside him and he needed to get him to calm down.
"I don't think he meant it." Barry stated. "Sometimes grownups say things they don't mean and sometimes they forget who might be listening. But for now, why don't we save that for the morning. Just know, your parents love you, and that's all you need to remember."
Wally nodded, swatting at his tears with his sleeve.
"Would you like a little ice cream before I send you off to bed?" Barry inquired, lightening the mood.
A miserable excuse for a grin managed to light Wally's face up as he feverishly nodded. Chuckling, Barry gently dabbed the remaining tears away.
"Just don't tell your aunt." Barry warned.
With a stomach filled with a vanilla treat Wally crawled back beneath the blanket. He got comfortable as Barry adjusted the blanket. Wally didn't say anything, leading Barry to believe he fell asleep quicker than he thought he would.
He started to quietly make his way for the door when a hand grabbed onto his sleeve. Turning his attention back, he saw Wally, eye barely cracked open.
"Can you stay here?" Wally groggily requested. "At least until I fall asleep."
A small grin graced his face. It was such an innocent request that he couldn't refuse him.
"Of course." Barry agreed.
He gently sat back down on the bed. He kept an eye on Wally, granting him the sense of security he so desperately required.
This was actually pretty fun to write. I wanted to write something Wally centered so I did and it was worth it. Do let me know if anyone is at all OOC as this is the first time I've written outside of the Batfamily.