Hello, again. This was a suggestion from grievinglionheart on Tumblr. It's also been a thing that's been bothering me since the last episode...
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Young Justice.
It started with a fight, and it escalated quickly.
Bart always checked up on Jaime in the evenings, ever since the incident with Green Beetle having Bart overly suspicious of the effects. Whether it was through texts, calls, or him running from Central City to El Paso, he always did it.
For closure.
Now, a few weeks after the incident with Green Beetle, Bart sits nervously at Jaime's house, his fingers fiddling around each other. He's already asked his mother where she thinks he might be and checked those places. He's already called Jaime's phone multiple times, each going to voicemail after a few rings. He's already done everything he can.
The problem is this has happened many times before. Times when Bart comes over to hang out at Jaime's and he doesn't show up until late in the early morning, sometimes not at all.
Each time, Bart waits anxiously at the kitchen table, eating bags of Chicken Whizees and plates of other foods that Jaime's mother hands him. And, long after everyone in the house has retired to bed, Bart is still awake. He sometimes moves up to Jaime's room, sitting on the bed with homework spread everywhere, watching the window.
Other times, Bart leaves the house entirely. He'll run around town, darting around every street, every crevice, in search of his friend.
His efforts are in vain.
But Bart never returns to Central City for the night. He won't until Jaime is home.
He'd always call Iris, telling her he's hanging out with Jaime, so she won't worry. He'd hope that the worry for Jaime didn't betray his voice.
It's late when Jaime does return home that night, dressed in his Blue Beetle garb. He flew in through the open window, his wings folding back.
Bart stood from his place on the bed, a few of the papers for Jaime's math class fluttering in the wind from the window. "Where were you?" Bart asked right off the bat.
"I was out," Jaime replied, still in his armor. Bart waited for a moment to see if his friend would elaborate. But Jaime doesn't.
"Where?"
"Out."
"Why?"
The cycle continued like this, the few words giving no clue to Bart as to where Jaime was. Bart shifts on his feet, his fingers tapping against the side of his body nervously. "Jaime, you've been acting different lately. Ever since Green Beetle did that thing to the Scarab. You're different. You never come home on time, your mom is worried. I'm worried."
"Don't be," Jaime replied. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, meatbag."
Bart stepped back, surprised etched across his face. "What...what did you call me?" Bart asked, knowing all too well the words that fell out of his friend's mouth.
Except for this wasn't his friend.
This wasn't Jaime Reyes.
Bart realized that.
Something was wrong.
The cold, expressionless face of the Blue Beetle stared back at him. The yellow eyes so familiar, so reminding of his past. The happy Jaime after the Green Beetle silenced the Scarab.
It all made sense.
The Reach had taken control over the person he swore to save.
Before Bart could say anything, the wings extracted themselves from the back of Jaime—no, this wasn't Jaime. This was the Blue Beetle—and he took flight.
Jaime Reyes was gone.
And Bart Allen was left with a body that didn't want to move from shock.