A/n I know this was a Flash episode, but this story is a Jax and Stein story, and Jax isn't on the Flash character list, because that ep was meant to be a Legends prequel so I just made it a LoT story.


Jax sat against a wall in a small room at Star Labs. The had just returned after knocking out Hewitt and now that the high of the first battle had worn off, Jax found himself faced with a problem. He had to tell his mom what he had become and the way that he saw it, there was no easy way to do that.

Mom, he thought to himself, when I fuse with this older man I become a superhero. Oh, that would go over real well.

Mom, you'll never guess what happened to me, I was in the garage today, and I kinda got kidnapped by this woman, but it was okay because this guy was trying to kill me, so, anyway, I fused with this older man to save his life, and now I'm half a hero. Even living in a society were metas were running rampant that sounded fake.

Hey mom, you know that explosion, that jacked up my leg? Well it did more than that, it made me a perfect match for this old man, and when we fuse we become a superhero. Jax was hardly buying these stories himself and he had lived it. With a groan he closed his eyes. He needed a more believable way to tell this ridiculous story.

"Jefferson?"

Jax looked up. Even though he had only just met the man, he recognized his voice, although, now it quiet and not exuding the confidence of before. "Something wrong, Grey?" Even as he asked the question, he became aware of feelings that were not his own. Guilt was the most obvious and then there was the fear.

"I could ask the same of you. I felt your panic, so I came to find you."

"I was just thinking about something," Jax said attempting to dodge the question. It was embarrassing to admit he was scared of telling his mom about what had happened.

Stein's expression didn't change, but Jax could feel a sudden burst of despair, so strong that he had to fight back tears. "Grey, what's going on?" he asked.

The older man sat beside him and didn't say anything.

Jax sighed. "I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what I was thinking about if you tell me what has you feeling all types of things.

This seemed to be enough for the older man because he sighed. "You were feeling such panic and I thought it might be because of Firestorm, because of me. I've already lost Ronald, I don't want to lose another partner."

A sudden burst of shame went through Jax. Stein, Grey, thought that he was leaving him. That this taste of Firestorm, of fusing with him was too much.

"I'm sorry. If I woulda just told you what I was thinking..." Jax shook his head. "It's about Firestorm, but not like that. I gotta tell my mom, you know, and I don't know how. "I can't just be like, 'hey mom, I became a superhero today, well half of one at any rate, by the way I brought dinner.'"

Though there was no sound, Jax got the distinct feeling that Stein was laughing at him. "Hey," he said with a half-glare in the man's direction.

"I apologize, but you need not have agonized over telling your mother. You missed the obvious solution."

"That would be?"

"Taking me with you, when you tell her."

For one split second, Jax was going to ask what good that would do, the story would be no more believable out of his mouth either, but then he got it. They weren't just going to tell her, they were going to show her.

Jax literally faceplamed, Grey was right, that was the obvious answer. Standing up, he dusted off his pants, and then proceeded to help his partner.

"Just for the record," Jax said "I'm in this for the long haul."

For a moment, it looked like Stein was going to say something, but he didn't and just allowed a small smile.

Jax could tell that the man wanted to believe him, but this was so new and that worry and the fear was still there.

Setting those heavy thoughts aside, for now, Jax headed towards the door of the room matching his pace to Stein's. As they were leaving a question popped into Jax's head. "If we roasted a marshmallow with Firestorm's flames, would it be toxic?"


A/n2 I think Jax did tell his mom, they never say that he did, but considering how he and Stein just took off at the end of the Flash ep., it seems like he might have. Seriously though, would anything cooked by Firestorm's flames be toxic?