Done for a prompt on the YJ Anon Meme.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice. At All. In any way shape or form. I could make a list of the many ways I don't own Young Justice, in fact I could probably make a book.
Italics is when Bart is talking to Impulse telepathically/thinking.
Bold Italicsis when Impulse is talking to Bart telepathically/thinking.
The first time they met, Bart was nine. Nine, and in so much pain he could barely think straight.
He remembered running. Running and scrabbling desperately at his inhibitor collar, trying to get it offoffoff but it would and then there was thump behind him and something charging and then burningburningburning-
Then Nathaniel came, and he was whispering soothing words and dragging – or was he carrying? - him away from the rubble pile where he'd been left for dead and being carefulcareful to avoid knocking the burns the soresoresore burns that he wasn't even sure what had been caused by and owowowstopitstopitstopit it hurtshurtshurts!
It wouldn't be until later, when the wounds had been cleaned and he was drifting between awake and asleep, barely lucid, when two thoughts that would completely change his life would fade into existence in his head.
The burns were caused by a plasma cannon. It had hit the collar and melted it off and scored all along his side, but he was alive. He was alive after Blue Beetle went after him with the plasma cannon. No one survived the plasma cannon. Only the strong ones survived the plasma cannon, and even then only when they managed to doge it enough to only get nicked.
He'd managed to doge slightly. He'd been hurt.
He was one of the strong ones.
The second was a rather more violent realisation.
When he had been crying and whimpering and screaming for the pain to just stop...
...he hadn't been the only one crying.
And when he reached out, just ever so tentatively reached out, a second answered him, latched onto him with cries and sniffles and make it stops and Bart realised that he wasn't exactly alone in his head anymore.
He's like a little kid.
That's the easiest way to describe him. He's like a little kid from Dad and Mum and Aunt Dawn and Wally's stories; small (even though he didn't technically have a body) and loud but quiet sometimes and naive and innocent and curious and everything Bart himself has never had a chance to be because the camps knocked it all out of him a long time ago.
It's infuriating. The Other (because Bart can't think of a name for him, and neither can he, any ideas they come up with just don't fit and the Other drew the line at letting Bart help when he suggested Thaddeus) is just so...so innocent and it's infuriating and annoying because it makes him seem so little (even if he technically is) and he can't seem to tell what the line between make believe and reality is and he's chattering away almost all the time and thinks Bart has the answers for everything and that he can protect the Other from anything that might hurt him, even Blue Beetle and that's just so not crash because...because...
Because he wants to protect the Other. His attitude and personality are infuriating but...but they're also endearing. They make him feel...not fatherly, but something like it, big brother-hood maybe? Towards the second speedster living in his head.
He wants to know the answers to every question Other asks him, so that he can show him that he knows enough to look after him, he wants to be strong enough to protect him from everything and he's worried that he isn't that he'll never be able to do that and he won't be able to protect Other...
It's annoying and worrying and infuriating and not crash and moding and all these negative things and he wants to resent Other because why should he even feel like this, Other is just an intruder in his mind he shouldn't have to share not fair not fair-
And then his thoughts stop, because he can feel the tentative mental poke of Other, asking if he's okay and if there's anything he can do to help, and he realises why.
He wanted to be just like Grandpa Barry and Wally when he grew up, to be a hero and protect people, and that's just why he wants to protect Other so much. Other isn't like a small child, he is a small child, a small child who hasn't been exposed to the worst the world has to offer and has that perfect innocence all children have and he looks up to Bart and trusts him so completely and fully without having ever seen anything to prove why he should look up to him so much and that's why he wants to protect Other.
Other is just like how he used to be.
How he used to be with his Dad and Aunt Dawn and... and...
And Wally.
He's to Other as Wally was to him.
That's when he makes himself the promise. No matter how annoying Other gets, no matter what he does, Bart will protect him, will protect his little brother because that's what Other is, and he'll make sure no one hurts him.
He just hopes he'll be able to look after Other as well as Wally looked after him.
Are you sure you want to do this? He asks again, looking at the fabric held in his hands, stretching it and looking for any possible weak points so that they can be fixed to get as much protection from it as possible because Other needs the protection he's never been in the real world before Bart still has to protect him no matter what...
Yes! Other insists, and he sounds put out and hurt and Bart immediately feels a stab of guilt.
I can do this Bart, I'm not weak or incapable, I'm totally crash. I'm a full four years old now and you've looked after me and I remember stuff from before so I'm way older than four really and...you trust me don't you Bart?
Of course I trust you! And he feels so, so bad that he ever gave the impression to Other that it was otherwise It's just...I'm worried. I promised to protect you, and now I'm going to have to sit back and not do anything unless it gets really, really bad and I don't want you to get hurt!
Other just radiates gratitude and relief at the words, and also reassurance.
I'll be fine Bart.
I know. You've grown a lot, you're strong...but I still worry.
You sure you're not my dad?
Oh be quiet.
Nah. Hey...Bart? Do you think I'll get a real name in the past?
He feels that guilt again, and wonders how it's possible that in all the four years he's had his little brother, he never managed to give him a proper name. It's a failure he wishes he hadn't made, but he had.
I hope so. Now let me finish talking to Nathaniel and I'll let you have control once we're in the time machine, okay?
Okay!
Remember your lines?
...maybe.
Other!
I'll be fine! Improvising always works! Plus, what're the chances that the lines owuld actually work?
Fine...just...just take care of yourself okay? I'll have to go really far down to avoid Miss Martian or Martian Manhunter or any other telepaths finding me, okay?
Yeah...I'll miss you Bart.
I won't really be going anywhere Other, just call for me if you need me, and I'll be right there to help.
He felt Other give the confirmation that he understood, and then he changed into the hero uniform and zipped back to Nathaniel, allowing time to speed up again.
"You know curing me, and saving the Flash's life, that's only the beginning,"
"I know Nathaniel, big mission, lots to do, better get to it,"
And then, once they're safely in the machine, Bart slips back into their mind and buries himself deep, half going into hibernation, for lack of a better term, and smiles as he feels Other's elation at discovering how to work a body before getting out of the machine.
His little brother will do fine. And he'll be there to help if he needs it.
A small thing I didn't point out before, the prompt on the YJ Anon Meme that this is for? It was my prompt and I ended up filling it myself...
So, did anyone enjoy this so far? I can't guarantee when the next part will be up, but it'll be up at some point.