Title: The Little Things
Word Count: 1,000
Rating: K+
Characters/pairings: Wally/Linda, Clark Kent
Summary: A typical day in Keystone City, complete with appearances by Mark Mardon, Superman, and Linda Park.
Unbeta'd.
Sorry in advance for some of the crazy alliteration below, it was just too much fun not to write. :)
This story is set in the Stop Motion (by Mark Schultz) universe. Wally is married to Linda Park the beautiful and savvy reporter (no kids), and he has unmasked a while ago. He's a member of the Justice League, but still does a bit of solo crime-fighting on the side. =] Great book, highly recommended.
Enjoy!
x-x-x
"Be right back."
The Flash slugged the stunned Weather Wizard one more time before running over to Superman, who'd just arrived. "Hey, Supes, what's up?"
Without giving Superman a chance to answer, Wally sped back over to Mardon. "Miss me?"
Mardon growled and rose to his feet. A bit of snow was still falling over a block or so of Keystone City, but ever since Wally'd snapped the Wizard's newest wand a few minutes before, he was powerless to create more climate-related chaos. Staggering from the effects of the Flash's fast fists, Mardon attempted to throw a punch of his own. Before he knew it, though, both arms were tied around his sides and he was perched on the front step of the Keystone City police station.
"Morillo, Chyre, got something for you," Wally called inside the station, and turned back to the Wizard. "Way more fun than Ding Dong Ditch, don't you think?"
Mark Mardon narrowed his eyes one more time and opened his mouth, only to watch Wally's form turn and flicker out. He kicked the concrete steps, hard, as he heard the detectives run out the entrance.
x-x-x
"Where were we?" Wally skidded to a stop in front of Superman, who hadn't moved.
"I was right here, Wally," Superman said with a grin. "Earlier, I was flying past Keystone City and heard you and the Weather Wizard. Thought I'd get in on the fun...too bad you had it covered."
"Are you kidding? There're more than enough bad guys to go around. Maybe not with such big names as the Wiz, but still...bad guys. What do you say?"
x-x-x
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Wally said, accepting the enormous slice of pie from the waitress. She smiled, her eyes wide, and tucked a strand of dyed blond hair behind her ear.
"Enjoy," she said, using her flamboyant fuschia fingernails to gesture at the half-eaten spread of food between Clark and Wally.
"Don't worry, ma'am, we have been," Clark pitched in. She smiled one more time and turned, heading back to her post by the diner's cash register.
"So, Wally," Clark said, leaning forward, "what's it like with...you know...not having a secret identity anymore?"
Wally set down his fork. "Well, at first, it was weird. People would just stop whatever they were doing when I went to the grocery store the first day, and I was only trying to buy some potato salad. But it's gotten better. Poor—what was her name, Betty?" He squinted at the waitress, who was currently handing over some change to a tall man in a cowboy hat. On eye contact with Wally, she dropped a couple coins, then stooped over to pick them up. When she stood up again, he waved at her and she returned the gesture, if a bit more timidly than Wally had.
He turned back to Clark. "Anyway. She did pretty well. She didn't even know that the Man of Steel was less than two feet from her!"
Clark coughed. "Yes, uh, it's just as well. But, I mean—" He was cut off by a tinny version of the Coldplay hit "Speed of Sound," and Wally sheepishly held up a red cell phone.
"Um, sorry. Gotta take this, it's Linda."
Clark waved a hand dismissively. "Go ahead. I'll be here."
"Thanks. I'll be back."
Clark watched Wally flip open the phone, walk through the diner door, and flicker out of sight. He chuckled. "Young love."
x-x-x
Less than a second later, Wally opened the door to he and Linda's apartment. "You rang?"
Linda set her pen down and scooted her swivel chair back from her desk. "Yep." She held up her black cell phone and smirked. "Not good enough for you?"
"Well, what could beat seeing my lovely wife in person?"
"Point taken. So. What's going on?"
"Hmm. This morning I woke up, ate some Wheaties—Breakfast of Champions, you know—took a shower..."
Linda rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mr. Talkative. Anything interesting?"
"Interesting? Ohhh, interesting. Well, there was one mix-up with the Weather Wizard. But only an eight out of ten on the scale of world-threatening disasters."
She stifled a laugh. "Good to know, good to know. Anyway, I was just wondering if you'd like to go to dinner tonight."
"Wow, the girl asking the guy. I like." Wally raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, Wally. A friend e-mailed me a coupon to the Orange Kitchen for tonight. Apparently, they're having a seafood event or something."
"So, the deal must be pretty shrimpy, huh?"
Linda ignored the pun. "Actually, it's quite reasonable. Fifteen dollars for all-you-can-eat shellfish."
"Sure, sounds great. What time?"
"Umm," Linda flipped open her daily planner, "how about 6:00?"
"Perfect."
"Okay, then. I'll call for reservations." Linda looked up from her daily planner and found her husband standing in front of her. She stood up. "Love you, Wally," she said, accepting his hug and resting her chin on his shoulder.
He pulled back and looked at her. "Love you too. See you tonight." And with that, he was gone.
x-x-x
Back at the diner, Wally spotted Clark. Instead of eating, though, the Man of Steel was standing, resting his hand on the top of the checkered tablecloth. His gaze darted around, finally catching Wally at the door. He strode out of the restaurant, nodding to the waitress on his way out.
"Hey, where's the rest of my pie?" Wally looked around.
"Well, I was thinking. Everything was almost gone, anyway, and I'd like you to meet some people."
"Do they have pie?" Wally joked.
"Actually, they do. Ever been to Smallville?"