The whole thing feels like some sort of crazy fairy tale. He keeps on thinking he died during the experiment, or when he was fighting Abra Kadabra, and none of it is real, but he can't think of anything he might have done to deserve something so amazing, so incredible, as what his life is now.
But life isn't fair, and that's how he knows it's real; he just never thought it could work in his favor.
A big part of Wally's initial training, of Kid Flash's training, is following Uncle Barry around all day, running across the country and back, and meeting all of his friends. Uncle Barry, The Flash, is a really friendly person, and since pretty much anywhere in the world is just a run away he has lots of friends. Really, really, really awesome friends.
They meet up with the Green Lanterns, both of them, in a large empty grove outside of some city (geography is another part of his training because, apparently, calling San Francisco "that place with the bridge" might not be the best idea if he ever needs to call for help). Excitement is thrumming through his entire body as Uncle Barry introduces him.
Wally wants to make the best first impression that he can so he uses his very best manners. "It's very nice to meet you Mr. and Mr. Green Lantern."
He doesn't quite get why Uncle Barry starts coughing, and talking about how they have matching rings, (of course they have the same rings, that's what makes them Green Lanterns) but the first Green Lantern starts looking kind of funny, and Wally starts to think he's done something wrong on his very first meeting with other superheroes. The other Lantern rubs at the bridge of his nose for a second, and sighs, before looking Wally straight in the eye (his costume started out with lenses like The Flash, but they kept on making his eyes itch on the way over, even if Uncle Barry says there's no reason for them to, and he had rubbed at them until they popped out. And poked his eyes. He really hopes Uncle Barry doesn't make him wear them again. They're evil). "Green Lantern is a title, Kid." He looks him over once, head to toe, and sighs again. "My name is John Stewart."
"This is so cool," Wally says, the words slipping out without a conscious thought. Wally feels his entire body heat up, centering on his face, and he knows even with half his face covered his blush is easy to see. The Green Lantern's, John Stewart's, lip curls up slightly.
"Hey now," says the first Lantern, "no fair, stealing the Kid's attention before I get a chance. My name is Hal Jordon, but if you want," Hal gives a sideways glance at John, a smirk of his own working its way onto his face, "you can go ahead and call me Uncle Hal."
The rest of the day is spent training with the Green Lanterns, learning how to stop bad guys, and how to save civilians, by practicing with green constructs of people projected out of the rings. He's already really good at dodging, and knows how to take a hit, and 'Uncle' Hal and 'Uncle' John both praise him for it.
In the end Wally is tired, and happy, and something that he thinks might be content. Uncle Barry talks to the others for a moment before heading home with Wally, and when they turn back Wally is sleeping on the ground curled up against the side of a tree.
"He's a real good Kid." says Hal.
Barry leans down, and gently picks Wally up from his spot on the ground, rearranging him so that he fits more comfortably in his grasp. "He really is."
He already knows Jay Garrick and his wife Joan, but he never knew about Jay being the original Flash. It makes his " back in my day" stories a lot more interesting.
He meets Batman when they go to Gotham to pick up Wally's new goggles (after the fifth set of lenses Uncle Barry agrees that they aren't working out, so they compromise with the goggles instead). But Wally barely even notices Batman. Batman is mysterious and intimidating, but he's also practically a shadow, and shadows are pretty standard fair in Gotham.
Robin is a different story.
Robin is light in every definition of the word. He moves like nothing, not even gravity, can hold him down. And on the odd occasion where Gotham doesn't provide a shadow for Batman, Robin, with his bright colors and eye catching movements is the light that casts the shadows in which he moves.
For most of Wally's life the world has been polarized into us and them, family and other, all or nothing, with no room for friends to find a place somewhere in between. It's easy to be Robin's friend though, he's younger, but not someone Wally needs to provide for, a better fighter, but not someone he has to be wary of. Wally enjoys himself when he's hanging out with Robin in a way he can't remember ever having done before.
Wally loves having someone that's just a friend, and if Robin is a light then Wally becomes a moth, coming back to Gotham again and again to see him.
The first time he meets Speedy and Green Arrow he and The Flash follow a criminal into Star City. Speedy is the straight man to Green Arrow's "plucky" humor ("Get it Kid? Because of the bow, and the string, and, oh never mind). Watching the two of them bicker is a little bit like watching a sitcom.
Afterwards, when the villain is caught, Wally gets to meet Ollie and Roy when they all head over to Ollie's house for something to eat. Hanging out with Roy, and being his friend is a little bit like being friends with Robin, and a little bit like having an older brother again, and not quite like either of them, all once.
At home, everyone is happy that Wally has started making friends, and Wally is the happiest of all.
Well, he tries to come back to Gotham all the time. Batman doesn't like other heroes in his city, even if he doesn't seem to mind Wally hanging out with Robin, and that makes it hard for Wally to talk his way into hanging out.
So sometimes he sneaks into Gotham so they can hang out behind Batman's back.
It's one such day, and Robin is in the bathroom when Wally hears the screams start. Not just any screams, the screams, the ones that Wally learned about years before in whispered stories on the playground.
Quick changes are nothing to laugh at when you're a Flash. Wally is in his costume almost immediately. He holds his breath and starts grabbing people, running anyone who hasn't been affected away from the growing mist of fear gas into (relatively) clean air farther down the street. He takes gasping breaths with each person delivered to safety, and goes back for as many people as he can.
Soon enough he sees Robin and then Batman heading to the epicenter to confront Scarecrow, each wearing his own gas mask. Wally contents himself with playing crowd control, and occasionally running in to grab a terrified victim that wanders close enough for him to grab in a single breath. When everything is done Wally follows them onto a nearby rooftop, doing his best to prepare himself for Batman's wrath.
Wally waits in silence for whatever punishment Batman decides to give. He's waited for punishments in silence before, once for the better part of the day, and while the minutes that Batman has him wait stretch on longer than the minutes did in the past because of his speed he knows better than to offer any sort of excuse.
Eventually Batman breaks the silence. "Next time," he growls, "call the cave before you come to Gotham, understand?"
Wally feels a grin stretch across his face, and bites back the urge to hug Batman. "Yes, sir! Wait, no. No, sir. The Batcave has a telephone number?"
Batman reaches into one of his utility belt compartments and brings out a business card that he hands to Wally. There is nothing on it but a single number. Wally stares at it, speechless, and when he looks up Batman is gone.
Batman stops complaining about Wally being in Gotham. Once or twice he even lets Wally come out on patrol with them.
Middle school was a bearable necessity, and occasionally Wally would learn something that would make it seem worth while on its own merit instead of as a means to an end.
When Wally starts going to high school everything changes. Central City High has three main feeder schools that go into it. One is the middle school Wally had just left, and one is the middle school Wally had gone to when he lived with Mr. Jackson.
Hunter Zolomon is a kid that went to Wally's first middle school, and he hates Wally. At the old school, desperate to get cough medicine for Josephine, Wally had stolen Hunter's lunch money from his backpack in the boys' locker room. Angry at Wally, and unable to prove his claim, Hunter had done his best to make school miserable for Wally. When they end up in English together Wally finds that time has done nothing to diminish Hunter's grudge.
High school is hell, and the only thing that makes it bearable is being Kid Flash when he leaves.
Robin tells him his secret identity, and Wally is tempted, for the briefest of moments, to tell Dick about the times when he was Wally Hayes, and Wally Crawford, and Wally Davis; but Wally's the metahuman, and Roy and Dick are both normal. He can't stand the idea of being the freak with this too, the only one not to get adopted, the only one that had to stay in the system.
Wally loves it when Aqualad first shows up, not really for Aqualad as a person, but because it means he's no longer the (sidekick) partner with the least experience. Roy is the one who hangs out with Kaldur the most, since he's the one who lives on the west coast, and Wally is the one who manages to hang out with the new guy the least, mostly because Uncle Barry still doesn't trust him around large bodies of water (he really hadn't meant to slow down while they were running over that lake, and he's sure he would of figured out how to do a doggie stroke before too long, so it really shouldn't be that big of a deal).
It's not really until The Day that Wally gets to spend that much time with him. He's pretty much as awesome as Roy said he was, which is good, because they need all the awesome they can get when they end up in Cadmus.
At the end of the night when morning starts to come and Superboy sees the sun for the first time Wally calls his parents to see if they are okay with housing another foster child for the weekend. They say okay and as far as Wally is concerned that means he's coming home with him. It takes a little bit longer to convince some other members of the league that it's the best idea, but Uncle Barry knows why it is, and Batman knows why it is, so everything works out.
Wally teaches Superboy a lot while he is fostered at his house during his first weekend away from Cadmus. He teaches him how to tie his shoes, how to hug, how to floss, and how to make (and eat) the best sandwich in the world. It's actually kind of nice to be a big brother again for a bit.
They are at the mall, and Wally is teaching Superboy about the awesomeness that is after battle ice cream, when the Superboy asks Wally to tell him the one thing he really wants to know. "Why doesn't he want me?"
It has nothing to do with what they were talking about before but there is no question in Wally's mind who Superboy is talking about. He knows that Dick, and even Batman, think it's just a matter of waiting for Superman to come around, but Wally knows it might not be that simple. He looks around trying to figure out how to explain everything to Superboy in a way he can understand with real life experience whose days can still be counted on one hand. His eyes catch on a store window.
"There's this thing," says Wally, "marketers use it when they try and sell stuff, called demographics. They target a certain group - a sex, a nationality, an age group - that kind of thing, and those are the people that are supposed to buy their products. Like that over there." Wally points to a shiny display window with a variety of remote control cars. "Those are supposed to be for kids, usually little boys. But not everybody in the target demographic is gonna buy it, right? Some little boys just don't want to play with remote controlled cars."
Slightly frustrated with Wally's apparently random conversation change Superboy nods none the the less, though his hand is clenched suspiciously tight.
"Well, sometimes, the little things in life, like remote control cars, can be like the big things in life. Even though there may be an adult who is supposed to do something for a kid they may not be able to, or they might just not be interested. But do you see that lady there? The one who's checking out her new remote control car before she even gets home. She's totally not in the target demographic for one of those, but she went and bought it anyway."
Superboy feels his breath start to come out funny as he processes what Wally, said and tries to apply it to himself.
"I don't know if Superman is ever going to come around in regards to you, even if he basically is your own little target demographic. He might never want anything to do with you. But just because he doesn't want a remote control car doesn't mean it's a bad remote control car, or that no one else is going to want it."
Superboy contemplates everything for a moment. "I'm the remote control car?"
"That's pretty much the metaphor, yeah. You know what metaphors are, right?"
Superboy nods, "A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, or something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else. They're more complicated than the Genomorphs made them seem."
Wally laughed. "They can be. Just remember, dude, this weekend makes us foster brothers, so whatever else happens you still have me."
Batman and the League okay a team for the four of them turned five of them. Wally has more friends than he has ever had before and almost all of them gather in one place. Life is good.
School starts and they bring in some girl to replace Roy all in the same day. Whatever anger he has about what happens during the first he puts towards the second. Roy is not replaceable. None of them are supposed to be replaceable.
He calms down, a little bit, about Artemis as time goes by, but unfortunately school becomes an ever worsening hell pit. Hunter, who had already turned most of Wally's grade against him, makes it onto the football team, and starts to get the other kids in on it to. There isn't a day that goes by where Wally isn't bumped into in the hallway, called a name, or in some other way harassed. The school has a policy of punishing all participants in a fight, even if someone only participates in the form of a human punching bag, and Wally doesn't want to try and explain to his case worker that it really isn't his fault for getting suspended, so the times when he gets caught in a corner he just rolls along silently with the punches.
It's Monday after a bad weekend, and Wally wants to be anywhere besides school. Dick's arm got broken on the last mission, and the Rogues killed a man who thought Keystone would be a good place to become a serial rapist, which brings up a whole box of conflicting emotions. Sometime Wally thinks it would be easier to work with villains that never crossed the line into gray territory, to only have to deal in the world in whites and blacks, rights and wrongs.
He's sitting in the cafeteria trying to come to some sort of internal conclusion about the whole thing, and fighting away the irrational gilt over Dick's arm, and these things distract him from his surroundings so that he doesn't notice Hunter and a group of his friends approaching until its too late to get up and avoid them.
Hunter is at the front of the group, and knocks Wally forward so that his chest bumps into the table. The others form a semicircle behind him, effectively blocking Wally in.
"Go away." Wally says, a token effort to make them leave him alone.
Hunter's smile is cruel and absolutely genuine. "Come on now Jackson, that's no way to treat your friends."
Wally's teeth grit together, and for a moment he can feel the phantom presence of scissors in his grasp.
"Leave me alone, Hunter."
"Come on now, we're just being friendly." He punches Wally's arm in a way that's supposed to hurt and look friendly all at the same time. Wally barely even registers it. Conner's friendly hits really do hurt, and Hunter has absolutely nothing on Conner. The students gathered around Hunter laugh at Wally's imagined pain anyways. For a second Wally uses the thought of Conner, of his friend actually having a name, to pull his temper back down. "I know," continues Hunter, "why don't we share our lunches. I think you have enough there to share with everybody, don't you?"
Wally's hand intercepts Hunter's on the way to his lunch without a thought, instincts based in survival stronger than Wally's attempt at staying calm. "Don't touch my food." His voice comes out in a low growl usually reserved for villains that have harmed his uncle or his friends, and for a second Hunter looks taken aback, his own instincts recognizing the danger in Wally's voice.
The second of hesitation is made up for with interest. In the tight space Wally looses almost all of the advantage he would have gained from his speed, and Hunter uses his larger body to pin Wally against the side of the table, free hand moving out to sweep all of Wally's food off of the table, splattering it onto the floor. All while hidden from any teachers who may interfere by the wall of his friends.
Wally jerks his head upwards and smashes into Hunter's nose with a crack. Hunter stumbles back, hands going to his face, and releases Wally from his hold. Wally has just enough time to stand up facing the crowd before the first of Hunter's friends starts to retaliate.
