Disclaimer: NEW chapter and I'm still not the owner.
BETAED by the lovely FATEISoverrated, who has beta-ed this entire thing~! She did it in like- two weeks! Amazing person, isn't she?!
Part Two: Ticking
Chapter 10: Ready
It was odd, Barry mused, how quickly Bruce adjusted to unexpected wrenches in his life. Somehow, Barry's work schedule had suddenly cleared up on Saturday, despite the heavy preparations in the CCPD for the upcoming festivities for the Justice League anniversary, as well as the coming up Board review of their departments to determine if they were meeting their goals. Barry, however, could care less. As if that wasn't great enough, he'd gotten an unexplained e-mail from an unknown source. It only held an address for an abandoned airport up in Washington State. It was secluded from the main road and had once been private Wayne property recently demolished, according to Iris' investigations. The runways were still intact, however, and would provide a great place to start Wally's training.
There was no explanation from 'anonymous messenger', and Barry hadn't bothered to ask for one either. He simply pretended the occasion hadn't occurred, and Bruce never brought it up when they'd run into each other at the headquarters while screening the guards who would be a part of the Hall of Justice. If Barry wanted to thank Bruce, there wasn't enough time. There were over fifty guards being stationed just inside the building itself. Two hundred men would be stationed outside. They still had to go through the background checks and screening for the men who'd be lining the roofs of Washington D.C to keep an eye on the roads where the parade would run.
And that still wasn't all the security they needed to organize.
But Barry shoved those thoughts out of his head this morning. He had no reason to concern himself about what would happen on the security lines today, because it was finally Saturday and Barry could finally take Wally out for his first run. Barry was going to use the twenty-four hour access code for the zeta and take Wally, Iris and Joan up the airstrip in Washington. Jay had his own code that would let him through without Barry's help. Hal had promised to arrive mid-day after finishing his shift at the Ferris air-grounds. They were making a day-trip of it.
Wally was showing a vast improvement in the week of working with Jay, or so Barry was told. He could now switch between speeches at various speeds up to seven times faster than the average human within twenty minutes. His reading was still causing an issue, and he'd only cut through about half of the homework pile, which was really only his math, science and geography. English, Spanish and history was still too much to read for the kid, and they'd never been his strong suits to begin with. Luckily, once he gets into high-school next year, he could drop history. Barry still wanted the kid to keep up with geography; it was useful for a speedster, as well as Spanish. Languages were never unnecessary in their line of work.
Despite the improvements, however, Barry and Jay had agreed that Wally was still going to have trouble keeping up with school. He needed special tutoring, and at the rate a normal class went, Wally wouldn't be able to keep up with the incoming load of homework. Neither Rudy nor Mary were equipped to teach the kid the high-school level curriculum, and even if Barry and Iris offered to help, neither could profess expertise in some of what Wally would learn, nor did they have the time to keep up with Wally's school work between their busy careers. Without special aid from the school, Wally was undoubtedly going to fall behind, despite their best efforts. Barry wasn't sure how to address the situation yet, but he wasn't thinking about it. He barely had the time. Jay offered to figure it out, but Barry still felt tremendously guilty. He hadn't even talked to Jay about Wally's improvement. Not properly at least. Iris usually relayed messages as Barry got in around midnight each night, or he'd get a lucky five or ten minutes on the phone with Jay. He was extremely lucky if he managed to catch Wally on a good day before the kid passed out from exhaustion.
Which was why this run was so much more important. It was the first thing Barry would get to really teach his kid, the first thing he'd get to help Wally with. Nothing was going to take him away from this moment!
"Iris," whispered Barry quietly, "It's time to get up!"
His wife, the gorgeous red-headed goddess, merely stirred and gave a low, annoyed huff. She turned to face him, one green eye deliberately opened and looking irritated. God she was hot when she was irritated, but she had no right to be annoyed. He waited nearly a half hour for her to get up! He'd gotten out of bed and made sure to get everything ready, pretending it was a perfectly reasonable time to get up despite the lack of sun outside the window, but she didn't need to know that. He'd drawn the curtains tight and set the clock forward.
"It's five a.m," said Iris firmly, "Go to sleep and don't wake me up for another three hours
Damn. He'd forgotten to move her phone from beside her bed.
Wally, for his part, had no clue about what his uncle was planning. Thus, to Iris's relief, when she woke up at seven thirty because her grown-up, super-hero husband was behaving like a child going to the amusement park for the first time, she managed to take a relaxing half hour shower and get dressed without having Wally and Barry on her case about how slow she was. To further irritate her husband, Iris had purposely taken ten minutes to choose a pretty green sundress for the occasion and let her red hair fall in soft waves around her face. On any other occasion, Barry might have stopped to admire the way her legs looked in the dress, but today wasn't any other occasion.
Besides, she already wore him down. Barry was being as patient as possible, and maybe Iris was being mean, but she was having a little fun teasing him. Barry was always so unruffled and calm like a block of stone. It was hard to get him to crack. Maybe that's why Hal interrupted so many of their dates when they were starting out. It definitely explained why he and Ollie, drunk out of their minds, showed up at their honey-moon location in costume just to see a flustered Barry.
"Can we wake him up now?" asked Barry, almost pouting as he turned to Iris, "Jay and Joan are going to be here in a half hour. Wally should be ready by then!"
"God, you're adorable," said Iris, wrapping her arms around Barry's neck and pulling him in for a kiss.
Distance was definitely a factor in keeping the spark in their relationship, mused Iris. Almost a week of being unable to do more than just fall asleep together had them both clinging to each other in the morning kitchen playing tonsil hockey like teenagers. Her hands raced through and gripped Barry's collar, unable to hide the arousal she felt. It was just so amazing to see Barry this excited about being a mentor. A dad. There was a thrill between them as they parted, lips swollen and grins on their faces. It was more than just excitement about being with each other after a week of nothing.
It was the very atmosphere of the room. Of the day. That electric charge of going on an outing as a family to teach their kid. This was something neither of them had ever thought they could have. More than that, there was something intangible, inexplicable, some kind of giddy joy about taking Wally for his first run that made the two unable to stop grinning. Their faces were plastered with ridiculous smiles that, had they been in Gotham, would have the next person to see them calling the GCPD because Joker toxin was in the air.
There were no words.
"Now?" asked Barry, just a tad breathless, his eyes gleaming with a spark that wasn't entirely about Iris at all. She didn't mind in the slightest as she pressed a last kiss to his lips.
"Let me get the camera," breathed Iris, as she took a large gulp of air and pulled the thin and compact silver camera out and slid the switch to 'on'.
The two were practically shoving each other in the doorway as they entered Wally's room, or the unofficial guest room. The walls had a few pictures, a lone poster for an old Flash poster featuring Jay Garrick from Barry's youth, and deep grey and blue linens. Curled inside the large double bed was their thin little nephew. He was rolled up so tightly in the quilt that it would have been impossible to find him if it weren't for the orange head of hair popping out from above the sheets.
Iris clicked a picture of the scene, her heart swelling as Barry moved forward and took a seat. The two were beaming at each other. Barry shyly, almost like he was unwrapping a present, lifted off the quilt from Wally's body, using only his thumb and middle finger to clutch the blanket.
Below the quilt, Wally was curled into himself. The Flash action figure from his youth was lazily tucked under his arm, pressing it close to his body. The rest of him was curled like a beetle inwards. His freckled face was serene as his chest rose and fell in even, slightly faster-than-normal breaths. Just like Barry when he was sleeping well. Iris raised the camera and took another picture, unable to help herself at the sight.
"Wally," whispered Barry, gently placing a hand on the boy's thin shoulders, "Time to get up!"
"Mm.. five minutes," muttered Wally, turning to move towards Barry, hand gripping out from the Flash figure to wade towards the closest heat source. Barry made things easier as he moved into the bed beside his nephew, who gave a floppy little yawn and wiggled in beside Barry, scrunching his nose as he curled up around Barry's leg. The Flash figure came too, digging into Barry's thigh. Another picture.
"I thought you wanted to go running," teased Barry, and their prone little nephew's green eyes suddenly snapped open.
He was sitting up before Iris could get the picture. It was a good thing she'd switched to video mode already. The twelve-year old was thrumming with excitement as he stared in awe at Barry, eyes hopeful and wide, they were practically the size of Captain Cold's fists. His little pink lips were quivering like a plucked string.
"We're running?" he squeaked, the awe practically dripping from his mouth as Barry finally cracked under that expression. Iris was barely holding onto her laughter as Barry nodded, his happiness contagious in the room.
"I- I'llbereadyinfiveminutes!" screamed Wally, and Iris let the camera follow the boy as he kicked the heavy quilt off, fumbled over Barry's legs, tripped and fell on his bum off the side of the bed. Before Barry could grab him, Wally was scrambling over to the closet and searching for clothes.
"Shower! And brush your teeth!" said Iris sternly, and Wally nodded before disappearing to the bathroom.
Iris traded a look with Barry, and they both gave into the laughter that was in their stomachs, as Iris clicked the camera off and fell back on the bed beside her husband. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pressed his lips sloppily to her shoulder.
"I love you," said Barry, almost reverently, and Iris understood.
"I love you more," said Iris, the silent thank-you for bringing Wally so intimately into their lives conveyed as much as she could.
"I love you most," said Barry, a cheesy smile on his lips as he kissed Iris again, and who was she to resist? Besides, if Barry thought she deserved any credit for this moment, he was clearly insane. However, you shouldn't disrupt a man's delusions.
"He's getting faster," noted Iris, after a few minutes of comfort. The shower beside them had already clicked off. Three minutes to shower. Their boy was really getting quick.
"I'm missing so much," came Barry's soft, anguished voice.
"So am I," said Iris, pressing her hand to her husband's cheek, "But today we're making up for that. We're here today. And we'll be there for all the other todays too."
"I wonder how fast he's going to get," mused Barry softly, "I want to be there each step."
Iris let Barry go off into his dream world. She knew what he was thinking. The future, with Wally at his side. The speed was a place Iris could never follow her husband to and now she was surrendering her nephew to it as well. It was okay, because they'd be together, watching each other's backs. Barry burrowed his head into her neck again, his breath a quicker than the normal man. He was relaxed. Iris shut her eyes and let herself be held.
"Can we go now?"
The two opened their eyes to see a fully dressed Wally West standing at the foot of the bed. His red hair was mussed and still wet, the damp tendrils clinging to his cheeks and forehead. A slight trickle of water dripped down his cheeks, and it was most definitely not sweat. He was wearing a Flash t-shirt and running shorts and his sneakers were already on. Iris swallowed at the sight. When had Wally grown up so much? He'd never been that tall. He needed a hair cut for sure. He was still too skinny, but his face was starting to lose that baby-roundness and shape itself into a more mature look. He was growing up so so fast.
"C'mere," said Iris, holding her arms out to the boy.
Wally crossed his arms, and glanced to the door. He wanted out. To run. Well too bad. Iris wanted to hold her boys for another moment. Have them with her before she let them run free and far. Barry lazily offered an arm, and Wally's shoulders slumped before he climbed onto the bed, sneakers and all, into their arms and let himself be wrapped up by Iris between his aunt and uncle. Barry pressed a kiss to Wally's head, as he squirmed, getting water on the sheets and the two adults. Neither really minded.
"You're going to run today," said Iris softly, wrapping her little boy in her arms, inexplicably sad and proud at the same time. She wanted to hold him for another hour. Keep him safe and at the same time she wanted to be there, watching the two blurs of husband and child running side by side, wanting to be a part of the magical connection that only the speed could give them.
"We have to get out of bed for that," whined the boy, but he still curled into his aunt. Maybe he understood from the mood that she needed to hold him before he was gone. Just a gust of wind that she'd never get to see with her own eyes. His hand curled into the forest green dress, and his head rested on her collar bone.
"Five more minutes," said Barry, glancing at Iris with soft, understanding eyes above Wally's head, "And then we'll grab some breakfast. As soon as the Garricks call, we'll head out."
"'Kay," said Wally, letting Iris hold him without complaint.
"Ready to go kid?" asked Jay, already decked out in costume to Joan's annoyance as they met the Garricks at the alley-way zeta-tube that Barry had used with Hal just the other day.
"Sure am!" cheered Wally, bagel crumbs still on his lips as he accepted the fifth bagel from Iris, who was carrying a backpack of snacks with her, and sweaters galore in case it was slightly chilly up in Washington.
"I brought you the burgers you liked," said Joan, somehow managing to wiggle between Barry and Wally with the silent ease of a panther and arms a napkin already in hand wiping off Wally's cheeks.
"You didn't have to!" said Wally, eyes wide and surprised, "Thank you!"
"Nonsense, you're too skinny," said Joan with a sniff, "Hospital food is a sorry excuse for a meal. Look at the damage it's left on you for the last three months! When Jay and I ended up in the hospital after his confrontation with the Fiddler the summer of 1966 they were feeding him nearly a fraction of what he normally ate! Took me months to get him back to normal weight."
"How?" asked Wally, genuinely shocked, "You're food is amazing Grandma Joan! How did Jay resist?"
Iris traded an amused look with Barry and Jay. When had Joan trained Wally to call her Grandma?
"Because I was barely able to eat solid foods for a ten days, and Joan got out of a coma of two weeks afterwards and wasn't able to cook for a month," said Jay dryly.
"You were in a coma?!" gaped Wally, "What was that like?"
"Boring," said Joan with a shrug, "I kept wondering whether or not Jay had done the dishes. He hadn't. There was a colony of mold growing in our sink when we got home."
"That's awesome!" said Wally, eyes bright, before turning to Iris and-
"No," said Iris, lips thin, "We will not grow a colony of mold in the sink."
"Maybe in a petri dish," offered Barry, "On some potato skins."
Iris glared at her husband, but Joan was already discussing which potatoes would yield mold the quickest with Wally, and the idea was settled. Oh well. As long as it wasn't in the kitchen.
"Well, on that note, let's head out!" said Jay cheerfully, nodding to the zeta.
When they arrived at the airstrip, Wally was immediately spouting off facts about teleportation and the latest research being done on teleporters as well as the physics behind it. All Barry heard was something about Heisenberg Correcters. He was in his own mind, clearing his emotions, preparing for the day. He seemed eager to just get started, but Jay was relaxed as he walked behind and inspected their surroundings.
The place was tucked behind large, grey fenced walls. The sky was slightly cloudy, but the sun was peeking through the clouds which were scattered across the sky like powdered sugar. The trees dotted above the sky, like ruffled feathers. The airstrip itself was in very good condition for being abandoned. The asphalt runway was pristine, like a stainless steel counter that gleamed in the sky. There was a small radio shack that probably held the radio system used to communicate with the plains, as well as a large garage built for a small jet.
Barry led the group towards the radio shack, and grabbed two large chairs from inside. By the time the leathery armchairs were set up outside the radio shack under the awning, Joan started directing Wally and Jay to make the place and Jay was unloading a small folding table that went between the chairs, with Joan's sewing kit already out. Iris was clicking pictures, looking at ease and flashing Barry a wide, pretty smile before returning to observe the others. Barry grinned at the group, as Wally began to twitch and fidget, obviously wanting to just run.
"Comfortable?" asked Jay to his wife, giving her a gentle smile.
"More than," assured Joan with a nod, as she sat down and removed a recording camera.
"Alright, time to suit up you two," said Jay, turning with the attitude of a military general and faced his troops.
"I don't have a suit," said Wally, a small frown on his face.
"You didn't think we'd leave you hanging, did you kid?" asked Barry, grinning as he tossed Wally a small object from his pocket.
"You designed me a suit!?" gaped Wally, plucking the object from the air and then fumbling to keep it in his hand.
"No," said Barry sheepishly, "I shrunk one of my suits down with some help from Hal. It should fit you for now. We'll work on getting you a suit later on. For now ,though, this is your practice costume."
Wally gaped at Barry in awe, and then he grinned shyly, looking at the ring in his hand. He ran his thumb along the bolt design, admiring the flawless gold finish. Barry's ring was less obviously a Flash ring. The bolt was slightly thinner, and the round framing was larger. Barry's wedding ring had a similar design so that the ring was interchangeable to his coworkers when the situation called for it.
"This- It's mine?" asked Wally, amazed.
"If you want it," said Barry, a little nervous, "I mean- We can work on your real costume later on, but this should work for now."
"Yeah," said Wally, his eyes gleaming as he continued to fiddle with the ring. "How, I mean- err- How does it work?"
"Like this," Barry demonstrated, pushing down on the top of the ring, and feeling the familiar swoosh as the costume spun out. He moved as quickly as the costume wrapped around him, his arms following the familiar pattern into the sleeves, letting the gloves go over his fingers, his legs already slipping into the costume, and the cowl slipping over his head, his hands coming along to aid and adjust it as it moved. His hands moved to snap the zippers and clasps in place.
When he turned, he saw his awe-struck nephew staring at him with jaw dropped, floppy bangs in his eyes and clear cut fear at attempting that trick. Okay. Start slow Allen.
"Or you can just twist the cap and let the costume slip out. The radio shack is a great place to change," offered Joan pleasantly, before Barry could.
"Or that," said Barry, a little awkwardly as he blushed.
"Yeah," said Wally, nodding in relief, "But- Can you teach me that?"
"Sure thing kiddo," said Barry, grinning.
Wally headed off to change. Barry thrummed in silence, struggling as each minute passed. There was a pleasant, apprehensive silence as they waited.
"Uncle B! I need some help!" called a voice from the radio shack, and Barry grinned as he sped inside it.
Inside, Wally's cheeks were flushed with frustration, his eyes big and stubborn as he held out the costume. He'd managed to pull the spandex on, but the clasps and zippers were undone and looked like they'd been mauled. Wally was looking helpless as he held the red cowl, glaring at it like it was his worst enemy.
"C'mere Kid," said Barry, as Wally trudged over in annoyance.
"It's so complicated!" whined Wally, as Barry ran his hand over the red fabric, his fingers working quickly to zip and close the openings. One zipper ran along the inside of Wally's left arm down the side of his belly, and ended where the pants began. It helped Barry to keep that opening to slide into his costume. The other zipper was on the top of the right arm, easy to shut and the fabric came together. The pants slid on with a zipper on the inseam of the inner left leg, and it was easy to drag up. The boots slipped on like gloves. This must be how parents felt helping their kids dress for prom, or their weddings, or their first halloween, mused Barry, as Wally was done getting dressed.
"Why do you need so many zippers?" asked Wally, glaring at the costume.
"Easier to slip on when the ring uncaps and the costume comes out," said Barry, "I'll explain it when you try that trick out. Time to get the cowl on."
Wally tugged the mask on, a little miniature Flash figure in red. He could be Barry's tiny clone, if he didn't keep tugging at the head of the mask. Barry reached out to ruffle the red hair, only to frown at the last minute when he realized that the cowl made Wally's head smooth and unruffled. Not at all like the kid Barry knows.
"How do I look?" asked Wally, a little uncertain as he fidgeted, and Barry replied with sincerity, "Wonderful."
The two head out, where Iris and Joan immediately squeal at the sight of a little red Flash moving alongside Barry, in shiny red spandex with a yellow bolt across his chest. The little lightning bolts poked out of his head, and he kept tugging at the top of the cowl.
"You look wonderful!" said Iris, tugging Wally into a hug.
"Pass me the camera Jay!" said Joan, delighted as she beamed at the family. A few minutes later, pictures were being taken.
"This stupid cowl is annoying," said Wally with a grimace, "Can't I take it off Uncle B? The eye thing is stupid!"
"Give it here," said Joan, a calculating look in her eye as Wally complied.
Within a minute, Joan had her sewing kit out and was cutting through the spandex with ease, scissors finding the delicate seams within the fabric and tearing it apart. Jay was relaxed, so Barry had no issues with it. He watched as her nimble fingers flowed through the fabric, completely unaware of the twitching pre-teen beside her, watching her every move with a mix of horror and delight. Her hands raced and switched, dragging the needle through the fabric like sliding it through water.
Seconds later, Wally's hair was poking out from the red cowl, his green eyes visible as the white eye lenses were tugged out to give Wally better visibility for his first run. His face was bright and beaming as two gold bolts contrasted brightly with the orange and red of his face. More pictures were taken.
Jay finally opened his mouth, grinning as he said, "Well then kid, ready to run?"