Chapter 29, here we go!

I do not own DC.

Really. Thank you for reading!

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Batman stormed into the space, his anger radiating off him in waves. Richards and Superman followed right behind him. Each of them frowning for a different reason, but all equally worried Wally had put himself in harm's way.

"Flash."

"Batman."

Richards cleared his throat, knowing this would likely head for a heated argument if he or Superman didn't initiate the conversation.

"So," He said, a little awkwardly, everyone suddenly turning to look at the doctor. "Flash, what brings you to Luthor's room today?"

Wally smiled at the doc's attempt at defusing the situation and winked at him, ignoring his brooding boyfriend for a moment.

"I know how we can get the serum through Luthor without it killing him."

Superman and Bruce shot a look at each other, Wally saw it, knowing then his suspicions were confirmed. "But, I'm guessing one or the both of you have already thought this up and didn't want me to be involved." He leaned back in his chair, a playful smile on his face but his eyes deadly serious. "So, I involved myself."

"Flash–" Superman took a step forward, his voice cool and calming, the voice Wally recognized from hundreds of intergalactic negotiations.

Wally held up a hand, halting the Kryptonian in his tracks, "No, Supes, you know it's the only way he'll live in time."

Luthor cleared his throat, the four Leaguers seeming to remember he was still present, "I'm missing something, and as I am the one dying I feel I should know what you're going to do to me."

Wally smirked, letting Batman lead the way with the wave of a hand. Batman growled, turning to face Luthor.

"You're human metabolism isn't fast enough to handle the healing properties of the serum. It's why all your first wave of test subjects failed." Batman ground out, his eyes occasionally darting over to Wally in the chair.

Luthor's eyes lit up, his gaze turning to the lounging speedster in the chair, "So you're going to make me faster." Luthor chuckled, a sudden look of discovery hitting him. He looked at Flash, "How?"

"By making you a speedster, or at least a partial one and very temporarily." Wall said, nonchalantly, his eyes looking to Dr. Richards who was frowning and then to Superman and Batman who both looked uncomfortable.

Luthor looked around the room, noticing the shuffles and the glances, "This has been the only option the whole time, hasn't it?"

Batman glared daggers at the criminal, Superman and Richards just shared a look before nodding.

Wally grimaced, but didn't say anything. Instead, Luthor looked at Wally a long while before staring right at Batman, "I suppose I deserved no less."

They all looked a bit surprised at the announcement, but kept their thoughts to themselves, the only one looking inclined to nod being Batman.

Dr. Richards stepped forward, the sudden lull in conversation making him want this whole thing to go by faster.

"Okay, Mr. Luthor. My name is Dr. Richards and I have been the physician treating you while you've been here." Richards paused a moment when Luthor smiled and nodded in deference to the doctor.

"Thank you, doctor. My care seems adequate." Luthor purred.

Dr. Richards didn't really know how to deal with that. "Right, well…" No one spoke so he trudged onwards, "Flash here will help you gain enough speed in your body to operate at a certain speed so your body jolts into a state that the serum reacts in accordance to how it would naturally in someone like the Flash."

Luthor raised a manicured brow, "Jolts?"

Wally grimaced, Richards just nodded while Batman had a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Luthor. Your body will be given a lot change and a lot to handle in a small amount of time, so chances for shock are very high."

Superman cleared his throat, "Pretty much unavoidable."

Luthor smiled sarcastically, "Thank you, Superman."

Wally rolled his eyes and motioned for Richards to continue. Richards nodded, "Um...where was I…?"

"Shock." Batman noted.

"Oh right! Body into shock." Richards started pacing, something Wally had seen many times when the doctor got into his professional mode, he paced a lot. "So, because you'll receive a jolt of energy from Flash, enabling your body to move faster, you will literally only have enough energy to flush the serum through, effectively healing any injuries and then your body will be back to normal."

Wally paused, his brow furrowed for a just a moment before turning to Batman, but the Bat just shook his head and looked back at Luthor. Wally blew out a sigh and continued listening to Richards drone on and on about the chemical changes and blah, blah, blah.

Luthor was on board, knowing he really didn't have much of a choice. It was either this or die. Steeling himself, Richards went about setting up the necessary equipment, medical necessities, and brought in the trauma team and a few of the League's enforcers, just to make damn sure Luthor didn't get any ideas.

Wally grimaced as Superman and Batman helped him from the chair and escorted him out of the room–both careful to help him keep a bit of his pride. His body hurt too much to care.

"Thanks, Supes," Wally grimaced when he saw Kate enter the room, her smack to the back of his head was soft, but he knew that was mostly because he was still dealing with a concussion. She inserted an IV in his arm, swift and efficient, and nudged a flustered Superman from the tension filled room.

Bruce growled, leaning against the closed door. Wally had pointedly ignored his heated gaze while Kate was fussing around the room, Superman had felt so uncomfortable he hadn't really known what to do until Kate made his exit for him.

Deciding he couldn't escape not that his IV was hooked in, Wally finally looked up at Batman, his lover's gaze intense as he shifted on the small observation table.

"Listen," he whispered, "Bruce, I–"

He couldn't say anymore, his mouth suddenly occupied. Bruce's mouth crushed onto Wally's own, the grunts and groans they each made as they devoured one another, making them frenzied. They each played with their tongues, not caring as their teeth gnashed together.

Wally grasped Bruce's gauntleted wrist, resting his forehead against Bruce's, their ragged breath keeping them steady, grounded in one another.

Bruce growled, low and guttural in his chest, making Wally purr. Bruce shuddered at the sound, "Don't do that again."

Wally waited, not knowing exactly where the conversation was headed, but prepared to argue his position.

"Please." Bruce whispered, his voice filled with emotion he wasn't sure Bruce was aware of.

Wally stared up at Batman's masked face, running a finger along his exposed jaw. He hesitated, but he knew he had to ask. "Would you have stopped me?"

Bruce swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry as he spoke. "No. I would have gone with you."

Wally gaped, his eyes searching for some sign of apathy, some sign that Bruce was lying to him. "You mean that." He said wondrously, finding nothing but calm and determination in Bruce's face.

Bruce groaned, but nodded as his forehead dropped onto Wally's better shoulder. "What am I going to do with you Wally?"

There would have been a time in their relationship that the question would have thrown Wally in a pit of self-doubt, but now after all of this, he knew. He knew Bruce was adjusting to things he couldn't control.

Quite a step for the control-needy bat.

Bruce lifted his head and placed another deep kiss on Wally's waiting mouth, until the speedster suddenly pulled away.

Wally could see confusion leaking onto the caped hero's eyes, "I'm getting...excited." He said, face heating underneath the blue eyes he knew were under the mask.

Bruce chuckled, smiling smugly as he adjusted his cowl and made sure Wally was comfortable before going to make sure things were running smoothly. Wally fidgeted on the table, eyes on Bruce.

"Are you going to try and talk me out of it?"

Bruce stilled, eyes on Wally. "You're sure you're up to it?"

Wally nodded.

Bruce's mouth flattened in a grim line, but he stifled his instinctual growl, "Then no, but you can bet I will be doing everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you."

Wally smiled, "You and everyone else in that room."

Wally could tell Bruce's brows were wrinkled beneath the mask. He curled a finger at the brooding bat, Bruce stepping between Wally's dangling legs.

"I trust you, Bruce." He whispered, pulling Bruce's mouth to his for a soft kiss. "I trust you with everything that I have, with my life and with my heart. I'm not going to risk anything if it's unnecessary, but I need to do this and you know that."

Bruce groaned, eyes serious as he whispered, "I don't want to come this close and have it all taken away because Luthor couldn't keep his hands off his own product."

Wally shrugged, eyes intent, "But I gotta try."

"I know." Bruce said, his mouth curved in a small smile. "One of the reasons I love you, but it infuriates me."

Wally laughed, wincing when it twinged his sore ribs.

Bruce bit back his knee-jerk reaction to toss him over his shoulder and take Wally far away, and eased out of Wally's embrace.

"Speaking of infuriating," Wally said casually, "Where are Roy, Jason, and Dick?"

Bruce actually snorted, "I locked them in the game lounge."

"Why?"

Bruce smirked, arms crossed. "Because when they heard you had gone AWOL from your hospital room, Dick and Roy had to keep Jason from hauling off to kick people's teeth in for answers. When I told them you showed up in Luthor's room, I had to toss all three of them back in the room and lock it so all three of them wouldn't run off and kill him."

Wally choked, "Oh."

Bruce shook his head, images of a red-faced Jason being tackled to the floor running through his head.

"Well, I'm sure they've calmed down by now…" Wally insisted.

Bruce frowned, "And when I tell them you plan on siphoning some of your powers to one of the cruelest criminal masterminds in the world? One who is personally responsible for the kidnapping and torture of their best friend."

Wally shifted uncomfortably knowing exactly how that would go.

"Maybe we should leave them in there…"

Bruce rolled his eyes, opening the door to find three hands poised and ready to bang open the door if necessary.

Wally paled, suddenly feeling very exposed in his hospital scrubs and Flash mask.

Bruce smirked, "Why don't you explain it to them yourself?"

Wally glared daggers at his retreating boyfriend as his three best friends converged on him in the space, each of them with a serious expression.

He cleared his throat, each of them now standing a foot away, crossed arms and faces set in 'don't mess with us' looks.

"Guys."

"Wallace." They said in unison.

Oh boy. He thought, rolling his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Why are you guys grilling me? I'm older than two of you, and Roy–" He plucked the other redhead in the chest, "–you have no ground to stand on when it comes to doing stupid things. You and I are the reason for most of the rules in this place. An you two–" He pointed at the two brooding Bats, "I don't have enough time in the week to explain how much you guys can't talk about going off and doing something stupid."

All three heroes had the sense to look a little less tense, glancing at each other before turning their worried attention to Wally on the table.

"Guys," Wally grinned, "I made a point to include myself so they–and you–wouldn't get the chance to waste time finding some farfetched alternative. This is how it has to be, so you have to live with it."

Jason was the first to move, his muscled arms wrapping Wally in a hug, "We know, Walls. We just hate it when you pull stunts like this." Wally patted Jason on the shoulder a knowing smirk on his face as the vigilante pulled away, his face flushed.

Dick's brow furrowed, an expression Wally had seen a thousand times, not just on his face.

"We'll support you. We just want in on it."

Roy nodded, all three of them settling into a calmer attitude.

Wally just shook his head and smiled, knowing crisis was averted. Barely.

Things had been bad, and it always seems to get worse before things are all said and done. But he looked at his three best friends, he could still feel the remnants of his kiss with his love and grinned, big and wide.

"You guys have my back," Wally said, patting Roy Jason on the shoulder, "It's going to be just fine."

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