Title: Together We Stay
Fandom: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited
Synopsis: Wally clings to his fear of leaving, but Shayera clings on to him in reassurance he won't.
Notes: set in Timmverse; takes place during s04e21: Divided We Fall; Canon Compliant
Pairing: Shayera Hol/Wally West | Hawkgirl/Flash
Posted: March 6, 2022
Shayera perseveres in this tug of war, with desperation her source of strength, with the threat of loss a great incentive to her resistance against the swirling light. She clenches the wrist gradually emerging from the other side like her life depends on it, refusing to lose the feel of spandex that betrays much hope in her endeavor, before pulling it toward herself with a defiant roar.
Her instincts kick in the second she sees the scarlet blur toppling over upon freedom. She manages to securely loop her arms around Wally and, despite dropping to her knees, softens the fall for him. As the portal fades away, she cups his cheek to check up on him, trying to ignore the dirt gluing onto her fingertips as she does.
"I can never go that fast again," Wally says when their eyes meet, his face showing signs of fatigue and his whisper so feeble she can't feel it brush her face. "If I do...I don't think I'm coming back..."
She draws him into a hug. Her hair, long and fiery like clouds from an evening sky bleeding red, descends down his shoulder as she buries her face in the crook of his neck.
The moment between them feels as though time has halted its march into the eternity beyond and permits them to prolong their comfort with the utmost respect. In this serene silence, it lasts unaltered in its lack of disturbance.
Wally shows no reaction yet no rejection toward the care he receives, whereas Shayera doesn't stop giving the speedster as much as she can; she even tries giving him more because she thinks he deserves better. Deep down she knows, she feels, his role as the heart of their circle rings true, for if his perishes, then so shall hers.
Shayera will embrace and express no better gratitude for anything else besides that. She'll treat him with earnest compassion, just as he has for everyone. And for her, most certainly her, especially in her trial of treachery not long ago when he was the one to hug her. Damn herself if she does otherwise.
"Watchtower to all Justice Leaguers!" she recoils over the loud holler that promptly crackles in her ear. So much for having no disturbances. "Teleporters are back online. I repeat, Teleporters are back online."
That bit of news gets her attention. She reaches for her commlink with one arm free, her other still holding Wally. "Shayera to Steel, what's the status of our infirmary?"
"Functional. One of the few places the Ultimen hadn't utterly trashed here. Several injured are there right now."
"Got a spot for one more?"
"...actually, yeah. We have a few rooms available."
"Good. I'm gonna bring Flash over."
"In the meanwhile," she hears Clark behind her add, "John, the rest of the founders and I will prepare immediate deconstruction on the Binary Fusion Generator."
"Do what you must," everyone turns to see Waller approaching them, who returns their glances with a serious stare. Shayera notes the distinct absence of distrust in the other woman's obsidian eyes, a seldom sight to behold. "I will ensure a safe transfer for Lex Luthor. Behind bars. My men are on their way to take him. They'll arrive soon."
Clark steals a glance at Lex, who sneers back but wisely remains still where he lies, before returning to Waller with a nod. "We'll take your word for it," he makes a grab for his commlink. "Superman to Watchtower, requesting pick up for seven."
Shayera slings Wally's arm around her shoulders, helping him up, right before the teleporter does its work.
The brilliance stinging her eyes is as overwhelming as the tingly sensation upon the rest of her body, but only for a mere second. Short enough to help her quickly banish her disorientation and easily regain her bearings once arriving at the teleportation deck.
Wasting no time, she strides down the promenade with Wally to find the infirmary. The speedster stumbles on his feet for the first few steps, though she makes sure he doesn't fall and he manages to match her pace shortly after.
They get at least several steps in before Clark suddenly calls, "Wait, Shayera!"
"Hm?" she halts and looks at him curiously.
"Before you go, I need to say something. This also applies to everyone else here," Clark gives the other heroes nearby a onceover. "Tomorrow, at noon sharp, I'll hold a press conference at Metropolis Park. You're all expected to attend. Those not on the Watchtower at the moment will be notified about this later."
Hushed voices overlap one another as they sweep through the vicinity, the air of confusion palpable.
She blinks. "What's so important you have to make it mandatory?"
Clark's face contorts into a pained grimace, the kind fit for any soul haunted by a guilty conscience. She should know, she has often sported it well in her many reflections. "Let's...save that question for the next day," he tells her.
Sensing a conclusion to their talk, Shayera carries on escorting Wally to the infirmary. Neither Clark nor any other occupant in the vicinity attempt stopping her.
They both make it about halfway through the long corridor when, at her peripheral vision, she catches Wally making evasive glances. His focus occasionally flickers to and fro between his side and the floors they tread. Brimming with concern, she looks past him.
Eyes. Numerous pairs from curious passersby. Each and every single one fixates on the speedster. Rather than get hostile at this, though, Shayera decides on putting Wally at ease.
She takes the more considerate approach by wrapping one of her wings around him, cocooning him with cozy feathers to shield him from all observers. Wally eyes her in confusion.
"You looked like you could use a little privacy," she explains softly.
He averts his gaze and hides his face from her, taking interest in the shelter she provides as he murmurs, "Thanks..."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one bothers you once we reach the room and you can get the rest and recovery you need. You might end up being good as new by tomorrow too, what with your fast healing factor, but I prefer not to take any chances. Especially after everything today. Can never be too careful, you know."
Wally emits a half-hearted chuckle as if actually trying to be amused. Obviously despite himself, she notes from the exhaustion in his voice. "I probably wouldn't know."
"Well," she can't help frowning, more to herself than him. "you should at least know that losing you is something I can't accept."
A heavy silence descends over them after those words, overpowering her just as how smoke from flames of chaos could subdue the finest breeze if given the chance. She feels she can hardly breathe from the thickness of it. The lack of response from the person closely beside her doesn't help matters, either.
So Shayera simply moves on. No further words or gestures are exchanged between her and Wally, and the only sounds permeating the corridor are ceaseless footfalls plodding the floors and quiet chatter from various voices.
Finally, they reach their destination. She finds Steel residing by one of the doors, his appearance of bandaged human skin and lack of armor an irony not lost on her. But knowing better than to be impertinent, she keeps the astute observation to herself and instead greets Steel with a light wave of her hand, to which he reciprocates using an arm that isn't currently resting on a crutch.
Shayera enters the empty room and approaches the infirmary bed before gently setting Wally on it. She takes her seat on the nearby chair and watches him.
He lays flat on his back and blankly stares at the ceiling, not saying anything.
A wave of worry washes over her. Wally seems...detached, like he's here with her but also somewhere else without her. Reality barely has a grip on him from what she can notice. Almost like how she had felt her hold on him slipping when...
"Flash?" she asks after several seconds of this display.
No response, not even the slightest change to his vacant expression.
"...Wally?" Shayera tries once more, this time grabbing his hand in a tender squeeze.
Wally reacts with a start. Whipping his head to face her, he instantly relaxes upon eye contact. "Sorry. Thinking about something."
"A penny for your thoughts?"
"Today," Wally blurts. "Well, what transpired today, I mean. It's just—" the speedster hesitates, dithering about what to tell at first, before resuming, "I worry. It could have ended tragically."
"But it didn't," she asserts, "You helped us when we needed it at that pivotal moment in the battle, and we helped you when you needed it."
"Remember what I had told you back there? That I couldn't go that fast again?" he frowns when she gives him an affirmative nod. "Despite what I said, I feel like I really can't keep that promise. There may come a time when I need to run like that again. I did it against Brainiac and Lex because when you were all down, and only I was left standing, this one question kept repeating in my head."
"What was it?"
"If I don't do something to save the day, who else will?"
Shayera suddenly feels as though a gunshot went off and had struck her square in the chest. The words hit her hard as the world around her is rendered without sound. She finds herself unable to reply back, having been overwhelmed by the burden Wally has kept secret until now.
"The Speed Force," Wally whispers, breaking the intense silence. "It didn't speak, but it snatched me away from this world and beckoned me with a vastness of light and energy, so profound that it had seemed limitless and could've consumed me. The worst part? It made me believe I wanted it."
"When you were in there, you called it home," she mentions.
"That's what it blinded me to think. And it worked. Shayera, I...don't know if I can resist it the next time I'm alone and have to get the job done at that speed. It..." Wally trails off, then shudders. "It scares me. I don't have a clue on what I should do," he turns away.
Shayera considers his words, really taking the time to, and debates on her own to say.
Then her hand comfortingly presses his own. "You didn't know you'd end up in that place," she says, her comment more as an observation than a question.
Wally shakes his head.
"Yet," she points out, "you also didn't know the League and I would be there for you when it happened, or when I managed to pull you out."
The speedster looks back at her and blinks, not expecting what she had said.
A warm smile plays on her lips. "Now you do, though. If you're certain the Speed Force will try taking you away again, then you should expect us to bring you back as well. You know we're always gonna be there for each other when things get tough."
"I guess," he muses. Uncertainty still clouds his face, however. "But what happens if there's no way, and I really do end up—"
"You won't," she cuts in without a second thought, "and there's always a way, regardless of whether or not it's been found yet. You only need faith in it. Trust us to find it if you can't; trust me when I say I'd do everything to keep you safe and sound, and I will. I promise."
Wally stares intently in her eyes, no doubt mesmerized by what must be reflecting from the lime green irises she blinks with. Her convictions on the matter, most likely, if the serious look she feels creasing her features right now is anything to go by.
It's gradually convincing him in any case. Perhaps far better than her words. Shayera sees Wally perking up at the truth of her resolute vow. Slowly but surely, the speedster's face grows considerably brighter with much of his doubts dissipating.
"Okay," he smiles faintly. "I'll take your word for it, then. Not that you're really giving me a choice, are you?"
"Nope!" she chirps before winking, "and don't you forget it, mister!"
"Hey, I'll try not to," Wally chuckles, "though I might end up forgetting at some point when I get melancholic again..."
Her slender hand travels up to his wrist and she clings. "That means I have to refresh your memory."
The corners of Wally's lips spread apart. "Is that so? Well..."
His fingers swiftly lace around her wrist without warning. The feel of spandex presses against her tanned skin as his hand clings to her own, ever tightly yet harboring such fondness from a kind soul who thinks highly of the person he holds dear.
"I know I can count on you, then," he beams, bright to where suns pale in comparison and no gloom can prevail over him. Shayera takes heed to his disposition, on top of the world he truly seems. All because she's held him firmly and helped him up.
Shayera feels her heart leap as a result, swelling with the infectious warmth that Wally emanates. "So together we stay," she coos, "Now rest up. You've got plenty of time."
Complying with her wish, Wally closes his eyes and succumbs to sleep before long. Hardly a minute passes when the speedster's guttural snores commence, his fatigue seemingly too much for him to handle any longer, and she continues to stay by his side. She observes the peaceful state he's in, the smiling face which never falters and still glows.
At some point, she hears Wally talking to himself. "Whee~! I'm flying! Zzz...I'm flying... I'm flying..."
The words wander off his lips in a breeze more soothing than the music from the skies, and Shayera finds herself drowsing at his lullaby.
She, too, enters a deep sleep after some time, but not before tenderly grasping Wally's hand and hoping with all her heart to join him in his dreams.
Author's Note:
Wow, I never thought I'd publish a story related to superheroes, but here I am. This cartoon is just amazing and I can't resist writing about it. I'm only ashamed I didn't stumble upon it sooner as a kid. I guess my work here shows that it's better late than never, though, so I guess I shouldn't make too big a deal out of it.
For this one-shot, it'd be set shortly after the fight in Divided We Fall, yet way before Superman has his big speech.