Jinx woke to find herself lying in a bed, covered in a thick white comforter. Her clothes were torn and ripped everywhere, but she had only been mildly cut and bruised; thank heaven for the small wonders… Sitting up and looking around, she realized this looked a little like the apartment, and then the thought was confirmed.
"Very light sleeper, right?" He was at her side, sitting at the foot of the bed, just looking at her. He had taken off his uniform and was wearing a tight red shirt and slightly baggy blue jeans, and thick socks that were white with streaks of yellow lightning through them. His bright red hair was all over the place, some just long enough to brush his bright blue eyes, eyes that hid concern. Jinx caught the sentiment and looked down at the bed.
"Not in uniform? What time is it?" The room was basically bare, with a small table and two comfortable looking chairs, and a large window just behind the headboard of her bed; there was no clock to be found.
We have to go shopping if I'm going to stay in this place. She heard Wally speaking and looked up.
"I've already been patrolling, and it's about 5 o clock. You were out like a light." Any semblance of a smile faded off of Wally's face as he looked Jinx square in the eye. His own blue eyes had become slightly colder in this intense form of sobriety. "What happened in the park?" The witch leaned back against the headboard, not sure why this serious side of him was so unnerving. Perhaps it was because of how rare it was?
"Some guy, typical villain-in-black. Very tall-freakishly so-all gross and green-yellow. Shoots energy beams, creates bubbles and all of that." She feigned a yawn of boredom at the man even as the wheels in her head went into overdrive. She was snapped back by a voice.
"Come on, Jinx, there's more to it than that. What did he do? What did he want?" Jinx frowned, the scowl on her face a completely genuine show of dislike.
"The kids. He went straight for the kids, and he flew very fast." She was halting in the story, but Wally wanted to fill in the holes.
"So you protected them. What did he do?" He was leaning in now, scooting closer to Jinx and speaking softly. "I have to find him, Jinx. I have to find him but I don't know who he is." They were looking at each other now, eyes locked, and Jinx sat upright, not turning away.
"He was flying, but I blasted him with my powers, and I held him that way. But then he fired back, and broke through. In the second that I lost my concentration-" Jinx's mind traveled back to her battle with the man, and studied it, silently, remembering what she had been trained for. At the HIVE she had battled other witches and sorcerers; she had been trained to recognize them, them and that feeling when one power crushed the other. "When he broke through the restraint, I was knocked back too. He created a sphere, a bubble of energy to transport him to wherever he was going. And when he disappeared, the bubble burst and some energy waves shot out. That's what this is," she said, fingering a tear in her sleeve. "He's a magician."
Wally knew without asking that this was all there was to know, at least for now. Taking one glance at Jinx and attempting to hold down a smile, he turned his head and whistled.
"So…do you have any other clothes? I think those are spent." Realizing how much of her torso and arms had been exposed by the torn clothing, Jinx fired a small ray of bad luck at Wally, who was already out of the way. He leaned against the doorway casually, his back to the wall, and smiled. "If you get dressed quickly I can take you shopping for this room." The gleam of mischief in his eyes gave way to childlike sincerity. "Then you can get settled in, like a real home." He stood up straight and actually walked through the doorway, not wanting to destroy his normal clothes with super speed. It was, of course, a hazard of being Kid Flash.
XxXxX
Jinx entered the living room to find Wally at the window, gazing over the city in late afternoon. It was a paler blue outside, with the sun's rays just beginning to fade, and he caught Jinx's reflection in the window with a smile.
She was wearing black pants that were tight against her, and black sneakers with purple streaks running through them. Her shirt was black with purple vines, and her jacket was black with a Mandarin collar and belted sleeves. She had purple ribbons throughout the outfit, driving away the smothering black, and one black ribbon around her neck. Her hair was down, falling just above her shoulders and into her eyes. Noticing that Wally was at a loss, she started the conversation.
"So where are we going, anyway?" He straightened immediately and smiled, grabbing a backpack by the door and showing her the way to the hall.
"34th is the center of the market district in Star City-lined with clothing stores and cafes. But we'll probably just stop at the Children's Place and Sanrio-you know, to fill your room with unicorns, and some frilly pink stuff." He didn't see the pink glow growing behind him as he continued in an offhand voice, saying that if she didn't wear so much black he'd buy her a Hello Kitty dress, but that was okay. She looked great in black anyway, he said, wandering into the elevator. And this time, the pink glow behind him was not his roommate's fiery wrath of DOOM, but the blush that was making her glow like a pink party light.
She did her best to cover it up before he'd actually notice.
(For his part, he was just trying to convince himself that he hadn't said that out loud. Oh well.)
XxXxX
Several hours later, and after much cajoling and life-threatening, the room was decorated, and the closet was near full of Jinx's selections (mostly black, purple and some pink) and what Wally had bought her himself, which ran the gamut of colors and even included a (very well hidden) Hello Kitty minidress. He knew he'd catch it when it was found, but the temptation was too damned powerful!
The room itself was still white, but now had curtains and a lamp, with the feel being decidedly eastern with plenty of Indian influence. A small shop off of 34th, on a street known only as Grey's Alley, had covered that from tip to toe. The lampshades, curtains, bedspreads and pillowcases were edged in beads of Jinx's choice, and the lamp itself looked like it could house a genie. Besides a bed and a nightstand, the room was woefully devoid of furniture-using the last of her day job money. Jinx bought some bean bag furniture, they were both, as of that moment, broke as all get out.
And they had a feast to celebrate. Because tomorrow, Wally would explain how he made enough money to live in an expensive high rise in Star City, why the place was called Star City, and how Jinx would be able to pay her share of the rent; and it was going to be a very. Long. Day.