As time went by, Wayne was beginning to understand Fred Kimble's comment about there not being much chance of them meeting. Charlotte didn't linger at her locker beside him. Much less answer his probing and persistent questions he tried once a week every week. She was not giving in on telling him about her older brother or Lightning Boy. What she had done was give in on being polite to him.

Which was a nice change. It wasn't more time or being friends with her. But Wayne was going to take Charlotte being on friendly terms with him.

It was a step in the right direction.

For… Friendship. Yeah. For friendship with her.

He still wanted to know more about Fred and Meged and inventing though. Desperately. He couldn't do as much as he dreamed and tried, but they certainly had to have had a knack for it to skip up grades.

Wayne supposed he could use speed to find them when school finished up, zipping over to the high school building and the whole area to get to them, but he was fairly certain that would not go over well.

And then, early November, the weather holding a lingering degree of warmth before the cold of winter settled in…Wayne spotted them. Fair and square, all in the same area with no use of his abilities to do so. It was at the schoolwide ceremony for the new library that'd been built for the entire school, not separate small ones for each section. The new library his parents were behind and therefore the school had named it for their family. Which meant Wayne was to join them at the end for newspaper photographs. Both school and city papers. And television reporters were here as well.

While in with the rest of the students though, Wayne spotted Meged. Him and three of the Kimble brothers were clustered together, off to the back area of all the students gathered outside, fighting off bursts of laughter, nudging each other in apparent amusement at some joke shared between them.

Carefully, and using some of his speed, Wayne hurried through the rows of students over to Meged.

"Hey," he greeted. "What's so funny?"

Green eyes went startlingly wide at Wayne. But then, all four of them shared glances with each other, then to Wayne… And sputtered into laughter all over again. The youngest, Elijah, was rolling on the ground and attempting to stuff his fist into a mouth to mute the giggles.

Wayne stared, uncertain by the reactions he received. All he said was 'hello'. A pleasantry. Nothing to make anyone upset. Or have this sort of laughter at it. Were those tears rolling down Bailey's face in laughing so hard?

"Okay." Wayne spun about to spot Fred behind him. Fred Kimble sighed as the group froze, quickly pursing their mouths shut. "What did you lot do?"

Laughter trickling out, Bailey smirked at his older brother. "Something your sensibilities probably wouldn't approve of, but not enough to rat us out."

Fred rubbed at his forehead. "Well," he drew out. "That at least takes any idea you would have had surrounding this. I doubt Elijah did anything other than tag along and help with…whatever it was you did. It'd be rather bold of Meg to suggest anything around…"

The older boy groaned, sinking his head into his hands, exasperation in his voice. "You're not very good at hiding mischievous grins, Meg!"

Wayne spun his head to look at Meged. The boy really was grinning, green eyes alight and shining. Then they caught Wayne, quickly darting away and up to the sky, feet rolling back and forth from heel to toes, hands behind him as he sing songed back at Fred. "Nooo, I'm nooot. But it proves nooothing. Nooothing on me."

The grin may have been pursed shut, but it was still obvious something was up. Wayne glanced between all of them, trying to figure out what was going on here. Then Meged and the other younger Kimble (Not Elijah, but… It was something with a D…or B, Wayne couldn't remember what it was right now) met each other's eyes. The two snorted and then burst.

"I may have said something…"

"Oh, you very much did!"

"Well, you know me as a kid…"

"Pish posh, you still say great things now! I join you!"

At a groan, Wayne quickly glanced to see who, Bailey, then back to the rambling and giggling pair.

"Because we're awesome."

"The most awesome, so awesome it goes over people's heads!" Meged agreed brightly. Then nudged Elijah and Bailey with a laugh rocking his body. "Over people's heads!"

Fred's face was distinctly pale. "What," he asked flatly. And looked over and up. Up to the top of the new library, the lettering covered with a white sheet for the reveal. Then asked them again. "What did you lot do?"

Meged waved him off. "Audially. You know how Bertie and I are about sounds."

Elijah giggled and Bailey attempted to shush the youngest.

Fred squinted his eyes at the group. "Where is Charlotte and Minnie? Or Jill?"

At the question, Wayne spun his head around, trying to locate them.

"Up front," Meged piped up. Wayne caught the wide toothy grin returning. "They offered to record the ceremony on behalf of the yearbook committee, as they've taken to archiving any significant events as well as the weekly student broadcast."

Wayne watched as Fred looked at each grinning and giggling face square on. Then sigh. "You're not going to tell me before it happens?"

"Be glad we went with our second idea," the one who went by Bertie informed his oldest brother. "Bailey's first idea to me and Meg's preferred way of saying the last name was a lot more…smelly."

"Last…" Fred trailed off on his words, eyes going wide and then he snorted. Wayne watched as Fred's pale face shift back into color, bright spots of pink on his cheeks as he laughed. The four that'd been caught in the act shared looks of glee. "So… What song did you guys use from that genre of music?"

"Ah-ha!" Meged jabbed a finger up, dancing on his feet, long coat flapping around his ankles at the motion. "That's the fun syrupy-prize for you!"

"Last name?" Wayne asked. They all turned to him, as though they'd forgotten he was there. "My last name? Is a genre of music?"

"Ask Bertie how he and Meg Meg say it!" Elijah bounced beside the two. "Do it, do it!"

Wayne didn't get the chance, because right then, the speakers squealed into life in a way that caused nearly all of the students to flinch and jump. The ceremony was beginning. The teachers scattered throughout the students hushed any side chatter going on. The superintendent spoke, then one of the librarians, and—in short succession—each principal did too. The high school principal went last, ushering the superintendent back up to introduce Wayne's parents and thank them for donating a substantial amount to the new library.

Nothing unusual had happened yet. Or anything playing. Until his parents stepped up and pulled the cord, unfurling the white sheet for the reveal of words on the side of the building.

Scott Librar-brary.

Wayne's eyes stuttered, flitting back over the reveal.

The last 't' was missing. And…

Scat Library?

And then the music BLASTED.

Loud, bright, cheerful horns. Kids jumped. A few let out surprised laughs, students murmuring to each other in growing glee. A clear trombone sliding and shining through the rest, kind of wiggling, or at least Wayne felt it needed a wiggle dance move to it.

One that Meged was doing, shimmying his shoulders and rolling with his body. The huge grin on his face was broken up with a few bright laughs. The rest of the Kimbles had gone into spurts of laughter, barely able to keep it in, even Fred. The younger two followed Meged's lead and started wiggling themselves.

The music slowed, quieting, then words came.

"You lot choose Minnie the Moocher?" Fred asked, snorting.

"Of course," the lot chorused.

Minnie the Moocher?

The adults up on stage were frantically whispering, upset, several dashing over to the speakers and several to gather up in a clear attempt of hissing about what to do about the lettering. Apologizing to Wayne's parents. And the superintendent shouted over the noise, attempting to hush the students and their sudden excitement about something outside of the planned occurring.

Then the singer switched from words to…

"Hi De Hi De Hi De Ho!"

Wayne's head spun back as he heard Meged and the Kimble brothers repeat it, screaming it out.

And at the next one, other students followed suit, screaming along.

"Hey De Hey De Hey De Hey!"

More joined by the next. Wayne stared in amazement. Nearly the whole school of students were getting in on it and the adults were frantic in attempting to stop it. By shushing and getting more active by the speakers. The music didn't stop. And every time the singer changed from words to the random call of sound, the more the students shouted and jumped, the more Meged and the Kimble brothers laughed.

The song played until the very end.

A song of, what Wayne was guessing, had been the scat song of choice.

Kids applauded. Slowly, the adults got them back into order now that the song was over, but the excitement still clearly lingered. Wayne stared at the group behind this.

The Lightning Boy had obviously done whatever it was to get the music to play and not be stopped. How? Yet the more pressing one was in the lettering. Wayne knew he could have easily flown up and welded the 'o' into an 'a' and removed the 't'. But…none of them could fly. How had they gotten up there? Without being seen?

"Audially." Fred shook his head at Meged. "And the lettering? I know you didn't have any tools on you today."

Meged grinned wider at Fred's look. "Nooo." A hand swung up dramatically into the air, the other on his chest as Meged declared, "I, nor any of my tools, touched those letters."

Elijah giggled, Bertie and Bailey shared grins at one another.

Fred stared, then raised his head as though beseeching the sky. "Why?"

Giving a wide eyed innocent look, (Was he?) Meged tilted his head. "Uh, because you were clearly looking for words of assurance that I didn't do it and why would I want to do anything so menial with welding tools when I can be using them on something more substantial. Or meaningful, like the Hudson Hornet Carl and Ben and Dave and I have been pet projecting together!"

"I meant in how you answered that, because it sounded as though you did have something to do with it in the wording," Fred snapped back. His head rolled, hanging downwards. And shook slowly back and forth in disbelief.

"Exactly!"

They all turned to Wayne. He recoiled back somewhat.

"Uh, well, that's what I was thinking too. That your wording seemed…questionable? You seemed guilty."

Meged nodded at that, understanding darkening his face. "Guilty? That sounds more like you."

Wayne blinked at Meged visibly pulling back and into the Kimble brothers, confused at the tone change.

"Huh?"

"Go ahead. Go on."

"Go where?"

"Go tell a teacher!"

Baffled, Wayne stared at Meged. At Fred. At all of them, staring at him in varying degrees of dislike.

"Go tell a teacher what?"

"That I did it. Clearly I did, right? Because I am known for working with metal things."

Wayne reeled back.

"That doesn't mean you did it! I mean, maybe the song thing, but there's nothing wrong about an introductionary song. It's done often whenever my parents speak at anything. The song thing is completely different from the letter thing. The letter thing is bad, vanda…vanda… Property damage. The song thing didn't hurt anything or anyone. It was more…more… Like a prank! Like turning a—"

Wayne stopped abruptly. Then, volume and heightened speed slowed down, spoke with deliberate calmness and directness. Softly.

"The song was like a prank. For fun."

He had almost said, 'like turning a room blue'.

Which, honestly. The alien, Blue, his machines doing anything had been accidental. Started a fire and blasted balls dangerously around, but accidental. Making machines and doing that sort of stuff was hard as Wayne later figured out. Blue, even with his big alien head that clearly had him smarter in sorts of stuff that Wayne was not, was just a kid. Turning the room blue had been one of the least dangerous things from him. It didn't hurt anyone. And ended up washing off pretty easily from the walls and such. More of a prank. And the only bit of trouble Blue had done on purpose.

Wayne had been young. Younger. He understood accidents. Making mistakes. Considering all the ones he had with his superhuman-like powers. It became second nature to him, especially with his strength. Flying was the one he least worried about. It was only another way of moving around. Versus the other ones he had. He always had some sort of punishment. Less with accidents, more for on purpose. If he did something wrong, he knew it. And held the same was true for other kids. Hadn't thought anything about telling a teacher if some kid caused trouble.

It was something he did for most of elementary. Didn't always make him popular. Especially if it was silly, done in fun. The adults always praised him. His parents. Likening him to such a cute little superhero. But, well.

Had it been the right thing? Was it always the right thing to do? For them? For him?

Recently, Wayne had been attempting to sort out if he really wanted to please the adults around him like this. Be told who he was. Being more and more laughed at when he brought up anything else he was interested in doing. Waved off. More and more. That he could live up to more than a simple welder or looked at oddly in his excitement over science or the cooing of how adorable he was in performing music.

Waved off.

Laughed off.

Dismissive of things not pertaining to his superhuman abilities and good.

It's not like he wanted to be bad. Or that his other interests were bad. Just…not that.

Being a superhero sounded cool. And it helped, right? It helped to know who did some real big form of trouble. Helped them know they couldn't get away with it. Help change, hopefully, for the better. Make the world a better place. But. As cool as that was… There were so many other cool things to do. Right?

"Um. Uh…Wayne?"

And, well. Wayne wanted to have friends to talk about those other things. Real close friends. Meged and Fred both were good at science and smart and making things. Charlotte was, well. Charlotte could tell a good story from what he could tell. None of them cared or were moved by the fact he had superhuman abilities, which was…

"I won't tell anyone," he blurted out suddenly. And pursed his lips, sucking them into his mouth at all their startled looks of surprise. "As long…as long as you tell me more about scat music."

Bailey's eyebrows went up. Dislike clear. Voice scathing. "Blackmail?"

"No! No! I just, it just… I won't tell. I only… I like most music. Like Elvis and Sammy Davis Jr. and Buddy Holly and, okay, I lean toward older stuff like that, but… That's all stuff from old albums my parents have and I like playing on the record player. And I've heard newer stuff on the radio, but I don't think I've ever heard a scat song. Before today. It sounded fun," he chirruped brightly. Grinned at Meged, whose green eyes stared back wide in surprise. "I kind of wanted to dance like you were during it."

"Huh." Meged responded blankly in the silence. "I suppose you always did… Ah, um. I think I can make some sort of mix tape of some for you?"

Lightening Boy almost seemed weirded or freaked out by even suggesting it, but Wayne leapt at it, unwilling to let this chance pass him by.

"Awesome! I can't wait!"

It meant Meged would have a reason to come from the high school. That it was not a chance run in, like this schoolwide event. But a for sure meeting. When? Who knew. But it was going to happen.

The excitement boiled over.

"I'm so glad we're becoming buddies! See you soon!"

Waving widely, Wayne turned to catch up with his class, apologizing profusely to the teacher who'd been calling for him.

AN:
Been a while, but I got an itch to do another weekend write. Therefore... Ta-da.