Building A Family
Wally ignored the various protests and rejections, some in different languages, and he was sure Mama Kent would not approve of her son's Kryptonian vocabulary. Instead, he stared at Bruce who was the only one who hadn't said a word.
"Bruce," Clark said after the protests, and rejections settled down, "say something."
With eyes still on the Speedster on the screen, Bruce spoke, "We will be watching."
"I know."
"Bruce!"
"And if I said that's it, you leave without protest."
Wally hesitated.
"It's not up for debate Wally, either you agree, or you don't."
"…Okay"
"Bruce!"
Ending the visual, Bruce finally looked at the rest of his teammates, "He's not a child," he told them, voice soft.
Shoulders slumped, and expressions turned to reluctance acceptance, "We know that," John said, "doesn't mean we have to like it."
"No, it doesn't." Bruce agreed, "Clark, get West back in to the room, and everything else set up. Shayera with me, J'onzz, and Wally should be arriving any moment."
No one moved.
"It will be fine." Bruce said.
He just wished he could believe it.
~.~
Walking into the room and seeing his father sitting there after that night, and those years, Wally expected…something. Fear, anger, pity, something.
He felt nothing.
He sat down, placing the folder Batman had earlier on the table, J'onzz stood behind him, staring down Rudolph.
"…..Dad."
Rudolph stopped glancing around the room with that odd look in his eyes, and locked onto Wally. He blinked, then, he smiled.
"Wally."
He reached over, Wally pulled his hands away, Rudolph froze. His eyes gleamed with….something, it was gone before Wally, or J'onzz could figure out what it was.
"Dad, I need—"
"How are you?"
Wally paused, a little thrown off by the question, "Fine," he then said, surprised that his voice was so normal.
Rudolph didn't smile, but his face twisted into something that may have been something pleasant once upon a time.
It made Wally nervous, and J'onzz eyes narrow.
Nervously clearing his throat, Wally opened up the folder, and began spreading out the pictures Batman had shown earlier, "I need some information from you."
Rudolph tilted his head, "Oh?"
Wally nodded, "I—" He went still, next to him, J'onzz tensed up.
Rudolph had reached over, and took hold of Wally's hand, thumb-caressing skin, behind the two-way, Batman firmly grabbed hold of John's arm, stopping the man from going into the room, standing beside him Superman shifted unhappily.
"I know Shayera," Diana said to her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder, whether it was to prevent Shayera from going in there, or prevent herself from going in. None of them knew.
Back in the room, J'onzz finally moved, reaching and removing the hand, drawing Rudolph's attention to him. "Explain why these pictures show you at this military base." The Martian spoke, sending calm, soothing waves to Wally, and the others.
"I can," Rudolph said after a while, "only for something in return."
J'onzz's eyes brightened just so, and Wally felt something like dread push past the calm, he ignored it; focusing on his father.
"I want Wally to spend a whole day with me."
"No."
"Yes."
J'onzz turned to stare at Wally, who didn't even turn to look at him, his eyes on his father, who for the first time since they brought him showed an emotion.
Surprise.
Clearly, he hadn't expected a positive response, or one at all.
Behind the two-way, there was currently a very loud conversation going on. Finally, Rudolph smiled, "Alright."
"Wally—"Wally gently shushed J'onzz, then turned his father's attention back to the pictures.
Stilling smiling, and eyes gleaming in a way that J'onzz did not like, Rudolph spoke, "Have you heard of the Manhunters?"
~.~
"I won't be with him alone." Was the first thing out of Wally's mouth when everyone had moved to the meeting room after Rudolph had been escorted out, and locked back up.
John opened his mouth to fuss, and ask why his friend even agreed to the request, only to close it when he noticed it.
Wally's hands were trembling.
"Aw kid," John murmured.
"I—I'm okay," Wally stuttered, though he didn't resist when Diana made him sit down, and she ran her fingers through his hair.
"You're not," John squatted down in front of his friend, he took hold of one of the trembling hands, "but you will be."
"What you just did was very foolish, but very brave." Shayera placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling a little when Wally moved so that his head was settled on her stomach, one of her wings curling around him as much as possible.
"Pretty sure you just summed up my whole hero career." Wally joked.
John chuckled, before his expression turned serious. "I'm going to be with—"
"I want Kaldur, and M'gann with me."
There is a surprised pause all around as everyone processed what Wally had just said.
"Done." Batman then spoke, "As long as he's not alone," Batman then added when he got looks.
"Not to mention Kaldur, and M'gann won't punch my dad…..at least not within the first hour."
"Fine," Shayera pouted, "spoil our fun."
Despite how he was feeling, Wally laughed.
Later, when Wally left the room to contact and inform Kaldur and M'gann of their newest babysitting duty, everyone looked at Batman.
"He won't be happy if follow them," he said to them.
They continued to stare.
The corner of the Dark Knight's lip tilted up in a smirk, "I'll contact the others."
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