Chapter 7

They did indeed put it in writing when they got back to Kid Flash's place. A two page contract concisely illustrating about fifty-three things Kid Flash would not do, and six and a half more things that he would do. He signed it on several dotted lines, even though he barely understood what Jinx had dictated to him to write.

"Where did you learn all these legal terms, anyway?" He asked weakly as he massaged his hand.

"School," Jinx replied, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. The again, maybe it was.

"So, begin," said Jinx when the last dotted line had been filled.

"Wait a second," said Kid Flash. "I'm not the only one on contract here. You need to sign something saying you're actually going to do what I tell you."

They wrote up another contract, barely half a page long, as Kid Flash dictated to Jinx:

"I, (insert name), will at least attempt everything Wally tells me to do, within reason."

"And you sign here," Kid Flash smiled apologetically when Jinx sent him a withering glance. "Never went to law school. Sorry."

She signed, and said, "So, begin."

He plucked a variety of fruits from his refrigerator and laid them out on the table. "Have you ever tried any of these?"

She glared at the variety of fruits. "Are you asking if I've ever eaten in my life? You can ask if I've ever eaten in my life. I wouldn't take offense. Because, you know, I have eaten in my life."

"Okay, so which of these have you eaten?"

"Yes to all. But I've gotten pickier since then."

"Okay, so which ones are you willing to eat?"

She sighed and speculated. She pushed the apple away from the group, as well as the pear and the peach and the melon and the orange and the pineapple. All that was left was a little box of blueberries.

Kid Flash sighed. "We need to widen your horizons a little. How are you with vegetables?"

She chewed her lips a little. "Hate carrots, they look phallic. Hate broccoli, phallic. Hate celery, phallic. Hate--"

"Okay, I get it. How about tomatoes?"

Her nose wrinkled a little. "Tomatoes are a fruit, genius."

"Okay, why don't you just tell me what you like to eat."

Jinx thought it over for a moment. "Italian food has always gone well with me."

Kid Flash laughed. "Well, was that so hard? How did you pick Italian food?"

She shrugged. "Everybody I know that can cook cooks Italian food."

"Or pancakes."

"Whatever."

"Well, there's a restaurant near here that does Italian. You want to try it? Will you eat something there?"

Jinx stood and brushed off her skirt. "Just let me change."

"Change?"

She whirled on him, looking the most skeptical she had all day. "We're going to a restaurant, dumbass. I'm not going to a restaurant dressed like this. And you're not going dressed like that. Change."

She began taking off her shirt, and even speedster Wally was hard pressed to turn away in time. "Wait, is this like a date?"

"In the sense that we're going as two people to a restaurant in which we will be sharing a table and a bill, yes. This is a date, Mr. West. It was your own suggestion."

He swung round to straddle his chair, still facing away from her. "So what should I wear? What are you wearing?"

"Turn around and look."

"Are you fully dressed?"

"You are such a wimp."

"Excuse me for not being interested in seeing you naked!"

"You're excused, sure. I don't mind you being gay. I have lots of gay friends."

"Okay, let's get this straight. I am not gay."

"Well, you don't have to get so defensive. It's not helping your case."

"I'm getting defensive, I just want you to know the real story. I'm not gay."

"If you say so."

"Yes, I do."

"I'm dressed, so you can stop being an idiot."

Kid Flash turned to un-straddle his chair, and took a good look at Jinx. She was wearing a pair of high-rise black suede boots and a pink and black striped sweater over nice, dark jeans. She was in the process of wiping off her old make up and pulling out a new stick of eyeliner. Kid Flash was relieved to see the jeans. If she had pulled out a dress, he would not have had slacks to match her. He had left all his fancy gear in Keystone, assuming Jump City would be all work and no play.

She raised her eyebrows at her hand mirror and said, "Hurry up and go get dressed. It's the girls who are supposed to take forever."

He nodded dumbly and sped off to his room to see if he had a pair of nice, dark jeans.

The place was generally one where you made reservations and things about two weeks before, but Kid Flash merely had to whisper something in the host's ear, and a table for two was magically produced.

Jinx rolled her eyes when Kid Flash grinned at her. "Show off."

"All for you." He sipped at his ice water. "What do you want?"

"No idea," said Jinx, plucking an ice cube from her glass and crunching down on it. "They haven't given us menus. Slow down." She glanced around. "I feel like I've been here before."

"Have you?"

"No idea."

"Good ambience, then," Kid Flash shrugged, and spotted their waiter. "Ah, here we go."

"Welcome, heard we got you short notice. Glad you could join us," Their waiter, a slight, appropriately ethnic looking boy sidled up to their table and handed them menus. "My name is Anton and I'll be your waiter this evening--hey!"

Jinx look up guiltily. "I didn't do it."

Anton laughed. "Don't you remember me? I'm a friend of--"

"Ohmigod, hi!" Jinx shot up out of her seat to cut him off before he said "Seymour". "Of course I remember you, Anton!"

"Wow, I haven't seen you in ages, girl!" Anton hugged her warmly, and a few of the other patrons, including Kid Flash, stared. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm okay."

"No homeless? Where are--"

"Elsewhere," she said quickly. "I'm kind of here on other business."

"Oh? Oh," Anton glanced at Kid Flash and grinned. "Gotcha. I'll stay out of your way. No problem. You'll want the angel hair pasta, then? You liked that last time. I highly recommend it," He added to Kid Flash, whose stare was becoming less and less friendly by the second. "We only serve the best."

"I know," said Kid Flash. "I've been here before."

Anton smile shrank into a smirk. "Two of those, then?"

"I can't believe you're still working here," said Jinx, oblivious to the situation at hand. "Isn't it a school night?"

"Hey, a starving college student has to eat," said Anton, guiding her back into her chair. "Order coming right up. Drinks?"

"Coff--"

"Just water is fine," Kid Flash cut her off neatly. "Thanks."

Anton sauntered off, leaving Jinx smiling pleasantly. "Fancy seeing him here."

"So you have been here before," Kid Flash said pointedly, trying to match her mood.

"I guess so!" Jinx set her chin in her hand. "I'd completely forgotten about this place. I think I might have had to skip the bill last time."

"No money?"

"Force of habit. It's like a mark of respect. And if Anton was here anyway, then he could have covered it."

"Hmph," said Kid Flash. "Is this angel hair pasta as good as all that?"

"As far as I remember."

"Order up! Two angel hair pastas, and just water," Anton set their plates in front of them with an air that could only be described as smug.

"That was fast," Kid Flash said grudgingly.

"Our specialty," said Anton, flashing him a toothy smile. "Speaking of angels, Jaya sweety, have you heard from Angelica since she left?"

Jinx's face fell a little. "No. I don't think we will."

Anton's face fell as well. "She doesn't write or call or anything?"

"She's in LA," said Jinx, as if that explained everything.

Anton frowned. "Well, I haven't seen her in anything yet. I'd bet she'd sing, though. Maybe an album?"

"I really have no idea," said Jinx. "I'm sorry."

"Well, let me know. I'll leave you two alone," Anton added with a laugh. "Talk about bad date etiquette. I'm sorry."

Jinx and Kid Flash began to protest at the same time that they were not on a date, they simply happened to be two people sharing a table and a bill.

Anton laughed again. "Of course. Whatever you say."

Kid Flash stared after him glumly as Jinx began to dig into her angel hair pasta. He was almost too put out to relish the fact that she was eating, and seemed to be enjoying it. Finally he said:

"Who is Angelica?"

Jinx started guiltily and turned her attention away from her food. "Um. HIVE student."

"Super model? Actress?"

"She could be. She should be. She is absolutely the most beautiful person in the world."

Kid Flash frowned. He didn't really want to hear about the most beautiful person in the world.

"She was like my mother."

He looked up. Jinx was staring rather sadly at her food. He shifted guiltily in his chair and said contritely, "Well, tell me about her. If it doesn't bother you. Don't stop eating."

Jinx stabbed at her pasta. "Well, she's absolutely stunningly beautiful. And she was the oldest one among us, so she was in charge. She just sort of…floated everywhere. She barely had to work at anything. She was perfect."

"Nobody's perfect," He mumbled.

She frowned at him. "Well, she was. Really thin and platinum blonde hair and lips and all. And perfect boobs. I mean, really though."

He didn't like the envy he heard in her voice. "Well, I don't see what's so great about those things. I mean, I do, but I don't. You know?"

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't."

"Well, it's like assembly-line beauty. All conventional. I don't think there's such a thing as conventional beauty," said Kid Flash, blushing a little. "Sorry. I don't mean to insult her."

Jinx glanced shiftily from him to her food to around the room. "S'okay."

"And I'm not saying that to impress you," He continued desperately. "I'm not trying to be all self-righteous or unique or something. I'm not…I'm not making this any better, am I?"

She shook her head, smiling a little. "I kind of get what you mean."She glanced at his plate and laughed. "And I'm supposed to be sick or something. Eat! It's really good."

Kid Flash laughed weakly. "The tables turn. Guess I had that coming." He began picking at his food. "How is it that you'll eat the food here, but La Bou isn't good enough for you?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I don't know anybody there. And La Bou is very assembly line."

"So it's not about weight."

"It's never been about weight. Not really. I just don't trust people."

"The weight aspect holds no interest for you?"

"No…well, that's a lie," Jinx spun her fork around in her noodles. "At HIVE, they really wanted us to have as little body fat as possible. The less we ate, the less fat we had to burn. And eating took up studying time."

"Studying time?"

"Results were more important than health." She looked up from her food and saw his face. "Sorry. I'm being a bummer."

"No, don't worry about it," Kid Flash said faintly.

They ate in relative silence, making the odd comment every so often and following it up with vague little "mm"s and "ah"s. Eventually Anton passed by their table to say goodbye, and Kid Flash tried not to be bothered when Jinx got up to chase after him for a private word.

Kid Flash was also trying not to think about when and why he had gotten so possessive of his unwilling house guest. Or if he had always been this possessive, and just hadn't noticed.

"Just don't tell him you saw me, okay?" Jinx demanded.

She had chased after Anton with every intention of having a friendly goodbye. She had not intended to end up holding him at hex-point against a brick wall.

Anton laughed weakly. "What is the big deal if Seymour knows I saw you?"

"Because then he'll have a lead, and that's not what I want to give him!" Jinx cried. "Could you just keep your mouth shut?"

"Okay, I won't tell him. Can I tell Elliot?"

"No, you can't tell anybody!"

"Okay, already. Jeez," Anton rolled his eyes. "What is the big deal? Are you guys fighting?"

"No, I just want space. Can't I get space?"

"Okay, you've got space. Can I tell Tyler I saw you?"

"As long as he doesn't gossip to Kitten, okay. Tell him I said hi."

"Okay," Anton pulled her in for another hug. "Love you, hun. Be seeing you?"

"For a little while, anyway. I better get back in there," said Jinx, laughing a little. "I think he was getting jealous."

Antont pouted. "I'm the one who's jealous. Where did you pick up such hot buns?"

Jinx laughed and slapped his arm. "What are you trying to say? I'm not dating him!"

"Just keep an eye on those, that's all I'm saying. Gotta go. Love ya!"

It was on the walk back from the restaurant that Kid Flash finally worked up the courage to ask, "So, who exactly is Anton a friend of?"

"Another friend," Jinx said blithely. "Don't worry about it."

"What kind of friend?"

"What's it to you?" Jinx looked back at him and laughed. "Let's go clubbing!"

"What?"

"We're dressed right, aren't we?"

"Uh-uh," Kid Flash shook his head. "According to contract, we're doing what I say, right?"

Jinx pouted good-naturedly. "Right."

"And I say that late nights are unhealthy. We're going to bed."

Jinx stopped walking. "It's only ten!"

"That's late."

She put her hands on her hips. "I can't go to sleep at ten."

"You can try," Kid Flash brushed past her into the building. "Seventy percent of resting is just lying there. You don't actually have to sleep."

Jinx sniffed. "First I've heard."

"Well, whatever," Kid Flash shrugged, holding the elevator for her. "You can always watch TV or something."

Jinx stood against the far end of the elevator and said, "Is something up?"

"Like what?"

Jinx sighed. "I don't even know why I'm bothering to tell you this, but Anton's gay."

Kid Flash's gaze snapped up to her's. "What?"

"It's true. He's dating the physical trainer of this friend of mine."

"So that's the friend he was talking about?"

Jinx decided one little lie wouldn't kill him, or her. It wasn't even a lie, really. Seymour and Kitten were both her friends. Or had been her friends. "Sure."

Kid Flash sighed. "Okay, then."

"Is that what's been bothering you this whole time?"

"I haven't been bothered."

"Liar."

"Whatever you say," said Kid Flash, spirits lifting by the second.

"Watch some TV with me?" said Jinx. "I'm not going to be able to sleep. I still say we should go clubbing."

"Sure, I'll watch some TV with you," Kid Flash said lightly.

"You know, this whole week-long thing might work out," Jinx said companionably. "Unless, of course, you're going to get jealous over every gay friend I talk to. I have a lot. But if you're looking for a boyfriend, I can probably hook you up. Anton's taken, though, like I said."

"Sure," said Kid Flash, laughing more out of relief than anything else, "Whatever you say." After a few more moments, he said, "Sorry. I was being presumptuous."

"I'm flattered."

"Ha ha. Hey. Question."

"Go ahead."

"Can I call you Jaya?"

She raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"And you can call me Wally. That's my name. Wallace. Wally. I don't like it when you call me Mr. West. It makes me feel like some kind of mafia leader." He frowned, concerned. "It is Jaya, isn't it? That's what he…Anton called you."

"Yeah," She said. "Jaya."

He smiled, "Wally." Wally held out his hand for her to shake.

Jaya took it.