Author's Note: I'm still working on completing this. Chapter 5 will be the continuation of this.
I need a beta.
Anyone up for it?
Disclaimer: I do not own them. Nope. DC Entertainment/Comics and Cartoon Network owns the Young Justice league.
Roy awakened to the chirping of his military-grade cell phone buzzing away at the end table positioned next to his bed. He clutched the device in his right hand and looked at the bright blue LED caller-id screen from his bleary, tired eyes. The area code and number reminded Roy of the area code Central City uses. If it was one of the phones Batman handed the league, it certainly wouldn't be a number from Central.
Knowing Batman, the identity would be unrecognizable if one of the members of the league called from the device. That narrowed it down to two residences. Either it could be Wally asking for help or wanting to come over, or it could be Barry complaining about how much Captain Cold is starting to get on his nerves lately. Being in an exhausted and muzzy state, you can imagine that Red Arrow wasn't prepared to hear both speedsters rant or beg for something. He answered nonetheless.
"Can we talk?" A hoarse, rushed voice asked. The particular voice in mind was not Wally. He had to find out who called him, so he did what any clueless person did. Request the name.
"Who is this?"
"It's Barry. Wally's uncle?" That explains why the voice is so hasty.
"Hey man, what is it that you want?"
"Wally recently got into a 'conflict' with his parents. Remember when you, uh-"
Sounds of static could be heard through the other line. Red Arrow assumed Barry passed under a tunnel or some other object that interfered with the cell signal on his phone, so he waited a full minute before he lost his patience.
"Come on Barry, I don't have all day."
"Remember when you revealed your sexuality to the masses?" Where's he going with this?
"Hmmm. Yea, I do. Taught whoever messed with me a lesson to not mess with Red Arrow." I'm not lying. Nobody messed with me ever again.
"Back then it was Spee-"The scarlet man announced in a singsong type of manner.
Barry and Wally were part of the remainder of the Justice and Young Justice league that repudiated to accept his change of name. In a way, Roy reviled them for it. On the other hand, they've known him as his preceding super hero name for years. It makes sense for them to forget his new name once in a while. Except this is Barry and Wally we're talking about. They didn't forget. They did it on purpose.
"Shut it, scarlet." Roy growled at the receiver.
"Okay, okay 'Red Arrow'. Anyway, KF will be on his way to a specific 'mountain' in a few minutes. I was wondering if you would tag along with me to make him feel better about himself."
"You never explained to me…oh." Roy took a second to think twice about Barry's question about him coming out. Like a light bulb flickering on in his head, he decided to be bold by asking the inevitable. "Did Wally come out of the closet to his parents?" I had to ask. Something tells me I'm right in one way or another. The excessive flirting with women must be a cover-up for the guy, I'm sure of it.
Barry exhaled. "And your next guess will be right as well. Yes, he did come out of the closet. He's bi. After being yelled by his ungrateful father, I can understand why Wally's so upset."
Okay, he still likes girls. The flirting isn't a cover-up then.
"Did you talk to his father without yelling or-" Barry interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.
"Damn right I yelled at him. What kind of father, or mother for that matter, would abandon their son and kick him to the curb just for his sexuality? That's not a reason. Hell, there should be no reason to kick your child out. Unless they're 26 and living in your basement, then I can understand."
"If you give me an extra twenty minutes, I can go to Rudolph's house and teach him a lesson or two..." Just give me that allotted time to personally kick his father's ass and I'll come to Mount Justice with you.
"No. Red, you can't. Wait until I get custody of him, then you can do whatever you like. Remember, killing is not an option."
"I never said I'd kill." I like to call it "severely injure".
"You were thinking it." The speedsters tone turned even more serious than before. Did he not trust the archer? Probably did. Barry thought Roy to be the violent type. He didn't blame him. He did have a tendency to overreact.
"Look Barry, you can continue to rant and rave about how terrible Wally's parents are on the phone or you can simply visit and explain in exact detail what exactly happened. I know you told me, but I want to know more."
"Open your door. I'm here." Barry merrily announced.
"What?"
"I said open your door. I'm already here."
Sure enough, a faint repetitious knocking could be heard outside of Roy's apartment door. He cautiously opened it to confirm if it was actually the scarlet speedster, Barry, and not a random prankster. True to his word, there he was impatiently tapping his foot waiting to be let in. "That was fast." Roy flipped his phone shut as he let the guy inside.
"I am the Fastest Man Alive." He replied. Barry casually walked into Roy's apartment, grabbing two beers from the fridge. Not once did he question the 18 year old about how he acquired the alcoholic beverages. He did not care. He needed something to take the edge off. "Want one, kid?"
The two vigilantes shared a six pack of alcohol exchanging information on what went on minutes before Barry called. It took a few moments for Red Arrow to calm down before he and Barry set foot to the zeta beam downtown.
As they were walking, Flash made small talk discussing various topics. Roy drowned out the speedster's constant ramblings until Barry jabbed at his sides. "Hey!"
"I had to get your attention, Red. You seem like you were lost in space or something. Did you hear what I said?"
"Not really." He confessed.
"What do you think of Wally?"
What do I think of him? He's okay.
"He's annoying."
Barry smiled. "Besides that; what do you really think of him?"
Roy stopped dead in his tracks. "Barry if you're trying to set me up with Wally…"
"I know he's a minor and you're 18, but just to let you know I have no problem with him dating you."
"…This coming from the guy who shared a couple of beers with me. I still can't believe you didn't get on to my case for that."
"What's the big deal? Every teen goes through a rebellious stage. The other day, I caught Wally sneaking a beer out of my fridge back in Central. I didn't tell Iris, but I did have a long conversation with him. As long as you hide your 'stash of booze' from him, I'll be fine. A tipsy speedster is a disastrous speedster."
They resumed their journey to the zeta beam. Roy looked to his side to find Barry sniggering to himself. "What is it Barry?"
"I took beer from a minor." He jested. Red Arrow rolled his eyes. "Hush. Enough chit chat, we're here."
The duo reached their destination. The giant device read their names audibly, loud enough to echo through the deserted sewer system. Recognized: Flash, 04. Red Arrow, B06. Barry let the archer go first before he followed suite afterward. "Batman sure did place this damn beam in the foulest place in Star City." Barry took one quick glance at the surrounding area while Roy glimpsed back at the speedster.
"Stop talking and walk forward, Flash."
Black Canary greeted them upon their arrival. "Barry," she said, "Roy. Wally's been asleep for half an hour. Would you like to discuss more about this, or drink some coffee to cover up the odor reeking from both of your mouths?" Both heroes stood there in shock. Dinah crossed her arms. "Roy, what did I tell you about drinking?"
The archer lowered his head and muttered his response. "That I'm too young to get wasted?" Hearing no response from her, he added. "And if I'm ever caught drinking again, you have the right to kick me in the shins?" Making eye contact, he caught the older hero smile at his words. "I'll let it slip this time and look the other way. As for Barry," she pointed at the Meta "you're not off the hook…yet. Why did you agree to drink with Red Arrow?" Roy opened his mouth to protest, but he soon backed down when Black Canary put a finger in front of her mouth to signal him to be quiet. Barry fidgeted under her glare. "Technically, he didn't offer. I did."
"You brought a couple of beers over to his place?" The woman narrowed her blue eyes, edging closer to Flash.
"No ma'am. I took it straight from the fridge at his apartment. I was too mad to think straight. I figured a couple of beers would help me. I'm not drunk, I swear."
"I believe you. You speedsters don't remain drunk unless you continuously drink alcohol if I recall correctly." This time Barry's eyes remained open wide through the opaque lenses covering them, perturbed at the memory Black Canary implied in that very sentence. That was a dark day for the Fastest Man Alive. Witnessing the utter shock the speedster practically radiated, Roy got what Dinah was talking about. He chuckled slightly. "Lookin' shell-shocked Barry? Ah, the same face you made when Batman found out you snagged Wonder Woman. I got to admit, it was truly a 'Kodak' moment. Even Iris got into a little fun herself, no?"
Flash blinked away the memory and shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Afraid the big bad Bats will come and hang you off the rooftop again?" Roy's words ebbed when Black Canary snuck behind him, giving him a slight push toward the direction of the kitchen. "Go sober yourself up while I chit chat with Flash, okay?"
Their voices faded away once he reached the coffeemaker. He grabbed a mug from the cupboards and poured a cup of the bitter liquid into it. "I shouldn't have accepted that beer…even though it's mine." He muttered between sips. "Good thing that brooding bat isn't here."
"What about the brooding bat?" A distant voice interrogated.
He whirled around to catch Robin hanging from the ceiling above. Roy almost dropped his mug when the devious boy spoke up; Batman's protégé smirked at the man. "Can't I have some fun too? Sneaking up on you guys is way too easy these days. At least make it a challenge."
"I'm not hiding."
"Mhmm, right. What's this stuff with KF I've been hearing about?"
"You already know, why should I tell you?"
"I need it to be verified by asking a witness."
"I'm not the witness; you can ask your friend who's cooped up in his room."
"I tried, he wouldn't answer. At least tell me what you've heard, or I'll tell Batman you have beer in your apartment." He threatened. Roy scowled at the Boy Wonder. "Fine, I'll tell. You may want to grab a seat or something, because this will take a few minutes …"
The Conference
"You're telling me Wally's been going through hell before all this happened?" Black Canary sat down in one of the seats of what she dubbed the "confession room". The man opposite of her nodded silently in compliance, burying his face in his hands, recollecting the moments he caught Wally's father treating his son like he was some sort of insignificant being. The memories involving Rudolph hurting Wally proved to be unbearable for Barry. There were times when his nephew's father clenched his fist, ready to punch the poor kid, and there were times when Rudolph simply left the kid alone crying in the dark. If there was a god, Barry would ask him to send the older guy to the gates of hell. He deserved it. No father should treat his son that way. Raising a kid and treating them like a human should be a top priority, not a second class project. Barry shook the thoughts away to see Dinah clasping her hand on his in a comforting manner. "I know you probably feel angry about this whole ordeal. We all are. The good thing is your nephew doesn't have to face his father again. I'll have a talk with Bruce to see if he can help you gain custody of Wally. I fear Rudolph might end up fooling the crowds by denying what he committed in the past." The sad part, she's right.
"That's Rudolph for ya. Always wanting to keep up a 'reputation' he never really had." Barry sarcastically replied. "What you're saying is, we need evidence to prove that he's a bad father? I can bring you evidence. I can even be a witness. Iris can tag along as well. She hates Rudolph anyways." Iris and Barry shared the same opinions about Wally's father. As put by Iris, Rudolph was a "Good for nothing son of a bitch who should dig himself a hole and die in it." Cryptic as it sounds, Barry agreed to it. The only thing holding him back is his public image. Everyone expected him to be "Mr. Perfect". It's hard living up to that name when you've got page upon page of drama in your book. He could ask Batman to carry out the deed. Part of him knew Bruce would say no. Batman doesn't kill…but he can scare the hell out of a person when in his presence.
Black Canary smiled. "I got a better idea."
He raised his eyebrows, "May I hear this 'idea'?"
"I'm sure you'll guess before I even tell you. Here's a hint: It involves using scare tactics."
"Batman's going to interrogate Rudolph?"
"You could say that."
"I don't know, Dinah."
"Think about it, Barry. Rudolph obviously knows Wally's identity-"
"As he does mine." He added.
"True," she admitted, "but that's not the point. I'll get straight the point. Rudolph's been treating Kid Flash like he's nothing, and it's been putting a damper on his ability to focus on a slew of missions correct?"
"You are correct. He's been a little off lately."
"Wouldn't Batman want to know what's going on with the Young Justice members?"
He shook his head, agreeing with her words. "Um, yea he would for the sake of making sure that they operate at their peak performance during their missions."
"Let's say a little bird told him what's going on with Kid Flash. He finds out who is causing the problem. Now what would he do?"
"Find the source of the problem and eliminate it? Look, Dinah, Batman doesn't kill."
"I didn't say he would kill Rudolph, Barry. I'm saying he can get Wally's father to admit to his crimes." She finished explaining the plan to him. Black Canary raised from where she sat, hand gesturing to the door. "Shall we wake up Mr. West?"
Artemis trekked her way to the gaming area from the training area along with M'gann and Superboy. They overheard a familiar Atlantean and a proverbial Robin deliberating with Red Arrow, going through the archer's step-by-step plan on how to take Wally's father down. Kaldur counted the reasons as to why Roy's plan would fail from the start; Robin made calculations on the display projected on the gadget attached to his wrist. Finishing up, Robin agreed with Aqualad stating the whole ordeal would be a "Waste of our time." Roy forcibly accepted the fact, begrudgingly tossing the idea aside.
"Ahem." Artemis coughed, "You know we were eavesdropping on you guys. What's wrong with Kid Idiot? Problems with his father at home?" M'gann stared intently at Robin. "Robin, you know we can't have one of our team members distracted by trouble at their homes, even if it's not their fault."
Red Arrow scoffed back at the Martian's words, interrupting before the Boy Wonder opened his mouth to speak. "There's nothing Kid Flash can do about it. He didn't choose to get slandered by Rudolph. It's been that way for years. I'm still surprised we did not find out any sooner."
"I can do something about it." Superboy tightened his fist in a ball. "Nobody hurts my friends." M'gann telepathically calmed him down; reassuring him and the team they will find a way to help their beloved member. "After we accomplished getting the information we need out of Kid Flash's dad, we can proceed to give the information to Barry to be used in the courts."
Behind them, the team heard the voices of a man and a woman edging near the gaming expanse from the room beside it. Kaldur signaled the team to put a halt to the conversation as Black Canary and Flash entered the room.
"Red Arrow, Flash needs to talk to you." Dinah announced. The smug speedster motioned with his head to follow him, Roy complied. "What do you need Barry?" Red Arrow raised his eyebrow sardonically.
"Wally needs someone he can relate to. I'm sure you won't mind following me to his room. I warn you, the kiddo's asleep. If you want to wake him, turn on the lights and kick the bed." Barry entered the code to unlock Kid Flash's door, stepping aside as he let Roy in first. Red Arrow flipped the switch and grabbed a seat by the bed, doing exactly what he was told. He kicked the bed repeatedly, garnering a slight arousal from the boy sleeping in it. Thinking Wally would wake up, he spoke out. "Kid, you okay?" Barry chimed in when Wally didn't answer. "I think you're going to have to do much better than that. This kid won't wake up, even if an airplane flew over him." Frustrated, Roy struck harder, this time moving the top part of the mattress of the second. "Wally, wake up!"
"Hnng." The teen slowly rose, wiping the results from crying off his face. "What the hell?" Wally quickly observed the room, turning his head to Barry then to Roy. Judging by Flash's protégé expressions, the speedster seemed addled by their appearance in his room. Red Arrow waited for the boy to say something else. Kid Flash stared at his eyes longer than the standard amount of time people usually gaze at him. "I totally forgot you had green eyes." Kid Flash pronounced.
"No, I have rainbow eyes." He sarcastically replied. Roy mentally slapped himself. 'Just go along with the conversation Roy. Go along with what Barry wants you tell Wally and leave. You can do this. Only a couple of minutes of small talk, it's not going to kill you…yet.'
A/N: Stay tuned for Chapter 5. Anyone have any ideas? If so, leave a review letting me know.