24
The Calm Before The Storm
Brady barely had the chance to brace himself before he smacked into the lockers beside him. "Oof!" He looked over at Leah, who wrapped him in a tight hug, then over her shoulder at Connor, who shrugged before taking a picture. "I'm not dying, Leah, chill."
"Good." She smiled sweetly, taking a step back. "I was worried when I heard the news."
Brady's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
Mostly because he thought Leah was being a little too sweet to him. (He couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged him that tightly when seeing him for the first time in the day). But his eyes also bugged at the horrifying thought that anyone would know what'd happened. As far as he knew, being a minor, his name wouldn't be allowed to be put out in the media. At least his mother had drilled it in his head after showing him the many articles of his grandparents from when she was growing up that had festooned the newspaper. Being part of CCPN, she was able to ask for a favor with Iris to ensure that it didn't get out. (Brady was able to see the awkwardness of it, how do you ask someone you didn't even get along with for a favor?)
How would anyone else know?
His eyes darted toward each face that passed them, wondering if they were looking at him funny, too? If they were watching to see how he'd react to being back in school when so much was already going on?
Leah looked at him like he was stupid. As far as being back at school so soon, maybe he was. "Miss. Cadence told me what happened, just to make sure I was safe." She paused then punched Brady hard on the arm.
"Ow!" His eyes widened even further. He realized she had to have used her powers to add strength into the punch, or else his metahuman physiology—as Caitlin called it—wouldn't have made it hurt so easily if it were a normal punch. "What was that for?"
"For not telling me," she replied then folded her arms. She looked to Connor then back to Brady. "We're supposed to be a team and you guys keep leaving me in the dark."
Brady gave her a 'duh' look. "Like I'm really going to come to school and start a conversation by saying, guess what? I nearly got shot!" He realized how loudly he was speaking then lowered his voice, inclining his head toward the hallway. The three fell in step as they headed toward the lunchroom, Connor and Leah holding hands as they went, making a show of lifting their hands over Brady's head as he walked through them. "It's bad enough that there this meta hit list going around, I don't need anyone here finding out either."
"I told my…Oliver about it," Connor said, blushing at his stumble. "He said Felicity looked it over and even she can't figure out who's behind the list going up. Not yet, anyway."
"They use the same sort of programs as they do at STAR Labs," Brady said quickly. "If they can't figure it out, how could Felicity find it?"
Connor shrugged. "I just thought I'd ask."
"Okay, so…" Leah took in a deep breath then let it out, her shoulders slumping. "I guess it's not a bad thing we were benched." Nevertheless, she couldn't help but pout. "If they went after you and Miss. Cadence so quickly." She paused. "Twice."
"And if they know our identities, everyone around us is in danger," Brady agreed.
"Should you be back in school then?" Connor shook his head. "It took me all summer talking to therapists about what happened on the Island for me to…" he took in a deep breath. "To even talk about mom. You were attacked."
"It's not the first time," Brady reminded them. "Just…the first time they attacked me, not Shadowhunter."
Silence fell over the three pre-teens. The reality sinking in. They had superhero identities for a reason, they trained in hidden facilities for a reason. And that reason had finally been targeted; If there was anyone who knew of their identities, everyone around them was danger. From their family, to their friends, to completely innocent people. Just like that young couple that'd been hit when Barry and his mom had been who they were going after.
"You've had a lot happen to you lately," Leah said slowly when they entered the cafeteria and stood in line, sliding their trays along the rails as they picked their food. "Do you think you should take some time off for a while?"
"Look, it's not a big deal," Brady said. He filled his tray with good. "It happens. It's part of what I signed up for."
"You didn't sign up for anything," Connor said gently. He looked between his friends. "Neither of you did. You just…started developing your powers and they started to train you. You didn't really have a choice in the matter—oof!"
Brady stumbled, crashing into Connor, who nearly knocked Leah over when Chad slid himself down the line toward them. "Woops," Chad said with a big smile. "Sorry, didn't see you there." He reached around Brady, plucking his burger off his plate and dumped it on his own. Brady glared at him. "Great job at my party, you almost beat my score in laser tag."
"Thanks," Brady said shortly, eyeing him closely.
Chad had always been the popular guy in class, throwing it around whenever he was about to have another party. Practically making people beg him for an invitation when the whole class was always invited. But that was when they were in elementary school and, now, Chad was doing his best to throw his weight around since they'd started middle school.
It would explain why he went so hard as to utterly destroy Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry in laser tag. Even though it'd been really funny seeing how frustrated Cisco had been by the end of the day. He nearly snapped his gun in half for the last time the three had lost. Even with Iris joining them to try and bring up their score hadn't helped.
"Yeah, but what was with those old people with you?" Chad asked.
Brady smiled to himself, already imagining the way Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco would've reacted to being called 'old'. Barry would've give his wounded puppy look, Caitlin would've glared and given a very tame (and lame) insult in response, and Cisco would've completely opened a can of verbal whoopas on Chad…which Chad would easily deflect. But it would've been funny all the same.
"They're my mom's friends," Brady replied. "She didn't want to watch so many kids without someone to talk to." He sniffed. "You know…if your mom hadn't forced her into doing it."
Chad shrugged. Then licked his lips and asked. "Is your mom open for any more friends?"
Brady heard Leah gasp quietly. He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose and turned to face Chad's shit-eating grin. "What?" He managed to ask through a tight-lipped smile. He squeezed his hand into a fist at his side, holding it just below his tray. With his free hand, he drummed his fingertips on an empty space on the tray.
"Brady," Connor warned.
Brady ignored him.
"I'm just saying." Chad shrugged and folded his arms. Behind him, Derrick and the rest of Chad's group gave similar, shark-like grins. "She's pretty hot. Wouldn't mind being put to bed by that every night." He reached out to give what was supposed to be a friendly shoulder pat, but shoved Brady on the shoulder. "Does she keep reading you bed-time stories, too?"
"At least she can read," Brady shot back. "Unlike you."
Chad snorted. "Why read the book when you can watch the movie?"
"Why breathe air when you're gonna die anyway?" Leah asked, rolling her eyes.
Chad's gaze shifted to her and darkened, absolutely turned ugly. "I didn't ask you, freak."
"But she was talking to you," Brady shot back. He sucked in a deep breath, turning his head away. The last thing he needed was to be sent to the principal's office again. His mother would be upset and…they practically had an engraved plaque on the back of the seat for him. And now that there was someone out to get them, he didn't need to make it easier by being suspended. "And don't call her a freak." He grabbed his burger back from Chad and slammed it on his plate to punctuate his words.
"Don't you have anything better to do right now?" Connor asked, nose wrinkling. "Anything?"
"What's the matter, faggot?" Chad turned his attack to Connor. "Am In interrupting your time with your boyfriend?"
Brady sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth, let it out, and turned to Chad, grabbing hi by the front of his shirt. Chad's eyes widened just slightly when he pulled him forward, so close that their noses were touching. He felt his hands starting to shake, saw the front of Chad's shirt trembling as well, lifted his gaze and saw Derrick and the rest of Derrick's group eyeing him with wide eyes.
"Brady," Connor hissed from behind him. "Stop." Then continued when Brady didn't move. "Your eyes."
Immediately, Brady let go of Chad's shirt and took a step back. He glanced at Leah, who widened her eyes and tilted her head. Dang it, Brady shook his head. Squeezed his eyes tighter. Tried to will away the grunting growls that rolled up his throat. Not now.
"Are we having a little bit of a boy's club over here?" Rachel asked as she walked over, Alicia at her side. She smiled between the two groups then spotted Brady and 'awwed', pressing her hand flat to her chest. "Ohhh, are you crying? Did he hit you a little hard?"
Brady glared at her, started to say something back, but was cut off by Alicia, who rolled her eyes and hitched her purse up her shoulder. "Can we go now?" She asked. Rachel blinked in surprise and looked toward Alicia. "This is boring. I've got way more interesting things to do." She turned on her heel and walked toward an empty table in the cafeteria. With wide, uncertain eyes, Rachel turned to Chad, Derrick, and the others. They all panic-blinked back at her before leaving after Alicia.
That was weird, Brady thought, watching them go. He exchanged a look with Connor and Leah, one look proved they were thinking the same thing. Brady paid for his food and turned to go to a table, nearly knocking into Rose as he went, leaping back just in time to keep his tray from sliding onto her. "Sorry, Rose," he apologized quickly.
Rose smiled, dimples appearing in her cheeks. "No problem, Brady," she replied and walked to her own table, brushing her pigtails over her shoulders as she did so.
Brady watched her for a second before sitting down with Leah and Connor. As soon as they sat, Leah spoke, practically bursting with enthusiasm. "I think she likes you," Leah said.
"Who?" Brady snarked, nose wrinkling. "The queen of darkness?"
"No!" Leah pointed with her chin. "Rose."
"Yeah, right."
"Do you like her?" Connor asked. Brady glared at him, not exactly liking the way his best friend was smirking toward him. As if he knew something that Brady didn't. Which, Brady hated to admit, was possible. There weren't many people, other than his mom, who he spent as much time with and it was easy to get close to someone if they shared a room for the past six months.
"No!" Brady's eyes shifted to the left, to watch Rose once more. His mouth twisted to the side seconds before his eyes shot down to his plate, noticing her gaze move toward his. He couldn't help but look over…just to be sure she wasn't looking at him.
"Then why do you keep looking at her?" Leah teased.
"Because we're talking about her!" Brady threw his hands up in exasperation. "Can we talk about something else?"
The rest of lunch went by with the three joking and laughing with each other. When the bell finally rang, they went their separate ways for activities period. Connor went to the school guidance counselor's office, as he was instructed to do until she felt he was able to freely speak of his mother's death. Leah went to art club, and Brady used the free period to play a game of pickup soccer with some boys from his class and the upper grades.
They ran around, passing the ball back and forth, shouting and laughing at each other as they went. While they played, Brady kept an eye on Chad, in case he decided to rev up on being a jerk again. But Chad behaved himself that time around, sure, he pushed a few people over, trying to bulldoze through them when he got the chance, but he at least didn't come too close to Brady.
As if he'd be able to stand up straight if he came near me again, Brady thought. Then suddenly stopped short, allowing the ball to get away from him. His eyebrows rose in surprise, he placed his hands on his hips, working to catch his breath from running so hard. Some of his classmates looked at him funny, Chad yelled a curse out at him, making Brady glare in response.
"Sorry," he quickly apologized to the team as they moved to start up the game again, Chad's team having gotten the goal. It surprised him how nasty of a thought shot through his head. Just as it surprised him how quickly he got angry at Chad. On one hand, he would never allow anyone to speak badly against his mom, but on the other hand, he was starting to bring too much attention to himself.
Up until that year, he continuously started the school year late for whatever reason, he kept finding excuses to leave the school to take down whatever meta it was that was attacking that day, had to have hushed conversations that others probably thought he was planning some sort of hit against them. And then the incident in the lunchroom with his eyes changing color, again, with Demon…
"You really don't seem to be up for anything today." Brady turned to find Rose standing next to him, cradling a tennis ball in the lacrosse stick she held in her hand. "Not that I've noticed," she added quickly, almost annoyed. "But…I noticed."
"Do you spend that much time noticing me?" Brady asked in response. Then blushed and looked away. That was stupid!
"It's easy to notice things when people don't notice you." Rose turned and threw the tennis ball.
It bounced across the ground, hit the fence and rolled back to her. It was a far shot, and she put a lot of power into it, but the ball seemed to have a life of its own when it rolled back toward them. Brady didn't know very much of physics—the only things he did know, he gleamed form long conversation he was stuck listening to between the brainiacs he was around in STAR Labs. (Not to mention, watching Barry get incredibly animated about…whatever when they were at home).
Brady glanced at her, but she turned away, cradling the ball once more. Almost a nervous movement. "People notice you."
"Yeah, when they want to."
"You make that sound like a bad thing."
"Oh, when you try so hard to be popular." She rolled her eyes. Then paused, turned to him, holding out the stick. "You want to try? Might be more fun than trying to dribble a ball and not kill Chad for once."
"Yeah, but he deserves it." Brady took the lacrosse stick in his hand and mimicked Rose's movements from before, rocking the ball back and force, watching as it moved through the cradle. Rolled back and forth. It didn't seem difficult, but he could feel the ball working its way out of the netting pretty easily. "Even some of the teachers say it."
"I know, I can always feel the negativity when Chad walks by them."
Brady turned and threw the ball toward the fence. It bounced against the ground, hit the fence, and slowly but surely rolled back. He frowned, tilting his head to the side. Part of him knew he hadn't put all of his strength that he could into it, which would've made the ball rocket toward the fence. (He couldn't bring too much attention to himself). But part of him was annoyed that the ball didn't come back as easily as Rose made it seem.
"What? Are you some kind of hippie?" He motioned to hand the stick back to her, but she made no move to take it. Shrugging, Brady scooped the ball off the ground and cradled it once more.
Rose laughed. "No, but I'm really into, you know, energies and auras and stuff. I can…sort of sense them."
"So you are a hippie!"
She laughed again. "No, it's…" She thought for a moment, folding her arms. "It's deeper than that. It's just being in tune with nature and man and how it affects each other." She twisted her mouth to the side. "My Aunt Mina," Rose replied. She brushed her long pigtail over her shoulder. "She used to work at CCU. She's the one who really taught me that sort of thing."
"Oh! My grandma works there," Brady said. He thought for a second, tilted his head. "And my grandpa, I guess." Harrison owned STAR Labs and when he as "Dr. Wells" he spent a lot of time focusing on Barry's training—though he was also a time-traveling speedster who hated Barry. Since Thawne had left, he spent more and more time away from STAR Labs, probably to distance himself from the harm he put toward them. Ashamed of the other part of him he couldn't quite control. He knew how that felt.
"You guess?"
"Well, it's—" Brady paused. His nose wrinkled. Why was it so easy to talk to her? "'It's complicated."
"Ah."
"What?"
"Nothing." Rose shrugged. Brady threw the ball back to the fence, this time it came back and Rose bent down to catch it in her hands. She turned toward Brady and motioned with her hand, almost shooing him away. Brady took a few large steps back in response. Rose cocked her arm and threw the ball toward Brady. He watched it for a moment then stuck the lacrosse stick in the air and caught the ball in the netting. He threw it back to her and they did it again. "It's just when people say things are 'complicated' they're not really. They just don't want to deal with whatever's going on."
"Or they can't talk about it."
"That too."
They threw the ball back and forth in silence until the bell rang, signaling them to go back to class. Brady caught the ball in his stick once more, then moved to send the ball back to him. His arm rotated halfway through and he stopped, his gaze shifting to the ground. Huh? He stopped and crouched toward the ground, studying the flower by his foot that seemed to have bloomed within the last few seconds; a large petaled, blue-gray flower—similar to the colors of Shadowhunter, he realized—that gently wafted in the breeze.
He glanced at it for a minute then tossed the ball back to Rose, who caught it in her hand. He walked over, extending her lacrosse stick back to her. "Thanks for letting me borrow this."
"You're welcome," Rose replied. "Have you ever played lacrosse before?"
"No, but my dad did. Mom thinks it might be a little dangerous."
That's what she said but…Brady knew it was a flimsy excuse. It was because she was afraid of what was going to happen if he accidentally lost control and used his powers in the middle of a game. He'd have to be really careful with it. First and foremost that he didn't hurt anyone, and he could do that so long as Demon didn't come out when he was playing. But lacrosse was a contract sport—the boys version of it anyway. They were allowed to hit each other, allowed to push and shove so much that they didn't get into a full blown fight.
Nevertheless, he would have to be careful not to phase through anyone or have an extra burst of strength that'd knock someone over, knock someone out…He would probably need to talk things over with his mom before playing just to be sure what the worries of it were. But if she was able to play soccer, which could be just as contact, and swim, and do cheerleading with her powers, then lacrosse couldn't be too hard.
"You should think of playing," Rose commented. She took the ball and stick from him, her fingers brushing over his. "You're really good." She turned and walked away.
Brady smiled.
The rest of the school day went by uneventfully, and as nervous as Brady was that he'd get notice of a bank being robbed, a car being jacked, some meta just wanting attention for the news cameras or to get face time with the Flash—it probably didn't help that he was looking at the clock so much that Connor and Leah constantly had to bring his attention back to class.
But the day went by without a hitch and, for the first time in a long time, Brady felt as if he was a normal kid. He hung out with his friends, learned things in class—turned up his nose at the homework, then went to soccer practice with Connor after saying bye to Leah, who was going to her dance class. Practice went by without a hitch, the team running more complicated drills than they had before and Brady allowed himself to push himself to the edge of using his abilities.
It was the most fun he had in a long time.
So much so that he didn't mind seeing Barry waiting at the end of practice instead of Ryder. He nudged Connor on the arm and the two went over to him, tired and out of breath.
"Hey, Barry," Brady greeted him. "Where's my dad?"
"He suddenly got called into a meeting and I finished my work early so I thought I'd come watch." Barry smiled and nodded. "You guys were great out there."
"Thanks," Connor replied shyly.
Brady, on the other hand, tilted his head and watched Barry closely. Tried to do what his mother could and determine whether or not he was lying about something, or hiding something. "You know we can walk home by ourselves. Take the bus by ourselves…"
"Fine, you caught me." Barry held up his hands, as if surrendering. "Ryder really did have a meeting to go to today, but—"
"—But you wanted to check up on me," Brady interrupted, frowning. He furiously spun his soccer ball in his hands. "You wanted to make sure I wasn't going to fall apart after what happened to me and mom." He jutted out his lip. "I can take are of myself."
"He's been like this all day," Connor said with a shake of his head. "Ignore him. I have." He laughed when Brady reached out and shoved him hard on the arm.
"I didn't come so I could watch you get home safe," Barry said. Brady lifted an eyebrow, not quite believing him. "If I wanted to do that, I could do it without you seeing me." He gave a teasing smile, swirling his finger in the air. "I'd run circles around you and you wouldn't even notice."
Brady paused. "You made your point."
"We have to be fitted for our suits," Barry continued. "For the wedding."
"Ugh."
"It's not that bad." Barry started walking and the boys fell in step with him, their cleats making clacking sound against the concrete of the sidewalk as they moved. "You just stand there and have a measuring tape moved around to make sure everything fits well. Then you don't have to wear it again until the actual wedding and that's not for months now."
"I know, we keep getting the RSVPs in the mail," Brady reminded him.
"Um, Barry?" Connor looked at Barry with a troubled expression. "Is it really a good idea to get fitted if we're really sweaty?"
Barry paused so fast that Brady and Connor both crashed into him and laughed, backing away. "Uh… you might have a point." Barry sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay…" he thought for a moment. "Why don't we just surprise your mom with dinner then?"
"Why? What'd you do?"
Barry glared at Brady who smiled sweetly in response. "She's had a long day."
"The whole hit list thing?"
"And the whole CCPD knows," Barry agreed. "That's not something that we can keep quiet. The CCPD is like a family and when something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. Like our other team."
"Oh." Brady's frown deepened. It was one thing to have someone talk badly about her, but another for her to have a bad day. She didn't like having people talk about her, often being reminded about it when it came to people finding out how old she was when she had him. He saw her brush it off with a smile but could see in her eyes how much it annoyed her. If it was now happening because of the attack…
"We can make her favorite food," Connor suggested. "She taught me how to cook when I first got here."
"And I can make a pie!" Barry agreed.
Brady plastered an encouraging smile on his face and leaned over to Connor to whisper, "We still have that one in the freezer, right?" Connor smiled and nodded while Barry whipped around and glared at him.
"See? This is fun, right?" Barry asked, flipping through a cookbook, looking for a pie recipe.
"Don't tell me that you're going to be that nerdy dad that tries to make everything cool," Brady groaned with a roll of his eyes. He stood at the stove, rapidly stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce, not paying much attention to the splatters of red he was getting everywhere. "When it's all, actually, really lame."
Barry placed his hands on the edge of the counter, putting the book aside, and leaned forward. "I thought you weren't supposed to act like a teenager until you were thirteen."
"Do you remember when you were thirteen?" Connor asked. He stood at the counter, carefully slicing a loaf of bread before basting them in garlic butter.
Barry's smile slowly, yet surely, started to fade. His eyes shifted, memories of a life long ago coming back to haunt him. "I try not to think about that," he replied. "I was a big nerd."
"No!" Brady said sarcastically, widening his eyes. "You don't say."
"I meant bigger than I am now, smarty-pants." Barry flapped Brady with a dishtowel, making Brady laugh and lean away from the attack. "I was president of the anime club, the key club, astronomy club, yearbook…"
"What's Key Club?" Connor asked. He flicked his hair back from his face.
"It's a fancy way to say volunteering," Barry explained. "The students would plan blood drives, clothing drives, food drives…we'd clean up the park, we'd visit the senior citizen centers…" He turned back to the cookbook and the bowl of filling sitting next to her. "A lot of those kinds of things."
"And you did all of that and those other clubs? How'd you find the time?"
"It's was easy, because I was using the time not to think about my parents," Barry said honestly. "It was only two years since my mom died and when my dad was sent to prison, so I threw myself into as much stuff as I could not to think of them." He looked to Connor who nodded, leaning back in his seat, a faraway look coming to his eye.
Brady watched his friend then looked to Barry, unsure of what to do. Connor had been doing that a lot lately, since Oliver had showed up at the apartment and got into a fight with his mom. Barry noticed the look and nodded, catching the hint.
"So, Connor, have you really heard anything from Oliver lately?" He asked. "Or Felicity?"
Connor shrugged. "Felicity messages me every now and then. When things aren't too busy. I haven't really heard too much from Oliver. Not surprising." He bobbed his head. "Raisa says 'hi' though."
"What about Thea?" Brady asked.
Connor sank even further, shoulders slumping forward. "Still in a coma. No change."
"I'm sorry, Connor," Barry said honestly. "You know, if you ever need any one to talk to…"
Connor's attention, like Brady's, was diverted by Cadence coming through the front door. Brady smiled to himself, seeing her shoulders slump as if she had the weight of the world knocking her down. But saw how she straightened when she saw all the boys in the kitchen. "Mom!" Brady turned down the fire beneath the burning and went over to give her a hug. "How was work?"
"Fine," Cadence said after a second. She cast a meaningful look to Barry above his head, but Brady noticed. Cadence saw the look on his face then added, "Nothing you need to worry about yet. How was school?"
"Fine." Brady smirked at her.
"You didn't get into any trouble?"
''No."
"It was a shock to me, too," Connor called to her.
"Hi," Barry greeted her.
"Hi." Cadence walked up to the island after kicking off her shoes. "Wow, that smells good. What is it?" Then she noticed the flour dusted over everything and her eyes widened. "And what's that all over everything?"
"Flour," Connor said. He dusted off his hands. "We were making some noodles from scratch." He nodded to Barry. "And Barry's making a pie."
Cadence's eyes flickered. "Really?" She looked over to Brady, who stood just behind Barry, frantically and exaggeratedly mouthing, "frozen," while pointing to a box he'd taken out when Barry wasn't looking. Cadence's visibly relaxed and she looped an arm around Barry's waist, giving him a kiss. "Thanks, babe."
"You're welcome," Barry replied. "Do you want to help?"
"No, I think I'll just sit back and be waited on hand and foot." Cadence lifted herself up and sat on the counter, flipping through the mail. "Got some more RSVPs," she said to Barry, holding up save the date cards. "Looks like every socialite in Metropolis is coming." Her eyebrows rose. "The Dearbons are coming."
"Who?" Barry's face scrunched up.
"Don't ask," Cadence replied. She ran a hand through her hair. "Though that reminds me I need to see how Grace is doing." She noticed the looks turning her way. "Her parents just died, and, right now, she's in CPS custody until we can get a hold of her next living relative. It's her uncle or something."
"Seems to be going around a lot," Connor said quietly.
"It's a tough price to pay for the life we live," Brady said.
"Yeah, but a lot of us can't afford it." He pushed himself away from the counter and jumped to the floor. "I'm not hungry, I'm just going to do some homework." He left the kitchen, leaving the others in silence.
All until Barry folded his arms and asked, "Are you still mad at Oliver?"
"Of course, I'm still mad at Oliver, but Connor's not my kid, so it's not really any of my business what happens to him." She didn't look at Barry before saying, "Stop looking at me like that."
"I'm just saying…" Barry trailed off, raising his eyes to think. "If Joe had the same thought for me, when I first moved in with him, I probably wouldn't be where I am right now. It would've been devastating to know the man I looked up to was blowing it off, saying I wasn't his kid and so his thoughts didn't matter. I probably would've been able to run off to see my dad more often if that were the case."
"Yeah, but didn't Joe also think that your dad was the one who killed your mom at first?" Brady asked, turning from the stove with the noddle pot. Her jerked his head out of the way of the steam cloud that popped up, until Cadence waved her hand and the steam immediately went away. Then he noticed his mother's glare. "What?"
"It's okay," Barry reassured her. "He did think that. For a long time. All up until I became the Flash and he saw the impossible with his own eyes. But I never held that against him. Because he was still the best father I could ask for, without my dad being around."
Brady twisted his mouth to the side. Then his eyes lit up and he leaned toward his mom. "Did you Barry was president of the anime club when he was in school?"
"For real?"
Cadence laughed. "That's the club you were in?" She pulled out her phone and started to scroll through it.
"That wasn't the only club I was part of," Barry said defensively. He stuck his tongue out at Brady, who laughed. "I was part of the Astronomy Club and the Key Club…"
"He was the president of the anime club," Brady broke in.
"Not the science club?" Cadence teased. "Math club? Chess club?"
"Oh yeah?" Barry turned his disgruntled look toward his fiancée. "What clubs were you a part of in school?"
"Practically all of them," Cadence said dryly. "It's a wonder my head didn't explode." Then her eyes lit up. "Oh my God! I found a picture!" She leaned away from Brady and waved her phone in Brady's face. "From high school!"
"Let me see!" Brady grabbed the phone and studied the picture from Central City High School. A picture of Barry, to be exact. With long hair styled over his forehead, and a dopey expression on his face as if he'd just been caught unaware. Brady laughed. "Nice look, Barry!"
"Give me that."
Brady phased Barry through him, causing the speedster to trip, almost falling to the floor, and hurried back to his mom's side. "Look at his hair."
"That's a bad picture of me," Barry protested.
"Shut up, you look cute," Cadence replied. She giggled, looking closer at the photo. "Actually, it looks just like your picture for the CCPD, Baby Face."
"Don't start."
"Do you get carded every time you go to the movie theater?" Brady asked. "What was the last R-rated movie you went to?"
Barry sighed. He turned toward Cadence, reaching for her phone, but she moved it to her other hand, keeping it away from him. "There're a lot of better pictures of me."
"Yeah, but they don't drive you as crazy as this one does." Cadence saw the look on Barry's face and quickly shoved her phone into Brady's hand. "Run. Run!"
Brady started to run, darting to the left around the island as Barry reached for him. He sprinted forward, leaping over a coffee table when Barry turned and used his super speed to chase him. Brady phased, making Barry race through him and fall face first on the couch. "Sorry, Flash," Brady taunted. "You whoosh, you lose—ah!"
He barely got the words out of his mouth, before seeing the lightning crackle through Barry's eyes and his future step-father leapt toward him. Brady closed his eyes, turning away.
Wham!
The force of the hit knocked Brady onto his butt. He looked up and found Barry sitting on the ground as well, having had been hit by the Brady's sudden use of powers, solidifying himself for the second time. Brady shook his head, clearing away the daze, and started to laugh, noticing the bright red bump in the middle of Barry's forehead that he tried to rub.
Barry recovered quicker than Brady anticipated, and the next thing he knew, he was being mercilessly tickled, fingertips digging into his ribs as he tried to hold onto his mom's phone. Brady laughed hysterically, tried to phone enough to phase away, but was laughing too hard to focus long enough.
"Mom! Mom, mom, help!" He cried, frantically kicked his legs, as if trying to rev them up to get away faster. Then he felt another set of hands tickling him, along with smelling the faint scent of smoke, and he laughed harder. "Help me, not him!"
But his protests were drowned out by their combined laughter.
He meant to talk to them about the change in his powers, about the way his eyes glowed when he got very emotional, about the feral side that came out when he was fighting hard enough.
But there weren't many days like this, and he wasn't going to ruin it.
A/N: So it's been a bit since we've seen the bus metas in action (so far we'd seen Kilgore and Ralph) but now we're really getting back into the next one with them and DeVoe again. And, of course, with the meta hit list. Everything I do, even the slowdown chapters, has something that pushes the plot forward a little bit and I'm wondering if you caught it here. :)
Hope you enjoyed!
Cheers,
-Riles
Review Replies
Ethan: Your guesses are actually really close. Just not quite there, completely, yet.
DarkHelm142: Despite Clark being from Smallville, I use a lot of different animated things (Tv shows/movies) to ensure that I get the characters' voices, mannerisms, and their motivations correct, so I'm glad it worked out here. It's not the last we've seen of the Big Three.
