Poppy felt a shiver down her spine, not of fear but stunned anxiety, stepping slowly, hearing Bruce's voice shout, "Poppy, ge-", before it stopped like a hand covered his mouth, but she ignored it as the loud footsteps came closer, the eyes getting closer.
She saw an impressionable, huge shadow, and spoke slowly yet quietly, "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you...Come out...It's just me, Poppy...Remember?... You couldn't want to hurt me, do you?".
Poppy held her breath for a moment as she watched the eyes thinking, and then ironically, maybe because they both watched the 1991 animated movie version of Beauty and the Beast, the shadow is acting like Beast in that tower scene when revealing himself to Belle, and she then saw a deep green scaled humanoid paw-foot, with blunt, sharp claws step into the nearest light next to her.
"Wally, are you okay?", Poppy asked. "I'm here... whatever's happened... I'm right here with you.", she said as she held her hand out. It was a few moments before she heard another growl which did cause her a bit of fear and apprehension before a clawed hand reached out to grab hers. Similar to the foot, except the claws were less blunt and much sharper.
Poppy exhaled as the clawed hand enveloped hers since it was much bigger than hers, yet the embrace of the clawed hand was gentle. She quirked a bit of a smile, "Warm and kind like you, Wally...", feeling his thumb caress her palm.
Strangely enough, the scales up close wasn't sharp, almost like velvet and scaly at the same time, and Poppy leaned in to kiss his wrist, hearing a deep exhale from the shadow, and Poppy smiled, looking up at the glowing golden eyes that is shimmering still with confusion yet surprise, "It's okay, come out...".
The shadow took a deep breath, and moved closer into the light, and Poppy widened her eyes as the attraction part of herself rose slowly, seeing the shadow's other foot join in, revealing their thick, gleaming of drying sweat, and wiry muscled legs, deep green scaled, taut of power.
She saw the familiar scars like those times where Waylon swam with long baggy shorts and a t-shirt, and her throat went dry as she saw the tight shorts that changed size within him, flexible and such, seeing faintly of a bulge she knew by occasional times of seeing within boys wearing tight swim shorts at the school pool yet this didn't even compare to those boys, or even Bruce at all, when he exercised sometimes, which she didn't note nor care as it was her brother, but right now, she is clearly taking note.
She saw the shadow move a bit more into the light, and she was stunned by the state of the abs, not too buff, but just right and attractive, seeing more of the familiar scars, the muscles sculpted like a swimmer, and glanced at the revealed arms that is similar to the legs, thick, gleaming, and wry muscled, still continuing its deep green shade, seeing scales on elbows that stood out like a fringe.
She trailed up to the neck that is strong and smooth, and as Poppy looked into the golden eyes, the face moved into the light, and Poppy saw that it's bald, with the ears almost shrunk down, giving away to sharp yet rounded cheeks, seeing glimmers of a trail of scales from the back of the forehead to down the back, like a crocodile as Poppy realized, as the nose and mouth is pronounced into a sort of muzzle, but not quite snout, showing teeth up and down, like a blunt set of sharp teeth.
She whispered, "Wally?", and he gave a growl of diminishing confusion and fear, yet he can smell the attraction and the apprehension of this female, this beautiful female, wanting to see her closer as he slowly dropped to his knees, and memories slowly come to him as he searched and sniffed the female, widening his golden eyes as Poppy's hand let go of his hand, and then joined her other hand, to cradle his cheeks.
"I'm here, Waylon Jones...Remember? You are the son of Caroline and Alfred, the big brother of Jane, friends of Martha, Kel, and Bruce, and the boyfriend of Penelope Kel Wayne...Remember our first kiss in the plane? Remember that you wanted to name a dream daughter Daphne, because of the day you saved me? Remember all those pranks you worked together with me to pay those bullies, sometimes Bruce, Caroline, and the others back? Remember that you love me? Yeah, that's right, you heard me, Wally...I have no doubts about it anymore...I love you, Waylon Jones, no matter what if you're human or a crocodile, tan or green, having hair or bald, and much more, remember?", Poppy spoke clearly as she smiled, caressing his cheeks, showing no fear or apprehension anymore, just love and acceptance.
There was another growl before he started to blink and then began to groan. "P-Poppy...", Waylon spoke, with very much deeper bass than even what he had before. "Yes... Wally, it's me!", Poppy smiled as she could almost see that, in his more reptilian eyes, his mind is slowly starting to reawaken.
The injured arm is no longer injured or bleeding or such, but rather back to normal function, with faded scar tissue that is barely visible until under good light and close vision, and of course, the newest scar is across his left eye yet making it strikingly remarkable.
Waylon spoke, "Poppy...You never left me...", and Poppy smiled, "Well, somebody gotta stick by you, lunkhead, and who else could be besides me? After all, people do crazy things...when they're in love...", looking at him with love and affection.
Waylon's eyes widened as he remembered her declaration/pleading speech, and he smiled as his heart skipped a beat, realizing that he would always take the pain for her if she was in his place, and for her to stay and listen to him, and she never shied away, encouraging him and all.
Waylon looked at her in the eyes, and spoke, "I love you too, Poppy. You are amazing...", and Poppy's smile brightens, and leans in to kiss him, to show him that she isn't disgusted by him.
He leans in, habitually moving his arm to brush his hand through Poppy's hair when his eyes caught into his new scales, and widens as he stares at the strength and width of it all, moving another hand to pinch it, and saw that the other arm was the same, and hissed slightly as he felt the painful pinch, and whispered, "I ain't dreaming...".
"No, and I don't care...It's still you, Waylon Jones...", Poppy declares, raising an eyebrow at him, and Waylon blinks before giving out a hearty chuckle, "No argument there...", smiling at her, taking a deep breath, and then kissed her on the forehead, hearing her giggle, as he then kissed her on the nose, his superior vision seeing every little messy, beautiful part of her face, and then went to move down to her lips, wondering if his sense of feeling would be more sensitive.
Then he heard a thud of a generator suddenly, rising up to full height, growling as he moved in front of Poppy protectively, his eyes turning animalistic yet his mind is awake as himself, shielding his eyes in surprise and pain when the dim lights became too bright, "Aah!", not expecting it as black dots appeared into his eyes, his instincts screaming at him to protect his female, not his yet-mate-to-be, just his female, as a familiar voice was heard, his father shouting, "Too bright, Leslie! Bring it down!".
"Sorry! Sorry!", Leslie's voice could be heard over the intercom. "Dear lord, Waylon... you... you broke the restraints...", with stunned astonishment in her voice.
"Can't really help it...", Waylon admitted. "Miss Wayne didn't become Kel that night you hit her with the gamma.", with a shrug. "So why did you?", Poppy asked as Waylon sighed, "I don't know...".
Waylon then glanced around, "Mirror, mirror, someone, please get me one... I... I have to see...". Part of his heart had sunk at the thought as he could clearly tell that his condition probably mixed with the gamma had mutated him much further than his condition probably ever would. He was practically no longer human in ways, but almost a full-fledged crocodile with humanoid traits.
Martha replied, "Good thing I got a makeup mirror.", taking out a moderately average makeup mirror from one of her jean pockets, in awe as she and the others came up to them. Kel replied, "Damn, Waylon, you're taller than me, maybe a half head taller...".
"Yeah... yeah...", Waylon grumbled. "Please... how do I look?", he asked as Martha walked up close to him before opening it and placing it in his outstretched hand.
"You don't look... terrifying.", Bruce said. "Then again, maybe it's because it's us and we were somewhat used to your looks even before now...".
Alfred nodded, "Indeed. You look rather tamer, since you don't have a tail, or a snout...I can't imagine you working to eat normally with literally 66 teeth, but you look like you still have your human style of mouth, having 32 teeth.", as Waylon raised the mirror to look.
Waylon finally saw himself face to face. Alfred said he didn't have a snout, but it certainly looked like his face was a bit more elongated around his nostrils and mouth. His teeth, while still having the full human set, had shifted into ones much more fitting of a crocodile, being greatly sharpened and probably would tear most flesh with ease. His eyes were no longer what they were, now yellow reptilian like. In short, a pretty close hybridization of a human and crocodile's head.
Poppy replied, "You don't look monstrous to me, Wally...", blushing as she then said, "More of a rough handsomeness...After all, you protected me just there earlier, and I don't care, as we were going to kiss...", fighting back the thought of being attracted more than she was earlier, though of course, part of her heart sunk at the unfortunate fact that Waylon isn't human again like he always wanted to be again after the genetic condition came, wanting him to be truly happy.
Waylon blushed as Bruce groaned dramatically, "TMI, Poppy! I don't need to hear my baby sister being lovey-mushy!", and Poppy raised an eyebrow, "Do you want to be pranked again in front of your friends?", unimpressed, and Bruce backed away slightly, "No, no!".
Kel laughed wryly, "It's rather cute, actually...You're sort of like Prince Adam aka Beast and Belle.", as Martha chuckled at the siblings' banter. Alfred replied, "Kel's right, though. If I am to compare right, you look like at least 7 ft and 6 ft tall.".
"Yeah, except there isn't a curse to break this in terms of my looks... this is just how I am now... unable to go anywhere now, unless I risk getting captured by some crazy scientists that want to experiment on me or be locked up by the police for terrorizing the people just because of my looks...", Waylon closed his eyes as he almost wanted to cry and smash the mirror in his hands. His brain wasn't even thinking at that moment if he was going to live even if his body didn't feel ill anymore.
Poppy saw him unconsciously collapsing to his knees on the ground, and saw tears falling on his cheeks, and she narrowed her eyes, gently yet firmly taking Waylon's face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
"Waylon Jones, you are our family, and family never leaves anyone behind. We'll protect you, especially me. You are going to make a life somehow, and we'll find a way.", Poppy declared, and Waylon whispered, "I don't deserve you...".
Poppy replied, "You deserve a life, you deserve me, you deserve a home and a family, and if you are blind to see that, then you must feel what I see in you. A compassionate, kind-hearted, amazing young man, in heart, soul, and mind. I love you, Wally...", before leaning in to resume the interrupted kiss, and before Waylon would stop her in fear of hurting her with his teeth or strength, he felt Poppy's soft, warm, and perfect lips, the sensation of love rushing through him as his upset emotions became forgotten, his arms and hands instinctively moving in to embrace her as she did the same, his heart slowing down from its frenzied anxiety mode, and changing into steady beats, which caused something else to happen to his body as he experienced peace and happiness.
While the two of them were distracted, the others could see that something was starting to happen to Waylon. The clearest sign that something was changing was his form was slowly starting to shrink, something that Alfred and Bruce could easily recognize from all the times they had seen Kel and Martha shifting between each other's forms.
Waylon's bald head is becoming lush with dark brown-ish black hair like how he used to have, and the dark green scaled skin is becoming sun-kissed tan, sort of a dark brown tone. The scars on the main body are still there, but the arm scars and the eye scar are vanishing away, almost like nobody would recognize him if Waylon and the crocodile form are apart away.
Alfred knew Waylon's eyes would return to their amber brown shade instead of their reptilian golden-yellow shade as they watched the steady-slowing appearing changes.
Martha almost teared up at the sight of how it seemed that Waylon was indeed getting his wish; odds were that he probably had a second form like her but more than likely, from the sounds of it, he didn't have a whole new persona as a part of him. Waylon continued to shrink down as more and more of his reptilian form reverted back to human.
Bruce himself figured that Waylon must be at least heading for the 6 ft height range, like himself and Alfred while a half a foot taller than Martha, and the claws disappeared, and the contortion of his slight muzzle changed back to human.
A few seconds later, the couple had to break off for fresh air, opening their eyes, and Poppy widened her eyes with a gasp and tears came to her eyes as she smiled, and Waylon asked in concern, "What's wrong, Poppy?".
Poppy whispered, "You're human again...", blushing as he looks quite attractive for an almost 17-year-old human boy, and bashfully averted her eyes as she realized she is almost chest to chest in her still growing height, and shyly let go of him as he widened his eyes to raise his hands to his face, even if part of her wanted to keep inside his embrace, to play with the strands of his hair.
"W...What?", Waylon whispered before he suddenly realized that his voice sounded more like it did before the procedure. He quickly looked down on himself to not scales but deep, rich ebony skin.
Little was left to the imagination with his simple pair of shorts that he had on, but he could practically see from his torso down to his toes... it was human, "Mirror! Get me the mirror again!", Waylon urgently asked in a desperate plea.
Martha gave back the makeup mirror to his hand, and Waylon took a deep breath, praying that he wasn't dreaming, and then raised it to look at his reflection.
Waylon then stared right at it for several moments with his eyes widened as he looked at his reflection. Not a single scale in sight, everything just looked completely human, completely normal...
Alfred asked in concern, "Son? You aren't dreaming at all; we are seeing you right now...You truly remind me of your mother in your cheeks, smile, nose, and the length/style of your hair...Caroline would be over the moon right now if she was here...Jane might be a bit confused, but she would be happy too...", with a little knot in his throat.
"It... it actually happened...", Waylon whispered as he started to tear up, "No more freak... just... normal...". He almost felt like jumping for joy at that moment, but he just restrained from doing that as Poppy gave a tighter hug around him.
Waylon was a bit surprised at first before he realized that he is more equal to Poppy, tears falling as he hugged her back, stunned that he can touch her without having to hold back his strength or watching his claws, smiling at the physical affection he could have again, feeling her heartbeat against her clothes, almost chest to chest before his eyes widened, becoming aware of the fact that Poppy got breasts, and he is almost nude.
He blushed wildly as he gently pulled back, stammering, "Sorry, sorry!", determined to set boundaries with his girlfriend...god, he got a girlfriend. Poppy raised an eyebrow but not going to argue against Waylon, "You will have to get used to the fact that we're an affectionate family...And besides, we all swim and exercise, like Mom and Mama in their meta-level workouts and Bruce in his martial arts, and me in gymnastics practice.".
"Yeah... but... come on, this is still really awkward. Especially since I'm almost an adult and you're barely a teenager... both physically and chronologically.", Waylon said as she chuckled.
"Give it a few more years then and we'll then have no issues...", Poppy said as Bruce cleared his throat, "Agreed. Just remember, Waylon...", with a strict, brotherly look.