( west is annoying, but not unreasonable from what damian has been able to gather on the boy thus far. he is grayson's teammate back on damian's earth, which speaks enough for itself there.
still. this isn't their west, their 'kid flash', so damian plans for his own contingencies even as he's sending wally the coordinates: about as far south on indigo valley as they can possibly get, bordering the water but far enough away from wayne manor that he isn't concerned over it.
it's where robin will be waiting, sitting on the hood of the batmobile he'd gotten from back home some time ago, two bags of wcdonalds on the hood while he stuffs fries into his mouth. )
[ Considering his luck so far, Wally didn't think he could be blamed for thinking this is a trap. After the accident in Barry's lab, no one reaching out to him had good intentions. At least, not from his perspective. They were chasing him, trying to drag him back to Fort Fox where they'd probably lock him up and throw away the key.
Or worse.
But he goes, because, well what does he have to lose here? Nothing really. His dad apparently didn't even know he'd left the dimension and that meant neither did the people looking for him. He just has to be prepared to run.
So he follows Damian's directions to the southern most point of Indigo Valley and spots the kid in a costume sitting on the hood of a car he doesn't recognize but can't help but admire. Wally isn't dressed for the occasion - jeans and a hoodie with the hood pulled up so he didn't feel so exposed. His approach is slow, steady, cautious and he stops with enough distance between him and the car that he can leg it out of here if he needed to. ]
( the car, he means. which, of course it is, damian himself had upgraded it back home when it had been just himself and grayson in the field. but he isn't bragging, nor is he going to go into the specifics of the batmobile itself just yet. no, this is just testing the waters. it's why he reaches back into the food bag, grabs onto another handful of fries to stuff them into his mouth, then grabs onto the other bag so he can offer it out towards wally. )
A burger. With as fast as your metabolism tends to run, I assumed you could use all the carbohydrates you could get.
( it's hinting at something, yes, but he's not going to outright say what he suspects wally is. not just yet. )
[ Damian isn't wrong. Wally is starving and that burger looks incredible. But he hesitates to reach for it. People aren't kind like this without expecting something in return, right? He eyes the bag for a moment then reaches for it and peeks inside. He's hit with the smell of fries and his stomach rumbles. Okay fine. He stuffs a few into his mouth. Then scarfs down the rest in a few handfuls. ]
So why did you ask me to come here?
[ It's definitely not for burgers. Speaking of, he sets the bag down and unwraps it to take a bite. ]
( the fries are not tampered with or contaminated in any way; he had considered putting a tracker in the bag somewhere, it's unlikely wally would have noticed before swallowing it, but given it's truly only useful if he is as fast as the wallace west is back home and if he is, it's likely he'd metabolize it long before damian needed to use it - well. there's no point.
so he pats the hood of the car next to him in a gesture for wally to join him. just to get his attention. )
I hadn't known the West back home all that well, but he had been close friends with my older brother. ( it's not untrue. ) And after seeing you in person, even if you are significantly younger, I can confirm you certainly are a version of the same boy.
[ The burger is nearly half gone in just a few bites. He doesn't understand why this kid named Robin is being so nice to him but part of him is grateful. The part that's forgotten and lonely and quiet. The part that misses his mom and hates that he's never in one place long enough to meet people he can actually talk to him. Who want to talk to him.
The rest of him doesn't think it's safe to trust this or anything about this, that he should just thank him for the burger and walk away. He doesn't take Damian's invitation, but he does move closer to the car, still confident he's got enough room to move if he needed to.
He listens as Damian speaks and can't help but feel a little jealous of this other Wally. ]
If you are unfamiliar with Robin, I doubt you would recognize him. It was his name first. Now, he answers to Nightwing.
( richard grayson is here, in etraya, being his usual self. it would be easy to give west his birth name, but damian doesn't trust the boy yet. they've only just met, after all, and he's young. but giving out this information won't hurt anything. west can find grayson on his own time, here. and damian? he's here for something else. he shoves another handful of fries into his mouth, visibly unbothered by the rejection. west is young, clearly less loud than damian remembers him being. it will take time to coax him out of his shell, and damian has been learning to be better about handling others. )
But I asked you to come here because he would not want to leave you on your own, and I know you're new here. We are close in age, I thought you could use a - companion.
[ Damian isn't wrong. He wouldn't know Richard Grayson from Nightwing or any other stranger in this strange place. He knows nothing about any of them, but Robin knew him before he'd even said hello. He doesn't know what to do with that. He'd spent his whole life being a nameless faceless nobody. He never stayed in a place long enough to matter to anyone. And now he's got a kid in a weird little mask telling him he needs a friend and he doesn't know what to do with that either. He takes the last few bites of his burger and crumples the wrapper up and puts it in the bag. ]
Sorry, but you or Nightwing don't know anything about me.
( this is why he dislikes people. dislikes socializing. the part of gaining others' trust that requires him to empathize with them a little, to communicate. because - yes, he does know how to an extent. he's learning. but damian doesn't like it, especially when someone's stupid enough to just say he knows nothing without knowing what he does know.
there's a roll of his eyes behind the domino mask, lips twitching into a small frown even if he does try to lessen how visible his irritation is. tries, being the key word there.
[ Wally doesn't need to see his eyes to know Damian's probably rolling them. He's irritated and so is Wally, even if it's small compared to Damian. His life's been upside down since he got to Colorado. Sometimes it feels like it's moving faster than he is, even with his incredible speed. He can't make it stop. He can barely make it slow down and this kid wants him to just accept his friendship? Just because he knows some alternate reality version of him.
He wants to leave. He really does. But there is one question that feels like it's consuming him. ]
What happened to Barry?
[ Distantly, Wally could still hear his screams. ]
( it's an odd question, but he supposes he can see where it comes from regardless. what happened implies something bad has recently happened to barry, which makes answering it - difficult. what has gone on with barry allen? a multitude of things. )
Barry Allen?
( it's giving something, at least. a last name. evidence that robin knows which barry wally is referring to, even if he's not quite certain of the incident that's happened. )
[ Damian's answer sort of implies that Barry is at least still alive. Is it strange to feel relieved? Because Wally kind of does. At least there's some version of him that's not a colossal fuck up. ]
Last I remember. Although he had been dead for a significant period of time.
( sometimes one dies then comes back, this has been well-established over the last. . . as long as robin can remember, especially given all the tales he's heard regarding his grandfather. )
Death is not always permanent. And what can look like a death may not have been a death at all.
[ Wally's gaze snaps to Damian, drawn in like a magnet. That...doesn't make sense. He saw Dr. Allen's body, dragged it behind him while he ran. There was nothing but bones left. He's still not quite sure what happened to him in Barry's lab. This could have been a set up. He wants to believe it's a setup. If only he hadn't seen the bones.
The words come tumbling out before he can stop them, think better of them. ]
But I killed him! He--There was nothing left.
[ He tells himself not to panic. That there's nothing to panic over. That he needs to focus on here and now. ]
( an unexpected answer, but not a surprising one. people here have come from all over, so timelines and events don't necessarily happen the same way they have for damian. he understands that. much better than this - very small version of wallace west does anyway. )
If there was nothing left, how are you so certain?
( west is distressed. damian can recognize that easily enough. his own bag of food is still half full with fries, so he grabs onto the paper on top and folds it over just enough that when he tosses it toward wally, it doesn't make a mess. )
It isn't difficult to trick someone into believing they are seeing something when they aren't. I and many others believed my father was dead, but the corpse left behind was only a very convincing fake.
[ He doesn't think the circumstances are the same. He could hear Barry screaming while he ran. When he looked behind him, he saw the skeleton following like a bleached white shadow. Wally shuts his eyes as if that would stop it. Or at least keep him from feeling he's coming apart at the seams.
Catching the bag is a welcome distraction and so are eating the rest of Damian's fries. He chews them slowly - slower than he ate his own. It gives him space to organize his thoughts. It gives him something to focus on instead of the memories of Barry dying in slow motion behind him. He remembers what his mother taught him: focus on what you can see and smell and hear. ]
It all happened so fast. We were connected and then. Nothing.
( it does make him more curious as to what happened to this wally's barry allen, but considering how much it seems to be stressing him out, damian isn't going to push him into talking about it any further. knowing the name should hopefully be enough to convince west that he is familiar with him. that he's on his side - until convinced to be otherwise anyway. )
Point being is that I do know you, to an extent. Allen isn't here, nor is the rest of your family. But some of my family and I are here. We can work together.
[ He's convinced. Sort of. More convinced than when he started. He's still wrapping his head around this whole multiverse thing, but it's a little easier to accept now that he's met someone who seems to know who he is. Does that mean this kid knows about Still Point? About what Wally can do?
( robin certainly looks annoyed just by the statement itself. but now that west has finished off his food - he pulls himself up to his feet, dusting off leggings while standing atop the batmobile. )
Want to race?
( he has the car. he also has legs. and while damian hasn't fully figured out what west's deal is yet - well. they have plenty of time right now. )
[ It doesn't feel like a lie. He is a nobody. A wanted nobody back home, but that didn't make him somebody famous outside of Fort Fox. Still Damian's insistence doesn't raise his hackles much.
In fact, yeah, he kind of does want to race. He's got energy to burn. ]
[ Part of Wally thinks its really safer if he just runs like a normal person. Even let Damian win so he can use it as proof that he's nobody special. But then Damian calls him lazy and honestly all bets are off now.
Plus, nobody from Fort Fox is here anyway. ]
You can use the car if you want. You can still have the head start.
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Anyway, if this is a trap, he's at least fast enough to get away. ]
Send me the coordinates.
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still. this isn't their west, their 'kid flash', so damian plans for his own contingencies even as he's sending wally the coordinates: about as far south on indigo valley as they can possibly get, bordering the water but far enough away from wayne manor that he isn't concerned over it.
it's where robin will be waiting, sitting on the hood of the batmobile he'd gotten from back home some time ago, two bags of wcdonalds on the hood while he stuffs fries into his mouth. )
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Or worse.
But he goes, because, well what does he have to lose here? Nothing really. His dad apparently didn't even know he'd left the dimension and that meant neither did the people looking for him. He just has to be prepared to run.
So he follows Damian's directions to the southern most point of Indigo Valley and spots the kid in a costume sitting on the hood of a car he doesn't recognize but can't help but admire. Wally isn't dressed for the occasion - jeans and a hoodie with the hood pulled up so he didn't feel so exposed. His approach is slow, steady, cautious and he stops with enough distance between him and the car that he can leg it out of here if he needed to. ]
Nice car.
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( the car, he means. which, of course it is, damian himself had upgraded it back home when it had been just himself and grayson in the field. but he isn't bragging, nor is he going to go into the specifics of the batmobile itself just yet. no, this is just testing the waters. it's why he reaches back into the food bag, grabs onto another handful of fries to stuff them into his mouth, then grabs onto the other bag so he can offer it out towards wally. )
A burger. With as fast as your metabolism tends to run, I assumed you could use all the carbohydrates you could get.
( it's hinting at something, yes, but he's not going to outright say what he suspects wally is. not just yet. )
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So why did you ask me to come here?
[ It's definitely not for burgers. Speaking of, he sets the bag down and unwraps it to take a bite. ]
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so he pats the hood of the car next to him in a gesture for wally to join him. just to get his attention. )
I hadn't known the West back home all that well, but he had been close friends with my older brother. ( it's not untrue. ) And after seeing you in person, even if you are significantly younger, I can confirm you certainly are a version of the same boy.
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The rest of him doesn't think it's safe to trust this or anything about this, that he should just thank him for the burger and walk away. He doesn't take Damian's invitation, but he does move closer to the car, still confident he's got enough room to move if he needed to.
He listens as Damian speaks and can't help but feel a little jealous of this other Wally. ]
Who's your brother?
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( richard grayson is here, in etraya, being his usual self. it would be easy to give west his birth name, but damian doesn't trust the boy yet. they've only just met, after all, and he's young. but giving out this information won't hurt anything. west can find grayson on his own time, here. and damian? he's here for something else. he shoves another handful of fries into his mouth, visibly unbothered by the rejection. west is young, clearly less loud than damian remembers him being. it will take time to coax him out of his shell, and damian has been learning to be better about handling others. )
But I asked you to come here because he would not want to leave you on your own, and I know you're new here. We are close in age, I thought you could use a - companion.
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Sorry, but you or Nightwing don't know anything about me.
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there's a roll of his eyes behind the domino mask, lips twitching into a small frown even if he does try to lessen how visible his irritation is. tries, being the key word there.
ugh. people. )
No? Ask me something.
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He wants to leave. He really does. But there is one question that feels like it's consuming him. ]
What happened to Barry?
[ Distantly, Wally could still hear his screams. ]
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Barry Allen?
( it's giving something, at least. a last name. evidence that robin knows which barry wally is referring to, even if he's not quite certain of the incident that's happened. )
A lot.
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[ Damian's answer sort of implies that Barry is at least still alive. Is it strange to feel relieved? Because Wally kind of does. At least there's some version of him that's not a colossal fuck up. ]
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( sometimes one dies then comes back, this has been well-established over the last. . . as long as robin can remember, especially given all the tales he's heard regarding his grandfather. )
Death is not always permanent. And what can look like a death may not have been a death at all.
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The words come tumbling out before he can stop them, think better of them. ]
But I killed him! He--There was nothing left.
[ He tells himself not to panic. That there's nothing to panic over. That he needs to focus on here and now. ]
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If there was nothing left, how are you so certain?
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[ Wally doesn't want to think about this and regrets asking anything about Barry at all. It's going to be on repeat in his head now. ]
Well, I'm just glad he's okay.
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It isn't difficult to trick someone into believing they are seeing something when they aren't. I and many others believed my father was dead, but the corpse left behind was only a very convincing fake.
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[ He doesn't think the circumstances are the same. He could hear Barry screaming while he ran. When he looked behind him, he saw the skeleton following like a bleached white shadow. Wally shuts his eyes as if that would stop it. Or at least keep him from feeling he's coming apart at the seams.
Catching the bag is a welcome distraction and so are eating the rest of Damian's fries. He chews them slowly - slower than he ate his own. It gives him space to organize his thoughts. It gives him something to focus on instead of the memories of Barry dying in slow motion behind him. He remembers what his mother taught him: focus on what you can see and smell and hear. ]
It all happened so fast. We were connected and then. Nothing.
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Point being is that I do know you, to an extent. Allen isn't here, nor is the rest of your family. But some of my family and I are here. We can work together.
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He shrugs a little at Damian's suggestion. ]
Work together how? I'm a nobody.
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( robin certainly looks annoyed just by the statement itself. but now that west has finished off his food - he pulls himself up to his feet, dusting off leggings while standing atop the batmobile. )
Want to race?
( he has the car. he also has legs. and while damian hasn't fully figured out what west's deal is yet - well. they have plenty of time right now. )
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In fact, yeah, he kind of does want to race. He's got energy to burn. ]
Sure. I'll give you a head start.
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( an important line to draw, isn't it? is west going to admit to what he might be, or are they going on foot? )
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Plus, nobody from Fort Fox is here anyway. ]
You can use the car if you want. You can still have the head start.
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