Chapter Text
Wally hadn't been to the east coast in years.
Not since his parents divorced and his mom took him to Central City to live out the rest of his high school and college days.
Now he was here. A car stuffed with his suitcases and a letter from his uncle offering him a job at the marine biology center on the harbour he grew up on. At least he got to use his degree here…
He pulled up to the front of his uncle's house by the bay, and stepped out of his car. The last time he was here, his parents were finalizing their divorce. He saw it coming; the arguments were building and his dad was spending less and less time in the house. Honestly the place only made him feel sad for the life he had to leave behind for suburbia.
His father was a toss-up of feelings for him.
He shut the door of his car and sighed, heading towards the door of his uncle's bayside. He knocked in a simple pattern. Then again. And again. And as he reached for the door a third time– someone grabbed him from behind and put him in a chokehold. He would've gasped and tried to throw them off if he didn't recognize the voice that followed.
“Wally!” His cousin, Bart, had yelled as he noogied him and hopped down from where he had latched onto his body.
“Bart! Got the sneak on me again, huh?” Ever since they'd met, Bart had– for some godforsaken reason– made it his life goal to scare the shit out of him every time they met up. Bart laughed and gave him a proper hug, then led him around the back where the rest of the family was gathered.
“Aunt I! Barry!” He waved from the opposite side of the patio they were at and quickly yelped as his legs were attacked by his younger cousins, Don and Dawn (he had raised an eyebrow when they chose the names, but made no comments– not like he was having kids anytime soon).
“Wally!” They cheered and tugged him down for a proper hug, “Is it true!?” Don questioned.
“What?”
“That you're staying with us!” Dawn pressed her face into his like the hyper toddler she was.
“Dawn! Personal bubbles, remember?” Iris scolded lightly and stepped over, prying them off Wally.
She let them run off again and gave Wally a tight hug, “Though it's fair. We all missed you. We haven't seen you since Christmas!”
“Missed you too, I.” Wally patted her on the back and gave Barry a hug as well.
“Nice to see you, kid.” He insisted on calling him kid even though he was 24 now and done with college, “Come! I'll show you your room.”
Wally was led up a familiar set of steps; honestly he could've just found the room himself and unpacked, but he didn't. The place had changed a lot– not just the house– but the whole harbor felt different. Maybe it was the time that had passed, maybe it was the new sense of discovery and drive he had after graduation.
Or maybe it was the memories he'd pressed away.
“Here you go!” Barry creaked the door open to the room, “Iris dusted and cleaned in here so all you gotta do is move in.”
“Thanks Barry.” Wally stepped in past him and waited for Barry's footsteps to recede back through the house before he flopped on the bed and groaned loudly. He spent the past 48 hours in his car because he refused to take flights, and airports made him nervous, and god he wished he could've just ran from Kansas to here.
Wouldn't that be something?
I mean, superspeed– in theory– was such an interesting concept. Like, if it were real how would it work? What would it feel like? Would it burn? Would it tingle through his body like lightning? Oh! Or what if he had to draw it from a source of some kind, like a force, or-
Wally slowly drifted asleep on top of the blankets, dreaming of speed and physics.
CRASH
He sprung up and slammed to the floor as a loud noise woke him up, causing him to roll off the bed, “Ugh… The hell?” He slowly sat up and his ears focused on the noise downstairs, the sound all too familiar. He paled slightly at the sound of yelling and a small argument taking place as he slowly sat up and creeped towards the door.
“What the hell do you want from me!?”
“Maybe don't come home smelling like cheap beer and rotting fish every night!”
“Oh that's the problem!? My work– I put money on the god damn table for you and the shithead and you still have complaints!?”
“Dont call him that!”
Wally's breath hitched as he took another step– the sound of glass shattering echoing in the back of his mind.
No. No, that wasn't here. That wasn't this house, this house was Barry's and Aunt I's. Not his father's. He took another step, the voices getting louder as he grew closer.
“Sorry Iris!” Bart yelped as he picked up glass jar shards off the floor.
“Bart! Come on, I told you no more running in the kitchen while someone's cooking!” She scolded less lightly than before and sighed as she handed him a towel.
“Sorry…” he scooped and wiped up what was left on the ground and sighed as he threw it away, “...Think I could've eaten the bits that didn't hit the floor?”
“Kid, might wanna rethink that.” Barry chuckled into his drink and leaned forward on the kitchen bar.
Wally let out the breath he didn't know he was holding at the sight and sound of his family. It was just them there.
“Wow, I'm barely here for a few hours and you're already fumbling.” Wally smirked as he stepped into the room, “Is this how you wooed that boyfr-”
“Sh-shut up, Wally!” Bart rushed over to slap a hand over Wally's mouth, then immediately yanked it away as he felt the wet softness of Wally's tongue on his palm, “Ew! Gross, did you really just lick my hand, dude!?” He stuck his own tongue out in a ‘blegh’ gesture and wiped his hand on the front of Wally's shirt.
Wally laughed loudly, his chest feeling lighter than when he had woken up and passed through the kitchen, “Serves you right for trying to silence me.”
“Right, cause we all love to listen to ‘Captain Mouth’.” He jazz hands at the nickname.
“Are you ever gonna let that go?”
“Only when I die. Even then, my ghost will haunt your boat, Captain Moooouuuth~” Bart added an ‘oooo~’ at the end just to make sure his intention was clear.
“Die soon then.” Wally punched him lightly in the arm and grabbed a plate to serve himself whatever Iris was making. God, Iris's cooking was godsent. It always had the whole family up and ready to pounce on whatever dish she was making. They gathered around the table out back on the porch and got ready to eat dinner together. Bart was chattering away at some new thing he found, the twins were chewing on their food messily, Barry and Iris were trying– bless them– trying to follow Bart's speed speak, but it was hopeless. Wally chipped away as his food. Typically by now his plate would've been clean to the point he'd be scraping his fork and licking the plate for more, but… something was just– gnawing at him from the inside out. Chewing away at his heart and chest till he felt like if he reached up there'd be a hole there. One he couldn't fill with his aunt's food.
“Wally? You okay, kid?” Barry pat him lightly on the back, causing Wally to jolt in his seat before snapping his focus onto Barry.
“H-huh?” Wally's eyes scattered around the table, the only people not staring at him were the twins who were fidgeting in their seats and fighting for more food, “Oh. I guess I'm just… a bit tired from the drive here.”
“I hear ya. Sleeping in that tiny car can not be comfortable.” Bart replied with a spoonful of mashed potatoes. It wasn't untrue; Wally's tiny car was all he could afford during college, and he was lucky it fit all the things he needed to head out for the east coast.
“You wanna go back in and unpack before bed, Wally?” Iris placed a soft hand on his back.
“Yeah… I'm not really hungry…” Wally stood and handed his plate to Bart; who gladly took it and wolfed it down. He gave everyone a quick goodnight before heading towards the wrap around on the side of the house that pointed toward the sea and paused for a second once his family was out of view.
He stared out at the waterline; the tide high and the moon bright. He had seen this view so many times in his life, but seeing it tonight made him feel different. He felt like he was back where he belonged while at the same time he felt out of place. Like he was drowning in the sea. No matter what he felt, the sight was always breathtaking. The rail gave a quiet creak underneath him as he leaned forward and-
There. Out on the water. Something moved. It wasn't too big, but it was big enough to make a splash.
“The hell?” Wally leaned even closer and squinted to get a better look out at the rocks by the shore. He could barely make it out in the moonlight but he thought he could see something– something large– out on the water. He tried to lean farther, oddly drawn to it before the railing gave a loud groan and threatened to give. He leaned back and looked down at the railing before glancing at the water. He… he was probably just imagining things… The only things out there were fish and sharks. Though, there aren't any sharks this close to the shore and there weren't any fish that large near here…
Whatever. He needed to unpack and go to bed. Bart was probably right and he was just tired from the long drive. He walked through the rest of the walk around and back to his car out front. He snapped open the trunk and backseat and pulled out his bags. He dragged them through the front door and upstairs to his new room; tossing them down on the floor by the foot of his bed and slowly grabbing his clothes out to hang up.
Unpacking only took Wally around 30 minutes before he flopped onto bed and pulled out his phone, the empty feeling more faded now.
DING
Oh.
A message from one of his friends from his early years of middle school and early high school sent him a message
———
Garfield Logan 9:30 PM
Yooo dude
Heard from Roy and Linda you were back in town!
Is it true?
Wally West
Yeah
God dude, it's been what
7 years?
Garfield Logan
8!
How have you been, dude!
How's big city life treating you?
Wally West
Pretty good
City life isn't everything
Missed you guys
College sucked ass but you probably heard that from Roy
You?
Garfield Logan 9:31 PM
Haha yeah lol
Been better
Been Crashing on Vic's couch for the past week or so
Wally West
Shit dude
Sorry to hear
What happened to Rach?
Garfield Logan
Ah.
We had a bit of a fight a week ago…
Wally West
Can I ask?
Garfield Logan 9:32 PM
Yeah.
I kinda messed up…
We've been living in her apartment by the harbour and… I might have accepted a job out in the city hoping she might move in with me there.
Wally West
…
Dude
Garfield Logan
I know!
Shit move
I know I gotta apologize but the job could be really good for us!
Wally West
For both of you?
Or for just you?
Garfield Logan 9:40 PM
I don't know.
But anyway
Roy was talking about a bit of a high-school reunion
Bayside Bar?
Wally West
Who's going?
Garfield Logan
Me, Roy, Linda, Rach (hopefully?) Garth, Donna, Victor, and Kory
Wally West
Hell yeah!
When?
Garfield Logan
9:30 PM Friday night?
Wally West
That's right after I get off work!
Garfield Logan
Sweet!
I'll send you the address:
Bayside Bar - [Address Link]
Wally West
Can't wait to see you guys then!
———
Wally set his phone down to charge and slid out of bed to get ready for the night, heart full. He hadn't seen most of his high school buddies since he moved, and even then he'd only really kept in touch with Roy and Linda.
He was excited. The nerves from earlier in the day fading as he drifted off to sleep. Friday night. He'd see all his friends in person again. For the first time in eight years.
He couldn't wait.