[Continued from WWW]

[wreakinghavok]

"The chef here's actually really cool. He comes out to say hi to the customers when he's not stupidly busy. He actually kind of reminds me a little of my brother. But I don't think he wants to cook the whole menu at once. Then again, on the flip side of that, I'm pretty sure as long as we pay for it all, they're pretty much cool with it." He pointed out an item on the menu with the happy sigh of someone very excited about food. "Buffalo chicken sandwich? It's literally freakin' perfect. I mean, if you like spicy stuff."

"I've known since I was really young... Because I was born this way... Not to sound all Lady Gaga, but you kind of get the point." He laughed a little, glad just for the ability to do that at all. He knew a lot of mutants who'd seen far more than he had and were dark, broken, and bitter because of it, but that had never been Alex. He tried his damnedest to keep a streak of happy-go-lucky to his nature, and most of the time, it worked.


[Continued from here.]

Comments

[wreakinghavok]

"I guess that rules out amusement parks as possible date locations," Alex teased. "You'd either get sick or get bored on the rollercoasters. And neither one of those is an appealing date night situation as far as I'm concerned. That's not really cool, though. I mean, if you feel like a guinea pig, and your personal feelings aren't being respected, then that's not really fair. You shouldn't feel like you're automatically required to be something that they experiment on... Especially not when it's kind of their fault that you're a metahuman in the first place. I think you may need a built in situation that makes it easier for you to go the bathroom, though. That's kind of important." He laughed and shook his head with a small smile. "I think you're better at it than you give yourself credit for... Just from what I hear about you."

"Very," Alex confessed. "I didn't know what was happening to me or how I could just... kill someone or hurt someone so easily. I was scared I'd hurt someone else I loved, or that it would end up killing me some way. You're right, though. It is scary. Very scary, and it's hard to accept when you're just figuring it out. But it's okay to talk it out, you know? I'll always be more than willing to talk to you and listen to you when you want to get things off your chest. And I certainly don't judge."

[lightninggavemeabs]

"I really don't want to tempt fate. In saying that, I love fairs and haven't been to one in ages. I remember how fun they were when I was a kid. Joe used to take Iris and me every year when it was in town right up to college days when I moved out and got my own place. I've got to give the guy kudos, he did try to give me the best childhood I could have, all things considered. I wasn't denied anything, I was just lost and a bit bratty when I was focused on not having my parents there." Barry shook his head. "It's okay, really. Honestly, a lot of what they're doing is in my own best interests. I'm far from a textbook case, there's no precedent. So they need to monitor everything for my own safety. What, like one of those backdoor openings they have in toddlers suits?" he asked with a laugh.

That was really comforting for Alex to confirm. Barry wasn't sure if it was just his insecurities at play. "You know the most mindblowing part? Going from being a no one to be a someone. People know what I do, but they don't know who I am. I like it that way. They don't need to know who I am to be saved, right? I like having that comfort zone of my boring life and my boring lab to come back to, and able to still be myself."

[wreakinghavok]

"Fairs are awesome!" Alex replied. "I mean, I've only been to one a couple of times, but I remember it clearly. All the junk food you could ever want, lots of fun rides and stuff to see. We should definitely go to a fair together sometime. I've always wanted to win one of those giant stuffed animals for somebody... Would it bother you if I took on that challenge in your honor?" he asked, his tone light and playful... two things he was really enjoying the chance to be. "Joe sounds like a really great guy. A special surrogate parent when your own parents couldn't be there with you. That's a really good thing to have, even though I know, just like anyone, you would've rather had your own parents. I'm glad you still had people who loved you. That's really important." Alex listened quietly, letting Barry explain, and gave a small shrug. "That's okay, then, but if it ever doesn't feel right to you, it's okay to say, 'Wait a second. I still have human feelings, and I'm not just an experiment.' You're still human. Just with extra powers. But yes. A butt flap. You need that in your life."

"I think that makes sense. The whole X-Men bit makes that kind of hard because everyone knows who we are at this point. Well... If not everyone, quite a few people. We get recognized. And the sad part is that people think that anytime a crime isn't stopped, or someone gets hurt, it's our fault, because we didn't act quickly enough. But we can't save everyone every time. It's nice to maintain a bit of your anonymity."

[lightninggavemeabs]

"Oh yes, the junk food. The biggest fail for a kid who got motion sick on fair rides. I would be having so much fun, though, that I wouldn't let Joe take us home and just seemed to bounce right back so I wouldn't miss out on the fun. He was always one of those fathers who stuck to their kids like glue if they were sick or scared. He sit with me in my room the nights I'd have nightmares about my mom, and he was always there when I woke up in the morning to open the curtains and show me the sun had come up, and it wasn't dark anymore. This was right after she was killed. It was a good few years before I really started to act like a normal kid and do normal kid things. And hey, go for it. I can snuggle with it in bed at night and overcome the empty bed syndrome," Barry laughed with a shake of his head. "The benefits of a butt flap. That could be a good title for an autobiography."

He nodded. "Yeah, I have heard stuff about you guys. Only recently, though. Before all this, I never really believed in superpowers beyond wishing they existed to get my dad out of jail. And I'm going to try my hardest to save as many as I can. So far, I have a track record of 100%. Out of all of two people I have defeated," he added, shooting Alex a sheepish smile. "The percentage statistics when you put it like that make me sound awesome. My ego is appreciating the boost."

[wreakinghavok]

"You seriously threw up and then got on the next ride?" Alex asked, a huge grin on his face. "Ballsy move. I've never really had a problem with motion sickness thankfully. And I can't say I blame you. As a kid, you can't let a little barfing get in the way of a good time. Sounds like even if he wasn't your dad biologically, he really was another dad to you. That's really special. That's what parenting's all about, I think. I mean, not that I've ever been a parent, but I get the concept at least. He sounds like a fantastic guy. And you guys are still close?" He puffed his chest out with feigned macho pride, and gave Barry a playful wink. "Don't you worry. I'll get you the biggest stuffed animal in the whole damn place! But then again, you could probably run and knock all the targets over, then do the shooting after, and they'd never notice you hadn't been standing there the whole time." Alex laughed out loud at that, almost shaking with his laughter. He couldn't help if there was still a part of him that was 6 years old and found butt humor hysterical. "Butt flap... As long as your butt doesn't flap on it's own, I think that's okay."

"Hey, better late than never," Alex replied. "As long as you're using your powers for good things, that's what really matters. I'm kinda glad you have them for other reasons, too... Because it means I don't have to try to hide who I really am with you. In fact, I can even talk to you about the good and bad parts of what having a superpower is like. But that's awesome, babe." He grinned and gave Barry two thumbs up. "One hundred percent is a pretty phenomenal record you've got going there."

[lightninggavemeabs]

Their drinks arrived, and Barry took a sip from his, and then laughed, shaking his head. "Not straight up. There was about a ten minute breather of Joe standing next to me rubbing my back while I was hunched over a trash can arguing with him that I was fine. Joe's epic on the Dad Glares though. I was a pain in the ass for him when I was a kid. I kept trying to run away to see my dad. He would always come looking for me. Find me and bring me home again. He never got angry when I did it either. It's all those little things you remember, you know? He really is a great guy, and I guys in all honest truth, I do have two fathers. Though, it's been a long time since they spoke. It's funny you should ask that because I had this sort of falling out with Joe once all this fastest dude alive stuff started happening. He was understandably skeptical, but he believes me now. Believes me and wants to help get my dad out of prison. For some reason, I'm thinking my superhero cool points would completely drop if I asked Cisco to put a buttflap in my suit. Plus, Cisco being Cisco, it would come with a running commentary of amused mocking about why I need it there..."

He was picking at the label on his beer, considering Alex's point. "I don't think I've got it in me to hurt people just for the sake of it. Even if I accidentally hurt someone, I've got the worst guilt complex known to man. So, what is it you guys actually do? Something along the lines of rescuing people like you, right? Cisco could probably give me an intricate and detail rundown, but I'd rather hear it from you." Then Alex called him 'babe', and Barry caught his lip between his teeth, managing to catching himself before a bashful smile or laugh escaped by putting his beer back to his lips. No one had ever called him babe before.