Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Good job, Kid," Barry called as he gladly dropped Wally off at his house, the yellow suit still glued to his sweaty body. Being a speedster doesn't exactly mean you don't sweat when you run, you know.

"A good job feels like three broken ribs," Wally groaned, collapsing onto his bed, face buried in his pillow. "I should also be promoted from Kid." Wally winced, prying the yellow suit off of him to see the extent of his wounds. "Maybe it's time I change my name," Wally thought aloud, examining the suit in his hands.

"I'm sure the speed healing would kick in soon," Barry assured as he examined his shoulder in Wally's bedroom mirror. "Look, my shoulder's already healed! Just give it a minute," Barry assured him. "As for your name? Maybe it's time you become the Flash?" Barry offered as Wally turned his head so fast he almost forgot his broken ribs.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, I mean, you're 22 now, and Iris is pregnant. I want some time to raise my kids, you know?" Barry offered. Of course, it goes without saying that one day Barry will be back as the Flash, but maybe with time, Wally could grow into his own mantle in time for Barry's return.

"I'm just giving you a chance," Barry emphasised. "I heard Bruce gave Dick a chance to be Batman. So, I thought; if that guy can let go for once, I sure as hell can too." Barry laughed, and Wally cheered with him, hugging him in excitement. Completely forgetting his broken ribs, again.

"Get some sleep, okay? Night, Kid," Barry bid, leaving Wally's apartment after raiding Wally's fridge for a small snack to get him to Central City.

As much as Wally trusts his uncle, he would much rather find his own remedy. Nothing heals three broken ribs faster than a bit of encouragement from his hot girlfriend, Wally thought as he zoomed out of his room.

In an apartment in Bludhaven, a girl with pink hair flowing over her pale skin, down to her shoulder blades, was chopping a few baby carrots into little minces. A small smile on her lips as she danced around her small kitchen, humming to the tune playing on her stereo. She swayed her hips and muttered a few of the lyrics, drowning out her neighbours' screaming, the screaming cats in the alley below her apartment, and the police sirens blaring in the distance.

Jinx paused as she took in a quick whiff of the area. Aside from her cooking, there was a faint scent of roses. Turning around, she was suddenly dipped into a deep kiss. The familiar shades of red and yellow caught her sight as she relaxed and tucked her fingers into his hair, enjoying the kiss as if it were their last.

Wally pulled away as he held her close, his forehead against hers.

"I missed you," he whispered, his head sliding down to the nook of her neck, light kisses ever so often. Jinx chuckled at her boyfriend's little habits as she turned off the stove behind her. With a small tug of his shirt, Wally instantly picked up his girlfriend and brought her to the couch. Wally kept Jinx in his arms as he lay comfortably on her. His pain fading as he listened to the steady beating of her heart.

"I'm guessing work was rough?" Jinx asked, playing with a few long strands of Wally's hair as she changed her music and turned on her television but kept it on mute.

"I broke a few ribs," Wally muttered, his eyes still closed, rubbing his head deeper into Jinx's chest. Jinx chuckled at her boyfriend's clingy behaviour and misfortune, teasing him ever so slightly as she carefully examined his face. "I think I also just got promoted," Wally hummed, proudly bragging to his girlfriend.

"Oh, really? You'll go all red?" Jinx questioned, her mind wandering. Her top priority at the moment was to count the freckles on Wally's face while he still had his eyes closed.

Wally nodded his head enthusiastically, causing Jinx to chuckle. He was so childish. Imagining such a man as The Flash was almost incomprehensible.

"Good. Red suits you," Jinx hummed, brushing her fingers against his hair as she began to evaluate their relationship as she always did. Their relationship hasn't exactly been smooth sailing all these years. For a brief period of time, they were broken up and got back together again on several occasions. Things only finally took a solid turn when Wally revealed his identity to her.

It's been a while since Wally revealed his identity to her. Although Jinx considers herself a retired villain, she still thinks it was a stupid idea for him to do that. Jinx was happy calling him by nicknames and only seeing him in uniform, but Wally wasn't like that. He even had a whole speech prepared. He spoke about how he trusts her with everything, how he will never keep any secrets from her, and how he would do it a million times over no matter what happens in the future. It was a hundred times sappy, but like everything Wally does, it stuck with Jinx.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Jinx chuckled randomly, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"I know that, but what did I do?" Wally nervously asked, as he shot her with his cutest expression, hoping to soften the blow of whatever stupid thing he did.

Seeing the fear in his blue eyes only made Jinx burst into laughter.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Jinx assured, kissing the top of his head. Of course, this wasn't enough to settle Wally's rapidly beating heart, which only made Jinx laugh more and more. Now, Wally was conflicted on whether he should be in absolute awe of his girlfriend or fearful for his well-being.

Jinx's eyes lit up for a second as she recalled something. She rummaged through a few documents on the coffee table and proudly presented Wally with an envelope.

"No!" Wally gasped as he enthusiastically held it in his hands, his eyes lighting up as he happily opened it with Jinx. Their faces smoothed together as Wally slowly pulled the paper out. "It's-" Wally choked, absolutely touched by its contents. "It's beautiful!" He cheered, lifting Jinx off the ground and spinning her around the small and shabby apartment.

"Alana Mallory…" Wally whispered, softly letting Jinx/Alana down from his grip. "That's certainly a beautiful name for my beautiful girl." Wally sighed, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ears.

"Alright, that's enough, lover boy," Jinx teased, pinching his nose affectionately.

"Oh, disgusting!" A white-haired girl gagged humorously as she dropped her keys into a bowl next to the door.

"Hey, Rose," Wally and Alana greeted the girl simultaneously.

"If you're going to be all romantic, can you do it somewhere else? I just came back from Jason's place," Rose groaned, cracking her back as she dragged her feet toward the bedroom.

Taking in Rose's advice, Wally quickly thought of the perfect idea. Scooping Alana's feet, he quickly ran off with her outside

of the city, where he had set up a bunch of romantic stuff on a rooftop greenhouse, surrounding themselves with candlelight, soothing music, hot meals, and flowers.

Alana stood with an exasperated expression as she glared at her boyfriend. As lovely as this gesture was, there was one major oversight.

"Wally… what am I wearing?" Wally glanced at his girlfriend, scanning her from head to toe. "A tank top and short shorts?" Wally innocently answered, not a hint of guilt or realisation in his voice as he tried to process what he had done. Feeling the cold breeze on the rooftop only ticked Alana off more as she grabbed Wally's shirt in a fit of rage. Before she could say anything else, an unexpected quake alerted both of them. Alana and Wally widened their eyes, fully aware of what would happen soon enough.

"Get my clothes… quickly!" Alana demanded as she kept her eyes peeled into the city. Catching a glimpse of a billboard in the distance, Wally brought her to New York.

"Here you go," Wally offered her clothes as he gave her a quick peck and ran off to help people who were in need. Alana sighed as she changed and discarded her tank top and shorts. They were worn out anyway.

Alana examined herself carefully. Of course, Wally would grab his biggest and baggiest hoodie, a pair of ripped jeans, thick-framed glasses, and sneakers for her to wear. Going down the stairs, the second earthquake struck as people began to panic. With an apathetic expression, Alana began to help guide the discarded people out of the way. The people that were normal and able pushed everyone aside without discrimination, in exchange for their safety. Such as people in wheelchairs, using crutches, old people, and those who were so selfless they had become selfish and yelled at other people to save their loved ones.

Among the chaos, only a single thought was in her mind. How the hell is everyone becoming heroes when people like this exist?

With a wave of her hand, the wreckage falling down on everyone crumbled into tiny pieces. Alana continued like this until every single person was out and safe from any further danger. Once the heroes finally came in, she took her leave and helped out in other areas, always under the radar and never drawing attention to herself.

"Jinx?" a rather unfamiliar voice called out as she shrunk deeper into the hoodie. Wally lied; the glasses didn't make her unrecognisable. Granted, her hair and eyes were abnormal, but Wally assured her that it would work. Jinx quickly manoeuvres around the panicked crowd, assuring herself that they'd forget about her soon enough, that they'd get distracted by something else and forget about her. It's not like she was doing anything wrong.

"Jinx!" they called out louder, but Alana just ducked into an alleyway. Which is probably the worst choice she could have made.

"Alana Mallory," Batman greeted Jinx as she raised her hands in surrender. Of course, she can't beat Batman. Not a lot of people can beat Batman! Only crazy people have a chance against Batman.

"Who's Alana Mallory?" Robin, dressed in black and blue, asked. Finally catching up to the two, as well as a brunette boy that oddly looked like Wally, at least his costume did.

"I am. I just got it changed this morning," Jinx groans, not even that surprised that the most invasive superhero has been keeping watch of her.

"Is that Wally's hoodie?" the brunette questioned, getting completely sidetracked.

"They got back together," Robin informed generally.

"Robin, can you shut up?!" Alana scolded through gritted teeth.

"It's Nightwing now; you should know that."

Alana held her face as she reminded the two of the task at hand.

"You're not in trouble," Batman assured as he opened a communicator to show Alana the current situation. "Brainiac is attacking Metropolis with Lex Luthor. He has multiple devices placed all over the world set to blow. We have a few people capable of disarming them, but we need more people."

Alana frowned her brows as she looked at the three heroes in confusion. Were they seriously asking for help from her?

"I know you refused to take one a few years ago, but can you just take it this once? You can give it back later," Nightwing offered as he handed Alana that annoying yellow communicator with the black 'T' in the middle. She hasn't seen one of those in years.

"Just for today!" Alana sternly told. Nightwing grinned annoyingly at Alana as they got her into the Batwing to their first location.

Paris.

Chapter Text

Jinx stepped out of the bathroom in a slick black suit with pink accents and purple hems and patches. A gift from Nightwing, who insisted she change out of her civilian clothes.

"So you just happen to have an extra suit that fits me, and have my exact colors?" Jinx questioned, strapping into the seat next to Nightwing, a look on her face as if saying 'creep.'

"It's not me! Kid's been designing this suit for you for months! I just happen to know someone who can make it for him," Nightwing assured, still wearing a goofy grin on his face.

Jinx sighed. Of course, Wally would. He's definitely got some explaining to do. She's never said she wanted to be a hero. Besides, she's tried the hero thing before. It didn't end well last time.

"You two are so crash!" the brunette teased, sticking his head back from the middle seat.

"Who are you?" Jinx scowled, not too happy with a random kid commenting on her relationship, even if it was positive.

"Name's Impulse, superhero from the future," he boldly introduced himself.

"And you, why are you grinning like that?" Jinx closed, pushing Nightwing's face as far away as possible.

Nightwing chuckled as he shook his head. He couldn't help it. He'd been listening to Wally gush over Jinx for years. In fact, Nightwing even had a ring on hand, in case his best friend decided to propose on the spot.

"Wally talks about you, like a lot," Nightwing pointed out. Jinx blushed profusely at his confession. Is this what Rose meant when she said brothers suck? Is this what it feels like to have an annoying brother badgering you about your date?

"Shut up!" Jinx hissed, flicking Nightwing's forehead.

The three of them exchanged banter throughout the entire flight. Nightwing took the risk and annoyed Jinx throughout. Surprisingly, Batman was quiet throughout the flight, allowing them to be children despite two of them being in their twenties.

"We're here," Batman announced, opening the hatch of the Batwing, allowing everyone to step off right in front of the Eiffel Tower.

"Isn't it a bit on the nose to put the device here?" Jinx pointed out, releasing a pulse of bad luck when a few bots attacked them.

"Well, it's quite crowded here on a normal day. So it makes sense if he wants to do the most damage he would put it here," Impulse argued back, quickly knocking back bots as well.

"Jinx, get working on the device, and we'll cover you," Nightwing directed as he smashed a few bots with his batons. Jinx sighed, not quite used to being ordered around. While she was with the Hive, she was the one ordering people around. Although she was prepared to take orders from Madame Rouge. It was only because she looked up to them and respected them. Nightwing? Not so much. Especially after the chat they had on the plane.

Rushing toward the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, Jinx evaded and destroyed several respawning bots and drones attacking her. A bot had managed to make its way to Jinx, knocking her back as a large swarm began to pile on her. Each bot nibbled on her, leaving small cuts and scrapes on her. She was about to let out a burst of bad luck when Impulse ran in and knocked each one away from her desperately.

"Are you okay?" he nervously asked.

"I'm fine! Just watch my back," Jinx groaned, rather ticked off that she was this sloppy. Back when she was with the Hive, she wouldn't have even a scratch on her.

Scanning the area, she caught a glimpse of a small hemisphere sticking out of the ground. Quickly deducing that it was the device, she aimed for it and instantly caused it to malfunction. Jinx smiled with joy as she watched the chain reaction of explosions. However, that smile immediately faltered as she saw a leg of the Eiffel Tower breaking, making everything fall over. Many people screamed as they watched their beloved monument buckle down. Jinx made a run for it.

Jinx was far too slow to evade it, but that didn't stop her from trying. The entire thing slowly descended upon her so quickly. The broken-down bots and drones blocking her path. She thought she could break whatever comes her way, but the tower was too big, and she was too out of practice. Her heart was beating rapidly as she turned to the superhero team that was with her. Batman was preoccupied evacuating Parisians, Nightwing and Impulse were surrounded by leftover bots and drones. She was alone. Who was she kidding? How could she blindly depend on heroes?!? Moments like these, she missed Mammoth, Gizmo, See-more, or anyone from the Hive who could easily help her out in this situation.

Jinx braced for impact as she ducked down. A gust of wind blew against her as she found herself in the arms of a speedster. Upon closer inspection, she was relieved to find that it was her speedster.

"Hey, beautiful," Wally smiled, kissing her as they ran around the Eiffel Tower. Wonder Girl caught and propped the tower back up at the last minute, and another super fixed the broken leg.

Wally gently put Jinx down as he took in her full look. His gloved hand brushed the stream of blood coming from her cut away, like a tear. Although he wasn't too happy with his girlfriend's injury, he knew better than to fuss over her. She was a strong girl. Fussing over her would just lead to no kisses for a week.

"I see you found my present," he deflected, hoping Jinx wouldn't mind that he took the risk and got her a super suit. Jinx, still rather in a state of shock, shook her head and smiled at him playfully. An explosion in the distance ruined the moment as the two broke off eye contact. Jinx sighed as she understood and kissed his cheek.

"Go save the world," Jinx assured, slipping her hand out of his.

"You too," Wally smiled, so very excited to fight by his girlfriend's side. Wally quickly pulled Jinx into another kiss before he ran off to help whoever got caught in the explosion radius.

The two split ways. Jinx got back on the Batwing as she accompanied Batman to the next location. This pattern went on for a few more locations until the team got an all-clear call from the others. Every device had been destroyed or deactivated.

Prematurely, a couple of people began to celebrate this development. However, a sinking feeling in Jinx's stomach told her otherwise.

"It's not over," Wally called from the radio. His face couldn't be broadcasted through the communicator, but his voice alone was enough to comfort Alana.

"Kid and I just found out. Lex has another device," Flash informed as the two went radio silent for a moment. "The device is on him," Flash added as static rang through the communicators.

Jinx knitted her brows. She didn't understand. Why couldn't a bunch of heroes stop a bald, non-powered human?

"Lex is fused with Brainiac. The material of his skin makes him almost im

penetrable. If the device is on him, that means the device is impenetrable. Superman can't go near him because he's constantly emitting kryptonite energy," Nightwing informed Jinx as he stood next to her. He too had the same sinking feeling.

"Kid and I are going to try and stop him, but if we can't, we'll try to at least buy some time," Flash informed as he went radio silent.

"We're in Metropolis," Wally signed off before going radio silent as well.

Impulse ran next to the two of them as he broadcasted a live footage of Lex Luthor in Metropolis.

"What's his plan anyway?" Jinx finally questioned. Frustrated with this annoying feeling in her gut.

"The devices will continuously release a large sonic blast into the world until it unsettles the equilibrium, which will bring about large natural disasters, until finally, the world will collapse in on itself. Lex and Brainiac are both going to convert Earth into a power source that will help maximise their brain power so they can achieve further than twelve-level intellect and figure out the anti-life equation," Impulse narrated when a blur of yellow and red zoomed past the screen every so often, occasionally pushing Lex aside. However, aside from a small side step, Lex was hardly affected.

Everyone eagerly watched the broadcast as the timer on Lex's back began to countdown. Twenty minutes. No hero could possibly reach them in time. So it was up to the two speedsters to save the world.

Lex laughed at their attempts as he easily caught Barry's face at super speed and slammed his head into the ground multiple times. Wally ran around the world to knock him back just enough to get him off his uncle. However, that wasn't enough, so he ran around the world again. Barry's blonde hair peaked out of his mask as Lex constantly bashed his head into the pavement. Blood and the sound of breaking bones only made Lex more excited as he began to question Barry's speed healing.

Lex took the opportunity to snap Barry's leg. Barry cried out, a bloody bone sticking out of his leg. Lex chuckled as he questioned whether Barry's speed healing would regrow his bone. Wally finally came back, and this time, he managed to knock Lex back a bit further. Lex was surprised by this, but it still didn't affect his armour. So he thought nothing more of it. He was enjoying the struggle Wally was facing. To see his mentor die by Lex's hand while he couldn't do anything but run. It seemed so sweet to him.

Barry groaned in Lex's grip as he tried to vibrate his way out of it, but Lex only threw Barry across the street, completely knocking him out. Before Lex could take another step toward Barry to continue his torture, Wally had returned again. This time, he had managed to make Lex buckle down from the force. He was getting faster, by the second. Fifteen minutes.

Lex watched the horizon as Wally came running in faster, and faster each time. Lex spewed a few words of discouragement. However, this only made Wally run faster. This time, Wally wasn't just a yellow streak. He was protruding electricity with each step, which not only boosted his speed but helped him penetrate Lex's Brainiac armour. Twelve minutes.

Jinx turned to Nightwing. Her eyes begged him to tell her this was normal. That he'd seen someone pull the same crap and live to tell the tale. However, Nightwing looked just as broken as she did, and he also knew this wasn't going to end well.

"Five minutes," Impulse announced as the timer on Lex's back continued to count down, and Wally's call fell silent. The yellow blur was now nowhere to be seen, nothing but yellow static took its place. Faster and faster each time. Lex could hardly keep up with the speed, his armour unable to regenerate itself at the rate it was being destroyed. Piece by piece, his armour broke off, and with each new hit, the more injured Lex seemed to be.

Two minutes.

Wally had never run this fast before. The soles of his feet barely touched the surface, and he felt like he was flying. The colors around him went by so fast they were nothing but streams of light to him. The only thing that was clear to him was Lex's figure ahead of him. Like a big dummy ready for him to hit each time.

His entire body felt tingly as he ran faster each time he punched Lex in his bald face. Static electricity consuming his body. Even looking at his own hand was difficult. It was as if each part of his body, one by one, was vibrating in different frequencies, sometimes he felt like he couldn't even feel his own feet. However, that's not important. He needed to stop Lex before time runs out. Barry was out of commission, and no super could get to them in time to stop the bomb. Regretfully, not even his girlfriend could stop Lex if she was here.

His girlfriend. Jinx, Alana… She's definitely not gonna like this. Wally thought, punching Lex again, this time he could see his bare chest. Only two more hits. Wally evaluated, running even faster. Has Barry even run this fast before? Wally thought, a smirk on his lips. Nah, Barry's never had electricity running through his veins. This is completely new territory. One mostly brought out through desperation.

He can't even feel the wind in his face anymore.

With the built-up momentum, Wally knocked Lex into downtown Metropolis and stood over his body, constantly punching him with everything he got. Lex is begging under his feet, but Wally can't hear him. Lex laid there butt naked as he watched all of his work go to waste.

Wally took in a few breaths of relief, but it was like the wind was caught in his throat, like he couldn't breathe. Like he didn't need to breathe. He looked down at his hands; they were almost translucent. His body won't stop vibrating. Turning to the side, he watched his fractured reflection in the display window. His eyes were even white and glowing, electricity still circling his body.

Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter managed to reach Wally's location. Flash was in Hawkgirl's arm, supporting him, slowly healing from the beating Lex gave him.

Barry tried to reach Wally, but when he saw the state his nephew was in, he didn't know what to do. Wally opened his lips to say something, but no words came out. It was absolute silence. The panic finally settled in, Wally's white eyes were filled with worry. Without listening to his uncle's calls, Wally ran. He ran as fast as he could toward Jinx. His leg occasionally phased into the earth with every few steps, slowing him down.

Finally, he found her. He wasn't too sure where; everything was like a string of colors again. Just like when he was fighting Lex. All he could see was Jinx.

Jinx turned toward the horizon, fear in her eyes. In a blink of an eye, Wally stood before her. Jinx slowly reached out to touch him, but her hand went straight through. Jinx's heart skipped a beat, her mind blank. She was unable to register what was happening.

"Wally?" Jinx called, before she could even look up at his face. He was gone.

Chapter Text

Jinx froze, her pink eyes locked on the morning sky. There was no trace of those familiar blue eyes or the shock of Wally's vibrant red hair. She turned to Nightwing and Impulse, her heart pounding in her chest. Both of them wore expressions of sheer terror. What was with that look? Did they see Wally too? But that still didn't explain the terror etched on their faces. Wally couldn't just be gone. Could he? There wasn't a footprint, a drop of blood, or any sign of a body to indicate he was ever there. This couldn't be real, could it? Jinx's mind raced with disbelief.

Brushing a strand of her pink hair back, Jinx began to think. "Where's Wally?" she demanded, her voice edged with desperation as she stormed towards Nightwing, the other heroes standing at the ready. Her hands twitched ever so slightly with pent-up magic. Nightwing gaped at Jinx, struggling to find words to console her. Wally had vanished right before their eyes. It was hard to tell whether he had died or simply disappeared, but one thing was for sure—he was gone.

"I-I don't..." Nightwing stuttered, but a loud rumble from the sky cut him off. Jinx let out a frustrated huff, snapping her fingers. Birds above them crashed into each other, falling from the sky like forsaken stars. She clicked her tongue, and a nearby tree gave in to her anger, tumbling over.

"Bullshit!" she screamed, her powers causing the ground beneath her to crack.

"Jinx!" Impulse yelled as he rushed up to her, gripping her arm tightly. "We don't know what happened. Let's... let's just wait a minute, okay?" He pleaded with her, his green eyes mirroring the uncertainty in her own. Jinx looked down at the young speedster. He really did resemble a brunette Wally. Taking a deep breath, Jinx reluctantly agreed, though she knew deep down she wouldn't like whatever answer they would come up with.

In silence, they all climbed back into Batman's jet, attempting to locate Wally's last known location. It was challenging, given that Wally's communicator had broken just moments ago, leaving his last known location as Metropolis. That was clearly inaccurate, as all of them had seen him standing right in front of Jinx only minutes ago.

Jinx frowned, her brows knitting together, as a bolt of lightning struck the base of a tree. The massive trunk collapsed, nearly colliding with the bat-jet as Batman skillfully evaded the plummeting branches and leaves. He turned to Jinx, but she refused to acknowledge him, waving him off with half-hearted indifference. Her emotions were her own to grapple with, regardless of whether they were an inconvenience to others. Yet, blowing up now would be a colossal mistake, especially with the heroes who surrounded her—”good” men and women who didn't trust her in the slightest.

Jinx seethed with frustration, but she knew better than to explode in front of these heroes who regarded her with suspicion. It was honestly funny to think. If she were to blow up, who would stop her first? Nightwing, Wally's best friend, who should be just as hurt as she was? Or maybe Batman? It wasn't exactly a secret that the Bat ran on grief and repressed trauma, anyone with a brain could see it. Would he understand, or would his crusade for justice end up stopping her and throwing her into an asylum with all his other winnings? Maybe Impulse. He would certainly be fast enough, though he seemed a bit too young and inexperienced to actually stop her.

Amidst her thoughts, Jinx barely noticed Impulse extending his hand to her, offering a bit of comfort in her confused state. Jinx flinched away from his touch, a look of anger and disgust clear on her face. She didn't need comfort, she convinced herself. She needed answers.

Batman had brought them all back to the Watchtower to have a proper debriefing. Jinx rejected the door, but Nightwing was quick to defend her, insisting that she was trustworthy and deserved to know what actually happened to Wally. Everyone in the Justice League was hesitant to comply, but Batman also vouched for her, leaving everyone little to no other choice. Sitting in the corner, Jinx listened as The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter gave their distinct descriptions of the situation.

Dire situation. Last resort. Noble sacrifice. Too much power. All the bullshit that comes with being a hero. For fuck’s sake, Wally has graduated from university, he has an adult job for over 3 years now. He owns his own apartment, he helps his parents pay for the bills, and he’s saved over millions of lives before any of this. And they still call him “Kid Flash.” Where’s the respect in that? Noble sacrifice? Is he dead? His body vanished! In a blink of an eye, his body vanished! He didn’t just turn to dust. He disappeared!

“He’s not dead!” Jinx screamed, the lights began to flicker as the entire Watchtower shook and lost power, tilting ever so slightly towards Earth.

“Mallory!” Nightwing scolded, grabbing the girl by her shoulders and shaking her out of her own thoughts. Jinx looked up at the Boy Wonder, his face a soft reminder of her childhood. Her time with HIVE, how she first met Wally, and simpler times. None of this world-ending nonsense. It used to just be petty theft and beating the superheroes back then. Looking past Nightwing’s shoulders, Jinx spotted Wonder Woman grabbing her lasso, Superman in his super stance, Batman gripping his belt, and everyone ready to pounce on her at any given moment. Truly heroic. Jinx scoffed in her mind as she pushed Nightwing away and angrily left the meeting room.

Blinded by rage and denial, Jinx marched around the Watchtower looking for any kind of informational data hub. Anything that can provide her with actual information to figure out what happened to Wally. Maybe he overloaded and ran so fast no one could see which way he went, or maybe he was vibrating so fast light couldn’t reflect off of him properly, or maybe he’s in some sort of limbo super speed space, from all of Wally’s recollection of his adventure there are certainly weirder explanations. Jesus Christ! Wally even told her that a bunch of ninjas in the Tibetan mountains have a pool that can bring back the dead! Any, anything at all could have happened to Wally! But death can never be one of them! He wouldn’t just- he wouldn’t just die like that! He’s not that easy to kill! He can’t be that easy to kill!

"JINX!" Nightwing screamed, grabbing Jinx’s arm once more, stopping her in her tracks. The Watchtower stopped shaking once more as Nightwing stared at the glassy-eyed girl. "Just, just calm down for a minute," Nightwing calmly spoke, slowly releasing her arm. "What are you looking for? I can help," Nightwing assured. Jinx looked at him with frowned brows, but quickly conceded once her irrational thoughts began to calm down. "Information. There has to be some sort of explanation," Jinx stated, her voice shaky, and her eyes felt like they were about to burst. "Information? Okay, we can do that. Let’s go," Nightwing invited, as he extended his hand to her. With not much other choice, Jinx pushed Nightwing’s hand away as she growled at him to hurry things along rather than dilly-dally with hand-holding.

Jinx kept her arms crossed the entire way as she went from the Zeta Tube to a car ride all the way to a familiar T-shaped tower. She used to laugh at the sight of it. Her, Gizmo, Mammoth, Billy, and See-more. She had been so caught up in getting a new life for her and Wally that she hadn't checked up on them, not since they fought off The Brain.

“You can just—" Nightwing informed, but immediately stopped when he noticed Jinx wasn’t listening. The pink-haired girl made a beeline for the computers as she sat down and ran through numerous files on speedsters, the full extent of their abilities, and anything else that came to mind.

Nightwing was about to leave Jinx in peace when Tim suddenly walked up to him. The other Titans were hiding behind the door, waiting for an explanation as to why Nightwing and a former villain were in Titans Tower and why Robin hadn't stopped them yet. “Dick, what’s going on?” Tim whispered to avoid exposing Nightwing's civilian name. Nightwing could see Jinx’s grey ears perk up. Unwilling to risk another potential meltdown, Nightwing ushered Tim out of the room and into the halls.

“Should we really be leaving her with full access to the files?” Tim voiced his concerns, but Nightwing was quick to assure him. After all, Jinx was a retired supervillain. She hadn’t engaged in any criminal activity in nearly a decade.

“Who is she?” Hawk spoke up as he scratched his head, trying to recall who the pink-haired girl could be.

“Jinx. A former member of HIVE. She has bad luck powers,” Dove informed his brother as he pulled up Jinx’s old file.

“What happened on the mission?” Donna asked, interrupting Hawk before he could get angry about letting a former villain sit in “his” tower. Nightwing sighed as he prepared himself to debrief the titans, and his plans regarding Jinx.

Nightwing took a deep breath, preparing to brief the Titans on the mission and his plans regarding Jinx.

The Titans exchanged glances, but they ultimately trusted Nightwing's leadership. They were willing to work alongside Jinx to solve the mystery of Wally's disappearance. However, that didn’t mean they didn’t have their own concerns.

“What if she doesn't find anything? What if we all don’t find anything?” Kon-El asked, the atmosphere turned heavy. Nightwing didn’t want to imagine that scenario, but he knew it was a possibility. “Then we’ll deal with it.” Nightwing reluctantly spoke. “What if Jinx doesn’t want to deal with it? What if it sends her over the edge?” Hawk added.

Nightwing sighed, recognizing the valid concerns of the team. "Look, I know this is a difficult situation, and there are no guarantees. But we can't give up on finding Kid Flash. It’s worth a shot. And as for Jinx, we'll support her as best as we can. She's been through a lot of changes since her villain days, and I believe she genuinely wants to find Kid Flash."

Tim stepped forward, his expression determined. "We're a team, and we've faced impossible odds before. We'll do everything we can to find Kid Flash and bring him back safely. And if Jinx needs help along the way, we'll be there for her too."

Hawk and Kon-El exchanged glances but seemed to accept Tim's words. They were united in their commitment to finding their friend and supporting Jinx through this challenging journey. Hawk wanted to say more, but Donna was quick to shut him down and threatened him with more cleaning duty. “The tower’s already spotless, what do you want me to do?!” Hawk growled. “Maybe, you can polish the windows till even Kon-El can’t see the glass.” Tim teased, lightening the mood.

"Good," Nightwing said, nodding. "Now, let's get back to Jinx and see if she's found anything. We need to act quickly, time may be running out."

While Nightwing dealt with the Titans, Jinx indulged herself with every possibility she could come up with. According to the speedster files, no speedster had gone as fast as Wally did. There was something called Velocity-X, but Jinx doubted Wally took such an unstable drug. He wouldn't do that; he wouldn't have the time to look for it, and he would never take such a drug just to get faster. Though it did seem on brand for Wally to suddenly find untapped speed within himself and run faster than any other speedster had before. She wouldn't be surprised if none of the leagues actually took that into account; they all still saw them as children after all.

Accidentally clicking a button, a sudden file opened on screen as training videos began to play. The star of the videos was Wally, back when he used to help Robin train the Titans. Wally had this large grin on his face as he ran past all the cameras and waved at each one of them. He provided a few basic information about speedsters and the best way to tackle a situation from the eyes of a speedster. His lecturers were somewhat technical, but once Wally saw how bored everyone was getting he quickly changed his teaching methods and made it into a fun game for everyone. He challenged everyone to get a single hit on him as he shouted at them tips and tricks to achieve their goal. It was honestly heartwarming to see Wally work so well with the new titans and how he would interact with his old teammates and friends.

“Nightwing!” A familiar voice called, snapped Jinx out of her calm daze. Jinx snapped her neck to look at them. Four familiar faces. Artemis, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Aqualad. Wally’s closest friends. After the whole Brain mission. Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad were in the running to become actual leaguers, but as a consolation prize, they made their own team instead and included a Superman clone they found.

“Artemis,” Jinx whispered. They’d had maybe 1 or 2 encounters with one another. Being one of Wally’s exes, they made an agreement with each other. That Jinx would take care of Wally, but with the current situation, it was safe to say that agreement had been breached.

“Artemis, about Wally–” Jinx began but shut up when Artemis turned away from her, looking for Nightwing.

“Artemis?” Nightwing called as he stepped back into the room with the other kids.

"Where's Wally?" Artemis asked, her face twisted with pain and sadness. If anyone from the outside was watching, they would have thought Artemis was Wally's girlfriend. While Nightwing was comforting Artemis, Miss Martian seized the opportunity to fly towards Jinx. A gust of wind blew into Jinx's face as Miss Martian abruptly halted, some dust getting into her eyes as she closed her eyes.

“What happened? Wasn’t Wally with you?” Miss Martian voiced. It was like a whirlwind, and she couldn't believe her eyes. Her thoughts swirled in confusion as they accused her of being involved in Wally's situation. Miss Martian only stopped when Artemis’ voice cut through.

"You! What have you done with Wally?" Artemis, with a mixture of anger and sorrow, confronted Jinx,

Miss Martian's voice was laced with concern as she repeated her question, "We need to know what happened. You were with him, right?"

Superboy folded his arms, his expression clouded with suspicion. "Did your bad luck powers rub off on him? Is that why this happened?"

Before anyone could respond, Kon-El, unable to contain himself, tried to step in, "Conner!"

But he was quickly cut off as Superboy shot him a stern look. "Not now, Kon."

Aqualad's eyes bore into Jinx, a sense of disappointment in his gaze. "Jinx, if you had any hand in this, you need to tell us."

Jinx's world crumbled around her. The accusations were like daggers to her heart, and her panic attack symptoms began to manifest with increasing intensity. She felt a crushing weight on her chest, as if an invisible force was constricting her. Her breathing quickened, each inhale coming in short, shallow gasps.

The pressure, guilt, and grief overwhelmed her, causing her vision to blur as tears welled up in her eyes. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and her fingers clenched into fists. The room seemed to close in around her, and she struggled to find a way out of the overwhelming emotions that threatened to suffocate her.

Each accusation pierced her like a knife, intensifying her panic. She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, making her legs wobble beneath her. Her heart pounded in her chest, its rhythm erratic and painful. She knew she had to defend herself, but her emotions had turned into a turbulent storm, making it nearly impossible to think clearly.

The world around her became a chaotic blur, and she couldn't handle it any longer. With a burst of uncontrollable emotion, she screamed, and her powers surged. The room shook violently, and everyone around her was sent flying. Her magic lashed out, creating a large hole in the side of Titans' Tower as her panic attack reached its peak.

In a dark and somewhat damp alley, the boy with ginger hair continued to cough violently as he struggled to catch his breath. It felt as though he had just plummeted from the top of the Empire State Building and been struck by lightning a hundred times on the way down. His lungs stung, and his eyes welled with tears, but despite the discomfort, he could still see. Gazing upwards, he beheld an unnatural sight: flying cars, strangely asymmetrical buildings, and an unfamiliar white noise that filled the air. Even in his disoriented state, it was evident that he had entered the future, but he couldn't help but voice his disbelief, questioning his sanity. "Where the hell am I?"

Chapter Text

"Wally," he whispered softly under his breath. His mind churned like a twisted typhoon, filled with nothing but blurred faces and distorted voices whenever he tried to remember his own appearance. The only constant in his memory was his name: Wally. He couldn't even recall his full name; it was just "Wally."

Looking down at his hands and feet, he noticed that he was wearing tattered white gloves and shoes. His entire outfit appeared to be in disarray, as if he had just been through a significant scuffle. However, the alleyway where he had awakened showed no signs of recent conflict. Wally shook his head, realising that an alleyway didn't seem like a place where he would engage in a fight. An image of someone flashed in his mind, but he couldn't place a face, only a slightly unsettling disembodied laugh.

Wally reached for the wall next to him as he struggled to stand up, his legs trembling beneath him. What kind of fight had left him so weak that he couldn't even stand properly? Although his clothes were somewhat tattered and his energy depleted, he didn't appear to have any cuts or bruises. Speaking of energy, he felt a gnawing hunger, but did he even have any pockets to hold some money?

“Yess…” Wally perked up as he found a small pouch that held a few fifty-dollar bills in one of his concealed pockets. That should be enough for him to get some food and boost his energy. Before he could take another step, his leg seemed to give way, and Wally began to fall. He closed his eyes and gritted his jaw, preparing for impact, but the pain never came.

Wally looked up to see a boy dressed in black and white, and a girl dressed in white and purple with a yellow lightning bolt in the centre. The boy had his hand extended to him but made no moves to come closer, while the girl seemed to have a concerned look on her face as she examined him. The lightning bolt on her chest seemed somewhat familiar, but before he could say anything, his eyes grew heavier. Perhaps it was the weightless sensation the boy had him in, but it felt like he was being cradled to sleep.

Starboy and XS exchanged glances as Starboy levitated the unconscious stranger off the ground, silently carrying him back to headquarters for a medical examination.

“How do you even know he's a super?” Cosmic Boy questioned sternly, standing in the middle of the medical bay glaring down at his teammates.

“Well, he does have the exact same symbol as XS,” Brainiac-5 pointed out as he continued to treat the unconscious boy.

“Maybe he's also a descendant of Barry Allen?” XS suggested, though her idea didn't seem to find much agreement among the team.

“Even if he is, where has he been all this time? Your case isn't exactly common, XS. There's no way he randomly acquired powers,” Triplicate Girl reminded them.

“Besides, it was already a challenge to uncover that XS was related to Barry Allen. Getting information about the 21st Century is difficult enough, with every file from the 21st Century having been corrupted since the misfortune. We're still dealing with some of the feedback even now,” Cosmic Boy explained as a piece of medical equipment blew up randomly on cue.

“Guys, you do realise I could just scan him, right?” Brainiac-5 reminded everyone as he clicked a button that instantly scanned Wally’s entire body. “He’s 22 years old, he has a metabolism close to XS’ requirements, and his equipment is sorely outdated. Not to mention the money, XS and Star Boy found him holding. Bills like this haven’t been produced since the 20th Centuries.”

“Can you trace what year his clothes came from?” Cosmic Boy asked.

“You think he came from the past?” Star Boy inquired.

“It’s not every day we come across a time traveller, Starboy. I’m asking because maybe we can figure out his identity from his clothes first. Maybe an old antique store or a former villain or hero’s hideout he stole it from.” Cosmic Boy concluded. When the equipment around him began to shake around, Wally suddenly woke up, and the equipment stopped shaking.

“Or, we can just ask him,” Bouncy Boy laughed as he made his way toward Wally.

Bouncy Boy and Wally engaged in a brief conversation as Wally elaborated to Bouncy Boy, his mouth full of food, regarding his predicament. He couldn't recall his full name, but he was quite certain he had heard a voice call him "Wally." He definitely possessed incredible speed; he remembered that, though the extent of his speed remained uncertain. Moreover, he had no memory of his past at all. Despite Cosmic Boy's initial suspicions of Wally, the rest of the team easily outvoted him and insisted that Wally stay in the Legion dorms until he could get himself settled.

Over time, Wally seemed to adjust quite nicely to life in the Legion. He even had the opportunity to participate in several missions, showcasing his remarkable speed. His mastery over his abilities was so impressive that he began training XS, who was originally supposed to be his guide. XS was more than happy to learn from him, as there weren't many speedsters she could learn from, and being trained by Wally felt like a blessing.

It all happened so fast, even Wally knew something felt off. Like he wasn’t supposed to be there. That’s why Wally’s been working with Brainiac-5 to figure out who he is and where he came from. All data seems to point that he doesn’t exist and the idea of him being a time traveller or someone from another Earth was always an option. However there’s infinite earths and time travelling wasn’t exactly an easy feat. Time Travelling Technology is very private and readings of time travel are barely traceable, at best you can pinpoint when someone travelled at that point, but not from where or where they end up.

“Jenni, can you tell me how you found me, again? Bouncy Boy told me that the alley you found me in isn’t exactly a public place.” Wally inquired as he multitasked and looked through city maps and speed data from XS’s training.

Coming to a complete stop next to Wally, XS sat down with her legs crossed as she began to recall that day for the 14th time. “Okay. Star boy and I were patrolling when a car malfunctioned. We were working on controlling the accident when we suddenly spotted a robbery right in front of us. We tracked the robbers downtown and busted them, and then you suddenly popped out of the alleyway with a fist full of money. We thought you were one of the robbers, but you didn’t look like one, and you looked pretty beaten up. Not to mention, the money you were holding looked ancient, but new.”

“So, it was all purely coincidental…” Wally groaned.

“Well…” XS paused as she contemplated informing Wally of such a tragedy. “Some time around the 21st Century, a powerful human caused such a large incident, and waves of misfortune are still vibrating throughout space and time. Sometimes it’s mild, and sometimes it’s bad.” XS informed as she pulled out various reports of accidents and natural incidents.

“How do you know none of this is natural?” Wally countered.

“ ”Natural" would mean they happened with reason, all of these happened without reason and out of the blue. Everyone’s bound to get hit by some bad luck every once in a while. Like this morning! I was going to drink some apple juice, but it was empty.” XS explained, but Wally wasn’t quite convinced.

"Hasn't anyone tried to fix the “misfortunes”?" Wally asked, puzzled as to why such a minor inconvenience to everyday life hadn't been resolved yet.

"You think people haven't tried? Magic only backfires against it, and technology can't make heads or tails of it. If anyone can fix it, it's probably whoever started it in the first place. Also, that's IF they can even fix it. I'm sure if they could, they would have done it a long time ago, but I guess we've all just grown accustomed to it," XS sighed in resignation.

“Oh! Also, I was trying to set up my bed when my bed broke on me. Another time, I was trying to eat my cereal and the bowl exploded on me!” XS informed.

“Ok, the last part does sound like unnatural bad luck, but the rest… seems logical enough.” Wally shrugged, quite sure the incident has probably given humanity a new source for their bad luck.

“Ok, but you probably know what I’m talking about; you’ve been here a while. You should have already experienced some bad luck already.” XS laughed, ready to be entertained by Wally’s misfortunes. However, the ginger had no tales to regale her with. In fact, he’s actually been experiencing quite a bit of destructive good luck. The vending machine broke, and a bunch of snacks fell down before he even got close to the vending machine. The elevator malfunctioned for a minute, giving Wally plenty of time to slip inside before it barely closed. Also, his dorm room door was jammed, so he was transferred to the only other dorm available that has a better view and better ventilation.

“Huh… that’s weird.” XS hummed, as multiple theories began to spiral through her mind. No one’s had this much luck for centuries, so what made Wally so special?

In the middle of XS's thought, a sudden announcement blared across the compound, specifically naming heroes to the meeting. This abrupt interruption made XS quickly shift her focus as Wally and XS prepared for yet another mission together.

Such missions had become quite routine for Wally as he went about his days with the Legion: training, hanging out, researching his condition with Brainiac-5, showcasing his merits, skills, and capabilities, and truly establishing himself within the Legion. Wally had even formed his own team to lead.

However, everything changed when Wally received a very rare mission. On the outskirts of the city, in a place that had been restricted for centuries, an unnatural phenomenon had started to spread. Since Wally joined the Legion, reports of misfortune had been piling up more and more. Now, the most contaminated area of misfortune was expanding, leading to devastating incidents. Hospitals were crumbling, random technology was shutting down, the ground was splitting open, sudden bouts of mania were occurring, and other chaotic events were on the rise. None of the heroes could do anything about it, but according to Brainiac-5's calculations, if this continued to spread, Earth would become a wasteland by the end of the year.

All evidence pointed to the misfortune of the 21st century. This meant that the Legion had to rectify the misfortune of the 21st century before the accumulated misfortune in their future caused a collapse. Of course, the Legion had considered the consequences of tampering with such a significant event, but the potential gains far outweighed the costs. If they didn't eliminate the main source of the misfortunes, there would be no future at all.

“So we’re going to eliminate whatever caused the 21st century misfortune?” Wally clarified, finding the concept rather foreign to him.

“Normally, we wouldn't resort to such drastic measures, but we will if we don't find or have any other alternatives. Of course, we'll first observe the situation, and then we'll handle it,” Cosmic Boy assured, though Wally could tell from his eyes alone that Cosmic Boy's main objective was to neutralise the threat at all costs. While murder was absolutely taboo in this timeline, it seemed like they were all easily persuaded once they were no longer in their own timeline.

“We’re going to need a lot of reconnaissance and backup, so Wally, you’ll be joining our mission. Bouncy Boy and Triplicate Girl have modified your suit,” Brainiac-5 informed as Triplicate Girl walked in on cue with a white and gold suit. Wally hadn't seen this suit in a while; so far on missions, he had been wearing a high-tech suit and a Legion ring. Seeing his old suit again felt nostalgic. “It would be best if you wore your old suit since it would blend in with the 21st-century trends and technology better.”

Wally wasn't too pleased with the team's willingness to resort to murder, but he accepted it as he inquired about their main target. “From what we can tell, we’re looking for Alana Mallory from Central City. We’ll be jumping 2 weeks before the incident; this should give us plenty of time to locate and figure out how to handle Alana Mallory when she starts the misfortune event,” Cosmic Boy informed. Wally took a subtle deep breath as he bit his lips; a strange sensation of familiarity washed over him upon hearing that name. It was faint, but he was quite certain he had heard that name before.

“Side note, time travelling isn’t as cool as I thought it would be. Felt no different than going through a Zeta tube, but in a ship,” Wally shrugged as he stood up from his seat on the ship.

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, Wally, but that’s just how it is. Now, let’s get on with the mission,” XS teased as she ran off to the fabricator room to get some appropriate 21st Century clothing.

“I’m going to just start the mission…” Wally chimed as he started to stretch preparing himself to run.

“What?! No! You can’t just go out like that! What if someone sees you?!” XS scolded as she popped her head out.

“Relax, Jenni. Our mission is just reconnaissance. Besides, I’m faster than you, and I doubt anyone in this Century is just as fast as I am. So long as I avoid your great-great-grandfather’s sights, I should be fine.” Wally smugly shrugged as he patted Jenni’s shoulder. “Be back in a flash.”

Wally broke into and stole hundreds of thousands of civilian identification data from various servers all over the world. Continued his search for Alana Mallory, sifting through the extensive database of names from all over the world. Surprisingly, "Alana Mallory" was a common name, resulting in over 2000 results, with 12 individuals living near the main misfortune site.

As he scrolled through the list, he felt a strange sensation wash over him. Just as he was about to give up and return to the ship, he spotted his past self walking down the street with a blonde girl, hand in hand. Wally's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately hid himself, discreetly keeping watch of the heartwarming scene. His mind raced with confusion. Was that really him? Goosebumps covered his skin as he watched the wholesome moment unfold before him. His eyes even welled up with tears as he witnessed the two of them walk into a building together. He wasn't sure where this emotional reaction was coming from, but he quickly wiped away his tears and ran off to inform the team of this bizarre phenomenon.

Everyone on the team was both happy for him, but also deeply sceptical of the events unfolding before them. What were the chances that Wally would encounter his past self, if not a doppelganger or ancestor, during his first time travel mission? This unexpected twist threatened to jeopardise the entire mission, and the tension in the room was palpable.

"What kind of destiny bullshit is this?" Cosmic Boy muttered to himself, his frustration evident as he left his sympathetic and joyful teammates to strategize and address this newfound complication. The mission had taken an unexpected turn, and they would need to proceed with caution to ensure its success.