( voicemail )

[chemistryinmotion]

Yo, this is Kid Flash, leave a message after the beep.

... Wait, did that work —?

Oh. Yeah. Okay. Cool.

[ BEEP ]

Comments

audio;

[quipper]

[ her words are simple, even, but they lilt up at the end with hope, like everything stephanie says. ] Hey, Wally, are you you again?

[ since everyone else's maladies seem to be over, she hopes wally's rumored...demonization has passed, too. ]

audio;

[chemistryinmotion]

[ normally he'd appreciate all this attention, people wanting to check in with him and all that, but it's getting exhausting telling everyone he's okay. he's not okay, but it's easier saying he is than having to talk about why he's not. he even manages to laugh fairly convincingly this time, though it still sounds a bit forced. ]

Pretty sure. Haven't tried to make out with Conner again, if that's what you're wondering.

[ at least with steph, it's easier to joke about it, which makes it easier to stay in the comfortable bed of denial he's made his own. ]

audio;

[quipper]

[ she pulls a face that he can't see. she's so not into the demon tween boy kissing scene. ] I assure you that I have never, nor will I ever inquire about your makeout sitch — with Conner or anyone else. [ still, she gets what he means by it, and it's a pleasant surprise to hear him cracking jokes, even if she pegged humor as his coping mechanism a while back. (hey, it's hers, too.) things have happened to her that — for all her optimism and quips — she can't joke about.

she's relieved this incident hasn't entered those ranks for wally. ]

But I'm glad that tmi moment means you're back. You had me worried, kid. [ a beat. ] So, I have hugs and food, if you want them, but I understand if you need some time to brood.

[ everyone deserves brooding time, after all. #batlife. ]

audio;

[chemistryinmotion]

[ wally sniffs something that's almost a laugh, but not quite. it would be a lie to say he isn't a little amused, though, which is good. he doesn't like doing the whole brooding thing, it's way too depressing. ]

Hey, just wanted to cover my bases. Can't have anybody thinking me and Conner are an item or whatever. We are 100% back in bro territory, guaranteed or your money back. [ just not your soul. ]

But, really, who am I to turn down hugs and food?

audio;

[quipper]

Not Wally West, that's for sure.

[ a slight hesitation. are you ready to go there, brown? crossing boundaries has become a thing lately, and Steph isn't sure how she feels about it. what she's about to say is prying. a little too personal than Wally probably wants or needs right now, but she thinks it's her duty — as a responsible adult (hah), a hero (ish), and a (sort of) friend to put it out there. ] Talking about stuff is also always available to you, too, even if you don't ever take me up on the offer. I've, uh, been on the operation table before, and I've made the kind of mistakes that kill. So, I'm not gonna say I'll understand what you're going through because everybody's different, but I might relate just a teeny bit, if you're ever in need of that.