[ he gets a once-over before anything else — mostly an excuse to allow the lightning to subside in lieu of electric shock — but she's pleased to see there's no major gashes or cuts on his form today. just a little mussed hair and some dirt tracked in, apparently, but nothing the vacuum can't handle. ]
Hi. [ he gets a smile, but she doesn't get up to greet him. he's still technically in trouble. ] Go on, tell me your sob story.
[ it better be good, mister "i'm running late for dinner again" ]
[ Her smile provides Wally with some hope that he isn't in too much trouble for his tardiness. Though the bigger issue this time is probably the lack of contact informing her of said tardiness since it wasn't all that long ago he showed up at the door a bleeding mess. She makes jokes about it now, but it doesn't take a genius to know that wasn't fun for her.
So, no, he really doesn't have a good enough story to explain himself.
That doesn't mean he isn't going to try, as his hands escape the confines of his pockets and he holds them up, the palms facing outward, in a placating fashion. ]
It wasn't my fault. [ a beat, before the hands fall and he relents with a sigh. ] Well, it wasn't entirely my fault. I was about to leave, but they needed help fixing up that electrical plant they found. I thought it would take a few minutes, but the so called experts were apparently trying to get everyone killed.
[ Between his frustration at their stupidity and taking it upon himself to do all the heavy lifting to get the place semi-operational, he had simply lost track of time, and when he eventually realized how late he was, he knew he was doomed. Still, she can't be too upset with him for why he was late, can she? ]
I should've let you know what was going on. I just... didn't think about it. I'm sorry. [ He looks as guilty as he feels. The truth is it's been a while since he's had anyone care about him like she does, and he's still adjusting. ] But I'm here now and there's not a scratch on me?
[ His last words carry some of his previously mentioned hopefulness with them. All's well that ends well, right? ]
[ she'll grant him that, at least. it's not his delinquency that really bothers her — he's a grown man, and if he wants to go do something instead of coming back for dinner at a reasonable hour, he's welcome to do so. but when she's expecting him back and he doesn't show or let her know, she's going to worry about him. and after the last time? well, that worry very quickly blends into worst-case-scenario territories. ]
But for the fastest man alive, you really overestimate how long it takes to send, like, one whole text. [ her voice drops, a poor imitation of his gruff tones ] "Hey babe, gonna save the world again, be home when these slackers pick up the pace..."
[ a brow arches in his direction, but at least she stands up, arms crossing loosely over her chest. ]
I know you can handle it. [ her tone shifts, a little more sincere this time, the hint of all that worry she's been pushing down peeking up around the edges. ] I just — I can't, okay? I don't want to lose you too.
[ The soft murmur of her name is all Wally gets out before he's covering whatever little distance there is between them so his arms can find their way around her waist, his lips pressing a light kiss into her hair as he draws her into his solid frame with the gentlest of tugs.
They've never discussed the subject in great detail, nobody wants to bring old wounds up to the surface, but Daisy isn't the only one who is way too familiar with losing people. The type of abrupt losses where a person feels like they could shatter at any moment and are never the same after because they take a part of you with them are ones he has suffered through multiple times. The thought he could potentially inflict that sort of pain and be another name on her list leaves an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. ]
Maybe I should take a break from the hero thing? A little one. Y'know, see what it's like to live as an average Joe for a change.
[ Wally knows that isn't what she's asking, but it's what he's offering. This latest scare could be a sign he needs to slow down and let other people save the day for the first time in his life. Plus, he could finally get to use everything he learned from those auto repair vocational classes Iris made him take during a few summers when he was a teenager. ]
[ she lets him pull her in, her forehead resting against his shoulder as her head tips down to ghost a kiss against her hair. she lets him tug her closer, and her hands flatten between them, palming out over his chest to feel the thump thump thump of his heartbeat beneath. it's an embrace they've shared before, quiet and calm — and it's not usually one she feels any need to break away from, either, but when he breaks the silence with an offer to call a ceasefire on his crusading ways, daisy's head does lean back. not a full breakaway, but just enough to level him with a concerned gaze. ]
Wally. [ think about this. ] I'm not — that's not what I'm saying. I'd never ask you to do that.
[ just like she'd never let him ask her to stop what she does either. they have their roles to play, their gifts to share. it was what made them who they were. granted, nowadays daisy does more on the 'training new arrivals' front than playing front-and-center superhero... but she still gets into her own fair share of danger. ]
Is that what you want to do? Or are you offering because you think I want you to?
[ Wally takes the underlying advice to think about what he's saying, his eyebrows knitting together in a frown, bottom lip slipping between his teeth, one of his hands idly stroking her lower back while his gaze never wavers from hers as he does. After the moment of internal deliberation, he breaks the silence with a sigh and gives an uncertain shake of his head. ]
I know you'd never ask that of me, and we both know you'd kick my ass before letting me do it for that reason. [ Neither of them would be leading the lives that they do if fear was allowed to control their choices. ] It's — I don't know. I've never been very good at slowing down.
[ The commitment to fighting the good fight has been driving him for as long as he can remember. As a result, always playing the part of the hero has strained almost every one of his relationships, with more than one of his exes accusing him of racing in and out of people's lives. Daisy understands the commitment and responsibility, better than most, but how much of the worrying, miss check-ins, and cold dinners can she take before she's had enough?
Maybe offering to give up the thing that defines him, even temporarily, was a knee-jerk reaction to a perceived dilemma. But racing out of her life is the last thing he wants to do. ]
The truth is I've never really had a reason to want to slow down. Until now. [ A flush comes over his cheeks as the words sound sentimentally sappy even to his own ears. ] I just — I really want this to work, Daisy.
[ she's quiet for a moment, considering. it's not an inherently strange thing to want — after all, even captain america got to take breaks every now and again — but it does feel strange for him. ever since they've met, his abilities and what he's able to do with them have been intertwined with who he is, not the defining characteristics but supporting ones, his speed only reinforcing his natural inclination to help others.
beyond small things (like building a bouquet of wildflowers in the blink of an eye, or hand-wringing water out of a jacket dropped into a cold pond), he's never used his abilities selfishly. not the way she would have, if she was in his shoes. he's a good person, and his speed doesn't contradict that.
so she doesn't mind that he uses his abilities to help others. she expects it. she doesn't mind if dinner is delayed or if plans have to be changed to accommodate, because saving the world is their thing. it's something they share, a calling they both aspire to, and something they both put above each other. but to hear him say that he wants this to work — and knowing, without question, that he means what lingers intangibly between them, a relationship they've never bothered to define but that they both hold especially close — and to hear him say that he feels like he needs to stop speeding to make it happen?
well. she doesn't like it, to say the least. ]
Do you think I'm going to break up with you because you're late to dinner?
[ is that what this is about? ]
Wally, I would never have let this happen if I didn't want you to be a hero. You don't think there aren't a dozen cute redheads out there without superspeed I could have chatted up at the gym?
[ okay, maybe a dozen redheads specifically is a bit of a stretch, but she hopes he gets the point. ]
If you want to slow down because you need a break, I'm never going to tell you you can't. But you don't have to do that for me. Or for us.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Hi. [ he gets a smile, but she doesn't get up to greet him. he's still technically in trouble. ] Go on, tell me your sob story.
[ it better be good, mister "i'm running late for dinner again" ]
no subject
So, no, he really doesn't have a good enough story to explain himself.
That doesn't mean he isn't going to try, as his hands escape the confines of his pockets and he holds them up, the palms facing outward, in a placating fashion. ]
It wasn't my fault. [ a beat, before the hands fall and he relents with a sigh. ] Well, it wasn't entirely my fault. I was about to leave, but they needed help fixing up that electrical plant they found. I thought it would take a few minutes, but the so called experts were apparently trying to get everyone killed.
[ Between his frustration at their stupidity and taking it upon himself to do all the heavy lifting to get the place semi-operational, he had simply lost track of time, and when he eventually realized how late he was, he knew he was doomed. Still, she can't be too upset with him for why he was late, can she? ]
I should've let you know what was going on. I just... didn't think about it. I'm sorry. [ He looks as guilty as he feels. The truth is it's been a while since he's had anyone care about him like she does, and he's still adjusting. ] But I'm here now and there's not a scratch on me?
[ His last words carry some of his previously mentioned hopefulness with them. All's well that ends well, right? ]
no subject
[ she'll grant him that, at least. it's not his delinquency that really bothers her — he's a grown man, and if he wants to go do something instead of coming back for dinner at a reasonable hour, he's welcome to do so. but when she's expecting him back and he doesn't show or let her know, she's going to worry about him. and after the last time? well, that worry very quickly blends into worst-case-scenario territories. ]
But for the fastest man alive, you really overestimate how long it takes to send, like, one whole text. [ her voice drops, a poor imitation of his gruff tones ] "Hey babe, gonna save the world again, be home when these slackers pick up the pace..."
[ a brow arches in his direction, but at least she stands up, arms crossing loosely over her chest. ]
I know you can handle it. [ her tone shifts, a little more sincere this time, the hint of all that worry she's been pushing down peeking up around the edges. ] I just — I can't, okay? I don't want to lose you too.
no subject
[ The soft murmur of her name is all Wally gets out before he's covering whatever little distance there is between them so his arms can find their way around her waist, his lips pressing a light kiss into her hair as he draws her into his solid frame with the gentlest of tugs.
They've never discussed the subject in great detail, nobody wants to bring old wounds up to the surface, but Daisy isn't the only one who is way too familiar with losing people. The type of abrupt losses where a person feels like they could shatter at any moment and are never the same after because they take a part of you with them are ones he has suffered through multiple times. The thought he could potentially inflict that sort of pain and be another name on her list leaves an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. ]
Maybe I should take a break from the hero thing? A little one. Y'know, see what it's like to live as an average Joe for a change.
[ Wally knows that isn't what she's asking, but it's what he's offering. This latest scare could be a sign he needs to slow down and let other people save the day for the first time in his life. Plus, he could finally get to use everything he learned from those auto repair vocational classes Iris made him take during a few summers when he was a teenager. ]
no subject
Wally. [ think about this. ] I'm not — that's not what I'm saying. I'd never ask you to do that.
[ just like she'd never let him ask her to stop what she does either. they have their roles to play, their gifts to share. it was what made them who they were. granted, nowadays daisy does more on the 'training new arrivals' front than playing front-and-center superhero... but she still gets into her own fair share of danger. ]
Is that what you want to do? Or are you offering because you think I want you to?
no subject
I know you'd never ask that of me, and we both know you'd kick my ass before letting me do it for that reason. [ Neither of them would be leading the lives that they do if fear was allowed to control their choices. ] It's — I don't know. I've never been very good at slowing down.
[ The commitment to fighting the good fight has been driving him for as long as he can remember. As a result, always playing the part of the hero has strained almost every one of his relationships, with more than one of his exes accusing him of racing in and out of people's lives. Daisy understands the commitment and responsibility, better than most, but how much of the worrying, miss check-ins, and cold dinners can she take before she's had enough?
Maybe offering to give up the thing that defines him, even temporarily, was a knee-jerk reaction to a perceived dilemma. But racing out of her life is the last thing he wants to do. ]
The truth is I've never really had a reason to want to slow down. Until now. [ A flush comes over his cheeks as the words sound sentimentally sappy even to his own ears. ] I just — I really want this to work, Daisy.
no subject
beyond small things (like building a bouquet of wildflowers in the blink of an eye, or hand-wringing water out of a jacket dropped into a cold pond), he's never used his abilities selfishly. not the way she would have, if she was in his shoes. he's a good person, and his speed doesn't contradict that.
so she doesn't mind that he uses his abilities to help others. she expects it. she doesn't mind if dinner is delayed or if plans have to be changed to accommodate, because saving the world is their thing. it's something they share, a calling they both aspire to, and something they both put above each other. but to hear him say that he wants this to work — and knowing, without question, that he means what lingers intangibly between them, a relationship they've never bothered to define but that they both hold especially close — and to hear him say that he feels like he needs to stop speeding to make it happen?
well. she doesn't like it, to say the least. ]
Do you think I'm going to break up with you because you're late to dinner?
[ is that what this is about? ]
Wally, I would never have let this happen if I didn't want you to be a hero. You don't think there aren't a dozen cute redheads out there without superspeed I could have chatted up at the gym?
[ okay, maybe a dozen redheads specifically is a bit of a stretch, but she hopes he gets the point. ]
If you want to slow down because you need a break, I'm never going to tell you you can't. But you don't have to do that for me. Or for us.