DC: The Brave and the Bawdy

The Flash: Always Runner Up

"...so I grabbed up all the orphans before the tidal wave came down," explained Barry, "You should have seen the looks on their faces!"

"What looks were those?" asked Linda.

"Oh, terrified," chuckled Barry, "They had all almost been killed in a tidal wave. But after that they were all very grateful."

Barry Allen, Iris West, Linda Park, and Wally West shared a laugh. The four were sitting around Barry and Iris's dining room table, where the four had convened for a double date. The food had all been eaten, leaving only glasses of water and wine. Barry and Iris were married and had dated long before that, making Linda the odd one out as Wally's relatively recent girlfriend. Still, she carried the confidence of someone who had been a member of the family for years.

Both Iris and Linda were aware of Barry's and Wally's double lives as the Flash and Kid Flash respectively, Iris having figured out through investigative journalism and Linda having learned when Wally impulsively told her on their first date. As a result, the four were always very open about superheroic activities. These sorts of date nights were comforting in that way. So much of their lives revolved around keeping secrets, it felt nice to be completely open together.

"And they're giving you the key to the city, right?" added Iris.

"Again?" said Wally.

"Yeah, even I think it's tacky at this point," acknowledged Barry.

"I don't know," said Linda, "I think saving every citizen from certain death earns you a little appreciation."

"So what have you been up to, Wally?" asked Barry, pointedly changing the subject.

"Oh, well..." considered Wally, "Not a ton. Things have been pretty quiet in Jump City."

"Oh," chimed in Iris, "but you took down Turtle Man the other day, right?"

"No," admitted Wally, "That was Barry."

"Hm," frowned Iris, before lighting up again and adding "But the Titans took down the Rogues on their way to Jump City, right?"

"They did," nodded Wally, "but I wasn't with them."

"Right," said Linda, before adding, "but didn't you stop Weather Wiz-?"

"No, that was Barry too."

Barry nodded uncomfortably. Wally avoided eye contact with the others. Sometimes being the nephew and sidekick to the Flash, an international hero, made Wally feel somewhat inadequate.

Barry stopped and checked his phone. Everyone noticed he fixated on it for longer than usual.

"Everything okay?" asked Iris.

"It's Avery Ho."

"From S.T.A.R. Labs?" clarified Iris.

"Yeah," nodded Barry, standing up, "Wally, we should look into this. Get your suit. I'll explain on the way."

***

S.T.A.R. Labs was a nonprofit run out of Central City with the intent of making scientific discoveries for the mutual benefit of humanity. They were a largely unknown organization until their research on metahumans put them on the map not long after Barry Allen's debut as the Flash. The Flash developed a good relationship with the staff and board, resulting in the location becoming something of an unofficial headquarters for what Barry called Team Flash.

Flash and Kid Flash waited patiently in the requested room. As Flash had told Kid Flash on the way over, Avery Ho had contacted Flash over suspicion of a coworker's dangerous experiment. Flash knew Avery from his time working with S.T.A.R. Labs and trusted her. She trusted him in turn, which is why she had gone to him rather than someone else on the staff.