15765/Working (Breaking

Working (Breaking
Date of Scene:	31 August 2023
Location:	Roof - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Wally and Caitlin finally talk candidly about feelings while working on the T-Jet.
Cast of Characters:	Wally West, Caitlin Fairchild

---

Wally West has posed:
Midday.

About 4:30pm.

The evening was just getting started. The Tower was a little bit quiet today, either because everyone was off doing their own thing like patrolling or living their lives elsewhere. Wally on the other hand? Already did his living today. Helped out at his church, did some work for his FTL delivery service, checked in with the Justice League to make sure Barry wasn't dropping any balls anywhere...

He even cleaned up plenty of the Tower!

His ability to multitask (and multi-class, hur hur) is well-known and because there's so much /time/ in a not-so-busy day and it flows so slowly for him, he's gotten a lot done so his fellow Titans can do less. Of course, he's left certain things like Laboratory stuff he didn't know how to work, Raven's room, and literally any of Robin's stuff well and alone.

But for right now, he's on hte roof of the Tower with a wrench in his hand and a toolkit at his side. He seems to be wiring up the T-Jet to give it a speed boost. Yes, there's some helpful manuals in front of him in case some things arn't known - and thank god for speed reading - but otherwise, he's doing okay!

He's got a tanktop on, with some shorts that stop just above the knee. He has flipflops barely hanging onto his feet like some weird, friction-resistant Berks and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. "Yeeep, this goes here...and this goes..." He cranks the wrench a bit. "There."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
The lift hums with motion. The doors open and Caitlin steps out onto the roof of the building. Though it started as a landing pad, the addition of a pool, deck chairs and a little grilling area have made it a natural extension of the hangout area downstairs. Especially in the summer, where a heavenly eastern wind blows clean-smelling ocean air over the bay.

The redhead has a couple SnackyShakes in hand and walks over to the T-jet, craning her neck to see what Wally's doing. Brown mid-thigh shorts and a red-and-yellow striped sleeveless shirt give her a comfortably relaxed appearance, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.

"Hey Wally," she announces midway through her approach. "I figured you could use a snack," she offers. Caitlin waits patiently for Wally to get to a stopping point and offers him his choice of flavored shake.

Wally West has posed:
You know those moments where you /know/ something is coming, but it surprises you anyway because the person you least expect to make an appearance does so and scares the absolute bejeezus out of you?

Yeah, that's what Wally experiences in this moment.

'Hey Wally' doesn't necessarily freak him out, but it does startle him from the absolute focus he was trying to apply to his work and it causes him to jump ever so slightly as he looks down, his cheeks flushing bright pink when he sees that it's Caitlin Fairchild, the gal who has Wally's stomach in knots. He seems to stutter for a moment- "C-Cait! Hey!" and he looks at what she's holding (not so much what she's wearing) and he seems a little surprised. "Hey, thanks for thinking of me. I'm on my way down." He sets his wrench on the wing of the T-Jet and makes sure his box is secure before he's speeding his way down, gravity failing to have an effect as speed forces traction to the side of the vehicle until he drops onto the ground with a 'plop' of his sandals. He lifts his sunglasses up to his forehead, right up to his red hairline as a brilliant smile is shown her way.

"Hey." He says far softer, and /now/ his eyes take in her appearance. Beautiful as ever, though this is the first time in a while he's seen her in anything other than her super suit (tm) and her labwear. "Having a chill day?" He steps closer to her, looking at the shake she offers him.

"You remembered!" Literally Wally, how could she forget? He accepts the SnackyShake and he meets her eyes with his own, having to look up a little because she's taller than him. "How-uhm...how you doin?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I got a golden weekend from the hospital," Caitlin explains with a smile. "Today /and/ tomorrow off. They don't really give med students a break there," she admits with a wry exasperation. "I don't know how the non-metas do it. I can get by for a long time without much sleep, but they're dangerously addicted to Adderal and caffeine."

Realizing she's blabbering a bit, Caitlin looks down and focuses on opening up her own drink so she can take a few gulps from it. "Anyway, I'm, um, I'm good. I thought since you were working on the T-jet, I could lend a hand?" she offers a little tentatively. "Vic made some changes to the thrust induction coils, I don't know if you saw his notes in the maintenance log. We're still using the same fusion drive so the power conductors shouldn't be all that different. I can--" she gestures at a side panel. "Want me to show you, or are you, uh, good?" She seems to be offering Wally a polite out if she's interfering with his Zen and the art of T-Jet Maintenance.

Wally West has posed:
"Wow, those almost /never/ happen. Not with students."

Wally practically echoes Caitlin's words about the situation, surprise written on his face like a message in the sky. "You must be absolutely killing it, never doubted you for a second." And now Wally's /gushing/ while Caitlin is blabbering. He chuckles a little bit as he opens up his own drink. "Heh, yeah. I mean, even I need sleep to help recharge everything. That you don't? Cheater." He winks at her playfully then he remembers himself and looks down, is winking too much?

They hadn't really...talked about /it/. 'It' being the event in which Wally tried to tell Caitlin how he felt and they kinda...left each other to their own devices in the aftermath. But, he's not going to push it, not going to try and demand an answer...but he's still going to try and subtly pursue.

Gentleman-like!

Wally's eyes look surprised when she asks if he would like some help with the T-Jet. Though the out was given, Wally doesn't even think about it. "Are you kidding? Heck yeah I want your help." He smiles at her warmly, like the sun coming out after a stormy day. "I'm not exactly a master engineer, been speed-reading a lot of Vic's notes and some mathematics that should help me out. Stuck in the dome while it's fresh, but to have you with me? It'd be fun and /way/ more effective."

Double reasoning! He hides the 'actual' cool part paired with the logic, so he doesn't freak her out. "By all means, I'd love to watch the master at work." He looks into her eyes for a moment. "I mean, if..if you want."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I'm not a master," Caitlin protests automatically-- but she's smiling all the same. "We've spent ten years tinkering with this thing. At this point I'm pretty sure we've torn down and rebuilt every system in here."

It's easier to work on the engines with the thrusters decoupled. Normally that's a task that requires a forklift and possibly a boom crane. Caitlin just stands underneath it, waits for Wally to de-couple the thruster, and catches it with an 'oof' of effort. It's walked over to a cradle nearby and set carefully upon it.

"Can you grab me the power extension harness from the shop?" she requests of Wally. Once he's gone and back Caitlin starts hooking the machine back up to the ship's body so it still has power.

"Okay. So it looks like you're trying to boost power to the repulsor thrusters by pulling from the hover skids," she estimates, and looks at Wally for confirmation. "Am I seeing this right?"

Wally West has posed:
"Are you sure? Pretty sure you're a master. I mean, you've got what, like an IQ of a 1000? Breaking records every chance you get!" Wally is flattering now, surely, but he looks at the T-Jet with no small amount of affection in his eyes. "Yeah, we've practically rebuilt this thing from the ground up a thousand times. Well, Vic has, but we really like to put this thing through it's paces, huh? Old girl." He pats the T-Jet with a hand, a smile on his face, though he shrugs. "Aaaaanyway, lets get this thing de-coupled, huh? Like a bad season of the Bachelorette."

Wally gets moving and in a few moments, the couple is about to be de'd. "Ready? Catch!" He hits all the carefully laid magnetic interlocks and screws seemingly simultaneously with how fast he manages to accomplish the feat, allowing gravity to affect the instrument until it lands into Caitlin's arms.

"Here you go."

When did he leave to go get it? Well, he's the Flash. Blink and you miss him. Keep looking and you might anyway. "Yeah, that's basically the gist of it. Though I'm thinking about trying to take auxillary power to give us more of an edge, or at least, give us the option too."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"That's not a bad idea," Caitlin agrees after thinking it over. "Though we'll have to be careful, the aux circuit also backs up the shields and life support systems. If we cook the reactor with too much afterburn, then we'll be dead in the water in space. Which is not good, believe me," she assures Wally. Voice of experience, there.

The work isn't terribly difficult, and with Wally fetching parts, it moves at a good pace. Caitlin mostly lets him do the work, only interjecting if there's a safety problem or something will compromise the Jet's functionality.

After a few minutes, she looks at Wally with a sidelong glance. "Um... listen, I think we ought to... talk," she says, with all the awkwardness of an adolescent. "If you don't mind, I mean, we can-- just work, or gossip," she adds, hastily.

"...I hope Irie reacted OK to... everything," she ventures. "She kinda booked out of there with a weird expression."

Wally West has posed:
"Heh, looks like I can be smart /sometimes/. Though it's a good thing you're looking over my shoudler. Don't want to be the guy who's sitting there awkwardly while we're suffocating in outer space. Personally, I prefer my feet on the ground. Dunno what I can do in space without a T-Jet you know?" He smiles softly then. Though the work is easy. They work well together, even if it's mostly just Caitlin telling him to fetch parts and correcting him if he makes the wrong move.

Practice makes perfect!

Then, Caitlin is addressing the colossal elephant in the room. Wally pauses in his work for a moment, turning to look at her with soft eyes. Not quite like a puppy dog, but the understanding that they're about to have a probably serious talk. "No, no, we can talk about it. I've...I've really been wanting to, but I didn't want to push or-or...make you uncomfortable. You know?" He asks her as he sets his wrench down for a second. "Irie's just a little spooked. No one wants to see their dad ask someone out. But...I think telling her I wanted to go back to university helped level things out with her." Wally rubs his shoulder. "But yeah, she got out of there like her life depended on it."

He clears his throat for a moment. "I..meant everything I said." No regrets! At least, not yet. "And if at any point, you don't want to keep up with this convo we can just...I dunno, talk about how greasy BB's hair gets or something." He gives her that out.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
When Wally explains why he's been holding off, Caitlin nods at him gratefully. In truth it had set her back on her heels a bit. While she wasn't avoiding Wally per se, it was getting to the point of it being a little awkward.

"I appreciate it," she says, softly, and looks at the task at hand. The redhead twists several bolts loose with her bare fingers and sets an assembly aside so it's out of the way. Who needs an impact wrench, right?

"It's all... a little too much," she admits, finally. "I've known you my entire life. And don't take this the wrong way," she winces, "but I never looked at you like that. Or Richard or Garfield, for that matter. So this is taking some ... really difficult recalibration."

She exhales heavily and wipes her brow against her wrist. "I'm sorry, I'm-- getting to a point, I promise," she apologizes. Frank conversations are definitely not one of Caitlin's strong points.

Wally West has posed:
Too awkward.

They used to talk to each other /all the time/. Wally used to be able to walk past Caitlin's laboratory without getting butterflies in his stomach. But she's captivated him, enchanted, one could say. But he's not going to overwhelm her with his affections. Their friendship is one that's precious to him and while he'd love them to be more...there's no reason to pressure her with it. He knows how to be a gentleman and...well, he's put it in front of Caitlin to decide.

"Thanks." Wally remarks to her, and while she works with her bare fingers - since they're stronger than a wrench anyway - Wally is at work with an actually wrench to loosen a few bolts on the opposite side. She opens with a heart to heart with him, it's been too much a bit, and she claims she's never considered Wally or any of the other boys like that.

Wally seems to slightly wince at that news, but...Caitlin's always been /different/ in that way. Romance was something he's never seen her take to. Would he be the first? Maybe, probably not. But...he can always hope.

"I'm sorry it's been hard for you." He comments softly, she claims she's getting to a point and Wally chuckles. "It's okay, Cait. Really...take your time. I'm not in a rush." He tells her softly, his hand seems to shift slightly towards her, but he thinks better of it and keeps it to himself. Save perhaps interpretibly flirtatious things to himself, even when comfort is the intent. "Talk to me." He tells her softly.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin nods, a jerky, uncoordinated motion, and looks at Wally. It lasts for a beat before she looks away, a familiar old expression of shy reclusion she hasn't worn around the Titans for years.

"It's also Irie," she says, voice subdued. "I like Irie a lot but there's... that's too much pressure. Part of me wants to break into the sealed archive so I can look at her genemap and ... see where she comes from." It's put very delicately, as if Caitlin herself isn't sure how she'd feel about the answer. "And part of me wants to just delete the file entirely so it's not hanging over my-- her-- head." She looks up and takes a slow, deep breath, visibly trying to moderate her mood.

"And it's work, and it's school, and it's the Titans, and it's Themyscira, and it's just-- too much of just too many things."

A quiet beat passes and she shifts her weight. "That's... that's not to say I haven't /thought/ about it," she admits. "A few years ago I wouldn't even have done that. It's not that I'm saying 'no', it's just..." she hesitates, fretting a lip, and looks at Wally. "'Not yet'," she says. "Is that OK?"

Wally West has posed:
She looks nervous.

Wally meets her eyes in that moment, green meeting green as largely classical Irish features shine between the pair of them. Yet, she looks away from him. She's being shy? Wally made her shy? Well...Wally's never really had that quality about him that inspired such behavior.

Irie.

Ah, his future daughter and the source of about 99% of all of his headaches. Her very existence puts his belief in chronological relativity into question: is time like a river, one that corrects itself always regardless of what you do? Or is it always fluctuating, always in motion? "Yeah...she..." He sighs softly, a hand running through short red hair. "You've no idea how hard it is to avoid looking at her files, asking you or Donna or Vic to run genetics testing on her. But, I don't want to be bound by the future. I want to help live in the present." He tells her softly.

"Heh, yeah, you've always had a problem with saying 'no'." He teases her faintly. She stacks herself pretty greatly and because of that...it'd be hard to date. She shifts her weight and tells him she thought about it. It's more than he expected to receive. But, he understands. A slow nod is given to Caitlin as he flashes a warm smile at Caitlin.

"Of course it is, Cait. Not yet." He agrees with her. "And if you decide, ultimately, that you don't want to? That's okay too." His feelings are stronger than Caitlin's preparedness and he feels for her more than even the potential of rejection. She is - evidently - open to it in hte future, however.

That's enough for him.

He rubs his arm and shifts his weight from foot to foot for a moment, as if wondering what to say next. "Plus, you know...this way I don't add to the overwhelming, yeah?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin nods in relief when Wally doesn't push back at her request. She exhales a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, and it looks like a little weight comes off her shoulders. "Well you... for what it's worth, you kinda forced me to think about where I am in life," Caitlin admits. "And where I want to end up someday." Her eyes are focused out in the middle distance, somewhere in the Atlantic.

Caitlin blinks herself out of her reverie and looks at Wally. "Irie's a great kid, Wally," she tells him. "Anyone would be proud to be her mom." And she smiles at Wally reassuringly.

"All right, let's get this engine cowling reassembled," Caitlin tells Wally. Back to the task at hand! No more candid feels! "Then we can take her for a run over the water and see how speed we can crank out of the old bird. Yeah?"

Wally West has posed:
Wally very rarely pushes back against very much. Though his eyes seem to widen. "I...made you think about life?" Wally seems to flush at the cheeks a little bit. "I-I mean, happy to provoke thought, but..long as I didn't cause you to doubt yourself, you know?" Wally follows her gaze out in that middle distance, somewhere in the Atlantic. "Well...makes me want to ask where you want to end up someday." Wally smiles at her. "But I have a feeling I should keep it to myself until you feel like sharing." Wally considesr that for a moment.

Irie is an amazing kid. She's so much like him it's like staring at a smaller reflection. "She has a boyfriend now, I think, if you can believe it. Ugh, I don't know how to give the talk." HAH! Wally giving a talk. Classic. But his uncomfortability with it is noticeable and clear. "Yeah...she hasn't told me who her mother is. I haven't really asked." He shrugs. "I think I'm afraid to know the answer, because if I do? I'll become obsessed with keeping the future safe than happiness, you know?"

He looks at her reassuringly just as much. "Yeah, anyone would be." He agrees easily, before he rolls his shoulders. "Sounds good. But don't be surprised if it's still too slow for me." He winks at her.