A/N: Reposted here. I'd really appreciate any constructive
criticism you'd give me. Here's the story. Anyway, enjoy!
Bart remembered the future, when he was a captive of The Reach. Under the rule of an unforgiving and relentlessly cruel Blue Beetle.
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His entire family was dead. He had been alone, left to fend for himself and try to survive in a world that no longer belonged to humans.
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Bart would sometimes look up at the gray sky and watch the ash fall slowly down. At night, the clouds might clear, and he would get a glimpse at the faint stars above. It was peaceful, and Bart could almost forget where he was…
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Bart had always dreamed of his family. He had heard the stories of the great Flash and his sidekick Kid Flash and how they had saved the world. They were heroes, risking everything for the lives of others. He hoped one day he could make them proud.
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Bart's escape from the Reach had not been pretty, and it had not been without consequence. Bart could still hear the screams as Blue Beetle tore apart his friends, searching for him.
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He'd met Nathaniel and learned about his plan to create a time machine, to send someone back to the past to save the Flash. Bart remembered how he had felt for the first time in his life a spark of hope.
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The spark had grown inside his chest into a raging fire, and Bart knew that he could save his grandfather and be a hero. He could change the world.
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Bart realized that the entire fate of humanity rested on his shoulders. He wouldn't be able to tell anyone what truly happened. Not yet, anyway.
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This was his destiny. To go back in time and save the world from the traitor, Blue Beetle. He would save his grandfather, and his parents, and everyone. He took a deep breath and entered the pod.
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This was it, Bart realized. He was going to leave this ghost of Earth behind and see how beautiful the world really was. Bart gulped. He was going to see his grandfather, his dad, Wally. And he was going to see his mom again. Run, Bart. She had said to him. Don't stop. I love you.
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The pod had stopped. Was he here? Had he made it? He stepped out of the pod, and saw Mount Justice intact and three people. Nightwing, Beast Boy, and Robin.
"Ta Da!" He called. He was brimming with energy and excitement. He was here. He had escaped Blue Beetle.
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Impulse, they called him. He had saved his grandfather from dying, and now he could wake up and visit him anytime. He was secretly relieved that the pod only went one way. There was no way he was going to the future when he saw everything here. He had never seen a blue sky, or a sunset before. And now he had.
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He belonged here, in the past. At first he was afraid they wouldn't let him stay, but they seemed happy enough. They even allowed him to be a part of their covert team! He had never felt so happy or safe in his life, with people who trusted and wanted him.
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The missions went well. They hadn't realized at first how big of a problem the Reach were, and Bart had to keep his mouth shut. Spoilers and all that. But no one suspected him to know anything about them, so he was luckily able to stay quiet.
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Blue Beetle. When Bart had first met him, he was almost certain he was about to die right then and there. But he seemed friendly enough, and actually fought against the Reach. Bart began to wonder if Blue Beetle's betrayal of humanity was as black and white as it had seemed. His name was Jaime, and Bart couldn't help but feel drawn to him. He began to try and go on any missions Jaime was on. Bart told himself that it was because he wanted to keep an eye on Blue.
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The first few days at the Cave, he had ran. He hadn't stopped for anything, zipping around the Cave like he was on fire. No one questioned it. They seemed mostly amused by his energy. He had never felt so free to run and live, and he didn't want to stop, ever. When his legs finally slowed down, his mouth picked up the slack. He chattered to Jaime about anything and everything, and Jaime listened.
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No one knew. They didn't understand what the future was like, how bad it truly was. And Bart never really told them, because why should he? He was here to change the future, so they didn't need to know just how horrible it was. He avoided their questions about it, so eventually they got the point and stopped asking. They also didn't ask about how he would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night screaming, but Jaime offered to listen if Bart ever needed to talk. Bart was immensely grateful for the offer, but never took it.
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Bart had never had a home. Not really, anyway. He'd had to move around like crazy in the future, never staying in one place. He'd never belonged, not in that world where being a human was just like being a pesky cockroach.
"Let's go home," Jaime had said after a particularly tiring mission. And that's when Bart realized: This was his home. And he never wanted to leave. He had family and friends who cared about him, and he was going to stay. Whenever he was around Jaime, he felt different. He hadn't felt anything like that since before his mom died. He hoped Jaime felt the same.
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"You managed to keep your mouth shut? You?" Jaime asked incredulously. They had just cleansed the scarab of the Reach's control.
"Hey. Making sure you stayed hero was the main reason I came back to the past. So I was motivated to take my mouth off mode. Don't you get used to it now!" Bart answered. He was secretly relieved that it was a mind-controlled scarab, not Jaime, that had betrayed humanity. Bart had gotten really close to Jaime, close enough that he had almost spilled the entire truth about the future. But he couldn't worry about that now. It was time to save the world.
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"Bart, slow down!" Wally huffed. Bart blinked. He hadn't realized he had been speedtalking.
"Sorry," he said. "I just got excited." Bart was at Barry's house with Wally and Iris, and of course, the Garricks. He had been talking about one of his missions that he and Jaime went on. Iris and the Garricks just chuckled at him.
"So," Wally slid into the chair next to him. "How's Jaime?"
"He's crash. He's in control now, so we've been hanging out."
"Has he kissed you yet?" Wally asked casually, making Bart spit out his spaghetti and begin to cough.
"Wally!" Iris exclaimed.
"What?!" Wally protested.
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Bart was in the training room up at the Watchtower, watching Robin and Batgirl spar. The Reach apocalypse had been stopped, but at a cost. Bart looked down at his yellow and red uniform.
"Bart?" Bart's heart danced as Jaime walked up next to him. Jaime briefly watched the sparring session before speaking.
"I, uh, noticed you changed your uniform." Jaime scratched his head.
"Yeah. Wally wanted me to carry on the name, so after he… anyway, I became Kid Flash, and they changed my name in the zeta tube and everything." Bart realized he might be rambling, so he shut up. Jaime nodded awkwardly. Beast Boy and Static were whispering excitedly to each other, glancing over at them.
"Are you… okay?" Jaime asked.
"Oh. Oh, yeah, I'm crash, amigo. Got a lot on my mind cause now I have to go talk to-" Suddenly, Jaime's lips were on his. Bart's eyes flew open and he stared at Jaime. Jaime pulled off quickly. The whole room had gone silent.
"Sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." Jaime scoffed. "It's just I saw you there and I couldn't help but-" This time Bart pulled Jaime down and kissed him, hard. Jaime melted into it and opened his mouth, deepening the kiss.
They broke apart to breathe, and Bart saw Beast Boy and Static whoop and high five. Robin and Batgirl had stopped sparring, and Robin sighed and pulled a ten dollar bill out and handed it to Batgirl, who just smirked. Bart smiled and pulled Jaime back into another kiss.
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Bart and Jaime were tangled up on the couch, watching a show on the TV. Jaime had fallen asleep and was snoring softly. Bart rested his head on Jaime's shoulder. He was more content than he had ever been in his entire life. In the future, he never would've been able to get a boyfriend. Not only because humans in general were scarce, but the only contact the Reach allowed was for human breeding programs. Bart again was grateful that he had been able to come to the past and make an actual life for himself. He settled deeper into Jaime's arms and fell asleep.
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It was the third time this week he had woken up screaming in the middle of the night, gasping for air and desperately clawing the sheets off of him. He bolted to the bathroom and hurled down the toilet. This night he had watched again as his mom had been torn apart, over and over until Jaime had shaken him awake.
Jaime hovered at the bathroom door,unsure whether to approach or stay put. He made his decision and sat down next to Bart. He rubbed Bart's back silently.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jaime asked quietly. Bart squeezed his eyes shut, not looking at Jaime.
"Yeah." he answered. Jaime waited for Bart to continue. Bart hesitated. He was afraid that what he said might ruin their relationship.
"It was my mom," he eventually blurted out. "She died when I was eight. But the horrible thing was, I watched her die. Right on front of my eyes as they tore her apart. And I didn't do anything to stop it," he added hoarsely. Jaime didn't say anything.
"She told me to run, so I did. I ran as far as I could, but it wasn't enough. They found me and brought me to a Reach camp. They did horrible things, Jaime," Bart gasped. "They tortured people. They did things-" Bart swallowed thickly.
Jaime stroked Bart's back. "It's all right, Bart." He said. "You're here now. You're home." Bart looked up at Jaime and saw his fiercely protective look.
Bart smiled. "You're right. I'm home."