Seeing Yourself As You Really Are

Kid quickly filled Jinx in on last night's activities. It was certainly hard for the woman to stomach, but she needed to know.

He finished talking as she scraped a pan full of scrambled eggs onto a plate, and slid them across kitchen bar top. The masked hero already had a plate of bacon and a mountain of pancakes.

They ate in silence as Jinx mulled over the details that he shared with her. The description of the guy could have been anyone, but she never knew of someone that specialized in chemical compounds. The whole thing bothered her.

Once, they finished their meal, Jinx finally spoke. "I'm glad that you had enough sense to know to retreat. I can't believe that you didn't have back up though.

Kid just put his hands up in defense. "The others were busy on other calls, and it seemed like a simple situation to diffuse. Jinx, it's ok, and I'm ok. I'm already healed, so please stop worrying."

"What do you mean you're already healed?" she mused.

A small smile crossed his lips as he slid out of his seat and walked over to her on the opposite side of the kitchen bar. Without a word, he began to rip off the bandages that Jinx wound around him last night. There wasn't even a bruise or a scratch. He then repeated his actions until all of her bandages were gone. He did have a few new scars, otherwise, his skin was flawless.

"I don't understand, you came in here last night, looking like you had the worst beating of your life." Without thinking, she reached out and touched his newly formed scar on his torso, causing Kid to jump a bit. His reaction caused her to retract her hand, as if she burned it.

"Sorry, I violated your personal boundaries."

Kid shook his head. "No, it's fine, I just didn't expect it." He then offered her a quick grin as he grabbed her hand and put it back where it was.

"Inspect away nurse Jinx. I heal at a faster rate. My body is constantly replacing damaged skin, blood cells, and bone at an accelerated rate, which is why I heal faster. My metabolism and my brain functions are also quicker too. That's why I can have motor mouth at times, or why I literally say what's on my mind. It can be tricky for me to have a buffer. I'm glad you wrapped my ribs though, they probably wouldn't have healed properly if you hadn't done that. I'm also sorry if I scared you last night. I hope I didn't completely derail your studies for history."

The new amount of knowledge that Kid shared with her was amazing. It also made so much sense.

"So this morning, you were making sure the poison was out of your system, right?" Kid just nodded.

"You should take it easy for a few days, and let your body completely replenish itself. I think your body did a lot of overdrive work to get you healed to this point. You looked pretty tired when you took off this morning, and that isn't normal."

The hero just smiled and stepped away. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I'm going to shower and changed. clothes I think I ran into quite a few things on my run back to the apartment, because I don't really remember my costume taking a beating when I got into it with that guy."

Once he disappeared in his bedroom, Jinx just shook her head and began to wash the dishes. After every plate was scrubbed and loaded into the machine, she pushed the start button and retreated to the couch to resume her history studies. She could hear Kid's shower going steady. It was one of the few things that the speed demon seemed to do at a slow pace.

After a solid 45 minutes, his bedroom door opened and he came out, just dressed in a black v neck and red basketball shorts. He settled down on the couch and turned on the tv, flipping through it mindlessly until he found Top Gear. A few minutes later, Jinx closed her book, and looked over at him. He still had his mask on, and he was toying with it mindlessly with his index finger.

"Why didn't you look last night?" he finally asked.

Jinx blinked a few times, taking in his question. "At what?"

"You could have easily taken off my mask, why didn't you?"

Jinx shrugged. "It's not my place, or my business. Your identity is yours unless you want to share it. I completely understand that concept. I wish I had worn a mask when I was a criminal, it would have made becoming a civilian much easier. Why, does it bother you that I didn't look Kid?"

Kid just shook his head. "No, it just means that I was right to trust you. I've been thinking about it all morning. It was the first thing I checked for, but really, that was stupid. I've been locking my door too, but I bet you've never even tried to go in my room."

"You locked your door to your room because you thought I would look? " Jinx couldn't help but feel a little insulted.

"See, proof that you never even tried to go in my room. How long has it been since you even tried to commit a crime? I mean prior to leaving the Hive. I know I caught them a few times after our last encounter, but you were never with them."

"I pretended to be sick," She answered honestly. "In fact, I haven't committed a crime since the whole Madame Rouge encounter I had with you. I wasn't kidding when you found me on the street. I'm so tired of it Kid. I'm sick of being bad because it's what expected of me. My power brings misfortune, and so bad behavior was always expected of me. I never really wanted this life for myself. I just did it because it made things easier. When I was a child..." she suddenly stopped herself and shook her head.

"Sorry, I almost got heavy on you there. You don't need to hear things like this." She then sighed and pulled her history book back out. The next thing she knew, it was out of her hand, and on the floor. Kid was now in her personal space, partially boxing her in as he placed a hand on the back of the couch , letting their eyes lock.

"I want to hear this Jinx. I've always believed that people aren't born bad, and that they are capable of being good. I want to know what caused you to fall into the previous life that you had so that I can better understand you. Please, just open up for me, and maybe I'll do the same."

His request was so earnest . She just nodded and swallowed a dry lump that formed.

"I was born to poor parents. My dad was a gambler, and had some of the best luck when it came to dice, roulette, and blackjack. My mother did odd jobs like tarot readings and crystal healing. They were…odd…to say the least. When I was born, they knew I was different. Pink cat like eyes aren't exactly normal. I went to school, but I was definitely picked on. I tried to kill them with kindness, but they still wouldn't go away." She paused as she fidgeted in her seat.

"My first incident was in third grade. This boy constantly called me names, took my books, stole my money…you know…bullying 101. One day, I finally had enough, and I wished for something bad to happen to him, and it did. I was angry, and I didn't really want him to get hurt, but he did. He stole my lunch that day, and he was eating it on top of the monkey bars during recess. I just stood there and watched. My anger got the best of me, and that dark desire came back. The next thing I knew, he fell off of the bars and broke his back. Kid, I paralyzed him. I never wanted anything like that to happen. I just wanted him to know what it felt like to be small for a change."

She paused again, looking into Kid's eyes, waiting for that judgmental look to appear. It never did, so she continued.

"After that day, I felt so guilty and scared. I knew I was responsible some how. For a while, I didn't have another incident, and then there was a day that I came home and I found my dad and another woman in my parents' bed. I felt so angry because my dad caused us a lot of grief. He was a high risk gambler, and he liked to drink. Sometimes, he would get rough with me or my mother, and I resented him for it. When I saw him that day, those dark thoughts came back and I wanted something bad to happen to him. When my dad finally saw me, he chased me out of the apartment and through the halls. He ended up missing a step on the stairs, and fell. He…well…he broke his neck and died on the spot."

A dry lump was forming in her throat yet again, so she paused to swallow. She was surprised to see Kid's bent index finger coming towards her. That's when she realized it. She was crying. He quickly wiped away her tears and just waited patiently to continue. She took a deep breath and started again.

"My mother was almost relieved that he was gone since she was free of a lot of the burden he brought on us. I decided to confide in her one day, and told her about the two incidents. She seemed shocked at first, and thought I was just paranoid. Then she told me to prove it to her. She took me outside and asked me to focus my thoughts on a parked car. I let myself wish for something bad to happen and it did. About five minutes later, it caught on fire. She had me prove it a few more times with petty tasks, nothing damaging to others. Each time, something happened. I thought she would be terrified, but she was excited. I should have known that she was a kook, but I was a child. She pulled me out of school, and started bringing me to work with her. At first, I would just sit and listen as she did tarot readings, and then she started having me do something terrible. She had me place curses for her paying customers. Some of these curses were minor, and others were so serious that I tried get out of them. My mother made me say them out loud though, and that was all it took, even if I didn't mean it."

"Eventually my mind slipped, and I thought about her shop burning to the ground. I just wanted it to stop. The next morning, we showed up and it was torched. She figured it out quick enough, and she threw me out onto the street. She said she couldn't trust me, and that she wouldn't have her own flesh and blood put her into the ground like her husband. I couldn't really blame her, I would have been scared too."

Kid just bit his lip, fighting the urge to speak. Jinx carried on the conversation without missing a beat.

"After that, I lived on the streets for a while, using my abilities to steal food and find shelter. I finally got picked up by the cops, and I went to an orphanage for a while. They figured out that I was bad luck pretty quickly. I didn't want to be there, so things kept happening to the house. Pipes kept erupting, small kitchen fires happened…you get the idea. So, when I was on the streets for my second time, I was discovered by a few students at the Hive Academy, and they brought me in to meet the headmaster. I accepted the invitation without even thinking."

"Really, I just went there because they promised clean clothes, food, and a bed. I ended up staying because I felt accepted there, and because I was able to attend regular classes. I also learned some control over my abilities, so the accidental incidents stopped. By the time that I joined the Hive 5, I felt that I belonged on the bad side because that is what people knew me more, and what I was expected to do. I liked not being picked on or being used, and people respected me. I didn't understand that I gained that respect through fear, and I didn't realize that I was still being used until a few years into my crime career. The rest you know."

Jinx looked exhausted from her long winded confession. Kid remained silent for a minute as he ran his hands down her shoulders and arms, stopping once he had her hands in his. "What is your real name?"

He wanted to know it because the name Jinx was associated with what she could do, and not who she was. He wanted to know, because he wanted to get to know the real her, and not what her data files told her in the crime data base. He also wanted to know, so that he could call her something else other than a name that was associated with misfortune. That wasn't her.

"I'm fine with being called Jinx, it's kind of fun," she laughed. Deep down though, part of her hated it. It was a name given to her by the Hive, and it was a name that her mother called her before throwing her out of her home.

"Jinx, please tell me your real name. You're so much more than your alias, and I don't want to keep reminding you of something that is associated with your crime days. I also just want to know."

She was slightly floored by his statement. It was probably one of the sweetest things that she had heard in a while. A few moments of silence passed before she finally piped up.

"Coraline. My name is Coraline. My mother picked it because said my eyes were as pink as the coral that she saw when she went diving in the ocean.

"Coraline," Kid repeated as he smiled a little. "I like it a lot. It suits you. Slightly unusual and beautiful, just like you."

Jinx just blushed a little while Kid continued his one sided conversation.

"Well, my name isn't nearly as cool as yours."

"I don't know. Kid Flash, is pretty awesome," she teased.

"That's not my real name," he deadpanned. "It's Wallace…Wally for short."

Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "What do you think you're doing? You shouldn't be telling me stuff like that! I know I didn't hear your name right. I think you said it was Walter, no wait…Waldo. It was definitely Waldo."

Kid's hands gripped her hands firmly, causing her to focus on him. "No Coraline, I said my name is Wally. I want you to know it. I want you to call me it when I'm not in uniform."

Jinx was simply stunned by this. Wally. He literally confided his citizen name to her. She had no intention of going back to a life of crime, but it just seemed so wrong for him to tell her.

"Wally…" she tried it out slowly.

"Yep. Wally West."

"Did you really have to share your full name just now? I'm still trying to grasp the concept of you sharing your first name." Her mind was still in a tizzy.

"It's too late now, it's out there in the open. I'm Wally West, and you're Coraline…"

"Gray," she supplied. "Coraline Gray."

He just offered a huge grin to her as he shook one of her hands. "Nice to meet you Coraline." He then pulled his hands away from her and slipped them beneath the neckline of his v neck and began to tug.

"Wait, stop!" she fussed.

"No," he retorted. He was tugging at the base of his mask, easing it up his neck. The material was now peeling itself free from his chin line, and his cheek bones.

She did the unthinkable. She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands. For now, he ignored her as he finished removing the red fabric from his face, rubbing his newly exposed skin to give it a bit of air. He then took in the sight of her and laughed.

"What are you doing dummy?" he mused.

"You can't show me your identity, you just can't!"

"Why?" He was now genuinely curious. Most people would have jumped at this chance. Leave it to Coraline to resist.

"I'm an ex villain, what if I go bad again?"

"You're not going to," he stated as if it were a fact.

"I don't plan to, but still, what if they capture me and torture me."

"I trust you." Again, his voice was serious.

"I'm not looking," she retorted. Now she sounded like a stubborn child.

"This is stupid," Wally commented. The next thing he knew, he gently pushed her back against the couch cushions and grasped her wrists, yanking them away from her face.

"Open your eyes silly woman," he growled.

"No! I'm not going to look."

"Come on Coraline…you know you want to…"

"No!"

"Coraline…"

"No, no, no."

"Jinx…"

"No!"

"Seriously, if you don't open your eyes, I am going to speed into the kitchen, grab the ice bin and dump it all down your shirt."

"You wouldn't!" she commented in horror.

She felt his weight disappear from her, and the sound of the freezer door open and shut. Within a few seconds, he was back, straddling her with the ice bucket in hand. To prove that he wasn't bluffing, he grabbed a few cubes and placed them on her collar bones.

Her eyes almost flew open as she gasped from surprise. "You better not do this, otherwise I'll hex you into next week."

"I can handle your hexes. Now open your eyes, or I'm putting the ice in this bin down your shirt. One…"

"Wally, this is stupid, I'm trying to be respectful."

"Two…"

"Seriously, you better not dump that ice on me. I'll demolish this apartment in retaliation."

"thre…"

Her eyes flew open, meeting his before he could finish the word.

"Oh, there are your eyes. I was beginning to wonder if your eyelids had become mysteriously glued shut." He placed the ice bucket on the coffee table and just smiled down at her. "See, it's not so bad right?"

"You have freckles," she uttered mindlessly. That he did, but only a few. Just around his cheek bones.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a red head. You really shouldn't be surprised by that."

She laughed at his joke, which eased the tension that she felt. She had to admit, he definitely looked good without his mask. She didn't expect him to be quite so handsome. His freckles even looked good on him. It gave him a boyish charm.

"Oh sure, laugh it up," he teased. "Besides, they aren't freckles, they are angel kisses. Get it right Coraline."

"Angel kisses?" she inquired.

"Yeah, people say that freckles are really angel kisses. As you can see, angels really dig me. They must not like you though since you don't have any."

Again, she found herself in a fit of laughter, which caused the speedster to smile. He liked this side of her. Better yet, he liked that they could interact like this. Without a mask, they were just two semi-normal people cohabitating an apartment. That element of villain and hero seemed to disappear the moment that she really saw him without any hindrance. They were now equals.

When her laughter finally dyed down, her face sobered a bit.

"Wally?"

"Yes Coraline?"

"It's nice to actually see you ." She almost felt idiotic for saying it, but it was the truth. A tiny part of her had always been curious what was behind that mask, and now she finally got to see.

"I could say the same to you, but you've been showing yourself since you came here. You also showed me that you're someone that I can confide in. I never really liked wearing the mask around the house."

She just smiled. "I also want to thank you."

"For what?"

"For using my real name. It's been years, and when I hear it, I don't think about my past as much."

"That's because you're not a Jinx, and I'm not a Flash. The world tries to categorize us in a few words, but that's foolish. We're complex." His response was almost poetic. It was perfect.

"I like that," She replied.