Author's Note: As always, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! It really makes me want to write more for you guys!

I'm still trying to fight this writers block that has been killing me for the past year, just when I feel like I'm getting out of it again, it decides to come back, but I'm doing everything I can to get back. I don't want to leave you guys hanging like I have been for the longest time. But I can feel my muse coming back and I hope to blow the dust off the projects and start them up again!

Now, here is the next chapter of The Speedsters

Summary: A stuffed version of his favorite superhero can only provide so much comfort during a late night storm.

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Young Justice

Chapter Ten: Thunderstorm

It started out as nothing more then heavy rain. So heavy that one could clearly hear every single drop of rain pelt against the roof. It had been raining hard for hours now.

Storms made Wally uncomfortable. He buried his face into his pillow like he always did when storms like this rolled over their home. Slowly peeking out from the pillow, he stared at the window on the other side of the room, watching the raindrops slide down the glass.

He snuggled deep into the warm comforter- hoping it would protect him from the scary storm- before his arms wrapped tightly around his Flash plushie.

Wally's eyelids started to droop; the steady sound of the heavy rain was slowly starting to put him to sleep. He fought to keep them open- he wanted to watch the raindrops slide down the window just a bit longer.

Green eyes stayed open for a few seconds before drooping slowly, only to be forced open again. But they snapped completely open when there was bright flash of light- a light that was so bright that it lit up his entire bedroom; one would think that all the lights in his room were on.

Wally completely froze in his bed. He was too scared to move- his entire body felt as if it had turned to lead. Blinking away the tears in his eyes, he clutched his plushie tight to his chest and started to count. Uncle Barry told him that if you counted right after lighting stuck until you heard the thunder, you could tell how far away it was.

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, fiv-"

Wally slapped his hands over his mouth to prevent the loud yelp from escaping his lips when the gunshot sound ripped through his ears. He reached five. Uncle Barry told him that each Mississippi was a mile, so that meant that it was five miles away- however far away that was.

Wide green eyes stay focused on the window, waiting for another strike of lighting. But there was no bright light, and no low rumble of thunder. Maybe it was over, maybe it was just one strike of lighting and it was over... yeah, he liked the sound of that.

"It's okay, Flash, I think it's over now. You don't have to be scared." Wally whispered even through he was the one clinging to the plushie as his entire body trembled from the loud rumble of thunder. "We can go back to sleep now, there's no more lighting…"

It was as if he had muttered beetle-juice three times because another strike of lighting hit, lighting up his room, causing Wally had to close his eyes at the sheer brightness. Letting out a loud yelp, he pulled the covers over his head in fear.

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four-"

This thunder sounded more like a rumble, but the noise lasted much longer than the last one. Wally whimpered and pulled the covers tighter over his head. The thunder and lighting couldn't get to him if he was safe and sound under the blanket- not to mention that his plushie would protect him too.

The lightning kept coming, each strike lighting up his room even more than the previous. It was getting to the point that it was so bright even under the thick comforter. Wally clung to his plushie as a lifeline, blinking back the tears that were starting to pool in his eyes.

Sniffling, he buried his face in his Flash plushie. He wanted to cry, he was so scared. Tears slowly began to run down his cheeks, disappearing into the fabric of his stuffed toy.

"I'm not scared, Flash," Wally whimpered, clutching him to the point that there was no fluff in the spot where his arms wrapped around the plushie. "I'm not…"

The next rip of thunder sounded more like a gunshot than a rumble. It was so close, so loud, that it shook his entire room.

"I'm scared!"

Wally desperately tried to untangle himself from the blankets and sheet. He hadn't realized just how tangled up he was until he tried to get out. The entire struggle to get out of his covers was a disaster, and he ended up falling off his bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Ow…" Wally whimpered, rubbing his sore bottom. "Quit laughing, Flash!"

Standing up, he grabbed his plushie off the floor and held it close to his chest. Maybe if he went to someone, they could make him feel safe. He slowly padded his way over to the window and peeked outside.

The rain was coming down hard, and the porch light shined just bright enough through the darkness to show that the yard was filled with massive puddles of muddy water, one of which was running onto the driveway.

"S-see, Flash…" Wally whispered, wiping the tears that were traveling down his cheeks with the back of his hand. "I-it's not scary at all…"

He wasn't scared, and he sure knew that heroes never got scared. Besides, heroes probably didn't like 8 year olds that were afraid of thunderstorms. He was brave, just like his Uncle Barry and the Flash both were.

"I'm brave, Flash!"

Wally nearly screamed when a flash of lighting lit up his vision. He stumbled back in shock, falling back on his butt. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands; the light was so bright, it had nearly blinded him.

More tears spilled from his eyes once the thunder rumbled. He got up so fast, ran to his bed, and retreated back under the covers. His entire body was shaking despite how hard he tried to get it to stop.

Reaching up, he covered his ears with his hands in a weak attempt to block out the thunder that shook his bedroom. Choked sobs escaped Wally's lips as he rocked back and fourth with the Flash plushie trapped between his legs and chest.

He didn't want to cry, he really didn't, but he was petrified.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Throwing his covers off, he walked over to his door and cracked it open. Sticking his head out, he looked left, then right. The coast was clear- he hadn't known if the boogie-man was out and about, so he had to be sure.

"Let's go see Uncle Barry, Flash!"

Wally slowly made his way down the hallway, his tiny feet making a soft pit-pat sound against the polished hardwood floor. His plushie was tucked securely under his arm, and before he knew it, he had reached his aunt and uncle's bedroom door.

He stared at the door for a moment, pondering about what he was going to say to his uncle. He hesitantly reached out to grab the shiny doorknob, but right as his fingers were about to brush against it, he stopped himself.

Was this a good idea?

Before he came to live with his aunt and uncle, he was never allowed in his parents' room, especially after bedtime. It was a house rule. His father would get livid at him if he went into their room, let alone wake him up.

He could still hear his father's words booming inside his head.

"West, don't cry! Go back to your room!"

Chills ran down his spine. He didn't want to think what his uncle would say to him. He couldn't go to his aunt because she had been called in for a late night shift. Besides, even if she were here, she would probably be scary as well if woken up. With so many different scenarios running through his head, his arm fell limply to his side, and his gaze drifted to the ground. Tears dripped down his face, softly hitting the ground around his feet.

He needed someone; the Flash plushie could only provide so much comfort.

Another strike of lighting lit up the hallway, enough to make Wally yelp out loud. He threw his hand over his mouth. He couldn't make any noise. He would wake up his uncle and then get in trouble for making noise and being out of bed past his bedtime.

This thunderclap was the loudest one yet, sounding like a cracking gunshot right next to his ears when it erupted. Wally instantly squatted down and covered his ears. He whimpered, knowing that he had no one to go to. He was alone and scared.

Pulling his hands away from his ears and hugging Flash tightly, he buried his face into his plushie, tears leaking from his eyes. He didn't want to move from this spot. He was going to stay there all night. He may not have had someone right there, but there sort of was someone with him, even if there was a door separating them.

After a few minutes, he peeked up from his plushie and looked out one of the windows in the hallway. He hadn't heard any thunder or seen any lighting, but he could still hear and see the rain running down the window.

Pushing himself off the floor, he scooted his way back towards his room. Maybe it was over now- no more thunder, no more lighting.

A sudden loud crackle sent Wally bolting back towards his aunt and uncle's door, but he again stopped himself from opening the door.

Maybe Uncle Barry would comfort him…but then again, maybe he would yell at him like his father for waking him up at such a late hour.

He decided to take a chance.

He reached for the doorknob once again, though he didn't hesitate as much as he had before. His uncle wouldn't be mad at him…right?

Turning the knob, he cracked open the door and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was his uncle, sleeping like there wasn't even a storm going on outside. Wally wished he could do that.

Pushing the door open, he walked up to the side of the bed, listening to his uncle letting out soft snores every now and then. Carefully, he reached out and nudged his uncle's arm in an attempt to wake him for his slumber.

"Uncle Barry."

Another loud crash, sounding closer than all the others before it, made him jump nearly a foot in the air. Wally nudged his uncle's arm hard, almost desperately.

"Uncle Barry!"

Tears were now rushing out of his eyes like a waterfall. Why wouldn't his uncle wake up?! How could he sleep through all this like it was nothing at all?

"Uncle Barry!"

The unmasked speedster startled, his tired gaze landing on a small figure standing next to his bed. He blinked a bit, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, until he was finally able to see his nephew. Pushing himself up, Barry rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Wally?" Barry whispered, casting a quick glance to the clock. "It's two in the morning, what's wrong?"

Wally stared at him with tear-drenched cheeks. After a moment, Wally instantly regretted coming into his uncle's room and waking him up. He was probably going to yell at him.

Wally quickly turned his gaze down to his feet, watching his toes as they curled and uncurled on the fluffy carpet of his aunt and uncle's room. He was waiting, just waiting, for Uncle Barry to explode at him for waking him up at such an ungodly hour in the morning.

"Wally…?" Barry asked carefully, tilting his head, trying to get a good look at his nephew's face as the boy stared at his feet. "What's the matter?"

Another crackle of thunder shook the house, causing Wally to jump in fear and instantly clutch his stuffed toy tightly to his chest. Hearing his uncle chuckle a bit made the floodgates in his eyes open more than before.

Uncle Barry was laughing at him. He sniffled and buried his face back into his plushie- it looked like the stuffed version of his favorite superhero was going to be the only form of comfort through the storm. He nearly yelped when his uncle put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" Wally cried out in fear, expecting to be yelled at.

Barry blinked in surprise by the reaction and the quick apology. He shook his head, and gently pulled his nephew towards him, getting him to sit on the edge of the bed.

"It's alright, Wally," Barry assured him, gently ruffling his hair. "Is the thunderstorm scaring you?"

Wally nodded while crying silently, and he leaned into his uncle's side in an attempt to stop his body from trembling.

"Wally, you know you can always come to me if you get scared or need anything," Barry told his nephew gently, wrapping his arm around the boy for comfort; clearly the kid was still afraid to approach Iris and himself about some things.

"B-but…" Wally sniffled, "Daddy always said to stop being scared and go away…"

Barry ground his teeth together in anger. Whenever he thought he couldn't hate his brother-in-law more, Wally always seemed to give him another reason. The man didn't have compassion, let alone when his own kid was scared of something, instead telling him to suck it up.

"Wally, everyone is scared of something."

"What about you, Uncle Barry? Do you ever get scared?"

"Yeah…even I get scared."

"R-really?"

"Really, Hot Rod, really," Barry confirmed, nodding his head with a small smile across his lips. "Don't be afraid to come to me or your aunt if you're scared, okay?"

"Okay…" Wally sniffled, rubbing his eyes and running nose with the back of his hand.

Wally instantly clutched his uncle's arm when another crackle of thunder shook the bedroom. He buried his face into his uncle's side, letting out pitiful whimpers of fear- he really didn't want to go back to his room by himself.

"Wally, do you want to sleep here tonight?"

Wally looked up with tears leaking from his eyes. He quickly nodded his head in case his uncle decided to change his mind at the last second and send him back to his own room.

Barry nodded his head and laid back down. He grunted slightly in pain for a moment, feeling Wally crawl over him, his bony elbows and knees digging into his gut, before the weight left him, and the younger collapsed on the other side of the bed.

As soon as Wally's head hit the pillow and the covers were pulled over him, he immediately felt safer. He snuggled deeper into the blanket, pulling his plushie close to his chest.

Looking up at his uncle, he frowned when he saw his eyes were already closed.

"Uncle Barry?" Wally whispered, trying to see if his uncle was still awake or had completely given in to sleep.

"Hmm?"

"D-do you think the Flash gets scared too?"

The question caused his uncle to open his eyes and turn his gaze towards the young redhead that was laying beside him. A small smile tugged at the man's lips.

"Yes, kiddo, even the Flash gets scared sometimes."

"Really?"

"Really."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause I know everything."

Wally giggled.

"No you don't."

Barry chuckled, giving the boy a small eye roll.

"Goodnight, Hot Rod," he said softly, kissing the boy's head.

"Goodnight, Uncle Barry."

And Wally had never slept more soundly.

Author's Note: Would you look at that, two updates in a year! How long has it been since that happened? I wrote this when we were having a series of nasty thunderstorms awhile back. I'd like to thank mimipat for taking the time to edit and fix this up for me! You are amazing! I'm gonna start working on a another chapter as well as Breaking Speed.

I hope you all enjoyed!

Until next time!

Please review!