Jay twisted around to glance into the kitchen where Joan and Wally were mixing cookie dough, "I'm glad you and Wally stopped by. Joanie's been begging me to kidnap you both if that's what it took to get you to visit. Wally's basically our grandson, you know. You can't just deprive Joanie of Wally time. She gets withdrawals."

"Yeah, I'm sorry…" Barry gave a sheepish laugh, running his fingers through his hair. Jay was smiling, and his eyes were wrinkled with laughter. Barry knew he was just joking, but he still felt guilty. "I've just been really busy lately."

"Barry, you don't need to explain anything to me," Jay cut him off with a good-natured grin. The first Flash always had a way of exuding comfort and calm just by being in the room. "I didn't mean to bust your chops. Joan and I know better than most all you have to deal with everyday."

"It's really not that bad," Barry assured him. "After four years, I've gotten the hang of being a single dad. And honestly, I've got tons of help – what with you and Hal always there for me."

Jay suddenly looked embarrassed, and he chuckled to try and hide it. He got this way whenever Barry let him know how highly he thought of him. "You're a good kid – ah, but you're not really a kid anymore, are you? I'm just grateful that you've got such a great friend to lean on when you need it."

At the mention of Hal, Barry's whole body warmed with a surprising flutter. He felt almost dizzy whenever he thought about his best friend – though they were much more than friends now. He took in a deep breath to calm himself, but it did nothing to curb the goofy grin on his face, "Uh, yeah. Hal's great. Really great."

Jay's brow pulled tight in a confused frown. They both heard Joan's indulgent laughter from the kitchen and turned to see Wally attempting to shove a giant wooden spoon coated in cookie dough into his mouth. Joan lightly swatted the boy's shoulder, looking every bit like Wally's grandmother, "We weren't done mixing yet, Wally. You stinker~"

Wally looked unapologetic as he gnawed on the spoon, "I need this…"

"You are too old to lick the spoon, young man," Joan teased him happily as she portioned the cookie dough onto a sheet pan and dumped the dirty dishes in the sink. "Besides, there are eggs in that. You'll get salmonella poisoning."

Wally harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest with a pout. Barry didn't miss the little glare that was tossed his way, "I'm too old for a lot of things, I guess."

"Oh?" Jay started laughing at the seriousness in Wally's grumpy tone. "What other things?"

Wally continued to look affronted even as Joan set a tall glass of milk in front of him and touched his bright hair fondly. He seemed to shoot daggers at Barry with his eyes as he frowned a said, "Lots."

"I can't eat brownie batter either, and I can't suck my thumb or I'll get buck teeth," Wally rattled off like he was laying down a list of severe grievances, his expression long-suffering. "And I can't sleep with Daddy anymore! But that's not fair, because Uncle Hal gets to sleep in the same bed as Daddy all the time, and he's a lot older than me!"

Barry's content smile plummeted into a wide-eyed stare of horror, and he froze solid in the chair opposite Jay. His stomach roiled nervously. Oh God…

"What…?" Joan had also stopped everything and was watching Wally curiously. Jay's gaze flickered between the three of them back and forth.

"Uncle Hal," Wally said again. "He gets to sleep with Daddy every night now, but I'm not allowed to! It's not fair…"

Barry wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. Jay and Joan's eyes found him a second later, and he could practically see them working it all out in their heads. He and Hal had only really been together for less than a year, and Barry hadn't told the Garricks that they were dating yet.

He just continued to give them both a look of blank terror until Jay turned to face him.

The retired hero cocked his head a bit to the side with a concerned frown. "Barry?"

Oh, this was awkward. Barry really didn't want to explain to them that Wally had caught him and Hal sleeping together.