Flattery

"I'm sorry." The words came as a surprise, as did the appearance of their owner. M'gann looked up from where she was chopping onions for dinner – spaghetti tonight; it was Kaldur's favourite – to find Wally leaning against the door frame. He stared at his feet, gnawing on his lower lip.

"Wally?" She frowned, lowering her knife. Without looking away from him she ran over the last few days in her mind. The previous missions had been a success, he had done well in training, and even Batman seemed impressed with his new-found maturity since his 16th birthday. She could think of no reason why he would be apologizing.

"I know I can be a dick sometimes," said Wally. "And I know I haven't treated you the best." He rubbed the back of his neck and stepped forward, a sheepish smile on his face. "I never meant to, or wanted to, make you uncomfortable. But you were pretty and you were there and…" He sighed, trailing off. "I'm sorry. You're much more than just beautiful, M'gann, and I wish I'd realized that sooner."

M'gann watched Wally as he shuffled his feet, feeling a smile grow on her face. Wally really had grown up since she had met him back in July. Once a womaniser who did little more than flatter her, he now stood apologizing for his actions. She wondered what had prompted the outburst. Surely she'd given him no reason to apologize? M'gann had always known his flirts were in jest, and that while his flattery rang true, it was exaggerated and played with. It was part of his charm. It always had been and she hoped it always would be.

"You know you could say something." Wally gave a nervous laugh. "I'm not you, I can't read minds." He cringed, and M'gann caught a flash of snow in his mind. The image didn't solidify, but in the instant it was accidentally tossed to her she heard Wally's cry for Artemis, felt the ghost pain of losing one of her friends, and saw the explosion which caused her to lose control.

"Sorry," he mumbled. M'gann shook it off, struggling for a moment to regain her smile.

"Don't be," said M'gann. She paused for a moment, and then added, "For anything. Wally…" She shook her head and floated over to him, touching down. It struck her that in her uniform, she was taller than he was. Only now, so close to him, did she realize that.

"Yeah?"

"You're a good guy, and I like you," said M'gann. "I never thought you meant anything by flirting with me. I… kind of liked it, actually. It was nice to be noticed."

"Yeah?" He was grinning now.

"Yeah," said M'gann. She kissed his forehead, brushing his hair back across his head.

"Thanks," said Wally. "But really, nice?"

"Well yeah," said M'gann. "New world, new friends." New body. "I wanted to fit in, wanted to feel like an Earth girl. You helped with that. Besides, I know you wouldn't call me beautiful if you didn't mean it. …Right?"

"Right," said Wally. He cupped her face and pressed his forehead to hers for a moment, grinning. "You, M'gann, are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on – both inside and out. Never let anyone tell you otherwise." M'gann blushed, shocked by the earnest tone of his words.

"Wow… Wally."

He shrugged, "I don't want to steal you from Conner, that's not my endgame. I just want you to know how much you mean to me, you know?" M'gann nodded. She did know, she knew all too well the want to fit in, to show people how much she cared. She knew how hard it was to dial back her feelings and want to please others. Unbidden, the memory of the first time she had accessed the minds of her friends came to her. Much had changed since then - most noticeable the fact that they all fell into a mental link without thinking about it anymore. "So, um… what'cha cooking?"

"Spaghetti," said M'gann. "Want to help?" Wally nodded and tugged her back into the kitchen, setting about the task of gathering up the other ingredients for the rather over the top sauce M'gann was famous for making. All of it was in speedster quantities, of course, and M'gann wondered if she wouldn't have to make two pots.

As they cooked, M'gann looked back over at Wally, who was juggling tomatoes, and giggled. The more time she spent on Earth, the more she realized how unlike television the world really was. Nothing on TV had ever prepared her for Wally West, and in some ways she was grateful for that. There was more to life than boyfriends, cheerleading, and saving the world (though the last one never came up on "Hello Megan!"), and Wally was part of her life, just as the others were. Sure, he was eager to please, over enthusiastic, and his mouth ran as fast as his feet, but that was all part of his rather unique charm. Wally West was one of a kind, a womaniser without the womanising, a speedster with a mouth faster than his brain, and, most of all, a hero, who would give anything for anyone and everyone, and strove to make the world a better place. In some ways, M'gann looked up to him: for being able to make the team laugh when they were down, for being able to distract Robin when he fell into that dark place that only Bats ever went, for being able to make Artemis feel like she was worth something, even when they fought, and for everything else he did that no one else could.

She shook her head, smiling as Wally looked over to her, noticing her staring.

"What?" he asked.

M'gann bit her lip, looking at the freckled redhead so like and unlike herself. "Thank you."

Wally blinked. "For what?"

"For being my friend." Wally grinned back at her, his ears flushed red.

"You too, beautiful." He turned back to his work, ears still red. Yeah, Wally West was definitely one of a kind, and M'gann wouldn't have him any other way.