Iris had taken Wally to work that day.

She'd insisted on it, seeing how crime was at a minimum so Kid Flash would have nothing to do, and Wally rarely spent time on his homework, Iris nagged. He couldn't get out of doing studying. Not now. Not with those grades, if she could help it.

So he was tasked with sitting at Iris's desk, scowling over an undergraduate physics textbook, while Iris chatted and worked with the other reporters on an article regarding a metahuman who had attacked a baseball game the past week.

"Yo? West-" a woman called, approaching Iris's desk with a thick packet of papers, before she frowned at the young man slouching in Iris's chair.

"West. Reporting for duty," Wally muttered sarcastically, before he looked up from his textbook and found himself staring at a really gorgeous woman. Her dark hair was tied back in a neat bun, her makeup was subtle, and her figure was petite in a simple blue dress. Her brows were neatly furrowed in confusion, as she held a stack of notebooks and papers.

"Sorry," she answered flatly, turning to walk away, "I was looking for West-"

"I am West, though," Wally replied awkwardly, braving a smile as he held a hand out to her, "My name is Wally. I'm Iris's baby brother - I mean, I'm Iris's younger brother. I'm not a baby. I'm Wally."

He cringed immediately.

She arched an eyebrow at him, wearing a bemused smile before she took his hand and shook it firmly. "I… can see that," she purred, laughing gently, "It's nice to meet you, Not a Baby Wally. I'm Linda…"

"Hey, Linda," Wally replied with his trademark adorable smile, hoping it didn't come off as goofy. He straightened his posture, "So… Iris isn't here at the moment. Did you want to ask her for something, or…?"

"She really isn't here?" Linda inquired with a sad pout, brushing her hair behind her ear as she turned her head and surveyed the room, "She said she had information on the meta attack at the sports field."

"You wanna know about the attack?" Wally asked, surprised.

"I'm a sports reporter," Linda explained, disappointed when she saw Iris wasn't to be seen, before she glanced at Wally with a small smile, "My editor's been on me lately, about sticking strictly to baseball statistics and interviews with athletes. But I want this attack in the sports section too. Two athletes were injured, and are in critical condition. I want the public to aware of-"

"Of how it happened?" Wally completed for her, folding his hands on Iris's desk in a professional manner, "Matter of fact, Linda, I was at that very game. I could tell you what happened at the game, if you'd like."

He offered her a cheesy but adorable grin.

She threw him a look of skepticism.

Well, he wasn't lying, Wally justified mentally. He was at the game - as Kid Flash, racing onto the field to stop the roided-out metahuman, who barged into the baseball game, enraged.

He gave her another hopeful smile.

She blinked at him incredulously, before taking the seat in front of Iris's desk and producing a recorder from her pocket, placing it in between them. She also pulled out a notepad, and took a pen out of the cup next to Iris's computer, ready to take notes.

"Okay, Mr. West… Some information has to be better than none. Were you attending the game as an audience member when the attack began?"

"Uhh…" Wally faltered, his eyes darting away from a very focused Linda, before he looked at her again and shrugged. "Sure, we can go with that."

"I'm sorry. I'm sensing hesitation. You saying you weren't there as an audience member?"

"Not really… But I did see everything," Wally promised, before cringing again at Linda's unimpressed scowl.

Keep it together, Wall-man, he urged himself, biting his lower lip nervously. Don't let the secret identity out. Even if she is super cute. And super observant. Don't let her think you're a weirdo.

"Okay then… Could you tell me what you saw?" Linda continued, scribbling something into her notepad, unimpressed.

"Of course," Wally replied with a grin, before clearing his throat, "The metahuman's name is Waylon Jones. After he got his powers, he become known as Killer Croc, a violent half human-half crocodile hybrid. He'd reached the baseball game by swimming through the sewers, before Flash and Kid Flash arrived at the scene…"

And Linda listened attentively as Wally described how he and Barry had worked together to subdue their reptilian threat. She asked detailed questions and smiled at Wally's responses. She even laughed at Wally's corny jokes, which was a first, because no girl laughed at his jokes. This woman was special, on some level, Wally thought, unable to repress his smile.

She asked Wally if he knew anything else about the metahumans at the scene, namely Kid Flash.

"You wanna know more about Kid Flash?" Wally retorted in disbelief, with a proud smile.

"Um. Yes?!" Linda responded matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow at Wally, trying to down-play her interest. "He's the newest meta in town, and he's very popular in the media. If he was at the attack, I want to know as much as I can about him. Who is he? What does he do? Does he live in Central City? What are his goals, as a hero? And can I get with him?"

"Can you get with him?"

"-for an interview," Linda added urgently, before narrowing her dark eyes at Wally. "Remind me again how you know so much about the attack? You very clearly weren't there as a spectator."

"Erm.." Wally blushed under her scrutiny, before he smiled and winked at her, leaning in. "You see. I actually know Kid Flash."

"Do you now?" Linda answered, unamused, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yup."

Linda studied him, and Wally resisted the urge to squirm under her keen eyes.

To his surprise, she smiled down at her notes and began recollecting her papers. She tore a piece of paper off of her notepad and began jotting something down on it. "If you don't mind, Mr. West? I'll be quoting you directly in my article," she stated, a little authoritatively.

"Sounds fair to me."

She handed him the small piece of paper she had torn out. "And if you could please give Kid Flash my number-"

"Your number?!" Wally questioned in shock.

"So I could… discuss the attack with him," Linda offered, casually shrugging one shoulder.

Wally frowned at the little piece of paper in his hands, but before he could object, Linda thanked him with a pretty smile and walked away.

Great, he thought, pocketing Linda's number.

In less than a few minutes, he'd found himself automatically heads over heels for a witty reporter at CCPN. That reporter in turn was seemingly heads over heels on Kid Flash, and had given Wally her number…. to give to Wally's alter ego.

There was no way this could go wrong, Wally thought sarcastically.

"Um. Ms. Linda?" Wally called, leaving Iris's desk to go follow after her.

Linda turned on her heels to look up at Wally.

Height difference, Wally noticed immediately.

Even in heels, she was at least a head shorter than him - which only made her look more adorable.

"What's up, Wally?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I - I can't give Kid Flash your number," Wally stammered, returning the small piece of paper to her, shaking his head, "I think you may have misunderstood what I meant. I actually don't have that kind of close connection to him."

Linda pursed her lips, before she shrugged. "Okay. So you keep it."

Wally widened his eyes, astonished at her words. "What, for like, a followup interview?-"

"No. Because we all know who Kid Flash really is," Linda answered, before inching closer to Wally, and whispering with narrowed eyes, "Listen, Wally. I know Barry's the Flash. And I know Iris is engaged to him. I also know that, from their public interactions, the Flash is very close to Kid Flash, so it has to be someone Barry, and probably Iris, are both close to…"

Wally blinked at her, reddening as he stepped away from her. "I - I have no idea what you're talking about - it's not me," he laughed uncomfortably, holding up his hands in surrender, "Barry? Wha- Barry can't be the Flash, he's not-"

"You really wanna test me on this, hmm?" Linda asked, smirking and brushing a hand over Wally's shoulder as she walked past him. "Call me if you want, West."

Wally was left dumbfounded, heat rising in cheeks as he watched Linda walk away.

Slightly embarrassed, he turned around to return to Iris's desk, and instead found his sister standing a few feet behind him, her hand on her waist as she smirked at her brother.

"Don't. say. a word," Wally mumbled, blushing like crazy as he walked away from Iris's smile, before he turned around and went back to her. "She's - she's not gonna publish my secret identity in the paper, is she?"

"No way, Wally," Iris assured warmly, giving her nerve-wracked brother a side hug. "She's flirting with you. She's just as interested in you as you are in her."

"As I'm interested in her- Was it that obvious?!" Wally hissed, blushing deeply again.

"Yes, you little dork," Iris laughed, before leading him back to her desk.

It wouldn't be long before the whole world would know - Kid Flash and Linda Park could hardly be able to hide their feelings for one another, and their love would be one for the ages.

Thank you for reading! I can't wait for Malese to return to the show!

Please let me know what you thought!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you again soon!

- DBV