~More Than A Program~/// Bart Allen x Reader

Chapter 5

Are those chicken-flavoured chips that Bart is eating?? XD

Things are gotta get interesting from here on out guys! I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapters~~ I hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I will!!

Chapter 5

The next morning, you awakened, stretched, and sat up, like any other day. Yet, this wasn't just some other day, not at all.

Today was the day your mission to train Bart to be as humanly as can be started.

And that thought alone was enough to fill you with happiness and eagerness, emotions once often experienced when you were younger, and believed to have been lost along with your family five years ago.

But no. This excitement was back and making you feel the best you've been in a long time.

With a long, satisfied sigh, you rubbed your eyes before practically bouncing out of bed. Just like when you were a kid, you were filled with determination to get it on with your newest goal!

After having hastily brushed your hair, you rushed into the kitchen where, not too surprisingly, you found Bart wolfing down a dozen or so Poptarts. Upon seeing you, he quickly tried to hide them, obviously not wanting to get scolded for eating so many without leaving any for you.

Although, you simply laughed it off, surprising the both of you -you had expected yourself to spit out some nasty remark-, and warmly greeted, "Morning, Bart!"

For a few moments, he stared at you, seeming to be debating whether you faking this cheery mood or not. It wasn't long, however, before he broke out into a wide grin. "Morning! Feeling crash today?"

"Yup!" You strolled over and sat down next to him. You earned a "hey!" from him as you snatched a toasted pastry and stuffed it in your mouth. "I haven't felt like this since... Well..." He nodded in understanding, prompting you to continue. "I think it's because I finally got what I told you yesterday off my chest, and... I have a new goal."

"To train me to be human?" Your companion questioned, smiling broadly.

You nodded quickly, returning the smile. "And new goals have always made me feel...Crash." You laughed at the usage of the modern term. "I forgot how it felt to chase after an objective... It's really refreshing."

As you blindly felt around for another Poptart, your hand bumped into Bart's. Looking down to see that he had been about to grab another one as well, you seized the plate and pulled it toward you. "Hands off, Bart," you teased, playfully glaring.

He raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lip. "Really?"

"Yes." With a giggle, you rose from your chair and started to run off, dish in hand.

"Hey! Come back here!!" Next thing you knew, you were getting chased down by the boy, who didn't bother using his superspeed, letting the fun stretch on a little longer.

Although it wasn't long before the game took an unexpected twist.

Just as you were reaching the living room and Bart was closing in on you, you suddenly tripped over your own feet. Wanting to catch yourself, you instinctively dropped the plate and threw your hands forward. You only briefly acknowledged a gust of wind ruffle your hair.

Once you had safely on your hands, miraculously without any bruises, you looked up to see Bart, who had an unharmed pastry in each hand and three stuffed in his mouth.

It wasn't everyday that you got to see such an amusing sight, but you were able to piece together what had happened anyway. He had used his superspeed to save your breakfast.

Yesterday, you would've scolded him for prioritizing the treats rather than you.

Today, you burst into laughter and, after having gotten to your feet, claimed the two Poptarts in his hands and cracked one of those dangling from his lips in half. "Thank you," you joked, grinning widely as he stared daggers at you.

He bestowed himself with the ability to speak again by swiftly gulping down the pastries sitting in his mouth. Crossing his arms, he whined, "That was uncalled for (Y/N)!"

"Awww, don't look at me like that..." You faked a pout before sticking one of your pastries in front of his face. "There. Better?"

He leaned forward and ate the whole thing whole, winning a surprised squeak from you. After having licked his lips clean, he grinned and cheered, "Much better!"

"Good, then." Giving him a small smile before doing so, you started heading back toward the kitchen. You heard his footsteps sound behind you as he followed suit.

"Hey, (Y/N)?"

"Yes?"

"Are you always gonna be like this?"

Taken by surprise, you came to a sudden halt. Although... This was a pleasant surprise, not the other way around.

Thus the reason for which you laughed quietly as you turned back toward the boy, a brow cocked curiously.

"Why ask?"

"Because I like you much better like this." He was beaming widely, his eyes giving off sincerity and watching you intently for a response.

You couldn't help but feel your heart brighten at these words. "Then... You'd be the first." You returned his grin. "I'll try to, if it really does please you."

That's right... This isn't bad at all. I can definitely live being like this...

"Now, I want you to name all of your programming's, well, responses."

You were now seated on the couch with Bart, staring at him expectantly, notebook in hand. "That way, I can know when it's you or not acting throughout the day and I can note your progress. You'll have to overpower your programming if you really want to be human."

"That'll..." He frowned, seeming overwhelmed. "That'll be tough. That's like asking me to ignore my brain."

"What..." You tipped your head to one side in curiosity. "Do you mean by that...?"

"Well, my programming's kinda like a brain. It has all the information I know, like facts and typical ways to act in different situations, and tells me how to act, what to say, what to do. Well, it's not completely like a brain since it's vulnerable to viruses and software and can be altered, but you get the point. As for my humanoid form," he tapped his own chest, "it's my body. It allows me to come in contact with what surrounds me. Without those two elements, I can't live. And I need both. One cannot work without the other." He sighed faintly, a blue expression dawning over his face. "All of us Impulses, and Speedsters in general, are like this. You humans think as yourselves a whole... We see ourselves as two different parts."

You quietly took in what he said, analyzing his words and making sense of them.

After a few moments, you broke the silence by whispering gently, "I'm not asking you to remove your programming from the equation, Bart. For now, I'll just list what it tells you to do, and then we'll find a way for you to live without having it control you so much. We'll find a way, together." You put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, making him look up and over at you. "And... The first thing you'll have to do to become human, Bart, is develop a sense of individuality. Meaning... You'll have to realize, and believe, that you're not just some Impulse." You smiled softly. "You're not just part of a group, you're more than that. You're your own person. You're Bart Allen. Got it?"

He slowly returned the smile, seeming to have cheered up a bit, and confirmed firmly, "Got it."

Nodding in approval, you withdrew your hand and went back to the topic at hand. "Now, just list it all, as I told you earlier... Afterwards, I'll make plans for activities that we'll do to make you develop a sense of humanity."

Sitting up abruptly, eyes shining in wonder, he exclaimed, "A-Activities?!"

You giggled at his childish reaction, breaking out into a wide grin. "Yup! You have an awesome week ahead of you, Bart Allen!"