See this? They are friends. Look at the body language, relaxed and open.
It doesn't last...
Wally West, you are a prat. Worst excuse ever. Still, I like how Piper isn't offended by him and takes it all in his stride. And you know, at least Wally didn't ask if this meant Piper fancied him.
But on the plus side.....
At the end of the issue they are friends again and Wally has evidently forgotten his fear of the gays. Looking back at the date this was published I feel all warm and fuzzy about the way this was handled. It could have been positioned as Wally being homophobic and in the right for being so, but I think it's quite clear in the above text that Wally is being a prat and that his mini freak out is wrong.
I was 11 in 1991 and didn't really know a lot about sexuality, but I was aware of HIV/AIDS and the mass panic and bigotry that followed it in the 80s. With that in mind, it's wonderful seeing a comic that deals with a character's sexuality in a grown up way, and that shows the panic reaction from his straight friend to be a ridiculous one.
Later on, in the 2008 Rogues Revenge Final Crisis mini there was a nice moment where one of the other rogues said something homophobic, and Piper kicked him. It felt gratifying.
