Flashette(A Barry Allen/Flash Fanfiction)

5

     After Barry called Caitlin, we were told to come in right away. The mere thought of going to S.T.A.R Labs caused our bodies to go into overdrive. We found ourselves yet again running at crazy speeds along the streets of Central City. In a matter of seconds we were speeding up the dozens of flights of stairs of S.T.A.R Labs and into the cortex. Papers fluttered in all directions as we managed to stop.
     "Caitlin, you're gonna wanna look at this," Cisco yelled as he sat up from his computer. "So much for 'everything is fine'." Caitlin then jogged in the room. 
    "You two weren't kidding...Tell me exactly what happened," she grabbed her clipboard and began taking notes.
     "We we're walking out of Jitters after meeting up with Iris. We jogged a little so we could catch the bus, and all of the sudden we were running. But not normal speed. Things flew past us in a blur. We were at our destination in a matter of seconds."
    "Remarkable...I'm going to have to run some tests."
     "Remarkable indeed," Wells said as he wheeled into the room. "The matter from the explosion mixed with the bolt impact and chemicals must have given you these abilities."
     "Now that we know the cause was the accelerator, is there any way to reverse it?" I asked, curiously. "I don't want to be stuck with this for the rest of my life! Walking— I mean full on sprinting— down the aisle at my wedding. C'mon! There has to be something we can do!". Wells shook his head.
      "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. The accelerator was destroyed during the explosion. The best you can do is try looking at these abilities as more of a blessing than a curse. There are benefits, you know..." Wells trailed on. I furrowed my eyebrows. I couldn't think of a single way this could be beneficial.
         "How?" Barry asked.
     "You can become the great heroes that this city desperately needs", Wells responded. I chuckled.
     "Barry and I as Superheroes? Are you kidding me? We all know that's not possible. This isn't some Spider-Man shit. Our life isn't one big stereotypical superhero movie. We weren't chosen to be this way, and it's not happening."
     "How would you explain Starling City's: 'Arrow'? Look around. What does Central City have? Nothing but police. You two can protect this city from what the police can't." I shook my head.
    "I don't know if we can—".
     "Inside your bodies is a map to a whole new world, and we need to discover what you guys can do."
     "I am eager to find out as well. Tomorrow, if possible, I would like to go to Ferris Air so we can run some tests," Caitlin said as she focused on writing down something on her notepad.
     "Sounds good to me," Barry said as we exited the cortex and met at the elevator once again.
    "Why can't you just listen to them, Chlo?" Barry asked. "They're professionals. They know what they're doing. We can't deal with this on our own!".
     "The professionals whose machine mishap almost cost us our lives? How can we trust them? How can you expect me to go back so easily?".
      "All our lives we've meant nothing to people but eachother. This can be our chance to show that the underdogs are capable of something too. Maybe being heroes and concealing our identities will give the city hope and something to believe in. They will feel safer. Think of that night where our lives changed...We could be the ones to stop something like that from happening again."
     "I guess you could be onto something here. After this long, confusing day I just need some time to think."
     "Me too. The amount of running we did tonight was the most i've ran in my life". I laughed at Barry's remark and nodded as we stepped into the elevator.
     "I can't wait to go home and sleep this off."
    "I was thinking maybe you'd like to come over Joe's for a little while instead and catch up. I'm sure Joe wouldn't mind. He's been a little lonely now that Iris is gone, I'm sure".
      "I would love to!" I replied as we reached the bottom level and stepped out into the night air. "Anything to give this day a sense of familiarity...Race ya there," I challenged. Barry nodded before we jogged and eventually were speeding to Joe's. Both of us slammed into the front door, this time managing to stay standing.
    "Let's not do that again until we get a handle on things."
    "Agreed." Joe opened the door with a concerned expression.
    "That was some knock...You're lucky I didn't come to the door with my gun in the air." Joe laughed before stepping aside and letting us in.
"As always, a pleasure having you here Chloe."
     "Barry invited me over for dinner tonight. I hope that's alright". I placed my coat on the back of the couch and followed as Joe walked back to the counter to cook dinner.
      "My two adopted children back home under the same roof...That's more than alright. I miss having you over here so much! You're welcome anytime you want....".
    "I appreciate that so much, Joe."
     "No problem at all. You can even stay over if you want. We don't have much for bedroom space, but we have the couch and Iris' room. She's practically moved in with Eddie, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Unless you and Barry--"
     "It's okay, I won't be needing the couch. I'll just sleep with Barry." My eyes widened, and my heartbeat quickened as I tried to recover my thought. "Not like that, like--".
     "I know what you mean. I was a teenager once, too. Just keep it PG-13 okay? I don't need, or want to hear anything coming from the other side of the wall. I'm still getting used to to seeing you together as a couple."
     "I understand. Thank you again."
     "Dinner is going to be ready in a little while, so you can chill and watch tv if you want." Joe disappeared further into the kitchen, and Barry and I snuck off to the living room. We sunk down into the couch and I buried my head in the crook of his neck. We settled on Nickelodeon because Barry and I were children at heart. Barry pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over us. We watched TV and cuddled under the blanket until Joe was ready.
     "Barry, Chloe, dinner!" Joe exclaimed as we both got up from the couch and ran over to the table. "I made your favorite."
      "Joe's famous 5 cheese lasagna with garlic bread! Oh Boy!" Barry said, rubbing his hands together. He sat down and I sat next to him. We both stared at the tasty looking meal in front of us.
      "Thanks Joe! And thanks for supporting Barry and I all these years. Even when we're adults."
    "That's what parents are for, right? Now, dig in!" Joe exclaimed before we grabbed a plate of lasagna and ate. After enjoying a delicious meal we reminisced about childhood memories. By the time everything was cleaned up, it was 7:45.
      "Since Joe's going to be down here working, do you want to go watch tv in my room?" Barry asked. Joe turned towards the sink to wash the dishes and I wriggled my eyebrows.
     "No..." Barry said, placing one finger in the air.
    "Sure, Mr Allen," I said before walking upstairs to his room. His room was larger than I remembered it being. It had a flatscreen tv, closet, bathroom, desk, dressers, a bookshelf, and a king sized bed.
     "It's different than the last time I was here. It's like a mini apparement." I walked around and examined the room. "An even more cunning Mr Allen with a girl up in his room. Could you have ever imagined that?" I asked, sitting on Barry's bed.
     "Well...No...I didn't because I was a nerd and no one liked me. But I got lucky with you because you like me for who I am, and you know me better than anyone. I'm happy to share this room with you."
     "Thanks Barry. But I just realized, I don't have anything to wear. Can I borrow one of your shirts?".
     "Sure," Barry said as he walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a science T-shirt with planets on it and handed it to me.
      "You're lucky I'm a nerd, Bar," I said as I grabbed the shirt. I changed into it, though it was very big on me. It smelt like Barry, and that's one thing I loved the most about it.
When I came out of the bathroom, Barry was in his sweatpants and he grabbed the tv remote. I could see the waistband of his boxers sticking out over the top of his sweatpants, and his toned chest was bare. I didn't mind.
     Barry turned on the tv before we climbed into his bed. He put the blankets over us and wrapped his arm around me. I nestled my head on his shoulder and we watched 'Family Guy'. During one of the commercial breaks, Barry spoke:
     "Have you thought of what the future might look like? In the future, I want to get married and have a family of my own. I want to raise my children with the one I love, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I know that we've only been a couple for technically a day, but I want you to know that you're that person." I smiled at Barry's remark. It seemed almost too good to be true.
     "I want that in my future too. But we'll have these abilities forever, and that may complicate things." Barry climbed on top of me and looked at me dead in the eyes:
    "I love you and I will, always and forever. I won't let my speed get in the way of my future with you, and I hope you feel the same."
    "I do."
    "Good."
    "After this very...Exciting...day, I think both of us need to go to sleep. I snuggled deeper into Barry's bare chest and spoke:
     "Goodnight Speedy," I joked. I could feel Barry's smile. My fingertips traced Barry's bare chest.
     "Goodnight Chlo," Barry replied before kissing the top of my head and turning off the TV. He then turned off the lights. My hand settled on the top of Barry's chest close to his heart. His heart beat fast, and I remained motionless as it calmed down and his breathing evened out. I stared off into the darkness a few moments later, thinking about what lie ahead.
      "I love you Barry," I whispered in Barry's ear before I fell asleep myself.