neighbors | barry allen//the flash

sixteen | fears

Clara couldn't help but stare as the situation unraveled: the blubbering little girl, the flustered mother, and then Barry. Barry, who without a second thought walked over to see what was wrong. Barry, who, once learning a cat was stuck in a tree, agreed to help without hesitation. Barry, even though he looked like he was going to be sick only on the first branch, kept climbing higher. The little girl looked at Barry like he hung the moon, but Clara could tell Barry didn't see the importance in his small, yet heroic act. To him, it was just something that had to be done. Barry's eyes caught hers just as he turned to leave the scene. Clara quickly shifted her gaze and pretended to look at her phone. When Barry was finally out of her field of vision, she started walking to work. She tried to shove the situation to the back of her mind, but it just kept wandering back.

"Hey Clara!" Alice greeted with a smile as she walked into the lab. Alice glanced up at the clock. "You're a few minutes late."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry," Clara apologized, shoving her stuff in the closet and hastily started to pull petri dishes from last week out of the incubator. "My cat decided to knock pretty much everything in my apartment on the floor this morning." Clara's lie came out effortlessly.

"I didn't know you had a cat," Alice frowned.

"Yeah, well, I'm not supposed to," Clara continued her lies. "They aren't allowed in my building, but my cousin was going to take her and she couldn't come until this weekend."

"Ah," Alice nodded. "Well, I hope your landlord doesn't find out."

"I'm sure she won't," Clara brushed off Alice's concern for her made up problem. "My cat is normally pretty quiet, and she'll be gone in a few days anyway."

"Clara!" Dr. Parker's sharp voice interrupted their conversation. "Sterile procedure!"

"Oh, um," Clara bit her lip, not sure exactly what she did wrong this time. A tall young man walked up behind Dr. Parker. He looked to be in his mid twenties at most, with a headful of dark hair and a handsome face with stubble. He wore a white lab coat and stood with confidence and authority.

"In my Biochemistry program at Oxford, if someone left petri dishes uncovered while they weren't in use, they got kicked out, no questions asked." A British accent dominated his demand. 

"Right," Clara bit her lip before she could smart off to him. She quickly corrected her mistake and continued her work.

"So, you went to Oxford?" Alice shifted the man's attention away from Clara.

"Yes," He nodded. "I would have loved to study at Harvard. I was accepted, but my parents wouldn't pay for me to leave the country."

"Its a shame you had to settle," Alice tried her best to look apologetic. 

"I'll show you the rest of the facility," Dr. Parker led the man away, out of the lab. 

"Who is he?" Clara demanded, turning to Alice.

"Evan Randell," Alice announced. "Angie's new second in command." 

"He kicked you out of your spot?" Clara questioned.

"Well, technically she never filled her second in command spot," Alice explained. "I was the next best thing. She didn't give it to me because I still have a year before I graduate." 

"How are you... here? Not that you don't deserve to be, it's just-" 

"She took notice to some of my research my sophomore year, recruited me, and offered to pay for the rest of my degree. I'm a full-time student, just at night."