Tiptoe { Allenski }

Hollow

Barry

37 missed calls, 76 unopened texts and 12 voicemails.

He wasn't at home, work or jitters.

I couldn't find him anywhere.

And of course it was raining.

In a typical movie fashion, I scoured the streets of Central City in the downpour just to find him- but I couldn't.

"Joe I can't find him anywhere!"

"It's been 6 hours Barry, I can officially put out an APB on him." Joe said reluctantly down the line. "Try not to worry Bear, we'll find him."

I tried to listen to Joe's words every time I called him, but it was no good. The only plus was that jeep was gone, meaning I could track him through that. After much deliberation, I went straight to Cisco.

"Barry!" Cisco smiles, sliding his chair across the floor to see his friend. Barry offers him a small smile. "Yo, what's up with you? Is this about Harry? Cuz we can easily just send him out..."

Barry suddenly realised that his team needed him just as much as he needed to find Stiles. He had to decide what to do with earth two Harrison Wells, who had been slowly stealing his speed in order to save his daughter.

"No it's not about Wells, Cisco." Barry ran a hand over his face and plonked himself into the seat next to Cisco. "But I do have some ideas about him... But I need something first."

Barry slid so he was next to Cisco at his computer. "Can you trace this number plate? 606M387." Cisco frowned, but didn't question Barry's request.

"Is this about that date?" Cisco smirked as Barry's eyes closed.

"Yes." He breathed. "We will discuss this later ok? He may or may not have figured out that I was the flash and Zoom may or may not be trying to use him against me, so I really need to find him."

Cisco's eyes were wide and he turned his attention back to the screen. "Looks like he's in Lawrence Hills, the industrial estate. And Barry?"

"Yeah?" Barry was already almost out the door.

"Make sure you find him fast because you and I need to have a little chat about a thing called a secret identity."

Barry says nothing, but speeds out of STAR labs as fast as he could.

***

He finds Stiles, lying on the bonnet of his jeep, in an old abandoned car park. He is staring up at the stars.

"Took you long enough." Stiles says loudly, his voice drowned out by the sound of the rain. "I thought you were supposed to be fast!"

"Stiles..." Barry breathes. His friend is soaked through, staring up at the cloudy, but with the stars somewhat visible, sky. Barry swallows the lump in his throat as he moves towards him. "Stiles you'll catch a cold."

"I'm immune." Stiles mumbles, still not looking at Barry. His arms are still folded behind his head, his thin white pyjama top now about transparent due to water. Barry frowns, he was sure Stiles had taken a jacket. As he approaches he sees a jacket in the back seat of the jeep- his own. Stiles had not wanted to get it wet.

"Stiles I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." He says softly, and that takes me by surprise. Despite the rain, I can still see that he's crying when I look into his eyes. "I... I owe you an explanation."

"So do I"

"No." Stiles sits up now, his face inches away from mine. I could see his body shivering. "You don't. I get why you did it, Bear, so you don't owe me anything. I need to tell you-"