Running home to you

Team

Iris' P.O.V

     My shoulder was in excruciating pain! I couldn't move it without it feeling like someone was stabbing a thousand tiny little pins and needles inside it. Though it was easier to keep my mind off of it wrapped in Barry's arms. He leaned back a little and looked at me with his soft eyes. "Have you learned your lesson about writing articles on crazy criminals?" He asked sweetly but still had concern swimming in his eyes. "Yes." I said, with a breathy laugh as nodded my head. "Good!" He smiled warmly and kissed my forehead. "Thank you for coming." I whispered softly. "Of course! You are my home and I will always run home to you!" He said as if it was something I should never forget. I smiled and gave him another one armed hug. "Are you ready to head back home or do you need a minute?" He asked. I think I am okay... But I want to spend some time with Barry. My shoulder IS pretty bad and I DID lose a lot of blood. "Can we wait a minute?" I asked. "Of course!" He replied gently. 

     He sat down on the table with me and put his arm around mine(careful to avoid my shoulder wound). I rested my head on his shoulder and opened my mouth to speak but then we heard a loud CRASH. Barry put both his arms around me as if it would protect me from any dangers. We heard a thunk and saw a grappling hook stick to the floor in front of us followed by a yelling sound. "WOOOOHH HHHOOOO!!" Yelled Cisco, as he slid down the rope. He landed on the ground in his Vibe suit, fully ready to fight and was followed by the Green Arrow. "Oliver?" Barry asked surprised. "Oh come on, are you telling me we missed the fighting? And whatever that is, you guys are doing?" A disappointed Cisco said. We both rolled our eyes. "Cisco what are you doing here?" A curious Barry asked. "Um well your coms went out and we could no longer track you so since this place is in Star City I contacted our friend the Green Arrow and he helped us find you. We were going to rescue you from the Triple F but I see you already have that covered." Cisco leaned on the table as he finished speaking and then the weapons and tech in the room caught his eye. "Actually it was all Iris. If it weren't for her we would still need saving." I smiled at Barry for giving me more credit than I deserved. "Cool, well I didn't come all this way for nothing come here give me some hugs." Cisco said as he walked over to me and Barry. I was about to tell him to not because of my shoulder but I was to late. "Ahhhhgg!" I said, unable to bite back the fiery pain as he squeezed my shoulder. Barry helped me keep my balance and Cisco quickly backed off. "Barry what did you let them do to her? Did you break Iris?" Cisco said to Barry in a playful yet accusing tone. "No Cisco, I was just shot that's all." I said with a shrug. "I'm sorry what now? You got shot!" Cisco's was completely shocked. "Yeah but it's fine. Barry got the bullet out and stitched me back up." I said as I looked up at Barry. His smile was warm and comforting but his eyes were still tinted with concern. "Wha-? She got shot and everyone is just okay with this? Oliver?" Cisco said worriedly. "Look Cisco we don't have much time until those guys take over Central City. We need to know what their plan is so that we can come up with a way to stop them. How about you start by looking through their computers and machines?" Oliver said in his dark Green Arrow voice. I'm not sure why he uses it around us I mean we all know his secret identity. Cisco nodded and went to look through the Triple F's stuff.

     We all watched Cisco walk off and then we sat in the silence. Oliver was leaning against a table sharpening his Arrows When I felt Barry's gaze on me. I looked up at him and saw he was staring at my shoulder with guilt in his eyes. "Barry, it wasn't your fault." I said as sweetly and innocently as I could into his forest green eyes. "I know." He hugged me tighter as he said that. I could tell that he still didn't believe me. "Barry," I put my hand in his chin and gently turned his face toward mine. "You can't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. You were stuck there was nothing else you could have done in the moment." I kept a firm but gentle tone and kept eye contact. "I know but that's why a feel guilty. There is nothing I could have done, I feel like I need to protect you and I just felt so powerless. I want to be there for you and I couldn't." He stared at the floor as he spoke. "Barry, I love that you care for me so much but I am not some little defenseless girl. I can take care of myself. You shouldn't feel like you always need to save me all the time. There are times when you are hurt and need other peoples help. Like when Zoom broke your back you needed Caitlin to give you medical attention and then you needed us to give you the encouragement to run again." He looked up from the floor to face me. "We all need help sometimes. Yeah it sucks to see loved ones get hurt I'm not saying it doesn't. What I'm saying is that we work together as a team and depend on each other." I laced my fingers with his. "You are not the main hero that has to save everyone on team Flash or just me. We all save each other and protect each other. That's why we call it team Flash." He smiled warmly and sat up straight. "Thank you; for always reminding me of the truth. You're one hundred percent right. You can handle yourself just like I can and I need saving like you sometimes do." We both smiled warmly. "What would I do without you?" He said as he leaned in for a kiss. It was sweet and nice and for a moment the pain from the shoulder disappeared. We both pulled away smiling. Then he whispered something so quiet I almost didn't hear what he said. "I wish I would have asked you sooner." I turned my head and was wondering what he meant. Ask me sooner? What does he mean by that? Ask me what? To a dance or on a date? Something it up. I opened my mouth to ask for clarification but I was interrupted when Cisco came running over with news and inventions.

     "Okay so I think I found a way to stop them!" Barry and Oliver's heads both shot up to look at Cisco. "Great, let's hear it!" Barry said.   Then   A few minutes later Cisco came back with some information. "So first off, I found some weapons and stuff that they left behind so maybe we could use those. Second I found out that all of Elmo's weapons are made with the same highly unstable power source." Cisco finished. "Which means what exactly?" Barry asked with confusion knit all over his face. "It means that they will be very easy to track and the they are all going to blow up in about... two hours give or take." Both Barry's and my eyes shot open wide, Oliver somehow managed to keep his cool. "But those weapons each have the power of a nuclear bomb!" I exclaimed and looked to Barry for an answer, or at least a positive on the situation. "Can they be stopped?" Barry asked Cisco hoping for what looked like the same thing I was. "Well no not really but I think I might be able to whip up some sort of device that can contain the blasts. But I need one thing." Then Oliver spoke up in his normal voice. "Great, what do you need?" A smile spread across Cisco's face as he spoke. "I need your coms so that I can talk to Felicity, being the greatest engineer science person I know, because I don't know how to build it." Oliver reluctantly took off his hood and handed it to Cisco. "Here, it's attached to my hood. Don't break it or try anything Fancy with Felicity or I will kill you!" Cisco just laughed and thanked Oliver who was now talking in his normal voice. "Remember, I know where you live Ramon!" Oliver said in a serious tone but you could tell he had intended it to be a playful tone.  "Oh believe me, I wouldn't try anything with your girlfriend!" Cisco said and then slipped the hood over his face. "I'm not that dumb!" Cisco said and then his eyes shot open wide. His voice was now much lower and very gravely. "Wait, the voice changer is in the hood? That's why you were still talking weird! This whole time I thought you just didn't trust us or something." Me and Barry both laughed at Cisco while Oliver just crossed his arms in disapproval. "This is so cool! Wait wait wait..." We all paused and waited for Cisco to say something. "You have failed. This. City." A laugh escaped Barry's lips but his quickly covered his mouth. That was Oliver's signature line and Cisco saying it was just hilarious. "Wait what about this?... I'm Batma-" Then Oliver cut Cisco off. "Cisco can you please make this gun before we all die because we spent all of our time listening to you geek out rather than stopping these guys?" Oliver said, his face stayed blank and his tone was dry. Typical Oliver, bringing the cold hard truth back into the conversation. Cisco held his hands up in surrender and then got to work.

     While Cisco was working Barry got up and went to talk to Oliver about something. I couldn't hear what they were saying but it almost looked like Barry handed Oliver something. I couldn't make out what it was. He walked back over and sat down next to me. "What was that about?" I asked, trying to keep a neutral, curious, innocent tone. "Nothing, don't worry about it." He said softly. I was unconvinced but I decided that it could wait until this was over. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Okay done!" Cisco said in victory! "That should do it! So have you guys made a game plan?" Barry nodded to Cisco. "Yep, Oliver will get the rest of his team and then he will meet us in Central City. You and I will hold down the fort until he gets there and then when he gets there our main plan is to get the bad guys locked up and their weapons contained so they don't blow up the city. Cisco and Arrow both nod their heads. "What can I do?" I asked, ready to help. Barry turned to look at me and walked over to me. "Oh no. I'm going to drop you off at home, you've been through a lot already and your shoulder is still in bad shape." He said gently yet firmly. I shook my head. "No, I am helping. I want to stop these guys just as much as you do and I'm sure Cisco can give my some weapons or something to help me fight these guys." Cisco nodded his head and Barry gripped my good shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak but I didn't let him. "Teamwork remember?" His eyes softened and he searched for something else to say. "Team Flash?" Then he gave up. "Fine, if you promise me that I won't lose you and that you will do exactly as I say?" He looked deep into my eyes and I knew if I lied he would be able to tell. I nodded my head and agreed. "I promise." He slowly nodded his head and then pulled me in for another hug. "Great, so Iris I can hook you up with some stuff and then we will be on our way!" Cisco said. I nodded and walked over to receive whatever gadgets he had waiting for me.

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.............. Sorry for the wait! I just wanted to make sure this chapter was good and important and interesting and non boring and not a filler chapter. (Cause everyone hates those!) I hope it was worth the wait! I was on vacation and then I got sick (Still am) and I finished this at 12:18 midnight morning time! Sooooo yeah. But I hope you liked it and are excited for the big battle scene!! Or maybe scenes..... I know I'm nervous!! ;)