Barry Allen x Flash | imagines

silk (1)

Warning: mature language and content and scenes — reader discretion is strongly advised
third person
word count: 6,700
7:34 am | how long will you have to keep your secret before you can't take it anymore?

It was never you.

Your whole life, it was never you. You would never say you didn't have a good life, because that would have been a lie. But to say you were the it-girl, to say that you stood out, would be a lie. In reality, you weren't. You didn't stand out, you weren't anyone's it-girl, and it was never you.

Senior Class President? Wasn't you. Secretary of the Spanish Club? Wasn't you. Prom Princess? Definitely wasn't you. And you couldn't say that you didn't try, because you did try. You stayed humble and tried to get things you wanted, but there was always someone above you. There was always someone who seemed to matter more than you did, and you were always pushed to the side. As a teenager, it was trying to be a leader in extracurricular activities and in school. As an adult, it was just trying to be seen before somebody else.

It didn't take you long to accept who you were. You knew it wasn't anyone's fault. You just weren't special. There was nothing about you that somebody couldn't find or get from someone else, and it just made you second-choice. More like fifth-choice.

That is who you were. You weren't exotic or important; you weren't wool or fur or silk, you were merely just cotton.

But just because you weren't anybody's first choice didn't mean you didn't amount up to anything. You had a brilliant mind. Any problem placed in front of you, solved. Any chemicals mixed in front of you, identified. Any numbers put in front of you, answered.

And when you moved to Central City to study its high levels of iron oxide, you found yourself in Dr. Well's office. And you found yourself in a white coat, working at his facility. And you found yourself engineering and experimenting with the particle accelerator. And you found yourself in a sea of scientists and doctors and then there you were, again, forgotten among the numerous brilliant minds that surrounded your own. When you had just thought you were beginning to stand out, there were a million people beside you with a mind amounting to yours. And you were at square one.

When all the chaos erupted after the particle accelerator failed, you had stayed. While everyone left to find new jobs while their reputations stood, you stayed. You stayed because you knew everyone would be gone and maybe finally you would stand out. There were only about four people left in the building now; it meant something that you were the only chemist inside. You stood out for something.

That was until Barry Allen came. That was until he woke up. That was until everyone realized what he could do, and Barry realized what he could do with it. And you remember from the first day he woke up that you liked his eyes and his gentle smile.

Barry Allen was the epitome of perfect, to you. He was so smart; he knew numbers like the back of his hand and could analyze data like no one's business. He was tall and cleaned up nicely, and he cared about everyone that helped him. He was a hero, for God's sake. And the best part? He remembered your name.

But alas, like always, as soon as you realized your growing affection for the speedster, you also realized there was someone else on his mind: Iris West. That lovely, dark-haired beauty that had visited him so many times while Barry was in his coma. She would always sit besides him and tell him about her day, cry against his hand, and you remember having to comfort her many times. And you had to admit, she was beautiful. You couldn't blame Barry for being in love with her; she was an amazing woman.