Hurricane {Barry Allen} [2]

Scream My Name // Tove Lo

As Mack and Barry finally settled into their seats on the airplane, Barry felt sleep threaten to overcome him. His eyelids drooped despite his desperate efforts to keep his eyes open and stay alert. Mack smiled before gently guiding Barry's head onto her shoulder, where he sighed and closed his eyes. Mack ran her fingers through his hair comfortingly.

"You should sleep. You've been chasing me around these past few days, you must be exhausted" Mack noted softly, a hint of guilt in her voice only Barry could detect.

"So worth it" He mumbled sleepily. He could feel heat in every inch of his body that was touching hers, making him feel warm and comfortable and even more sleepy.

"Really now? That sounds like an unhealthy relationship to me" She mocked, looking down at him.

"It's called being head-over-heels in love, stupid" He mumbled again, smiling still.

"Wow you must be really sleep-deprived. Sleep" She scolded in a whisper.

"You don't have to tell me twice" He grinned, eyes still closed as he repositioned himself on Mackenzie. "This okay?" He mumbled, barely still-conscious.

She nodded, and a second later he was asleep in her arms.

As she looked down at him he looked peaceful. She didn't love airplanes all that much, in fact she had a few more-than-scarring experiences with them in the Australian SS, but oddly enough she found this one... peaceful, surprisingly calm, and she soon fell asleep as well.

Multiple hours later, Mack awoke with a start when the plane began descending. She exhaled deeply before waking Barry.

"Wake up Barry" She mumbled as she shoved him gently.

"Hm?" He squinted and lifted his head.

She took a deep breath in.

"We're home" Mack replied breathlessly, her head and her heart endlessly uncertain.

***********

Mack and Barry exited the plane and made their way through the large Central City airport, hands intertwined.

Just as they were about to exit the doors into the cool night, Mack stopped suddenly, yanking Barry backwards slightly.

"Woah, you okay?" Barry chuckled at her. But once he saw Mackenzie's face, his demeanor changed instantly as concern etched itself onto his face.

"Hey, what's wrong love?" He asked comfortingly as he ran his hands up and down her arms, looking her in the eyes.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm just ..." She trailed off unsure.

"You're not fine. Just talk to me, tell me what's going on in your brain" Barry suggested.

"Really it's-"

"Mackenzie. Come on. We're past this, aren't we?" Barry cut her off.

"I've done too much to come back here" She admitted finally.

"... What do you mean? That doesn't make sense?" Barry frowned, completely unaware of what she was trying say.

Because his life has shifted from one with Mack, to without, and back again, a difficult transition no doubt, but Mack's had been much more complicated. Normal life to dead to her old life to a completely new, made up life to one that was nearly dystopian with broken remnants of every part of her life to suddenly normal life again. And it felt like everything was back to exactly how she wanted it--except her.

"My life can't go back to what it was. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I walk through those doors" Mack mumbled. Barry could tell she was deep in her head.

She just wanted her life back to normal, and coming to the realization that that was probably never going to happen was angering, if she had had enough energy to actually be angry.

"Hey, it's okay Mack. No one expects everything to go perfect right away, but we'll get back to normal before you know it" Barry assured her.

But Mack knew things couldn't go back to normal; that she couldn't go back to normal.

Everything was new territory.

And new things were frightening. They were uncertain. They were fragile and at every risk of breaking. And she just didn't know if they would be able to vault one more hurdle. Barry seemed so confident and she was so sure of their failure.

How could they do this together if the weren't even on the same page about how it was going to end?

<<<<<>>>>>

When Barry unlocked the door and let her in, she saw that her house was decorated modestly, and that among the decorations were the faces of all her friends staring back at her.

"Surprise!" They shouted. Mack flinched at the noise, unappealed by it. She wanted to turn her back and leave, but refused to show it, and instead plastered a smile on her face.

The first to stand and greet her was--of course--Oliver. The second he was on two feet her body reacted before her mind had the chance to even think and she found herself in the ever-lasting safety of his embrace. He picked her up before setting her back down gently as everyone began talking amongst themselves.

"You alright?" He mumbled so no one else could hear.

"I don't know" She replied.

Oliver frowned.

"What's bugging you Kenz?" He asked.

"Everything... It's all... wrong. I don't think I can be here" Mack breathed.

"Hey, I'm right here, and I went through something similar Kenzie. I'm always just a phone call or train ride away" He reassured her, running his hands up and down her arms comfortingly.

"Thanks Ollie" Mack smiled but her words were hollow. At this point, Barry returned to her side and wrapped his arms around Mackenzie, his chest pressed to her back, smiling. They looked around them at the people gathered here for them through very different lenses. Cait, Cisco, Wally, Iris, Joe, Thea, Felicity, Oliver, John, even Roy and Quentin were present.

"We're home" Barry sighed contently.

"Uh-huh" Mack muttered, wanting more than anything to get away.