Soothsayer ⚡ Barry Allen

Break it Down

I only stopped running to lay against the door to Barry's hideout, breathing hard as my legs burned. My hands shook so badly I was surprised I was able to pick the lock. Since I was leaned up against the door, I went with it as it swung open. Even with the just the light flooding in through the door way, I could see Barry's place was empty. He had moved again. I don't know why he didn't tell me.

My breathing picked up when I realized my purse was still in the bank and even if I had my phone, the EMP would've disabled it. I had snooped plenty around this place, but Barry was smart enough to remove anything that could point me in his direction. Selina's place was too far for me to go to in this state so I hopelessly searched the dark, hollowed out warehouse, my brain over working itself.

A relieved gasp of air left me when my fingers slipped behind a dresser and came across the smooth surface of a cellphone. I focused on the older device as it powered up, still not breathing quite right until I dialed Barry's number and the dull ringing sounded. Thankfully, I got a bit of a grip on myself by the time Barry's voice cut in. "Shit, I meant to tell you," he hissed, as if scolding himself.

"Where are you?" I asked quietly, sitting on the edge of the empty dresser. If my voice broke the softness, I'd lose my sense of calm.

"I'm coming to you, just stay where you are." Too quickly, Barry hung up, not more than a second had passed before static reached my ears and Barry was holding me. Since I no longer required the dresser's stability, I pushed off and tightly wrapped my arms around his back. He didn't speak as he ran his hand down my head and through my hair, allowing me to bury my face in his chest and take him in. He seemed to know what I needed without even having to ask, and it disturbed me just how in my head he could get. "Are you hurt?" he asked in a quiet but concerned voice.

I shook my head and held him tighter, happy that he accepted that answer and didn't press me further for anything. After three years, I thought I'd come to terms with being played, but it was clear that some part of me couldn't let it go. Barry hadn't moved much but he bent down to pick me up. Once he had a good hold on my legs, I was pressed into him as he ran, stopping in a blink.

I was sat on his bed, the decorations were the same but they were in a different order, the positioning of his furniture only slightly different in the new space. I took a deep breath when Barry held my cheek and brought my eyes back to him, taking in his concern as he kneeled in front of me. I wasn't crying, but I was clearly shaken up.

He had learned not to ask, which was kind of sad in my oppinion, so I wrapped my hand around his wrist, simply holding him there. "I thought I was ready to dive back into crime, but I was wrong and a heist was the wrong thing to start with," I explained softly.

"Did something go wrong?" he asked. I shook my head and slipped my fingers under his sleeve, gently smoothing my finger tips over his wrist.

"No, if anything I sold it perfectly. Turns out I play terrified hostage very well." I took hold of the base of his hand, his thumb folding over my fingers while keeping the rest of his fingers on my face. With the most patience I've ever seen anyone have with a person experiencing a mild panic attack, Barry sat down and held my hand, simply watching me as he waited. Still feeling a little Greek, I mumbled, "Thank you for coming, mátia mou."

I smiled at the subtle confusion on Barry's face, no one besides the hostages knew I spoke Greek. I had always wanted to go to Greece, so I slowly sated my desire by teaching myself the language. Difficult, yes, barely worth it since this had been it's only use, but I was calmed knowing that despite how well he knew me, there were still some surprise left. "What does that mean?" he asked curiously, a small, upward tilt to his lips.

I held a finger to my lips and laid back on his bed. I thoroughly enjoyed adrenaline rushes and the thrills that came from running with Barry, but this one exhausted me. This whole ordeal stressed me out, I just wanted today to be over. Barry stood shortly before he sat beside me, his eyes running avidly over my beaten form. "Don't leave me alone...please," I gently requested.

Nodding, Barry shifted so he laid beside me, interlocking our fingers and letting my body curl into his. Almost as if he was fighting it at first, Barry slowly allowed himself to relax against me. I felt so comforted with him here, added to the tired weight that already clung to me, that it didn't take long for me to fall asleep, feeling his lips lightly press against my forehead.

⚡

I woke up grasping for something that wasn't there, clutching at the empty space to continue my comfort. I opened my eyes and found Barry reading in the corner of his room, sitting in his second favorite chair. I pushed the blanket off of myself, feeling his eyes on me as I sat up. "Did I sleep long?" I asked quietly.

"No, only a few hours." He put a bookmark in his book, looked like Stephen King, and stood up. "Are you feeling any better?" I nodded and folded my hands in my lap. My brain was no longer overloading itself, but the rush I got from the job wasn't one I enjoyed and I was glad it was gone. He came and stood by the edge of the bed, reaching out to smooth out my bedhead.

My hand came up and closed around the back of Barry's, holding him still as I leanded into it. "I never used to care, whether the civilians involved got hurt or not. But I kept a man from intervening, just so he wouldn't be hurt. I didn't think it would be so different now..." With a light breath, he sat beside me and turned his hand over in mine, letting me lace our fingers together.

"The two sides of the coin are drastically different," Barry nodded in agreement. "What did you have to do?" I took a deep breath, curling my other hand around his when he tightened his grip in reassurance.

"I was on technical and diverson duty. Hit the bank with an EMP and pretended to be an angry client. Then I was a hostage, meant to wait and clear out with the rest of them. They didn't care about the casualties, but I couldn't let them do anything to the hostages. They killed one guard and froze the hands of the others, but none of the hostages were hurt." Barry's other arm slid around my shoulders and I could feel his smile when he kissed my temple.

"You did good, Andy." I rested my head on his shoulder and took a deep breath, finding that same sense of calm with him. I didn't understand how anyone could be good to me, but Barry's gone above and beyond to make me see myself under a different light and guide me through it all. I only hoped all this wasn't for nothing, and it wouldn't be as long as I strayed far away from my old vices.