Soothsayer ⚡ Barry Allen

Seems Like Yesterday

It was painful for both of us, but I used disolvable stitches to reattach his ankle to itself, and now I was carefully wrapping his foot. I had my red hair tucked behind both ears, my long silence signalling my concentration. "You're not gunna like hearing this, but you'll have to stay off of it for a day, at least. Maybe two," I sighed, smoothing down the bandage to itself before standing. "I'll do as much as I can." When I met Barry's eyes he held his hands out to me, so I wiped my hands as I came to his other side, sitting beside him as he laid out.

"Thank you," he sighed, relaxing against me with his eyes closed. I nodded and started playing with his hair, watching how even on the smallest of scales I calmed him. "What have you been up to this whole time?" he gently questioned. I took a second to readjust myself to his curiosity, giving him a ghost of a smile.

"Other than the obvious, I learned Arabic, I watched you when I wasn't supposed to, snuck off to listen to your voicemails," I listed off with a soft exhale. "Drew a picture of you to get myself by. Gave you that picture when I wasn't supposed to."

"A lot of rule breaking, then. Sounds like you," he chuckled, making my lips twitch.

"I was supposed to give everything up, to take away every unessential part of myself and give the rest to the League. I did, mostly. If I didn't know why I was there, I wouldn't have made it back. I would still be Al Kahin, still that monster of myself." Barry's eyes opened and stared at me as I continued. "If I let go of you for even a minute, I'd be gone."

"You're not a monster," he gently argued. "Monsters don't care for people the way you do."

"Normal people also don't stab the one they love in an attempt of keeping them safe," I pointed out. "Henry was right, you know." His stubbornness was starting to show through his expression, ready to deny me. "He told me I was gunna tear through your life, and I have."

"Well, my dad's been in prison for over fifteen years, there's a lot he doesn't know," he debated, a hard look crinkling his forehead.

"Your father's a smart man," I corrected. "Besides being a doctor, he knows his son. And no matter how much you try and deny it, he knew all the trouble I'd bring you."

"But he didn't know how much happiness you'd bring me. He didn't know how deeply I'd fall in love with you." I opened my mouth to retort but had nothing, my mental files of quirky come backs emptied via the League. So, I just shut my mouth as I felt my neck warm, unable to hold his eye as I took a few deep breaths.

"As long as you're happy and healthy," I decided, a small smile on my lips. I turned my focus to him when the bed shifted and he wheezed, just catching the fact that he was sitting up before his lips were on mine, as if he were trying to prove his words to me. I held my hand to his face and brushed my thumb over his cheek bone. "I love you," I mumbled, opening my eyes a bit and smiling at the content expression on his face.

"I love you, too," he breathed, nudging his face closer to mine. With a growing smile, I kissed him while slowly coaxing him to lay back down.

"Get some rest, mátia mou," I hummed, barely pulling away before he gently locked a hand around my arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked quietly, but his low volume only amplified his pain.

"I kinda want a shower. That alright with you?" I softly chuckled. I pushed some hair from Barry's face and he opened his eyes, looking me over a minute before nodding. "I won't be long," I assured, pecking his lips before leaving his hold. "You need anything?"

"I've got all I need in front of me," he breathed, causing a small twitch to my lips. I smoothed my fingers over his uninjured leg as I left, feeling his eyes on me with each step. Once out of his sight and earshot, I took a deep breath, unable to shake the unsteady feeling in me.

It didn't feel real, being released so simply, just being cast aside without much debate. It all unnerved me. I took a scalding shower, it was halfway through October, the cold had started setting in, and I had a hard time breaking myself out of the shell the League had forced me to build around my personality. I could feel that this would be similar to any of my addictions. I'd have to get back in the swing of being myself, a vigilante's rat, maybe even my own vigilante. Like all other times, I'd made a name for myself; the Assassin Kissed by Fire.

I scoffed, And I thought Al Kahin was out there. My lips twitched up, hoping to encourage myself into this behavior again before soon losing it with a sigh. After washing the conditioner out of my hair, I wrapped myself in a towel and realized my lack in a change of clothes with another sigh. I kicked my clothes into the corner with the pile of Barry's, padding back to his room and smiling when I found him laid out on his back with his eyes closed. I watched him for a long moment and shook my head when I'd decided he was actually asleep, taking the hoodie on top of his dresser.

After getting dressed I dried my hair a bit and hung up the towel, returning to his room but hesitating at the foot of his bed. It took a long moment but I draped his blanket up to his chest and grabbed a smaller blanket for myself, sitting in his second favorite chair and wrapping myself up. Once I got settled I watched Barry, no longer needing to peek at him through the Speed Force to get to sleep, able to relax with just his still form before me.