Fresh Start

Chapter 12

The whole cortex went silent the moment you saw Barry. Obviously, no one was expecting this, at least not this soon. Specially Barry. He looked like he was seeing a ghost, like you were some kind of dream, or even some nightmare, he didn't know how to wake up from.

Barry wasn't just connected to STAR Labs, neither was The Flash. They were the same person. Your boyfriend, the person who had helped you getting used to your new life, was the same superhero you had been digging about, the same one who had saved not only your life, but many others. Barry Allen, your boyfriend, your best friend, was The Flash.

On the other hand, Barry didn't even know what to say. The last thing he expected when he came running into the cortex was to find you there. How in hell had you ended up in STAR Labs? How did you manage to make that connection? And what was he supposed to say now that there was no way to deny his biggest secret?

"I can explain", Barry finally said. You gulped and looked at the two people sitting there who immediately got up and left the room. "Those are Cisco and Caitlin. They...work here" he added. You still were speechless. "I...they..." he took a deep breath trying to calm down, not knowing where to begin. "The lightning did affect me" he sighed.

"Indeed" you nodded slowly as you took a seat where Cisco was seated. "You're The Flash" you finally said. It was obvious but you needed to say it out loud.

"I am" he said nodding. He took a step towards you, not knowing if you needed space or if he could come closer.

"You saved my life" you mumbled.

"I did" he nodded again. "Are you mad at me?" He asked.

"I'm confused to be honest" you admitted before looking at him. "Can you change clothes? Your suit doesn't help as much as it suits you" you asked him. In less than two seconds he was again in front of you wearing his regular clothes. "Why didn't you tell me?" You asked.

"I was protecting you" he replied.

"By lying?" You frowned.

"I wasn't exactly lying" he said taking a seat on the other chair. "I was...hiding part of the truth"

"You're the freaking Flash, Barry! You've been mad at me every single day since I started digging about him! Well, about you apparently" you sighed shaking your head.

"Because I didn't want you involved in this madness, okay? It's too dangerous and if those metahumans knew about you, then you would be in danger and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you" he said taking your hands in his.

Biting your lip, you looked down at your hands, not even knowing how to feel. Somehow, you knew you weren't exactly mad at him but you wish he had told you the truth from the beginning. Although you understood his reasons at the same time. Blaming him wasn't really an option when you didn't know what you would have done in his situation. Finally, you sighed and looked at him after squeezing his hands.

"I'm not mad at you, alright? I'm surprised, still a bit confused and I wish you would have told me but...I kind of understand your reasons" you said smiling a little. "Just...no more hiding part of the truths from now on, please" you asked him.

He smiled a little and leaned in, he placed a hand on your neck and kissed you slowly, pulling you onto his lap, never breaking the kiss.

"And on top of everything..." you said pulling away. "I'm so proud of you, Barry" you smiled.

He smiled back and kissed you once again, not letting you get away this time.

***

From that day things kind of changed. You spent most of your free time at STAR Labs, helping out the Team Flash now that you were officially a part of it. You had finally met Cisco and Caitlin, who happened to be two wonderful friends. Cisco was just too funny to be true and almost as nerd as you were. You were the only one who understood every single one of his references and he was the one who understood yours.

Caitlin was more responsible and quieter but still a great friend and professional. She would always be there with a word of advice without second questioning you or anyone. She really loved her job and her friends. Julian wasn't that nice if you were honest, he didn't really like the idea of a new member of the team but since he was the only one complaining about it, he ended up stopping.

And then, there was HR, a romantic novelist always willing to help, making people smile and bring ingcoffee to everyone. As you had come to learn, he was from another Earth which was really complicated to explain so you just decided to accept that the multiverse was real and you weren't completely alone. HR and you really got along. He was so sweet and thoughtful and welcomed you into the team from the very first minute, even when Joe protested a bit, always talking about your safety. But, as usual, you didn't listen.

Eventually, they all got used to your presence and started accepting your help. Barry also looked much happier now that you were around and he was able to really protect you without using stupid excuses. Despite everything, at the back of your head you couldn't stop thinking about that Black Siren. You needed to know more about her but you didn't have the courage to ask so you just kept on waiting for the best moment to arrive.

***

It had been almost two months since you found out about Barry being The Flash and the things couldn't go any better. You loved being part of the team who had become your family. You had been to Star City a couple of times to visit Thea and Oliver but you really were starting to see Central City as a home. Barry and you almost lived together since he spent most of his time at your apartment and slept there every single night and you just loved it.

One morning, you woke up and turned around in bed to look for Barry but couldn't find him. When you opened your eyes, you saw his side of the bed empty which was strange. He never left without a note and he had no reason to leave out of the blue.

"Barry?" You said out loud thinking he could be in the bathroom or in the kitchen but no answer and no noises. You were alone.

You took your phone but there was no text from him. Something must had happened. Otherwise he would have told you something like he always did when he had to leave all of sudden. Immediately, you got up as you dialed Barry's number but when he didn't pick it up you called Cisco.

"(Y/N)? Are you okay?" He asked without letting you say anything.

"Yes, I am" you replied frowning. "What's going on? I got up and Barry's not here" you asked. "Any meta?" You added.

"Not exactly" Cisco sighed. "I'm going to text you an address okay? We're all here" he said.

"Alright. But is everyone alright?" You asked worried.

"So far we are. Just come" he said anxious. You nodded and hung up running to take a quick shower.

When you came out of the shower, Cisco had already sent you the address. It was out of town and if you weren't wrong it was an abandoned airport. What were they doing there? While you got dressed you decided to turn on the TV. If it was something really serious they would be talking about it on the news.

You couldn't believe what your eyes were seeing. It looked like an UFO but that just wasn't possible. UFOs and aliens weren't real. Confused, you turned off the TV, took your bad, your keys and left the apartment to go and get your car. Aliens in Central City? How was that possible? No. it wasn't. They weren't real...but what if they were? How could The Flash fight them?

By the time you got to the place Cisco had told you, you saw him waiting for you outside of a big nave. He looked really nervous but somehow excited at the same time. You got off the car and locked it before hurrying to get to where he was.

"Aliens? Really?" You asked.

"I know!" He exclaimed excited. "I know I shouldn't be this excited but c'mon! Aliens! And you have to see who is in there. Best team up ever, I swear!" He said taking your arm.

"Wait, what? Team up?" You asked confused.

"Yes! We have Supergirl, Team Legends and, wait for it, Team Arrow!" He said so excited it looked like he was going to pee himself.

"Team Arrow?" You asked shocked.

You were going to meet the Star City vigilante?