𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭¹ − b. allen

∟ 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞. ✔️

the fury of firestorm
part one

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THE SMELL OF pancakes blew across Anna's face, causing her to scrunch up her nose and open her eyes. She blinked slowly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands as she slowly sat up. Her stomach growled and she furrowed her eyebrows, wondering who the hell was in her apartment cooking pancakes. She slipped out of bed and slid her feet into a pair of fuzzy pink slippers that matched the pyjama shorts she was wearing—a Christmas gift from Shannon—before taking a glance at her horrifying appearance in the mirror before shrugging and turning toward her bedroom door.

Anna yanked her hair up into a ponytail and bolted out of her bedroom, skidding to a stop in her kitchen where Barry stood with his back turned to her. "Bartholomew," she said in a singsong voice, causing Barry to glance over his shoulder to glare at her. She tested her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend. "What the hell are you doing in my kitchen at..." she glanced at the clock, her eyes widening. "Holy hell, it's noon. Why the hell are you making me pancakes at noon?"

Barry glanced over his shoulder once again, his lips curling up into a small smile. "Good morning to you too, sleepyhead," he said and looked back down at the stovetop. "I have some things to tell you. And I know we're already slammed with the whole... you know, Zoom thing, but I have to tell you."

Anna's smile dropped, her eyes dropping to the floor as the holographic five-year anniversary article blinked through her memory, sending a chill down her spine. "Go ahead, Barr," she said and walked over to her boyfriend, leaning up against the counter next to him.

"Stein isn't doing so great. He's deteriorating fast and the only way we can help him is if we find someone else for him to bond with," Barry explained and dropped a pancake onto a plate, glancing over at Anna briefly as he grabbed the bowl of pancake mix behind her. "We're gonna go track down the compatible guys later to see if they'll be down for merging with him. We're just hoping they'll agree and save his life."

"He's gotten worse since last night?" Anna asked and folded her arms over her chest, frowning as she looked down at her pink slippers. "He seemed pretty okay when I left."

Barry nodded and poured more pancake mix onto the pan, pursing his lips once it began to sizzle quietly. "Yeah, he was fine last night. But when I got there this morning, we almost lost him," he said and rested his hand on Anna's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "But we'll figure this out. Just like we always do."

"I hope so, Barr," she whispered and lifted her head, meeting his eyes. "What was the other thing?"

"Patty found shark teeth at a crime scene and says that a witness saw a shark walking around Central City," he said and looked back at the pan, flipping over the pancake to reveal a perfectly golden side. "We've seen a lot, but a man-shark seems a little bit impossible."