Chapter Text
"Just fine?" Detective West repeats, disgruntled. "What do you mean, 'just fine'? Is he okay or not?"
"Uh..." you trail off. "That's what Harry said, if you have questions you should ask him." You mentally sigh in relief as the man nods, noting he's going to follow up with Dr. Wells later. You also resist the tiny smirk that threatens to show when you imagine Harry dealing with a game of twenty-one questions from Joe about Barry. Your uncle is used to your antics by now, and is likely even expecting Joe to show up to the lab.
"Joe, seriously- I am fine!" Barry holds one of the detective's shoulders as he tries one last attempt at consoling him.
A woman in uniform walks up briskly. "Detective West, we've got a five-fifteen in progress at Gold City Bank, two dead. Storm's really picking up on the south side. I'd grab your rain gear."
Joe nods and his expression shifts to a professional neutral; in other words, what you'd readily label as his resting bitch face. "I'm sorry Barry, I gotta run."
"Do you need my help?"
"No, you take it easy," he commands like a father would to his son. He points a finger at Barry, "There'll be plenty for you to do once you settle in." He shouts into the chaotic room, "Let's go partner!"
A man with short blonde hair rushes over, and you catch him looking longingly at Iris for a moment. He diverts to Barry, "Hey, Allen! Glad to see you."
Barry's eyebrows furrow with confusion. "Thanks, Eddie."
"Hey, Iris," Eddie smiles.
She coughs sternly, "Detective, you should go. My dad doesn't like to be kept waiting." Iris' eyes flit between Barry and Eddie several times.
You chuckle quietly and Barry looks at you quizzically. You shake your head and mouth 'I'll tell you later.'
Eddie corrects himself and gives a short smile before running after Joe. Barry's eyes glance around, and you figure he's thinking of the last time he was here. He wanders over to a display case with a name and picture of a man inside.
You hang back as Iris moves to Barry's side. "The night of the explosion, Clyde Mardon shot and killed Detective Chyre. Clyde and his brother died trying to escape; their plane crashed."
The older cop that joked with Barry earlier calls Iris over, and another greets him. "Hey, good to see you!" He fingerprints a man while his partner fills out some paperwork, his back turned to the apprehended.
The criminal looks over at the partner's gun, and you gasp as it finds its way into his hand.
If only that wasn't a real gun.
He holds it, looking shocked and confused at the weapon.
Barry turns to see what has your attention, and the room changes in an instant. At a second glance, the room is the same; rather, the state of it is wildly different.
Papers are strewn about in the air, and the gun is back in the cop's holster. The criminal is groaning as he's now bent over a table with his hands inexplicably in cuffs... and Barry is on the other side of you.
The criminal looks up at the two cops now scrambling to understand and control the situation. He mumbles, "Why the hell are you carrying a water gun, man?"
"Shut the hell up!" The cops grip him tight and shove him into a holding cell. You let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Wait, what the- are you messin' with me, pig? Where were you hiding the real gun at? Where the fuck is the toy?"
"Guy, you are a ball of crazy. There's no toy gun. Just shut your damn mouth until we process you, okay?"
Barry and you share a pale expression. Iris comes rushing over, "Barry, Aydren, are you guys alright?"
You swallow the anxious bubble in your throat and respond, "I, uh... y-yeah, we're fine. We're just gonna get some air, okay? I'll make sure Barry gets in touch with you later."
Iris squints but relents. "Alright, fine. I'm holding you to that," she warns him.
You follow Barry as he bolts outside to the parking lot behind the building. He's acting strangely, keeping his back to you as he breathes harder.
"Barry, what's going-" you cut yourself off after pulling his shoulder to turn him around. His hand is... you don't even know how to describe it. It's there, but it's moving so quick that it's almost see-through, like a mirage. It's only his hand, though. "Okay, we're taking you back to Harry. Now. Come on," you nudge him forward.
"What's happening to me?" he shudders anxiously.
You shake your head. "I have no fucking clue, and this seems solidly like a 'Dr. Wells' situation."
He separates himself from you and holds his wrist, pleading for it to stop. "Did- did you see what happened in the station?"
"You mean the guy? Yeah, he grabbed that cop's gun-"
"So you didn't see anything else?" he asks intently, his voice full of uncertainty.
"I mean... for a moment there, it felt like a tornado sped through the room, if that's what you mean?"
His eyes close and he swallows hard before taking a gratified deep breath. "So I'm not crazy."
You lean forward. "What did you do?" you wonder curiously.
"This is gonna sound insane, but I ran over to him, took the cop's cuffs out, put them on the guy, strapped the gun back in the holster, and then ran back over to you."
Silence.
He throws his hands up in frustration, "You think I'm crazy."
"No, no, I'm... just struggling to keep my head on straight."
He shakes his head and takes a step back. "No, you don't believe me! Look at this- look!" He takes a few blurred steps, and he's gone. A metallic clang and a pained grunt alert you to Barry hunched over against the dumpster.
You run over, "It's okay, I believe you. I just don't know what the fuck is going on, okay?" An odd yet familiar tingle pricks at your fingertips as you hold him.
His shoulders lose tension as he relaxes, and he takes a long, steady exhale. "Yeah... I get it. Let's go back to the lab and talk to Dr. Wells like you said, maybe he'll have some answers."
Your heart feels heavy when he mentions Harry, and you remember how easily you'd thrown him under the bus with Joe earlier.
It was such a shitty thing to do, but you did it anyway.
He's going to be mad. You shouldn't have done it.
He'll be pissed. Harry's gonna be pissed.
Barry's voice cuts through the mental beratement. "Hey, are you doing okay? You look kinda strung out. More than before," he clarifies.
You swallow dryly and make yourself shake your head. Your voice takes a higher octave, "No, it's okay. It's cool, let's just..."
"Get back to the lab?" he finishes for you.
"Yeah. Yeah, let's get back to the lab."
He gets up and walks beside you, and he's gone again. A guy nearby yells a moment later as his work van is now a mess, and Barry is balled up in the back. You roll your eyes with a laugh and pull him out of the vehicle while apologizing to the worker. As you head around the corner, you elbow Barry and tease, "I don't think it's the best idea to go speeding near a building full of cops."
"Shut up."