#Love Tap | Barry and Iris

[kent-farm]

—The Flash, “Going Rogue”

[shrinkthisviolet]

Westallen and Snowest for the Ship Ask Game?

Westallen: Ship It!

What made you ship it? I was hooked from the first season! ...at least in the sense that I figured they'd be canon eventually, they were the endgame I always rooted for, and I'd happily enjoy the ride until then (in the meantime, I very much enjoyed Westhawne in s1 and cried when Eddie died. I expect this rewatch will go the same way 😭)

What are your favorite things about the ship? "(best) friends to lovers" is my favorite romance trope, and I love when the show really showed that they were in fact best friends in love (s5 and beyond sorta lost this thread, but s3 and s4 did this well) 💞 the way they'd tease each other, high-five like kids over landing a wedding venue, banter and flirt...just AHHH their banter is so, so great when the writing lets it shine (and the Flash/Iris banter in s1 was great too!)

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? The 1x15 kiss being their big kiss is kinda sad tbh. I get that it was a big moment for them and all, and it's a great rebuttal to the morons who think that Iris loved the Flash and not Barry (though there are plenty of other moments that show this too) but like...sorry, cheating (especially both of them cheating) isn't romantic to me and never will be (and YES I know about the punching bag scene, okay, I have eyes, BUT that was not intentionally romantic. The 1x15 kiss was!). To me, their Big Damn Kiss in canon was that sunlit kiss on the porch

Snowest: Ship It!

What made you ship it? Spite at first, honestly. Iris and Caitlin get pitted against each other so often by shippers, it's exhausting. And then I read Milk and Sugar by @fezwearingjellybananas (literally THE Snowest fic series of all time) and suddenly something clicked for real. I've been aboard this ship ever since 💞

What are your favorite things about the ship? They're a very opposites attract type of ship, but in a way that I think works! Caitlin is more guarded and awkward, and although Iris can also be guarded at times, she's generally more outgoing and confident. I've always believed the headcanon that Caitlin struggles with making female friends - due to her upbringing, the mom she grew up with, that makes perfect sense to me. So having a girlfriend like Iris, the It Girl who nevertheless is warm and generous to everyone and gets through Caitlin's defenses (Caitlin, who is cold and aloof as a defense mechanism learned from her mother)...ooh I LOVE THAT! Plus, they're also both similar: no-nonsense pacifists who will throw down if necessary. So not total opposites - they're similar enough to really work as a couple

also, established Snowest would provide some great angst for the s3 Killer Frost plotline...whether you go with canon's interpretation of "oh no Caitlin and KF are different people", or my preferred interpretation of "they're the same person" 👀 alternatively, Iris's warmth getting through Caitlin/KF's cold exterior could be a bit of fluff in the midst of angst. I sorta tapped into the latter with this prompt fill, tho ofc that's with them as friends rather than as a ship

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? That it's Caitlin's best non-canon ship 🤷‍♀️ also, even from a platonic perspective, the show should've given them more friendship moments - aside from s1 and s4, we get scraps, and it's so sad

ship ask game!

[kitkatt0430]

For the AU headcanon game, AU in which Savitar is someone other than Barry? 👀

So I do remember various theories about Savitar's identity and one of them was Eddie. Which... I did not like that theory, so I'm not gonna go that way.

If it was someone the team knew already, then Eobard is the obvious candidate. In the comics, he's made himself look like Barry a few different ways and so there could be a convoluted plot going on that way, but... they've had enough Eobard Thawne as the bad guy on the show, I wanna speculate on someone new.

So the comics Savitar - New Earth version - was a Cold War pilot whose real identity was never discovered. While at top speed in his fighter plane, he was struck by lightning and survived the crash in hostile territory. This could be updated to him being an air force test pilot for an experimental craft using Dominator tech - foreshadowing the Dominator attack xover event later that season - that gets struck by lightning mid test. The test is classed a failure and the craft is unrecoverable - the man who becomes Savitar is assumed dead but of course he isn't.

Savitar therefor isn't obsessed with killing Iris - his existence doesn't depend on her. Instead perhaps Iris' investigation into Savitar's origins puts her in danger as he doesn't want anyone to know who he used to be - maybe he doesn't even remember and having his identity revealed would detract from the story he's selling the cult he's been creating.

Perhaps Alchemy as a stage one/first half of season boss with Savitar being hinted at until he's revealed at the mid season finale. Savitar could still be the man behind Alchemy, with Julian being unaware that he's been brainwashed to take on the persona of Alchemy under specific triggers. To de brainwash Julian, they bring in Hartley who - in this timeline - used a hypnotic flute in addition to his gloves. Julian thus has to come to terms both with what he did under the brainwashing and with the fact that he is a meta... that it was his rejection and self-hatred over being a meta that gave Savitar the in he needed to control Julian in the first place.

Part of the season's focus is on Barry having to accept that he has no idea how much the changes to the timeline are his fault and how much is stuff that was already gonna happen and he just... didn't know things were leading that way behind the scenes.

Revealing Frost's real origins in this season. Caitlin, panicking, goes to her mom for help and things with Carla eventually unravel to the reveal of Icicle. Frost has to choose between teaming up with Icicle or siding with Caitlin's friends... and chooses Icicle. Only to quickly realize she's in over her head and she turns to Caitlin for advice. The two of them form a truce to defeat Icicle and rejoin Team Flash by surprise!!! during the final Savitar vs Flash fight at the end of the season, which would also include Jesse and Wally as well as Savitar's cult.

Savitar would definitely try to recruit Icicle and Frost into his cult, but I don't see them having any of it. Icicle has his own god complex of a sort going on and Killer Frost just doesn't like him or trust him after Caitlin's experiences with Zoom and the Reverse Flash. If you've met one evil Speedster, you've met them all.

One of the things I did like about show!Savitar was that he was a fallen hero - I'm a Tales game series fan, i love fallen heroes as villains, that's basically the main villain of every Tales game and I eat it up every time. So I think part of the investigation into Savitar would be the reveal that he was a highly decorated hero and he saved a lot of lives. That's why he was tapped for the project. But after being essentially left for dead and his amnesia, Savitar grew to feel he was owed the accolades and devotion and it all warped into the god complex he has now. Forcing him to face his past isn't exactly a tomato in the mirror moment but he's torn between horror over who he's become and his desire for security and safety through the power he's accumulated.

[ftl-faster-than-life]

trick or treat!

You get something sweet pulled out of something awful! Straight up fluff below. Parent and child relationship between omega!Barry and a tiny Wally, mentions of past Iris/Barry. Iris is dead in this fic. Barry is the Flash, Wally is Kid Flash.

-- "Are you coming to the party tonight, Barry? You should--it'd be good for you to get out more. Can't spend all your free time with a five year old, you know."

"Oh, I don't know…it's hard enough to get a sitter with notice…"

"The company is providing free childcare!"

Barry hesitated. It'd be good for Wally to get a chance to socialize with other kids, before he went to school… And they had a point. He hadn't been a social butterfly before Iris died, but ever since her accident, he'd withdrawn almost completely. Maybe a few hours spent at a party where he could slip away whenever he felt he'd had enough would be good for him, too. "Well. In that case. How can I say no?" He smiled tentatively.

"Wonderful--we're all looking forward to seeing you let your hair down, ha."

"Hey, you missed a signature--"

"Oh! Sorry, Janet. I thought I'd filled it out thoroughly." He scrawled his signature across the line she indicated with a tap of her nail.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, the work day ending early to accommodate the celebration that evening. Barry was pleased that his pup seemed enthusiastic about the idea of playing with other pups, and he hoped as he finished getting them both ready that he'd find playmates and not antagonists among the other children. Barry got dressed, tying a bowtie around his own neck as a finishing touch, and gave his reflection a wistful smile. It was the red one that Iris had presented him with on their first date--when he'd been too oblivious to realize that they were on a date, and that the tie was a courtship present.

He'd never thought a beautiful, clever beta like Iris would be interested in an omega.

He felt a pang in his chest. He missed her--he didn't think there was a single hour when he didn't think about his mate. Leaving the mirror behind, he scooped Wally up and pressed a fierce kiss to his ginger hair, squeezing the pup tight and scenting him til Wally was squirming and whining in his arms. As long as he had Wally, he had a living piece of Iris--they might not have been related by blood any more than Barry was, but they were two of a kind and Iris had loved that child like he was her own. "I love you, Wally." Barry mumbled, and relented, setting Wally down next to him. He took the pup's hand and flashed him a bright smile. "Are you ready for a run, Kid Flash?" He was heartened by the way those big green eyes lit up, sparking with joy.

"We're running there, Daddy?"

"Uh-huh. Got your ring?" Barry asked, lifting his own hand with the band wrapped around one finger. Wally grinned and raised his own small fist, imitating the pose. In a moment, the two were dressed in the bright colors of the Flash--Wally a perfect miniature of Barry. Of course, he was far too young to help Barry fight criminals, but the boy was more than eager to do what tasks he was allowed to--things his overprotective Omega guardian deemed safe--and Barry was determined to make sure his tiny shadow was allowed to run and experience the joys of the powers they'd both been granted as often as possible. Usually, he wouldn't have run to Lexcorp…but he didn't own a car, couldn't rent one as an omega, and the train and shuttle he usually took to work wouldn't be running late enough. So he decided to make the run.

"Ready?" He asked his pup, and had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing when Wally struck a heroic pose. His demeanor was comically larger than life, with his small size. Barry's heart felt overfull of love and pride. Wally was going to be an amazing hero, one day.

"Ready!"

"Let's go!"

And with a giddy whoop from Wally, they were both off, trailing lightning behind them. The sheer joy of running--fast, untouchably fast, safe and fearless at long last--was only magnified by Wally's companionship, Barry had noticed. He kept his pace slow enough that the boy could easily keep up, and was rewarded with elated giggles from the child.

Even if the party turns out awful, this makes it worth going. Barry thought to himself.

[danothan]

15, 23, and 24 <3

15. three songs you want to dance with your love to

idrk how to answer this in the context of myself so i’m gonna imagine what barry would answer for iris and/or hal, and that’s the closest we’re gonna get to true love from me

let me call you sweetheart - patti page

i want you, i need you, i love you - elvis presley (it’s even a 1956 song heh)

fly me to the moon - frank sinatra

barry def can’t dance btw but he is the type to get swept up in a moment. maybe he’s tapping his foot to the music while reading or “playing conductor” with a wooden spoon while he’s cooking, and iris and/or hal would drag him out of his little activity to dance with them bc he might’ve been the one to put the music on, but idk if he would be dancing to it unless invited. iris and hal would invite him <3

23. three songs that never fail to get you pumped up

answered!

24. three favorite old songs

earth angel (will you be mine) - the penguins (1954)

you never told me that you cared - sun ra (1959)

space oddity - david bowie (1969)

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Central City Lemonade Stand

Fandom: DC Comics, Flashfam

Summary: Teeny Tiny Thad spends the summer with Grandpa Barry and Grandma Iris.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Thad Thawne, Barry Allen, Iris West, August Heart, Owen Mercer, Meloni Thawne, Don Allen

Additional Tags: No Powers AU, POV Barry Allen, Don Allen is Alive, Tiny Bart and Thad, Fluff and Angst

Chapter One: Newest Detective

I came in from a crime scene to fill out paperwork in my lab. There was a sticky note on my door, and I assumed it was a joke from my coworkers, but I took it and read it. "Do not disturb, unless Barry," I read aloud, "Unless Barry? What does that mean?" I could tell it was August's handwriting, so I went inside. I almost didn't notice the bundle of blankets in my desk chair while tidying up. I walked around the office, poring over my notes before I heard someone's stomach growl. The bundle of blankets moved, and I jumped. I thought it was a kitten or a puppy that August picked up. Then I got a closer look at the blankets. They were Thad's baby blankets.

"Noodle?" I asked as I removed the blankets and picked up my grandson. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and I plopped down in my chair, wondering how he got into my office. "Where's Donny and Mel?"

"At home," Thad mumbled into my shoulder, "I ran away." My heart dropped as I realized how dangerous his trip must've been, and I wondered why Mel and Donny didn't call me.

"Okay. Well, we should call so your parents know you're safe," I whispered. Thad shook his head. "Come on, Noodle. For me?"

Thad nodded. "I don't want to talk, though," Thad replied. I rubbed his back as I dialed the number and put the phone on speaker.

"Hi, Grandpa Barry!" Bart answered.

"Hi, Barry!" Owen greeted.

"You fellas are one short... Where's Thad?" I asked.

"With Grandpa," Bart answered.

"Okay... Put Donny and Mel on the phone... I need to talk to them privately," I commanded gently.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Bart yelled. I could hear them scrambling to give the phone to their parents.

"Hi, Dad. Is everything okay?" Donny asked.

"Where's Noodle?" I questioned.

"At his Grandpa's," Mel chimed in.

"He has two grandpas... And he's with me," I confessed. Donny gasped. "Now, don't worry. He's alright. I think August got him settled in my office. What happened at home?"

"He got into a scuffle with Bart, and I guess we could've dealt with things better—. How did he get all the way to Kansas by himself?" Donny asked.

"I don't know yet. I can keep Thad for a little while until things cool down if you want," I suggested.

"If that's what Tad wants, then that's okay," Mel replied, "Will you tell him that we love him and give him a kiss for us, Dad?"

I insisted that Mel call me Dad. She was a sweet kid and a doting mother, and she made Donny happy. "I will, Mel. I love you, kids, okay?" I whispered.

"We love you too, Dad. We'll call you tomorrow to see if everything's okay," Donny replied.

They hung up, and I pressed a few kisses to Thad's cheek. "Hungry?" I asked. Thad nodded.

"Can we have nuggets and apples?" Thad asked. I chuckled.

"How could I say no to nuggets and apples?" I smiled as I tapped him on the nose.

Thad smiled at me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to have him around, even under the circumstances. He hopped down and reached for my hand. "Grandpa Barry?" Thad whispered.

"Yes, Noodle?" I asked.

"Is Grandma gonna be mad?" Thad questioned.

I thought about it for a while, so Thad knew I wasn't giving him the answer he wanted. "No, Grandma's gonna be excited to see you," I reassured him, "But I still think it'd be a good idea if I brought you home at the end of my shift instead of dropping you off."

"Okay," Thad replied. He grabbed my hand, and we left my office. We ran into August on my way out.

"Hey, you goin' out for lunch?" August asked. I nodded. "Bring me back something?"

"Can do," I replied.

I had to get his car seat out of my trunk when we got to the car, but he climbed in and helped me set it up. I buckled him in and fixed his hat on his head. He was asleep within minutes. Had it been Bart, he would've asked question after question the whole ride to the restaurant. I glanced at the backseat once we were in the drive-thru, and Thad had his thumb in his mouth. "Noodle, we're here. Still want nuggets and apples?" I asked. He nodded, still half-asleep. I ordered our food and got him a toy on my way back. "We've got a few more hours at the precinct, and then we can go home."

Thad chewed on his apples first and stared out the window. "You can dip them in your caramel if you want," I offered. Thad shook his head.

By the time we reached the precinct, Thad had eaten the last of his apples, and he neatly folded up his bag, waiting for me to unbuckle him. Thad knew how to unbuckle himself, but he wanted to be sure it was time to get out of the car. I appreciated his caution. I let him ride on my back and held the food with one hand and our drinks with the other. August was waiting in my office when we returned, and I gave him his bag. "Grandpa get you a toy? Or should I take him in?" August joked. Thad grinned and showed August the little Hot Wheels car that came with his kid's meal. "Oh, wow! Nice Buick!"

Thad bobbed his head side-to-side proudly as he ate his nuggets. I twisted in the chair with Thad, and he looked up at me. "Grandpa Barry," Thad whispered.

"Sorry," I replied. August chuckled.

Thad finished his meal and threw his garbage away. "Did the fibers from the closet come back yet?" August asked casually.

I nodded. "No match to the fibers found on the victim's neck," I replied, "But, I did find something interesting about it. The fibers are mohair, and the mohair fabric—."

"What's mohair, Grandpa?" Thad questioned as he drank his juice. He seemed invested in the conversation as any detective would be, and I wasn't in the business of giving patronizing answers to my grandkids. They were all pretty smart kids.

I logged into my computer and completed the search for him. "It's a fabric made from goat hair that's prone to shedding, and this is not a fabric that you'd want to get wet. Mohair is prone to warping and shrinkage when exposed to water... And it's a direct match to the fibers found at two other crime scenes. The first involves a missing person's case from six months ago," I explained. August perked up.

"The Edmonds case?" August asked.

"Yup. And the Roberson case," I added.

"Still doesn't explain why there was no sign of breaking and entering," August mumbled.

"Unless they were selling sweaters," Thad whispered. We both looked at him. "Did I say something wrong, Grandpa?"

"No, I think you just gave us a lead. I'm gonna look into this, and if I find anything, you are getting the biggest ice cream cone known to man," August promised him on his way out the door.

Thad looked up at me, and I grinned. "How'd you think of that?" I asked.

"Sometimes Mommy buys things from door-to-door salesmen," Thad answered. Kids, right. I messed up his hair and took a sip of my soda.

"You're so helpful," I commended him.

"Will you tell Grandma Iris that I helped?" Thad asked. I knew why he asked, but I nodded anyway. Thad was always a bit afraid of Iris, and I could never understand why.

"Grandma's gonna ask how you got here... You know that, right?" I questioned.

"Mhm," Thad whispered.

"Are you gonna tell her?" I asked.

"Can you?" Thad replied. He seemed so distraught I couldn't be moved to chuckle. I kissed the top of his head to reassure him.

"You'd have to tell me how you got here first," I explained.

[batmannotes]

The Fastest Man Alive finally gets his own live-action solo flick with several other superheroes from the DC Universe lending a helping hand. Ezra Miller portrays The Scarlet Speedster who uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past, however worlds collide when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future.  

Oddly enough, with a number of superheroes making appearances, there is only one major super villain in this 2 hour and 24-minute affair, General Zod … a Superman villain. The Flash becomes trapped in a reality in which Zod has returned, threatening destruction, and there is no one to turn to. The Flash is left to coax a vastly different Batman (Michael Keaton) out of retirement to help rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian … albeit not the one he’s looking for, and to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows. 

The film starts out with an amazing sequence where the Ben Affleck Batman is in hot pursuit of criminals on his new and improved Batcyle and The Flash is left to rescue babies at a hospital. Watching this sequence of Affleck makes me realize how cool a solo movie with him might have been. Besides a large dose of action, the movie also relies on humor to carry the viewer through a nearly 2 and ½ hour film. Some of the jokes land, but unfortunately most of them don’t. Auspiciously though, the action is enjoyable enough to carry the bulk of this outing. 

After Barry changes the past and returns, he comes face to face with himself, or an 18-year-old version of himself. This eighteen-year-old version of Barry Allen is super too … super annoying. Present day Barry needs his other self to help him resolve the problems that he has created. Ahhh … time travel movies.  

Keaton’s portrayal is both nostalgic and fun. He delivers a couple of legendary lines from his original 1989 Bat-flick while his classic musical motif by Danny Elfman plays in the background during the major events. For a lot of Bat-fans this was a dream come true, although I was left amazed at how spry Batman was at 70-year-old.  

Sasha Calle’s Supergirl was lifeless and with no emotion, very reminiscent of Brie Larson’s unlikeable Captain Marvel. Another female character waisted was Kiersey Clemons’s Iris West; don’t expect any notable love story here. The main emotional draw of this film is the love between a boy and his mother. Barry goes to great lengths for the love of his mom, not realizing one minor adjustment to history has major ramifications throughout time. 

The Flash suffers from two major problems; horrendous special effects and the lack of any real villain. It’s hard to believe that with all the money spent on this flick, the computer animation is flat out cringeworthy in most places. The other thing that really bothers me is how DC has such awesome super villains that Warner Bros. has yet to tap into. The Flash is yet another example of that.  

With all that said, overall, I thought The Flash was still fun and much better than the last couple of DC movie releases (Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods). Even with the bad special effects, the CGI cameos were nice to see and added to the film’s enjoyment, however, like Barry Allen, this film is its own worst enemy. Instead of squaring up against a legendary villain from Flash’s large gallery of amazing rogues, the Scarlet Speedster is left to battle a timeline that he put into place with another, much more annoying, version of himself by his side.

MOVIE GRADE: C-

4K Reviews:

VIDEO QUALITY 📽️ : A

In my opinion, you won't get a better picture quality than here. The Native 4K (2160p) transfer looks fantastic even with the horrible CGI in place. Colors burst on your screen at home that are equal to, if not better than, that on the silver screen. 

AUDIO QUALITY 🔈 : A-

Although the dialogue is extremely low and hard to understand at times, the action sequences are bombastic and sound wonderful in this Dolby Atmos & True HD 7.1 sound conversion.

EXTRAS 📀 : A-

The extras (listed below) are great! Included with the digital copy of the film are a wealth of enjoyable featurettes. The only minor thing is Warner Bros. is no longer including a regular Blu-Ray copy of the film. 

“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series 

featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash 

The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes 

Deleted Scenes 

Saving Supergirl - featurette 

The Bat Chase - featurette 

Battling Zod - featurette 

Fighting Dark Flash - featurette 

The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlett Speedster - featurette 

Making the Flash: Worlds Collide - featurette 

Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again - featurette 

Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton - featurette 

Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse - featurette 

Available at Amazon.

[icedteaandoldlace]

A couple years ago, my family and friends had a PowerPoint party where everyone put together a presentation and delivered it before the rest of the group. Mine was on Snowbarry and the fandom drama wrapped up in it, and though I initially wasn’t going to let it see the light of day on the Internet, because I didn’t want a bunch of angry shippers in my DMs, I’ve decided to go ahead and post it (‘cause tbh the worst luck I’ve had in this fandom has been with fellow Westallen shippers).

Quick disclaimer: I love all of these characters and their canon dynamics with each other, so I’m not bashing any of them here. I’m also not saying that anyone is wrong for liking the idea of Barry and Caitlin as a couple, or that shipping them inherently makes someone a bad person. But I am speaking critically about both the ship itself and a good chunk of its fandom (see: reading them for filth), and some of my points will be fact-based and some will be opinion-based. I myself do not ship Snowbarry, and that fact is made very obvious in this post, so bear that in mind if you wish to continue reading.

Also, the images are not sized to Tumblr’s dimensions, so I recommend clicking/tapping to see them more clearly.

As an additional side note, I made this presentation before the major Killer Frost retcon, so Frost is referenced as a part of Caitlin and not as a full-fledged individual separate from her. I’m also disregarding the last two seasons entirely because 8 was trash and I didn’t even bother with 9.

Now on to the presentation.

Just what is Snowbarry, you may ask? Snowbarry is the ship name for Caitlin Snow and Barry Allen, two characters from The Flash, usually shipped in opposition to Westallen (Barry Allen and Iris West), which is the main couple in Flash canon.

If you are not familiar with the characters on this show, take a moment to look at the chart above. Pretty self-explanatory. Got everyone’s names and relationship to each other? Good.

Moving on.

So right off the bat, let’s get into how this ship got its start. Barry Allen is, of course, a comic book character first, and it was already canon in the comics that the love of his life was Iris West, so naturally it followed that she would be the person he’d end up with in the TV adaptation. One noticeable difference between the Iris from the comics and the Iris from the TV show is that Iris in the comics was drawn as a white woman, and Iris in the TV show is played by Candice Patton, a black woman. This caused a big stir among Flash fans before the show even aired, because the TV version of Iris “isn’t comic accurate”.

Neither is Barry, a hunky blond man, now being portrayed by brown-haired beanpole, Grant Gustin, but that detail didn’t get nearly as much or nearly as dramatic of backlash. Most fans are very pleased with Grant’s portrayal of Barry, and some even think he should play him in the DC movie universe. But Candice’s casting was received with an inordinate amount of vitriol, with many fans going so far as to bombard Candice with death threats and other forms of harassment, and people began calling for Caitlin to be Barry’s main love interest since before the first episode even aired.

It’s worth mentioning that Caitlin wasn’t even a Flash character before the TV series; she’s a character from the Firestorm comics who was brought in for this adaptation specifically, so there was no basis to say that she would be a better fit for Barry when there was no preexisting relationship between them in the comics universe. (Comic accurate whom?)

So basically, Snowbarry as a romantic ship was born out of racism, if you didn’t pick up on that already. They became a popular ship, even among people who had liked Iris in the comics, and had their own ship name before anyone had even seen them share screen time. All because they didn’t want to see Barry in love with a black woman.

Now that you know how the ship originated, let’s take a look at some fan arguments for how it maintained its popularity after the show started airing. While there are some Snowbarry shippers out there who will state outright that they don’t like Iris because she’s black, most of them have the sense to not want to be thought of as racist, and have defenses for why they prefer Snowbarry to Westallen.

I have encountered a handful of Snowbarry shippers whose claims are genuine, and who even like Iris/Westallen, or even ship all three of them as a polycule. The majority of Snowbarry fans, though, dislike (if not outright hate) Iris, and claim that their reason for preferring Snowbarry is simply that it’s a better relationship, and/or that Caitlin is simply a better character.

A common argument in defense of this preference is that Barry has more chemistry with Caitlin than he has with Iris. I’ve often heard it said that chemistry is subjective, but it’s hard to believe that Barry and Caitlin have such great chemistry--or even that the people who say they do feel it with conviction--when the Snowbarry fandom relies so heavily on photoshop.

If Barry and Caitlin had such outstanding chemistry, it would show in their scenes together, and it would be easier to find un-manipulated images of them looking like a couple.

Furthermore, if Barry and Iris had such poor (or nonexistent) chemistry, slapping Caitlin’s image over Iris’s wouldn’t make it look like Barry was in love with her. If Barry and Iris were so lacking in chemistry, their scenes together would not be a desirable template to make Snowbarry manips out of.

As a bonus, here’s some shots of Caitlin with her main canon love interest, Ronnie. Ronnie is absent for the majority of season 1, and dead for the entire rest of the series, but he is hands-down the person Caitlin has the biggest case of heart-eyes for, as well as the person she has the most passionate kisses with.

On to the next pro-Snowbarry/anti-Westallen argument, which is that Barry and Iris’s relationship is incestuous. Because as is the age-old fandom philosophy, if you don’t have a good reason to take the moral high ground, make one up.

Do Barry and Iris share DNA? No. This alone makes their relationship non-incestuous, but even when you get into the particulars, their getting together is still...not weird or bad at all.

Did Barry and Iris grow up in the same house? Yes. Starting at age eleven. At which point they already knew each other as friends, and Barry had already developed a crush on her, and then had to deal with moving in with the girl he liked. Because he had no choice.

Are Barry and Iris legally siblings? Technically unconfirmed, but most likely no. Iris does refer to them as “kind of like brother and sister” in the pilot episode, but in the same sentence, she also says the words, “we’re not brother and sister”. And Joe has been referred to as Barry’s guardian, adoptive father, and (unless I’m mistaken) foster father, and Barry has also affectionately referred to him as simply his father, and called him “dad” once. Exactly what the legal terms of Joe’s custody of Barry in his childhood were is unclear, but it’s safe to say Barry isn’t his son in the full legal sense of the word, considering he still goes by his biological father’s name and he didn’t run into any legal issues in marrying Iris.

Regardless, it’s Barry’s relationship with Iris that should determine whether or not his getting with her romantically is weird, not his relationship with Joe. If seeing Joe as a father figure makes getting with his child incest, then you could argue that any combination of Team Flash getting together would be incest because Joe is practically everyone’s dad at this point.

There are scenarios in which a romantic relationship between two characters in a situation like Barry and Iris’s would be weird and uncomfy, and come off as practically incest even though it wouldn’t be in a literal sense. Adoptive siblings do count as ~real~ siblings, and a romantic relationship between two unrelated individuals who grew up under the same roof can absolutely have some of the same negative ramifications that such a relationship between blood siblings could have. But Barry and Iris simply do not have the kind of sibling-like relationship dynamic that would cause those kinds of issues, so that plus the fact that there’s no biological relation between them makes the incest argument, frankly, stupid.

Sure, everyone has their own comfort level on matters like this; the most believable/relatable sibling relationship on this show is between two characters with no biological or legal ties to each other, and who met in their twenties (more on them later), and it makes me viscerally uncomfortable to see people ship them as a couple because they’re too much like brother and sister. But I consider myself an expert on siblings--I have six of them myself--and that’s not what Barry and Iris are.

Perhaps the most common claim among Westallen antis is that Iris is a bad person, or at least a bad girlfriend, or maybe even straight up abusive. These claims are...incorrect, and once again we delve into outright making stuff up, when simply blowing small matters out of proportion doesn’t do the trick. No one is perfect, and Iris is no exception. That doesn’t make her a terrible person.

As a person, Iris is brave, caring, ambitious, stubborn, loyal, charismatic, honest, assertive, forgiving, jealous, selfless, and protective, among other things. As Barry’s partner, she is very gentle and supportive, and she is often the only person who can get through to him when he’s either being too hard on himself, or being too single-minded and needs someone to talk some sense into him. They don’t fight often, but when they do, their issues are usually resolved fairly quickly with open and civil communication. Iris shares the responsibility of protecting the city with Barry, despite not having any powers of her own, in addition to finding ways to help people outside of official Flash business. She has her faults, but overall she’s a pretty good and well-rounded person.

The one negative claim against her in this matter to have some degree of credibility is that the individual fan simply finds her annoying. Annoying is a subjective term, so I can’t really argue that someone is wrong for being annoyed by someone I find to be very lovable. There have been moments where I was annoyed with Iris, and I think that Iris is the bee’s knees. There have also been moments where I was annoyed with Caitlin. And with Barry. And even Cisco (and I’ll fight anyone who dares call Cisco annoying).

What this argument against Iris basically boils down to is nitpicking over her being human and thus flawed. Well-written characters should be wrong now and then, and even the most lovable person can be annoying on occasion. But when it comes to Iris, first of all, a lot of the criticism for her is non-factual, and often wildly so. But also, even when it comes to valid critiques of her, there’s a tendency to focus on the negative when her positive traits far outweigh them--yet when the same or even worse negative traits are present in another character, they’re often excused or overlooked.

I’m not going to pretend that Iris stans aren’t guilty of doing the same with other characters out of bias for their fave, too (and boy do they), but by and large, Iris is the one who is disproportionately judged unfairly and subjected to double standards by the fandom.

If you’re just a fandom puritan hellbent on liking only the most unproblematic of characters, then technically Caitlin should be the one getting more flack since she has the longer rap sheet between the two, and Iris has one of the strongest moral compasses on the show.

As for personal preference? Of course, it’s totally possible that someone “just thinks she’s annoying”--but the tendency of black characters (or any non-white character for that matter), women, and especially black women being labeled “annoying” regardless of personality is a little too common to be taken at face value, so I’m automatically suspicious of anyone who calls her annoying, and bases their whole opinion of her on that, instead of recognizing her merits (because if you haven’t guessed, it’s not very plausible that that many people genuinely find her annoying as a person with no underlying prejudices at play).

Now, there are some people who started shipping Snowbarry during season 1 (y’know, after actually seeing the characters in action), because there was actually some groundwork laid for it. Not much, but it’s not nonexistent. Barry had a few love interests before ultimately getting with Iris, and a fleeting romance with Caitlin was also considered, before Grant vetoed that idea in favor of prioritizing what he felt was the more interesting and satisfying relationship, i.e. Westallen.

There were a few hinting comparisons drawn between Barry and Ronnie in early episodes, and a few platonic-but-in-a-heteronormative-way interactions between Barry and Caitlin. One episode in particular more overtly teased the idea of a possible attraction between them that they were too hung up on other people to recognize, but nothing ever came of it (partly because that episode also served to introduce one of Barry’s temporary love interests, Linda). And even the more shippable moments in it came across as mostly one-sided, and more as Caitlin trying to get over Ronnie than as being truly interested in Barry (spoiler alert: it didn’t work).

There have also been moments of light fanservice with no depth, such as the two kisses pictured above, which are two moments that the Snowbarry fandom treasures, and points to as validation of their ship.

The first is of someone who is not Barry, Caitlin just thinks he is in the moment. It is actually Hannibal Bates (aka Everyman), a shapeshifter who is causing trouble around town by committing crimes while impersonating innocent people. He kisses Caitlin to distract her while she’s trying to work on something to negate his powers, and Caitlin is confused and weirded out by his advances. And while one could argue that she started to seem a little into her second kiss with him, if she was, it didn’t last. Regardless, she was clearly not feeling the first one, she was relieved when she learned that it hadn’t really been Barry putting the moves on her, and she got uncomfortable and jumpy later when, for a split second, she thought the real Barry was going to try to kiss her again (so romanticizing that situation isn’t concerning at all).

For the second pictured kiss, Caitlin was in the middle of a mental breakdown/being taken over by someone whose actions she was strongly opposed to when she was stable and in control, and she kissed Barry not because of any feelings she might have toward him, but with the intention of freezing him to death with her ice powers--yup, she was actively trying to kill him with that kiss.

So to review, there are two Snowbarry kissing scenes in canon, and both of them are:

nonconsensual

not done with romantic intent

not really between Barry and Caitlin

Moving on from the Snowbarry fandom’s perspectives, now it’s time to address the elephant in the room that no Snowbarry stan ever wants to address, and that is the matter of the dynamic of O.G. Team Flash.

As indicated at the beginning of this post, Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco are a best friends trio. This kind of friend group is a common occurrence in both fiction and real life, and in the case of fiction at least, it’s common for there to be a favorite friend (which is almost always the main character).

In the case of the two other trios pictured above, for example, Gordo and Miranda have their own friendship independent of their respective relationships with Lizzie, and Shawn and Topanga similarly have their own friendship independent of their relationships with Cory--but in both cases, each friend has a closer relationship with the protagonist (Lizzie and Cory) than they have with each other.

O.G. Team Flash also has one character who is closer with the other two than they are with each other, and is therefore the favorite friend. And in this case, that friend

is Cisco. By a landslide, it is Cisco. It’s obvious in the show-don’t-tell sense that he is the friend they each have the closer bond with, whom they are both more likely to turn to for comfort or advice, and whom they would rather hang out one-on-one with, given the choice between him or each other. But it’s also implied in the way they talk about each other.

Cisco has referred to Barry and Caitlin both as his best friend, independently of each other, and it’s a tough call to say whether he’s closer with one or the other.

Barry has referred to Cisco as his best friend (singular) multiple times, with no mention of Caitlin, but in the times he referred to Caitlin as one of his best friends (plural), he did so in a way that was inclusive of Cisco. He has never called just Caitlin his best friend the way he has with Cisco (or with Iris, before they started dating).

Caitlin as far as I can recall has never used that term in regards to her friendship with either guy, but it’s obvious who she’s closer with. For that matter, Cisco is easily the most consistent and most important person in her life, whether she is aware of that fact or not. (At this point in the original presentation, my mom interjected to ask why Cisco and Caitlin weren’t the big fandom ship then, and I explained that they act like siblings and canonically think of each other as such, so most of the fandom doesn’t ship them romantically because That’s Weird, and their canon platonic relationship is something that most everyone values as is.)

I mean, heck, in The Icicle Cometh--an episode widely regarded as a ~Snowbarry episode~ because of the amount of scenes Barry and Caitlin get together in it--Barry all but says outright, “Cisco cares about you more than I do.” (pictured above)

Seriously, what does that line even mean if it’s not an acknowledgement that he does?

Of course, many Snowbarry shippers don’t like the fact that Cisco is the favorite friend because it blows holes in their ship, so they rationalize that closeness by likening Barry and Caitlin to his parents, which is all kinds of wrong and gross and just, no.

Considered but not included for this slide (because it would be hard to fit and would’ve required providing context for a room of people who don’t watch the show) was a screencap of Barry asking Frost, aka Caitlin’s other side, “How do you convince your best friend not to save your life?” while referring specifically to Cisco, just to further emphasize my point.

And speaking of Barry and Cisco,

I could do a whole PowerPoint presentation dedicated to why they would be better and more sense as a couple than Barry and Caitlin!

(And for the next PowerPoint party I kind of did, plus I’ve made a few other posts related to this subject.)

It just doesn’t make sense to me to make such a big fuss over two people who are clearly each other’s second-favorite friend. Personally, I’d be a little embarrassed to be shouting from the rooftops about how much better Snowbarry is than Westallen, and how Caitlin is the person Barry really loves and should end up with, when they don’t even like each other as much as they like Cisco.

And for my final slide, here’s some screenshots of Snowbarry fans being awful and unhinged + my commentary on them.

It’s not that Snowbarry is an inherently bad ship or entirely baseless--no more so than many of the other fanon ships for this show--but the fact that it’s as mainstream as it is when it has such little canon support and such weak arguments in favor of it reeks of racism, with a dash of hetero-/amatonormativity. The most sincere and non-toxic Snowbarry shippers I’ve seen around tend to be multishippers and/or rare-pair fans, which is where I see Snowbarry as a romantic ship making the most sense. But for such a large number of people to be adamant that the show should change its trajectory to make Caitlin the love of Barry’s life instead of Iris? That’s just bullshit.

[skylarmoon71]

Eobard Thawne - (Flash) AU Chapter 12

“I think I found something.” Caitlin calls. 

Everyone gathers at the computers.

“This power plant is one of the few that Godspeed can use to his advantage. The fact that he’s a scientist makes it tricky. We have no idea what kind of machine he’s building over there. But his patterns that are tracking all over the city, they frequent close to a five mile radius of here.”

Caitlin lays out a map of the entire space.

“We can alert CCPD, but I don’t want any of my officers heading over there if we don’t know what’s going on. The last time our casualty count was devastating." Cisco says.

“So what’s the plan? We have about twenty hours to find and capture him before he goes on another rampage.” Bart inputs.

“I think I might be able to stop him this time.” Eobard turns at your words.

“Godspeed had me but the second he tried to attack it was like my body defended. He even noticed that I was different. I’m not sure how but maybe our speed is connected somehow.”

A few of them exchange a look. Now you know something is up.

“What?”

“We probably should have said this sooner. We keep forgetting that you don’t have all your memories.” 

Now you’re a bit worried by Bart’s statement.

“Would you just tell me!”

All their stares are sympathetic.

“(Y/N). Godspeed…he’s your brother.” Iris explains.

The information is  a shock to the system. You take a step back, then another.

“T-That’s crazy. If we’re family then why is he trying to kill me!” 

You’re startled, scared, hurt.

“Because he’s a monster. When you got your powers he was jealous. He was the first one you told. The more people you saved, the more you got praised the worse he got. He was studying you to mimic a version of the speed force. Then he put an entire hospital in danger just to prove he was a better hero.” 

Eobard’s tone holds contempt.

“We can’t let him win at any cost. Everyone needs to gear up. Iris, you need to be prepared for anything.” Eobard instructs.

The icon that pops up on the Iris screen startles all of you.

“What is it?”

She appears a bit confused.

“It’s a police radio. I’m getting a signal on one of the channels.” She clicks the link.

“I know you’ve been looking for me.”

Godspeed’s voice on the other side of the com gains a reaction from everyone. Eobard’s stare turns the screen as Iris frantically pulls up the location.

“Come alone and I’ll spare this sorry excuse for a city. You don’t have a lot of time. I’ll be seeing you. Baby sister.”

The radio com disconnects.

Silence washes over the room. Iris had already pinned where the radio was. The very plant that he’d been working out of. It may not have been such a coincidence that you all discovered that.

He’s mocking you.

“You’re not going alone.” Eobard leaves nothing up for discussion.

It’s not like you were rushing to go and face him on your own. You may act impulsive, but attempting to fight him alone was suicide. Whatever he's been doing out there it’s clearly linked to his unnatural power, even for a speedster. He was tapping into speeds that took Barry years to master. He’d somehow passed all of that in a matter of months.

“Barry, Eobard and I will go.”

Bart is about to object.

“Do you really think I’m going to sit here and watch you run out there and risk your life. You’re crazy.”

“We don’t have a choice Bart. Bringing anyone is already risky.”

“I don’t care.”

“Would you suck up your pride and just listen for once. I’m trying to protect everyone!! Why can’t you just let me do this!!”

“BECAUSE WE JUST GOT YOU BACK AND I’M NOT LOSING YOU AGAIN!!”

His yell startles you all.

Bart holds up his ring, but lowers his head.

“You’re..like a sister to me. I love you so much and if I had to watch you die then it would..it would kill me..” 

You see a tear hit the ground, and he still refuses to look at you.

You can see it. From across the room, they all express the same.

It’s possible that you take for granted they possess memories that you do not have. You remember how you felt when you thought you would have to watch Barry die. Now Bart is explaining that he’d lived it. They all had. Who knows what they endured when Godspeed struck last time.

It’s hard for you, internalizing all of this. But you know what you have to do.

All of them are family. Even though your last attempt to protect the ones you loved had taken a turn you didn’t expect, a part of you holds no regret. Because ultimately, you succeeded. Not only had you saved your family. But the enemy as well.

All of this was accomplished with the strength of your drive.

Your love.

You smile, walking over and placing your hand lightly over Bart’s ring. He slowly looks up, and you press his palm right over your heart.

“Everything’s gonna be alright.”

He’s not sure how you can have such blind faith. But when the light of his ring brightens, he seems to understand.

It isn’t just faith.

It’s hope.

[backtothestart02]

A Wife's Request - 1/1 | [RC - 9x04]

A/N: Just a little moment I wanted to see in the ep at the end of their opening scene. Enjoy!

...

“Ryan’s lucky to have you in her corner.”

“Thanks. Be safe out there.”

“I will. Promise.”

Iris tapped her fingers on the table, on the papers, the pictures, the file…

She tried to concentrate on the situation at hand, but in the end it was abandoned, at least for the moment.

Barry’s kiss had been no more than a simple peck, a goodbye gesture before they temporarily parted ways. But it left her wanting more. Not much. She knew this was neither time nor the place to have sex with so much riding on their next move.

But maybe a little?

Reaching for her phone, she sent him a quick text, something simple, not too demanding, nothing to scare him.

Can you come home real quick?

That was okay…right?

A flash of light, and a gust of wind behind her, and…a very frantic Flash.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

She pursed her lips, wishing she hadn’t sent the text.

“It’s uh…” She laughed under her breath. “It’s nothing, Bear. I’m sorry for bringing you back. You can go. We’ll talk later.”

Barry frowned and relaxed slightly. He walked over to where she sat and waited for her to meet his eyes, but she never did, just kept staring at the table waiting for him to leave again.

“Iris.”

“Hmm?”

“What is it?”

She sighed and looked up at him.

“Oh, what the hell.”

Standing up, she grabbed the lapels of his shirt and sat back down, pulling him with her and planting her lips on his.

Startled, Barry squeaked into the kiss but soon relaxed and kissed her back, kneeling before her and resting his hands on the arms of the chair as she continued to kiss him.

“What was that for?” he asked, when she pulled back enough to look at him, still close enough to touch and taste.

Iris smirked, sliding her hands inside the collar of his shirt, pulling one button free.

“I just wanted to kiss you a little more.”

He grinned and closed the distance between them, deepening their third kiss on contact and letting his hands wander until the two of them were more than a little aroused.

Iris pulled back the moment she felt her panties dampen.

“Okay, you should go now.”

“Do you want me to go?”

She snorted.

“No, but you have work to do.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And so do I.”

She curled her fingers in his hair and tilted his head so she could press their cheeks together and whisper in his ear.

“Later.”

He pulled back into her eyes, and she saw nothing but mischief there.

“Tease.”

She smiled at that and patted his chest before turning back to her research.

“Off you go, Flash. Thanks for the makeout sesh.”

He snorted but got to his feet.

“Love you too, Mrs. West-Allen.”

Her smile spread, not minding one bit this time when his flashing away caused her hair to float around her. She was filled with warm fuzzies and the promise of what was to come.

“Love you more.”

[incorrectcoldflashblog]

#love thisssss#also what's more fun#barry (married to iris) working undercover with len to get into a Family party (idk flimsy premise)#and len looking away when Barry aggressively puts his ring back on#because he doesn't want the reminder that he can't have Barry like this#OR#barry and len working undercover to infiltrate a Family party (same flimsy premise)#and Barry has to flirt with people to keep eyes off Len#but he eventually gets fed up and puts his wedding ring back on#because He and LEN are married#and Len has to look away when Barry does that#tapping his glass to stay focused#so he won't go up there and...blow their cover#mmmm options#coldflash (via @softboydepot)

It’s really not fair that we get this -

and this -

within one week and it’s not the same scene, or even the same show.

Like wow, rude!

[mysteriouslover1516]

The Tables have Turned

What happens one day when a normal visit with Barry Allen turns into a confession?

y/n= your name

l/n= your last name

Jitters rings with the typical sound of a crowded coffee shop: voices ringing, coffee beans being ground, the fresh smell of baked pastries, not to mention the pleasant smell of java in general.

"Okay there, Barry?" You look at your best friend quizzically, taking in his rapidly tapping foot.

Barry looks at you with a small smile, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your foot," you point out. "Nerves?"

"You could say that," Barry admits in a sheepish tone.

You sit yourself down in front of him, taking a sip of your pumpkin spice latte. "Tell me more."

"Nothing to tell," Barry shrugs you off.

"Maybe it's just a side effect of being struck by lightning," you laugh.

Your ears perk up as you hear a random stranger mention the word "Flash". You fold your hands professionally on the table in front of you. "Mr. Barry Allen, what is your opinion on this new phenomenon called The Flash? Hero or menace? Protagonist or antagonist? Or perhaps a vigilante maybe?"

Barry laughs at your reporter voice, taking on his own formal voice. "Well, Ms. l/n. I find the Flash a seemingly controversial topic for many civilians. Some say he's a mutant, perhaps a normal human being caught and tortured by evil scientists. Others say it's a hoax, some sort of well done CGI in use. But me personally, I think he's a real man. Some sort of meta-human, that's for sure."

"But Mr. Allen, a meta-human in itself is defined as a human with super powers, practically the same thing as a mutant." You smile, slyly.

"Whatever he is," Barry rolls his eyes. "He has certainly preserved the city, especially from all these other meta-humans appearing."

"Very true," you say, dropping your reporter voice. "I find him interesting, in fact I wouldn't mind writing a blog about him, one in which I could record all the sightings of him."

"Iris is doing something of that nature," Barry nods. "She has a lot of viewers."

"Well shucks," you laugh. "Guess I'm once again too late."

"What do you mean once again?" Barry furrows his eyebrows.

"Oh you know, she always had some of the highest grades in school. Killed it in the creative writing classes, reporting classes, literally any class that dealt with writing. And now she once again beat me, not only in snatching a job in the news world, but in starting a blog that is sure to interest every civilian in Central City."

"Hey, you know a key essential part that she lacks in her blog?" Barry sips his coffee.

"What's that?" You say, skeptical.

"She only writes about the Flash, not about the other meta-human sightings. Not about the antagonists or villains of modern life, that's a side door still open for grabs."

You nod thoughtfully, "That's true, Barry. Good idea, I'll beat her yet!"

"You guys could collab together even, send your readers to each other's websites. It'll help you both gain more readers and therefore more views." Barry suggests.

"Oh joy, working with Iris West." You say sarcastically. "Don't get me wrong, Barry. Talented writer? Yes. A person worth befriending and collaborating with? I think not." 

Barry chuckles slightly, "You guys never did like each other, did you? Why is that, y/n?"

"Conflict of interests?" You shrug.

"That's not what I see." Barry leans over the table more, "I see it as too similar of interests, always trying to outdo one another. Always trying to show who's superior, who's the better writer. A typical girl fight." "I beg to differ," you refute.

"I thought you guys would outgrow it once we all graduated from school, got occupations, started life as adults; seems I was wrong."

"Hey, I'm happy where I'm at." You defend, "Like I may not be writing as much as I wanted to, not writing articles like Ms. Iris West over there,  but I still do what I love. I help other aspiring journalists, writers become better. I edit their work, critique it, push them to reach their full potential."

"I can't argue with that, but I still say you two are jealous of each other." Barry says simply.

"Why would she be jealous of me?" You scoff.

"Why wouldn't she be?" Barry counters, "Probably for the same reason you're jealous of her." "I'm not jealous."

"Convincing," Barry smirks.

"I don't know," you say, irritably. "Sounds to me like you already have a guess, so why not share your observations?"

"You were jealous of her once you figured out I liked her, now the tables have turned."

"Wait a minute, how-" Your eyes widen as you comprehend the last part, "What do you mean the tables turned?"

Barry's brown eyes meet yours, "I like you, y/n."

You laugh, "You're joking, right?"

"Iris and I don't meet as often, we've lost the bond we had. After she rejected me, I started to see things in a different light. It just took me awhile to realize what I saw, I saw a future, a future with you."

"So you admit I still am second best," you shake your head angrily. "It took her rejection to realize that you maybe found me attractive, that I could be part of your future."

"That's not what I'm saying," Barry sighs. "You're not making it easy, y/n. I like you, I see something different in you, something that Iris lacks. You have a pure heart, a sweet kindness in your whole being, you're amazingly funny, you're literally beautiful in every way."

By now your anger had been calmed by Barry's soft words. "You actually like me?"

"Yes," Barry laughs. "You're beautiful, gorgeous even. The way you laugh, it's adorable. The way the corner of your eyes crinkle as you smile, the way a simple blush rises to your cheeks every time someone compliments you. The way you cock your eyebrows when you decide to get cocky and show some attitude, it's honestly heart-melting."

You blush at his words, and stare hard at the table in front of you.

"See? You're even doing it right now, blushing madly. You make it hard for a guy not to fall for you."

"Could say the same thing about you," you finally say. "You make girls blush without realizing it, make girls go weak at the knees for your chivalry, charm girls with your good looks and humor, not to mention those dimples you possess." "Awww, y/n." Barry laughs, however you notice how red his cheeks have gotten.

"Kiss me?" you ask with a small smirk.

Barry leans over the table, his cologne filling your nostrils at the closeness between you two.

Your eyes close involuntarily as you feel his lips meet yours, it wasn't a needy or lust-filled kiss, more of a gentle one. "Mmmmm," you say as he pulls away.

"Like it?" Barry struggles to maintain his calm voice.

"Let's do that more often," you giggle and shyly tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

"Bet," Barry laughs as his lips meet yours once more.

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Lightning in a Snowstorm - Nora West-Allen x Snow!Daughter!Reader - The Flash Season 5&8

Request: Maybe both? Like one minuted snow!reader is in the season 5 timeline and then boom! She's helping Nora and Bart with godspeed and wondering why her mother is crying when she sees her

A/n: I forgot about the entire Godspeed arc because I set this after it, whoopsies.

/// Previously on The Flash ///

Barry and Iris were desperate to take Nora back into the Negative Speedforce, but you stood still, staring at your hands.

Your fingers trembled slightly as you glanced at Frost.

"Something's wrong!" You cried out, looking down at your hands as cracks of light began to break through your skin, realisation on your face as your mother looked over at Barry and Iris.

"Y/n..." Nora cried, but you shook your head, stumbling slightly as you walked towards your mother, falling into her embrace.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Nora whispered as her father pulled her and her mother into an embrace.

"Please, don't forget me. I love you, mum." You whispered, closing your eyes as your body disintegrated into pieces, almost reflecting snowflakes as you ceased to exist.

With the timeline changed, you and Nora had been erased.

/// Sometime during Season 7/8 of The Flash ///

"Hey, guys!" Nora and Bart waved as they entered STAR Labs, making a beeline for the latest updates on what Team Flash were fighting this time.

"Uh, I thought you two were heading back to 2049?" Iris enquired, on a break from her work in Coast City with the city's first meta.

"We were, but- uh... it's a long story." Bart rambled, deciding to not reveal the time hijinks that had happened since the two West-Allens left before.

"So what are you guys- oh cryokinetics, sweet, Nora knows all about those!" Bart pointed out, smiling as Nora glared at him.

"Wait, you study cryokinetics?" Barry raised an eyebrow, realising how different that was to the other Nora, who was a CSI like Barry.

"Uh, I don't study cryokinetics, my-"

"Her future wife is getting her bio-engineering doctorate and her study is using cryokinetics and cryotherapy for healing injuries." Bart explained as Barry and Iris paused.

"Wait, hold up, future wife-"

"I haven't proposed yet. Anyway, Bart, stop talking! You're spoiling the future!" Nora explained, her face burning at Bart's teasing at the mention of you.

"Yet?" Iris smiled slightly, watching how her daughter reacted to her brother's teasing.

"Let's be real, Y/n could really help with this, and I know you miss your lover, lover girl!" Bart persuaded Nora, who bit her lip in thought.

"I don't think it's a good idea to bring people from the future-" Barry began to oppose at the idea.

"An expert in cryokinesis like no other." Bart added, nudging Nora in the ribs as Iris quirked a brow.

"Who just so happens to be our daughter's girlfriend?"

"Mom!" Nora yelped, seeing the look on her mother's face as Bart interjected.

"It's actually an adorable love story-"

"Bart!"

"Okay, okay, fine. You go! Go get Y/n from 2049, or, wait, wait, Y/n has one of those handy time watches from-"

"Bart! Zip it, I'm going!" Nora replied, waving her hand around before speeding out, the purple lightning following her as some of the other members of Team Flash arrived.

"What's going on?" Allegra enquired as Chester grinned and waved at Bart, who cheerfully waved back.

"Nora has gone to get an expert in cryokinetics from the future-"

"Did we mention they're a part of the future Team Flash? Another Legacy member, I should add." Bart contributed to Iris' explanation as Barry exchanged glances with Iris.

"Legacy member?" Barry looked intrigued as Bart grinned nervously, realising how much he was saying.

"And that is all I can tell you." Bart concluded, zipping his mouth shut as Nora had told him to when she left for 2049.

"What are you telling us?" Frost enquired as she and Caitlin walked in.

/// 2049 ///

The tapping of computer keys echoed throughout the pristine labratory, the toes of your shoe tapped the linoleum flooring as you read over your research proposal for the hundredth time.

The coffee you'd brought from Jitters was cold as you downed it quickly, grimacing at the temperature before a chuckle caught your attention.

Spinning around in your wheelie chair, a smile graced your lips as Nora grinned, "hey lovely."

"Hey yourself, what's going on?" You enquired, spotting Nora was suited up as XS as she removed her mask to explain.

///

"Wait, so...wow, 2022... Bart's there now? Nora, neither of us are born yet, nevermind Bart... so we should be careful not to introduce any tech that's too advanced, because it would speed up the timeline." You agreed, fiddling with the time courier on your wrist as Nora walked over, leaning into press her lips against yours.

A smile crossed your face as Nora stepped back, watching as you set up the time courier to open a few minutes after Nora left 2022.

/// 2022 ///

"Again, what are you telling us?" Frost folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at Bart who glanced around awkwardly.

"Any time now, sis..."

The wooshing sound of the time courier opening a space-time door from 2049 to 2022.

"Finally! You really took your time!" Bart exclaimed as he zipped over, hugging you in greeting as you glanced around the 2022 version of STAR Labs.

"Oh my god." A voice gasped as she spotted you, Frost at her side as she stepped forwards slightly, memories of the alternate timeline you flickering in her mind.

"Hi, mum." You smiled softly, slightly confused at her glassy eyes as you glanced at your aunt, "Hi, aunt Frost."

"Aunt Frost?" Frost raised an eyebrow, glancing between Nora and Bart and you.

"What in the Anna and Elsa is happening right now?" Chester blurted out as you let out a breathy chuckle, turning to look at your girlfriend in amusement as Bart stammered over his words and Nora sheepishly smiled.

"Y/n?" Caitlin asked, reaching out for you as you softly smiled.

"Wait, wait, Y/n Snow? With the cool ice powers-"

"Ice powers? Oh, you're thinking of the other Y/n. I don't have ice powers. Mum, or mum in the future figured it was because aunt Frost has the ice powers after the split." You explained, carefully stopping Nora from showing an explanation from her gauntlet, in case it revealed too much of the future.

"So, you don't have ice powers, but you're getting a doctorate in cryokinetics?" Barry enquired as your eyes widened, looking at your mother's face as your aunt looked impressed.

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree then, huh, Caity. Hope your daughter isn't as uptight-" Frost began but Bart beamed with laughter.

"Well, she's dating my sister, so I think out of the two of them, Nora's the uptight one." Bart chuckled until you whirled around at him with a grimace and Nora glared.

"Only when it's about the timeline, which you are hellbent on spoiling apparently!" Nora replied, flicking Bart in retaliation.

"You two are dating?" Allegra enquired as Frost was about to smirk and Caitlin's jaw dropped.

"This got out of hand so quickly..." You whispered as Nora sighed, Bart had gone over to talk to Chester and Allegra as Barry and Iris tried to talk to Caitlin, with Frost secretly watching you and Nora from the corner of her eye.

"I know..." Nora replied, leaning into you as you began to look over the issue of why Team Flash needed an expert in cryokinetics in the first place.

"I love you." Nora whispered into your shoulder as you began to tap your fingers on the screen.

"I love you too." You replied, quickly kissing Nora's cheek before spotting your aunt watching, your eyes widening at her small smile.

[speedsterredhead]

"You never looked! You all did to me what Oliver to Roy!" Wally snapped, he was definitely was not being rational. "You gave up on me! Just like all warriors give up on the lost!"

Of course, Wally logically knew she was right, but all that he could feel was rage, hatred and all the negative emotions that corrupted him. He could hear Darkseid's voice commanding him to do this, to systematically eliminate them. To start with Shayera, perhaps he deemed her the biggest threat of the Leaguers assembled here.

Wally had learned about the Speedforce, from Darkseid during his torture. He then learned of the Negative Speedforce, how Thawne moved around without alerting them to commit his schemes. It was how he could tap into his power consistently now without alerting Barry to his status of alive. Barry....he had a special death in store for him.

His hatred would make him stronger, or so he thought.

"Mourning? He showed me everything, Artemis has a new boytoy, Dick has a new best friend, Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris had kids, my parents had another kid, they all replaced me!" He hissed.

Only shown enough to sow the seeds of doubt, torture, then fueling his negative emotions with the negative speedforce and using it as a form of antilife equation, Wally had stood no chance. Now, he couldn't bring himself to care that he was a slave, he just wanted his revenge.

Of course, he had to assume she was planning some way to rescue him from himself, that wouldn't work. Though, it would make tearing that hope away from her all the sweater. He could start with Barry if he dared to answer her and then come here just to testify, and oh how he would love that.

Perhaps that is why lord Darkseid was ordering him to focus in on her first. She would call the true reason he had suffered all these years. Barry Allen, so his uncle could die at his hands, but not until he was good and ready. First, he would kill every Leaguer here in front of Barry, then to Apakolipse to force him to watch the rest of the Universe fall before giving him the sweet release of death.

That is right, fall into my trap Shayera, bring Barry to me. Wally thought with a sadistic grin.

Of course, that is when she dodged. Then, he took a hard hit from Thangarian weaponry, oh so Carter was back. How annoying, it seemed he hadn't quite figured it out yet, given the shocked yell when he saw the hair, a dead give away that this was not Thawne. Oh this would be fun. He then redirected to fight Hawkman.

Barry answered over the comms. "Shayera, what is going on? This isn't like you, what has you calling for back up? I have J'onn moving us above the protective force field as we speak. Who do you need and for what?"

"I am a traitor? Me? Really? Come on now Shayera. I am not the one who left someone you all supposedly cared about to be tortured by Darkseid. You all gave up on me, clearly I never mattered." Wally taunted her as he ran around her, stopping only to further his own taunt and attack a few others who where bold enough to attack him. He seemed to be enjoying this, a little too much maybe. Something that was foreign for him. "You seem tense, are you perhaps conflicted about fighting someone you once called a friend? I assure you, I have no much conflict-ions." To prove it, he used his speed, ran, and launched right at Guy Gardner, who had until that point been defending himself pretty well. He easily took Guy down to the ground and pulverized him at super speed, stopping only to let the Green Lantern take it all at once as he was screaming as he then flew through the air while Wally stood there, offering only a dark smirk on his face. He didn't hesitate top turn back to her. "See? The Wally West you know is dead. Only the Reverse Flash, and he serves his master. Now fight me fool!" He demanded as he got ready to go attack her again. He ran at another building, planning to launch himself at Shayera in a way to attack her. He wanted to beat on her and make her feel even a fraction of his own pain, he knew Carter would make his way back eventually. He shot at her, his hand vibrating towards her chest, he could phase now, probably from all his attempts to escape from Darkseid and the torturers of Apakolipse, he was faster now too, rivaling Barry in terms of speed, maybe even surpassing this from him. "It's over Shayera. You die here, but don't worry, your friends will follow suit." He laughs at her. "So you won't be alone, make sure yo tell Jason, Tula, and Ted that I said, hello." He snickered at her.

"We thought you were dead." She defends through gritted teeth. "Barry thought you were dead. You vanished right before his eyes."

There have been far too few good days these last few years. Every time she sees Barry she feels a pit of guilt settle in her stomach, even if none of them were to blame for what happened to Wally. He pushed himself too far. At least, that's what they all assumed.

Barry had tried to explain it. Something about the speed force. At least, he thinks that's what happened. He was called into the speed force. With no way out. No way back. Leaving an entire life behind. It was a tragedy. It is tragic.

But this? This is far more tragic than anything that happened that day in the arctic.

"You haven't been forgotten. Not by me, not by anyone. Not by Artemis. Not by Barry. Not by Dick. They mourned. They still do."

Shayera doesn't count herself as a gossip. Far from it. But, surprisingly to most, she's a rather good listening ear. She can be a good shoulder. And she's lost one too many close friends in her day to turn a blind eye to the pain that Barry experienced at the loss of Wally, and the pain that Oliver has taken on via Artemis's grief. She has too many stories she could tell.

Maybe that's a way to get through to him. Maybe callings to the life he lived, to the people he loved, will be able to get into his head and break through whatever bullshit Darkseid drilled into his head through these last few years of captivity.

She watches as Guy is thrown from view. She almost flies after him. She almost puts herself in the middle of the situation. But, unfortunately, she thinks she's his fixation at the moment. Because, yes, this all seems personal. But, somehow, it feels like this feels more personal. Carter and Guy were obstacles, minor distractions at best.

But this doesn't feel like that.

She dodges him at the very last second. With him a hairsbreadth away from plunging his hand through her chest. She'll be damned if she dies at his hand. Not like this. Not when she could possibly help him. All she needs is to send out her distress signal. Maybe, if she's lucky, Barry will respond.

She curls her fingers into a fist and clicks a button towards her wrist to send another distress alert to the Watchtower. An alert that she needs backup. She's in danger. And she just hopes that someone responds. That someone shows.

[nephilim-problems]

Can't Keep a Secret pt. 2

Part 1

Taglist

@mac99martin @chloeinlondon2021 @staradorned

Tw: graphic depictions of violence, general criminal minds grossness

Parings: Aaron Hotchner x reader

The central city police gracefully gave us a small office with a few empty deals by us. Luckily no one was even close to ear shot. 

"You've done very well with this team and as you know your 4 year evaluation is coming up," Hotch said, keeping his eyes on me. 

"I'm pretty sure you didn't bring me out here to tell me about my evaluation," I replied, rolling my eyes at him. 

"I need you at the top of your game. I need you to stay professional," he said, putting emphasis on the word professional. 

"I am staying professional," I snapped and crossed my arms. "Is this about me hugging Joe and Barry? 'Cause they're just really close friends." 

"I just think you might be going to meet Barry for other reasons," Hotch replied and I could swear he sounded like he was jealous. 

There's no way. He's my boss he would never. 

"Hotch, trust me," I looked around and when I was sure no one was looking at us, I grabbed his hand and looked up at him. "Barry is a useful resource and I think I can get him to get the officers on board." 

It was the first time I tried to flirt with him and I have no idea what made me do it. I just did it without thinking. But he wasn't pulling away though he was tense under the touch. He was looking down at me but not with any anger or hate but something else and I couldn't figure out what it was. 

The moment was cut short when Emily opened the door. I quickly removed my hand from his and mumbled a good-bye to him before running up the stairs to Barry's office. He was standing by his desk like he always did. 

"So what does the flash have on this?" I asked and leaned back against a desk across from him. 

"Nothing," Barry replied. "I'm not really good at catching killers like this." 

"So nothing from Cisco or Caity?" I asked fiddling with random crap on the desk. 

"They don't have anything either," he replied. 

"What about forensics?" I replied it was worth a shot even if he talked to Morgan already. "Anything weird like metahuman weird?" 

"No, it's definitely not a metahuman but," Barry sped off and grabbed a thing of papers and very quickly flipped through some pages before quickly stopping in front of me making my hair flip around. "They found these fibers around her mouth, the same fibers were found on her wrist.”

“So he gagged her and bound her wrists together,” I shrugged at him. “That’s not weird a lot of sickos do that.”

“That’s the thing the same fibers were found in her lungs and her,” Barry flushed for a minute awkwardly. “And- uh- hey were in her genitals.” 

“Now that is weird,” I said, shaking the paper. “I knew you wouldn’t fail me Bares.” 

“I-I-Uh-I’m sorry. About the divorcce and Savitar,” Barry paused and looked at me. A long time ago I would've given anything to see this look again. 

“Barry it’s fine, it was a long time ago,” I paused and licked my lips nervously. “We’ve both moved on, you’re engaged to Iris and I’m so happy for you. You’ve found the person made just for you.”

“I see how you look at him,” Barry said smiling. “Derek said his name was Hotch or something."

"I don't look at my boss any sort of way," I snapped. 

"Yes you do," Barry smiled. "You-you don't have to be a profiler to see it. He looks at you the same way." 

"Oh and I'm so sure you've seen it you met him for the first time today," I rolled my eyes at him. 

"I know because he looks at you the way I used to," Barry smiled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 

"Thanks Barry," I smiled and walked towards the door and stopped. "You know, Barry Iris asked if I'd be her maid of honor at your wedding." 

"What did you say?" Barry asked. 

"I said yes. I love you guys and I want you to be happy Barry," I smiled and tapped the door frame. "I meant what I said. I don't care if it's with me or if it's with Iris but I want you to be happy." 

"I love you Arya," Barry said and it took me back a little. I hadn't heard my real name for years. 

"I love you too Bares," I smiled back. "But I have to show this to the team. It can change some things. Also keep the flash line open, we might need him." 

With those words I left and handed Morgan the file.

"Barry gave us this, it's a little weird so I figured it could help," I said walking into the office. 

"What did Hotch say sweetheart?" Morgan asked once he noticed Hotch wasn't in the room. 

"He just told me I need to remain professional," I said, rolling my eyes. 

"Oooh Hotch is jealous," Morgan laughed. 

" Hotch is absolutely not jealous," I said a little too sternly. " Our relationship is strictly professional." 

" Right, and you looking at him with old puppy dog eyes is being professional Right?" Emily laughed. 

" Regardless of how I feel, Hotch would never date an employee," I said, crossing my arms. " Can we get back to the case please?"

"Reid, anything on the geographical profile?" Emily asked as Reid ignored her. "Reid?" 

Reid still didn't reply and just kept staring at his board. 

"Any ideas?" I asked and everyone shook their heads. "Well we have 38 hours to find this girl. Where's Hotch?" 

" He went to talk to captain Singh," Morgan replied. 

Before anyone could say a word J.J bolted into the room, " the killer didn't wait. There's another body." 

"Fuck," Morgan shouted and pushed a chair. 

"Let's go, we need to catch this guy soon," I snapped and followed J.J out the door. " Is Hotch already there?" 

"Yeah, so is Detective West and Captain Singh," J.J replied. 

I checked back and saw the entire team including Reid and Rossi following close behind us. Well all piled ourselves into one vehicle but for once J.J drove instead of Morgan. 

It was a silent car ride. No one wanted to talk about it but we all blamed ourselves. We always do when something like this happens. It's the what ifs that kill your mind. What if I was faster or Smarter? It eats at you. It had only been a few hours but it still bothered us. Things weren't much better at the crime scene. Joe was taking this especially personal; this was his city after all and it wasn't often someone could stump both him and Barry at the same time. 

"How long ago was she found?" Morgan asked as we made our way out of the suv and towards the body except me. I stopped by the SUV for a second before following the team. 

"About 30 minutes ago," Joe replied. "A car drove by and called in a dead body." 

"It looks like she was killed here. There's scuff marks where she fought back," Hotch said pointing at the dirt. 

" He didn't cover it this time," Rossi said. " Maybe he didn't have enough time." 

" He definitely had time. Rossi, look at her hair, it's perfectly combed out, her nails painted. Her hand one right over the other, nice shoes completely clean, clean clothes," Morgan replied looking over the body. 

"It's just like the last crime scene. I can see it from the road as we pull up. She's in plain sight," I piped in. 

"Maybe she has some DNA under her nails," Emily said. 

" No, not likely. He spends so much time cleaning her up and making her look nice. There's no way he left something as simple as some DNA," J.J replied. 

" Something must have spoo-" I started speaking until I heard Barry behind me. 

" I'm so sorry I'm late," Barry said, running to the victim and throwing his stuff down. "I just saw I had some missed calls and came down." 

"Oh, Barry Allen? Late? Never!" I joked, not even realizing who was next to me. 

That was the problem with Barry and the whole reason I fell in love with him. When he was around no one else was in the room. Almost exactly what also happens with Hotch whenever we're together. 

"Barry, do you see anything weird?" I asked. 

"Wait, I think there's something in her mouth," Reid said, getting closer to the body. "Barry, can you hand me something to grab?"  

" Uh, sure?" Barry replied, confused. He reluctantly handed him a pair of giant tweezer things. 

" Thanks," Reid replied and started digging. He successfully pulled a crumpled piece of paper from the victim's mouth and opened it. 

"What does it say?" Hotch asked. 

"It's an article published by Iris West. Her name is underlined and it says 'The next liar'. He also highlighted the part that says 'FBI to investigate bodies left on the side of the road. No one was available for contact.'" Reid said which made Barry and Joe go white, I was probably pretty white myself. 

"Joe call Iris," I snapped. "Make sure she's in a safe place so we can work on this case without worrying about her."

"Barry, Joe is going to take care of her. I need your head in the game. You're the most brilliant forensic scientist I know and I want to catch this sick fuck before we have to hide her," I said layingy hand on his shoulder. "Now tell me what that brilliant mind sees." 

Barry took a large deep breath and started examining the body. 

"You know what gets me? He abducts these women with no witnesses and kills them on the side of the road still with no witnesses. Someone had to hear something," Morgan said, which caused everyone to start thinking. 

"He could've told her if she didn't cooperate he'd kill her family," Emily said.

"But then why didn't she scream? Again this is Central City plus the flash probably would've seen something," I said. 

"She didn't scream," Barry replied. "He removed their tongue before he killed her." 

"I didn't think this sick fuck could get any sicker," I snapped. 

"We're ready to give the profile," Hotch replied. "Captain Singh, have your men meet us in 30 minutes." 

With that Hotch walked out leaving us standing there. It wasn't weird but he seemed more cold than usual. Maybe I was imagining things. 

"Anything else Barry?" I asked. 

"I found the same fibers. I'm going to test them specially," Barry replied. 

"Did you not have them tested before?" Morgan asked. 

"Of course I had them tested before," Barry replied. 

"So why have them tested again?" Morgan asked, prying. 

"Sometimes Barry outsources to S.T.A.R labs," I replied. "They have better tech than the police." 

Morgan gave me a side eye. He was beginning to see right through my facade. 

"We should probably catch up with Hotch," Reid said a little too awkwardly. 

"I think I will be taking my own air conditioned Uber ride back," Rossi  out his phone and calling for a ride. 

"Hey Rossi let me come with you," Morgan shouted. 

"That defeats the purpose of 'MY very own Uber ride.'" Rossi replied, earning a protest from Morgan. 

"Come on Rossi, it's too hot in that car," Morgan responded. 

“Not my problem,” Rossi replied as he slid in the uber ride.

We pilled into the black SUV and rolled down all the windows in an attempt to alleviate the unbearable Missouri heat. 

“Is it just me or is Hotch more irritable than usual during this case?” I asked, taking off my suit jacket. 

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Emily replied

“He probably just wants the case solved,” Morgan replied.

 “He probably just wants out of this Missouri heat,” J.J replied. 

“He doesn’t like Barry,” Reid replied. 

“Why?” J.J asked, chuckling. “Barry has been nothing but helpful with this case.” 

“How do you know Barry, (Y/N)?” Emily asked. 

“I went to college with him. I already told you,” I chuckled nervously. 

“You didn’t hug him like no college buddy,” Morgan replied. 

“You loved him didn’t you?” Reid said. 

“I married him,” I whispered, earning a few eyes. 

“We were just waiting for you to tell us. You might be able to hide things from us but Barry is a different story,” J.J replied. 

“Barry is basically an open book,” I sighed. 

“Sweetheart, why didn’t you tell us?” Morgan asked. 

“There are parts of my life I want to keep private. We share too much of ourselves already," I shrugged. "Besides Barry is a past I left behind." 

We sat in silence for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t great but I was thankful for the chance to be able to avoid conversations like my crush on Hotch and my past with Barry. IT wasn’t exactly something I wanted to talk about. 

When Morgan pulled up to the station we all immediately jumped out and Rossi was right next to us. He jumped out and muttered a thank you to the driver and met up with us. 

“How was your nice air conditioned ride?” I asked earning a perk up from Rossi.

“It was fantastic,” He responded, which made Morgan and I shake our heads.

We made our way toward Hotch and sat down in the office. Rossi shut the door behind himself. I picked the seat next to Morgan and caught a glance of Hotch’s side eye. I had no idea what I had done wrong this time. 

“What do we have for the profile?” Hotch asked.

“White male, late 20s early 30s, sexual sadist, seems like he removes the tongue because it shows how he feels when he talks to women. That’s why he has to rape them he can’t talk to women let alone keep one engaged long enough to sleep with her,” Morgan shrugged. 

“It could be a sign of something else, Schizophrenia or something else,” I responded. 

“No he’s definitely a sexual sadist,” Hotch replied. 

"Maybe Barry has some--"  I started when Hotch quickly cut me off.

"I don't think there's anything else Barry can give us," he said sternly but not unprofessionally. 

I mean it was true the only reason I was asking about anything is I was hoping he used his flash abilities to find something out. So far nothing.

Morgan shot me a look and so did Emily which made me turn red. 

Maybe there was more to how Hotch felt than I thought. 

[buckyjamesbarnes1917]

Quickflash

A/N: Reader is a forensic photographer by day and a secret speedster by night. She took every precaution in the books to not get caught under someone's radar or expose herself as a metahuman, but what would happen when she decided to show herself without a thought to help Central City's hero?

~Barry's POV~

"Allen, where's L/N?" Singh asked as he searches the scene and the crew for my partner

"I sent her back to the lab, I forgot to restock my case again," I responded as Singh sighed and mumbled, "Okay," to walk towards Joe.

The thing about that excuse is, it's nonexistent and a lie. Y/N texted me earlier saying she had trouble sleeping so I told her that it was okay to sleep in longer and not to worry about it. She's one of the most hardworking people I know and I'm not going to deny that she's one of my best friends besides Iris, Cisco, & Caitlin. I pulled out my phone to text, "Gotten any more sleep?"

"Slightly doing better than I was previously, Singh still trying to find where I am?" Y/N texts back

I silently laughed and then felt a finger tap me onto my shoulder.

"Wow, you're fast," I said as I got up from crouching close to the ground from the thorough investigation of the evidence

"The precedent doesn't call me Quickflash for nothing. Am I in big trouble or not?" Y/N asked as I hear her rumbling through her bag to grab her camera

"Don't worry, I lied and told him that I sent you back to the lab, and he just walked off," I said as Y/N slightly laugh

"Barry, that's not a lie, I was actually there. I was going through the Rothstein case," Y/N responded, "Just making sure the details match the photos before it either gets sent to the archives/database or to Singh's office to get buried in the unpenetrable piles of paperwork."

As Y/N and I walked around the crime scene, with me brooming over to make sure I didn't miss anything and her taking photographs for the trial upcoming days ahead of now, I asked her, "Once we're done with our shifts, do you want to go grab something at Jitter's with me?"

"Sorry Bar, I can't. I have other cases to look over afterward," Y/N responded as I feel a stinge of disappointment and said, "Okay, that's fine."

The thing is, I've been getting this feeling she's hiding something from me and want to ask, but I don't want her to push me away on the fault of my gut feelings. Throughout the rest of the shift, I put up the same mask I've always showcased so that she doesn't suspect anything from me, the fact that I know something's up and the fact I'm in love with her.

"Talk to you later?" I asked as I packed up my belongings to head home and looked back at her.

"What else would happen if I didn't talk to my best friend before I go to sleep? Definitely, " Y/N responds jokingly, making me smile.

~Y/N's POV~

"You can't tell him, not now, not ever," I keep reminding myself as I watch Barry walk out of the doorway and down the stairs with a smile on his face

Barry Henry Allen may just be my partner in our division of the CCPD, but he's also my best friend to whom I feel I can tell my secrets and for him to be tight-lipped about. This secret, I can't burden him with it and entrust him to keep it to himself, especially since I have feelings for him. I am a speedster, just like The Flash himself, except I don't protect Central City like him, not even close. It's best to stay in hiding, no one would know there's another speedster in the city, another one to compare to The Flash, and no new name to add to the everlasting list of metahumans. Once I determined the coast was clear on the streets, I changed into an outfit that won't burn from the continuous friction from running and ran out of the precedent to burn off the energy. But I didn't know it would be my last night in secrecy because I never expected to see King Shark fighting The Flash with Patty as the audience.

"Don't even think about it, you've gone this long being a secret, this urge to help won't do you any good now," one side of my subconscious is telling me while the other side is saying, "Patty's your friend and The Flash needs help, now go!"

"Screw this," I muttered to myself as I zoomed towards Patty to grab her and take her to a safe place away from the fight

Luckily, my lightning was the same color as The Flash so she won't suspect anything out of the ordinary right? God, I hope my calculations were correct. I sped back towards where the fight was to witness King Shark currently kicking The Flash's ass.

"Come on Y/N, think!" I whispered to myself as I look around for something to use or help equip The Flash to win this fight.

When the opportunity came, I rushed towards one of the columns and bounced off to hit King Shark as a diversion. King Shark was finally distracted afterward and it was apparently enough for The Flash to get back onto his feet and defeat him to then call either A.R.G.U.S or his team. I was preparing myself to speed off back home when I heard him shout, "Hey!"

"No need to thank me, it was all you, I just gave you a boost," I replied with a hand outreached in front of me to tell him to stay where he is, while mentally high-fiving myself for knowing how to vibrate my face and vocal cords to keep myself from being identified.

"Who are you?" He asked as he does the same motions while inching closer to me and reaching his hand out to me, inflicting a sense of familiarity & comfort between our hands.

"Can't tell you that, sorry," I responded as I sped off before he could ask me another question, silently hoping he wasn't following me

When I got home, I thought back to why I got that sense and then it suddenly dawned on me, the only time I felt that way was when I was around Barry. No matter where we were or who was around us, Barry always made me feel comfortable around him. I can't hold this secret from him any longer, he has to know, now that I know his secret.

~Barry's POV~

"So wait, she just happened to appear out of thin air?" Cisco asked as he nurses a Twizzler (or Red Vine) in his mouth trying to think of what to call the mysterious speedster

"Yea, she created a diversion that gave me enough time to defeat King Shark and then ran off before I could even ask her any more questions, she was quick," I said as I explained what happened to everyone

"Quickflash, oh yeah that's gonna stick," Cisco responds as Joe and I shook our heads no, "Aw come on, why?"

"Because that name is already claimed, by someone Barry is in love with," Iris says smirking as I gave her the "Really?" look.

"Oooo okay, spill, we're your team so we should know these things, well we shouldn't, but can't help to be curious," Cisco responds as Caitlin smacks him on his arm

I sighed and said, "Her name is Y/N and she's my partner in our division, she's the Forensic Photographer."

"Why do you guys call her Quickflash then?" Caitlin asks, being observant

"Just something people in the departments call her, whenever she's late, she's quick to learn & get caught up with everything she missed and the flash part is because of the camera," I respond as I shrugged my shoulders

"Anything else you can tell us? It's obvious she has an effect on you," Cisco said, making me blush from embarrassment

I softly laughed and then responded, "I can't explain how I feel whenever she's close or around me. It's a sense of comfort & warmth she brings to me, when I confided in her about everything that has gone on in my life with mom and dad, she listened to every word, and not one thought of judgment came across her face. She's such a light in everyone's life and I don't ever want to witness that light in her dim down. Just makes it harder for me to tell her about all this because I'm afraid she's going to push me away."

We then heard a knock on the doorway and all of us looked to see Y/N standing there. Cisco silently cursed that the security didn't detect someone coming in and looked at me to say "Sorry."

I sighed and asked, "Can we have the Cortex to ourselves? And no snooping on us please."

Everyone mutters of courses and then headed out of S.T.A.R Labs entirely to give us full privacy.

~Y/N's POV~

After everyone left, Barry then turns towards me to start the conversation, but I beat him to it.

"If you're about to apologize, don't. Because you have nothing to be sorry about," I said as Barry scratches the back of his neck in uneasiness

"But I do, I've been keeping something from you that I shouldn't have outright said because I knew it would affect your feelings on our friendship," Barry responded

"Which one? The fact you're The Flash or you love me more than a best friend?" I asked as Barry took a step back in shock

"Wha- how?" Barry says as I laugh a little at him being in the state he's currently in and trying to wrap his mind around what he heard

I sighed and finally showed him the secret I've been hiding for so long. After I finished showcasing my powers, I then said, "When you got close to me, I felt the feelings I always get whenever I was around you, which was comfort & familiarity. Barry, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, it was still new to me and I didn't want it to be a burden for you to carry on. Clearly, you had a lot of things to keep quiet about."

"Y/N, whatever you tell me is never going to become a burden. You're not a leech sucking the life out of me, you're the opposite. I can't imagine what my life would be without you being my best friend and partner brightening up the room wherever she enters," Barry says as he wraps his arms around my middle, "I love you too much to let you dim that light you shine and slip away."

"Y-you really think of me that way?" I asked as Barry smiled down on me and then leaned down to kiss me

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed back, clarifying that his feelings contemplate mine and confirming to Barry that it was mutual. We pulled away and rested our foreheads together when Barry reaches for one of my hands to entwine them together upon my cheek.

"So my alias is Quickflash huh?" I said, making Barry laugh

"You tend to get used to Cisco's methods of naming villains and heroes," Barry responded as I quirked an eyebrow up, "I'll catch up with everything, even why it looks like the man who killed my mom is still alive. Also, I'm forcing Cisco to give you a better name if you're gonna be on our team."

"I hope so," I said as I smiled up at him, "Wait, are there any rules about dating coworkers? Don't want you to get in trouble you know."

Barry kissed me again and respond, "Nope, none. Want to go get some pizza and watch Singing In The Rain as our first night as a couple?"

I smirked and said, "Race ya"

"Oh you're on," Barry responded laughing as he and I started racing back to the West house

Something in my heart and mind says that our relationship has just upgraded to one of the love stories that will be told for centuries to come.

(There may be a sequel coming soon!)