InsaneJournal

Who:Barry and Iris
What:Speed force things.
When:Recently
Where:Random street.
Warnings:None
Status:complete



Barry was kind of glad the holidays were over, he could breathe again. He always got sort of down when it came to Christmas, it just reminded him his parents weren’t around to be a part of it. Sure he had Iris and Joe, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss them too. Dreams had begun again though, and that part wasn’t so stellar. He’d Dreamt of waking up in Star Labs after the lightning strike, Cisco shining lights in his eyes and Lady Gaga stuck in his head.

He’d forgotten what it was like, so he needed a bit of a breather so he decided to go bother Iris. Besides a change of scenery was much needed. He’d been stuck at the office all day so he’d asked her if she wanted to grab coffee after their respective work days and waited at the corner of the intersection where he said he’d be. His mind had been a little fuzzy all day, staring at the cars passing by didn’t exactly help but whatever. It wouldn’t be too long now until there was actual human contact, one that was living and breathing and not just DNA that was processing.

Normally Iris liked the holidays. And she always tried to do whatever she could so that Barry didn’t get too lost in his head during them. This year was different though. And how could it not be after the whole fiance cheating and lying to her thing that ended up with her calling off the engagement and moving back home just in time for said holidays? No. This year, the holidays weren’t that great. She was fine around her dad and Barry, did the decorations and all of that. But she was more than happy that they were over.

New year. Better year. So the theory goes every year. Either way, Iris had come back just in time for a major story which was thankfully taking up most of her time.

Of course, she could have done without new dreams of apparently Eddie lying to her. Because of course he was. It was just salt in the wound. God she was so sick of people lying to her. The Dreams. The waking world. All of it.

At least Barry and her dad wouldn’t lie to her.

Which was why she was more than happy to meet up with Barry when he had called to get coffee after work. Normal best friend time. Arriving at the intersection, the reporter smiled and gave a wave as she went to join Barry.

“Hey there.”

There was a new coffee place in town, someplace actually not the usual Starbucks. Not that he minded a Starbucks. It was good, normal, but different was also promising. They had Jitters in the Dreams where he’d met Iris after the coma, maybe it was like that? Unlikely, but maybe. So who better to call than Iris? She was a little off this year, but they both were. He was more than happy to get back to what was considered “normal” for them now. Honestly Iris was the only one he really knew in that city. Sure he had coworkers and Jemma, but outside of them he hadn’t really tried to make any new friends. He was kind of lonely there.

“Hey. There’s a new place that just opened up. Supposed to be snobby and French, but has good coffee and treats.” So they’d been forgiven in the review he read. He wore a simple pair of jeans and the red sweater Joe had given him for Christmas, though L.A. wasn’t exactly all that cold. It was comfortable, that was exactly what he felt like he needed.

He’d done the usual gift exchange with both of them, but was glad the whole season was over. Even the eggnog hadn’t really helped this year, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d had a few and hadn’t felt it. But maybe they’d gone weirdly light on the liquor for some reason.

Well, after the previous year, being off made sense. Even if Iris was doing her best to push through it and move on. But it had only been a little over a month so that was still going to take time. Plus it was just weird being back. She was trying to put herself out there, meet up with friends who had shown up in the area but truth be told, Iris wasn’t doing all that great in that department.

“Yeah? Sounds good.” Given most reviews were just people complaining, the fact that they had decided to include good coffee and treats was a good sign despite the complaining. Iris had opted for black pants, boots, a white top and grey blazer for work that day - easy to remove and replace the blazer as weather dictated - so it felt very appropriate for a quote unquote snobby French coffee place.

If Irish had known that even the eggnog hadn’t had an effect on Barry, she’d worry. Nothing had changed in the recipe after all. Though she would definitely take that over the four day coma from three years ago. Not repeating that would be great.

Seemed like neither of them were, Iris was basically his only close friend in the area. And he wasn't really that interested in making a ton of new ones. He hadn’t put himself out much at all.

"Uh huh, it wasn't just a bunch of trolls for once." Usually they trashed new coffee places. Especially if they were Starbucks popping up. Barry on the other hand would stick out like a sore thumb in his colors, but whatever. "If anything else we can always mock the coffee shop snobs." There were always a few, he led her toward said shop. Mind a little distracted from the previous night of Dreams, but this time he hadn't decided to share. Just in case he could spare himself coma number two. He was still a little gun shy of the network. Not fully wrapped up in it as he'd been in the past.

“Well that’s always a good thing.” Because really, who needed to deal with trolls? Iris got enough of those when she published a story. Never read the comment section. Laughing some, Iris gave a nod, “I’m always a fan of mocking the coffee shop snobs.” She’d dealt with enough of them as well when she’d still been doing the barista thing before she’d gotten hired as a journalist.

“I mean there’s always some, but it actually seemed like some of them are legit.” Barry had done enough coffee runs for the department to spot the coffee snobs, forensics pretty much lived on coffee. He could spot the wannabe script writers a mile away, the posers by smell of nasty cheap cologne and open blank laptops. The mocking was always a good time.

He heard it before he saw it, the screeching of tires. But what he hadn’t expected was what happened next, considering they were next to a guard rail and the traffic was on the other side-he doubted anyone would see happening what occurred. Two cars came peeling down the street in some sort of chase, police sirens not far behind but far enough for them to have some headway. One of the cars spun out and headed directly for them and the guard rail that would likely impale them both.

Everything happened in a split second, but to Barry it was like time itself had slowed down. The car speeding right at them, Iris. A few others on the side walk staring at the scene like a deer in headlights. A tinge of red light touching his eyes as he moved, pushing Iris forward just as the car came barreling through the guard rail onto the public sidewalk. Eyes making sure nobody else was in its path, but fortunately it seemed to only be them, and he was covering her.

“Which is the important thing.” Between working as a barista and then needing caffeine to basically survive, especially during crunch time on a story? Well. Iris was all too familiar with those who came into coffee shops, if they were good or not, and the type of people. Always judge a person on how they treat servers.

Or there could suddenly be police sirens and a car that was spinning out of control. Eyes widening, Iris had no time to react before suddenly she and Barry were out of the way. Something in the back of her mind said that this was familiar. That she should recognize it. But she couldn’t place why at the moment and honestly she was a bit more concerned about what had just happened.

“Ohmigod. Barry, are you okay?” She pulled away just enough to get a look at her best friend. He seemed okay. Which was good. But the fact that the car was right where they had been?

That car should have killed them, but the most Barry had suffered was in sanity points. His brain didn't connect for a minute as he looked over the scene, which fortunately wasn't moving in slow motion anymore and then back at Iris. "I'm fine.. Somehow." he added as he looked her over just to make sure that there wasn't any damage beyond a state of panic. "Let's just get out of here, you're Okay?" that red light that had touched his eyes was gone, just as quickly as it came.

Iris just nodded at that. She wasn’t sure what to make of what had happened, the fact that she could swear it was something that had happened before. A Dream perhaps? Which not the strangest occurrence but no matter. What Iris was more concerned about Barry, though from everything she could tell? He was fine. So instead? “Yeah, I’m fine. But getting out of here sounds good to me.”

They probably should have stayed for the police, but what would they even say? He was internally freaked out and hoping it didn’t actually show through otherwise, he really didn’t want to stick around. “Yeah, good okay.” He responded, clearly a bit more than shook up, but it could probably just be brought down to they’d nearly been killed. He didn’t even look back as they left. Nope. It was a bit too freaky for him.