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Barry had always hoped that Iris was his soulmate. After he saw her name on the byline on that newspaper from the future, he was more sure then ever that they were soulmates. Now he knew better, the half sentence under her collarbone was completed, etched onto her skin the moment she heard her soulmate’s last words to her. Barry wasn’t her soulmate. Eddie was and Eddie died to stop Dr. Wells – no – he died to stop Eobard Thawne, who in turn was Barry’s – was Barry’s soulmate.
He dismissed the burning sensation on his torso as bruises forming from the fight with the Reverse Flash. He didn’t notice that the pain around his ribs only started when Eobard said those words to him. Then the wormhole reopened and there was no time to rest and Ronnie, Ronnie died to stop the destruction. Barry couldn’t look Caitlin in the eyes afterwards. He didn’t want to know if her words were completed too. He sped home afterward, unable and unwilling to deal with anything else. There had been so much death and destruction and for what? What was it all for?
The speedster had only noticed the words on his side when he looked into the bathroom mirror. He didn’t believe his eyes. It had to be some kind of mistake, some kind of sick cosmic joke. He rubbed his skin raw but the still the words remained – How will you get along without me? His stomach turned itself inside out once the implications set in and he vomited bile into the toilet. Why him? Why him? Why couldn’t it be anyone else?
His soulmate just had to be the person who killed his mother and ruined his life. Now there’s only one question swirling in his mind – did Eobard knew about them being soulmates? A large part of him denied the possibility of Eobard knowing, he couldn’t imagine anyone doing that to their soulmate. It was too cruel.
“Why did you kill my mother?”
“Because I hate you,” Eobard paused. “Not you now. You years from now.”
“In the future.”
“In a future,” Eobard corrected. “Yes.”
But if what Wells – Thawne – Eobard said was true then his soulmate would have been born 136 years from now, in a different century. Barry didn’t even think that was possible. That the universe would let soulmates be born so far apart in time.
“We’re enemies, rivals, opposites, reverse of one another.”
“Why? Why were we enemies?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Thawne turned away from Barry. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Why? Why didn’t it matter? Was it because Eobard knew they were soulmates? Was that why he offered Barry the chance to save his mother? Did he know? Did he know? Would anything have changed if Barry knew beforehand? Maybe this was why the universe only allowed people to know of their soulmates afterwards. Maybe knowing before hand would’ve only driven people insane. Barry certainly felt that way.
“I’ve controlled your life for so long, Barry. How will you get along without me?”
Those words played in a constant loop inside Barry’s head for days to come. There was a phantom pain on his ribs every time he thought about Wells – Thawne. And he didn’t want to think about it, about the words etched onto his body. He never wanted to know and now he was burdened with the knowledge of just who his soulmate was. Why me? Why him? Why? Why? Why?
He found himself staring at his copy of Harrison Wells’ biography. Wishing the man was here so he can ask him why. Why did you do this to me?
The photo of the man posing as Harrison Wells stared back, unable to answer.
The End.