Work Text:
The temperature in the Cortex plummeted and in an instant Iris had Caitlin- Frost, whichever she was calling herself today- pinned against the wall, her hands tight in the thin fabric of a shirt so unlike how she’d used to dress.
Before. When everything seemed so complicated and had never been at all.
“So it’s true,” Caitlin said. “Central really does have a new Flash.”
“This is temporary,” Iris scowled, gripping tighter despite the ice trying to creep up her fingers and across her hands.
“What is it?” Caitlin asked. “Velocity-9?”
Her act slipped, brown eyes Iris had once- brown eyes entirely full of concern.
“No,” Iris said. “It was an accident. We’re working on it. We can handle this ourselves.”
Caitlin nodded. For a moment regret seemed to flash across her face.
“You won’t be able to pass yourself off as him,” Caitlin said. “He can get away with not being seen for a few weeks.”
“Why are you here?” Iris asked.
“I wanted to see the truth for myself.”
“Caitlin.” Iris set her down. “Why are you here?”
She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Caitlin Snow was their enemy, a criminal, she’d made that choice a long time ago.
She could have come back after Zoom. They could have understood, after Zoom. Iris could never blame her for what she did to him.
But Elias and Eiling and everything else. But the mess she had left in her wake last time. She’d dug herself a hole and refused to find her way out.
She’d tried to kill Barry.
And yet standing here Iris could still feel those feelings there had never seemed to be a good time to admit to.
Maybe if she had things could have been different.
“He won’t tell them he’s the Flash, will he,” Caitlin said.
“He said it puts everyone else’s identities at risk too,” Iris said. “And we both know who he’s really thinking about.”
Caitlin nodded.
“He still blames himself,” she said.
“He’s still Barry,” Iris shrugged. “Cisco went to post his bail, to give him at least one night at home, they should both be-”
“I came to see you, not them,” Caitlin said.
Iris pushed the flip in her stomach back down again.
“How did you get superspeed?” Caitlin asked.
“There’s a metahuman,” Iris sighed. “He takes powers and gives them to someone else. He didn’t mean to, and he can switch us back as soon as we can get in the same room as Barry.”
“Don’t,” Caitlin said. “Don’t switch back.”
“They’re his,” Iris said. “They’re part of him. He needs them.”
“Not in Iron Heights he doesn’t.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Iris said. “Zoom broke his back, Caitlin, you know how badly he was hurt, you were the one who said it was a miracle he was alive. We all knew a week was never going to be enough, Grodd knew a week wasn’t going to be enough, but he still tried. Zoom beat him there but he tried. He never stopped trying. None of us did.”
“I know,” Caitlin said. “This isn’t about that. He’s safer in there without them.”
“They help him,” Iris said. “If he’d had them, he could have run, DeVoe wouldn’t have been able to put him in that position. He uses them all the time. The pain does stop him running as much as he wants to, but Cisco’s made him a wheelchair he can use as the Flash, some days he feels well enough to use his cane and he’ll use his speed if he does think he needs to switch to his chair, they’re a part of his life even if his life isn’t going to way Eobard Thawne told everyone it would. I can’t tell him no, not on your word.”
Caitlin nodded. She looked conflicted again, so much emotion flashing across her face faster than Iris would usually be able to see.
Barry saw the whole world like this.
“You quit your job,” Caitlin said. “Your name stopped appearing in the papers.”
“Darwin Elias was a rich man and a friend of the mayor,” Iris said. “Most of Central thought he was some kind of hero. Some people didn’t take kindly to what I wrote about him.”
“You would never run from anything like that,” Caitlin said. “Have you heard of Amunet Black?”
“Elias mentioned her.” Iris frowned. “Who is she?”
“She started as a black-market dealer for stolen tech,” Caitlin said. “I work for her.”
Iris stepped back a little.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I met Amunet when I was trying to get rid of my powers,” Caitlin said. “She was the one who sent me to Elias. We had a deal, she would get me the tech I needed to keep Frost supressed, to try and get rid of these, and in return I could patch up her crew and do all sorts of things you would hate me for.”
“Caitlin,” Iris said gently, wishing she could say the words.
“She doesn’t just deal in tech now,” Caitlin said. “She’s made a deal with the Warden of Iron Heights.”
“What?” Iris asked, horror filling her.
“You can’t let any of them know Barry has powers, Iris. You can’t let them have any reason to put him in the metawing. Keep his powers from him if you have to, just do not let anyone know he’s a speedster.”
Caitlin turned, heading to the exit while Iris still tried to process what she’d heard.
She grabbed Caitlin’s arm.
“What she’s doing,” Iris said. “Help us stop her.”
“I owe her,” Caitlin shrugged. “You don’t get to just walk away from Amunet Black, Iris.”
“You know it’s wrong-”
“And I know you won’t let her get away with it. I’m sorry.”
She looked...
She looked earnest and hopeful and sad and regretful.
She looked like in another life, Iris could have taken the time to confess.
Iris stepped back and watched Caitlin leave.