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Meeting the Flash and joining his team was a blessing, not just for Barry Allen’s adorable smile, but also because you got to learn all about (or mostly about) you new ability. The team at STAR labs tested your speed, showed you a couple neat tricks like vibrating through something, and then you were rewarded with candy. Okay, maybe you stole Cisco’s candy, but you needed it—you needed a lot of calories to keep up with your metabolism.
Of course, having someone that matched your speed was nice. If only you two could race again once in awhile. Lately it felt like you did nothing but catch other metahumans and try not to get too jealous over Iris. She was Barry’s best friend, obviously they would be close considering they grew up together…but…you wanted to be close with Barry, too.
You watched as Barry walked out of Jitters with Iris, a sigh held in your chest. When you finally let it out you tried to play it off as a yawn but Caitlin saw right through it. She caught on quickly to your crush on Barry, maybe because she was a genius or maybe because she was monitoring your heart rate when Barry happened to walk in. There was nothing you could do to stop the spike at the sight of Barry’s green eyes.
Caitlin gave you a sympathetic look. “They’re friends—practically brother and sister.”
You shrugged, spinning your cup in your hands. “I guess…”
“I guess telling him is out of the question?” she asked hopefully. You rolled your eyes, letting your head fall back as you moaned.
When you looked back at her you said, “I like how things are now.”
“But you want to be with Barry.”
You nodded.
“So you aren’t happy with how things are now.” Caitlin arched one eyebrow at you.
You squinted at her. “I like how they are I just want them to change the way I want them too. I want a guarantee that things will be okay. Things haven’t been this…okay for me in a long time. I just want…I want to continue feeling good, just for a little longer.”
Before Caitlin could give you the answer you didn’t want to hear a smile graced her lips. She pulled the ceramic mug to her lips and whispered, “Well I think things may continue to be good.”
You were about to ask her what she meant when a figure appeared beside you. You turned to find yourself looking at a broad chest covered with a bulletproof vest and police uniform. Trailing your eyes up, noting the muscular arms beneath the shirt, you found yourself staring, nearly gawking, at a pair of warm brown eyes. “Hi.”
“Hey,” the man said. “I’m Jon, I work with Barry at the station. Uhm…” He scratched the back of his head, a small blush crawling across his cheeks. He chuckled before clearing his throat. “I asked Barry if he’d give you my number but then he said I should just do it myself.”
“Barry said that?” you asked, your heart dropping.
“Yes, I mean, not in a rude way!” He held his hands up. “He was completely nice, he just meant you might respond better if I ask you out myself and—“
“You’re asking me out?” Now it was your turn to blush.
Jon’s eyes widened. “I…yes. I am. Coffee sometime? Not now, since you have coffee and you’re with your friend but another time when we’re both available. Or not, that’s fine too.”
There was something charming in the way he bumbled through his sentences. You bit your bottom lip as an attempt to hide a smile—you were just talking about your feelings for Barry and then you’re considering going out with a guy you just met? It was tempting…of course the fact that Barry encouraged it made your chest hurt.
Hoping for guidance, you looked to Caitlin who merely shrugged at you. You’re an adult, make your own choices, Y/N, you told yourself.
Picking up an unused napkin you asked for the pen sitting in Jon’s breast pocket. You jotted down your number and held it out to him, trying to minimize any shaking. Or vibrating, as it nearly was.
Jon picked it from your hand. You said, “Text me sometime. When you’re available.”
The smile that spread across his face was cute. Not adorable, but cute. Then again, you were a little biased in that moment.
“I will do that,” he said. “Bye.” He began to walk away when he looked to Caitlin and bowed his head. “Bye, too. You as well, bye. Ah…okay.” He pointed towards the door where another man stood in uniform, shaking his head. Jon walked away and as they made it outside you noted he got a pat on the back.
“Don’t look at me like that,” you told Caitlin.
“I didn’t say anything.” She sipped her coffee.
“Should I not have done that?” you asked quietly.
“It’s just coffee,” she replied. “Nobody is going to get hurt getting a cup of coffee. Usually.”
True, but you were still feeling hurt. If Barry was suggesting other guys ask you out then maybe those sparks you felt with him were nothing more than the literal sparks you generated while running.
“You’re right,” you said aloud, hoping to convince yourself, “it’s just coffee.”
The text came while you were running on the super treadmill at STAR labs. You’d been so caught up in keeping your heart rate calmer than usual that you’d forgotten about Jon and Jitters and your potential date. So when you jumped off and checked your messages, you mindlessly answered Cisco when he asked what was up.
“Text from Jon,” you’d answered. And immediately regretted it. It was one thing for Caitlin to know about the possible date, but Cisco was more likely to let things get back to Barry. Not that that mattered, you reminded yourself; Barry practically shoved your two together.
“Jon?” Cisco asked. “I thought you liked Barry.”
Your head whipped up to meet his gaze. “Did Caitlin tell you that?”
“No, Iris.”
Your eyes bulged. “What?!”
Cisco held his hands up. “She just noticed you were into him, that’s all! Don’t kill the messenger!”
You sputtered through a few nonsensical words before managing to ask, “Does Barry…” Is that why he suggested Jon ask you out? Is this his way of saying “Get your feelings away from me!”?
“Oh, yeah.” Cisco nodded.
“What!?!” You stepped forward, almost menacingly.
Cisco held his hands up again. “Just kidding! Oh my God, I’m kidding!”
Your heart rate wasn’t calming down, and only the worried wrinkle between Cisco’s eyebrows was able to bring you back down. “Sorry…I just…” You let out a breath, releasing the pressure in your shoulders. “I haven’t been running as much lately and I find it makes me feel just a little…” You waved your hands in front of yourself, fanning your face when another text from Jon came through.
“You just ran like three hundred miles,” Cisco told you, thrusting a thumb at the treadmill.
You gave him a hard look before looking at your phone.
Free for that coffee this afternoon?
The second read: I’m off at one.
You gulped, thumbs hovering over the keyboard as you try to think of a reply. This was so soon—it had barely been a day! As you watched the small little bubble on the screen, desperate for a sign, when you felt a figure behind you. You twisted your neck to look back at Cisco to find him peering over your shoulder.
“So…you gonna go?” he asked. “No judgement, I understand that people have needs.”
“It’s just coffee,” you said, reminding yourself that coffee was just coffee. An hour or two tops. “Barry even suggested it so he must be a good guy. He was cute, too, kind dorky, actually…”
Cisco started towards his desk when he paused. “Barry suggested it?”
You looked at him and nodded.
His brow furrowed and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. You looked back at your phone, wondering if it had been too long for you to reply. Or maybe it was too short? Did it matter anymore?
After sending a quick text, Cisco asked, “So are you going?”
Thinking of the conversation that must have happened between Barry and Jon for him to suggest Jon ask you out made you a little angry. Had Jon fumbled his way through asking Barry for permission, or asked if you two were an item? Had Barry been relieved to find someone was interested in you? Had he eagerly thrown Jon in your direction, maybe even mentioned you would be at Jitters yesterday?
“Yes,” you said as you typed the same words. “Yes, I am.”
You only speed tried on three outfits before settling on your favourite outfit. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the most seductive or classy, but you were comfortable, and comfort equally confidence. For you anyway.
You arrived at Jitters ten minutes early, wondering if you should linger outside before going in, but you spotted Jon through the window. He was wearing a purple button down shirt with slacks and dark jeans, his leg bouncing slightly beneath the table. When you walked in he practically jumped up and waved at you as you walked over.
“Hey,” you said.
“Hey,” he replied. “Uh, I ordered for you I hope that’s okay. Barry said it’s your favourite?”
You took the paper cup from him, finding it was still hot to touch. Taking a sip you found Jon was right, it was your favourite. You forced a smile on your face, your hope of not talking about the adorkable Barry Allen going right out the window within three sentences.
“Perfect.” You smiled at him and sat down, and he followed your lead. And it was official, you were on a date with someone Barry had suggested.
Barry’s POV
Barry had spent too long stewing at work, trying to throw himself into the latest case, to get his mind off of you. But the case was very normal, and no matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind kept wandering back to you. It didn’t help that Iris now stood beside him asking him questions about you.
“Cisco tells me Y/N is on a date with Officer Hot Stuff,” she said.
“Hmm?” Barry asked, feigning ignorance. He knew all too well where you were, since the second you agreed to “just coffee” Cisco was all over it. His biggest question being why the hell did he say it was cool for Jon to ask you out. And that was a damned good question. “Oh, yeah, with Jon.”
Iris leaned against the desk, eyeing her best friend. Barry continued to stare down at a file, not reading anything.
“And you’re okay with that? With the person you’ve obsessed over for the past three months going out with someone else? With the person that loves all your weird nerdy facts and you literally can’t stop smiling when in their presence?”
Finally Barry had to look up at Iris, who was giving him a hard stare down. His mouth opened and he tried to find words, any words, but all he could manage was, “You know?” He pushed his hands through his hair and leaned back, mortified.
Barry knew that Cisco knew about his feelings for you, but things were so new to you; there was so much information for you to learn he didn’t want anything to get in the way of that. Not to mention you would pull away from him so quickly when you played your games—it was clear you needed time to adjust. So when Jon came around asking if you two were an item Barry didn’t have anything to say but no.
Still, he thought he’d hidden his feelings pretty well.
“Barry Allen you can’t hide anything from me,” Iris told him.
Despite the rock in his gut, Barry chuckled. Iris gave his shoulder a shove. “I can’t believe you never told me. And now I have to hear from Cisco that you told Officer Hot Stuff to ask them out?”
“Can we stop calling him that?” Barry requested.
Iris exhaled through her nose sharply. “Have you seen those arms?”
“Yes,” Barry grumbled.
Iris watched Barry a moment, as if she didn’t know what to say. She had no idea that you were a speedster, but she knew what Barry was doing. She told him, “There isn’t going to be a perfect moment to tell them, Barr; it’s now or never.”
Barry perked up. Never? Was this really his final chance? He dragged his eyes from the file to Iris. She nodded at him, giving him the bit of encouragement he needed to go find you.
YOUR POV
You had to admit that Jon was charming, in that unusual sort of way. He talked passionately about the things he liked, told you why he became a police officer, and would sometimes fumble a sentence when you kept eye contact for a little longer than normal. It would probably make your heart soar, if it didn’t all remind you of a certain someone. A certain someone that you spotted out the window of Jitters, running at high speed.
You almost missed it when Barry ran by the first time--he’d only stopped for a fraction of a second and you were laughing at something Jon had said. But by the second time Barry went by, he stopped to look in, and then he darted off.
“Could you excuse me for a minute?” you asked Jon. He nodded and watched you head to the bathroom. Once you confirmed you were alone you ran out and past Jon and the other patrons, and then outside where you saw Barry turning a corner. There was a jolt of excitement running through you as you chased after him, wondering if this was some kind of impromptu race like when you would challenge him. But as you rounded the corner you found it wasn’t, and smacked right into him.
His arms wrapped around you to balance you, and it took a moment for you each to pull back.
“I’m sorry,” you said, “I thought we were racing.”
Barry’s lips twitched into a smile. But it soon fell and he let go of you completely. “I’m sorry for interrupting your date--you...looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
You resisted looking back in the direction of Jitters. “Yeah, I guess. Jon’s okay.” He’s not you, you silently add.
Barry swallowed, letting his eyes linger on your features. He did this often, you thought, studied your features as if trying to solve a problem. Maybe that’s all you were now, a problem. The excitement of having someone to race with a hundreds of miles an hour had worn off--now you were something to discard. It was your turn to swallow the lump in your throat. “I should get back, actually. There’s only so long you can spend in a bathroom before someone thinks you’re crawling out the window.”
You turned to leave when you felt Barry’s fingers around your wrist. Warm and soft, and stopping you completely. Still, you couldn’t raise your head to look at him.
He whispered, “Wait.”
You shift your weight to your other foot, no longer pulling away from him. But just as he went to say something you knew would be a rejection you ran back to the bathroom of Jitters as fast as you could. You caught your breath hidden safely in a stall, willing the tears not to come. You were expecting rejection, and felt stupid for hoping for something different but watching him try to find the words to tell you? No, you couldn’t handle that.
With a small hiccup you wiped at your eyes before anything could fall across your cheeks. You were still on a date, technically. You stepped out of the stall and checked your reflection--you didn’t look too bad. A little sad, sure, but not a wreck as you felt.
You stepped into Jitters and found Jon waiting for you exactly where you’d left him. You sat across from him and forced a smile across your face, and he smiled back. His was so much more genuine.
Maybe that was why you blurted, “I can’t date you.”
His mouth hung open and his eyebrows raised. “You like someone, don’t you?”
You ground your teeth and tried to shrug, but it wasn’t convincing anyone, least of all the police officer sitting across from you. His shoulders slumped for a second before he quickly straightened. “I get that.”
“I’m sorry. You’re really sweet and nice, and all but...I’m just…”
“It’s okay,” he said, reaching across the table to put a hand over yours. “Thanks for giving me a chance at least.”
You smiled at him, ignoring the flash of plaid as it ran by the window behind him.