kittybox | OPEN POST ( THE FLASH )

[Barry knows Harry is going to be all right, but he can't help being worried anyway, with everything else going on. After everyone else has gone home and he's told Jesse to get some rest, he pulls up a chair right next to Harry's bed. He's pretty exhausted himself though; he's had a few too many sleepless nights, and their Earth Two adventures were draining.

So when Harry wakes, he'll find a dozing Barry next to him, his hand resting on the edge of the bed. Next to, but not actually touching Harry's.]

[ he doesn't stir for awhile. when he does, he feels like he's been hit by a freight-train. his entire body is sore and he can barely twist his body to the side to check the time. wonderful.

he's about to groan and complain but he notices allen asleep at his side. it's rare to see the kid sitting still for more than a few seconds. huh. ] Even heroes need a rest from time to time. [ he's musing more so to himself really because he wasn't entirely sure allen even slept. ]

[When Harry speaks, Barry sits up a little, eyes blinking open reluctantly.] Mm? I'm awake. Hey.

[That's definitely not a yawn he did just now.]

How're you feeling?

[ Definitely not a yawn. He'd never accuse him of such! ]

Like a five hundred pound gorilla just knocked me unconscious. Apart from that, fine.

[ He rolls his shoulders a bit, trying to work out the tenseness. A wince and then he looks back at Barry. ] What time is it?

[Barry nods, giving him a sympathetic look.] Yeah, I know the feeling. Solovar knocked me around a bit too.

[But he's fine, really. He checks his watch, giving him a sheepish look.]

Almost 7. In the morning. You want me to go on a coffee run?

No, it's fine.

[ he reaches up to rub his eyes some. far too much has been happening the last few days. ]

Where's Jesse? [ now that he's actually getting a clearer mind. ]

You sure? It'll only take me two and a half minutes. [This is not what speedster powers are for, Barry.]

Jesse's sleeping here. I can go wake her up if you want. But I'm pretty sure she hadn't slept since you disappeared.

[He knows the signs pretty well, considering his own problems in that department.]

Like father like daughter.

[ Because when Jesse had disappeared, he had barely slept. Just enough so he could focus enough to figure out how to find her. He knows that fear all too well - it's all too recent. ]

Let her sleep. I'll be here when she wakes up. [ He hesitates, looking down at his bandages and then finally back up at Barry. ] Let me guess: she wants to stay here.

[Barry gives him a wry smile, nodding. He remembers how worked up Harry was over Jesse. It's the same feeling he has every day about preventing Iris' death. Then he nods in response to his question.]

I'm pretty sure Wally managed to convince her. But I don't think it means you have to be separated.

[He takes a deep breath.]

Will you stay too? Things are...bad, here. Worse than Zoom bad. We could use all the Harrison Wellses we can get.

[And HR is great in his own way, but he misses Harry.]

[ He isn't sure how he feels about his daughter and Wally. He's tried to understand it but he just... can't. Maybe it's because he isn't a speedster. Maybe it's because he isn't young anymore. But if he makes her happy, then... then he can try to accept their relationship, even though they're literal Earths apart. ]

Why couldn't she just find a boy on our Earth. [ It's muttered more so to himself.

He sighs and looks back up at Barry. ]

If Jesse's staying, I have no choice. What kind of Father would I be if I put an entire Earth between us? [ He knows Jesse can handle herself. He knows Jesse is strong and he has his labs back home but ... but staying here for awhile does has its perks. He has his friends here. People he actually cares about. ]

Though being a wanted criminal isn't a great way to start. [ LET ALONE THAT GUY WITH HIS FACE. ]

[Barry positively beams at him when Harry says he'll stay.]

Well, HR might have a solution for that. But you might not like it. Basically he has a facial transmogrification device that makes his face appear to be like someone else's. We could use something like that for you, too.

Something that idiot made?

[ Color Harry impressed. But also very skeptical. He rolls his eyes and looks off to the side, thinking it all through. ]

It's worth a try.

Well, no. I think his research partner made it. He was the actual brains behind STAR Labs, apparently, and cracked the code we sent out. Cisco's made some modifications, too.

[Barry's a little amused whenever Harry reacts to HR being...well, HR. They're both very different, but very similar in other ways.]

I highly doubt anyone with half a brain would allow that man to be their research assistant.

[ Bitter? Who's bitter? Harry isn't bitter!! ]

[Barry just sighs.] Look, he may not have any actual scientific knowledge, but give him a chance, will you? We all did, and he's proven himself to be a valuable part of the team. He's been an especially big help training Wally, too.

He just spouts nonsense. It's your intellect that's attaching meaning to it. It's nothing he's done.

[ sorry he's not sorry about being bitter. maybe he just doesn't like being replaced OK ]

[You helped them pick a replacement, Harry! Brought it on yourself tbh.] You might be right, but he's just trying to prove himself here. I can't really judge him for that.

[Barry feels like he's trying to prove himself every day.]

I'm not asking you to be his best friend, but at least try to tolerate him? Because I need both of you.

After they've defeated Savitar, Barry finds he's still a little anxious sometimes. It's like that after every big villain, like the constant stress leading up to their defeat has lasting effects. It's worse on calm evenings, when there aren't any metas causing problems or bank robberies or anything for the Flash to take care of.

He's been spending a good chunk of his time with Cisco, since he's been living at his apartment, but he doesn't want to bother him all the time. So the rest of the time he's at STAR Labs, bothering Harry instead. He's glad he was able to convince him to stay, because as great as HR is, Harry's brain helps keep Barry distracted. Or at least, he tries.

They've been working on various problems together, and Barry has been enjoying the mental exercises. Sometimes they get into debates, sometimes Harry is teaching him something, sometimes he's picking his brain over a CCPD case he has to write a report on. He really can't help getting into his personal space; it's just how he is with his close friends. At least, that's what he tells himself when he brushes a hand against Harry's. When he leans against him while they're reading. When he texts him at 3 a.m. with a question, and smiles to himself when he gets a response.

This is one of those calm evenings, and he's breezing through a pile of physics books, while snacking on some baked goods from Jitters. Speedsters really shouldn't be allowed to have coffee, but he definitely has it. He's hoping Harry shows up, because he has coffee for him too.

"How many shots of espresso does that have?"

That's Harry's opening argument as he heads into the room. His hair is a mess and his eyes have bags. He hasn't been sleeping that much, too bogged down with thoughts of Grodd controlling him. It had felt suffocating. He had never been claustrophobic before, but being unable to move, to control his thoughts or limbs, had left him with a lingering sense of anxiety. He couldn't sit still. He never was good at that before, but now he was rarely sitting for more than a few moments.

He looks at the second coffee and there's a twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips. "Black?"

"Not nearly enough," Barry replies, with a small smile of his own. He can tell Harry hasn't been sleeping well either, and he has a strong suspicion about why. He hasn't asked him about it directly yet, though.

He stands, dusting some crumbs from a scone he'd been snacking on off his hands (though there's a little still on the corner of his mouth), and hands him his cup. "I know how you like it," he confirms, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Harry eyes the crumbs. The instinctual urge to unceremoniously brush all the crumbs off Barry surfaces. He manages to quash it down before he acts. No, Barry isn't Jesse. No, Barry isn't his kid. Which is odd, because he's around her age and he's so used to treating other team members like Jesse. And yet Barry....

The hand on his shoulder is a surprise, but not as much as the statement. It rips a genuine laugh, albeit short, from Harry. "It isn't a complicated order. But thank you for your astuteness, Barry." Not Allen. Which is nice.

Edited 2017-04-05 17:09 (UTC)

When Harry laughs, Barry feels his face getting a little warm. He's not sure why, exactly. But it's a nice sound, short as it is. Hearing his first name doesn't help at all.

"I do occasionally pay attention to some things." He just casually lets his hand fall, noticing the crumbs and brushing them off himself before tugging Harry to the couch. "I've been doing some reading. Well, a lot of reading. Multiverse theory, mostly. These were some recommendations from Professor Stein."

He hands Harry a book from his pile. "There were a couple of sections I couldn't really make any sense of, so I bookmarked them for you."

Edited 2017-04-05 22:03 (UTC)

OPEN POST ( THE FLASH )

choosing my own adventure, hello

adventures into the sunset

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am i allowed to have two threads on the same post? yes.

yes yes you are.

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