Lavender Lightning
Chapter 3
Chapter 1: link
Previous chapter: link
Warnings: pissy Barry
Barry did not like Dr. Harrison Wells. Maybe it was personal - Dr. Wells had been something of a hero for him at one time and he was still very certain that the storm had been the result of the accelerator explosion - but, regardless of the reason, Barry was sure he'd never hated anyone nearly as much.
That wasn't for lack of trying on Dr. Wells' part, of course. He'd been perfectly cordial upon meeting Barry and it had only been the younger man's icy demeanor that had made their interactions unpleasant. Dr. Snow was equally terse and Cisco Ramon - the engineer who stuck around for reasons beyond Barry's comprehension - made an effort to be friendly but Barry had heard him comment under his breath how much of a dick he was more than once. He didn't really care, he wasn't here for them, he was here for Iris.
Iris, who was still comatose nine months later. Barry was struggling not to lose hope for her recovery and all either of the present doctors could offer was that there hadn't been any change, positive or otherwise. He knew it was irrational to expect anything else but it still made leaving her side for even the time he had to spend at work physically painful.
Barry checked his watch, knowing already that he was late for work but unable to pull himself away. He felt drawn to Iris's side more than usual today in a way that he couldn't explain. Captain Singh was going to kill him if he was late again but he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to be here.
"Don't you have a job, dude?" Cisco asked as he entered the Cortex with a Jitters to-go cup.
Barry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from being rude in response. "I'm leaving soon."
"Sure. Well if your 'soon' is gonna be a while, you should sit down at least."
Barry considered it for the few seconds before Dr. Wells wheeled in as well.
"Good morning, Mr. Allen. Cisco." Dr. Wells greeted warmly and Barry grit his teeth, grabbing his jacket and leaving.
Barry didn't feel any better at the precinct. If anything he felt worse, distracted - his job, like everything else, just seemed less important without Iris. The sound of angry machinery and abrupt halt of his centrifuge pulled him out of his misery long enough for him to groan his annoyance and make his way over to the device and pry it open, wrinkling his nose at the scent of burning electronics.
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. He didn't have the patience for this today.
"That doesn't sound like it's supposed to do that." A familiar voice called softly from the doorway.
Barry froze, his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly turned around, half expecting to be dreaming. But there she was, standing in the doorway of the lab, looking healthy and more radiant than ever.
"Iris?" He whispered, not trusting his own voice.
Iris grinned back and gave him a small wave. Barry's legs moved before he could think. In a few quick strides, he was in front of her, reaching out hesitantly as if afraid she might vanish. His fingers brushed her arm and the moment he felt that she was real and solid and awake and alive he let out a choked sound, half a laugh, half a sob, and pulled her into a tight hug, his eyes glistening with tears behind his glasses.
"You're awake! Iris, I thought- when I left this morning you were still- why are you up? Should you be? When did you wake up?" Barry asked in a rush, cycling through relief, surprise, and fear so fast it could have made him dizzy.
"I'm awake, I'm fine. Breathe, Barr." Iris said with a laugh, hugging him just as tightly. Barry took a shaky breath as instructed but it was still several moments before he pulled away to look her over with an expression of concern.
"Iris...you died. I was there, I watched-" His voice caught and Iris cupped his face in both hands, guiding him to meet her eyes and brushing away the tears that had escaped with her thumbs.
"I'm alive. It's okay, I promise."
Barry searched her eyes and face for several moments before finally relaxing as the cold depression that had settled into his bones during her coma seemed to dissipate slightly. Iris dropped her hands and Barry gestured for her to sit as he pulled up one of the stools by the nearest shelf.
"Why didn't they call? Did they call Joe at least? Does he know you're awake?" Barry asked.
Iris shook her head, sitting as well. "They didn't call anyone; I was going to surprise Dad first but he wasn't downstairs."
Barry studied her closely again, still uncertain if he was dreaming - so many of his dreams lately had been...almost exactly like this. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Iris smiled sadly and took his hand. "I'm fine, what about you? Dr. Wells mentioned that you were there, like, all the time. Did you ever sleep?"
Barry forced an awkward laugh, averting his gaze. "Well, you know...you were doing enough sleeping for both of us, so..."
"Barry-" Iris chided but Barry shook his head with a smile.
"I'm not the one who was in a coma, I'm fine. Really. I'm just glad you're awake."
"Hey, Barr, did you get a chance to-" Eddie's voice broke through the moment as the blond man walked through the door. He froze, blinking in surprise before smiling brightly at the sight of Iris. "Oh my god, Iris, welcome back! When did you wake up? Joe didn't mention anything."
Iris smiled back with a small shrug. "Just this morning. I haven't seen Dad yet, he doesn't know I'm awake."
Barry's eyes flicked between Eddie and Iris as the two exchanged pleasantries. Eddie's smile had always been kind and genuine but with his worry about Iris eased, he felt the warmth of that smile settle in his chest. Combined with his elation at Iris's recovery, he felt almost giddy. It was like coming out of a bad dream.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Nine months in a coma and now she was here, acting like everything was perfectly fine. No lingering pain, no visible effects, had she even been cleared to leave the lab?
"Wait here, I'll go get Joe," Eddie said with a grin, patting Barry on the shoulder before leaving the way he'd come, giving Barry and Iris a moment of quiet.
"You sure you're okay?" Barry asked again, brow furrowing behind his glasses.
Iris rolled her eyes. "You've asked me that like three times, Barr. I'm fine."
"Right, sorry. It's just...nine months, Iris. You don't even look tired."
Iris smiled softly, her expression turning more serious. "I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. You don't need to worry about me, okay?"
Barry's concern only deepened as he heard Iris say she felt "better than fine." It didn't sit right with him. Nine months in a coma couldn't just be erased like this. He'd spent too many sleepless nights by her side, wondering if she'd ever wake up, it didn't make sense for her to be so…unaffected. His mind spun with questions...but for the moment, Iris seemed genuinely okay. Maybe that was all that mattered.