ColdFlash

Bad News?

Barry's POV

...One month later...

Barry rolled over in his bed, the blankets folding over him. He stared at his soulmark on his wrist, the words were slowly fading.

When Barry was around nine, the words 'I'm
Peachy', burned themselves into his bright red skin. Barry never minded the stinging because it gave him hope.

From that moment Barry didn't have to worry about what had happened to him, or the people he had around him, because one day he would have a someone who truely loved him.

When someone is near death, their soulmates words fade, and when they die the words disappear.

The words of Barry's wrist had faded exactly eight times since they appeared. It drove Barry insane, he was always thinking about what they were going through. What kind of pain were they experiencing? He might never know...

On Thursday afternoon the words on Barry's wrist turned pure white. As if here were ink in his skin and it had been drawn out like blood.

All he could do was watch it and hope everything would be okay.

When time was so slow, things seemed to never end.

...Two days later...

Barry paced his office, the files of multiple robberies spread across the floor. There were several robberies in the last week that he couldn't make sense of. He couldn't link them to anyone at all. It drove him mad.

Iris bounded into Barry's office, chucking her bag on the desk beside him.

'Berry, I have some news!'

He looked up from his papers, staring intently.

'I'm going to work in the CCPD.'

Barry coughed, the shock freezing his body. Iris? In the CCPD?

'Do you remember when you went to Earth Two, and in it I was a cop?'

His eyes widened in fear...Joe was going to kill him.

'Well, after a horrible six months at work, I'm quitting. The world has changed so much and journalism doesn't feel right anymore.'

She awaited his response with a wide grin. Barry might be a speedster but he was having some trouble processing. Iris' smile faded, she stepped forward and grabbed Berry's hands.

'Barry. I met my soulmate.'

His eyes glued shut and he didn't move. He blocked out her speech about meeting him at Jitters and how romantic he is, he focused on the speed force. That it was always there, always with him.

Iris was engaged.

To a...primary school teacher...