𝐉𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 𝗕. 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻

05 | DEAD

And in the midst of all this chaos, her eyes locked with Barry's on the stage. A momentary connection that made her question every life choice that led her to this point.

Embarrassed? Absolutely.

Annoyed? You bet.

She had a strange feeling that Barry was blushing under the mask.

Weirdo.

And then a villain disrupts the scene.

Rae contemplated  by shouting crude remarks about Atom Smasher to distract him.

You know, to speed things up.

Rae, feeling a surge of misplaced confidence, couldn't resist the urge to stir the pot.

"I've seen scarier things in my coffee than you, Atom Smasher! Maybe you should consider a career change?" She blurted it out, not realizing she shouldn't even know Atom Smasher's name.

Rae wasn't supposed to be on a first-name basis with the bad guys.

Rae's been in this world for a bit too long, it seems even her one liners are getting worse.

(Rae is just as subtle as Barry it seems)

Atom Smasher, momentarily taken aback, narrows his eyes but continues his rampage.

Undeterred, Rae fires another shot.

"Your mom's so ugly that—

Atom Smasher, now visibly annoyed, begins to turn his attention towards Rae. She can practically feel the heat of his glare, and for a brief moment, she wonders if maybe she went a tad too far.

Maybe the "your mama" jokes are universally bad.

Ah sh*t.

Without waiting for a response, Barry intervenes, grabbing Rae's arm, and in a flash, they're gone, zipping to a random alleyway.

Much to her frustration.

Stupid bit—

Within the narrow confines of a random alley, the clash between Flash and Rae unfolded like a storm, their voices slicing through the cacophony of the nearby parade.

" You can't just throw yourself into danger like that! That meta is a serious threat. What even was that?!" Barry's words echoed off the walls, carrying a blend of concern and frustration.

Rae, her tone laced with sarcasm, shot back, "Oh, forgive me if I'm not up to speed on superhero protocol. Didn't realize I needed your permission to navigate a parade. I didn't even want to come to this stupid event! I had to speed things up since you couldn't do it fast enough—"

"You can't just act recklessly," Barry implored.

Rae, unyielding, retorted, "Reckless—Spare me the hero lecture. I've been taking care of myself long before you zipped into my life. And who even are you to say that—weren't you the one running to a wormhole ready to die? Please. Don't be a hypocrite, Flash."

Emotions surged, filling the confined space. Barry, raising his voice, declared, "I'm just trying to keep you safe!"

Rae, deflecting, responded, "Safe? You think your red suit makes you invincible, and now you want to play protector? I am not your damsel in distress!"

Suddenly Rae turns into Joe West.

She can just feel the pride.

Frustration bubbled within Rae.

Why wouldn't Barry act to save others?

Should she call The Green Arrow? Maybe he could knock some sense into him.