𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭: ᴢᴇʀᴏᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ² − b. allen ((editing))

∟ 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞.

          "You have to tell the rest of the team," Barry said and furrowed his brows at the girl. "They deserve to know. They're your friends and family, Annie. You have to tell them."

          "I will. I promise, I will," Anna muttered and nodded her head, knowing that Barry was right in what he said. "I'll tell them as soon as I find the right words to say."

          "Telling them yourself will be a better outcome than them finding out on their own," Barry pointed out and Anna nodded again, silently agreeing with what he said. "Thank you for telling me. It means a lot."

          "You have no idea how much I missed you, Barry," Anna said softly, her thumbs stroking over the soft skin on Barry's cheeks. She smiled slightly, her eyes scanning his face for the details she adored. "Losing you was the hardest thing I've ever been through."

          Barry wrapped his hands around Anna's wrists, holding her palms securely against his face as he leaned into her touch. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. When he leaned away, he smiled softly, making her heart flutter. "And you'll never lose me again. I swear to you."

          "I don't think I could ever go through that again, Barry. It destroyed me," she said, remembering the pain she had felt after. Anna knew that heartbreak and guilt would live with her forever, but being with Barry eased that pain just the slightest bit.

          Barry frowned slightly and brushed his thumbs over Anna's cheeks, causing tears to form in her eyes as she sunk into the feeling she had missed so much. "You will never lose me again. No matter what, Anna, you'll never be put through that again."

.: ｡

KEEPING SUCH A secret from her friends made Anna feel like she was being trapped. She felt as though the secret itself was swallowing her in guilt, and the days that dragged on only pushed her deeper, making it harder for her to escape the sickening feeling. She remembered a time when she hated when people kept secrets and had been mad at her friends for keeping something from her, but now she was forming into something she hated — a liar.

          The lies that slipped from Anna's lips were getting easier and easier to push out. She knew that lying for such a long time would make the effects worse, but after what had happened in the other timeline when her friends found out about her secret, she didn't think that lying was so bad. Anna didn't want to be a liar, nor had she ever seen herself becoming one, but she wasn't the same girl that was struck by lightning so long ago. That Anna was long gone and she had died as soon as she realized that heroes had to do questionable things to save others.

          Central City had been quiet in the days that Anna had come back to her old life. No robberies, no kidnappings, no metas — it was weird, but it allowed her to stay away from her friends for just a while longer to figure out how to tell them everything she had done in the past.

          "Hey, Anna? I gotta go to the lab for a bit," Barry called out once he skidded to a stop in the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder to look at his girlfriend. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips and he looked her up and down as she sat on the sofa. "You look pretty today."

          Anna looked down at her dark leggings and grey hoodie, her brows furrowing as she shifted her gaze back to Barry. She squinted and stood up from her seat, walking toward the kitchen. "What are you sucking up for? That goofy grin means something," she said and pointed a finger at Barry as she leaned up against the kitchen counter.