"How you doing," Caitlin sullenly asked the unmoving figure in the med bay.
After he attended iris's funeral, Barry kind of just stopped functioning. He was nearly always in the med bay bed, in the fetal position, never saying a word. Catlin knew better than to try to pull him out of his slump of grief, so she would place a tray of food nearby him and not force him to talk. It was heartbreaking to watch, really.
When Barry didn't answer she sadly nodded her head and moved out to the hall. She couldn't look at him anymore. Or, his back, that is. She was halfway to the elevator when her phone started ringing.
"Felicity," she rested her phone against her ear.
"Hi," Felicity said from her computer. "So, I was able to find where she is staying."
"How? I just asked you to do this three minutes ago."
"That's because she hasn't left her house."
"Well, where's her address?"
"2914 East Hiland Way, apartment 20."
"Thanks."
Caitlin was more than angry. She was fuming. If Kara thought she could break up with him for such petty reasons, she had another thing coming.
She buckled herself into her small, mint car and wasted no time leaving the parking lot. She punched the address into the navigational system and began on the road.
-
Kara's day was not going nicely. It started off with a very loud alarm clock, followed by an alien attack. Although, she personally wouldn't call it an attack. Rather a peaceful protest... interrupted.
There was a group of protesters out by the National City pier, attempting to halt the work of fishermen. These people believed a fish had just as much a right to live as a human. So, naturally, they all handcuffed themselves to the docks, just enough of them to prevent access to the boats and other such fishing equipment.
It was kind of nice to see the humans were starting to take other lives into consideration, but when a fisherman tried to get passed the handcuffs, they probably didn't expect to see a face being morphed into something a little more alien.
The man stepped back in fright and shouted some unholy words about the alien, causing a loud, inhuman screech to come from her mouth. The fisherman plugged his ears and tumbled to the ground, his face, far more grotesque then started, almost looked melted.
She had radioactive breath.
The "battle" between her and Supergirl was "fun." It was like avoiding someone with bad breath, except if she did, she'd die, and she had to be making physical contact. Getting to her back to face was easier said than done; especially when all the people started pointing her out in the sky. The DEO also made some sort of anti radiation mask to put over her mouth, looking a bit like a medal medical mask.
After that joyous occasion, she went to another day at work, aka the place where Keira exists. There she had to file a ton of paperwork for Winn, who was out sick all day. The flu was making quite the comeback that year, causing quite the irritation to Ms. Grant.
By the time she got home it was eight pm. All she really wanted to do was eat cereal on her couch while watching some cartoons. But she was out of cereal. Her eyes grew more and more weary until she fell asleep on her couch, suit and all, listening to the Secret Squirrel theme song.
...
"Kara, I miss you," she listened the the fortieth message from Barry. Typically they wouldn't sound too different, but there was something about this one that had particularly interested her.
"I miss you so so much. I just wish things were different between us. I would give my life to be with you and you destroyed it."
This time... this time there was a fire behind his cries.
"All you can say is sorry? Is this some kind of game to you? We're you just playing with me to get revenge for what petty things I did back in high school?"
He still had a tremble in his voice, but it was tinted behind his acrimonious words.
"I've already apologized, and you forgave me- you said you forgave me! I don't remember doing anything to personally attack you in any way. I gave you options of what our life could be like, but you denied me every one. So let's be adults about this; what do you want, how do you think we can solve this, because clearly what I'm saying isn't good enough! Can't you see that I'm trying? Kara, if you want this to work, if you want anything to live on between us, call me back," he spoke those last three words harshly.
How did it come to this? How was she the one sitting alone at night, listening to his voice mails? How did he go from missing her to making her out to be petty?
She didn't want to bicker with him, but she couldn't stop her finger from scrolling down her contacts list. She couldn't stop it from tapping on his contact. But she couldn't continue to let it happen. Just before she could hit the call button, her other hand pressed the power button, with just a little help from the knocking on the door.
She looked at her clock to double check the time. Yup, it was still eleven thirty. Who would be knocking on her door at eleven thirty at night? She reached up to pull down her glasses, only to remember that she wasn't wearing any, and she was still in her suit. In spite of all that, she looked through the door to find a very tired and angry looking Caitlin Snow.
She slid the metal lock to the right and creaked open her cream colored door.
"Hi Caitlin," Kara greeted, but midway through Caitlin stormed in. "Come in, why don't ya."
"Zip it," Caitlin cut her off.
Kara stood back in shock. Hardly anybody would try to talk to her that way. At least, anybody who knew her secret identity.
"I want to know why you aren't talking to Barry," she demand.
"So you burst into my home in the middle of the night?"
Caitlin could admit, this whole thing wasn't thought out all too well. She didn't fully know what she would say or do, and she certainly didn't realize how long it would take for her to arrive at that point. It wasn't her brightest plan, but she was driven by anger.
"Yes," she declared. "You destroyed him. You turned him into a man not even I can recognize."
"I never meant yo destroy him. And I'm not talking to him because I broke up with him, and because I'm not his girlfriend anymore, I don't have to listen to his paltry whining about me. If you can't deal with it, that doesn't make me a bad ex, it just makes you a bad friend," Kara crossed her arms.
"Don't try and turn this situation on me," Caitlin nearly shouted. "I cannot believe you! I am not the one he was broken up with. I am not the one who he skipped his reunion for a chance make things right! I am not the one he is in love with! He told me why you two broke up, and come on! If you are having this difficult a time trying to figure out how to make things work, maybe you shouldn't be with him! Maybe he deserves someone who actually loves him back!"
"Hey," Kara shouted back, "you don't think I love him? You don't think it hurt me as much as it hurt him to be apart? You seem to be quite skillful in your observations, because apparently, I'm doing great! In fact, just last night I cried myself to sleep! What an outstanding time! Boy, if he could only see me now! No! I love him so much, that when I met him, the meaning of love in itself was redefined. When you say I don't love him, that's where you're wrong, that's where I am most talented in my knowledge.
"You don't think it hurts me to hear his voice each and every night when I check my phone? When I am with him I can feel my entire soul trying to get close to him. But I broke up with him for a reason. I had to look him in his spirited eyes and crush his heart on a day that should be remembered forever for more pleasurable reasons. I am not the hero, villain, or victim in this story. I'm not even the innocent bystander. I am just the person who did what needed to be done. When you tell me I don't love him, you're wrong. You are wrong in more ways I can count in the night sky."
Everything went silent. For a solid three minutes, neither a word was spoken, nor eye contact broken between the two women. Only to the relief of the neighbors on either side of them, neither shouted again that night.
"Did- did I really destroy him," Kara whispered, referencing Caitlin's earlier comment.
"Yes," she growled.
Only to the surprise of Caitlin, Kara started to cry. She covered her face in her hands and her salty tears lathered the small space in between. She felt weakened, her knees wanted to let her drop on the hardwood flooring.
"I never wanted to hurt him," she sobbed almost incoherently. The doctor rushed in with a hug just before she was sure she'd fall. "I just wanted to be with him and- and love him and him love me back. I want him, Cait. I need him."
"Shh, shh," Caitlin ran her hand a few times through the perfect curls of blonde locks. "I know."
-
Barry was running. Running in a way he never did before. His arms and legs were a blur to the rest of the world, but to him, he was going far too slow. He wanted to go faster. He needed to go faster. If he didnt, he was certain he would die.
He heard Cisco call out to him over the intercom, "Barry, your glucose levels are getting a little bit low."
He didn't care about his vitals as much as he did of Cisco coming from nowhere. He faltered in his footing and fell backwards into the wall of the treadmill room, Cisco running in not two seconds later.
"Dude, are you okay," he tried to help him up.
"I'm fine," he said numb.
"Well, eat something then," he raised him to his feet.
Barry didn't need to eat. He didn't need to sleep. He just needed to talk to his girlfriend.
Ex-girlfriend.
Yeah, everything would work out great for him. When Cisco left and disappeared into the great nowhere, he pulled his phone out and dialed Kara's number. Well, not really dialed, he had her on speed dial.
He waited for the usual ten rings before leaving a message, but it cut him off after five. He waited a few seconds, considering hanging up, but decided to experiment.
"Hello," he asked.
"Hi, Barry," Kara's voice answered back.
"Kara," Barry asked, "is that you or did you just change your outgoing message?"
"I'm here," she responded.
"Oh, I was- I was just wondering if maybe you and I could, I don't know, get some coffee or something. In a platonic sense. We can discuss that thing I was telling you about," he tried not to show too much emotion in his voice.
"Yes... the thing. How- how does Noonan's sound, eight thirty tomorrow," she planned.
"Yeah, I'll see you then," he smiled. "Bye."
"Bye," the dial tone started up.
Cisco entered again, noticing the jaw hanging on Barry's face, he promptly asked about what happened.
"I called Kara," he gently smiled, "and she answered."