I know it's a dumb thing to wonder about, but STAR Labs is huge. Who maintains that whole building? Who cleans it? Who empties the garbage cans? Who cleans the floors? I decided to fill in the gaps with my own little original background character.
*Not a serious story. Just a little humor mixed with a minor plot.
Important: Takes place in early season one. Barry just got his powers and has only been the Flash for a few weeks.
Perry, The Coma Kid
01X03
Wrappers. Wrappers everywhere!
If Cisco didn't start cleaning up after himself, Gary was to lose it. He may be a janitor, but he wasn't the guy's mother. He was here to empty the garbage cans, not fill them first and then empty them. How was this kid not diabetic by now with all this candy?! Gary was getting way too old for this job.
He sighed as he got into the elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor. That was always where most of the mess was, and he always saved that floor for last. Before the elevator doors closed, however, another person suddenly slipped into the elevator next to him. It was the tall kid, the one who had been sleeping in the cortex for nearly nine months.
Gary didn't really know the coma kid very well. He didn't even remember the guy's name. He knew it was something that rhymed with his own. What was it again? Terry? Jerry? Larry? Harry? Perry? Something like that.
"Umm…hi," Perry said awkwardly as he got into the elevator, staring at him in confusion, "Sorry, but…who are you?"
Gary rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"I'm Gary," he answered simply, "The janitor here."
The tall kid stared at him.
"We have a janitor?" he blurted.
Gary sighed.
"Well, who else do you think cleans this whole building?" he asked condescendingly, "Dr. Wells?"
"No," Perry said quickly, "I mean…um…yeah, I guess that makes sense that we would need a janitor. I just never thought about it before."
Gary wasn't really listening to the kid's awkward rambling, though. He was busy staring down at the kid's shoes.
"So, you're the culprit," he muttered irritably.
"Sorry?" Perry said, a confused look on his face.
Gary pointed down at his feet.
"Your shoes," he said stiffly, "You're the one leaving all the scuff marks all over the place."
"Oh," the kid said, his face going red, "Yeah, probably…sorry."
"I understand a few scuff marks," Gary grumbled, "But seriously?! How'd you get them on the walls too?!"
Perry's ears went red to match his face.
"Sorry," he said, "I'll try to be more careful in the future."
"You know, you could just change your shoes," Gary said irritably, looking down at the kid's dress shoes, "Those ones aren't really designed for…running around."
Perry gave him an uneasy look at this words, his face flushing red.
"Sorry," he said sincerely, "These are my work shoes. I'll wear my convers instead from now on."
Gary gave him a nod of approval.
"Convers aren't too great for running either," he added after a moment.
Perry stared at him.
"And why do I need running shoes?" he asked awkwardly, trying a little too hard to sound nonchalant.
Gary almost laughed. How the hell had the kid managed to keep his identity a secret these last few weeks?! He had a terrible poker face.
"Relax, Perry," Gary chuckled, "I already know you're the Streak. You guys keep the damn suit in the middle of the cortex after all."
"Oh," Perry said, "Right."
"It's not a very smart place," Gary said rolling his eyes, "You're just lucky my job contract states I'm supposed to keep everything I see here to myself. Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone."
"I'd really appreciate that," Perry said with a nervous laugh.
"No problem, Perry," Gary grunted.
"It's Barry," the kid said quietly, facing forward in the elevator again.
"Right," Gary clipped, "I suppose that's better than 'coma kid' at least."
Gary couldn't help but smile in amusement when he saw the kid blush.
"So, you…?" Per—Barry started awkwardly, "You saw me? The whole time I was in a coma?"
"Sure did," Gary replied simply, "Even helped Dr. Snow change your sheets a couple times. And let me just say, you're not as light as you look, kid."
"Oh, um…" Barry mumbled, "Thanks, I guess. For helping out."
"Don't mention it," Gary grunted.
The elevator was silent the rest of the ride up. Gary had to admit, it was weird for him, too. It was weird having the coma kid standing up and actually talking to him after being dead to the world for nine months. Gary didn't know why, but he strangely liked the kid, despite his horrible dress shoes. As the elevator doors were opening, Gary was struck by a sudden thought.
"Barry," he said quietly when they stepped out of the elevator, "Hang on a second."
He pulled Barry over to the wall before the kid could run off to the cortex. The two of them stayed in the hallway, away from prying ears.
"I need to tell you something," Gary said seriously.
Barry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He was probably wondering what the hell a strange, old janitor would have to say to him.
"Be careful around Dr. Wells," Gary whispered urgently.
Barry stared at him.
"W-what?" he asked quietly, a bewildered look on his face, "Why?"
Gary shook his head.
"It's just a feeling," he said simply, "There's something strange about him, especially when it comes to you."
"What do you mean?" Barry whispered, a confused look on his face.
"Dr. Wells is very interested in you," Gary said seriously.
Barry opened and closed his mouth a couple times, a perplexed look on his face.
"Well, I'm the Flash," he said quietly, "I'm a walking scientific phenomenon, and he's a scientist. Of course he'd be int—"
"No," Gary said seriously, "It's much more than that. I'm talking about before you got your powers. Before you became the Flash. Before you even woke up."
Barry gave him a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?" he asked, "What makes you say that?"
Gary shook his head.
"When you were in a coma…" he said quietly, "Dr. Wells spent a lot of time at your bedside."
"Well, yeah," Barry said immediately, "He was in charge of my care."
"No, Dr. Snow was," Gary corrected, "Dr. Wells…he wasn't just taking care of you, kid."
Barry shook his head in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked seriously, "What else would he have been doing?"
"I don't know," Gary whispered, "But listen to me, Barry. Dr. Wells is obsessed with you."
Barry snorted at that.
"I find that hard to believe," he said, shaking his head, "Dr. Wells has a lot more important things to focus on than—"
"He used to watch you sleep," Gary said, cutting the kid off, "He used to watch you sleep for hours."
Barry's eyebrows furrowed.
"W-what?" he stuttered, before shaking his head stubbornly, "No, he was just taking care of me."
"Barry, I caught him sitting by your bedside multiple times," Gary said, "He wasn't taking care of you. He would just sit there…for hours, staring at you. Sometimes talking."
Barry looked down at the floor, a thoughtful frown on his face.
"What would he say?" he asked curiously.
Gary shook his head.
"I never really heard what he said to you," he told him.
It wasn't entirely true. Gary had caught snippets of it, here and there. Wells often whispered when he spoke to the comatose patient, so it had been hard to hear without entering the room and letting Wells know he was there. Wells often thought the building was empty when he spoke to Barry. Like everyone else, he overlooked the janitor.
Gary didn't know what to tell the kid, though. None of what Wells said in his private monologues made any sense. He spoke about fate and reckonings and a bunch of other things Gary didn't understand. All he knew was that it was weird and extremely creepy. Wells had a very unhealthy interest in the boy, and Gary felt like it was only right to warn him.
"Just trust me, Barry," he said seriously, "Be careful around Dr. Wells."
Barry continued to look at him with furrowed eyebrows.
"Okay," he whispered, nodding slowly, "I will."
Gary nodded, feeling satisfied as he then walked away from the bewildered young hero. He was glad he had said something. Gary didn't know if Dr. Wells meant the kid any harm, but he felt better now that he had given him a heads up. Whatever happened now was out of his hands. He had done his part.
Now, all he had to worry about were those stupid candy wrappers.
Let me know what you think. I might do a few more chapters involving different parts of the first three seasons, showing how Gary was there for all of it, as a silent observer. Don't worry, though. I always keep things Barry-centric ;)
