PROLOGUE

Becoming a superhero is a lot like riding a bike. When you first start off, you're clumsy. Your feet don't quite know what they're doing and you fumble along, hoping you don't crash and burn…and possibly break a bone. After a while, though, it becomes second nature. It becomes fun. You're no longer worried you're going to scrape your knee or hit your head, you just sit back and enjoy the ride. And no matter how long you've been out of the game, you pick it up again. Easy.

See, for me, instead of riding a bike into victory like some sort of bad-ass biker (cough cough Ghost Rider cough cough) I'm battling bad guys with super speed. Being the fastest man on earth, you'd think that'd be easy. Only it's not. There's a common rule in crime fighting that says "Thou Shall Not Be Distracted" and violating this rule is a major no-no…and can have some dire consequences. The whole loved-ones-being-in-danger-if-you-ever-slip-up thing is very real. When in suit, you have to stay focused. I'm not kidding. A glance at someone you recognize could be life or death. I know, it sounds intense because it is intense. And, up until recently, I thought my biggest distraction in life was Iris. Me, Barry Allen. Distracted by a girl. Yeah, that was just about a cliché as it came. But to be fair, Iris wasn't just a girl. She was everything.

It's hard to explain. When you're a kid, feelings are, well, difficult to process. You don't really know what crazy emotions are surging through your body or how to handle them exactly right. Which is why so many little boys shove sand in little girl's faces and pull their pig tails. Oh no! She's making my insides tingle. What do I do? I know! Let's call her names until she cries. Yeah! That's brilliant! I'd sigh for emphasis, but I don't really think there's a need for it.

But back to Iris. She was the most beautiful and kind girl I'd ever laid eyes on. We grew up together, and over the years while I started developing strong feelings for her, she started pushing me further into the friend zone. By the time I was sixteen I'd been shoved so deep that I'd reached the forbidden brother zone. It was a tragic loss, but I remained hopeful…like an idiot…thinking one day the delicate and sassy girl of my dreams would look at me like she looked at the Flash. But she never did. And so, I moved on after she moved on. The relationship that I was wanted slipped through my fingers as she cozied up to another guy and went on to get married.

Never fear, though! The Fastest Man On Earth doesn't stay out of the game for long. I picked up my bike, put on my suit, and blocked out all distractions. And for a while, things were smooth. They were great! Better than great, the city was never so safe. But things never really last forever.

As most clichés go, well, at least most super hero ones, I was minding my own business battling a baddy when it happened. A distraction. The type of distraction that knocks you right off your bike, or in my case, knocked the air right out of my lungs with a solid punch to the gut. This particular distraction came while I was battling another meta-human (which I hope by now is a widely accepted term for super-humans with genetically mutated DNA, like myself). The guy was a solid six foot tall and had the insane ability to turn his skin into whatever material suited him. He'd been on a killing spree for weeks and the cops had no idea how to put a stop to the tank of a man, which is when I decided to step in. With great speed comes great responsibility, right? Right…

So the guy was swinging his fists like an unstoppable juggarnaught, I was zipping around- dodging his brutal blows effortlessly- leading him into the woods just outside of town, and man, it wasn't easy. The plan was to get him as far away from civilians as possible, and Caitlin and the team would zap him with a neutralizing prototype we'd been working on. Simple enough, except for not. Nothing ever is. The woods were supposed to be abandoned. That was what I was told. But they weren't- someone had taken up camp in them, and like an idiot I didn't notice until it was almost too late.

Man, was she everything and more. She didn't notice the noise as the big bad battle axe and I barreled through trees. He was thrashing around, too angry to see what I was doing- and she- she had made something magical out of what was supposed to be barren. With me, going so fast, time seems to slow to a stop. When the human tank and I had left the chaos of the city and entered the woods, I started seeing everything slower. Now that I wasn't leading him, I could move as fast as I wanted to. And I did. And I tried drinking in my surroundings as quickly as possible- to find Cisco and Caitlin- but what caught my attention was something unexpected.

The trees were laced with twinkling lights and candles lined the floors. Paper swans dangled from low hanging branches, and random fabric formed a cluster of small tents that surrounded an old Volkswagen van. My eyes flickered around to see who had made such a colorful haven and finally fell on a slow twirling figure singing to herself. I stopped myself to warn her about what was happening, and when she me, she became excited. Too excited to let me talk. But, man, I didn't mind. I just liked looking at her.

Her skin was a soft and clear olive color that seemed to glow when she danced in the sun. Her smile was wide and full of too many teeth, and upon further examination, it was notably crooked. Her nose, slender and sharp, scrunched up whenever she smiled. And eyes, large almonds, were like liquid gold. A whole universe spun in them as she spoke, too quickly to be heard. Her hair was long and thick, and fell in gentle curls all the way down her back. I liked the way it faded from auburn to sandy blonde and held every color in between. She was thin, but curvy. Nothing about her was symmetrical. One ear had three piercings, the other two. And watercolor tattoos stretched up her arm making me wonder what other body art she was hiding behind her loose fitted sweater.

I was about to ask when I remembered something rather important- I was supposed to be fighting. And that's when Mr. Tank got a leg up on me, and took the opportunity to clobber me in the back of the head. Yeah, it was easy to say he knocked me out cold with that one cheap shot. And I don't know what happened next. Just lights out, and when they came back on, the distraction was gone.

Just like riding a bike- when you fall off, you have to pick yourself right back up and carry on.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hey-yo! How are ya'll doin' tonight? It's almost Christmas! How exciting. Being sick, I decided it was probably a good idea to start watching The Flash, and this is what I came up with. SPOILER ALERT: I know in the comics Barry marries Iris, but her character in the show makes me so angry I want to scream. So, here's my solution! I hope you enjoy, don't be a silent reader, comment and message me. And, like all of my stories, each chapter will have a special section for music you can listen to while reading. I'm not sure if this whole story will be told from Barry's perspective or not...thoughts? Hm...who knows?

Anyways, I love you and hope to hear from you soon! I already have a really fun plot for this fanfic. I hope you like it enough for me to continue posting.

Peace, Love, & Meta-humans,

-thehugbandit

SONGS MEANT TO INSPIRE

1. Major Laser- Be Together

2. Jimmy Hendrix- Little Wings

3. 21 Pilots- Hanging Onto You