The first time Barry saw his other was three days after he saw the speed mirage, three days after travelling through time, and three days after he kissed-Iris-but-not-really.
He'd been running home. The day had been long and hard, but then again, most days were. But it definitely didn't help that Barry still felt an aching loneliness after having Iris ripped away from him because of one mistake. To top it all off, despite Caitlin's explanation for his actions, the two of them - three of them, if you included Eddie - were still on thin ice... And Barry still felt like he'd robbed himself.
Later he'd describe the appearance of his other as sudden, but really, it wasn't. In fact, it had been soft and trance-like. It had left Barry speechless. They'd appeared beside him, flickering in like a candle sparking to life. Next to him, running next to him, was a golden being draped in red lightning, shining like a newborn sun. A human fire, and they were divine there, moving beside him.
It was strange, seeing another form next to him, so translucent it was barely there. He'd thought it was another mirage at first, but it couldn't be... The moment had been celestial, and for a time, they ran together. Moving in unison, his companion seemed just a curious about Barry as he was of it. Time began to ooze and drip between the two speedsters, dragging to a standstill. He reached out to touch, and something humming deep in his bones pressed itself against his ear and whispered;
My Champion,
My Champion, who is good and true and right, listen.
He wished he could remember what it said next.
The second time Barry saw the glittering speedster he talked to Dr. Wells about it. With it happening twice, he couldn't pass the vision off as a figment of the night, or an aftertaste of the adrenaline. The confession came in limping; a broken and uncertain thing that could barely be called a description of the events. He still wasn't entirely convinced those moments had been real. But Wells understood, as always, and his confidant had an answer.
"And you said this man was running alongside you? Matching your pace?"
"Yes," he stressed the word, carding a hand through his hair before throwing himself around to face the older man. His eyes were pleading, desperate, and Harrison's expression seemed to soften at the realization of just how scared The Flash was. It didn't stop him from taking a moment to lean forward in his chair, fiddling with something in his hands. Behind his glasses, the man's eyes were contemplative "So that means they were - are - a speedster," Barry perked up at that, he could sense the scientist was onto something, "And if they are… then they must be connected to the Speed Force, same as you. So what might be happening, Mr. Allen, is that this mutual bond is somehow connecting you when you run. You're seeing what could be called a reverse speed mirage. But instead of seeing yourself when you run at a certain speed -"
"I see my other." At that, a strange smile to creep across Dr. Wells' face. It only further confused the speedster. Groaning, the younger man scrubbed his face, moving to pace the floor again.
"Indeed," Dr. Wells had an impossible patience for the antsy speedster, and went on calmly, as if seeing strangers appearing beside you was a perfectly normal fact of life, "Whether or not it only happens while running is something we'll have to check, and it should also be taken into account that the speed at which you're moving may have some influence as-"
"No offence," Was he irritable today? "But I really couldn't care less about why it's happening. I just want to know how to stop it. I can't be distracted mid-fight by some random guy suddenly sitting right beside me - a second of my attention away from the fight and people could die." The younger man huffed, "So if you've got any ideas on that I'd love to hear them."
"I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you with that quite yet. With the help of the others, it might take months to even properly understand all the science behind this and…" Harrison trailed off, noticing how dark Barry's face had suddenly gone, "Do you not want to tell the rest of the team about this?"
The speedster sighed angrily, looking away from his mentor. He didn't quite understand the sudden possessiveness that had flared within him at the idea of telling anyone else. Barry kept his mouth shut about it anyway, opting to cross his arms instead. "No… Let's keep this between us."
"Well then," Harrison shook his head lightly, and for a second he was terrified his mentor would be angry, "If you ever want to come by the lab after hours to run some tests, you know where to find me." the older man looked up at his partner through his glasses, something like a fond mischief glinting in the doctor's eyes. Barry only nodded stiffly, uncrossing his arms slowly, and gingerly unclenching his fists before he went to leave.
"Oh, one last thing Mr. Allen," he turned his head to look at Dr. Wells, one foot out the door. There was an unfamiliar tone in the man's voice, "When did we start calling this apparition your other?"