A/N: A short scene in 3x19 of Barry & Iris reuniting between when he came back and interacted with Wally and when he debriefed the team on his 2024 findings.
*Many thanks to my beta, sendtherain, for her awesome editing job.
*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
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"What – already?" Wally's jaw dropped.
Barry nodded and grinned.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you could be back like you never left."
Barry laughed. "I told you."
"Did you find anything out?"
Wally's desperation was almost amusing.
"Yeah, I did. You round up the others. I need to tell them what I learned."
Wally nodded. "Sure thing," he said and sped off in an electric yellow blur.
Barry headed out of the pipeline and made it back to the cortex mere moments before Wally returned with a slightly startled Cisco and Julian.
But he didn't see them. Because when he arrived back in the cortex, Joe and Iris looked up at him. The light bulb went off in their heads almost immediately – he left and now he was back. Emotions flooded through Barry. He recalled everything he'd experienced in 2024, all the horror he'd seen, and the victory of bringing Team Flash back together before leaving.
The second most horrendous thing when he'd been there had been the crushing realization that he'd abandoned everyone in the wake of Iris's death, especially Joe, who was like a second father to him. He knew he would never fully understand what his future self went through to drive him to that decision – in theory, yes, but since he was determined not to let that future become a reality, he would never really know.
He was going to make holding up the team just as important as saving Iris's life. He was going to bring Caitlin back to them. He was going to protect Wally. He was going to be Joe's support. And he would make that clear as soon as he'd debriefed the team on his findings.
But the worst thing, which hadn't been any easier to grapple with even though he'd known it was coming, was seeing a world without Iris in it. His future self was so distraught. Everyone was, but he didn't even recognize himself. And the worst part was deep down he knew he could easily become that version of himself if the worst did happen.
So, after living a day in a life without Iris West, where the nightmare he was trying to prevent was very much a reality, seeing Iris West before him – real, not a figment of his imagination or a photograph flickering on the large screen in the time vault… It nearly brought him to his knees.
He ran over to her in a flash of red, causing her hair to fly up briefly, and cupped her face in his hands.
"I love you," he said, ignoring anything else in the room, any stares of curiosity or confusion, any presence of anyone period.
Her brows furrowed, the hint of a smile twitching at the corners of her lips.
"I-I love you t—"
But he cut her off.
He kissed her, savoring the moment, the feel of her lips on his and the muffled moan caused from her surprise. He kissed her again, weaving his fingers through her hair and causing a shiver to rush down her spine when he lightly dragged his hand down the back of her neck. He had to suppress a groan when he felt her fingers grazing the line of his waist.
"Is there a reason we're actually here, or…?"
Cisco's question hung in the air, breaking the delicate moment, and he knew any further reuniting would have to wait until later.
He lifted his head and turned to face the group, who were all waiting expectantly with various quizzical expressions.
"Yeah," he said, reluctantly releasing Iris from the desperately gentle embrace.
"I'm back," he informed them, and started to pace.