A/N: Here with a new short fic, probably no longer than five to seven chapters. This is reaction to the two latest episodes of Flash, 3x19 the Once and Future Flash and 3x20 I Know Who You Are, so there will be some spoilers, but I don't think it will go very AU, and will not heavily focus on theorizing Savitar's defeat. It will focus on the thoughts and feelings of the team following the revelation of Savitar's identity with some taunting and mischief from Killer Frost thrown in, hence the angst and friendship tags. In terms of pairings, WestAllen, Snowbert angst, some Joe/Cecile and some interactions that could be read as one-sided Killervibe romantic angst or simply friendship depending on your mood. In terms of characters, most everyone will appear with focus on the main trio: Barry, Cisco and Caitlin and the West family. I own nothing. Flash belongs to DC and CW. I'm simply releasing my feels the best way I know how.
Chapter One: Shattering
Killer Frost's POV
It was surprisingly simple to kill Caitlin Snow. She was never the unifying force she claimed to be. She was broken...and now she is shattered. The anger is enough to make her flinch away. Because I still feel her, a shell. She is nothing more than a host now. Hearing the prognosis, that was only the first step, and it was delivered by her own mother. Savitar is right: love is weakness. It makes you believe anything and turns off your brain. It stopped Snow from doing what she had to do in the first place. Julian, he was dispensable. He could have so easily taken everything from Flash, but they welcomed him and he threw himself all in. Pathetic. Snow, Cisco, even the Flash himself don't know an enemy when they see one. They never have. Call it...a track record. Even after all I've done, this record still holds. He knew it would, and that's why this is going to be so easy. They still see their sweet Doctor Snow, think this is nothing more than a makeover, a lapse that can be cured. Well, I won't be pulled in. Their love is their weakness, but it won't be mine.
Barry's POV
Without love, who would we become? I've found myself thinking about this question more and more. After Zoom, it crossed my mind, but then was brushed away, because it's ridiculous... isn't it? I would never become anything like Hunter Zolomon. I have my family, my friends. It's clear to me that I shouldn't even be considering the possibility. Now with Savitar, knowing who Savitar is...it crosses my mind again. Who will you become Barry Allen?
I've seen so many futures...too many to consider which one is the well and proper. There's the dream future, the future that every naive kid pictures: the white picket fence, the house, marriage, kids, maybe a dog. Even with my father in prison for a crime he didn't commit I still pictured that future. There's the future I'll never have. Mom and Dad at our wedding, my mom giving Iris advice as they try to hide wedding dress shopping plans, Caitlin as one of the bridesmaids, because Iris and Caitlin are close But it wouldn't happen, not the way we've always pictured it. There's the future I saw, Savitar...killing Iris. (Me killing Iris). It seems impossible that I could even consider the possibility. There's the future that I just ran from, that I'm still running from. Me, mangled and twisted. Twisted enough to turn one of my best friends against us, to kill all that is good in her and anoint her with the life she feared, the name she dreaded, and a curse she never wanted: to forget what friendship is. I see glimpses of myself from 2024 in this man before me, a sneer so garbled, I'm reminded of Eobard Thawne, of Hunter Zolomon, of my potential. Potential that makes bile rise in my throat.
"When?" I rasp. I'm frozen, my fists are clenched.
"Ah, ah, ah." Future me shakes his head. "I think I'll let you mull it over. We always did enjoy puzzles. Besides...everything you've done, everything you're going to do. I already know, so why spoil it for us both."
"How?"
"At a loss for words I see. That always was something I had trouble with when it was important. I'd almost forgotten." Future me almost looks sympathetic, but again, it's mangled. And I'm repulsed. "Well, you'd better run off to your team Barry. See what they make of your revelation."
And then, suddenly, I get feeling back. The feeling of numb broken by the zing of the speedforce. Run, run, run. Stop yourself. Don't lose. And then I run.
