It was a little bizarre for him to even consider Willow as someone who might be interested in him. It's not that Barry ever really thought of himself as ugly or unworthy, but girls like her wouldn't be interested in a guy like him.
Barry had baggage. He was a kid when his mother was murdered in front of him and his father had been wrongfully accused of killing her. Leaving him without parents to rely on for most of his adult life, but through everything, he'd made ends meet.
A friend of his father had taken him in and helped raise him, giving him the closest version of normal, he could. But still, Barry was different than everyone else. Where there were events for parents to come and support their children, Joe would always do his best to come through, and Barry appreciated that. There was still a piece missing from him that no amount of comfort or distance could fill. For that, he was always a little offputting and strange.
His sense of humor was warped and he didn't have his life as together as any twenty-seven-year-old man should. He'd been drifting for a while, and for a short time, Bruce had helped him begin to crawl out of his hole. Giving him advice and making sure to keep in contact here and there, all while having a meeting with him and the rest of The League on occasion, Barry had begun to fall back down, again.
The job that he'd gotten at CCPD had helped, he'd managed to take some online classes to finish his degree and professionally was doing well, but anything outside of that had gotten more complicated.
The man from the night his mother had died, the man in yellow, had decided to show himself at one of the most difficult times in Barry's life, sending him further into a spiral. Another speedster had shown up in a black suit as well, making things more confusing.
Bruce had decided to step in, only after he'd noticed Barry's personality change and because Central City's headlines were getting darker. Barry was less present and other metahumans had noticed and were wreaking havoc on the population.
Since the night that she'd had coffee with him, Barry had been torn between trying to start up some kind of weird friendship with her or simply leaving her be. As much as he'd like to just stay in Central City and let their one meeting be the end of it, he couldn't.
Bruce had suggested that if he was that worried about her, he could keep a watch and at the very least, make sure she got home safe. To which Barry was quick to point out that was technically stalking. Bruce was much more optimistic, pointing out how dangerous Gotham was after sundown.
" Just don't be weird about it, Barry. " Bruce's only advice that day was vague and Barry had a hard time not mocking the bat vigilante for telling him to not be out of the ordinary.
But he understood what he meant.
He'd come to the hospital a few times and after walking through the entrance to the lower lobby, had walked right back out. Unsure how to even start a conversation with her that didn't start with, " Hey, remember me? The stranger who kissed you!? Good times. "
He wasn't confident in his ability to swoon a beautiful doctor, or his ability to stay unnoticed, so he'd agreed to get the courage to speak to her and maybe ask her out for another cup of coffee. That last conversation had gone well, so why wouldn't another.
He'd had all day to think of things to say, but the most he could come up with was inappropriate topics like death or some form of mortality. Willow was a doctor though, maybe her sense of humor would be catered to something like that?
The small backend of a warehouse that he'd decided to turn into his home, was completely dark until Barry flicked on one switch to the room, to which instantly every monitor, light, and device, turned on all at once.
No one waited home for him here, and with his busy life, maybe it was better that way.
The plan to shower and dress semi-acceptable quickly went out the door, as the police scanner in his place began to blare loudly, alerting him to a robbery in progress and multiple other crises that were happening in Central City.
Barry's lips pursed together as his body stood motionless in the doorway to his place, he hadn't even gotten a moment to prepare for a meeting with Willow, that he was already thinking about abandoning, and the city needed him. He looked down at his watch, counting for a moment and rationalizing how he could make it to Gotham within the next hour and possibly catch her and ask her out as friends.
He'd quickly taken care of the robbery and petty criminals that were tampering with his time frame of getting to Gotham, still unsure how to spark the conversation with her.
'Coffee as friends,' sounded strange, but so did, " Drinks as friends or friendly drinks. '
There wouldn't be a great way to ask her out to have a beverage or anything else without making it uncomfortable for her, or without making it sound like he was asking her out on a date.
Barry had managed to make it to Gotham just before seven, he hadn't had time to discard his crimson Flash costume somewhere safe and had planned to casually walk up to her and ask her to have a drink with him.
The late summer's heat was waning and as a hard, warm breeze pushed through the busy streets of Gotham, Barry could feel a little optimism come over him.
What if he did ask her out?
What would be the worst that could happen?
'She could say no, maybe dramatically slap him for kissing her or something worse; laugh? '
Barry's thoughts had begun to get the best of him and he began to feel unsure about being here in the first place. He'd stopped just outside Gotham Med, his body frozen still as second thoughts paced viciously through his mind, he stood for a moment, unseen and unsure until he saw her.
Willow walked from the Hospital's entrance and abruptly stopped.
Barry's lungs cramped as his chest tightened, his eyes unable to leave Willow the moment they found her. His lips parted just slightly, as words formed in his head, his mind going a mile a minute as he realized how heavy his heart was.
Her mid-back length hair was loose and fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and she wasn't wearing scrubs or hospital gear. Her body was dressed in a pretty blouse that showed some of her shoulders and neck, while her legs were covered in dark colored jeans. She didn't seem to of stopped for any reason in particular, but the moment Barry watched a hard breeze push past her and run across her hair and clothes, he realized she was just simply enjoying the moment.
Her smile was warm and comforting, and just seeing it made a light in him spark. It was a surreal feeling to feel when you'd felt so distant and absent for so long. He knew that her presence alone was enough to pull him to her and that her smile was bright and warm like the sun. His hands had formed into tight fists as his knuckles turned white from the pressure. He needed to talk to her, he'd been worried that the courage to ask had been lost but here it was, bubbling to the surface, growing stronger, more certain with every moment he looked at her.
He took a deep breath, his body frozen still for a moment as Willow's body relaxed into the late afternoon haze. Her light green eyes reflected the sun and caught his for a moment, but quickly looked away, as she turned and finally moved off the curb she was standing on.
An uncomfortable nudge pulsed in the back of Barry's mind as his meta-human senses heightened and everything slowed around him for a moment. His eyes scanned everything in his view, his stomach turned over onto itself as he finally found what his body was demanding his attention for. Sparks of white-hot electricity flew around him as he watched Willow step off the curb and directly in front of an oncoming Bus.
The horn to the bus blared as Barry's body had already left the hidden spot he'd been perched at, it's sound echoed loudly and vibrated the air that Barry ran through. He let his hands grasp Willow's body pulling her from the path of the bus and narrowly stopping just across the street, safe from the busy Gotham traffic.
Barry's arms fell from their tightly wrapped position, his gloved hands faltering to Willow's upper arms, where they stayed. His concerned eyes didn't leave her for a moment as he watched her body adjust to just being pulled from a near-death moment.
His brow furrowed further as it seemed to take her almost a whole minute to decompress and become aware of her surroundings.
" Barry. "
Her voice had no strength and strained to be heard. Her lips hung open and he could see the raw emotion in her expression. He could feel her body quiver and tremble for seconds at a time and stop; she was completely terrified.
" You're alright. "
Barry reassured her, nervously licking his dry lips as he tried to think of anything else he could say that would convince her that she was going to be okay. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Pedestrians had taken out phones and snapped photos of the two of them, causing Barry to look up with a semi-disgruntled expression, not appreciating how little they were regarding their privacy or the fact that Willow was unharmed.
" Look, It's the Flash!"
Someone shouted, and within seconds of hearing his tabloid name, Willow began to calm down. Barry focused on her, her metahuman abilities picking up on her slowing heart rate and watching as her face began to gain some color.
" Willow, you alright? "
Barry spoke in a hushed voice, his eyes leering at her and to the growing crowd around them. Willow looked up at him, her bright green eyes seemed nervous and uncertain. The longer she looked at him the more flushed his face grew and soon he knew that if they didn't leave, his skin would match the color of his suit.
" I have to get out of here before I become a spectacle, "
Barry spoke quickly as his words trailed off for a moment. Willow looked up at him and shook her head, understanding his need to leave.
" T-thank you, Barry.. "
Her voice shook as she spoke, alerting him to how startled she still was.
" No, no, " Barry trailed off, " What's your address? "
The last thing he needed was her getting in danger again or one of these skeezy tabloid photographers chasing her down.
A few seconds paused between Willow's reply and Barry's question. She looked up at him a little confused, not understanding that he wasn't going to speed away until he was sure she was going to be fine.
Her brows furrowed and her lips gaped just slightly as she thought for a moment, still a little fatigued by everything had just happened. Willow spoke quietly, her heart finally catching up with her mouth.
" 511, West Plains. "
Barry moved closer to her, and in one statement he spoke to her, " Hold your breath. "
Barry reached forwards, giving her just a fraction of time to ready herself, before he disappeared off, taking Willow with him.
Barry wrapped a secure hand around her waist and shoulder, pulling her close to him as he sped from the busy Gotham street and to somewhere safe.
Willow's body was close to his now. Her golden colored hair was blown from her shoulders and fell down to her midback. Barry's arms loosened some from her body his eyes closing for a moment as a hard brush of wind blew a faint coconut smell from her hair and against his face.
" Barry, "
Willow spoke under her breath, her eyes coming up to find his.
" Y-you don't have to thank - "
Barry didn't want her to feel obligated to thank her, but the moment he spoke, WIllow's face began to twist.
" Are you following me, Barry? "
Barry's stomach turned onto itself for a moment as he immediately began to think of all of the deep conversations he'd had with Bruce about Willow. Barry's lips parted slightly, his thought process not completely sure what he was going to say to her question.
" It's not entirely as creepy as it sounds. "
Barry's sheepish grin made her start to laugh and he wasn't sure if she was angry or amused.
" It was Bruce's idea, " Barry panicked, his voice picking up speed, " It was only one time, "
" Thank you. "
Willow interrupted his train of thought, her worried face beginning to soften the more he spoke. The corner of her mouth inched up slightly, watching Barry writhe in confusion.
" Y-yeah-yeah, no problem. If you need anything, just call. "
Barry could feel his heart pound from his chest as he nervously pulled his hand up to his ear in the motion of a phone. A gesture that he soon realized was embarrassing and ridiculous.
But it made her smile.
Willow's shallow grin broke out into a full-blown smile showing all of her perfectly aligned teeth and letting him see her, the real her, for a brief moment.
Barry hesitated to leave for a moment, his lanky arms and legs fumbling around as he left her in a fleurry of wind and blue electricity, completely sure of one thing that had stayed on his mind since the moment he just saw it.
He loved making her smile.
