There was a little music box that Iris had had since she was a child. Barry watched the red light of the sunset reflect off its metal surface as its plinking notes filled the air. On top of the box a figure twirled, a little man, locked in an eternal run around the circular rim. Around and around and around and around.
Barry's eyes blurred. There were two little men running and running in endless circles on a metal track a circular metal rim running and running in red light blood red light he's running and running footfalls pounding against metal metal stained bloody red by blood red light run run run Barry run never leave this track never run run run in circles infinity stretching before him an eternity measured in heartbeats-
Barry shakes himself, accidentally slipping into super-speed as he does, and finds himself shaking all over as the vision fades. Just… fatigue. Just fatigue and overwork, Barry. Stop being ridiculous. This is just… a nightmare. A recurring nightmare.
Barry runs a hand over his forehead and feels lighter than before, a dizziness spinning his brain and a weakness infecting his hands like arthritis.
It should be easy enough to chase away, though. Barry pushes himself to his feet and stumbles out of the room to where he knows Iris is reading her latest novel. "Hey, honey."
Iris turns to look at him, and concern laces her features. "Barry! Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine." Barry sits down next to her on the couch, and she shifts to let her lean against him. The proximity seems to lend him strength somehow, and he smiles over at her. "I've just been feeling a bit off lately."
Iris looks skeptical at this, but settles an arm around his shoulders and leaves it at that. Slowly, Barry starts to feel better again, but the lines on Iris's forehead stick in his mind. She shouldn't look that worried. Whether she makes him feel better or not, he shouldn't be concerning her with what was probably nothing - it was an unfair burden to place on her.
Barry resolved to avoid burdening her again.